Marathon Top 10 Finishes: 7 Bridges ('15), Utah Valley ('13), Salt Lake City ('08), Top of Utah ('07), and St. Louis ('04). Ran around the equator (24901.55) in 4,388 days.
And my largest challenge to date, raise $20,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in honor of my cancer survivorship and in memory of those lost to blood cancer...
DONE! $26,403.70
Grew up outside Chicago and joined the blog while I lived in Salt Lake City. Now living outside Birmingham. I am married with two daughters. Wife thinks I'm crazy for doing marathons. And yes I am crazy I'm a scientist for a living...
AM: Zombie death march. The Monday followed me to Tuesday. I guess I shouldn't have bad mouthed it. Was meant to be a commute run in via Memory Grove but scratched that when I realized I wouldn't get in, shower, and set-up in time for my 7am meeting. Avg. 11:20 (no kidding) HR 118 further support that I was not moving...
PM: The day went from bad to worse, to even worse, with a slight silver lining the last 30 min as a result of a very dedicated student working for me. I attempted a speed workout to make up for the day, clear my head, and redeem myself from the morning jog. I guess sometimes you should just except that the day is done and look toward tomorrow. I did the home 5K but I would not call it speed by any stretch of the imagination. 5:44, 5:58, and 6:16. Not sure what is doing on but I'm sure the mentally stressful day didn't help. Live to fight another day. Avg. 7:27 HR 154
Today was overall a better day. First I came in with a more positive attitude and second a few additional things worked. This was also reflected in my run. However, it is cold out there. I just got back in and I'm having trouble typing because my fingers are chilled to the bone. The temp says 23F but it feels colder to me. In any case the run went well. Home loop in reverse. Avg. 8:02 HR 136
Good morning all. This morning was chilly. The internet told me 10F windchill. I overdressed just a bit... It was cold but with how much I wore I was sweating by the end. I did the run I planned on for Tues. I'm proud to report that it was faster than Tues and I finished it. Not by much but with the extra 50lbs of clothing and cold it was ok. Also, because I was not focused on going faster I was just lost in thought. I went to a career development seminar on staffing and managing a lab and it gave me a lot to think about. So I ran into Memory Grove the commute route from home to work. Avg. 10:10 HR 127 (1466ft of ascent)
So far so good. Last night was a little restless but I slept in an extra hour to make up for it. Then instead of running into work, I went straight to work and worked for four hours before heading out. This allowed me to run in the sunlight and slightly warmer weather, both nice. I just did an out and back to City Creek.
Avg. 7:51 HR 140 Total Ascent 1358ft Total Descent 1394ft
17°F at start and 23°F
at finish. Very little wind.
I had trouble falling asleep last night but I was asleep I slept soundly. I even woke up a few minutes before my alarm at 4:47am. You know you are
crazy when? Your water freezes during your run. I carried two and they both
froze by mile 5. I was dressed fine though and otherwise enjoyed the run. Did
the same as last Saturday (minus the dog) running miles 2-14 of the course and
then back direct. I messed up with the Garmin so I do not have the total time. However,
I caught it and since I was on the course I just waited until the next mile
mark and restarted so I only missed a mile. Slower than last week and my quads
were tired and the lack of water may have done something as well. Avg. 8:02 HR
142
Slept in this morning. It was nice. Mostly family stuff. Including some shoveling and playing at the park with my daughter. Did not feel like trudging in the cold after dark though and just did a treadmill work out. Increase speed every quarter mile for 8 miles. Nice to break a sweat. Avg. 6:40
AM: Night a restful night. Up a number of times from a teething baby. Ended up sleeping in to make up the difference. The commute run was cold and windy. Not sure what the windchill was but the straight temp was 17F. Avg. 9:25
PM: Goose egg. Had planned on doing a few more because of the rough start to the day. However, I had dinner with a job candidate and by the time dinner was done and the food was sitting in my stomach I scrapped it...
