It ain't Chinese algebra!

11 miles around Albetson's and then west to the RCC.  I found a trail behind the campus that I ran for a while but it ended pretty quickly which was a disappointment.  I felt pretty good for a Monday.

PM: 1 mile.  Yep, 1 mile.  I went to the school and Andrea ran 1 mile while Ryan and I hung out on the swings, then it was my turn to run.  Just one mile and then we were ready for dinner so we left.  Hardly worth blogging but I did anyway. :)

AM: 9 miles.  I ran south on Highway 238 past the golf course to the trail system.  Now that the rain is slowing down I'm going to try and run these trails every so often.

PM: 6 miles in Coos Bay.  I had wanted to run to the high school and run some repeats on the track.  When I got there a track meet was in progress.  I watched the girls and boys 800m; boys winner ran a 2:02--VERY impressive due to the 29 MPH winds that were blowing (according to weather.com).  I finished off my run and then filled my stomach with sushi for dinner.

7 miles in Coos Bay.  My phone' battery died last night = no alarm = slept in = less time to run.  Very frustrating.  Maybe I should start using the front desk wake-up call as a backup.  Only time for 7 miles around Coos Bay and North Bend.

No time for a run today.  I was up at 4:30 and driving to Eugene by 5.  Long day of meetings and then not home until 7.  We walked to the park and around the neighborhood in order to do something other than sit all day.  I jogged a little here and a little there...

Wow, what a morning.  After getting up at 4:30 on Thursday and 5:00 on Friday, I slept in until 6:30 before starting my run this morning.  I ran a similar route to last weekend (behind the HS) so I could get worked over by some hills again.  After a 6 mile warm up to Fred Meyer (which made for a great bathroom/drink stop), I picked up the pace.  Last week I really pushed it and hit a 12 mile tempo with each mile sub-6.  Today I was planning in running a few miles longer and I didn't feel like being as aggressive which was fine.

I ran behind the HS and up Beacon St to Hillcrest, then under the freeway to 10th St and back down the same elevation.  The second climb was on 7th St to the I-5 on-ramp, then back down again on 6th St.  The third climb (the final and longest) was up Washington St to the frontage rd before my final descent on Highland St.  That brought me back through town, across the river and around Albertsons and finally....home!  Solid run with 3 great climbs.  I had planned on only running 21 but there was a lot of traffic around Albertsons and so I kept going rather than stop at the light.  I kept the pace between 6:05-6:15 for most of the 13 mile tempo although a couple miles were faster; 5:50, 5:48 and 5:12 for the final push.

I was pretty beat by the time I stopped.  The only drink I had was at 6 miles although I had carried some Cliff Shot Bloks which I ate at three points during the run.  Average pace was 6:22 for the entire run.

AM: 9 miles in GP.  I found two quarters and a dime.  Pretty good haul if you ask me...

PM: 6 miles in Eugene.  Couple miles to campus, couple miles on the track, couple miles back.  I still think it's pretty cool that such a world famous track is open to anyone who wants to run there.

Had dinner at Track Town Pizza.  Not sure what has taken me so long to eat there  The food was good and the atmosphere was even better.  There where a TON of pictures on the wall which are signed by countless olympians.  A few other sports were represented but it was 95% track and field athletes.

AM: 9 miles along the river.

PM: 7 miles in Eugene.  FINALLY a great day of weather in this city to make the running all the more enjoyable.  There were people everywhere out getting exercise.  This city comes alive in the late spring and summer.  Oh yeah, and while I was running on campus I saw University of Oregon running back/sprinter LaMichael James working out at the track along with Kenyon Barner.  James in pretty small.  Not sure how he'll make it in the NFL.

AM: 11 miles in Eugene.  I ventured out and ran a new course; south through the hills and eventually to the start of the Butte to Butte 10k that I ran in 2008.  I've been wondering where that was and have been surprised that I haven't found it until now.

PM: Just 4 miles in the rain while breaking in a new pair of shoes; Mizuno Ronin.  I've never worn Mizunos before but they seem like they'll do just fine.

Not cool.  Work keeps getting in the way of my running. ;)

Only had time for a little jaunt with the family after getting home tonight. 

11 miles around GP.  I'm on a good streak for finding money this week.  Today I founds one quarter and two dimes.  That makes for over one dollar in the past few days and with it I can buy....1/4 tank of gas.  Sweet.

15 miles on the Cathedral Trail.  It was pretty sweet.  I busted out a new pair of trail shoes (my first) and wanted to see how they felt.  I ran a combination of loops; basically three out and backs with water stops between them each.  I felt great and thoroughly enjoyed being alone on the trails for nearly 2 hours.  It's hard to get into a rhythm on the ever-changing terrain but the trade off is well worth it.  I enjoyed it enough that I'm going to try and jump in the trail marathon in two weeks in Eugene.  Hopefully there are slots still available.

Finished the morning with 1 mile barefoot at the HS.  Fun morning! 

10 miles around the hospital and middle school.  My legs were pretty sore from Saturday's run but I managed to survive.

