Joe's Running Blog

Easy run from home, it sure is nice to get the run done with before the sun bakes you. Mentally gearing up for tomorrow's workout, trying to recruit someone to come do some or all of it with me.

Interval workout from Jack Daniels' marathon training program. 10x1000 at 3:00 minute pace (72 second/400). I hadn't gone this fast since college, and wasn't sure I could do it again. The recovery was 5 minutes in between each interval, but 72 pace is quick for me, especially alone, so I recruited George Barlow to come help me out. He was late as usual, and I knew he had to be somewhere, so he ended up only making 5 before he had to split. It sure was nice having him there though, even if it was for the easier 5. I found my groove on the 7th one finally, and kept them all at 3:00-3:02. Big confidence booster.

A.M.

Met George Barlow at the top of North Ogden Divide--he was late again--and ran on the Ben Lomond Peak trail. Up the trail for 25 minutes, then turned around. We were both on somewhat of a time crunch--he had to get to Salt Lake and I had to get to Layton to do a job before it got blistering hot.

P.M.

Decided to save some gas and bike to the bank to drop off a check instead of driving, so AnnMarie, Myles and I hooked up the bike trailer and away we went. We made it to the south end of Fruitland drive when AnnMarie's tire--Bam!--went flat in seconds. Fortunately, a passerby with a bike rack on a mini-van offered a ride, and AnnMarie accepted. Myles and I forged on to the bank and made it there mere minutes before closing, only to discover they were closed for the entire week--"Sorry for the inconvenience". Oh well, nothing to do but head for home, Myles in tow. Pulling a bike trailer isn't easy, but I keep reminding myself that it's a good workout. 11 miles round trip, count it as 5 miles running.

One hour, 53 minute run, so 18 miles is a guesstimate. AnnMarie went for her run first, then I went when she got back. It was starting to warm up right away, so I planned the run to be in as much shade as possible. Headed over to Fruitland drive, south to the Ogden Nature Center-North trail head, then jumped on the trail and headed back north, got on the canal until it put me back on mountain road near the equestrian center/green waste dump. Worked my way up to the access road that follows the power lines at the base of Ben Lomond Peak, and stayed on that all the way over to Pole Patch. Great trail, even if it's a bit steep and rocky in places. Bummed some water off a biker who had fell off his bike, I stopped to check on him and then begged a drink. Hit every lawn sprinkler on the way back home, and felt surprisingly good considering the lack of water, and the hard bike ride yesterday.

Nice hour run, most of it in the shade on the canal heading out through Pleasant View and overlooking Willard Bay. Lots of people (and dogs) out this morning, glad to be done with the run so early. Hopefully I won't wilt in the heat of the day while working in the yard. Haven't decided what my racing schedule will be for July, specifically Des News. Part of me is tempted to jump in the marathon and see what happens, it's a chance to maybe pocket some cash, but that course is brutal and I don't know if I want to take that much time out of training for Chicago.

Nice 54 minute run from home, combination of trails and roads. Felt okay leg-wise, left hip is beginning to be bothersome. I'm not too concerned right now, I've had similar pain there before and it had eventually gone away.

Easy run this morning, didn't know how much time I'd have to run before Myles woke up, so I figured I'd play it safe and shoot for 35-40 minutes, and attempt to duplicate that this evening when it cooled off. Left hip is still hurting, seems to still be at the "irritating" stage. Hard to believe Chicago is just over 3 months away, my training is on track to run well there. July and August are key months. This week is a heavy training week, with a threshold/tempo run, a long run, and a fartlek workout. Plus, I want to run the 10K at the Huntsville 4th of July, so I may substitute that for the threshold/tempo run.

P.M.

Forced myself away from my homework assignment for tomorrow's night class and out the door for who knows how long, and pretty much no clue where I wanted to go. Started out on the canal heading eastward, then onto the trail above the orchards at the bottom of North Ogden Divide. Worked my way over to 2750 north, found a porta-john (I suppose it's one good side effect of so much housing construction), and decided to go down a street I've never been down. Doubt there have been many runners down 2650 north, as most homeowners stopped and stared as I ran by. I thought to myself "What, they've never seen a half-naked man run through their neighborhood on a Sunday evening? What's wrong with these people?". Clocked 41 minutes, which is good because I had no intention of logging 80 minutes total today. Hip felt better, and I even have a few new ideas for my paper due tomorrow night. Thanks to Paul, Bill, and Chad for their comments, I'm excited about keeping this blog and keeping current on other runners. Chad, thanks for the heads up about Chicago, thanks Paul and Bill for the encouragement.

Scheduled to do Daniels' "TL" workout, meaning threshold and long run. Amounted to 2x10-12 minutes at threshold pace, with 2 minutes recovery in between, then 60 minutes easy running. I decided to jog over to Weber High's track, do the 2x on the track where I could closely monitor the pace and distance for each set. I figured I'd do 2x10 mile, with the goal to be under 10:32 for each two-mile set. Legs were a bit fatigued from running so late last night, but not too bad. First set, 10:29. Two minutes recovery flew by, but it was easy to get back into the rthythm for the second set. Pushed the last 400 a little, finished in 10:25. Jogged a recovery lap, then jogged home. Still need to get in 40 minutes or so to get the 60 minutes, but need to finish homework assignment for tonight's class. Will try to get out after class when it cools off.

