Sean's Running Blog

A glorious day for running. 38 degrees and overcast. Not a drop of rain or snow for the entire run. I'm doing something really crazy this summer: putting on a 10k and 5k. Yes, race director will be my job even though I've had people I'm crazy. So I ran from my house down to the course to make sure both courses were close enough in distance to have them measured for real for USATF certification.

I mentioned I was having IT band trouble on the treadmill last night. I was fine during my run today but it's kind of bothering me this afternoon. I talked to my PT and he said that treadmills *can* cause some people problems because they change the mechanic of your run because you are pushing off of a moving surface. It will be a while before I use a treadmill again.

I'm headed to Amsterdam on business all next week. There is supposedly a Central Park-like park right next to my hotel so hopefully I can run there and avoid the treadmill.

First 20-mile run since before SGM. 34 degrees with snow flurries when I started. 39 and sunny by the time I finished. It was a gorgeous morning. I'm still mildly concerned about the left IT band. It doesn't hurt during the runs but gives me some discomfort afterward. I'll know more after my speed workout on Monday.

Finally had a good speed workout. It was an 8-mile tempo run with cutdowns. Started at 5:34s and then every two miles dropped 8 seconds per mile. I hit :30, :32, :26, :25, :16, :17, :09 and then finished hard with a 4:58. The only bad part was I had to jump on a plane two hours later and spend 11 hours flying to Amsterdam. I'm headed out now for a run in the rainy gusty weather. Feels like home.

48 degrees and pouring rain for my first run in Amsterdam. Vondelpark is a quarter mile from my hotel and it's 2 miles around the park. So Saturday's long run should be pretty familiar after 10-12 laps. Felt really good considering i have no idea what day it is. 6:26 pace throughout the run. I have to admit running in the rain felt nice. Hope the clothes dry out in time for the next run.

Couldn't sleep from 2am on so I broke our Google maps and charted a run. Found a wonderful 6 mile loop which I did twice. It's still really windy here but the temperature was a balmy 50 degrees and no rain. Yippee.

It was cool looking at my Garmin and seeing the elevation was -17. Nothing like running below sea level. Full day of work ahead and then hoping to get 6-8 more in this evening.

By the way, the sun doesn't rise here until 8:15 and with the clouds, it's not really light until 8:30-8:45. I thought Seattle was bad. It gets dark around 5:15. So very short days here in the far north.

7 more miles this evening. I need to get a good meal in my belly and then sleep like there was no tomorrow.

34 degrees and partly cloudy at 5:30 this morning. A beautiful morning for a run around Amsterdam. It helped that I got a good night sleep for the first time since Sunday.

Ran another 6.75 miles this evening before darkness set in. Ran one of the miles in 5:10 because I was anxious to get back and eat dinner.

Fartlek workout this morning in Vonderspark as part of a 10.5 mile run. 4x5:30 hard with 3:00 jog between each rep.

It was cold this morning even though it was sunny. That plus the breeze and feeling a bit under the weather had me feeling pretty dubious about the workout. I left it all on the track today though and all things considered, did OK. Here's what I did for each 5:30 rep. To be honest, the way I felt, I was expecting to maybe do only a mile in the 5:30 time.

Rep 1 – 1.08 miles (5:07)

Rep 2 – 1.07 miles (5:09)

Rep 3 – 1.08 miles (5:05)

Rep 4 – 1.07 miles (5:08)

Long 20-22 miler tomorrow to conclude what will be about 84 miles run during my stay in Amsterdam. Then I get to sit on a plane for 11 hours on Sunday.

Longest run in a long time. Still feeling quite a bit of congestion in my chest but my legs felt great. 22 miles at about 6:49 pace. It was 36 degrees at the start and 50 at the end so the jacket became a burden as time went on.

I decided to make my last run in Amsterdam a tour of the city so I went all over before finishing up with three laps around my new home: Vondelpark.

Here's a link to the course I ran. This is a beautiful city complimented by another gorgeous day of weather. Long flight home tomorrow.

http://www.toporoute.com/cgi-bin/getSavedRoute.cgi?routeKey=GSLOJTKOKNYPBCE

Back in Seattle. Easy run this morning. Nice to be back.

Speed workout today at the Redmond High School track. I was supposed to do it at the UW Indoor track last night but had other commitments. So I had to brave the workout alone yet again. Last winter I was able to do almost every weekday workout with a group of guys which really helped. This year so far I've only been able to run with the other guys once.

