Artichoke's Running Blog (Ken Spence)

2010 has arrived!  New Years Day run with Gina for 5 miles, very slow and easy.  Nice to have drier roads and warmer  temperatures at 38 degrees at 10:00 a.m.  8:00 minute pace for mile 7 and 7:51 pace for last half mile uphill.  Felt pretty good today.

13 miles today.  8:30 a.m. run with Tina for 6 miles in 51:54 at 8:39 pace average.  Fastest mile in 7:44.  Then a 7 mile run at 10:00 a.m., 6 with Gina.  Very slow.  7 miles in 1:15:17, but we tackled the Smelter Road hills.  Very nice sunny day.  First day in shorts in a long while.  40 degrees.  No wind.  Good mileage week. 

4 easy miles at 5:10 a.m.  10 min. pace going up.  Faster coming back down.    Another 2.55 this evening on the TM while watching the Fiesta Bowl.  Started at 10 min pace then at 9:00 by mile 1.  Gradually increasing every tenth mile up to 7:15 pace for the last 2/10ths.  Gina not feeling well. Only one run left with her on Wednesday before she moves.  She's been a great training partner these last 7 months and is working hard towards the Ogden Marathon in May.

5 miles at 5:10 a.m.  Slow except for pushing 4 or 5 short hills at 80% effort.  Talked with Liz and Roland briefly at 2+ miles.  20 degrees and clear, in our valley at least.  Felt good.

5 miles solo this morning at 5:10 a.m.  46:24., 9:16 pace average.  30 degreees and clear, no wind. X -trained tonight a bit at 6:10 p.m.  20 min. on stationary bike, 5 miles.

5 miles easy at 5:10 a.m.  A bit colder this morning.  Snow packed and icy roads on the upper end of the route near Grimm's Gate turn around.  47:26.  

5 very easy miles this morning in the COLD at 5:10 a.m.  I dressed plenty warm and the fact that the air was still with no breeze helped.  Long run to Stansbury tomorrow.

10:00 a.m. run from Tooele thru Erda and thru Stansbury to Benson Mill .  Good run on a cloudy day.  35 degrees here but colder in Stansbury into some of the inversion.  Good effort.  8:35, 9:06, 7:44, 7:45, 7:43, 7:39, 7:24, 7:46, 8:27, 8:08, 8:17, and 8:19.  2 weeks until Painter's.  Hope to have great weather!

5:10 a.m. run.  5 miles easy.  20 degrees, clear.  Untimed.  Wore my chronograph instead of my Garmin and forgot to shut it off until after I was out of the shower.  7 miles cross training on the stationary bike for 25:15 at 6:00 p.m.

5 miles at 5:10 a.m. in 48:17.  22 degrees and mostly clear.  Slow and easy running.  Tempo effort scheduled for tomorrow morning unless it's windy or stormy.  Hope I don't have to return to the TM.  Feeling good right now.

5:10 a.m.  5+ miles in 42:57, about 8:34 pace overall.  Not bad for not sleeping well last night.  Insomnia or something from about 1:45 a.m. on.  Felt good to push the pace some.  Tempo effort for much of the run.  Tempo runs are always tough at this time of year and at that time of day!  22 degrees, no wind, no smog.

Slow, easy 4.7 mile run this morning at 5:10 a.m. on lightly snow covered streets.  Cross training tonight on the stationary bike for 5.25 miles in 20 minutes.  Temperatures up a bit this morning, supposed to be in the basement tomorrow morning.

5:10 a.m. run.  5 miles VERY easy.  Probably 10 min. miles or so.  A bit sluggish.

• 14 mile loop today at 8:29 average pace.  9:00 a.m.  30 degrees.  Fairly easy running for much of the run.  Utah Avenue and Smelter Road to Droubay down to Erda Way and west through Erda.  South on Sheep's Lane past Miller Sports Park and finishing at Deseret Peak Complex at exactly 14 miles.  Slow the last couple.  Splits:  8:16, 8:44, 8:06, 7:53, 8:11, 7:56, 8:04, 8:12, 8:13, 8:30, 8:28, 8:42, 9:06, and 9:27.

7 mile run including standard 6 mile Droubay and Smelter Loop, plus a bit more on Skyline Drive along the cemetery.  Fairly easy.  60:48 or 8:31 overall pace.  Splits:  8:36, 9:02, 7:49, 8:16, 8:30, 8:59, 8:27.  9:00 a.m. run.  Day off from work.  Felt decent except right heel a bit sore last mile or so, near the achilles.  I'll ice it up tonight.  Easy 5 milers Tuesay thru Thursday this week prior to the St. George 1/2 marathon (Painter's) on Saturday.  I hope the weather turns out to be okay.

4 mile run at 5:10 a.m. in a snow storm after the 2 mile turn around.  Icy horizontal snow in my face, I could barely see on the return trip.  Slow and slippery.

4 miles on the TM at 5:00 a.m.  Snowing again.  Another 3 miles on the stationary bike afterwards.  Tapering for Painter's on Saturday, if I get there.

Very easy 4.6 mile run to Grimm's Gate and back direct at 5:10 a.m.  Ran into Liz for a couple of miles of the run.  Starting to snow again and picked up throughout and then began to stick to the roads.  Traction was decent.  Last run prior to Painter's.  Looks like they're talking a chance of rain during the race.  The extended day a couple of days previous it was looking pretty good, but now not so great.

No running today.  Leaving for St. George.  Painter's Half Marathon tomorrow.  Looks like the weather will be cold with a chance of rain.  They appeared to have backed it off somewhat for St. George tomorrow.  They should have stayed with their original extended day forecast.  It was to be cloudy, then by Wednesday or Thursday they started saying rain and now this morning two forecasters show cloudy again.  I guess they've got themselves covered for anything.  Weather through Cedar City may be bad today before dropping down to St. George.  We'll see.  Good luck to all runners tomorrow.

Painter's St. George 1/2 Marathon.  Cold day but rain held off during the race.  Even the sun came out a bit after the race.  Ran conservatively for first couple of miles at 16:00 minutes.  Ran about 7:45 overall pace.  Felt strong at the finish.  1:41:27 was about 36 seconds slower than Snow Canyon 1/2  in November.  166 overall finish, 129 Gender, 12 in M50-54.  A tougher race today with the hills, so a better effort.  Garmin showed it at about 13.16.  Improved the finish area over last year.  The race has apparently been short for a few years until that crazy finish they modified for last year.

2 easy recovery miles this morning on the roads at 5:10 a.m. followed later by 2 TM miles at easy pace then 3 miles on the stationary bike.  Legs a bit sore, hamstrings mostly.  I need to get going on a stretching routine!

4 miles this morning in light snowfall.  Sticking to the roads and just a little bit slick.  5:10 a.m. run on Skyline to end of asphalt and back direct.  2 more miles on the treadmill at 3:00 p.m. followed by 3 miles on stationary bicycle.  Heel feeling a bit better.

4 slow easy miles this morning. 28 degrees. 5:10 a.m. run.

5:10 a.m. run.  30 degrees.  A bit foggy, but not bad.  4 miles very easy.  3 more TM miles tonight at 6:00 p.m. increasing gradually from 10:00 pace to 7:40 pace throughout.  Then 3 miles on stationary bike.  New shoes arrived yesterday.

