I am one with the levee and the levee with me

I squeezed in a short run before we headed back to Utah, hoping to add a few more when we were home. Miki got sick just about the moment we got home, so I spent the rest of the evening taking care of her. I'm crossing my fingers that I don't get it, but I think I'm probably already a goner.

Miki stayed home from work today to rest, so I did an easy 9 miles up into Hobble Creek Canyon. Running on the soft trails in Kennewick really paid off (despite the crummy weather) and my feet are feeling as strong as ever, knock on wood.

Overall time was 62:23 - the pace was 6:50 - 6:55 pace most of the way, so the run may have been slightly more than 9.

I ran into Sasha today, who wa kind enough to run 6x1000 with me, despite being 13 miles into an already eventful run. It helped a ton to have him run with me, I finally kept pace through the whole workout. Plus he helped me average a faster pace than ever. The trail was pretty icy in places, but not horrible. The slower reps were slightly uphill, and the faster ones on the downhill.

1 - 3:31 (apr. 30 seconds rest between reps)

2 - 3:24

3 - 3:33

4 - 3:23

5 - 3:32

6 - 3:23-3:24

So pretty consistent times - the last two were pretty painful. I'm pleased with the workout, but I still realize how far I have to go to hit my goal times.

Ran home from work today. We overslept this morning, so I didn't have a chance to run before work.

Ran 13 with Sasha and Ted. This is the first complete run I've done with them, and it was an excellent experience. We started slow (7:45 pace I think) and gradually went faster and faster, until the last 3 miles were about 6:10 pace or faster. Sasha said the last one was 5:45, but I dropped off a few seconds. That's a habit that I need to get out of - dropping off the pace when I'm tired. It wasn't that I couldn't do it, I just didn't feel like it. I did the same thing with the 6x1000 with Sasha, and I feel that this attitude is unacceptable.

I think we finished the run with a final time just under 7:00 pace. All in all, it was a very enjoyable run.

Lots of snow on the trail this morning, so I took it nice and easy in 7:20 pace. Classes are starting at 8 am this semester, so I have to adjust my training schedule a bit. Today I squeezed in 6 miles before class, was in class from 8 to 11, then ran 3 more. I don't think this is ideal training, but I have to do what I can. The second run has room from more miles, so I think I'll be able to increase to 70 or 80 without much difficulty.

6:30 am - 3x1mile with 1:00 rests on the indoor track. My legs have been a little tired, so I decreased the volume slightly. Lots of walkers and joggers on the inside lane which was a little irritating, but overall a good workout.

1 - 5:29

2 - 5:31

3 - 5:25

I nearly ran over a jogger on the last one, so it may have been a second or two faster. I plan on hitting about 55 miles this week, but I want a slight taper in intensity heading into Saturday's race. Total distance: 6 miles. I might do a steady run on Wednesday, but the rest of my miles will be recovery this week.

11 am - 3 miles easy down 800 S. and the river trail. Still lots of treacherous spots on the trail.

11 am - This was one of my favorite runs in a long time. I've never run in so much snow before, and it felt like I was running on clouds. I headed down the usual route to the river trail, there must have been about 6 inches of snow over most of it. At least before the overpass, where the rest of the trail had been plowed. Total time for 7 miles was 50:40 - 7:14.3 pace.

I had to drive my wife up to Lehi this morning for work, so I didn't get the chance to run this morning. Hopefully I'll finish the rest of it tonight.

6:30 am - 3 super easy miles before class (23:00, 7:40 pace)

11 am - My legs feel kinda tired from the last week or two (I think especially from that 13 miler with Ted and Sasha), so today and tomorrow are recovery days. I have a hard time making myself run slower than 7:00 pace, so I went out 3 miles as slow as I could stand it (7:13 pace) then made myself run back slower than I went out (7:26 pace). Total time was 44:01 (7:20 pace).

The adrenaline is already starting to flow in anticipation of Saturday's race. I feel that I'm easily in 9:00 shape, but it's been so long since I've done a serious race that the demons of doubt keep creeping in.

I have always had a hard time keeping myself under control the day before a race. Adrenaline is already pumping through me every time I think about it - and it consumes about 99% of my thoughts at the moment. It's funny, the night before my first high school race I just layed awake in utter fear of the next day. I'm not sure exactly what I was afraid of, but I didn't fall asleep until about 4 am.

So I've gotten a little better since then, but even the day of regionals my senior year in high school, I woke up with a sore jaw that I could barely open because I had been clenching it all night long. But considering I ran my pr 5k that day, a little nerves are probably okay.

In any case, I'm totally stoked for tomorrow's race. I did an easy 7 this morning (50:56 for 7:16.6 pace), and my legs feel terrific. They're still slightly fatigued from training, but I have a feeling it won't factor into the race tomorrow. I found a relatively dry stretch of trail and opened the throttle to around 3000m pace for 20 seconds or so, just to wake up the legs from their 7:30 pace slumber, and they feel peppy and ready to go.

9 am - 3 easy miles down Springville Main St. to wake up the legs.

BYU Indoor Invite 3000m - 9:12.93

Well, I went into the race with three goals: 1) don't get last, 2) break 9:00, and 3) at the very least, get a PR. Goal #2 wasn't quite there today, but it was a good race, a good opener for the season, and it makes me excited for what's to come.

It's a little depressing going to these races and not knowing anyone. High school track meets were always a blast because you can just goof around until your race, then goof around some more once your done. I couldn't help feeling a little awkward and out of place next to the other guys on the line. None of them knew me, but I knew most of them. I'm admittedly a huge track nerd, but I never thought of myself as a stalker before.

Anyway, during my warm-up I felt great. I got in about 2 miles 45 minutes before the gun with a few race-pace strides. I knew that I could hit the mile in 4:50 without much trouble, and if I could I felt I would be close to that 9:00 mark.

In any case, when the gun went off, the pack was quickly leaving me in the dust at my 4:50 pace, so I had to make a quick decision, whether or not to match pace. I've always had a difficult time coming from behind, so I grabbed on to the second pack that was forming and hung on. The first lap was 55 (5 laps to a mile), and the quarter was 68 or 69 (sorry Ted, you told me so).

It was at that point that I kind of spaced out. The only coherent thought I had from laps 2-7 was "Keep going!" All I could think of was not getting left behind, and I was surprised when I went through the mile in 4:44 (only two seconds slower than my time trial a few weeks ago!). I hit 4 laps-to-go in 5:00, and all I had to do to get my goal was run 5:00 pace for 4/5's of a mile. Of course, my brain didn't put that together till later, so I kept plodding ahead, not thinking about time, not thinking about anything except keeping my body moving.

In retrospect, I feel that I ran a good race, but my biggest mistake came at about lap 6. I had a Utah Valley guy 2 seconds up on me -- perfect position to grab on to him and let him pull me along. But I regretably let him go; he ended up at 9:06. He could have helped me through the difficult laps 6-8, where I lost a lot of ground on the 9:00 guy.

But, as it was, I hit the bell lap in 8:15-8:16 and knew I had my PR, and a 57 second last lap sealed the deal. While I would have liked to run a bit faster, I liked the race. I got out fast (maybe a little too fast), hung on as best as I could, and it ended with a decent time. As I build my miles and add in the speed stuff, I expect my times to drop dramatically. Today's race was a good springboard for the rest of the season.

Complete results can be found here:

http://www.byutrack.com/Various/Special/Meet_Info/2007-8/CougInInv/index.htm

6:45 am - 6 miles at steady pace (6:30/mile). A bit nippy this morning, but I'm surprisingly not too sore from the race. A good sign, I suppose. I headed down the usual river trail.

11 am - 3 miles easy (7:00 pace) down University Ave.

6:45 am - Stayed at the indoor track this morning to do some tempo work. I was squeezed on time this morning, so I couldn't get the full 4 miles in, but here's how it went:

2 miles - 11:04 (even 5:32 splits)

1:00 rest

1 mile - 5:26

It felt good and relaxed, and I really wanted to get that fourth mile in, but it just wasn't in the cards today. So 3 miles in 16:30 with a 1:00 rest between miles 2 and 3..... Looking back at previous seasons, I've never done a workout like that and had it feel that good.

11 am - 4 recovery miles (7:00 - 7:10 pace) with 6x100m strides at the end. The track was occupied, so I did them on the sidewalk outside. I'm estimating an average of 14.5 seconds apiece.

11 am - 7 miles down the river trail (48:03). It was snowing a little, but sunny.... kind of a weird combo. Spent most of the time thinking about the next phase of training. I'm rather partial to Daniels' training philosophies, but I'm not sure what kind of intervals to add in. Doing threshold work is easy to figure out, but where does VO2 max pace start?

Anyway, an easy run - a little faster than I wanted, but that's okay. I'll try to add some more in tonight.

8:30 pm - 3 easy miles down Springville Main.

6:45 am - I'm having trouble finding time for my second workout this week. It looks like I'll have to try to squeeze it in tomorrow since there wasn't time this morning. Ran down the river trail. Total time 40:34. It was super cold this morning -- it's not often that you feel the hairs in your nose freeze! But today was one of those days.

6:30 am - No classes this morning, so I had a little more time for the workout. Ran 4 x 5:00 with 4:30 rests from my place with the hope of simulating 5:00 mile repeats. I was running out of the Hobblecreek canyon, so I was shooting for slightly under 5:00 pace, since it's downhill. I have some error in measuring on gmap, since my start and end points aren't exact, but it looks like I fell a little short with total distance at 3.9 miles, making average pace somewhere around 5:07-5:10. The first two reps were at or just under 5:00 pace, but the last two are where I faltered, according to gmap. Which is surprising to me, the last two felt the fastest.

In any case, it was a good workout. I look forward to starting more speed stuff -- today just whet my appetite.

PM - Added 4 miles easy miles after work. Total time 30:04.

Did a 14 miler today... as much as I tried to tell myself it wouldn't be that far, it was. Fourteen is the most I've done in a day, and I have doubts that it will ever feel easy.

I headed up Hobble Creek Canyon, hoping that the trail would be plowed like the Provo River trail. I wasn't that lucky, of course, but I didn't feel like turning around. The snow was packed down for awhile, but the further up the canyon I got, the deeper it got. At one point I was up to my knees in snow, and figured it was time to head back. Snow running's the best!

