Sunday, September 21, 2008 [22M]

Bay Trail to Burlingame. I really needed some sleep today and slept in until noon. I didn't get out until 2PM but it was a rather cool day so I didn't have any issues going long at that time. I started from home and crossed over 101 to the trail along Marina Lagoon down Hillsdale Blvd. The plan was to head north on the bay trail and do an 11 mile out and back, basically a slightly extended version of the 21 miler I had run a couple of weeks ago. For the first time I experimented with eating some gels along the way since I'll need to get used to those as part of my marathon preparation. I had no idea how many and how often I should take them and figured I'd start with a couple of gels and take one every 50 minutes. My plan as far as pace was to get out at whatever pace felt comfortable and progressively run faster on the way back, getting close to marathon pace by the end. I made the turn after 1:16:35, so I averaged just under 7:00 pace on the way out. I wasn't feeling that great at the start and was a bit worried that this could end up being a rough day but after 4 or 5 miles my legs loosened up and I was comfortably covering mile after mile. It was a bit windy on the way out so I had the wind on my back as I turned around, which made it easier to pick up the pace. I wasn't trying to force the pace at all but I was getting more into it as the run progressed and didn't have much trouble getting my legs to move faster. I only made a concious effort to run faster in the last 3 miles and was running low 6s, with the last mile or so somewhere close to 5:40 - 5:50 pace. I wound up back in 2:25:45, so 69:10 for the way back, averaging under 6:20 pace. My legs were obviously tired by the end but I wasn't completely spent. The last half of the run was pretty solid and I wasn't dying at the end, instead I was able to get down to a brisk pace. I don't know what effect the gels had but I think at least they helped a bit mentally. This was my longest run ever and it's really encouraging that I made it through without any problems. I'll probaly try to get up to 23-24 before CIM and I'm getting more confident that I can handle the marathon distance. The only question is how fast can I get myself to run it. 

Week Recap (14 September 2008 - 20 September 2008) - 98 Miles

Another solid week, both in terms of quantity and quality. I was shooting for 100-105 this week and came a couple of miles short, which in the grand scheme of things is not a big deal. I feel like I can handle 5-10 more miles but with work and all it's getting hard to find the time to squeeze some more mileage in without at least sacrificing my social life some more.  Not that it's something I'm not really used to. Seeing how I only had two morning runs this week and Friday turned out to be only an 8 mile day it seems like there's room for more but that's easier said than done. I should be shooting to run doubles every day and I need to start running before work in order to do that. I can usually get a run in before lunch but you never know what can come up in the middle of the day. As far as workouts are concerned, I'm happy with how things are progressing. I haven't really run anything hard yet but I first want to get used to putting in some harder efforts while doing high mileage and running on tired legs. I'll wrap this up with one big announcement. I finally decided to run my first marathon and I'll be lining up for CIM on December 7th. I guess it's fairly obvious that I've been thinking about it for some time and I've been gearing my training to be more marathon specific so I figured I might as well commit myself to it.   

Saturday, September 20, 2008 [12M]

2x5000m - 17:11, 17:16

I was up around 10:30 this morning, had some breakfast and waited a couple of hours to be fully awake before heading over to Carlmont high school for a track workout. I'm starting to run some marathon specific workouts, which will include some longer intervals on marathon pace (I'm assuming about 5:40 pace for MP right now). I should be able to run more than a couple of 5Ks at that pace but I'm not yet used to running such long intervals on the track so I thought I could use a transition period. I started out a bit faster than planned on the first one, coming through the first lap in 80. I slowed down but not by much and I was comfortably running close to 5:30 pace the whole way. I split 5:28 for the first mile, was at 10:59 for mile 2 and 16:30 at mile 3. (Note that these were full mile splits and not 1600s, since the track is short and I'm running in lane 3, which is a couple of meters over 400m. I guess the 5Ks were about 30m long so they would have been 5-6 seconds faster, not that it makes much of a difference but I'm noting it down mostly for personal reference.) I was feeling fairly comfortable running 5:30 pace and decided to shoot for the same in the 2nd 5K. I took about 4 minutes of rest between the two intervals and continued pretty much where I had left off. I was slightly slower for the first mile, coming through in 5:32 then slacked off a bit on the second mile and came through in 11:08. My legs were feeling a bit tired but I mostly lost focus and  slowed down. I picked up the pace on the 3rd mile and split a 5:28 to come through in 16:36. The 2nd interval took some more effort than the first but I wasn't killing myself out there. I was running on some tired legs by the end, a combination I think of putting in 10K on the track and rounding up a week just shy off a 100 miles. I was tempted to add a couple of more miles for cool down but I was running fairly slow on the way back and I thought that I wouldn't get much out of a couple junk miles.

Friday, September 19, 2008 [8M]

Golden Gate Park. I had dinner plans in the city tonight and tried getting up in the morning for my long run of the day but I didn't manage to drag myself out of bed. I didn't have the time to put a run before lunch so I had to settle with running only once. I was hoping at least to leave work early but that didn't happen either and I left just in time to hit the Friday afternoon traffic on my way to the city. I was at Rachel's place at 6:15PM and headed out right away to Golden Gate park. Since I was running a bit late I kept this short and only ran once around the perimeter of the park. My legs were feeling somewhat tired so a short and easy was probably not a bad thing. 

Thursday PM, September 18, 2008 [11M]

Alameda - Jefferson. I got back home from work at 7:30PM and didn't waste much time getting out the door. Headed up Ralston as usual, continued on Alameda all the way to Jeffreson Ave and took El Camino back to my place. Not much going on tonight, just putting in the miles, averaging just under 6:50 pace. 

Thursday AM, September 18, 2008 [5M]

Foster City. 

Wednesday PM, September 17, 2008 [10M]

Hallmark. I left work early and was out again by 5PM, trying to squeeze in my run before heading to a concert. I started out at a faster pace than usual since I was a bit in a rush. I was feeling good, though, and didn't mind forcing the pace a bit. The climb up to Hallmark was very smooth and once I got there I was moving well on the rolling hills. The descend from Hallmark was fairly fast but not too much faster than usual. I wound up back in 62 minutes, which is 5-6 minutes faster than what I usually run this loop in. 

Wednesday AM, September 17, 2008 [5M]

Foster City. 

Tuesday, September 16, 2008 [15M]

8x2:30 fartlek. I ran over from work to San Carlos this afternoon and made it at Road Runner as Doug was heading out. I ran with him for less than a couple of miles, until we made it to the bay trail, and started my fartlek on the trail. My hard efforts were 2:30 long and I like I was moving fast although I didn't have any mile splits to get a more accurate sense of pace. I went by feel on the rest, starting each interval whenever I felt recovered. Perhaps I wasn't pushing the hard efforts as much as I should since I was recovering quickly and kept my rest somewhere between 1:00 - 1:15.  I ended up running 5.25 miles in just under 29 minutes so I averaged right around 5:30 pace, including the rest periods. It's hard to get a sense of how fast I was running on the hard efforts and even if I did, I wouldn't know how to translate times on a gravel trail to the equivalent on the road or track. I wasn't concerned about times today, though, all I wanted was to put in a good effort and I think I got what I wanted. Running over from work and having to run back afterwards also made sure I posted some solid mileage for the day. 

Monday, September 15, 2008 [14M]

Extended Foster City. Pretty much the usual loop with a 2 mile loop added around the park before Coyote point. Moving at a decent clip, just under 6:50 pace overall with the last 3 miles at 6:30.

