 |
| Running West Beach at Deception Pass |
I took the Sunday after
Fort Ebey Marathon off and then Apryle and I put in a soggy 10.5 miler in
Paradise Valley Conservation Area. This was yet another densely wooded area to
run some very twisty trails. From what I have gathered, this is a relatively new
natural area that was acquired in 2000 from a family which homesteaded the
property in 1887. It sits on 793 acres and features 13 miles of trail, and is
only a half hour drive from Shoreline.
 |
| Larrabbe State Park Run |
The remainder of the week
was low key, I ran some neighborhood miles and commuted to and from work each
day with my backpack. For a break in the midweek running ennui, I began a new
Thursday evening tradition, which consists of a driving to Mukilteo to run with
Adam Braddock, a new friend that I met at the Fort Ebey Marathon.
 |
| Larrabee State Park Run |
He resides in
quite a strategic location for optimal trail running, near the Japanese Gulch. We
typically run a solid 10 to 11 miles in the darkness. Luckily Adam knows his
way around the trails and has a far superior headlamp or I am certain I would
be wandering around the woods with an ATFL sprain.
 |
| Clayton Beach; Larrabee State Park |
It is great to once again
have some camaraderie on the trails, and Adam and his family are always quite
hospitable. Additionally, Japanese Gulch happens to be quite an interesting
place, and from what I have read, would not have existed without the citizens
of Mukilteo.
 |
| Arroya Natural Area |
Essentially, after its beginnings as a lumber company in the early
1900’s, a development company was interested in turning the property into an
industrial park around the turn of the 21st century. Fortunately in
2014, the city of Mukilteo purchased the 98 acre wooded ravine for 5.4 million
dollars. And after running the trails a few times now, I am thankful that they
saved this hidden gem from destruction.
 |
| Apryle & I at Clayton Beach |
The last two weeks of
February and first week of March were challenging because I was working at Sky
Nursery Sunday through Thursday and Big 5 on Fridays, thus relegating me to a
one day weekend. However, I managed to get in some solid weekday miles. Highlighted
by some hill repeats around Shoreline, trail runs in Japanese Gulch, and mile
repeats at Lake Ballinger.
 |
| High School XC Race in Wynford |
I rather enjoy the 42 acre Ballinger Park because it
reminds me of a high school cross country course in Ohio. Probably because
Ballinger Park used to be a golf course, and many of our cross country races in
Ohio were run on golf courses. At any rate, I set up a mile repeat course in
the park and have run one solid workout on it so far (3 x 1 mile in 5:29, 5:28,
5:28).
Every Saturday since the
Fort Ebey Marathon has been a memorable adventure.
 |
| Ebey anxiously awaiting his arrival to Deception Pass |
February 20th,
Apryle and I celebrated the beautiful weather with a trip up to Larrabee State
Park. We split up and she trudged through a tough 11 miler while I gutted out a
top heavy 20 miler. Following a logging road to a vantage point near Lost Lake,
I ran 2000 vertical feet over four miles and then bombed back down to the
trailhead. With an additional 12 miles yet to cover I ran the scenic but flat Interurban
Trail to Arroya Nature Reserve and Chuckanut Village. The trail was ideal; it
was tree covered, soft surfaced, offered beautiful views of the ocean and most
of all was flat.
 |
| Peering out onto Bellingham & Samish Bays |
We met back up at the car
with serendipitous timing and decided to hike the Clayton Beach trail as a cool
down. We shared stories of our two hour independent adventures and decided that
we missed exploring a new place together. We watched as the sun moved into the
western sky, and reflected on how lucky we were to be enjoying each others company
in such an idyllic vista.
 |
| Coach Apryle running West Beach |
Saturday February 27th
was slated by coach Apryle to be a very long run for me. We decided to both run
some loops around Discovery Park in hopes that we would see one another. I ran
the first five laps clockwise and the sixth and seventh laps counter clockwise.
Although the day started off gloomy, by the time I hit the trail at noon, it
was a beautiful sunny day.
 |
| Apryle hiking Goose Rock |
The first lap was sluggish but the next four, I began
to feel very comfortable. I did not take my first drink of water until the
fifth lap and did not eat a thing over the first 20 miles. I switched
directions and the same route began to feel a little more difficult.
Additionally, the superior/medial aspect of my left patella began to give me
troubles.
 |
| Through the trees at Deception Pass |
I hit 20 miles in about 7:18 overall pace and as I was running into the parking lot to get a drink and saw Apryle was just getting ready to hit the trail as well (explaining why in over 2 hours on the trail I had still yet to see her). Once again, the serendipitous timing prompted us to decide that I should finish the final third of my long run together.
 |
| View from Goose Rock |
We decided to switch locations to Green Lake for old times sake
and complete three laps. It was great to have some company, but my knee really
began to give me some troubles. I finished the day with 29 miles and we hobbled
back to the van.
 |
| Running North Beach at Deception Pass |
Coach Apryle had planned a
down week for February 28th to March 5th, so the injury
was well timed. I nursed the knee all week and we went for a moderate Saturday
run at Deception Pass. Deception Pass was quite aptly named due to confusion on
the part of Joseph Whidbey on the Vancouver Expedition. In early exploration,
it was thought that Whidbey Island and Fidalgo Island were one long peninsula.
 |
| Eastward from Goose Rock |
Because Whidbey was first tricked by the passage connecting Skagit Bay and the
Strait of Juan de Fuca, Vancouver referred to the waterway as Deception Passage
back in 1792. During ebb and flood tide, there can be standing waves, large
whirlpools, and roiling eddies creating class two and three rapid conditions
within the pass.
 |
| Apryle framed by the Madrone at Deception Pass State Park |
Deception Pass State Park
exceeded my expectations and offered some trails that were rich in vegetation and
pleasantly/surprisingly sparse in humans. We ran several miles along a
beautiful coast line, then carved inland through dense forest and even pitched
upward to the top of Goose Rock which featured a half mile climb at 19% grade. The
only regret we had in our trip to Deception Pass was not having two kayaks with
us. It is hard to imagine that we were lucky enough to enjoy three beautiful
Saturdays in row in three unique and beautiful parks.
Stats
Month
February
|
Days
14 to 20
|
Mileage
73.24
|
Time
10:41:02
|
Pace
8:45
|
Long
21.79
|
Vertical
7913
|
February
|
21 to 27
|
88.63
|
11:33:22
|
7:49
|
29.1
|
7215
|
March
|
28 to 5
|
46.48
|
6:29:12
|
8:22
|
10.15
|
3885
|
