Age is just a number.

Hey! Fantastic 10 miler tonight. I hopped on the mill and decided to put in some VO2 max miles. Excellent workout considering it was in training shoes. Total time-21:26. I wish I could get in more miles but has been difficult lately, however I won't give up and eventually I'm going to get things arranged in my life so that they will work with me and not against me anymore. Major changes soon to take place that I hope will put my family and I on the road to prosperity and change. It's been an interesting year for personal growth as well as my running. The most important lesson learned is knowing I am not a victim of circumstance or what others may feel about their own life. Afterall Jesus said "Men are that they might have joy".  

 Happy New Year everybody and God Bless Everyone.

Just six easy recovery miles today. 41:13 total time with warmup and cooldown. avg 6:30-6:45/mi for the bulk of the run. THR-120-134 bpm. Feeling the effects of stress and a nasty cold still today. Treadmill at 1% incline.

AM-5 mile easy miles rollin out of bed onto the melting tundra this morning. No time. Rather muggy today considering it was warmer at 5 am than it was at noon yesterday. Or pretty close anyway.

PM-8 more miles this time on the 114th street bobsled run tonight. Easy, no time taken. I just feel like leaving the watch at home in order to relax and just get into the flow. Sometimes you get enough structure and routine in life without having to add it to play time. Yes, that's right I said play time. R and R = running and relaxation in my book.

Easy 5 miles this morning. Being up with the baby, the lack of sleep and a cold is taking it's toll right now. So I think it's wise to keep the mileage down while keeping the intensity up a bit to hold onto my fitness level. I only hope that it will still be there when we need it the most at the Del Sol relay.

Olympic Oval today for a rough and mentally grueling marathon pace run. It sure beats taking a chance of breaking something outside though. One thing I like about the track is that it doesn't lie, it is unfailingly fair and accurate. Good if your trying to get a handle on where your fitness may be at. However painfully bad for your morale if you believe that you are in better shape than you really are! 15 MP miles in 1:22:13 total time. Not feeling quite as snappy this week as vs last because of my recent sinus infection. So it is possible with the slowdown that almost inevitably occurs in the last 10k of a marathon that this is probably a true avg pace marker. If so I'll take it for a flat course at altitude any day.

No run today. I have decided to take today off. It feels good to feel in control of my running instead of the other way around sometimes. I like the feel of looking forward to my runs and enjoying them. I think to train for the sake of training is counterproductive sometimes. Maybe this is an excuse for my lack of mileage this week I don't know. On the other hand overall it's a good week based upon the fact that it was balanced with low and high mileage days, hard and easy days mixed with complete rest. So not so bad considering everything I guess.

Just 6 easy miles at 6:30-7/min pace on the mill tonight.

Olympic oval for a workout of 3x3 miles at LT pace. 5:12-5:20/mi with 2 lap recovery at 6min/mi. Last Saturdays workout left me feeling a little dogged tonight. Some funny guy made a comment about our FRB jersey, I told him to get used to it because he would be seeing the back of it a lot on the circuit this year! 

Another 6 miles easy for recovery at 6:45-6:50/mi.  THR-120-126 bpm.

Aerobic resistance run with 10 miles at 5:24-5:36/mi. Ran at the local shoebox track as the oval is scheduled to be closed on the running track  a few days for some reason. Bummer, I really like that track. This one is tough to run on especially since I have to slow a little on the turns and it is small and also not measured accurately. Based on my pacing and others though, it seems to be about 11 laps to the mile instead of the 10 that they have measured it out to be. So time and pace is close, but not accurate for this track as usual. I hit consistent 29-31 sec laps depending on how many people I had to dodge. Last year before Ogden I was running 32-33 sec laps at this time of year so improvement on my PR is on the horizon possibly.

An easy 6 miles tonight at 6:40-7/min pace. Easy jog at the end. Not much into it tonight as I struggled with some sleepiness before the workout. Managed to get with it after a bit and had a decent workout considering that I felt like Frankenstein this afternoon.

Easy to medium pace effort on the Jordan River Trail this morning. Most of the time I just meditated and tried to think of how I want to reconfigure my my training for a while. 6:30-45 pace for most of the run with 7/min mi pace for the first miles.

PM-4 miles easy. No time taken tonight. 

Olympic Oval tonight for a 6 mile LT run at 5:12-5:20/mi. last 800m in 2:34 at 164 bpm. Light stretching and cooldown aferwards.

AM-Easy recovery jog at 7:30-8 min/mi pace for 4 miles. HR a little high , however it was expected considering last nights Oval workout less than 12 hrs ago. Legs a little stiff but fine otherwise. THR- 60-70% mhr. 4 miles total.

