Age is just a number.

11 mi easy on the northern end of the Jordan river trail. A lot of people out today. Must be the New Years resolution bug spreading today. I think I caught it also. I resolve to be consistent and cautious this year in my training. And to fight the good fight...

THR-65-75 percent maximum heart rate.

Worked out at the Olympic Oval tonight for a timed speed workout. I was pleasantly surprised to see and workout with some of the best runners in the state. We ran 20x400m with a 200m jog rest. All in the 69-74 sec range. I ran well with Leon, Dennis and Neal for a while. However, after 17 laps Neal and Dennis started to reel me in and left me with peanut butter in my legs! I might have been able to have hung in better if I had not run the first half so hard. But on the other hand I am not feeling confident enough yet to go toe to toe with them. They are seriously fit competitors...

AM-4 mi. Easy jogging at 60-65 percent mhr.

PM-7 mi. Easy run at 65-70 percent mhr. Both on the treadmill today for better recovery.

Long Run today at the Olympic Oval. I was able to time my splits accurately with the 400m reference points on the track. This was a great help on the last 4 mi in order to get a good feel for marathon pace. First 14mi easy at 70-75 percent mhr. 4 mi at 80-85 percent mhr. 1 mi cooldown.

Went out and slogged 11 miles today. Ugh! I hate snow and ice... THR-60-70 percent mhr.

2x3 mi at Lactate Threshold pace. 3 mi at 17:15 and 17:23 respectively. 3 min jog between sets. Treadmill at 1% incline. THR-156-165 BPM. 72 DEGREES. Comfortably hard, kind of an oxymoron I know but its the only way I know to describe the perceived effort level. Way too much ice on the road and trail to run safely at this pace. Thorough cooldown at 8min-9min pace.

Ran easy today at 65-70% mhr for 8 mi.

Went down to the Jordan river trail and then back up to home. 7-7:30/mi pace. PM-8mi 65-75% mhr after work to unwind. Wanted to run more but I need to take a recovery week in order to consolidate my fitness gains. Unbelievable how icy and uneven the trail is. Spring can not come soon enough! Really gorgeous day however especially upon being greeted by a troupe of ducks near the river. It is truly amazing to me even in the depths of winter how beautiful and resilient God's creatures are.

12 easy mi today on the Sandy and Draper loop today. 65-75% mhr. Speedwork and such tomorrow, so I hope my legs will hold up considering all of the base mileage I have put in lately.

Went for 6 mi in the morning with 3 mi at sub 6 min pace in order to loosen up a bit. I then ran at the Olympic Oval with the gang. Did 4 laps of speed changes then ran a mile in 4:57 then 15x200 meters in 30-33 sec range with a 200 meter float between. Felt a little stuffy today. Ian brought home a little bug from preschool and has openly shared it with us all. Oh well, I'm just glad to be running again.

Ran 10 easy mi today on the Jordan River trail. Still very icy on the Draper-Bluffdale section. 60- 70% mhr.

Ran 10 mi this morning right as the storm kicked up. 4 mi at sub 6min/mi.
After lunch I jumped on the treadmill for 5 easy mi. Easy pace at 7-7:30/mi.
Oh I wish this cold would clear out of my body. My head and eyes at times feel like a big stuffy bowling ball...

Ran a 5 mi AT run at 85-90% mhr  on the treadmill with 2-4% incline every 5 min. This is a good run for me to build strength. Wanted to run more miles but I have been advised to stay between 80-90 mpw.  Starting to feel better today. 

Ran 10 mi today 5 mi at Marathon pace over grade changeing. terrain. Sandy and West Jordan out and back. 80-85% mhr at sub 6min pace. Good run for the day. Feeling a lot better now...

6 easy mi today at 60-70% mhr. Easy run but very cold today.

Ran 10 easy mi. Draper and West Jordan out and back. Felt like Frankenstein for the first couple of mi as cold as it was this morning. How does the old saying go? Whatever doesn't make you strong will only make you sick? Someday, in some weird way all of this will have meaning to it... THR-70-80% mhr.

AM-5 mi. Easy run this morning at 60-70 percent mhr.

PM- Track workout at the Olympic Oval this evening. 1x800m in 2:15 and 10x 400m in 64-70 sec range thereabouts. Last rep in 64 sec. 400m float  jog at 8 min pace between reps.

Decent workout today. Felt more at ease in my form overall even though the 800m pace on the first lap felt strange.  First lap in 70 sec with the last in 65sec.  9 miles total.

Recovery run on the Jordan River trail, Took it easy today and just kind of meandered along. Still quite a bit of ice and snow on the trail.  THR-60-70% mhr.  The temp for the first time this week seems tolerable for once.

Jogged  6 miles today.  Might go more later if  I'm feeling better.  This cold is not over yet I guess.    Was starting to feel  a lot better on Monday but it seems to have taken a progressive toll that showed in todays and yesterdays workout.  I think I will just jog and take it easy for awhile.

I read Colossians 3:23-24 this morning at another bloggers site. This helped me to find strength this morning. It's starting to become difficult to keep work and running compatible. But I believe if the Lord wants me to qualify for the trials he will lay out the path to do so. Demetrio and Sasha both have told me that I have the ability. I believe so too...

