Fartleks - Swedish Speed Play

The first time I heard the term Fartlek I was a high school cross-country runner. As you can probably imagine, the term elicited a few chuckles from the rag-tag bunch that made up our team that year. I remember vividly when Coach Clay told us it meant "speed play" in Swedish. I also remember it breaking up the monotony of our usual 3-5 mile run. Basically all you are doing during a Fartlek run is incorporating periodic bursts of speed into your run lasting anywhere from 30 seconds on up. Usually I pick a point of reference up ahead on the road or the trail and run hard to that point. This is followed by some slow jogging.

Today I only felt like running 3-4 miles or so. However, I also wanted to incorporate some Fartleks into my run through the woods. I think Fartlek (speed play with the emphasis on play) is the appropriate term for this kind of running; especially on the trails. I enjoyed flying through the woods with a reckless abandon. It felt great to revisit the increased stride turnover rate that has been missing from my running lately. I am hoping this will be a nice bridge into a bit of interval and speed training this summer. For the time being, I will be content with joyfully bounding through the trails like a carefree kid.

Poulsbo Marathon 2010

My wife, Michelle, and her friend, Elisa are organizing the first annual Poulsbo Marathon!

The event will take place in the beautiful town of Poulsbo, WA, also know as "Little Norway" for its rich Norwegian heritage.

The marathon and half marathon will take place on October 17th, 2010. The race is still in the planning stages, but it is never to early to SAVE THE DATE!

Click here for more information: http://www.poulsbomarathon.embarqspace.com/

Blue Lake Duathlon

My wife Michelle and I headed down to Portland, Oregon early Saturday morning to pick up our race packets and drop off our bikes at the site for the Blue Lake Duathlon/Triathlon. The event was actually 15 miles east of Portland in the town of Fairview, Oregon. We arrived at Blue Lake Park to beautiful sunshine and a pleasant 70 degrees or so. We dropped off our bikes, picked up our race packets, and headed back to Portland for what promised to be a relaxing evening.

We stayed at the historic Benson Hotel in the Pearl District. The Benson Hotel has been in operation since 1913 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The hotel is beautiful and the location is perfect. There are three restaurants within the hotel located conveniently on Broadway. The hotel is also within walking distance to one of my new favorite places to have a beer, the Deschutes Brewery. The staff of the Benson Hotel was very friendly and the concierge had great suggestions for our evening. I would highly recommend the Benson Hotel for the outstanding quality, location, and ambiance. Click here for a look at their beautiful guest rooms.

Much to our surprise the Portland Rose Festival was in full force during our weekend stay. We watched the annual Starlight Parade from our 10th floor window. Before the parade started 4000 people took part in a 5k race along the parade route. It looked more like a costume party than a race! Michelle and I looked enviously from our window, wishing we had known about this beforehand. The parade lasted until around midnight and we needed to be up by 5:30 to get ready for our races.

We woke up on Sunday morning to pouring rain...what happened to the sunshine?! Michelle took part in the Olympic Distance Triathlon (1500 meter swim, 40K Bike, 10K run), while I opted for the Olympic Distance Duathlon (5K run, 40K, Bike, 10K run). I was impressed and proud of Michelle...she is really becoming quite the swimmer. Her confidence in her swimming abilities is growing thanks to her unwavering perseverance and tenacity. She kicked butt in the swim and continued to do so in the bike and run. I really enjoyed the duathlon. I felt great in the first two legs of the event and hit the wall during the 10K run. All in all I was pleased with my effort, but looking forward to doing a few trail runs next week (more in my comfort zone). It didn't stop raining the entire 5 hours we were hanging out at Blue Lake Park, but it didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the participants.

Next event: Timber Town 10K Trail Race, Port Gamble, WA

La Sportiva Raptor Review

I became interested in the La Sportiva running shoe company after happening upon their mountain running website. It is a very informative website filled with information about all things mountain running. After following their website for a few months, I decided to give a pair of their shoes a try. I have been doing all of my trail runs the last few weeks in the La Sportiva Raptor.

The Raptor is touted as an “aggressive, technical trail shoe” by La Sportiva. I didn’t know exactly what this meant until I took the shoes for a spin on one of my favorite trails near Port Gamble, WA. The shoes worked perfectly for the slick rock and muddy trails I encounter regularly on this trail. I was particularly impressed with the responsiveness of the shoe. Most of the trail shoes I have owned have had a little bit of “slop” in them. However, the Raptor really stayed tight even on the sharpest of muddy hairpin turns.

The Raptor also has impressive grip. The outsole of the Raptor is made out of something called Frixon XF. La Sportiva is known for climbing shoes and the Raptor’s outsole is just one category below what is used as an outsole for their climbers. This provides a ton of grip on wet, mossy rocks, and other slippery surfaces encountered on the trails of the Northwest.

I really hit a hard tempo run the other day on a seriously slick portion of single track. Trusting the Raptors I went barreling down the last section of technical trail at a rather reckless speed. I never lost my footing and will continue to use these shoes in wet conditions. For more information check out Lasportiva.com.