I beat the rain today but didn't beat the wind. The track is on a ridge and fairly exposed to the wind. So it was breezy and even gusty at moments but I battled through.

The workout was 8x1000m @3:00 with 2:00 rest between each. Results:

#1 – 3:02

#2 – 3:01

#3 – 3:01

#4 – 3:03

#5 – 3:04

#6 – 3:03

#7 – 3:03

#8 – 3:02

Considering the conditions and that I still haven't kicked my cold, I was very happy with the workout. By rep four I was ready to quit. My bowels continue to give me troubles during the faster workouts. After laps four, five and six I spent my two minutes rest in the porto potty. The good news is that I came out each time telling myself that I had one more in me. By the time I finished rep seven I figured I might as well finish the workout. So I was really happy that I stuck it out and finished strong.

Cool but gorgeous morning. Four straight days of sunshine and mid-50s slated for Seattle.

8 more miles in the evening

Woke up at 3:30 and couldn't sleep. So I bolted out the door at about 4am for a chilly 12-mile run. The temp was 26 which meant putting on my running pants. It took me a few miles to get warmed up but it was a very dark and enjoyable run.

Easy run in the cold and clear skies of a gorgeous February morning. Sunny all weekend which makes for a nice 22-miler tomorrow.

24 miles marked my longest training run ever. I threw in a weird 13-mile tempo run in the middle. Did six warmup miles followed by 9 miles at 6:00 pace. I can't remember ever doing a 6:00 mile intentionally. It was just fast enough that I had to pay attention but slow enough that it felt pretty easy still. Then the next three miles were at 5:20 pace. I added an extra mile for good measure so i had four at true marathon pace. The last four were definitely harder. I've always found it difficult to start "slow" and then pick up the pace deep into a run. It's nice to know I could roll out of bed just about any day and throw down a sub-2:40 marathon.

Averaged 6:11 for the 24 miles. I'm tired but felt good during the run. the weather was perfect. Mostly cloudy and low 40s.

Here's my route: http://www.toporoute.com/cgi-bin/getSavedRoute.cgi?routeKey=FAIYMVMNLEIWPUC

Mile	Split
1	6:27
2	6:20
3	6:42
4	6:28
5	6:44
6	6:43
7	6:00
8	5:58
9	5:57
10	5:56
11	5:59
12	5:53
13	5:52
14	5:58
15	5:57
16	5:19
17	5:18
18	5:20
19	5:25
20	6:53
21	6:40
22	6:54
23	6:48
24	6:56

I'm in San Francisco for the week. I was supposed to do a track workout this afternoon after arriving in SF. I was going to do it at Kezer Stadium which is where the 49ers used to play a very long time ago. But the track was all locked up so I just kept running and found myself at the presidio with a stunning view of the GG bridge. The return trip was full of crazy steep uphills and downhills. I think I went faster up than I did down.

I'll have to do the workout tomorrow along the Embarcadero. It's mostly flat. Once you get there.

Lovely morning for a run along the Bay. Hoping to get another 8 or so in tonight.

Evening-- It was pouring in SF and lots of traffic so I reluctantly hit the treadmill in the hotel. At least I got to watch ESPN while running. 6 miles is doable.

Workout: 4 mile warmup followed by 4 miles at 5:15 pace. Four mile cool down.

Results: 5:10, 5:10, 5:11, 5:14. Felt pretty strong this morning despite minimal sleep. The headwind on the final mile got to me but still nailed the workout. Good tune up for my 15M race on Saturday.

8 on the treadmill this morning. It was pouring outside and I didn't bring the right clothes for it. Hoping to get another 12 in tonight outside.

Another 12 this evening on a gorgeous run from my hotel to the GG Bridge and back. Ran along the Embarcadero and the path leading to the bridge.

Easy six on the treadmill this morning resting up for tomorrow's 15M race.

Today was my first race of the new year and I needed it in a big way. A couple months of crappy weather, traveling, and too many sub-par workouts had me wondering what kind of shape I was in mentally and physically. I got good answers to both of those today.

The Steilacoom races are a series of races in Tacoma that start in January and end in March and serve a prep for people getting into shape for the spring and summer races. They do "Ks" and "Ms" increasing from 5 to 10 to 15 to 20. Today was the 15s. I chose to run the miles instead of the kilometers.

I ran this race last year and won it in the last mile in a time of 1:20:17. That was in 38 degree weather with pouring down rain.

