Chasing my Dreams

First run at altitude in two years, rough to say the least. Dead after two miles, the next two were absolutely miserable.

Was working concrete for 7 hours all morning and never got around to getting a run in.

Ran four before heading up to Jackson Hole for a few days.

Ran a time equivalency of a five miler up in Jackson Hole along the highway. The relatively even higher altitude made the run decently hard.

4 mile equivalency on a backroad. Pretty average run.

Same backroad as yesterday, but today I went out farther. I felt pretty sluggish going out, but was surprised that I was able to go negative on the way back with an uphill.

Ran a pretty average four miler back at home. It felt pretty easy being not as high.

Ran the Fernwood trail for the first time since getting back with Tom and Parker. It was hard with the hills and it being the longest run I've done in over two years, but I was really happy with it. I climbed HPH really well and was able to push it again the last half mile or so for a good overall effort. What was even better is that I was able to run with the guys again. It's been about 38 months since we ran together.

Ran a relatively easy 4 miles around West Point this morning. My legs were tight from Saturdays trail run. I felt like I still maintained a good effort though. I feel like I need to put more emphasis on hip/glute strength as well as my form. I'm still working on the balance of everything right now though. 

Wasn't able to run this morning due to scripture study being more of a priority before moving up to Logan. As a result it was an interesting day. I'll be really active here though like on my mission. This evening I went out and ran for 35 minutes around the campus just to try and feel things out a little. The uphills really got my heartrate going, but I'm going to get good at running hills while living here. 

Ran in the morning. Went out 17:30 then turned around. Felt good, ran behind some nice houses on the base of the mountain.

Ran a relatively easy 30 minutes, similar route to yesterday. Broke out my new shoes today hoping that will help my aching toe.

Ran five out and back again this morning. Held a decent pace going out. I've been discouraged with how hard it had been to go negative even with the downhill. I focused on it at the end today and went a minute and a half negative

Ran up to the Bonneville shoreline trail and then ran to the mouth of Logan Canyon and back. Not sure how fast the uphills were today, but it was a solid long run to say the least. My feet were hurting for the first mile or two with the usual new shoes breaking in ache I get. Beautiful morning, with a pretty cool wind at times.

Was honestly a pretty stressful sabbath due to being worried about school the next day.

Ran for 30 minutes out and back with Tom. We held a pretty good pace going out and then there were all sorts of factors that slowed us down on the way back. I picked it up again the last 1200 meters or so and finished in 30:10, so just about even. Honestly not too bad based on how it felt. It was pretty warm since we ran at 5:40ish in the evening.

Ran at about 8 in the evening, it was still plenty warm. Ran into Karson Nielson about 2-3 minutes into my run so I stopped and talked with him for a few minutes. I ran my usual course up here, and made it farther than I ever have in that amount of time. I felt really good going out and then tried to hold the pace coming back. Once again it was hard to hold it coming back for whatever reason but I still ended up going 30 seconds negative thanks to the hill on 10th North at the end. By far the fastest and most solid run I've had since being home. Elevated and foam rolled afterwards.

Solid 30 minute run with Tom this evening. We held a solid consistent pace going out, and then just kept clipping away on the way back. The fact that we ran more even made a big difference on how we felt overall. We ran a minute negative coming back. Finished in 29:16. We both agreed that with some training that is a realistic marathon pace.

Ran in the morning early, but it was warm and I remembered how much I enjoy running art night in the dark. I felt really tired and sluggish going out, most likely due to lack of sleep and recovery time. Shins were also tight going out. Came back better though and finished with in 33:16, over a minute and a half negative. I feel this shows how sluggish going out really was

Ran an easy two miles before running four miles with Jeff. I was expecting an easy four with Jeff, but I forgot that he doesn't really run easy or even. He also had a couple solid hills in our route. My legs were feeling pretty sluggish. I feel this is mostly due to the game last night and lack of sleep.

Hit up the Fernwood trail with Tom. It was a pretty easy run. I let Tom set the pace and we were pretty slow going out. I didn't push HPH super hard, but I just went at it. That gave me a good little mid run push. We went even slower on the way back, and as a result my legs felt good. Kicked the last part. Finished in 58:58. 

