Age is just a number.

AM-Went for 11 miles up to the Ft Union/Sandy bench via Highland Dr in order to escape atleast some of the goop. Finished out the run with 2x400m stride outs in warm up pants at 1:18, 1:15. Completed on the home stretch with 2% downhill. Feeling a little weak in the legs speed wise and tight in the chest still, but much better energy wise overall. Truth of the matter is that I'm getting older and my speed stamina is slowly going bye bye.  I'm having a hard time coming to terms with that as evidenced by some of my crazy training lately!

Time to relax with Kim now for the rest of the day and finish our favorite DVD set; the HBO series "John Adams".   An awesome production and also one of my favorite founding fathers and patriots (next to Jefferson) in our nation's history.   Happy New Years FRB!

Managed 4 today.. Felt drained.

AM-Easy 5 miles at 7ish pace. (36:41) 7th east/9400s.

AM-10 miles with pickups at 3 min each/1:30 recovery. 28-31 sec laps. Dimple Dell rec center. Felt better today even with the dry hacking cough.. Slow but happy with it considering.

PM-4 miles easy recovery. A lot of ice out there tonight.. (30:11) 7th east 9400s.

AM-4 miles easy (30:27) Sick with the flu for the first part of January so I'm not sure what to expect.. Hoping to get at least a sub 17 min 5k. I'll guess we'll see..

Ugly day today... Recovering from viral influenza, lack of sleep and loss of fitness equals crappy performance. The one thing I am happy about is that I finished this race feeling absolutely spent. Toward the end I started gaining some ground on some of the other guys ahead of me but it just wasn't enough.. This was a deep and wickedly competitive field I would have expected maybe during late summer. But at a cold early winter race on an inversion cast day?  My hat goes off to Scott Keate for an incredible race. Jeez.. The bar was not just raised, it was taken up into the stratosphere!  Still.. It definitely inspires me to do better both in training and racing thats for sure.

AM-Very easy recovery run at 8-8:30/mile pace. 7 miles total.

AM-Easy run on the parkway trail. 8/min/mile pace.  Sticking with a low key slower training pace approach for a while.  The body demands it and besides I'm kind of enjoying my runs more this way right now. 

AM-Easy 4.5 miles at 8/min pace.  7th east/State Street.  Wearing the Skechers lately seems right for some reason biomechanically.

AM-A nice and easy pace..  8 miles total.

Easy 7 miles on the parkway trail. 7-/8min pace.

Easy 5 miles 7th out and back.  7-8/min pace.

AM-6 miles with 3 min pickups after warming up.  Time to get serious next week..

AM-Easy 4 mile wake up run. No time. 7th east.

PM-Easy 8 miles after church. 7th and parkway trail. Just easy aerobic.

AM-Wave tempo with 8x5 hard/1 min rest. First 3 min AT effort then finishing the last 2 min at LT or about 10k intensity pace.  First set straight up 9400s and 2000 east on some really good rolling hills and overall vertical gain. Last 4 coming back down concentrating on turnover and economy of effort. Got lucky today and hit all the street lights just right without having to stop. Execution and effort given an A+..:)

PM-Easy 4 miles recovery at 8-9/min pace. 7th east out and back.

AM-Easy 6 miles recovery on the parkway trail. Lots of soft shock absorbing powder:)

PM-Easy 4 miles on the treadmill.( 31:06)  Ran while wrapping up the latest episode of "Sherlock" starring Benedict Cumberbatch.  A bit more cerebral than some of the other made for TV Sherlock Holmes episodes.

AM-Easy 7 miles at 7-8/min pace. 8600s up and back.  Continuing my search for a new church to join.. More and more I'm starting to question things. Yes I know it's not exactly running related is it..

PM-Easy 12 miles up into Bell Canyon out and back.  Not feeling the best today overall but got it done.

AM-Easy miles on the parkway trail. Just focusing on getting some good base mileage in.

AM-Steady state run for 12 miles out back up towards the canyon via 9400s. Just kept it at a nice medium effort occasionally moving into MP effort for a mile or so. No watch just trying to concentrate on effort and intensity by feel.  Very pleasant weather lately which leaves me really no excuse not to put the miles in:)

PM-Easy 4 mile jog on 7th out and back. 

AM-Easy 12 miles recovery on the parkway trail out to Draper and back. Windier than hell going out though..

