James - 1.77

16:13

Late night run to the Post Office and back to drop off a rent check. Outdoor runs at 11pm might need more consideration.

Steve - 6.34

54:23 (8:35)

Ran near my house. I did my route down to the beach. It's about 1.75mi to get to this dirt path that is .41 miles down to the beach. I did an out and back on the trail 3 times and then headed back home. It's a pretty solid hill up and down.

Chris - 10

94:17 - 9:25 pace

Jeeni and I drove out to Forest Park in the late morning to do this run. Neither of us had been there before, so it was a bit of an adventure to find out where exactly the trailhead was and whatnot. It's a pretty neat place, I'm not sure how I made it this long without having gone there before, haha. The run went pretty well. My left achilles was pretty tight starting out, but that loosened up and then my knees got tight. Her calves were bothering her pretty bad, and since she's a toe runner she was thinking it was due to all the rocks and gravel on the trail.

She mentioned as we ran that we should come back on a Sunday (the "cross-training" day) and go on a hike there. I didn't need much convincing on that suggestion, lol. After the run we found a deli in downtown PDX on 23rd and took the sandwiches over to Park St and ate. We were getting a bit chilly since it was cloudy at that point, so we took the eclair we got for free (because they forgot about our order and we were patient and waited for a long time) back to her apartment to eat. Good stuff.

splits: 48:31 - 45:45

Luke - 2.9

2.9mi, 22:44 (7:50)

Short run in Portland before heading off to Spokane.

Luke - 2.9

2.9mi, 23:20 (8:02)

Easy run on roads.

James - 1.05

13:06

Cut short because Alison was feeling really unwell.

So it's royal wedding day and that means one thing: I am PISSED OFF! Now, I know it's off topic, but I have written an article that I'd like you guys to see. It is about the intersection of the energy and peak oil crisis, and the royal family. For one thing, you're smart people. For another, you appreciate being able to get around without internal combustion engines. I'd love to know what you think.

Trading Bluebloods for Oil

Why anti-Monarchist activists and peak oilers should care about one another's campaigns

"Unfortunately, the media coverage wasn’t quite that which is given to your average Royal engagement (or even 1%). And on the surface, perhaps that’s fair. We learn when we are children that oil is a finite resource. Those interested in peak oil have always known that the exact time of the peak wouldn’t be obvious until years after it happened, and a casual look at the data since 2006 made it pretty clear that we were probably already very close to the stage of decline. But the Paris-based IEA is a conservative and restrained body. Its coupling of the announcement with absurd reassurances that tar sands and other polluting and pathetic technologies would keep economic growth trundling along for a few more decades is proof of that. For this organisation to finally give us a specific date in the face of its usual policy of trying to keep everyone calm (and in the dark), was a sobering moment. This world-changing problem took on a solid form.

The fantasy world of energy resources is mirrored in the fantasy world of the Wills and Kate wedding. Politicians and newspapers invited us to escape our economic woes by living vicariously through them and their Disneyfied lives. Despite the fact that it is actually they who are living through us on their taxpayer-funded special day, it is tempting to buy into this logic – what’s wrong with a little innocent escapism? The problem is that the Royal establishment is using this once-in-a-generation event to revitalise a positive image of themselves as saviours of the nation, at a time when dissenting questions regarding their place in the world are increasing."

If you don't like how LJ looks to read you can read an altered version here: http://transitionvoice.com/2011/04/trading-bluebloods-for-oil/

Luke - 5.5

21' w/u; 2x1000m, 10' rest: 3:08, 3:12; 14' c/d.

Zack and I were planning on doing 800s on the track, but there was a HS meet going on, so we did 1000s on the bark of Amazon instead. I did two with full recovery while he did three with ~3' active recovery. First felt okay, and then I felt really weak on the second, especially in the lower legs. I think part of it is that I haven't done anything with that long of inactive recovery in forever, so my body noticed I had stopped running and decided it wasn't going to run any more. I'm expecting to feel much stronger on Sunday.

Got home and watched the Blazers not win, unfortunately.

Chris - 4.2

30:53 - 7:21 pace

Ran by myself during lunch. I tried to push my pace a little and have some fun without killing myself, since I have a 10 miler coming up on Saturday. Wore my Free's and was trying to land more on my midfoot or forefoot instead of my heel all the time. It definitely changes your stride and whatnot, but helped lessen the pounding on my knees.

And in case you guys/gals were wondering, my team lost our basketball game last night by 11. Oh well.

Luke - 2.9

2.9mi, 23:16 (8:01)

Ran home from work. If everyone runs as much as they did last week, I'll get FOURTH in mileage this week! I'll be right around 27...should make me feel real fresh for the race.

Zack - 4.25

33:32 (7:53)
Amazon, very tired but a beautiful evening. 7:59, 8:00, 7:54.

Luke - 5.5

5.5mi, 38:43 (7:02)

Did the 1.4-mile loop of Pre's Trail in 10:17. Was going to do some strides on the practice track on the way back, but as I was waiting at the one stoplight in this run, I saw the taxi I drive heading out of town, and figured if I got back home quickly I could call the driver and have him pick me up on his way in so that I wouldn't have to walk the three miles (also I would have been late, because I was waiting to run until after the top of the fifth inning of the Mariners game and they happened to score more runs in that inning than they've scored in 80% of their games this year)...so I instead ran the last mile sorta quick. Felt pretty good on this run, light and fit, hopefully how I feel Sunday morning!