Ran easy 6mi today. 7-7:30/mi. Very conservative this week especially with this cold now. I learned about the importance of cutting back your training load by as much as 1/3 every month to consolidate fitness gains. This was from Lance Armstrong's coach Chris Carmichael.  So having to drop back as far as 60 miles this week does not seem so bad. I just can't hang out here very long! After this week I will move back to 80-90mpw for a while. This will probably be the sweet spot for training load coupled with the intensity and frequency levels in place now. Has anyone read about Renato Canova's methods? I'd like some opinions and feedback about him.

8 mi med/easy pace. Starting to feel a little better today especially after the run. The air was quite tasty today too... But the run seemed to help clear some of the cold symptoms. I'm guessing it elevated my metabolism and that's what helped me feel better. Whatever, it worked. No time or heart rate today. Just ran as I felt and tried to enjoy it.

6 mi run before work today. 65-70% mhr.  This nasty cold is almost gone and finally some decent weather for running today!  Gotta get to work...

Ran 10 mi today with 6 mi at 6-6:10/mi keeping a steady effort. Good workout. PM-6 mi through the Sandy-Draper loop. Avg pace for 4 mi at 6:15. Took random hr samples at 6min/mi, 146-151 bpm. Cooldown for 1 mi. Felt much better today so I decided to run an aerobic resistance workout today. Some call this the grey area zone where the stress of the workout outweighs the benefit. I disagree thoroughly. This zone is where so many of the best African distance runners run in especially training for the marathon. Renato Canova has his athletes run in this zone often. Mostly in the Long and middle long run. This will develop very specific speed stamina and strength. He stresses that it is not a speed workout and one should not run in this zone too often. This training is most effective after a base period incorporated with speed development and not the other way around. This makes a lot sense to me so I will probably do more of this as I get closer to my goal race. But for now once a week will probably be appropriate. But only time will tell I suppose...

Checkout Pre's indoor mile on You Tube and Ryan Hall's record half marathon on Flocast.com. Thought I would throw that out to anyone who was interested. Especially Pre's indoor mile and interview!  Wow! what a gutsy front running race.

AM-5 miles easy 65 percent mhr. PM-Track workout- 1xmile-5:04, 2x80O in 2:23, 2:22 and 4x400 in 64-67sec.  800m rest in 2:58-3:00 for the mile and 800 set. 1:30-1:40 400 rest between 400m set.  A good  workout today.  Gotta get to bed...

AM-10 easy miles at 65-70% mhr. Jordan River trail. Most of the snow and ice is gone finally on the West Jordan section finally. Made for a nice relaxing run without having to worry about falling on  your rear end !  PM- Did  6 miles easy around  Sandy. 65-70% mhr. Felt a little more loose after the first workout and stretching. Going to keep it slow today since I had a track workout and a longer run tomorrow. But the enforcement of more mileage on myself seems to be working a little now. Only race results will tell  for sure though. Cross my fingers and hope for the best.

Ran 18 mi long run at the Olympic Oval to get heart rate data and to stay out of the inversion. Went easy at 7 min pace for 3 mi then started 12 miles at marathon pace-5:54-5:58/mi. HR-148 bpm. Legs felt kind of heavy today. I need to increase caloric intake of carbohydrates. After 8 mi things started to feel a little better. Picked up the last 2 mi at 5:44-5:46/mi.with 152-154 bpm. Heart rate stayed remarkably stable with out much drift at the end. Was tempted to wear racing flats but with this much mileage wearing them  might bring on an injury. Im beginning to go into uncharted territory mileage wise especially if I stay consistent. Being the case I must pay attention to details now more than ever.

Ran an easy 5 miles today on the Sandy Parkway at 65-70% mhr. I've decided to break up the workouts today to ensure better recovery and to replenish my glycogen. Felt kind of sluggish at first but things improved quite a bit after a couple of miles. PM- Went 7 miles at 70-75% mhr. Felt better than this morning. Note- Does anybody know what the Striders series 5k course is like?

AM-6 miles with 4 at 75-85% mhr. PM-Fartlek run of 10 mi with last 2 miles at 5min/mi pace on the treadmill. Was watching the Tabernacle Choir sing the Olympic anthem Sitteus, Alteus, Forteus. Really pumped me up tonight! Needed it after another fulfilling day at the office...

Recovery run today, I think I'm starting to make some good progress. I ran my recovery run at a good 7min/mile give or take a few seconds because of hills along the way. They say improvement comes in fits and starts sometimes. Maybe this it. I beat my course record for an easy run by 2min for 10 mi. Staying in the same heart range and even a little lower on some parts. Sometimes you just have a good day I guess. Southern Draper area. THR-65-70% mhr. Light stretching afterwards.  The inversion was better today, I could actually see the mountains for once!

Ran a aerobic resistance workout today for 4 miles in the middle but like everybody else I had to cut back the distance today. I will probably end up doing another 6mi on the treadmill after work today. The inversion and the ice after dark are just not worth it. Compared with this mess running an ultra in Death Valley actually seems appealing! Draper loop.-THR-70-80% mhr. PM-Ran another 6 miles on the treadmill. Jacked up the incline to 2% in order to work the quads and get a little bit of a push-off effect. Good workout but I'd rather be outside. Ran easy at  6:30-7min/mi with 8min mi warmup and cooldown. 70-75% mhr for 4 miles. 55-60%mhr for 2mi.

AM-7 mi easy at 70-75% mhr.  PM- Ran 800m and  10x400m reps. 13 mi total with easy runnning before and after. Good hard workout. 

AM-5 miles easy.  PM-5 miles easy.

AM-Ran 5 easy miles this morning. PM-13 miles this evening.

AM-Easy 6 miles. PM-10 miles with long hill repeats.

