Age is just a number.

AM-No time this morning so I just went out for a 2 mile jog very easy this morning, no time taken and I almost forgot to log it in. 60% mhr. 8-9 min pace.

PM-Another Oval workout tonight with nobody around on the track really which was good because I I did not have to contend with the usual traffic on lane 1.  I was feeling ok but not snappy however, and it took some convincing from mind to the legs that this was no time to just cruise and enjoy the scenery.  The first 6 miles went at about 6-6:10/mi excluding warmup. That part felt ok but accelerating past that felt foreign and my stomach later revealed that it also did not want to cooperate!  I am beginning to believe more and more as get older you really have to pay attention to your diet. When your twentysomething you can get away with the garbage because your metabolic processes work so much better but as you age the garbage in garbage out rule applies more and more.  I am embarassed to say this but what finally kicked me into gear was a couple of  high school cross country guys who were trying to show off for a couple of girls skating on the inner ice.  I thought at first nah, I'll let them have their fun and wait. But then one them looked to the side at me as he passed as if he were giving me that "catch me if you can"' kind of look.  "THATS IT! So you boys wanna race I thought to myself". I slowly began to reel them back in and nodded as  I went by, and then after 20 meters I would slow and let them come up again and then wave as I took off.  Hey, I know what your thinking, Steve is so immature.. but I say you gotta do what you gotta do to get the workout in right?   Dark Horse out.  

12 miles total with 5 miles at 5:18-5:24/mi.  Cooldown and light stretching afterwards.  

Busy day for me and thats all I have to say about it. I was really hoping to get an 80 mile week in but somehow only managed 70 and yes, I feel like I'm slacking but sometimes you just have to go with the flow and do the best you can.  I know that 70 is a lot for some people and in perspective I agree but when you compete at a high level it is not enough to get to the top or even near it.   I wish I could go back to the days when I first started to run. Running then was a very enjoyable, almost creative way of  being.  I suppose I should really focus on savoring and being grateful for what God has given me and not always moaning the fact as to why I can't be more.  I am grateful.. I just need to feel it when I run now.  

6 miles/ treadmill at 6:30-6/min mi. 1 mile warmup with 3 at 6:30ish and the last 2 at 6min/mi. 70-80% mhr.

Easy 6 miles today at 6:30-6:42/mi.  Just cruising and enjoying the traffic!

AM-Easy 5 miles at 4:30 am. 7-7:30/mi.  I woke up really early with this idea buzzing through my mind yet again. I want to create a running and coaching program that is geared towards runners of most abilities. However, I'm not interested in doing an elite program. I want to form a weekly group of people who want to run but are not quite sure how to go about it and who also may have unique obstacles and challenges.  I called  Kinkos today and got a quote on some things. Talked with a couple of friends of mine in the buisness world. and we all thought it was a great idea.  I'm going to supplement it with personal consultation and e-mail complete with an outline of individual goals. Possibly a group compact also. If anyone is interested in either joining or assisting me please send me a private message and we can disscuss this more closely.  I have to go now to meet with somebody who is interested in joining this group.  I am really on fire about doing something like this as I could have used something like this in the beginning for support and education.

PM-Medium effort LT session of 4x1 mile at Dimple Dell recreation center. 5:20-5:28/mile pace effort. 1 lap easy recovery. 85-90% mhr.  12 miles total for the workout.

Easy 8 mile recovery run tonight on the mill. 6-7/min pace with the bulk of the run around 6:40/mi or so.  Watched the Big Idea on CNBC to get through the mill workout. 8 miles total at 70-75% mhr with 1 mile at 80% mhr.

Medium pace aerobic resistance run at 5:45-6/min/mi. This is a progressive workout I learned from reading about the training methods of Canova the great Italian coach who produces the best distance runners in the world including Olympic champ Stefano Baldini. I love this workout because it gives me the most bang for the aerobic buck without wasting a lot of time training or recovering. It also teaches the body and mind to run more efficiently at marathon pace slowly easing in and out of your steady state until you start to feel comfortable and efficient.  3 miles at 6/min smoothly transitioning to 5:45/mi for 3 more miles. 80-85%mhr. 7th east out and back course. Felt smooth and strong at the end.  Slow cooldown with some stretching and drills for 15 min.     Dark Horse out..

Easy 8 miles tonight on the 7th east loop.  No time, just easy jogging. Nice to see the sun out again hallelujiah!  Awesome run.    Dark Horse out.

Tough race today as Sasha had more umph at the end and I just had more peanut butter in my legs! He is a tough one to crack at all to begin with. We had fun though and I helped Benjamin get through his own trial of fire at the end. Overall, good conditions and good organization. Just gotta put more miles in I guess. I logged a total of 59 miles for the week and I really need to get 80 for optimal results.

I have a new coaching website up and once I get some more functionality to it I will tag it to the Fastrunning blog. It is going to have weekly training articles and a place to post comments and receive info on how to obtain more personalised instruction. Well, I better get moving as it's getting dark and I'm getting hungry too. I don't run well on an empty stomach. And those of you who know me know that if I lose any more weight I will probably dissappear!

Dark Horse out..

AM-4 easy miles of jogging just to help circulation and recovery some more.

PM-6 miles total with 4 miles in 6:55, 6:45, 6:33 and 6:05 respectively. 75-80% mhr. The run felt easy with no undue soreness or stiffness from the 10k. 75-80% mhr. 7th east course out and back.

10 mile medium pace aerobic resistance run on the mill at 6-6:30/mi. 75-80% mhr. I have been busy but you can see the basic outline of my new site here at Salt Lake Running Coach

When the site is fully functional it will have some really useful content including tips of the trade, and podcasts from different runners and events around state. More yet to come! We will eventually have a group training run once things get more settled in place. For now, send me a private message if you have any inquiries or questions you would like to be answered.

