Continent 5: Africa: But the others wait in Casablanca... and wait... and wait... and wait

(Click here to start at the beginning of this blog series on running 7 continents.)

Rick: I never make plans that far ahead. 
  - Humphrey Bogart as Rick in Casablanca

Casablanca, Morocco, October 2010
After an amazing 2010 summer of running, I felt I could tackle another marathon which would be my fourth in the year.  Besides the excellent August Adelaide race, I also set a PR in the 5k (19:21) and the half-marathon (1:29:43).  And to stay on schedule to finish the 7 continent goal in 2011, I really needed to complete continent 5 in 2010.  Leaving 3 to the next would be too risky.

So, I started to scan the calendar.  Since I was already working with two developers in England, Africa seemed the logical destination as I could work that into a trip to Europe.  Originally, I wanted to run in South Africa, but given a few recent events of people I knew getting mugged, that was off the table.  Then I stumbled on the Casablanca Marathon.  Only in its third year, the location and short flight from the UK (3 hours) made it the perfect weekend excursion from London.  I always had wanted to say I've been to Morocco, and while Casablanca wasn't reputed to be the best of the cities there, everything else seemed right.  Plus, Casablanca is Casablanca.

Don't believe what you hear in the movies.

Continent 4: The Australian Bight: Running Upwind Down Under

Click here to go to the start of this sereis:  7 days to 7

Adelaide Australia, August 2010
When I commenced the 7 continent quest, I set a goal of 2011 for finishing.  Maybe because I knew this would be a year of big events (Justin's graduation, Rebecca's 50th, a contract year at work).  But more, I just tried to guess a timeframe.  In fact, being at 3 continents in June 2009, I thought that 2010 might even see the completion of this nutty goal.  One thing that changed that plan was that the Antarctica trip had to move to 2011 due to logistics and revisions to the rules about tourism there.

But more importantly, I had to deal with my one major injury to date.  One aspect I love about running is that part of the skill is dealing with adverse conditions.  Often these are external:  Too hot; too cold; too windy; too flat; too hilly; too rainy; too sunny.  But how your body feels determines how you will run. Off days happen, and you just cannot push harder than your body will tolerate.  Perhaps shorter races can allow for that, but a long run cannot survive a balky body at top performance.

My main injury hit me in September 2008 but I didn't slow down enough, and it really got bad during the 2008 NYC Marathon.  And while I finished in sub 3:45, I was on pace for a 3:30 before I strained a muscle in my lower right leg.  I then took a month off and came back for Boston and Tromsø in April and June 2009.  But I knew I needed more time to heal, so I only ran shorter races until March 2010's LA Marathon.  Running that in less than 3:40 - my best time since Nagano - gave me the confidence to rev up the 7 continent plan.  I figured on doing 2 more in 2010 and 2 (including Antarctica) in 2011.

So, off I went to find a small Australia or New Zealand marathon (to count for "Oceana").  I picked Adelaide both for its time and that I could combine it with a planned business trip to Australia by extending for a few more days.

Continent 3: Europe all day long after a long flight or two

Click here to start at the beginning of the 7 days to 7 series

Tromsø, Norway, June 2009
I cannot really recall how I found the Midnight Sun Marathon.  I think I was searching on marathonguide.com which contains listings of marathons all around the world.  The site does not have them all, but they show a lot with reviews by runners.  I already knew I would be running Boston in April 2009, and I wanted to plan a summer vacation in Europe.  I found an email from October 21, 2008 confirming my entry into the race as of that date.

Regardless of how Tromsø, Norway entered into my consciousness, I knew this race would be amazing.  If you go to Google maps, you will see that Tromsø sits right on the arctic circle.  Oh wait, I'll just show you with a picture:

Yep, that picture was taken at 12:35 AM basically facing north.  That ship is going out for a pleasure cruise.  And I would say the photo makes the land feel darker than it really was.

Continent 2: Asian Surprises

(Read the start of this week's 7 Continent Quest Blog Series)

The second continent on the list, Asia, amazingly combines the Olympics (but not the season you think), your typical Japanese-Czech family and rice covered seaweed.  Throw in a towel for good measure and welcome to...

