Christmas Camp: Day Three

Today was the much dreaded speed work out after eating too much on Christmas day!
Great group of Christmas campers showed up all ready to rumble: Trisha, Lynn, Ronda, Micheal, Tom, Steve, Dave and myself.

Nice 30 minute warm-up out and back on Terwilliger road. Hill up, nice easy grade back to the track.
Then to the business part of the day: 10 400s on the Duniway park track.

I was quite happy to nail all 10 at 1:34 - 1:35. Heart rate would go to 165-170 during the speed and then back to 120-125 for the recovery lap. Great way to stretch out the legs and see how the back and quads were doing. Trisha posted strong 1:55 averages for her 7 400's.
Everyone looked strong and fast.

Again we were blessed with no rain for the run. Wish I would have dusted off my racing flats but was too scared to get them wet :-)

Push-ups: easy. Sit-ups: ouch.

Christmas Camp: Day Two

We had a minor Christmas miracle today in Portland: SNOW!

Trisha and I headed out for a 7 mile loop from the house after a great Christmas morning. We commented on how it appeared that our second run of Christmas camp would again be without the liquid sunshine of the Pacific northwest.
Then little white flakes started to fall. Then really large flakes. Then it was an all out blizzard...at least for Portland.

We finished with a good long hill back up to the house feeling like adventurers of the North. And, man, Trisha is getting stronger. I hardly turned around to wait on the hill and she was passing me by. Only a matter of time till I get "chicked" :-) It was a great gift to be out running with my wife on such a beautiful day.

Today was also my first run ever with a heart rate monitor. I had fun with Trisha's gift as I flat-lined a few times and I figured out the gadget. I am looking forward to training, racing and sleeping with it on :-)

Push ups and sit ups are progressing nicely but we are both having to work around the turkey and the pie! Speed tomorrow will most definitely be a relative term!

Christmas Camp: Day One

Every year since we have been in Portland we have been involved with a great tradition called Christmas Camp.

Ronda and Stacey organize a series of training adventures to "...meant to be a challenge where like minds come together run and celebrate".

Today Trisha and I did a nice seven miles starting out with eight other campers. The Wildwood trail and Leif were a little damp from the rain over the last week but an early Christmas gift arrived with no rain on the run and only a little mud on the shoes.

This afternoon / evening we did our required 30 pushups, 100 situps and plank exercises as we prepare to indulge in the feasting tomorrow.
We were likely the only people with sore abdominal muscles attempting to hit the high notes in the Christmas eve service tonight :-)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Tourist run: Nob Hill, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge

I had the opportunity to do some early morning exploration of San Francisco as I was in town for the December face to face Eclipse board meeting. We were staying and meeting at the Hotel Monaco. Beautiful city.

Up and over the Nob Hill going past the Grace Cathedral church. I have to tell you that running both ways I found the constant noise from the cable cars "track" in the roads quite annoying. Possibly just because I had not had any caffeine yet :-)

I ran down to Fort Mason and then along the waterfront to as close to the Golden Gate bridge as my time allowed. I figure I was about half a mile out. I was disappointed I did not make the bridge but I was unwilling to get up any earlier and I am running slow with some unexplained soreness in my upper, inside quad muscles. The view was still inspiring.

Alcatraz was visible from the shore for most of the run along the water. It really does not look that far off shore. As well, there were several hardy (crazy?) individuals doing open water swims with no wet suits. Maybe those guys who tried to escape really did make it?


On the way back in the hills I even had a second opportunity to Find Waldo this year :-)

Time to heal and prepare for Christmas Camp!