2018 SHAMROCK RUN 15K RACE REPORT

Lining up, taken through Ziploc bag. This wasn't actually our start line, we had to walk forward and do a 180... ours is the
one you see in the distance to the left of us, so we started by running toward the camera here.

There is nothing like the home bed/timezone/climate advantage. What a stark difference from the Miami Half Marathon this race ended up being! This was one of those rare races where everything fell into place, felt easier than it should have been, and blew my expectations out of the water. With Daylight Saving Time now in full effect and better weather hopefully on the way, I'm feeling much better about this whole running thing now.

Thankfully the 15k didn't start until 8:55am this year, so I didn't have to wake up too early. I got a decent amount of sleep, probably seven hours, and then headed downtown at 8:00am. I was thinking about taking the MAX like usual, however, now that they've rearranged the courses to only use Naito downtown, it really opened up a ton of parking garages. No more getting stuck for hours like what happened to Katie and I back in 2016! So downtown it was, parking at a garage about eight blocks away from the start line and getting there with plenty of time to spare. Easy peasy!

Sporting my now traditional Shamrock outfit.

I felt really calm before this race. Time wise I know I am slower than I used to be, so I don't feel a huge pressure there, and distance wise I knew I could handle the 9.32 miles. Hell, I wasn't even too worried about the hills. I've done them before and I could do them again. The only thing I was slightly worried about what the amount of coffee I had before the run... probably a good pint or so. Was I in for pee city? The last time I drank so much coffee before a race was the Half Boring Half, and I smashed my expectations there but I had to pee a lot. So I was just hoping my bladder would hold out (it did).

Getting in the chute was much easier than previous years. I had no problem finding a gap in the fencing and everyone in there seemed to be more spread out so it was easy to move to the appropriate pacing. I worked my way forward until I was behind the 9-10 minute sign, which might have been a little slow, but I didn't want to get roped into running faster than I should have. The weather this year was great... sun breaks, little wind, and mid-40s. Perfect racing weather really. I decided to ditch my gloves and beanie in the car and was glad I did, as I was perfectly comfortable without them.

UPHILL ADVENTURES (8:20, 8:43, 8:39, 9:30)

Just moments after starting!

As I detailed in the preview, the Shamrock 15k course is now run backwards in regards to its historical direction. So instead of flying to the finish on the gentle, constant downhill of Barbur, you start by running up it. I tried not to look at my watch and just went by feel. I'm a grizzled vet by now, so I know what a 15k pace should feel like. I was surprised as all get out when my first mile came in at 8:20. I ended up having to weave around some people too based on my starting position, so overall I was feeling good and doing well.

However, I knew it was a long race so I just kept going by feel and only occasionally looked at my watch. The beginning part of that first mile was flat and the race adrenaline was pumping so I had to make sure I didn't go crazy. What I didn't anticipate was how good those uphills were going to feel. I was worried about doing them under 10:00/mile, and it turns out that was no issue. They are gentle uphills for the first three miles, so if you have any sort of hill shape and adjust your pace accordingly, you can zip up them pretty easily. Honestly, they didn't feel that hard. I've done Bald Peak and Zena enough times to know these hills are in the minor leagues.

So when 8:43 and 8:39 miles beeped on my watch, I was pretty excited. If I was able to do the uphills at a pace faster than my overall goal pace it meant I had a chance to really smash my expectations. However, I knew there would be a sharp uphill at some point because I remember running down it in previous years. And sure enough, there it was, looming before us. I knew it would be short though and it was the finale of the uphill, so get up it and you're pretty much done.

That 9:30 mile included a good amount of time at 10:45 huffing and puffing up a steep incline. My body was screaming to walk but I was still easily passing all the people walking. I'll walk if a brisk walk isn't much faster than a jog, which definitely happens on some uphills and can actually be smart in terms of saving yourself for later in the race. However, I just kept my even energy output, chugged up, and got it over with. My hill training really came in handy, because not only was I able to scale it without too much issue, I was also able to recover pretty quickly and move on with the race.

DOWNHILL(ISH) TO THE FINISH (7:53, 7:56, 8:02, 8:08, 7:43)

Chugga chugga choo choo!

