A Giant's Foray

Another basic Green Lake run, very, very windy outside, still moved pretty well despite all that. Its pretty clear I need new shoes, as these Asics, I've had for a long time (prior to recording my runs here); feel like I'm a few long runs away from getting shin splints in these beasts, and that would be terrible. Went 55:18, a 7:50 pace. 

Was going to do my long run today, but felt my shins this morning, and then proceed to smack them against a machine at the gym in the morning (only I could do this). Picked up a new pair of shoes (Asics GT-2150s), and also picked up a high-arched pair of insoles (now that I can finally afford them, thanks Mom and Dad for the Road Runner gift card). Calculated the scattered logs that I have, and realized I had run 523.41 measured miles on my Nimbus-11s, and I know of at least 50 miles of running (mostly races) that I hadn't logged.

 So to sum up, did a weight workout in the morning, and swam 4,000 yards in the pool in the afternoon. Strange how swimming makes me so much hungrier than running. Of course, I was a genious and had Pho for lunch, so I had a swollen stomach with nothing in it but chicken broth, water and a miniscule amount of Gatorade in it. Wolfed down some delicious leftover stir-fry from last night when I got home; tremendous!

 Depending on how I feel, I might give the shoes a light test-run tomorrow, but I'm leaning towards doing nothing until Tuesday. I should be fine with new shoes and a short run, but I don't want to create any long-term problems. I'll probably end up cycling and using the elliptical in lieu of running for a couple of days.

Gave the shoes a test on the treadmill. Taking it easy before jumping back into full-time training again tomorrow.

Tremendous run, was smooth for the longest time, and vented a little at the end because of some stressful stuff that's been going on. Went 1:06:33, which is a 7:25 clip. Wasn't really tired at the end (well immediately after I finished I was breathing hard, because I did a strider to close), but definitely will need to control my pace a little more over the long term. Really fun run though for one day.

 Shoes felt great as well! No left knee pain... I guess stability is what I was looking for! Thinking I'm going to do a 5k up in Mt. Vernon next Saturday... we'll how I'm feelin'. 

Decent. Felt pretty stiff. Did the loop down to Green Lake, around the outside, a half mile further, and back. Averaged a 7:50 pace, though that slowed to a snail's crawl at the end. I'm still having a hard time pushing myself a little too much on these aerobic runs, and I think that yesterday's tough run took something out of me, as I felt pretty "bleh" most of the time. Less stiffness than yesterday, though, even if I still felt pretty stiff overall!

Felt much better than yesterday, though I'm still adjusting to the shoes. Went out a little fast (as is unfortunately becoming my MO), and got stuck at a couple of lights I usually get through, giving me some unanticipated rest. Can't complain too much! Same loop as ever, down to the lake, around twice and back. Dryer weather is definitely making the ground pretty hard, which is unfortunate as well. Wish we could get a constant slight drizzle, not totally dry/pouring rain. 7:40 pace overall.

 Also, I'm thinking of doing a 5k in a week on the 16th in Mount Vernon, just to test how running a faster pace feels. No real expectations, though I'm hoping I'll be able to break 20 by a comfortable clip.

Basic run to Green Lake, around and back, with a slight twist. There's a serious running girl who I see probably 2/3 of the time I do Green Lake runs who goes in the opposite direction, who absolutely trucks it, and almost, without fail, runs the full 3.2 miles in the time I run 3.0, which isn't a terrible deal as I'm going aerobic. But of the dozens of times I've crossed paths with her, she's never actually passed me, because I'm usually going in the opposite direction.

However, this time, I had to run and turn around to hit 7 miles, and as I saw her today, it looked to be an embarrassing day, as it was timed perfectly for me to get passed in my last .2 miles on the lake path. As I made my turn I saw her charging from behind, and couldn't help myself, lifting my aerobic pace to something of a mad dash for a quarter mile. And my foe was thus vanquished (ie I saved myself embarrassment). 

 Hah, anyways, other than the quarter mile, I stuck to the aerobic pace pretty well. Probably a little fast again, but I'm getting better. 7.01 in 53:55, 7:41 pace. 

Well, I can see why a long run is an essential part of training... I was toast at the end of this run, not necessarily heart rate or anything, but just the fact that it was the longest run I've had since the half marathon in November. Timewise, it was almost the same length. Felt great after running it, and now, about an hour after finishing, I can feel it cardio-wise a little (ie I'm exhausted), but there's no leg pain. We'll see how I feel tomorrow, as leg pain kinda sneaks up on me. Funny thing, I saw my dad randomly walking across the street on the home stretch on the 3rd lap. I guess he was walking home from work for exercise, good for him!

 Looking forward to running again tomorrow! 

Custom Splits: 9:13 (to lake), 24:26 (lap 1), 24:35 (lap 2), 23:50 (lap 3), 9:50 (run home)

 Totals: 1:31:56, 7:35/mile 

Really, really angry; while walking down the stairs in preparation for my run tonight, I missed a step, and came dangerously close to breaking my ankle. I'm out until at least tomorrow, probably Tuesday. Can't get a single solid week of training in to save my life. 

Not much to say. Did 80 minutes on the Dreadmill; don't trust its accuracy. It said I did 10.8 miles, but I know it overshoots. Had it at 1.0 incline, 8.0-8.3 speed (depending on how I felt at any given time). 

Basic lake run, not too bad. 7:55 pace.

Something is seriously wrong. My legs felt like they fell apart. I get home and my right ankle is swollen, and shins on both tight, etc. I need to take a week off, which is terrible... BQ at Newport is pretty much out the window, after the last month of terrible training, but I need to put everything in perspective. This is a hard sport, and a process; I can aim for intermediary goals and get much faster in the long run without ruining myself in the short term.

First effort at cross-training, which I'm going to do for at least a week. Went back to my torture device of choice for the last five years: the ergometer (rowing machine). Did 60 minutes at a relatively easy pace, went 15642 meters, ~1:55 clip. Not bad, wasn't really tired at the end at all, unfortunately, just sore, as I haven't used some of these muscles in awhile. Going to try some P90x plyometrics as well tonight. I'm over the little mental hissyfit I had yesterday... I need to be thankful for what I have and take the long view with everything. 

Went from church to school and after a few hours brushing up on the classes of the week, hit the rec center for a little distraction. An even 5,000 yards at the pool, making the most of my rest from running. Main set was a double peaked pyramid up to 300 yards (ie 25,50, 75, etc. up to 2x300), with 10 seconds rest for everything 200 yds and shorter, and 15 seconds rest for everything longer. Surprised myself with how good I felt, though the last 250 yards total I felt like I was swimming in place. Felt awesome, re-energized me for round two of studying.

 About to do an ab circuit, and then time to hammer down and get 3 contracts assignments out of the way... it's a new year and it's going to be great in all ways!

Irregular updates at this point, but that's alright. Did some erging yesterday, and some swimming and weights today. Actually really happy about how everything's going... the screwed up ankle was a good thing mentally for me, as I've been a mess in the head, and a little time off from training is an opportunity to set everything straight.

Went for a run to test the ankle, felt great throughout, but this morning it was swelling a bit again. Frustrating, but I'm doing enough long cardio that my still-developing aerobic system is benefiting, despite not doing what I most want to do (ie running). Probably 3-4 days away from resuming training... seems to get further away each time, but I know if I try run now it'll get worse. Bah.

