Best and Worst of 2009

This was a non-Olympic year, but there were still a lot of highlights in 2009 as well as some low points. For me the year contained more ups and downs than any other. I got off to a great start before injuries slowed me in July. I had to miss the half marathon of the San Francisco marathon and all of my favorite races in the fall. Maybe my new stretching and strengthening routine will keep me healthier in 2010, although I think injuries will remain a threat. Best wishes, and a healthy 2010 to all.

Best Race: I had hoped to one day be on a team for the Tahoe Relay, and this year a group of friends made it possible. By far this was my favorite race I’ve ever run. Besides the pleasure of competing, I had a great time assembling a team, setting a lineup, preparing logistics before and during the race, and planning activities. Somehow everyone I wanted to run was able to make it, and we won our division in the sixth fastest time in our age group since 2000. I estimated that we could finish the 72-mile course in 9:20. This looked ambitious by past results, but we beat that mark by three minutes. We had four women and three men, took the lead in the third of seven legs, and never let up. It was a first-class weekend, with great accommodations in a cabin large enough for six team members and their entourages. Because I only had to run one-sixth of the race, I was able to experience the race as a spectator as well and enjoy the interaction with familiar faces on other teams. I can’t wait for next year.
Best Pre-Race Meal: Part of the Tahoe experience was terrific food. Mandy made a great entrée for a large group, pasta with pesto and potatoes. It’s as carbo-loaded as it sounds. Boil one box of penne pasta, steam a bunch of asparagus and cut into bite-sized pieces, then boil and cube three Yukon Gold potatoes after peeling them. Combine the cooked ingredients, add pesto (store bought or homemade), and top with fresh basil. Eat and run at least 10 miles fast the next day.

Best Athletic Performance, Five and Under Division: She earned her white and yellow belts in kung fu, can swim at least 25 meters unassisted, and can skate around an Olympic sized ice rink on her own. Maylee also became adept at the monkey bars after years of Daddy holding her feet. Daddy would like her to join the swim team, but it’s a big commitment and Maylee is probably correct in resisting. Next up: learning to ride a bike.

Best Athletic Performance, Open Division: For the second consecutive year, Usain Bolt broke the world records in the 100 meters and 200 meters, chopping 0.11 seconds off each mark that he set in the Beijing Olympics in 2008. These margins of improvement are the largest since the age of digital timing. The previous record in the 200 meters stood for 12 years. Bolt’s performance at the Berlin world championships in 2009 was so overwhelming that Tyson Gay ran the fastest time ever by an American in the 100 meters and still finished 0.13 seconds, or more than four feet, behind Bolt in a sport where photo finishes are common. Bolt’s iconic lightning pose during competitions will remain prevalent as he is just beginning to dominate his sport. He no longer surprises, although he continues to amaze. Bolt’s 200 record eclipsed that of Michael Johnson, who holds the record for the 400 meters set in 1999. I think Bolt could be the world champion at that distance, but he has indicated that he wants to branch out into the long jump.

Worst Runner: On July 2, I opened my Runner’s World to see Sara Palin profiled. Within a few days she resigned as governor of the second-least populated state in the country. Like everything with Palin, the story had legs, pun intended. Newsweek ran a photo of her from the Runner’s World photo shoot on its cover for its article, ‘What Do You Do with a Problem Like Sarah?’Palin complained that the photo was sexist, about a year after she complained that another Newsweek cover photo of a closeup of her face was unflattering. She was offended as a woman. I was offended as a runner. Runners don’t quit.

Lucky 13 and Nifty 50: Despite my limited activity in the fall, I managed to win 13 medals, eclipsing my previous best of nine, which brought my total since 2004 to 50.Running 5Ks later in the year helped since I didn’t have to train too much for them and was still able to place. I would take health over medals, but I’m thankful for the good luck. Some of my main competitors didn’t appear at a few races, and I managed to take a medal at the Tilden Tough 10 even though I posted my slowest time since 2004.

Best Excuse to Cross-Dress: I received a women’s jacket for completing the California Dreamin’ half/marathon combination this February. Anyone who runs either the half or full marathons at Surf City (Huntington Beach) in February, San Francisco in July and Long Beach in October over two years receives a nice jacket and large medal. The men’s small jacket was too large, so I took the smallest women’s. Other than the zipper being on the opposite side, it’s indistinguishable from a men’s jacket, and it’s the best free clothing item I’ve received in running.

