Elite Jogging For Dummies

Workout with the Black Sheep at Sugarhouse Park. The original plan was for the group to run on the new Highland High track,but the track is still under construction.  After spending some time trying to figure out track access, the choice was made to run on the road in the park.  We ran 3 x 3 minutes with 2 minutes of easy running.  These weren't so bad though the pace was hovering around 5:15.  We then ran 2 x 1 mile (plan was 3 x 1 mile but ran out of time).  The first mile was 5:34. The second mile was 5:31.  I felt pretty good on the second mile. I think I could have run another, but I don't know if I could have held the pace. 

Then we ran some cooldown and that was it. 

This was probably the closest thing to a "normal" run that I have had in a long time.  I had virtually no knee problems the entire run (although it has been a little tight since running).  I ran out and back to This is the Place Monument through the U of U.  I saw the U of U football team doing drills on one of the practice fields--lots of energetic yelling shouting and grunting.  I also saw a some officers from Fort Douglas out running and it occurred to me that both are, in a sense, preparing for battle -- as each of us is in our own way.  

 After reading plaques about pioneers, John C. Fremont, Etienne Provot and others at TiTP, I headed back home.  On the way I ran into blogger Eric, aka Phoenix, who was out riding his new bike. We chatted for a few minutes about cycling and triathlons and the possible benefit of doing something other than running all the time.  A few minutes later I ran into Adam RW as I was coming down the Legacy Bridge stairs.  I congratulated him on his TOU half and wished him well for the full marathon. So it was a sociable run.
 

I went for an early morning swim today in East Canyon Reservoir with the open water crew.  I definitely preferred the new wetsuit over the one I used up there last week.  I had more buoyancy and didn't feel like it was filling up with water.  This translated into being more comfortable overall in the water.  

We arrived at at the lake about 6:10 and it was still quite dark -- so dark that you couldn't see the first buoy that we were swimming out to. I had to stop and take off my goggles to get a good look.  The sun came up soon enough, though and it was a really beautiful morning. There is this strange sensation of being completely at peace with the world while also doing something fairly risky that is appealing about these early open water excursions. 

I don't know how many more weeks are left to get out there before it gets too cold. 

This morning I met up with Clyde, Logan, Walter and Adam at the Capitol at 5:30am.  Clyde and Logan just happened to be in SLC at the same time and it was cool to have a chance to run with them, particularly since I haven't been racing for months and months and haven't seen these guys since forever.  We ran on Gravity Hill above Memory Grove, out to11th Ave, up to Shriner's Hospital and then turned around and headed back down to the base of City Creek. Logan and Clyde wanted 20+ but Walter and I are mere mortals so we turned around at the 1 mile mark in City Creek. It was a very pleasant morning and it was nice to have the company.  Would be cool to cross paths with these guys more often.  If I could just figure out a way to spend a couple of weeks in St. George in January then it might work.
 

I met up with a group of six or so at Foothill Sbux and we ran to the mouth of Emigration Canyon where we picked up Megan and Lisa. From there we ran through TiTP over to 11th Ave down to the Firehouse, returning more or less the same way. It was a fun group and a good morning for a run. We returned to Foothill in time to get the car and head back to the mouth of the canyon to watch the Salt Lake Half Marathon roll through. Well, I should say we watched Josh cruise through in the lead with no one behind him that we could see.  Megan and I then quickly headed over to the finish to watch Josh cross the line. He finished in 1:12, a very solid time on this course and probably a CR.  Bob Thompson, whom I had not seen in a long long time came in second in 1:15.  I got to chat with him for a few minutes after the race and it was nice to catch up.  Josh had a solid race and this time is very impressive considering the first four miles are all uphill, and not just a little bit. 

This morning I took Jack on a tour of 11th Avenue and Memory Grove. It seems Jack is much heavier than the last time I pushed him or I am much more out of shape. In any event, the run was slow. Going up Virginia Street to 11th was a bit of a pain, even taking the Shriners route. We stopped in Memory Grove and played around for a few minutes, which was fun. On the return I pushed the stroller up the super steep section on 3rd Avenue between Canyon Road and B Street.  In the middle of the hill Jack said "Dada, run?" I guess he could feel that the pace had slackened considerably.

Black Sheep workout at East High Track. It was one of those mornings where the idea of a workout just doesn't seem like great plan until it gets underway. I think that is the value of doing speedwork with a group--it gives you some extra incentive and motivation to do something that, on your own, you may not want to do. You just have to suck it up and do your part to help the group through its collective pain.

