Sean's Running Blog

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Location:

Snoqualmie,WA,

Member Since:

Feb 24, 2007

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Local Elite

Running Accomplishments:

  • 2011 Boston Marathon -- 2:27 (Top 50)
  • 2011 Steilacoom 20k -- 1:04:57 (1st)
  • 2010 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon -- 2:26 (7th) 
  • 2010 Fall City 10k -- 31:06 (1st)
  • 2009 Indy Mini Marathon -- 1:07:53 (7th)
  • 2009 WWU Invitational -- 10000m (30:58)
  • 2009 UW Indoor Meet -- 5000m (14:49)
  • 2008 Orem Turkey Run -4 miler -- 19:55 (1st)
  • 2008 Seafair Torchlight 8k--25:03 (3rd) 
  • 2008 Time to Fly 5k -- 15:35 (1st)
  • 2008 Newport Marathon -- 2:22:47 (1st)
  • Steilacoom 15M--1:18:30 (1st)
  • 2007 Olympic Trials -- 2:30:41 (91st)
  • 2007 St. George --2:18:55 (3rd)

Short-Term Running Goals:

  • Feb 23 -- Ft Steilacoom 15M
  • March 23  – Ft. Steilacoom 20k
  • April 15  – Boston Marathon
  • June 8 – Sound to Narrows 12k
  • June 22  – Grandma’s Half Marathon (USATF Champs.)
  • July 7 – Run of the Mill 5k
  • July 27 – Torchlight 8k
  • September – SJJ Half (maybe)
  • October/November – Fall Marathon (maybe)
  • December – Club XC Nationals

Long-Term Running Goals:

 Stay healthy

Personal:

Ran track my junior and senior years in high school and cross country my senior year. Went to BYU but did not run. Served LDS church mission to San Bernardino, CA. Started running again in April 2005. Marathon debut was St. George in 2005.

I coach the Mount Si High School Track Team (distance)

Been married for almost 17 years. My wife, Mara, and I have four kids ages 16, 14, 13 and 11.

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Brooks T5 Lifetime Miles: 34.00
Ravenna Lifetime Miles: 250.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3004.95104.00234.5665.753409.26
Brooks Infinity Miles: 309.35Brooks ST3 Racer Miles: 42.50Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 263.20Brooks Trance 8 Miles: 68.35Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 502.95Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 507.65Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 208.30Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 442.60ST4 Miles: 93.00Nike Vomero 5 Miles: 95.25Brooks Launch Miles: 402.25Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 365.70Brooks Ravenna #2 Miles: 8.00
Weight: 143.74
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.000.000.000.0011.00

Felt pretty good today except that it snowed yet again over night. It was actually the perfect kind of snow. The wet stuff and the perfect depth to actually get good traction on. It was sunny as well which made for a very beautiful run. Pretty tough workout coming tomorrow.

Brooks Infinity Miles: 11.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.500.008.000.0012.50

Today was my second workout back and first workout with other people in months. It felt great. It was an 8 mile tempo run along the Samammish River Trail in Redmond. The four miles out were at 5:04 and the four miles back -- into the wind -- were 5:15s. Considering how hard 5:22s were for six mile on Wednesday, i was very happy with today's workout. It makes a world of difference running with others.

Brooks ST3 Racer Miles: 9.25Brooks Infinity Miles: 3.25
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From ryan on Sun, Jan 04, 2009 at 16:20:03

nice workout. you seem to run so well and you don't run 100+ mile weeks like some guys try to. keep it up. i am a big believer in quality workouts over quantity.

From Sean Sundwall on Mon, Jan 05, 2009 at 18:14:02

mileage is good but often overrated. Mileage greatly increases the chance of injury because you don't give your body time to rest. Being hurt doesn nothing to improve your times. It about finding the right balance for the individual

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
16.000.000.000.0016.00

10 miles in the morning. We got yet another coating of snow overnight for like the 4000th night in a row. Roads were mostly clear though by the time I ran at 5:30.

6 more miles in the evening.

Pushups after both runs plus some side leg lifts and some crunches.

Brooks Infinity Miles: 16.00
Weight: 150.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

A windy but balmy 53 degrees in Redmond for my late afternoon jog along the eastern shore of Lake Sammamish. The clouds and wind were far more omnious than the rain. Just a few drops.

Did some stretches, push ups and hamstring exercises afterward. This will be a huge focus of my training over then next five months.

Brooks Infinity Miles: 10.00
Weight: 147.00
Comments
From snoqualmie on Wed, Jan 07, 2009 at 09:56:46

If you have a minute, would you share what exercises you do for the hamstrings? Thanks!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.250.000.000.0010.25

Today was supposed to be a speed workout but let's just say I would need an ark to get to the track in Snoqualmie. We've had ridiculous amounts of rain over the last 36 hours and combine that with temps in the low 50s and freezing levels above 7,000 feet and you get massive flooding. In fact, it looks like it will be historic flooding.

I set out with the intention of still trying to do the speed workout but it turned out that every road into town was completely closed. It was really eerie. Peoples homes were under water. Cars from the lower ground lined the streets of the higher ground. People were slogging through 2-3 feet of water to get to higher ground. It was sobering. Here I was in shorts out for a run. 

The weather this winter has been unprecedented in it's warmth, its bitter cold, its rain, its snow and now the flooding. I love 600 higher than the lower part of town but I saw first hand today the sobering reality of mother nature...yet again.

Here is a picture of Snoqualmie Falls two weeks ago during the frigid week of Christmas:

Here it is today just two weeks later:

 Snoqualmie Falls -- Today -- Two weeks after the Previous Picture

This last picture is taken from a one-way bridge in Snoqualmie. The road the water is covering is mile 2 of the 5k and 10k I host in August. Crazy.

 

Brooks Infinity Miles: 10.25
Weight: 146.00
Comments
From jtshad on Thu, Jan 08, 2009 at 08:04:21

Wow, I had heard the flooding was bad but did not realize. Hope you are safe and sound. It is sobering to realize what we take for granted and what basic shelter means to us and to have it taken away like that brings things into perspective.

From Snoqualmie on Thu, Jan 08, 2009 at 10:32:14

Thanks for posting, Sean! Glad I'm on a hill. (Though just a couple of weeks ago -- weekend before xmas w/ 50-75 mph winds -- I wished I was down lower.) I feel just terrible for the folks downtown.

From Dale on Thu, Jan 08, 2009 at 11:33:05

Wow, that pic of the 5K course really makes it real....I remember running on that road! Sobering.

From Lucia on Thu, Jan 08, 2009 at 16:01:51

Wow that looks terrifying! Thanks for posting this, my thoughts are with you and your neighbors!

From MichelleL on Thu, Jan 08, 2009 at 17:52:34

Holy cow! And how did you get in 10 miles, 25 times around a block? You better buy a wetsuit if this keeps up.

From Burt on Thu, Jan 08, 2009 at 18:58:24

I guess we have global warming to blame.

From Sean Sundwall on Fri, Jan 09, 2009 at 12:36:40

After talking to the city, I discovered the 95% of my 10k and 5k courses were completely submerged in water. The only parts that weren't were the two bridges you take to cross the river.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.750.002.000.008.75

Well...today was supposed to be the make-up day for my speed workout missed Wednesday due to flooding. I couldn't run until late afternoon and one rep into the workout, it was raining so hard and it was so cold I called it an afternoon. Later that evening I ran 5 miles but will have to do the workout tomorrow.

Brooks ST3 Racer Miles: 8.75
Weight: 145.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.750.003.000.008.75

Not sure what it is about workouts at the Redmond High School track but I consistently have bowel issues in the middle of workouts. The workout was 3x 400/400/800 in 67/67/2:21 with 2 mins after the 400s and 4 mins reast after the 800. Should have been easier than it was but the issues didn't help any especially on the last rep. I found myself a bit dizzy afterward. I really need to hydrate better even in the cold weather.

Brooks Infinity Miles: 3.75Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 5.00
Weight: 144.50
Comments
From james on Sat, Jan 10, 2009 at 20:41:54

yeah, I'm always forgetting to drink enough in the winter and it comes back to bite me

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
16.000.000.000.0016.00

Today was a fairly sobering run. It was my longest in a while -- 16 miles -- but it was the route that caused me a lot of angst. I ran down Snoqualmie Parkway half way before cutting over to the ole miner's trail on the eastern border of Snoqualmie Ridge. Much of the trail was all mut washed out and will take some work to make it safe again. A mile down the path and I was in lower Snoqualmie which was hit very hard with flooding. There was, fittingly, a steady drizzle falling during the whole run which made it even harder to watch hundreds of people begin the difficult cleanup of their inundated home. By all accounts, this was the worst flood on record for a town that has seen it all. Homes that have never seen flood waters were engulfed this time around.

The flood waters were completely receded today, but the damage was just beginning to be seen. Virtually every house I ran by had what could very well have been the entire collection of furniture, carpet, herilooms, etc, piled high in the driveway waiting to be hauled off to the dump.

There is a wood carver in town who does those large tree-stump sized carvings. This is his living. The flood waters scattered his many wood carvings across a very large field and beyond. Several people were out looking for them. I spotted a few and pointed them out to the guy. It almost brought tears to my eyes.

Two short weeks ago I was complaining to myself about the thrice-daily show shovelings and the 3-4 foot snow drifts at my house. At least my family was warm and safe.

Anyway...this is a running blog, but running today seemed a bit secondary life altering effects of the most recent weather here.

 

Brooks Infinity Miles: 16.00
Weight: 146.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
16.500.000.000.0016.50

A slow 8.25 miles this morning. Planning on doing about the same tonight.

Another 8.25 this evening in a balmy 50 degrees and no rain...finally. I brought my iPod along for only the second time ever. It was kind of nice to have some company.

Brooks Infinity Miles: 16.50
Weight: 151.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.003.000.0012.00

Went the Dempsey Indoor at the UW for a workout with some of the other guys on the team. It's the first time I have worked out there in over a year. It was very nice to be in a wind-free, relatively warm buliding to do a workout. Even better was the fact I got to run with someone, something I rarely am able to do but will be doing with greater frequency. Brett Winegar and I were paired together to do 6x800 with 2:30 rest in between. The target times alternated between 2:21 and 2:18. I'm never very good and the fast-slow repeats as I can't much tell the difference between 2:21 and 2:18 over 800m. My times were 2:20, 2:18, 2:18, 2:17, 2:19, 2:21. I doubt I would have hit these times on my own.

After 5 reps I was ready to call it a night. I was tired and the original workout called for 5-6 800m reps. I wanted to opt for the 5. But my coach encouraged me to do one more and given I was running with Brett, whom I compete against on a regular basis in local races, I didn't want to leave any impression that I was quitting. This was another benefit of running with someone else: Accountability.

Brooks Infinity Miles: 7.00Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 5.00
Weight: 148.00
Comments
From Jon on Wed, Jan 14, 2009 at 14:45:27

Are you guys still having flooding there? Those were some crazy, sobering stories you had last week.

From Sean Sundwall on Wed, Jan 14, 2009 at 18:21:56

The flooding is over. The waters receded more quickly than they rose. However, the cleanup and reconstruction will last weeks and even months in some cases.

From rockness18 on Thu, Jan 15, 2009 at 15:01:07

nice workout!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Easy ten miles along the shore of Lake Sammamish. Cool cloudy day made it feel colder than the 41 degrees showing on a sign I saw. Did a bunch of stretching and some strenghtening exercises as well.

Brooks Infinity Miles: 10.00
Weight: 144.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

A very foggy and cold run this morning. It was boring too. Just had a hard time getting excited about running this morning. What I would do for a daytime run in the sunshine...

Brooks Infinity Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Another morning of very dense fog except this morning it was only 29-30 degrees so the roads were slick in spots which made the leftover gravel on the side of the road from the big snowstorm very helpful.

Brooks Infinity Miles: 10.00
Weight: 145.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.009.000.000.0017.00

I really solid workout this morning. In keeping with my goal of doing more workouts with other people I was able to cajole John Timeus to come up from Kent and run the workout with me this morning. Even one person makes a workd of difference.

The workout was a 9-mile run with the first 6 miles at 5:25, the next two at 5:15 and the final one "all out" hoping for a 5:08.

We finally had some sun but the temp was 29 degrees to start so I decided to wear double gloves, a long sleeve shirt with a fleece pullover and running pants. Not exactly conducive to a fast workout. But I was warm!

I shed the fleece just after mile 1 and had no warmth problems the entire way. I even shed the outer glove layer at mile seven.

We ran the fix six miles on my RR Days 10k course which, except for a bridge crossing, is very flat. There is a turnaround just before mile 4 which accounts for the slowest of the six miles but it's a good course to workout on with very little traffic. First six splits were: 5:28, 5:22, 5:18, 5:28, 5:19, 5:19.

I was feeling pretty strong at this point despite having taken the lead position the whole way. There was no real wind to speak of other than what I was creating myself but it is nice when you can trade off the lead.

We reached the 6-mile mark and ran at basically the same speed back to the start line of the 5k/10k and hit it hard again for the final three miles. The final three splits were 5:17, 5:12, 5:14. I was very happy with the the 5:17 and 5:12 but knew going into the final mile that 5:08 was going to be very improbable. That said, I was perfectly fine with the 5:14 to finish up a strong workout in less then ideal weather and clothing conditions.

I was also very grateful to John for making the 30-minute trip up to run with me.

Brooks Infinity Miles: 5.00Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 147.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
22.000.000.000.0022.00

A beautiful morning. It was breezy but the temperature was a balmy 49 degrees. We are barely above a very strong inversion layer which has Issaquah, a town just 10 miles down the road at 29 degrees and freezing fog this morning. I took advantage of the nice weather and flexible holiday work schedule and ran long this morning. Planning on another 8 tonight which will give me a good jump on breaking 80 miles for the week.

Another eight miles tonight.  

Brooks Infinity Miles: 22.00
Weight: 148.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.003.000.0011.00

Another Tuesday meant another workout at the indoor track at UW. The same track and Kara Goucher ran on over the weekend at an UW invitational.

Workout was 5x1000m @3:00 or better with 2:30 rest in between. Hit 2:57-2:59 each time which was nice and even had a little left over at the end. First time that's happened in a while.

I realized after the third rep that I had forgotten to change into my racing flats. Oh well.  

It was nice once again to work out with others, especially in a relatively warm environment like the indoor track.

Brooks Infinity Miles: 11.00
Weight: 143.50
Comments
From MichelleL on Fri, Jan 23, 2009 at 18:36:15

Hit under your times and juice left over, and wearing heavy shoes? Sounds sweet to me.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.000.000.000.0011.00

A nice run this morning at about 6:40 pace. Faster than I wanted given a solid workout less than 12 hours earlier. Chilly morning but at least we were above the fog.

Brooks Infinity Miles: 11.00
Weight: 142.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.700.000.000.0011.70

A cold and, at times, very foggy run this morning. I need to get better gloves. It even took a while for my toes to get warmed up.

Brooks Infinity Miles: 11.70
Weight: 144.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.250.000.000.0012.25

A cool but beautiful sunny run through Marymoor Park and along the Sammamish River trail. After three days of running in dark and foggy morning weather, a sunny reprieve felt very nice indeed.

Brooks Infinity Miles: 12.25
Weight: 144.00
Comments
From Burt on Fri, Jan 23, 2009 at 18:07:20

I wish I lived closer to some nice trails. Maybe there's some in the San Tan Mts. to the south of me that I don't know about yet. But when I go out my door, nothing but flat flat farm land.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.200.006.000.0018.20

A great ending to a really solid week of training.

35 degrees and a light breeze under beautiful sunny skies. No one to workout with today so I was on my own.  

Workout today was 6M in a 2:2:2 format. Warmed up for 3+ miles before hitting the Mt. Si track. Times to hit were 5:20:5:12:5:04. The 5:20s felt great, as they should. I hit both in 5:18. The 5:12s felt pretty good as I hit them in 5:12 and 5:13. I was admitedly worried about hitting the 5:04s but focused on just getting the first one under my belt and then trying to gut out the last one. First one came in at 5:06. I would have been ecstatic if the final mile would have come in at that. Surprisingly though, through the first two laps I was right on pace at 2:32. Third lap had me a second off at 3:49 and I was definitely tired, but I managed to pull it all together and hit a :73 on the final lap ending the mile in 5:02. I was thrilled if not surprised I had it in me.

Anyway, a great week first time I'm back into the 80s for a few months and I'm feeling strong. I've also lost all of the excess holiday weight and now just have another seven or so to go. Those will be the hardest.

Brooks ST3 Racer Miles: 6.00Brooks Infinity Miles: 8.20
Weight: 145.00
Comments
From Dad on Sun, Jan 25, 2009 at 00:47:19

Way to go, Sean! Hitting 5:02 at the end of your workout! And 80 for the week. Wow! That strength conditioning is paying dividends. Given the success and experience you gained last year, and the goals you've set for yourself for '09, I believe you'll exceed your own expectations.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
23.000.000.000.0023.00

Yikes. It was frigid this morning. 19 degrees when I left the house at 4:30am. One week ago at this time it was over 50 degrees. My plan was to run 14 this morning and then 8 tonight. About three miles in I was contemplating flipping that and doing 8 this morning. I just couldn't get my fingers and hands to warm up despite the double gloves. Once I got to 8 miles I kept saying "just one more" and before I knew it, I was passing 12 which will make this evening's double that much easier. What I would do for a 50-degree run under sunny skies.

Another 10.25 this evening. It was a balmy 28 degrees. Didn't know what to do with myself in such warmth.

Brooks Infinity Miles: 23.00
Weight: 147.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.750.000.004.2512.00

Tuesday workout at the Dempsey Indoor at the UW. Perfect weather in there. :-)

The workout was 5x1200m alternating between 3:39 (73s) and 3:36 (72s). The first one was in 3:39 on the dot. The rest were fast. All 3:34 or better. I was quite happy and I felt strong on every rep. Again, it helps to run with someone else on these even if it was just one person. Going to try and do at least 12 tomorrow and maybe 14 if I can break away long enough.  

Brooks ST3 Racer Miles: 6.50Brooks Infinity Miles: 5.50
Weight: 141.00
Comments
From jefferey on Wed, Jan 28, 2009 at 12:34:48

Can I just say that I hate you! I just ran 5 600's and barely got 6:15 pace on most of them. And you ran 26 miles at 5:30ish pace. You and your kind are beyond Ridiculous. In fact in the thesaurus here is what you are: absurd, antic, bizarre, comic, comical, contemptible, daffy*, derisory, droll, fantastic, farcical, foolheaded, foolish, gelastic, goofy*, grotesque, harebrained*, hilarious, impossible, incredible, jerky*, laughable, ludicrous, nonsensical, nutty*, outrageous, preposterous, risible, sappy*, silly, slaphappy*, unbelievable, wacky*

From wheakory on Wed, Jan 28, 2009 at 15:50:33

Great workout. You do a lot of speed workouts. What motivations to get geared up for them? A lot of times I can't get geared up to do a speed workout.

From air darkhorse on Wed, Jan 28, 2009 at 16:27:52

How much recovery and what pace do you take on those harder intervals?

From Sean Sundwall on Thu, Jan 29, 2009 at 11:59:23

I do two speed workouts per week..one mid week and the other as part of my Saturday long run. Motivations vary but the biggest one is that I love to race and not only are speed workouts kind of like a race (against the clock) they are really the workouts that matter most from the standpoint of improving my times at virtually any distance. A marathon OTQ of 2:19 may very well be out of my reach, but I know that it would be 100% impossible without speed workouts.

As for the recovery, it's been 2:30 between each. Two weeks ago I did 800m repeats with that amount of rest and one week ago I did 1000m repeat with that same rest. Tuesday I did 1200m repeats with 2:30 rest and I presume next week I will do mile repeats with 2:30 rest. So the idea is to increase the distance while holding steady on the rest interval.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

48 degrees and mostly cloudy with a few sunbreaks and a couple of rain dribbles. Almost felt like spring in Seattle.

Ran through Marymoor Park and along the Sammamish River Trail. It's a great blessing to have so many trails and paths nearby.

Brooks Infinity Miles: 12.00
Weight: 140.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

38 degrees and a few sprinkles this morning at 5am. It was slow going this morning -- ~7:00 pace for most of it except for the 5k stretch where I was remeasuring a new course for the St. Patty's Day run I am doing. I must have been in race mode as I unknowingly picked up the pace a smidgen.  

Brooks Infinity Miles: 12.00
Weight: 140.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.006.0016.00

Perfect day for a workout. Upper 40s and sunny around noon. Started with a 4-mile warmup and then hit the track for a 3x2M set with 5 minutes rest in between each two mile repeat. Goal time was 10:10-10:12 for each rep. 

First set was in 10:06. Second was in 10:07 and the final one was in 10:05. I was very pleased with how things went. No one mile segment was slower than 5:05 and I had a couple 5:02s as well. I thought going in that this was going to be a tough one to do alone but I managed just fine. As I write this, it's now rainy and breezy. Glad I didn't wait until Saturday to do the workout. Shoul break ninety for the week.  

 

Brooks ST3 Racer Miles: 12.00Brooks Infinity Miles: 4.00
Weight: 141.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
17.100.000.000.0017.10

A cool but beautifully sunny morning run this morning on Snoqualmie Ridge. Manged to find 17 miles of winding and twisting through the streets and trails. Also finalized my route for the St. Patty's Day run I am hosting here on March 14th.

Broke 90 miles for the first time in several months.

Brooks Trance 8 Miles: 17.10
Weight: 142.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
24.000.000.000.0024.00

A very early 3:20am start this morning and 16 miles. A pretty nice morning. Didn't see a single car until the 1-hour mark. It was the paperboy.

 

8 more this afternoon under beautiful sunny skies. It was almost warm...~53 degrees.

Brooks Infinity Miles: 24.00
Weight: 146.00
Comments
From Jeremy on Mon, Feb 02, 2009 at 19:53:13

You start your days early! Give me some of whatever it is you're taking! Since a bad case of Rhabdomyolosis in college, getting up early has not been easy for me. It has gotten much better though. Anyways, looks like your training is going well right now. Keep it up! I'll be running Newport this May and I'll try and keep up with the lead group as long as I can.

From sam on Tue, Feb 03, 2009 at 10:17:56

amazing!!!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.250.000.003.0012.25

Well...today's workout I had been dreading for a week. I knew they were mile repeats but I didn't know what pace my coach would put me at.

3x1M @4:48-4:50 (72s) w/2:30 rest. Hard. But to make it worse, I couldn't make it to the indoor track tonight to run with the group so I had to do it on my own in the 36 degree sunshine this morning.

If I had been asked to wager money on whether I could have hit the times by myself, I probably would have bet $100 against it happening.

I was down in Auburn for a meeting in the morning so I found the nearest track I could (Kent-Meridian HS) and ran there. The frost from overnight had burned off and the sunshine was bright but the temp was not exactly warm. Fortunately, the breeze was light.

4-mile warmup around the track and then rolled right into the first mile. As always, the first lap was too fast: 70 seconds. As usual, I overcorrected on the second hitting 73. Finshed the first mile in 4:48. I was happy not only because I hit the lower end of the time range, but because I wasn't completely wasted. One very slow lap around the track and a drink of water was what the 2:30 rest got me and I was off for #2. Finished that one in 4:47 and was tired but knew that a final mile in 4:50 was not crazy.

Another very short 2:30 of active rest and mile 3 was underway. First 200 was in 35 seconds...way too fast but I corrected and finished the first lap in 72. Second lap was the hardest of all. One of the challenges of running speed workouts by yourself is that it takes total and constant concentration. There's no one else there to keep you on pace and focused. Lap 2 was evidence of that. It was a 74 putting me two seconds behind with two laps to go. All I wanted to do on lap 3 was make up one of those seconds and not do anything crazy. Lap three was in 71 so I got one of the seconds back. The first 200m of the last lap was in 35. Not sure how I did that because at this point, I was wasted. The final 200 was all about gutting it out which I managed to do finishing in 4:49.

I was very happy with another solid workout. It would have been a challenging one even indoors and with other guys. This was a real confidence booster because now I know I can do it by myself if I need. to.

What is crazy to think about though is the pace I ran my 3x1M intervals at today is the pace the best marathoners run their marathons at. Absolutely insane.

Brooks Infinity Miles: 7.75Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 4.50
Weight: 143.00
Comments
From jefferey on Wed, Feb 04, 2009 at 17:13:35

Nice workout bud! Good to see that you're kicking butt and taking names. Have you set your goals for Newport yet? Anybody else going to join you to see if you can get an Olympic qualify?

From Dale on Fri, Feb 06, 2009 at 03:50:38

Great efffort, Sean. I'm making my reservations for Newport.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
16.200.000.000.0016.20

Six mile this morning under clear skies and 39 degrees. Another 10 this afternoon under mostly sunny skies. It was supposed to be 60 degrees again today, which is why I saved the bulk of my run until the afternoon, but 49 is all we've managed so far.

Brooks Infinity Miles: 16.20
Weight: 145.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

36 degrees and clear skies this morning at 5:15am. Cool but beautiful morning for a run. Slowly but surely the sun is creeping up earlier and earlier.

It felt like it took forever to get moving this morning. First few miles were slower than 7:00 pace but i finally got going halfway through. Today's run marked the retirement of my first pair of Brooks Infinity shoes. They have served me well. Not sure which new pair I will break out tomorrow. The Trance 8s or another pair of Infinitys. Also retired another pair of ST3 racers this week.

Weight: 145.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.000.000.000.0011.00

A more typical winter weather day this morning with temps in the low 40s and drizzle. It actually felt kind of nice. Decided to go with the Trance 8s as my new pair of shoes. Not sure I like them as much as the Infinity.

Brooks Trance 8 Miles: 11.00
Weight: 143.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.750.000.006.0017.75

Great workout today. I waited as long as I could for the weather to warmup. It was 40 degrees when I got started under beautiful blue skies. Four mile warmup before hitting the track for a 3x1.5M interval workout. My coach told me to do a slow:fast:slow @ 7:31:7:27:7:31 with ~4 minutes rest between each repeat.

Hit the first repeat in 7:23 (4:55 pace). Oops. I knew after the first lap I was going to be fast but I felt fine so I kept pushing. Second repeat I commited to taking a bit slower. Hit it in 7:28 which was still fast but slower still. During my two laps of rest I was thinking about doing an extra repeat but wanted to see how the third one went first. Third one felt good all the way through although the last 800m I could begin to feel the muscles burn a bit. But hit 7:24 nonetheless.

I was pretty spent so I didn't commit to a fourth repeat until the second rest lap. There's a lot of mind games that go into these workouts and I was determined to prove to myself that not only could I do these alone but that I could go farther and faster than the workout proscribed.

By the fourth repeat, the wind had gone from calm to 10mph. Didn't prove to be all that big of a deal but it was noticeable. I finished the fourth repeat in 7:28. I was very pleased. There wasn't a single mile that wasn't under 5:00.

I also learned to really love the 1.5M repeat and I think it's is my favorite. I like it because it breaks up into vey manageable chunks which is important for me when I'm working out, esepcially alone. At the 800 mark you have a mile to go. After three laps you are halfway done. At four laps, you have one mile down and just a half to go. These frequent check-in points are helpful.

Grest finish to another strong and long week.

Brooks Trance 8 Miles: 8.75Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 9.00
Weight: 144.00
Comments
From rockness18 on Sat, Feb 07, 2009 at 18:26:17

Sweet workout!

From jtshad on Sat, Feb 07, 2009 at 19:29:12

All I can say is...Wow!

From Dale on Sat, Feb 07, 2009 at 22:55:30

Fabulous workout, Sean! Get ready to say goodbye to 35!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
24.500.000.000.0024.50

Woke up to an inch of snow and heavy snow showers for most of the run. It was beautiful. Hoping to get at least 8 more miles in this evening and maybe even 10.

Almost 10 more this evening. I'm hating my Trance 8s now. They seem so much heavier and more rigid than my Infinity's. I will give them another few days to break in but may switch back tot he Inifinitys.

Brooks Trance 8 Miles: 24.50
Weight: 146.00
Comments
From TylerS on Tue, Feb 10, 2009 at 10:02:45

Great job on getting out in the snow. I woke up this morning to snow and crawled back into bed. I hope to get out and run in the day light. You are hitting some great miles! Are you running a race some time soon?

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.003.7513.75

Tomorrow I turn 36. I felt every bit that old and more tonight at the UW Dempsey Indoor track. After several consecutive awesome workouts, tonight was a real stinker.

The workout was 4x1000m @2:50 (4:33 pace) with 90 seconds rest. Aftet the fourth 1000m, I was to jog 8 minutes before doing 2x600 @1:39 (4:25 pace) with 90 seconds rest and then 2x400m in 65 (4:21 pace) with 90 seconds rest. Let's just say things didn't go so well.

John Timeus and I warmed up together for about 5.5 miles, most of it outside. After stretching and changing into racing flats, we began the workout. I led the first one with the intention of trading off the lead each rep. After the first 200m we were 1 second slow. Not a huge deal except I ended up dropping another second every 200m after that for a finishing time of 2:55. Ugh. And to think I had three more of those. Second one was also in 2:55 and i was stinkin up the joint while John (albeit 11 years my junior) was right on. Getting gapped by five seconds never looked so bad. Third one was getting worse as I was really tired: 2:58. The fourth and final one came in at 2:57 and I was ready to pack it up and go except that would have been the only thing more embarrassing than botching my expected times.

