Chasing my Dreams

Went out and was testing how things felt after a few days off. I made it about four miles feeling decent, and then my ankle tendonitis started to hurt, so I took the last two miles pretty slow which helped some. I also had a hard time with the air, which isn't normal.

Went out in the early morning for an easy five. The little bit of snow on the ground helped give my legs some cushion. I realized that the issue with my toe is probably because I am toeing off too much. My ankle really only hurt once, and it was while turning on some hard ground.

The first half of the run was good, but then I had a misfortunate event and then just jogged back and changed as soon as possible. Luckily my leg didn't hurt at all.

I felt my ankle initially and then it acted up a bit at the end. I also aerobically felt tired towards the end of the run.

Ran in the snow storm today. My ankle started to have some dull pain around half way through, but it doesn't really ever get worse. I don't know what to think about it anymore.

Only did five miles because I was feeling my ankle worse than it has been, which was a bummer. I also had one of my top five scares of being hit by a car. That's saying something because I've had a lot of them too.

Didn't run, but tried to do a little bit of strength work, especially for the lower legs.

I had some aches in the lower legs, but the "injury area" didn't bother me at all, which was great. It was also a beautiful morning to be out on the roads. I am excited to hit the training again.

Got up in the morning and ran a few easy miles with Tom. It was pretty cold and humid. We honestly just enjoyed the run and the conversation. My leg felt good during the run. Tom and I did five and then I did a little bit more on my own. The leg felt a little sore afterwards though. I also tried to do a couple of strength things, focusing on the hips and lower calf. They are both feeling really weak.

My leg still isn't 100 percent, so I only did 4. I pushed it a little though so my heartrate was pretty high the whole time. I'm thinking that my shoes I wear around during the day might not be helping the problem. I need to try wearing some different shoes and see if that will help.

School ended up being cancelled, so Tom and I went on a run in the middle of the day. We took it pretty easy, but things felt good and it was good to run with someone.

The legs still felt fine today. I ran with Tom again. We ran in the morning though and the roads were still pretty bad. We couldn't go very fast because we didn't have much traction and our legs were just churning.

Ran mostly with Tom. It was cold, but it felt good to be out on the road in the morning.

Found out that the 5k is only a week a half away, so I did a harder workout on the treadmill at the arc. I ran up to the arc, then did 5 minutes at training run pace, followed by 10 minutes at 5:30 pace, then ten more at training run pace, 10 more at 5:30 pace, then 5 minutes at training run pace, followed by the run back to my apartment. The fast parts ended up feeling better and easier than I antipated.

Did just a solid run of 7.5 miles and enjoyed it after a hard effort yesterday. I did feel my left lower leg a little, so I plan on being a little more cautious tomorrow. 

Had a solid five miles. I had to poop really bad afterwards, and then I did 4x100meterish strides.

Warmest run I've had in a while, also passed some of USU's distance girls. The first half was a bit of a slow start, but the end of the run went really well. The hills really got my heart working. It was a little harder than I would have liked, but pleased with the time and effort. 6:17 average.

My legs felt kind of sluggish throughout the run today, so I just went with what my body would give me. 

Did most of the workout with Tom. We did a fartlek with some at race pace, and then a hill that he hit at race pace effort. Things felt pretty good, especially considering I went skiing last night. The flat part efforts honestly felt extremely easy.

I did five miles on the treadmill and two miles outside in the rain. 

Ran six or so with Tom and then a little more after, it wasn't super fast, but just a good run with a good friend

Easy 5 miles in the early AM in the rain, then a couple of strides

We did a light warmup before the race, nothing crazy, just some jogging, a little stretching and a few strides. The race played out different than I was expecting. I honestly thought it would be a little more competitive, so I didn't want to take the lead, but I ended up taking the lead by the first quarter mile and kept it the whole time. The hills made it an exciting race to say the least. My first mile split was 5:38, my second was 5:43, and then my third one was 5:12. I was honestly pleasantly surprised with my fitness level. This also sparked my racing love again. We did an easy four miles randomly through Ogden afterwards, which was also super beneficial. 

I was super excited for this run. It was a long couple of days waiting for the monday run to come around. Tom and I did 6.75 at 6:28 pace, then went  to the gym and did some squats, RDLs, calf raises, walking lunges, and then a little bit of core. I discovered that my hamstrings are extremely weak right now. Did an easy half mile home afterwards.

