M'kay

20 miles in 2:30:53, 7:32/mi, HR 151.

Clouds and sun and rain and sleet and cold, oh my. Foul weather has returned, displacing our sunny 60F days with more typical winter craziness. Fortunately, it didn't impact my run much. Decided to run my normal route twice, keeping the first out and back easy and letting loose a bit on the second. Felt pretty good the entire time, only feeling a lack of energy in the last few miles (only one powerade stop at mi 11). Since this closes another fairly high mileage week for me and one with two tough workouts, I feel pretty darned good about this effort and feel like the sub-3 is well within reach.

New orthotics I got yesterday definitely helping with the left foot (ball of foot) pain issue I've had for a while now.  Evidently keeping the weight off my 3rd metatarsal is a good thing. 

Congrats to the Del Sol team! Smokin' fast time and win!

Asics GT 2120 - 122.83 miles.

6.5 miles in 48:54, 7:31/mi, HR 150.  1.5 miles in 13:52, 9:14/mi, HR 126 with the dogs.

Nice sunny, mild day.  Felt fatigued from yesterday and likely the past week, still with a touch of this head-cold/allergies/whatever.  Decided to *not* look at my Garmin for any reason until the run was done, going on an easy effort alone, thinking perhaps by watching my watch I was pushing the pace too much.  Kept the first couple of miles right on the ragged edge of a 3-3/4-4 breathing pattern, which I know is borderline recovery pace for me.  Well, the pace tells the story...fast end of Easy zone so I'm not pushing the pace watching my watch.  I did find it hard not to sneak a peek though....so I spent the time daydreaming about having a HUD that would display all my pertinent data without having to look down at my wrist.  Followed up with a nice slow jog with the dogs, who had energy to burn today.

Brooks Trance - 464.01 miles.

8.0 miles in 59:28, 7:26/mi, HR 151.  1.0 mile in 9:35, HR 130 with the dogs.

4+ hours of chainsaw work left me with two presents.  A solid 8 hours sleep instead of my recent restless nights and definite stiffness in my back this morning.  A visit to the Chiro this AM elicited confirmation of what I felt....definite stiffness and a recommendation not to run today.

So I ran.  I told myself I'd take it easy and it didn't affect much.  I almost managed to talk myself out of it since the weather turned cold and rainy again, but I kept thinking of the marathon in a couple of months and decided I'd regret not giving it a go.  Here's me hoping I don't pay for it tomorrow...

Asics GT 2120 - 131.83 miles.

14 miles in 1:42:40, 7:20/mi, HR 153.  1 mile in 9:53, HR 126 with the dogs.

A solid medium-long run today in a mix of weather (sun, rain, wind, etc.).  Still, managed with shorts so not too bad.  Legs felt a bit tired and my hammies were crying from being worked yesterday in core exercises, plus my back is still a bit stiff and sore, but overall pretty friendly miles.  Dogs got a mile in as well, interrupted by as many potty-breaks as they could manage.

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 332.81 miles.

8 miles in 58:33, 7:19/mi, HR 154.

Easy run again today, until the back of my right knee/hamstring decided to "twinge" on me today at about mile 7.  To be honest, it felt a bit strange yesterday and today, but I figured it was the hamstring specific exercise I'd done on Tuesday that pushed it.  Maybe that was it, but in any event at mile 7 it decided to get serious.  I stopped, stretched and massaged it, and it let me finish my run, but I'll need to ice and watch it closely.  At this point, I'm thinking the speedwork scheduled for tomorrow may need to get pushed back a day.  Dang it!

Brooks Trance - 472.01 miles.

I'm restraining myself from running today because of my hamstring tweak yesterday.  Last night after feeling but being unable to locate "the spot", I asked my wife if she saw or could feel a lump in the affected area.  After about 0.02 seconds I let out a yelp.  So obviously I strained something, but fortunately not too badly yet.  Since today was supposed to be a set of cruise intervals, I figured that attempting the workout would likely make things much much worse.