Sunday, September 14, 2008 [18M]

Rancho San Antonio. In fairlty typical fashion I got started around 1PM. I psyched myself to head up Black Mountain trail, which I have avoided every other time I was in this park since it involves about 3000ft of climbing. I don't know why but today I felt like giving it a shot. I headed to Chamise trail first which led to Black Mountain trail. There were a couple of fairly steep climbs in the begining but it got more gradual towards the end. Black Mountain wasn't too bad at first either. It was a continuous climb for about 3 miles but fairly gradual, something along the lines of the other trails in the park. I made it to the end of the trail in 57 minutes and continued towards Monte Bello Preserve. I had another mile and a half to go and that was the most brutal part of the run. It took me 15 minutes to cover that last part, which means I was running 10 minute pace. Running is probably not the best term to use, the hill was so steep I could only sort of jog up. At least I made it up without stopping once and added a few minutes in Monte Bello before heading back. My legs were already feeling beat from the climbing and I wasn't very excited about the downhill part that was coming up. It only took me 8:30 to get back down to Black Mountain trail as I was pretty much running without control down the hill. I was still moving fairly fast on the more gradual descend back to Chamise and to the parking lot. By the end, though, my legs were spent and I was also feeling a bit dehydrated, which made the last couple of miles a bit rough. I wound up back at the car in 2:13:30 and I wasn't even sure if I could call this 18. I'm guessing it might be somewhere between 17.5 - 18, making this one of the slowest long runs I ever did. I doubt I'd be heading back up Black Mountain again, at least not all the way to Monte Bello. 

Week Recap (7 September 2008 - 13 September 2008) - 100 Miles

Solid week, bumping up the mileage in the triple digits. I got a rough start to the week with Sunday's run, which not only was short but also one of the most miserable runs I've had in a long time. I can't blame anyone else but myself though. I made up for it the next day with a solid 21 miler and continued to post solid mileage the rest of the week. I had a good workout on Friday, nothing spectacular but a decent effort aimed mostly at getting my legs used to running some longer intervals on the track. I'm pretty happy with how my training is progressing, I've managed to keep the mileage consistently high and I feel like I'm in shape to start running some good workouts.

Saturday, September 13, 2008 [10M]

Hallmark. I only needed 10 miles today to round up the week to 100 and I didn't feel like adding any more. I took things easy, really taking my time on the climb up to Hallmark and not forcing the pace on the way down. Pretty much just putting in the miles to finish up a solid week. 

Friday PM, September 12, 2008 [11M]

3 x 2 Mile. 11:10 (5:35), 10:55 (5:30), 10:34 (5:17). I was a bit late coming back from work and didn't get started until 7:15PM. I ran over to Carlmond high school for my warm-up and didn't really spend much time stretching or running strides before getting into the workout. I wasn't planning to run anything fast today but just wanted to get my legs accustomed to running some long intervals at marathon pace or slightly faster. I was shooting to start at 5:40 pace for the first 2 miler and bring it down 10 seconds for each interval. I run fairly even for the first interval, running back to back 5:35s. The biggest challenge in that first interval was having to dodge around people who were wondering around the track. I'm not sure what exactly was going on, maybe a football game or practice had finished and there were a lot of people just hanging around, including lots of kids running and kicking balls on the track. Fortunately I didn't run into anyone and didn't have to swerve too far out of my lane when someone was blocking my way. The crowd progressively got smaller and by the second interval it wasn't a big deal. I took about 4 minutes of rest between intervals and started out with a 5:30 mile on my second interval, right on target. I was slightly faster on the second mile, splitting a 5:25. I was feeling comfortable the whole way and didn't have trouble bringing down the pace some more for the last interval. I got a bit too excited at the start and came through in 75-76 for the first lap and had to slow myself down a bit. I came through in 5:17 and ran 79s the rest of the way to finish up in 10:34. I felt like I could have blown away those last few laps but I reminded myself that it wasn't the point of the workout. Not a very challenging workout but I got what I wanted out of it. With my mileage climbing up in the 100s I need to get used to running workouts on tired legs and I think this was a good starting point. 

Friday AM, September 12, 2008 [5M]

Foster City. Usual loop, usual time. Nothing more to add. 

Thursday PM, September 11, 2008 [10M]

Redwood Shores. Out again from Club O this afternoon for an easy 10. 

Thursday AM, September 11, 2008 [5M]

Foster City. Easy 5 before lunch. 

Wednesday, September 10, 2008 [12M]

Sheep Camp - Ralston. I was out of the door some time after 7PM, in the right mood to put in a good run. I had a good climb up to Sheep Camp and worked the hills well along Canada Rd. I wasn't hammering but putting in a good effort on all the climbs. The last climb up Ralston was pretty solid and I was eager to get moving on the downhill part. I was running sub 5:50 pace for my last 3 miles and wound up back in just under 1:21, which is one of my fastest times for this hilly 12 miler. 

Tuesday, September 9, 2008 [15M]

San Carlos. I was back home from work around 6:15PM and headed out towards San Carlos right away. I was running a bit late so I didn't quite make it to Road Runner sports but run into Doug and Brent as they were coming up on Holly St. The three of us run together on the way out then Doug took off for a tempo run and I was content with just sitting back and chatting with Brent. We made it back to the store and chilled for a while then I headed back home. I didn't head straight back but instead went up Brittan Ave and took Alameda back to Ralston. I was expecting to be feeling the effects of yesterday's long run but my legs weren't all that tired and I was able to put in a pretty good run. 

Monday, September 8, 2008 [21M]

Bay trail to Burlingame. Since yesterday turned out to be a short day I opted to go for a long run this afternoon. I was out of Club O around 6 and headed north on the bay trail, going past Marina Lagoon. The plan was to do an out and back and wanted to go out for 60-70 minutes before turning back. I started out at whatever pace felt comfortable and was somewhat surprised to split a 6:40 for the first mile along Marina Lagoon. It was good to see, though, that I was moving at a decent clip and feeling very relaxed. I pretty much maintained the pace on the way out and since I was feeling good I decided not to make the turn until I was 70 minutes out. I knew I was running faster than 7:00 pace but I wanted to be maked sure I could call this 20 and didn't mind going a bit over. Turns out I was running 6:40 pace on the way out as  measured the run to be exactly 10.5 each way. Making the turn after having already run over 10 miles and knowing that there's no shortcut home was a somewhat scary realization. My legs were getting a bit tired and I was shaking off some of the soreness from Saturday's race but I was still able to pick it up a bit on the way back. I wound up back in 2:18:15, running close to 6:30 pace for the most part with the last 3 miles at 6:20.  Runs like this one take me one step closer to making the decision to run a marathon some time soon. I've been debating about signing up for CIM  but have yet to commit myself to it.  It's really encouraging that I can put in a run like this one, comfortably moving at a decent clip without drinking much water or eating anything. The weather was nice and cool today, low 60s when I started, dropping in the high 50s as the sun was setting, so I only made a couple of stops for water and those were more of precaution than anything. The route was actually pretty good for such a run as there's a decent number of water fountains along the way so this might become a popular choice for my 20+ milers. 