Went dove hunting in the morning so didn't get out the door until around 8 in the morning. It was a good effort but felt pretty relaxed at the same time. My internal clock felt really off, but I would guess it was around a 7 minute mile pace. I felt really strong though. The last half mile I pushed the pace some and while I didn't feel like I had a lot of top end speed, I felt like I could have kept pushing that pace for a while.

Also did some core and realized I need to do a lot more of that. I haven't really done any since I've been up in Logan. 

Ran 5 miles this evening. My dinner wasn't quite digested so my stomach was a little uncomfortable and I had the burps the second half of my run. The first half of my run I was moving at a pretty decent pace, 6:48 average, and I was really relaxed and my legs felt great. My breathing felt harder than it should have though. On the way back I tried to just relax and get through the run. I really let the downhills carry me. I finished in 32:43, 6:32 average for the whole run, and 6:16 average coming back. Not too bad all things considering.

I have been feeling a little under the weather all evening with my throat hurting a tiny bit. I had more mucus than normal while running as well. I feel this may be the effects of stress.

Ran four miles with Tom, even though I probably shouldn't have even ran today because of my foot and the cold. We took the first half mile really slow, but the rest of the run we were really consistent in just under 6:30 pace. It honestly felt like a good pace. I wasn't getting enough oxygen just because of my illness, but I'm happy with the effort. My foot hurt more on the downhill and when I tried to kick, which makes me think it may be tendonitis at the joint.

Took today really easy as I want to be healthy. Spent 35 minutes on the bike, with 15 minutes in the middle of barefoot jogging on some grass. Everything felt fine, and I think my foot will be okay. There's still some pain when I bend the toe though.

Todays run was just one to disconnect and relieve some stress. No watch or anything. Going out my quads and glutes were a bit tired, probably from biking, and my breathing was off, which I expected with being sick. Coming back I had some major gastrointestinal pains, and I wanted to be careful on the downhill so the last half mile was really slow.

Woke up and still wasn't feeling one-hundred percent, and I didn't want to run on my own unless it was a quality hour long run, so I did some strength work instead.

Ran a hilly out and back with Tom. We were also fighting the wind going out. The effort felt pretty good, and my breathing was a lot easier than Tom's. I still had a lot of gunk in my throat and nose, but otherwise it felt great. We were 6:50 average. 

Today was a rough run. I haven't developed the mental toughness I need for longer runs yet. Today was more mentally tough than anything, but physically it wasn't fun either. I held a good pace going out, but throughout the run had hard times getting my breathing right and as a result fought side stitches. I also had some stomach issues, plus, I ran a really hilly route which about did me in as well. I probably hadn't really fueled the best for that run either though.

Solid run with Tom in the cool temperatures, which honestly played a big impact on how I felt during the run. We just ran out and back on 8th East. 5.2 miles in 34 minutes. It felt nice and relaxed, plus we came back a little negative, which was good considering it was slightly uphill. I wish it could always be cool and light rain when I ran.

Super solid run, based the whole run completely on time, as I was going for a 40 minute run. The pace felt between a 6:35 and 6:40 average. My legs felt tired during parts, but still strong. I mostly felt this in my quads. 

Ran four miles with Tom. The first hill always makes our first mile slow. We were 26:56, so a 6:44 average. It felt good and we were both talking afterwards how we feel we have a lot of gears left at the end of a run.

Ran for an hour this morning, it was pretty cool when I started. With being up late and standing at the football game last night my legs were a little sluggish this morning. My IT band right at the knees was hurting a little from the crown on the roads, but I stretched and foam rolled after. My calves were also kind of sore. Around a 6:50 average, but aerobically it felt pretty good. I didn't stop at all.

It was my first day of work and I was dehydrated and not motivated to run in the heat. I went 4 miles without a watch just to get a run in.

Ran four miles with Tom as he was really busy and didn't have time for more than that. We kept it at a decent pace, but both of our legs didn't have much energy. It was somewhere between 6:35 and 6:40 average.

Decided to wait and run in the evening once it was dark to recover from work and what not. I finished right before the downpour hit. I went a solid 7 miles. I was running based on time, but I definitely felt like I was probably holding around 6:30 or a little faster. I had some guys yell at me to run on the sidewalk so I didn't get hit by a car though. 