Chris - 3

23:30 - 7:50 pace

Ran with Mike during our lunch hour. Went out at an easier pace, then picked it up a bit on the way back. It was nice to put a little more speed into a shorter run without taxing my legs too much. Don't want to have dead legs for the bball game tomorrow!

Zack - 5.5

46:39 (8:28)
Super easy Pre's Trail recovery with my buddy Sam.

Chris - 7.25

64:01 - 8:49 pace

Ran with Jeeni after work. I wanted to run today instead of Wednesday because our team has a playoff game against a team we lost to by 2 last season, and I really want to play well and beat them this time! It was sunny and 55* when we left work grounds, but after we reached the halfway point the skies opened up and drenched us in cold rain. It was fun to run in the rain of course, but sucked because my forearms went numb. I decided she and I do a good job of balancing each other out on these longer runs, because I make her run a slightly faster pace than she's used to, but she also makes me run slower than I probably would by myself - which is good since my knees are still bothering me a little.

Time to go watch the Blazer game! GO BLAZERS!

Luke - 6.9

6.9mi, 55:09 (7:59)

Ran home from work a slightly different route than normal, and finished with mile loops of 8:03, 7:52, and 7:50.

James - 2.8

24:00? I hate not having my watch with the time on because the treadmill has a time. I should just wear it to the gym anyway,

This was a few days ago, but whatever. Kinda busy with schoolwork etc this week so won't have much in the way of updates, but then it's finals/week off/one-or-two class summer so I shall be making the most of it.

Luke - 8

8mi, 55:49 (6:58)

The schedule called for a 5k race but there were none in Eugene this weekend so I wasn't sure what I'd run today. I ended up doing this run, but with a kind of odd fartlek: I sprinted the downhills. I wanted to go fast and I figured that would be a fun way to do that.

Zack - 11.55

83:33 (7:14)
Bikepath route solo. I wanted to do a 10 mi progression run with the first 5 mi EZ (~7:40-7:50) and the last few quicker. Tacked on a touch at the start at end as workup/cooldown, but it was a continuos run. First 10 miles in 72:33 (7:15). EZ the first 5 or so, ~7:30-7:50, then picked it up steadily at this point. Had a few miles splits towards the end in 6:47, 6:42, and 6:50. Really wrecked and sleepy afterwards, solid workout though.

Steve - 10.5

87 (8:17)

Ran down in Manhattan Beach with a friend on the bark. Pace was fast for a long run. Closed the final mile in about 7:00. Afterwards the wife and I did stand up paddle surfing. We went at a horrible time though cuz it was windy. We did an hour rental and it was a challenge to go against the wind. We got stuck for like 30 minutes. Anyway, I think something with the balancing aggravated my knees and I didn't run for 4 days afterward. I didn't have much time anyway studying for a test all week. Hoping to get in a short run on Friday night and longer run on Saturday.

Luke - 2.9

2.9mi, 24:20 (8:23)

Ran home from work. Felt quite dizzy afterward.

Weekly Mileage Totals, 4/17-4/23

Zack - 50.05 (7)

Luke - 49.3 (8)

Steve - 32.455 (5)

Chris - 31.22 (5)

James - 2 (1)

Luke - 4.7

4.7mi, 39:20 (8:22)

Ribbon Trail with Zack. Started out stiff all over and it definitely lasted a while...never really got fully loose. Just took it real easy and enjoyed the trail and the best-weather day of the year so far.

Chris - 13.1

118:04 - 9:00.76 pace

I am so proud of how much I kicked this run's ass. Farthest run ever, and I still kept 9 minute pace! I did an out & back from my house, going past my work and onto the route I normally do during lunch. I was kinda tight starting out; my achilles/calves were a bit tight from running a faster pace on Thursday. They eventually loosened up after about 40 minutes and some stretching. The only thing that has been bothering me on these longer runs has been my knees. They started acting up after 8 miles or so, and then it went away for the most part. I was able to pick up the pace a little on the way back, partly because I had to get home in time to get ready for work. The last mile was pretty brutal, but I pushed through it. I'm thinking about trying out an ice bath when I get home from work tonight, I hear they help a ton.

splits: 61:05 - 56:59

Steve - 7.8

60:25 (7:45)

I headed back out to Santa Monica for a nice run along the beach and the grass. The tempo was uphill (about 150 feet) for the first 2.05 so my first split was a bit slow (14:33, 7:06 pace). Coming down that same hill I did 13:44 (6:42 pace). It all added up to 6:54 pace, which I think is good considering it's on grass. It's not long grass because it's a popular running spot, but it's still slow.

1.6 mi wup in 13:58
4.1 mi tempo in (28:17) 14:33, 13:44
2.1 mi cd in 18:09

Zack - 4.7

39:19 (8:22)
Ribbon Trail with Luke, felt okay. Nice and easy, 60F and sunny!
Back to 50 miles for the wk!

