Category Archives: Trail run

Practice, Running, Trail run, Training Log

January 12-18 Practice Running

Monday, January 12, 2015, 4:37 pm

3.16 mi, 28 ft gain, 29:17. Around town, with dogs. New Balance MR10v2.

My left achilles is still achey and tight. When that happens, it always seems to tighten up even more in the first 0.5 mi or so, maybe my body trying to protect it. Then it starts to warm up and loosen up. It took almost 2 miles for it to loosen up all the way.

My legs are still sore, but not as bad as yesterday. I definitely felt better after today’s run than before. Looking forward to getting back to some climbing, probably next week.

Average HR 124 bpm. I don’t think this is at all accurate. At one point glanced down and my HR was supposedly over 190 bpm. Most of the rest of the time it was around 115 to low 120s.

 

Tuesday, January 13, 2015, 4:44 pm

3.19 mi, 38 ft gain, 28:41. Around town, with dogs. New Balance MR10v2.

I felt much better starting today than yesterday. My left achilles is still a little tight, but not bad. It loosened up much more quickly today as well. I only have a little minor muscle soreness left as well. I almost felt back to normal and was nearly running at my normal pace for this kind of run with the dogs.

I’ll probably go a little longer tomorrow.

Average HR 130 bpm. I think the Mio Link was wrong part of the time. I looked a couple times and it said my HR was in the 140s bpm, but I felt more like the mid 120s.

 

Wednesday, January 14, 2015, 6:08 pm

8.14 mi, 1136 ft gain, 1:16:47. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 Red.

Very minimal left achilles soreness today. My legs felt great, nearly fully recovered. It was a little chilly, mostly because of the wind.

I warmed up within the first 0.8 mi or so. The logging roads were kind of sloppy from the trucks again, so I decided to go over the hill instead. So it was only muddy the first and last 0.8 mi, where the road forks. The intersection for the hill is another 0.2 mi from there. It’s just under 1 mi from there to the beginning of the hill.

The climb up on both sides felt pretty easy, which is awesome and will definitely help with some of the races I want to do this year. I felt so good that I might hit Wallace Falls for the first time this year. I’m going to have to get after it sometime if I want to make it up 50 times this year.

Average HR 128 bpm.

 

Thursday, January 15, 2015, 4:08 pm

11.14 mi, 2134 ft gain, 1:59:20. Through town to Upper Wallace Falls #1, solo. Altra Superior 1.5 Blue.

A little tired today. I decided to get up a little “earlier” than yesterday and try to work my way toward sleeping and waking earlier, so I didn’t get a full night’s sleep. I’m also coming down with some sort of bug, runny nose, and a little bit of a sore throat.

My legs felt good the whole time. It was rather windy through town, but I didn’t really notice once I got back into the trees.

I pushed a little bit going up. I ended up getting my 2nd best time up. I used my headlamp starting a little over halfway up. There was still a little light from dusk, so I didn’t need much from the headlamp. For the descent, I switched it to medium (165 lumens). It was plenty of light. I didn’t push very hard on the way down, but still got my 2nd best descent time as well.

The rain held off until about the time I hit the roads on the way back home. I brought my new Outdoor Research Helium II jacket, folded up in its pocket, carried in the front pocket of my reflective safety vest. The wind and rain picked up a bit once I got back to US2 heading home. I stopped in at the grocery store to use the restroom and put on my jacket. I was so much warmer with the jacket.

Average HR 140 bpm.

 

Friday, January 16, 2015, 4:32 pm

10.08 mi, 1411 ft gain, 1:52:07. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 Blue.

The cold has taken hold a little more today. Nose isn’t quite so runny, but throat is slightly more sore and a little more general head cold type discomfort. I think it had a little bit of an effect on my performance today, but not too bad.

The roads were sloppy again, though not at all once I turned off the main road. I didn’t want to deal with the mud, so I went over the hill. Once to the other side, I decided to go out and up the little hill on that side.

