I spent a second weekend in a row at in-laws where I shot this photo of a beautiful sunset on Sunday night. Great thing about Seattle, even in mid-August the sun is out till 8:30 or so. Daylight is being shaved off the clock faster then my hairy Italian face but I'll take it while I have it. I put in a 6 miler on my normal Rhododendron loop while I was there. Took the first few miles including the huge hill fairly slowly and then turned it on to tempoish pace for final three. Felt great. My hammy had been stiff for about a week and a few days off did the trick. Not even a twinge with the all out pace at the end of this one.

My wife stayed at the in-laws with the kids and the dog and I took advantage of my rare bachelor freedom to join the group for a track workout tonight. 10-15 people showed up and after a few minutes of trying to decide what to do I steered the group into a ladder workout of 400, 800, 1200, 800, 400. All with 400 recovery.

The key is getting past the 1200 and he rest is easy. I aimed for my now horribly routine goal pace of 5:40/mile or 85 seconds a lap. There was a wide spread of running abilities and several guys stayed with me the first 400. Through 800 I had one guy who finished ahead of me. On the 1200 I passed him and finished the workout somewhat alone. It is the track so I still was running with the group albeit not at the same pace. Having run this pace for a few years nearly every set was within a second or two on either side of my goal. I had a little left in the tank for the final 400 in 76 sec.

This workout felt perfect. I was mostly spent at the finish but still with some pep. Carried this energy straight through the evening getting a laundry list of to-dos (or maybe that is honey dos) done around he house and even writing in the blog after 11pm, something I almost never do.

By the way. Seattle is now 3 weeks into 70-80 degree weather with absolutely no rain. In a word, perfect. I am trying to mentally capture as much of this awesome weather as possible to carry me through the dark Seattle days of November through May.

The summer is flying by and I haven’t blogged at all. Is anybody keeping up with this thing? There has been a lot going on in life and just haven’t had the time nor the desire to put anything down about running or anything else.

Heather delivered a beautiful baby girl on June 15th. Mae Marguerite Wesner. She is doing very well. Now that Heather and I are used to having our lives ruled by kids it wasn’t so much of a shock to throw Mae into the mix. Sleep has been decent and I’ve even been able to keep running/Crossfit fairly regularly by mixing runs into my commute home from work and workouts at our tiny gym during lunch hour.

No races or insane workouts but I am keeping at it. Up weeks and down weeks but I just concern myself with getting out there as much as I can without sweating weekly mileage or paces. I haven’t measured or paced a workout in a few months and I feel fine.

My quest to break 3 minutes running up the steps from Golden Gardens still has not been met. 3:08 is my best mark to date and after finishing I couldn’t imagine squeezing 8 more seconds out of my legs. It doesn’t really mean anything but I like the challenge and for some reason I enjoy the anticipation of my 3 -minutes of pain as I approach the hill.

Seattle does have spectacular summer weather for running. The worst day here for running is better than the best summer day in Philly for running. We’ve only broken 80 degrees a few times and have hit a high of just 84 degrees for the summer. The evenings are cool and breezy and almost always require a light jacket or sweathshirt. I don’t miss the heat at all.

I’ve also been kicking around the idea of a spring marathon. Eugene has a flat fast race at the end of April and it finishes on Hayward field. That could be a great race. I’d still be gunning for a sub 3:00 hr marathon if I could get myself in decent enough shape to start training in January. However, Heather and I have a bid in on a piece of land to build a house in Seattle and if that comes through I’d have a boatload of extra work on my plate between now and that race. It would really squeeze any time for doing a reasonable training program and probably put my plans for racing on hold. I sort of feel like time is ticking for a 3:00 hr marathon. I’m 35 now and I’ve noticed that my racing results now have an age graded curve. I have no doubt with great training I could do it even at 40 but the training is the hardest part. Each passing year just makes it slightly more difficult to get there.

The beautiful weather in Seattle continued right through the weekend and it truly was awesome. To be in the mid 70s with nary a cloud was spectacular. My appreciation of the Beatle's ode continues to grow. Got out Saturday morning with the group for 10+ miles around town. The three guys I was running with jumped off the prescribed 10 mile course and wandered closer to Lake Washington and around the University of Washington campus.

The path led us behind U of W stadium or as everyone calls it here Husky Stadium. The university has a large horticultural area back there which abuts the lake. The grass and trees were the foreground for a magnificent view of Mt Ranier. I am still utterly amazed by the mass of it. The peak is so head and shoulders above anything else in the area that the view is almost surreal. As usual the view was also fleeting and we soon were passing some wetlands, with a lineup of turtles sunning themselves on nearly submerged mossy log. Apparently the turtles were in the need for a few rays too.

After this is was back across campus and towards Green Lake where the runs start and end. Easy pace the entire way and we finished somewhere around 90 minutes for 10+ miles.

Decided to skip the run on Saturday and spend time with family outdoors. I did have 30 minutes to sneak in a crossfit work out.

30,20,10,5 reps of thrusters with a 30lb dog food bag, 21" box jumps and pushups. The pushups were easily the limiting factor as everything else was completed un-broken. I am going to have find something heavier than the dog food to make this type of workout more difficult. I timed it but not sure where my watch is at the moment. Maybe 9 minutes.

