I picked Jen up this morning at 7 and we drove to Snoqualmie to get in my longest training run before my 50k. I chose the "Humpback Mountain" trail out of Katie's "Kissing The Trail" book because it would give me 26.8 miles. We parked at Olallie State Park I took off right away. The first two miles were all uphill but then it leveled out at the railroad trail. My route took me to the Snoqualmie tunnel and back.

The way out was slightly uphill the entire time so I had a nice slight descent the entire way back. It was a beautiful route despite the fact that it rained 95% of the time ranging between dumping and light steady rain. It almost looked like light snow/rain mix at the top but I may have been hallucinating. I was also a bit cold on my way back in my short sleeve shirt. Thank goodness I changed into my running capri's! This is when I discovered my freak factor. At 3+ hours in, I was cold, soaking wet and running in the pouring rain. And I felt STRONG and AMAZING. Jen had biked out to bring me more water/Gatorade and I didn't even need it (although I learned later it might have been helpful if I pretended I did...) since she got extra cold and muddy to bring it to me.

At about mile 20, I checked in with myself to see if I had 10 more miles left in me and...I felt as though I did! I know that this training run was easier because the last half was a gradual descent but I truly am built for distance especially when the temperature drops. Baker Lake, here I come! We rewarded ourselves with Fat Burger after :)

26.8 Mile Run @ 04:12:40

Met AnnS, Jeff and AnnJ at Gasworks Park this morning for an 8:30 AM ride around Lake Washington. We could not have asked for better weather and had a nice warm up on the trail. AnnJ, who is recovering from her IM last week and Jeff, who has started training for his IM next year decided to stay on the trail after Log Boom while AnnS and I continued the loop over Juanita.

We had a great steady and consistent ride. I was thrilled to be able to keep up with Ann this time (see blog entry from last month when she schooled me) even though she was a bit handicapped by riding her rain bike. My goal is to be able to ride strong with her when she is on Betty! My legs were definitely sore by the end and I achieved my goal of starting tomorrow's longest training run before my 50k in a few weeks.

52 Mile Ride @ 03:32:00

Running Skirt Rant

Okay, I just have to add this. I have been a Kristin Armstrong fan for a long time but her latest article on The Rise of Skirt Culture just has me shaking my head. I mean, what is this crap about getting to look pretty while running. As if we need a short skirt to look/feel pretty running?!? If it turns out that they are actually more aerodynamic and if adding an extra swatch of material over running shorts makes you faster, I will eat my words and replace my running wardrobe with these wonders of technology. That will be at about the same time I see male runners converting to them for more benefits than just aesthetic -- as some have gone the way of utilikilts (btw, I am a huge fan of utilikilts on men).

Until then, I will enjoy wearing my skirts off the running path and this newest trend will give me more incentive to run faster to not be beaten by anyone wearing one...

I managed to stay alert up to the 3rd quarter of last night's Storm game. Being in a suite helped a little but the comfortable seats did contribute to my sleepiness :)

This morning, I got in most of my upper weight session. I did have a wipe-out on the bench when I was doing my kneeling shoulder raises. I had not correctly latched it in position and all of a sudden, it gave way on me with a loud BANG. Fortunately, my chin and face landed on the soft part of the bench but my knees and hands are a little bruised. Nate and Jerome came running to help me and Jerome told me that I did not have to do that exercise but of course, I wanted to do it. He gave me another bench though and even turned it around so it would not tip. I love Seattle Fitness! I did not have time after to do my last biceps and triceps but I figure I got most of it in.

Upper Weights @ 00:35:00

Marci taught our Core Class today and she has just a wonderful calm way about her. The perfect combination of slow work and relaxation.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

I made it up for swim practice even though I did not get to bed until after 9:30 (wound up from group). I also had to overcome trying to get up with the full weight of Wally on my chest. He jumped up the moment the alarm went off and did not move even after I tried to sit up.

Anyway, it was Breast Stroke day so I just took up the caboose and did my best to try to keep up.