I tried to pick it up slightly on the last few miles, but my legs were kinda tired by that point. I was surprised to see the last 2 miles were 12:34, I felt like I was barely under 7:00 pace.

9 easy miles in the snow - 1:07:02. I'm growing fond of the snow, and I will be sad when things warm up again. A nice run up Hobble Creek Canyon again, a little cold on the way back with the snow blowing in my face.

6:30 am - 4 mile tempo on the indoor track. I was feeling a little sluggish, most likely from all the snow running, but overall a decent run. My splits were all over the place, largely due to the sluggish feeling. Total time: 22:17 -- believe it or not, that turns out to be a PR for the distance.

Here are the mile splits:

5:37 (first 2 laps in 5:50 pace by mistake)

5:31 (11:08)

5:42 (16:50)

5:27 (22:17)

11 am - Ran 30:10 more that I'm calling 4 miles, although it was likely a little more. I'm trying to get in the habit of slowing down the in-between miles to rest the legs more.

Good job to everyone that ran Painter's! Very impressive races for the blog!

6:45 am - Only had time for 5 miles this morning, so I headed out at an easy pace down to the river trail. There's still a good amount of snow on the trail, so the pace was fairly slow (7:30 pace or so).

 11 am - Another easy 4 miles (29:14). Headed up Provo Canyon Rd. this time. It was sunny towards the canyon, but there's this cloud hanging around BYU. Rather ironic, if you ask me.
 

7 am - I really need to get more sleep! All the 5 hour nights are getting to me, and getting out for my runs today was difficult, to say the least. So 3.2 easy miles this morning; very cold outside, 9 degrees or so, I think?

11 am - Got in another 5.1 on the river trail that is beginning to dry up a little. I only fell asleep once in class, so that wasn't too bad. Average pace for this run was right about 7:00.

I wanted to get a mile repeats workout today, but my wife was sick this morning and I couldn't make it to the indoor track. So 7 easy miles to start the day with. I headed up towards Hobble Creek, but didn't make it into the canyon. Lots of snow and ice on the ground. I should be able to get that workout in tomorrow.

Total time - 49:22

Well, I finally found out what the "short track" at the BYU facility is. I got there for a workout and half the track was closed off by giant garage doors. I went and asked the janitors if they could open it up, but they said it is always closed on Saturday's.... that doesn't make much sense to me since the only thing going on in the other end was a karate practice, but the bottom line is that they wouldn't open it for me. Bleh.

So the short track really exists and really is 7 1/7 laps per mile. I was a little upset about it and almost left, but finally decided to stick it out and run my workout. I'm glad I stuck it out, cause the workout went better than expected.

I had 4x1mile planned today at 5:00 pace, but I just did 7 laps per rep to make it easier to figure. So 5:00 pace came to 4:54 for 7 laps.

The first two were kinda tough -- I was having trouble with the frequent turns, and felt like it was wearing me out.

Rep 1 - 4:58 (5:04 pace)

5:00 rest

Rep 2 - 4:56 (5:02 pace)

5:00 rest

Since I was feeling a little tight, I expected to start the bonking process on rep 3, but Sean Sundwall's post yesterday about relaxing came to mind (on Sasha's cruise control thread -- if you haven't read it, you should), and I tried to relaxing myself a little more. My stride got a little longer and my limbs felt looser, and I felt awesome. I started the 4th rep expecting it to kill, but each lap just felt easier and easier.

Rep 3 - 4:52 (4:58 pace)

6:00 rest (had to wait for high school runners)

Rep 4 - 4:48 (4:54 pace)

I was shocked that I still felt really good after the fourth, and I probably should have done at least one more, but there was a high school group doing an 800m time trial, so I stuck to the original game plan and headed out on the rest of my run.

The other 9 miles were done in 60:02 (6:40 pace), and it felt really good. I'm pleased with today's workout.

AM - Easy 3 miles (22:13). Nice weather this morning.... I hope it lasts.

PM - It didn't last. Ran home from work, luckily the snow stopped, but it was much colder this afternoon. I need to measure the course, not sure exactly how far it is, but total time was 51:43. Somebody almost hit me, but that's the life of running on the roads.

AM - I had some homework to finish this morning, so I didn't get the tempo in.... tomorrow should work out, though. Ran 4 miles on the river trail; the weather was nice. The legs feel a little tired, so I tried to take it easy. Overall pace of about 7:02.

PM - Ran home from work again... had to take a brief detour potty break and slipped on the ice. It was snowing pretty hard by the time I got home.

AM - It doesn't look like I'll be able to get my tempo in this week. Things didn't work out this morning, and I was planning a speed session for Friday that I think will be more useful than the tempo. Ahhh well, maybe I can squeeze something in Saturday.

Anyway, 4 easy miles this morning, about 7:10 pace overall. I was lucky with the fall yesterday; I landed on my hip and knee... something that has taken me out for months before. The knee is a little tender, but there's no pain when running.

AM - 6 miles easy down Provo River trail. Not much to report about. Total time: 42:18.

PM - I was at the school tonight, and took the opportunity to run my speed workout. The plan was 12 x 300m with 1:30 rest in (hopefully) 1500m race pace (48 seconds), and that's about how things went. Here's the breakdown:

50, 50, 49, 48, 49, 48, 47, 48, 48, 48, 47, 46 <---- I think that averages to 48

That track never gets any rest, it's amazing. The inside lane was full of people, which I find extremely irritating, but maybe it's just me. I always try to breathe loudly as I come up to someone, and if they don't move, I buzz them as close as possible to let them know they're blocking traffic. Usually people get the hint from that, but you'd be surprised.

Anyway, I was pleased with the workout, although I'm not confident that it was the right mix of distance/speed/rest. I was hurting pretty good by the end, but there was no tightening in my legs, I felt loose and relaxed the whole way. Back in high school, it was all I could do to finish speed workouts, but tonight I thought I could manage a couple more. Maybe 1:15 rest would have been more ideal.

AM - 9 miles down the river. It was snowing pretty hard by the time I was done, but temps were alright and shorts were comfortable. My legs are tired from yesterday, which is a good sign, hopefully that was the right workout to do. I made the mistake of pushing the pace this morning -- my legs are telling me they need rest. Avg. pace 6:50.

This was a nice easy run that took me all over Springville and Mapleton. The temperature was reasonable and it was snowing lightly most of the way. It brought to close a decent week of training. I was hoping for a few more miles and a tempo run, but it felt good to let the legs have a bit of rest.

The coming week is going to be a little hectic, but I just try to get it in when I can.

AM - 21 minutes out, 21 back in about 7:10 pace. The snow was already plowed, so it was easy running. I love the guys that do the plowing.... I'm sure they're not getting paid enough.

PM - Ran home form work... I measured the course today on gmap, 7.3 miles. Average pace of 7:13, and pretty uneventful.

AM - 4 easy miles at 7:16 pace. I headed upstream on the trail this time for a little variety. I've been feeling some of that old PF in my feet again, only this time in random twinges. Very strange, but I'm trying to take care of it. The slower paces should help.

Hopefully, I'll be able to squeeze my tempo run in tonight.  

PM - I got held up at a meeting, and the tempo didn't work out. Instead I got an easy 5.8 miles towards the canyon in Springville. The roads were fairly dry, which was a nice change. Average pace was about 7:20/mile.

AM - I did my tempo on the indoor track. I may be getting a cold... at least it feels like it in my legs, they're pretty sore. I don't think I've increased my mileage enough to account for the soreness. I've wondered if my body responds well to higher mileage--when I was in high school, my mile PR came on 45 mpw, but the next season in XC I had difficulty improving off 60 mpw. I went most of the season running no better than 16:49 5k until the last week when I cut back.

Anyway, the run was successful overall, although it was more difficult to maintain pace today. Total time was 22:17, same as the last tempo. Here's the mile breakdown:

1 - 5:34.5

2 - 5-34.5 (11:09)

3 - 5:36 (16:45)

4 - 5:32 (22:17)

PM - Ran home from work again today. The muscles are still sore, so I worked on them with a rolling pin. I didn't have my watch with me, so I'm estimating 7:20 pace. It's liberating to run without the watch sometimes.

AM - 6 easy miles after class today. It was snowing pretty good by the time I got out, that may keep me from running home from work today. State Street between Provo and Springville is dangerous at best, I don't like the idea of running it during slick conditions. Total time 43:34

Anyway, if I can't get in a second run today it won't kill me, but I can probably squeeze in a few more tonight. Using the rolling pin on my legs was awesome, they felt a lot better today. Tomorrow I'm planning on a mile time trial, we'll see if I can't run a PR in the morning.

I ran my mile time trial today, which didn't go as well as hoped. I wanted to run as close to 4:30 as possible, preferrably under, but had to settle for 4:38.

I went out too conservatively with a 55 first lap (68.75 quarter pace), sped up a little on the second (54, 1:49), slowed down a lot on the third (57, 2:41), I can't remember the split on the fourth, but it must have been slow because I ended up at 4:38 (58.5 avg on the last two laps). Bleh.

Wow, I must have slowed a lot there at the end. I hadn't realized it before now. Anyway, I think the biggest problem is that my legs aren't used to the faster pace. My miles aren't going to be increasing much from here, so I think it's time to up the intensity.

Afterwards, I pouted for about 6 minutes of rest time, then added a few more reps:

4x321.8m (1 lap) w/ 1:30 rest: 52.2, 52.5, 50.3, 51.2 (51.6 avg)

1:30 rest

4x200m w/ :50 rest: 31's across

During my cool down I ran into Sasha, who reassured me that the TT wasn't as bad as I thought. We talked about the upcoming Del Sol relay and about his kids' running, who are all stinkin' fast, by the way. They'll all be world class marathoners soon.

15 miles around Springville and Mapleton, total time 1:43:53. The run felt really good today, my body seems to be adapting to the long run a little better. So far, this is my highest mileage week of all time, I celebrated with a long nap this afternoon.

7 am - I was lucky enough to squeeze in 3 miles before class today. Mid-terms end tomorrow, so things should be a little more easy going soon.

11 am -  Ran a moderate 7 miler down the usual path, average pace 6:47. It turns out my 8:00 class was canceled for the exam, so I could have run more today if I had planned better.