AM-5 easy miles on the Sandy Parkway. No time or heart rate data just cruised and meditated about  HOW IN THE WORLD I AM GOING TO RUN AT THRESHOLD PACE 3 TIMES IN A 24 HR PERIOD!!  It's going to be a test of toughness and intuition mixed with a little bit of attitude...   Whatever happens though it's gonna be one heck of a lot of fun at Del Sol this weekend.  I am totally pumped for us to rock!

PM-10 miles easy at the track. 6:30-6:45/mi avg pacing. 70-75% mhr. Cooldown and stretching afterwards.

AM-Easy day with 6 miles total at 70-75% mhr. 6:45-7/min per mile.  Icy today, almost felt as if I should have worn ice skates!

AM-4 easy miles at 7/min pace average with pickups to 6:30/mi. at the end. Quality to come later in the evening. I thinking of getting a dog for company. Anybody want a parrot?

PM-A good steady 10 mile run tonight at 6-6:30/mile. 70-80% mhr.  Long run with marathon pace work planned for tomorrow later in the day.  

AM-Today was a grueling but interesting workout. The run started out kind of sluggish but quickly picked up in tempo after mile two. I finished the AT segment and after a couple of easy laps settled into a 5:30/mile pace. Other than it being the usual chicken run type of workout, it was actually a really fast and fun session. I can't rememeber when I was running this well on this amount of mileage. I seem to be hitting a good balance of intensity and distance while also being wise not to let the energy pie be eaten quickly this year. The workout total was 17 miles with 13 at 5:20-5:33 per mile. Stretching afterwards with some form drills also. Dark Horse out...

Presidents day run tonight. As I ran up into the hills I kept thinking about the account of George Washington's vision of the three great perils that were given to him by a heavenly messenger. This  vision foretold the struggle and destiny of the United States.  I had read this earlier today and had also stumbled upon Helaman chapter 8.  And it was like wow! The parallels were frightening and uncanny to say the least..   I may write about this sometime but for now I need to get going.  Dark Horse out.  

10 miles easy at 6-6:30/mile.  7th and Draper loop.

AM-4 miles of easy running on the treadmill at 60-65% mhr 7:30-8/min/mile pace.

PM-Out to the Jordan River temple and past it for a change of pace tonight. Stopped for a while to see the interesting stained glass and design. Beautiful design all around. Turned around at Merit medical and headed for home.  10 miles at 6:40/mile average.

On another another note, as I turned in for the final sprint I suddenly became airborne and landed flat on my back knocking my head while getting a nice pain in the rear! ICE! And out of nowhere to boot. I think when we get to Arizona I may just literally run away and stay there!

Dark Horse out..... Ouch.

AM-Easy 5 miles untimed, just kept it easy and the heart rate between 60-70% mhr. 

PM-Fartlek run with up to 10 min stretches at  LT-Marathon pace effort. Estimate 6-7 miles worth .  It was interesting with the ice dictating the pace and effort.  5:30-6:00/mile pace for 6 miles with warmup and cooldown.  I picked a pretty hilly route that I have not run in a while which really did wonders for my hill running ability last year.  Sandy-Dimple Dell route.  Dark Horse out...

AM-6 miles easy this morning especially with the weather being so nasty. Untimed, just easy running at 65-70% mhr. Felt surprisingly good this morning considering last nights hill charge of the ice brigade! Yeah, I know I'm weird...

Dark Horse out.

PM-6 miles at 6 min/mile pace on the mill at 1.5% incline with 6 pickups to 5:20/mile for a minute each at  the end to practice form and smooth running.  Felt good to run wild a little tonight, so to speak.

Just 8 easy miles in anticipation of the 15k tomorrow...  Sandy Parkway trail. 7-7:30/mi. 65-70% mhr.

OK, I'm a tad obsessive compulsive. I ran a few more miles after the race. With a busy race schedule starting already, you get creative about getting in your long run!

Anyway, All I can say is hmm... I did my best, even to the point where at the end of the race I thought I was going to hack up a lung. Last mile in 5:15. I'll take that anyday. Dark Horse out...

AM-Easy 6 miles to ensure more recovery from the 15 k on Saturday. 6:45-7:00/mile. 70-75% mhr. 

PM-Feeling pretty good tonight so I decided to go for a steady state run at 80+% mhr. 5 miles at  6 minute/mile pace. Treadmill at 1-2% incline. This is how it's supposed to feel when you run. 10 miles total with  stretching afterwards. 

AM-Easy 6 miles this morning on the 7th east loop. 6-6:40/mile pace range. I think I like this new profile picture better...

PM- 9 miles easy-medium at 6:43/mile average. 70-75% mhr. Check out the new extended video of Pre in the 72 Munich Olympics, One of my favorites! www.saltlakerunningcoach

Just 5 easy miles today before leaving for Del Sol.

Easy 9 miles in the streets of Phoenix this morning. I was awake before anyone else so I took advantage and went to the patio area of the hotel and watched the sun come up over the desert. What a beautiful place, giant Saguaro cactii everywhere interspersed with prickly pear and and various other plantings. It was a welcome relief from the cold and dreariness of wintertime.

PM-Anticipating the start of the relay this evening. Just over 150 teams from all over the country I've been told. I feel very confident and not worried for some reason. I think it's because I have seen the ability and character of these guys I'm with today and it gives me total confidence in our team. Dark Horse out..

Well I kind of screwed up the date of my previous entry as it was supposed to be on this date. I'm not going to worry about it much however.  This evening was all about coordination and getting ready for the start of the big event with cracking open the race bible and studying the the various legs of the event.  And mainly just hanging out.