April 15th -19th leading up to Boston

15th - This turned into a busy day as we were leaving the next day for Boston so I did not get a run in but since we are so close to the Marathon I don't think it makes much of a difference.

16th - Travel day. We were up at 3:30 am pst. On the plane from Redmond to Portland at 5:15 am pst. Caught our plane from PDX to BOS at 7:20 am pst. Arrived in Boston at 3:45 pm est. As we were waiting for our bags I saw Kara Groucher and since I just bought the new Runner's World magazine and she was on the front I asked her for her autograph. She was very kind and obliged. I am not big on autographs but I thought why not, she may end up winning the Boston Marathon. Our friend picked us up and we heading north to a small town called Byfield. No run again as I was on a plane all day and we were now off to dinner.

17th - Got lots of rest. Chance to sleep in without the kids and Cheryl and I both took full advantage. We woke up to a beautiful sunny day so I headed out for a 5 mile run with 3 miles at marathon pace. Got in the marathon pace 3 miles but took a wrong turn and ended up going 6.5 miles. It was a nice day and a good cool down. We spent the afternoon at the beach enjoying the nice weather. Friday night we headed to Woodmans in Essex for some "Lobster Rolls" and seafood. Cheryl and I each had 1 1/2 lobster rolls, clam chowder and some onion rings. Great food, good company and a time to relax.

18th - Lots of rest again but the weather was changing. The weatherman was still call for cool temps, possible rain and WIND for the marathon on Monday. Got out for a short 30 minute jog just trying to loosen up the legs. Did some stretching and then just sat around and read books and magazines. That evening we went to some friends house for social hour and to meet their new goats. Yep, goats, we were kind of in the country and they lived on 3 acres so it all made sense. After social hour we all gathered for dinner out the "ranch" (34 acres) in Byfield and had a yummy family feast. Then it was off to bed.

19th - As awoke in the morning the clouds have moved in and the wind was picking up. Not too cold but it was still uncertain what the weather would be like for the Marathon although they were pretty sure the rain would hold off until after the race. No run today as it was the day before the marathon and rest was important. We just kind of hung out at the house and had breakfast until it was time to head back to Boston and check into our hotel. We checked in and then had a nice 1.5 mile walk to Downtown Boston and the Convention Center for packet pick up. Waiting until Sunday was nice as there was no line and the not too many people walking around looking at the booths. We spent a little time walking around until meeting up with my parents for dinner. Kept it simple, Cheesecake Factory and had Pasta with Chicken and some bread. After dinner we went back to the Hotel and I got all of my stuff prepared for the marathon so I did not have much to do in the morning. Went to bed about 8:30 pm. Took a little bit to get to sleep but I figured I was asleep by 9:30 pm

April 13-14

True Taper week for Boston on April 20th. The time is coming and now its a matter of a little speed work and staying healthy. Emotions are starting to run high but I am calmed by my responsibilities at work and the business of getting ready to leave. Body feels good with no injuries.

13th - 3 miles
14th - 2 mi warm up Mile repeats with coach andy and 3 min rest 2 mi warm down
1st mile 5:58, 2nd 6:16, 3rd 6:41, 4th 6:52. I had a little trouble pacing myself and went out too fast. Didn't get tired so to speak just had to listen to coach and take it down a notch. Good repeats in 32 degrees with snow flurries and 20 knot winds.

April 6th - 12

My blog posts are getting fewer and fewer as the miles increase and the stress from work leave me exhausted at night. I save my energy for eating and playing with the kids. So here is a quick recap of the week.

6th - 8 miles in 57:22 with Coach Martin
7th - 4 measly miles
8th - off
9th - off
10th - 6.5 miles 48:50
11th - 12 miles 1:32
12th - 5 miles 35:30

Mar 30th - Apr 5th

30th - recover day after race, no run
31st - SPEED DAY
2 mi warm up
800 3, 130 r, 800 252, 130 r, 800 258, 130 r, 800 252, 200 r, 800 250, 200 r, 800 252, 200 r, 800 251, 200 r, 800 249
1st - off
2nd - 10 miles 1:17 7:42 pace
3rd - Easy 5
4th - Long 20 miles
Decided to explore a new loop and get in 20-21 on a beautiful Saturday morning. Unfortunately my homemade map failed me and I took a wrong turn heading out. I hit some dry creek beds and gained about 400' in 1 mile. After that it was time to turn around. The 6 mi out back would give me 12 and I could do another 4 out and back to get in the 20 miles. On the way back I took a wrong turn. After a while I knew I was heading too much West when I need to be going North or East. I jumped off the gravel road to look for help out a house. Nobody there and driveway gate was locked. Found another road and prayed for a car or to see someone. I wasn't lost but was out for 3 hours and Cheryl needed me home soon. Finally a car came. They were nice enough to give me a ride back to my car after 19 miles. I was still 4-5 miles from my car and at the pace I was going it would have been a while.
19 miles about 3 hours.
5th - Recovery run of 7 miles in 54 mins.

Boston Marathon Packet Has Arrived

My official packet with my race number has arrived. If anyone wants to follow my progress during the race you can do so on-line at http://www.bostonmarathon.org/. My race number is 4413. If your really a tech geek you can also sign up for cell phone alerts by AT&T.

Mar 29th RACE DAY

29th - Horse Butte 10 miler
This is the first race of the season in Bend and it as a reputation for being lousy weather. Last year it was 30 degrees and snowing and I had just started running and killed myself with a 1:18:30. This year, no snow but plenty of wind. By mile 3 as we were heading up to the Plateau it was picking up and from miles 5-8 we were looking at 20-30 knot winds in our face. Needless to say it was a bit frustrating but I just pushed on and stayed on track for my splits prescribed by Coach Andy. Below is what I was suppose to run and what I did run for 2 mile splits.
2 mi 1350 1353
4 mi 2830 2900
6 mi 4245 4300
8 mi 5630 5600
10 mi 7000 6949

So I hit my splits pretty much, powered through the wind, and PR'd by almost 9 mins. Not a bad day for a race.

Mar 25-28

25th - Nada

26th - LSD on a nice afternoon/evening and a beautiful trail to run on. Headed from Footzone out to Old Mill and caught the haul road and then headed over the ridge to the River Trail out to Big Eddy and then came back for a nice 17 mile run. Not the 20 I was to get in but a solid effort on a good course and it felt like 18-20 miles.

27th - Didn't get out

28th - 6 miles easy on a very windy day. Race tomorrow, no need to push anything.

Mar 23-24

23 - easy 4 miles pushing Reid in the jogger. It had been too long since he had gone on a run with me so I took him out and fought the wind.