I believe having a blog will help anyone who wants to get better. Not that a blog itself will help one run faster, but there is strength in analyzing workouts and tweaking them to improve. To James in Logan, no, I don't believe we've met, but yes I recognize you from several of the races. Good luck in your training.

Easy 10 miler, headed out west on Elberta drive to Hwy 89, then up the very steep access road for the gravel company who is making the hillside disappear one truckload of rocks, sand and gravel at a time. Headed hom on the canal road at a modest pace, feeling the effects of yesterday's hard workout in my legs for certain. Not too concerned about that or the race tomorrow, it's more of a "fun run". There is almost no possibility of other "studs" showing up tomorrow, I believe everyone will head to SLC for one of the two LDR races.

Corbin helped me on a job in Layton, it's always good to spend time with that guy. Amazing runner and an even better person. I'm excited to help him out for the Wasatch 100 in September.

Spent too much time in the heat throughout the day, was parched all evening long as we went to friend's house Nate and Kami Wilcox's for dinner. Watched my first episode of "The office". Quite interesting, I like the subtle humor. Don't have a goal or clue for tomorrow's race, other than it starts at 7 a.m.

Arrived in plenty of time to get registered and say a few hellos and do about a mile warm-up. The race is an interesting one, the 10K, 5K, and one mile fun run all start at the same intersection in the middle of Huntsville,and they take off in different directions. Steve Shepherd of Weber State was there for the 5K, and like I presumed, no other horses in the 10K. I was chatting with Nate Wilcox in the middle of the intersection--no where near the start line--when the gun went off. Luckily, my pickup was about 50 yards into the course, so I stripped off my glasses and shirt and wadded them up and tossed them into the bed as I went by. Weaved in and out of people for a block or so, then open roads. I wasn't trying to be skeptical, but skeptical I was about the mile marks' accuracy, and it seemed that each mile confirmed that. After mile 1, I shifted into "enjoy the scenery" mode, with a sizable lead and enough left in the tank if something should happen. Mile two was on a dirt road, which continued for some time and then spilled out on what I believe is middle fork road, heading north at a slight incline. Reached the turnaround point, which was spray-painted on the ground--nobody there to direct traffic. Not poor race management, that's just how the Huntsville 10K works. However, I noted that this year's turnaround was spray-painted 150 yards farther up the road than last year's faded painting. Oh well. Made the turn around and had just over 2 miles left, with a slight downhill and the Huntsville town in sight. Ratcheted up the tempo to roughly 5:20 effort, and started passing other runners headed for the turnaround point. Kept it steady the last mile, though it seemed like each mile was long. Finishing time was 35:02, and second was at least 5 minutes back. Won a trophy and a medal, despite rumors that Peak Performance was giving shoes for the winners. That's okay. AnnMarie and Myles came up for the awesome breakfast after the race, pancakes, sausage, eggs, juice, etc. Nate Wilcox ran 23 minutes for his 5K, and several of my former students ran either the 5K or 10K. Always good to see them out running. Sure beats video games or iPods. Jogged an easy cool down with Nate, then cruised around the booths at the park with AnnMarie and Myles. Headed over to Pineview for some fun and sun with the in-laws, and decided to try my hand at slalom skiing after a several-year hiatus. Managed to get up on the third try, and enjoyed my time for a few minutes before my skiing rustiness and general fatigue signalled an end to the days' skiing. Came home and napped, will avoid the heat until this evening's fireworks light up the sky. What a great country we live in to be able to do so many things in one day. We are blessed.  

Sore from water skiing, especially my traps and bi and triceps. Oh well. Decided to mow the lawn at 5:30 A.M. while AnnMarie went running, and I was surprised to see it so windy and warm--80 degrees nearly. Met up with Justin Nipko on the canal, then we turned around and headed east and worked our way over to the trail at the bottom of north ogden divide. I wanted to explore what I thought was a new trail just below the power lines at the base of Ben Lomond Peak, and was pleasantly surprised to find a new trail indeed. Very well shaded, flat and a nice overlook of North Ogden and Pleasant View. Kept the run at conversation pace until the last mile, on 3300 north going west until 450 east. Justin and I picked it up, probably because we were ready to be done with the run but also because we were hungry. Made it home and AnnMarie was making french toast--yummy! Justin stayed for breakfast, and found out his mission call is at the post office as of this morning. I think he's going to Provo South mission, or Boise, or Butte, Montana. Someplace exotic, that's for sure. Headed to Cokeville this afternoon for a few days, I'll get my long run in probably saturday. Tomorrow will probably be a recovery day.

1st official run in Cokeville, Wyoming tonight. Still very sore from skiing on the 4th, and feeling a general sense of fatigue. Wanted an easy run, and ended up hooking up with Nathan Fiscus, a local boy who will be running for Weber state this fall. Nathan recently returned home from the same mission I served in, England Manchester, so we had plenty to talk about. We just went out on the west end of Cokeville, heading south for 26 minutes, then turned around and headed back into town with the breeze at our backs. I never got into a rthythm, so I was glad the run was over at 50 minutes. AnnMarie and Myles were on the bike and bike trailer, so when we got home we switched and AnnMarie ran for 50 more minutes while I pulled Myles in the bike trailer. We a homemade sign at the local "Country Shopper" grocery store advertising a local 5k, the David Dayton Memorial 5K, on July 21st. I called the number and offered my services to help put on the race, and was eagerly accepted. I'm in charge of timing/placing, marking the course and well, it will probably be more by the time the race rolls around, which is fine with me. Cokeville is definitely a small-time country town, on our run, we came up on a mother skunks with 6 little skunk-lets following her. It was kinda comical, if you've ever seen skunks walking up-close, they sort of have a shuffle which looked like a little black-and-white parade.  