AM-Easy for the most part untl the end when I picked up the pace to about what I felt like was a bit slower than marathon pace at the end for the last 2 miles. 7th east out through Draper and back. Tough to stay motivated lately.. Time to start running with Spencer or someone local. It's a definite known that group running even if it's just a couple of people definitely leads to improved performances for everyone in the group. Just look at the Salt Lake, Utah County and Davis guys. Proof positive.. Not to neglect anyone else who might do it also hopefully

AM-Easy 6 miles out and back. 7th/9400s. I actually wore shorts today!

Busy day.. No run.

AM-Easy 5 miles today then some study time. 7th east out and back.

AM-Good solid workout today. 2X2 miles at 15k-10k race pace effort.  2 min rest.  15 miles total. Wasatch blvd route. That one kind of hurt..

AM-Took the day off for job searching. Not easy in this economy..

PM-4 miles easy recovery.8-8:3-/mi. pace. Discovered that I'm a Glen Campbell fan after some recordings given to me by someone.  Country music is cool even for a runner..  Who knew?

PM-Easy 6 miles on 7th at 8/min pace. Pretty uneventful run.

AM-Steady 6 miler with the last 4 miles at 6-6:30 and the last half mile at 2:41.  Felt somewhat better today though definitely not 100%.   So not looking forward to turning 43 next month..  7th east and parkway trail.

AM-4.5 miles. (30:46). 7th east. Some good things are coming fitness wise in the next few months. I just have to believe in that intuition I'm getting this morning.

Sub-par.. Going to turn things around starting today.

AM-Easy 6 miles recovery. 7th/parkway trail. Stretching and tennis ball after.

PM-Easy 6 miles recovery. 8-9/min pace. Most at 8-8:30/mi same as this morning.

AM-Easy 8 miles on 7th-13th east/State St route.  7:30-8/min pace.  Wanted to go to 10 miles however like the old saying goes, just because you can doesn't always mean you should.  The legs are still in recovery mode although a bit bouncier this morning. A good sign, because it means I got it right yesterday with the diet, m ileage and pace.  I've been taking a page or two out of Camille Herron's blog lately.  Highly recommend it..

PM-Easy 4 miles, 8-8:30/mi. 7th east.  Spent the rest of the day looking for employment..

AM-13 miles easy aerobic overdistance. Took it out on the 94th/Wasatch Blvd route. Picked up the pace to sub 7/min miles for the last 3.  Most miles at 7:30-7:40ish.

Wow this weather is just awesome!  However I am glad for the storms coming later this week . The snow pack doesn't seem to heavy.. I'm kind of curious to see where we are percentage wise.

PM-Easy 4 miles at 7:30/8min pace. Parkway trail lunchtime.

AM-Easy 6 miles early on 7th/8600s/13theast.  7-7:20/mile.  Time to take a nap..

AM2-10 miles easy up 7th and 13th east.  7:30ish-8/min/mile.

PM-Easy 6 miles with the last 3 at 7/min pace.  7th/9400s west.  Nothing hard just getting as many base miles as possible without overtraining.  Keeping an eye on morning pulse both sitting and standing to see how this sudden push in mileage works out.  

AM-13 miles up 9400s from home out/back. Took it pretty easy on the pace in order to spare glycogen reserves while still getting good aerobic benefit.  7:30ish-8/min pace.  Turning on the mitochrondria factory.

PM-Easy 5 miles this evening on 7th/east. 7:30-8/min pace.  Soggy.. But not bad once warmed up. Noticed how high I was carrying my arm swing in the last race and so I've been practicing lowering the arms and relaxing the shoulders more.  This seems to have made a definite improvement in the amount of tightness I have been struggling with.  The tough thing about it is that I have to conciously work on it throughout the run. Hopefully it will become a more natural thing soon.

AM-Easy 12 miles at 7:30ish-8/min pace. 9400s/2300 east route.  Somehow I don't think we are going to get to 62 degrees today.

PM-NO run this evening.  Wife wanted to go to the Y bookstore (she is a Y alum..) and creamery so we loaded up the car with the kids and proceeded onward. Shopped art supplies for Ian and had huge bowls of BYU creamery ice cream. Man I had no idea it was so thick and rich!  It makes every other ice cream look like air blown half and half.  I was a beached whale afterwards and had no desire to move for nothing or nobody..

AM-18 miles with the last 4 at MP effort.  Most miles 7:30-8/min mile pace.  Last 4 around 6:15-6:20ish.  Things opened up well after 15 for some reason and a solid long run for the books.  9400/Wasatch/Little Cottonwood out/back.  Felt much better today than yesterday on the run.