I was shooting for 10 mi. The extra out and back on the little hill didn’t quite do it, so I did a repeat on the steeper part near the top on the east side. It still wasn’t quite enough, so on the way back I went up the hill about 0.25 mi from the gate.

Other than the cold, I felt good. I’m hoping it doesn’t last too long though. While it hasn’t been too hard on my running, it’s taken a toll on my energy and will to get other things done.

Average HR 120 bpm.

 

Saturday, January 17, 2015, 3:05 pm

10.32 mi, 1668 ft gain, 1:40:43. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 Red.

I waited too long to get out for my run today. It wasn’t raining earlier today. It was just starting a little when I started my run. I broke out the OR Helium II jacket again. I also took a handheld water bottle, which I haven’t been taking.

The plan was to do about 12 mi or so. I almost turned around and bagged it between 2-3 mi out. The head cold was bothering me. I usually feel better throughout the day. The wind and rain weren’t all that pleasant either. I wasn’t cold at the time, but I wasn’t sure how I’d feel later.

I’m glad I stuck it out, because I started feeling better a little past 3 mi. I went over the hill again today. I was going to maybe go over and back twice.

The OR Helium II kept me fairly dry for about an hour. After that, I was pretty wet, especially my arms. Maybe I keep my forearms above vertical. I had the hood on the whole time, but my body still got wet. It did keep me fairly warm though, and drier than without the jacket. The last 25 minutes or so, I started to get a little cold, mostly because my gloves were soaked through and the wind picked up blowing in my face.

I ended up going back up the hill far enough to break 10 mi by the end. I didn’t take a light with me, and I didn’t want to be out after dark, so that’s about all I had time for before the light went as well.
I think I’ll be looking for some waterproof gloves.

Average HR 133 bpm.

 

Sunday, January 18, 2015, 3:48 pm

11.03 mi, 2262 ft gain, 1:57:36. Through town to Upper Wallace Falls #2, Solo. Altra Superior 1.5 Blue.

This cold has me a little unsure about how much energy I have and how well I feel running. I’m past the sore throat and faucet for a nose phase. Now it’s just general malaise in and around my sinuses, and a little bit of sneezing. It’s not really slowing me down though.

The weather was pretty nasty overnight and earlier today. I got up around 9:30 this morning, hours earlier than I have been getting up for quite a while. I thought about getting out for my run and getting back in time to watch the Seahawks, but the weather was still pretty crappy. There were breaks in the rain and wind, but then it would start absolutely pouring. It even hailed like crazy for about 5 minutes, then slowed down. I’m glad I wasn’t out in it. So, I ended up waiting until after the game to head out. I almost left in the middle of the game, but glad I didn’t. I got some things done during the game as well, so it wasn’t wasted time. I may write a post about that.

Anyway, I always seem to go a little faster when I don’t have the dogs with me. I felt pretty good from the get go. I hit the Wallace Falls parking lot at about 26 min, had a brief pitstop in the restroom, signed the register and moved out. I took it a little easier than a few days ago. I think it was about 34 minutes to the Upper Falls. I spent a couple minutes there. I didn’t push myself that hard up the last climb, so I didn’t need the rest, but I wasn’t in a rush. I took a picture of the falls. They were roaring pretty good from all the rain. I got out my headlamp and headed back down the trail.

I also took it a little easier on the downhill than the other day. With the trail so wet, all the colors on the trail were pretty close, so it was a little harder to make out obstacles. I managed just fine, though. I’m not sure why I had so much trouble rolling my ankles last year. Maybe it’s just taken more practice.

I made it from TH back to the TH in 63 min. I finished off my water bottle and refilled in the restroom, then headed for home. A little over 25 min later, and I was home.

