Let’s call this one the “PDX edition.” 🙂

Remember how I talked about experimenting with mid-run fuel? Well, I’m pretty sure VooDoo Doughnuts and Stumptown Coffee don’t count, but ‘when in Rome,’ right?! Besides, I got up super early to get my workout in and beat the pre-work lines at these two hot spots, so I figured I deserved a treat (or, um, two).

Now THIS is what I call carb-loading!

Here’s what the schedule looked like for Week 2:

• Tempo run – 5 mi
• Track workout – 4 x 1200s
• Long run – 12 mi

Tuesday’s tempo run was a 5-miler around the Portland waterfront, which was nice and close to our hotel. I got off to a speedy start (no doubt due to the caffeine/sugar rush) before my pace slowed significantly about three miles in. Lesson learned!

Why, good morning, Portland – well worth the 6am wake-up call

Thursday’s track workout was, well, track-less…so I improvised by mapping out a 1200m stretch along the river and running it back and forth four times. The morning was gorgeous, and whatever the route lacked in accuracy it more than made up for in terms of scenery, so I couldn’t complain.

A stretch of my makeshift “track” along the river.

And, of course, I made sure to get in some more good “carb-loading” at dinner that night (sensing a theme here?). Hey, one of the first rules of training is to reward yourself for all that hard work, right?!

Good weather, good friends, good beer…what more can you ask for?

By the time Saturday’s 12-miler rolled around, we were back home. And rather than mapping out a whole new route, I decided to just tack on an extra two miles to last week’s 10-mile route, which took us over the Golden Gate Bridge.

Not only was the weather more cooperative this week, but I had some great company in the form of my hubby, Ben, and a friend of ours, Kevin. They kept me on my toes pace-wise, and our conversation made the miles fly by.

Never underestimate the power of good running buddies!

Plus, we got to take in some more fun sights that way – especially since the America’s Cup races are now taking place in the San Francisco Bay. These guys were really flying out there (the picture just doesn’t do it justice); the new AC45 catamaran, for example, hit speeds in excess of 20 knots, right out of the box, when it debuted earlier this year.

America’s Cup boats racing with Alcratraz in the background.

The one mid-run hiccup was when my GPS watch decided to stop working around mile 8.4. I didn’t notice for about 10-15 minutes, though, so by the time I was able to stop and re-set it, we had to guesstimate the remaining distance. It’s a bummer because we weren’t able to find out our average pace for the whole run, but if that’s was the biggest challenge of the day, I’ll take it.

Onward to week three!