Age is just a number.

Easy 4.4 miles. Gordon/Main out and back.  Nasty flu virus put me down for a while and if there is one thing I have learned, it's to rest and not run when it comes around.  Being cautious still however on the mileage especially with the pollutions levels being so high right now.

AM-Easy 6 miles with one mile fast thrown in the middle. Feeling so much better now and I really think the rest period may have done some good performance wise also:)  Not a bad day to run even with the cold and inversion. 

Gordon/Main/Rail trail.

AM-10 miles. No watch.

AM-Easy 5 miles. 33:26

PM-10 miles with 3x1 mile at 5:10, 5:15, 5:12.  Jog back recovery.

AM-6 miles easy. (41:57)

PM-4 mile jog. No watch.

AM-6.5 miles with a 1 mile pickup in the middle. (40:36)

PM-4.5 miles easy.

Easy 6 miles with last quarter fast in 1:18 for leg turnover.  6:20-7/min pace.

Badly wanted to run SLC half but just couldn't justify spending the money. These events are becoming so ridiculously expensive now so I have to pick them carefully and sparingly.  Wasn't easy though especially in light of the horrible tragedy in Boston this week.  I so wanted to be a part of this event to stand with everyone else and say that we will not be intimidated by such cowardly acts on our nation and we as a people.

AM-Progressive run on the treadmill. 10 miles including a so called warm up.

10 miles total in 57:23/ 1% incline.  A rather sweaty affair to say the least..

PM-Easy 5 mile jog. No watch.

AM-12 miles with the last 2 at MP effort. (1:22:10) 

 Right hamstring and sacrum are tighter than usual this morning. I think it's time to just go get a heel lift and raise the shorter leg until I can figure out how to correct this imbalance. That is if it can be corrected at all..  Trying to stay optimistic about this but it's been an ongoing thing for a few years now and it's time for some real answers.

AM-4 miles easy on the soft deck treadmill at Gold's. A less bone jarring and joint shearing choice than the usual concrete today. (29:21) flat level.

Easy 5 miles at 7-7:30/mile.  Treadmill flat.

AM-Easy 6 miles. (41:11) 8600 south out and back.

PM-Medium/High Aerobic run for 6 miles.  (38:11).  Parkway trail path.

AM-Easy 4 mile wake up run.  7th east. (29:48)

PM-Medium Aerobic run on the treadmill with random hill repeats of up to 4% incline.  6 miles total. (38:36)  Not all treadmills are created equal I'm finding out more and more lately..

Easy/medium pace 7 miles.  1300 east/out and back.

Long run up up and down Provo Canyon with Sasha, Chad R and Collin A.  I really enjoyed getting out again and meeting new people while taking on a longer run. Good times..  I have'nt run 20 miles for quite some time now and although I'm not quite as fit as I used to be, it still turned out to have a much better result than I had expected.  The first 12 miles were at smooth and easy pace with the last 8 progressing gradually in effort until the last mile that is.. with some rather brutal hill climb it turned the legs to jello.   A great training run however and with no bonking issues which in and of itself is really encouraging.  For now I'm going to make a few changes in the coming weeks on the training in order to regroup and then work towards strengthening the legs and core more in order to improve economy.  I just have to keep building patiently and being thankful for the blessing I have.  

20 miles total with 12 at 7:30-8/min pace with 8 at sub 6 to 6:20ish/mile.

Easy 6 miles on 7th east. (38:37)

AM-8 miles high aerobic with 5 at MP pace. / 0.5-1% incline at 6-6:15/mile. (51:37) total time.  Not fully recovered from Saturday but still pretty doable.  Need to buckle down and take another easy day especially after a longer hard run that I'm not used to.

PM-5 miles easy on 7th east in (38:42} including a mile with my son.

AM-Easy 5 miles on the grass and parkway trail.  No watch.

PM-Easy 3 mile jog. (26:11)  About 1.5 miles with Ian while we talked about orchestra.  He plays viola and really enjoys it. You can always tell when it's orchestra practice day because he is usually up at about the same time I am.

Easy 8 miles on the indoor track at the community center at 7:09 avg pace.  Around the track turning laps like a drone on auto pilot. The plan was to get in some quality short speed but the legs were just not having any of it.  Just getting it in today.

AM-Easy 5 mile wake up run.  (36:21) total.  7th east/Quail Hollow.

PM-6 miles with 3 at MP effort in the middle. (41:03) total. 

AM-Easy 4 miles at 7:30/mi. 7th east.  Taking it easy for a while on the mileage and intensity.

PM-No run.  Going to step back on the throttle and do a more gradual plan. The mind is perfectly able to grind out 70-80 mile weeks just like the old days but the body is not quite able yet.  Don't get old is the advice for today..

