A clydesdale no more!

I had a massage last night hoping that it would take care of some of the soreness in my legs.  She went easy on me because of the marathon on Saturday.  My ITB is a little sore this morning but felt fine while I was running.  It only hurts when I walk.  Ran on the LPT this morning and was disappointed to see how much horse "stuff" was on the trail.  I was surprised when they advertised the trail for bikes, pedestrians and horses because we all know what horses do.  Now there's one more reason I need to wear my headlamp when running on the trail.

Easy run.  My legs felt good.  The ITB didn't bother me at all but my achilles tendons and knees where a little achey.  I think that this is due to the weather change that is coming this weekend.

Three easy shake out miles.  Everything felt good and am ready to go.  My travel plans have been in a constant state of change the past couple of days.  I think that I am now heading down alone and will have the weekend to myself (I don't know if that is good or bad).

2008 St. George Marathon

In case you hadn’t heard, the weather wasn’t the greatest.  It was cold, rainy and windy the entire race.   I didn’t mind the cold and rain but the constant headwind wasn’t fun.  I usually spend most of my races running in no man’s land but I knew that with the head wind it was very important to stay with a group.  There were about a dozen of us that were shooting for sub 3 planning on going out together but only 5 or 6 of us were able to hook up at the start.  We were off with the sound of the horn and it was very congested.  I don’t remember it being this crowded at the start in previous years.  The fact that it was this crowded was actually an advantage because it provided protection from the wind.  The aid station at mile 3 was so hectic that we all got separated and it was just me and Joe with Rhett just behind us.  I knew that Joe was really holding back a lot but since it was his first marathon he wanted to start conservative.  There is really nothing exciting to report for the first half.  I did my best to maintain a steady effort and feel like I was able to achieve this.  After 4 miles we were exactly on pace.  Miles 5-7 were a little fast and we were able to put 1 minute in the bank.  It seems that I usually hit these miles fast because you can see Veyo looming ahead and want to get a few quick miles in before you start the climb.  Also, having Joe run with me really pulled me along.  I could definitely feel that I had run a marathon 2 weeks ago (nothing serious, my legs just didn’t feel as snappy as I would have liked) but he helped me keep the pace honest and not slack off.  Joe and I ran Veyo a little faster than Rhett wanted so it was just the 2 of us for a couple of miles.  We were within a couple of seconds per mile during the climb through the Dammeron valley and Rhett was able to catch back up to us and we finally found Paul.  We hit the half in 1:31:07 which is exactly what I was shooting for.  I got a little lazy during mile 14 and wasn’t feeling the greatest going into mile 15 but it was a huge downhill so I tried my best to take advantage of it.  This is where Joe decided to see what he had left and took off.  He was in great shape and I knew that he had a great finish time waiting for him.  Now it was just Rhett and me with Paul not too far ahead.   We maintained a good pace until miles 19 and 20 where we lost a little time.  Mile 19 has the big climb and the headwind seemed to hit us the hardest at this point.  There were 2 guys just ahead of Rhett and me and we stayed behind them.  We lost almost 20 seconds during this mile but it was a good strategy to conserve energy going up so you can really take advantage of the downhill during the last 10K.  I had a few low moments at mile 20 which is typical at mile 20 of a marathon after climbing a hill into a headwind.   Having Rhett there really kept me going.  There were a couple of times that I would start to drift back but would then focus on keeping up with him and I eventually woke up and was able to get going again.  We were back on pace for miles 21 and 22 and we could all taste the finish line so the pace started to quicken.  We made up the 20 seconds we lost on mile 19 during mile 23 and the guys in the  group (Rhett, Paul and Matt) started to gap me.  Hit the 24 mile marker and decided that I was feeling really good and there was no reason for me to be holding back.  Started to pick up the pace and make up the distance on the guys ahead.  Slowly moved by them and just kept going.  Saw another good sized group and used them as a target to motivate me to keep going.  Passed them and there was just one last turn to make and I was home free.  Crossed the finish line in 2:58:19 and felt really good.  I know that I left a little on the course but that was part of the plan.  I really didn’t want to blow up during this race.  Stopped just past the finish mat to watch the other 3 come in.  Matt crossed the line 20 seconds later and Rhett came in 20 seconds after that.  Unfortunately, Paul cramped up and missed the goal by 1 minute.  I feel really bad because he ran a great race and would have easily had the sub 3 on a day with better weather.  Comparing my splits to the plan I am shocked at how close they are.  Other than miles 5-7 and the last 4 miles we hit almost every mile within a couple of seconds of the plan.

