One of my colleagues (also a runner) jokes that I treat the lunch room at the office like an aid station. While infinitely amusing – it’s kind of true. When I got back from my rainy run on Thursday…I had a Cup O’ Noodles. There are a stack of them sitting on the counter. I would never eat one of those unless I was electrolyte and calorie deprived and craving salt… but it’s perfect food if you’re running long. Warms you right up.

I developed a bad habit last summer after coming back from lunchtime runs in Forest Park of chugging a Sunkist orange soda – they are on hand and ice cold. The high fructose corn syrup fired me right up for any afternoon meetings. I’ll try not to do that this season.

http://www.strava.com/activities/132040473

Sometimes the runs are fun and the legs are snappy, other times you get into a rhythm and the miles click by, other times it just feels like work. This one didn’t quite feel like work, but I had just been through most of this section on Thursday, so it was really just a matter of rolling through the trails and getting back home.

I used Tailwind for the first time – changing it up from Cytomax which has been my fuel of choice for the past 15? years.  The distinction is that it contains more calories so you can reduce/eliminate food and consume xx oz. per hour. I ordered the sample packages that include all 4 flavors. Berry was what I was drinking on Saturday. It’s got a super-mild taste and no sweet aftertaste like Cytomax. It also has no coloring so it mixes clear… kind of nice. The only annoyance were the directions that gave instructions for a 48oz bottle or a 24oz bottle. Most single serving bottles are 20oz. Not a big deal… maybe cycling bottles are 24oz?

I mixed two 20oz bottles and took the rest of the mix with me. I tried to drink regularly after the first hour. I still ate a Clif shot and a Hammer gel – and then refilled my bottle at Marquam shelter and mixed the rest of the power. I felt zippy after I had a good drink and got back on the flats for the last 3 miles. Never felt hungry, had good low end power and definitely felt like I got a second wind around mile 17.  I’ll try the other flavors and then order in bulk.

I modded the UD vest by shortening the female part of the 2 chest buckles by pulling them closer with zip ties. There is about 3/4 of an inch of fabric that (I guess?) helps the buckles contour around your chest – the sizing is so shitty on those vests though that even that much of a tolerance is enough for the vest to shake too much. It’s solid now and I can snug it up…and still breathe.

Run was okay. It started raining 10 minutes out and rained off and on the entire time.   It’s so fun passing through downtown on my way to the hills as there’s always some kind of event (usually a race) going on and people are cheering and there’s entertainment, etc. Saturday there as an MS walk and a people were everywhere along the waterfront. It was raining harder as I made my way toward the steel bridge where I peel off left and run down to Thurman on my way to the Lower MacLeay trailhead.

I heard the drums from my house before I left but didn’t think anything of it – then when I crossed Hawthorne and turned right the drums became louder. There was high school? drum line standing out of the rain under the Morrison bridge and they were jamming! I slowed a little to linger. It made me smile. Super awesome.

They were kind of like this;  except in Portland style, they were wearing all black and sporting Doc Martens.

Nothing else to note – it was a bit of a slog. In the rain. Grunt.