Happy Thanksgiving!

Oct 7 - Nov 26

14-30 mpw for the last 6 weeks or so. Just some basic, low-level fitness running. I have been throwing in a once-per-week threshhold session on the newly christened "Goshawk" loop in the woods above my house. A just about perfect 6:10 section of singletrack trail and fireroad. Must be about a mile plus just a little bit more. Should be a great repeat workout for next summer if I am ever trying to get fast. Just over 1300mi for the year thus far, so I'm not going to hit the 1500 from 2007. So it goes. I'll get a little closer. Happy Turkey Day.

Seven

Still in Howard mode. A few utilitarian bike rides to and fro from town. One little seven mile run on Saturday morning to get out and enjoy some fall. A little more running in the week ahead. Achilles is feeling pretty OK, but not completely right just yet.

Heel thy Wrist

Not much running action in the days since Cle Elum. I took it pretty easy for two weeks, logging a total of 33 miles spread out over seven different runs. Last weekend, my achilles started feeling tight, so I haven't run a step all week. My achilles felt better -- perhaps even runnable -- yesterday afternoon, but now I have some weird pain in my right hand/wrist... MY DRAWING HAND NO LESS! That trumps all concerns about running etc. Arg!

PS "Heel" was spelled incorrectly on purpose...

Cle Elum Ridge Run: Take #4

Trailing the lead pack in the early climbs. Comfortable, and waiting...

Catch-up time - again! Not a lot of miles to record since my last post, a mid-30ish mile week, a mid-20ish mile week, and a couple of 40+ mile weeks including the Cle Elum Ridge 50K on Sept 13th.

It was the fourth time I've run that course - the sight of my first ultra as well - and I was feeling pretty capable of a 5hr type performance. In each of the last three runnings I've bonked pretty hard at some point or another. In 1998 I didn't know what the heck I was doing, and thusly the last 10 miles were humbling. In 1999, the fade hit me in the last 3 miles -- where I was subsequently passed by two folks in the last mile -- and finished 3rd the hard way. 2004 I was not running all that much so I took a more conservative approach to the whole race...

This year, given more experience and decent training - if not as youthful "spring" in my legs - I figured that I could run a similar, but more complete race than the 1999 version. It went pretty well.

I settled in to about 5th place early on, but during 4 bathroom stops between miles 4 and 12 I lost sight/touch of the others in that initial group. The eventual winner went by as well during one of those respites and I followed him up a few small hills before dashing into the woods again.

If you've looked at the course profile, you'll know that the major climbing takes place before mile 16. Its ALL downhill to 21.5 and then a roller coaster (with several creek crossings) to the finish. I tried to save something so that I could run the last 9 miles with more success than in previous years.

The creek crossing just before mile 21.5. A little wobbly at this point.

A short bad patch between about 18 and 21.5 because there was no water available between 12 and 21.5. It was warmer than usual and I had drained my two bottles on the climb from 12 to 16. Thankfully, I recovered a not-on-the-verge-of-cramping stride again shortly after the 21.5 mi. aid station, and was able to ramp things back up to cruising speed through the final 9 - the feeling I had hoped for at that point.

It also helped immensly that I caught the 3rd place runner with about 4 miles to go. He was obviously feeling slightly worse than I, and it was a good motivator to push myself over the last part of the course. Without a brief glimpse of him going around a corner, I'd have been pretty content where I was and probably coasted to the finish. Good feelings as well, because in 1999 I got caught on this part of the course. Nice to turn the tables even though the personnel were slightly different :)

In any case, it WAS fun as well. Friend Mike Fitzpatrick also ran - despite my late invitation - and did and admirable job in finishing something like 27th - about 6:14 I think. He was worried enough about finishing that he wanted to start in the early wave (1 hr before). For better or worse, I convinced him that he'd do fine, and have more company, if he started with the rest of us. Indeed. He ran a great race!

August 4-17

A workhorse, consistant training regimen... is not my cup o' tea in 2008. Fine enough. I've still been gettin' out. Lots of biking to town etc. in the last two weeks. I also had a great 50k type run along the Pacific Crest Trail last Sunday - Harts Pass to Rainy Pass - thusly staying true to my word about the occassional 4-5 hour run every so often to round out the summer. Friend and local bookstore owner, Brian Sweet, and I had a fantastic 5 hour 35 mintute adventure. Near perfect, 45-55 degree running temps, light rain and totally sweet north cascadian vistas throughout. This was Brian's longest run ever by about 5 miles! Nice work.