After an 8-minute jog filled with "what the heck happened" we rolled into our 600m repeats. The shorter the distance the worse I am, but 2 laps (it's a 307m track) seemed doable even at sprint speeds (for me).

First one was in 1:42. Ugh. What a day. Second one: 1:43. I was ready to call a cab.

The good news was that I was only 2x400m plus a cool down away from going home and to bed. Oh...the thought of my pillow was searing my brain.

The two 400s came in at 66 and 67...the only two times remotely close to what I was supposed to hit. Keep in mind I have never broken 1:00 in the 400m. So 66 and 67, under the circumstances, were just fine by me. So was the nice 2M cooldown outside to my car.

Feeling old tonight.

 

Brooks Trance 8 Miles: 7.00Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 6.75
Weight: 143.00
Comments
From paul on Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 12:31:31

Jeez, don't feel too bad about it. During my St. George and Trials buildup a couple years ago, 1000m repeats were a bread and butter workout for me. I usually ran 3:05-3:10 range, sometimes slower. I never dreamed of 2:55. That's stinkin' fast.

From jefferey on Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 15:06:42

One man's treasure is another mans garbage. It's all relative. I can only dream of times like that!

From Dale on Thu, Feb 12, 2009 at 01:26:33

Go easy on yourself, Sean. That was a gutsy workout, and you may be pushing yourelf to the edge. I won't tell you, however, to act your age. Try the Ruby Red....take it every day and see if you don't recover quicker.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

Today was one of the hardest mornings in recent memory to get out of bed and go for a run. Normally on Wednesdays I run in the daytime hours to give myself some extra time to recover from my Tuesday evening workouts. But my schedule today is crazy so to get my run in I needed to start at 4:45. The first several miles felt slow and straight uphill which is to be expected. I really didn't enjoy my run until about mile 10.

I had a lot of time to think about last night's workout and after doing some math, I realized the times my coach set out for me were extremely aggressive. Doing repeats of 1000s and 600s at 4:30 pace or better is probably at the very edge, if not beyond the edge of my capability. I have never run the mile, but I think under the most optimal conditions, 4:30 would be a real stretch. I'm also back to running high mileage so I'm probably a bit tired. It probably also didn't help that the very tasty Qdoba burrito from lunch was still churning in my belly. Perhaps these are excuses but I was trying to cut myself a bit of slack after a very frustrating performance last night.

This morning I also unretired my Infinity's for one more morning. I am really hating my Trance 8s and my the new pair of Infinity's I have were upstairs and I was too lazy to get them so I just used my recently retired ones.

Weight: 143.00
Comments
From Harris on Thu, Feb 12, 2009 at 00:35:19

I think you underestimate your abilities. Your speed workouts are insanely fast, esp. your tempo runs. I think you could hit a 4:20-4:25 without too much trouble and could go way under 1:00 for a 400m. If you don't go under 2:20 at Newport, I would be very surprised. But that is just what I have observed from your training lately.

From wheakory on Thu, Feb 12, 2009 at 13:53:18

We all set real high expectations for ourselves in running, and you'll never know unless you try to reach that satisfaction. Your doing your part by training as hard as you can to reach the ultimate peak level that your body can possibly reach. Some of the barriers when can break and some are just unreachable. Good luck on breaking those barriers.

From jtshad on Fri, Feb 13, 2009 at 17:49:26

Happy birthday, young man! Good job getting out early after a hard workout. As much as you are disappointed, those are still amazing repeats.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
14.000.000.000.0014.00

A glorious 14 miles along the East Lake Sammamish Trail. I wore my new pair of Infiniti's and I will never go back to the Trance. Felt really strong.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 14.00
Weight: 144.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
16.000.000.000.0016.00

A chilly but beautiful morning run through the more rural parts of Snoqualmie and North Bend.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 16.00
Weight: 143.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.250.000.003.7516.00

This morning the family and I went down to the Husky Classic, one of the largest and most contested indoor track meets in the country. Rohatinsky looked like an old man in the mile. The winning time in the 3000m was a ridiculous 7:47, a record in that facility.

By the time we got back home and I was able to start my run it was 2:30. I hadn't eaten anything but a bagel all day because I thought I was going to do my workout at the UW.

After a short 2-mile warmup, I jumped into the 3x2000m interval workout. 4 minutes was the rest period. The time to hit was 6:08 (4:56 pace). The first one was 6:07 and I felt fine. 2000m meters is a weird distance.

The second and third reps were in 6:05. On the third rep I apparently fell asleep on the second lap and spent the remaining three laps making up for it. Oh well. I thought about doing an extra repeat but opted instead to pick up the pace a bit for the cool down miles...hanging around 6:20s or so.

 

 

Despite a disappointing Tuesday workout, it was all in all a good week. Highest mileage in many, many months and feeling great.

Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 16.00
Weight: 144.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
14.250.000.000.0014.25

A gorgeous day for a run in Seattle. 52 degrees and clear blue skies. i ran 14 miles along the east side of Lake Sammamish and I did it without a jacket and gloves. It's supposed to be this nice all week.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 14.25
Weight: 146.00
Comments
From jefferey on Tue, Feb 17, 2009 at 11:32:48

You missed out on the ice skating this morning!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
19.100.000.004.4023.50

What a difference a week makes. Last Tuesday my indoor workout was a disaster. This week, things went much better. I met my coach and John Timeus and Uli Steidl for a "Ks" workout: 7x1000m in a fast:slow alternating format with 90 seconds rest. The fast time was 2:57 and the slow time was 3:00.

The four fast ones were all either 2:55 (4:41 pace) or 2:56. The "slow" 3:00 repeats were all in 2:58 or 2:59. So I beat all my times and did it feeling like I had a quite a bit left in the tank. I probably could have done each a couple of seconds faster and done a couple more reps without any trouble.

So last week was simply a stinker workout that everyone has from time to time.

 Ran another 11 tonight. Half way thorough I realized how dehydrated I was from the morning workout. I grabbed some water and that seemed to help.

 

Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 6.50Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 17.00
Weight: 142.00
Comments
From ryan on Wed, Feb 18, 2009 at 17:18:03

you are really hitting some awesome workouts. good luck with your racing this year and stay healthy.

From james on Wed, Feb 18, 2009 at 21:14:31

WOW! That's an amazing workout. If you have a 5k coming up you could be looking at a 14:30! I remember John Timeus from High School he was part of some good Kent Meridian teams I think...and Uli was a councilor at the cross country camp I attended, small world.

From Dale on Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 00:38:01

You are an animal, Sean! I agree with James. I think your sub 15 5k is a given and a sub 31 10k a certainty if you can stay healthy. Dehydration seems to be a recurring nuisance you should be able to fix.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.000.000.000.0011.00

Another gorgeous day in Seattle. 54 degrees and sunshine for my run along the East Lake Sammamish trail. The first three miles I felt really tired and dehydrated and I was getting farther and farther away from water so I turned back and headed toward Marymoor Park where there are water fountains. I felt OK most of the last several miles but I need to drink more water.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 11.00
Weight: 143.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.250.000.000.0013.25

30 degrees and clear skies this morning at around 6am when I began my run. I actually got to finish my morning run in the daylight for the first time in a long time. It was a pretty slow start this morning. First mile took almost 8 minutes anf the next six were in the 7:00-7:05 range. But I'm healthy and feeling pretty strong. I drank a lot of water last night so hopefully I'm getting myself rehydrated.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 13.25
Weight: 143.00
Comments
From jefferey on Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 15:24:49

There is probably no fat left on you to come off hombre. You're stuck in the low 140's. Love the sunshine!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

A chilly 26 degrees this morning but another gorgeous sunrise. Seemed like it took forever to get warmed up and actually getting my legs to move. Shooting for 20-22 tomorrow.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 142.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
19.000.000.004.0023.00

Ate way too much last night but got some good sleep. Another stunning day. 51 degrees at 10:30 when I started my run this morning. That was the good news. The bad news was that the winds were strong...sustained at 20mph with gusts to 35mph. Not exactly ideal for a track workout. I considered going down to the Issaquah or Sammamish tracks but that was 30-40 minutes of driving I didn't want to do. So I just set expectations for a slower than expected workout.

The workout was 4x1M alternating slow/fast -- 4:56/4:53 with 3:30 rest between each interval. With the winds, I kind of figured five seconds slower on each would be acceptable.

But to my surprise, I was able to hit 4:57, 4:54, 4:56, 4:55. I was extremely pleased. My final 200m was in 72 so I ran strong through the end. The wind made things more difficult but it was a huge mental boost to have basically hit my times despite the conditions.

I then headed out for a 13-mile "cooldown." I averaged 6:25s which is quite a bit faster than I would normally do after a hard workout but it felt fine and the bright sunshine made everything a bit easier.

Gearing up to run my first ever indoor 5,000m race at the UW Last Chance Qualifier meet on March 7th. Hopefully there will be several desperate college guys trying to qualify for the NCAA championships. Not only will this be my first indoor 5,000m, but it will be my first 5,000m on a track of any kind. 16+ laps of pure enjoyment. :-)

It's supposed to be much colder and rainy all next week so I had to soak up the sun as much as I could today. First run of 20+ miles in probably 5 or so months. Felt really good. I got to remind myself of how terrible Gu tastes. Ick.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 17.00
Weight: 144.00
Comments
From Nevels on Sat, Feb 21, 2009 at 23:40:16

Solid workout, and I agree with you about the Gu.

From Dale on Sun, Feb 22, 2009 at 01:07:05

Sensational week, Sean! Best of luck at the 5000 invitational next Saturday. What time and where is the race?

From Sean Sundwall on Sun, Feb 22, 2009 at 11:38:51

The race is at the Dempsey Indoor facility at the UW right next to Husky stadium.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
24.250.000.000.0024.25

Snuck in 13+ this morning before my flight to SFO. Looking forward to a nice run this evening along the Embarcadero.

A very enjoyable 11 miles along the Embarcadero. It was dark by the end and it started to rain but it was pretty warm so it actually felt good.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 13.25
Weight: 145.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.250.000.000.0012.25

You know you are spoiled when it's raining outside and 48 degrees and you wimp out and get on the treadmill. Well, that lasted about a 1/4 mile and then I couldn't stand it anymore and braved the elements. I was supposed to do a speed/hill workout, but two hours on a plane and nasty weather made me think otherwise. It was hard enough just running easy miles today after enjoying more than a week of gorgeous sunny, rain-free weather last week.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 12.25
Weight: 143.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.200.004.000.0015.20

I felt like a postal worker today. Neither sleet, nor rain, nor wind, nor hail, nor snow could keep me from my workout today. All of the above were part of my 15-mile adventure this afternoon in what turned out to be miserable weather.

The workout was a 3M tempo run @ 5:09s followed by a 10-15 minute jog followed by 7x one-minute hills with 2:30 rest between hills. It was a good workout. It had been a while since I did hills. The 2:30 rest was probably overkill.

Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 13.20Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 2.00
Weight: 142.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

Man things felt slow this morning. They weren't really but they felt slow. Woke up this morning at 5 to run but the roads looked slick so I waited until after I dropped my daughter off at school. 31 degrees and snowing for the first half of the run. It was pretty as I ran the backroads of Snoqualmie and North Bend.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 144.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
14.750.000.000.0014.75

A stunningly gorgeous afternoon in Seattle. Not a cloud in the sky and 50 degrees. I love the sunshine. Ran from work through Marymoor Park along the Sammamish River trail all the way to Redhook Brewery which is where the Super Jock and Jill half marathon starts and finishes. Lots of people out enjoying the nice weather. One more nice day and then back to the rain.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 14.75
Weight: 143.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
17.500.000.004.5022.00

It was very windy today on the Ridge so I went to Sammamish to the Eastlake HS track. Unfortunately, it wasn't much better there. The workout was 6x1200M slow/fast @ 3:39/3:36 with 2:30 rest. I hit 3:37, 3:37, 3:38, 3:37, 3:37, 3:39. So I hit the times but it was tougher going today than I had hoped. I just didn't have quite the energy I had hoped for.

After the workout I left the track and ran another 13...just enough to break 100 for the first time in months. There's no substantive difference between 96 miles and 100 but 100 just sounds cool.

Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 6.50Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 15.50
Weight: 144.00
Comments
From Little Bad Legs on Sat, Feb 28, 2009 at 15:43:20 from 68.186.96.165

100 miles--impressive! Great week of training.

From dave holt on Sun, Mar 01, 2009 at 17:57:43 from 75.169.71.32

Plus it is nice to have someone so fast hit 100 for us that aren't as fast; then we can justify it!

Keep it up Sean.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
20.200.000.000.0020.20

10 miler this morning through marymoor park and along the Sammamish River Trail. The first 1/2 mile was sunny and warm. The next nine were in a pouring down rain squall but still warm. Last half mile was warm and sunny. We must be getting close to spring.

Evening run was at home. Avoided the rain.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 20.20
Weight: 145.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.500.000.003.5011.00

Well...today was humbling. I worked out at the Dempsey Indoor with three of the four fastest guys in the state today: Uli Steidl, John Timeus and Mike Sayenko. Man they are fast.

The workout we did was particularly challenging: 2000m w/3:00 rest, 1600m w/3:00 rest, 1200m w/2:00 rest, 800m w/2:00 rest. Their goal was to run each set starting at 70 second laps dropping one second per 400m with each cutdown in distance. So 70s for the 2000m, 69s for the 1600m and so on. In other words...fast.

I knew going in that I would need to add a couple of second to that which is what I did. I did the 2000m in 5:58 (4:48 pace); the 1600m in 4:43 (4:44 pace); the 1200m in 3:33 (4:45 pace) and the 800 in 2:20 (4:41 pace).

I was wasted at the end. Hopefully not too wasted to recover in time for my 5,000m race at the same location on Saturday. I am admittedly doubtful that breaking 15:00 is doable but we shall see.

Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 5.00Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 144.00
Comments
From johnr on Tue, Mar 03, 2009 at 22:45:53 from 71.209.18.184

Sean - That's an impressive workout, especially the 2k segment. To be able to do that at 15:00 5k pace would indicate 15:00 would be possible.

Keep up the great training.

John Ruprecht

From TylerS on Wed, Mar 04, 2009 at 00:38:30 from 66.119.143.249

Wow that is awesome! I can't even imagine my legs moving that fast! I would love to watch a workout like that. Awesome job, I enjoy reading your workouts.

From air darkhorse on Wed, Mar 04, 2009 at 17:24:12 from 65.100.192.2

Sean, Have you thought about giving yourself a shorter easier day before your track workout and then running your long run the next day. I think you could get more benefit out of your schedule overall. Just a suggestion..

From Dale on Wed, Mar 04, 2009 at 23:53:19 from 98.247.227.24

You are going to surprize a few on Saturday...even yourself, Sean. Your heart will carry you to the finish line. I'll be there to witness, and believe a PR will be the reward. You're an inspiration to many, proving the worth of hard work. Taking the Ruby Reds will quicken your recovery, I promise!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

12 slower than normal miles this morning in cool but dry weather. First mile was in 8:15 or so and I didn't get below seven until the final 6 miles. My glute is showing signs of flaring up to I'm taking an extra long time to warm up especially when running early in the morning. Going to see the PT today. My left quad is also tender and I'm not sure why.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 144.00
Comments
From Dale on Thu, Mar 05, 2009 at 00:50:02 from 98.247.227.24

Ice, heat, ibuprofen (800 mg 3X/day with food), and back-off for a day. Ruby Reds 2X/day for a couple of days. There...free professional advice.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Woke up to snow this morning so waited until lunch to run. Nice easy run along Lake Sammamish. A cool 40 degrees but the rain had stopped. Saw the PT last night as I feel like I'm on the brink of another glute injury like this time last year. Someday I will learn that hitting 100 miles is bad news for me. This week was going to be a shorter week anyway because of my 5,000m run at the UW on Saturday but I will probably stay in the mid-80s for the rest of the season. The fewer10-15 miles will allow me more time to do the stretching and strength work I need to do to stay free of injury. 100+ mile weeks mean nothing if you get injured doing it.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 140.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.250.000.000.005.25

Just a few miles this afternoon in prep for my 5000m race tomorrow at the UW. Gorgeous weather today. I went to the Redmond HS track to try out my spikes as I'm contemplating whether or not to use them or my racing flats. The first couple of laps they felt weird but I got used to them. I will probably go with them as I will need every bit of help I can get.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 3.00
Weight: 140.00
Race: UW Last Chance Indoor Meet (3.11 Miles) 00:14:49, Place overall: 9
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.003.109.10

I was pretty nervous going into today and not exactly confident of meeting my goal of sub-15 minute 5000m.

The UW hosted a "Last Chance" meet to help mostly local collegiates qualify for next weeks indoor NCAA championships.

The Dempsey Indoor is a wonderful facility. 307 meters of fast track and temperate climate. I decided to go with the spikes and I am glad I did.

Warmed up for a couple miles outside with some other guys from the race. It's great to see people you know but don't get a chance to train with much. There were about 15 or so in the race. They stacked us two deep in a waterfall start. The start was 88 meters from the finish line so once we got to the finish line it was 16 laps from there. 1/4 mile splits were given but I had already committed to tracking my own splits after each lap (307 meters). I wanted to be right around 54 seconds per lap which would be 14:45.

Here are my split times:

53.91
55.2
54.13
54.7
55.78
54.03
54
55.03
55.77
54.6
55.53
54.85
55
54.77
2:02.0

I missed the last two so the 2:02 was for the final 702 meters which was 4:39 pace.

So I was very pleased with my consistency. I didn't get caught up in anyone else's race but my own. The lead pack went out fast from the get go which was fine with me. I wasn't there for place, I was there for time. Fortunately, there was a pack of 4-5 of us that hung together for most of the race. I wanted to make a move with about 6 laps to go but waited until four laps to go. This turned out to be a mistake of sorts and I had quite a bit left in the tank at the end. Experience is huge in these races and I don't have any. It's only my second race at this distance and first ever on a track of any sort. 15:35 was my PR on the road so I can be nothing but excited about how things went today.

That said, there is always something to learn. I feel like I could have pretty easily shaved another second per lap off of my time. I never at any point went anaerobic in the race which was also a mistake. On the final lap I really didn't have anyone pushing me from behind or pulling me from ahead so I was all alone which makes it hard to really put in a good kick at the end.

The indoor season is now over but I hope to do more of it next year. I really think I have a decent shot at 14:30. I'm pretty excited for the 10,000m I will run next month in Bellingham with another good pack of guys to run with. Hoping to break 31:00 there.  

 

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 5.50
Weight: 144.00
Comments
From ArmyRunner on Sat, Mar 07, 2009 at 19:34:59 from 66.7.118.166

Awesome race Sean. Like you said your first race ever on a track of any kind and you had a lot left in the tank. I think this shows a sub 14:30 on an outdoor track capability pretty easy. It will be fun to see how you do in the outdoor 10K track race. Based on McMillan running calculator a 14:30 translates to a 30:07 and your 14:49 translates to a 30:47. So I think your goal of sub 31:00 is well within reach and even a bit on the conservative side. If you have a really good day a sub 30:00 is not out of the question. Great job!

From Twinkies on Sat, Mar 07, 2009 at 19:42:00 from 207.155.176.10

Great race. That is a killer fast 5K.

From ryan on Sat, Mar 07, 2009 at 19:53:19 from 71.213.70.65

Yes, great job sean. keep it up, stay healthy and good luck. you are running great right now.

From Burt on Sat, Mar 07, 2009 at 22:46:55 from 98.167.151.26

Geez, Sean. I am dreaming of a sub 20 5k, and you just broke the 15 barrier. Way to go!

From Dale on Sun, Mar 08, 2009 at 00:40:53 from 98.247.227.24

Watching you race today brought back memories of some of your best races in HS - esp. the Twilight Classic. Remember that? You actually ran virtually alone for the last 2+ laps today, pulling away from the pack. I agree with the breakdown by ArmyRunner. If you can avoid injury, and continue your great training, you'll be very pleased with the results next month in Bellingham. Not too bad for an "old guy". Hey, get started on the Ruby Reds!

From paul on Sun, Mar 08, 2009 at 00:44:18 from 71.149.249.6

That's an excellent indoor time, not to mention a huge PR. Congrats. You are really positioning yourself for a huge marathon, and that OTQ at Newport is looking more and more realistic. You definitely are developing the tools to do it. It's very fun watching your development as a runner, which is odd to say, since you're in your mid-30s, but yet only starting to hit your progression. Lots of good stuff ahead for you.

From josse on Sun, Mar 08, 2009 at 17:23:57 from 70.193.135.141

WOW that is super impressive. Great job, I'm with Paul, it is fun to watch you progress. Good luck in the future.

From Snoqualmie on Mon, Mar 09, 2009 at 11:04:32 from 67.171.56.164

Congratulations, Sean. 14:49, amazing!

From ben on Wed, Mar 18, 2009 at 19:24:20 from 71.219.132.40

You're crazy!

From Burt on Wed, Mar 18, 2009 at 19:28:58 from 68.76.197.194

Crazy fast.

From Sasha Pachev on Mon, Apr 27, 2009 at 14:22:27 from 64.81.245.109

Congratulations! You are past the OTQ standard on speed/Quality X now. From this point it is just a matter of technical execution to take that speed to the marathon.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.000.000.000.0011.00

11 easy miles this morning. Pretty cold here. Heading to SoCal for an overnight business trip after my Tuesday workout tomorrow.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 11.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.004.000.0014.00

I was going to do my workout here in Snoqualmie prior to departing for my business trip to LA but the weather was so cold here I took an earlier flight so I could enjoy the warmth of SoCal. With the help of Google Maps, I was able to quickly find a high school track within a half mile of my hotel in Santa Monica. School was still in session so i had an abnormally long 7-mile warmup before I was able to get on the track. The workout was 3M@5:03-5:05 followed my a one-minute rest then one mile at 4:56. I was 1/2 mile from the beach so the onshore winds were definitely noticeable but I was able to hit each of the three miles at 5:02 despite fairly breezy conditions. The 65 degree temps really felt nice as we've spent the last few days in an icebox in Seattle. Finshed up with a nice cooldown along the beach.

Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 14.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.000.000.000.0013.00

13 wonderful miles in SoCal this morning in Santa Monica. I opted for the quiet city streets rather than than the boardwalk. It's hilarious to see other runners bundles up on hats and coats and complaining about how cold 50 degrees is.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 13.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.500.000.000.0011.50

Only time for 11.5 miles after dropping my daughter off at school this morning. I'm hosting a 5k fun run in Snoqualmie on Saturday so my time is all tied up in that right now. Beautiful morning albeit quite cold.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 11.50
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.000.004.000.0015.00

Back in Seattle and it's warmed up a bit. I moved my workout from Saturday to today to ensure I got a solid workout in prior to the race I am organizing tomorrow. The workout was a bit of a different one than I am used to. My coach had me put in 9 miles of easy running (6:40-6:45 pace) before jumping into a 2x2M workout. The prescribed time was 10:15 for each with a 1/2 mile float in between. It was pretty breezy and warm ahead of an unfortunately cold and rainy weather system coming tomorrow. But I'm certianly used to a little wind. The first rep was in 10:13 and the second was in 10:12. Didn't have to strain too much and finished the workout without feeling wiped out.

Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 6.00Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 5.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

An exhausting 12 miles today. I got exactly 75 minutes of sleep overnight. Today I hosted the 1st annual St. Patty's Day Run in Snoqualmie and so I was up very late and up very early this morning preparing for that. Not sure exactly how I managed even 12 miles, especially in the cold, driving rain.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.000.000.000.0011.00

11 miles along the shore of Lake Sammmamish. It poured for the last two miles. Temp dropped five degrees during the run. Can't wait for Spring.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 11.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
20.250.000.000.0020.25

Had to return all of the barricades and cones early this morning before work which meant an early 4:45 start to a 9.25 mile run. It was raining for the first half and then the snow just dumped. I haven't seen flakes this big in a long time. When I got back I was very cold and soggy. When I got back outside after getting ready. the roads were coated with snow so at least I beat out the traction problems. Did I mention I am ready for Spring?

Another 11 miles this afternoon along Lake Sammamish. Quite a different gig from this morning. 50 degrees and some sunshine poking through the clouds. Not ready to delcare it Spring yet.

 

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 9.25Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 11.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.750.000.003.0011.75

Well today was a comedy of errors. I went to Redmond HS to do my track workout out and as I was getting dressed realized I forgot my racing flats which I always run my speed workouts in.

To make matters worse, I forgot socks as well. I have never run without socks. i know many do, but not me. I thought about waiting until I got home to run but the rain and wind were on their way so i wanted to get it done. As I laced up my shoes (without socks) I noticed a pair of my son's socks under my seat.

I tried them on and they were just big enough to creep over my heel. Not great but better than nothing.

The workout was short but tough, especially since my efforts to avoid the wind did not work out so well.

2x1.5M@7:20 (4:52 pace)with a 3 minute rest in between.

First one came in at 5:22. Not bad all things considered but I was pretty spent. the wind was coming down the straightaway rather than the turn whic I hate. Oh well. 3 minutes of jogging later, I was back for the second and final repeat. First 800 I was 5 seconds slow. Ugh. But I hung in there and finished in 7:27 which means I held on to the correct pace for the final four laps. Small victories.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 11.75
Weight: 142.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

Lovely run along Lake Sammamish. Spent a lot of time this week on gravel which has been good. Got a massage tonight which really helped. It's something I will be doing weekly now.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 142.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Out and back along Lake Sammamish. Went out on the gravel then back along East Lake Sammamish Pkwy. I think I was moving faster than traffic.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 145.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
16.509.000.000.0025.50

A beautiful day in the Northwest. We've earned it. Sunny skies and about 50 degrees.

Workout today was a "cutdown." I forgot how hard cutdowns can be.

It was a 9-mile cutdown in a 6:2:1 format. 6 miles @ 5:30; 2 miles @ 5:15 and the final mile in 5:06. I used my 10k and 5k courses to do them on rather than use the track. 36 laps would have been pretty boring.

First 6 came in at 5:29, 5:20, 5:26, 5:28, 5:26, 5:25. So fairly steady considering I was on the roads and not the track.

Next two were in 5:17 and 5:11. Last one was in 5:08. Pretty happy with the workout although cutdowns are always harder than they appear on paper.

Finshed up with a 13+ mile "cooldown" mapping out a 1/2 marathon course for a run I will put on next April.

Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 25.50
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From snoqualmie on Mon, Mar 23, 2009 at 10:59:04 from 67.171.56.164

So not a Railroad Days 1/2? Or both? That is an exciting thing to be planning! :)

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.750.000.000.0010.75

Short run this morning after dropping my daughter off at school. Headed to SF tomorrow for the rest of the week. looking forward to some nicer weather.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 10.75
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.500.000.004.5014.00

Arrived in beautiful sunny SF this morning and ran from the hotel to Embarcadero down to the GG bridge. Since i didn't have access to a track, i did a fartlek workout. 5:30 hard followed by 3:00 light; repeated 4x.

According to my watch, the two "outs" into the wind toward GG bridge I covered 1.1 and 1.09 miles. The "backs" away from GG covered 1.13 and 1.1. That tranlates into 5:01, 4:52, 5:04 and 5:01 paces. I was hoping for sub 5s but oh well. The beautiful weather made up for it.

Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 14.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

12 glorious miles along the embarcadero from my hotel to the GG Bridge. I think I am going to stay here until it stops raining in Seattle....

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From jefferey on Wed, Mar 25, 2009 at 18:54:04 from 71.35.175.87

Ummmm.....you mean snowing? North bend got 4 inches in some places. What happened to global warming?

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
14.250.000.000.0014.25

Another gorgeous run along the embarcadero. Went all the way to the GG Bridge. Just perfect weather here. 50 degree and sunny ay 7am.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 14.25
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
16.250.000.000.0016.25

Today was easily one of my top 3 runs of all time. I ran from my hotel across the Golden Gate Bridge and back. Just over 16 miles. The view from the bridge as the sun was rising was unbelievable. At the apex, you are almost a football field above the ocean and you can see for miles in all directions. On the way back, I stopped about halfway acros and just enjoyed the ocean breeze looking out over one of the most beautiful skylines around.

Back to the rain this evening.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 16.25
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From rockness18 on Sat, Mar 28, 2009 at 21:38:23 from 75.16.162.226

I've only done the drive. I hope to have the privilege of running it some day as well. Wow!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
14.000.006.000.0020.00

A yucky rainy and cold morning in Snoqualmie. Fortunately the wind was calm or it would have made a yucky day into an unbearable one.

The workout was a marathon focused one: Run 12 easy miles (6:45s or so) and then jump right into a 3x2M interval workout with a 1/2 mile float in between each. Target time for the 2-mile segments was 10:20.

I didn't feel all that great during the 12 miles. Several days enjoying the food of San Francisco left me feeling pretty heavy and bloated. Plus I was soaking wet and pretty cold.