PM-Decided to split up this mornings workout and run this evening also for better recovery. It always works better for me this way after doing a quality workout from the previous evening. 6 miles total in 41:36. 70-75% mhr. I ran a bit faster than I ought to have for a recovery day, but I chose not to run slower because I get really uncomfortable biomechanically running slower than 7min pace. I like to run to release stress and not just to train for the sake of training I suppose. To each his own right? 

Time for only one quick workout today. Went for a run in the shoebox track tonight and it went pretty well with pacing in the mid 5:20s to low 5:30 range. 10 miles total tonight.

10 miles easy at 6-6:30ish pace tonight. Not much to say.

Easy 5 mile run at 7-7:30 pace to be fresh for tomorrows VO2 workout.

AM-VO2 workout with a long 2 mile rep in the middle in 9:56. 2 miles of slower AT work around the 5:20/mi range and 2x1200m at the beginning in the 70-73 sec range in order to get the mind and body ready for the longer rep. 2 lap rest in between sets. Met up with Tony and a guy from Judge named Luke, I chatted with both for a while about various things. Luke looks like a stallion out there the way he runs. Dark Horse out.

PM- 4 miles easy jogging. 60-65% mhr on the treadmill.

AM-Managed to get up at 4:30 in the morning to make it to the oval for some long intervals. Session as follows; 3x1000m in 3:05-3:07 and 3x1200m in 3:43-3:47. 1 lap jog rest in between reps. Ran them at 5k intensity but felt lethargic and really had to force the pace in the beginning. I was amazed that I had a resting heart rate to begin with this morning. 12 miles total with wamup and cooldown. Time to cut the intensity and pile on more miles now that baby is starting to sleep through the night a little.

PM-8 miles easy this evening. Very easy effort with snow and ice being a danger everywhere.

10 easy recovery miles today at 65-70% mhr this morning.  Stretching and form drills for 20 min afterwards.

Tough workout tonight especially with all the woggers clogging up the inside lane. Even after you explain nicely to them the etiquette of the track they still just look at you like your from another planet. Mix that up with the herds of kids darting out in front of you and makes for one heck of a Chicken Run 3 miler!

On to the workout; 4x200 accelerations in 35-37 to get the legs loosened up. Main part of the workout is my 2 mile long interval in 10:14, a 1200m in 3:49, and 2x800m in 2:32 and 2:29. Took a 1 minute rest interval in between reps. I did not feel too hot tonight and the legs didn't feel speedy for some reason either. Could be a little worn out from work and all the snow or gee, maybe I'm starting to get a little crazy with the VO2 work lately. Maybe both.. I just don't seem to be able to do two a days anymore and so I have been trying to make up for the lack of mileage with the sheer intensity of most key workouts. I'm waiting for the wheels to fall off here any day and I actually think I heard the them squeel a little tonight! One more mile easy at 7min pace and then started a 4 mile stretch in my trainers for at 5:28-5:44/mi. Quick cooldown and then dashed home to dinner and bed.

Did a 11 mile aerobic recovery run with some quick fartlek pickups for fun at the beginning. 

My wife gave me a special anniversary gift this evening in the form of two tickets to go see the "Spirit of The Marathon" last night at the Century theatre. It was packed and we almost did not get a seat as we had baby and stroller in tow. Very inspirational movie about the quest for personal excellence in all of us with profiles of both everyday marathoners battling their own issues, to elites in their ever exhausting pursuit for victory. Deena Kastor was wonderful to watch and is a natural both on screen as well as the roads.  Excellent cinematography as it was done in HD and was bright and vivid throughout the entire movie making you feel as if you were really there. I could almost feel the heavy and dizzying fatigue watching them claw themselves to the finish in agony and ecstasy.   A little heavy there I know... but accurate.  I'm curious to know if anyone else saw it and what they thought of the picture also.  Gotta run,  Dark Horse out.

Easy hour of jogging tonight in the dark. Just needed to relax and take it easy to wind out the day.  I going to sit down tonight and draw up a plan for the next few months on specific mileage and workout patterns.  It's going to be ambitious and  it will take the sponsorship of a Japanese corporate team to make it happen. If I could have one wish in this life it would be that.  Hmm... I've really got my work cut out for me, but I say shoot for the stars and at the very least you will hit the moon. 

Oh, by the way I got tired of seeing that ugly fuzzy picture of me at St George this year so I put my bike up until I get a better profile of me.  Being winter I'm missing my bike so bear with me for a while. Dark Horse out.

