A Balance, Redefined

So how do parents with a new born spend New Year's? We tried to go to sleep early. Sandra has been a trooper with feedings every ~2hrs the last few nights and wanted to get a good nights sleep. So at 9pm we did our "midnight" toast. However, 2hrs later Kristen still wasn't ready. We finally got to bed at ~11:30pm and by 12:15am I was handed the baby... She finally went down for a decent stretch at ~2am. Needless to say none of us are too rested today. In the meantime I've still been plugging away at the grant. I'm normally a slow writer but between breaking ground in a new field and the sleep deprivation the going has been extra slow. Two more weeks and at least one of the grants will be out. Wanting to keep up the momentum I now have going with the running I did do some treadmill miles. I have to keep to my current priorities, baby and grant, but at the same time your health should always be a priority so I'm making sure to get in a little at a time. There will be a place for training again (hopefully sooner than later).

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I had a restless night. No particular reason, just didn't seem to be sleeping when my eyes were closed. Kristen actually only woke up twice between 11pm and 5:20am when I got up so that wasn't the reason... I got some good grant work in the morning but the rest of the day has been "elsewhere." Today will be my last "official work at home weekday." Monday it will be back to the bench as some of my reagents are finally here and I have to do two experiments to see if I can use the data for the grant. Other than that Kaitlyn kept me company on another outdoor run. The weather was nice for a winter run and by the end of the run my hat and gloves were off and my sleeves were rolled up.  

Well nothing special. Last night was ok for sleep. The grant work drags on and as it is boring to read about it in these entries some days it is as boring to do. I've enjoyed reading about a new field of research but getting it all into coherent paragraphs takes time. However, as with anything the more you do it the better you get. Just taking breaks for meals with family at this point, maybe a little pre and post playtime but I should really have the first grant done by Friday so… The weather wasn’t too bad outside but the new snow and the wind made me decide to just go the treadmill route.

Something of note. I’m not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. This is my highest mileage week since St. George. Bad thing because that is a long time to be away, good thing because at least I’m finally moving in the right direction again.

No running today. Today was a full day, as I'm still working. I got up early to get a head start on the grant. But even with the extra hours I'm still feeling underwater today... The only thing I did not grant related was to eat and run a few shopping errands with Kaitlyn. I'll stop at midnight no matter what but had wanted a full draft tonight that doesn't look like it is going to happen :(

As much work as I got on the grant done yesterday is as little as I got done today. Going into the lab is dangerous. It is nice to feel needed but sometimes the constant questions get overwhelming. I was able to get the “final” preliminary experiment started and should have the data by Wed…

Today was my first full day back in lab and it was hard being away from the girls. I really enjoyed eating all my meals with them.

On the treadmill late. I wanted to get in a run but was running out of time so I decided to go a little faster. I even did the last mile at 6min first ½ and 5:30 second ½. It felt great to sweat again. Leg actually felt better after the run than it did before. Maybe the pain has been my legs on strike from being a slacker…

Today was too much. I thought I was going to be away from the bench and back to the grant but things have a way of getting in the way of each other. 

I'm now on errand duty for everything, especially with the snow we've been having. So I spend an extra two hours in the car going to school and back and forth from work. Kaitlyn was not up to having her daddy leave her at school. It is strange she's talked about school everyday during the break and when she got there she definitely did not want me to leave... In the end everything worked out though. 

Oh yeah on top of the grants, it was "suggested" that I write two abstracts for a meeting later this year. The good news is I had to write one for the grant anyway and the other one I was supposed to have had written up already so this is a good kick in the butt.

Anyway enough stalling back to work :)...

How is the saying? Two steps forward, three steps back. Overall, things went well today. I worked from home and got more done on my grant before than the previous two days combined. Also, when I did go into lab in the afternoon I got some results back that fit my hypothesis and allowed me to write another section in my grant. Problem is I had to write another section in my grant. That took extra time out of my day but at least it was for a very good reason. In any case by the time I finally got home and done with family stuff I could either run or get a slight head start on the grant (admin stuff due tomorrow). So I got that other stuff done as I've found running while stressed and sleep deprived is not a good idea. So for a running blog here is yet another long-winded entry with no running involved, sorry...

I couldn't let three days pass. My work load increased again today, don't want to write about it. But I'm keeping a positive attitude and will forge ahead. I was looking back and I've been in this mode for a little too long. Good news is that on the 23rd no matter what the grants will be out of the way until at least July if I don't get one and maybe for up to three years if I do. Wouldn't that make it all worth it? So after mommy quiet time (and daddy baby time) I did a few on the treadmill. My knee was stiff as I hadn't stretched the last two days either.

Tried to get a little extra sleep. I think the last three months have gotten to me. When you get into something sometimes you don't even realize how long it has been going on and sometimes it is better not to know... At least the abstracts for the meetings were completed today. Now if I could just get this grant out of the way. It amazes me to think that there are researchers out there with multiple funded grants much larger than this one. I guess it is all based on experience and I'm definitely still learning. Stayed home to keep from lab distractions but many of them found me anyway... I guess I could close my e-mail but sometimes a little help to others is needed "now". I was able to eat both breakfast and lunch with the fam which is nice. Then a little bit ago I needed a break so ran some on the treadmill. Now back to it, the clock is ticking (tick-tock).

I want to search how many times I use the same phrase, quote, etc.
Slowly, but surely. Is a common theme. The last 24hrs were rough on the mind. This is the largest grant I've written. It is for three years and also includes a budget. I could act as a bridge grant to my independence and begin my faculty career. It is amazing how tough it is. I underestimated the challenge of writing down three years of planning in seven pages. Trying to cover all you want to do in a concise way is tough. I met with my mentor for about 2 hours on Thurs and it took me until 4:30pm today to tackle everything we addressed, and I'm not sure it was all covered yet. But it is back in his hands. So I took some daddy daughter time and a quick treadmill run to wind down. Also, finally took a night off and spent some time with my wife.

Continued in "recovery" mode. Still no word about the grant I'm hoping that means it is better and doesn't need a lot of work that or it was such a headache that my boss put it aside... In either case it is supposed to be submitted to the university tomorrow for final submission on Thurs. In the meantime I'm to be working on the second grant for Friday and a presentation for my lab meeting tomorrow. Oh boy!

Spent the morning with Kaitlyn, just did a treadmill run and now back to it...