My right quad felt pretty tight at the beginning of my run. I was also feeling my right inside achilles tendonitis stuff, so I tried to do most of my run on the right sides of the road. I felt really good the longer I was going. It started to rain when I was about two miles in, and the last two miles of my run were a complete downpour, probably one of the worst I've ever ran in! I averaged somewhere between 6:10 and 6:20 miles. The highlight of the run was probably that I had a car pull up along side me, and it was two girls asking if I wanted a ride. I told them no because I only had a mile to go. I was going to do strides after, but the downpour was so bad it was basically impossible, plus by shoes were bogged down at that point.

Went out in the morning in the light rain and did 5 miles. My shoes were still soaked from yesterday so I decided to wear my kinvaras instead. This helped me not have my tendonitis, but my calves might hate me tomorrow. I averaged around 6:50 for a pretty easy effort. Hoping for a solid long run tomorrow.

Solid ten miles this morning. The weather was perfect for a run. I like the loop I came up with, but the uphills were pretty killer. I was around a 6:50 average at 5 miles, and ended up averaging 6:40 for the total ten, so 6:30 for the second half. The last half mile I really grinded, and I was around 6 minute pace on that gradual uphill. My right calf was sore today, but it wasn't tendonitis. Solid run and I had to keep the focus on the pace, but it felt good. The big hill on mile 4 just about got me though.

Had a solid 5 miles with Tom. We were a 7:10 first mile with the hill and a slow start. We ended up averaging 6:36 for the whole run. I felt good, and more than anything I was just happy to be out running as I needed that outlet, I really mentally beat myself up about missing work. We had to stop at one point because Tom's contact got lost in his eye and then he ended up throwing it away because he couldn't get it back in and was half blind the rest of the run.

Warmed up, then did drills and a few strides. I then did 3x1500s at 6 minute mile pace, then 2x1000s at the same pace. Finishing with a 500 in 1:44. I couldn't believe how hard it was aerobic ally to run six minute pace. I also had to dodge soccer and rugby players a little. My legs didn't have any spring either. I did a long and easy cooldown.

Had a more solid run than I expected, especially considering my effort yesterday. Tom and I went out and back on 8th East. We averaged 6:30 going out, and averaged 6:22 coming back. I think our slowest mile was the first one which was like a 6:37. I was surprised that my legs didn't bother me at all. I was breathing hard, but it was definitely bareable. It would be nice if we could afford to train together everyday. It's more fun when you have a conversation to focus on more than just the run itself.

It was kind of humid today while running, which was a fun little mix up. Today was meant to be an easier of days, but I ended up just running the pace that felt good. I think that workout I did on Tuesday is actually really paying off now. Initially on the hill by quads and glutes really hurt climbing the hill. After that I felt good until the last mile and a half or so. Then my left hipflexor as well as my IT bands started to bother me. 

The funny thing of my run was that I passed these two teenagers, and as is typical one of them yelled out, "Run, forest," to which I yelled back, "Run!" I think it kind of surprised him, but after a minutes pause he turns to the girl and says, "That runner is legit!"

Relaxed five miles without a watch in the morning. My run crossed paths with the cross country team, which was kind of weird for me, haha.

Ran between coference sessions around 12:30. I wasn't quite as hydrated as I should have been. I somehow didn't start my watch so I missed the first half mile. It was a faster run just because West Point is a whole lot flatter than Logan. I was sweating like crazy during the run though. I ended up having to stop 8 miles in to use the porta potty, but other than that I was pretty happy with the effort, especially based on the amount of sleep I am running on.

Ran a loop with Tom. It was a nice route where we were able to just relax and lock in a place. We guessed we were at 6:40, and it ended up we were right now. We talked a lot about running.

Ran a pretty hilly 7.5 miles. i could tell after the first two miles that my pace was going to be under 6:40. I ended up averaging 6:31. It felt pretty good. Climbing the hill initially my legs really felt tired and sore, and then during the last milemy knees and IT band started to tighten p, but toher than that it was a great run. The temperature was perfect for running, other than a bit of a headwind I had to fight the last little bit.

Ran an easy 5 miles with tom. Our first mule was pretty slow with the hill but it picked up after that. Felt nice and relaxed. 6:41 average. I need to start doing core and strent stuff again...

