A clydesdale no more!

Decided to take it nice and easy today.  Ran to the county building in Farmington then back home.  Felt pretty good for most of the run.  The miles went by quickly and it was a really nice run.  Right medial tibia is aching and it has me a little concerned.  It is the site of a previous stress fracture.  Hoping that it is nothing too serious.  

Total Time: 2:23:51 (7:57/mile) 

I usually take the day after a long run off but since I had to shift my schedule around last week I ended up running an easy recovery run today.  My legs were pretty tired so I decided to just enjoy the run and not concern myself with how slow I was going.  With about 2 miles to go, my path crossed with another runner who was running very comfortably at a pretty decent pace.  I had to fight the urge to stay with him and kept telling myself that the purpose of today's run was recovery.  Right tibia is still pretty sore and I may cut back on the mileage a bit this week to allow it to heal.

Total Time: 49:39 (8:16/mile)

Avg HR: 134

Tibia was pretty sore throughout the day yesterday and I was a bit concerned.  It feels a lot better this morning and is only a little sore.  Pretty sure that it is just your run of the mill shin splints.  Ran a good paced GA run this morning and felt good for most of the run.  Got a little lazy during mile 6 which included a small climb up an overpass.  Other than than, was able to hold a consistent pace throughout the run.

Total Time: 57:29 (7:11/mile)
 

Nothing exciting, just got out and tried to enjoy the run.  Wanted to run to the entrance of Mueller Park but thought that the downhill on the return home would be too much on my tibia.  Ran the Orchard Drive loop instead.  It got a little warm towards the end of the run and I was completely soaked.  As I made my last turn about 1/2 mile away from home I saw the garbage truck.  I didn't think that they would be making pick ups today due to the holiday so I had to push hard the last 1/2 mile to get ahead of him.  Ran the last half mile at a little faster than 5k pace and it felt good.

Total Time: 1:18:20 (7:42/mile) 

I woke up with no energy today.  Just wanted to do a long recovery run.  Legs were pretty dead for most of the run.  I'm not quite sure what the problem is.  I think that the heat is taking it's toll on me.

Total Time: 1:11:55 (7:59/mile) 

For some reason, my legs are still completely wiped out.  I think that it is because I didn't take a day off last week.  I have a long run tomorrow then next week will be a cut back week.  After that, my 12 week training program for St. George begins.  I'm hoping that the cut back week will put me at a good starting point for a good training cycle.

Total Time: 57:30 (7:53/mile) 

A super slow long run today.  My legs are still pretty worn out but I think that if I cut back a little next week I will be fully charged again.  The first couple of miles kind of dragged on but then I got into a zone and ran the rest in cruise control.  There were a lot of cyclists on the road today.  I'm not sure if it was a organized ride or just lots of people getting out to enjoy the heat.  Stopped back at the house to pick up my in-laws dog to run the last mile (dog sitting again).  This was a bad idea because the kids were all awake and wanted to go with me.  They rode their bikes while I ran with the dog.  It was a bit of a pain trying to keep on eye on them and the dog while maintaining a decent pace.  I would complain about the heat but I know that the So. Utah runners have it much worse.  I lost 7 pounds during the run despite drinking a large bottle of Gatorade and a big bottle of water during the run.  I was still sweating when I finished so I think that I was able to maintain a decent hydration level.

Total Time: 2:42:57 (8:09/mile) 

I have no plan for this week other than run whatever feels right for each day.  My biggest priority is to get my right tibia healed before starting SGM training next week.  Started out slow and progressively picked up the pace throughout the run.  Felt pretty good once I got going.  The haze from the fires is starting to get pretty bad.

Total Time: 54:12 (7:25/mile) 

Planned to run to Farmington Bay but couldn't get across the construction of the Legacy highway.  Headed out through West Bountiful instead.  Other than a little ache in right tibia, I felt pretty good today.  I'm heading out to Pineview to do a little cross training on the wakeboard.

Total Time: 53:51 (7:23/mile) 

Decided to change things up today and do a little trail running.  Drove up to the Mueller Park canyon entrance and ran up to Elephant Rock.  It was a nice change from the usual pounding of the pavement.  It was cool and relatively quiet.  I'm not positive on the distance but have heard from others that it is 7 miles round trip.  My arms and neck are a little sore from wake boarding yesterday but it is worth it because it was an absolutely perfect day on the lake.

Total Time: 59:16 (8:28/mile) (33:15 going up, 26:01 coming down)

I wanted to get in a little faster running today in preparation for the Des News 10K in a couple of weeks.  Warmed up with 3 easy miles then ran a 4 mile tempo run.  Started out with what felt like a comfortable pace and ran the first mile in 6:20.  I started to get a little lazy during the second mile and I had to focus on my pace a little more.  I was behind schedule halfway through the second mile but picked it up and ended up running 6:19.  I was only going to run 3 miles at tempo pace so I pushed a little harder and finished in 6:13.  Felt well enough to run another mile and ran the 4th mile in 6:16.  Averaged 6:17 for the 4 tempo miles and felt pretty good.  The route was slightly downhill but not as much as the Des News course.  Cooled down with 2 easy miles.  It was warmer this morning and the humidity was a little higher so I was soaking wet after the warm up.  The little rain during the cool down felt good.

