Okay, I Did It!

Okay, I re-joined the L.A. Leggers. I couldn't find a better running club. It will take me a bit longer to get there than it did in the past, but it'll be worth it.

The Great Magnetic Wife came along and brought Rango. They had a great time in Santa Monica while I ran.

John Thum

Maybe, Just Maybe...

When last I posted on this blog, I was contemplating whether or not to continue running with the L.A. Leggers. Now that we live in Sun Valley in the Northern San Fernando Valley, it is a bit of a drive to Santa Monica. I had really given up on the idea of running with the Leggers even thought I had a twinge of envy as I heard about their opening day last Saturday from my Legger friends on Facebook. It is not only far to go, but I now really look forward to my Saturday morning runs/romps with our dog, Rango.

The Great Magnetic Wife, knowing that I missed running with the group, suggested that she and Rango could come with me to Santa Monica and go to yard sales and have a bit of a romp while I run. Then we could all have a nice time on the west side.

I'm willing to try it. I will see if it works before I officially re-join, but I hope it does.

John Thum

What to do?

The L.A. Leggers are starting their season in a couple of weeks and I am not sure whether to join them. I love the Leggers. I do believe they are the best running club in L.A., but now that we have moved, it will be more than 30 minutes to get to Santa Monica for the Saturday morning runs. I have started looking into other running groups in the valley and Pasadena, but none seem as good as the Leggers. I suppose I should give them a shot and see what happens.

John Thum

Happy Independence Day!

Don't Ride Naked!

A naked ride in Portland, Oregon ended tragically. The story is here.

John Thum

Memorial Day 2010

I Didn't Get In

The third time was not a charm. For the third time in a row I did not win the lottery. I did not get in the New York City Marathon. The good news is that after being denied three times in a row, the will let me in next year.

I immediately started looking for another marathon to run in the fall. I discovered that the Washington D.C. Marine Corps Marathon took place one week earlier than New York. Unfortunately, I hesitated for a day and that marathon sold out in the mean time. Oh well.

John Thum

Started My Training for NYC Marathon

Today I started my training for the New York City Marathon with a one mile run. I went with Rango to the local high school track and ran a mile while my dog chased birds on the football field and followed me around. I ran with my Vibram Five Fingers. I plan on using them for at least half of my runs on this training schedule.

I am using the L.A. Leggers basic training schedule and in thirty two weeks, on November 7, 2010, I will be ready for the NYC Marathon. Of course, I haven't actually been granted a spot in the marathon yet, I won't know if I'll actually get in until June, but in order to do the entire Legger training regimen, I had to start today.

John Thum

Los Angeles Marathon 2010

I was very much looking forward to doing the pace timing for the elite runners for the 2010 L.A. Marathon. I did it last year and had a great time. Essentially pace timers get on bicycles and ride in front of the elite runners and go to certain mile markers and call in the top three runners split times to the media. As a cyclist, it is a lot of fun riding the streets of L.A. with no stoplights or traffic to worry about. As a runner you get to see some of the world’s best long-distance runners up close throughout the entire marathon. However, this year was slightly different.

I went to work very early last Wednesday and so, I was able to come home early. I happened to be at my computer when I got an email from the L.A. Tri Club coordinator of the pace timing cyclists. She asked for a volunteer to ride with a hand-cyclist who had cerebral palsy. I hesitated for a moment because I had such a good time last year with the elite runners, but then I thought, “I’ve had that experience, it is time to try something else.” I volunteered and almost immediately the job was mine. I must admit that I was a little scared. I have only really talked to one other person with cerebral palsy and it was difficult. I asked my Bible study group to pray for me.

I soon found out that my athlete’s name was Scott Gellerstein. My task was just to rid with him and assist him if something were to go wrong. If he got a flat I would change it. It was estimated that he would finish in about three hours and leisurely pace on a bicycle.

The Great Magnetic Wife was kind enough to get up really early and drop me off at the Marathon starting point at Dodger Stadium. We got there at about 5:30 am and the wheelchair and hand cyclists were scheduled to start at 7:00 and 7:05 respectively. I met up with a few of my fellow L.A. Tri Clubber and we were all quite excited.

At about 6:30 I went to the hand cyclist corral to try to meet Scott. He was not there yet. I was a little worried. At 6:45 I went back to the corral and met him. He was with Jeremy Newman, who I later found out is also in the L.A. Tri Club. Jeremy said that he was going to ride in front of Scott and try to provide some opportunities for Scott to ride in his draft. I asked Scott if he wanted me to do anything specific and he said, “no, just ride with me”.

The start was delayed because the busses bringing in athletes had not been able to get all of the athletes to the starting line in time. That is something they will have to work through in the future if they are going to keep using this point-to-point course. The wheelchairs left at about 7:20 and the hand cycles about five minutes later. I was stationed about 200 yards in front of the starting line and picked up Scott as he rode by. The course goes uphill very shortly after the start and Scott was struggling a little bit, but with grunts and determination got up the hill. What goes up must comedown and so as we were going downhill he asked me to let him know when hills were coming, both up and down.

We left Dodger Stadium through the Sunset Boulevard exit and there was a sharp left turn onto Sunset Boulevard. I know this exit well and that it is a little steep. I let Scott now that we were coming to a big downhill and a sharp left turn. I got behind him to give him as much room as possible to turn. As he was making the turn his left-rear wheel left the ground a little bit. Oh, no! It went back down. Relief! Then he swung a little wide and hit the curb! He wiped out and was on his side. One of the reasons I was there was to try to keep Scott safe and less the two miles into this thing he was laying on his side after having wiped out. Before I could even dismount from my bike there were a couple of spectators who were with Scott. He kept saying, “I’m okay, I’m okay”! We got him upright and he wanted to keep going.