The weather in Seattle is finally matching the brochure. Endless blue skies, warm sun, light breezes and low humidity. Today I was itching to get out of work for a run home. I can't really change the majority of my route home but the section that cuts throughout the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle allows me to mix up the route a bit as long as I don't mind adding a little distance and hitting the hills. The whole of Magnolia sits on a 350 ft high penisular plateau with the Puget sound to the west, the Ballard canal to north and the river like set of train tracks to the east. The middle of the plateau is scooped out, leaving hillsides facing each other across a flat mid-section. The train tracks make it sound industrial but they are way down the hill. It is an extremely residential area with beautiful homes, quiet streets and for many, stunning views.

I attacked from the west on a killer climb which I took extremely slow. I topped the ridge and kept heading north towards the canal. I had peekaboo views of both the cascades and the Olympics completely unobstructed by any clouds. I could definitely get used to this. Eventually ended up on 31st street and that lead me to the foot bridge across the railroad track and to the locks. The locks were bumping with tourists and I gave up any hope of running across them due to the crowds. Took a breather and looked for some migrating salmon on the fish ladder. The little migration chart told me it was early but by July there should be fish aplenty. Maybe I can jump in like a bear and paw away until I nab one mid-air. Sushi for dinner.

After the locks it was the usual hill up to my house which I am all to familiar with. 98% of the run was into a stiff headwind but on a beautiful day who cares. I am running home from work in the time it used to take me to drive home, I should be happy in wind, rain, hail, sleet and anything else thrown at me. 6.8 miles untimed.

Baby update: still no baby

All day I was dreading the run home. I could of taken the bus but I might not be able run Thursday and Friday so I had to run right? Even as I was getting changed in the handicapped bathroom stall I still wasn't sure I was gonna go through with it. But before you know it I was popping open the door to the back alley behind my building and heading down to the Olympic Structure park for my run home.

The dread was mostly due to the incredibly sore calves I have from Monday's workout. Sore to the touch, tight after sitting and I just didn't think they would be up for 6.5 miles home. I was wrong. I quickly settled into the faster end of easy pace and and old G. Love album on the iPhone. The weather was overcast but dry and dare I say it, almost humid. I think an afternoon in Philly would recalibrate my definition of humid but today, for Seattle, it was humid.

My run home takes me through the Interbay section of Seattle which is composed mainly of fishing industry, a huge bus parking lot and an enormous train yard. I run along this train yard for at least a mile and get an up close and personal look at the locomotives and all jockeying involved in getting these trains set. I can only imagine the logistics. Track after track of different train cars and scores of locomotives. I'd like to work there for a day just to get a better idea of how it works.

51 minutes which is relatively fast for my slog home.

A nice memorial day weekend it has been. Two meals off the grill and the third of baby back ribs is currently cooking, decent weather, which at this point really means no rain and highs above 50 and two good runs.

Saturday I joined the group for 10 miles. This group has really exploded, from 20 or so when I first started in October to 45 on Saturday. We migrated out of the parking lot on a loop that would lead back towards my neighborhood of Ballard and within a block of my house. Started with 45 and lost people along the way to different routes or different speeds until it was just me and Pete for the last few miles. Pete is much like me in the fact that he has shorter races (5k - half marathon) that indicate he can easily run a sub 3 hour marathon but just hasn't been able to put it together on race day. In fact his PRs solidly beat mine but still just barely missing. I wish him the best as I know how frustrating this can be. The marathon is tough to figure out.

The 10 mile run was just under 8 minute pace and but felt like I had only run 5 or 6 miles when I finished. A nice morning.

I took Sunday off and joined the group once again on monday for a hill repeat work out. There is always some type of interval workout on Monday mornings at 6:00 am that I never can get out of bed for but today due to the holiday the start time wash pushed back to 9:00. This afforded me the chance to grab breakfast with the family and still get a morning workout in. About 20 people. We warmed up with a mile on the track and then made our way over to the hill. A moderately steep, wide gravel path along 50th street. The incline was constant and just long enough for a workout. I almost never do any interval work with other people so kind of a new experience. We lined up and took off en masse at just short of a full sprint and increased the pace from there. Whew. 10 of these were going to hurt. 18 seconds on the first trip up but I poorly split the rest. I am betting they were all around 19-22 seconds with 2-3 minute recoveries as we walked back down and lined up. A real sprint workout.

Having 20 people ahead and behind me encouraged me to push much harder than I normally would. There were a few guys that were clearly better at this than me which was all the better. 10 trips seemed over in no time but definitely kicked my ass. Cooled down with a jog back to the track and another mile or so at a very easy pace. I should note some tightness under my left foot that is still lingering right now. Not pain but more like light cramping. I am guessing it is due to the hard workout combined with the lighter trainers. I'll have to lay off racing flats a it until my feet adjust.

I was able to knock ofwf work at 4:00 and have a leisurely run home. I was feeling slow even before the run started and didn't push the pace on the trip. I take the precaution of placing my wallet and phone in a ziploc bag and it has paid of more than not. Light showers for the second half of the run but that point I was plenty warm and the wind was at my back.

It's odd, these commuting runs really do feel like a commute and not just a normal run at any other time of the day. I wasn't even rushing home to some family plans, it just feels different. Unfortunately, there are only two options for a route home and one involves a very busy road so I always opt for the other. I think this will really get old but I have no choose unless I want to add 2-3 miles to the run.