Total Time: 1:05:36 (7:17/mile)
 

Amy had to go to work very early this morning so I had no time to run today.  I'm going to fall a little short of my mileage goal for the week but I guess it's the week to do it since it is the week before the start of formal training for SGM.

After taking an un-planned rest day yesterday, I decided to run a little faster on my long run this morning.  I wanted to get a feel for sub-3 marathon pace and see if it is a reasonable goal going into training.  Ran the first 6 miles at a relatively easy pace (7:45/mile, HR=140).  Wanted to run the next 5 miles at 6:52/mile and maintain as consistent of a pace as I could.  First mile was 6:42 (oops) followed by 6:51, 6:44, 6:47, 6:53.  Averaged 6:48/mile and my average HR was 165 and peaked at 175.  Heart rate was way too high for MP effort and the last mile felt more like 1/2 marathon pace.  I am a little discouraged to say the least.  I know that it is only 1 run but I expected the pace to feel a little easier.  Since this has been a pretty easy week of running I thought that I would have more energy for today's run.  Finished the run with an easy mile (HR still stayed in the 160's despite the near 8:00/mile pace).  

Finished a low mileage week with a low mileage long run.  I would have liked to put in a few more miles today but I'm heading up to Midway to celebrate my wedding anniversay (lucky 13).

Total Time: 1:29:25 (7:27/mile)

Avg HR: 151

Legs were a little heavy at the start of the run.  I actually had 2 nights in a row with decent sleep so I thought I would feel more energetic.  Threw in  a few strides just to help wake my legs up.  The pace felt faster than the 7:30/mile that I averaged for the run.  My right tibia was extremely sore all day Saturday and most of yesterday but didn't bother me at all during the run.  

Total Time: 59:29 (7:26/mile) 

Temperature was a little cooler this morning and it felt good.  I, on the other hand, did not feel all that great.  I just did not have a whole lot of energy.  My right tibia is taking a little longer to loosen up and it is becoming more than a nuisance.  I'm a little concerned about what it could be turning in to.

Total Time: 1:25:56 (7:49/mile) 

Six very easy miles.  First mile was just under 9:00.  I can't remember the last time that I ran that slow.  Legs still feel a little heavy but there was very little pain in the tibia.  Pretty sure that it is not as bad as I feared and is probably just shin splints.

Total Time: 50:46 (8:28/mile) 

Got an earlier start but it was warmer than it has been the past couple of days.  Felt pretty good at the beginning of the run but started to wear out towards the end.  My pace was pretty slow so I'm not sure why I was so worn out.  The fact that I had little pain in my legs was a good sign.

I noticed that Paul mapped the Des News 10K course on the course tool.  I plugged in my estimated 10K pace and was a little surprised at the results.  The pace that it suggests is faster than my 5K pace.  Can anybody who has run this confirm that it is that much faster?  I know that it is a fast course but I have never raced a 10K before so I am not sure of how fast I should run.

Total Time: 1:25:55 (7:49/mile) 

Easy run.  Had an unexpected running partner for most of the run.  At about the 1.5 mile mark, a dog started running along side of me.  It stayed with me until I made the final turn on my street.  It was wearing a collar but had no tags.  Hope it can find it's way home.  I felt good but the pace felt faster than it actually was.   I was running 8:15's and it felt more like 7:45's.

Total Time: 49:29 (8:15/mile) 

Had to get out early this morning because I had to take my son to Webelo's camp today.  Was out the door at 5:00 a.m. and it felt very hot.  I am still having a hard time running at a decent pace.  First few miles were at 8:00 pace but it felt more like 7:30.  I'm not sure what the deal is.  Second half felt much better after I got warmed up.  Ran the last slightly uphill mile in 6:46 just to make sure that I had a little bit of speed.

Total Time: 1:56:07 (7:44/mile) 

Feeling a little better but legs still aren't as snappy as I would like them to be.  The battery on my Garmin died less than a mile into the run so I have no idea how long it took  I'm guessing that I averaged 7:30 - 7:45 pace but since my sense of pace has been out of whack lately I could be wrong.  I threw in a few stride just for fun.  I ran at the same time as the race will be tomorrow and it was definitely warmer than I like.  Hopefully it will be a little cooler tomorrow.