AM: 4.5 mi Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. The weather outside is frightful and my dear I'm running in it. Doesn't exactly rhyme but oh well. I'm upset with the weather reporting agencies yesterday I checked three websites and they all said 19F and calm, it was anything but. This morning they said 17F and 5F windchill and though it was cold and snowing I was dripping sweat by the end of the run. I had to get into work extra early this morning so I was one of the first out in the 2-3 in of snow we had. I love laying down the first foot prints in a fresh snow. No Garmin this morning. Safe to say it was slow... Commute run via lower campus.
PM: 2.5 mi The commute run is so much more fun in reverse. Left lab at 5:05 and entered my house at 2:25 and that was only because I got caught by a light. The snow was mostly cleared which had it's pros and cons. It was nice not breaking through the snow but most places were pretty slick. So it was more like skating home. Avg. 6:30 on the nose HR 153 happy about that effort
AM: Brrrr... Today was 8F with a -1F windchill. Still not as cold as what some of the bloggers are dealing with but it is the coldest I remember running in UT. Fortunately with all the cold days in a row I finally have my clothing down to a science and felt nice and toasty the whole way in. Tonight I have to weigh myself to see how much extra poundage I'm carrying. Yesterday was corrected I have too many commute runs. This morning I did the same version as yesterday. 4.5 mi Avg. 10:19 HR 127
PM: Long work day. I did get an hour family break in the middle but was on campus from 6:20am-7:25pm... I did the commute run home as a warmup for a treadmill workout. I ran straight to the scale and am wearing 7.8 lbs of clothing to stay warm in this single digit weather. Evening temp 9F with a -F windchill. The commute portion of the run was 2.5 mi Avg. 7:19 HR 163. Then after the clothing weigh-in 4 mi on the treadmill at 6 pace HR 159. Pretty happy with that HR for the pace... Funny that I am going over 1 min/mi faster at a slower HR. Shows the clothing really makes a difference.
AM: Somehow it continues to get colder. Weather.com had it at 4F; -10F wind chill for my zip this morning. I wore the same amount of clothes as yesterday (sorry Jon I was dressed before I remember about weighing it dry). I actually felt fine the whole way. I saw two people walking dogs that looked miserable but I also saw another runner on 13th who looked like he was moving despite the weather. I just did the commute run via SugarHouse. 6 mi Avg. 10:12 HR 123 I think I've mentioned this before but the last two miles really affect this average with a climb of ~500ft.
PM: Just some treadmill miles. 4 mi
A quick plug for an old friend and teammate. John O'Malley was on my team in Knox and has to be one of the most dedicated coaches I know. Here he is with the quote of the day on letsrun.
Lukas Verzbicas' Sandburg HS coach John O'Malley.
Verzbicas ran 8:57 indoor 2-mile and 14:18 indoor 5000m last year and
still is short of his 17th birthday. He'll run the Foot Locker Cross
Country Championships this weekend against, among others, Nike Cross
National champion Craig Lutz.
Same time up. Seemed slightly warmer 8F/0F. Commute run via Memory Grove and a little extra up City Creek to get some mileage. On the way down to MG I warmed up a little too much but the extra heat was nice while headed up the canyon. Then to top it all off I finished the run with a Chad sighting in the last miles and still made it into work by 7am. Avg. 8:44 HR 143
Tomorrow already ends week one of my 18 wk training routine. I do not feel in as good as shape as in '08 but there is still a long time to go. I'm happy that the mileage hasn't caused additional pain on the knee. I'm trying a few different things this time around. 1. Sit-ups and push-ups every night, 2. A number of 20+ miles at least 10 if not a full 18, 3. On Paul's advice quick runs (with the cold and snow these have been my treadmill miles). 4. I'm hoping to work in more speedwork than I have the last 18 months but between the cold/snow etc we shall see. Things I'm keeping the same is that I'm shooting for almost the exact same mileage in the '08 training period ~1300. It is 8 and tonight is the department Christmas party so time to get some work done...
