A Balance, Redefined

Single: It is great training on feel. Yesterday I was planning on an easy 10-miles today. However, after church I had to go into work and before I knew it the time was 4:45pm... So I went home for dinner and did a Liberty Park run afterwards. I went there thinking I was going to do the easy run. However, the weather was perfect (shirtless with no sweat) and once I started moving it felt so easy on the flat ground. This has to be one of the flattest places to run in SLC. I ended up doing just over 4 loops with each loop ~1.5 miles. The first 2-miles I took med-easy (7:01, 6:59). Then I thought it would be fun to negative split each mile, the next 2-miles (6:55, 6:44). Then I just started getting carried away (6:36) for the final mile I decided I wanted to race the cars, (they move very slowly around the park). It was still fun to try and for a portion I dropped it down under 5:15 to pass two of them (5:39). Overall, I felt great afterwards but had to head straight back to work. Big deadline, but I just finished and am heading home now. Mi 6-R1 Avg. 6:39 HR 161

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 238 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 227 / / Saucony Rides #1: 231 / / Saucony Rides #2: 230 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 157

AM: Yesterday was definitely tiring. Overall the weekend was exhausting however I still managed to drag my butt out of bed. I had two meetings today so I knew if I wanted to get in some miles I would have to start early. 6hrs of sleep in by 6AM and did 6 miles before meeting number 1. Just very easy to and from overlooking Memory Grove. Mi 6-R2 Avg. 6:39 HR 161

PM: After dinner another easy run past Parley’s and back. Nothing too noteworthy other than it was a beautiful evening for a run. Mi 8-R2 Avg.

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 238 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 227 / / Saucony Rides #1: 231 / / Saucony Rides #2: 244 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 157

AM: I finally did a track workout. I’ve been toying with the idea for a long time and have been “afraid” of the track for awhile. However, I really think I need some FAST work if I want to make a large enough dent in my next marathon time. The biggest confounding factor has been the sleep and work issue. The last four days I’ve totaled only about 24hrs of sleep most of that was not restful… The work thing did come around and should be submitted a few days early which is a first for me. Anyway on to running. After getting into lab at 5:30am and setting up a bunch of stuff I jogged (8:45 pace) down to the East High track (literally it is 550ft lower in 2.11 miles). My plan was for a ladder workout and though my legs felt very flat I wanted to try to run by feel on the way up and try and repeat on the way down or negative. Here is the workout distance time (recovery distance time), the old fashioned way with my watch not Garmin…

200 35.67 (200 75.89) yuck had wanted 33 or lower

400 74.85 (200 75.97) yuckier had wanted 72 or lower

800 2:38.16 (400 2:30.19) I wish the 400 rest was my 800 time…

1600 5:30.48 (400 2:19.82) At this point I just conceded that my goals were too high for today and the sleep deprivation was playing a toll. So I stopped and did some pushups and just finished up the ladder without anything in mind.

800 2:47.05 (400 2:31.49)

400 80.89 (200 80.74)

200 37.32 (200 81.26)

Then a brief walk and the climb back to campus (9:39 crawl). Yep back up that hill after that s..l..o..w.. workout. The only consolation was there was a group of military runners also doing a workout and at least they were impressed a few even made some nice comments. That helped me push to the end of the run. Mi 8-T2

PM: Just trying to boost my mileage this week with a lot of easier miles. My knee was completely thrilled with the track work this morning but after about ½ mile it loosened up and let me enjoy the beautiful dusk weather. Mi 4-T2 Avg. 8:40

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 238 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 239 / / Saucony Rides #1: 231 / / Saucony Rides #2: 244 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 157

AM: Not sure if I’ll do a second run but for now AM. This was a mental strength easy run. Meaning let’s see what I’ll put up with. I did get an extra hour sleep last night which is great. Also, my knee felt perfectly normal this morning?! I won’t complain about that one. I did get into work early with the plan of running right away. However, I went to set-up one thing and 15’ quickly blossomed into 1.5 hrs. So I finally got out about 8:30am. Now here comes the mental strength test. One mile in the rain started. This wasn’t too bad as it was just over 50°F. Then at 2-miles it started hailing, not large hail (actually only rice size) but it stung. By 3-miles the hail stopped but then it got windy. Luckily that didn’t last long and the last 4-5 miles were just wet and by then I was cold. However, it was a great run. It was fun being out there and I like the challenge of the weather. Mi 8-R1 Avg. 8:04