Ran again with Nathan Fiscus, the local boy headed to Weber State this fall. Headed east of town and got on the sheep trail--hold the jokes guys--which is a nicely maintained dirt road that is essentially a frontage road on the east end of town going north/south. Turned around at approximately 40 minutes and headed back into town by the local landfill. Saw several locals out walking, a couple out jogging, and some biking. Have noticed there are very few overweight people in Cokeville. No McDonalds, no Golden Corral, no Chuck-A-Rama. Kids are out riding their bikes rather than talking on cell phones and playing video games. What a nice change of course. Anyways, back to the run, totalled 74 minutes and feel like the soreness in my arms and back is finally beginning to leave.

Only had time for 64 minutes this morning, so decided to explore the Poison Creek trail west of town. Crossed the river where we saw the 7 skunks on Friday, turned off the highway and got on the dirt road with cattle guards every couple miles. The road forks after about 4 minutes, and AnnMarie had already been running on the same road this morning, and said she stayed right when the road forked and she made it to a large outbuilding a couple miles up the road. I decided to take the left fork and see where it went. Gradual climb up a canyon, hills covered with sage and juniper. Have not seen one vehicle this morning, and I can count on two hands the vehicles I've seen the entire time running in Cokeville. Anyhow, didn't expect to see any vehicles on this "road", kept heading east until 27 minutes into the run, where a fence blocked the road and enclosed a rather large herd of noisy bovine on the other side. Didn't figure to see any bulls in the group, but didn't exactly want to recreate my own version of Pamplona, Cokeville-style, so I turned around and took the same fork AnnMarie took earlier. Turned around at 43 minutes and decided to blow out a little carbon on the way home. Got into a nice rthythm, not sure of the pace but estimate it to be around 5:35 ish or so. Made it home in about 63 minutes, just in time to shower and walk to Church. Amazes me that in a small community, people will still drive less than a mile for anything. We were definitely in the minority as far as walkers. Oh well, I prefer it that way. Drove back to North Ogden for a few days, will be headed back up there Wednesday or Thursday.

Took the day off from running. My body was telling me I needed a break, so I spent most of the day working on my few remaining assignments for my master's classwork. I'm set to defend my project on Wednesday, my project is a study on the affect of extracurricular sports on grades at the junior high level. I know you're dying to know more, but that's all for now.   

A.M. "T" workout from Jack Daniels. 6x1 mile at threshold pace, with one minute recovery. Threshold pace is approximately 5:15 per mile for me, so I figured mile repeats would be perfect. Talked Kenneth Richardson into joining me, he is still recovering from nasal surgery, but agreed to come run it and see where he is fitness-wise. Warmed up from my house to Weber High's track, did some strides and got going. The sprinklers for the football field were going all the way around the inside perimeter of the track, and we would often get blasted by them as there was definitely some overspray that landed on the track. Actually, there was quite a bit of overspray. It was very welcome, however, as it kept us cool the entire workout. Our mile repeats went as followed:  5:18, 5:19, 5:17, 5:13, 5:10, and 5:03. The last lap of the last one was more of a VO2 max effort, but I didn't mind too much at that point. Ken did great and is in better fitness than I think he allows himself. I felt pretty good the whole time and was never uncomfortable, save for the last lap of the last one. Jogged home, scarfed down some breakfast, showered, changed, and headed to the airport to see the arrival of Elder Nick Fisher from the Philadelphia Mission. He ran for me at Weber High, where his prs were 9:22, 4:12, and 1:54 for the deuce, 1600, and 800. He'll be joining the Weber State team this fall and I believe he has a bright future ahead of him. At the airport he said the thing he wanted to do the most was go for a run, so we agreed to meet up in the evening and go for a run.

P.M. AnnMarie, Myles and myself went to Nick's house for a BBQ and a little run, Nick wanted to run this trail that winds its way up to Powder Mountain ski resort. I didn't want to curtail his wishes by reminding him we'd be starting at well over 5000 feet and going up from there, I figured the run would let him know that. We made it up 17 minutes, then turned around and it took us 13 minutes to come back down. I'll call it four miles. I remember my first run after being home from England--I felt like someone had my head in a c-clamp and was standing on my chest. And that was a 3 mile run! Welcome home Nick.

Ran easy with Nick Fisher again, we headed east on the canal, got on the trail, and came home. I remember the feeling of coming from sea level to altitude, and it ain't fun. Nick will be fine after a couple weeks. Will probably run again tonight.

Got a good night's sleep, but felt sluggish and beat down the entire run. Not sure why, it was fairly cool, overcast (or was that all the smoke from the fires?), and I didn't go particularly hilly. Yesterday was an easy run, so...anyhow, it's in the books and that's the important part. Running in the evening is tough to make work, but I'm going to try again tonight to get an easy hour in, and call that my long run for the week. I think we're going to do the xTerra Trail race at Snowbird this Saturday, I love running the trails and it will be fun for both AnnMarie and I to go.

P.M.  Made it out the door at about 9:45 p.m. and figured I had time and energy for about 30-40 minutes.  Went down 450 east to 2600 north, east on 2600 to Mtn Road, cut NW on the canal, dodged a few cats, and worked my way home. 35 minutes on the dot, showered and zonked out. Call it 5 miles.

