Where's the Donuts?

Knew I'd be in airports and meetings Mon-Tues-Wed, so even though I was a little beat from High Divide (mostly right ankle, but overall fatigue too), I planned a Sunday evening run. Ended up meeting Krissy in Magnolia and running Discovery Park, two loops at a pretty healthy pace and back to her house. Felt fine and pushed through the tired legs, but I was HUNGRY, and after getting back to Bryce and Bonnie's to stay the night my legs started to scream. So it was a big weekend, and  good end to July's mileage. The three days of rest turned into four because of how busy work has kept me. Just wasn't time for running in Cincinnati, though I would have liked to. Back at it tomorrow, and looking for a little distance this weekend. No plan yet, but I'll find something. 1:27:00

supernova glide

Ended up taking a week off, which was more than I planned and had me kind of frustrated. But there was no time in Cincinnati to squeeze a run in, then catch-up work, travel fatigue and some other commitments just kind of pushed running out the rest of the week. So I was ready to get going again. The time off did let my ankle heal, and it feels fine again. There was a day or two it swelled and I got worried. And I had a chance to do yoga yesterday, it had been months. I needed the stretching more than a run, and it was a good hamstring/hip workout. I felt it today though in a few sore spots.

Tonight I did the out-and-back to Illahee State Park, with the descent to the beach and back. Felt strong, especially on the hills. Good brisk pace the whole way. 51:50

supernova glide -- 382

A 10.5-hour day didn't have an end in sight, so I left for an evening run because I didn't go this morning (had to be at work early, and my brain had stopped functioning and needed air). Warren-Manette Bridges run at almost a tempo pace to burn off the pent-up energy and frustration, 36:10. Now I'm headed back to work. Oh boy. 

supernova glide -- 387

Workout evening, sunny and warm: Two warm-up miles to the Warren Avenue bridge, then I took off down Lebo to Tracyton Beach Road for a tempo/threshold workout. Four miles (ended up closer to threshold than a simple tempo) at: 5:25 (downhill, I always get a fast start on this route), 6:00, 5:58, 5:58. Pretty strong four miles, legs felt healthy and light. Not far off the pace I raced at three weeks ago. Even the four-mile cool down felt good. 1:07:46

supernova glide --  397

Another evening run, taking advantage of these nice sunny nights. Started off sluggish and feeling last night's workout, but settled into a nice, breezy pace. Did 4.5 or so, then went to Manette Ballfield and took off my shoes. It's about the nicest grass field in the city, just great to run on. Ran barefoot for a mile or so, including 8x75m strides. Felt great on the feet. Then home. 44:58

brooks cascadia

All by myself this morning on Shore Drive, just three other Slugs out there in total. I wanted some miles and planned a few miles of Tinman Tempo. Wonderful morning to run, sun coming up but I stayed in the shade, and it was probably in the 70s the whole run. 

Started off easy, three miles at 7:13 to 7:25 or so. Then I picked it up, but got going a little quicker than planned -- 6:25, 6:42, 6:53 (slow because I needed a bathroom break, which I then took and got back on track), 6:25, 6:21, 6:32. I was probably good on the fast miles at this point, but I still felt strong and was moving really smoothly, so I decided to push out a few more. 6:12, 6:08, 6:20. Then I stopped a minute and caught my breath, stretched a bit, and brought it home at a more reasonable pace: 6:48, 6:55. 1:33:44 overall.

Overall a great workout, surprised myself with how smoothly those fast miles went. One bottle of water, one gel at about mile 8, and two salt tablets. Good finish to a solid week as well, one of the better weeks of the summer and encouraging with TOU five weeks out.

Now, it's time to mow the lawn. Then maybe new shoes, these need to be rotated out.

supernova glide -- 411

Hot, hot day, I'd already done yoga and sat on the beach a few hours and just eaten an ice cream bar -- so I went for a run. One long loop of Discovery Park, about eight total and I slogged through it. Some of that was Saturday's fast pace, and the heat and a little cold exhausting me. But good to get the miles and start the week off right. By the end of the run my legs weren't as heavy. 1:01:40

brooks cascadia

A lot going on here: maybe the last hot day of the summer, election day, workout day, and... new shoes day! So I went to the Bremerton High track during a break at work to get a hard workout in and see what a new pair of supernovas can do. 

Warm evening, but not as much as recently. Probably 80 at the start. Two miles warmup, then began a Yasso 800 workout. I did this one the last week of July, and only did 8 that time at a 2:46 to 2:55 pace. I wanted more of them this time, at a bit slower pace.

