A clydesdale no more!

Felt like I had to burn off some of the junk that I ate yesterday so I went for a little run this morning.  It was really windy.  I had a nasty head wind going out but a very nice tail wind on the way back.  

Total Time: 44:03 (7:20/mile) 

The weather at the start of today's run was nice.  It was a light drizzle and the temperature was comfortable.  The light drizzle turned into a heavier rain which eventually turned to snow.  The last 3 miles were less than comfortable.  Physically, I felt pretty good after warming up the first few miles.  It's almost time for me to get new shoes and I could feel it in my tibias.

Total Time: 1:06:26 (7:23/mile) 

Nothing exciting - just miles.

Starting to increase the mileage a little.  Instead of 9's everyday, I am going to add a 12-15 miler during the week in addition to the weekend long run.  Took it pretty slow because my legs were not cooperating.  My left hamstring is a little more sore today.

The backs of my legs feel really tight and sore.  My shoes are at the end of their life cycle so that could be the problem.  After 3 miles things started to feel better but my stride was still a little clunky.
 

Easy day in preparation for tomorrow's race.  Didn't wear a watch but pace was probably around 7:30-7:45.  Legs felt much better than yesterday with very minimal soreness.  Ended the month with 0.6 more miles than last month with 2 fewer days.  I guess that is an improvement.

Got to the Ogden ice sheet at about 7:00, picked up my number and warmed up with Cody and Jon. During the warm up my breathing didn't feel quite right. I was a little worried but decided to start the race running hard because the course is front loaded with downhills. The 2nd half is predominantly uphill and from mile 4.5 to 5.7 is a really nasty uphill. Started the race just behind the lead pack. After a little climb, there is a decent downhill. Hit the first mile in 6:00 and I was breathing harder than I should have. My legs always go before my lungs so I was concerned. Mile 2 has a good downhill. I was starting to drift behind the group that I was running with. As we hit the big downhill, I really opened it up and went by 3 runners. This must have reminded them that they could run fast downhill because they all responded and passed me. We went back and forth a few times until they ultimately had a few second lead on me when the course flattened out. Hit mile 2 in 5:33 and felt like I was right on pace. I usually do really well going uphill but knew I was in trouble when we hit the first significant climb and the other runners started gapping me. My breathing became more labored and I was already starting to feel pukey. Hit mile 3 in 6:24 and the 5k in 18:30. Felt alright about how the race was going and kept the runner ahead of me in sight. Fourth mile was 6:38 which included some climbing. Mile 5 is where the wheels completely fell off. We made our way back up the big hill and I was completely dead. There were times that I felt like walking and I would have been going faster. Despite the strong desire to walk, I didn't want to shame the singlet so I kept plugging along. The runners ahead of me were getting further away and I could hear somebody behind me. I was really pukey at this point. Hit mile 5 in 7:27. I knew that I just had to survive to 5.7 miles then it was downhill the rest of the way. Hit the downhill and tried opening it up again. Ran the 6th mile in 7:17. As we made the turn into the parking lot the runner behind me caught me. I surged and just about threw up. At that point I gave up and let him by me. This was probably the most disappointing part of the race. I didn't have the killer instinct to push through the end. Ran the last 0.2 in 5:14/mile pace and finished with 40:28. Finished 11th overall and 3rd in my age group. I have been feeling really light headed since the finish of the race. I guess that is a good sign that I pushed myself during the race. I just wish that it would have resulted in a little better time.