The first two mile segment came in at 10:13 as did the second. Everything felt pretty comfortable. The final repeat was in 10:06. I decided to run that one a bit harder just because. A really solid workout heading into my rest day tomorrow.

Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 8.00Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
14.000.000.000.0014.00

Still feeling very heavy and bloated. 14 miles along Lake Samammish. A few light rain drops but no complaints here.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 14.00
Weight: 147.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.500.005.000.0013.50

I was planning on my mid-week speed workout to be on Wednesday, but with the weather forecast for Wednesday being what it is, I thought I better sneak it in today. I managed to beat the nasty weather by about 30 minutes. Calm winds, cloudy skies and relatively mild at 52. Degrees. 30 minutes after my workout, it was 34 degrees and snowing at my house. I'm so done, but at least I managed to get my workout in prior to that mess.

The workout was 8x1000m. These are always tough. The target was to alternate between 3:03s and 3:06s with 90 seconds rest. My times wound up being:

3:04; 3:02; 3:04; 3:02; 3:02; 3:03; 3:04; 3:02. The 7th one was the hardest as the lactic acid built up and the fact that I hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast was catching up to me.

Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 10.00Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 3.50
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From TylerS on Wed, Apr 01, 2009 at 22:45:48 from 66.119.143.249

Wow that is a hard workout. My goal for 1000m is 3:30, and that is very hard. Awesome job, glad you snuck the workout in.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

12 wet, freezing miles along the Sammamish River. Glad I did the workout yesterday.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 142.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
16.750.000.000.0016.75

Another cold, soggy run...this time in the early morning hours. First dark morning run I've had in a couple weeks. Nice to see it's getting lighter sooner.

6.75 more this evening with my daughter riding along side. Miserable weather again but great to have my daughter along.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 16.75
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

Finally!!! A sunny, reasonably mild (50 degrees) run. Man the sun feels good. The sun makes the run along Lake Sammamish even prettier. Gorgeous weekend ahead.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Snoqualmie on Fri, Apr 03, 2009 at 20:00:38 from 67.171.56.164

You lucky duck! It wasn't so mild this morning! Well that's ok - I'm going to get my spring run this weekend. :D

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.750.004.001.5018.25

A chilly start to a beautiful morning. Had to get my workout in early today but by the end, my gloves, hat and coat were all off. 3.5 mile warmup followed by 4M at 5:10. Hit them all and the last one was in 5:06. Then a 15 minute jog before jumping into 6x1:00 hills with 2:30 rest in between. So I picked the steepest part of the Snoqualmie Parkway and hit it hard. The another several miles afterward. Just a gorgeous day. Finally.  

Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 18.25
Weight: 142.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
20.000.000.000.0020.00

A.M. Still chilly enough this morning that I needed long sleeves and gloves but it was just beautiful as the sun rose to crystal clear blue skies. Looking forward to a warm run this afternoon. Got in 11 this morning.

P.M. Had to take my son to baseball practice so I ran another 9 under sunny skies and 74 degrees. Oh...I can't even describe how good the warmth felt.

One more warm one tomorrow before a couple of rainy days. But its supposed to be OK weather for my first 10,000m track race at the Western washington University Invitational on Friday. Running 25 laps under the lights at 9pm. It should be fun.

 

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 20.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Burt on Mon, Apr 06, 2009 at 22:08:21 from 68.76.197.194

Good luck!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.004.000.0012.00

One more workout today before the 10,000m race in Bellingham on Friday. 6x1000m with 90 seconds rest. Goal was to alternate between 3:00-3:03. I hit :00, :00, :01, :00, :01, and :02. I planned very poorly hydration wise. It was fairly warm (70 degrees) and by the time I was done with this relatively short workout, I was as salty and a Salt Lake salt flat. I need to pay more attention to that especially as we finally head into warmer weather. My coach suggested taking tomorrow completely off and then maybe 4-6 on Thursday before the race on Friday.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 7.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Rest day. Weird

Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.005.00

5 easy miles this morning around the neighborhood in prep for tomorrow evening's race. 5 miles in two days. Weird. Just retired my Inifinitys. On to a new pair.

Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 5.00
Weight: 0.00
Race: WWU Ralph Vernaccia Invitational (6.21 Miles) 00:30:58, Place overall: 1, Place in age division: 1
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.000.006.210.0010.21

What a difference two seconds makes. This evening I achieved my second of four goals I have for the year...I ran a sub 31:00 10,000m in a time of 30:58. How heartbreaking 31:01 would have been. But I was not to be denied.

[Full results here: http://wwuvikings.cstv.com/sports/c-track/stats/041109aaa.html]

The race was supposed to start at 9:15pm but was delayed until 9:45pm which made a late evening even later. It wasn't a big deal for me but my parents came to watch as did my wife and kids so it was pretty late for them.

The weather was simply perfect. 48-50 degrees. No wind and occasional light drizzle although by race time I think it had stopped.

There were about 15 people in the race. Western Washington University hosted the race in Bellingham. It is a D-II school and some of the other schools were CCs. So the competition wasn't top notch. The meet record for the event was 32:30 or something around there.

When I signed up to do the race a month ago, there were supposed to be five of us running it all with the goal of breaking 31:00. But three had to bail out so it was just me and Steve DeKoker, a WWU alum who also happens to run Brooks’ awesome Brooks ID program...something many on this board should check out. Great discounts and some get free gear and shoes.

Steve and I agreed on a strategy during our warm up. We would switch off the lead every four laps and just try and hit 74s the whole way. Unfortunately, we got stuck in the second row of the waterfall start. In hindsight, it would have been better to be way out in lane 8. The first 150 meters Steve and I were totally boxed. Just before the 200 meter mark, I found a small hole and went for it…just in time to see that the first 200 was in 40 seconds…WAY too slow. It should have been in the 37 range. By the 300m mark Steve had made it out of the pack and took over the lead as we had planned. Lap 1 was slow (76 seconds) but not as bad as it could have been. I didn’t get too uptight about it. Frankly, running a 76 was better than coming out in a 71.

By the 800 meter mark, the race was over in terms of place. Steve and I had gapped everyone and it was pretty clear that we would finish ahead of everyone. But neither of us was there to place. We wanted sub 31:00. The first 1600 came quickly (4:57) and right on pace. I took over the lead from Steve and led the next four laps which went smoothly but somehow a bit slower than we wanted (5:01). I’m not sure what happened because I felt great and was having no issues at all. Oh well. Steve then took over for his second set of four laps which we covered in 5:00 flat…still a second or two slower. I was back in the lead and carried us through the 5k mark, which is when I began to get a bit worried. We crossed the 5k mark at 15:38. Eight seconds over pace is manageable but not a gimme, especially with the hardest (at least mentally) part of the race yet to come. My goal at that point was to try and make up one second each lap. Mission accomplished as we crossed the 6400 mark (9 laps to go) in 4:56. That was more like it. We picked up three of the eight seconds with nine laps to go. Then another bit of bad news…Steve began having GI issues and told me he was going to back off and couldn’t take over the lead for his third and final segment. Ugh. Steve is 6’4”. I am 5’8” with shoes on. I really enjoyed drafting behind him. Oh well. So with nine laps to go, I knew I was on my own in a race I had never competed in before and still five or so seconds over pace. First lap all on my own (#19) was in 74. OK, but I needed a few 73s or even a 72 to get back on pace. 20th lap (the 8k mark) went a little better in 73 crossing the 8k mark in 24:48, shattering my previous 8k PR of 25:03. That turned out to be a pretty huge confidence booster that I really needed with 5 laps to go. I was really starting to hurt and have some doubts as I was doing fuzzy math in my head about what it was going to take to reach my goal. Lap 21 came in at 75. Not good. The first two hundred of this lap was in 37, the worst split I had had all race at the 200m mark so I knew the lap was going to be slow. So with four laps to go, I had given back another second. Ugh. But lap 22 I found some strength somewhere and pulled in a 74 with the cumulative clock at 27:07. So I needed to cover 1200m in 3:52 or better. Lap 23 was perhaps the most difficult. My sub 31:00 was still in jeopardy and I was running out of gas and had no help. I had lapped several people throughout the race and that serves as some motivation and help but nothing like having a 6’4” wind shield. Despite how hard lap 23 felt, I managed a 73. This was HUGE. With two laps to go, I was sitting at 28:30. In other words, I need a 2:29 final 800m to reach my goal. I knew I could do this. I began to pick it up a bit in Lap 24. I consciously made the decision to not leave any work undone for the final lap. So I kicked it up a notch. It turned out to be a smart move. Lap 24 was a 72, just the second 72 I had all race. With one lap to go, the clock read 29:46. I still needed a 73 to get the job done and that was no gimme. The first 200m of the final lap was in a “blistering” :35. With 200 to go, I simply needed a :38 to break 31:00. With 100 to go, I could see the clock and just gave it everything I had. I crossed the finish line in 30:58…barely a second to spare. I was so thrilled. I think my dad may have been even happier. He was there at the finish to congratulate me which meant a lot.

As it turns out, the time was a meet record.

Some have said the 5000 meters is the most grueling distance. Maybe. But I found the 10,000 and its 25 sometimes monotonous laps to be pretty grueling.

One more thing about running in a pack. There are definitely very real and measureable physical benefits to running with a group at any distance. But there is a mental benefit that is every bit as meaningful. The key to any distance race is being able to break the race up into sections whether its miles, laps or even minutes. The 10,000 meters became much more mentally manageable to me because Steve and I broke it up into 1600m segments. There was something very powerful in trading the lead every four laps that really made the race one of segments not simply a 25-lap race.

So what can I improve on to do even better next time...:

  • Lapping -- one of the challenges of such a long race around a track (unless you are running at something like a Stanford Invite) is you are inevitably going to lap people. My coach's estimate was that I lapped 25-30 people over the course of 25 laps. Unfortunately, many of those occured in the turns. I tried to avoid running in Lane 2 as much as possible but I spent more time there than I would have liked. Not sure what there is to do about that but it was a small factor.
  • Faster front half. Only after thinking about my times more yesterday did I realize the huge differential in the 5k splits. 15:38 for the front half and 15:20 for the back half. A negative split isn't necessarily all that bad but one of 18 seconds is a bit much. Next time, I will go out in 15:20-25 and then try and hold that for the second half. It was my first 10,000m so I didn't want to do anything silly on the front half that would cost me later, but now with one under my belt, speeding up from the front 5k would be my first place to look to bring down my time.
  • Bigger Pack -- I outlined above the benefits of a pack. Laws of physics support this and real-life experience validates it. If I run a track 10k again, I will make sure it's at a meet where there is a larger group of guys to do what Steve and I did, but do it for the entire race. Losing Steve with 9 laps to go was noticeable and it could have only helped to have had someone else to trade off with for those final 9 laps.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 4.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From ryan on Sun, Apr 12, 2009 at 01:07:59 from 71.213.75.222

great race. you deserve it. your hard work is paying off. i always enjoy your race reports. keep up the good training.

From Steve P on Sun, Apr 12, 2009 at 02:40:08 from 66.60.123.236

Great race! Way to stick with your goal through the end. Nice report.

From Dale on Sun, Apr 12, 2009 at 02:41:12 from 198.36.177.15

Outstanding race, Sean. Yeah, I was really happy for you, and wouldn't have missed that race for anything. It took me back to your Roseberg Twilight Classic so many years ago. Your dedication to your training, and the workouts with your training buddies is a definite plus. But as you've convincingly demonstrated in the Newport Marathon last year, and again last night, your greatest strength is your ability to stay on pace when you don't have a pack to share the load with....and that has to be a huge confidence builder. You gain tremendous valuable experience with every race and are progressing at a logarithmic rate. I'm happy for and exceedingly proud of you.

From Burt on Sun, Apr 12, 2009 at 05:15:04 from 98.167.151.26

That's awesome. My favorite part was the fuzzy math.

From James W on Sun, Apr 12, 2009 at 10:53:25 from 70.190.199.29

Congratulations on the 10,000 PR. I really enjoyed reading your incredibly detailed race report.

From johnr on Sun, Apr 12, 2009 at 19:24:08 from 75.174.127.55

Congrats on a nice PR and a mentally strong race. You are on a roll lately - can't wait to see what Newport brings.

From paul on Sun, Apr 12, 2009 at 19:49:31 from 75.162.205.90

Awesome job. I agree, the track 10K is the most grueling event. I think the only even that comes close in terms of pain is the 1500m.

I just noticed that you are signed up for the Indy Mini. I'll be running there as well. I don't think I'll be in sub-1:08 shape, but maybe we can run a few miles together anyway. In any case, it will be nice to see you there.

From Sean Sundwall on Sun, Apr 12, 2009 at 23:48:52 from 24.16.6.48

Paul...great to hear you are back in racing shape. I'm excited about Indy because the competition should be very deep. With reasonable weather, I think I can reach my goal.

From paul on Mon, Apr 13, 2009 at 07:41:58 from 75.162.205.90

Well, racing shape is relative, but I'll do my best. I'm looking forward to Indy as well. My parents have been bugging me for years to do it, so this year I finally planned my annual family trip to Indiana during the same weekend of the race. It should certainly be deep, although since they discontinued their elite program and no longer offer free travel, perhaps we will see fewer Kenyans. But the prize money is still large and deep enough that there will be plenty of 1:05-1:10 people.

From Snoqualmie on Mon, Apr 13, 2009 at 13:02:36 from 67.171.56.164

Congratulations, Sean!! You are such a superstar. I loved reading the race report - so exciting! You really found that extra gear. I'm so happy for you.

From Jon on Mon, Apr 13, 2009 at 15:00:08 from 138.64.2.76

Congrats- that is an amazing time and well deserved.

As for your 3 things to improve- if you can find a track meet with number 3 (bigger pack) and fewer slow runners, number 1 should disappear. Or find a road 10k with no laps.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
16.000.000.000.0016.00

Today was a very hard day to get out of bed and run. I needed to get an early start because we had family plans the rest of the day. So I took off at 6:30 for a beautiful run along the seashore near Blaine, WA where we stayed the night at Semiahmoo Resort. First mile was in 9:00. Second was something like 8:30. I was very tight and sore from the race just 8 hours prior. But everything loosened up and I managed to get in 16 which made for a low, but respectable week of mileage considering ai was optimizing for the race last night. Looking forward to my rest tomorrow.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 16.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
21.250.000.000.0021.25

NIce morning for a run. I little tight ans sore still from my race late Friday night but the energy level is back.

10 miles this afternoon along the Burke Gilman trail in Seattle. What a wonderful trail system that is.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 21.25
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

A nice run a long the Sammamish River trail. The sun even peaked out a few times.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Another beautiful run along the Sammamish River trail. 55 degrees and mostly sunny. Perhaps we are finally turning the corner.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Just another stunning spring day in Seattle. Sunny and pleasant temps. I have the slightest of strains in my left calf so I backed a bit off of the planned mileage today. I am supposed to do a workout tomorrow with Mike Sayenko and Uli Steidl but I'll wait and see how the calf feels. As much as I would like to run the workout with other guys, I may give my calf one extra day of rest.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 143.00
Comments
From ryan on Fri, Apr 17, 2009 at 12:59:56 from 71.213.69.108

i have noticed that you rarely record your pace unless it is a planned speed or tempo workout. What is your easy run pace?

I know that my easy run pace varies depending on how i feel. i enjoy reading about your success. the fact that you are not constantly pounding out 100+ mile weeks gives me hope. i am slowly working my way up to around 70 miles per week and so far so good. good luck.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.0010.000.0016.00

Wound up trying the workout with Mike and Uli. Uli's wife Trisha, who coaches Seattle University, joined us for the warm and cool.

The clouds parted and we had a bit of sunshine at the start and end of the workout. We ran from Marymoor Park along the Sammamish River Trail past Redhook Brewery in Woodinville. For those familiar with the Super Jock and Jill 1/2 marathon, we ran on the last part of the course.

The workout was a tempo run. 10 miles with the first few at 5:30 and then working our way down to 5:05 for the last couple.

We went out too fast. First 1/4 was in 75. Oops. My bad. First four miles were in the 5:18-5:20 range and they felt fine. The reason they felt like the easiest four miles in history was because the wind was at our backs out of the south. The last four miles were brutal. Dropped a 5:28 into a stiff wind on mile 7. The rest were all in the 5:18-5:22 range. Times weren't there because of the wind, but the effort was.

Looking forward to an easy 20 tomorrow.

Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 16.00
Weight: 143.00
Comments
From Snoqualmie on Fri, Apr 17, 2009 at 20:43:46 from 67.171.56.164

If I had been out there and saw *you three* I would have pinched myself - 3 rock stars! Glad you were able to do the run, Sean!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
18.500.000.000.0018.50

A beautiful day today although it didn't warm up as much as expected. That didn't stop me from getting sunburned. Oops. Forgot what it was like to run for 2+ hours in the sun. Lesson learned.

I ran the first 13 miles of my run testing out the course for the half marathon I will be putting on here next April or May. It's going to be a rare blend of flat and beautiful, something that doesn't exist in half marathons out here.

About five miles into the run, I looked at my watch and realized I was running about 6:10 pace, much faster than I normally run my easy runs. It felt fine though and I didn't really look at my watch again and just ran what felt right. Good training week. Two weeks until the Indy Mini.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 18.50
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

Probably the nicest run I have had in six months. Clear skies. 75 degrees. It's days like this that make the winters worth it.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.000.004.000.0011.00

If there is one thing we Seattleites don't know how to do, it's run in the warmth...especially early season warmth. I've seen it time and time again. Runners from Seattle venturing unto other climates and absolutely getting it handed to them in races of any length with a temperature of 65 degrees or greater. I think we are just so used to running 8 months out of the year in the 50s or less that we don't know how to hydrate and our bodies aren't used to what our friends in the South are so accustomed to.

To be clear, I am not complaining. Anyone who lived through our winter would be insane to complain about a sunny day in the upper 70s. In fact, there could not have been a nicer day for an easy run anywhere on earth. It's just doing things at race pace or faster makes the warmth all of th sudden uncomfortable. Ironically, I did my workout today because tomorrow calls for an end to our beautiful weather and brings back the rain.

The gauge at Redmond High School said 81. I don't think it was that warm, but it was over 75 degrees when I got started. The workout was 2x2M @4:52 pace. First mile went well (4:51) but I knew as surely as I know the sky is blue, that the rest were going to be uuuugly. Second mile was 4:57. After a four-minute rest and 10 ounces of water, I jumped into the last 2M repeat with the simple goal of hitting each mile in 5:00. The first one was right on and the second was 5:01. Good enough for me.

Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 5.00Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Burt on Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 18:17:49 from 68.76.197.194

I have run one 4:59 and one 5:00 mile in my life. And you call that uuugly?? LOL.

From wheakory on Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 01:39:55 from 134.50.223.250

I definitely agree. Pocatello, Idaho is the same way. The first sign of heat on the first run you feel like your in a hot tub.

At least you where motivated and got the training done.

From jefferey on Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 16:08:29 from 71.35.170.124

Yes Burt...he is an alien...I'm researching his genealogy to find out which side. Mother's or Father's-

Nice run Sean! I am actually getting faster myself...just nowhere near you-

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

Nice easy run today along Lake Sammamish. Light drizzle and nearly 30 degrees cooler than yesterday. In hindsight, I should have done the workout today. Oh well.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

A nice easy stroll through the rural roads of Redmond. I thought I would change things up a bit and try a different route. It was beautiful. Redmond goes from commercial to rural pretty quickly. Temp was mid 50s with a nice breeze.

I got an email from the race director of the Indy Mini with the list of elite athletes being hosted by the race. I've included the list below sorted their 1/2 PRs as best as I could find them on the Web. Other than a couple of ridiculously fast guys, there's quite a pack of 1:07-1:12 runners. Should be fun. Paul...I hope I got your time right.

Bib First Name Last Name City  State  1/2 Time
7 Elijah Nyabuti 1:02
49 Festus Langat 1:02
8 George Towett 1:03
9 Mohamed Fadil 1:04
5 Jason Lokwatom 1:05
10 Abdelaziz Atmani Indianapolis IN 1:07
14 John Poray Indianapolis IN 1:09
16 Jesse Davis Indianapolis IN 1:09
20 Sean Sundwall Snoqualmie WA 1:09
53 Paul Petersen Logan UT 1:09
41 Matt Blume Fort Wayne IN 1:10
52 Antonio McDaniel Carmel IN 1:10
57 Jerome Recker Lansing MI 1:10
48 Nick Krus 1:11
51 Mark Manz Kiel WI 1:11
67 Scott Spitz Indianapolis 1:11
19 Jacob Rhyner Indianapolis 1:12
13 Eric Ade 1:12
62 Chris Teague Holliston MA 1:12
15 John Agnew 1:13
50 Tristan Mannix Evansville IN 1:13
12 Aaron Harding Indianapolis IN 1:15
18 Tim Mylin Noblesville 1:15
45 David Forsee Indianapolis IN 1:15
56 Jason Ream Chicago IL 1:15
66 Gregory Verdo Chicago IL 1:16
3 Jason Crichton Toronto ON 1:18
65 Josh Trisler 1:21
46 Gerry Groothuis 1:23
44 Thomas Dever Terre Haute IN 1:25
11 Aaron Moody Indianapolis IN 1:26
64 Ian Thomas Pennville IN 1:26
43 Scott Colford 1:32
42 Rick Britton 1:33
59 Gary Romesser Indianapolis 1:35
61 Michael Smith Brownsburg 1:35
63 Mitchell Thomas Pennville IN 1:35
60 Tyler Small 1:42

 

I checked the weather there today and I would be gitty if this is what we had next Saturday. Updated: 7:28 pm EDT

Mostly Cloudy
69.6 °F
Mostly Cloudy
Humidity: 17%
Dew Point: 32 °F
Wind: 2.0 mph from the SE
 
Wind Gust: 8.0 mph
Pressure: 29.33 in (Falling)
Visibility: 10.0 miles
UV: 1 out of 16
Clouds:
Few 7000 ft
Scattered Clouds 13000 ft
Mostly Cloudy 20000 ft
(Above Ground Level)
Elevation: 735 ft

 Utah-like humidity, relatively low temperature considering it's late afternoon there and light winds with some clouds thrown in for good measure. The long range forecast for Saturday May 2 calls for showers and a low of 46 and a high of 67 with humidity at 53%. That's what I'm talkin about. I know...the forecast will change a hundred times between now and then. But can't a guy dream?

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Eric Day on Thu, Apr 23, 2009 at 19:55:58 from 189.192.193.5

Tyler Small is an Elite with 1:42 ? How is that possible?

From Jon on Thu, Apr 23, 2009 at 21:32:45 from 75.169.151.178

Good luck- go set a PR and place top 10!

From Sean Sundwall on Fri, Apr 24, 2009 at 12:54:59 from 24.16.6.48

It's possible he is a Master. Still not what I would consider an elite time even for a master but the change in structure to their prize money situation has probably opened up some elite slots. I'm certain he is only getting a comped entry and not a hotel room.

From seth on Fri, Apr 24, 2009 at 13:36:14 from 216.160.236.39

Good luck at the Half. Run fast and don't worry about the other runners, just run your race. You will do awesome.

Seth

From jtshad on Fri, Apr 24, 2009 at 13:40:57 from 69.20.133.145

Good luck and have a good time. Dang, with those times maybe I should go there next year, I have family just outside of Indy.

From paul on Fri, Apr 24, 2009 at 13:41:27 from 65.103.252.214

I recognize the 1:26 guy from college. He has run under 2:30 in the marathon, so is probably more like a 1:10 half runner. I imagine most of the "slower" people just did not have their PR available on athlinks or other "research" sites.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

A cold but beautiful 12-mile run through the streets and neighborhoods of Snoqualmie and North bend. Not a cloud in the sky and a fresh coat of snow in the mountains made for a gorgeous run. I felt really good thorughout the whole run.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.500.006.000.0014.50

Woke up this morning pretty tired and stuffed from a long night of crazy twelve year old girls over for my daughter's birthday party. I ate way to much and got too little sleep.

During my warmup I was a little worried about being able to do the workout as my stomach was giving me issues. Temp was cool and it was mostly cloudy but good weather for race pace running.

The workout was essentially a race simulation for next weekend. Six miles total with the first 5 at race pace (5:08-5:10) with the final mile being as close to 5:00 as possible.

Mile 1 -- 5:08 -- Tight and tired but hit the number

Mile 2 -- 5:11 -- Umm...what happened? I lost concentration I think and wasn't paying attention.

Mile 3 -- 5:10 -- Focused on trying to get in a rhythm and just relax

Mile 4 -- 5:09 -- This was my water lap and the wind started to kick up. Just focused on my stride and using my arms.

Mile 5 -- Stomach issues still in check and finally started feeling OK.

Mile 6 -- 4:59 -- I was pretty happy with hitting this once. After the first two miles I was feeling like I would have been happy to just complete the six miles let alone hit the final one in sub 5:00. This was by far the easiest mile. Not sure why but I felt good the whole way.

A really good penutlimate workout before Indy. Feeling ready.

Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 6.00Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 8.50
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From jefferey on Sat, Apr 25, 2009 at 23:04:34 from 67.171.56.220

dude, that 2nd mile slow down was caused by me honking a bunch of times because you didn't acknowledge my first honking spree. Sorry about that...

From seth on Mon, Apr 27, 2009 at 14:07:52 from 216.160.236.39

Great Workout. Good luck next week. You will do awesome.

Seth

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

Turned out to be a really nice day. Sunny and mid-60s by the time I got out the door this afternoon. Easy run along the Sammamish River. I think the morning weather scared people off as I was almost all alone on a trail that can get pretty busy in nice weather. The Indy Mini officials updated the elite entry list and they've added a 1:01 half marathoner and a few other fast guys. Here's the updated list. It will be really cool if the secondary pack of 1:07-1:09 guys can hang together for a long time. I just realized I'm the oldest guy among the Top 21 people. From a running perspective, 40 can't come fast enough. I'm in this no-man's land of mid-30s that doesn't get you jack.

Bib Number First Name Last Name Age PR
4 Moses Kororia 32 1:01
7 Elijah Nyabuti 30 1:02
49 Festus Langat 24 1:02
8 George Towett 24 1:03
9 Mohamed Fadil 27 1:04
5 Jason  Lokwatom 24 1:05
6 Joseph  Mutinda 34 1:05
10 Abdelaziz Atmani 27 1:07
14 John Poray 28 1:09
16 Jesse Davis 27 1:09
20 Sean Sundwall 36 1:09
53 Paul Petersen 29 1:09
41 Matt Blume 27 1:10
52 Antonio McDaniel 24 1:10
57 Jerome Recker 25 1:10
48 NicK Krus 23 1:11
51 Mark  Manz 35 1:11
67 Scott Spitz 32 1:11
13 Eric Ade 30 1:12
19 Jacob Rhyner 25 1:12
62 Chris Teague 40 1:12
15 John  Agnew 47 1:13
50 Tristan Mannix 24 1:13
55 Jake Quagliaroli 31 1:13
12 Aaron Harding 26 1:15
18 Timothy Mylin 49 1:15
45 David Forsee 40 1:15
56 Jason Ream 27 1:15
66 GREGORY VERDO 30 1:16
3 Jason  Crichton 27 1:18
65 Josh Trisler 30 1:21
46 Gerry Groothuis 26 1:23
44 Thomas Dever 51 1:25
11 Aaron Moody 30 1:26
64 Ian Thomas 22 1:26
43 Scott Colford 38 1:32
42 Ricky Britton 27 1:33
59 Gary  Romesser 58 1:35
63 Mitchell Thomas 22 1:35
60 Tyler Small 33 1:42
17 Aimad Bouziane 26 2:30 Full
58 Brad Robinson 24 2:38 Full
69 Ernest  Kimeli 22 30:33 10k
47 Matt Ingalls 23
54 Dan Pinter 22

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Snoqualmie on Tue, Apr 28, 2009 at 12:45:51 from 67.171.56.164

Be careful what you wish for. ;) Good luck at the race. -Sno

From seth on Tue, Apr 28, 2009 at 12:59:43 from 216.160.236.39

Joseph Mutinda just won the salt lake marathon. He dropped me with a 4:40 mile from 9-10, then his last half marathon was a 66-67. So he will definitely be faster than expected, Moses hasn't run that fast in a while. I expect Joseph to take him on the half.

Good Luck and enjoy running with all those great elites.

PS the Mid 30s age group is the hardest age group because it has the world record holder in it! ;)

From James W on Tue, Apr 28, 2009 at 17:02:05 from 12.151.72.1

1:42 got someone on the elite entry list?! Good luck at the Indy mini- from your goals, looks like you are shooting for an new PR for the 1/2.

From Bonnie on Tue, Apr 28, 2009 at 17:09:34 from 128.196.228.134

Wow Gary Romesser is still going strong. He and Dean used to run together in the early 80's.

Fourty something is not all it is cracked up to be Sean ;-).

Good luck this weekend!!

From steve ashbaker on Sun, May 03, 2009 at 13:08:04 from 98.97.238.102

Nice work Sean, I am impressed by your time. But then again you did some really good training to get there also.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.004.500.0010.50

Temperature: 56

Humidity: 54%

Wind: 5-10mph

These were the conditions today at the Redmond HS track where I did my final workout before Saturday's race. That just so happens to be almost exactly the conditions forecast for Saturday in Indy.