PM-Easy 6 miles on 9400s out/back.  8-8:20 pace into the wind. 7:30-8/min coming back.

PM-Easy 6 miles. 7-8/min pace. 7th/parkway.

AM-Easy 10 miles at 7-8/min pace.  7th/13th east out/back.

AM-Easy 6 miles. 7:30ish most of the run. 7th/9400s.

PM-Easy 6 miles meandering in Sugar House for a change of scenery. 7:30-8/min pace.

AM-15 miles with a timed session of 4x90, 4x60, 4x30 and 4x15sec all with equal rest.  SLC Marathon route out and back. Amazing weather again.

PM-5 miles on 7th out/back.  Fair amount of wind..

AM-10 miles on 7th/Ft Union route. Band stretches, planks, crunches and upper body work are on the top of my list to make routine now. Just not as fun as running unfortunately.. Cutting back the mileage for next two days and feeling better now. Made a last minute decision to run the Strider's 10 miler.  I know I'm going to get my tail kicked but for right now it's about progression and getting healthy again. Getting over the flu was so tough this winter.  I had to make the decision to throw the beer in the garbage can.. Alcohol and athletics DO NOT mix and I don't care what anyone says to the contrary..

AM-Easy 5 miles on 7th/9400s west.  7-7:30/mi.  Legs are still a little tired but feeling better and with tomorrows mileage I will have just a bit over 100 mpw for the last 2 weeks.  I can do this it's just going to take some time.

I'm going to do a decent write-up once I get the ins and outs of this dashboard. A little goal of mine is to learn how to write up and publish more interesting entries.  

AM-Long Run with a pick-up in pace at the end.  Salt Lake Marathon course/Sugarhouse Park/Downtown area.  Ran for exactly 2:30:52 total time. Hopped on TRAX and took a nap on the way home:)  I'm calling it 19 to be conservative since I don't use GPS.

PM-Easy 6 miles. 7th/9400s.  Slow at first but clicked off 7/min pace on the last two miles.

AM-12 miles. 9400s/Ft Union/7th east. Felt like a hurricane in some places up on the bench with the wind..

PM-6 miles 7th/east/8600s. 7:30-8:30/min pace with last mile at 7:19. Same as this morning but feeling a little better. The triple cheese burger and large Frosty from Wendy's after the race didn't hurt:)  Feeling a slight twinge in the metatarsal area though from the 10 miler and all the hill climbing on these runs so I've been sticking with a very thourough 20 min warm up. Seems to have really helped today with almost no pain during and no pain after the run thankfully.  I think pain is what masters running is all about some days..

AM-6 miles. 7th/Parkway trail. Regrouping and the letting the batteries re-charge today.

PM-4 miles. 7th/9400s out/back.

AM-6 miles. 7th/Quarry Bend/9400s west. Tired legs still, but standing and resting pulse rates were lower along with the differential. Energy wise I felt better also.

 Time to go to the dentist. Oh yay..

PM-Easy 6 miles at 8/min pace with the last 2 at 7:40, 7:35.  7th east/9800s. out/back. Legs are definitely better just kind of flat still.

AM-10 miles with 4x3:00 hard at 3k-5k effort with 1 minute rest. About 5:30-40/mi. pace on the flat.  7th/9400s out/back. A little sluggish but that is to be expected with higher mileage. Achilles twinge after. It's been coming on ever so slightly. Not going to push my luck any longer with this so easy jogging only until it subsides completely.

PM-6 miles. 7:30-8/min pace with last mile at 7:10.  7th/9400s plus grass field.

AM-Easy 4 mile jog via State St. 8-9/min pace.

PM-

AM-5 miles easy. 7-8:15/mi. pace.  Ft Union/out/back. First half slow warming up but last half felt easier than it has been for the last week.  7/min pace felt pretty decent coming back. 

PM-10 miles easy up 8600s route. out/back.  8-10/mi going up. 6:20-6:40ish coming down towards home on 7th east.

No run being Sunday today.

AM-6 miles easy at 7:10-30ish pace. 7th/9400s

PM-6 miles easy same as above.

AM-6mles. parkway/7th loop. 7:10-20/mile range of pace.

PM-6 miles. Ft Union route. 7:30ish. Feeling sluggish from 100 plus mile weeks..

AM-6 miles at 7-7:15/mi pace. Quarry Bend route.

