I need to get more creative with these titles. Then again, with this one, I don\u2019t want to bury the lead.<\/p>\n
Set the alarm for 2:45 AM but woke up at 2:42. A cup of iced coffee, running clothes, a visit to the restroom, and I\u2019m on the road by 3:07. Goal: 10 miles. Running in the middle of the night to practice for Ragnar in 2 weeks, and because the wife is working this holiday, and I want to be back, showered, and napped before the nanny arrives. I don\u2019t know if \u201cnapped\u201d is word\u2026 well now it is, I guess.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve got my phone with me, Runkeeper is going, and an app that reports my location to a website in case the wife wants to know where I am. I have a headlamp on and a buttlamp as well. New shorts, new tank top, and new socks from a Going Out of Business sale the day before at Sports Authority.<\/p>\n
A little bit of Roosevelt, a little bit of 3rd ave, and then 130th, west, for the next mile. On the headphones: a bunch of songs that are each longer than a mile apiece, starting with Tool. There\u2019s something satisfying about getting to the end of a song and knowing you\u2019ve finished another mile or so.<\/p>\n
Up an over the pedestrian overpass at Aurora. This time of day there\u2019s no traffic, and I could avoid the stairs, but I use the overpass on principal. In the day-time I see people standing at the crosswalk, waiting for the light instead of taking the overpass. Lazy! And I should never be running so close to exhaustion that a few stairs ruin the rest of the run.<\/p>\n
Pace is about 9:45 per mile. Perfect. That leg\/foot ache again, and now I\u2019m wondering if it\u2019s because of some bruising on the outside of my foot, keeping me from striking there like I usually do. I exaggerate some pronation and that seems to help a bit.<\/p>\n
Right turn on Linden, which is also the Interurban trail, which will be my route for the next 3 miles. Another 9:45; at 145th the Interurban is no longer on a street, but just a trail. A nice drop to 155th, and then the next mile and a half is slightly uphill. A couple of 9:20s. A right turn on 185th street.<\/p>\n
The Interurban continues up Midvale but I eschew that to take Ashworth instead. Ashworth is one of my favorite streets to run on. The incline is fast both ways; going north it goes up, but not noticeably. By now Tool is done playing and it\u2019s some long slow surf by Daikaiju and Dick Dale. Mile 5 is a 9:24.<\/p>\n
A right at 200th, up a short steep hill, right on Meridian, left on a trail that cuts across to 1st Ave where I hit mile 6. A little slower, but not too bad. 195th street now, heading to a pedestrian overpass that goes across highway 5. On the other side I stop for a pee. I mean it\u2019s pitch dark, so why not.<\/p>\n
195th to 10th ave, where I\u2019ll be for another 2 miles. I am feeling really good. There\u2019s aches and pains, but I\u2019ve got the right endorphins along with them. After a climb to 185th street, it\u2019s downhill all the way to 155th, and my pace goes up. At 155th, a right turn, at 8th ave a left, and more downhill to 145th. 9 miles down, one to go.<\/p>\n
During the day, 145th back up to 1st is a pain, because of heavy traffic getting on and off highway 5 right there. But at 4 in the morning I\u2019ve got the road to myself. Climbing, though, after 90 minutes of running, is a chore, so this last mile is slow. Also, I realize that if I make the turn at 1st ave I won\u2019t hit 10 miles before I get back home, so I chug up even more, and turn left on\u00a0Corliss.<\/p>\n
Mile 10 happens, and the rest is frosting. Another .2 miles (at 8:39, ha!) and I\u2019m done.<\/p>\n
9:29 pace overall. All things considered, I am very pleased. And, according to Strava, I picked up a few medals: 2nd fastest time on \u201cStairs to 180\u201d and 3rd fastest time on \u201c10 Ave Sprint.\u201d Not too shabby for a chubby dude running before the crack of dawn!<\/p>\n