I meant to write yesterday , but I never got around to it for some reason. Yesterday I ran my volcano run. It was a beautifully cloudy cool day and I headed out for my big hill run. Its sort of funny, anywhere I go is really a hill run. We live on top of a high point which is great when it comes to flooding (for some reason we still have to waste money on flood insurance.) Its also good for getting in some solid hill stretches. Every run I do has a stretch where I am hitting the hills. This really helped out two years ago when I did the Portland Marathon. There is a murderous stretch around mile 17 where you run up a long slope to cross the St. Johns Bridge, once up the slope you have to continue the climb to get over the bridge. When I ran tons of people had to walk this stretch, whereas I, with my neighborhood hill training, was able to blow by around 200 (yep I counted!) runners (or walkers). It was a huge boost to me and I found myself flying across the bridge. I got into a small group where we went back and forth for the rest of the race. One guy blew away from us early, but I took the rest of them, even causing one guy to let out a huge gasp and say “oof, ok you win!” My last mile to the marathon was probably my fastest I ran the whole race.

Today, I ran my usual log route (9.5 miles). As I have said before, I run through the canyon at Reed near the end of my runs. Early in the morning I find that I am the first one up and through the canyon. I base this on the fact that I clear out the spider webs all the way through. Sort of my civic duty I guess. Must not make the spiders so happy though.

Both of these runs were pretty slow (8.45+ minute miles) which I attribute mostly to some foot pain I have been having on teh top of my left foot. It is a lot better, but it is still there. I wonder how much of it is due to the new shoes and the fact that I ran on both pairs without going for a short break-in run. That’s what I get!