PM-6 miles. 8/min down to 7:30 ish. 9400s west.

AM-6 miles at 7:-7:20ish/mi pace. 7th out/back.  

PM-4 miles at 7:20-30ish/mi. 7800s Ft Union route. Felt tired from not sleeping well lately..

AM-4 miles easy at 8-9/min pace. 7th/out and back. Feeling better but still not sleeping well though. Woke up early and went out for the run and went slow but I could tell from from the way I felt and heart rate that I am turning the corner.  Glad I was wise and took a recovery week because the body and spirit sure needed it. May go long tomorrow but.. we'll see how things recovery wise. I'm hoping to get a nice supercompensation effect from the overload training week right after the Strider's 10 miler which by the way was a fairly tough and hilly race.

PM-No run this evening. Kim really needed my help with some things this evening.

AM-Tough workout.. Alternated 3/min efforts at MP with 1-2 minutes at LT and back down.  Kind of random but so were Lydiards speed workouts; (No measurements almost totally done by effort and feel) and he produced several world champions. Soo.. not too hung up on numbers with this one. 15 miles total through rollers and flats. Ft Union/Highland Dr/9400s eastward/7th east.

PM-6 miles recovery at 7:40ish-8/min pace. First mile was a walk-jog kind of warm up to make sure I didn't pull anything too hard. 7th east/o/b.

AM-High aerobic for 4 miles after warm up at 6-6:20/mile pace.  7th/parkway out/back.

PM-6 miles easy at 7:30 ish pace. 7th east out/back.

AM-Easy wake up run at 7:30-8/min mile pace. 7th out/back.

PM-Highland High track workout with Wasatch Athletics. Plodded out a session of LT repeats consisting of 6x1200m in 4:28, 4:26, 4:24, 4:25, 4:27, 4:25. 400 meter recovery at 7-7:30/mile pace. 8 miles total. Felt tired and a little heavy today for some reason.

AM-6 miles recovery at 7:40-8/min pace. 7th/parkway.

PM-Same as above execept up 90th.

AM-Easy 5 miles at 7:20-30/mile pace. 7th/90th.

PM-Easy 7 miles at 7:10-7:20/mile pace mostly.  Ft Union out/back.

AM-6 miles at 7-7:30ish pace. 7th/parkway. Legs felt much better after adding the cushioned inserts int my worn out T-7s. But.. they do kind of slow things down being a bit on the mushy side. Better than hard concrete and the aftershocks that accompany it.

PM-4 miles easy-medium. 7th/8600s. 6:20ish/7min pace.

AM-Aerobic Builder with alternating efforts of 15k/MP.  Very windy so mile splits are kind of meaningless to even record. It was all about effort today..  9400s/7th east up to the bench area.

Went out for a quick 3 miles at 6:40-7:30/mi pace.  Even with a late start I wanted to go more but felt it was more important to be in Sacrament meeting today instead.  Short as it was it started the day off on a good positive note.

AM-6 miles easy. 7-7:30/mi.

PM-6 miles easy. No watch.

AM-6 miles easy. 7:30-8/min pace.

PM-LT run consisting of 6 repeats at 4 min on with 1:30-45 active jog rest.

AM-Easy 10 miles recovery on 7th and 13th east. 7:30-8/min pace.

PM-2.5 mile jog from work to home. 7-8/min pace.

AM-10 miles easy at 7-8/min pace.  9400s route.

PM-2.5 mile jog home from work.

AM-Easy 6 miles. No watch. 7th/9400s.

AM-10 miles with 5 mile LT run.3min on/1 min off. Up and down 9400s/13th east/Highland Dr.

PM-2.5 miles easy jog from work tonight.

No run today. Day off.

AM-6 easy miles at 7-7:30/mile pace. Parkway trail.

PM-Easy 6 mile jog. 7th east.

AM-Easy 5 miles. 7-8/min pace. 7th out/back.

PM-Easy 5 miles 7-7:20/mile. From work with extension.

AM-12 miles with 10x1 min on 1 min off at mile race pace effort. 7th/8600s up and down.

PM-2.5 mile slow jog after work.

AM-Easy 5 mile jog on the grass.

PM-5 miles after work. Extended route.

AM-Easy 8 miles recovery on the mill.

PM-2.5 mile jog after work.

AM-13 miles with 2x4 at MP-LT progressive. One mile at 7-7:30/mile in between.  Parkway trail/7th/13th east.