I felt pretty good the whole time. I had a little tightness up the inside of my lower right leg from the top of my foot over my arch. My shoe was a little tight across there, so I think that may have been at least part of the problem. I didn’t notice when it stopped, but it was fine by the time I got home.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the 50k was a couple weeks ago rather than just last weekend from how great I feel. Maybe I didn’t race it hard enough, maybe my body’s gotten used to it and recovers quickly, and maybe it’s a little of both.

Average HR 138 bpm.

 

Weekly Totals: 57.1 mi, 8611 ft gain

Practice, Races, Running, Trail run, Training Log

January 5-11 Practice Running

Monday, January 5, 2015, 6:30 pm

5.17 mi,  539 ft gain, 58:14. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 Blue.

My hamstrings were a little sore starting out today. Everything else was pretty good. They felt a little better later in the run.

I’m glad I waited until the evening. It was still absolutely pouring down this morning and mostly stopped by afternoon. But the logging road I ended up running on had flooded and was probably still underwater into the afternoon. Olney creek was very high, only about 18 inches from the bottom of the small bridge I ran across when I was there. But the road was covered in silt and all the grass was brushed to the downstream side from moving water up to a couple feet above the level of the bridge deck. That’s about 5 or 6 feet higher than when I was there. It would have been cool to see Olney Falls or Wallace Falls with all that water.

After such a strong December, I felt like I barely got started when I made it back to the car. I still have a little soreness in parts of my lower legs from December, and I have the Bridle Trails 50k on Saturday, so I’m going to continue to take it easy this week and probably most of next week as well.

Average HR 123 bpm.

 

Tuesday, January 6, 2015, 4:22 pm

5.12 mi, 46 ft gain, 46:57. Town RR access rd, with dogs. New Balance MR10v2.

I finally got out with daylight again today. The alpenglow on the mountains to the north and sunset to the southwest made for some great views on this flat run through town.

Jumped the tracks to the river side about a mile out and ran on the access road. There were some workers who appeared to be staging some things by a couple of the piles of concrete railroad ties.

Lower legs are still a little tight, but better later. It’s getting better, but I’m a little unsure about turning the 50k into a back-to-back this weekend. It’s fairly flat, and it seems to be better on flatter terrain.
It still felt like a really short run.

Average HR 124 bpm.

 

Wednesday, January 7, 2015, 4:27 pm

5.32 mi, 46 ft gain, 47:26. Town RR access rd, with dogs. New Balance MR10v2.

Today was much like yesterday. Pretty much the same route and near the same pace. The sky wasn’t quite as spectacular today, however.

The Mio Link was kind of buggy starting out. It showed my HR way high, in the 170s. Based on my breathing and how I felt, I think it was in the low to mid 120s at the time. It does this occasionally, and I haven’t figured out the problem. It’s probably related to contact between the sensors and my skin, but I wear it in almost the exact same spot at the same tension every time, so I’m not sure. Maybe it’s a low battery issue. Or maybe some ambient radio signal messes with the connection with my Suunto.

I had a weird twinge on the inside of my leg just above my left ankle. I’m not sure what it was. It lasted for a while then disappeared.

I’m both looking forward to the Bridle Trails 50k this Saturday and a little apprehensive. I haven’t had a proper long run since sometime in November. I think my long December streak makes up for it, though.

I’m also unsure if I want to go just to finish and treat it completely as a long training run, or if I want to race and see how fast I can go. From reading about it, it seems flat enough that I could maybe set a 50k PR. But it can also be quite muddy, and it’s supposed to rain, so that might limit my speed. Either way, I plan to take it easier for the first 4 laps, then maybe make a push for the last 2.

Average HR 129 bpm.

 

Thursday, January 8, 2015, 5:23 pm

4.81 mi, 367 ft gain, 51:21. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1 loop, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 Red.

Went out for 4-6 mi. The logging roads were really sloppy from all the big trucks. They’re logging somewhere up the hill toward Wallace Lake. My run on Monday was detoured because of it.

It was a little cool tonight, but not too bad. I warmed up fairly quickly. The first mile went by more quickly than it has the past few days. Running was pretty easy tonight.