AM: Ho Ho 10-Miler, the brain child of Chad and Sam. There was a good showing ~35 people. We ran a looping course through Holladay. It was fun and Sam went all out with bagels, fruit, hot chocolate and coffee at the finish (a 1/2 block backwards run up a hill). It was good times. Had a chance to meet a few other local runners and catch-up with some others. 9.8 mi Avg. 7:12 HR 150
PM: The day really warmed up. It started out the hottest day all week and kept going. By the time my PM run came around even though it was dark again it was well above freezing. I did a new home loop as a "quick" run. 11.2 mi Avg 6:49 no HR monitor
Opted to sleep in last moment. Then was snow bound after church. It was nice to spend some time at home. The temp was fine for a PM run but did a treadmill run instead. The only thing with the treadmill is I like to push the pace to get it over quicker... Tried to start slow and then just played with the speed to break up the humdrum nature of running in one spot.
AM: Up at 4:45am and then out the door. Upper body a little sore from shoveling that wet-wet snow we had yesterday. The streets were still very sloppy but at 5am there is not much traffic so much of the run I was able to be in the middle of the roads where it was a little clearer. The final mile it started to snow again but it was barely freezing if at all and the "snow" looked more like mini-hail. The run was slow but felt fine. Avg. 9:45
PM: Treadmill run after dinner, quick. Typical Monday. Back at work but about to go home...
AM: Just blah this morning. Ended up sleeping in an extra hour. It was a little cooler this morning but I wore less so I was a bit chilly. With the really "warm" weather the last few days and now the cold the way in was a sheet of ice. Luckily it was rough enough that it was very slippery. Just took it slow for a commute run. 2.5 mi Avg. 10:14
PM: The day went much better than yesterday. Also, after a day of traffic and above freezing temps the streets were more or less ice free for my run. I did another modified home loop. 8 mi Avg. 8:06 HR 132
Fortunately, unfortunately I'm not yet an ultra runner. Otherwise I would have had to have been up at 4AM to start my 32 mile run this morning. Instead and more related to the fact that I have three sniffly head girls at home I slept in this morning and just did the campus commute run. I think next year though I'll have to run the 33... 5 mi Avg. 9:28 HR 130
Up early to be home in time to make breakfast for the family. I combined portions of three different runs including MM 2-10.5. I could tell the air quality still wasn't great but I pushed the pace a little and did two miles mixed in faster. Didn't see a whole lot of people but did run into Robin and some of your friends and spoke with her briefly. Overall happy with the pace for the effort. Mi 21 Avg. 7:18 HR 152
Slept in again. I thought today was are meeting free day for the holidays but was wrong. Fortunately, I was only about 10 min late for the meeting. The rest of the day went more or less ok. I also left an hour early to make dinner for the family before they head back to Chicago tomorrow. Originally was supposed to be over 20 by now for the week but just squeezed in what I could. I did three hard miles. They felt a lot harder than marathon effort though they were supposed to be marathon pace. Mi 8 Avg. 6:50 HR 161
Slept in a little to see the in-laws off to the airport. They wanted to beat our storm to only get sidelined by a storm in Chicago... Then into work, set some stuff up and out the door. With the 3-5 inches in the forecast I wanted to get in a good chunk of change this morning. I went to and up City Creek from lab. Didn't see a whole lot of people out which sort of surprised me but I guess I was running about 2 hr later than normal. In fact the entire time in the canyon I had the place to myself, very relaxing. Mi 12 Avg. 8:22 HR 135
More or less a repeat of yesterday. However, went to sleep an hour earlier up and hour earlier. Reread the reviewers comments on my most recent manuscript submission to give me something to think about during the run. The temp felt cool but ok. Fortunately we did not get all the snow that had been in the forecast. At best I would say there was an inch if a few spots. The roads were empty enough that I did most of the running to the canyon in the tire tracks. There were about the same number of people out today, maybe a few more but I was also running earlier. To answer JD's comment on use of tax dollars a total of 7 people had taken advantage of the canyon road by 8:45 this morning. Going in there were two sets of tracks and one set of tire tracks but in and out so I knew I would at least have the canyon to myself on the way up. Just before getting out I ran into two more people walking and at the gate one guy running with two dogs. I just switched from Training Center to SportTracks as per a thread on the discussion board and I like the interface a lot better. Mi 12 Avg. 8:08 HR 140
Third times a charm. Same run as the last few days. It is really the only non-trail run I enjoy from lab and with the snow I don't feel like battling the trails. Many more people out today which is always great to see. Mi 12 Avg. 8:27 HR 138
After the candlelight service at church last night just came home and finished setting up around the house. Fortunately both girls slept in this morning so we had a nice rest prior to starting the fun. Presents by a fire, brunch and then playtime. We made my oldest a puppet stage so she gave me a show during the first few miles of my treadmill run. She changed to something else and I did a workout as follows.