2300 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

Today, I am putting on my very first "Event" at 9:30 and am calling it the "Stair Down" challenge. It is something Tija, owner of Seattle Fitness and I have put together for people who have participated in the Stair Climb Challenge this summer. Below is the e-mail with all the details :) Should be fun. I am combining the Sprint and Endurance events together...
_________________________________________________________

Hi everyone!
I hope you are all resting and tapering for tomorrow's big event! Tija and I met and tried to put together an event worthy of the effort, strength and determination you have exhibited this summer. Below are the rules and descriptions of the three events (Sprint, Steady Eddie or Endurance) you can choose from. Before the end of the day, please respond letting me know which event you would like to do. And yes, if you are crazy enough to want to combine a couple of them, we can make that happen...

Participants:

• Wear clothing to sweat in! (Tija said that anyone who participants is welcome to shower in her gym after).
• Bring water bottles and a sweat towel.
• Follow the rules of the road. Stay to the right, pass on the left.
• No rests longer than 3 seconds (as in "1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi 3 Mississippi"), Yes, you are on the honor system with this one.
• Have fun!

Stair Down Part I - Personal Best Climb
Everyone will participate (staggered by 1 minute). Climb to the 8th floor and back down on fresh legs to warm up and record baseline time.

****************************************************************************
Stair Down Part II
Decide which event you will do. Sprint, Steady Eddie or Endurance.

Sprint 3x
Sprint up and down the stairs three times as fast as you can -- must be faster than your baseline time. The shortest winning cumulative time wins!
*Resting over three seconds at any point in this event is an automatic DQ.

Steady Eddie 4x
Walk up the stairs at a steady pace. The person who does this 4 times and has the least deviation from their baseline time wins!
*Resting over three seconds at any point in this event is an automatic DQ.

Endurance ??x
Just what it says. Walk up and down the stairs until you drop. Every set up and down will be recorded. Partial laps are not counted.
*Resting over three seconds indicates that you are done and every complete lap to that point will be counted.

The "Stair Down" challenge was a total blast and Tija did an awesome job of recording our stats and encouraging us. I did not win any divisions but was close with the Endurance. It finally boiled down to Michael and me and we both could have gone on for much longer but in the interest of time (and since we had already done 27 laps) we decided to break it with a sprint lap. He dusted me.

6ish Mile Stair Down @ 01:12:15

We kicked it "old skool" with Tija in core class today. No music, just grunting and conversation.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

Then I went for an aerobic run during lunch. Kept the pace super easy because of tomorrow's Stair Down and tonight's running group.

5.5 Mile Aerobic Run @ 00:52:00

Had a lot of fun at Cheryl's group. Great to see old faces and meet new ones! She made me run with the fast group so no slacking for me :)

2.9 Mile Run @ 00:27:00

Had to wrestle a bit with myself this morning to get out for my run. I decided on a tempo pace run and ran to Greenlake and circled it in 00:26:40 and then added about 3/4 miles more for total of 00:30:11 tempo pace before heading back home.

7 Mile Tempo Run @ 00:55:00

Met with Tija before spin class to go through Thursday's "Stair Down" challenge rules :) Spin class was extra fun because the music theme was "Gay Disco". whoop whoop!

Spin Class @ 00:50:00

I have been telling myself for months that once I am done with my GMAT, I will begin swimming again. This was a no excuse Monday morning for me to re-immerse myself in the pool.

I went to bed before 9 and read a little despite 18 lbs of a very needy Wally on my chest. Wally had spent the entire day in the bathtub after being traumatized by being left alone for his weekend but finally emerged in the evening for some love. He repeated that about 3x during the night and I would wake up to him walking not exactly gently on me and settling down for some serious loving. I guess I am not the only one with abandonment issues :) I think we may be a match made in heaven...

I did contemplate turning over when the alarm woke me up but I made myself mentally walk through how I would feel later if I did get my butt out of bed. It was great to be back in the water even though I was pretty darn pokey and put quite easily out of breath.