Was hoping to go farther, but because of the cold I've come down with I decided to keep it a little shorter. I was pleasantly surprised with the pace I felt like I was running considering how sore my hamstrings were from lifting yesterday.

Ran at night in the dark, and was once again planning on going farther, however I was not feeling good. My stomach was kind of upset and my cold was still bothering me while running.

Decided to take today as an easy day as I want to kick the cold and be ready for my next couple of days of training. I ran to the arc, then rode the bike easy for thirty minutes, and then ran back. I decided this would be better than not doing anything for the sake of my hamstrings.

Did a bit of a warmup running to meet up with Tom and what not. Then I did 6 mile repeats with 90 seconds recovery between. Tom started with me but stopped after two because he was having some stomach issues. The goal was 10k pace. I went 5:45, 5:50, 5:40, 5:37, 5:28, and 5:09. I was happy with the effort, and it gives me even more confidence moving forward. Cooled down back to my apartment. Luckily we missed the rain too.

The plan was to do ten miles with Tom. I did the first six with Tom, but we were going pretty slow because his legs and lungs were struggling for some reason. I was able to negative split over the next four miles and ended up averaging 6:35 for the ten miles. I did two more easy miles after that, but the stadium hill just about killed me.

Had a solid run in West Point, It was perfect running weather, and I was thoroughly enjoying being back in West Point. Obviously the legs were still fairly tired, but I felt like I maintained a pretty good pace.

The legs did not have it this morning. I ended up running decently quick for the first half because I was kind of racing this kid that was also out running and was like right behind me. My lower legs were especially sore. I did some strides afterwards, and the legs were not moving very fast at all.

Ran in the late afternoon/early evening, so my legs had around 36 hours of recovery. Things felt surprisingly good, and I ran a solid pace. I also really focused on keeping the effort on the uphills. It was also snowing through that whole run. My left lower leg started to hurt a little over the last couple of miles, which isn't good.

Did 7.5 this morning, and tried to just keep things pretty relaxed. The roads weren't in the best shape either, they were wet, slushy, and icy. My lower leg bothered me a little the last two miles or so, which I am pretty concerned about. I don't know why it does this to me. It may be the shoes?

I took it really easy because I wanted my lower leg to be good to go for the race tomorrow, and I'm not going to gain anymore fitness today. I ran 1.5 miles, then did 4 strides. My legs felt pretty good, but were a little stiff on the little uphill I did. I then jogged a little bit more.

Tom and I did a typical warmup that was pretty low-key. Things felt good, it was chilly for a race though, and the roads had a skiff of snow on them. I actually cut gettting to the starting line pretty close because I was changing into my kinvaras. The race played out pretty well. I went straight to the lead, and after the first half mile I already had a pretty decent lead. I felt really good for the first 3.5 to 4 miles of the race, but when I hit the crazy uphill for the last two miles it really slowed me down. My legs were barely moving at the top, despite the fact that my heartrate was through the roof. It took me a decent bit of the last downhill to get the legs back. My splits were 5:44, 5:12, 5:33, 5:41, 6:10, 6:31, and then like 54 seconds for the last .2 miles. Tom and I did a really slow mile cooldown. I also beat the next person by almost four and a half minutes.

I went out for an easy 8 Miles just to get the legs moving after the race Saturday. Aerobic ally things felt harder than I would have liked, but my legs didn't feel too bad. My lower legs were sore, and then my traps of all things were also feeling the race Saturday

It was tought getting out of bed to run this morning. It was the coldest run I think I've had in a while as well. My lower legs were still sore, but otherwise things didn't feel too bad at all.

Went out in the dark in the evening once I was done with all of my classes. I did a little bit of a warm-up to the loop I was using, and then I did 4 laps of a structured fartlek, which included half of a mile which I would do at 5:30ish pace, and then an uphill. It was good practice for helping me focus on powering up the hill, it also wasn't boring, which a normal run would have been. Throughout the workout I was kind of amazed by how much running uphill influences your heartrate. I then ran easy back home afterwards. Things felt pretty good overall.