Average HR 121 bpm.

 

Friday, January 9, 2015, 5:21 pm

4.56 mi, 330 ft gain, 50:33. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 Blue.

The logging roads were much less sloppy today, though I didn’t run around the loop, which was sloppiest yesterday. Running was pretty easy too.

I still keep going back and forth over whether to race or just run tomorrow. With all the other runners, it’s always tough to hold back. I guess I just need more practice.

Average HR 123 bpm.

 

Saturday, January 10, 2015, 3:00 pm

28.18 mi, 1415 ft gain, 3:59:13. Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival 50k, solo. New Balance MT1010v2.

I started a little further back in the crowd than I originally wanted, but I think it helped me take it easy to start. I might try it again in the future for long races.

My HR was way high early. It started coming back down after the first lap. I have HR, pace and cadence to scroll through on the bottom section of the main screen on my Suunto Ambit 2 R. I ended up switching to pace and leaving it there for most of the race. I checked on my HR a couple times, but it was still higher than I expected, so I paced myself by my breathing instead.

It wasn’t too muddy early on. After a couple laps, the mud got turned up pretty good, but it wasn’t bad. It was kind of thick and not too slick.

I ran with one handheld and my UD SJ Essential belt. Originally, I carried my ziploc baggy of dehydrated bananas and dates in the belt, but switched to the handheld pocket after a few laps instead.

I drank one full bottle about every 2 laps. At the end of lap 2 I stopped at the aid station to refill my bottle and ate a piece of banana dipped in salt, stopped to pee, and got in my drop bag to grab my headlamp. I didn’t turn the headlamp on until about halfway through lap 3. I was going to grab more food at the end of lap 3 but I forgot. It wasn’t a problem, as I ate pretty good before the race. At the end of lap 4 I refilled my bottle, had another chunk of banana with salt, grabbed more food from my drop bag and dropped off my hat. I got a little more dehydrated than I prefer to be. I wanted to limit restroom stops, and it worked. But I finished off the bottle by the end of lap 5, grabbed another banana with salt, refilled the bottle about 1/3 and downed that before getting to the start/finish area, where I tossed my empty bottle with my 2nd empty food baggy over by my drop bag. Then I went off for the final lap.

I felt better than I expected later pretty much all race. I think my big December streak and the taper made a difference. I felt great until about the last 1.5-2 mi, when I had to put in more effort to keep up my pace. I still felt better than the end of pretty much all my other 50k races.

My lap splits were pretty even the whole night, right around 40 min give or take a little. I came through the halfway point at about 2:00:15, so I met my first goal of 2015 and ran a negative split for the second half of my first ultra of the year, though not by much. That’s all including time stopping at the aid station, toilets and drop bag. I did pretty well not stopping much. According to Strava, my moving time was only 3 minutes less than total time. And while I did go sup 4 hrs, I’m not counting it as a 50k PR or as meeting my sub 4 hr 50k goal, because the course was a little short, probably more like 46-47k.

I was passing people pretty regularly the 1st lap, still quite a few the 2nd lap, a handful on the 3rd lap, a few less on the 4th lap, just one or two on the 5th lap, and I don’t know if I passed anyone on the final lap. That’s not including lapping people. There were a couple guys that re-passed me when I stopped for aid/restroom/drop bag, but I caught back up and passed them again not too far down the trail.

The only person who passed me and stayed away was the 2nd runner of the winning pairs 50k relay team, Uli Steidl, who flew by me (lapping me) about halfway through my 5th lap.

I managed to not get lapped by the 3 guys who finished ahead of me. Looking at the early results before I left, 2nd and 3rd place were pretty close at the end. The winner finished in something like 3:33 and change. Something to work towards in the future perhaps.

I ate about 700 calories and drank about 70 oz of water. Both were lower than I’m used to, but it worked out great. For this weather, distance and time, I think that probably works better than eating and drinking as much as I have in the past. I could probably have done with a little more water, but it worked out. I had 2 more bottles worth of water and the last baggy of food by the time I made it home.

