Race #47: DSE Bayfront 5k

November 26, 2015 Hugh E. Williams Leave a comment

I was talking to friend the other day about interviewing candidates at tech companies: his thought was that you should sleep on your feedback on the candidate, rather than writing it up immediately. He’s found that he captures more nuances the next day. Interesting, I’ll give it a try.

I look like I just got out of bed. Which I did.

This may also be true with race reports. In hindsight, Race #31, the Awesome 80s race, was actually pretty crap. We paid way too much to get slightly lost on a bad course, though the costumes were amusing and they took one photo of me that i got for free. I still don’t understand why they didn’t do an out and back along the Brisbane Marina, rather than weave us in and out of a bunch of ugly office buildings.

The good news is the Dolphin South End runners fixed all these problems for Race #47 last weekend. (Their motto: “Start Slow and Taper Off”.) Same start location, straight along the Brisbane Marina, turnaround, retrace steps, finish. Cost of entry for non-members: $5. Very mellow crowd of good people. Perfect!

We did our usual warmup (walk to the start line), started at our usual pace (slow, the hamstrings were sore), deployed our usual tactics (get caught up in the racing, and speed up), and crossed the line in a blistering time (for an 8 year old kid). End results are over here.

That, my friends, is Race #47 done and dusted. Only five to go, and then I’ll do something else with my weekends — but I plan to look back fondly, and feel really great about how we’ve helped out the GBS/CIDP Foundation international. If you want to donate, I’d sure appreciate it — we’ve still got around $7,000 to go in a month!

Fundraising

Weekly update: $44,454 and 47 races run!

November 22, 2015 Hugh E. Williams Leave a comment

We’ve raised $44,454 for the GBS/CIDP Foundation! There’s five weeks to go in the year — and still around $7,500 to go to hit our goal of $52,000. It’s time for me to start shaking virtual tins in the street…

There’s good news on the running front — we ran race 47 today, and so with five weeks to go, there’s five weeks to run! Eminently doable!

Stats: 85% of the way to our fundraising goal, and 90% of the way to our running goal.

So, what’s been happening?

It’s been a great month. Our generous friends Gretchen DiNapoli and Gene Cook both donated $250 for a *third time*. I am so grateful to both of these amazing people! Wow. My friend and eBay colleague Imran Khan donated $100 — another act of incredible generosity! And, last of all and certainly not least, an anonymous donor sent in $500 — I know who he is, and I’m thankful for his kindness as always. All in all, a huge leap forward in our fundraising over the past couple of weeks…

I love the photo above of Selina running through the woods in the recent Whiskey Hill 10k. We’ve certainly been running a ton to get our promise of running 52 races this year on track, and today we are exactly that — five weeks to go, and five races to run. If you head over to the left menu here at http://fiftytwofives.com you’ll find race reports from our recent adventures.

races

Race #46: Terraloco TrailCross Bayfront 5k

November 21, 2015 Hugh E. Williams Leave a comment

We tried something different this morning — orienteering blended with running in the form of trailcross. And it’s a fun challenge — and this race was well-organized by terraloco.

We looked like amateurs. Well, we looked like road runners. We wore shorts and t-shirts. Lots of other folks had hiking boots, gaiters, compasses, fancy looking map holders, funky headbands that make you look like you know what you’re doing, and generally looked like pros.

There were two maps today, and here's the first one — There were two maps today, and here’s the first one

Anyway, it goes like this. Fifteen minutes before the start, you get a chip and a map. On the map are marked stations, and idea is you run them in the order shown on the map. You can take any path you like, and a straight line isn’t always the fastest way to get there. When you reach a station, you scan the chip on an e-punch device that’s mounted on a little windsock like thing. Once you’ve visited all the stations, you e-punch at the finish line.

We had a fun race: Lucy and Selina both came along. We won the 5k race, though in fairness the field was small and most were doing the 10k. But we won — we were the first across the line, and therefore the first in the team category too! The prize was free entry to another race, and I’m looking forward to that.

Well, that’s 46 races done. Can you believe there’s only 6 to go in this crazy year?

races

Race #45: Whiskey Hill Redwood Run 10k

November 21, 2015 Hugh E. Williams 1 Comment

Selina’s been saying the past week that this was her favorite race of the year. She may well be right (and we’ve got 44 other races to compare it to this year). It’s hard to beat running on trails in the foothills of the Santa Cruz mountains.

