Days 703 and 704 -- Jogger's Progress

	Trip	YTD	Sep
Distance	4256.7	1330.7	176.0
Time	27 days, 22 hrs, 42 min	9 days, 9 hrs, 7 mins	31:36
Days	704	190	20
States	16	3	1

Sorry, I haven't been near my home computer for two days. I'm sneaking this post in at work. Don't tell the state. I gave an evening exam last night, and I'm giving another one tonight. I don't know how that happened. Often, I'm better at spacing my exams out, but I just didn't do it this time.

I ran a quick four yesterday. I meant to go longer, but a thunderstorm blew in. It was a distant rumble of thunder when I started, but by the end of two miles, it was getting too close for comfort, so I turned around and ran right back home.

This morning, I did a slower six miles. It felt pretty good. I am still a little sore from my twenty miler on Saturday, but it's fading.

Overall, it was a fine month. I am happy with what I accomplished. The main thing now is to back off a little. I want to keep pushing, to get better for the marathon, but it's too late. I am as strong as I'm going to be, and the thing that I have to do now is to take it easy, so I arrive at the starting line rested and ready.

Day 702 -- Fairview

Looking for a fishing guide? Sandy River Fishing Guides recommends pro guide Dan Christopher, out of Fairview. These guys look satisfied with his guidance.

I ran 21.7 miles today. It took over four hours. It felt good. Well, it felt bad, but it was a good bad feeling. The weather was great. I hope that we have weather just like this at the marathon in three weeks.

This was my last long run before the marathon. I officially start my taper tomorrow. I'm not sure what I'm going to run tomorrow. The schedule said 10 today and 20 tomorrow, but I ended up doing my long run this morning. Do I have 10 more in me for tomorrow? We'll see.

Day 701 -- Portland

The Portland skyline, via destination360.com. Very pretty.

I ran a little further this morning than I had planned. I wanted to run 6.5 or 7 miles. But I hit a closed road, and rather than turning around, I ran past it to the next corner. Except the part of town I was in, the next corner was a ways down the pike. So I ended up running 8.2 miles, albeit not real fast. Tomorrow, I'm taking off, and Saturday will be my last long run before my taper.

Day 700!

Today is the 700th day of my virtual journey, which began way back at the beginning of 2006.

Here, you see the cover of the book "Seven Hundred Penguins", which is, I kid you not, a collection of covers of 700 books published by Penguin. I suppose technically, it should be Seven Hundred and One Penguins, since it's got its own cover. Anyway, I got the image from Beattie's Book Blog. Thanks, Beattie. The other image I could have chosen is the logo for the 700 Club, but I decided to pass on that.

A thunderstorm this morning forced me indoors. On the one hand, I can run faster indoors, because there are no hills, no wind, and no traffic to deal with. I actually ran almost a mile further than yesterday in about six fewer minutes. On the other hand, running inside is boring. I guess I should count my blessings. At least I have an indoor track. A lot of people have to do the treadmill, which is boring and not as good exercise.

Day 699 -- Donald

From SkateOregon.com, I see that Donald, Oregon, just south of Portland, has a very nice skateboard park. In fact, the park is also featured at Concrete Disciples. So if you are a skateboarder, head on over to Donald. I, personally, find it easy enough to fall down without standing on a board with wheels.

I ran today. That's about the best I can say. I was really tired, and I picked a particularly hilly route. I ran over 12 minute miles for the first time all summer. Not fast at all. But I ran. Any day of running is better than not running.

Day 698 -- Woodburn

Thanks to rgtmum at Flikr, here are some tulips a Woodburn, Oregon. Woodburn has an annual Tulip Festival. Yes, I am in Marion County, visiting a Tulip Festival. It's not quite like the Tulip Festival that I'm used to, though. Rather than being a three-day celebration of Dutch heritage and Klompen dancing, it is a month long open house at a tulip farm. Pretty tulips, anyway.

The play last night went until about 11:30. With the drive home and all, I wasn't in bed until close to one. So I wasn't in any shape to pop up and run this morning. However, I really wanted the exercise, so I went out for about an hour after church. It was good, but a bit warm. It was close to 80 and sunny. I remember now why I like to run in the cool of the morning. I did manage a brisk pace, which was good.

The play was interesting. What they did was they took both of Shakespeare's Henry IV plays and jammed them together into one long story. I'm not really familiar with the histories, so I don't know how much editing and rewriting they did in the process. As long as it was, it was still less than two full plays. It was well acted, as American Players Theatre productions always are. And it was an interesting and compelling story. And we get to cross two Shakespeare plays off our life list. In all, it was a good evening.

I'll probably be up late again tonight. The Packers are playing the Sunday night game, against the hated Cowboys. Right now, they are down by a touchdown. Anyway, tomorrow isn't a running day, so I can sleep in again, if I have to.

Day 697 -- Past Salem

Having run 16 miles today, I pretty much blasted through Salem. I think I'm a good 10 miles past it. But I didn't want to leave without another visit to Frank, my state capitol guy.

