High Speeds

Came down with a cold.

Did the same 4x1200 workout as usual, was recovering from a cold so did it with Zach.

Tapered before the race tomorrow.

Today did my first race of the year. I wasn't sure what I'd have today, as I was sick last week and had not been doing as many workouts due to the cold. However, things went better than I expected. We went through the first mile in 5:01 - at this point there was a pack of 5 or 6 runners, including Teren. Then, out of nowhere Nate Hornock surges past everyone - opening a gap of at least 10 meters. I wondered what he was up to, and decided to believe he was bluffing. At least, I sure hoped he was.

The pack stayed together until the half-way point, which I had as 7:51. I made a move, and Jace Nye went with me. We ran side-by-side, with a pack of 3 or 4 pretty close behind. I didn't like the idea of Teren drafting behind me, so after we caught Nate (somehere before two miles), I surged and moved over to the side - a trick Nate had used on me in this very same race some years earlier. This let the chase pack take the wind.

By mile 2, (5:08) the chase pack had dropped back. It was just me and Jace. That is when I started kicking. I'm not a sprinter - so I needed to break him before we reached the last 400. We surged back and forth, but by about 1K he was gone. I ran scared, not looking back. Soon, the finish line came in sight. I realized he wasn't going to get me, but took no chances. I ended up with a time of 15:39, running the last mile in under 5:00.

 I'm happy with this result - as I realized that I was stronger than I thought. Also, this is the first time I've won a competitive 5K in Utah. Ended up with a total of about 13 for the day.

Did a 6x1000 workout with 200 recovery. Alternated going up and down the canyon. On the uphil I got 3:19, 3:17, and 3:13. The downhill intervals were in 3:00, 2:59, and 2:57.

Today did 3 x 2 miles. Down, then up, then down. 10:05 (5:02, 5:03), then 11:24 (5:43, 5:41) and finished in 9:52 (4:58 and 4:54). Zach, a friend who lives in the same apartment complex as me, did the first mile of each interval. Total of 16 miles.

When the cat is away, the mice can play. Unfortunately, a very fast 'cat' came to the race today. Jason Lynch, a 2:16 marathoner with a ~30:00 10K decided to show up. It was a fight for second place. I drafted behind Fritz for the first 5K. With two miles to go, I made a move. It would have worked, but around 1.5k to go, I ran face-first into a 20mph headwind. Fritz quickly caught me, and again I drafted. I was able to outkick him in the last 800, but lost a good 20 or 30 seconds to that wind. Throughout the race I had been hitting 5:10's, gunning for the course record in my age division, but it was not to be.

In any case, this is still a road 10K PR, so I'm happy. 

This race was a surprise for me - and everyone else. My target time was 49:12, the course record in my age division. This required me to run 16:24 per 5K, or about 5:15 per mile. I started out with Fritz. We went through the first three miles in 15:47 (5:16, 5:17 and 5:14). We were a little behind the target pace, and I was worried about the second half. Just two weeks earlier at the 10K, there was a terrible headwind in the last two miles. Although I felt like I could keep the pace to the end, I was worried about that happening again. The next mile was in 5:15 (21:02 at 4) and we were 24:34 at the half-way point.

Throughout the entire first half, me and Fritz kept throwing little surges at each other. He had responded to all of mine, and I had responded to all of his. I didn't know how strong he was, and didn't know how much longer I could keep the pace. After mile 5, however, something happened that surprised us both. Mile 5 was in 5:18 (due to the turnaround). That was unacceptable. So more to get back on pace than anything else, I surged. And Fritz didn't go with me.

Once I realized that he was letting me go, I turned up the heat. Perhaps Fritz thought that he'd catch me, just as he had when I attempted something similar during the 10K. Except this time there was no 20mph headwind. The next four miles surprised me. I did 5:12, 5:08, 5:13, 5:11, and kicked to finish in 48:38. The engine turned on. By the time Fritz realized what was happening, it was too late. My last mile (from the Mile 1 mark to the finish) was 5:03.

I guess my training has been paying off. Sure helps when there is no headwind :-).