Longer run on the treadmill today with 6 miles at 7-7:30/mile at 1.5%.  Upped the pace for 2 miles at 6:20-6:30/mile at 2-3.5% incline. 1 mile recovery at 7:30/mile flat and then 3 miles at 6:40-6:18/mi. 2-4% incline.  I needed to take some heart rate sampling and stay off the hard pavement today. 

Went for 10 miles on the JRP untimed. I was feeling in the mood for a Sunday morning run but somewhere more off the beaten path this time.

AM-Easy 4.5 mile wake up jog.  No time taken I just let the pace come to me easy.

PM-10 miles with 6 on the treadmill at 6:10-6:22/mile @ 1.5% incline. I alternated marathon pace to slightly faster than pace every other mile and surprisingly the legs actually felt ready for that tonight:)   However I think doing all this marathon pace work without a pre-season base is probably a mistake.  On the other hand.. there just isn't enough time to do it thoroughly so somehow we have to make the best of it. 

AM-Easy 5 mile wake up run.  Outer loop extension.

PM-Medium 6 mile progression run as I felt.  (38:31) total time. Treadmill at 1-1.5% incline.

AM-Easy 8.5 mile wake up run.  1300 east/ 7th east out and back.  Started with a nice and easy jog at 8-9/min pace and finished the last 3 miles at just under 7/min/mile.

PM-5.5 miles/ Treadmill. (38:03) 1.5% incline.

AM-Easy10 mile run up 13th east and 9400 south out and back. (1:11:06)  Felt ok but not with a lot of pep in my step this morning being from a combination of higher miles and not taking in enough carbs yesterday.  Pace was nice and easy though this morning for the most part.

PM-5 miles on the mill.  (32:03) @ 1.5% incline.  Felt better this evening after a nice carb and fluid re-load:)

 Put an insert into the left shoe to see if I could compensate a little for this lateral imbalance I have going on.  It seemed to work somewhat but I don't think quite as well as a heel lift would. Anyway... at least until I can get re-aligned and stronger in the core somehow and it's better than nothing I guess..

AM-4 miles wake up. 7th east out and back.

PM-6 miles easy late this evening.  TM-(42:07) 1-1.5%.  Busy day..

AM-12 miles up and down Provo Canyon early this morning with Chad R and Sasha.  Ran well on the 3 mile tempo segment but was tired from the training and all the higher end aerobic running. We held the pace as a group for a while but shortly afterwards I had to let them go. I  just didn't have enough reserve to hang on this morning. In the end I clocked (16:35) with Chad and Sasha around 16:15 or so. Wow.. It seems like a world away from the 15:15 PR Sasha and I clocked some years ago. Oh well.. Can't hang on to it forever right? 

 The main culprit I think is the lack of long distance endurance training along with running too fast on normal distance days.  Did I mention also that perhaps being 42 now just might have something to do with it?

AM-4 mile easy recovery jog on 7th east/80th south plus one on the grass.  Did not start out well with the two double cheeseburgers still on board somehow from lunch this afternoon. There is something about McDonalds that takes longer to digest than some substances to de-compose..    I should know better but it was close and quick to grab in a hurry.

AM-7 miles very easy.  No time but inserted some pickups in the middle for turnover. Ft Union/1300 east loop.  After pouring over some training threads last night on the Let's Run forum the light turned on again finally.

On a side note the heel lift I have now seems to be working so far but it needs to backed up by more core strengthening.  Gotta get on that.. 

PM-Easy 4.5 mile easy jog.  Fairly warm out this evening.  Summer is here:)

AM-10 miles easy effort and a slower warm up this morning.  13th and 9400 S.  (1:12:49)

PM-4.2 miles on the treadmill.  Just an easy aerobic run for 30 minutes slowly moving up pace and incline from 0-1.5%.

AM-Easy 10 miles up Sego Lily and back home. No time taken just enjoyed the run this morning.

PM-Easy 5 easy but rather toasty miles this evening. 7th east/bend out and back.

AM-Easy 10 miles on 7th/13th east out and back.  (1:10:21). 

PM-No run this evening. Catching up on some things.

AM-9 miles with 8x1 min on/off accelerations at 5k effort.  Ft Union course.  Good run today in spite of some stomach issues earlier that were probably due to some baked fish last night:( On a side note my morning resting pulse rate is down to around 38-40 bpm which is a really good sign.

PM-Progressive 6 miles on the treadmill. (39:33)  Felt really good today.

AM-Easy 5 miles this morning. (34:03)  Felt surprisingly good this morning however held back on distance.

PM-Easy 5 miles at lunch time.  No time taken.  7th east/8600 s. 

AM-12 miles total on the treadmill.  (1:11:19) %1-1.5%/   Did 8 miles for the faster portion of the run then took a pit stop and ran 3 more miles to get the rest in.