Just went out in the late morning for a run, the lower legs were a little tired, and aerobically the run felt a bit hard, but that might have just been because of the effort I was putting forward. I was happy with how the run felt. I think I am starting to make some jumps in my fitness.

I was hoping this run would end up just being a relaxing stress relief run, but the body was not feeling good today. I couldn't poop very much beforehand, so that influenced how my stomach felt, plus I was hungry during the run as well. My legs didn't feel too tired, but I felt like I was breathing a lot harder than I should have been. That felt better the last two miles or so though.

I ran up and met Tom at his place. We then did a 12.5 mile loop that took us out to Smithfield and back. It was actually a perfect longer run route. I felt really good, but Tom lacks the endurance past 5 miles, so I had to really hold back after that. He slowed things down quite a bit, and then 9 to 9.5 miles in he told me not to wait anymore. Averaged around 6:32s for the loop, and then ran back home after that as well. Being able to pick it up the last few miles helped me feel good about the effort.

Ran on the small road. It was pretty windy, but I wasn't really ever running completely into the wind. My first mile was a 6:25 and it felt good, so I figured I'd just keep things rolling and see how it felt. I ended up averaging 6:01s for the next 7 miles, making the overall average 6:04s. Aerobically it was a little harder than I would have expected given the pace, but I think the fact that it was a Monday and the wind probably had something to do with that.

I went out with the intention to just run a good but comfortable effort based on by breathing. It was beautiful running weather and I just enjoyed my tour through West Point and Syracuse. The last mile is where I started to feel a little tired, but I ended up averaging 6:06s. Effort wise it felt a lot easier than yesterday.

Went out to Antelope Island to do some hill repeats, because there aren't any hills in the West Point/Syracuse area. I did a half mile ish to warmup, then did 3x3min, 3x2:15, 3x1:30, 3x45seconds, to basically be equal to 3x800, 3x600, 3x400, 3x200. My recoveries were active recoveries joggin back down the hill. The 800s and 600s were the hardest part, even though they were at the beginning, just because of how long they were. I felt good about my efforts, and I was able to keep the pace for the entire workout. I did about a mile of running on a dirt road to cooldown. 

Being on the island with the bison and running a little on the dirt road helped satisfy my itch for trail running as well.

I worked out with the high school kids today. Rob wanted me to really push his top guys at the end of the run. We went out 22.5 minutes at 6:20 pace, and then were supposed to come back slightly negative. Josh Mecham set the pace going back and everyone else in the group fell off pretty quickly. We averaged 6:02s going back until the last mile, which we split in 5:38. I still had a couple more gears, but he was just holding on. Overall the average for the run was 6:08s. 

My legs felt pretty tired, especially going out, but it was an easy enough pace that it felt good to just work the legs. 

Ended up having to do my long run today, and I did it in the afternoon. My lunch wasn't quite settled, so the first miles I didn't feel very good at all, after about six miles, I was able to settle in really well and feel relaxed. My guess is that I was averaging between 6:10s and 6:15s for the first 13.3 miles or so. I ended up running the last 1.7 miles with Tracy, and it was significantly slower than what I had been running. I did the full 15 miles in 95 minutes, which worked out to 6:20 pace.

I did about half of this run with Jeff. I was reminded why I hate running in Provo, there are way too many stop lights. I took things pretty easy today, and spent the second half of my run trying to find a porta potty so that I could pee. I ended up going a little farther than I had planned because I didn't really know where I was going. IT was a nice little shakeout kind of run that will help me feel a lot better come Monday. My guess is that the average pace was probably around 6:40s somewhere.

Ran with Tom in the afternoon. He wanted to run his training run pace, which I was fine with. It felt fairly easy, but my legs were extremely heavy for the first five miles or so. Not taking care of my legs after the long run last week really made a difference. I picked the pace up a little the last mile and a half or so. 6:27 average pace, which I'm pretty content with considering it being a Monday with my legs not feeling very good. 

I had a hard time getting going with my run this morning. I looked down at my watch a mile in and was startled to see 7 flat as my mile time. I picked it up and ran a 6:15 next mile. I then tried to relax into a pace, but it took a few more miles before I felt like I was able to lock something in. My lower legs were noticeable sore today, but they always seem to be as well. The last four to five miles were actually kind of therapeutic miles for me once I had the pace locked in. Running in Logan is a lot harder than running in West Point though. I averaged 6:21s for the whole run, which I am happy with. If you neglect the first mile, the rest of the run I averaged 6:16s.

