Have a little faith

Up to Neff's Canyon and back. Nice clear morning. Feeling refreshed and ready for an awsome run this Saturday in Las Vegas at the Red Rock Canyon state park.

Ran a couple miles before catching the plane, checking out which shoes to run in. I elected the DS Trainer over the Nike Lunaracer, for comfort reasons. My feet were fine.

Temps were a little cool to start, and I decided to run in a short sleeve shirt rather than my tank top. This was a decision that I kind of regretted after only a couple miles, but the shirt worked well. It carried it along for a few miles at the end when temps started to climb. My goal was to be under 3:40. In three previous runs, I've never gotten below 3:37. I thought if things went well, I could hit the BQ time of 3:35. And by mile 23, I knew it would be close, realizing my under 3:40 was certainly likely, but not absolutely certain about the 3:35.  But, I laid it down and pushed hard, hitting 7:15 MPM the last three.  Because of the fast finish, I really feel good about the run, and finished 17 seconds ahead of another 50 year old man, whom I don't know whether I passed or simply was just inside the chip time. The line to the johns was long at the start, so some probably just started late by the clock. A woman passed me in the first 2 miles, and I never saw her again. But I ended up finishing 3 minutes ahead of her time. So, the half marathon group of runners confuses the field of marathoners, but I like it that way. With them, you don't know if your passing half marathoners or marathoners, so it takes out some of that competitive foolishness.

Run around the block with Ryan

Felt good to go up to Neff's, in a time of 43.

Ran the monster in 53. Took it easy. Had to work early so no time to stretch it out any longer.

Good evening loop around parleys park.

Trip up the millcreek to the gate. Good winds.

Monster in 52.5

Trip up Millcreek to the gate and back. Some serious winds. Time 1:26.

Without any warmup, I ran the 3 mile loop in 22: 18, even stopping to spot a wood pecker loudly drumming on a telephone pole.

I awoke at 6 and found an inch of snow on the lawn. So, guessing that there would be more up the canyon, I laced up. There were lots of tracks in the snow ahead of me. Turned out to be five girls out running. They turned around at the haven, and I kept going where the snow got to be about 4" deep and still snowing. Absolutely gorgeous. Turning around, though, I realized I had a tail wind going up, which was now in my face. It was soft on my soles running down in the snow. Unfortunately, it kept getting less deep and by the four mile mark, I was pretty much back on wet pavement. Total time 1:30. Happy to have gotten out.

Trying to stay in the Thursday morning habit that I formed over the past year, and run Parleys park up to the frontage road. Sometimes I vary the distance, adding an extra mile by going up and into the foothills. Not today though. I was glad to get out. My right plantars faciatis really burns for the first mile or so. By around 3 or 4 its gone away.

Started out strong, then didn't do so well between 10 and 18. But I took a drink at 16, with a GU, and an Excedrine, and things got better after that. I finished in 2:58 net time, 3:10 gross time, stopping to change shirts, hide gloves, and fish out my drinks, and take a couple potty breaks. The route took me across parleys crossing after going up into the eastwood area, then down 21st, over to Parley's Way, down to Highland High, around sugarhouse and back to Highland High. Then south, by Oly Jr., the canal road, Hilsden, back along Wander, to the S-curve, up Evergreen, the frontage road above Skyline, and home.

Around by Highland HS, to Parleys crossing. 1:24

The old loop from 23rd east into the eastwood neighborhood.