Where's the Donuts?

AM: 11th-Shore Drive loop, felt fresh and relaxed after Tuesday yoga and a day off Wednesday. 5 miles, 35:25. brooks cascadia

PM: Met Mike after work at Silverdale Stadium, they keep the lights on the evenings there for soccer practice so a group of runners and triathletes has started speed workouts at the same time. We did a 1.5 mile warm up, then 4x1 mile (6:28, 6:33, 6:15, 6:13) with 800m in between each. Then a 1 mile cool down. Felt really good, especially for the second run of the day. The miles were in control, we pushed a bit on the last one but not too bad. 8.5 miles. supernova glide blue -- 352

I was in Southern California for a long weekend to get some sun (so of course it was a wonderful sunny weekend here). Didn't get out Saturday because we were busy up in the mountains shooting assault rifles (my friend here has a new hobby), but Sunday I woke up early and took off into the foothills above his house. Good steady incline for two miles then hit a loop trail. Rocky footing, but a nice wide path and I had it mostly to myself. On the descent the human traffic was picking up (those SoCal folks must like to sleep in) so I hustled back downhill. Different terrain than I'm used to, but it was fun to be in the sun for an hour. 52:00 

supernova glide blue 

Back in Seattle, I ran from Bryce's through the UW (watched them building the new outdoor track for a bit, then peeked at the Husky Stadium renovation). Then back on the Burke-Gilman and an extra half mile or so through Laurelhurst to round out the five miles. 

supernova glide blue 

Kind of a weird run, I left work too late to meet the track workout crew so I went over to the Y to get few on the treadmill. But the place was packed, no machines open. I ran loops around the 100m indoor track for five miles. My legs could feel it by the end, though I wasn't too dizzy. 35:00

supernova glide blue -- 369

Beach Drive with Mike and Brian. Even though we started early there was a little light in the sky, so the spring is coming closer. Real mild day out there, felt good and we kept the pace conservative so we're not knocked out for tomorrow's 25k. 1:16:16

supernova glide blue -- 379

A year ago I ran this in 1:59:54, and gushed on the blog about how well everything went with the pace and a late surge. Looking back at my early 2011 miles, I was fooling myself. This year I've been much more consistent and better with mileage, and I think it showed today by running three minutes faster without an inflated last mile due to a sprint. So I do feel good about today's race and this weekend's running, but I'll keep the enthusiasm under control until Chuckanut is done. 

Really nice weather (50 degrees, overcast, shorts), and it's been fairly dry so the trails were in good shape. Even after 10 on the road yesterday, neither Mike, Brian or I was very sore. Mike and I let two guys zip out and settled in with two others. This guy Greg was with us almost the whole time, he was really hanging tough for a guy who hadn't run much this winter and without any idea of what he was doing (he admitted as much). I admit he helped me keep pushing the pace, because after mile 8 or so I decided I wanted to drop him. We left the other guy pretty early, and one of the leaders turned around halfway to go find his girlfriend. I guess that's the competative fire that comes out for a free race. 

Our little pack ran 7:30-7:40 pace the whole time, most of the straight stretches on gravel were down below 7 (as fast as 6:42 for one we timed) and then the single track/hills would slow us down. But every time we came off the single track we nailed the pace again, which was good. Mike and I stuck together to the finish, he had his little fade at 10 or so, mine low energy point was between 12 and 14, but we pulled each other through. So we were maybe a little pokey there, but the last mile was solid and we ran in happy. 1:56:52

Clif shots at 40:00 and 1:25, and one salt tablet.