5:10 a.m. run.  3 easy and 1 moderate.  28 degrees.  12 miles scheduled for my long run tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m.  Feeling pretty good.  Heel a bit of a problem starting out, but loosens up during the run and doesn't hurt much afterwards.  Eventually I'm going to have to face the knife and have the spur on the back of the heel removed.  I've done well the past 3 or 4 year since it was found, so hopefully no worries right now, but it's been a bit of a pain at times for almost the past 2 weeks.

8:00 a.m. run.  Cloudy and 27 degrees starting out.  12 miles in 1:41:32, 8:27 pace overall.  Did the Vine-Droubay-Pine Canyon Road-Overlake loop.  Returning thru Gleneagles and along 1000 W. off of Rogers Road up to Vine and finishing coming down 100 W. to Utah Avenue.  Generally a good run.  Last uphill section was a bit tough.  Splits: 8:51, 8:43, 7:41, 7:26, 7:39, 8:13, 8:21, 8:11, 8:55, 8:43, 9:21, 9:23.  Heel felt okay but still hasn't totally gone away.  37 miles this week.  January is about done.  One more 4 week long drudgery month and spring will be in sight as will the Canyonlands 1/2 Marathon next up in mid-March.  My favorite 1/2 Marathon by far.

4 miler this morning at 5:10 a.m.  30 degrees.  3 very easy out and back on Skyline, then a more moderate last mile on loop to 200 S. and 100 W.  Head cold all weekend, not feeling the strongest.  2 miles on TM this evening, building gradually every couple of tenths from 10 minute pace to 8 minute pace last 1/4 mile.  Feeling some better.

5 miler at 5:30 a.m.  30 degrees.  Much slower than I thought at 49:30.  Still fighting the cold.  A bit icy conditions on the snow pack at end of Sklyline for a bit.  Felt good running, just slow today.

10 miles over 2 runs.  First a 5 mile run at 5:10 a.m. 30 degrees.  No wind.  Very easy for 3 along Skyline, then normal pace for final 2.  Did another 5 miler for a tempo run tonight in 39:26, a 7:53 average pace.  Ran to the mouth of Middle Canyon and back along SR 36 starting out and returning.  Splits: 8:31, 7:59, 7:41, 7:58, and 7:15.  Still not feeling the best and need to kick this cold.

4 easy recovery miles this morning after the tempo run last night.  5:10 a.m.  26 degrees.  Felt pretty good.

Slow run early this morning for about 4 miles.  Skyline to Bevan Way and back then lower loop to 200 S. and home.  Long run scheduled tomorrow morning to Stansbury.

A great 13 mile training run today.  From Tooele down thru Erda to Stansbury with a bit more than a mile on the Smelter Road hills.  1:42:20 or 7:51 pace average.  Felt good throughout.  H2O at about 8 miles.  A bit foggy in Stansbury but the sun finally broke through for us.  40 degrees.  Splits: 8:03, 9:00, 7:54, 8:11, 7:25, 7:24, 7:16, 7:18, 7:38, 7:50, 7:49, 8:19, and 7:58.  First run in new shoes felt great.

5 miles easy this morning at 5:10 a.m.  Saw Liz and ran with her for about 1.5 at very slow pace.  Final mile at 8:34.  A bit chillier this morning with clear skies and light breeze.  Good recovery run from Saturday.

5 miles at 5:10 a.m. Easy running.

Early 5 mile run.  Felt like the movie Ground Hog's Day.  Identical to yesterday in every way, including the car that about ran me over.

5:10 a.m. run.  Just starting to snow.  Roads clear.  32 degrees.  4.5 miles easy.  First track workout this evening at 6:15 p.m. starting Yasso 800's.  2x800 in 3:17 and 3:15 with 400 recovery after each.  3.5 miles total including to and from the track.  A tough time trying to find the right pace every time I start these.  I need to be shooting for about 3:25 since I won't be able to sustain the times I ran tonight up to 8x800 when I max out in a few weeks. 

Way slow this morning.  Very light snow like yesterday, not sticking to roads.  5 miles at 5:10 a.m. on Skyline to edge of pavement and back then lower 1 mile loop.  Hamstrings a little sore from last night at the track, but not bad.  It will get much worse in a few more weeks.

14 miles this morning  at 9:00 a.m.   8:44 average pace overall.  Not as good as last week, but more hills to deal with today.  A bit sluggish especially going up Smelter Road.  Still feel tight from the track on Thursday night.  Need to get that workout on Tuesday or Wednesday nights, but tough to do with my schedule right now.  Climbed from 5100 ft. to almost 5500 ft. over 3 mile stretch.  Left hip had some pain on the uphills but loosened up after a while.  Came back down with a bit of light snow at first and then a colder head wind for 3 miles or so.  1 mile up and back in Middle Canyon to add two to my standard 12 mile rout. A decent week at 42 miles.

Watched the move "Without Limits" today about Steve Prefontaine.  Not a bad flick from 1998.  Also reading the book "Bowerman and the Men of Oregon" about Bill Bowerman who coached Prefontaine and others.

8.2 mile run this morning at 9:30 a.m.  1:07:48 or 8:16 pace average.  Nice to run with some daylight!  Hilly run and tempo pace on the flats.  Felt good today.  Up Settlement Canyon to guardhouse and back down and then over to Middle Canyon and back home via S.R. 36.  Splits: 9:42, 8:21, 7:38, 7:52, 8:26, 7:51, 8:04, and 8:27.  Hip okay and heel spur not much  of a problem today.

5:10 a.m.  32 degrees.  Easy 5 miler with a moderate final mile.

5 miles at 5:10 a.m.  29 degrees and some fog.  3.5 very easy and 1.5 at moderate effort.  Skyline Avenue to Droubay and back then lower 1.5 mile loop to Vine and 100 West and back home.

5 miles at 5:10 a.m.  Light rain in spots today.  Light snow overnight, but roads were good.  Foggy some as well.  Very easy.  Picked it up some last mile, but uphill. 5:30 p.m. run to track and back for some Yasso 800's.  3x800 in 3:20, 3:18, and 3:11 with 400 recovery after each, plus easy 1/2 mile on track after workout.  1/2 mile to and from track each way.  Nice to get a little more daylight.  Coming down with another head cold.  The 2nd in 3 weeks.  Did amazingly well tonight with nasal congestion.

4 mile easy recovery run at 5:10 a.m.  30 degrees.  Out on Skyline to upper Droubay and back direct then loop to west and back on 400 S. andy Canyon Way.  Long run slated for tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.  Hoping for decent weather, but it will be colder some.

14 mile run at 8:30 a.m. in 1:58:11 or 8:26 overall average pace.  About 4 minutes better than last week.  35-38 degrees.  Sunny.  Light north breeze.  Felt a bit sluggish especially on the late uphills.  Another head cold, but my head clears while I'm running and I don't feel all that bad while I'm out there.  All four quadrants of town today.  Headed east on Vine to Droubay and down to 1000 North.  Over through Glen Eagles and onto Rogers Road then up to Vine and back down to 200 N.  From there zig zagged to the southeast up through the Highlands and Upland Drive areas to Skyline and back home along S.R.36.  We saw absolutely no other runners out today!  Splits:8:47, 8:57, 7:48, 7:32, 7:45, 7:36, 8:10, 9:05, 8:38, 9:08, 9:25, 8:59, and 8:07.  A good week at 45 miles.

