It ain't Chinese algebra!

New year, new shoes, same result.  I didn't expect any different but you never know. ;)  I ran in a new pair of Nike Lunarglides (first time I've ran in Nike's since high school).  The first mile didn't feel too great (I had literally just pulled them out of the box) but after that they felt great.  I think I'm really going to like them.  My problem with Nike 10 years ago was a narrow toe-box but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore (with these shoes anyway).

Ran over the river and to Tigard HS and looped home, grabbed a Redbox movie and ran to McDonalds and back.  Lots of rain so I was soaked but it was 50 degrees so I was in shorts and a t-shirt.  It's a trade-off for sure.

Lunar (9) 

Turned out to be great weather today.  50 and no rain so I was in shorts and t-shirt.  The course was all over the place but basically hospital loop to the HS and loops around the cc course and home via Boones Ferry.  I considered going further (need to start going big on Saturdays) but the last couple days I've felt a little sick and didn't want to press my luck.

Boston (112)

Sick. 

Bummer.

Ryan's loop.  Feeling better, although the incisions from yesterday's doctor visit were bothersome.

Y2 (451)

Tigard HS loop plus business park addition.  Legs felt really good this morning as did the rest of my body.  I slept horribly last night though so I'm sure it's going to catch up with me later today.

C2 (111)

AM: 8 miles. I ran through the desperate housewives loop to Tualatin HS, used the bathroom @ the track and then home via Boones Ferry. Same story as as last time with these shoes: not so nice the first mile and then great after that.

Lunar (17)

PM: 10 miles on an out and back course. Basically Ryan's loop to 124th and then out to Highway 99 via Chipole Rd.  High point of the run was listening to the Dan Patrick podcast. Low point was nearly being attacked by a dog that was being walked by its 80+ year old owner.

I hate dogs.

Y2 (452)

AM: 7 miles.  Ryans loop plus Hedges Creek. My legs feel decent after yesterdays runs. It took them a little while to get loosened up but then they felt fine.  Planning on at least 3 more @ lunch.

Boston (117)

PM: 3 simple miles on the treadmill.  I despise the treadmill but it was raining and I wasn't in the mood to get wet, especially when I was planning on such a short distance.

Type A (234)

15 miles this morning in Medford.  The first 9 were with my Dad.  Great conversation and very enjoyable.  As always, I absolutely love running in Medford.  Looped back to the house and after a drink, 6 more miles for a bit of a tempo.  That was the idea anyway...  My legs were spent and it was painful.  Blah.  Oh well.  That happens, right?

C2 (126)

Very enjoyable run today.  I ran past Bridgeport Village and into Lake Oswego, then back across I-5 just south of the temple.  Then ran north through the business park to 217, then basically home via Ryans loop and 124th.

I found it interesting how my legs were so dead on Saturday and I couldn't push the pace how I would have liked but then today I had a hard time going slower than 7:00/mile pace.  I'll take it though--it's nice to have a little zip in your stride ever now and then.  Averaged 6:43 pace for the run.

Boston (132)

9 miles on the treadmill.  I got to my hotel in New Jersey about 5 pm and it was 35 degrees with 25 mph winds--not ideal running weather when you're in a new city with no idea of running routes. I decided to jump on the treadmill and survived by watching pti and sportscenter.  It was one of the nicest treadmills I've ever ran on but I'll still opt for the roads in the morning (provided the weather is bearable).

Lunar (26)

10.5 miles on a crisp New Jersey morning.  Ran from hotel to corporate office, then across to the mall and ran 2 laps, then returned the same route.  Not a bad start to the day.  Hopefully a few more tonight.

Cumulus (136)

5 more miles tonight after work.  I skipped the treadmill and went out on the roads.  Similar route as this morning but with much more traffic.  Not cool.

Lunar (31)

Miserable run.  Just miserable.  It was dark and cold as I ran from the hotel to corporate and the mall.  My guts weren't happy and I jumped into the first bathroom I could.  I'm sure Bloomingdales loved having a sweaty/smelly runner walking through the store.  Made one more lap and then had to jump into a Starbucks for the same issues as before.  On my last lap I was nearly hit by a car.  He didn't stop at a stop sign as I ran through the crosswalk and I had to leap out of his way before my right knee was kissed by his bumper.  I yelled not so nice words and chased after him but he ran the next stop sign and then was gone.  I was ticked...but really, what was I going to do?  I'm sure he wouldn't have been intimidated by a 140 lb runner from Oregon.  By then I'd had enough and called it a night a few miles short of my goal.

Cumulus (145)

Nothing this morning.  6 am wake up (3 am Pacific) and I won't get home unitl around 10 pm.  Long day.

Ryan's loop.  Long day yesterday and I just didn't feel like doing much.

Y2 (459)

Started out the morning with the Tigard HS loop (counterclockwise) but rather than turning @ McDonald's, I continued on Highway 99.  That took me over 217 and up a hill over I-5 and into Portland.  Turns out I was much farther north than I'd realized.  Needless to say my plan for 13-14 miles turned into 18 miles.  Good run.

Boston (150)

124th loop.  Awesome weather this morning as it was pushing 50 degrees at 5:30.  No rain or wind which was a pleasant change.

C2 (153) 

3 more miles tonight.

Y2 (462) 

Tigard HS loop, extended 1 mile.  Not much else to say.

Lunar (40) 

9 miles on a new route through Lake Oswego.  Minimal traffic with some rolling hills so I'll have to return and run it again in the near future.  Another great morning with regards to the weather and my body feels surprisingly fresh.  Nice.

C2 (162)

PM: 3 miles @ Hedges Creek

Opposite run from yesterday.  My legs feel trashed and I am paying for not stretching last night after Hedges Creek.  I just tried to loosen up my legs this morning so I'll feel somewhat decent for Saturday's run.

Y2 (465) 

124th loop, extended into Sherwood.  I started with a 4 mile warm up and then ran 3 x 2 mile tempo sections.  My legs still feel hammered from Thursday nights workout (Hedges Creek) so I wasn't sure how things would turn out.  I feel the need to start incorporating some speed work a couple times a week to work on leg turnover.

Averaged 6:58/mile for a warm up and then mile 5 and 6 was 5:43 & 5 :55.  I chewed on some Sport Beans and grabbed a drink @ Providence, ran mile 7 easy then hit a 5:27 and 5:42.  Mile 10 was slow (7:48) as I was starting to tighten up so I stretched a bit and then pushed through the last 2 miles.  Miles 11 and 12 were 5:43 and 5:13 to finish off the workout.

Pretty happy with how things turned out this morning.  Looking forward to doing this more often during the upcoming weeks.

Boston (163)

AM: Sleep

PM: Work

Result: No Run 

AM: Tigard HS loop.  Made it 9 miles by adding on a bit at the end.  Hoping for more but I slept through my alarm.  

Boston (159) 

PM: 9 miles through the Desperate Housewives loop, plus once around the Tualatin HS xc loop.

Lunar (49) 

10 miles this morning on 124th and Tigard HS loop. A little chilly this morning but nothing to complain about.

C2 (172)

AM: 8 miles on Tigard HS loop.

Boston (167)

PM: 2 miles @ Hedges Creek

8 painful miles. I need to visit a chiropractor.

Boston (175)

I just want to race.  

There's jack for Saturday races in Portland from October to March.  Surprising, I know.  You'd think there would be races every weekend in a place like this but not so, except for the random Sunday run.  Anyway, seeing how this was on Saturday and only 30 minutes from my house, I decided to brave the rain and race.  From to event website :

Very scenic  single and double track trails around the Willamette  Mission State Park. Mostly flat 6 mile loop course with portions along the river. Expect very muddy conditions and heck, you may hafta wade through some water too! Be prepared for tons of mud and standing water on the course! If you are concerned about getting a little wet or filthy, I would think twice about participating!  The course will be well marked with ribbon and  arrows. Dogs are always welcome. Awards for the Top 3 overall Male and Female Victims Finishers and first place age group winners! Random prizes will be given away from our fine sponsors.

Sounds like fun, right?  6 miles to warm up and then jumped into the race.  I followed the leader for about 2 minutes but didn't enjoy not seeing my footing so I took the lead a quarter mile in.  Lots of hairpin turns, puddles, muck, mud, logs to jump over (glad I ran steeplechase in college); basically just what you'd expect from a trail race in January in Oregon.

I wouldn't say it was fun but it was an experience to say the least.  I prefer the roads but can appreciate the trail as well.  It's a whole different type of race as you can't open up your stride and really 'race.'  I would have enjoyed it more if it hadn't been so darn muddy.  90% of the race it felt like I was slipping on banana peels.  It was like seeing a cartoon character when they don't move forward but their legs are spinning in circles beneath them.

Anywho, I was ready to be done about mile 5 but the 2nd place guy was catching up so I kept running.  Blah.  Not the best time but given the conditions....  The biggest disappointment was that I walked away feeling unfulfilled.  Racing to me is going 'all out' and I just couldn't do that on this course.  Oh well.  I guess there's always the Shamrock run in Medford in March.

6 more miles while waiting for awards/drawings.  They gave out 3 pairs of new shoes and I struck out each time.  Bummer.

C2 (184)

Y2 (472)

AM: 8 miles around the hospital loop.  Feeling better after my visit at to the chiropractor.

Lunar (57)

PM: 3 miles after work in the rain.

Y2 (475)

10 miles on 124th and Tigard HS loop.

Boston (185)

AM: 6 miles on Ryans loop. Planning on 6 more tonight. Now it's off to Astoria.

Lunar (63)

PM: 7 miles to Tualatin HS and 1 loop around the xc course.

C2 (191)

AM: Ryans loop was all I had time for. Planning on more tonight.

Boston (190)

PM: 4 miles tonight. 2 @ Hedges Creek and 2 by my house.

Y2 (477)

Ryan's loop with Ryan in the stroller.  First time he has joined me in 2010 and I wasn't used to pushing him.  It made for some slow miles.  My lower abs and groin are killing.  I made a chiropractic appointment for next Tuesday.  Hopefully it helps.

Lunar (68)

Desperate Housewives loop to the HS followed by laps around the xc course and then home.  My abs/groin are totally messed up.  I don't think I should have ran today as I'm now feeling much worse.  If I could do it again I would have slept in and taken the day off.  We'll see how I'm feeling Monday morning after resting tomorrow.

Boston (200) 

6 miles with Ryan and then 4 by myself.  Abs/groin didn't hurt like Saturday but they don't feel 100%.  I was planning on taking today and Tuesday off with a trip to the Chiro tomorrow night but the appointment was postponed until Thursday.  I didn't feel like I could take 4 days off from running.  Needless to say, this week may be hit or miss with mileage.

