A clydesdale no more!

Tried to hold pace low but felt too good.

2 miles @MP (7:15) A little more work than it should have been.

Struggled first 3 miles then felt better.

Comfortable.

I wasn’t sure what to expect out of this race. Going into it, I didn’t know if I should shoot for a PR (3:11:34) or just be happy with Boston qualifying time (3:15:59). My marathon pace runs during this training cycle have not gone well so my confidence was lacking. I decided that I would start with a 7:20-7:25 pace through mile 15 and then decide how I feel. If things were going well, I would open it up and shoot for the PR. If not, I would try to maintain a decent pace the last 10 miles and hope for a 3:15.

Other than it being a little cold at the start and finishing into a slight headwind, the weather was ideal for racing. A lot more people signed up than the organizers expected and they were unable to get everybody bussed to the start on time. Because of this, the start was delayed 30 minutes. While waiting, the race director makes the following announcement: “Please stop urinating in the fields. The police are going to start issuing tickets.” We were up in the mountains in the middle of nowhere and they were concerned about people peeing in the cow pastures. Finally, the cannon goes off and we are under way.

Miles 1 through 5: This section is predominantly downhill so it takes a little self control to hold back the pace. Around mile 3, something didn’t feel right. Nothing hurt but I just felt a little off. By the 5th mile, I started to warm up and felt a lot better. (All splits are according to my Garmin which was about 0.1 miles off for most of the race).

1: 7:19

2: 7:21

3: 7:16

4: 7:19

5: 7:26

Miles 6 through 10: Much of the same. Flat to downhill and am just cruising along. The course flattens out around mile 8 then continues with some rolling hills (felt like more uphill than downhill).

6: 7:22

7: 7:23

8: 7:24

9: 7:22

10: 7:20

Miles 11 through 15: This section was hillier than I thought. It looks flat on the elevation chart but it felt like a climb most of the way. It ended with a good ¼ mile climb during the 15th mile. On the big climb, I just tried to maintain my position in the pack. Hit the half in 1:37 so I was right on target.

11: 7:28

12: 7:28

13: 7:25

14: 7:27

15: 7:41

Miles 16 through 20: Time to assess how I feel and decide whether or not to push. I am not feeling as strong as I would like and decide to hold my current pace until 20. By mile 18, I start feeling numb all over. This happened last year at SLCM and I eventually hit the wall and had to do some walking. I am not to the point where I feel like I need to walk but I am afraid that it may be coming. This section is mostly downhill which I think helped push back the wall.

16: 7:16

17: 7:22

18: 7:11

19: 7:25

20: 7:25

Miles 21 through 25: There are times when I am ready to throw in the towel. I feel like I have come to a complete halt but I am maintaining my position in the pack (not passing anybody but not being passed). Just keep plugging along as much as possible. I get a burst of energy from somewhere and end up running a couple of good miles.

Start to think that I will have a strong finish and a decent time. I move ahead of the group that I have been running with. Was getting tired of seeing them anyway. Hit mile 25 and reality hits me. As much as I want, I just can’t get my legs to turn over. Just hope to hold pace under 8:00 to the finish.

21: 7:35

22: 7:36

23: 6:54

24: 7:15

25: 7:44

The last 1.2: Doing everything that I can to keep the legs moving. Looks like everybody else is doing the same. Even though my pace has slowed, nobody is catching up to me. In fact, I pass a few people. Hit the 26 mile marker and see 2 runners in front of me. I decide to kick it into another gear and catch up to them. As I am passing them, I see my wife on the sideline. Swerve over to give her five and realize that the 2 guys I just passed have started their kick. I kick it up a notch and we are off to the races. One guy pulls away slightly but the other guy and I finish at the same time. Lesson learned: the time for celebrating is after you cross the finish line. As it turns out, both guys started a couple of seconds before me so I actually placed ahead of them.

26: 7:59

26.2: 1:32

+0.2 Garmin error: 1:32

Chip Time: 3:15:47

Average Pace: 7:28

Garmin Distance: 26.4 miles

Overall Place: 50 out of 990

Division Place: 12

The course measured a little long on my Garmin which I attribute to the winding nature of the course.

I expected to finish a couple minutes faster than this so I am a little disappointed. In reality it is probably pretty accurate for the shape that I am in. This was the first of 5 marathons that are part of the Utah Grand Slam. I am currently in 7th place overall. Funny enough, the guy that I crossed the finish line with is also running the grand slam. Guess I will have to keep an eye out for him at future races.

Legs still a little sore from Ogden.

No running today. Woke up with pain in my ankle that hurts just to walk.

Ankle pain completely gone. Legs a little dead the last mile.

Still in recovery mode.

Inside of knees a little sore. Pace felt really easy. After seeing the Ogden pictures, I have realized that I really need to work on my form. My biggest problems might be genetics.

Bought Thomas Miller's Programmed to Run to help address some of the issues with my running form. Spent most of this run thinking about where my form is breaking down and how I can fix it. My biggest issues seem to be posture (too erect), foot plant (heel striker) and I noticed that I am lazy with my push off. I am really going to focus on my form as I think that it will improve my running performances.

Was planning on going slow. Really focused on pushing off properly. Was able to maintain a decent pace (MP -10) without getting too fatigued. Getting a little more winded but legs feel a lot better.

Felt like I was forcing things today. Energy level was good but didn't feel very smooth.

The plan called for a rest day but I felt like getting out and putting in a few easy miles. Felt good for the most part. Knees have been a little stiff and sore the past couple of days.

Have been feeling a little lethargic at the start of my runs. Once I get a few miles into a run, I feel fine.

Supposed to be a nice easy run. At the 1 mile mark, I converged with another runner running about the same pace. Dropped pace to MP to make sure he knew who was faster. Lower legs have been achy (tibia, achilles, calf). Will probably back off the pace for the next week.

Warm and windy (head wind the last half). Was a little fatigued but was able to maintain a steady pace the entire run.

Pushed the pace a little today. Threw in a few strides. As my legs fatigued, I could really feel (and hear) my feet slapping the ground. Backed off for a mile until things were under control again. Was able to finish strong and in control.

Didn't feel like leaving the house this morning. Ran from home to the gates at Mueller Park canyon and back. The climb is 1,100 feet over 5 miles. I ran this once a week while training for St. George to prepare me for both Veyo and the downhills. Haven't run it in a few months but figured I better start doing it again in preparation for Des News. Even though I dreaded today's run, I am glad that I got out the door. I am a little sore but feel better than I have the past couple of days.

Easy run.

Warmed up with 2.25 miles then ran 4 miles at lactate threshold (6:45/mile). Started out too fast and hit the first mile in 6:35. Backed off a bit for the 2nd mile (6:41). Felt pretty good so decided to just run and not worry about the pace. Ran third mile in 6:35 and 4th mile in 6:30 for an average of 6:35 over the 4 miles. Cooled down with 2.75 miles making it an even 9 miles for the day.

Ran the 5K course that I am going to run on Monday to verify the distance and get a feel for the course. Both achilles were a little sore at the beginning but felt better once they warmed up.

Nice easy run today except the 1 mile in the middle where I was keeping pace with a faster runner and the last 2 miles that I ran at marathon pace. Both achilles tendons sore to start. Felt fine once things warmed up.

Ran a local 5K (Woods Cross Memorial day "fun" run). This race is pretty low key and usually dominated by the local high school kids. Warmed up by running from home to the starting line (1 mile). Didn't feel great so didn't go into the race with high expectations. Lined up towards the front but still had to fight through a big crowd of slower runners once the gun went off. Hit the first mile in 6:06. Instead of hitting the lap button on my watch, I hit the stop button. Didn't realize it until about 1/4 mile into the second mile. I estimate that I ran the second mile in 6:20. Wasn't overly fatigued but I just could not get into a rythm. Third mile came in at 6:21 and last 0.12 in 0:43 (5:57/mile). Final time: 19:33 and 11th place overall. Finished up by running 3 easy miles. I didn't put in the effort that I wanted. I was hoping to really push myself and make this race hurt. I still have to work on my mental toughness to push harder when I start to wear down.

Easy miles. Felt pretty good. There were some "twinges" in both tibias.

Couldn't decide what I wanted to run this morning. As I walked out the door decided to run to Bountiful Golf Course. Good climb for 5 miles then a more gradual descent on the return. Legs are fried but I feel good.

Decided to push the pace a little today. Ran 10-20 seconds faster than marathon pace for the middle 7 miles. I know that this is no man's land but it felt good.

