A clydesdale no more!

Chilly morning run in Jackson Hole.  Ran up to the elk refuge and along the dirt road there.  It was a great run.  I'm going to start revising my training schedule because I have missed too many key runs. 

Ran towards Teton Village.  Probably a mistake since it was a major highway with a lot of traffic.  It was pouring rain and a little windy and chilly.  Actually felt nice.  Both achilles tendons are bothering me because my shoes are worn out.

We are staying at the base of the Snow King ski resort and I noticed a trail that went to the top.  When I first saw it I knew the trip wouldn't be complete unless I ran it.  It was a lot steeper than I expected.  Took a couple of walking breaks on the way up and even a couple on the way down.  It was so steep that I was riding the brakes the whole way down and my quads are fried.  The view at the top was amazing and well worth the work.

Back home and to the regular routine.  I actually like the normalcy of regular life.  This morning's run felt really good (other than some achilles soreness).  Ran it at a decent pace (7:22/mile) and it felt very comfortable.  I feel good about where I am fitness wise.  I'm just not sure about the endurance for a marathon.  I still have a couple of months to get there.

Ahhhhh....new shoes. I just noticed that my old shoes had 650 miles on them.  No wonder my legs were hurting.  Run started a little slow but then I picked up the pace and ran at a decent pace.  I could definitely feel the difference of the new shoes. 

Deviating from the schedule a little because of last weeks missed long run.  I was a little gun shy going into this run after my troubles during the last 20 miler.  Did an out and back on the LPT.  Started out nice and easy and gradually picked up the pace. After my body warmed up and I got going I felt really good.  Started having some hamstring tightness between miles 13 and 17 but felt great other than that.

Heavy legs at the beginning and strong legs at the end.  Ended up being a good solid run after a difficult start.

Great morning for a run.  Weather was near perfect.  Felt really good from the start but was a little surprised how slow the first couple of miles were.  Was able to get into a groove and run at a good pace for the second half.  Ran without water or Gatorade and never felt like I really needed it.  Amazing how only a couple of weeks ago I struggled to make it through a run while taking in 128 oz off fluids.

Nice and easy recovery run.  Legs are pretty sore and tired,

Warmed up with 3 miles then ran 7 miles at LT pace.  This has always been one of the tougher workouts for me and I rarely make it through the whole thing without wimping out and taking a break.  Splits for the tempo miles were: 6:26, 6:28, 6:25, 6:33, 6:27, 6:29, 6:27.  The first 3 miles felt great and were effortless.  Kind of fell asleep during the 4th mile and had a slight headwind.  Forced myself to focus the rest of the run and was able to hold the pace better.  Happy that I made it through the entire run without stopping.  I did back off the pace a little and ran at a more true LT pace.  The run was hard but I really love the feeling after it is done.

Nice and easy.

Had to start at 4 am because my girls have a soccer tournament this morning.  A very uneventful run.  I just headed out the door, turned my brain off and put it in cruise control.  Part way into the run I decided to run to downtown Salt Lake since I have never done it before.  Will probably never do it again.  Quite possibly the most visually unappealing run I have ever done.  Physically, I felt really good.  The miles went by quick and I was done before I knew it. 

Warmed up with 3 miles to the LPT then ran 6X600 at 5K pace with a 90 second jog in between each (plan says 5X600 but I forgot so I did 6).  My target pace was 5:45/mile which is 2:09 per repeat.  First one was a bit slow because I was struggling to get a feel for the pace and had some course confusion.  After the first, I decided to stop looking at my watch and just run.  Splits were: 2:11, 2:07, 2:07, 2:07, 2:05, 2:07.  It was only a mini-speed work out but I feel really good about how the pace felt.  It felt good to run fast even if it was only for a short amount of time. 

Not one of my more enjoyable runs.  Felt pretty yucky all over.  Just one of those days.

Feeling kind of run down so I decided to take the day off.  

Had to force myself out the door but felt really good during the run.  The first mile was slow but I eventually got down to 7:00/mile and held that for the last 5 miles.  I used a metronome to see what 180 steps per minute felt like for 1 mile.  I typically run 165-170.  It was definitely more of a strain on my hamstrings and lungs but it felt good.  I think I will try to do this more often to improve my stride rate.

Legs not feeling great this morning.  Just kind of sore all over.  Ran the 4th mile in 6:30 just to make sure that I could.  It felt a little forced but wasn't too bad.

