A clydesdale no more!

I ended up being the captain for the Salt Lake County corporate games 5K for my company again.  We had a better team this year but two of the guys bailed on me at the last minute.  I was pretty sure we wouldn't do well as a team so I just wanted to improve on last year's performance.  The race is at the Cottonwood complex and is 3 laps around the park.  There are 7 short hills and the race is run completely on grass.  I haven't done a very good job of mixing up my running surfaces and struggle whenever I run on something other than pavement.  The field looked smaller this year but there were 2 guys that I was pretty sure were going to kill the course.  The gun went off and I felt like I was stuck in the mud.  It was really hard to get going.  I quickly remembered that I felt the same thing last year when the race started.  I typically attack the uphills too hard so I made the conscious effort of taking the hills a little easier during this race.  At the top of the first hill, I was in 5th place and was passed by 3 more people shortly there after.  The 2 fast dudes were pretty much gone and the rest of us were stretched out over about 15 yards.  I realized that we were running really slow so at the top of the second hill I pushed the pace a little and moved by all of them and settled into 3rd place.  There was a lady that was hanging about 15 yards behind me for most of the race.  During the second lap, I really wasn't pushing the pace at all and it felt more like tempo pace than 5k pace.  I didn't have the desire to push it to the next level.  There was no way of me catching 2nd place and I was maintaining my lead on 4th.  I decided to just hold this pace and hoped that the fear of being chicked would be enough for me to push the pace if I needed to.  During the last lap, I started to hear the breathing of the girl behind me (I would make a joke about the heavy breathing of the hot chick but that would be inappropriate).  I now had to make the decision if I wanted to push the pace or let her pass me.  At the top of the last hill, I decided to stretch out my legs and push the pace.  Really stretched it out going down the last hill and kept pushing during the last 0.2 miles.  Finished in 19:34 which is 6 seconds faster than last year and a much better finish.  I was hoping for something closer to 19:00 but at least it is a course PR.  Certainly not a blazing time but it is good for me for this course.  First place was 16:49 and second was 17:42.  My lack of racing seems to be my biggest problem.  The fitness isn't too far off but finding the desire to run at the next level of pain is not there.

Ran the Davis Blvd loop.  My legs are a little sore from the 5k on Saturday (especially my right calf and foot).

Started with 3 easy miles that weren't all that easy.  My legs are very sore today.  I wanted to get in a few miles at 1/2 marathon pace (6:40/mile) but with the sore legs I wasn't sure if that was going to happen.  Started out and my legs felt surprisingly good and came in at 6:35.  Followed it with a 6:30 (slightly aided) and another 6:35.  The pace felt good and I really didn't feel like I was pushing too hard although my heart rate gradually increased throughout the run.  Finished with 2 more easy miles.

PM

Went to the rec center for my first stroke development class in the pool.  What an awful experience.  We started with a kick board and I couldn't move.  I'm not exaggerating at all.  The entire class was across the pool and I was not even half way across.  I was so embarrassed.  We then got some pointers on what the freestyle stroke is supposed to look like and did a couple of laps.  It is only a 30 minute class and there are 8 people in it so there really isn't much time for instruction.  All I learned was what a terrible swimmer I am.  This is going to take some serious work.  I really want to get to the point where I can go do some laps at the pool and not be completely humiliated. 

Super tired and sore legs this morning.  Kept the pace super easy - no watch, no HR monitor just running.  I'm still struggling with the humiliation from last night's swim class.

My legs are still tired and sore.  Decided to take it easy today and tomorrow in hopes that my legs will feel a little more fresh on Saturday.  As I was running on an overpass I noticed some pages from a magazine scattered across the sidewalk.  Yes, that kind of magazine.  I picked up the pages and found a dumpster to dispose of them.  This is actually the second time that this has happened while I was running.  

Perfect running weather. It was nice and cool with no wind.  Today was just a quick and easy 5 while trying to get the legs refreshed.  Had another swim class last night.  Wish that I could say that it was better than the first.  The kick board was still a problem  I just don't get it.  That should be the one thing that I can do.  After telling my girls about the class they wanted to come and watch.  I guess they  needed a good laugh.  Emma told me that she would teach me how to use the kick board.  The swimming wasn't any better but I could at least tell what I was doing wrong which I think is a step in the right direction.

