It ain't Chinese algebra!

12 miles.  I wore my Garmin for the first time in a while just to check pace.  Never really pushed it and ended up with 6:49 average.  As always, I'll profess my love of these shoes.  I need to stock up on them so I'll have some for couple years down the road....

PM: 7 miles in Coos Bay.  Just banking extra miles on the road. 

10 miles from Coos Bay, through North Bend and across the huge bridge north of town.  The things had to have been at least 1 mile long.  Feeling pretty tired down but it's a crunchy groove Thursday so it's all good...

7 miles around the middle school, across to river to the Safeway for a bathroom stop and then home via the hospital.  Crisp morning but no rain so I'll take it.

Killer workout this morning. There were a couple local runs (well, one was 30 minutes away, the other 90 minutes away so maybe local isn't the right word...) but I wasn't sure how I'd do just 7 days removed from a marathon. Figured I'd play it safe and just do my own workout so if I didn't feel good I could bail and not feel obligated due to paying an entry fee.

Anyway, I copied Paul's BW from a few days ago (4-3-2-1 @ MP).  In my ignorance it sounded hard but do-able.  I started with 5 miles for a warm up (7:14 average) then jumped right in  for the first 4 miles (5:31, 5:17, 5:25, 5:17).  I had considered extending it to 5 miles but I just didn't think I had it in me...  I jogged for 1/4 mile in 2:41 then started the 3 mile set (5:17, 5:22, 5:19).  Dude, I'm getting tired!  Again jogged for 1/4 mile in 2:21 and then 2 miles (5:15, 5:12).  Sheesh, this workout is MUCH harder than I thought it would be... I kept telling myself 'just one more mile, just 5 more minutes' over and over again.  After a 3 minute jog I finally convinced myself to punish my body just one more time.  Final mile in 5:06 and I was exhausted!  I can see why this was called a Big Workout.

Nearly 3 miles in a death march home for 19 miles total.  Very tired but very happy I finished the workout.  Good week, especially since I ran a marathon last Saturday.  I've never recovered so quickly from a race, let alone a marathon.

AM: 5 miles in GP before an early departure for Eugene.

PM: 8 miles into Springfield and back to the hotel via Pre's Trail.  I saw a group of African runners on the trail--I'm certain it was the Kenyan and Ethiopian runners from the Pre Track Meet that took place last weekend.  Pretty cool what you see in Eugene.

AM: 12 miles around Eugene.  Nothing too exciting.

PM: 6 miles to Sheldon HS in hopes of running a few miles barefoot on the football field.  Didn't happen due to the field being ripped out during the off season.  I was pretty tired and thought about bailing but I'm glad I stuck it out, even if it was just 6 miles.

Ran in Eugene again this morning before work and then going home.  11 miles around the golf course, mall, Costco and back to the hotel.  Pretty good route I'll have to remember and run again in two weeks.

Crunchy Groove Thursday and my allergies are out of control.  It was only a matter of time...

Allergies are killing me.  Straight up killing me.  I was wiped out by the time I got home last night so I went to bed at 9 and still couldn't muster much effort to get out this morning.  Hopefully it passes quickly this year.

18 miles around GP.  The first 5-6 miles were flat as I ran west around Redwood Rd.  I then ran back into town and up to the homes above the old hospital as well as the Merlin overpass a few miles up the freeway.  There was a lot of climbing during these middle miles and subsequently, lots of downhill the last 4-5 miles.  After mapping my course on runingahead it looks like I climbed 1000 ft exactly (and ran more like 18.2 miles, but who's counting?). :-)

AM: 12 miles around GP.  I ran out past Albertsons, Wal-Mart and Fred Meyer.  Basically hit up all the stores on the east side of town.

Lunch: I worked local today and so during lunch I grabbed a few extra miles.  I ran New Hope Rd to Lennon Rd and home via Redwood Highway.  6 miles exactly with some decent hills so maybe I'll try and incorporate it more into my routine. 

Slept in just a bit so I didn't get the distance I wanted.  So it goes sometimes...  I ran into town and looped around on Hillcrest, Savage, and Martinazi St to get some hills under my legs.

I made it back to the Cathedral Trail system after a way too long of a break.  I ran there (just under 3 miles) and then did 8 miles of fantastic singletrack before returning home.  I ran a couple new routes and had some amazing views with the morning sunrise.  On the way back I ran past the elementary school and did 16 pull-ups to finish up the morning.  Hopefully a few more miles tonight.