Boston (210) 

Tigard HS loop this morning. Felt ok--about the same as yesterday. Better than Saturday but not great.

C2 (201)

7 miles on the Hospital Loop.  I've been avoiding this course due to the hills but I'm feeling a bit better so I thought I'd give it a try.  Pain was minimal and that encouraging.

Boston (217) 

AM: 10 miles on the Tigard HS loop.  I overdressed and was much to hot after just a few minutes.  Feeling ok but tired from lack of sleep.  Hopefully more miles tonight.

Lunar (78) 

PM: 3 miles at Hedges Creek.  Feeling much better after today's trip to the chiro.

6 miles this morning on basically no sleep.  Today is going to be a long day...

C2 (207) 

Interesting morning.  There was a 5K in Hillsboro that I had wanted to race.  The course profile looked great for a pr--open roads, pancake flat with few turns.  The weather cooperated also as it was 50 degrees and zero wind.  What didn't cooperate was my lower abs and groin.  So frustrating...

I drove to the race and ran 9 miles before the start.  I threw in a few strides now and then to test things out and each time felt worse.  It's to the point that pain is nearly zero for an easy pace but if I pick up the pace it's a different story.  Anyway, decided that racing would be pointless today.

I jumped in my car and drove to the Nike headquarters in Beaverton to try and salvage the morning.  I've wanted to run around the Nike complex since moving here and so today was my chance.  I found the wood-chip trail and ran 1.5 laps (3 miles?) and then a few laps on the track as well.  At the side of the track was a life-size sculpture of Michael Johnson, complete with golden spikes from the 96 Olympics in Atlanta.  Very cool environment to run in/around.

Not sure what to do about my abs.  Seems like some time off is in the cards if the situation doesn't change soon.

Boston (231) 

Tigard HS loop on 124th, plus Sequoia street and home.  The battery on my garmin died during the run so I wasn't sure time/distance but I thought it was more than 11.5 miles.  That's unfortunate because I wanted to take advantage of the day off from work.  Oh well...

C2 (218) 

AM: 8 miles on 124th loop and back around Fred Meyer. Felt good this morning, probably due to lots of stretching last night. Turning the corner?

Boston (239)

 PM: 7 miles with Ryan.  Still feeling good.

Lunar (85)

Hospital loop.  Things seem to be improving and now it's just the left side of my groin that's tight.  Hopefully I can continue to turn the corner and put this issue in the rear-view mirror.

Boston (247)

AM: 5 miles on the hotel treadmill.  Planning on more tonight when I get home.

C2 (223)

PM: Hedges Creek, 1 mile on the track and 1 mile barefoot.

Looks like I'm done for a bit. Abs/groin took a turn for the worse. Painful night of sleep last night and I just want to be done with it all. No running today through Sunday and not next week either if I feel that more rest is needed.

Nada, Zip, Zero, Zilch.

Zero

Nada

Zip

4 miles around the HS track and cross country course.  Felt ok...but not better.

6 miles tonight after work.  My abs hurt while sleeping last night so I didn't run in the morning.  Felt better by the end of the day so I tried 6 miles and felt ok.  Maybe turning a corner?  Pain was noticeable only on the left side of my groin and a little in my abs.  No pain on the right side.

C2 (229) 

8 miles this morning.  Had planned on 10 but only made it 8 before walking the last 2 miles.  I'm done with this $&*#!  Not running again until I feel better.  Looks like the last 5 months have been for nothing and Shamrock, Pear Blossom and a spring marathon are waving bye-bye.

Boston (255) 

Tested out the abs with 2 miles (Hedges Creek).  Felt ok but nowhere near being healed.

Went to the Dr today.  Pain in my lower abs and groin just isn't getting better.  Every movement woke me up as I slept last night.  Blah!

Treatment is heat, IB, and more rest.  So much for a spring marathon.  Or a spring race of any distance for that matter.   I'm not too upset about missing Shamrock but I really wanted to run Pear Blossom again.  Oh well--what are you going to do?

Going back to Dr on March 19th.

No running this week.  I was tempted but instead ate cheesecake, cookies, and ice cream.  And Whopper robin eggs.  And then some Reeses eggs.  I'm pretty sure there were other unhealthy things mixed in-between all that as well.  Good stuff.

It's safe to say I'm turning to food to replace my running and that I no longer need a belt.  This sucks.

2 miles tonight after work.  1 on the grass/trails at the park and 1 on the roads around the house.  Looks like the rest hasn't done much though.  I'm going to give it a try the rest of the week and if it's not better then I'm going to see a specialist.  I'm certain it's a sports hernia....

3 miles after work.  Felt worse than yesterday.  I don't know what to do...

On a positive note, today while driving around Portland near PGE Park I saw Shalane Flanagan.  I was stopped at a light and she approached my front and ran past me.  I quickly circled around the block and caught up to her right as she turned on to a one-way street (against traffic) so that ended my chase.  How cool would it have been to talk with her?!  Now I just need to see Kara Goucher and I'll have seen/met the 3 most famous female runners living in Oregon (I ran into Jordon Hasay last year in Sunriver).

Blah.

Blah again.

I've got an appointment to see a specialist next Thursday morning.

3 miles after work that didn't bother my abs.  Shocking!  What's up with that?

Boston (260)

3 miles before work. Abs hurt.  Actually, the abs weren't too bad but the groin pain is back.

C2 (226)

3 miles after work with Ryan.  Abs felt fine after just a couple minutes.

Lunar (88)

3 miles before work. For some reason my abs felt great. Go figure. Maybe all the core work is starting to pay off?

C2 (229)

4 miles this morning.  Longest run in a month? 

Boston (264)

AM: 2 miles

C2 (231)

PM: 4 miles with Ryan

Boston (268)

4 miles.

Lunar (92)

4 miles in the POURING rain.  It was really coming down today in Portland.  My abs felt great--the best I've felt in 2 months.  It wasn't 100% but I only noticed it the first two minutes and then I felt great.

C2 (235) 

5 miles this morning.  Most of it on the park trails and wood-chips but I ventured off on the roads for a bit.

Lunar (97) 

AM: 5 miles in Hermiston. Abs felt great.

Boston (273)

PM: 2 miles around the hotel.

Boston (275)

6 miles in Hermiston.  Home tonight.

Boston (281)

Work got in the way.

Abs started to get a little tight the last mile or so.  I thought about breaking up this run into a double but the weather is horrible today and I just wanted to get it over with. 

C2 (243) 

Jumped on the treadmill for 3 miles to avoid the 30 mph winds outside.

Type A (237) 

6 miles tonight after work.  After running through the park and over the river to Tigard I found some wood chip trails.  They aren't all that long but still fun to run on every once in a while.  I came out by the HS and then looped home via Boones Ferry.

Boston (287)

AM: 6 miles

Lunar (103)

PM: 4 miles with Ryan

C2 (247)

6 miles this morning around the park.  There were a lot of dog owners letting their animals roam free.  So lame.

Boston (293)

AM: 7 miles this morning around the Tualatin park, over the river and along the Tigard Bike path.  I found a new section of trail that I'll be back on soon.  Nice morning.

C2 (254)

PM: 4 miles, 3 of which were in a pair of Vibram Five Fingers.  I loved it.  Absolutely loved it.  I can't wait to run in them again.

VFF (3)

AM: 6 miles in the rain.  It was high 40's though so I was in shorts, t-shirt and no gloves.  I'm happy I got up to run despite the limited sleep from last night.

Boston (299)

PM: 4 miles in my five fingers.  Rather than run to the park and then change shoes I just ran the entire four miles in the five fingers.  I didn't love the 600 meters to get there on sidewalk and road but didn't hate it either.  In fact, it didn't bother me much on my return.

VFF (7) 

7 miles on the hospital loop.  First time I've ran that course in a while.  My abs were feeling a little tight by the time I finished.  Not cool.

C2 (261)

Ran to the park and then multiple loops around the trail and wood chip sections.

VFF (12)

AM: 4 miles.  I'm tired from staying up too late and then getting up too early.  Something has to change.

Lunar (107)

PM: 3 miles @ Hedges Creek.

AM: 10 miles up to the HS and around the xc course.  My hip flexors were pretty tight.  I'll stretch good over the weekend.

Lunar (117)

PM: 1 with Ryan. ;)

6 miles on Ryans loop

Boston (305) 

AM: 7 miles on the hospital loop.

Boston (312)

PM: 4 miles on the hotel treadmill in Pendleton

Lunar (121)

AM: 8 miles in Pendleton. It rained a bit along with the wind so not ideal conitions  The hill back to the hotel was long and steep but I survived ;).

C2 (269)

PM:  4 miles on the treadmill.  Feeling good.

Lunar (125)

4 miles on Pendleton before heading home.

C2 (273)

4 miles around the park in my Five Fingers.  There was some guy spraying who knows what on the plants so hopefully I don't die after breathing in the chemicals.  It felt great to run in these shoes again.

VFF (16)  

10 miles on the Tigard HS loop.  It's been over two months since I ran this loop and I enjoyed every minute of it.  I got a little winded during the tempo sections but I'd rather be winded and running instead of injured and doing nothing.

3 miles to warm up followed by 5 miles tempo.  Splits were: 5:52, 5:56, 5:50, 5:38, 5:42 and then a two mile cool down.  I'm pleased with how things went.  During the first mile I thought I might have to alter the workout and just go 2 or 3 miles tempo-pace but I felt okay to finish.  Good stuff.

Boston (322) 

PM: 4 miles with Ryan

C2 (277)

7.5 miles this morning.  I wanted to keep running but work got in the way.  I'm not a big fan of teleconferences first thing Monday morning. Yuck

Boston (330)

Desperate Housewives loop to the HS, then jumped on the hospital loop.  Every single step was in the pouring rain.  5 minutes after walking into the house the rain stopped, clouds broke and the sun came out.  If only I could have begun my run at 8:00...

Lunar (136) 

AM: 10.5 miles on the Tigard HS loop, plus a bit on the Tualatin country club drive.  Ran the course counter-clockwise to mix up the hills.  I should be able to do a bit more tonight.

Boston (341)

I wasn't able to do more tonight...

AM: Up at 5:30 to get in 3 miles before leaving for Astoria for the day.  Ran around the park in my Five Fingers. Unlike yesterday, I will run again tonight.

PM: 7 miles around the park in my Five Fingers.  It's the longest I've ran in them and I felt great.  It was a bit boring to run loop after loop for 50 minutes....but the footing can't be beat so I guess it's worth it.

Anyway, my longest run in Five Fingers (7) and most barefoot miles in one day (10).  Good stuff!

VFF (26)

4 miles on a fantastic Friday morning.  It's fantastic because it's Friday--nothing more.