So despite looking out at a sunny, warm day and looking forward to my run I'm stuck inside trying not to talk myself out of my decision.  And trying to figure out why I've had similar problems with both hamstrings now inside of 1 month.  Ideas appreciated. 

14.78 miles in 1:48:08, 7:19/mi, HR 161. 30 minute warmup, 8x1K Cruise Intervals w/ 200m rest, 3x200m Intervals w/ 200m rest, 30 minute cooldown.

Ran yesterday's scheduled workout today. Took it real easy in the warmup around town (30 minutes @ 7:39/mi pace) to test the hamstring. Felt pretty good....no stiffness or pain. Decided to try the Cruise Interval workout and bail if things got dicey. Aimed for 3:50-3:55 1K intervals. Stretched a bit before jumping into the intervals. First 4 intervals difficult...haven't run on a track in a while and mentally tough. Plus, I moved through my 200m rest two quickly. Got smarter (read slower) after #4 and interval 5 felt better. Started getting tired around 6, considered stopping after 7 but wouldn't let myself and finished out all 8. Last 3x200m not too bad. Short enough not to hurt much, although I could feel the right hamstring tightening. After intervals, got some powerade in me and stretched the hammie, then ran the 30 minute cooldown. Slow to start as my hammie started to stiffen up some, but it got loose again and finished with a 30 minute 7:42/mi pace.

I'll play tomorrow by ear. Best case: feels good enough to run my long run tomorrow. Worst case: feels bad enough that I need to take it easy and push back the long run a day.

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 347.59 miles.

6.5 miles in 49:35, 7:37/mi, HR 145.

Family outing today cause me to rearrange weekend run schedule, so today's long run was postponed until tomorrow.  Helpful, as it gives my hamstring an extra day to recover from yesterday's Cruise Intervals.  I'd thought my fitness had improved way beyond my workout times as my easy run day's got much quicker, but yesterday's Cruise Interval targets seemed tough enough, so I redoubled efforts to keep the easy run truly easy.  Did much better today.

Brooks Trance - 478.51 miles.

18 miles in 2:23:33, 7:58/mi, HR 157.

A grand trail running adventure today. Goal was to run the hill route I'd tried last week when I was stymied by snow in order to discover the long lost great circle route that would loop back and intercept my road up in the state forest area. Armed with my trusty Forerunner and a refilled bottle of Powerade, I set off. Encountered hostiles at mile 1 but managed to escape, only to be trailed for another 5 miles by one of the hostile's buddies.
Hit the hill where I'd been forced to turn around last weekend and this time the way was clear. Up 400' elevation gain in 0.5 miles, it was rough going. Some level spots let me catch my breath on the way up a total of 1000', with some drops and climbs sprinkled in along the way, most of them pretty steep. Forced into walk mode in a couple of particularly long climbs, but keep my pace reasonable given the terrain.

Of course, in this grand adventure, all I had navigation-wise was a mental image of some poor overhead imagery that was dated, plus some topographic maps that did *not* show a connection between the two trail systems. But I knew there *had* to be a way to get there. At mile 10, I wasn't so sure. At mile 11, I was dreading turning around and retracing my steps, my legs pretty well trashed, running because I knew if I was right, most of the rest of my run would be a nice long gradual downhill. I hit the retrace route button, then decided to go for another mile before turning around. Mile 11.5, eureka! I found that the trail I was on was in fact the forest road as I'd hoped, and that I'd managed to find a new (but tough) long running route. Unfortunately, hitting the retrace route button on Garmin messed with my record of the workout, but at least I got the splits and distance, if not the elevation past the 12 mile mark. 16.3 miles total, with an extra 1.7 at the end of the loop to round things up to 18. Felt more like a 24-26 mile effort given some of the slopes I tackled, but truly a fun adventure today in our beautiful countryside on a wonderful day.

Asics GT 2120 - 149.83 miles.

8 miles in 1:01:44, 7:43/mi, HR 154.