24 - 1.3 mi. 10 min warm up.
6 mi. tempo run on Canal road.
1.3 mi. 10 min cool down

1 - 646
2 - 648
3 - 648
4 - 658
5 - 643
6 - 640

Mar 20-22

20 - off
21 - LSD, 20 miles 2:41 about 8 min pace. Lots of hills as I ran from my house and headed west down OB Riley and then turned up Johnson rd and went up, up, up until reaching the bottom at Shevlin Park. Then it was up again. Came back Newport, Penn, Olney, Neff and back to my house. It was hard but not terrible. The weather held up and it was a pleasant morning.
22 - off

Mar 16-19

16 - off
17 - 12 mi. at 8 min pace with PBR's at 2 mins up 1 min down.
18 - off
19 - 2 mi. 13:16, 1:30 rest, 2 mi. 12:54, 1:30 rest, 1 mi. 6:10, 1:30 rest, 800 2:50, 1:30 rest, 400 1:14, cool down

Not a great midweek but not bad either.

Mar 15th Shamrock 15k

3 goals:

1 - PR from last years 1:02
2 - Run a pace to finish in under an hour
3 - Run 58 mins if its a good day

Since I didn't get in a long run and had 2 days off I knew I would be well rested. The real question come race day would be how strong would I be up the hills and how fast could I run down the hills. The weather was another big question as it was calling for ran and WIND! Sure enough, it rained, not a big deal. The WIND was blustery but fortunately the buildings and trees did a good job of keeping the wind to a minimum.

My thought was to run the first 5 miles up hill in 32:30, 6:30 pace or close to. I was at 33:30 at the 5 mile mark so I knew I would have to pick it up a little to get to 58 minutes. As we started to head down hill I was focusing on not going to soon and thus bonking. At 6 miles I made sure I was keeping a steady pace with a slight pick up. By mile 9 I was at full speed and feel strong for the final push. As I approached the finish line 58:20 felt really good!

1 617, 2 650, 3 651, 4 642, 5 604, 6 603, 7 602, 8 554, 9 541, .3 149
9.3 mi 58:20 6:15 pace

Mar 11-14

Bad part of the week. Too much work, little sleep and not enough running.
11 - 4 mi
12 - off
13 - off
14 - 5 mi

Mar 8-10

8th - You earned a short reprieve. 16-18 miles on the roads. Make it relaxed, you don’t need to pick it up at the end, but don’t slow down either. :)

I decided on the 16 miler as this was a step back week and we wanted to keep it easy. Headed out to the canal road.
AVG HR 137 Peak 165
4 mi 32:13
8 mi 31:38
12 mi 32:09
16 mi 31:51
Totatl 2:07:53 pace 7:59

I am getting good with my pace. I didn't look at my Garmin each mile, just ran and hit the lap button at every 4 miles.

I did this same run a month ago and finished in 2:10 and that was with 2-3 stops and my HR much higher. I must be getting in better shape.

9th - back in the zone 8 miler. 7:30-45 pace + 4 good strides
How about 7 miles in 7:41 pace with strides

10th - AM: easy 4 wake-up PM: You can join the “performance group” for Pilot Butte reps at 5:30 or do your own. I’m calling for 4 X 4 min. hard up with a jog down. 2 miles warm-up and warm down.

Didn't make the early easy 4 mi. I did get in a 3 mi warm up and the 4x4 in PBR's with a 3 mi cool down.
4x4 min PBR's Avg 146 Peak 166

Mar 5-7

5th - Nice late afternoon early evening run on Sisemore road. This is a cinder road that is not traveled much. Temps were in the mid 40's with not too much wind

workout: 12 mile fulcrum on Sisemore. First 6 miles relaxed at 140+- bpm. When you turn around let the hill naturally bring HR up to 150-155, last 2 miles at 160. Should be a good hard run by the end.

4 mi - 30:15 avg HR 135
8 mi - 60:00 avg HR 144
9 mi - 1:07:40 avg HR 156 (this was the hill)
10 mi - 1:15:10 avg HR 149
11 mi - 1:21:49 avg HR 158
12 mi - 1:28:20 avg HR 162

What a great run and it didn't even hurt too much!!!!!!!! :)

6th - Easy 4 mi

7th - FZWRS #3. You picked the course so You better make it count. This needs to be sub 6 min. pace.
(2 mi warm up and 2 mi cool down))
I did pick the course but it was not an easy one and it was very windy. Everyone ran slow including myself.
3 miles in 19:25 avg HR 163 peak 176

Mar 2-4

2nd - Easy 7 miles recovery after long run

3rd - easy 4 miles am, didn't get in the PM 6x1000 intervals

4th - Day off

Mar 1st - LONG RUN

1st - Headed out at about 10 am on the Andy's Tumalo Loop for 20 miles. Weather was to warm up so I opted for the light wool gloves, not good. The rain started an hour in and it did NOT warm up. It was about 38 and raining with a slight wind so it felt like 30. My hands got wet and cold and by the 2 hour mark my right hand was frozen and numb. It felt like I had a prosthetic as I could feel my right hand. I fought through the distraction and motored up over the hills. The course is down hill for the first 10 miles and then back up. Although the weather was terrible and my hands were freezing I was able to come in at 2:44 for the 20 miles cutting 9 mins off my time on the same course back in Sept. I felt pretty good throughout the run and ended with a 143 HR avg and an 8:07 pace.

Feb 26-28

26th - 6 miles easy scheduled but then Andy called and said lets go for a run. He met me at my house so we could head to the Canal road. Nice day for an afternoon run and since he had a marathon on Sunday he was looking for an easy run which meant it would be a tempo run for me, sure enough, 8 miles in 56 mins for 7 min pace.

27th - Easy 6 miles

28th - Easy 7 miles

Feb 21-25

21st - Easy 6 miles 48 mins 8:00 pace

22nd - 2.5 mi warm up, 3 mi fun race in 19:00 6:20 pace, 1.5 mi cool down

23rd - 4 mi easy run in the morning. Afternoon track workout. 3 miles, 200 off 400 on.
200 47
400 127
200 54
400 130
200 55
400 126
200 53
400 126
200 55
400 125
200 54
400 126
200 55
400 125
200 54
400 126
18:40

24th - off, not scheduled but was needed

25th - 12 mi sisemore road. First 6 miles relaxed at 140+- bpm. When you turn around let the hill naturally bring HR up to 150-155, last 2 miles at 160. DIDN'T HAPPEN. Time did not allow so I went out to Phil's trail area. Ran from upper parking lot down the road and on the Dirty Half course for 2.5 mi. Turned around and then took the trail towards Tetherow. Caught the forest road back toward Phil's then took a Right and went to Tetherow. Came back on the Tetherow road and then down skyliner back to the upper parking lot at Phils. Then down the road hill and back up for a hill sprint.
2 1623
2 1614
2 1521
2 1448
2 1555
10 1:18:42 7:51 pace
37:30 140-150
Avg 146 hr
peak 173 hr

Feb 17-20

17th - Workout with Max King. 800 10k pace then 750 at 8k pace. Work on recovering at a higher speed. 3.875 mi in 25 mins for 6:26 pace.

