Halfway There

Kathy now has six of her twelve half marathons completed. One per month is the plan. Today she did the Windermere Half. It was a warm day but she did well.

Age Group Winner

Kathy is doing a half marathon every month this year. I signed up with her to do the Richland Run Fest half marathon. I wasn't really looking forward to the run yesterday. I hadn't trained sufficiently and it was supposed to be windy and rainy. Fortunately, the weather situation improved and we only had wind to deal with. We started together but ran our own races, although we both were setting out to run and finish, not race.

After two miles I realized I was running a nine-minute mile pace. I told myself to slow down to ten. I was concerned I'd run out of gas since I hadn't trained. My training had consisted of several four-mile runs over the last month and one six-miler two weeks ago. At the four mile mark I was still at a nine-minute mile pace and again told myself to slow down. Although I thought I was, I wasn't. When I reached the halfway point I was feeling pretty good so I kept up the pace.

With about four miles to go I took my Vibrams off and ran barefooted.

Side story: We had a new judge come on board last month at work. I hadn't met her yet because she's in our Yakima courthouse. While running barefoot I passed a woman who was also running the half and she asks me, "Hey, do you work at District Court?" I said I did. She introduced herself and I got to meet our new judge. My IT guy in the Yakima office had told her I'd be there and that I like to run barefoot so I made it easy for her to pick me out.

Running barefoot felt great at first but then my gas tank started running low. My legs were starting to flag and it was affecting my form, which meant blisters if I continued barefooted. So after two miles of naked feet I put the Vibrams back on. I reached the finish at 1:59 and some change. I was pleased I did so well, more so because it's been so long since I've done any distance running after trashing my ankle almost three years ago. The ankle felt great during and after this run so I'm confident it's back to 100% now.

Kathy's second half marathon this year.

Surprisingly, I got third place in the men's 55-59 age group, which meant I received an age group winner award--a beer glass. How appropriate.

Running Naked Again

Back in May of 2013 I sprained my ankle something fierce. I couldn't run for four months. Since then my running has been hit and miss. I'd run three miles and my ankle would be sore for days. I couldn't run barefoot because my form was off so much I'd develop a blister on each foot within two miles. But I kept plugging away and now I'm making some meaningful gains. Last Friday I ran 3.5 miles barefoot and it went great. No pain. No blisters. My form was very good. Today I ran four miles and I'm happy to report the same results.

What a relief to be back again. Enjoy the foot photo. It'll be the only one I post unless something weird happens. (Yeah, I know, like running barefoot isn't weird enough already.)

Chicago Marathon

Kathy and I went to "My kind of town" last Wednesday to hang out, see some sights, and then run the marathon on Sunday. She ran. I took photos. On Friday we picked up her packet at the expo. There was a free shuttle from the hotel, which we rode. What we didn't know was that there were four different shuttles going to and from four different parts of the city. We took shuttle #3 to get to the expo. We got on #4 for the ride back and ended up about three miles from our hotel. So we had a nice walk and saw more of Chicago.

Honestly. With 40k+ people running, would they ever say the threat level was anything other than low?

 Plenty of photo op locations at the expo.

 Our runner before the start.

 Teeming masses lined the race as well as participated in it. I missed Kathy at the two-mile mark. You can probably see why.

 One of those people passed by while I was waiting at the halfway mark.

 Doctor Dribble making a respectable showing.

 I cannot tell you how many bright yellow shirts I looked at. I finally spotted my girl looking smooth midway through the race.

 Doctor Dribble bringing it in with a mile to go.

 I don't know. There's just something about this outfit thats screams "wrong" to me.

 One of those people again.

 I found the majority were not smiling at this point.

 And there she is. Wrapping it up with a time of 5:07:07.

The happy finisher.

Let's Climb A Mountain

Thirteen intrepid souls left Riverfront Park at 6:00 am for a 34.3 mile run to the top of Mount Spokane. This race has held a special place in my heart since doing it back in 2011. A friend of mine said he was running it but he wasn't at the start so something must have happened. I was only able to be out there for a couple of hours so the photos I captured are of the first 12-14 miles. I hope they all did okay in this heat.

 First water stop and it's already hot.

 Heading north on Market.

 The leader was well out in front.

 This guy had music blasting.

 Getting caught by a relay runner.

 The only solo woman.