Still alive, but not feeling comfortable with the ankle yet. Maybe tomorrow. Rediscovering the rowing machine has gone well... though its almost scary how much muscle I've built changing just that (I haven't weights) in a week. Well, the narcissist in me can at least enjoy that for the moment!

 Positive vibes on everything else though, feel great about life. This year has seen me with a better attitude towards the important things, and that's far more important than being able to run (though I'm still bummed about that!).

So things have clearly stretched on longer than I expected, but I've made the most of my time, and am in the best shape of my life, with at least 2 hours of base cardio a day (in the form of long rows, spinning, and of course swimming) in the month and a half I've been off of running. I've dropped to 195-198 lbs (depending on when I weigh myself), and my BF% is back down the 6/7% from my rowing days. 

 I've waited completely for my ankle to heal, and I've gained a little perspective: running is a long-term gig, and training too hard in the short-term is only going to short circuit me in the long run.

 Oh well, marathon in 3 months, 3:30:00 is the new goal. 3:10:00 can wait for the future. 

Did 6.0 in 48:34.

 First 5.5 was as measured as anything I've ever done, limiting my HR to sub-135 (~65% for me), and probably averaged about  about an 8:15, and then opened it up for a 1:35 and 1:25 400 at the end, just to get the feeling of fast. No ankle pain so far, and feeling pretty great. Wasn't exhausted at th end, just felt good. If I can keep on with this kind of run and build aerobic capacity, I'm going to be happy!

Basic Green Lake loop. Did it in 48:14, another definitely controlled run. Aerboic pace feels a little uncomfortable... I just want to go faster! Felt very nice all in all however. SOOOO glad to be running again, and definitely looking forward to build on the non-running base I've built up over the last month.

5.79 in 45:50, a 7:55 pace.  

Another wonderful day, another solid run. Still feel tremendously awkward running at aerobic pace... I either want to stop or go 30-40 sec/mile faster, but I was able to stick to the prescribed heart rate (which is no substitute for feel, but I've been out of the game and have no feel right now), and ended up going 20 sec/mile faster than last time. Definitely didn't feel any more tired at the end of the run. A sign of the rust coming off? I sure hope so!

I was even able to let somebody run past me which I've usually had a huge problem doing in the past. He was huffing and puffing, and working his tail off to run by me, and I wanted to gap him badly, but it would've ruined the workout.

 Well, I've got an entry in the Mercer Island Half Marathon in three and a half weeks (I registered for it about two months ago), and I think I'm going to run it, despite the 6 week break.  If I keep having runs like this, and build steadily until then, I can probably break my ultra-soft half-marathon PR of 1:34:20, which I set running a 7 minute positive split. I think I can pace myself better this time. No pressure on myself though! If I don't have it yet, I don't have it yet

 Well, good night blog world!

A nice jaunt around Green Lake, finished in 45:42. My HR monitor seems to be fritzy, which is most unfortunate, but I went mostly by feel today, and moved pretty consistently. Still breaking rust, and its going to be awhile before I'm back up to speed. I do realize now that I need to cut down on the spin classes on running days, as my calves were killing me from the "stair step" routine we did this morning. Cardio system does feel great on the whole. Taking tomorrow off from running (going to spin/erg/weights), and then back on Saturday. I am totally recovering within 24 hours of each run, so that's definitely a good sign. 

Basic Green Lake run, 4th of the same type this week. The other ankle is acting screwy a little bit, though it feels much better after icing. Nothing is aggravating with it, and if anything its getting better. Same aerobic pace, though I blitzed my legs yesterday with cycling and erging, so it was tough on them.

 5.77 miles at 8:01 pace. 

Basic Green Lake run again, but I threw in a tempo mile to spruce things up; ran the mile in 6:42, felt pretty exhausted after it, though that's probably a function of the roommate reunion I had last night. Heart rate was higher than normal too, hence the slower base pace. 

 Feel solid, though the left ankle was acting up a little. I think I just need to get my stride mechanics down.

Total time was 45:11, or 7:53 a mile.  

Basic lake run again, 5.75 in 46:55. Big thing about this one was how great it felt. Took about 3 miles, but once the cobwebs were off, I felt so awesome running out there. Think I fixed my ankle mechanics with my stride. No nagging pains other than that, so I think I'm going to add up to 6 runs this week, up from 5. I'm totally digging this gradual thing.

Basic lake run again, with a couple small strides tossed in. Love the feel of those. Legs were toast because of spinning earlier, and today (Wed.), quads are a little tight from all the action. Oh well, time to hydrate, etc.! Ankles are getting better as my stride improves, which is fantastic, though I need to stop having stimulants (read: coffee) before I run... screws up the heart rate examination (though I'm getting a good feel for what aerobic is on my own). Everything is still on track for six runs this week, and another mileage up next week.

 Think I'm going to throw a couple miles at goal-half-marathon pace for the Mercer Island half on the 21st; of course, with my goal only being sub-1:34:20 (breaking a soft PR),  it shouldn't be too hard of a task.

 All's good in running and life! Let's hope it continues! 

Threw a couple tempo miles into the normal lake run. Supposedly was going to go tempo, but went 6:51 (about what I was aiming for) and 6:19 (way too fast). Shockingly, I felt less tired after this run then the others I've done, which is a good sign that I've been working the aerobic zone as I ought to. Can't believe I'm two weeks from a half-marathon, should be fun! 

Another basic lake run. Felt really good aerobically. 46:33, looking forward to keeping it up! Went at night, definitely got a little chillier, though the weather looks like its turning for the better. Can't wait for the weekend! Stupid memo will be done for legal writing, too!

Did the 1.2 miles each way to and from the lake at steady aerobic/recovery pace, and did a little test-drive around the lake itself, going a steady tempo pace without breaking out any huge bursts or huge sustained sprinting. Definitely a little exhausted, but did the roughly  3.22 miles around in under 22 minutes, and was easily able to make it back to the apt. without losing pace, and felt fully recovered within a twenty minutes/thirty minutes of finishing.

An amazing, amazing sign for the half in two weeks, I was thinking about aiming lower than 1:35, but I'd like to aim for it still. Now just to make sure I keep on doing aerobic miles, and don't fall into a speed trap!

 Now, to give this legal memo the spit polish and shine I'm known for! 

Another basic lake run in 46:33. Was thankfully able to control myself. Felt really good despite the hard effort yesterday, and for my 7th day in a row, I have no really ill effects. 41 miles for the week, and I'm going to increase a little next week while cutting back to six days; probably going up to 44ish (7.5-8 on Monday, and 11.5 on Saturday). Week of the race, I'll probably just do M-W, F, and light couple miles on Saturday. Looking forward!

Ahhh, this was a perfect run. 8:02 split the whole time, and I felt like I could race a marathon after I finished. Tremendous, tremendous step in adding mileage... just need to remind myself to keep mileage gains gradual.

Basic lake run.

Another long run. Went well, though I got a little sore towards the end. I'm going to cut back on the spin classes... they kill my legs on runs. Ankle feeling better though. Total aerobic piece, maybe went a little fast, but pretty good. 

Did 50 minutes on the dreadmill; going to try running more there until my ankle sets itself a little better. Said 6.4 when I finished, but I didn't do any incline, indoor adjustment, so I'll subtract a little. Gotten leaps and bounds better alright, and I was in great spirits at the end of the run, which is shocking considering I hate the treadmill. Definitely need to take in more fluid though, I lost an extra 2.5 pounds of water, despite having two water bottles with me (normally don't drink on shorter than 8.5). 