PM-No run tonight.  Stayed home with the family and watched Sherlock Holmes while eating copious amounts of junk food:)

AM-Easy 6 miles this morning.  (41:49)  Should have taken a little easier recovery pace but it felt good with the cool weather and all.  7th and 8600 s extension.

PM-No afternoon run. 

AM-5 mile wake up jog. 7th east loop. 

PM-5 miles easy. (35:13) Things are now starting to get interesting in the land of Aerobia..

AM-Medium long run for 13 miles with the last 6 at MP effort.  6:20-25/mile.  Ft Union/Sandy bench.

PM-7 miles total with one on a broken treadmill for warm up. (48:31).  Finally got around to putting down the ice cream in order to get my entry in tonight and it probably took me longer than the actual run I think..

AM-Easy 10 miles. No time taken. 7th and 9400s out and back.  The wind really sucked warming up but gave a nice ride coming home.

PM-5 mile easy progression run on the treadmill with 2 miles in the middle at 6:10-6:22/mi. @ 1.5% incline. (35:22) total time.

AM-8 miles easy. 7th out and back.  No time.

PM-8 miles easy aerobic on the treadmill.  (1:00:11) @ 1.5% incline.

AM-Easy 6 miles on 7th around 7/min pace.  (43:16).  Hands were cold this morning which doesn't seem right almost being summer. Legs were not exactly sharp but I wasn't feeling like a plodder either so probably about normal fatigue wise.  One thing that might help is to stop training in racing flats.  Duh..

PM-Easy 6 miles on the treadmill with the last 2 at 6:10-20/ mile.  (42:11) 1.5-2% incl.

AM-6 miles (41:47) 1.5% incline.  Felt really good this morning after warming up. Not sure if I will do something longer today or wait until I see how the day turns out.

PM-5 miles this evening. (33:37)  Felt good and I threw in some faster stuff toward the end but I think 90 miles this week is enough..

Easy 4 miles today was all. (28:54) out and back.  Spent most of the day at church and with the fam doing typical Sunday stuff.  Getting up to run is the easy part..  It's dragging myself into church that isn't so easy and I'll just leave it at that.

 I'm just not the super religious type I guess..

AM-Easy wake up run. 7th/ and trail out and back. 

PM-Easy 4 mile evening jog. No time taken just getting out and moving the legs.

AM-10 miles total to and back from gym.  (1:06:36)

PM-6 miles. High Aerobic Progression run.  (38:42). Just watched Asbel Kiprop at a Diamond League track meet fall asleep in the third lap of a 1500m race only to come alive and outkick the field in the last 100m.  Wow.. He is built like an absolute broomstick and makes me look on the heavy side..

AM-Easy wake up jog.  4.5 miles total. 7th/loop.

PM-10 miles easy during lunch.- (1:10:35)  7th/9400s.

AM-MP Long Run with a hard push at the end.  2 miles cool down.  Warmed up for 6 miles outside and did the rest on the treadmill.  TM-(57:56).   I may not do a second run tonight after that one..

PM-No run. Legs are too tired to have a productive run after that along with the 90 mile weeks.

AM-4 mile jog recovery. No watch so as not to push the pace.

PM-Same as above.

AM-Easy 6 miles treadmill with a pickup in pace to 6:10/mi 1.5% for the last two miles.  (38:24).

PM-Easy 6 miles on 7th out and back.  No time taken.

The wife put on the the movie "Miracle" on TV.  I think I'll give it a go tonight on recommendations from people. Looks good..

Easy 9 miles at Liberty park on the woodchips with Adam and Josh E on the blog.  Great brunch run with some good company and some soft surface easy running on the legs.  Afterwards I stopped off at Dee's and had a huge Lumberjack breakfast then afterwards took a long nap after all those hotcakes and syrup kicked in:)

Taking a cutback this week in training to recover the legs.

Easy 5 mile jog on 7th out and back. No time taken.

Just another easy 5 mile run but a little quicker than yesterday. - (34:07)

7th/Parkway trail out and back.

Easy 5 miles on the treadmill today with one mile at 5:39/ 1.5 % incline. HR and breathing effort at all speeds has come down a bit but anything faster than 10 mph seems a little rapid turnover wise.

 On a side note I am running Utah Valley this weekend!  Way excited to just be in it again. 

Easy 5 miles out and back on 7th. (34:46) Last quarter at sub six pace.  I pulled out the old Pegasus 27s that had only a modest amount of wear and ran in them today. Though they seemed overly cushioned at first, I quickly got used to the ride and by the end of the run  I actually preferred them over my worn out flats. 

Remembering  D-Day today and all of the sacrifices and stories my Grandfather used to tell me about himself and the men he fought with as an airborne paratrooper.