James Derby's thirteenth consecutive running of this race.

Negative Split Half Marathon

This morning Kathy ran this race for the second year so I guess that makes her a perennial. She's done 'em all! I love that a bottle opener is incorporated into the medal.

Windermere Half Marathon

In her quest towards running a marathon that qualifies her for Boston, Kathy incorporated the Windermere Half into her training regimen. The girl is determined.

Saving Soles

My brother, John, hung out at our mom's house a took a couple of photos of the race.

Wheelchair leader.

 Women's elite leaders.

 Men's elite leader.

Instead of running barefoot, I wore the Vibrams this year. My ankle injury flared up on me a couple weeks ago during a four-mile lunch time run. I compensated for it, which affected my stride, and I ended up with a large blister on each foot in two miles. So I saved my soles this year.

I didn't check my time until I hit the five mile mark near the top of Doomsday Hill. I was surprised to find myself at 41 minutes and some change. Quick math told me I needed a sub 8-minute-mile pace to beat my PR of 1:00:40. Smart thinking said to just take it easy. I was feeling it but not as bad as the maroon shirt guy to my right. I think I crossed the line at just over 1:02:00.

Wife, Kathy, and sister, Barb.

Running And Riding

Kathy is training for the Windermere Marathon and she has her eye on qualifying for Boston. She asked me if I would like to train with her and I politely turned her down. It's been almost six years but the memory of my one and only marathon still endures. I run for fun and training takes the fun out of it. I like my running to be incidental to training, not required by a plan.

The plan was to meet Kathy at the halfway point of her 10-mile run. I was bringing a drink, some shot blocks, and her Chapstick. 

Livestock out on Peone.

I had about 50 minutes to kill before our rendezvous so I took the Elephant out and scouted out some on and off-road routes to see how well they're cleared up after our warm spell. (Yes, above 40 is a warm spell.) After meeting Kathy in the Bellwood neighborhood I rode for another relaxing hour.

Into mile six.

We Were Runnin'

The sun came out today!

Spokane Is A Running Mecca

The Bupa Edinburgh Great Cross Country race took place in Scotland today. How awesome that three of the six members of the United States junior men's (high school) team came from Spokane.

Runnin' Again

I'm easing back into running again. My ankle seems to be fine now. Yesterday I did four miles but only 1/2 mile of that was barefoot. Today during lunch I did an easy two miles barefoot. I was called both hard core and crazy. The comments and the cold were worth it. I found five bucks!

New Centennial Trail Section

I ran 3.5 miles barefoot today, mostly on the new section of the Centennial Trail that passes through Kendall Yards and into the West Central neighborhood. The trail is awesome. The new smooth pavement is perfect for getting my bare feet back into shape.

It also has great views.

 Sadly, there are people who do this crap.

Back In The Running

I ran twice last week, both times for two miles. And my ankle felt good. Yesterday and today I did four miles, two in the Vibrams and then two barefoot. My ankle isn't 100% but it's really close. But after four months of no running I have no callouses on my soles so I'm starting over in that respect.

Regardless, it sure feels good to be running again.

Fried Feet

I went for a run at lunch today. It was my first run in almost two months since spraining my ankle. I did one whole easy 10-minute mile. My ankle complained a little but the worst of it was the hot pavement. I forgot to bring my Vibrams. My callouses are considerably thinner.

Baby steps, Hank, baby steps.

Braaaaaaaaaaaaaains!

A Zombie Run in St Louis yesterday. I'd like to be a zombie for a day.

Running In Dribbles At A Time

Back in May I sprained my ankle pretty badly. I haven't been able to run since except for my rail bike chase, but I was wearing shoes at the time. And there's the problem. I can run a couple hundred feet barefoot before my ankle complains too much. But I can run farther if I'm wearing shoes and land on my heels. Ironic, right?

For now I refuse to buy running shoes. Instead I'm going to try increasing my barefoot distance each day. It's working so far but it's only been two days so, to be honest, it's too soon to tell. My callouses have thinned so the gradual workup should help there as well.

Why am I up so late? Because my ankle aching. But the night is not a wash. Joe Theismann is on TV telling me how SuperBeta Prostrate can improve my urine flow and reduce my bathroom trips.

Negative Split Half Marathon

Kathy and Barb did a great job running today. Here are the before, start, during, finish, and after photos. More photos posted on Facebook.