Just stumbled across this.

The Runners from Banyak Films on Vimeo.

There is something special about approaching the biggest climb of this run at about 19 miles. I remember something Stevie Haston wrote, “Remember, this is  your treat. Enjoy it!” He also coined one of my favorite training mantras, “eat less, train more, try harder.”

Even when things are going pear-shaped and you’re out of water and moving through sheer force of will – always remember to say please and thank you. And smile at the turistas. Always smile. It’ll make you feel better.

http://www.strava.com/activities/315839429

This was my last long run before Beacon Rock 50K. Hydration and nutrition were pretty dialed in. I ate 2 Clif shots (espresso), 2.5 packages of Clif Blocks and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I sat on a bench at Pittock Mansion shoving PBJ in my mouth, smiling at the out-of-towners there for the views. It was in the high 70’s, low 80’s and I decided to carry a 70oz hydration bladder + 500ml soft bottle. I drained all my water at the base of the climb to Pittock and refilled and hydrated at the water fountain at the top – “Pittock Aid Station” I call it.

I ran straight down through the Arboretum and on to Washington Park to 14th street where I picked up my Car2Go and drove myself home  thinking the entire way that I’m going to hop in an ice bath at home. When I got home the girls had just filled up their inflatable swimming pool and I hopped right into the cold cold water. Perfect.

I was descending fast on a relatively tame section of trail on Monday morning, and was picking up speed — all of a sudden the trail become very technical – rocks, roots and mud. Before I could even make a decision as to what to do – I was in it – and I just decided to let go. I’m normally very conservative trail running on technical descents, gingerly picking my way down.

This time I was carrying way too much speed and without a conscious decision, just turned off my analytical brain and just flowed. Super fast. I didn’t fall or slip, but wow. It was an amazing feeling. I realized that the more speed you’re carrying, the faster you pass the complex terrain – sounds intuitive, but it’s much harder to act on that when you’re in the mix. The faster you’re moving, the fewer footsteps you have to land.

Binge read Station Eleven over the past 3 days.

Usually when I wake up the next morning after finishing a good book I’m still thinking about it – this morning I wasn’t thinking about it. The story was entertaining, but I don’t think the characters were very developed – there was nothing intriguing about them – their only purpose was to move the story arc along. It’s a post-apocalyptic (pandemic) story that weaves between time just before the incident to about 25 years afterwards. Comparing it to other books in the genre – The Road (McCarthy) was way more terrifying.

Moving onto some more literary fiction, Murakami’s The Wind Up Bird Chronicle. I have high hopes. We’ll see.

Good late afternoon run today. Just took the waist belt with 10oz of water and 2 gels for about 20 miles.  Hit water fountains at Marquam Shelter, Top of Council Crest, [Drained the 10 oz bottle], Pittock Mansion – then stopped at the Thurman Market and bought a Coke and some salt + vinegar chips after popping out at Lower Macleay. Straight up shoving chips into my mouth and chasing them with Coke.

https://www.strava.com/activities/306767003

I’ve never run this direction and think the Council Crest climb is pretty tame. It’s way tougher running into Lower Macleay, up Pittock and down Council Crest.

Started to blow up a little around mile 19 – there’s kind of a short/steep section on Ankeny just before dropping back down to Laurelhurst Park, when you’re really wiped out, any elevation change is just like trying to run in quicksand. I could avoid it, but what fun would that be?

Digging this song on my shuffle. Reminds me of Baltimore and Tom. And running in the woods.

I had that written on a journal cover when I was in college. Along with something about actualizing potential. That was a long time ago. I recently considered that on your way to ‘actualizing your potential’ and ‘becoming what you are’,  you may actually become a horrible person. I guess that’s the flip side.  I chuckled because the young Chris never even considered that possibility.

Aristotle wrote about potentiality and actuality in his Metaphysics … but in the context of “energeia” which he meant to mean energy through motion. Still holds true – there is a reason why most of Western thought is based on Greek philosophy.

Broke in a new pair of kicks today – New Balance 870v4’s. I’ve had 4 pair of v3’s and think they’re the bees knees. It’s a lightweight stability shoe – just enough medial posting to give me a bump when my form starts to fall apart on long runs. Today I ditched the orthotics to see what would happen (nothing happened). I only ran 6 miles and felt a little bit more strain on the front of my shin. I’d like to ditch them completely, primarily because of the weight (they’re carbon fiber, but still a few grams that could be shed). My theory is that using an orthotic makes your feet weak by supporting your foot in an unnatural position (for me it’s lots of arch support). I’d like my feet to be stronger and use the natural shock absorption of my foot instead of a cushioned shoe. That’s my theory anyway. Lighter shoes will mean faster turnover and less effort on toe-off which means more speed.

I’ve been climbing in the evenings again – feels great! A quick bike ride to the gym and after some easy warm up laps, picking a project to work on – last night it was a 5.11 that got super-weird at the top, left pull slopers to a crimp then hips back to the right  – then I popped off. I love the feeling of climbing hard right through the point at which you get spit off. Good stuff.

Human energy.

I kept thinking to myself going into Yakima skyline that “this might be the one that breaks me.” And I realized when the moment came to “be broken” – I realized that I had a choice. For some reason I thought it was something that was going to “happen to me.” And maybe in some cases – you can degrade slowly over time and that results in being broken, but I think that’s the rare case.

I think more often what happens is that the question arises, “do you want to be broken?” And you can choose. Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right!

When trying to describe a long race – I always come back to the metaphor or being “cored out” from the inside. You start with fresh legs and a glycogen packed liver… and the miles and time slowly start to take layers of you from the inside – and when you’re done all that’s left is a shell – just a container. But wow it’s the most pure you that exists! One thing I’ve noticed is that the whites of my eyes are the most clear white after I’ve been cored.

Pure white.

About 12 miles in. Can’t stop to put the poles away. Crashed hard into the 15.5 mile turnaround.