Easy 4 miles early this morning. (26:12)  Threw in some faster stuff to keep the rust off:)

It was great to get out and test myself again after having some really tough setbacks in the past. All things considered this was a substantial improvement both in terms of performance and in health. Considering my last crash I was really unsure about my capabilities on the road as so much of the training I that I had undertaken previously had been done on a treadmill or just plain spotty due to layoffs caused by nagging injuries and life.  In all reality I told Sasha that 1:18 was the target but secretly inside I thought if everything went really well a 1:16 would be the time to hope for. Turns out it was to be somewhere in the middle and so I'll take that and count it as a blessing and as a stepping stone for further improvement. 

 I know that my age is creeping up on me now, but I've seen some pretty incredible times come from some masters age group runners that give me optimism and that there may still be some fire left after all.  I just need to take a more balanced and more broad approach to training. The key will be to find the optimal point and not the maximal one this time. Easier said than done for someone like me but hey there is always tomorrow..

Note-My watch time was somewhere around 1:16:54 but the official was at 1:17:04. Not sure why that is..

Easy 15 miles long on the woodchips at Liberty Park.  Bumped into James Moore and had some good company for the latter part of the run.  Feeling like I ran a half marathon but other than that my energy levels were pretty good this morning.

AM-16 miles total with one reset on the treadmill. (1:44:08)  This is a little ridiculous.. I shouldn't feel this good after a half marathon. I know about the post race high of sorts that runners get but I don't think this is it..  I ran pretty hard on Saturday however I just didn't have another gear and kept fairly similar splits effort wise while even negative splitting the last mile somehow.  So.. I don't know what it is but it may be a combination of just needing some quality speed work and more time.  Sasha also suggested part of the problem may be needing to do more race specific tempos on the road and less mileage in order to absorb the training better.  I think it may be a combination of some or all of these factors.  

PM-No run.  Held back and rested this evening.

AM-10 miles via 7th/13th east out and back. Very refreshing hot south south wind.. (1:11:29)

PM-6 miles progressive on the treadmill early afternoon with lots of stretching.  (40:07)  Ate four plates of Chinese afterwards and took a nap before work. Now that is what I call a power recovery routine.

AM-Easy 8 miles on 7th/Parkway trail out and back. Run felt ok but generally took it easy today at a jog pace. I just didn' t have much bounce in the legs as evidenced by a 1:17 quarter I threw in at the end. I felt like it should have been slightly under 1:15 or so. 

PM-5 miles on the treadmill. - (33:18)

AM-9 miles with 1 min on 1 min off. Some off at 1:30.  Just classic and simple Gerschler intervals.

PM-6 miles progressive/treadmill at lunchtime. (40:18).  Running a second strong aerobic run on tired legs supposedly I guess is better for adaptation if it's followed by a good recovery run the next day.

More stretching and some time on the bike this afternoon to loosen up the legs.

AM-Easy 4 mile recovery jog. 7th east out and back.

PM-Easy 6 miles with a 2 mile pickup to MP.  (42:19) TM. Longer warm up than usual today.

AM-Easy 8 miles with a pick up in pace at the end.  Parkway trail/9400s.

PM-Easy 8 miles with some on the grass to finish. 7th east out and back. No time taken.

Busy for a better part of the day helping some family members of mine move. Between that and coming down with a cold the last few days I was just not in shape to put much more in so I called it a day.  I know when I get a cold bug during summer it's a clear warning sign to back off on the training. 

Easy 5 miles/ 7th east 86th out/back.  Feeling better but sluggish still. 

Very busy today out and about doing errands, home maintenance chores and just plain being sick.  This somehow does not feel like a normal cold especially with the body aches, mild fever and the like. In the past I would have pushed through it. Not this time.. so definitely taking it easier this week on the training.  6 miles total.  TM-(43:17)

Easy 6 miles. No watch.  Could barely get out out of bed to go run I felt so tired and congested.

3 miles before work. Not much if any improvement. Just have to rest and wait it out.. I know I have the flu but it just doesn't seem like the right time of year. Viruses don't necessarily recognize seasons do they?  Miserable..

AM-Easy 4 miles before work. A little better today but still pretty congested..

PM-10 miles with 5 at the end downhill at MP effort. 

AM-Easy 3 mile wake up jog before work. 

PM-9 miles progressive on the treadmill. - (51:08)  Not too shabby for an old guy just getting over the crud.  It was all good until I hit 11.5 mph and then the cement truck pulled up..

AM-16 miles with 2X4 miles at MP effort.  Not quite recovered from Saturday but still a fairly good longer run.

PM-5 mile jog recovery.  Blustery and windy this afternoon so I mainly followed an east-west direction on 7800 s and then did a repeat out and back in order to try and keep the effort easy.