My route does take me across the locks and today it was busy with boaters headed out to the sound for memorial day weekend. May off to some destination or perhaps just to cruise the many water ways in the area. So many pleasure boats, I was a bit jealous of the boats and some exciting plans for the weekend. I will be laying low with the family, getting yard work done and cleaning around the house. Nothing to exciting but there will definitely be some beers and some barbecue.

Back to the crossfit style workouts now that the race is done. Tonight it was 20 burpees and a run around the block, 5 rounds. The trip around the block is just north of 400 meters I think.

I always forget how hard it is to do these workouts when I have skipped a couple months. First round was easy, the rest of the rounds hurt. As expected every round was slower than the last. The burpees were pathetic by the end of it my form was totally broken. It does feel good to get this one in the books. I still promise myself to get creative with these workouts in the backyard, especially now that the summer is nearly upon us.

On a weather update Seattle still routinely struggles to get out of the 50s and we only have one lone day over 70 so far this year. I do yearn for more warmth but the truth is these temps are perfect for a little sweaty italian like me. And the sleeping in spectacular. I am still under two blankets and a comforter. Even on rainy days the sun is out for a good bit and I now often get out in the afternoons for a brief walk for coffee or lunch at work. Also, My new job is great In fact, I like working here better than anywhere else to date. I hope it remains that way.

Quick loop from house down to the Ballard locks and back. The wind was blowing from the south which meant in my face on the way down the hill and at my back on the way back up. Just how I like it. I tried out a new pair of lightweight racers, aside hyper speed. Bought them because they were half off and I had images of effortless 6 minute miles.

Untimed and unmeasured but the run felt great.

Heather is due in less than two weeks. The reality off this is finally setting and in the back of my mind I am always expecting my phone to ring with Heather in labor. Our routine life is about to have an enormous wrench thrown into so the summer should be very interesting from a training standpoint. I at least now know what I am in for and the insanity will end.

Last night I just couldn't get myself excited about this race. Even stopping by the start line to pick up my race packet didn't get me going. I had only run once this week, a miserable trip home from work into a relentless headwind that left me feeling flat and slow. I tried to get to bed early and stay optimistic about what could happen on race day.

The race started at 7:00 so I was up very early to eat my customary toast and butter with a cup of coffee before picking up a couple running buds and heading to the starting line. As I mentioned before, my goal was to break 60 minutes on the 15K course, around 6:30 pace. The race was small, just under 500 people and I had a feeling I'd be alone for most of the trip. There were a few guys that looked like they would kick my ass and two lithe athletic girls that jumped into the starting line just before the race started. 50 degrees, a very light drizzle and almost no wind. Nearly perfect conditions.

The race started in Gasworks Park on Lake Union with spectacular views of downtown and the space needle. 15 or so people strung out in front of me and within 2k I had passed several and things settled in. I quickly realized that the race would only have kilometer splits. No mile splits! Initially this aggravated me but I realized that 4:00 per K would give me exactly 60 minutes so as long as I stayed under 4 I'd be just fine. I actually liked the quick feedback that K markers gave me. It was so methodical and easy to gauge. I also only roughly knew my mile pace so it left me blissfully ignorant of how hard I was running. The first 5K went by around 19:40 and I was now holding steady 3:50 Ks which were banking time against my 60 minute goal.

We did a little out and back before taking the long loop around Lake Union I counted 9 people in front of me, I was 20 seconds behind the two girls and the guy behind me was way back. I worked on catching the girls as we began looping around the lake but after 10 minutes I realized it was pointless. They were slowly pulling away.

I felt great on this section. The Ks kept ticking by like clockwork and I almost felt as if I was holding back. I was utterly alone on the course but lost in my own thoughts and wind was no issue so the solitude didn't bother me. I rounded the south end of the lake with about 6 K to go and a sub 59 minute finish was looking more and more likely. At around 10K I started banking time for sub 59 but I had rough idea of the course and knew there was a decent climb in the last 5K. It was getting more difficult to hold the 3:50 K pace and despite my efforts the splits began inching closer to 4:00.

The climb up to the bridge over the canal was split into a few sections due to several twists and turns in the course. It eliminated any time in the bank for 59 minutes and with 3 K to go I knew I was on the edge of going under 59. This was perfect. Had I been 30 seconds away from breaking 59 I probably would have taken it relatively easy but this gave me a goal. I had to push hard over the last mile along a bike path and to the finish. My watch had me squeaking in just under the wire in 58:58. Awesome! Official time was 58:55.

Definitely a better effort than expected and this left me with a warm feeling the rest of the day. With age and reduced mileage I keep waiting for my running fitness to really drop of but it hasn't happened. This race was up there with my half marathon last fall and not far off my peaking running shape of several years back. In fact I am somewhat proud of the consistency over the past 6-8 years. It would of course be great to have an improving trend over that time but with the demands of life, possibility of injury and wax and wane off my enthusiasm for the sport, to keep hitting relatively solid times is reward in itself. What a difference from my feelings 24 hours ago.