After only racing a couple of 5k’s this year, I really had no idea what kind of shape I was in for a longer race.  Going into this race, I thought that 1:25 was a reasonable goal but I had my doubts.  While I was on the bus on the way up the canyon I realized that I don’t even know what pace I would need to run to get a 1:25.  I’m always overly worried about being late to races so I ended up being on the first bus which meant a lot of waiting around.  I warmed up with a little over a mile of slow running then spent the rest of the time in the POP line.  I was shivering at the starting line which is always a good sign.  Freezing at the start means perfect racing weather.  The gun went off and after making it through the initial race congestion I settled into a comfortable pace.  The first 4 miles are major downhill and I didn’t think about the pace while I was running.  I just ran at a pace that felt right.  The splits for these miles were: 6:10, 6:13, 6:16, 6:06.  The course then flattens out for the next 2 miles.  Miles 5 and 6 were 6:29, 6:25 which is what I believe my true half marathon pace is.  Miles 7 and 8 include a good little climb and I ran these in 6:39 and 6:40.  Coming down the hill I realized that the guy I was running with was JeffL from the blog and we stayed together for most of the race.  Mile 9 came in at 6:14 and I thought I was done at that point.  My legs started to hurt and I started having a lot of self doubt.  Having Jeff there really helped keep the pace honest.  At the 10 mile mark, I expected to see something close to 7:00 and was surprised to see 6:25.  I figured that if I was this tired and still able to run at a decent pace then I just need to focus on my leg turnover and not think about anything else.  Miles 11, 12 and 13 were 6:21, 6:25, 6:20 with the final 0.1 at 5:28/mile.  I was super tired and had to keep reminding myself to relax the form but was able to maintain a good pace.  Final time was 1:23:30 which is a PR by 29 seconds.  My first PR at any distance in almost 2 years.  I finished in 17th place overall and 3rd in my age group.  I am really happy with the effort.  Even though I felt good at the finish I remember thinking during the race that I could not move my legs faster than they were going.  I hung around for awhile and watched a lot of the finishers come in because I had a “friend” that was running and I wanted to see her finish.

Almost forgot to mention that  I thought the organization was a lot better this year.  I know Curt has a bad reputation for how he runs his races but other than the usual communication issues and messy start he did a great job this year.  The atmosphere at the finish was great.

My calves are absolutely fried.  I wore my racing flats on Saturday and I think that my legs are more sore than usual because they do not provide as much support.  It hurts to walk but they really don't bother me while running.  I'm just going to take it easy until the soreness subsides.

Still pretty sore but a little better than yesterday.  It is amazing running weather. Great morning to be out.

Emma has a dentist appointment this morning so there was only time for a few miles.  My right ankle is pretty sore but everything else feels pretty good.  Last night's swimming lesson was much better.  One thing that has helped me is to understand the pacing a little better.  My initial tendency was to go all out.  Slowing it down a little and focusing on the form and breathing made things a lot easier.

I ate way too much sugar yesterday and I was definitely feeling it today.  I felt like absolute garbage this morning.  Since this is a recovery week from me, I decided to run without a watch all week (except for Saturday).  The pace felt a lot faster today than it has all week but I can not say for sure that it was.  At least it felt better.  My right ankle is still pretty sore but after 3 miles it doesn't bother me at all.

My legs are very sore today.  Tried to stay at a comfortable pace but felt clunky for much of the run. Last night's swimming lesson was much better.  I actually figured out the kick board and was able to go to the other end of the pool and back.  I struggled a little with the freestyle but understand what I am doing wrong (forgot to breathe, going too fast).  I think that I can actually go to the pool and do laps now.  

It was cold and raining and I loved it.  Ran to the Pages Lane trail head of the LPT to meet the South Davis Road Runners.  It was a small group today.  I think the storm scared a lot of people off.  Ran out 5 miles alone then turned around and headed back.  Saw Lora up ahead so I sped up to try to catch her.  She was moving and I couldn't make up any ground.  Finally after 2 miles I was able to catch up to her.  Ran the last 2 miles with her.  It is amazing how much easier it is to run when you run with somebody.  Ran back home after the club run in the pouring rain.  Today's run felt good and I really liked running in the rain.

Still have amazing running weather.  First few miles were slow but then I was able to pick up the pace.  My right ankle is still a problem and is starting to cause issues with my right calf.  I'm hoping that it will be back to normal in a couple of days.

Rough tempo run this morning.  I had no energy during the tempo miles.  Started with 3 easy miles where my ankle was more sore than it has been.  Ran 4 miles at LT pace.  Splits were: 6:30, 6:20, 6:27, 6:30.  Second mile felt good (obviously) but the others where really rough.  I really had to concentrate to maintain the pace and it was a lot more work than it should have been.  I guess it is just one of those days. 

Quick and easy 5 mile recovery run.

Decided I wanted to run some hills today so I ran from home to the top of 1800 South.  I felt pretty yucky going up the hill.  There were a few times that I wanted to stop and rest a minute but pushed on.  On the way back down I pressed the pace and felt pretty good.  I focused on running smoothly to protect my ankle and I think it made it a lot easier to run fast going downhill.  

