Elite Jogging For Dummies

Since I was asleep during the first mile of this run, I ran up Arlington Ave instead of Alta Street.  So instead of doing the U loop, I headed toward This is The Place. Once I got there, about 3 miles into the run, I decided to wander up some of the back roads of the site.  I rarely do this because it's a long steady climb, but it was nice to see something different.  For instance, they are building a little train track that goes around the little duck pond next to the grass amphitheater. And there is a teepee set up there as well. Did anyone else see a teepee on their run today? No? I didn't think so.

Eventually I climbed up to the Shoreline trail and headed north. I ran up to the gate at Red Butte Canyon (about 6.75 into the run), passing the new amphitheater.  Did anyone else see two amphitheater's on their run today?  No? Well, I'll try not to get too smug about it.

Then I continued over to the bottom of Dry Creek on the shoreline trail. It took me five tries to hit the metal pipe with a rock. I'm a little rusty, I guess.  I also used square-shaped rocks, which don't have the same beneficial aerodynamic qualities as round ones.

 So about 70% of the run was on trail, which was quite good.  It was a very slow run.  Relaxi Taxi the whole way.
 

AM: Met up with Josh on 3rd Ave at 5:45. We ran the U/Avenues loop with an extension up to the 1 mile mark at City Creek Canyon. Easy pace for 10.5 miles. Talked about 4th of July races.  I took the bus to work for the first time and it rocked! Ten minutes on the bus with a five minute walk to the office. It's ideal.

PM:   I ran home from work via Memory Grove, up to 11th Ave and down through the cemetery.  A nice 4.5 mile run, but I need to figure out a route that still has no traffic but with less climbing.

Met up at 5:45 with the Holladay gang.  We ran the standard canal route, mostly easy pace. I ran 8 x ~100m toward the end.  The group caught up with me during my little jogs between surges. 

Did anyone see the men's 800m final in the trials? Nick Symonds had an amazing kick for the win, starting at about 120m.  You can see the video on nbc.com. I wish they had postings of the 5000's.  

Heather and I headed up to Oakley on Thursday night and watched the Rodeo with Jack.  I have no way to harmonize my views about the ethical treatment of animals with going to a rodeo. It can't be done, except to say that I like mixing up my experiences and getting a little bit of small town culture. No better way to do that than spend the 4th of July in a place like Oakley.  Jack liked the rodeo (or maybe just the crowds and the cheering) and we had a pretty good time.

After the rodeo we drove back to Park City and stayed at our friends' house.  This morning we got up and headed back to Oakley to run in the annual Oakley Freedom Run 5k. Now, I know there are many racing options on the 4th of July, but none of them actually excite me that much so I figured as long as we were in the 'hood, we should run this race.  When I say "we," I mean Heather, me and Jack.

Heather has grown tired of being on kid duty all the time while I race so this time I thought I would give her a break.  We agreed that I would push Jack in the baby jogger and she would try to crack the top 3 in the women. All I wanted to do was get in the workout anyway.

I warmed up 3 miles before the race.  The race started at 10am, which is way too late. It was already 80 degrees at least.  At the start, I didn't see anyone I knew but there were a couple of fit looking guys.  When the race started it took me a bit to moving quickly because of pushing the jogger. After that, I made my way into fourth place and stayed there behind a group of three guys who were battling it out for the lead more or less the whole race.  The race is a loop, with the first mile a slight downhill grade, then a little bit of a climb back up.  First mile was 5:32, which isn't bad pushing the jogger. The flatter second mile was 5:53.  The third mile was sort of a joke. I was dodging the floats that were lining up to start the parade, avoiding getting kicked by clydsedale horses, that sort of thing.  This is easier to do without a running stroller to push.  Then there was a 180 degree turn that was tough with the jogger too.  Oh and it was hot and slightly uphill. So those are my execuses for running 6:24 for mile 3. 

Since this was a small race (117 runners) and very low key, I doubted the distance would be accurate to 5k.  I was right. It was at least 3.25 (my watch said 3.28). I had to push through a gravel ditch also becuase the course wasn't marked at one point.

So, that was my small town 5k. It was really hot, but I enjoyed doing the workout with Jack.  The winning time was just under 19 minutes.

Heather ended up either 3rd or 4th in 24:55. She didn't feel great and the heat got to her. I think she's glad she ran, however!

