Bloomsday 2015

After two years of doing Bloomsday (2013 and 2014), it's become one of my favorite traditions, so I told Abe he had to do it at least once since he married into the family.

We flew up midday on Saturday; my parents picked us up and we went into downtown for an easy lunch at Olive Garden and then walked over to the convention center to pick up our bibs. (And ran into my cousin going to pick up his bib as we were leaving.) Abe, of course, wanted to check out new disc golf courses, so we dropped him off at and then did some shopping.

We met up with my cousin, aunt, and uncle for dinner at Laguna Cafe. It's a really cute eclectic place; I would definitely recommend making a reservation for a weekend - it's a fairly small venue, and though they had availability calling for a reservation just a few hours ahead, had we just shown up I suspect there would have been a wait. Not a ton of veg options, but what they did have was great! I had the black bean veggie burger and key lime pie. Everything was plated beautifully, and the owner was friendly (bordering on too-friendly, in my opinion - even the employees at a place I go for lunch once a week, where I don't even have to give my name when I call in my regular order to pick-up, aren't as chatty - but I suppose that's better than the opposite).

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, as we have the last two years. It's just across the river from Riverfront Park, about 3/4 of a mile from the race start and finish. There's a free breakfast, with a few hot items (scrambled eggs, and I think sausages or something), breads, yogurt, fruit, etc. (the bananas were going quickly that morning). 

We walked over to the start with plenty of time to spare, hopped in a porty potty line, then got in our corral. We were both in the same wave, even though Abe expected to (and did) finish significantly faster - but to move up from the green corral you have to have a previous Bloomsday time or submit proof of a time from another race showing a faster pace. It was really nice day, and we actually ditched our warm-up layers with my parents shortly after stepping foot out of the hotel. 

My goals for the race this year:
A: 11:19 pace (equivalent per McMillan based on half PR)
B: 11:48 pace (same pace as half PR)
C: <12:41 pace (Bloomsday/12k PR)

I was really only on track for the A goal for mile 1 (11:15). Miles 2 and 3 had some uphill, so slowed down (12:10, 11:50). Miles 4 and 5 kind of maintained there, even including Doomsday Hill (0.40 measured stretch of hill, per my Garmin from 4.77 to 5.14) (11:50, 11:47). From there it mostly evens out for 6 and 7, but it was starting to get pretty warm, so didn't pick it up a ton (11:43, 11:25). Then there's a final downhill to the finish line (10:33 pace or 0.59), where you go through a huge purple balloon arch onto a bridge. 

Just barely hit the B goal - matched exactly my half PR pace of 11:48! I'm really not unhappy with it! More importantly than the actual pace, minus walking literally just a few seconds at a time at water stops, I ran the entire thing - up Doomsday Hill and the two smaller preceding hills! For me, and especially for this race right after tax season, that's huge. 

Here's the elevation profile for the Hop Hop Half I did in April: total elevation gain of 253 feet; net elevation change of 61 feet.

And here's what it was for Bloomsday: total elevation gain of 361 feet; net elevation change of 156 feet. Doomsday hill is about 100 feet of elevation gain in 0.40 mile.

I picked the Hop Hop half specifically thinking I could PR with the help of a really flat course - there are tiny ups and downs throughout, but nothing big. Bloomsday is definitely not flat! There's the big hill (which doesn't look as relatively big on the above chart, but trust me it is!) that starts in mile 4, plus smaller hills before it.

I also always forget that Spokane is at a much higher altitude - I know 2,000 feet isn't ridiculously high, but I truly think it's enough to make a difference for me, though maybe for more experienced runners it wouldn't be noticeable, when I'm used to running at 200 - 500 feet above sea level. 

Instead of a finisher's medal, there's a finisher's shirt, and though the previous two I have are ok, I love this year's! I don't wear them much, guess they're just plain t-shirts, and I don't love the other designs, but this year's I think I will make sure to actually wear.

Bloomsday Training-ish Week 4

Workouts: 

Tuesday: Swim 1,100 yards

Thursday: Swim 1,400 yards + easy run 2.0 miles (12:51 pace)

First run after several days off to let that ankle twinge rest, and it seemed to have mostly done the trick!

Friday: Bike 4.0 miles (10.5 mph) + easy-ish run 2.5 miles (12:40 pace)

Sunday: Bloomsday 12k - 1:28:08 (11:48 pace), for a 6.5 minute PR!

My ankle held up perfectly fine through the race, but wasn't too happy later in the day. Not sure if this is something I need to be taking more seriously or not.

Total swimming: 2,500 yards
Total biking: 4.0 miles
Total running: 11.96 miles

You'd think that with working about half the hours that I was during tax season (30 - 35, versus 55 - 60), it'd be super easy to exercise in all the spare time. However, during tax season I go out of my way to not have any outside commitments that can be at all avoided; so though I might only have a couple hours from arriving home from work to going to bed, I can do anything I want in those two hours. 