PM-2.5 mile recovery jog work. 

No run. Day off.

AM-10 miles easy in Washington on a quiet and peaceful country road..

PM-6 miles easy. No watch.

Day off. More travel up to Germantown.

AM-Easy/hard 10 miles with a dozen short pickups to 5k efort on a back road between Quincy and George.

PM-No run. Tired tonight for some reason..

AM-Easy-medium 10 miles out toward and past "Ancient Lakes" fishing area. No watch.

PM-6 mile easy jog same route.

AM-16 miles with 10 miles at progressive MP-LT intensity. Quincy route.

PM-6 miles with 4 miles medium effort. 75-80% mhr.  Out to George and back.

No run. In Seattle with family all day today. Very memorable tri[p and I didn't mind the rain at all. Even while on the ferry topside:)

AM-6 miles after church while focusing on keeping the spirit of the sabbath law. After all the scriptures say the sabbath was made for man not the other way around right?

AM-10 miles steady state at 6:30-40ish pace with easy warm up at sub 8/min pace!  94th/13th east route.

PM-Easy-medium 6 miles at 6:40ish-7/min pace. 7th out and back.

AM-Easy 6 miles with last mile at MP effort. 6:10 for the MP mile and the rest at 7:30ish/mi pace. 7th/94th west.

PM-7 miles at 7:30-8/min/mile pace with the last 3 at 6-6:20/mile pace. 94th/State extension route.

Took a break from blogging but have been training like H, E,-double toothpicks still however:)  Just keeping it somewhat family friendly here..

AM-LT of  8x3 min on 1min off. 9400s route.  Really nice temps at lunchtime today. Seeing my chiro tomorrow. He mainly has a clientele of rodeo cowboys and you can only imagine how busted up those guys can get after a hard competition. So if he can't get this crooked hip back into place I'm not sure anyone can.  The sciatica after hard workouts is not only physically excruciating but mind numbing at times.. I made that mistake driving up to Seattle last week. Talk about miserable..

PM-Had transportation from work last night actually so I didn't have to run home.  Afterwards, I was too hungry and too lazy to go afterwards. I keep telling myself I probably didn't need the extra wear and tear on my body. However, you all know how compulsive runners can be about their training sometimes. Rest is definitely one of those good four letter words:)

AM-5 miles easy on 7th/94th.  Ok I'm convinced.. spring is here for good. I think.. Super nice out right now.

PM-Easy-medium 5 miles on 7th to home via extended route. Running 6:40-50/mi pace feels good cardio wise but definitely hurts on that nerve with weakness on the upper leg if pushed any faster.  I feel like I'm stuck in gear..  It's really the only way I can describe this.

AM-6 miles at 6:40-7/min pace after warm up.  7th/parkway trail. Really good run and afterwards went to the chiro appt and wow I can tell you that just walking around I seem to feeling better so I'll cross my fingers and see what happens when I run later on.

 Congrats to everyone who went to Boston and I'm sorry I wasn't able to comment individually on each one of you.  I've been a little busy lately with some work and family things.

AM-Easy 8 miles at 7-7:30 pace. 7th/13th east. Afterwards spent some much needed time with the fam before work.  As much as I wanted to I just didn't have the means to  shell out 80 bucks for a late entry fee at the Thanksgiving Pointe half plus maybe another 20 in gas and food.  I can only imagine what a trip to Boston would have run this year!  Yikes..  Some days I think I should just forget it and resign to being a hobby jogger.  Ok, enough of this.. time to toss the violin to the side now and move on.

PM-Easy 4 mile jog late after work. Somewhere around 8/min pace. Just really easy so the legs will be good for tomorrow. Lots of post run stretching tonight.

AM-12 miles this morning at Liberty Park/Sugarhouse area. Ran a simulation of Jake Ks lactate shuffle workout but started out slower at MP effort and then increased intensity every minute until reaching 5k pace effort in the final minute before the recovery and hardest segment. 8x3/1 minutes with 1 minute jog recovery. Long cool down later.

AM-Easy 4 mile wake-up jog.

PM-Easy 5 miles recovery.

AM-6 miles with 4 at MP.  Broke the speed limit this morning but I was feeling good so I went for it.  Oh well...