Quileute Oceanside Resort – A Trail Running Destination

My wife Michelle and I just got back from a night at the Quileute Oceanside Resort. If you enjoy the ocean, beaches, trails, and tranquil surroundings, you will love this resort. Whether you are interested in a romantic getaway or a family vacation, there is something for everyone at this hidden gem located in La Push, WA, within the Quileute Nation. The resort sits on First Beach on a rugged and beautiful stretch of the Pacific Ocean.

The Quileute Oceanside Resort offers luxury cabins, regular cabins, the Whale/Thunderbird Motel, and an RV park. We stayed in one of the luxury cabins with a stunning view of the ocean. The luxury cabins have a small kitchen, Jacuzzi, and propane fireplace. They come in studio, one, and two bedroom units.

Upon arriving at the Quileute Oceanside Resort, the first thing I noticed was the powerful sound of waves crashing against the shore and the natural beauty surrounding the remote town of La Push. The exterior of the cabins themselves are simple, but the inside of the cabin was a wonderful surprise. The room was very clean with gorgeous views of the mighty Pacific Ocean.

The layouts of the cabins are situated to maximize the glorious views. The Jacuzzi tub in our cabin sat just above the cozy sitting area with a full picture window to admire the surroundings. The cabins are just a stone’s throw away from the ocean. Even with the doors and windows shut, the sounds of the waves were loud enough to provide a soothing lullaby when we crashed for the evening.

There are a myriad of trail running opportunities in La Push. We chose to take it relatively easy and ran the trails to Second and Third Beaches. Second Beach can be found by running or driving about a mile from the Quileute Oceanside Resort to the trailhead. Simply follow the trail approximately three-fourths of a mile down to the ocean. The beach and the views are simply stunning. You can run another two miles or so down the beach until you come to a headland. The headland blocks the way to Third Beach, so at that point you will just have to turn around and enjoy the views to the north and back to the trail! Third beach can be found just a bit further south of Second Beach. You will hit the beach after 1.2 miles of running through the forest. This too is an amazing beach; there are very little crowds year round due to the fact it is the furthest from the main road by foot. We had the beach to ourselves. It was an incredible reminder of how lucky we are in Western Washington to be so close to such beauty that can be admired in relative solitude.

We will definitely be visiting the Quileute Oceanside Resort again. Click here for more information about room rates, reservations, and general information about the Quileute Nation. You won’t be disappointed!

Vikings and Bricks

Yesterday was the local Viking Fest 5-mile road race. I enjoyed the atmosphere, people, and weather; however, the race itself left something to be desired from my perspective. I am the type of person who generally sets goals the week before a race without taking past training into consideration. This is the perfect recipe for a letdown. I ran the race in 34:05 and felt like a slug stuck in mud. In retrospect, it is actually a decent time given my recent training....onward and upward!

This morning I rode a beautiful 17 mile loop. I started at our house and worked my way towards Suquamish, then Lemolo. The views of the mountains and the water were spectacular today. I also enjoyed the fact that there was very little traffic at 6:00 this morning. I finished the loop by heading up Big Valley Road and cutting over to Bond Road via Sawdust Hill. Sawdust Hill is steep, but worth the effort. The road works it's way up and around Christmas Tree farms and beautiful homes. Along the way I saw llamas, horses, ducks, a few random squirrels, and rhododendrons in bloom. I will enjoy the route again; this I am sure.

After the bike ride I completed the "brick" workout by running 3 miles. The best part of the run was stopping and playing with the rambunctious neighborhood golden retriever. It was nice not thinking about splits, time, or pace. I was just enjoying the sights, smell of freshly cut grass, and sounds of a yipping Yorkshire Terrier chasing me back up the hill. Okay, I didn't enjoy that, but you get the picture. Riding and running early this morning made me rethink the time of day I workout. I will be trying the a.m. for a change this week....

Life is GOOD!

Check out this clip from The Temper Trap. A great band that I have been listening to often as of late...

Blue Lake Duathlon/Viking Fest Road Race

I am looking forward to doing the Blue Lake Olympic Distance Duathlon on June 6th. When I decided to do this event, I thought it would be relatively easy. I mean, c'mon...I was comfortably running 15-20 mile trail runs in the mountains. (Okay, not comfortably, but still...not necessarily 15 miles, but still...) The Olympic Distance Duathlon consists of a 5K run (3.1 miles), a 40K bike (24.8 miles), and 10K run (6.2 miles). Last night I rode my bike 12 miles then ran 2 miles. My legs felt a bit like jello. No problem, I still have 3 weeks to get my legs used to a change of pace. Thankfully, I am an eternal optimist.

This weekend I plan on running the Viking Fest Road Race. If you have never done this race, you need to come check it out. The course is five miles and the scenery is beautiful. The race has been around for over 40 years! Poulsbo's Viking Fest is a celebration of Norway's Constitution Day of May 17th (in Norwegian -"Syttende mai"), it is also referred to as Norway's national holiday. I have great memories of first running this race as a junior high student 27 years ago. It will be fun now that all 3 of my own kids will be running as well...

Enjoy the sunshine! Run on....