I really wanted to start this week out right. But with lab meeting and then thinking I could do bench work while finishing up the odds and ends of my grant I ended up being in lab from 5:30am to 6pm... That alone would be fine except now I start shift two. Goal is to be asleep before midnight. No run as it didn't seem like the best thing with lack of sleep and what else I still have to accomplish tonight.

I forgot the most important part. I did get a running surprise. The St. George Results Book arrived today and Kaitlyn and I are featured front and center in the internal picture montage. It was a nice surprise. Also, Josh S. made it in there as well though he looks like he might have just run a little bit harder than I did :)...

Last night Kristen reminded us that the person who coined the phrase slept like a baby didn't have kids. She finally tired herself out but not after frazzling mommy a bit. I unfortunately passed out from the long day and actually woke up exactly one hour after my alarm was set for... The day ended up going fine despite the fatigue of the day and night before. Overall very frustrated about the horrible parking situation at The U took me over 20 min to find a spot twice today! What a waste of time. But otherwise things are moving alone in the right direction and one way or another the grants will be behind me in 10 days. Just a few on the treadmill to stay sane. I haven't talked about my knee much and I have to admit I still feel something but not enough to make me concerned at this time. Next month (with at least the grants out of the way) I will focus on getting my weekly mileage back into the 40 range.

Well today is the day. I decided to do some bench work while trying to complete the grant. It led to a very long day. However, when it finally ended at 12:05am I had one of the grants submitted. After bedtime I decided a few miles on the treadmill were in order.

VERY tired and still one more grant to go. The day was a fun break though. We co-op at Kaitlyn's school and I got to go and play with all the 2yr olds this morning. Then into lab for a little more bench work and then back to grant number two. Soon it will all be over and back to just the "normal" workload. As reward for getting the first grant done I went home a half hour early and ran outside pushing Kaitlyn. 

Today I was pretty tired. However, I was still going to town on the second grant. It was due to the internal powers that be today. The day went fine and I did a "hard" run on the treadmill. 

Nearly 7hrs of sleep with only two interruptions. The rest of the day I was finishing up some loose ends with lab. I thought I would be done at 10am and didn't finish up until nearly 3pm. Then spent the rest of the day with family.

I'm glad to more or less have the grants behind me. Now starts the waiting game. The day was spent with family and running errands around the house. During nap time I headed outside for a run. It was great to get out. I also bumped up the mileage to a crazy 6!!! I know I have to calm down. However, the "full" night's sleep (only up for about 30 min at 2am and again at 5am ea.) must have had me over-ambitious. My knee is tight from the efforts but I'm coming to grips with the fact that I may just have to "learn to live with it..." Ran over past suicide rock and back.

It is hard to believe but I just double-checked. This is my longest run since St. George...

This has been a good week. The second grant was more or less completed at 11pm tonight. I did some treadmill miles after bedtime.

Nothing noteworthy. The AHA grant left my hands "forever" at 11:20am this morning. Now it is the waiting game. 

Just trying to build back the mileage. The hardest part now is finding the time. I've easily recommitted about 8hrs a week so to get any "real" mileage in will be a challenge. As I get back into the lab routine over the next few days we'll see what I can work out. Today I came home a little early with the intent of going running with Kaitlyn. However, listening on the radio to how this was one of the 5 worst air quality days this winter made me change my mind. Instead I just did the treadmill while Kaitlyn played. At least we still get to talk. In some ways it is more interactive than when we go for a run together outside.

Loving the treadmill... Having my nights back to me instead of work is a strange experience. My wife enjoys it as I've double my baby duty time.

More treadmill miles. The RED air quality just doesn't do it for me. I was short on time as I wanted to get the run in before dinner so I decided to spice it up some. I started the treadmill at 8mph and then kept clicking it faster every 1min or .25 mile or both... I got to 6mpm by the end of the first mile then kept going. I wanted to break 19 min so I really ramped it up the last to the max of 12mph or 5mpm for the last 0.1 of a mile. I broke 19 and my knee felt pretty good. Sore but "ok". 

You have to love the rain. It finally knocked the crud out of the air. The conditions reminded me a lot of St. George. It was just below 50F and rained on me the whole time. Luckily it wasn't so windy. I wanted to add on another mile this week as I build back to "real" running. The first three miles were all just above 7:30pace. The next mile was just over 9pace but through the dog back and a 1/2 mile stretch of ice. Then the last three miles were all just at 8. Overall pace was 8:01 and my HR was 146. My knee was tight at the end but not the sharp pain from before. It was nice to get a solid week of running in again. 

A week in review.

Saturday was a split day. It finished my longest week since St. George with my longest run (7-miles) and one of my fastest miles. This had me feeling great. In fact my legs felt the best they have since before the injury. However, by the end of the day my knee felt the same that it did immediately after the run.

Sunday and Monday I took off. Lack of sleep helped me make those decisions.

By Tuesday I just wanted to do anything so I did some miles on the treadmill. Wed was more of the same. But the night’s lack of sleep and more work back in lab had me dragging my legs. Thurs however we were blessed with a full night’s sleep. Kristen slept 8hrs straight. Thur and Fri were just more treadmill miles. The problem with when baby sleeps that much, is she is rested. The next two nights were horrible. She didn’t really go down until about 2am on Fri and woke up every 1-2 hrs on Sat. Today I was a zombie. I don’t see how she could get three nights like that in a row so wish me sleep.

Saturday I got outside and did a home loop with a SH loop. Avg. 8:19 HR 142

The good news is that my knee feels relatively ok. The bad news is that I’m back on the NSAIDs… I’ll give them another week and go from there again. Also, I’ve readjusted my mileage goals and will add on more slowly.

Updated for the week yesterday...

Last night was one of the harder nights but they are all good. I may have given the wrong impression. Sleepless nights with baby are expected and I'm just keeping track of them. The goofy part is that she started out sleeping 3-4 hour stretches and night and has dropped to the 1-2 hour stretches. Which alone would be ok, but when she is up for 30min-1hr each wake up it gets a little harder. Though I was exhausted today I made sure to get on the treadmill a little...

Sleep was about the same but I went to sleep earlier and slept later so even with the interruptions still managed about 6hrs. Today however was so slow. I really feel "off base"... Did the treadmill run after baby time (Sandra's rest time). This has been a good routine so far and will help keep the mileage down. In addition to starting the NSAIDs again I did start Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM. So far so good. 

I took Kristen until about 11pm. Then slept in another room last night. I slept a good 6.5hrs with only one wake-up! The day was also the first one in a few months were I felt "normal" at the bench... Just treadmill miles, one at pace... Man would it be nice to run 26 of those back-to-back someday.