PM: The answer was yes. I can't get enough of this rain. It is so nice to have some moisture in the air again... I can't believe that I actually sometimes miss the sweat of St. Louis summers... I just did a very easy loop around home. Mi 4-R2 Avg. 8:14

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 238 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 239 / / Saucony Rides #1: 239 / / Saucony Rides #2: 248 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 157

AM: Managed 6.5 hrs of sleep. In to work at 6am, planning on running right away but changed my mind to wait a little later. Finally got out at 10:40am and did a 3xmile w/ ½ mile recoveries. I ran my usual Memory Grove out and back starting the first mile repeat at the FireHouse. Then for the recovery I turned back and ran the ½ mile back up and repeated. This way I ran my 8-mile course in 10-miles, a fun little twist. I was much happier with this workout compared to Tuesday. Here they go…

Mile 1 5:39 Down 143ft Rest 4:26 Up 66ft

Mile 2 5:29 Down 122ft Rest 4:28 Up 149ft (went up City Creek instead of the way I came)

Mile 3 5:14 Down 231ft (was shooting for 5:19 but I’ll take it!!!)

Then I recovered the 4-miles back to lab. The run was great. In addition to the nice mile splits the quails were out in force. I think they are the funniest birds ever. I love to watch them run, and the funny feather on the males makes me laugh every time. On top of it there were two hummingbirds playing around the Shriner’s Hospital on my cool down just darting back and forth in front of me. Mi 10-T2 Avg. 7:26

PM: Just three easy TM miles while on daddy duty. Mi 3-T2 Avg. 8:00

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 238 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 252 / / Saucony Rides #1: 239 / / Saucony Rides #2: 248 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 157

PM: Long day at work, mentally more than physically. Then dinner with the family at Mazza on 15th. It was our first time there. The food was great. After dinner I braved some SH loops on a full stomach. Mi 8-R1 Avg. 8:09

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 238 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 252 / / Saucony Rides #1: 247 / / Saucony Rides #2: 248 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 157

Single: Did not do the run I had initially planned. When I woke up (tried to) I was too tired for it. I did get out the door anyway and just started running. The first two miles have a substantial climb and I kept them easy. A little into it I decided I wouldn't completely scrap the workout and do 4x4mile as follows. First, 9+; Second, 8-9, Third 7-8, Fourth 6-7. The weather behaved itself and though it was in the upper 40s it felt great because the rain stayed in the clouds. Saw a few other runners and a bunch of cyclists as I headed to Old Mill Golf Course and back. Legs were pretty tired and even the 6:30 pace for the last four miles felt tough. However this was my highest mileage week since the week of March 10th so that was understandable. Mi 16-T1 Avg.  8:01

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 254 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 252 / / Saucony Rides #1: 247 / / Saucony Rides #2: 248 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 157

Single: A couple crazy things. First I got 8-hrs sleep, you have to love Sundays. Second I ran without the Garmin or a watch (aren't you proud of me Jon?). After the nice nights sleep and church, went with the family and did a small loop of Miller Park. It is so nice down there and Kaitlyn loved throwing stones into the water. Then during nap time I went for my run. My Garmin wasn't charged so I decided to go "naked". I did 4 outer grass loops and one inner road loop. I kept the pace easy. I have a fun game I play with myself for easy days. To keep the pace slow enough that I can entirely nose breath. If I have to mouth breath I slow down. The weather was just perfect today, sunny with a slight cool breeze high 50s. I think I'm going to get to do more walking/hiking with the family later today. Mi 12-R1

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 254 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 252 / / Saucony Rides #1: 259 / / Saucony Rides #2: 248 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 157

