started off the cycling season with divechief in the 33 mile Chilly Hilly in February and fininished with another 33 miles with dc in the annual Salmon Spawning Ride for 79.3 miles for the year (counting last month's sprint triathlon) so will be putting Dale Canon in the garage until next February. thanks dive. dave - after doing the 33 mile version for the Salmon Cycle over for so many years, thanks for letting me draft along for the first 22 mile loop and possible full 55 mile King Salmon option before you were going to hammer it for the rest of the way. However, my trying to keep up to you on the big hill from mile 14 - 15 had me passing another cyclist who, nodding up toward you nearing the top, already was saying, "that guy is really hammering!" After I bypassed the second loop along much of the Seattle Marathon route along Lake Washington and shortcutted to the third loop at the salmon locks, I never expected even the hardest hammering to catch you up to me again. wowi you must be so ready to run next week's Two Bear Marathon with arf in your old Montana stomping grounds but your continuing patience not to take any more chances <>MM-12-marys-in-12-months)>>> should ensure injury-free running from now on. uhm, after the final ascent up Alpe d'Heuz-like climb from the locks and salmon ladders to the scenic outlook of the Discovery Park bluffs (nee Fort Lawson), the only other ascent would have been going down to the Elliott Bay beach again on your own and riding up Perkins Pass Lane. I've diven, cycled and run by it hundreds of times but the thought of going down just to come back up again never entered my mind. you are really something. It will be my goal for next year too. ps - don't tell SR what fugu means when he gets back up to the Pacific Northwest. erivanika - you could put every one of the 25,000 or so strides in the upcoming famed Equinox Marathon on 9/20 in your dailies and rr and it wouldn't be enough for those of us lucky enough to have experienced the trails, steep ascents, downhill chutes, and rolling ridges peering over golden birch trees as the northland prepares to freeze up for another year. sounds like a PR might be doable but you can do it as your hometown marathon every year so don't hesitate to walk it out to avoid jeopardizing running your best at the NYC in just six weeks. oh {{{swan lady}}}, it's gunna be almost impossible to beat tammy's new 10K PR. Goodbye another t-shirt for dear tamalina.

Hey to the two of you: I am still awake and reading this drivel! (Great weekend for the both of you. See you soon.) Spareribs

"watch out, she has a sore foot, can't run and is going to be really really cranky the next couple of days", which is soooo true. Enke: do you have a bicycle?

wow...such a difference posting early vs. late in the day! Nice job on all the long runs, Bill, lamerunner, Lou, Karin, PDR, mainerunnah, Holly! Great quote deez4boyz! Congrats Marj!! Nice climbing there Dave and tet! Doug Flutie puts on a great local 5K Autism fundraiser each year. The race is barely a mile from my house and it is a great cause, so I can't miss it. Unfortunately it is in the middle of marathon training, so balance is the key. - Mini race report - Due to the heavy rain, the crowds were smaller than in years past. It let up just before we got started. I figure about 500 people there (walkers and strollers included). The start went off up a slight hill and through a parking lot. The 20 people ahead of me thinned out pretty quickly to about five. The two leaders had a huge gap already. I caught #4 and #5 as we closed in on the 1 mile mark. The first mile was faster (5:50) than I planned. I backed off slightly and cruised for a bit letting two guys pass me. Mile 2 was still too fast 5:55. Thinking about the long run I had to do post-race, I backed off a lot (another 2 passed me). We took the final turn at mile three (6:26). With 100 meters to go a guy caught me. I had enough left to kick it up a notch and pass him back to keep my place. Stats: 18:50, Overall 8th/560, Div 4th/74, heart rate 162avg/176max My long run was less fun. I was tired from the race and didn't get into a decent groove. I caught myself speeding up and had to intentionally slow down. After 13 miles I packed it in. I'm sooo looking forward to tapering! Night all! Craig