I was going to do a full loop around Seward Park while my girlfriend walked the loop the opposite way (her knee hurts from a bang-in with a car door :-). My achilles tendon started to hurt again so when I met her 2 miles later (.7 miles for her) we started walking the other way. After a while we started running with intermittent walking breaks. When I got back, the area around my ankle was swollen. I'll probably take the next couple of days off. BTW, I'm taking a generic version of Aleve, which should help.

It's funny how little problems can appear out of nowhere for a runner. Just as I thought the knee problem was resolved--for a while I thought I'd never get over it--something else unexpected happens...

Total: 3.0mi Run

Back at the gym today. It was full when I got there just before 7pm. My achilles tendon hurt a little today so I only ran 5k.

Total: 4.1mi Run (3.1mi treadmill + 1.0mi to/from gym)

I was wrong about the summer being over... I'ts almost 80 and sunny right now and the rest of the week is looking great. Anyway, I ran to the Elliot Bay Marina today, which made my run about 9 miles I think. I didn't have the Forerunner, but based on a previous run, I think I'm pretty close.

I've been on vacation on the central Oregon coast. It was spectacular and I'll post runs I did there soon.

Total: ~9.0mi Run; 147 lb.

On the way back to Seattle we stopped by Mount St. Helens and went for a short 1.5 mile hike near the Johnston Ridge Observatory. Unforunately I forgot to put the Forerunner on because it would have been a cool map, but I didn't forget to take some pictures. We hiked in sandals which was a mistake because the trail is on a very steep ridge.

I also have to mention an annoying aspect of our visit: there was a guide at the observatory who gave a short presentation. Afterwards he kept looking at people's hands to see if they were wearing a wrist band--indicating that you paid to visit the observatory and/or walk on the trails--and used a megaphone to tell people who were walking around that they had to pay. Why not just charge people per car as they enter the park, as is done at national parks?

On a positive note that trumped the annoyance was that we got to see a small eruption!

Total: Hiking!

[Backdated on 09/29/2006]

Our last day at the beach... I ran 10k in the morning. I forgot to mention that one of the highlights of the trip was seeing gray whales. I saw a big one at the Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay using my binoculars. It was just diving down and coming back up in virtually the same spot for almost half an hour about a half a mile from the shore. The key in spotting a whale from shore is to first look for spouts and then focus in using binoculars.

The second time was by a lighthouse (forgot the name) and the third was on the beach by our campground. We also saw many sea lions in Newport right by the main boardwalk and marina (we could hear them from our campground 3 miles away at all times during the day!), and also at the Sea Lion Caves in Florence.

As for the run, there was almost no one at the beach again...



Total: 10k (6.2mi) Run + .9mi walk to/from campground

[Backdated on 09/29/2006]

Map created by GPSVisualizer.com

Tracks: - 20060922-185826

Today we went on our bikes from South Beach State Park to Newport. There are a couple of miles of bike paths in the park, which we took to get to the south jetty of Yaquina Bay. From there, we went east under the 101 bridge and then stopped at a pier where locals were fishing for crabs. They were using chicken as the bait. The waters in the area are FULL of crabs and they're very cheap as are oysters; salmon, on the other hand, is expensive. That's the opposite of what we have in Seattle.

From the pier, we went just a couple of hundred feet east to the Rogue Brewery. We locked our bikes up and went in to the restaurant/bar that's located upstairs from where they actually make the beer. We got about 8 samples of different types of beers and also had a few pints. Very good stuff. Fortunately I don't think there's a law against biking while drunk in Oregon. At least I know that's the case in Washington.

From the brewery we stopped at the Oregon State University Marine Center located on the NE part of the map. It's a research facility and the admission was free. The highlight of the tour was that we got to touch some of the marine invertebrates such as starfish. Definitely worth seeing if you're ever in Newport. We actually had a better time there than at the brewery.

Afterwards we stopped by the Oregon Coast Aquarium, located less than a mile away, but decided not to go in. Then we headed back to camp. We weren't wearing any helmets so the short ride on Route 101 was a little scary. The whole trip was only about 8 miles! Newport is a fun little town.

Total: 8.26mi Bike Ride

[Backdated on 09/29/2006]

Our second run during vacation was at South Beach State Park near Newport. This picture was taken on the way there.