Sunday, September 7, 2008 [11M]

Exeter, NH. I made plans to meet with some of the guys at 9 this morning and head up to Exeter for a run. That didn't stop me from staying up until 4 AM and have a few more drinks than I should. I didn't wake up until Jake called me at 9 and quickly got up, picked up some running clothes and got out of the house. I tried to drink as much water as I could as we were driving up but I was really feeling miserable the entire time. We made it to Mark Coogan's house after about an hour of driving and didn't waste much time getting out of the house. The group consisted of Jake, Coogan and his brother, Jacokes, Paterno and myself. I wasn't really in good enough shape to head out for a long run but sucked it out and tagged along. To make things even worse, Jacokes got out to the front and started forcing the pace as usual. We tried to run through some trails at first but last night's pouring rain created some huge puddles and made it hard to run through. We probably ran 2 or 3 miles on trails then hit the streets for the rest of the run. I was struggling a bit for the first few miles and I was hanging at the back of the group but things kind of got better as the run progressed. I still wasn't feeling that good at any point in the run but I was at least holding on without too much trouble. We were running a bit short on time since I had to get back in time to catch my flight back to the bay area so we kept the run short, which was probably a good thing. I was supposed to land at SJC at 8:00PM and was thinking that I could put in a second run to get some more mileage for the day and loosen up the legs after sitting on a plane for 6 hours. Unfortunately because of some bad weather we had to land at Denver and spend some time on the ground for refueling so I didn't make it back home until 11PM.  I was starving and definitely wasn't in the mood for another run so I'll need to make up for the mileage during the week. 

Week Recap (31 August 2008 - 6 September 2008) - 90 Miles

I couldn't really expect much more out of this week. I wanted to keep the mileage consistent even though I knew the last couple of days of the week would be short because of the alumni meet. I had a couple of short days early in the week but made up for it by doubling up Wednesday and Thursday and posting some solid mileage for those 2 days. I had a decent fartlek on Tuesday at Franklin Park, nothing amazing but a good effort before Saturday's race. Winning the alumni meet was a nice way to close off the week. The race wasn't that fast but cross country is not really about times and coming out with the win was enough for me to be satisfied with the outcome. I was running by myself for most of the race and there was definitely a lot more left in the tank which is good enough to make me think that my training is heading in the right direction. 

Alumni Meet

I wasn't really sure what to expect coming in this race so I didn't spent that much time coming up with a plan. I knew I was in fairly good shape but far from being race sharp. Plus I hadn't run a cross country race in almost two years (last year's alumni meet doesn't really count) so I was hesitant to get out and hammer from the start. I was content with getting out at whatever the early pace was and figured I would start pushing somewhere between miles 2 and 3. I was expecting Yermie to get out in the lead and was somewhat surprised that I was all the way to the front by the time we rounded the first corner. It was pretty hot and muggy today so that may have contributed to everyone being a little more conservative. For the first mile I was running side by side with Schmeck and we came through in a pedestrian 5:20. It felt like we were running slow but I was secretely hoping that the pace was reasonably fast and just felt easy  because I was in such great shape. Of course that was not the case and once I heard our split I figured I should get moving. I picked up the pace and only Yermie stayed on my heels. That only lasted until we reached Bear Cage where I started building a gap on the way up. Climbing Bear Cage felt easier than ever before and I felt strong topping the hill. I thought that Yermie would try to close the gap on the way down but that didn't happen and I figured I should keep pushing the pace and put the race away early. I came through the 2 mile mark in 10:47 and by the time I got into the Wilderness I couldn't hear anyone close. With no one around to push me for the rest of the way it felt more like I was running a workout rather than racing. I was just going through the motions and didn't really stay focused the entire time. I'm not sure about my exact mile splits, from what I remember hearing I was around 16:15 at mile 3 and 21:50 at mile 4. As Schmeck pointed out, this was the slowest winning time for the Alumni meet since we can get results for. I sure can't argue against calling this a slow race, despite the far from ideal weather conditions. A win is a win, though, I ran as hard as I had to and it's not my fault that Yermie can talk the talk but can't walk the walk. I didn't do anything to prepare specifically for this race and didn't cut back the mileage at all so overall I'm satisfied with how things turned out. After all it's hard to be disappointed after a win, especially since this was my first cross country win ever (excluding high school). 

Saturday, September 6, 2008 [9M]

Alumni Cross Country Meet, 26:58 for the win. I cut it a bit close and showed up at Franklin park with 10-15 minutes to spare before I had to start my warm-up. I ran with Schmeck, going through the usual couple of miles on the course. Despite not cutting back the mileage this week my legs felt fairly fresh and strides felt smooth and fast. The start of the race was rather slow and by the time we rounded the first corner I was in the lead, running side by side with Schmeck. We came through the mile in 5:20, I picked up the pace right away and only Yermie stayed close until we got to Bear Cage. I built a gap going up Bear Cage and continued pushing the pace until I hit Wilderness, by which time I had made clean break. I was all by myself for the rest of the race and didn't really force things much, I just kept the legs turning and got myself to the finish. Only put in a couple of miles for cool-down with Schmeck and headed back to MIT for some pizza. 

Friday, September 5, 2008 [6M]

Newton Center. Out of the door this afternoon by 6:30PM for a short and easy run. I ran to the Reservoir and picked up Beacon St to Newton center. I looped around a couple of side streets and headed back to Beacon then around the Reseroir and back to Lenia's place. My legs were feeling decent and hopefully this easy day will keep them fresh for tomorrow's race. 

Thursday PM, September 4, 2008 [6M]

Harvard - Reservoir. I got out again around 7PM for my second run of the day. I headed from Lenia's place down Commonwealth and crossed to Beacon over Harvard St. I was only thinking of running 4 miles when I set out but I was feeling good enough to add a loop around the Reservoir and bump it to 6. Taking things easy this afternoon and just putting in the miles at something close to 7:00 pace. 

Thursday AM, September 4, 2008 [10M]

Jamaica through Fens.  I was up at 11 AM again and was planning on going for a regular 5-6 mile morning run but after getting a call from Jake I drove over at MIT at 1PM and met him for a run. We took the route to Jamaica through the Fens so we could have the option of running through shade for most of the run, which was well needed on such a hot day. We were moving fast from get the get go and kept it that way for the entire run. My legs were a bit tired, probably because of  yesterday's 20 mile day, but I got into it after a couple of miles.  We wound up back at MIT in right around 62 minutes and added a lap around the track to round it up to 10. We were just under 6:00 pace for that lap and were probably not that far off earlier in the run. We ran a few good strides on the track before I headed back. 

Wednesday PM, September 3, 2008 [14M]

Arboretum. I had a meeting again until 5:30PM so I got a late start again and had to run by myself. I decided to run over to the Arboretum and took the shortest way there, heading down Chestnut Hill and making my way to Jamaica. It was about 3.5 miles to the Arboretum and I made it there in 23:30. I ran one loop around the perimeter and was back out at 51:30. I was initially shooting for something close to 10 this afternoon but I was feeling good and thought about extending the run by a couple of miles. Instead of heading back once I got to Jamaica, I continued around the lake and went on in the same way as I would be finishing the loop at MIT. Of course I didn't end up all the way to MIT but turned on Beacon, crossed to Commonwealth over Washington St and headed back to Lenia's place. I ballparked the route back to be around 4.5 - 5 miles but it turned out to be right around 6 so I must have done something wrong in my calculations. I wound up back in 1:28 and I was planning to call this 13 but the trip to the Arboretum and back was about 9.5 and I was moving fast enough in the Arboretum to put in more than 4 miles in 28 minutes so I think I can round this up to 14. I've rounded down a couple of runs this week so I think I have some miles in the bank. 

