M'kay

8.11 mi, 1:05:23, 8:04/mi.

Good run day, no tightness issues with hip.  Back still bugging a bit but ended this run feeling good. 

6.26 mi, 54:19, 8:41/mi, 1.5 road, the rest trail.  

Ok, new year is here, time to get more consistent.  Easy to say when its sunny outside. 

7.12 mi, 58:40, 8:14/mi.

Icy and cold but sunny.  Three days in a row, a 2013 record. 

8.01 miles, 1:03:35, 7:57/mi, w/ 10 x 2 min on/2 min off.

8.53 mi, 1:05:39, 7:42/mi.

Bit by a German Shepard.  Guess it had to happen sooner or later.

9 mi, 1+ hrs, < 8 min/mi pace.

My garmin dumped my workout somehow, but I remembered the basics. 

8 mi, 1+ hr, 8:10-ish pace average.

Back home.  Garmin dumped this run too.  Hmmmmm.... 

7 miles.

Ok, this time, garmin battery ran out less than a mile into the run.  No idea the pace but probably not quick. 

8.11 miles, 1:07:58, 8:23/mi.

Considering I had to force myself out the door, I'll take 8 slow miles. 

6.04 mi, 50:42, 8:24/mi.

Meh. 

15.26 miles, 2:48:48, 11:04/mi.

Ran the short version as a training run.  The "out" portion was run slow and easy.  Ran with Brandon the first few miles then sped up a bit.  After the turn, started pushing the pace a little bit and picking people off on the way back.  Wound up being shorter than 17 miles but a good workout.  Wiped out afterwards.....that's what happens when you haven't run more than 10 miles since August. 

6.15 mi, 52:23, 8:31/mi.

Rains are back but at least the temps are finally above freezing. 

8.02 mi, 1:07:07, 8:22/mi, 1-5-1 Ladder, 1 min increments, equal time on/off.

I think this might be the slowest fast workout I've ever run.  Just plain sad.... 

8.08 mi, 1:06:40, 8:15/mi.

Really needed this head-clearing run after a stress-filled weekend followed by stress-filled work. 

5.12 mi, 42:51, 8:23/mi.

8.22 mi, 1:07:36, 8:14/mi.

Great weather but bad leg.  Last 2 miles were decent though and I was able to open up a little bit.

9.35 mi, 1:34:26, 10:06/mi.

Pack Forest trail run.  Mix of single/double track, plenty of climbs and descents, and plenty of mud.  Lots of fun.

6.22 Mi, 53:23, 8:35/mi.

Recovery slog. 

8.64 mi, 1:10:01, 8:06/mi, w/ 10 x 3 min on/off repeats.

Ran early today in an attempt to get rid of a nasty headache.  Headache returned as soon as I stopped, but the run was a decent one and while my "fast" is still slow, its a faster kind of slow.

7.11 mi, 1:00:14, 8:28/mi.

Recovery slog.  Felt ok the first four miles and then the energy level plummeted. 

8.07 mi, 1:09:06, 8:34/mi.

Another slog.

5.03 mi, 42:48, 8:31/mi, w/ 8 strides.

Real problems with the hip today.  A few stretching breaks.  Doing some strides seemed to help loosen the upper hamstring enough to be tolerable during the easy parts. 

11.22 mi, 2:00:16, 10:43.

Pack Forest trail run.  Hit both New Forest, Windy Ridge, Regeneration, and some horse trails in addition to some fire road segments.  Plenty of climbing and descending (~ 2k of each) and some of the trails were pretty technical.   

9.13 mi, 1:15:29, 8:16/mi. 1-5-5-1 Ladder, equal on/off, 1 min increments.

Harder than the last couple of faster workouts.  I think I hit the on harder and the off slower. 

8.13 mi, 1:10:20, 8:39/mi.

Plenty of residual fatigue from yesterday's workout & gravel shoveling and transport afterwards resulted in a slow run today. 

6.01 mi, 51:07, 8:31/mi, w/ 10 Strides.

8.05 mi, 1:03:11, 7:51/mi.  Middle 6 miles at a moderate effort.  Bad post-run abdominal cramps, beginning the last 1/4 mile.  No clue why.

13.58 mi, 2:31:25, 11:09/mi.

Pack Forest Trail Run.  Horse trail to the Falls trail, down the road to the Resevoir Trail, up to the 5 road intersection, down to Hugo Peak trailhead, back up to the 5 road intersection on Hugo Peak trail, Trail of the Giants (long version), Windy ridge trail, down the road to the New Forest trailhead, up the trail, then on some roads to the two towers (cell towers, not LOTR), then back to the car.  Dead tired. 

Crap!!  On the waitlist for Cascade Crest.  I need 11 people to drop immediately please. 

6.16 mi, 50:30, 8:12/mi.