AM - I got to the track with plenty of time this morning for an interval workout, and things went pretty well.

I ran a 9 minute warmup, a couple of strides, and dove right into the workout. The idea was to do 6 x 1000m with 2:00 rest at 5k pace. I wanted to start at 3:08 and work down to 3:00 or just under, but I had a really hard time dropping the pace. The first three weren't too bad (3:08, 3:07, 3:06) and I was feeling strong still, but from the fourth one on I was really struggling.

The fourth was 3:05, and I thought I had it in me to drop down to the 3:00 range, but the fifth rep was getting painful (3:06) and I started the sixth with just the hope to maintain pace. I came through the first lap okay (:59) but dropped to 1:02 on the next lap. I was wavering towards dopping out, but I thought about my goals and knew I had it in me to finish, and I was able to open the throttle for a :57 last lap, plus the 20 or so meters to the finish for 3:05.

So average time ended up at 3:06.17, certainly one of my best workouts ever. Just before my 5k pr, my HS coach had us do 5x1000m with about 3:00 rest on a slightly hilly course, and I believe I averaged 3:10. It's hard to compare the two, but at worst I should be well within pr range.

Later AM - I am loving the weather! I got 5 more miles in up Canyon Rd in Provo, it was nice and warm, sunny.... I never knew 40 degrees could feel so good. I headed out in 7:00 pace and came back in about 6:42 pace. I didn't mean to speed up, it just happened.

AM - Ran 5 easy miles down the usual route, about 7:10 average. I'm feeling a little sore from yesterday, but that isn't unusual.

PM - Added 7.3 on the run home. I got caught in the snow storm which was fun at first, until the wind picked up and the temperatures dropped. It was a little tense coming over the highway into Springville, I don't like running this way in bad weather. I felt pretty good considering conditions, average pace was about 7:10.

AM - 7 easy miles down the usual route. I didn't have my watch with me, but I'm guessing about 7:15 pace. It was a little tough to get going today, not that I was feeling unmotivated or anything. Okay, yes I was, but I still did it. I just think it would have felt better to lie in the steam room for an hour. 

 Anyway, I'm trying to get registered for the Weber State meet next week, but there isn't any online registration as far as I can tell, and it's like pulling teeth to get ahold of one of the coaches. They were pretty relaxed about their outdoor meet last year (worst race of my life, don't ask), so if worse comes to worse, I'll just show up and expect to run.
 

So good news and bad news today. The good news is that the workout went well today. I did 12 x 200m on the indoor track, 50 sec rests and 31.0 average. I met a guy named Braden who is also trying to walk on to the track team for 400m hurdles, and he ran several of them with me. He's got a lot of speed, it helped to have him there. I told him about the blog, maybe we'll see him soon.

So.... the bad news. A few weeks ago I rolled my ankle a little, not really bad, but it's been a minor pain that has been persisting. But today, after the 200s, I headed out on a 10 miler and the twinge that I've been feeling there was wrapping itself around the back of my ankle. If I had been smart, I would have cut the run short, but my prideful self was like, "Nah, this is nothing." By mile 9 it suddenly turned into a solid pain in the back of my ankle, so I stopped, cried about it a little, and rubbed some snow on it for awhile. The snow helped a lot, but I walked the rest of the way home. I'm thinking it would be good to take tomorrow off, maybe do some swimming, but just let it rest.

Anyway, it's a little frustrating, but I think it's a short-term thing -- with any luck it won't affect my training too much.

200s:

Reps 1-7 (31.1 - 31.8), Reps 8-11 (30.2 - 30.7), Rep 12 (29.8)

 I just noticed I've got just over 400 miles for the year! Yea!
 

I met with Josse today to look over the ankle. She worked it over with her scraping tools and said it looks like I've got a little tendonitis in the ankle. It's not in the achilles' tendon, but a little more to the outside. In any case, I'm planning on doing some cross training in the next few days.

Today I went to the indoor Springville pool to do some laps. The thing is, I'm a terrible swimmer so I was a little nervous about trying to do a pool workout. When I was in Scouts I only passed the 100 yard swim test once, and it was more tiring than a mile race, if that gives you any idea how bad at swimming I am.

So I jumped in the pool and wore myself out in about one minute of regular swimming, but I discovered that I could lay on my back and kick like crazy and get a decent workout. I was even swinging my arms like I was running.... if only I'd had a video camera, this workout would be #1 on youtube for at least a month. My goal was to keep my heartrate close to my running HR (about 145), but I only managed about 135 bpm. Total time was 60:13, more than I have ever swam in my entire life. It was awesome. I think I'll count it somewhere around 6.5 to 7 miles of running.

I ran 4 pain-free miles in Springville today!

I didn't want to overdo it, so I finished with 52 minutes in the pool. I was able to keep the HR at 150 this time by swimming 2/3 laps on my back and 1/3 crawling. I made it just over a mile, but I'm calling it 5.5 miles for log purposes. Somebody let me know if that's too much.

I ran 5 painless miles at 7:15 pace up Canyon Rd, which wasn't so great because hills seem to bother the ankle a little. I was fine during the run, but afterwards I had a little pain going down some stairs, so I'm not out of the woods yet. But the progress is encouraging.

The last two days have been kinda crazy, so I gave my ankle a little rest. I have 8 hours of sleep for the last two nights... it's catching up to me.

Anyway, I got in an  easy 3 this morning at 6:52 pace. I wasn't trying to push the pace, but the legs are feeling fresh from the extra rest. The ankle didn't hurt and hasn't been hurting since, but I can tell it's not 100% yet. Tight is the best way I can describe it--not painful, just tight. I'm thinking that supplementing some short runs with lots of swimming will get me 100% in a week, maybe a little more. I'll hit the pool tonight.

PM - I got about 39 minutes in the pool. Since I didn't have as much time tonight, I tried to work a little harder. HR averaged between 150 and 160.

Swam for 80 minutes today. Kept HR above 145 bpm, so it was a pretty good workout. I didn't have a chance to run afterwards, but it won't hurt to let the ankle rest a little.

AM - Ran 3 easy miles on the Provo river trail (7:01 pace). The ankle is feeling better, but it's not quite there yet. It was nice to be out in the warm temps this morning, it felt fantastic. Looks like I'll be hitting the pool again tonight.

PM - Added in about 47 minutes of swimming, keeping HR around 145.

AM - Ran three easy miles. Still taking things easy.

AM - Got in 5 easy miles this morning, the ankle seems to be improving. It's still tender, but I'm feeling like I'm on the upward swing here.

Decided to give the leg a good test with 8 easy miles. It seemed to hold up fine, so I'm feeling happy. The heat wave was almost too much, though, even in shorts and a T-shirt. 

 It was a great feeling to be on the trail again, although I feel that I've lost quite a bit over the last week or two. I'm thinking that 55 miles next week followed by 65 miles the week after is a good plan to get back to where I was. Maybe the middle of the 65 mile week I can try a tempo run and see how things feel.
 

After yesterday's success, I pushed a little further today for a moderate 10 miler. Aerobically the run felt fine, but the legs are definitely a little shaky. Very comfortable weather.... this was a great run. Total time - 69:15

I must have the worst timing ever. I spent a good chunk of the day fixing our closet, which collapsed on itself, and another chunk at my nephew's baptism and the family get-together afterward, so my run got pushed till the evening. I left about five minutes before the snow hit, and got to run about an hour in heavy, driving snow while being dressed for the springtime weather we've been having. Bleh.

So I was frozen to the bone with about two miles left, at least an inch of snow built up on my head, looking pretty miserable when this girl pulls over and asks if I need a ride. I was seriously worried about losing body parts, but I actually said no -- partly because I needed the miles, and partly because I didn't want my wife to be mad at me for getting a ride with a strange girl. I still consider myself something of a newlywed, so I'm not always sure how my wife will react to things like that. I figured I'd rather be miserable for 15 minutes or so than all night long. I mentioned it to her when I got home, and she said I made the right choice!  :D

AM - Wow, perfect running weather today! I got in a relaxed 3 miles before work (20:20). I'm hoping for a good week of training and that the ankle holds up well. This week is really the test on whether or not it needs more time. 

PM - Ran the 7.3 route to Springville. One of the missionaries that was in the MTC with me recognized me at an intersection and we had a nice chat. I was impressed he recognized me since it's been 2 1/2 years since I've seen him, and I'm sure running atire looks a lot different on me than a suit and tie. Average pace for the run: 6:51 - things are still feeling good.

AM - Did the usual 3-mile run this morning. I'm trying to keep myself under control, but the legs are itching for speed and average pace was 6:44. I'll run home again from work today, I'll try for 7:00 pace and no faster.

PM - Ran the 7.3 mile route home at 6:50 pace... I guess without snow on the roads my training pace has picked up a little. Plus I needed a bathroom in the middle, so I hustled a little over the last mile or two to make it home. I hate stopping to use public bathrooms... nothing can beat using your own toilet.

AM - 6 easy miles before class. 41:58 total time.

Later AM - 4 more miles down the same route. I have to laugh every time I run down this trail because of the huge ice mountain that's been growing all winter. The guy who lives there must be doing it on purpose because he put up a bunch of signs to keep people away recently. One says, "Ice is dangerous. Keep off!" and another, "Please don't break the ice." But my favorite, and this kills me every time,  is the one that says "Danger, ice is radioactive." I need to take a picture for my blog.

Total time was 20:11.

AM - 3 easy miles (20:45). The legs are feeling pretty good and the ankle has gone from feeling tendinitis-ish to just feeling like a minor sprain. Tomorrow I'll probably try for a 2 or 3 quicker miles, just to test things out and get the legs back up to speed.

PM - 6.8 miles around Springville. I didn't have a destination in mind, I was just out running. Total time was 47:20.

I headed down the trail this morning in my flats to do a couple miles at tempo pace. The goal was to keep it at 5:30 - 5:40 pace since I was expecting my legs to feel pretty stale, plus I didn't want to stress them too much at this point. I ran a 2.5 mile warm-up and did some strides to loosen up. The strides felt stiff, but I loosened up pretty quick once I got into tempo pace.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the first half in 2:35. I passed Sasha and Jeff going the other way between the half and mile, which I hit in 5:12, and flipped a 180 and headed back. I eased off the pace a bit to around 5:30 - 5:33, but Sasha and Jeff joined in once I passed them. We sped up a little over the last half mile, maybe 5:20 pace or so, and finished with 10:38 as the final time. Second mile in 5:26.