Tough running today as it seemed tough to really get going in the beginning and that tells me that it's time to lay off the VO2 work and somehow find a way to get the miles in. Sasha ran very strong and that tells me that he has an excellent base to work with now.  With time throughout the season it is my hope that all FRB team members will make such gains also. Wouldn't be pretty cool to have a large pack of blue running after the chase vehicle through the entire race! Let's get to work and figure out how to do this. Maybe have some group runs on the weekends and do blog workout reminders like I suggested to Sasha.  I'm going to start right away and get in at least 80 miles in for next week.  Dark Horse out.

Easy 12 miles this morning at conversation pace. Just wish I had somebody to converse with this early in the morning. 65-75%mhr.  Dimple Dell hill loop.

AM-Easy 6 miles before the storm. I know it's coming but for now I don't want to think about it. 65-70% mhr.

PM-8 miles almost impossible to run at a decent pace with this muck.   Punch in, punchout...
 

Another workout logged. 9 miles easy 75-80% mhr. Question, Does spending all day shoveling snow and walking around count for anything? What if I moved with the shovel quickly getting my heart rate up.? Sorry, sounds screwy I know it's just the weather finally getting to me now!

PM-5 miles easy on the loop. 65-70% mhr.

Busy this morning seeing the doc on some issues so no morning workout but thats ok, it fits well to come back from yesterday evenings run and balance out the mileage and rest. This will hopefully set me up for some good workouts tomorrow or Saturday depending on which day will work best with the family.

PM-10 miles easy tonight at 6:30-7:00/mi. 70-75% mhr. Legs had some definite giddyup in them today, no doubt from backing off on the harder VO2 and AT workouts. Mileage is slowly coming up and hopefully I'll make 80 miles for the week with one medium pace and one MP workout this Saturday.

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. 

WOW!  WE DID IT,  FIRST PLACE OVERALL!  

AM-5 miles easy this morning on the parkway. 65-70% mhr.

PM-10 miles easy at 70% mhr on 7th east out and back. Feeling better now after this morning. 

AM-Easy 6 miles this morning on the mill at 70-75% mhr.

PM- 10 miles with 4 at MP intensity in the middle. Out to the Jordan river and back. 70-85% mhr. Tough hill climb this evening. 

AM-Ten easy miles this morning at 70-75% mhr. Time to start bringing the miles up and then once I get used to that I may start putting in some 1000s, hopefully by May. I don't know why, but the relay has triggered something in me to muster up even more determination and focus now.

PM-5 miles easy around the neighborhood. 70-75% mhr. Some stretching after.

AM-Whoa... A great and solid workout at 70-80% mhr. Average heart rate for 6-7/minute pace has possibly fallen a little. Makes sense as it seems to happen this time of year and six minute pace also feels a bit easier this time out. 7 miles total with 5 miles of aerobic resistance at 6/minute pace. Not bad for maybe 5 hrs of sleep.. Maybe it's the melatonin, as it seems to send me into a quick and deep slumber and enables me to have at least some quality rest. Hmmm not to mention dreams that are better than television!!!

PM-Fartlek run with surges up to 5 minutes in length at 5k-10k pace effort through rolling hills. Dimple Dell loop..  8 miles total.  70-90% mhr. 1 mile cooldown.

AM-6 easy recovery miles at 65-70% mhr. Just easy, jog jog..

PM-6 easy recovery miles on the mill tonight. 70-75% mhr. 7th east Draper loop.

I have my first coaching client appointment tonight and I am a bit nervous. I know that it will be the start of something really positive for the both of us. Wish me luck.

AM-It was kind of difficult today to get a good workout in, but thats ok, I had a good time with my boys these last two days. Ian gets on the treadmill next to me and runs for a bit, and then gets off and entertains Aaron for a time.  I then rotate with him and it becomes my turn!

12 miles total with 3x2 miles at marathon pace. 85-90% mhr. One recovery mile and then 2 miles progressive to maximum effort with a quarter mile at 5/minute mile pace. .5%-2% varying incline. Worked on form and economy in the mirror while running with knee ups and back kick drills .

PM-Recovery with 8 miles easy jogging and a half mile surge at the end. 60-70% mhr.

Medium long run today with 10 miles at marathon pace. 7th east out and back at 80-90% mhr. Well, only one run today and I had a tough choice this evening with the awesome weather and all. I washed and waxed my motorcycle and afterwards realized it was getting late with running in the dark and in traffic not an appealing option. Hmmm.. I love riding my bike but I am committed to my running and family, err and not necessarily in that order. Anyway, it was a good run and everything felt great still even with increasing my base mileage. I'm hoping to maybe peak when Deseret News comes around this summer.

AM-9 miles easy. In a hurry to get going so not much to say. 