 Think I'm going to do basic lake 5.75 tomorrow, and a 9 on Saturday, depending on how everything feels. Shocking to me that the foot inserts I got work... so far.  

Ankle knack is apparently tendonitis... not major, but it was nagging and not getting any better. Figured I probably should rest it for a couple of days well in advance of the half marathon. Did spin and erging and lifting instead... solid couple hours of workout. Watched the UW Huskies in the PM at Teddy's, great game against Stanford!

Felt pretty terrible on the ankle. Going to go for a new shoe fit, these 2150s are killing my outside ankle. Going to go  on Thursday, and maybe Saturday for a shakedown before the race on Sunday.

Felt much, much, much better running on these shoes; it didn't hurt to walk around later in the day. I think I'm going to do a 3 mile shakedown on Saturday, with a couple minor tempo miles. I'd train through this race (its not a priority), but my foot is still sore from the damage caused by the 2150s.

Little shakedown. Mile warmup, mile race pace, half mile jog, mile race pace, stretch. Felt great. Feeling confident about tommorrow.

Warning: Incredibly long, will add picture(s) as it/they come.  

Woke up at around 6 to get myself some food and a shower. Got about 5:30 in sleep, pretty much a record before a race. Managed to get a nice bowl of oatmeal and a slice of cheese in. Got a ride from my buddy Brent and his girlfriend in, met a ton of his triathlon buddies from TN Multisports, good people all. 

In planning for this race, I wasn't expecting a whole lot, and put aboslutely no pressure on myself to do anything in particular, as I've not been able to consistently  run since early January. Despite this, I'm in tremendous cardio shape from an enormous amount of cross-training (mostly swimming and rowing), and I've felt great when I've had a chance to run. I was looking to beat my PR from the Seattle Half in November.

Lined myself up maybe 200 people back from the start, as I didn't want to get run over by an early hero moves. There's a downhill to begin, and I didn't want to kill myself; after the downill of a quarter mile, some winding uphills, and I kept myself controlled, which was a motto. Continued to control my speed and heart rate through the second mile, which was pretty flat, and then the downhills began.

 The course is very deceptive, as it is up and downhill pretty much the entire time, but the uphills definitely feel like false flats, and didn't feel like they were taking much out of me. 3 finished in 6:11, and was definitely short, which was confirmed by the 8:01 of the following mile. Tried running tangents, but only one lane of the road was reserved for running, and too many people were around to effectively do this in the first half of the race. Probably 20-30 people passed me in the first 4 miles, and some kids were calling out positions there, apparently I was in 152nd. I took a gel shortly after and felt great. 

At about six miles I was still feeling tremendous, and caught up to a guy named Samesh, who initially looked like he was struggling. I chatted with him for awhile, and we decided we were going to try get top 100.  Took a gel when we hit the water stop at 6.5, where they were handing them out. Why the heck did they have chocolate brownie GUs? Uck. Mile 7 had a minor hill and the time reflects, though at the beginning of mile 8, we decided to try pick it up. Samesh actually put in some really good moves and we caught a couple dozen people.

There was a bit of a hill in 10 that didn't feel too bad, but as soon as we got to the top, we went back down, and I was feeling great cardio-wise, but my calves started really cramping; I clearly wasn't hydrated enough, which was confirmed by my salting limbs after the race. Samesh started to break away, and I resigned myself to controlling myself so as to not blow up.

The next mile and a half were unfortunately uneventful. There was a downhill I tried pressing on, but couldn't get below 7:00, which made me angry. Knowing a major PR was in store, I didn't dare blow myself up. When I saw the highway overpass, I knew there was about a third of a mile, and decided to go for it as hard as I could.  Garmin tells me my average split for the last third was about a 5:40, which included the second biggest hill on the course, so I know I had something left in me.

For a race where I was expecting nothing, and didn't know whether or not I was going to participate just  two weeks ago, I'm thrilled with the result. 1:31:12 is a 3:08 PR, and knowing that that is still pretty soft (bad hydration, a couple rough hills ruining my legs, and just not being able to train) is incredibly motivating.

My original goal, before any of the non-running injuries that have derailed my training occurred, was to break 1:30:00. To have closely evenly split this race and put myself into a position to get that time despite some bad factors makes me excited for what I can accomplish after putting real work in. 

Did a new route today, from the apartment to the Burke Gilman trailer, and a little bit of an out-and-back. Heel hurt after the run, though probably because my legs are still tight from the half, and I ended the run going straight up, to the tune of 200+ feet in the span of a half mile. OUCH. Might run tomorrow if the heel is alright, otherwise I'm good to go. Only a couple months until the marathon... YIKES.

Ran on the Burke, 7:50 average, nice and aerobic, though the hill at the end killed me. Slight tendonitis on the inside of the heel, going to be something to monitor. Going to run Friday and Saturday, and then hopefully next week get back to 6 days. 

Burke out-and-back, 6.04 at 7:47 pace.

Really wet trek a little further down the Burke than I've been. Really enjoyed it, felt great and unpressed the entire time, though the legs got a little bit tired towards the end. 10.08 at 8:08 pace (though that included ~40 seconds of waiting for a stoplight to change and me forgetting to pause). Absolutely no foot or hip pain as of yet, looking to bump the mileage up to ~40 this week, and then a true build-up to the marathon. 

Tendonitis has got me down now. What else can go wrong? Taking a week off, hopefully its better sooner rather than later. Going to limit myself to dreadmill, long runs excepted, after that.

So yeah, probably not going to run the marathon in June. Tried to come back too fast after my near-broken ankle in early January, then tried to build up to quickly once it properly healed, and then did the same thing after getting a good race result (probably a result of base work at the end of last year). I simply don't have the time to safely build up aerobic capacity to do well at 26.2, and I don't want my first marathon to be awful. 

 Basically: Going to blow the house up, and start over, slowly rebuilding the base.

Half hour on the dreadmill. Felt pretty good. 

Half hour on the dreadmill, felt really good; HR was perfect and steady, and I felt great after.

Half hour on the dreadmill. Felt pretty good, though I need to hydrate better (got a little crampy at the end). 3 days of base rebuilding down, and only the second time I've run 4 days in a row since January; no ankle pain, can definitely tell the pain from before was because I was trying to add too much mileage too quickly. Going to do nothing but treadmill runs for the next couple weeks, and do a couple 5ks after that. Might sign up for a 12k, and probably will do a half when I'm up in Alaska over the summer. 

Dreadmill for a half hour. Didn't go as fast, because I haven't been sleeping very well, and spent all day in the sun watching the alma mater row, but I was able to keep myself contained, even though my mind wanted to go faster than my body wanted to go in the aerobic zone. No pain, and we move on. Frustrating, as my cardio is so much stronger than my legs, but its clear this is the only way. 

Another basic dreadmill run. Ankle is being stubborn, though its not getting any worse. I up the mileage a little next week, and will ease back if there's a problem. 

35 minute dreadmill run. Kept it controlled. HRM died, unfortunately, but I was able to cruise through no problem. Felt great after, and still feels fine, though I'm afraid for what the morning (and those first steps out of bed) will bring. 

Dreadmill for 35. Wearing stabilities shifted the pain to the outside, and it was duller than last week. Was able to wear the stabilities for two days as well. Ankle is getting better, albeit slowly. Slowly but surely, slowly but surely. 