Met Ken at Rainbo Gardens on 12th street and got 50 easy minutes. I'm glad I got out the door late last night, but I'm not yet used to doing that and getting up the next morning. However, I need to start doing it 2-3 times per week to get in a few more miles. Hope to get out the door for a few tonight.

Daniels "I" marathon workout. I had the option of doing this workout as a hill workout, so I found a quiet residential street that is pretty well lined with trees on the east side of the street, so I would be doing most of the workout in the shade. Plus, I figured there would be enough sprinklers still going I could drench myself every 5-10 minutes to keep cool. Ran from 2600 north to 2850 north, on 700 east in North Ogden. It's a pretty decent climb, but gradual enough I could keep my rthythm and turnover at a good clip. 9x800 meters, though I believe it's just a shade under 1/2 mile. Does anyone know of any software or website that tells exactly the distance of city blocks and streets? Please let me know. Anyhow, I ran the uphill, immediately turned around and jogged back down for the recovery. 2:40, 2:34, 2:35, 2:39, 2:31, 2:35, 2:34, 2:35, 2:29 and one mile jog home. Tough workout for me, I was working and my hamstrings were humming on the last three. The shade helped a ton, and knowing someone who lives on that street helped also, because between every other repeat, I would turn on his outside tap and water myself down to keep cool. That saved my bacon more than anything.

Decided against doing the XTerra trail race at Snowbird today. Didn't feel like driving into SLC, and am in the middle of painting/carpeting downstairs. Oh well, it was a good workout and a good ending to the week.

Long run. Headed out south on Fruitland Drive to Harrison Blvd, crossed 12th street, cut down to the Ogden River Parkway at about the 23.5 mile mark of the Ogden Marathon, and headed east to the mouth of the canyon. Stopped at Dee's Park restroom, took my second (and last) Gu and some water, made it to Rainbo Gardens, then hopped on the same trail Kenneth Richardson and I were on a few days ago. Ran to the canal and headed north, found a new trail (to me) and decided to follow it as far north as I could. It shadowed the canal road abut 100-150 meters above the canal, I don't think I saw another person for over 4 miles. It finally converged with a well-used trail which I used to work my way into North Ogden back to home. The last 30 minutes or so were definitely marathon race intensity, which is what I wanted and felt I needed. Came home, turned on the hose and stood under it for a few minutes, what  refreshing feeling. Dried off, came inside to the aroma of over-easy eggs, toast, and bacon. And of course, chocolate milk. Can't get enough of that. 1:57 for the run, will call it 18 miles. Great way to start off the week. Heading to Cokeville tomorrow for most of the week, hope to get in some quality threshold training while we're up there. 

(Nike Pegasus 44 miles)

Easy run with Nick Fisher, it's unbelievably hot and I'm unbelievably fatigued. I feel as if I could lay down anywhere and fall asleep. Headed to Cokeville tonight for the rest of the week, won't be doing draper days, and probably won't be able to enter runs on this until we get back on saturday nite.

A.M.

4 miles easy on the north access road west of the railroad tracks in Cokeville. Didn't see a vehicle the entire time, came within 50 yards of a deer which certainly had the "deer in the headlights" look the entire time I ran by. 26:30 minutes

P.M. 56 minutes to Pine Creek Ski Resort and back down 5 minutes until I met Annmarie and Myles, who were on the bike and bike trailer. Switched to the bike, AnnMarie ran back into town, but I don't think i can count any of the biking as mileage because it was virtually all downhill. Stomach gave me fits the entire time, hope I feel better tomorrow.

Cross trained. Decided against an evening run, as I'd like to be fresh for tomorrow's workout. Got to bed at a decent time.

Daniels' "T" workout. 4x2 mile repeats with 2 minutes recovery at "T" pace, but I wasn't sure what that pace would be at 6200 feet elevation. I hoped to be under 11 minutes for all of them. Last night, I marked the course with my bike, marking every 1/4 mile for two miles, so I could go out for 2 miles, recovery, turn around and do 2 more. Anyhow, I hit my first mile in 5:26 and felt great, so I cautiously ratcheted it down a little the 2nd mile. 5:17, for a total of 10:43. Altitude hadn't knocked me flat yet, so I felt I could keep about 10:35 for the remaining three. 10:34, 10:31, 10:29. I was working a little the last mile of the last repeat, but I felt in control the entire time. Jogged home. Plan to get out tonight for a few easy miles with AnnMarie and Myles.

60 minutes up past the Cokeville town dump, out on the sheep trail road, and worked my way back into town by running north on the trail until it meets the Smiths Fork Road, and back into town. A little sore from yesterday's 4x2 mile workout, but okay overall. Biked 8 miles while marking the course for tomorrow's 5K race and running various errands, will call it 3 miles of running.

