A clydesdale no more!

I didn't expect to be running in a snow storm on May 1st.  What crazy weather we have had this year.  I've extended my loops a little because I can't handle the short ones anymore.  I think that I will start running 5 mile loops.  I will never be more than 2 miles from home so I think that it will be alright.  My hamstring feels 90% and my foot is a little better.  It is still bothering me and I favor it but I can almost run normally.

My foot's almost feeling normal.  I can't figure out why I could barely walk the other day and it is feeling alright just a couple of days later.  My form felt awkward but at least the pain was minimal.  I ran the KMart loop twice.  I still can't decide if it is alright leaving the kids at home while running the longer loop.  I'm still within 2 miles of home and they are asleep.

Ran 6.4 miles with the club and another 9.7 on my own.  My Garmin has not able to grab any satellites for a few days so I may need to lay it to rest.  Nothing hurt today but nothing really felt right either.  My form was really clunky and my feet were hitting the ground funny.  This happens occasionally and I'm not sure what the cause is.  Maybe it's the extra 7 pounds that I'm carrying.  I really need to start eating a little better.

Drove up to the mouth of Mueller park canyon and ran up to elephant rock.  There was still a lot of snow towards the top and I had to walk for a portion of the run.  The trail is so narrow that if I would have lost my footing I would have slid down the side of the mountain. It was nice to get up there and get in a peaceful run.  I really need to do this more often.

I played soccer last night with my son's soccer team and my quads are thrashed.  It's interesting when you use a different group of muscles to see how muscle specific running is.  All of the starting, stopping and bursts of speed really took its toll on me.

I can't believe how sore my quads are.  The combination of the soccer game and the hilly run really took it's toll on me.  I pretty much cut out hill training while my hamstring has been causing me problems.  Because of this, I think that I lost a lot of my ability to run hills.  I kept the pace during the run relatively easy.

Easy recovery run.  Legs are still a little sore and I really couldn't get in the groove.  My form really feels out of whack. 

Warmed up with 3 easy miles then ran 4 miles at tempo pace. I've done very little speed work this year so I thought that I would throw one session in before the marathon. I felt very good during the tempo portion and was as consistent as I have ever been (6:23, 6:21, 6:22, 6:21). My hamstring did start to ache towards the end but nothing too serious. It was good to have a good run after so many lousy runs.

Another easy run this morning.  I feel like my legs are starting to recover through the taper.

Just putting in the miles. Nothing too exciting. It is starting to warm up and I fear that the marathon may be a little warmer than I would like.

I almost forgot that the SGM lottery results will be posted tonight. I registered at the last minute and am not even sure if I want to run it this year. Good luck to everyone without guaranteed entry.

Ran up to the rec center to meet with the club.  I don't know why I bother because I always end up running alone.  I guess I just like to have some connection with the local running scene.  I felt really good on the way up and for the first few miles.  I was running 7:00/mile and felt very comfortable.  I decided to back off the pace for the second half of the run since I am in the middle of the taper.

It was a nice morning for a run.  The air was crisp from the storm last night and it felt really good.  The cutback in mileage has been nice because I finally feel like my legs are healing.  The pace felt good and was very comfortable.  I've been in a weird place emotionally so it was nice to have a good run.

Started off with 5 easy miles then ran 2 miles at marathon pace.  I really wasn't feeling it today but the splits came in faster than I expected (6:36, 6:31).  This is a little faster than I plan on running so that is a good sign.

Just an easy 5 today.  I ran in new shoes and they didn't feel very comfortable.  It usually takes a few runs for shoes to form to my feet and start feeling right.  I think that I am going to run the marathon in my older shoes.  They only have 270 miles on them so they should be fine.

Another easy 5. Threw in a few downhill strides just for run. Other than my weight being higher than I would like, I feel ready for the race.

I just had a really foolish thought.  Even though I was planning on taking a break from marathons this year, I am contemplating running the Grand Slam.  I'm already running Ogden and SGM so I only need to run Park City and TOU.  I will already be in marathon shape so running these two wouldn't be a big deal.  The only real issue is accepting a slightly slower time at SGM from running TOU.  I've done it before and have done fine.  I was just looking at the list of people signed up in my age group and there is only one person faster than me (Walter) so I think that I would have a shot at an age group award.  At my level, I look for any small victory that I can find.  The only thing holding me back is that I'm not sure that I will be able to get in the mileage that I really want to with all the other junk going on in my life.  I am open to any and all opinions on this.

One final shake out run.  I'm not going to complain about all of the weird pains because I'm sure that they are just phantom pains.

Short Version: I'm very disappointed with the race today. I started a little too aggressive and basically quit at mile 19. I need to step back and reevaluate some things and figure out how to move forward. I will write more detail later once the disappointment wears off. If I write the report now, it will be very whiny and negative.

