Artichoke's Running Blog (Ken Spence)

5:30 a.m.  4TM miles at Gold's Gym.  Slight progression run from 9:50 to 8:30 pace.  Heading to San Francisco this morning to see Mike and Gina and all the sites.

6:00 a.m. run in Ferndale, CA with Mike and Gina.  What a great little town and a great old house they just bought.  We had a great easy run together.

San Francisco.  5 mile run along the Embarcadero with Gina, Sharon walked at the same location. Very nice sunny day.

San Francisco, CA.  3 mile easy running from the Presidio parking lot to Golden Gate bridge and back.  A absolutely gorgeous day running with great friends.

No running today.  Oakland Temple and flight home.  We had a great trip.

11:00 a.m. run with Tina in 1:24:28, 8:27 AP.  Nice sunny day here in Tooele.  Droubay Road loop to 1000 N. and down main loop by Applebee's and back home via Coleman up to 400 S. with an ending loop down the alley to the church and back.  Felt great today.

5:00 a.m..  20/20 elliptical/recumbent cycling at the gym.  A lot of equipment seems to be getting broken and not getting repaired.  I don't think we're getting our money's worth from the additional "maintenance" fees.  One lady had to get on three different treadmills until she found one working right.  The ellipticals had problems with 4 or 5 machines.

3:00 p.m.  4 mile easy trail run to the top of Little Mountain via the wigwam route and back the same. 

5:00 a.m. at the gym with Sharon.  3 x 15 x 6 on weight machines, light upper body reps. Then 20 minutes on the upright cycle.  Level 14, about 17 mph.

 7:00 p.m.  6 miles in 56:33, mostly easy, with some pickups during the last couple of miles.  Westland route from SR36 down through the abandoned airfield and around the USU extension, home via Main and Vine.

5:00 a.m.  20/10 elliptical/stairmaster workout at the gym.

5:00 p.m.  3 TM miles at the gym in 28:14.  Wimped out from running in the rain and wind. 

5:00 a.m.  20/20 light upper body reps (3x15x6 machines) and 20 recumbent cycling.

6:00 p.m.  4 miles in Settlement Canyon to Left Hand Fork and back via Hood Ave. and 480 S. 

6:15 a.m.  10 minute recumbent cycling warm up followed by 3 TM miles in 27:51.  Progression run from 10:00 minute pace to near 8:00.  Knee doing okay.

10:00 a.m.  Gym with Sharon.  3 x 15 x 7 machines.  Lt. weights upper boy reps.  Then 20 minutes easy recumbent cycling.

12:15 p.m.  10 mile run with Tina.  Thurman joined us at bout 3 miles starting up the Smelter road.  Avoided the rain.  Always a long tempo run form me when running with T.  1:23:03, 8:18 AP.  Splits:  8:40, 8:38, 7:45, 8:39, 7:29, 8:02, 8:10, 7:45, 8:37, & 9:14. 

5:00 a.m.  40 minutes upright stationary cyling.

5:30 p.m.  5 miles in 46:18.  Skyline and Upland loop.  Nice running temperature.   Watched the Boston Marathon live streaming this morning.  Looked grueling in the heat.  Felt bad for our friends back there today. 

5:00 a.m.  40 minutes at the gym.  25 minutes light reps with 3 x 15 x 6 machines, followed by 15 minutes elliptical.

 6:15 p.m. 4 miles in 37:00 along 900 S., Coleman, and USU extension loop.

5:00 a.m.  40 minutes at the gym.  Upright cycling.

5:00 p.m.  5 TM miles at the gym in 47:05.  Progression run 9:50 to 8:20 pace.

5:00 a.m.  40 minutes at the gym.  25 light weight reps, 3 x 15 x 6 machines, followed by 15 min. elliptical.

7:00 p.m.  4 miles through town towards Middle Canyon and back via the cemetery.  Knee doing better, but clearly have a problem on irregular surfaces, like grass.  My trail running days may not happen this year unless this improves.  Otherwise I'm feeling okay, even on the decent downhills. 

5:00 a.m.  4 miles easy on my old standard early morning route along Skyline Drive to end of asphalt and back direct.  Nice morning.  Saw Liz out and talked for a bit.  Knee felt amazingly well after hurting somewhat last night.

8:30 a.m.  10 mile run with Tina in 1:25:14, 8:32 AP on the Smelter Road hills.  Got warm the last couple of miles.  We should have gone about an hour earlier.  

No running today.  More back problems.  Not like what I went through last summer with my disks, but more muscular.  Probably from sitting in literally 8 hours of Stake Conference and High Council meetings over the weekend.  40 minutes at the gym at 5:00 a.m. 20 min. elliptical and 20 min. recumbent cycling.

5:00 a.m.  40 minutes at the gym.  20 min. elliptical warm-up and then 20 min. test run on the treadmill.  Back pain is tolerable.  Really aggravated by sitting.

6:00 p.m.  5 mile run with Thurman in 46:10.  Back felt great after about a mile.  It's quite a relief to know it is not the same type of pain I had last year at Boston that caused me to go through the MRI and cortisone injections.  Very encouraging.  Hamstrings are extremely tight, however.  Probably a major contributing factor. 

5:00 a.m.  20 minutes lt. upper body weight reps.  3 x 15 x 6 machines.  20 minutes recumbent cycling.

600 a.m.  5 miles in 47:13 along Skyline route to gate and back via Upland Drive. 

5:00 a.m.  40 minutes at the gym.   20/20 elliptical/recumbent cycling.

6:15 p.m.  5.7 miles easy, up Settlement Canyon to Legion Park and back to Main and 200 S. and home.  With Thurman. 

2:30 p.m.  Skyline route to Knottingham, down 5th Street, past East Elementary to Highland and back home via 100 S.  Easy running, nice weather.

8:00 a.m.  St. George Virgin River Trail.  Nice easy run.  From Abbey Inn down to the trail and east to end of trail and back.  First time I've taken it that far in that direction.  Trail has been repaired in about 4 places and is still marked closed at the trail heads, so it was pretty empty.

5:00 a.m.  20/20 workout.  Elliptical/Upright cycling at Gold's Gym.

6:15 p.m.  5 mile run to mouth of Middle Canyon and back.  Solo in 47:15.