Nice easy recovery run. Lower legs are still a little sore (tibias and achilles). Not sure when or if they should start feeling better.

Wasn't really in the mood to run this morning. Felt like I was just putting in the miles. Second half of the run was better than the first half. Took my son to the SLCM. He ran the kids 1K. He really had a lot of fun.

6 miles at MP. Legs felt good but heart felt like it was racing a little. May be due to the warmer weather.

Ran up to Mueller park canyon (about 5 miles uphill). Decided to run for a while on the trail. It was more technical than I thought it would be (narrow, windy and rocky). Went up about 3/4 mile then headed back down. I think that I will try the entire run from Mueller park canyon to North canyon one day when I feel more adventurous. Went past Bountiful golf course and headed back home. It felt good to be up in the canyon where it was cool and quiet.

Slow recovery run.

Felt pretty good today. A lot of the aches and pains that I have been experiencing the past few weeks seem to be subsiding. Ran the last mile at my LT and felt really comfortable.

Easy run.

3 mile warm up then 12 miles at marathon pace. Wanted to keep it below 7:20/mile. Averaged 7:15 per mile. Ran last mile in 6:54. Felt really good today. Weather was cool and overcast with heavy rain in a few sections. Perfect weather for a run.

Pushed the pace a little on the down hill miles. Felt very comfortable.

Warmed up with 2.25 miles. Supposed to do 4 X 3/4 mile repeats at 5K pace (6:15/mile) with 1/4 mile jog. I actually try to run these a little faster than 5K pace. Ran 1st a little fast (5:55 min/mile). Settled in on 6:00 min/mile pace for the next 2. I was holding a 6:00 min/mile on the last one when I was stopped by a train at the 0.6 mile mark. Decided to throw in 1 more repeat just for good measure. Was able to hold 6:00 min/mile pace the entire way but it really started to hurt. Finished with 2.4 mile cool down.

Run up to the upper parking lot of Mueller park. Figured the trails would be too muddy from yesterday's rain so just stayed on the main road. Looped around Bountiful GC and headed back home. Two hard days in a row has worn me out.

Feeling a little run down today. Pace was a little slow and didn't feel very motivated.

Very slow recovery run. Feeling pretty run down. I seem to feel this way in the middle of a training cycle. I take it as a sign that I am pushing myself hard enough.

Since I have been run down lately, I wasn't looking forward to getting out on a long run today. Was planning on just running slow and easy. Picked up the pace half way through to pass a guy. He picked up his pace as I went buy which caused me to hold a faster pace a little longer than planned. Was in a groove so just mainted the quicker pace to the end. Actually felt really good. As it turns out, I may have had a flare up of the chicken pox which was causing me to feel so run down. Ankles and achilles were a little sore. It is time to buy a new pair of shoes. Ran the extra 0.3 so that the week's total mileage would be a whole number.

6 x 1/2 mile repeats @ 5K pace. Averaged 5:53/mile (2:55-2:58). Felt pretty good. Fourth repeat was a little sloppy but the others were under control.

This is a cut back week so I decided to eliminate the hills. Course was relatively flat. Legs started to feel heavy the last 3 miles.

Easy run. Felt very comfortable.

Included 4 miles at tempo pace (6:38/mile). 3rd mile felt a little sloppy so decided to ignore pace and focus on running smooth on the 4th mile. Ran 4th mile in 6:28. Felt really good today. This is the first time that I have run both a tempo and VO2 max run in the same week.

Easy, recovery run. Felt very good today.

10 miles at MP. Was definetly more work than it should have been. Breathing and heart rate felt fine but there was just no energy in my legs. There are a few factors that I think went into this: not enough sleep last night, poor diet throughout the week, poor hydration during the run, more speed work during the week. These are all controllable factors but it is still a shot to the confidence.

Supposed to be a recovery run. Pushed the pace to MP the last 3+ miles. Felt good. Finally got a new pair of shoes (2 weeks later than I should have). I didn't realize how worn out the mid-sole was on my old shoes. Hopefully, this will take care of some of the lower leg pains that I have been experiencing.

WXHS track is under construction so I drove to the Bountiful High track. Warmed up with 2 miles on the track (usually warm up by running to the track). 6 X 1,000M @ 5K pace w/400M jog in between each repeat. Wanted to hold a 6:00 min/mile (3:45 per repeat). Splits were: 3:40, 3:47, 3:45, 3:44, 3:50, 3:45. Really had to work to hold the pace on the last one. Half way through the first turn of the last repeat, I felt a twinge in my left knee. Cooled down with 2 more miles on the track. It was pretty crowded so there was a lot of dodging of other runners/walkers. I think that the knee issue is due to all of the left hand turns. Icing the knee now and hope that it is nothing serious. Will try to do future speed workouts on the road.

Very slow run. Knee still bothering me and is affecting how I run. Talked with another guy for about a mile and I didn't notice the knee as much. I think that it is more psychological than physical.

Felt better today. The pain in my left knee seems to be subsiding. Going to assume that it is nothing serious.

Very easy pace.

Was way too tired for as slow as I was running. Once again, lungs and heart felt great but legs had nothing in them. That is 2 weeks in a row with a bad long run. I'm starting to lose a little confidence which isn't good since Des News is only 3 weeks away. Both achilles tendons were pretty sore. Most likely due to putting too many miles on a pair of shoes then trying to adjust to a fresh pair.

Saw a deer running down the middle of the road not too far from where a moose got hit by a car last week. Wonder why they are coming down from the hills.

2.25 warm up miles then 6 X 1/2 mile at 5K pace with 1/4 mile rest. Splits were: 3:07, 3:05, 3:00, 3:00, 2:59, 3:00. The first couple felt a little out of control. Started to settle down towards the end. Cooled down with 2.50 easy miles. Achilles felt better but knee was a little sore.

Easy pace. Legs a little sore.

Ran from home to the Bountiful temple. Very hilly run. Felt like a pretty good effort today. Temperatures were cool but humidity was higher than normal.

Ran 7 miles at MP. Still a little fatigued from yesterday but felt good to push the pace a little. I can really feel the high humidity. My shirt felt like it weighed 5 lbs because it was so wet.

Easy run. Lower legs were a little tight to start but felt alright once they were warmed up.

Felt a lot better about today's run. Legs felt a little tired and heavy for a few of the middle miles. Picked up the pace the last 2 miles and felt a lot better.

7 miles at marathon pace. Other than a little twinge in the left knee and right tibia (site of previous injury) I am starting to feel better.

Very easy run. Lower right leg sore (mostly calf). This would not be a good time for an injury. If the pain continues, I will probably skip tomorrow's speed workout (the last scheduled hard run before Des News).

Decided last night that doing the last scheduled speed session before Des News would probably do more harm than good. Woke up this morning and legs felt better so decided to do the workout as planned (3 X 1 mile @ 5K pace). First repeat felt good (6:15). Felt really in control. Slight tail wind on second repeat (6:10). Last was into a slight headwind and finished going up an overpass (6:23). Left knee still sore and right calf tightened up a few times. Will most likely take tomorrow off.

Had an easy 5 scheduled but decided that I my legs needed a break. First missed scheduled run in quite a long time.

I've been thinking about my training and what I need to do to become a better marathoner. In order to achieve the goals that I have set, I need to bump my mileage up 15-20 miles per week and add an additional quality run (tempo or speed) each week. The problem is that I feel as though I am at my physical limit now. I have to decide if I want to continue running mediocre marathons with my current training or start focusing on shorter races.

Wife had to work early this morning so I didn't get out to run until 1:30. Temp was 95 degrees and it was HOT. I'm not used to running in the heat. I figured that it would be good for me psychologically to get a couple of runs in hot weather in preparation for Des News. Actually ran really well. Ran the first 5 miles at maratahon pace then backed off the last 2 miles as to not over do it. Achilles and calves were a little sore to start but felt better once they warmed up.

Feeling a little better about things. Still some aches and pains in the lower legs. Lower mileage for the week has helped me snap out of the funk that I've been in.

Sasha asked that I do a 100 meter time trial on a track. Stopped at the Viewmont High track about 4 miles into my run. Did 2 100 meter all out sprints. Completed the first in 15.5 sec. and the second in 15.75. Not used to the explosive speed so I may be able to improve on that with a little practice.

Achilles were sore for the first mile but felt good once I warmed up.

Just putting in the miles. Left 45 minutes later than usual and it felt a lot warmer. Legs feel like they are healing (as they should be during the final week of taper). Still a little calf and achilles soreness.