PM: 6 miles on Cathedral after work.  I've got to put some time in up here before next weekend or it will be a disaster.  Actually, it may be a disaster anyway... ;)

11 miles in the cold rain.  I ran across town, used the Wal Mart bathroom and then made my way back.  The last 4 miles I had to run shirtless to keep my nipples happy, otherwise I would have been in a world of hurt the rest of the day.

AM: 11 miles with some track repeats in the middle.  About 5 miles to the track, then I ran 4x600 with a 200m jog between each. Ran 1:52, 1:51, 1:49, and 1:51.  I then jogged one lap and finished off the track portion with a 400 (66) before running home.  It felt good to get the legs moving again--it's been a while.

PM: 10 miles on my standard Coos Bay-North Bend route.  I ventured off course a bit around mile 4 and ran around the local community college only to discover one of the nicest tracks I've ever seen.  It's no Hayward field, but it might be a close second.  What this little town/school is doing with such a nice track is beyond me...

Back to the run; I was dragging towards the end.  The last two miles were a bit of a death march.  I don't think I drank/ate enough today and I paid for it as a result.  Not enjoyable.  Oh yeah, and for some reason I had Garth Brooks "Friends in Low Places" stuck in my head which made the experience all the more miserable. Where did that come from??

10 miles in Coos Bay.  Pretty tired this morning.

6 miles this morning.  I'm ready for the weekend and a chance to catch up on some sleep.

So I may have bitten off more than I can chew with regards to next Saturday's marathon...  I'm in pretty good shape at the moment but I'm coming to realize that trail running is a whole different beast.  Similar to last Saturday, I ran 16 miles on the Cathedral Trails and then 1 mile barefoot for a cool down.  I was pretty tired around mile 10 and more tired around mile 13 but kept going to get the miles in.  I'm now exhausted.  This is my highest mileage week in 8+ months (but not by much) so perhaps that plays into things.  I'll just have to slow the pace WAY down next week and hope to survive.

10 miles on Pre's Trail in Eugene.  Runners and bikers were out in full effect tonight.  I'm guessing I saw over 100 people on the trail--no joke.  It was packed.  Which is pretty cool actually.  I can only imagine how insane it's going to be Wed-Sat with the NCAA West Regional taking place.  Should be fun.

11 miles around Eugene.  I looped around in one big circle and eventually made it to the U of O campus.  They are all set up for the track meet and as such, the track was closed to the public.  My right leg was tight all run.  Not pleasant.

10 miles in the rain.  Had to ditch the shirt one again to prevent chaffing/bleeding. Not fun.

8 miles around the hotel in Springfield.  Lots of excitement in the air for the athletes who will be running this weekend.  Staying at our hotel are runners from University of Northern Iowa, Minnesota, Stephan F. Austin, University of San Fransisco, UNLV as well as others, I'm sure.

3 miles for a mini-taper.  Hopefully tomorrow isn't a horrible experience. ;)

Pretty interesting morning.  But a lot of fun.  The course was beautiful and the two guys I ran with for the majority of the race made it all the more enjoyable.  Typical of Oregon this time of year, we dealt with rain off and on throughout but the course held up fine and there were only a few sloppy sections.  Also typical of trail races (so I hear) was the unclear course markings that made for a 24"ish" mile race.  I'm still not clear on how far I actually ran.  I'm pretty sure it was less than the required distance but I'd rather that than 29 or 30 miles.

I was in second, about 30 seconds behind the leader, when both of us found ourselves off course and turned around (maybe 5 miles into the race).  As we attempted to find the course, the 3rd place runner caught up and the three of us ran together to the turn around point (13 miles) and then the next 3 miles or so.  Due to the course confusion at mile 5, the run quickly changed from a "race" feel to simply a training run (which was fine with me).  If one of us needed a bathroom break, the other two waited.  My family was along the course at a couple points and the other two guys waited as I stopped to give my son a hug and wife a kiss.  About 17 miles into the race Chuck Engle (the eventual winner) took off, not content to have a three-way tie at the finish-line.

More course confusion around mile 20 (Chuck thought we had to run another loop section, the second runner said we'd already run it, I didn't have a clue as the course was blending into mush in my mind.  I mean, seriously, how can you tell one section different from another after 26 miles of singletrack and thick forest on both sides of the trail?).

In the end though, I think Chuck was right so that's why I'm guessing I only ran 24 miles or so.  Maybe 23?  Perhaps 25?  It's all good.  I just wanted to have fun and enjoy myself.  I doubt I'll convert to a trail runner (too many variables can mess up a race) but I did LOVE the beauty, killer hills, stream crossings, soft footing, low entry price, laid back mentality of most participants.  Good stuff!

12 miles.  I ran 7 miles to the HS, 2 miles barefoot on the football field and then 3 miles home.  Absolutely zero soreness from Saturday's marathon.  None whatsoever.  How awesome is that.  Maybe I will convert to trail marathons if that is the typical result?!!  After road marathon's I feel like I've been hit by a truck, it's a chore to walk for 3-4 days, and running is out of the question for a week.  I felt fine yesterday and even better today.  I'll take it!

12 miles in the rain.  Pouring rain.  I'm SO ready for for the rain to stop.  Is that too much to ask for?  Weather.com shows no end in sight.  Blah.