Redwood @ MindSay

    G'day runners and readers out there. Hope all's going well and Spring is greeting everyone warmly. I'm basically closing out my 1st full week (tonight) in California. Training has been going well since I got out here. Nothing major (read below for details). The trails have been great, including my trip to a nearby Redwood Forest. Steve's been a great host, even though our training philosophies and mileage differ. Its been nice being at the track with him while both working hard to accomplish essentially the same goals (different events).
    On both Friday and Saturday I accompanied him and his mate Tommy Schmitz to the Stanford Invitational. Steve ran a great 800m in finishing 2nd (1:48) and came back the next day (Saturday) to run the 1500m as well. We're planning on running a 1500m together this coming weekend. The plan is for him to pace me through 800 - 1000 meters at "x" pace. Will decide on that later. I'd love to run a quick 1500m but as Lorraine has mentioned, this is just a throwaway race. It's more to set me up for a good steeple and make the steeple pace feel that much slower. So we'll see how it all goes. Below is last week's training so read and enjoy...

Week (#43) March 30th - April 5th

Sunday: Distance: 21.50 miles @ 11:45 AM (33 degrees), Pace: 6:26Run Duration: 2h15
Very hilly run of Poorman's Loop + Sunshine & Mt. Sanitas.

Monday: Distance: 11.00 miles @ South Boulder Creek Path.  Then 6 x 150m  @ 19-20 seconds in spikes.

Tuesday: AM: Workout @ North Boulder. 1 x 3 miles & on Road . With Lorraine. Ran it earlier in the day than normal, due to afternoon flight to California. 1st time running this 3 mile road loop since January 22nd. 1st 2k = straight uphill. Splits: 5:24, 5:11 & 4:41 (last 1/2 mi = 2:12). Felt good and went @ aprox 75% effort as Lorraine had asked for. Distance: 10.00 miles total for day.

Wednesday: Workout @ Los Gatos High School ( CALIFORNIA) @ 1:00pM . 12 x 200 meters (200m recovery jog). Felt surprisingly easy. Started easy @ 30 sec and worked my way down. My buddy Steve Sherer (aka Mr. 3:56) was track side with me doing his own workout. Avg Pace: 28-29sec. 
P.M  Easy 4.5 miler (+ Core) along local creek path with Steve's mate: Tommy Schmitz. Distance: 12.00 miles

Thursday: Distance: 10.00 @ Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park @ 12:30 P.M with Tommy & Steve.  Very nice and lush trails. The scenery (will try and post a picture soon) was great. The trees = MASSIVE!

Friday (Harlan's Birthday) 11 A.M Distance: 8.00 miles out & back on Creek Path near Los Gatos High, then cruisy 3 x 200m @ track in 26 seconds with full recovery (200m jog/walk). 

Saturday:
 11 A.M Workout @ West Valley Community College: 1 x 2000 meter Steeple. Ran 5:49 with splits of: 69,2:19,3:32,4:43,5:49. Felt pretty good just fell a sleep around 3 or 4 laps. Had to hurdle water pit due to it being boarded off. Had Steve there giving splits and checking out form. All in all a decent effort. Will look to be smoother/faster next time out. 4:05 P.M -  Crusiy 8 miler @ 5:37 pace along marked miles on Los Gatos Creek Path. Didn't plan on running that fast, but it felt very easy so I just rolled with it. Distance: 14.25 miles

Week's Total Mileage: 86.75 (avg: 12.40 miles per day)

    All in all I'd say it was a good week. Started in Boulder with a nice long and hilly run, and ended down at sea level with a solid 1st crack @ steeple barriers since '07 and a good post workout tempo run as well. Los Gatos is a nice area with some good hilly trails nearby. Another added bonus is that the local track/high school is barely over 1000 meters away from Steve's pad. The speed seems to be coming around quickly as well. Looking forward to the rest of my West coast trip/training & RACING!
   
Peace & Love

-Rob

These are pictures I took of Redwood Regional park in California.  It is one of my favorite places to go when I need to be at peace.  I have been coming here since I was 6 years old....There are Hawks, Ravens, Deer, ladybugs, butterflies and  coyotes...It is one of the most beautiful places I know...It Always feels like coming home, in a way.  The girl in the pictures is my close friend Amber...I apologise for the low resolution, but i took them all with a very primitive digital camera called a quick-cam travelor by logitech. 

mornings in portland are sly sneaky little things that amaze you with their delicacy of sight -sound-smell. the warbler that controls her territory from the top of the curly bark maple is singing, the trees still twinkle from the morning's foggy wetness and one smells the earth and leaves- better than the smell of coffee. So i awake to all this softness and walk down the short hall from the master suite and this is what I see through the tall gallery window in the main stairwell.

 

 

and so i ask who can be unhappy living here? Abi and i stop to admire the view, listen to mswarbler and then slowly descend into the real world for the morning rituals. she checks the perimeters of her territory- could walls have shifted in the night? would the fluffy gray scruffy cat have moved in? Is her cat perch still there and will the windows be opened or closed? I move to the pantry to gather the whole wheat bread and unsalted peanut butter which has been my morning meal for over 20 years.

 

both of us creatures of habit and both of us now ready for the small delights the day will bring. Morning all.