Treadmill run, 35 minutes. Heartrate was higher than it has been, but I did a half hour row 2/3 hours before running. Not bad, though morning after, ankle is a little sore, though after like five steps, it feels better. 

A little more than 35 minutes on the dreadmill. As much as I hate the device, it really does control variables, and magnifies the effects of lifestyle choices. I've noticed my HR starts to spike 20-25 minutes into runs on days when I haven't gotten enough sleep the night before, and its interesting to see what effect other exercise during the day has on my running.

 Big thing, I guess, is that I'm on my 10th straight day of running, and if anything the ankle is getting better. I'm at maybe half the training I want to be at, but this is the most consistent I"ve EVER run, even compared to when I was able to do ~45 for 6 straight weeks in the fall. Motto: slowly build! At least 4-5 more weeks of this, and then I look forward to throwing a few tempo miles in there. In the meanwhile, I've got swimming for my threshold work!

Basic dreadmill run, felt pretty good. Went maybe 35:20; kept my heart rate limited, but really felt like just finishing the last half mile.

Another dreadmill run. Very impressed with how my body is holding up. Shocking, isn't it, that I'm not getting foot pain, anymore, after not subjecting my body to the shock of disparate 8 mile runs 4 times a week, instead of applying even pressure?

 Went 35 minutes. Going to bump up 3/4 miles next week, got a race on Saturday! 

Dreadmill run. Same as always, felt good, etc., etc. 

Same as always, 35 minutes on the treadmill. Going to run outside on Wednesday, and super stoked about it. Going to try ~35 miles this week, will probably stay there for a couple weeks, depending on how I'm feeling, before increasing again. No pain!

Woo Hoo, another treadmill. 

Ran outside today, which was lovely. Pretty much went 1 mile aerobic, 1 mile 5k-ish speed twice through, and then a mile and a half aerobic. Twice around the inner ring of Green Lake, where the race is this Sunday. Went 5:58 and 5:49 for the miles, though I used the lake markings which are accurate if you follow the middle lines, but I was able to cut some time out doing tangents. Nonetheless, faster than 5k speed, but not too much! Particularly good considering I'm wearing the slower Asics. Maybe I'll break 19 on Sunday...

Treadmill, felt pretty good. Really excited for Sunday.

Ran Sunday's course twice, basically aerobic, though I ran the last half mile fast, at a 5:35 pace, was surprised at the pace. Might aim for 19:30 or faster, rather than just 20...

Last run before the 5k. Treadmill, easier pace, a little longer time to stretch the legs out. Was a little stiff, because today was the alumni regatta up in Bellingham, alumni beat the current rowers for the fourth year running!

 Here's to a PR tommorrow morning, and good studying tonight! 

Had some oatmeal and egg whites for breakfast, and then took the jog down to Green Lake, which was about 1.5 miles from the house. Figured I could arrive fashionably late having already warmed up, and it would've taken a solid 10 minutes to run from wherever I might find parking anyways. Saw a few people who I've seen at random races here and there, though I'm not really a fixture in the Seattle 5k "scene". Stretched a little, and prepped myself for the race. 

Was looking to go out at a 6:05, wanted to break 19. Haven't run in a 5k since October, and I've lost 15 lbs. and gotten in much better shape since.  

 Mile 1: Airhorn went, and everybody was off, and I was really glad at this  point that I decided to bring the Garmin, as it told me I was running at a 5:20 pace. Not really sustainable! Felt really easy, actually. Made it up the first of two bumps in the otherwise pancake flat course without slowing. Found myself in a pack of 3/4 Club Northwest girls, and some random dude in basketball shorts who was looking worse for the wear.  Crossed the marked mile split in 5:58, though Garmin told me 5:50.

 Mile 2: Felt pretty good for most of this mile, though some idiot who was walking around the lake in the opposite direction was yelling for people to get out of his way. I may have said some things that would be considered inappropriate in any forum, and made the people around me blush. I was starting to feel a little ragged, and then hit the second bump, which almost constitutes a mini-hill, and it smacked me pretty hard. It clearly smacked everybody else in the same way, though, and I started bridging up to the guys in pack in front. A Club NW master's runner moved through us and I tried latching on to him. Mile 2 marker said a 5:46, though Garmin tells me 5:50, which makes sense, given the length of the last mile. 

 Mile 3: Should be noted that I've never once in my life run consecutive miles at sub-6:00, so at this point, I really started to feel it. I was physically capable of moving quicker, but slowed my pace down to a 6:03-6:04 for the first half of this mile, to preserve what I knew was going to be a monster PR. I've never pushed myself like this without crumbling, so control was of the essence. I lost contact with the group I was with, who started moving single file, and with a half mile to go, took stock of my position. There was a girl who was about 5/6 seconds in front of me, and I told myself I was going to catch her, and started moving much faster. Mind you, it took me another quarter mile before I was confident that kicking wouldn't crush me, but eventually I really picked up the pace. Started really fast with about 400 meters left. Crossed the Mile 3 marker in  5:51, though Garmin tells me 5:56, and again, I'm inclined to believe it. 

 Mile 3.1: As soon as the Mile 3 marker passed, there was a wicked turn I caught this girl's shoulder, and blew by her. Second race in a row I've outkicked a girl... I'm a real man! Crossed the line in 18:10 and was elated... I had no idea I had closed that quickly... 34 seconds for the last .1. Felt much more winded than any other race I've done, almost hurled walking home.

 Really, really, really thrilled about the result. Can't wait to see my times when I'm actually able to put a few months of consistent training in! A depressing 350 miles this year can't hold me back!

Ran on treadmill, shouldn't have, minor plantar fasciitis flare-up, going to treat it tenderly, should be solid soon. 

Ran for about 30.5 minutes on the treadmill. Went until I felt any twinge of foot pain; went a fair bit longer than I had hoped for, will probably try again tomorrow depending on how I feel.

 Almost happy that this has happened, as its another reminder to take care of myself... been using a foam roller on my calves, releasing fascia tension with a golf ball, icing, ibuprofen and wearing a shoe on my left foot to bed, and its all been working pretty well. Probably going to skip the Haggen to Haggen next weekend, but that's mostly because of law school finals.  

35 minutes on the treadmill. Ran through the gamut of PF stuff: foam roller, icing, golf ball, stretching, ankle exercises, ibuprofen, massage. Felt much better should be back to normal soon; I'll make sure it never happens again by taking better care of myself!

40 minutes on the treadmill. Felt good enough that I think I'm going to see what an hour feels like tomorrow. Off to the library for the next ten hours... finals is fun!

Treadmill for 65 minutes, including a little warmdown. Heart rate was great, felt as good as possible on that device. Foam rolled my legs in every way possible, and it definitely helps; did some additional stretches as well. Knee was a little sore, but it was dull, and probably just getting some junk out, as I haven't for that long in a month. Going to keep it up; sticking with the treadmill for the time being, to preserve my calves (and get rid of the light PF that's there), probably going to hit the road a couple times this week.

No 5k on Saturday (no time), which is a bummer, but going to do the Beat the Bridge the next week. Chip-timed, certified race for only $18?!? Sign me up! I'd like to break 31, and MAYBE 30, based on my 5k result, but we'll see. 

Treadmill, 45-ish minutes. 

63 minutes on the treadmill, though I had to stop and tie my shoes at one point (with only 6 minutes left! AH!) 

