clock … watching time, the only true currency

My high school coaches impressed upon me very clearly the importance of getting a good night’s sleep the night before the night before a race or competition. The theory — which I subscribe to — is that nerves and anticipation may disrupt your sleep on the eve of the event. Accept that, and don’t worry [...]

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I’m a week late on this, but I started Super Bowl Sunday (February 1, 2009) in my traditional way, with a race in Golden Gate Park. I finished the 5K 10th overall with an 18:44, for 6:03 miles, if distances are accurate. One of the two runners right behind me had a GPS on his [...]

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Official results weren’t posted until earlier this week, so I’m late posting this, too. In 2007, I jogged the Miracle Mile with the boy. This year, I got the entire family out for the mile race, and then I ran the Christmas Classic 5K on my own. The rain held off until the second mile [...]

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On New Year’s Day, I entered the San Bruno Hill Climb for the second time. With more prep in recent weeks, and a year of bicycle racing under my belt, I knocked almost two minutes off my time. Official results are in a PDF file. My time was 18:02.91 for the climb, putting me 72nd [...]

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For the 8th year in a row, I ran a race in Golden Gate Park on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The “Run to the Far Side” fades deeper into memory, but Run Wild continues as a satisfying routine for many in San Francisco. I did the 5K distance, finishing in 18:38, for 11th place overall, [...]

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Bike Racing 101 details about what the title promises. I’m foolish enough to read this near the end of my first season of bicycle racing. (I finished the book maybe a fortnight ago.) If I’d read it at the beginning, I might have saved Ken a few questions during the year. Still, even though the [...]

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First bicycle race under my belt yesterday, and I’m happy enough with the results. Official time, 20:03, which put me 115th out of 228 overall. I was 21st out of 37 in the Master 35+…which seems less competitive (slightly) than the Elite Men 5 results. I don’t really understand these groupings yet, but it was [...]

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The boy joined me this morning for the first road race using his own muscles. (His earlier efforts were riding in the jogging stroller, not always happily.) The “Miracle Mile” was the right distance in the right location (Golden Gate Park). The crisp, clear weather (40+ degrees) meant hat and gloves for the boy — [...]

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The post-Thanksgiving tradition continues. I ran the 5K in the Run Wild event this morning. A month ago, I was targeting the 10K, but a few weeks out of commission due to a back strain left me less confident of my fitness, so I stayed with the familiar. I finished in 18:46 officially, 29th place [...]

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The San Francisco summer (September) delivered another beautiful morning today. The Bridge to Bridge 12K race is a local fixture I’ve never run. Starting at the Ferry Building, the race has only one short, steep hill, as it stays along the water almost the entire race, finishing in the Presidio. The official results are not [...]

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