Every Race is an Adventure!

I went to the track this morning. My legs felt very heavy, and my right hip was stiff. I attempted mile repeats anyway. The results: 8:21, 8:18, 8:01, and 7:13/mi for 1/2 mile. This was significantly slower than earlier runs. My legs apparently haven't fully recovered from the marathon. I think the last half mile was faster because the high school cheerleaders had showed up and were running some warm up laps. The combination of having people to pass and being male running in front of females boosted my performance.

I ran the 2000 N hill route this morning. My legs felt even more tired than yesterday. I felt winded the whole time and struggled to even manage 9:00/mi on the downhill. I ended up averaging 10:40/mi for the run. I hope I get some zip back in my legs before the Gruesome Grizzly 8K this Saturday.

After the horrible and exhausting 10:40/mi run on Tuesday, I decided to skip Wednesday's run and just be sick. I worked from home on the computer, and took the garbage can out, but didn't do much else.

My stomach was still gurgling a little this morning, but I decided to go out and try a few miles and see what kind of speed, if any, I had in my legs. I wanted some idea of what to expect at the Gruesome Grizzly 8K on Saturday.

My mile splits for the uphill, downhill, and level miles of our neighborhood 5K route were 8:00, 7:46, and 8:43 (I was dying); avg. pace 8:10/mi. Even though this was only half the distance of Tuesday's run, it was 2:30/mi faster and that's encouraging.

I felt an unusual sensation as I ran this morning. I think it's called "heat". My understanding is that it is generated by the sun. I haven't felt it much during my runs this year. I didn't run until about 8am this morning and the temperature was in the 70's. Sweat is still dripping off my forehead as I type. I'll need some heat training, but I still think I'll try to do most of my runs at 5:45am.

Kevin and I finally got together for a run this morning. It was nice. Running at 6am instead of 8am, with the temperature in the low 60's instead of the low 70's, was nice, too. With both of us running the Gruesome Grizzly tomorrow we just went 4 miles at an easy pace (avg. 9:06/mi), mostly at my request. I don't know if I'm still recovering from the UV marathon two weeks ago, YW camp last week, or illness this week but my effort seems to be yielding about a minute or so slower pace per mile than what I expect. Maybe age, weight, and inadequate training are also factoring in. Oh well, I'm still enjoying it enough to keep it up and see what the remainder of the year brings.

I'm returning to Dr. McLane next Wednesday. Based on my performance in the UV marathon I feel like I may have the neuroma issues in my feet behind me, now I'd like to address the pain and stiffness in my right hip. It's improved. I can run longer miles before it acts up, but once it starts stiffening up it really hampers my ability to maintain speed. I don't think I'll be able to return to BQ marathon times until I get it resolved.

Kevin, Larry's wife Jolene, and I ran in the Gruesome Grizzly 8K today. It is a trail run in the Cascadia Trail Series sponsored by Runner's Corner and the Sojourners Running Club. There is a section of the course known as "The Grizzly" from which the race takes its name. It is 1/2 to 3/4 mile of steep uphill that climbs about 400 feet. It occurs during the 2nd mile and the rest of the course is mostly gradual downhill.

I'm not quite sure why I ran this race. I guess it just sounded...fun? ...different? ...small? ...inexpensive? ... a challenging trail run yet easier than the Squaw Peak 50? I'm not quite sure. Maybe it was because Jolene and Kevin were running and Larry was volunteering (still recovering). It was probably some combination of the above mixed with a dash of lunacy.

Kevin and I met up with Rich Lamoreaux just before the start and the three of us ran much of the race together. I was in front on the single track trail most of the way to the start of The Grizzly, but they were just behind me and both passed me going up. I've run The Grizzly without walking before, but I walked nearly the whole thing today. Rich and Kevin, and most everyone else around me, were walking it...faster than we could run it...so I did, too. When the course leveled off I caught up to them and we mostly ran together along the upper road. When we dropped off the road onto the single track trail down to the Great Valley it was Kevin, me, then Rich. I started feeling blisters in both arches as we ran along the upper road and they hurt as we descended on the trail. I was running on Kevin's heels and he graciously allowed me to pass. This allowed me to see the trail better and not have to brake as often. As we leveled off in the Great Valley Rich and Kevin both went past and pulled ahead. I may have been able to hang closer to Kevin than I did, but the blisters on both feet were really hurting. I hung on pretty well and finished strong. I could see Kevin ahead as we ran the final loop in the parking lot, but couldn't close. Rich, Kevin and I finished 39th, 40th, and 41st.

The weather was warm but not too hot. My only goals were to finish not too far behind Kevin, and ahead of Jolene. I managed those goals. As a bonus, I also won the Men 50 and Over age division. There were only 4 of us, but I beat the other 3. I finished 41st overall of 81, which means I missed being in the top 50% by one position. Not really significant...just trivia.

I'm not sure why I got the blisters. That's a mystery. 

Today marks a milestone of sorts for me. I think this was my first race as a member of an "and Older" division. I hope there are many more to come...at least I think I hope that. My feet hurt.