Where's the Donuts?

Went out planning a four-mile tempo on Tracyton Beach Road, but my right hamstring was incredible tight and wouldn't loosen up. So after one quick mile that was starting to get painful I shut it down. Turned off Lebo into Lions Park and did a loop there slowly, then stretched awhile. Headed back home, and did 6x100 strides on Shore Drive. By that time the hamstring was a little better and I could get some comfortable turnover, but it slightly seized up when I finished those. So I eased back home. Put in a good stretch, so hopefully it's nothing, and just a little more residue from Saturday's long run. 

supernova glide -- 212

AM: Short run around the neighborhood. Really nice morning so I wanted to get out a bit, but I wanted to save myself for an evening workout. So I just did three miles at a medium pace and stretched awhile. 21:00

PM: Record-breaking heat today (90 degrees) so the plan to run in the early evening meant a warm one. But it actually was ok. I went to the Bremerton High track, did one mile warmup (didn't take much in that weather), then 6 Yasso 800s. 

Even though I had 'conservative' in mind because of the heat, I ran a little quicker than planned and was able to keep it up. I was aiming for 3:00 each, but went 2:52, 2:53, 2:53, with 400m jog in between each. Then a short water break, and back to it: 2:50, 2:45, 2:47.

To run that and still feel strong by the sixth was encouraging. I was tempted for two more but I've got 20 on the horizon for Saturday, and want to be careful in the heat. I'll come back with another Yasso workout in two weeks, during the marathon taper.

One mile cool down.

supernova glide -- 221

Mid-day break from work for a quick four miles. Cooled down a bit today, so it was perfect running weather. Not perfect scenery though -- I ran by my favorite breakfast place (actually, tied for #1), and it suddenly closed. The signs were down by the time I was coming back from work.

Anyway, my legs  rebounded surprisingly well from last night's workout, and I kept a comfortable, brisk pace. The big boy (20) tomorrow morning. 28:45. 

 supernova glide -- 225

Early morning on Beach Drive. It's cooled down, and was as perfect a morning as you'll get. 60 or so, cloud cover, light breeze. Maybe a really 'perfect' morning wouldn't mean a 20-miler though. So perfect for running, how about that. 

Just under 15 minutes for the first two, we really wanted to keep a handle on the pace, particularly on the way out. Didn't quite happen, but we weren't too far off. Splits: 

14:52 (1,2), 7:06, 7:09, 6:52 (whoops), 7:12 (ok, better), 7:01, 7:15, 7:53 (that's a long mile, so the next one is always fast), 7:20 (yep, since that's on an uphill), 7:10, 7:35, 7:03, 8:10 (the long one, plus I threw in a bathroom break with adds two blocks on to that mile), 7:10, 7:09, 7:24. 7:00, 7:36, 7:22

So other than a few outliers early on, we were fairly consistent with a pace I'd like to be near in the race. This other guy Henry met us at 13 or so and joined for the last seven. Didn't feel much fatigue from Thursday or the week's miles, so that was good. Fitness-wise I felt really strong at the end, though my hips, hamstrings and feet were breaking down some. But I expected that. So overall a confidence-building run, and an enjoyable time for 20 miles.  2:26:28

supernova glide -- 245

Two long days at work threw me off my routine, so I did a guilty seven miles this morning to get back on the horse. It is a nice day for it. Medium pace, headed out to Lions Park for a loop than back over the Warren Bridge, through Evergreen Park and across the Manette Bridge. Pretty quiet out, even in the parks.

Legs were a little rusty at the start, but I've been riding my bike to work the past few days so any residual from Saturday has worked itself out. I did get the strangest pain/cramp in my left shoulder at about mile five. Never felt like that, and it was pretty painful, but I may have just been tense and needed to stretch it out. Seemed ok after that. 

51:15

supernova glide -- 252

Not my best week, heavy burden at work and I've got stuck in kind of a slump that's been tough to break through. Just four this morning on the 11th-Shore route, kind of achy and tough to get the engine going. Just one of those days (or stretch of days). At least I've been riding in to work every day for a little extra exercise. Nothing too long tomorrow, within two weeks of the race now. 

supernova glide  --256

Morning run on Beach Drive with Mike and Henry, I took off for Seattle immediately after (actually, I stood on the running course and watched the USS Ohio submarine leave Sinclair Inlet, which was really cool, then I left for Seattle). So now I'm getting around to the post. 