Today was glorious. Low 40s at race time but clear blue skies, something not super common in these parts this time of year.

The only downside to this year's race is that the men's field was not very strong and I knew I would be running alone. Oh well, I train alone most of the time which proved to really pay off in this race.

The course starts on the track at Steilacoom High School. After about 300 meters around the track you exit the facility and begin winding through neighborhoods on your way to the Fort Lewis Army Base where my dad served for four years when I was a young lad.

My game plan was to take the first two miles in 5:20s and then go 5:15s from there.

Mile one was short just like it was last year. I'm not sure why it's so hard for race directors to get mile markers right. they spend time and money to certify courses and then get all lax on the mile markers. But by Mile 2, and each mile thereafter, the markers and my watch were always within 1/100th of a mile.

The first three miles are rolling with a net elevation gain particularly in Miles 2 and 3. Right after the three marker there is a short but steep downhill where you give it all back. Fortunately, I remembered that this part of the course was coming because Mile 3 was a 5:28 and I wanted to get back as much as I could on the downhill. Mile 4 came in at 5:10 so i was right back on track.

Miles 4-11 I really settled in and got into a terrific rythmn, and hitting very consistent splits. Mile 12 is the inverse of Mile 4 which explains why that slowed down so much. But when I crested the hill I found i had a lot left in the tank. In fact, I finished the last three miles in 5:05 pace.

This was a huge confidence builder after a pretty disappointing series of workouts this winter. Not only did I win, but more importantly, I blew away my previous PR from a year ago on the same course and did it running entirely alone the whole race. The best part is that I feel like I could have easily done another 5 miles in 5:15 pace or better.

The 20-miler is coming up in mid March. I did the 20k race last year in prep for the Eugene Marathon. I'm not running Eugene this year so I may run the 20M and see if i can run it in 5:15 pace.

Mile	Mile Time	Cum. Time
1	5:18	5:18
2	5:20	10:38
3	5:28	16:06
4	5:10	21:26
5	5:13	26:29
6	5:13	31:42
7	5:08	36:51
8	5:13	42:04
9	5:12	47:16
10	5:13	52:30
11	5:16	57:46
12	5:27	1:03:14
13	5:08	1:08:22
14	5:11	1:13:33
15	4:57	1:18:30

 

Nice morning for a run. Mid 40s and overcast. I escaped the brief shower we had morning. While we're a long way from Summer, you can start to see the weather slowly starting to be more favorable more often.

Sunday's rest day was much needed after a hard effort on Saturday. I was bothered all day yesterday with a tender shin and limited flexibility. It took about five miles before the muscle got warm enough this morning to not inhibit my stride. I'll have to keep a close eye on it. So far, I can still run without major pain for inconvenience.

Had an hour this evening to runanother seven+ miles. Still some sorness in my shin.

A stunning afternoon in Seattle. 60 degrees and sunshine couldn't keep me indoors over the lunch hour. I was going to run this morning but it was 30 degrees and with a sore and tight shin, I didn't want to press my luck.

So ran 12 miles along the East Lake Samammish Trail this afternoon. It's a gravel trail which my coach suggested to put a slightly lighter load on my leg to help my shin recover quicker.He also had me do extra stretched along the way. It is still tender but it feels a lot better. I was going to double tonight but I think I'll be satisfied with my 12 for the day and double again on Thursday and maybe Friday.

Gentle workout today given the race on Saturday. Three mile warmup followed by four miles at 5:40 then ne more mile at 5:20. Finished with a five mile cool down. Also did some four sets of 12 Plyos. Trying to get those calves stronger.

Shin is still a bit tight but the faster miles didn't seem to bother it any. It is getting progressively better. Looking back, I think it was my delayed and shortened cool down after my race the gave me the trouble.

Nice morning for a run despite the rain. It was actually a very fine mist. It was like getting sprayed with a water bottle.

I forgot to charge my Garmin overnight so I ran without it this morning wearing only a cheap wristwatch. So I knew my starting time and ending time but no mile splits which was actually refreshing.

It's nice also that the daylight is coming earlier and earlier in the morning. I only needed the headlamp for the first four miles.

Another 7.25 tonight.

So when I left on my run, it was sunny and 61 degrees and pretty breezy. By the end of my run, the temp was 58 degrees, thick overcast and threatening to pour rain. By the time I left the locker room, it was pouring rain outside. It's nice to miss the rain every once in a while.