I think I have finally figured out the hamstring and sciatic issues and it's a combination of things. I have not totally gotten rid of this issue yet and perhaps never will. However I was doing some reading and discovered that the lack of knee flexion seems to put more load on the hamstrings and thus resulting in strain and tear.  I'm not sure how this all ties into the sciatic nerve but somehow I think it does. All I know is that between an adjustment perhaps and focusing on knee flexion with the hips up and forward  has greatly reduced these symptoms lately.  Don't you just love imbalances?

PM-No run. Busy today..

AM-12 mile steady state run.  Ft Union/Highland Dr.  Hammy and sciatic nerve a bit bothersome still today, but definitely feeling more balanced and on the mend generally.

PM-Easy 4 miles tonight after work.

AM-Easy/medium 6 miles. 7th/parkway trail.

PM-Easy 4 miles tonight after work.

Looking for an entry into the Ogden Marathon.  If anyone is cancelling I'd be happy to buy and transfer your entry from you.  Thanks!

AM-10 miles steady with last 4 pretty hard.. 7th/9400s/parkway trail.

PM-No run.  Tired from moving  furniture all evening at work..

AM-10 miles easy with speed changes to loosen up.  River parkway course. 

AM2-10 miles with last 5 at MP effort. 9400s/7th east.  Took a rest and stopped at Starbucks for a mocha and water then took it out to finish hard.  Not quite the same as a long run but similar results probably.

Just got an e-mail.  Ogden is a go!

AM/PM-10 mile heathen run with progression in pace up and down Ft Union blvd and Big Cottonwood Canyon road. I keep breaking the speed limit on these daily runs!  I don't know I guess I may have a rebellious streak going on or something lately.. I didn't even go to church this morning.

I saw a sign while running on the course advertising the Vigor race event. Looks like it would be kind of fun even if it is a bit of a parachute drop. One of these years I may just run that to see what I might have left speed wise in the tank.

PM-6 miles easy-medium.  Ft Union loop./7th east.

AM-5 mile recovery run. 7th/9400s.

PM-3 mile jog with Ian. 7th east. We tossed this one back and forth on whether we should go. The clincher was after I asked him if he felt up to going out tonight. As he could plainly see that I was dragging this afternoon he replied; DO You.. really want to go?  Cuz I know your getting older and how tired you are from your canyon run yesterday..  I remarked; Ok smart guy just go get your running shoes on!  

AM-Easy 7 miles. Ft Union Blvd/13th east.

AM-4 miles easy. 7th east.  

PM-6 miles easy before work. Easy jog pace.. 7th/Quarry bend loop.

AM-6 miles easy. 7th.

AM-6 miles easy. 7th/13th east.

No run. Hurt the back on the right side lifting at work.  Really? This close to the race..

AM-very slow 8 miles. Stiff and sore with a shooting pain in right lower back at times going down stairs or hills.

AM-Easy 4 miles./parkway & 7th.  Popping IB like skittles lately..

AM-Easy 5 miler/Ft Union blvd/7th east. Somewhat better but still like a dull ache with a twinge at times. Time to go get some Alleve and a hot pad..

AM-Frustrating.. pain and no range of motion, feel like I'm 90 years old. Man I wish I could just catch a break once in a while.

Easy 4.5 miles 7th east. Hip and and back still bothersome but the pain subsides quite a bit after a good slow warm up and about 600 mg of IB. I am kind of unsure about even running this race.. The marathon can be a cruel mistress, revealing and attacking any weak spots that may present or lie underneath the surface.  However someone really went out of there way to help get me into this event and to which I have great amount of respect and grattitude for.  Add in the fact that I have to be to a physically active job afterwards, it makes for a really tough call. I have totally enjoyed this race in gthis past and would be totally bummed if I were to have to miss it:(      What to do...

DNFed the Ogden Marathon with injury.  Should have heeded good advice including my own but I thought I should at least try and give it a go. Time to cut way back, heal up and regroup for another day. For now I think I'll go look into a new gym memebership and start working on weights for a while.  Overall it was a tough day and it's getting old.. but I need to stay pragmatic and optimistic somehow because the alternative won't get me anywhere.

Easy 2 mile jog this morning.  Had a big breakfast and settled in to watch the movie "Lincoln".  One of my favorites:)

Easy 4 miles jogging.

No run.. But.. I will be back..

Easy 5 miles on 7th.  It's becoming so regular the UPS guy waves and talks to me now.  And I got my pushups and crunches in for the day now.  Baby steps.

