A clydesdale no more!

Windy and rainy. Moderate effort run. Legs felt pretty good. I think that I have recovered enough to go for a PR at St George.

Avg HR = 150

Total Time = 46:36

I usually run 7 miles with 2 at marathon pace the Tuesday before a marathon. My legs aren't as fresh as I want them so I cut the run down to 5 miles with 2 at MP. Most of the MP miles were downhill so I wanted to test an agressive pace. Ran the first in 6:52 and the second in 6:54. The pace felt good and my HR stayed between 150-155. I have no intention of running this fast at St. George.

Avg HR = 146

Total Time = 39:02

Was originally planning on taking today off. When I woke up my ankles were very stiff so I decided that a short easy run would help loosen them up. Ran at a very easy pace. The temperature was perfect and the rain cleaned up the air. It was a perfect morning for running.

Avg HR = 133

Total Time = 26:30

Moderate pace run. Achilles were more sore than usual at the beginning of the run but then felt better after warming up. Ran 1 mile slow (8:10) then bumped up to 7:30 for 2 miles then finished with two 8:00 miles. Heart rate never got above 149. I expected it to be in the 150's during the 7:30 miles.

Avg HR = 142

Total Time = 39:12

Easy shake out run before the drive to St George. My HR was a little higher than expected but I don't have enough HR data to draw any conclusions from it.

Avg HR = 150

Total Time = 23:33

I usually only post a synopsis here but since we now have the option to tag race reports I am posting the very verbose full report.

This was my 5th and last marathon of the Utah Grand slam series. The last race was 2 weeks ago where I set a PR and finished feeling good. I started thinking that another PR was possible at St. George – despite only having 2 weeks of rest. Not knowing how much or how hard I should be running I decided to take it one day at a time and run as much as felt right for that day. I loosely followed my typical two week taper going into this race. I cut a couple of runs short when I was feeling a little tired.

While packing up my running gear I opted to leave my Garmin home. I unintentionally ran without it at Top of Utah and kind of liked the freedom of not constantly stressing about my pace. I wanted to run this race by feel. If a mile came in too fast or too slow, I wasn’t going to panic. When people would ask what my goal time was the response was “I don’t know. I’ll decide once I get going.” This course is about 4 or 5 minutes faster than Top of Utah so I felt that 3:05 was possible and a 3:10 shouldn’t be too difficult.

Woke up on the morning of the race and went through the usual pre-race ritual. Boarded the bus to the starting line where it was colder than I thought it would be (34 degrees). Hung out by the bon fires, went through a few more pre-race rituals then stripped down and headed to the starting line. The horn blasted and we were off.

Mile 1 - 7:28 Exactly the same as the first mile split last year. A little slower than planned but it was pretty crowded at the start (despite starting in the preferred corral).

Mile 2 - 7:11 A slight downhill followed by a slight uphill. Just letting the legs do want they want. My ankles and achilles tendons are having a hard time warming up.

Mile 3 - 6:59 Pretty good downhill until mile 7 so I am just going with the flow at this point.

Mile 4 - 6:53

Mile 5 - 7:01 Had to take about a 5-10 second pit stop on the side of the road

Mile 6 - 6:50

Mile 7 - 6:49 Approaching the climb up Veyo so I push a little on the last downhill section before 4 miles of climbing.

Mile 8 - 7:49 The 1 mile climb up Veyo (200 feet) starts at mile 7.5. This was only 3 seconds faster than I ran it last year. I like running uphill and have made an effort to charge up hills in the past. This time, I decided to not push as hard up this hill and save some for the long slow climb through the Dameron Valley.

Mile 9 - 7:39 Includes the last half of the climb up Veyo

Mile 10 - 7:24 Stomach starting to become an issue.

Mile 11&12 - 14:52 Missed the mile 11 marker while trying to decide if I should address the stomach issue.

Mile 13 - 6:53 Hit the half in 1:34:30. This is just about where I wanted to be.

Mile 14 - 7:44 Gatorade Endurance Formula induced stomach issue is starting to affect my pace so I decide to take care of it. Lost 45 seconds which is absolutely maddening.

Mile 15 - 6:39

Mile 16 - 6:42 Starting to get a bit of a side stitch

Mile 17 - 6:55

Mile 18 - 7:14 Legs are starting to burn a little. I start to think that the marathon 2 weeks ago and the slightly aggressive start is starting to catch up to me. Make the tactical decision to back off the pace a little for the next 3 miles so that I have enough energy to take advantage of the hills in the last 6 miles.

Mile 19 - 7:21 Despite the slower pace I am not being passed by anybody. There is a little climb during this mile so the effort probably isn’t as bad as I thought.

Mile 20 - 7:08

Mile 21 - 6:39 Decide to open it up at this point and let gravity do it’s thing. If I crash, I crash and can probably still limp in for a PR.

Mile 22 - 7:07 Maybe the last mile was a bit too aggressive

Mile 23 - 6:44 That’s better. A couple of female runners and I are moving through the pack.

