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Lilac Bloomsday 12k

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Location:

WA,

Member Since:

Feb 10, 2007

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Local Elite

Running Accomplishments:

I was an 800/1500 runner in high school and college, with PRs of 1:55 and 4:08. I've run as fast as 16:15 for 5k and 1:20 for a half, but my bests in recent years are 17:07 5k (Dec. '11), 37:40 10k (Jan. '12), 1:23:49 half (Sept. '08), 2:53:12 marathon (September '10), and 4:45:06 50k (March '10).

Short-Term Running Goals:

Late 2015/2016 races: 

— Seattle Soltice 10k (Dec. 19)

— Nookachamps half marathon (Jan. 16)

— Toyko Marathon (Feb. 28) 

Personal:

I'm an editor at a newspaper in Bremerton, Washington and head coach of the Bremerton Jaguars youth track and field team.

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Total Distance
103.50
Race: Lilac Bloomsday 12k (7.4 Miles) 00:44:05, Place overall: 114, Place in age division: 19
Total Distance
9.50

Second time at the enormous Spokane May 1 race, with some real similarities to a year ago. Rain showed up the night before, we ate dinner at the same restaurant (which actually isn't that good, I think tradition will change) and the skies cleared before we left. I slept on the floor at Donnie's, and got great sleep somehow. Woke up Sunday morning to clear, sunny skies and 40-degree weather. 

Mike, Henry and I snuck through the Second Seed pit as close to the elites as we could, even eight rows back or so there are hundreds of runners to weave around. Didn't have to stand around much, perfect timing and warmup. There were 50,000 finishers, and that lead group is pretty bunched up so you're in a big pack. The other downside is that I missed the first two mile markers because the pack was so thick. Other than a pace check at mile 3 (I was running sub-6) and at mile 5 (outside shot at sub-43:00) I had no idea of pace. The funny thing is I almost race naked just for the heck of it so I would race and not get hung up on pace; probably wouldn't have hurt me.

I felt good through miles 1 and 2, but thought they might have been a little slow in retrospect. At the uphill coming toward 2 I started to work, and I passed my first large portion of runners there and kept the pace honest after that. By mile 4 things had thinned out and I really focused on pushing the pace toward Doomsday Hill. After all the hip and plantar pain the past two weeks I was worried how my legs would feel, but when I was halfway through without any soreness or tightness I had a good feeling.

I maybe passed one guy up Doomsday, then crested and saw the clock and knew that two sub-6 miles and a really fast 0.4 would sneak me under 44 minutes, which was the goal. (44:21 a year ago.) I tried to push and lock in a pace with a guy 10 yards up who was running well. I had a momentary loss of focus, just spacing out, and felt like I floated the pace a bit. I straightened my head out quickly and got back to it, caught the guy I was looking for at maybe 6.5. I ran smart toward the last mile marker, picking up everything I could and starting my kick prior to the last right hand turn. The finish is a quarter mile downhill, so it goes quickly. I let my legs go as they could, but the really fast turnover just might not exist anymore. There was one guy dying that I didn't quite catch, would have liked to get him but I needed another 10 yards to do it.

But a PR nonetheless, I felt great at the finish and that sub-44 was definitely within reach had I started in a better position. Definitely spent more time manuvering through slower runners than I would have liked to. But that's part of the fun, I suppose.

Then we sat around in the sun eating pizza, donuts, apples and drinking coffee. It's a fantastic post-race spread. Then we all went back to Donnie's and had the traditional nacho table, which is the Bloomsday version of a bruger. Good weekend.

Comments(10)
Total Distance
5.00

Kind of an odd workout for two days after a race, but it's an odd week. After being out of the office most of the afternoon (and drinking too much coffee during said time out), I went in and touched my desk then left for track practice. We worked the kids hard with 300m repeats, then a post-practice coaches meeting turned awkward and kind of dissolved when one guy got all upset. So I walked away and started to run on the track, planning for a few easy miles in circles. But 200m in I was striding out and thought 'Hey, why not...' and put together three miles in 18:05 without a warm up other than dinking around with the kids. And my legs felt great, so, yeah, why not?

Then I cooled down for two miles and decided it was time to head home and eat dinner. 32:20

supernova glide 

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Total Distance
8.00

 

Hey, where'd the sun go? I had the yardwork vs. evening run argument in my head after work last night, and the lawn won. I figured the sun would stick around another day to run, but I guess it had somewhere to be today. So a cloudy, damp morning trip to Tracyton Beach Road, the 8-mile turnaround. Comfortable pace. 59:02

supernova glide -- 290

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Total Distance
5.00

Evening workout after Jaguars track practice. We're trying to make the kids work a little harder, so they did seven 400s tonight. Half of me was inspired by watching them push themselves, the other half of me was frustrated because some of our best runners have an attitude about running one silly lap around a track. A 400 makes them "distance runners." Oy. I'd love to sit and tell a 50k story to them, but they already think I'm enough of a crazy white boy. 