Nagano is pretty much in the middle of the main Japanese Island

Nagano, Japan, April 2008
After completing Los Angeles (read part 1 of this 7 blog series here), I planned and ran a second marathon in October 2007 (Marine Corps Marathon).  Shedding 25 minutes off my LA debut time of 4:01, I felt a lot more comfortable about qualifying for the Boston Marathon.  Prior to this year, I needed to run a 3:20 marathon based on my 40 year age.  (Now, I would need 3:15 and even that would not guarantee entry.  See this link for more about Boston's qualifying time changes.)  I do not think I really knew how audacious it would be to qualify for Boston so early in my marathon career.

And then I stumbled on a book.  The title was deceptively simple and at the same time expansively descriptive:  Running the Seven Continents by Clint Morrison.  Here's a link.  I think I saw the book advertised in the back of Runners World magazine.  My Amazon account reveals that I ordered my copy on December 30, 2007.

Continent 1: North America: The Dark Knight

(Read the start of this week's 7 Continent Quest Blog Series)

Los Angeles, March 2007
I don't know his name.  I barely even remember what he looked like, but certainly he was friendly.  Without him, this whole marathon thing I do might have evaporated on that hot March day.  I think he was black not that it matters.  Certainly, from what he did, he must have measured 5 or 6 inches more than my 5'8" height.  Whatever his name, whatever his profession or nationality (I think he was American), he came along at just the right time.  Let's call him The Dark Knight.

The day had started full of promise.  My first marathon, in my home town of Los Angeles, amongst 15,000 other runners.  My stepson Justin drove me to the start in Universal City.  I took pictures with Spider-man and Shrek (coincidental since I was working on games based on both characters), and my training felt solid.  My bib number was pinned to my running shirt, and my electronic timing chip affixed to my right shoe.  This was my big day.

After starting to run in February 2006 and loving my first 5k on July 4, 2006, I worked my way up to a half-marathon in November of the same year.  Encouraged by running friends (particularly friend, co-worker and fellow runner Kim), I decided I could attempt a marathon.  This had been on my bucket list although at the time I don't think I actually knew the term.  Initially, I had given some thought to running my first marathon in Fort Collins, Colorado in May 2007.  But not knowing how the altitude would effect me and having 4 months from the half-marathon to the LA Marathon, I decided to tackle the earlier but less logistically challenging race.

7 Days to 7

The map according to my marathons.  Click to enlarge.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
On my right, off some distance but still clearly visible, the statue of Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) stands atop a granite promontory.  To my left stretches Ipanema Beach and a variety of small islands in this south facing bay.  The sky is overcast and the temperature moderate.  Later today I hope to go cycling around nearby Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, an inland salt lake.

Amazingly, for the second time this year, I find myself in South America.  Before I left California, someone asked me if this was a vacation or a running adventure.  I responded that I didn't know there was a difference.  And indeed, in one week's time, I plan to run the Maraton del Bio Bio in Chile.  Los Ángeles, Chile to be exact.

Should I complete the race as planned, I will have achieved my 2007 goal of running a marathon on all 7 continents by the end of 2011.

I call this year a "Nexus" year - meaning lots of changes, events and intersecting happenings.  The biggest and most important happened in May when Justin graduated Johns Hopkins University with Honors and election into the Phi Beta Kappa society.  Not two weeks later, Rebecca turned 50.  And she's had two back surgeries to address chronic pain problems.  I started teaching at USC, and I'm in the last 6 weeks of my contract at Activision with lots of educational projects coming together for my future work. Justin just started his medical school interviews and is working at Hopkins before entering a MD-PhD program in 2012.

After a few days here in what locals call Cidade Maravilhosa (Magnificent City), I fly to Santiago Chile and then head south to Los Ángeles to run on October 16 along the Rio Bio Bio.  26.2 miles (42.1 km) of marathon bliss.

Over the next 7 days, I plan to reminisce about the quest for 7.  In the end, the significance is more personal than anything.  While I will join under 2,000 people who have accomplished this goofy goal (the Antarctica part limits the number from growing by more than about 150 a year), I am most excited about setting out to do something fun, challenging and spectacularly rewarding.  Over this upcoming week, I hope to convey in writing the gratitude I feel from being able to get this far.

Continue onto Marathon 1: North America

Runners World Twitter Special Price!

Twitter Sale: Get 12 issues of Runner's World for $9.97! New and current subscribers in US. $14 for Canada. ow.ly/6mKia

Been a while since I've posted as I have been busy finishing Skylanders: Spyro's Adventures - my last game at Activision.

I have some outlines for some upcoming posts, so check back soon for some new running news.

Just 6 weeks until I attempt my 7th continent!