That first mile got me pretty excited, it felt so good. I thought I had lost a lot during the swimming phase, but I think I'm still in pr range for 5k. If the Rex Lee run is measured correctly, given the slight hills it's got, I think I can dip under 16:00.

After the short tempo, I finished up with Sasha, Jeff, and Matt, who joined with us, for about 5.5 more miles.

Met with Sasha and the gang this morning, there was quite a group. We started out close to 9:00 pace and went down from there, I had the average pace at around 7:40. A very nice run, the weather was great, and it was great to meet some other members of the blog.

Ran an easy 9 miles this morning, avg. pace 6:58. I was tempted to do a long steady-type run, but decided it's still too early to push things too hard. I think the ankle will be fine from here out, but I want to be sure I'm healthy before doing too much.

All in all, it was amazing weather and a great run. I'm crossing my fingers that the snow will stay away from now on.... but I know that's wishful thinking.

AM - 5 easy miles along the river trail. I headed up north towards the canyon this time for a change of scenery. 6:58 avg. pace, the legs are feeling peppy, and I'm looking forward to Saturday's race. Hopefully some BYU guys show up, I want a fast pace from the gun, and there are a couple guys that I might be close to. Hopefully the good weather stick around that long.

PM - I ran through Springville, total time at 47:30, so I'm calling it 6.9 miles. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful day.

I ran a new PR for 4 miles today (21:58).... I love tempo runs. I went out on the river trail and wanted to run 5:30 pace to see how it felt. The weather is perfect today, about 43 degrees and overcast, so after 2.5 mile warmup and a couple strides I got right into it.

The first mile was pretty uneventful, I started on top of the final bridge before Utah Lake, I think it's about 4 miles out from the lake. Anyway, I went through the mile in 5:30 on the nose, feeling good. 4 miles still seems like a long ways to me for a tempo run. I get nervous that I'm going too fast or that I'll burn out before the end, so today I was just trying to relax and enjoy my first full tempo outdoors.

The second mile seemed to come quickly, 5:28 (10:58) and still feeling good, I did my 180 and headed back the way I came. The first two miles must be slightly downhill, because it was harder to hit the times on the way back. The third mile came and went in 5:34 (16:32), and I was still feeling alright. Getting tired, but still good.

I think I need to be getting more sleep, because the fourth mile was a challenge, and it shouldn't have been. The first half was okay, 2:45 kept me on pace, but the last half made me tired. I'm still tired. I really, really wanted to get under 22:00, so I tried to pick it up a little without going crazy. Another 82sec. quarter kept me at 5:30 pace and just over 22:00 pace, so I pushed in the final quarter at 76 to barely break the 22:00 mark in 21:58. I had the weirdest sensation in my arms that last half, like I was waving around giant balloons instead of arms. Kind of a cool feeling. I felt lightheaded the last 200m... I'm pretty sure sleep is the issue here.

Anyway, the overall pace was probably a little under threshold pace, but it give me a lot of confidence all the same.

AM - 3 easy miles, 7:21 pace. Legs are a little tired, but it feels good.

PM - 7.3 miles from Provo to home - 7:15 pace. I picked up my race packet and the adrenaline is starting to flow. It's impossible for me to stay calm.

I ran a little bit of the Rex Lee 5k course and then headed to Springville. The legs were a little tired, but should be okay.

It’s about time. I could barely consider the 9:12 3k as a pr, but finally I’ve broken one of my long-standing marks. My old 16:06 was run at the qualifier for the state meet, it was my senior season and a last-ditch effort to make it to state. 16:06 was a pr by 43 seconds, and it’s always been somewhat of a revered mark for me.

So it’s especially sweet to finally break it. The race started fast, but this time I made sure to hang back at my own pace. With most of the first mile heading up a long, gradual hill, it would have been easy to burn out my legs before half the race was done. By about a half-mile in, I settled into 6^th place, keeping those in front of me in sight. Aaron Robison was especially easy to pick out, he’s so tall, and I thought I could catch him if I raced right.

Mile one passes quickly – no mile mark, so no way to know the exact time. Mile two is mostly downhill, trying to dodge the 10k runners and keep the front guys in sight. It heads up a steep hill and finishes there; the marker was there and I had 10:16 on my watch. A little slower than I wanted, but the last mile had a good amount of downhill, and I figured I could make up some time on it.

During mile 3, the front runners begin to come back to me (well, except the winner, he maintains a large gap from start to finish). I pass a guy in a big T-shirt on the downhill stretch, and he passes me back at the bottom. I should be pressing the pace more, but I'll hang on to him for a stretch. We pass another guy, now I’m in 5^th. I’m still with Big T-shirt, and another guy comes back to us. 4^th place, Robison is coming closer. We head into the track I pass Big T, now Robison 10m ahead. Now 5m. It’s 320m to go, and I think if I can sneak up on him, I can kick past with 200m to go. At 300m to go, Big T charges passed, spooks Robison and they take off. I don’t respond, and they get too far ahead to catch. It's weak of me to let them go, but I can't find that next gear...

Sometime around 170m to go, I look at my watch and it reads 15:32, my brain isn’t working so well and I think I should be under 16:00 easy. I try to kick, but no one is coming up on me, and I still can't find that next gear. I cruise into the finish, see 16:00 on my watch, and feel happy about the PR, but frustrated I didn't break 16:00. Obviously, I get a surge of joy when I see they had me at 15:59.08. Luckily, my kick was enough.

The race went well, if anything I feel that I was too conservative. Plus, that last mile was kinda weak. By my watch, I ran 5:12 pace from Mile 2 to the finish, and there was a steep downhill right at the start. That last mile should have been at slowest 5:00, I had enough left to push that pace. Anyway. this is a good stepping stone for the rest of the season.

Wimpy, I know. I'm finishing up with midterms - there just wasn't time today.

AM - 5 easy miles. The legs are just a tiny bit sore.

PM - Added the 7.3 mile route home to Springville. Nice day, no watch, fun run.
 

AM - 5 miles around campus at about 6:50 pace. I wanted to do some 800m or mile repeats on the track, but no time.

 PM - Again, no time for a track workout, but I ran 5 miles at a decent clip. The first three were at about 6:00, the last two at around 5:35. Total time was 29:06.
 

AM - 6 easy miles at 7:13 pace. I didn't get a chance to stretch my IT band after yesterday's run, and it was acting up a little today. It should be okay, though.

Met up with Sasha this morning, we headed out for a 5-mile tempo. The goal was 5:30 pace, Sasha was set to pace us through the run. I ended up at 27:22 (5:28.4 pace), and this was a great run for me. Also a PR over 5 miles.

We went through the first mile in 5:25 feeling good, and I made Sasha back off the pace a touch for the second mile. I kinda spaced out here, though, and didn't notice two miles when it came and went (Sasha says we passed in 10:55). In fact, when we reached the turnaround, I was still thinking we were in mile 2, so it was a nice mental boost to see we were half way done.

Mile three passed in 16:27, and compared to last week's tempo, I was feeling pretty good. I started to get the funny heartbeats during this mile - it makes me a little nervous since a few people have suggested PVCs don't happen at high heart rates. I've only averaged about 5 hours/night of sleep, so I'm sure that is contributing. Anyway, with about 1.5 left I was starting to feel more tired, but I was still surprised at how good I felt.

We passed mile 4 in 21:57 (another PR!), and I wanted to push the last mile as much as possible. I find that at the end of races I'm too conservative about pushing the pace, so these tempo runs are a good chance to focus on a fast last mile. Even so, the last mile wasn't that fast, at least not as fast as what I felt it should be. I tried to go by Sasha a few times(who was puking all day yesterday, by the way) but he wouldn't let me and kept a decent gap. I didn't open the throttle too much until the last 200m (see what I mean? I need to push sooner.), and by then Sasha had about three seconds on me. I closed the gap, but didn't quite catch him.

 So huge confidence booster here. These were the splits: 5:25, 5:30, 5:32, 5:30, 5:25.

Ran a half with Josse and the gang, she ran awesome, especially for being sick. Anyway, it was a nice run, good weather -- I got to meet a few others of the FRB group. Total time was about 1:34:50.

AM - 5 easy miles towards Hobblecreek Canyon. We got a second car, so I can do some of my runs from home now, instead of running from BYU at 6:30. I like it. Total time, 34:48.

PM - Got in 6 more miles around Springville. It was a very warm night and a nice run, I'm hoping the weather stays nice from here on, but I'm sure that's wishful thinking. Miki has been out running with me (that's my wife).She wants to get in better shape, since she sits in an office all day, and I'm trying to talk her into starting a blog, but she's not enthusiastic about it. We're starting at 15 minutes a day and increasing from there... I'll bet a month of this will make her a total addict. She's done well gutting out the runs so far.

AM - Squeezed in 3 uneventful miles this morning. Should be a nice day.

PM - I went to Springville High's track to do a 4x1600m workout. It was dark out and I was feeling really good, so I wanted to start at 5:00 and work down to 4:52 and 3:00 rest between. The first one I was off pace right from the start with a 79 quarter, then 2:35 at the half... I finished at 5:10.

I geared up for a faster second rep, and I went through the quarter in 73, but then hit the half in 2:33. I finished that one in 5:06.

Doing the reps in the dark wasn't working for me, so I walked off the track. I've never walked away from a workout before, but I figure I can finish the workout better on Wednesday. I'm thinking either 4xmile starting at 4:57, or 2xmile with the first in 4:40, second in 4:40-4:43. Either one should be good.

AM - 5 miles this morning past Springville High. It must have been around 40 degrees... downright toasty. 

Later AM - I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad I walked away from yesterday's workout. I did a much better workout on the track today, and it gave me a mental boost that 4x5:05 miles wouldn't have. I warmed up about 15 minutes towards around the BYU track facility. Some of the lady sprinters were working out, but their coach said I would be okay to do my workout. It was very warm today (60 degrees, I think?) and there was only a slight breeze on the track. Nice conditions.

