Elite Jogging For Dummies

AM: 11 miles via U/Avenues loop plus a couple of extra miles in City Creek Canyon. 

PM: Ran home from work, 2.3 miles. 

AM:  Blacksheep workout. Josh led a workout up on 13th Avenue, that included 7 x 600 m repeats up a gradual hill that assaulted virtually every muscle in my body. 

 PM: Ran home from work, 2.0 mile route. 

AM: 10.3 mile run w/Josh, canvassing various neighborhoods, eyeing the real estate market.

Big Workout with Josh. After 3 mile warm up to Guardsman/Sunnyside, we ran a 2 mile tinman tempo (6:16/5:53) with the first mile mostly uphill. After some jogging we started the main part of the workout, 8 x 1000m.   We ran these in the neighborhoods roughly between 900 So. and about 1500 So, between 1900 E. and Foothill. Hills made some of the routes we chose harder than others and a couple were downright awful. Per mile paces varied over the intervals, between 5:20 on the faster ones and 5:50 on the slower end. Most in the 5:35-40 range. I believe we saw Mr. Adam Wende walking on Foothill on our #6 interval, but I was sucking air and can't be sure. Long cooldown home followed. Glad this is done for the day. I think it helped.

This was a slow, slow run through the snow and slop.  My mini-gaiters helped deflect some of the slush out of my shoes, which was helpful. I ran the U/Avenues loop with the Ensign extension -- more to avoid 11th Avenue and its noisy, snow-slinging traffic than to add mileage.

Met at Foothill at 5:45 and ran with a group of 3, then circled back at 6:00 and picked up a couple more and, after 4.5 miles, circled back at 6:30 and picked up more runners for a total of 12 in the group.  We ran out to the 11th Ave Firehouse where most turned back. Josh, Emily, Burke and I continued on for more miles over to the Capitol and back.  I was only planning for 16-17 but the route added some "bonus" mileage. At least I know I can still run this far! It has been a long time -- since St. George Marathon in '08 to be exact.

U/Avenues loop with an addition up behind the Huntsman Cancer Institute and a short trail connection over to 11th Avenue. 

No black sheep workout for me this morning because of a 7:30 am meeting.  I headed out from home at about 5:40 and ran the U/Avenues loop with a couple of modifications, including three laps on the 11th Avenue Park asphalt path.

No running at all. Our 2.5 year old, Jack, was throwing up all night long -- and thus I was awake all night long. I had planned to run after work but that didn't work out either. Oh well, my body could probably use the day off.

Everyone in our house slept a little better last night and I was able to get out the door to meet Josh at 5:45 for a Big Workout. We ran a four mile warmup over to 900 So. and 2100 E.  From there, we ran a seven mile marathon pace tempo run. The route took us down 2100 E, across 2100 So. through the gully, continuing on 2000 E past 3300 South, then back through mostly neighborhood streets until we reached about 1600 E. and 1600 So.  Mile splits were 6:09, 6:04, 6:04, 6:02, 5:57, 5:49, 5:48.  The first few miles were kind of tough to get the engine moving but I felt genuinely pretty good in the last few miles. Average time was just under 6 minutes for the tempo miles.  Hard to say if that's my actual marathon pace these days, but this was a good way to test whether I can hold 6 min pace over distance right now.  We had a long cooldown on 1500 E and back through the U to head home. 

Ye Ole Loop with Josh at 5:45 am. We were both moving pretty slowly today.

I ran at 5:45 with a group of 5 for 4.75 and then with a big group of about 20 for the remainder. It was shorts weather and I had a nice run.

Ye Old Loop with Ye New Loop Extension up above the U and HCI.

Sort of Black Sheep workout.  It was just me and one other runner. I think word did not circulate well this week or I had bad info. Anyway, we ran from East High a 1.3 mile warm up. On the track, we ran 800m of speed changes and then an easy workout of 2 x 400 (80,80), 2 x 600 (1:59, 1:57) and 2 x 800 (2:40, 2:39).  So, as you can see I pretty much ran a bunch of 40 second 200s throughout these. 

 For the first time in a few years I am planning to head to Moab to run the half this weekend. Although I have had a few weeks of solid training, I'm still totally unsure where I stand as far as fitness across that distance. I just don't want to blow up! The last two miles are ugly enough as it is, I don't need to make them any uglier. I am looking forward to racing, though.

Nice weather this morning, about 38 degrees and clear.  I ran from home up to the gate in Red Butte canyon and then over to Popperton Park via the Shoreline Trail (which was dry and runnable). From there, I zigzagged down through the cemetery to my house.  Nice little run, good to be on dirt again, even for a short while. 