As for the workout...4M@5:10-5:12 + 1/2 mile at 2:30 or better.

First mile was in 5:08 and every mile thereafter was at 5:11 with the final half being in 2:28. The problem is that it took way to much effort to do it which was a bit frustrating. Saturday's workout which was of the same ilk but longer went much better. I just never felt relaxed today and it just took more effort to run that pace than it should have. Oh well. It's all the more incentive to run with a pack of guys at Indy.

Indy Forecasts:

Intellicast: Mostly cloudy; 51-65; 60% humidity; light winds

Wunderground: Partly sunny; 54-65; 85% humidity; light winds

Weather.com: Mostly cloudy; 53-66; 60% humidity; light/moderate winds

NOAA: Partly Sunny; 45-65

Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 5.00Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 5.50
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From MichelleL on Tue, Apr 28, 2009 at 17:48:24 from 67.41.191.143

I'm sure the wind was a big factor. I ran with a pack in my Provo 1/2 marathon last April because of wind even though they were going slightly faster than I wanted and it helped so much.

From Sean Sundwall on Wed, Apr 29, 2009 at 01:44:04 from 24.16.6.48

Agreed. Unless running with a pack means going 5 seconds or more per mile faster than you want to, it's usually smarter to stick with the pack especially if wind is a factor. Even if the wind is still, the relative velocity is at least the speed you are running at (10-12mph). So sticking with the pack is worth at least a few seconds per mile.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.500.000.000.0011.50

Nice easy run along the Sammamish River. Cool but gorgeous day. Rest day and travel day on Thursday then I will run the last 4-5 miles of the course on Friday.

Race day weather is shaping up to be ideal.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 11.50
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From jefferey on Thu, Apr 30, 2009 at 14:17:37 from 63.231.49.43

Good Luck Sean - you speed demon!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.500.000.000.005.50

Nice day in Indianapolis. 64 degrees, overcast and 76% humidity. I ran from the Indy Speedway to the finish line which is where our hotel is. The only thing flatter is a track. I did notice the humidity but it's supposed to be 15 degrees cooler when the race starts tomorrow and it shouldn;t go much above that for the first couple of hours in the morning. Looking forward to seeing Paul tomorrow morning. Our plan is to run together as long as we can.

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 5.50
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From josse on Fri, May 01, 2009 at 20:27:42 from 70.193.13.142

Good luck with the race!

Race: Indy Mini Marathon (13.1 Miles) 01:07:53, Place overall: 7, Place in age division: 1
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
2.000.0013.100.0015.10

UPDATED TOP 20 Results Below

Race Start Weather:

46 degrees

Thin overcast

NO WIND

I have never raced in better weather...period. It was absolutely perfect.

Woke up at 6am after a pretty good night's sleep. I brought my two boys and my dad along for the ride. My oldest son has the amazing ability of not falling asleep before 11pm, but once he was asleep, we all slept great.

By 6:20 I was out the door walking over to the NCAA Headquarters which was the Elite staging area. The race organizers were great and all the pre-race stuff went perfectly.

I felt slow, bloated and heavy during my warmup. This is very typical though so I didn't think much of it.

The start countdown was done by soldiers in Kuwait via cell phone. Kind of cool. As seems to always be the case, this race had its own "Michael Wardian" jumping out to an early lead for some good camera time. By Mile 2 we caught him.

The biggest surprise of the first mile was how slow the Kenyans went out. Paul and I were right together as we crossed Mile 1 in a very slow 5:23. That was really disappointing since it was a full 13 seconds slower than my desired mile pace. Even with 12 miles to go, that's a lot of time to make up. So I spent Mile 2 focused on hitting the desired split time. I wasn't going to try and get back any of my lost time, just get back on race pace. Mile 2 came in at 5:09. Much better. At this point, I think the "chase" pack was me, Paul and some young dude with floppy hair. I will refer to him as floppy from here on out.

The Mile 2 water stationn was staffed by well over 100 LDS missionaries. That was cool to see. They were probably very glad the weather was so cool.

The lead pack was still in sight at this point but they did begin to pick up the pace. I commented to Paul though that 1:02 wasn't going to happen based on the first two mile splits.

Mile 3 I still was feeling heavy and bloated. I had taken a few sips of water but was concerned I wasn't getting enough. Temps were low but the half is just long enough that hydration can be a concern especially with humidity. Mile 3 was 5:08. Perfect.

5k time -- 16:12

Mile 4. Don't remember anything exciting happening here. Me, Paul and floppy were still together. Floppy and I swapped the lead a few times but he seemed willing to take it back each time so I felt willing to let him. :-) Mile 4 5:08. Nice.

Mile 5..the last mile before entering the Speedway. We slowed a touch to 5:11. This was my first (and only) full swig of water and I tend to slow a bit when i take water. Maybe that was why. Who knows.

The Mile 6 marker is inside the Speedway just before you actually get on the race track. I had no idea how incredibly massive the Speedway was. A 400 meter track will forever seem very short. Mile 6 was in 5:07. I was starting to feel a little bit better about things although I was reserving judgment until Mile 10 which is 5k to go. The 10k marker was on the back straightaway of the Speedway. Crossed in 32:15. It wasn't too long ago that this would have been a 10k PR. Mile 7 was inside the Speedway as well. I commented to Paul afterward about how slow this mile was. We did it in 5:16. By this time Paul had dropped back but me and Floppy were still together. We were both wondering what happened.

Mile 8 was almost entirely on the final straightaway of the Speedway and this was the only time during the race I felt anything resembling wind. Despite the slow Mile 7, I was content to let Floppy bear the brunt of the wind. Mile 8 was in 5:14. Slow but not too bad.

As we left the track it was good riddance from my standpoint. It's such an enourmous facility that it felt at times like we weren't covering any ground. So the Mile 9 marker was back out on the streets of Indianapolis. Crossed Mile 9 in 5:11. A smidgen slower than I wanted but I was just happy to be feeling good. At this point I was in 9th place and I think Paul was still in 10th. There was a Kenyan that me and Floppy were reeling in which was particularly motivating. Nothing quite like beating a Kenyan.

Mile 10 -- 5:12. Still slower than I wanted but the beauty of Mile 10 is that mentally, it becomes a very manageable race. 5k to go. I can get my head around 5k and I have a good idea of what i have left in the tank and how much to push it with 5k to go. It was right about at Mile 10 that Floppy and I passed the Kenyan. He put up a fight for about a 1/4 mile but we gapped him hard after that.

Mile 11 -- The biggest challenge which this mile is that you can see the Mile 11 marker from the Mile 10 marker. It's a really long straight stretch that felt like it went on forever. Crossed Mile 11 in 5:08. Beautiful. I was back to running my pace.

Mile 12 had us finally leave 10th St. and turn on to White River Parkway. I could see the marker early on and at this point, it was me and Floppy battling for 7th place. There was a slight breeze, but at this point, I wasn't even thinking about it. 5:12 was the time for Mile 12. 1/10 of a mile later you make the turn onto the New York Street bridge. They call it the Miracle Mile. At this point I had passed Floppy with the intention of never seeing the back of his head again. One of the great things of this course was they marked every final 1/4 mile. As I made the turn onto NY Street for the final mile, I made my move. I knew a sub 1:08 was still possible but it was going to take some real effort. I also knew there was money and pride on the line and I didn't want to let Floppy pass me. BTW...Floppy couldn't be older than 22 or 23.

With 3/4 to go, I was going to look back but decided not to. I told myself that I don't "get" to look back unless I hit the 1/2 to go mark on pace for a sub 1:08. So with 1/2 to go, I was on pace and looked back. I had gapped Floppy by about 100 meters. I kicked it into a higher gear telling myself I had only two laps to go. With a 1/4 mile to go I looked back again. Floppy had not closed at all. So I focused on trying to hit a 75 second quarter to the finish line. Crossed the 13 mile mark in 5:03! Wow...the extra effort really paid off.

The final 1/10 was awesome. I was really running hard and I could see the clock the whole way. One final look back and Floppy hadn't made any progress. 7th place was mine.

Finishing time: 1:07:53 (official)...a pace of 5:10.5.

In January I had set my 1/2 goal at 1:07:30. But that was a bit unrealistic. This past week I was going to be ecstatic with anything under 1:08 which I did. Mission accomplished.

The winning time was a high 1:03:55 by Festus Langat. The Kenyans really wasted an opportunity to take advantage of perfect weather.  Joseph Mutinda was second in 1:04:28.

A couple of observations/learnings:

  • I continue to be astounded by how many elite runners do NOT run the tangents. This course had numerous opportunities to be lured off the tangents making the course longer than it needs to be. I just don't get it.
  • Improvement? The first mile was ridiculously slow. I'm terrible at gauging pace off the track but my watch said we were at 80 seconds at the quarter which turned out to be about right. I could have easily had 10-15 seconds back if I had run that correctly. I also want to start pushing it even sooner. I have never died at the end of a race, something I always have feared. So I almost need it to happen so that I know my limits better.  
  • This is such a weird distance. It's only my fourth half and I feel like I have so much experience to still gain. Hydration is a fuzzy area. Pace wise it feels more like a 10k. It's just a weird distance.

***Not sure why the race hasn't figured out how to post the Top Results but here they are:

 

First Last Bib DIV 5M 10M Chip Time GunTime Pace OVERALL AGE CITY STATE
Festus Langat 49 Males 20-24 0:24:23 0:48:38 1:03:55 1:03:55 4:53 1 24 West Chester PA
Ernest Kimeli 4 Males 20-24 0:24:27 1:04:08 1:04:09 4:54 2 22 Marietta GA
Joseph Mutinda 6 Males 30-34 0:24:28 0:48:54 1:04:26 1:04:26 4:56 3 34 Santa Fe NM
Jeff Powers 70 Males 25-29 0:25:08 0:49:51 1:05:07 1:05:07 4:59 4 25 Bloomington IN
Elijah Nyabuti 7 Males 30-34 0:24:47 0:49:51 1:05:22 1:05:22 5:00 5 30 Maineville OH
Abdelaziz Atmani 10 Males 25-29 0:24:47 0:50:02 1:05:33 1:05:33 5:01 6 27 Indianapolis IN
Sean Sundwall 20 Males 35-39 0:25:59 0:52:01 1:07:53 1:07:53 5:11 7 36 Snoqualmie WA
John Poray 14 Males 25-29 0:25:59 0:52:00 1:08:00 1:08:00 5:12 8 28 Indianapolis IN
Nick Krus 48 Males 20-24 0:26:29 0:52:18 1:08:11 1:08:11 5:13 9 23 Memphis MI
Jason Lokwatom 5 Males 20-24 0:25:30 0:52:00 1:08:32 1:08:32 5:14 10 24 Troy OH
Paul Petersen 53 Males 25-29 0:26:03 0:52:18 1:08:35 1:08:36 5:15 11 29 Logan UT
Mark Manz 51 Males 35-39 0:26:14 0:52:53 1:08:55 1:08:55 5:16 12 35 Kiel WI
Matt Blume 41 Males 25-29 0:26:29 0:52:55 1:08:59 1:08:59 5:16 13 27 Fort Wayne IN
Jerome Recker 57 Males 25-29 0:26:30 0:52:56 1:09:01 1:09:01 5:17 14 25 Lansing MI
Aaron Moody 11 Males 30-34 0:26:28 0:53:07 1:09:24 1:09:25 5:18 15 30 Indianapolis IN
Eric Ade 13 Males 30-34 0:26:29 0:53:02 1:09:41 1:09:41 5:20 16 30 Fort Wayne IN
Scott Spitz 67 Males 30-34 0:26:28 0:53:26 1:10:28 1:10:29 5:23 17 32 Indianapolis IN
Jacob Rhyner 19 Males 25-29 0:27:07 0:53:53 1:10:31 1:10:32 5:23 18 25 Indianapolis IN
Josh Trisler 65 Males 30-34 1:10:51 1:10:51 5:25 19 30 Carmel IN
Jesse Davis 16 Males 25-29 0:26:27 0:53:42 1:10:58 1:10:58 5:26 20 27 Indianapolis IN

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 15.10
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From cody draper on Sat, May 02, 2009 at 10:46:36 from 207.224.61.205

Very impressive racing Sean!

From Jon on Sat, May 02, 2009 at 11:08:25 from 75.169.142.109

Wow, nice race, Sean! A PR and got your 1:08 goal. I enjoyed reading your report, trying to picture what it would look like running inside the speedway.

From Superfly on Sat, May 02, 2009 at 11:41:22 from 209.33.210.52

Your a great example to many of us Sean. Way to go on a great race.

From josse t on Sat, May 02, 2009 at 11:42:49 from 75.216.63.59

Great job on the race! Way to stay in the game when it really counted.

From James W on Sat, May 02, 2009 at 13:33:50 from 70.190.199.29

Great race report and great race, Sean! I thoroughly enjoyed reading your race report. Congrats on a new PR in the 1/2!

From Burt on Sat, May 02, 2009 at 13:35:16 from 98.167.151.26

I love reading your reports because you're all business. Your dedication and focus are unparalleled. And your floppy comments show that you do have a personality (so you're really not all business.) Did the missionaries give Paul a Book of Mormon? Off to read his report...

From dave holt on Sat, May 02, 2009 at 14:43:16 from 75.169.73.61

Way to go Sean - You always inspire me to reach for more!

From Sean Sundwall on Sat, May 02, 2009 at 14:51:39 from 32.139.54.45

thanks for the words of encouragement. The thing I was proudest of was when at mile 10 floppy and I passed the Kenyan, floppy tried to gap me. Fir about 10 seconds I let him go before reminding myself that one of my goals was to push things earlier and respond when people try and gap me. I did that and it resulted in me ultimately beating floppy.

From paul on Sat, May 02, 2009 at 14:57:15 from 63.134.175.179

Once again, awesome job. You really earned it, and I had no doubt you would break 1:08. Funny, I had given the floppy hair guy the nickname "shaggy" in my head during the race.

From MichelleL on Sat, May 02, 2009 at 15:29:52 from 71.219.40.17

Wow a 5:03 to seal the deal? Great job on your race!

From JimF on Sat, May 02, 2009 at 19:48:12 from 68.58.159.207

Great job today! It is good to know that the FRB was well represented today in Indy. I think I have seen your floppy haired kid at a lot of the local road races. Very nice the way you responded to his surge. I really enjoyed your report.

From Sasha Pachev on Sat, May 02, 2009 at 20:13:32 from 192.168.1.1

Congratulations on a PR and the cash! Only 3 minutes off OTQ in the half. And gives you 1:30 reserve in the first half of an OTQ attempt in the marathon, which is not quite there, you want another minute to be safe, but it is much better than having no reserve. Looks like you had more in the tank, though, possibly 1:07:20-30 from your splits if you could find a 5:03 at the end. For the record,

James Mutinda just ran Salt Lake in 2:16:38 two weeks ago.

For me a half is a sprint, like a long 5 K. So no I never worry about hydration unless it is hot.

From Burt on Sat, May 02, 2009 at 23:21:27 from 98.167.151.26

I saw the video of your start and finish. It looks like you were in the lead for for the first 10 meters until camera hog sprinted out there. :)

From jtshad on Sun, May 03, 2009 at 09:46:14 from 69.20.133.43

Congrats on a strong race and the PR! Way to kick it into gear to secure the finish and gap the youngster!

From TylerS on Sun, May 03, 2009 at 10:05:55 from 66.119.143.249

AWESOME JOB Sean! You ran a great race. I always enjoy reading your race reports.

From Nevels on Sun, May 03, 2009 at 14:27:23 from 131.204.15.93

Congrats on the PR. Solid run.

From Sean Sundwall on Sun, May 03, 2009 at 15:56:22 from 24.16.6.48

Burt...the real reason Paul dropped out of the top 10 was not because he was tired. It;s because he not only got a Book or Mormon from the missionaries, but he took the first discussion. It was amazing he was able to battle back to finish 11th. He must have been inspired. :-)

From Burt on Sun, May 03, 2009 at 18:33:18 from 98.167.151.26

I thought maybe they gave him the 5th discussion about tithing, so that kept him out of the money. ;)

Paul said something on his blog about a top 10 finish sounds a lot cooler than a top 15. Well, he beat 99.96% of the runners. That sounds pretty cool.

From paul on Sun, May 03, 2009 at 19:04:58 from 63.134.175.179

LOL. Actually, I lost a few seconds at the Mile 2 aid station because I kept searching for the coffee, but couldn't find any. I left them a few Baptist tracts, and continued on.

From jefferey on Mon, May 04, 2009 at 00:53:32 from 67.171.56.220

Paul, Burt and Sean,

That's good stuff! Thanks for the laugh-

From Burt on Mon, May 04, 2009 at 11:27:16 from 98.167.151.26

Did I just see my name in the same sentence as Paul and Sean??? That'll never happen again.

From Scott Zincone on Fri, May 08, 2009 at 14:34:24 from 76.6.217.111

Speaking of tangents, they played a part in the USA Road 1 Mile Championships yesterday. Especially in the men's race. You can see and hear what they said about them in the videos.

http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/USA1MileRoadChampionships/video/

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

An easy 10 miles this morning near Mt. Si after dropping my daughter off at school. There were some aches and tightness, but nothing I didn't expect. Good to be back on my feet after a weekend of lounging around, traveling on airplanes and eating too much food.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.250.000.000.0013.25

This morning it was pouring rain and gusty winds so I waited until things mellowed a bit. The skies parted and for most of my run, it was dry and windy. But the last three miles were a soaker. Forutnately, even with the wind it wasn't too cold. Went out along the Sammamish River trail and when I got to the turnaround for more planned 12-miler, I decided to take a different route back which ended up tacking on an extra 1+. Good thing I'm in good enough shape that the extra mile didn't kill me. :-)

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 13.25
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.100.000.000.0010.10

49 degrees and a steady rain this morning. Didn't seem to bother me really. Each day there is less soreness and decreased tightness.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 10.10
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From ryan on Thu, May 07, 2009 at 00:33:21 from 71.213.56.160

Just read your race report. congratulations on running an awesome race.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.250.000.000.0012.25

Cool but rain free run this morning. Left from Snoq. Middle School after dropping off my daughter and went into North Bend before going out to the country roads of North Bend and Snoqualmie. Very little traffic. I swear that the headwind was in every direction this morning.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 12.25
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From jefferey on Thu, May 07, 2009 at 13:45:52 from 63.231.50.178

I swear that the winds are always against me not only in Snoqualmie and North Bend but at the Ridge too.

Your next race(marathon) is in Minnesota mid June right?

From Sean Sundwall on Thu, May 07, 2009 at 15:13:06 from 209.67.107.10

Yep. Grandma's in Duluth

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.200.000.000.0012.20

A fairly nice day today. Mostly cloudy but warm enough to enjoy a run along the Sammamish River trail.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 12.20
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.255.000.000.0016.25

A cool but gorgeous morning for a run. I ran from home, to North Bend and then down to my son's baseball game in Fall City. The middle five miles I decided to do a random tempo sort of run. No real time goal in mind. Just wanted to run faster than easy. First two were in 5:47 and 5:46. The last three ranged from 5:25-5:28. Felt good to run sort of fast for a bit.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 16.25
Weight: 141.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
21.500.000.000.0021.50

11 drizzly miles this morning but the temperature was relatively mild. Even left the gloves at home. To be fair...I couldn't find them or I would have worn them. But my hands were fine during the run. With six weeks to go until the marathon, I'm back to 90-mile weeks which means today is double day.

PM. Another peacful 10 plus miles this evening. The skies cleared which made it colder than it was this morning.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 21.50
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From rockness18 on Mon, May 11, 2009 at 16:53:30 from 75.11.51.133

Your running is looking great! I'm excited to see how you'll do at Grandma's. BTW- Noticed you spent some time in San Bernadino...I taught school for 2 years in Redlands, CA. Nice area- take away the summer smog.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.100.000.000.0012.10

Today was one of those classic Seattle spring days where at one moment, the clouds are covering the sun and you're glad you have gloves and a long-sleeve shirt. Then five minutes later, the sun peeks out and you feel like stripping down to your shorts. Don't worry...I didn't.

 

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 12.10
Weight: 143.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
14.005.000.000.0019.00

Today was a rare mid-week long run. 10 days after the Indy Mini I was feeling ansty and ready to get back into things. So my coach gave me a Race Simulation workout focused very much on prepping for the June marathon.

The workout was run 12M at regular easy pace and then roll right into a 5M run at marathon pace (5:16-5:18) and then a 2-mile cool down. With the way my work and personal schedule was shaping up, the only time to do this was at 5:30 in the morning. Not exactly my favorite time to do a workout, but at least it wasn't raining. It was chilly, but no rain.

The idea behind a race sim is much more than just hitting marathon pace times. It's about trying to make as much of the workout exactly like a race as possible.

So I wore the shoes I am going to wear. Same shorts. I didn't wear a singlet because it was so cold. The biggest thing, for me anyway, is simulating the hydration. This is always an issue for me and it will likely be the make or break factor in Duluth in five weeks. So I did the 5 miles around the track so I could have two water stations within those five miles. I drank at Mile 1 and Mile 4. Drinking is hard at that pace especially when your fingers are frozen and you have to unscrew a lid. But I managed to get some good fluids down which was probably the most important part of the race sim for me.

Something else about the race sim is it trains you to run hard miles deep in to a run. While 12 miles at easy pace (6:45) isn't exactly exhausting, it's amazing how challenging it is to (a) change speeds after doing so many miles at one pace; and (b) run at marathon pace after 12 miles at a slower pace.

The concept of "cutdowns" teaches a similar thing.  

My times were 5:20, 5:17; 5:16; 5:17; 5:17. That first mlie was by far the hardest. It's really hard to rachet down after humming along at 6:45s for 80 minutes.

 

Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 19.00
Weight: 143.00
Comments
From jefferey on Wed, May 13, 2009 at 22:34:11 from 67.171.56.220

Please tell me you didn't run all those miles on the track! I ran over at centennial park just to avoid doing that. Yes that was me honking at you again...

From snoqualmie on Thu, May 14, 2009 at 18:10:56 from 67.171.56.164

That is the kind of workout everyone keeps advising me to do. As usual, you are a great inspiration.

BTW, I don't know whether you read Marathon & Beyond, but the latest issue has a statistical study of Olympic Trials Qualifiers. It was fun to think about the fact that I actually know one! :)

From Dale on Thu, May 14, 2009 at 21:51:02 from 98.247.227.24

Great description and analysis of a simulation workout, Sean. We all appreciate and glean much from your coach's methods and your explanations. Keep up the inspiration and perspiration.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

12 cool but rain-free miles. Supposed to be a great three days of weather ahead.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 143.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.000.000.000.0013.00

13 beautiful miles through Snoqaulmie Ridge this morning. Blue skies at 5:15am and chilly but when the skies are clear...it just doesn't seem so chilly.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 13.00
Weight: 144.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.006.000.0015.00

I knew today's workout was going to be pretty tough. The plan was a "cut-down" tempo run of 4M starting at 5:16 and dropping 8 seconds each mile to 5:08; 5:00 and 4:52-54.

It was 75 degrees and clear sunny skies. There was actually a touch of humidity as the heat index was at 78. Good practice for Duluth next month.

After a 2-mile warmup I jumped right into the 4-mile tempo. The 5:16 felt awesome as did the 5:08. Nailed them both as planned. The first lap of the 5:00 was right on as well. As I started the second lap, I grabbed the water bottle I had set at arm level along the side of the track. It was here that I learned a tremendous lesson. I never take water when I am running at 5:00 pace. The only races I run at that pace are the 5k and 10k and I never take water in a race that short. So I have virtually no experience taking water at the speed. When I took the water I took a big gulp and about three swallows later it was all gone. However, I didn't breath during that entire time which put me anaerobic very quickly which caused the lactic acid to peak and my legs instantly tightened and felt lethargic. It was the weirdest feeling. I had felt it a bit before during the previous workout when I was running at marathon pace and took water twice but not nearly as dramatically. My first lap of the 5:00 mile was a whopping three seconds slow. I managed a 5:05 for the mile but once I went anaerobic, recovery from that was almost impossible. Mile 4 was very challenging and it took everything I had to hit 4:59 missing my time but 5-7 seconds. Ouch. I was disappointed by the time but what I learned from the experience was well worth it.

For the rest of my workouts leading up to grandma's I am going to be taking water but doing so in a way that allows me to continue breathing sem-regularly so that I can stay aerobic. It was funny because I had a swimmer friend tell me a couple of weeks ago that during a triathlon once she panicked and went anerobic and she was never able to recover.

The feeling in my legs before I took the water and after was night and day. And once they were hurting there was no going back.

Looking back to Indy, I remembered taking my water in very short sips that allowed me to continue breathing normally and everything went fine. However, the marathon will be different because you can get away with drinking lightly in a half marathon. You can't cheat hydration in a marathon so I will have to figure out how to take the full cup(s) of water while still breathing.

Oh yeah...there was another part of the workout. After a 20-minute rest I did 7x1-minute hills up the steepest part of Snoqualmie Pkwy. 2 1/2 minutes rest between each rep. Hills are awesome. They are so multi-functional. Good aerobic work and killer for the calves.

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 15.00
Weight: 145.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

 

Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
22.250.000.000.0022.25

A.M. A beautiful morning. Had just enough time to sneak in 12 miles before taking my daughter to school.

P.M. Cloudy but relatively warm ahead of a rain storm. Ran along Sammamish River. Two hours later, the torrential rains began.

Calves are still sore from the Saturday workout.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 22.25
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

An early evening run through North Bend and lower Snoqualmie. Managed to dodge the hit and miss rain showers. The rest of the week is looking like beautiful weather. Have another hill workout tomorrow. 12x30-second repeats. Calves are still fatigued so we'll see how it goes.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.500.000.000.0012.50

Turned out to be a beautiful day. Another one of those classic Seattle spring days where at one moment it's 45 degrees and the next it's 65. The sun isn't all that powerful yet so a passing cloud makes a big difference.

Did a 5-mile warmup and then 12x30-second hills up Sahalee Rd. Calves were still a bit weak from the last hill workout but everything went fine. Got kind of warm in my long-sleeve shirt but it made me feel like I was working harder. Supposed to be downright warm the rest of the week. Getting the suncreen ready.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 12.50
Weight: 142.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

Just an absolutely gorgeous day today. Gentle breeze and 70 degrees. Nothing but sunshine. No where is more beautiful on a sunny day than the Northwest. Ahhhh. 

 

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 142.00
Comments
From Burt on Thu, May 21, 2009 at 19:42:52 from 68.76.197.194

It's raining everywhere else in the country except for the place where it rains all the time?

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.100.000.000.0013.10

13 miles down the Snoq. Pkwy and through lower Snoqualmie. I have to adjust my 10k course for the race I put on in August so i did some rough GPS measurements. Just another stunning day and we'll have several more thorugh the long weekend and beyond.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 13.00
Weight: 142.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.257.003.000.0022.25

Another beautiful day. Left home around 8am for the Mt. Si. track. Long workout as part of a long run. A 10-mile tempo cutdown run. First 7 at "old" marathon pace 5:22-5:24. Next two miles at 5:10s and the final mile at whatever I could do it in with a very random 5:02 selected as the target.

I opted to do them all around track. 40 laps is pretty boring but it's easier to stay on pace especially when you are doing the workout alone like I was. Something important when running that many laps: rotate the direction. I went in reverse for the first six and then did the last four the regular counter-clockwise direction. It's important to change directions to not stress one side more than the other. Also took water twice...at 3 and 6.

First 7 miles were all in the :22-:24 range and felt good. It was about 55 degrees and no wind.

The wind picked up a bit for the final three. The flag went from completely still to waving. Nothing huge but noticeable. The next two miles I definitely started to feel tired. Hit 5:11 on both. I really wanted to skip the final mile but I told myself that I needed a 5:10 mile to OTQ so that was my faux motivation. Finished it with a 5:06. Final lap was in 75 which felt good. I was pretty tired.

Changed back into my trainers and ran another 9.25 miles. They felt slow but they were actually at 6:40. I kept the auto lap feature off for the cool down which was nice.

Solid week. One month to go.

Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 10.00Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 12.25
Weight: 140.00
Comments
From Burt on Sat, May 23, 2009 at 15:39:45 from 98.167.151.26

One month 'til what?

From Sean Sundwall on Sat, May 23, 2009 at 19:32:56 from 24.16.6.48

Grandma's Marathon

From johnr on Mon, May 25, 2009 at 23:26:25 from 75.174.125.11

Sean,

That was a nice workout. I bet it was mentally and physically difficult to do on the track, but a good confidence booster. I've been following your blog and you've been consistent and tough in your daily runs and your workouts.

From snoqualmie on Tue, May 26, 2009 at 10:23:44 from 67.171.56.164

Really great to read about your workout. I didn't know about switching directions. It makes so much sense.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
15.000.000.000.0015.00

Yet another gorgeous day for running, sitting, hiking, biking or anything. My brother in law and his wife and kids were in town for the holiday so we decided to hike Rattlesnake Peak just east of North Bend. The Snoqualmie Valley trail goes right to the trailhead of Rattlesnake Lake. I've run the trail a bunch but never all the way up to the lake. It's old rail trail so the grade was pretty easy. 15 miles, 7 of which were on the gravel trail. It was just beautiful. I was running a bit late so I picked up the pace a bit more than normal for an easy run. Ran most of the miles in 6:20-6:30. Felt great.