 Felt really, really, really good. Heart rate didn't really start climbing past aerobic until 40 minutes, before I slowed the treadmill down. I was getting the nice air conditioning from where I was it, though, so that probably had something to do with it. Almost a minute faster to get to 8 miles, with a lower HR, and feeling much better than last time. 

Just bought a marginally used Cervelo P2SL on eBay, and am probably going to enter my first triathlon at the end of the month! Gets me really excited... so much so that I need to remind myself that I've got finals right now. Oh well, back to outlining Contracts. 

Easy treadmill, took like 31.5 minutes. Feeling good enough that I'm going to try something a fair bit longer tomorrow. We'll see how it goes. 

 One more week of school! 

Wow, great long run. Left the HR strap at home on purpose, and just went with it. Felt blissful at the end... 

 Ran 2 outer rings of Green Lake, and then 2 inner rings. Splits were something like 25:26 and 25:30 for the outside, and then 22:06 and 21:47 for the inside, and a minute give or take for the run to get from outer to inner. Very relaxed and controlled, started getting the usual aches and pains that have been plaguing me, one by one, but after a mile or so, each pain would disappear. Only thing that stuck with me until the end was the chafing I started to feel at mile 9... ouch! 

Treadmill today. Very, very stiff, though I'm actually much better right now. Should be expected from the long run yesterday, I'll have to make sure that I do my stretches to avoid PF, as the calves were particularly tight.  Used the foam roller like a beast. 

 Going to do 8ish tomorrow, along with 20 minutes of rowing. Got my bike today! Don't have pedals yet, but did that intentionally, because I don't want to end up riding all day in this beautiful weather when I have finals to do.   

Good stuff, can't complain. Legs feel much better than they did yesterday after the shorter run, feet are on the verge of soreness again, but I've got short runs for the next couple days. Felt pretty gross during the run, but I haven't really been sleeping. I blame property law... too many conveyances of Cyanacre, etc. 

Five on the treadmill. Don't know if it was doing well on the property final, or it being the first workout of the day, or actually getting a good night's rest, or whatever, but I felt like I wasn't even trying. Heart rate told me confirmed I was, and I used my favorite treadmill at the same speed I always do, but this just felt good. Good omen. Feet were a little sore, but they're recovering fine, and I should be alright with another short run before I go longer again. Race on Saturday, Beat the Bridge 8k... going to aim for sub-31 as an A goal, will be satisfied with sub-32. Let's see how it goes!

Treadmill run, feet are a little sore, going to take tomorrow off. No worries though, just precaution. 

Treadmill run, 63 minutes, felt great. I'm *&(*ing DONE with 1L year... had a beer to celebrate, but I'm going to sleep. Bad history of getting sick right after finals.

Simple run, slightly less than 40 minutes. Beat the Bridge on Sunday... very excited. 

Treadmill, 40 minutes. 

So I ran the Beat the Bridge 8k in Seattle this morning, and did better than I thought I would, but in a manner that pisses me off.

Going into the day, I felt like crap. I’ve been having hydration issues, and haven’t been able to keep fluids, and have lost 6 lbs in the last few week, none of it mass. I got no sleep, and for this particular race, am still feeling the finals burn from school (no sleep there either). Legs were stiff, and I did a run and erg on Saturday, as this was just a fitness gauge.

Race started at 8:30, got to the course and checked in at ~8:15, and quickly did some striders to get the blood flowing; felt a sharp twinge in my hip, but thankfully, did not deal with it during the race proper. Beat the Bridge is divided into three waves: sub-7:00/mile pace, 7:00-8:00/mile pace, and 8:00+/mile pace, and gets its name from the University Bridge raising at 20 minutes after the start of the last wave. I nestled myself up near the start line of the first (dark blue) wave, maybe 7-8 rows back, and waited for the gun. Had planned on trying for 30:00, but given how I was feeling, was content to aim for 31:00, or even 31:30.

Course started near the Montlake Bridge, and we were to cross it. Gun went off, and as usual, people went out way, way, way too hard. After a tenth of a mile, I checked my Garmin and almost fainted when it said I was running 5:25/mile. Slowed down to a “comfortable” pace, and almost tripped on a little kid trying to cross the course. I can only imagine how my 79 inch frame affected his innocent pscyhe. After growling at him, and moving around, I crossed the Montlake bridge, and took a right parallel to 520. Crossed Mile 1 in 5:51, and was already feeling bad, as I learned quickly that not every course is as flat as Green Lake.

I actually drive on the road that is parallel to the water and 520 every morning (or did) to get to school, but I don’t know what its named. Being a gas cheapo who likes to cruise in neutral, I know the elevation change all too well on this street, so that thankfully helped me. At about 1.75, I passed the only wheelchair racer… unfortunate for her, as two were required for prizes to be given. I looked at my watch, and my heart rate alarmed me, but I was already suffering pace-wise, so I removed the HR monitor so it wouldn’t be distracting. There were some rolling hills here, and by the time I took a right on Boyer and onto the University Bridge, I crossed the two-mile mark, this one in 5:59.

To this point I had been running solo literally the entire time, mainly because everybody who I started with went out way too fast, and the only people I caught in with were people who had blown themselves up running 5:40 first miles when they clearly couldn’t hold that. I moved up from group to group, and probably passed 40-50 people from 1.5-2.5 miles. Kept my pace steady, but I was definitely dying, which wasn’t helped by a large hill in the last quarter of mile 3. Mile 3 split was 6:16, swiftly killing any leeway I had under 6:00/mile avg. pace.

Mile 4 was flat-out awful. I had already resigned myself to not hitting 30:00, and my splits were suffering because of it. We got onto Montlake Blvd. at about 3.3 or 3.4 miles into the race, and from there it was a straight shot to 24th, just before U-Village. Groups started to pass me, and I tried holding onto them, but consistently lost them. Finally, at about 3.9 miles into the race, I found somebody to run with. We made the turn at the end of the course, and I crossed the 4-mile mark, in 6:25.

Having somebody to run with really helped. My pace picked up, and we started passing groups that had passed me a half-mile earlier. Entering the last .95 miles, my watch told me I was back to running 6:00 miles, and at this point I realized that despite giving up on my primary goal earlier, a hard effort could get me there. I started picking it up, passed my partner in crime, and caught a couple of girls who had just passed me. We ran together for a while, and soon we descended into the Husky Parking Lot, past the IMA. I probably pushed it too hard, really picking it up in the last .75 miles, and hit 5:20 going down the hill. By the time I was parallel with the stadium I had nothing left, and another sharp turn around killed my momentum.

Got onto the finishing stretch and saw I had 13 seconds to run 100 meters, and knew right there the gig was up. Limped into the finishing line with everything I had left, getting passed by one of the girls in the process. Final split for last .95 was 5:28, 5:46 pace.

All-in-all, I cannot complain. I felt terrible to start the day, and still have not incorporated any speedwork into running. I probably left 10-15 seconds on the course by nature of me not wanting to run hard, despite still having a chance to reach my goal. In the end, another run, another PR (and this one a course not pancake flat, like Green Lake is), and if nothing else, validation of the fact that I can hold 6-minute miles for long distances. Next up, triathlon in Elma?

Time: 30:02

Overall 70/5427; 6/206 AG (20-24)

 PM: Three easy miles on the treadmill.  

