Sean's Running Blog

One least workout ahead of the SJJ Half.

4M@half marathon pace of 4:18 or so.

5:14, 5:08, 5:14, 5:16

Ran in my trainers just to save the calves.

Felt great.

10 easy ahead of Monday's race

Today's performance was about as perfect as the weather I ran it in. Low 50s, thick overcast and just a light breeze. The forecasted rain even held off.

The SJJ Half is the race I love to hate. The course is terrible, not because it is challenging, but because it practically takes a master's degree in orienteering to navigate it. Yet, I run it every year and so do most of the area's elite runners. Today was no different. Early in the week, the elite lineup was somewhat paltry...so paltry that, on paper, I had as good of a chance as anyone to win the whole thing. But, as usual, it filled in nicely with two guys -- including the defending champion Paul Limpf and Nick Schuetz-- coming up from Oregon. Nick won the St. George Marathon in his debut back in 1997 when Paul Petersen and I qualified for the Olympic Trials. I haven't heard much from him since but apparently he is in good shape and training for Chicago next month.

Paul and Nick finished 1-2 this year although Paul's time was well off his winning time last year. Paul is a sub 30:00 10k guy. He's also only 23. Ahhh...to be young again.

Local icon Uli Steidl finished third well back of second place.

So back to the race. Other local elites toeing the line included Mike Bresson from Spokane. He's a great guy. We raced together in the debacle that was the Spokane Marathon earlier this year. He just turned 39 and is well on his way to being a dominant Masters runner.

Brett Winegar, John Riak, Phil Olsen, Josh Ricardi and Steve DeKoker were a few of the others. I love seeing "the guys" at each of these races. The starting and finish lines are my favorites parts of these events because we get to see each other and catch up.

Anyway, got off to an ontime start which is always nice. What seemed to be missing this times was the small group of 12-year-olds sprinting out to the front as if ESPN was carrying the race live.

Mile 1 has a steady uphill start to it before flattening out for the final 3/4. For whatever reason, the race director can't seem to ever get the first mile marker placed correctly. So it showed us coming across in 4:56 which was definitely not the case. Since I was shooting for 5:16s, it was still way too fast even with the mismarking. The good thing is that by Mile 2, the issue is always corrected. Mile 2 was 5:13. So on average, our first two miles were in 5:05 or so. Still way too fast. That said, I knew I needed to be opportunisitic as each mile of this course is very different from the other...especially Mile 7.

Everything felt good through mile 3 which I hit in 5:11. Still too fast but I was putting seconds in the bank to compensate for Mile 7. By this time, Uli, Paul and Nick were well ahead of us in the chase pack. Probably a good 15 seconds. It was pretty clear that the race would be for fourth. I was leading the chase back on and off again sharing duties with Riak. I didn't know who Riak was until Mile 12 when Mark Mandi called out his name. I recognized the name.

Mile 4 crosses two bridges over the Sammamish River. Beautiful part of the course with a lot of rollers. It's a good thing it was dry because those two bridges can be treacherous in the rain. Mile 4 was in 5:07. So after four straight miles of being well under desired pace, I was starting to wonder if I should just stick with it and see what happens. I also did the math of where I needed to be at Mile 10 to hit my goal time of 1:09 (an ambitious goal) and that time was 52:40. But still a lot of work to do before then.

Mile 5 was fll of twists and turns but pretty flat. We were at the point where we were dodging walkers who started the event an hour earlier. Hate that. Mile 5 was in 5:09. More seconds in the bank.

Mile 6 is pretty flat with just a few mild rollers but a fair amount of congestion. This was the first point at which I started to feel a little bit of calf soreness. Nothing out of the ordinary, just a bodily reminder that I was working pretty hard. Mile 6 ends right under SR 522 as we head into the UW-Bothell Campus area. Time was 5:19. Oops...gave back a few of those seconds.

I got to see my mom, dad and brother-in-law several times in the cmapus area which was a huge boost. They are always so supportive of my running and their support came at an important time in the race.

Mile 7 is the worst mile in recorded history. I am only sort of exaggerating. It's a 20% grade for about an 1/8 of a mile. Followed by only a 6% grade for another 1/8 with some flat for about a 1/4 and then a 20% downhill grade for about a tenth of a mile. It's ridiculous if not perilous. I was just glad to escaoe that section without either falling or pulling a hammy. By this point, it was just me and Riak, trading the lead every 1/4 mile or so. It was a great battle. Mile 7 time was 5:32. Not as slow as I had expected.