Then hikes up 2 miles (1,200 ft of elevation gain) with the family to the top of the peak. Gorgeous views and a nice hike.

It was supposed to be my final double day until after Grandma's Marathon but when I started to run home, my glute flared up big time and I could barely walk. Tried again after getting home and same result. I'm going to alternate ice and heat all night and spend time on the foam roller to hopefully loosen things up. I'm admitedly worried about it being a full blown injury which would be terrible timing...as if there is good timing for an injury.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 15.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From paul on Tue, May 26, 2009 at 13:42:21 from 65.103.252.214

hope the glute gets better. Keep icing. It may be worth getting a deep massage.

From jefferey on Tue, May 26, 2009 at 16:53:33 from 71.37.17.6

OH CRAP! We will need you on the softball team next Monday...oh wait...you mean for the marathon.

Sure hope it heals quickly!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

Cloudy by warm day. Spent 12 miles holding my breath waiting for my glute to flare up. First couple miles were super slow as I was trying to ease into the easy run. By Mile 6 or so I felt good enough to get back on normal pace. Everything felt fine but I'm going to see the PT tonight just in case.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.500.004.000.0012.50

Saw the PT last night and got the glute worked on. Of course you can never replicate the actual pain and precise location but I got the area worked over pretty good.

Today is workout day and I debated whether or not to give myself one more day or to go for it. With the warm weather I opted to go with the workout today so i didn't screw up my Saturday workout.

4x1M with 90 seconds rest. Target time was 4:55...a few seconds under 10k pace. it :54; :54; :56 and :53. Everything felt just fine, glute and all. My stomach has been giving me fits for the last 36 hours so I didn't know if I was going to get through the workout on pace or at all. But everything seemed to come together.

Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 5.00Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 7.50
Weight: 144.00
Comments
From Dale on Thu, May 28, 2009 at 03:23:17 from 98.247.227.24

Gutsy, Sean! But you know what you're doing. Have you considered taking some omprezole (Prilosec OTC) for the stomach? If your workouts are in the afternoon, I'd take it first thing in the morning. But for the early morning w/o's I'd take it at bedtime. It just might save you the agony and cost you nothing in performance. I wouldn't wait until a race to trial it however.

From jefferey on Thu, May 28, 2009 at 11:07:12 from 67.171.56.220

Happy to see that the hamstring is bugging you. We need you for softball :)

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
18.000.000.000.0018.00

An easy 10 through the neighborhood this morning. Beautiful if not a bit chilly. Our mornings are still in the low to mid 40s. But I'm not complaining. Still taking it super easy on the first couple of miles. Going for another 8 or so this evening.

8 more wonderful miles this evening as the sun set.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 18.00
Weight: 142.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.250.000.000.0012.25

A very warm if not hot day even at noon today when I ran. Clear skies and 81 degrees which for many is just a warm day, but for Seattlites, we call that hot. 90 degrees would be considered scorching. I know. We're woosies. But very few of us have air conditioning in the Northwest so it makes things a bit uncomfortable to sleep at times.

Anyway, the great thing about warm weather is everything loosens up more quickly.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 12.25
Weight: 141.00
Comments
From dave holt on Fri, May 29, 2009 at 18:15:28 from 75.169.93.190

How is that leg/butt doing? You are going to tear up Grandma's!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
17.506.000.000.0023.50

Another race sim run today. Unfortunately. I had to wait until the heat of the day to run since I had to coach my son's baseball game at 10am. Left straight from there.

12M easy pace; then rolling right into a 2x3M workout at marathon pace or slightly faster (5:15-5:18) with 4:00 rest between the two, then rolling right into a 4+ mile cooldown.

I tried to do as much of the 12 in the shade as possible but wasn't all that successful. Tried to stay really hydrated. Got to the track with about .50 miles left before the workout began only to find someone had taken the water bottles I had left there earlier. Ugh. I had one I had been carrying with me but I cuold only fill it with water. The others were filled with the drink that grandma's marathon will feature. Oh well.

First repeat went fine. 5:18, 5:16, 5:17. Second was 5:16, 5:17, 5:12. It was getting pretty hot but I felt pretty good. Good prep for Duluth ni three weeks.

The worst part was having to run up the Snoq. Parkway as my cool down. Longest run until marathon day.

 

 

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 23.50
Weight: 145.00
Comments
From snoqualmie on Sun, May 31, 2009 at 16:06:44 from 67.171.56.164

Awesome job in the hot weather, Sean! I think you'll do really well in Minn.

Thanks so much for organizing the running club, and for all that you do for our sport in this area!

For those reading Sean's blog who do not know it, he also started his morning launching the new Mt. Si Running Club. I had fun on our first run, but I hope we get more members soon so I can have runners at my pace. Thanks again, Sean!!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
23.500.000.000.0023.50

I had an early flight this morning to NYC for a quick business trip. Monday is my double day which made trying to catch a 6:35am flight that much harder. I decided to get up at 3am and get 10 in at home and shoot for 12-14 more once I arrived in NYC. It's the first time I've run in the dark in quite some time. It was kind of cool though. We are so far north that the sun rises very early in June. It was 3:30 when I noticed the first light on the horizon. By 4:15 I didn't need my headlamp anymore. Crazy how early it gets light here and how long it stays light in the evenings. Of course, the flip side is it's dark as early as 4pm in mid December on the classic rainy evening.

Long but OK flight to NYC. I was upgraded to 1st Class so that gave me a bit more room to stretch and stretch out during the flight. Got to my hotel and got caught up on email before heading out to Central Park. So many fantastic memories of Central Park that will forever be engraved in my brain. It's still weird to run by the boathouse. Every time I run in Central Park, I go the opposite direction which is how we ran it at the Olympic Trials. Many of the mile markers are still visible on the pavement. My favorites are the "1 mile to go" the 800m and the 400m to go. I have to admit that running the course today got me a little extra excited about the upcoming marathon. I'm no more certain 2:19 is within my reach, but I'm a bit more excited. I get to run one more time in Central Park tomorrow morning before I head off for meetings and then back home for a workout on Wednesday.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 10.00Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 13.50
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Steve P on Tue, Jun 02, 2009 at 00:45:42 from 66.60.123.236

Wow, that's commitment to your goal by getting up at 3 AM. And for running after a long flight and being up so early. way to go.

From Jon on Tue, Jun 02, 2009 at 09:42:11 from 138.64.2.76

3 am- wow. Good to hear you have so many memories from the Trials.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

A beautiful morning in NYC. It was a tad on the muggy side but it was another wonderful stroll through central park. It's such a great getaway from the noise and chaos of the city.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.004.000.0012.00

An ugly workout this morning. I got home last night from NYC at 12:30am. Got about 5 hours of sleep before the birds were chirping in my ear. I checked the forecast and we have a heat advisory out today. Temps were to reach the low 90s with some humidity thrown in for good measure. That is flat out scorching for around here, especially in June.

So I decided to beat the heat and do my speed workout this morning at 7:15am after dropping my daughter off at school.

The workout was 3x2M @5:00-5:04 with four minutes rest between intervals. Easy enough, right? Well, not so much. By the end of mile 1 (5:02) I knew I was in big trouble. The temp was already 70 degrees and the heat index was 76 with some wind. Mile 2 was a respectable 5:06 but my legs were 100% lead. You could have unleashed a grizzly bear behind me and I would not have been able to get my legs to move any faster. I did the math and I had spent 13 of the previous 36 hours sitting on an airplane and gotten no better than 5 hours of sleep either night. Not such a great way to optimize for a successful workout. Oh well.  

So I did the second rep and finished in 10:25. Not pretty. I spent the 4 minute jog wondering whether to go on. I tried the third rep twice and both times stopped after an 80 second lap. No sense to risking something just to get a third rep in that would have the effort of a 5:00 but no where near the result.

I used to get all worked up about workouts like this but once or twice a year I bail early on a workout and i'm fine with that.

Oh...it's 89 degrees outside right now. Running in this would have been even worse.  

Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From redrooster on Wed, Jun 03, 2009 at 17:21:25 from 129.123.3.31

I thought it was cool in Washington, it's nice here in Logan!

I heard a rumor you might be coming to Logan on the 4th to run our Blacksmith Fork canyon freedom run?

You must be of swedish or norwegian ancestry with that last name? I served a mission in Norway from 1980-1982.

From Sean Sundwall on Thu, Jun 04, 2009 at 11:44:45 from 209.67.107.10

Redrooster...that's the plan which reminds me that I need to sign up. Not sure how good I will be feeling after the marathon but it should be a fun run. I do have Swedish blood in me. My paternal grandfather was born in Sweden. In fact, my ancestors settled the northern Swedish town of Sundsvall. I'm actually toying with the idea of running the Stockholm marathon next year. It is one of the precious few international marathons held on Saturday.

From redrooster on Thu, Jun 04, 2009 at 20:41:49 from 71.219.120.27

Sean, neat- I have been through Sundswall In Sweden, really nice city. I am part swedish too. Stockholm marathon would be fun. FYI- There is a marathon that is help on midsummer nights eve (sankthansaften) in Tromso Norway on June 20 or 21 each year, this year it falls on a Saturday. Tromso lies at 70 degrees north and the race is run in the evening, under the midnight sun. I am planning to go do that one of these years with one of my old mission buddies who I served in North Norway with. Check this link for the homepage for what I think would be the world's most amazing marathon to run:

http://www.msm.no/

Unfortunately my foot is giving me grief so I think I will have to skip the BF this year but I plan on coming down to watch the finish, I look forward to meeting you. Good luck in the upcoming marathon, look forward to the report, I am sure you will smoke!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

Another lovely morning. Upper 50s and sunny skies at 5:15am. I was actually planning on running this afternoon but this dumb crow planted his noisy self by our bedroom window and I couldn't go back to sleep. Nice to have the run out of the way though. Everything felt great today. No glute problems and I felt a lot stronger than yesterday.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

First signs of a taper. Just 10 miles today. I'm on the way down...slowly. Retired my Infinities with today's run. On to the next pair.

Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.008.001.500.0017.50

Slowly starting the taper. Workout today wasx 8M @ marathon pace (5:18) followed by 10-15 minute jog and then 10x one minute hard/one minute easy. Miles 1-5 were exactly each 5:18. 6 was 5:19 and 7 and 8 were 5:17. So pacing was really good. I've been battling some morning stuffiness and congestion which reared its head during the workout but I expect to have it all cleared up in the next two weeks.

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 4.00Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 13.50
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

12 miles through the neighborhood this morning. Nice weather. No double today. Taper time.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

A pretty warm day today. 79 degrees by the time I got out for my run. Felt nice. Did some soft trail running and the standard pavement.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.006.001.000.0012.00

Speed workout today at the Redmond HS track. 6M@ marathon pace followed by a 10-12 minute easy jog then 6x1 minute hard/1 minute light. Then a mile cool down.

Pretty warm again. 70+ degrees. First 4 miles felt fine. Practiced taking water at 1 and 3 and again at 5. Managed to do that very well getting 8 ounces down each time. But Mile 6 I just didn't have it and dropped to a 5:23 mile...five seconds off pace. I just felt tired which is not a good sign. It was a little discouraging but I will reserve judgement until after Saturday's race simulation workout.

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 142.00
Comments
From jtshad on Wed, Jun 10, 2009 at 17:46:16 from 204.134.132.225

Good luck at Grandma's! Go get the OTQ, you have hit all your other 09 goals so go for 1.000...you have put in the work.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Rest Day

Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

Glorious day today. Felt extra fresh coming off of a rest day.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 140.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.005.001.000.0014.00

Cool and beautiful morning for my penultimate speed workout. Another marathon simulation workout. 5M @ 5:15-5:18 + 1M hard. Hit all five in the 5:13-5:18 range and they all felt really good. Set up water stations and took 6+ ounces at 1,3 and 5. So I'm watering well. The final mile was in 5:00 so that felt nice especially considering the miserable workoute at Redmond HS on Wednesday. Feeling much better about things.

Sunday night I fly to SFO for Monday meetings and then back that night. So I will get one last run along Embarcadero before the race.

ST4 Miles: 14.00
Weight: 143.00
Comments
From Aaron on Mon, Jun 15, 2009 at 11:16:08 from 202.156.10.232

Hi Sean,

Snoqualmie posted a comment on my blog recomming I take a look at your blog. She mentioned you were aiming to qualify for the olypmics.

It's also a 'long-term' goal/dream i have... but know it's very hard to attachieve...and looking at your stats I can see your a very good runner...

Do you have any advice for someone starting down this path.

Impressive stats by the way.

Regards,

Aaron

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.009.00

Nine wonderful miles along the Embarcadero this morning.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 9.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.004.000.000.009.00

4 mediocre marathon pace miles at the Redmond HS track. I'm beginning to despise that facility. Haven't had a good workout there in a while. Final workout before Grandma's. Feeling pretty good although I have my doubts about maintaining 5:18s for 26 miles. Here is the list of elites planning to run on Saturday. Very few Americans. Weather forecast not perfect but not terrible either. Chance of morning showers. Morning temps in the mid 50s rising to low to mid 60s by the mid morning. The wind is predicted to be a crosswind. Good cloud cover but 99% humidity. Should be interesting. 8 miles easy tomorrow before jumping the plane Thursday morning. Rest day Thursday. 5 miles on Friday.

2009 Marathon Elite Men

First Name

Last Name

Age

Country

PR

David

Cheruiyot

39

Kenya

2:10:33

Francis

Kipketer

33

Kenya

2:10:47

Benson

Cheruiyot

26

Kenya

2:11:33

Augustus

Kavutu

31

Kenya

2:11:34

John

Njoroge

24

Kenya

2:11:51

Christopher

Toroitich

28

Kenya

2:11:58

Teklu

Deneke

29

Ethiopia

2:12:00

Peter

Gilmore

32

USA

2:12:45

Halefom

Abebe

26

Ethiopia

2:12:52

Josphat

Chemjor

32

Kenya

2:13:11

Lamech

Mokono

28

Kenya

2:13:39

Gideon

Mutisya

42

Kenya

2:13:40

Patrick

Kiptum

37

Kenya

2:13:42

Christopher

Kipkering

25

Kenya

2:13:42

Gilbert

Koech

28

Kenya

2:13:43

David

Tuwei

30

Kenya

2:13:44

Abebe

Yimer

28

Ethiopia

2:13:52

Tesfaye

Dirba

25

Ethiopia

2:14:00

James

Kariuki

33

Kenya

2:14:00

Jynocel

Basweti

22

Kenya

2:14:02

Charles

Kanyao

33

Kenya

2:14:14

Genna

Tufa

24

Ethiopia

2:14:20

Armond

Kemei

24

Kenya

2:14:34

Stephen

Ariga

35

Kenya

2:14:54

Haron

Bor

30

Kenya

2:15:00

Richard

Kessio

35

Kenya

2:15:10

John

Tubei

33

Kenya

2:15:23

Kennett

Kiptoo

29

Kenya

2:15:39

Isaiah

Sanga

31

Kenya

2:15:42

Christopher

Raabe

30

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

Nice run but a double shot of bad news. I got a blood draw last week to check my iron levels and they are really low which my explain some of the sluggishness and lackluster workouts of late. Since it's my first time getting the test done, I don't know whether I'm at my normal levels or whether I have dipped lately. Either way, they are low. Not much you can do three days out to boost iron levels. So it is what it is. I'm also getting a head cold...the kind where everything neck up aches. Ugh. We'll see how things go. Travel day tomorrow.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 8.00
Weight: 142.00
Comments
From allie on Wed, Jun 17, 2009 at 19:18:55 from 208.110.151.113

i hope you get to feeling better. best of luck on your race.

From jtshad on Thu, Jun 18, 2009 at 18:59:22 from 204.134.132.225

Good luck at Grandma's...wow, what a stacked field.

Taper week sucks, you feel lethargic, your immune system relaxes (thus colds) and you are just antsy!

Have a great race!

From Snoqualmie on Fri, Jun 19, 2009 at 10:38:41 from 67.171.56.164

Sorry to hear that, Sean. Maybe a nice juicy steak? Best wishes this weekend!

From Snoqualmie Ridge Runner on Fri, Jun 19, 2009 at 11:02:22 from 67.185.148.81

Chicken Livers here we come...Choke them babies down :-)

Good luck! Will look for the report.

Also, save something for the softball game on Monday night, OK -

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.250.000.000.005.25

Nice morning in Duluth. Fog and mid 50s, exactly what is expected for the race tomorrow. Everything feels fine mechanically. I'm still battling head congestion but we'll see if it has any negative affect. It doesn't when running 6:45 miles. :-)

Still undecided what pace I'm going to go after. 2:19 is on the very edge of realistic at best. My numbers at other distances just don't pencil out to a 2:19. That's not to say it isn't possible, but A LOT of things would have to go right. So I won't hesitate to back off gtom 5:18s to 5:20-5:21s early if it feels like OTQ pace is just too fast. The problem is that if you go out too slow you don't have time to make it back up. If you go out too fast, you risk blowing up in the end.

We shall see.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 5.25
Weight: 143.00
Comments
From The Howling Commando on Fri, Jun 19, 2009 at 21:00:54 from 72.224.24.41

Can't wait to see how you do. That's crazy how many Africans are in the race :D. SLice and dice buddy! We're all rooting for you.

From Holt on Fri, Jun 19, 2009 at 21:18:07 from 75.169.89.6

Go get 'em Sean!

From auntieem on Fri, Jun 19, 2009 at 21:22:14 from 67.182.145.8

Weather sounds perfect! Good luck; have some fun out there.

Race: Grandma's Marathon (19.69 Miles) 01:51:43
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.0019.000.000.0019.00

DNF

I promised myself two summers ago after running the only other marathon I have dropped out of that I would never run another summer marathon.

My hotel was at Mile 22. When I woke up this morning at 5:00am, the temperature read 68 degrees. Skies were crystal clear. I knew right then that Plan B was a very likely result. So much for the predicted morning fog and mid 50s temperature.

At the starting line, the Red Flag was up which indicates the highest level of a heat advisory. Nice. Temp at the 7:30 start was already 70 degrees with humidity in the 80% range and the wind was a quartering headwind. As we watched the wheelchair racers take off, I was sweating just standing there.

For the first mile there must have been a pack of 50-60 people...mostly Kenyans. It was a nice wind shield. Everyone was going out conservativley. First mile was in 5:22. The front guys were maybe 2 or 3 seconds ahead of that. So very conservative. It was at this point I threw off my 2:19 wristband. Yep. Plan B which was basically, run a respectable 5:25 pace or so and see how I felt halfway. My dad was there to cheer me on.

Mile 2 -- 5:26 -- Felt fine but was already very thirsty. Lips and mouth were dry. I was actually excited to get to Mile 3 and get my water bottle. Still a pretty large pack of as at this point but the lead pack had put about a 10 second gap on us.

Mile 3 -- 5:24 -- Still feeling OK but very uncertain about what lie ahead. Grandma's has learned a few things over the years. They actually put the mile markers either well before or well after the water stations so that people can get their splits and their water. Grabbed my special concoction of Nuun Water and gulped down all 8 ounces. This was big.

Mile 4 -- 5:28 -- Dropped a little bit of pace but at this point I was not bothered. There was a pack of about 5-6 of us that had settled in to this 5:25ish pace and were happy to see that through to as far as we could. The lead pack of about 20-25 was well ahead of us now, probably 30-45 seconds. There was a group of three guys between us and the lead pack which included MN native Chris Lundstrom a 2:17 guy.

Mile 5 -- 5:24 -- Another much anticipated water station. Threw down 8 ounces of Gatorade. Felt good. Tasted strong. I was replacing fluids quite well.

Mile 6 -- 5:23 -- This was the first point I seriously considered dropping out. My head was not cooling off. the humidity, heat and wind were weakening me quickly. I'm simply not used to this kind of weather and there really isn't a way for me to prepare for it which is why I try to avoid it in the first place. My feet were sloshing in sweat-soaked shoes already. But I carried on. Our pack was now four guys.

Mile 7 -- 5:25 -- While I was still on Plan B pace, each mile was taking more effort just to maintain 5:25s. Got another bottle of Nuun Water and downed all of it.

Mile 8 -- 5:20 -- Not sure where this mile came from. Must have been a last ditch effort to try and stick with it. Saw my dad again and this was the first time I told him I may be dropping.

Mile 9 -- 5:33 -- Fading. Downed another 8 ounces of Gatorade but fading. Our pack was now 3 and it didn't look like it would last much longer. I was going to drop here, but saw that several Kenyans had just dropped and so I pressed on thinking there was an outside chance to get in the top 10 and win some money. I would have had I been able to hold on to even 5:30 pace.

Mile 10 -- 5:23 -- A few more Kenyans drop.

Mile 11 -- 5:40 -- Wheels start coming off but more people are dropping. I hang in. Probably a mistake.

Mile 12-14 -- 16:54 an average of 5:38 -- Forgot to stop my watch for three miles. A signal my head was now leaving me. Would have been the ideal time to drop. But I was told I was in the top 15 still and 10th gets $1,000. So I pressed on.

Mile 15 -- 5:45 -- Wheel #2 is now off.  

Mile 16 -- 5:49 -- There goes wheel number 3.

Mile 17 -- 6:01 -- All wheels now off. Should have dropped here because i wasn't going to see my dad again until Mile 19.

Mile 18 -- 6:15 -- I knew I was dropping at this point so I just jogged it in trying to keep lose but limit my marathon recovery.

Mile 19 -- 6:35 -- Still jogging and happy to see my dad. I was done. Showered and bolted for the airport to catch an earlier flight and see my family.

A few thoughts:

  • Was I frustrated? Yes and no. MN is a long way to go to DNF. But I did all I could both in training and during the race. The frustration is less with this race and more with the distance itself. As everyone on this blog knows the marathon is tricky. You train for months and months for one race and then on race day, so many things can go wrong: weather, illness, injury, etc. And it's not like you can have a bad race and then go run another one a week or two later like you can in the case of a 5k, 10k or even a half marathon. It's a lot of eggs in one basket. 
  • The great news is I drank very successfully. I had 8 ounces of fluid every two miles which is something I've never been able to do before. So the trip to Duluth may have been worth it just to discover this.
  • Grandma's Marathon is a beautiful course better organized than any race I have run of any distance. The elite perks were simple but awesome. The crowd support was phenomenal and I missed the best parts...through downtown and the finish. It's great to see a town get behind an event like this. It reminded me of St. George in that way. It's just too bad the timing of this race is when it is. Late June in the upper midwest is increasingly not conducive to ideal running weather. This is the 4th or 5th year in a row that warm weather has been a major factor.
  • While the course is a net downhill of about 150 feet, I would not consider it aided. It's got several uphills and lots of rollers. It's a very fair course but I wouldn't consider it crazy fast.
  • The winner, Chris Rabbe, had a huge PR (2:15) and won by more than 3 minutes. He is a native Minnesotan which may explain why he was the only one in the Top 25 who PR'd.
  • I learned later on that race officials briefly, but seriously considered canceling the race due to weather. I think they made the right call to carry on.
  • 2:19 is likely not attainable which may shape my plans moving forward. I'm going to spend the next few weeks easing back into things. I'm going to focus on getting my iron levels up to where they should be and do all of the extra exercise and core stregthening things I need to do to be in absolute tip top shape. Then I may give it one more shot in Baltimore or Hartford or even Nashville in December. I missed quite a few local races this year training for Grandma's and I don't want to do that again chasing a goal that is not attainable. But before completely giving up on OTQ, I'm going to go through one more cycle, focus on my nutrition, namely iron levels, and give it maybe one more shot.
  • One more thought...why DNF? Everyone has different goals entering a race: BQ, OTQ, hit a certain time, land in a certain place, win prize money or simply finish. I'm not at a point where finishing a marathon is all that exciting to me. I didn't fly 1400 miles across the country to finish a marathon. I could do that much closer to home. I went, first, to OTQ. Second was to get a high place and possibly win some money. When both of those goals went out the window due to conditions beyond my control, I had a decision to make. By dropping I cut my losses and allowed myself a much shorter recovery period which will allow me to do some other races in the next couple of weeks that I want to do...maybe even the Seattle RNR this coming Saturday.

ST4 Miles: 19.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From MichelleL on Sun, Jun 21, 2009 at 12:06:07 from 71.35.250.200

I would say you ran hard thru mile 17, even though your pace was off. The weather likely made even the 6:00 a hard pace. Huge difference between 17 hard and 26 hard for recovery.

Are you saying 2:19 is not likely for this year, or by 2011? If the latter, I wouldn't give up on OTQ yet. The women can't even OTQ yet, it's too early. You have two more years and you are close. You've had some incredible races. Just need the stars to align, and there's two more years in which to do it.

From Sean Sundwall on Sun, Jun 21, 2009 at 12:09:46 from 98.247.29.82

MichelleL,

Thanks for the kind words of encouragement. I'm not giving up quite yet. The stars indeed do need to align and I'm not getting any younger so that's why I'm trying to get it done as early as possible. None of my shorter times (10k or Half Marathon) quite pencil out to a 2:19 marathon. 'Calculators' are just a guide and have been wrong before but they are based on years and years of data. So after my fall marathon, I will take a break and then really focus on getting my shorter times down even more which will get me the footspeed I need to OTQ at the marathon distance.

From Ashbaker on Sun, Jun 21, 2009 at 12:22:49 from 98.97.238.102

Sean, You are a great and tenacious competitor. Too bad it just didn't happen today for you. More races, better days ahead for you. Really good report by the way.

From Bonnie on Sun, Jun 21, 2009 at 12:41:23 from 75.164.110.212

Smart choice, you are right we all race for different reasons, you have to think about your goals and make choices based on what is best in the long term. Good luck in laying out the training plan. I think you are thinking and competing like a champion and I wish you all the best attaining your goals! Thanks for all the inspiration Sean!

From Snoqualmie on Sun, Jun 21, 2009 at 14:01:20 from 67.171.56.164

My condolences for your lost opportunity, but also my congratulations to you for being smart and knowing yourself and knowing what you want. I learned a lot from your report, so thanks for taking the time. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

From neumannator on Sun, Jun 21, 2009 at 14:49:03 from 71.213.56.223

Thanks for the race report. Got home from church and checked the blog to get the scoop on your race. Sorry it didn't go as planned or hoped. One thing about the marathon is that it is a strange beast. For a long time i have wrestled with the marathon and still haven't broke 3 hrs although my shorter race times say i should easily be able to. My goals aren't as ambitious as yours but i will keep trying. don't give up on your goals, but don't pass up the opportunities to race shorter stuff. you are an awesome runner. good luck.

From Holt on Sun, Jun 21, 2009 at 17:17:04 from 75.169.89.6

Man... Sorry Sean. Just after a tough racing experience is a good time for evaluation but a difficult time for readjusting goals. No one knows but you, but from another perspective I can totally see you hitting your OTQ. Keep up all your amazing and inspiring work!

From Superfly on Sun, Jun 21, 2009 at 17:29:13 from 74.211.95.149

Sorry about the race Sean. I totally agree about the DNF attitude. You don't need to finish a marathon to prove anything to anyone. I'd drop out in a second- after last years St. George race I'll never push through one again for no good reason. Plus it just makes the recovery faster.

Keep doing great... your a great example to all of us.

From Barry on Sun, Jun 21, 2009 at 19:39:26 from 67.60.189.215

Sorry you had such a hard race. I agree with Steve, there are better days ahead of you. Don't let this one get you down.

From fiddy on Sun, Jun 21, 2009 at 20:44:51 from 67.183.153.81

Yes, you need things to go well, but an OTQ is within reach for you for sure! And age is just a number, aren't you running as well as you ever have this year?

From Burt on Sun, Jun 21, 2009 at 22:21:40 from 98.167.151.26

Bummer about the heat. I know how much you were looking forward to this race.

From Snoqualmie Ridge Runner on Mon, Jun 22, 2009 at 01:35:23 from 67.185.148.81

Glad to see you saved your legs for softball on Monday night...now if you can stop hitting it right at the third baseman we may be moving in the right direction :)

From jtshad on Mon, Jun 22, 2009 at 11:10:10 from 204.134.132.225

Sorry about the DNF, sounds like tough conditions. Hope you can figure out if the OTQ is in your future at one of the races you indicate and can get it another go.

From paul on Mon, Jun 22, 2009 at 14:05:29 from 65.103.252.214

Sounded like tough conditions. I agree that marathons are fickle and you need absolutely perfect conditions to run your best. There are no guarantees, that's for sure. At least you don't have to recover from the full 26.2. I hope the next race pans out better. You are in great shape, and should be able to find additional fitness between now and fall.

From Nevels on Mon, Jun 22, 2009 at 14:21:58 from 131.204.15.93

Tough break on the weather, but good call on dropping - no sense prolonging the recovery for nothing.

