Where's the Donuts?

Post-work run at the Illahee Forest Preserve, 43 minutes on the trails on a cloudy, almost rainy nice. Cooler out than I thought it would be. Legs felt a little sore from Tuesday, not quite fresh but nothing to complain about. Managed a good pace. 

supernova glide --  270

Alarm clock malfunction so I wasn't up as early as planned, but I didn't sleep in too much. So I was able to get to Beach Drive by 6:45 or so, giving me enough time to get something in before Slug breakfast. 

Out to 5 and back for 10 miles. The first actually kind of hurt, really stiff and slow to get going. After that I cruised for a few around 7 minute pace, then actually ran some hard miles, unintentionally. I came back with a 6:33, 6:52, 6:43, 6:42.  Didn't really feel like I was pushing too hard even. May get a few easy miles in this afternoon if there's time. 1:09:24

supernova glide -- 280

 Mid-day run on the holiday, my brother is in town and we didn't have any adventure planned so we drove up to the OPG forest in North Kitsap. There's a race there that I'm on the fence about running next weekend, so it couldn't hurt to check out the trails a bit. We parked on Stottlemeyer Road and took the southern entrance, cut through a few trails up to that western plateau and kind of got lost on a dead-end logging road. That was one of two dead-ends on the day, so we found our adventure.

Other than that a really pleasant afternoon, sun waited until we finished to come out and we did find some nice trails that connected through, and ran on the forest roads a bunch. We were out there 70 minutes, at probably an 8:30 or 9 minute mile pace. Timm's about that speed, and without many climbs we kept it consistent. Good easy miles for me, I needed something like that to loosen up and relax the legs. Saturday's run was more of a pounding than I thought, and I'd like to run a little tempo tomorrow.

brooks cascadia

Beautiful sunny morning, and an easy run out Tracyton Beach Road to the usual turnaround. Legs were real sluggish to get going and I never did find a good rhythm. Still kept about a 7:30 pace. Kind of pushed the pace a little up the hills on the return so I didn't feel like I was running in superglue. Some muscle pain in my left hip and right hamstring, pulling me back a little. Oh well. 1:00:21

supernova glide -- 288

a.m.: I was due at an early morning appointment (speaking to a group of 50 elementary school kids about the newspaper; I killed) so I got four quick miles in after the sun came up. Gorgeous morning, legs a little sluggish though. No big deal, easy run. 30:25

p.m.: Track practice with Dina, who is trying to qualify for junior nationals Saturday. We warmed up, did some drills and strides, and cooled down. About three miles, but not consistently. Hot out though, heat wave in Washington!

supernova glide -- 295

Slug run w/Henry and Mike, it had been awhile since we got together. Perfect morning, we weren't real ambitious but still did 10 on the Beach Drive route. Kept a fairly even pace, even into a slight wind on the way back. Just two miles under 7, the rest between 7:10 and 7:25. Everyone was a little sluggish for some reason, and my hamstrings are really tight. 1:12:36

supernova glide -- 305

Morning run at a brisk pace on the Warren-Manette Bridge loop, with a little added distance through downtown Bremerton. Felt pretty good and held a strong pace. 43:01

supernova glide -- 

Missed yesterday's workout because of a 13-hour day at the office, and I was still feeling the cumulative effects of three long work days this morning. It's our 75th anniversary at the Sun, and we put together a pretty good special edition (see www.kitsapsun.com if you're interested). But it's taken some time, in between everything else. 

Six brisk miles this morning on the Manette Hills route, felt good other than a needed potty stop in some woods halfway through. Knees feel a little creaky right now, which is weird. Maybe I need a trail this weekend. 41:40

supernova glide -- 317

Well, the week didn't pan out as I'd hoped (running-wise), but work was a success with all the extra hours. So I can't complain too much. Mike and I went down to Beach Drive today, out to mile 5 and back on a breezy, cloudy morning. We ran too fast, and I knew we were pushing it. Oh well. A few ok miles (7:05-7:10) and then we dropped into 6:50 to 6:55 territory for no reason real. A good tempo workout, we'll call it. Maybe we were both just pumped to get started with the day. Coming up: yardwork and crabbing. 1:10:21

supernova glide -- 327

A couple easy Sunday afternoon miles once the sun came out. Timm was here, and we went up to Illahee Preserve and ran a real easy pace. 33:10

brooks cascadia

We're in this odd weather pattern right now, cloudy mornings that burn off around noon and turn into perfect, moderate, sunny afternoons and evenings. So I waited for my run to get some of that Vitamin D after work.

Out to the Tracyton boat launch and back, kind of pushed the first five miles (sub-7s, even with the hills), and I felt it. So I stopped and stretched, which I needed because my left hip and hammy are really tight. Then settled into a better, medium pace on the return. Back along Shore Drive and up my little Manette trail to home. I even stopped and helped a couple old guys load a dryer into a pick-up truck. 1:10:08

supernova glide -- 337

Day off today to hang out and work around the house with my parents. So my dad and I washed the deck, planted some bushes, dug weeds. Then I went to Illahee Preserve, wound around for 50 minutes and ran home. Maybe a bit shy of 10, actually, but it was a good effort with the hills. Hips have loosened up with some stretching and massage from the other night. 70:30

 brooks cascadia

Second year for Whale of a Run in Silverdale. This is the biggest local race, there were over 1,000 out there today. I wanted to better my time from last year by a minute, and stay in contention for top 5 or so (I was 9th last year). 