C2 (281)

One year ago I was gearing up for the Eugene marathon this weekend.  This year, after sitting out much of July-Sep 2009 and March 2010 with injuries, I have to settle for the 5K.  So is life.

I wish I was running the Eugene Marathon tomorrow but after having ab issues in March I had to settle for the 5K.  I drove down last night and watched the Oregon Relays at Hayward Field--there were some impressive races.

5 miles this morning to warm up.  I attempted to familiarize myself with the course but got a bit lost.  Oh well.  The gun went off and I jumped out to the lead with about 6 others behind me.  The first quarter mile was a gradual incline, next quarter was flat, followed by a steep climb and drop; all this in the first mile.  From there it was through Skinner Butte Park and relatively flat the rest of the way.  I kept the lead until just beyond the 2 mile mark but was passed by both the 2nd and 3rd place runners at the 12:30 mark.  I hung with them for a bit and just tried to keep contact with a hope they'd falter.  They didn't. :)

That put me in 3rd place and I stayed there until the finish.  I was VERY surprised to see the clock still reading 15:## as I approached the finish-line.  I've never ran a sub-16 5k and given my limited training during February and March, I'm more than happy with my time.  It's hard to be disappointed in a PR, especially on a certified, loop course.

6 miles to cool down as I waited for awards.  I looped around Eugene by first running to the U of O campus and Hayward Field and then jumped over the river and ran on Pre's trail to Autzen Stadium and eventually my car.  I love running in Eugene.

Type A (237)

Lunar (147)

AM: 6 miles on Ryan's loop in the rain.  My calfs were a bit sore but everything else felt fine.

C2 (287)

PM: 6 miles around the park in my Five Fingers.  Originally planned on just 4 but was feeling good and had the time so I extended it a few more miles.

VFF (32) 

Hospital loop for 9 miles.  My legs still feel a little sore but they felt better after I finished.  Only one run today.

Boston (350)

10 miles on the treadmill in Pendleton.  I wish I would have stayed in Hermiston--it was decent weather there as I drove through.  By the time I got to Pendleton it was very windy and rainy.  I didn't have the proper clothing so I was forced to run on the treadmill.  So is life...

Boston (360)

10.5 miles around Pendleton.  I tried to find the river trail and after 6 miles was able to do so.  Ran just a couple miles on the trail and then it was up the giant hill to the hotel.  On future visits I'll jump on it sooner and see how far it goes.

Lunar (158)

No miles today.  I've been feeling sick the past three days and don't seem to be getting any better.  Hopefully by taking today off I can put the sickness in the rearview mirror.

I'm in Medford for the weekend so I ran some of my old routes.  From the Walkers to my old house, then west on Barnett to Highway 99 and then north to Target which made for a 9 mile warm up.  I used the bathroom, got a drink and drenched my hair and then headed for home.  3 miles at tempo pace (6:12, 6:03, 5:57) and then 1.5 to cool down.  It's VERY hot here compared to Portland.

Boston (374)

AM: 7 mies on Ryans loop. Lots of rain. Actually it was more of a drizzle so not too annoying as it came down but by the end I was drenched.  I had an early start today so hopefully I can squeeze in a few more tonight after work.

Cumulus (294)

PM: Its been a week since I ran in my Five Fingers....way too long.  Or maybe it's just right because I get excited to run in them like it's my first time all over again.  I ran to the park and then thought I'd venture into Tigard's park which required about 5 minutes on concrete.  My achilles didn't love it but it was worth it once I got there.  There are a number of different trails to run on which mixes things up much better than Tualatin.  Anywho, I felt good and will rotate between Tualatin and Tigard every other week or so.

VFF (39) 

9 miles on Ryans loop. Feeling good.  My calfs were feeling it last night before bed due to the Five Fingers run but they felt fine this morning.

Lunar (167)

I ran the Desperate Housewives loop and then laps around the HS XC course.  I felt a little sluggish at the beginning but after a couple miles felt great.  Just one run today.  I'm planning on a double tomorrow with Ryan as it's supposed to be 74 degrees on Thursday.

Boston (384)

AM: 5 miles at the park in my Five Fingers.  It was another frustrating morning of running into dog owners letting their pets roam free of a leash.  Not cool.  Planning on more tonight with Ryan.

VFF (44) 

PM: 6 miles on Ryan's loop....with Ryan.  It was hot!  Not just warm but actually hot.  That's a nice change although I was worried about Ryan getting sunburned.  I suppose we weren't gone long enough for too much damage.

Cumulus (300) 

I ran through Tualatin and Tigard Parks to get to Tigard HS.  1 mile on the track and then home the same way.  It was a nice morning to be out--the weather was perfect.

Lunar (173) 

I had considered going to Forest Park this morning for a run but at 5:30 I decided I'd rather sleep another hour and not spend that time driving.

Plan B had me running into Lake Oswego on a route I hadn't tried before.  It was pretty flat for the first 5 miles and then a couple miles of steep hills with some amazing views of the Tualatin valley.  At the turn-around I had done 7 relatively easy miles so I turned around for a 6 mile tempo run on the return home (took a slightly different route).  I didn't run with my Garmin so I didn't know my overall pace until I got home and measured the course but it worked out to be a 5:45 average for 6 miles.  I was expecting somewhere around 6:00 pace so I was pleased with the 15 seconds faster/mile.

Finished off the day by running 1 mile with Ryan AND Andrea.  Good stuff!

Lunar (187)

AM: 7 miles after getting back from taking Andrea to the airport @ 5:00. It's going to be a long day...

Lunar (195)

PM: I ran around the Tigard and Tualatin Parks for 8 miles in just under 1 hour.  It was the longest I've ran barefoot and my legs were feeling great at the end.  No dogs off their leashes tonight which was good.

VFF (52) 

AM: 6 miles on Ryan's loop. I slept like junk last night so I can't be too upset about only 6 miles. Hopefully more miles tonight in Astoria.

Boston (390)

PM: 8 miles in Astoria.  I saw a bike path behind my hotel and decided to see where it would take me.  It was 3 miles across the town until the trail ended at the Best Western.  There was some serious wind for the first three miles which made for some slow-going.  I turned around and ran 4 miles east with the wind to my back which was nice.  Returned back to the hotel for 1 final mile into the wind.

Cumulus (308)

9 miles in Astoria. The wind wasn't as bad as yesterday which made the going easier. I ran a bit on the bike path again, then decided to run up 4th street. That may be one of the steepest roads I've ever ran. I was crawling by the time I got to the top. I ran down the other side and then made my way back to the hotel by returning over the hill again. Sheesh...I was beat by the time I finished.

Lunar (204)

Ever since moving to Portland I've wanted to run in Forest Park and today was the day to make it happen.  It fit into my schedule nicely but the weather couldn't have been much worse.  It rained off and on all day and right as I got out of my car at the bottom of Leif Erickson it started to rain.  For the next 30 minutes it rained cats and dogs (with a bit of hail for good measure).  Needless to say, the singletrack was a mess and my shoes/legs/shorts were covered in mud.

At my turnaround spot the rain stopped and the sun came out for the remainder of the run.  The colors of the forest were amazing as the green seemed to 'pop' even more after the rainfall.

Anyway, I'm glad I ran there but then it took over 1 hour to get home due to rush hour traffic.  As cool as the trails were, it's not worth the drive...

Lunar (214)

7 miles around the park in Tigard.  I managed to time it perfectly and avoid the rain.

VFF (59) 

I had considered going to Salem for a 5K this morning but decided to stay home, not pay $30, and include a tempo portion in my workout.  I started with 4 miles easy into Lake Oswego and after finding a bathroom and stretching for a bit, I began to pick up the pace.  I was shooting for sub-6:00 for the next 6-10 miles.  Surprisingly, I felt great the whole way.  The wind was a little rough at times but that's life.  

I ran past Trader Joe's to Tigard HS and then jumped on my normal loop back to Tualatin.  I ran 10 miles in 57:27, an average pace of 5:43.  My quickest mile was 5:32 (10th mile) and slowest 5:57 (1st mile); I seemed to be pretty consistent throughout.  Also, I ate 5-6 sport beans just after 5 miles (9 miles total) to remember what that's like.  Finished off the run with 1 mile easy.

Boston (405)

AM: 10 miles on the Tigard HS loop.  Felt really good this morning, which is surprising as I only got 5 hours of sleep last night.  Hopefully I can make it through the day, drive to Pendleton without falling asleep, and have time to get a few more miles tonight.

Boston (415) 

PM: No run tonight.  I didn't get to Pendleton until 7:00 and I needed some dinner.  Perhaps a double tomorrow.

AM: 14 miles in Pendleton.  The weather was perfect--that's a first for me.  Compared to Portland, usually it's 5-10 degrees colder and always windy here in Eastern Oregon.

Lunar (228)

PM: 7 miles on the treadmill at the hotel.  I passed the time by watching the first half of the USA vs Czech Republic soccer game.  World Cup action starts in 2 weeks.  I'm pretty excited.

Cumulus (315)

7 miles on the treadmill in Pendleton.  Mentally it was a challenge to get some miles this morning, especially on the treadmill.  My legs felt pretty good despite the big miles yesterday.  Home tonight.

Lunar (235)

AM: I slept in and only had time for 4 miles at the park in my Five Fingers.  It felt SO good (the sleep, not the running).  If I had to do it again I wouldn't change a thing. :)

VFF (63)

PM: 3 miles with Ryan.  Had to cut it short due to rain.  Eh...better than nothing.

Boston (418) 

10 miles around the Tigard HS loop.  Ab pain is slowly creeping back but I haven't been stretching like I should the past week.  I'll recommit to that moving forward and it should subside.

Cumulus (325) 

17 miles this morning.  I ran into Lake Oswego on Boones Ferry Dr, past the HS and into the downtown.  I ate some sport beans about mile 6 (Lake Oswego Safeway) and then continued past Foot Traffic and home through the south side of L.O.  I felt great the entire run and didn't want to finish.  I thought about extending it to 20 miles but felt like I should get back with the family and start enjoying the holiday weekend.

Lunar (252) 

AM: Started the day by sleeping in.  That felt good.  13 miles around the hospital loop and South over the 205 and West over I-5, eventually emerging at Horizon Christian HS.  I jumped on the xc course at Tualatin HS along with 1 mile on the track and then home via Boones Ferry.  More tonight?

Lunar (265)  

PM: 6 miles at the Tualatin HS track.  Goals starting out were 12 laps in 75 seconds or less but as this was my first speed workout in months (and I'd already ran 13 miles this morning), I wasn't sure how things would end up.  I ran 2 miles for a warm up and then started the repeats.  Between each was a 100-150 meter jog.

• 71
• 71
• 72
• 71

I jogged a full 400 meters and then did 4 more.

