A Balance, Redefined

Total Relay Distance 182 mi in 17 hrs and 4 min (my legs totaled 14.67 in 1 hr 24 min) 

Friday

AM: 8am easy run. Got about 6hrs sleep. Easy run with the team on the streets of Vegas. Then back into the van and to the start. Once we got there my nerves were really kicked into full gear. The racers had been starting since 9am that morning. When I watched the 4pm group take off I started getting antsy. I still had about 5 hrs to wait though so I was going to have to learn to cool my jets. Mi: 5-DS1 Avg: ~7:45 HR: ~140

PM: 9pm Leg 7 my first leg. I ran around the parking lot in the dark for about 2-miles. I was very ready to go. We had gotten updates over the last few hours and there was a team a lot closer than I would have guessed anyone would be. To make things worse I spoke to the guy from that team that I was going to be going up against. He asked what I was shooting for and I of course told him. Ted had me down for 5:52 pace. The guy said he was shooting for 5:30 pace. So it was on. James came flying in and passed the bracelet to me and I was off. My first mile had a 183 ft climb but I still managed a 5:38. I was a little nervous about burning out as this was my longest leg (meant to be 6.4 mi) but I didn’t want to let the team down. It was very dark and my first time running with a head lamp. Next mile had a good descent and I flew down it 5:14. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was in the zone! It was the closest to a “running spiritual” moment I have ever had. I would look down at the Garmin it would read #.4 or #.5 and then beep next mile! The third mile was about equal up 174 ft and down 157 ft but I kept a good pace 5:36. The fourth mile was more down 126 ft but still had 70 ft of up 5:30. The sixth mile I was finally feeling it and it had more climb 121 ft to 101 ft down 5:47 however I was almost there and knew I just had to maintain for the last 0.67 (little long) was in 3:52 (5:46 pace). When I handed off to Ted I was ecstatic I was jumping all over the place I couldn’t believe what I had just done. I beat my goal time by almost 2 min. I immediately got into the van and to the next exchange I cooled down for about 0.5 mi and then into the van 2 bananas 2 slices of bread a granola bar a Gatorade and tried to rest. Avg: ~5:31 HR: ~185

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 48 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 12 / / Saucony Rides #1: 48 / / Saucony Rides #2: 19 / / NB825: 500

Saturday

AM: 4am Leg 19 my second leg. Not as much warm-up this time. We had gotten some great updates and looked like we were in a solid lead. Also this was my shortest leg. The great news was the times the other van was throwing down but you’ll have to read their blogs… Logan and Nick are studs, is all I have to say. After trying to get some sleep but only resting my head I got up and “paced” around for about a mile. I got to the start and was anxious for James. However, he had a big climb (540 ft) and a long leg to get to the exchange. He handed off and I was cruising again. Nowhere near the type of experience I had during the first leg but still great. The camaraderie was great. It was so much fun cheering and being cheered on by the other FRBers. My first mile had a 241 ft climb with 158 ft of descent. I managed a 5:46. The next mile was about the same split but more level 172 ft up with 85 ft down in 5:41, the last 0.87 was mostly down and I tried to make up time and get the bracelet to Ted as fast as I could 134 ft down 67 ft up 4:34 (5:14 pace). I did a 0.5 mi cool down at the next exchange and the same refueling. I managed to drop another 1:30 from my predicted pace! Avg: 5:35 HR: ~192

PM: 9am Leg 31 final leg “the dreaded hill”. After some more great performances by the rest of the van I tried to get some sleep again put still only managed to rest my head for about an hour. Then off to the exchange. By this point we had passed all ~150 other teams so I was the first person at the exchange for the day. I chatted it up with the volunteers all nice people and then just waited for James. No real warm-up. The sunlight was out in full force and it was already warming up to about 70F. James came tearing into the exchange and I was off. I knew the first two miles were the “easy” ones and then the hill so I decided to hammer them and hang on for dear life to the end. First mile 89 ft up 81 ft down 5:32, next mile 182 ft up 156 ft down 5:41. Now the climb 156 ft up, 6:10 not too bad. The vans went by at this point and that helped motivate me. Next mile was 300 ft UP! 6:55. Final mile was still another 213 ft up but I managed to drop a few seconds for 6:32. The last 0.13 still up 66 more ft in 0:47 (5:54 pace). Handed off to James and jumped into the van. This was another ~1:20 off my goal pace. From this point to the finish every chance I got I was out of the van running around cheering in the last 5 legs. Avg: 6:09 HR: 180

