Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow

Took a day off to recover from the trail race. I'm more sore from my spill than anything.

AM - easy 4.5 miles on Planet Walk, with some running with the dog. I was pleasantly surprised with how good I felt. I still have a little bit of soreness, but apparently in nothing that I need to run on flat roads. I'm a bit more optimistic about running well at the Sandy Classic this Wednesday. Didn't wear watch.

(1120: 16 miles) 

Post trail race recovery day / pre-10K taper day. Take your pick. Easy 7 miles around 7:00/mile pace on the canal trail loop. Did 4x100m strides near the end. All in all, I felt pretty good. Most of the effects of the trail race seem to be gone, although only a hard effort (such as a 10K race) will tell for sure.

(Adrenaline blue: 210 miles)

This morning was the Sandy Classic 10K. Driving 90 miles each way just to run for half an hour is always a bit risky, but I was optimistic it would pay off for me. I knew that the Sandy Classic field tends not to be very deep, so it was a prime opportunity to grab a fist-full of LDR Circuit points. That, and money went three deep - $200, $150, $100. If I could pull out at least 3rd and/or beat all of the other LDR runners, it would be worth the drive.

Got up at 4:20AM, scarfed some oatmeal, and started the drive to Sandy. Arrived at 6:15, an hour before the race. It's a good thing I had extra time, because they had not received my registration and had no record of me. Fortunately, the volunteers worked with me and got me into the race.

Found Sasha and did a short warmup. Then put on my racing flats and did some strides. Legs were feeling decent, but I wouldn't really know the impact of the trail marathon I did 4 days ago until Mile 2 or so...

During warmup I was able to scope all of the competition. Most people were in the 5K, and only about 100-120 runners in the 10K. 1st place immediately looked very doubtful when I spotted Hobie Call. Also, Nick McCombs (former BYU runner) was in the field. I wasn't sure exactly how fast Nick was, just that he's a good runner, but Sasha seemed to think I could stay with him if I had a good day. I was eager to race against Nick, and even Hobie, to see how I stacked up against some runners I've heard a lot about but haven't really raced.

The 5K and 10K are the same loop course. The 10K runners do two loops. They started the 5K, and then the 10K started 10 minutes later (early of all things). Immediately, Hobie took it out hard; he had no intentions of running with anyone and we had no intentions of going out at that pace. I was in 2nd for the first half mile or so, and then Nick caught up to me and we started running together. First mile in 5:00, despite rolling hills and net uphill. That could be trouble later on; I think the Hobie vortex sucked us all out hard.

Nick and I stayed together for the second mile. I was feeling okay, but not great. The pace felt very hard, and I wasn't feeling up to running 4 more miles like that. There was some more uphill on Mile 2, and also a good downhill. I was surprised to see 5:03 for my split. 10:03 for 2 miles, no wonder it felt hard! At this point it felt safe to say I had recovered from the trail race.

After 2 miles, Nick separated from me and slowly put on a gap. I didn't have the initiative or inertia to go after him. Mile 3 was very rolling, with a series of short climbs and descents. In addition, we had caught the 5K runners, and not just the walkers and stragglers! We were weaving through and passing hordes of runners. My tangents were terrible, but I didn't want to get cut off by anyone. Nick, on the other hand, was shooting through people and running perfect tangents. Mile split was 5:16. Estimated 5K split was 15:52. My time goal on the course was to break 33:00, and I was on pace for sub-32:00...but I was pretty sure I couldn't duplicate my first half effort.

At the halfway point Nick was maybe 10-15 seconds ahead of me, and Hobie 20 seconds ahead of him. I could see Hobie once in while, but he was usually around the next curve. Based on crowd feedback, there wasn't anyone close behind me. At this point I knew that if I could run a solid second half, I would meet my goals by finishing Top 3 ($$$), and also I would be the top LDR point scorer, as Hobie and Nick are not in the Circuit.

Mile 4 was difficult due to the hills, but I worked through them and managed a 5:18. At this point, I was pretty happy to be under 5:20 pace.