Everyday I put off posting to the blog and then it just never happens. I won't bore anybody with the runs between the last time I posted and today. Lets just say that there hasn't been to many of them. I should be over-tapered for my 15K tomorrow morning. I've scaled back my original plans to break 58 minutes and settled on breaking 1 hour. This means I'll have to maintain sub 6:30 pace. It should definitely be doable but with how slow I felt on my run home from work yesterday, I don't know.

On a good note, the weather has finally taken a turn for the better this week. We had 3 days in a row of full sun. I haven't seen that since October. And I think we broke 70 for the first time this year. The weather really is spectacular for running this time of year.

Under 3 weeks until Heather is due with baby #2. I imagine my mileage will take a huge hit over the summer. I'll just have to run at work as much as possible.

The "Seattle's Best 15K" is only a couple weeks away and I feel under prepared. I have at least been putting in a 10+ miler on the weekends and probably have more hard efforts in the past couple weeks than I am remembering. There just has been no structured speedwork or even tempo runs during the week. Things have been more random. Hard uphill sprints on long hills, tempo pushes at the end of long runs. Stuff like that.

A highlight was a running commute home from my new job. It is a little over 6 miles, if I take the runner friendly route and only takes me 20 minute longer than the bus ride. It was pouring on me at the start but nearly sunny when I got home. This will definitely turn into a more routine thing once I get into the swing of things at my job.

This past Saturday I ran 12.5 miles with the group and finished the last 4 miles at 6:25 pace which included a 1+ mile uphill section. I was trying to finish in under 26 minutes and nailed it with a 25:30. So although my training hasn't been spectacular this does indicate that I should put up at least a halfway decent time.

A Trip Home

Haven't blogged much as I was visiting the family in Philly and although I had the time and the means I just didn't feel like blogging. I was able to run several times out there but didn't log anything so I am sure I've already forgotten something.

There was a 10 miler in Pennypack Park, my old running haunt. It has literally been 3 or more years since I've run in this park, the Wissahickon's ugly step brother. Not as big, not as pretty and the hills aren't as steep but I spent much of my youth fishing, biking, running, drinking and getting in trouble in this park. There was Kevin's broken leg on the rope swing and that time I got a huge hickey the day before Easter. Luckily my sister helped cover it up with some make-up so my grandmother was none the wiser.

The trails haven't changed much with the exception of snaking single track in one section of the park. I couldn't have mapped the run out when I started but it all came back to me as I made my way. It was sunny, yes sun, that big yellow ball in the sky. Have I mentioned that it is easily the coldest April in Seattle history, dating back to the turn of the 20th century. The heat and sun over the Easter weekend were a welcome site. Anyhow, couldn't slow myself down on this run so I just went with the pep in my legs and tore through the park.

I also ran the old loop around Lincoln high school a few times. And there was a hot run in the full sun in South Jersey. On Monday, Steve K (principal Steve) and Alex joined me for a run through Fairmount Park and dinner afterward at the Bishop's Collar. It was great seeing some of the old running crew in Philly. I miss those days when I didn't have so much responsibility and had time for running 3-4 days a week with buds from the Philly Runner group.

Today it was back to reality and a 4 mile run with Zach in the stroller. This time I decided to leave the dog home. You can only enjoy a run so much when you have a stroller in one hand a dog in the other.

Just back from a weekend in Portland with the family. I thought Seattle seemed filled with hippies and extremely liberal. Portland makes Seattle look like Dallas Texas. I saw a man shooting heroin into his leg, in broad day light, sitting on a busy street. That was a first.

I did get out for a long run on Saturday afternoon. Forest Park in Portland is a gigantic bit of wilderness a little over two miles from downtown. It is three times the size of the Wissahickon and totally untamed save for a few trails that wind through. Didn't really know where to access it but I ran in the general direction of the park which was 100% uphill for a couple miles from our hotel. With google maps, a little luck and the help of a cute runner I stumbled upon the Wildwood trail. This is the main path through the park and I was told I could run it for 30 miles. I decided to run 30 minutes further instead.

The previous two days it had rained well over an inch which made for muddy, slippery trails but I loved it. Each interminable climb was followed by a long downhill filled with switch backs. Tall forest, heavy with moss and wet with the recent rains lined the path. I tried to take it all in while gasping for breath and minding my footing. It was awesome. This park alone would make me want to move to Portland.

One of those days where I felt like I could have run for hours but eventually had to turn around and head back to the hotel. I have no idea of the distance but it took 1 hour 45 minutes.

Yesterday morning I had that familiar stiffness in my ankles and calves upon getting out of bed. 40 miles seems to be the magic number. I was at once nostalgic and happy not to have this feeling over the past couple years. My run kept getting pushed off until I ran out of day.

Today, my last day at the current job, I headed out for an easy run. Some light drizzle and chilly but once you're warmed up these things are not a factor. 7+ miles in 55 minutes. I couldn't help but wonder what the running would be like at the new job. Will I have time? Will there be a good group to run with? (I hope) I do know that they have a gym on site and it will be nice to work some of that back into my routine. I was able to do it when I worked at J&J but not since I've moved here.

I took Monday off and headed up to the track today for a lunch workout under. Temps in upper 40’s, light wind and blue skies. Legs felt solid, no lingering fatigue from the increase in miles last week, I was optimistic for a strong workout. Nothing fancy or long just 4 X 800 (400). I wanted the 800s under 3:00 and the recovery at 2:00. Some of these laps involved dodging the middle school students that were warming up for a soccer practice but I don’t think it affected my times much.

