Sunset Over Mill Valley

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Posted via email from Howard Solomon

Race Day Photos

Somewhat cool pictures from the big race. Now that the pain has receded, I have to say that this one was a lot fun. I'll remember North Face fondly and will likely/hopefully be back next year.

Music and Books

I will write a more detailed post on this in the near future, but if you are looking for a good book(s) this holiday season, I highly recommend The Wave, by Susan Casey, which is a great yarn about, uh, waves. And surfing. It's an absorbing, fast read and Casey, author of The Devil's Teeth, an equally engrossing book about great white sharks, is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. The other book that I am about a quarter of the way through is the Keith Richards bio, which is also absolutely terrific.

We are getting set to head out of town in a few weeks and I'm in the market for one or two other book; anyone have a recommendation?

In terms of music, lots of good stuff out there currently, including Fitz & The Tantrums (where did this band ever come from?), the new Kanye (which is good but not as good as the reviews it has been getting), Cee Lo Green, the new Girl Talk (which is a free download) and Warpaint. As soon as I have the time, I will also write my annual top ten album list for 2010.

In other, unrelated news: I cannot stop eating.

And That's a Wrap

The best line of the day comes form my friend Amy, who said that I look like a homeless person with a medal in the below picture. That had me laughing all day. Pretty fair statement; I look pretty bad in that picture, but it's a good reflection of how I felt.

So, my 2010 running season is a wrap and generally speaking I feel pretty good about it. Three ultras in total, two of which were inside a week of one another. Four races inside of 30 days. And with the exception of my knee injury, which came from a freak fall, I did this all while managing to avoid injury. Props and deep thanks to Coach Phil for his all-around fine work.

In regards to my last two races, the Quad and North Face, I have to say that I am pretty pleased. I finished both in relatively decent times and the just the fact that I was able to complete North Face six days after the Quad speaks to my overall fitness. This was an experiment of sorts that I probably won't repeat though; I'm getting too old to take on back-to-back races like that. I think you need at least a few weeks to recover from one of those efforts let alone two.

I haven't said much about North Face but in a nutshell, it was hard (6500 feet of climbs, most of which came at the end), epic (rain and cold, which was the theme of the Fall) and fun. The end.

So, it's a wrap. I am going to enjoy the holidays, indulge a bit, get some swimming in and then will resume running in earnest early next year. Right now, the schedule is a bit of a blank slate, with the exception of the American River 50 miler which I am running with my boy Todd. Beyond that, I am open to suggestions.

Anyone?

North Face 50k

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So, the North Face 50k is in the books. Finished in 6:40 which all things (all things being that I did a beast of a race in the Quad just seven days ago) considered isn't that bad. I'll write a more detailed report in a day or two but in the interim, I think these post race pictures pretty much tell the story.

Posted via email from Howard Solomon

Best Race Bag Ever

Editors note: North Face is a client.

But that said, this has got to be the best race bag ever. Contents include drywick North Face shirt; socks; drip off bag; race water bottle; Gu and Nuun tabs and personalized race number, which I really love.

Well done North Face.

Posted via email from Howard Solomon

Interesting British Style Beer

This is an interesting beer that comes courtesy of my beer of the month club. It's called Cold Hop by Boulder Beer Company and it is pretty darn good.

I'm liking this beer club. It's exposed me to some fine (and not so fine) regional beers that I'd ordinarily never know about. Hit me if you're interested in learning how to join. Suffice to say, i have no financial stake whatsoever. Just think it's interesting and a good value.

Posted via email from Howard Solomon