Test Day!

My friend Richard coaches locally, competitive bikers and runners in Oaxaca. We run together roughly once a week, currently on Saturdays. An ultrarunner and marathoner, Richard has done well in some amazing races such as the infamous Caballo Blanco Ultra and the 100K Ultra Trail Mexico in estado de Hidalgo, where he finished 4th a couple years back. He's already entered in the event for 2016, for September.

We're running this Saturday morning and he suggests throwing a little mountain climb in the run, take it up near the 6000 ft. level (we start at 5000). Okay, well he's started quick today and I'm thinking I don't feel super, so at least we'll walk the climbing part!

It's a bear, but we get up there and start rocketing through trails undulating around precarious ravines. It's wooded up here, sparkling gorgeous from recent rains. Why not bomb through the woods as fast as we can stand it on muddy trails at altitude of a Saturday morning?

My friend gets a good few meters up on me and I put my head down and try to reel him in. I'm going fast, but can make headway only when he slows a bit. Rapidly we descend to more even ground and the run back to town.

Here's the beauty of running hard in the mountain woods. You are slapped into the present! There is no considering the 4 or 6 miles still to go! Just roll in the moment and forget you are tired. Some reserve of energy is there and I do it! You could say I forget the idea that I'm feeling tired, slow or whatever.

Returning to the streets, we're feeling our oats and goose it again. A fast kilometer goes by in a blast of adreneline. Richard actually stops to talk to a friend and I continue on slow, but then he catches up and we run the last K in something like 3:48. Why not? We really hammer the last half mile or so, just for fun.

It could be Richard wanted to run hard, or wanted to test me a bit, or both, but damn that was a shit-kicking 10.3 miles and it leaves me mildly ecstatic!

Funny how running works, I've currently put together a block of 9 weeks of consistent running, but had some off days recently. Putting the pedal to the metal in the woods has me full of running and looking ahead once more.

I've been pointing towards an end of July/early August half marathon in the states. The trick is to find one that works in my schedule.

Seeking Nirvana via Beach Interval Training

It's the return of the Oaxaca beach run!
I'm back to my favorite kilometer of beach, facing due south form Oaxaca, in the magical beach puebla San Agustinillo.
I like to get out early. Coffee up a bit and hit the packed sand around 7:30 a.m.

SAT & SUN workouts

Saturday was a down & back warmup of a bit over six minutes. Then down the beach east into the sun over 2:19.
Back again in 2:16.
Down & back in 5:06, then again down & back in 4:56.
2 @ 100 or so stride, half mile race pace -- pretty fast! A looping, fast stride.
--
Sunday, again the down and up the beach warmup, this time I think 6:15.

Then a first easy interval, down the beach in 2:33 from my cabana.

Then I expanded the interval to the complete arc of beach, a point to point crescent, perhaps 900 meters in truth. A bit more. I busted up and down this stretch 3X over 9:44. Bopping between race pace for 5K - 10K.

Rest 7 - 8 minutes then the (shorter) down & back from my cabana that I marked the day before, this time 4:58.

Finish the workout with only one fast bit, @ 20. seconds. Maybe legs a bit tight from this business so I close it there.
----
I'll see if I can drag me booty out agin tomorrow AM to seek nirvana via intervals on the beach.
Running up and down my favorite beach in the world at a fast clip, doing a few intervals, is about as much fun as I can have with my pants on, but after a couple days of it, I know I have yet to get myself to that state where I have to whip myself to go on.

Prefontaine actually said that was his goal in a race. Take it out so hard, and stay on it until you have to whip yourself to go on. Jesus, how many runners really do that? Ever do that? Tomorrow morning, our last day here for now, I'll see if I even remember the concept!

I've pushed pretty hard in a couple of my races this year, but in honesty I haven't hit that crazy rubric of Pre's too much since I was a gung-ho kid, full of strength and foolhardy bravado.

OK, It's Monday morning and I'm wondering where the macho ideas about running like Prefontaine came from? I'll tell you exactly where it came from, that was the wine talking, folks. What the heck, I'm at the beach for a few days, of course I'm gonna sit there and look at the stars over the ocean at night, sip a glass or two of wine, pluck my guitar and fantasize about running my guts out.