Last night was a rough one. From 10:30 to 2:30 Kristen woke up every hour. Then I took her and she cried for nearly an hour before I got her to sleep. The good news is that we then slept until 7:30 though it was co-sleeping and it was on her belly, two no-nos but it worked... The day was fine and today marked her 7wks "b-day". It was also my first solo daddy night as Sandra was doing an activity at the local Ward. It was great the treadmill worked charms on Kristen. She just watched me and smiled every time I looked over at her. She started to cry at mile 2.5 so I just increased the speed and the change in sound distracted her until I was done. Good thing I'm running so few miles... 

So far today has been the most “normal” since before my injury. The night’s sleep was still pretty poor, but Sandra took the brunt of that so I owe her tonight. I got in early to lab set up three experiments and was out the door for a run toward City Creek. It is funny how I can miss that run. The most boring part is all I could do today but it was still missed. In typical fashion of this year it rained on me but more of a mist and when I was out there it was still about 46F. Today I stop the NSAIDs again but I’m going to keep up with the G/C/M for a few months. Knee is tight but nothing out of the ordinary.

Overall a good day. Daddy duty all morning. Sandra even went out for a "run" then I headed out for mine around 2pm. Just a home loop. Nothing noteworthy which is a good thing. No news is good news.

It just so turned out that after family time I had time to take Kaitlyn for a run today. We did our SH loop. We didn't have any problems but did get rained on most of the run. Nice and easy effort and pace, 126/9:10...

Nothing special. Just a typical Monday finished with a treadmill run.

Commuter run to work in the snow. It was nice running outside and starting the day off right. However, my head was/is very foggy today. My knee was a little tight but not too bad.

Nothing special today. Felt better than yesterday but time caught up with me and I only had enough to squeeze in two treadmill miles.

Got some real sleep last night. Kristen has been sleeping 5+ hr stretches the last few nights and it really makes a difference. Also, I co-oped for Kaitlyn today as school so I got to sleep in. Overall a fun day. After the bedtime routine I actually headed out the door for a run. Nothing special I just beat the 8min guy (by 1 sec). It was cool out but I was dressed fine and going slow enough that it felt good. Also, it was just nice to be outside. Knee a little tight but watch-ya going to do? 

Nothing special today. Felt like I got a lot done in lab but still lagging a bit behind. Time to focus on that again some more. Next to writing some papers. After the bedtime routine I did a quick two miles on the treadmill before movie time.

Well I made my goal. I'm back up to 30 again. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Today was a good day. Spent most of the morning cleaning around the house and shoveled twice. By the time I made it out for the run the sun was out and it was pretty nice for a run. It says it is only 35F out but it felt much nicer. 

Well today was a good day. Started with the family breakfast then

church with Kaitlyn. After a few errands and lunch I went out for a run

in some beautiful weather. Knee felt ok so overall a good outlook for

the week ahead.

In to work early and out a little early as well. Ran with Kaitlyn toward SH but not around.

Went to sleep as early as Kristen would let us and then slept in as she decided to sleep a full 7.5 hrs. So overall I was pretty rested. I did the commuter run in to lab this morning and felt pretty good. Slow but not much pain.

Nothing special today. Felt very tired but otherwise plugged along. Did a treadmill run after the bedtime routine. Increased the speed 0.2 mph each minute starting at 8 min/mi.

Commuter run with an extended campus loop. It was chillier but still not bad. I was very slow this morning >9min pace but with the hilly campus and just overall fatigue that set in yesterday I was fine with the run. The knee was bugging me a little more today than on Mon but it wasn't worse after the run. My daughters also appear to have picked up a little cough and I'm wondering if I'm struggling with that in the background.

In to work early for a meeting. Then home to watch my older daughter while Sandra took my younger daughter to the doctor for her 2-month check-up. I just did some easy treadmill miles while we watched Word World. I tried the random hill mode today which was a good way to spice it up. I typically have just done flat and either one speed or adjusted it myself. It was good to use some of the other features on the treadmill considering we've had it for two years now.

Well things continue to move in the right direction. There is still knee pain but there doesn't seem to be more. Also, since the NSAID intake is so much decreased I would have to say overall there is less pain. The morning was spent doing family things we decided to tour the new Draper Temple with my wife's friends. It was interesting and probably not an experience we will ever get again. After lunch I went out to enjoy the beautiful day despite the fact that I know have the cold that everyone else in the house has. Luckily it is more or less just a runny nose so it didn't cause too many problems. I did the dog park/sugarhouse loop.

Still not the healthiest of campers. It's a shame that when my knee is finally feeling better this cold hit. Luckily the first one in the house to get it is starting to show sings of improvement. Unfortunately, she had symptoms for six days total so I'll hope for a shorter spell. We all went to sleep earlier and slept in later. So even with additional wakeups from the littlest one not being able to breath through her congestion, we got more sleep. I'm not sure if a full 8 but it was probably close. After prepping for dinner I did a loop around Liberty Park from home. It was fine except that the way back is all uphill. 

A typical Monday. In to work early to get some stuff done before lab meeting. The day seemed to fly by. With being sick most of the weekend I felt more behind than usual but managed to end the day on time. Then after dinner ran on the treadmill. The 8min progression run changing speed every minute. Kristen enjoyed watching, who needs a baby mobile when they have a daddy on a treadmill. With everyone still sick getting things done and planned has been a little rough but we make do and try the best we can...

Today was a pretty productive day. Overall happy with what I got done at work. Then after a conversation with Sandra finally made it out for a run at ~8:30pm. I little later than I wanted but still ok. I just ran southish and back. I kept a pretty good pace 7:46.

Today was the opposite of yesterday. Making waking up every 1.5hr during the night had something to do with it. During the day I just never got momentum to get stuff done. I did drag myself outside for a small loop around home.

Well today started off on the wrong foot but I did find some balance later on. I thought I was completely past my cold but woke up coughing a little. I think this has to do with the poor sleep the last few nights. Last night was probably the worst. We were woken 4 times between 10pm and 4am for about 30m to 1hr each. The longest stretch of sleep came when I turned off my alarm at 4:30am and was able to sleep all the way to 7am. This is where the day started awry; I ran start into work 2.5-mi then set-up an experiment. I then decided that I would finish my full planned run. So I ran toward City Creek 5.5-mi. Overall this decision helped to turn around the day. The run was pathetically slow but by the time I got back I was feeling better. The morning was swamped by people “needing” my help so I didn’t get to my own work until after a lunch meeting.

