A Balance, Redefined

I got crazy tonight and actually ran north. There were two good climbs. Coming back was fun mostly downhill. Avg. 7:20

First run up City Creek. The Gatehouse is 3.6 mi from my lab. The way back is brutal though... Overall a great run. I had to have seen the most people on a single run since I moved to UT. Then at the entrance to Dry Creek there was a Red Tail Hawk hanging out. Avg. 7:42.

I didn’t have any expectations going in to today’s race. I had a great week with family and focused on that. Any running was just an added bonus. When I saw the e-mail for this race the week before I thought it would make a great first family race. So after a week of altered sleep, diet, training, and stress my only goal was to use this as a time trial. On Tues I told Chad that I just wanted to hang on to him as long as I could.

Sandra, Kaitlyn, and I all got up at normal time as this was a 10am start. I was trying to find trials results but had difficulty doing so. All I found out before the race was that Culpepper hadn’t done so hot and that there was still a pretty decent group of the favorites still together at mile 15. I wasn’t able to check on any of the five people I knew competing today.

So off to the race. It was a small race held entirely on the lower campus. The course was a well marked but hilly and serpentine course. It was almost like an adventure run. Sandra was going to do her first race in probably two-years and Kaitlyn was going to do her first race ever (with mommy’s help). At the starting line Kaitlyn was “cheering” for me saying “daddy, daddy”. After the gun went off she started saying “run, mommy.” I think Kaitlyn wanted Sandra to catch back up with me. From the gun there were about 5-6 of us but by 800m in it was four of us starting to string out. This is pretty much how it stayed the whole race. No one really made any moves and I just kept Chad at a respectable distance and was happy with my effort. A BYU red-shirt won the race in the upper 16s with Chad not too far behind also just under 17 with me pulling up the rear just over 17. Nothing stellar but I felt good about the effort on the tough course. This ranked as my 16 fastest 5K since 1998. Sandra and Kaitlyn also did very well for their debut race in 26:52 (Sandra placing 3^rd in her age group WITH pushing Kaitlyn).

After getting home I immediately checked for trials updates and was very excited to see how well Paul had done. He is a great guy and I’m glad the day turned out well for him. As far as the others I knew running the race I’m happy they made it and I’m sure getting there was great in itself. Also there is always 2011…

It was great to see such fast results in the race. American distance running is really starting to regain its footing and the new trials record plus such a deep field really make me excited for next August and years to come. As far as the death of Ryan goes that is a horrible tragedy and I hope his family can find out why and get some closure.

Sandra was still a little wiped out after her return to racing yesterday so I did a solo run after church. I took a new route up Foothill, to BST, then down Parley trail. There were so many people out today and they all seemed to have dogs! They were all well behaved though. Following that headed down to SH Park for a loop. Saw a family of Quails (I think they are the funniest things ever when they run) and another Redtail Hawk. Overall a great run. Avg. 7:33. Then after Kaitlyn got up from her nap we headed over to City Creek and went for a family walk.

Today was a crazy day. I'm finding I'm not a Monday person. They've been a little more overwhelming recently. Also, Kaitlyn does not respond well to me when I return home from my first full day of work after the weekend. Today started full but for whatever reason I didn't feel like I got much accomplished. I'm finally calling it a night (11:30) and now feel slightly differently but it was a long day. I'll skip my workout tomorrow. I ended up running a little after 7pm, did Marathon course miles 2-6 then random road south and back. I think I may have brought the length of mile 6 into question. However, the only thing in question is my ability to run tangents. The first time I ran this section of the course I stuck to the outside of the road around the park. This time since noone was around I ran all the tangents and the mile was exactly on... Avg. 7:35

I was still pretty wiped from yesterday. I slept in an extra hour (6am) then headed in to work. I got a lot more done today than yesterday though I only worked about half as much… Funny how that works sometimes. I was bummed to miss Josh’s workout with the Black Sheep. It sounded like a killer, I was just too wiped out and didn’t think I would produce much on less than 5hrs sleep. Instead I took a 2-hr lunch, ran three miles with the family, 7 miles on my own with MM (SLC marathon miles) 4 and 6, and then voted. For the solo portion of the run I took mile 4 which is all downhill at 80% effort and hit 5:31, recovered on mile 5 and then hit mile 6 at ~90% effort and hit 5:35. The difference between an all downhill mile and a mile with two up hills. Avg. 8:09 for everything.

