Sean's Running Blog

Probably the nicest run I have had in six months. Clear skies. 75 degrees. It's days like this that make the winters worth it.

If there is one thing we Seattleites don't know how to do, it's run in the warmth...especially early season warmth. I've seen it time and time again. Runners from Seattle venturing unto other climates and absolutely getting it handed to them in races of any length with a temperature of 65 degrees or greater. I think we are just so used to running 8 months out of the year in the 50s or less that we don't know how to hydrate and our bodies aren't used to what our friends in the South are so accustomed to.

To be clear, I am not complaining. Anyone who lived through our winter would be insane to complain about a sunny day in the upper 70s. In fact, there could not have been a nicer day for an easy run anywhere on earth. It's just doing things at race pace or faster makes the warmth all of th sudden uncomfortable. Ironically, I did my workout today because tomorrow calls for an end to our beautiful weather and brings back the rain.

The gauge at Redmond High School said 81. I don't think it was that warm, but it was over 75 degrees when I got started. The workout was 2x2M @4:52 pace. First mile went well (4:51) but I knew as surely as I know the sky is blue, that the rest were going to be uuuugly. Second mile was 4:57. After a four-minute rest and 10 ounces of water, I jumped into the last 2M repeat with the simple goal of hitting each mile in 5:00. The first one was right on and the second was 5:01. Good enough for me.

Nice easy run today along Lake Sammamish. Light drizzle and nearly 30 degrees cooler than yesterday. In hindsight, I should have done the workout today. Oh well.

A nice easy stroll through the rural roads of Redmond. I thought I would change things up a bit and try a different route. It was beautiful. Redmond goes from commercial to rural pretty quickly. Temp was mid 50s with a nice breeze.

I got an email from the race director of the Indy Mini with the list of elite athletes being hosted by the race. I've included the list below sorted their 1/2 PRs as best as I could find them on the Web. Other than a couple of ridiculously fast guys, there's quite a pack of 1:07-1:12 runners. Should be fun. Paul...I hope I got your time right.

Bib	First Name	Last Name	City	State	1/2 Time
7	Elijah	Nyabuti			1:02
49	Festus	Langat			1:02
8	George	Towett			1:03
9	Mohamed	Fadil			1:04
5	Jason	Lokwatom			1:05
10	Abdelaziz	Atmani	Indianapolis	IN	1:07
14	John	Poray	Indianapolis	IN	1:09
16	Jesse	Davis	Indianapolis	IN	1:09
20	Sean	Sundwall	Snoqualmie	WA	1:09
53	Paul	Petersen	Logan	UT	1:09
41	Matt	Blume	Fort Wayne	IN	1:10
52	Antonio	McDaniel	Carmel	IN	1:10
57	Jerome	Recker	Lansing	MI	1:10
48	Nick	Krus			1:11
51	Mark	Manz	Kiel	WI	1:11
67	Scott	Spitz	Indianapolis		1:11
19	Jacob	Rhyner	Indianapolis		1:12
13	Eric	Ade			1:12
62	Chris	Teague	Holliston	MA	1:12
15	John	Agnew			1:13
50	Tristan	Mannix	Evansville	IN	1:13
12	Aaron	Harding	Indianapolis	IN	1:15
18	Tim	Mylin	Noblesville		1:15
45	David	Forsee	Indianapolis	IN	1:15
56	Jason	Ream	Chicago	IL	1:15
66	Gregory	Verdo	Chicago	IL	1:16
3	Jason	Crichton	Toronto	ON	1:18
65	Josh	Trisler			1:21
46	Gerry	Groothuis			1:23
44	Thomas	Dever	Terre Haute	IN	1:25
11	Aaron	Moody	Indianapolis	IN	1:26
64	Ian	Thomas	Pennville	IN	1:26
43	Scott	Colford			1:32
42	Rick	Britton			1:33
59	Gary	Romesser	Indianapolis		1:35
61	Michael	Smith	Brownsburg		1:35
63	Mitchell	Thomas	Pennville	IN	1:35
60	Tyler	Small			1:42

I checked the weather there today and I would be gitty if this is what we had next Saturday. Updated: 7:28 pm EDT

69.6 °F Mostly Cloudy Humidity: 17% Dew Point: 32 °F Wind: 2.0 mph from the SE   Wind Gust: 8.0 mph Pressure: 29.33 in (Falling) Visibility: 10.0 miles UV: 1 out of 16 Clouds: Few 7000 ft Scattered Clouds 13000 ft Mostly Cloudy 20000 ft (Above Ground Level) Elevation: 735 ft

 Utah-like humidity, relatively low temperature considering it's late afternoon there and light winds with some clouds thrown in for good measure. The long range forecast for Saturday May 2 calls for showers and a low of 46 and a high of 67 with humidity at 53%. That's what I'm talkin about. I know...the forecast will change a hundred times between now and then. But can't a guy dream?

A cold but beautiful 12-mile run through the streets and neighborhoods of Snoqualmie and North bend. Not a cloud in the sky and a fresh coat of snow in the mountains made for a gorgeous run. I felt really good thorughout the whole run.

Woke up this morning pretty tired and stuffed from a long night of crazy twelve year old girls over for my daughter's birthday party. I ate way to much and got too little sleep.

During my warmup I was a little worried about being able to do the workout as my stomach was giving me issues. Temp was cool and it was mostly cloudy but good weather for race pace running.

The workout was essentially a race simulation for next weekend. Six miles total with the first 5 at race pace (5:08-5:10) with the final mile being as close to 5:00 as possible.

Mile 1 -- 5:08 -- Tight and tired but hit the number

Mile 2 -- 5:11 -- Umm...what happened? I lost concentration I think and wasn't paying attention.

Mile 3 -- 5:10 -- Focused on trying to get in a rhythm and just relax

Mile 4 -- 5:09 -- This was my water lap and the wind started to kick up. Just focused on my stride and using my arms.

Mile 5 -- Stomach issues still in check and finally started feeling OK.

Mile 6 -- 4:59 -- I was pretty happy with hitting this once. After the first two miles I was feeling like I would have been happy to just complete the six miles let alone hit the final one in sub 5:00. This was by far the easiest mile. Not sure why but I felt good the whole way.

A really good penutlimate workout before Indy. Feeling ready.