As I was putting my spikes on, this guy came up to me and asked me if the track was open to the public at the moment. I told him what I was doing, and he asked if he could join me, and of course I said yes. He ran a 16:03 5k recently, so we're in comparable shape. It turns out his name is Anthony -- he's from Michigan and ran a 4:09 indoor mile at a smaller college up there. He was just visiting family here and is trying to get back into shape.

So I decided the 2xmile workout and it was great to have somebody running with me. I was so excited that I started with a 65 second first lap. Yikes! The 800m came at 2:17, but then we slowed quite a bit. The second 800m was 2:29 and we finished in 4:48 for the mile. I didn't realize we had slowed that much, but I was feeling fantastic... I think I could have tacked on another 4:48 mile if it we'd kept going.

Anyway, 5:00 rest may have been too much -- I was ready at 3:30. But we got underway for the second mile, again with a 66 second first lap. The 800m came in 2:18, and I slowed a little on the third lap, but not by too much -- the 1200m was 3:31, I think. I picked it up a little on the last 400m (69 seconds), and finished the mile in 4:41.

Anthony suggested that we do a few more 400s, and I reluctantly agreed. We did 4 with 1:30 rests that went 66, 65, 64, and 62. I was surprised on the last two, I went through the 200m in 30 seconds -- apparently my speed is a little better than I thought. I'll have to try a mile time trial sometime soon.

So I was pleased with this workout. We were a little sloppy with the rests, but I was happy with how good I felt and with the faster times.

2x1mile:

4:48 (5:00 rest)

 4:41 (6:00 rest)

4x400

66 (1:30 rest)

65 (closer to 2:00 -- sloppy)

64 (1:30)

62

AM - Ran 7 miles down the river trail... it's a little breezy out today, bleh. My calves are pretty sore from yesterday's workout since I haven't done much in spikes recently. I took the run pretty easy: 7:25 pace out against the wind and 7:13 pace back with the wind. I have to babysit my brother's kids tonight, so I'll probably get the rest in later tonight.

PM - Got in another 28:30 at around 10 pm. The pace was pretty relaxed, so I'm calling it 3.9.

Met up with Sasha this morning at 9 and warmed up two miles with Benjamin, who ran some blistering splits. I think his second mile was 6:54, and he looked like he was taking it easy.

After that, we headed to the 5-mile tempo start and got going. We started at about 5:25 pace, going through the half in 2:43 (Sasha was a second or two ahead of me), but I lost focus a little and slowed through the mile in 5:30.

So I got my mind together and focused on keeping up with Sasha's pace, and the quarters started rolling by. Soon we reached the two mile (10:57) and then the turnaround (13:41, I think, so a 2:44 half). We picked it up a little after the turnaround and reached 3 miles in 16:24. I was feeling way better than last week's tempo, and at 3 1/2 we picked it up to 5:20 pace, reaching 4 miles in 21:47 (PR!!), still feeling good.

I picked it up over the last mile, reaching 5 in 27:06. Last mile in 5:19, last half was 2:38, but I didn't catch the last quarter. Next week is the BYU Invite, I feel that with any luck, I should have a big PR.

Mile splits:

5:30

10:57 (5:27)

16:24 (5:27)

21:47 (5:23)

27:06 (5:19,  5:25.2 avg.)
 

Met with Sasha and Jeff this morning for an uneventful 15. This makes a mileage PR for me, and a few more weeks in the 70-80 range will be beneficial. The run started with Sasha asking us how many grams of vodka it takes to get legally drunk....

I was feeling pretty tired from the week's work, so I made them run slow for me. I think we ended the 15 at around 7:30 average, then Sasha and Jeff and the new-found Matt went on for some more. We picked up Matt about 11 miles in... well actually, he caught us.

Sooo..... I'm pooped. Time for nap.

Actually, I just checked Sasha's blog and he says it was 15.1, so even bigger mileage PR!

AM - I set my alarm for 6 pm by mistake and woke up way late, so I missed the early morning run. I got a few miles in before work, so I'll have to squeeze in more tonight. I think average pace was around 7:00 - 7:05.

PM - Added 4 miles late tonight... I'm feeling some scratchiness in my throat, no other symptoms than that but it's kinda irritating.

AM - Allright, for some reason my post didn't get saved, so here it goes again.

I headed to the track at 11am for some speed work. The plan was 3k at slower than race pace, 2k at race pace, and 1k at faster than race pace. It went well, but I had to give myself a pep talk to get in the right state of mind. I get lazy sometimes, then miss all the goal times, and I really didn't want that to happen.

So the 3k was a little rocky, starting at a faster clip, 75 seconds for the quarter, then slipping into some slower laps in the middle. I reached 1600m in 5:10, then pretty much held pace for the remainder. Finished the rep in 9:39, barely in the acceptable window, but still inside. With 3:45 rest I was ready for the next one.

The 2k started with a 72 quarter, then I more or less held 5:00 pace to the end. I reached 1600m in 4:58, then 2k in 6:14, so I eased up a bit in the last 800m, but it was very close to what I wanted. 3:00 rest and onto the next one.

I also hit 72 seconds the first quarter of the 1k, then reached 600m in 1:50, slowed a bit. Suddenly I realized I just had one lap left, so I took off. I hit 800m in 2:25 (35 sec 200m) then sprinted 33 seconds over the final 200m for 2:58, a few seconds faster than the goal time. Last 800m 2:22, last quarter 68. Not bad.

So overall, it was a good workout. The 3k should have been 9:30, and the 2k 6:12, and I could have cut down by 30 seconds, but overall I'm pleased.

My thoughts on the upcoming race: I should run 15:30 or slightly under, but if I run like an intimidated, unattached runner, like I did in the 3k this winter, I'll run 15:45 or slower. Still a PR, but that would mean a weak race. I just want to throw that out there so I don't have any excuses when it's game time.

3k - 9:39 (16:05 pace -- 3:45 rest)

2k - 6:14 (15:35 pace -- 3:00 rest)

1k - 2:58 (14:50 pace)

PM - It's a midterm day, that means hours of cramming from early in the morning till the last possible second in the evening. So I squeezed in 5 miles after the exam, and I'll have to run again late tonight.

Added 7 late tonight. Total time 50:15.

AM - 7 recovery miles down the Provo River trail, total time 50:41. I included a 200m pickup in 36.5 just to wake up the legs a little. My legs are a little tired, but I should be fine for tomorrow. My sore throat went away as well, which is fantastic. I've been pretty lucky this winter about not getting sick, knock on wood, and I'm glad this last thing passed quickly.

 PM - Added 3 easy miles in Springville.
 

AM - It's race day!!!! I got to sleep in this morning, too, things are already going well. I ran 3 easy miles this morning to wake the legs up, and I'm feeling pretty good. The legs are feeling much less sore and stiff than the last few days, and I'm excited to race. Report coming tonight.....

Today's goals: 1) Run faster than 15:35, and 2) beat as many BYU guys as possible 

Race report

Alright, the race went really well. Goal 1 was almost there today, but Goal 2 wasn't possible since there weren't any BYU guys in the race. That doesn't make any sense to me, but that's the way it was.

So anyway, Sasha came to read off lap splits for me, which was a huge help since I didn't have to do the mental math myself. He gave me some good pre-race advice to just focus on hitting 74-75 second laps and not worry about place or overall time. So that's what I did. Well, almost. It was more like 74-76 second laps, but it worked well.

The gun went off and I started dead last. Most of the time that freaks me out, but I felt very relaxed. First lap in 74... perfect. I slowed a lot in the second lap for some reason, and came through with a 79. Whoops. After that I buckled down and focused on hitting those splits. A 76 and 75 made for a 5:04 1600m, which would have been 5:00 if I hadn't slipped up with that 79.

The pack was at 4:54, I let them get a little too much on me and I was feeling nervous. I knew they would come back to me, but I wondered if I had given up too much ground to get my goal time. The second 1600 went in 5:02... pretty consistent. A few of the runners had come back to me, but the main pack still had a substantial lead.

The final third of the race was where most of the action happened. I tried to open the throttle, but I was too conservative and I kept hitting the same splits. But this was where a lot of people who had gone out too hard started dying off. Places 1 - 5 still had about 10 seconds on me, but the gap was slowly closing. With 800m to go I saw 13:13 on the clock and thought, "The best guys are finished by now. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Again, I tried to pick it up, but I came through the bell lap in low 14:29, so another 76 second lap. I felt that I still had a lot left and managed to pick it up quite a bit here. The next 200m was a 34, I think.... I didn't catch a solid time at 4800m, but I think that's right. Suddenly, that lead pack was within range. I blew past a UVU guy, but he matched me and I finally opened the throttle all the way. I haven't had a lot of races where I felt like I floored it in my final kick, but this was pretty close. He had more speed than me, and managed to pass me again. I just didn't have the speed to beat him. We both passed another guy, and we held positions till the finish. Last 200m in 33, so a final lap of 67 and final 800m of 2:23. Also, Sasha and I were trying to figure out the last 1600m, we think it was 4:53. A progression of 5:04, 5:02, (200m), 4:53... I'm pretty happy with that. I needed that first 1600 to be a little faster, but I'm pleased with the end result. I was expecting to see 15:4x, so I was ecstatic to see that I'd broken into the 15:30s.

Went on a long run up Hobble Creek Canyon. I meant it to be 16 miles, but I was slower than I thought with all the uphill. Total time of 1:55:52.

AM - 3 wake-up miles this morning. 21:43 total time.

Later - Did a 4-mile tempo down the river trail in 21:45. Didn't have the time to go the full 5, so I warmed up 1.5 miles and started a little ways down from 800 N. Since the run was shorter, I wanted to push it at 5:20 pace, but I was still feeling tired from Saturday's race and 5:20 was too hard. Plus I had to go through all the tunnels -- that added a few seconds.

I started fine; the first half was 2:40 and I felt good and relaxed. The next half was through the tunnels, 2:45. Mile 2 was 5:21 and I reached the turnaround in 10:46, but I felt like I lost all my momentum and my legs felt like lead and Mile 3 was 5:35. I tried to regroup a little and got up on my forefoot more and managed 5:24 for the last mile. Once I got my momentum back it didn't feel too bad, but I was definitely still feeling the race.

60 lunges and 50 pushups after the run... I've been doing these after nearly every hard day.