I ran my long run this morning, rather than Sunday, because I'm planning a wild night tonight. Mrs. Jogger and I (with some friends) are going up to Spring Green, to see the American Players Theatre production of Henry IV. It should be a blast. But we'll be out late, and it might be hard to get up in the morning.

DAy 696 -- Salem

I'm not quite to Salem, yet, but it's relatively big city (and the state capitol), so I can squeeze a few days of pictures out of it. This is a picture of a skateboarder that I got from Wikimedia. The photographer, Andrew Parodi, specifically asks that I credit him if I use his photo, and I'm happy to do so. Sorry about sticking myself in there, Andrew, but that's what I do.

I noticed today that my body is really getting into the rhythm of my runs. Tuesday, when I had an easy run scheduled, an easy run was all that I was up to. I didn't feel like I could run very fast or very far. Wednesday, for my pace run, I felt good. I got out and ran (relatively) fast, and enjoyed it. Today, I again felt like an easy run was all that I was up to. Of course, part of that is just my mental state.

In life, today was what I call a "War of the Fleas" day. There was no one big thing keeping me from getting work done, just a million distracting little annoyances. I made it through, but I'm not as prepared for tomorrow as I would like. Oh, well, tomorrow is Friday, and then I'll get a little break.

Day 695 -- Marion County

A few regular readers will be interested to know that I have entered Marion County, and not for the first time on this run. In fact, this is at least my third Marion County. This image is from the Marion County Web Site. I believe it's the county seat, which would be in Salem, which I have not quite reached. Oh, well.

I ran 6.2 at race pace today. It felt really, really good. Even though I took on some hillier parts of town, I felt strong. It helps that the weather is cool and dry.

Confidential

To the student who sent me e-mail today asking if I would give you at least partial credit on the assignment that you missed both the deadline and the late deadline, because you went home for the weekend without your book: When you ask a professor for a favor, it's not wise to skip class on that same day.

Day 694 -- Jefferson

Jefferson, Oregon, is just off of Interstate 5 about 45 miles north of Eugene. Mount Jefferson is another 40 to 50 miles east of here, in the extreme northeast corner of Linn County. So I definitely don't have this view, and I'm not sure how well I can see Mount Jefferson at all. But it sure is pretty.

I had a nice, easy run today. It was cool and dry, perfect weather for running. I didn't really feel very strong, but I didn't need to, since it was an easy run. Overall, I'm happy. Tomorrow, I won't go very far, but I'm going to try to pick up my pace.

Monday, Monday

Well, I thought maybe that I would get up this morning and go for a run. It was scheduled to be a cross-training day, but I thought I would make up for missing Saturday. Except I didn't. I couldn't drag myself out of bed.

No problem. I could still go bike riding with my group this afternoon. Except that they apparently changed the time without telling me. That may have been a hint, or it may just be that I haven't made it in a couple of weeks.

Of course, I could have gone for a long ride by myself, but I didn't. So basically, I got another day off, except for a little bike riding to work and then to the place where the group wasn't meeting.

Day 693 -- Albany

Man, I needed that! When you are training for a marathon, two whole days off seems like forever. I popped out of bed this morning with plenty of energy. I hit the road and did a brisk 12.8 miles. I ran it faster than my usual long runs, although not quite at my ten minute pace. I timed the last mile in something between 9:10 and 9:30, though, so I still had a lot of energy at the end. Mostly, I was just happy to be running again.

Even with that, it was an ugly day. I had a lot of grading to do. I got much of it done, but not all. I also wanted to try to get the place cleaned up a little. Mrs. Jogger has been out of town for three days with one of her friends, and I didn't want her to come in, take one look around, and walk back out again. I got laundry and dishes done, but I didn't get the lawn mowed. It's been rainy for the past four or five days, so the lawn is just growing wild.

In case you were interested, I'm standing in front of the Linn County Courthouse in Albany. This image is from I-5 On-line.

The Aliens Lose One

I woke up this morning twenty minutes before the alarm. It was pitch dark, and raining steadily. It felt like the middle of the night. (In fact, for many of the college students, it probably was the middle of the night, or even before the middle of the night.) I turned off my alarm and went back to sleep.

I'm paying for it now. I'm restless and cranky. And I have a ton of grading, which makes me more restless and cranky. And Michigan is losing to Notre Dame, which makes me even more restless and cranky.

I'll be out and run tomorrow, rain or shine.

Day 692 -- Shedd

The Thompson Mill, in Shedd, Oregon, from the Flikr photo uploaded by bkhaugen.1971. I'm running so behind today, I didn't even get myself photoshopped into it. I'm on the other side of the silo.

It was a crummy day for a run. It was actually warmer than yesterday -- closer to 60 than to 50 -- but it rained steadily. I didn't really feel like battling the elements. I felt more like battling a nice, soft pillow and a couple of warm blankets. But the aliens are in charge, so I got up and ran.

TIaRT -- Taper Madness

Sorry.

Day 691 -- Halsey

Halsey, Oregon.