Today we did a virtual 5K. It consisted of our usual 3 mile tempo down the canyon plus a little extra to make it a 5K. I ended up with 15:04. My last three miles were 4:48, 4:56 and 4:48. Definitely no tailwind makes a difference ;-).

  After finishing, I paced William in the second 'heat' of our family 5K. We ended up averaging under 20 minutes, a first for us. Granted, there was downhill ;-). But it still felt good.

Today did 3 x 1 mile down the canyon. The target was 4:40, but headwind made that difficult. Ran the first one in 4:45, then 4:46. The wind died down on the last interval, plus I smelled the barn. Ended up with 4:39.

Easy pace.

Today I did 4 x 2 miles in the canyon. The first interval I paced Joseph and Jacob for a two mile time trial. Jacob broke 5:20 average - 10:39 for two miles. Then I did an interval uphill in 10:59 - 5:21 and 5:38. Next was a downhill interval in 9:55 - paced fairly evenly. 

 The first uphill interval I started out too fast (76) trying to catch some other runners who were doing a workout. On the second one, I decided to start slower, and it paid off. My splits were 5:22 and 5:15 (last 600 in 1:53) which gave me 10:37. This is a record for going up the canyon.

Ended up with 17 total miles.

Tody did 8x1000, alternating uphill and downhill. My target pace uphill was 3:10, downhill - 2:55. Splits 2:53, 3:17, 2:53, 3:11, 2:54, 3:08, 2:55, 3:00.

The first four were done off 200 meter rest - then I increased it to 400. I'm particularily happy with the last interval - 3:00 uphill (4:48 pace). 

Today focused on speed. Did 2x1 mile with the first three quarters at 5:36 pace, and the last quarter in 60 (on the second I got 59 for the last quarter). Then did some 200s. The fastest I could go downhill was 28 - but I was also able to do a 28 uphill. This means that there's some flexibility issue - the power is there.

Today attempted to break 5:00 average for 5 miles down the canyon. Didn't go so well. Ended up with 25:35. Started out on pace - 7:29 at 1.5, but the heat got to me. Had 10:06 at two miles, and then struggled to stay afloat after that.

Repeated the 5x5:00 workout of Tuesday. This time things went better. We started earlier, to avoid the heat, and my father also decided to play rabbit. I started out at about the same pace for the first 1.5 (7.:27), but no heat bear jumped on me. My total time was 24:39, with the last mile in 4:52. This is a significant psychological barrier that just got broken. It is another step towards the OTQ in the marathon.

Today did a new kind of workout - 12x400 down the canyon with two hundred meter rest. The intervals were supposed to be 64 and the rest was supposed to be 1:15 so I'd average 6:00 pace per mile, but that didn't happen. I averaged 66 seconds per interval, but my recoveries were shorter (a little over 1:00). Towards the end the heat started bothering me, but I held it together and kept doing 66s.

Today ran 10 miles in the morning, and paced my brothers for their workout. In the afternoon ran three miles - with two fast down the canyon. I didn't have a specific target, was just trying to get a good shake-out. The first mile was 4:40, the second 4:49. This is I think a repeat of my fastest two miles down the canyon, and an indicator that my speed has improved.

Tried the 12x400 workout again - was unable to break 68 after several attempts. Think this is due to sleep deprivation. Ended up pacing my Dad for his 5-mile tempo at 6:00 pace, then running the last mile hard. My last mile was the same pace as my unsuccessful intervals - 4:38. Total of 12 today.

Today tried the 12x400 workout again. This time I was able to hit the target pace. The trick was to do 100 meter strides before starting - I did four of them until I was hitting my target 400 pace. I also put extra effort into stretching - and it paid off.

The recovery was 200 meters - averaging about 1:15. My first two intervals were in 62, then one in 63, after which the majority were 63 or 64, with one or two 65s and a 62 at the end. Felt good to stretch my legs.

Heat wasn't a problem during the workout, but it was fairly miserable during the cooldown. Ended up doing 14 miles in the morning, plus another two at night.

Today did an all-out mile down the canyon. Got 4:27 - (64, 68, 68, 67). Then did a second mile interval in 4:38. 