18th - Easy 9 turned into I feel good so I just ran. Kept my splits but didn't look at them just ran.
1 740
2 754
3 737
4 729
5 721
6 709
7 717
8 715
9 605
tot 1:05:53 for 7:19 pace

19th - OFF

20th - Long today due to 5k race on Sunday. 18 miles. 1-15 HR avg 140-150. 16-18 pick it up and avg HR 155. Headed out on a beautiful afternoon with sun out and about 52 deg. Didn't know what course I was going to run so I just started heading across town. Things were going well and it was a nice change of pace to run based on HR and not time. I did track 2 mi splits.
2 1557
4 1538
6 1530
8 1627
10 1601
12 1553
14 1517
16 1543
18 1430
Tot 2:21:03 7:50 pace
1-15 Avg HR 143 in 1:58:30
16-18 Avg HR 160 in 22:30

Feb 12-16

12th - Not a great training day. I was to get in a 5 mile TT but the day went on and as it got late I rushed home to get in my 2 mi wu, 5 mi tt, and 2 mi cd. As I was heading out the door I realized my Garmin was not working. How am I to do a 5 mi tt without knowing how far I had gone. I had a 4 mile loop I had ran before so I modified that. Running late I went for a 2 mi. wu and then a 4 mi tt as it was getting dark and I was not feeling strong at all so my 5 mi tt at 6:45 pace wasn't going to happen. Just one of those days.

13th - Still no Garmin and this time it was an easy 7 with some 10 sec hill bursts at the end. I got in my 6 mile loop and 6 hill bursts for a decent easy day.

14th - Ah, the long hard run of 16 miles. This time I had made sure I got my 24 hour rest from the day before and I was not going to run on a canal trail. The goal was around 2:05 with a slight fulcrum of starting out at 8:15 and finishing the last couple of miles at 7:30 pace. I headed out at midday to some sunshine and a little wind. That changed throughout my 2 hours and I experienced some snow showers and wind gusts. I made sure I went out slow as to not burn myself out. My first 4 miles came in at 32:39, 8:09 pace. I was feeling ok and then I turned into the wind and experienced a little uphill. Miles 5-8 came in at 33:05, 8:16 pace. Not feeling too bad at this time but knew I was only half way done and wasn't ready to pick things up too much. Miles 9-12 I spent in and out of a headwind with little uphills and downhills. Miles 9-12 came in at 31:20, 7:50 pace. Now I was still feeling good but I was heading back up a slight hill and into the wind so I knew it would be tough to get to the 7:30 pace for the last 2 miles but I forged on. Miles 13-16 came in at 30:22 for a 7:35 pace and I did run my last 2 miles in 7:30 pace! Good Long run as I felt fatigued at the end but not wiped out.

15th - Easy 6 mile recovery run in 47:00 mins. Felt good to get out and shake the legs a little. Some what tight at first but after about 3 miles I felt alright and actually finished pretty strong.

16th - Had some e-mail problems today so I didn't get the coaches workout and then got busy at work and was left with going to the gym and doing 9 miles on a treadmill or getting on my bike trainer in the garage and riding for an hour. I chose the bike for convenience and entertainment purposes. My garage has a TV and the gym does not. My garage is free and the gym costs $5.

Feb 8 - 11

Feb 8 - Sunday was an easy day to recover from my long run of 16 miles. Just an easy 6 miles

Feb 9 - Fartlek run of 55-60 mins with 15x1 min hard/easy. 12 min warm up and cool down
12 min wu = 1.55 mi - 7:46 pace
30 min Fartlek = 4.22 - 7:07 pace
14 min cd = 1.74 - 8:03 pace
56 min tot = 7.5 mi - 7:28 pace
I did the Fartlek run on the Canal Trail Road, a little rocky, downhill on the way out uphill on the way back. 4:15 pm. 35 degrees

Feb 10 - 12 mile fulcrum. 4 at 8:15, 2 at 7:55, 2 at 7:35, 2 at 7:15, 2 at 6:55
Ran the Canal Trail Road again. 4:15 pm, 32 degrees light snow and wind
4 mi = 32:30 - 8:05 pace
2 mi = 15:55 - 8:01 pace
2 mi = 15:05 - 7:30 pace
2 mi = 14:35 - 7:18 pace
2 mi = 15:30 - 7:45 pace
12 mi = 1:33:30 - 7:47 pace

As you can see I went out a little fast but it was downhill and I tried to hold back. Got to my pace in the middle but faded a little at miles 9-10 as it was uphill and getting dark and cold. Miles 11 and 12 weren't what they should have been but I fought through and worked hard on the uphills and got the mileage in.

Feb 11 - Day of Rest

Feb 5-7

Thursday we tried the work out that Univ. of Portland x-country team uses. Mile repeats at a comfortable fast pace and a one minute rest. UP does 10x1 but I am not that good so I was scheduled to do 6x1 with a 2 mi warm up and cool down. The Miles were suppose to be at 6:30 pace. I say suppose to be because that didn't happen. Andy was nice enough to let me use his treadmill since the weather wasn't so good but I hadn't run on a treadmill in about 10 months and it felt weird. Also, Andy has it set up so that its on an incline. Andy, Jeff and myself feel like its at about 1.5-2% incline. The 6:30 pace with only a minute rest was very taxing for me so I slowed the miles down. UP coach says this is not to be all out so I adjusted my times.

2 mi warm up
1 = 6:30
2 = 6:34
3 = 6:39
4 = 6:44
5 = 6:49
6 = 6:54
1 mi cool down

Friday was an easy run and one I chose to do in the evening. The Footzone let me borrow a new pack that has a light on the front strap and one on the back as well. The run was just an easy 6 miles and it gave me an opportunity to try the light pack on the canal trails. Although the light is bright it was not enough to illuminate the trail well. I am more use to the MTB lights that are used for trail riding and they are much brighter and allow you to see the trail.

Saturday is my long run day and unfortuantely for me I had the run scheduled for the morning and the reason that was bad is because the weather was not great but as I right this now on Sat afternoon the sun is out and no wind. This morning was cloudy, cold and moist with some wind. I set out for 16 miles with most of the run on the canal trail. Started out real slow and then picked it up a little to try and hit my goal of 8 min pace. On the way out there was a slight headwind but the terrain went slightly down hill. Good through 8 miles at 64:20 and then I turned around. It turns out the that the wind was against me both ways or it felt like it! :) I started to slow around mile 12 and required a few rests to stretch and catch my breath. My hip region was really feeling it from the uneven ground. Love to run trails but haven't done it much latele and this one was rocky. By mile 14 I didn't have much left in me and the last mile I took it real easy. This was my longest run in 2 months and I felt it. Second half was a 65:30 for a 2:10.

February 3-4

After a great track work out on Monday it was time to get back on the road for a Fulcrum run. The weather was still nice and I was able to get out in the late afternoon and beat the dark. The run went well as I went out at a pedestrian pace and then slowly picked it up. My last 2 miles were a bit slower than planned but that wasn't due to fatigue but the hills and slight headwind I encountered.

10 mi = 1:14:20
2 = 15:40
2 = 15:30
2 = 15:05
2 = 14:05
2 = 14:00


Wed. 4th today was a well deserved day off as I had run for 5 days straight and I have some tough miles the rest of this week. It felt odd to not run and I was itching to since the weather was great but I resisted the temptation and got some rest.