Mile 24 - 6:49 Just maintaining the pace and hoping the wheels don’t fall off.

Mile 25 - 6:46 Mile 25 has always been slow for me. I believe that I subconsciously back off on this mile making sure that I have enough to push the last 1.2 miles. Before the race, I made the commitment to stay focused during this mile and not let the pace drop. Felt good for the first half but it started to hurt towards the end.

Mile 26 - 6:59 This mile seemed to take forever. I am really starting to hurt. My hands are starting to get numb and I know that I don’t have much left. I was really surprised that the split was under 7 minutes.

Mile 26.2 - 1:25 (7:05 pace) Finally hit the 26 mile marker and start to push. This is a mistake. That last cup of Gatorade wants out - now. I have never thrown up in a race but am feeling like this will be the first time. I back off the pace and just cruise through the finish line. Once I get through the misting showers, a wave of nausea overwhelms me and the Gatorade comes up.

This is the first time that I have finished a race where I was completely exhausted but was still able to hold my pace. I guess that I left everything that I had on the course – literally.

Final Time: 3:06:00 (1:34:30/1:31:30) – A 4:34 PR

Overall Place: 216/4,761

Age Group Place: 44/359

Final Grand Slam Standings: 7/128

Easy run to make sure everything is still working. Right hamstring a little more sore than expected. Experiencing typical soreness everywhere else.

Avg HR = 143

Total Time = 33:11

Still taking it easy. I will probably go 2 weeks of just easy running to let my body and mind recover. Nothing is really sore right now but the legs do feel a little heavy. I say this after every marathon but after seeing the pictures I really am not happy with my running form.

Avg HR = 143

Total Time = 39:55

Woke up late and had too much work to get done so I opted for an extra day of recovery. Maybe I'll take the kids to the park tonight and run around while they play. I'm thinking of doing two-a-days starting later this year so I'll be able to get a feel for running in the evening.

Ended up taking the kids to the park and tried to get some running in while they played. Didn't work out as well as I had hoped because I had to stop to help them a few times. There is a short loop (0.30 miles) and long loop (0.43 miles) around the park. Alternated between the 2 so that I could be close to the play ground. I experimented with different paces to see how my heart rate reacted. Ran a little at 5:30/mile and heart rate was around 173. At 6:00/mile heart rate stayed below 160. Actually felt pretty comfortable at this pace. Finished the last 0.30 at 5:00/mile pace and heart rate got up to 181. Pace felt a little forced and not very smooth.

Avg HR = 160 (I'm estimating this because of all the stopping that I had to do)

Total Time = 29:00

Woke up feeling really wiped out. Just ran at a vey easy pace. Regular recovery run route past the golf course and back.

Avg HR = 142

Total Time = 42:40

Still feeling a little tired. Ran 6 miles at an easy pace then bumped it up to marathon pace for the last mile. HR was a bit high during the run which I attribute to the recovery from the marathon and I have allowed myself to indulge in a few sodas this week since racing season is over. I think that the added caffeine and sugar is driving the HR up a little.

Avg HR = 152

Total Time = 55:38

Felt very tired mentally. Ran a slighly hillier course to force myself to work a little harder. These weren't big hills, just a long, steady climb for the first 6 or 7 miles. Couldn't really get into the run until the last mile. Resting tomorrow should help me snap out of this funk.

Avg HR = 155

Total Time = 1:21:30

Higher HR and slower pace due to elevation increases.

It was raining quite a bit as I started but it eased up after a couple of miles. Started with 2.25 miles warm up at 8:30/mile pace (HR=141). Ran 3 miles at tempo pace. First mile is mostly flat (20 ft incline followed by 15 foot decline). Hit it in 6:32 and was feeling kind of nauseous. Second mile started out flat then ended with a 1% decline (6:27-nausea gone). The last mile continues the 1% decline until the very end where I finished going up an overpass. About 1/3 of the way into the last mile, my pace was about 6:40. Bumped it up and finished the mile in 6:30. This was going to be a 4 mile tempo run but I could start to "feel" my right calf. Since I don't have any races planned for a while, I am being a little extra conservative. Average heart rate for the tempo miles was 171. Finished with 2.05 miles at 8:25/mile pace.

Avg HR = 157

Total Time = 55:56

I have become too comfortable with the 7:45-8:00 GA pace. I intend to start running my general aerobic runs at 7:30/mile. Started out with a slow, uphill mile and was in the hole 20 seconds. Ran miles 2 and 3 right on pace then made up the entire 20 seconds on the fourth mile. Maintained the faster pace on mile 5 then backed off on mile 6. For some reason, the 6th mile of this route is always slow. There is a portion with a slight downhill and the rest is flat but I just can't hold my pace on it. Picked it up a little for miles 7 and 8. Overall, I felt good.

Average HR = 157

Total Time = 59:05

Very easy recovery run. Did the usual recovery route (past the golf course and back). Right calf and left ankle a little sore.