Recovering from moving several tons (yes tons) of gravel Sunday and Monday.  Felt good once I got going but getting there was tough. 

8.14 mi, 1:08:28, 8:25/mi.

Yet another slog, albeit with 12 strides thrown in.

8.22 mi, 1:08:44, 8:22/mi.

Once past the initial "don't want to go run in the gloom and rain" part, a good run.  Then the hail and the winds hit for the last mile or so.  Nice. 

4.18 mi, 49:44, 11:55/mi.

Long run gone wrong.  Driving up to the Elbe hills trailhead, went from a snow dusting to 2' in the span of 1/4 mile.  Unfortunately, that 1/4 mile was on a steep hill where no turnaround was possible.  Then got stuck trying to turn around.  Another truck showed up with a tow strap and got me loose.  Turns out he was looking for a turnaround spot too.  So we both decided to stick together and to push forward to the next level spot where we thought we could turn.  Where I got stuck again.  Twice.  The second time, the other truck got stuck trying to get me loose.  So here we are, two 4x4 trucks, stuck in the snow.  Thankfully, a jeep with a winch showed up and got us both out of trouble.  When I finally drove back out of the snow, I parked and ran back to the turn around and onto the trails.  Post-holed up to my knees for a short time, then headed back and called it a day.   

7.06 Mi, 57:32, 8:09/mi

8.14 mi, 1:05:55, 8:06/mi.

Fartleks.  Ran hard on the hills on the outbound, then on the downhills on the return.  Tired. 

8.1 mi, 1:04:20, 7:56/mi.

Progression run.  Was actually just aiming for an easy run today but wound up picking it up at the turn.  Snuck under the 8 min/mi avg pace for the first time in a while.  Felt like the good ole days.

8.21 mi, 1:06:48, 8:08/mi.

Nice and easy.  Legs were tired but a good tired without any real hip tightness.  Dare I say it again?  Feeling a bit like the good ole days.  Ok, that's jinxed it. 

12.16 mi, 1:40:27, 8:16/mi.

Work has gotten in the way the last couple of days.  Finally took time to clear my head for a while today and managed to get a couple of ideas, but didn't manage to shake all the stress.

9.09 mi, 1:11:10, 7:50/mi.  4 x 1 mi repeats w/ 1 mi rest.

The repeats definitely got harder as I went, despite the first two being uphill and the last two downhill. 

8.35 mi, 1:07:53, 8:08/mi.

Legs very tired. 

6.06 mi, 49:53, 8:14/mi.

Wet.  Forgot my hat so especially miserable.  One of those runs where I had to really work at not bailing completely. 

9.28 mi, 1:12:17, 7:48/mi.  5 miles @ marathon/HM effort.

Planned on 7 miles of marathon/HM effort total, but after a GI pitstop at mile 2, a nausea pit stop at mile 4, and legs of lead, I punted at 5 and limped back home the last 3 miles.  

16.39 mi, 2:15:22, 8:16/mi. 

5.5 mi road, the rest forest roads, a nice run through the woods on a gorgeous day. 

6.01 miles, 48:48, 8:09/mi.

Up at 1:45 am to catch a flight to Orlando, then a run after getting to the hotel.  Needless to say, expectations were set pretty low. 

10.01 miles, 1:20:01, 8:00/mi.  1-5-5-1 Repeats, 1 minute increments, equal time on/off.

Warmer, flatter, and more concrete than I'm accustomed to.  Not a whole lot of fun but got it done. 

8.22 miles, 1:06:54, 8:08/mi.

Easy miles. 

8.23 miles, 1:07:33, 8:12/mi.

Sunny and warm and still flat.  Easy miles after work. 

9.06 miles, 1:06:52, 7:23/mi.  1 mile warmup, 7 miles @ MP effort, 1 mile cooldown.  

Despite feeling like this run was going to be difficult, even the warmup mile was quicker than expected.  Gradually ratcheted down from the 7:30s to the 7:00s with one under 7.  Fastest run of this length in a long time. 

5.07 miles, 44:48, 8:50/mi.

2 days off and feeling horrible again.  Headache hasn't helped matters any. 

6.16 miles, 51:51, 8:25/mi.

Headache, day 2.  It feels like sinus but I can't seem to get whatever is in there to drain.  Nothing feels easy. 

7.69 miles, 1:05:26, 8:30/mi. 

3 miles on the roads with the rain and winds, then onto some logging roads for my sanity, otherwise I would've only done 4.  Kept my eyes up looking for shed elk antlers but no luck, only plenty of elk scat.

8.33 miles, 1:09:26, 8:20/mi.

Moderate effort trail run.  Windy and rainy today, so fled to the woods.  Pushed the effort a bit throughout and got some good ups and downs in. 

8.12 miles, 1:03:05, 7:46/mi.  