Now, though, there are so many other things going on. Monday is now back to movie night with Abe ($1 Mondays at a second-run theater - last week we saw American Sniper, and this week The Imitation Game - both were really good (but I'm sure everyone else in the world has already seen them both)), so those are going to be rest days until I figure out how to stop hitting snooze and do something in the morning. And then this week we went to a dress rehearsal showing of Show Boat at the Portland Opera (really good!) on Wednesday evening, so that also eliminated my spare time for the day (and again, hit snooze in the morning), and didn't do the run I was planning to do.

Bloomsday Training-ish Week 3

Workouts: 

Monday: Rest day

Tuesday: Easy run 3.05 miles (13:00 pace)

Wednesday: Interval run 4.5 miles (11:58 avg pace)

Goal: 0.5 warm-up, 4 x 0.5 @ 10:00, 5:00 recoveries, 0.5 cool-down 
Actual: 
Warm-up 0.5: 13:10
4 x 0.5: 9:52, 9:53, 9:57, 9:52
4 x 5:00: 0.39 (12:58), 0.36 (13:56), 0.35 (14:12), 0.34 (14:49)
Cool-down 0.55: 13:15

Thursday: Swim 1,000 yards

Friday: Progression run 3.0 miles (10:51 avg pace) + plank 0:45

Goal: 11:30, 11:00, 10:30
Actual: 11:21, 10:51, 10:20

Saturday: Bike trainer 6.9 miles (13.8 mph, 57 rpm) + 4.5 mile hike as part of the 4T loop.

Sunday: Swim 1,300 yards

Total swimming: 2,300 yards
Total biking: 6.9 miles
Total running: 10.55 miles

I was planning to do another long (6 - 7 miles) run this weekend (one week out from the 12k), but my left knee and my right ankle have been bothering me, so I decided to hope that my fitness from training for the April half will hold out, and play it safe. The ankle issue feels the same as a twinge I've had in my left ankle off and on since I started running - but the left has been without for a year or so now; it transferred to the right several months ago, and then has felt more severe in the past couple weeks. I'm pretty sure it's just a tight tendon or something, it's worst right after running but actually feels ok during a run (after warming up). But with many race goals for this summer, probably shouldn't risk the possibility of a real injury. Hopefully a few days off will be all it needs. I don't now what the deal is with my knee, but I think it's just because I'm 30 and thus old. 

Went to the pool instead, and enjoying getting back into that! I haven't timed myself yet this spring, so not sure how slow I am compared to last year; it doesn't feel too much slower though.

Bloomsday Training-ish Week 2 & NROLFW Phase 2 Week 3b

Workouts: 

Monday: Bike trainer 3.8 miles (15.1 mph) + NROLFW phase 2 workout B

Tuesday: Easy run 3.0 miles (13:00 pace)

Wednesday: Tax day!

Thursday: Tempo run 2.55 miles (11:24 pace)

Goal: 3 miles around 11:15
Actual: 
1 - 10:42 (mostly downhill)
2 - 11:11 (partly uphill)
2.55 - 12:35 (big uphill and totally spent)

Friday through Sunday morning was spent in Bellevue, a post-busy-season celebration girls weekend with my mom. We did a lot of walking around, plus a couple short workouts in the fitness center Friday and Saturday nights. The hotel actually had a 25-meter lap pool! 

Friday: Swim 600 meters

Saturday: Treadmill mini interval workout 1.75 miles (11:45 pace) - 3 x 0.25 @ 10:00, 0.25 warm-up/recoveries/cool-down at 12:45 - 13:00

Sunday: Long run 6.05 miles (12:46 pace)

Total swimming: 600 meters
Total biking: 3.8 miles
Total running: 13.35 miles

Bloomsday Training-ish Week 1

Workouts: 

Monday: Easy run 1.2 miles (13:36 pace) - Needed a run for sanity after a very long day, but my legs weren't up for much.

Tuesday: Easy run 2.6 miles (12:47 pace) - Feeling pretty much back to normal now.

Wednesday: Easy run 1.5 miles (13:11 pace)

Friday: Mini tempo run 1.15 miles (9:51 pace)

Sunday: Long run 6.5 miles (13:07 pace)

Total running: 12.95 miles

Well, I don't want to speak too soon, but I think I'll survive tax season! Went over 70 hours this week, so the running I got in was mostly just 20-minute jaunts to run off the excess adrenaline and caffeine at the end of long days.

Next race on the agenda is Bloomsday, a 12k race in Spokane. (2014 and 2013 recaps.) Since it's less than a month after tax season, I'm usually coming off a time of running 8 miles in a week, rather than 8 mile long runs, so it's far from a speedy race for me. This tax season, of course, I trained for and ran a half marathon PR, so I'd better freaking be able to PR at Bloomsday this year - my best Bloomsday pace is almost a minute slower mile than the half I just did!

Based on my recent half PR, McMillan says I should be capable of a 12k (7.46 miles) at 11:19 pace; based on my recent 5k PR, at a 10:32 pace. Those wouldn't take into account the difficulty of the course, of course - this race has a segment called "Doomsday hill". Based on what I know of the race, my history with it, and perhaps overly optimistically about my current fitness, I think an 11:00 - 11:30 pace might be feasible. Perhaps go out at 11:00 - 11:15, and hope that retains enough to make it up the hill slowly down to only a 12:00 or so, and still average out under 11:30. 