Finally, my reward... downhill miles! The bagpipers were at the top at the Chart House again, so that was a welcome auditory signal that the elevation had been conquered. The downhill direction on Terwillager isn't quite as good with this course arrangement, as it's a little steeper and has breaks of flat and even slightly uphill. My main concern was that my legs would be trashed from the uphill, but I was pleasantly surprised at how they reacted to the downhill. I felt strong! I was hoping to hit these under 8:00/mile and that's exactly what I did. My breathing was comfortable and all told I really felt good.

There were two miles of pretty much nothing but downhill and those clocked in at 7:53 and 7:56. The 8:02 mile include about a half mile of downhill, a flat portion, and a quarter mile of uphill. At the Duniway track they now route you back onto Barbur for a long out and back to get the mileage in. About halfway into this out and back you hook into Barbur where you came from downtown, so you're retracing your steps a little. At one point there were three lanes of traffic, halfers heading up, 15kers headed up again, and 15kers going down to the finish. It was pretty creative of them! When the 15k finally turned downtown toward the finish you were in the middle of the three lanes smugly looking at all the idiots running uphill on either side of you.

Not quite as excited as the other guy.

Luckily, on this smaller uphill portion, I still felt spunky and was able to resume my same uphill pace as before. The 8:08 mile ended up being about half up and half down. Once the out and back was over, it was all downhill on Barbur to Naito for that classic Shamrock finish. I started to fly (at least for me now). 7:43 mile nine (included beer "aid station" stop) and 7:21 pace for that final third of a mile. By this time I had assumed I'd get a sub 1:20 but I never paged over on my watch to see my overall pace or time. I wanted it to be a surprise. Rolling into the finish, I finally switched over and was blown away with what I saw. 1:16 and sub 8:20? No way!

FINISH LINE AND AFTER PARTY

I felt great at the finish line. Exhausted, yes, but my body and legs felt good. Worn, but good. My energy level between this and Miami was like night and day. The first thing I wanted to get, after my medal, was a water. The only fluids I had on the run was that 3oz cup of beer a mile from the finish line (a YOLO last second decision which I don't regret). There were plenty of aid stations, but honestly, when it is the mid-40s out, you don't need fluids for a 15k. Hell, even a half you're probably fine. However, once I found the water I sucked a bottle down because I was definitely thirsty.

Another Shamrock 15k complete!

I then wandered toward the beer garden, at least, wandered toward where I thought the beer garden should be. I was a little confused at the lack of people and it wasn't until I hit the Saturday Market that I realized I went the wrong way. So another eight blocks or so to retrace my steps and I finally found it. Bastards put it on the other side of the festival this year. Anyways, no Brandon this year, so I was able to partake in the post-game festivities. I couldn't enjoy it too much though, as I did promise Brandon I'd go to his soccer game and I had to leave pretty quickly in order to make the kickoff. So I drank my beer, ate my soup from Bob's Red Mill (delicious!) and then headed off.

Getting out of the parking garage was a breeze. Definitely an upgrade over the MAX. Same price, $5, and way quicker and more convenient. As long as they keep these same routes, I think that will be the plan in the future. Overall, I felt great. I absolutely shattered my expectations and ran faster than I thought possible. While it was technically a PW, it wasn't too far off from not being a PW. Certainly gave me a bump of confidence after struggling through the winter feeling like I hadn't made much progress!

Official Results: 1:16:44, 8:13/mile. 582/3516 overall, 450/1626 male, 93/257 M30-34.

2018 SHAMROCK RUN 15K RACE PREVIEW

New route as of last year.

Well, this Sunday the Shamrock Run is upon me once more. I've ran this race ever year since I started running, dating back to 2012. So this will be my SEVENTH year running this thing. Crazy to think about; it doesn't feel like it's been that long since I started running. It will also be my fifth time running the 15k. I will never run the half marathon, I detailed why in this blog post, so barring injury or feeling the need to mix things up, I hope to be in the 15k yearly for many years to come.

Last year I had just been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and was only two weeks into treatment. I ran the 8k with Brandon and was actually able to finish it at 10:20/mile without stopping. It was a pretty good accomplishment at the time! This year, however, it is back to the 15k and a chance to set my PW. How bad will it get? We'll just have to wait and see! I'll be able to finish it, no problem. Obviously I did the Miami Half not too long ago and I've been keeping up the weekday and weekend runs. This last weekend I did 10 miles at 9:15/mile pace and felt pretty strong.