From Sasha Pachev on Mon, Jun 22, 2009 at 15:48:06 from 64.81.245.109

Sean, some math to prove you have an OTQ. We are going to use ratios of shorter distance PRs to the marathon. 5K, 10K, and half. To mess around with them you can use the calculator box on the entry page.

Some numbers off the top of my head.

Ryan Hall: 9.52, 4.49, 2.11

Takayuki Inubushi: 2:06:57/28:26=4.46

me (taking 15:37 and 2:27:46 since they were run on comparable elevation drop): 9.46

There was a Japanese runner around 2:07 that had a 9.39 ratio, I do not recall his name off the top of my head, will find it later.

Also, in the 5 K and to some extent in the 10 K we need to distinguish between the best attainable speed, and the speed at the time the best marathon was run. Because 5 K specific training will train the body to burn fuel at the fastest possible rate rather than to run at the fastest possible pace with a fuel burn rate fixed. The difference in the 5 K speed will be about 20 seconds for a natural marathoner.

To run 2:19 you would need 4.49 and 9.40. 9.40 is rather challenging, although still possible. 4.49 is quite doable. The encouraging part is that your 14:47 was achieved without a whole lot of focused 5 K training and racing, so you might be able to get away with as high as 9.5. If you could run 14:35 5 K you would only need 9.53 to qualify.

I see ratios as high as 9.4 attainable even when the 5 K PR is a true expression of the 5 K potential achieved with 5 K specific training. At least I was able to achieve 9.46 against a true 5 K when I trained 5 K specific, had practiced the distance, had a good day, gave it all, felt like puking after the first 0.5 and all the way to the finish, etc. None of my marathons compare in pain to that 5 K.

From my experience - key elements of getting that ratio: develop a superheart (max HR less than 180, heart no longer the limit), healthy liver and other aspects of the fuel system, and learn that marathon is a long sprint.

To achieve it. Good aerobic base to start with. Healthy diet. Hawthorn berries might help with the super-heart, at least I had good results with them. Lots of running at dream marathon pace plus or minus 10 seconds a mile. And, to make the ratio worthwhile, maintain the 5 K speed, after all 16:00*9.4 = only 2:30:24.

So in practice, I would do something like this. 90 miles a week, maybe 100, but 90 should be good enough. 3 speed days: one 8 mile tempo in the middle of 15 mile run, one 5 K speed session, prefer longer intervals, something like 3x2000 or 3000-2000-1000, but if 72 second quarters start hurting then it is time to do a few quarter repeat sessions to re-learn how to run fast. The third speed session is the long run. At least 10 miles of it, work your way up to 15 at a fast pace. Tempo pace should vary from 5:10 to 5:30 flat sea-level windless equivalent, adjust for the conditions as necessary, avoid heat. Even though the pace can vary, the bulk of it should be centered around 5:18. The idea is that once in a while in a perfect race you'll have a surge, and you may hit the wall with a few miles to go and have to run a little slower, but most of the miles in a perfect race will be done with a 5:18 flat effort plus or minus a couple of seconds. So we learn to optimize the economy at that range of paces with the target pace being in the center. Recovery runs at an easy pace.

Good diet, good sleep. Very important for a number of reasons, in short if that does not happen, the 9.4 ratio becomes near impossible due to failing health.

A note on the superheart - I think it is the key to running well in the heat. If some of the blood is being used to cool off the body, to run the same pace the heart should have a few beats to spare. So if you develop that a warmer day still gives you a chance.

For more encouragement, Shin Nozaki ran 20:33 in the 4 miler where you ran 19:55 (the same race), then a few weeks later he ran 2:20:18 in Fukuoka.

Of course, another route is working on Quality X, or in other words learning how to run period regardless of the distance, but that is a very difficult area to improve, or at least after years of trying I still have no clue how to do it and have not heard of anybody who does. Reaching the 9.4 ratio is a lot easier.

In short, though - I think you can do it, and this is not just a cheer, or optimistic math.

From sg on Mon, Jun 22, 2009 at 17:42:12 from 97.86.232.192

Sean,

Grandma's was my first marathon ever and what a tough day it was. I felt bad for all the people who are running very competitively and came to Duluth expected a typical cool race. I was trying to break 3:30, but finished with 3:53 because of cramping and just being exhausted. I found many of my weaknesses and how I will train differently for my next one. However I gained perseverance during a race that took everything I had to finish strong. I'm glad you were able to take some positives away from the day!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.006.00

6 easy on a soft surface this afternoon. Legs are very heavy. Not so sure this will be the short recovery I had hoped for.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

Another 8 today. Beautiful day. Again felt pretty spent. I think I underestimated the toll the heat took on me Saturday. I'm going to take the next two days off and see how I feel.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 8.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Snoqualmie on Thu, Jun 25, 2009 at 10:46:52 from 67.171.56.164

Take care of yourself! That was SO nice of you to stop by with the membership card! Thanks very much.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.500.000.000.004.50

After two days off from running I ran a wonderful 4.5 this morning mostly to assess whether running in the RNR 1/2 marathon tomorrow was going to be doable. Well, everything felt great. I ran 1/2 mile at pace and it seemed to feel OK. Now racing 13 miles tomorrow might feel a lot different, but I feel a lot better than I did on Monday and Tuesday. So I'm going to give it a go tomorrow and we'll see how long I can hang on with Paul.

BTW...Paul Tergat and NICOLAS KOECH both scratched so the former world record holder is now out of the picture. The elite coordinator was very upset about it but I think the race will go on just fine without him.

I toured the course and it won't be all that bad. The entirety of Mile 4 is uphill but the elevation map makes the course look hillier than it it is.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 4.50
Weight: 143.00
Comments
From Sasha Pachev on Fri, Jun 26, 2009 at 19:06:41 from 64.81.245.109

Good luck in the race.

From Burt on Fri, Jun 26, 2009 at 19:25:29 from 68.76.197.194

Whoa-hoh!!! Look out Seattle - Sundwall is in the HOUSE!! This race just got a whole lot more interesting. Can't wait to see how you and Paul do.

Race: Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon (13.1 Miles) 01:08:58, Place overall: 7, Place in age division: 7
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
1.500.0013.100.0014.60

Well...I beat Paul in his homestate in May and he beat me in my home state in June. Seems fair I guess.

A beautiful day for running. 56 degrees at the start and not a cloud in the sky. A dreamy day for the race organizers of this inaugural race.

Caught up with Paul briefly prior to the race. It's always good to chat with him. There was a woman in the race with a 1:08 PR in the half which had me a bit nervous.  

Race started just a couple of minutes late. First mile was pretty much flat through the industrial part of Tukwila, just south of Seattle. By the Mile 1 marker there was already a lead pack and a chase pack. Crossed in 5:14. Perfect. Mile 2 was more of the same...industrial Tukwila. Slight uphill as we crossed over I-5 but right back down. Hit mile two in 5:15. Perfect again.

Mile 3 was more uphill than I remembered from my course tour the day prior. It wasn't anything crazy at all, but it was a slight incline virtually the whole way. By this time, the lead pack had gapped me pretty good. From this point on it was me and a local running friend Destry Johnson in our pack of two. We picked off a few guys in Mile 3 who wanted some camera time and went out way too fast. Despite the gentle uphill we hit Mile 3 in 5:12. Very happy at this point.

Mile 4 was basically flat and through the neighborhoods of south Seattle. This the was last mile that Destry and I passed anyone. From Mile 4 on we didn't pass anyone and no one passed us. Hit Mile 4 in 5:11.

Mile 5 was the hardest of all the miles. It's a steady 2-3% grade uphill the entire mile. I generally run well uphill but this is one of those points in the race you have to be really careful because you have almost nothing to gain by going too hard and a ton to lose by doing so. Crossed the mile marker in 5:48. Much slower than I thought but I think the mile marker was off as my watch had us at 1.05 for that mile and my watch is usually never off that badly.

Mile 6 plummets down to Lake Washington. It has one of those short downhill stretches that is so steep that you can't really get the full benefit of the downhill. All the elevation we gained over one mile we gave back in less than 1/4 mile. The next few miles are along a beautiful stretch of Lake Washington. Again, it was a race organizers dream. Mile 6 came in at 5:00 which was pretty easy to understand given the downhill stretch. Destry is a much better downhill runner I learned.

Mile 7-9 are all along Lake Washington. Again...just gorgeous...however the beauty has its risks. This stretch is littered with "S" turns that can lenghthen the race by a ton. So Destry amd I focused on running the tangents. There is no prize for running 13.3. My coach is the one who measured the course and he warned me about this stretch. He measured mile 7 the correct way (shortest possible route) and then measured it again following the centerline. The difference in the two measurements over just one mile was a staggering 100 meters! So run the tangents people. 100 meters is 20-35 seconds depending on your pace and that was for just one mile. Miles 7, 8 and 9 came in at 5:09, 5:27, 5:26. The only explanation I have for the slower miles is the wind did kick up off the lake and we were exposed to that more than I expected. I also think the markers may have been off. Mile 8 is where I really started to feel the effects of Grandma's. My calves were screaming way earlier than normal. At this point I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be able to stay with Destry.

Mile 10 starts with a VERY abrupt uphill as we climbed to the I-90 tunnel. It's probably a hundred meters in length but very, very steep. Once you get to the top you enter the I-90 tunnel which was really weird. There was a band playing at the far end of the tunnel and the echoing noise was eerie especially since you couldn't see the end of the tunnel around the bend. Mile 10 marker was inside the tunnel. Destry and I crossed at 5:10. Quicker than I thought.

Mile 11...pretty flat ending with a pretty aggressive downhill portion as we headed toward Safeco Field. Mark Mandi, a local elite guy had been showing signs of weakening and we were reeling him in. He was less than 100 meters in front of us now. Mile 11 was in 5:10 as well.

Mile 12 was through the heart of downtown Seattle. A little bit of up and down. Pretty gentle. Destry was starting to gap me...probably 15 meters ahead at this point. I was just about ready to concede at this point. Crossed Mile 12 at 5:10.

With a mile to go, we went down a really steep hill as we approached the Alaskan Way viaduct. This was a turning point in the race for me. Up to this point, Destry had crushed me on every downhill stretch. This time, he didn't gap me at all and I was right on his heels headed into a brief uphill stretch that put us onto the viaduct. It was here where I passed him. But Destry is a competitor and once we got onto the viaduct and it flattedned out, he passed me one more time and took the lead with about 3/4 of a mile to go. With 1/2 mile to go, we hit one final downhill stretch coming off of the viaduct and I passed him as I started to make a final move to beat him. As we made the final turn the finish line was about 250 meters away. It seemed a lot farther than that. Destry and I were now in an all out sprint for the finish. I pulled away a bit and with 150 or so to go looked back and felt like I had him beat. Then I looked back with about 75 meters to go and he was right there giving it one last push. I managed to hold him off across the finish but it was a fantastic race. Mile 13 was in 5:07...a strong finish.

Finishing time was 1:08:58. Destry was just one second behind. I ended up only a few seconds behind Mark Mandi. Another 1/2 mile and we both would have had him.

Finished 7th overall. 5th american and third Washingtonian. So I just missed out on the money. Oh well.

Destry is a good friend and I love racing with him because we are so similar in ability and style. He totally pushed me to a sub 1:09 finish which I didn't expect given my partially recovered state. So thanks to Destry for pushing me the whole way.

Great race. Great organization. Good course. Very scenic and not as difficult as I would have expected.

Congrats to Paul on the nice PR. Amazing what a little extra oxygen will do. He ran a very smart race and knew when to back off the leaders. While he was in sight at the finish, he smoked me.

As I sit here, my calves are wasted. I'm just glad I'm sitting here in my kitchen and don't have to get on an airplane. Ugh.

I have serious doubts about running the Logan 15k next weekend. We shall see.

 

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 14.60
Weight: 142.00
Comments
From Little Bad Legs on Sat, Jun 27, 2009 at 14:25:40 from 24.216.235.183

As always, a very entertaining read. Great job, especially after Grandma's.

I especially appreciate your thoughts on the importance of running tangents.

From Kelli on Sat, Jun 27, 2009 at 14:28:20 from 71.219.76.64

WOW! What a race, I wish I had been there to see that awesome finish. You two were crowd pleasers I am sure! It is so cool to see people compete like that at the end when you know they are wasted. And very cool that the two of you are friends.

Rest up and take care of the soreness!!

From Burt on Sat, Jun 27, 2009 at 16:51:20 from 98.167.151.26

I just read your report while I was eating my wife's yummy pork enchiladas. I don't know why I told you that. But reading such a great report made me enjoy my lunch all the more. Great job!

From allie on Sat, Jun 27, 2009 at 18:27:31 from 65.160.29.66

awesome report. congratulations!

From paul on Sat, Jun 27, 2009 at 21:22:44 from 24.19.109.134

Great report, very thorough and helps me remember some stuff I forgot. I hate running alone, because I was figuring you and whoever else was chomping at the bit to catch me, but the downhill came at the right time, and then I could "smell the barn". I just wonder why my Mile 13 was so slow and yours was so much faster. Eh. Anyway, great job. Days like this should never be wasted, so it's good you ran. How often do you get mid-50s weather with little wind? Hopefully I will see you again next week.

From Snoqualmie on Sat, Jun 27, 2009 at 23:05:37 from 67.171.56.164

Great race, Sean! I heard them announce your name in the elite list from where I was, waaaay back in corral 17. I'm so glad you had a good race - an amazing achievement just one week after the Duluth furnace.

From jtshad on Sun, Jun 28, 2009 at 09:46:54 from 69.20.133.78

Great race once again! You are truly an amazing runner.

From Dale on Sun, Jun 28, 2009 at 11:36:31 from 69.10.215.11

Quite a feat pulling this off after turning around from last weekend's race! Great job

From Sasha Pachev on Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 16:16:39 from 192.168.1.1

Good post-Granda recovery! Good for mental health. Sub-1:09 on that course is very solid. Probably close to PR in value, possibly even better, who knows what those hills were worth.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.100.000.000.006.10

I forced myself to take four days off since I never reall had a full break after Grandma's. A nice easy 6 miles this morning, right past a house in the neighborhood that caught fire this morning. Looks like it started at the electrical box outside. Fortunately, it looks like it only damaged the garage.

Off to Utah for several days to visit the wife's side of the family.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 6.10
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Snoqualmie on Thu, Jul 02, 2009 at 10:27:45 from 67.171.56.164

How awful! Which street was that? Happy travels!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.100.000.000.008.10

Easy 8 miles up the Provo Canyon Trail and back down. Left Seattle yesterday in sunny 80 degree weather and arrived to rain in SLC. Funny. Hooking up with Cody and Paul to ride up to the 15k tomorrow.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 8.10
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Opted not to make the 45 minute drive to Logan to run the Blacksmith 15k. A combination of not wanting to get up at 4:30 and really wanting to give mesyelf a true break from the last training cycle led me to that decision. So I just ran an easy 10 this morning near the place we are staying in Laketown just south of Bear Lake. It was a beautiful run through Round Valley. I saw more deer, dogs and rabbits than cars. It was even a tad chilly. I did notice the 6,000 feet of elevation a bit, but nothing too big.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

Another wonderful run around the Bear Lake Area. Found a 12-mile loop that took me through Round Valley and then a few miles along the Bear Lake shoreline. It's a beautiful place. I think I saw more tractors on the road than cars.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

Today was our last day at Bear Lake. We had to be out by 10am and byt the time i got the car loaded up, it was 9:30. So I decided to run from the lodge in Laketown to the the climbing wall in "downtown" Garden City were I would meet my wife and kids and from there head to Provo for the rest of the week. More than any other run so far, I felt the altitude on this one even running at easy pace. The elevation is 6,000 and the 1,500 foot difference between the Salt Lake/Provo area and the Bear Lake area is substantial.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Relatively easy 10 miles on the Provo River trail. I got a late start (8:30) so the temperature was already well into the 70s. Went up to mile marker 13 and then turned around. It's a great trail although I don't think I have ever run in a place with more mile markers painted onto the cement. Even Central Park has less.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.006.00

Down in Spanish Fork visiting my sister. Went for just six miles today to make sure i don't ramp up too quickly from a fairly light base the last three weeks.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 146.00
Comments
From Merri on Thu, Jul 09, 2009 at 12:42:31 from 67.104.0.92

Hey I live across the street from Shelby! I wish I had known you were here it would be like seeing a celebrity from FRB!!! How long are you here for? I met your other sister last year, she was really nice! And now that I think of it you're the only one I haven't met b/c I have met your parents too. :) Good job on run.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Nice morning run from Timp View HS down to the south end of BYU campus, back up University Ave to Riverwoods and back to the HS. Beautiful weather but the afternoons are just scorching so I've been running early.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Steve Piccolo on Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 01:14:37 from 66.60.123.63

Come back in August if you want to see scorching. :)

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.250.000.000.0010.25

Ran from my sister in laws house on Foothill Drive above Timpview HS down to the Provo River Trail. Lost 550 feet in elevation. Ran to the 4M marker on the trail and turned around. Goal was to climb back up the hills at sub 7:00 which I managed without a crazy amount of effort.

\A little muggy this morning, particularly by Utah standards. Headed back to Seattle tomorrow. Looking forward to the oxygen.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 10.25
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.000.000.000.0011.00

Back in Seattle under cool skies and plentiful oxygen. Nice run along the Sammamish River.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 11.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.500.003.000.0010.50

First workout in a while. It was a fartlek of 5x 4min ON followed by 2 minutes OFF. The ON was supposed to be around 10k pace. It felt more like walking pace.

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 10.50
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Still feel pretty sluggish. It was quite warm during my run...81 degrees which probably didn't help.

Nike sent me a pair of shoes to test. It's their next version of the Vomero. Incredibly soft and very light. I'm going to try them out for a week or two and see if they provide enough pronation support. Felt like I was running on pillows today.

Nike Vomero 5 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

Felt a little better this morning running under beautiful skies and cool morning temps. Still a few pounds heavy after all the traveling, vacation, and time off.

Nike Vomero 5 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

Beautiful morning ahead of what will be a scorching summer day. Still heavy but feeling a bit better with each day I'm back in the swing of things.

Nike Vomero 5 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.500.004.000.0012.50

Today was my first track workout in what seems like months. 3.5 warmup miles with a few from the new Mt. Si Running Club I formed a couple of months ago. Then hit the track for 6x1000m with the goal of hitting 3:05s on two minutes rest. With the exception of a 3:04 and a 3:06, everything was exactly at 3:05. 3:05 isn't patticularly fast but I wasn't sure going in whether I would be able to hit it or not so I walked away happy to have done so.

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 6.00Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 6.50
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

Beautiful and even slightly chilly early morning for a run. The cool won't last long this morning which is why I ran early. The NIke VOmero's are really comfortable and don't seem to be causing me any problems. I particularly like them for my early morning runs. They seem to have a bounce that my body lacks.

Still feeling a bit heavy because I am. The vacation combined with the time off was less than kind to the body weight but I'll be back to fighting shape by race day Saturday.

Nike Vomero 5 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 149.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.250.000.000.005.25

One week ago today I pulled my groin running hard to first in a meaningless softball game. I've never been brought to by knees (actually to my back) in such convincing fashion. When I got back up, i couldn't even walk without a big limp.

So I have spent the last week doing absolutely no running. I visited the PT three times. Rode about 45 miles on my bike and did three 30-minute sessions on the ellipitical. I discovered a few things in the process:

(1) It is very hard to get a decent cardio workout on a bike.

(2) I hate to bike

(3) I hate working out indoors on an elliptical or any other device

(4) I really like running

The good news is that I was able to run today. I ran about half on grass and the other half on blacktop. No pain and only a little tightness. I ran pretty slow...averaging 7:45 miles. I can tell that speed work is a no-go for at least another week. I intentionally waited until noon to make sure it was warm enough outside that my muscles would be loose. Which brings me to my next point.

Seattle is at the beginning of a heat wave for the ages. When I left to run at about 12:15, it was already 89 degrees and very humid for our area making the heat index well over 90. We topped out at 96 but triple digits are coming for the next three days or so. I know many of you live in climates where the mid-90s and even low 100s are common in the winter. But Seattle has hit 100 degrees only once since they started keeping records in 1891. Yes, once. In fact, we only average two days per year in the 90s which is why very few Seattleites have air conditioning in their homes.

Anyway, we'll be hanging out at the library today once I get back from cub day camp. The bad news is that I can't run today until about 4pm...the absolute hottest part of the day. Should be fun.

Nike Vomero 5 Miles: 5.25
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Snoqualmie on Tue, Jul 28, 2009 at 11:31:53 from 67.171.56.164

It is miserable - even as early as 4:50 today it was horrid hot. Glad you are back to some running, but what weather to come back to! Yuck. I'm signed up for the Tacoma half, but how I regret it now!

Agree 100% with your 4 observations!!!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.005.00

Put in another 5 miles this afternoon after visiting the PT and everything seems to be working OK. Hopefully a week of low mileage and easy pace will allow me to jump into some speed work next week.

It was 97 degrees with a heat index of 99 when I ran today. It was the only time I had available. I've never run in such intense heat. I felt like I was running in a sauna which I guess I was. Supposed to break 100 for the first time ever in Seattle tomorrow. I Plan to run in the morning.

Nike Vomero 5 Miles: 5.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.005.00

The average HIGH temperature for this time of year is 76 and the temp when I ran this morning at 7:30 was 84. Overnight we set an all-time record for warmest low temperature in Seattle's recorded history. Never before this morning had the temperature in Seattle NOT dropped below 70 degrees. Hard to believe but there has never been a day when the temperature in Seattle was not 69 degrees or lower...until this morning.

Anyway, a couple more days of 98-102 degree temps and then we "plummet" to the low 90s. Yippee!!!

One nice thing about the warmer weather is it's helped my muscles loosen up and the groin feels fine although I haven't pushed it. Just running 7:00-7:15 pace nice and easy hoping that next week i can jump back into some speed work.

Nike Vomero 5 Miles: 5.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.006.00

A very tolerable 79 degrees this morning at 7am. Too bad it was 85 inside the house. All the more reason to get outside and run. Only 99 degrees forecasted today after an all-time record yesterday of 103. Never been more than 100 in Seattle until yesterday. So 99 today is going to feel downright chilly.

Groin feels great. Ran 7:00 miles this morning and felt so good I went an extra mile. I will probably shoot for 6-7 tomorrow morning and then 10 or so on Saturday. If all goes well, I will start back into some speed work next week.

Nike Vomero 5 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 148.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.000.000.000.007.00

Ahhhh...it was spledidly perfect this morning. Mid-60s and wall to wall sunshine. Ran a couple miles at 6:00 pace to get a better idea of where the groin injury is. No problems at all. No tightness and no soreness. I will shoot for 10 miles tomorrow and then jump back into a speed workout on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Nike Vomero 5 Miles: 7.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

10 pleasant miles this morning under sunny skies and nice temps. At the beginning of the week my goal was to do 5 miles a day. I managed better than that with no apparent reaggravation of the groin injury. Ran 10 miles at 6:45 pace this morning and everything appears to be working properly. Shooting for mid 50s next week with a couple of speed workouts.

Nike Vomero 5 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.000.000.000.0011.00

Beautiful and perfectly cool morning for a run. Ran 11 miles...longest in a few weeks. From what i can tell, I'm all healed up but my speed workout on Wednesday will be the true test. I will proabably keep it simple by doing a fartlek but who knows.

Nike Vomero 5 Miles: 11.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.250.000.000.0010.25

Another beautiful and comfortably warm day. I ran along the Sammamish River trail and everything seems to be clicking again. I'll know more after my tmepo run tomorrow. Jumped back into the Brooks shoes today after putting 100 or so miles on the Nike Vomeros I am testing. Good to be back in my shoes.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 10.25
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.750.006.000.0010.75

Well, today was my first speed workout since my injury and only my second or third since Grandmas in June. I feel like I 've let the summer get away from me.

My coach suggested a tempo run of 8M with the first 6M at 5:30 and the last two at 5:05-5:10. To be perfectly honest, I was nervous the whole morning about being able to even hit the 5:30s let alone the 5:10s. But after enough procrastinating, I headed out to the Sammamish River Trail to do the workout. Fortunately, it was overcast and very cool.

Averaged 5:23 on each of the first six miles but knew very quickly there would be no 5:10s in my future today. So I quit the workout after the first six miles actually pleased -- albeit tired -- that I was able to do that and that I had zero residual effects from the injury. I won't consider myself out of the woods in that regard until after Saturday's workout which is an interval workout with shorter, faster repeats.

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 10.75
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.750.000.000.009.75

I ran this morning with Drake DaPont, a 2008 graduate, and 1600m record holder at Mt. Si High School. He redshirted last year at WSU but will be running this year for the team. They have an outstanding team this year. It was good to run with him. I know his mom pretty well as she is the coach of the distance runners on the HS track team and she's been a big help in recruiting volunteers for my local races.

It was kind of funny...we both did hard workouts yesterday and were hoping to just run an easy 7:00 pace. At mile 4 or so he suggested we were doing 6:00 pace. I said no way but looked at my watch and sure enough, we were running 6:05s. OOOPS. We just got busy gabbing and lost track of the pace. Need to slow it down tomorrow.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 9.75
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.100.000.000.0012.10

Another cool overcast morning...something I've learned to appreciate since the heat wave snapped. Ran again with Drake daPont. Good kid and a bright running future.

We ran most of the run on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail so I got some good soft surface running in ahead of the interval workout tomorrow morning.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 12.10
Weight: 143.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.750.002.250.0011.00

A perfect morning for a workout. Cool and overcast. Did a 3.5 mile warmup with the running club and then jumped into a 3x(400m/400m/800m) interval workout. 30 seconds rest after the 400s and 60 seconds after the 800. Time goals were 68 for the 400s and 2:25 or so for the 800. The first two went fine. I was within a second on either side for each split. I started to have a few stomach issues as I began the third rep and my left groin started to feel pretty tight so after the first 400 of the third rep I called it good mostly as a precaution.

That said, I probably would not have been able to hit the third rep in the goal times. For whatever reason, I'm not bouncing back as quickly as I had hoped and I'm more out of shape than I thought. Those times should not be that hard to hit. Maybe the big bump in mileage is to blame or maybe I'm just not that fast.

There is a big 10,000 race on the track on Wednesday that a bunch of guys are trying to break 31:00 at. I was going to give it a go before I got hurt. After these last two workouts, it's crystal clear I am not in sub 31 shape and probably not sub 32 shape either.

There is also a 10k in Woodinville on Saturday morning next week that I may jump into. It's lower profile and might be a good check-in for where I am fitness wise.

 

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 7.50Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 3.50
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.000.000.000.0013.00

Another gorgeous morning for running. Threw on the long sleeve shirt but probably could have gotten by with the short sleeve. Ran a few more of the trails than normal in an effort to stretch my run from 10 to 13. Shooting for mid 70s mileage this week.

Weight: 145.00
Comments
From Burt on Mon, Aug 10, 2009 at 12:57:07 from 68.76.197.194

Thanks for kicking me off the front page of the mileage board.

From Burt on Mon, Aug 10, 2009 at 12:57:15 from 68.76.197.194

Just kidding.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.500.000.000.0012.50

Easy 12 miles along the Sammamish river trail. Overcast but pretty warm. It was pouring this...first rain in almost a month. I havn't run in rain since early June.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 12.50
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.500.004.500.0012.00

A very long day today. I went to the Redmond HS track to do my workout but when I got there, discovered that they had just resurfaced it and it wasn't ready to be used yet. It looks like the nice new surface is extra squishy. Great for lower impact, terrible for speed. Oh well.

So I went back to work deciding to do my workout at the Shoreline Stadium track in Seattle later in the day where I was going to be volunteering at the final Club Northwest Allcomers Meet. Brooks was sponsoring this particular meet so there was a big push to get all the Brooks sponsored athletes to the meet so I agreed plus it turned out to be a good place to do my workout.

Shoreline is a pretty squishy track in its own right. The workout was 5x800m in 2:24s with 2:30 rest. On the first rep, my newness to this track showed in a big way. I took my 200m split at the wrong spot making my 200 split appear to be slow so I picked it up quite a bit only to cross the 400 in 68. Oops. Second lap I actually took the correct split and finished in 2:21. Oops. It was kind of funny. The rest were in 2:24. Good workout but it still feels like hitting these times are harder right now than it should be.

Anyway, did a quick cooldown to get in 10 miles which is all I had time for before my volunteering duties took over.

I was invited several weeks ago to compete with a bunch of training mates to run in a very competitive (sub 31:00) 10,000m this night. That was the plan until I got hurt a few weeks ago so I backed out not feeling prepared to truly compete. Smart decision.

However, spending that much time in an evening at the track and not competing at all is not really in my DNA. So despite already having done my workout for the day I jumped into two events. The first was a "jogger's mile" which is a mile where each participant has to predict their finishing time and the one closest to their predicted time wins a free paor of shoes. So I guessed a pretty easy 5:40. Why 5:40? Because the 10-year-old who had just finished the Kid's one mile jog did it in 5:41. I had to run faster than him right? By the way, this same kid was 3rd place in the event at this year's Junior Nationals.

Well, the kid was in the adult race too. No pressure. Oh...I failed to mention that you are not allowed to wear watches or any timing devices. In fact, they turn off the clock after the first lap so all you have is a 400m split to go off of. I ended up finishing in 5:30. I wish all miles felt that easy.