I had planned to go a little further, but I thought I'd do the miles then add a few. But we turned it into a good tempo workout, which was probably smart two weeks out. Henry was pushing the pace early, but on the return I decided to drop the hammer and push on those guys. My left foot was a little gimpy on the first three, something's off in it right now. It's almost like a stress fracture, occassionally when I take an awkward step there will be this pain that feels structural. It's not real intense or constant, but it says something isn't right. But after warming up it went away, and I'll just watch it now. 

Anyway, the first four were just seconds over 7/min pace, then we dropped down to a 6:46. We eased up a bit (uphill, slightly) to 7:22, turned around and came back with a 6:57, 6:50, 6:54, 6:23 (that's me pushing), and then eased up a bit for two just over 7. If we hold that pace in two weeks at Rock 'n Roll, I'll be pleased. 1:24:21.

Then I went and played golf. The pace was nowhere close to comparable.

supernova glide -- 268

Not quite a taper run, but nothing too aggressive. I still haven't figured out exactly how to taper, so I'm trying to stay sharp but not overdo it. Four miles at a brisk pace along 11th-Shore in the evening. Warm night. I'll try a few tempo miles tomorrow morning. 30:00

supernova glide -- 272

Little evening tempo, rain was threatening and it was muggy but nothing fell (in the Pacific Northwest, I know, meanwhile Utah gets soaked. Climate change is a myth, keep telling yourselves that...) 

Two easy miles over to the Warren Ave bridge, then down Lebo and out Tracyton Beach. Miles, keep in mind the first begins on the downhill, but I came back up the hill on the fourth today (sometimes I divert an extra loop through Lion's Park to keep the split more true): 5:45, 6:10, 6:04, 5:56.

Definitely felt much more comfortable than the last time I tempoed four miles on that route, especially with a closing mile at that pace. Didn't really feel like I was pushing excessively either, so maybe my speed is in better shape than I thought. I could feel my foot, but its nothing big and kind of comes and goes. I'm trying not to cross my legs and put pressure on it, because I realized I do that sitting at my desk.

Two miles cool down back to the house. 54:08

supernova glide -- 280

Tune-up run today, went smashing. Eight on Beach Drive with Henry (he's running the Seattle RnR half) on a cool, cloudy morning (in other words, precisely what we'd like to see next Saturday). We ran a real consistent and comfortable 7/min pace, felt very relaxed and we clipped off the miles. The one fast mile was 6:45, but we got there without any extra effort and it felt fine. So that's encouraging. Very little trouble with the foot either, it twinged once or twice but nothing sustained. So now just a week to wait for the race, and it's marathon time again. 56:21 

supernova glide -- 288

Easy taper week run, cut it short because I needed to hit the bathroom. 4x100 striders also. 22:30

supernova glide --  291

Nice morning run on the Warren-Manette bridges route. One problem with the Seattle RnR this Saturday is I miss a new race in town, which is on this exact route. My chance at a true home course, since I've been doing this run for three years. Always more things to do than time to do them, I suppose. 

Brisk pace but nothing pressing today, felt good. Three days until the race, weather looks like it'll hold and be a nice day for us. 36:30

supernova glide -- 296

A little over three miles puttering around 11th and Shore area, plus 6x100 strides. Really windy out today, it's kind of uncharacteristic. Legs feel good, I need to be careful not to lace my left shoe too tightly, that seems to irritate whatever's happening on the top of my foot. 23:31

Other than that, ready to race. Paul arrives today, not sure if we'll meet at the expo or afterward or what. 

supernova glide -- 299

I woke up at 4 a.m. for this number and I'm hanging around at 10:30 to file the race report, so forgive me if some details get foggy. Mike, Mike's wife Tracy and I drove over to the hotel Paul was staying at and parked, planning to jog to the start. A couple saw us and offered a ride for the 1.5 miles, which we took even though it ended up not making things any quicker than they would have been otherwise. By the time we got out of the car, peed behind a garbage can and dropped our bags (and forgot the gels I packed inside), Mike and I made it to the start as the national anthem was being sung. We saw Paul up front, and snuck into a good spot in corral 1. 