My left leg was hurting yesterday and today - probably due to Thursday's workout. I had to reduce the distance today, and when I tried a 3-mile tempo down the canyon, the best I had was 15:58 (5:11, 5:27, and 5:20). 

Had to cut the mileage today due to back problems.

Taper for the Uneventful Half tomorrow.

Did the uneventful half - my back is still not doing so hot, so I decided to pace Chad. After about 1.5 miles, my TOE started hurting (of all things!). Weird or not, it was enough to force me to slow down. My father caught up to me, and I tried to stay with him for the next bit. I dropped back from him too, and it was looking like I might have to walk home. However, something changed finally and I was able to run with the toe pain at a survivable level. I caught my father and Chad (eventually), and ended up with 1:16:38. Just glad I was able to finish this one.

Feeling some serious back issues - one hip is having to support a lot more weight than the other. This made it so I was only able to do 12 today. Did 9 in the morning (mostly on grass), then 3 in the evening on the road.

Today did a three mile tempo in 14:47 (4:55, 4:58, 4:54). Looks like the chiropracter is helping.

Did a 3x2 miles workout in the canyon - 10:02, 11:26, and 9:48. Really struggled on the uphill interval due to something funny that is going on in my back - the right hip has a restricted range of motion.

Did a two-mile tempo down the canyon in 9:55. For the first mile paced Joseph to 4:59, then sped up to catch William and my dad who had started two minutes ahead of us and were playing the rabbit game.

Another family 5K today! I didn't do as well as last time (15:12 (4:48, 4:57, 4:54)). This is probably from the stuff doing on with my lower back and the loss of training as a result. But a lot of other people (pretty much everyone) improved their time. My mother was a full minute faster, while Jenny, William, Matthew, and Stephen all improved by margins of 20 to 30 seconds. Our average was 19:31, a fair bit better than last time.

Today did a 6 mile tempo down the canyon - was ahead of 5:20 pace by about 20 seonds. However about 600 meters before the finish, I was stopped by construction on the trail - so I had to backtrack and take an alternate route home. I jogged until I was a half-mile away from home by the alternate route, then ran a 2:34 last half mile.

Today did 3x2 - down, up down. The rest was about one mile. Started off with a 10:02 - was still kind of asleep. The next interval was much better - 10:57 uphill. Then broke 5-minute average in the last one with 9:52.

Did the 6 mile workout again - same time of 31:40. Built a nice gap of 20 seconds (relative to 5:20 average) in the canyon, then was dead even for the last two miles. This time there was no contrsuction at the end and I actually got to finish the interval.

Did a shakeout mile in 4:54. This is a little experiment I've started doing - run a mile at half marathon or 10K pace each day. The goal is to get more fast mileage in and hopefully improve my speed.

Today did 2x3 miles in the canyon, first up then down. When going up I got 17:08 - and then 15:08 going down. I was ahead of 5-minute pace at 2 miles on the way down - (my father and William were rabbits who started two minutes ahead and went 6 minutes/mile pace. I caught them). Then the heat got to me and I blew up in the last mile - 5:13.

Today did all 12 at once - drove up to Canyon Glen Park and then did a 6 mile tempo back to the house in a litte under 31:30. This is an improvement over my usual time of 31:40. The last mile is uphill and was in 5:16. Then I turned around an ran back up to get the car, putting me at a total of twelve.

My 'shakeout' pickup mile was 4:44.

Today did the same 3 up, 3 down workout as last Saturday, but started with the downhill interval. This must have made a difference, because I was able to hit my targets. Going down I got 14:49 with pretty even pacing, and going up was 16:53 - most of that came from the kick. Felt pretty tired after this one - but was especially happy that I found the extra gear at the end for the uphill interval.

Ended up with 17 total today.

Today went and trained with the FARM team - there were 5 of us total. We went and did the 5-mile Lake Loop. My goal was sub 5:20, and that happened. Our splits were 5:19, 5:20, 5:12, 5:11, and 5:23 (total time 26:25). It was good to have a pack to run with and to feel a bit more competition - definitely am missing real races.

Usual easy 12 (9 in the morning, 3 at night). Did a mile pickup in 5:16.

