The sun is up, the air is fresh, the stone is old

A beautiful trail run in Costa Rica!  Get home tonight at 12am and have the longest trail run I will have ever attempted to do from Logan Peak to Bear Lake.  That should cement in the "marathon shuffle" I'm working on in my gait..

Got into Salt Lake last night at 2am and hit a 3 miler with Jessie since I was so tired of traveling

Since Utah Running Guide had the Freedom Run listed as this morning I had thought I was going to run that, even registered for it, but when I was driving home last night I googled it and saw that it was Monday.  Oh well, that means a gym workout with some speed today before heading to the lake and then getting in my trail run over to Bear Lake tonight.  Need to shake out the sluggishness that has been stalking me for a month.  Schedule shows some speed work so I gave it a good effort..Lol!  3 miles at 6 minute pace followed by 3, 1 mile repeats at 5 min pace with 1/2 mile cooldown runs in between.  It feels like the distance training has cost me about 15% in speed right now, but I feel it's a necessary trade for the intervals that are coming up..

Off to sit on the boat for the afternoon and then hit the trail this evening..

Got in 24.6 tonight heading over to Bear Lake straight up from Mt. Logan above my home.  Just got in at 11pm. I didn't make it all the way before my ride showed up, but still a great day of training!

Off day.  Played with the kids.

Sick kid in the morning so another no sleeper.  It was pretty warm once we got down to Salt Lake, I could tell warmimg up that I'd feel that.  The sick kid threw up twice in the car but everyone wanted to see the parade, so we stayed-good times. 

I was a little worried about running a real race again after these marathons so I had a bit of a hard time getting a pace.  First mile was 5:47, marathon pace, so I had to laugh..I picked it up a lot for that second mile simce I realized this was a 5k now, 5:02.  Then went straight at the park instead of turning right, but luckily one of the high school runners behind me yelled at me and I cut back through the park to rejoin the course.  don't think i lost too much time, but a few places.

My six year old daughter ran a kick butt race at the kids race after.  She was just grinning and said. "Dad, I looked back and I could see hundreds of kids I was beating!".  Love it!

Ran an easy 3 miler with the kids late evening

7 miles this morning on the Deer trail with Jessie

4 miles evening

8 miles in the sun!

9 miles with the double stroller.  Thankfully one kid now rides a bike!

10 mile trail run along Logan Peak

Still shooting for that elusive 1:10 half marathon.  Rob advised me on this course to run the first two miles at 5:10 pace and then see how the pace feels.  My 5k split was 16:18 which was about a 5:16 pace so a bit on the slow side.  My 10k split was 33:20 so I was adding a few seconds per mile, but I crossed the half point at 34:54 right behind Riley so I was right on pace.  I hadn't trained enough speed though and had to drop off more time, especially in the last two miles.  Pretty rolling course! 

Today was supposed to be a day off but I was asked by a new friend to run an hour with her.  I was pretty dead and made a few excuses and when she laughed at them I knew I had to go.

Fastest girl I have ran a training run with.  We ran close to a 7 minute pace the entire time.  I couldn't believe it.

8 mile recovery run on the Deer fence trail

Track workout today.  first time on a track in a long time.  2 mile warm up, 10X800s with 200 yard walk in between.  2 mile cool down.

3 miles in the evening with the girls on their bikes

8 miles easy recovery run on Stokes Nature Trail.  Sweet evening.  Legs are barking though!

3 mile run before the kids were up.  I was so sore this morning I could barely walk.  It seems like simple muscle soreness, which is good.  Had to start really slow.

Ran the deer fence trail in the evening with Jessie.  She took off at the turn around and was gone.  Thankfully she was home sitting on the porch when I got back.  She ran 5 miles by herself with two junctions and found her way back.  Dumb dog..

Ran the double stroller down to the pool with the kids and played with them for a few hours then ran them back. Tired of pushing this thing up these hills! Very sore today with this stroller for some reason.

Short night of "camping" at our house spent by getting kicked in the head all night by my kids!  Nobody wanted to get out of bed so I did the race morning by myself (easier anyways).  Few miles of warm up and glad to see at the start a lot of competition.  My legs were pretty sore from finally getting in some training this week so after some easy running I did some sets of pushups to get the heart stabilized.  After the start a lead pack quickly formed and I found myself just behind them and trailing Ken Richardsen, Dennis Simonatis and Neil Glassman.  The pace of this group was around 5:20 so I passed them and considered momentarily catching the lead group of 5.  First mile was 5:15, second was 5:05, last mile was 5:30, I think.  I could hear someone on my tail at the second mile and thought it was Ken who always kicks my trash the last quarter mile of every race we are in.  But the pace felt good today and I wasn't struggling at all with it.  Dennis S blew by me just before the 3 mile marker, which was a surprise but I kicked it in and passed him back.  Loved the cooldown run with Demetrio who talked old days with me and the long distance training strategy the Mexican marathoners used.  He had some great ideas today for me.

Post race was simply an embarrassment.  For all runners.  As the director was writing out checks a large fight ensued about the college runners accepting money.  People were shouting back and forth and the director turned to me and commented that this is why he hates doing prize money.  No names will be mentioned here, but surely there must be a better forum for this kind of thing.  Dennis went up to the race director afterwards and made it a point to that him for the money.  He is just a class act.

I got back home to try and get the kids breakfast before getting them over to see their mom for the day and then get my hill run in scheduled for the day.  10 miles on the Logan Rim Trail which felt great at an easy pace and what a beautiful day! 