Today was another busy work day. I wasn’t able to get out the door until about 8:15pm. I did a modified home loop with MM 3-6. I felt ok. The work stress is wearing on me a little but not too bad at the moment. I just have to make sure that I don’t skimp too much on sleep… Avg. 7:11

Easy early AM run. I did a home loop that I hadn't done in a while, down SunnySide over 1300 (loops of SH) then back up 2100. Nothing special just miles. Avg. 8:34

Very easy miles. AM run BST south and back. I think only the last two downhill miles were under 8 min pace. Felt good though. Overall very happy with the week (ending tomorrow). Avg. 8:06, I guess some of the other miles were quicker. I wasn't really paying attention to the Garmin until the end. Just out enjoying the run.

An end to a good week. Very busy but productive. Today started with a 3-mi family run. It was raining a little but Kaitlyn’s stroller has a new weather cover and it works like a charm. After a good day and a superb dinner courtesy of Chad’s wife I snuck out for a home loop. Avg. 7:38

In a continuing effort to figure out how to make everything fit in my schedule, I will add a brief outline of my days. To work by 5:30, out for my run at noon, back to work by 1:30, home by 5:30. Overall a good day. The run was a little faster than I would have liked it. No excuses just got caught up with the weather. Ran MM 1-6 then direct back to campus. Avg. 7:08

In at 5:30, out for run at 9:30, back to work by 11:15. Nice day out today. I bit of a chill in the breeze but otherwise great. In lieu of speedwork today I did a trail run. Up Dry Creek, to BST-North, then up an extra mile toward Black Mountain. Out almost all up in 51 min, back almost all down in 39 min. Avg. 8:59

Today ends a tough double work day. Yesterday I ended up working a total of 13 hrs, 10 in the day another 3 at night. Today my plan was to get the run in early so I could take the night off but even getting in early to work did not allow me the time to sneak out. I ended up working another 12 hrs today. Not that this is a bad thing, work is going well right now so I don’t mind the extra time. However, the sleep deprivation is starting to play on my training. So I took an easy loop of SH in the evening. Avg. 7:59

Mid-day run with a few co-workers. Recovery run to the golf course and back. Avg. 8:45 I could feel my quads on the hill in research park but otherwise felt great.

Early AM BST N out and back. It was actually great weather even early in the AM. My dad and stepmom are coming to visit this afternoon through Wed morning so training time will be tight. Next week. Avg. 7:12

Easy miles with Kaitlyn and Sandra in the morning. It was Sandra's first 5-miler in a few months so we took it easy. Avg. 10:02

Early AM start. As I mentioned last week I have house guests this week so I wanted to make sure to get my run in. Also, Mon I have meetings so that was booked. This afternoon we are all going to see the Temple. We haven’t been done there since we moved here last summer so I’m looking forward to seeing inside. For the run I took a different approach. I wanted to see more of the marathon course so I ran straight to mile 6 which is about 1.5 miles from my house. From there I ran up to mile 12 and back. There are some rollers along this portion of the course but not as bad as I was expecting. It was very dark the first portion of the run. The only mile marker I missed was mile 11. I think it may have been paved over as the road seems new there. It amazed me how many people were actually out this morning. I saw lots of runners along 2000 E and even a few on Holladay. I didn’t really have a plan on pace I just wanted to get to know more of the course. My left heel is still bugging me a little but otherwise I felt fine. Avg. 7:20

With the holiday I was able to run some with family this morning. Did a three mile warmup with Kaitlyn and Sandra (Avg. ~10:00), then five miles on my own (Avg. 6:33). The pace felt fine. A little tough uphill back home from SH park. Today we did Christmas/Thanksgiving as I will not see my dad around Christmas.

I felt very tired all day. Finally got out the door at about 7pm. Nice night, cold, but refreshing. Home loop. Avg. 7:28

Overall a good day. I was a little tired last night from the week of family festivities and still trying to get some work and running in. My plan for today’s race was to hang on with whomever up to the top and after the turnaround run until I break. Chad, Josh S., and BJ were all at the start along with a cohort of others so I was hoping that I could stay with Chad to the top. I was expecting some of the high schoolers to take off at the lead but everyone was a little calm. Josh and BJ took the lead early on with Chad and I in the chase pack. Going up city creek was not as painful as I was expecting and it was great to have Chad there to work off of. My breathing was heavier than I would have liked but my legs felt relatively fine. Josh and BJ put a pretty good lead on us and with the curving road we lost sight of them before the turn around so I was very happy to see them coming back down. When Chad and I hit the cone, Chad made one surge and I followed his lead. I had just been hanging on until that point but with the downhill I got a second wind and went for it. The crowds were good and though the road was a little cramped I didn’t have too much problem weaving around the other runners. I made a very slight misturn going into Memory Grove. This actually worked to my advantage, I took a second to look at my Garmin and see there was only about a half mile to go and I saw how close Chad was too me and that really got the fires burning. My final time by Garmin was 21:07 at 3.85 mi Avg. 5:30. Chad had about 3.9 mi. BJ finished in 20:01 and Josh was about 20:34. Chad was a very close 4^th, I’m not sure on his time. Overall a great day and I’m happy with my performance.