AM-Ran 6 miles of light fartlek. PM-8 miles easy Sandy loop.

6 easy-medium miles.

AM-6 miles with 4mi at  6min to sub 6min/mi pace. PM-6mi easy.

AM-6 mi easy. PM-9mi-Speed changes with 800m, 6x400m, then 1.7mi. All at 5k goal pace. Felt really smooth. Pace sense was really good considering all the people I had to dodge on the indoor track. Did a  different workout than the rest of the gang. It really helps my economy and pace judgement skills when I practice at race intensity.  I think it may not matter though after seeing Pauls map of the 5k  course.  Changes in momentum and pace are going to be a killer.  

AM-Easy 6 miles 65-70% mhr. PM-Easy 8 miles 70-75% mhr. The weather was so good this evening  that  I went in sleeves and shorts. Played in the mud and ran some short strides on the trail where it was not paved. Wife chased me out of the house because it! oops...

AM-6 easy mi. PM-4 easy miles.

AM-Easy 5 miles today. Definitely want to go run again today but common sense tells me this being a recovery week with a race that it would be unnecessary. It would only detract from tommorows performance.

Striders 5k- 16:53 Good solid effort for 5th place. Very hilly course today however running it was kind of  fun. I was very impressed with everybody and their performance. I have to agree with everyone that Paul is back stronger than ever and is breathing fire... 

Went for a distance run today and toward the middle of the run did a 4 mile progressive AT run. Felt pretty good even in spite of the race yesterday. Really wet and windy today but overall a long enjoyable run to start the day before work. Light stretching afterwards.

AM-10 miles easy. Jordan river trail loop. PM-6 miles easy. Draper township loop.

AM-6 easy miles Sandy and West Jordan out and back. PM-8 miles easy.

Took a day off today being Valentines day and spent it with Kim today.

AM-6 easy miles on Sandy loop.  PM-4 miles easy. 65-75% mhr. 

AM-7 miles easy. Sandy Parkway. 65-70% mhr. PM-7 miles easy. 70-75% mhr.

AM-8 miles easy. 70-75% mhr. PM-7 miles 70-75% mhr. Sandy loop./Parkway dirt trail.

AM-7 miles easy. Draper loop. 65-70% mhr.  PM-No second run, took it easy for tomorrows workout. Being Sunday I do try to make at least an attempt to make it a day of rest. But with my job wanting me to be there it just seems like another day.

AM-13 miles with 2x3 miles at 10K-5K effort with 30sec rest for a change around. 1st at 10k, 2nd at 10k with focus on throwing the hammer down on the last mile. 85-95% mhr for 6 miles. 65-75% for 7miles.

PM-7miles easy-medium. 70-75% mhr.

AM-4 miles easy. 60-70% mhr. PM-6 miles easy 70-75% mhr. Definitely about recovery today!

AM-6 miles easy with last mi at 5:15 for fun.  PM-4 miles very easy 60-65% mhr.

Ran 6 easy miles today with a half mile in 2:38 to wind things out a little. Tendon is doing a little better every day. 70% mhr. with half mile at roughly 80% mhr.

Ran 5 easy miles at 8min/mi. with 104-106 thr for 2mi then 3mi at  7min pace 120-126 thr. Took it easy today to keep the injury recovery going. Not sure how this will play out tomorrow but I will take whatever God gives me. 

Tough race today, gave it all up on those darn hills! Oh well it was fun its own twisted tortuous way. Good job everybody I was impressed with how you guys handled that long nasty uphill. It felt like watching a ship slowly pass off into the horizon while stranded at sea on a piece of driftwood.... I finally floated in at 36:28 or something. 

No run today. Sunday.

AM-6 easy miles this morning on the treadmill.  Giving this injury some caution still.  65-70% mhr.

7 miles easy with  last 3 miles at 6 minute pace. 70-80% mhr.

Ran 8 mile State street loop. 6 miles at 6min/mi. average. 1mile warmup and cooldown.

Progressive 6 mile tempo over a new course I plotted today on g-maps. I will upload it later tonight in case anyone cares to see it. Its a fun one... Ran the last 5 miles at a brisk pace in 28:41 with the last mile in 5:39. 10 miles total this morning in 1:01:41.  Wore two layers because it felt so cold for me this morning. I kind of got used to that semi- warm stretch of weather we had.

Felt surprisingly fresh today so since I have to work tomorrow I decided to run a 10 mile progressive tempo getting the heartrate up to 90% towards the end. Rolling hills. 12 miles total 1:13:02.  Easy warmup and  cooldown.

Running feels easy lately, its life that feels hard. Pre work de-stressing run. Sounds funny I know but lately running serves its purpose this way. Run felt smooth today, injury seems to be gone thanks to cutting back on mileage lately. I might go for a little jog later if everything works out. 35:11 for 6 miles total. 4 miles at half marathon pace. Did not time splits today. PM-5 miles in the evening-31:15.

No training.

AM-Ran 6 miles for 35:14 total on the Sandy Parkway trail. PM-9 miles straight out of the gate. First four in 25:24,  return trip in 22:30. Total run in-  55: 57 with 1 mile cooldown added. Legs tired this evening afterwards of course. Take an easy day tomorrow for sure. Being on my feet all day does not really help recovery either. But my name is not Ryan Hall or  Ritzenhein so I gotta work for a living. Oh well, as they say its all goood...

Ran 7 miles fairly easy today 45:19 total. 4 miles sub 6 min pace. Jog some more this evening.

