It ain't Chinese algebra!

Tigard HS loop

Cumulus (335) 

Tigard HS loop, counter-clockwise.  It rained the entire time and I was dripping wet when I finished.  I'm pretty sick of this weather.  Shouldn't summer be here by now?

Lunar (275) 

AM: 6 miles this morning around Ryans loop. Hopefully more tonight at the track.

Tigard HS loop....again.

Cumulus (345)  

A fantastic 20 miles this morning.  Starting out, my legs were sluggish and I wasn't sure how I was going to make it through this workout but after a couple miles I seemed to feel better.  I ran into Lake Oswego and back towards the temple, stopping at a hotel for a bathroom and water at 5 miles.

After crossing I-5, I continued North on 68th (?) to Highway 99 and then ran 99 from Tigard to Sherwood.  I ate some sport beans at mile 9 and took water at 11 while running on the highway.  I hit the first 13 miles in 1:27:45 (6:45/mile) and then I started the tempo portion of the run.  It was a couple more miles on the highway before taking a left and returning to Tualatin and the route was flat the first couple miles, rolling the next 3 and flat the last mile.  I was VERY happy to run this section in 34:46 (5:48/mile).  I'm certain the water/sport beans helped, especially as the temperature was increasing on what seemed like the first sunny day of 2010.

Final mile in 8:45 as I shuffled home to drink, eat, and rest.  It feels good to finally get a 20-miler under my belt after a long layoff. 

Lunar (295)

AM: 10 miles on the Tigard HS loop.  Easy.

Cumulus (355) 

PM: 6 miles in Pendleton.  I ran from the hotel to the college only to find out they didn't have a track.  Next I ran to the HS and jumped on their track for a couple miles and then back to the hotel.  It's so much hotter here compared to Portland.

Boston (424)

About a week ago I signed up to run the 5000m at the Portland Track Festival this weekend.  In years past they've had two heats with the elites (low 13's to mid 14's) on Friday night and then the rest on Saturday night.  Today they released the heat list and with only 19 people signed up for the 5K, there is only 1 heat.

That sucks.  A lot.  I have no problem finishing with one of the worst times.  In fact I was planning on it.  I'd love to hit somewhere around 15:30 but that's still a full 2+ minutes behind the lead pack of runners.  I'm guessing I'll get lapped just after the 2 mile mark.  Yuck.  Anyway, out of the 19 runners, I have the 3rd slowest time.  Hopefully the 2 behind me still show up. :)

AM: 15 miles in Pendleton.  I've enjoyed running on the bike path by the river but today I ventured out east of town on some country roads.  About 8 miles outside of town I hit a section of road that had about 10 houses in both sides.  In these types of places I'm always on the lookout for dogs that rome free and aren't confined to their yard.  There was a dog at the very last house that was relaxing on its porch until it saw me and then it jumped into full flight mode and chased me a quarter mile down the road.  I was in a full sprint until it gave up the chase.

But now I had a problem.  I was 8 miles outside of a town I didn't know and as far as I could tell, the only way back to town was to return past the dog that was now sitting in the middle of the road, watching my every move and barking non-stop.  I stood there for 10 minutes before a car approached--I waved it down and asked for a ride past the dog so I could pass safely and continue my run in peace.  Thankfully the lady agreed and even commented as we drove that she was a runner, had been chased by the same dog a number of times and now runs in the opposite direction to avoid the same situation.  800 meters down the road I thanked her again, jumped out of the car and made my return to the hotel.  Fun stuff...

Lunar (310)

PM: 5 miles around Pendleton, with 3 of them on the track.  Very hot.

Boston (429)

10 miles in Pendleton.  My legs felt HEAVY. Hopefully they can bounce back before Friday night.

Lunar (320)

Just 4 miles this morning.  My legs are dead right now and I want to have something in them at the race tomorrow night.  I read last night that Nike's Dan Browne has joined the field for the 5000, along with Bernard Lagat's brother, Robert Cheseret, who has ran a 13:13 and competes for the US Army.  As of right now there are 10 guys that all run sub-14.  Needless to say, I'm looking forward to getting lapped after the first mile.

Cumulus (359)

4 miles to warm up around the Lewis and Clark campus.  I felt fine before the race--not great but not bad either.  No complaints.  I saw Dan Browne about 10 minutes before the start of the race as we were both warming up on the infield.  I said "I'll be the first guy you pass so just let me know when you see me and I'll get out of your way."  He laughed and wished me luck.  Seemed like a nice guy.

My goals going into the race were to A) smile and have fun, B) run even splits of 75/lap, C) enjoy the experience.  I'm not certain, but it seemed like there were about 20-25 runners so I lined up on the outside of the second tier.  The gun fired and soon I was near the back of the pack--perfect for what I wanted.  I think I had one guy behind me is all, but I hung closely with 4 guys ahead of me through the first 5-6 laps. 