Taper for tomorrow.

   Today we did another family 5K down the canyon. Some people did better than last time - others struggled more. Jenny got 19:28 (an improvement of about 30 seconds). Matthew did really well - 20:37. He was helped by Nate, Jenny's fiance, who ran about 20:50. He was even with Matthew untill the last mile - when Matthew's competitve drive took over.

   I also had a good run - 14:49! The splits were 31 (first bit), then three miles in 4:46. 4:49, and 4:43. I felt fluid and energetic the entire time. The first mile was even - 72, 71, 71, 72. The next mile was looking to be even slower, but a fast last quarter came to the rescue (74. 72, 73, 70). And most of the speed in the last mile came from the kick (72, 72, 71, 68). The last three miles were a repeat of my previous best time of 14:18 for that three mile stretch.

  Hopefully this means that some of the issues I've been having with my lower back are getting resolved. I've been seeing a chiropracter, and it looks like that has been helping.

  In any case, I'm definitely ready for a real race - it's been far too long!

Today did a 4 up + 4 down workout. Got 23:02 (up), and 20:38 (down). Total time was 43:40, and my last mile was 5:00. Pretty happy about this workout.

Total of 16 today. Did 3x2 down the canyon - 9:51, 9:40, 9:36.

Did the 4 up + 4 down workout again. This time it didn't go as well due to the heat. I was 23:15 up, and 20:48 down (so total time 44:03).

Today had a good workout. Did 4x1.5 down the canyon with a target pace of 4:48 per mile - (so 7:12 per interval). I was able to hit the target pace (7:06, 7:08, 7:10, and 7:03 closing in 2:15 for the last half mile). Total of 6 miles at 4:48 pace.

Today paced Joseph through a workout (2x2 miles down the canyon). The goal for him was to do the first interval in 12 minutes, and then the first mile of the second interval in 6 minutes, with the last mile as fast as possible. By the time we got to the last mile of the second interval, it was hot. Joseph limped to the finish in about 6:13.

Then I did my own workout - 2 up and 2 down (consequtively). It was brutal 21:37 (5:27, 5:50, 5:10, 5:10). The heat got me, like it got Joseph.

Today wasn't feeling well - not enough sleep. Was going to try 3x2 miles targeting 9:36, but just did 2x2 (9:53 and 9:44). Total of 18.

Retried the target workout from Saturday (3x2 miles at 9:36). This time I was feeling good enough to do three intervals, but did not hit the target pace. I got 9:53, 10:10, and 9:50.

Did 3x2 miles. Got (9:53 (down), 11:14 (up), and 9:46 (down)). It was hot, but each interval was a negative split (4:59, 4:54), (5:38, 5:36), and (4:54, 4:52). Total of 18.

Today tried the 4 up - 4 down workout again. This time I had my best result so far despite the wind - 22:58 up and 20:10 down (so 43:08 total). My overall time for 8 miles was 43:08, and the last mile was 4:45. The wind was blowing down the canyon and was strong.

Today tried the 3x2 at 4:48 per mile pace workout again. This time it went well. I had rabbits - Chad and my dad. The first two intervals were 9:34 and 9:33. Then on the last one I really hit the gas and ended up with 9:21 (4:44, 4:37). This is a record for me on that course.

Today had an easier workout - 2 up in 11:19 + 2 down in 9:31.

Today was the family 5K. I got 15:17 (last three miles were 4:47, 4:52, and 5:08 (blowup)). There was wind and smoke, but Matthew and Mary still had good races (Matthew was 2 seconds of his PR, and Mary finished her first 5K).

Today did a 5K up the canyon (same course as Saturday, just a different direction). My splits were 5:21., 5:18, and 5:16 (15:55 at three miles), and the last bit was 33 seconds for a total time of 16:28. This is my best performance to date on that uphill stretch. The wind was favorable.

Today did 3x2 down the canyon in 9:52, 9:52, and 9:43. My dad and Chad were rabbits on all three intervals, with a head start of 1:45. Total of 14 in the morning + 3 in the evening.

Did 2x3 miles down the canyon in 14:48 and 14:42, (my father and Chad were rabbits with a 2:45 head start). Total of 16 miles.