Having studied the course, I knew there were going to be at least a couple more downhill runs into turns. I told Scott to listen to me when I am warning of a turn and to slow down. He certainly didn’t want to crash anymore either. This started a good downhill section that allowed him to rest his arms a bit. But the first four to five miles of this new L.A. Marathon course are quite hilly. As we were going up hills Scott would ask, is it downhill soon”?

The biggest hill of the race was going up Grand Avenue towards Disney Hall. I remember it from the L.A. Triathlon and it is a killer. Scott was struggling a lot. I kept telling him that he could serpentine the hill. I must have said, go back and forth ten times, others were certainly doing it. But Scott was determined to just go strait up. At a certain point he asked me to push him, but I said that I couldn’t he would have to do it all on his own. But I kept encouraging him and he kept trying. I would call out, “200 yards to go…100 yards to go…50 yards to go! This is the hardest hill on the course, they will all be easier after this!…20 yards….you’re almost there”! He made it, but was clearly exhausted. We had a bit of a flat and some downhill before the next climb.

It was around this time the Jeremy Newman, who I had met in the starting coral mostly stayed with us. He kept talking to Scott about his form. Scott kind of jerked through the motion of the hand-crank and Jeremy reminded him to go in circles. As we were going downhill Jeremy would get in front of Scott to provide a draft. It didn’t usually work; Scott would not always put in the effort to go with Jeremy. Both Jeremy and I kept telling him that if he put in the effort to get into Jeremy’s draft, it would be ultimately easier, but I think Scott saw the downhill sections as an opportunity to rest his arms. Since he was going for a personal best time, both Jeremy and I felt he was going to have to work smarter to achieve it.

Jeremy continued the advice on the hand cycling. I continued to let Scott know about the terrain, up and down and upcoming turns. We both shouted a lot of encouragement as did the spectators along the course and the cyclists who were doing the pace timing for the runners.

For ten minutes or more I could see the camera cars for the elite women runners coming up behind us. The women start about twenty minutes before the men, so they are the first ones up. In Hollywood on a long up hill section they finally passed us. I let Scott know to stay to the right as they passed. But soon after that there was a downhill section and we passed the women runners again. We played cat-and-mouse with them for a while, but they finally passed us for good in Beverly Hills. Not very long after that the men passed us on Santa Monica Boulevard in Century City. There was not cat-and-mouse with the men. When we were passed we stayed passed.

Scott was clearly getting very tired at this point. We continually reminded him about his form, but as one gets fatigued, form often goes out the window. He was making a lot more effort to move himself along. The last hill of the course was in the Veteran’s Administration hospital in West L.A. When we got through this it would literally be all downhill for the last five miles. But there was a short hill that Scott was having trouble with. He again asked for a push and I again told him he had to do it on his own. He rested for a few seconds and then gave it another try. He got up the hill and then we were off.

We still had five miles to go down San Vicente Boulevard and Ocean Avenue and although they were all downhill, it was a subtle downhill. I have ridden by bike along this route a lot. I know this well. The downhill is nice, but you still have to work and Scott was getting very tired. He was starting to drift and Jeremy recognized this as Scott closing his eyes to give more effort. So Jeremy had to correct him and shout to at Scott to keep his eyes open.

We finally made the turn onto Ocean Avenue and were just over a mile from the finish. Scott was going to get his PR, but we wanted to make sure he was going to finish as strong as he could. We continued to encourage him. The crowds were getting pretty big and they were screaming for him. We could finally see the finish line about a half a mile out. I kept shouting, “What are you saving it for? You can rest when you finish! Go harder”! Jeremy was saying much the same. We were flying down Ocean at about twenty miles an hour.

Approximately two hundred yards from the finish line I had to bail off of the course. Unfortunately I bailed off of the wrong side off the course and had to navigate through a very crowded Palisades Park and through many closed streets of Santa Monica to get to the wheelchair and hand cyclist finishing area. I met up with them and met Scott’s parents. Scott thanked me and I let him know that I had a great time.

I headed to the L.A. Tri Club post race party to check in and get my volunteers t-shirt. Why did I feel I had to get my t-shirt? I don’t know. I already have dozens of event t-shirts that I never wear. But for some reason I have to have a t-shirt from every event I participate in. I then headed to the aid station at Mile 23 for the L.A. Leggers to cheer on my friends who were running by. I saw barefoot running guru Barefoot Ken Bob run by and snapped a photo.

After a few hours there, I rode my bike about ten miles to the spot that The Great Magnetic Wife was to pick me up. When she picked me up I was tired, but it was a good kind of tired. It was off to the dog park with Rango. I sat and watch him run around. I went to bed early and slept well.

John Thum

Oh, My Achin' Back!

I did a little gardening last Saturday and did something to my back that my back did not like. I'm sure I will heal relatively quickly, but I am worried that I will not be able to be an L.A. Marathon Pace Timer if it is not 100% my next Sunday, March 21, 2010.

John Thum

One Year With My Kindle 2

It was one year ago (March 5) that I got my Kindle 2. This is a device that has improved my life. I have always read to one degree or another, but I am doing a lot more of it now. A few months after I received my Kindle I blogged about the books I read on it, so this is an update. I will start with the books I am currently reading and go back to all the books I have read.
Current:

The American Patriot's Almanac by William J. Bennett and John Cribb
I put this book on the last list because as an almanac I read one section a day. It talks about a significant event that took place on each day and a round-up of other things that happened on that day. I purchased this rather early in my Kindle experience, so I a within a month or two of finishing it. However, I might continue to read it as a refresher. I really enjoy this book.