Ran 2 miles at MP -10. The pace felt good and not forced at all.

Stopped off at the Viewmont High track (about 4 miles into my run) for a 200 m time trial. Ran it in 31 seconds exactly (watch turned over to 31 right as I crossed the line). Based on McMillan's calculator, this is consistent with my 100 m at 15.5 that I ran last week. I assume that the next step is to test my 400 m time which should be 64.8 seconds. Will probably wait until a couple of weeks after Des News to test this.

Very easy pace. Back of both legs were a little tight.

Easy pace. Legs felt really good. The only part of the legs that are sore are both achilles. No pain at all in my knee and calves.

Intended to maintain an easy pace the entire run. Just before the start of last mile another runner passed me. I hate being passed. Tried to convince myself to let him go but couldn't. Kept pace with him then started to make up ground towards the end. Averaged 8:00 min/mile the first 4 and 6:40 the last. Actually felt better running that mile than I did the previous 4.

This is the 2nd of 5 marathons that I am running this year as part of the Utah Grand Slam. The last marathon I ran was the Ogden marathon 11 weeks ago. Since there was a good break between these two marathons, I figured that I would race this one all out. Followed Pfitz’s 12 weeks between marathons plan and, other than some lower leg soreness, was ready to go on marathon morning. The plan was to at least match my time at Ogden (3:15). A week before the marathon, I found out that they changed the course and removed the uphill sections between miles 16 and 18. This should make the course a little faster and I was hoping for good things.

Went to bed early on Sunday and was up at 2:00 a.m. (to thunder and a torrential down pour that lasted only 5 minutes). On the bus ride to the start, the bus driver looks back and starts asking for directions. Not a good sign. Got to the starting line and hit the port-o-potty. As I was trying to get out, the door was stuck. One of the stakes that holds the p.o.p. down came up and was blocking the door. Fortunately, somebody realized that I was having trouble and helped me out.

Suprisingly, this marathon actually started on time. The last couple of marathons have been delayed 30 minutes and I was expecting the same. The course starts at the top of Big Mountain in Emmigration canyon. The first 16 miles are in the canyon so despite the recent 100 degree temperatures, it didn’t feel too hot through the canyon.

Miles 1-5 (7:12 average pace)

The first 5 miles are a pretty drastic down hill. My plan was to hold a 7:20 pace as long as possible knowing that the first couple miles would be a little fast because of the downhill. I was passed by two large packs of runners while maintaining a 7:00 pace. It took everything that I had to hold back and not go with the packs. In one of the packs, there is a runner who I have a 1 second lead on in the Grand Slam series (William). I really wanted to keep up with him but decided to race my own race and held back.

Miles 6-10 (7:43 average pace)

Around mile 6, we started climbing up Little Mountain. I don’t know who named it Little Mountain but whoever it was is a liar. Going into the race, I underestimated the significance of this climb. Just as I thought that I was at the top of the hill, I looked up and there was another big climb ahead. Just focused on staying comfortable and in control. I passed a few people going up the hills.

Miles 11-15 (7:23 average pace)

It’s predominantly downhill to flat from here on out. My legs were feeling a little fatigued but I felt that I could maintain the pace for the remainder of the race. Hit the halfway point in 1:37:30 – right on target. During a small out and back section I found that William was 1:45 ahead of me. Probably not going to catch him.

Miles 16-20 (7:28 average pace)

Came out of the canyon around the 16th mile where my wife and mom were waiting. Seeing them gave me a boost of energy and I was feeling strong. Powered up a little hill and passed a couple of more runners. In hindsight, I may have hit this hill a little too hard. It really sapped my energy and my next mile really suffered. Was able to recover but I can tell that things are starting to fall apart. The streets were lined with trees so the course was still pretty well shaded. Although it was starting to warm up, it didn’t feel hot yet. Once we turned on to Foothill Blvd around mile 19 and entered the city I could start to feel the heat. See William a couple hundred yards ahead and start wondering if I can catch him. I am slowly gaining on him and decide to be patient and let him come to me. Get by him around the 20 mile marker and realize that my 1 second GS lead is safe.

Miles 21-25 (7:57 average pace)

My legs are fried so I decide that it is time to switch to survival mode and just hope to keep it under 8:00 min/mile to the end. There are some pretty good downhill sections through these miles but when your legs feel like jelly, it really doesn’t help. As slow as I was going, I was only passed by 2 runners. There was a pack of runners about ¼ mile ahead of me and I couldn’t see anybody behind me. Tried to surge a couple of times to catch up to the runners ahead but just couldn’t do it.

The last 1.2 (7:58 average pace)

Once I hit the 25 mile marker decided to push a little (emphasis on little). Started to move up on the pack ahead. Was able to work through them and had a clear path to the finish line the last 200 yards. Another runner caught back up to me and we were going all out to the end. He passed me, I passed him and we crossed the line together. According to the final results, he beat me by 1 second.

Final Time: 3:18:37

Overall Place: 35/548

Age Group Place: 10/49

I am a little disappointed with my time and performance. This race was a reality check for me. I feel as though I should be a better marathoner. I have to realize that this is just not the case. On the bright side, I did move from 9th place to 6th place in the overall standings of the Grand Slam.

Next up is the Park City marathon in 5 weeks. Will most likely use this as a training run.

Complete rest day for me today. I am more sore than normal after yesterday's marathon. I also have a sharp pain in my right calf. It has been bothering me for a few weeks. I hope that it is nothing serious. Will try to get in a couple of easy miles tomorrow.

Probably should have rested today because it is still painful to walk. Felt like putting in a couple of easy miles. Didn't take my watch so I have no idea what pace I ran but it was probably somewhere between 8:30 and 9:00. It actually hurts less to run than it does to walk. Right calf is hurting pretty bad. Can't decide if I should back off the rest of the week or just continue with a few easy runs.

Another easy 4. Soreness starting to subside but right calf still hurts. Stopped at each mile marker to stretch out the calf.

Decided to take today off. Right calf is still hurting. Hopefully, 1 more day off will help it heal.

Wanted to run a route with varied terrain to see how my body is recovering. Ran the long Orchard loop which has a little climbing followed by a little downhill. Everything feels really good except my right calf. There is a sharp pain everytime that I push off which made the uphill running painful. I actually think that it is not the calf that is hurting but the plantaris tendon. I am going to hold off on any speed work or hard running until the pain subsides. Still planning on putting in moderate miles.

Ran Pages Lane loop. First 6 miles felt good and was able to maintain MP. At the end of the 6th mile, my calf/hamstring really started to hurt. Backed off pace and just plodded my way home.

I usually run 2 easy runs per week (6 miles at an easy pace). Until my leg feels a little better, I am going to replace these days with complete rest days. I hate taking extra days off but I think that this is the smartest approach to let my leg heal. My biggest concern is the loss of fitness. With the taper for Des News and now this, my miles have really dropped the last few weeks.

Was planning on running 9 or 10 today but right leg really hurts. Decided that limping an extra 4 miles would do more harm than good. This injury is becoming very discouraging. I am having a real hard time pin pointing exactly what it is. The pain is either at the top of the calf, behind the knee or at the bottom of the hamstring. It is a stabbing pain everytime I push off. It only hurts when I run. As soon as I stop the pain is gone. When I poke and prod at the area I can't find a specific area where the pain is. The most frustrating part is that everything else feels really good and I am ready to bump my training up.

Leg still hurts. Almost stopped running after 1/4 mile but decided to play with the pace to see if I could find a pace that didn't hurt too bad. Found that if I run slow (8:30/mile) then the pain is manageable.

With 3 marathons in the next 2 months, I have to decide how to proceed. Do I take an entire week off and hope the leg heals or run everything at a slow and painful pace and throw all time goals out the window? At the start of the year, I signed up for the grand slam with the goal of finishing in the top 10. Assuming that things do not improve, this is going to be difficult to achieve (currently in 6th with 11th just 18 minutes behind). I guess that I will just take it one day at a time.

One of my biggest flaws in running form is that I lean forward from my waist. I found that if I run taller then my calf does not hurt as bad. Spent a lot of time watching my shadow and reflection in buildings to make sure that my lean was correct. I think that this was a contributing factor to the injury. I got pretty dehydrated towards the end of the run. Ended up losing 6 pounds during the run. Not the greatest run but at least I was able to get in the planned miles.

Due to my modified running gait, I am now experiencing pain in my gastrocnemius. It hurts while walking now. Have decided to take this week completely off. St George is my goal race so I would rather take some time off now. I am going to run Park City and TOU very conservatively just so that I can finish the grand slam.