AM: I slept in an extra hour this morning. My usual Monday meeting was canceled. It is strange sometimes when you get rest after not having it you truly realize how tired you were. Yesterday was the first day in about a month that I did zero work on top of that sleeping eight hours I thought I would be rearing to go this morning. It was not to be. However, I did finally get out for my AM run at about 10:30am. I just climbed Dry Creek and back. Mi 6-R2 Avg. 9:17

PM: After dinner did the suicide rock run. Nice climb out, nicer descent back. Get a little overzealous in the beautiful evening weather on the way back but otherwise nice and easy miles today. Mi 6-R2 Avg. 7:58

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 254 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 252 / / Saucony Rides #1: 259 / / Saucony Rides #2: 260 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 157

Single: Not thrilled with my second attempt at the track. Now one thing to keep in mind is that I'm in a ramping phase. However, the last time I did a similar workout out was back on Aug 21st of '06 and I had 71 miles for the week. I've been more fatigued lately though, mostly non-running related. So here it goes. I went to the East HS track again for Yasso's I did 8x8 w/ 1/4 rest, 2-mi WU/CD to and from the track. The temp was nice but there was a good wind. I wasn't sure what to expect. In the back of my head I thought 2:35 but considering the results of last weeks track workout I didn't know what to expect.

81.8/81.0 2:42.8 (2:17) Not what I was expecting but this set the tone for the workout
82.0/80.5 2:42.5 (2:32)
83.1/79.8 2:42.9 (2:26) Not to spoil the fun but that was the fastest quarter of the day
84.5/80.2 2:44.7 (2:34)
81.6/81.6 2:43.2 (2:19) At least I'm consistent
82.9/81.4 2:44.3 (2:40)
84.2/80.7 2:43.9 (2:42)
85.0/82.5 2:47.5 (2:52) I hate to end on a slow note. I guess I left it on the track today...

Overall not what I was looking for. However, considering I completely avoided the track in '07 minus a hand full of times I can't complain much. But for comparision the last time I did Yasso's in '06 I did 10 of them with the last the fastes in 2:29 with an average of 2:33.5 with the slowest at 2:35... Mi 10-T2

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 254 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 262 / / Saucony Rides #1: 259 / / Saucony Rides #2: 260 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 157

AM: I finally have a moment to catch up on some details. Nothing too exciting. Got into work with the plan of running first thing but the 45F rain made me change my mind. The weather cleared up and I finally got out the door around 11:30pm. Started the run with two of the guys from upstairs. We ran together until the gate of City Creek and then I continued up on my own. Nice and easy pace. Trying to judge how my legs felt about yesterday. It did sprinkle on me for about a quarter mile but otherwise the weather was great. On the way back there was a lady stopped on the side of the road and as I got closer I realized there was a fox just trotting around about 30 ft away. He finally shuffled behind a bush and I continued on my way. Mi-12 R1 Avg. 8:08

PM: I somehow managed to get my stuff done early today and left about 30 minutes earlier which gave me enough time to do my second run with Kaitlyn. We just went to SH and she slid down the slide a few times and then we headed back. She also hung from the monkey bars all by herself! Mi-4 R1 Avg. 9:01

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 254 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 262 / / Saucony Rides #1: 275 / / Saucony Rides #2: 260 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 157

Single: I just didn't feel motivated today. I got enough done this morning but wasn't feeling "it". I had a rougher night and have been trying to get more than the 6.5 hours that looks like my new norm but the thunder storm woke me up and then I didn't quite rest after that. So got into work at the normal 6AM and out the door for my run about 11AM. I ran to SH stopping at home to say hi to Kaitlyn and Sandra at lunch. It is only a 5 minute stop but it is still nice to get to see Kaitlyn twice in a day instead of just the usual once. Starting from campus the first half of the run is mostly downhill and I let a couple of them be quicker but kept it relatively easy for a Thurs. Mi-11 T1 Avg. 7:40

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 265 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 262 / / Saucony Rides #1: 275 / / Saucony Rides #2: 260 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 157

