Larry's Running Blog: Above the Clouds

Today I make my annual pilgrimage to the Tilden Tough Ten. When the starting siren goes at 8 AM in the hills of Tilden Park, high above the urban core of the Bay Area, 65,000 people will simultaneously begin a cross-city journey in San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers. For many, an avid runner like me should run Bay to Breakers every year, but I’ve never done it. I’ve run Tilden more times than any other race. It was the scene of my worst race ever, and one of my best. I have too many memories and too many friends to miss this race. It is both serene and grueling, at least for me. I look forward to it every year, and I’ll run it as long as I feel fit.

The morning temperature is in the high 40s in Alameda as I drive to the race, a most comforting development as a record-setting heat wave brought 95 degree temperatures to San Francisco on Thursday. Tilden is difficult enough in good conditions, and I don’t welcome any additional complications. The fog hides the Berkeley hills in the distance. As I close to within a mile of the hills, I can’t see anything above 100 feet. I’m hoping this means cool conditions, maybe even mist. When my car climbs the hills toward Tilden, sunlight breaks through and the temperature rises to 56. Continuing along, I see why it's warmer. A blanket of fog has split the hills like icing in a layer cake, and Tilden is the top layer. What a glorious scene, although I’d prefer clouds and cooler temperatures. Tilden remains one of my favorite places, and I am grateful and amazed that this beautiful, remote and serene place is so close to where I live.

With U2’s Achtung Baby in the CD player, I continue until reaching the race site. Len Goldman, president of the Lake Merritt Joggers and Striders (LMJS) and runner extraordinaire, greets me and tells me that this year’s race is a near sell out. The race only has capacity for 300, but it’s usually a strong field. LMJS puts on a great race, and the club is the only one that I know that keeps a searchable database on every race result by every runner since 1997. Want to know how fast Magda Lewy, the second-fastest woman on the 2008 US Olympic marathon team, ran the Tilden Tough Ten in her only appearance? Check out the website: http://www.lmjs.gwebservice.com/ .

LMJS organizes three special races each year and two or three more casual runs each month except February. That’s 30 races a year, with more than a thousand results. If you look up Larry or Lawrence Witte, you will find my following results for the Tilden Tough Ten:

2000: 94:37, 95th overall, 24th in age group
2004: 76:08, 70th overall, 21st in age group
2005: 68:39, 27th overall, 9th in age group
2006: 67:42, 15th overall, 5th in age group
2007: 64:30, 3rd overall, 2nd in age group

In 2000 I had restarted a running hobby and discovered this race in the Berkeley hills. That year the Tilden Tough Ten became my first Bay Area race, and almost my last. My training was not technical, but I was running frequently and in the hills near our apartment south of Oakland’s Rockridge area. I had biked the Tilden route, so it was familiar. Two elements caused me great difficulty. The Friday before the race temperatures soared, and my run after work that day was exhausting. It remained hot over the weekend. At the race I ran the first half in 35 minutes, but discovered that the hilly paved part of Tilden is just an appetizer for the trail portion, which I had never run. This was the second surprise. Sweating heavily and drinking two cups of water at the turnaround, I asked a volunteer if the return was as difficult as the first half. She must have thought I was delirious. The second half retraces the first half, so each half is pretty much the same. As the sun baked the ground and the air around me, I slowed to a walk, then a stagger, and then a stop. Everyone seemed to pass me as I completed the second half in 55 minutes, finishing the race in an hour and thirty minutes.

Disappointed and discouraged, I cut back my running and didn’t run in another race for three years. Then in 2004 I returned to Tilden and finished in under 80 minutes. Elated, I continued running and haven’t stopped.

Tilden is the first jewel in the East Bay Trail Challenge Triple Crown. I’ve done well here and at the Lake Chabot Half Marathon Challenge two weeks later, but not so well at the Woodminster Run on Father’s Day. The photo at right shows me, Gareth Fong, who organizes the Woodminster race, and Len Goldman. John Pettinichio (M52) won the seniors Triple Crown in 2006, as did my friend Holly Starr (F53), below left, who won it in her first year of competition, 2005. I first met Holly at the Martinez Brickyard run in 2005. It was her first race, and when she told me her time in the 4-mile (30:10), I knew she won her division. She went on to handily win the Ruth Anderson Cup (50+ age group) in the triple crown in her first year of competition. Jeff Teeters (M48) is a regular high finisher as well, winning the open triple crown in 2006.