Planned day off. Tomorrow I may try 10 for the first time since STG. Last night was a better but still started off rough with unrest from midnight until ~1:30. I was then able to sleep all the way until my alarm at 5:45am.

Well today marked a couple milestones. First double digit day since Oct 4th. First week without worrying about my knee (I had my cold to distract me :)). And despite the random sleep I finally felt like there is hope for running in the future. I will continue with my slow and steady increase in mileage through probably at least the end of April and go from there. I did a new loop at 7:40 pace and kept my HR at a 142 avg. Last night was still rough sleeping but I was only up for two of the four wake-ups so overall it wasn't too bad for me. I spent most of the day doing errands and helping out around the house like prepping meals for today and tomorrow anything to help Sandra and her 4th night in a row with 4+ wake-ups.

Well I'm still feeling pretty good after last week. I got up early to take care of the girls while Sandra actually got some sleep. Then I took Kaitlyn for a run around SH before going to a blessing for one of our friend's daughters.

Knee was a little tight today. However, two days after a "long" run I'm not too surprised. I may back off a little more this week again before going for the 40s. My run was a little late after a long day and that may have played into it. 

Extended commute run. It was still a little windy this morning but luckily I was headed into work with the wind. Last night was more rough. Knee still pretty tight and I took the run this morning VERY slow. After I set up some stuff around lab I'm going to stretch a little extra.

Knee about the same. Overall a good day though. Work was slow but I started off the day with news that both of my abstracts were accepted, so I will be heading back to New Orleans. This time to give both a talk and poster presentation at the American Diabetes Association annual meeting.

Kristen has been sleeping better and that has been helping a lot. The weather is crazy in that it was nearly 60 yesterday and there were probably 2-3 in of snow on the ground this morning. However, the run into work was much better than the run last night. Cold is better than freezing rain. Knee still a little achy. I just don't get what it wants...

Sleep was a little more interrupted than the last few nights, but still not too bad.
I got into work extra early to set up a few things. Then went for my run. My knee was feeling the best it has all week and I was tempted to add a few miles but stuck to my initial plan. I actually ended up running past Chad's house but no sightings...
 

Well Saturdays pay off again. I ended up sleeping in and totaled a little over 7hrs hours. It felt good. There were two wake-ups but neither were much. Last Sat I planned to run 7 days of 5 mi/d this week or if I was feeling good to run 10 on Sat to get my first 40 since STG. Well the majority of the week was rough but the last few days I've felt better. Kaitlyn asked me to take her on a run so I decided to go for the full distance. I think it was also her longest run with me. She did great the whole time and never got restless. Pushing the stroller for 10 miles wasn't too bad either. My knee of course is tight but I was expecting something.

I had the hardest time going to sleep last night. But since Kaitlyn was "singing" at the late church service we were able to sleep in some. I was happy to get the run in today as my knee was not that bad after the longer run yesterday. Also, I wanted to get something in before the weather turned bad. Avg. 7:32 HR 150

TM run while it was snowing out. The weather wasn't that bad but I didn't want my cold gear wet for tomorrow morning. I decided to try one quicker mile. It felt ok and it was nice to get my HR over 170 and actually break a sweat. 

Well the temps dropped a lot but luckily there was no road/sidewalk accumulation of snow. It looks like the worst of it was N and NE. (Sorry Jon I saw the 20ish something of snow you got, I hope you have snow shoes.) The run was super slow as I just went up Foothill toward the "flags" and then into work. The hour change has me dragging combined with getting back into this running thing. My knee of course is tight but with the increases in mileage and the one "hard" mile yesterday. The rest of this week will be easy and I'm only shooting for 44 at the most. Avg. 9:30 HR 137

Well I got nearly 7hrs of sleep last night with only one wake-up. It sure makes a difference. My knee feels surprisingly good between the one continued trickle upwards in mileage and starting to mix in a little more effort. That being said yesterday was closer to 10 min pace than MP and today was just over under 9 min pace but Sun was actually at 7:30 pace and I'll try for that again tomorrow morning. Avg. 8:42 HR 137

Same amount of time in bed as last night but with three wake-ups less sleep and less rest. In any case I still had a good run this morning. Now off to stretch before parent-teacher conferences and another full day of trying to write my next paper... Avg. 7:29 HR 152; I think this may have been my fastest run (at least for over 3 mi) since the marathon.

Woke up a little sore today. Last night seemed rougher with sleep. There were a few wake-ups and when I woke up 5 min before my alarm was supposed to go off I reset it for another hour. Then when I got into work I ran west and back. VERY slow especially on the way back up hill. Happy Friday all...Avg. 9:28 HR 134

Run with Eric at Jordon River. The course is nice and flat and we took it nice and easy. It is amazing how quickly time flies when you are in conversation. Before dinner we went for a family walk to enjoy the great day, I think it hit 60F. Of no surprise to me my knee is tight this evening. Overall, I'm happy with the week but still have a long way to go before I can even think about racing again. Avg. 8:07 HR 140

Still having troubles sleeping. Even independent of the baby wake-ups. I fell asleep a little easier than the night before but still took longer than I would have liked. Then again I woke up a few additional times. The strangest part is even with the sleep the way it has been I've been waking up about 30-45 min before my alarm clock. In any case I dragged myself out the door. It was much nicer than the last few mornings. Even with one less layer I was pretty warm by the end of the run. Took it very slow as I think I was still mostly asleep. Not to go make breakfast and then get the family up and fed before church. Avg. 8:52 HR 131

About the same as last night. However, I was just grumpy today. I'm feeling much better now. I had one of my best runs since the injury. The warm weather sure helps. My calf even just cramped up. I guess that is a good sign, means I'm finally working again. Hopefully I can sleep well tonight and get something done in lab now as well... Avg. 7:10 HR 164 I think the HR was skewed as my first mile was my slowest and was around 190!?! maybe shirt static.

I think last night was the worst sleep night since Kristen was born. I eventually just turned off my alarm clock as I didn't have anything set in the morning. Managed to stay in bed until just before 7am but with many wake-ups. The run in went ok, especially considering the "speed" last night. But the day just dragged. Tomorrow half the day will be meetings so hopefully I can recover some. Avg. 9:36 HR 152 still not sure about the high start HR affecting the average...

