Where's the Donuts?

Warm evening run on the Warren-Manette bridges loop. Tender in the hip flexor/ab to start, and a little stiff and sore my hips when I got going. Slugged it out in an easy pace. 38:30

supernova glide 

Warm outside but the shady Illahee Preserve was perfect temperature. Felt as good as I have lately, maybe the soft trails or just finally getting my legs under me. Not too much hip/ab pain. Nice brisk pace. 31:47

brooks cascadia 8 

I was in Silverton, Ore. for a wedding, and woke up to a cool and clear morning to run on. Went out for 40 minutes on country roads surrounded by fields and implement shops, then back through the little town of Silverton until I found a small park with a few trails, then back through town and just wound around the pretty little streets until it was time to head back uphill to the resort. Really nice place, nice little run too. Soaked in the pool afterward, which really did wonders for my aching groin/flexor/hip. They felt completely fine afterward, even after a four-hour car ride home. Good sign. 1:33:00 

supernova glide 

Finally back at home with a few minutes to run, headed to Illahee Preserve to cap a busy weekend. Peaceful woods, almost didn't see another soul. Legs felt nice and light and healthy, good pace on a perfect evening. 34:00

brooks cascadia 8 

Out to Illahee State Park and back. Medium pace, though I cruised the downhills a bit and stretched my stride out. A little hip flexor soreness to finish. Felt good climbing the trail out of the beach. 48:00

supernova glide  

Kind of an aborted small workout, but I'll still take it as I get back into some solid training. One of the Jaguars I coach qualified for the national championship, and I had planned to have her run 3x800 today. My idea was to pace her through those, then do another 3 myself. But she had two teeth removed today and wasn't up to it. So after a lighter workout I stuck around the track, warmed up 1.5 miles until my hip flexor loosened up, then started a Yasso 800 workout to see how many I could do w/200m jog breaks.

The first two were too fast (2:40, 2:43), the third on pace (2:51), but the fourth started falling apart (2:54). It was hot and my leg was hurting so I called it and cooled down with an easy 800. Had to get back to work anyway. 31:50 overall 

supernova glide 

Easy morning run on 11th-Shore, not much pain. 30:42 

brooks cascadia 

Morning run on Beach Drive w/Mike. A bit cooler than it has been, only 50F when we started. My groin was stiff from the start, we began by running back through Port Orchard to check on a small new urban trail, then came back through Annapolis at 25 minutes and headed out Beach Drive. 

My groin eventually warmed up, but the left hip flexor and hip/hamstring were both talking to me most of the way. Possibly because we could not stick to a slower pace, as planned. After mile 3 we were hitting 7-7:05 each, with two (10 and 12) at 6:40 and 6:50. Probably faster than necessary, but I suppose that indicates we have some fitness. Significant pain and soreness in my left hip flexor/hip at the finish though, I've stretched/iced/showered so hopefully during the day I loosen up. 

1:24:06 

Warm evening run (80) on 11th-Shore Drive. Legs felt heavy, but not painful or stiff. Easy pace, no watch, plenty of stretching following. 

supernova glide 

Warm evening run, more muggy than usual because of some thunderstorms brewing. After standing around for an hour at track practice I ran mile repeats on the track, getting progressively faster and then slowed on the last one. 7:00, 6:45, 6:05, 5:50, 6:50 

I felt ok and probably should have tried to hit one more faster mile, or more wisely added in one between the 6:45 and 6:05. 

supernova glide 

Illahee Preserve, evening run, pleasant outside, not too warm at all. Easy-to-medium pace, very comfortable and then a little more brisk on the downhills. Felt healthy overall, a little soreness here and there in the left groin. 40:04 

brooks cascadia 

Morning run on Green Mountain before heading to work late. It was warm (enough, I suppose, maybe 75), and I had the forest mostly to myself until I started passing the motos on my way down. Good to get it done with quietly. My legs were good to start, but the left groin and hip flexor started in at a little under an hour. Not so much on climbs, but definitely on all descents. I ran down slower than usual, just taking it easy, my groin was really screaming for the last two miles or so. 