No run tongight--there are 30mph winds going on outside and I just don't feel like running on the treadmill.

Solid run in Coos Bay.  I ran my normal North Bend/Coos Bay route and added a bit more beyond Safeway and the airport.  Lots of rollers and a few decent hills made for just under 800ft climbing throughout the run.  My legs felt fresh and my body finally feels rested.  Its been a few weeks since I've felt this good and not worn down each morning.

10 miles this morning.  I ran to the HS (3.5 miles) then ran 3 miles barefoot before returning home via the same route.  It was chilly this morning (around 43 degrees) so it made for some cold feet.  It felt good to run barefoot though.

21 miles in Medford, likely for the last time now that the Walkers are moving.  I ran down North Phoenix Highway to Home Depot and then North to Harry and David Field.  Took the first 10 miles easy (7:02/mile) and then ran tempo miles back home.  It made for a good workout as the first 10 miles were downhill and the returning 10 were uphill  Hit 5:59/mile pace on the return which was perfect.  I didn't have it in me to go much faster but it was a good enough workout that I was tired by the time I finished.  Ran around the neighborhood for 1 more mile to cool down.  Good week.

10 miles this morning.  I'm amazed I was able to get out of bed....  I wasn't in bed until 12:30 and then up at 5:30.  That's not nearly enough sleep!

12 miles in Eugene.  I ran the Ridgeline Trail, the same trail system that the marathon was on a few weeks ago.  I'll have to get here more often during these summer months--it was probably 15 degrees cooler under the shade of the trees as well as being much more peaceful and enjoyable.  I thought about going a bit more but my stomach, as well as my overal energy levels, were telling me it was time for dinner.

AM: 10 miles in Eugene.  My allergies are going bonkers! Not cool!!!

PM: 6 miles in the park in my FiveFingers.  I miss my old neighborhood were there were perfect trails for this type of running.  Laps around the park just aren't as fun. 

10 miles around GP.  I went up 7th street to the north freeway exit and then ran down 6th, across to Fred Meyer and home.

I'm pretty excited to be in Eugene tonight for the USATF Trials.  Should be a lot of fun, just like it was in 2008. 

10 miles in Eugene, from the hotel to Costco and around the local neighborhoods.  

Last night was a lot of fun watching the races @ Hayward.  Josh McAdams advanced in the steeple, Flannigan dominated the women's 10k and Galen Rupp did the same in the men's 10k (after ditching his allergy mask around lap 14--google the photo, it was pretty interesting).  I actually bumped into Adam Goucher and his young son as I rounded a corner, right after Kara took 2nd in the 10k.  I told him congrats on his wife's finish (as I tried not to sound like a complete weirdo) and then a few moments later Adam handed their son to Kara so she could carry him around the track on her top-3 victory lap.  Earlier in the day I was an arms reach away from Tyson Gay and Justin Gatlin.  Only in track can the common man literally rub shoulders with the worlds best.  Very cool.

17 miles around GP.  I ran the first 13 by myself with mixed results.  I felt great through 10 and then all of the sudden I was scrambling for a bathroom.  I had to walk 3 different times before finding one about 10.5.  The the next couple miles felt MUCH better.  Returned to the house and picked up Ryan for 4 easy miles around the hospital, middle school and Albertsons.  Surprisingly hit sub-7 pace even with Ryan in the stroller.  Must have been because I pumped up the tires before leaving the house. ;)

Mini taper next week prior to the half marathon... 

10 miles in GP.  I had planned on running the cathedral trails this morning but I just couldn't get out of bed when my alarm went off.  Usually it's not a problem on Monday mornings but I was dead tired today for some reason.  That left only enough time to stay local and run around the hospital.

10 miles around town in GP.  Around the hospital, to the HS and then around WalMart before heading for home.  It rained last night and a bit this morning--it felt pretty good.  One month ago I wouldn't have said that!  Possibly more miles tonight in Coos Bay.

7 miles tonight in Coos Bay.  I drove to the local college and ran 3 miles around the track, then ditched the shoes and ran 4 miles barefoot.  Such a nice facility for such a small school!

AM: 8 miles around Coos Bay.  I felt great despite just 5 hours of pathetic hotel sleep. 

PM: 5 miles on the hotel treadmill while watching Sportscenter.  What a boring time of year for sports...

6 miles around GP.  Let the taper begin...