Like alot of people that started running in the current boom, I skipped all the baby steps to get to the marathon and jumped right into the big daddy. I think that, going forward, I am going to focus on shorter races (5K-1/2 marathon) and improve on those. My body is just not responding to marathon training the way that I expected it to.

Calf was feeling better so I decided to test it. Besides, I couldn't pass up the perfect running temperature. Plan was to go as long as it was comfortable. If significant pain started or if my gait became altered, I would stop. Ran a loop that has several points that I could bail and head home. After 1/4 mile, I decided to push the pace for 1/4 mile to see what would happen. Felt pretty good. Backed off for a while then bumped the pace up to 5k pace for 1/4 mile. Continued with the fartlek until mile 4 (mixed in marathon pace, 1/2 marathon pace and easy pace) when my calf started to ache a little. Ran 2 easy mile back home. Although I am not pain free, I was able to run normally and even push the pace. This is a good sign that the leg is healing. The real test will be tomorrow morning. Hopefully, I won't have a set back.

Took it easy today. A couple of times I thought of stretching the run out a little bit but decided that it was better to be conservative.

I have been able to push a little more each day. While I am not pain free, I feel as though my calf is healing. I've been running the same loop for 3 days in a row. It is getting kind of boring but I am still tentative to hit any significant hills since this seems to aggrevate the injury. Hoping to get in 18 tomorrow.

The first 3 miles I was light headed. I was also sweating a little more than I thought I should have been. The next few miles felt pretty good. Once I got to mile 11 my calf was really hurting. The last 6 miles were pretty painful. While the pain was discouraging, I do feel better this week than I did last week. I guess it is 2 steps forward and 1 step back. Everything else felt really good. I'm hoping my fitness hasn't dropped off too much. It has been a few weeks since I have had a good quality workout.

After a 1 mile warm up I started to bump up the pace to see how my leg responds and to test my fitness. Ran 1 mile at MP then 4 miles at tempo pace. Finished with an easy mile to cooldown. I could definitely feel my reduced training. My breathing was much more labored than it should have been. It felt good to get in some quality miles. My calf actually hurt less to run at the faster pace.

Went out the door to a pretty impressive lightning show. Some looked a little too close for comfort. In addition, my calf is a little more sore today. Too many things telling me not to run this morning. I will try to get out tonight if my calf feels better.

A little warm and windy. Ran 7 miles at marathon pace. Since my mileage is down, I am trying to run at a little quicker pace. Calf still hurts but there is some improvement.

4 miles @ marathon pace. Calf hasn't improved much this week. I can maintain marathon pace for a few miles then it really starts to ache. I am hoping that next week's taper for the Park City marathon will allow it to heal.

Nice cool morning run. Still running conservative mileage. I've been about 15-20 miles per week short for the past few weeks. Calf pain stayed consistent throughout the run. This is a good sign. Last week, the pain became unbearble at about mile 11. I noticed at one point during the run that if I turned my right foot inward a little, the pain subsided. I am splay footed so my foot was actually landing more straight. If nothing else, this injury has helped me fix a few flaws in my form. Ran the last 2 miles a little faster than marathon pace and it felt really good.

Right calf still sore but feeling quite a bit better. Left knee hurt pretty badly for the 1st quarter mile. Was fine once it warmed up. Everything else felt really good and I should be ready for Park City on Saturday.

Got a late start this morning because I was debating whether or not to run. Getting on the scale and realizing that I was a little heavier than I would like to be convinced me to head out the door. Ran at a very comfortable pace to the golf course and back. Everything felt really good. Right calf was tight but didn't really hurt. Could feel a twinge in the left knee but it didn't hurt like yesterday.

Warm and windy. Took it pretty easy today. Body feeling much like yesterday. I plan on taking tomorrow off and running easy on Friday.

Felt really good this morning. Ran 3 miles at marathon pace. Calf strain is now just a dull ache.

Background

This was the third of five marathons that I am running as part of the Utah Grand Slam. It’s been 5 weeks since the last marathon and the next one is in 4 weeks. A calf strain presented itself after the last marathon. It took me a week to realize that it was an actual injury and not the usual post marathon soreness. Knowing that I had 3 marathons in the near future, I had to somehow balance running and rest. I had to put in enough miles to maintain some level of fitness but not so many that I didn’t give the injury a chance to heal. I could only get in about 40 miles per week with no real quality workouts. Since my training was less than stellar, I had no choice but to treat this as a training run and just enjoy myself. This is a pretty small marathon (300 marathoners, 40 half marathoners and 24 marathon relay teams) and is one of the few chances that I would ever have of picking up an age group award. Convincing myself to run this at a slower pace was really difficult because I knew if I pushed myself, I had a chance at bringing home some hardware. I estimated that the course itself was about 5 minutes slower than average and I would give myself another 10 minutes so 3:30 was the goal finish time. My strategy was to start at 8:00 min/mile, give back 30 sec/mile on the hills between 12 and 17 then make up the difference the next 8 miles which were downhill and hold on the last mile which was slightly uphill.

Race Morning

Woke up at 3:30 on marathon morning to thunder and lightning. Hopefully this would be a typical summer storm and only last a short while. My wife and son wanted to accompany me the starting line and meet me at various points of the race. We all headed out the door at 5:00 a.m. and got to the packet pick up at about 6:00. This is the first marathon that I have run where the start and finish lines are at the same place. It was nice to be able to drive right to the starting line. It was a little windy which worried me. After almost missing the start due to a slow port-o-potty line we were off promptly at 6:30. Miraculously, the wind stopped and it turned out to be perfect running weather – temperature in the 50’s and clear skies.

The Race

Miles 1-7 (Avg Pace 7:35/mile)

The course starts with a short uphill then quickly drops for an extended downhill. This was great except we have to finish on this same route going the other way. I was not looking forward to the return trip. Pushed a little on the second mile but was feeling very comfortable. It was here that I started thinking about bagging the “training run” idea. The next few miles were rolling hills. We would go from asphalt to dirt roads to bike paths. Mostly ran by cow pastures which smelled wonderful. I was maintaining a steady pace and felt like I was holding back a little (just as planned).

Miles 8-11 (Avg Pace 7:40/mile)

At about the 9 mile mark I started thinking that my lack of training was going to catch up to me. I was feeling fine but my legs felt a little off. Not hurting at all just not firing on all cylinders. Also, I was trying to make a conscious effort to back off a little before the start of hills. There was a group of runners ahead of me that included a couple of people from the Grand Slam and a couple of runners that I knew where in my age group. I couldn’t decide if I should stick with them or let them go. Of course my competitive side won out and I made sure they stayed within striking distance.

Miles 12-17 (Avg Pace 8:11)

This is the difficult part of the course. The first few miles were a gradual uphill. I love running uphill and usually do relatively well. The only problem is that running uphill aggravates my calf injury. I was concerned about how my calf would respond to this section of the course. Everything felt good so instead of worrying about it, I just ran comfortable and in control. I was able to catch a couple of guys that I had been trailing for the last few miles at about the halfway mark. At mile 15 we turned into a neighborhood and started some serious climbs. We would climb a little then we would get a break followed by another climb. The kicker was at mile 16.5 where there is a nasty climb until mile 17. We peaked at 7,041 feet and for the first time I could feel the altitude.

Miles 18-24 (Avg Pace 7:39)

Miles 18 and 19 are mostly down hill and I think that I got a little excited. My pace was a little too fast but I thought that I had conserved enough energy early on to hold it for the rest of the race. The course goes through an outdoor shopping mall which was very confusing - lots of twists and turns. Hit the bike path again and I couldn’t see anybody in front of or behind me. I started to think that I took a wrong turn and was lost. Eventually, I could see somebody in front of me and realized that I was on the right track. Somewhere around the 20 mile marker my calf started to ache and I decided to not push it any further. I could see a guy a few hundred yards ahead of me and couldn’t see anybody behind me. The way I was feeling, I new I didn’t have a chance to catch the guy ahead so I backed off the pace a little and hoped to hold my current place. Miles 20-24 were very lonely. It’s a long straight away on a dirt road with nothing to look at but the cows. The guy ahead of me was gapping me and there was a group behind me a couple of hundred yards and it felt like they were closing. I had a pretty good idea that they were in my age group so I had to do my best to hold them off.