It's a tougher, and therefore slower, to run on the sand. The amazing aspect of our runs was that there were almost no people on any of the beaches, especially on cloudy days.

Total: 6.95mi Run

[Backdated on 09/28/2006]

My girlfriend and I got to the Cape Lookout campground near Tillamook, Oregon (home of Tillamook cheese; we went to the factory and had a very nice tour) in the afternoon. The following morning we went for a run on the beach. The beaches in Oregon are amazing. I took this picture later in the day.

Total: 3.82mi Run

[Backdated on 09/28/2006]

I went to the gym, the first time since June 26th! Here's what I ran:

Mile 0-.5: 6.0 mph
Mile .5-1.0: 6.5
Mile 1-2: 7.0
Mile 2-4: 8.0
Mile 4-5: 7.0

It was almost empty inside--must be because of the Seahawks game today.

Total: 6.0mi Run (5.0 treadmill + 1.0 to/from gym)

Went for a run by Elliot Bay. A few days ago I wrote how summer was not over in Seattle. Now I can say it's definitely over--the pattern of more clouds and rain, along with cooler temperatures is here to stay.

I saw a ship being held to the dock by a tugboat while it was losing its water ballast before loading grain at the Port of Seattle Grain Facility, located at the northern end of Edwards park.




Total: 5.51mi Run

I ran a new route in and around Seward Park. I've done each route separately before, but today I combine the two and it turned out to be exactly 9 miles. My original goal wasn't to run that far today, but I felt good and I figured I might as well go for 1/3 of a marthon. I first ran a counterclockwise loop around Seward Park, then I ran along Lake Washington Blvd. northbound until I got to the rowing & sailboat club, then turned back and finally did a clockwise loop. It was exactly 9 miles (except that I ran about .15 miles by the parking lot). My pace was OK too and I would have much of a problem doing half a marathon if this were a race, but definitely not a marathon!

Map coming soon.

Total: 9.0mi Run (1:04:17; 7:09 pace); 1040 cal.; 143 lb.

[09/16/2006] Here it is:

A solar eclipse according to my cell phone camera!

Total: 4.55mi Run

I ran the same distance as last time, except this time I went a lot faster. However, I cheated a little bit, because at the end of the run there was a train crossing along Alaskan Way and I couldn't cross to go back up to Belltown, so I ran along the waterfront until I got to 10k. Otherwise, I probably would have been 30 seconds slower. Also, I forgot to take my iPod with me. Usually I think it helps me on practice runs, but I never run races with it. Today it probably didn't make a difference because I felt pretty good.

Yesterday I ran 6.21 miles in 49:19, which is a pace of 7:56 min./mi. Today I ran the same distance in 43:00, which is a 6:55 pace.

Total: 10k (6.2mi) + .4mi jog = 6.6mi

Summer is not over yet in Seattle--today was another warm and sunny day. I ran my most popular route: from Belltown to the edge of Magnolia via Edwards Park. I ran with my cell phone today because the last few times I ran I regretted not having a camera with me.

The first picture is the ugly part of the route north of Magnolia Bridge (NW part of the map); the second is a view of Elliot Bay and downtown Seattle from the western-most edge of Edwards Park; the last one I took at the SE side of the park on the way back--it's got to be a cruise ship on its way to Alaska, a common site every Friday and Sunday during the summer.

Total: 10K (6.2mi) Run

Another 2x loop around Seward Park and another gorgeous day. I'm pretty sure it's only rained once in the past month. My knee seems to be back to 100% now, but I'll know for sure once I start doing 10 or 15-mile training runs before the marathon. So far so good, except that I'm out of shape, but I think that will change by the end of the month.

Total: ~5.5mi Run

These are my August totals:

I ran the Seward Park loop twice yesterday. My legs didn't hurt at all until today. My thighs felt really tight. I'm seriously out of shape, and that's not good news because I've signed up for the New York City Marathon--it's less than 2 months away! Ideally I'd already be a month into training, but I've been sidetracked by other things, like having fun with my girlfriend. Well, guess which one is better? Yep, I'd take the latter anytime.

Still got to get a plane ticket and a hotel room... I think I'll make it, but going under 3:00:00 will be kind of tough :-).


Total: ~5.5 miles

[Backdated on 09/06/06]