Sunday Morning Run in Dover, Idaho

Up in the hills above Dover Bay Resort Community

Got in a nice 14 mile run on Sunday morning. We ran a loop through the Dover Bay Resort Community and looped over to the Bike Path across Highway 2. From there we went into the Ravenwood Trails/Syringa Trails from the Blue Gate off of the bike path. All in all an absolutely beautiful morning. Funny how those long runs seem much shorter when running with good friends.

Today I ran Fartleks up in the Syringa Trails near my house. I am enjoying mixing some speed into my workouts. I feel like all the trail running over the last few years has given me a bit of a "trail shuffle". Will be running the Athol Half-Marathon in two weeks. I also plan on hitting a few road races as well in the next six months. Snow will hit soon and I need some motivation on the calendar to keep me running through the cold winter!

Swiftwick Pursuit - Compression Sock Review

I wore compression socks for the first time on a long run at the Wild Moose Chase Trail Run up at the Mt. Spokane Nordic Trails a week ago. I haven't run without them since. I was having some terrible calf and foot cramps, along with general achille and calf pain in the weeks leading up to the race. I took the week off before the race and decided to give the Swiftwick Pursuit Compression socks a try on race day. I was expecting more pain, but was pleasantly surprised that I did not cramp up at all during the race and experienced only minor discomfort. A far cry from where I had been just a few days ago. 

I am guessing the compression kept the swelling I was having at bay during the race. Race day was freezing, so the full length socks helped keep me plenty warm. If you haven't ever worn Merino Wool socks, you are in for a surprise if you try the Swiftwick Pursuit. The comfort is awesome and on a 2.5 hour run they did an amazing job keeping my feet dry. This is the first long run I have had in months without any blisters.

The crazy thing is that I am going to buy a pair of these to wear to work! They actually can pass for dress socks and will be good to wear on the mornings I do my long runs before work. I definitely recommend these socks and will be checking out the other Swiftwick Products. 

Swiftwick Pursuit 12"

Wild Moose Chase 25K

Good times at the Wild Moose Chase 25K up at Mt. Spokane last weekend! We went up there with our friends Matt and Angie Brass. They are pictured above after collecting their awards for winning the race. They ran unbelievable races. The temperature at the start was around 35 degrees with cold rain and wasn't much warmer at the finish! Thankfully there was a wood stove blazing up at the Selkirk Lodge.

The race was a killer. Especially since I haven't been running enough to justify trying to run that far with that kind of elevation gain and loss. I was surprised at the number of long climbs, but I was happy to finish. Looking forward to running it again next year, with more miles and better training.

My wife Michelle won her age group as usual and ran an excellent race. I was impressed with how much steam she had up the last climb. It felt more like a scramble than a run for me at that point. Next up is the Athol Trail of Terror Half-Marathon!

Schweitzer Mountain Running

What does it take to get motivated to do some blogging? A mountain run up at beautiful Schweitzer Mountain! Schweitzer Mountain is located in Sandpoint, Idaho. A place that I consider a trail running paradise.

Vickie and Michelle heading up Upper Grrr x-country trail. Fairly mellow climb overall.

The fall colors are coming right along. The red colored bushes are mountain huckleberries. Even though they are getting a bit over-ripe, they still provided a bit of nourishment on the 10 mile run.

This is Colburn Lake on the Backside of Schweitzer Mountain. Up to this point, I have only seen it in the winter via snowboarding. The dogs took a swim before we turned back around.

Michelle and Dose (wallips) heading back up the cat-track from Colburn Lake.

Getting ready to head back down the other side. Lake Pend Oreille can be seen in the background.

We have been in Sandpoint, Idaho for a year now. We are loving all it has to offer our family. Next week we will be running the Wild Moose Chase 25K up at Mt. Spokane. My training has been just enough to finish the race, but not at blazing speeds by any means. Nice to finally get back into some consistent running!

McKinnick Trail - Sandpoint, Idaho

Inspiration has finally hit me upside the head with nature's version of a 2 by 4! We have moved to the beautiful town of Sandpoint, Idaho. North Idaho is a gem in many ways, especially for those that have a thirst for the outdoors. The myriad of trail running options has motivated me to begin running more and explore the area before the snows begin to hit in earnest.

So far, one of my favorite places to run is McKinnick Trail, located just outside of the Sandpoint city limits near Schweitzer Mountain. This is a 3.5 mile trail (one-way) that "switchbacks" through 160 acres of gigantic rock outcroppings, grassy meadows, and  tall old growth timber There are views of Lake Pend Oreille, Sandpoint, and the Cabinet Mountains. The top boasts an elevation of 4300' for a total elevation gain of 2150'. This is a great hike, trail-run, or snow-shoe in the winter. However, I plan to run it as long as possible. I am guessing I will finally need to purchase some spikes for my running shoes.

View of Lake Pend Oreille and Sandpoint

My German Shorthair Pointer finishing our run together

Directions: From Sandpoint, take Hwy. 95 north 1.3 miles to Schweitzer Mountain Road; turn left and go 0.5 miles; turn right at the T junction and go 0.8 miles; turn left (at Schweitzer Sign) and go 0.5 miles to Woodland Drive; turn left and go 0.7 miles. The trailhead parking area is located on the right. There is also an outhouse there.

Unbreakable: The Western States 100 official trailer

I am an avid follower of Anton Krupicka's blog, Riding the Wind. Unbelievable mountain runner...check out the trailer for a movie about Western States 100, featuring Anton and a crew of other awesome trail runners...if this doesn't motivate you, what will?!

FIRST Training Plan vs. Run by Feel

Last Spring I decided to use the FIRST training plan while training for the Eugene Marathon. I highly recommend checking it out. It is basically a program based on 3 quality running days per week, with some cross training in between. Check out the link above, as there have been amazing results with that particular program/philosophy.

The reason I went in that direction is that I have had a tendency to get burned out following plans that are too complicated. I was following plans developed by the legendary running coach Jack Daniels. It seemed to suck the fun out of running over time. The FIRST training plan was simple and effective.

Moving on to the here and now, I have decided to run by feel over the next several months. I have run 17 out of the last 20 with my shortest run being 2 miles and my longest being 7. Ninety-Five percent of the running has been done on trails, which is best for me in many ways. The last three days have all been 6 miles and further. I have no aches and pains, but will take today off to play it safe. I am not sure what tomorrow will bring. I am enjoying running more than ever right now. I am hoping to keep riding this wave, listen to my body, and adjust accordingly. I am currently experimenting with a Heart Rate Monitor...more to come on that one...loving it though...

Check out the photos below. This is where I run most of the time...Port Gamble Trail System...

My German Short Hair wondering why I am running so slow.

The splendor of the Olympic Mountain Range

Single Track

The Brothers Peak, Olympic Mountains