Single: After yesterdays on-line discussions about fatigue I decided that when my alarm went off at 5am I would set it for 6am. Just make up the time over the weekend. I got a good portion of my work done by 9:30am and went for an easy trail run behind Red Butte and This is the Place. I took Sasha’s advice and did some “sleep running”… Mi 6-R2 Avg. 9:10

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 265 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 262 / / Saucony Rides #1: 275 / / Saucony Rides #2: 266 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 157

Single: Not good in the sleep department but a good run. Tried to get a group together but ended up just being Steve C and I. This actually worked great and I think we were pretty compatible pace wise unless he was slowing down for me. As planned we met at the Kmart parking lot (minus Walter) and headed up to the golf course. We ended up not starting until 6:50am. It was actually cold at the start but by the end it was 70. I would say a 25 degree swing over the run. We started out easy up the backside of little mountain, there were a ton of runners out there. I was surprised I normally only see cyclists. After we crested the top we more or less just let the pace dictate itself. We didn't pick a set pace we just kept it conversational and let the hill dictate our speed. The first 4 miles were all between 8:40 and 7:13, then we started to run. The next eight miles were all under 6 and we cooled down with the last 2-3 right around 7. For the mile past the zoo we did decided to put the hammer down for the last 0.75. We were hitting sub-5:10 the whole way with a good 100m at ~4:40-45 pace. We even maintained the 5:10 on the slight uphill toward the post-office. Overall I was very happy with how I felt with the pace as my HR never averaged over 170 except for the final two hard miles which were in 175 and 187. So even though the pace got quick the effort was reasonable. I did a cold bath after the run as my knee was a little tight but nothing like two weeks ago. Overall a great run, thanks for the company Steve. Mi 15-T1 Avg. 6:40 HR 158

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 280 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 262 / / Saucony Rides #1: 275 / / Saucony Rides #2: 266 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 157

Single: Overall a great day. Slept in and then went for a walk with the family in Miller Park again. It is so relaxing down there with the water and the cool shade. Then we did brunch. While Kaitlyn napped I ran up City Creek. It just gets better the farther up you go. Previously I've always turned around well before the 4 mile mark. Today I kept going all the way to area 29. It is so nice up there. The rest of the day was spent relaxing with family. Mi 12-R2 Avg. 8:04 

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 280 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 262 / / Saucony Rides #1: 275 / / Saucony Rides #2: 278 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 157

AM: Well the weekend had to end sometime. It was a relaxing weekend but right back to work. Got in with enough time to do my morning run before lab meeting. This was great as the temp went above 90F today. I ran to SH with a loop and back to work via a how do you do to the family as they ate breakfast. The run was easy except the last stretch along Foothill as I decided to race the rush hour traffic. It is always great to beat cars, I didn't even have to go faster than 6:30 pace as the traffic was pretty backed up. Mi 9-R2 Avg. 8:21

PM: With the earlier start today I left at 4:30 to be home in time to have a little play time. Then  did 3 mi on the treadmill while on daddy duty. Mi 3-R2 Avg. 8:00

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 280 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 262 / / Saucony Rides #1: 275 / / Saucony Rides #2: 290 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 157

Single: I knew this was going to be a tougher work week. Two nights in a row with only 6hrs sleep. So I forewent my planned speedwork today. I had tossed around the idea of trying for a 4:30 mile down Memory Grove, 200s on the track, or the Black Sheep hill workout. I also knew that all my mileage had to be in this one run do to some additional work obligations in the evening. So in the end though I had to get into work by 6am but did manage to get half of my bench work done by 9:30 and out the door. What a difference three hours can make, it was already 72F when I started and was 85F by the time I finished. I did a mostly trail and mostly uphill run. This was a new loop I thought up that actually was uphill both ways. I started up Dry Creek over to City Creek. Then there is a steep decline into City Creek and I continued down into Memory Grove then back my normal side street route with 6x1/2 block strides. I think only 2-3 miles of the entire run were down while the rest was up. I guess the old stories of how your grandparents walked to school uphill both ways could be true… Mi 12-T2 Avg. 8:50

