Running the Redwood City Oktoberun Half Marathon

Saturday was the second road race in a row for us, although this one had the bonus of only being partly on roads, with some paved and some not-so-paved trails mixed in.

There were several other fun races also going on this day (Coastal Horseshoe Lake and the Golden Hills Marathon to mention two), but we get few chances to run a race that's ten minutes from our house and benefits the local schools like the spelling-challenged Redwood City Oktoberun does (that name frustrates the heck out of my computer's spell check - it is all but calling me a moron for allowing that spelling to live on).

Trail running thugs getting their goofy on.

Mrs Notthat and I ran this race last year, so we pretty much knew what to expect. Namely, a flat, out-and-back course with minimal dodging of traffic.

The one glitch today was the lack of porta-potties at the start. There were a few toilets available in the area, but a lot of the highly caffeinated runners really needed some relief. The race was held up for 12 minutes, and then we were sent on our way.

Some of the 345 runners that finished the Half Marathon, ready to head out.

The first aid station, which also served as the 5K turnaround.

Last year, Mrs Notthat was running the Nike Women's Half Marathon the day after this race, so we decided to walk most of the course, and ended up getting passed by the lead 5K runners just before we made it to this turnaround.

This year we were well past this point and neither of us ever saw a 5K runner (there were 605 of them that finished the 5K - nice!).

My shoes giggled when they came upon this short stretch of dirt trail.

The only change from last year was the stretch of road in front of the dealerships that had to be added  due to construction on the trail that runs behind them. This was also the only stretch where the runners were challenged by cars, some of which were VERY determined to get into the dealerships.

After that bit of road, we were mostly on paved trail for the next few miles. While the trail runs along the freeway, it does have some nice marshland you can look at.

Putting up a stop sign for the aid station seemed to be a bit of overkill.

At the end of that stretch of trail, we had the second aid station and another short stretch of road, this one being fairly calm as it passed by the San Carlos Airport.

I liked that the airport had their fire tuck out just in case one of the lead runners burst into flames.

At about mile 4, the emergency backup porta-potties provided some needed relief.

After that short stretch of road we ended up on the best part of the course - the trail along Steinberger Slough in Redwood Shores.

Even better, the trail turns into gravel a bit before the third aid station.

Mrs Notthat flying back after the turnaround. 

One big thing I like about out-and-back courses is that you end up getting to see all the runners, from the  absurdly fast to the one or two going slower than me. And so that is why I was able to work out that Mrs Notthat was about seven minutes ahead of me.

Having a motorcycle officer at the turnaround to chase any rebels that refuse to turn around seemed a bit extreme.

The three volunteers at the turnaround were awesomely perky and noisy - a great boost to the runners. I was halfway done, hadn't fallen down, and was ready to head back to the finish.

There were an amazing number of volunteers along the course, almost all yelling encouraging things ("Geeze dude, you sure you're all right?") and generally helping make this so much fun.

I felt a bit bad when going through the aid stations since my trail roots require me to carry enough water for half a dozen runners, and I never needed any of their cups.

Finally I made it to the finish line. My goal had been to finish in around 2:45 - my legs were still a bit tired from the previous weekend's San Jose Rock n Roll Half - but I somehow ended up beating last weekend's time and finished in a bit over 2:34. (Mrs Notthat was significantly slower than last weekend, and only beat me by three minutes - I picked up four minutes on her from the half turnaround point!).

Three happy finishers!

The Endorphin Dude wanting someone to hold his medal while he takes advantage of the  fashionably late porta-potties.

For reasons known only to him, The Endorphin Dude ran this race incognito (which is not easy for him).  The cool thing though is that he set a PR with a stunning 2:07 finish.

An accordion-based band playing many AC/DC and Black Sabbath hits.

A fun thing was that the finish line was right next to the Oktoberfest event. I would have loved sampling the many fun looking beers, but my calves were in extreme need of icing.

The race was a lot of fun. Again. The coolest thing though was that 78-year-old Knarf (not his real name) was allowed to finish, even though he was well past the four hour cutoff.

Knarf on the trail steaming along, with the sweeper behind him on the bike.

Knarf is not fast, and his running style is somewhat alarming. But I've done many races with him and I can only hope to be as cool as he is when I'm his age.

I know it's not trivial to support the slower runners, especially on a road race, but since I'm one of them,  they have a warm spot in my heart. And that this race let Knarf finish puts it in my warm spot too. (It's not as bad as it sounds.)