I really enjoyed the race. The trails were great, with excellent marking. Seattle Running Club and Northwest Trail Runs did an awesome job. If it fits in my schedule, I’ll be there again next year.

Average HR 157 bpm.

 

Sunday, January 11, 2015, 5:49 pm

10.61 mi, 1173 ft gain, 2:02:45. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 Blue.

This run was really rough starting out. My legs were sore all over. My left achilles tight and achey. I think from the heel counter on the MT1010v2 pushing into it during the race. If I’m going to wear those for more muddy races, I’m going to have to do something about that. The Superior 1.5 just doesn’t have enough traction in mud, and I’ve probably got 1000-1500 mi worth of them left in the two that I’m currently rotating and the two extra pairs I have in waiting.

Back to the run. I started to loosen up a little by about 0.5 mi, and even more by 1.5 mi. I headed straight out toward the road to Wallace Lake. I planned to go up to the lake and add on enough more to make 10-15 mi. But I very quickly decided to keep it closer to the low end. I forgot that they were logging up toward the lake and had to change plans. I went up the other road at the ‘Y’ to the end, then out to the end of the next road lower.

On the way back, I turned toward the connector hill and ended up going out about a mile. It’s 1 mi from the gate to that intersection, so 2 mi from where I turned around, which is the first turn at the very start of the hill.

I felt pretty decent from about 4-8 mi considering how bad I felt at the start. I don’t think I refilled my glycogen stores enough after the race and before this run, and my energy levels were pretty low for the last couple mi. It wasn’t terrible, though.

I saw my friend the northern saw-whet owl again and got some photos. A couple turned out ok.

My original plan weeks ago when I signed up for the Bridle Trails 50k was to use it as the first of back-to-back long runs. I felt really good during the race and decided to go after it, which I paid for today. I have a feeling I’ll end up doing the same at the Lord Hill 50k next month. I also planned to use it as the first back-to-back long run that weekend. I’ll probably be recovered enough for about 20 mi next weekend, but might do 15 and 10 b2b instead, or something like it. Then in 2 weeks hit a couple b2b long runs, which will give me 2 weeks recovery from Bridle, 2 weeks recover until my last short race of the winter, and 2 more weeks until Lord Hill. Then if I go b2b long runs 2 weeks after that, I’ll have 3 weeks to recover if I decide to do another big race.

Average HR 114 bpm.

 

Weekly totals: 63.8 mi, 3915 ft gain

Practice, Running, Trail run, Training Log

December 29 – January 4 Practice Running

Monday, December 29, 2014, 6:39 pm

11.48 mi, 1439 ft gain, 2:01:34. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1 loop & hill, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 Blue.

Starting to feel a little worn down from the streak, but not too bad. Took it pretty easy.

I’m writing this several days later, and unfortunately, I don’t remember much about the run.

Average HR 121 bpm.

 

Tuesday, December 30, 2014, 4:16 pm

11.07 mi, 867 ft gain, 1:35:49. Through town to Wallace Falls RR Grade, solo. New Balance MR10v2.

Also writing this several days later.

I gave the dogs a day off. I felt better than the previous day. Had to turn on the headlamp before getting to the turnaround at the Greg Ball trail junction.

I used my new Amphipod reflective safety vest that I got for Christmas. I like the front pocket.

I had a couple small, flat packages that I needed to mail, so I carried them with me and stopped off at the post office on my way out. It’s about a 5 min drive to the P.O., and took about 8 min running.

Average HR 128 bpm.

 

Wednesday, December 31, 2014, 6:59 pm

11.06 mi, 1470 ft gain, 1:54:53. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1 loop & hill, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 Red.

I didn’t have a lot of energy starting out. My right lower calf has become rather tight and a bit sore the last couple days. It’s like my body knew that today was the end of the year end push, and will get to take it easier for a little while to recover.