Overall today was pretty good. I had the two meeting but each ran over so I ended up getting home about an hour late. The sleep interruptions are playing with my mental state but I think things are getting better. Looking at it I actually think many nights I get more total sleep than I was a year ago. It is the being woken up every 2-3 hours that makes it rough. I took a slow run from home after bedtime. Maybe Kory was on to something as the HR was still way up. I did wet down the monitor but was still wearing synthetics. The real test will be to do a shirtless run on the treadmill with a different monitor. Avg. 7:53 HR 160

About the same as yesterday. However, instead of having half the day gone to meetings I was able to spend half the day with my daughter as I co-op at her school about once a month. It was fun. I did my run in the morning before school. Now just trying to do a little computer catch-up before bedtime. I have a personal deadline for one of my projects as Monday so it will be a busy weekend.The run was very slow. Part of the sleep issue, part of the morning issue, Avg. 9:17 HR no monitor...

Well today was a good day. Got in early after only one baby wake-up (two total wake-ups) and had three things done/started before I headed out for a run. Not sure if it was Jon mentioning trail races to Jeff, Chad mentioning the new routes or return to old routes, or just the fact that it was the FIRST DAY OF SPRING and awesome outside. But I scrapped my road run and headed up dry creek. It was slow going but worth it. The first two miles were at about 21 minutes (up) then things picked up a little but nothing too speedy. The first four miles I didn’t see anyone and it was great to have the sun cresting the mountain peaks and warming things up as I went. Avg. 9:11; HR 147

Wow! Two nights in a row of good sleep. This one was part planned and part mistake. First, Kristen only got up once. Second, I slept through my alarm. When I looked at the clock it was 1.5 hrs later than what I was planning. However, it was still early enough to jump outside and get the run in. I got back a little after breakfast was finishing up. Then I went to Mt. Olympus with my daughter for a short hike before going shopping. I did actually have to go into work. While there I caught a Black Widow spider! I saw it on the the back stairs in one of the buildings. First time I've ever seen one in the wild. Then finished off the day with about 1.5hrs of playing at the with Kaitlyn. Overall, I restful family day.

The run was up Foothill past suicide rock to the Einstein's near Millcreek. So the first 4.5 mi were mostly up (-2 downhill segments). Then I went west on 39th until I caught up with the SLC course and ran that backwards to SugarHouse. The second 4.5 mi were mostly down (-1 uphill segment). The first part down was very DOWN and I kept the same HR but dropped from ~8-8:30 to 6:10. After that I leveled off at 7:30-8. Then finished up toward home. Last 1.5 mi up. It is great when you can start and finish a run uphill and have more than half of a loop run up. Avg. 7:53 HR 149

Two nights of sleep in a row, I guess is the baby's limit. Last night was rough again. I'm going to take today off and step back on the mileage this week. I'm hovering around 1/2 mileage from before I got hurt but don't have plans of increasing more than 15 miles in the next 1-2 months. So after 2 months of steady growth I'll drop back just a little (mainly just by the day off)...

Despite a late night and not meeting my personal deadline I’m in a relatively good mood this morning. Just have to get to it and do what I can. I got in extra early to set up and get my run in. The first three miles were into the sleeting wind at about 36F. However, after turning around and having the wind to my back it was almost pleasant. I think I saw Chad this morning heading down Federal Heights as I was heading up (~6:45am) but I was half asleep and on the sidewalk. By the time I realized it was probably him he was gone. I didn’t think about pace and spent most of the run thinking about the writing and presentations I have this week but didn’t mind. I just liked getting a head start to the day. Avg. 8:57 HR 140

Opposite mood this morning. Definitely not a head start day. Reset my alarm for an extra hour sleep and then slugged into work with a commuter run toward SH then The U. The weather was better, about the same temp but without the sleet. That being said I was WAY over dressed. Avg. 9:02 HR 133

Just keeping my eyes dead ahead. I have to keep looking forward and maintain momentum. The previous few nights Sandra has taken 100% of baby wake-ups. Kristen is very anti-bottle and that has made things more convenient for me but so much harder on Sandra. That has to be the next parenting thing we work on with Kristen. Now 3-months we’ll let her cry more but until she’ll take the bottle the overall household stress if rough. Last night was particularly bad with Kristen waking for an hour every hour starting at 2am… By the third wake-up I gave it a try but wasn’t able to help much. Got into work an hour later than planned and then out the door for my run. I did see Chad today and confirmed the sighting this time by actually stopping to chat for a little. It was good to talk to him again. The conversation though brief really made me hungry for competition again. I just want to be able to run hard again every now and then. Avg. 8:47 HR 134

This was a full day so I’m just updating now. I got into work early via commute run. I had three meetings today as there was a visiting speaker who is a leader in the field of transcriptional biology (what I did my thesis work on). He presented seminars in the AM and PM and I presented to him in the early afternoon. Overall, a productive day in the thought department but no time for “real” work…

The commute run was fine but very slow. It was as cold as the day before but much windier. Avg. 9:19 HR 137

So far off to a good start. My daughter had a little fever yesterday but slept fine through the night. My younger daughter didn’t sleep as well as the night before but didn’t seem to be too bad. One additional wake-up but each of them were less than ½ an hour (I know easy for me to say as I slept through 2 of the 3…). I ran from lab today and decided to pick up the pace a little. As is my fashion when I’m breaking into new ground (or rebreaking into old ground) I like to stack the deck in my favor. So I did my City Creek overlook out and back and pushed the Firehouse mile. I now know I can still move my legs, about a minute slower than this time last year but it was still something. I hit that mile in 5:43 HR 179. It felt good but as far as being goal marathon pace it felt more like 5K effort… Avg. 7:31 HR 167

Just about 7hrs of sleep. That was nice.
The morning was a little slower as toward the end of the night Kristen started waking up frequently. Sandra took care of her though.
My plan was to run 10 miles ending at the East High track to see the finish of Bill's 5K. Then finish off with 2 miles home. I only got in 9.5 as those guys were flying. The leader came through just under 14 min. There was a little gap and then more or less solid from then on. Saw a bunch of faces I haven't seen in about 6 months or more. Actually got to talk to a few of them. Fiddy nearly broke 15 min. Really wish I was in racing shape and charging down that hill with them today but maybe next year. My knee is sore today between the one fast mile yesterday and my longest run since Oct today but not enough for drugs so that is a good sign. Avg 7:47 HR 153