Feb 2 BOSTON TRAINING BEGINS (12 weeks)

Today was the first day of my 12 weeks to Boston. We started out with some speed work but kept it short and sweet. 3 mile warm up and then 8x300s with mile cool down. Coach called for 60 secs. on the 300s and 2 minute rest. I felt pretty good and was a little impatient so I cut the rest to 1 minute for the first 4 300s and then for the last 4 I went with 1:30 on the rest. The weather was nice at 58 degrees and a little wind. Felt pretty good and the 300s came fairly easy.

Track Work out	1	2	3	4
300	:57	:58	:59	:59
Rest	1:03	1:02	1:01	1:01
	5	6	7	8
300	:58	:52	:54	:52
Rest	1:32	1:38	1:36	1:38

Feb 1

Sunday was time for an easy long run before the real training begins for Boston. Went out at about 8 am and it was 25 with a 15-20 knot wind blowing making it feel like it was 16 degrees. Nothing hard today just got on the road for 5.5 miles and on trail for 6 miles to get 11.5 miles in 1:32:30 for an 8:03 pace. The wind made it hard at times but I kept my HR down and plugged along.

Jan 29-31

Thursday turned into a day of rest and time with the family.

Friday I was fortunate enough to run with coach Andy since he was coming of some medical issues and said he would take it easy on me. It was a beautiful afternoon and we heading east to Horse Butte. Since it was 58 degrees and we had been experience warm weather we thought the trail would be in good shape, wrong. It was warm and the snow had been melting but it was not soaking in quickly and the trail was very muddy and had some snow. We started out slow and navigated the slippery slope as we climbed up 350' in the first 5 miles. After that it goes down hill and the trail was a little better. The weather was great and the mountains were beautiful but we didn't get to see them much as the trail required you to keep your eyes down about 5' in front of you. As we approached a small hill at mile 8 I realized that I was close to my PR on this course. Once we hit 8.5 and it was flat to down hill to the finish I knew I could get my PR. So I told Andy lets go for it and he turned it up as we hit mile 9. I have only ran Horse Butte once and that was last April when I hadn't trained much so my time of 1:18:30 isn't spectacular. As we sped down our last hill and crossed the finish I stopped my watch and saw 1:18:05. Still not real fast but a decent training run in some not so good trail conditions.

Saturday was an easy 5 after the great Horse Butte Run and time to recover before my long run.

Jan 26-28

Monday was total recover day and I did not get a run in or a walk.

Tuesday was a leisurely 5 miles in 39:15

Wednesday was a leisurely 6 miles in 45:00.

Jan 23-25 Vanc Lake 1/2

Friday was a travel day as I drove to Vancouver to hang out with friends and not run but rest. Saturday was the last day of the taper before the race on Sunday. I went out for a leisurely 4 mile jaunt.

Sunday morning we awoke to snow on the ground and 34 degrees but fortunately not much wind or moisture which was a blessing. We made our way to the race which didn't start until 10 am. I suppose that was so it could warm up which it really didn't. This is a small enough race that packet pick up is only offered race day morning. It was quick and smooth but given bathroom stops and trying to decide what to wear based on the weather didn't leave us much time to warm up. I had an aggressive goal but knew early on that it was not the best day for a PR nor was my conditioning since I had only put 3 weeks in after 3 weeks off.

The Gun went off and my friend Jessica and I just controlled our pace and tried to stick around 6:55. Ran into Sal Colletto who have not seen in a few years and chatted with him for a while. He is training for his second Ironman. Then I saw Darin Swanson and we chatted about how his Boot Camp had been going and how ready he is for the Marathon next week and if he feels he will meet his sub 3 hour goal.

Usually by mile 3-4 I start to loosen up but it wasn't happening. I was about 30 seconds off my goal at mile 3 but no need to panic. So the miles past by 4, 5 and 6 and my next check at 6 miles and I was 90 seconds off. The muscles weren't getting looser but actually getting tighter. Both Hamstrings and Buttocks were in knots and felt like they could snap anytime. I pushed on through 7, 8 and 9. At mile 9 I had to tie my shoe and that was when I said goodbye to Jessica. My mile 9 split was now 2:15 of my goal and things weren't looking good. The PR was out the window but I was more worried about my tight legs. Mile 10-12 were real tough. No real goal to reach, only one person passed me and there was not anyone that I was going to catch. At mile 12 split I was 3 minutes off my goal and it was just a matter of survival at that time. When I finished I was out of breath so to speak but my legs felt like they wanted to seize up and my mouth was numb like after you have been to the dentist.

So I finished in 1:32:15 which was respectful but not what I was looking for. Jessica finished in a 1:30:45 and 3rd place for females. Darin hit is Marathon Pace with a 1:29:15 and he looks really good for his sub 3 hour marathon next week.

Jan 19-22

Mon: (Jan 19) Easy run. Keep it short (5-6 miles) but not too slow. 6 X 100 strides.

4 mi in 30 mins (strides embedded)

Tue: Speed! 15 min. warm-up 15 X 1 min. hard/ 1 min. easy; 15 min. warm-down. Roads would be best for this.

Too busy at work and ran out of daylight. Was going to hit treadmill but felt tired and ill. Day off.

Wed: 7 miles steady (no strides)

Swith Tues. 15x1 to Wed.

1.25 mi warm up 10 mins

15x1 in 4.11 mi in 30 mins

1:45 cool down

Thu: 4 miles at 7:30; 1 mile at 6:30; 1 mile at 7:30. All continuous.

Limited time today so shortened the run but made it faster.

2 mi 13:30

2 mi 13:30

1 mi 6:30

5 mi in 33:30

3 days to the Vancouver Lake 1/2 Marathon

Jan 17-18

Well, I have lived in Bend for over a year now and you think I would have learned that the snow does not go away on the trails where the sun does not shine. I went out with a friend for a 12 mile long run around Phil's Trail and low and behold, still snow and ICE. It was a bit dicey and therefore we only ran about 2 miles on the trails. Hit some forest roads and the pavement to get in 10 slow miles. Besides the trail conditions it was 22 out with fog and cloud cover making it very cold. I was ill prepared with my glove choice and about 40 mins in I had to switch gloves with my friend because I could not feel my hands.

10 mi = 1:30

This morning was the 1st fun run of the Footzone Winter Series. Just a 5k, actually it was 3 miles, and only about 25 people showed up. Same kind of weather, 25 out with fog and clouds, but we were on pavement so we didn't need to worry about our footing. Had a nice 1 mi warm up with Coach Andy and then off to race. 3 miles in 18:15. Not great but not bad. Coach Andy won the fun run in 15:41. Then we had a nice little cool down 2 mile run. For some reason on my way home I was feeling good and thought I should get in some more miles. Yesterdays run was easy and this morning was only 3 miles so I got home and put on some try running clothes and went out for another 5 miles.