Went out for a beautiful run with the sun setting after a day at school. My legs were tired, but I like feeling that way, and was able to put forth a solid effort. I ended up averaging 6:10s. 46:14 total time. My shoes might be going out as well.

My legs were pretty tired this morning, and it was hard to get them going. About half way through the run I decided to relax a little and just let the run happen. Ended up averaging 6:23s. I also think part of why my legs have been hurting this week may be because my shoes are shot. I checked and they have close to 550 miles, so I probably need to switch.

Went out in the early morning for some easy miles. I was surprised because I actually saw two runners out and about in the dark as well. I averaged 6:45s and it felt good. I broke out my new shoes, and they bothered my feet a little, but my legs felt better. I did a few strides afterwards to get my legs moving.

I did a light mile warm up with Tom and Rob. I had absolutely no idea on how to approach this race because of all of the hills, so I just went with what made sense. I felt nice and relaxed the first couple of miles, and then on the uphills I mostly just tried not to die. I took the hills a little easier than in the 10k. That additional hill really put things over the edge though. Obviously the uphill segments put my heart rate through the roof and really slowed me down, but the rest of the time I honestly felt pretty comfortable with the effort I was putting forth. I mostly just wanted a good effort anyways. 

I was able to get in 4 miles of really easy running after the race. My right foot tightened up pretty badly after the 10 miler itself, which I'm pretty sure is because of the shoes. 

I went exploring for my run today trying to find some good dirt to run on in Cache Valley. I ran over to the Canyon Road trail and up to first dam, then across the shoreline trail and then back eventually to Old Farm. My legs felt surprisingly good, but my mental clock was off and I had no idea if I was running fast or slow. The first three miles I think were fairly quick, and then once I hit the hills on the shoreline trail I'm pretty sure I slowed down quite a bit. My legs overall felt pretty good considering this was my first run since Saturday. I think the few miles I did after the race on Saturday, in addition to going on a walk yesterday made a big difference. I averaged 6:31s for the run.

I had a pretty slow first mile again this morning, for some reason I have a hard time getting my legs going. After that I was able to set into a pretty good pace. I tried to stay fairly relaxed on the long uphill, and I was glad I did because my butt and hips were feeling Saturday. I tried to lock in a solid pace for the last 4 miles though, and it felt pretty good until the last half mile or so. I averaged 6:26s.

I went out in the dark after a long day of classes. I didn't pay any attention to my watch, and just ran what felt good. Once my legs got warmed up it was a really nice run. For the most part my legs felt really good. I am hoping I didn't end up running too hard, but I don't think it will influence my workout I have planned for tomorrow. 6:15 average

I tried to wait until the rain stopped. but I decided that wasn't going to happen. I did a mile or so of easy running and then a little bit of dynamic stretching, but because of the rain mostly jumped right into the workout. I did a total of 16x1000 @ half marathon pace with 60 sec reco for the first 12 and 45 sec reco for the last 4. My splits were 3:31.5, 3:32.3, 3:34.2, 3:30.0, 3:32.9, 3:31,9, 3:32.0, 3:31.4, 3:32.3, 3:29.4, 3:31.2, 3:31.3, 3:31.1, 3:30.0, 3:31.7, 3:31.x. I felt right in my element. My right inside lower leg and calf bothered me a little. Easy running back home afterwards. 

Easy afternoon miles. Ended up averaging 6:29s, but felt pretty relaxed and easy on the run. My legs got pretty tired really quickly on the uphill parts though. Did some stretching and core afterwards.

It was very wet and kind of cold for the long run today. I did a couple of miles before meeting up with Tom, and then we did the 8 mile loop. We grapped a little bit of fuel and water and then kept going. I ended up leaving him probably about a mile after that because he was dying and I was honestly ready to start running a little faster. I wasn't exactly sure how far I had gone, so I ended up doing a little more than I had originally planned. Things honestly felt really good today, and I am excited to run a marathon.