Felt really good. Fastest I've run in awhile. Aided by the treadmill but fun none the less. It would have been nicer to move that pace on the roads but I still have 15 weeks...
As fun as yesterday's run was is as painful as today's run was. It was very cold out in the AM. Not as bad as the week before but still close to single digit windchill. By about mile 10 what was left of my waters had frozen and I was sporting both a frozen snot mustache and icicle eyelashes. My knee was sore from the effort on the treadmill but not horrible. The rest of the day was relaxing and running errands. Mi 21 Avg. HR
A little crumby today. Post holiday blahs? My legs felt much better than yesterday but the valley was covered in sludge... Another day of breaking in new toys with the family and that helped. I did have to run into work for an hour but that's not too bad. Did a treadmill run while watching part of Fight Club. Accelerated throughout from 7:30-5:56. Mi 6 Avg. 7:03
Typical Monday. Maybe a little better than normal. The run was random south in brand new neighborhoods that had a number of streets that didn't go through so I got a little extra mileage. Avg. 7:53 HR 139
Yet another sleep in type of morning. The streets were a mess by the time I got out for my run. So I ran up and down blocks by my house to stay in the middle of the local roads where there were at least tire tracks to run in. Avg. 7:48 HR 139
Got up a little earlier today, still not on my "normal" schedule but feeling better. Set up a number of things in lab first and didn't head out for my run until nearly 9am. It had been snowing since at least 6am and most of the streets were pretty sloppy. After getting to the Memory Grove overlook I opted to run back and forth on 11th because it was clear and at the time did not have much traffic. Also this way I did a workout on a modified FireHouse mile. 4 mi wu This first mile was supposed to be at 5K effort with the intent of going faster for the next two.The miles were not the exact same because of time to turnaround after finishing. But they were pretty close... Time 5:29 HR 174 Elev Chg -183 ft Mile recovery back up Time 5:21 HR 179 Elev Chg -212 ft Mile recovery back up Time 5:11 HR 182 Elev Chg -150 ft I looked at 0.8 mi into this final repeat and saw 5:15 or 16 on my lap pace and really pushed the last little to try and get under 5:10. Enough that I was bent over at the end. Much harder effort than I would have liked for the pace. Especially considering the 5:21 didn't feel "that hard"... Three mile cool down back to lab. The final mile was VERY sloppy with a 10:20 split Elev Chg of +242 ft. Mi 12, Avg 7:35, HR 156
Well I can not believe this year is already over. It has flown by. Mostly because of the addition to my family but also because of everything that has gone on. Being a perfectionist I may sound blah on a number of my entries but I realize this has been a blessed year. Between watching my family grow, my youngest turn a year old two weeks ago, getting a grant, getting back into training shape, presenting four abstracts at international meetings, etc. things are going well. Thanks to those of you that have checked in on me from time to time. I'm happy with the way this year has ended and though tonight is low key with a visit from Rob Roy and a movie with my wife I wish you all great happiness and success in 2010. May we all meet our family, spiritual, career and running goals...
I went into work for a project with a grad student I'm helping out. Then did two things for myself before heading over to Popperton for a run to and up City Creek. I made it the farthest up of anyone since the last snow by at least a quarter mile but then turned back to keep my word to Paul on total mileage (and to keep my ankles and calves from freezing in the knee high snow). Overall, (despite the red air quality day) it was beautiful out. Above freezing and blue skies. Mi 12 Avg. 8:07 HR 133