Watched the move "Prefontaine" last night.  I think I liked it about the same as "Without Limits".  Also watched "Fire on the Track" as well.  It's a documentary on Prefontaine, and was only an hour long.  I liked it the best, but I typically like documentary style stuff.  I think that's why I liked "Spirit of the Marathon" and the "Long Green Line" so much as far as running videos.

Didn't run this morning.  Slept about an hour all night with this dang head cold, so I didn't go to work.  Feeling a bit better this afternoon, so ran an easy 4+.  Ran about 7/10ths of a mile from the vet with Savannah, our fat chocolate lab.  She's so out of shape, I need to run her more.  Then I went for about 3.5 more on a cross country route, up near the base of the dam and then behind Little Mountain.  The trail would have been muddier earlier today from the snow we got this morning, but it had started to freeze over and so it wasn't too bad.  9:05 pace overall, but ran the 3rd mile in 7:47 and the last .5 at 7:34 pace.  Clears my head temporarily.

5:10 a.m. at a very slow pace for 5 miles.  Legs a bit tired from yesterday afternoons later run.  18 degrees, a light cold breeze.  Skyline to end of pavement and back then 1 mile lower loop to 200 S. and home.  Feeling a bit better.

6:10 p.m. run, hillwork.  Up Skyline then steep hills up into Deer Hollow.  5 miles in 45:33 or 9:05 average pace.  Didn't push much except moderate effort on the steep hills.  Felt good. 28 degrees.  Light for 3/4 of the run.

5.2 miles at 5:10 a.m.  Slow running. 30 degrees.  12 warmer than yesterday.  Skyline to upper Droubay and back for 3.5, then 1.5 mile loop to 100 West and Vine and back.  Storm supposed to be coming tomorrow.

5:10 a.m. run for a slow 5 miler on somewhat icy roads.  Snowed overnight.  33 degrees.  Not too cold.  The roads were only icy up on the upper end of Skyline, otherwise not too bad.

Yasso 800's at the track tonight at 6:10 p.m.  Mostly daylight! 1/2 mile easy each way to and from track. 4x800 in 3:15, 3:15, 3:17, and 3:14 with 400 recovery after each.  A good workout for this old duffer!  Felt good tonight.

5:10 a.m. run. 30 degrees.  Clear.  Light breeze.  5.2 miles slow recovery.  Skyline to Droubay and back plus lower 1.5 mile loop and home.  Heel spur bugging me this morning until late in the run.  Long run scheduled tomorrow for 8:30 a.m.

14 miles in 2:00:10, 8:34 average pace at 8:30 a.m.  Nice and sunny and warm enough for shorts.  40 degrees starting out 50 degrees at the end.  Smelter Road hills from 5100 ft. to around 5500 ft. at the gate for the turn around.  Felt pretty good througout.  Struggled some the last 2 miles.  Heel spur not that much of a problem.  Splits: 8:36, 8:50, 8:26, 8:42, 9:20, 8:57, 8:11, 8:05, 7:16, 8:04, 8:47, 9:08, 9:20, 8:11.  All in all, a great week.  March is almost here!

5 miles at 5:10 a.m. in 45:38, 9:07 average pace.  Up to gate on Skyline and back via Loma Vista and Upland loops. 5,100 ft. to 5,500 ft. over 2.5 miles.  Final mile coming back in 7:53.  Second run at 6:10 p.m. 4 miles in 33:01, 8:15 average pace per mile.  Moderate to tempo effort.  Zig-zag route through town to Vine St. at Community Garden toward mouth of Middle Canyon.  Splits: 8:38 and 8:35 up and 7:42 and 8:02 coming back.  Beat the darkness getting home.  Days are getting longer!

5 miles at 5:10 a.m.  Very easy.  Good recovery run.  36 degrees.

6 miles in 20:25 on stationary bike at 6:10 p.m.  Low resistance, higher reps.

5 miles in 46:46 at 5:10 a.m.  Skyline Drive to gate and back via Loma Vista and Upland Loops.  40 degrees or more.  Should have had one less layer and been in shorts.  The warm before the storm, I suppose.

Yasso intervals at 5:00 p.m. at Stansbury High School track, 5 x 800's in 3:17, 3:19, 3:18, 3:16, and 3:18 with 400 recovery after each.  1 mile warm up in Stansbury before hitting the track.

5 miles easy recovery run this morning at 5:10 a.m.  40 degrees.

6 miles cross training on stationary bike at 6:15 p.m.  21:57.  Slightly higher resistance from Tuesday.

5 miles in light snow this morning.  Roads were okay, lawn was covered.  Temperature was still decent.  No wind.  Easy run.  Long tomorrow.

16 mile run at 9:00 a.m.  2:17:38, 8:36 average pace.  Sunny, 40 to 50 degrees.  Nice day, some breeze up on the hill.  From home to Middle Canyon and up 1.2 miles, down Droubay along the golf course and up Smleter Road hills to the gate and back.  Down Droubay to 1000 N. to Broadway and up through town.  Fastest miles 7:51 and 7:55.  Slowest 9:24 on the big hill.  Felt pretty good today.  50 mile week is right on schedule.  2 weeks until Moab.

5 easy ones at 5:10 a.m.  36 degrees.  Getting almost light in the morning.......until next week.  Heel spur bugging me a bit from Saturday's run.  I'll take some drugs.

4 miles trail running behind Little Mountain at 6:05 p.m. in 37:13.  9:18 pace overall.  Last mile coming home at 8:00 min. pace.  Daylight the entire run.  42 degrees and shorts for a nice change.  Winter returning tomorrow and Wednesday, they say.  Heel still a problem for a couple of miles.

5:10 a.m. run.  5 miles in 47 minutes.  Normal effort.  40 degrees.  Nobody out there today.  Heel not too bad this morning.

5 miles at 5:10 a.m.  Usual route on Skyline out and back plus lower loop.  A bit colder at 31 degrees.  Easy running.

5 miles standard route at 5:10 a.m.  Very easy.  Light snow falling during the run.  30 degrees or less.  Snowed overnight with the lawn covered, but roads were good.  To the track tonight.

Yasso 800's at the track tonight with Tyler White.  6:15 p.m.  39 degrees.  6x800 in 3:15, 3:23, 3:20, 3:15, 3:23, 3:17 with 400 recovery after each.  A bit inconsistent tonight, but not bad for running them for the first time with someone else.  Tyler made 3 and then rested and then joined me for the last 500 on #5.  He does pretty good for a kid that doesn't run all that much.  I shouldn't call him a kid, he's 22.  A good friend of my youngest son.  If he gets consistent he'll be alright.  Additional 1/2 mile each way to and from the track.  A pretty good workout. 

5:10 a.m. run.  About 4.75 miles.  30 degrees.  Easy recovery run.  Long run tomorrow to Stansbury cutting it back to a 12 miler to begin taper for Moab next weekend.