The morning began cold and rainy, but the sun broke through just before we started racing — and that made it just a beautiful day to be running in Huddart Park near Woodside. The race itself was almost a reverse loop of a race we’d run before, but it smartly stayed off the roads and added in an extra mile or so of trails. Just a tweak, but it made it a special race!

This was a tough one, but we don’t mind that. There was well over 1,000 feet of climb, and it pretty much all happened in the first mile and a half. That warms up the legs pretty fast on a cold day.

We’ll definitely be back. Anyway, for now, that’s 45 races done in our quest to run 52 this year!

races

Race #44: Race to the Flagpole 5k

November 21, 2015 Hugh E. Williams Leave a comment

“Seline, what time do we need to leave for the Lake Merced race?” I asked. “Let me check” says Selina, sipping her coffee and fiddling with the laptop. “Um, it’s tomorrow!” she says. Well, I’m glad we didn’t drive up to SF for that one, then…

The start of the Race to the Flagpole 5k. I'm not sure why I was smiling... — The start of the Race to the Flagpole 5k. I’m not sure why I was smiling…

So, a scramble starts to find a race that starts this Saturday morning. And we find one — it’s over in Livermore, just over the hills east of San Jose. Off we go, and we arrive about 15 minutes before the start of the 5k, just as the 10k starts. Registration is fast (pro tip: if you turn up at the last minute, everyone else is parked, registered, and generally things are quiet). And we’re off to the start line.

This was a fun little race. Probably 60% on a flat dirt trail through a park, and 40% on pavement. Pretty quick little course, but probably not quick enough to set a real time. Anyway, I was happy with a 22:38 with no warmup and the body feeling a little creaky. Selina beat me though, she’s getting faster and I’m not. Sigh.

And now I'm bringing up the rear — And now I’m bringing up the rear

That’s race 44 done, and just 8 to go in our 52 race challenge. Onward!

races

Race #43: Save Mount Diablo Trails Challenge 10k

November 21, 2015 Hugh E. Williams Leave a comment

The Brazen Racing Save Mount Diablo Trails Challenge 10k has hills. If you like steep hills, this is the race for you.

Selina and I started out at a steady but slow pace, and picked it up as the race went along. Some days, it’s hard to stick to the mental promise of “let’s just cruise it today”, and this was one of those days. Put it this way, the last mile was at 7:37 pace, and that’s reasonably quick for (a) my middle-age (b) my body type (c) a trail race and (d) a 10k race.

I love the smiles as Selina pips this guy at the line

Anyway, I’ve digressed. This was a fun race in a beautiful setting, and a nice way to spend a Saturday morning. What’s more, that’s 43 races completed in our 52-race challenge.

Strava shows you the hills and the pace. Steep!

Fundraising

Update: 42 races and $43,000+ raised!

November 2, 2015 Hugh E. Williams Leave a comment

We’ve made it past $43,000 raised for the GBS/CIDP Foundation! So, there’s still $9000 to go, and less than two months to raise it! I’m looking forward to the challenge… and I’d love your help as always!

Stats: 81% of the way to our running goal, and 83% of the way to our fundraising goal.

What’s been happening?

First, a huge thanks to Dean Coupe for a generous donation of $100, and to Lucy Williams for contributing $45 to her Dad’s fundraiser. I love these people!

We’ve of course been running, running, and running more. I’ve now only got 10 races to run to reach our goal, and I’ve even got the calendar mapped out to get it done. As you can see above, we even donned egg and bacon costumes for a Halloween race (and I wouldn’t recommend running in polyester costumes — it’s warmer than it looks!). Head to navigation on the left for race reports from Colorado, Washington state, and all over California.

races

Race #42: Stanford Race against PH 5k

November 2, 2015 Hugh E. Williams Leave a comment

Today was race 42 on our way to 52 races in 2015! I’m sure you’ve been following along, and I’m sure you know we’re raising awareness and funds for the GBS/CIDP Foundation. If you’re new to our fundraiser, it’s easy to get onboard: just head on over here.

Today we ran in support of the Stanford Race against Pulmonary Hypertension (PH). I learnt about PH today, and it’s one of those conditions (similarly to GBS) that’s hard to diagnose, not well understood, and needs medical research and raised awareness. I felt good running for a cause, and also raising the awareness for our cause too. It’s also fun to run around the magnificent Stanford campus!

