Age is just a number.

AM-Recovery run for 6 miles at 7-8/min pace. Rio loop.  Last 3 miles felt really easy at 6:50-7/min pace.  Last 2.5 timed at 17:27.  

PM-Debated about a second but I really need to be fresh for work tomorrow.  Besides, it's a recovery day and I need to keep the mileage pattern varied.  Peaks and valleys..

PM-13 miles easy to medium effort.  Down to JRT and back home.  Hotter than hades again..

AM-Easy aerobic maintenance run of 12 miles with first 6 at 7-7:30/mile and the last 6 miles at 6:30-6:40ish range. 114th old home loop.  Still dehydrated a bit from yesterday evening.  But 76 F this morning felt cool compared to lately.  Stretching after..  Reminder to drink more fluids as I'm starting to cramp up now.

PM-Easy 6 miles at 7-30 with last 2 at 6:30ish pace. 90-92 F temp. 7th and 100th out and back.  This one is revealing this evening as my legs were tired but once warmed up I just cruised at a lower exertion than say a month before. Sooo.. I was thinking that good it's time to cut back the mileage and start a really good taper.

AM-VO2 max intervals today consisting of 10x2 min as hard as possible with 2 min run recovery.  According to my last interval which is a precise measured distance that gives me roughly 4 miles of VO2 work. Very satisfied with this run today and I wanted to run more, but more is just going to take too long to recover maximally in time for the marathon.  /Total time-1:11:33/5:57/avg pace./

PM-Family needed me tonight.  Besides, the hay is in the barn now anyway. 

 TEGENKAMP IN 12:58!!     BRUSSELLS 5OO0 M  First Ritz, then Teg.   Is this the beginning of breaking the psychological wall against the Africans? 

AM-Easy 5 miles at 6:30/7min/mile pace.  33:30 total time.  Run later this evening when Kim gets home and can be with the kids.  

PM-Nah.. not really needed.  At this point for me I have pretty much done all I can do until after St George.  Time to just maintain and recharge the batteries :)

Easy 6 miler this morning on the Rio loop.  6:30ish-40ish pace for most of the run.  Very relaxing, I love this time of the morning because it sets a good tone for the day. 

Easy 10 miles with 6 miles in 1:00:32. 6:03/mile average with a quick warmup. Legs felt ok good. Quarry bend and 7th east route up past the Credit Union.  Last 5 miles at 5:44, 5:41, 5:20, On the flat; 5:46, and 5:38.  Pretty solid run in spite of the heat again. 86-90 F.  Slight headwind at the end.

AM-Easy wake up run with 6 miles at 6:45-7/min pace.  7th out and back. Much cooler even at 11 AM it was only 73 F!  I'll take that any day vs 90 plus.  

PM- Went for a walk..

AM-Easy 4 miles before work. 7:30-8/min pace.  Very cool this morning. Nice..

PM-Easy 8 miles with 6 at 6:30-6:50/mile.  Quarry bend  and library out and back. 86-90 F.

Easy 6 miles at 6:40-7:30 pace.  41:48/total time.  7th and 13th east loop.  

I'd blog and run more this evening but I have found a new project for my other hobby!  I restore antique radios and yesterday I ran across an old 1936 RCA tombstone radio.  Got the power supply functioning today with a new line cord and tubes seem to be ok so far.   Now Im waiting for parts to recap the rest of the circuitry.  The cabinet is in remarkable shape for it's age with only some lemon oil needed to bring out the veneer.  I know.. kind of a strange dork hobby, but it's mine and I love doing it whenever the opportunity comes around.    This will definitely help me cope with taper madness..

AM-5 miles in 32:35 with 16:50/15:45 for 2.5 each.  One half mile at 5:34/mi pace at the end.   Legs felt ok and were full with glycogen as the warmup was rather quick.  I felt like I was on autopilot and became aerobic in less than a mile it seemed.  This is a good sign I think as it tells me I'll be ready to rock in a week hopefully.  Just gotta hold back now.

PM-12 mile progressive on 7th with 2 at 5:50-6:10 and the last 4 in 22:46 at 5:33-5:46/mile.  80-82 F with slight headwind for the last 6 miles.  Tired from the all nighter at work last night but managed to get it done after a short rest this morning.   May jog later this evening or not depending on how tired I am.  Out..

PM-Felt better after some sleep and moving around doing some laundry.  Went out into the cool breeze and put in a total of 6 miles.  First 3 in 22:53 with the last 3 in 18:50.  41:53 total time.  Parkway trail.  73 F. 

Easy 6 miles at 7-7:30/mile.  Trax loop.  42:46 total time.  Felt very relaxing this morning.  Not much else of note except I'm a little nervous about this weekend.  Numbers and gut instinct say I should break 2:30 but that is only if everything plays out ok.  I'm pushing 40 now and things get tricky sometimes in terms of recovery and speed.  When your 20 something you can go out and kill yourself with intervals and recover in a day or two.   Not so now, you have to really pay attention to details and not overdo things in the last week.  But I feel like a tiger in a cage you know.

Man I hate tapering.. It can really mess with your mind if you let it.  