Legs felt oh so tired today.  Last few miles seemed to drag on forever.  Got it done though.  Strange pain on inside of right ankle....had it yesterday for a while on some of the trails but wrote it off to using stability muscles not used to working.  Need to watch.

Brooks Trance - 486.51 miles.

Yasso 800s workout today. 30 minute 3.99 mi warmup (7:31/mi, HR 149). 18 minute 2.25 mi cooldown (8:01/mi, HR 135). 8x800s w/ 2:50 rest.

Sleep was pretty fitful last night.....dogs had me up twice for their midnight potty runs.  Original plan was 30 minute warmup, 10x800s in the 2:50-2:55 pace range, and 30 minute cooldown. Warmup went as planed but could tell right away that the weather wasn't going to cooperate....overcast, intermittent light rain, and worse, intermittent wind gusts. Decided to take the workout as far as I could.

First one wasn't too bad, but saw right away that the fast end of the target pace range was not going to be doable. #2-#4 were painful....I'm sure the gusts were hitting here, but I can't recall when/where....at most one 100m stretch at a time in the face. #5-8 I kept telling myself each was the last one, knowing I'd be lying each time of course. #8 felt like all I had to give and with a race on Saturday, some small hail the last repeat, some distinct stomach cramping, and a high school team descending on the track, I decided to pack it in. Went off on my cooldown run and decided to cut myself even more slack when I started suffering from the cold wind more in my now soaked clothes.

I'm glad I got this workout in but these speed workouts all hurt. Focusing on the one at hand is about the only way I can get through them successfully. I wonder how much easier they'd be if I had some running partners for these workouts? Ah well, at least I'm building mental toughness, right?

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 356.7 miles.

8 miles in 1:01:12, 7:39/mi, HR 147.  1 mile in 8:58, HR 127.

Fitful sleep again last night.  Easy effort today in an attempt to recover from 800s yesterday and prepare for Fartlek session tomorrow.  Dogs practically drug me their whole mile...obvious energy from having close to a week off.

Brooks Trance - 495.51 miles.

10.02 miles in 1:16:00, 7:34/mi, HR 155. 30 min warmup, 3.62 mi, 8:17/mi, HR 150. 8 x 1 min on/1 min off Fartleks. 30 min cooldown, 4.15, 7:13/mi, HR 152.

Good workout. These shorter intervals are much easier for me to do (duh!). Aside from the first where I was evidently just getting up my head of steam, they were all pretty quick (for me) and I managed to keep the pace between intervals at a slow jog as a minimum.

The real action was when I returned home. The vacant (wooded) lot next door had company. Now the last time folks decided to camp out there, the sheriff found a mobile meth lab, so I was a bit more cautious this time around. After approaching the car that was pulled into the lot, the male driver occupant announced they were stuck. I asked what they were doing there and he said camping. Then I asked the tough question....."Do you know the property owner?" at which point he punted and pointed to his passenger, a young female, who said Michael. I said "Ah, well then that's okay." and walked off, quickly taking a picture of the license plate on the way out, and jogged up the road to call the *real* owner, right after I summoned the police. Long story short, the young lady evidently took a trip to jail for some outstanding warrants and the young man was read some type of riot act but let go since someone has torn down the "No Tresspassing" signs again. I plan to have a long chat with the property owner (who lives about an hour away) about policing up some of the stuff that invites these people next door. But at least I got to practice my emergency action procedures, like securing the family inside, breaking out the home defense equipment, etc. Now if I could just bottle this adrenaline boost and use it at the races on Saturday.....

Asics GT 2120 - 159.85 miles.

6.5 miles in 49:45, 7:39/mi, HR 153.  1 mile in 9:15, HR 128 with the dogs.

Ah, finally good solid sleep...it's been a few days.  Unfortunately, not enough.  Run felt a bit tougher than it should've but got it done.  Got the dogs some needed exercise afterwards.  15K tomorrow!

Brooks Trance - 503.01 miles.  RETIRED.

