A clydesdale no more!

The roads were a little icy this morning.  There was not a lot of snow but what did come down was frozen solid on the ground.  After 3 easy miles, I decided to run a few faster pace miles.  Ran 3 miles at 6:45-6:50 minutes/mile.  I ran an easy mile and then ran 2 more at the same pace.  Probably could be considered "junk miles" but felt good to move the legs at a little quicker pace. 

A little chilly to start but temps felt alight as the run progressed.  I felt very good from start to finish.  Legs never felt tired and breathing was never an issue.  Averaged 7:45 for the run.  It is interesting to me that I am running well on the long runs but am really struggling with the faster paced runs.  Maybe that is an indication that I am getting to a point in life where I should transition to ultra marathons.  Probably too much of a time commitment. 

Felt "off" this morning so I skipped the planned run.  Assumed I would end up with a goose egg for the day but had the chance to run right after work.  Becky left from her daughter's dance and I left from home with the plan of catching up to her (she had less than a mile head start).  Ran the first mile in 6:30 (slightly uphill) and felt light headed.  I am not used to running in the afternoon and it took a minute to get into a groove.  Got to the point where our path's met and couldn't see her in either direction.  Decided to continue going for another mile and would turn back if I didn't see her at that point.  Ran the second mile in 6:20 and felt really good.  Turned around and realized I had gotten ahead of her.  Waited for her to catch up and we ran 5 miles together at a comfortable pace.  Dropped her off and decided to ran the last mile at 5k pace.  The first 1/2 mile was slightly downhill which certainly made it easier.  Finished the last mile in 5:50.  These were all bonus miles and felt good to get them in.

Between running later yesterday and only getting a few hours of sleep, I was very tired and had little energy during the run this morning.  To top it off, the wind was really blowing making it difficult to maintain 9:00/mile.  Not a very enjoyable run but got the miles in.

Just an easy few miles.  Crazy that 2 days ago it was 60 degrees and I was running in shorts and a t-shirt and this morning I was basically ice skating.  Typical Utah shizophrenic spring weather.

Short on time so I had to cut a couple of miles out of the run.  Ran up to the mouth of Mueller Park canyon and back home.  Decided to change it up a bit and ran 0.25 miles hard and 0.15 easier while going up.  Felt very strong.  While coming back down, I couldn't get my legs to turnover very fast.  I really wanted to push hard on the last mile but the legs just wouldn't move.  I wasn't tired and felt like I could push a lot harder but my legs wouldn't respond.  Ended up running the last mile in 6:30.

Schedule said 17 with 14 at marathon pace.  I have been a little concerned about pacing the 1:35 group at the Riverton half so I decided to use this as a test run.  I wanted to run a little faster than the 7:15 average to account for course difficulty and the possibility of wind.  Ran 2 easy miles (7:55//mile) to the LPT then transitioned to 7:00/mile.  Pace felt very good.  I was able to lock in the pace and hold it for the entire run.  Had a little headwind on the way back which was good practice.  I started to feel glycogen depletion the last 2 miles which was a little disappointing.  I only had 12 oz of Gatorade and 1 GU so maybe with a little more fuel I could sustain the pace longer.  Splits for the MP miles were: 7:00, 7:04, 7:00, 6:56, 7:00, 7:00, 6:58, 7:02, 7:00, 6:57, 6:59, 6:58, 7:00, 6:57.  This definitely eased my concerns for pacing Riverton. 

Another very windy run.  Ran north on the LPT.  Haven't been that directioin in a while so it was a nice change.  Legs felt a little tight and my groin was especially sore. 

Another windy run.  Put in a decent effort.  Nothing spectacular.  Form felt a little strange and out of synch.

Hilly run to Bountiful Blvd.  Had the mindset of pushing hard but the body didn't agree.  It is a hard run regardless of the effort but I didn't push as hard as I should have.  I could definitely feel my extra weight this morning.

Just your basic run of the mill general aerobic run.  Yet another windy day.  Really getting tired of running in the wind.  Temperatures are great so maybe I should just enjoy being outside.  My legs are a little sore and felt heavy. 

Boston Bib #2670.  Was hoping I could sneak into corral 2.

I'm not going to complain about the wind because I didn't have to race in it like many did today.  It is much easier to tolerate when it is just a training run.  Headed to the LPT again.  Am starting to like it a little more.  I was very bored with it for a while but I now prefer it over running through town.  Started into the wind so I could finish running with the wind.  Pace was around 7:50/mile into the wind and it felt comfortable.  Turned around at Rose Park golf course and enjoyed the wind at my back.  At mile 11 I decided to break up the monotony of the run and alternate fast and slow miles.  Ran 6:34, 7:30, 6:30, 7:20, 6:23 for the next 5 miles and finished with 2 easy miles.  There was probably no physiological benefit in me doing that but it felt good.

