Where's the Donuts?

Sun's back out, and a shorty run around Manette to keep my legs loose. Three days until the race. Felt pretty good, legs are fairly fresh and light, and I spent more time stretching than I have in weeks. Felt good, and I'm about ready to go. 22:43

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Couple miles with Mike and his brother-in-law Donny down on Beach Drive as a last-day tune-up, then we ate breakfast. 

Then I spent the day before the marathon on my feet and in the sun and without lunch for 7 hours at our track meet in Port Orchard. Kids did awesome, I was pretty proud of my group. They're getting it.

Didn't quite get the sub-3 (3:01:42 for those too lazy to read until the end), but a good day on the prettiest marathon course I've run, plus a lucky stretch of morning weather and a good finish makes it alright. Here's the details:

North Olympic runs from Sequim to Port Angeles on the Olympic Discovery Trail, a paved trail that runs across the top of the Olympic Peninsula. After a loop from the start on city streets and a quick tour through downtown Sequim, you hit the trail and pretty much stay there through the finish line in downtown PA. Rambles through lilac fields, past dairy cows grazing, through a pretty thick forest for a long stretch, across old wooden bridges (and new wooden foot bridges), and finally right along the shoreline of the Straight of Juan de Fuca so you smell the salt air as you finish. One really mild climb, three sharp but short uphills, and one really nice long downhill stretch at mile 20. It's beautiful scenery, and the next-to-zero traffic is a real plus. Sun came out in the morning just as we started, making it a little warm and muggy, and the clouds and a little sprinkle was back by the finish. Good timing. Well-aided also, my only complaints were the inaccurate mile markers (all over the place, I'll get to that during the blow-by-blow) and having to dodge marathon and half-marathon walkers down the stretch. (I finished side-by-side with a woman pushing a jogging stroller, so I had to negotiate her while straining to finish off the kick. Also, I called "on your right" to a trio of women blocking the whole trail once. And they all stepped *to* the right. making me step lightly back to the left.)

So Mike and I started together, planning an easy start to avoid our usual mistake of  too fast too early. The first mile was 7:57, purportedly. Then we ran a 5:43. See where I'm going with this? Couldn't really trust any mile markers until at least mile 8, where it seemed somewhat consistent. All over the place: another sub-6, then one almost 8, though I know we were running a consistent pace that felt conservative. So I won't bore you with all the splits, since I don't trust them. We were probably pushing a bit through the first half, and our 13.1 was approximately 1:28 and change.

I felt really good through there, and we picked up another guy at mile three who stayed with me until 19. Good guy, it was fun to have the company. The plan then was to reign in the pace a touch through 20, to make sure we were running smart. We dropped Mike at mile 16, then I ran two conservative miles around 7:30 (probably too conservative, in retrospect, though I did feel a twinge of cramping there and dealt with it with more salt tablets and a gu). I dropped the other guy at 19 and was on my own to the finish. After 19 I needed to be just under 7 per to go sub-3. I hit one kind of slow one, then another that was just a little over, then nabbed two miles at 6:50 to help close the gap again. I knew I was close. The trail levels there for the stretch run. I wasn't bonking or cramping, but my legs were beat up. Engine was alright and I had fueled correctly, but I just couldn't get the turnover going and seemed locked into a pace. Two 7:25s and I knew it wasn't going to happen. I ended with a 7:04 and 1:11 for the 0.2. I could see the finish as my watch closed in on 3:00:00, but there wasn't any juice for a kick that I would have needed. Easily held on to third place and crossed the line at 3:01:42. And Mike ended up taking fourth, which is kind of neat that we finished back-to-back in the top five.

So I had fun, and can't complain about a good morning. Don't even feel that bad now. And I still have my sub-3 motivation for the rest of the summer, now it's time to pick another one to take aim at (Portland? Top of Utah? Chicago? If you have advice, vote in the comments below). I think my legs are finally ok with 26 miles (or more), but I need higher volume speedwork at that pace to train them to get going when they are at that stage of the game. So that's next, and we're back on the train.