Best Medal: If they ever change the design of the medal, I’ll try to get the California Dreamin’ one again. It’s a trek to go to southern California twice, but we have relatives that we enjoy visiting in the area, and the two races are scenic and well-managed.

Best Running Coverage: St. Louis is not a big running town, but the two races I ran there received extensive media coverage. The St. Louis Post Dispatch gives impressive features on returning champions and race previews of the Go! St. Louis running weekend, does a full writeup on the marathon and half marathon, and then the top five in each age group in both races are listed in the sports page on Monday, along with several stories. Compare this to San Francisco’s coverage of Bay to Breakers, which is a much more prominent race, with several professional runners. The San Francisco Chronicle didn’t even mention the winners of the race, either in print or on its web site, which had a collection of photos of the costumed runners. Amazing that I had to check the race web site to find out what happened, no different than a local 5K.

Worst Magazine Covers: Sex sells, but Runner’s World needs to sprinkle some diversity on its covers. The normal cover for the monthly magazine shows a young woman from southern California running in a jog bra. On occasion the cover will feature a young man from southern California without a shirt, and maybe every other year a running star like Ryan Hall. Runners in general are a pretty decent looking group, so Runner's World should be able to find unlimited subjects of different ages, in all parts of the country, running in a variety of weather conditions, wearing any type of running apparel.

Best Celebrities: I had a brief encounter with Ceci St. Geme, but Jane Watson had her photo taken with Kara Gaucher at the Nike Women’s Marathon. Kids might idolize Peyton Manning or Derrick Jeter, but they will never play catch with either of them, and they will never be on the same field competing with them. That’s not true in running, where everyone lines up with the elites at marathons, and the stars are very accessible. As Jane says of Kara, she’s as nice as she it fast. I saw a video of an interview with the Asics women’s team that won the Bay to Breakers centipede championship as it regularly does. While Heather Gibson and her teammates were answering questions, Deena Kastor jumped into the picture and said she wanted to be part of the next centipede team. The women loved it, and the idea is almost plausible. Kastor genuinely admired the Asics amateurs, and who wouldn’t want an Olympic medalist and the current US marathon champion on their team?

Worst Weather: The normal perfect Bay Area weather deserted me on several races, as I slogged through four downpours and one brief heat wave. Prior to this year I dealt with rain once in five years. The weather didn’t affect my outcomes in terms of placement, but the heat slowed me considerably.

Injury of the Year: Eli Manning’s got it, so does Kobe Bryant and Albert Pujols. I thought I got rid of it in 2008, but plantar fasciitis helped keep me on the sidelines for most of the latter part of 2009. Six years of running and the advance of middle age have made this a persistent pain in the foot. I’m not cured, but only rarely do I feel any discomfort. It seems that certain injuries become fashionable. Remember pulled hamstrings from the 1970s and the high-ankle sprain from a few years ago? Now plantar fasciitis is 'in' injury. This one is persistent, as I write this with a stinger in my heel.

Best Non-Running Workout: When I was injured swimming didn’t do it for me, nor did the stair master elliptical machine, or spinning class. I’m not good enough at swimming to exhaust myself, the stair master and elliptical are too easy, and I don’t know how hard to push myself in spinning. For me the stationary bike is the best substitute for running. Forty minutes at the maximum setting on a hill course challenges my legs and gives a pretty good cardio workout.

Best Use of TARP Funds: I felt obligated to run this race because I was my office’s team captain, but I was still battling recurring pain in my right leg and foot when I ran the JP MorganChase Corporate Challenge in September. I hadn’t run fast for two months, and was pleased to discover that my leg didn’t snap off at the knee when I managed to complete the 3.5 mile course in a 6:15 pace. This race made me realize that I still could compete without seriously injuring myself. I knew that I had to get healthier, but I wasn’t ready to quit. I managed to race three more 5Ks, which was a limited schedule, but very gratifying. Sure, JP MorganChase didn’t use its TARP infusion to stage the race, but the TARP funds kept JP in business so that they could host it.

Best New Running Locale: Unfortunately I injured myself on a glorious 12-mile run on this wonder in mid-July. The Chicago Waterfront boasts a network of paths that pass the museums, aquarium, Soldier’s Field, yacht clubs, and parks. I was most impressed by the packs of runners. Some were sponsored by running stores, and others were independent running clubs. Running in groups of 20 or 30, their enthusiasm helped dull my pain and lifted my spirit on that day. I eagerly await my next visit to Chicago and opportunity to run without injuring myself.