Mile 5 had the downhill section, and I managed a 5:13. Nick was still slowly pulling away, and I wasn't feeling a miracle finish coming on. At this point, we were passing the slower 10K runners who were still on their first lap. Again, my tangents were nasty bad, and I couldn't seem to focus on running smart.

By Mile 6, I was feeling pretty gassed and unmotivated. Still running bad tangents. Mile split was 5:25. I kicked it in a bit to finish strong, then got a little confused about the finish chutes (5K on the right, 10K on the left), which cost me a few second. Averaged 5:03/mile pace for the last little bit, which was 0.35 miles, according to my Garmin. This would mean that I ran about 200m extra. The course was certified, and I think I can account for all of the extra distance due to bad tangents. It just goes to show how all of the corners add up.

My watch time was 33:05, but I think I might have stopped it late, so I'm saying 33:03 until I see official results. (update: official results say 33:01). That comes out to 5:12/mile (using my Garmin distance), which I'm pretty happy with. Hobie won with a time around 31:30 (amazing on that course). Nick was second with something like 32:25. Vance Twitchell (former USU XC/track runner) was 4th, slightly less than a minute behind me. Sasha was 5th, around 35:00.

I'm pretty happy with my physical performance today. It wasn't stellar, but was solid. I'd give it a "B+". What cost me, though, was my head. I didn't focus well enough to run good tangents, or to push myself really hard during the last mile. I'll give my head a "C".

The awards were informal, just people clustering around a table. The race director handed out hundred-dollar bills on the spot. Salt Lake City Marathon should take notes on this. I enjoyed the course layout. It was challenging, but not overbearing, and you could still find a good rhythm. What I didn't like was fighting against the crowds of 5K runners and lapped 10K runners...but whatever, it was fine.

Jogged around a bit for a cooldown, and then drove home. When I got home, I grabbed a brisk 4 miles on the Planet Walk to work the drive out of me and finish off my day. 6:34/mile average pace.

(1120: 23 miles)

*****

Oh, one more note. It was inspiring talking to Hobie. The guy trains like an animal. He said he was doing 125 miles/week in preparation for Salt Lake City Marathon. The hard work is very evident, not just at Salt Lake, but also today on a course that required strength and speed. He is planning on running Top of Utah as his Olympic Trials Qualifer. Best of luck.

It's time for me to get my mileage back up in the 90's and to start doing some hard training myself. I think running this race and getting my butt kicked so bad by a guy who runs almost double the mileage I do was a good motivator for me. I've also been reading "Running with the Buffaloes" a book that chronicles the 1998 CU cross country season. The book is excellent so far, and also very motivational. Those guys gave it their all and trained like maniacs, all for the team. Nick, if you are reading this, you must read this book!

AM - easy 8.5-mile recovery run on Logan Loop. 7:34/mile average pace. Feel okay after race.

(Adrenaline blue: 219 miles)

PM - easy 5 miles on Planet Walk, with 4x150m barefoot strides in the LHS grass fields. Didn't wear watch. Strides were very easy, and included running through sprinklers. Yeah! So hot out...I can't believe how low the Logan River is right now; I've never seen it like this.

(Adrenaline orange: 393 miles)

Side note: the Logan Chapter of the FastRunningBlog made the front page of the local sports section today, for a cool-down of all things. The photographer must have been late to the race!

Caption: James Barnes, Cody Draper, Logan Fielding, and Jon Allen run the wrong direction and get in everyone's way, ruining the Freedom Run for all. Quote Draper: "Hey, it's the 4th of July, I can do whatever I want! Take that, Britain!"

Didn't sleep well last night because of the heat. We don't have A/C, but usually sticking a fan in the window is just as good in Logan. Not so lately, as it didn't really cool down at all last night. By the time it was cool enough to sleep, it was time to get up and run. I pulled myself out of bed at 6AM and ran over to the canal trailhead to meet James. From there ran the canal trail to First Dam to the Bonneville Trail to Green Canyon, and then back through USU campus. Pace was crawling, 7:53/mile average. I was glad to run with James today, because I sure didn't feel like getting up and running!

