Fri 5/31 - AM 1:50

McKenzie river trail. Another well-reviewed site that didn't disappoint. Out and back starting from Belknap Springs. After the time in Bend and the drier climate it was an eye-opening experience to be in the midst of such a lush environment vegetation-wise. Footing not always the greatest with some muddy spots and roots but the surroundings made up for it. Also not as much of an elevation gain as I was expecting, given that I went upstream to start. Most of the elevation gain comes further upstream than where I was. Went out for just under an hour and the return trip took just about as long. Got moving as much as I could the last 20 minutes, finished feeling fairly spent. Quite an experience overall. Worth stopping to take some pictures:

 watch out for Ewoks

 upstream from middle of a bridge

downstream from the same bridge

Thu 5/30 - double, 2 hrs. total

AM - 90 minutes on the Bend trails east of downtown. Not sure what the area's called but it was highly recommended by the locals. While I took a wrong turn that resulted in a shorter run than planned with more backtracking than I wanted, the trails didn't disappoint. Fat tire paradise with singletrack that's the definition of "flowy" for the most part. After finally getting something resembling a decent night's sleep with no rain overnight, feeling more energetic and the pace eventually got going at least somewhat. Some twinges in the right calf kept it from getting too fast though.

PM - 30 minutes, Pilot Butte. Had vague notions of doing something involving drills and strides but instead I decided to check out the local volcanic mound which was blocks away from where I was doing my laundry. Very compact stratocone, I wasn't sure if there were even trails on it when I started to head up the main road for cars. Noticed a path off to the side and took it. Then took an offshoot of that path which got me to the summit in barely over 10 minutes, most of it being crushingly steep. Took a more gradual, humane route back down after a leisurely break to take some pictures.

 view from the bottom

 and the top

 Mt. Jefferson

 Three Sisters

 Blue Mountains

 Newberry Volcano

Wed 5/29 - double, 85 minutes very easy

AM - 30 minutes very easy along the swiftly flowing Deschutes. Overnight it rained, of course, which made sleeping problematic. Took a while to get going as a result and the pace never more than a dawdle. Very scenic, wished I had brought the camera along. Thankfully the clouds were clearing and it ended up being a nice jog, with the best part being that I got in a much-needed stretching session afterward.

PM - 55 minutes very easy, Shevlin Park. Creek trail to the loop trail. Nice spot, mostly flat although there was some up and down on the loop trail section I covered. Realized within moments of starting that the poor night's sleep had left more of a mark than I originally thought, no energy level to speak of. Some of the residual soreness from Monday coming to roost as well in the adductors and hip flexors.

Tue 5/28 - AM 85 minutes very easy

Slow slow putter in Portland, starting and ending on the roads with a trip from Lower Macleay Park to Upper Macleay Park in between. Revisiting the forest after yesterday is I suppose the ultimate hair of the dog but the level of effort wasn't at all the same of course. Followed Wildwood to Holman Lane, passing within yards of the start/finish line of the race, then went up and up Holman to NW 53rd. More climbing than I'd expected. Got it all back heading back down to rejoin Wildwood off Cornell. Inevitable rain showers started about 30 minutes or so into the run and got stronger for the next 30 before tapering off. Took a few stops to read signs and whatnot, no real urgency to the morning. Couldn't have moved quickly if I wanted to, legs are tired and very flat from yesterday. The right calf, which behaved well enough yesterday that I didn't think to mention it in writing the angst-filled recap for yesterday's entry, acted up a bit near the end. Still quite tight of course, did it no favors by not stretching after the race yesterday. On the way back to the hostel I passed by streets named Quimby, Kearney, Lovejoy, and Flanders before it occurred to me that something was up.

Mon 5/27 - AM 1:40 incl. trail half marathon

Mud-fest in Forest Park. Never ever ever have I regretted my choice of shoes more. Toed the line in fucking road flats, being a complete idiot. Of course it was raining, for about the fifth day in a row in Portland, because it rains a great deal here. But the pictures I saw online showed dry trails so of course I figured that's what they'd be when I got there. Knew within a few minutes of the gun that it wasn't going to be pleasant, and this was before the twisty turny roller coaster nature of the course really exhibited itself. No chance of even running much less running fast on some of the descents. The main descent at the 6 mile mark was second only to Mt. Toby in terms of sheer terror and fear of breaking a bone. At Mt. Toby it was my ankles I was worried about while here it was my back, leg or skull. Despite the slippery footing climbing went reasonably well but the course was out and back so what went up eventually went back down. After the bulk of the climbing was done by 8 miles I knew I was a sitting duck and sure enough two guys passed me in the final half hour or so of the race. I'm reasonably convinced I would have been too far out of reach for at least one of them with the right shoes. In general, had the course been dry and/or I'd been wearing appropriate footwear the quality of the experience would have increased dramatically because the trails were indeed spectacular despite the curves and adverse camber. Despite the fact I work on balance and core strength somewhat regularly, fell five times. One of them a textbook pop-up slide into home plate that I executed perfectly barely losing any time but the others were far uglier. Predictably, mood turned to frustration then anger the final half hour. I wasn't even breathing hard at the finish line since I was unable to get moving on the descents. Sprinting on the very few short flat and straight stretches, then right back to tip-toeing my way around corners and down mud gullies. Live and learn.

A Beaten Man. Clock is off, by about 21 minutes or so. Blood flowing from the left knee. Shirt won't be white any more either, oops. 

Sun 5/26 - AM 65 minutes easy

Area 51. Last run before heading out west on vacation. I had originally wanted to run a little longer but thought better of it given the fact that I'm racing a half marathon in the woods tomorrow morning. Discretion, valor and all that. Mostly a relaxed putter on the trails, with an extended break at the visitor center looking at the various exhibits since I rarely pass by when it's open. Some stiffness in calf at the outset of the run but  ended up feeling better afterward, hopefully yesterday's abbreviated massage is having the desired effect. Gradually improving weather from yesterday, but quite windy of course.

Sat 5/25 - AM 80 minutes easy

Concord woods. Classic DOMS situation I suppose as the bill came due from the workout of two days ago. The relatively quick pace of yesterday's run may have played a role as well. Whatever the case, little energy or desire to force the effort today and as a result took it easy from the start. Overall miserable conditions with unusually low temps to go along with the incessant gloomy windy conditions. Missed the worst of the rain showers at least. Went in for a brief massage mostly on the calf afterward, necessary but should have gone for the full hour.