Didn't mean for this to turn into more than an easy run, but felt good to stretch the legs and next thing you know I was cruising. 

16.59 miles, 2:36:45, 9:27/mi.

Explored some new forest roads, discovered a loop route that only required 1/4 mile of bushwhacking, lots of vert (1900+'), plenty tired, time to eat. 

3.13 miles, 26:56, 8:36/mi.

Tired.  Three miles was a struggle so I quit to conserve energy for cutting grass and moving sand. 

9.07 miles, 1:11:39, 7:54/mi.  5 x 1 mile repeats w/ 1/2 mile recovery walk/jog.

Been some time since I've done mile repeats.  Here to report that they still hurt.  2 uphill, 1 rolling, 2 downhill.  (7:22, 7:18, 6:38, 5:57, 6:18).  Faded a bit on the last one, so probably most were in the 6:30-ish range taking terrain into account.  Not exactly speedy but I'll take 'em. 

8.09 miles, 1:01:59, 7:40/mi.

Inadvertent Progression Run.  

4.08 miles, 33:23, 8:12/mi.

Didn't feel like doing very much. 

9.12 miles, 1:08:34, 7:31/mi, w/ 7 moderate effort miles.

The moderate effort miles were "full stride" miles....just enough to get out of the shuffle but not hard enough to really go fast.  Lingering fatigue in the legs forced a couple of brief pauses.  Glad to be done....legs are tired.

6.12 miles, 51:25, 8:25/mi.

Easy run, beautiful afternoon.  Good sleep but the fatigue lingers. 

20.12 miles, 3:12:16, 9:33/mi, 2500' climbing.

A nice run thru the woods.  Mix of roads, trails, and cross country.  First 20 miler of the year.

6.06 miles, 52:27, 8:40/mi.

Short and easy enjoying the sun.  Still feeling pretty beat (and a bit beat up) from yesterday's long run. 

9.07 miles, 1:12:10, 7:57/mi.  20 x 2 minutes on, 1 minute rest.

Starting at about repeat 4, I was going to lengthen the rest the "next repeat".  And I was quitting at 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, awwww, heck, 20.  Now I'm wiped out.

Signed up for Yakima Skyline Ridge 50k.  With 9200' of elevation gain, what's not to like.  Only a couple of weeks to prepare.

10.05 miles, 1:19:59, 7:58/mi. 

Legs pretty tired today.  The last 3 MP miles were really an effort, but gravity and wanting to get below an 8 min/mi average both helped. 

6.01 miles, 49:12, 8:11/mi, 10 Strides.

Nothing special. 

6.1 miles, 52:03, 8:32/mi.

Return after a three day absence.  The nausea seems to have passed, at least for now.  Once again validated that more than 2 days off in a row is not good for my running.....legs sore. 

6.13 miles, 53:41, 8:46/mi.

Many ridiculous things noted today.  First, its crazy that 3 days off would my speed and endurance so badly.  Second, its absolutely crazy that my inner hamstring would get sore suddenly on day 3 of the 3 day break.  Third, the aches and pains post-run today are equivalent to a long hard run, not a short easy run.  WTH?!? 

6.1 dead watch miles.  Still struggling.

8.02 miles, 1:08:08, 8:30/mi. 

Mixed road/trail run.  Still feeling unwarranted fatigue but the legs felt like they were thinking about starting to come around today. 

10.06 miles, 1:12:49, 7:14/mi Steady State run.

This run came out of the blue.  Just hopped on the run and motored.  Body fell into a nice steady rhythm and went, no warmup required.  It got tough the last few miles and the effort jumped the last couple just to hang onto the pace but all it all it felt great.  One brief GI pit-stop at 6 miles.  

Not sure if its related, but just prior to the run, I got two pops (one per side) out of my pelvis by squeezing with my adductors.  Could that have "reset" my pelvis and fixed a malalignment?  Whatever, I'll take it.  And I'll sleep well tonite!

6.14 miles, 49:23, 8:03/mi.

Easy 6 in the rain. 

10.12 miles, 1:29:36, 8:51/mi.

10 very slow miles.  Just plain tired.  A serious mental effort to make it that far. 

6.03 miles, 48:52, 8:07/mi.

10.05 miles, 1:18:16, 7:47/mi, 1-5-5-1 Ladder.  

Kansas City roads suck.  Crazy camber, sidewalks buckling, just rotten.

9.01 miles, 1:13:30, 8:10/mi.

More KC roads.  A bit windy and cool.

6.01 miles, 49:34, 8:15/mi.

Cool, damp, and breezy. 

5.08 miles, 39:30, 7:46/mi, w/ 3 miles @ Marathon/HM effort.

Windy.  Headed home tomorrow. 

4.09 miles, 34:06, 8:21/mi.

Shakeout run. 