Luke - 7.3

7.3mi, 53:38 (7:20)

1.6-mile loop of Pre's Trail with Zack, then 3 laps of strides on the practice track on the way home. Beautiful day, if a bit windy...the sun and the track meet going on at Hayward meant there were a ton of people out.

Zack - 6.5

48:26 (7:27)
Pre's Trail loop with Luke. Relaxing with the sun shining.

Chris - 3

23:34 - 7:51 pace

Ran during lunch with Darren. We ran slow on the way out, then he wanted to pick it up on the way back. Wore my Nike Free's again. The ~7:15 pace on the way back didn't feel too strained for me, so that's a good sign my training is starting to take effect.

Luke - 5.75

22' w/u, 1600m TT @ 5:07, 16' c/d.

Legs felt good, rest of me didn't. Ate like crap throughout the day and there was a pretty strong wind going on the backstretch, so that would be part of it. Splits were 76, 76, 77, 77, so I was at least consistent, though I was hoping to be 10+ seconds faster.

Zack - 7.5

59:06 (7:52)
22 min wu (7:42, 7:47). 8 x 400 med rhythm (5k pace, w/short jog rest ~75 s) splits: 81, 85, 84, 82, 87, 88, 86, 88. 16 min cd. Okay workout, easing back into speed. These intermediate 5-10km pace workouts are certainly beneficial for a variety of reasons but hard to focus on.

Steve - 6.375

Track workout with the Flyers. This was a real high quality work for me. 8x600 with 200m recovery. Legs felt a bit heavy at times but I stayed strong.

.75 mi wup
8x600 w 200 rec (2:13, 2:14, 2:15, 2:14, 2:12, 2:11, 2:09, 2:07)
1.75 mi 17:53 cd

Zack - 6.5

51:51 (7:58)
Rexius as it was getting dark.

Chris - 6.3

54:52 - 8:42 pace

Another run before work. I had a bigger dinner last night, and a snack bar before I started out so I think that helped my energy level a bit. We'll see how my legs do during the basketball game tonight - my team decided to play one more 7 game season. I'm supposed to run 3 miles tomorrow (which I'll do during my lunch hour) and then 13 on Saturday. Unfortunately I think I'm going to have to do that solo, so hopefully it won't be too brutal...

Luke - 2.9

2.9mi, 23:58 (8:15)

Ran home from work.

Luke - 8

8mi, 64:23 (8:02)

Mile loops of 8:03, 7:58, and 7:51, then 2000m of Flying 50s, then ran to work. Had too big of a lunch so I felt fat and my stomach hurt the last couple miles.

After I drove the taxi home and showered, I found an Email in my Inbox...the Elite Seeding Coordinator decided to put me in the elite field!! I think my sad puppy-dog eyes came through in my Emails and he felt confident that I would run in the 39s. I'm so happy; every time I think about it I let out an audible squee.

Steve - 4,78

41:23 (8:40)

I headed over to Griffith Park and did a nice easy run. My fifth day in a row with a run. Yay.

Zack - 5.25

42:11 (8:02)
Another easy run on Amazon.

Chris - 3.47

29:59 - 8:38 pace

I'm working 11-8 this week, so I woke up to do this run before work. I don't think I had enough to eat last night or something because my legs just really didn't have it this morning. Oh well, I still got the mileage in.

splits: 14:38 - 15:20

Luke - 2.9

2.9mi, 25:27 (8:46)

Ran home from work. My right ankle was hurting, and I realized it was because my foot wasn't rolling over from outside to inside like normal, because that hurt my plantar...it wasn't a conscious decision to avoid it, it was my foot thinking on its own...so I had to really focus on making the correct movement so that I would be getting a bit of pain from the plantar and not injuring it, instead of getting a bit of pain from the ankle and maybe injuring it a bit.

James - 2

16:39 (8:20)

(pace added because the arithmetic was really easy) (and because I remember the treadmill telling me).

Although I have stated satisfaction with doing slower 5ks over speed in the last few posts, I like that I did this speedier run too.

Alison exercised with me, as ever, and on this day she did it after drinking at lunchtime for her birthday celebration. Hardcore.

Zack - 5.25

5.25 miles 45:01 (8:34)
SORE legs. 4 loops on Amazon at the best pace I could comfortably maintain. 8:45, 8:41, 8:41, 8:27. Had fun yesterday but certainly cooked my legs for a few days in the process.

Luke - 8.75

8.75mi, 71:32 (8:10)

Fox Hollow. 9:26 up, 7:21 down. I read up on plantar fasciitis and saw some horror stories, but everyone seemed to agree that rest does nothing for it and running on it can be painful but doesn't actually aggravate the injury itself. So today I felt a bit weak in the feet (plantars and ankles) on the way out, but it seemed to go away after a few miles. Stomach pain on the way back but very glad my plantar fasciitis is getting better.

Steve - 6

52:12 (8:32)

Ran early in the morning. I always seem to hit some sort of wall after about 40 minutes when I run at 6:30 am or so in the morning. I guess it's just hard to get used to.

Chris - 5.35

43:44 - 8:10 pace

I'm happy with how my legs and body are handling the 10 miler from Friday. Made this run much easier to do even if the pace wasn't very fast. I read a comment on letsrun.com yesterday about how lots of novice runners train too hard and don't allow their body to properly recover - which I feel like I was doing a little bit last year. Thus I am happy with this run! I maintained a fairly steady pace and was able to finish strong.