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 280 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 274 / / Saucony Rides #1: 275 / / Saucony Rides #2: 290 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 157

Single: I got a crazy amount of sleep last night. Oh wait I only got an extra half an hour. Do to the same work demands and TWO "surprise" meetings today I had to get all my miles in in one run. Got in early to work, then out the door at 9:30AM. Start temp 71F end temp 78F. I ran to SH and did two loops plus one track lap (75). Mi 12-R1 Avg. 7:47

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 280 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 274 / / Saucony Rides #1: 287 / / Saucony Rides #2: 290 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 157

Single: No that is not a typo I did get eight hours of sleep last night. I decided to decrease my miles for today and sleep in the extra two hours. So I just did an easy loop from home after bedtime. Went over the "new" Parley's bridge after taking a drink of water from the new drinking fountain. Went through the park and saw another large gopher snake (~3ft) then back home via mile 7 of the marathon course. I should be able to sleep in tomorrow as well as I only have to work 2-3 hours before heading up for WBR!!! Mi 7-T2 Avg. 7:45

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 280 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 281 / / Saucony Rides #1: 287 / / Saucony Rides #2: 290 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 157

Wasatch Back Relay: FRB White Team. I had planned an early run today to loosen up but had to work a few hours instead. I also decided a second 8-hr sleep night would be good prior to the sleepless night of WBR. I met Chad, Steve C, and James M. at Whole Foods and we left for Logan at about 2pm. The drive up was good and we stopped to pick up an additional runner. We met briefly at Paul’s and then all went over to the start.

It was pretty impressive to see so many people all on the same team (28 with drivers) plus friends and spouses that came to the start. We soon found out that the BYU rumors were true and they had a super stacked team. That didn’t change much as far as the race was concerned from my perspective, either way I was going to run my heart out. I knew I was one of, if not the slowest runner on the White Team and wanted to earn the honor that had been bestowed upon me. The only thing that knowing about BYU did was that it did change the overall mood for me from the Del Sol experience. Knowing our first runner was up against a sub-14 minute 5K guy was just a little intimidating. In any case we started at 5pm and van one did great. I’m not going to write about the other runners and just refer you to their blogs to not spoil their thunder.

The van I was in (Van 2) had Jake (the driver), Seth, Dave, Clyde, Logan, Taylor, and me. First, I have to thank Jake. We couldn’t have done the race without you. It was great that you offered the use of your vehicle and got us to where we needed to be on time. THANK YOU! Anyway back to the race. Being so close to home the prerace jitters were not too bad, we got to the start, started, and got to the first major exchange. There was nothing too noteworthy up to this point. When van 1 got to the exchange and handed off we were already about 12 minutes behind BYU and the pressure was on (or off) depending on how you looked at it. With the warmer temps I only did a mile warm-up. This was my easiest leg and I really wanted to break my projected finish of 5:37 pace. I got the handoff from Dave and took off as hard as I could. This was only 3.5 miles and had a slight downhill. I would guess that the temp was still about 70F at 9:23pm. The next team was pretty far ahead but I did manage 3 “roadkill” on the route. . For those that don’t know the race is run with the slowest teams starting first and the fastest starting last (the first start was at 7:40AM with over 600 teams registered). We started at 5PM with only about 5 other teams so there were a lot of people running ahead of us (some with a 9hr and 20min head start). My first mile was 5:14 and I was super excited about that but wouldn’t be able to maintain. My second mile was 5:39 and I was breathing really hard. I kept forgetting this wasn’t Phoenix we were running at 5000ft and the elevation and heat did play its toll. My third mile my wheels were falling off and I had to do all I could to stay under 6 minute pace (this mile was up hill) 5:51. The final half mile to my exchange with Seth was at 5:34 pace. Total 3.46 miles in 19:19.36 Avg. 5:35 HR 183 so I got the team an extra 7 seconds. Total ascent 248ft total descent 278ft. Then back into the van and on to the next exchange. The van I was in was great and everyone did a great job about making the experience as fun as possible. At the next exchange I did a half mile cool down. I was so exhausted. I couldn’t believe how much this leg wiped me out and was concerned about the next leg. As soon as we got to the major exchange I tried to sleep and managed about a half hour of sleep. I never got out of the car at the exchange…