Beautiful and brutal.  The day was gorgeous, sunny and in the mid 50s in the afternoon.  A nasty wind developed around noon that put a bit of a damper on things, but by that time my legs were shot and I was in survival mode anyway so what's one more thing?  Four monster climbs and descents and my legs were cooked by descent #2.  Needless to say, I set a personal worst at the 50k distance, but given the difficulty of the course, I really don't mind, and once I can do more than walk again, I'll be reaping the benefits of trashing ones legs.  

5.23 miles, 47:41, 9:07/mi.

Leg soreness faded just enough to allow an easy run today, although if I would've been stuck on pavement the entire way I would've cut things short.  Left quad is definitely the worst, but another day or two and the pains will probably be a memory.  Another 70s and sunny day, so I didn't want to miss it. 

5.07 miles, 44:05, 8:42/mi.

Legs are very tired but you just can't miss running in sunny and 70s in the PNW this time of year....cause you might not see it again until July.

8.08 miles, 1:06:45, 8:16/mi, mostly trails.

Took 2 days off due to some lingering right ankle pain.  Well, it didn't go away so I decided its one of those weird, phantom, residual pain that won't go away until you run it away.  So a nice trail run.  Afterwards, noticed some sharp pain in my upper left quad when I squat.  Sigh. 

9.62 miles, 1:23:54, 8:43/mi

Left quad lateralis is sore. Ran the big hill at the turnaround. 

6.01 miles, 50:34, 8:25/mi.  

Sunny, mid 60s and still spring.  Great weather. 

8.08 miles, 1:02:09, 7:42/mi, w/ 7+ miles Steady State (break to chat with neighbor at mile 3.25).

Warm and humid!  Crazy. 

6.01 miles, 50:52, 8:28/mi.

Mostly trails.  Its officially hot. 

~ 16 trail miles in ~3:40, w/ ~3k climb/descent.

First time on the Elbe hills this season.  Trails are in really good shape, although spring growth is already encroaching in areas.  A couple of new trails in various stages.  Finished with a climb up the Cougar/Husky trail, a real beast of a climb.Tired. 

8.08 miles, 1:05:52, 8:09/mi.

Doesn't really count as much of a run.  Didn't like the feeling I was having in my left hip, so I called it off.

8.01 miles, 1:10:35, 8:49/mi, w/ 1100+' elevation.

Bear run.  Literally.  First time I've ever encountered a bear on a run and it was about 2 miles from my house.  On the plus side, I saw it first, turn around, and departed the area without it seeing me.  Then, likely due to my loud singing, I never saw it again despite having to loop around to the sole exit point.  On the minus side, my bear spray, cell phone and my remaining common sense were at home.  Oops. 

3.12 miles, 26:29, 8:29/mi. 

Hot and hip was bugging, again. 

13.06 miles, 2:46:22, 12:44/mi, 2450' elevation change.

Trail run.  Hot and humid (PNW humid, not Southern US humid).  Dragging the whole time.  Seemed like a lot farther.  Still, trails have never been in better shape, with the sunny warm weather we've been having. 

8.1 miles, 1:04:16, 7:56/mi.

A bit of a progression run.   First few miles were slow then ratcheted up the pace and then the effort.

8.12 miles, 1:04:21, 7:56/mi.

Welcome back rain. 

8.09 miles, 59:44, 7:23/mi.  

More of a workout that I'd anticipated.  Basically, I just kept myself out of my typical shuffle for the first four miles uphill, then kept the effort up downhill, except that the last two miles were harder because I was tired so I pushed a bit more.  Oh, and got socked by a thunderstorm at mile 3.  Drenched, so might as well push the pace, get done quicker, and increase the misery factor all in one fell swoop. 

6.15 miles, 48:52, 7:57/mi.

Stayed out of the shuffle, kept it as easy as possible given that goal.  Not overly taxing. 

22.26 miles, 3:14:06, 8:43/mi.

Ran the logging roads in the Hancock Forest area.  Explored a few new roads that have been expanded since the last time I was in the eastern part of the area.  Followed a muddy mess of an animal trail for a couple of miles at a crawl before bailing on it and returning to the roads.  Overcast and rainy the whole time but a decent time. 

6.13 miles, 51:46, 8:27/mi.

A wet jog with my tired body. 

10.10 miles, 1:17:02, 7:38/mi.  1-5-5-1 Ladder, equal rests, 1 min increments.

Considering I've been dealing with a headache for 30+ hours, the run went well.  For a while, I put myself into enough running pain to make the head pain fade into the background. 

3.00 miles, 26:07, 8:42/mi.

Difficulty sleeping last night left me tired, nay, exhausted today.  You'd think that 7+ hours of sleep would be refreshing, right?  Not only was I groggy and fuzzy-brained all day long, when run time came, it just was not happening.  Packed it in. 

10.10 miles, 1:13:52, 7:19/mi.  Steady State run.