• 69
• 71
• 70
• 71

I was pretty spent by this point and was trying to talk myself into being done.  I managed to compromise with a final 800 (2:26) and then 2 laps barefoot before calling it a day.

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)

8 miles on the hotel treadmill in Pendleton. I just didn't want to deal with the hills by the hotel.

Lunar (414)

Nada

Final run before the race.  Ran easy for most of the run with a few strides thrown in for good measure.  Now it's off to Eugene to watch the Pre track meet.  Hopefully the mens 5000m will live up to expectations.

Boston (459) 

I signed up for this race about a month ago and had dreams of hitting a sub-1:10.  One year ago I ran a 10 mile race in 5:12 pace and felt like I could have easily maintained that for another 5K so I don't think a 70 minute half marathon is out of reach.  Having said that, a lot can happen in 12 months and I've had two different injuries in that time so needless to say, my fitness has varied over the months.  I feel pretty good right now, but I've been pretty stagnant with my training--it's just been a lot of base building with very little interval and tempo workouts mixed in.  Yeah, I've ran a couple 5K's in the past two months and while I'm sure they helped, that's not the best preparation for a 13 mile race.  So anyway, a sub-1:10 was probably a little un-realistic today but it was worth a shot.

So about the course...  If there is anyone out there that wants to run a legit half/full marathon PR, this is it.  The race is run around Sauvie Island, 10 minutes NE of Portland.  It's a loop course with the starting line at 26 ft above sea level.  Yup, 26 ft.  It's flat for the first 2 miles and then there is a slight rise (maybe 30 meters long) and then it's flat the rest of the way.  No hills, no rollers, nothing; hence the name of the race being the Foot Traffic Flat.  BUT, with the race being on an island, there is only 1 way on and off (other than boat of course) and that makes for a pre-race logistical nightmare.  I left my house at 4:30 and got to the starting line just a bit after 5 in order to avoid being stuck in traffic when the gun when off.  I wish others would have done the same...

The full marathon started at 6:30 and the half was to follow at 6:45.  At 6:41 (and after a 2 mile warm up) they announced that the half would start at 7:00 to allow those stuck in traffic the chance to park their cars and get to the starting line.  I'm looking around and seeing hundreds of people ready and waiting to race.  The half was capped at 2300 runners and there are at least 1800 people ready to go.  Why do those who made the effort to get there on time have to wait for the minority who didn't?  It's chipped timed, so does it really matter that they don't start with the rest of us?  Frustrating.  At 7:00 they announced 'just a few more minutes and then we'll get started..."  Again, why cater to 100 more people (at the most) at the sacrifice of the 2000 that are ready to go?  I just don't get it.

So sometime around 7:05 we lined up to get the race started.  They announced that those running a 5:00/mile should approach the line first, 5:30/mile next, followed by 6:00/mile and so on.  I really appreciate it when races do this to avoid a cluster of a start.  It would help if others paid attention.  I'm on the front line as I figured I was top-10 or so.  Lined up next to me are two homeboys dressed as such; baggy basketball shorts, bandannas on their heads, Top Gun-type sunglasses, iPhones on their arms and shirtless to show off their 20+ tats all over their chest, back, shoulders and arms.  Best part of all is their rocking the newest Nike 'kicks' that are white as can be and not even laced up.  So my two biggest pet-peeves happen this morning; late starts and a starting line cluster.  Anyway, I digress...

I was shooting for 5:20's each mile and figured I could try and run even splits on such a level course.  First 3 miles are 5:22, 5:30 and 5:26.  Clearly I'm not on pace for my goal but I'm feeling okay and I begin to try and pick people off in front of me.  After the first mile I was in roughly 15th place and by mile 3 perhaps 12th.  Not sure.

With miles 4 (5:16) and 5 (5:24) I was between runners and going at it alone but I could tell I was gaining on a group of 4 guys 100 meters ahead of me.  Miles 6 (5:11), 7 (5:19), and 8 (5:19) I was able to catch 1 guy per mile and found myself in 9th place and that's where I stayed until the finish.  Mile 9 (5:24) and now the course is out of the shade and in the direct sun for the final 4 miles.  Right now I'm thinking I'm SO glad I'm not running the full marathon as the temps are heating up.

Miles 10 and 11 were long and short, respectively (5:38 and 5:05).  The 5:38 was a shocker as I knew I hadn't slowed down that much (it felt like I'd actually picked up the pace and should have been around a 5:15-5:20) and the 5:05 was laughable as I was now feeling the effects of poor training.  Either way, at 11 miles I was sitting at 59:00 and I still felt like a sub-1:10 was doable.  A long shot but it might happen, right...

Nope.  Not today, anyway.  Mile 12 was a 5:25 and mile 13 was a struggle in 5:37.  I just didn't have an extra gear to shift into despite my mind telling my body to do so.  Or maybe the signals got crossed and my body thought it was supposed to slow down, not speed up.  Here is where my proper training has kicked in before and today there just wasn't anything.  Final .1 in 40 seconds, so I slowed down even more.  Fantastic!

So now that I'm done typing, perhaps this all sounded negative.  My bad, because it shouldn't.  I'm pleased with the race and pleased with the time.  It's a PR by 3 minutes so that's good.  I just feel like I missed a great opportunity on a great course to run a lifetime goal.  Oh well.  There is always next year.

2 miles to cool down after the race.

Lunar (416)

Type A (262)

I guess it's time to get back to running.  The three day break was good, both mentally and physically.  I was sore Monday and felt the rest would do my body some good.  As for Tuesday and Wednesday--mentally it just wasn't there.  Today felt really good though and I'm ready to put in some focused training for the Portland Marathon.

VFF (119) 

10 miles on the Tigard HS loop.

Boston (469) 

18 miles this morning; 13 by myself and then 5 with Andrea and Ryan on their bike.

Lunar (434)

AM: 10 miles on the Tigard HS loop.

Boston (479)

PM: 10 miles around Tualatin HS.

Old Shoes

AM: 6 miles in the park with fivefingers.

VFF (125)

PM: 9 miles around the park in Tigard.  Pretty hot out and I didn't eat enough in the last 24 hours so I was ready to be done after 63 minutes.

Cumulus (392)

13 miles after work in 88 degrees.  It was brutal.  I stopped for water @ 20 minutes (park), 40 minutes (HS), 60 minutes (pool) and 80 minutes (fountain).

Type A (275)

AM: 6 miles @ the park in fivefingers.

VFF (131)

10 miles on the Tigard HS loop.

Boston (489)

20 miles this morning, but they came in phases; 6 miles pre-race, 3.1 mile race, 6 miles pre-awards and 5 more miles post-awards.  Get then any way you can, right?

I had a choice between two different races this morning.  The first was a 5k @ Tualatin HS, less than 2 miles from my house and the winner received a free pair of shoes from Road Runner Sports.  The second choice was a 5k @ Bush Park in Salem where the award was a ceramic plate as the race was in conjunction with the Salem Arts Festival.  I'd ran this race in 2007 and despite leading for 95% of the race, an extra wide turn at the end cost me the win as the second place guy made a straight shot for the finish and beat me to the tape.  Also going into the decision was the fact that I wanted to race in fivefingers and this course was made for these shoes.  As such, I passed on the chance for new shoes and headed for Salem with my fivefingers in tow.

Left the house @ 5:30, got to the race @ 6:30 to sign up and then put in 6 miles for a warm up.  My legs felt...dead.  Oh well.  The course isn't PR material and I just wanted to have a good experience with no wrong turns this time around.

I changed my shoes and stretched a bit, then lined up with the others @ 7:45.  There can be a bottle neck at 400 meters so I jumped out quickly after the gun sounded.  I took the lead from the start and....that's how the race played out until the finish.  I was followng two guys on bikes as there were many twists and turns so it was helpful to be following someone (but I could have gone without the dust they were creating.  No biggie.).  It worked out that I ran 13 seconds faster than in 2007 so that's something positive.  Splits were all over the place though (5:06, 5:29, 5:09, 28).  Perhaps the second marker was a bit long, although that was the mile with the tough hill and I may have just lost focus during the middle section.  Hard to say...

So yeah, it was a really fun course--what a xc course should be.  And I loved the feeling of racing in fivefingers, especially on the trails.  Not so much on the pavement...

I finished and ran 1 more mile in my fivefingers and then 5 more around Salem while I waited for awards.  The awards and prizes were top-notch--I'm pleased with my decision to race in Salem.

During the awards I met a couple guys who work as shoe developers for Nike.  Had a good chat with them about fivefingers, Born to Run, etc.  They were pretty cool--in fact, they brought a camping stove, frying pan and pancake mix to make pancakes during the drawn out awards.  Pretty good idea and very tasty!

Spoke to another guy (Ryan White?  I'm horrible with new names) who was from SLC and visiting his parents in Salem.  He asked what it takes to get better/faster and I simply put it as 'it's all about the miles.'  I guess I'm fully converted to the FRB.  In fact, as he's from Utah, I told him about the blog and perhaps he'll join.

Anywho, 5 more miles after awards and by then I was thirsty, hungry, tired, stiff, etc.  Time to stretch and then enjoy a fantastic weekend!

Lunar (450)

VFF (135)

AM: 11 miles on the Tigard HS loop, plus a bit more around the neighborhood.  Off to Pendleton for the next 2 nights.

Boston (500)

PM: 9 miles in Pendleton.  It was HOT.  88 degrees and it just about killed me.  I know that doesn't sound like much, but I'm still running in low 50's in Portland each morning.  I soaked my head before leaving the hotel and that lasted all of 5 minutes and then I was dry.

After a grueling 45 minutes (I kept burping lunch which made me want to puke) I found some water.  Drinking helped internally and I threw water all over my body which helped until I got back to the hotel.

Cumulus (401)

AM: 10 miles around Pendleton.  I considered running on the hotel treadmill as I didn't want to deal with the hill but I ended outside anyway.  Felt okay.  Just okay. ;)

Lunar (460)

PM: 10 miles on the hotel treadmill.  I didn't dare compete with the heat again today.  HBO was playing Kung Fu Panda which passed the time nicely.  Jack Black is becoming one of my favorites.  Anyway, 7 miles easy and then the last 3 were a little quicker (6:00, 6:00, 5:40).  Finished with a 7:02/mile average.

Cumulus (411)

I went back to the Great Pacific again for dinner tonight (same as last night).  I had the same waitress and ordered basically the same as Monday's dinner; 2 EAS protien drink (20 oz), large salmon ceaser salad, sandwich (peanut butter, banana, honey).  After taking my money she asked 'so uh, do you eat all your food here or take some home with you?'  I told her I had just ran 10 miles, after running 10 miles this morning, and that I was hungry.  She looked back at me like (fill in the blank) i.e. I had 3 ears, I had 6 eyes, I had cauliflower growing off my forehead, etc.  What do you say to a non-runner to not sound like a freak?

