RaceReady News

Our training for Napa Valley Marathon has gotten a little off schedule! It seems that I can usually stay injury-free if I keep my mileage at 40 miles per week and don't run too many "long" runs. Of course, the "long run" is a very essential element in a marathon training program!

Gerry was the first one of us to come up injured. After our Alton 10 Mile Race on Thanksgiving weekend his plantar fasciitis was back! In fact he ran the Race with a great deal of foot pain, but since the foot hurt whether he walked or ran, he figured he might as well get done sooner rather than later and so ran through it! He ran a 1:23 and finished 291st in the field of 845 finishers. He's been nursing the foot back but has lost some of his base.

I was doing fine until the weekend before Christmas when I ran a flat 14 miler on Saturday, followed by a hilly 7 miler on Sunday. Monday morning I could feel a pulling in my upper leg / butt region. Tuesday I struggled through our 5 mile trail run in Griffith Park but by Wednesday knew that I was MRI (Maybe Really Injured.) Gerry informed me that I would get no sympathy from him unless I took 3 days off from running. I did so and ran "tested" it again over the Christmas weekend. Still pain, but better. So then Gerry's Words Of Wisdom were to "take another few days off." So I reluctantly obliged. This morning I was able to run 7 miles with only minor discomfort in the area.

Meanwhile, Gerry ran an hour yesterday and reports that his foot is feeling better. So now our Plan is to build back our running bases & try to become injury-free again before we tackle a few long runs. We still have time to train for Napa and are looking forward to the weekend up North, even if our race times will probably be slower than we had originally anticipated.

Wishing my family & friends & virtual running pals a healthy injury-free 2006!

Posted by mary button at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Happy Holidays! Work is finally winding down and it's time to be merry! I hope some of these Questions & Answers will put a SMILE on your face.

Q: What do elves learn in school?
A: The Elf-abet

Q: What's the most popular wine at Christmas?
A: "I don't like sprouts" !

Q: If athletes get athletes foot, what do astronauts get?
A: Missletoe!

Q: What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?
A: Frostbite.

Q: Why was Santa's little helper depressed?
A: Because he had low elf esteem.

Q: Why does Santa have 3 gardens?
A: So he can ho-ho-ho.

Q: Where do polar bears vote?
A: The North Poll.

Q: What do you get when you cross an archer with a gift-wrapper?
A: Ribbon hood.

Q: What kind of bird can write?
A: A PENguin.

Q: What do you call a cat on the beach at Christmas time?
A: Sandy Claus!

Q: How do sheep in Mexico say Merry Christmas?
A: Fleece Navidad!

Q: What nationality is Santa Claus?
A: North Polish.

Q: What do you call a bunch of grandmasters of chess bragging about their games in a hotel lobby?
A: Chess nuts boasting in an open foyer!

Q: What do you get if you deep fry Santa Claus?
A: Crisp Cringle.

Q: What did the ghosts say to Santa Claus?
A: We'll have a boo Christmas without you.

Q: What did Santa shout to his toys on Christmas Eve?
A: Okay everyone, sack time!!

Q: What do snowmen eat for breakfast?
A: Snowflakes.

Q: If Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus had a child, what would he be called?
A: A subordinate claus.

Q: Why did Santa spell Christmas N-O-E?
A: Because the angel had said, "No L!"

Q: What goes Ho, Ho, Swoosh, Ho, Ho, Swoosh?
A: Santa caught in a revolving door!

Q: Why does Santa Claus go down the chimney on Christmas Eve?
A: Because it " soots " him!

Q: Did you hear that one of Santa's reindeer now works for Proctor and Gambel?
A: Its true . . . Comet cleans sinks!

Q: What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus?
A: Claustrophobic.

Q: Why does Scrooge love Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?
A: Because every buck is dear to him.

Q: How come you never hear anything about the 10th reindeer "Olive" ?
A: Yeah, you know, "Olive the other reindeer, used to laugh and call him names"

Q: Why is Christmas just like a day at the office?
A: You do all the work and the fat guy with the suit gets all the credit.

Q: What's a good holiday tip?
A: Never catch snowflakes with your tongue until all the birds have gone south for the winter.

Posted by mary button at 3:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I have been attending the monthly meetings of the Committee that is re-writing the Griffith Park Master Plan. (In case you haven't seen my previous post on this subject, our City paid the Melendrez Consultants over $400,000 to write this Plan. For their money, the City received a 170 page Plan, which I refer to as a "Monster" Plan, instead of a Master Plan!) It is an atrocious plan to which many park users and neighborhood councils strongly object. So, currently there is a 12 member Committee (Volunteer - ie not being paid a cent) that is going through this Master Plan Draft and rewriting it. Meetings are open to the public and time is allowed at the end of the meeting for Public Comment. Next meeting date is January 9th at 6:30 pm.

During the Public Comment period of the December 5th meeting the Department of Parks & Recs responded to a comment regarding posting of the Meeting Minutes. The representative from Parks & Recs assured the public that the Minutes would be posted on the website the following day, Tuesday, December 6th.

I thought that seemed a bit unrealistic, but hey, if they were going to be that efficient, I would take it! Now it is December 14th and NO MINUTES! Not only are there NO MINUTES from the December meeting, but November's minutes have yet to be posted!

The L.A. Parks & Recs has lost what little credibility their Department once had with me! I think it is inexcusable that their representatives can't level with the public. These meetings have been a real "eye opener" to me regarding how city politics work! Fortunately, the general public is not going away. We had a full audience at the last meeting, standing room only. During the January 9th meeting, the Melendrez Consultants are scheduled to answer some questions the current re-write Committee has regarding their $400 million "Monster" Plan. It should prove to be an interesting meeting! However I wouldn't hold my breath on ever having the Minutes posted, based on the current track record!

Posted by mary button at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We were in Vegas last weekend for the Las Vegas Marathon Expo. I was very happy to chat with a fellow runner and friend of ours, Al Becken, from San Antonio TX when he came by our booth.

I met Al several years ago, I believe it was in 1995 at the RRCA Convention in Knoxville TN. At the time he was still doing marathons at a high frequency. Al did his first marathon at the age of 43. His marathon PR is a 2:39! Wow!

When I talked with Al this weekend, I asked him what "number" the Las Vegas Marathon was going to be. He modestly replied it would be his 284th marathon!!!! So I got out my calculator. Let's see. Al is 77 and he started marathoning at 43. That's 34 straight years of marathons at the tune of 8.36 marathons per year!

Al ran great, finishing in 5 hours and 5 minutes!!! I don't think Al checks e-mail, but if any of his San Antonio pals see this, please let him know he is a great inspiration and RaceReady wishes him plenty more years of running!

Posted by mary button at 5:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We were in Vegas last weekend for the New Vegas Marathon and the related Expo. It was a good show for us and we got to meet customers from all over the country, and world too! After standing for 2 days on an Expo floor I really look foward to running.

A few years ago I discovered the Red Rocks Canyon National Conservation Area It is truly a beautiful area with over 25 miles of hiking trails. Last year we got "off the beaten path" and explored several miles of the trails. The rock formations are quite beautiful.

This year I decided to run the hilly scenic loop. It's a very hilly 13 mile loop - elevation gain of over 1,000 feet prior to reaching the highest elevation near mile 5 at 4,772 ft. Although it is pavement and cars can drive the one-way loop, I found very few automobile traffic. Plenty of bicyclists "do the loop" too, and I highly recommend visiting the Red Rocks if your travels bring you to Vegas. Although the Red Rocks is a mere 17 miles from the Strip, it seems like it is worlds away!

Posted by mary button at 5:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)