Happy Birthday Opie!

I wonder how the bufferfly lady and gang did today...

16.05 miles for me today, slowly and with too many short walking breaks.  I don't think I fueled right yesterday, too much fried food that felt like a lump in my belly this morning.  Oh well, got the miles in, even if they weren't ideal.

Hey, Opie--welcome to the 50-54 year old age group. 

Not much happening around here.  I went for a bike ride yesterday and lifted weights, today.  I was really hoping my heel would, at least, start feeling better, but it's not.  I was limping half way through mowing the lawn, today.  I guess, I'd better call somebody, tomorrow.  I've seen so many dang doctors about this, though, I really don't even know who to call. 

Okay--I have to get over to my daughter's house.  We're having a little farewell barbecue for my son and his wife before they head back up to Alaska, tomorrow morning.

Just a real quick post to answer Karin... I did great! Got a new shiny PR on this tough course, final time was 2:09:20 so almost a 3 minute PR! Got 1st in AG and 7th woman overall. I couldn't be more pleased with this, except I was unable to catch my last target... she finished about 40 seconds before me and I watched her run into the chute. Frustrating! But the day turned out to be IRC if only a little humid, the trail was mostly in good shape with just a few puddles. Slipped but no falls. All in all, a good day! I'll catch up here with you guys in a bit, but now doing laundry and need to go shopping. Monday is just around the corner!

ETA: Happy Birthday OPIE!! (and thanks)

So cool that Skip had a Trips meeting! I miss JJJ too. Wish he'd pop in here and let us know how he's doing.

And I hear Mariposai did wonderfully! Congratulations, Nancy! You've worked so hard for that and deserve to bask in the glory! 

Happy Birthday opes.  What did you do for it.

I ran the Light-at-the-End-of-the-Tunnel Marathon 26.2 miles jumpiing this year’s mileage past the 100 mile YTD barrier even though it's still just July with the fall marathon season still more than two months away.  However, even wearing shoes this time, the so-called trail "improvements" of loose, shifting crushed rocks underfoot  made it nearly impossible to ever have a sold foot plant and I'm as tried as I used to be in heel-striking days before shifing to the more light-footed midfoot landings mostly utilizing calf muscles that are necessitated by my favored barefoot running.

Didn’t have to wander here-and-there all over town looking for Divechief, Mariposai and her DS this time as in the June 25 Seattle Rock’n’Roll when posie's ds was running his second marathon faster than anticipated and I didn’t find them until mile 18.  Made up for it today and got to run all 26.2 miles with ds.  He’s got a lot of his mother’s running attributes, . . . . especially with doubling back now-and-then to see how I was doing.  I love that kid.
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It turned out to be a good thing as my sun glasses (to say nothing of fading eyesight) made it impossible to see the black shape on the side of the trail as we ran from the bright sun of an open avalanche slope into the darkness of a thick forest glade blocking the sun into a nearly tunnel-like darkness again.
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We’d been stopping to peer over the edges down into deep 400-500 foot abysses under various tressels along the rails-to-trail route and other scenery along the way such as the two mountains across the valley ds’d climbed in recent consecutive weekends.  Then, all at once he grabbed my elbow and yelled out “STOP!”   Scared the heck out of me. Even after stopping, I still couldn’t see it but a 200-or-so pound yearling black bear probably just released by its mother to fend on its own was eyeing us from the shady glen up ahead wondering what we were doing, . . . and what to do itself.  Fortunately, the bear went up a trailside tree giving us a chance to pass to the accompaniment of low keyed growling, eyes never leaving us. 
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I’ve met some bears over the years but this one might not have ended as well. 
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Thank you David.
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I look forward to running with you for your next time too.
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In the meantime, maybe shifting off those heel strikes to more of the midfoot landing you were doing at the end might help alleviate the quad cramps that showed up again in the later miles. . Cooler weather of a fall marathon too.
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ps - how did your mother do?
pps - got to meet ks’s friend in splashly shorts and looking very fast even before he started running. I was volunteering at the start too when a city gal also from Texas asked me where the portapotties were.  I hope she figured it out when I pointed “over there behind those trees.”
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Enki being at the finish area made it all worthwhile though. Thank you.

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Snoqualmie tunnel from mile 0.5 - 2.5.

<small>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Snoqualmie_Tunnel.jpg</small>

Happy Birthday, Opie!

Congrats on the AG win, Erika!

Glad you avoided that bear, Tet!  Great racing!

Nada for me today.

I did great! Got a new shiny PR on this tough course, final time was 2:09:20 so almost a 3 minute PR! Got 1st in AG and 7th woman overall.

 

Wow - excellent running!

Tet - great description of the course and I'm glad that bear sighting turned out all right - nice running yourself, too!