12 miles at 9:00 a.m. in 1:35:57 or right on 8:00 minute averge pace. Tooele to Stansbury via Droubay Road through Erda and through Stansbury Park to the Benson Mill church.  We barely beat the snowfall, but had rain from about 6 miles to the end, progressively getting a bit heavier but not too bad.  I was in shorts as it was 44 degrees or more starting out.  As I write this, it has been snowing steadily for the past hour.  Start of tapering for Moab next weekend.  Splits today:  8:01, 8:28, 7:56, 7:45, 7:44, 8:08, 7:33, 8:00, 7:46, 8:01, 8:23, 8:06.  Felt good today.  Hip was troublesome a bit right at first like it has been since my Yasso's Thursday night, but got better throughout.  Heel pain was there, but minimal.

5 miler this morning very easy at 5:10 a.m. to the end of the pavement on Skyline and back with lower loop to 200 S. and home.  Roads were drier than expected with all the melting of the 8.5"+ of snow we got on Saturday.  Winter returned for a short while, but it's warming today they say.

5 miles this morning at 5:10 a.m.  A bit warmer at 36 degrees, but a cool breeze from the canyons made if feel a bit chilly.  Pick-up the last mile.  Tapering this week.

5 mile standard route at 5:10 a.m. to Grimm's gate and back.  Easy running.  One more run before Moab.

4 mile run early this morning. Very easy. Off to Moab tomorrow. No running until Saturday morning.

No running.  Traveling to Moab and resting.

A good run and good effort today.  Even splits.  Garmin quit working at 9.5 miles for some reason.  Nice clear and sunny day. Dang cold at the start waiting around, but felt good after we got going.  I dressed about right.  Long sleeves with singlet and shorts.  Tossed my gloves at about 3 miles.  Chip time: 1:38:43.  (Gun time: 1:39:13). 7:32 average pace.  Splits through 9 miles: 7:26, 7:29, 7:26, 7:26, 7:20, 7:09, 7:18, 7:29, 7:35.  I can't believe I maintained 7:35 on the 9 mile hill.  Final placing: 21/125, M50-54. 206/1340, Men's Field. 258/3282 total field.

5 mile early run.  42 degrees.  Easy recovery run.  To Grimm's Gate and back direct.  Hamstrings a bit stiff and sore.

5 mile evening run at 6:00 p.m.  Light rain and starting to snow at upper end.  Up Skyline via SR 36 into Elk Ridge Development and back via Loma Vista.  44:26, 8:54 pace.  Last mile or so at tempo pace starting at mile 4, in 7:37.  Felt decent.

Took my crappy Nike Structure Triax +13 shoes back today.  17 miles and already into the EVA foam on one of the waffles.  It's like it delaminated or something.  They felt fine during the race on Saturday, but afterwards I saw this lug of the waffle totally missing.  I was trying to give Nike one more chance after my private boycott of nearly 20 years for various reasons.  These were my 3rd consecutive pair and the mileage wasn't any better than my Asics and for the first time in 27 years I returned a pair of shoes after purchasing them.  Traded them for the Asics 2150 and will stick with them.  I've pretty much been in Asics all of these years, except for some Adidas last fall, so that's probaby where I'll stay for now.

5 miles easy this morning.  Light snow overnight.  37 degrees.  Roads good.  I bit muddy up near the gate at the end of Skyline.

5 miles at 5:10 a.m.  A bit faster than yesterday morning, but still a slow recovery run.  My hammies are still tight from Saturday's race.  Heel spur giving me a bit more problem than yesterday. About 10 degrees colder this morning.

5 mile run at 5:10 a.m.  42 degrees clear.  Standard Skyline route.

5 mile trail run behind Little Mountain and to the base of the dam.  6:15 p.m. 50 degrees.  Easy running until final mile in 8:17.

5 miles at 5:10 a.m.  Very easy.  Light snow fall, not sticking.  39 degrees.  16 miler scheduled for tormorrow morning.

16 miles at 9:00 a.m. in 2:18:50, 8:40 average pace.  Still feel like I'm in recovery mode from last Saturday's race.  51 miles this week.  Partly sunny.  40 degrees starting out, 50 degrees at the end.

Splits:  8:17, 8:36, 7:49, 9:03, 9:26, 8:45, 8:22, 8:13, 7:30, 8:27, 9:06, 9:01, 9:25, 9:40, 8:55, 8:03.

Got my Ragnar leg assignments for the Wasatch Back relay in June.  I'll be running legs 1, 13, and 25.  A total of 21 miles even with 7.9, 8.3, and 4.8.  Team: Green, Eggs, and Sam.  I'll miss the Victorious Secret bunch this year.

5 miles at 5:05 a.m. in 47:42. Standard morning route to Grimm's Gate and back through Loma Vista and along Upland drive.  Fairly easy run in new shoes.  Felt okay.  50 degrees.  Shorts and long sleeves.  Light canyon breezes from Settlement and Middle Canyons.

5 miles at 6:10 p.m. in 45:48, 9:09 pace.  62 degrees, a bit windy.  Easy running for 2.5 miles on trail behind Little Mountain.  Then Upland Drive to East Elementary and back along 100 South and home.  Last two miles in 8:07 and then 8:15 uphill the last 1/2 mile.

5 miles on a windy morning at 5:05 a.m.  Easy running.  Standard route.

5 mile tempo run this morning at 5:05 a.m.  42:55, 8:35 pace overall.  Up Skyline to about 350 ft. elevation gain and back.  Light snow in places.  36 degrees.  Felt good today.  Last 2 miles at 7:45 pace.

5 miles TM at 8:35 ave. pace at 6:45 a.m.  9:30-8:30 on slight incline for 2.5 miles, then 8:30 increasing to 7:30 for 2.5 flat miles.  13+" of snow last night and still snowing.  That's no April fools joke.  We got major lake effect out here in the Tooele foothills!

5 miles at 6:00 p.m.  43:30 moderate effort, 8:42 ave pace.  Last two in 7:57 and 7:50 to finish.  SR 36 and Skyline up into Elk Ridge and back via Loma Vista and Upland loops.  The snow is melting and the roads mostly dry.  Half way through the run it starts snowing again.  It's really coming down again at 7:00 p.m.  

18.5 miles.  Had the day off and decided to do my long run today to avoid tomorrow's incoming storm.  (As if I can believe anything those weather dudes say.)  10:20 a.m.  Beautiful, clear and sunny morning.  A bit chilly at first but warmed to the high 40's by the end.  18.5 in 2:38:21, 8:33 ave. pace.  Slowest mile on the Smelter hill in 9:24.  Fastest mile at mile 11 in 8:00.  Ran the Smleter Road hills to mile 6 and back then down Droubay Rd. through Erda to the north end of Stansbury.  Felt pretty good.  Didn't really push it much.  Registered for St. George today.  Cost is up this year to $85.  $70 for my discounted registration.  Hotel is also confirmed.

6 miles in 53:17, very easy run.  8:53 average pace.  Noon run to mouth of Middle Canyon and back via Jr. High.  Weather guys said it was supposed to rain and snow overnight into this morning, but it's just been cloudy.  I'm still glad I ran my long run yesterday, it was really a nice clear and sunny morning.