Deseret News 10K

I really needed to run a race.  I have been feeling really slow lately and needed a decent race to put things back in perspective.  The Des News 10K is a very fast course.  The first 5 miles are mostly downhill (700 ft elevation loss) with the last 1.2 flat to slightly uphill.  Since I’ve never run a 10K before, I really had no idea what my pace should be on this course.  McMillan’s predictor estimates 39:00-39:30 for a flat 10K for me based on my 5K, 1/2M and marathon times.  Since this course is fast, I was hoping to come in around 37:30.

The morning didn’t start out great.  First, I forgot my timing chip and had to go back home to get it (fortunately I was only a few miles away when I realized I didn't have it with me).  Next, I was attacked by a vicious colony of ants while I was sitting on the grass waiting for the start of the race.  I had little bites all over me.  Once I got all the ants shaken off, I lined up for the start and was ready to go.  For some reason, I didn’t feel race ready.  I started having a lot of doubts and wasn’t sure that I would be able to run well.  

The gun went off and we were on our way.  Bobbed and weaved through the crowds for a little while (I really need to start lining up closer to the front).  The course drops 350 feet over the first 2 miles and it really carries you forward.  Hit the 1 mile marker in 5:46 which is exactly what I was shooting for.  The second mile has some flat sections in it but is still predominantly downhill and I ran it in 5:54.  There were a couple of people ahead of me that I beat by a few seconds in a 5K last month.  I figured that as long as I kept them in sight, I was right on track.  Third mile was 6:16 which was about 10 seconds slower than my target pace for this mile.  Hit the 5K in 18:35 (faster than my current PR).  From here, I sort of just went into cruise control mode for some reason.  Ran the fourth mile in 6:22 (20 seconds slow considering another 100 feet drop in elevation).  With only two miles to go, I started to pick it up again.  Ran the 5th mile in 6:07 which is pretty close to my target.  The course flattens out at this point but I was feeling pretty fresh.   Sixth mile was 6:25 (right on target) and I was able to pick off a few runners (including one of the runners that I had my sights on for the first 5 miles).  The last 0.2 was at 6:30 pace for a final time of 38:20.  

Overall: 100/2,034 (my goal was top 100 so I just eeked that out)
Male: 82/1,011
Division: 7/95

It was 1 minute slower than I anticipated and most of the time was lost in miles 3 and 4.  I wasn’t really tired at the end and am a little frustrated that I didn’t push harder.  I have a real hard time pushing myself to the limit.  I lack the killer instinct necessary to push yourself to the limit.  I’m not sure if it is something that you are born with or something that you can develop.  With these results, I doubt that I will go for the sub-3 at St George.  

Was able to meet Chad, Paul and James at the finish which was nice.  Finished the day by running back to my car which was 3 miles away.  Having to go back up the 700 ft over 3 miles wasn’t as fun as coming the other way.  I was able to see the 2 marathon leaders near the 20 mile mark and was amazed at how easy they make running look.  They looked like they were out for a leisurely run but were probably cranking out 5:20’s.  Couldn’t see anybody close to them to cheer on so I headed to my car.

Legs feel heavy from yesterday's race.  Lower right leg (calf and tibia) is a little sore.  Ran at a very easy pace.

Total Time: 1:13:10 (8:02/mile) 

Very easy run.  My legs are more sore today than they were yesterday.  Right tibia hurts more than usual but am sure that it is due to the downhill race.  Second half of the run felt much better than the first half but I still kept the pace slow.

Total Time: 51:09 (8:31/mile) 

Felt as bad during this run as I have for any run in a very long time.  I feel completely wiped out.  I had no energy and my legs just didn't want to move.  One of my daughters has been sick so I may be picking up what she has.  Hopefully it will work its way through my system and things will be back to normal shortly.

Total Time: 1:26:51 (7:54/mile) 

Started early this morning and the temperature felt really good.  First half of the run was absolutely awful.  Nothing felt right.  My legs felt heavy, my feet were hitting the ground funny and I was running very slow.  The last 9 miles felt a lot better.  I was able to pick up the pace a little and my legs felt a lot better.  I was a little out of it mentally.  At one point, I started to cross the street and there was a truck right in front of me that I didn't even see.  I really need to pay more attention to these things.  My throat is getting scratchy so I think that I have a little bug.  Got home and took a 2 hour nap and am feeling better.

Total Time: 2:21:37 (8:11/mile) 

I'm sick so I took it very easy today.  My throat is really sore and it is impossible to swallow.  I will shift a few of my planned workouts around this week so that I should be able to get in all scheduled runs.

Total Time: 39:12 (7:50/mile) 

I'm starting to feel better but my throat is still sore.  I took my fuel belt along just to keep my throat wet which seemed to help.  The first half of the run felt pretty good but I really started to fatigue towards the end.  I probably ran 3 or 4 miles more than I should have today.  As much as it hurt, it was nice to feel as though I am getting better.

 Total Time: 1:52:46 (8:03/mile)