No warm-up, just went.  Had to shove myself out the door just to start and the hips and legs felt awkward for a few miles but once things got going the endorphins hit and finished with a smile.

7.2 miles, 1:00:00, 8:19/mi.

Legs were tired; wasn't sure I'd make it past 3.  Felt ok enough to do 7 but that was the limit. 

22.12 miles, 3:30:07, 9:30/mi.  9 miles road, 8 miles forest road, 5+ miles trails.

Started off feeling fatigued today.  The climb to the trails wasn't too bad.  A storm had hit the trails since the last time I ran them a few weeks ago, so I stopped frequently to clear limbs and debris to make them passable...those miles were definitely slow.  The return trip was tough, even though downhill as what little energy I had was gone.  

8.11 miles, 1:06:46, 8:14/mi, w/ 12 Strides.

Another 3 missed days.  Yardwork + visitor + work-work == zero free time.  

On another note, would Altra and Hoka One One please make a shoe together with the Altra zero drop and last and the Hoka cushioning?  I'm almost ready to cobble one together myself. 

8.09 miles, 1:04:04, 7:55/mi.

Left hip was bugging for a while from the 3 day break and yesterday's return, but not bad enough to stop and things got better. 

8.06 miles, 1:07:01, 8:19/mi.

Not really feeling it, but tomorrow is going to probably be a trail work day, so conversely no running, so I needed to get this one in.  Oh, and it was sunny. 

10.62 miles, 1:22:11, 7:44/mi.  1-5-5-1 Ladder, equal rests, 1 minute increments.

Sunny and warmer today.  Sweat-fest.  A bit slower overall average pace from last time; but that's because I went about .5 further, .25 of that on not-insignificant uphill, plus the warmth.  Whatever.  I'm burnt. 

6.62 miles, 55:41, 8:25/mi, trails.

Tired, dehydrated, a bit stressed, and hot.  Not a speedy run. 

8.15 miles, 1:05:56, 8:06/mi.

Warm out again today.  That means mid 70s and sunny.  Draining. 

10.08 miles, 1:16:17, 7:34/mi, Progression run.

Worst hip tightness in quite a while, so it took a bit to get into a groove and even then it was a bit awkward.  Nonetheless, I was moving faster than normal, breathing heavier than normal, sweating way more than normal, so I must've been getting in a good workout, right?

8.11 miles, 1:06:09, 8:10/mi.

One of those rare days when a planned 6 miles turned into 8.  Ok, they were absolutely slow, easy, and as flat as possible around here, but nonetheless, more than planned.   

~12.5 miles, ~4 hours. 

Took Brandon on an introductory trail run in the Elbe hills.  We wound up hiking quite a bit of it but did some running here and there.  A nice day in the woods. Inadvertently stopped my Garmin for a bit, so the mileage and time are educated guesstimates.

8.07 miles, 1:06:04, 8:12/mi.

6.13 miles, 49:24, 8:04/mi.

Stressful day.  Could only manage 6.  Hip was really bugging me again today. 

8.16 miles, 1:07:37, 8:17/mi.

Another run where just getting out there is a struggle and I'm always going to stop after 1 more mile.  But I got 8 in, so there. 

8.06 miles, 1:05:05, 8:05/mi.

Hey, I finally didn't miss Monday!  Now if I'd only gotten a chance to run on Sat/Sun.... 

8.1 miles, 1:04:04, 7:54/mi.

Beat the rain by pushing the downhill return.

8.17 miles, 1:06:07, 8:05/mi.

Left hip was pretty tight for the first few miles, then just mostly tight for the rest of the run. 

8.12 miles, 1:00:52, 7:30/mi.  Progression run.

Rainy.  Had to make a brief pit stop at mile 5 but otherwise uneventful. 

6.68 miles, 56:22, 8:27/mi.

Tired and it showed. 

6.14 miles, 50:50, 8:17.

Another weekend without running.  Just too busy.  Hip was very tight today. 

10.56 miles, 1:20:55, 7:39/mi.  1-5-5-1 Ladder Workout.

Better than expected.  Rainy. 

6.04 miles, 49:33, 8:12/mi.

Nice easy run after a loooooong day. 

6.16 miles, 50:23, 8:10/mi.

Later afternoon run, 85F, full sun after a day spent unloading 4 yards of topsoil from the back of the pickup truck into wheelbarrow loads for spreading.  Yes, I was a bit tired.  But 4 days off in a row is ridiculous. 

8.09 miles, 1:08:10, 8:26/mi.

87F and sunny at the start.  No hard workout today, merely a hot weather survival trudge.  At least I'm acclimating earlier this year.

Just shy of 1035 miles for the first half of 2013.  Wish I'd done better, but still much better than 2012 by this point. 