(1120: 34 miles)

Met Cody and James at the canal trailhead and ran to the end of the river trail and back (15-miler). Pace on the way up was pretty easy, but we gradually picked up the pace and did some tempo on the way (5:45/mile pace or so). 6:30/mile pace after the tempo back to the start. Felt okay, but not great. Still in race recovery mode, but this was a good way to end my week.

(Cascadia: 211 miles)

Easy run on the Planet Walk, plus a mile with the dog. Didn't wear watch. I felt pretty good this morning, and feel ready to attack a good week of training. I hope to get in the upper 80s this week.

(Adrenaline orange: 398 miles)

Workout today. Warmed up 5 miles on the Landfill Loop, with 1.5 miles of tinman tempo at 6:00/mile pace. Took a pit stop, then ran out to the LHS track to do an interval session: 6x1000m at CV pace, with 2:00 (200m) rest. Intervals were 3:15, 3:16, 3:16, 3:14, 3:14, 3:14 (~5:12/mile pace). My legs felt decent, but my form felt sloppy and not very sharp. After the intervals I went out to the grass rec fields and did 4x200m barefoot strides through the soggy grass (sprinklers had been on). Cooled down a couple miles afterward. All in all, a good solid workout.

(1120: 47 miles)

AM - met James at the Island Market and headed up the Center Street hill, then through River Heights and Providence. Came back along the TOU course. Pace was slow, and my body didn't feel very perky. 7:51/mile average pace.

(Adrenaline blue: 229 miles)

PM - met Jon at the Rec Center and did the Planet Walk (5 miles). Hot. 7:35/mile average pace.

(Adrenaline orange: 403 miles)

AM - I really didn't want to run this morning, so I sought out some company to make it easier, and fortunately found Cody and the LHS track. He will finishing up his interval workout, so I paced him in a 400 at 72s, and a 200 in 32s. It's definitely hard to go into a 400m interval with only 2 minutes of warmup (I live next the track), but I felt pretty good after the 200. I figured that took care of my strides for the run. I ran with Cody on his cooldown, and then did the landfill loop after he went home. 7:24/mile average pace for the run (7.5 miles)

(1120: 54 miles)

PM - had a dinner run late, so I didn't get to hit the road until 9PM. Did the canal trail route (6 miles). It was getting pretty dark, and I ran past a shadowy figure running the other way at sub-7minute pace. I took a good look back, trying to figure out if it was Jon, Cody, or James, since there's only so many people in Logan that run sub-7 pace. The shadowy figure looked back too, probably thinking the same thing. Turned out to be Jon, so I turned around and ran with him back to his car, and then back home via the Boulevard. Better to run with people than to run alone, IMO. That makes me 2/2 today on bumping into friends while running. 7:07/mile average pace.

(Adrenaline orange: 409 miles)

Long Workout Day. I wanted to do some hills, so I ran from my house up Center Street to Dry Canyon (600 ft climb). Pace up to Dry Canyon was around 7:45/mile or so. Then I hopped on the Bonneville Shoreline/Deerfence Trail, and took it past Providence Canyon to Millville Canyon. The Deerfence is very rolling, and my goal here was to work the uphills and recover/maintain on the downhills. I managed to average a little over 7-minute pace on this 4.5-mile stretch of trail, which I was pretty happy with. At Millville Canyon, I left the trail and hit the road back down to Millville and Providence, maintaining tinman tempo pace. Did a downhill mile 5:47, an uphill mile in 5:55 (the uphill mile on the TOU course through Millville), and then a flat/downhill mile in 5:47 (TOU course into Providence). Finished out the last three miles cooldown averaging 6:40 pace. 14 miles total. 6:56/mile average pace.

(Adrenaline blue: 243 miles)

AM - easy run on Logan Loop. 7:18/mile average pace.

