Last weekend I volunteered at the Twin Peaks Ultramarathon. The race is practically in my backyard, taking place in the Cleveland National Forest around Saddleback Mountain. The course is scenic but brutal. The 50 mile race has 17,000 feet of total elevation gain!
After a thorough soaking Friday and Saturday the clouds parted in Southern California making Sunday a beautiful day. This was good, as I was at the starting line preparing to run my second marathon on Sunday in Huntington Beach as the sun rose.
My first “mud run” was a great! The Camp Pendleton Mud Run course was a little longer than the advertised 10K but I could have cared less. Scrambling up muddy hills and sloshing through the mud pits was a blast!
May 3 was a glorious day for a race but, as it turned out, my first marathon was a race simply to finish, and not a race against the clock.
The first 10 miles of the OC Marathon wound through Corona Del Mar and around Back Bay in Newport Beach. The weather was cool and overcast. That, combined with the rush of the crowd, put me slightly ahead of pace (8:45).
Children pick up your bad habits quickly. I’m glad they also seem to pick up the good ones. Emma and Henry ran their first “race” this 4th of July after I finished the Freedom Run 10K in Ladera Ranch.
Last Sunday the NY Giants pulled off an upset victory over the New England Patriots. That was exciting and all, but I’m here to talk about something far more exciting. Last Sunday I ran my first half-marathon.
If you’ve seen “Band of Brothers” then the name Currahee will be familiar. Easy Company was forced to repeatedly run the mountain while training for WWII. While we were in Toccoa for Christmas I decided to tackle Currahee Mountain myself.
I’m sure you’ve been waiting… anxious with anticipation that we should once again ask for your help as we participate in the 2007 Race for the
Cure. This year we are participating as a member of Team GameSpy.
After 321.7 miles my first pair of running shoes was starting to lose some steam. My feet and knees were starting to be a little achey after running. My miles have been increasing so it was time to start searching for new shoes lest I hurt myself.
Many, many years ago a crew at GameSpy started running around Skypark Circle training for the Bay Bridge Run in San Diego. I was determined to make this one of my 12 races for this year. With Grandma and Grandpa Mandel in tow we headed down to San Diego for a short weekend trip.