Some things have changed since the last time I ran the Shamrock Run 15k. They are still doing the modified courses they instituted last year due to the police staffing shortage. I really liked the previous route, not only did it mostly stick to the course of the historical Cascade Run Off, it broke the run into easy thirds. The first three miles were flat, the middle three were uphill, and the final three were downhill. With the changed course, you are basically running in the opposite direction. Instead of going up Terwillager and down Barbur, you run up Barbur and go down Terwillager. However, the course doesn't quite break down into easy thirds like before. The first three are uphill, the next three are generally downhill, and the final three are generally flat,but there is some variation in those final six.

I don't feel like I've gotten much faster since last fall. Honestly, I can't complain about it that much, I am not doing any targeted speedwork on purpose. I'm just trying to get my mileage up and see if I am able to build to a marathon again. If I can, then maybe next year I can think about getting faster. However, the meantime, I am kind of stuck where I am. So I have to set my expectations accordingly. I think the Holiday Half was my current "peak" of fitness, I don't believe I am any faster, so I can kind of set my "A" goals by extrapolating from that.

This race is shorter than the Holiday Half by four miles but is also much hillier. The first three miles uphill are going to be killer. Which is kind of why I am thinking a pace right around the Holiday Half pace is a good target to go for. I am hoping I can do the uphill around 10:00/mile for those three miles. If I can do that, then the rest of the race I need to average 8:20/mile to get my overall pace at 8:50/mile, which is around the Holiday Half pace. Hopefully I can go below 8:00 on the downhill parts and then manage 8:40 or so on the flat stuff. We'll see.

Anyways, I'm just going to try my best and whatever it ends up being, I'll be happy with that. Still just glad I am out there running pain free.

GOALS:

"A" GOAL: 1:22:48 or quicker. This is 8:53/mile, which is my Holiday Half pace. Everything seemed to go right that day, so if I am able to match that pace on this hilly course, then I will consider it a victory.

"B" GOAL: Under 1:25. This is 9:07/mile or quicker. I really think I should be able to at least get this time. I just ran 10 miles at 9:15 pace for training. I should be able to get 9:07 in a race, even if it is kind of hilly. Assuming my legs feel decent, this should be an achievable result.

"C" GOAL: Under 1:30. 9:39/mile or quicker. I can only see this coming into play if I absolutely kill myself on the hills and then bonk out. I want something starting with a 1:2X. Anything less is a failure.

CAN I WIN THE LOTTERY TOMORROW?

My final Portland Marathon finish in 2015.

SPOILER: I didn't win. Next try, MCM on March 21st.

Tomorrow I find out if I won an entry into the New York City Marathon. I have no expectation of actually getting in as the odds are less than 20% (16.5% last year) and pretty much nobody gets in their first time, but hey, I'm giving it a shot! Assuming that doesn't go through, my next attempt will be to sign up for the Marine Corp Marathon. That is also a lottery system, however, the odds there are much higher (85% in 2016 according to this article).

Should I be unable to get into the MCM then I'll probably settle on something local. Maybe the Seattle Marathon? I'd have to wait until the Oregon State football schedule is released though, as it is the Sunday of the Civil War football game and the Beavers are at home. Actually, that pretty much rules it out to be honest! Maybe the Columbia Gorge Marathon? I've avoided that one due to the proximity date-wise to the Portland Marathon and the hills, but I'm going to be slow anyway and won't be trying for speed, so maybe I should just go for it. We'll see. First things first... New York and the MCM.

Speaking of the Portland Marathon, it looks like the shitshow will continue one more year. I wasn't aware they were seriously considering replacing it for 2018, but this article goes into the drama of what is going on. Sounds like this year will be Les' last hurrah. I'm sure it will be even more poorly attended than last year. It's a shame it was mismanaged and rat-fucked into the ground. I really liked it the three years I ran it. It wasn't perfect, but it was a good race. However, it looks like some shady shit was going on behind the scenes so it's death is actually welcome.

Hopefully in 2019 they will go through with a new event. Sounds like the city wants to work with someone new and put on a great event. Maybe even get a really good course that shows the city off better. I'm sure city officials recognize the impact a good marathon can have on tourism, so let's hope some other group can deliver that for the city. Assuming I am still mobile and want to run a marathon next year, I would LOVE to sign up for the inaugural 2019 event by the new organizers.