3 mi = 18:15
5 mi = 38:00

Jan 15-16

New Boss was in town for work on Thursday so I did not get to run although it was a beautiful day. I just swapped my day off from Saturday to Thursday.

Today I got out in the afternoon when it was about 55 outside and calm. A simple 6 miler to get the legs moving again after a good track workout on Wed. and a day off. Going long tomorrow morning. Forecast is for fog and 23 degrees, perfect weather to hit the trails.

6 mi = 44:30

Jan 12-14

Second week of training under coach Andy and 2 weeks before the 1/2 marathon. Time for some speed work this week.

Mon: (Jan 12) Short Fartlek. Remember 3,2,1? Do a 12 min. warm up, 3 X (3 hard, 3 easy, 2 hard, 2 easy, 1 hard, 1 easy) 12 min. warm down. Total is 60 min. of running, 18 min. hard. If convenient, take a hrm and check to see what you get on the hard sections and what it comes down to on the easy sections.
7 mi = 50:00 mins
10 min warm up HR avg 144
first 3-2-1 hr avg 153
sec 3-2-1 hr avg 162
3rd 3-2-1 hr avg 162
4 min cool hr avg 147
Zone 140-160 in for 23 mins
Avg. 155
Max 180
Tue: easy (slow) 6-7 miles, no strides
Could not resist the weather. Heading up to HooDoo for Tightwad Tuesday. $19
Wed: Track work (if possible, if not a road or treadmill will work) We’re going to do 4 X mile on a 9 min. send off. Then 4 X 100 under control, but fast. Let’s get some turn-over! Warm up is 15 min. + strides, warm down is 10 min. or so.
6.5 mi = 54:00 HR avg 148 Max 179 Min 73
6:05 mi HR avg 159 2:55 rest HR avg 108
6:00 mi HR avg 160 3:00 rest HR avg 119
5:58 mi HR avg 162 3:02 rest HR avg 124
5:48 mi HR avg 167 3:00 rest HR avg 126

Jan 5-12 2009

First week back on the job. Coach Andy and I have teamed up again and have set our sights on some PR's this year. First will be to have a PR at the Vancouver Lake 1/2 on Jan. 25th. We are thinking 1:28. First week back of "real" running will be a transition week so Coach Andy can see where I am at.

Transition to training week.
Monday: 6 miles easy + 6 strides afterwards

47:09
Tues: AM: 30 min. spin PM: 1.5 mile warm up. 5 miles of tempo at 7:20-7:30 1.5 miles warm down

7.5 = 55:00 (1.5=11:27, 5 mile tempo; 7:05, 7:13, 7:17, 7:15,7:00; 1 mi = 7:43)
Wed: 5 miles easy recovery run

4 miles pushing Reid in 25 knot winds = 34:35
Thu: 7 mile run with short fartlek. About 3 miles into the run do 4 min. hard/ 2 easy; 3 hard/ 2 easy; 2 hard/ 2 easy/ 1 hard. finish the run at a comfortable pace

7=50:33; 7:55, 7:09, 6:57, 6:29, 6:45, 7:39, 7:36
Fri: OFF

No problem! :)
Sat: Long run of 12-14 miles. This doesn't need to be a pick up run; rather keep it at a steady, but not too easy effort (around 8:00)

14=1:54:23; 7:51, 7:52, 7:55, 7:34, 7:52, 7:54, 7:59, 7:59, 8:03, 8:15, 9:49, 8:33, 8:19, 8:24

It was slow but that's what it was suppose to be and it had a pretty good climb in it and some wind on the way back. Just tried to keep the HR down at 70%.

Sun: Recovery run of 6 miles + 6 strides

6=47:13

Jan 1-4 2009

So its a new year and time to start running again. I have signed up for a 1/2 marathon in Vancouver, WA on Jan. 25th so I need to get some miles in. I started easy by getting on the bike trainer for 45 minutes and doing some circuit training on Thurs. On Friday I went for a run knowing that I had a long run on Saturday. The thought was that my longest run over the last 3 weeks after the Marathon was 5 miles so I would do 7 on Friday and then 9 on Saturday. Got the 7 in on Friday and when Saturday came, I went for 13 miles. Not any normal road run but a trail run with lots of elevation gain and cold temps. It was 10 degrees at the start. Not so sure it warmed up too much over the course of 2 hours but it was clear and sunny so that made it nice. The run was slow and methodical with some walking. It was obvious that the mileage was a bit much for my out of shape body but thats what this run was all about. Badass for your Fatass at the Badlands. It was to inspire people to walk/run off their added holiday pounds. Katie, Michael and I opted for the 13 miles while Coach Andy went for 22, he's fast and has a marathon coming up. We all enjoyed some treats and Hot Chocolate or coffee after our runs. No results, it was a fun run. Sunday was a day of rest after 3 days in a row of hard work.

December 08

Time for another Marathon. While others are putting on their winter coat and taking some rest I decided to run some more. Not necessarily the smartest thing to do but I figured why not. It had been a good year for running so why not keep it going.

Taper mode was on and the big drive was coming. 7 hrs 30 mins to El Dorado Hills to hang out with Jeremy and his family. It was a nice day and the drive went surprisingly fast with only one stop for gas. Not much going on for Friday night. Saturday we went to Sacramento in the morning to get my packet. In and out again, no problem! Saturday night was a bit late and I felt like I had the sniffles all week so I wasn't sure how the morning would be. Up at 5:30 am as the start line is about 20 minutes away. I was trying to plan it so that Jeremy could drop me off and I could jog to the start line. It kind of worked, we weren't sure how close we could get with road closures and traffic. I got in about 1.5 mi warm up that took me to the start line about 6:55 for a 7 am start. The good side was I was able to be at the front and not have to worry about running in the masses. The bad part was that I forgot my Hammer Perpetuem which has the protein I need have about 2 hrs. It was 35 at start time. I went with the singlet and gloves. It was warm in the group of people but as we thinned out it was a little chilly. I warmed up nicely and was hoping the fog would burn off and show the sun but it just didn't happen. It stayed cold the whole time and I felt it as my body broke down in the later half of the race. It was 42 at the finish with no sun. Yep, my body broke down, at mile 16 I felt things getting tough. I had been on sub 3 hr pace up to this point. We were a little fast at times but it was down hill at the beginnig so I took what the course gave me. Aid stations were poorly organized and with out my perpetuem I knew this would add to my problems. My lack of long runs and miles was starting to shine through. I tried to stay strong and remember the encouraging words from Katie Caba. She is alway so positive. This got me through the next 4 miles and at mile 20 I was on pace but losing some precious seconds. By 21 I was off sub 3 hr pace and officially hit the WALL. From there on it was a slow steady grind and losing time each mile but still holding on to my PR. As I came through downtown Sacramento I just told myself to hold on and my new goal was 3:04. As I turned the corner for the finish I saw 3:03:45 and I knew I had done it. 3:03:54 for a 6:59 pace and good for 297th place out of 3000.