PM- Went out for a short 4 mile run. Jogged a mile then threw in some running at 6/min/mi. pace. Cooled down a mile. No timing, just played and ran as I felt. 

Went up through the Sandy bench area for a grinding little 12 mile marathon pace run. 10 miles in 59:05. Total time-1:12: 37 with cooldown. I can't keep tapering every other week this is getting ridiculous... PM-2 miles easy jogging. Played a little soccer with Ian also. He is playing in a leaguefor the first time. I noticed how rapid his leg turnover is and it must be at least 190 per minute! Plotted the 10 mile course on the tool feature for future reference. Sasha always seems to get such amazing accuracy with these applications. Since I don't have a garmin 305 this little program has been very useful.

AM-7 miles easy this morning . Untimed. Was slow anyways with a pulled right hamstring. The tempo run in the cold without warming up enough was probably the culprit. Combined with some bad skeletal alignment it was a recipe for disaster. But I have faith that this will resolve itself  before the race.

Ran 7 easy miles today with 3 miles at  6:30/mi. 2 miles at a very slow walk-jog pace.  51:32 total time. Hamstring is tight still especially when cold but markedly better than yesterday. 

Went to the Striders 10 mile race. 58:24. Not great but not fast either. But I'll take it. 4th place overall. Not much else to say because I'm rather tired today after work and lingering fatigue from the race.

No run took Sunday off.

AM-Easy 7 miler in 45:03. Last mile in 6:01, felt pretty good considering a race on Saturday.

PM-6 miles into Draper and back. 4 miles at sub 6 min pace. Overall easy to medium effort.

I'm thinking some 1.5 mile repeats on Wedenesday followed by an easy paced long run on Thursday should work. I have these days off so according to Pfitzinger it would ideal to have these two quality sessions back to back as long as both are paced properly. I agree as it is difficult to recover on a work day given the nature of the job.

AM- Ran 10 miles with 8 miles steady marathon pace. 1:04:51 total with warmup and cooldown. Ogden is starting to look more appealing but I think I will need to make some changes for the next 8 weeks.

PM- Car dealership loop.- 4 miles easy. 28:48. 7min/mi pace for 3 miles.

AM-18 mile Long run with 15 miles at MP or just under with long fartlek repeats of 3-4 miles. Total time 1:47:47. Very pleased with the outcome of this workout. Did not feel the typical lightheaded feeling I usually get at 17 or so on these runs, felt like I had more gas in the tank for once. Ft Union east out and back.

AM-Progressive 10 miler with 6 miles at AT pace. 57:53 total time. Felt really good today even after the long run yesterday. My body just seems to lunge at the start of a run. Resting pulse has dropped markedly in the last week. Today it was 42-44 and yesterday it was 38 bpm  on a one minute count. The problem lies in overall power output, I dont seem to be able to tap into my top end. But never before have I had such low pulse rates in training runs. I am starting to feel stronger overall in the endurance area. Running a 10 miler seems almost like nothing to me! Is this a mini peak or just improvement after consistent training with reduced mileage? I do not know but I like it... It may be time to throw in some really good vo2 work now while maintaining mileage around 80 per week. This may be the real sweet spot for me instead of 100mi wks quite yet. Anyone have an opinion or similar experience? Maybe its true as we get older we lose some of our speed while maintaining or improving the endurance quotient. 

Easy to medium 10 miler today. Time-1:03:20. Ran up into the Draper trophy home estates section. So much excess even in the land of Zion. Yeah, I know I sound jealous but I can't help feel a little bit of contempt. However it was a beautiful run and an awesome spring morning.

PM-5 miles easy. No timing, Just ran and watched the sunset. 

AM-VO2 max workout-1x800-2:25, then 2x2 mile up and down 114th in 10:41, 10:36, and 1x 800m in 2:23 to practice long kick. Nasty hard workout, especially going back on the ascent. Easy miles untimed.

Jordan river trail for 16 miles today in 1:36:18 with 13 miles in 1:15:37. Nice day today, legs were a little heavy but I seem to be running well in spite of it. PM- 12 miles easy. Untimed, Fueled up and took a big nap. Went out very slow and came back feeling not too bad. Had too sandbag this week because of upcoming events for a couple of days. I know it was not the wise thing to do but I did it and in some way I know that I will benefit however.

No run today, Had family committments out of town. 

AM-15 miles easy with pickup in the 11-14 mile section. 1:42:18 total with warmup and cooldown. The wind was a little nutty today changing directions it seemed at times.

PM-5 miles easy on the trail. No time just enjoyed the run. Feeling a bit stiff and beatup still from Monday. Accumulated fatigue from last week has played a factor also. Overreaching is a tricky but effective method of training for me sometimes. However it is extremely risky and I believe it can only be employed in specific event oriented training for a short period. This is where the "art" of training comes into place. When the mind and body sync together to gather strength for a push towards the summit. Begin recovery period and taper next week with a gradual regression of 5-10 mpw.

Went to Provo to do a secondary long run with Sasha this morning. We ran 9 miles at marathon-30k race pace effort with 1 mile around AT pace at the end. Duration was 57:43 total for the 10 mile tempo run. Good workout although the legs felt a little heavy at the start. Ran 4X 2.5mi out and back. I hate that sudden stop and turnaround though. I was very glad to have Sasha help me run it this morning.

PM-8 miles easy to medium pace with 4 miles at  just above 6 min/mi with 1mile in 5:17 at the end to practice form.  