Good start to the day. Up early to get my run in before breakfast and church. The temp was great. I actually had to stop and take off a layer (~53F). It was windy though. NOAA had listed 20mph with 33mph gusts. Fortunately I was only running into that for miles 3 and 4. The rest was tail or crosswind as I did a squarish run. A good sign is that my quads are more sore than my knee suggesting that it is my lack of fitness and not injury that kept me slow today. Now just to get fit again... Avg. 8:39 HR 136

Winter’s back and so am I.?.?... I still want to be cautious and my knee is still tight but this morning was the best run back. I got into work at 5:30 as I wanted to process 105 samples before my 8:45 lab meeting. I got them done and only had 45 min to run and shower. My plan was for 5 miles and I thought I should just do 4 instead. But having been up for awhile and “running” around lab I was already pretty awake. The fun part was that despite the great weather yesterday morning the rest of that day and last night were crazy and there were ~3in of snow yesterday and ~3in last night. It was still a little windy (19F windchill by the weather channel) but otherwise not too bad. In any case I started quicker than normal (recently) and didn’t let up. I did my usual to the FireHouse run but NOT the FireHouse mile. At the turnaround I wasn’t sure I was going to make it but then I decided I wanted to beat the 7min guy. It was going to be close as the last mile is mostly up. 7:08, 7:21, 6:37, 6:24, and 7:25. It was a race to the line but I did it. Avg. 6:59 no HR monitor…

Nothing special this morning. Though yesterday started out well. Work dragged as a typical Monday. There was an interesting talk on the lower campus and I ran into Josh S. and briefly spoke with him but otherwise... Today was about the same as last Tues for the run. Recovery/Commuter run. Good news is that even with picking up the pace some yesterday I was not any more sore this morning.
To address a comment Kory made earlier. Yes most of my mileage is hilly. For instance this run has the first 2-miles u130ft and d345ft (down to SH Park), the next 2-miles u214ft and d109ft (N on 13th), and the last 2-miles u540ft and d77ft. So really after mile 2 I am going up the rest of the way.
Keep looking ahead and now to get some typing for work done... Avg. 9:04 HR 146

In lab at 6am and one set-up before heading out the door. The way out was rough into 18mph winds with 32mph gusts and sleet. However, after the turnaround it was pleasant as the sleet turned to snow and the wind helped push me along. With about a mile to go I ran into Chad and after we picked each other up I apologized and we continued on our way. Actually, we just stopped and chatted very briefly. Avg. 8:13 HR 141

Tough night. Kristen had been getting into a routine. It still wasn't ideal but overall we were getting used to it. However, last night was brutal. Not sure if she is getting the cold her sister and mom just had but she was up 3 times in the first two hours. Then down for two hours before getting up from 1:30-3am... Then she was done for only an additional two hours before up again though I was already getting ready for work. So zombie commuter run. The fatigue could definitely be seen in my HR and felt in my knee. Avg. 9:26 HR 156

So far a much better start to the weekend. I actually managed 7hrs of sleep and Kristen must have tired herself out the night before as she only woke up once during that time and continued to sleep after I left for work to give Sandra some well deserved rest.
I was running about an hour behind though as I had given myself an extra hour on the alarm clock to compensate for the night before. The run went well. My legs are starting to feel like they have a little strength again. It is sad to think that at this time last year I was doing 2X3mi as a workout at <5:45 pace but at least I'm running again. I have a long way to go before I compete again but this week has really made me think that I will get there. Just one day at a time... Avg. 7:35 no HR.

Probably could put down 8hrs of sleep but with two wakeups I rounded

down. I think I'm now fighting the cold that my wife and daughter had

as my entire body was achy. That being said it was a good morning for a

run. Mid-40s F w/ little to no wind and a slight drizzle/snow the whole

way. My knee acted up a little but I think that was fatigue more than

anything. Last nights rest helped. Today marks my longest run since St.

George and my longest week since the first week of Sept... I saw four deer during the run and ran 1+ miles with "Jason" a 40yr old that has done 34 marathons and 4 IronMan races. I just realized I told him I've done 10 marathons when I've only done 9... The pace the whole way was slow but today was more about seeing a 50 in my weekly total again. Avg. 8:16 HR 145

Nothing special. Knee is sore this morning. Kind of a bummer... We'll see what happens this week. Avg. 7:58 HR 139

Overall a much better start to the day. Knee still a little sore but not the same sharp pain I felt yesterday. I think I'm being cautious but... The rest of yesterday went well and we even managed a family walk as the temp got nearly to 60F. The night was restless, however not because of the baby. She did wake up but I never heard her. I did manage to wake up three times on my own though?!? In to work by 5:30am and out the door to enjoy my first run into City Creek this year. It was enjoyable to run along the creek again, even if it is only for half a mile by the time I get down there. On the way back it was nice to watch the sun rise over the snow covered mountains. I was just coming down into Dry Creek when the first rays broke over shining on the peaks near Mt Olympus. Avg. 8:12 HR 143

A little slower this morning, getting going for sure. Commute run into work. Instead of going down 2 miles to SH and then up 4 miles to lab, I did up 2 miles toward Suicide Rock and then down 3 miles before going up the last mile. Overall, this route is easier on my body as I get the warm-up miles on the tougher part of the course. Avg. 8:11 no HR.

Well two City Creek runs in one week. It is like I’m back to my old routines… I just hope that I get to enjoy more than the ½ mile stretch that an 8 mi run can afford me soon. Probably not until a weekend run or another month goes by. Knee still tight but not bad like on Sunday. Sleep ok. Work stress is building again but I took last night off and that helped some. Well back to it. Avg. 7:48 HR 148

Cold and rainy out so I opted for the treadmill. Knee about the same so I just kept it at the same pace and got the miles in. Avg. 8 HR 134

Nothing too special. Knee pretty sore. Fairly productive day. Looking forward to Easter Weekend. Just the FH out and back from work Avg. 7:44.

