Elite Jogging For Dummies

Salt Lake Track Club Winter Series 5k

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Location:

Salt Lake City,UT,USA

Member Since:

Jul 23, 2006

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Local Elite

Running Accomplishments:

5k 16:16 / 10k 33:12 / half marathon 1:12:28/ marathon 2:32:59/ 100 miles: 34 hours, nine minutes (Wasatch 100).


Short-Term Running Goals:

Compress six months of marathon training into six weeks.

Long-Term Running Goals:

Stay curious.

Personal:

I'm an attorney in Salt Lake City. Married to Heather. We have two little boys.


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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
216.6017.003.100.000.00236.70
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

Happy New Year! We were up at the lake house last night and returned early this afternoon. So, this was an afternoon run, a rarity for me. I ran from home to the Capitol and up to the 1.5 mile mark up City Creek Canyon, then return via 11th Ave, and down the Cemetary to home. Pace was easy, except for a tempo pace running down City Creek. My system has grown accustomed to running in the morning and without a lot in my digestive system and I felt a little heavy. Still, I was glad to get out the door.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
3.005.000.000.000.008.00

Black Sheep workout. We ran a 1.15 mile warm up from Foothill Village to the end of Wasatch blvd between the zoo and Bonneville Golf Course. We ran 4 hill repeats on this section, with plenty of cold canyon wind blowing in our faces. These were about 75% effort. Then we jogged down to Wasatch, just south of 1300 South (Village Cir.). From there, we ran .53 mi repeats out and back to Skyline Drive. The way out is hilly and we were about 15 seconds slower than on the return; just under 3 min. On the return, faster; 2:49. Then 2 x 1 mile on Wasatch, from Village Rd. to Broadmoor. On the way out, Josh Steffen and I ran 5:49, the return was 5:27. Then a one mile cooldown back to Foothill.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
8.750.000.000.000.008.75

Bonneville Golf Course loop.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

Radda run.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

City Creek Canyon route, from home. The road was a little icy, but the snowy canyon was gorgeous on this chilly, clear morning.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
10.400.000.000.000.0010.40

I showed up at Foothill Village at about 5:35 and ran about 2.5 out and back to meet up with the group at 6am. We ran a south loop out to 3300 South and then back. I gmapped the run here. On the return along 2100 East, Aimee Larkin and I pushed pretty decent 1.5 or so.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
6.000.000.000.000.006.00

No running today. I did go skate skiing up on the Mirror Lake highway in the Uintas, though. A group of six drove up in two cars. It was cold, cold, cold. The thermometer in the car read -8 degrees on our arrival at the trailhead. My fingers are still recovering from the chill. The snow was too cold to get much glide and it was generally very tough. We covered between 6-8 miles total, so not too much. Because I am so inefficient, I definitely taxed my aerobic capacity, however. On the way back down Parley's Canyon, Mtn Dell looked like it was in great shape and nice and warm. Not the best call on where to go today, but I'm glad to have been out. It was beautiful.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
8.250.000.000.000.008.25

HCI loop with the usual cast of characters. I ran a harder pace on the first half, ran 4 x 80-90m strides in the middle, and then ran a consistent but slower pace toward the end. I stretched and used the TP Massage tools last night and I think that helped loosen things up for today's run.

After hovering in the 50 mile range for the last several weeks, I'm going to try to pick it up a little this week, and try to get in at least 55--keep the mileage increase gradual.

Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
4.004.000.000.000.008.00

Black Sheep workout at Liberty Park. Josh Steffen coached today. We ran the 1.4 mi loop for a warmup and then ran 6 x 1000 meter repeats with about 1-2 minutes rest between. My slowest was 3:11, the fastest was 2:55. Then 2 more loops to cool down.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
10.600.000.000.000.0010.60

I ran a couple of miles through the avenues (zigzagging from 4th Ave up to 11th Ave) before heading east to run the Bonneville Golf Course loop. Easy pace. I have some obnoxious pain in my left foot that I am icing as we speak.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
8.250.000.000.000.008.25

Cool addition of the word processing tools, thanks Sasha.

