Keith Granger

I ran from Confluence State Park today. I made the decision to run in my Nike Cesiums today because my feet were sore from yesterday’s run. My right shin was starting to get sore after about 3 miles. I think it was probably a combination of the shoes and the abuse from yesterday’s long run. I dropped the pace and eased back to the truck. It quit hurting almost immediately after I stopped running. This troubles me a bit because it is similar to a lower leg injury that cost me several weeks of training in June and July. I think it will be fine.

I started at Walla Walla Park this morning and then ran out to Confluence State Park and back to complete the first four miles. From here, I was planning to complete two laps of the Apple Capital Loop Trail to end a 24 mile run. When I crossed the south end pedestrian bridge, I found that the east side of the loop was not plowed from the bridge to 19th street. I was able to bypas this section of the trail using Sunset highway. From 19th street back to the State Park, the trail was plowed but not in good shape. I was exausted by the time I finished this portion of the run (12 miles). I opted to do some out and backs to finish the 24 miles on the west side of the loop - most of which was in good shape. This is the longest training run that I have ever done. I ate a power bar in 3 sections durring the run. It was harder to eat than the gels, but it seemed to keep my energy up. Overall, I felt pretty good today.

The trail between Confluence State Park and Hawley street was plowed this morning so I was able to alter my morning course a little. This was just a quick easy run. It was very quiet out this morning.

I used the ipod this morning. A little talk radio and a little music. It made the time pass quicker, but I think I missed the quiet and solitude - which is why I run to begin with. I think I’ll reseve the use of the iPod to those days when it’s hard to get out the door. It was cold this morning and I ran the entire distance with my ice cleats on. The ice cleats make it a harder workout, but it was nice not to have to worry about slipping.

It felt good to be running in the park today. The sun was out and it was about 39 degrees, but the wind was blowing and my ears froze. I didn’t wear a coat or a hat, but I was kind-of wishing that I had the hat on when I turned around and had to run 3 miles back in the wind.

I ran from home down to the trail and then headed out with the plan to do a couple of laps and then head back to the house for a total of 22 miles. Unfortunately the East side of the loop was not plowed. From the south end bridge I ran about 1.5 miles through the unplowed snow to get to 19th street where I abandonded the trail and opted for Cascade street. When I got back to the north end bridge, I had to run through snow to get across the bridge and down to where the state park had plowed. From here it was plowed all the way to Confluence. The trail was good, so I decided to back track to add a couple of miles to my run. I did have a power gel at Confluence, which really boosted my energy level. From Confluence to Hawly street (miles 13-14) were not plowed. After I hit Hawly street, I ran to the South side bridge and then turned and came back. I had a second gu pack at 17 miles, which again really boosted my energy. Instead of going straight up Walnut to get home, I crossed over to McKittrick on Pine and then ran on Western from McKittric to home. My ankles were pretty cut up from having snow packed in my shoes for some of the run. Other than that, I felt pretty good.