Saturday, October 06, 2007

10K in Irvine: No Hills and No Eyes :)

I ran today after work along the channel that goes from Irvine to the Back Bay. Since we moved to Ladera Ranch each time we drive by and see a runner on it, I feel like I miss Irvine and our good old times there.

I ran 10K today at around 7:40 min/mile pace, which is crazily slow for many other folks, but crazily fast for me. Last time I was running a 10K that “fast” was in January, and it was in Irvine too.

I guess our move from Irvine to Ladera was one of the things that changed my mind set from road racing to trails. What else could I do in Irvine besides pounding concrete pedestrian roads all the time? And how a heck can I keep myself away from the hilly trails here in Ladera?

Back then I was totally about beating my time and setting new pace PR’s - whether it was a mile, 5K or 10K. Now the game is more about distance – training for the next 50K, having in mind a forthcoming 50-Miler, dreaming about running a 100K one day, and reading with envy Ben’s or Olga’s stories about their 100 Milers :-)))

I do enjoy trails much more than roads – how can you trade them back to concrete or even Corona-Del-Mar school's track that was getting me dizzy after 20th circle on it? But sometimes I still miss the track and my old speed chases…

2 comments:

Stephanie said...

A 10K on a Track? Gee - that sounds painful.

I think I like both Trail and Road Running. When I run trails I tend to stop for "scenic breaks" - which is a bad habit. On the road I keep going!

A 50 miler for you should be "easy" with all your long runs under your belt! Is there one you have in mind yet?

Dmitri said...

I planned Leona Divide to become my first 50M race.
But the chances are I will switch my Twin Peaks registration from 50K to 50M, depending on how I do in Long Beach next Sunday and in High Desert in December.
My initial question to myself “Am I nuts?” is gradually transitioning to “How comes I am not nuts enough?” :-)))