Splits:

5:25

5:21 (10:46)

5:35 (16:21)

5:24 (21:45; 5:26.25 avg.)

I haven't had a chance to run yet today, but I went to talk to Coach Eyestone today, and he had some really good things to say. He says if I can get under 15:00 in the 5k, I'll be in a good position for XC. My 15:36 converts to about 15:16 at sea-level, so I don't have too far to go. He also encouraged me to find a sea-level race where I can really go for that barrier, so I'm starting my search. There's a UW/WSU dual-meet in Pullman, WA... not sure about the altitude, but I'll be in the area that weekend. I think Oregon also has one that weekend -- either one should produce some fast times.

PM - 10 miles up Hobble Creek Canyon... absolutely loved the weather. For some reason, rain and clouds put me in a good mood. 1:10:43

AM - 5 miles early this morning, not much to report on. 35:43

Later AM - Headed to the track for a speed workout. It didn't go well. I did 8x400 with 1:30 rests in a 65.7 average, and my body was shutting down on me right from the start. I had planned to start at 65 and cut down to 62, but it was all I could do to maintain 65s. My body did not want to work today, so even though I had more planned, I agreed with myself that rest was needed. I hate not finishing a workout, but there was no point in continuing.

I thought that two workouts and a race would be a good idea... guess I was wrong.

So in other news, here are my options so far for a lower-altitude race:

April 25 - 26: Oregon relays - 400 ft
May 2: Boise state -- 2700 ft
May 3: WSU/UW dual meet, Pullman -- 2500 ft
Pacific University Twilight -- 195 ft, not sure about the competition level here

2500 ft is a little higher than I'd like, but maybe that altitude isn't an issue for times.

AM - 8 easy miles down the river, 7:20 pace avg. I think it's time for new shoes, these ones are starting to give me aches. 

AM - 3 easy miles this morning, I'm starting to feel more rested. Should be ready to go tomorrow.

I bought a brand-spankin' new pair of the Brooks Switch yesterday. They were $15 cheaper than the Adrenaline, and I fell instantly in love with them. However, I'd like to observe a moment of silence in memory of my old Adrenaline's, they have been good, faithful friends through many, many miles, now doomed to a miserable state of disuse and dust....

PM - 8 more easy miles around Springville. Did about a 20 second pickup at 5k pace to get the legs moving.

Woke up the legs in the morning with an easy 4 miler and arived at Weber State about 2 hours before the race started.

I have mixed feelings about this race.... it wasn't bad but it certainly wasn't my best. Only 5 guys raced, and I thought I could challenge for the win, but I ended up running alone for most of the race and not running as hard as I needed to.

The pace was quick at the start, my first quarter was 73, the leaders 72, and I was trying to maintain contact. Last week's winner, Brian McKenna, and another BYU hopeful who beat me last week pulled away from me in the second lap, and like last week, I let them get too much on me. I went through 1600 in 5:00, they were 4:50, and by this time I was well into no-man's land, holding onto third.

The BYU hopeful dropped the pace well into the second mile, and I caught him by the 3200m mark in 10:01, another 5:01, not bad and I'm still feeling good. At this point, however, I chickened out from going after McKenna. He had 10 seconds on me, I knew I had second place locked in, and it just seemed like too much distance to make up.

So I slowed a little, running the next 800m in 2:38. I covered the final 800m in 2:30 with a final time of 15:44. McKenna finished in 15:30, which certainly wasn't out of reach with a mile to go. I'm kicking myself now for not gutting it out and going after him, so I just need to learn from my mistake and move on. I race him again next week, I want to forget about time and splits and just go after him.

So, like I said, not a terrible race, but a ways from my best.

Splits:

5:00

5:01 (10:01)

5:08 (15:09)

0:35 (15:44)

AM - 5 easy miles this morning. My legs don't feel too bad. 35:30

Later AM - 5 mile tempo on the river trail. I wanted to do some long intervals on the track, but left my flats at home. I hate doing track work in trainers, so I figured the tempo run at 5:30 pace was a good goal.

I was feeling kinda flat part way into it, so I took a minute rest at the turnaround. Here are the splits:

5:29, 5:30 (10:59), 2:42 (13:41, downhill section)

1:00 rest

5:30,  5:34 (11:04),  2:46 (13:50, uphill section)

I didn't like doing it in trainers, but that's life. The run averages to just about 5:30 on the nose.

AM - Woke up bright and early for an easy 3. 

Later AM - Hit the trail for another 8 miles. I left the watch behind and found it difficult to run an easy pace by feel. I'm constantly thinking about pace and wondering if I'm going too slow or too fast. I didn't realize I was that dependent.

AM - Warmed up 2.5 miles, then hit the track for a workout. I had a lot of fun with this workout, it wasn't particularly hard, but it wasn't meant to be. The idea was to let my body get used to 4:50 pace without making the workout totally killer.

3x1000m (3:00 rests)

3:03

3:00

2:53

4x100m strides

I wanted to practice running a fast final lap, so I opened up on the last rep, finishing with a 66 final quarter.

The workout felt pretty easy and got me excited about running faster times. I really think I can crack 15:20 right now, but I haven't done any good workouts at that pace yet. It's in there, though, I just have to put down the mental barriers and do it.

 

AM - Had an awesome run up Hobblecreek Canyon.... runs like this make me remember why I fell in love with running. 10 miles, about 7:00 average.

PM - Took Miki to the track for a run, we're into the second week of pretty consistent running. She seems to have a fear of running a steady consistent pace, so I'm trying to figure out how to break that. She likes to run the straights hard and jog the curves, which is fine every once in awhile, but she needs to learn to run a consistent effort. If I tell her to run a steady mile, she'll run about 13 minutes, but when she does it her way, she'll hit 11 minutes without much trouble. I'm thinking if we get away from the track she'll not focus on the distance so much and just run, but I don't know. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Anyway, 3 more miles for me at about 7:10-7:20 pace.

AM - I headed out in about 7:10 - 7:20 pace up the canyon, and came back a little quicker, maybe 6:50 pace. Threw in a 30 sec surge on a flat section to remind the legs what race pace feels like. Total time 1:02:45.

I have an exam at 7am tomorrow (can you believe that?) so I'll have to hurry up to Logan right when it's over. I'm really looking forward to this race, I feel ready for a good one.

Utah State’s track is pretty sheltered, but it didn’t make a difference against today's wind, I figure it was blowing 15-20 mph throughout the race, give or take.

A good crew showed up for the start, though, including Brian McKenna, Nate Ogden, and Jared Keller. Seth Wold was going to pace Brian partway, so things started reasonably, and I tucked in behind the two of them. Nate Ogden shot out front, then Seth, Brian, me and Jared making up the pack.

First lap in 75, then 73, 72, and 74 to make it 4:54 at 1600m. I stayed right behind Brian through 6 or 7 laps, but the wind was totally killer, and skinny runners don’t block the wind well. I started to lose contact around the seventh lap; I noticed Nate was coming back to us at that point. Seth dropped out here, Brian went after Nate, but I lost contact.

Once I lost Brian I couldn’t keep the pace, Jared went by me and I slowed to 5:10 pace, maybe a little worse. I went through 3200m in 10:02, getting hammered by the wind on every back stretch. I saw that Brian had caught Nate, and the two of them got some distance on the rest of us -- they were around 9:53 at 3200m. The next two laps were awful as I battled the wind in no-man’s land; I believe at least one of the laps was 81, 5:24 pace.

I was hurting pretty bad by this point, but Jared obviously was as well. With about 3.5 laps left, I made a move and caught him easily, but as I passed he stayed close. We were doing 5:10 pace with two laps to go, but it was the worst pain I’ve felt in awhile. Jared was still within striking distance with a lap to go, I tried to open up but couldn’t find the gear. The windy backstretch sapped what little I had left out of me, and he blew past at the 200m mark. I managed to pick it up a little on the homestretch, but he was out of reach by that point. I managed 35 seconds on the final 200m, but Jared must have been more like 32. I was so dead at the finish…. Definitely the most painful run I’ve had in a long time.

Final time was 15:51 and I felt that I fought pretty well considering the conditions. Nate finished in 15:32 (amazing final lap, he and Brian were still together with a lap to go), Brian in 15:42, and Jared in 15:48. On the positive side, I got out in a quick first mile, so when I get in a race in good conditions this shouldn’t be an issue. I’m a little disappointed with the time, even considering the wind I need to be running faster.

These were the splits:
4:54
5:08 (10:02)
5:14 (15:16)
0:35 (15:51)

AM - Easy 8 this morning. I've got finals this week, so training will be tough. I called the distance coach up at Pullman to get in on the dual meet - just waiting to hear back.

PM - Only had time for two miles tonight. Miki went with me to the track, she did a mile in about 12 minutes, but I think she should be doing it at least a minute faster. The 12 minutes includes about 2 that she walked, so she's running at a decent pace. I just need to get her to run the whole thing without walking.

AM - Had a great workout today that started a little slow. I ran to the Springville High track only to find they were holding a track meet for little kids. I thought about trying to do my workout around them, but didn't think that would go over well. Plus I was feeling silly walking around the parking lot wearing my running clothes and carrying my track spikes, like I was waiting to compete.

So I got my stuff together and headed to the BYU track. The workout was 4x1600m and I wanted to focus on averaging 73's for the workout. I took 4:00 rests, more than usual, but Eyestone mentioned he has his guys take 4:00 rest at altitude on this workout, so I thought I'd give it a try and push the pace a little.

The reps went like this:

4:52

4:57 (some of the women's athletes got in my way on this one, it cost me about 2 seconds)

4:50

4:50

On Rep 3, I messed up the pacing and went through 800m in 2:30, so I did the last 800m in 2:20, that surprised me a little. I was too conservative on the last one, though - I really wanted a 4:48 or so, but I ran the first 3 laps too slow to make it up.

Overall, I'm really pleased with the workout, and I know I'm about to have some good races.

PM - Added another easy 3 in Springville. 

AM - My last final is today! I spent the morning studying, but squeezed in an easy 5 miler. Left the watch at home and just enjoyed it.

Also, I got in touch with Washington State's head coach, and he shut down my hopes of racing in their dual meet. Some weak excuse like "dual meets are not open to outside athletes." Right, like I'd believe that. I told him I'd run anyway and beat all his athletes and he'd be sorry he didn't recruit me when I was in high school. Well, that's not exactly what I said, but I think he got the idea.