Did a run/row/run/row/run brick, ended up going 7.5 miles running and 40 minutes on the rowing machine (didn't check my meters, but I think I went ~10600 or 10700). Felt great, sunny outside, interesting way to break up the running. My legs appreciated it, as the rowing was a nice counterbalance to the running. 

Treadmill, heart rate was very much under control, felt awesome. 

BOOM. 

Boom.

Twice around Green Lake. 

Long run, two outers, two inners at Green Lake. 1:34ish. Had some GI distress, unfortunately. Bushes probably hate me. 

Recovery run, from the apt. to Green Lake, outer, and back. 

Treadmill. Fell over on my bike today, so my hip was sore for the first mile or so, but felt fine after that. 

3 ez miles, 2 tempo (6:09, 6:01). Tempos felt incredible. Nice to get a little bit of zip. 

Basic run. Felt good. 1:34:22.

5 at home, 88-100th loop x 4. Maybe 39 minutes?

Did some Green Lake running.

Alternated between aerobic and tempo. Aerobic was at 7:40ish pace, tempo around 6:00.

Alternated between 2 aerobic miles and  2 half-marathon pace miles. Did the former around 7:45, the latter 6:40.

6 Aerobic miles, at 7:38-7:40 pace. 

Ran.

First day in Anchorage, did some intervals. Was pretty meh.

Five miles, did some intervals. Was able to my miles pretty quickly. 

2 aerobic, 2 slightly faster than half marathon, x2.

Did some intervals here, realized that the half marathon is next weekend, and not the weekend after, so I don't have to feel so bad about not doing as many miles this week. Going to start swimming tomorrow. 

Hard to get settled, though I feel like I'm finally starting to! 

Disclaimer: Overly long, as is typical. 

I've had a disappointing couple of weeks as far as running goes, mainly because I've been settling here in Anchorage for the summer, taking a class and (*gasp*) working (and not getting paid while doing it). I've been doing a little running, but I've been so tired adjusting to actually doing things, and a bout with super dehydration, tight calves, and plantar fasciitis (again) has limited me. This race is probably my last running race of the summer, and last race period, until I get back to Seattle and start my triathlon "career".

 Pre-race: Woke up at 6, chowed down on some oatmeal (delightful) and a little cottage cheese. Been eating terribly this week, and last.  Even if we haven't been getting paid, we've been wined and dined, and I've had more BBQ, hors d'oeuvres and reindeer sausages than I can count. At least I haven't hit up the poutine cart that's all the rage here in Anchorage. After a quick shower and checklist check-down, I hopped on my suitemate John's bike (which he was kind enough to lend to me while he visits Fairbanks for the weekend), and made the 5 mile trek to Anchorage West High School. Weather cooperated while dragging all my stuff over there, and didn't rain.

Checked in my clothes, which was more painless than any other race I've ever done, and used the restroom, which was quicker than every other race I've ever done. Race management was bizarre mix of awesome and awful, which I'll touch on at the end. Did maybe a half mile total of warmup running, .25 at 8ish pace and .25 at goal race pace (6:40). Felt really, really stiff, which has been my M.O. at every single running race I've ever done. 

Lined up in the front row of the chute, which is the first time I've had the brass to do that, but when "scoping" out the competition, I'm pretty my 6'7" frame intimidated the crap out of everybody who doesn't understand that tall people kind of suck at endurance events. I was lined up next to four local East African collegiate runners, and knew that aiming to be less than a minute down on them after the first mile would probably be too ambitious of a goal. Soon enough, the countdown began, and we took off.

Race: As is typical, people went absolutely blasting off the start, and I think I was passed by 100 people in the first half-mile, which was full of small rolling hills.  I let myself go for about a half mile before slowing it down, as I hadn't gotten a real warmup in. Crossed mile 1 in 6:20, but don't feel I really paid for it.

The next couple miles were pretty much feeler miles. Took water at the first aid station, ~1.5 miles into the race; I always slow down a little to make sure I don't choke, and given my proclivity to calf cramps late in races, I knew that I would be stopping at every aid station. At this point, probably half of the 100 people who had jumped the gun were passed by me and my tortoise/hare tactics, wondering why it isn't smart to sprint the first 4% of the race. Course had us go on an arterial that was slowly up and slowly down. Mile 2/3 splits were 6:38 and 6:36. 

I was feeling a little stagnant at this point, but my legs were holding up, which had been my main concern. We pulled off of the arterials and took a long stretch on the road towards the airport. Mile 4 had a huge hill that scared me, but I was able to take it in stride, and hold sub 7:00 going up. At this point, I moved away from the little "pack" I had been running with, as they began to die too. A nice, long downhill followed the uphill, and I screamed down it. Of course, it was immediately followed by a pretty steep uphill again, and my calves began to hate me. Mile 4 split was 6:48, and had the most net uphill of the race. 

There were some little rollers in the leadup to the airport, which met us with numerous 747 landings that hurt my ears, an aid station with the most watered down "juice" I've ever tasted, and a long, long, long  (mile and a half long) downhill. Took a packed GU at the aid station. Not much to say other than my hips started to get sore about here, and my calves got a little tight too. After the downhill we ended up on a slightly gravel, slightly asphalt road, and this is probably the part of the race where I felt the best. The sugar from the GU was kicking in, and I was running 6:20s paces easily on flat road. Mile 5/6 splits were 6:42 (aid station slowdown) and 6:28 (slight uphill kick at the end of mile 6).

We pulled off of the gravel road at about 6.66 miles (I remember thinking this funny), and onto a trail. Slowed down at another aid station for water before starting to run on a short grassy section, and then single track for the next mile and a half. This was my favorite part of the race, probably because I started passing people again. I had been running mostly solo for the last 3 miles, and nobody had passed me since the second mile. A guy came roaring by me just past mile 7, and it kind of kicked me into gear. I tried hanging onto him, and while I couldn't, I blew by 3 or 4 people who I had seen just in front of me. Mile 7 split was 6:42, but the terrain was rough, and the tangents brutal.

We pulled off of the single track at about 8.5 and were welcomed by another aid station, where I fumbled orange slices and could only get one cup of water. To this point, I was feeling pretty great, though and started to pick it up, really believing that sub-1:28:00 was a possibility. Mile 8 split was 6:36, and my total time to this point was 52:52, a 6:36 pace.

Of course, I then saw I was about parallel with the water, and knew we had started a couple hundred feet up. After a relatively flat section for most of the mile, there was a treat in store. The steepest hill of the course greeted us, and we climbed 100 feet in the next 1/8th of a mile. Despite killing my splits, I passed four people in this 1/8th of a mile, and my tight calves didn't worsen too badly. Mile 9 split was 6:58, and just like that, my buffer over 6:40 average was gone. 

After ascending this hill, we went downhill for most of the next 2.5 miles, which gave me a bit of a false sense of how I was doing. I passed a couple more people who were absolutely toast from the hill and couldn't descend very fast, but I probably pounded the ground a little hard, as my calves really tightened. We pulled through the Coastal Trail and along the water, and were greeted to musky sulfur scents and humidity, and I actually felt pretty warm. These miles, with the exception of a little hill in the middle of Mile 11, were really, really fast. Hit the last aid station, and kindly passed, as the home stretch was hitting. Miles 10-12  splits were 6:29/6:30/6:36, and my 6:40 dreams were within grasp, until...