PM-6 miles easy this evening at 65-75% mhr. Went for a nice ride at lunch time to get away from work for a while and measured out a new course, I'm calling it Colossus after the roller coaster at Lagoon.  Get the picture?

AM-Easy 10 miles out to the trail and back.  Just easy in anticipation of working out on "Colossus" tomorrow. 65-75% mhr.

PM-Easy 5 miles on the 7th east out and back. 65-70% mhr.  I'm thinking of doing an article on the law of diminuishing returns when it is applied to training and mileage levels.  Problem is, there is not a lot of hard evidence on the subject when it comes to elite and sub-elite runners.  But for an average control group, studies show that anything beyond 70-80 mpw really does not add much to one's aerobic capacity.  However, genetics do play a pretty good role in determining who is a high or a low responder to mega mileage training.  Fast vs Slow twitch fiber composition being one of those genetic variables for example. Anyway, a topic for a later place and time.  Gotta run.

AM-12 miles today on rolling hills.  2x2 miles at Lactate threshold pace. 90-95% mhr.  Very interesting run this morning as heart rate was different on the warmup and got lower actually by a few beats after a few miles,  This is a very good sign that my aerobic fitness is progressing already.  7/min mi at 116-120 bpm. 65-70%  Parkway trail section to the canyon and back.

PM-Very easy 3 mile jog this evening for recovery. 55-60% mhr.

AM-Easy recovery run this morning at 65-70% mhr.  5 miles total on the mill.

PM-Easy 5 miles on the parkway trail. No time or heart rate taken, just enjoyed the scenery.

On a non running note, It's been a hobby of mine to study the financial markets over time. Even to the point of driving family and friends nuts!  But I have to say what I heard today makes me a little more worried.  The major banks called the fed and held an emergency meeting overnight calling for an immediate bailout AGAIN ! of the big banks such as JP Morgan, Bear Stearns etc.  Note that this kind of overnight emergency meeting has not happened since the Great Depression.   People hang on to your wallets...

AM-Sasha woke me up at 5 this morning after oversleeping for a whole 4 hrs. Threw my running shirt on backwards and proceeded to the door. I had a bad feeling that this was not going to be one of my better workouts. Oh wwelll I thought to myself and went anyway. I felt tired from the start of the run and slugged through the best I could. We had fun anyway and told jokes along the way including my revisionist account of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The one where Marilyn Monroe talks Krushchev out of the unthinkable with her feminine charms. So to speak..    2:08/6:20 avg pace for a total of 20 miles.

Anyway.. I got home and slept like the dead for a while which made all the difference later on.

PM-5 miles very easy for recovery. 60-70% mhr. No time.

Just ten easy miles today. No time. 65-70% mhr.

AM-easy 4 miles at 65-70% mhr in the neighborhood area.

PM-6 miles easy on the 7th east out and back course. 60-70% mhr. 

AM-Easy 4 miles again. 65-70% mhr.

PM-6 miles with 10x30 second pickups at 5k effort. All with complete 2 minute rest. Stretching and leg kicks afterwards.  7th east out and back. 

AM-Easy 4 miles this morning at 60-70% mhr.  

PM-6 miles with 4 miles of  LT pace running.  85-90% mhr.  Up and down my hill loop course in Draper. Feeling better now with a recovery week.  I'm starting to feel strong and confident again on hills.  Dark Horse out.... 

AM-Easy six miles on the 7th east loop. Felt really good this morning in spite of yesterdays tempo run. This is a good sign. Dark Horse out.

PM-Easy 4 miler at 60-70% mhr with pickups at the end. Feeling good tonight. Heart rates are really good for the pace and temp.

Made a trip to Sasha's to pace Josse and run with Cody. We had a good time running with everybody including two of Sasha's new friends. Anyway, today was another long run with 8 miles of MP work and 2 miles of AT.  Did some pickup surges in the middle up to 5:20 ish pace with Sasha right on my heels every step of the way.  I like varying the pace to make things interesting and to also see where we are at fitness wise. It seems as things are really starting to look better all around as racing season approaches.  I then said goodbye to Sasha and Cody and went another 5 miles to extend my run for a total of 25 miles.  Oh man it feels good to run 25 miles. It just gives you a good feeling of achievement, and especially now as I approach marathon season. Kinda like at the end of a hard days work you know.

Dark Horse out.... 

AM-Easy 4 miles on 7th loop. 65-70% mhr.

PM-6 miles steady aerobic through Draper township and back. Rolling hills. 75-85% mhr at 5:40-6/min/mi. Felt awesome tonight. Body and mind are more upbeat now that Spring is here finally!  VO2 max tomorrow, my favorite workout. Yippee!!