Overall Place: 80/5,030 (Last year I ran 5 minutes faster and finished in 106)
Gender Place: 74/2,851 (Chick count = 6)
Age Division Place: 19/372

Ended up finishing 3rd place overall in the Utah Grand Slam which was my goal for the year.

So this wraps up another year of racing with the same question of where do I go from here?  This wasn’t my best year of racing and I was getting close to burning out.  Ending with a good race certainly helps reignite the fire but I think that I will stick with my plan of running no marathons in 2009.  

While I was at the hotel pool this morning with my girls at 9:40 (about the time I finished the marathon) I couldn't help but notice how perfect the weather was.  The temperature was perfect for running, there were minimal clouds and there wasn't even a hint of wind.  What a difference a day makes.  My hamstrings and calves are a little sore which is puzzling because I thought that your quads were supposed to be sore after a downhill marathon.  I forgot to mention in my race report yesterday a strange post race story.  I was the lucky recipient of a post race massage from "Uncle Jesse".  Those of you who were in the massage tent know who I am talking about.  He was a very nice guy but I felt he spent a little more time massaging my glute's than was necessary.  I'm sure I wouldn't have thought anything of it if it was an attractive female masseuse but it seemed strange at the time.

To say this run was slow would be an understatement.  I just wanted to get my legs moving and make a feeble attempt at burning off some of the garbage I ate over the weekend.  My calves and hamstrings are very sore but everything else feels good.  I am going to schedule a massage but am unsure if I should do it now or wait until some of the soreness goes away.  Anybody have an opinion on that?

I felt pretty good when I started out but the fatigue set in pretty quickly.  I'm only a little sore but my legs feel very heavy.  

I was SO sleepy last night and this morning.  It is such a strange feeling to feel like you need to fall asleep when you sit down.  Once I got up and got going this morning I was fine.  Just an easy run on the LPT.  I started out heading South on the dirt trail but my legs were having a hard time with the uneven surface so I took the walkway over the highway and stayed on the paved trail.  Legs feel pretty good - only minimal soreness.  It is national walk to school day today so I finished the morning off by walking my girls to school then I had to walk back home (2.5 miles total).  I should have stayed in my running clothes and ran home but I had to get to work and didn't think that I would have time to get ready.

There was a very strange soreness in my legs this morning.  Really couldn't get them to move.  This seems to be typical of the recovery process.  I'll have a good day followed by a not so good day.  I'm actually starting to look forward to focusing on shorter races.  I have spent so much time running the same pace for most runs, it will be kind of fun to have a change of pace.  Remind me that I said that when I am complaining about workouts in the future.

I would say how cold it was this morning but I'm going to hold off on complaining because it is going to start getting worse.  I'm not sure if I'm ready for cold weather running.  Ran another easy 5 on the LPT.  Man, I'm really cranking out the miles this week. 

This caps off my lowest weekly mileage of the year.  I thought I would feel better but I am still feeling wiped out.  I actually felt better after TOU when I ran a little higher mileage.  Had to get an early start than I wanted so I didn't get a chance to meet up with the running club so I just ran one of my regular loops.  I was able to hit every green light which has never happened before.

My legs are still wiped out.  They feel completely dead.  Felt alright for the first mile then was able to pick up the pace for a mile or two then my legs were completely gone.  This recovery is taking a little longer than expected.

Today was very similar to yesterday.  Getting through 5 miles was fine but then I started to break down.  I'm going to keep it at 7 miles/day during the week until my body feels better.  There's just no reason to push it right now.  I've been in an uncomfortable place mentally for a couple of days.  I wonder if part of the problem is that with no races on the schedule or running goals in place I don't have the distraction in place that helps me get through things.  Then again, the harvest moon that was out this morning could be the source.