10.7 miles, 1:25:19, 7:59/mi.  Fartlek workout.  Ran the uphills on the outbound half, recovered during the flats.  Ran the downhills during the return half, recovered the flats.  Similar to my 1-5-5-1 ladder workouts but shorter intervals, less recovery and more repeats made up the differences.  Plus the heat still in the 80s and this workout was a bit of a beast.

Loving the Bondi 2s....a tad firmer but it feels like I'm a lot closer to the ground and with a better (for me) forefoot width.  Thank you Hoka, I think you've made the magical Hoka/Altra shoe (except for the zero drop, but I think I can live without that).

#1 on the CCC100 wait list and someone just posted that they're planning on dropping.....yikes. 

6.16 miles, 52:42, 8:34/mi.

Hardly more than a jog, but at this point consistency and mileage are more important than speed on easy days.  Wait, isn't that always supposed to be true? 

14.21 miles, 1:49:38, 7:43/mi Progression Run.

First mid-week longish run in a looong time.  It was glorious.  Cool(ish) temps, decent legs, pushed the pace on the return downhills and finished the last 6+ miles under a 7/min pace.  Wish I could do this more often.

16.01 miles, 3:43:25, 13:57/mi, 3700+' climbing.

Long trail run.  Upper Memorial trail head to Memorial to Memorial West to Upper Elkspur down to lower Diamonds intersection back up to Upper Elkspur over to Cougar/Husky down to Lower Elkspur over to Buck Crossing up to Upper Elkspur to Anvil Loop (east intersection) to John R to Snoey to Memorial East to Memorial and back to the trail head.

Became the hunted again.  Three soldiers from JBLM out shooting their guns.  Unfortunately, they were shooting at some orange diamonds they thought were left by hunters.  When I explained that those were trail markers and that I had been running on that trail when they were shooting, they were very apologetic.  I don't think I was very polite with them at first, but I gave them my trail map and sent them off to a safer shooting location so I'd say I handled that quite well. 

8.1 miles, 1:06:17, 8:11/mi.

Despite book-ending Saturday's run with two "off" days, my legs felt pretty beat up today and the quads were sore.  Guess the pounding they took at Yakima Skyline 50k a couple of months ago wore off.  That and the "gardening" yesterday, which wound up involving breaking up some concrete and chipping away at an old underground tree stump took their own unique toll.

12.16 miles, 1:39:45, 8:12/mi.

Pretty warm today.  Legs still tired and a bit sore so this was a real trudge. 

6.18 miles, 51:08, 8:17/mi.

YASR (Yet Another Slog Run) aka YATR (Yet Another Trudge Run).  Body is still tired. 

6.01 miles, 49:08, 8:11/mi

Legs still fatigued.  Another easy one. 

30.72 miles, 5:53:58, 11:31/mi, 6800' elevation

 Race report later.  A nice day, about 11 minutes slower than two years ago when I last ran this race.  Didn't have a climbing gear, or perhaps just didn't have the fitness because despite the climbs and descents, i'm walking pretty normally now.  Of course, a couple of those minutes were picture breaks since it was such a nice day.  

6.14 miles, 53:53, 8:47/mi.

Post race shakeout.  Actually went pretty well.  Left quad & ITB are fairly sore but everything else feels pretty good.  Hope to be fully recovered within a couple of days. 

9.13 miles, 1:10:39, 7:45/mi, w/ 6 Tempo/Fartlek miles

What are Tempo/Fartlek miles?  When your legs want to run a tempo but your body is still recovering from the 50k you just ran 2 days ago and needs a brief (5-10 sec) break every so often (once after the first 3 miles, then the next two miles.  Here's to hoping they're just as good as tempo miles.  

8.13 miles, 1:04:49, 7:59/mi.  

10 Strides and a dash to the finish.  Otherwise, easy.  Cooler but humid.

4.17 miles, 35:01, 8:24/mi.

Feeling pretty off today.  Packed it in after 4. 

10.26 mi, 1:29:29, 8:43/mi.

Mostly trails today.  Finally feeling better.  Found some nice groomed trails but not knowing who they belonged to, bailed on them.  Will have to find out who the owner is. 

6.57 miles, 54:36, 8:19/mi, 850' climbs/descents.

Hills and a fast mile finish. 

6.63 miles, 56:16, 8:29/mi.

A slog in the heat.  At least a few miles were on some trails with some climbs. 

6.08 miles, 51:31, 8:28/mi.

Another warm day, another slog.  Going to get some extra sleep tonight and probably skip a short run tomorrow to rest up for Saturday. 

Finally got the DNF monkey off my back for this race, but not without some difficulty.  Managed to roll my ankle twice (although thankfully not bad enough to put me out like in 2011) and suffered thru stomach cramps and nausea again (like in 2012).  A full 27 minutes behind my 2010 time in comparable weather, but a finish is a finish and *not* a DNF so I'll take it.  I'll put together a more detailed report shortly.