AM-Woke up this morning and decided to re-arrange my training this week. I went for an MP run and decided that the VO2 session should be done on Saturday. That way I can at least get a nap and focus on good recovery the rest of the day. 10 miles total today with 8 MP miles not timed. Felt good but really sleepy later on during the day. Aaron is teething and unfortunately it keeps us burning the midnight oil so to speak. JRT out and back with some hills.

PM-Easy 7 mile run this evening at 65-70% mhr for most of the run. 7th east out. Gotta get back to Frontline's "Bush's War" interesting documentary to say the least..

AM-11 miles easy. Dimple Dell canyon loop. No time, just ran easy.

PM-Easy 6 miles tonight. No time or HR. Just ran easy and enjoyed the breeze this evening.

AM-Easy 6 miles on the parkway and  through Sandy. Rolling hills. 70-75% mhr. 

PM- Progressive tempo run with 4 miles at 85-90%  mhr.  Treadmill at 1% incline at 5:36-5:33 for 2 miles and then 2 miles at 5:15-5:21 to finish strong.  Cooldown and some stretching afterwards.  Here comes the peak..

AM-Easy six miler with some strides at the end for leg turnover. 70-75% mhr. Felt a little chilly this morning but otherwise really good. Draper out and back course.

PM-4 miles with 3 at MP pace. I was busy with a client tonight plus taking the family out to dinner left feeling a little frazzled and short on time so I did a quick run at a good clip and called it good. 

Long run with Adam this morning on the SL marathon course. I really hope he can hit 2:35 this year. We mainly talked the whole way about training and how it affects the body biologically etc amongst many other things. I have to say that was the shortest long run I ever went for. By the time we got done I could not believe we had even run 22 miles! Today was just kind of a let loose and run however we wanted kind of a workout. Picked it up the last mile to the finish and according to Adam's Garmin we closed at 5:07/mi. pace! Thanks Adam. 6:46/mi avg pace for 22 miles total. Dark Horse out....

Some people say that 100, 120 miles is a round number, I think 88 is an even rounder number.. -Don Kardong.

AM-Easy 6 miles this morning on the parkway. No time or hr. Just enjoying the view.

PM-"Minutes" today with 10x one minute on, one minute off then jogging at 7:30-8/min pace. Then 5 min hard at 5k effort.  8 miles total with 3 VO2 max miles.  7th and parkway trail.

I think I'm just going to do 10 miles today in light of the race this weekend. I felt really good this morning and so I decided to get my LT run in. Jack Daniels has had his athletes do consecutive hard workouts in order to allow 3-4 full days of recovery before a race. I can see the wisdom in this as long as you don't overdo it on any one day. 4 mile Progression run at 5:36 to 5:15 with last mile in 5:06. 85-95% mhr. Parkway.

AM-6 pre race easy miles on my parkway trail loop.  6:44/mi avg.  .5 mi at 2:37.  70-75% mhr.

AM-Easy 6 miles today on the mill. 6:09/mi avg. 4x1 min with 1 min recovery at 1:15-1:17 for economy and form practice.  Parkway trail and 7th east loop. Slightly hilly. 

PM-No run, just rest for the half and leading up to the marathon. 

AM-Easy 6 miles with a half mile in 2:34 on the trail. 6-6:45/mi. Felt really easy today. Having a hard time holding back and I feel like kicking the barn door in!

By the way is there anyone that I can ride up with tomorrow to the Striders Half ?  I live in Sandy, Utah. Thanks! 

AArgh!!!! I don't know what else to say. A frustrating and tough race today overall.

Took a wrong turn and lost 3-4 min somewhere. I turned left at somewhere between mile 11-12 and did not figure out what was going on until I realized HEY!!! I can 't see Logan anymore! Oh jeez... I turned around and finished the race, and after motioning to Clyde next to me, proceeded to relieve myself of Gatorade orally. Sorry, It's what happened. Oh well I did the best I could. Teren and Logan were just awesome and after mile two I knew I had better back off or else. Clyde is really starting to improve again and I soon expect to be running neck and neck with him sometime soon. But all in all it was really fun though... Dark Horse out.

PS-Sorry about the 5th grade writing quality, I was in a hurry. Dark Horse out...

Easy 10 miles today. Yeah I know it's Sunday Sasha.  Needed to get out though as I was feeling cooped up from being inside all day.  1:09:46 total time. 6:58/mile average. 70% mhr.