Overall, I’m so happy I did this race. As you all know by now we won overall in 17 hrs 4 min beating the next team by 42 min and setting a ~2 hr course record! I was very happy with my times and effort. Ted had me down to run 14.66 miles at 6:05 pace which was a GREAT tactic by him to give us a few second fatigue leeway, it helped me mentally. By my Garmin I ran 14.67 miles (amazingly close Paul!!!) at 5:46 pace with a total of 2194 ft ascent and 1652 ft descent net up of 542 ft. I managed to give the team an additional 4 min and 40 seconds. Out of curiosity I plugged in my sea level college 10K PR into Paul’s magic spreadsheet and that would have predicted 5:57 pace so right now I’m running “better” than I did as a college senior!!! I’m so stoked about my training, thanks FRB!

Besides the running the relay was just a great experience. I met so many of the bloggers and had a great time. I had a good chance to get to know James B and Logan better on the way to and from St. George. Also, a good chance to meet Steve H, Dave, Clyde, and Nick to and from Phoenix. The race with Sasha, Steve A, Jeff, Kory, Ted and James W just rounded out the whole experience. James W, it was great of you to drive us. You kept the team moving and really helped a lot. Lybi the post race pasta and salad were great. The homemade bread by you and Sarah really hit the spot! I’m bummed I didn’t get a good chance to talk with Walter but there is always next year… There is so much I want to type here about the non-running portion but I’ll spare you all. I do want to put down a few things for my own memoirs.

The drive to and from everything was amazing! We truly live in a beautiful and diverse country. The change of scenery from hour to hour is just amazing! The condors we saw were just breath taking and to think there are so few of them left in the world. A few of the insiders’ comments I have to put down. Clyde’s story of which side are you on before his Subway came back to visit had me laughing so hard that my stomach hurt. IHOP was a blast. Last things-We started at 6pm, Poopy phone, and ZZ Top…

Recovery and sleep day.

Single: 7pm easy run. I thought about getting up early but decided one more day of rest was a better idea. Managed 7 hrs of sleep. The day was rough getting back into my work routine so I didn’t get a break to run during the day. Went out after Kaitlyn went down and did the BST loop south then west returning home via MM 9-7. My legs were very trashed but not in pain just lead weights with sore quads. Miles-R2 12 Avg. 7:41 HR 138

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 48 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 12 / / Saucony Rides #1: 48 / / Saucony Rides #2: 31 / / NB825: 500

AM: 11:00am easy run. Well I’m back to my routine. Early AM rise, had to get into work by 5:30am. Did a great amount of my to do list finally posted all my missing blog updates (I had typed them last night but didn’t get them on line) and then out the door at 11am for a Memory Grove out and back. Still a little sore. My plan this week is just easy mileage to recover fully. Very windy today (17-20 mph) but headwind for my downhill first half and tailwind for my uphill second half. Miles-8 R1 Avg. 7:43 HR 139

PM: 7:15pm easy run. Feeling better than this morning. Today was a much more productive day at both work and running. After Kaitlyn went down for the night I ducked out for an easy loop SW from home. Miles-7 D2 Avg. 7:45 HR 136

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 48 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 19 / / Saucony Rides #1: 56 / / Saucony Rides #2: 31 / / NB825: 500

“AM”: 2:30pm easy/med run. Another full work day. Got in at 5:45am so I managed an extra 15 min of sleep for 6:15. Didn’t get a break until a little after 2pm. Did the same run as yesterday. The weather was almost identical except the wind wasn’t as bad. My quads were pretty tight. I ran the exact same pace as yesterday. Miles-8 T2 Avg. 7:43 HR 134

PM: 7:15pm TM run. Still pretty tired. Just did a some extra miles on the treadmill. One 8, one 7, and then two 6. Felt good to get some turnover and work out the kinks in my quads. Miles-4 R2 Avg. 6:45 HR ?