So when practice ended and everyone lingered around on a sunny evening (hey, spring!), I started running. Easy mile to warm up, then I exhumed my mix of inspiration/frustration with a 3 miles at a 10k pace. Miles were 5:50, 5:55 and 5:54. Pretty good run, actually. I was tempted for another and really should have done it, but it was getting dark and I was hungry. I'm always hungry. One mile cool down and went home.

supernova glide blue

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Total Distance
7.00

February returned today, so a soggy evening run broken into two parts. Stage one was with the Jaguars, and I'm surprised as many kids showed for an 'optional' practice as were there. I took 10 kids on a 2.5 mile run in the rain to Lulu Haddon park, which includes two three pretty good hill climbs. The best part was that they all finished. Some even thought it was fun and kept running the whole time. 

The best part for me was that is was the first truly easy pace I've run in awhile, so I finished the 2.5 at 9 minute pace or whatever, which felt great, then I stood around for a bit with the coaches until I was shivering (the February bit) and went for another 5. 55:26

supernova glide 302

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Total Distance
20.00

I should have a long explanation or some stories from the road since this was a 20, but I don't. Simply, it was just a good run with Mike out to Yukon Harbor and back. I really felt good at a pace between 7 and 7:30, and a few hours later, my legs still do. Uncharacteristic for that distance, but whatever. 2:27:00

supernova glide blue -- 322

Comments(1)
Total Distance
6.00

 

 Warren-Manette bridge loop, with a little extra swing through downtown Bremerton to keep it an honest six.

supernova glide -- 328

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Total Distance
5.00

Last week's promising start crash hard Tuesday night, when I picked up a case of food poisoning I'm still battling through a bit. So the foundation of that 20-miler, a wonderful few days of sunshine, and the Rhody Run 12k were all lost. No running for five days, a combo of the lingering sickness, no appetite and lethargy, sleeping more to try and get healthy, and just a busy weekend that didn't leave time for even a short run. It's not been fun. 

But I got out for 40 slow minutes Monday night after work. Felt really rusty. But at least I did something. 40:15

supernova glide blue

Comments(2)
Total Distance
5.00

Warren-Manette bridge loop, medium pace. Finally feeling like myself again. 40:00

supernova glide 

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Total Distance
4.50

Quickie on the short version of the Manette/Y loop. Sun came out as I ran. 30:00 

supernova glide

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Total Distance
8.00

We have a little weekly sports publication at the newspaper I work at, and I write a monthly column about running. I mentioned this week how much I always underestimate how the longer days help my running. The summer kind of sneaks up, and all of a sudden it's light before 6 a.m. and much, much easier to get going early. After a cold, dreary spring like we've had it's an incredible relief to finally be confident leaving the house in shorts and a long-sleeve early in the morning. I've done it without even thinking twice this week, and both times got 5 minutes in before realizing 45 degrees doesn't really mean summer. I'll probably melt when it hits 75. 

Anyway, Mike I took advantage of another decent day by putting off our long run, of course. Saving the 20 for Monday, we ran 8 down on Beach Drive. Mike's training for an Ironman and was pretty taxed after a huge week, and I'm still building back some strength from the illness. But we ran a quick pace, first time running at 7/min in awhile for me. Felt fine after the first mile or so, and we threw in a few 6:50-6:55s on the home stretch. Then we had breakfast with the crew, now it's time for track practice. 59:02

supernova glide -- 351

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Total Distance
20.50

Mike and I have developed a good tradition: If it's a Monday holiday, we meet at Evergreen Park at 7. Run, then coffee and treats at Samudra Yogo and Bakery. But no yoga. 

So we celebrated Memorial Day that way today, somehow navigated around the morning rainstorm that hit part of the county while circling Dyes Inlet. We went out Kitsap Way to Northlake Way, past the trailer parks north on Chico Way to Old Towne and the water front -- where there was a pancake breakfast going on -- and then back on Tracyton Beach Road and Boulevard, I can never keep them straight, capping it off with a loop through downtown, where the tourists were doing whatever you do at the Harbor Festival. Looking at the harbor, I suppose.

Felt pretty strong throughout, another encouraging 20 miler (these are getting easy, even). Two slow miles to start, but there are some hills getting out of B-town, then settled into 7:20 pace until Silverdale, and inched back to a wiser 7:30-7:40 pace on the second half. A lot of hills on this route. 2:35:47

Then I had a peach turnover, and made the people in the bakery feel guilty because they hadn't run 20 miles this morning. Or maybe we got the stink eye because we were the sweaty and smelly guys having a snack.

Time to mow the lawn!

supernova glide -- 371

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Total Distance
103.50
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