Happy Biathlon to Me, Happy Biathlon to Me...

A few weeks ago, I hit 44 on the birthday chart. I wanted to celebrate this year's milestone with a solid exercise goal. ("It is the years and the mileage!")

Many ultra marathoners commemorate their annual passage of time by running the equivalent in miles. Despite my many marathons and a couple of ultras, I had never gone further than 31.5 miles or run for longer than 5 hours. 44 miles should take me around 7 hours. Maybe a bit less. I did not envision bashing my body to see if I could find those further 13 miles without training anywhere near that amount. I knew I would be able to achieve the goal, but the quality of the run might likely end up at best subpar. (Subpar being the second S word that popped into my head. Got to keep this blog family friendly...)  At worst, it could end in me being a ball of sobbing goo.

Now I must admit that this whole idea is silly. But marathoning on all 7 continents certainly borders on ridiculous. In fact, many of you would suggest my short 7 mile jaunts qualify me for state supported mental care. Whatever! To rip off from a song, "It's my birthday, and I'll run I want to."

What about kilometers?  44 k's equates to around 27.5 miles. That might be a nice trick to keep one's age lower, but to me it seemed like a cheat. Good ol' Imperial units for me!  Those slacking Europeans can trot their age in k's.

Instead, I decided to combine cycling and running to create my own personal birthday biathlon. I cycle to cross train, and while I pretty much keep myself to the bike path, I have been able to extend my distance to 20 miles. And my current running distance training is in the 20 miles range as I build up for my fall marathons.  Pedaling 24 miles would set a distance and time best on the bike. 20 miles after riding 2 hours were enough of a challenge to satisfy me for the rest.

So Saturday, I busted out the bike and hit the path.  2:05 later, I had completed just over 24 miles. The weather was slightly overcast which helped keep me fairly comfortable. I paused to drink and eat some gels ever 30 minutes. As I started at 6:30 AM, the beach path had yet to fill with walkers which make for a more stressful and slower experience when present.

After the ride, I needed about 10 mins to store the bike in my car and change into running shorts. Other than my boxers, I switched everything including my socks. And without further adieu, I took off from the Marina to Culver City along the Ballona Creek trail. Because my whole 44 mile event started in the Marina for better access to the Beach Cities beach path, I hit areas of the westside that were new to me.

Amazingly, I ran a blistering 8:00 min per mile first hour. I attribute this to a combination of being warmed up from the cycling and really enjoying myself. The total run took 2:51, and I felt a bit of a wall around mile 16. Happily, I do not usually hit the wall, but I can often feel me slowing and tiring. Around mile 18, my speed picked up again and I even ran parts of the 20th mile faster than 8 mph.  Still, my body was very appreciative to be done.

All told - 5 hours, 6 minutes total exercise (my longest by 5 mins) and 44 miles in aggregate (my longest by over 12 miles).

Next year? 45 miles running and 45 miles cycling. (But likely on different days!)

------------------

Follow up question as to why I didn't swim too?  I thought about starting with a 1 mile swim. However, since that would have taken me about an hour, I just couldn't fathom basically trading 5 minutes of cycling for 60 minutes in the water. People have asked me why I have not done a tri of any length, and my only answer is that it doesn't really excite me.

Still, I know I could do one. But I would want to aim ultimately for an Iron Man.

Spring Fling Planned!

This past year, I ran three marathons during the spring over 6 weeks - Antarctica, LA and an ultra in Seattle.  I had so much fun that I decided to do that again.

So, on March 18, 2012, I'll be running the LA Marathon for the 4th time overall and 3rd time on the Stadium to the Sea course.  The course winds from Dodger Stadium, east to downtown and then west through Echo Park, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Century City, Westwood, The VA Center, Brentwood and Santa Monica finishing above the Pacific Ocean.  I cannot recommend this course more highly; I would even say traveling to LA to run it makes sense.  I plan to run it every year, and I'm happy that I like my hometown race.

A discount code (HLAM2012) saves $20 off the normal price between now and until noon this Thursday, July 21.  Head to www.lamarathon.com for more details.  Once again, I'll be co-chairing the efforts of The Alliance of Children's Rights to raise money as an official local charity of the event.  Please consider running this or the 5K the day before if you are local here in LA or even planning a spring break trip to the Coast.  (I'm running both races of course.)