5 miles at 5:05 a.m.  Very easy, muddy at the gate.  37 degrees.  Standard Skyline Route.

5 miles at 6:15 p.m.  Fairly easy in 44:58.  Bagged the tempo run due to wet, stinging snow coming down after the first 1/2 mile.  Got worse throughout.  Skyline, Broadway, 7th to Utah Avenue, zig-zagged home via the Jr. High School route.  Winter is back tonight.

5 miles very slow on some icy spots.  5:05 a.m.  32 degrees.  Skyline to gate and back plus loop to the west.

5 miles to gate at end of Skyline and back via Upland Drive route in 46:41, easy pace at 5:10 a.m.  Colder this morning at about 32 degrees.  Cold breeze from the canyons going out.

5 miles easy at 5:05 a.m.  Even colder at 30 degrees, but supposed to warm up nicely today to 60.  We'll see.  I have an evening 7 miler, so I hope that's the case.  I'm sick of winter.

7 miles moderate to tempo pace.  6:10 p.m.  58:11, 8:18 ave. pace.  Cemetery and Broadway route to Vine and up Middle Canyon 1/2 mile down to Smelter Road and zig-zagged through town back home.  Very nice evening.  59 degrees, sunny and clear.  Long sleeves way too warm tonight.  Felt good most of the run.

5 mile easy recovery run at 5:10 a.m.  Standard Skyline route to gate and back plus loop to the west.  A bit tired this morning.

7:30 a.m. run.  35-45 degrees.  Mostly sunny.  Up the Smelter Road hills to gate past mile 6 and then back down and thru Erda to the north end of Stansbury.  10 with Tina on her 13 mile run.   A good run.  5 minutes faster than last week for the same route.  Tina pushes the downhills pretty good.  Slowest mile: 9:39 on steepest Smelter Rd. hill.  Fastest:  Consecutive 7:13, 7:16, and 7:14 at miles 10-12 into Erda.  Average pace:  8:17.  A local bike race event was going on along the course on Smelter Road.

5 slow miles in the wind at 5:05 a.m.  How can the wind blow in both directions going out and coming back?  It was warm, prior to the predicted incoming storms.

6 TM miles.  Rain and windy out tonight.  6:10 p.m.  52:08.  9:30 to 9:00 with 1.5% incline for first half.  8:30 pace starting second 1/2 of run increasing gradually down to 7:15 pace with 1% incline.

5 easy miles in light rain/snow.  5:10 a.m. 37 degrees.

5 miles quite slow this morning.  34 degrees.  5:05 a.m.

5 miles at 5:05 a.m.  45 degrees.  Easy run up Skyline to the gate and back plus loop to the west.  Felt good.

9 miles in 1:18:13 or 8:41 averge pace.  Fairly easy to moderate effort.  at 6:15 p.m.  63 degrees.  Very nice running temperature.  Skyline, Broadway, Vine, up Middle Canyon 1 mile and back down.  Smelter Road up 1 mile and zig-zagged through town back home.  14 total miles today.

5 miles very easy.  5:10 a.m.  Nearly 50 degrees.  Legs a bit tight from last night.  Long one scheduled for tomorrow morning.

20 mile run in 2:51:20, 8:34 average pace.  8:00 a.m. on the Smelter Road hills to turn-around point at 5 mile flat, back down through Erda on Droubay Road and up over the knoll on the gravel road down through Lakepoint along the old Lincoln Highway and frontage road to the Truck Stop.  Got there just in time for Sharon to pick me up.  Felt good about my first 20 miler and 60 mile week for this year.  A very nice day.  Nearly 60 degrees starting out and bit too warm finishing up. Fastest mile was 7:44, slowest 9:29 on the big hill.  Fairly easy effort most of the run.

11 mile run starting out at 5:10 a.m. with Elaine for 5 very easy on Skyline to gate and back.  Then another 6 miles along Vine and up Middle Canyon a mile and back home.  A nice morning and a day off from work.  

Watched the Boston Marathon coverage on Universal Sports.  Channel 5-2 (KSL) opted to lop off the first 1/2 hour and not show the Elite Women's start just to show a stupid info-mercial.  I couldn't believe it!  Tracked a few bloggers and other runners on the  B.A.A. site.  Everyone I knew of did very well.  Looked to be an almost perfect day.   A new course record at Boston in 2:05:52 (Wow!) by Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot (not to be confused with 4x winner Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, almost the same name, but a different dude).  Both the Men's Wheelchair and the Women's Marathon went right down to the wire!  The women always have a more exciting race.  Ryan Hall was 4th in 2:08:47 and Meb Keflezighi 5th, in 2:09:26, both of the U.S.A.  2 of the top 5 and 3 of the top 10 were Americans.  Rohatinsky must have dropped out past half way.

5 easy miles this morning at 5:10 a.m..  55 degrees.  Warm before the storm.

5 miles at 5:05 a.m. in 46:20.  Warm at 55 degrees starting out. Driving rain hit at mile 3 coming home.  Decent easy run.

5 miles at 5:10 a.m.  Some rain, but mostly muddy from yesterday's rain up towards the gate.  45 degrees.  Easy run.  2nd run scheduled for tonight.

9 miles at 6:05 p.m.  1:17:16, 8:34 average pace.  Sunny but cool.  55 degrees with some breeze.  Long sleeves and shorts.  Struggled a bit the second half.  Smelter Road hills out and back.  A few runners out tonight.

5 miles before the rain at 5:10 a.m.  Easy run to Grimm's Gate and back on Skyline plus loop to west and home.

20 miles this morning.  Starting with at 5K Fun Run for the Special Olympics fundraiser in 22:22, a 7:13 average pace.  Splits were:7:38, 6:58, and 6:42.  5th place overall of 100+ runners.  Then I headed up Smelter Road and turned around at 6.5 miles.  Then back down Droubay Road through Erda into Lakepoint.  Headed to Stansbury along the road above Adobe Rock and finished at the Benson Mill church.  Ran a pretty easy pace, but still struggled some the last 2 or 3 miles.  2:53:31 total time, including the 5K.  Nice day, a bit chilly waiting for the race to begin.  Long sleeves were too much for the last 5 or 6 miles.  A good effort overall.  Second consecutive 60 mile week.

5 miles at 5:10 a.m.  45 degrees.  Easy recovery run.  Felt a bit beat up after Saturday's run, but okay this morning.  6 more tonight.

6.35 miles tonight at 6:10 a.m. mostly on trail up towards the dam and behind Little Mountain and east of the water tank.  Dropped down to Skyline and up to the gate and back via Loma Vista and Upland loops finishing along S.R. 36 and home.  60 degrees.  Easy running picking up final mile to 8:05. A bit tired tonight.

5 mile slow recovery run.  5:10 a.m.   Standard Skyline route.  50 degrees.  Last warm day for week........so they say. 

5 easy miles at 5:10 a.m.  Got back just before it started to rain and snow.  Caught a break between the wind last night and the percipitation this morning.  That seldom happens.