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 48 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 27 / / Saucony Rides #1: 56 / / Saucony Rides #2: 35 / / NB825: 500

Single: 2:15pm easy/med run. I got a full 7 hours of sleep last night. Work was full but not stressful. I was however short on time for my run so I “picked it up” for miles 5-10. I have a little bit of a cough. I think there was some sharing going on during the relay. But besides feeling a little extra tired I’m fine. My quads however are still sore. Sandra gave me a nice massage last night that helped but I still have a little more recovery to do. Just ran up City Creek and back. Miles-12 R2 Avg. 7:27 HR 144

NEW MILE PR

Single: 3:15pm Firehouse Mile. I went to sleep early to get 7 hours of sleep last night. I had a full day at work, in a little before 5:30am. By about 9am I had a break but not long enough to go for a run so I caught up on e-mail and checked some other blogs I’ve missed for awhile. Then back to work until 3pm. I’m glad I waited by the time I headed out the NOAA had the temp at 48F with only about 3mph winds. So I decided to give that “fast” mile another go. I’m glad I did. I did two miles warm-up via Dry Creek and Popperton. Then when I got to the firehouse I let it loose. I was running alongside a bike for a little and the guy commented nice pace. My new one mile record is 4:51.07 and HR 180. I had great temps, a minor crosswind, and 176ft of descent to help but it felt great. Then I continued to a 0.25 mile past the City Creek gate and back. Miles-8 T2 Avg. 7:30 HR 150

Single: 6am LSD. I went to sleep early to get 7 hours of sleep last night. I took a little getting ready (I always do for the long ones). Then out the door a couple minutes before 6am. I combined two of my long run courses. I headed out up Foothill to BST to Wasatch. Then at the turn up toward Solitude I headed NW to the 13 MM of the marathon course and ran miles 13-4 backwards and home. A nice loop I’ll do it again. I was overdressed as the weather channel had the temp at a 29F WC but it was not that cold or that windy. It did sprinkle on me from miles 3-15 though. My first 3 miles were slow >9, next two >8 and then I just kept the pace between 7:30 and 8. Nothing fast today but this week was mostly about recovery anyway (except for the mile yesterday). Miles-22 T1 Avg. 7:55 HR 136

Single: 3:15pm med/hard run. I was swamped today. I did manage my 8 hrs of sleep for a Sat night. Then to church, family errands, then I had to work 3 hrs. Finally made it to Popperton a little after 3pm and was short on time so I pushed a little harder than I was planning. However, once I was rolling I just went with it. My three miles down City Creek were about MP. It was a beautiful day and I got to spend another couple hours with the family before I had to work another 4 hrs... Miles-10 T2 Avg. 6:47 HR 161

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 70 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 45 / / Saucony Rides #1: 56 / / Saucony Rides #2: 47 / / NB825: 500

AM: 11:30am easy run. I had the usual Monday morning meetings but I was presenting today (part of the reason for the late night). With the time change and being revved up from the talk prep I barely got 6 hrs sleep last night. I ended up running with the guys from upstairs. I went out with them to the City Creek gate then added on a 0.25 mile past and played catch-up for the next two miles (6:14 and 6:28) after that I just went in easy with them. Miles-8 R2 Avg. 8:05 HR 152

PM: 7:15pm easy SH loop. First outer loop of the year. Ran into Bill Cobler and ran a little with him. It has been a long time since I've seen him, it is good to know he is running again. Miles-6 R1 Avg. 7:53

AM: 9:30am very easy run. I only managed about 6:30 hrs of sleep again. I was really dragging this morning and my legs felt like lead. Into work a little before 5:30am and out the door for my run about 4 hrs later. The run did not have its usual energizing effect and I just plodded along for the mileage, I can tell by my heart rate that I never was trying. My quads are pretty dead but I think it is just the time change and sleep disruption… To Memory Grove and back. Miles-8 T1 Avg. 8:18 HR 128

PM: 7:30pm med/hard run. I'm the absent minded professor today. I just never got into the groove after the slow start this morning. I realized I had forgotten something in lab, so after dinner I had to head back. Since I was already most of the way there I drove over to the City Creek gate and ran three miles up and three miles down. The up miles were about 8:00 the down miles were about 6:00 for a 42:02. Felt nice and finally got my head on straight, too bad the day is over now... Miles-6 T2 Avg. 7:00 HR 147