The truth is, my geezer legs are not up to it today, they are barking at me. The previous two days have seen a total of 33:56 in middle distance intervals on the beach, not including the couple fast bursts even! So today I settle for 17:20 of a rhythm buildup, slowing increasing the pace, on sore legs. Good enuff.

I'll be back to San Agustinillo for the last week of January and we'll see how it goes then. Could be interesting, especially if I finally try a marathon in Oaxaca City a month after that! For sure, I'm running a flat, fast 10K on my old home course (Lake Merritt, Oakland, CA) in four weeks. That will be fun. So this weekend's speedy bits are money in the bank for that one.

Zip me an email about running, or if you want to book a Oaxaca running tour!

Steve, the grumpy runner

Oaxaca Running Tours - Menu Choices

Greetings, Steve Lafler here, the "Grumpy Runner". I lead running tours in and around the city of Oaxaca, Mexico. Let me know when you'll be in town and we can schedule a run. Just zip me an email and we'll set it up.

Oaxaca Run Menu

1. Runs in the hills to the north of the city. Enjoy vistas of the Oaxaca valley from the ridges of San Felipe Del Agua and Ejido Guadalupe Victoria. We start on the "Libramiento", a paved road (mostly) closed to traffic. We continue on mountain trails. These runs can be as short as 3 miles, or as long as two hours.

2. Flat-lander runs at Parque Tequio, south of the city center near the airport. Parque Tequio is a green oasis in the city, with a flat 5Kish loop. Good for those who want to avoid hills! Run as short or as far as you want, in 5K increments.

3. Interval training. If you want to train hard and fast, let's do it. There is a 400 meter track near the airport, or better yet there is a great flat stretch of road with no traffic in the hills, about 600 meters. We can run intervals as per your needs, and I can time you & call splits.

4. Interval training in the hills. If you're a glutton for punishment, we can do hill repeats until you drop.

My running tour fee is $250 pesos per hour, including driving. Drop me an email to book!

Best regards,
Steve Lafler

Finishing a 10K just before Xmas 2015. Yup, I ran too hard in the middle of the race again!

Anniversary of City of Oaxaca 9.5 K Race Review

May 3, 2015

This morning I ran the Anniversary of the City of Oaxaca 9.5K race, starting at the Plaza de Danza in Oaxaca Centro.

The start was pure vaudeville, and typical for a Oaxaca road race. First the inflatable arc at the start/finish line is blown up. Then it collapses. Then it's up again, reinforced with rope. Collapses again. It's shoved aside, and officials mark the start line with utility tape and runners line up behind it. Over the next few minutes, the unruly mob presses forward. Old ladies, chubbie guys and kids under 10 are all right up front. Some dude appears with a starter pistol, and starts a countdown from ten. The mob has slowly moved about 25 meters onto the course by then, and takes off when the countdown reaches four.

I'd intended to be in about the fourth row of runners, heck I'm fit but I am 58 years old. No need to be right up front. By the time the unruly mob begins to run, I'm back in about the 12th row, behind piles of kids, a stroller, and aforementioned super oldsters and chubby people. I run the first 300 meters or so at maybe a 12 minute mile pace before I settle into my planned sub 8 minute per mile pace.
Why so slow? Well, as said, I'm 58, we are at mile high altitude and I happen to know there is a 2K huge steady uphill at about the 3K mark!

I get to 3K in pretty good order, there's a few ups and downs heading northwest out of town towards the highway to Mexico City, but it's basically flat. I'm setting an honest rhythm, but not killing myself; I'm taking this race as a hard workout, I did not taper for it, I'm at the beginning of training for a Half Marathon in California some 3 months out.

Then the 2K-long hill. I figure I'm gonna buzz by people up this hill by maintaining my rhythm. After all, I train on courses that go from 5000 to 6000 feet and back. But no, we're all training in Oaxaca. I pass maybe 7 people, and about the same number pass me.

We crest the hill a few meters shy of the halfway mark. I'm passing a few, and some smart runners who went out easy are passing me on the down slope. We settle into a groove on the flat, I'm working to relax and get in my flow. Going good, but not racing per se. Some of the people I catch want to race, and I ignore it. Some who go by me are really "making a move", which I also ignore. I'm running near redline but not going into it, working my own rhythm, and I'm not wasting energy varying my pace.

