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November 23, 2006
Way to go, San Francisco!!!
"Not a single ninth grader tested in San Francisco's public schools could achieve adequate performance in all six categories of the state's physical fitness exam, according to statistics on the California Department of Education Web site released Friday"
Wow!!!!. Read the whole story here
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell calls this trend "A silent epidemic of obesity and poor nutrition".
Read his comments, and view the State Dept. of Education Website http://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr06/yr06rel142.asp
Please think about that the next time you are considering purchasing your child that $600 play station, or that new flat panel TV for the family room.
Posted by Dennis at 06:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 19, 2006
One Tough Basketball Team
We watched my son's 7th grade Basketball game Saturday afternoon. It was the final game of the 3 day Brandol tournament, and the match up was Durham, vs. Notre Dame (Chico). The winner of this game would take home first place in the tournament.
We in Durham pride ourselves on our community and family support of our teams - but I had to hand it to Notre Dame - their parent and fan support group outnumbered us and out shouted us when their teams came onto the court.
After an incredible game, the Durham team was able to squeak out the win with a score of 50 to 44. Notre Dame played their hearts out, and it was really sad to see their emotions come out at the end of the game.
Finally, after the awards were handed out, one of the parents of the Notre Dame team picked up the microphone. He explained to the crowded gym that the Notre Dam team actually had a 6th player on the floor for that game. Their team had suffered a tremendous loss when the father of two of their team-mates suddenly passed away last week. He dedicated their game to the memory of their lost father and friend. There was not a dry eye in the gym as everyone stood up and gave the Notre Dame team a standing ovation for playing such a tremendous game, after suffering such a tragic loss.
Posted by Dennis at 06:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 16, 2006
Paradise Adventure Race - Update
We now have three teams set up for the race. This should be a lot of fun, especially since we have some "newbies" on our teams. It is always incredible to watch the someone cross the finish line of first race - their smiles just wont' quit!!!
Side note, if anyone needs a kayak - rumor has it that North Rim Adventure Sports in Chico will rent kayaks for this event at a special rate of $15.day
Per Michelle at Trailhead Adventures, the latest on the routes will be as follows:
First Event – Run – Starting at the little Ranger cabin/parking area at the end of Lucretia Drive (at the south end of Paradise Lake), run back up Lucretia Drive to Coutolenc Drive, go left on Coutolenc, to Doone Grade – go up Doone Grade to turn around point, then return back to start.
Second Event – Mtn. Bike – after your partner tags you, go from the parking area northerly along the lake, all the way to the boat launch area – then go northerly, up Northlake Road, to Coutolenc Road. Turn left on Coutolenc, continue northerly until almost to Lovelock – turn right before Lovelock on Doon Grade, follow Doon southerly all the way down to Coutolenc Road, the back down to Lucretia, and back to the starting area.
Third Event – Kayak – Will start from the parking area, circle out around the lake somewhere, and finish back at the parking area.
If you want to see this on a map, try www.map24.com it is a pretty cool mapping tool, that even allows you to see the distances between points.
Somehow I need to get out and ride this "doon" grade, that is the bike route. The gearheads around work are all saying it is a pretty tough ride......
Posted by Dennis at 05:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Correction!!!!
I received a comment back from Patrick Bolvin, the winner of the 2006 Almond Bowl 10K Race. Apparantly he stumbled across my blog, and was very suprised to see his name in print. I do stand corrected though, after a quick google search prior to publishing the blog update, I concluded that Patrick was a Chico State student. Actually, Patrick USED to be a Chico State student, now he is the ASSISTANT COACH FOR THE CHICO STATE TRACK/CROSS COUNTRY TEAM!!!
Congratulations again, Patrick, and congratutlations to Chico State for hiring a coach who not only knows how to teach others to run, but also CAN run like the wind himself.
Posted by Dennis at 05:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 09, 2006
Nine Days to the First Annual Paradise Adventure Race
Only nine days left to get your team together. So far, the Town Hall Desk Jockeys have THREE teams put together. We have accepted the challenge thrown out by the Paradise Fire Department - and we will take on all who dare to show up!!!!.