Today did 10x 1K, alternating two up and two down.

  Started out with 2:57, 2:57, then had 3:12, 3:16 (up). Then down was 3:01, 3:01, and up was 3:07, 3:12. Going down was just barely under 3 - 2:59, 2:59. Averaged around 3:06 per interval.

Today did a 6 mile tempo in 29:44 - 15:52 and 15:52. Caught the rabbits (my dad and Chad). This is my first time going sub-5 for 6 miles.

Today did 10x1K with 200 meter recovery. I went down the canyon, but the wind decided to play tricks on me and blow stubbornly uphill. Still, I was able to reach the target pace. The first interval was a little slow - 3:03. Then I overcompensated with a 2:54. The next interval was more conservative - 2:57. Then I hit the hills around Nunn's Park and had 3:02. The next two intervals made up lost ground - around 2:58. Then I hit another hill and had a 3:02. The next interval was a high 2:57, and the last two were in 2:59 and another 2:57.

  On average had about 2:58 - happy with this result as it was into a significant headwind.

Today we had another family 5K. For whatever reason I wasn't able to crack 4:54 pace, and ended up with 15:17. We had some records - Jacob, Stephen, and Matthew all got PR's. Matthew is only 20 seconds or so behind Stephen, despite the age gap. 

Due to wildfires the trail was closed, so I've been running on Murdock this week.

Today did a 5K workout down the canyon (a lighter workout due to the upcoming Haunted Half). Ended up with 15:13 - an improvement over two weeks ago. Most of the parks were still closed, but Vivian Park was open. We were able to sneak through all the way down the trail.

 First real race in 8 months, and first longish race since the Monumental Marathon in November. My workouts before the race were showing I was in better shape, but I wasn't sure what kind of endurance I'd have. Those fears ended up being unfounded.

I went through the first 4 miles in 20:01 (4:53, 5:10, 4:59, 4:59). The next two were in 10:09 (I saw 5:02, 5:07, but think that Mile 5 might have been short). Then came the uphill of the course - we went up the old highway by Nunn's park for about 180 meters, plus the hills around Nunn's park. Mile 7 was long, so I didn't get an accurate time, but the next two miles were in 10:43, putting me at 40:53 for 8 miles.

 The next miles were close to 5:00 flat - I had 5:01, 5:02. At 10 miles I saw 50:56. Up until this point I was in first place. However, little to my knowledge, a wild beast had been chasing me since Mile 5. Jake Heslington, who until recently ran for BYU, was in the race. He told me that aournd 5 miles he picked it up to 4:40-4:50. The result was that at 10 miles I got passed like I was standing still - while going 5:00 pace. It was a unique experience.

On the one hand, I was having an awesome race, going much faster than I'd ever done before. On the other - I just got passed as if 5:00 pace were a jog. Jake ended up with 1:06:36, putting 32 seconds on me over the last 5K. My next mile was 5:06, then 5:15, and 6:01 from Mile 12 to the finish. My total time was 1:07:08, 2nd place overall.

I'm definitely happy with a PR of over a minute, and guess the lesson I learned is that there is always someone out there to humble you ;-). It was good to race again - I really had missed it.

The hardest part of the race came after the finish - I ended up having to run from the finish area in the Riverwoods to my house, which is about a mile away. The adrenaline from the race was gone - but the soreness remained.

Went for 4 miles in the afternoon - was hoping to go 5, but my legs were pretty beat up from Saturday. Did another 3 at night for a total of 7 today.

Only 10 today as my legs are still recovering from the Haunted Half.

Did a full twelve miles for the first time since before the half - finally my legs aren't sore!

Paced Joseph to a slight PR of 5:09 for the mile on the Orem High Track.

Felt good enough to do a mile pickup - 4:51. Am guessing my legs are fully recovered from Saturday.

Did 2x4 down the canyon. The first interval was in 19:58 (5:01, 5:01. 5:02 and 4:54). The second one was slower - 20:25 (5:04, 5:08, 5:12 and 5:05). There was some pretty significant headwind during the second interval.

Did 2x4 miles down the canyon. It was cold and windy - ended up with 20:47 and 20:46.