Thanks to everyone that made this race possible, from the organizers to the police and all the volunteers that helped make this safe and fun.

That's it - move along…

PS: You can see more of my pictures here.

Rocking 'n' Rolling in San Jose

I think I may have mentioned that I'm not fond of road races; I don't like huge crowds or the pounding my body takes. But Mrs Notthat really wanted to try out the San Jose Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, and it didn't help that they had a pretty cool medal design this year.

So instead of reprising our Sacramento Urban Cow race (another road race, but less overwhelming and with cowbell medals!) or heading up north to do the Coastal Bizz Johnson trail race (which I am determined to do next year), we joined 12,000 runners and headed to San Jose bright and early Sunday morning.

Yes, I know this was only a Half Marathon, so my shirt was reasonably inappropriate, but I got a lot of "GO MANIAC!" yells throughout the course, so there.

This was our first race since one of the brightest trail running lights in the area was prematurely switched off, so we sported these tributes to Pete. (I had one guy catch up to me and say he had never met Pete, but had heard a lot about him and was sorry hear the news. We ran together in silence for a bit before I saw photo opportunity and he took off.)

Weird Haired Mom was on the medical team - basically a group of people with a medical background that roam the course and try to repair any broken runners. She had warned her group to be on the lookout for an old guy with frogs on his hat that will likely be shuffling aimlessly and taking pictures of things that normal people wouldn't waste their time on. She did say that I was mostly harmless though.

Looking ahead of us. We were in corral 13 out of 19. It took us nearly nine minutes to cross the start line once the race began.

New this year was a five mile race (weirdly called a "Mini Marathon") in addition to the Half Marathon. They said they had 14,000 people register, but the results show a little under 12,000 actually finished one of the two races, with only a little over 2,000 running the shorter course.

Looking behind us. That's a lot of runners!

There are two big things about this race: The course has bands scattered along it and there is a finish line concert. Based on the Rock 'n' Roll name I knew it would have been a lot to ask for there to be any country bands (there weren't), but at least there was this brass band.

I would have stopped if they really had bowls of noodles sitting out.

I think there were about a dozen official bands (some you passed twice), and probably about that many unofficial bands, like this one. I liked the unofficial ones more since they were not being paid to be there, and anyone that gets up early on a Sunday morning to play in front of thousands of sweaty runners, each of which is only going to hear you play for about 30 seconds, is awesome in my books.

"OK! I'll stop making fun of your boyfriend; just let me down."

More fun than the bands, to me at least, were the cheerleaders. Their enthusiasm was very contagious and I give them credit for making me at least ten minutes faster than I otherwise would have been.

Also getting credit is The Endorphin Dude and his sister Enaid (not her real name). They started in the second corral and had about a seven minute head start on us. Before the race I had predicted that they would have about a 15 minute head start on us and that I wouldn't catch them until about mile ten.

I caught them just before mile three. Not that I'm gloating. Much.

Yes - running under some overgrown greasy hippy's crotch is exactly what I want to do.

One good thing about this race; for as many people as were running it, there was plenty of room to move around and go at whatever pace you wanted. Even the walkers that marched four or five abreast weren't much of a problem.

"Are we really going so slow that frog boy caught up to us? C'mon dear; we've got to pick up the pace!"

I did something in this race that I've never done before; I ran a little over six miles without taking a walking break. Which is how I caught up to Oel and Ainigriv (not their real names). For the second half of the race though, I did mix in some walking, but still kept moving pretty good. (But never saw these two again until the finish line - I'm taking credit for for them picking up their pace.)

Look at the sign she is holding. That's our California educational system at work! Although, now that I think about it, this might have been on purpose and I'm too slow to get the joke.

There were water stations scattered along the course, with MANY perky young people begging you to take their cup of water. Mrs Notthat and I both were carrying all the water we needed just so we could avoid the bottlenecks that these stations tend to become (although these actually seemed to work much smoother than others I've seen).

Great. Now we get to run under his butt. He actually had butt cheeks. Sheesh. 

Shortly after passing under Butt Cheek Guy I was done! And then I flashed my secret weapon at Mrs Notthat - in addition to Pete on my back, pushing me along, I had Team Tom on my front. Whenever I started dragging, the two of them would gang up on me, tell me to have fun during this race, and to get my butt in gear.

The slightly creepy Wall of Bagel Fingers.

Mrs Notthat set a PR with her first sub-2:30 Half. My time was around 2:34 - much better than I had anticipated since I had started fighting a cold on Friday.

