Age is just a number.

AM-Went for 6 easy miles this morning. 65-75% mhr. 6:30-7:30/mi. Made a point to eat a decent breakfast of granola and fruit this morning. I was reading on the MSNBC website where a man who is currently on his 63rd consecutive marathon in 63 days consumes 8-10,000 calories a day!  That made me stop and really analyze the diet in some other aspects.  Making progress though and I'm feeling it already. Frequency is a big factor on this.

PM- Ran into some time issues tonight. 5 miles easy. 6:30-6:45/mi. pace into Draper township and back. With the exception of all the auto traffic I really enjoy running into this area. Its really rustic unlike the newer developments.

AM-Got 5 miles in on the treadmill easy this morning. No time taken. Just enjoyed the run.

AM-Arrived home this morning from my run and turned on FOX news channel to Ryan Shays premature passing. It kind of hit me like a brick as it was the last thing I expected to see. Yet another reminder of how mortal we really are.  Rest in peace Ryan..

Congratulations everyone on their efforts at the trials race. I wish I could have been there to share the excitement and joy you must have all felt. I look forward to seeing all of your race reports about your experiences today.

      Went for 4x5 minutes hard at 5k pace effort with equal recovery lengths. Cooldown for 2 miles at 7-8min pace or so.  10 miles total.

AM-Got up today and went for a meditation run on the Jordan river trail. I felt very stiff from yesterdays VO2 max workout so just nice easy miles were in order today. Ran into Bill and Demetrio towards the end of my run. Talked about the trials yesterday etc. Nice to see you out there again Bill.  Felt better after the run. 13 miles total in 1:34:37 /7-8min/mile pace.

Went for ten easy miles today at 6:40-7/min/mi. Felt really easy. I can't believe that I'm already chomping at the bit to race again. Dark horse is jumping the corral again!

AM-This is one of those days where you wonder why we even bother with this obsession we call running.  It's cold, it's dark, and you feel like your still asleep as you trip over the doorway on your way out. But it's like Sasha says, it's faith, unshakeable faith that somehow this is really worthwhile and ultimately it will pay dividends someday.  My wife tells me 90% of the battle is won by those who just show up all the time. Wise woman.. /  4 miles easy at 60-70% mhr. More later.

PM-Easy 6 miles on the treadmill tonight with my son Ian. Got him set up on the treadmill after my run. He has really surprised me by showing a real willingness to run with his dad. He has begged me for an eternity to run with me so I took him to the clubhouse had him jog on the treadmill for half a mile. He has such rapid turnover! Short legs do that for you I guess. That whole principle of the lever you know.

6 miles progressive from warmup to finish. THR-138-142 bpm at 6/min/mi. 1.0% incline. and 5:32/mi 148-154bpm 1.0% incline.

AM-Went for an awesome Lactate threshold run that had me smiling at the end 2x10 min at 10k effort with 2 min of slower running at 7/min pace in between sets.  Ran into Penny after my run and she is going to let me borrow her Garmin to make sure the distance is accurate tomorrow.  8 miles total. 1 mile in 5:45 transitioning into cooldown.

PM-5 miles easy tonight around 7/min pace. No time. Felt pretty good considering todays LT workout. I think a few more runs like this and I should be able to have some fun at a couple of 5k's this holiday season. I'm hoping if I do this and keep the mileage moderate I will be able to go into the base period at a high level to begin with.

AM-Easy 6 miles this morning through the bench loop in Draper. I am trying to get in some good aerobic miles. 6:30-6:45/mi. avg range. Hilly route.

PM-No run, Surprise arrival.

Well, we got a special delivery from above last night as I was headed out. You see, my son Aaron made his appearance for the first time. He weighs in at a solid 7 lbs 13oz. Aaron is very calm and serene for a new baby and gives me a strong impression of being a noble spirit. For some reason Aaron of the Old Testament comes to mind when I hold him.  Aaron was not only Moses's spokesman but was a great peacemaker among the people of Israel. I pray that my son will aspire to be like him.  Needless to say there are things other than running that fill my time right now, and I love every minute.

AM-Thanks everybody for your congrats, that was really nice. Everything is going well. Mom and baby are doing really well and I am doing extremely well!

Got up early today and went for an AT run to Draper township and back. Started out at a quick but comfortable pace and after a mile began to really push the pace going down 7th east. 3x10 minutes at 10k-5k pace with 2 min in between at a good clip. This is one nasty but effective workout because the pace is faster than a standard tempo run but with slower breakups so that you don't build up too much lactic acid and defeat the purpose of the workout. Newer research says that the production of lactic acid actually fuels the muscles and prevents fatigue, to a point. In fact it's said now that there is no such thing as a threshold, only various proportions of aerobic and anaerobic energy production. This may be old news for some of you and if you want, feel free to elaborate on this subject with what you know. This newer research contradicts in a sense what I was taught about the cardiovascular model. But then again maybe not... Maybe the effect of LT running is not just to buffer but also enable the muscles to produce more power by consuming more and more lactate at higher intensity levels. Kind of like supercharging a car I suppose. I'm not sure because I'm not a scientist, but I believe the most optimal way now to achieve a high end steady state is to workout at the 10k intensity for as long as possible with short rest intervals between. But only after a solid phase of aerobic training however. Just a hunch I have after experimenting with various methods and patterns of training for a long time. After you have been at this for a while you get a pretty good sense of what is working and what isn't. Again, only more time will tell though. Slow cooldown afterwards. Light stretching and drills for 15 min.