Proverbs from the Old Testament by King Solomon

We are doing a series at Church on wisdom and the pastor suggested we read a chapter a day from Proverbs. There are thirty one chapters and thirty on days in a month. Sounds good. Everything said in that book is relevant today. Solomon was truly wise.

The Sign Of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

This is the second Sherlock Holmes novel and the second story published. After reading two collections of short stories, I downloaded The Complete Sherlock Holmes and I am making my way through it all. Before Kindle, I had never read Sherlock Holmes, but I am very much enjoying it.

Dog On It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn

This was the first book I purchased on Kindle and liked it so much I was telling anyone who would listen, and a few who wouldn't, to read this book. The second book in the series, Thereby Hangs A Tail, was published earlier this year and after reading that, I wanted to revisit the original. It stands up quite well.

Recently finished:

Murder Takes The Cake by Gayle Trent

I have become somewhat of a murder mystery enthusiast and this was one of the free downloads. It involves a Cake Decorator who moves back to her hometown and gets involved in a murder investigation. I guess I was drawn to it because I enjoy watching Ace Of Cakes on the Food Network and I like murder mysteries. It was okay. There is a section at the end that gives recipes for all of the cakes the main character makes.

A Study In Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

This was the first Sherlock Holmes story and first novel. Having read a number of the short stories, it was nice to read this book because it is referenced quite a bit in later stories. You get the introduction of Dr. Watson to Sherlock Holmes and how they came to be roommates. You get how Watson came to be Homles' chronicaler. You also learn a great deal about Watson in this book, much more than you learn about Holmes. At the point in the story where Holmes declares that he has solved the mystery, about half way through the book, there is a very detailed back story that takes the reader to the American west that is quite facinating. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end.

How To Raise The Perfect Dog by Cesar Millan with Melissa Jo Peltier

I have been watching The Dog Whisperer for many years. It is one of the things that inspired me to get a dog. I also wanted to raise my dog in a way that avoided some of the problems I see on the show. Because I am an admirer of Cesar Millan, I thought getting his book on raising a dog from a puppy made a lot of sense. Having watched The Dog Whisperer so often, I didn't learn a great deal of new things, but the reinforcement of the pricipals of raising a dog are good.

The Return Of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyal

The more I read Sherlock Holmes, the more I want to read. This is a very nice collection from different periods.

Thereby Hangs A Tail: A Chet And Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn

The second in the Chet and Bernie series. I was happy to spend more time with Chet and Bernine in this very humerous book. I think I enjoy the series even more now that I have a dog. The books are narrated by Chet, the faithful dog and partner of Bernie Little, a private detective.

The Ten Big Lies About America by Michael Medved

Worth a read. As a culture we have a lot of commonly accepted misconceptions about our history. Radio talkshow host and movie critic, Michael Medved, goes through ten of them like "The Power of Big Business Hurts the Country and Oppresses the People," and "Government Programs the Only Remedy for Economic Downturns and Poverty."

House Of Danger by R.A. Montgomery

This was a free download with an interesting premise that was not all that interesting in its execution. It is a mystery that at the end of each chapter you can choose what the charaters do next. Oh well, it was free and didn't take too long to read.

The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

I have never read this classic. It is quite different than I expected, but quite enjoyable. That Icabod Crane is an odd duck.

Huckleberry Finished by Livia J. Washburn

Another free download that was reasonably enjoyable. I'm sure the idea was that I would like it so much that I would buy the other books in the series, but I don't think I will be doing that. The premis is that a travel agent who leads historical tours ends up having to solve the murder of one of her guests. In this case it was on a riverboat excursion to Hannibal, Misourri, the hometown of Mark Twain. I would think that after a while having tour guests murdered would negatively affect business, but I guess not, because the are quite a nuber of books in the series.

Pursuit Of Honor by Vince Flynn

The latests Mitch Rapp novel. The first one I have purchased when it was just released, having now read all of the others staring with book one. It is every thing you want in a Vince Flynn/Mitch Rapp book. Bad guys get it, corruption is unearthed and a number of tense moments.

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

I have never read this book, but have seen the movies a number of times, (GF I & II). I was surprised on a number of levels. This is really just a very trashy novel that was made into a couple of great movies. I did like the background stuff that was in the book that the movies never had time to go into. This is one of those rare cases where the movie is better than the book, but I did enjoy it.

Protect And Defend by Vince Flynn

In this thriller super agent Mitch Rapp must rescue the Director of Central Intelligence before she is tortured and gives up valuable secrets.

Extreme Measures by Vince Flynn

The plot is different, but the idea is the same. Mitch Rapp saves the country, uncovers corruption and kills people!

Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris

The second in a series of books about a woman who can find dead people. They are odd an slightly creepy but also charming. The locals and police don't like them, but they always solve the case in the end.

Christ The Lord: The Road To Cana by Anne Rice

This takes place more than twenty years after the end of Christ The Lord: Out Of Egypt. It is time for Jesus to begin his ministry but there are a lot of conflicts. Like the previous book, Anne Rice follows the Gospels where she can and makes sensible but often surprising choices where there are no Biblical references. We see Jesus getting babtized and his forty days in the desert. We see his temptation by Satan. The book ends with his turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana, but why he was there and who was getting married is intriguing. This is a novel, but it is well written enough that I could see where some might take it as a more detailed version of the Gospels.