Trail run with lots of climbing.  Adam RW and I drove over to Millcreek where we met JoHo for 2.25 miles before meeting up with the main Black Sheep group. We drove up to the Upper Big Water trailhead at the top of Millcreek.  It was nice and cool up there, about 52 degrees.  We ran the Great Western Trail, clockwise.  So lots of climbing up to the ridge separating Summit County from Salt Lake County, a couple of thousand feet at least. I know we crossed 9500 feet at some point. We descended via Desolation Lake, then Dog Lake and back to the Big Water Trail. It was a big group today and a lot of fun. Everyone ran strong.

Easy run up 4th Ave, over to the U and through the VA campus and back. Running at the VA campus is like being on a military base.

AM: Met up with Josh & Megan on 3rd Ave. at 5:45. Heard about Megan's big win in the Blacksmith Fork 15K, which was awesome. She got some press too, which I heard was very nice. So, we ran up to This is the Place and did the Golf Course loop. On the return, we took a detour up into the upper reaches of the park, past the original monument. Took a shortcut through a playground to get back into Research Park. Somehow managed to pass up the slide and swings.

With all the detouring, this was a longer run than usual. Pace was easy, which was good. Jack's first birthday was this weekend and I am now made of cake--need to work off a bit of it.

 PM: I ran home from work, trying to figure out the most sensible five mile route. I went up State Street around the capitol on the new gravel path, up (or down?) Gravity Hill to the horseshoe, to 11th Ave and then zigzagged down through the Avenues. I prefer running down Memory Grove to zigzagging the Avenues.

Workout this morning. Warmed up four miles through the U, to Federal Heights to 11th Ave. At about the Firestation, I began the five mile tempo. The goal was to run at 6:10-6:15 effort, even though the terrain would be variable and my actual pace would be different. First mile down 11th Ave, comfortable in 6:12. Second mile, more downhill and then up into City Creek Canyon, enough of a climb to slow things to 6:25. Then a full mile up City Creek Canyon. This grade is runnable, but requires actual effort as it is relentlessly uphill. I was fine with clocking 6:47 for mile 3. The difficulty of the grade was manifest after I turned around and was immediately running sub 6 minute pace with very little effort. Mile 4 (back down the canyon) was 5:51. For the last mile, I headed out the canyon, toward the Capitol, again nice and easy in 5:53. Even though my splits were all over the place, my effort was much more balanced this week than last week, and I think that is more important than running flat and trying to nail 6:10 every mile.

For the cooldown, I ran another four miles, down Memory Grove, to State Street, to 1st Ave, and then gradually made my way home.

Met up with Josh and Megan on 3rd Ave at 5:45. None of us were feeling particularly spicy this morning. Well, Megan had some spring in her step. I was dragging. Not sore, just slow. We ran the Ensign Elem. loop, easy pace. When I was in Peru a few years ago, our guide on the Inca Trail had this expression he always used, "easy peasy lemon squeezy." That's what this run was like.

 PM: I ran home from work via the most direct route, 2.25 miles.
 

Met up with Josh at 5:45 on 3rd Ave. He agreed to join me for a little Thursday morning insanity.  We warmed up 3 miles over to 15th E. and then ran 2 miles at Tinman tempo pace, 6:12 and 6:13.  We didn't try singing the Star Spangled Banner or anything, but it felt pretty good.  Soon enough, we had arrived at Sugarhouse park. After a couple of minutes of cooldown while I tried to set my watch to display all the fields I wanted to see, we started the fartlek part of the run in the park.  We ran 5 x 3 min with between 1:30 and 2 min jog between intervals.  The fartlek parts were all run at sub 5:35 pace, with the fastest at 5:26 pace.  This is over variable terrain in the park: some flat, some climbs, some descents.  Then we headed back toward home via 15the E.  At Sunnyside Park, I ran 6 x ~100m on the grass. Not terribly fast, but enough to get my body moving properly.  Then just easy peasy lemon squeezy for the rest of the run home. 

Easy run this morning on the U/11th Ave loop.  It was slow, slow, slow.  In fact, it was so slow that I swear I heard some snails were making fun of me. 

Met up with folks at Kmart at 5:45. Drove up to Mtn Dell. We climbed up to Little Mtn, headed into Emigration and dropped into the canyon.  Steve & Adam took off while the rest of us enjoyed a long run, trying to dodge bikes, of which there were seemingly hundreds. Pace didn't dip below 6:40.  Headed back to the parking spot at Kmart and the day was done. Overall, the effort was relatively modest. 

