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I made the most of a 36-hour pass from daddyhood this weekend to race the Presidio 10-miler in San Francisco, CA, on Sunday morning, then hop a flight to run the Boston Marathon the next day. Phew! Awesome weather on both coasts made for a fun romp with friends new and old.

The Presidio 10-Miler
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(Grand Marshall Nancy Hobbs gives us some tips)

The Presidio 10-Miler has been on my to-do list for years, beckoning me with its fast and hilly course along the San Francisco penninsula that mixes road, trail, and an out-and-back across the Golden Gate Bridge. It's put on by The Guardsmen, a fantastic volunteer group that raises money for youth programs, and has grown quickly over the last few years to host over 2,800 runners in the 10-mile and 10k distances. It was also the RRCA 10-Mile National Championship, which was bound to attract some fast club runners. Perfect!

(And we're off!)

The fog saturated the hilltops as we lined up for the 7am start, but the sun was already working its magic as we set off into the tree-lined streets of the Presidio National Park. San Anselmo's Jeffrey Peterson went out at a 5:20 min/mile pace, along with the San Francisco trio of Galen Burrell (son of Buzz), Jin Daikoku, and Curtis Olinger. This would be a tough course to break one hour given the stairs and trails, but they were determined to do it! I settled into 10th place, keeping a more conservative pace on the early climbs and zig-zags through the former military campus.

(Heading up into the hills)

(Circling past the barracks)

(Jeffrey Peterson flies through the fog)

 As we made a u-turn and headed towards the GG Bridge, the volunteers steered us onto the sandy trails and I had a chance to make up some ground on the loose footing and stairs that played to my trail running strengths. Behind me I could see that Petaluma's Sarah Hailis had a slight lead in the Womens race, keeping pace ahead of Sarah Bamberger and trail legend and grand marshall Nancy Hobbs. We all slowed a bit when we hit the bridge - it may look flat when you drive across it, but it's a tough little climb!

(All smiles on the downhill)

(Bryan Ellis and I work together over the bridge)

(Yup, that's a hill)

(Steep stairs to get under the bridge)

I got a great view of the Miwok 100k course, sending good karma to the runners who would be traipsing through those hills in just a few weeks. We instead headed down the stairs at the end of the bridge and quickly came back on the other side. Triathlete Bryan Ellis set a great pace for us up and over the bridge again, and I took the lead just in time to run against the tide of the 10k runners heading up their first climb. We had a couple of close calls with iPod-wearing runners deep in trance, but soon broke free to run along Crissy Field (mile 7.5). I had one more gear left, so I put my head down and laid down some 5:30 min/miles in hopes to catch the guy in front of me.

(Running along Crissy Field)

Crissy Field was gorgeous, and lined with happy dogs walking their people. I slowly pulled in the runner in front of me, but was going to need this to be an 11-mile course to pass him. Instead, I cruised into the finish in 1:00:54, good enough for 6th place and the Masters win (all results). Jeffrey Peterson crushed the win in 55:36, and Sarah Hailis cruised in a few minutes behind me to win the Womens division in 1:05:21. A fast day in SF!

(Winner Jeffrey and family)

(Picking up the Masters Award)

 I had pancakes and beer (thank you, Guardsmen!) and hung out with my brother-in-law and nieces to cheer on Mom (Jen) in the 10k. We braved the cold of the awards ceremony and I took a baby wipe shower before heading to SFO and onto Boston. One down, one to go!

2011 Boston Marathon
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The weather looked ideal this year, with a cool start and a tailwind forecast for most of it. This was to be my 7th Boston, and like most years, I was hear to enjoy it, run with friends, drink a few beers, and not be too concerned about my time. I got six hours sleep, which may sound like a little, but since Baby Quinn wasn't there to wake up every 2-3 hours, I felt more rested than I had in weeks!

I texted Kristin Armstrong to meet up in the corrals, only to realize she didn't have her phone with her. Oops. How to find her in this see of lycra and running skirts?!? I kept an eye out for her, but when the 5-minute warning call came for the last wave, I had to figure out how to find them. Option 1 - Run at the front of the wave with my phone, and after the 10k split look up Kik's time for the 5k split and try and find her. Option 2 - start at the back of the pack, and slowly work my way up. Ugh...let's go with Option 1.

(The sea of Lycra!)

