Flying Lion Brewing Community Run
My family’s brewing business is really taking off, and so is the FLB5 (mi or km option) group run on Fridays. Attendance is consistently between 15 to 20 peopleeven on rainy days and the camaraderie is great! Theroute is posted to the SRC Meetup page, as well as Strava. Leading this run is often the highlight of my week as it is a perfect combination of my running and brewing passions. Conversations about stride length and cadence segue, via our bike-powered barley mill, to aroma hop profiles and fermentation temperature control. Because of the social training aspect, I get to talk about my Brooks gear and shoes even more than in race scenarios!
Image: Runners.Photos
Bridle Trails
I raced the 10 mi version of SRC’s Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival in January. Despite a week of tough life circumstances and very little sleep, I easily beat my time from two years ago and got second (to teammate Joe Creighton, who set a course record that day). It was a beautiful event, celebrating drizzly winter training with other like-minded runners on a Saturday evening. This was one of the first races following the #SRCBrooks team announcement and it was wonderful to bond with each other. We shared training plans and goals during warm-up and cool-down, set up running dates, and made our presence known in the final standings!
Olympic Hot Springs Training Run
Among several long runs in the mountains, this was particularly notable. My long climbing training really started to click after this and I felt more confident than ever in the decision to sign up for the Chuckanut 50k. On top of that, what’s cooler than taking a 30 min mid-run break in back-country
hot springs? From there, we only had a couple easy miles on a gentle downhill back to the car. Rubbery legs! http://guanderer.weebly.com/run/happy-lake-ridge-gt-olympic-hot-springs-gt-fat-smittys
Chuckanut 50k
Image: Glenn Tachiyama
This was the highlight of the year for me so far. Four SRC-Brooks members (Olin Berger, Matt Hong, Derek Reiff, and myself) drove up to Bellingham in March and all placed very well. We had our struggles and learned some valuable lessons about race-day nutrition, but even without perfect splits, I was very pleased with an 8th place finish and ceramic plate award from a local potter. I now eat my pre-run toast and jam from it everyday. Perhaps it will remind me of the most important lesson I learned…eat more than 300 calories during the race. Seriously. That was the difference between 5th and 8th! I loved this experience and can’t wait for next year. http://guanderer.weebly.com/run/chuckanut-50k-2015
Eugene Marathon (Training)
Post Chuckanut, I have returned to the flat pavement of Seattle’s coastlines to tune up for the Eugene Marathon. It has been difficult to move away from (nearly) daily trail miles, but this is a temporary and good mental break to work on pure speed. The spring is always a busy time anyway, thus city training is easier for my schedule. My workouts are looking good. I’m significantly faster than last year, I know the course, and I have a real nutrition plan that will make a big difference. It all starts with my recent habit of eating a breakfast sandwich and sipping on flat Coca Cola at the start line. I’m lucky to have a strong stomach. I truly believe 2:40 is within range…maybe even faster. After road shenanigans like a “week of half marathons,” I’ll get back to training in the mountains in May.
Pure Grit 3 / Biomechanical Engineering Grad School
The Pure Grit 3 trail shoes get a special mention in this summary. They are that wonderful. I have one pair designated for mixed surfaces (pavement, trails, gravel) and one that I only use on dirt and for trail races. I find that my stride is smoother in the Grits than any other shoe and that the traction is good even on cement. Last year, I ran Eugene in a pair of Pure Grit 2 and loved it. This year, I’m deciding between Pure Cadence (the shoe I like to wear for track repeats) and Grit 3. Both are good choices, with the Cadence being the better option for weight and flat roads. I’ve turned in 90% of my Biomechanical Engineering thesis and am waiting for edits from the review committee. I’ll soon be the most available biomech engineer on the market! And, with miles upon miles of thinking about gait and human motion, I’m excited to contribute to the field of movement and health. I know Brooks cares about the same things! Run Happy. Work Happy.