This most recent weekend, there was much less running, but lots of swimming in local lakes and rivers. Temps on Saturday and Sunday were 100-104, but we pretty much avoided all of that by staying wet or seeking higher ground. An excellent family-style hike on Tiffany Mountain for Sunday afternoon. A first time for all on the trail from Freezeout Pass to the top o' Tiffany. 6500-8200 feet or so. A great place to seek out again if I am needing a dose of higher altitude running. Cheers for another week!

Olympian!

Friend and college cross-country teammate Philip Dunn is a 3-time Olympian! A 50k racewalker, he'll be representing the U.S. in Beijing, and hopefully putting a big exclaimation point on his own Olympic Dreams. Philip is also keeping a great blog about his experience. Check it out!

June 20th - August 3rd

Not to worry, I'm not going to log every mile! Seriously inadequate blogging however... no excuses. During this "phase" of the summer, there HAS been some running, some road tripping, and at least one trail race of the Minnesota variety. A weekly mileage breakdown, and then some highlights.

June 16-22: 54mi

June 23-29: 21mi
My pre-afton taper began, plus the drive to minnesota, plus a mid-vacation surprise flight back to portland for family emergency...

June 30-July 6: 46mi
An excellent run or two around Lake Harriet in Minneapolis, and a 5th place finish at the Afton Alps 50k: 4:19.19. The race felt good, and I swear that I was holding back for the entire first lap. Nonetheless, I still came through in about 1:56 -- faster than I should have -- and the heat plus the lack of adequate 3+ hour runs definitely caught up to me on lap two. Felt like I held things together alright, but I didn't do a very good job of "racing" with the few people that did catch and pass me on the second lap. A fun course with lots of great support. Well organized to boot!

July 7-13: 16mi
Some definite post-race let down. Easy does it!

July 14-20: 38mi
Feeling better this week. 4 days of running, AND I got into the woods again for 4:32 minutes (about 20mi) on a trail near Leavenworth, WA. I ran to the lakes pictured below...


While this is NOT my photo (nor is that me in the photo) this IS Lake Viviane, the pinnacle of my run, and the first of the Enchantment Lakes in the Icicle Creek Wilderness area. The run itself, the entire day in fact, was about as perfect as could be. I did a booksigning at A Book for All Seasons in Leavenworth from 1-3pm, hit the trails by 4, and then squeezed in a 9:30pm showing of the new Batman movie just after showering and throwing down some food :) I was so jazzed up that I had a hard time falling asleep when the movie was over... at 12:30 in the morning.

July 21-27: 28mi
A shorter, 11mi trail run over Cutthroat Pass was the highlight of the week. Also several dips in the river, but its really been too cold for that of late. Hotter next week. Good for river dipping. Bagged on the White River 50mi this year. Maybe next.

July 28-August 3: 37mi.
Back in a respectable mileage zone again. I'll try to keep it between here and 50+ for the next 6 weeks. I might do the Cle Elum Ridge Run on Sept. 13th, but I'd also just be happy with a 4-6 hour run on some trails every other week. Nothing too long in this set, but I did run 5 days, with 3 runs in the 9-10mi range.

Complete 2008 Winthrop TITUS Results

Name Age Distance
Dawn Woodruff 3800m 2.36mi
Taylor Woodruff 13 11500m 7.15mi
Molly Filer 8300m 5.16mi
Annie Filer 5600m 3.48mi
Carol Filer 3800m 2.36mi
Sarah Brooks 35 11100m 6.9mi
Erik Brooks 36 15500m 9.63mi
Chris ? 4600m 2.86mi
John Roth 6933m 4.31mi
Lyn Roth 5600m 3.48mi

Uhm... An Update!

A June 10th snowfall blanketed nearby mountain peaks. Yes indeed! The heat will be here soon enough...

June 2nd- 19th: Up and down with the training...so it has gone. A 30ish mile week and then a 50ish mile week. I've run when it made sense and I DID finally get my book art off and in the mail. Hooray! The most recent 7 day stretch has been my very best of the year - I think. 86 miles in the last 7 days, including a 22mi 4.5 hour trail run on Thursday morning/afternoon. Even better, I had already logged 2.5 hours (16mi) and about 3900ft of climbing on Tuesday morning. The recipe for now is rest. Following are some highlights.