2 miles warmup with 0.5 at Threshold in 15:36, 7:48/mi, HR 150. 15K race in 59:02, 6:20/mi, HR 174. Garmin splits: 6:20, 6:21, 6:28, 6:29, 6:22, 6:15, 6:23, 6:21, 6:15, 1:45. 9 miles in 1:11:22, 7:55/mi, HR 153.

Woke up to cold and rainy conditions at 6am after not so sound sleep. Got prepared and drove to Orting, WA to run in their 15K race today. Goals for myself were to PR, which was easy since I'd never run a 15K before, try to finish in under an hour, and to keep as close to a 6:20/mi pace or under as possible. About 400 runners total for the three races (5K, 10K, 15K) which was more than I'd expected. Since this is the first time they'd offered a 15K, I guessed that the field would not be too large.

The course was an out and back on the Foothills trail, a former rail right-of-way converted to an asphalt trail that I'd run on several times in the past. It's not quite flat-as-a-pancake but relative to where I normally run it sure feels like it. The route departs the middle-school west of town and actually runs back through town with several 90 degree turns, pops out the other side and straightens out to run along stretches of the Puyallup river, farm fields (including an ostrich farm), and some roads. The 5/10/15K races all start together in a mass start and proceed along the same course.

About 35 minutes before the start, I went out on a 2 mile warmup. I decided to throw in a 0.5 mile stretch at a 6:15-6:20 pace in an attempt to get my body used to running at that speed. Since Tempo pace is supposed to be the pace you could hold for an hour, and I was trying to run the 15K in about an hour, and knowing that the first stretch of tempo runs are usually hard for me, I wanted to give my body a taste of what was to come. Great plan somewhat spoiled by a late start, as they didn't begin the race until around 9:11 (9:00 scheduled start).

Since the three races all started together, I really didn't have a good idea who the competition was. There was one guy who I believe I'd run in a race with in the past and who'd finished quite a bit faster than me that I knew was running the 15K, so I added another goal of making sure I at least kept him in sight. The call went out for the "elite" runners, defined by the announcer as those running sub 7-minute miles, to make their way to the front. The very first time in my life I've ever fit anyone's definition of "elite".

So finally at 9:11 we were off. Miraculously, the rain quit about 30 minutes before the race so the weather was fairly nice. I was in a long sleeve shirt, gloves and my CW-X tights fearing I might have overdressed a bit (I didn't). There's a guy in the area that must run every single 5K race there is as I see him at all of them who shot to the lead, and I started about 12-15 folks back. Quickly settled into a good 6:20 pace that felt tempo-like. During my 0.5 tempo warmup, my legs felt tired but for now the magic of race-gear had me feeling good as I got into a good rhythm. Worked my way through town and passed a few folks on the way to hit the 1 mile mark in 6:20. Perfect. At the 5K turnaround, several of the folks ahead of me made the turn, which left two or three folks ahead of me. The guy I'd remembered from a previous race had the lead and I noticed I was gaining on him ever so slightly, so I tried to stay loose and to keep the effort as hard as I felt I could sustain. Second mile in 6:21, still feeling pretty good by my breathing was starting to transition out of my comfortable 3-3 into a 3-2 rhythm. I decided not to panic and to find out if 2-2 was really sustainable for a longer race and kept after the leader. I was able to reel him in to within a couple of feet by the 3 mile mark despite a slower split (6:28). Hmmm, it really felt like I was running sub-6:20s at the time, but I wasn't paying much attention to Garmin but rather was pushing by effort.

About the same time I managed to pass the other runner, I got passed! I was not happy about that, especially since I could tell he was trying to put me away with an unsustainable acceleration (I hoped), so I hung on his shoulder to the 10K turnaround in around 19:38. He made the turn and I found myself in uncharted territory, in the lead of the 15K. After a brief mental celebration, I realized now I was in the unenviable position of having to push myself without daring to look back to see if my pursuers were gaining or falling behind. It was definitely hard going now and my breathing had just transitioned to 2-2, so I knew I was at my max sustainable velocity for the distance. Mile four came in 6:29 which seems a bit slow, but it did have a small uphill section to deal with leading to a bridge. Hit the 15K turnaround in about 29:37ish, so I knew I had a small cushion to hit a sub-60 minute race, but not much.