I must have done something to please the rain gods, because it was sprinkling when I left and then stopped about a mile or so into my run. I tried to not push things too much today, but I still ran a little harder than I should have. My lower legs were a bit sore, and my left toe felt like it was just on the edge of hurting. The uphills hurt, but mostly just from tired legs. 6:20 average

Did about a mile and a quarter warmup, a few drills and one stride.  Then I started my workout of 3x3miles with 2 minutes jog recovery between each. I was shooting  for between 17:12 and 17:15, but ended up going 17:07, 16:49, 17:07. My first mile was normally the hardest one to get going, and then really it was the very last mile where things started to hurt. The 16:49 was the moreso downhill direction. An easy 2.25 miles cooldwon back home.

Beautiful evening for a run, there were also lots of deer out and about, which is always entertaining. My legs were pretty trashed/tired from yesterday, so I tried not to push it too much, the uphill kept my heart rate at a good place place though. Ended up averaging 6:25s. It turned into quite the reflection run, I was able to think a lot about why I went to the certain areas I served in on my mission at the times that I did.

Went out this morning and the stadium hill about did me in. I took things fairly easy for the first half of the run, and I must have picked it up some coming back on 8th because I ended up averaging 6:29s. My legs didn't really have it still, but they felt better towards the end of the run. Aerobically I feel pretty tired as well though, so I tried to listen to my breathing for a good chunk of the run.

I had a hard time falling asleep last night and kept waking up in the night. I don't know why. At any rate, I felt fine when I woke up this morning. My english class got cancelled, so I had enough time to put a run in. My legs still feel a little beat up, but that didn't have too much of an influence on my run. Aerobically things felt a lot better. The last half mile on 8th my legs started to feel the uphill though. I'm excited for a long one tomorrow.

Beautiful morning running around Mantua Reservoir. Did almost six miles by myself, then joined up with Tom and did about 6 miles with him, and then I did the last six miles on my own, because Tom wasn't running quite as fast as I wanted to. The last couple of miles were pretty mentally challenging, but physically I still felt pretty good. I averaged 6:25s, and I am happy with the effort considering Mantua is at 5200 feet, so there was a small amount of an altitude factor. I also tested out some Generation UCan superstarch, which I was pretty pleased with.

Went out this afternoon with some pretty nice weather, it was a little breezy at some points though. That also helped keep me cool though. My legs felt pretty weird the first few miles and I tried to stay pretty relaxed, I focused on going a little negative over the second half of the run. With about 2.5 miles left, my left IT band got really tight for a minute or so, and then it didn't bother me again, which was weird. Overall things felt fairly good today considering it was a Monday. 6:22 average

Took things pretty easy, I also had to poop, so that kind of killed some momentum as well. Luckily there was a porta potty fairly close when I needed it. 6:40 average

I did not feel as good today as I would have liked. For the first three miles or so my head kind of hurt, which was really weird. On the long uphill I just wasn't really feeling it. I wanted to run a little bit at half marathon pace, so I did a mile at 5:44 pace, but it didn't feel as easy as it should have either. I'm hoping with some easy miles over the next two days I'll be ready to role for Saturday. 6:26 average

Mixed it up with the route today, ran some of it on 12th, then went down to the island and ran the canyon road trail to first dam and back. The wind was pretty crazy by first dam down in the island, I was barely moving. I tried to keep things fairly easy today. My legs felt pretty good, yet my heart rate was still up.

I took today pretty dang easy. It was pretty windy at 6AM in Logan, which slowed things down as well. I just ran really easy, and then I did 4x30second strides afterwards.

Today was kind of a bummer because they cancelled the Winter Race Circuit Half Marathon due to inclement weather. So I waited around until about 9 in the morning, when the rain toko a break. I went out for a pretty quality long run to Gentile and back on the Small Road, and then a typical tour through West Point. I felt good today, and was able to average 6:14s. I wasn't exactly sure of the distance while runing, but I figured it was between 18 and 18.5. It was a fairly therapeutic run as well.

The glutes were a little sore for the first mile and a half or so. I did a little exploring up in Hyde Park and Bogus Hollow. There is some dirt to run on, which is exciting. The climb up there was pretty good though so that kind of killed my average. I was also against the wind all the way back, but I still felt like I was holding a good pace.