Then, 5 weeks later, you can find me slamming through grand ole London, England in the 2012 Virgin London Marathon.  So, April 22, I'll take off on a 26.2 mile adventure across a city I lived near for a year and happen to still enjoy visiting.  Thanks to meeting the head of the organization on a plane last year, I'll be supporting Rays of Sunshine which is like Make-a-Wish.  I have specific fund raising goals and my British friends should be putting my email on their spam list to avoid my pestering pleas for donations.  The 2012 Summer Olympic Games will be in London, and this event promises to be special.  In fact, the official 26.2 mile distance of all marathons was established at the 1908 Olympic Games.  Previously, the distance ranged from 24 to 28 miles.


And 2 weeks further on, I return to Fort Collins, Colorado to run in their racing event on May 6, 2012.  After 3 half-marathons in the past 5 years, I'm taking on the full marathon this time.  Registration is open for this too at the 5k, 10k half and full distances.  My cousins live in Fort Collins, and the amazing course winds out of Poudre Canyon before finishing in Old Town, Fort Collins.

I can't wait!

(Oh yeah, I am running at least two marathons this fall, so I better keep training.)

Light Traffic Equals a Nice Long Run

Well Carmaggedon appears to be over and done. You may read about the closure of the 405 in Los Angeles all over the net. For those not exposed to our freeway craziness, you would therefore not know that CalTrans has embarked on a multiyear plan to widen 10 miles of very busy interstate. The ultimate goals include a carpool lane and better on and off ramps. A bridge in the Sepulveda Pass needed to be demolished (well half of it), and for safety, the workers shut a huge stretch connecting West LA and the San Fernando Valley. As I stated, google the whole thing for more info.

With warnings of mass traffic snarls from the 500k drivers who would be diverted this weekend, superstars and politicians urged Angelenos to stay at home. And golly, most everyone did. But they said nothing about runners, so how could I pass up a chance to see the 405 completely empty? Here are my images from this morning's run. (And traffic was so light that I decided to run from the 405 to the beach along famed hilly and twisty Sunset Blvd. Overall, 20.7 miles today. Way fun!)

Looking North - Not a car in sight

Yep, empty to the South too

Looking north from the Sunset Blvd. overpass. One car is heading south (the ramps were open part of the way south) and some crew cars (stopped) on the north side).

A biker was taking pictures too, and he snapped this one of me, again looking north from Sunset Blvd.

Next week, I'll run back to the same spots and post some normal traffic photos.

Run 1. Sleep 0. I Win.

July 14th, I spent the day in the charming city of Quebec Canada. No, this had nothing to do with Bastille Day nor an attempt to practice my lingua Française [sic]. Bastille Day happens in France, not French Canada, and while I did try some phrases in French, most people responded to me in English.

Quebec at night - phone by Djof

Work required my visit to the only walled city in the Americas north of Mexico. Situated on the western bank of the St. Laurence River, Quebec features an old quarter high on a hill at the edge of the Plains of Abraham and guarding Cap-Diamant (Cape Diamond). The city holds the honor of the first permanent settlement in the non-Spanish Americas having been founded with the purpose of long term occupation as compared to the more short term goals of older towns like Jamestown. This strategic location effectively protected French and British Canada from attack. (The city traded hands a number of times.) Quebec saw a number of battles in the Seven Years War and later Colonial American troops tried to take the city from the British during the American War of Independence. The British won that battle, and Canada remained loyal to London. (Additionally, circumnavigator James Cook made a name for himself mapping the various rivers around the city.) The town survived all of these trials, and in 2008, it celebrated its 400th anniversary. Then as now, work brought me to the city during the celebrations which were quite impressive.

During that 2008 visit, our local development studio head, Dominique, and I ran a half-marathon from the eastern shore of the river (Levis), over the Quebec Bridge and then back down the Quebec riverside into the main part of the city. For Dee, it was his first race at this distance; for me it was the first when I ran with a friend. We both really enjoyed the experience. Dee competed again in 2009 and significantly improved his time.

I remembered how much I liked running along the river, so I packed my Asics for this trip and planned to hit the pavement to run part of the race's course.

But I nearly missed out on a glorious morning and fantastic jaunt. For those of you out there that might think about skipping a run, please know that this occurs more often with me than my reputation might suggest.

