A cold... sure, that makes sense.

Mon 10/3 (7.9mi, 1h 9m, 8:45/mi) I took it easy for a slow recovery pace run around the Bridle Trails. My legs felt surprisingly good after Saturday's 22.5 miles. The trails weren't too muddy either. Good deal.

Tue 10/4 (8.35mi, 1h 2m, 7:26/mi) I tried to run a hard tempo pace around the Bridle Trails today but my abs felt like they were on the edge of cramping the whole run. I pushed my body hard but I didn't feel like I was running very fast. Poor hydration the days leading up to the run? A Gingerbread man didn't help my pace in any way.

Wed 10/5 (6.4mi, 53min, 8:19/mi) I took an easy pace out to Viewpoint park for a few loops. I felt okay but slowed down for loops around the park trails. The good news is that the steep uphill section on the park loop doesn't seem as steep as it used to. Adaptation I assume. I'll take it.

Thu 10/6 (6.25mi, 51min, 8:12/mi) Another easy pace run due to a scratchy feeling I'm getting in my throat indicating that a cold is probably on the way. I'll be tapering for another 10 days, so I'm annoyed but not worried. As long as I'm good about getting some rest and staying hydrated I'll be fine for the race on the 15th.

That's it for the week...I did end up coming down with a cold on Thursday night. I'm a little bummed that I'll have to take a few days off of running but it's taper time anyway and as the saying goes, it's better to be a little under-trained than a little over-trained. Pt. Defiance is a tune-up race for the Ron Herzog 50K coming up in November, so no pressure to push myself if I'm not feeling good on race day.

Shoe Geek talk:
I was in downtown Seattle to meet a friend for dinner Wednesday night so I stopped by the flagship REI store to buy some running food (chews, gels, recovery drink, etc...). While I was there I got to geek out on some new shoes. I saw a tweet the other day from @scottjurek saying that the new Brooks Pure line of shoes had been released. They're Brooks' first steps toward a minimalist shoe. I looked at the four shoes in the Pure line and tried on the trail version, the Pure Grit. I ran around the store in them for a couple of minutes and I wasn't impressed. I wasn't disappointed either, they felt taller and bulkier than their advertised 4mm heel - toe drop. Their swept-back streamlined lugs didn't look like they've be very effective. I didn't buy them but I'm sure I"ll try them on again soon and see if I can convince myself to take them home with me. They've got to be better than the Cascadia 6 that I've hardly used.

While we're on the topic of shoes and shoe stores, a new running shoe store just opened next to my favorite coffee shop. The shoe store is called Born To Run. Those who've read Chris MacDougall's book of the same name would be correct in assuming that the store focuses on barefoot / minimalist running shoes. I was in the mood for a cappuccino so I stopped in Born To Run after getting my espresso fix. The store was pretty minimalist itself in the layout and arrangement of shoes, which I liked. I'm sure they'll add more clothes and gear to the store as time goes on but it was only shoes when I was there. Mens on one side, womens on the other.
The woman that I talked to wasn't very knowledgeable about Merrell's upcoming barefoot releases, or New Balance's soon-to-be-released minimalist shoe updates sadly. One thing that the store did have was several shoes from the Inov-8 line of shoes. This is the first store that I've seen selling the shoes. Unfortunately for me, being a British brand most of their shoes only go up to a UK size 12 (13 US). It's a shame because they make some great looking lightweight minimalist shoes for both road and hardcore trails. I imagine that some of their shoes with the really agressive tread (that look like cleats) are born from British Fell running which sends runners through bogs, swamps, and just the nastiest muck that the UK countryside has to offer.

It wasn't a total loss though, I found a pair of the F-Lite 195s in my size which I tried out and liked enough to buy. They're very light and have a good mix of minimalist feel (3mm drop) and a little bit of cushioning, something I've been looking for in a running shoe. They felt good on Thursdays' run but I'm looking forward to putting them on for a few longer runs to see if they'll work out better than the Merrell Trail Gloves which start to hurt my feet if I go more than about 12 miles. I love the trail gloves for shorter runs, but a little cushioning would bump them up from everyday shoes to 50K race shoes.