Ran with Erich this morning. It's nice every once and a while to run with someone different and get some different conversations. My legs felt pretty good today considering that I didn't stretch or foam roll at all yesterday.

Ran in the afternoon with Tom through the island and up the canyon a ways. It was stinking hot, and I was pretty dehydrated by the end of the run. I felt pretty good for the first few miles, but the heat and the gradual uphill really zapped the energy out of me. The inside of my right knee started to bother me in the run as well. I have no idea why though.

Today was not the run I imagined it to be. First things first, it was pretty warm for 9 in the morning, which wasn't the most fun. Second was my legs didn't have it on the hills. Third, my knee was still bothering me like it did yesterday. I don't know what is wrong with it, but will probably take tomorrow pretty easy. I also got off of my planned course because I tried to make up a new route.

Shoot I've neglected my training log the last couple of days. This day was mostly cross training for me. I biked pretty hard for an hour. I went up Green Canyon as far as I could until I ran into snow. After the ride I ran a mile to test out my knee, and I could still feel it some.

Tom and I ran early in the morning out to Smithfield High and back, and then I did more as well. It was pretty chilly. My knee felt fine for the first few miles and then started to bother me some. However, my right lower inner leg started to bother me some, and it almost felt like I had pulled something. I could run through it, but we'll see how smart that ended up being. 6:47 average, so not a super fast run. My homemade cornstarch version of UCAN worked great though.

Easy four miles on grass mostly testing out how my legs felt.

A mile of running to and from the fieldhouse. Mostly cross training on the elliptical

Just strength training

Ran with Tom testing things out. The run wasn't fast, and my lower leg didn't hurt much, however my knee bothered me quite a bit

Hard cross training on the elliptical and a mile to and from the arc

90 minutes biking through cache valley

Felt great to get in a solid run, 6:10 average. My knee felt pretty good, but my lower leg was still bothering me. I have a hard time believing it is an actual injury

It was perfect running weather today, and I felt really good other than my nagging pains. I felt them over the first mile and a half or so, and then it was very dull for the most part until the last half mile or so, and then my knee started to hurt again. I really have no idea what is wrong, but it feels good to run. 6:24ish average I think.

Did a 6 mile tempo of sorts with Tom practicing marathon pace/30k pace. We did the first 3 miles right at 6:10 pace and then Tom started to fall off of the pace, and I was feeling good without my legs hurting, so I went ahead and picked things up a little. 5:52 pace for the second 3 miles. 

6:50 pace, happy to be running.

Some easy miles at 7 minute pace and then some strides to get ready for tomorrows race.

Got in a good warmup with Tom, and we were ready to go on the starting line. We basically led from the get go. We were clicking away 6:20 somethings. 8 or 9 miles in I distanced myself from Tom and started to pick things up more. Not too long after I started passing all of the half marathon runners, which was kind of annoying. The aid stations were also awful at giving out water, and as a result I took in like one cup of water in the whole race. With probably 4 miles left I heard the half people cheering for someone behind me, which was super confusing. Matthew Wolpert had started 3 minutes after the gun and was catching me. I ran with him for a good mile or two and then he pulled away the last mile and a half. My legs started to lock up the last 3 miles and I knew he had already beat me, so I didn't have much of a fight. I learned a lot about properly fueling for these longer races as well. Tom and I did a mile cooldown at like 10:30 pace, and we couldn't run any faster.

Shaking out the legs on a Monday morning before finals week. 7:06 average

Ran with Tom up to Green Canyon, and some up Green Canyon, getting a good aerobic effort in while not pounding the legs a ton. 6:37 average

Tired legs this morning. 6:43 average

Warmed up, then did 4x3 miles at 10 seconds faster than marathon pace with 3 minutes jogging between sets. 18:02, 17:53, 18:02, 17:49

Really easy day, 7:25 average

Today was not an enjoyable run. I was running on very little sleep from staying up and watching Nike's Sub2 attempt. It was also abnormally warm for 5:40 in the morning. My fueling plan wasn't the best either, as I just drank some watered down Gatorade half way through the run. I didn't have it mentally the last few miles and had to stop a couple of times. I even walked a little bit. I ran all of the big uphills twice as well, which I am sure didn't help anything.