June 19

20-22mi. 4:28. Parked at W. Buttermilk snowpark up the Twisp River Road. Used trail no. 440 to follow the Twisp River NW to War Creek and then eventually Slate Creek Trail Head. This 6+mi stretch along the river is fantastic. Great undulating trails amidst the shady trees. Entirely runnable, but nicely rolling. At this point, the Slate Creek Trail heads up! For 1.5 hours I mostly hiked, with a little bit o' running. I never did reach Slate Lake, but I was very close. A little too much snow to deal with in the final shady stretch. Plus I was getting tired and ready to turn. Felt strong on the decent, and the new Montrail Streaks are working well. Stable and roomy enough on the steep downhill. Always a good test. Especially when wet. Which mine were. 4 x H20. 1xcliffbar. 1xCB. 2xGu. 2xsalt. (ST)

June 18

7mi. 57min. Power's Plunge to Black Bear and home. A cruise with some climbs. Felt better than anticipated after Tuesday's run. (ST) BIKE 30min to town with K.

June 17

14-16mi. 2:24. Big climbing today as I waited for some car repairs in Twisp. From town, I ran the Lookout mountain road to the abandonded fire tower. 3900ft of elevation gain in my 1:28 effort to the top. My distance estimate is a "best guess" given the much quicker decent. Running hard the entire way back down still took 50+ minutes. Still, its likely closer to 14. A little short on water today. Not iodine. 2xH20. 2xgu (ST)

June 15

15-16mi. 2:30ish. Wolf Creek Trail plus some additional with Brian. Added on to the end after an abriviated trip on the trail. Brain was feeling tired today. (ST)

June 16

THE TITUS VAN RIJN 2008 - THE WINTHROP ADDITION

The afterglow of an excellent Titus!
From left to right: Erik Brooks, Annie Filer, Molly Filer, Carol Filer, Taylor Woodruff, Dawn Woodruff, Chris ?, Sarah Brooks. Not pictured: John Roth, Lyn Roth, Keeley Brooks

9.63mi. One Hour. Plus I ran a mile to warm up so... I get to log 10.5 miles for the day!

All totalled, 11 local paticipants logged 76, 733m or 47.68 miles. The morning was near perfect, with 8:40ish AM starting temps in the low 60's. It heated up just a bit this was not at all a factor.

Of special note for this year's race: 3 TVR newbies participated. Among them, 13 yr old Taylor Woodruff. Taylor, with early teen guts and determination on his side, rallied to his 7.15mi (11500m) performance after only one hour of sleep. He only slept for an hour, because a wolf scat/pawprint expedition with his dad and older brother turned into a sleep-in-your-clothes-by-the-fire-on-top-of-a-mountain adventure. It is up for debate as to whether or not Taylor's dad had planned to camp out ahead of time, but there was not tent and no sleeping bag. This is a fact. Still, Taylor showed up not-so-bright-eyed and ran in his first-ever TVR. Apparently, this is also the first time that Taylor has ever run more than 3 miles in a stretch. Give that boy another black cherry soda! Congrats Taylor!!

TITUS TIME!

You and yours are invited to participate in the Tenth Annual

TITUS VAN RIJN INVITATIONAL ONE-HOUR DISTANCE CLASSIC

WHAT: A one-hour footrace
WHERE: Your local track
WHEN: Anytime between June 1st-30th, 2008

RULES
* Your performance must take place on a standard 400 meter/440 yard
track. Include partial laps in your final total; estimate distances
as accurately as possible within reason.

* Send results to by midnight, 30 June 2008.
In your results, please note name, total distance completed (in meters
or yards), age, date, and location. We encourage you to include a
brief report of your experience for the official race report.

* You may run the event more than once if desired, but only submit
your best mark.

* You are encouraged to invite others to participate in the event. In
many cases, our address list of past participants is incomplete, so we
especially appreciate your forwarding this invitation to past runners
not included in the original mailing.

* Complete results and race report will be sent to all participants.

* 'And you can dance…for inspiration' -- http://youtube.com/watch?v=e5fgejdS4gQ

TRADITION
World champions in football and baseball celebrate with champagne; the
victor at the Indy 500 gets a bottle of milk. At Titus Van Rijn, the
celebratory beverage of choice for all participants is black cherry
soda. We encourage you to maintain the tradition.

