Author Archives: Scott D.
THE RACES ARE RUN…
With Chanukah ending today and Christmas practically here (it’s a week from Friday y’all), the end of 2015 is fast approaching and it’s time to start putting a ribbon on the running year that was.
Thumbs up in 2015!
While I’m still in the midst of training with Team To End AIDS for the 2016 Los Angeles Marathon (18 mile run coming up this Saturday), last week’s Lexus LaceUp Riverside Half Marathon represented my final race of the calendar year.
And as I hang my last bit of 2015 bling on my medal rack, I just wanted to take a quick gander back at the year that was for me.
My goals this year were quite different than what I set out to do in 2014. That year I was on a mission and ran like a runner possessed: 17 races in the year, including 3 half marathons in 33 hours. I ended up setting PRs in my 10K, half and full marathon distance.
Quite frankly it exhausted me. And I paid the price in 2015.
I started 2015 running a quartet of races in the first four months:
- Star Wars Half (Jan)
- Surf City Half (Feb)
- LA Marathon (March)
- Hollywood Half (April)
While I had fun with all of the races, I could tell that I was a bit burnt out. My times were down from 2014 across the board and I didn’t have that normal pep in my step. Read the rest of this entry
LACED UP & LOVING IT…
This past Sunday I ran my last race of the year and it was a fun finish to my 2015 season.
In the wee hours of the morning… okay, it was technically still nighttime (or “stupid o’clock” as my running coach calls it), I awoke to get ready for the Lexus LaceUp Riverside Half Marathon.
After tossing on my running garb and grabbing a can o’ caffeine (of the Diet Coke variety) to go, I was off to pick up my buddy Kelly for the trek to Riverside.
This was the fourth and final race in the Lexus LaceUp 2015 series and as one of the LaceUp ambassadors, I’ve enjoyed all of the races that preceded it:
- Irvine (Oct. 17th)
- Ventura (Oct. 24th)
- Palos Verdes (Nov. 14th)
And this climactic chapter in the “LaceUp quadrilogy” did not disappoint. Read the rest of this entry
BEING MIA & RUNNING THANKFUL…
For those of you who’ve been checking Tripping The Kenyans over the past few weeks, you’ve definitely noticed a lack of Scott.
It ain’t just a magazine.
Yup, no running tales, no silly remarks, no mildly inappropriate comments and no painful puns (I’m sure some of you are grateful for that last one).
It’s been bit of an unplanned blogging MIA month.
I have been running. Yes indeed.
Since my last post back in late October I’ve run two races: The REVEL Canyon City Half Marathon and the Lexus LaceUp Palos Verdes 10K. I had a fun time (and decent finish times) at both races. And I continue my training with Team To End AIDS for the 2016 LA Marathon. Read the rest of this entry
REVIEW: LEXUS LACEUP VENTURA HALF MARATHON
RACE: Lexus LaceUp Ventura
DATE: October 24, 2015
DISTANCES: Half Marathon/10K/5K
LOCATION: Ventura, CA (Shoreline Park)
START TIME:
- 7:00 am Half/10K
- 7:45 am 5K
WEATHER AT START: 61 degrees
Welcome to the second stop on the Lexus LaceUp 2015 race series. After an enjoyable jaunt last week in Irvine, the LaceUp crew found themselves gathering pre-dawn (daylight savings ends next week) at Promenade Park overlooking the ocean in scenic Ventura. Read the rest of this entry
YOU OUGHTA BE IN “FREE” PICTURES…
Hey everyone!
Just a little photgraphic epilogue to last Saturday’s Lexus LaceUp Irvine 10K…
As I mentioned in the review, the fine folks at Runner Buzz teamed up with the race to provide each runner free race photos (a very nice perk). I ended up augmenting them with a few other candids I took.
Say “cheese.”
Looking forward to another race and batch of photos at this weekend’s Lexus LaceUp Ventura Half Marathon.
Lace ’em up… and Run on!