Ran with Tom out and back on 12th. We saw all sorts of deer, including a big buck. I was pleasantly surprised with how my legs did considering it was a Monday. 6:34 average

Did not run today, but somehow felt up to biking for 45 minutes or so in the evening.

Did some really easy miles trying to just test the body out post stomach bug. I couldn't have ran much faster than I did, which was like 7:20s. I had to poop, which I had expected. Unforunately the park bathrooms are still locked, so I had to run up the hill to a honey bucket.

6:31 average, which was pretty surprising because my energy levels still don't feel normal from the darn stomach bug. I also don't really feel like my aerobic engine is working properly either.

6:48 average, which was still way harder than what that pace should feel like. 

Ran with Tom for the whole thing, and helped pull him through the last three or four miles. We ran out to Smithfield, around Smithfield, then West of Main/Highway two miles and gradually worked our way back through Hyde Park and then back to Logan. I really could feel the micro-tears happening in my legs around 13 or so miles. They didn't really get worse, but I could feel them the whole time after that for the rest of the run. Having more water stops made a big difference. 6:48 average.

A good old run on the Small Road in West Point and Syracuse. I started out fairly easy and kind of approached it as a progressive run. I was around 6 minute pace I would imagine by the end of the run. The legs were a little tired from Saturdays run, but for the most part it was a great day to run. 6:26 average

An easy run trying to do some exploring which utterly failed. We couldn't decided if the shoreline trail continued past Green Canyon or not, so I figured I'd check it out. I ran up to Green canyon and then started on the trail that went North. It ended up going straight up the mountain, so I quickly turned around. There was what looked like a small path of sorts that I tried to take, but it ended up just going through a field. I then had to try and find my way through the North Logan bench, where he roads do not connect. I had to run through someone's yard actually. 6:58 average

Today was a run that put me in a really good mental state. It snowed last night, so there was a couple inches of snow on the ground and it was cool. 6:39 average

First time running on a track in three years! We went over to Skyview (or Smithfield) High and warmed up, then started Yasso 800s. It was rainy, and got pretty bad by the end of things. I ran the first four or so with Tom before he had to poop and then his calf was hurting. I was able to hit the times like clockwork. 2:40 2:39 2:40 2:39 2:40 2:39 2:39 2:39 2:34 2:22   I spiked up for the last two, which gave me a ton of adrenaline. Tom also hopped in on my last 400 and helped pull me along. I ended up running a 65 on that last 400, which I was pretty excited to know I still have that kind of speed at the end of a workout. The recoveries were equal time jogs. I did a mile cooldown on the track afterwards.

I approached today as a pretty easy day, but the longer I was out the better my legs felt and I must have been moving pretty good by the end of it. Ran some along the canal above the golf course. It was also pretty chilly. 6:38 average

Today was marathon simulation day. We started at Hardware Ranch, ran down Blacksmith Fork Canyon, through Nibley, Millville, Providence, and River Heights. The downhill was good practice for what the marathon will feel like. While in the canyon we did 6 miles at marathon pace, which felt good. The longest part was probably the middle of the run towards the end of the canyon. Once I got into Millville and Providence I felt pretty good and was able to keep grinding. Unfortunately Tom did not feel nearly as good as I did. I ended up averaging 6:27s, which is equivalent to a 2:49 marathon, which gives me a lot of confidence. My right foot had some inflammation or tendinitis going on though, because it did hurt.

Ran over to the Canyon Road trail and ran that for some easy miles. It felt good to be out running. 6:39 average. At the beginning of my run I watched a Logan Police officer follow this girl that was texting and driving for a good half mile before she finally realized and pulled over. 

Ran an easy mile to warmup, then did 4x4k @ Marathon Pace with a 1k jog recovery between each. I ended up running just a tad faster than marathon pace. I was mostly between like 5:54 and 6 minute pace on my fast parts. The wind coming out of Logan Canyon was killer as always. My legs didn't feel too terribly bad considering where they are at training wise. It was a good tempo type aerobic effort. It almost felt like my hear hurt for a little while, which was weird. An easy 1.3 miles to cooldown.