Did the first three at 2:56, 2:54, 2:54, right on target. One lap in between each. Kind of a weird scenario here, but I had started late and wanted to check on election results at work. It's a five-minute drive from the track, maybe less. So I jogged out to the car, jumped in and ran into the office for 15 minutes. Wanted to make sure there were no upsets, and everything was in good shape. It was, and I snagged a piece of pepperoni pizza. Nice mid-workout treat.

Then back to the track, and I got on with the next nine 800s. 25 minute break, but I stayed loose. 2:58, 3:00 (ok, maybe not that loose, those two took some effort to get back in rhythm), 2:55 (there we go), 2:57, 2:57, 2:58, 2:58, 2:57, 2:57. 2:53. I took less rest on the last ten as well, just about a minute each time instead of 1:45 or so on the first set. Annnnd, I lost track in the dark of where I was (couldn't even read the watch the last two), and ended up doing 13 instead of 12. Bonus! Short cooldown because I wanted to get home, and a hot spot developed on my left foot in the new sneaks. But otherwise they felt great. 1:10:41

A great evening workout, I feel good about backing off those seconds from the June workout because I was able to do more at a really comfortable pace, and did so with less rest. I may do this workout once more the first week of September. Anyone out there have advice on whether I should try to add more 800s, or bring them down a few seconds each if I'm prepping for a sub-3 marathon?

supernova glide -- 10

Tracyton Boat Launch and back, easy pace. Didn't intend to miss two days but work was really busy, and I did sneak in a yoga class yesterday. Legs felt well recovered from Tuesday's workout, other than a little soreness in my right ankle that's held on from the High Divide trip. 1:12:40

supernova glide (red) -- 20

Solo on Beach Drive. Cool morning (50) at the start, and didn't warm up too much. But some sun coming up through the clouds charged my batteries, and Bill Mackem showed up as I was leaving for a little morale boost. (Bill is in our running club, and right now he's recovering from three bypass surgeries in a year. Every time I see the guy get back on the road I'm amazed). 

Took it out easy, shooting for a relaxed pace. I initially planned 18 but got a late start, and I do like to meet the Slugs for breakfast. I figured I see how it went and decided out on the course whether to get the whole thing in. 7:15 pace for the first three, then four at 7 minute pace, which was a little fast but felt relaxed. Started to creep under 7 for a few, but slowed down on the hill in Manchester to a 7:30. Decided to turn around at the 8 mile mark and make it a 16-mile day. My left hamstring at the connection to the glute/hip was really stiff and sore, and this little right ankle pain was nagging. I stopped and stretched, and did another stop/stretch at 13 or so. Both helped quite a bit, I may have just been stiff from Friday morning's run. 

On the return I ran two more at 7:00, then picked up the pace through the finish (not intentionally, though I was focused on running free and easy and letting loose): 6:36, 6:50, 6:26, 6:37, 6:41. So a nice strong finish, and I didn't feel taxed or anything coming in at that pace. After the last stretch I did feel much better, and that let my stride lengthen out. Or maybe I was just hungry and ready for breakfast.  1:51:39 overall. 

supernova glide red -- 36

So a little short on the last run of the week, but if I get a good run tomorrow morning that'll make for a nice three-day combo to get mileage. I can feel good about that, and I'm not sure that'll be the big issue for a marathon at this point anyway. The run did cap another solid week, bumped up a few miles with a good track workout. It puts me in a good place to hit 50 in the coming week, which keeps me in line for TOU prep. I'm traveling for work, which always makes that a little more difficult, but the meeting schedule in Texas isn't quite so full. The weather in south Texas, well, I'm not as confident I'll be ready for that.

Evening run from home to the Illahee Preserve, around the trails and back. Sun came out tonight so I was glad I waited. Good pace, nice running in the forest, but some pain in my left hip came back on the way home, maybe mile 8 or so. It's still a little painful and stiff after some vigorous stretching and relaxing on the couch. Day off tomorrow to travel to Texas, so hopefully those muscles just need a break for a day after three good mileage/effort days in a row. 1:10:15

supernova glide (red) -- 46 

It's swealtering by 6:30 a.m. in South Texas, before the sun is even up. But that's where I was, and it was good to get out and run (and sweat). Ran along the Corpus Christi shoreline before dawn, I was there for work meetings (we have a newspaper there). Corpus isn't much as a town for running, but they've built a wonderful waterfront path with a wide sidewalk and marinas and some sandy beaches and a park, so I like to run there. I stay at some fancy hotel across the street from the path, so it's easy. The sun rises completely red over the Gulf of Mexico, which is actually pretty stunning. You can feel it get more oppressive every second, and I then feel myself appreciating Washington every moment. Still, nice to get a hot one in sometimes. 52:00