I had two pursuers within about 20-30 seconds of me I got to see at the turn point, so I put on my best "I feel good despite laboring for air" face as they passed. Fortunately that didn't have to last long as I was really working to maintain speed. Mile 5s split was 6:22 and mile 6s split was 6:15, getting better and taking advantage of the smaller downhill section. I hit 10K in around 39:33 I believe, and I knew I just had 5K left so I started doling out the little bit of energy I had in reserve. Coming back upon some of the other runners running the 5/10K helped mentally and I hit mile 7 in 6:23 and mile 8 in 6:21.

With about a mile and a half to go, I could feel my form starting to get away from me. It was mentally difficult to stay focused and to keep on pushing but I kept comparing the distance in my mind to a familiar stretch of road on my street, which helped. Mile 9 came in 6:16 but I was starting to really lose focus and could tell I was about spent. The last .3 went by mercifully fast in 1:45 and I crossed the finish in 59:06 according to my watch (official times to be posted sometime in the coming week).

I'd won! Not just my age group but the race itself. Wow, I really didn't expect that. Now I know the competition was exactly world class but I had not expected to win a race yet for some time so I was (and am) ecstatic! I'm sure the finish line photo will have a nicely frame view of my grimace when its ready, but I managed to hang on and meet my sub-60 minute goal. I was even pretty darned close to maintaining a 6:20 pace the whole way.

Even without winning, the race schwag was decent. Now maybe I'm a cheap date, but any race that gives away a free 24oz Emerald City Smoothie is tops in my book. Plus, I don't know the yogurt brand they had after the race, but it was the best darned yogurt I've ever tasted in my entire life. Really. Plus, for winning I got a nice ribbon, a free entry to next year's race ($20 was this year's fee) plus a gift certificate for South Sound Running (a local shoe store) for a free pair of shoes. Woo hoo! And I got a free giant chocolate candy bar of some sort. I must have found heaven on earth!

After all the the festivities and awards, I went out for another 9 miles to finish the day a little about 20 miles (since this was long run day *and* I was on top of the world, the last 9 felt great too!). I'm really happy with my time since the McMillan predictor now shows I've got a sub-3 hour marathon in me and I still have a couple of months before the marathon. Plus, the bonus of actually winning a race is a huge lift that have me impossible to live with for at least the rest of the day! My only regret is that I foolishly hadn't ordered a FRB singlet early enough before the ran out of stock, and just talked to Steve the other day about when they'd be in. Frankly, I was a bit embarrassed to wear one unless I felt like I was doing well in races and I never guessed that I'd be in the position I found myself in today. Other than that, a great running day!

Oh, and I almost forgot. I went to claim my smoothie and talked for quite a while with the store owner (new owner actually). She's a runner too that'd wanted to run today but had to work. In any event, after talking for quite some time about Seattle and Portland (which she's run too), she starts heaping product samples into a bag for me to try. Now normally I'm all over anything free, but I really felt like she was giving away too much (3 doses of Accelerade and a handful of their gel shots) and I tried to protest, but she'd have none of it. Needless to say, that store is now officially my favorite post-Foothills Trail run pit-stop from here on out. I tend to run the trail more often in the summer on long run days, so I'll be sure to repay the favor and buy as many smoothies as I can handle!

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 377 miles.

Official results posted today (3/17) had my time at 59:02, probably more accurate since I didn't hit my watch right at the finish. 

5 miles in 38:57, 7:47/mi, HR 142.  

A gentle easy run on some weary legs.  I can feel my quads and calves today and they needed kindness and compassion.  Fortunately, no more speedwork until Thursday.  New Adrenaline 8s now in the shoe rotation.

Adrenaline 8 - 5 miles.

8 miles in 1:01:30, 7:41/mi, HR 151.  1 mile in 8:44, HR 130 with the dogs.

