~10.5 miles: A run around Franklin

I moved this run to this morning because it was cooler than yesterday. It still was humid  (+90%) but at least it was not as warm.  Legs still are suffering a bit from the marathon. Ok run with a good last mile.

My GPS was acting up today. I know I ran at least 10 but less than 11. The 10.5 is a guess.

6 miles (Wednesday): Loops

Yesterday I was planning on running 10 miles or so but I got sick of the warm weather and humidity and cut the run short.  Decent six miles.

5 miles: Fall is coming

This morning I ran 5 miles. It looks like fall has shown up when it should this year. The weather is getting to be decent in the morning.  Good 5 mile run around the local area.

12.6 miles (Saturday): Good and tired legs

Yesterday I ran 12.6 miles around town. The first 8 miles or so went well as the sun was hiding and it was cool for this time of year. The sun came out for the last 4 miles and my legs felt like I had just run a Marathon.  I'm very ready for fall.

3 Miles: Mountains to a parking lot

I ran tonight for the first time since the marathon.  A good steady paced three mile run around our less than scenic housing parking lot. Oh boy. 

Two Bear: Many chipmunks.

Sunday I ran in the Two Bear marathon. I finished the race but not as fast as the last time I ran it. I'm not sure exactly why I was not able to go as fast. I am in better shape.  I got dehydrated as it was warmer than last year and I may not have taken in enough liquids in the first 12 miles or so. I think I didn't notice how much I was sweating because the sweat was actually evaporating for a change.

It was a fun run and my legs are very sore two days later. It was a very good workout for the fall marathons. If I hope to do well in this run in the future, I'll have to run more hills. The relatively flat part of Franklin I live in does not cut it for getting ready for mountains.

This time I ran for many of the miles without seeing anyone else. I did see the two girls in bear outfits and probably over a 100 chipmunks. I did not see any real bears during the run although I did see two bears on the east side of Glacier National Park the next day. They were not very far away but far enough not to be able to get a good picture of them with an iPhone.

I'll be back to run this again, I'm not sure if it will be next year or not.

3 km: last run

Today I did my last run before the Two Bear Marathon. This short run was even a cut from the planned short run. My legs did not feel as rested as I had hoped.  As planned, I'll be taking off the rest of today, Friday and Saturday. My legs will be good to go on Sunday.

It's hard to predict how this marathon will go as compared to last year.  I am in better shape for sure but last year I had a very good day. It's very possible to be in better shape but just have one of those off days. If I do have a good day, I think I can beat last year's time by 10 minutes so.

Goal 1: Finish without getting hurt and have fun.
(I saw a number people trip on the trail part last year.)
Goal 2: Beat last year's time.
Goal 3: Beat last year's time by more than 10 minutes.

~6.5 Km: Soccer field loops

Today was the first day of a real taper run in that normally I would have run further than I did. I did not take a GPS as to avoid trying to go too fast but just kept what felt like a good pace. The humidity was bad of course.

The forecast for Whitefish looks good for Sunday. The low should be around 12 C (~54 F) and the high should be around 28 C (~82 F) with only a 10% chance of rain as of now. While that is warmer than I would like,  it will be the coolest and least humid long run I've done in months.

8 Km run around the complex

Tonight I ran loops in our housing complex. I just ran at a natural pace and without a GPS unit.  My pace was good and it improved a bit with each mile without me trying to do so.  It was a good run but very very humid.

17.8 km: Extremely good run and great pictures.

This morning I left the house about 45 minutes before the Sun came up. I ran a very fast paced 17.8 km. I stopped to take a lot of pictures today but even doing that this was one of my fastest runs of this distance in a long time.  

I had a 5 km stretch in the middle where I likely would have broke my 5k record. The temperature was fine but it was rather humid (as normal).

Time to start a true taper for the Marathon next week.

8 km: free run loop into town and back

This morning I did a loop run into Starbucks and back.  I didn't take my phone or GPS. I just did a free run with the clothing I am thinking of wearing for the marathon. It was a great paced run with a lot of sweat. The temperature was fine but it was rather humid.

22.5 km: A great pace for 14, a relaxed 8.5.

Today I ran 22 km. It was 26 C and sunny at the end. The first 14 km or so went very well, my pace and energy levels were great. The Sun really started to heat the day and this slowed me down a bit plus I just backed off the pace some because I want to do a 16-18 km or so run on Sunday before starting a week long taper before the Two Bear Marathon.

8.1 km: Easy eight

Today I ran 8.1 km. I took it easy today because the heat seemed worse than it actually was (not that it was good) and I want to do a middle distance run tomorrow morning at a good pace.

13.2 km: Very good

This morning I ran a high paced 13.2 km run.  I did the first 8 km or so by running loops and then did the rest on local roads.  It was a bit cooler (23C) and less humid (not still not great). This was the type of run that makes me feel good about where I am with running right now.

6.1 km: Up the pace

Today I ran 6.1 km. This shorter but up tempo run was due in part to a busy week day and in part by not getting out the door sooner.

Decent run overall.

32.2 km: Steady rain and run

This morning I ran 32.2 km. It was my last long distance run before my first fall marathon in two weeks.  I was a bit worried going into the run as my last few runs have not been good at all.

It turned out the run was great. It helped a lot it was cooler (21C) and that there was a steady rain and a cooling wind. The goal heading into this run was to run at a steady pace. I did just that and even picked up the pace slightly for the last 8 miles or so when I could tell the run was going well. It was the fastest of my three 32.2 km (~20 mile) runs this training cycle.

4 km run (Saturday)

Yesterday afternoon I ran 4 km. It was a bad run. The humidity was high and my son had just forced me to take him to the ice cream shop. It's possible I had too much ice cream before this run.