AM-I managed to get Penny's Garmin up and running. What a cool toy! But I'm not sure that I want to shell out the money to buy one still. Distance measurements were within feet actually actually at some points of what I had measured with an odometer or by just plain pacing things out by my own pace sense. But there were a couple that came up short and others I had overshot by .05 or so in places.  Real time pace measurement has a lag that is a little annoying, making it difficult to correlate heart rate data from my own monitor. Otherwise I would love to get this for Christmas from one of my relatives who may be reading this. Hint, Hint.

11 miles total. 1:10:37 with warmup and cooldown.

PM-5 miles easy. No time, just ran as I felt.

AM-Easy wakeup run up and back through the Draper foothills. 6 miles 7:10 avg. Windy on the way up. But nice on the way back. Could not even hear my footsteps. 70+% mhr range.

PM-I managed to get out for an easy 4 mile run this evening. 7-7:20/mi. avg.

AM-The "Eventful Half Marathon" this morning up to the Draper trail and South Mountain area. Tough going up but worth it for the strength that this workout gives. 4 miles at 5:48-6:00/mi going up. 1mile jog, then 4x4 min hard going up and down with equal rest interval times. Yuck! Talk about lactic city on the ups. Cooldown and light stretching. 1:19:21 total time. Going to feel this one in the legs on tomorrows recovery run I think.

PM- Easy 6 miles out and about. 65-70 percent mhr. No time. 

Easy 5 miles this morning for recovery. 7:02 avg pace/mi. 70% mhr avg. I am thinking of doing a race soon to break up the training routine a little.

PM-Another easy 5 miles at 6:45-7:20 pace. 70-75% mhr. Sandy 7th east route.  

AM-Ran a mediu-easy 6 miler down towards the JT trail and back. Took Garmin and a monitor with me to get a rough aerobic pace test. 7-7:06/mi at 118-122 bpm. roughly 70% mhr. Aerobic profile actually improved a bit today. Moved to a 6:00 min pace at 144 bpm and 5:34/mi at 154 bpm. Cooldown for a mile and light stretching. Got an appointment to see a chiropractor this afternoon and I'm looking forward to it as I have noticed that my armswing feels off along with some tightening on my right hamstring muscle. This may be cutting into my economy and form but I'm not sure however.

I decided that I was not going to race yet after everything happening lately but I couldn't resist. Especially when there is cash and fabulous prizes to be had.  The race was run 4 laps around the park about half on the grass and half on the pathways. Down about 1% incline one side and then back up on the grass and through the trees. Then up and over the bridge and around the duck pond.  Last year they ran only 3 laps and some people said that they came up way short on distance so I'm not sure how accurate this course was. But it was basically a cross country course and a heck of a lot fun especially when you are lapping people and they are cheering you on. I almost fell into the creek trying to get around somebody on the bridge!  Afterwards I went home with a $100 dollar check and a smile on my face. I kinda like this cross country running thing, my only regret is I wish I had done it when I was younger also.

AM-Easy distance day of 10 miles. Going to start a buildup now that I have had some easier weeks to recoup from racing. 10 miles easy. No time.
PM-Another 10 miles easy out to South Mountain and back while listening to some vintage New Order/ Joy Division. What can I say I'm a child of the 80's!  6:45/7min/mi. Stretching afterwords. Boy that chiro did me a lot of good. He is a good aquaintance of  Paul and Jame's chiropractor. I can actually touch my toes now.

AM-LT run this morning up to Draper trail point and back via State St. First warmup mi was a little quick coming in at 7:01. Started my watch for 3x11 minutes with 2 min slow recovery at 7-7:30/mi. Mainly effort based. Last mile downhill 114th in 5:13/mi pace. Short cooldown because of time restrictions.

PM-6 miles easy 7-7:30/mi. with 8min mile warmup. Neighborhood loop. Getting raw out here tonight.

AM-Aerobic resistance ten miler this morning down to the trail and around the bridge. I had a rather sobering observation this morning. I was looking at a Japanese website of the Chiba International Eikeden half-marathon and if you think you are really good, take a look at this race beacause it has a way of bringing you back down to reality. A 1:10 half pr might get you 400th place. And a 1:08, mmm, maybe 300th if you have room and enough gas to have any sort of kick at the end. The Japanese do not fool around when it comes to racing, hundreds of guys running at 5/min/mi pace or so in this race. The training and organization of clubs, camps, coaches and especially runners blows me away. I can't help but wonder what the United States could produce with a system like that. It really made me standback for a minute and a rather long one at that. Makes ya kind of wonder what it is really possible. / 10 miles total/ 6-6:41/mi avg. pace. /

PM-Easy 5 miles at 6:45-7:04. 7:30/mi. warmup. 7th east rolling loop course. Had to edit the early morning entry for errors. I need to go back to school and learn how to write properly!