Another slow and uncomfortable 7 miles.  There is just no pop in the legs at all.  Ran on the LPT again but forgot my headlamp (again).  Fortunately, the full moon provided enough light that I could see the trail.  I was going through my running log last year at this time and noticed that the recovery from SGM last year took a long time as well.  I guess that's just the nature of the beast.

Definitely a step in the right direction.  Legs feel a little bit better but still are dead. 

Just continuing with the 7 miles/day.  My legs were a little sore but are getting a little better.  The pace is still slow but at least I am able to get through the run.

What?  Something other than 7 miles?  Ran most of the run along the LPT.  It was a perfect morning for a run but my hamstrings were very tight and sore.  I wished I could have stopped at 10 but with out and back runs, there is no cutting runs short.

Other than some tightness in my upper hamstring my legs felt pretty good.  My head has felt a little foggy the past few days which I can't explain.  It is very strange - I feel light headed all of the time and my tongue is numb.  I'm hoping that it is diet related since I have fallen off the healthy eating wagon.  

Got dressed to go running this morning and just wasn't feeling it.  I'm not sure if this is a bug or something else.  I had too much work to do anyway so it was probably better to spend the hour working.

Starting to feel better.  My head is hurting so I think that I did end up having some kind of bug.  I actually felt better during this run than any since the marathon.  Glad to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Nothing exciting, just running.  My pace is naturally starting to drop and I'm starting to feel better.  My weight, on the other hand, is out of control.

Before I headed out the door this morning I told myself that no matter how I felt I was going to attempt a mini tempo run after 3 miles.  I've talked myself out of running quicker paces for a couple of weeks so I had to make the commitment to do it no matter what.  Warmed up with 3 miles then started the tempo run.  I felt surprisingly good and the pace felt very comfortable.  I averaged 6:40/mile which is a little slower than my normal tempo pace but I was really happy with how good it felt.

Met up with the running club at the rec center.  Ran 6.5 miles with Jim which was nice because it helps keep the pace honest.  He actually started to push the pace the last 2 miles (6:50/mile) and it felt harder than it should have.  I think I saw

Kathie running along Orchard Dr.  After the club run I drove home and went out for 5.5 easy paced miles.  

Drove to the LPT and ran along the preserve trail which is a 3 mile dirt road on the west side of the Legacy Parkway.  Actually took my headlamp this time which made the run so much easier.  After getting to the end of the dirt road, I crossed over the LPT and came back on the paved trail.  Pace felt very good the entire run and is finally starting to come down.

The first few miles were a bit of a struggle but I felt better once I got warmed up.  Pace felt lazy but it is getting a little quicker than it has been the past few weeks.

Decided to put in a good hill workout and run up to the mouth of Mueller Park canyon.  I definitely was not ready for a big hill run.  My legs were dead on the way up and I couldn't generate a decent turnover on the way down.  Despite the slow pace, I think that it was still a good workout.

A half mile into today's run I rolled my ankle on the edge of the sidewalk.  I immediately had an intense burning in my ankle.  I considered walking back home but decided to keep going and see if I could run it out.  After another half mile the pain was manageable and was just a dull ache for the rest of the run.  I did cut the run a couple of miles short just as a precaution.  It's only a little sore and stiff now so I'm sure that it is fine.

AM

It was a lot warmer this morning than I expected so I was a little overdressed.  My ankle feels pretty good.  It is a little sore but nothing serious.  I'm a little more concerned about both upper hamstrings.  They have been problematic all year but are more sore now than usual.  I may try to get 1.5 more miles later today so I can end the month at 200 miles.

PM

I just couldn't end the month with less than 200 miles.  I know that it is silly but this is already my lowest mileage month of the year and it made me feel a little better to at least be over 200.  The kids finished trick or treating then went to their mom's so I went to the LPT for a quick 2 miler.  Went out 1 mile then turned around and headed back.  I decided to push the pace on the way back.  My breathing felt good and my legs didn't hurt but I couldn't shift it into the next gear.  It was hardly worth getting sweaty over but it served it's purpose.