Raced in the David Dayton 5K memorial run. I volunteered to help organize it, so a warm-up before the race consisted of...well, nothing. Absolutely no warm up. In fact, I noticed nobody there did, and we had a whopping 55 entrants! It was a race in memory of David Dayton, who used to host a 10K as part of Cokeville's Pioneer Days celebration. He was killed in 1991 in a baling accident, and this is the first year since then any sort of race has been put on. I figured I'd look kinda silly if I showed up in racing flats, did a full warm-up, strides and the whole bit, so I decided to wear trainers and use the first mile as a warm up. Stewart Peterson--whom many of you will recognize as the main character in "Where the Red Fern Grows"--lives in Cokeville and was the honorary starter. He fired a shotgun to get us going. 1st mile: 5:37, and I'm clear of the field by over 30 seconds. I ratchet the 2nd mile down to 5:12 or so, and about that for the last one. Cruised in at 16:33, I believe 2nd was 19:35. I won a Turkish-cotton beach towel, and ran another 8 miles after the race to get a good day's work in. Biked a few miles around town to check out the booths and exhibits at the park, took a nap, and drove back to Ogden where I swathed our lawn after two weeks of growth.

Trail run east of North Ogden, finished up by coming west on 3300 north. It's fairly flat, slightly downhill so I decided to turn on the jets for a mile or so. Felt pretty good after taking yesterday off, though that wasn't the original plan. 50 minutes. Will run again tonight in Cokeville.

p.m. 31 minutes with Nick Fisher in Cokeville. I recruited him to help me do some work on a couple homes. We ran through the streets of Cokeville, headed out for a mile on the Smith's fork road, then turned around and came back home.

38 minutes with Nick at Pine Creek Ski Resort outside of Cokeville. Easy run, but spent the rest of the day climbing and moving ladders working on two houses. Got back to Ogden after 10 p.m. Showered and was asleep practically as my head hit the pillow.

Ran for 3.5 miles, then jumped on the bike and rode over North Ogden Divide, down the other side, and over to Nick's house to get my truck. Threw the bike in the back, and came home.

Scheduled for a Daniels' "T" workout, though I must admit I had my doubts as I jogged over to the weber high track. My hamstrings were a little fried from biking up the divide yesterday, and I didn't feel rested when I woke up. Nonetheless, it was still overcast, so I figured if I didn't at least attempt to get the workout in, it would be too easy to not do any of it. The plan was 4xmile at threshold pace with 60 seconds recovery, then an hour easy run, followed by 15-20 minutes of threshold running. I left my racing flats in Cokeville, and I wished I had them this morning--the closest I could come to them was the Nike Pegasus, which, while cushioned and comfortable they are, they are not conducive to track workouts, in my humble estimation. Anyway, my first lap was 82, and I was hoping it would be 77 or something like that, letting me know I was going faster than necessary. No such luck, so I dug down and gutted out a 5:21 for the first mile, in clunky trainers. 5:20, 5:19, and 5:19 for the rest, decided to bag it and go for the 60 minutes and 15/20 threshold this evening. I feel like a slug.

2nd part of the Daniels' "TLT" workout. Ran easy for 45 minutes, then tempo pace for 3 miles @ 5:20 pace. Felt much better than yesterday--thank you to Sasha and Lulu for the encouraging words. I didn't intend to attempt to throw a pity party through my comments yesterday; rather, sluggish seemed to be the word that fit the best. Today was much different, much better. I felt like finally my fitness is approaching what I'd like it to get to. I realize this week hasn't been much for volume, but it's had decent quality, and last week was decent quality and quantity, so maybe that explains my lethargy yesterday. Going fishing early tomorrow morning with a neighbor friend--does standing in waist deep river water and walking upstream count as some sort of cross training?

Disappointing ending to the week, I didn't get a run in on Saturday. And I doubt that wading waist-high in a stream for four hours fishing counts as any sort of workout. But hey, we slayed the fish, so I suppose it was worth it to some small degree.

Wanted to get in around 90 minutes today, out the door relatively early and hit the trails east  and then got on the maintenance/service road at the foothills of Ben Lomond Peak. I love that trail, it overlooks all of greater Ogden, and it's not too technical of a trail. Wound my way back home in 1:28, so I was well pleased with that. Hope to really nail a couple good workouts this week, though my flats are still in Cokeville. I know I can adjust the times for the workouts, but I just don't feel as snappy in trainers.

West on Elberta and Pleasant View Drive until Hwy 89, then up the steep gravel pit access road, then jumped on the canal road (the one that comes from Brigham City to North Ogden), and worked my way back home. 60:23, felt a little sluggish but glad to get it over with before 7 a.m. Planning on running GSL 1/2 on the 18th, would like to click off 5:20s and feel comfortable.

I am unpleasantly surprised how tight my left hammy is, and my overall feeling of lethargy and fatigue.  Maybe I'm pregnant--who knows? Decided to play it safe, take an easy day, and see what the rest of the week feels like. 70 minutes on the trails east of North Ogden, south on the canal, and worked my way back on Fruitland Drive and 1050 east. 7 minute pace the entire way, before it got too hot. Need to get a solid workout in on Thursday or Friday, and again on Saturday or Sunday. Hope the hamstring feels better soon.

Didn't get a run in yesterday, which put me in a foul mood for most of the day, coupled with the fact we are in the middle of tiling our kitchen floor, which has REALLY put me in a foul mood. Anyway, I won't go into too much detail, other than to say I hope the people who buy our home don't look too closely at the tile. Ran 80 minutes with Casey Snider, another one of my former athletes who walked on the track/cross country team at Utah State. He is hoping to make the traveling team this fall, and I think he can do it. He broke 5 minutes maybe 3-4 times in high school, so what he's doing now is pretty remarkable. We ran on the trail at the base of Ben Lomond Peak, it was nice. Now...back to the bloody tiling.