It was kind of chilly, but not too bad. I had a bit of frost form on my beard and mustache from my breathe. It was noticeably colder on the flat between the main road and the hill. It’s always colder in that section.

I felt a little better after a few miles, though my calf was about the same the whole time. I’m looking forward to some shorter runs for a while, and to see if this stretch of training has had any effect on my fitness after some recovery.

I have an 8 mi race on Sunday, but I’ll take it easy until then and again for the following week until the Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival 50k on Jan 10. I plan to run the 50k at a fairly easy pace and then another 15-20 mi run the next day as my first big back-to-back training for a 100 miler.

Average HR 125 bpm.

Looking forward to more running adventures and breakthroughs in 2015.

 

Thursday, January 1, 2015, 7:23 pm

4.25 mi, ft gain, 48:08. Olney Falls DNR rd, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 Blue.

Took it pretty easy. I wanted something a little hilly, and still not too difficult. I kept it short today after the long streak to finish out 2014.
The trouble spots I’ve had the last week or two felt better today. It’s almost like my body knew I’d be taking it easy for a few days.

I’m looking forward to Sunday’s 8 mi race. I might break out the old New Balance MT1010v2 for the race. It’s supposed to rain and will likely be muddy. They have much better mud traction than my Superiors.

Average HR 120 bpm.

 

Friday, January 2, 2015, 6:38 pm

5.51 mi, 96 ft gain, 40:56. Through town, solo. New Balance MR10v2.

That felt so short after my >10 mi streak. It was raining a little but not too bad. I kept the pace a little faster than I’ve been running, keeping my HR in the 140s for the most part, a little slower starting out. I went hard the last 0.2 mi or so.

My lower legs are still a little sore and tight, but getting better. I might do one 10+ mi run next week before the Bridle Trails 50k, but I’m going to keep it shorter and fairly easy until then, other than the 8 mi race on Sunday.

Average HR 142 bpm.

 

Saturday, January 3, 2015, 5:49 pm

4.24 mi, 360 ft gain, 36:50. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1 loop, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 Red.

Traffic was awful on US2 westbound on the way out to the tree farm. I’m not sure why that is today. It’s usually the end of the weekend when it gets this bad. On my way home, it looked even worse. Glad I was going east home.

I felt like going longer, but kept it short and easy ahead of tomorrows race and after a hard December.

It was really foggy, so I used my flashlight rather than headlamp for the most part. I went without light for a bit as well. Even with the fog, there was enough ambient light for some sections of the non-technical gravel/dirt logging roads. And I’ve run there enough to know the terrain really well.

Average HR 128 bpm.

 

Sunday, January 4, 2015, 9:11 am

1.49 mi, ft gain, 13:37. Warm-up St. Edwards Park, solo. New Balance MT1010v2.

Like the other races, my heart rate was a little elevated before the start. I ended up getting a better warm up today than the past couple.

Average HR 141 bpm.

 

Sunday, January 4, 2015, 9:36 am

8 mi, 1109 ft gain, 1:01:08.1. St. Edwards Park Absolution 8mi Race, solo. New Balance MT1010v2.

I went out too fast again, but dialed it back pretty quickly. Two guys passed me shortly after the start. I let them go ahead, but followed within sight. I’d catch up closer on the downhills and some of the climbs. At the end of the first lap, one of the guys went through the finish line, so I was left with one other guy.

I continued to follow. He went ahead a little more, and I let him go. I was still close enough to see him on some of the more open sections. I was pretty sure I’d catch up a bit on the downhill and probably the last climb as well. I got back to within 10 sec or so after the downhill. Then I let him go a little bit on the flat by the beach and caught back up on the climb. Looking back, I should have made a move on the climb, but I’m still new to racing and wasn’t sure what I’d have left for a kick at the end. Toward the top, he went off again. I reeled him in a bit on the short, steep descent before the last little climb. Once he hit the blacktop for the final flat section, he sped up. I picked up the pace there as well. With about 200-300 yards to go, I kicked hard, but I came up short by a couple steps.