Yesterday's downhill run did what I thought it would.  My ankle is really problematic today.  It never warmed up and was achy the entire run.  Hoping that soaking it in Pineview today will help it.  Taking the kids boating one last hurrah before they start school.

Started off with 6 easy miles before the club run.  I wiped out pretty hard wake boarding yesterday and my shoulder is really sore.  Seemed alright during the run but I could feel it.  Trevor was there this morning which meant that I was going to get some MP miles.  We ran 7 miles at 6:57/mile.  The first few where not very comfortable but once I settled into the pace it felt really good.  The ankle is still tender but manageable.

First day of school for the kids so I have to get back on schedule and start running earlier.  Ankle was a real problem this morning.  It's very sore which makes it difficult to push off effectively with my right leg.  

I'm going to run reduced mileage this week so that I can be ready for the TOU 1/2.  Tried to pick up the pace for 1 mile but there was no pep in my legs.  

I was going to go 7 or 8 but as I started the run my ankle felt pretty good.  I figured the easy run yesterday allowed it to heal a little so I decided to keep the mileage down again today.  Felt pretty good during the run.  Plan is to keep it easy for the rest of the week.

Last night's swimming lesson went really well.  Still struggle with the breathing rhythm but I am getting there.  How many days per week should I swim to continue to improve?  Is 2 days per week enough?  If I can convince my girls to sit and watch me before letting them swim I can go more but I don't think they will go for that. 

Woke up very early and couldn't go back to sleep so I was very tired during the run.  Sticking with the plan and keeping the mileage low even though it is very difficult for me to post such low mileage every day. Random thought of the day - Shakira is very strange.

This should be a fairly short race report since I only raced the first 4 miles.  I’ve felt sluggish all week and cut my mileage hoping that it would get my legs feeling snappy again.  I now know that my body needs the miles.  It doesn’t like taking it easy.  Actually felt pretty good this morning on the drive to Providence.  Got to the starting line a little later than I usually do and did a quick warm up mile.  Legs felt good and I was hoping that it was a sign of things to come.  After a 20 minute delay (during which I could have taken care of business one more time) we were off.  I hit the first mile pretty hard but felt good doing it (6:02).   Second mile (6:21) was comfortable and felt really in control.  During the 3^rd mile I started having negative thoughts.  The kind of thoughts that I usually don’t get until mile 9 or 10 of a half marathon.  This was not a good sign.  My ankle and calf were burning and I lost all pep in my legs.  Tried to push through it and ran miles 3 and 4 in 6:30 each.  At this point it seemed like I was getting passed a lot and I was being gapped by the group ahead of me.  Made the decision to just cruise to the finish and be happy with the PR I set 3 weeks ago.  Both miles 5 and 6 were 6:21 but I made a little stop during the 6^th mile which cost me 40 seconds so it was actually 7:01.  Losing the 40 seconds really convinced me that my day was over.  Funny thing is that I have run this portion of the course 4 times (marathon 3 times and ½ marathon once) and 3 of the 4 times I have had to make a pit stop at this exact point in the course.  Had the usual rush of adrenaline after the stop and ran mile 7 in 6:07.    Now the downhill portion was over and my splits got slower.  The next 3 miles were: 6:30, 6:40, 6:37.  At the 10 mile mark I thought that I would try to press the pace for the last 5k but my legs would not respond.  It was a bad time to press the pace anyway since this is where the uphill section starts.  Miles 11 and 12 were 6:49 and 7:19 (ouch).  With 1 mile to go I debated whether or not I should try to catch the 2 guys ahead of me but had a hard time convincing my legs to do it.  They slowly came back to me and I was able to catch them both.  Mile 13 was 6:32 and the last 0.1 was at 5:30 pace.  Really had to push hard the last little bit to hold off the other runner.  Got super nauseous after crossing the finish line but was able to hold my composure (if you know what I mean).  Final time was 1:26:20 and I was super, super disappointed.  Even though there was a huge contingent of bloggers I had to rush home for my girl’s soccer game.  They got killed in their game so it was not a good day for the Browning’s.  My legs are sore but I don’t think I did any more damage to my ankle. 

Went to the rec center to swim for what will be the last time ever.  After splashing around for awhile, swallowing half the pool and making a complete fool of myself I decided to throw in the towel.  I still can't make it 50 meters with out having to flip over and resort to a back stroke to finish the lap.  I don't expect to be a great swimmer by any means but I would like to at least be competent.  Maybe it is just not my thing. Left the rec center and decided to lace up the shoes and head up to elephant rock.  Took it very easy going up and felt surprisingly good.  No soreness at all.  My right calf started to ache on the way back down but nothing too serious. So it looks like I will keep being a one trick pony.  At least I'm a semi-competent runner.

Playing it by ear today.  Started off alright but then started to ache so I turned it into a nice and easy recovery run.  Soreness in the usual and expected places.