AM-10 easy miles today. 1:10:45. Beautiful morning, noticed a new bird species I have not seen before in this area. Spring is now here at last!

PM-10 miles evening with 4 miles at sub-6min/mi. 1:06:18.

AM-6 easy miles this morning. No time. I have a long run planned for later after I drop Ian off at his birthday party. I've decided to run long today instead of a VO2 workout because at this stage I think it would be of more use to improve endurance and the body's glycogen storage ability. I also need the mental reinforcement so that I can run well at long distances. The marathon has always been kind of a crap shoot for me so I am determined to take this bull by the horns once and for all.

PM-16 miles. Ran it tough and felt strong today. 12 mile progressive tempo at the end with 6 miles at marathon pace and 6 miles at half-marathon pace effort. 3 miles on, 3 miles off then turnaround and repeat. cooldown. According to my watch I set a PR for the course but I must be wrong somewhere. I can't run that fast. I just don't know, maybe I am finally getting better at this.

Well, my little vacation is over and I will be starting a new job tomorrow. It was fun to be able to train hard without having added stress of being on my feet all day at work. I wish I could train like this every week, but to sustain this would be too much. All things considered I don't feel all that bad today. I think I will just keep listening to my body and see how things go. 80-90 mpw planned next week.

AM-5 miles easy in the neighborhood.

PM-8 miles easy with a pickup in pace at the end. 

AM-Draper loop for 6 miles up past Salt Lake Runnning company multisport store. 40:17.

PM- MAP test on the treadmill-Legs still don't feel quite recovered yet. However heart rate data seems to have improved since the last time. Ran easy with 1 percent incline at the following paces, 7min pace-118-120 bpm. 6:30/mi- 129-130bpm, and 6min/mi-138-142 bpm. Estimated MAP pace-5:52/mi. down 8 secs/mi from the last test. May conduct a few more tests to get a mean. 6 miles total with warmup and cooldown. temp-70 degrees F.

It will be interesting to note any changes in a few weeks after the taper and when the training has been absorbed. According to "experts" 6 weeks of training at a given level with a 3 week window period after a given training bout is needed before any changes become measurable. They may be right, however I think mental and neurological changes can occur as soon as one 24hr period. Changes in running economy are probably the largest to occur. I guess we will see with a couple more tests.

AM-10 medium-hard miles today with a 6 mile progressive AT run. First three miles at sub 6/min mile pace. last 3 miles in 16:12. total time.- 59:17.

PM-6 mile easy run with the last half mile in 2:42 on the flat to test how the legs felt. May be ready for a VO2 workout on Friday or perhaps repeat miles incorporated into Saturdays workout. total time-38:46

AM- 7 miles with 3 miles at AT pace. Draper loop.

PM-5 miles with 3 at MP pace. Neighborhood loop. Felt better than this morning. Still getting adjusted to everything including an earlier start on the morning run.

AM-6 miles easy through the Draper bench area. No time just  ran easy 7-7:30/mile pace.

PM-4 miles easy with fast finish at the end.  Legs are tired but heart rate is the lowest it has ever been for a given pace. Don't know what this means exactly but the body is tired so in order to do a good long run I took it easy today.

AM- Long run today on the Salt Lake Marathon course. Total-22 miles with 18 miles at MP pace. Hooray! no bonking at all! Felt very strong coming down Van Winkle onto 5th east. Thank the Lord, I may have a decent marathon this time. I had problems at this point last year, but not this time. May jog some miles later to massage the legs a bit.

PM- 3 miles easy jogging.

AM-12 miles easy.

PM-4 miles easy.

AM-10 miles with a 4mile tempo run in 21:47.

PM-5 miles easy. 

AM-8 miles easy.-52:36. Draper bench area.

PM-4 miles-25:17

AM-Accidentally put Monday's mileage on Sunday. I was in such a rush that morning... Ran 8 miles this morning easy, no time, just enjoyed the run.

PM-4 miles easy this evening around the neighborhood. I can't afford to taper much this week as this has been bad for me in the past on the third week before the marathon.

Ran 8 easy miles with 2 miles of very slow jogging afterward to help flush the muscles a little.

Half marathon today, I am still trying to comprehend what I just ran though. Either way for the layout of the course it was most definitely a PR. Sasha says a possible 2:21:46 equivalent  at the St George marathon. If thats true, this would put me within striking distance of an Olympic qualifying time there. I try not to think about it though. For now I'm focusing on the Salt Lake Marathon and hopefully a PR there, If it's the Lords will it will happen. Thanks to those for their encouragement and compliments today!

It is good sign that in the late stage of the race I started to smooth out and run very strong still. However I must remember that the marathon can still humble you, and even the very best have been dropped to their knees by this distance. So I make no predictions or high hopes for it, I will just give it all I have and hope for the best.

AM-13 easy miles 7-7:30/mi. Just meditated and ran easy. No time.

PM-7 miles with some fartlek. Legs feeling a lot better so I let my body dictate this evening. Felt surprisingly good... 42:17 total time.

AM-9 miles with 6 miles at 5:38-5:46/mi. Draper and Sandy foothills and back. 57:13 total time.

PM-6 miles easy at 6:40-7:00/mile. Treadmill at 1-2% incline. Did not feel like getting blown all over the place this afternoon. I weigh only 139 lbs you know! 41:36 total time.