(1120: 62 miles)

PM - ran the River Trail with Cody (6 miles). Felt pretty good. 7:15/mile average pace.

(Adrenaline orange: 415 miles)

Met Jon and Cody at First Dam and then carpooled up Logan Canyon to Franklin Basin. We parked in the lot near the highway, and then started up Franklin Basin Road, which is a fairly well-maintained dirt forest road. Parking lot elevation is about 6600', and temps were in the low 50s to start the run at 7AM. Perfect! It felt really good for my arms and hands to be a little chilly in the shade. The road climbs at a fairly steady 4% grade (~200ft/mile), and our pace going up was pretty slow -- a lot of miles in the 8:30 to 8:50 range. We turned around at the junction of Gibson Lake Rd, which happened to be exactly 8.0 miles. We took that as a sign not to get greedy and go further. Elevation here was 8100', so we had climbed 1500'. Going down was much faster, and the last three miles turned into a bit of a mini-tempo - 6:44, 6:36, 6:30, 6:46, 6:26, 5:58, 5:44, 5:48. It was already getting warm by the bottom. Also, various campers were cooking bacon as we passed their campsites. I really wanted to stop and say "hello, please give me bacon", but restrained myself. 7:32/mile average pace for the entire 16-mile run. A good Saturday morning.

That gives me 90 miles for the week, tying my highest mileage week for the year. If I do Draper Days, I will drop down a little bit next week, but if I don't run it then I'll maintain upper 80s another week before the Des News 10K. After Des News, I'll start my 9-week "marathon program", which pretty much involves doing the same thing I've been doing for the last 6 months.

(Cascadia: 227 miles)

Planet Walk, easy, no watch. It was shirtless running weather already at 8AM. I am sick of July.

(Adrenaline orange: 420 miles)

Did Millville Loop, with 7-mile tinman tempo in the middle. I was feeling a little lethargic to start the run, so I eased into the tempo without giving myself unrealistic expectations. Tempo splits were 6:09 (rolling), 6:11 (uphill), 6:34 (big uphill), 5:55 (rolling), 5:49 (rolling, downhill), 5:51 (downhill), 5:52 (flat). Cooled down with a few 6:55 miles. Decent workout today. I still don't know if I'm running Draper Days, so am playing this week by ear.

(1120: 75 miles)

AM - easy 8-mile run on the Landfill Loop (via Planet Walk) and then a block with the dog. Took bio break near landfill, which I thought was appropriate. Felt much better afterward, and did 4x100m strides to finish up. 6:57/mile average pace.

(Adrenaline blue: 251 miles)

PM - easy 5 miles on Planet Walk. Got rained halfway through, which was a pleasant treat. Nice lightening too. Didn't wear watch.

(Adrenaline orange: 425 miles)

AM - Did a Daniels-style [R] workout this morning, the first and last one of the year. I use fast interval training very sparingly, and think of it generally as glorified striders. I met James out at the LHS track and did 400-200-400-200-400-200-400-200, with full recovery (400m rest after each 400, 200m rest after each 200). According to my supposed VDOT, my R pace is about 67 seconds per lap, so I aimed to hit that for my 400s, and 33 for my 200s. The purpose of this workout was not to make myself hurt or kill myself, but to work on form and increase running economy.

My splits for the alternating 400s and 200s were: 68.2, 32.9, 67.9, 33.4, 67.7, 33.0, 67.2, 30.1

I felt a lot smoother than my last track workout, and all of the reps felt controlled and relatively easy; never really entered the state of anaerobia, which is always a bonus. I opened it up a bit on the last 200m to hit 30, but again, it was controlled.

Ran a few more miles with James and then a block with the dog to hit an even 10 miles for the morning.

(1120: 82 miles)

PM - 5 miles with Cody, up Center Street and down through River Heights. Hot. 7:20/mile average pace.

(Adrenaline orange: 430 miles)

Ran a block with the dog, then biked up to the canal trailhead, where I met James and Cody. We ran easy to near the end of the River Trail single track and back. 7:58/mile average pace.