And now its shortly.  So a bit of a mixed bag for this race.  My main goal was to finish after DNFing twice the past two years (still the only race I've ever DNFed in) and I told my wife that I was coming across the finish line even if I had to crawl.  My main concerns were falls (5 times the first year), rolled ankles (DNF #1), and stomach/GI issues (DNF #2 and ongoing).  Thankfully, no crawling was required.  There were some challenges to be dealt with though.

Nice cool morning, started several minutes late because the port-a-potty line was long.  Once underway I enjoyed the cool morning around the airstrip and then into the woods.  The first few miles are really nice.  Gently rolling but slightly downhill single-track.  I even missed the bees/yellow jackets that struck a couple of runners, including one right in front of me.  Bonus.  I did get to hear him tell the next 80 spectators about the fact that he was stung, which did get a tad old.  Then again, I'd probably be complaining too.  Oh, and in there, coming down a trail junction, I rolled my left ankle ever so slightly, just about 2 miles in.  Yikes.

Once the climbing, got underway, I settled into a decent gear and checked out my climbing legs.  Not too bad at the start.  Of course, the narrow trail and switchbacks had us all stacked up behind a runner who decided it was ok to keep about 30+ folks stacked up behind her.  Normally I wouldn't bother remarking about it; however, people were passing at the limited pass points in groups of 2 or 3.  When my turn came, I announced and it happened to be at a switchback reverse, so I hopped up the inside corner (followed by at least 2 others), to which she called something about cutting course.  Now I truly hope she was kidding, but it really bugged me at the time and I nearly turned around and had words about stepping aside and letting those that want to burn themselves out on the climb pass.  But I didn't and just let it go (I am clearly over it completely).

Things went pretty smoothly until I got near Corral Pass, where I started getting some mild nausea and cramps, and at mile 15 really rolled my left ankle.  Not sure why, but after a few steps it really wasn't a factor, but it really put a scare in me.  The roots and rocks were out in force this year...I saw no less than 6 people fall during the first 20 miles and countless stumble (including yours truly multiple times).  But backing off the pace and making a pit stop kept the nausea and cramps at bay for the most part and heralded a nice return trip back to Corral Pass and Buck Creek.  My split at the halfway mark was probably within about 5-10 minutes of my 2010 time.

The 2nd half climb was mostly a hike...again.  The trail was dusty, sandy, and almost always up with plenty of sun.  The nausea was keeping me from taking in the calories except at the aid stations as the stomach wasn't fond of sweets by this time.  I felt some blisters on my right foot that I decided not to stop and try to prevent and my two smaller toes on that foot kept getting jammed into the front of my shoe, something new.  Mental demons abounded during the second half and I was truly glad there were no taxi stands around.  Finally hit the summit aid, cooled down with some water on my head, ate some calories, and started the long gravel road descent.  

Cars, trucks, and vans this year, kicking up dust everywhere.  That and another GI pit stop added about 12 minutes from my 2010 split and I was already behind that clock by about 8 minutes, so I was a good 20 minutes off my 2010 split by now.  The last section, a mostly gentle rolling uphill stretch that was decently technical, ate the remainder of the clock.  I really didn't think I could've hobbled thru it slower than last time, but I proved myself wrong.  I was out of gas, even after refueling well at the aid, I just didn't have it in me.  Got passed by several people on this stretch, and only towards the end when I heard a runner making breathing noises approaching a charging rhino in volume did I finally spur myself to exit the trail and hop on the short gravel road stretch to the finish.

Aid Station splits:

• Camp Shepard: 31:08
• Ranger Creek:  1:34:04
• Corral Pass: 59:58
• Ranger Creek: 1:02:30
• Buck Creek: 49:16
• Fawn Ridge: 1:10:05
• Sun Top: 1:22:51
• Skookum Flats: 58:28
• Finish: 1:21:58

So, the Good:  No DNF, first 50 miler completed since 2010 White River.

The Meh:  GI troubles (change of meds a month ago doesn't seem to be going so well), rolling ankles, and a generally mediocre fitness level all conspired to make this an ok race, not a great one.

But, the most important thing for this particular race was putting the DNFs in the rear-view mirror, so objective accomplished.  Cascade Crest 100 in 4 weeks.

5.12 miles, 44:05, 8:37/mi.

Not bad for a first post-50 miler run. 

6.01 miles, 50:42, 8:27/mi.

Wishing I had my tempur-pedic shoes on for this one... 

10.27 miles, 1:35:32, 9:18/mi.

Some hills and forest roads.  Not feeling great.  Cool but very humid.  Did some shorter faster spurts both on flats and hills, just to mix things up.  Bailed after 10. 

8.01 miles, 1:11:32, 8:56/mi, 1200' climbing.