The Adventures Of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

Very different from the Disney version. Far darker and Pinocchio is really an awful jerk through most of the story. The Talking Cricket (no Jiminy here), is killed by Pinocchio very early in the book. The Cricket's ghost does come back to guide Pinocchio. Pinocchio does eventually become a real boy, but if it were up to me, I would have put him in the fireplace by chapter five. I can see why Disney softened this story, but I'm not sure why this is such a beloved children's classic in Italy.

Act Of Treason by Vince Flynn

Vince Flynn/Mitch Rapp novels are a lot like James Bond movies (and probably books), They're all very similar, but they're a fun ride.

To see all of the books that I read on my Kindle from March, 2009 to August 2009 click here.

John Thum

Pasadena Half-Marathon 2:56:48

I got an email on Tuesday, February 16, from the Pasadena Marathon giving me all of the instructions about picking up my packet and where to park on race day and all of the other details that go along with participating in a race. Oh yeah, I signed up the Pasadena Half-Marathon. In fact, I had a blog post about it. Let’s see, I haven't been training at all. I have done a couple of two or three mile runs, but the last time I did anything over ten was before we got Rango and moved into our house. The race also falls on our twelfth anniversary. Should I even consider this? Okay, I’ll do it!

I went to the expo with Rango and there was much oohing and aahing over the cuteness of our puppy. I’m never sure whether I can bring a dog to a place or not, so I decided just to go and see what happens. It’s hard to resist Rango, so we had no problems. I picked all I needed and ran into my Ironman roommate, Tim Bomba, who was the race announcer for the Pasadena Marathon. Rango loved him and gave him many licks.

Last year there was very heavy rain at this event. This year it only sprinkled lightly, a much better way to run around Pasadena. Having not trained for this, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I though I might just walk the whole thing or run for three or four minutes and then walk the rest of the mile, I figured I would just do whatever felt right at the time.

When I arrived I saw a number of L.A. Leggers and there was a group from the thirteen minute a mile pace group that were going to do one-ones. That is run for one minute and walk for one minute. That sounded perfect. I joined up with them.

At about six miles in I was feeling so good that I thought about doing the whole marathon. About two seconds later I thought better of it. Six miles into the marathons I have trained for I felt great and there is always a point where it becomes very painful. Also, this being my twelfth wedding anniversary, if I came home three or more hours late, there might not be a thirteenth.

Unfortunately, everyone in the group I was running with was doing the full marathon. So at mile eight, when the half and full marathon split, I was on my own. It has happened many times to me, but I am still always amazed how much easier it is to run with a group than on one’s own. The first eight miles with the group were no problem. The last five were hard. The race course itself gets harder at that point too. There is a sustained up hill section and it is hotter the longer the race goes on. But I mostly continued with the run a minute, walk a minute plan and got through it.

At a certain point I realized that I could probably finish in less than three hours. This would be my slowest half marathon time by far, but considering the lack of training, I would be happy with that. I ended up at 2:56:48.

I am sore, but it is a good kind of sore. This should inspire me to start a regular training regimen again. After all, I have signed up for the New York City Marathon. If I get in I will need to train.

John Thum

Bicyclists Bill Of Rights

The L.A. City Council is considering a "Bicyclists Bill Of Rights." Basically it says everyone should be nice to cyclists. I agree that everyone should be nice to cyclist and that cyclists shouldn't act like jerks either, but I can't see it actually doing any good.

John Thum

Road Rage Doctor Sentenced

Christopher Thompson, A former emergency room physician, who slammed on his brakes in front of two cyclist in order to "teach them a lesson," was sentenced to five years in prison. The incident happened on July 4, 2008. I wrote about it back then. You can read that post here.

John Thum

New York City Marathon Lottery

For the third year in a row I have entered the lottery for a spot to run the New York City Marathon. If I don't get in this year I will be guaranteed and entry in 2011. Wish me luck!

John Thum

Happy 2010!

Happy New Year from The Great Magnetic Field!

I looked back on my new year resolutions from 2009 and saw the getting a new place to live was at the top of the list. It was left over from 2008 and was the only resolution that was not accomplished in 2008. It took until December to do it, but The Great Magnetic Wife and I, along with our new dog, Rango, found a very nice house to move into.

After completing an Ironman triathlon in 2008, the only triathlon related goal was to have fun. I accomplished that and it was a good thing that I didn't set my sights any higher because I didn't complete a single triathlon in 2009. I got a DNF in the Pasadena Triathon after having mechanical problems on the bike. I was not feeling at all well on the day of the Redondo Beach Triathlon and so I didn't even start it. I did do a number of half marathons including Surf City, Pasadena, La Jolla and Fontana.

My resolutions for 2010 are again to have fun and run a lot with Rango when he is old enough to do so.

John Thum

L.A Marathon Pace Timing Again

I signed up for a second year to be a pace timer at the L.A. Marathon. You can read about my adventure in 2009 here. I hope I am able to get in to do it again. It was a great experience last year.

John Thum

Second Anniversary

Today marks the second anniversary of The Great Magnetic Field. This time last year I was contemplating whether to continue the blog and I decided to keep going, so I guess I will keep going for a third year. Being a new home and dog owner are taking up a lot more time than triathlon these days, but this has slowly become a more general interest blog anyway. I will post Triathlon related and other stuff here as it arises and you can always check out puppy progress at From Out Of The West...The Tales Of Rango.

I am looking forward to what 2010 brings.

John Thum

The New House

I have not been blogging much at The Great Magnetic Field primarily because The Great Magnetic Wife, our new dog, Rango, and I have moved. This takes a lot of time. This is a picture of our lovely new home in Sun Valley.

John Thum

New Dog, New Blog!

Last Saturday, November 21, 2009, The Great Magnetic Wife and I picked up our new dog, Rango, from a rescue organization call Noah's Bark. His mom is a Brittany mixed with a few other things and his dad is a ramblin' guy who almost certainly mostly a Labrador Retriever. His sisters looked like pure-bred Labs.