Stayed up in Park City the night before the race so was able to get a good night's sleep.  Got to the field house and talked to Teena for a few minutes before getting in a quick mile warm up to get a feel for how the legs would respond.  Could tell that it was not going to be my day.  Was surprised to see Jeremy at the start.  Glad he was there because I would have somebody to run with.  The race started with a loop around the Newpark development.  The first mile was flat and we ran it in 6:32.  A little faster than we wanted so we backed off the pace and ran the next mile in 6:45.  It got ugly from here.  The next 5 miles were a gradual climb and I really struggled with the pace.  It slowed to 7:00 then all the way to 7:15.  I was really frustrated but in hindsight it was probably appropriate considering the elevation gain and altitude.  Around mile 4 I felt like I was getting lulled into a slower pace than I wanted so I surged ahead of Jeremy.  Hit the turnaround just at mile 7 and was in 8th place.  It was mostly downhill from here and it felt a lot better.  The pace dropped to the 6:30's.  I went back and forth with another runner for the rest of the race.  He really pounded the downhills and I made it back up when the course flattened out.  Had a few second lead on him until we got to the barn and I made a wrong turn and had to backtrack a bit.  He built a little cushion on me but I eventually made it up and held him off for the rest of the race.  Even though I felt the first half was too slow, I was really worn out the last few miles of the race so it must have been an honest effort.  Finished in 1:29:33 and 8th overall (2nd age division).  I was hoping for something a couple of minutes faster but am fine with the results.

After the race, I drove back to the 20 mile mark to wait for Teena.  I really had no idea if I would be able to run the last 10K.  I took my phone with me in case I had to bail on her and call for a ride.  Teena came in a few minutes ahead of schedule and was looking strong.  She grabbed what she thought was a Gatorade at the aid station and it turned out to be somebody's "special" drink.  She asked me to taste it and it was most definitely not Gatorade.  I ran back to my car to grab a bottle of Gatorade for her and sprinted to catch back up to her.  That really wore me out and I wasn't sure that I could finish.  Settled into a good pace with Teena and it felt good.  I really wasn't much of a pacer.  I just ran with her and witnessed her great race.  She did really great.  Talked with Paul after the race then had to take off.  My only regret of the day was not seeing Smooth.  I wish I had time to stay and run a few miles with her but I was pressed for time.

Back to school!  Time to get back on a regular schedule which means getting out the door a little earlier.  I will be playing this week by ear while I recover from the race.  I plan to get in a decent amount of miles but will probably skip the planned speed work.  Left achilles and right knee where a little sore this morning but everything else felt good.  Was able to maintain a decent pace throughout the run.

Did an out and back on the LPT.  Legs are a little tired so the pace was a little slower than usual.  Can't believe it but it was actually a little chilly this morning. 

Absolutely no energy in my legs at all.  I just shuffled along for a nice and easy run.  

I'm not going to give into my tired legs. Park City showed me that my uphill running really needs work.  Ran up to the mouth of Mueller Park canyon and back home.  Maintained a good honest pace both on the way up and way back down.  Legs were tired but felt surprisingly good.  Feet got a little slappy during the last 2 miles but that is normal for this run.  

I was thinking of putting in a few extra miles this morning but my body said absolutely not.  Very tired.  My mileage has not been where I would have liked it to be this training cycle.  I will have to accept my place in the running universe.  No biggie.

Very tough run.  Pfitz said 17 with 14 at MP but I felt that last week's half marathon accomplished that.  Still thought about giving it a shot.  After 3 miles I transitioned into marathon pace.  It did not feel good.  It felt more like LT pace.  I was working way too hard and after 4 miles of struggling to keep it below 6:50 with the wind at my back I decided to pull the plug.  Continued to the end of the LPT at the Farmington station.  Turned back towards home and could not believe how windy it was.  Funny how I could barely feel the tail wind but the head wind almost stopped me in my tracks.  Really struggled the second half.  Lost 7 pounds during the run so I probably did not take enough fluids. It was hotter than normal. 

A cold and rainy morning. Plan called for 5X600 but it didn't seem like enough so I stretched it to 5X800.  Started with a 3 mile warm up to the LPT.  Target pace was 5:45/mile (2:52 per split).  The splits were: 2:51, 2:53, 2:50, 2:51, 2:50.  The pace felt really good except the last one.  It started raining incredibly hard with lightening all around. I'm not sure I have ever gotten that wet that fast.  I was happy to be able to hit the splits that I wanted.  I have put on a few pounds and I have not been feeling as healthy and strong as I would like. Finished with 3 miles to "cool" down. 

My right foot started hurting last night.  Not sure what is going on but it is bad enough that it affects the way I run.  Seemed to be alright once I warmed.  After 7 miles I slipped on the curb and rolled my left ankle.  At least it evened out the limp.  Not a spectacular run and certainly not as fast as it should have been.