ONE-HOUR TRACK RECORDS
World, women: 18,340 meters (~11.4 miles)
Tegla Loroupe (Ken), Borgholshausen, Ger 8/7/98
World, men: 21,285m (~13.2 miles)
Haile Gebrselassie (Eth), Ostrava, Czech Republic 6/27/07

U.S., women: 17,273m (~10.7 miles)
Nancy Conz, Amherst, MA 6/25/81
U.S., men: 20,547m (~12.8 miles)
Bill Rodgers (GBTC), Boston, MA 8/9/77

TVR, women: 12,800m (~7.96 miles)
Kate Jennings (WA), Winthrop, WA 6/2/2007

TVR, men: 18,115 (~11.25 miles)
Greg Crowther (WA), Seattle, WA 5/27/2006

Please contact the race directors for the All Time TVR
Performance List. Since 1999, 69 competitors in 4 nations and 9 US
states have amassed a total of over 1.73 million meters. Join the
fun!

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS?
Please contact Andy Roth (andyleeroth@gmail.com) or Mike Persick
(mpersick@comcast.net), TVR Race Directors.

In the saddle

May 26-June 1: 55mi. 5 runs. Back on track and feeling better. Not so much sleep for tonight however, as I finish the last of my current illustration work. You can't win 'em all. The 3 hr barrier was a decent goal achieved this week. Also very happy to have run at least three days with lots of hills. A similar range, to perhaps 60mi next week. Hopefully a 4+ hour run for next weekend.

June 1

18-20mi. 3:10. Ran from home to the Wolf Creek Trail. About 35 minutes of climbing at the start and then a nice rolling, gradually uphill trail until turning back near Hubbard Creek. North Fork Wolf Creek was running cold and fast. Very crossable, but also wet :) Speaking of which, it rained a LOT today. I missed out on most of it during the run. Just some spit. The trail/woods were still relatively sopping from the rain last night. Not something we talk about too much in this part of the cascades, so I'll save that soaking feeling for the parched days in August and September. 1xc.b. 2xgu. 3xH2O. (casIII)

May 31

HIKE: A great 2hr, late afternoon hike with S on Patterson Mt.

May 30

12mi, 2:09: Up onto Lucky Jim Bluff as accessed from community ski trail southwest of Brown's Farm. Ran from home/FS 800 for about 50min before the powerwalk climb to the near top o' the bluff. Great views and a fine spot for a snack before turning around. 1 x c.b. 1xgu. 2xH2O. (casIII)

A good indication of the bluff's edge, and of the much flatter valley bottom heading northeast to Mazama.

An excellent craggy snag near my snacking spot.

Better Days

May 29

4mi, 31:39. Another easy run. No energy issues this week, just scrambling for time. BIKE: 65min + to pick up K at school, run additional errands, etc. (ax)

May 28

5+mi, 40:20. HILLS. 4 x marmot hill (approx 2:15 up). Natural interval. No pushing the pace and my legs did feel a little tired after Tuesday's longer run. Still, will repeat this workout with 6-8 reps at least once in each of the next 3 weeks. (rad)

Rebound

May 27

13mi+, 1:51. Postal. Feeling much better than I did last week. A non-petrol cruise into town so that I could mail a couple of letters. 80% on trail. Some definite ups and downs. A busy week ahead to finish some book art, but I'll hope to parcel out some running as well. (rad)

May 19-25: 30mi. Oi! Not such a good week... Chalk it up to too burning the candle at both ends last week. Not planning to do much better in the week ahead, but after that I'm golden until Afton! 4 days of really relaxed running and several other failed attempts to leave the house. That being said, I did rest enough for a solid 32:39 performance at the Mazama 10k trail race this past Saturday. Lest anyone think that my legs move anywhere near that fast, its 100% certain that the course was short. 1/2mi sorta short!

Blocks

May 12-18: Happy. Hit my mileage goals despite only running 4 days AND I didn't get hurt -- or at least I haven't noticed anything yet. Similar or slightly higher miles for next week, but spread out. It should be an easier week for that. Another "speed" or hill workout for sure. Mazama 10k trail race next Saturday.

May 18

18mi, 2:08.20. Ran in my old Seattle stomping grounds -- Greenlake, The Birke Gilman, University District, Ravenna Park, etc.. Fun to have a lot of people around for a change - even when I was suffering through the 2x2mi threshold (6:10 pace) workout in the middle of the run. I felt "OK" on that part, but not great. Considering the 5 hrs of driving to Seattle in the morning, and the 2 hour trail run yesterday, I guess I'm pretty happy with it. (rad)

May 17

12mi, 1:59. Monument Creek Trail with Brian. Nice and slow. Great sunny morning. Awesome raging river waters! 1 x Gu. 1x Cliff Block. 2 bottles H2O. (cas III) BIKE: Almost an hour and a half bike ride with Keeley and Sarah in the afternoon. I was getting light headed in the last 20 minutes. A hot day for so much outside activity even though I was drinking like crazy!