I started a new blog call From Out Of The West...The Tales Of Rango! to chart his growth. We picked him up at nine weeks and he is growing so fast that I want to document it. My goal is to post a new photo everyday. Enjoy.

John Thum

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is, perhaps, my favorite holiday. I think that it is wonderful that we, as a nation and as individuals, take time to give thanks. We all have much to be thankful for.

This year I am particularly thankful for Rango, our new dog, our new house, The Great Magnetic Wife, my family and friends and my health. Appreciating and being thankful for what one has is the key to happiness.

John Thum

One Year Anniversary Of Becoming An Ironman!

Today is the one year anniversary of becoming an Ironman. I was following the events of Ironman Arizona yesterday and got quite nostalgic. If you would like to read the race report, you can do so here.

John Thum

Ironman Arizona This Weekend

Ironman Arizona is this weekend and it is hard to believe that it has been almost a year since I became an Ironman. I had wanted to go and volunteer at IMAZ and the sign up for 2010, but alas, life is getting in the way. The Great Magnetic Wife and I will be purchasing a house next week. It takes a lot of time and money. I just didn't feel I had the time to take of for Arizona this weekend or the money to sign up for the Ironman. There will be others. Good luck to all the participants!

John Thum

Ironman World Championships

I can just repeat my post from last year. Congratulations to Craig Alexander and Chrissie Wellington! Chrissie broke the course record for women which had been held for seventeen years!

John Thum

Nostalgia

Lately, I have been a bit nostalgic for the olden days. In general, I think things generally get better. Technology helps our lives. But the one area where it has hurt is in identifying crazy people in public. It used to be that when you saw someone on a street corner or in a grocery store who was ranting loudly to no one in particular, you stayed clear because that person was crazy. Now it seems that it is more likely to be a jerk with a Blue Tooth. I miss the old days.

John Thum

I Like My Hat!

A couple of weeks ago, while on vacation at Sea Island, Georgia, I almost lost my Ironman finisher's hat. We were on a boating excursion around the islands and the wind caught my hat and it went overboard. My immediate reaction was, "oh, well...it's just a hat." However, the captain turned the boat around and I was able to reach over the side and grab it. I was happy. For the rest of the boating trip I did not wear it, not wanting to lose it again. By the end of the trip I was thinking that I was really glad to have my hat back.

I earned that hat. It took me a year of training and almost 15 and a half hours to be handed my Ironman hat. I noticed yesterday that I have worn the hat almost everyday since the day I almost lost it. My life would have gone on without any hat related unhappiness if I did not get it back, but I am really happy that I have my hat back.

John Thum

Playing Catch Up

The designated mileage for running with the L.A. Leggers today was six miles. No problem. I ran with the twelve minute a mile pace group and we started running a little faster than that but not much., About a mile and a half in I had to use the restroom and didn't want to try and hold it for four and a half miles. I slipped out of the running pack and into the public restroom along our course.

I knew it was going to take me a mile or more to catch up, but I was feeling good and was confident I could. Approximately a mile after my pit stop I saw a group of L.A. Leggers running ahead of me. I assumed it was my group and picked up the pace to catch them. As I got within fifty yards of the group I realized it was the fourteen minute a mile pace group. No wonder I had such an easy time catching them. Oh well, I'll just keep going. However picking up the pace to catch up to the 14s tuckered me out a bit.

As I ran down the bridge to the Santa Monica Pier and to the beach I saw my group still more than a quarter of a mile ahead. I ran down the bridge and turned on the boardwalk and tried to pick up the pace. I was passing a few stragglers from the group who were unable to keep up. That is not so unusual as the miles start to increase. I kept running.

My Garmin indicated I was over 4 miles into this run and I was still not catching them. I was surprised because I was running under an eleven minute a mile pace. I was passing more and more people from the group who could not keep up.

The turn around point to go back was at four and a half miles and I was now about four and a third miles into this. The path curves a lot at this point and so I could not see very far ahead, but I was sure I had to be very close to the group. At about 4.4 miles a finally saw the group heading towards me. I was still about two tenths of a mile back. I could either cut off a bit of running and just join them, or go all the way to the turn around point. I decided to go to the turn around point and still try to catch up.

I picked up the pace considerably and looked down at my Garmin and saw that I was running under ten minute miles. I was going more than two minutes a mile faster than the pace group was going, why wasn't I catching up more quickly? I could now clearly see the group ahead of me. I knew I was going to catch them in a minute or two. When I finally did, I assumed I was going to fall back into a much slower pace, but I didn't. The group was doing about an eleven minute a mile pace. It suddenly all made sense. The reason I had so much trouble catching up, the reason there were so many stragglers who had to drop out was that the group was running way too fast.

The head mentor for the group and his top assistant were both gone this weekend. We had a mentor who apparently didn't watch his pace even though, I later learned, he was getting a lot of complaints about the pace and requests to slow down. When we finally finished and he looked at the average pace he said something like, it is good to push the pace. It makes you stronger. That is probably true, but he is supposed to be a mentor for a group that trains people for marathons who have often never done any kind real running before. I have the feeling that some of those people who had to abandon the group because they could not keep up may abandon the Leggers. Hopefully they joined slower groups as they came by, but you never know. I think our so called mentor did the group as a whole a great disservice.

John Thum

Ironman Race Report

For my Ironman Arizona race report click here or just keep scrolling down.

My Kindle Reading List

I have had my Kindle 2 for a little over five months now. I really like it. I have done more reading in the last five months since any time in my life with the exception of college... Although, when I really think about it, this may also include college.