Right hip still pretty stiff and painful. Stretched as much as possible. 

supernova glide red -- 53

Day 2 in Corpus, I had considered a workout but with the heat and my hip still sore that wasn't going to happen. Hard to get the legs cranked up for that at 6 a.m. anyway. This time I went toward the big bridge, ran a circle around a Houston Astros minor-league baseball stadium then came back through a sketchy industrial stretch. Eventually made my way back to the shoreline and finished up the run by running an out and back on the one of the marinas. Then 5x100 striders.

Same heat as the day before (it would get up to 101) and same red eye in the sky as the sun came up. It's really cool. 44:00 or so.

Hip loosened up, not feeling so much pain. Stretched again pretty good, and took Thursday off after a second long day of meetings and late night of travel. So no real workout this week because I'm trying to be ready for a longer run Saturday. But feeling healthier (and not dead from the South Texas heat) is worth it.

supernova red -- 59

Not what I planned, because I slept in (until 6) and got a late start on Shore Drive. Got 12 in, and I was planning to get the whole run in (18) except a lot of Slugs showed up and, truthfully, I didn't want to miss the social time at breakfast. I then planned to get another 6-8 miles in the evening, but my garden and yardwork lasted longer than planned, and my cousin showed up so we had dinner together. At this point, the extra running is sacked. I'll get a good one in tomorrow. 

The 12 turned out to be pretty quick though, which wasn't necessarily needed but does always offer a little confidence boost (more so if I had a half on the horizon). Did the first two at a good pace, just north of 7, then dropped down to 6:xx for the rest of the run. A few in the 6:40s and 6:50s, and as low as 6:10. So it was more tempo than I set out for. Oh well. My hip was good (another reason I'm not too disappointed with fewer miles than planned this week) until mile 9, where it stiffened up. A quick stop to stretch helped. I don't think it's a structural problem, I'm pretty sure I just have an overworked muscle and some inflammation. I'll keep an eye on it.

Not the best week, but not bad considering the work travel and today's unplanned change. Hopefully another strong one coming to kind of wrap up the work (I'm planning to race twice next weekend), then taper to TOU. 1:23:07

supernova glide red

Much prettier morning than expected, who can listen to these weathermen anymore? Sun came up, a little chill but not cold, and a nice view from both Warren Ave. and Manette bridges. I added a little loop up Highland Ave. and around the Dicks Government Center, then home on Shore Drive and up the short trail. 44:05

supernova glide red -- 77

I didn't run this morning because my day began at 1 a.m., in a crazy experience that I've never had before. The details and links are below. I did get out for an evening run on an erie, windy and rainy August evening. It felt like October, so I guess it's fall. There was no one outside, it was odd.

Out to Tracyton boat launch and back, then some additional loops on Shore Drive to get 11 miles. Just above 7/min pace for the run, a little left hip tightness again around 9 miles. I think I'm going to try and get a massage before TOU, see if that helps this. I don't think it's structural, but more some inflamed tissue or something around the hip. Otherwise felt good, and I'm on a good track for my last heavy week of training. 78:00

supernova glide red

This isn't the crazy story, but worth noting: About 1/2 mile from home a pit bull came sprinting at me. Not a great feeling. I braced myself, but the guy just wanted to play. Now, it's an incredibly powerful and athletic and energetic dog wanting to play, but he was nice. I calmed him down once I figured he wasn't looking to clamp down on a forearm. No tags, but I thought maybe I knew where he lived. So I got him to run with me, and he loved it. We raced around Jacobson for awhile, in that uneven pace that dogs love. Nice dog. Buuut, the woman I thought was his owner wasn't, and I had no clue where he belonged. So I might have stolen someone's dog. Or saved a lost dog, you could say it that way. The woman, who has a fence and a leash, took him off my hands and said she'd walk him around the neighborhood to see if anyone was looking for him.

Now the crazy story: I woke up at 1 a.m. last night to my neighbor banging on my window, which is a bad sign. He yells "fire" and I think it's my house, but it's actually the two homes behind my yard and through a tree stand. Huge orange glow back there, these houses went quick. Pretty scary, though everyone got out. I was up until about three writing a story for our website, so that's why I didn't wake early to run. Plus I wanted to go back to the fire site in the morning. Here's the full story: http://tinyurl.com/34po9s