Johanna was coaching today and when she announced the workout I wanted to go home. After a 1.3 mile warm up and a lap of strides, this was the plan: 1 x 400, 1 x 800, 2 x 400, 1 x 800, 3 x 400, 1 x 800, 4 x 400, 1 x 800, 5 x 400. So, if you're keeping score that means 15 x 400 with 4 x 800 thrown in for fun. The first 400 was slow, after that I was basically running very consistently 81-82 seconds. The 800s varied a bit, with an outlier of 3:04 for the first and a fastest of 2:49. So those were a bit easier. The last 400 was 72 just to celebrate almost being done.

The group started with 21 runners today and there were just a handful finishing the workout. That kind of attrition means that it was probably a pretty good workout.

I ran a couple of laps for cool down and headed home.

The East XC team was meeting up at the track today too but they headed over to Sugarhouse park. I hope Bill didn't have a track workout planned that we stifled with our vast numbers.

I had limited time this morning and was only able to swim 1000m at Steiner.  Ran into Johanna who was just starting her own workout in the pool, a 3000+m painfest.

I dragged my body out of bed at 5:05, got ready, and drove to Holladay to meet at Divas for the Mansion/Canal tour. This group runs a brisk pace that rarely dips below 7min except maybe for the section along the canal path which is fairly unpredictable, especially in the dark. We ran a couple of long surges that hurt. My legs had not fully recovered from Tuesday's workout so I probably overdid it a little. My knee hurts a bit too, but not terribly bad. It occurred to me this morning that one of the benefits of high mileage is that you recover more quickly from day to day. Since I don't have that fitness now and can't expect the same results.  An enjoyable run overall.

I swam 1800m at Steiner.

I flew up to Portland, Oregon on Friday afternoon for a family event.  I got up at around 6:45 and got out the door for a little about 45 minutes later.  From the start of the run I had knee pain almost the entire time.  The route was quite nice, even though it was sunny there was shade all over the place because of the amazing trees.  I ran through some neighborhoods and along a minor arterial route in the Milwaukie area. The knee, however, was a real concern the whole route. I think it's the combination of a slight increase in mileage the last few weeks combined with quite a bit more intensity.  I should know better!

I spent a while massaging the knee area last night and I seemed to get a good result focusing on a knot in my lower quad on the medial side.  After doing that for a few minutes I decreased the little pain I usually get walking up our steep stairs. I'll try that again today and see if it helps.

 In any case, I wanted to stay off the knee so I went swimming at Steiner. I swam a total of 2000m made up of 4 sets of 5 x 100.  I did 5 x 50 sprints in set three and otherwise just concentrated on technique and drills.
 

Out and back to This is the Place. 

Four mile run, followed by a short swim.

Got up way late--managed to sneak in a little bitty run.

I swam a mile at Steiner. 

Hooked up with a group at Foothill Sbux and ran a southernly route.  This was a longish run for me these days and it felt pretty good. 

Met up with my buddy Adam S. and we did a 1.2 mile open water swim at East Canyon Reservoir.  The temperatures and water conditions were very good. We also scared off a bunch of fisherman. They were probably ready to start casting their lines at us. I swallowed a little more lake water than I would like, but I was a little thirsty too.

I ran the ol' U/Avenues/Memory Grove loop. Takes me back to '08.  For the first time in months I wore something other than my racing flats, instead wearing the DS Trainers. Let me tell you it felt like having cinder blocks stuck to my feet.  Those used to be my "lightweight" trainers.  I briefly considered running back home to change but got lazy.  I look forward to not wearing them tomorrow. 

Workout with the Black Sheep this morning at East High Track. After the 1.2 mile warmup, we ran 12 x 300 m with 100m jog recoveries in between. These progressively got faster by a second each interval. My knee was not feeling great early on so I hung back a bit and socialized through most of these.  Next we ran 4 x 800m.  These were supposed to be Yasso 800s, but my times were so inconsistent they hardly qualified for that.  Times were 2:54/2:51/2:41/2:37.  The last one felt quick--relatively speaking--and I could not have kept that pace over ten intervals.  Casey was hanging with me nicely on the last couple, Josh was way ahead on all of them. Then we ran a few laps for cooldown.  The knee didn't give me any real problems after the 300s though it is a little tender right now and likely will be for some of the day. At what point will I actually seek medical attention?  A great question. For now, I am glad to have had  a little work on the track.

I swam 1800m this morning up at Steiner. I ran into Sam as I was heading into the pool and we shared a lane. Good times.

I ran in Holladay with the Diva's crew.

Met up at Foothill Sbux and ran a northernly route to 11th Ave and B street.

Black Sheep workout: it was a ladder workout designed by Mr. Steffen.  After a loop warmup around Sugarhouse Park we headed to the new track at Highland High. Began with 800m of sped changes. Then the workout was 400/800/1200/1600/1200/800/400.  I don't have my watch with me now to fill in the splits, but the miles was 5:31 and the last 400 was in 70 seconds.