After winding through the historic area of Bothell and headed back toward the campus area for a series of nauseating loopty loops. The next two miles are a lot of small rollers with some flat sections thrown in for good measure. Pretty tough stretch to get a good rhythm on. We Mile 8 in 5:14. By this time, Mike Bresson had seemingly come out of nowhere and he blew right past me and Riak as we headed through the heart of campus. I decided right then to go with him. Riak made the same decision and we stayed together for about a mile. Then they both gapped me.

From Mile 9 on, the course is pancake flat. There was a bit of a headwind for the next three miles, but at this point, anything but a tailwind seems like a headwind. Bresson was ahead of Riak by about 3-4 seconds and Riak was ahead of me by about the same. I took a look back and didn't see anyone even remotely close to me. I somehow missed the Mile 9 marker but I felt like I was doing fine.

Mile 10...more of the same. The three of us were slotted the same with 5k to go. The time I was supposed to hit at Mile 10 was 52:40. I hit it in 52:12. Wow. With nothing but flat in front of me, I had a chance for an epic race. Mile 10 and Mile 9 combined were in 10:29. Beautiful. I had settled into my desired pace after throwing the hammer down for the toughest 8 or 9 miles.

Mile 11: 5:16

Mile 12: 5:16

With 1.1M to go, I knew I was on pace to not only hit 1:09, but to crush it. The only question was could I catch Riak. He was in 5th place and the money only runs 5 deep for this race. He was still about 3-4 seconds ahead, which is quite a bit.

As we rounded the corner to go over the bridge back to the brewery and finish line, I realized Riak was out of reach. So I looked at my watch to find some motivation to really kill the final 1/4 and I realized I had a shot at sub 68:30. So I really focused and ran hard crossing the finish line in 1:08:27. It was a course PR by 66 seconds and my second fastest 1/2 marathon time ever...second only to the pancake flat Indy Mini back in 2009 where I was something like 1:07:57. My placing -- sixth -- was the same as last year but far more gratifying. The funny thing is that sixth overall was only good enough for 3rd in my age group. But all I care about is the time. It was faster than either of my Seattle Rock and Roll Halfs on a course that is quite challenging. My coach said afterward that my 1:08:26 today was easily faster than my 1:07:57 in Indy last year.

So I am thrilled. A lot of hard work and perserverance has me in, perhaps, the best shape of my life heading into seven final weeks of training before the Indianapolis Marathon in November.

This was a huge race both physically and mentally for me. Easily a top three race of my life in terms of overall performance. 

Now I just need to recover properly, jump back into some hard training next week and stay healthy.  

A pretty slow slog this evening but i enjoyed my run along the Seattle waterfront.

Another run along the Seattle waterfront.

First real soaker of a run in quite some time. Prettymuch poured for the first 45 minutes and then tapered off toward the end. But I felt 20 pounds heavier.

Dropped the kids of at school and headed out for a beautiful run this morning.

A little drizzle and pretty cool this morning for my long run. But once the drizzle stopped, it was really pretty ideal. The plan today was to go long and work in a small tempo run at a little faster than marathon pace. So I ran an 11-mile "warmup" an then jumped into the four miles. 5:22, 5:12, 5:12 and 5:15. Little faster on the last three than I wanted but it was nice to open it up for the first time since Monday's half marathon. I ran the whole run in my trainers to help take some of the load off of my calves. I feel 95% recovered which is good heading into the final seven weeks of marathon training.

Felt fortunate to hit 80 miles for the week given the recovery from the half.

A beautiful run along the Seattle waterfront. Ran from work to the Ballard Locks and back

An exact repeat of yesterday's run

A long, marathon-style workout today. Couldn't do it til this evening. When i got to the track it was 70 degrees and 89% humidity...and not even raining. Very uncommon for here and i noticed the humidity pretty early on in the workout.

Workout was 3x3k at 9:33...so 3:11 per km or 77 a lap or so. 3 minutes rest.

First one was way to fast. I was 4:59 at the Mile and with one lap to go, I was 10 seconds ahead of pace so i slowed it way down and finished in 9:30.

Second one was in 9:32 and felt pretty strong going into the final rep.

In the third and final rep, I began to feel a little dehydrated despite drinking between each rep. but managed a 9:34. I swear i lost 100 pounds during the workout.