We got off to a good start, it was a beautiful morning. The mix of half and full runners in the corral made it a little difficult to judge the intial pace, and we were just a tad quicker than expected on #1 (6:50). (Side note: band #1, on that first mile, was my favorite of all of them.) Except then we kept with that pace going, and followed the first mile with a 6:27, 6:37 and 6:34. The course was nice, kind of industrial/neighborhoods. It didn't feel fast, so we stuck with a faster pace than planned without complaining much. Then we did a 7:08 on a mile with some uphill, then cruised back down to Seward Park with a 6:19. (Incidentally, I and some others have questions about the distance on all these miles, some don't quite square. So take it all with a small grain of salt.)

We came out on to Lake Washington Boulevard, which is a beautiful part of the course with a great water view and tree-lined street. I stopped at a port o pottie and let Mike go, and hit a 7:03 (6:28 minus the 35 seconds in the bathroom, actually). Still feeling great. I had Mike in view as I left, but didn't charge to hard after him. I figured I'd pick up a few seconds each mile and get him eventually. He started dragging when the course moved to the I-90 floating bridge, and after a 6:42 and 6:40 I caught up to him. The bridge was an odd place to run, just flat and the first real exposed part of the course. We finished off a 6:43 headed to the I-90 tunnel (where we met back up with half-marathoners). Then we hooked up for a 7:05. 6:19 and 7:36 (definitely a long mile there) to hit the half at a bit under 1:29. Pretty good pace, and ahead of our planned schedule. The strategy then became to keep a consistent pace through 18 or 20, and leave it all from there and see what happened.

That's about when we hit downtown, and started heading uphill (though just slightly, the hills weren't quite as bad as I'd expected.)

6:06 (short mile), 6:54, and then a 7:46 as I left Mike up Highway 99. I was focused in really good at that point, moving steadily on the uphill and holding close to what could be 3 hour pace. I kept on it with a 7:15 and 7:37 -- still in the ballpark, but I was tiring. Not exhaustion like at Tri-Cities, so I wanted to keep my head about me and hang in there. I was focused on making the Aurora Bridge turnaround and back downhill to mile 21 at a consistent pace, that's where more gu was.

I put in a 6:37 at that point, taking advantage of some downhill and pushing back up. Then the first cramp hit, left hamstring. Turned mile 20 into an 8:03 because of 20-30 seconds worth of stretching. Leg just balled up, which was frustrating because my energy level felt alright and I wasn't breaking down otherwise. I had taken two gels and hit every cytomax and water stop, and even though one more gu coming I knew I'd have to grit my teeth through at that point.

I missed the mile 21 marker because I was having a gu and walked through the aid station, in an attempt to get something to help the cramping. 21/22 went about 8:10 each when averaged, so I had lost touch with 3-hour pace but still felt alright about where I was. Mile 23, unfortunately, was the killer. Both hamstrings turned into balls halfway through, and I limped to the ledge of the Alaskan Way Viaduct's upper deck (beautiful view of Puget Sound, by the way) to grab a rail to stretch on. Mike caught me at this point and moved back ahead. Mile turned into a frustrating 9:18, and then a 9:24 followed on 24 because of more stops. Just couldn't run through the cramps, when the muscle balls like that I can't take another step.

On 25, whether the gu or cytomax, my legs started to relax. I caught Mike and notched a 7:25, moving ahead of him. I was feeling good again, and did it on a tough mile that includes the last good uphill. The Slug Club aid station is there, so seeing those guys was motivation. But just after the station, and after getting a rhythm back I wanted to finish with, I caught another small cramp and slowed slightly. Mike caught me again and we decided to finish together.

We exited the viaduct and cruised down onto 1st Ave, picking up some speed. We hit the final stretch and actually even passed a guy within 50 yards of the finish. Last 1.2 was 8:35, putting us in just seconds over 3:11. A little frustrating because a few steps at those final aid stations I walked through cost me the 3:10, but still a p.r.

Overall a fun race, and a blast to start and finish with Mike even though we ran separately (and passed each other back and forth throughout). The hamstring cramps were frustrating, but to finish without a real bonk or total breakdown in the legs is encouraging. If I can get whatever nutrition or processing problem solved and minimize the hamstring cramps (it's happened before) I'd be set for a really strong time. And I really like our "strategy" of going after it strong for 16 miles and setting up for a potentially great finish. That first half did feel great. Also, a pretty fun course and a well-run event (one complaint -- no band played Michael Jackson songs. Wha? C'mon, be timely.)

Paul and I gorged on pizza tonight, so I'm fat and happy and by tomorrow will be rested. Well done.

supernova glide -- 325