Wednesday, August 13, 2014, 4:05 pm


3.3 mi, 96 ft gain, 31:20. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm burmed road, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5

Legs were still a little tired from Sunday. Loosened up by the end.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014, 4:05 pm


1.1 mi, flat, 11:01. Down the road and back, solo. Barefoot

It’s been a long time since I ran barefoot. Thought I’d give it a go. A little gravel on my driveway then down the road and back. The road was resurfaced with tar and gravel. Not as smooth as just asphalt, but not too bad.

Thursday, August 14, 2014, 5:10 pm


5 mi, 1949 ft gain, 56:57. Upper Wallace Falls, Solo. Altra Superior 1.5

Put in a pretty good effort today. It was wet from rain the last couple days. I took it easy on the gravel road starting out. I pushed the pace most of the way up. Got to the top at 32:40, one of my better ascents. Took about 90 seconds break at the top to catch my breath and drink some water. I took it easy for the first couple minutes down, to get my legs back from the hard climb. Also, the stairs at the top are steep and were slippery from the rain. My legs came back, and I started to let go on the downhills. It’s a little tough to go fast with all the switchbacks in a couple sections. Felt great by the time I made it back to the gravel road. I was running about 6:20/mi pace there, which felt easier than normal, so I sped up for the finish. Back to the trail head from the top was about 22:45, which I think is my fastest descent.  I even managed to not trip at all, which might be a first for this trail. Very rarely fall, but trip up when I look up for and at other people on the trail. There weren’t very many other people today.

I was a little unsure how the Superiors would do on the wet trail, but they worked great. One of these days I’m going to push for sub 30 min to the top.

Thursday,  August 14, 2014, 7:30 pm

2 mi, flat, 15:38. In town, with the dogs. New Balance MR10V2.

The dogs needed to get out and burn some energy, and I wanted to loosen up my legs after the earlier run. It started raining just as we started. I was soaked by the end, much more so than the dogs. Their fur repels water better than mine.

Friday, August 15, 2014, 6:49 pm


5.2 mi, 2246 ft gain, 56:10. Upper Wallace Falls, Solo. Altra Superior 1.5

Legs felt a little better today than yesterday, so I decided to head back to Wallace Falls. Put in a pretty good effort. Saw a couple, mother and young son, and a lone hiker on my way up. Beat yesterday’s time going up by a couple seconds at 32:38, and I even stepped off trail to pee. Took 1:42 at the top before heading back down. Legs weren’t as tired starting back down as yesterday. Still took it easy on the steps at the top. Then let it go. Managed to not trip at all again. Definitely easier when I’m not worried about running into other people. Down time was about 21:50, almost a minute faster than yesterday. Shoes were great. Sometimes my feet slide around in them on steep descents, not as much when I’m going with gravity rather than braking. Opened up a bit on the gravel road back to the trailhead. Went sub 6/mi for a bit of it. Bettered my times on several Strava segments.

Saturday, August 16, 2014, 6:47 pm


5.2 mi, ft gain, 1:14:47. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm Gate #2, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5

Took it slow and easy. Went out to Olney Creek to let the dogs splash around. Wandered through the woods a little. Followed some game trails. The dogs scared up a hen grouse and 4 youngsters that I’m guessing were spring chicks.

Sunday, August 17, 2014, 5:40 pm


15.3 mi, 2937 ft gain, 2:52:05. PCT Section K from Stevens Pass, Solo. Altra Superior 1.5

My beloved Garmin Forerunner 305 died completely last night. Bought a Suunto Ambit 2 R to replace it. Fairly easy to use, but will take some time to get used to it. My only complaint so far was that after it appeared to get full satellite signal, it didn’t start recording my route until about a half mile later.

And about the run. I got a late start, like all too often. I wanted to make it to Lake Janus. Instead, I decided to go as far as possible by 7:00 pm. I also wanted to go at least 15 mi. I was close when 7 came around, so I kept going. I ran into the only other person on trail right where I turned around, which was still at least 3 miles from Lake Janus.

I didn’t feel that great the whole run, just a little weaker than normal. I think it was at least partially the two hard efforts up Wallace Falls. It was still nice to get out, and the scenery was great. The part of section k I ran today was not as scenic as the part of section J I ran last week, mostly because of the first couple miles that parallel US2, in earshot, though not in view.

After not tripping at all this week, I managed to trip and fall on a pretty flat and smooth section just a mile or so into the run. I didn’t fall hard. I got a little trail rash on my left hip and forearm. I managed all the really technical sections just fine though. They require more focus, so I pay more attention to foot placement.

Weekly Totals: 37 mi, 6h10m, 7723 ft gain.