Not a great race but a good learning lesson. Also got to meet Darin Swanson who is a friend of a friend. We had been exchanging e-mails about our training and planned on running together as we had the same goal of breaking 3 hours. I found him at about mile 4 and we ran together a little but he has some GI problems and dropped off. He still finished with a respectful 3:13:57 and a Boston qualifying time. I also found out that Darin knows and traveled down with Sean Meissner and Jeff Caba from Bend. Sean had a PR at 2:39:06. Jeff also has a PR at 2:36:25.

The rest of December was left for rest and conteplating what I wanted to do in 2009 as well as putting on the winter coat. Training had pretty much stopped.

Logged approx. 60 miles (26 in one day)

November 08

November brought darkness, literally. It was time to change our clocks and for winter to start which meant that the days were much shorter and it was getting colder. I don't have access to a treadmill so runs had to be during the day time as it is too hard and not safe to run in the dark. This made things a bit difficult for planning with work and a family. I did my best to get in as many runs as I could and concentrated on the long runs come the weekend.

I had two races in November. I was heading to Medford for work and thought I would see what they had going on down there. They had the Pioneer 9 miler which was perfect. Not too long and and a chance to work on some speed. A small event in Talent, Or with some fast runners. It was a cool foggy morning and I knew nothing about the course. We started and I just ran. Ran how I felt looking at my splits I realized that I was just cruising along. Ran strong on the uphills and floated down the hills. Tried to keep good form on the flats. After about mile 3 I was alone. And I do mean alone as I didn't even see anyone in front of me and I never looked back and nobody passed me from mile 3 and on. After mile 6 I had a good pace and a good time going. At mile 7 we started to retrace the course from the start and I felt confident with what was left that I could maintain or even pick up the pace. I ran the last 2 miles in 6:16 and 6:07 respectively to finish at 57:44 and a 6:25 pace good for 8th place but 8 minutes off the winner, he's fast. Translate this to a 15k time and you have 59:41 and another PR!

Next up was a 5k Turkey Trot in Springfield, OR. We were heading to my inlaws for the Thanksgiving holiday and the race starts and finishes about a mile from their house. I did the run last year and had fun. This year I had been training, not for a 5k but training, so I went for an aggressive time, a PR basically. I wanted to break 18 mins. Sure enough, 17:58 and a 5:48 pace good for 3rd in my age group and 35th overall. Official results say 18:00 but they don't have chip timing so I was 2 seconds behind the start line when the gun went off. Some really fast runners come to this race. The winner ran 15:20 for a 4:56 pace. At the finish I jogged back to my inlaws got some warm close on and ran the course backwards to catch up with my father inlaw and son Reid. We walked/run togehter back to Nana and Papa's house. A good time by all. The best was I received a ribbon in the mail for my 3rd place in the age group. It had been since grade school that I had received a ribbon, How cool!

Training was not going good. Runs were hard to get in with the weather and no daylight. My long runs were crap and I didn't get in the distance I wanted and felt crappy on most of them. Things were not looking good for CIM but I pushed on and figured worse case I would have a good time hanging out with my best friend for the weekend.

Logged approx. 130

October 08

All that matters this month is the Portland Marathon and running 3:15:59 so I can qualify for the Boston Marathon. That was my main goal at the beginning of the year and the time is hear to get'r done.

Friday October 3rd I head over the mountain to Vancouver, WA to stay with my parents for Marathon weekend. My goal was to not have any distractions so the family stayed in Bend for this trip and I stayed at my parents who were out of town until late Saturday night. Friday I got a massage on my legs from my friend Jeremy to loosen me up some. Went to bed at about 10 pm on Friday and got about about 7 am so I got plenty of rest. Saturday I headed down for packet pick up early to beat the crowds. In the door get my packet and out the door. No looking around at the expo as the idea was to lay low and relax. Saturday I did just enough to keep me busy and my mind off the race. Saturday I planned out the race and had everything laid out for the morning. At 5 pm I met Coach Andy, Team Caba and many of their family and friends for dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory. A little pasta for carbs and some chicken for protein and I was good to go. Coach Andy was staying with me at my parents. We headed home and hung out until about 9 pm and headed to bed. I set my phone alarm to go off at 5 am as the race was at 7 am. Ironically I woke up and looked at my phone and it said 4:59 am, I guess I didn't need to set the alarm. I woke up feeling real fresh and calm and took a shower. I made some coffee for the road, brought some water and got my stuff together. We were out the door by 5:30 and to Team Caba's hotel by 6 am as planned. We hung out a little, talked some, used the facilities, and stretched. Heading out the door about 6:20 as we didn't want to get stuck in the back of the pack. Most of us were expecting to finish in the top 200 so no reason to be behind 7000 people. We had a nice jog to the start line and got right in the cattle gate and to the front. My chip time was only 1 second from the start gun time, that is how close I was to the front. We stood around for about 10 minutes and I felt really calm. I found the 3 hr 10 min pace group as the plan was to hang with them as long as possible. I said a prayer for all of us and the Gun went off.

It wasn't a mad dash, my heart wasn't racing, I didn't feel anxious. It was methodical and relaxed. At mile 2 I saw the porta potties and the door opened so I knew it was available. Ducked in real quick and went pee and back on the road to catch my pace group. I just sat right behind the pace group and maintained my calmness. We were on schedule or slightly ahead at each mile check. At the 1/2 way point I was sitting at 1:34:39 and feeling good. My last road half was 1:35 so I knew that things were going well since I felt great and I had ran my fast half of the year. My fueling of Hammer Gels, Water and Ultima were treating me right. I had just started my Hammer Perpetuem after mile 16. What was still left was the hill approach to the St. Johns Bridge and the possible Wall that so many people hit from mile 18 and on. As the bridge approached after mile 16 I stayed calm and just slowly motored up with the pace group. After the bridge and a few tight turns I settled back into my 3 hr 10 min pace. I really focused on fueling at this point as many start to not feel good and don't feel like taking in gooey substances. I felt so good that I was suprised and wanted to go but didn't want to go too soon or too fast and get hurt. After mile 20 I felt like the pace group slowed a little since they were ahead of pace and I just wanted to keep going so I did. I ran alone the last 6.2 miles but I was in a zone. Coach Andy and Ryan Rein were at mile 21 and they cheered me on and gave me confidence. It was at that time that I knew I had qualified for Boston and I was grinning from ear to ear inside. Shortly after that I saw my friend Sean Davis and his family, that was cool as I wasn't sure he was going to make it. As the last hill at mile 24 approached I made sure I took it nice and steady knowing that once I hit mile 24 marker it was all downhill and onto Boston. This is when the adrenaline really kicked in and I went for it. I ran my last 2 miles in 6:39 and 6:42 pace respectively for a final time of 3:07:52 and 8 mins ahead of my goal time. What a thrill!!!!!!

I felt so good after the race that I went back to my friend house, Sean, in Camas and joined him at the soccer field to help out my old team and friends The Red Army. The thought was that I would go out and kick the ball around a little. At kick off they were short player so I went out there. Played all of the first half but 5 mins. Played the whole second half and felt pretty good. After the game was a few beers and some food and then off to bed. Unfortunately I went to bed later than my body wanted, it happens.