Indoor track at the rec center with middle miles in the 5:30-5:34/mile range.  I had to pay 5 bucks just to do it.  I felt like saying; what my tax dollars are not enough already?   What a rip..

Easy 6 miler at 6:40-7/min pace.  half mile stretch at 5:30 ish pace. 7th east out and back.  Going out to look for some material to make a dim bulb tester. This is to make sure I don't get killed testing the transformer in my new project.  

Day off.  Spent the evening with my boys.

Easy 5 miles at 7-8/min mile with the last half mile at MP effort.  35:49 total time.  7th out and back.

Easy 3 miles this morning.  7:30-8/min mile pace.  A 400 meter pickup at the end.  After I get a more aerodynamic haircut I'll be ready to roll on out to Logan and get away for a breather.. 

Hmmm.. I'm not sure how to analyze this one.  Maybe I should not even try you know? Sometimes it is what it is. But it just only seems like yet another mediocre performance.  Arrgh! I'm so damn frustrated I could eat track spikes!  Now mind you for a lot of people this would be a dream time, I understand that all too well.   I remember when my first marathon was in the 3:00 range.  The time today would have seemed akin to landing on the moon.  Well, something like that anyway.

I'm not going to bore everyone with mindless splits and excuses today.  However after thinking everything over I know their are some factors involved still and so for my own future reference I list them.  

1-Age..  Like it or not I'm getting older and feel it's subtle onset.  That sucks but I have to figure out a way to embrace or get out of this sport for good.  The latter being more unappealing than anything.

2- Lack of sleep and crazy life/work schedule.  Just did not want to believe that would hurt me that much if I got creative with naps and such.  Nothing beats a solid 7-8 hrs sleep period.  The most I got was between 4-6 hours if I was lucky.. Tried to compensate with way too many energy drinks and coffee.  Towards the end I started feeling zombie like without it.  Very very bad...

3-Stupid pacing and surging in the beginning miles.  I knew my body was redlining for this distance and didn't listen.  That mistake cost me I'm sure.

4-Stupid training.  I should know better but I'm a hard learner and am a bit compulsive about training on the intensity side especially with MP runs and LT work. Too much volume in that area.  SLOW DOWN!!!   And lastly, not enough winter-spring quality base.  Again, when I say quality I don't mean banging out 10 mile tempo runs in Jan and February!!  Nice and easy aerobic base work with a sprinkling of short fast repeats once in awhile to keep the fast twitchers alive.  Or whats left of them..

5-I wanted it too much..  Result was I fell out of the zone and those of you who have been there will know exactly what I'm talking about. 

Ok, I've licked my wounds and so I'm done and not in the mood any more for this.    I'm getting to self absorbed about this race anyway.   Out..

AM-Easy 4 miles at 8/min pace.  Saw Corbin Talley come into my workplace early today. Talked with him about his ultra event recently and I think he may come back to road racing the way he sounded.  Nice to chat with him for a few.

Nah.. My radio project is calling me now.  Besides, I need to keep some distance away from running to get a better perspective and recovery today.  I want to enjoy it again and not over think this race anymore.  It's like my wife says; it is what it is.   Simple, but yet so true.  Out..

Easy 5 miles this afternoon.  Not much else to say.   I picked up some work today from a friend of a friend doing a repair job on an ultrasonic washer.  This is really good because I've been hoping to start a little home startup on the side of some kind.   I just need to think of some ways to get the word out some more.

No run today.  Letting things recover still.

Easy 6 miles today at 7:30-8/min pace. Quarry bend.  No St George marathon this time,  I just waited way too long to get my entry in.  Just too many uncertainties beforehand.  That's ok I guess because I wasn't really sure if finances were going to permit anyway.  Not!!  At least I'll have some time to train and work on house projects now with hours at work being cut. Tough times for my company this year also. If it's not one thing lately it's another.  I'm just really trying to see the bright side of all this people.   

But there is one more event left on the horizon  this year..

Easy 7 miles at altitude 7-8min pace.  A Beautiful run in color country this morning.

  My wife suggested we leave and get out of town so we packed up the van and the kids and went to Bryce Canyon for an overnight trip. It was National Parks day which gave us free admission to the park and in away made it even more special.  When we got there we found a really cool astronomical party and day hike which proved to be the ticket for us. The hike was nice but rather strenuous for some folks today.  Go figure; 8-9100 feet of altitude, some heat and steep inclines coming back up from the bottom.   Fortunately it was not too much of a problem for me even with a pack and a bambino on piggyback.  You know it got me to thinking how blessed and fortunate I am to have a fit healthy body to do this.  My youngest kept yelling out yaw horsey!  All the way back up to the top!  So what if I did not run as fast I thought to myself afterwards, at least I am strong and healthy to enjoy days like these..   Out.

By the way, I told you it was National Parks day and in commemoration of this PBS has launched it's series;  "The National Parks, America's best idea" and it will be on Sundays at 6 PM MDT.  If you are interested.. 

Easy 6 miles today on the JRT.  No time or pace, Just real easy.

Easy 7 miles on 7th.  7:30 ish average pace.

Easy 10 miles out towards Draper and back on 7th and 13th east.   7-8/min mile. 7:20/avg.