I met up with the group at 6am to run the Radda route.  About 3 miles into the run, Aimee Larkin and I started a series of 2-3 minute fartlek-style surges at between 5:55 and 6:10 pace.  These felt decent.  My left foot is still sore, I have no idea what is going on there.  Ignoring it doesn't seem to be helping.  The pain is no worse; just still very present.  Iced again when I got home.

Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
8.250.000.000.000.008.25

These tools are cool, I hope I make use of them. I just noticed that using the minimize/maximize tab you can fill up your whole screen with white space to complete your entry.

 Today I ran an out and back loop (nice oxymoron, eh?) to 15th and 15th, return via 17th E, and then over to Guardsman.  On 17th E, the snow was falling off of the tree limbs and I was getting pelted with snow every few feet as I ran in the street.  I kind of enjoyed that.  Just easy pace today, watching the ankle issue I described yesterday.  It was slightly more sore after the run, but feeling decent right now.

 

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
12.500.000.000.000.0012.50

Thermometer read 9 degrees before I head out the door. This was at 8am, so I guess it had warmed up.  It was chilly, but if you dress properly, you get used to it. Like running in extreme heat though, extreme cold can zap a bit of your energy, or just make you feel like you're working harder than your results reflect. I ran from home, through the U, to Foothill, then zigzagged down through the Harvard/Yale neighborhoods to 9th and 9th, then continued to Liberty Park for a couple of laps, and then 6th East through downtown, up Canyon Road toward Memory Grove, and then east on 4th Ave. to home.  My left foot didn't bother me at all until the last mile when I started to feel it. I iced when I got home.  It's manageable, but I should probably have it checked out to be on the safe side.  cold

 

Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
2.250.000.000.000.002.25

A mile into this run my left knee started to hurt seriously enough that I thought I need to turn around right away and go home.  Except for the fact I had some knee pain in a different location while skate skiing the other day, this was a total surprise.  It felt like IT band, but hard to say.

Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
5.502.000.000.000.007.50

Testing the knee. I iced yesterday after running and used all of my massage tools to try to isolate tight spots around the knee. The IT band didn't feel much tighter than ususal. I do have a tender spot right on the outside of the knee, which can occur with ITBS. I also took two advil. On the run, the knee didn't talk to me at all for the first four miles, but then I heard the thing start whispering as I climbed up from 1500 E. to 900 S. When I started to descend through Federal Heights, I could hear it loud and clear. It's the increased discomfort on the downhill that continues to make me think it's IT. I did some 3-5 minute surges during the run and the pain didn't increase with the increased pace.

Well, at least the pain in the left knee is making me forget about the pain in my left ankle--which seems to be improving. These are kind of surprising developments; I haven't' had any big spikes in mileage and I haven't changed the terrain I've been running on. Perhaps its time to get refitted with a new orthotic, as I stopped wearing mine several months ago when the felt like they had broken down too much. I had started using PowerStep insoles after that for a long time and I liked them, but they weren't so good on the instep of my right foot. For the last several weeks I have been using the insoles that come with my shoes; Asics Kayano--the model of shoe I have been wearing for 9 years. However: This article says studies show biomechanics may not be a major factor. Interesting.


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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
6.000.000.000.000.006.00

Six easy miles this morning to test the knee again. I ran with a group that included Lee Dibble, who teaches in the physical therapy dept. at the U. We talked about my knee and he looked at it and his spot diagnosis was ITBS. Well, at least I know what I'm dealing with. He thought it was probably a result of skate skiing, which emphasizes hip abduction in a way that is different than running. He thought that probably explained my ankle issues as well, with the pushing motion straining the ligaments. So, I'll hang up the skate skis for a while and get back to skiing downhill! (I sold my tele gear, thinking I would buy a Dynafit setup, but haven't yet; so I'll stick to the resorts for a while).  And I'll work on strengthening the hip abductors.

The upside is that I had little to no pain in the knee running this morning. I attribute this mostly to the aggressive use of the Quadballer, one of the Paul Peterson recommended TP Massage Products. I have found it much more useful than the foam roller in really isolating, though with great discomfort, the tight parts of the IT band.  I may run another mile or two tonight to test it again, we'll see.

Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
8.250.000.000.000.008.25

Radda run. It's still cold. I rolled out the IT Band last night and again this morning. It's still a bit tender to the touch with hard pressure, but I didn't notice it on the run at all. I'll keep rolling it and hope the improvement continues. Did notice the ankle issue more today, however. I think I have isolated how to stretch that ligament, though, and that provides some relief. I don't have any real pain, just some noticeable discomfort. I just don't want that to turn into pain. Besides, I don't think that's the kind of pain that Sasha was talking about in his entry about the beauty of suffering.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
8.750.000.000.000.008.75

Bonneville Golf Course loop.  No problems with the IT band today, even when I pushed it harder on the downhill.  Ankle is still bothering me, but who needs ankles for running?  I think my stretching is helping somewhat. It also feels like a biomechanics issue, as I can manipulate the discomfort while running through small changes in my gait.  

I'm planning to run 12 tomorrow and that should give me a good indication about where I'm at on both the IT and the ankle.   

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
14.000.000.000.000.0014.00

Starting at 15th/15th, the first five miles of the run looped through Foothill and Sugarhouse neighborhoods, then nine miles out and back up to the fire station on 11th Ave.  I pushed the pace in a few spots. No IT band problems, ankle still an issue.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
8.750.000.000.000.008.75

Thinking that the morning would be warmer, I had planned to run up City Creek Canyon, but the thermometer read just 12 degrees at 6:30 am, so I ran the Bonneville Golf Course loop.   The air was cold and sharp, but was entirely gunk-free!!  The lack of gunk seems to have increased the circulation of oxygen, as I was able to run a fairly aggressive pace; alternating in the middle of the run with some fartlek, mixing sub 6min pace followed by 6:30pace. 

 Still wary of my ankle issues, I busted out a new pair of shoes before running this morning, and put in my Sorbothane insoles, which are soft and offer moderate support (nothing close to the PowerStep).  The new shoes seemed to make a difference, I didn't really feel the ankle for much of the run. But it's still talking to me.  The discomfort has migrated up my foot a bit. I iced when I got home.
 

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
4.002.000.000.000.006.00

The little ankle problem is not improving much.  Since the discomfort appears when my foot rolls through the push off, I decided that it would be good idea to go to the gym and try the elliptical machine.  It worked fine, I used it for 30 minutes, and it said I went 3 miles. Ankle felt fine. Then I decided it was ok to do at least a little bit of running, so I got on the treadmill and ran two tempo miles back to back: 6min and 5:45.  Then one cooldown mile as the ankle started to talk to me. Afterward, the ankle felt fine and no pain yet.  The discomfort seems to emerge later in the day for some reason.  

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
8.600.000.000.000.008.60

Liberty Park run, from home.  I didn't have my footpod today, so I gmapped the run here to get the right mileage.  I felt fairly spry once I reached the park.  I ran 2 loops (2.8 mi total) in sub 17:45, and I didn't feel like I was working too hard.  Ankle was fine for most of the run, until the last 25 minutes or so, when it started talking to me.  I iced when I got home.  It hurt quite a bit once I stopped running and even after icing.  I am afraid that I am only aggravating it with more running and I should probably lay off, but I also have a serious case of SAS (Stupid Athlete Syndrome) that prevents me from doing the right thing.  If only I were a better swimmer . . .

 


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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
8.000.000.000.000.008.00

Radda run, small turnout.  Pace was easy, which was good because I'm still wary of this ankle.  Since I had very little pain during the day yesterday, I figured more running would be OK (symptom of SAS).  And it was.  Virtually no pain or discomfort. I am tempted to say that it's improving. In fact, I think that the improvement is the result of not trying to stretch and manipulate it so much throughout the day, and just let it heal.  

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
6.500.000.000.000.006.50

Easy stroll through the 'hood in some of the gunkiest gunk I have ever had the pleasure of inhaling. 

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Race: Salt Lake Track Club Winter Series 5k (3.1 Miles) 00:17:23, Place overall: 5, Place in age division: 1
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
8.000.003.100.000.0011.10

Winter Series 5k. They started the race at Saltair--I have only run the winter series races from the Marina, but it's a decent change. It's a big indoor space, which is nice when it's 14 degrees out.

