Sean's Running Blog

We are vacationing in Sunriver, Oregon, a favorite spot of ours since I was a very young kid. Elevation is 4200'

Ran the perimeter of the Sunriver resort which came out to 14 miles. Added a little bit more. Very cool this morning which is pretty normal. Mid-40s at sunrise and mid 80s by mid afternoon. So I am glad I brought a long sleeve shirt and gloves. Beautiful day for a run.

Managed to eke out 15 miles running the outer Sunriver loop. It was even cooler thie morning...44 degrees. But it was quite refreshing in part because it was sunny and beautiful.

Had the privilege of doing a workout with my sister this morning. We went north to Central Oregon Comm. College to do the workout on the track there. The workout was 8x1k on 1:00 rest. A challenge to say the least. The target time was 3:07-3:08.

I was a but nervous going in because yesterday we spent a lot of time swimming and I played 18 holes of pitiful golf. Didn't know how the legs would respond or what factor the altitude (4200') would play. Jack Daniels claims that the reall impact of altitude isn't really felt until about 6-7,000'. But I think laws of physics suggest there is at least some mile impact even at 4200'. But i didn't feel like it had much of an impact. I didn't feel any particular shortness of breath or extra soreness in the legs.

After a 2.5 mile warmup around the college, I changed into my racing flats and began the slog. Rep 1 was in 3:07. I went out way too fast...first lap was in 72 seconds. So I coasted the rest of the way knowing I had 7 more reps to go. Rep 2 was in 3:06. Still a bit fast but manageable. Rep 3 also in 3:06. This the first mental gut check. 3 is a long way from 8 and thinking about the prospect of doing 5 more was less than joyful. Rep 4 was 3:07. Wondering how I was going to do four more.

By Rep 5 my sister had strained her left calf. Bummer. So now i was on my own. Granted, she wasn't ever running at my pace but there is some benefit in running with someone you know even if it's at a different pace. Did #5 in 3:07. Mental gut check #2. Taking each remaining rep one at a time.

#6 -- 3:08.

#7 -- 3:08. Hanging on for dear life.

Headed in the final rep I really wanted to hit something below 3:08. Managed 3:06 with a reallly strong final 400.

Really solid workout.  

My left calf felt pretty sore all afternoon yesterday so I opted for a late morning run in the warmer weather to help loosen things up. My family was headed to Wickiup Reservoir this afternoon so I took off early and ran 16 of the 25 miles it took to get there and had the fam pick me up at the Mile 16 mark. It was somewhat warm but just a wonderful run along a fairly remote highway with very little traffic. Then I enjoyed a nice afternoon at the lake.

After way too much time in the sun yesterday I woke up feeling pretty burned. So I wanted to get out and done early before getting too much more sun exposure. Did the full Sunriver loop in reverse. Made a point of saying good morning to everyone I passed. Made for a lot of good mornings and was definitely with the tiny bit of effort to do so.

Final running day in Eastern Oregon before heading home tomorrow. I love running in Bend. There are so many paths and trails and places to run along the river. Lots of diverse terrain and plenty of elevations.

Workout today was 3 sets of 5x200m at :34/:33/:32/:33/:34 with about 40 seconds rest between 200s and 2:30 rest between sets. After a 5-mile warmup I hit the track.

Set 1--:33/:34/:32/:33/:34

Set 2 -- :33/:33/:32/:33/:33

Set 3 -- :34/:33/:32/:34/:32

This is a great workout because it's short but for a guy with no foot speed like me, it is still quite challenging. I felt the effects of altitude for the first time mostly in a shortness of breath. No biggie, but it was noticeable for the first time.

So another really good week of training. I crossed the 90-mile threshold for the first time since September of last year. I followed that week up with 102 miles and then went injured and missed my fall marathon. So 91 will be it for me. I have a race next weekend so next week will be lighter anyway.

I feel really good. Hope to stay injury free.