I did a little test ride at Paradise lake early this morning - since it's been about 20 years since I have been around this lake. Still not quite sure where the run and kayak routes are - the map on the flyer is a little vague. It was plenty cold (36 degrees) but it gave me a good chance to try out all my cold weather gear. Everything was perfect, except for my feet. Since I do not even have clip-ins for my mountain bike, I rode in my running shoes - which are WAY too well ventilated. By the time I got back to the gym, I literally could not feel anything in my feet, they were so cold.
Here is a shot overlooking the dam - taken with my ultra low-resolution camera phone.
This was a nearly postcard perfect day - crisp fall morning, the fog coming off the lake, and the Canada geese cackling out by the island. And not a sole around the lake - a great day for a bike ride!!!!
Posted by Dennis at 07:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 08, 2006
Mountain Biking
For anyone interested in Mountain Bike riding - take a look at the video's posted on Chico Mountain Bikers website - both Lake Tahoe and Chico's very own Bidwell Park.... Awesome!!!!
Lake Tahoe
Chico North Rim Trail.
Posted by Dennis at 06:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 07, 2006
Almond Bowl 2006 Race Report
Almond Bowl Race Report
November 5, 2006
My pre-race routine was per my usual - toast with peanut butter around 6:30 AM, bananna at 7:00, couple of cups of coffee. Got to the Bidwell Park plenty early, had a GU about 45 minutes before the start. Did some light stretching, some walking, and a few short runs to try to get my race pace firmly implanted in my head.
Watching the 5K race take off was incredible - I very seldom get to see the start of a race (as I'm always in the race). Seeing the 100's of runners jockeying for position on the narrow south park roadway was pretty exciting.
Our start was 20 minutes later, just enough time for one last bathroom stop and a couple of quick pace runs. My big quandry for the day was whether to carry some water with me or not - I decided to carry the disposable water bottle I was drinking from - at least for a mile or two.
The start was really exciting - with the huge amount of runners, there was a tremendous amount of energy being radiated from the group. After the countdown, the gun went off and away we went. I kept telling myself to keep my pace under control - but even being close to the front I had a lot of slower runners that were driving me crazy - so I ended up cross-countrying it to get around them.
First mile went really well - just a little fast, at 7:18, it was a little too quick for my pace. Slowed down to a 7:35 for the second mile, then the third mile got a little tougher to keep my pace, and it slipped to a 7:57. Next couple of miles clicked by with all my splits in the 7:50+/- range
I ended up ditching the bottle about mile 2 in one of the roadside garbage cans.
Miles 2 thru 6 went really well - no real issues or problems. I tried to "kick" a little bit the last 1/2 mile or so, but without anyone pushing me, I really struggled to increase my pace. Other that struggling to hold my pace, this was probably the most uneventful race I've ever done.
Even with the uneventful nature of this race, it was by far the best I have ever ran a 10K. My plan going into the race was to try to hold 7 minute, 30 second miles across all 6.2 miles. Last year I did this same race, but it was a straight six mile course - and finished it in 48 minutes, 48 seconds. This year they added 0.2 miles, and I finished it 40 seconds quicker.
While I was no where near placing in my age group, this was a huge personal best for me - dropping my pace of 8 minutes and 8 seconds per mile last year to 7 minutes and 46 seconds per mile. This gives me hope that even after 4 years of pretty consistent running, I have not yet peaked - even though I just turned 46 years old. Maybe those visions of clicking off 6 minute miles are not entirely a fantasy.....
This also tells me that my current program - of weights (leg strength) and high intensity treadmill work (along with the usual swimming and biking) is helping improve my ability to run faster - So I will keep doing it. My next planned race is the Almond Blossom in February - hopefully my training program will place me on the winners podium for that race again next year.
Race Results:
Run - 10k
Total Time = 48m 8s
Overall Rank = 84/289
Age Group = 45-50
Age Group Rank = 9/14
By the way, the winner of the 10K was a Chico State Runner by the name of Patrick Boivin - who ran the 6.2 miles in an incredible 31 minutes and 29 seconds - a blistering pace of 5 minutes, 5 seconds per mile.... WOW!!.
Posted by Dennis at 06:57 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack