A Balance, Redefined

Actually stayed up to welcome the New Year. Then slept in until 8:30am. Felt nice. I did have to work most of today which was a bummer but finished early and had some playtime with the family and a nice longer run. Then after a dinner out am back to it... Hit the new year hard. Random running.

Avg. 8:02 HR 130

AM: In to work early to take care of my lab work. It was cold, almost single digit with the windchill maybe below zero. Luckily I now know how to dress for this and felt fine getting in to work. Then after about 4 hr got picked up and working from home for the writing portion of my day.

Mi 2.5 

PM: New year but much of last year's to do list, so work and no PM run...

Year off to a good start but not exactly for the running. Only did a 6 mile acceleration run on the treadmill. I like these workouts. 

Avg. 6:57

Today was the last day of winter break for the girls so my routine should get back to normal on Monday. For now still ticking off the to do list. I think the training will pick up again once I know what race I'm doing next for now just getting a little in to stay sane. I like saying my running is the insanity that keeps me sane... So just another acceleration run on the treadmill. Right foot a little tweaked but that could just be the treadmill miles, and the harder finishes.

Avg. 6:45

Low key day. Family errands and then a run while it was still light out, and in the double digits. Too bad I had to chew the air... Campus/A&W loop.

Avg. 7:56 HR 137

Did not sleep well last night but with the later group run was at least in bed for a cumulative 7 hours. It was good meeting up with the group again and I enjoyed seeing some faces I hadn't seen for well over a month. The run overall was a relaxed pace but my lack of workouts recently made it feel harder than it was. Will have to make more of an effort to get in more workouts and more group runs this year.

Avg. 7:06 HR 157

This week has been insanity. Very busy day. Lab presentation and then I officially became a student again after not having set foot into a classroom from the "other side" of the desk in more than 10 years. Just one class but definitely interesting... Plus a number of other things to be discussed later. Just had time for the commute run in before my presentation. The air is HORRIBLE!

Avg. 9:14 HR 147

AM: Another busy day ahead and the air is still crap but need to run to clear my head. A&W commute in.

Mi 6 Avg. 9:13 HR 149

PM: As predicted the day was busy. I finally got the paper I was commenting about all last month out the door and now it is in the reviewers hands. I currently am on 5 papers in review but this is the most important as it is the only I'm first author on at the moment. A&W commute home. Chewing to breath, chewing to breath...

Mi 6 Avg. 8:10 HR 151

AM: I need to get some sleep. This week has been too much. Direct commute into an early start. Worst air quality in the world today. Probably should know better than to run but as it is my mode of transportation. As Jake said today if everyone would run into work like the two of us do maybe the air quality wouldn't be as bad. Oh and maybe the health care system wouldn't be over run with preventable diseases...

Mi 2.5 Avg. 10:04 HR 138

PM: Very random miles with John to catch up on work and career things...

Mi 7 Avg. 8:51 HR 128

Another early start and will not have time for a PM run. Bummer because the air is finally breathable, although it is now snowing again. Direct commute run.

Mi 2.5 Avg. 9:18 HR 134

Definitely not the week I had planned. With the sudden onslaught of snow last night I bailed on a work dinner. Then woke to find nearly two feet and falling. Shoveled out only to decide the roads were too hazardous. Spent a little over an hour on the task. Then after a day of working from home spent another hour shoveling in the evening. So lots of workout but no running.  

Ouch. Definitely a runner with no upper body... My arms are so sore today after all the shoveling. Still had more today but no were near as much as yesterday. Plus a neighbor was kind enough to snow blow the entire blocks sidewalk so that cut out a lot of shoveling. Especially living on a corner lot. Unfortunately still had to work most of the day but did spend some time at the local park sledding with the girls before dinner. Then only time for a treadmill run.

Avg. 7:45

Definitely struggling to keep that balance and the weather is not helping. Up early to continue working on my progress report. Then final shoveling of this snow storm to clear the end of the driveway. Least amount of shoveling space wise but it sure was heavy. So at least I've been getting some type of workout even if the runnings been less... The day was pretty full with church, a few more hours on the report, and then another U women's bb game. The girls seem to like the excitement, win or lose. This time some friends joined us as well. After all that only had time for a short treadmill run before doing HOMEWORK! I think that is so funny. But then again with my job I have never really left school and have definitely never stopped learning.

AM: According to Accuweather it was 1F outside this morning when I ran in. Brrr... I was sufficiently layered and made it in but felt like the marshmallow man. I will weigh all the gear tonight to see how much I actually piled on. Happy Monday!

Mi 3.5 Avg. 9:52 HR 132

PM: One more major deadline tomorrow and then back to "normal", whatever that is... For a Monday today was pretty low key. Reverse A&W commute.

Mi 6 Avg. 7:42 HR 146

AM: Not as cold as yesterday. Commute in.

Mi 3 Avg. 10:09 HR 127

PM: Another pretty good day. Got my progress report out to the NIH. So now back to life as normal. Two meetings coming up, one in Keystone, CO and trying to get the next paper out. Always another... Despite the cold running has felt pretty good the last few days. Unfortunately today was the last day of breathable air for awhile so... Let a little early and did a loop to Memory Grove with John before commute run home.

Mi 9 Avg. 8:14 HR 135

AM: Commute run in. Nothing special. Did see Jake after the run though on his way in.

Mi 3 Avg. 10:11 HR 131

PM: Two Jake sightings in the same day. But this time he caught me in the car... What shame I feel. Did get picked up and had to do a treadmill run.

Mi 6 Avg. 7:50

AM: Definitely not enough sleep. In lab late preparing for a meeting this weekend and up early to finish that up. 

Mi 3.5 Avg. 10:09 HR 140

PM: Brief treadmill run to clear the head and a little more work...

Mi 3

The meeting this weekend starts this morning at 7am. So I ran in set a few things up and then was in talks until 10pm (including a nice dinner to finish things off today). I am one of the few non MDs at this meeting most are heart transplant specialists. Very interesting to me as I study cardiac metabolism. 

Avg. 9:43 HR 135

Day 2 of the conference, also a 7am start. Just ran in. Today was just a half day so then off to catch up on some family errands for the late afternoon. Planned on a second run but was wiped out and just watched a movie with my wife instead. Definitely not the mileage I had planned but at least I'm still getting something in. Very busy start to the new year...

Avg.  9:38 HR 139

Finally a little better in the sleep department. Family day, church and then to the ice rink. We did the open skate. It was my wife and daughters first time on skates and my first time since 2002. Definitely could feel I was working different muscles and helping the little ones along gave a new meaning to arm and back work... Good day.

In the evening did a stadium loop with John.

Mi 5 Avg. 8:57 HR 132

AM: Happy MLK day. In college I took a class just on his life, speeches, etc. He was a very interesting person. Even though the campus is mostly empty I still had to come in to take care of things and keep this year's momentum going. Commute run in.

Mi 3 Avg. 9:56 HR 131

PM: Memory Grove loop with John and then commute home.

Mi 10 Avg. 8:20 HR 127

AM: That is not a typo with the sleep time. Just decided I needed to put some hours in the bank because tomorrow is going to be rough... Commute run.

Mi 2.5 Avg. 9:40 HR 137

PM: Had to cut the run and just do the direct commute back. I pushed as hard as footing/traffic would allow.

Mi 2.5 Avg. 6:18 HR 156

Well today was a bit crazier than I thought. 5:30am until 7pm straight! After that I decided to bag my PM run. Commute in.

Avg. 10:39 HR 126

More of the same. Today is dinner with the invited speaker so no PM run again... Commute only.

Avg. 9:31 HR 137

AM: Commute run. No Garmin.

PM: Treadmill run.

Seems like it was forever since I raced. Although Fritz reminded be that it has only been about 2 months. I didn't go into this race with any expectations. Just wanted to see some fellow runners and get a hard run in. The fog/smog was pretty thick and I think that did affect performance. At least it warmed to above freezing!

Got there a little late but enough time to put in about a mile. Then chatted with fellow bloggers, old faces, and some new faces as well. I felt like I was working but never red lined, although my HR might disagree with that assessment. Looking forward to the 10K in a couple of weeks and hopefully using this to spur a few more workouts here and there. The biggest thing is the air and ground. Looks like both may clear up this week... Cooled down afterwards with Fritz, Kevin, and new guy from Cornell College. Then some more chatting during the raffle. Overall a good morning and nice to talk to so many familiar people.

Mile 1: 5:27 HR 175
Mile 2: 5:38 HR 185
Mile 3: 5:46 HR 187
Mile .1: 0:32 HR 189

TOTAL 17:22 HR 183

Did not sleep that well. Got up and did a nice morning run before church and then off to the speed skating championships. It was actually my first time at the oval. Very cool. I can see why people like to do their workouts there in the winter. We stayed for the whole event and even got to see the women's 1000m world record broken by American Heather Richardson. It was a fun day. We knew there was snow in the forecast but we where very surprised how fast and hard it came down. We made it home by the grit of our teeth...

Avg. 8:33 HR 127

AM: Not sure what my issue is with sleep lately... Woke up early because I knew the snow was going to be bad. Spent > 1h shoveling and helping people get unstuck at the intersection by our house just to decide to walk in. Since it was Monday I was carrying > 50 lbs of stuff for the three mile "hike". When all was said and done by 8:40 am I had already put ~3 hr of workout in...

PM: After a long day at work ran home on the few cleared paths. Luckily I know which streets are mostly traffic free so I was able to hammer a few portions of the run. More snow tonight!!! Yay! Hope I can get in fine.

Avg. 7:21 HR 143

AM: The snow was actually nice this morning. When I got in there was only about 1/2-1 in so it was easy to run on, easier than the cleared areas. Mid-campus commute via SugarHouse.

Mi 5.5 Avg. 9:18 HR 135

PM: Reverse of the run this morning. The streets were surprisingly clear. Much cleaner than yesterday. Did dinner and bedtime with the family and then back to lab... This being a student thing again and having HOMEWORK is an eye-opener. It has been good so far and I'm glad I'm going back to do this.

Mi 5.5 Avg. HR

AM: Wow did that take longer than I though. Not asleep until 2am last night... But I got it done. Did the A&W commute run in. Very sloppy but fun. Only rant is people and their phones... Maybe it is because I had the fortune of being raised before cell phones corrupted the mind but I just cannot understand people texting while there are 4 inches of snow, more coming down, and people sliding off the road and getting stuck all around them?!?! I am guilty of walking and texting but that is checking e-mail between meetings and walking where there is no traffic... Ok enough ranting...

Mi 6 Avg. 8:48 HR 151

PM: I am exhausted but wanted more miles to clear the head so I did the reverse of this morning to get home. Roads still very sloppy but still fun.

Mi 6 Avg. 8:24 HR 140

AM: Finally got some sleep. Decided to take last night off and went to bed a little earlier. Feeling much better this morning. Legs are sore though but in the good way so just took it easy. A&W commute run into work.

Mi 6 Avg. 9:13 HR 136

PM: Things really turned downhill for me. At around 11am I started feeling bad. By 3pm I was completely loopy. It was like my head was filled with a cloud. It was so strange. I left a little early thinking a run would clear it but it made it worse and I cut up 13th instead of doing the full A&W reverse commute. After dinner I took a bath and drank a couple glasses of water and felt much better by around 9pm.

Mi 4 Avg. 8:27 HR 127

Only one run today. Feeling much better than yesterday. Not 100%. Very strange how short that was whatever it was. I know my daughter was under the weather earlier this week. I wonder it I just had a quick fight with that bug. Did the Avenues commute run in today to mix it up a little. Ran into one of my colleagues walking his dogs and spoke with him for a little. A nice relaxing run in.

Avg. 9:07 HR 133

PM: Slept in a little. Day of family fun and late afternoon while the sun was still out. Did an Emigration Canyon run from home. 

Avg. 7:23 HR 142

Needed sleep so didn't set an alarm. Then off to church and a bit of family time before heading up to Keystone, CO. Did a late night trail run on the packed snow behind The Inn. The night sky here is AMAZING and the temps were not too bad. Only decided to do 6 miles as the packed snow ran out and I didn't want to run on the road even though there was not much going on at 10pm... fun to be at 9000+ feet.

Avg. 9:48 HR 144

Up late talking to some friends from Germany I hadn't seen in awhile. However, I needed to get up early as this is the only other run I think I can guarantee this week. Did the same run as last night. It was a bit colder this morning as there was more wind and I think my running stuff was still damp. 

Avg. 9:11 HR 136

Surprisingly I got up this morning. I did not stay out as late as I thought. The meeting is actually scheduled from 7am - 10pm. Granted that includes breaks for food and recreation but that is still work in a sense. I'm just doing the same run each day due to the dark and lack of knowledge of the area. It was MUCH colder this AM but I brought enough clothes. 

Mi 6 Avg. 9:48 HR 136

PM: Even more surprisingly I had a wonderful afternoon session and finished early. The weather was in the low to mid 40s. So I changed into shorts and headed out for a second run. I had a lot to process from the morning sessions and a great lunch conversation so I just headed up... Hit the next town and noticed I was at about 10,500 so I continued until the Garmin said that and turned around. Happened to be a perfect half marathon. The awesome part is that I hit 19 miles for the day and all over 9000ft elevation. Still made ti back to my room to read for an hour before the evening sessions. Overall a great day and one of my top runs of all time.

Mi 13 Avg. 7:50 HR 152

Even though I stayed up until midnight talking I woke up like clockwork without an alarm set. Since I was up anyway I did the run same run I've done each morning.

Avg. 9:19 HR 140

Not the smartest thing but it is how it goes. I presented my work and did not finish until after 10:30pm... Then up late socializing. Long day. For whatever reason I woke up way before my alarm and since I could not get back to sleep did my run. Single digit temps this morning and a slight dusting of snow last night.

Avg. 8:55 HR 148

Overall the meeting was very useful. I learned a lot, made a number of new contacts, and strengthened some old contacts. Sleep was on short supply and I was wiped out. Although I had to hit the lab for five hours after landing back in Utah. A very long day indeed... No run due to lack of sleep and time.

Not the smartest thing but it was necessary. Had to get up early to take care of an experiment. Back in time to make breakfast with the girls and then headed out to the race. The weather looked great. However, about two miles out from the start it the snow began. The warm-up was ok on the way out but back to what would be the finish it was pretty brutal. I was exhausted. Both from the week and another night of little sleep. I had no idea what I was going to do. Spoke to a number of the usual suspects at the start and then just lined up. I could tell things weren't going to go my way in the first half mile and decided to just use it as a harder workout. Immediately after the race I jumped into the car and headed home to make up some family time after having been gone the whole week. I have to find a healthier way to keep family, work, and running in my routine... The good news is I had fun despite the really sub-par weather and time. So things are going well just not ideal.

5:40, 5:47, 6:01, 6:18, 6:26, 6:18, and 1:20

Avg. 6:04 HR 177

Finally got a little sleep. Then morning time with the girls with home made pancakes. After church I had a bunch of catchup work to do. So no run again. Fortunately I finished the work tonight about two hours earlier than I thought I would so I hope to get some sleep to night and get out of this sleepless cycle the coming week...

AM: 6 mi A&W

Avg. 9:17 HR 138

PM: 7 mi A&W + SH

Avg. 7:28 HR 139

AM: Commute. 2.5 mi Avg. 9:26 HR 131

PM: Too busy... A&W home. 6 mi Avg. 7:19 HR 146

AM: Commute. 3mi Avg. 10:03 HR 130. Sleepy

PM:  A&W commute. 6mi Avg. 7:56 HR 138

Commute. 6.5 mi Avg. 8:47 HR 141

SH and then some work from home until the girls were out of school. Then on the road to Page, AZ and on to the Grand Canyon...

Avg. 8:53 HR 129

No running. Hikes and driving. Truly beautiful!!!

An amazing sunrise run along the north rim of the Grand Canyon.

Avg. 7:51 HR 145

No run. Just driving... All the way home then into work. Long, late day...

AM: Very early commute. 2.5 mi Avg. 9:45 HR 134

PM: A&W + SH. 6 mi Avg. 7:19 HR 143

AM: 2.5 mi commute. Avg. 9:28 HR 132

PM: 8.5 mi commute, A&W + Ave + SH. Avg. 6:59 HR 150. Pushed it here. Just trying to get things together. This year is flying by and the days are filling up 5X over...

AM: Early commute. 3 mi Avg. 10:04 HR 134

PM: Really hammered the run home today. Fun running down Sunnyside/Foothill. 3 mi Avg. 6:09 HR 173

Three days this week up before 4am. Luckily I went to bed about 1-2 hr earlier each night. Today was no exception and in fact was the earliest rise as I had to be in by 5:30am... So only a commute run. Was planning a second run but plans were changed. A busy week and it is insane for me to think February is nearly behind us.

Avg. 9:30 HR 138

AM:

TOUGH, CRAZY, STUPID…

All words to describe the race today. Today was the final installment of the SLTC 30K winter series. As with the day of the 10K I got out of the house to a relatively pleasant winter morning and started driving over to the start. And once again after passing the airport the weather got progressively worse until it was near white out conditions. I did not bother doing much of a warm-up just enough not to freeze and to test what I was going to face during the race. A few people bailed for more favorable workouts. I decided I’d made it out there and may as well do the race. From ¼ mi in I was on my own in 5^th, which is where I would finish. On the way out I just tried to stay in the tire tracks from the lead vehicle. By about 2 mi I could not see anyone, just snow. Ended up getting too warm but glad I had all the extra layers for after the turnaround. Once that hit it was brutal. I am glad I did it and was happy with my performance considering the conditions. Only wish I would have squeezed another 21 seconds out of my legs. But considering I did not check a single split during the race… I got a lot more sleep this week compared to before the 10K and that helped. The drive home was a little sketchy, front wheel drive cars with regular tires are not made for this. Even ended up bailing on some friends for coffee this afternoon. Now back to the grind.

PM: Had to go into lab tonight. Partly because the roads are a mess and partly as an excuse to do a second run I did commute run both ways. It was so peaceful. Reminded me that snow can be good, not like this morning... Even saw a small herd of deer.

5mi Avg. 9:04 HR 140

Busy day. Up well before 5am to be in work for a couple hours. Then after church went for an Emigration Canyon run. It was great going up but coming back down there was a chilly head wind. Overall a nice run though. Then more work and a bit of family time before heading back to lab to cap off the day...

Avg.  7:13 HR 151

AM: Dragging from the long day yesterday. Still so much to do. Did get to sleep a little early and slept in a little late for a full 7 hr of sleep. Then direct commute run in.

Avg. HR

PM: Needed to run a family errand on the way home so no second commute. Wanted to get in the run anyway but too much left from today's to do list. Bummer...

Today was a productive day. I stayed home. It is always amazing to me how much more work I accomplish when I stay home than when I go into work... It is not like I didn't get 4 phone calls and a dozen e-mails but for whatever reason I still got more done. I also slept in a bit so it was nice to get a full nights sleep to start off the work. Before dinner I did take a break and did four laps of SugarHouse from home. I picked it up a little each lap. Full miles in the park: 7:25, 6:53, 6:47, 6:46, 6:22. It was colder out than it looked but I was still sweating by the end. Then after the girls went down more work. Never a shortage of that lately. Better than the alternative they say.

Avg.  7:07 HR 151

PMa: Early start to day from home and then ride in. Did a quick commute home after work.

3mi Avg. 7:15 HR 142

PMb: Evening run with John. Stadium loop.

5.5mi Avg. 8:47 HR 130

AM: Very early rise, before 5am. Then A&W commute.

Mi 6 Avg. 8:55 HR 139

PM: Today was all meetings. Got stuff done but no "work" per se. Just commute run home.

Mi 3 Avg. 6:44 HR 149

AM: Interesting break down to the day. Up early again, before 5am. Then direct commute run. 

Mi 2.5 Avg. 9:58 HR 127

PM: After 4 hours in lab home and then working on writing. Actually managed to have a productive day on both arms of work. Did an evening run with John.

Mi 6 Avg. 8:45 HR 128

Late morning run. My youngest said she wanted to go on a run with me today so I wrapped her up in the stroller and headed south. She chose the distance, first suggesting a 100 miles and then getting talked down to a half marathon. It was a good run. Only caveat was a biker that thinks runners should be going with traffic. Yes if I was on a bike that would be the case but check the law. Pedestrians in the street are supposed to go AGAINST traffic and bikes go with traffic. Oh well... It was good conversation and she picked a number of the turns so we want down so new blocks. 

Avg. 8:06 HR 138

Had to run by time. Up early to work a few hours before church. Then after lunch work again until dinner. Had an hour to run after dinner and then back to work until the wee hours of the morn. SugarHouse area run.

Avg. 7:13 HR 152

AM: Walking dead. At work until after 1am this morning. Not to sleep until after 2am then in early to work.

3 mi Avg. 9:32 HR 137

PM: Very long day. Got a bunch done but felt like my head was in the clouds with the sleep deprivation. Decided to run long home anyway. I needed it. Did the A&W plus a south extension.

8.5 mi Avg. 7:34 HR 142

It is only Tuesday but this has been a VERY full week. 

AM: Slept in to make up for Sunday night. It was nice to get the full 8 hrs. Still in work before 9am. A&W commute. Then meetings more or less the whole day. 

Mi 6 Avg. 8:45 HR 142

PM: Wiped out after that day. Did the A&W commute + back home. Then worked on career stuff and back in lab. Just wrapping up now.

Mi 7 Avg. 7:31 HR 140

AM: Not sure what's going on this week but the balance is definitely wobbly. Another night of only 4.5 hr of sleep. Sunday night was because of being up to late finishing a revision of a manuscript. This morning was up way to early to get started on an experiment. The funny part is the earl rise is because of concerns of changes in circadian rhythm with the study. However, in doing so I'm completely messing with my own... Oh well. Direct commute.

2.5 mi Avg. 10:33 HR 125

PM: I very full day with meetings, class, etc... Then a slightly modified A&W commute run home.

6.5 mi Avg. 7:39 HR 148

Only one run today. I managed to catch up on sleep. I really feel like the last four days were really two 48 hr days. Now to actually get some stuff of the to do lists...

Avg. 9:13 HR 138

Did not sleep well. Up early. I think it was just because my body was in the 4/8 routine... Did a long loop into lab. 

Avg. 8:13 HR 142

Caught back up on sleep. Let's hope tonight isn't another 4.5 hr... Today was all work, the home kind. Morning running errands and then some spring cleaning including completely emptying the garage and filling it back in. Then did a late afternoon run before dinner. Headed over to Memory Grove and then looped back home via State and 21st with the climb all the way up 21st home. There was a brutal headwind heading up to Memory Grove that actually felt cold. However, once I hit the mouth of City Creek I turned toward the Grove and it was a tailwind. I hammered a 5:01.51!!! Actually sort of a bummer. I can still count the number of times I've gone under 5min and I would have liked to have had that today. The rest of the run I just chilled out and enjoyed it. After dinner back to home related work. I'd let a few things slide with all the lab stuff going on... Looks like my next race with be UVM and likely my last UT race. Thanks to Logan for agreeing to be part of a CC team. Should be fun.

Avg. 7:38 HR 149

Today was another busy one. Do I even need to state that anymore? Seems like a broken record. Up early to take care of paperwork etc. Then after church got back to spring cleaning. Took a break after dinner to get a loop of SugarHouse done and then straight back to work until the wee hours of the morn.

Avg. 8:02 HR 142

AM: A&W commute run in. Then all over the place with work, meetings, etc. 

Avg. 8:53 HR 142

PM: Too much work, skipped a PM run.

Up early to work from home. Took a nice daytime run around lunch time. It was fun to soak up the sun. Then back to work until 11pm... Did the Suicide Loop plus an extension south. 

Avg. 7:46 HR 143

AM: Slept in an extra hour. Very tired today. A&W commute run in.

Mi 6 Avg. 9:01 HR 140

PM: Did the A&W commute in reverse, plus home. Got a little heated during the start of the run from a stupid person texting while driving, first completely oblivious of me on Wakara (glad I was paying attention), and then continued to text on Foothill at rush hour! Some people are just idiots and completely selfish. Good news is then when I hit 13th two random guys cheered me to show that there are some good people out there. I slowed it way down and just finished the run in this awesome weather.. Dinner, playtime outside in high 60s, and then back to lab.

Mi 6.5 Avg. 7:15 HR 154 retired Saucony Rides #8

AM: Commute run in for an early start. 

PM: No run but for a good reason. I went to a seminar today at lunch. Afterwards I was invited to attend a dinner at the Little America downtown. It was for the families of the JDRF. I was told there was a boy who going to be there who wants to be a scientist and would like to meet a current scientist. My research has been funded by the JDRF for most of the last 4 years. So I decided to go. It was great talking to him and telling him about life in science. After the keynote speaker I asked if I could thank the group. It was one of the most moving experiences. When I was in college I thought I was going to be a plant biologist and over my training that has changed to a career in diabetes research. More specifically during the last four years the focus has been streamlined toward complications of diabetes. This has all happened as a direct result of funds donated by these parents of children with type 1 diabetes. It was an experience worth a 100 runs. I am grateful to their donations that have helped fund and shape my career.

Late AM run. Worked from home in the morning. Then took a midday run. Overall a nice day while still getting a lot done.

Avg. 7:22

Later start than usual but the weather felt perfect. I headed out to Emigration and ran into Albert and Malaika. Stopped to talk for a little. Wish there was more time to get together. Then up Emigration. There were a lot of people out, especially cyclists. Heading up was fun. There was a pretty strong tailwind. This I did not really notice though until turning around. I went all the way to the top. Stopped to take in the view and then back down into a now very strong headwind. Fortunately I had gravity working for me but it was tougher than I expected. I had initially planned only 18. But the summit is 9.7 so when I got back by my house I added on the additional ~1/2 mile to get to 20 miles. Longest run since TOU. It felt good. The final mile to home was my fastest because I was finally not going into the wind (5:32). I reset the Garmin at the top to look at the up versus down.

UP 9.67 mi Avg. 7:29 HR 163
DN 10.42 mi Avg. 6:12 HR 168

Not quite with it today. Woke up before my alarm for no reason. Got a little work done before church then did a Suicide Loop prior to having people over for game "night". Played Scrabble and I was in the lead until the final round of turns. 

Avg. 8:51 HR 135

AM: I'm still in that foggy state. I feel like something is about to happen and/or just feeling the wait of all the things I'm trying to juggle. Up before my alarm again and then into work early. Commute run in.

Mi 3 Avg. 10:07 HR 125

PM: The day didn't really wake me up. I feel like I worked all day but did not manage to get an item checked off my to do list. I guess I have to set it with more intermediate goals. Did the reverse A&W commute home, dinner, and then back to work.

Mi 6 Avg. 7:42 HR 143

AM: Finally slept until my alarm but had to be in early so still under 7 hr sleep. Things really picked up today and have just tried to keep my nose to the grind stone and get things done. A&W commute in.

Mi 6 Avg. 9:37 HR 131

PM: Random mileage home, dinner, and then back to work...

Mi 8.5 Avg. 7:48 HR 141

Well this is a bummer. I knew I felt tired yesterday but I thought it was because of the heavier work load. Looks like it was because I did not dodge what my daughter and/or house guest from the weekend had. During the run in I felt super tired, like wearing a lead suite. Then throughout the day I progressively got worse to the point that I called for a ride home and took the night off. 