Wildcat to the Horse Camp in 22 minutes; Beaver Pond to Gold Creek junction in 23:39; Plummer/Gold Creek to the Beaver Pond junction in 26:11 (Plummer is longer but less steep than the Beaver Pond approach); to Summit in 9:56; return via Wildcat (rathe than Beaver Pond, mostly due to the pain in my leg) in 44:56.

2:06:43 total, which is a little slower than I have run that. Still a good run and nice morning. I was feeling fatigued by the finish, so also a good run training-wise. 

brooks cascadia 8

Mid-morning run, I waited until the sun came out. Never hurts to train in a little heat (yes, just a little) to get ready for Afton. 

Started slowly and felt a little creaky through 2 miles, then actually loosened up nicely and ran a pretty brisk 7:10 pace, then slowed a bit on the last mile in. 8-mile out and back on Tracyton Beach Road. Felt really good afterward, actually.  59:04

supernova glide 

Busy day at work Monday meant an unplanned day off. But the two days rest seems to have helped, and I'm for the most part pain-free in my hips/groin/lower ab for the first time in awhile. Good sign. 

My hip flexors were a little tight on the warm up, but after a mile loosened up ok. I ran about 3 on 11th-Shore Drive then returned to Jacobson for a hill workout. 8x200m (or so, may be a little longer, actually) up Jacobson, which is a pretty good grade, probably 25-30 percent. 

Repeats were 1:06, 1:11, 1:09, 1:15, 1:14, 1:12, 1:13, 1:12. 2 minute jog downhill between each.

By the last one I was wobbly, so I know I dug a little deeper tonight. It was warm, but Jacobson is all shade. Not enough fluid, that's for sure. Tired legs now. 

1/2 mile cooldown home. 49:40  

Illahee Preserve, evening run. Warm outside but the forest is pretty shady, so it was very pleasant. After feeling healthy in my left leg Tuesday, I had nagging soreness all Wednesday, plus worked too late to get a run in. But tonight I ran pretty much free and easy and without pain. Medium pace, pushed a little toward the end and extended the route on Spotted Doe a second time. 44:55

brooks cascadia 

I didn't get as many miles as planned this week because of some longer than planned days at work, but at least that meant I was fresh for Saturday's race. Cloudy skies when I woke up but the sun came out by the time I got to Silverdale, but a nice breezy morning and no warmer than 70 or so. 

A few of the Jaguars kids were out there so I chatted with them, signed up, then did a 2-mile warm-up on Clear Creek Trail. The start moved up this year on Silverdale Way (start/finish now on the same line, which is nice), so I did a few strides and found a place behind the fast CK High runners.

I started with the second little pack off the line, but we strung out maybe 1/4 mile before the first split and I let two guys go who, in retrospect, would have been nice to stick with. I was comfortable, and maybe a little too comfortable, hitting the mile in 5:44. I surged some on what was left of Silverdale Way, then left the kid with me on the hill and picked up one other. Just before the railroad tracks a guy caught me, and we rounded the corner and surged together there. I left him to pass the second mile in 6:23 (also slower than I planned) but he moved back ahead of me within 1/2 mile or so.

Ran alone on mile 3 with four guys in sight (the three I should have stuck with from the start and the guy who passed me). I eventually reeled one in, turning the corner to Anderson Hill and hitting the mile in 5:54. He dropped his kick then and took me, I watched his back to the finish but couldn't make another strong move. I ran a good last mile chasing him and the three others, in 5:03 (the new mile markers may have been off a bit), but it wasn't enough to catch them or sneak in under 23:00, which was my goal. Too slow out of the gate and it did me in. 

My legs felt good though, no groin/hip problems on the course and I did feel like I was running comfortably. So that's the good news, and four miles in just over 23 minutes isn't embarrassing or anything. Just not enough racing this year to be ready to push, I think that's part of the problem. 

Stood around and talked to folks until the kiddie runs started. Then a three-mile cooldown on Clear Creek, then it started to get warmer outside. I didn't go back to check the final time/placing (I'm guessing I was around 10th, like always, and maybe won the age group -- one other guy ahead of me I didn't know, and looked about in his 30s).  Then, also like always, some donuts and coffee. That was fun and all, but the coming week I'll need to get my mileage back up again. 

Illahee Preserve. 45:44