AM-Easy recovery jog for 8 miles total on the treadmill. /7-8/mph. @.5%-1% incline. 2 miles very easy at 7.0 and then 6 miles at 8.0 mph.  Felt really slow but I just kept telling myself that my legs will only thank me later on.

PM-7 miles on 7th/Parkway trail out and back.

AM- Long Run for 20.5 with the last miles run at the gym to finish and lift some upper body weights. 2x4 miles with alternating miles of MP-LT running. 7th/13th east loop.  The high mileage bounce is possibly starting to kick in because 6/min pace is starting to feel a little easier now at longer distances.  I had to do this long run today because I have to work the weekend.

PM-No run this evening. Decided to just focus on recovering and do some stretching.

AM-Easy 5 miles recovery on the treadmill with a gradual warm down to walking speed for the last tenth of a mile. (40:11) 0-.5% incline.

PM-Easy 5 mile recovery jog.  Ran up to the playground and back with Aaron then jogged around the grass while he played for a while and after that extended out on the way back for another half mile to get about roughly 5 miles or so. 

Afterwards my son Aaron and I stopped into our favorite hole in the wall restaurant and ate to our heart's content and upon opening my fortune cookie I decided that I would actually read it's content this time; "Life is never more fun than when your the underdog competing against the giants."  Considering the depth of this years competition and how much I enjoyed Utah Valley recently,  it was a fun, but also a kind of eerily written fortune.

AM-Easy 6 miles this morning.  No watch. / 7th east/Parkway out and back.

PM-No second run today. Went out with the family for most of the evening.

AM-18 miles with alternating 5 min on/off at Easy-MP effort in the last half of the run. Headed out to Draper trail and then up and down Dimple Dell extension turning back for home. Found out yesterday that I did not have to work my shift until later this evening so I took advantage of the extra time today.  A good solid workout with a fair amount of rolling hills and just enough downhill to work the quads without tearing them to pieces.  Time for a huge nap..

PM-6 miles recovery run after work. (45:27) 7th east out and back.  Almost talked myself out of this one but I'm glad I didn't. The run was relatively comfortable after a couple of miles into it. Still fatigued but better than I thought it would be.

AM-Easy 8 miles recovery on the treadmill. (1:00:54)

PM-10 miles out and back up 9400s bench area. No watch.  Probably 90 degrees plus or so and its late evening.

AM-13 miles with strides on the grass afterwards.

PM-No run tonight. Got home late from work and had stuff to do around the house still.

AM-8 miles easy. No watch.

PM-7 miles easy. No watch./7th Parkway trail.  Late and tired..

AM-Easy 5 mile wake up run to loosen up a bit. 7th/9400s.

AM2-Hydrated, warmed up for a mile and then did a tempo run on the treadmill for 10.2 miles at MP to just slightly faster than MP.  Good run and feeling strong overall but I could feel the higher mileage in my legs from previous days. Hopefully I'll have enough in the tank for an AT run on Saturday.  / 11 miles total with warm up. /  Ran all of my mileage this morning on two seperate morning workouts because I have a fun busy day ahead with my boys. 

AM-6 miles.

PM-No run.

AM-Easy 4 miles. 7th/grass field. (7:24 avg)

PM-Easy 4 miles with one pickup mile at the end. (6:49 avg)

AM-Long Run up and down Provo Canyon with Sasha and Chad R.  The run came to about 18 miles total with 7 miles at MP.  Decided not to do the entire 10 miles with Sasha because of sleep issues, higher mileage fatigue and a low gas tank.  Avg pace down the canyon for the tempo was 5:55/mile according to Garmin.  Somewhat pleased with this run with things being as they were today however it's time to cut back the mileage and freshen things up a little.

Afterwards I spent some time on the computer with Sasha learning as much as I could absorb in an attempt to begin doing some programming in PHP.  Fascinating stuff but somewhat daunting in nature as the learning curve for me right now is still kind of high. Very much looking forward to being able to do more of it though.

PM-6 miles easy shakeout- 7:46/avg. 7th east/9400s west.

Easy 10 miles recovery total today.  7:30-8/min pace.

AM-Easy 4.5 miles/ 7-7:30 pace.  Legs felt rather heavy today.

PM-Easy 6 miles on the treadmill. (45:19) A little better but keeping it slower this evening.

AM-Easy/medium 5 miles this morning. A little better this morning but a good taper is definitely in order.  Saw some bare chested guy moving down 7th at a pretty good clip. Caught up to him and and held pace for a bit before turning for home. If that was his daily training pace I wonder what  his speedier runs are like!

PM-No run instead worked on some other things on the honey-do list.