(Cascadia: 237)

**Note: surpassed the 2,000 mile-mark today for yearly mileage. I think this is the first time I've done this since my junior-senior year of college (2000). And it's only July!

Easy run on Planet Walk. Draper Days 5K tomorrow.

(Adrenaline blue:  256 miles)

Today was the Draper Days 5K. I ran this race in 2003 and 2004, and think it's a great course. Fast, but still legit, as there are several uphills. I have run only three 5K's since that 2004 Draper race (vs. 7 marathons), so I was not sure what I was capable of. But my initial goal time going into today was 15:10.

I stayed with Mike last night (thanks again Mike), so got to sleep in until 5:20AM and drive a mere 20 minutes to the start line. This was opposed to getting up at 4AM and driving 100 miles. Already a good start to the day.

For the second straight week they didn't have my number at the start line, so I had to run around and get an official to give me a number. After that I warmed up for a couple miles with Sasha, Scott, and Cody. Changed my shoes, did some strides, hit the porta-pot, and was ready to go.

At the start line, there was a pretty good field. Nick McCombs, who had beaten me soundly at Sandy, was there, and so was Neal Gassman and then a few fast-looking "unknowns" (unknown in that I didn't know exactly who they were, not that they didn't have credentials). I thought that Top 3 would be a doable finish though, as I didn't see Teren Jamenson or Trevor Ball or anyone like that.

The race started on time. The first mile is all downhill at a nice gradient: very fast. The field got out hard and I was boxed for the first quarter mile or so. I stayed relaxed and eventually worked my way through by the half mile. Nick went sprinting by at about a half mile and joined the leaders. By the end of the first mile the field had filtered out. Nick and a runner I didn't know (turned out to be Seth Wold, USU runner and "Ragnar" champion) were running side-by-side in front, I was a few seconds behind them, and Sasha was a few seconds behind me. Went through the first mile in 4:36 according to the Garmin, 4:40 according to the course marking. I missed the next two mile marks, so just used the garmin for splits. I was feeling okay at one mile, but not overly snappy. I tried to catch Seth and Nick but couldn't make up the gap at this point in the race.

Mile 2 is a bit more rolling, with a fair bit of uphill for the greater part of it. Seth broke away from Nick around 1.5 miles, and I was still a few seconds behind both. No breathing or signs of anyone behind me, and I tried to focus on catching Nick. Still feeling okay, not great but not bad either. Second mile split was 5:01. So far I was right on pace for low 15-teens, if I could just pull off another mile like that.

Mile 3 begins with the "biggest" climb of the course (although still not that bad), but from 2.5 to the finish it is all flat or slightly downhill. So half up and half down. I wasn't doing great on the uphill, but when we turned the corner it flattened out. I tried to pick it up, and finally had some success with reeling Nick in a little. With less than a half mile to go he only had about 2 seconds on me. Seth was several seconds ahead of Nick and apparently cruising for the win. However, I couldn't engage my 5K killer instinct and wasn't able to muster any sort of kick. I was working hard, but I've found that a good kick in a 5K is always there, if and only if you want it bad enough and turn off those inhibitors. Couldn't lower the inhibitors today though. Strangely, Seth pulled up with about a quarter mile left and let Nick catch him. Then he and Nick finished the race together. Technically Nick was the winner and Seth was second. Actually, technically Nick Miller was second, since Seth used his number. I was definitely third though. Nick/Seth finished in 15:16 and I chugged in at 15:23. My third mile split was 5:08. According the Sasha's course tool and my own experience, the third mile should be about as fast as the second, so I definitely slowed up a little. But it wasn't death or anything, just lack of ability to run anaerobically.