When we finished, the guy Greg was standing there waiting. Turns out he cut the end of the course and ran a mile less. Then the leader showed up five minutes after him. So a wrong turn by the guy up front means we tied for first. Navigation is part of the race, right?

brooks cascadia green -- 15

Manette-Warren bridge loop, easy pace. 39:30

supernova glide blue -- 384

AM: Four easy around Manette. 30:33, supernova glide blue

PM: Track work at Silverdale Stadium w/Mike. Chilly, but dry. 1.5 mile warm-up; 8 Yasso 800s (all between 2:56 and 2:58) w/400 recovery; 1.25 mile cool down. supernova glide blue

Lousy weather today on Beach Drive. The rain was a little off and on through the run, but when it was on it came in sideways. The last two miles into a headwind were particularly not fun. Both Mike and I were dragging, so it was a slog and kept the pace slow. But that's what you get at the end of a good week of mileage, I'm sure the spring will come back. (I mean the weather and my legs, see how I did that?). 1:12:50

supernova glide blue -- 406

Trail run at Green Mountain with Mike and Chris, my estimate of 15 is a total ballpark number because we ran different than my usual routes and Mike inadvertantly turned off his Garmin halfway through. But we were running for 2.5 hours or so (again, kind of a guess because I stopped my watch and missed 2-3 miles on the way back), taking the hills nice and slow and then picking up the pace on downhills. 

We ran from Wildcat Lake trailhead to Beaver Pond, then up to the Vista. Then down the Gold Creek trail until it meets Plummer, then uphill on Plummer until we met Beaver Pond again. Then we ran in Beaver Pond to Wildcat in the opposite direction of how we started. 

This was a good run, I'm much stronger on the hills than the last two times out at Green Mountain, which is a good sign. And even after 2.5 hours I wasn't feeling much fatigue (I had three Clif blocks, one Enduralight, one bottle of water). A little creaky in the right knee, which was odd. Then to Hi-Lo's 15th Street Cafe for my favorite breakfast in Bremerton.

brooks cascadia green 30

A few easy recovery miles on Shore Drive. I was tired from yesterday's run, but not beat up. 24:40

supernova glide blue -- 409

What a day. A 75-year-old gets murdered overnight, then a third-grader shoots a classmate just after noon, then we learn the police make progress in finding a serial killer in town. Frantic one in the newsroom, but that's the way it goes sometimes. It's stressful but intense, and you walk out with a mix of adrenaline and exhaustion pumping.

I did have time (and great need) for a late run at the Y, so five on the treadmill after a long day. Started at 8/min pace and worked it down to 7:30, nothing big. 39:00

supernova glide blue -- 414

As if Wednesday's horrendous news wasn't enough, yesterday I woke to the story that a highway patrol trooper was killed overnight and then the suspect shot himself. So another wild ride in the newsroom, but this time no run. It's exhausting chasing this stuff. I just got back from this morning's run to read that another person just died, drove his car into Puget Sound. What a week. 

Warren-Manette bridges route, medium pace. 38:14

supernova glide blue -- 419

I slept in, needing a rest from the load of the week. Two more people died Friday in crashes, this is an incredible run of bad news and it's taxing in the newsroom. It takes an emotional toll and the stress builds up physically, and my body kind of crashed last night. 

But when I woke up it was dry and gray, and I took my time and then ran out Tracyton Beach Road. A decent pace once I got moving, though my legs are feeling a little heavy. Mike and I are going to try for a longer run tomorrow, maybe trails if there's time. 58:25

supernova glide blue -- 427

Morning run with Mike, it was chilly but dry, and we even got a nice dose of sun. Met at Evergreen Park, out Lebo to Tracyton dock, then back through Lions Park and Stephenson Canyon, up past Sheridan and down Perry, then across the Manette Bridge and a downtown loop. I wasn't as sluggish as I had been the day before, but maybe that was the vitamin D. 1:32:54

supernova glide blue -- 439

Decided to sleep in a bit today, and swung by the Y after work. The place was packed, I ran four miles on the little indoor track and was weaving in and out of folks for awhile. 30:00

supernova glide blue -- 443

Brisk six miles on the Manette Hills loop on a cold, dry morning. 42:25

supernova glide blue -- 449