Easy run pushing Jack over to the VA campus. It's like taking a trip back in time over there.

AM: Limited time this morning so I only ran 8.5 on the U/Avenues Loop. I took the bus to work and plan to run home, but it's not likely to be more than 3 miles.

 PM:  I ran home from work, 2.5 miles.
 

First workout of the week this morning.  I figured I would run the same route as last week and try to get a comparison of the pace and effort from last week to this week. Warmed up four miles via the U and Federal Heights. I started the 5 mile Tinman Tempo just before the fire station.  Just after I started, the hydration pack I was wearing started to come loose and bounce all over the place. So I was trying to run 6:10 pace and manage this little problem. At about .5, I saw Adam RW jogging toward me. I was pretty annoyed with the little gear problem I was trying to fix while running at pace so I can't say I gave the friendliest of greetings.  Sorry Adam.  Anyway, he took off like a demon after he saw me. I did manage to run the first mile in 6:01, which was about 10 seconds faster than last week.  The second mile was down to the horseshoe and then up into City Creek about .30.  I slowed to 6:18 (last week was 6:17).  I tried to chat with Adam for a moment at the gate while still running at pace and he said he was doing mile repeats.  That's why he took off so fast.  The third mile is what I wanted to concentrate on the most this week. Last week I gave an even, honest effort and ran 6:47 up the canyon.  This week, I wanted to run faster than that while still not feeling like I was going to blow a gasket.  I ran 6:35 for mile 3 this week, which is an improvement in time, but it took quite a bit more effort.  On the fourth mile, back down the canyon, I could tell I had run harder on the uphill mile because it took me a couple of minutes to settle into a downhill pace that was quick but without much effort.  Fourth mile was 5:46 (compared to 5:51 last week).  The fifth mile heads out from the bottom of the canyon toward the Capitol. It's flatter, but I suspect it is actually a little downhill. They don't call it Gravity Hill for nothing.  Anyway, I ran 5:48 on that last mile (5:53 last week).  

 So, to summarize, I did make improvements in time, but it did require more effort.  I think the course tool would probably show this was equivalent to about 6:05-6:07 pace on a flat route, maybe a little faster but not much.  I have to remember that for these runs the point is not to focus on pace or splits but to fine tune the sense of relative effort over the distance.

After the tempo, I headed down Memory Grove, then down to 1st Avenue. While running east toward home I added 8 x ~ 100m striders.  These were definitely not fast, but they did push my form back together and keep me from getting sloppy in the final couple of miles after the workout.

Is it possible to run an out and back or loop course that is entirely uphill? I'll leave it to the GIS specialists among us to provide the scientific explanation, but it's basically how this run felt. Met up with sometime sub-bloggers J & M on 3rd Ave at 5:45--we headed up to TiTP and then up to Shoreline trail and then up Red Butte and then back up to the Shoreline Trail toward the JCC, and then down slightly and then back up on the new trail section back toward the University. And then maybe we had some downhill back through the U and the Avenues, but my memory is a little fuzzy. About half the run was on trail today.

 PM:  I ran home from work via a 2.6 mile route.
 

Workout this morning with Josh. We ran from 3rd Ave toward 15th E. After a four mile warmup, we ran 2 miles at Tinman tempo pace, 6:07 & 6:05. That's more Josh's pace than mine, but it felt fine. Then we cooled down for a few minutes as we headed into Sugarhouse Park to face our maker at critical velocity pace. The plan was 4 x 4 minutes at 5:25-5:35 pace.  First interval felt pretty good and considering it included the big hill on the northwest corner (we were running clockwise), not too bad at 5:38 pace.  We picked it up on the second interval, 5:28 pace.  Third interval, things started to get a little silly--5:22 pace (covered .75).  We paid for it on the last interval, which included the same hill as the first, 5:42. We were pretty cooked at that point. Still had five miles to run home.

