my makeup may be flaking

Return to the winter grand prix after a 10 year absence.

A tooooooooon of high schoolers were there, but most of the open runners were tuning up for club nationals next weekend so I was one of the few people up front over the age of 20. Race started fast and I was in a bit of oxygen debt but felt comfortable. Was in  about 10th at the first turn, but moved up to 3rd about .75 in.

Nick Dejarlais (who is not in HS, but a freshman in college) took 3rd back from me, but we had both lost a ton of ground to the leaders. At the mile the leaders were 5:06/7, Nick was 5:12 and I was 5:15.

Couldn't make up any ground on the second lap, but held of what sounded like a ton of HSers coming from behind. 5:15 for the second mile also. A great result for me, equivalent to 16:52 5k, 4:53 mile. I love this distance and I wish there were more races.

Ballard Lock/Lake Union

AM 2.9

PM Ran to Roosevelt highschool to run with the CNW tuesday night track workout. It was somewhat colder this week so I thought it might be wise to move my track workout from the morning to the evening.

Added bonus was that I got to run a track workout on an all-weather track instead of the dirt at greenlake and it made a huge difference.

Workout was 8x400m with 90-120seconds rest (I usually took about 100seconds).

The elite guys were there too and they always start with a "warmup quarter" so I jumped in with them and made that one my first rep. At the 200m mark I turned on the jets and suprised myself with a 71-72 for the first rep, given that all the other guys ran around a 76 I probably split something like a 33-34 for the second 200.

After that the workout started properly and it turned out that Mary Kate Anselmini (former Stanford runner with very similar PRs to me) was also there and doing the same workout, while most of the elits were doing a 20minute tempo (on the track). So we had some run sprinting past all of the fastest runners in the state together. We usually started out together running side by side until she would fall back a little in the last 150 except for the second to last one (for me) which was her last and she dusted me.

The splits were 71.0, 71.1, 71.3, 71.2, 71.7, 71.1, 70.2 for the remaining 7 which is just...I don't know, kind of a crazy workout. I felt in control the whole time. And in fact in the middle ones I told myself it was ok to back off the effort a little and I only slowed down by like half a second.

Before the last one I mentioned that I haven't run a sub 70 quarter in a workout since 2010 and the coaches told me not to force it and just think about form. I pushed a little hard and ended up with a 70.2.

AM 8.6 7 mile aerobic builder at 6:13 pace. It was kind of cold and I was pretty sore from tuesday night track workout so the overall pace wasn't great. The effort was there though and I still had a nice progression. 

12.5 miles with 8 TAIGA hills. 

3:11.9, 2:17, 3:09.0, 2:13, 3:09.9, 2:28, 3:07.7, 2:26, 3:08.2, 2:32, 3:08.1, 2:30, 3:06.7, 2:32, 3:05.3

Avg=3:08.4

Nov6 Avg=3:12.3

Ravenna/Burke-Gilman/UW/Montlake/Interlaken/Gasworks

PM 3 by 1600 at Roosevelt high school with one lap jogging recovery: 5:21, 5:24, 5:21

AM Another not very good ship canal trail workout: 4.34 miles in 26:01 (6:00 per mile). It's not terrible but still about 17 seconds per mile slower than last time I attempted this. However, these workouts have been highly variable this year so I'm not going to read anything into it.

Started out right on pace but started to slow at about the 10 minute mark. Sore neck shoulders=low BP? Legs also felt like they lacked power.

Splits: 8:49 (5:53 pace), 9:03 (6:02 pace), 8:09 (6:06 pace)

Cross country this time, with a big hill that we have to run-up twice. Most people are about 15-20 seconds slower than the road 2-mile. I was 30 seconds slower.

Part of it was being a little bit more tired this week as I've increased my mileage again, but I also didn't get out hard enough. I was probably in about 60th-70th place at 200m and then had to fight my way past people. I will get another shot at this race in a few weeks.

Split 5:41 at the mile in 20th-30th place.

Afterwards ran home 7.5 miles on the Burke-Gilman and I could feel how tired my legs were.

Ballard lock loop at about 7flat pace. Had shoulder and neck pain pretty much the whole run. Even started getting pain shooting down to the back of my hands about 12 miles in. I don't know if this is due to lack of salt or what. Weather was fine.

AM ship canal trail 7 miles in 42:40 (6:05 pace, 7.02 miles)

Splits of 8:12 (6:07), 7:57 (5:56), 8:58 (5:59), 9:19 (6:13), 8:14 (6:09)

Segments 1,4,5 had a headwind while 2,3 had a tail wind.

Felt neck, ear, shoulder pain (hydration issues again). Quads also felt a little fatigued.

AM 4.6

PM 12.7 w/ 4 mile tempo run in 22:44: 5:47, 5:42, 5:45, 5:29.

Did the warmup quarter in 73, I did not win this time.

The workout called for me to start at 6:00 pace and speed up ten seconds every mile. I went out too fast trying to stick with Lance Thompson. I fell off pace in the 3rd mile and left something in reserve so that I would be able to close hard the final mile.

Afterwards did 6 by 150m strides. Speed is gradually improving.

AM 9 niles to work. Last two days have been better blood pressure wise. Real test will be tomorrow at the morning workout.

AM 16 including 8 miles tempo with CNW.

There's a big drop-off in turnout to club workouts after club xc it seems.

The workout for group 1/1a was 7 miles at 5:50 to 6 flat follow by 1 mile at 5:30. Although, I know that's a workout I can do I was worried that 1) The fast guys would all decide to run faster because they definitely can and 2)My recent tempo runs haven't been as good recently. Therefore I decided to drop down to the 2/2a workout which was 6:12-6:15 followed by 5:50.

The thing is everyone else in my group decided to do 6 tempo and 1 hard. This ended up working out perfectly for me as I did 6+1+1. It ended up being a progression run going from 6:20 to 6:10 the first 6. Then I ran a 5:35 with the group as they all finished, but I kept rolling. I then ran a 5:37 by myself with a 180degree turn, which everyone assured me was really more like a 5:34 without the turn around. Ended up being 49:04 for 8.1 (6:03 pace). Didn't feel very hard.

Loop of mercer island in 1:23:46. (6:23 pace/6:08 adjusted). Legs felt a little tired, but breathing was easy.

At midnight I drove to downtown seattle to run with some college friends on the empty streets.

A few hours later I did my annual time 5k time trial at middle school track. This time trail never seems to be very fast. I think the track may be too soft. Conditions were fine this year, a little cold but I still ran in shorts.

KM Splits 3:34, 3:38, 3:40, 3:37, 3:32=18:01

1600 splits 5:44, 11:36, 17:21, 39

Last year:17:52, 2016:17:54

On the murdock canal trail in pleasant grove. Including 4.54 miles in 28:06 (6:11 pace). First half 14:17 (6:18), second half 13:49 (6:05).