We also ran yesterday, and the body was a little bit tired from that and Halloween celebrations last night. So, no records were smashed today, though we did pick up the pace toward the end. Out of the 750 finishers, we placed 96th and 97th. Not too competitive, but faster than a jog for sure.

Well, that’s 42 races in the history books. That means there’s only 10 races to go — join me in counting them down, and counting down every dollar toward our goal of $52,000!

races

Race #41: ZombieRunner Halloween 5 miler

November 2, 2015 Hugh E. Williams 1 Comment

I’d never run in a costume. Now I have. We got in the spirit of Halloween on Halloween morning, and cranked out a 5 mile race as race 41 on our way to 52 races this year. As you know, we’re raising awareness for the GBS/CIDP Foundation and trying very hard to raise funds for folks in need. You can be part of our team by heading over here.

Yes, we were egg and bacon. And our friend Kelly was a beer. A perfect breakfast for some... — Yes, we were egg and bacon. And our friend Kelly was a beer. A perfect breakfast for some…

Race 41 was the ZombieRunner 5 mile race in Campbell to Vasona Lake and back. I’ve run these trails hundreds of times, it’s one of the places I always go for a quiet training run and to listen to a few tunes while I run. I’ve also raced these trails more than a few times, from every different direction and from a variety of starting and finishing places.

The race was well organized, well attended, and had a fun Halloween vibe. Power to the people who wore costumes — and a gentle boo to those who took it too seriously on a festive day. I’m saying that since I think we were the first finishers dressed in costume. At least, we were definitely the first food over the finish line. And there was a lot of food — people dressed as beer, tacos, and much more.

Just one more race until we’re at 42 races for the year, and then we can count down from 10 to our goal of 52!

races

Race #40: Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series 7.6 miler

November 2, 2015 Hugh E. Williams 1 Comment

Best race of the year. Hands down. And Selina agrees! What a way to celebrate hitting the milestone of 40 races on our way to 52 races to raise awareness for the GBS/CIDP Foundation. If you’d like to help someone deal with GBS, it’s pretty easy: just head on over here.

Hey, that's Ross Comer! We were pleasantly surprised to see Ross out on the trails taking photos. He was one of the first folks to get on board and sponsor our fundraiser. — Hey, that’s Ross Comer! We were pleasantly surprised to see Ross out on the trails taking photos. He was one of the first folks to get on board and sponsor our fundraiser.

I’m not so old that I can’t be ever-so-slightly spontaneous. We decided just a couple of days before this magnificent race in Seattle that we’d jump on a plane, head up to where we used to live, and experience the race for ourselves. And, of course, we took the chance of catching up with friends and supporters of our fundraising and running adventures: thanks again to Sean and Rebecca for their hospitality in Seattle, and Ross for the photos!

This 7.6 mile run through Cougar Mountain is reasonably tough. Lots of up and down, and a pretty technical single track trail with plenty of roots, rocks, branches, and leaves. But it’s so beautiful that you’ll barely notice — it’s just such a wonderful place to spend a Sunday morning, and the running crowd had an incredible vibe. I’ll remember this one for a long time — or just come back soon and run it again! Awesome.

	Final update: $59,50… on Race #52: Brazen Almost New Ye…
	Final update: $59,50… on Race #51: ZombieRunner Quarry…
	Final update: $59,50… on Race #50: Santa Run 5k
	Race #51: ZombieRunn… on Race #21: Zoom Quarry Lakes 5k
	Race #51: ZombieRunn… on Race #49: Quarry Turkey 10k

Fifty-Two Fives: Racing against GBS

Monthly Archives: November 2015

Race #47: DSE Bayfront 5k

Weekly update: $44,454 and 47 races run!

So, what’s been happening?

Race #46: Terraloco TrailCross Bayfront 5k

Race #45: Whiskey Hill Redwood Run 10k

Race #44: Race to the Flagpole 5k

Race #43: Save Mount Diablo Trails Challenge 10k

Update: 42 races and $43,000+ raised!

Race #42: Stanford Race against PH 5k

Race #41: ZombieRunner Halloween 5 miler

Race #40: Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series 7.6 miler

I am running 52 races in 2015 to fight Guillain-Barré syndrome

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I am running 52 races in 2015 to fight Guillain-Barré syndrome