On the way back on 15th East we heard a guy yelling for help from the front yard of one of the houses.  He was hidden behind some large shrubs. He continued to yell out for someone and we went over to check on him.  We discovered this very large man who, while pruning a large rose bush, had apparently fallen through or over a wooden railing directly onto said rose bush. It was sort of an "I've fallen and I can't get up" sort of situation. He more or less ignored our requests to help until his housemate came out to help.  As we pulled him out of the bush, there was a ton of blood rushing down his face underneath his eye from where the bush had cut him.  It was pretty nasty.  Seeing as we could apparently be of no further assistance, we continued our run.  A few moments later a German Shepard almost busted off of its leash in an effort to attack us. That was enough adventure for the morning.

Last night I had a massage from Mark.  That helped loosen things up, but I can't say I felt completely peppy this morning. That may have more to do with not eating enough last night than anything.  

 For the run, I headed up and around the U and once I got to 11th Ave decided to just keep going uphill and I ran up to the meadow and took in the view while I ran the loop.  Then the typical divebomb down through the upper Aves and the cemetery to finish the run.

Heather was gone for the night in connection with her cousin's wedding.  I didn't have Heather's usual Saturday morning help with Jack so I did the long run pushing Jack in the baby jogger.  I ran two loops of the U/Avenues/Memory Grove route.  This was by far the longest I have run with the baby jogger. It's not something I would like to do every weekend, but I suppose it's good to know I can do it when needed.

Heather, Jack and I stayed at my Mom's house in Sandy last night.  This morning I ran five easy miles out and back on Dimple Dell Road.

With Des News on Thursday, I figured it would be a good idea to run a workout today rather than tomorrow.  I warmed up through the U. While heading toward Research Park, I crossed paths with the Black Sheep doing the HCI loop and joined them for a few minutes.  I turned off when I hit mile 4 so that I could start the 6 mile Tinman Tempo.  The first mile included some trail and some climbing, so 'moderately' paced at 6:32.  Second mile, still a little more climbing heading toward This is the Place, 6:21.  Third mile, some downhill by the golf course and then some flat, 6:02.  The fourth mile was on the flattish section of Wasatch Blvd, 6:10.  After a 180 turn at Wasatch at 2100 South, the mile 5 split was 6:01.  Then some more coasting into the golf course and then another 180 turn to head down to Foothill and 1300 South, so 5:52 for mile 6.  Cooled down four miles back to the house via Steiner/VA/U/Federal Heights.

Aside from a little sleepiness in the first couple of miles, I think this was an appropriate effort level for this run. 

I was looking forward to the easy run this morning, but ended up kind of dragging along for ten miles. No real complaints, just a little sluggish. I ran the U/Federal Heights/Ensign Elem loop with an extra mile around the path at the school. Beautiful morning with enormous cumulus clouds and lots of color in the sky. (10 miles).

PM: Easy run from home to Memory Grove. (4 miles). Apparently the rain during the day caused some kind of mass hatching of gnats. As I ran alongside the water, they were dying in droves as they stuck to my skin and were inhaled into my lungs. By the time I got home I had a beard of dead gnats. Will likely be the only beard I ever have. Ran for a bit with a guy named Kenny who runs local races in town.

Met up with Josh & Megan at 5:45 on 3rd Ave. We ran the U/11th Ave loop at an easy pace.  I added an extra mile and 6  x strides at the end. 

Deseret News 10k. It took me a while to make up my mind about running this race, but I'm glad that I did. It takes a toll in terms of effort and recovery time, but it is a good test of fitness and the field is so full of strong runners that you're never wanting for company.

My plan was to try to run a smarter race than I did last year and hopefully run faster too--with the ultimate goal of running sub 33. I decided I would go out a little more conservatively and then try to push miles 5 & 6 a little harder at the end since that's where I was losing time last year. I did run a smarter race, but not a faster one.

I warmed up 3 miles before the race (2 w/ Josh & Megan). Lots of fit runners at the start. It's so loaded with talent (of both genders) that I am happy to just get lost in the mix. I nearly did get lost in the mix as the race started and I was cut off in the worst way by a woman that I would end up passing very soon. Nearly forced me into the gutter.

Last year my splits were 4:53 and 4:56 for miles 1 & 2. This year I wanted to back off to ~5:00 pace. And I was close, 5:04 and 5:01. I started running with Adam at mile 2 and we were stride for stride through about mile 3 when he put a little gap on me and I just hung back a bit. Albert Wint, who I understood to be taking a break from racing, was with us too. Also a couple of speedy women were in the mix. One of them would end up crushing me. Mile 3 split in 5:24. (My goal for that mile was 5:20, so a little off pace). Albert and Adam were battling for a while and then Albert dropped back a bit behind us. I was feeling physiologically good, but the brain's messages to the legs to "run faster" were not being well understood.