2300 Swim Practice @ 00:55:00

Made it in for core class with the humorless and sadistic Natalie. Will get in a lift later.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

Dragged myself down to the gym for a lift in the afternoon even though there were twenty million things I would rather have done.

Upper Weights @ 00:40:00

Got in a rainy run this morning before we headed back to Seattle. The way out was mostly climbing so I got to descend a lot on the way back.

12.2 Mile Run @ 01:55:12

We went for a great hike today -- the Chain Lakes Loop and it was absolutely beautiful! I sure love to climb high enough to get to walk through snow in shorts and a tank top.

7.5 Mile Hiking Loop @ 03:30:00

Late lunch after at Graham's Restaurant in Glacier re-fueled us while getting a one of a kind experience :)

I thought about swiming or running this morning before my test. Neither happened but I took some extra time this over coffee and breakfast to just relax,

I hit my goal for the test and got a score good enough to get me into Seattle University if I chose to pursue an MBA. If I wanted to go to UW, I would need to take it again but for now, I am good considering the progress I made against where I started. WHEW!

I am being taken away to a cabin for the weekend where there will be lots of booze and NO algebra. Will get in a run this evening and a longer one someday this weekend.

Damn, I am whipped!

Another dose of reality this morning. I looked again at the Baker Lake 50k site and noticed the image in the background reads 31.5 miles. This is 1.5 miles longer than the 30 miles I have been telling myself... now I know that does not seem that much longer, but it sure will be after 30. Time to re-set expectations...

Got in a nice upper lift today and I get to go to spin this afternoon :)

Upper Weights @ 00:40:00

Had a lovely spin class today -- good music, good conversation. Not maximum effort.

Spin Class @ 00:50:00

I got up this morning at 5 AM to study before Core Class. Jon had to kick our butts one last time before heading to Burning Man so by the end of class, I decided I really need a small victory after my morning. It is just tough to be reminded how average I am. Just once I would like to discover that I have a genetic gift for something. Anything. Just one small area in which I could take a break from relying on my extraordinary stubbornness to carry me through.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

Got in a run after work along Lake Washington after taking my last two diagnostic tests (Excellent at Reading Comprehension and Above Average at Critical Thinking) At times, the rain really dumped on me but I was very very happily in my element. My new wool running socks were a hit with my squishy feet :)

10 Mile Run @ 01:33:00

I am decidedly average when it comes to problem solving. At least that was the result of my latest diagnostic math test score and frankly, that is a huge improvement over a couple of months ago so I will take it.

As of yesterday, I am officially the sole owner of my home. I marked this with a few hours of studying and then invited myself over to Katie and Ted's for a low-key "celebration" that did involve one freshly baked hot out of the oven chocolate chip cookie. Both were bittersweet.

Today, my manager and his boss took me out to lunch to celebrate a small victory so I missed spin class. I ran extra long this morning to make up for only getting in one workout.

7ish Mile Run @ 00:59:00

Definitely feeling yesterday and coming back to Jon's class after missing the last two did not make it any easier.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

Got in the weeniest lift during lunch. I really did not have much for it and skipped the lower legs.

Upper Weights @ 00:30:00

Took yesterday completely off and Wally and I tried our best to stay cool while studying. Going to see the newest mummy flick later in the afternoon helped to manage my core temperature -- and temperament :)

Today's training run was a 24 miler. I did have the option to take it down to 17 if I do the marathon distance trail run next weekend but I am still not sure if I will do it so I did the 24 today to be safe.

This morning, I picked Jen up at 7:30 and we drove to Duvall to start at a different point on the Snoqualmie trail and get the run in before the worst heat of the day. I took off right away and figured I would run out 12 and back 12. The plan was that Jen would run her distance, recover and then ride out to me on her bike with more water.

