May 31

AM: 7 miles moderate

PM: 7 miles easy

I headed into the hills again in the morning, looking for a trail I'd seen in the area on a map. What I found was a brutal mile-long hill climbing the Claremont Canyon trail. I felt at some points like I was scaling a ski slope, a vertical wall at others (see the photo above), and I fought hard to keep a running rather than hiking stride. To my good fortune, the trail hooked up with the Berkeley fire trail on the other side of the ridge, so I was able to cruise down that and make my way home pretty easily.

A side also greeted me on the way up with warnings of mountain lions and rattlesnakes in the area. Good times. Foxes and turkeys are cool; cougars and venomous snakes not so much. (Insert cougar joke here)

I made my first Giants game during the afternoon. I shook off a beer and a BLT well enough to head out again and do some more exploring. Near the trailhead where my morning's adventure took place, I found an old school dirt track that's open to the public (I have yet to figure out whether that's the case at the Cal track).

May 30 (84 miles/week)

AM: 11 miles easy

Easy out-and-back along the Ohlone Greenway trail, which I will happily note is flat. I desperately needed to find some flat places to run if I'm ever going to recover once I put workouts seriously back into my schedule, as I plan to do this week. I spent the rest of the day hiking around San Francisco with my sister and brother in-law.

It wasn't a bad week of running given that it included two very light days. All I have to do is turn both of those days into longer easy runs and lengthen the long run, and it's not going to be too tough to get my mileage back over 100/week...but that's not where I plan to stop this summer.

May 29

AM: 17+ miles moderate

I again ran to Berkeley and found my way to the Fire Trail. There's one particularly brutal 200m connector trail that may be a 30% grade less than a mile into the unpaved section that makes this run particularly interesting.

I finally made it to the end before entering and exploring a little bit of Tilden Park, which has far more trails than I could cover in one run (miles and miles of trails like the photo above). I have a feeling that this is going to be my go-to long run this summer in CA. I ran for 2:06, but conservatively calling this 17.

May 28

AM: 5 miles easy

Easy morning run through Berkeley and campus. The last couple of days have rocked my legs.

May 27

AM: 7 miles easy

PM: 11 miles easy, hills

I took the morning run very easy, stopping at points to take photos of my new digs for the next two months. At one point, I found myself chasing two wild turkeys on the hills above campus. One of them was evidently trying to find some action because he was making a ton of noise and calls.

After work, I again ventured up the Fire Trail. It keeps going and going and going. According to MapMyRun, I gained at least 1,000 feet. I also spotted a Red Fox, who quickly sprinted ahead of me on the trail, right at sunset. After 45 minutes out, I had to turn around and found a short cut home through the European-style homes and streets that hug the hillsides in Oakland/Berkeley. Robert Tepper had it wrong: sometimes there is an easy way out and a short cut home.

The gauntlet has been thrown down for building a summer base. With temperatures never really getting warmer than the 70s or cooler than the high 40s, the massive hills, and enough trails that I could run a different one every day, I have a feeling that I'm going to get pretty strong living out here.

May 26

AM: 6 miles easy

PM: 10 miles easy, hills

I took a quick tour of Berkeley (both the town and the school) before heading into the city for work. After work, I found my way to the Fire Trail: a long, meandering path up the Berkeley hills. It included some pretty daunting climbs through and above Strawberry Canyon.

May 25

AM: 5 miles easy

Easy shake-out run before flying to San Francisco.

May 24

AM: 5+ miles easy

PM: 7 miles progression run

I met Liam in the morning for a shake-out run, saying goodbye to North Carolina for two months. This was the first run we'd had in while. The poor fellow has been snakebitten with injury...literally. He had an unfortunate non-running encounter with a rattlesnake three weeks ago that sent him to the hospital for four days and is just getting back into it. It was good to get in one run before I left town for the summer.

After the six-hour drive to Atlanta, I got in a moderate workout, gradually pouring on the intensity through the muggy evening air.

I'm San Francisco-bound tomorrow morning, where I'll be until July 30 and living in Berkeley. Lots of new experiences and adventure await...

May 23 (92 miles/week)

AM: 10 miles easy/moderate

After driving back to Durham, I ran around West Campus and the WaDuke trail but got caught in an intense storm and took a 5 minute break under cover to let it pass. I can't think of the last time I had to wait out a storm, but lightning and golf courses don't mix well, and I have to run through the Duke course (where the trail is) on the way home.

The next week is going to involve a lot of travel and getting my bearings out in California, but I'm happy with the way this week went.

May 22

AM: 6 miles easy

I ran easy with Valerie around Lake Elkhorn in Columbia from Samy's place before heading to Anna and Mark's wedding.

May 21

AM: 17 miles easy/moderate

I left Valerie's place in Del Ray and hooked up with the Mount Vernon trail, which I took all the way to the Key Bridge. From there, I went down the waterfront and around Hains Point, where I stopped for water. I came back over the 14th Street Bridge before heading home. "Bike to Work Day" left a lot if bikers to negotiate.

I have a wedding this weekend and travel, thus I had to knock out my long run early. It was a little warm but a solid effort. It wasn't that fast, but my long runs don't need to be at this point with 20+ weeks left until Chicago.

May 20

AM: 12 miles w/ 3-mile pick-up

PM: 5 miles easy

I made it to the canal in the morning. Despite a pit stop around 5 miles in, I put in a 3-mile surge hitting 5:42, 5:21, and 5:30. Given that the mile markers on the canal are notoriously inaccurate, I'll split the difference and call it ~5:30 pace. That proved to be plenty with the temperature steadily rising.