Ran six miles at what ended up being 6:39 average. It felt weird because I was almost I almost didn't even feel like I was running, it was so natural. My right foot hurt during the first mile, then it went away. It came back in the last half mile as well. It's a little concerning because it didn't feel like muscle either. My right IT band was pretty tight as well. I did 4 strides after which felt really good, and then took the time to stretch and do a little bit of core.

Ran an easy 4 in the morning. It was around freezing temperatures. Ran naked so no idea how fast it was. I felt my foot again, but it was close to the ankle and is definitely muscle. A little tender afterwards. Did 4 strides after as well which felt really good.

Not much to say other than it was  a solid long run. 6:36 average for the whole run. I was 6:45 average through the first 6, which were hilly, so the second half average would have been around 6:26. Really solid effort. My foot hurt initially, but I think it may just be bruised. I did feel my energy start to deplete around an hour though, so I need to start consider fueling once I go farther.

Ran our new 6ish mile loop today. Tom and I were both taking it pretty easy. Our legs were tired from long runs and we really felt it by the end of the run. We averaged 6:38 miles. My right knee felt really tight for the first mile or so and then it felt fine.

It was not an easy run today. My legs were pretty dead, and as a result any slight uphill was killer. I changed my route so that I didn't have as much uphill and there was a good bit of gradual downhill. By the end my quads were hurting too though. I averaged 6:28, but I need to really recover for the next couple of days though. I've also been really hungry today as well.

Ran an easy 6 miles, partially on grass and gravel. I went watchless so that I just relaxed. Legs started to get tired 4.5 miles in. Did a few strides after, but my legs didn't have it.

Today was all about preparation for the next two days. I ran an easy four miles, watchless. Things were pretty tired going up the hill initially and didn't ever feel great after that. My right quad/IT band have been really tight all day. The strides I did after the run felt surprisingly fast, which is a good thing. I made sure to stretch and foam roll after the run too.

Went in the morning. Ran a mile warmup and then did some light drills to warm up. I then did 16x400s on the road with a minute to 1:15 recovery. My first two I was trying to figure out the distance exactly. I ended up consistently hitting 77s, with my last two being 75 and 72. It felt really good, but my right shin was really bothering me for whatever reason. I did an easy mile or so cooldown back to my apartment afterwards.

Ran this morning in West Point. Did 11 miles. It felt pretty good. I really pushed the last three miles or so. I ended up going 68:07, which works out to be about 6:12 average. I ate a big bug and took a couple of small ones in the eyes throughout the run. I started sneezing like crazy after I was done.

I felt great getting more sleep than usual!

Did an easy four with Tom because that's all I had time for by the time he got done at work. It was pretty chilly. We averaged 6:45s, but the first mile was pretty slow. 

I almost didn't run today because of lack of time and the weather, but I realized I would really regret not running, so I braved the icy thunderstorm. I only did five miles, but I averaged 6:12s while being pelted my ice pellets. I honestly think I almost got hit by lightning though.

Tom and I decided to do more of a speed workout. We jogged .75 miles to warm-up. I only ran a couple repeats with Tom in all reality. We decided to do 800s on the road, and our first one was plenty fast in 2:29. I did a total of 10, mostly around 2:33-37. My last one I ran pace for the first half then let it loose. I ended up running 2:22. It felt really good. My recoveries were just over two minutes. We jogged the same length of cooldown as we did to warmup.

This was my only day to get a long run in this week. I did the normal 10 mile loop in Logan. I was sub 6:40 average for the first 5 hilly miles, so I knew it would be a pretty fast run. I ended up averaging 6:21. My legs were definitely tired. My quads were dead from the hills by the end, and my calves were really sore afterwards.

Did 5 miles before work. Was going to do six but my legs were pretty tired

Ran an easy five miles with Tom. It was hard to get the legs going after not running for a couple of days. Averaged 6:35s, things felt good.

Had a really rough run today. Starting up the hill by glutes were really tight and tired. I could barely run uphill at all the whole run. The whole time I felt like I wasn't getting as much oxygen as normal. I stopped twice in the last two miles because of side aches and just not feeling good. My legs felt super heavy those last couple of miles as well and I felt like I was slogging. I ended up averaging 6:21s for 6.3 miles, and the only thing that makes sense to me is that my diet hasn't been very good the last day or so and that my body may have been lacking the energy and nutrients it needed to function properly. I did a few strides afterwards, but I didn't ever feel super fast because my legs were so heavy.