REVIEW: LEXUS LACEUP IRVINE 10K
RACE: Lexus LaceUp Irvine
DATE: October 17, 2015
DISTANCES: 10K/5K
LOCATION: Irvine, CA (Mike Ward Community Park)
START TIME: 8:00am 5K/ 8:10 10K
WEATHER AT START: 70 degrees
FINISHERS:
- 10K- 229
- 5K- 480
Tie those running shoes for the first stop on the Lexus LaceUp 2015 race series. The series also includes races in Ventura (Oct. 24th), Palos Verdes (Nov. 14th) and Riverside (Dec. 6th). The Irvine race was a little different than the others in the series in that it offered only 10K/5K distances, whereas the other races also include the half marathon.
The fact that racers were only running 10K or 5K didn’t seem to dim anyone’s spirits, as a festive bunch of runners gathered in the park on a Saturday morning for fun jaunt around Irvine. Read the rest of this entry
LINE ‘EM UP…
Did you ever have an event sneak up on you?
Sneaky races.
Something that you marked down on your calendar months ago and banished it to the deepest recesses of your memory (aka you basically forget that sucker) only to have it suddenly pop up going: “Here I am.”
A birthday, anniversary, trip, holiday… or dreaded DMV appointment (btw, I have to renew my license in March).
It’s like a calendar ninja just stealthily sneaking up on you and waiting to pounce.
That’s pretty much the feeling I have with my Fall racing schedule.
Yup, we’re talking about 5 races that are staring me right in the kisser. Read the rest of this entry
REVEL BIG COTTONWOOD IN MOTION…
If a picture is supposedly worth a thousand words, then what about a video?
Run Big!
Well, since a video is made up of a whole heap of images (about 29.97 “pictures” per second, depending on your choice of frame rate) wouldn’t that make a video’s value equivalent to about a bajillion words.
The one word that comes to mind then is: Dammmmmmmmmmn.
Okay, just me tossing out a silly introduction for something rather cool.
The other day I received my final bit o’ race swag from the 2015 REVEL Big Cottonwood Half Marathon.
As part of their runner perks, which also includes free race photos, REVEL allows racers to choose their favorite photos (and add captions) that will be turned into a personalized race video. Read the rest of this entry
DOUGHNUTS AND SHOES…
A funky little running post today, because it’s not really about my run this weekend… but rather what came after.
Let me get the “sweaty” out of the way first. T2 had a short 5-mile run planned for Saturday as training for the 2016 Los Angeles Marathon is just really starting to get going.
No trick, just treats.
I, however, have another half marathon (Lexus LaceUp Ventura) in just three weeks, so I ended up adding an extra 6-miles after our group run (for a total just under 11 miles). One of my new T2 running buddies decided to join me on the jaunt so I wouldn’t have to run solo. We had a good time chatting and burning a few extra calories.
Now to the after…
I have a few post long-run rituals, one of which is to treat myself each Saturday to a big fountain Diet Coke (I do prefer the fountain to either bottles or cans) for the drive home. Another is to get my sweaty self home asap so I can get a much-needed shower. Read the rest of this entry
“RUN BY” DATE…
When I was younger I religiously followed the expiration dates on food.
That’s all folks!
If the “use by” date on the milk carton read Tuesday, then it was absolutely drunk by Tuesday. Otherwise it was slam dunked into the trash like I was discarding level 5 biohazardous material.
In my mind, the bacteria in food was anxiously waiting for the expiration date clock to strike midnight, so they could transform what was once delectable grub into a pile of non-edible evil.
Now in the intervening years I’ve learned that expiration dates on food/drinks are not absolutes and in fact can be rather arbitrary. If you want to learn more, check out this informative (and very entertaining) video segment by John Oliver. Read the rest of this entry
SAYING “CHEESE” FROM BIG COTTONWOOD…
As a little bit of an “epilogue” from the REVEL Big Cottonwood Half Marathon, here are a few race snapshots.
And for those wondering, REVEL includes free race photos for all participants (and a personal video). Just another reason to lace ’em up with REVEL and take a leisurely stroll down the mountain.
Say “cheese”… and Run on!
RUNNING COMFY…
Now some of you seeing the title above might might think this post is about running in cozy shoes.