Wednesday AM, September 3, 2008 [6M]

Reservoir - Harvard. I'm still on West Coast time and didn't wake up until 11 this morning. I got out from Lenia's place around noon and headed towards the Reservoir. I ran around the Reservoir, continued down Beacon then crossed over to Commonwealth over Harvard St and headed back up. Took things fairly easy,  averaging just under 6:50 pace. 

Tuesday, September 2, 2008 [12M]

Fartlek at Franklin park. I wanted to join the guys on their workout at Franklin Park this afternoon but I had a meeting to dial in to and didn't get out until 5:30PM. I drove over to Franklin Park afterwards and got there while everyone was finishing up their cool-down. I decided to run a fartlek on the 5 mile course and got started after a 2 mile warm-up. My hard efforts were 2:30 long and I kept the rest around 2:00. I started out somewhat aggressively on the first one, mostly because I was excited about running at Franklin Park again and started visualizing Saturday's race. I didn't stay aggressive the rest of the way though and I can't say that I was putting in my hardest efford. I haven't run a workout like this in a long time and I think I'm no longer used to running short and hard intervals. I could have pushed the rest some more but I wasn't focused enough to realize I had recovered. Ended up running the course in right around 28:00, which is nothing spectacular but I suppose not too bad considering how much effort I was putting in. I ran the course backwards for cool-down and called it day.  

Monday, September 1, 2008 [10M]

Ocean. I drove to MIT and met with the guys for their 3PM practice. I made it there just in time and headed out with Jake, Yermie and Khatch. We started out at a decent pace, not too fast but a bit faster than I'm used to. It took a mile or so for my legs to adjust to the early pace but after that I got into the rhythm and was crusing along. I felt good on the climb up G Street, which seemed shorter and less steep than I remember. Coming down from the monument we started rolling some more and we were probably running sub 6 the rest of the way. We added a loop around Boston Common and stopped briefly at the frog pond where Jake took a dip and quacked like a duck to pay off his dues to Khatch. Got back into it as soon as we got started again and took off with Jake  in the last couple of miles. We were probably running 5:30s all the way from  the commons to MIT. Turned out to be a pretty solid run overall, noticably faster than what I'm used to but I was feeling good the whole way. It was nice to get the legs moving and catch up with the guys again.

Sunday, August 31, 2008 [17M]

I took the red eye to Boston last night and landed at Logan at 8:15 AM. Not long after I made it to my sister's place in Brighton, Schmeck drove over and we headed out for a run. We started close to Cleveland Circle and first ran to the Reservoir then picked up Beacon and ran past BC. We continued all the way to Washington St and picked up the marathon course on the way back. Schmeck only wanted to run for about an hour but we wound up back in 1:25. We were taking it easy, just chatting and catching up the whole way, so hopefully this wasn't too big of a deal. I was content with not adding any more miles at that point and chilled with Schmeck for a while and had some water to drink. I thought that I could get out again in the afternoon for some extra mileage but eventually I convinced myself to get out right away and keep my afternoon free. I didn't get much sleep on the plane and was pretty tired but I thought I'd rather get the run out of the way and spend the rest of the day resting. I headed back towards the reservoir and went down on Beacon to Summit Ave. I went up the long side, crossed over to Commonwealth and headed back to my sister's place. I was out for another 35 minutes so calling this a 17 mile day is probably a safe bet. Not a bad start to the week considering all the traveling and lack of sleep. I was pretty spent by the end but a 3 hour nap in the afternoon was good enough for me to feel refreshed again.
August Miles: 359

Week Recap (24 August 2008 - 30 August 2008) - 90 Miles

I didn't have much trouble posting another solid 90 mile week. I decided not to bump up the mileage any more until Alumni and added my first hard effort on Wednesday. Nothing too hard, just a long, controlled tempo to get the legs moving a bit. I was feeling a bit tired the last few days of the week but I doubt it had much to do with Wednesday's workout. We got a heat wave towards the end of the week, with temperatures climbing in the mid 90s, and I was feeling a bit dehydrated on the end of a few runs. Perhaps I need to start drinking more water of maybe I've gotten used to this mild weather and I'm just getting soft.

Saturday, August 30, 2008 [6M]

Alameda - San Carlos. I had plans to go to the city for brunch so I was up at 9:30 and out of the door by 10 to get the run out of the way. Just a short and easy run to round up another 90 mile week.

Friday PM, August 29, 2008 [8M]

Redwood Shores. I was out of Club O again by 6PM for my second run of the day. I started on the usual 8 mile loop without ruling out extending the run by a couple of miles but my legs weren't feeling that great and half way through I settled on sticking with 8. Not the greatest of runs, averaging just under 7 minute pace. Some days putting in the miles is all the matters.

Friday AM, August 29, 2008 [5M]

Foster City. I could have easily opted for running singles both Friday and Saturday, since I was already at 71 yesterday, but my legs have been feeling a bit tired and I thought it would be best to double up today and give myself the option of a short day tomorrow. I got out of a meeting at 11 and had barely enough time to head to Club O and squeeze in a 5 miler before a 12PM lunch with the Oracle Greeks. I was running 6:35s, which was pretty decent for a morning run. Skipped strides and stretching and headed straight to the shower as I was running a bit late for lunch.

Thursday, August 28, 2008 [12M]

Hallmark - Brittan Ave. Got started around 7 this afternoon and wasn't at all excited to be out running. I had been feeling tired all day and my quads were a bit sore, which made running hills a somewhat painful. Surprisingly the climb up Water Dog wasn't too bad, in part because I passed some bikers about halfway through and pushed the pace a bit to hold them off until the end of the climb. I eased up once I got to Hallmark and wasn't really working the hills there. The downhill part down Brittan was tougher on my quads and my form was really awkward. It seems like yesterday's run put me a bit in the hole, which was rather unexpected since I didn't think it was a very hard effort. Perhaps it's a combination of the high mileage and running in the heat. I always try to stay hydrated throughout the day at work but maybe I should be forcing myself to drink some more.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008 [14M]

~8 Mile Tempo. I would have like to get in a couple more weeks of base mileage before attempting any workouts but with the alumni meet just around the corner I figured I should put in at least a couple of hard efforts beforehand. I wasn't looking to run anything too fast, just wanted to put in a long, controlled effort. I headed backwards on the Foster City loop until the first mile mile mark and started the hard effort after making the turn. I was shooting for something close to 5:30 to start with, thinking that I could perhaps hold on to that for about 5 miles. I didn't really have a good sense of pace but thought I'd rather get out slow than fast. I was a bit too slow on the first mile, splitting a 5:47, but not feeling very smooth. After the first mile I thought that shooting for 5:40s was a more realistic goal and split 5:39, 5:41, 5:42 for the next 3 miles. I was 5:51 for the next mile, even though it felt like I maintained the same pace, but that wasn't very surprising since I've always timed that mile to be about 10 seconds long. I was running into the wind for the next mile and felt like I slowed down but split a 5:47, which reaffirms my guess that the previous mile was long. There were no more mile splits for the rest of the way but I kept going for 11 more minutes. Perhaps a little short to call it a full 2 miles but probably reasonably close. Not a bad effort overall but nothing too hard either, which is pretty much what I was looking for. It was hard to get myself in a workout mode, every now and then my mind would wonder and I had remind myself to focus on maintaining a good turnover. My cooldown was a bit long since I had no option but to complete the loop. I actually struggled a bit in the last 2 or 3 miles, which was somewhat weird, it was as if my body decided to shut down all of a sudden. I didn't think that the effort took that much out of me but it was a pretty hot day so perhaps I was a bit dehydrated by the end. I didn't have the strength to run any strides afterwards and was just glad to get this over with.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008 [12M]

San Carlos. I got out of work early enough to make it to Road Runner Sports by 6:00 PM and enough time to put in a 4 mile loop before going for the usual 8 mile run. Nothing exciting for those first 4 miles as far as the run is concerned but I did witness a car accident, which is not something you see everyday. I was pretty close but fortunately on the opposite side of the street when I heard breaks squeeling then saw a car crashing into a series of parked cars. It was kind of a domino effect, with each car crashing into the car ahead. Surprisingly damages didn't seem that major and once I saw people getting out of their cars with no injuries I continued my run. I got back to the store and headed off with Doug shortly after. We were kind of dragging on the way out and once we made the turn I took off on my own. I was feeling pretty good and was close to 6:00 for the last 4 miles. It's good to get the legs moving a bit once in a while.