In the evening, Valerie and I met Samy in College Park for an old-school Lake Artemesia run from the track.

May 19

AM: 8 miles easy

PM: 8 miles easy

I took off from Del Ray in the morning, heading to Alexandria down King Street before coming back on the Mount Vernon trail. It ended up being a little longer than I anticipated.

In the evening, I met Dylan and PMurphy in Arlington for a mall run, dodging tourists and ducks. It was great to catch up however.

May 18

AM: 9 x 3:00 on/1:00 off, 11 miles

PM: 20 miles easy bike

I got in a respectable effort on the WaDuke trail, trying my best to hammer the hills. I extended #8 to 4:00 minutes so I would add in the steep hill just before mile 1.5 on the trail.

Later that day, Valerie and I went out for a relaxed ride before driving to DC.

May 17

AM: 10 miles easy

PM: 5 miles easy

My drenched morning run through the WaDuke trail and West Campus was through a heavy downpour, and I didn't see another soul out there. The storms didn't let up and likewise left Valerie and me soaked after our evening run. That's a lot of rain, man.

May 16 (73 miles/week)

AM: 16 miles easy/moderate

Another steamy morning in North Carolina. Valerie rode with me on the bike for an out-and-back along the ATT from East Campus. I felt good but it was awfully warm, so 6:15s were about as fast as I got going.

May 15

AM: 11 miles easy

Very relaxed run in Umstead with Joe and some guys from Carolina Godiva and Bull City Running. We got out early enough that we beat a lot of the heat and hit both the dirt roads and hiking trails.

May 14

AM: 12 miles easy plus 5 x short hill sprints

Soaked to the bone in sweat after this run. Ran to East Campus from my place and back.

May 13

AM: 3 x 6:30 on/:90 off, 10 miles

PM: 5 miles easy

Joe Lust and I ran a fartlek on the WaDuke trail in the morning. After taking a couple of weeks away from hard running, 3 reps proves to be plenty in the North Carolina mugginess and the trail's hills.

May 12

PM: 50+ miles bike

I didn't run today, but I got in what (I think) is my longest ride ever with Will with one stop to refuel halfway through.

May 11

AM: 6 miles easy

Fighting a stomach bug, so I kept it short and very easy today before driving back to Durham.

May 10

AM: 13+ miles easy

I took off in the late morning, looping in the neighborhood behind Westminster, before slogging down West Paces Ferry past the governor's mansion, and then back down Habersham to Peachtree Battle and Memorial Park. Good lord does this city have its hills.

May 9 (57 miles/week)

DNR

A rest day to cap off my recovery week. I did mother's day stuff in the morning, and then went fishing in the evening on the Chattahoochee with some friends.

Base building begins in earnest next week, though it won't be totally there until I travel to the west coast. I found out yesterday that I'll be interning in San Francisco for all of June and July...woot!

May 8

AM: 12 miles easy

Ran a loop around Westminster, coming around Memorial Park both ways.

May 7

AM: 9 miles easy

Still in Atlanta.

May 6

AM: 10 miles moderate/hard

I cranked a run through Atlanta's thick morning air before a round of golf. My golf can be as up-and-down as my running is: I shot a 53 on the front, and then a 40 on the back.

May 5

AM: 12 miles easy

I ran through Peachtree Battle and Buckhead, coming back down Habersham. I passed approximately $1 billion dollars in residential real estate. For this particular run from my mom's house, I always feel like I'm passing through a page of Man in Full. Her houses is in sort of a unique area. If I run 1 mile in one direction, I'm passing not homes but mansions. If I run a mile in another direction, I'm passing pawn shops. Go figure.

May 4

PM: 6 miles easy

I met up for a run with Fellows to catch up for a little bit, taking it through Piedmont Park and Virginia Highlands. As expected, I was ridiculously sore today from the gym yesterday. It hurt to sit down! Bummer.

Word-up to my barrel-chested runners.

May 3

AM: 8 miles easy, gym

Rain and flooding around Memorial Park meant I had to make up a new loop this morning. I contemplated sucking it up and running through the flooded street, seeing cars drive slowly through. Then, I wafted fresh sewage and glanced at some fresh leg wounds earned from a tumble on my long run yesterday, and I realized that course of action might be a recipe for hepatitis.

Immediately afterward, I went to the gym with my mom, where she does a Cross-Fit style of workout with a trainer. I made it through fine, but I'm going to hurt like hell tomorrow.

May 2 (86 miles/week)

AM: 14 miles easy

The heat and humidity continue. Rough weather from Atlanta to Pennsylvania made this weekend a tough one for racing. My long run today was more of a death march in the heat. I'm looking forward to migrating to cooler climates for the summer!

May 1

AM: 5k race, 9 miles

I jumped into a 5k road race in Atlanta this morning for a fitness check, and I more or less had my butt handed to me. I went out in 9:54 and then embarrassingly imploded in the last mile.

The heat and humidity of summer are creeping up, thus I'm making the executive decision to pull the plug on racing for a little while. The racing spark just isn't there right now. I'm also wondering if I'm not getting too old to race road 5ks anymore. I don't really enjoy the distance anymore unless it's on the track.

It's been a rocky few months. I'm looking forward to taking a few recovery weeks to rest before putting in a big base this summer.