As for the running, I'm plugging along. Hate the cold weather. Can't wait for spring. Motivating yourself to run when it is dark and 42 out versus light and 60 is a completely different ballgame! The Shamrock Run 15k is coming up soon... that'll be my next race. Legs still feel pretty decent. Not 100% like at the peak of methotrexate, but more than good enough to stay in half marathon-ish shape.

FEBRUARY UPDATE

Last 6 weeks of training (Miami was 1/28)

Oh, hi there! Still running at least three times a week and going to try to hit four more often. I'll need to be running four if I really want to give a marathon this fall my best shot. Better to get in the habit of that now while mileage is still low. However, listening to my body is still top priority. I was able to run four a days last week. I am attempting to do that again this week, but had to rearrange my plans tonight. I was going to run with Sunstone but I was feeling run down and sore. I'm going to try to run tomorrow instead and then still do a long run on the weekend. If I still don't feel great tomorrow I'll scrap it and do just the long run since I already have two weekday runs in.

I'm still struggling with knowing when to push myself and when to lay off the gas. Back when I was really running hard and doing well I would run on sore legs all the time. After a few miles, most the time, you'd warm up and be able to run through it just fine. However, when the psoriatic arthritis started hitting, one of the symptoms I got, along with the knee inflammation, was really bad muscle soreness. It felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to my legs at times. So I'm worried to run on sore legs now, afraid it's going to result in some sort of flare and sideline me for a while.

However, I think I need to test it out sooner rather than later. If I'm really going to run a marathon this fall and a four day week has me sidelined... then I have major issues. So I think I just need to go for it and see what happens! The four days last week was no issue! So it could be as simple as my conditioning and still trying to build that mileage. Improvement does not come without discomfort in running, so I'll try to balance that with the need to be diligent about my knees.

Otherwise, I'm still running along and have felt pretty good all told. Looking forward to daylight saving time here in a few weeks, that will put the weekday runs in daylight again, which should be a plus in the motivation department. Hard to be motivated to run in the dark sometimes, but I've bitched about that enough.

2018 MIAMI HALF MARATHON RACE REPORT

Oh hai there! Do I look tired? I have no idea why! It's only 5:30am Eastern Time. Jolly ho, onward with this jaunt!

First of all, fair readers, I have to apologize for my lack of posting. I was going to do a preview for this race but didn't get around to it. Not sure I'd have much to say anyways, I was hesitant to set any goals since traveling to Florida is always a wild card. Between weather, sleep, digestive uncertainty, and now arthritis, it's hard to really gauge anything.

I will say I was trying to shoot for under two hours. I did a 1:56 at the Holiday Half but I didn't necessarily feel any faster. If anything I felt slower... I had a lot of mojo going into that race and then the time between that and Miami was a slog to stay motivated. However, I felt like I was about in the same shape, so maybe I could do something similar. As you'll see, that was a pipe dream!

Anyways, I had another ungodly early fight requiring a 4:30am wakeup. Twelve hours later, I was in Miami! Did some fun stuff in my free time there... went golfing, laid on the beach and got some sun, ate delicious food without giving a shit, etc. I tried to adjust to east coast time but failed miserably this year, leading to a lot of tossing and turning and only 2.5 hours of sleep before the race.

PRE-RACE PONDERING

Spoiler... I finished and looked terrible.

We woke up around 4:00am and were out the door by 4:30. Painful wake up, but I've done it before, so I know I can fight through it. We found a neat parking lot last year that was mere blocks away from the start line that we hit again this year. Pretty slick. We were at the start line by 5:10. After walking around to get some photos we split into our separate corrals and waited for the start of the race. I was in corral "E" this year, placed with other people looking to run around a 2:00 half marathon.

The weather this year was going to be the main hurdle. I watched over the week as the temperature kept creeping upward. All told it was 75 degrees with 90 humidity at the start of the race. Not good! Now, there was no direct sun, it was overcast, so that helped. There was also a pretty stiff breeze, another positive in the cooling department. It wasn't as bad as the death march my first year, but it wasn't ideal. While the weather had been unseasonably cool the last three times I was here, that wouldn't be the case this time around.

MILES 1-4: CAUSEWAY CRUISING (8:48, 8:42, 9:03, 8:54)

I paced myself at my Holiday Half pace, shooting for something around 8:50 a mile. As you can see, for the first few miles it went pretty well! I was a little concerned about how I was feeling though. The short amount of sleep was really weighing on me and the weather was not ideal. I could feel my core temperature rising and as a result, my cardio was labored for the effort. It felt harder than it should have. The Tuesday before the race I went to the gym and did a four mile "race pace" run... it was nowhere near as hard as the first four miles here!