Steve - 7.5

62:27

Ran at Manhattan Beach bark trail. Good solid run. Getting hot out here again. I need to start my weekend runs a bit earlier than this one, which I started at about 10:30am.

Luke - 9

~3mi w/u, ~5.12mi @ 27:10, ~.88mi c/d.

Bridgeway Run For Autism 8k, 1st place.

Course was long, so I didn't get an accurate time like I wanted for Bloomsday seeding. Did get $100 though, so that's cool I guess.

At the start line I didn't see anyone who I figured would be very fast. There was a guy in a green jersey (Oregon Running Club?) who looked kinda fit but he was wearing headphones, so I figured he wouldn't be doing anything amazing. Also a guy in a Hackers jersey, which is a running club in the area for spunky older guys.

At the gun (well cowbell actually) I took off in first of course, and after 200m could hear someone right behind me. I figured it was the guy in green but couldn't really see. I held him off, and then at about the one mile mark there was a turnoff for the 5k, and he took it and I realized it was actually the Hackers guy. From then on I was alone. I didn't actually see the 1-mile marker so no split for that. Tried to really push it but there was absolutely no one anywhere near me so it was tough. Had to assume I was going the right way, the chalk arrows were all kind of faint because it had rained a bit recently. 10:38 at the 2-mile split, which was about 10 seconds off where I would have ideally liked to be. Tried to speed up but the third mile was full of tiny hills, just rolling up and down and up and down. There were quarter-mile markers on the path and I was checking my times for them and couldn't get under 80. The split was 5:22. Pretty soon after that the 8k course rejoined the 5k course. First group I came up on that was taking up the whole path I said "on your left" or something and they got out of the way in time. Then I was mostly dodging pairs of people for a while, then came up on another group taking up the whole path and tried to say something but it got caught in my throat and came out as a quiet "arglbargl!" They didn't hear me so I just had to squeeze through. Dodged people the rest of the race pretty much, but I was able to speed up on the fourth mile to a 5:15, which put me at 21:16, so I figured a fast last .96 would get me to 26:15, or 26:10 if I was really able to do something. I'm pretty sure I sped up fairly well, but as I was coming up to the finish the clock was in the low 27:s and I was confused. I hit my watch at the finish and it agreed, 27:10, last split of 5:54. So almost a minute off where I expected to be. I talked to a few of the race official people but I don't think they really cared so I dropped it (they were part of the charity group, not actual race organizers).

After the race I was planning on running home as my cool down, but my feet were really hurting, especially my right one...lately my old plantar fasciitis came back but I'd been stretching it every morning and it seemed like it was on its way out...I guess the race really aggravated it because I could barely walk and was in a lot of pain by the time I got home.

At home I looked at the course map on the website and it was clearly just roughly done, and the start and finish weren't even in the same places as they were on the course. I made a map of my own and it confirmed the course to be about .15mi long (45-50 seconds at my pace). I tried Emailing the website guy to see if he could put a little note in the results saying the course was long, so I could have something slightly official to show the Bloomsday seeding guy, but he Emailed me back with "The course was accurate when we measured it, it's the charity's fault" ...I guess he didn't really realize what I was saying and thought I was blaming him or something...he probably gets complaints like that all the time.

So anyway I guess I'll get second seeding this year, and will have to wait on elite seeding until next year.

Zack - 14.35

14.35 miles 1:54:38 (7:59)

Adventurous solo run on a nice cloudy day (no rain)! Went Alder to 35th, down East Amazon, up Dillard. The Dillard climb was done in 12:57 up to Hidden Meadows Dr. Then took the massive downhill there to Redtail Ln which then leads to another extreme uphill pitch. Turned left at Skyhawk Way and went until it hit Ridgetop Rd. Quite a view here, I had my gel and stopped for a second. I then proceeded up the last major climb on Eagle's Aerie. The switchbacks here are very very steap, especially after two other previously large hills. Turned left on Dillard Rd, went to Beymer Rd. I thought this would connect to Christensen Rd but it doesn't unless you skip through the valley. I decided to back track and went back to Dillard. Followed until the Ridgeline Trail, took the 0.8 mi upper route and then down Fox Hollow. Legs felt pretty strong until the last little bit on Rexius. Incredible run.

Major climbs of ~550' (1.5 mi), ~300' (0.5 mi), and ~300' (0.4 mi). Total climbing est. at ~1300-1500'. Mapped (for the first 9.2 mi at: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4440397 before the usual Ridgeline trail route home).

Weekly Mileage Totals - 4/10-4/16

Luke - 45.55 (9)

Zack - 42.5 (7)

Steve - 20.87 (3)

Chris - 13.5 (2)

James - 6.2 (2)

Steve - 9.22

I participated in a 5k race. Time was 19:38. Not sure exactly what happened but it was way sower than I thought I would end up. My only split was 6:10 on the first mile, so I slowed down considerably in final 2 miles+. Still a bit sick so maybe that's part of it. Pretty disappointed but whatever. Afterwards I came home and made a smoothie then went out and ran 5+ miles.