Legs still feeling a bit beat-up...sore right quad and stiff left calf the worst of the bunch, so easy miles again today.  Uphill stretch difficult as my legs really didn't want me going up but much better on the return downhill.  No speedwork until Thursday so I still have time to recover.

Asics GT 2120 - 168.85 miles.

14 miles in 1:44:39, 7:28/mi, HR 151.

No motivation to get going today and legs still felt tired for the first 5-6 miles. Started feeling better and got into the groove. Started feeling a bit spacey and disconnected around 12 or so which I attribute to not eating much after breakfast early this morning (noon time run). Overall a good solid run at a nice pace.  Did core exercises afterwards....I'm going to try doing core work on hard days in an effort to keep easy days easy.  Wondering if perhaps that contributed to my hamstring cramps/strains.

Adrenaline 8 - 19 miles.

9 miles in 1:07:41, 7:31/mi, HR 151.  1 mile in 8:54, HR 128 with the dogs.

Another tough morning to wake up.  Been feeling tired the last few days and my legs felt it again today.  Still, settled into a good leg-turnover pace today and stuck with it.  The downhill stretch was nice and felt like I got some nice fast and easy running in.  Hoping I'm recovered enough for tomorrow's Tempo Intervals.....speedwork dread is starting already! 

Got my SGRC order today....now all I need is for the singlets to come in and I'll be set!  Thanks Steve!

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 387 miles.

14.26 miles in 1:57:12, 7:07/mi, HR 160.  30 minute warmup, 3.93 mi, 7:37/mi, HR 151.  5 x 2K Tempo Intervals w/ 2:30 rest.  3 x 200m Intervals w/ 200m rest.  30 minute cooldown, 3.89, 7:42/mi, HR 150.

New goal pace for the Tempo Intervals based on Saturday's race was 6:07 to 6:20/mi.  Figured on aiming for the slow end since it's a new pace range, which means I was looking to hit under 7:52 for each 2K interval.  I was only under the goal time for the first one, but there was a significant headwind in my face down the straightaway and part of the curve for half of each lap.  I think under less windy conditions, all of my Intervals (except perhaps the last where I died a bit) would've been under my goal time so I'm pretty happy with this workout.  First couple were pretty rough but I seemed to settle in around the 3rd iteration.  Last 2K my left calf started getting stiff on me...felt it the rest of the session and through the cooldown.  Good workout.

Limited core work afterwards.  When I got to the hamstring exercise, I realized immediately that I would strain the muscle if I continued so I bailed.  Also need to remember not to wear my thin socks with these Asics.....my shoes felt clompy and I didn't figure out why until later when I remembered which socks I was wearing.

Asics GT 2120 - 185.31 miles.

6.5 miles in 48:26, 7:27/mi, HR 148. 1 mile in 8:49, HR 134 with the dogs.

So much for Spring. First snow in weeks fell overnight but wound up melting (mostly) by noon.  Definitely felt yesterday's workout in my legs today and need to care for my left calf and right hamstring today.  Looking forward to tomorrow's long run.

Adrenaline 8 - 26.5 miles.

22 miles in 2:43:45, 7:26/mi, HR 155.

Two lap long run up and down the road today.  Sunny and warm with starting temps around 50 but quickly climbed to 75F in the sun.  First lap easy but wound up with 11 miles in 1:22:27, 7:29/mi average pace...probably a tad aggressive.  Got some Ultima at the 11 mi and 13 mi mark as I headed back up the street for lap 2.  Started feeling a bit dehydrated on the return leg and got a tad bit spacey but managed to maintain speed and most of form finishing the second 11 mile lap in 1:21:18, 7:23/mi pace.  Felt good about this run because I think I could've held my pace thru the last 4.2 and finished in around 3:13 or so which is only about 1 minute off my PR (not that that was my goal for the run, but...).  Plus, this is my second 80+ mile week in a row, a record for me.  May marathon here I come!!!

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 409 miles.

 

6.5 miles in 49:30, 7:37/mi, HR 147.  1 mile in 8:32, HR 126 with the dogs.

