3 weeks later

So far things are going well for this training cycle. My first Sunday long run coincided with the Hagg Lake 25k. I did okay, but it did feel a little humbling. I certainly didn't deserve to do any better than I did, though. First of all, I let the date creep up on me, so I only did 2 long trail runs (12-12/5 miles each) leading up to the race. Not exactly the best way to prepare for a 15.5 mile trail race. Secondly, I started to get sick the day before the race. Those are the excuses. When all was said and done, I came in third in my age group (6th in Masters), and had a nice brisk trail run to kick off my training cycle. It's a really great race. I'm sure I'll want to try again next year with a little better prep work.
I'd been looking forward to trying out some of the new tools at my disposal as a Hammer Nutrition Athlete Ambassador. Actually, the tools have been available all along, but I'm starting to learn more about exactly what all their products can do. I found myself in possession of Endurolytes and Anti-Fatigue Caps, which are supposed to reduce muscle cramping and prolong endurance, respectively. I brought them to the Hagg Lake race, but forgot to put them on my person, so they sat in the car, doing me no good. Last week I had a 15-miler up and over Cornell Road. I packed my supplements in the little tube provided, and popped it into my pocket. I felt them there at about 50 minutes, about 10 minutes till it was time to take them, but by the time I got to 60 minutes, they had fallen out. No dice. This week, I ran my first "long" long run, across the St. John's Bridge and through North Portland, and I went old-school, packing my supplements in a ziplock in my pocket. I am always dubious about the causality of especially hard or especially easy, but this run went very well. My target pace was 9:08, so I was enjoying the permission to go nice and slow, but I ended up pulling off an 8:40 pace. It's a flat course, so I'm cool with that. Next week is my first 20-miler (I do 5), so I'm pretty excited about it. It's supposed to be a beautiful weekend, so maybe I'll talk Sean into riding the bike next to me. That's always fun.