AM-Had our first group session coaching today at the oval. You should start seeing some new blogs popping up as I encouraged everyone to keep record. We were originally going to do a ladder session but ran out of time. However we still managed to get in a good workout complete with speed changes. After everyone left I proceeded to finish the full workout listed as follows; 2x400m, 800m, 1000m, 1000m, plateauing in effort and now coming down the ladder with an 800m, 400m and a quick 200m finished with a kick at the end. All done with complete rest. As the season progresses and everybody gets better I will start to cut the rest down little by little at 5k goal pace. Everyone did great and it was a pleasure to meet you all and I know we are going to do really well this year.

PM-6 miles easy pace. No time just easy jogging.

PM-2-Hmm-Got into a duel with some friends about who could run the fatsest mile. Being Irish and such AS WELL AS GERMAN I had to oblige.  The results were not pretty to say the least.  More too follow later.

Six easy miles out jogging on the trail. 7:20-7:30/mile pace. Just punching the clock, so to speak. I keep wondering what kind of toll this is going to take on my arms carrying a three pound torch for 26.2 miles. Has any one done this before?

Easy 6 miles this morning on the parkway trail at 6:30-6:40/mile average pace.  Stretching and strides at 1 mile race pace.  

Easy 5 miles on the treadmill at 7/min mile average with mainly slow paced running and then some strides at the end.

Did a very easy run this morning and with the exception of running a few segments at MP pace the majority of the run was at 7-7:30/mile pace.  7th east and 114th out and back course.

A rough day today, but a win nonetheless eh.. with some cash and a nice Swiss made watch to wear home. I woke up yesterday and had a nice little tickle in the back of my throat and by night time a sore throat and runny nose! Oh yeah, Murphy's law at it's finest I thought. But I had made the commitment to run and I knew I had a pretty good chance for first, so I went anyway. The first 12-13 miles were great and I really thought I could just keep going forever at a good clip. But by 18 it became clear I was not going to get the time I wanted. Oh well I thought, and with Sasha's help pacing and holding the Gator bottle I managed to make it home with a respectable time.  All in all a good run on a really scenic course. I only hope I have some legs for next week! So everyone bring your turning fork as you may be scraping up some roadkill next Saturday.

I have to say by the way I have never seen a race director go out of their way like Hyrum Oaks did on this race. He overcame some pretty tough obstacles to put this race on. And he even gave me a personal tour of the course the day before. Way to go Hyrum!     Dark Horse out....

No run today, In fact I'm not sure when I will be able to run again. It seems that I have had my good fortune run out a bit at the last marathon. You see, I took a nice little spill on my cursed motorcycle. And it's put me out of commission for a little while.  Fortunately I was not injured too badly and I hope I might be able to recover as soon as possible.  I consider myself to be very lucky on this one and I'm still shaking as I write this entry.

Next time I may not be so lucky. So any of you ever get the idea of buying one, Do yourself a favor and shake your head so you can get all of the rocks out first. Then and only then will you be able to make a good decision.   Dark Horse out...

I think I am going to blog anyway despite the fact that I can't run for a while.  It might actually give me something to do and think about while I'm laid up for a while. So I'll  let you know when I have something interesting to say. But for now though I'll just go and attend my little pity party for the injured.     Dark Horse out....

Played a little soccer with Ian today and the tendons were still pretty tight and a bit sore. I am going to try a little more jogging on Sunday. I just need to be cautious as everything just feels so tight however.  Thanks everyone who left the words of encouragement on my blog. It really helps to still hear from some one once in awhile.

Well,  My heel and lower leg have finally started to show some improvement. However, I fear my achilles tendon has suffered some real damage and as to the extent, I'm afraid to know. Oh well.. I was getting to old for this crap anyway.     Both hobbies that is....  

After I get through writing this I'm going to go for a walk through Liberty park just outside the cyber cafe that I'm at right now.  Oh my, being in here has shown me how much Salt Lake has really changed since I was younger.  The young twenty somethings that seem to frequent this joint really kinda make me feel old right now.  That's ok though because I'm really enjoying the atmosphere right now and  I'm just not ready to get back to reality just yet.  Besides, I want to watch this guy's Australian sheep herding dog do some cool tricks here in a minute.   Dark Horse out....

Jogged for a 100 meters today without too much pain. I feel blessed considering that it could have been a lot worse. Tomorrow I'll try for 200 meters. Dark Horse out....

Well, I think I may be able to go for a couple of miles tomorrow if all holds out well. I have been really cautious about getting out there and hopefully it's paid off.  Looking forward to it very much.

You know it really is a blessing to just be able to do it. Forget the trophys, the PR and such. You can't really know how great something is until you almost lose it.  Dark Horse out..  

Hey, Did not quite make it on the distance today.  Started to feel some weird pain in the lower calf, which happens to also be where the bike made a nice impression when it landed originally. 