The second event was the 1500m. It had been almost 20 years since I last competed in a 1500m race. Weird distance. It was a blast though. With a lap to go, I was in second with some young college/high school dude ahead of me. I decided I was close enough to try and catch him. Things looked pretty good for that with 100m to go but in those final moments, i smartly backed off not wanting to have another injury in a meaningless event. I probably could have caught him but at what potential cost? Wasn't worth it so I coasted in to the finish in a time of 4:25. 13 seconds off my high school PR but it was a blast to run. I know I could PR in this if I wanted to. Maybe next year I will try it again with the intent of running it hard.

BTW...I ran these events in a sweet new Brooks shoe...the Launch. It's a racing/training hybrid. If you are a neutral runner -- which I am not -- and you don't like racing in true racers and despise running in trainers, then this shoe is for you. Plus it looks very cool and isn't that really what matters? It's a very soft shoe and extremely light. I absolutely love it. I won't be able to use it for training because of the lack of support, but I will likely use it for longer tempo runs.

So I walked away from the meet tonight reenergized and healthy. I was pretty happy with my 1500m and it felt WAY easier than the 800m reps I was doing a couple of hours earlier which had me much more optimistic about my fitness level.

By the way, Uli Steidl won the 10,000m in 30:58...one second slower than my 10,000m in April at the WWU Invite.

 

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 6.25ST4 Miles: 3.75Brooks Launch Miles: 2.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From jtshad on Thu, Aug 13, 2009 at 09:43:06 from 204.134.132.225

Glad you are feeling healthy and reenergized. Great job in the races, especially for deciding last minute. You obviously have not lost much if any fitness!

From Snoqualmie on Sat, Aug 15, 2009 at 13:16:29 from 24.18.192.33

I wish I had seen that! Let us know next year if you think of it. :)

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.000.000.000.0011.00

A wonderful run from upper Snoqualmie down to historic Snoqualmie almost entirely on trails going down and then on the bike path coming back up. Beat the rain so the streak is still alive.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 11.00
Weight: 140.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

A cool but rain free run this afternoon along the East Lake Sammamish parkway trail. It's such a beautiful run and the trailhead is less than a mile from work. Did a bunch of exercises afterward. Everything seems to be progressing.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.250.003.000.0015.25

A second good workout in a row. 4x1200m @3:43 was the goal. Hit all four in 3:41 and felt like there was more in the tank. I ran the whole warmup, workout and cooldown in the Brooks Launch. Totally loving that shoe and my gait seems to be fine in it according to my PT. Solid ending to a good week of decent mileage.

Brooks Launch Miles: 15.25
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
21.250.000.000.0021.25

An absolutely glorious morning for a run. I had planned on 12 but couldn't stop myself until 15. I proabably could have gone 20 or 25 except for this thing called work.

Ran again tonight. Had my 12 yr old daughter biking along side. Good times. Just had some spare energy to burn off plus I want to hit 80 this week and I need to front load the mileage given I'm hosting a race this Saturday with more than 750 peeps.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 21.25
Weight: 146.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.500.003.500.0012.00

It's getting hot here again. 87 degrees in Redmond by the time I was able to break free for my workout. And it was pretty breezy too and I felt like crap. I've been having stomach growlings all day and it definitely affected my workout. The workout was 3M@5:12s; take a 1:00 rest and then run a 4th mile hard...in the 5:05 range. First two miles were fine but I just couldn't hydrate enough and I think my 21+ miles yesterday didn't help either. I just felt flat the whole workout. The third mile was in a lousy 5:18. That's when my 1:00 minute break turned into 4:00 or so as I dashed for the nearest bathroom. Tried to do the final mile and just didn't have it. Oh well.

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 142.00
Comments
From Jon on Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 19:22:14 from 128.217.221.71

Nothing like having intervals interrupted by a bathroom break... happens to lots of us.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.500.000.000.0013.50

Didn't wale up in time this morning to run in the perfect mid-50s temps so instead I was in the 88 degree weather. I drank tons of water though. Beautiful day just a bit warm for running.

Brooks Launch Miles: 13.50
Weight: 142.00
Comments
From Burt on Wed, Aug 19, 2009 at 18:28:55 from 68.76.197.194

Have fun with your race this weekend.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.000.000.000.0013.00

Another gorgeous if not muggy morning. It's always 90+% humidity in the morning but it's not usually 66 degrees to boot. We Seattleites are admitedly woosies when it comes to heat. It doesn't take much to put is into heat stroke. Good run though. Now if I can just nail more than two workouts in a row I'll be set.

Brooks Launch Miles: 13.00
Weight: 142.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.000.005.000.0012.00

With tomorrow being my race day, I did my second workout today instead. 4x1 mile @5:03-5:04 with 80 seconds rest between. Hit all of them in 5:00-5:01 and it felt great, Could have done another one or two of them. It was nice to have another good workout after a bummer one on Tuesday.

ST4 Miles: 5.00Brooks Launch Miles: 7.00
Weight: 141.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

After a very long, long day I was able to sneak in 12 miles this evening. I was tired but it was a fantastic release. Looking forward to a good night's sleep.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 142.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
21.250.000.000.0021.25

A beautiful but quite chilly morning. Mid 40s to be precise. Short sleeve was almost not enough. A bit tired from the long, long weekend but felt good to get out running after a day off. Shooting for a double this evening.

8 more this evening with my daughter biking along side me.

Brooks Launch Miles: 21.25
Weight: 146.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.000.000.000.0011.00

A little bit shorter than I wanted to go today but I simply ran out of time. A gorgeous evening for a run. You can feel a little nip in the air. Fall is nigh.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 11.00
Weight: 144.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.500.004.000.0010.50

Broke away at noon and headed for the Redmond HS track for my midweek workout. They just resurfaced the RHS track and let's just say there won't be any world records set on it. It's soft and slow. And it stinks. Whatever chemicals they use, they smell awful and they last a while. It smelled a lot like rubber cement.

Anyway, the workout was 5x1200m @3:45-3:47 with 80 seconds rest. Hit 3:43, 3:44, 3:45, 3:46 and 3:49. I felt really good for the first three reps but started feeling nauscious and by the time I completed the workout, I was having GI issues again. So the workout went fine but I felt sick the longer I went. Don't know if the chemical odor had anything to do with it.

Continued to feel nauscious during the cooldown which is why I stopped a bit short of my mileage goal today.

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 4.50Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 143.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.250.000.000.0012.25

Another beautiful morning for a run although it was pretty cool...low 40s. Short sleeve shirt was never quite enough. No gloves yet though. Supposed to be hot today so I was glad to get my run in early. I realized that I have not run in the rain in at least two months. Of course in January I will be saying exactly the opposite.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 12.25
Weight: 142.00
Comments
From jtshad on Thu, Aug 27, 2009 at 12:47:22 from 204.134.132.225

Great workouts this week. I agree with you on the weather, fall is nearly upon us...I however have been sporting gloves when the temps hit the low 40's.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.300.000.000.0013.30

Yet another gorgeous morning and a bit warmer than the past few days. Just perfect. My run took me through my familiar 13 mile route through the neighborhood. Felt great

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 13.30
Weight: 142.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.000.006.000.0017.00

Met the running club at 7am this morning and started out on my run and it started to rain pretty steadily. Knowing the rain wasn't supposed to last all day, I stopped and came back home...did some chores and then took off around 11am when the rain stopped. Despite the thick overcast, it was still quite warm and therefore a bit muggy. No worries though.

Workout was 4M@5:25 and then a "blind" 2M at a "9" effort. My coach said not to look at my watch until after I was done with the final two miles. Ended up with two 5:08s. Felt pretty good and felt like a solid "9" effort.

Brooks Launch Miles: 17.00
Weight: 146.00
Comments
From Snoqualmie on Sun, Aug 30, 2009 at 16:00:27 from 24.18.192.33

That's an interesting strategy!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.250.000.000.0013.25

Despite eating way too much this weekend, I managed to feel OK for my run this morning.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 13.25
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.100.000.000.0013.10

Thick overcast but perfect temperature. Ran along the Sammamish River trail.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 13.10
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.400.000.000.0012.40

If there was ever such a thing as a perfect day for an easy 13 mile run, it would be today. 75 degrees, light breeze, a few clouds floatings by. Days like this are what make the winters here bearable. Ran along the Sammamish River trail. Such a beautiful run. Getting the itch to run a Fall marathon but trying to find one that doesn't totally thrash me for cross country. Looking forward to the SJJ Half Marathon on Labor Day.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 12.40
Weight: 143.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.250.004.000.0011.25

A relatively "easy" pre-race workout. 4M@5:15 pace. The workout should have been a lot easier than it was. Hit the times but felt like I had run 12M at that pace not 4. Weird how some workouts just don't go as hoped. Felt even worse during the cooldown. 7:00 pace felt hard.

I did it in the evening after having eating a wonderfully tasty but bloating Qdoba burrito with my wife for lunch. Hopefully things will go better on Monday.

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 11.25
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

A beautiful 12 miles along the Sammamish River Trail.

Brooks Launch Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.000.000.000.007.00

Easy 7 with my sister and Mark Howard essentially running the RR Days 10k route. My sister split off at 4 to run longer. It was painful to only run 7 on a Saturday but with the half marathon on Monday, it made sense.

 

Brooks Launch Miles: 7.00
Weight: 0.00
Race: Super Jock and Jill Half Marathon (13.1 Miles) 01:09:33, Place overall: 6, Place in age division: 1
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3.000.0013.100.0016.10

Well, I woke up this morning to the expected rain and wind that had been forecasted. Woodinville, site of the race, is about a 30-minute drive and away from the foothills so I was hoping for better weather down there. Ummm...not so much. Pretty much rained the entire race. Not hard, but constant and enough to get pretty soaked from head to toe. The nice thing was that the temperture was perfect. 56-58 degrees and not a ray of sun in sight. The past few times I've run this race, it's been quite warm and muggy so the cooler temps were welcome even if it meant rain.

I despise this course but it's the PNTF Half Marathon championships so there is this kind of obligatory expectation that you run it. Plus, sadly, it's one of the few half marathons for the rest of the year so if you miss it, you're out of luck finding a competitive half until Spring. The course is fine until you hit Mile 6. After a big S-turn with one of those turns being a severe hairpin turn, you hit a monster hill that is probably only .1 mile in length but very steep. For those keep score, that's why my Mile 7 -- and everybody's -- is so slow. But I'm fine with a few hills here and there. Not everything, especially around here, can be flat, but miles 9 and 10 are ridiculous because you essentially wind through the UW Bothell campus four times with several very sharp turns. It's just silly. I figure this course surrenders 20 seconds or so just on completely ridiculous turns. We're talking the equivalent of five or six "turnarounds" where you basically have to come to a stop and start again, especially on wet roads like we had today. OK..I'm done whining about the course. I think.

Mile 1 is a gentle uphill, but uphill nevertheless. I would complain about that but I said I was done complaining. The worst part is that they still haven't figured out how to make the Mile 1 marker accurate. Seriously. How hard is it. Get on your freaking bike, use the Jones counter you used to certify the course and get it right. I was supposedly 5:00 at Mile 1. No way.

Mile 2 is basically flat and Mile 3 is a net downhill as you head into some park in Woodinville. The course itself is beautiful. However, they do this dumb half marathon walk thing that starts an hour ahead of the real race and by Miles 4 and 5, the faster runners start catching the walkers which makes for a lot of congestion on what is a fairly narrow bike path through the park. BTW...that was a complaint about race management not the course. :-)

Felt pretty good through Mile 5. I was still in 6th place and the lead pack had finally made it clear that I wasn't going to catch them as they were now out of sight. A teammate of mine, Brett Winegar, was the only person behind me who was close and he was about 75-100 meters back.

(As a sidenote, at CC Nationals in Spokane last December, I passed Brett about halfway through. He looked absolutely awful. Then with about 1/2 mile to go, he passed me as if he were Usain Bolt and he wound up beating me. Be assured that I had this replaying in my mind throughout today's race.)

At Mile 6 we enter the campus rat maze where I enocuntered hairpin turn #1. (Not complaining, just stating facts.) I am very familiar with the killer hill ahead and just like I do with the Veyo hill at SGM, I planned to take it slower up that hill on purpose. My theory is that on hills like this you can't win a race, but you sure can lose it. So Mile 7 was slow but within the range I expected.

After a mile or so jaunt through historic Woodinville (or whatever town it is) we were back at my favorite campus for some more a"maze"ing running experiences. A few hairpin turns later we were at Mile 9. I say we because by now Brett had caught me. I have a rule that once I pass someone, they never pass me back. So my rule had, at least for now, been broken.

Overall I was feeling fine but mentally, I wasn't really there. I was playing through my head the various scenarios of how the final 4 miles might play out. Josh Ricardi, another teammate, was 1/4 back but not closing. Brett and I were exchanging the lead back and forth. I didn't feel like I had a lot of fight in me at this point so while I wasn't going to give up on maintaining 6th place, i don't know that I had what it took to fend off a strong finish by Brett.

At the 11 Mile mark, we were both communicated our desire to break 70 minutes. So we bore down and really focused on nailing the two miles.

This ended up being the part of the race I was most proud of. The money only ran five deep and I was going to finish either 6th or 7th. So beat Brett or lose to Brett, I was out of the money. So a good part of me was just focused on running hard enough to break 70 minutes. It wasn't until Mile 12 where I got some fight back in me.

After an OK 5:18/5:19 set of miles, I really picked it up with 1.1 to go. As we hit the 13M marker, I felt really strong and threw everything I had at holding off Brett which I did finishing in 6th in a respectable time of 69:33, a course PR by 1:11 for me.

Running, or at least racing, is so mental. The mind is very capable of making the difference between a good race and a poor one. Obviously, the fitness has to be there, but there are a lot fo people with superior fitness who get edged out by people slightly less fit, but more mentally tough.

I'm still amazed at how good races can come of mediocre workouts. My final workout on Thursday of last week (4 miles @ 5:15 on perfectly flat pavement) was more tiring than my race today.

Below are the splits. The campus miles are Miles 7-10.

Mile 1 5:00
Mile 2 5:17
Mile 3 5:14
Mile 4 5:13
Mile 5 5:18
Mile 6 5:24
Mile 7 5:37
Mile 8 5:18
Mile 9 5:25
Mile 10 5:24
Mile 11 5:18
Mile 12 5:19
Mile 13 5:12
Mile .1 0:30
Finish 1:09:33

 

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 13.10Brooks Launch Miles: 3.00
Weight: 145.00
Comments
From Burt on Mon, Sep 07, 2009 at 20:28:13 from 98.167.151.26

Way to go Sean! After reading the part about how your mile 7 was sooo slow, I immediately scrolled down to see what it was. Then I threw up a little in my mouth.

From Snoqualmie on Mon, Sep 07, 2009 at 22:34:05 from 24.18.192.33

Wow, Sean! Great race and great report. When you figure out the mental game, will you please let me know? ;) Congratulations. Hope you dry out soon!

From jtshad on Tue, Sep 08, 2009 at 10:07:15 from 204.134.132.225

Way to get your course PR and hold off Brett. You are an amazing runner!

From paul on Tue, Sep 08, 2009 at 15:02:53 from 76.27.122.123

Nice job. But what did you think about the course?

From Dale on Tue, Sep 08, 2009 at 20:38:51 from 70.168.221.56

Good job hanging tough to the end. Did you not like the course?

From Jon A on Wed, Sep 09, 2009 at 16:57:41 from 67.214.249.195

Great race Sean.

I have a question for you, you mentioned that you slow just prior to hills like Veyo hill at SGM, how far out do you "slow" up? So at Veyo, do you slow up in the city when your looking across the little valley at the hill or is that to far out?

I enjoy your writing, thanks for blogging your runs/races.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.009.00

After a very frustrating two days of not being able to run, I was finally able to get out this morning with some level of comfort and run an easy 9 miles. Tuesday morning I felt like I had just run the SGM. Calves were tight and the quads were on fire. Yesterday felt better but I still couldn't even do a light jog. Never had this happen before after just a half marathon. Kind of weird. But I'm back on my feet and should be able to rattle off another 25-30 miles this week to somewhat salvage the week mileage wise.

Brooks Launch Miles: 9.00
Weight: 146.00
Comments
From Snoqualmie Ridge Runner on Thu, Sep 10, 2009 at 13:26:37 from 71.32.80.99

Welcome to my world! You must be feeling your age a bit :-)

I ran yesterday outside for the first time in 2 months. Felt good but hard. Quads are a little sore but at least that's the only sore area.

Looking forward to the Turkey trot in Nov.

Hope you are back at it soon!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
18.000.000.000.0018.00

A wonderful but dark run this morning. First dark run in quite some time. Planning on a double today. Another 8 or so this afternoon.

10 more miles through Marymoor and the Sammamish River trail. 92 degrees. Glad it was an easy run and not a race. Won't complain though. Having a day this nice and warm mid September isn't exactly normal.

Brooks Launch Miles: 8.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
16.500.000.500.0017.00

A gorgeous morning. The Indian Summer continues. Nice easy 17 miles with some Hudson Hills thrown in at the end. 10x10 second steep hills. Every step was on my toes. I'll probably feel that in the morning.

Brooks Launch Miles: 17.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.508.002.000.0014.50

Another nice morning. It's a good thing Sunday was a day off because my calves were sorer than i though they would be after just those 10-10sec. hill bursts on Saturday. But that was nothing compared to how they felt after my workout today. I had a flight to NYC later in the day and wasn't going to arrive until 9pm so I knew I needed to get my early week workout in today rather than try for it in NYC.

10M tempo run. First 8 miles at 5:30 and then 2 more at 5:15-18. Each of the first eight miles was between 5:23 and 5:25 except two which were at 5:29-5:30. So I was fast on most of those which didn't help me any when it came time for the 2 5:15-18s. Mile 9 was a slow 5:22 and the final mile was in 5:18. My calves were burning every bit as much after today's workout as they were after last monday's half marathon.

After a cooldown and some stretching, I went home to pack for NYC. Unfortunately I didn't get upgraded to first class so i was stuck in coach in a seat that didn't recline. I drank lots of water and tried to get up and walk around several times. I felt OK but upon landing was really tight. Hope it doesn't jeopardize my planned double for tomorrow in Central Park.  

ST4 Miles: 14.50
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
20.000.000.000.0020.00

A.M.

A beautiful if not muggy morning here in NYC. My favorite part about coming to NYC is running in Central Park, especially in the morning when it's completely closed to vehicle traffic. I did the big loop and then the short loop before heading back to the hotel. It's always a bit eerie to run by the boathouse. It's been almost two years since Ryan Shay finished his running career there.

I was pleasantly surprised to feel great this morning. I got a good night's sleep and the three hour time change seemed to have no effect nor did yesterday's challenging workout.

P.M.

A muggy afternoon run but certainly bearable. Central Park was packed as usual which was all the more reason to again do the full 6+ mile loop since few venture out that far. As I passed the finish line for the Olympic Trials, so many great memories flooded back as they always do. Before exiting the park to head back to my hotel, I passed the "400 to go" mark and it sent chills down my spine. I'll never forget that day. It's impossible for me to run through the Park without completely focusing on that great day.

 

Brooks Launch Miles: 20.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 21:21:16 from 24.8.167.243

Wow. That's so neat that you were able to run there and reminisce like that.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.000.001.000.0012.00

Back home in lovely Seattle. Stomach is still giving me fits. In fact the only time it doesn't bother me is when i'm running. So i skipped dinner and headed out for a run ending at my daughters soccer game. Ran 10x1/10 mile strides in the middle. I need to do more of that.

Brooks Launch Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.003.000.000.0012.00

Got into my workout late this afternoon because of meetings. Was supposed to be a 8M tempo in the 5:2:1 format but three miles in my stomach issues resurfaced. I think I am going to get checked tomorrow. My stomach has been bothering me all week and it finally manifested itself during a run. Must have some kind of bug.

ST4 Miles: 9.00Brooks Launch Miles: 3.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.506.000.000.0014.50

Well I tried to redo the workout today that I was supposed to get done yesterday. But managed to do only 6 of the 8 miles. Was supposed to hit 5M @ 5:28s then 2 @ 5:20 and then a final mile at 5:12. The first five were all in 5:22-5:27 and the final one was in 5:18. That was all the body had to offer today. I felt so good in NYC that I think I underestimated the effect of 13 hours of plane travel in 48 hours. Plus my stomach issues didn't help but they seem to slowly be getting better.  

Brooks Launch Miles: 14.50
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
19.000.000.500.0019.50

My wife and I were in Seattle for an early appointment this morning so I decided to do my long run at Green Lake. It was raining most of the run which was nice from the standpoint that Green Lake was less of a mob scene than normal.

About five laps around Green Lake plus a set of 10x10sec hill bursts. The regular miles werew in the 6:20-6:30 range which felt perfect. This was the best I have felt running in a long time. I felt like I could have gone another 19.

Pretty good week overall. First time above 90 miles in many, many weeks.

Brooks Launch Miles: 19.50
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Snoqualmie on Mon, Sep 21, 2009 at 11:30:28 from 24.18.192.33

Nice run, at the site of my "first steps" as a runner. Good miles in that rain. (We might as well face it, eh?)

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
19.000.001.250.0020.25

A.M.

A chilly but gorgeous Monday morning in the NW. Ran 10+ miles with 10 strides thrown in for good measue. I've been reading Brad Hudson's book and I'm going to start supplementing my easy runs with strides and hill bursts 2-3 times per week. I'm also going to start doubling 2-3 times per week. I've noticed that if I do a couple of 10-mile runs in a day that I actually feel better and it may be a way to sneak in some extra miles.

P.M.

Another good 10 miles this afternoon under sunny skies and warm temps. There is that bite in the air though as things cool off in the evening. Dark, rainy days are not far off...but great weather expected all week which I plan to take full advantage of. Shooting to do my workout tomorrow.

Brooks Launch Miles: 10.25
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.500.004.000.5013.00

A very hot day today. 91 degrees and winds of 20-35mph by the time I got to my workout today. Workout was 20min tempo run at 5:16 pace. Covered 3.81 miles in that time which translates to 5:14s. So I hit it but it took ever last bit of effort. Then I jogged for two miles and then did 6x150m strides in 24-25 seconds. By the time I was done I looked like a salt shaker despite drinking 36 ounces of water from start to finish. The cool down was in the shade of Mill Pond road. It felt very good.

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 7.00Brooks Launch Miles: 6.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
14.000.000.000.0014.00

84 degrees and clear blue skies this afternoon with a light breeze to make for perfect easy run weather along the Sammamish River Trail. Ran from work through Marymoor Park almost to Redhook Brewery before turning around. Everything felt really good. Avg pace was 6:45.

Brooks Launch Miles: 14.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
20.000.000.000.0020.00

10 chilly but beautiful miles on Snoqualmie Ridge. 10 more this evening.

Our early Fall weather has been unusually nice which has me wondering if we're going to have a nasty winter to make up for it. Found this graphic on AccuWeather. I'm hoping it's right.:

Brooks Launch Miles: 20.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Paul on Thu, Sep 24, 2009 at 12:40:33 from 76.27.122.123

I hope the map is true.

From Snoqualmie on Fri, Sep 25, 2009 at 11:57:50 from 24.18.192.33

Cliff Mass says it's an El Nino year. Bad for skiing, good for running. http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/ (See his 9/14 blog entry.)

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.700.004.300.0012.00

Weird morning. Sunny and gorgeous on the Ridge but 600 feet lower in the Valley, dense fog and 48 degrees. When i got to the track at MSHS, I couldn't see the other end through the fog. Spooky but kind of cool. After a 3-mile warmup, I jumped into the workout of 8x1000m in 3:03-3:05. As usual, went out way too fast on the first one hitting it in 3:00. Next three were all in 3:03. Final three were in 3:05. I skipped the last one as a precaution. From about the third rep on, I had a pretty tender ache just above the back of my knee making it hard to extend a full stride with my left leg. I definitely felt my body having to work harder to compensate. Easy 22 miles tomorrow and then off on Sunday. Hopefully by monday the pain is gone.

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 6.00Brooks Launch Miles: 6.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
23.000.000.000.0023.00

23 miles through Snoqualmie and beyond. Had to start pretty early...in the dark in fact. It was pretty cold. Forst time I've worn gloves and a hat and long sleeve shirt since last winter. Forst time I've been over 100 miles for quite some time. Not sure how smart that was.

My calf is really bugging me this afternoon. Hopefully the day off will help.

Brooks Launch Miles: 23.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

10 chilly miles this morning after dropping off the kids at school. Very tight and sore after the high mileage week. May try for a double tonight.

Brooks Launch Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Wow...what a difference 24 hours makes. Not only did I not get to double yesterday, but after putting ice on my calf last night, everything went downhill from there. I woke up in the middle of the night in writhing pain in my left calf. After a couple of hours of not being to sleep I was able to find some oxycodone. It killed most of the pain and at least made things bearable although I was never able to get back to sleep. I've just never had pain like this. Not only could I not put any pressure on the leg, but it hurt simply lying down. I managed to get into the PT this afternoon and got checked out.

We ruled out a stress fracture but the PT didn't even have to touch my calf to see the big knot in it. It was so sensitive to the touch that she wasn't able to work it over as much as she would have liked but it was a start.

In hindsight, I deserve what I got. 100+ mile weeks are simply not a smart thing for me. I've talked about it over and over. Every time I approach 100 miles my body starts to break down. The difference this time is I felt good during virtually all of the mileage. The consequences didn't come until two days later though. So I'm recommitting to myself once again to never ever try for 100 miles again no matter how good I might feel in the beginning or middle of the week. It's not wise, and frankly, not necessary. I need to be happy with mid 80s mileage any extra energy on getting higher quality workouts. It is those that will help me most in my marathon racing. All I did by running 103 miles last week was get hurt, seriously jeopardize my November marathon plans and make it so my mileage this week will be almost zero. Not smart.

It wasn't just the mileage thought. It was how I got there. I jumped from 60s, to low 80s to 103 miles. Somehow I didn't feel like the 10% rule applied to me. And I still believe 10% is probably too conservative for someone who has been building up a pretty good base for a few years now. But jumping 25% week to week while doing to hard workouts in a week is insane.

The third factor was likely my shoes. I fell in love with the Brooks Launch and ran way too much in them. They are a straight up neutral shoe. I have a mild to moderate pronation. If I were a mid mileage guy, I may have been OK. But where the injury is and the movements that make it hurt are an indication of a collapsing arch caused in part by an unsupportive shoe. So I am putting aside the Launch, at least as a primary shoe. Too bad....I love that shoe more than any other.

So I will have to jump back to the Infinity or the Ravenna which is a new mild/moderate suport shoe that they have come out with that is also pretty light. Ugh...why do I do these things.

Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Can't run. Can barely walk and that's with a big limp

Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Walking a lot better now. Haven't dared trying to even jog lightly yet. Seeing the PT again tomorrow.

Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Saw the PT this morning and he worked me over really well. Things are slowly loosening up. I did try a jog this afternoon and things just weren't ready to go yet. Hopefully tomorrow.

Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.200.000.000.005.20

After a painful four days of absolutlely no running, I was able to get 5 good miles in this morning. 36 degrees this morning, the coldest morning by far since last winter.

Everything felt like new this morning but what a sad week of nearly no mileage. I'm almost certainly not going to run the Indianapolis Marathon next month. Just too much time off at a pretty critical time in the training cycle. I may run Memphis instead a month later if I can get out of cross country Nationals commitments.

Next time I'm on pace for 100+ miles in six days, someone please remind me how bad of an idea that is.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 5.20
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Kory on Sat, Oct 03, 2009 at 21:30:39 from 134.50.201.10

With the times you've achieved in marathon's 80 miles would be enough to do the anaerobic and endurance training that you need.

Some runners like me "I think" need the 100 miles to peak, because I'm slow and need that extra fitness.

Good luck on the recovery. Would it be worth doing the INDY Marathon for training? But if your like me I don't like to run marathon's to run them. I run them to do my best, rather than to see how many I can run.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.006.00

Just a gorgeous day. Sunny and low 60s. Perfect running weather. Was shooting for 8-10 today but managed only six. Left calf was not 100%. I can't get a lot of push off on it right now which is frustrating. I was really hoping this could be a full week of good training.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

When I woke up this morning, that calf was buggin and I felt like the chances of a run today were near zero. Very depressing...however it felt better as the day went on so I gave it a try. The sunny, mid-60s weather was probably a huge help. Managed to get 8 miles in and felt pretty good. There is still a lot of weakness in the left calf. I can't push off on it 100% but hopefully by next week I can get back into some speed work. Would love to get 10 miles in tomorrow.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 8.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Another 10 miles this afternoon under gorgeous skies and warm weather. Went out along the Sammamish River Trail. There is still some weakness in my left calf and I am not able to push off on it as well as with the right. It's not a pain issue. All the pain is gone. It's just a strength issue.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Slowly but surely everything seems to be coming back together. Easy 10 miles today pain free. My calf started cramping twice during the run so I had to stop and breifly stretch it out. It was quite cold this morning so I suspect that was a cause of the cramping. Off to Central Utaj today for a man-cation.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Today I ran 10 miles in the middle of nowhere. I am on an ATV outing with my brothers in law at Hoover's Lodge 5 miles north of Marysvale, UT which is somewhere south of Richfield whihc is somewhere south of Provo. Beautiful mountain country. It was bitter cold this morning though. 25 degrees. Coldest running day of the season. Averaged 6:30 pace without any real effort. 6,000 elevation had no noticeable impact.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Ashbaker on Mon, Oct 12, 2009 at 14:47:01 from 76.23.56.75

Did you run on the newly paved trail? I was there just a couple of weeks ago. Very scenic in that area. Love it.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
14.000.000.000.0014.00

A much warmer start to the morning this morning. 38 degrees and sunny although the sun didnt' make it over the mountains until Mile 7 or so. Headed south through Marysvale and a couple miles past the small little town. I'd be surprised if more than 200 people live there.