AM-Mid long progressive run 13 miles with 4 at MP progressing to LT effort for 4 more miles. Going by effort and intensity and trying not to focus on any specific time. Not feeling sharp but not feeling flat either so a bit of an improvement again which is where I want to be at this point.

PM-4 miles easy jog on grass.

AM-10 miles on the treadmill progressive again.  The 80 % mhr turnpoint felt like it was at about 10.3-10.5 mph.  Next time I'm going to take an HR monitor on a workout like this one.  Overall I felt really strong and confident about this workout especially after doing a hard day yesterday.  Double hard days work well for me if done right and it feels like I'm getting stronger now over time.

PM-No run tonight. Short recovery jog planned for tomorrow.

AM-4 miles with a pick up in pace.  No time. 7th east out and back  So much for a recovery run..  Felt good this morning so I went with it. 

PM-6 mile progressive run on the T-mill.  (34:56) .5-1% incline.  Keeping the intensity up a bit higher this week while cutting back volume. Hopefully this will bring me to a peak by the 24th.

AM-12 miles total. Took it into the gym for 6 miles to take off some of the impact and then ran home.  Kim took care of my my legs for me after and massaged out some really tight areas.  So grateful for her small acts of kindness like that:)

PM-No run. At work until after nine bells tonight and all I could think about was hot food and some sack time..  I wanted to be around 70 ish miles for the taper this week anyway.

AM-Easy 8 mile jog today on the JRT this morning.  Forgot how much I really liked this trail. Now for some smoked BBQ and the more fat on the bone the better:)

PM-Easy 4 mile jog with some pickups for turnover at the end.  Legs are a bit better than this morning but still heavy.

Just getting in one today for some exercise..

AM-Easy 5 miles on 7th and the parkway.  Last 1 at 6:05/mi. 

PM-Easy/Medium 5 miles after work with pickups in the middle. 

AM-Easy 5 miles on the T-mill with the last mile run at 6-6:10/mile. 1.5% incline.  (33:16)

AM-Progressive run with pickup in pace at the middle.

PM-Busy tonight with the meeting and errands.

AM-Easy 8 miles at 7-8/min pace.  7th and parkway out and back.

AM- I had a good race today and it was another small improvement for me however reducing the overall mileage lately has definitely helped.  The flip side of the coin is that I got some nice hamstring strain attempting to get out of a rather narrow starting chute. This was in order to get a good clean break away and it cost me.

PM-Went for a jog to get to see if this might improve warming into things.  It did but only a little and that has me nervous about this upcoming marathon on the 24th.  Totally debating about whether to just call the show on this one.  Small issues like this over 26 miles can be just disastrous.  All I can do now is pray that this recoups somehow and does not get any worse..

No run today just rest and focus on other things today.

Went for a short run on the treadmill to test things out and slooowly... warmed into a faster pace until I reached 11 mph and then backed off.   Stiff and a bit sore and once warmed up it seemed ok but it's still not 100 percent of course.  This is a tough call as I have worked so hard to get to the line with a good degree of fitness.  I feel pretty sure that if it wasn't for this I would have had a good chance to have possibly gone sub 2:40 tomorrow.  There is the possibility of maybe moving down to the half or the 10k however...  We'll test that out tomorrow and make that decision hopefully.   Some race miles are better than none right?

Easy 2 miles this morning.  Warmed up slowly from a jog and still felt a lot of tightness and some irritation all the way up to the piriformis.  After some prayer and talking with my wife this morning I came to the conclusion that it would just be too risky to do this at any distance. Feeling rather bummed about this but I guess it's a natural consequence of our sport sometimes and especially as you get older.  With all things being said I want to be in this for the long term and so I think I'll sit this one out.   Good luck to everyone who is running tomorrow.

Woke up early this morning and went to the D-News event to cheer some folks on in the half and then proceeded up the course to help pace Sasha to the finish.  Glad to see him get second place and in the money.  A little tight and sore afterwards but nothing that wasn't manageable with some IB and some heat.

Easy 5 mile recovery jog on the treadmill at 7:30-8/min pace.

Just on easy 6 miler today with some improvement but still somewhat sore on the upper end of the hammy.  7-7:30/mile pace.

Easy 5 miles today. Things are tight and sore still.

Took today off generally took it easy.  

Same as yesterday and veery.. slowly it seems to be improving.  Nothing like an injury to put things back into perspective.  As I get older I am understanding more and more the role that age and genetics plays into the running performance equation.

Easy 5 miles at 7-8/min pace. Still tight and inflexible but not giving up in getting back to 100% eventually.

AM-Easy wake up run. 4 miles. - (28:35)  Tight this morning in the hamstring still but at least it's not sore.  I've noticed that even though taking a complete day off is good for recovery I am so incredibly tight if I do.  A short slow run yesterday seemed to improve overall flexibility yesterday and today and at this stage though I guess it only makes sense.  Aerobically things are still in really good shape even though the body feels like it's in hibernation mode..  Another good point against long tapering perhaps.