10:03 wup
5k in 19:38
5.12 mi in 44:26 (8:41)

3.48 + 1.64 5.12

James - 3.1

31:04

Once again, eerily close to 10 minute miles despite rapidly changing treadmill speeds. A bit slower than last times 5K, but still progress.

I had a story worth telling but I forgot it.

Let's go with: "I also ran what felt like a mile towards a cinema last night so I could save us seats. A girl of about 14 shouted the classic "Run Forest Run." I shouted "fuck you" of course but it struck me as weird that she was clearly younger than the film."

Luke - 2.9

2.9mi, 22:26 (7:44)

Ran to work.

Zack - 5

44:00 (8:48)
Out to Mcgowan Creek out in Mohawk with Sam. Parked past the gun club and took the first left. Uphill maybe 1000' in pouring rain on desolate gravel/paved roads. Felt like we were in the rainforest, beautiful area.

Luke - 6.25

6.25mi, 46:38 (7:27)

1.4-mile loop of Pre's Trail in 10:43, then 3 laps of strides on the square track on the way back. With Zack.

Chris - 10.5

94:28 - 8:59.81 pace

Felt pretty decent on this run considering I haven't gone this far since Sept 27th, 2009 with Luke in Eugene. Even broke 9 minute pace! I just did a simple out & back which made it more boring, but I'm visiting a friend of mine in Boise, Idaho and didn't want to get lost. Also had some girls holler at me out of a car near the end of the run. Except it was more like a loud scream that kind of scared me, haha.

Steve - 4.3

37:26 (8:42)

Squeezed in some miles today.

Zack - 6.25

47:11 (7:33)
Short loop of Pre's with Luke in the rain, then 3 laps on the square track with 6 strides.

Luke - 5.5

23' w/u, 1500m TT @ 4:33, 15' c/d.

Zack joined me for his first speedwork in forever. Conditions weren't too bad, but a bit of wind on the homestretch. Splits were 51, 74, 73, 73. Felt fairly strong but not very fast.

I am running Bloomsday in two weeks, which is a 12k in the city I grew up in (Spokane, WA) that I have done ten times. I first completed it in 1992, when I was seven. There are about 50,000 participants each year, so they have a bunch of different sections where you start, based on how fast you are. My goal since I was seven has been to start in the elite section. Last time I ran it, in 2006, I was in the one just behind that. Anyway to get in you have to write in with race results showing that you have a good shot of finishing in the top 50 overall. The deadline to do that was 4/15 so I was going to use my Oregon Marathon Relay time, but the results for that make it hard to find my time and impossible to prove it was even me that ran it. So I emailed the guy telling him I ran 33:28 but that results were hard to find, and that I ran 16:02 last year, and that I'd be running an 8k this weekend if he wanted to wait on results from that...I said I'd run about 26:00 in it. He Emailed me back saying, "Contact me on Monday with those results," so now I'm pretty amped for this race! I also noticed there's a $100 prize for first place, so that should mean good competition as well as even more motivation. 26:00 is super tough but I think I can do it! This might be the most important race I've ever run (yet) (I guess most of my races haven't been too important).

Zack - 5.5

41:28 (7:32)
22 min wu on Amazon (7:55, 7:46), 1500 TT in 5:10 (56.2, 1:23.6, 1:25.5, 1:24.7), 1.75 mi cd.

Steve - 7.35

I hadn't run for 6 days before this workout. Legs felt awful. Been sick and moved the previous weekend. I also had a test to study for on Thursday that I ended up bombing. I ended up just doing a progressive run starting out around 8:10 mile pace and getting down under 7 for the final .75.

5.75 mi in 44:36 (7:45)
1.6 mi 13:59 cd

Luke - 5.25

5.25mi, 41:08 (7:50)

Mile loops of 8:01, 7:51, 7:48, and 7:37, with Zack.

Zack - 5.25

41:08 (7:50)
Amazon loops with Luke. Splits: 8:01, 7:52, 7:47, 7:37.

Luke - 2.9

2.9mi, 22:59 (7:55)

Ran home from work.

Chris - 3

26:03 - 8:41 pace

Ran during lunch with Jeeni. I wore my new Nike Free 3.0's. Love em! I got them at the Nike Employee Store, and almost wish I got another pair so I could have one just for running and another to wear around. I sprinted at the end and it felt like I had nothing on my feet because they're so light.

Look into the future - I'm posting this Wed. night after our basketball game, in which I had 34 of our 57 points to win by 4! Not as good a feeling as when the whole team plays well, but hey I guess a win is a win.

Since I didn't run today (Wednesday) due to basketball, I'm going to run 3 miles during lunch on Thursday, 10 on Friday, and hopefully get in 4 or 5 on Sunday.

Luke - 8.2

8.2mi, 64:26 (7:51)

Mile loops of 7:32, 7:30, and 7:33, then 6 laps on the track sprinting the straights and floating the bends, then ran to work.

Zack - 7.25

54:40 (7:32)
Long loop of Pre's followed by an extended route home via Agate to 24th and to Alder.

Luke - 2.9

2.9mi, 23:08 (7:58)

Ran home from work.