Got there early and it was warming up already (not like last year's 95, but 85 is new for this summer). Three mile loop on the Clear Creek Trail to loosen up, I was sweating pretty good when I found Mike. We did another mile, went to the bathroom at Target, then some strides and stretching.

I wanted to start quickly and get a 5:30 or so first mile, since the second mile is uphill. There was a big pack of 10 or so for the first mile, and we went through together at 5:23. Things strung out up the hill, and I played it conservatively but passed one or two guys. Crested with Mike right on my shoulder, but left him as the course flattened out and turned onto Provost. I picked up it again, and finished with a 6:15. I still felt pretty good, and had three guys in might sights: the only other guy even possibly my age, and then a pair of Central Kitsap High runners. (Their team made up the entire lead pack, by the way. They show up in force for this, and they have a good summer training program.)

I kept a solid pace and ran 5:45 on a slightly rolling third mile, but that was slower than it should have been. I'm kind of upset with myself now for it, should have been 5-10 seconds faster and gained more on those three. I didn't move much at all, and they didn't drop any pace either. So I knew the last mile had to be fast to hit my goal time and catch those guys. Unfortunately, it also wasn't fast enough. I tried to make a move but just couldn't quite get to that gear, even on the downhill where I planned to tear after the three. I had a solid kick and felt too good coming down the last 500m. 5:23 mile to finish, which isn't bad but left me three seconds off the older guy (who was in the 40 age group), and five and eight seconds off the two kids. So close, finished with a 22:48.

But I did drop almost 45 seconds from last year's time, which feels good, and still made the top 10 and won my age group. I can't complain, even if in retrospect I know where I wasn't tough enough mentally and that will bug me.

No cool down, I just hung around chatting with people and then we watch Mike's kid do the 75m dash. My parents are in town so we left rather than me cool down, and we hit the bakery for an hour. Then I came home and went out for 2.5 so tomorrow morning won't hurt.

supernova glide -- 347

Warm evening, not as hot as I thought it would be (my car thermometer after work said 96, but that's because it's a black interior with the windows up in a parking lot). It was probably more like 80. 

Brisk run on the two bridge, Warren then Manette, then home on Shore Drive. Evergreen Park was full of people enjoying the evening. A bunch of junior high girls called me nasty and told me to put my shirt on. I had no idea a skinny guy with chest hair is so unappealing. 

Felt good otherwise, nice pace and a good stretch following to loosen up. 40:05

supernova glide -- 351

11th Street-Shore Drive loop. Evening run, good pace. 

supernova glide -- 356

Early morning run w/Henry. He's leaving town next week, and I have to skip our usual Saturday meeting to go hike the High Divide Trail (and maybe run a little of it). Met at his house, did a loop with three good hills that finishes down Newberry Hill. Pretty good pace, even with the uphills. 57:53

supernova glide -- 364

Ten running miles, but 26 total on my feet. High Divide Loop in the Olympics, incredible day on the mountain. Since it's been a week and my brain is foggy from a few days of corporate meetings for work, the abbreviated report:

I went up with a group of guys that invited me for the hike. The High Divide is a trail that heads north to south into the Olympics, and is about the best view of Mount Olympus you can get on foot. It's an 18-mile loop most people do as an overnight. We broke up into a fast group and slower group at the start. We headed up past Deer Lake (where there were two deer) and the 7 Lakes Basin. Then the three of us hiked a two-mile extension down to a lake for lunch (Lunch Lake, of course) and back up through some snow. Really fun first 1/3 of the hike, weather was beautiful and we were moving, and I had a ton of energy. 

Then I left the group and ran a few miles up to the High Divide Crest. I passed a group of six mountain goats, a lot of hikers, including a woman who said "you shouldn't be smiling that much." I guess it showed. Felt great climbing, it's not an intense uphill but does gain 4k, so I really was feeling it. After the High Divide I picked a spur trail out to Cat Basin and the Cat Walk. Another downhill and climb out of the basin, then I was on a really steep slope looking at Olympus and down through the Hoh River Valley. I kept moving, but slowed some of the run because I didn't want to slide down a few thousand feet. Footing was a bit dodgy, and it struck me how alone I was.

Finally the "Cat's Walk" was too shifty to keep running, and I headed back that trail. Had to walk 1/2 a mile or so on the last uphill, I was pretty gassed, had tweaked my ankel and had been out of water longer than I planned. Played it safe. When it leveled out I took off again through some snow fields. After the miles on the trail I met the team again at Heart Lake, cooled my feet in a stream and then got ready to go. I probably could have run down the last 7, though it would have beat me up considering the ankle and some cramping. And I wanted some more time with the guys, so I hiked with Tim and got to know him. Finished and drank what has to have been one of the best three beers of my life. So thirsty.

I'd recommend it any day of the week, and I'm going back to run the whole thing at some point.