AM: 6:15am very easy run. I finally got 7hrs of sleep again. I’m feeling much better than yesterday. I did however redefine easy run this morning. I did Memory Grove out and back and think I probably could have walked it faster but that is fine, recovery runs are just that... In an interesting note I dressed before I got into work so that I wouldn’t waste time changing. So while I was setting up in lab I had my heart rate monitor on it read between 38-42 bpm! Miles-8 T2 Avg. 9:10 HR 125

Single: 7:15pm easy run. I was planning 12 in 2 runs but opted for the extra hour sleep. The extra work this week did pay a toll on me mentally. I did get another 7hrs of sleep and the day, though full, went relatively smoothly. My quads are still aching and haven’t been 100% since Del Sol, but the marathon is still a good five weeks away so I want them to feel tired the next three weeks. Miles-10 R1 Avg. 7:32 HR 132

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 78 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 65 / / Saucony Rides #1: 66 / / Saucony Rides #2: 61

Single: 3:15pm easy run. I hope you are sitting down. I got EIGHT hours of sleep last night! I slept in a little. Overall, it was a good day. I got three experiments done before 1pm, and then another three set-up with the help of my excellent student John. Went for my run while John finished two things and finished the final one when I got back… During the run I saw what I thought was a piece of toilet paper on the path just north of Dry Creek. When I got closer it started to run and then disappeared. I saw there was a hole there and while I was looking at it this little thing popped out saw me and went back in, it looked like a really small ferret. Out to Memory Grove and back from lab. Miles-8 R2 Avg. 7:40 HR 140

I had high expectations today. So far this year I’ve been very happy with my training and my races. Looking over the Striders WRS I showed up today with delusions of grandeur. I knew at least Chad, Jon, Cody, Ben, etc. where going to be there and anyone of them could give me a run for the money but I was feeling confident and wanted to give the win a try. In total I had three goals, 1) break 60 min on this tough course, 2) beat the aforementioned, and/or 3) win overall. So I came to the race with the mindset of winning. My initial plan was to stay with the leader until mile 7 and then give it my all to the finish. Problem was plans never work out 100%...