MAP test today, - Very pleased with my fitness level. 6 miles 41:02 total. 6min/mi for 4 miles at 2% incline. HR-142-146 avg. 70 degrees farenheit. On the treadmill. 6:30/ pace felt very easy.

PM-5 miles easy with 3 miles at MP pace. No time, just had fun doing speed and pace changes.

AM- Cold this morning, Warmed up and did 5x4min at 2 mile race pace effort down to 1 mile pace. Progressed into the workout after a good warmup. Ran towards a half mile mark by my house and clocked 2:19 for the last half mile. Felt a little heavy during the workout but felt like the paces were more sustainable than in January. Overall I feel pretty good at this stage. I just need to cut the the mileage more and run easier to freshen up. 

PM-4 miles easy. 7-7:30/mi.-29:17 total time.

AM-Steady state progression run down to the JT trail and back. 1:15:48 total time. I can't believe I feel this good after yesterday. 13 miles total.

PM-No run tonight. Went for a walk to think about some things. I am glad that I did my last long workout today. Back to back on these particular types of workouts are supposed to lead to increased blood volume over time. I believe that doing this at times is one of several things that has led to an increase in fitness. Now I need to really back off and trust in my fitness. As one of the chapter headings say in the book titled Running with the Buffaloes, "We believe in our fitness." Which ultimately says, we believe in ourselves. I know I do now...

AM-5 easy miles.

PM-7 miles with 4 mile AT run at  5:20/mile pace.  Felt good.

AM- 10 miles today on the JT trail for 58:13 total time. Ran very early in the morning to start getting used to it, is 5 am early enough?

PM-2 miles 8/min mi. Felt weird, had to hold back, yikes!

AM-4 miles easy with 3 at MP. Starting to feel lighter and snappier in the legs. Light stretching.

PM-2 miles easy jog 7:30/mi.

AM-4 miles very easy at 7:30-8:00/mi. 96-112 bpm.

PM-4 miles very easy with 1 mile at 5:32 pace. 152-154 bpm. Wow! felt like it was high aerobic.

5 easy miles today at 7-8min/mi pace. My legs feel really good, but puffy in some places. Weight went up a pound or so, nothing to worry about. Got 7 hrs of uninterupted sleep last night which was good. Even at this stage on my previous marathons I had trouble sleeping. I pray that I can pull this off and finish well this time. Hearing that Hobie Call was going to be there from Bill along with other elites helped me to relax more. I'm back to concentrating on the thing that motivated me in the first place to run this.

PM-4 miles easy jogging with pickups.

Just two easy miles today. Did not time the run.

Well, it's done and quite frankly it was the strangest race I have ever run. I just could not get into a groove during the first 20 miles. I don't know if it was something biological or something mental. I suspect it was probably a little of both. I started to feel better after mile 20 with the last three miles faster than the first three! I said a prayer to God and drank some Gatorade. As I progressed the pace slowly got faster, soon I was doing sub-6min miles by 23. Sasha came running up next to me and told me he was expecting an easier pace. I have to say that it was not easy for me either but things felt very different at this point. Soon a very sleek looking Kenyan runner looms into view... I start to have visions of 100 dollar bills with race numbers and singlets on! And oh my, then David Dantley. I thought this can not be happening... I start to run up on my toes and push ever harder and soon a soft din of the crowd starts to sing in my ears. I go into my little Prefontaine long kick mode and my lungs are just burning at this point. Soon the chute clock rushes up to me and then the switch just goes off, BAM! And just like that I drop over like a millstone at the bottom of the ocean. Thank you Lord for helping me at the end when I needed it most.

Thanks Salt Lake City for the cheers and thanks to my sponsor, MAXX properties who helped in so many ways. Sasha and Ted, thanks to you most of all for your expertise and friendship.

PM-Felt ok so I went for a nice 5 mile recovery run this afternoon and then spent the rest of the evening with my family.

AM-7 mile with long fartlek surges at AT pace. Surprised at how well I seem to be bouncing back.

PM-6 miles easy-medium at 6-6:40/mi. Nice run even with the wind blowing everywhere.

Went for 8 easy miles today on the Jordan river trail. Had the in-laws over and we all piled in the car for some grub at the local Chuck o Rama. Needless to say I was not in the best shape for a run. I could barely push myself away from the table! So no afternoon run.  Total time-54:25. 7min pace first 4 miles with a 6:15-6:30 progression for the last 4 miles.

AM-5 easy miles this morning.

PM-9 easy miles on the JT trail. Felt really good to just run and enjoy the feeling of motion.

AM-Easy 5 miles this morning. Sandy 7th east loop. No time just ran.

PM-Easy 5 easy miles on the Sandy Parkway trail. I'm having second thoughts on the Ogden race. I think if I don't run the 30k all out and treat it as another long run, I may have a shot at running another MARATHON! Yeah, I know it's a little nuts.. But I love it! I don't care what anybody thinks.

Just an easy 5 miler today.  Plan on running 30K tomorrow. 7-7:30/mi.

Wow! what a race today! Good competition, chewin the fat in the early miles like a group of college buddies on a training run. Got miserable in the end and just could not match Paul and his kick. Felt a small breeze as he went by! Thanks for an awesome race and good job overall Paul, Bob, Sasha. Good improvement Sasha. You are getting there little by little. Ted, you too. I was really glad to see you cross the finish when you did and thanks for the ride.

AM-13 miles with 4 at MP pace. Jordan River trail.

PM-7 miles easy. Draper-Sandy loop. 

AM-9 miles easy-medium pace on the JT trail.

