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…)

On Thanksgiving morning, as I prepared to race the 3-mile Piedmont Turkey Trot through our community’s hilly neighborhood streets, I asked myself, “Why do I put myself through this?” I have a love-hate feeling toward the 5K, tipping toward the negative now that I’ve become more of a long-distance trail runner. But what I dread about it — the intensity, the self-imposed pressure to meet my goal, the fact that seconds matter, the feeling that I’m going to be sick and my legs will collapse — is also what compels me to do it. In addition to the physical challenge, I bring to this little hometown race more mental baggage than any other running event. It’s for that reason as well that I race it: to work through those issues rather than be weighed down. (more…)

Running is like riding a horse: There is no way to get in shape for it except to do it. When I get back in the saddle after a long period away from riding, I’m guaranteed to have sore inner thighs and a stiff lower back the next day. Same with running: No matter how much I prepare to run through cross training and physical therapy, there is no substitute for actually running and no way to avoid running’s version of back-in-the-saddle soreness. For the past two-plus months while injured, I’ve cross-trained religiously on the stationary bike and elliptical, plus did upper- and lower-body strength training and physical therapy on my lower legs. As soon as I got out of the cast, I adopted a daily routine of PT exercises such as heel raises, step-downs, and range-of-motion and balance movements to re-engage the stiff and atrophied right ankle. In spite of that, I experienced all the soreness of a newbie as I started running slowly and carefully these past two weeks, building up in 10-minute increments at the track. My Achilles tendons screamed, my hamstrings protested, and long-dormant shin splints flared up. I’m sure that rapidly approaching 40 has something to do with it; the body loses its elasticity and fluidity. I need WD40 for all my joints. (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…)