Today did 10x1K, alternating 2 down and 2 up. There was a significant wind blowing up the canyon. Got 3:00 (1:47 at 600), 3:04 (1:46 at 600), then up 3:06 (1:49 at 600), 3:09 (1:52 at 600), then down 2:59 (1:46 at 600) and 3:00 (1:45 at 600). Going up got 3:03 (1:46 (!) at 600), and 3:09 (1:53 at 600). On the last two down-hill intervals got 2:57 (1:45 at 600) and 2:58 (1:44 at 600, the wind was pretty rough for the last 400).

The uphill intervals were helped by a significant tailwind, but I'm happy that I was able to run on pace for the most part on the downhill ones. Averaged just under 3:00 for the downhil intervals, and a little over 3:06 for the uphill ones. 

Added 3 more at night for a total of 14.

Did 9 in the morning plus 4 at night with Jenny and my dad.

Today did another repeat of the 2x4 down the canyon. This time things went better than before. The first interval was 19:57 (5:01, 4:58, 4:59, 4:59). On the second, it was warmer. The first mile was a little slower (5:02), but then I was able to speed up significantly (4:55, 4:56, and 4:46), so 19:39 overall. Especially happy about the last mile.

Both times my father and Chad had a three-minute head start. They got 23:02 for the second interval, so if I hadn't turned up the heat I might not have caught them at all ;-).

Total of 16 in the morning, plus three more with Julia at night. This brings me to 82 for the week - a record I think.

Taper.

This year was different than previous years - no raffle, no youngest participant, and no largest immediate family. That meant all turkeys had to be won by speed alone. However, we still had a good showing. My mom and Julia both got turkeys, as did all 5 of my younger brothers (it helped that no one was in the same age division). My dad and I both got turkeys, and Bella would have if she hadn't forgotten to wear her bib. Total turkey count: 9. Mary won a pie - which was donated.

 My splits were 4:48. 4:55, 5:14, and 5:10 (total 20:07). I went for the glory, and it cost me. Second place caught up to me around a mile in, and I held on for another mile before dropping back. First place was 19:15, and second was 19:42.

Raced a cross-country 5K for fun. Ended up geting beat by a high-schooler (he got 15:42 to my 15:52). I blame it on wearing Crocs on the grass instead of spikes ;-). But at least I was sub-16. 

Did 5x2K in 5:55, 6:40 (up), 5:51, 6:36 (up), and 5:54. Total of 13 miles.

Today did the 2x4 workout again. Ended up with 19:50 and 19:54. In the second interval there was a fair bit of head-wind.

Did 3x2 miles in the canyon (2 down, 1 up). Got 9:50, 11:14, and 9:30. Given the last split, I probably was asleep on the uphill interval. I'm going to start doing more uphill intervals.

Did my mile pickup today uphill - got 4:55. This is the first time I've broken 5 going UP the canyon.

There was a decent bit of snow, so I did a nonstandard workout - 6 miles on an out-and-back course that started at my house. This course has a fair bit of hills and a couple street crossings. There also was a fair bit of snow on the road. Ended up with 32:35 (16:46 out and 15:49 back). Total of 16.

Today finished my last final of the semester!

Did a workout in the morning (3x2 miles with two intervals uphill). It went well - 10:40, 9:55 and 10:34. Then paced Joseph and Jacob for  a 2K interval in the afternoon. They both ended up with 6:46.

Today had a meeting in the morning, so was only able to do 12 in the morning. It was cold, but I still tried a workout (3x2 with two uphill intervals and one downhill). Ended up with 11:10, 9:57 (down) and 11:07. Added another 4 miles in the evening. 

Did a workout - 2x2 in the canyon. Got 10:16 up (5:10 and 5:06), then 9:54 down (4:51 and 5:03). I wanted to break 5:00 average but the wind interfered. Pretty happy about the uphill result.

Felt a little under the weather, ran only 8 miles.

Did a lighter workout today, 2x2 downhill - 9:52, 9:47.

Did 2x1 mile fast down the canyon - got 4:35 and 4:38. My legs were pretty sore afterwards.