Monday, July 18, 2011

Stockdale & Centennial Boys Field teams


Two SWYL rivals have already signed up boys teams. Centennial's Eric Millan signed up a team which I am sure will have Craig Varner on it. They both have top 5 times this Summer in the Handicap Series and have been training with their team this summer. Varner also just placed 9th overall at the Rock to Pier 6 mile race.

Stockdale's team has been set and includes Cameron Miller who ran 9:10 for the 3200 at state this year and Blake Haney who just broke the all-time freshman 1600 record for California as well (The record was from the 60s). Conner Fisher came in 3rd at the Rock to Pier and has the second best time at the Summer Series (16:19). Miller came in second at Rock to Pier and has the fastest time at the Summer Series (15:38).

Hopefully more schools will sign up soon.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

The course is set for August 20th.

Start and Finish Area.
This week I put the finishing touches on the Mr. Toad's Back to School 5k loop.

It is always amazing how often the distance comes very close to fitting the design of the course. This week I walked the loop several times and got 3.1 miles every time. Now mind you, this is not a PR course but we know how you like to compare times. so compare away because this loop is right on a 5k.

Distance:     3.18 mi
Elevation Gain:     484 ft
Elevation Loss:     463 ft
Min Elevation:     513 ft
Max Elevation:     936 ft
Garmin Stats HERE.
    Toads entrance, elevator going up?
    Of course most 5ks do not start with 388 feet of climbing in the first mile but ours does! You start at the bottom of the Sheriff's Pistol Range Hill and head to Toad and go up Toads.
    Somewhere in the middle of Toads.

    Now Toads is known for all it's twists and turns and we added some by skipping the traditional climb out of Toads.
    The Upper Toads entrance is to the left.
    The last climb.

    The climb out of Toads is done.

    We send you on the rarely run Upper Toads that eventually runs into the main straight trail. Once you finish climbing, the course is flat or down hill for the most part. You make a right at the top of the climb and follow the single track that follows the fence line. The second mile of the course climbs 85 and descends 122 feet so here is a place to make up time but often the trail is a single track.
    What you climbed out of.
    Can you say "single track"?

    At about the halfway point (Where there will be an aid station.) you do run on the Pistol Range fire road for a couple hundred yards before getting back on the single track. This section of the course does drop quite a bit and is narrow too. At the bottom of this section, you make a hard left and take the fire road that is heading to the Power Line road.
    After the aid station is time for some more trail.
    Another chance to pass people before more trail.
    The last uphill before the free fall to the finish.

    Here you have a chance to pass some people before you get back on some more single track that will drop you off at the top of the Pistol Range hill. From here the road is wide and it is all down hill to the transition area. In the last mile, you gain 61 feet and lose 246 feet.

    It is all down hill to the finish.