I wanted 15:10 and got 15:23, slightly disappointing but not really. It's close. Winds were favorable. Temps were a little high (low 80s by 6AM), which could have slowed things a little if you put value in heat charts. Fortunately the sun was low, which minimizes the heat effect IMO. But today was my "Utah PR" for the 5K - my fastest time since moving to Utah in 2001. I'll take that. Also, I feel like I ran a little better relative to my peer group. Nick was only 7 seconds ahead this race, opposed to 28 seconds in the Sandy 10K. So I closed that gap a bit. Also Neal (4th place) was 30 seconds behind me today, which was a much bigger gap than I expected (in fact I initially figured Neal and I were pretty even in a 5K). So that was good. Also, today was my eighth LDR circuit race, so I've got all my races in now. Seth/Nick Miller will drop from the results, so today was good for 2nd in terms of LDR points. The rest of my LDR races will be for just bonus points and perhaps swapping out a finish or two, but I'm mostly finished now with my scoring.

Anyway, overall good race. Cooled down several times with Cody afterwards, and also ate the $3 breakfast at the park. Then I drove to Sugarhouse and collected my free 30-minute massage (Wasatch Back coupon). Then picked up my packet for Des News. Then drove home.

PM - easy jog around the block with the dog to shake out the race.

(1120: 90 miles)

Scheduled day off. No soreness from Draper Days, and just a little fatigue. I think I will recover well for Des News 10K and look forward to some stiff competition. Should be a fun race.

Easy 5 miles on Planet Loop and 4x100m barefoot strides in the grass at LHS. I can still feel the 5K a little bit, but otherwise feeling pretty good.

Deseret News 10K this morning. James and I drove up last night and stayed with Chad (thanks Chad), who is 5 minutes from the start. Sasha joined us later that evening, and we all had a good visit. I slept pretty well.

I got up a little before 5AM, downed a Clif Bar, and we drove over to the start, arriving at about 5:20AM. I hit the portapot, then we found Cody and warmed up about a mile. Changed into racing flats, but then I had to use the portapot again. This time the line was too long. Fortunately, I ran into Mike, and he showed me the secret portapots of Red Butte Gardens. We ran over there and got more warmup in. 2.5 miles warmup total. I was feeling decent.

The race started a few minutes late, but not too bad. At the dark start line, it was hard to tell who was there, but I just assumed "everyone" was there, and then some. I was hoping for a deep, strong field, and one of my goals was to hook up with a large pack and get dragged to a fast time and competitive finish. I was also expecting there to be quite a few fast high school runners, due to the "high school challenge" or whatever it is. Today, the more bodies out there, the better. I wasn't so much concerned about circuit points or even overall place, but was more interested in sheer competition and working through some the "drive" issues I've had lately in 5K's and 10K's.

As expected, the field got out hard at the start. Teren, Trever, and a Kenyan (Richard Kimeli) got off to a blazing start and vanished into the dark within a few seconds. Another Kenyan (Simon Sawe) headed up a chase group. I was content to start the race in 20th or so and pick my way through the crowd during the first mile. By the time we turned onto Foothill, I was in 10th or so, and tailing a large pack about 15 meters ahead of me. Simon Sawe had broken away from the chase pack and was slowly moving up. I made the move to catch the pack and was absorbed. First mile was 4:38. Fast. Now to hang on.

The second mile was also a strong net downhill, and pace remained torrid. Our pack (which seemed to consist mostly of high school runners) remained mostly intact. Sawe continued pulling away. I noticed that pace was very quick on downhills, but slowed more than I expected on uphills. Hopefully I could use this later on in the race. Second mile was 4:38.

Mile three slowed quite a bit, partially I think to some uphill, but also due to the pack seeming to relax. I just stayed tucked in. One or two people dropped. We now had about 4-5 people. Sawe still way ahead, but also a figure in white (who I thought could be Trevor) had noticeably fallen off the lead pack, and seemed to be coming back. Seeing this, I urged the pack on, saying that we can catch him. Third mile was 4:57. 5K split was very close to my PR. I thought I had it in the bag after two miles, but oh well.

During Mile 4 I started hurting quite a bit and was wondering if I could really finish this thing out. But I think the pack was thinking the same thing, and no one made any moves. Again, I stayed tucked in and let other people do the work and drag me along. Inertia. By the end of the 4th mile, our "pack" was down to just 4 of us (two high schoolers and another old guy like me). Trever still coming back, but very slowly. Sawe catches Trever. Teren and Kimeli are way way ahead. Mile split was 4:53.