Zack - 4.5

34:06 (7:34)
One loop of Amazon at 10PM, then went down 24th to Alder all the way to Hayward Field. Up 15th, back University to 20th and home. Very quiet and enjoyable run on fatigued legs.

James - 3.1

28:41

5K!

Plus 2 miles on bike and some very hard leg machine exercises.

Much more satisfying to do the distance than to do a shorter distance at a faster speed. Alison and I are coming back.

Luke - 2.9

2.9mi, 23:00 (7:55)

Ran home from work.

Zack - 8.75

69:40 (7:57)
Fox Hollow in the late afternoon after the Masters. Felt rough but maintained a nice easy pace without too much trouble. Up (#13 on the yr) in 9:32, and down in 7:04. On rapidly improving Rexius terrain, cruised a 7:36, 5:47 (0.75 mi) while chatting with Luke.

Luke - 8.75

8.75mi, 68:15 (7:48)

Fox Hollow with Zack. 8:05 up, 7:05 down. Felt pretty good throughout. Rexius is getting slightly less soggy but is still pretty gnarly...the hill is almost completely dry though.

Weekly Mileage Totals, 4/3-4/9

Luke - 63.7 (9)

Chris - 9.3 (2)

Zack - 7.2 (1)

James - 2.85 (2)

James - 1.75

13:40 (I think)

I was going far too fast and since being on a treadmill I am reluctant to ever slow the speed down, it got hard. Eventually I did slow it down a bit but I couldn't manage to reach my piddly goal of 2 miles, and normally it takes a lot to make me not reach a goal.

But things shall improve...

Zack - 7.2

10km leg of Oregon Marathon Relay 38:39 (6:10, 6:15, 6:00, :35, 6:25, 6:33, 6:05, :33)
*Tied shoes during 2nd and 5th miles (Green Silence) WTF!?

Not much training for this race and an Elephant Revival show until late on the previous night. I was still fairly pleased with this effort all things considered. I expect to crush my 10km PR in the coming months. Shoes kept coming updone for some reason (not typical). Snagged a free entry into a 4 mile race on Memorial Day and had fun with the gang running the relay. Team finished in 2:57!

Luke - 13

Oregon Marathon Relay 10k leg, 33:28.

My A goal was 33:20 and my B goal was 34:00, and overall my plan was to run 16:40 or slightly better for the first 5k and then see what I could do for the second 5k. The course was two 5k laps and the miles were marked well so it made it simple to stick to the plan.

Warmed up for about 3½ miles and met my teammates at the start. Only ended up having time for a couple quick strides before the gun but I probably didn't need much more. Josh Gordon was at this race, too; we chatted at the start and he said he was running the half marathon as a tempo run. At the start I took off and within about one second I was all alone. About 40m in I had to look behind me to make sure everyone else had actually started, it was a bit weird. So I was alone the entire race and I figured the tough part would be keeping my concentration. I sang Santeria by Sublime in my head for pretty much the entire race, because that song is 90 beats per minute, and an ideal stride rate is 180 strides per minute.

I don't practice Santeria

I ain't got no crystal ball

I left right left right left right left right

I'd spend it all...

First mile 5:16, feeling good. Second mile lost concentration a few times and hit a 5:31. Picked it up from there and hit 5:14 for the third mile and came through the first lap at 16:34 with lots of cheering. Knew it would be tough to come back in even splits, but figured I'd definitely get a real good time. The bike path has every quarter-mile marked and I had checked my watch at a couple of them in the first mile, so I did the same on the second lap. I was at :52 at the first marker I checked on the first lap, and was at 1:01 for the same split on the second lap! Guess I did sprint out pretty fast. I made up some time on the two quarter-miles after that and was maybe 2 seconds back of my first-lap pace, but I must have fallen off in the last ~600m because my split was 5:36. Really tried to push it in the next mile but I was feeling every slight rise and the couple sharp turns were a bit tougher to handle since I was tired. That mile was 5:37, so I was a bit discouraged but did some quick math to figure out 5:00 pace would get me to almost 33-flat, so I figured a quick enough finish could get me near 33:20. Got Santeria going in my head again and pretty much gave it everything I had and came through at 5:11, and finished at 33:28.

I think Josh Gordon was the next guy to come through, around 36:00 (he finished his half marathon in about 1:16) and then it was another couple minutes to the next runner. Our team all did quite well, and ended up third overall in the marathon relay, but first co-ed team.

Afterwards got pizza and beer and then napped.

Chris - 6.6

59:24 - 9:00 pace

Did a slight variation of my Magneto loop with Jeeni this morning. She's going to the beach today with a group of girlfriends, so we ran early. It's been awhile since I woke up early on a Saturday just to go run! Feels good though. It was about 40* and sunny when we started. I wore light gloves and a long sleeve shirt to start, but ended up taking them off when we stopped to stretch after a couple miles. The training schedule we're following (that I'm a little/month behind on) called for 7 miles today, so we took a slight detour to find out where a path went after the halfway point by the high school. My knees and hips started to get a little sore after that, but not too bad. I'm going to rest tomorrow and play basketball after work on Monday, and then resume the training on Tuesday. Our last (I think) basketball game is next week so that should help!