Mrs Notthat and I headed over to the concert area where I grabbed my free beer and listened to a funny and talented Matt Nathanson play for us.

Just Matt and a guy on electric guitar helping him out. They were great! 

Once the concert was over, Alegna and Nerak (not their real names) left the mosh pit and came over to say "hi." (Both had finished their race LONG before either of us did.)

And that's about it. The medal was pretty cool, although it was a little disappointing it wasn't actually full size. (And I'll bet more than one parent had to explain to their kids what it was.)

For a large road race, this wasn't too bad, and seemed reasonably well organized and kind of fun. If your thing is a race with bands along the course though, you REALLY need to do next year's Wharf to Wharf in Santa Cruz. MANY more bands along a six mile course that has much better views and a more fun vibe. (And it's WAY cheaper - about a third of the price of this race.)

In any case, we can now check off the "run a Rock 'n' Roll race" item from our to do list. (If you are big into bling though, these people are marketing geniuses - do multiple of their races and you will need a truck for all the medals you will end up with.)

We've got another road race next weekend (the Redwood City Oktoberun Half Marathon) and then it is back to the trails (YAY!) for Brazen Rocky Ridge (GULP).

That's it - move along…

PS: You can see a lot more of my pictures here.

Falling. No style at all.

Disclaimer: I am not a "thrill seeker." You won't catch me on a roller coaster. I'll never try green ketchup. So the views expressed in this post need to be weighed against the fact that I'm a wuss. 

The group I work in wanted a fun team building experience. It was decided that we should all find out what a brick feels when it's tossed from the top of a high rise.

Fortunately, there were no nearby high rises, and instead, we all headed off to a place that uses a couple of box fans and a glass tube to recreate the falling brick sensation.

When we arrived at iFly in beautiful downtown Union City, it was filled with close to 100 school kids. We were early for our scheduled session, so we got to watch 7- and 8-year-old kids frolic in the glass tube.

This did nothing for my confidence. They made this look easy, but I was pretty sure it was a trick. Then one of their teachers got in the tube, and I got to see how horribly wrong this could go.

Then our instructor/guide/tormentor walked past and grabbed twelve of us and told us we would be the first group. That I didn't wet my pants is a point of pride for me.

We watched a safety video, were shown a series of hand gestures that would be key to our survival (it's noisy in the tube and we were all wearing ear plugs), and were suited up in a worrying amount of safety gear.

Finally, it was our turn to enter the glass tube's waiting room. I lunged for the last spot but was beaten to it by Eiluj (not her real name). One by one, our instructor/guide/tormentor dragged us into the tube and expertly kept us from getting killed. (Actually, the most danger is in you deciding that it's better to smash your face against the wall rather than using your arms to push off it.)

Could I look any less happy to be here?

And then it was my turn. I leaned in, stuck out my arms, spread my legs, and was flying. Sort of. It really is a strange feeling to be effectively falling at terminal velocity and yet not have to worry about smacking into the ground. My whole focus was on not doing anything wrong and ending up in a ball on the safety net (which is surprisingly easy to do - twitch an arm just right and you are either performing an advanced move or on your back on the net).

Once my 60 seconds was up I was guided to the exit door where I took my spot on the bench. I DID IT! I survived! My arms and neck were surprisingly tired, and I couldn't wait to get those goggles off, but I was done!

The last person finished and I was ready for the instructor/guide/tormentor to do his fun bit and then it would all be shut down and we could exit the tube.

But then he grabbed the first person and dragged her back into the tube. "OK; she's the boss so she's just getting a bonus flight" I told myself. But then the next person went in too. And worse, this second time the instructor/guide/tormentor would grab you, spin you, and fly you up high in the tube.

I managed to get through that bit (the spinning high thing was not that bad - the scenery changes but you hardly feel anything different), and was thrilled when he started to aim me towards the exit. But I was a bit too anxious and grabbed too early and before I knew it was on my back, about one foot from my salvation. Heavy sigh.

And that was it. Thankfully there was no third turn, so the instructor/guide/tormentor did his thing (it's amazing what they can do in this tube) and we were done.

• Was this fun? For me, it was interesting but "fun" doesn't come to mind. For most others, it definitely was fun.

• Would I do it again? HA! No. Again, most others would have gladly taken a third turn.

• Is it safe? Yes, mostly. If you panic, you could possibly smack a shoulder or your head into a wall and hurt it, but realistically, it is very safe. (Having said that, my neck is mildly sore, but that might have been from my graceful exit on that second turn.)

Afterwards, I had an elk burger at Fuddruckers and headed back to work.