As always though, the race was cool. Always neat to run over the causeway and see the cruise ships in the dark. The sun wouldn't rise for another couple of miles so for the moment I was doing okay. I did have a sneaking suspicion I wouldn't be able to maintain the pace, but I would cross that bridge when it came. I ran into Miami Beach feeling a lot like I did back in 2014... uncertain of what the rest of the race would hold. Comparing my feeling at mile four here with mile four of the Holiday Half... night and day!

MILES 5-8: SOUTH BEACH SUFFERING (9:07, 9:11, 9;15, 9:34)

Rolling along, looking strong (?)

While I knew I probably wouldn't be maintaining my pace, I didn't expect to slow down so quickly. I was putting forth the same effort but I just couldn't get those damn miles below 9:00. By mile 8 I had accepted my fate and walked my first aid station. To that point I was doing a slow jog or powerwalk through the stations, getting my fluids and then quickly resuming pace. This aid station however... nice leisurely stroll and a good twenty seconds to drink the water before resuming.

This section of the race was identical to last year. Instead of going through some neighborhoods like the first two years I did it, they now do an out a back a few blocks west of Ocean Drive. While I kind of liked the neighborhood change of scenery, this is also fun. Something about an out and back with runners going both ways is exciting and electric. I was on the lookout for my friend who was running a quicker race than me but I didn't see him. I think he was long gone by the time I got to this section. Overall, I had slowed down a little but nothing too drastic.

MILES 9-11: VENETIAN VENGEANCE (9:40, 9:57, 10:18)

Well, this is where any thought of finishing under two hours vaporized into thin air. The conditions were just too uncomfortable. Now, had I ran this race after a summer of training in the Oregon heat... no problem! I am running in 80, 90 degrees all the time then. Your body gets accustomed to it. But training all winter in 44 degrees and then trying to run a half in this? Just not happening. I hate excuses. I really do. However, sometimes the conditions are just not right. And I, dear reader, put forth that they were not good.

Over the Venetians.

I am now gratuitously walking through the aid stations. Nice thirty second strolls. Drink the water, throw the cup, walk ten seconds more, groan, slowly begin to shuffle. Apparently I was also mentally out of it, because I'm trying to think back about running through the tollbooths (always a milestone because you are almost back on the mainland) and I can't even remember doing that. Zero recollection. So yeah. I think I was a little checked out. My legs felt okay, my cardio was just really labored as a result of being too warm. I felt crummy. It was really hard.

MILES 12-13.1: DOWNTOWN DISTRESS (10:16, 10:35)

Alright, gotta admit, took a couple unsanctioned walking breaks toward the end of this thing. Once the two hour goal flew out the window I was lacking in real motivation. I then thought about doing it under 2:05, but really, I didn't care. I'm surprised these miles were as fast as they were to be honest. I've done long runs at this pace without walking. So what really was going on was I was running a 9:30 clip and taking teeny weeny little breaks here and there. Sue me.

I can't express how crappy I felt. These miles really sucked! I'm not going to compare them to the last few miles of last year or the last few of a marathon, but they sucked. A lot worse than the Holiday Half! I again took the pineapple. Year two... maybe I'll make that a tradition, even if I get fast again. Anyways, after some slogging along we wound our way to the finish line. It felt like a different route this year, and what do you know, it was! At some point you turned the corner and there was the finish, a half block away. Hallelujah!

Suck it Miami, I am done!

POST-RACE PURGATORY

My legs actually felt pretty good after finishing.I remember being in pretty bad shape after last year. This year I was fine. It honestly felt like after a long run. The pressing concern was my energy level and general well being. I felt like garbage. You can see it in my face in the pictures, I look like shit an and lack any color. My body was zapped of any energy. And while my legs were sore for a few days, it wasn't anything too bad. I was going up and down stairs no problem. So the story of this race really was the weather and the resulting lack of cardio.

If I had ran a slower pace to begin with I could have easily maintained a consistent pace and ran this bitch in. Hindsight is 20/20. All three of us did worse than we were expecting. Had one friend who is in 1:42 shape do 1:50. So I can't feel that bad about my race. Hell, I did a half marathon in 2:06, that's pretty fucking good. I need to keep perspective. A year ago I was more than a half hour slower. I was in the top 50% for every category. Onward.