1st– 2:54 (2:01). Felt good

2nd – 2:52.1 (2:05) Still smooth and relatively easy

3rd – 2:52.0 (2:06) Shaved an entire 10th of a second off but worked harder than a 10 th of a second.

4th – 2:50 was hoping for a sub 2:50 and may have gotten it if I pushed 100% but I was trying to hold back if only a little. This one was tough.

I think intervals in the 2:55+ range would have been more appropriate, these were slightly fast but I was encouraged by the pace of the workout. It seems I’ve been in the same 10 second range over the last 5 years. That could be discouraging but I am way down from the height of my running obsession in 2006-07 plus a few years older so I’m happy my times haven’t tailed off. A good day.

I didn't know it was coming but I hit the 40 mile mark this week. I have not consistently logged my miles in a couple years but I don't think I've hit 40 miles since the spring of 2009, training for the National Marathon. It feels good. I have a good bit of traveling over the next couple weeks, I just hope I can keep it up.

On Saturday I joined the Green Lake group for what I consider my long run. Initially I planned on 10 miles. A few miles in I was running with two new guys, younger guys and I got the feeling they were faster guys. We were cruising along the the route that the group leader had mapped out but decided we were all feeling good and tacked a few more to hit nearly 13 miles.

The group has not attracted many speedy people in the time I've run with them and it was great to pick up the pace with company in the last few miles. One runner had finished college a year ago where he was on the Georgetown cross-country team. This was all a light jog for him.

None of us whined about the miles or the hills we just ran, talked when we had something to say and the rest of the time enjoyed the sweat. 12+ miles in 90 some minutes.

This afternoon I again ran down to the Ballard locks for a trip into the Magnolia section of the city. Started into a stiff breeze and building rain but thankfully it passed a mile or so in. Kept the pace easy and felt decent. Nearly 8 miles in around 60 minutes.

An easy 4 miles around the corporate center during lunch. And I mean easy. The sky is finally all sun. In fact, it has been 42 days since we've technically had a "Sunny Day". (defined has 70% sunshine.) That's right, late February was the last sunny day. And I don't think there have been many days that were just shy of the mark, say 65 or 68% sun. I'm fairly sure today won't meet the criteria either but at least it was close. At least I won't have to worry about sunscreen any time soon. Oh wait, I never worry about sunscreen when I'm running. 4 miles in 32 minutes.

With my departure from my current job in 1 week, finding time to run at lunch has gotten much easier. Yesterday I ran an easy 6.3 miles out to another corporate center. I was lucky enough to catch a lot of sun breaks and it warmed me on an otherwise chilly spring afternoon. Legs felt bouncy and light. 48 minutes. Today I took nearly the same route but added some tempo work. The first two miles are nearly flat on a path that follows the North Creek but the third mile has a significant hill. I tried to not push to hard and keep my effort consistent the entire way. I think it worked. I completed the section in 18:55 and guessed the distance at 3 miles. Gmap measured it out to exactly three miles. This is 6:18 pace. I'd be happy with that pace for the 15K next month. However, I know I could not have held that pace twice again today. Definitely for 40 minutes but 60 minutes seems on the edge. Based on this a decent goal for the race would be 3 - 5Ks at sub 19:00 pace, or under 57 minutes for the 15K. If I do get some solid training in over the next 6 weeks that goal might be a little soft but it'll work for now and give me some guidance on further workouts. After writing that last paragraph I looked up the equivalent race times for a 15K in 57 minutes. It translates into almost my exact PRs for the 5K and 10K and two minutes faster than my 1/2 marathon PR. Forget about the marathon my PR has always been way off scale for that (unfortunately way slower). This means 57 minutes is a stretch goal, especially given the relative paucity of running the past two years. 58 minutes is a much more realsitic yet still very difficult goal. We'll see how the training goes.

This is where I did the hill workout today during a later afternoon run at work. It's just outside my corporate center in an older subdivision that actually has a ton of trees and unique homes as opposed to all the cookie cutter developments they have put up lately. 6 trips up the hill in 31, 31, 32, 32, 33, 36 with a 2 minute recovery. Two minutes sounds like a lot but I wasn't near fully recovered and I swear time was speeding up towards the end. Those last two trips were brutal. My leaden legs wouldn't let me go any faster. Total workout time about 40 minutes, distance unknown. I found the perfect race to shoot for before Wesner#2 arrives. "Seattle Best 15K". I believe it is the inaugural year for the event that encompasses Lake Union including two trips across the canal and a warning that the drawbridge is not guaranteed to be down during the race. Graciously they will subtract the time it is up if you happen to get stuck. I want to see how they are going to calculate that. The race is May 21st. The distance is perfect and I am sure to PR as I don't think I've ever raced a 15K. The course is fairly flat and I am familiar with 90% of it. It also starts and ends at Gasworks Park. A relatively new park but already a Seattle landmark with breathtaking views of the Seattle skyline. The park includes the ruins of an early 20th century coal gasification plant. A huge multi component structure that looks like a chemical plant straight out of Gotham City. Now I just have to train for it. I'd like to put a goal time out there but I hold off for now.