Bloomsday 2014

Traditional finisher's shirt pose.

A couple weeks ago I ran Bloomsday, a 12k race in Spokane, WA. My dad grew up there, so it's kind of a family thing to participate, but I did it for the first time last year.

It's not the best timing for me, coming so soon after tax season. I knew going into this that I had way less fitness than at this time last year, so I had no expectation of beating my previous time. And I didn't. At least I cut 11 seconds off my time up Doomsday Hill? 

It was still a fun weekend though! The weather was a bit cooler than last year, and threatening rain, but it fortunately held off until after the race.

I started that Saturday morning with a yoga class at The Bhaktishop, since Jasmine was in town guest teaching. I had a couple hours to come home and pack, and then flew to Spokane, and my mom drove up to meet me there.

I'm not usually into staying at race expos any longer than necessary to pick up my bib - they're just really crowded, and there's nothing for sale that I can't find in a store back home. But this time, I was actually looking for something that I hadn't seen in the running stores I frequent - Altra running shoes. 

Altra running shoes are zero-drop (that is, the heel isn't raised), just like the Vivo shoes I typically run in, but unlike the thin soles (so you can feel the terrain you're running on) of most minimalist shoes, Altras have cushioning. They also have a wide toe-box - this is a feature, to some degree or another, of all minimalist shoes (so you toes can spread out like they're naturally supposed to), but I think the Altra's is the widest I've come across.

I wore them for a short run after I got them, just to make sure nothing significant rubbed the wrong way, and then tried them out for my long(ish) run last weekend of 6 miles. After being used to my more minimalist shoes, they feel like running on marshmallows! I'm still going to use thinner soled shoes for most runs, but stick with these for longer runs, especially anything in the double digits.

The race was ok, but I'm hoping to increase my mileage more this summer, maintain a better fitness base through tax season, and do better next year. For such a huge race, it's so well run, very organized (though somehow, inputting the same overly-optimistic finish time that I did last year, I was was moved up a wave this year), and I look forward to continuing it each year. I think my mom is finally convinced to train to walk it next year, too. :) 

My First Bloomsday

I'd already handed off a jacket to my mom,
and it was warm enough that I took off the
armwarmers before going to line up, too.

Bloomsday is a huge event in Spokane, WA - about 50,000 participants! My dad is from Spokane, and I grew up about two hours south of it, so it was one of the first races I'd ever heard of (long before I imagined I'd ever run it myself). My dad ran it several times (before exchanging running for biking, for his knees' sake) and my aunt and uncle even met at Bloomsday about 30 years ago. Since I know I'm currently capable of running the 12k distance, I decided to do it this year to make sure I experienced it at least once. I flew over Saturday morning, and my mom and a family friend drove up to spectate.

In my brief running career, I started with big-ish 5k races in downtown Portland (20,000 - 30,000 people), and quickly learned that my preference is for smaller (500 - 5,000 people) races in the outskirts of the metro area - avoiding the crowds and parking hassles. Thus I was pleasantly surprised by how well-organized Bloomsday was. (It helped that we stayed at a motel about 2/3 of a mile from the start/finish line, so we didn't have to deal with traffic before the race.) You provide an estimate of your finish time when registering, to be placed in one of several color-coded starting waves, which are each given a specific block for lining up, and start times spread over about an hour. Even though the crowd never really thins out, at least if you're slowed down, it's by people that are still within a reasonable range of your desired pace.

Source

I registered with my goal of 1:30 (12:04 pace) and started in the orange group. We were scheduled to start sometime between 9:15 to 9:45 (the very start of the race was 9:00), and actually crossed the start line about 9:35.

Apparently tossing warmup/throwaway clothes into the trees is a tradition.

My overall place of 16,676 is out of 47,165 finishers (top 36% - I'm usually in the bottom 36%! This event attracts a lot of walkers.). 

Doomsday is a hill that starts at about mile 4.5 - I've read in multiple places that it's about 3/4 of a mile long, but the distance being measured in the results (I remember crossing a timing mat near the bottom of the hill, but I don't recall where it was at the top) has to be shorter - I had a few spurts of running but walked up most of it, so given the time of 6:10 it must be less than half a mile being measured.

You have to finish to get the shirt.

Mile splits:
1: 12:20 (I wanted to go a touch faster, but it was too crowded.)
2: 11:36 
3: 12:37 (First, smaller hill.)
4: 12:15
5: 13:00 (Doomsday Hill)
6: 13:12 (Just tired by this point.)
7: 13:09
7.46: 11:51 pace (6:30 time for 0.55 mile per my garmin.)







I think next year I'll make Bloomsday my goal spring race (I need something planned for not too long after April 15, to keep me motivated to run during tax season), and try to break 1:30 total time and under 6 minutes for Doomsday Hill.