AM-Easy 5 miles. (36:24). Felt good this morning.

First recorded run in quite some time but it felt great even with a substantial loss of fitness.  Mainly a few bouts of jogging a week since the onset of this injury.  Overall strength is severely lacking and most especially in climbing long hills and grades.  But I think things are now turning a corner. I'm finally getting a good range of motion in my stride and also in the stretching department. The plan is to mainly focus on quality base with two longer hill climbing sessions per week.  Hopefully I might just be back in business by early winter or spring if not sooner.

 SLC marathon course. No watch.

Easy 5 mile jog recovery.  7th east.

16 miles total. No watch.

 Little Cottonwood out and back. Tough and nasty grade going up this beast.. Had to stop a couple of times.  Hard at first to get into it but once I got back through the lower mouth things improved quite a bit thanks to a little cloud burst overhead to cool off with.

Easy 10 miles recovery.  7th-9400s.  Fall is definitely here now with the cooler temp this morning. Was noticing some of the leaves up top of the ridgeline in lower Little Cottonwood are starting to turn now.  Even with the shorter days I really love this time of year..

Ok, I had to think of a new blog title that would more accurately describe the state of running in my world lately.  Don't laugh because at least it's not as lame as the one before it...

AM-Easy 5 miles on 7th and 8600s.  A bit brisk temp wise but after a mile warm up it felt pretty nice out.

PM-Easy 5 miles with a neighbor and also member in my ward.  Just an easy run while we talked about a variety of things including not judging people until you have walked in their shoes.  A good run with a great friend and also company to pass the time.

Easy 4 miles this morning on 7th east out and back. Cold but shorts are still in the line up.  Threw some burners in at the end for form and turn over.

pm-6 miles up 9400 s via Quarry bend out and back.  2 min on 2 min off fartlek.

Easy-medium 10 miles with a progressive push on the last 4 miles. 7th/11400s out and back. Strong southie wind late this morning.

10 miles. Up 9400s via 7th east/8600s out and back. Awesome running type weather today..

10 miles.  7th/9400s.

10 miles. 13th east/9400s/Highland Dr out and back. Feel like Im going nowhwere fitness wise.. The body is still trying to adapt to the overall terrain and volume.

pm-6 miles/Sandy Parkway.  Windy but just took it really slow on the way out and was nicely rewarded with the last 2 miles in 12:51. Feeling pretty easy but then again evening runs ARE so much easier.

.

Easy 5 mile jog on 7th. Took it out a little slower than I usually do today to kind of help keep the training load from becoming too monotonous.

AM-6 miles around 75-80% mhr. /  Up to 85% toward the end of the run. / 7th east out and back.  Last 3 in 19:17.  Not bad for an early wake up run.

PM-10 miles. Highland Dr via Ft Union Blvd.  Hill run with some surges on both the ups and downs. Taking the boys to the circus tomorrow after work so I'm padding the effort and mileage a bit today. I run when I can..

Easy 5 mile jog. A little stretching and some abduction work afterwards.

Brunch run this morning of about 10 miles easy for the most part.  Up 9400s/7th out and back.  More stretching, high stepping and lateral leg raises.

AM-10 mile run with the JAJA Salt Lake crew.  Had some really good company today with a great dedicated group of runners. Where did the time go..

PM-6 miles this evening. Picked up the tempo on the last 3 coming home.

Easy recovery run for 5.5 miles this evening. 9400s/7th east. Kept it short and slow. No time taken.

AM-5 miles easy wake up. 7th east/90th.

PM-5 miles easy/medium before work with a progressive pickup in pace after the turnaround. Some light stretching afterwards.  7th/9400s out and back.

AM-Easy 4 miles with the last one picked up a little faster.  Nice cool crisp weather this morning..

PM-12 miles with hill surges along Highland Dr. Weather looked as if it was going to be a bit nasty so I cranked out the session today instead of tomorrow. It turned out to be the right decision all around as this one felt pretty good this evening:)
 

AM-10 miles this morning split into two sessions of 3/7. Jogged for about 3 miles then stopped for a break and some fluids, then afterwards finished the last 7 miles going up 13th east and back.  Not really the best route for a recovery run especially with the grade going up. That being the case I'll probably shave some miles off of tomorrow and perhaps even take it onto the grass or trail.  Murphy's law says I'll probably be hitting the treadmill or stairmaster with the way the weather has been.

PM-Easy 6 mile jog this evening.  7th/9400s out and back.