The first half was gravy and I was feeling GREAT even though it felt a bit more like swimming than running with the high humidity. It started to get really tough though my last 6 miles and I was almost out of water and really feeling the heat. Fortunately, I got my water refill at that point and Jen kept me company on the bike and let me know my pace.

The last 4 miles, I switched to a 1 minute walk, 9 minute run to make it through the end and my HR kept soaring. She said my pace while running remained strong and I maintained between a 9:15 and 9:30 for most of the end. Definitely slowed down that last mile and kinda lost it a bit at the very end. I was just so tired and wiped. Not sure of my exact distance so I am basing it on a 10 minute pace.

24 Mile Run @ 04:03:00

Woke up at 5 AM to get in my run before the day started to get hot and I was so glad I did. I had forgotten how much I love running in the very early morning while it is still dark and watching the city slowly wake up. I did my hilly loop from home, across I5 to 130th and back.

5.6 Mile Run @ 00:55:00

Got in a lift this morning before my AM conference call and did spin in the afternoon followed by lower legs.

Upper Weights @ 00:40:00
Spin Class @ 00:50:00
Lower Weights @ 00:10:00

I had to miss my beloved core class this morning because of an early morning call with the UK :(

I did hill repeats during lunch on the Beacon Hill bridge. I don't have my splits but I did 7 repeats ranging in time from 2:24-2:31. I was getting slower but managed to keep my last two closer to 2:25. Followed up with some very sweaty core work -- kept slipping off the ball!

5 Mile Hill Repeat Run @ 00:55:00

Core @ 00:10:00

Got in an aerobic run down and around Green Lake this morning before heading into work. My quads (especially my left) were still a bit sore from the weekend.

5.5 Mile Run @ 00:50:30

Spin class today was waterfalls in "honor" of Marcie's wedding. Felt super tired and dragged through it.

Spin Class @ 00:50:00

This morning was weights and core and that's it for the day!

Core Class @ 00:30:00

Upper Weights @ 00:40:00
Lower Weights @ 00:15:00

Studied for a couple of hours after work and when I was done, there was a text to check under the striped towel in my guest bathroom. There I found a box with two cat toys and a note to take a break and play with my boy :) Here's a very happy cat with his new favorite toy.

Met Gisela in West Seattle this morning for a recovery run while she roller-skated. We caught up on everything both on the path and after at Starbucks. A good way to start the day!

5 Mile Run @ 00:48:00

Today was the last of the Cougar Mountain trail run series and this time, Katie was able to join me although she was not at all happy about the distance.

It was a cold and wet morning but that did not seem to deter anyone from participating.

We got our numbers and cool socks and all sat in the car chatting a bit before it started. As usual, the start time was determined by the porta-potty line but we did start surprisingly close to the scheduled time.

Jen took one last picture before heading her direction for a run while we took our places at the start line. I told Katie not to wait for me and she told me she was not planning to :)

We learned that the last .9 mile section was all uphill but the entire course was 13, rather than the 13.7 he had originally put together and off we went.

Katie took off right away and I did not even try to chase her even though there was a runner in a race skirt close to her. We took off into the woods and I had to concentrate hard. I wiped out about a mile in but managed to recover quickly and keep going. As usual, I was strong on the flats and ascents but a weenie on the descents. I kept trying to keep my feet quick and light and kept my mantra goign over and over in my head "I am agile". There was a section with a lot of technical descending (for me) and I would move over to let people go by because I figured that I would not want to be trapped behind me on that path.

At one point, I let a couple go by and saw to my dismay that one of them was one Katie and I had seen at the start -- in full on race skirt with matching top who looked like she was going to the club to play tennis. That did it. I got a bit more aggressive on the descent and quickly passed her.

I caught up with Katie around mile 10 and was very surprised. She told me to keep on going because she was going to walk the last 1.5 miles. The last mile or so was true to the race director's word and a pretty unpleasant ascent. I alternated between running and race walking for a bit and then finally ended up just walking although I worked super hard to keep my pace up by really moving my arms. At the end, this skinny kid blew by me and some guy I was walking near (see kid in blue shirt in first picture) and I complimented him and then told the guy next to me that it was probably his second lap around. I finished feeling strong and happy to be done!