And yes, our team is built better now.

That's it - move along…

So that's what a roasted pig feels like

Mrs Notthat and I ran the Brazen Trail Hog Half Marathon at Joseph D Grant Park outside of San Jose. We had run it last year, so we knew it was mostly exposed and hot and that it was tougher than its 1760 feet of climbing would suggest.

So naturally, I thought it would be fun to run it with a major breathing impairment involving a novelty hog nose.

Photo by Brazen volunteer. That thing was not as comfortable as it looks.

My initial plan was wear this for the start and end, and any time I saw someone with a camera. But there were so many people with cameras that I ended up wearing it the whole time.

Photo by Brazen volunteer. Grandkid Second Born and an incognito Endorphin Dude want more heat.

I'm really not sure what is going on in the above picture, but I'm sure it violates several stipulations in the park usage permit.

The simplified map for this course is not really all that simplified. Fortunately, there were volunteers at all the scary points to make sure everyone stayed on course. (The Brazen Rabbit must have used a record amount of flour to mark this course.)

Finally the race started, and we were off in a cloud of dust.

A short ways out I found Weird Haired Mom and the grandkids, taking pictures and making sure we were staying on the right trail.

The race starts by climbing the biggest hill on the course, which you reach to top of at the first aid station, mile 2.25. To be clear, this is a mild hill compared to most Brazen races, but it was still more than enough to get your attention.

You can just make out the second aid station in the distance.

When you leave that aid station, you mostly head downhill. And mostly in the sun. It was starting to warm up by now.

The second aid station is at mile 4.13. The next one is about 4.5 miles and a second fairly serious hill away, so it was wise to get well hydrated here.

Photo by Brazen volunteer. 

Mrs Notthat loves the sun and will never complain about the heat. She's so weird.

Photo by Brazen volunteer.

I keep telling myself that if I didn't stop and take pictures, I'd probably win the race. (In reality, I likely lose about a minute total because of the picture taking. Since I usually take about twice as long to finish as the winner, leaving the camera at home would only minimally help my time while making me have to come up with some other excuse to stop and rest during the race.)

This picture doesn't really show it well (there's actually a runner, Alram - not her real name, hidden in there), but part of that trail between the second and third aid stations is the best on the course. Granted, a lot of it is going uphill, but being in the trees for once was a nice change.

The volunteer is happy to see me since it means the search party can be called off.

Finally, the third aid station at mile 8.63 appears - we are well over half done. But the heat was really strutting its stuff by now, and I was starting to drag a bit.

There are two small hills between here and the next aid station - the last two real hills on the course. And no shade.

The fourth aid station is actually the second aid station a second time. It's at mile 11.13, which means there is only a bit over 2 miles left (the Half was actually about 13.4 miles long). And a chunk of that is downhill. Sadly, I was not able to take advantage of that, and ended up shuffling my way towards the finish line.

The one surprise was that Haiyr (not her real name) was actually behind me coming out of that aid station. She quickly caught up and walked with me for a bit before bolting off for the finish line. 

I did manage to finish, eventually. Mrs Notthat had finished 25 minutes earlier, and won third place in her age group. The Endorphin Dude survived the grilling and had a sub-3 hour finish time - an impressive accomplishment on this course.

I was REALLY tired and wanted to lay down. (It looks like I'm grimacing in pain, but I'm actually laughing since nobody could figure out how to get my camera to work.)

Last weekend's race was shorter (10 miles) but had a lot more climbing and about the same amount of heat. But the San Jose heat is different than the Mt Diablo heat, and it seemed to have a larger impact on me. I didn't feel like I was sweating as much, but the sweat lines on my shirt would beg to differ. I did pretty well with taking my salt caps, but I think I should have taken them more frequently as it warmed up. (I took one SaltStick cap every 30 minutes, but still started to get some cramping the last  couple of miles if I tried to run. And I should have kept taking them once I finished since I started getting that tingly "I need electrolytes NOW" feeling after a bit of sitting around.)

The good news was that my stomach wasn't upset (not that I felt like eating), which was a nice change for a hot run.

Rocky Ridge is in four weeks. (Gulp.)

We won't be running any races next weekend and the following two weekends are flat road Half Marathons (San Jose Rock 'n Roll  and the Redwood City Oktoberun). Rocky Ridge is a bit frightening given my current conditioning, although if the heat holds off and I use the early start, I should be able to finish it before dark.

Probably.

That's it - move along…

PS: You can see more of my pictures here.