Monday PM, August 25, 2008 [10M]

Redwood Shores. I had one of those frustrating days at work, working until 8PM to get some issue resolved but giving up after some unsuccessful attempts. Once I headed out from Club O I was in a much better mood and had a pretty good run. I was cruising comfortably, clipping 6:40s rather effortlessly. I had been planning to do some lifting afterwards but it was already 9:30 by the time I finished my run and I didn't have the time or the desire for it. I did some stretching, core work and a couple of sets of pullups and called it a day.

Monday AM, August 25, 2008 [5M]

Foster City.

Sunday, August 24, 2008 [18M]

Huddart - Wunderlich loop. I slept in this morning, trying to make up for not getting much sleep yesterday, and when I woke up I spent some time trying to decide where to run. I wasn't in the mood for a hilly run and thought about running along the bay trail at first but with the weather in the high 80s I figured it would be best to avoid running somewhere with absolutely no shade. Eventualy I decided to repeat last week's loop and drove to historic Woodside at 1:30PM. I wanted to keep things easier than last week and didn't force the pace at any time in the run. The climb up to Skyline wasn't much slower but I took my time on the trail to Wunderlich and down Alambrique trail. I was still moving at a good clip but running relaxed the whole way. Wound up back to the car in 2:10, a little over 5 minutes slower than last time, which is more of an indication that I was running fast last week as opposed to this run being slow.

Week Recap (17 August 2008 - 23 August 2008) - 90 Miles

I was shooting to bump up the mileage to 85-90 this week, thinking perhaps that 90 would be a stretch but not excluding it in case my legs felt like they could handle it. I got things off to a good start with arguably one of the best 18 milers I've ever run. I ended up running faster than I should have been for a hilly long run and my legs were feeling it a bit early in the week. I hit my low point for the week on Wednesday and had a pretty crappy run but things got better towards the end. I felt good enough the last couple of days to push the mileage to 90. Only a couple of weeks left until Alumni so I'll probably keep the mileage where it is and add a few harder efforts. I think I should be in better shape than I could have expected when I started running again 6 weeks ago.

Saturday, August 23, 2008 [12M]

Run with the San Francisco Road Runners Club. For a long time I've had an open invitation from Doug to join him on his Saturday morning run with SFRRC and I was finally convinced to tag along this morning. We had to be at the Marina Green at 7:45 AM so Doug picked me up around 7. It wasn't enough that we had to leave so early I even woke up around 5 to watch some track action from the Olympics. I obviously didn't get much sleep but watching the 5K live at least made it worth it. I was also fairly awake by the time we started the run so I wasn't as sluggish as I would have been if I had just rolled out of bed. We started out in a big group but we picked up the pace after a couple of miles and we were down to Doug and myself. We were still taking it pretty easy and I was content with not running any faster since I was just rounding up a 90 mile week.

Friday, August 22, 2008 [8M]

Redwood Shores. I wanted to leave early this afternoon since I had tickets for the Outside Lands Festival and I figured it would be best to get my run out of the way before lunch so I headed out from Club O by 12:30. I've put in enough mileage earlier this week that I could get away with only an 8 miler today so my lunch break was not too much longer than usual. It turned out to be a decent run as I was comfortably running 6:40s the whole way.

Thursday PM, August 21, 2008 [11M]

Alameda - Jefferson Ave. I was shooting for 7-8 this afternoon and started out on the 7 mile Alameda - Brittan Ave loop, thinking that I could tag on another mile if I felt like it. I did decide to extend the run once I got to Brittan and I felt good enough to keep going all the way to Jefferson Ave. I was comfortably clipping 6:40s the whole way, which was a bit surprising if you think how crappy yesterday's run was.

Thursday AM, August 21, 2008 [5M]

Foster City.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008 [12M]

Sheep Camp - Ralston. I was back home from work by 7PM and headed out to Sheep Camp without wasting much time. I had been feeling a bit tired all day and wasn't really looking forward to running, expecting this to be a crappy run. Of course when you start a run with that mindset it's hard not to meet your expectations. The climb up Water Dog Lake was pretty much as slow as it gets and even on the downhill parts I was feeling sluggish. The final climb up Ralston was somewhat better but still far from spectacular. I usually run this loop in something close to 1:25 on an easy day but today I made it back in 1:29. I sure was glad to get this one over with.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008 [11M]

San Carlos. I showed up at Roadrunner sports a bit early and had enough time to put in 3 mile loop. I continued with the regular 8 mile loop with Doug afterwards. I kept it easy the entire time, running just over 7:00 pace.

Monday PM, August 18, 2008 [8M]

Redwood Shores. I got out from Club O again this afternoon for my second run of the day. I ran without a watch again and took things easy but I was feeling better than my first run. I thought about lifting today but I only did some calf raises and embarassed myself with a couple of sets on the pullup bar. After my last set of pullups I ran into Charis and spend about half an hour just standing in the weightroom and chatting without doing any more lifting. By that time I was starting to feel hungry so I just headed back home for dinner.

Monday AM, August 18, 2008 [5M]

Foster City. Out of Club O at 12:30 for my usual loop. My legs were feeling pretty tired and I opted to run without a watch. It was probably a good thing not to know how slow I was running.

Sunday, August 17, 2008 [18M]

Huddart to Wunderlich loop. I tried a new loop today which could become one of my favorite long loops. I've been to Wunderlich park before, I ran the 6 mile trail from Huddart to Wunderlich along Skyline Ridge a few times and obviously I've run at Huddart multiple times but I was wondering if I could possibly come up with a loop to combine both parks. After a quick search I came across this loop and decided to give it a shot. I drove over to historic Woodside and took Greer road to Huddart Park. On the way over I came across Albert Liu, who was running in the opposite direction. It's probably been 4 or 5 years since the last time we saw each other so this was a really random encounter. After exchanging a couple of words we each continued on our way. It was about a mile to Bay Tree trail, which was the starting point of the climb to Skyline. I was moving well going uphill and made it to Skyline in 42:00. With the toughest part of the run already out of the way I continued on the trail to Wunderlich. I still had a long way to go but I was feeling good and wasn't too concerned about saving my legs for the end. I wouldn't say I was hammering but I was keeping the pace honest on the rolling hills, attacking the uphill parts a bit and cruising on the downhill and flat parts. I was in Wunderlich in 1:25:00 and started the descend down Alambrique trail. It was basically a 5 mile downhill section and I came down flying in 29:00. I headed back to my starting point along Woodside and Trip Rd, making it back at the car in 2:04:30. My source has this run listed as 17 - 17.5 and I was initially planning to call it 17 but after going through the numbers I think I can justify calling it 18. The trail from Huddart to Wunderlich is around 6 miles, Alambrique trail was listed at 5.0 and it was a 1.6 mile stretch from Wunderlich to my car. It took me 42 minutes to get up to Skyline, which would only taking something just under 8 minute pace for the total to add up to 18. In any case, this was an amazing loop which I'm sure I'll revisit in the future. The variation of the terrain was great, starting out with a gradual climb from 400 to 2200ft, continuing with 6 miles of gently rolling hills, getting the legs moving with a 5 mile downhill section and finishing off with a short flat section on the roads. I was expecting that my legs would be spent by the end but I was actually feeling good the whole way. I was perhaps running faster than I should have been for such a long run but hopefully I won't be feeling it too much on the next few days.

