Weekly update - now with more miles!

Mon 9/26 (7.9mi, 59min, 7:31/mi) With no running on Sunday the legs are somewhat fresh on Monday. I got a good run in around the Bridle Trails in the fresh mud. It rained enough over the weekend that the trails got a bit sloppy. I mentally didn't have the drive to push a hard pace from the start so I settled for a Fartlek run to get a little bit of hard pace work into my legs. I ran easy out to the trails, then pushed hard on the East and West sides of the trail with recovery pacing in the middle. Once I got out of the trails on the way back to work I picked up the pace and finished with a 6:03 mile on trail / sidewalk. Running a full loop in just under an hour was even better than it sounds because of how slippery my Trail Gloves (forgot to wear socks) get when they're soaked and muddy on trails.

Tue 9/27 (7.9mi, 1h 4m, 8:08/mi) One run through the Bridle Trails wasn't enough so I came back for more. I ran the opposite direction than Monday and wore my other pair of Merrell Trail Gloves. I kept a slower pace this time and didn't try any tempo paced running. It felt nice to be able to pick my head up and look around at the beautiful forest instead of watching my steps as I do when I'm running hard. The legs felt good.

Wed 9/28 (4.0mi, 33min, 8:27/mi) Run #1:  Wednesday was another double run day. It's the only way I can manage to kick the mileage up to run 50+ mile weeks. I ran 4 miles on the treadmill at the gym taking it easy at a steady 8:27/mi pace. It's boring but it's a good warmup before hitting the weight room and the Kettle Bells.

Wed 9/28 (13.25mi, 1h 44m, 7:55/mi) Run #2: After work I ran down to the trail that goes along the East side of Lake Sammamish. I didn't time it very well and it was getting pretty dark by the time I got to the turn-around point. The trail along the lake isn't lighted so it was tough seeing where I was running. Luckily it's a very flat smooth dirt/gravel surface. I picked up the pace on the second half of the run, hitting some mile splits in the low 7:00/mi range. Instead of running back up the trail along Hwy 520 I ran up 51st st which is shorter and steeper. I was pretty tired so I practiced some power walking / hiking to recover a little bit. Overall a good run.

Thu 9/29 (6.5mi, 54min, 8:26/mi) I ran out to Grass Lawn Park for 3 miles of barefoot running around the track. It still feels good to get out and run barefoot as long as I don't try to push the pace and it's neither too hot or cold. I expect that I won't be running barefoot at the track much longer with the rainy season approaching.

Fri 9/30 (4.0mi, 34min, 8:29/mi) Another easy 4 miles on the hamster wheel at the gym before lifting weights. It's almost like I'm cross training but I hate to not run while I'm building up to a race.

Sat 10/1 (22.5mi, 3h 29m, 9:17/mi) I got out on Saturday morning for a long run. I started the run with a side-stitch for the first 3 miles as I headed out the Tunnel Trail and around past Kopachuck. I kept to my standard route out to McCormick Park near the women's correctional facility. I ran about 6 miles around the different trails in the park. I started out with a perimeter loop and then followed some arrows marked on the ground that probably indicated a previous race. I normally only run the largest perimeter loop around the park so it was nice to run some of the interior trails that were new to me. The trails at McCormick will be a pretty close match to the trails I'll be running at Pt. Defiance in two weeks. It hasn't rained enough yet to make a mess out of the trails and I hope that the same can be said for Pt. Defiance come race day. After my 6 miles on the trails I headed the same way back home.

My nutrition on the run was pretty good. I drank from my Nathan 2L bladder pack which had 3.5 scoops of CarboPro and a few Nuun tablets in it (100 Kcal/scoop) and I ate two gels and two gummy chews per hour like clockwork. I was trying to drink on pace to finish the 2L in 3 hours but I was falling short. I ended up drinking more based on thirst. With 4 miles to go I stopped at the Island View store and bought a small Gatorade, a small bottle of water, and an ice cream sandwich. I took a break at the store while I ate most of the ice cream sandwich before getting back to the run for the last few miles. I drank the Gatorade and about half of the water. I never felt hungry / full, or bloated / nauseous on the run luckily. I was probably consuming 320 - 350 Kcal/hr for the first 3 hours. If I can eat like this on race day I'll be very happy. I need to work harder on staying ahead of my eating in races.

I didn't run Sunday (but would have liked to get a short very easy run to flush the legs out) and finished the week with 66 miles, a new personal best. This will be my biggest week for this race cycle. The heel pain is easing and I'm learning to ignore the Glute / Piriformis pain (F*!%&^@# the legs!). I finished September with a new monthly best of 211 miles, eclipsing last August's 208 mile benchmark. I'd love to run a 100 mile week some time but I'm pretty far away from the place in life where that kind of thing could come together. Maybe if I sent my wife and kids off on vacation, and house-sat for someone who lived 10 miles from the office...

Next week will be the first week of a mild taper for the Pt. Defiance 50K on 10/15.