Had a solid longer run with Tom. We ran my loop through Logan, North Logan, and Hyde Park. We were doing really well through the hills and holding good pace, but then Tom had to poop and we had to stop at a church. That also killed our momentum. We slowed down working 8th East coming back. I pushed the last half mile a bit, and ended up averaging 6:30, still a solid effort. We could have been faster though.

My stomach wasn't feeling the best at all during the afternoon, and it didn't change on my run. I had a lot of gas built up in side of me for whatever reason. I held a pretty good pace on my run though. I'm not sure exactly but my guess would be somewhere in the 6:20s for an average. My left foot was hurting a little at the end, but I think I just have some toes that need to pop. My chafing also just keeps getting worse..

An easy five before school this morning. I found myself in the middle of a herd of does and fawns right when it was starting to get light, so that was fun.

Ran five miles with Tom. I could tell that my cardio was a little rusty from not running on Saturday. We felt like we had to push a little more than we would have liked. We really let things rip the last half mile though. Ended up averaging 6:25.

Ran the 6.3 mile loop today. My legs definitely felt a bit tired as the run progressed, especially my quads. I tried to keep things at a good pace but relaxed throughout the run, and then focus in on my effort the last couple of miles. I ended up averaging 6:07s. I had all sorts of people waving at me today. With two miles to go there was an older guy in his yard and he was like, "SHHEEEEESHH!! I'M GLAD I DON'T HAVE TO RACE YOU. . . . YOU'RE FLYIN' KID!" 

Had a pretty solid run with Tom today. He had to poop again so that killed our momentum. I lost him on the uphill, and then he still wanted to try and average 6:20, but I lost him again on the downhill when I was keeping the pace. I ended up averaging 6:23, so still a super solid effort. My legs started to tighten up when we stopped for Tom to poop. I felt really good on the long uphill though. I was exhausted after the run though.

Ran a watchless six miles. It didn't feel too terribly slow. My legs got really tired the last two miles and I felt like my form was falling apart. I did 4x100m strides afterward. 

Easy, watchless six miles again. My legs felt really tired during the first half of my run today. My left IT band was a little tight. I did about half of the run on dirt and grass. Towards the end, the ball of my left foot where the toes attach hurt a little, and my left knee was also a little tender. Hoping to feel a lot better for the long run tomorrow.

Got up and at it this morning before the sun was out and while it was still cold. My breathing felt really off for the first six or so miles, which was evident in side aches. I tried really hard to work the uphills today. Between that and it being cold, when I made the last little uphill climb back to 8th East with two miles to go, my glutes really locked up, and I had to fight that for the last mile and a half. I ended up averaging 6:21, and I was pretty happy with that effort. I didn't have any aches or pains either which was nice.

It was an average 6 miles, nothing too crazy. My legs started to feel heavy with about two miles to go, but things didn't feel too bad considering it was a Monday. Around 6:20 average.

Was hoping today would just be some miles and I wanted to run at what felt comfortable really. For the first two-thirds of the run my breathing was really off so I didn't feel comfortable. The last two miles or so my legs got really tired. Overall things felt really tired today, and it may all be because of how poor my nutrition was after my run yesterday (eating rice krispy treats for a few hours and not eating until 9:30 at night). My left foot felt a little tender in varying places today as well. I ended up averaging 6:20s still though.

I ended up getting my run in in the morning today because Tom's achilles is still bothering him and he isn't runing. I did the 6.3 mile loop at a pretty average effort. I didn't end up wearing my watch. The legs still felt tired, especially the uphills towards the end. I did 4 strides afterwards, and those felt pretty good on the last two. My left foot is still hurting, I think it's probably some bruising or something.

Things did not feel as good as I wanted them to today. My glutes were really sore/tired on the uphills, and my legs overall didn't have much pop. My lower legs even gave me a few aches and pains, which was a little concerning. I'm going to have to be careful as my shoes may be going out.. I stretched afterwards and hopefully that will help. Averaged 6:24. Oh yeah, I also almost got ran over half a mile into my run.