I started the day at 5am after only 6-hrs of sleep. I headed over to Chad’s and he offered to drive from there. We showed up with plenty of time to pick up our numbers, get ready, and get in a good 4+ mi warm-up, part of it was mile 5 of the course. After saying hi to everyone at the start we lined up. Some of the guys I hadn’t seen since TOU and it was good to see them again. In addition to the guys I knew there was one guy whom looked like he was ready to rock’n roll at the start. At the gun he went out and as one of my goals was to win I didn’t want to lose touch so I stayed a few steps behind him but went out ahead of the main pack. I was supposed to hit 6:00 for the first mile and ended up with a 5:48 so not too bad but still out on my own more or less. The next mile I hit exactly on, 5:21. At this point I could tell that the leader was not going to be slowing down anytime soon but I wanted to try and hold onto whatever minimal lead I had gained to save myself grief in the later miles (little did I know). The third mile was supposed to be 5:52 and I hit it in 5:50 so at this point I was sitting pretty and not feeling too bad. The 4^th mile had a bit of a climb meant to hit in 6:05 and came through in 5:57. I started thinking that sub-59 was in the works. However, now came the pain and suffering for the naive and uninitiated. Mile 5 started a 2.5 mile climb of nearly 775ft of total uphill with various minor downs. But I stuck to my guns and hit a 6:41 when all I needed was a 6:53. However, from here on out I could tell my mind was not pushing my body as hard as it needed. In fact I caught myself “not racing” and knew there was too much more in this race to be losing it at this point. I knew there would be some guys behind me hungry for blood (yes that is you Jon and Chad) and if they saw my weakness they were coming for the kill. However, the person to get me first would be Walter. I looked back and saw him at this point. I knew someone had been very close but not wanting to give away my weakness I hadn’t looked back until now. Mile 6 was supposed to be a little less painful and I was shooting for a 6:17 but only managed a 6:39 (Keep in mind I didn’t have all my projected splits memorized but I had a little idea of what I was supposed to be shooting for). This was not what I needed and now came the hardest hill, also at this time came Walter. The later was actually a great help. Him catching me really motivated me to kick it back into gear. I wanted a 7:04 up the hill and only managed a 7:16 buy I knew the next mile was supposed to be the easiest and I figured I was in the clear for a solid second place. However, then came the kicker. What I thought was Walter making a return appearance turned out to be Jon and man was he looking strong. He kicked my trash to the curb, I took one final attempt at him but he was gone. I managed a 5:11 (was only shooting for a 5:17) but he hammered me with a 5:02. At this point I was only hoping that I wasn’t completely out of it because I knew there were at least two more hungry wolves behind me. I really wanted to get back to Jon to at least give him a run for his money but the juice never came to my legs. Mile 9 was in a 5:46 and I needed a 5:34. The last miles “minor” uphill completely demoralized me at this point and I did my best to hold on to Jon but to no avail an abysmal 6:05, shooting for 5:32. In the end it was a good race, but I wish I could have given Jon more of a challenge the final two miles. (Next time buddy…) It was great getting to see a solid group of bloggers at similar abilities really pushing each other. In all honesty I truly believe anyone of us could have come out on top today, Jon just brought it home (Sorry James…). I didn’t make any of my three goals but it was a good learning experience. A real eye-opener for how much more work I have to do if I’m going to make my marathon goals but a good experience none-the-less. After the race I did about 4 mi with the crew and then tacked on a little less than 2 more to give me 20-total for the day and 90-total for the week. So all and all I’m happy with a tough effort on a tough course after a tough work and mileage week. Good luck to the rest of the bloggers at the half it seems like it is going to be a great race. Also, thanks to Chad for the ride and the helpful advice on the way back. I truly value your comments and am thankful for them. And I’m sure you’ll smash Jon in the half (just trying to add some spice to the series) I wish I was in the long haul with you guys… Mi-20 R2 10 Avg. for race 6:03 1:00:19 3^rd overall HR 183.

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 78 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 75 / / Saucony Rides #1: 66 / / Saucony Rides #2: 69

Single: Recovery run. Memory Grove-Capital loop with Temple Square extension. My legs were really trashed this morning. I did manage the full 8-hrs sleep before the normal Sunday routine. Ran from Popperton at ~1:15pm. Started off easy and got easier during the run. I’m glad I got in some miles as toward the end my legs were feeling better. Both quads and gluts are shot from the hills yesterday… Mi 10-R1 Avg. 8:29 HR 150

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 78 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 75 / / Saucony Rides #1: 76 / / Saucony Rides #2: 69

AM: Recovery run. This week is about rest with maintenance. I’m planning on about equal mileage but done in all two-a-days with a great focus on sleep (after last night). I was in work a little before 5:15am. Only had about 5-hrs of sleep. A lot going on again. My legs definitely let me know that I had raced on Sat. My left hams and right glut were very tight to start but felt “better” by the end. Just headed toward lower campus and back. Mi 4-R2 Avg. 8:30 HR 147

PM: Ready, steady, go. Still feeling sore but the nap helped as did keeping it easy. Ran to SH most of the way around and back. Nothing note worthy... Mi 6-R2 Avg. 8:32 HR 135

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 78 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 75 / / Saucony Rides #1: 76 / / Saucony Rides #2: 79

AM: Recovery run, continuing the theme of this week as-easy does it. I did manage ~7hrs of sleep last night. Into work at 6am, felt much better than yesterday. Legs still surprisingly sore but not as bad as yesterday. Didn’t get out for my run until about 11am, it was pretty nice by then. The breeze was chilly but good enough for shorts. Past the mouth of Dry Creek spring was in the air. There were so many birds and small mammals running around. Past Popperton Park my FRB shirt paid off as a car pulled up and said “Adam” it was Bonnie from the blog. Nice to see you out there! The rest of the run was relaxed. By the end my hams were feeling about normal though my right glut is still a bit tight. Mi 8-T2 Avg. 8:39 HR 141

PM: Beautiful weather, wish I could have gone farther. Sticking to recovery mode though. Mi 4-T2 Avg. 8:00 HR 163