PM-7 miles easy. Draper bench area.

AM-10 miles easy Sandy Parkway trail then down to Draper and then home. Legs felt good on the last mile in 5:42.

PM-6 miles easy. Draper loop. 6:40/avg.

PM2-4 miles easy. 7-8min/mi. Easy jogging later this evening.

AM-10 mile progressive. 7th east course. 2 easy mi progressing into 3 mp miles, then 3 mile AT. Finally 10x1 min hard with 1min slower but not jog pace to keep HR up. 57:26 total time. Not bad considering a head wind half of the time. Yuck!

PM-10 miles easy finishing 3 sub 6 min miles at the end. Felt ok. Really starting to bounce back from the 30k now. Stretching afterwards for 10 min.

AM-6 easy miles. Sandy Parkway trail. 65-70% mhr. Felt good this morning even though it was a bit nippy. Was shocked by resting pulse this morning considering yesterdays workouts. For future reference it was 36 bpm. Strange phenomenon because usually after a workout like yesterday it hovers around the mid 40 range. Thought that it might be a tired state but was able to run 6:45 pace pretty comfortably for a recovery pace. Is this the start of a peak with the higher mileage and speedwork? Will be interesting to see as I do more vo2 work now for the shorter distances coming soon. I feel like my nervous system has been reset in a strange way overnight.

AM-6 easy miles on the treadmill. 7/min mi avg. 1-1.5% incline.

AM-Not enough time to do a long run today so I decided to run Sashas little experiment. I ran a 5 mile tempo progressively increasing the pace from 5:45 to eventually 5:15/mi. I then ran the last mile in 4:57. Well it was a good workout but I am not so sure that it will really predict an accurate race pace for Ogden. THR- 146 bpm for 5:50/mi, 150 bpm for 5:40/mi, 160 bpm for 5:15/mi and then 170-172 bpm for 5/min mi. Told ya I could do it Sasha... 7 mi total with warmup and cooldown. Treadmill flat.

PM-Went out with my wife tonight instead of my usual training run. I was very glad I did so. Training twice a day is not only tough for me but difficult for the family, especially after being at work for 9 hrs. They have been so patient and Ian always begs to go with me. One day I suppose he will and then outrun me to get home for dinner! I love them so much and sometimes I have to remember where my priorities are really at.

AM-Fartlek run on the Draper Parkway trail. Challenging to run fast on but with its rolling nature it is a good workout mentally as well as physically. 7 miles total. RP-36 bpm.

PM- Again 7 miles with some light fartlek at 5k pace effort. Car dealership loop. Was kinda fun.

AM-5 easy miles this morning. 6:45-7min pace. Sandy Parkway loop.

PM.-5 easy miles. 6:45-7 min pace. Easy run again. Want to make sure that my recovery is good but with a decent aerobic component. Legs were a little tired but heart rate for given pace was still in the low to mid 120s. The last 3 speed workouts were a little more rough on my body than I had anticipated.

AM-MP run on the 7th east course out and back. 12 miles at marathon pace in 1:08:48. Went pretty smooth after mile 4. I gues I may not be running The Ogden Marathon afterall. The race director has refused me entry period. I don't know what to do! If anyone can help please let me know. It would be greatly appreciated...

PM-4 miles easy with several fartlek surges for leg turnover. 6:40-7:00/min pace.

AM-4 miles easy recovery at 8-7min/mi pace. 30:33 total time. 112-124 bpm thr. Gotta get new shoes already I can feel the road pretty good through the forefoot. On a happy note St George Marathon confirmed my entry and after looking I actually managed to find a room. This will be my first St George ever so needless to say I am excited!

PM-4 miles easy no time.

Ran 5 easy miles today on the Sandy Parkway trail. Some 400m and 800m pickups at 5k pace. Did not care to run much more today.

AM-Raced the Cure today, very enjoyable event. Chatted with some really nice people before the race and shared some stories. Some were sad and some were happy. Still a little tired from high mileage right after a marathon and a good 30k race. First two miles were with Albert Wint and Nate Hornok not a bad pace considering the headwind at the turnaround and the grade. At mile 2 I decided I could not afford to have Nate riding on the back at the end so I kicked it in and managed to put a 14 sec gap on him. Wow! 17,000 screaming people still making their way out of the starting chute at the end and cheering at the top if their lungs!! Felt kinda blown away by it. What a day...

PM-Felt better, so went for a 13 mile run with a decent long stretch at marathon pace effort. Sugar House park area. Left my watch, oops.

AM-5 easy miles today on the Sandy Parkway trail. 32:16 total time.

PM-4 miles easy Sandy Parkway trail. No time.

Jogged 4 easy miles today.  30:16 total. Not much interest in running at all lately. Just too much stress in other areas in my life right now.

Not feeling up to running still. Still managed to do 5 miles with a few at MP. 31:20 total time.

Easy 4 miles today. Felt tired and a little warm this morning. Hope you guys have a good race cause I aint up to it lately. Not enough sleep and way too much stress with some things I think.

Easy 5 miles on the Sandy Parkway trail. 1 MP mile. Need sleep... Too many issues this week. Physically I am feeling better in the legs though.

Finally, a breakthrough... Thanks to Sasha teaming with me and sharing pacesetting chores, we had a fantastic experience. He has taught me to have the confidence to run a well disciplined marathon. No wall really thanks to a good drastic week taper, good fluid intake and a large winter-spring quality base. Well they say three is a charm... Given my past history with Ogden this may have been it.