Speed workout today in the 94 degree Denver heat.  2 miles warmup, 10X800s with 1/4 between, 2 mile cooldown. ten 100m strides.  This is the second track workout since the one last week in a long time and a start to shaking up my training.

7 miles up City Creek at 5:45 pace and back down for a "run date" of 7 more miles.  I didn't think this would be a good workout today but ended up feeling pretty good about it and it was a ton of fun!  We stopped at the gas station after the run for Mt. Dews and hot dogs.  Now that's life!

6 easy miles along the Hudson at midnight.  Recovery day.

To Central Park and back today via the Hudson River route.  10 miles at easy pace, 4 miles at marathon pace.  Very hot day in New York.

40 minutes lifting

Late night run today, finished about 11:30 after a long day at work.  I did my first "Thirds" run.  1/3 easy, 1/3 marathon pace, 1/3 half marathon pace.  First time with this workout which I have on my schedule three times in the nextt three weeks.  I wasn't very honest with the pace, just getting a feel for how to run this one, plus shaking off a stretched calf muscle from Saturday and Sunday's speed work.

I hope this one enlarges my left ventrical.

5am workout at the gym today.  1.5 hours of water running.  20 minutes warm up, 50 minutes 90 second repeats at 90% effort, 45 second easy, 20 minute easy.  As hard a run as I have done in a while.  Nice to workout so intense without the pounding.

30 minutes lifting, then joined the Masters swim team workout for an easy 1/2 mile.  That took me 17 minutes.  One of my slowest times ever.  Not a good sign for the bear Lake Triathlon I have in August.

8 miles easy in Phoenix.

Having problems updating my blog from my phone.  I'll have to ask Sasha about that.

Trail run around City Creek on the dirt road East, no idea what it's called but it's just a sweet run.  Took it pretty easy at around an 8 minute pace.  Just before you flatten out at the top I was passed by a GIRL!  She was awesome, just cruising right up the mountain.

Once again got my butt kicked by this race, but it sure is fun!  I think it's a tough one to set a strategy on, do you hold off on the first 4 miles and use that energy or put some time in the bank with them and suffer through the last miles?  I ran the first few miles with Ben and we felt a good plan would be 5 min miles and hold the pace.  The first mile was about a 4:53 and we must have been passed by a hundred high schoolers during that one mile.  Into the second mile the grade steepened and I felt I was braking on it so I picked up the pace.  I think that was a 4:44.  Just after the 5k point Ben passed me and commented about just PRing his 5k.  I asked what our split was and he said 15:30.  My legs still felt great but that rapidly changed as I came through mile 4.  Pretty sure that I was well under my V02 max through the 5k.  I held on but didn't race at all the last 1.5 miles. Albert and Nathan, I think, passed me in the last 1/4 mile.

Already thinking about how to train for this race next year.

Up early in New York for a long run from La Guardia through the old World's Fair park to Central Park and back.  Nice day and a sweet run.  Pretty sore from the downhill sections of the Des News 10k yesterday.

I've been thinking a lot lately about running, mostly in the sense of why it brings so much into my life and what drives all of us to do it.  I'm seriously competetive, to a fault at times, but love the trail running and distance time just as much as running a good race.  Most days it seems like I enjoy the people aspect of it all more than anything else.  It's on my mind a bit more the past week for several reasons.  First, it really helps when a sponsor pays your races and starts paying for the time you sacrifice to run some of these things.  Inevitably it changes the reasons that you run for, and when you are good, but not great (like I am), it feels too much like self promoting after a while and starts winding down the basic fun of it all.  There is a lot out there for good runners over 40 who can compete at that age, but there are also a lot of seriously fast guys over 40 who wouldn't touch an endorsement or sponsor.  There is a huge part of me that admires that.  Probably because I understand why they run.  Same reasons why I won't drop a trail run off the day before a marathon.  It's part of my life.

Anyways, this come up for me twice this weekend.  I ran the 10k course backwards Monday after the race with Dane Raushenberg of "See Dane Run", 52 marathons in 52 weeks guy.  I have got to know him through a few marathons and on FB.  Link here for anyone who doesn't know him:   danerunsalot.blogspot.com   I really like him and have a good time spending time with anybody who puts their life into this sport.  Good stories.  I also however, have some endurance friends that detest this guy.  They believe he is all about self promotion, cheats on times, and is just full of himself.  Check this link from a guy that I know:  daneraushengergcheats.blogspot.com.  It's interesting that we love a sport so much but work so hard at drawing the line at what's acceptable for "recognition".  It's OK for a guy to devote his entire life to a single Olympic marathon time, for years of preparation, but absolutely not for a guy to try and make a living out of running when he is at best just above average in speed.  Not taking any sides here, just something on my mind today.  The arguement at the awards desk at Draper days over money regarding the college runners was kind of related.  Who would think that putting one foot in front of the other could be something folks could make complicated?

Off day with the kids at the lake cabin

Off day with kids at the lake

11.5 miles super early around bear lake before everyone else got up.

On the lake all day

15 mile hill repeat workout.  Two hill , two mile loop X 9. 3 mile cooldown, easy run.  Hard as heck workout.

10 miles on the track this morning at Ralph Maugn stadium.  3 miles easy and then 10X400, 5X200, cool down.

9 easy miles after getting the kids to bed.  Really feeling the workouts from the last few days.

8 miles easy.  Recovery day.