Had a nice run on Saturday at the Point Defiance 50k.  It was first ultra in a little over 3 months and by far the longest run I’ve done in 3 months. It was an easy drive down from Seattle though I got a little lost in the park looking for the start. The park is just on the water in Tacoma (maybe Ruston technically) – with lots of wooded areas, 500 year oaks, and bluffs strategically overlooking the Puget Sound. The race website remarks on the name: ‘In 1841, Charles Wilkes, commander of the American expedition that charted Puget Sound, named the point after proclaiming that with 10 cannons mounted there, he could defy any invader.” I have some pictures up in picassa.

Overall – nice run in a semi-urban park. It was three ten mile loops with people running between 15k-50k. So many people (maybe 300?) it might have been a good idea to have a staggered start since 15k runners tend to be a lot faster out of the gate than 50k runners. Squeezed into some narrow single-track in short order the first time around was a little crowded but by the third time around I was running with not a person in sight. Lots of sun and nice people. I ran into Rich White at the mid-course aid station – I hadn’t seen him since Western States. Rich was volunteering and recovering from a sub thirty hour finish at the Wasatch 100m – I think with 100 miles and over 28k of elevation change he deserves a good rest 🙂

Had a nice day yesterday walked stiff-legged around the Farmer’s Market in Ballard. Lots of sunshine. Moved into my new place over the weekend too. Home sweet home…