I ran an easy warm up of 3.1 on the course with Mark Holland (running bandit) and Julia Cassidy (who would go on to win both the women's and masters divisions).

I had three goals: 1) finish in the top 5; 2) run as close to 17 minutes as I could muster in the cold, and 3) meet the two other goals while still using this as a training run that I use to gauge where I'm at right now.

Went out fairly fast but at a pace I was comfortable with. I didn't recognize any of the other runners that I went out with in the lead group, except BJ Christensen, who won in 15:20. First mile was 5:28 and I was satisfied with that. I was in 5th, but just a few meters from the 3rd Guy and 4th Guy. In the second mile, I got sidetracked thinking about these other runners instead of concentrating on pace. With the 180 degree turnaround thrown in (which sucks at least 3 seconds off), I ran the second mile in 5:42. Too slow! I picked it up in the third mile, catching 4th Guy and then 3rd Guy. So then I was 3rd Guy, but it didn't last. About 150m from the 3 mile sign, the former 4th Guy passed me and then the other fellow did too. My split for mile 3 was 5:36. I know that I had another gear to drop into, but I couldn't find it right at that moment. So I cruised in a few meters after 4th Guy, finishing in 17:23.

So here are my thoughts on this first race of 2007: First, I am not disappointed with my effort today considering what a strange week of training I have had and the effects of my little bouts with injury. The ankle felt fine today and I have every reason to believe it is healing normally. The IT band has not bothered me for several days. Also, my overall training foundation feels fine. That's not where I need the work at this point. I have plenty of base miles under my belt. Although I can hold a decent pace, I need to work on the top end speed so that I can summon that extra gear when I really need it. I need to concentrate on adding more strides into my weekly runs to get the feel of fast turnover. Also, I need to mix in longer tempo work that will push my aerobic threshold. I have tended to treat a lot of these winter runs as just fun, easy miles and if I feel good enough to run hard for a mile or two, then great, but otherwise, no big deal. Assuming I have proper rest, it's time to start picking up the pace for some real tempo work even when it's not comfortable.

Five easy miles to cool down afterward; mostly with Julia, Mark, Scott Browning and Taha.



Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
9.400.000.000.000.009.40

The air is so bad out right now that I knew I had to run indoors, but I knew I couldn't run more than 6 miles on the treadmill without going out of my mind.  So my compromise plan was to run two miles from home to the gym, run on the treadmill for five miles, and run home.  The run to the gym was easy and the transition to gettting on the treadmill was easy.  I have a little pocket of soreness in my left hamstring from Saturday's race, so I didn't want to push it too hard, but I knew I would get a little bored if I didn't keep it somewhat spicy.  So I ran progressively quicker miles 6:52/6:45/6:35/6:30/6:22, adding 1% incline every other mile. The running itself felt fine, but I am not accustomed to the treadmill experience.  So much of life is like a treadmill already, I prefer actual movement when I run. The hardest part of the morning was when I got off the treadmill, suited back up for the run home, headed out the gym door, and experienced a kind of vertigo from suddenly moving while running after five miles of being stationary.  This lasted almost a mile.  

Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
5.004.000.000.000.009.00

Black sheep workout in the Avenues.  We ran the usual 1 min on 1 min off from I Street to the Capitol.  Then easy down to 4th Ave, where we began the hideous "up and overs" (easy on the flat numbered streets, hard on the uphill lettered streets).  I felt slightly better than a couple of months ago when we ran this workout.  Then we cruised down from 11th Ave through the cemetary down to 4th Ave for a long surge to Virginia.  I added another couple of miles for cooldown. 

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
9.600.000.000.000.009.60

Woke up to snow!  Nice to see something different.  Since I figured that most of what was falling from the sky was smoggy particulates, I ran to the gym and ran 5 miles on the treadmill, then ran home.  Treadmill miles were 6:55/6:36/6:27/6:18/6:00.  Less post-treadmill vertigo while running home today than on Monday. 

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
216.6017.003.100.000.00236.70
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