Avg. 10:14 HR 147

Feeling better but still under the weather. Had to be in work though. So did the commute run in and got a ride home again. Super bummed about loosing my mileage streak and the fact that the 5K I've been looking forward to for a year is only 48 hr away and I'm a zombie... 

Avg. 10:22 HR 158

Had to be in work early. Feeling slightly better but still tired. Got my work done and then ended up going home early. Really hit the wall and took a nap!!!

Avg. 10:12 HR 124

Not the race I had planned but I'm happy with the effort. Between being sick on Tue-Thu and the fact that there was a bunch of snow/sleet on the course I really couldn't have asked for more. Did a warm-up to the start. Then was off and running. The race really flew by and I don't have much to comment on. Other than I enjoyed the effort and had a good time doing it. Met up with some new local runners and some familiar faces from the blog both before and for a 3 mi cool down afterwards. 

Mi 1: 5:20.6

Mi 2: 5:14.7

Mi 3: 5:15.1

0.12: 0:34.7 (5:01 pace)

Total: 16:25.07 Avg. 5:16 HR 184; 5th overall 1st age; 3rd fastest 5K of all time!

Feeling much better this morning. After church spent the day doing more spring cleaning and then after the girls went down did a Suicide Loop with John. It had been awhile...

Avg. ? Reset my Garmin...

AM: Trouble sleeping last night and up 30 min before my alarm. Still feeling much better than last week though. Not sore but a little heel pain from Saturday's race so overall that is good. A&W commute run in.

Mi 6 Avg. 9:13 HR 133

PM: Long day. Too many meetings. They were good though, learning lots. Did the direct commute home.

Mi 3 Avg. 6:46 HR 143

AM: Turning into one of those weeks. Too many things on my plate and a number of new "distractions" each day... Commute run.

2.5 mi Avg. 10:25 HR 148

PM: Long way home, A&W + south...

8 mi Avg. 8:04 HR 142

AM: Three days in a row woke up before my alarm. Not much and I'm usually able to get back down for another 30min/1hr but it shows I need to take up some meditation or something to clear my head... Commute run in.

2.5 mi Avg. 10:36 HR 129

PM: What a day!? That's about all that can be said. I opted for a Memory Grove commute run home. It was just too beautiful out and I had too much to think about. An enjoyable run.

10 mi Avg. 7:55 HR 134

AM: Another pre-alarm day... Feeling better though. Did the A&W commute run in.

6 mi Avg. 9:54 HR 125

PM: Evening Suicide Loop with John. It has been such perfect weather for running this week...

7 mi Avg. 8:55 HR 143

AM: Very early start, in before 6am. Direct commute run.

Mi 2.5 Avg. 10:24 HR 122

Early afternoon run after the Easter egg hunt at Foothill Village. Drove over to Memory Grove as I had not been up City Creek in awhile. Decided to go all the way to the top. At about 2 miles to go there was snow crossing the road where there was shade and the last half mile was impassable running as it was more than knee deep. I decided to march it out up to the sign for no bikes entry into upper City Creek Canyon and the end of the road. That did mess up my over all average but that's fine. It was a perfect day for running. I must have looked like a looney trudging through knee deep snow in only shorts and no shirt on... From the lack of fresh tracks I think I'm the only one to have gone that high today although the lower canyon was packed for this beautiful day. The way down was a bit of a progression. After the snow mile (9:27) I went: 6:04, 5:54, 6:11, 5:37, 5:28, 5:26...

Happy Easter everyone.

UP: 7+ mi Avg. 8:25 HR 160 slowest 9:40 (snow) fastest 7:33

DOWN: 7+ mi Avg. 6:21 HR 164

Kind of lost track for this week. Crazy busy getting stuff together. 

Suicide loop with John.

Avg. 8:37 HR 130

No run, not much sleep. Trying to get stuff together for a trip. 

Travel day still no run or sleep...

Needed to get in a run. Did random miles around the hotel I was staying at.

Avg. 8:21 HR 130

Feeling a crash coming. Walked out without my Garmin so just ran for about 25 minutes and called it three...

Got about as much sleep as I could. These have been crazy long days. More random miles around the hotel. 

Avg. 6:59 HR 149

Finally a light at the end of the tunnel. Got some major items accomplished today. Still not done but feeling better about things. Also found a trail to run on so went long. 

Avg. 6:50 HR 157

Only had time for a little on the trail. Today was finally relaxing. Get busy but not the stress level of the last 5 days.

Avg. 8:13 HR 133

Last full day out of town. Unbelievably busy. Thought we were done on Saturday but I was mistaken 6 meetings all at least 20 minutes apart running around all day. Finished off the last items on our list but still crazy... No time for a run, exhausted at night. 

Could have gotten up to run but with all that has gone on the last 7 days decided that would be stupid so turned off the alarm and slept an extra 2 hours. Then a day of travel. Finally back to Utah and hopefully life as "normal" at least for the next few months...

AM: No more sleep but at least back in my bed. A&W commute run in.

6 mi Avg. 8:32 HR 140

PM: Suicide loop with John.

7 mi Avg. 8:57 HR 127

AM: Only time for one run today. Had to be into work early so direct commute run.

Avg. 9:47 HR 135

AM: Slept in an extra hour this morning only to one of the busiest days I've ever endured. Luckily I started it right with a long commute to Memory Grove.

Mi 10 Avg. 8:24 HR 137

PM: Worked too late and had to do a commute run home.

