Friday, April 24, 2009

Miwok 09: Scott again?

Miwok is just around the corner, next week, and I really look forward to it! Principally for the company as we will be several hundred runners toeing the start line. Including some big shots who are still trying to make it into Western States. This is the last of 6 Montrail Ultra Cup races, each of them providing the top 3 males and 3 females an entry to States. I also look forward to running Miwok for the amazing scenery. For its challenging course and ups and downs. And, hopefully, to have a good race, without asthma, after it triggered badly at American River and Ruth Anderson.

That has been a busy week again at work, with many and long hours. Several times this week I started conference calls with Europe or the East Coast before 6 am, and unplugged after 11 pm. But I managed to run a strong 20-miler on Wednesday and a great PG&E loop at Rancho this Friday. Only 9.3 miles but some hills and the last mile under 5:30. I definitely have speed this year, I'm just missing my 80 VO2max lungs when asthma is burning them...

Anyway, I captured one more piece of excitement about Miwok, the one related to seeing Scott again coming down to run in California. In my second poem on this blog, another acrostic, with rhymes this time, and another format, 20 x 10 (I know, this isn't a canonical way to describe a poem, you can see my engineer-background resurfacing...). Here you go, my way to put a bet on Scott, before Karl (Meltzer) publishes his own bets on Monday.

Here is a picture of Scott running with Tarahumara runner Arnulfo Quimare, in Mexico's Copper Canyons(source: The painful truth about trainers, in MailOnline):

Scott is back on the Miwok course next week!
Competition will surely not be weak,
Or they would not run in the Montrail Cup...
Teammate with Brooks, I am all fired up
To take the start with such a nice hero!

Joyful should we all be at ground zero,
Up so early for a very long day...
Rodeo Lagoon will see us today,
Enjoying as much of the bright daylight,
Killing the need to turn on our headlight

Randall Trail is marking the turnaround
Opposite point where some get their rebound;
Consistent runners have found their pacers,
Kudos Tia will give to finishers.
Scott will give it all to show up the first!

After 9 Miwoks no way Scott can burst!
Grabbing the wins for him seems so obvious,
Although each race brings its own mysterious
Insights that the elites manage to use,
Nailing down the hills which our quads refuse!

With that, talk to you in one week, or after Miwok if I don't see you there!

With Scott, after Way Too Cool 2008 (no he wasn't 21, but I was 44...):
With Tia (Bodington, RD) and Bev at the finish in 2008:

7 comments:

Dave - Atlanta Trails said...

Miwok is one of my dream races. Will try to enter it next year.

Have fun next week!

Nancy Miller said...

Great job on your poem! And good luck running Miwok!
Mike and Nancy Miller

Anonymous said...

Bravo pour le poème (ns avons donné le 1er à Daniel)
Penserons à toi
Maman

Speedgoat Karl said...

Hey Jean, please contact at my email on my website.

willgotthardt said...

Jean-

I think you may have a man-crush on Scott? ;-)

Good luck Saturday, see you out there (I'm crewing/pacing Caitlin Smith).

Will G.

Jean Pommier said...

Thanks for the luck, Dave, Nancy and Will, I'll take as much of it to keep the lungs working!

Wow, Will, should be fun and fast to run with Caitlin at the front of the gals' race. Enjoy!

Jean.

Leslie said...

Salut Jean! J'aime bien ton petit poem - ca me fais plaisir!

Last year, I enjoyed a great day of scenery and good company on the Miwok Course. I loved it so much that I re-visited the trails in March to connect up an urban fastpack from the city to Point Reyes and back!! I hope you enjoyed your day out there, and look forward to reading your race report. Maybe a poetic account?