Coming through the first aid station at the Skyline 50K, I was all smiles because Morgan (who took these photos) and Kyle were there.

Three weekends, three trail races — a marathon, 30K and then 50K. I’ve never entered so many events with such high cumulative mileage in such a short time.

First it was the hilly Headlands “Marathon” (more like 27+ miles due to a long course and me veering off course; finished 2nd female in 4:35. See last week’s post). Then two weeks ago, it was the Sequoia 30K (1st female, 5th overall in 2:54). And finally, yesterday’s Skyline 50K (2nd female, 19th overall in 4:46).

I used to enter races with careful consideration and focus my training on them. Now, I’m doing the opposite and exploring the benefits of racing to train; that is, of having fast-paced but not very goal-oriented long runs (the races) part of a longer training plan. (more…)

(Please read the Week 1 post if you’re wondering what this post is all about.)

I intended to post a weekly training recap on Sunday or Monday of each week, and already I’m behind. Blame it on the transition back to home and moving back into our house. Routines get put on hold when dozens of boxes await unpacking, furniture needs moving, Internet and phone don’t function and the house doesn’t feel at all like a home (yet). Here, belatedly, is the journal of the previous week. (more…)

In four months, on October 9, I’m going to become an ultrarunner when I attempt to run 50 miles.

Me on my 41st birthday last month, running a 40K through mountains above Tuscany.

There, I said it! I wasn’t going to. I wasn’t going to graduate to that distance, and I wasn’t going to turn this blog into a personal training log — the kind of painfully dull and obsessive narrative that chronicles miles run, blisters taped and gels digested. But now I’m doing it. Here’s why I’m going public with my plan and will track the progress here: (more…)

Len running around Lake Tahoe, wearing the LMJS team singlet.

When I’m 64 . . .

When I look ahead to turning 40 in 2009 and wonder how much my speed and strength might decline with age, I take heart in the examples set by older runners such as Len Goldman, 64, a fixture in the Oakland and Piedmont running scene. One might never guess that this genial, avuncular man who looks like he could be Bill Gates’s older brother is fiercely fast and focused once the gun goes off. A few years back, we lined up together at an Alameda 10K, and he clocked the first mile around 6:02. By keeping him in sight, I was able to break 40 minutes, and ever since then I’ve tried to pace off Len at races.

Len, retired after 31 years with AT&T, is the president of the Lake Merritt Joggers and Striders and the cross country coach at Piedmont Middle School. The Road Runners Club of America has recognized his work with running clubs and youth and in 2004 named him Male Master Runner of the Year. He and his wife, Jayme, recently became grandparents.

When I chatted with Len after the Piedmont Turkey Trot, I thought to myself: When I’m his age a quarter-century from now, I sincerely hope I can run even half as well he does. I interviewed him to find out how he defies age and injury to keep running fast and strong, and I extrapolated the following lessons from his answers. (more…)

Olympian Magdalena with another great athlete, Bev Nakashima

This past year, I was captivated and inspired by Oakland’s running hero, Magdalena Lewy Boulet, as she boldly — and unexpectedly — finished second at the Olympic Women’s Marathon Trials in Boston last April, earning a spot on the team, and then suffered a heartbreaker in Beijing. Last night, I joined a couple dozen women to hear her firsthand account of the Trials and the Women’s Olympic Marathon as she spoke at our favorite local running store, TranSports. (more…)

I ran my first mile in 9 weeks. I walked our dog, Teddy, to the Piedmont High School track, tied him up, and tentatively stepped down the stadium stairs while gripping the handrail. (I’m so cautious when walking now, scared I might fall.) Fog hugged the San Francisco skyline but the sun was burning off the marine layer here in the East Bay. Kids from my kids’ grades gathered in the center field, enrolled in a summer lacrosse camp, and I vaguely hoped I wouldn’t see their parents or anyone else I knew because I didn’t want anyone to witness my stiff jog, which I might have to abandon after a mere half-lap if any sharp pains cut through my foot. (more…)

I’m not sure who will read this blog, and I don’t know if I’d feel more relieved or disappointed if the answer is “no one.” Whoever views this, hello and welcome. This marks the first entry in what I hope will chronicle a two-pronged comeback: as a writer and as a runner. Both writing and running have been on hold due to inaction and injury, which has eroded my confidence in my ability to get my mind and body back in shape. I’m feeling stupid and stiff, wondering how I’ll ever regain a sense of flow at the keyboard or striding out on the trail. (more…)