Hot to Trot - that’s what was on the back of the shirt of a woman running in front of me today in the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot in San Jose. In a race this long, you have to take inspiration where you can get it. I ran the 10K race and finished in record time. At least I think they recorded the time, with a fancy RFID chip I attached to my shoe laces no less.

The really cool thing about the RFID chip is it enables recording both your start and stop time so you can begin the race later than the other runners (just in case you leave your house late, get lost, or get confused about where to park. Not that any of that happened to us…) We took off a couple of minutes after the cannon boom that announced the official race starting time.

My son Tim pulled a hamstring playing flag football with some friends a couple days ago. So his brother Mark was a last minute substitute. Tim and I planned to run the 10K.  Mark decided to walk but then missed a turn. So he walked just 5K. But that’s cool since he was there when I crossed the finish line.

So Long Chumps - I’ll wait for you at the finish line!
Steve & Mark at the start of the race

Another advantage of starting late - after that hoard of people that somehow got to the race on time - is I got a real sense of accomplishment passing all the laggards that decided to walk the course. I felt like I was flying!

Then there was a turn for the 10K course (the one Mark missed) and the ranks of my fellow runners thinned dramatically. Well I was no longer flying but at least I could still flap my wings.

My body held up pretty well but to be honest, I slowed to a walk a few times, especially after there was an incline. Like the time, about 7K into the race, the course followed a road under a railroad overcrossing. I ran down the street with the tracks overhead and then used my momentum to help me run back up the incline on the other side.

The course then turned to the left and down another street and that left turn was one time when I started walking to catch my breath. There was a police officer there monitoring the intersection and I told him I didn’t want to get a speeding ticket. He smiled slightly and said, “Don’t worry pal, you’re not speeding.” Okay, enough goofing off! I ran the rest of the race to the finish line.

Steve Approaching the Finish Line!
(No, he didn’t push that kid out of the way)

It’s sobering to think that my cross country ski marathon is two an a half times longer than the race today!

Thanks to all the volunteers to make today’s Turkey Trot a success.  Happy Thanksgiving!

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Back at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco for another training session with coach Dave. I got there early to beat the traffic and then wrote out several contribution request letters (perhaps one was received by you, dear reader?).

Again I did not push myself too hard after doing another 10K run the day before on the levees in Redwood Shores. My run yesterday was terrific and my cardio held out fine but the old leg muscles were getting a little tired. Even so, I feel good about running in the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning after a day of rest.

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I’m supposed to be at a fundraiser garage sale with one of my team mates this morning but I am exhausted from two days of training. Thank goodness this is a day of rest in my training schedule.

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Another nice day hiking at Redwood Regional Park in the hills above Berkeley. Why didn’t I come here when I was at UC Berkeley so many years ago? Too busy I guess. Before the hike I was asked to tell the stories to my team mates about the two (so far) honorees that I am dedicating my training and race to: David Cyganski and David Thomas.

Then we took turns leading the hike through the park.

I didn’t push myself too much because I had run about 5 miles yesterday to get ready for the 10K Turkey Trot race. In addition to hiking, we practiced our core exercises to improve balance and learning to fall.

Actually I don’t expect falling to be much of a problem compared to getting back up when on skis.

The final stretch was really needed!

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Second dry land workout tonight in San Leandro in the East Bay. I left early to avoid the traffic (well some of it) over the San Mateo bridge and up Interstate 880. I found a Starbucks around the corner from the practice field and got some work done.

This morning I was 2 pounds lighter and an inch off the spare tire so far this week.

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First “dry land” training at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco was tonight. Weather is back to normal for San Francisco. Was glad to run the track just to keep warm from the chilly fog blowing in. I’m working to improve my balance and cardio. It was a good workout.

After training we met nearby at Kezar Pub. I made the mistake of ordering a simple carb beverage (OK, it was a Guinness), i.e., one loaded with simple carbohydrates and empty calories. I got several quizzical looks from my more experienced team mates. Sorry guys, I won’t do that again!

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Just finished the first team training meeting at Crissy Field and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. What a glorious day with temperatures on the 70s. Unheard of in November!

We got the low-down on ski equipment, nutrition and the basic exercises we will do for strength training. Then we spent about an hour hiking / running past the bridge and along the Golden Gate. The stretches afterward felt terrific.

As you can see in the “before” picture, this training will help me shed some excess pounds! But the real benefit is the fundraising for the people that suffer from these diseases. I was proud to add 2 honorees to our banner - my friend David Cyganski and in memory of David Thomas.

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