Weekend Update X-C

This weekend I did something that I haven't done in, oh about, 24 years. (insert your dirty joke here) I ran in a Cross County meet. It was a two loop, flat course with a bunch of hairpin turns at Lake Sammamish State Park. I don't do any speed work so it was truly a 3.1 mile sprint. They said course was kind of sloppy and muddy and slow but compared to some ultras like Bridle Trails it was nothing. This was just a test race for the upcoming USATF championship race in Spokane on Dec. 13Th. I'm on the brooks team and I don't want to be bringing up the rear. Luckily that race is a 10k so I'll be a little more toward the front. I hope.

My splits were 6:24, 6:49, 6:44 and 3.1 miles in 20:28. I placed 78/132 in the men's race and 26/41 masters. The course did get a lot muddier on the second time around. The women's race was first but they didn't chew it up very much. I think I could have gone another mile or mile and a half at that 6:44 pace but I don't think I could have kept it for another 5k.

It was fun running a short race but I'm not going to trade in my Ultra Shoes anytime soon.





I was going to do a loop up on tiger after the race but I decided to rest and go play at the park with the kids instead. Plus I didn't know how running that fast would affect my legs.

Sunday I felt great so I went up to tiger for a loop. It was super crowded so I had to stop about a dozen times to clip in Shela. It was strange running it in the daylight and I kept trying to turn off into the bushes on the way up. I finished the loop in PR of 1:15 and called it a day. Michael that's 40 up 3:30 across and 31:30 down.

It sure is nice to get back on the dirt.

Dream

Only 200 miles?



Brooks is donating 5 cents for every view to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center up to $25k.

Warning this catchy tune might be stuck in your head for a few days.

Ron Herzog 50k

4:25, 1st master, 3rd overall.
~3000 feet elevation gain and loss, official distance according to the RD was 32.2 miles.

I was pleasantly surprised with my conditioning today. After 2 months of virtually no hill workouts I really expected to die after a few miles of blazing up the side of the mountain. I didn't and actually ended up getting a 20 minute 50k PR.

I also had an unexpected experiment during the race. Somehow I forgot my heed, so for the first time ever, I didn't drink at least half of my calories. I did have some nuun with me because I planned on doing 1 bottle of nuun and 1 bottle of heed. The nuun worked good and possiblely put off the "I've run way too fast" cramps in my calf's for an extra 5 miles. I also had zero nausea which I get sometimes after pushing it to the limit for a long time. I'll have to try this experiment again.

And as a bonus the 2nd place master was a Montrail runner that I've never beat before.

Tiger Mt.

I went out the door early Saturday Morning in hopes of getting in a quad busting workout on the mountain. I got there before the gate opened but luckily a minute or so after I started up the road, up came a car. I did a U-turn and drove up to the trailhead. It only took about a 1/2 mile to realize that I was in for some serious pain. Running on trials uses your core exponentially more than cruising down a flat paved path. And of course I felt every twist and flex in my ribs. Ouch!

2 hours later I arrived back at the car. I learned a few things.
1. I'm really out of shape when it comes to running up or downhill.
2. I discovered a whole new level of pain.
3. Dogs get out of shape just as fast as humans.
4. Always bring extra Advil.