Monday I woke up pretty sore and drove home. Time would tell that playing soccer after running a marathon the same day is not a wise thing to do but I had fun.

I had the Marathon High now and started planning my trip to Boston and conteplated running CIM, California International Marathon, in Sacramento California. Why not, I have the training, its a fast course and I could maybe break 3 hours, I can drive there for cheap, my best friend lives there, I love it when a plan comes together. Take some time off and then get back on the wagon and RUN.

Mid October I signed up for CIM which was December 7th and I had to get back to running. The rest of October went pretty well as I got some rest in and started to ramp up again. The weather was nice and we still had lots of daylight. The only other difference was that I did not have coach Andy.

September 08

Last month before the big race. Things have been going well and I am building to my longest run before I start to taper about 3 weeks out from the Marathon. I feel as though all is going well but I really don't know what "well" will translate to. I am doing as Coach Andy says for my running and making sure that I am sticking to my diet as well as what I will need for fuel come race day. Only one race this month as we don't want to waste too much energy before the Marathon. Just a quick 10k to work on some speed.

The Big Foot 10k as been going on in Bend for many years. Given that it is in late September you never know what the weather will be like. For us it was good, No snow. Cold as it was about 28 at the start but the sun was out and we warmed up quickly. The first mile is Downhill and then it flattens out with some smaller hills along the way and the last 3/4 of a mile are down hill with a short straight flat finish. We were looking for a PR as I had not done many 10k's in the past and it is a fast course. Didn't want to hurt myself so I had to be careful as I was nursing a tight Hamstring. After the first quick mile I slowed it down a little for mile 2 and by mile 3 I was in a groove. It wasn't a real comfortable groove as I was running 6:00 min pace in some cold weather with a tight hamstring. My quick pace let me to a PR and a 36:29 for 12th place.

Logged approx. 185 miles

August 08

August only had one race on the calendar but it was a local trail run which is always fun. In place of a race I climbed South Sister with a good friend and a friend of his from Seattle. Middle month of the 3 month plan and we were building up the miles.

Early August was the Haulin Aspen 1/2 marathon. Beautiful scenery, plentiful climbing, great organization, and a killer food and beer at the end. What more can you ask for in a race. Oh, I had a PR for the race but not the 1/2 distance. It was really a training run and Coach Andy said to go out conservatively and just calmly climb the hills. He said at about mile 10 start to pick it up and see how many people you can pass. I went out at about 7:25 pace for the first 10 miles and passed the guy from Sunrise Classic 15k at Smith Rock that pounded the pavement so hard that it sounded liked it hurt and that felt good. Then I kicked into gear and ran the last 3.1 in 6:40 pace and passed a dozen people. When passing people looked at me like how or why is he running so fast. It was a good feeling and it got me to a 1:40:53 for the 1/2 that ended up being about 1/2 mile longer than 13.1. Good for 25th place.

A couple weeks later Chris, Adam and I set out on Friday afternoon to climb to Moraine Lake on our way up to South Sister Summit. South Sister this time of year is just a long hike and can be done in one day by most and will take anywhere from 8-10 hours for the average person. We wanted some guy time and enjoy the outdoors so we hiked to Moraine Lake and set up camp for the night. A beautiful day and a good short 4 mile hike to the camp site. Clear night with lots of stars and good conversation over a few beers. The next morning we took our time knowing that we didn't have as far to climb as others that would be starting from the parking lot. The hike up was great and we just took our time and enjoyed the scenery and company. It was a hot day but as we neared the top the wind picked up which kept us cool. At the tip was amazing. Could not have had a better day as it was so clear we could see North all the way to Mt. Adams. Got some great pictures, had some snacks, seeked a little shelter from the wind that was hallowing and then headed down. Long treck down but worth every step. We were enjoying ourselves so much that we didn't know how long it took us. Great trip, Great experience and can't wait to do it again in 2009.

Logged approx 170 miles

July 08

Now that I could put my DNF in the 1/2 ironman behind me the fun training began. Coach Andy and I were both happy to get down to business and work just on running. 3 months until Portland Marathon and a good base under me but now its time to build some mileage.

First race in July was the Sunrise Classic 15k at Smith Rock in Terrebonne, OR. I had never done this race and what is unique about it is that you start at 6 am because the day heats up fast and in July it gets HOT. Not a big race as it is fairly new but I need to get a race in so I thought I would give it a try. It was a beautiful morning and nice drive in the morning at dawn. I got to the Parking lot to catch the shuttle and realized it would be a nice 1.5 mile warm up to jog to the start line. Once the gun went off it was go time as the course starts out a little downhill. There wasn't a lot of specifics to how Coach Andy wanted me to run. We were shooting for a PR however it would come. I sat in behind a guy that after mile 2 he had his shirt off and was pounding the pavement like it was mile 20 of a Marathon but he had a nice pace going. At about mile 8 there was a slight hill and my body didn't take too well to it. My heart started to race and I had to slow down. I had to say goodbye to the guy with no shirt that looked like he was going to fall over. I did not finish fast but it was an decent time. No PR but I did finish in 1:02:55 good enough for 9th place.

At the end of the month I chose to run a 1/2 marathon in Camas, WA to see where I was at. I had run the course before when it was a 10 miler. Nice course around Lacamas Lake. One killer hill at the end, literally from 11.75-12.25, that you basically power walk. The new suprise was another steep hill on the part they added to make it a 1/2 marathon. I don't like hills, probably because I am not that good at them. Coach Andy said go out at 6:45 pace and hold it as long as you can. I went out really fast for the first 2 miles as they are big downhills. Settled into my pace and held on through the first big hill. It wasn't Until about mile 9 that I started to feel tired. By mile 11 I knew I wasn't going to PR and my right shoulder started to tighten up. I have had problems with my right shoulder since I separated it 4 years ago. Between the pain, no PR, the big hill at the end and my lack of desire miles 11-13 were slow. I finished in a respectful 1:35:02 for 27th place.

Logged approx. 145 miles

June 08

June 08
A lot happened in June and it had its ups and its downs.

The Dirty Half is a beautiful trail 1/2 marathon in Bend on Phil's Trail system. Known more for its Mtn. Biking Phil's network of trails are awesome and all the snow melted just in time for the race to be clear and not too muddy. Race day was clear and sunny with it being a little cold at the beginning but that was a good cold. I wasn't sure what I would be able to due but Coach Andy had me shooting for a 1:37 per my training runs. Lets just say that Coach Andy missed my finish because I blew away his predicted time. Another PR at 1:34 and a very happy coach. The race was capped off with family and friends enjoying the post race food and beverages!!! Yummy.