Mi 5-Flats

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 280 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 281 / / Saucony Rides #1: 287 / / Saucony Rides #2: 290 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 162

WBR-Day 2. After my half hour of sleep we were off again. I felt better after getting some rest. I only did another mile warm-up before my second leg. This leg was my longest and slightly up hill. The temp had also dropped a considerable amount (to ~45F). I got out and wore gloves and a headband. Dave came in at 2:50AM and I nearly missed him, the volunteers never called out our number. Then I was off and moving and warming up quickly. This leg the goal pace was only 6:10 so I felt comfortable even with the slight uphill grade. I probably should have pushed the first half a little more but just wanted to stay in a groove. The first mile was 6:04 and I felt good about the effort. The next mile was 6:02 and I was really happy. The next mile was more of the same 6:06 (this portion of the course climbed from ~5400ft to ~5500ft). I started to get a little too hot at this point and took off my headband, the problem was that my headlamp also came off I nearly dropped it but caught it just in time. I got the headlamp back on and it was loose I decided not to mess with it and just let the bouncing off my glasses be my “running metronome”… This portion had a couple tight turns to go under an expressway I hit it in 6:17. I’m sure it was slower with the turns, the slight headwind, and messing with the headlamp. For this leg we were starting to get into the thick of the other people and passing the other teams really helps when you are running in the pitch dark, especially when they would go with me for a few steps. Miles 4 and 5 both had short steep climbs and I hit them in 6:25 and 6:11. The final stretch into the exchange was at 5:44 pace. Total 6.13 miles in 37:52.90 Avg. 6:10 HR 177 my total ascent on this leg was 863 ft with 652 ft of descent. In the end I didn’t lose or gain any time for the team with this leg but got 29 “roadkill” (Sasha you are scary with your predictions!!!). I did a half mile cool down at the next exchange.

At the next major exchange I did a little walking around but nowhere near as much as I did at Del Sol and tried to get a little more sleep. I managed about an hour. At this point we were told we were about 40 minutes behind BYU and about 40 minutes up on the Blue team so the main pressure was just trying to hit our marks. My final leg was by far my hardest. It was only 3.7 miles but it was on one of the two hardest hills on the relay named “You’ve got to be kidding” (my leg) and “Ragnar” (the name sake of all the relays hosted by this group and Seth’s leg on which he holds the record). My leg has a nice flat half mile and then climbs nearly 1500 ft in just over three miles. It was warming up and I did a short half mile warm-up and was as ready as I was ever going to be. I was pretty rested considering I’d actually gotten sleep this relay and really wanted to do my best. Dave came in at 8:48AM and I was off. As I said the first half mile was flat and I took advantage of it. Then I hit the hill, literally I ran right into it and fell down. Not really but my quads immediately locked up with the climbing. I just tried to power through it and focused on quick turnover. Mi 1 6:54. The next mile was all up and the road changed to a dirt/gravel mixture of which I got to breath in a lot of it. There were a few people to work off of and the van was super-supportive as I struggled to “run” up this thing. Mi 2 8:58. My projected time for this leg was supposed to be 8:35 pace and I was seeing that slip away but I was trying not to look at my watch and just push as hard as I could. The next mile was in 10:38 and in all honesty that was about as hard as I could push. This mile had some evil spots where it would start to level off but about the time I could get some leg turnover it would start to climb again, really messed with my muscles… The final stretch into the exchange I ran at 8:48 pace. Total 3.57 miles in 31:30.83 Avg. 8:50 HR 176 with 1574 ft of ascent and only 177 ft of descent only got 4 “roadkill”. I “lost” the team nearly 54 seconds on this leg. Back into the van and cheering on the truly superhuman performance of Seth on his climb up Ragnar. Did one mile cooldown between the next two exchanges.