AM- Slept in today because I was so tired from waking up so often. Babies don't know how to tell time and have voracious appetites you know.. But I still managed to get 4 miles in before Thanksgiving dinner. Since my wife just had a baby my Dad and Mom took the whole family to Little America this year which was absolutely decadent but so good. yummm...  King Crab, Turkey and all the trimmings topped off with freshly dipped chocolate strawberries for dessert. Thanks Dad, that was great.

PM- Waited 6 hrs to digest the feast I took in today and started a very slow jog which gradually wound into a nice run. Finished at a pretty good clip. Last mile in 6:42/mi. Total time-6 miles in 45:06.

Easy 8 miles today and no more because of everything going on today. Tired and a little down today. 7-7:30/mi pace out and back on 106th.

AM-Good workout today with 12 miles total overall. 3 mile aerobic resistance. 6-6:32/mi going up to the course. Ran 4x1mile in 5:13, 5:13, 5:10, 4:57. Last mile was tough but definitely doable. Fun too! All with a 1 min rest interval. Draper Park road mile. 1% down then back 1% up for half mile approximately. turned for home after a minute easy and slowly wound back up to MP speed. 5:48-5:17/mi pace back down to home. 1:19 last quarter at 154 bpm. Things are starting to feel sharp, but it is unfortunately time to phase out the hard workouts and concentrate on base building again.

PM-8 miles very easy on the treadmill at 7-8min/mi. at 1% incline. 59 :37 total time. 7/min mi at 118-124 bpm THR. 65-70% MHR.

AM-10 miles easy in 1:10:11 up through Wasatch boulevard and back. last 4 miles down at 6:42-6:36/mi. Relaxing..

PM-Starting to feel recovered this evening so I listened to my body and pushed a little. 6 miles with 4 miles at 5:36-6min/mi. Felt ridiculously easy this evening. 7th east loop.

AM-Gotta love Monday, just getting in a workout can be challenging at times. Went out for a quick one this morning. 4 miles at 7-7:30/mi. 65-70% mhr.

PM-VO2 max run during lunch hour. 2x1.5mi  in 7:28 and 7:22. THR-165-170 bpm. 2 min rest interval at 7min pace. Felt really smooth on my form and footstrike. 7th east run. 2 mile cooldown. Beautiful weather this afternoon with only a slight breeze. 7 miles total.

AM-6 mile recovery run this morning. Started out at a nice easy pace and worked up to 6:30ish pace for the last three miles. Out towards the JRT and back up to home. Kind of freakish how I experienced three different temp shifts on the way out. First it felt like 40+ then 20 or so then back to mid 40s and it's really not that much of an elevation change-200 ft total maybe.

PM1-8 miles on my lunch hour. No time but somewhere around 6:30 pace. Toweled off, changed real quick and went back to work outside. Feels good to run at this time of day as I feel re-energized going back to work. Tough to eat on the go however. PB@J with an orange and apple. Made a huge difference going into my next run instead wolfing down a convienience store burrito. Less fallout afterwards too!

PM2-6 miles on the treadmill at 7-7:30/mi. 65-70% mhr. Felt good but I was really hungry afterwards. Weighed in at 136 lbs. Yikes! and I'm 6'2! Alan Culpepper is the same height and weight to give you an idea so that may not be a bad thing.

AM-6 miles easy at 7/ min pace. Icy and brrrr this morning. 

PM1-8 miles at 6:30 ish pace during lunch. Nice to see the sun finally! 

PM2-6 mile aerobic pace test on the treadmill tonight. Encouraging to say the least. 6/min-7:30/mile pace. 65-80% mhr. Gotta get to bed soon so no long entrys tonight.

AM-9 miles this morning with 6 aerobic resistance aka Tinman Tempo miles all sub-six with 2 coming down back home at 5:28 and 5:34. 7th east course. Excellent workout that worked well for me this morning. Comin back for more later. Still wearing shorts, none those sissy tights for me! Just kidding, I say that as I'm getting ready to head out to the garage to look for some in storage somewhere.

PM-6 miles tonight easy-medium pace. Started out loafing through the back alley and then opened up to what Sasha calls "Impress the Public Pace." Sorry Sasha, I just thought that was funny the way you coined that term. He is right however and I too have been guilty on occasion, but it felt ok and I was having fun so what the heck let's go for a little fartlek run. 6 miles total, no time. Draper Christmas loop.

AM-6 miles easy on the Sandy Parkway trail. 60-70% mhr. 

PM-6 miles easy tonight on the treadmill at 60-70% mhr. Long run tomorrow with a few MP miles added in so just real easy miles. Lots of miles this week. I say to heck with the 10% rule! Who made that up anyway?  Just use common sense when you increase and listen to your body for heaven sake. George Sheehan once said "We are all an experiment of one"  I like that.