Today was one of those days that reminded me why I run. Now don't get me wrong my knee was still achy and I didn't go fast but I really enjoyed the time out. We had an Easter Egg Hunt early so I got up at my normal weekday time and had to go into lab to set something up. The good news was I then drove to Popperton and ran to and up City Creek from there. I actually saw a lot of people on the road to the canyon but once in it I only saw one runner coming out and one hiker all the way up. The creek was extra loud with all the snow runoff. I made it all the way up to the snow. It was great seeing the mountains covered and making my way up over 6500ft. Exactly at the 6 mile mark the plowing stopped and I "ran" the last 1/2 mile to my turnaround point in ankle to knee high snow. It was slow going but I made it far enough up the trail that the only other prints in the snow were some hooved animal. That mile up/down was >12 min. The rest of the run I tried to take it easy. My goal was to not let myself go faster than 7min pace on the way down. It was tougher than I thought especially because the way down I started seeing tons of people. However, I kept it there and my fastest mile (the one with the most people) was 7:15. Overall, my knee doens't hurt worse than before I started so I'm counting it as a success. I even got my data from my experiment (it worked!) and made it home in time to get my daughter ready for the hunt. She managed to snag 6 eggs and pet a real bunny. Avg. 8:16 HR 145

Happy Easter. What a wonderful morning for a run. Out early so as to get it done before the festivities. Saw two deer and two other runners. Knee the same. Avg. 8:39 HR 133

I stayed up a little too late last night/this morning. But I finally got my manuscript draft to my boss. I've been struggling with writers block and this thing for a couple months. I decided the extra hour of sleep was worth it so I got into work a little later than normal. I decided though that I had worked enough over the weekend and also came home a little early so that I could run Kaitlyn down to SH. Avg. 8:04 HR 141

6.5 continuous hrs of sleep. That is always nice. The day was a beautiful spring day meaning it was mid-50s F and rained on my the entire run. Much more of a drizzle and actually felt pretty good. I did a new loop from work, past Chad's up Memory Grove and then did about 1.5 miles of trails before hitting the road to finish things off. Both of the miles that included trail portions were slower than 9min otherwise a pretty nice (EASY) pace. Avg. 8:43 HR 141

Well another day being reminded why I should run. Bad news is my daughter was up a good portion of last night. Good news is my wonderful wife took care of her and I didn’t even know about it until this morning. I got into work early and it was raining. I was planning on setting up one thing and heading out. I decided to set up three things and I’m glad I did. By the time I finally got out the door it was snowing! So I decided to run up the not so Dry Creek. It was just amazing, the snow, the water running down the creek. Despite the water logged feet the run was great. Of course it was slow in the mud and snow and climbing (fasted mile, 9:08) but it was still great. I was so tempted to keep going but am sticking to plan. A couple weekends ago when my mileage started picking up I planned my weekly mileage through the rest of the year. I did this for two reasons. 1. I wanted to think about training and 2. Before I was fully healthy I wanted to lay down a “sensible” plan. So I should not hit 60mpw until the first week in June and I won’t hit 80mpw until the first week in January. I will adjust but only down if pain. Even with the apparently conservative mileage if I keep to it the total mileage for TOU (18wk prior) will still be in my top three for any marathon. Knee about the same. Avg. 9:57 HR 136

Where start. I drafted a pretty lengthy entry in my head during the run but due to time constraints this is what you get. Up at 4:40am and couldn’t (didn’t want to try) to go back to sleep for the extra 30 min so I just headed straight into work. I worked until about 7am then out the door for my run. It is funny that the other day one of the excuses that I gave Kory for not running on flatter courses around here is that most are boring. However, I tend to run the same or very similar courses every day. Then when I do find a new course I run it to death as well, speaking of which I ran my new Chad/MG/Work loop. I even saw Chad this morning on it… I was so lost in my thoughts though I almost ran past him. This time I didn’t get off the trail in MG like I did last time so it was an easier loop. Avg. 8:07 HR 144

It is amazing how different children can be. For the most part we are treating the two girls the same. However, Kristen really has a different idea about sleep. We had three great nights but the last three have been very hard, all three for Sandra but only last night for me. I was up from ~2:45-4:15... I still managed to wake-up at my "normal" 5am and get into lab. Got stuff going until about 7:15 when I headed out for my run. It went well. Even with the fatigue my legs were feeling pretty good. Also, the weather (though upper 30s) felt nice. I hit the FH mile at 6:07 everything else was my now typical jogging. Looking forward to a good weekend (and hopefully some sleep for Sandra). Happy Friday! Avg. 7:39 HR 154

The day started out right with Kristen sleeping her longest stretch since she was born, 9hrs! A welcome surprise to both of her parents who were at their wits end after the previous three nights. Got up a little later and get dressed to go out to cheer on the runners. Started to go up to Foothill when I released the course was changed to run down 22^nd instead. It cuts out the fastest mile but also cuts out one of the slower miles. Only problem is they make up for it at the end.
Stood around talking to Scott. Saw one of my colleagues on her training run, Robin. Then the runners started coming. Waited only for a few of them and then headed to SH, with the course change I was going to be hard pressed to beat any down. Luckily they make a loop of the park first so I was able to see at least the full marathon leaders on their way back out. I missed the half leaders at that point. Runners I was able to cheer on included Sasha, Jeff Mc, Albert Wint, Steve A, James M and others. I waited longer than I should have and then continued down 21^st. I cut back across and joined the half-marathoners.
I started running with this one guy Eric (BYU student) and just paced him through their 11 mile mark, and then he told me to go ahead. I should have known I’d have no self control with all the excitement going on around me. I caught up to and started pacing two other guys (never got their names) and took them through their 12.9 mile mark then peeled off to go look for the finishers. Didn’t catch many. Saw the guy Eric and he thanked me, I told him he should join the blog and then I headed home.
I had mistakenly thought I would be home by 9am. I saw Walter and briefly said hi. Then I saw James and Sasha doing their cool down and going to back to look for Jeff who was running the full. I joined them for about a mile. Then they stopped when the leader passed to let know Jeff know how far back he was while I continued up the hill home. I didn’t see Jeff. Not sure if I missed him or what. In any case I ended up running one extra mile today (not the end of the world) and getting home half an hour late (not a problem either as Sandra knows if it is a race or “one” more experiment in lab I never judge my time correctly).
After a good stretch we started family fun and that was the rest of the day, shopping and a 2+ mile walk in the beautiful spring weather followed by a grilled dinner eaten outside.
Running details, finally: The first nine miles I pushed harder than I should have but didn’t even look at the Garmin splits and was just going by feel. My breathing never got hard. My HR went up there but the breathing was controlled. My second mile was very quick as I was trying to get the park, 5:51 fastest in a while. I also had two 6:11 mixed in there. First nine miles were at a 6:26 average with an “easy” effort. The remaining miles were slow either talking with people or making the climb back up to 22^nd East. Total Avg. 7:17 HR 161

Overall, happy with the experience. Always fun to go and cheer on friends and it was motivational. Good to know my legs are still attached to my body and aren’t too worse for the wear after the abuse today. Plan is still to take it easy until June with no “real” racing until July. Still struggling with if Des 10K is the right race back, all that downhill on a bad knee???