Ran a comfortable four miles this morning before school. I really like running in the mornings as it is much easier mentally. Things all felt pretty good; breathing, legs and all. 

I got a little bit more running around at the mountain regional watching the races. It was fun to watch the men's race, and all I can say is nationals is going to be real tasty. It was also to see some people at the race, specifically Coach Buhrley.

Mentally I wasn't sure about this run, but it ended up being a good one. The first hill starting out my glutes felt like they were really going to bother me. My lower legs also had some minor aches around 4-5 miles in but it went away after that. My legs felt relatively tired the first six miles, which I averaged 6:32ish through those. I felt really good the last five, and actually was able to hold on the last two miles better than I thought I would be able to. Ended up averaging 6:21 miles for the entire run, which I am happy with.

Went out in the middle of the day for my run. My legs were definitely tired, but not as heavy as I would have expected. The outside of my hamstrings into the IT band were really tight though. I just went on an average run, ended up averaging 6:18s. I expect my legs to be really tired and heavy tomorrow.

Felt surprisingly better than I expected to today. I went and did six miles, and my legs never really felt super heavy or tired. I also felt really relaxed and my cheeks were bouncing most of the run. Averaged 6:11s for the run, and then did 4x100 meter strides after. Things felt good all around. 

The weather was not the most ideal for my run today, but it ended up being a great run anyways. The first four miles of my run were against the wind, and of course the worst part of the wind was in the open going up the long hill before I got to four miles. Between the wind and the hill I was pretty spent aerobically at the top. I recovered on the steep downhill and then once I turned onto 8th east I had the wind at my back and felt really good the rest of the way back. I actually passed a guy that I'm pretty sure is on the track or xc team at USU, but I think he was taking it easy. At any rate ended up averaging 6:11s.

Didn't really care how fast todays run wasy, but I went out and felt pretty good so it was a pretty typical run. My legs, especially my quads, felt a little tired on the uphills, but not nearly what I would have expected. I wanted to throw in some surges at the end, but after I did one my legs started to really give out so I just waited until the last 200 meters and then just kicked it in. Between the temperature and tired legs I couldn't get them going super fast. The average pace for the run ended up being 6:11 again.

I need to start working on my core again. I've really neglected it over the last couple of months.

First run in the cold and I didn't have a toque, so it was risky with my ears being too cold. Did a little over five miles and just enjoyed the run. Did a few quick strides afterwards.

Went out for twelve. Luckily I bought a Roque yesterday. I was surprised with how tight my calves were throughout the whole run. My glutes also got worse after each upfill. The 10th north last big uphill really caused them to lock up. I could feel that my left foot was bruising as well from the pounding. Ended up averaging 6:18s, so an extremely good run.

Waited a little while until the rain calmed down. I ran watchless, but my breathing felt a little off, which was probably a sign that I was running a tad bit too fast. My calves were still pretty sore. I ended up being overdressed because the rain let up. Did a few strides afterwards which felt really good.

Did some core afterwards, and I could tell I've really neglected that.

Ran early in the morning. I did 1.7 miles through campus before meeting up with Tom. We did just over 4 miles probably in the 6:40s, that's what it felt like at least since neither one of us were wearing a watch. It was nice to run with someone again. Everything on my right side was giving me aches at the beginning of my run. Tom's leg was still hurting him, he thinks he needs new shoes.

Went out in the rain/snow mix after working at the auto body shop all day. I was hoping to do 8 but my family was waiting on me for supper so I cut it back to six miles. Unfortunately I was in such a hurry getting out the door that I didn't set my watch to chrono, so I missed the time on the run. I felt pretty good, and it's amazing how much easier it is to run in West Point compared to in Logan.

It was pretty good weather, cool, but really nice once the sun was up. The hardest part was probably that the roads were kind of slick because the thin layer of water had frozen over night, so I didn't have the best traction at places. The uphills were a little harder than I wanted them to feel, but I think this may have just been how cold my legs were. My run itself was about 8.7ish miles, and then I did some jogging and strides afterwards to get the daily total up to 9. The average for the run was 6:05s, so I can't complain about that.

