Andy Goes to Camp

9.19.09 - Saturday was a hot muggy day even at 7am. A couple campers came early and got their run in
and the rest of us did something a little different this week that did not really work as planned. Instead of
running up top on the bike free bike path, I decided to take us down a trail to the bike path for and out and
back run.

It was a bad idea because the bike path is very narrow at the bluffs and there were a lot of bikes who get way
too annoyed that we dare run/walk on "THEIR BIKE PATH". Plus out back long runs curtail the group aspect
of the Saturday run. The highlight of the morning was that we did catch Joe flashing by on his bike on the way
to a team win in the Bakersfield Triathlon.

9.18.09 - Saturday we are meeting at the Bluffs at 7am for some LSD (long steady distance) with a hill
chaser. When we are done, we can drive up Panorama a bit and watch our fearless leader Joe Peterson
destroy the bike field at the Bakersfield Triathlon. The bike course goes up the Bluffs turns left on Panorama
(Haley intersection) and then heads back to Hart Park. If we miss him the first time (around 9am), he will be
back by a second time in no time at all.

Speaking of Joe, today was testing day at the boot camp and it was hit and miss for me. I did the plank for a
minute and smoked a 8:42 mile (not bad considering I just put in an 80 mile week of walking). The sit ups and
push up results are classified. I was still sore from Wednesday and it was ugly.

9.17.09 - Thursday was tempo run day and most everyone handled the thirty minute run well. They went out
at a steady pace for 15 minutes and then came back at a quicker one for the most part. This Saturday we will
be meeting at the Panorama Bluffs at 7am and bring a watch and a water bottle.

I still have not found Move your Tail results but do have photos of the results board for our running campers in
the 10k HERE. Kim Nance lead our group with a 1:09:52 (11:17 pace) followed by Diana Daves (1:19:02 /
12:44 pace) and Kimberly Kelly (1:40:14 / 16:07) who walked the 10k with her daughter Kayla. These are all
good times especially since the course was hilly and at altitude.

9.16.09 - I survived my first week of Building Better Bodies Boot Camp. Many of my running campers do
both so I figured I should do it so I can relate better to how they feel on running days. Wednesday was day one
and i went over with the beginners so Joe could "Introduce Us" to the program.

I quickly found out that my concept of introduction was vastly shorter then his. But I survived and figured out
how to do most of the drills. Now doing them is another story. I can walk 60 to 80 miles a week but just getting
off the ground in any manner is tough whether it be sit ups, push ups or just trying to stand up.

To end the first session we did the dreaded ladder starting with 10 reps, then 8, then 6, then 4, and then finally
two. I was so glad he only gave us three stations instead of the initial four. 30 squats, 30 push ups and 30 sit
ups is way over my daily allowance but I survived. Later that evening, after my poker tournament I went to lift
myself out of my chair and boy were my arms sore.

9.16.09 - Boy have I been slacking on updating here. Cross Country season started and I got swamped.
Congrats on your Move Your Tail times, when I get official results, I will post them. On Tuesday, we ran four
four minute runs with a two minutes rest and everyone looked good. This running camp session is coming to
an end at the end of the month but one can sign up for the next session now. This next session is the "Mr.
Toad's Wild 20k Run" session and will run from October 1st till December when the Mr. Toad's Race is held

9.12.09 - I was suppose to shoot the Move Your Tail run but a flat tire this morning killed that idea. So I
walked over to the BTC Fun Run at Yokuts Park instead. Hope all who went there did well. Ironically, they were
having a dogfest at Yokuts today.

9.9.09 - Joe brought by the new Building Better Bodies shirts and they look nice. Love the new blue color
and the runner added to the logo. On Tuesday, we did some hill repeats, we ran my 0.4 mile loop by the 24th
street bridge. We ran a lap, then walked a lap for 5 laps.

Congrats Mitzi!

09/06/09 - Today was the Disneyland Half Marathon and one of my first running campers ran it.I started the running camp at the beginning of August, when I got the green light from Joe. That first Tuesday morning, I was sitting in the dark waiting to see if anyone would show and they did. Mitzi and Katt were my first athletes to sign up.

Since then they have been there most mornings and Mitzi was training for the Disney Half that was coming up soon. A couple weeks ago, Mitzi did three loops of the bluffs (10.5 miles) and she looked pretty good doing. So I figured she was good to go and today she ran real well. She finished in a time of 3:05:56 (14:11 pace) using the walk/run method and says she feels great. Her splits were:

5k - 00:43:47 (14:07 pace) 10k - 01:26:57 (14:02 pace) 15k - 02:10:52 ( 14:05 pace)

09/05/09 - Our Saturday bluffs run was pleasant (weatherwise) and everyone did at least 7 miles for the most part. I took Kelli on trials on the return trip to the cars. Diana was like the energizer bunny and ran the entire first lap and only slowed done for me for a bit and then she was off.

09/04/09 - Saturday we will meeting at the Panorama Bluffs at 7am for a long run. If you can not make Saturday or want more, I will be doing a hike with friends Sunday too. We will start around 6:15 am at the bottom of the Pistol Range at Hart Park for a 2 hour hike.

09/03/09 - Tuesday we ran 5 x 400 and found out that a few of you have some wheels. This Thursday we will be doing a tempo run and Saturday we will meet at the Bluffs at 7am to do a long run on the bike path. Remember to bring your watch and a water bottle to Saturday's run.

Speaking of Saturday's, next Saturday (Sept. 12th) is a busy one. I will be shooting the Move Your Tail race at Brite Lake and hope you can attend it. If you can not, the BTC has its Fun Run at 7am at Yokuts Park and I just found out about this race too:

Safari Run at 8am - 5K and 10K runs starting at the corner of Calloway Dr. and Stockdale Hwy in Bakersfield. Entry Form

09/01/09 - The heat won't leave us but at least we do not have fires. Tuesday we will do some intervals and Thursday we will a tempo run. Then on Saturday, we will meet for a long run at the Bluffs at 7am.