Miles 25 & 26 (Avg Pace 7:45)

I walked through the last aid station, glanced behind me and realized that there were a couple of runners closing fast. My feet were absolutely killing me and I was starting to feel numb which means that the wall was near. Just focused on putting one foot in front of the other. A runner passed by pretty quickly. I was relieved to see that he had a yellow bib indicating that he was a relay runner. With only 1 mile to go, I started to push again. Crested the final hill and all that was left was a short downhill to the finish line. As I approached the finish line I called out to my son and told him to run in with me. I wouldn’t do this if it would interfere with any other runner but since there was nobody in front of or behind me I thought that it would be alright.

Final time: 3:21:24

Overall Place: 13/302 (after the cheater who entered the race at mile 17 was removed)

AG Place: 4/22 (my last race in the 30-34 age group and I’m happy to get out of it)

Grand Slam Standings: I dropped from 6th to 7th. Before the race, I expected to drop to 9th because the runners behind me are more accustomed to multiple marathons so I was happy with only a 1 place drop.

Final thoughts

I didn’t run this race all out but definitely pushed harder than I planned. I was a little disappointed with my low energy the last 6 miles. Even though I would have liked to place in my age group, I was 7 minutes behind 3rd place so even if I gave it my all, I wouldn’t have placed. I was really happy with how my calf and knee felt. I haven’t felt like much of a runner the past 5 weeks because of the calf pain. I ran mostly pain free today and only have moderate soreness now. I feel a lot more confident in what I can do in the next 6 weeks.

For a race with only 300 marathoners, the organization was amazing - from the information on the website to the incredible volunteers on the course. The course was beautiful and I had a great time running it.

Next up: Top of Utah Marathon September 23 which will be my first race in a new, slower age group.

Nice, easy recovery run. Experiencing typical post marathon soreness. Psychologically, I am feeling a lot better than I have been for a few weeks.

Still sore but feeling quite a bit better. Tried pushing the pace for a couple of miles but didn't get much faster than marathon pace.

Ran the Davis Blvd. loop. 400 ft elevation gain the first 3 miles then rolling to flat for 3 miles then a 400 ft drop the last 3. Ran a slow pace but legs started to fatigue towards the end. This may have been a little too much of a run for a recovery week. Next 2 days will be easy runs.

Very cool morninig. I'm starting to get bored with the same running routes so I explored a little today. Went past the golf course then turned towards the lake. Found a nice bike path and dirt road that I didn't know existed. Once I went through a couple of hundred yards of stench from the dump it was a nice run. Wanted to test how the recovery is going so I ran the last 1/2 mile at tempo pace. Felt really good.

Another cool morning. Felt really good this morning. The last 4 miles I decided to bump up the pace each mile. Started at marathon pace and ran the last mile at 1/2 marathon pace. Other than a small ache in my right hamstring, everything felt really good.

Felt very sluggish and tired at the beginning of the run. Planned on using only water today but took 1 GU packet with me just in case. Ended up taking the GU at mile 9 and once it kicked in I felt a lot better. Finished the run with 2 miles at marathon pace. Was only going to run 14 today but went a little long so that I could finish the week with 50 miles. Felt a twinge in my right calf every once in a while just to remind me that it's still not 100%.

After a 2.25 mile warm up ran 4 miles at tempo pace (6:35, 6:35, 6:23, 6:19). Cooled down for a couple miles then ran the last mile at MP-10 sec. I was surprised at how good that I felt.

Easy recovery run.

Ran to the Bountiful Temple and back. Tough hilly run that I haven't run for 2 months due to injury. I was interested to see how my body would respond to a punishing run. It took me 30 seconds longer to run it this time than it did last time. My uphill splits were a little slower but my downhill splits were faster. There were quite a few runners out this morning so it motivated me to push a little harder on the downhill sections. I would have liked to hit the uphills a little harder (the steepest mile was 38 seconds slower this time) but I am happy with the effort and how I feel after the run.

Very easy run. Legs are a little fatigued from yesterday's run.

Ran to Bountiful Lake then to Farmington Bay then back home. Ran 6 miles at a little faster than marathon pace. Could feel myself getting a little lazy a few times and really had to focus on holding my form.

Ran to the end of Farmington Bay then looped around the county building and headed home. It was very quiet running a long the bay. The dirt road was very easy on the legs so I may run this more often. Maintained a relatively easy pace the entire run (started at 8:30/mile and finished at 7:20/mile).

Warmed up with 2.25 miles. 3 X 1 mile at a little faster than 5K pace with 1/2 mile jog between each repeat. Did the repeats on a 1 mile stretch of road that is mostly flat (20 foot elevation change). Miles 1 and 2 felt pretty good (5:58, 5:55). Felt good at the start of the 3rd repeat but was 5 seconds behind at the half way point. Started to push but was only able to make up 3 seconds the last half (6:02). I would have liked to finish a little stronger but feel good with the overall workout. Finished with 1.75 mile cool down.

Just your run of the mill general aerobic run. Total time: 55:30. A little fatigued from yesterday but felt pretty good for the most part. I really want to put in more miles but know that I need to start backing off in preparation for TOU and SGM.

Felt wiped out when I woke up this morning. Took it easy today and just put in easy miles (avg 8:05/mile).

Some high school punk made a comment about my shorts. It's not like I was wearing split seam racing shorts. They go to the middle of my thigh and aren't much shorter than "normal" shorts. I just don't get it.

Warmed up with 2 miles then ran 5 miles at marathon pace (avg 7:19/mile). Splits were all over the place and were dictated by the wind and terrain (some miles were uphill into the wind others were downhill with the wind). Effort felt pretty even throughout. Finished with an easy mile to cool down.

Was planning on running an easy 5 but decided to take an extra rest day instead. With TOU 1 week away I am erroring on the side of caution.

Moderate effort today. Started out at 8:00/mile pace then bumped it up to marathon pace around mile 8. Finished last mile in 7:00. With the change in weather, all old injuries are aching a little (achilles, calf and knee).

Temperatures this morning are about what they are forecasting for TOU next week so this was a good practice run. There was very little rain most of the run but I did get hailed on for about a mile.

Moderate effort run. Felt pretty comfortable. Ran the last 2.4 at marathon pace. Feels good to be running in the cooler temperatures.

Ran 2 miles at MP. Had a hard time settling into a steady pace. I was either too fast or too slow but averaged MP for the 2 miles (7:17/mile). Felt really good and feel ready for TOU.

Cold and rainy. Ran to the golf course and back. This was the slowest 4 miles that I have run in a long time (8:48/mile avg). I usually take the Wednesday before a marathon off but decided to put in a few easy miles.

Another cool and rainy morning run. My stomach is a little unsettled and I had a hard time controlling my body temperature during the run. Hopefully it is just nerves and not the flu.

Another cool and rainy morning. Ran the 2nd mile at MP and it was a little more work than it should have been. Feel better than yesterday but I am still not at 100%. Hopefully I can shake this in the next 24 hours.

This was marathon number 4 of 5 of the Utah Grand Slam series. I ran Park City 4 weeks ago and will finish the series in St. George in 2 weeks. I started getting a little achy and my stomach was a little unsettled a couple of days before race day and feared the flu was coming on. I wasn’t overly stressed and figured if I did get sick I would just run this one easy and have extra energy for St. George. Went to get my usual pre-race meal at Fazoli’s only to find out that it had gone out of business. I had to settle for some nasty pasta dish at Ruby River. Got up at 4:00 a.m. on the morning of the race and after getting everything together realized that I couldn’t find my Garmin. After looking for 10 minutes I finally gave up and went with the old fashioned Timex Ironman. The stars weren’t lining up like I had hoped they would.

It was very cold the morning of the marathon – about 26 degrees at the start. The first 14 miles are run down Blacksmith Fork canyon. It is a gentle downhill with only a few uphill bumps. Starting at mile 18 the course flattens out with a few climbs. I expected to run a slightly positive split because of the nature of the course. I ran this as my first marathon in 2004 where I went out way too fast and ended up walking quite a bit the last 6 miles. I planned on holding back a little in the beginning so that I didn’t have a repeat performance.