50 minutes on the canal east with Gracy the dog. My folks are in town for a few days, so I took the border collie. Gracy certainly started faster than I like to that early in the morning, but after a few miles we were stride for stride, if it's possible to be "in stride" with a pooch. Decided the tile would be coming up on saturday and we'd start over. Went fishing with my Dad after the run, so I suppose that counts as more cross training, doesn't it? Standing in waist-high swift moving water is certainly a workout, isn't it?

Did part of a Daniels "T" workout today on the track. Cut the workout short a little to get ready in time for AnnMarie's triathlon in Hyrum. Did 3.25 miles at "T" pace in a stiff breeze, I wanted to be under 5:20 pace for the entire distance, and ended up 17:19, which I don't think I could have cut any closer if I tried. Took 3 minutes rest, then had time only for one more mile before I hdeaded home. 5:08, then changed shoes and headed home. Update on the tile: decided to tear up the un-uniform tile and re-set it. Yeah, not fun. Yeah, a lot of work. My pops and I spent Saturday afternoon scraping up the tiles and mortar, and that DEFINITELY counts as some sort of cross training.

66 minutes in Cokeville on the sheep trail--no jokes about the name of the trail, please. Gracy the dog went with me and did quite well the entire time. 4x120 strides on the grass at Cokeville High's football field. Felt pretty good the entire time. Myles is going with Grandpa & Grandma Wilson until Wednesday or Thursday, so I can finish the bloody kitchen tile while AnnMarie is at Girls Camp Tues-Fri.

Ran on the streets and trails of North Ogden, finished up with 1.5 miles at roughly marathon pace coming from the trail east of home. Nothing special, felt pretty good. Will do the Daniels "T" workout tomorrow.

Daniels "T" workout on the track with Casey Snider. Jogged there via the bathroom at Barker Parker in Pleasant View. The plan was 15-20 minutes at "T" pace, 10 minute jog, then 15-20 at "T" pace. First set was 13 laps (3.25 miles), switching off leads with Casey. He had the option to sit out any given lap, then run 1, 2, or 3 with me. Anyhow, so here's how it went: 1st mile 5:20, 2 miles 10:37, 3 miles 15:51, 17:08 for 3.25. Took off on a jog, and decided to do 3.5 for the final set. 1st lap: 82! I thought for sure it was faster than that, but I realize as well I'm just flat-out getting old and it takes a couple laps to warm up. 1600 in 5:19, 10:33 for 2 miles, 16:26 for 5K (didn't get 3 miles), but 18:14 for total, last mile in 5:03, last lap in 70. Yes, I was a little anaerobic on the last lap, but I didn't really care. I could smell the barn and wanted to blow out a little of the cobwebs. Today was a good confidence builder, I can't help but think this pace will feel like cake when Chicago rolls around. AnnMarie's gone to girls camp, Myles is with his grandparents, heck I have the entire house to myself...and the tile that needs grouted, and the doors that need hung/painted, lawn that needs mowed, etc. Yeah, I've got plenty to do.

40 minutes in Pleasant View and North Ogden. Definitely feeling yesterday's workout AND kneeling for 4 1/2 hours grouting and cleaning grout on the tile in the kitchen. My knees are hammered. Will plan on getting some more miles in this evening.

Trail run with Nick Fisher and Casey Snider. We started on the new Snowbasin road, and headed uphill toward Snowbasin resort. Once we got near the resort, we were a little above it and worked our way over to Green Pond trail, then down icebox to Wheeler canyon trailhead. Probably one of the most scenic and flat-out beautiful trails I've ever been on, even if it was fairly rocky in places. Saw two skunks, nearly ran over one about 15 minutes into the run, then we must have seen his cousin or something a few minutes later. Needless to say, we surged at those points, as they were fairly close to the trail. Really close. After the run, I drove to Rawlins, WY to meet my parents and pick up Myles. Had a heck of a time staying awake and alert, but made it home and even have some time to put some finishing touches on the kitchen before the vice-president returns from girls' camp. Planning on 20 miles on saturday, I need this run.

Easy 6 on the treadmill. One mile at 7:30 pace, 4 at 7:00 pace, the last one at 6:40 pace. Watched 42 minutes of "Open Season". Too hot to go outside, but I couldn't go this morning, with AnnMarie still at girls camp and just me/Myles at home. Hope I feel good for tomorrow's run.

Great run this morning, I was hoping to get a good distance run in, and I felt like I got it. Met with Nick, Casey, Corbin Talley and his davis high cross country team at Causey Reservoir. The plan was to run the trail at Causey, which would be 5 miles, then Casey and I would run back to our cars parked at Eden Park, which would give us between 21 and 22 miles. Nick would only be running the trail part with us, as he's only been training a month. I don't know exactly how long the trail is, people say it's 2.5 miles, but it took us 21-plus minutes to get to the end of it, and no way were we going 8 minute pace. Interesting side note about the trail, if you ever want to see one of nature's finest displays, hike or run this trail the last two weeks in September or first week in October. Kokanee salmon migrate up the tributary which feeds causey reservoir to spawn (that means give birth and die to city folks), and there are literally thousands of salmon. the trail naturally meets up with the stream, and a blind person could see all the salmon. It's quite a sight. Anyhow...