(Nobody in front of us!)

 When I showed up with #693 among an army of #10,000+, they put me right in front of Wave 3 (after some well-deserved hazing about not setting my alarm). When the gun went off, it was heaven! Certainly the first time I have run the streets of Hopkinton all alone, and it sure was nice not to be bumping elbows. I hung onto the police escort clocking 6 min/miles, and thought "hey, this might be a good way to ensure a PR...should I go fast?". That question was quickly answered at mile 4 when we caught up to the wall of people in Wave 2. Not so lucky!

(Elbow room, elbow room!)

(Getting their folk on)

(M75, going strong!)

(E. Bunny)

I checked Kik's finish time, and they were about 7 minutes behind (plus however much time it took for them to cross the start line). Just enough time to get a beer at The Chicken Bone and keep an eye out for them. After about 20 minutes of searching faces, however, I hadn't seen them so I started working my way forward through the crowd. They were on a 3:40 finish pace from what I could tell and most the people I asked were in the 4:30's.

(Juggling 26.2)

(Wellesley girls share the love)

(Hey, a German major!)

(Batman gettin' it done)

(Joe rocks his 26th Boston)

(Next time you bitch about the hills, think of this guy)

(Grabbing a beer at Heartbreak!)

(the full mask flag)

The pace was casual (much in thanks to that beer) and I smiled through the miles bathed in memories of Bostons past. I have a lot of history in this historic race, and each course monument seems like a page in a yearbook. It just gets better every year!

I got my kisses from the Wellesley Girls (mile 11), and met some great characters along the way. The miles went by quickly, and we were soon up and over Heartbreak Hill, past Boston College (where I got another beer), and in the home stretch. The folks around me said they were on 3:45-3:55 pace, so I kept an eye out for Kik and Paige. I finally saw them right at the finish line, just seconds ahead of my 3:50 finish. Ha! I had just missed them. That's okay - I was in time for post-race brews, despite the fact I was already buzzed.

(The Army helps along a bonking runner)

(Finish!)

(Finally caught them! Paige Alam, Kristin Armstrong, me, and Jamie Allison)

(Post-race debrief over cocktails)

We had a few cocktails at the Four Seasons, gasping at the insane finish times for the front runners (Geoffrey Mutai ran a fastest ever 2:03:02, with seven runners coming under the previous course record, while Caroline Kilel held off Desiree Devila in 2:22:36). Soon enough I had back to the airport to get back to my family. Caitlin Smith was at the airport, telling me about her Olympic Trail qualifying time of 2:41, netting her a 22nd place Womens finish. Amazing!


Such a crazy weekend! I'm exhausted, but thrilled to have fit it all in.

The Boston Athletic Association (BAA) has announced new qualifying standards and a registration process for the 2012 and 2013 races, largely in response to the 2011 race filling up in less than 8 hours. Here's how it's going to work:

For 2012, the qualifying times will remain the same but the registration process will change to a rolling registration to give the "fastest" runners a chance to register the earliest. The more you "beat" your qualifying time, the earlier you get to register. On the first day of registration, those who beat their qualifying times by 20 minutes or more go. The next day it opens to those who bettered their time by 10 minutes or more. After a week of this, registration opens to the general public.

So, for example, I will be a 42-year-old male for the 2012 Boston Marathon qualifying period, so my qualifying time is 3 hours, 20 minutes, and 59 seconds. If I have a great run at the Napa Marathon and run a 2:55, I will be 25 minutes under my qualifying time. So I would get to register on Day 1. It's kind of like an "A" standard. Here is the rolling registration schedule:

Date	registration opens for runners with times...
September 12, 2011	20 min., 00sec. or more below their qualifying time (based on age/gender)
September 14, 2011	10 min., 00 sec. or more below their qualifying time (based on age/gender)
September 16, 2011	5 min., 00 sec. or more below their qualifying time (based on age/gender)
Second Week
September 19, 2011	All Qualified Runners
September 23, 2011	Registration closes for qualified applicants
September 28, 2011 (appx)	Qualifiers from entry during second week of registration are notified of their acceptance.

For 2013, they will have the same process and also reduce all qualifying times by 5 minutes and 59 seconds, so the previous 3:10:59 qualifying time for Men age 18-34 is now 3:05:00. No surprise here - this is the simplest way to reduce the field of applicants.