During Mile 5, the course turns south and flattens out a bit, but is still a nice gradual downhill. In some ways, this mile was easier than the steeper miles. My world of hurt is ever-expanding, and by the end of Mile 5, I'm making pre-death wimper noises, typical for late in a race. No one else is wimpering, but no one is breaking away either. Stay tucked in, stay with the pack. Mile splits was 4:57.

Last mile. I'm out of gas, but so is everyone else. One strong move would have broken me, but no one makes it. The older guy drops, now it's just me and two high schoolers, one from Oklahoma and one from Utah. The crowd from the parade route are cheering for the Utah guy (Jaren Ward). We make the final turn and head up the hill toward Liberty Park. As expected, it feels like the Matterhorn, even though it's really nothing. Pace slows to what feels like a crawl, and I go with it and relax a little. Save it up for a kick. Despite the slowing, the Oklahoma kid drops. Now it's just me and the Utah kid. My goal for this race was to dig deep, something I have not done lately. Now it is time. But I am also in wimpering pre-death mode, which conflicts with digging deep. The high school kid could have broken me with a strong surge at any time, but instead he suddenly drops the pace with a quarter mile to go. I take advantage, turn the corner and go around him, starting my kick. At the next corner (the final left turn) a guy (a coach?) is yelling at the kid behind me, "Go, go! Only 100 meters left!!" "How much?" the kid yells back. "100 meters!!". The last thing I needed was some fast-twitch young guy smelling the barn and showing me how little speed work I've done, so push myself into overdrive and finally dig into that well of anaerobic sprinting that's been eluding me lately. I finish all-out into the chute, holding off the competition by several seconds. Mile 6 was 5:21 (yuk!). Last 0.22 was 1:03.

My final time was 30:27, and I placed 5th overall. Results are HERE. The guy ahead of us was indeed Trever, and I was pleased to come within 16 seconds of him. He was coming back the whole second half, but very very slowly.

I was very happy with this effort. I wanted to stay with a pack, and was able to do so, and hang on despite pain. Usually everyone else is hurting too, so if you can just stay with them it can come down to a kick and whoever wants it more. It was gratifying seeing each person fall off the pack one-by-one, and was definitely happy to beat all of the prep and pre-college runners. They added a lot to the field and I was glad the race had them.

I initially wanted to break 30:00, but now I realize that goal was based off the course I ran in 2003. This course was a bit different, and I think it was slower. In 2003, there were several people under 28 minutes. This year there was no one even close. Based on my effort and my peer group performance, I think this was my best 5K/10K effort of the year. It is an 18-second PR from my best track time. However, I am not sure how it really equates to a track at sea level, but I'm happy with both the time and the placing.

Mostly, though, I was happy with the tactics, not letting the pack go, and making myself hurt when it mattered. Very good race. Now it's time to get serious about marathon training!

PM - after work I ran 2 very easy miles to get the blood flowing after an afternoon of sitting. Felt pretty good.

(1120: 93 miles)

Decided that sleeping in would be better for my body than running this morning. So I slept in. In the evening I did some jogging with the dog, then drove out to First Dam and ran up to the River Trail. Met Jon at the climbing lot, and then we went a bit past Spring Hollow and back. Pace was easy. My calves were pretty sore from the race, and my quads were a little sore early in the day, but I didn't feel them at all during the run. Calves felt better as the run went on. Very humid today; felt like I was back in Indiana, except there was no one wearing cutoff t-shirts and swearing at me as I ran by.

(Cascadia: 247)

AM - canal trail loop plus a block with the dog. 7 miles. Quads feel fine, but calves are still a little sore. Better than yesterday though. 7:54/mile average pace.