Week Recap (9 August 2008 - 16 August 2008) - 80 Miles

Really solid week, only my 5th week back and I'm already at 80 so I couldn't expect more. I even managed to finish the week with only a 4 mile run so I was actually on pace for something closer to 90. The most encouraging part is how good I have been feeling all week. It seems like the mileage has yet to take its toll, which I'll enjoy while it lasts.

Saturday, August 16, 2008 [4M]

Drove to Yosemite this morning and spent the day at the park. We went on a 7 mile hike to Nevada Falls, starting at 4000ft of altitude and climbing a to almost 6000ft at the top. We were back after about 4 - 4.5 hours and while everyone else took the shuttle back to the parking lot I decided to run back. It was only a couple of miles to get back and I added on a couple more on the bike paths in Yosemite valley. I wasn't running very fast although I did beat the shuttle back.

Friday, August 15, 2008 [12M]

Rancho San Antonio. I got a call from Jake yesterday, letting me know that he's in the area for a few days and we agreed to meet at 8AM for a run at Rancho San Antonio. We got started with my usual warm-up loop on the wildcat loop trail then climbed up Upper Wildcat Canyon trail. We paused briefly at the vista point before coming down wildcat loop trail and tagging on a few more miles on the PG&E trail. We were chatting the entire time but still moving along at a good pace. Carrying on the conversation was a bit challening on some of the hills but we made it through putting in some good climbs. It turned out to be a pretty good run overall, I was feeling good, especially for a morning run, and enjoyed having to someone to run with for a change. Time just flew by as we were catching up on each other's summer adventures. It was a good thing I got the run out of the way early as I was planning to head to Yosemite in the afternoon and I would have probably only put in a short run if I hadn't run in the morning.

Thursday, August 14, 2008 [10M]

Hallmark park. Headed out up Ralston, planning to put in an easy 10. I made it up to Hallmark without pushing the pace but still putting in a decent climb. I was moving well on the rolling hills at Hallmark and was crusing at a fast pace on the downhill part on the way back. I averaged under 6:50 for the run, which is fairly fast considering that with all the hills it's usually a good day if I average around 7 minute pace.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008 [12M]

Foster City. A rather low key run, taking things easy and running around 6:50 pace for most of the run. I was a bit faster for the last 2 or 3 miles, nothing faster than 6:35 though.

Tuesday PM, August 12, 2008 [13M]

San Carlos. I was originally only planning on going for the usual 8 mile Tuesday run with the Road Runners sports club. I came back and worked from home for a couple of hours and while I was getting ready to drive over to San Carlos, I thought that I could add some more mileage to the day and I figured it would be a good idea to run over, go for the 8 mile run and head back. It's 2.5 miles each way, which added up to make this a 13 miler. I was a bit on the quick side on the way over as I was trying to make it on time. I ended up having about 5 minutes to kill before we headed out with Doug. I ran with Doug for the first 5 miles or so, running just over 7 minute pace. I picked it up for the last 3 miles, getting down in the 6:20s. I chilled for a while and stretched as everyone was finishing their run before heading back home. I was a bit slower on the way back as my legs started realizing how many miles I had put in for the day. It ended up being a pretty long day, shooting the rolling week up to 83.

Tuesday AM, August 12, 2008 [5M]

Foster City. I figured I should add some doubles this week and since I was only planning on doing 8 in the afternoon I thought this would be a good day to start. I didn't try to get up in the morning of course but headed out to Club O before lunch for my usual lunch time loop in Foster city.

Monday, August 11, 2008 [8M]

Redwood Shores. I wanted to leave work early so that I could put in a 12 miler and make it to BJs by 7:30 for dinner but that's easier said than done. I didn't get started until 6 and I figured I didn't have much time to do anything over 8. I kept the pace fairly brisk, averaging around 6:35. I slacked off on strides and stretching and headed out. I barely made it to BJs on time so there wasn't much more I could have added today.

Sunday, August 10, 2008 [16M]

Rancho San Antonio. I wanted to get out earlier than my typical Sunday but didn't help my cause by going to bed late last night and naturally sleeping in this morning. It was already 1:30PM by the time I made it to Rancho San Antonio, which wasn't the best time to start my long run with the temperature approaching the 90s. I didn't do a great job hydrating well before the run and I was starting to feel it after a few miles. I ran a couple of loops on the lower trails to start with, first taking the Wildcat loop trail to PG&E trail then going back to Wildcat loop and continuing to the Coyote trail. On each of those loops I stopped at the Deer Hollow farm and drank some water, risking getting stung by the bees that were crowding over the water fountain. From then on there weren't any water stops as I climbed up the Upper Wildcat Canyon trail, came down the Upper Rogue Valley trail and took Moira trail back to Deer Hollow farm. I added on another loop on the Coyote trail and made it back to the car in 1:56:30. I was pretty spent by the end and the last couple of miles were a bit tough. Most of the run was pretty good, though, I was putting in some good climbs and moving fast enough to safely call this 16. I suppose it wasn't too surprising that I was feeling spent by the end, after all this was a long run which included a couple thousand feet of climbing in fairly hot weather. I think the heat was probably a bigger factor, I weighted myself when I came back home and was about 5 pounds lighter than usual (and this was after having already drunk a 16 oz gatorade and about a quart of water) . I should make sure I hydrate more before another run like this one.

Week Recap (3 August 2008 - 9 August 2008) - 72 Miles

I continued the mileage progression this week, getting into the 70s as planned. I came close to starting off the week with a zero but managed to put in a decent run in Vegas after a long and tiring day. I had a nice 15 miler on Monday and a few more solid mileage days throughout the week. I've been feeling great in general, running fairly fast and just enjoying getting out there and putting in the mileage. Friday was the odd day of the week, when all of a sudden my right leg tightened up, but that seemed to be an isolated incident. Hopefully this upswing will carry over for next week, where I'll be looking to get into the 80s.

Saturday, August 9, 2008 [7M]

Alameda - Brittan. I slept in late this morning and didn't get up until 11:30 AM. I didn't get much sleep last weekend and I didn't have the chance to make up for it during the week so I really needed to catch up. I took some time as usual before I got out for an easy 7 miler to finish off the week. Nothing spectacular, just crusing at 6:40 pace for pretty much the entire run.

Friday, August 8, 2008 [10M]

Redwood Shores. I was out of work by 5PM and headed out of Club O shortly after. I was shooting for 10-12 today and was leaning towards the upper bound until my right leg tightened up about halfway through the run. It was rather strange, it felt more like soreness than a pain of any kind but isolated to my right side. My right calf and quad felt sore and I was also feeling a tightness on the outer side of my leg, all the way up to my hip. I struggled a bit in the last few miles and I was glad to get this run over with. Hopefully this is just some bizarre thing that will be gone in a day.