Another reason for moderation...    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NwHNHNXsg0

AM-Easy 4.5 miles. Still severely tight and sore on both sides.. Obviously dealing with a compensation injury of some sort.  Went home and drowned my sorrows in some good Stella Artois and Hank Williams. Yeah.. I know, but I'm only human.. Gimme a break today.  Im not one to sugarcoat my blog. I tell it how it is..

PM-Time to devote more energy towards other priorities in life.

AM-Easy 5 miles slow. 7th east. 8-8:30/mi. Slow progresss with both upper hamstring/back areas but some days are better than others. weird.. 

AM-Easy 3 miles on the treadmill at 8/min pace.  Then some free weights including bench and some triceps work. Followed up with ab crunches and planks.  

Increasing calorie intake overall and trying to focus on some weight and muscle development.  My metabolic rate is so high I don't really have to be picky on the types of foods. Just getting it in is a challenge especially at work. Not to mention the cost!   Example, consumed an entire Little Caesars pizza last night right after work.  Ton of  calories, protein and yes, lots of fat...  But cheap and effective for a scrawny runner type:)  I did have some carrot sticks with it...

Easy 4 miles on the treadmill and then over to the machines for some light hamstring curls and leg press.  Not a lot, just kept it at 2x12 with light weight.  I did notice however in a dramatic way that my quad to hamstring strength ratio was pretty high even considering the high hip and hamstring strain I have been experiencing lately.  Left side is actually pretty much pain free though today.  It's the right side (the compensation injury side) that I could feel some strain still.  A real pain in the butt so to speak...  Man I hope I can figure this out soon and get recovered because my fitness is slipping by the day.  I'm not one of those runners that can maintain fitness on a few workouts per week. I lose it pretty fast if I fail to keep my overall mileage up. 

Day off by choice.

Easy 8 miles at 8-7:30 pace.  Stiff but loosened up very gradually.

Easy 6 mile jog. No watch.  Mainly crunces and body resistance work with incline crunches and pushups.  Upper body needs a lot of work..

Easy 5 miles at 8-9 min pace jog with no weights today.

Easy 5 miles no watch back and forth from the gym.  Upper and lower body weight work. Wow the hamstring to quad strength ratio is just pathetic. Quads are soo much stronger.. To be expected though so kept the weight very light and the reps high.

Easy 8 miles at 8-6:45/mi pace.  Weight work on chest and biceps. 2kcal breakfast consisting of toast and chocolate milk afterwards.  Slowly but surely I'm able to somewhat increase range of motion and pace allthough anything past 7/min miles today was kind of a strain.

Easy 4 miles at starting at 8/min pace progressing to 6:40 for the last two. No weight work. Just a short workout early this morning before church.

Day off. Taking care of errands and spending time with the boys.

Easy 5 mile jog. Weight work with biceps and abdominal area. Lots of easy stretching also.  Not sore, just not loose with good range of motion. Anything over 7/min pace and you can feel the strain.

 I'm debating on keeping a food diary to keep track of what I'm eating.  Just not sure of having it on here being public and all.  My diet isn't always top notch.. However I have to track calories somehow because the goal is to put on some weight.  Is that even possible for 140 lb former 2:25 guy?  A friend of mine who is way into bodybuilding has beeen trying to convince me otherwise. He's always telling me; Kill the cardio Steve!  You are not going to get anywhere weight wise if you keep going on that hamster wheel. I shudder at the idea but maybe he's right who knows.

Easy 4 miles outside. Pushups and crunches after.  

Easy-medium 6 miles on the treadmill at 1.5% incline.  Last 2 miles at 6:30-40/mile pace.

Weights-

Seated leg press-3x12 @150 lbs. Getting used to just doing it..

Incline bench- 3x12 reps @ 50lbs.

Rows-3x8 reps @ 25lb dumbbell.

Diet-

Br-Half gallon choc1% milk/banana.

L-Arctic Circle 2 cheeseburgers small fry/coke. A rare treat.. 

D-Baked chicken/3 ounces/potato salad/2 scoop.  Need more produce in the diet..

Easy 6.5 miles on the treadmill. 

Weights-

Pullups-3x10

Overhead press-3x10 reps. weight?

Dumbell curls-3x10 reps at 20-25 lbs.

Br-3 oz chicken/potato salad/banana.

L-More leftover chicken into tortillas./apples.

S-Large Wendys frosty/vanilla./peanut butter jelly sandwich.

D-Chicken/rice.

Sn-1 whole package fudge stripe grahams..