The following is a list of books, in no particular order, I have read on my Kindle since I got it.

Consent To Kill by Vince Flynn

A fun read. Vince Flynn writes potboiler spy novels that follow his CIA super agent Mitch Rapp. It is nice to read novels where our intelligence services are highly competent and get things done and protect our freedom. The other thing I like about the Mitch Rapp series is that Mitch is a former winner of the Ironman world championships. Not just his age group, the whole thing. Now he's a spy and people want to kill him!

Driving Like Crazy by P.J. O'Rourke

This is an updated collection of some of P.J.'s best automotive writing. It is often hilarious. If you're a fan of P.J. O'Rourke you will like this book.

The American Patriot's Almanac by William J. Bennett and John Cribb

I have not read the whole thing because it is an almanac. I read one section a day. It highlights a significant historical event that took place on that day. A fun way to go through American history.

Christ The Lord: Out Of Egypt by Anne Rice

No vampires, but a very well-written, scholarly and well-researched novel on the early days of Jesus. It starts with the family leaving Egypt and returning to Nazareth. Jesus is not fully aware of who he is, but there are hints. It is consistent with the Gospels where it can be and goes in a very logical but sometimes surprising direction where there is no reference in the Gospels.

Dog On It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn

This was the first book I actually paid for on my Kindle. I didn't know anything about it, but read a description and decided to buy it. I have been telling anyone who will listen about it ever since. It is a mystery story that is narrated by a dog. Bernie is the detective, Chet is his faithful dog and together they make it work. If you enjoyed the dogs in the movie Up, you will enjoy this. This is amusingly told from the dog's point-of-view. Squirrel!

Checkmate by Karna Small Bodman

I heard the author on a radio talk show and thought that she was one of the most intelligent people I had ever heard call into a program. The host obviously thought so too because he started asking her about herself to find out about her background. She mentioned that she is currently a novelist and wrote political thrillers. I was intrigued enough to give her a shot. She was perhaps the best caller I have ever heard on a radio talk show, but she is not a good writer. I did manage to finish the book, but there were a few debates with myself as to weather I should. This was not well written and really just kind of lame. She has two more books out, but I do not plan on reading them. I wonder how many people, like me, bought her book after her appearance? It was a good way to sell books.

Memorial Day by Vince Flynn

Mitch Rapp saves Washington and New York from a nuclear attack by Muslim terrorists! He's one bad mother--

Shut your mouth!

But, I'm talkin' 'bout Rapp!

Born To Run by Christopher McDougall

I loved this book. I wrote a post about it that you can read here.

Executive Power by Vince Flynn

Hey, it's a Mitch Rapp thriller. He's manly and kills bad guys. What more do you want? The only down side is that his wife is starting to annoy me. He loves her, but she annoys me.

The Persian Night: Iran Under The Khomeinist Revolution by Amir Taheri

Read this book! It is especially relevant after the recent elections and protests in Iran.

Grave Sight by Charlain Harris

This is the same author who writes the Sookie Stackhouse stories on which HBO's True Blood is based. No vampires here, just a likable, but strange woman who feels vibes from dead people. She locates bodies and solves mysteries and kind of creeps people out. She and her eccentric brother are characters I liked spending time with. I will probably read the other books in the series eventually, but I didn't feel like jumping into them right away.

Separation of Power by Vince Flynn

Ironman Triathlete, super-spy and all around manly dude, Mitch Rapp is back killing bad guys, busting corrupt politicians and uncovering evil plots. Written before 9/11 and the Iraq war, you even have Saddam Hussein trying to acquire nuclear weapons.

Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore

This was one of those "Amazon recommends for you" books and I decided I would give it a try. This is book that thinks it is a lot more hip and droll than I do. I imagine that the author thought he was being outrageously funny at every turn. I occasionally thought the book was mildly amusing. The plot is overly complicated and ultimately doesn't take you very far. I know Christopher Moore has his fans, I'm just not one of them.

The Third Option by Vince Flynn

Mitch Rapp kills more bad guys and saves the world and sometimes gets all mad about stuff. I like it.

Small Steps by Louis Sachar

This is a sequel of sorts to Holes, a truly wonderful book and movie. It follows X-Ray, a minor character in Holes, a couple of years after his time in the juvenile detention camp. It is okay young adult fare, but doesn't have the magic of Holes. The plot of Holes was somewhat improbable, but worked in the world that was created by the author, the plot of Small Steps is just improbable. However, the characters are likable enough that I cared what happened to them in this fairly short read.

Lawn Boy by Gary Paulson

This was offered as a free download on the Kindle and since the price was right, I went for it. It is a short novel that is written for pre-teens. I imagine that I would really have enjoyed it as a pre-teen. It is about a boy who inheirets a riding lawn mower and becomes a lawn mowing tycoon. Eventually bad guys are involved and they get their comeuppance. At least I read it. Most of the things that I download for free from Kindle I don't get past the first chapter.

The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes

A detailed and very well-written history of the Great Depression. It certainly makes one question the wisdom of the New Deal.

The Babysitter's Code by Laura Lippman

This short story was also a free download on Kindle. It was worth every cent I paid for it. If it has been ten pages longer I don't think I would have bothered to finish it.

John Thum

Another Ironman In 2011?

At this time last year I was obsessing over competing in my first Ironman triathlon and training very hard six days a week. The weekends where very long days of training, usually eight to ten hours. The only break on the weekends was to go to church. On weekdays I got up early for at least an hour-long morning training session and then did a couple hours after work. This year, not so much. I have had a lot more time to do other things, but I have also put on about twenty pounds. I kind of miss having a great big goal. I am leaning more and more to doing Ironman Arizona again in 2011. As of today, the plan is to volunteer at this year's race and then sign up for next years. We are also trying to buy a house and other things, so I reserve the right to change my mind, but I definitely need more focus in my workouts.