Talking to him later, he didn’t know that I was pouring it on at the end, and he coasted through the finish. Just before that, the short blacktop section goes around a curve with a hedge directly off to the right side, blocking the view up ahead. He used that to speed up when I couldn’t see him. In the end, he beat me by half a second.

This was my first time intentionally staying behind in a race. In the couple races that I led from early on, I spent the rest of the time running scared, expecting that someone would catch me at any time. Running as the pursuer was less stressful, but I don’t know yet which strategy works better for me. Each event is so different, it’s hard to tell.

I’m very happy with my finishing time and 2nd place. And I got more racing experience for next time. I also got a strava segment course record.

Average HR 167 bpm.

 

Weekly Totals: 56.8 mi, 6176 ft gain.

Running, Trail run, Training Log

August 11-17 Practice Running

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.

Exercise, Health, Running, Trail run

June 30-July 6 Practice Running

Monday, June 30, 2014, 8:51 pm
4.8 mi, 726 ft gain, 54:06. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm Gate #2. With dogs. Altra Superior 1.5

I was going to take the day off, but I was itching to get out and run. I decided to time the run so I’d hit some good view spots at sunset. I was still a little tired, so I took I easy. Still climbed up the connecting hill for a little bit of vert. Brought my total June mileage over 170.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014, 4:05 pm
5 mi, 1892 ft gain, 57:24. Wallace Falls TH to Upper Falls & Back. Solo. Altra Superior 1.5

I was looking for some climbing, but not a very long run. I didn’t push the pace until the last steep section just before the upper falls. Even taking it easy most of the way, I managed to PR going up, 32:30, 2.5 min faster than on Jun 29. I think my previous best was 33:xx.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014, 8:17 pm
6.4 mi, 339 ft gain, 1:03:28. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm Gate #1. With dogs. Altra Superior 1.5

I kept it shorter earlier so I could take the dogs out for a run after it cooled down a little. Ran toward the connector hill, turning around at the turn just past the 2mi mark. Then out to Olney Creek and let the dogs play in the water for a couple minutes. Finished out the loop and back to the car.

Thursday, July 3, 2014, 5:09 pm
7.1 mi 2680 ft gain, 1:45:34. Lake Serene. Solo. Altra Lone Peak

My brother-in-law, AA, posted a hiking picture a little earlier in the day of an old, very large fallen tree stump. I recognized it from the Lake Serene trail. I hadn’t decided where to run, even as I was about to turn on the highway. Left, I’d go to Wallace Falls. Right, Lake Serene. AA’s picture was the nudge it took to pick Lake Serene. I didn’t feel particularly fast, so I tried to keep a pretty steady effort. I’ve started power hiking steep sections more often. I don’t really slow down much, and it seems to help conserve a little energy. Even so, I set several PRs for segments on Strava. There were probably a dozen or so cars in the parking lot, unlike when I’ve gone on the weekends. It was nice without so many people on the trail. I was completely alone when I got to the lake. I spent about 10 minutes up there looking around. Every other time I’ve gone up there, I’ve just stuck to a very small section of the lake before heading back down. I headed over to Lunch Rock, had a snack and some water. I watched the ravens waiting in anticipation. I sat and shared a few moments with the trees, lake and mountains. Then I headed back down. I passed another runner as he was on his way up on one of the many sets of stairs.

Saturday, July 5, 2014, 1:49 pm
21 mi 4579 ft gain, 4:53:41. Dorothy, Bear, Deer, Snoqualmie Lakes, Otter Falls. Solo. Altra Lone Peak

I’ve been to Otter Falls a number of times. Always from the North Bend side, though. I grew up out there, but I never went there until I moved back after the Army. I’ve wanted to get a little bit higher into the mountains as the snow continues to melt and figured this was a good way to do both. It wasn’t that high, maxing out a bit over 3800 ft. I thought it was a safe bet that the snow from the last trip report I saw from two or three weeks ago would be gone by now. There were a couple small patches on the sides of the trail at the top.