14 miles this morning at 5:10 a.m.  Glad I got it in ahead of the incoming storm.  Easy to fairly easy effort for entire run.  Skyline out and back and then up Middle Canyon 1 mile and back to Droubay dropping down to Smelter Road and up a bit.  Headed home via the high school and Coleman St.

5:10 a.m. in the snow and rain.   4.5 miles, avoiding the mud bog at the end of Skyline.  Easy run in preparation for final 20 miler tomorrow.  Hope the weather is better for that.

20 mile long run.  Last of 3 consecutive 60 mile weeks.  Slow on the Smelter Road hills in a snow storm.  By the end of the run in Lakepoint it was nice and sunny.  2:49:41 or 8:29 overall pace.  Much faster after meeting up with Tina for the last 14 miles.  We ran consecutive splits of 7:39, 7:27, 7:30, 7:37, 7:52, and 7:59.  Slowed up going over the knoll on the gravel road before Lakepoint in 8:21 and 8:24.  Then 7:36, 7:51, 8:29, 8:19, finishing with an 8:06 final mile.  Fastest of my three 20 mile runs.  Felt good about that especially after being so slow on the Smelter Road hills in the snow and wet full sweats.  Start tapering next week.

5 easy miles at 5:10 a.m.  Standard route.  38 degrees.

5 miles in 43:36 at 5:05 a.m.  47 degrees.  Final tempo run.  Mostly working on form today.  Felt good throughout.  Felt strong on the uphills.  I think I'm as ready as I'll get.  Tapering.

5 miles at 5:10 a.m.  Very easy.  37 degrees.  Standard Skyline route plus loop to west.

5 miles fairly easy at 5:05 a.m.  Skyline to gate and back via Loma Vista and Upland loops.  Continuing to taper.

4 miles easy going up.  More moderate effort coming back.  36:50.  34 degrees.  Temperature has been going the wrong direction this week.  Progressively colder each morning.  5:10 a.m.

12 miles at 8:15 a.m.  8+ with Tina.  1:40:44 or 8:24 aveage pace.  Nice running weather today.  5 other runners out.  Fastest mile was 7:36.  Slowest was 8:41, so a good even effort overall.  I feel ready for Ogden next Saturday.  Tina is doing Bay to Breakers in San Francisco.  I'll be in Chicago all this week, so I'm glad I'm in taper down mode.  Looking forward to a couple of runs on the Lakefront Path, however rain is predicted all week there.  Maybe I'll be on a treadmill at the hotel.  We'll see.

7:45 a.m.  Rain last night, but sun this morning.  Easy 5 miler into the mouth of Middle Canyon and back.  Out via SR 36, back through town.  I don't know why I always feel sluggish these last easy days before the marathon, but it always seems to be the case.  I should feel strong and rested, but never do.  Next 2 runs in Chicago.  They're expecting rain, so maybe I'll be on the treadmill at the hotel.  Then 2 days of no running and home Friday afternoon just in time to go to the expo and pick up chip and bib.  Hope I don't have any flight delays.

4 TM miles at Hyatt Regency Fitness Center in Chicago.  Wind, rain and cold outside and as a result had to wait 15 minutes for a treadmill.  34:45 easy miles tapering.  6:00 a.m.

Chicago Lakefront path south through Millenium Park to the Museum near Soldier Field.  19 minutes out and 19 back.  Approximately 4 miles.  Last run before the marathon on Saturday.  Overcast but dry.  6:00 a.m.

REST

REST

Ogden Marathon in 3:36:06, 8:14 pace.  13th in division. Ran with Pat Baker from 14 to 19 miles.  Felt strong throughout.  About 5 minutes short of goal, but happy to BQ for first time since SGM 08.  A very nice day, clear and sunny.  Didn't overheat until the final mile.

No running today.  Still feel a bit beat up from the marathon on Saturday.  Will probably bike some easy miles tomorrow and start running again on Wednesday.

Stationary bike for 5.5 miles in 20:15.  Resume running tomorrow.

4+ very easy recovery miles in 38:00.  5:10 a.m. Solo.  Still hurting some.

5 miles+ in 44:54 at 5:00 a.m. with Tina.  Standard route.  Felt a bit better than yesterday.

5:10 a.m. run with Matt and Elaine. 5 miles very easy on standard Skyline Route. Nice morning at near 50 degrees. Will be colder tomorrow they say. When will the nice weather get here and stay for a while?

8 miles this morning with Tina at 8:00 a.m.  Sunny but cool.  Heavy rain last night.  Got warmer throughout the run.  1:08:00 or 8:30 pace overall.  Fastest mile 7:36, slowest mile 8:57.  Tight hamstrings today.  Feeling okay otherwise.  An easy recovery week with 22 miles. (About what Kelli runs every single day).

5:10 a.m. run with Matt1.  Skyline Avenue route.  He's struggling to get back at it and stopped at 2 waiting for me to return from the gate.  All of this in the yuck.  Snowing and muddy road up to the gate.  I should have waited until tonight to run.  Elaine didn't show.  A bit short of 5 miles, in about 47:00. 

5 miles at 5:10 a.m. with Elaine and Matt1 (4).  Quite slow but a bit faster than usual with them.  Paul Lindsay out running this morning.  79 years old.  He's getting ready for the local 5K on the 4th of July.  He said he was giving this up a couple of years ago, but he's back at it.  Amazing!

5 mile tempo run.  Solo this morning at 5:10 a.m.  Matt1 and Elaine didn't show.  43:09 up Skyline Avenue to the gate and back via Loma Vista and Upland loops.  50 degrees.  Felt good.   In shorts, but two long sleeves was way too much.

5 miles at 5:10 a.m. very easy with Elaine. Skyline to gate and back with west loop.  Matt1 didn't show again.  Warm and windy.

5 miles at 5:10 a.m. very easy along Skyline Route.  With Elaine, Matt1 a no-show for 3 days in a row.  I know why I seem to gravitate to female running partners.  They always seem to take it  much more seriously or consistently than my gender.

5 mile easy run at 5:00 a.m. with Mike from S.F.  Introduced him to my standard 5 mile route.  He liked it except for the altitude here at 5,200 ft.  Came back and did a couple more on the TM, finishing at about 7:30 pace.  Flipping my long run to Monday with Tina. 

10 miles in 1:23:45 with Tina.  8:21 average pace.  8:00 a.m. on the Smelter Road hills and back.  Memorial Day.  Pushed the downhills a bit.  Splits: 8:34, 9:19, 7:50, 8:59, 9:12, 7:49, 6:55, 7:46, 8:32, and 8:37.  A good run.

5 miles at 5:10 a.m.  Very easy with Matt1 and Elaine.  No rain as was predicted, so it was good.  Nice morning.

7 mile run at 5:10 a.m. with Matt1 for the first 5.  Pretty slow, but a bit faster than the last couple of days.  10's.  Then last 2 in 8 min. range.  Nice morning.  54 degrees.

Biked 9.43 miles on my mountain bike at 1:15 p.m.  Up into Middle Canyon and up Smelter Road part way and back home.  Not in biking shape right now.  Quads were a burnin' and my seat was a hurtin'.

5 easy miles at 5:10 a.m. with Matt1 and Elaine.  Nice morning at 62 degrees.  Felt pretty good considering running, biking, and walking yesterday.