AM

6 miles: This was supposed to be a big week of training but it is off to a really bad start.  Energy level is really low.  I think I can shift my runs around and still get a good week of running in.  Legs felt very tired and sore this morning.  One of those runs where you feel like you are wasting your time.  I am going to try to get out later this afternoon for a short and easy run.

PM

4 Miles: Just in case you were not aware of this, eating a smothered burrito with cheese before going on a run is not a good idea.  Slow and heavy does not even begin to explain how I felt.  Got the miles in and may still be able to salvage the week.

Epic fail.  Was supposed to be 6 X 3/4 mile at 5k pace.  I got through 3 and the pace was getting progressively slower so I gave up and just finished the miles at a general aerobic pace.  Can't explain what happened.  Just an awful run.  I think I have gotten to the point where I am losing my speed.  I am fine at certain paces but anything faster than 1/2 marathon pace is a real struggle. I think I will just coast into Boston and not worry about the lack of speed.

My body is rebelling against me.  Pace was slow and painful.  I didn't bother wearing my Garmin because I knew I would be disappointed in the feedback it provided.  Just plugged along and got the miles in.  Woke up at 2 am so that may have contributed to the difficulty.  When I left, I thought I had plenty of time to get home and get Ashton to school.  Apparently I ran so slow that we had to leave as soon as I got back.  I am just going to count these as miles in the bank and not worry about anything else.

Six easy miles on dead legs.  Really thought about taking a break today but want to get to 60 miles this week and needed the run today.  Really nice morning outside so I am glad I got out to "enjoy" it. 

Met Kam and Tara and MPJH so that we could do some downhill running.  We ended up running quite a varied terrain.  Started with 3/4 mile uphill just to wake up the lungs and legs.  Ran 5 miles down to the LPT then ran a few flat miles along the trail.  We then ran up to Tara's house to drop her off.  Had I known what it was going to take to get up to Tara's I may not have agreed to it.  It was quite the climb.  We were at 12 miles at her house and my Garmin died.  Fortunately, Kam has a built in GPS and knew where to run to get the extra eight miles.  I felt really good during the run.  I had the usual moments of soreness and tired legs but was able to fight through it.  Technically starting the taper but the next week still has a decent amount of miles. 

Legs were sore but I could feel strength behind the soreness.  Not sure if that makes any sense.  Absolutely perfect running weather.  Just what is needed to put my attitude in the right place.

It was colder than I expected it to bet his morning so I was a little underdressed. Legs felt a little sore.  Hoping that taking it easy for the next few weeks will take care of that. 

Just a run.  Nothing exciting.  A little windy and I tried to push a little harder going into the wind.  Trying to practice for the probable wind at the Riverton half on Saturday.

Easy paced run.  I cannot figure out why my legs are hurting right now.  It is not in a specific spot.  Both legs hurt from top to bottom.  I should be feeling really good with the reduced mileage. 

Riverton Half Marathon Pacer (1:35)

Never been more down in the dumps about my fitness level so I am going to keep this brief.  Otherwise, it is going to be very negative and serve no purpose.  Paced the 1:35 group with Craig and stuck to the pace very well.  Got to mile 11.5 and told Craig that I wasn't going to be able to hold the pace and set him on his way.  Pulled the pacer jersey off and jogged the rest of the way trying to cheer on others.  Didn't bother crossing the finish line because there was no point.  In hindsight, I could have finished in 1:35:30 but I felt like I had already failed my goal.  Craig finished in 1:35:03.  Glad he was there to bail me out.  Here are the splits including goal and actual pace:

Mile	Actual	Goal	Total Variance
1	7:07	7:06	0:01
2	7:06	7:10	(0:03)
3	7:00	7:02	(0:05)
4	7:29	7:32	(0:08)
5	7:13	7:10	(0:05)
6	7:04	7:06	(0:07)
7	7:19	7:15	(0:03)
8	7:18	7:15	0:00
9	7:23	7:19	0:04
10	7:09	7:19	(0:06)
11	7:30	7:32	(0:08)
12	??	7:19
13	??	7:10

In hindsight, I could view this as a success because I was able to help the group get through 11.5 miles right on pace.  On the other hand, I was hoping this was slower than marathon pace.  Don't even feel like Boston is worth the trip at this point.  See, I told you if I kept typing it would get very negative.