Afterward we took some naps and then gorged ourselves at Pizza Hut. Completely worth it, every soul sucking mile.

Official Results: 2:06:18, 9:39/mile. 3657/13837 overall, 2517/7002 male, 365/873 M30-34.

SPOKES

My spider-like "spoke" route from Sunday.

Warning: Dull ramblings about long run strategies...

This weekend I ended up having to run my 12 miles by myself because I was out of town for the Sunstone run on Saturday. This long run would be exactly two weeks before the half and is one of the most important of the training cycle. It's where I would "peak" before a shorter long run next weekend in an attempt to taper a bit and go into the race fresh. Most of my long runs had been of the 10 mile variety. That is long enough to get you ready for a half (for a casual approach at least) and it is what Sunstone runs every weekend so it makes it easy. I did tack on an extra two to a Sunstone run about a month ago and I figured I should do so again just to make the 13 on race day seem a little easier.

Saturday night I began plotting my course. When you are running by yourself it is important to know where you are going to go ahead of time. That way you don't run too long or run too short and have to painfully go out for more after getting home. Anyways, there are two types of long run strategies and the pros and cons of each in my eyes:

Out and Back: Run half the distance you want to achieve, then turn around and run the exact same way back. Basically ends up looking like a giant squiggly line. The pros of this type of route are many. It is simple to execute and hard to get turned around. It works great on dedicated running paths. My favorite part is that usually halfway doesn't seem like that far. So by the time you hit, say, six miles, you still feel pretty good. Then you turn around and every step is a step closer to being done. The worst part of this run type is the repetition of scenery. If you are looking for variety as a distraction, this is not the run for you.

Loop: My favorite, but the harder to do than an out and back. Once you are beyond about seven or eight miles and want to avoid busy roads, this can get complicated. On one hand I like that, I memorize the route in my head and then have to pay attention to run it correctly. Another great feature is that you are running all new terrain the entire way. In terms of variety, you can't beat it! The downside is that there is no major milestone, like a turnaround. You can start feeling kind of desperate when you are 65% into your run and still so far from home.

Now, you can always combine the two and end up with a "Lollipop" route. There is also a strategy of combining multiple routes from a home base, whether they be loop or out and back. I've used this strategy in the past on long runs for marathon training, typically those in length of 16 miles or greater. When you are running these by yourself and have no supported aid stations, it is nice to loop around to the car and have some cold drinks and snacks before heading back out. Typically it is a good idea to have the second "trek" be shorter, so you are already more than halfway done at the pit stop. A good example of this strategy was my 21 mile run with Alejandro in 2013.

Basically, I lay this all out because I was really struggling with my route on Saturday night. Nothing sounded good and I was dreading the 12 miles alone. I was being a baby, I know! I've just gotten used to running with people on long runs. Now, I had done some out and back 10 milers by myself recently, but those were really starting to drag on. Sunday morning I woke up and decided I didn't want to do the 12 mile loop I had planned the night before. I wanted to try something new.

I came up with the idea of doing multiple two mile out and backs. That way I would always be, at most, a mile from my house. It would also be very satisfying in terms of the reward center of my brain. I was always, at greatest, a mile from some sort of an accomplishment. Either I was at the turnaround or back at my house. And only a mile, those come pretty quickly, so my spirits should remain pretty high! I also set out on distinct routes that were different from one another for variety and worked my way clockwise around the base of my house.

It ended up being pretty cool! The run did go by pretty quickly all told. It wasn't like "wow, I can't believe it's over!" but it wasn't the struggle like some runs are. My main goal was just not to make it look like a swastika and I think I was able to avoid that! Anyways, I could see the novelty of it wearing off with overuse, but I think I'll keep this idea on the back burner for another time I need some extra push to get out there. Normally, these "pit stop" runs have a singular stop, but why not five? I didn't actually stop except twice... once at mile 6 to check a sports score, and once at mile 10 to grab a quick drink. It was nice to have the option though!

Anyways, long story short, I am calling this a "Spoke" route. Copyright 2018 Thomas. Although I'm sure I'm not the first person to think of this. Regardless, the bulk of my Miami work is over now. I'll do 8 or 9 miles next weekend and then the weekend after is the race! What a difference a year makes in terms of my physical health!