PM: Asics DS-Trainer #1: 78 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 87 / / Saucony Rides #1: 76 / / Saucony Rides #2: 79

AM: Déjà vu, or more of the same. I have to keep reminding myself that this week is sleep and recovery. Two points of good news, 1) I got 8-hrs of sleep, 2) My legs felt like “normal” today. Got into work at 7:30am but today is the lightest day of the week so no big deal. I did the same MG O&B run as yesterday. Though my legs felt fine I was still not 100% I would say I felt more like 75%. I think the cumulative mileage/lack of 8-hr nights is paying its toll. I have to remind myself that when I was only getting 5-6hrs of sleep per night in grad school I wasn’t running 80-90 mi weeks. The good news is looking at my schedule I should be able to manage 8-hrs tonight and tomorrow night as well. The weather was beautiful today and it was hard to convince myself to turnaround at the 4 mi mark… Mi 8-T1 Avg. 8:15 HR 165

PM: Treadmill run. I know the weather is perfect today but I'm on daddy duty. I also had a quick comment about the discussion started on Walter's blog (sorry Walter). How valuable do people find their HR monitors? I notice most people do not train with them. For me this is a relatively new thing but I find it interesting. Previously I used the excuse of looking for signs of overtraining. However, I don't normally take my AM HR. But this week I noticed a strange trend in my HR during my runs. Considering the long recovery from the 10-miler and the extra stress outside of running the last few weeks I looked around for info on overtraining. Good news is it does not appear that this is what is going on for me (check out the following for an interesting discussion on this http://physiotherapy.curtin.edu.au/resources/educational-resources/exphys/00/overtraining.cfm). My question is if anyone else has noticed high starting HRs (180-200) that then taper to "normal" for me at the recent effort ~130-40. Sasha suggested skin contact and that is a good possibility except I hadn't noticed this before and all my previous runs this week it has happened... Except for this treadmill run. Ok enough rambling. Two more days of "recovery" and if everything is feeling normal again long run on Sat... Mi 4-T1 Avg. 8:00 HR 127.

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 90 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 87 / / Saucony Rides #1: 76 / / Saucony Rides #2: 79

AM: Moving in the right direction, but still some soreness. This is the longest recovery ever, from a 10-miler. I think as Chad pointed out, I’m probably still recovering some from Del Sol as well… I did manage 8 hrs of sleep again. Just added about 45min on each end and still crept into lab by 6:30am. My HR behaved itself again today. I’m not sure if this is because I made sure to wet the monitor before putting it on as per Sasha’s comment or because I’ve had a very easy week with extra sleep… Same run as the rest of the week MG and back at 10:00am. Mi 8-T2 Avg. 7:55 HR 135

PM: This is the first run since the race that I felt good. The weather was nearly perfect. Just did the SH out and back from home at 7:15pm. I just kept moving, twice I caught myself at 6:30 pace. I had to keep telling myself one more day of recovery. The deal I made with myself after all the aches and pains on Sun was nothing faster than 7:30 until Sat… Mi 6-T2 Avg. 7:36 HR 149

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 90 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 101 / / Saucony Rides #1: 76 / / Saucony Rides #2: 79

Rest day. No run.

Single: This has been a tough week for me mentally. It has actually been the easiest week work wise this year but running has been front and center in my mind… I think the race last Sat jarred me more than I first admitted. For two reasons. 1) Physically, is just took me forever to recover and 2) Mentally, it really drove home my marathon goal for April 19^th.

First, the physical has been strange. So far this whole year I’ve just had better week after better week of running. This last week however was the first BAD week. My legs were sore the whole week, I was tired the whole week, etc. Then Thur I finally felt “good” again and when I got back from my run my left foot/ankle screamed at me in pain when I got up off the couch. That was the real reason for taking Fri off. Then as mysteriously as that pain started it went away and by the end of Fri I was “ok”. My original plan for today was 22-miles with 10 at/near pace. However, not wanting to push my luck I only did 15 with 5 “harder”. I ran the mile to the 1MM then ran to the 10MM and back to the 7MM then home. MM 2-6 I took hard, with 3 the easiest on the course and 2 and 6 two of the four toughest. These miles weren’t at pace but felt like they were effort wise again not fun mentally. But overall I was just glad to get in a decent run after a week of doubt and nagging pains. Mi 15-R1 Avg. 7:20 HR 151