Long Version:

I think that I am in a better state of mind so here goes.

Started out the race with Jon which I knew would be at a slightly more aggressive pace than I was planning. I figured that if you don’t test your limits then you will never know what they are. From the get go, my lower legs did not feel right. They were burning but everything else felt good. We averaged 6:30 for the first 5 miles and it actually felt exactly as it should (other than the lower leg discomfort). At the 5 mile aid station I decided that I needed to back off and let Jon go ahead. I averaged 6:45 for the next 5 miles which is the pace that I was planning for the first 10. This pace felt a lot better and the burning sensation in my lower legs disappeared. I started to fear what the first 5 miles were going to end up doing to me. Slowed to a little over 7:00/mile pace going through the rollers which was 10 seconds/mile slower than I anticipated. Hit the half way point in 1:28:45 and was right on track. The only issue up to this point was that the taylor’s bunion on my right foot was absolutely killing me. This happened during the Striders ½ marathon during this same section of the course. I changed my stride a little to see if I could make the pain go away but nothing seemed to work. I soon realized that the camber on the right side of the road took some of the pressure off and it felt much better.

After the half marker, I was back down to 6:45/mile for the next 5 miles except the big climb during the 15th mile. I ran this mile in 7:24 which was a little slower than I wanted. I moved past the 1st place female runner while she hit the bushes for a potty break. Through 18 miles I was averaging 6:49/mile which was probably right on target. The only problem was that I was finished. My splits started to get slower and slower and I knew that I was in survival mode. My legs felt like they weighed a ton and the heat started becoming an issue. Despite being in the canyon, there wasn’t a lot of protection from the sun. I averaged 7:22/mile for miles 19 through 22. Despite the slow down, I was only passed by one marathoner and 2 relay runners and I moved ahead of a few guys that were struggling. The first place women passed me and I could hear the second place female not far behind. I was pretty sure who it was and sure enough here comes Michelle blowing by me. I got a little adrenaline rush and was able to pick up the pace so that I could run with her and we ran the 23rd mile in 6:57. This actually frustrated me a little because it made me realize that my slow down was more of a mental break down, not a physical one. My pace slowed to 7:05 for the 24th mile and Michelle started to pull away. She was really moving well - she is one tough chick. After Michelle was out of sight, I completely gave into the discomfort and finished the last 2.2 miles at 7:50 pace. Final time: 3:04:15.

I’m not sure if I have ever been more disappointed after a marathon. It’s not so much the time, it’s the fact that I gave up. Sasha talks about Quality X and it is apparent that I have very little. When Michelle passed me, I could tell that she had a very high level of discomfort but she didn’t let it discourage her. She kept at it and was able to tough it out. I really admire that and am envious of that ability. I was anxious for this race and was really looking forward to a more legitimate sub-3. I can look back and pick out a million things that I could have done differently during training and the race but I wonder if the lack of Quality X prevents me from being a quality marathoner.

I was able to meet a lot of bloggers at the start which was really nice. I also so Brent near the end taking pictures (thanks for getting my attention). I guess we learn more from our failures than our successes so I am going to really look at the things I did going into this race to see if I can make an effort to improve.

Update with results: I finished in 30th place overall and 6th in my age group.  Four of the 5 people who beat me in my age group are FRB'rs (Jeff, Chad, Kory, Walter).  Was chicked by 3 but one was an FRB so that doesn't count.  One was an old chick so maybe that should count as 2.

Got out for a super easy run to help clear the mind.  I almost fell over with my first step because my left hamstring did not want to cooperate.  It started to loosen up in the middle of the run so I am glad that I got out.  Towards the end of the run, the front of my lower left leg started to hurt as well.  The pace was around 10:00/mile.

Another super easy 5. I'm going to keep the mileage very low this week. There is a local 5k on Memorial day that I would like to run and I would like to allow for as much recovery as possible. My legs feel quite a bit better than yesterday. They are still sore and slow but they are heading in the right direction.

The FRB got some good press in the Standard examiner.
 

Another easy 5.  At least I am being consistent this week.  I was going to go a little longer but decided that this is the one week that I can (and should) take it really easy.  My right calf seized up on me at one point.  This has never happened to me before.  Stopped to stretch and massage it for a minute and it felt fine afterward.

Cold and rainy.  I guess this is the kind of weather that we are going to have for a few days.  My legs are still a little out of it but they are getting better.  No specific pain just an overall feeling of slowness.  I'm really hoping that I will be just a little ready for the 5k on Monday.  I know that I can't expect a top performance but I would like to at least feel a little fast.  I'm still running watchless but it was probably around 8:00/mile pace.
 

