Hills for breakfast, hold the gnats

December 24, 2024

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Location:

Snoqualmie,WA,

Member Since:

Jan 31, 2008

Gender:

Female

Goal Type:

Boston Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

Marathon PR: 4:17 at Portland Marathon, Oct. 2007

5K PR 24:37 2009

10K PR 52:58 2010

Have run 22 marathons to date.

No injuries, ever. :)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Qualify for Boston (4:05 for my age/gender) - or, perhaps, to use my desire for a BQ as a way to get in the hated speed work so I don't just get slower and slower over the years. This goal is "under (re)construction" right now, until I figure out whether it is truly what I want. :)

Long-Term Running Goals:

To continue learning about myself and about running, and to enjoy being a fit, happy runner for life. To always know why I am running and the best way to get the most (both mentally and physically) out of my runs. To keep a sense of humor and remain optimistic about myself as a runner. To enjoy running more and more with every passing year.

Personal:

Baby boomer generation. Jogged a little in my 20's and 30's. Started running seriously in 2002. Low-carb runner since January 2010.

I love long runs and cold, cloudy weather. I don't believe in "junk miles." I am an optimist. I adore dark chocolate, fog, my family, and knitting -- not necessarily in that order.

"As every runner knows, running is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other; it is about our lifestyle and who we are." -- Joan Benoit Samuelson

Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:	This week:	0.00	Month:	0.00	Year:	0.00
Brooks ST3 Lifetime Miles:						891.35
Vibram Five Fingers KSO Lifetime Miles:						23.77
Brooks ST3 II Lifetime Miles:						965.17
Lunaracers II Lifetime Miles:						198.23
Mizuno Wave Universe 3 Lifetime Miles:						104.14
Asics Piranha Lifetime Miles:						536.83
RunAmocs (Softstar) Lifetime Miles:						16.23
Piranha II Lifetime Miles:						219.53

Tue, Oct 28, 2008

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
8.49	0.00	0.00	0.30	8.79

Objective: Moderate pace + strides and pushing pace on hills

Weather: Low 40's F, mostly clear, starry sky, weird pockets of warm air about

20 min. core & weights

Tis the season for scariness, and I had my share this morning. Around 5 AM I was headed out Carmichael in very dark, deserted conditions when I heard a bunch of coyotes howling nearby. There is a green belt along that road, and they were off in those woods, howling their heads off. I am sure braver country folk will scoff at this, but it absolutely made the hairs on my neck stand up. I kept hearing them off and on as I navigated The Heights neighborhood, trying to stay as far away from the wooded area as I could. I know they are pretty harmless and frightened around humans, but all alone out there in the dark it felt threatening. Coming back down from that neighborhood I had to pass the wooded area again when I saw.... (cue scary music) two sets of eyes! glowing in the reflection of my headlamp. SO. Scary. I feel pretty stupid now. I actually waved my arms at them, like Omar Sharif did to the wolves in Dr. Zhivago. What a dork. They turned out to be two small deer, probably out on the edge of the wood trying to stay away from the coyotes. After that I could at least laugh at myself. But soon afterwards I passed a couple walking their dog and asked them "did you guys hear those coyotes?" They replied "yes! Wasn't that scary?" So, I'm not alone in my little primeval fear.

Aside from coyote induced adrenaline, I did feel very strong and energetic today. The stars were gorgeous and I had a nice run. After about 5:45 there were a ton of runners out today. Many more than usual. Hope they last; it's nice to have company but this good weather will not hold for long.

Comments

From Dale on Tue, Oct 28, 2008 at 09:41:04

Thanks, I got a good laugh from this one! Those deer can be frightening! Look at the bones!

Nice run!

From snoqualmie on Tue, Oct 28, 2008 at 09:48:30

Yes, it's cracking me up too, more and more as it moves further into the past. I can just see me making a fish tale out of it... "There were 12 of them. HUGE beasts, circling me. If it weren't for my prodigious running speed I never would have escaped..."

From Carolyn on Tue, Oct 28, 2008 at 10:13:44

Watch out for those deer!

I stick to the roads and stay away from the green belts when it's dark. I'm afraid of running into man or beast with bad intentions in the dark abandoned green belts. Also, it seems colder in the green belts than near the buildings.

Congratulations on a great run. So I see you're trying the strides. How did that go?

From snoqualmie on Tue, Oct 28, 2008 at 10:54:26

Strides... I wasn't crazy about them. But I only did 4. It felt a lot like the hill sprints but with less intensity. They made me extremely breathless but didn't seem challenging at all to my legs. I am not sure they're as valuable as the hill sprints for me, and I think the hill sprints accomplish many of the same goals.

From Dale on Tue, Oct 28, 2008 at 11:07:37

Don't give up on the Strides...you really shouldn't feel them in your legs and they shouldn't feel challenging. They should help teach you to run fast with good form while staying loose and relaxed, which helps improve your running economy. It's one of those drills that doesn't feel physically challenging and that's okay. The challenge is to stay loose and relaxed at high speed. But they do help so I'd recommend sticking with them!

If you're feeling too breathless, make sure you fully recover between them and maybe cut down the length/time of each stride by a little bit.

From Kelli on Tue, Oct 28, 2008 at 13:53:38

That would have scared me to death!! LITERALLY!!! You are very BRAVE.

Great job today!

From snoqualmie on Tue, Oct 28, 2008 at 16:16:24

Dale - maybe I ran them too fast.

From Dale on Tue, Oct 28, 2008 at 16:18:18

If you feel like you are straining, your running them too fast. If you feel fast but in control and relaxed, they're just right. It takes a while. I'm still working on mine :)

From JD on Tue, Oct 28, 2008 at 19:49:43

Those coyotes were just cheering you on!

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