So now I'm stuck looking for another meet. If it doesn't happen, no big deal, but it would be nice to race at a lower elevation.

PM - Got 5 more miles in, but very squeezed on time tonight. Wish I could do more, but this will have to do.

I signed up in the Pacific University Twilight meet that's in Oregon on May 3. The list of schools attending makes me hope the 5k will be competitive. The University of Portland will be there, I might get to face some of my old Spokane rivals if they show up. Of course, they are lightyears ahead of me now, so not much hope for vengence.

I had to pass a state insurance licensing exam today, so I was up till 5:30 this morning studying. I passed, but I'm wiped out today. I managed an easy 7 miler, but I went to bed instead of running more.

I had a great run today at the Robison Invite. Conditions were perfect: 57 degrees, the wind was next to nothing.

17 guys showed up for the start and I was expecting a fast race. After the gun, we quickly split up into two packs; the first was off at a suicidal pace so I hung back with the second. First lap in 74, somebody spiked me, that hurt. I went through the 1600m at the lead of the second pack in high 4:57, the other pack was still together, going through in 4:43-4:45. Glad I hung back, that's a little too fast.

The second mile was pretty uneventful, some of the first pack was starting to fall off, but I kept rolling off 74-75 second splits, going through 3200m in 9:57. I felt great still, and I knew I'd have a fast final mile.

The first pack really fell apart here, and I started moving up quickly. I was trying to pick up the pace, but it was hard to tell if I sped up at all as people started falling back. Turns out I maintained 75's through the next three laps.

A Boise State kid hung on to me as I went by him on the 11th lap, and we really picked it up here. Went through the bell lap in 14:18, and we covered the next 200m in 32 seconds, reaching 4800m in 14:50. He dropped off and I continued my kick, although without somebody to chase I only managed a 35 over the last 200m. Final lap was 67 seconds.

Final time of 15:25.60. I needed to get out faster. I still felt reasonably fresh at 3200m, a more aggressive start would likely yield a faster time. Anywa, Mark Currell from SUU won the race in 15:02, Nate Ogden only beat me by 12 seconds today (last week it was 20), finishing in 15:13. 

I'm very pleased with the race - the altitude conversion puts me at 15:04.9, so I'm close to the sub-15 goal. I have my last race of the season next week at sea level, the Pacific University Twilight in Oregon, I should have a good shot at cracking 15:00.

1600m Splits:

High 4:57

4:59 (9:57)

4:53 (14:50)

0:35 (15:25)

Easy 16 in Boise today. The Boise River trail is really nice, I enjoyed this run a lot. Started at 7:30 pace, ended the last few miles at around 6:50 pace. Total time 1:56:50.

11 easy miles this morning. We're staying at my parent's house, and once again, it's blowing about 20 mph here in Washington. What's new? I got most of my miles in on the backside of a hill, so it wasn't too bad, but still irritating.

AM - 7.1 easy miles along one of my old training routes. They've built houses on one of my workout hills, though; kinda makes me sad. Some of my best workouts used to be on that hill. Total time 50:43

PM - Added 3 miles on the track with Miki.  

Today's track workout wasn't particularly spectacular -- the idea was to get used to a faster pace at sea level in preparation for the race, but I was off today. The workout was the first thing I did this morning, which I feel was the biggest drag on my pacing; I felt sluggish and stale. The wind wasn't too bad (maybe 10 mph) but didn't help.

In any case, I had planned 3x1600m starting at 4:48 and cutting down to 4:45, but a 4:54 first rep made me extremely frustrated. It didn't hurt, but I couldn't get my legs to move faster.

So I broke the next rep into 2x800 with 2:00 rest and did both in 2:23. Better.

The final rep started good with a 72 first lap, slowed a bit in the middle, and closed strong for 4:48.

I still felt strong afterwards, the workout wasn't terribly tough, but it made me nervous. I've trained myself to feel that 4:55 - 5:00 pace feels smooth and natural, but sub-4:50 pace is rough and difficult for me to maintain, even though it's the proper pace for a sea-level 5k. For Saturday's race, it will take a leap of faith to run the right pace, and I believe that if I want to be successful, I've just got to do it. Even though it will feel uncomfortable, I've got to believe that my body can handle it.

Anyway, after today's workout, I'm nervous.

Distance	Time	Rest
1600m	4:54	3:00
800m	2:23	2:00
800m	2:23	3:00
1600m	4:48

9 easy miles tonight. Not much to report, and I'm sleepy. It's bedtime....

Wow. I just realized that May 2 is Friday..... not Saturday.

I can't believe it, I am such a moron. That means my race was run today while I was making final preparations on getting there tomorrow. How did I manage to miss that little detail?

I'm not going to lie, I feel really stupid and really disappointed about missing my race. But I tried to make the most of it, and went to a local track to do an all out mile. The track didn't have a mile start line, so 1600m was the best I could do.

I thought I could do a sub-4:20 if I ran right, but it didn't happen today.  I had projected 63, 65, 66 and 65 for my lap splits, but I ended up with 65, 67, 67, 65 -- so a little short of my goal but I'm okay with it. In a race I should be able to shave a few seconds off. It felt good to end on this note... there was something satisfying about the higher-speed burn that I don't get from the 5k races.

So this wraps up my track season -- now it's time to move into cross country mode. I'll reduce my miles a little this week to rest my legs, then it's base-building time. A couple of guys on the team told me to peak for the try-out races, since my chances are slim to begin with. Sounds like a plan.

Got back from Washington today and didn't do much running. The ankle flared up a little over the weekend, so I'm icing it and making sure it's healthy. I've got a few nagging hot spots I want to make sure are okay before going full bore into training again.

Took today off as well. I'll get back into things tomorrow.

4.5 miles this evening. I went to the track with Miki, and she's running better and better every week. When we started out, she was struggling to do even a 15 minute mile -- last night she did 11:30 and it looked easy. I figure we'll keep doing a mile a day through this week and next, get her down around 11:00 pace and then start increasing the distance slowly. Our goal is to get her doing 3 miles at 11:00 pace or under -- it will take awhile, but she's already making big improvements. If only she would start a blog.....

AM - Okay, time to get serious again. I've been enjoying sleeping in the past few days, and it was tough to get out of bed this morning for the run. So 7 moderate miles around Springville, 6:50 average pace.

AM - 3 easy miles... enjoyed the cool morning.

Met at Sasha's house for an easy 10 miles, but my ankle started bugging me about 3 into it. By 4 it was hurting and I stopped to walk back. I put some ice on it today, but it may need a little rest. Apparently running the 5k was too much stress for my weak training.

I let a little too much time slip by, I've been busy and the race slipped my mind until I called Sasha on Tuesday or Wednesday. Training hasn't been great, I think I've been getting 20-30 mpw since my mile time trial, but I thought I could hit a sub-15:30 on this course.

The race started fast, I went through the mile in 4:35, and Sasha and Jeff were right in front of me. The pace was too fast for me, even on the downhill, so I backed off a little and they got a bit of time on me over the rest of the downhill.

The course turned left, leveled out and headed slightly uphill. I think Sasha had 10-12 seconds on me, so I focused on reeling him in now that the pace had slowed. I made up a little through 2 miles (9:35), and I think he had about 9 seconds on me. Over the remaining uphill, he and the guy he was with came slowly back, but I was quickly tiring. The effects of the low mileage caught up to me quickly, and the final mile was probably the most painful I've had in a long time.

My arms felt heavy, the legs were slowing and I just wanted to be done. I heard Sasha screaming here and there up ahead, and he was still coming back slowly, but I was pretty sure by that point that I wouldn't catch him.

The course turned right and headed down a short hill.... I should have gained some decent ground here, but I actually slowed down, my legs were jello. We turned right onto the final straightaway and I tried to kick. I think a better kick was there, but I couldn't pull it out. Sasha was not coming back any faster and it was clear that I wouldn't get him. I staggered over the line, glad to be done.

The race was a blast, though, and I'm sure I'll be back next year. I don't know when else I'll go through the first mile of a 5k in 4:35, there's something satisfying about that.

Met at Sasha's house for an easy 10 miles, but my ankle started bugging me about 3 into it. By 4 it was hurting and I stopped to walk back. I put some ice on it today, but it may need a little rest. Apparently running the 5k was too much stress for my weak training.

Didn't run today, the ankle hurt a little to walk on. Kept the ice on it tonight and will try a few miles in the morning.

Gave myself another day to rest to make sure the injury heals.

AM - 4 easy miles, things are feeling better. The injury's feeling stronger, I should be able to increase mileage again soon.

AM - Did 5 easy miles this morning, I should be out of the woods now on the ankle, it feels stronger.

5 easy miles in Springville, still feeling strong.

AM - 5 miles around Springville. I should be able to hit 50-60 this week.

Went to the track with Miki to get her back in the swing of things, then headed up Hobblecreek Canyon. 10 miles at a moderate pace, probably 6:50 - 6:55. It felt good, and legs feel fine.

AM - An easy 3.5 this morning. Enjoyed the light rain - I always like running in the rain.

PM - Miki got sick, so I spent most of the evening taking care of her. Got a short 3-miler in before bed.

AM - Woke up a little earlier to get more miles in. Did an easy to moderate 7, 48:30.

PM - Added an easy 3 this evening.

AM - Woke up early again for an easy 7. We're moving out of our apartment today and tomorrow, have to say I am way excited. Our current place is awful.

Today was the big moving day, so I got up early to get some miles in. Didn't realize there was a race in Springville, but I kinda ran through the middle of it. I thought I saw some of the FRB gals, but wasn't sure.

Anyway, it was rainy so I loved the run. We need more rain around here. Unfortunately, we were moving stuff well past midnight and I didn't get more miles in.

AM - My watch is packed away, so I'm estimating a conservative 5 miles for this run. I think the total time was more like 36 or 37 minutes, but I'll call it 5 for now.

PM - Had a late night but added 3 miles. Things are feeling good. 

AM - Woke up early for a 7.5 miler. Headed down 500 N to the river trail and back.

PM - Added an easy 3.5 this evening.

AM - Did the loop around 900 E and University Ave, had the watch today and it turns out to be closer to 5.1. Everything's feeling great.