I give a Tip-O-The-Hat to the BAA for coming up with a unique system to address the needs of the rather vocal minority of fast runners who didn't get a slot. This could have gone a number of ways, and I like that the one race that has qualifying standards leaned towards honoring the fastest runners. I find myself looking at the new process and realizing I have two BQ goals - the minimum standard, and the "register-on-the-first-day" A standard. It's asking me to push myself harder. So for that, I thank the BAA.

Not all agree, however. Former winner Amby Burfoot is not a fan, pointing out that you can run a Boston qualifying time and still not get into Boston if it fills up with faster runners . Of course that could happen now if you weren't fast enough to register on the first day. But I see his point - this system loses transparency, and there are no guarantees even if you hit a "qualifying" time. I can imagine this could be frustrating for someone who's life goal is to do this race. Amby doesn't provide any suggestions (WHO MOVED MY CHEESE?), but I get the sense that the BAA will continue to tweak the process.

Curious to what you guys think...

SD

Unbelievable. News from the Boston Athletic Association this afternoon:

“Registration for the 115th Boston Marathon began at 9:00 a.m. (EST) today, and closed at 5:03 p.m. (EST) The Boston Marathon -- the world's oldest and most prestigious annual marathon -- will take place on Monday, April 18, 2011, Patriots' Day in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In 115 years, this is the fastest period of time in which the field size limit has been reached.

The number of entrants for next year’s race remains as it has been in recent years. In 2010, the race had 26,790 entrants and 22,721 finishers. For the 2010 Boston Marathon, registration filled in just over two months.

Given that the site wasn't even working for the first two hours, that means it filled up in ~7 hours. I guess it's time to introduce the BAA to Ultrasignup's lottery system! Just crazy. I guess this answers the question if last years fast fill-up created some pent up demand. But think of all that lost revenue from late entries! ;-)

Do you think this means they will raise the qualifying standards to get in for 2012? Seems like a feasible solution.

I hope all who wanted to get to Boston '11 set their alarms today...if so, I will see you there.




SD

For those of you hoping to run Boston on April 18th next year, just a friendly reminder that registration opens today at 9am EST. Be sure to get your entry in early if you are interested - it filled up in two months last year, and they are expecting it to fill faster for 2011.

Here are the qualifying times:

QUALIFYING STANDARDS FOR THE 2011 BOSTON MARATHON


Age Group Men Women

18-34 3hrs 10min 3hrs 40min

35-39 3hrs 15min 3hrs 45min

40-44 3hrs 20min 3hrs 50min

45-49 3hrs 30min 4hrs 00min

50-54 3hrs 35min 4hrs 05min

55-59 3hrs 45min 4hrs 15min

60-64 4hrs 00min 4hrs 30min

65-69 4hrs 15min 4hrs 45min

70-74 4hrs 30min 5hrs 00min

75-79 4hrs 45min 5hrs 15min

80 and older 5hrs 00min 5hrs 30min

Hope to see you there!
 
- SD

This morning, I had the great pleasure of joining 26,000 runners for one of the biggest annual parties in American history, the 2010 Boston Marathon. Ideal weather (even a tailwind!), plenty of beer, and new and old friends alike made for a perfect day for the 26.2 mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston, MA. Per usual, the Boston natives and volunteers made it a special day for all of us.

I felt a deep appreciation for this Boston, my 6th, for it nearly didn't happen. Just a week ago I crashed on my bike when I slid in the rain trying to avoid a rock in the road, and in one instant hit the pavement, crushed my helmet, destroyed my bike, and bruised up my back and left butt cheek enough to see my peak fitness get put on the shelf. Oh, and did I mention sexy? Nothing like asymmetrical swelling in the butt to drive women wild. I've spent a few days ass up on the bed, and it appeared to be healing quickly with rest/ice/elevation. I wasn't able to run all week, so I toed the line at Boston with that unique sensation of not knowing if a finish was in my future or not. Beers yes, pictures for sure, but finish, who knows?

The days before were the usual pandalerium, with all of Boston feasting on the Patriots Day long weekend. the only ones missing from the party were the hundreds of European runners stranded at home from the volcanic ash that stopped all jets the last few days. We toasted them in spirit. I had a pre-race dinner with fellow trail running warrior Sarah Syed and her Mom, sharing any Boston tips I could for her inaugural run.