Arriving late Wednesday night, I accidentally messed up setting my alarm; I had left it on Taipei time - exactly 12 hours later than Eastern Daylight Time. Oops. At 8:30 AM, plans called for breakfast with my team before we visited our developer. So, to be safe, I really wanted to arise by 5:30 AM. (2:30 AM in California. Yikes.) Even without the alarm, I awoke at 5:50. Not bad for no auditory summons. Still plenty of time to run 13 miles.

But I felt dead tired.

"I can run in California on Friday," I told myself. "I really need my sleep," I intoned in my head. The runner in me countered, "But you laid out your running stuff and schlepped your shoes all the way across the continent. And your GPS watch; don't forget you brought that too and made sure to charge it overnight." So, I did what any sane person would do to shut up this pre-caffeine debate. I negotiated. With myself.

The deal? I got to go back to sleep, but if after 10 minutes snoozing eluded me, then out of bed I would bound. I set my alarm (correctly) for 7:30 so that I wouldn't miss breakfast and closed my eyes.

Ten minutes later, still conscious, I stumbled off the mattress.

Ten minutes after that, and my shoes seemingly laced themselves. (I'm not even sure how I got ready so quickly.)

Ten minutes more and I was bounding down Rue St. Joseph. I already knew I wanted to run along the river, and I recalled that a bike path adorned the road near the Cap-Diamant area. Spotting a bike route near my hotel, I figured that it would lead me in the right direction. I've been to Quebec six times, so I do vaguely know its geography. My hunch proved correct, and I picked up the path I sought along the St. Laurence.

The Quebec Flag

Given my normal weekly plan only involves running three days per week, I want each run of a decent length and quality. Thursday's goal held 13 miles for me - basically a half. I intended to run outbound 6.5 miles and then reverse my steps in returning to the hotel. Probably I could have planned more of a circuit, but that would have taken me away from the river. Yet at the same time, I also recalled that I might have to run some of the course on either a narrow sidewalk or actually abandon my route as I didn't think the bike pavement stretched the entire distance. The key to this workout clearly involved staying flexible.

My runs vary in how much I enjoy them. Mostly, I have fun, but some earn the title of "a slug." At other times, I know early on that the run is a winner. Today, within two miles, my ten minute insomnia deal proved the correct call.

As I came around the Cap, I spied a hot air balloon rising out of the old city. I slammed on the brakes and grabbed my iPhone to snap a picture. What a real treat! And consider the randomness of the event. What if my tired fingers had manipulated my iPod alarm clock correctly? I would have passed the spot I saw the balloon 30 minutes too early. Plus, if I had slept to 7:30, then the magical sight would only have been spotted by the dock workers who I noticed watching while I snapped the image.

Morning over Quebec

Just a scosh further, I passed a berthed Canadian Coast Guard ship. The name was Amundsen, the famous polar explorer who graced some of my Antarctica entries from February. Happy serendipity.

Click for a larger image to read the boat's name

The last bit of good fortune concerned the bike path. I found it now extended all the way along Boulevard Champlain - the major road next to the river and named for the city's founder Samuel de Champlain.

So, I had a smooth trail beneath my feet as I passed through a number of charming river side parks. The 55 (14 Celsius) degree weather mixed with the beautiful blue sky and river inspired me to a 1:50 time for 13.5 miles. (I was so enjoying myself that I turned around later than expected.) I clocked the 2nd half 10 seconds per minute faster than the first half. Not bad for a sleepy body which I learned needed to run more than to sleep.

Will Rogers 10K results

Happy 4th of July everyone!

For the 6th straight year, I participated in the Pacific Palisades local event: The Will Rogers 5k/10K. This was the 34th running of the event, and I selected the 10k. About 1000 people competed in the event, and I came in 90th overall and 9th in my age group. This is pretty much on track for me.

One interesting stat is what is called Age Grade. Basically, they look at the world record time for the distance and then factor in your age. I performed at 64% which is good. The highest I've been in any event is about 70% and usually I'm more around 60%.

Two aspects of the race that pleased me. The course features 600 feet of elevation climb. I attacked the hills employing a very fast turn over of my feet in short steps. That kept my pace around 7:30 - 8:00 on the step parts. Overall, I clocked in at 7:14.

Here's a link to my results. I ran a minute faster in 2007 and 3 minutes slower last year. (The other 3 times I ran in the Palisades, I ran the 5k.) This year, I also ran 5.8 miles prior to the race as I wanted to go 12 today in total.

And because it is a community event, I ran into a couple of friends after I finished which was nice.

All in all, this was a great start to a wonder July 4 here in 90272.