As we line up Jeff, pictured at right, mentions that this year’s field is fast. I have regressed with injuries and limited racing action, so my aim is to finish in 66 minutes. My strategy remains the same as last year, when I noticed that Jeff always finished ahead of me even though I started faster. I decided to stick behind Jeff for the first three miles and then try to keep him within sight.

The race starts and I’m among the first 10 runners for a significant stretch. The first mile passes in 5:50, a good pace since the race begins in a downhill. The second mile is uphill and I manage to keep my place behind Jeff, but it’s a chore. I’m breathing heavily with 80% of the race to go. As we continue, Jeff and the other lead runners pull away. Last year I finished third overall, but not in 2008. At the third mile Rebecca Yau (F21), below right, a newcomer on the Bay Area running scene, glides by me. At one point we come upon some cows, which scatter as we run by. About three and a half miles into the race I see the steep climb to the left. The photo shows the incline behind the electrical tower. The return on this section will be very refreshing, but that won’t be for another two miles.

“The first four miles of hills weaken you for the next two miles”: ancient proverb etched in a clay pot found on Tilden.

The fifth mile of Tilden is an undulating trail, rutted by cow hooves. This is the portion of the trail that surprised me in 2000 and usually determines the winner. After climbing up the first hill, I remember why this part is so difficult. The hills are hard to climb and treacherous to descend. I have to brake going down, giving me no advantage on the downhill. I manage to stay upright, but the terrain is difficult for someone who trains exclusively on the paved paths of Alameda and treadmills.

As I reach the turnaround, I see Alex Coate (M47), pictured at left, about 20 yards behind me. Alex is stronger and passes me on the first hill back. Since Alex and Jeff are in my age group I know my chances of placing in the top three (M40-49) are remote. There seem to be several masters runners ahead of me. I can see a long string of runners trailing me going to the halfway point. I mostly keep my eyes on the road, but I do say something encouraging to Holly, who’s looking pretty good. I manage to reach the top of the last hill without slowing to a walk, which is more than I did last year. Still I’m running a noticeably slower pace than in 2007. I take the downhill at mile six easy, too tired to accelerate and make up lost time. A runner making his way up the hill says I’m 12th overall. I’m amazed that he has the mental dexterity to count runners while negotiating the course.

Meanwhile, all I can determine is that Jeff is nowhere in sight, Rebecca is off in the distance, and I can’t see Alex. The weather is warm. Perfect for a picnic, going for a walk, playing outside or just relaxing. Perfect for anything except running at full speed for three more miles of hills. My finishing place is irrelevant, but I am still hoping to break 70 minutes. This would be 5:30 slower than 2007, but at least I’d get a sub-70 minute shirt. The Tilden Tough Ten features a great marketing scheme. Anyone who finishes under 60, 70 or 80 minutes gets a race shirt indicating that achievement. Rarely does anyone get a sub-60 shirt.

Two more runners pass me. I check my watch and see that I should finish in under 78 minutes: good enough. I see the parking lot by the starting line, about a mile and a half away. Nearing the end I misjudge the finish and sprint early. I know the end is near, so I try to maintain my speed. Soon I approach the finish line and complete the run in 66:52, seventh in my age group. I feel really good about it. I’m just 52 seconds slower than my goal, and I posted my second-best time on the course. Given the trouble I had with the hills and my relative lack of fitness to last year, I’m satisfied with the run.

My concern is the Chabot Trail Challenge in two weeks, which features more and steeper trails over its 13.1 mile course. I need to do some hill work to minimize the pain of that run.

I finished 13th overall. Jeff was third in an excellent time of 63:04, his best performance since 2005. Cliff Lenz (M43) was the top finisher in 60:04, just missing a sub-60 shirt. Second went to Phil Rivers (M53) in 62:39, an amazing performance that is age-graded to 81% on a very tough course. Pictured next to Cliff at the right is Jenny Wong (F33), a perennial high finisher at all the triple crown races and winner of the women’s open crown several times. Jenny finished third this year among women, her 7th straight top three finish at Tilden. She and Cliff run for New Balance Excelsior, and her dog Bender is currently unaffiliated. John finished second among males 50-59 and Holly finished third among females in the same age group.

The post-race spread is excellent. LMJS has mini Lara bars, my favorite. There’s also a masseuse, bagels and beverages. To top it off the shirts are made of a technical material that looks sharp and should keep its color. The weather was pleasant, although a little hot. The scenery was great, even featuring a deer before the race. Even though I didn’t do as well as last year, I think this year’s Tilden Top Ten was the best ever.