Second, the mental. As I look on the horizon and see the marathon only four weeks away, doubts fly through my head. I notice that Dave is having a similar struggle with this one, though for different reasons. My problem is since Sept I’ve only thought about SLC and I set my aim VERY high. A 2:35 is a 5 minute PR on a much tougher course. The thing that I think gives me pause is the amount of effort it took me to “not run MP” at the 10-miler last weekend and the “hard” stretch today. Granted the race was a tough course but I had good competition and it was “only” 10 miles. The other thing is that unlike all my other marathons I really haven’t done track or repeat workouts and in the past these have given me that mental confidence. So all this being said I’m feeling better about things right now I just wanted to vent. I’m still planning a 10xmile next weekend that is my old bread n butter marathon prep and I’ll reevalute then. I’m sure either way I’m going to run this marathon, I just want to go in there with my head on straight and something more than these flat tires I’ve been running on the last week…

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 90 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 101 / / Saucony Rides #1: 91 / / Saucony Rides #2: 79

Single: Happy Easter! Running wise still the same deal as yesterday, legs just not feeling “it”. I have gotten the most sleep the last 5 nights in as long as I can remember so at least I’m well rested. Today was also just a great day. Church, then an Easter egg hunt with my daughter, then lunch with friends, after a quick stop in lab, I ran up City Creek and back down not the smoothest of runs. But the afternoon was more playing outside with the family. It was just such a beautiful day! Mi 6-R2 Avg. 6:51 HR 160

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 90 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 101 / / Saucony Rides #1: 91 / / Saucony Rides #2: 85

Single: Today was a much better start to the week. 7-hrs sleep, in work at 7am, out for my run ~10:15am. Last week was the most 8-hr sleep nights “ever”. This week is going to be tougher for that as I have two deadlines, one Fri and one Mon that have to be met but seeing how much better I feel after the rest last week I’ll try and stick to at least 7hrs sleep. Today was just beautiful out. It was sunny, warm, with a slight cool breeze, just great to be outside and alive. I did my usual run to City Creek and back. The best part of today’s run was that my internal Garmin was reset today, every split I “called out” within 5 seconds. It felt nice going at the perceived pace as opposed to the death marches of last week. Mi 8-R2 Avg. 7:45 HR 140

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 90 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 101 / / Saucony Rides #1: 91 / / Saucony Rides #2: 93

Single: A few catch up matters. Saturday I did drive the course with Sandra. She wanted to see the full thing and find out places to “watch” and I wanted to see the second half. I’m glad we went for the drive the second half is very different from the first. Much flatter as I knew but also a good number of turns. Finally as people have warned the stretch on Van Winkle is a little mind numbing. Even driving it I thought it would never end… Overall, I’m glad we drove it and I may want to at least drive the second half one more time before race day.

Today was much like yesterday but my head was on straighter. Another 7-hrs sleep, in work at 7am, and then a very full day of experiments. I initially had planned two runs today but since I didn’t get my first break until about 3pm I decided to just do one run. I also decided that with the lower mileage now on my calendar and the lead in my head I needed some speed work. So I went to Memory Grove and up City Creek. I did 1mi warmup, 3 at "MP" Avg. 5:55 exactly, 3 easier, 3 at "MP" Avg. 5:39 down City Creek though, and then 4 easier. The effort was much harder than I would have liked for the mostly aided MP stretches but it was still great to get moving and feel like I could run. The weather was just fantastic! First shirtless day of the year! I love it when I get to break out the sunblock and have that scent in my nose the whole run. On another side note, I noticed that on the Garmin training center you can select running and it gives you a summary of ALL miles logged. So since the end of Nov when I got the Garmin I’ve run with it for 1148 mi at an avg. pace of 7:38 and HR 145. Mi 14-T1 Avg. 6:58 HR 160

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 104 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 101 / / Saucony Rides #1: 91 / / Saucony Rides #2: 93