...the infamous hill leading back to Anchorage West High at 12.5 miles got me. My friend David, an Anchorage native, has recounted the horror of this hill many times to me, so I knew it was coming. I actually took the second quarter mile of mile 13 relatively easy to give my legs a chance to get what was coming to them, and I dealt with the hill itself pretty well. Leaving the water front, and getting back on the streets, it was less than a quarter mile long, and was easier than the hill at mile 9. I was able to pass three people in this stretch, including the second place female (who was reminded of this fact by every single person who we passed.

Unfortunately, when it crested, I just wanted the race to be over with... I didn't have anything left, and all three people who I passed, passed me back. Two of them absolutely destroyed me in the last 1000 meters, finishing 30 and 20 seconds ahead respectively, and I was outkicked in the last 100 meters by the girl (always comes to down to me kicking with the podium female finishers... or 10-year old girls; what's up with that?). Usually, in running races, I can get my split down to a 5:30 for the last .25-.5 miles, but this time, I think I *may* have hit 6:30 for the last 100 meters. Mile 13.1 split was 9:11, an 8:21 split average (pretty sure miles 10-12 were a little short somewhere).

Overall Finish: 1:28:38 (6:45 pace); 29/1574 overall, 27/516 gender,  8/42 age group (20-24male)

Race Review: From a performance analysis, can't complain at all. 2.5 minute PR from Mercer, on a course that probably is just as, if not more, difficult. It's by far my best finish in a longer distance race, while I'm not really racing to win, that's still fun. Didn't feel ideal at the start, so all things considered, I'm beyond the moon. There are always points where you can say "what if", and maybe if I ran and paced and pushed myself perfectly I would've broke 1:28:00, but I don't think that today I was capable of much more than what I laid out there.

As far as the race goes, I love this course more than any other course I've done for any race; it is simply AWESOME. So much different terrain, awesome elevation changes, wonderful scenery, and a good challenge. Organizationally, some things were great. Post-race food was nice, with lots of good bread, fruit, pretzels, and cookies. Free massage was awesome, and saved me, as I had to bike home the five miles again. Clothing check-in was simple, as was pickup; there was not wait, and there were plenty of volunteers there.

On the other hand, aid stations were pathetic. All the volunteers were also really enthusiastic, but they really need to get a sports drink sponsor; I don't care about food, as I pack my own nutrition, but some people rely on the sports drink. The other complaint I have is regarding packet pickup, where two 9 year olds shoved me my bib without a bag or any of the swag they were giving or pins. This after I had to walk 1.5 miles out of my way, because the Sheraton is located on the fringe outside of downtown. Mostly nitpicky stuff though.

One more thing: completely and randomly ran into Lindsey, a buddy from the Mathes dorms at Western who I haven't really chatted with in probably 3 years. Fun to catch up with somebody who you haven't seen in awhile, really glad to see somebody else getting into running! 

Splits: Just because, mostly for my own reference:

Manual Split Distance	Split Time	Total Time
Mile 1	6:20	6:20
Mile 2	6:35	12:56
Mile 3	6:38	19:34
Mile 4	6:42	26:16
Mile 5	6:48	33:04
Mile 6	6:28	39:33
Mile 7	6:42	46:15
Mile 8	6:36	52:52
Mile 9	6:58	59:50
Mile 10	6:29	1:06:19
Mile 11	6:30	1:12:49
Mile 12	6:36	1:19:26
Mile 13.1	9:11	1:28:38

 

Run. 

7:37

7:40

7:41

Easy.

~8:17 split; long run with Paul and Roosa on the Alaska Coastal Trail; very nice scenery.

Put almost no effort in, but went a 7:35 split. Something good is happening.

Did the Tudor run, a little further out. Looking at the elevation profile from the GPS watch, it became suddenly clear why the way out is slower than the way back... I'm going uphill pretty much the entire time. Averaged 7:38 with an average heart rate of 126. I need new shoes however, and I'm going to do the probably boneheaded thing and wait until I get back to Seattle. Legs are tight, but I can survive for three weeks, especially with no races on the docket. 

I'm back, I suppose; summer has been full of triathlons and Anchorage, AK, and as such, haven't been updating the blog. Winter running season will fulfill this purpose though, as the only competitions I'm going to be entering are running competitions, and I need to get my running back on track.

 This race was alright; I did my run coming off a huge PR on the 40k bike (1:04:47, despite a big crash, and a pure time loss of 1:00, probably a 1:30 effect on my overall time based on being shook up). Race was a 2.4 mile out and back followed by a 1.4 mile trail run. Was fine until the last quarter mile, actually had to walk for a couple of minutes, as my quads were killing me. A function of only running 20mpw the last 3 months, I fear. Passed five people until the walking, and got passed by 4 of them after starting to walk. Oh well; I'll get'em next season!

 Tri as a whole went well; went 2:16:42, a PR of 7 minutes over the Olympic distance! 

Dreadmill run, 40 minutes, pretty decent pace with controlled heart rate. Started getting quite tired after 35 minutes (relatively, of course, HR just jumped pretty quickly). Good to get back on the train. 

Two dreadmill runs, 3.1 in the morning in 24:00, and 5.18 in the PM in 40:00. Kept my HR proper, though I didn't go as far as typical, probably because I haven't been sleeping enough. Bah. Oh well. 

Dreadmill.

Green Lake twice; calves sore, getting massage on Sunday.

Half hour dreadmill, can't complain too much with how it went. Massage did wonders, and certain other unhealthy body habits were controlled. Going to go for a slow mileage build, which worked in the spring, and hopefully peak for a half marathon in January. 

Home loop, felt stiff, but I had done a two hour trainer ride an hour and a half previous. Legs feel great after massage on Sunday! Hopefully this keeps up!

Five on dreadmill in the stuffy Seattle U rec center; always have to go a little slower here.

Dreadmill. Heart rate was pretty high, but I did a brutal bike trainer interval set 4 hours prior. 

Easy peasy. Relaxed, felt AWESOME. 

5 easy, then 10 strides in racing flats. Hopefully the rain lets up so I feel marginally motivated to race tomorrow. 

Legs getting a little stiff, need to start taking care of myself better. No race, after a mixup as to the location of my running gear. Oh well! Point Defiance trail 15k next Saturday; no pressure, as they don't even know the actual distance of the course (advertised as a 15k, except its one loop of a "roughly 16k course"). Looking forward. 

Dreadmill. 

Dreadmill. Starting to finally feel that pep in my step again, where running feels less like a chore, more like "goodness". Really excited for the trail race (Point Defiance 15k... which actually measures out at 16.5k) this weekend.

Also excited that I've got a road race next weekend! Haven't done a 10k in forever (except in tris). My PR is a fantabulous 41:32, which I got after a 40k bike ride where my bike split was top 5 in the field; it was a hilly course, and I walked for two minutes, so hopefully I have a 38 in me somewhere, somehow. I've got my speedy tri buddy David to pace me (He's aiming for 37, though he'll go out in ~19ish), so good news there. 

Starting to get used to semi-longer runs. Plan is to build up to roughly 50 on a six-day split with 3x5miles, 2x10 miles, and 1x15 mile by the time the Seattle Half rolls around, and then incorporate some speedwork for the next month and a half after that by the time the Nookachamps half rolls around. 

 Ran at "faster" clip on the treadmill today because I had one of the ceiling gym fans blowing on me, but I'm not going to lie: it felt awesome, and the run felt intense too; not in effort (which, after two minutes of feeling pretty garbage was minimal), but just the way I'm starting to feel floaty again while doing aerobic. I'm running enough miles that I'm relearning how to run as efficiently as my tall (albeit skinny) self can.  