Great job to all.

Typical Sunday morning run. Up early to get done before the family wakes up. The weather was cool but nice. Good news is that even with the harder miles yesterday my knee wasn't more sore. Still the usual tightness but it seems like that is how it is going to be. Overall I just took it very easy. I don't want to push my luck and I want to focus more on maintaining "ok" mileage rather than speed at this point. Avg. 9:04 HR 128 

After two nights of great sleep last night was a wreck. Very tired now. Luckily I had to run into work so there was no skipping out on the run. Easy commuter run first up Foothill and back toward campus. Avg. 9:15 HR 132

More of a death march really. Luckily it appears that the previous night was a fluke as the sleep went back to normal last night. But I still feel wiped from the poor sleep before.
Today will be a full day with meetings in the afternoon. Another commuter run, today I did an extended south loop before heading in. Avg. 9:24 HR 138

The meeting yesterday went well. My mentor is always so optimistic it is hard to come out of a meeting with him with anything but a need head of steam pushing me forward.

Last night I tried to go to sleep an hour earlier so that I could catch up on my sleep. Problem is that I woke up two hours before my alarm. After laying there for an hour staring at the wall both my daughter and then wife also woke up. So I ended up getting out of bed with them and then made my wife a snack while my daughter had hers, ate breakfast and into lab early, 4:45am. Set-up my first experiment for the day and then went for my run. With Saturday having been a better run than I expected I wanted to push a run this week and decided today was the day. So after 1mi warm-up I started the accelerator. I did not look at my Garmin once during the next two miles. When it beeped the second time I looked and the splits were 5:42 and 5:13. Keep in mind this are both net downhill miles with the second one being the FireHouse mile. Overall, I’m happy with my progress. My knee was definitely upset with me about this but there will be at least another week until I do something like this again. Avg. 7:21 HR 165

Sleep was a little better. I was wiped last night but I guess a total of 13hr of work will do that to you. Most of yesterday was also just meetings (I was not the agenda) we had two visiting speakers so between their seminars, lunch, etc. I also slept in an extra half an hour. I did a new run this morning. I was planning on 8 but misjudged. Still I good course. From my house down to Memory Grove then up back to campus. The majority of the first 5mi is downhill with the majority of the up in mile 6 on a zig-zagging ramp. Avg. 8:50 HR 153

Stroller miles in the PM. Today was "one of those days". When I run in the morning I normally just go into work in my running outfit and change after my shower. That was my plan for today. But I misjudged one thing and that kept me from getting an hour window the rest of the day. Instead I just went home an hour early and ran Kaitlyn to SH and took a longer way back. I pushed it on the way back and pushing a stroller up hill is a real workout. Avg. 7:31 HR 150

Up early to get my stuff done before the family woke up. Tried going past Starbucks at 5:45 to see if I would run into Chad and his group but no one was there. So I continued on toward Memory Grove again. I took a slightly different route there. It rained (45F) the whole way there but by the time I started up the canyon the rain had stopped. I continued to about 1 mile past the City Creek gate house just in time to see the sun break through the clouds over Black Mountain before making my way back out. At the bottom a group of ~10+ "runner" looking guys came flying down on the dirt path to my south. They were really moving. I asked one if it was a race and he said sort of. Then once to the top of the City Creek out look I ran into a truck setting up cones marking a 5K course. Finally on my way back down Foothill Dr to home I saw the 11-mile mark for the Hometown heroes training runs. Definitely a lot of running going on this morning. Knee was sore after this one but nothing worse than it has been. Next week I will front load my mileage as I'm traveling and I don't know how much running I will get in. Avg. 8:29 HR 139

So much for my best laid plans. Initially I wanted to front load this week but when all was said and done I worked until nearly midnight last night and still had to work a bunch today so I slept in to get some rest and decided to bag the run so that I could still manage some family time. Now work...

Nothing too eventful. Asleep an hour early last night up at 4:30am and into work. The run was nice but slow. Surprising number of people out there. Just down into Memory Grove and back. Avg. 8:28 HR 138

Well I’m continuing with my week, as if you have a choice. Things are hectic but as good as they can be. I was able to co-op at my daughter’s school this morning and that is always fun. Then we had a farewell party for a student who is leaving the lab on Thurs so at 1:30pm I finally started my day. Needless to say it was brief. I had decided to sleep in and skip my run (twice now this week) but wanted to make it up at night. However, I forgot my wife needed the car and me to be home for her to go to book club. So I decided last minute to hammer a run after my daughter’s went down for the night but before my wife left. So that gave me exactly one hour and I wanted to hit 8 miles. I decided I would do the “original home loop” which was the first run I went on when we moved to Utah. I did one mile warm up and then wanted to hammer the next three miles like a time trial. Sometime during the second mile I decided I would make it into a time trail and tack on the extra 0.1 to make it a 5K. So here is my non-race race report.

Warm-up it was cooling off and I felt a strong crosswind. This had me nervous as I knew that would be a headwind going into mile 1. The first mile is all downhill and should have been my fastest mile.

Mile 1 5:34 HR 184

After that I turned onto 13^th and it is still net downhill but about half the decent per mile as the first.

Mile 2 5:45 HR 179

I think I let up too much at the turn but got back into a rhythm after crossing 13^th/13^th intersection.

Mile 3 5:40 HR 187

I was feeling it and I was starting to get a stitch in my side. But go figure it has been awhile since I really hit a run. The final 0.12 by my Garmin for the “finish” is the only uphill as I turn up 21^st at the Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Mile 0.12 0:41 HR 188

TOTAL 17:38 Avg. 5:39 (now to string 26 of those together for a sub-2:30…)

Overall I’m happy with the time and relative effort. I’m coming back…

Avg. 6:49 HR 174 for the total 8 miles and I made it home in 54 min 37 sec so my wife even had time to spare J…

Work stress continues to wreck havoc on my mind. However, it is just a matter of remembering baby steps are steps none-the-less. My sleep was also interrupted a number of times last night after a few peaceful nights so that added to the fun. Into work early and had my stuff set-up and I was out the door. To keep things moving in the right direction I planned to run up Dry Creek and kept to plan. It makes it hard to do anything but easy miles when running up (UP!) a dirt/rock trail. I know Jon could make it into a hard run but I’m still learning that skill. My way up I was averaging about 11s and on the way back about 9s. Avg. 10:12 (Just a little slower than yesterday, :)) HR 135