Single: Sticking with the 7-hrs sleep, in work at 7am, and then a very full day of experiments. Never had a chance to duck out today. Ran SH loops at 7:15pm. The air seemed really thick today but otherwise felt "ok". Mi 8-T1 Avg. 7:50 HR 161

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 112 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 101 / / Saucony Rides #1: 91 / / Saucony Rides #2: 93

AM: 7-hrs sleep, in work at 7am. Today is a make-up from yesterday, meaning much lighter in work. Now just spending the day crunching data from the experiments for this week’s deadlines… As per the running plan for the week I did some more speed today. At about 10:00am I headed over to the course 1 MM, it is about 1.5 mi from my lab. At the mark I was planning pace through the 6 MM. I knew about what the splits were supposed to be but I only had mile 4 memorized and I was slow on that one. However, I just looked at the numbers and to my surprise the course tool would have me at 5:53.0 per mile for this stretch. I was the furthest off for the final mile and that one I hit 12 seconds under pace (I thought I was going slowly and overcompensated). I’m glad I hit that last one harder I averaged 5:53.5 for the stretch!!! Very happy about this. Could have I kept the pace for another 20 miles, probably not today but I wasn’t exhausted either. Then with about 0.5 mi to go for the run I noticed I could still catch the 7min guy for the total run. So I pushed that portion as well for a photo finish with the 7min guy 1:17:02. Mi 11-T2 Avg. 7:00 HR 157

Single: 7hrs sleep. Busy day never had a time to get out for my run. Squeezed in three miles on the treadmill at 7:30 pace after dinner. Mi 3-R1

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 112 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 112 / / Saucony Rides #1: 99 / / Saucony Rides #2: 93

Single: 7hrs sleep. Thanks to Steve’s suggestion I met up with him for a long run this morning. Initially I thought about doing MP mi repeats, then I thought about doing a long stretch of MP work, in the end we just went long at a medium pace. It is funny how plans change. (In the end Chad it would have probably been good for you to have made the drive over, my bad.) I met Steve at the marathon finish line and then we drove to the 8MM. We then went along the course until about mile 17.5 when Steve realized he didn’t have the keys to his car. I was an idiot and saw them on the car seat next to his wallet and hid them both as to not inspire a car break in. Luckily Steve was at least on the ball and realized my mistake before we got all the way to the finish. So we cut back up 45^th to the 8MM and then cut over to 21^st and down to the ~21.5MM and continued the course minus the extra around Liberty Park. We got to the finish in 21.5 mi and then added on an easy 0.5mi to finish off the run. We did have some faster stretches, a few miles from the 13MM to the end of Van Winkle but it was VERY windy for that stretch making pace effort seem very tough indeed. We also pushed in the last mile and a half. The rest of the run we were lost in conversation. It was good to run with Steve and get to know him better. Overall, the run was a good effort and a nice distance, not the workout I had planned but I believe things happen for a reason and it turned out to be the workout I needed. I’m still very nervous about the marathon but the run today and seeing the rest of the course did help build up some confidence. Mi 22-T1 Avg. 6:46 HR 157

Single: Feeling pretty good today. Legs are tired but not sore. I have a lot of work this weekend so I was actually in this morning and am back after a few hour break with the family going to the Gateway Discovery Museum, it was a good break. In place of lunch I went for a nice run from Popperton to Capital Hill and back with an extension up City Creek. It was "snozzling" on me the whole way. My plan was just recovery miles, keep my HR under 140. I did go for a full 9 miles to get my 80 for my Mon-Sun week. After this next marathon I'll change my workout calendar so I can be in line with the rest of the blog... Mi 9-R2 Avg. 7:40 HR 131

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 134 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 112 / / Saucony Rides #1: 99 / / Saucony Rides #2: 102

Single: Didn’t sleep well last night. I didn’t get home from work until after 10:30pm. Then the last few nights actually I’ve had “strange” dreams. About 6hrs sleep and didn’t get a break in my day until 3:45pm for the run. The run did go well and helped clear my mind. I’m going to try to go to sleep early tonight as I’d like to do something quick tomorrow. Ran to City Creek and back. Mi 8-R2 Avg. 7:35 HR 140

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 134 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 112 / / Saucony Rides #1: 99 / / Saucony Rides #2: 110