The All-Time King of Inspiration for Runners

Terry Fox. May our biggest challenge always be getting out of bed in the morning. . . .
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Tilden TOUGH Ten!

The 88-degree temperatures and exposed course put the tough in the Tilden Tough Ten this morning -- a hard trail run in the sun along the ridge of Tilden park. We've run the course before, but never on such a hot day. On the plus side, the views were spectacular, but then we weren't in much of mood to appreciate them. Kerry managed a sub-80-minute finish, followed long afterward by an exhausted Rhett, Roger, Tom and Tony. We also kept an important Harrier tradition alive -- this time it was me who was in the loo when the race started! On the other hand, we were so out of it at race end that we forgot to take the obligatory team photo. . . .

Inspiration: Andy Bryant

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/jerrybrewer/2009081776_brewer19.html

We have some work to do to measure up. . . .
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Runnin' in the Rain

A subset of the Harriers made their presence felt along the American River in Sacramento for the Parkway Half Marathon and 5K race today, and a light but steady rain couldn't obscure their accomplishments as another slew of team records fell. Tom was the man-of-the-match for his inspired run that knocked more than 8 minutes off his PR and put him under the 2-hour mark, although Dave deserved serious consideration for besting his previous PR by over 7 minutes. Kerry continued to pace the team, dropping his PR by more than a minute, finishing 2nd in his age group and 18th overall (out of over 1800 runners). Marian represented in the 5K, not only beating her PR by 3 minutes but finishing 9th in her age group (out of 47 runners). T-Dog and Rhett turned in respectable results, but showed their mettle later when they alone donned the paper pirate hat at the fast-food restaurant at which we stopped on the way home to fight off the sleep that threatened to envelope the car . . . .

Next up, Tilden Tough Ten in two weeks!

Derek Redmond

It's never too early for a tribute to fathers. . .

. . . and the Olympics. . . .

. . . and hamstrings. . . .

Julie Moss

Still riveting after all these years. . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRB1p89k7_I
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Training Mistakes

An excellent summary of what can go wrong. . . and by extension, what to do in order to have success:

http://running.about.com/od/runningforbeginners/ss/runningmistakes.htm?nl=1

Or you could just do what I say. . .
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Napa Valley Trail Run

The Harriers continued the success enjoyed by Maruwa in her pre-Harrier days (when she placed first in her age group) at the Napa Valley Trail Marathon, Half-Marathon and 10K on Saturday: Kerry paced us with a finish that was 4th overall (and third in his -- and Roger's -- ruggedly tough age group!), and Rhett (second) and T-Dog (third) also earned age-group honors. More importantly, it was a glorious day in a beautiful setting, and we had some new experiences with 4 creek crossings. Some things don't change, however: Roger and Tony arrived just in time to step off (well, almost -- Roger was still in the loo when the shout went up for the start), and Tony took a tumble that left him impressively dirtied (but not bloodied). And then we had the rest of the day with which to enjoy wine country. A great day!

Schedule Changes

As Marian notes below, the Presidio 10 on Sunday, March 29, is a worthy alternative to those unable to get into the Napa Valley Trail Half on March 28. Not only do you get to cross the Golden Gate Bridge, but Frank Shorter (who, interestingly, was born in Munich, Germany, the site of his greatest athletic triumph) and Tim Twietmeyer are celebrity guests. It's been added to the official Harriers schedule on the left.

Unfortunately, the Wine Country Half in Santa Barbara is now sold out, so we've had to drop it from the schedule. Perhaps next year we can round out our wine country races with the Sideways run. . . .

Presidio 10

Hi Brett, I could not sign for Napa (since it was closed.)
Instead I registered for Presidio 10K-10M. I am running 10K on the 29th. I am running alone, maybe someone else is interested...
http://www.presidio10.com/event/Presidio_10_Race.html

Workouts w/o Mar 2

Tuesday (Mar 3): Iron Horse Trail north from Walnut Creek Safeway, 4 mi.

Thursday (Mar 5): Iron Horse Trail south from Rudgear (turnaround is Hemme), 6 mi.

Sunday (Mar 8): Hospital Loop, north and east from Newell and Broadway, or Iron Horse north from Walnut Creek Safeway (turnaround is Lisa Lane), 13/ 6 mi.

"F***."

T-Dog's one-word assessment upon finishing the Sequoia Trail Run in the Oakland Hills pretty much summed up the run. It was brutal! Too many climbs to count, seemingly all of them long and steep, and we walked most of them. Mud, standing water in spots, treacherous footing, especially on the downhills. And yet, it was a beautiful run too: at one point early in the run we were treated to a spectacular panoramic view of San Francisco and the Bay, and on some stretches where we ran alone, the quiet and calm (hard breathing notwithstanding) was amazing. Despite the challenge, Kerry finished 13th at the 20K distance, and the rest of us straggled in after him, glad to be done. Finishing on 2 legs fell like an accomplishment, but still, if we're going to run trails, we might want to start training on trails -- our next trail race is in 4 weeks!

