Where's the Donuts?

YMCA hills loop. No problems. Real mild morning, 55 and overcast, having the extra hour was nice. 

There's a group of raccoons that hang around my neighborhood, they've been a little more bold lately in coming up to my back porch. But they aren't a big problem or anything, I don't have chickens or cats for them to kill and they're much less annoying than dogs (not that James wouldn't try to kick one of these suckers). Anyway, heading down Jacobson the past two days a raccoon has crossed in front of me at exactly the same place. I'd say I'm interfering with his schedule, but I ran at different times the two days. It means nothing, but it's kind of weird.

Early morning run through lower Manette switchbacks (11th Street, 10th, upper and lower Shore Drive), thank goodness for daylight savings time. A few less hills on this stretch, sad to say but my legs needed an easy day. I hadn't run three consecutive days in a month. 8 min. miles. 

Easy run on Manette switchbacks, same as Monday. A little sluggish to start but no problems, I can feel that I'm working to get back in shape. Not that I'm way out of shape, but I can't really turnover like I should be able to. Today I stopped at the beach and watched sea lions feeding on chum salmon for awhile. The were just a hundred feet or so off shore, pretty close. Loud suckers when they bark though.

Reading James' post on the First Dam Run reminded me that I've been healthy for an entire year. I came back from IT band syndrome last year at the First Dam 5k (and didn't think it was that poorly run, sounds like they got someone new in charge this year). I haven't gone without an injury for a whole season in a few years, so I'm thankful for that.

Same loop as I've been on all week. I'm just trying to get back into a routine, so it's boring but consistent and that's fine for right now. It's foggy enough in the early morning that scenery wouldn't matter anyway. No sea lions this morning, but a family of raccoons visited me while I was stretching the backyard. Same pace, about 8 min./miles, and my fitness feels like it's coming back. 

In Seattle. Three miles from Laurelhurst neighborhood out 25th to 65th Ave. NE, then east straight to Green Lake. I ran a little faster than I have been easing out in the past week, I was pushing a bit so as not to be late meeting Aaron (we missed each other anyway) and because I was a little jazzed running in the city. We crossed wires on the meeting spot, so we each took off individually and ended up meeting one the trail, luckily we ran in opposite directions. I went about 1.5 miles around the loop when we ran into each other, then turned around and ran the loop the other direction for about 2.5, then Aaron took off toward his place and I ran back a mile or so to get to Ravenna/65th. A construction worker saw the race t-shirt I was wearing and yelled at me because he was in the same race last spring. Then I ran back 3 miles to Laurelhurst. It was my longest run in awhile, and at a pretty decent pace most of the time. I slowed down the last two miles or so, my legs reminded me that they weren't told about any 11 mile runs on the schedule (which, to tell the truth, this wasn't. I didn't expect to go quite this far). But a good feeling to be a little wiped out after exerting myself, those quick morning runs lately aren't doing that at all. I helped my uncle and cousins move boxes the rest of the day so I was pretty tired by evening.