Yesterday sunny and warm.  Today cloudy, windy, rainy...and warm.  Felt better than expected after yesterday's effort.  Aimed for recovery effort but pace still wound up fairly quick.  Guess I won't complain too loudly.

Adrenaline 8 - 34 miles.

8 miles in 1:01:02, 7:37/mi, HR 147. 1 mile in 8:55, HR 129 with the dogs.

Back to nice but cool weather. Felt a bit tired but kept pace easy. HR monitor went on the fritz early on but settled down. Resting up for tomorrow's Fartlek session.  Core workout after run today.

Asics GT 2120 - 194.31 miles.

11.33 miles in 1:24:00, 7:25/mi, HR 157. 30 minutes warmup, 3.68 mi, 8:10/mi, HR 153. 12x1 minute on/1 minute off Fartleks. 30 minutes cooldown, 4.22 mi, 7:06/mi, HR 150.

Good workout despite the bad winds and flurries that greeted me today. Most of the "on" sections were somewhat shielded by the winds by surrounding hills. Effort felt good throughout. Goal pace was in the 5:38-5:45 range and I hit that pretty consistently. Dealt with a bad side-stitch beginning around #5 and was gasping for air towards the end of #12 but otherwise uneventful. Tired legs carried me back home.

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 420.33 miles.

Completely unrelated to running, but boy, I love my new home office.  My industrious wife finished converting our formal dining room (which we never used) into a beautiful study for me to work from a few months ago. It has two nice big windows that look out onto the front and side of our property. Tonight the special treat was being able to sit and watch a momma and her baby (deer) feed on our grass. The baby was about 10 feet away from where I sat so I really got an up close viewing. Nothing like working on a tough work problem (aren't they all?) that's had my blood pressure up for a couple of days now and getting treated to some of nature's stress relief! Plus, less grass for me to mow! Bonus!!!

9 miles in 1:10:13, 7:48/mi, HR 148. 

Tough to make myself get out the door today...didn't get started until mid-afternoon.  Wanted to turn around and go home even after I warmed up.  Legs felt tired, heavy and clumsy.  Overnight snow had mostly melted but cold and depressing nonetheless.  Couldn't even bring myself to roust the dogs for their mile.  Bailed on core exercises today too.  Hoping tomorrow is better.

Adrenaline 8 - 43 miles.

12.87 miles in 1:32:17, 7:10/mi, HR 155. 30 minutes warmup, 3.72 miles, 8:04/mi, HR 144. 5 Tempo miles with splits 6:27, 6:28, 6:28, 6:27, 6:27, HR 170. 30 minutes cooldown, 4.15 miles, 7:14/mi, HR 144.

More snow and it was on the roads this morning, not ideal Tempo Run weather. Fortunately I managed to wait until much had melted from the roads and only had to deal with a couple of intermittent mini-blizzards. Tempo segments were hard but right in my range especially considering I was running on some rolling terrain. Garmin tried messing with my head today....Training Center wouldn't download my workout, history view froze the watch, and Motion Based/Sport Tracks both showed me 1 tempo lap short. Fortunately I can do basic math and the total times/lap splits didn't make sense without the missing lap so I was able to reconstruct it, but not before wondering if I'd lost it and only did 4 tempo miles. A resounding no...it was 5. My only question is why were these 5 so hard when I just ran a 15K (9.3) at a faster pace and it didn't seem this hard. Anyone? My only answer is race gear.

Asics GT 2120 - 207.18 miles.

6.5 miles in 49:42, 7:38/mi, HR 149.

This week of snow is getting old. The season's shouldn't be able to go in reverse. An easy effort trudging thru a mini-blizzard and a slush filled road. Feet wet immediately and just cold enough to be uncomfortable when wet. Whaaa!!!

Core exercises afterwards. 

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 426.83 miles.

Fast finish long run 20 miles in 2:24:14, 7:12/mi, HR 151. 2.58 mi cooldown run/trudge to the car in 21:19, 8:16/mi, HR 145.