So 40 minutes with the Davis High crew and Nick, then Casey and I took off for the rest of the run. Casey admitted to staying out late the previous couple nights, and unfortunately I wasn't in a very charitable mood, and had been good-naturedly ribbing him on the ride up to causey and on the trail portion that I was going to abuse him on the remaining part of the run. Well, his week and the pace finally caught up to him about 1 hour 25 minutes into the run, so I told him I'd see him back in Eden. I wanted to push myself into that zone where we all get to the last few miles of a marathon. Where our mind and body alike say "enough already". I got there with about 15 minutes to go, and attempted to keep 6 minute pace and a decent stride going. It hurt for sure, but it was one of my goals for the run, and I was fortunate to get the last 5 miles just under 6 minute pace. 2:17 for the entire run, came home, ate and slept for a couple hours. I feel okay now, will try to get to bed tonight at a decent time. Casey struggled home the last 10 miles, and admitted afterword that he needs to treat his body better if he's going to push it like we did. He'll be just fine at Utah State, I don't know if I've met a harder worker than this guy.

Trail run today. 1st 25 minutes were all uphill, I went on the access road being used to construct the new water tower at the base of Ben Lomond Peak in North Ogden. Headed east on the power line trail once I made it to the water tower, then home on 3100 north. I wasn't moving very fast, I can still feel yesterday's 20 plus miler, but I'll be okay. Stayed out a little late last night at the Weber County redneck bonanza, aka the Demolition Derby, but hey, I suppose we all have a little redneck in us.

Hard workout today, Daniels "T" workout. 8x1 mile @ threshold pace with 30 seconds rest. Decided I'd better do this one on the track at Weber High, and I even conned Casey Snider into doing some of it with me. Didn't know how much he'd be doing, but hoped for 2 out of 4 laps from him. My goal pace was to be under 5:20, and figured it would be a bonus if it felt easy.

1st one: 5:18, then 5:17, 5:16, 5:15, 5:17, 5:15, and 5:03. For the last one, Casey ran the 1st, 3rd and 4th laps with me, we were 77 on the first lap, 78 on the second, 77 on the third, and 71? on the last. I think that adds up to 5:03, or at least pretty close to it. Did the entire workout feel easy? No, it did not. I was a little fatigued from Saturday's run, but I think my fitness is at a decent level. We'll see how GSL 1/2 goes this weekend. It's off to Cokeville this afternoon for some high-altitude living and training.

65 minutes in Cokeville, most of it with Nathan. It sure is nice to have 55-60 degree weather for running. Short entry, gotta jet.

65 minutes again with nathan, a little slower than yesterday. Went out on the Poison Creek trail/road, then back through town and out on the Smith's Fork road for a mile or so. Felt pretty sluggish and tired, but glad to have it over with.

50 minutes in Cokeville with Nathan. Felt okay, not great. Spent the rest of the day in Afton in meetings for new teachers. 

Rest today. Traveled to North Ogden from Cokeville, hope to get a good night's sleep.

I don't know why I keep doing this race.  I had debated doing the xTerra trail run Friday night and then the Peak Performance 5K saturday morning, but figured I'd better show my face at a circuit race and wear the SLRC uniform a couple times this summer. I slept okay--not great--and made it to the registration in plenty of time. When I saw Paul Peterson, Pat Smyth, Teren, Dennis, I really felt like I should have done the trail race/5K combo instead. But I knew my training had been solid, and figured 5:20s would be very reasonable.

For some reason, I feel like something just isn't right. My hamstrings have been hurting for over a month now, and a race situation just exacerbates it. I don't mean to make excuses--Teren, Pat, Paul, Dennis, Sasha and many others ran great. Rather, I know I'm in better shape than 1:13, and I can't figure out why just six years ago I ran 1:08:08 on this very course and ran that day thinking "Who wants to go faster?  Who?" I don't buy that it's all in my head--my training is solid and I feel fairly fit most days, I feel something biomechanical is not right. I am going to spend some time and money getting checked out by my physical therapist, I trust her and feel she can get me back on track again.

Anyhow...the race. Teren took off like a scalded dog, Pat and Paul went with him, and I thought out loud there would be some road kill before 10 miles. I didn't think 5:20s would make ME road kill, but it did and Dennis pulled away at 8. Sasha dropped off at 6, and I was able to keep Dennis in range, and finally when we got to the island I changed rthythm and caught up to him and ran in with him. Overall, I was disappointed with how things turned out, I don't know what else to do other than to get checked out with the P.T. and see what she says.

I was amazed on the bus ride back to the start to see Bill and Sasha running back to the start. They both look fit, I'll bet Bill doesn't have more than 2% body fat. The guy looks FIT, like a gunny sack full of deer antlers.

Easy run with Morgan Hancock, one of my former athletes. He's going to attempt to walk on at Weber State, so we ran together for a few miles this morning. I'm sore, and in a somewhat sour mood after yesterday's debacle. Why are my hamstrings so freakin' sore?! Nobody needs to respond to that, I just felt like venting a little.

Okay, it's been way too long since I last was on here. A lot has happened, and for a variety of reasons I didn't feel like putting my training and racing out there for everyone to dissect and analyze. However, time heals most wounds and I suppose there is benefit to having a blog. So, here I am and I will offer a brief synopsis of the last 4 months running-wise.