PM - Added 4 more tonight up 900 E.

AM - Met w/ Sasha & Jeff at 5:30 this morning to do a tempo run. That's way too early for me... but it had to be done.

So Sasha suggested keeping it at a slower pace (5:40) since I've had some troubles lately with the outer Achilles', but bump up the distance to 7.5 if I could handle it. The first mile felt a little rusty, but the 5:38 didn't feel terribly hard. The next mile was 5:39 and I had shaken off the rust and was feeling pretty good. Mile 3 included a turnaround and was 5:41. We sped up a little here to a 5:33 fourth mile -- I didn't have my watch with me, so these are Sasha's measurements.

By the end of the fourth mile I was starting to get tired and wanted to stop at 5, but Sasha said NO and I said "Fine, 6," and he said "six and a quarter" and I was too tired to object. Mile 5 was something like 5:42 and I lost a lot of momentum at the turnaround. I wanted to stop, but Sasha kept shouting at me to keep going and I believe mile 6 was 5:44. I kicked a little at the end of the final quarter, but I'm not sure what it was. The 10k was somewhere around 35:05 - 35:10, which is a PR.

Now, I've never been a puker and never wanted/needed to puke after any workouts or races ever in my life. But something got into me and I felt AWFUL the rest of the run. Once we were at Sasha's house it overwhelmed me and I finally hurled on the sidewalk by his house (sorry Sasha).

It's funny, I drank a little Coke before the run (I'm going to get hammered for admitting that, but I drink pop before I run all the time.) and coming back up it actually tasted pretty good. I hate puking, but as it was happening I was thinking, "Well it could be a lot worse. At least the flavor's still there."

Splits from the tempo, as best as I can remember:

1 - 5:38

2 - 5:39 (11:17)

3 - 5:41 (16:58, turnaround)

4 - 5:33 (22:31)

5 - 5:42 (28:13)

6 - 5:44 (33:57, 5:39.5 avg.)

6.25 - ????

AM - Ran to Sasha's house and he joined me for about 3 miles. I need to measure it on the course tool, but I'm estimating 6.9 miles.

Did 13 miles in 1:31:00, kept the pace pretty consistent. It feels like the endurance is coming back after my low-mileage weeks, I felt good at the end, like another 5 wouldn't have been much trouble.

AM - 7 easy miles this morning.

AM - 4 easy miles this morning.

PM - Added 7 easy miles. Very hot evening, but it's kinda refreshing.

AM - 4 easy miles. Tried to keep it flat today and rest up the legs a bit.

PM - Added a comfortable 6 miles tonight. I love night running in the summer. 

Some things came up today and a run didn't happen.

I'll write my report as I have time, so I apologize if it breaks off in random places.

I had the 3rd leg and was pretty pumped for the start of the race. I watched Jeff and Hayden rock their legs in the heat, and was ready to do the same. It didn't happen that way, unfortunately, and I'm not sure what happened.

The first mile was fine... The first mile was a reasonably steep uphill, but I came through in about 5:45. The second mile was flatter, but by this point I was starting to have some stomach issues and the heat was getting to me. I think I came through in 5:45, thinking that it felt harder than it should have. The third mile I slowed noticeably to 5:57 and I was struggling. 6:24 and 6:45 carried me through the final two miles. The final 0.6 might have been a little faster, Sasha came back and pushed me through the final quarter, but the short of it is that I dropped the ball on this leg.

So I brooded over the next few hours trying to rehydrate and get ready for my next one.

So, I have a bit of bad news. I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease couple years ago, and I've been healthy for the last 10 months or so, but I'm feeling some pains these days. Last year, I had a similar experience where I started having attacks after some of my runs. I tried to muscle through it but I ended up in the hospital with my intestines swollen shut and had to have a section surgically removed. Probably more than you wanted to know, but I'm worried about it happening again. The pains are reminiscint of last year.

Ragnar may have been a little too much stress on my system, so I'm taking a little time to recoup. I was really hoping for a good cross season, but it's going to be too late to get back in great shape for tryouts. Anyway, I'm sure things will be fine, I just need to stay healthy.

Did my first run back with a painful 4 miles. Amazing how fast you lose fitness, I'll be sore this whole week getting back into it.

Alright, it's time to get serious again. It was so nice to relax for a little bit I've gotten lazy. Today's run was nice, though. 30 minutes of summer night air has me wanting to do more.

Although, now that I've moved to Provo, I'm not so excited about the scenery. Not that Springville is so great, but the canyon was relatively close and I could run up it any time I wanted. I'm not a fan of Provo's streets, it's kinda ugly. I might have to start driving places for my runs.

Easy 5 miles, headed up to the Bonneville Shoreline trail. Things felt pretty good.

I got out today at the worst possible time and got to run in the heat of the day. 5 miles along the Bonneville Shoreline trail, which I'm growing increasingly more fond of.

5.1 miles on my south Provo loop. I've got family over this week, but once they're gone I think I can start adding the doubles again.

Showed up this morning at 5:30 to run with Sasha and Jeff. We have a theory that running in the heat makes me have symptoms, so I'm trying the super-early morning thing. It was painful, we averaged something like 8:20 pace (41:30), but the nap I took before work was a m a z i n g. Nothing like an endorphin-enduced coma.

I was supposed to show up at Sasha's house at 5:00, but the snooze alarm woke me up the third time around at 5:02. Dang. I got up, thought about going back to bed, but convinced myself to wander over to Sasha's house to see if they had waited for me. I told myself I'd go back to bed if they weren't there.

They weren't there, but I figured since I was there I'd go on a run. I was looking forward to the nap afterwards. I'm telling you, post-run naps are incredible. So I plodded through 5 miles at around 8:00 pace and ended up with 39:30 at the end, glad to have muscled through another early morning.

Met at Sasha's house this morning and ran a little with him and Jeff. Didn't have much time this morning so turned around at 10:00. I don't have the exact distance, but it was somewhere around 2.3 miles.

Showed up at Sasha's house a little early today to get my run done earlier. Did 2.5 on my own, about 7:50 pace, then joined the others for another 2.1 or so at around 9:00 pace. I'm going to be sore forever. Can't wait till I'm in shape again.

Showed up at Sasha's house at 6:30, did 4 miles with him. Nick joined for the last little bit of my run and continued with Sasha. Pace was pretty easy, 34:xx for the run.

So I'm having trouble getting motivated to get up and out the door every morning, so here's what I'm doing to get myself jump started. Every day from tomorrow to next Saturday that I don't run (excluding Sunday), I'll donate $100 to the blog. Barring injury or illness. Hopefully this will give me more incentive to get my training done.

The threat of paying $100 worked, and I got my run in around 11:30 tonight. I ran a slightly quicker pace, somewhere around 7:30s.

I got up early for a round of golf at Sleepy Ridge with my brother-in-law. I've been working this internship with Northwestern Mutual over the summer and am developing a serious addiction to the game. We go golfing all the time. Today we played the back 9 and I shot 53, a big improvement for me. I'm going to miss the free golf when I quit this job.

The $100 motivation worked again, and I got myself out the door late tonight for 4 miles. I've got to start getting this done in the morning.

Ran 6 with Sasha and Derek this morning. It was hard getting up, but it's nice to have this done early. Was planning on an easy 5, but Sasha talked me into 6. He tried to push me to 8, but I've got to take it easy when I'm getting back into things. I'm too injury prone.

Talked with Derek about the steeplechase, and decided it's probably not a good match for me. Anything that requires any kind of coordination or athletic ability above running more or less in a straight line doesn't sit well with me.

Couldn't drag myself out of bed at 5 am to run with Sasha, so I ran a little later. Did my South Provo Loop on the course map, measures it at about 5.6 miles, so my pace was considerably faster than I thought. 38:00 total time means 6:45 pace. Hmmmm, I thought I was running 8:00 miles so I'll have to double check that distance.

Okay, I double checked the distance on gmap-pedometer and got 5 miles, making it closer to 7:30 pace. Sounds a little more reasonable.

6 miles this morning on the Provo River trail, 46 minute total time. I feel pretty good, the legs aren't as sore as I expected them to be, although my arches are giving me some grief. My feet have gone soft this summer, have to be careful.

6 miles this morning with Sasha. He did a mile pickup but I hung back. We talked a lot about the different training systems and how they effect your running. Very interesting.

Finished my last run for the week... another midnight run. The moon was out tonight and things were pretty well lit up. 6 moderate miles around the Slate Canyon loop at about 7:30 pace.

I think I'll keep the monetary penalty for the next week, at least until I can get in the habit of doing these runs in the morning. But I'll bump it to $10 per day that I don't run. That should still be enough motivation to get me out the door.

Almost didn't get out of bed when the alarm went off, then mentally ran through my day and realized I'd be better off getting up and doing it now. Met up with Sasha and did an easy 6 in 49:00. These runs are still making my legs a little sore, but later this week hopefully I'll get up the nerve to up the mileage a bit.

Met up with Sasha and Derek this morning for an easy 6 miler. My legs are starting to feel a little better, tomorrow I'll try to go a little farther. Total time was 48:47, so another slow day. Sasha and Derek did a 1.5 mile pickup, and during that time I picked up the pace to 7:20 and was pleased that it felt as easy as 8:00.

The alarm went off at 5am and I rolled over and went back to sleep. I stayed up till 2am reading "Speaker for the Dead," sequel to "Ender's Game" ..... very addicting.

Anyway, I got my run in at 11:30 and only went 2.... weak, I know. So next week, my goal will be to not only run every day, but to do the runs in the morning. That way I won't skimp out like today.

Ran with Sasha and Derek this morning. 7 easy miles, total time was about 53:xx, so around 7:40 pace. Sasha and Derek did another mile pickup, and once again I declined participation. Maybe I'll join in a week or two, but right now is my injury-prone phase while I'm rebuilding my miles, and a 5:20 mile could easily put me out for a couple weeks.

Had a blood test done in the morning, so I had to push the run back. I procrastinated a little too much and ended up running at 2 am. It was actually really nice... I did the South Provo Loop and tacked on another two miles, and it felt like I had the town to myself.

I liked running late so much last night that I did it again tonight. Another 7 miles, about 7:30 pace, it felt pretty good.

7 easy miles with Sasha and Derek.