There is a small amount of prize money on the line today, so I guess that ups how competitive people are. I've been racing since age 15 in 1972, I still get competitive, but I see no point in being competitive in the first half of a long distance race! Why waste energy? My ideal these days is to run negative splits, especially if I'm looking to compete. I prefer to run my own pace the first half, establish the right rhythm, then hit the gas in the second half.

Now past halfway, we buzz down the main drag separating the north and south of the city, Ninos Heroes de Chapultepec (aka the Pan American Highway). We hook a right at the baseball stadium, circumnavigating the center of town, heading gently downhill, then take a right on Morelos for a long straight drive to the finish. I'm rolling OK,  but it's an effort with a week of workouts in my legs and no race taper.

I'm playing it a bit conservative, who knows how long this course really is, and where it will take us! I'm still passing a few, while some relative kids continue to pass me. Then I notice a shift, people are picking it up. With a bit of surprise, I see that we're maybe 500 meters out, straight down Morelos, so I pick it up too.

Probably pass about 4-6 runners over the last 400, kicking but not killing it. I finish in 45:22, and I'm happy about it, my goal for this workout/race was 47:30. I can't complain!

The route was good, cars we're kept off the course. But as usual in Oaxaca, the start was a bit the mess. There was no running clock at the finish, no kilometer markers either. There were two good water stations. Nice! I usually don't drink water in a 10K, but I woke up feeling dehydrated so I was happy to drink at both today.

There were oranges, bananas, and gatorade at the finish, along with a free water bottle. Well, that's pretty cool cause the race was free! I didn't get a shirt, but I heard there were some.

I had to split right away to rejoin my family for a Sunday morning outing, so I have no idea what place I was. I'm gonna say somewhere between 100 - 150th place out of roughly 1000 participants. The tracking of results tends to be pretty slipshod locally. In 7 plus years here, I've only seen chip timing used once.

The most impressive thing about racing in Oaxaca is the quality of the fields. People here are born to altitude, always a plus in distance running. This is an area of Mexico with a high amount of indigenous people, they are stocky and strong as hell. Even some folks with a few extra pounds do okay running these races, provided they make the effort to get fit. Before living here, I was in Portland Oregon for two years, and I raced a lot. I got used to winning or being in the top 3 in my age category. That has yet to happen in Oaxaca!

Big 10K win for Mexico's Juan Luis Barrios

Mexico's Juan Luis Barrios won the men's 10,000 meter run at the 2014 Payton Jordan Memorial track meet at Stanford University over the weekend, clocking 27:34.40.

Barrios beat top Canadian distance ace Cam Levins for the win. Levins was timed in 27:36.00.

Story at this link on Let's Run.

Oaxaca Altitude Run with Suicide Hill

My favorite run in Oaxaca, Mexico starts at just over 5000 feet in altitude from my house in Colonia Antiguo Aeropuerto. The loop is a tad under 7 miles. I wind my way north through the neighborhoods of Volcanes and San Felipe Del Agua, where I climb a steep 100 meter hill that places me at the edge of town at Parque Colosio. Thus far, I've chugged a couple miles climbing to about 5 - 5300 feet.

I've posted a video about the route here.

From there, I'm on dirt roads heading out of town towards the 9000 foot ridge just north of the city of Oaxaca. I'm just hitting my rhythm as I hit a killer hill, about 600 meters of a very steep pitch.

If my rhythm and fitness are good, I chug right up this monster. I'll admit, some days I can barely get one foot in front of the other. In any case, at the top, I'm rewarded with a panoramic view of the city of Oaxaca and the three mountain valleys that converge at the city. The hill plants you at about 56 - 5700 feet above sea level.

The run back to town continues along the Libramiento, a closed off ridge road skirting the side of the mountain. It ribbons along the slope, undulating rolling switchbacks that further challenge your stride. On a good day, I can maintain a consistent rhythm and pace through this part. The inclines aren't as severe as the earlier hill. Few cars make it up there, but there are cows, goats, other runners and bikers.