Luke - 3.6

3.6mi, 27:02 (7:30)

Did an easy run mostly on roads. 10k tomorrow as part of the Oregon Marathon Relay!

Chris - 2.7

23:56 - 8:51 pace

Did this route during lunch with Jeeni. I'm fighting off a cold and had a basketball game last night, so we took it pretty easy. It felt faster than the pace reflects. Weather was alright; no rain with a little sun peeking out. She officially signed up for the Foot Traffic Flat on July 4th...is that enough time for me to train for a marathon? I'm in decent shape from basketball so that couldn't hurt. Thoughts?

Luke - 6.2

6.2mi, 46:55 (7:34)

1.4-mile loop of Pre's Trail, then two laps of strides on the practice track on the way home.

Steve - 6.95

Today's workout was Voimas. 3x2400 alternating 400 at marathon and 5k race pace. It went pretty well. My times were 9:59, 9:56, 9:50. I was doing about 1:52-1:54 for the marathon pace and 1:30-1:34 for the 5k pace. 400 recovery between each set.

7:28 wup ~75 mi
13 min cd ~1.2 mi

Luke - 7.25

21' w/u, 3-mile TT @ 17:08, 14' c/d.

Did my TT on Amazon, so the time's gonna be a bit slow due to it being on puddly bark. Splits were 5:46, 5:42, 5:38. Didn't feel like I had much zip in my legs; we'll see how I feel on Saturday, when I get to do an actual race!

James - 1.1

9:35

A short run, but relatively speedy for the treadmill, 7mph. Been having some trouble with my right ankle and calf and leg, so probably good that this was all I had time for.

Alison picked me up from college but she forgot to bring me any shorts to change into. So I got to run and cycle in smart woman lawyer pants, as that's all we could find in the car.

Luke - 11.1

11.1mi, 82:10 (7:24)

Mile loops of 7:40, 7:22, and 7:16, then 6 laps on the track sprinting the straights and floating the bends, then ran to work. At work I found that my taxi would not start, so I had to run home. Then got the night off! Extra sleep.

Luke - 2.9

2.9mi, 22:41 (7:49)

Ran home from work.

Luke - 8.75

8.75mi, 67:50 (7:45)

Fox Hollow. Rexius is still very soft. 8:42 up, 6:46 down, 7:20 the rest of the way back.

Steve - 6.1

52:35

Miles

Luke is so cool!

Steve - 6.7

59:00

Just miles.

Luke - 8

8mi, 60:19 (7:32)

Ran a short loop of mostly road that I used to do all the time called the hill loop, then ran to work.

Luke - 2.9

2.9mi, 24:36 (8:28)

Ran home from work.

Weekly Mileage Totals, 3/27-4/2

Luke - 57.75 (9)

Steve - 30.95 (1)

Chris - 3.45 (1)

Steve - 6.3

50:04 (7:56)

I was planning on doing the Carslbad 5000, a 5k road race of note, tomorrow, but we are probably moving to a different room in our apartment and we have to make the decision tomorrow. So it was vetoed by the wife. I had been looking forward to running with all the fast guys that run it, but oh well. I think I might go for a super long run tomorrow instead. For this run I ran the final 2 miles pretty fastish. Probably 7:15 or so.

Luke - 8

8mi, 71:17 (8:54)

Went a few different places with Zack, definitely an adventure run. Lots of mud and lots of hills.

Luke - 6.25

6.25mi, 45:51 (7:20)

1.4-mile loop of Pre's Trail in 10:36, then three laps of strides on the practice track on the way home.

(This is the actual run I did on April 1st...that other one was made up! If you can believe that!)

James - Bike

I was going to do a run, but the weather was so bad yesterday that there was a TREE blocking the trail. I had to make a detour there and another when a normally empty/low valley was filled with water where I cross it. I spent several hours waiting at college with little to no power. It was bollocks. So yeah, bad rain and wind, and of course there's no indication of anything other than normalcy today. So I did another 5 miles here at home.

Now playing winter music mix since it was a proper English day yesterday: http://www.gillespetersonworldwide.com/2010/09/gilles-winters-hereoh-well-mix/

Luke - 0

9mi, 74:35 (8:17)

I had an easy run planned for today, but it's looking like I won't be able to get out to the trail 10k I was hoping to run on Saturday, since Zack's car is in the shop, so since I felt pretty good and the weather's amazing I headed off into the trees and hills. Glad I did...