I started at the Lake Dorothy trail head at the end of Miller River Road (fs 6412) off US 2 near Skykomish. The parking area was fairly packed. The trail wasn’t too busy, though. I think most people had already made camp. The first few miles were pretty well maintained. After getting part way around Lake Dorothy, there was flagging tape along the rest of the trail. It seemed to mark spots that needed a little attention. Also after those first few miles, the trail started to get fairly rocky. I like technical trails, so I didn’t mind.

As I got to the south end of Dorothy, the trail ran into a 30 ft wide creek. It wasn’t on the map, but I could see the trail on the other side, and it went in the right direction. The water was cold, and my feet felt pretty heavy for a few minutes.

Next was the climb up to the saddle and highest point. Then down to Bear Lake, and a short distance later was Deer Lake. The descent continued to Snoqualmie Lake. I managed to trip on one of the smoothest sections of the day going around Snoqualmie. With just a small abrasion to my left knee, I got up and kept going. Another mile later, I realized that most of my food fell out of my pack when I tripped. I still had enough to finish, but I’d be pushing it, so I decided to continue and look for it on my way back.

The trail continued to descend down toward the Taylor River. On the descent, I rolled my left ankle and felt a small pop. It was a little sore, but didn’t hurt too bad. It was a little tight for a couple minutes, so I took it easy. After a little while, it felt fine again.

Sections of the trail along the Taylor River were a bit overgrown. I passed a few more backpackers. I hadn’t been to Otter falls from this direction, so I started paying closer attention starting at about 10 miles according to my GPS, to make sure I wouldn’t miss it. I wasn’t sure what kind of marking there would be for the turnoff, if any. There’s no official trail up to it. People have marked it with cairns and even homemade signs in the past. There was a cairn and large arrow made of stones. I sat on a log for a couple minutes and ate some food.

I found my food on the way back. That made me happy. I was hiking a little more of the steeper sections as well. I ran out of water between Snoqualmie Lake and Deer Lake. I decided to use my filter and pump some water at Bear Lake. I ran into a group of three backpackers part way around Lake Dorothy. I very vaguely remembered passing them on the way out, but they remembered me. I stopped and chatted for a few minutes before finishing the last few miles.

The trail was more technical than I was expecting. The views and scenery along the trail were awesome. I’ll definitely head back in the future.

I took my hydration pack, an older deuter I’ve had for 6 years or so. I don’t like to wear it usually, but wanted to carry more water and not have iodine flavored water all day. I also experimented with dehydrated food. I dehydrated some bananas, peaches, and instead of my usual “dateorade”, made it thicker and made fruit leather with it. The fruit leather was what fell out of my pack. I liked it a lot. I plan to make more and use it in the future. I’m going to work on portioning it, so I can keep track of calories better.

Sunday, July 6, 2014, 8:02 pm
6.3 mi 815 ft gain, 1:20:24. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm Gate #1. With dogs. Altra Superior 1.5

The plan was to do 10-15 miles on trails, but my ankle was sore from twisting it on Saturday. So, I took the dogs out for an easy run. Started slow to let the ankle loosen up. Legs weren’t at all sore, but a little heavy. Let the dogs play in Olney Creek. Headed up the hill towards Wallace Lake, but turned left in the clearcut. Stopped to pick and eat some huckleberries. The dogs found the remains of a predator killed grouse. Just wings, backbone and a couple feathers. Lots of scat along the roads. The ankle loosened up fine, but it will probably still be a few days before I get back to bigger climbs and technical trails.

Weekly totals
50.6 mi, 9h 23m, 11,031 ft gain

Only my second time over 50 miles in a week. Most vert in a week by about 300 ft.