Train at Altitude: Running Tours of Oaxaca, Mexico

Oaxaca, Mexico is a southern Mexico city that is the seat of an intact indigenous culture. Renowned for it's cuisine, arts, ruins, markets and natural beauty, it's also the home of Mezcal, the mysterious smokey/smooth distilled agave beverage that is the soul of Oaxaca. At just over 5000 feet in altitude, it's the perfect place for the serious runner, offering ample opportunities to run, train and race in a cultural mecca. As a Oaxaca resident since 2007, I'm your insider guide to running adventure here.

Oaxaca is noted for it's Day of the Dead celebrations in early November

Easily reached via a direct flight on United from Houston, Oaxaca offers a wide range of elegant, reasonably priced hotels. Aero Mexico also flies to Oaxaca via Mexico City.

The city of Oaxaca sits at the confluence of three mountain valleys and boasts a near ideal climate. The city center features a charming array of sixteenth century baroque architecture, dotted with convivial cafes and restaurants featuring the world renowned Oaxacan cuisine.

Oaxaca sports an active running community, the locals logging their training miles on pavement, in parks and in the campo (countryside). The frequent road races are well attended, convivial events. Be warned, there is fierce competition--perhaps because most races offer prize money in all age categories, in cash! I will admit to some skepticism about age claims amongst some of the masters runners around here, given the performances they log.

There is even a contingent of local Kenyan athletes, perhaps a dozen men and women, who use Oaxaca as a training base, occasionally testing their fitness in local runs.

 Libramiento Road, North of Oaxaca City

You are invited to join me as your host for running in Oaxaca. We will run the Libramiento, the pedestrian road that skirts the mountain range north of Oaxaca. It's a perfect locale for a challenging long run at 5,600 feet that includes a spectacular view of the city. 

 Llano Grande, Oaxaca

Truly hardy souls can opt for a visit to the nearby mountain village of Llano Grande for a run at over 6,000 feet in a pristine setting, with the promise of a fresh trout meal on the way back to town.

Subject to availability, there is always the possibility of catching a road race while visiting. Failing that, you can test your fitness on the on the flat 5 kilometer course in Techio park south of town. All in all, Oaxaca offers a superb opportunity for runners to get a leg up on the competition with some altitude training, and to enjoy life!

Can you pick Steve out from the locals on the starting line? Photo by Jeff Charles.

Running in Oaxaca is a far cry from the rugged ultra-runner experience among Mexico's Tarahumara tribe described by writer Christopher McDougal in his seminal book Born to Run. While there is plenty of hilly, challenging countryside to run, there is a surfeit of urban amenities waiting for you at the end of the trail.

In addition to these running tours, I host visits to ruins, arts and craft villages, museums, mezcal stills, markets and other Oaxaca attractions. I also recommend local guides and tours in addition to leading them myself.

My fee for running/tour services is 250 pesos/20 dollars per hour plus gas. The day rate is 1200 pesos/100 dollars.

I'm a lifelong runner myself, starting in 1972 at age 15. I raced my way through high school and college, running both 1:57 for 800 meters and 4:01 over 1500 meters at UMass Amherst. Today, as age 56, I keep fit running the Oaxacan hills and enjoying the local cuisine.

Steve Lafler racing over 5K in 2007 in Portland, Oregon.

Steve Lafler, Oaxaca, Mexico

Email me

503-213-3671 (US based Skype number)

 

Starting Over

Just started running again today after a near three month layoff. It's rare for me to take that long a break, but a strained muscle in early June, plus a summer of heavy travel saw me take my longest break in 17 years!
I returned to the city of Oaxaca this week, which is slightly abouve 5000 feet, and now I'm ready to get fit and find some races. This morning I got out for a slow 20 minutes, rounding the beautiful Parque Llano in the center city of Oaxaca, a successful first day back in the saddle.
I was ready to race in early spring, working up my fitness to run a 5K race in the center of town, only to find out it had been canceled due to road work! I was bummed, but went to a local track and ran rhythm through 5K in 21:11, not too bad for a 53 year old at altitude (but far off the pace I was running in Portland, OR before moving to southern Mexico).
I'll look to write more about running and racing in Oaxaca here. Hopefully I can keep it interesting!