Thursday, August 7, 2008 [12M]

Sheep Camp - Ralston. I got a bit of a late start, getting out the door around 7:30 PM. I can already tell that the days are getting shorter as it was dark by the time I finished. There was still plenty of light, though, on the way up to Sheep Camp trail and along Canada Rd and I put in a good climb. I was still feeling good on the final climb up to the highest point of Ralston and was eager to start the descend. I started rolling on the way down Ralston, averaging 5:20 pace for the mile and a half downhill section. I didn't slow down much on the last mile and a half, which is mostly flat with a slight incline at the end, averaging 5:40 for that. I'm still at a point in my training where I'm running enough mileage to feel like I'm in good shape but also low enough for the legs to feel fresh. Perhaps I'm getting a bit too excited and hammering more than I should but I'm sure the miles will take their toll as I continue to bump up the mileage so I might as well enjoy the moment.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008 [12M]

Foster City. I'm back to enough mileage to go for the full loop, something which hasn't happened in over 2 months. I started out at a fairly quick clip but slowed down as I was getting close to the San Mateo bridge because of the wind. There is a strong correlation between the number of kite surfers I see along the bay and how windy it is and today it was as packed as it gets. It was a nice sight but I didn't enjoy struggling to run 7:10 pace into the wind. At least that only lasted for 2 or 3 miles and I went back to a decent pace for the rest of the run. I managed to average close to 6:35 pace for the entire run so I was moving fairly fast when I wasn't running into the wind. My last 3 miles were in the 6:05-6:15 range and I was cruising comfortably. It's definitely encouraging to feel like I'm decent shape already.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008 [8M]

San Carlos. I had the company of Doug for this one, at least for half of the run. He hasn't been running much for the last 3 weeks and was feeling sluggish so the way out was fairly slow, around 7:20 pace. After we made the turn I took off on my own and brought the pace down in the 6:20s. Not a bad run considering the slow start.

Monday, August 4, 2008 [15M]

Edgewood to Huddart. I flew back to SF this morning, went straight to work and left early enough to put in a long run at Huddart. I started along the usual route but once I got to the park I picked up Dean Trail, which I had never explored before. I think I tried picking up that trail a couple of times before but it was a bit hard to find. I figured it out this time and continued up to Chinquapin trail. I made it to Skyline in just under an hour and took Crystal Springs trail on the way back. The route back was slightly shorter (and downhill of course) and I ended up back at the car in 1:48. I felt pretty good the whole time, worked the climb up to climb to Skyline well and I was moving well on the downhill part on the way back. Probably something along the same lines as last week's 15 miler and I think it's safe to call this one 15 as well.

Sunday, August 3, 2008 [8]

We were planning to spend the day at the Grand Canyon and decided to head out from Vegas around 1AM. It was about a 4 hour drive and I drove half of it but I doubt I got more than half an hour of sleep during the rest of the drive. We made it there just in time to watch the most beautiful sunrise I've ever seen in my life. We went on a 3 mile hike afterwards on the South Kaibab trail to Cedar Ridge. The trailhead was at around 7200ft of altitude and dropped 1200 feet in a mile and a half. I'm not sure if I could count this as altitude training but the climbing could probably substitute a lower leg lifting session. We spent the rest of the day driving around a few vista points and headed back to Vegas. We were back around 9PM and I was tempted to call it a day but eventually decided to drag myself out for a few miles. I wasn't very excited about getting out for a run and not just because I was tired from travelling and the lack of sleep. Vegas is just about the worst place to run. It's impossible to run during the day, when it's like a thousand degrees, and even at night it was in the high 90s. That was the least of the problems, though. I headed north on the strip, which is ridiculously crowded. I was weaving in and out of the crowds, getting down on the street from time to time and running close to incomming traffic . I was pretty much running like a maniac and almost got hit by a couple of cars. I turned back after a couple of miles and tried to avoid the strip on the way back but I didn't have much luck and almost ended up in one of the freeways. I made it back to New York New York and did another out and back going south on the strip. It was a lot less croweded after Tropicana Ave and I actually had enough space to run without dodging people. I finished the run in 51 minutes, which I'm sure should be close enough to 8 since I was hammering most of the time. Not the greatest start to the week but taking everything into account, getting any kind of mileage in today was a huge win.

Week Recap (27 July 2008 - 2 August 2008) - 61 Miles

Decent week, pretty much what I was shooting for. I had a couple of short days early in the week but I made up for it with a 15 miler on Thursday. I wasn't planning on running something so long this early but I felt pretty comfortable, which is really encouraging for the weeks to come. I only ran 6 days, which means I was on pace for 70 and I wouldn't have any trouble adding on another run to the week to make that happen. That was the plan, though, as I don't want to be doing any crazy jumps in mileage. I should easily be up there by next week.

Saturday, August 2, 2008 [0M]

I flew to Vegas this morning and following what has become a tradition I posted a goose egg. I was actually planning to a day off today anyway but would have probably done some biking instead of sitting by the pool.

Friday, August 1, 2008 [10M]

Hallmark Park. Standard loop through the park at a rather casual pace.

Thursday, July 31, 2008 [15M]

Edgewood to Huddart. I left work somewhat earlier today and was on my way to Huddart by 6:30PM. I took on of my usual routes through Huddart, following Canyon trail to Crystal Springs Trail. I was 45 minutes in by the time I got there, which meant I would have to take the short route back to end up with something close to 12, as I was initially planning. I was feeling good, though, and decided to continue all the way to Skyline, which took another 20 minutes of climbing. I headed back down Richards road which was a shorter route but a much steeper descend. My legs definitely didn't appreciate the downhill part but it only took me 10 minutes to get back to Canyon trail and the rest of the way was a lot smoother. I made it back to the car in just under 1:48, which should be safe to call 15. I was once again surprised at how comfortable I felt running this kind of mileage on hilly terrain. Ordinarily I wouldn't run anything this long for at least another couple of weeks. As long as I'm comfortable with it I don't see any problems, even though this will probably end up being about a quarter of this weeks mileage.

Wednesday, 30 July, 2008 [6M]

Alameda - San Carlos. I couldn't get out of work until 7PM and had plans to attend a poker game so I cut the run short. Definitely not a great excuse but I'm not that concerned about mileage right now.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008 [8M]

San Carlos. I showed up at RoadRunners Sports a couple of minutes late and everyone had already taken off. I took off on my own, running on at a good pace to catch up, and didn't take too long to get to the front of the group. Unfortunately Doug hadn't showed up and with Brad all the way across the country I was left on my own. I guess this might not be that unusual from now on but I'll keep going for the dinner and beer following the run. Since I started a bit faster than usual I kind of set myself up for a fast run. I maintained the early pace for the first half, running 6:30s on the way out and getting closer to 6:00 on the way back. Pretty good run overall, it's been a while since I got the legs moving a bit.

Monday, July 28, 2008 [10M]

Foster City. Stayed a bit late at work and didn't get out until 8:00 PM. I hadn't run at night for quite a while but I managed to finish my runs in the dark for the second day in a row. It was a rather uneventful run, just putting in the miles.

Sunday, July 27, 2008 [12M]

Hallmark Park - Brittan Ave. I made my life a bit difficult by not getting my run out of the way before heading to the beach at Santa Cruz. I was back around 8PM and out of the door within a half hour. The first 2 or 3 miles were a bit rough as my stomach was trying to tell me that I shouldn't be running a couple of hours after eating a gyro. I couldn't pass out, though, on eating at one of the bay area's finest greek taverns. Eventually I was feeling better and started having a good run. It was somewhat dark by the time I got to Hallmark but I still managed to put in one loop on the course before hitting the streets. I was feeling good, worked the hills well and once I started the descend I was rolling. I was actually a bit surprised at how comfortable I felt running this long. Sure, I don't call 12 miles a long run anymore but I've only been running for a couple of weeks after my break and haven't done anything this long in a while. It's good to feel like I'm in decent shape so early on.