Mi 13-flats

After some more great performances by the remaining guys in the van we crossed the finish line in 17 hrs and 54 min finishing in second place and finishing 35 min behind BYU out of 545 finishing teams. Not too shabby for a bunch of mostly married guys with kids and jobs versus a bunch of NCAA DI college athletes. We also finished almost 1 hr exactly in front of the FRB Blue team. Great races by all. Thank you to everyone on both teams and to all the other bloggers that I met on other teams and in route as volunteers. I also have to thank Paul for the entry and Sasha and Steve H for the sponsorship. Also, a special thank you to Harold Nez for agreeing to volunteer and help set up the finish area even though we wasn’t able to see any of the race. I hope to be a part of another fine relay with the FRB. The relays are tough and though I would have to say winning Del Sol and the drives down and back were more fun than this experience I still had a great time this weekend and am glad I did it and am happy that I was a part of another great team. I'm sure I'm going to remember about 1000 things I did and just forgot amongst the sleep deprivation so if I didn’t add the detail or forgot to mention someone sorry.

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 280 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 281 / / Saucony Rides #1: 287 / / Saucony Rides #2: 290 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 175

Day of rest. The mistake I made for my body after Del Sol was jumping right back into my mileage so I promised myself that I would take two days off after. Today was easy as I had a hard enough time getting myself out of bed...

Day of rest 2. Today was not so easy to take the day off but my day at work was hectic enough with the short day on Fri and no work on Sat that I kept busy enough during the day and my wife kept me under control and in the house. I did go for a walk around the block with Kaitlyn so I should count that as about 150 cross-training miles but I'll refrain...

AM: Back to it. Today is already going infinitely better than yesterday. Got to work early which cut into sleep but because I wasn’t able to get to sleep until late last night with the two days off it is probably a good idea to get back into the routine. Got out the door for the run at 7am it was very nice at the start but had already warmed a good amount by the end of my run. I just did the usual City Creek out and back nice and easy. I have tons of fun at the relays but man do they take a lot out of you. The good news is that though tired and flat I didn’t feel any new aches and pains. Mi 8-R1 Avg. 8:21

PM: Evening run, easy. It was still fairly warm. I went a little quicker on this nice summer night. Just did one outer and then one inner SH loop. Mi 6-R1 Avg. 7:14

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 280 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 281 / / Saucony Rides #1: 305 / / Saucony Rides #2: 290 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 175

AM: Could not get my butt out of bed this morning, took me too long to fall asleep. So I ran at 10:30 instead with the guys upstairs. Both of them had run the Wasatch Steeplechase on Saturday. It sounds like they had fun. I was really tempted to run it this year before WBR came up. Jon suggested getting a WBR team together for it next year and I’m very tempted. The run this morning was mostly easy but we did push the hill by Popperton Park. Mi 8-R2 Avg. 8:20

PM: Still pretty hot after dinner but did some more miles. Ran my "new" Parley's loop. Nothing special, right knee a little tight. Mi 7-R2 Avg. 7:54 

AM: This was an incredibly tough workout this morning. I was probably the most tired since WBR and my quads were just locked from the get go but I decided to do the workout anyway. I did a MP+3 workout. That is marathon pace plus three minutes. This was particularly hard because the first three miles from lab are all downhill so I was very tempted to go off pace but I kept it under control and even those first miles were at least +2.5. Once I got to SH I did a loop and then it was back up to campus. This part was particularly easy for the workout as the majority is uphill. I even had one mile that was +3 plus some change. Because I was keeping to pace I managed to go past my house just at wake up time so I stopped to say good morning and continued on to lab. In the end it was a perfect workout in that I finished in 1hr 31min which comes out to exactly 9:06 pace or 3min/mi slower than my SLC pace! Ok so I was just dead and I thought this was a more "fun" way to say I went out for an easy run :) Mi 10-T1 Avg. 9:06

PM: More of the same. It was still 90+F when I went out the door at 7:30PM. Didn't really think of much this week is just mileage. Probably the same for next week as well. I want my legs to feel rested before I hit the track again. Mi 5-T1 Avg. 8:12 

