Artichoke's Running Blog (Ken Spence)

5+ miles in 46:12.  Easy.  Solo.  Through town to 7th and Vine, then back to Coleman and home via 200 West.

3 easy miles at 5:10 a.m.  27:26.  Skyline, Upland, to East Elementary and back via Broadway and Cemetery.  5K tomorrow. Supposed to be about 10 to 12 degrees cooler than today.

Annual 4th of July Tooele 5K Freedom Run.  335 runners this year.  26th place overall.  25/170 Men, 1st in M50-54.  Ran with Tina until the last 3/4 mile uphill.  She had a bit of problem with her leg, but still managed 20:45.  She got nipped by Amy at the finish line and took 3rd overall women.  Amy is the daughter of a co-worker and friend of mine.  She was the best distance runner at THS this year and just finished her senior year in cross country and track.  I told Tina that I wouldn't feel bad about not beating her, but it was just too close and she was in 2nd place the entire race.  I think she did great especially for just turning 49! 

Deseret News 10K next up on the 24th.  I need to get registered.  Running on vacation next week in Chicago, Kirtland Ohio, and Palmyra NY will be challenging.  I plan on doing my long run along the Canadaigua Road.

5 miles in 44:45, 8:57 average pace.  Skyline route out SR36 to Grimm's Gate and back direct.  Fairly easy effort.  Sluggish first couple of miles.

Chicago, Illinois.   5 easy miles in 45:40.  6:00 a.m. run along the Chicago River trail to the Lakefront Path from the Hyatt to out past Shedd Aquarium and near Soldier Field.  Back through Millennium Park.  Warm and muggy, but a light breeze at times off of Lake Michigan.  More cyclists than runners this morning.  Just the opposite from when I was here in May.  

 My biggest complaint about runners (and why I don't run using my ipod):  A group of cyclists were coming along and one shouted "bike on the left!"  Just as they passed me a runner in front of me immediately stepped left due to an irregularity in the path and about caused the cyclists to go head on with a cyclist coming the other direction.  A close call.  When I passed the runner a moment later, I said, "that was close", of course he couldn't hear me just as he couldn't hear the cyclist, but I could almost hear "Black Dog", blaring from his ear buds.

 My biggest complaint about cyclists:  they want vehicles to provide 3' clearance, but many seldom gave the same clearance from walkers and runners who were over on the extreme right side of the pathway.  Some of these folks were really moving.

Kirltand, Ohio.  5 easy miles at 6:00 a.m.  46:45, 9:21 average pace.  From hotel down into the river bottom and back up to the temple on the other side.  Loop around the temple block and south to high school.  1/2 mile on the track and then back to the Historic Kirtland Vistors' Center area and then returned to the hotel.  Extremely humid here in the east.  Supposed to be mid to high 90 degrees and very humid all day.  My running clothes were completely soaked with 5 easy miles in the early morning.

Erie, Penn.  5 miles easy in 46:00.  9:12 average pace.  From Marriott Courtyard on Peach St. to wetlands to the west and back around big box shopping area.  Not the most scenic place to run.

Upstate New York:  Manchester to Palmyra and back along the Canandaigua Road.  14 mile run past the Hill Cumorah and up around the temple and then into Palmyra.  Coming back I ran along the main trail in the Sacred Grove and back past the Joseph Smith home and cabin.  A nice early morning run, but extremely humid.  My shorts were as if I had been in a swimming pool.  8:51 average pace.

Erie, Pa.  5 miles very easy once again.  47:15 recovery run.  From same hotel as 2 days ago, same basic run, except I found a nice, wooded, road for about 2 miles.  

Elmhurst, IL.  6+ miles at 5:30 a.m.  2 miles warm up over to York High School track.  3x800 in 3:23, 3:24, and 3:19.  Back to the weekly Yasso 800's.  This is the same track shown in the movie "The Long Green Line" about 80 year old Coach Joe Newton and his cross country running team.  He's had 26 state championships in 50 years of coaching.  Amazing!  It's a great documentary.  He gets nearly 200 kids out for cross country every year.  Flying out early tomorrow, so probably won't get a run in.  When we get home we have turn around and go back in to SLC for the McCartney concert and then all the fun is done and it's back to the office.

5 miles from house to 2.5 miles in Settlement Canyon.  11:45 a.m. in nearly 90 degree temperatures.  But...it's dry heat, as they say.  It did feel good to be back home and out of the heat AND humidity of upstate New York and Chicago.  45:36, average pace 9:07.  Paul McCartney concert later tonight and back to the office tomorrow.

5 miles at 5:10 a.m.  47:55, quite slow.  Only 4 hours sleep.  (Got home quite late from the McCartney concert, which was excellent.  68 years old and the dude played for nearly 3 hours, non-stop, no intermission, no warm-up band,  It was fantastic!)  

Left knee bugging me a bit this morning.  Cooler temperature felt good.  2nd run tonight planned if Planning Commission runs short.