I joined Laurie and the Injinji gang to work the Injinji booth at Expo, and had a chance to meet Bobbi Gibb, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon in 1966 when she snuck on the course and clocked a 3:21:40. Her new book, "To Boston with Love", chronicles a passion for love and nature that led her to running ultras long before her Boston victory. And get this - she got married in my home town of Woodside, CA! She could even recite my home trails by name. How cool is that?



Race morning found a welcome break from the rainy weekend, with enough blue skies to coax 500,000 spectators to line the course from end to end. Sarah and I both made it in time to get pre-race massages in the Athlete's Village (still the best kept secret), and I met a nice pilot from American Airlines from Chicago taking a break from his four girls for some marathon fun. With a quick sprint to corrals, I made it just in time for the countdown. 3, 2, 1 and we're off!



My pace was so slow, I easily got passed by 1,000 runners in the first mile. Yup, I was one of "those guys"! But as long as the strides were short, the pain in the ass remained only a pain in the ass. Among those passing me were familiar faces of Jason Jones, 24-hour superstar John Geesler (a prep run for the NYC 6-Day run next weekend), Roy Pirrung (doing a double marathon), Michael Wardian (actually, he was in front of me the whole time no surprise), and Kevin Sullivan (supposedly in running retirement...busted!). Ultrarunners are everywhere!



At mile 2, one of the local rabble-rousers handed me a beer and I was happy to oblige. In all my Bostons, the ones where I took the time to enjoy everything it had to offer were the most memorable, so why stop now?. It was fun to keep a mellow pace and reflect on all the world, local, and personal history of this race. It is the 2500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon (which originated the distance and the legend of Phidippides), the 114th running of the Boston Marathon, and every street corner seemed to remind me of running with my Dad last year, donning the Bleeker costume, with my friends Kik and Paige, or the many folks I've met along the way. So many great memories!



At mile 4, I ran with Sam Morris from Laurel, MD, who was staying right on a 3:15 finish pace. Sam was new to running, but had that natural stride of an all-around athlete and the watch-like consistency of a military man. We passed the time sharing stories, meeting people, and getting high fives from the kids as we came through Natick. 



I grabbed another beer at mile 11, as we heard the famed scream tunnel approaching. I always enjoy watching the men check their hair and breath as the long line of beautiful young maidens approach - although it's not necessary, I'm sure the hundreds of Wellesley girls are appreciative of a little extra grooming. My favorite sign this year was "kiss me 'cause I majored in kissing!". I took a short stop to give/get some smackeroos, and immediately clocked a testosterone powered 6:20 min/mile. Ah, the sweet seduction of drunken youth.




As we entered the hill country, we got the benefit on a nice tailwind breeze. Sam decided to pick up the pace a bit to get closer to his 3:15 goal, so I wished him luck and watched him mountain goat up Heartbreak Hill. The Hash House Harriers aid station was fully functional this year at mile 20, and beer #3 made it official...I was running buzzed, much to the Harriers delight. I realized this when I took a PowerBar gel and washed it down with a Sam Adams (yuck). Probably best to cut back or this was not going to end well. Remember kids, do as I say, not as I do! (ahem)







The final stretch after Boston College had a wonderful tailwind, and I used the opportunity to pick up the pace a smidge.  My strides were still fairly short, like a Chi-running robot, but anything more felt too risky. I slowed to chat with Jason Jones, who is also doing the Boston/Big Sur/Miwok triple, before hitting the final 5k. The Citgo sign appeared in the distance, and the road began to fill with cramp-induced casualties. I slapped as many backs as I could to give encouragement.



The crowds went wild as we pulled onto Boylston St and made the final stretch into the chute. I finished in 3:18:10, good for 4203rd place. Another great race in the books! It felt like the first finish all over again, and I thanked my body for holding up.




I hit the post-race massages, and they did a good job of loosening up my back and glutes again. In an odd turn of events, I would get a phone call later saying that one of the medical advisors was convinced the bruising indicates a broken tailbone and I should get x-rays asap. How is that possible? I don't think you can run a marathon with a broken tailbone. Only an idiot would try something like tha-...fine, fine, back to the hospital. ;-) But I don't think I'll mention Big Sur on the calendar for next Sat. I mean, it's not like we use our tails or anything.

My thanks to the great people of Boston for another awesome race!

- SD