Start over again tomorrow I suppose. In the meantime I will try to think of some new workouts to try for the girls on Monday. 

Well, I manged 7 miles today even if they were at less than full power let's say. But my calf is telling me there will be a price tomorrow. Seeing this, I will take tomorrow off and go for launch again on Monday. On an interesting note, I saw a black stallion in a corral walking alongside two other horses. He took notice and neighed as I went by. What an awesome creature I thought to myself. One of these days I hope I'll be able to have one when I retire, but at the rate I'm going it will have to be when I'm 90 or so! Dark Horse out....

AM-Monday morning workout with my group today. Easy two mile warm up and then a step down workout at 5k effort.  The workout I had planned was a 1600m, 800m, 400m, then 4x200m.  Unfortunately we ran out of time and had to cut out the 200s which really is the crux of the workout after coming at the end of the longer reps.  We need to get there earlier I think so we will meet at 5:45 on the dot.   4 miles total for my run.

AM-12 miles with 2 uptempo going uphill slightly on the Draper Parkway. Just easy-medium miles. No time or hr data just jogging most of the way. Draper Parkway out and back course.

PM-5 miles easy at 7:30-8/min mile. Sandy Parkway and 114th. No time. Just easy base this afternoon.

AM-5 miles easy with 1 mile pickup at the end around 5:32/mile.  Ran over a nail on horse trail because some idiot thought it would be a good idea to tear a treehouse down and then leave pieces of lumber around with nails in it.  I am so mad, now I have to go sit in the insta-care for an hour and lay down a co-pay for a tetanus shot. Could be worse I guess. I don't understand why I have been so accident prone lately.  Dark Horse out.

AM-7 miles, Wanted to go more but both my foot and calf didn't want to cooperate for some reason. Especially my calf as it felt tighter than a violin string and even seized up a couple of times. UGH!!!  Try again tomorrow.  Dark Horse out.

Easy 7 miles today at 7-8/min/mile.  13 mile steady state run tomorrow with some marathon pace work.  Jordan River parkway.  

Steady state run on the Draper parkway ascension course. Some rolling hills with 2x 20 minutes at marathon pace effort. 80-90% mhr. Everything went really well today for a change with only some residual tightness at the end, mainly in my calf. Last .5 mile in 2:34. Felt exceptionally strong during the workout. Man... I wish every day went like this!

13 miles total with form drills and a few stretches. Dark Horse out..

AM-Went out this morning with my group and had a road and hill circuit for strength and turnover with repeats of 2 min on 2min off. I'm going to have them meet once a month to do this kind of workout and next time will be longer. After thinking about it, I want to teach them to run up hill a certain way and after each hill I mainly want to see how it translates on the flat neuromuscular wise. I wonder if the pattern and effort on the hill will stay in place on the flat.  Concentrating on making a tighter arc on the stride cycle with more knee lift and faster turnover all the while not trying to fight the hill so much. Next week will be a series of 800s alternated with a fast but not all out 200 accompanied by a 400 rest jog. 5 miles total this morning.

PM-Easy 5 miles at lunchtime. Sandy Parkway. No time. Stretching later on.

AM-15 miles through the Dimple Dell canyon area this morning with 8 miles at marathon pace intensity. Too much energy this morning for one guy. Easy miles at 60-70% mhr with the marathon pace miles at 85-90% mhr. strides for turnover practice and some light stretching afterwards.

Medium 8 miles out and back on the parkway. 70-75% mhr.

Medium-easy aerobic effort for 10 miles on 7th east out and back. 70-80% mhr

Easy jogging for 6 miles at 7:30-8 min/mile pace. 60-70% mhr.

15 mile mid long run with fartlek.

Medium effort pace run of 8 miles. 70-80% mhr.

Long run of 16 miles with 8 at MP effort pace. Draper parkway and foothills. Rolling and steady rise in elevation for the first 8 miles. 1-3% average incline. 75-90% mhr.

Esay 6 miles jogging at 7:30-8:00 mile.  parkway course.

Alternating MP miles with threshold miles at 10k pace effort 1-2 min rest between. 12 miles total.

6 miles easy-medium on the mill at 6:15-6:45/mi. 70-75% mhr. .5% incline.

Well, I really debated on whether or not to report on this race seeing that I really did not do all that well this year. I will not write any excuses or explanations. It is what it is, right? No worries, pickup and keep going. Lately I have been running for the sake of enjoyment and a way to recover and have some time to myself. I think that this approach from time to time has enabled me to come back stronger in the end anyway. I am not a machine which can just train for training sake,in order to crank out race after race. But hey, we'll see what happens. I'm still young and I want to be in this game for the long haul.