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I ran a bit on Monday with the track team, but just an 800 with some 100m strides. (I let the faster girls go ahead and kept the others company, so it wasn't too taxing.) But otherwise this was my first running since the race. Three lazy miles, with a little stop for a stroll up a little hill and stretch, just around the neighborhood. Legs aren't sore at all, but a little weary and heavy from the marathon. Should be back on my feet with a "real" run by tomorrow, or Friday for sure. In any case, really encouraging to bounce back that quickly and feel this good on a Wednesday. 23:06

brooks cascadia 

In Las Vegas for work meetings for a few days. Would be perfect for running, except the meetings generally last 11 to 12 hours in a conference room, followed by dinner, etc. with editors. So I only snuck the one in, on the afternoon they actually gave us a break. Four brisk miles up to the Strip and then a little loop and back to the Hard Rock. Felt nice to run in the heat and I'm all recovered from the marathon, although I've lost a little fitness with the two lazy weeks. Back at it tomorrow, see if I can't get another schedule going. 29:10

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Slug run with Mike, out to the Waterman Dock from mile 0 and back. Pretty slow pace for two miles, we ran with Sherri and caught up with her, and then moved away and ran a little quicker. Still nothing fast though. Didn't wear a watch. Cool and drizzly, like the month has been. My legs are still pretty tired, and very stiff from the lack of running the past two weeks of "rest." Doesn't feel like good rest, with all the moving around and traveling. But it was nice to get out there again, and hopefully I feel the inspiration to get into it again soon enough. We talked about the Portland marathon, that may be the plan for fall. 

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From Krissy's house to Discovery Park, one big loop then a small loop, and back. Misty rain most of the afternoon run. Good run. Didn't feel the tightness or fatigue of Saturday's run, so maybe I just needed to loosen up a bit. 1:40 or so. 

New Balance sneakers (didn't have my regular running shoes with me)

Oy, I start the week with the best of intentions and suddenly it's Thursday and I'm running in the evening after work. Been one of those weeks, too many 11- and 12-hour workdays and other weeknight activities keeping me out late. I did get out a bit on Tuesday and run striders/plyos/form drills with a few of the kids I coach, so I haven't been a total slug. 

But I desperately needed tonight's run, so I headed to Illahee Forest Preserve after an intense and long day at work. (The corporate bosses are in town.) About 30 minutes of wandering around in there, even found a new connection I didn't know about. Felt wonderful to just be alone and running in the woods. So relaxing that I could feel my body getting loose and the muscles unwinding as I cooled down and drove home. It was almost painful, that's how wound up I had been. I don't get that stark of a physical sensation very often, but that's what happens when my body is really tense for a few days and hasn't run much in the past few weeks. I was craving one. 

Hopefully the running continues. I'm getting a little race plan for the rest of the summer/fall together, which is always good motivation.

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Met Chris Lemke at Banner Forest in South Kitsap early. Chris is part of a group that maintains and builds trails there, so he knows his way around. We spent 1:15 just winding around the forest, it's really more "mountain bike" territory than running, but at that hour we had it to ourselves. A lot of winding terrain, quick up and downs, etc. Really nice to get out on those trails. Chris keeps a slower pace, so we weren't pushing at all, and it was really comfortable. 1:14:55

brooks cascadia 

Manette Hills loop, minus the little added loop around the Y. Easy pace, just getting my legs back under me and used to running in the morning again. It's been a few weeks. 41:00

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We were supposed to have a small track practice, but the kids didn't show up. I was at the Bremerton High track with my stuff and it was a pleasant evening, so I decided to do a workout. 

One mile warmup, then 8x800 with one-lap jog in between each. Ran them at a Yasso 800 pace, more or less, with 2:00 for every rest lap. Splits were really even until the last few, then I picked it up some. (2:53, 2:56, 2:56, 2:55, 2:53, 2:51, 2:48, 2:46). Six through eight were really nice, I felt very strong there. Probably should have done 10 or 12 of 'em. That'll be next time.

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