The weather was just about perfect this morning. It was right at 50 degrees, and low humidity. I could have run all day, although maybe not quite as fast as I ran.

It was a pace run today, eight miles at 10 minutes per mile. I was a little slow on the first four mile loop, but I made it up on the second loop, and came in at 80 minutes and 7 seconds. I'm proud of that. It means that I managed to pick up the pace in the second half, which is a good sign. Now I have to run 18.2 more miles at that pace. No problem.

Day 690 -- Harrisburg

This is a competitor at the Xtreme Air Dog Competition, which was held in Harrisburg, OR, on July 4 and 5. Well, I'm not actually sure that this dog was at that competition. It would be more accurate to say that this is a competitor at some Xtreme Air Dog Competition.

It's getting noticeably cool here in Wisconsin. It was in the low forties this morning. I wore a long-sleeve shirt, but still short pants. That was fine, once I got out and got running. It was an easy five, with one burst of speed in the fourth mile. I rounded a corner, and saw a friend running ahead of me. I knew that he doesn't run too fast, so I sped up a little to catch him, so that I'd have someone to chat with. Alas, right before I caught him, he got to an intersection where he went straight, and I planned to turn left. So I did, and I never got to talk to him. Oh, well, the burst of speed was good.

Day 689 -- Eugene

I couldn't run out west without stopping in at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. UofO was one of the epicenters of U.S. running in the 60's and 70's, and still holds a lot of influence today. The 2008 U.S. Olympic trials were held at Hayward Field. It's the Lambeau Field of running.

I also thought I'd take the time to run with Steve Prefontaine, one of those runners that made Oregon famous in the early 70's. Pre was a middle distance runner, who finished fourth in the 5000 meters at the 1972 Olympics. He had every chance to win a medal, even gold, in 1976, but tragically, he was killed in a car crash in 1975. I had the opportunity this summer to see the 1997 biopic Prefontaine, directed by Steve James and starring Jared Leto, and also to read the biography Pre, by Tom Jordan. I admire Pre's determination to get the very most out of his body. The quote on the poster, in case you can't read it, is "Somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it." He was known for his brashness, but it's clear from both biographies that he was also an introspective kid, with a healthy fear of failure. So he didn't fail very much.

I went running this morning with two brains. One brain, the rational one, was the one that wrote yesterday's post. That brain didn't have anything to prove. It knew that it had been a long week, that I had run well, and also spent a lot of time on my feet. It knew that I was tired, and it had in mind that I'd run 12 or 14 miles and pack it in.

The other brain, the stubborn one, wanted that 20 miles. It thought that six weeks until the marathon is the perfect time to pour it on. Not only will it make me physically stronger, the stubborn brain argued, but it will make me mentally tougher. If I can push through 20 today, as tired as I am, then 26.2 when I'm well rested will be, if not a piece of cake, at least a good possibility. Now, the brain argued, is the time to make another down payment on my marathon.

The stubborn brain won. I ran 20.3 miles, in just under 4 hours. The toughest part was getting started on the last three. At 17 miles, I was back home, taking a drink, and the rational brain was saying, "OK, we can stop now. We've proven we're tough." But the stubborn brain won out, and I kept running. Once I got moving, it actually felt pretty good.

The Hayward Field image was lifted from The Final Sprint, and the Pre image was lifted from JustRunners.com, where it is available as a poster.

Day 688 -- Goshen

Goshen, Oregon, is just south of Eugene, my next target city. I should be in Eugene tomorrow, and then on to...I'm not sure where. This sign was found on WayMarking.com, which bills itself as "a scavenger hunt for unique and interesting places in the world." And what's unique and interesting about this sign? Well, they have a whole category of places with Biblical names. Which Goshen is.

Today was the day for the Virtual One Mile Race, as declared by Reid at Life Strides. He is attempting to run a 5 minute mile, and has enlisted running bloggers everywhere to be virtual pacers.

I may have let him down a bit. I clocked in at 7:48.87. Just shy of five minutes. Seriously, I'm satisfied with that time. I had no idea what to expect. I haven't run a timed mile since I was in school. And I haven't been training for a timed mile. And I took a nice, leisurely 4.5 mile warm-up (and a 2.5 mile cool down), because I still have to get my mileage in today. As of a few minutes ago, Reid hasn't checked in on his blog, so I don't know whether he made his goal, or not.

I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow. The schedule says 12 miles, then 20 miles next Sunday, then 12, then 20, then start my taper. However, next Sunday, Mrs. Jogger will be out of town with a friend. So I wasn't sure that I wanted to do a four hour run, even if the first hour or two would be while the Little Joggers slept. So I had planned to swap it out: 20 tomorrow, then 12, 12, and 20. However, I'm feeling pretty tired right now. I don't know if I have 20 in me. What I think I'll do is just go out and run tomorrow. If I make 20, great, but if I don't, I'm not going to beat myself up. At this point, I think I need to maintain strength for the marathon, more than build strength. And I certainly don't want to over-train, and end up hurting myself.