5 mile tempo run at 7:45 p.m. in 40:09, 8:02 average pace.  Splits: 8:15, 8:03, 8:18, 7:55, 7:36. 75 degrees.  Felt decent.  A good run.

5 mile recovery run. 47:20. Skyline to gate and back via Loma Vista and Upland loops. A bit cooler this morning. Felt nice.

5 miles at 5:10 a.m. in 47:25.  Conditions about identical to yesterday.  Lacking sleep again.  James Taylor/Carole King concert last night was great.

14 mile long run in 2:03:25, 8:48 average pace on the Smelter Road hills and a mile into Middle Canyon and back home.  Splits were: 10:02, 9:16, 8:41, 9:35, 9:04, 8:28, 8:17, 8:05, 7:38, 9:01, 9:27, 8:26, 8:52, and 8:25.  Several other runner out this morning on the hill.  75 degrees and warming but overcast.  Felt good most of the run.  Didn't push it much.  Knees feeling okay.

5 miles in 46:33 at 5:10 a.m.   Skyline Ave. to gate and back via Loma Vista and Upland.  Very warm morning.  Liz, Roland, and Stacy out this morning.  One other dude as well.

5 mile tempo run in 40:09 at 8:15 p.m.  Still warm.  82 degrees starting out.  Around town 200 S., 100 S. and Vine end to end and back home.  Splits:  8:36, 8:10, 7:32, 7:58, and 7:52. 

5 miles slow, easy recovery run.  47:30.  1 mile with Liz and Roland.  5:10 a.m.  A bit cooler this morning felt really nice.  Skyline gate and back on Upland.

5 miles at 5:10 a.m. in 45:36, 9:07 average pace. Easy running, but faster than it felt especially with warm temperatures nearing 80 degrees, higher humidity, and then the winds were kicking up pretty good and coming down the both canyons. A couple of really strong gusts from Settlement Canyon about stopped me in my tracks twice.  4 miles scheduled for tomorrow morning with a rest day on Friday with just some walking or maybe a short bicycle ride and then ready for the 10K on Saturday.  Early rise and start.  Amy and Kurt going with me.

4 easy ones along Skyline to end of pavement and back.  Slept in until 5:30 a.m.  Rest tomorrow and 10K on Saturday.

Deseret News 10K.  43:49, 7:03 average pace.  14/78 in M50-54 and 347/2343 total field. 277/1110 overall gender.  Slowest mile in 7:38.  Fastest mile in 6:31.  Felt pretty good about the race.  Goal was low 43's or under 7:00 pace.  Wasn't quite there, but was through 5 miles.  Could only hold a 7:38 on the final mile, so I definitely didn't leave anything out there.  Amy did very well, as did Kurt.  Anxious to see final results and how everyone else did.

Took an extended holiday weekend and went trail running and hiking solo this morning.  9.30 miles total.  Approximatley 4 miles trail running in the Oquirrh Mountains.  Started at 7:30 a.m. at the BSA Wig-wam at base of canyon.  Ran behind Little Mountain on the ridges up towards Corner Mountain pass until trail turned to bush-wacking.  Back town to trail into Left hand Fork of Settlement Canyon joining the Bear Trap trail and back down to canyon road at Legion Park.  Ran home via base of dam and wig-wam road.  Roughly 3 hours.  A bit windy up on the ridge tops, but some nice views of the valley, the Stansbury Mountains and Deseret Peak to the west and the Great Salt Lake to the north.  Carried H2O, snacks, and cell phone, so running was a bit bulky, otherwise nice day for a trail run.  Only one fall.  I'm beat.  Hamstrings still a bit sore from the 10K on Saturday.

Didn't run today. Hamstrings sore from the race and the hiking.

5 miles very easy on the standard Skyline route at 5:10 a.m.  Humidity is way upa there this morning.

5 miles in 42:12 tempo pace most of the run.  8:26 average pace.  8:00 p.m.  80 degrees and humid.  To mouth of Middle Canyon and back.

5 miles easy at 5:10 a.m.  A bit humid still.  Skyline route.

5 miles at 5:05 a.m. with Tina.  44:05.  8:49 average pace.  Slow going up to the turnaround at the gate, but came back at a good clip.  I always run better wtih Tina.  16 miler tomorrow.

15 miles in 2:05:20 with Tina.  8:21 average pace overall.  Droubay Rd. down throuugh Erda, along Erda Way and then the long drawn out uphill from Erda Way up through Overlake Golf course and Overlake subdivision to Glen Eagles.  1:47:20 at 13.1, even with the slow 4 miles uphill.  I was really dragging.  Tina was killing me today.  Usually she only does that on the downhill and I can hold my own on the uphill, but not today.  I was totally spent by 13.5 and really struggled to make 15.  I was scheduled for 16 but that was all I could do to finish 15 and I was really holding her back today.  Oh well, some days you have it some days you don't. Miles 5, 6, & 7 in 7:25 each.  Slowest miles uphill coming back in 9:10 and 9:42.  I just finished reading "Born to Run" today.  An inspiring book, but it still doesn't make me want to run an ultra.