May 15

11mi, 1:35. Black Bear etc. on Sun Mountain. Another warm day made easier by an early morning run. BIKE: Rode Keeley into school. Ditched the bike and started my run. (rad)

May 14

10mi, 1:20. FS 800. Roads and trails near our house. An easy run in antcipation of craming in LOTS in a short amount of time this week. BIKE: Picked K up from the Roths. A windy ride home at the end of the day. Warmer. (rad)

Hawk Hunted!

May 5-11: 5 days. 48mi. Most of this week's mileage was accomplished via back-to-back medium-long runs on Sat. & Sun. In each instance, I ran for just over 2 hours on hilly terrain. On Sunday's faster effort, I used a single powergel and a PBJ sandwich for fuel, in addition to 2 x H20 bottles - one of those being 1/2 lemonade. Fine combinations all around, but it still isn't hot and I wasn't really out there for all that long. I also took 1-2 s-caps on each run... Next week I'll step up the mileage into the mid-upper 50's and see what that feels like. Need to do a tempo run and perhaps another LSD in the 18-20mi+ range. Also, BIKED 4.5 hrs this week. Most of it with K in tow.

Highlight of the week: The attack by a Northern Goshawk on Friday afternoon. The scene of the battle was a short section of trail less than 10 mintues from home. I won't be going back until fall... These birds are VERY protective of their nesting sites! On it's first pass, it knocked me in the back of the head. I reacted to the blind-sided flutter and sqwaking too late, and hit the ground only after being 'thwacked'. I basically sprinted the next 200m of winding trail, avoiding dives 2-3 by repeatedly throwing myself on the ground. Scary stuff from a 2-3 lb bird!

National Bike Month

I recently read that May is National Bike Month. Ditch that car and ride! Especially during National Bike WEEK, which just happens to be May 12-18.

To wit, and more to the point of this training log, I have currently ridden my own bipedal machine 4 times this week. Lucky for me, I had done so even before the aforementioned realization. A premonition if you will. Also a fine supplement to the running, although it is always too windy on the ride back from town. Cest la vie!

I'm Back!

Not that anyone has been missing me... but I've decided to start posting again. My year thus far has been a pretty gradual roll towards my current 40-50 mile weeks. I'm within 10 miles of my YTD mileage totals from 2007 (when I was training for Wasatch) and it all feels good. With a little luck, and some extra speed/hill work to boot, I'll ramp up the training in the next week or two as I prep for my "race of the year" -- the Afton Alps 5ok -- which is first and foremost the annual reunionaj with my college xc running teamates. With respect to that race, which is a few weeks earlier than my 50k from last year, I'll be a little bit more aggressive with the training in the next 8 weeks. Beyond early July, I might make a return trip to the White River 50mi, but we'll see how the work/life management goes between now and then.

I had a great time training for (and attempting) my first 100 last year, but it always felt like a one-shot deal. By that, I simply mean that I wasn't going to make it an annual thing. Maybe next year :)

April 28-May 4: 5 days. 48mi. The bulk of this week fell to a 2hr, 14 miler, and the Sunflower Iron (22mi). I felt strong on both runs, and did a good job of running patient on Saturday -- saving something for a strong final 5-6 miles. 2nd place again, just a few seconds difference from last year's race. Reconnected with the winner of the Rattlesnake 1/2 Marathon, James Varner, from two weeks ago. It turns out that he and his running ladyfriend, Alison Hanks, are moving to Winthop in two weeks. More folks to call upon for trail cruising!

Alright, back to the drawing board. Literally...

Photo Shoot 2007

Last April, a friend of mine, MacLeod Pappidas, was asked to submit some photos for an article in Trail Runner Magazine. Unfortunatley, the job never quite came to pass, but we did spend a fine spring morning running around - at times looking just a bit too serious!

We hiked up Patterson Mountain at about 5am. From surrounding peaks and vistas, you do get at least some sense for our Methow Valley home turf. Enjoy!

2007 Totals

Happy New Year!

Not a lot -- or any -- writing in this of late, but I'll pick another race for 2008 soon and get back to postings. In any case, my 2007 Wasatch attempt was a great motivator for running in the past year. I've made a major transition to xc skiing in the last month, but I still logged 1530 miles of running in 2007.

I'll make a resolution here and now to run at least that much in 2008, although I won't be getting in that 62mile day per my Wasatch experience in September :)

Peace and best wishes...