Easy out and back through the U over to South Campus Drive.  So sluggish, so slow. How can I race with legs filled with concrete mix?

Two miles on the treadmill before getting in the car to drive to Moab.

Canyonlands Half Marathon. This is my first time running this race since 2006 (I last ran the 5 mile in 2007 because I was injured).  In 2006, I ran 1:22 and had the best race down there to date.  That said, I have never run very well down there. I have often been a victim of bad weather (too hot) or bad training.  

 Since I basically took off 2009 from any real racing, I was looking forward to this race to see if I still have a little "oomph" in my legs, and if I have any reason to continue real training.  In short, it's been a goal race for the winter. I would like to have had 3 months of 70+ mile weeks as prep, but I have been running 50+ since mid-January and overall have had a pretty strong base. In the last several weeks I have been running some hard workouts on Thursdays with Josh that have really helped show where I am at and helped improve my overall fitness. 

 Not really knowing what I could do over the half, I set a relatively modest goal of 1:20 for this race. It seemed like a target that I should be able to hit and if I didn't then all of my running questions would be answered for now. If I did hit it, anything under that would be gravy.  I had no secret goals.

The weather at the start was very cool, but the skies were clear and there was little wind.  I went out at just the right pace, running 5:45-5:55 in the first four miles. After that, I tried to stay with my little group of 3-4 runners but got dropped. I knew I just had to run my own race. Miles 6-8 seemed like they had way more uphill than I remember (and I know I have thought this same thing every time I have run this race).  The hill at mile 9.5, "The Dragon," was not too bad--it's just a grunt climb and then it's done with a nice downhill reward after.  The final two miles into town were not too bad. The cool weather made the exhaust from the big rigs more bearable on Highway 191 and it seemed like fewer locals were burning trash and debris in their ditches this year.  In the last mile, I did catch one of the guys that I had been running with early in the race and had been chasing for 6 miles.  I saw my wife and boys as I headed toward the finishing chute and that gave me a boost.  I heard Josh (who looked well rested after running 1:11 and finishing 3rd) yell out to me that I was headed for 1:19 and that sounded like good news. I crossed in 1:18:45, shaving nearly four minutes off my course PR, finishing 14th overall.

 All things considered, this was a strong race for me. As always, I would like to have had a little more power to draw from in the middle of the race, but I never let up and never gave up. I did what I was capable of on Saturday March 20, 2010. Congrats to all who finished.

I am taking this week off from running and replacing it with some more "healing" activities. I don't have another goal race in mind right now and my body and head can use a little break from training as I consider what I might tee up next.

Instead of running I went up to Steiner and swam 1000m.  I did not swim well --  I have lost much of the "form" I developed last summer, but I did not drown, so there is that.

No running. I had a massage from Mark Oftedal. I highly recommend his work. Let me know if anyone needs a good referral to a massage therapist who is a runner and understands the unique stresses running places on the body.

No running. I went swimming at Steiner, 1200m. I felt better than on Monday, but my I still have a long way to go to feel like I'm swimming well.

No running. I swam a mile at Steiner.

No running. I swam a mile at Steiner.

I thought, after a week layoff, that I would return to running with fresh spring-like legs.  Didn't happen. I was sluggish, slow, and apparently still working lactic acid out of my quads. I should have been running all week, even just a little bit. I think I would have felt better. Still, it was nice to get in the pool a few times and remind myself how not to drown.

I ran .25 barefoot on the treadmill. 

I ran a southern loop including U / Guardsman /900 So. / Foothill/ Wasatch Blvd / Bonneville GC / Zoo /TiTP / Research Park / U to home (henceforth "Foothill Loop" since waiting to cross Foothill is right in the middle). I was so slow and my left glute and hamstring were tight.   But I did run.

Black Sheep workout on the Highland track. We ran 1.4 warm up loop around Sugarhouse, followed by 800 m of speed changes on the track. The workout was a ladder, 3 x 400, 2 x 800, 1 x 1200, 2 x 800, 3 x 400.  All went well through the 400s, 800s and 1200. On the first 800 on the "other side" of the ladder, I had problems. I felt a bit lightheaded and my arms had the sensation of not being attached to my body. I bailed after the first lap, emptied some of the contents of my stomach (fluids), then jogged a bit. I started to feel better and joined again to finish the 400s (82, 78, 76).  Then we cooled down around Sugarhouse.  

I don't know what happened in the middle of the workout but I'm glad I stopped rather than push through it.  

Foothill loop with Josh and Megan.  I was lacking energy and the weather was not great.  Pretty much my entire left leg above the knee has some kind of tightness.  Things loosened up when I massaged it after the run, however.