AM-10 miles easy. 60-70% mhr. 

PM-4 miles easy jogging. Sandy parkway.

Easy 12 miles this evening. 65-75% mhr. Draper and Corner canyon loop course.

AM-4 miles easy jogging. Treadmill. 60-70% mhr.

PM-8 miles with 6 miles at 75-85% mhr. Aerobic resistance training. Rolling hill

Went for 9 miles this evening up to Bell Canyon and back with 75-80% mhr for the bulk of the run. Some 30 sec speed pickups thrown in at the end. 1 mile cooldown with some stretching also afterwards. I have noticed a little stretching can go a long ways especially after a race like the Magna 5k.  Change in schedule to better accomodate Saturday's long run.

    Dark Horse out.... 

Easy 7 on 7th east loop.

Big Long Run this morning for 2:29:32 total time. 23 miles total distance estimated on the conservative side. Started out very easy and progressively worked toward running faster right up to the end. Finished the last 2 miles at 5:45-5:52/mile pace. Just hard enough at the end to get a really good high aerobic workout.  Worked from the east bench down to the Jordan river trail and back up to the east bench, then swung back downhill towards home.  65-85% mhr.  Fluid stops at the trail head and at 90th south made for good practice drinking on the run. It also made a big difference towards the end when the pace was increased.  Feels good to be done with that particular workout this week as it takes up a huge amount of time to run it, then cooldown, and then stretch afterwards.  It's not a very family friendly workout if you know what I mean. 

  Dark Horse out....

Long run with some faster running in the middle at half-10 mile race intensity. Bell Canyon and Dimple Dell and then to Little Cottonwood.  Tough climb...Ugh. 70-90% mhr.

Medium effort high aerobic run of 8 miles with some hills. Draper loop. 70-80% mhr.

Easy 6 miles recovery on the Sandy parkway trail. 65-75% mhr. 

Repeat LT run of 5x1 mile at 10k-10 mile race pace effort 85-95% mhr with rolling hills. Cooldown and stretching afterwards. 13th east and back down around the parkway trail. Long incline stretch of 1 mile at the 3 mile point. 1-4% incline.

I had wiring diagrams on the brain all throughout the run and was also thinking about my day at work. I am learning quickly that this trade of mine requires expertise and ingenuity in other areas also such as welding, electrical, and even some drywall today in order to install the paging controls. The mechanic I worked with gave me a challenging problem today by having me fish out a certain control wire behind a wall without seeing it!! I manged to locate and pull it out by finding some very stiff wire around the construction site and then shaped it into a hook. I gave it the direction and angles it needed, turned and pulled around inside the wall until it finally came out! He yelled back down the shaft at me; "You the man Steve!! " Made my day to hear that. Dark Horse out....

Easy-medium effort aerobic resistance run. 1 mile on half mile off for 4 miles total. 65-75% mhr and up to 85% mhr for 2-3 minutes at a time. 13th east and Ft Union area. 10 miles total with 10-12 minutes of jogging after.

Long run of 18 miles total length and with alternating sets of T pace running of 2 miles each followed by 2 miles at M pace or slightly faster. 1 mile slower recovery between sets. Traverse mountain road loop. Followed by cooldown jogging afterwards. 65-90% mhr.

Today was an interesting day considering the discussion in Sunday school was about priestcraft and the definition of such.  Some people brought up the fact that that the media was responsible with it's worldly influence. Icon names such as Oprah Winfrey were pointed out along with their followers. Even advertisers of luxury goods were also mentioned as practicing a worldly form of priestcraft. I see their point, but I think they missed the big concept of the lesson however, and became somewhtat overzealous in their definitions.  President Benson put it best in this statement; The world seeks to change from the outside inward, the gospel of Christ seeks to change the individual from the inside outwards. This is a simple, but elegant and powerful concept that I have been pondering over since Sunday.   Dark Horse out....

Progressive road run with quick rest breaks at traffic lights occasionally. Just plain fun to run wild once in a while. Legs feel pretty good even after Saturdays long run. 10 miles total with 4 faster miles at 80-97% mhr. Stretching afterwards.

Easy-medium ten miler tonight on the trail. No time taken, just enjoyed the run.

Six easy miles on 7th east this evening. Felt tired at first but then strong after warming up for a couple of miles. 60-75% mhr approximately at 104-136 bpm.  7:30-6:00/mile pace.  Aerobic base fitness is getting awesome considering the mileage. Hmmm...  Not sure what to think about these results lately, but I'll take it at face value until proven differently in a race or time trial.    Dark Horse out.

9 miles easy total today at 60-70% mhr up Bell Canyon road and then a mile at home.