Avg HR = 140

Total Time = 50:32

Ran from home to Bountiful Blvd (4.25 miles with 900 ft elevation gain) and back. I usually stretch this run a little further but was short on time this morning so I cut 2 miles out of the run. Going up was a little more work than usual. At the 3 mile mark (half way through the big climb) I just stopped. I have no idea why I stopped. I didn't consciously do it. It was very odd. After about a minute I continued up the hill. Heart rate peaked at 175 during the climb. Felt very good and in control coming down. My form usually gets a little sloppy on the way down but it was a lot better this time.

Avg HR going up = 162

Avg HR coming down = 149

Time going up = 36:25

Time coming down = 30:31

Relatively easy run. Legs are a little dead from yesterday. Instead of doing a recovery run, I ran an easy pace on a route with a decent elevation gain (300 ft over 2 of the first 3 miles). Legs felt heavy and right ITB is a little sore.

Avg HR = 140

Total Time = 53:12

Felt pretty good today. Ran a little faster than I usually do for long runs and felt pretty good doing it. I got a couple of hours more sleep last night which might have been the reason. Ran the last mile in 6:37 to get the overall average below 7:30/mile.

Avg HR = 157

Total Time = 1:33:28

The plan was to run 12X400 at the Woods Cross High School track. Ran an easy pace to the school (2.25 miles) and found that the gate to the track was locked. They just installed artificial turf on the football field and I guess they want to keep people off of it. Since I was planning on running on a track, I didn't bring my Garmin with me and was too far away from the road where I have done speed work in the past and am familiar with the 1/4 mile markers. I thought of just doing 80 seconds hard followed by 80 seconds easy but wanted to use the track so that I could check my pace every 100 meters. Decided to run the same tempo run as last week except take it the full 4 miles. Ran another easy 0.8 miles to the starting point. Was able to hit each mile right as planned (6:30, 6:24 [downhill], 6:30, 6:30). Started to lose focus during the last mile but felt pretty good for the most part. Finished up by running an easy mile back home.

Warm Up/Cool Down:

Distance = 4.3 miles

Time = 34:48

Avg HR = 140

Tempo Run:

Distance = 4 miles

Time = 25:54

Avg HR = 172

Ran to Farmington Bay and back. Wanted to keep the pace at 7:30/mile. Hit the turn around point in 29:49 (11 seconds ahead). Felt pretty good so I bumped the pace up to marathon pace for the last half. There was a 1.5 mile stretch where traffic was backed up so I decided to start racing the cars. I felt like slowing down so it was nice to have this as motivation to maintain my pace.

Avg HR = 158

Total Time = 58:35

Easy recovery run (KMart Loop). Legs are a little sore. It was warmer outside than I thought it would be so I was a little overdressed. Felt pretty warm most of the run.

Avg HR = 147 (about 5 bpm higher than other runs at the same pace)

Total Time = 42:00

Ran to the Bountiful temple and back home. Last night while trying to escape the hail storm I strained my right calf. I didn't want to push too hard today and cause further damage to the calf. Felt better running this route this week than I did last week and had no involuntary stops.

On the way up:

Avg HR = 160

Time = 47:12

On the way down:

Avg HR = 148

Time = 39:43

Was feeling kind of tired this morning so I just wanted to run without worrying about hitting any particular pace. After the first mile, I started feeling a little better so I pushed a little harder for the next 2 miles. Hit the turn around point in 23:00 (just 30 seconds off 7:30/mile). I was feeling well enough to pick up the pace to make the overall average of the run 7:30/mile. Made up the difference by mile 5 and held the same pace for the last mile. So much for not worrying about my pace. Next time I want to run by feel, I will leave my watch home.

Avg HR = 152

Total Time = 44:30

Woke up a little late so I had to cut the planned 14 mile run short. Ran out to Farmington Bay and back home. Felt very good during this run. Ran the extra 0.2 so that my weekly mileage would be at 50. Since I have not done any long runs for a few weeks, it is easier to push a little harder during each run.

Avg Hr = 150

Total Time = 1:33:13

Viewmont High track. Warmed up with 2 easy miles then ran 12 X 400m with 200m recovery jog between each. McMillan's calculator says I should run these between 83 and 88 seconds so I was shooting to keep them all below 83. Here are the splits:

77 (new pace - didn't know how fast to run)

81

80

82

81

81

81

82

82

80 (I was going to stop at 10 so I pushed to hit exactly 80)

83

80

I started to hurt towards the end but it wasn't too bad. My biggest weakness seems to be giving in when I start to hurt. These really aren't long enough to build that mental toughness (or I didn't do enough of them). I think that 800's will be better for me to practice working through the pain. Cooled down with 1.5 miles to make it an even 8 for the day.

Avg HR = 152 (peaked at 177 during repeats)

Total Time = 1:00:49

Felt lousy this morning so I didn't want to go too far out of my comfort zone. After the usual slow first mile, I starting feeling better so I picked up the pace. Ended up being a good run and the slightly faster pace was very comfortable.

Avg HR = 149

Total Time = 59:23