I made it out for a run both days this weekend. Saturday morning I joined the group for 8 miles. Skies are light again at 7:00 am and we actually had a nice break in the rain for our run. I find it funny that in nearly every month since I have moved to Seattle the temps are below normal and the precipitation is above normal. (I think only February bucked this trend) I feel like the Northwest is hazing me during my freshman year and things can only improve. The forecast for April is much of the same. At least it is getting slightly warmer and even on the rainiest of weekends there are always a few peeks of the sun.

Back to the run. I took the first 4 miles easy with the group and then hit the last 4 at tempo pace or harder. I haven’t measured my speed at this effort in a while so I don’t have any idea where I am at. I like to think I am solidly below 6:30 pace (at least on flat ground). I think I covered the 3.9 hilly miles of this section in 25 minutes which would bear out my hope of sub 6:30 pace but I am not positive about the 25 minutes. In any case the run felt great and my high spirits after finishing carried me through the rest of the day.

Sunday was an aimless easy run. My only parameter was to keep it under 50 minutes so Heather could get out the house for a work related meeting. As usual when I have no route in mind I head down the canal and check out the tourists, after which I ran the Burke Gilman up to Golden Gardens Park, and took the steps easy or as easy as possible while still actually running back up to 85th street and home. Nothing of note. Untimed.

I’m thinking I should find a mid to late May race to put on my calendar before the new baby arrives in early June. My running shape is far from perfect and I wouldn’t expect a PR at any distance but it should at least focus my training over the next month and half or so. Possibly get me out the door more often.

8 mile loop out to the Sammamish River trail from my work. Well I nearly made it to the Sammamish trail but had to turn around at 30 minutes, 1/2 mile short, because I only had an hour to run. The route I took follows a tributary of the Sammamish river which eventually empties into Lake Washington and out through the Ballard Canal to the Puget Sound. I literally could take these trails to within blocks of my house but that would called a marathon.

I kept a solid pace the entire way, probably around marathon pace. I don't know how fast that actually is but it felt abut right.

I didn’t get out Monday morning but I did manage to squeeze in a few miles between meetings during lunch. Followed the outside loop around the corporate complex and worked in three all-out effort hill repeats. 12 seconds to crest the hill and 2 minute recovery including the walk back down. I planned on 4 but just wasn’t feeling it so I continued on my way. Weather was overcast and windy in the low 50’s. Three runs in a row, a rare occurrence these days but I know I won’t be making it four in row . I officially gave my two weeks notice today. (two weeks and two days actually) I have enjoyed this in the past either because I wasn’t happy in the current position or I was leaving for something exciting, like say a move cross-country. Today was not enjoyable, after 8 months I was fully involved in a couple projects and having an impact at the company not to mention making some friends. Very bittersweet. It is the right decision for a number of reasons but at times it doesn’t feel that way. I wonder how I’ll look back on the decision in the future. Favorably I hope.

The Rhododendron loop at the in-laws house. Took it at an easy pace and felt great. 5 miles untimed.

I am sitting on the couch tonight trying to talk myself into waking at 5:15 to join the group for the 5:45 Monday hill workout.

Just get it out of the way.

Enjoy the rest of the day knowing you already nailed your workout.

These thoughts are easier to believe now then tomorrow morning. I am also telling myself that if I write about it here it is more likely to happen. It will work right?

Zach at the golden gardens beach on the first warm and sunny day of the year yesterday.


Today, a 60 minute run out to Carkeek Park. The parks hugs a large ravine which makes for a lot of lung busting uphills and sweet downhills especially in the rain and mud.

Had one of my best run in weeks. Wasn't planning on any speed but it just came to me as I exited the park for the two miles home. Pace increased the entire way but it felt great pushing my limits.

Ran down the steps to Golden Gardens park and hit a huge spring tide. They are much more dramatic than normal tides and exposed a beach of stones rounded by the sea. Low heavy skies but temps in the low 50's and no rain, great for a run.

I've had this hacking cold all week that is buried in my chest and this was my first time running since the race on Sunday. I am paying for it with incessant coughing right now. My lungs feel like when I swam in the neighbors pool all day as a kid. Deep breaths are tight and slightly sore. I'll be happy when this passes. In fact, I'll be happy when this winter of colds has passed. Heather, Zach and I must have all been sick at least 6 times. I am blaming the new location and the pool of fresh viruses that offers.

5+ miles, untimed.

A few 5 -6 mile runs this week all at a relatively easy pace. I did run 3 miles at tempo pace on a lunch run on Wednesday but all the rest were easy miles.

Today I paced a friend Loka through the Mercer Island Half Marathon. Mercer island is east of downtown in the middle of Lake Washington. An affluent suburb just a 5 minute trip from Seattle. The race generally ringed the island on a road that twisted as it avoided small ravines leading 100 feet down to the water. No massive hills on the route but definitely not a flat race. I am guessing that the field was 2000 people, to me the perfect size for a half.

Our goal was sub 1:40 or just under 7:40 pace. The pace should be a breeze for 13 miles but I was a little apprehensive before the start of the race. Something about all that nervous energy while you wait for the gun. We settled right into a good rhythm as I chattered away and tried to keep his mind off the race. It worked well through 8 or 9 miles as I took in the beautiful views of the lake below and the Cascades in the distance. We wrapped around the bottom of the island and the hills got a little longer but we took it in stride and pace stayed generally the same.