Averaged 7:08/mile the first 4 miles (so much for holding back). I felt good but mentally I thought it was a bit too fast. I made a conscious effort to back off and averaged 7:27/mile for miles 5-7. My pace was all over the place the next 5 miles (7:10, 7:05, 7:25, 7:27, 7:17). I’m not sure how much of this was due to terrain and how much was from my inability to hold a steady pace. Somewhere during the 12th mile I started experiencing a little intestinal distress. I decided that at the start of the 13th mile I better address the issue. Hit the POP and lost 1 minute. I was frustrated that this happened and started running angry (not a good thing this early in the race). Started moving up quickly on the group of people that passed me and got even more frustrated realizing that these are people that I had already passed earlier. Mile 13 split was 7:59 but actual running time was 7:00 (half marathon in exactly 1:36:00). Ran mile 14 in 6:45 and caught the runners that I was with when I made the pit stop. I made up the lost time in 2 miles which was probably a mistake. I was still feeling good so I continued pushing it a little and ran mile 15 in 6:59.

We were now out of the canyon and running through rural towns. Miles 16 and 17 were both run in 7:07. This was the last of the downhill and about where I started to fade in 2004. Saw my wife and son at mile 17 and tossed my long sleeve shirt to them. It was still a little cold but I was afraid that I would overheat if I left it on. Was still feeling good and continued to push. Splits for miles 18-20 were a little slower but were dictated by the terrain (7:17, 7:23 and 7:19). I felt strong and wanted to push harder but felt that doing so would be a mistake (I started to push at mile 18 at Park City and paid for it later). I was constantly moving up on other runners and picking them off one at a time. It was fun to feel so strong at points where I felt near death two years ago.

Started doing some quick math to see how reasonable a PR was. Felt that with the upcoming hills I would miss my PR by about 2 minutes. Mile 21 was a little fast (7:03) and I’m not sure why – I think portions of it were downhill. Miles 22-24 were slightly uphill and it shows in my splits – 7:28, 7:37, 7:29. I knew that despite the slower times, I was still in good shape because I was still moving up on other runners. As I would approach them, I would notice how slow their stride turnover was and knew that I could get by them. Mile 25 was a little slower than average (7:27) because there is a short but nasty climb and also because it is mile 25. For some reason, my mile 25 splits are always slow. I think that this is where I start to give into the pain. I really need to work on being mentally stronger. With 1.2 miles to go I realized that a PR was within reach. It would take a little work but it was definitely doable. Ran mile 26 in 7:06 and the last 0.2 in 1:21 (6:45/mile pace).

Finish Time: 3:10:43 (a 53 second PR).

Overall Place: 74/2,005

Gender Place: 69/1,071

AG Place: 8/123 (my first day in the new 35-39 age category having turned 35 the day before the race – I would have taken 11th place had I run the race 2 days earlier)

Grand Slam standing: Maintained 7th place overall and extended my lead over 8th place.

Even though I had already qualified for Boston, I felt as though I had gotten in through the back door. I qualified at age 34 with a 35-39 age qualifying time because I aged into the higher category. I really wanted to qualify for real before running it. I have no idea how much running I will do between now and the St George marathon in 2 weeks. Most likely will shoot for 40 miles this week and 20 miles the week of the marathon. If I can recover fast enough, I will be shooting for another PR in 2 weeks.

Mile splits were:

1 0:07:03

2 0:07:07

3 0:07:12

4 0:07:10

5 0:07:27

6 0:07:31

7 0:07:22

8 0:07:10

9 0:07:05

10 0:07:25

11 0:07:27

12 0:07:17

13 0:07:59 (bio break)

14 0:06:45

15 0:06:59

16 0:07:07

17 0:07:07

18 0:07:17

19 0:07:23

20 0:07:19

21 0:07:03

22 0:07:28

23 0:07:37

24 0:07:29

25 0:07:27

26 0:07:06

26.2 0:01:21

Ran a nice easy run to test the legs. Started out slow and picked it up as the run progressed (averaged 8:15/mile). Felt really good. Quads are a little sore, especially on the downhills, but I feel much better than I thought I would. I have been feeling a little nauseous all morning.

Amy bought me a heart rate monitor for my birthday so I am going to start tracking this. Average HR=141. I'm not sure what my max HR is yet but based on the formulas it is 187 putting this run at 68% of max. I will hit the track in a few weeks to find out what my true max HR is.

Legs are still a little sore so I took it easy again today. Threw in a few 100m strides just for fun.

Avg Pace: 8:13/mile

Avg HR: 146

Very tired this morning and wasn't really looking forward to running. I know that it is times like these that I really need to get out and run. 1 mile warm up then 5 miles at MP followed by 1.3 mile cool down. Once I got going, it felt good to be out running. A little residual soreness but feel pretty good.

Avg HR = 156

Total Time = 54:55

Super easy recovery run. Considered taking the day off because I have been feeling pretty tired the last couple of days. I always feel better after a run so I decided to put in a few easy miles.

Avg HR = 139

Total Time = 34:46

Started out slow then picked up to marathon pace. Ran the last mile a little slower (8:00). Feeling a little better today. Not nearly as tired but still not fully recovered from TOU. No soreness but joints are a little achey. I should be fine for St George with 1 more week of easy running. The cushioning in my shoes is gone. Time to take them out of the rotation.

Avg HR = 153

Total Time = 55:00

Very weird run this morning. I had 12 scheduled but knew that I needed to back off a bit as the recovery from TOU is taking a bit longer than expected. When the run started, my mind felt a little foggy. Not sure what the deal was but I felt a little hypoglycemic. Of course, when this happens my mind starts to wander. Headed over to Farmington bay and my imagination started to take over. There was no moon light and it was pretty dark. Started having thoughts of a serial killer in the bushes waiting to surprise a runner. Once I got to the entrance there were a lot of pick up trucks with dog kennels which means that there were a lot of hunters out. Started thinking of the possibility of being shot by a stray bullet. Then on the way home, I saw a shadow run across the road. Pretty sure it was a dog and my wild imagination assumed that it was rabid. Stopped and tried to figure out if I had enough energy to out run Cujo. Once I hit civilization again, I felt a little better and ran the last mile in 6:40 just to make sure that my issues were all mental. It felt good and think that I am ready for St. George.

Avg HR = 140

Total Time = 1:23:20

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

Didn't feel very well when I woke again. Not sure if it is a bug coming on or just fatigue/stress/etc. Ran an easy 5 miles because I typically feel better after running. The pace felt pretty slow but the splits were faster than my previous recovery days.

Avg HR = 145

Total Time = 38:31

Decided to see how my body would respond to doing both speed and tempo runs in the same week. Warmed up with 2.25 easy miles then ran 5 miles at tempo pace. I've been running 6:30/mile for my shorter tempo runs but I think that this is a little too fast. Plan was to keep the splits somewhere between 6:35 and 6:40. Averaged 6:33/mile and the splits were:

Mile 1 = 6:35

Mile 2 = 6:35

Mile 3 = 6:25 (a little extra downhill)

Mile 4 = 6:39 (got lazy and wasn't paying attention to my pace)

Mile 5 = 6:31

Avg HR = 159

Avg HR during tempo = 170 (peaked at 178 towards the end of mile 5)

Total Time = 1:05:58

Legs are a little fatigued so I didn't want to push too hard today. Ran to NSL then up to Orchard Drive then looped back home. I haven't run this route for a while and I forgot the distance. It was 1 mile further than I planned on running. There is a slight elevation gain for the first 6 miles then drops the last 2 miles. The uphill portions took a little more work than I expected. Felt good coming back down the last 2.5 miles.

Avg HR = 156

Total Time = 1:06:59

Over slept again so I was limited to 90 minutes running. It was too wet to run the Farmington Bay route so I just stayed on the roads and ran the Target loop. Legs are still a little tired but I was able to hold a decent pace most of the run. The first 3 miles were a little slow but once I warmed up I was able to hit 7:30/mile or faster for the rest of the run. This pace is now very comfortable. It feels like 8:00/mile pace used to feel. Ran 11 miles and realized I had a few extra minutes before Amy had to leave for work. Went back out to put in 2 more miles. The rain really started to come down. I was soaking wet when I got home and it felt great. I love running in the rain.

Avg HR = 152

Total Time = 1:38:05

Avg Pace = 7:33/mile

2.25 mile warmup then 3 X 1 miles @ 5K pace (6:00/mile) with 0.5 mile jog in between each. I couldn't get comfortable during the first mile. My upper body felt very tense. Finished in 5:54 and felt alright. Was a little more comfortable during the second but it hurt more. Got a little nauseous towards the end. Ran it in 5:52. Didn't really feel like running the last one. First quarter felt slow but was a little ahead of pace. Slowed down the second and third quarter and was 2 seconds behind at 0.75 miles so I sped up to make up the difference. Actually started to feel good during the last 0.25. Finished in 5:58. Ran 1.75 miles to cool down. While I wasn't as comfortable as I would have liked, it did feel good to get through it with faster splits than I had planned on.