I took a circuitous route to get to the Relentless Hills area, went up and over the back side of The Wall, down to this open section that Google Maps claims is a park but it's really just a large clearing with a gravelly-grassy road that kinda winds its way through. Uh, here it is. I figured I'd do a few timed laps around it and head back towards home...I have a route that goes from the gate into the "park" and then on the way back I hurdle the gate and there's a post like 50-100 meters later that I have deemed the finish. Anyway, on my first one, a bit past halfway, I came around the bend and there was a deer standing there maybe sixty meters away. I slowed down and stopped maybe 30-40 meters from it and we looked at each other. It's no secret that it has been my goal for quite some time now to run down a deer and tackle it, so of course as soon as I realized this was my chance to try that, my body dumped like a gallon of adrenaline into my stomach. So I gave the deer my best growl-roar (which was probably VERY lame) and just started sprinting at it. It was still facing me at that point so I didn't really know what I would do if it just stood there. I guess jump over the front of it? Probably getting low like a football player would have been the best plan. Anyway it did turn and run, when I was like 5-10 meters from it, and went down the path-road that was pretty much my course anyway. It took a shortcut over/through some bushes but came out onto the road again right after. It was putting some distance on me, going pretty fast, not just jogging like the deer I caught up to on Rexius a couple years ago. I of course was going all-out, trying to remember to use my arms and keep quick turnover and stuff. It was like 20m in front of me when we both came around what is the last turn in in my circuit...and of course that's where the gate is! The gate is maybe close to as tall as a "high" track hurdle, which is higher than you think when you see a race...and it has a wire going from near one side to like five feet up on the other side, so there's only a couple-feet-wide section where you can go over...I'm probably not explaining it very well but suffice it to say it's always a tough jump. So we get to the gate and the deer slowed down a little but then took a few quick steps and just absolutely launched into the air, it was maybe the craziest thing I've ever seen. It probably cleared the gate by like four feet...it was absolutely insane. Tough act to follow but I had a ton of speed behind me so I did my best Edwin Moses and tried to take off as far behind the gate as possible...I made it over pretty well actually, probably didn't lose any ground on the deer. A couple seconds later, though, it turned left off the road and through bushes and crap. I figured the chase would be over at that point, but it hadn't taken a full 90º turn so a few seconds later I was able to make the turn onto the path that I had taken to get to the road in the first place, and since the deer was wading through the bush and I was on firm (if uneven) ground I was able to go faster than the deer and sorta cut it off. The deer was heading toward the path at about a 45º angle when I guess it saw me and turned a bit more away from me. At that point the brush the deer was running through ran out, and it headed up the path for probably 200m, just barely in front of me. I thought maybe if the deer was stupid enough to stay on the path, I might be able to chase it down after a bit. But of course it wised up and cut into the trees after not too long, and I once again figured I wouldn't quite be able to catch it. I gave chase anyway, at that point I was barely running, just trying to get through the trees as quickly as possible. I lost sight of the deer a few times and just went sorta straight and tried to listen for it crashing through the woods. I was getting scratched up all to hell but I didn't care cause I still had a bit of adrenaline going and it was also really fun. Anyway I crash through the woods a bunch more and completely lose the deer but I come to a clearing, which I realize is the "park" where I first saw the deer. I cross the road/path and hop through some brush-type stuff to get back on another section of the road/path. At this point I'm just jogging and all the adrenaline is gone, I'm pleasantly tired. And then, of course, I see the deer again! It's sort of trotting along on a section of path parallel to mine, like 80 meters away, and it doesn't see me. I get another shot of adrenaline and take off as fast as I can down my section of path, hoping to cut it off where the two sections meet. It was slightly downhill so I'm just flying, and the deer is just trotting along like it's cooling down. I get a lot closer than I expected I'd be able to, and the deer is just oblivious...I'm pretty much on a collision course when it looks up and sees me. I know deer have huge eyes to begin with but I swear it got bug-eyed like it was a cartoon...okay, that's probably just my imagination. Also it let out a weird kind of grunt that I can't describe but could imitate for you...I know it sounds like one of the sounds from MarioKart 64, but I can't remember what sound it is...I think maybe "annoyed Donkey Kong" or something? Anyway so I'm charging at it, it sees me, makes the weird noise, and tries to turn 180º and run. It stumbles/slips a little, sorta falling all over itself, before it gets into its stride...but I'm already in the air. I was aiming for my torso right on top of the deer's back, with my hands coming over its shoulders, but it accelerated a little bit quicker than I'd calculated so I ended up with my face barely on its back, I think my left nipple was on its tail if that gives you an idea. My arms were fully outstretched and I tried to get somewhat of a grip on its belly, but the deer was running so I was pretty much sliding off its back when my hands caught the tops of its legs and I held on with all my strength. My face was by the lower part of its legs, which is exactly where I didn't want to be...I was thinking of the video of the dog that gets between a doe and her fawn...the dog gets hella stomped. I'll let you look for it on YouTube if you're into graphic violence. Anyway lucky for me the deer was trying to run rather than kick, so my face didn't get mashed in by a hoof...did get a bit of a talking to by the ground, but it was mostly grassy (though with rocks) where this was going down so my pretty face is still mostly intact. As I fell off the back of the deer, I was able to pull it by its legs down, to the left, and it landed on its side and its legs immediately all shot up into the air and the deer flailed around a bit as it rolled onto its back. I was also on my back by that point, but I was able to recover a bit more quickly, and in one motion turned my body around to be facing down, shot myself forward, and threw myself over the deer. I sort of made my body sweep over the deer so as to take the legs out of the equation. The deer is now on its side and I'm lying face down on it, pretty much spread eagle, with my face inches from the deer's. So I did the first thing that came to mind, which looking back I think was the best thing I could have done...I kissed the deer on the cheek, then jumped off and sprinted away. I looked back when I was like 20m away and saw that the deer was getting up and trotting away, and seemed totally fine.

So, uh, yeah...best run ever.

Edit 4/12: changed the mileage in the title to 0 so as not to mess with statistical things...