After the Great Salt Lake 1/2 marathon, I was bummed beyond bummed and basically disgusted that I had worked so hard all spring and summer to race so poorly. Cross wind or not, I was in the dumps for several weeks. Chicago marathon was looming ever near, and I suppose deep down I doubted my abilities and preparation to run a sub 2:22 there. Well, as it turns out, I don't think I could have gone sub 2:22 with Kenyan-like training. As I'm sure all of you read, the conditions were sweltering in the shade and absolutely oven-like on the course. It was everything you read, saw, and heard about and more. It was like a scene from a zombie movie--runners prone on the pavement, wandering and staggering like drunken sailors. And those were the elite runners! It was crazy, absolutely crazy. The finish line at most marathons is a mixture of joyous relief, elation, and emotional high; Chicago was more like a funeral. No high-fiving, no hugs, no pats on the back. Rather, it was filled with "What the heck just happened?" stares from people who looked like they just went 12 rounds with Mike Tyson. At the starting line, I told myself a 2:25-2:28 would be an acceptable performance, and coming through the 1/2 way mark in 1:12, I felt my adjusted goal was still within reach. However, by 18 I felt like someone had unplugged me and placed me directly over an open pit fire. My calves seized up, my stride shriveled, and yet I was still passing people. Eventually, the 1st woman caught me, then the 2nd, 3rd, 4th... I didn't care. I hoped each time I went over a bridge it would open and allow me a clear passage to its cool green relief. AnnMarie saw me a couple times the last few miles and encouraged me each time I stopped to stretch out my calves, and the crowd remained supportive despite the conditions. Final time: 2:39:01 or something close to that. I figured I'd be about 300th or so, but I was quite surprised to see I was 41st male, 45th or 46th overall. I've never been "chicked" before, but I suppose after it happening to Corbin Talley this summer, it was bound to happen to me sooner or later.

One gentlemen did indeed die at Chicago, and while most of you read/saw the report about it, being there at the time, my only thought was that everyone was lucky they didn't pass on as well. It could have happened to so many more, I'm surprised it didn't.

Since Chicago, I've been running. Not regularly, but not sporadically either. Somewhere in between. As for the future, I don't know what my competitive running goals/plans are right now. Moving to Cokeville, Wyoming has been a good move on several levels, but probably not necessarily for my running. For right now, I'm okay with that. November and December have always been my "active rest" months, and coaching junior high boys basketball from Oct 15 to Dec 13 definitely emphasized the "rest" portion of that phrase. Now that that is over, I have more time to do other things, like run and run after Myles, so naturally I will be running more. The temp in Cokeville doesn't climb much above 20 throughout most of the winter, so I'll log most of my miles on the treadmill. If I don't get back to the levels I was at from 2001-2007, that's okay with me. I've accomplished the goals I had since junior high and have stayed relatively healthy the entire time. My running timeline from when I first started can be broken down into three phases:  junior high/high school, college, and post-college. In junior high & high school, I ran because I won nearly every race I entered. My questions when I raced then weren't would I win, but rather by how much would I win and how many times would I lap the field. College was a different story, one where I constantly measured how fast I could run, and hopefully win a race or two. Post-college has largely been to get to the Oly Trials, which I was blessed to do, and win some cash, which I was also fortunate enough to do. Right now, I exercise to stay in shape, to fit into my normal clothes, and to have ice cream without feeling guilty about it. I honestly don't know if I'll want to put in monster miles again and go for another fast time in the marathon or whatever distance. I just don't know right now. So until I do know, I'll keep running. That's what we do, that's why we're different. No matter what seems to happen in our lives, we continue to run. We run to celebrate, we run to soothe pains and disappointment. We run for social hour, and we run at all hours of the day and night. For those who don't understand why we run, there is no explanation. For those who do understand, there is none needed.

I'm officially outta shape. 5 miles on the treadmill, and I was definitely working. It felt good to run hard, even though I wasn't running that hard. Our treadmill is in the same room as our wood burning stove, so it's about 85 degrees in there. Kinda felt like Chicago marathon!Anyhow, one day, one run at a time and it will come back. Played 45 minutes of pickup basketball early this morning with fellow teachers and other early-risers in town. I'm outta basketball shape as well.

Only had time for 4 miles with George Barlow and Taylor Monson. George is a senior at Weber High, and Taylor returned a couple months ago from Ethiopia and is getting back into shape. I coached Taylor in high school, and he is contemplating running for Weber State. He has the talent and work ethic to do very well there. George is incredibly fit and I think he will run some very fast times this indoor and outdoor season.

55 minutes with Taylor Monson. I couldn't find a decent hat, so the one I used definitely kept me cool on the run. I am still in unbelievably poor shape, but it felt good to get out for more than 3 or 4 miles, and to do it outside instead of on the treadmill. Most of all, it feels good to run two consecutive days.

Good run on the treadmill, before the fireplace made the room sweltering hot. Played with the incline the last couple miles, I suppose that's what happens when I watch Rocky IV while running!

Not much time for a run this morning, but it felt good to at least get a few miles in. I think December has been my most infrequent month of running on record for some time now. Not proud of that. Much to do in 2008 to get back into shape.

Ran with Taylor Monson this morning in Ogden, we were down there to show our home to some potential renters. We've been trying to sell our home in North Ogden for almost 5 months, and since it hasn't sold, we decided to rent it out. So we met with a couple families, and it worked out where Taylor and I could hook up for a run. I'm WAY outta shape, but it felt good to get a few miles under my belt. Taylor is still wrestling with whether he wants to walk on at Weber State or not--I basically outlined to him that if he has any inkling of giving it a try, he'll regret it if he doesn't give it a shot. Time will tell.