5 miles easy with Matt1 and Elaine at 5:10 a.m.  Nice morning once again.   60+ degrees.

12 mile run in 1:41:00, 8:24 average pace.  8 with Tina.  I always run faster with her.  8:00 a.m., much too late and too warm, but overall a good run.  Splits: 8:25, 7:35, 7:48, 8:04, 8:41, 8:54, 8:56, 8:18, 8:23, 8:19, 8:41, and 8:47.  Good effort with 2 miles on up hill finish.

5 mile early morning tempo run at 5:10 a.m.  Nice temperature.  Solo, since Matt1 and Elaine didn't show.  Skyline up to gate and back via Loma Vista and Upland loops in 42:35, 8:31 pace.

5+ miles at 6:10 p.m.  Trail run behind Little Mountain and back down to Skyline.  Bevan Way and Upland.  Coming home along SR 36 and loop in Canyon Rim sub-division.  Pushed last mile or so, otherwise easy.  10 miles today.

5 miles at 5:05 a.m. with Tina in 43:07. 8:37 average pace.  A nice morning run.  Rain last night.

5:10 a.m. run.  Matt1 and Elaine didn't show.  5 miles in 45:06, 9:05 average pace.  Nice morning to run.

5 miles with Elaine at 5:10 a.m.  Slow and easy and in the rain. 

5 miles on trails and hills behind Little Mountain at 5:50 p.m.  45:25 or 9:05 pace overall.  Splits: 9:55, 10:23, 9:33 on the hills and 7:49 and 7:38 on the pavement coming back down Skyline.  A nice run.  Started with a hint of a calf pull or charley horse, but felt okay after a mile or so.

5 miles easy running with Elaine at 5:10 a.m. on Skyline route.

10 miles in SLC from 1300 S. and 1000 E. up into the avenues on 11th Avenue down into City Creek and through Memory Grove.  Back up 3rd Avenue to and back along 1100 E. and along McClelland Ave.   Loop to the south and back to complete 10.  With Tina.  Helen with us for the first couple of miles, but she wasn't feeling well and returned home.  A great hilly run.  Rain off and on, but tolerable.  I feel ready for Ragnar next weekend.

5 miles in 46:00.  9:12 average pace.  Fairly easy solo run at 5:10 a.m.  Easy running until the Wasatch Back on Friday.

5 miles with Elaine at 5:10 a.m.  Matt1 met us at 2.5.  Very easy running.  Tapering down for Ragnar on Friday.  I'll be running 21 total miles for legs 1, 13, and 25.  A 6:00 a.m. start means I need to leave town by about 2:30 a.m.  I will be totally sleep deprived.  Maybe I'll get a hotel in Logan if it's not too late.

5 miles with Matt1.  48:58.  5:10 a.m.  Easy running.  Nice morning.  Wind let up enough to make it enjoyable.  It blew all night.

4 miles solo at 5:10 a.m. in 35:00.  Fairly easy effort for last run before the Wasatch Back Relay tomorrow morning.  Weather is looking pretty good.   They have now lengthened my 3 runs to equal 21.2 total miles with one non-supported 8.5 mile leg.  The Ragnar folks are getting a bit paranoid about safety concerns.  Why do we even sign those waivers?  Perhaps they should start by not allowing 1000 teams to register.

RAGNAR Wasatch Back Relay Friday and early Saturday.  Team: Green Eggs and Sam.  A fun time in Van #1.  I was runner #1 starting at 6:00 a.m.  Nice weather and great running.  We finished in 31:14:27 which was 303rd of 658 in the Mixed division.  My legs (1, 13, and 25) went well.  My first leg was shortened by a full mile and they didn't tell us.  It was scheduled for 7.9 but marked the course without going all the way to 1000E.  They probably realized this was long enough, having extended it enough already from the previous years first leg.  But it would have been nice to know ahead of time. 

My times were: 6.9 miles at 6:00 a.m. in 52:30, 8.5 miles at 3:30 p.m. in 63:37, and 4.8 miles at 3:27 a.m.in 39:35.  Garmin splits:  Leg 1:  8:22, 7:40, 7:41, 7:20, 7:31, 7:39.  Leg 13: 9:12, 6:52, 6:50, 7:41, 7:45, 7:32, 6:54, 7:19, 7:31.  Leg 25: 8:32, 8:05, 7:19, 8:18, 8:11.  All things considered everything went very well.  Two consecutive nights of 3 hrs. sleep each, but we had a solid 3 hours staying at a house in Oakley right before my final leg.  A near tragedy when our alternate driver lost the van keys at the Ogden Valley exchange.  Fortunately a good soul turned them in at the lost and found.  We were pretty sure they were dropped somewhere in that hayfield they turned into a parking lot, so we were very fortunate.  

5:10 a.m. run solo.  To Grimm's Gate on Skyline route and back via Upland, 5th, 200 S., Broadway, Cemetery, and along 400 S.  A very nice morning and recovery run.  A bit more stiff and sore than I ought to be from Ragnar.

5 miles solo this morning at 5:10 a.m.  45:56 easy pace along Skyline and back via Loma Vista and Upland.  A nice morning with some breeze and 60 degrees.

5 miles at 5:10 a.m.  Ran with Liz and Roland for a short distance.  Skyline to Grimm's Gate and back via SR36 to Canyon Road and home.

Trackwork:  Yasso 800's, first session.  2x800 in 3:21, 3:19 with 400 recovery after each.  Easy run to and from track.  8:00 p.m.  3 miles total.

5 miles at 5:10 a.m. in 45:51.  Skyline route to gate and back via SR36.

5:10 a.m.  5 miles very easy.  Felt a big sluggish but a nice, quiet morning.  Skyline to gate and back via Loma Vista and Upland loops.

7:00 a.m. 8 mile trail run loop with Tina.  From Settlement Canyon guardhouse up past Camp Wapiti in Left Hand Fork and up trail into Bear Trap.  A lot of uphill running.  One mile was 17:00.  Steep downhill back into the canyon at about 5 miles.  I took a tough fall at 4.5 and sliced my right palm pretty good, blood spurting all over the place.  Gashed my knee and some road rash on the side of my lower leg from the rocks, but no apparent damage to my knee otherwise.  Then 3 fast miles down the gravel road to the Dark Trail and to the finish.  7:20 fastest mile.  A nice morning run on the trails.  I always seem to have memorable runs with Tina.

6 miles at 6:30 p.m.  Quite warm.  Needed to get my 14 miles in.  My ribs are hurting some from my fall this morning, but not as bad as when I hurt them in January of 2009.  53:57, slow easy pace at 9:00 minute mile average.  Skyline to Grimm's and then along canyon rim into mouth of Middle Canyon and back home direct via Vine, 100 S., and 200 W.

5 miles very easy with Elaine at 5:10 a.m.  A bit sore from Saturday still.

4 miles in 37:34, 8:38 pace at 8:15 p.m.  Very warm.  Ran the alleys wandering from 50 East and 200 West plus around the high school.  Ribs still hurting a bit, but not bad.

5 miles very easy with Elaine, 5:10 a.m..  She's slowly getting back to 5 mile runs.  Nice morning.