John Thum

On The Horns Of A Dilemma

I was quite excited that the L.A. Marathon is being moved back to March and that the new route would take us from Dodger Stadium to the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica. However, I realized last week that the L.A. Marathon for 2010 is on March 21 and the Oceanside Half-Ironman triathlon, which I have already signed up for, is on March 27. It will be tough to run a marathon on a Sunday and come back the next Saturday for a Half Ironman. I guess we'll have to see.

John Thum

Running Barefoot...Sort Of.

Inspired by reading Born To Run, I have been doing more and more barefoot running. It has been mostly on the grass, about a mile to a mile an a half. I wanted to be less limited than running on the grass and so I took Barefoot Ted's advice and purchased some Vibram Fivefingers.

They are great. You really get the feel of running barefoot, but do not have to worry about glass and sharp rocks and other debris in the street. I can feel these things if I run over them, but there is no chance that they will cut my feet. Running barefoot really is a much better way to run. I am faster and less tired for the equivalent distances. Now when I say I'm faster, it means I improve from laughably slow to merely ridiculously slow, but still, I'm faster!

They are also an attention getter. I'm not sure this is always a good thing. After I bought my new Vibram Fivefingers, I walked out of the store wearing them and was immediately asked about them as I was getting into my car. Later in the week I walked into a gathering at a friend's house and the conversation immediately turned to my feet.

The longest I have run so far in them is three miles. I am building up to longer distances. When I ran four miles this weekend with the L.A. Leggers, I used conventional shoes. I'm going to take the mileage up slowly, but I expect I should be doing reasonably long runs, 10k and longer, in a month or two.

John Thum

New Season With The L.A. Leggers

I'm quite excited to start a new season with the L.A. Leggers. Two miles today, twenty six by February.

John Thum

L.A. Marathon Date Change

The Los Angeles City Council came to their senses and voted to change the date of the Los Angeles Marathon back to March. They also voted to change the course to a point to point route from Dodger Stadium to the ocean. It is now up to the Santa Monica, West Hollywood and Beverly Hills City councils to cooperate to approve a route. We can only hope.

John Thum

Born To Run

I just finished reading Born To Run by Christopher McDougall. Despite what you might think, it has absolutely nothing to do with Bruce Springsteen. Ultimately it is about the ture story of the author's quest to run pain free. This leads him to study the Tarahumara Indians, who are native to the Copper Canyon in Mexico. All kinds of colorful characters from both side of the border are introduced including Caballo Blanco and Barefoot Ted. It climaxes in an ultra-marathon on the Tarahumar's home turf that is quite exciting.

I was excited enough about the book that I ran about a mile of my Saturday run barefooted. Of course I did this on grass, I'm not actually nuts like some of the characters in the book. I recommend it highly. For those of us who run long distances, it is quite inspirational.

John Thum

Happy Birthday U.S.A!

Happy Independence Day!

John Thum

The Curse Of The Ironman?

It seems that ever since I finished Ironman Arizona last November, my training and racing efforts have been kind of cursed. Much of this is of my own doing, I simply do not have the motivation to train that I had while preparing for an Ironman, but part of it is just plain bad luck. I am fortunate that I did not encounter any major setbacks while training for the Ironman, the biggest was when I pulled my calf muscle, but that was almost a year out and I had plenty of time to recover. This season I have not actually completed even a sprint triathlon. I had a DNF (did not finish) in the Pasadena Triathlon due to mechanical problems on the bike and I had a DNS (did not start) for the Redondo Beach Triathlon on Sunday.

I was looking forward to participating in another triathlon. This is a sprint triathlon that I could probably have finished in about an hour and ten minutes. The swim is half a mile, the bike is six miles, the run is two miles. I picked up my racing package on Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening I was packing my gear for the next day. I was essentially done, but wanted to retrieve the water bottles off of my bike and fill them up. My bike was already in the car and so I went out to get the bottles. I open the front passenger side door and reached into the back to grab the bottles off of the bike and pulled. One was a little stuck and so I pulled harder and the bottle came free. I was in an awkward position and something in my back suddenly hurt as I got the bottle out.

I didn't think that much about it, but as I was walking back, it hurt more. As I climbed the stairs it was getting worse with each step. After I stepped in the front door I said to The Great Magnetic Wife, "I think did something to my back." I tried to stretch it out and this didn't seem to help, only hurt. I sat down. If I didn't move it was okay. The moment I did any kind of movement it hurt a lot.

I hoped that it was going to get better overnight. We set coffee for 5:00 am and went to bed. I was having trouble going to sleep because of the pain. I eventually got up and tried to sleep sitting up because this was less painful. Eventually 5:00 am came around and the back was in a lot of pain. I was not going to be doing a triathlon today.

I spent the day resting and moving as little as possible. By night time I had improved and even went for a walk. This morning I have a lot less pain. Is this the curse of the Ironman? Probably not. I am just thankful that I did not have these problems this time last year when I was training for the Ironman.

John Thum

Fontana Half Marathon

The Fontana Half Marathon. I have been telling anyone who would listen for the last two years that this was a great race that almost guaranteed a personal record. I ran it two years ago and finished in 2:01:38. That is an average pace of 9:18/mile. For me, that is blazing fast. It is my PR by over twenty minutes. I have not been training particularly hard for the last couple of months, so I didn't expect to best my previous time, but I did expect relatively easy Half Marathon. Why does Fontana bill itself as, and live up to its reputation as the world's fastest half marathon? Because it is all down hill. In the 13.1 miles you lose over 3,000 feet in elevation. Most of that is in the first six miles, but the rest of the race is still a very subtle down hill. And yet there are no steep downhill sections. Gravity is your friend and helps you along. All that being said, this turned out to be a tough race.