• 74
• 74
• 74
• 75 (4:57)
• 75
• 75
• 76
• 77 (5:04, 10:01)

I was very pleased with the first mile as it didn't feel hard, nor was it easy, but it did feel manageable.  There was a bit of a headwind on the backstretch and I hesitated passing the 3 guys I was running with as we were now in no-mans land behind the elite runners (got lapped by them around the 2k mark)

• 77
• 77
• 76
• 73 (5:05, 15:06)
• 34 (15:40)

1 mile cool down barefoot at the track and then 3 miles after getting home to work out the stiffness.

Lunar (327)

I ran at the park in my five fingers.  Surprisingly, I felt really good this morning after running late last night.  No soreness, no issues.  It felt GREAT to run in these shoes after a couple weeks of not using them.

VFF (71) 

At the park this morning to run in my five fingers.  I ran 10 miles, the longest I've done in these shoes.  I felt pretty good through most of the run.  My legs started to get a bit tight the last mile or so but it was manageable.

VFF (81)

AM: 9 miles around Tigard and the trails through the park and river sections behind the high school.  I ate too much last night and I feeling less-than-great this morning.  Lots of driving today but hopefully the weather will be decent when I get home and I'll get a few more miles with Ryan.

Cumulus (368) 

PM: 6 solo miles after work.  Still too much rain to take Ryan with me.  I ran 2 miles easy and then just over 3 miles in 5:24 pace/mile followed by .75 cool down.  Felt good.

AM: 14 miles on an extended loop around Tigard HS.  My left hamstring was extra tight this morning as I didn't take the time to stretch last night after running.  I seemed to struggle the first couple miles, feel great during the middle and fatigued the last one.  So it is...

Lunar (341) 

PM: 5 miles tonight through Tualatin and Tigard Parks. Andrea rode her bike with Ryan on the back while I ran.  It was a lot of fun and I hope to do it more often as the weather turns.

10 miles around the Desperate Housewives loop, to the HS and then home.  I was dog tired this morning. That happens when I only get 6 hours of sleep.

Boston (439)

8 miles in the park in my five fingers.  It's been a long week. I'm excited to get 1 more run in on Saturday and then some rest over the weekend.

VFF (89)

18 miles this morning.  The course was all over the place; past the Tigard Home Depot, Lowes and Costco, then Barbur Blvd to the Portland Commuity College Campus and home via Lake Oswego.  There was about 800 ft elevation gain from miles 5-8 and then the same loss as I dropped into Lake O from miles 8-10. Two more weeks of training before the Suave Island Half Marathon on July 4th. 

Lunar (359)  

AM: 10 miles through the Desperate Housewives loop and then to the HS.  I love Monday morning runs because my legs feel so fresh and zippy.  Maybe more tonight with with the family following along on their bike.

Lunar (369) 

PM: 9 miles after work.  5.5 with Ryan and Andrea and then 3.5 by myself.  I'm glad the weather is finally starting to warm up so Andrea and Ryan can join me--I find it to be very enjoyable.

Old Shoes (??) 

I ran at the park in my five fingers.  10 miles while listening to The Beatles, The Cranberries, Dashboard Confessional and Dave Mathews Band.  Pretty fun.

VFF (99) 

AM: 8 miles around the park in Tigard and Tualatin.  Nothing too exciting...

Boston (447)

PM: 8 miles and it was hot hot hot.  Nothing compared to St. George and the like, but I'm used to running in 45 degrees and cloudy each morning.  Summer finally decided to show up and it was mid-80's tonight with no clouds in sight.  6 miles with Andrea/Ryan and 2 solo.

Cumulus (376)  

Just over 10 miles on the Hospital Loop and south to Norwood street, emerging just south of Tualatin HS.  I pushed the pace on miles 6 and 7 but the rest of the run was easy.

Lunar (379) 

10 miles @ the park in fivefingers. The Portland Balloon Festival is this weekend (starting this morning). It actually takes place in Tigard and I counted 9 hot air balloons in the sky, rising from a park less than 1 mile from my house & where I was running. In fact, as it started to rain, one of the balloons landed @ the Tualatin Park where I was running laps, no more than 30 feet from me. Pretty cool.

VFF (109) 

18.5 miles, into Lake Oswego along Lakeview Blvd.  I'm always blown away by these homes--the cheapest can't be bought for less than 1 million.  Ran from there to the temple and onto the Tigard HS loop.

Felt great.  1 more week until the half marathon...

Lunar (398)

AM: 8 miles running through the parks of Tigard and Tualatin.  Tried to keep the pace easy and relaxed.  I'll try for a few more tonight and then take it pretty easy the rest of the week.  My body could use a mini-break.

Lunar (406) 

PM: 7.5 miles with Ryan.

Boston (454) 

AM: A late night with work last night followed by an early morning. That leaves very little time for both sleep and running.  Just 5 miles in the park.

VFF (114)

PM: 7 miles with Ryan.

Cumulus (383) 

10 miles this morning on the Tigard HS loop.  I ran the middle 5 at marathon pace to mix things up.

Type A (247)