AM: 8 miles on the treadmill.  It was rough!  I started out with a 8:00 mile and it felt like a sprint!  I slowly eased into it and eventually my body woke up.  By the end I was down to 6:50/mile pace.  Working my way back to Portland today.

Lunar (468)

PM: No run tonight.  I just didn't want to deal with the heat.  But I did sign up for the Portland Marathon.  Only 128 slots left when I secured my entry.  Talk about going down to the wire... 

AM: 10 miles at the park in my five fingers.  Very enjoyable run as always.

VFF (145) 

PM: 7 miles around Ryan's loop without Ryan. ;)

Old Shoes

Only one run today.  I'm tired.  I ran the Tigard HS loop and both hips were feeling the effects of last nights run in worn out shoes.  As such, they are now retired.

Cumulus (421)

18 miles this morning in Vancouver, WA.  I ran the first 7 miles with my father and Jason--good company as always.  After 7 miles I grabbed some water and ate a few sport beans and then started the tempo portion of the run.  I was shooting for anything under 6:00/miles and it turned out pretty good.

• 5:54
• 6:00
• 5:41
• 5:51
• 5:38
• 5:50
• 5:47

I was originally only going to go 6 miles but I felt great and wanted to keep rolling so I added 1 more.  Fantastic way to finish off a week of very high mileage (for me anyway...).  I cooled down with 4 more miles and I was beyond ready to be done at that point.  Very thirsty as the temp was really starting to climb quickly and I hadn't drank/ate much of anything (2 swallows of water and maybe 5 sport beans.  I'll have to plan better next time.

Tigard HS loop, plus a section around the Home Depot in Tigard.  My legs felt snappy this morning and I felt like I could go forever.  Too bad my day had to get started and I had to stop my run after 13 miles.

Boston (513)

Late night + early morning = tired.  I ran 6 miles followed by 5 miles with my dad through the Tigard park and then 2 miles solo again.  Just one run again today but maybe a double Wednesday or Thursday?  Hope so...

Lunar (499)

Similar run to Monday; Tigard HS loop with a bit added on near Home Depot.  I ran in new shoes today--Max Moto 7's.  They felt better than I thought they would so soon out of the box.

Moto (12)

AM: 7 miles with my dad around the Tualatin HS cross country course.  My parents return to Utah today. While I haven't been able to run doubles the past few days, their visit has been great and worth missing some running. It was their first visit to Portland since September of 2009. Hopefully they make a return visit again soon.

Lunar (506)

Pretty much the same course as both Monday & Wednesday. Ran around Tigard HS with a bit more to Home Depot. Pretty boring but that's normal for Friday.

Boston (528)

I was all over the place this morning.  I just couldn't seem to find a course that sounded fun to run.  I eventually found myself in Lake Oswego, running past the HS and into downtown.  It was 10 miles to the Starbucks where I stopped for a bathroom break and stretched while waiting in line (strange to be in line for a bathroom at 8 am but there were a lot of runners out this morning).  To be expected I suppose with Foot Traffic close by.

Anyway, from there I started the tempo portion as I made my way back home.  I ran a new course home--basically straight south toward I-205 and then west to the Tualatin hospital at Walkers convenience store.  The first 2 miles were 4-6% incline. Ugh!  Not a fun way to start a tempo workout.  The 3rd mile was nearly the same decline and the rest was rolling and flat to Tualatin.  I wanted to get 8 miles of sub-6 pace in the bank but figured if I felt good I'd extend it to a full 10 miles.  After the 8 miles I wasn't feeling great, but not horrible either so I kept plugging away, figuring I'd get home faster if I stuck with the quicker pace.  Tempo portion completed in 57:44 (5:46 average/mile).

I was exhausted by the time I finished.  Its been a while since I ran a solid 20 miles and even longer since I hit a 10 mile tempo.  Glad to have it in the bank and excited about the confidence boost I gained.

Cumulus (441)

AM: 10 miles around the park in my Five Fingers.  It had been a while which was was both good and bad.  Bad because my legs weren't used to it and started to ache a bit around mile 8.  Although I guess that isn't really a bad thing...just means I need to do it more.  Because it had been a while, mentally it was a lot of fun.  It had gotten pretty boring a few weeks ago.  Lets face it--laps around a grass field for 70-72 minutes isn't too exciting.

VFF (155)

PM: 6 miles with Ryan in the stroller.

Lunar (511)

13 miles around Tigard HS and Home Depot.  I'm realizing after today (as well as last MWF runs) that it's pretty easy to add the 3 extra miles most mornings.  This used to be a 10 mile loop but without cutting into sleep too bad, I'm able to get a few extra miles on this course.  I broke in a new pair of shoes today.  I bought them ages ago--I think when I was living in Cedar City and working for Hillsports (March 2008?).  Good to finally put them to use.

Speedstar (13)

8 miles after work.  I ran through the parks of Tualatin and Tigard in my five fingers.  It wasn't good...  I could tell that after 5 miles my feet weren't enjoying the ride and by the time I hit 8 miles I had to call it quits (2 miles shy of my daily goal).  I took off my shoes and saw the major blood blister that had developed on the bottom of my right big toe.  It hurts something fierce.  Pretty frustrating.

VFF (163)

The blister I developed yesterday wasn't too bad this morning.  I ran just over 13 miles on the Tigard HS/Home Depot loop.  Overall my body feels kind of trashed right now.  I'm almost temped to throw in the towel the next couple days and get feeling better.  I've been fighting a bug the past couple days and sleep has been cut into the past couple days with work and sick kid.  That's life...

These shoes felt better on their second run than they did on their first.  That's a good sign.

Moto (25)

We're camping this weekend on the Oregon coast near Florence. That means running in a new area which is something I love. I couldn't sleep past 6 so I got out of the tent and laced them up. I found a number of trails that were excellent for running and it seemed I had the entire forest to myself. Next thing I knew, 12 miles had passed & it was time to get back to camp. It's going to be a fun weekend!

Boston (540)

Today was my final run near Florence, OR before returning home tonight.  I didn't eat the best yesterday (who does when they camp?) and I slept like junk last night so the run began with low expectations.  I ran basically the same course as yesterday with an extra portion around the lake and throughout the campsite loops to add some miles at the end.  I felt really good despite the weekend of camping food and sleeping bag "sleep."  I don't know how some people camp the night before a race and then still perform well.  I wanted to hit 18 miles but would have settled for 15 given the situation.  When I returned to camp after 15 miles, I saw that people were still stumbling out of their tents.  Turns out I had time for 5 more miles and I'm glad I finished off my run rather than hang out around the fire and be done for the day.  Pretty good week considering...

Lunar (531)

AM: 10 miles around the park in my five fingers.  I forgot my ipod and it made for a very boring 10 miles.  Live and learn...  I'm working in eastern Oregon the next couple days so I should be able to run some doubles today and tomorrow.

VFF (173)

PM: There were 20 mph winds in Pendleton upon my arrival and I didn't want to fight against that, so I jumped on the hotel treadmil for 12 miles.  I felt great throughout the run and averaged 7:29/mile while running at a 2% incline.  We'll see how I feel in the morning...

Speedstar (25)

AM: 13 miles in Pendleton.  I ran down the hill from the hotel and then headed east to the indian reservation (sort of).  Who knows...I followed the highway, passing a sign saying Entering Umatilla Indian Reservation, until it became a dead end.  That was 30 minutes and then I ran back-and-forth on the deserted highway 4 time to add on some miles before returning to the hotel.  It actually turned out to be a pretty good course, one that I'll run again.

Moto (38)

PM: 10 miles.  I ran to the HS track because I wanted to see what kind of pace I was running tonight after the miles from yesterday and this morning.  As always, the pace was right at 7:00/mile (I ran 3 miles in 7:02, 7:04, 6:55).  For whatever reason my body likes that pace and locks in regardless.  Back to the hotel and up the big hill once again.  One more time tomorrow morning and then I can avoid it for another 3 weeks.

Speedstar (35)

10 miles in Pendleton along the riverpath.  Heading home today.

AM: 6 miles around the park in five fingers.  Felt good.  Tonight I'll either run with Ryan for a few miles or drive to Salem and run in the cross country race @ Bush Park.  We'll see how the day plays out

PM: I drove to Salem after work to participate in the Bush Park xc race.  It was hot (85 and humid) and I felt trashed as soon as I arrived but I was looking at this race as simply some speed work for the week so no biggie.  There wasn't much time for a warm up but I managed a quick 2 miles before grabbing my spikes and heading for the start.  I had wanted to race in five fingers again but they were still damp from when I cleaned them after running in them this morning.

The course was different from a couple weeks ago and nearly 50% of the race was on asphalt so needless to say, wearing spikes wasn't a wise choice.  I ran in the lead for 2.5 miles and then was passed by a senior from Western Oregon University.  Tried to hang on to second place but was passed again in the final 100 meters.  So 3rd place for me and nearly the exact same time from a couple weeks ago.  I cooled down for 2 more miles and then tried to find some dinner.  Big Town Hero (Subway-like) was closed and we were quickly running out of options.  We eventually settled for a hot dog and pizza slice from Costco.  Dinner of champions, right there.

Now it's 9:30 and we've just arrived home.  In retrospect, I wish I hadn't made the effort of racing.  With the so-so performance and then garbage dinner, I feel like I came out in the negative; 1 step forward and 2 steps back.  So it goes sometimes...

Boston (544)

12 miles this morning on the Tigard HS loop.  Surprisingly, my legs and stomach felt really good this morning.  I was a little tired, but no worse than a normal Friday morning.  The plan is to run 20 miles tomorrow which will make for my first 100 mile week.  Probably my last 100 as well. :)

Lunar (543)

22 miles this morning.  I ran a combination of 3 different routes; hospital loop, desperate housewives and Ryan's loop.  I started with the hospital loop and right away I knew my Garmin was going to have issues.  I should have registered 1 mile as I passed K-Mart but it didn't beep until I'd crossed the freeway and was near Famous Dave's.  That should have been a clue to run off of time and not my Garmin's distance.  Anyway, I finished the loop and was in dire need of a bathroom as I approached Starbucks and Fred Meyer at 5 miles.  After taking care of business I continued up Boones Ferry, onto Ibach and then the rest of D.H loop.

I made my to the Commons around 8:00 am and was a little disappointed I hadn't jumped in the Crawfish 5K after seeing all the participants lined up to start the race.  I looped around the art walk twice, ate some Hammer Gel and then finished off the morning on Ryan's loop.