Later in June I tackled the wonderful Pacific Crest 1/2 ironman in Sunriver. I was a bit nervous knowing that I was not a great swimmer, did not get good swim workouts in and this would be the farthest I had swam. I went into it with a positive attitude know that I would not drown and that once it was over I would be on the bike which I am comfortable on and then running, my best event. The swim went as I thought. Not too fast but not the slowest, although close. The bike, I didn't know what to expect. I knew that I hadn't gotten in as many long rides as I liked and I have never been strong at hills so given the route I knew it would be a challenge. The bike course is 58 miles from Wickiup around/up Bachelor and back to Sunriver. Lets just say the 3 hills/mt passes we had to go over were too much for me. Throw in the 90 degree weather and after 3 hrs 15 mins on the bike I was spent. At the transition to the run I was happy to be off the bike but wasn't sure how I would do on the run the way I was feeling. A mile into the run none of my muscles were loosing up and I started to feel a little light headed and had some blurriness going on. I tried to walk and rest by sitting down but over the next 2 miles things just progressed for the worse. I knew that friends and family were going to be watching for me around mile 3-4. Also, our friends house was right around mile 3 and its a good thing. It got to the point were I could not focus on the path 5 ft in front of me. I was basically blind. I walked off the course and back to my friends house where I had remembered the lock box code so I could get a key to unlock the house. I was about 4 hrs 45 mins into the race when this occurred. I rehydrated myself and got some rest and food. From when I started the race at 9:30 until 11 pm at night I did not go to the bathroom, can you say DEHYDRATED! I went to the finishing area to turn in my chip and the race director was so kind to say that she would comp' me for next years race, they just had to tempt me. Race result was a DNF but I learned a lot. Like, Make sure you use Sunscreen!!!!

Logged approx 58 miles (and some biking and swimming)

May 2008

May 08
May was still mainly Triathlon training with the main focus still on running. Not a lot going on for races. Only a 5k, the Salmon Run in Bend, but it was a PR. Nothing blistering but my 18:59 was good for 5th place overall. All the fast guys were running the 10k. It was only a training run for me so not a lot of effort was put into training for the 5k. I was in 1/2 ironman and marathon mode not 5k.

On a side note, my daughter Caitlyn turned 1 on May 4th and Reid turned 4 on May 28th. For Caitlyn we had family stay over in Sunriver and did a small party there. For Reid we had our friends from Portland/Vancouver, where we use to live, come to our house and had a party for him. 8 adults and 9 kids was a lot of people but all had fun.

Logged approx. 68 miles (some biking and swimming as well)

April 2008

April 08
The weather is turning and the snow is fading away and we are seeing some warmer weather. However, this is Central Oregon and the weather can change fast. One week it was 32 degrees F and snowing for a race and the next week it was 70 degrees F and sunny.

I also hired a coach this month to help me reach my goals for 2008. Andy Martin who I met back in Feburary at our Church is a Marathon Runner and ex-Ironman Triathlete, both of which is has/is competing professionally, and is a certified trainer as well. Having a coach with his experience is great for developing my work outs and holding me accountable. I have never had a coach before and I must say they really do help.

First race of the month was Horse Butte 10 miler. 32 degrees F and snowing at the start. And as the title of the race states this is a run up a Butte. Not many races in Central Oregon are flat and this was not. I wouldn't say we climbed a Mountain but for a city slicker like myself it was a difficult climb and add to it that it was on a narrow trail with rocks and branches to run over and/or around. I went out a little fast from the adrenaline and then the hill hit and kicked me in the backside. Once we were up on the ridge it was a long "slight" hill that to me felt like it was a 7 percent incline. Once we hit the down hill I was tired and didn't have much and therefore struggled to pick up my feet which in turn caused me to fall and the nice gal that passed me even asked if I was ok. I was fine except my ego was bruised a little. :) I was happy with my time but knew I had some work to do to meet my goals.

A week later I had this crazy idea to do another race, Peterson Ridge Rumble. Of course this is another trail run but this time it was up a Ridge not a Butte. Usually not a big deal but my longest run to date was the 10 mile Horse Butte and this weekends race was a 30k ( 18.6 mi). This time the weather was better but probably too good. Us avid runners don't like to run in the heat and race tempratures reached 70 degrees F that day. I was still learning what my body was capable of doing as well as how to hydrate and eat before and during races. I had one of the worse experiences ever. My body didn't like that I was going from 10 miles to 19 miles in one week and it told me so. At mile 13 I started to fade and by mile 15 my body was shutting down. The last 4.5 miles, the race ended up being longer, was very slow and I had to stop often as I was gasping for air. I could not get my HR higher than 155 without feeling like I couldn't breathe. I finished, which is good. On the ride home, I wasn't driving, my vision began to blur and I could not focus on anything. It lasted for about 20 minutes and then faded away. Once I got home, I was a zombie and had cold chills even though it was 70 degrees F out. I layed on the couch and watched Golf, not a bad thing but my body was not happy with me.

Logged appox 86 miles

March 2008

March 08
March was the last of the Footzone Winter Series Run and was also the time for my first race of the season. I had put in 3 months of base building and 1 month of training and now was the time to find out what kind of shape I was in. And yes, there was still snow on the ground.

I ran Portland Shamrock 15k in 1:02:09 and that was a PR for me. Shamrock starts in Downtown Portland and takes you up the hills by OHSU and then back down waterfront and you finish where you started. If you are good at uphills or downhills you can fair well and if you do both well this is a course for you. I have never been real strong on the hills but I made it a point to work on it in my training. Downhills have not been a problem for me and my splits show that. I cruised up the hills at 7:00 min pace and the put the hammer down when we turned the corner and headed south.

Logged appox 75 miles

February 2008

Feburary 08
This month didn't have much going on just more base building and two more Footzone Winter Series Fun Runs. The weather was still nasty as Central Oregon was experiencing the most snowfall in a decade. You learn real fast how to run with Yak Trax or Screws in your shoes.



Logged approx. 66 miles

January 2008

JANUARY 08
January was my first winter of living in Bend, OR. I had visited many times during the summer and winter and new that it could get cold but I must say seeing -1 degrees F on the thermometer was a bit of a shock. I actually went out running one morning and it was 5 degrees F. Luckily the winds were light and I only ran 4 miles. When I was done some of my eye lashes were froze together. I think if I would have closed my eyes for 30 seconds they would have froze shut.

January would also be my first time joining the locals for the Footzone Winter Series Fun Runs. Now the word Fun is only used for avid runners as most people would think that we were crazy for running in some of the weather we did. The first run was only a 5k so the 20 degree F Blue Bird day wasn't bad and either was the 8" of packed snow on the ground. This was a Fun Run so there were no times given just some Hot Coffee and good cheer at the end.

I also purchased a Garmin watch. Hadn't know what they are since I didn't run much in the past but after moving to Bend and talking to the many runners and seeing these giant watches on their wrists I soon realized that I had to get one. Best thing ever, tracks your course, elevation, speed, splits, calories, etc.

My goals for 2008 were to do the Pacific Crest 1/2 Ironman Triathlon and run the Portland Marathon and qualify for Boston with a 3:15:59 or better.

Just Starting

Just opened up an account today and posted my profile.