John Stephen Ahkwari

This week's inspiring moment, courtesy of John Stephen Ahkwari of Tanzania at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City (replete with stirring score). . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a6DX_m87y0

Workouts w/o Feb 22

Saturday (Feb 21)/ Sunday (Feb 22): Lafayette-Moraga Trail, 12 mi/ 6 mi
Tuesday (Feb 24): 2 laps of Parkmead neighborhood (Phillips Manse), 3.8 mi
Thursday (Feb 26): Iron Horse south from Rudgear, 6 mi/ 5 mi

This Week's Inspiration. . . .

For Jon Blais. A lame poet, but an inspiration nonetheless. . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vrjp2P0GlE

Training calendar w/o Feb 15

Our training schedule looks like this for the week ahead:

Sunday, Feb 15: Lafayette-Moraga Trail; 10-miler steps off at 6:30am, 6-miler at 7:00am
Tuesday, Feb 17: 3.7-mile (double lap) of Parkmead neighborhood, 6:00am at Casa Phillips
Thursday, Feb 19: 5-mile tempo run, Rudgear south to Las Trampas and back, 6:00am

Sequoia Trail Run is just 2 weeks from today!

Delta of Venus: ***½

Davis, CA (AP) - Delta of Venus, a funky bohemian cafe tucked in behind the starting line of the Davis Stampede 5K race, operates out of what used to be a residence, so it has a very comfy homey feel with several different rooms in which to dine, as well as a front porch and patio. There is no sign, though, so you better know where you want to go. The ambience is definitely relaxed, so take your time, drink coffee, chat politics, art, and running over tasty eggs with basil and pesto, crispy home potatoes, and omelets loaded with locally-grown veggies. They even offer a plain cheese omelet for the people in your party who insist on a totally lame breakfast. The staff definitely leans left, if they're not downright ragamuffin at times. Frequently has live music in the evenings. Reportedly features excellent buttermilk waffles. A very pleasant place to spend some time after a big race without spending very much money.

Harriers' Stylish Stampede

Davis, CA (AP) - Black was definitely the color at the Diablo Harriers' inaugural race of 2009, with five of the team's seven runners choosing the classic look for their racing togs at the Davis Stampede. Only Kerry Easthope, resplendent in gray with green trim, and Tony "T-Dog" Phillips, proudly donning the team's white logo jersey, bucked the trend. Roger Shaw and Lynne Jowett complimented their black shirts with chic sunglasses, while Shaw and newcomer Dave Williams wore matching silver shorts with their black short-sleeve tops. Tom "Yogi" Swain opted for a long-sleeve black shirt with his silver shorts, while Rhett Bratt went with black on top and bottom. The Harriers will be hard-pressed to match their Davis style at their next race under the trees of Joaquin Miller Park at the end of February.

Spectacular Results at Davis Stampede

Diablo Harriers took names and shattered records at the 2009 Davis Stampede on Sunday morning. Kerry headlined the domination with a third-place finish in the half-marathon's M40-44 age group (earning him the podium bling on the left), dropping 12 minutes from his previous best. Tony dropped 4 minutes, Roger 3 minutes, and Tom 2 minutes from their PRs as well. At the 10K distance, Lynne set a PR by 4 minutes and Dave established a new mark. Rhett was the lone slacker, missing his best time at the half by 8 minutes, but he did meet an old college acquaintance who was announcing at the race finish.

SHAW PARTIES WITH YOUNG BLONDE

Walnut Creek, CA (AP) - Displaying the form that has made him the bad boy of road racing, longtime Diablo Harrier Roger Shaw was seen dancing late into the night with an unidentified young blonde before the team's season-opening race in Davis. In the grainy video, "Captain Smoothie" can be seen flashing a wide range of dance moves while dancing closely with a woman sources claim is not his wife. The late-night adventures didn't seem to affect Shaw on the course, however; he established a new personal best at the half-marathon distance. The incident will no doubt add to his hard-partying, hard-running legend.

The Slog Bog Relaunches -- Harriers Rejoice!

Now that we're larger in number, perhaps the time has come again for our blog. We'll get workouts listed, and this is the perfect spot to share all of our compelling commentary, those dramatic photos, and the many interesting tidbits we come across in the course of every day. . . . So in the (paraphrased) words of David Bowie's 1983 smash hit, "Let's blog!"