The heat has returned.  Battling some nausea before the run but as soon as the run started, it went away and things turned out pretty well.  Going to hit this hill loop a bunch over the next week or so. 

8.04 miles in 1:10:24, 8:46/mi.  Hill loop x 2, 10 uphill repeats (60-90 sec), 2 downhill repeats (180 sec).

Hot and tired from an early meeting. 

8.1 miles, 1:08:11, 8:25/mi.

I'm either struggling because its hot (PNW hot, not eastern seaboard hot) or I'm just not in very good shape.  I sure hope its the former. 

8.05 miles, 1:07:44, 8:25/mi, w/ 10 Strides.

Hotter today but I actually felt better during the run.  Feet are still spoiled by the Hokas though.....these Torins make me feel like I'm running barefoot on asphalt. 

3.14 miles, 28:26, 9:03/mi.

Pi run, completely unintentional.  Meant to be 8 with some hill work but just didn't have the energy. 

10.05 miles, 1:22:22, 8:12/mi, 1500+' elevation.  

Moderate effort hill loop run, pushed from yesterday.  3 loops ~400+/- per 2 mile loop, with a leading hill and a trailing down.  Area just got closed today due to fire hazard.....oops.  Promise I didn't start any.  Started pushing the effort after a 1 mile warmup.  Probably could've pushed a bit harder but wanted to keep the loops pretty even timewise and still faded a bit on the last uphill.   

8.03 miles, 1:16:14, 9:30/mi, w/ 10 x 90 sec hill repeats + 2 bonus downhill repeats.

A decent mid-season workout.  Not so much for 2 weeks pre-race.  Oh well. 

8.01 miles, 1:09:09, 8:38/mi

Bear run.  Small black bear within 1/4 mile of the last bear sighting a couple of months ago.  Two bears this year, none the previous 12.  

Left hamstring still sore but better and didn't bother me much this run. 

8.09 miles, 1:01:14, 7:34/mi.

Felt good today.  Overcast and rainy, first for quite a while.  Started stretching the legs 1/2 mile in and kept a good steady effort for the remainder of the run.   

12.17 miles, 1:45:56, 8:42/mi.

Easy miles.  Didn't feel so hot....too much coffee. 

8.13 miles, 1:08:16, 8:24/mi.

Legs loosened up about 5 miles in and felt pretty good after that. 

6.04 miles, 50:30, 8:22/mi.

One loop on the hill route. 

5.12 miles, 49:30, 7:45/mi.

Legs weren't really loosened up until the end, but plenty of (nervous) energy. 

4.11 miles, 35:08, 8:33/mi

A quick shakeout run and a trial of new shoes.  Yes, I'm wearing new shoes in CCC 100 tomorrow.  And that's not the only dumb thing I'm trying.  But the new shoe trick worked last year, so why not?

Legs feeling pretty good.  Nervous as heck.  Its really past time to pack the drop bags.... 

DNF.  Short version: Ok day for 30-ish miles, then the stomach slowly started turning and my calorie intake dwindled.  By the mid-way aid station (Hyak), I wasn't able to stomach anything.  Instead of sticking around and trying to fix the nutrition situation, I headed out on a long road climb to Keechelus Ridge Aid Station (~ 8 miles), bonked badly, and arrived at the aid station ready to drop.  75 minutes in the aid station chair wrapped in blankets sipping chicken broth and the nausea receeded but by then the body started stiffening up.  Because the aid station wasn't "drop friendly", I made one final go of it on a downhill 7.5 mile stretch to Lake Kachees.  Fast walking was ok but any jog induced painful stomach cramps.  Mentally gone, knowing that Lake Kachese was the last friendly drop aid station on the course, and facing a portion of the course that was pretty brutal, I dropped.  

Not terribly happy about the way things turned out but it is what it is.  I have *got* to figure out this whole running-nausea issue.....I wasn't able to really eat anything substantial until late Sunday, nearly 15 hours after dropping.  Having said that, I really enjoyed portions of the race, got to meet some new runners, chatted with a couple for several miles and throughly enjoyed quite a bit of my time on the course.  I'll definitely be back.

5.12 miles, 41:51, 8:10/mi.

First run back after DNF at CCC100.  Felt pretty decent, although the left hip was hurting a bit the whole way.  

6.17 miles, 51:46, 8:23/mi.

Run in KC after flying in.  Hot (somewhere in the upper 80s).  Did ok the first few miles but fell apart around mile 4 and limped thru 2 more.

6.13 miles, 47:18, 7:43/mi.

Wow, much better than anticipated.  Left hip hurt a bit the whole way but legs wanted to go.  Started fading a bit towards the end but worked out the stress of the day.

5.13 miles, 40:11, 7:50/mi

10.17 trail miles, 1:57:09, 11:31/mi, 1800' climb/descents.

Elbe hills trail run.