Mi 2.5 Avg. 10:19 HR 144

AM: Slept in and then spent the early morning with the girls. Then the same Memory Grove commute as yesterday run into work.

Mi 10 Avg. 8:14 HR 146

PM: After dinner back to work. No time for second run...

AM: Well not exactly the wisest thing to do. Up late working and then could not get to sleep. Unfortunate part about that is that I needed to be into lab for an hour this morning... So I did the direct commute run to and from to try and get the juices flowing. Then off to church.

Mi 2.5 Avg. 9:35 HR 131
Mi 3 Avg. 7:26 HR 148

PM: The good thing about preparing a talk is that I can practice it in my head while I run. So I did an afternoon suicide loop before coffee with friends. Then back to more work... I need to get a handle on this and find a way to get healthy amounts of sleep while still getting some work done.

Mi 7 Avg. 7:56 HR 146

Not sure what to say... I'm still a bit in shock. It seems like every month or every week there is something. The stabbings in Texas just happened a week ago and now this. I'm glad the Utah contingent is ok but I am so sad for the families of the murdered, the injured, and the 10,000s that had their special day ruined. Congrats to those that had good races. You deserve it and should take pride and not let these people take that away from you. To the rest my prayers are with you and your families.

Up very early for my talk, got a ride in, then did a long Memory Grove run home to clear my head of the talk and today's events.

Avg. 7:07 no HR

8 hours of sleep! I needed it. A&W commute run in.

Avg. 9:04 HR 138

AM: Early start to the day. Had an early experiment but still did the full A&W commute. 

Mi 6 Avg. 8:12 HR 151

PM: Suicide loop with John. No Garmin.

Mi 7

AM: In early for experiment. Direct commute run.

Mi 2.5 Avg. 9:45 HR 160 (yikes)

PM: Evening Memory Grove loop from work.

Mi 8 Avg. 8:35 HR 147

Only time for a commute run today. After work at the race expo. 

Mi 2.5 Avg. 9:07 HR 150

AM: Cheering my wife on to her first marathon. The weather could have been better but she did very well. I had the girls in tow so it made for interesting travel between all the spots. Ended up seeing her at miles 1, 4, 8, 13, 16, 20, 24, and the finish! She held on to the 3:40 pace as long as she could but with heels bleeding through her shoes at mile 20 from the water logged socks she finally hit the wall. She managed to hold it together to still get under 4 hours for her first marathon so she is rightfully happy and I think once she can walk up and down stairs again may even be up for giving the BQ another shot. I did some running near the mile marks to get her Gus, etc. Mi 2.

PM: Of course 12 hours after the start of the marathon the day turned about as perfect as you could ever hope to run in. So I did I south loop.

Mi 11.5 Avg. 8:08 HR 133

With my wife on recovery from the marathon, I got the AM running slot. So I did an Emigration Canyon up and down before church. Way up was between 8:26-9:15 and way down was between 5:39-6:00, 8 miles each way. 

Avg. 7:19 HR 149

AM: Up late last night and early again this morning. A lot going on today. Commute run in.

Mi 2.5 Avg. 10:05 HR 131

PM: Finally leaving lab at ~7:30pm. I taught a class today that took some extra time. Fun experience though. Did the A&W commute run home.

Mi 6 Avg. 7:54 HR 145

Slept in this morning to recover. That is the problem with working too hard on days. It would be much better to just work hard every day than work too hard one day and waste the next day on recovery... That being said it was cool this morning but refreshing. Always nice to run up Memory Grove in the spring. The extra water in City Creek makes for a relaxing atmosphere.

Avg. 8:38 HR 142

AM: Have I mentioned before I have to get off this yo-yo sleep schedule? I think so... In early so direct commute run.

Mi 2.5 Avg. 10:03 HR 141

PM: Definitely one of "those" days. If I didn't know better I would have thought it was a Monday with the way things went. But over all got some stuff done. Finished off my class. It was an interesting experience. I forgot how much fun it is to be a student. I guess everyday I'm a type of a student but the formal training has its perks. After putting out a couple fires in lab headed home via the A&W commute. I pushed it a through campus and down 13th, then cooled off up 21st.

Mi 6 Avg. 7:03 HR 147

AM: I had the hardest time getting up this morning. Was in lab until 10:30pm then didn't get to sleep until around midnight. Usually not a problem but I think the cumulative effects of the last few months are catching up. Or wait is the cumulative effects of the last 35 years? :) The morning is beautiful out today and the direct run in was nice.

Mi 3 Avg. 10:03 HR 147; That is not a typo my average pace was the exact same as yesterday morning!

PM: Overall a good day. Much better than yesterday. Did a commute run home after the Thursday seminar. I was feeling strong and really pushed it the second mile down Foothill.

Mi 2.5 Avg. 6:09 HR 157

Had to be in early today. Still feeling ok. The morning was nice. I did the Memory Grove commute run in. Just as I passed the Temple I saw a guy turn ahead of me. I decided to try and catch him. We hit the park and he want to one side of the creek and I hit the other. I don't think he saw me until I started to pass. I had to work to catch him. However, when he had to cross back over I gained a little on him and slowed down to chat. Turns out he had just run a 2:34 marathon in LA last month. A former BYU runner Jacob G. We ran together the remaining half mile in the Grove and he continued up to City Creek and I turn up toward campus. It was a surprising push for the morning. The rest of the day was crazy hectic but that is the new norm. Finished with an art fundraiser at my daughters school and then a little work. Now to call it a night.