The plan was to run 20, thus giving me my first 100 mile week.  I decided to run 1 mile extra just to make sure it was legit, but after getting home and mapping out the course on the computer, I see I ran 22 miles total.  My Garmin is worthless here with all the trees.  Absolutely worthless.  I guess if 21 miles is good, 22 is better, right?  I felt pretty good throughout and hope to recover this weekend.  All in all, I'm pretty pumped to finally reach 100 miles in one week.  I've tried for it on 3 separate weeks (June 2009, July 2009 and July 2010) but have never gotten over the hump (90, 91, 93).  I don't think I'll make it a habit--it's a lot of running and therefore time away from family and more important things.  But it's cool to achieve a goal and we'll see if the miles pay off come October.

Cumulus (463)

13 miles this morning. I ran to Tualatin HS and then 50 minutes around the xc course and track. Had to make a couple bathroom stops but otherwise, I felt pretty good.

Boston (557)

Nothing today.  It's my first ZERO in a long time.  Bummer.  I was up way too late last night and just couldn't get out of bed this morning. 

In addition, the top of my right foot feels similar to how it did in July 2009 when I developed a stress fracture and had to give up running for 2 months.  It feels better tonight than last night so hopefully it will be back to normal by tomorrow and I can get back to running.  I always seem to try and stretch out the miles on my shoes and then it comes back to bite me in the end.  566 miles on my Boston's and now they're in the trash so I'm not tempted to use them again.

I'm thinking it's a stress fracture, or at least the beginning stages of one. It feels the exact same as last year and hasn't made much improvement in the past couple days. I'm eating calcium and vitamin D pills like candy (not really, but daily anyway) and will RICE for the rest of the week. Hopefully that helps and I can salvage the Portland marathon. If not, it was a great 2010! :)

My foot started to feel better Thursday night.  Friday morning it was back to feeling messed up but then again last night it felt fine.  Go figure?  I'm no Dr so I'm clueless about what it may be.  All I know is that if felt very similar to last year when I took 2 months off from running to let me foot heal.

Anyway, it felt okay when I woke up so I thought I'd try running in the park in my five fingers on the soft ground.  It didn't feel great, but it didn't hurt worse either.  Now that I'm done my foot feels totally normal.

I guess we'll see how it feels on Sunday/Monday and go from there.  I'm okay with missing 4 days of running this week if I'm still able to run Portland.  Keeping my fingers crossed...

My foot didn't feel great (nor did it feel bad) yesterday or this morning but by the time I got off work, it was feeling fine.  I decided to test it out with 5 easy miles by myself and then 5 more with Ryan.  No complaints

Cumulus (473)

AM: 9 miles at the park in five fingers.  The weather is starting to cool off and making for some crisp mornings.

PM: Quick trip to Pendleton--just one night.  I ran 9 miles on the hotel treadmill while watching the new ESPN 30 for 30 documentary "Jordan Rides the Bus." Pretty interesting...

12 miles in Pendleton.  Ran on the highway to the Umatilla Indian Reservation and back & forth on the dead end four times, then back to the hotel.

12 miles around the Tigard HS loop.

10 miles at the park in five fingers. This was the best my foot has felt in 2 weeks. I think 'it' is in the past, whatever 'it' is/was.

Woops.

I've wanted to run 20 miles of the Portland marathon course and today was the only weekend that worked between now and race day.  I normally don't like to drive somewhere to run (it just seems like a waste of time when I can start a run from my front door) but I made an exception today--it's only a 20 minute drive to downtown so not a big deal.  The 'woops' came when I arrived and I had forgot my watch.  I didn't want to drive home and then return (no need to start the morning with 60 minutes of driving) so I ran watch-less for the first time in a long time.  I parked in front of Dr. Parent's office on the waterfront, near mile 4 of the marathon course.

From there I ran the course....to the finish.  I added a bit around mile 9 of the actual course (the turn around on Front St).  I wasn't sure where the exact turnaround was so I continued on to the nearest intersection so I could map my route correctly once I got on a computer.

Anyway, it was good to get an idea of the course.  The hill up St. Johns Bridge was a little longer than I expected, but not as steep either.  The downhill is pretty good (mile 21?) by the Adidas headquarters followed by a slight uphill on Interstate Ave.  Overall I liked the course.  I like how you leave the city and then return which provides a visual of the final destination.  We'll see if I feel the same on October 10th!

The 2nd 'woops' is for the overall distance.  I figured it would be close to 20 miles, maybe a bit more, but not 23.  Actual distance was 23.3 miles but seeing how I like whole numbers, I'll blog it as 23.  Needless to say, I was pretty thirsty when I finished.  I hadn't drank anything during the run and the only thing I'd eaten, other than a banana as I was driving into the city, was a pack of Jelly Belly Sport Beans.  Wish I new total time and pace...

14 miles this morning on the Desperate Housewives and HS XC course loop.  Feeling pretty good.

Lunar (557)

AM: 10 miles in my five fingers.  I mixed things up by running into Tigard as well as Tualatin.

PM: 10 miles after work.  Lunch wasn't sitting well so it wasn't a pretty sight.  No more California Pizza Kitchen for lunch...

Cumulus (483)

12 miles around the Tigard HS loop.  I ran 6 tempo miles and my lower abs didn't love it.  I've got to do better at stretching each day.

12 miles.  Same loop as yesterday, ran in reverse.  Felt pretty beat down at first but then seemed to feel better after a couple miles.  I stretched quite a bit last night and rolled out my legs before going to bed and I'm sure that helped.

Cumulus (495)

20 miles this morning; about 8 more than I'd planned.  I'm not sure if I felt so good because of Utah's great football game last night, because I was back in Medford or because I simply didn't have to work today.  Either way, I left the house with the intent to run 12-14 miles but I was feeling good and decided to keep going and get 20 in today so tomorrow would be a little more casual.

I ran west on McAndrew's and onto the Pear route, then returned via Stewart and past Rogue Valley Hospital.  Finished off the run by running into the hills of east Medford--a brutal way to finish but I'm sure it'll pay off down the road.

The only water I drank was at mile 13 and I was very thirsty by the time I finished.  So it goes...

13 miles on my favorite route in Medford.  Quite possibly my most favorite route in all of Oregon--it makes me miss living here.  In the 12 months I've lived in Portland I just haven't found anything that compares to North Phoenix Rd here in Medford.

Anyway, I ran from the Walkers to the golf course, then south on North Phoenix past Home Depot and to the grocery store in Phoenix.  I used the restroom, drank some water, then returned on the same route.  I love the rolling hills, the cool weather, the little traffic and to top it off, I loved finishing my morning by jumping in the Walker's pool to cool off.  Great weekend.

AM: 15 miles around the hospital and then the HS cross country course.  I felt fantastic this morning, although a little hungry after missing a couple meals yesterday.  I plan on running a few more tonight before the Boise State/Virginia Tech game.

Cumulus (510)

PM: 7 miles on Ryan's loop.  Broke in a pair of new shoes; Nike LunarGlide.  I've used this model before and although I don't love them, I can get them for cost at the Nike employee store so it's worth it.

10 miles on Ryan's loop (most of it anyway). It's getting harder to get up in the morning as the clouds have started to roll in and the sun isn't seen until 7 or so. Blah.

13 miles on the Tigard HS loop, plus Home Depot.  The crisp morning felt good and my legs felt even better after rolling them out last night.  I hope the next few days of driving doesn't trash them to bits.  We'll see...

Brutal run.  Just brutal.  First off, I ate WAY too much last night for dinner. Ugh.  And like always, the food at Great Pacific is too salty, but I don't notice it until I'm hanging out in my hotel room and drinking cup after cup of water.  Secondly, I never seem to sleep good the first night in a hotel.  2nd night is no problem, but first is always a bit rough.

I was out the door at 5:30 to rain in Pendleton, OR.  Temps were fine though--mid 50's.  My gut still seemed to be full from dinner and I was wishing I hadn't eaten so much.  The first 6 miles were okay and I thought I'd pick up the pace for a while.  It didn't happen.  I felt like I was sprinting and I look at my watch and see 6:44/mile pace.  Not cool.  I found a bathroom after 7 miles and then ran mile 8 easy.  Picked up the pace (figurative term) for the next 2 miles and barely hit low 6:00's (6:12, 6:14).  My mind was telling my legs to go and nothing was happening.  Blah.  I gave up around mile 11 and settled in to a normal pace (7:00ish) for the remainder of the run.  So either my garmin was off...or I was.  I'm guessing the later.  I feel fine throughout the day, but then I go to run and my body just doesn't want to respond.  Who knows.  I keep telling myself 'just 3 more weeks' and then I can taper for Portland.  Hopefully I can put together some halfway decent training between now and then.

Anyway, 17 miles back to the hotel and then 3 miles on the treadmill to make it an even 20.  Lots of driving tomorrow and limited time on Saturday, hence the higher mileage today.

10 miles in La Grande.  Weather.com said it was going to be 43 degrees when I started and I hadn't packed clothing for cooler temps.  I started with my extra pair of socks as gloves that covered up to my forearms but I warmed up pretty quick and took them off after just a couple miles.  The last 3 miles took me around the campus of Eastern Oregon University.  I ran past the football field and track and was startled by 2 deer that scampered along side me.  I think I scared them as much as they startled me.  Always fun to run in a new town...

15 miles in Bountiful, Utah.  I arrived at my grandparents at 11:00 pm--after spending roughly 14 hours behind the wheel of my car.  Blah.  I got up at 6:00 and ran in Bountiful around my grandparents house; 6 by myself and then 6 more with my Dad.  After dropping him off I ran 3 more to make it an even 15.  Solid week.

Now it's off to watch Utah and UNLV and then eat In-N-Out for dinner. Does it get any better than that?

Back home in Tualatin.  What a long weekend...  I drove for just under 13 hours to get home yesterday.  It was exhausting and I didn't want to get out of bed this morning.  Somehow I managed 10 miles around the Tigard HS loop.

Cumulus (520)

AM: 11 miles in the park in five fingers.  From now on (at least through the winter months) I'll have to use these on double days in the PM.  It was dark for the first 20-25 minutes and I couldn't see much for footing.  It made for slow moving at times.

PM: 9 miles with Ryan.  Nothing special but glad I got some extra miles in.  This will be the only day this week I'll have time to run a double.

14 miles this morning on a combination of a few different routes.  I ran along Tualatin/Sherwood Highway and then south through the Desperate Housewives loop, around Tualatin HS and then around the hospital loop and home.  The first 7 miles were ran at an easy pace and then I picked it up for the next 5 miles.  Final 2 were very easy.

For the first time in what seems like forever, my legs finally agreed to pick up the pace and I was able to get some good turnover going.  It was a nice change.