Week Recap (19 July 2008 - 26 July 2008) - 50 Miles

Not bad for my second week back. I was pretty much running as much as I felt like every day and in the end I put in a decent number of miles. I think my legs could have easily handled another 10-20 miles but I'm not in a rush to get back to high mileage. I even opted to go on a bike ride on Saturday and got a decent workout of it. I'm not certain yet but I'm thinking about continuing with the 6-days-of-running/1-day-of-biking approach for another couple of weeks.

Saturday, July 26, 2008 [0M]

~24 mile bike ride. I was content with keeping this week at 50 miles so I opted to do some biking today instead of running. I drove over to Sawyer Camp and headed north on Skyline Blvd. I was considering going all the way to Lake Merced, which would make this about a 30 mile ride but I cut it short after deviating a bit from my planned route. At some point along the way I should have crossed over 280 to continue on Skyline but I made the wrong turn and headed east towards the bay. It didn't take me long to realize that I had gone the wrong way but at that point I was flying down a ridiculously steep hill and didn't want to stop and climb back up. I ended up on El Camino and went north, hoping to find an easier way to get back on Skyline. It didn't seem like that was an option so eventually I decided to suck it up and go up the hill. I might suck at biking but that hill would probably challenge even the most experienced bikers. I was riding with the lowest gear, standing up and working hard but I was barely making any ground. At some point I had to stop and then I had a hard time getting back on the bike. It took me a few tries before I managed to gather enough momentum to keep the bike from rolling backwards and continue the climb. I made it to the top eventually after the brutal climb and continued on Skyline but with my legs dead tired I decided to take an early turn back. On the way back I took advantage of the downhill parts and let my legs recover a bit. With 8 or 9 miles to go some guy passed me and I decided to pick up the pace and go after him. I always thought that I sucked at climbing hills with my bike but surprisingly I was gaining on the uphill parts and losing ground on the flat and downhill stretches. He managed to build a decent gap but stopped after a couple of miles and after I went by I never saw him again. I made my way back through Sawyer camp and kept hammering those last 6 miles, getting back to the car after 1:40. Pretty good ride overall, I definitely feel like I'm starting to get a lot more comfortable on the bike.

Friday, July 25, 2008 [7M]

Alameda - Brittan Ave.

Thursday, July 24, 2008 [10M]

Hallmark Park.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 [8M]

Redwood Shores. Easy run after work. Not much to write about.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008 [8M]

San Carlos. Once again it was Brad and myself for this Tuesday's run. Brad is moving back to Vermont in a couple of days so this was our last run together. It's kind of unfortunate since he was pretty much the only training partner I had around here. The run today turned out to be pretty good. We were running 6:40s for the most part, feeling fairly comfortable. I actually feel that I'm in decent shape despite taking some time off.

Monday, July 21, 2008 [6M]

Alameda - 31st Ave. I came back from work around 7PM and wasn't in the mood for running so I sat in front of the TV for an hour. I'm still doing whatever I feel on a daily basis so I didn't mind skipping the run altogether but around 8PM I felt like putting in a few miles so I got out for a short run. For the first couple of miles my stomach was complaining because I had been snacking for the last hour but after a while I started feeling better. I ended up being a decent run, I even considered adding on a couple of more miles but in the end I decided to head back home for dinner.

Sunday, 20 July, 2008 [11M]

Edgewood to Huddart. I drove over to my usual starting point around 1PM and headed straight to Huddart. I wasn't sure how many miles my legs could handle, especially with all the hills that I would have to run but I figured I'd play it by ear. I didn't have any trouble putting in a decently long run and felt surpisingly good. I was feeling strong on the hills and moving at a good clip the whole time. I made it to the Dean trail in about 42 minutes and went out to Toyon camp before heading back but somehow I finished in just over 77 minutes. I was expecting this to end up at 12 or 13 miles but I doubt I can call it anything over 11. Still not a bad way to get the week underway.

Week Recap (13 July 2008 - 19 July 2008) - 25 Miles

After a short break I started getting back into it this week. I didn't have much planned really and pretty much did whatever I was in the mood for. Not a bad start, put in a few miles and started preparing the legs for the mileage build up which will follow.

Saturday, 19 July, 2008 [6M]

Alameda - San Carlos.

Friday, 18 July, 2008 [5M]

Foster City.

Thursday, 17 July, 2007 [6M]

Redwood Shores.

Wednesday, 16 July, 2008 [0M]

Opted to go out for dinner instead of running. I didn't really have a definite plan about running today anyway.

Tuesday, 15 July 2008 [8M]

San Carlos with Brad.

Monday, 14 July, 2008 [0M]

Pretty rough day. I made it back to the Bay area around noon and went straight from the airport to work. Having only slept about 5 hours in the last two days I had a hard time staying awake at my desk and obviously wasn't very productive. Called it a day around 6PM and went home to crash on the couch for the rest of the evening.

Sunday, 13 July, 2008 [0M]

I sure had a fun four days in Milwaukee but the trip back ended up being quite an adventure. I spent the morning and early afternoon wandering around the city with Carlos, before heading to the airport around 5PM. My flight was supposed to leave at 7:30PM but after getting pushed back a couple of times we eventually found out around midnight that the flight was cancelled. The most ridiculous part was the airline didn't have any available flights to put us on until Tuesday or Wednesday. Not wanting to get stranded in Milwaukee for another couple of days I ended up buying another ticket for a different early morning flight. By the time I sorted everything out it was too late to leave the airport and try to find a hotel so I ended up spending the night there. Staying in an airport for 14 hours is definitely not a fun experience.

Saturday, July 12, 2008 [4M]

A bunch of old-timers gathered today in Shorewood to join Schmeck on his last run as a single man. We headed out from Schmeck's place around noon and went for a short and easy (for the most part) loop. This run sure brought back some memories. It didn't take long for Brewer to get up in the front, even though he hasn't run a step in a long time. Not far into the run we got to the bottom of the hill and Schmeck suggested we race to the top. Brewer was the first to react and Schmeck, Carlos and myself followed right away. Soon I started regretting my decision but I was too late to back out. It was an epic 3-way battle to the top with me, Schmeck and Carlos all leaning for the line and eventually declaring it a tie. I was spent after we reached the top, which wasn't surprising considering I hadn't run for over 2 weeks. We took things easy for a while and had the second race of the day with less than a mile to go. This time it was on flat ground between two half mile markers. Carlos was the first one to take off with Schmeck following. I didn't feel like I had another hard effort in me so I stayed back but then decided that I couldn't accept losing to Brewer and Maltas. I caught up and easily cruised to the bronze medal. We were back at Schmeck's place shortly after and called it a day. Not a bad way to send Schmeck off to married life.

Friday, July 11, 2008 [0M]

Recovery day.

Thurday, July 10, 2008 [0M]

Flew to Milwaukee this morning for Schmeck's wedding. I wasn't planning on running but the day long bachelor party I wouldn't have time for it anyway.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008 [0M]

Day off.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008 [0M]

Day off.

Monday, July 7, 2008 [0M]

Day off.

Sunday, July 6, 2008 [0M]

Nothing.