Nothing too crazy to say about the run today. I did six miles on the small road for old times sakes. I was hoping to see more runners out. My first four miles felt pretty good, around 6:10 pace. After that my legs got pretty tired and my left shin gave me a little bit of ache as well. I let up on my effort just a little bit so the last couple of miles were probably more like 6:20s. Averaged 6:13s for the whole run. Did some toe and heel walks after to help out my lower legs.

Ran with good old Tracy this morning. We had to fight the wind the first half of the run, but it was nice coming back. Things felt pretty good, my left hurt ached just from where it seems to be bruised. He helped keep my pace more consistent and in control, as well as gave me some marathon training advice. Averaged around 6:22s.

Followed Tracy's advice and put a few more miles in. Aerobically I didn't feel as good as I would have liked, but I tried to just listen to my breathing to help control the effort I was putting forward. My legs were a little tired, but it didn't really slow me down. It was flurrying the whole run. I averaged right on 6:20s.

6:15 pace for 7.5 miles. Not much to say about it. The normal toe bending ache was there at times. My left hip hurt going up the first hill like it did yesterday but felt fine after that. I did have a lot of gas on the run today..

Went in the morning so it was a little cooler. I couldn't really get my legs going, which I feel was a combination of them being tired, it being the morning, and it being cooler. I did some strides after the run to get the legs moving the way they should be.

Did 7.5 miles. My glutes hurt initially going up the hill but didn't bother me after that. I surprisingly still found deer in the fields I normally see them even though it was literally mid-day. Towards the end of the run my right foot started to hurt in the arch, and I am pretty sure this is from the left side of the road crown all week long. I also had crazy gastrointestinal problems today. Ended up averaging about 6:11 to 6:12s.

Easy 6 miles in the AM. First half mile was sluggish but good after that. My right arch hurt the whole run, but it isn't getting any worse. I'm going to take some ibuprofen to see if that will help get rid of what may just be inflammation

Ran a two loop course for my run today. My right arch ache was interesting. It was off and on throughout the run, but never got to a point where it would slow me down. This alone makes me think that it is just the shoes, plus it was a lot worse on the downhills. The hill by the stadium a little over half way was hard, and it took me a good mile to fully recover from it. I tried to push the last couple of miles, and ended up averaging 6:15s.

Went out for the 8.3 mile loop. My first two miles were way too fast, which was a combination of being excited at the beginning of a run and seeing the university guys doing their workout as well. I got a gnarly side stitch right before the long uphill which may have slowed me down there a little bit. My breathing was off the whole first half of the run. Luckily my foot didn't hurt like it did last week. Towards the end of the run my lower legs started to hurt a little, and the last two miles I had to focus to keep my form together. The temperature really dropped though so I think that was part of why I lost my form. 6:18 average.

The run was aerobically more challenging than I wanted to be. I mentally told myself to relax but the hills and cold didn't really help me in that regard. My right arch hurt a little on the couple of the downhills, but it never got very bad. The fact that I averaged 6:11s probably attests to that as well. I can't wait for some new shoes to come, as well as Tom to get healthy again.

My calves have been killing me the last couple of days, which I'm pretty sure is the shoes. I tried to not push too much on the run and make it an easier effort. I'm not very good at doing this on my own though. 

Ended up running later than I had planned because I studied chemistry with a guy in my ward. However, NEW SHOES!!!!! I ran 7 miles in the dark in the snow, so I didn't really care how fast it was. The effort felt about right aerobically, but it was probably a bit slow because of the snow. My left lower leg on the inside bothered me a little, but otherwise things felt good.

Went out in the morning, and my first mile was slower than normal. Things were pretty slushy so my feet got wet. The snow patches really messed with my momentum though. My legs were tired at the end of the run, so hopefully they will have more energy tomorrow

I tried to time my run so that I wouldn't have extreme problems as a result of the rain. Luckily it didn't start to rain hard until the second loop of my run, which at that point I didn't really care if I was wet because I knew it wouldn't really hurt me at that point. My right arch did bother me a little on the first loop on the downhills. The uphill by the stadium was just as hard as it always is. While running south on 8th East I had to fight the wind both times, and on the last mile between the wind and the rain, I couldn't really breathe through my nose, but I was able to finish it out. The time was just under 80 minutes, averaging 6:09s.