Two days in a row of feeling good.  My legs felt snappy again and I was wishing it was race day.  It's a relief to feel that way after 2-3 weeks of legs feeling dull, tired, and non-responsive.  I ran the Tigard HS/Home Depot loop with a little added on at the start and finish.

Heading to Coos Bay for the weekend for a family reunion and to run in the 31st Prefontaine Memorial run.  Should be fun but the course looks a little rough.

10 miles in Charleston, OR, about 10 miles outside of Coos Bay.  I ran with Jason for 10 miles in the rain.  Lots and lots of rain.  But that's to be expected on the Oregon coast this time of year.  It was a beautiful run with some amazing coastal scenery.  Hopefully the rain slows down for tomorrow's run.

Very cool run.  Verrrrry cool.  I'll write more later.

My brother-in-law traveled to Coos Bay, OR for the Steve Prefontaine Memorial 10K each year between 2006-2008.  He suggested that, as there are many runners in our family, we have a family reunion in Coos Bay in conjunction with the race last year, the event's 30th running.  It didn't work out in 2009 but we all made it this year for the 31st annual race.  We rented a beach house in Charleston, OR, about 10 miles southwest of Coos Bay so for a warm up I ran from the house to the starting-line in downtown Coos Bay.  Rain.  Lots and lots of rain.  I was soaking after running 9 miles to get to the starting area (3 of which were miles 3-6 of the race course) but I was able to meet up with the group and change every piece of clothing; socks, shoes, shorts and shirt. 

My intention before the race was simply to run 6 miles at tempo pace.  Nothing fancy, just get a good workout at the end of a 90 mile week.  I had looked at past years winners and I didn't think I stood a chance at crossing the line first.  Top 5 seemed right, but not 1st.  The race draws in over 1,000 runners, many of which are from HS and college teams from around the state (they announced over 23 HS teams and just 2 college teams at the starting line).  Also, the course is a beast.  It's basically an out and back run with the final kilometer leaving the original course as you finish on the track at Marshfield HS, the same track that Steve Prefontaine set the US HS 2000m record back in the day.  What makes the course tough is that it seems every step is either uphill or downhill and the entire first mile is uphill so it makes for a slow start.

After changing my clothes I made my way to the starting line where music was blasting and hundreds of runners were lined up despite the crummy weather.  Immediately I was reminded why I love to run.  TO RACE.  Excitement was in the air.  Pretty corny statement but I was just happy to be there; no pressure to hit a pr on such an unfriendly-pr course, no care about placement and no nerves whatsoever.  It was a good feeling for sure.  About 5 minutes to start I ran a couple strides and on the last one I saw JJ Moses, a talented runner from Medford.  He and I have had some good races together--in fact, it was against him that I pr'd my last 10K @ Gold Hill in 2008.  We chatted for a few moments and he explained the course a bit before we lined up for the gun.  The race director thanked everyone for attending, announced that Pre's mother and sister were at the start and then gave a quick countdown before firing the starter's gun.

I'm not sure what happened, but with my very first step (literally--the first step I took off the line) my left hip-flexor seized up for the first time in my life.  They've been tight every now and then, but never like this.  My 3rd and 5th steps were tight but manageable and my mind raced through the decision process of whether to run or not.  It didn't seem to get worse and I thought I might be able to work out whatever 'kink' was in that area during the slower first mile.  I quickly decided to press on and push my luck.  Despite the hitch in my step, I went out quick, but not as quick as 15 or so high school runners.  JJ had warned me of this; for many of them it was a race within a race--who can lead for the first 3 city blocks before the climb begins?  After they fell off the pace there were 6 of us remaining.  I settled into the middle of the pack for the climb out of town.

First mile in 5:32.  We clearly weren't setting any land speed records but we were moving along pretty good given the terrain.  My hip flexor tightness/pain wasn't getting any worse and I didn't seem to notice it much from this point on.  The leader (some shirtless college runner) began to separate from the group as we reached the crest and began the decent on the downhill.  No one seemed too inclined to go with him.  While I'm not a strong downhill runner, I wanted to maintain a bit of contact and not give up on 1st place within the first mile.  I asked JJ if he knew who the leader was (he didn't) and told him we should be patient.  He wasn't increasing the gap and I was betting that I was a stronger uphill runner so I wanted to save something until the turnaround.

Between miles 1 and 2, JJ and a few of the others fell back, leaving the shirtless leader, another guy and myself in 3rd.  Everything went according to plan from that point forward; I didn't let either of them gap me on the downhill and I cut into their lead on the uphill.  For the next 2 miles I ran much cleaner tangents than them as well and I'm sure that helped.  Every little bit does, right?

I missed mile 2 but got a split of 10:35 at mile 3 (16:07 for 3 miles).  I passed 2nd place just after the aid station around mile 2 and then passed the leader on an uphill right before the turnaround near mile 3.  I was feeling great and hit 5:02 for the 4th mile, giving me a more comfortable lead on the chase pack.  Mile 5 is a climb nicknamed "Agony Hill." I'm guessing because "Heartbreak Hill" was already taken?  I managed a 5:38 (yikes) but seemed to have increased my lead a bit because I could no longer hear the crowd cheering for those behind me.  The first half of mile 6 was downhill before turning off the main street and running south toward the HS.  The crowd support was fantastic throughout the race, especially for it being a smaller sized town, and the cheering was loudest as I approached the HS track.  The cop that guided me along the course lead me onto the track where I ran the final 300 before finishing in front of the bleachers.  They announced my name as I rounded the final turn and the cheering got even louder.  I had a big smile on my face and enjoyed every last step of the run.  Final 1.2 in 6:02.

My PR is 21 seconds faster but I earned that on a pancake flat course in ideal weather conditions.  The course is not pr-friendly in any way, shape, or form so to just miss my best mark is a huge confidence booster heading into the Portland marathon in 3 weeks.  It wasn't the greatest time in the world, but I'll take it.  I'm blown away by times that have been run here.  Last year's winner (a guy from Australia) won it in 31:27.  Incredible.  It also goes to show that it's all about who else shows up to race--i.e. my time today would have taken 4th place in each year from 2005-2008.  I guess the guys from past years don't like running in the rain. :)

I ran 6 more miles for a cool down to reach my weekly goal of 90, then made it back to the stadium for awards.  The award was one of the best I've ever received.  Not sure how to describe it--I suppose it doesn't matter, but suffice it to say that it was worth the entry fee/pain/wet clothes/etc.

After a shower and some lunch, we finished off the day by visiting Pre's graveside, the monument placed in his honor at the Coos Bay Visitor Center and finally the Coos Bay Art Museum where there is 2 cases full of Pre's HS, College, AAU and other various medals/awards.  Also in the case was the pair of spikes that he wore when setting one of his numerous national records.

Coos Bay is out of the way to say the least, but this is a race that I highly recommend running, especially for a fan of Steve Prefontaine.

The End. ;)

Major hip flexor issues today.  Didn't even make it 5 steps before turning around and going home.  Not cool.

Hip pain still there.  Something isn't right from the race on Saturday; specifically from when I took off at the starting line.  I'm getting a massage tonight and hopefully that helps.  I've been icing and eating ib like candy.  That's got to do something, right?

AM: I ran today! Sweet...  8 miles at the park in five fingers.  Feeling better.

PM: 10 miles with Ryan.  No issues

AM: 11 miles around the Tigard HS/Home Depot loop, all of it virtually pain free.  Hopefully it stays that way...

PM: 8 miles after work.  I ran on the bike path trails in the parks of Tualatin and Tigard to break in a new pair of shoes.  They felt okay, but not great.  We'll see how they feel after Saturday's long run, then decide which to wear for the marathon.

AM: 12 miles on the Tigard loop, counterclockwise.

Cumulus (532)

PM: 6 miles in the park in five fingers.  Feeling really good.  Maybe it was a blessing in disguise to have some hip issues on Mon-Tues of this week.  It gave my body some time to recover before one final push to race day.  Either way, I'm feeling fresh and ready to race.  Can't wait!

Final long run.  I thought it was closer to 22 miles but after mapping my route, I was a mile short.  Guess I slowed down quite a bit there at the end.  I felt solid through 2:15 but the final 18 minutes were slow--it was getting hot and it had been nearly 90 minutes since I'd drank any water.

I ran into Lake Oswego; great hill work on the south road and again leaving town towards Lake Oswego HS.  I stopped at 8 miles for a bathroom break at a L.O. Starbucks and also to take a Gu and drink water.  That was the first Gu I've eaten in a looong time.  I don't miss them.

I continued on out of Lake O. along Kruze Blvd, north to the temple, south to Trader Joes, then onto my normal morning loop to Tigar HS.  Throughout the final 60 minutes I slowly chewed on Jelly Belly Sport Beans which my stomach seemed to handle just fine.  All in all, a solid run at then end of a shortened week.  Let the taper being!

13 miles this morning before work.  Same route as usual; Tigard HS and Home Depot.  I seem to be running the same route every morning these days...  I don't mind, but it doesn't make for very exciting entries on the blog.

AM: Overslept this morning.  That left me with only enough time for 6 miles at the park in five fingers.  I should be able to get a few more in tonight.

PM: 7 miles with Ryan.  The weather has been amazing in Portland for the past few days.  Nothing beats living in the NW.

Cumulus (539)

11 miles on the hospital loop.  Exciting stuff...

10 miles at the park in five fingers.  I had planned on only 6 but I was feeling good and wanted to keep running.  Temps were a little lower (52) but it felt good.

I slept in this morning.  For some reason I've felt exhausted the past 2-3 mornings, even with the reduced mileage.  Hopefully it's just a funk I'm in and it will pass.  Anyway, 7 miles tonight after work.  I ran to the Tualatin HS track and met my family.  As they walked, I ran and we all got some exercise.  I feel really good and can't wait for next weekend.  These shoes felt better, but I'm not sold on them for the full 26.2.

16 miles on....no particular course.  It actually felt really good to run somewhere different and new.  I tend to get stuck in a rut and run the same route over and over again.  I should make a better effort to mix things up.

Feeling good.  I'm hoping that the weather is cooler here next weekend than it was today in SG. Sheesh!!  

10 miles this morning on Ryan's loop.  It was slightly chilly--I could have used gloves for the first 10-15 minutes.

7 miles on the hotel treadmill.  I kept the pace easy for the first 5 miles, then mixed in 4x400m 'strides,' each a bit faster than the previous one (5:50 pace, 5:40, 5:30, and 5:10 for the final one).  It felt fast on my legs (but heck, 8:00/pace feels fast to me on the treadmill) but easy on my lungs.  Feeling good.

6 miles, again on the treadmill.  I didn't pack accordingly for the cold here in Pendleton, thus the treadmill.  It's a good 10-12 degrees cooler here than Portland.