Avg HR = 148 (peaked at 175)

Total Time = 1:01:25

Legs are tired so I took it relatively easy today. Run to Orchard Drive then looped back home. Going uphill seemed to take too much work but coming downhill felt quite a bit better.

Avg HR = 152

Total Time = 1:05:52 (7:45/mile)

Very easy recovery run (past the golf course and back). My leg muscles are sore. I take this as a good sign that I am running outside of my comfort zone more often and taxing my body more.

Avg HR = 140

Total Time = 42:50 (8:34/mile)

Warmed up with 2.25 then ran 3 miles at tempo pace. Wanted to keep each mile below 6:30. First mile (6:24) was a lot more work than it should have been. My legs did not want to move. Started to loosen up during the second mile (6:24) and felt a lot better. Now that I was warmed up, the third mile (6:24) was pretty comfortable. ended up a little further from home than I planned and ran 3.75 miles to cool down.

Avg HR = 157 (peaked at 178)

Total Time = 1:07:04

Felt really good today. After feeling beat up the past couple of weeks it was nice to have a run where I felt good. Tried to keep it at a good general aerobic pace but got carried away during the middle miles and got about 1 minute ahead of the 7:30 guy. Decided to back off a bit but still kept my pace below 7:30 the rest of the way. The pace felt very comfortable.

Avg HR = 158

Total Time = 53:48 (7:22/mile)

Wanted to take it easy today and not worry about the pace - just enjoy the run. I found my SuperFeet insoles which I haven't worn for over a year and decided to give them a try. I could feel added pressure on my right medial tibia (site of previous stress fracture). I could also feel a blister coming on so I stopped by the house after 9 miles and put the old insoles back in. Finished up with another 4 miles. Other than the insole issue, I felt really good during this run. I was very relaxed and didn't feel as though I was pushing at all. The pace was slightly faster than my LSD pace during racing season.

Avg HR = 148

Total Time = 1:44:55 (7:50/mile)

It was very windy and rainy. In lieu of speed work today, I decided to hit a hill that has been calling my name. It is a 600 foot climb over 0.85 miles. It is hard enough as it is but running into a 20 mph headwind made it quite difficult. It was a struggle just to average 10:30/mile. It burned but it sure felt good.

Avg HR=151

Total Time = 1:11:37 (7:57/mile)

Cold, wet and slushy. Had a hard time staying in a non-slushy track on the road and avoiding the puddles. My feet and legs were soaking wet and cold. To top it off, a snow plow driver decided that he didn't want to wait for me to turn and forced me to stop abrubtly. Only problem was that it was too slick to stop and I fell on my back side. Aggrevated my calf and hamstring a little but nothing too serious. The run itself felt good and the pace felt comfortable.

Avg HR = 153

Total Time = 59:22 (7:25/mile)

Very easy recovery run. Right calf a little sore from yesterday's fall.

Avg HR = 140

Total Time = 48:32 (8:05/mile)

Very low energy today. I just didn't feel right. After 2.25 miles running at GA pace I started my 3 mile tempo run. First mile felt horrible (6:40). I knew I wasn't going to hit my pace and considered not finishing the tempo run. Figured I may as well put in 1 more mile at tempo pace to see how it goes. Ran mile 2 in 6:28 but still didn't feel great. Started to feel quite a bit better during the third mile and finished it in 6:14. Overall pace for the 3 miles was right were I wanted it to be but I didn't feel like I should have. Finished with 2.75 miles at an easy pace.

Avg HR = 159 (172 during tempo)

Total Time = 58:32 (7:19/mile)

Lower legs are hurting today and feel really stiff (left knee, left ankle, right calf and both tibias). I'm hoping that it is just my body acclimating to the colder temperatures. Just wanted to put in a few miles at a comfortable pace. Picked up the pace during the last mile and felt alright. Considered stretching the run out a bit longer but decided that it would be better to give my legs a rest.

Avg HR = 148

Total Time = 38:05 (7:37/mile)

Left knee hurt most of the day yesterday. Today's plan was to only run as far as the knee would take me. It wasn't as sore this morning as it was yesterday so I figured 12 miles would be about right. Four miles into the run, I saw a hill that I have always wondered how much work it would take to climb (250 ft climb over 0.5 miles). Decided to give it a shot. Run up the hill at it felt pretty good. As the run continued, I started feeling better and ended up running 14 to make this week's total 50 miles.

Avg HR = 153

Total Time = 1:48:27 (7:45/mile)

This week is going to be a "just running" week. I'm not doing any speedwork or tempo runs. I will keep everything at a comfortable pace and only run as far as feels right for that day. I have 3 weeks until training for Boston starts and I want to go into it without any nagging injuries.

Avg HR = 151

Total Time = 47:50

Felt like running some hills today so I headed up towards Mueller Park canyon. Turned around at the 4 mile mark (just past the junior high). It was a 1,000 ft climb and felt pretty good. Took it easy coming down for the first 2 miles then picked up the pace the last 2 miles. It was much warmer than I thought so I was overdressed. Ended up shedding the gloves, hat and long sleeve shirt half way into the run.

Avg HR = 150

Total Time = 1:04:19 (8:02/mile)

Very easy paced run. Didn't bother wearing the HR monitor but checked it when I finished and it was 140.

Total Time = 48:20

Thought about running a 5k race today but didn't feel mentally ready for a race so I decided to head up to Mueller Park canyon and run up to Elephant Rock. It's 3.5 miles from the start of the trail to Elephant Rock and climbs about 900 feet. As I started out, I wasn't feeling all that great and was glad that I ddin't run a race because I definitely was not in the right state of mind. After warming up, I felt a lot better and started to really enjoy the run. I started out on the heels (or should I say pedals) of a couple of mountain bikers so I stopped for a minute to let them get ahead of me. Caught back up to them after a few minutes and stopped again to let them gain some ground. I didn't see any point in passing them because they would be able to fly by me on the flats and downhills. Towards the top, the trail got a little sloppy and was slushy in some spots but was still a lot of fun. Caught the mountain bikers one last time right before I got to Elephant Rock. Stopped for a couple of minutes at the top to enjoy the view. Running back down was great and I started to push the pace once I was comfortable with the downhill trail running. I wish I had started doing this earlier in the year. It was a lot of fun and reminded me of the reason why I started running. I started getting burned out always thinking about the next marathon or making sure that I follow the right schedule and am running the right pace every run. This was a great Thanksgiving day run.

Felt really good today. Kept it at very comfortable pace.

Total Time = 53:50 (7:29/mile)

First time in a long time that I almost chose sleep over running. Wasn't very motivated but got out the door anyway. Felt like I was asleep most of the run. Good to get the run in but it wasn't the greatest.

Total Time = 1:19:08

Very windy this morning. Going into the wind was tough but running with the wind felt great. Ran about 8:00/mile into the wind and 7:00/mile with the wind and somewhere in between the 2 when there was a cross wind. Was just a little ahead of the 7:30 guy with 1 mile to go but had to finish going uphill into the wind. Pushed it on the last mile and finished well ahead of what I thought I would.

Total Time = 59:12 (7:24/mile)

Feeling a little run down today. Most likely due to stresses at work. Just wanted to take a leisurely run today. Ran a little uphill just to keep it interesting (about 400 ft elevation gain over 2 of the first 3 miles). Didn't feel great at the beginning but started to feel better as the run progressed.

Total Time = 54:50 (8:04/mile)

The plan was to do some speed work on the track. Too much snow on the ground prevented that from happening. Thought I could get a few tempo miles in but the roads weren't plowed very well and it was very slippery. I couldn't get solid enough footing to run at a decent pace. Ended up with just a plain old GA run.

Total Time = 1:00:34 (7:34/mile)

It was cold this morning (8 degrees with -3 wind chill). Planned on some tempo miles but wasn't sure how my body would respond in the cold. Warmed up with 2.25 miles. Started the tempo run and I felt slow and really had to focus to keep a decent pace. Ran it in 6:34 and was surprised that it was that fast. Started to warm up during the second mile and felt a lot more comfortable (6:20). Continued to chug along the third mile and ran it in 6:14. After the first mile, I felt very comfortable and didn't feel like I was running as fast as I was. Cooled down with 2.75 miles at GA pace.

Total Time = 58:26

Over slept a little so I had to cut the run short. It was a balmy 26 degrees this morning which felt a lot better than the previous 2 days. Ran at a very comfortable pace. Ended up being slightly faster than it should have been for a recovery run.