I have paced people through all or portions of a race in the past and really enjoy it, but get bummed when the person falls off their goal. Loka was definitely tiring as we got through 10 miles but still running strong. At mile 11 with over 16 minutes remaining I knew he had sub 1:40 in the bag. We came in right on target in 1:39. 30 seconds to spare. A beautiful morning and a great race. I look forward to actually racing this thing sometime in the future.

In other news... I have already landed a new job in Seattle. My current position was 40 minutes north of the city but over an hour trip when I have to drop Zach off at day care three times a week. The commute is grating and the work was decent but doing development on contract from other companies just isn't the same as when your working on your own products. A great opportunity popped up a Dendreon, a biotech in downtown Seattle.

A promotion, a raise and a 25 minute commute by bus or a 6 mile ride by bike, I couldn't say no. As an added bonus it's minutes away from a trail that parallels the Puget Sound.

A very rainy weekend even by Seattle standards and both runs were in heavy to moderate precip from start to finish. Luckily the temps are in the upper 40’s to low 50’s so I am at least not freezing my ass off, barely.

Ran a 6 mile loop with the group on Saturday morning, many members are tapering for the Mercer Island Half marathon next week. I wasn’t planning on doing this race, my training over the winter has been consistently in the 20-25/week with nearly no speedwork, I am far from half-marathon shape. However, a guy in the group named Loka did ask if I would be willing to pace him to a sub 1:40.

I like the idea. People have paced me through several races and it was always much appreciated. It gives me a good reason to join to group at the race but forces me to hold back and not race the disappointing time I know would await me. Now I am looking forward to it.
I tacked 2 miles on the 6 mile group run for 8 miles in a little over an hour.

Sunday I headed out the door while my chicken and vegetables were roasting in the oven. A quick glance at the radar before I headed out indicated I was going to get walloped and 30 minutes later I was in a downpour. It was brisk, especially when I turned south into a stiff wind. Suddenly shorts and a t-shirt seemed a bad call. Total time about 40 minutes.

After a couple weeks of lackluster runs I had some real bounce in my legs this weekend and finished both runs at a strong pace. I hope this continues.

A ship using the large lock to get into Lake Washington. I passed this on my way back from a trip to Discovery Park on a somewhat sunny afternoon. Actually 2 out of the last 3 weekends have featured a lot of sun. Seems we are headed into spring although the rumor here is that spring lasts until mid-July. But at least the crocuses are up and seeing that color on the run brightened what otherwise was a fairly crappy run.

I just haven't felt right the past few weeks. No spark in my legs, no strong finishes just slow slogs up 28th street into what seems a perpetual stiff breeze that always has me wishing I could just teleport to my front door. These things go in phases and I am sure it will improve. Around 10 miles at around 8 minute pace.

Also ran about 6 yesterday on a loop through Golden Gardens. I haven't been measuring or even logging my runs, just approximations of each week in my head. I think this weeks was 25 miles.

Didn't realize that I haven't posted in almost a month. Crazy how time accelerates when you have an 18 month old. With another on the way I can only imagine how quickly the next several years are going to pass.

I have been running, not as much as I would like but I'll take what I can get. I know I could squeeze in a few more runs than I have been doing, maybe when the weather gets nicer. Last night was 6 miles out to Phinney Ridge. This has become my favorite route when a 5-7 miler is planned. At night the midway turn-around point offers some great views of Ballard. I imagine I can even pick out my house among the myriad of twinkling lights but there is no way to know.

My running routes could be changing by the end of the year. Tomorrow, Heather and I are putting a bid on a piece of land in the Magnolia section of Seattle. It is a small neighborhood tucked in between Discovery Park and the Kiwanis Ravine, which is part open space and part heron rookery. Unfortunately the heron rookery status means we can't build Feb through July because we will disturb the nesting birds. So even if we get the lot we won't have house until late fall.

Having a new house, twice the size of the cubbyholes we lived in over the past several years will obviously be great but also from a running perspective it is an upgrade. Discovery park has several miles of trail running, including a light house, a rocky beach and awesome views of the Puget Sound and Olympic mountains.

Out for a quick run at lunch in some quickly changing weather due to a phenomenon that happens here quite frequently called the convergence zone.

When winds are blowing in from the Pacific ocean towards Seattle they hit the Olympic Mountains to are west and our forced to wrap around, like a river split by a small island. The two streams of air wrap around the mountains and smash into each other on the other side.


The winds are forced upwards when they collide and this wrings out the moisture like a squeezed sponge, causing rain. This rain can sometimes setup over one area for hours or can drift north and south. The precipitation caused by the convergence zone is generally to the north of where I live, but right over where I work.

If conditions are just right it can cause a very localized snow. The heavy rain drags cold air down from the upper atmosphere and 38 degrees quickly drops below 32. This happened in early January. I left for work on perfectly clear roads with no rain or snow, as I neared work a light rain started falling. Half mile from work there was snow and I pulled into a parking lot covered by a few inches. For a weather geek like myself this was ridiculously cool.

Pressed for time so a hard run around my corporate complex. 26 minutes.

After a week with only one run due to a nasty head cold I was eager to wake up at 6:00 for a Saturday morning run with the group. The weekend runs have been following an intermediate half-marathon training program leading up to the Mercer half in early March. Today called for a 5 or 10K race in the area so the guy who leads the group offered either one lap around Green Lake (3.2 miles) or two laps.