I've got to say--I'm loving being able to sleep in until 6:30 and still run before work.  That beats getting up @ 5:30 to run 10-13 miles each day.  Anyway, 5 miles on Ryan's loop.  Finished the run with strides.

Cumulus (544)

No running today.  Just a reflection on the past 16 weeks, as well as my past marathons:

Marathon	Total Miles	Miles/Week	High Week	Runs 20+	Result
SG '07	355	22	36	3	2:44
Lincoln '08	608	38	56	3	2:47
CIM '08	704	44	70	4	2:35
Eugene '09	1028	64	90	4	2:37
Portland '10	1171	74	102	9	??

I've ran more this time around, but not by as much as I thought.  I don't follow any plan, but perhaps I should?  I've ran more doubles, more days with 20+ miles, as well as more 20+ mile runs on Saturday's.  Lastly, I've shortened my taper this time around.  Hopefully all these things add up to a good race.  We'll see...

Ready to roll.

I'm very happy.  Simple as that--just really happy.  If the stars align and everything goes great, I've got a 2:29 in me.  I was hoping that today would be the day.  Turns out it wasn't, but I'm more than okay with a 2:31:29.  But first, the countless details that make entries fun (or boring, depending on your preference):

My training has gone well and despite the lack of quality tempo/interval workouts, I've ran more miles than ever (see Fri, Oct 8th) so I was hoping things would work out in the end.  If there was going to be a problem, it was going to be the weather.  Much like SG last week, the weather in Portland has been great this fall leading up to this weekend.  That all changed on Friday night when storm clouds rolled in, bringing with it rain, humidity, & wind.  Saturday weather was rotten and the weather forecast called for the same on Sunday; 60-62 degrees at the start, 70-80% chance of rain, 92% humidity, 8-15 mph winds with gusts up to 20 mph.   I've ran in plenty of rain since moving to Portland--no big deal.  I was worried about the humidity being a factor in messing up my hydration gauge, and of course, wind is never good.  The one positive was the temps, although take away the other elements and I'd love it if it was 46 degrees when the gun went off.  Anyway, the point being that I spent much of Friday and Saturday over-thinking the weather, thinking all was lost and otherwise being quite negative about it all.  Thankfully I've got an understanding wife & other family members who made me realize "who cares?!"  Just deal with it and it may not be that bad.

I woke up at 5:15 to eat a bagel, banana and yogurt.  A quick check of the weather reveled only 5 mph winds with the other elements (rain, temperature and humidity) staying the same.  That immediately lifted my spirits and by 5:45 I was driving to downtown Portland.  By 6:15 I had parked my car and with 45 minutes to spare, began the search for a bathroom.   The lines were endless at the starting line port-a-potties so I walked to the nearest hotel and took care of business, getting back to the starting area with 10 minutes to spare.  The only guy I recognized was John Lucas and after talking with him, learned that he was hoping to run a low 2:20.  He'd dropped out the Eugene Marathon in 2008 at mile 18 due to injury after shooting for a Olympic Trials Qualifying time--I figured the win today was his.

We took off at the gun and made our way through 2 things; downtown Portland and rain.  I simply tried to avoid puddles while running a conservative first mile.  In my four previous marathons, I've started out extremely conservative with the hopes of a strong second half and possible negative split.  Today, I wanted to run by feel as much as possible.  I was surprised to be in 5^th place at mile 1 and shocked at how easy a 5:42 felt.  The thought went through my head "if you don't take a RISK, there is no REWARD."  At that point I made a decision that would determine the rest of my race; I was going to RACE this marathon, not just run strategically, methodically and otherwise a "safe" marathon.  Mile 2 (5:56) had some slight uphill but there were still 5 of us running as a pack, including Lucas.  I asked him when he was going to stop toying with us and he replied he wasn't feeling great.  A short time later, around mile 3 (5:52), Lucas and two others broke away slightly, leaving myself and a runner named Phil Olson in 4^th/5^th place.

Phil and I had a number of things in common; 30 years old, married, kids, similar training, and most importantly, both shooting for 2:29.  Although just 3 miles into the race, there weren't any runners near us to the rear and with the lead pack gaping us by just a bit, Phil and I committed to work together to achieve our goal of 2:29.  Near mile 4 (5:34) Phil took some Gatorade from a family member and shared his drink with me also (for the life of me, I can't remember how that worked out?  Did he offer the drink? Did I really ask some stranger if he'd share his drink with me. i.e 'He dude, can I have your leftovers?').  Right then I realized how valuable Phil's kindness would be to me throughout the race.  I'd heard horror stories about Ultima, the replenishment drink (void of carbs) which was served along the course.  Phil had family members set up at 6-7 spots throughout the course to provide Gatorade and he stated he was willing to share with me each upcoming time.  I had planned on drinking water for 26.2 miles so was immensely grateful to have a better option.

Miles 5 (5:34) and 6 (5:27) were uneventful, other than seeing my wife and son braving the rain to show their support.  How cool are they?!  The course turned lightly and the next 3 miles were ran directly into a somewhat strong wind.  By mile 7 (5:47), one of the three leaders had fallen off the pace and Phil and I urged him to hang on with us and work together.  Strength in numbers, you know?  Turns out it was Karl Siebach (xcrunner7) making his marathon debut after a 1:11 Painters Half Marathon in January earlier this year.  We made our way to mile 8 (5:40) along some of the loneliest parts of the course before turning around at mile 9 (5:34) to finally have the wind at our backs for a couple miles.  Mile 10 (5:35) put us at 56:45, right on pace for 2:29.  I was feeling solid; not great but not bad by any means.  Karl dropped off the pace at mile 11 (5:18) and I saw my family once again as Phil and I set our sights on catching the 2^nd place runner who was 100meters ahead of us.

There was a slight uphill through mile 12 (5:44) and slight downhill at mile 13 (5:29) when Phil and I passed the runner ahead of us to move into a tie for 2^nd/3^rd place.  This was new territory for me--racing a marathon with a top-5 (top 2-3 even??) place on the line.  It was a fun thought and definitely pushed me to keep the pace humming along.  The next 4 miles were on a flat, lonely highway into the wind once again, with traffic moving along at 45 mph in the lanes parallel to us.  The mile marker was long for mile 14 (5:52) and short for mile 15 (5:15), followed by one last flat mile (mile 16 in 5:35) before the one major hill on the course.

Phil and I salvaged a 6:11 on mile 17 which was entirely uphill as we crossed St. Johns Bridge and then pushed on through 18 (5:35).  At this point, and for the first time all race, I dropped off the pace and fell a bit behind Phil for half a mile.  I dug deep to close the gap and caught up to Phil by running mile 19 in 4:58??  Another misplaced mile marker!  Either way, I was back to being shoulder-to-shoulder with Phil, still running for 2^nd place, and for the past 3 miles, within striking distance of Lucas.  Spectators told us we were 30-40 seconds behind him and on straight roads we could clearly see the gap we needed to make up.  Mile 20 (6:16) was long, making up for the short mile 19.  Either way, our 20 mile total was 1:53:04, nearly 70 seconds under 2:29:59 pace.  I was beginning to feel the effects of running 20 miles but was hopeful I could hang on for a few more solid miles.

Uh, maybe not.  Mile 21 (6:05) was when Phil pulled away for good and I was left alone in 3^rd place, not sure how far behind others were.  Mile 22 (5:55) was better, but not quite what I was hoping for on the last (and only?) downhill of the course.  All of the sudden I was passed like I was standing still.  No joke.  Some guy I hadn't see all race ran passed me and took a bit of my confidence with him in the process.  I latched on for about 15-20 steps before fatigue set in even more.  Despite the slowing pace, I'm still hanging on for a sub-2:30 and 4^th place.  Mile 23 (5:57) makes a sub-2:30 an even greater challenge and then what should have been a minor uphill feels much more major before mile 24 (6:03).  Once again I was caught from behind, only this time I put up more of a fight.  We jockeyed back and forth during the next mile and I lost :).  Now in 5^th place, mile 25 (6:13) put me 16 seconds behind 2:29:59.  I told myself just one more push to the finish and maybe, just maybe, I could sneak across the finish line under 2:30.

The final mile was rough.  There was no wall, no cramping, no bonking, no upset stomach.  Just tired.  Simple as that.  I asked my body to respond and there was nothing there.  I really believe, on this day, I gave it my all and my body gave all in return.  That worked for 25 miles.  Too bad the race is 26.2, eh?  It could have been worse though.  As I made my way along the final mile, I approached a runner laying in the ground, surrounded by 2 police officers.  I heard the policeman ask the individual if he could, with assistance, get up and move to the sidewalk.  I looked down to see John Lucas, the race leader for 25+ miles, looking completely dazed and confused.  I felt horrible for him, especially after his bad luck last year in Eugene.  Now in 4^th place (what a lame way to move up in the standings!), and figuring John had assistance, I continued towards the finish line, feeling slower with each step.  I passed mile 26 (6:36) and thankfully the finish line (.2 in a not-so-speedy 1:33) before my body's gas tank reached completely zero.

I hope this post didn't sound negative (sometimes I have that tendency).  I'm more than happy with this time.  Really happy!  If anything, it made me realize that a sub-2:30 is within reach.  I learned a lot today.  Number one, to give it your all--without risk, there is no reward.  Second, it's probably not a good idea to race a marathon in shoes that already have 350 miles on them--they felt fine until mile 23 and by then they felt shot!  I also, the value of having someone to work with along the course.  I wouldn't have done as well without Phil and his generosity/running style.  I owe a lot to him and was pumped to see him take 2^nd with a 2:29.  I'm sure there's more to say but I'm tired and want to go to bed.  So that's it for now.  Not sure what's next but hopefully more good races!

I feel like I've been hit by a truck.  Everything hurts.

Not as sore as yesterday, but nowhere close to being able to run.

Feeling better but it feels good to sleep in.  I'm resisting the urge to run until Saturday.

Final day of rest.  Back in the groove tomorrow.  Can't wait!

First run, post marathon.  I felt good throughout, but as soon as I finished my legs felt 'shot.'  It blows my mind how people run so soon after a marathon.  It's been 5 days and maybe I should have held off until 6?  And to think others will run the very next day.  Am I just a wuss?

Similar run as yesterday.  Legs felt fine while running but as soon as I stopped, they felt shot.  I'm not sure how else to describe it.  Hopefully they'll freshen up over the weekend and I can get back to a routine on Monday.

Ryan's loop.  Winter is here, or at least on the doorstep.  After not running much in Tualatin in the past 10 days (minus the marathon when it was 60 degrees), I woke up to 38 degrees.  I had to just sit there for a minute before getting dressed to jog my memory as to what I needed to wear.  'So long t-shirt.  See you in May.  Welcome back gloves and beanie. Uh...it's good to see you?'  Not so much...