(Adrenaline blue: 263 miles)

Nice writeup in Dyestat.com about the prep race for Des News:

http://dyestat.com/?pg=reg6DeseretNewsJunior10K2007-Deseret-News-10k

PM - 2 easy miles with the dog.

(Adrenaline blue: 265 miles)

AM - About 4 miles in Seattle with my college buddy and ex-teammate Pete. I hadn't seen Pete in about 4 or 5 years, so it was really nice to run with him again. We ran around Green Lake, and there were about 200 other runners and walkers out there. 70 degrees. Ahhhh.

PM - 8.5 miles with Dave. We ran a little bit on a nice trail outside of our campground, and then and out-and-back on Leg 32 of the Northwest Passage Relay course (Smugglers Cove road on Whidbey Island). Very rolling hills, but lots of oxygen for me. We averaged about 10:00/mile on the trail, and 7:00/mile on the roads. 70 degrees. Ahhhh.

(1120: 105 miles) 

Today was running partners by committee. Dave and I headed out from our campground and started running Leg 34 of the NWP course. Exch 33 was right at the campground turnout. After a couple miles a runner caught us. We asked if he wanted company, and went with him. Dave turned off just a little bit later, but I continued with the runner, who was on the Blister Busters team. We got to talking, and it turned out that we had actually talked on the phone a few months ago, as he was interested in getting a quote for course maps for a race he was thinking about starting. Small world! Our pace was around 6:50/mile for the 6-mile leg, which worked out well for me.

The Blister Busters handed off at Exch 34, and I continued running with their guy. He was a little slower, about 8:00/mile, but we had some nice conversation and we were both happy for the company. The leg was about 4 miles long.

Their last runner was a bit faster, and we held 6:50-7:00/mile pace for the final 6.5-mile leg. This guy was a high school geography teacher, so we "talked shop" a little bit, discussing GIS (among other less nerdy things). When we got near the finish line, I backed off and walked it in, so that I wouldn't confuse the volunteers. 16.5 miles for the day, with 4 different running partners. 7:26/mile average pace.

Sea level was nice, and the last part of the course is very beautiful. So much oxygen...The course was very rolling though, and fairly challenging. Did I mention it was 70 degrees? Ahhhh. I look forward to doing the whole course next year.

(1120: 121)

Morning run with Dave through the mean streets of Bremerton. Hills, hills, and hills. One could become very fit running in that town, as their are no flat stretches at all. Didn't wear GPS, so no idea of pace.

(1120: 127)

AM - Got in from Washington fairly late, so slept in a bit, then headed out for 7-mile run (canal loop). 7:26/mile pace. My legs are finally feeling recovered from Des News 10K. My left calf in particular had been stiff and sore for several days. I'll try for a good workout tomorrow.

(Adrenaline blue: 272)

PM - 7 easy miles on the River Trail. 7:23/mile average pace.

(Cascadia: 254 miles)

Workout day. I jogged a block with the dog, and then ran toward the Planet Walk, where I ran into Cody. We headed back to the LHS track, where we met James and Logan. The plan for today was 6-8x1000m at CV pace (~5:10/mile pace), with 200m (1-minute) recovery between intervals. I was hoping to get 8 in, but was feeling tired early on, so decided to play it by ear. It turned out my warmup deceived me, and I was actually feeling pretty good and had an excellent workout. Intervals were: 3:12, 3:12, 3:12, 3:12, 3:11, 3:12, 3:07. This converts to 5:07-5:08/mile pace, except for the last one, which is slightly under 5:00/mile pace. I cut it off after 7 reps, because my calves, particularly my left calf, were starting to get pretty sore. I'm still not completely recovered from Des News. But this was the best CV workout I've had since Ogden, and I believe it to be an indicator of increased fitness. It was also really nice having Logan to run with, and that certainly helped me along. Track workouts are always much easier than other people.

Cooled down with James, Cody, and Logan afterward. Cody went home, and we ran up to Jame's place and back to finish it off. My right calf cramped up on way, which is odd. I need to keep a close eye on these calves of mine and hopefully they will get better.

(Burn: 190 miles)