Total time = 39:00 (7:48/mile)

Felt surprisingly good today. My hands started to freeze the last few miles so I may need to start wearing 2 pair of gloves.

Total Time = 1:48:16 (7:37/mile)

No running today. I got hit with the flu last night and was too wiped out this morning. Should be back back at it tomorrow. This is my last week of "just running" before Boston training starts next week.

Still not feeling well and only got a few hours sleep last night. I had a hard time concentrating while I was working so I thought running a few miles would help clear my head. Had a pretty bad side stitch for the first 2 miles but once my diaphragm warmed up and I could breathe normally again it went away. Energy level is still low and my heart rate was a little high for the relaxed pace.

Avg HR = 148

Total Time = 49:20 (8:13/mile)

Having a really hard time getting myself to get out the door to run. Don't know if it is due to the cold temperatures, getting over the flu or just getting bored. Finally got myself out the door and decided to run at marathon pace. First mile was slow (uphill and warming up) but the other miles were at a pretty good pace. Actually felt good and ran very relaxed. I started to feel fatigued a couple of times but was able to snap out of it.

Avg HR = 160

Total Time = 56:28 (7:03/mile)

Once again, it seemed to take more work for me to get out the door than the actual run. I took my MP3 player with me hoping that it would help liven things up. To keep things interesting, I decided to run up Eagleridge Drive to Lofty Lane (600 ft elevation gain over 1.25 miles - 9% grade). Half way up the hill "Run to the Hills" came on my MP3 player which I found kind of funny. It was a good, hard workout.

Total Time = 1:18:39 (7:52/mile)

Felt very good today. It was a few degrees warmer. The cold has been a bigger factor in my lack of motivation than I thought. Pushed the pace for a couple of miles and it felt very comfortable and relaxed.

Avg HR = 157

Total Time = 53:26 (7:19/mile)

I'm embarrassed to say that I took today off. I haven't missed a Saturday run in almost 2 years. I decided that since my training schedule for Boston starts on Monday, that this will be the last chance that I have for a break.

A lot of wet, slushy snow on the road. Felt pretty good today. Taking it easy last week seemed to get me back on track. Included 10X20 second strides (supposed to be 100 meters but it is easier to go by time). Pushed the pace the last mile to get the overall average pace to 7:15. Came home and got in a good upper body workout by clearing the driveway of the heavy slushy snow.

Avg HR = 162

Total Time = 57:45 (7:13/mile)

Ran the Davis loop this morning which has a decent climb for the first 3 miles then rolling hills for the next 4, downhill the next 2 then flat to slightly up the last 2. Didn't sleep very well last night so I have been a little tired. The run felt good. I bruised the second toe on my left foot during my downhill run last week. The toenail is turning black and I hope that it falls off soon.

Avg HR = 154

Total Time = 1:24:48 (7:43/mile)

After reading about the guy who died during the Tucson Marathon (

http://www.durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_p ath=/news/06/news061211_2.htm ) I have been reconsidering this whole marathon thing. This is the 6th death during a marathon in the US this year. I usually read these articles and just assume that the person didn't prepare properly, jumped into marathons too soon and had a bad heart anyway. This guy has run 30 marathons, twenty something ultra marathons and was on pace for a sub-3 through 21.5 miles. The benefits of running are indisputable but I wonder if training for and running marathons is too much of a good thing? Do I make Boston my last marathon or try for a sub-3 in the fall 2007? While I love running, I don't want to die doing what I love.

Very easy paced recovery run. Lower right leg a little tight (right medial tibia) for the first couple of miles.

Avg HR = 141

Total Time = 41:01 (8:12/mile)

Supposed to be just a general aerobic run but threw in 2 miles at tempo pace in the middle (avg 6:32). It was more work than it should have been and my heart rate got a little too high. Felt a little wiped out after the run.

Avg HR = 160

Total Time = 1:06:36 (7:24/mile)

Recovery run. Pretty windy (1 mile headwind, 1 mile tailwind, 3 miles crosswind). Body feels a little worn out. Not sure what is going on. The past few days I have been overdressed considering the warmer temperatures. I am over heating a little which may be contributing to my fatigue.

Avg HR = 153

Total Time = 39:24 (7:53/mile)

Snowing during most of the run. I felt good for the most part. Swung back by the house after 11 miles to change my shoes. I was wearing an older pair of shoes and I could feel it in my lower legs.

Avg HR = 150

Total Time = 1:54:45 (7:39/mile)

Temperature dropped again and it was very icy. The last 2 miles seemed to be the most slippery. Included 10X20 second strides. All of them felt good except the last one which was a little sloppy.

Avg HR = 156

Total Time = 59:30 (7:26/mile)

As I was getting ready for my 12 miler this morning, my wife told me she had to be to work early. Since I was short on time, I had to push the 12 miler to tomorrow and just get in as many miles this morning as I could. I tried to keep most of the run at marathon pace but with 2 miles to go I realized I could catch the 7:00 guy. Mile 4 was in 6:37 and mile 5 was 6:20. Felt really good.

Avg HR = 163

Total Time = 34:38 (6:56/mile)

My legs didn't have much energy this morning. I felt alright but I just couldn't get my legs to turnover. Don't know if it was due to the cold temps. or yesterday's work party at Rodizio. Ran the Davis loop but extended it a little to get up to 12 miles. Decent climb for 3 of the first 4 miles then rolling hills the rest of the way.

Avg HR = 150

Total Time = 1:34:30 (7:52/mile)

Felt like I was just going through the motions today. I was in auto pilot mode for the first 6 miles. Realized I was 45 seconds behind the 7:30 guy so I bumped up the pace to catch up. Caught him at mile 8 and held the pace at 7:00/mile to the end.

Avg HR = 150 (seems a little low)

Total Time = 1:06:59 (7:27/mile)

Easy recovery run. It was snowing but it was warmer so it felt good.

Avg HR = 144

Total Time = 39:06 (7:49/mile)

Snowed just enough to make everything slippery. The ground is only dusted with snow but it was very slick in some spots. Physically, I felt great during todays run but mentally I was out of it. I really did feel like being out there but was able to plod through the run. Somewhere around 12 miles, I saw a horse drawn carriage ahead of me. I sped up a little to catch up to it and it was none other than Santa riding in it. Haven't decided if I will skip Monday's run altogether or move it to tomorrow. I will see how I feel in the morning.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good run!

Avg HR = 149

Total Time = 2:10:26 (7:38/mile)

Warmed up with 2.25 easy miles. Ran 4 miles at tempo pace. The majority of the run was into the wind so I only planned on 6:40 miles. Physically I felt good but I wasn't into the run mentally. Overall it was a pretty consistent effort (6:33, 6:34, 6:34, 6:28). Finished with 2.75 miles at a very easy pace. Now that the holidays are over, I am hoping that I can get back on track mentally.

Avg HR = 155 (peaked at 181 at the end of the tempo run)

Total Time - 1:07:50 (7:32/mile)

Ran up to the Bountiful Temple and back home. Whenever I don't feel like running fast, I try to put in some hills to compensate. Not sure if this was such a good idea today. Had to stop for a minute on the way up to fight off a wave of nausea. The wind was blowing down the canyon pretty hard so it took a lot of effort to run uphill into the wind. Mile 4 took 11 minutes (I never imagined an 11 minute mile being so much work). Coming back down was better but my legs were too beat up to get in a groove on the downhill. To top everything off, it feels like the mid-soles of my shoes have lost their cushioning. Guess I'll have to stop by the running store to pick up a pair of new shoes today. This run put me over 2,500 miles for the year. I only expected to get up to 2,200 this year.

Avg HR = 156

Total Time = 1:30:56 (8:16/mile)

Easy recovery run. Legs are a little sore from the past 2 days. Heading out to go snowboarding for the first time. Hope I don't do anything stupid and cause any damage.

Avg HR = 142

Total Time = 49:35 (8:16/mile)

Felt pretty good today. I seemed to survive yesterday's snowboarding adventure without too much damage. I was a little sleepy at the start but started to feel good once I warmed up. Just slipped past the 7:30 guy at the end.

Avg HR = 152

Total Time = 1:14:57 (7:30/mile).

It's been hard getting myself out the door lately. Once I get a couple of miles in I feel alright but just getting out the door takes some work. I didn't take any water with me and I felt like I needed some around mile 11. The last 2 miles felt better and I was able to finish strong. That's the last run of the year for me.

Avg HR = 142

Total Time = 1:57:30 (7:50/mile)