These are the jammies you’re looking for.
Or perhaps pounding the pavement whilst (I love the word “whilst”…thanks Britain) wearing your favorite winter “jammies.”
You’d be mistaken.
NOTE: For the record, wearing jammies on a run would probably chafe something fierce in the nether regions.
Actually this brief tidbit is just about running in an environment that is both familiar and fun. The kind of run that gives you the “warm fuzzies.”
And for me, no running environment is more friendly or soothing to my sweaty soul than lacing ’em up and running with my running family: the gang at TEAM TO END AIDS (T2).
This week I did my first Saturday run of the season with T2, as we begin training for the 2016 Los Angeles Marathon (on Valentine’s Day). This will be my 7th time running LA with them.
As I hopped out of my car at Griffith Park at 7:00am, I smiled as I saw our T2 banners waving in the wind (at least they would have waved if there was any wind) and a sea of red shirts gathering by our regular meeting place. Read the rest of this entry
GOING BIG AT BIG COTTONWOOD…
The other day, I mentioned that things might be a bit “iffy” at my first half marathon in five months (the REVEL Big Cottonwood Half Marathon).
Why yes, I shall go big.
As it turns out, “things” actually went pretty well.
The trip itself was a bit of a blur… I was in Salt Lake City for just a little more than 24 hours.
But the race was rather memorable. As I’ve written before, Big Cottonwood features an incredibly scenic (“nature-gasm”) course. And the REVEL gang gives their all to put on a good race.
I woke at 3am on Saturday morning (when the first of my three alarms went off). And then I quickly took care of the 3 “S’s.”
Now some people ask why I Shower and Shave before a race knowing that in a matter of hours I’m going to be utterly grubby. I think it’s because I know that I’m going to transform into a sweat monster (a frothy Frankenstein, if you will) that I feel the desire to be clean and clean-shaven… if only for a moment. And I’ll leave the other “S” alone for the time being. Read the rest of this entry
RUNNING THE “IFFY”…
Depending on what time you read this, I’m either:
- A) Driving along the 405 on the way to LAX.
- B) Getting patted down and felt up by a randy TSA employee.
- C) Enjoying a micro-sized bag of peanuts on the plane while playing Candy Crush.
- D) In beautiful Salt Lake City preparing to run tomorrow’s REVEL Big Cottonwood Half Marathon.
Cheers to the iffy.
Big Cottonwood represents my first race of the fall season and my first half marathon since the Hollywood Half all the way back in mid-April.
Last year when I ran Big Cottonwood, I motored my way to a PR… just 60.6 seconds shy of eclipsing that pesky two-hour mark.
After finishing that race I promised that in 2015 I’d come back faster/stronger and break the 2-hr barrier in Salt Lake.
Ah, the best laid plans of mice, men and sweaty runners.
As I stand 24 hours out from jaunting down the mountains outside of SLC, I know that I will have a fun race tomorrow. The course is beyond beautiful and the people are great (so great that I became an ambassador to the REVEL Race Series) and last year’s race was one of the best overall running experiences I’ve ever had.
As for my planned pace/finish time come Saturday. Let’s just say that it is a bit “iffy.” Read the rest of this entry
ODE TO THE TRAFFIC LIGHT…
When it comes to pounding pavement, we runners would ideally like to motor without any deviations from our flight plan.
I AM a traffic light.
We want to run from A to B with as few detours and interruptions as possible.
Avoiding obstacles in the road, weaving to miss potholes, leaping big curbs and dodging puddles all can take their toll (both physically and mentally) as the miles roll on.
When fatigue starts to mount, any kind of disruption can potentially damage your “running calm.”
I remember one time getting pissed off at mile 18 of a long run because I had to side step a large pinecone. My anger was justified… that little bastard was clearly evil and had placed himself in my path on purpose.
And for those of who run on streets (be it big city or small town), we all have to deal with the mother of all interruptions… the traffic light.
How many times have you been running along “in the zone” only to have it shattered by reaching an intersection where the light is crimson and not clover (that’d be red not green) and you have no choice but to put on the brakes? Read the rest of this entry
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