The Great Magnetic Wife and I headed out Friday at about 1:00 to our hotel in Rancho Cucamonga. I took a half day off of work so that we could beat the traffic out to the Inland Empire. When we checked into the hotel, they were just bringing out the complementary chocolate chip cookies. Things were looking up. The hotel was next to the Ontario Mills Mall and that seemed to be our easiest and closest form of entertainment. I went the Nike Store and got some new running socks, and the we went to the theater and saw "Up" in 3D. Loved it, recommend highly.

We were in bed by nine and got up at 4:30 am to leave by 5:00. Checking in at the race site was easy and after a few pictures I got on a bus that took me up to the start. I sat next to John Montgomery, a guy who looked like a great runner and said he was going to try to average 6:30/mile. As he is sixty two years old I asked him if he usually wins his age group. He does. There is no time in my life that I could even come close to 6:30/mile pace, even downhill. As it turns out he also went to Julian Union High School in 1960 to 1962 when my grandfather, Ray Redding, was the principal. Small world.

We got up to the starting area about 6:45. This was enough time to go to the bathroom one last time and stretch a little before the start. There was a truck that collected any personal items that the runners brought to the start that they did not want to carry with them during the run. I had a long sleeve shirt and some sunscreen. I hung out by the truck because it was quite cold. Having gained over 3,000 feet in elevation from where we started in Fontana, the temperature had dropped and it was chilly. The plan was to wait until the last minute and take off my shirt, put it in my bag and give it to the guys on the truck. Then I heard that the start of the race was being delayed by a half an hour because they didn't have enough buses to get all of the runners to the starting line. It's funny. This was the 54th year of the race and it is a very small, generally well organized event. I'm surprised they made a mistake like that. However, the bottom line for me was that I did not want to spend an extra half an hour without my long sleeve shirt. I decided that I would sacrifice my shirt and keep warm a little longer. It was a shirt that I received for running the Redondo Beach 10k a few years ago. I have about 40 event t-shirts, I could certainly give one up. I waited until about a minute before the start of the race and took off the shirt and laid it down next to a pile of other clothes that had been sacrificed.

The race finally started and it was going well enough for the first mile or so and then I felt a little twitch in my left calf. Not a big deal, I get little muscle twitches all of the time. Then it came again and then CRAMP!!! Ow, that hurts. I stopped for a moment and stretched it out. Runners where passing and asking if I was okay. I seemed to get it out of my system and started walking a little. It felt okay and I started running again. Another mile or so went by and then CRAMP!!!. Oh, dad gum it. I stretched, I walked, I ran again. This time could feel a little pain every time I stepped with my left leg. I was in an okay rhythm, but it hurt when I ran. I didn't think I was injuring myself, so I kept on running. I looked down at my Garmin and it said I was going at a 10:30/mile pace. This was the biggest down hill part of the race. I should have been going at about 9:00/mile pace. This was not going to even come close to the 2:01:38 time I got two years ago.

Just then the wind started kicking up. I was running into a head wind and this seemed to be slowing me down also. Wind is always a major factor in riding a bike, but I don't usually run fast enough or run in windy enough conditions that it makes much difference when I run. I was running with a painful left calf into a headwind, but I was still running downhill. My Garmin said I was at a 11:00/mile pace. I usually run faster than that on an easy run around the neighborhood. That is an awful pace for a race. Oh well.

By this time, after stopping for cramps twice and running extra slowly the majority of the field had passed me by and I was clearly at the back of the pack with the stragglers. That is how it stayed for the rest of the race. After about mile 6 the downhill becomes much more subtle and there are even a few short and mild uphill sections. At this point I realized that I was not even going to get my second best time, which I got last October at the Long Beach Half Marathon. I trudged on. I've always said that I am not a good runner, I am not a fast runner, but I can keep on going. So I kept on going.

I had not quite reached mile 11 when I looked down at my watch and saw that I had exceeded my time from two years ago. I was a couple minutes over two hours into this thing. I had told The Great Magnetic Wife that I had hoped to finish in about two hours. At the rate I was going, I was probably 25 minutes away. I gave her a call and let her know that I was going to be a while.

Oddly enough, at this point I was actually passing a lot of people. Many had given up trying to run and where just walking. I trudged on past about fifteen to twenty people in the last couple of miles and no one passed me.

With about a mile to go I saw the the large green balloons that marked the finish line and tried to pick up the pace. I may have picked it up from a 12 minute mile to an 11:30 minute mile. It didn't hurt that a local business had a DJ station set up and was blasting techno music. I needed to pick up the pace just to get away from the noise.

I finally saw The Great Magnetic Wife just before the finish. She was taking pictures. She then ran to get a finish line picture. She could out run me a this point.

I was very happy to finish, but not so happy with my finishing time of 2:27:57

I saw John Montgomery, my race friend for the day. He had won his division with a time of 1:25:00 and achieved his goal of running at a 6:30 a mile pace. Amazing.

Checkout time at the hotel wasn't until noon, so we were able to go back and I took a shower. It was a very nice thing to do after a race.

It is now a couple of days later and my legs are very sore and I am limping around. My legs feel as if I ran a full marathon. I feel as if I have to go back and do this race again to redeem myself from this performance. I'll see you next year.

John Thum