Five easier miles after my 2x20' intervals on the bike trainer. My legs are definitely getting stronger, and my cardio is definitely strong as well. I've got a plan to get me to 50-55mpw prior to the Seattle Half-Marathon, and based on how I'm feeling now, I think its going to work out. 

Dreadmill. Trail race tomorrow. 

Was winning by 90 seconds until volunteers pointed me in the wrong direction when the course crossed an earlier section of the race. Got way off course. Angry about it, as this is one of the few chances I'll ever have to actually win a race, but RD was nice about it, and I'm getting a comp. for any other event they put on. Will right more later, but main point is, this was a really long effort, and despite ~1500 feet of elevation gain/drop, my time was decent... I'm in good shape and that makes me happy. 

Pre-Race: This was, if there is such a thing, a 'D' race for me. My whole philosophy with half marathon training this fall is to do nothing but aerobic miles until the Seattle half in November, and then incorporate speedwork in the lead up to Nookachamps. So I did a 5-mile aerobic run the night before. Of course, I'm also doing cycling, and had done 6x5' sprint, 1' rest on the bike trainer the night before as well.  Couple the brutal cycling and aerobic run workouts with 2 hours of sleep (a trend on the night before races), and I wasn't feeling too hot.

 Got out of bed at 5:10, ate my oatmeal and eggwhite breakfast that's become standard, and drove off to Point Defiance Park. Had plenty of time, hopped back in the car as the breeze was a little much. Warmed up with a half-mile jog and about 5-6 striders; definitely should've done more. 

 The Race: Whole point of the race was to get in some good, higher heart rate work, so I went off the front of the race (there was a 15k, 30k, and 50k) with another 15k runner, who looked pretty speedy. We crossed the first mile in 6:07, and it was pretty much a straight run across the promenade. I backed off as my legs felt absolutely awful; just plain terrible. Nothing structural wrong, just stiff, stiff, stiff from the bike effort of the day before.

Started questioning my wisdom of doing the race after the next several miles were uphill; got passed by four 30k runners, who were clearly skilled. Actually recognized a couple as sub 1:15ers in the HM distance. Didn't really get any splits for much of the race, just ran it on feel, but through 5 miles, I was averaging about 7:10; considering my 6:08 first mile, that's pretty brutal. The one on-course aid station was at 5.2 miles, and taking in a couple small cups of water and a gel really, really did the trick.

After another rolling mile, I started to move at about 6 miles, and I recalled from the course profile that most of the last 3-ish miles were downhill. My splits started tumbling, and I was running 6:50s on the flats, and 6:20s-6:30s on the downhills, if not faster. My quads were still shot, and every time there was a slight incline, my heart rate would spike, my legs would almost seize, and my split would immediately drop to ~8:00-8:30, but there thankfully very few uphills from this point on.

I passed two of the 30k runners at mile 7.5, another at mile 8, and the gunner 15k runner very shortly after. I roared by him, putting tons of time in, and measured him about 90 seconds back at an out-and-back, but stabilizing as he saw me. There was a 30k runner ahead of me still, but he was definitely killing me and I wasn't going to catch him. This is where I got lost.

The course crosses over itself at two points, and looking at the map now, I was able to avoid the first cross-over, but when travelling down a road, I took the first right, as a volunteer beckoned me too, when I should've taken the second. I was now running backwards on the beginning of the course, and until I spotted the RD a mile and a half down the course, had no idea. He helped me backtrack, but the damage was done, and I had done nearly 3 extra miles.

I got back on the right track on the road, and subsequently passed 15 people in the last half mile of the race with a scowl on my face. Will post my picture if it got taken, but I looked rather PO'ed, crossing the line in 1:31:XX, having travelled 12.7+ miles, in 10th place. The guy who won went 1:08:xx, and while I have no idea if he finished strong and would've passed me (there was a technical tenth of a mile near the end, where tons of time could've been picked up on me), I was at the front end of the race, with a very talented 30k runner being the only person in front.

 RD was kind enough, and offered to comp me for next year, which I think I'll take him up on. Course was a lot of fun, despite the issues.  

Treadmill. Felt good, considering how hard the run was on Saturday. Took yesterday off. Trying a new diet: Paleo-light; essentially, I'm getting rid of grains, and replacing with more fruits and veggies. So far today, feel great. We'll see how it continues to go in the coming days. 

Dreadmill, but felt great. New diet (semi-Paleo) and I'm feeling great; no IBS, no retained water, etc.

AM: Simple little wakeup 2.5 mile run, with no electronics. Felt nice.

PM: Calves and Quads quite tight after 5 miles on the dreamill. Will monitor for tomorrow; hot tub tonight should help.  

Green Lake loop; averaged 7:34, despite staying wholly aerobic, with HR confirming. 

AM: Little loop at home; felt nice. Legs are getting better, despite the pain a couple days ago. Love the K-Onas, going to be my trainer of choice, if the Blades don't work themselves out. Going to do 40-50 minutes tonight, after a brutal bike trainer interval set. Dawg Dash on Sunday, thinking 10k, depending on how my legs hold up after today. 

PM: Dreadmill, 5.25 in 40 minutes. Felt really, really good. Excited for the 10k on Sunday, though with no real speedwork, who knows how it'll go.

This new diet is doing great things for me... getting rid of most processed food, grains and dairy, and replacing with fruits, vegetables, and nuts, and rounding out with eggs and lean meats seems to be doing me good. I never feel hungry any more, which has been a serious problem for me (leading to almost eating disorder-like results). Lowering my caffeine intake, upping my sleep, and just generally being smarter about how I live my life is doing me good. 

Green Lake longish loop. Not going to do the 10k... $40 is way too much. For some perspective... I just registered for 3 other races for $47 total, including online service fees. 

Pseudo lapse on the dietary front, but it's been corrected. Digging the Blade Lights, though the toe box is a little smaller than on the K-Onas, which makes for some blisters, especially as I don't like wearing socks when I run. Oh well. Average pace was something like a 7:35, ran without a HRM, but it was aerobic, except for the last half mile, which I opened up a little. 

Dreadmill, an hour. Blah. 

Dreadmill, hour, blah.

Green Lake run. Felt AWESOME, broke 50 for the first time ever, despite not pressing at all.

Dreadmill, but it was almost too easy... feels like a switch turned on a couple days ago, and I'm just loving it. I've got that feeling back!

Green Lake loop, felt pretty good again, though I gotta remember to ease back. The next month is all about mileage! Might go for an additional 2.5 easy shakeout tonight, for the sake of the mileage. 5k race tomorrow, excited, feel like I have a chance to break 18. 

Warmed up with 1 mile easy, 5/6 striders, some drills, and another .75 miles easy, to get back to the starting line. Will write a full report later, but very happy with the race. Felt controlled going out in 5:36, but just wasn't ready for the enormous hill in the second mile, and haven't run enough faster stuff to have the will to push myself at the end after the hill took it out of me. For some perspective, I went through 1.5 in 8:20, feeling a world beater, and a half mile later, at the peak of the hill, I wanted to puke. Experience!

As a C race, I'm absolutely thrilled with how I did, and look forward to doing more fast races after the Half Marathon. 

After I got home did 2.5 miles easy to round out the day.