I shed my coat at Mile 2 which wound up being a bit too early. I went from be overheated to slightly chilled pretty quickly. At the turnaround my left arch started to really bug me. I'm wondering if my new shoes are too high in the arch. I may have to switch back to the Infinitys if that keeps up. It was pretty painful the whole way back. I was just happy to make it back in one piece.

All things considered, a very solid mileage week and a healing left calf. Hopefully with a day off tomorrow the arch will quiet down.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 14.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.000.000.000.0011.00

Cool, brisk run along the east side of Lake Sammamish. 49 degrees and pretty windy. Fall is definitely here. My left arch was sore again today but not as bad as Saturday.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 11.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Warmer but windier this afternoon which was all the more reason to go back to the east lake Sammamish trail which is fairly protected from the wind. Beautiful day actually, at least when I ran. Left arch still hurting. Not as bad as Saturday but it may impact my ability to push off a bit. Have a 10 mile tempo run tomorrow. That should be interesting.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.250.008.000.0012.25

Well today was the first speed workout in 12 days. I was admitedly nervous going in having no idea how the calf would hold up or where my fitness level was. I had an afternoon meeting in Seattle so I decided to run around Greenlake. I managed to dodge the rain but not the winds. It was quite gusty throughout the run.

 

Had a good two-mile warmup and then jumped into the workout...a tempo run of 8 miles @ a relatively pedestrian 5:40 pace plus two more miles at 5:20 pace.

The first quarter was in 75 seconds. Oops. First mile was 5:20. Oops. Everything felt surprisingly good although i really only had about 80% lung capacity for some reason. I just couldn't ever seem to get a full deep breath. Anyway, after a brisk first mile, I settled down into the 5:25-5:30 range for the remaining seven miles.

At the start of the 8th mile, my left calf began hurting again to the point that it was impacting my ability to push off on my left leg. The last mile was definitely more work than the previous seven. I made the decision to skip the final two miles to not risk further aggravating a calf that apparently is healed yet.

The good news is I felt great doing the 8 miles from a fitness perspective. Maybe I haven't lost as much as I had feared. However, it was disappointing to have a return of calf issues in the left leg. The cool down was quite tender. I was able to do some good stretching but it's pretty sore.

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 8.25Brooks Launch Miles: 4.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

When I woke up this morning, a run of any distance was not looking good. The calf hurt and I was walking with a slight limp and even when there wasn't a limp, there was noticeable pain. I was pretty certain a run was out of the question.

However, as the day wore on, things felt progressively better to the point that I went for a run at around 3:30 (missing the rain yet again) hoping to get 6 or so miles in. Well, after a slow first mile, everything started feeling better than it had all day and I wound up running 12 miles at a very comfortable 6:37 pace. I was able to get some really good stretching in. It still is sore but not nearly as bad as this morning.

Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

The leg was a bit sore and tender this morning but nothing like yesterday. With crazy wet weather forecast for later this morning, I wanted to get the run done early so I dropped my two older kids off at school and ran a beautiful (rain free) 12 miles through the Tokul Rd area of lower Snoqualmie. Once again, everything felt pretty good. There was mild tenderness and discomfort in the leg but I was able to run 6:40 pace without anything serious issues. Got some good stretching in so hopefully I'm on the mend. Shooting for 14-16 tomorrow.

Brooks Launch Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Bec on Fri, Oct 16, 2009 at 14:04:19 from 67.177.35.60

I am impressed with your running. Keep up your amazing work!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.004.000.0013.00

Had a great workout today: 2x2M @ 5:20. Actually hit 5:16-5:18 on each with 3:30 rest between each 2-mile segment. The only problem is that my calf doesn't really feel any better. I'm not sure I gave it proper time to heal and with nothing super important on the near horizon, I will likely shut it down completely for two weeks to let the thing heal fully. It's a big bummer, but I really want to have a decent indoor season and more importantly, be ready for a vigorous training cycle leading up to Boston in April.

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 6.00Brooks Launch Miles: 6.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Paul on Tue, Oct 20, 2009 at 14:49:48 from 76.27.122.123

"indoor season"? Yuck.

Have you registered for Boston? Did they give you any amenities?

From Sean Sundwall on Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 13:13:49 from 209.67.107.10

i haven't yet...I guess I should start thinkning about that

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Calf feeling better every day. In fact, no pain at all. The hardest part will be not running next week when it feels like I can but I shouldn't.

I did bike into work today...almost seventeen miles. Have to bike back tonight unless I want to spend the night in my office. I hate biking but it's fitness.

Biked 17 miles back home. The last two miles was up an incredibly brutal hill. 34 miles for the day. Boring but something.  

Weight: 0.00
Comments
From april27 on Sat, Oct 24, 2009 at 23:37:28 from 99.188.251.180

Glad your calf is feeling better. I like biking--if it weren't for my butt hurting 5 miles in! Yuck!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Was able to get in a chilly but good 20 miles on the bike this morning. One more week of no running. Can't wait.

Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3.000.000.000.003.00

3 very easy miles today. Felt really good to be out running again. Everything felt fantastic, but it was only 3 miles.

Brooks Launch Miles: 3.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.005.00

Rode 12 miles on my bike in about 42 minutes and then stretched, changed shoes and went for a really nice 5-miler. Mile 3 was in 6:30. Oops...really was trying to go slower and just take it easy. Stretched the calf really well afterward and everything seems to be back on track. Tomorrow is an off day and then shoot for SLOWLY ramping up mileage next week with a few strides thrown in at some point. Crossing my fingers that all goes well.

Brooks Launch Miles: 5.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Burt on Tue, Nov 03, 2009 at 13:16:09 from 68.76.197.194

Not a bad time on a bike.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.000.000.000.007.00

A beautiful day for a run. Ran 7 miles through Marymoor Park and along the Sammamish River. Everything is feeling quite good.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 7.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.009.00

Nine chilly, foggy miles this morning along the Sammamish River trail. Fog is a total mental manipulator. It seems like you never make any progress. Calf feels fine even in the cold weather. Maybe...just maybe I'm past the injury. 10 miles tomorrow with some strides thrown in. That will be a good test.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 9.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.002.000.0010.00

A downright balmy November day in Seattle. Weird phenomenon this morning. I live in the foothills east of Seattle and we get a lot of wind October-April or so. The wind howled all night (35 mph sustained with gusts in excess of 50). I had a terrible night's sleep and so after rolling around in bed for a while, I finally got up at 5am to go for a run. I checked the weather on my iPhone. 30mph winds but 55 degrees. I checked the neighboring city of Issaquah. No wind and 34 degrees. Issaquah is less than 10 miles away as the crow flies and there was a 21 degree difference in temperature. Crazy. Unfortunately, my watch battery was dead so I couldn't run this morning. But got my run in this afternoon during lunch.

I was excited and nervous for today's workout. It was my first attempt at anything close to speedy in three weeks and even the one three weeks ago was hampered by injury. So the workout was 10M with 10 reps of 1:00 "hard" and 1:00 easy thrown in the middle. So I headed out to the Sammamish River trail and after about 3.25 miles of warmup, I hit it. First couple of reps were in the 5:05-5:10 range. I didn't have a time goal per se, but that seemed pretty good. Next 3 or 4 reps were in the 5:00-5:05 range. I didn't intentionally speed up...it's just what "hard" felt like. The last few were actually in 4:50-4:55 pace and felt great.

It felt really good today to not only run, but to get some speed work in and start the journey back to being in race shape...all without even a hint of pain in the calf.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.006.00

Today was a day of demonstrating some wisdom and bridling my desire to go run 15 miles. So I ran 6 wonderful miles through Redmond and Marymoor Park. I wanted to run more, but wisely chose to not repeat mistakes of the past. Don't need to get to 85 miles this week or even next.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

There weren't many 70-minute periods of no rain today but I was lucky enough to find one. Everything feeling really good.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.504.002.000.0010.50

Somehow I was lucky enough to dodge the steady rain we've been getting lately. It poured overnight but the skies parted from about 7:30-9:00am this morning which gave me the perfect window to get my workout in.

This was my first real speed workout since recovering from the injury. The times weren't all that aggressive but enough to be a decent test. 6M tempo. First 4 miles @ 5:28 and the last 2M @5:16. Each of the first four mile was 5:24 or better. Felt pretty easy. The last two were in 5:14 and 5:10. When I finished I felt tested but certinaly not exhausted which was great. Absolutely no residual pain or soreness of even stiffness in the calf. Maybe I've turned the corner.

Brooks Launch Miles: 10.50
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.000.000.000.0011.00

Other than a mile or so in drizzle, I again managed to dodge the rain. Everything feels good. Head to NYC early in the morning and then somehow have to get off the 5.5 hour flight and go run a fartlek workout. That should be interesting

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 11.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.000.000.000.0013.00

13 miles in and around Central Park this afternoon. When I got to my hotel room I was so tired that I didn't know if even an easy run was a possibility let alone a fartlek workout. But, I didn't have much time to think about it if i wanted to make it back before dark.

So I ran the 1 mile from my hotel to the Park and after another mile or so of warmup jumped into a 5x4mins hard and 2 mins light repeat. Of course Central Park is quite hilly so no rep was comparable to another but it was nice running hard again in Central Park.

I was quite pleased with how things went. Other than being pretty dehydrated, everything went fine espeically considering was working off of four hours sleep and a sleepless 5+ hour plane ride.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 13.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.500.000.000.0012.50

A cool and breezy run through Central Park this morning. I mixed things up a bit running some around the reservoir and the rest through various paths. The options in CP are almost endless.

Brooks Launch Miles: 12.50
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

Blustery, chilly morning in NYC. Reminded me a lot of the Olympic Trials minus the threat of rain. One big lap around Central Park then a couple of laps around the "track" at the reservoir. Headed back to Seattle tonight.

Brooks Launch Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Kory on Sat, Nov 14, 2009 at 23:31:13 from 134.50.201.18

What is the main difficulty of running the NYC Marathon? I've heard it's are to get a good consistent pace because of the variation in the course.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.006.000.0012.00

Today was supposed to be a 3x2M interval run at 10:12-10:14 per rep. with four minutes rest in between. The first one went fine. It was a little breezy but the rain held off for more of the workout. Hit the two mile mark at 10:10 do nailed it pretty good. The second rep started out OK and I was on pace for the first mile and then I had some "restroom" issues. So with two laps to go I had to take care of business. I quickly came back and finished up the two final laps and finished with a 10:14 but it doesn't really count because I had the extra rest. The third rep felt terrible from the very beginning. Two laps in I had to pay another visit to the restroom. I went another six laps after that but it was ugly....something like 10:28 for the two miles. Embarassing. I definitely have some fitness to regain.

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.000.000.000.0011.00

Today I hosted the local Turkey Trot so by the time I got a chance to run, I was pretty tired. I intended to go 14 but darkness set in and I didn't have my relfective gear so I called it good at 11. Prett good week though althought yesterday's workout is still bugging me.

Brooks Launch Miles: 11.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.000.000.000.0011.00

Absolute pouring rain for the entire run. I've been dryer stepping out of the shower.

Brooks Launch Miles: 11.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Snoqualmie on Wed, Nov 18, 2009 at 22:55:16 from 24.18.192.33

Smiling. Misery loves company, I guess. Good job sloshing out 11!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.500.000.000.0013.50

Ran along the Sammamish River trail and instead simply turning around at the halfway point, decided to cross Education hill to Avondale and take that back to work. Nice run. Mile and breezy but managed to miss all the rain.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 13.50
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.003.758.75

I talked to my coach this morning and he suggested I sneak over and do my workout in the Dempsey Indoor at UW. I had to go over to Super Jock and Jill to get restocked on shoes anyway so I went for it. What a wonderful facility. I haven't been in there since my 5,000m race last February.

Nice warm and wind free workout. The workout was 6x1000m. Target times was 3:06. Hit 3:01 on the first one...big oops especially since the first 400 meters was in 68 seconds, six seconds faster than what it was supposed to be. That would turn out to be detrimental later in the workout. Second rep was in 3:04, then 3:05, then 3:06, 3:09 and finsihed with a 3:08. Was pretty tired at the end. Legs were tight and it's clear I'm in rebuilding mode both for strength and fitness. Felt pretty good though.

Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 3.75Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 5.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

Once again I managed to dodge the rain today. When there are two-hour gaps in the rain, i manage to find them. Wonderful run along the Sammamish River. A bit breezy but pretty mild considering it's November.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

12 miles along the Sammamish River. Foot hurting a bit but manageable.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.750.006.250.0011.00

Decided to do a 10k tempo run shooting for 5:25 pace. Nothing spectacular by any means. Everything was in the 5:18-5:24 range but I was way too tired at the end for that pace. My foot was really bothering me the last couple of miles which limited my ability to push off. Cool down was even worse as I felt like I was hobbling the three miles back to my car. Hoping that a day off tomorrow will solve the problem.

ST4 Miles: 11.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Woke up in San Francisco this morning. Yes it was planned.

My intent was to run down the Embarcadero but my foot just didn't feel up to it. Not sure what I'm going to do. Worried it could be a stress fracture.

P.M. Left a beautiful sunny and mild day in the Bay Area and arrived in a wet, dreay and cold Seattle. Foot was feeling better so I ran 10 miles this evening in the pouring rain. Foot feels less fine after the run.

Brooks Launch Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From JohnR on Tue, Dec 01, 2009 at 00:37:32 from 71.220.176.143

Sean - I hope your foot feels better soon. Don't be afraid to take some more down days. Your recent workouts show you haven't lost too much from your calf issues.

John

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Biked 18 miles.

Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
2.000.000.000.002.00

Gave it a try this morning before all the T-giving madness and by the 1.5 mark I was hobbling. Not sure what to do. The last four months have been nothing but stop and start.

Brooks Launch Miles: 2.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Biked 18 miles

Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
2.000.000.000.002.00

Tried to go again after just biking yesterday. Foot started hurting just a mile in...hobbled back to the car. Sigh

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 2.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Decided to give the foot one more day so instead biked from work to Issaquah and back. 20 miles on the button. Did it in 66:40. I have no idea if that is fast or not. Averaged just over 18 miles per hour.

Started P90x tonight. I'm doing the "Lean" track which focused more on toning than bulk. The last thing I want is bulk. Tonight's workout was Core Synergistics. It helped remind me of how uncoordinated and tight I am. I'm sure there will be a lot of that over trhe next 90 days.

Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

Wasn't very confident about being able to run today but I managed 8 miles taking it super easy (7:05-7:10 pace). Mild soreness on the top of the left foot but nothing that inhibited my stride. I doubt I could race on it, but it was 90% fine for an easy training run. I iced it when I got back and took some ibuprofen. Hopefully, I am ready to jump back in. Looking forward to P90x tonight. It's Cardio X day.

P90x -- Cardio workout...um...not really all that impressed from a cardio perspective. As  runner I pretty much get my dose of cardio in a given day and week. Oddly, the Lean program for P90x omits the Plyometrics workout from the routine so I may swap out Cardio for Plyos.

 

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 8.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

A chilly but gorgeous sunny day in Seattle. Ran through Marymoor Park and the Sammamish River. Foot pain was much more noticeable today than yesterday. I was ready to stop at six miles but then it started to get better, or at least hurt less....kind of like cold fingers hurt less once they are numb enough. Set up an appointment with the PT for tomorrow morning.

P90x -- Tonight was Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X. I don't have heavy enogh weights yet but they are on their way. It was the Ab Ripper  that crushed me. It's 15 minutes of non-stop ab exercises. It claims something like 330+ exercises/reps in a 15-minute period. It is the hardest thing I have ever done and that was just the first five minutes.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 8.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.009.00

 Today was another sunny but chilly day. Low 40s but sunny. Today was the first run I've had in a few weeks where I actually felt really good. I saw the PT in the morning. No stress fracture for sure but just some angry tendons. Got a good treatment on it and it seemed to help a lot. My balance is awful which bore itself out at the PT this morning. Lack of balance is a lack of strength and my left ankle in particular is very weak right now.

P90x -- Yoga night. 90 minutes of it. I'll admit it...I always thought of Yoga as girly, sissy stuff. Umm...I was wrong. It is quite a physical workout. I didn't sweat at all nor was there any cardio to speak of, but my muscles were really working and it is super helpful with not only getting stronger, but more limber. I will say that Yoga is incredibly boring to me. Very useful, but boring.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 9.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From josse on Mon, Dec 07, 2009 at 16:41:06 from 75.216.130.218

Ya I can get more sore from a yoga workout than speed work. It is tough if you do it right.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Another consecutive of of running that felt good. A bit of lingering discomfort in the left foot but nothing that noticeably affected my easy run. Another chilly afternoon and this time the fog never cleared making it slightly less enjoyable. I'd rather have a 30 degree sunny day than a 35 degree foggy one.

P90x -- Tonight was Legs and Back. Let's just say I have some work to do on pull ups. Almost one week in to P90x and I'm pretty confident 90 days from now I will have reaped some running benefit.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

 Very busy day for the Sundwalls so my run had to come very early. I was running by 6am which is still almost 90 minutes prior to sunrise. It was a starry morning but chilly with a temp of 23 degrees. Fortunately, it has been dry the last several days so i didn't have to deal with ice but I was definitely bundles up. I managed to stay pretty warm but I'm glad I wasn't running 20.

Foot feels great. It needs to regain some strength but no more pain.

P90x -- Today was Kenpo day. I would say this is the best cardio workout of any of them. It's amazing what a fake boxing match can do for your cardio. This workout, like yoga, exposes my inflexibility more than any other. Lots of work to do but I feel like it's going to help.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

 12 chilly miles along the Sammamish River Trail. The whol 4:15pm sunset thing really bites. In fact it was more like 3:45 when the sun went down over the Western hills. Brrr..

P90x -- It was Core Synergistics night. Had to do it alone as my wife had other things going on. This is a really good workout for runners. Works on flexibility and core strength. Looking forward to Plyometrics tomorrow.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Burt on Tue, Dec 01, 2009 at 19:09:43 from 12.231.112.98

18 mph is a decent ride. My work is 17.5 miles from home, and my fastest ride has been just slightly over 57 minutes. Of course, the wind must have been at my back that day. The top triathelets usually pedal around 23-24mph in a race. It all depends on terrain and conditions. And a $4000 bike helps a lot, too. Mine's only a $700 bike, but it gets the job done.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.009.00

 There are maybe two or three times a year when I run on a treadmill. Today was one of those dreadful days. I had no time during the day to get my run in and I knew it was going to be dark with temps in the teens by the time I did it in the evening. So I opted for the treadmill. Still not sure how I got through an hour of running on a moving rubber belt.

P90x -- Today was Plyometrics day. The "Lean" schedule I am on has today as the Cardio day but I have found that workout to be all but worthless so my wife and I have substituted the Plyos DVD and I'm glad we did. It is a fantastic workout both from a cardio perspective and and muscle building perspective. My legs were on fire. Loved it. The only bad part was at the end I realized I was one workout closer to Yoga. Ugh.  

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 9.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Philerooski on Wed, Dec 09, 2009 at 22:54:46 from 96.25.34.98

Oh man! That yoga one is tough! I made it through 30 minutes of it then made an excuse to leave to my training buddy.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.001.000.0013.00

Another really cold day today. By the time I got out it has "warmed" to 26 degrees. Can't remember a more beautiful December in Seattle, but it's come at a cold price, at least by our standards. Decided that if I am going to run the Kent Christmas 10k on Saturday I should probably do a little speed work. So I did a 5x1:00 hard with 2:00 rests in between. According to my watch I was anywhere between 4:55 and 5:25 pace. I felt really lethargic. Saturday should be really interesting.

P90x -- Arms and Shoulders + Ab Ripper -- Ummm..it kicked my butt tonight. Actually, my arms then my abs. I'm amazed at how thorough these workouts are. The Ab Ripper remains an absolute muscle crusher. It would be my dream to get through every rep of every exercise in that 15-minute routine without stopping.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 13.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

We're in a full blown heat wave now. 36 degrees. Wow.

I learned something today: the importance of arms. Last night my P90x workout focused on arms and shoulders. It was pretty challenging and I was pretty agressive (for me) on the weights and reps compared to the week prior. I've been doing P90x for almost two weeks now and never once have I been sore the morning after a workout. HOWEVER, today my arms were worthless. They were not sore, but they had no power or energy in them. They were like my legs after a marathon: jello minus the soreness. About halfway through my run I just felt like I was missing a gear yet my legs were fine. Then it dawned on me that my arms were shot and it was having a very real impact on my overall energy level and my ability to use my arms to power through even an easy stride.

P90x -- Yoga Night -- Still hate it. 90 minutes of flexbility torture. But it's helping.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Jon on Thu, Dec 10, 2009 at 17:33:52 from 75.169.153.150

Interesting revelation about the arms.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

Loving the sunshine but not digging the frigid temps. Today is supposedly the last cold one for a while. Back to the mid 40s and rain on Sunday.

My arms are still tired but felt much better as did my run. There's actually now 10% of me that's looking forward to tomorrow's 10k race in Kent. That's 10% more than yesterday. Probably going to skip P90x tonight and double up tomorrow.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 8.00
Weight: 0.00
Race: Kent Christmas Rush 10k (6.21 Miles) 00:33:35, Place overall: 2, Place in age division: 1
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
1.500.000.006.257.75

Wanted: One good left leg.

Then Kent Christmas Rush is one of my favorite races but I haven't been able to run it for three years because it always conflicts with Cross Country Nationals. But since I didn't run Nationals today I decided to give the Kent run a shot.

To be totally honest, I was really nervous I wasn't going to have the fitness to even hold 5:30 pace. As it turns out, my fitness is a bit better than I thought, but my luck is not.

Start of the race was frigid. 28 degrees. That temperature is cold enough with a heavy jacket and pants on. But it's a lot worse when you strip down to shorts and a long sleeve tech shirt.

My goal was sub 33:00 although I wasn't so sure that was possible. First mile was in 5:11. Everything felt great. Mile 2 was in 5:13. Still feeling great but looking forward to the turnaround. Mile 3 I crossed in 5:15 so I was well on pace to break 33:00 by the time I hit the turnaround. I was also a solid 250 meters ahead of the second place guy. THere was a pack of guys who stayed with me through one, but when we passed through in 5:11, I heard a collective sigh indicating they weren't wanting to go that fast.

Mile 4 felt good as I hit 5:14. Other than feeling a bit out of tip top shape, I was pleased with how things were going except for the fact that my fingers and other body parts were about ready to fall off. But fitness wise I felt fine and I knew I was on pace for a sub 32:30.

At Mile 5 things started to get a bit dicey. I was coming up on all the 5k runners and having to do a lot of darting and weaving. I hate that. And then shortly after the 5M mark, disaster struck. My left hammy totally seized up. I've never had a hammy go out on me ever. Not in training. Not in races. Never. Until today. As I winced in pain I could hear behind me the "Oh No's" from the 5kers I had just passed. I stopped for about 15-20 seconds trying to stretch it out and massage it. Started to jog and it still felt terrible. I couldn't fully extend my left leg. I stopped again for about 10 seconds to stretch it out again to no real avail.

At this point I cared less about finishing the race and more about getting my wounded self back to my warm car. So I started jogging along and slowly I was able to get some semblance of a stride back. But Mile 6 came in at something like 6:19. Ugh. Right at Mile 6 is when I heard the footsteps of the second place guy. I tried to stave him off but with about 100 meters to go, my limping stride was no match and he passed me. At that point I just hobbled it in. What a bummer. First time I have ever been injured during a race.

So I am ready to sell off my left leg. I'm not sure if Craigslist allows this. The only thing I haven't hurt on me left leg in the least three months is my knee.

What I'm really concerned about is how long it will take to recover from this. If I can run on Monday then I would be thrilled. If this sidelines me again for another week or two, I'm going to throw a fit.

ST4 Miles: 7.75
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Snoqualmie on Sat, Dec 12, 2009 at 16:43:48 from 24.18.192.33

To us mortals, it still looks pretty awesome. I wonder whether the cold affected that bare leg, like a cramp. So maybe no injury after all. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Thanks for the race report.

From jtshad on Sat, Dec 12, 2009 at 21:06:02 from 69.20.183.178

A 33 minute 10K with a gimby leg at the end is still awesome. Hope the hammy recovers quickly.

From Walter on Sun, Dec 13, 2009 at 02:44:51 from 24.10.169.110

Great race Sean! I think its hard to have an awesome December race. You did great!

From Barry on Sun, Dec 13, 2009 at 09:33:56 from 216.83.73.55

Great race even with your leg problems. Maybe try taking an ice bath that might help the leg to recover.

From Burt on Sun, Dec 13, 2009 at 10:05:37 from 98.177.216.165

Oh, man Sean. Sorry to hear that. I hope it gets better.

From Snoqualmie Ridge Runner on Sun, Dec 13, 2009 at 19:59:52 from 24.17.108.253

Hey, you get what you get and don't pitch a fit...it never helps anyway. Patience will pay off for you. Here's a good one-liner about patience for you.

Two vultures are sitting on a fence complaining to each other about how they are starving, one vulture says to the other, "Patience my eye - I'm going to go kill something."

From Superfly on Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 18:34:31 from 208.117.127.110

Ouch! My left hammy is what has been sidelining me from racing and really training for over a year now. Kind of the same story... never hurt before and then it just started to ache... for months.

Hopefully your doing good now (wed's). But if it continues to hurt fix the problem with rest or whatever it takes. Or it will haunt you for a long, long time.

I wish I had some good advice about how to fix it, but I'm still trying to figure that one out... completely.

Good luck and hopefully it isn't anything major.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.000.000.000.004.00

A very gentle two miles this morning and then another two in the evening with my son. Definitely tight but no pain. Rest day tomorrow.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 4.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.006.00

Six easy miles today at lunch time. Tight but no soreness or pain. I feel like my gait is 90% of normal.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

Inching back to some kind of normal mileage. Hammy seems to feel better each day. Haven't had even a hint of pain...just occasional tightness.

Brooks Ravenna #2 Miles: 8.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.500.000.000.008.50

The beautiful running weather continues. No work this week or next so it's been nice running at different times thorughout the day. Leg feels good.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 8.50
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Christmas Eve this time last year was a very snowy and bitter cold day. Not this year. It was seasonably cool but beautiful sunshine ruled the day.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Merry Christmas. The only time for a run today was early..around 5:30. It was chilly but ever so quiet. I think I saw two cars the entire 68 minutes. I'm cautiously optimistic that the hammy is healed. Now I just need to get it stengthened and flexible.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.750.000.000.0012.75

Another beautiful day in the Northwest. Sunny skies and cool temps. This morning I ran the Tokul loop. It was really windy...gusts over 50mph. It was also a tale of two climates. There were about two miles nestled behind Mount Si that weren't exposed to the wind at all. The result was frozen, frost covered roads and sub freezing temperatures whereas the rest of the run was "warm" in the mid 40s. Weird the little microclimates we get.

Hammy felt fine although I think it is fatigued. Hard to know what is mental vs. physical. Deserved rest day tomorrow.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 12.75
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.250.000.000.0010.25

So I'm wondering when we will have to pay for this awesome winter weather. Ran this afternoon under sunny and relatively "warm" skies. Ran along the rolling hills of Snoqualmie Ridge. The uphills seem to expose any weakness I might still have in the hammy but things seem to be progressing nicely. I will just focus on mileage this week and not worry about speed work until the new year.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 10.25
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

10 easy

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Another easy ten miles this morning under cloudy, drizzly skies. It was actually kind of refreshing and it wasn't all the cold.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.500.000.000.0011.50

At the start of the soggy run I was thinking 8 miles would be enough but I got into a rhythm and stretched it a bit. Felt Good.

Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 11.50
Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3004.95104.00234.5665.753409.26
Brooks Infinity Miles: 309.35Brooks ST3 Racer Miles: 42.50Brooks ST3 Racer #2 Miles: 263.20Brooks Trance 8 Miles: 68.35Brooks Infinity #2 Miles: 502.95Brooks Infinity Black #1 Miles: 507.65Brooks ST3 Racer #3 Miles: 208.30Brooks Inifinity Black #2 Miles: 442.60ST4 Miles: 93.00Nike Vomero 5 Miles: 95.25Brooks Launch Miles: 402.25Brooks Ravenna #1 Miles: 365.70Brooks Ravenna #2 Miles: 8.00
Weight: 143.74

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