Goal for today was FF Long run including 12 miles at ~:45-1:00 slower than MP, 6 miles MP, and 2 miles 10K race pace. Decided to run a couple of paved trails and meet my wife in Olympia for some follow-on errands afterwards so I was a bit out of my normal element for logistics. Wound up carrying one 24oz bottle of powerade with me.

First few miles were rough because of winds. Then the rain started but I managed to settle into a good rhythm and the pace (7:30-7:45) seemed pretty easy. Then the first set of hail arrived with more winds and I was carrying a few extra pounds of water in my clothes. Next the stomach cramps started and next thing I knew I was taking not one but two unscheduled pit stops in the middle of the woods. Resumed my trek passing thru intermittent rain and hail storms with occasional sun breaks that switched from very cold to almost unbearably hot and humid.

Increased speed at mile 12 to start hitting 6:40-6:50 miles. Found it a bit tough to keep that kind of speed and having difficulty mentally but refocused on the task and hand and settled in. Next six miles were 6:50, 6:50, 6:42, 6:46, 6:39, 6:45. Somewhere around this time the trail dumped me out in the middle of a road and disappeared. Uh oh. Took my best guess now worried about how to link up with Dianna afterwards if I didn't know where I was and pressed on. Bad encounter with a bus who decided to pull into a pedistrian crossing right in front of me. I expressed my displeasure with a loud slap on the bus rear which evidently startled the driver but I was more than a tad bit mad. Ran out of sidewalk, realized I'd lost the trail and turned around to try to find it. At this point, the last 2 of the fast finish miles kicked in and I did my best 10K race speed impression, which at this point was closer to 15K race speed.

Wound up backtracking and finding the trail again and hit the last two miles in 6:27 and 6:25 but couldn't have run at that pace much longer. This was really a tough run on so many levels but I felt good afterwards. Takeaways are that I need to reproduce my rehydration/fueling plan better on these runs, that tough paces are maintainable if I just focus on the task at hand instead of thinking about how much distance is left, and that it's better to know your route.

Due to my detour, I was now a couple of miles away from my pickup point, so I wound up running another 2.58 miles to complete the course. Probably a good thing as my calves were very tight from the short walk I did immediately after the initial run while calling my wife to let her know I was alive. Fed ourselves at the local IHOP afterwards and I consumed the entire plate.

One of the other tasks at hand for the day was my marathon course recon. Decided to drive the route with my Garmin on the dash. First, I'm glad we did as the course has many twists and turns in some sections that are good to know about in advance. It's also nice to have a bit of a clue where the course goes in case the signage is poor. But mostly all I'll remember is thinking "how did they manage to put some many hills in this thing!" The course is definitely hilly and will be challenging. I was pretty depressed after driving it thinking the sub-3 will be tough. After I uploaded the garmin results, I realized that although it looked bad and definitely had some steeper climbs/descents, the overall profile of the course is no worse than my normal run route x 2 which is about 22 miles total. I'll have to remind myself of that several times over the next few weeks as final preparations are made.

Adrenaline 8 - 65.58 miles.

6.5 miles in 50:12, 7:43/mi, HR 142.

Felt surprisingly good after yesterday's hard effort. Some pain on top of my left foot and my bunion is giving me some grief but otherwise not too bad. Actually felt like and did core exercises afterwards. HR below 140 for the last 3 miles. Oh and my two personal deer friends are back to hanging out just outside my window. They brought along three other buddies and they all look pretty young.

Asics GT 2120 - 213.68 miles.

8 miles in 1:01:02, 7:37/mi, HR 145. 1 mile in 9:18, HR 133 with the dogs.

Some stiffness from yesterday's exercises but quickly loosened up. Stomach woes again on the return almost forced an unscheduled pit stop. It's been tough getting out the door the last several days motivation-wise, which I'm attributing to the nasty weather....but I'll keep in mind it could be overtraining and will be wary. Dogs were feeling the effects of not running for several day.

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 440 miles.