Took the first lap at an easy pace with a couple new guys, one of which dropped off for water after we completed the lap. The second guy asked if I'd like to pick up the pace and we slowly accelerated through the lap. Turns out he is a Biology teacher in Tacoma and he also coaches the cross-country team. He must be working out with the kids because I got a strong feeling he could have easily dropped me.

In the last mile or so the easy conversation we'd been having ended as we concentrated on holding pace. I'd call it 5K effort over the last mile and we averaged 6:20 pace for the lap which included a stop to tie a shoe. Cooled down with 2 miles. A great way to start the weekend.

The gray winter is really starting to grate on me but then you have a day like today, perfectly clear, the mountains the setting for a beautiful sunset and a picture perfect peak at Mt. Rainer while driving down I-5 just past 145st street. Things don't seem so bad. Even getting out on a short walk for lunch buoyed my spirits. Maybe these posts make me sound depressed but its not like that. You just need 15 days of uninterrupted clouds to really get and appreciation for the sun.

The day has lengthened to the point that if I get out the door quick enough after work I have 20 minutes of light to start my run. Ran a variation of the Phinney Loop. Heather had an awesome dinner in the works and I promised to be back in 40 minutes so at the 20 minute mark I cut the route a little short and headed back. Finished in 39:40. Thought the loop was 5 miles and was wondering why I had to work so hard for 8 minutes miles. Turns out it was 5.7 miles and 7 minute miles made much more sense.

Headed out on a loop to Discovery Park, across the Chittenden Locks on a cool, windy and surprise.... overcast day in Seattle. I was looking forward to a relaxing ten miler but 6 miles in I just wanted to be done. Things just weren't clicking. For such a gray cold day the park was surprisingly crowded. ON your left... Excuse me.... on your left, really breaks up your pace.

I was happy to be done with this one and back in a warm house. I think the warm winter here has already softened my resolve to cold running.

Ballard Railroad Bridge across the canal that connects Lake Washington to the Puget Sound.

The runs have just been piling up lately. Four last week and already three this week, not much distance but just hitting the roads on a regular basis makes me feel better. Throw in a couple crossfit workouts and I walk around feeling fit as a fiddle.

The hectic pace at work has slowed enough so that I can run once a week or so. Tuesday I made a loop of my corporate complex that included four all out efforts up a steep short hill. Walk back down the hill and rested a minute prep for the next round. Other than that an easy pace. About 4 miles. It's amazing how much I felt that short hill work in my legs the next two days.

Wednesday I had the evening to myself (Heather and Zach were at the in-laws) I just had no motivation to run. I forced myself out the door for at least 30 minutes and was glad I did. Headed down and across the Ballard locks to checkout some open lots that Heather and are looking at as possible home locations. The search has been ongoing for a few months, no luck yet but we'll keep plugging away. Easy pace the entire run maybe 4 miles in maybe 30 -some minutes.

And tonight I headed out on the Golden Gardens Loop that I've been using as a time trial. Didn't have the legs tonight and fell 20 seconds short of my 24:21 course record. I kind of knew that when I started and actually got much closer that I thought I would.

I had an hour yesterday afternoon and I wanted to run hard so I headed out on a hilly loop to Carkeek Park that I knew would require a quick clip to get home in under 60 minutes. Lately I’ve started off my runs feeling slow and tight like I’m running 60 miles a week. I’ve felt this enough to know it will pass once I warm up and yesterday was no exception.

I ran a moderate pace for the first couple miles until I entered the park. Copious rain has made for muddy loose trails that require me to apply the brakes a little more than I’d like on sharp turns. I had a couple close calls but never went down. The route I took though the park had hills comparable to the worst that the Wissahickon can offer. I was having a blast tearing through the park fartlek style, too bad it isn’t a few time bigger.

I ran about as hard as I could over the last 2.5 miles and finished in 57 minutes. I don’t stop my watch at red lights so although I get a breather I have to make up for it when I get the green.

8.4 miles in 57 minutes.

I am sitting on the back porch trying to catch the few hours of sun that weather men promised and nature delivered. It really has been gloomy Many days struggle to get past dawn, or at least that is what the low sun angle and the deck of heavy gray clouds makes you think. I can't decide what is better, the nasty cold I see in Philly this winter or the lack of sun I get here with 5 of 7 days raining. The fact that I am sitting here in a t-shirt and not feeling cold, I think I'll take the rain.

The lack of blogging lately is not caused by a lack of working out. I've been better than average at getting out the door for a run or heading to the basement for crossfit body weight workout. I've continued to run with the Saturday morning group that I first joined in October and finally today there was a guy who could at least keep up steady sub 8 minute miles. I don't want to sound like a speed snob, lord knows there are a million guys out there that could run my ass into the ground but I am getting tired of slogging through 7 mile runs with this crew and not feeling like I really ran. If I want to run 7:30s I am going to be by myself. After another slow 7 mile run this morning I tacked on 3 around Green lake with a new guy and we quickly fell into a quicker pace that got me sweating but didn't stop from talking, right where I want to be. About 10 miles in about 85 minutes.

The faster guy promises he will be back and hopefully we can grab a few more over the winter and have a group that can push it other. We'll see.