13 Mile Trail Run Race @ 2:24:39 (11:02 Pace)

Tomorrow is my last trail run of the series so I decided to just do core class and take the rest of the day off.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

Cloud City Coffee is serving soft serve Ice Cream this summer and I managed to stay away...until tonight. Wally is a fan of the soft serve.

Got in my lift before my AM call with Germany. Spin class at lunch followed by my lower weight work. Finished off with a martini with a friend. A good day :)

Upper Weights @ 00:40:00
Lower Weights @ 00:15:00

Spin Class @ 00:50:00

This morning's Core Class especially hurt because we did some work on our lower abdominals. I have a couple of meetings at the mother ship and plan to stage my run to West Seattle from there before heading back here.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

Got in a nice run from the SSC to West Seattle and back. I managed to run around 1:00 so I beat the hottest part of the day.

8.5 Mile Ride @ 01:18:00

Last night was tough as I wrestled with my math studying. A late evening emergency ice cream delivery helped slightly but I was still in tears at 10:00 very frustrated with my lack of ability to grasp some concepts.

I decided not to run in the morning and got some sleep. Spin class was all I did today and my quads were burning quite a bit. I think it was a combo of the weekend's run and the lower weight workout I am now adding into my training.

Spin Class @ 00:50:00

Wally came to let me know he was almost out of food this morning at 5:20 AM so we chatted a bit and then I reluctantly dragged myself out of bed (15 minutes earlier than planned) to feed him and get ready for the day. Once I got into the office, my manager was back after being out for a week and we caught up for 15 minutes before I headed down to get in part of my upper body weights before core class.

First half of Upper Weights @ 00:15:00
Core Class @ 00:30:00

Went for a hilly run today up Yessler but decided to cut across MLK blvd rather than going all the way to the lake because I still had weights to do. I definitely did not feel fresh and was grateful to hit as many red stop lights as I did :)

4.5 Mile Run @ 00:45:00
2nd half of Upper Weights @ 00:15:00
Lower Weights @ 00:15:00

I decided to get in my long run today and got a terrific idea from Katie and Diana on a route -- the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. It was billed as a 22.8 mile out and back. Jen and I drove to Nick Loutsis Park in Carnation and I took off right away while she took some time to get ready for her 11 mile run.

They warned me that even though it looked flat, it was a slight uphill grade on the way out but I was very cool with that and looked forward to the downhill on the way back. The weather was just perfect -- overcast with occasional misting shower. I hit the end of the trail before 11 miles and could not remember what the book said to do at that point, so I did a couple of out and back on some trails but still had not hit the right time before I turned around. On my way back, I saw a group of mountain cyclists coming off a side trail and asked them where it went. They told me it was about 3/4 of a mile long and I said "perfect - thanks!" and took off for a little bit of real trail running.

I was starting to get pretty tired after 18 miles but was happy that my breathing was still good and my pace remained consistent. I had held a 10 minute pace on the way out (there were occasional markers) and closer to a 9-9:30 on the way back. At the end, I saw the most beautiful sight -- the blue porta-potty at the park and it just beckoned me to the finish.

22.5 Mile Run @ 03:45:00

Diana called Wally last night and told him to invite me to dinner at Katie and Ted's. I was studying and had already made dinner but did make it over for dessert :) Then Wally woke me up at 4:30 AM by walking on my back and then plopping himself right down while doing that meow thing that sounds a lot more like bitching than meowing...

Got into work this morning early to get everything ready because my colleague is taking a vacation day. Made it in for Core Class and plan a hilly run during lunch.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

I did not have a great deal of enthusiasm for today's run but finally made it out for my usual hilly loop up Yessler to the lake and back through the tunnel. I did not realize that the Blue Angels were about to fly soon and ran by lots of spectators on my route.

6.4 Mile Run @ 01:04:00