First 10 in 56:14, half in 1:14:36. Felt smooth and in control most of the way, no real bad patches except for mi 24 maybe. I think that was because I dropped a 5:17 mi at mi 23 in order to put some distance between me and Neal Gassmann and also Joe Wilson who I did not even know was there until it was almost too late! He scared the bejeebies out of me coming from behind with that last minute sprint 40 meters or so to the tape. Sprinted my guts out and literally upchucked my gatorade at the end. Made it!!! Whew.. that was too close. Marathons should not finish like that!

My hats off to all those who participated especially to Cody who had a huge PR and Paul the comeback kid with his excellent performance. Thanks again Sasha.

One more thing before I go, it was a cool experience to see horses at mi 9 gallop along side with us while we were running. It came to me right then that just like them we also were born to run.

30 days and counting, Devine Racing has not paid me.

No run today, I have decided to rest and regroup for a while until my body and mind let me know when it is time to go. At this point I am not even sure if I want to compete for a while. It feels good to achieve ones goals and even to win but really its not what it is all cracked up to be. When you consider the things that are more satisfying and that have more significance in the eternal perspective such as family and friends everything else is just icing on the cake.

Victory is fleeting but the soul is eternal the slave whispers to the Roman emperor.

Easy 5 miles with one 800m rep at 5k effort. Sorry about my post earlier I did not mean to drag anyone down. Just experiencing some post marathon blues. My family has been needing me around more lately as my wife is now expecting our second child. So add all that up and I think you know what I mean.  It was a really great race afterall and I am pleased with my effort.  Just gaining perspective thats all.

AM-4 easy miles with 2 miles MP in 11:03, 24:08 total time. Feel much better today.

AM-6 miles easy with a 1200m 5k pace effort in 3:33. 39:26 total time. Sandy park loop.  Starting to bounce back again with lower mileage. Build to 60 mpw next week.

AM-Easy running again for the most part. 2 marathons and a 30k, makes me wonder how tomorrow will go. 2x800m at 5k effort for leg speed. 2:27, 2:24 respectively. 4 miles total 27:23.

Magna race today, Very fast boys including one 10,000m Olympian. Thought I might slip under 15 minutes but I felt somewhat flat. Tried to push the pace but Nick McCombs just would not let me pass. He took off in the last 400m with me hanging on for dear life but being unable to match his long kick. Dennis ran a fierce race also, opening a gap and maintained most of it through out the race. Sasha hung right in there too right up to the end but fell back after the last turnoff. He is definitely making gains again. Biggest surprise of all was Albert Wint who was only 8sec behind me! Wow! Excellent breakthrough performance for him. Talked to Chad later, he also had a nice shiny PR. Very pleased to be able to get to know so many new people.

Ran the American Fork 5k course with Sasha and Ted after they ran the race. Nice mild tempo. 17:51 total for 3 miles at MP effort. Rolling terain with hills. Had an awesome dinner the night before cooked by Sara who is Sasha's wonderful wife. We had scripture study afterward dealing with the subject of faith and after contemplating it, brought me to remember a quote from 17th century French scientist, Blaise Pascal. "Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all, if you lose you lose nothing. Wager, then without hesitation, that he exists." I think that I'll take that bet that he does exists and then run with it literally as well as figurtively. See you at the finish.

Just 5 easy miles today. Still resting and winding down in order to rebuild for another peak possibly this fall. No time.  Sandy loop course.

AM-5 miles in 31:18. Sandy Parkway out and back.

PM-4 miles easy to 7th east out and back. No time.

AM-6 miles easy, down to the JT trail. 40:18 total time.

PM-4 miles easy with pickups at the end.

AM-7 easy miles up to the the big K-mart in Draper and back. then 2 easy laps around the outer perimeter of  the complex for 8 miles total. Knee bothered me again today a little on the warmup, so no second workout.

Went easy for a bit to test my knee a bit. Did not feel any pain! Weird, but I'll take it so I decided to do the workout today. Caught the race bus taking runners back up to their cars. I got off and decided on a tough 16 mile long run with a 4 mile tempo to start going from Mtn Dell to the Parleys canyon junction and then back up to the Salt Lake 10 miler start. I then proceeded to run the last 10 miles at MP pace to the finish at the monument. Dehydrated at the end even with the water I got from a friendly runner who had finished the 10 miler. Total time was 1:30:41 with 10 miles at MP pace in 55:41. A little slow, but not too bad considering very little water and the wind changed directions coming down the canyon. A pretty dang good workout nonetheless. I love these fast paced 16 milers and I credit them in boosting my fitness more than anything else.

AM-6 miles on the treadmill, 5 miles easy. 1 MP mile.

PM-4 miles easy jog. Hot this evening whew! 

AM-9 miles with 5 mile AT run in 26:41. JT out and back.

PM-5 miles easy on the treadmill. Crazy wind outside.

AM-5 miles easy at 7-7:30/mi pace. Rainy today, nice change from the heat today. Smelled fresh outside like wild flowers. Feeling warm and fuzzy this morning.

PM-5 miles easy again. 36:27 total time. Have to be careful with the knee. It is acting funny again. The bright side is that cardiovascular wise I am still in awesome shape. Felt like I was just puttin around tonight.
 

AM-7 miles on 7th east loop. Total time-46:18.

PM-easy 3 mile jog.  No time to run more tonight. Talked with Penny and Ethan tonight about their goals. Its nice for a change to work with people who have solid goals and are not afraid to go after them.