5 miles at 5:05 a.m. solo in 45:18.  9:05 average pace.  Easy pace until a more moderate pace last mile.  A bit of a case of Billy-territis set it in.  That's my name for the condition that happens when you see someone out ahead of you and you just have to catch and pass.  Named after my old running friend Billy-bob Terry.  Extremely warm for an early morning run.  Near 80 on my thermometer.  Light wind helped when the shirt came off.  An unsightly scene, I'm sure.

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.

5 miles at 5:05 a.m. easy in 47:00.  A nice morning.  My hamstrings are still feeling quite tight.

10 miles in 1:33:40.  Easy running up Middle Canyon to 5 mile turn around and back.  6:45 a.m.  Nice morning run in the canyon.  Didn't push it coming down.

5 miles at 5:05 a.m. 46:52. Easy running. A very warm morning. Shirtless for while. Good thing it was dark, that can be pretty scarey.

9 miles at 7:00 a.m. in 1:21:20, 9:02 overage pace. Fastest miles around 8:25. Up to the gate and back on Skyline for first 5, then ran the 50 W. and 150 W. paved alley paths north and south through town. Not a bad morning. Cooler, but more humid.

5.4 miles at 7:30 a.m.  Slow and easy.  Skyline route to end of pavement and then back to trail behind Little Mountain and back through the Wig-wam.  Getting warm.

6:00 a.m. run on the Smelter Road hills and into Middle Canyon a mile and back finishing along SR 36 out and back at the base of Settlement Canyon.  A bit sluggish again today.  2:29:37 for 16.15 miles.  Only a 9:15 average pace.  Always slower without Tina.  Saw a couple of deer crossing the road and some of the wild turkeys.  Ran with Matt1 down the big hill on Smelter.  He was struggling to even maintain 9:00 min. pace on the  best downhill, so he told me to go on as we headed back up toward Middle Canyon.  50 mile week.  Legs are still feeling it this week.

5 miles at 5:05 a.m. in 46:32.  Fairly easy.  Skyline route up to the gate and back via Loma Vista and Upland loops.  Cooler temperature felt very nice.

5 miles at 7:45 p.m. in 41:43, 8:20 average pace.  Tempo run at about 75-80% for miles 2 thru 5.  Splits:  8:44, 7:50, 8:18, 8:34, and 8:15.  Great final mile on the uphill home. Felt good tonight.  About 75 degrees. 

Running with Tina in the morning.  She'll probably run me into the ground and I'll be sore all day tomorrow.

5 miles with Tina in 42:36.  A good effort especially considering last nights 4 of 5 miles at tempo pace.  5:05 a.m. along Skyline route to the gate and back via Loma Vista and Upland loops.  Easy going up, pushed it some coming back.  Always about 5 minutes faster with her.

5 miles very easy at 5:05 a.m.  Standard Skyline route.

6 miles at 7:30 p.m. up Settlement Canyon and along the dark trail and back.  3 miles on canyon trails.  Felt good.

5 miles in 47:56.  Easy run up Skyline to gate and back.  5:15 a.m.

5 miles at 5:05 a.m.  Easy wandering run around town and eventually to upper end of Skyline to end of pavement and back direct.  Cooler still this morning, but felt very nice.

18 miler scheduled for tomorrow morning.  14 with Tina to Stansbury after the Smelter Rd. Hills.

18 miles in 2:28:29.  8:14 average pace.  Generally a good run, although I struggled a lot after about mile 15.  Tina left me in the dust for the last few miles.  She is really running well right now.  I look for her to do very well next week at Hobble Creek.  Nice morning for a run.  Ran up the Smelter Road hills and back before meeting up with her.  She was planning on 14 and did 15.   Then we went down through Erda and into Stansbury Park finishing at the Benson Mill.  My splits:  10:08, 9:09, 8:07, 9:48, 9:42, 9:24, 8:43, 7:45, 7:01, 7:06, 7:13, 7:20, 7:22, 7:25, 7:51, 7:53, 8:06,  and 8:16.  Taper next week until Hobble Creek Half Marathon next Saturday. 

5 miles at 8:05 p.m.  Westland loop up to Settlement Point then down Coleman and around USU extension up Vine to Main and home direct.  42:17, 8:28 average pace.  Tempo effort at about 75% for 3-4 miles.  EZ running the remainder of the week, off Friday, Hobble Creek on Saturday.

5 mile night run at 9:05 p.m.  80 degrees still.  Breezy.  Cemetery road, Broadway, and Vine up to Skyline and back direct.  Very slow and easy at 46:21, 9:15 pace.  Tapering.

5 miles in 44:40 at 8:05 p.m.  Easy run except for along cemetery road at about 70% effort.  Skyline standard route.  80 degrees and muggy.  Getting darker earlier.

5 mile easy run.  2.5 on double track trails from Scout Wig-wam up to base of dam and then behind Little Mountain.  Muddy in places due to heavy down pour earlier today.  Finishing going up Skyline and then home direct.  Last run before Hobble Creek.  Don't nearly feel as ready as I should.

Rest day.  Hobble Creek tomorrow morning.  Have to leave town early, like 3:30 a.m.!!

Hobble Creek 1/2 Marathon in 1:37:50, 7:28 average pace.  A good day for a run, albeit a late start once again, by about 1/2 hour.  Tina did GREAT!  1:33:36 and 1st place in the F45-49.  My splits:  7:21, 7:16, 7:25, 7:12, 7:13, 7:17, 7:39, 7:22, 7:34, 7:48, 8:11, 8:00, 7:49.   My last race in the M50-54 age division!

5 mile easy recovery run at 5:05 a.m.  Standard route.  Ran with Liz and Roland for about one mile.  Untimed.  Feeling fairly good.

5 easy miles this morning at 5:05 a.m.  Full moon. Skyline route to gate and back via Loma Vista and Upland loops.  Much cooler and a canyon breeze.  51 degrees.  Long sleeves in summer? Sheesh!

5 miles in Settlement Canyon.  6:30 p.m. mostly on the Dark Trail or on gravel road above the gate.  Tina bombed on me tonight.  Took a good fall on the last home stretch on the trail.  A few scrapes and a sore forearm, but otherwise I'm okay.  Try picking up those feet, especially around the rocks!

5 miles at 5:30 a.m.  Easy run.  A bit more sore from my fall last night on the trail than I thought I would be.  Didn't push it.  Liz and Roland out this morning.  Someone yelled out my name from a UTA Vanpool. 

5 miles in 44:07 at 5:05 a.m. with Tina.  My standard route up Skyline to the gate and back on the Loma Vista and Upland loops.  Felt pretty good this morning.  Much warmer this morning than the last 2 days.  Warm canyon breeze.  67-70 degrees.

7 miles at 6:30 p.m. 85 degrees.  4 miles of trail running on double track from Wig-wam to top of Little Mountain and along the water tank trail back to Skyline and up to the gate.  Back home direct.  Pushed some the last mile, the rest very easy.

5 miles easy at 5:05 a.m.  1 1/2 miles with Liz and Roland. Very warm, nearly 80 degrees.  Standard Skyline Route with Loma Vista Loop.