On Bicycles, and.... what else is there?

A nice thing about running with GPS is the ability to go back afterwards and try to analyze what happened. Did I go out too hard or too easy? Was there a particular section of the course where I had special difficulty? First, results. I finished in 41:46, 33rd overall out of 1653, 32rd overall out of 727 males. I can't complain about that. But I need to remember a large number of the runners were just out there to enjoy the day and the views, not shaving seconds. In cycling a power meter is really nice for pace analysis, but in running we only have pace and road grade. These are usually fairly good because running pace isn't as dependent on external conditions such as wind and surface quality as is cycling, but even a few % difference in speed-at-a-given-effort can confound trends in effort due to fatigue or loss of focus. On Bridge to Bridge of the more than 1600 runners, 20 others are listed on Strava as having done the run with me. To get a match, they need to ha...

I've been training for the Califoronia International Marathon (CIM) in Sacramento, California on 02 Dec, focusing primarily to this point on endurance. When two weeks ago I was able to do a 19.6 mile run then follow it up the next day with a 7.5 mile run, I decided my endurance was on track, and I could indulge in a race to check my speed. I saw the Bridge to Bridge had changed its traditional 12 km long course to a "certified" 10 km this year due to construction. I couldn't resist, as I've got a goal of breaking 40 min for 10 km (I guess 48 min for 12 km would also qualify, but that's less likely to happen): I registered. The race started at the Ferry Building in San Francisco, around 4 km from where I live, so I decided to run to the start as warm-up. This is the most warm-up I've ever given myself in a running race: in the past I've taken the approach that miles running take more out of the tank then the advantage gained in priming the engine, ...