Felt fine on the cool down. Good workout ahead of a long 12M tempo run at marathon pace on Saturday.

Early morning stroll through Snoqualmie Ridge. Crazy warm despite a pretty good rainfall. 62 degrees and rain at 5am isnt' exactly common around here.

Another warm humid morning.

Another good finish to a solid week of training. But I am really ready for the mugginess to go away. It was 63 degrees and 90% humidity this morning at 7am for my run. Later in the day it was 73 degrees and 89 percent humidity. This type of weather is VERY unusual for Seattle. It was also very noticeable during my run even at 7am.

THe workout was a 11+1 with 11 at marathon pace plus 1M at something faster. All the miles were in the 5:21-5:29 range so that was good. The humidity made me work a bit harder to get there. The final mile was in 5:15...about all I cared to muster at that point.

Despite the mugginess, it was a beautiful run through the back roads of Fall City and Carnation. I'm blessed to live and run in such a beautiful place.

A real soaker this morning but pretty mild. I think it's time to retire the Adrenalines.

Another wonderful run this morning. A bit cooler under clear/dark skies.

Wednesday generally mean workout day and lately it means doing it in the evening after work.

Workout was 4M@5:12 followed by a 10-12 minute easy jog followed by 4x1M @ 5:08-5:10 on 3 mins rest.

First mile was way too fast, 5:07. Oops. The rest were all in the 5:10-5:12 range. Everything felt very relaxed and, frankly, pretty easy. After a trip to refill my water bottle at the drinking fountain during my 10 mins of active rest, I jumped into the mile repeats. 5:07, 5:07, 5:06, 5:05. I could have pretty easily done another 2-4 of the mile repeats. I felt really strong and it was one of the best workouts I have ever had. So hopefully that means I am getting in shape at just the right time. Six weeks or so to go until Indy.

Got to watch my son run in his second ever cross country meet. He was fourth overall and third among 7th graders. He was particularly happy that he caught the leading girls runner at the end.

After that I went off for my own run. 12 miles into a planne run of 15 miles I realized i had a meeting to be at in 25 minutes. So I bolted for the car and had to settle for 13.5.

A lovely asphalt/soft trail run near home. Beautiful morning. Long workout tomorrow.

Very long day today. I hosted a trail run which went off without a hitch and then went to watch my daughter's soccer game in Redmond. So my plan was to just run home from Redmond. What I didn't really plan for was 80 degrees temps. I had stashed plenty of water but the glaring sun -- which made for a beautiful Fall day -- was just too much. I was in the sun too long prior to the run and then the run itself suffered a but. Nothing catastrophic.

Workout was a 7+1 tempo run at marathon pace with the last mile being whatever I could muster...Ideally faster. The trick with this one was that I was to start the 7+1 after running 10 easy miles. For whatever reason, this is always a hard thing for me to do. I almost feel like running the whole 18 miles at marathon pace would be easier.

The first five miles were all on pace but the sixth mile fell off and the 7th was a joke...something like 5:45. Everything was tight. I could see the salt all over my body and I was pretty lightheaded....dehydration. Doesn't take much for me, sadly. All in all, another good week with 90+ miles. 5 weeks to go until Indy

Very warm morning. 68 degrees and muggy with a soaker of a rainstorm during the final few miles.

Lately I have been doing my Wednesday workouts in the evening but I have a work party at the Hard Rock tonight so I had to run this morning. Poor me.

6:00am. Gorgeous weather. Low 50s...foggy with sunshine above. No wind. Perfect for 8x800m...except for the 6am part.

Ran from the house to the track (4 miles) and rolled right into the workout. Target times were 2:22-2:23 with 400m (2:00) rest intervals.

Intervals went as follows: 2:22, 2:23, 2:22, 2:23, 2:24, 2:24, 2:23, 2:24. So pretty much hit it. I just have no footspeed which was the point of the workout. I don't think my footspeed will improve with age.

Four+ miles home. Beautiful morning.

BTW...I have been complaining about the extraordinary humidity around here the last week or so. Turns out that it wasn't a figment of my imagination. I pretty cool description of how humidity works and why the body hates it so much. Monday was the most humid September day in Seattle history. http://www.komonews.com/weather/blog/103950144.html?blog=y

12 beautiful miles in the very eastern parts of North Bend following my son's cross country meet. Great weather today.