AM-18.5 miles. Up and down Big Cottonwood canyon out and back from home via Ft Union blvd.  Progressive hill surges at MP-AT effort with a push at the end of the run.  Some jogging and stretching to cool down around the soccer field for about a half mile.  Everything felt good today but I'm starting to feel the mileage a little now.  Time to step back a bit next week and regroup.

Day off today.  I took Ian to General Conference for the morning session, (We were lucky enough to score some good tickets this year.)  It was a strong spiritual experience which helped give me the guidance and inspiration to press forward in spite of all the challenges that our family has been facing. 

PM-Was going to get a few more in tonight but got busy with stuff at home and felt wore out by the time 6 pm came around. Turned around and hung up the shoes in favor of some more leisurely activity, stuffing my face with stroganoff and a Toblerone. What a combination for recovery I know..
 

PM-Easy 6 miles/7th/9400s. Just easy jogging this evening.

AM-10 miles easy aerobic with a fast mile at the end for form practice and turnover. Other than that it was nothing too exciting really. Just another base mileage run for the log book.

     (Ft Union/13th east southbound route.)

PM-Had too many other things like laundry and the like to do tonight. Trying to keep the mileage around 70 mpw anyway..

AM-10 miles. Consisting of 2x11 minute AT segments with 3-4 minute run recovery interval. Ran the last 2 miles at MP effort./ Rough estimate but very close to 5:30/mi on the LT up tempo while accounting for the distance inaccuracy of the track. / Dimple Dell indoor track./

AM-Easy 5 mile jog recovery. / 7th east route./ Fast pickup toward the end.

AM-10 miles up and down Provo Canyon while the family biked. Did some fartlek consisting of 5 min on/off both up and down.

PM-6 miles easy-medium effort of about 75-80% mhr on 7th east.

AM-A little over 10 miles with the Salt Lake crew consisting of Jake, Fritz, Josh, Collin and Nate. We motored up and down through SLC, Memory Grove, City Creek, and then back down to Liberty Park via avenues route.  A little change of scenery along with some good conversation to pass the time.

AM-Easy 13 miles. 7th/13th/Sandy bench,/ Brr...  A little chilly this morning serves a painful reminder that winter is approaching like a train in the distance. Really good however for just cranking out miles one after another.

PM-7 easy miles this afternoon with some short pickups in the middle. 7th/Ft Union Blvd.

AM-Easy 4 mile wake up run.  7th east.

PM-6 miles easy with a half mile of strideouts on grass. 7th/9400s/grass field.

AM-13 miles with 5 at MP effort going up 13th east and 9400s from Ft Union. Turned for home and began picking up the pace for the LT portion of the run and practicing running fast but controlled and as smooth as possible down hill and on the flat sections.

PM-5 miles easy this evening. 7th east out/back.

Easy 10 miles recovery. I'm starting to feel a definite increase in fitness now with the pace starting to get a little quicker on easy days. 

PM-Just an easy 6 miles tonight. Crazy day schedule wise.. / Ft union blvd out and back./

AM-6 miles easy./ 7th/9400s.

PM-4 miles easy with strideouts down 8000 s.  Lots of stretching..

AM-Easy 11 miles with Jake K and crew. Was planning on going longer but stoppped and headed back after I realised we were going to do some wear testing but by then everyone was gone.  I am getting senile in my years now..

PM-Easy 6 miles with a fast half mile at the end for turnover and form practice. 7th/9400s out and back. Awesome evening weather for running this evening, it just doesn't get any better..

AM-Easy 4.5 wake up jog. 7th east./

AM2-Progression run with last 6 fairly hard at 10k-Half effort intensity. 7th/9400s/2300 east.

PM-Shakeout jog for 2 miles with Ian.  His form looks better than mine now.. He has really good forefoot landing and low arm swing.

AM-Easy 12 miles. Cottonwood heights/1300 east/Ft Union blvd.  Brunch run because of working late tonight. Mondo stretching afterwards with yesterday leaving me just a bit sore.

PM-No run. Taking a down break on mileage mid week for better training variance and recovery.

AM-No run.

PM-Easy 5 miles with a pickup in pace at the end which felt ok considering the higher mileage. The fitness is coming slowly but surely:). 

  I can hardly wait..

AM-10 miles with 4 at Tinman tempo-MP effort followed by a gradual increase in pace and effort on the last 3 miles going home. I need to modify this effort and start running it at the correct LT pace on the track for a more accurate assesment. Question is how to do that properly.. Maybe some one on FRB can educate me on what really LT pace is without a lactic acid blood test.  I've always thought it was somewhere around 10 mile-10k race pace intensity?

PM-Easy/medium 5 miles on 7th/94th. Felt good but will definitely keep it under the speed limit tomorrow.

AM-6 mile recovery jog. 7th/parkway trail. Enjoying the weather while it lasts.

PM-Rest.