We made the turn to 200 E. along the Parade route. Spectators much nicer this year--probably because I was with the lead women and they were getting lots of cheers. Mile 4 in 5:19. Goal was 5:15, so now I'm thinking that I'm losing time I can't regain in miles 5 & 6. The goal for mile 5 was another 5:20, but I only managed 5:25. At this point, it seemed a challenge to get under 33 without a huge mile 6, but that mile is tough to make up any time on. The goal was 5:40 and I ran 5:44. As we closed for home, Albert had overtaken Adam and they were both about 20 feet in front of me. With a tenth or so to go, I decided that it was worth contributing a solid kick to the morning at least to see if I could test myself a little to put in a good effort while hurting. I nipped Adam and Albert and maybe a high schooler or two. As I finished, I saw the clock turn to 33:13, so I assume that will be my official time. It's possible with the chip timining I may be 33:12 and change, but the bottom line is it's pretty much exactly the same time I ran last year.

At the end of the day I did run a smarter, better proportioned race than last year. But I think I got a little comfortable in spots where I needed to keep the gas pedal down. That's the challenge in 5k and 10k almost without exception--push the entire race and never let up.

Cody met up with Adam & I at the end and we ran back toward the start. We missed the marathon leaders, but saw Bill Cobler come through running completely by himself on Foothill Dr. It looked pretty lonely, but he was strong. Adam & I tacked on a little more so I got 6.3 for the cooldown. After the run, Cody treated me to a delicious breakfast at Cucina on 2nd Ave. Thanks for the chow.

I wonder if I may have hit my maximum speed on this race, considering I didn't improve over last year. A better question is whether it is important to me to run faster than I have on this course.

I allowed Josh & Megan to drag me up around the U and the Avenues for 8.5 this morning.  I am really sore from watching fireworks last night ... though it may have been the 10k I ran yesterday.  My quads feel just fine, surprisingly. It's my hamstrings that are talking to me today. 

PM: I ran home from work, 2.25 miles in 100+ degree heat.

Long run on the Jordan River Parkway with Josh, Megan & Adam RW.  We started at 5400 South and ran north.  Surprisingly, we were able to make it out nine miles before running out of parkway.  Lots of interesting sights and sounds: roosters, horses, emus, barking spiders.  We managed to make it back before it got too hot. Pace was easy and very relaxy-taxi.  My legs actually feel a little better after that run than they did before.

I was not feeling great when I woke up this morning--stomach was turning like a top. May have been too much chili flavored dark chocolate last night. It took me a few minutes to collect myself and get out the door to run. I figured I would just go and see how I felt and turn back if things got ugly. I never had to turn back, but things did get kind of ugly. I was 'refluxing' gatorade for much of the run, kind of like the Ogden marathon again. My energy level is still low now. I am just going to eat and hydrate normally and see if I can get my equilibrium back.  I ran the TiTP/Golf Course loop. Very slowly.

PM: still not feeling great, 3 miles from work to home.

Heather was with her mom this morning and I had Jack. Once he woke up I put him in the baby jogger and off we went. I still wasn't feeling great (and still am not now).  Stomach not in great shape, low energy, generally fatigued.  Anyway, I pushed Jack for 10 miles on the hilly U/Aves/Ensign Elem loop with some additional stretches here and there to boost the mileage a bit and get up to 10.0.  Saw Adam out tearing it up on 11th Ave.

I was supposed to run again this evening, but events and my general crappy feeling conspired against it. I feel like I need some rest, and to have my stomach rung out. I hoped that some Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with water and a little Maple Syrup would resolve things, but it didn't.  Neither did the Kombutcha, or, the probiotics I took after dinner.

Still feeling like crapola! 

Feeling noticeably better this morning--probably 80%, whereas the rest of the week has felt like 55%-60%.  That is to say, my stomach stopped feeling like it was trying to digest broken glass.  

 I don't know what has been going on, but I think it must be some kind of GI virus.  Jack started throwing up this morning, much the way I did on Monday, primarily bile. Maybe Heather will elude it. 

 So I've missed a couple of workouts this week and have had to content myself with slow recovery runs.  But I think that's exactly what my body has needed to try to get over this little virus or whatever it is.