Easy-medium 6 miles treadmill flat. First 3 at 8-7:30/mi. Last 3 miles at 6:40-7/min pace.  Definitely some major recovery injury wise but I don't want to push things.

No weights.

Br-Banana/blueberries. Large glass milk.

No run today. Decided to take today off and focus on other things including scripture study and specifically the Book of Mormon. It's been a long time since I've read it cover to cover and I felt it was time now to do so again. Most especially since I have been investigating another church I feel it's only right to do so. Trying to find the truth in testimony lately has been like the old cliche of "finding a needle in a haystack".  Regardless, one thing I do know is this, Jesus Christ is the son of God and is the way and the light. It's not something you can prove empirically to oneself, only spiritually. This my simple testimony this morning.

Congrats to everyone who ran Utah Valley Marathon and Half. Hope everyone had a good time.

Br-Banana/Milk.

L-Golden Corral- Plate of Broccoli salad/spinach greens 2 deviled eggs. 2 4-5 oz steaks/2 plates of sweet potato pie/stuffing/rolls/3oz Bourbon street chicken. No dessert..

D-2 cheeseburgers. 8 oz of dried fruit and trail mix. 

Sn-1 large Hershey chocolate bar.

AM-4.5 miles 7th east loop. No time. Injury has improved but there is something nagging and lingering about it that I don't like so I made the appt with TOSH. I've got to figure out this pattern and get back on track somehow. 

Br-Cereal/oats.

L- 1/2 cup Blueberries/3oz turkey/4slice french bread./milk.

Sn-1 cup dried Tropical mix. 1/2 package fudge stripe cookies.

D-Ravioli/large Colossimo Italian sausage. (my favorite sausage:)  3 breadsticks./Green pepper salad.

Sn2-Banana/milk.

Easy 6 miles. No pace or time taken.

No run. Still pretty tight this morning.

No run today, mainly travelled to Portland and stopped along the way at Multnomah Falls and my favorite hole in the wall in Portland for Chinese eats. The family was a bit wary at first when I took them there but were soon glad that they trusted the old mans judgement. Later on we hung out at Powell's bookstore, (probably the largest new/used book store in the US..)  You know it was the kids in the end we had to pry out eventually not me. They are becoming quite the book worms and that people is just fine by me.  Anything but Nintendo gameboy..

Finally arrived in Newport, Oregon and checked into the condo. A sweet piece of property which sits right on the beach overlooking the rocks and the harbor seals. My wife has a friend at work who was very kind and gracious to let us stay at this property. This is the first real vacation we had in a very long time.

Off to go run the coast highway..

Day off. Originally I had listed this as a travel day but because of our hectic schedule I didn't realize I had entered onto the wrong date. 

AM-Visited the tide pools again and checked out all of the little creatures who reside there including anemone and small crab. What a place, there is nothing like the ocean to make you appreciate the incredible diversity and amount of life on this planet. Later on we tramped into Lincoln City and Depoe Bay. Did all of the tourist things including the large number of eclectic shops and even a wax museum! Bought me a black leather cowboy hat.. Later on it was down to the beach and to break out the kites. Whew!! It was a really full day..

PM-Managed somehow to get 6 miles in on the coast highway at sunset. Wow.. I really wished I had a camera on me because it was particularly awesome in it's shades of red and gray. One these days I'll get savvy enough to get a good smart phone like my wife's to take pictures and post. (I'm kinda cheap AND poor..) Tomorrow however I may attempt to wander more and run the beach. I've been told to the south of us it's not quite as rocky. So until tomorrow, ciao all..

AM-16 very rolling miles on the Pacific Coast highway. As long as I kept the pace slow things were fairly comfortable in the injured upper hamstring area.  One word for it.    Breathtaking..  

Afterwards listened to the Mozart piano concerto #1 while relaxing and watching the waves crash onto the beach.

AM-Went crabbing with the family and dragged home probably at least 20 lbs of red and dungeoness crab. The size and number of them for this time year was pretty amazing.  Wow..

PM-Easy 4 mile recovery jog on the lower beach road.

AM-Easy 8 miles on the PCH out and back. Lots of fog but still beautiful out.

PM-Started a new book titled "Leadership and Self Deception" while out on the beach. 

AM-Easy 6 miles on the Otter Rock beach road. Finally had my whale sighting after everyone in the family has seen them multiple times.  Awsome run and I can hardly believe how the weather has held so well.

Day off.

Busy unpacking and re-organizing.