It was a nice morning. Cold but I was dressed for it. The weather effect always amazes me. I only saw three other people this morning. Normally the day after Thanksgiving is a huge running day (food guilt does wonders for motivation). I was definitely sluggish after my day of “gluttony” I’m sure the race had something to do with it as well. Overall though my legs were surprisingly pain free. My left heel has still been acting up from time to time but otherwise there were not major complaints from the lower half… Did a slow recovery run SW to 33^rd and 13^th and back with a loop of SH for good measure. Avg. 8:48

Got to sleep in an extra half hour. Met up with Chad at the Starbucks on Foothill. We ran a few mile warmup and then met up with a fairly large group of the Black Sheep. We did some random running SW with people dropping off at various distances. Total run for Chad and I was 15 miles. When I first saw the weather channel the 14F wind chill was a little scary, however the only “cold” part was running past suicide rock.  Overall, a good run, met some nice people and had a chance to chat with a few others I don’t know well. Avg. 7:43

Just another easy run to finish off 70 for the week. Next week I start to build again. I may try and switch to a Sun start of the week however it is easier for me to plan with a Mon start... We'll see. No family today, it was a little chilly. I ran on my own and then Sandra went for a run while I played with Kaitlyn. Unfortunately, now I'm at work as I have a lot of catching up to do after the festivities of the week...

In work a little before 5:30am. Morning meeting ran over so I didn’t get out until about 10:45. This was a good deal as it had warmed almost 12 degrees from the time I got up. When I was getting my gear my Garmin fell out of my bag (no more than a 2-foot drop) and wouldn’t power up. This happened one other time and all I had to do was put it in its cradle. However, that was at home. So today was without watch or Garmin. This was fine except I had initially planned a different run. Instead I ran MM 1-6 and back. Back is definitely harder. Showered and back to work by 12:25pm.

I was wiped out from a combination of the weekend and a long day Monday. I ended up working a total of 13-hrs yesterday and went to bed feeling fairly overwhelmed. I was able to drag myself out of bed at 5am but not for a workout. I ended up heading over to SH and doing 3 outer loops and 1 inner loop. I felt a little guilty as I saw the Black Sheep doing their workout as I was trudging my way around the outside of the park. However, I needed the time to unwind mentally. Today is going much better. The good news is my only plan for this week was to build mileage. I’m focusing on my base for a few more weeks before I get serious about regular speed. Garmin still not working my pace about a little under 8:30 by cumulative time on the clock in my kitchen.

Yesterday was another long work day. However, I got more done and felt a little more under control so I was more rested heading out today. It was chilly this morning but I was dressed for it. I particularly like running in the snow. Especially since I was the only one out on my course this morning so I got to make fresh footprints and follow them back. My pace was very slow as much of the route was also pretty icy. I ran Foothill, over Parleys, and south past the Ace Hardware store and back. Watch estimate Avg. < 9:00…

I kind of like broken records, around we go again. In St. Louis I did the same run more or less everyday and always enjoyed it, that was pre-Garmin. Since I’ve had the Garmin I’ve been mixing it up a bit more but today I did the exact same run as yesterday. Without the snow and ice I was about 7 minutes faster however still at a VERY relaxed pace. It was a little bit warmer but actually felt colder as it was a little windy on the way back (and I wore one less layer). My legs are really starting to feel the cumulative mileage, in a good way though. They feel tired but not in pain. I’m really in a transition state right now and the toughest part is being patient. Each morning I wake up wanting to run hard miles but I keep telling myself that I will have plenty of time in Jan-March to focus on speed.

As you may know from the discussion board I was struggling with the upgrade to the G305. Between the G205 going down this week and finding a great deal on-line the other day ($155.48), I broke down and my wife got me one for my b-day. It was already shipped this morning so hopefully come Monday I can have some “real fun” with numbers…

So far the day is going well. I had to get the run in early again. Same out and back. It was amazing I actually saw warm bodies out this morning. There were three other runners out. I shaved an additional 6 min off my time and felt good. I just rolled through the run (Avg. ~7:35 my Garmin should arrive Mon). So far work is going well today as well, so I’m looking forward to a fun weekend…