Avg. 8:13 HR 139

Today was daddy/daughter day. I slept in for a full 8 hours of sleep. Then got up did breakfast and then hiked to the living room. Both girls made the whole hike on their own two feet. They even had enough energy to play at the park afterwards, the slurpee might have helped with that :) Then I had just enough time to squeeze in a run before the daddy/daughter dance. My wife has been organizing this for a few months now and spent most of last night and this morning setting up the final touches. It went very well. We all had fun including a real horse and carriage ride.

The run that I squeezed in was almost identical to my March 17th run. Up and down Emigration Canyon. It was considerably warmer today and about the same about of tail wind going up. But that meant about the same amount of head wind coming down, yuck. There were times it felt like I was being pushed back. I was not up for that challenge today. There had to have been 200 cyclists out there and about three other runners.

10 mi up Avg. 7:26 HR 165
10 mi dwn Avg. 6:15 HR 171

Very long day. I was in lab until after 2AM and not asleep until 3AM. Luckily I could sleep in. However, then it was a day of work. Finally took a breather at 5pm for a BBQ dinner with the neighbors followed by a stadium loop run with John, then back to work until 1AM... Oh boy!!! 

Avg. 8:42 HR 126

AM: Slept in a little then direct commute run. Another busy day but felt good about what I got accomplished. 

Mi 2.5 Avg. 9:41 HR 134

PM: Such a great day out. A&W commute run home. Then after dinner and some playtime with the girls back to lab. About to call it a night. I can't do after midnight three nights in a row anymore...

Mi 6 Avg. 7:18 HR 146

AM: Well I didn't exactly stick to plan and up not going to sleep until late again. Fortunately, I was able to sleep in a little. Then I did the A&W commute in.

Mi 6 Avg. 9:20 HR 137

PM: Today was busy but good. Then ended it with the A&W in reverse.

Mi 6.5 Avg. 8:00 HR 133

AM: For the first time since last Thursday I was in bed before 1am. However, I had an early experiment today so still not much sleep... The experiment went well and now time for some food and back to the computer. Direct commute run.

Mi 2.5 Avg. 10:14 HR 131

PM: Well sleep deprived or not I wanted a longer run home. I did the Memory Grove/Downtown commute run home. It is nice except the climb up 13th south, that is a killer.

Mi 10 Avg. 7:25 HR 144

AM: Slept in this morning. No experiments. It felt nice. Then did the A&W commute run in.

Mi 6 Avg. 9:51 HR 130

PM: A relatively good day. Pieces off of items but still a long way to go... Luckily May has 31 days. Did reverse A&W + a little home. Then after some playtime and bedtime with the girls back to work.

Mi 7 Avg. 7:35 HR 143

Single run today. Just did the A&W commute in. Happy Friday everyone.

Avg. 9:18 HR 142

Up early to get in a workout. Not as much as I would have liked but I needed to do some work this morning. Then a fun family day. A walk, some pool time, errands, and ended with a burger and shake from B&D. Then back to the computer for a couple hours.

The run went well. Not as fast as I would have liked either but I've upped my mileage and downed my sleep so I'll take anything at this point. The two 5Ks are very different and I decided due to time and fatigue to scrap the third repeat.

1 mile warm-up 9:00 HR 128

5K 17:38 Avg. 5:41 HR 175

1 mile recovery 8:32 HR 146

5K 18:32 Avg. 5:57 HR 168 (75 ft less descent and 50 ft more ascent)

5 mile cool-down Avg. 8:18 HR 146

It is what it is. When my alarm went off at 5am this morning I promptly turned it off and got up at 8am with the girls. It wasn't a planned day off but probably a needed one. Got in some pre-birthday fun after church with work sprinkled before and after.

AM: The problem with taking time off of work is it has to be made up somewhere. I'm glad I took the family time this weekend but the deadline is still there for this week. So I was at lab until 1:30am. Not to sleep until after 2am. Luckily I could sleep in a little this morning. Direct commute run.

Mi 2.5 Avg. 9:06 HR 134

PM: After a long day I did the A&W plus SugarHouse commute run home.

Mi 7.5 Avg. 7:18 HR 149

AM: Ran with Thomas this morning. This is something we've talked about before but only our second successful attempt. It was nice to have the company on this longer run in. The weather was perfect for running this morning. Did the Memory Grove commute.

Mi 11 Avg. 8:32 HR 138

PM: Left work a little early to surprise my daughter when she got home from school for her birthday. Then we had a low key evening. After a slightly later bedtime back to work... Big deadline tomorrow and then again next Tuesday. After that things will get easier I mean more hectic. One thing off the to do list and two things on... :)

Mi 2.5 Avg. 7:49 HR 143

AM: Commute run in plus.
Was ihn nicht umbringt, macht ihn stärker.
-Friedrich Nietzsche Twilight of the Idols (1888)
This was my work mantra back in 2011, and has definitely come up in a number of other instances. Yesterday was no exception. I had a great day, work went well, daughter's birthday went well, and even the writing I did went well. But at 3am when I finally left lab I was wiped. Slept in a little this morning and straight back to it. Today's deadline was an intermediate one. The biggie is next week although my to do list will not get any shorter after that the hard and fast deadlines will be calm for about a month.

Mi 3 Avg. 9:30 HR 144

PM: Slightly longer A&W commute run home.

Mi 6.5 Avg. 7:29 HR 142

AM: That is not a typo. I did get 8 hrs of sleep last night. I was in bed by 9:30pm! That is probably the first time this year I was in bed that early. In fact it was probably the first time in a few years... I then did the Memory Grove commute run in. Even with the extra sleep I was dragging this morning but the run went well. 

Avg. 9:03 HR 140