My first mile split was a 6:20 with the stadium uphill, so I knew it was going to be a faster run than I would have liked ideally. I tried to keep things relatively relaxed for the first half of the run, but it didn't work very well as I had a girl on the USU XC team out in front of me that I ended up passing. I actually passed another one, the girl from Lehi, later on in the run. Aerobically things were a little hard on the uphills, but the last couple of miles felt pretty good. I ended up averaging right on 6 flat miles.

The first half of my run was basically trying to rein things in and not bust things out. My right arch did hurt during the first few miles though. Obviously the long hill is always a fun one to run up as well. The second half of my run I felt really good and was able to hold a solid pace feeling comfortable. Ended up averaging 6:05s.

Went out for an easy seven miles. I didn't wear the watch, so that helped me mentally to not feel like I needed to push it at all, so I just ran what felt right. It started to snow on me the last few miles. When I went up on the dirt path, I just had to keep the legs churning through the snow. My right arch still was still a little achy, but things overall just felt good. Mentally the first 2.5 miles felt like forever though.

Back in West Point for a few weeks. Went out in the morning, and felt really relaxed and easy for the first two miles, and then started to pick it up a little more with the uphills. About four miles in my legs started to feel tired, but it didn't really slow me down. I opened things up a little the last two miles. Averaged for the run was 6:02

Went out for an easy six miles on the good old small road. I was fighting the wind for the first half, but that was fine because it kept things in check. My lower legs were bothering me a little, but nothing bad.

It was pretty windy this morning, so I ended up just having to run two loops to try and minimize running against the wind. The nice thing is that there aren't any crazy uphills to slow me down in West Point. I also drank some Gatorade halfway through my run for the first time to start experimenting with fueling. That didn't really bother me at all. My right hip started to bother me the last mile, but it should be fine. Was 6:15 pace for the first 7 miles, and 6:09 average for the whole run, so that would work out to 6:03 average for the second 7 miles.

Ran in the early morning while it was fairly cold and in the dark. Didn't wear a watch, but things felt decent and it was a decent pace. My form didn't feel completely on, as my legs were probably a wee bit tired. I also noticed that I seem to be swinging my left arm too much.

Went out in the early morning again and did 8 miles again. Not much to say about it other than it felt faster than yesterday, I didn't wear a watch again though. My lower legs have had some minor aches, but nothing serious. 

My legs felt really flat and didn't have any energy. I got shot in the leg with salt from a snow plow too.

I did not feel like running this morning, but I went out there and pushed through that. My right big toe has been dealing with some tendonitis or something, so that still hurt but nothing too concerning. Hoping to get recovered before my long run on Saturday.

Went out for an easy and controlled 7 miles. I tried to just keep my heart rate in check, and things felt pretty good as a result. I did feel the left lower leg a little towards the end, and my toe still hurt a bit, but things felt good. I tried to stride out a little at the end of the run, and I realized my legs haven't ran fast in a long time and it felt pretty weird.

It was fairly nice weather, it was above freezing with a little bit of wind. My legs were tight through the first half, and when I tried to pick it up for the second half my legs were not feeling ready to run any faster, so I let up a little bit. I started to feel a lot better for the last three miles, and was holding around 6 flat pace. Average pace for the run was between 6:11 and 6:12 miles.

The run felt harder than I would have liked it to be. I have been taking some anti-inflammatory to try and help my toe get better. My lower legs were pretty tight and a little sore today for whatever reason.

I decided I needed to do something to help me recharge today, so I ended up not going out and running. I did 7x10 minutes of biking, with some body weight exercises between each repetition of biking. I did one-legged squats, RDLs, air-snatch, push-ups, Y's, bicep curls, calf-raises, hips, and core. Hopefully this will help me be more motivated to run and be productive with my life.

Went out for seven miles in the early morning. It felt a little harder than it should have. My left lower leg is definitely on the edge of being something bad it feels like. I also had to make a stop to relieve my water bowels in a port-a-potty too.

I probably shouldn't have ran today, but I had some pretty bad tendonitis hurting in my left lower leg. I think it's from running early in the morning in the cold on crowned roads and then not taking care of my legs after. I probably may not be able to run tomorrow..

Did a strength workout in the morning, but that's it.