As far as I know today was my first official GOOSE EGG. (I’m not computer savvy enough to put the picture so I hope the bolded caps have a good effect. No excuses. But here they are anyway. I really needed the sleep so I slept in the extra hour because I “thought” I had an easy work day. Then about an hour or so into the day I had two surprise meetings by the time I got all my bench work down it was already 4:30 and I had plans with the family. Good news is that I had only planned 5-6 for the day but I still don’t like unplanned days off especially on a week that I had already planned on two days off. Oh well…

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 295 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 281 / / Saucony Rides #1: 305 / / Saucony Rides #2: 306 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 175

Single: Really fun, really easy, group run in Park City. We were graced by Clyde’s presence coming up from St. George for the second weekend in a row. He suggested getting a group together and I’m glad he did. We ended up having eight people show up including (Clyde, Megan, Josh, Chad, Walter, Jeff MC, and Steve C.). Chad was kind enough to give me a ride up to Park City. We met at the high school and all headed out into the hilly neighborhoods. My legs were still wrecked from last weekend and by 2-miles I was seriously thinking I was going to be in trouble. The good news is that when Walter and Jeff got antsy and took the lead the rest of the group wasn’t biting and kept the easy pace. We finally crested the high point of the run and started downhill and my legs started to loosen up. We were having a good time and joking around just making the miles fly by. Then we decided to make our out and back a loop course. Problem being that there was no loop to be had. So we ended up making our own by going off road for about a quarter mile through brush and what not ending up in some one’s backyard. Then we made it back to the road we started on and a few miles later Walter and Jeff show up out of nowhere having run 3 more miles than us. I’m glad the whole group hadn’t gone with them or I wouldn’t be alive to be writing this. After a quicker final mile we went to the high school track. While some of the group did a mile on the track I did barefoot strides (8x100yd) on the turf. I really like stretching out my legs this way after a long run. I did it a lot in St. Louis but don’t have a “good” finishing spot to do that here… After some more chatting everyone but Jeff went to eat breakfast. Overall a great run and some fun company. Clyde, thanks again for suggesting it. I had to go into work for about three hours afterwards and then in the afternoon ended up taking Kaitlyn for a 2-mile walk (she had the shade of the stroller) and watched while she played with another 2-yr old at the park. It is so funny how little kids interact. Mi 16-T2 Avg. ???

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 295 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 293 / / Saucony Rides #1: 305 / / Saucony Rides #2: 306 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 175

Single: Got up early to beat the heat. My legs are still dead. This is a long recovery. No real pain just general fatigue which is doubly surprising considering three days off last week. Just did a modified Wasatch Dr loop ending up on the marathon course about mile 10 and running partway back on that and partway back on random roads. The first 5 mi of this run aren’t the easiest, especially with the wind coming out of Parley’s but then I got into a grove and just kept it easy again. The rest of this week is building back my mileage (~85) and then next week some speed followed by a race the following week. My right knee was tight after the run but by the end of the day my legs actually felt good. After church, some errands and lunch, I actually took a nap. This could be why my legs felt good. Mi 12-T2 Avg. 8:43

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 295 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 305 / / Saucony Rides #1: 305 / / Saucony Rides #2: 306 // Adidas Adistar (flats): 175

AM: This morning can best be described as SLOW... I guess however that shouldn't come as a surprise as that is all I've done since WBR. My legs just do not want to move and I have no need to force them into anything right now. I'll give them this week with a bump in mileage but modest to low intensity and see what happens. Memory Grove and back. There were so many people out this morning. I was surprised for a Monday. Mi 8-R1 Avg. 9:12

PM: I’ve been struggling for over a week now. Not sure what is up. My legs have just felt so flat. I wanted to get some turnover so I ran to the 80 overpass (up) and back (down) with a quicker pace on the way back. Stopped at Christine's water fountain for a sip before I turned around. I didn’t go MP but I did get in the 6:15-30 range for the way back. It is days like today that running downhill struggling to get pace that I’m amazed that SLC happened. However, true to plan I’m going to stick with just focusing on a mileage build this week. Mi 4-R1 Avg. 7:20