Another cool morning.  Fortunately the rain stopped shortly after I got going.  It actually felt nice out because of the crispness of the air.  Still letting my legs dictate the pace but it is picking up a little bit each day.  I ran the local 5k course just to get a feel for it. 
 

I felt really good at the first of the run but my legs started to feel dead towards the end.  This has been the slowest and least miles that I have run in a very long time.  I guess that is what recovery weeks are for.

Ran 4 miles around the neighborhood before driving up to the BST in Centerville to meet the South Davis Road Runners.  I didn't realize that this trail was even there.  It was a really great run.  There is some climbing but it is not relentless like the other trails that I have run.  At the turnaround point I realized that Lora (the club organizer) was right behind me so I waited for her and we ran most of the way back together.  Drove back home, checked on the kids and ran 2 more miles around the block.  The weather was absolutely perfect this morning.  It was a really good run.

I went to Wasatch Running Center yesterday to sign up for the Grand Slam.  While I was there I picked up a pair of Wright Socks and some Zensah compression sleeves for my lower legs.  My lower legs seem to fatigue quicker than anything else so I thought I would give them a try.  It is probably psychological but I really think they helped lessen the fatigue.  It will be interesting to see how they work long term.  I got the Wright Socks to see if they would help with my foot issues.  My feet didn't seem to hurt as much but since the majority of the run was on the trail it is hard to tell.  I also signed up for the Park City marathon and booked my flight for the Northwest Passage Relay (leaving Fri, July 25 on Delta at 8:20).  It was a busy (and expensive) day yesterday.

It certainly wasn't ideal race conditions.  Woke up to a torrential downpour.  I ran up to the starting line (1 mile) and was surprised to see how many people were still there to run the race.  Ran another mile to warm up then waited under a tent until it was time to start the race.  I didn't have high expectations because I wasn't sure how well my body would respond 1 week after the marathon.  I figured that I would just try to hold 6:00/mile pace throughout the run.  I knew that a PR would not be in the cards today.  The gun went off and we were off.  A group of about 8 high school XC runners were in the front but another runner and I moved past all of them in the first 1/4 mile.  Held onto second place until the mile marker when 4 of the young bucks moved past me.  First mile split was 6:04.  Stayed in 6th place until the second mile marker (6:02) when I passed another runner.  I could really start to feel the marathon halfway through the race and my legs were starting to burn.  I hung behind 4th place until there was 3/4 mile to go and I passed him.  I thought that he would drop off but he stayed with me.  He passed me then I passed him again.  We went back and forth a couple of times until I realized that his young legs were going to outlast mine.  The last 1.1 was at 5:56 pace and I finished in 18:48 and 5th place overall.  Last year I ran this race in 18:54 so it was a course PR.  I was a little surprised that my legs held up as well as they did.  It definitely was not 100% effort but it was a good solid effort.  Finished up  by running 3 easy miles to cool down.

Time to start building the mileage back up again.  A little residual soreness from yesterday but nothing too major.  The weather was absolutely perfect for a run.

One of the things lacking from my training is hill running.  I've been hesitant to really hit the hills because of my nagging pains.  Now that most things are feeling better I've decided to add the weekly hill run back into the mix.  I ran up to the entrance to Mueller Park canyon and back home.  Going up wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but coming down was a lot worse.  It took awhile to get used to running downhill and it felt really sloppy.  I had to stop a few times to rub my foot out because the tailor's bunion was really bothering me today.  On the bright side, I am loving the Zensah socks.  I highly recommend these to anybody who has lower leg issues.

My legs felt dead this morning so I kept the pace really easy.  It was a bit of a struggle but I was able to get the miles in.

My legs are a little sore but other than that I felt good this morning.  The weather has been perfect for running this week.  I had to stop and rub my foot a few times to lessen the discomfort from the bunion.  It's not really the bone that hurts but the skin and soft tissue around it so I am going to try taping it to see if it will help. 

AM 

Met the South Davis Road Runners at the BST and ran 7.5 miles with them. It was the same run as last week but I missed a turn at the end so it was a little shorter. I was able to run with a couple of runners most of the time so that was nice. I felt good and my downhill running was better than it has been. Drove back home, changed my shirt and shoes and grabbed a drink and went out for another 7.5. I should have left the other shoes on. My foot was killing me the entire run. I have to figure out how to minimize the discomfort.

PM

Kids were with their mom and I was very bored so instead of sitting around thinking how stupid it was that this was the first time I have had to myself in a long time and I couldn't think of anything to do, I decided to go for a run at 10:00.  I ran out to the Legacy Highway construction site and ran on the unfinished highway for a couple of miles.  I felt very good during the run and was able to get into a good rhythm.  I went about 8 miles, give or take.