Going up the stadium hill was pretty rough, but after that I started to feel pretty good. I also passed Becca 1.25 in, which gave me an additional boost. A mile or so later I got a major sidestitch, and I couldn't run any faster. I stopped at the top of the hill to try and get rid of it. Unfortunately it lingered some for the rest of the run. My breathing did feel off today, but I couldn't get it right. Otherwise, my body felt quite good considering. If anything, the sidestitch helped me take an easy day. 6:50 average

Got up and did an easy mile to warmup and then some light drills and stretching to help wake up the body and the legs. I then started my 12xmiles at what was planned as 15 seconds faster than marathon pace, with 90 seconds recovery. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel, but I told myself if I feel decent and can hit the times, I will do the whole thing. Things worth noting: on the second one I thought my foot was going to flare up again and luckily it didn't, on the 5th and 6th ones my legs started to feel tired, mostly in my quads, on the 7th one I almost was hit by a motorcycle (never had that experience before), and the last one wasn't all out it was still controlled. Splits went as follows: 5:48, 5:44, 5:42, 5:42, 5:42, 5:41, 5:41, 5:38, 5:38, 5:38, 5:36, 5:26. A real nice and easy mile as a cooldown. Mile repeats is probably my favourite workout to do.

Ran some easy miles with Tom this morning. My legs obviously felt a little tired, but they have been pretty resilient lately. My tendonitis or whatever in my right foot I can feel ever so slightly though. I'm hoping to get rid of that today. 6:49 average

I intended to start at like 5:45, but I slept through my alarm and didn't get going until 6:30. The first few miles I wasn't sure how I would feel because my feet ached just a little bit and my right quad/IT band was pretty tight. Once I got a few miles into the run, I felt pretty good. There was a lot of stinking uphills on this course, but it was still a great run. Unfortunately I still had to stop twice to pee, which I need to figure out because I can't do that in the marathon. I tried to not tkae a long time on my water stops either, just get a drink and then keep going. I was still feeling good at the end and put forth a good effort the last mile or so and split a 5:50. 6:36 average. Now time to start coming down and rest up for the marathon in two weeks.

Back in West Point for the holiday and because I had a couple of days off of work. Ran a good old classic route trying to shake some of last week out of my legs. I felt pretty good for the most part. My quads still felt pretty tight in the beginning, and I did have some side stitch pains here and there throughout the second half of the run, but nothing like last week. It was also warmer than it normally is in Logan this time of morning. 6:29 average

Woke up sick to my stomach, and threw up an hour or so later, then more fun like that followed throughout the morning. It was pretty frustrating to have the stomach flu for the second time in the last month. I was also bummed because I missed out on the planned workout of some miles at marathon pace. Just rolling with the punches at this point.

Nice and easy run syncing the body back. Aerobically it was a little harder than I would have liked it to be, but that's what I expect after being sick. Ran on soft surfaces as well, because I figured if I'm going to have an easy run, I might as well make the most of it. 7:11 average

Ran really easy with Tom for the first five miles or so. I wasn't able to poop much beforehand, so I ended up having to poop on the run. I stopped at the Innovation Campus porta potty for that, then went down to the Canyon Rd Trail for a little extra mileage. I also tried to pick the pace up a little the last few miles, but it was pretty challenging because the legs were pretty locked into the slower pace. 

Didn't sleep the best last night as it was really really hot in my room.

Last truly taxing effort before the marathon. This was also my longish run for the week. Things felt good at the beginning, but it was hard to get the legs rolling. I got water about 7 to 7.5 miles in. As I was going up the stadium hill after that, a poop hit me, so I ended up having to put off my fast part a mile so that I could poop at Lunstrom park (the bathrooms must open June 1st). After that I did approximately the last 7 miles at a tempo effort. I was about 5:55s on those parts, and that was with some pretty good rolling uphills too. Quarter mile jog cooldown afterwards.

Haha all the ragnar vans looked at me like I was crazy this morning.

Ran really early because I had to be at work at 8. Things were pretty slow moving at first between it being early, the uphills, and the wind was pretty bad initially. I as happy with my effort up the long hill and then really everything after that. My legs didn't have any aches, but my feet are feeling yesterday a little. I thought I had to poop, so I did make a brief stop at a porta potty, but I could tell there wasn't anything coming out so I quickly got back on my way. 6:42 average

Went out for a fairly controlled and relatively easy effort to get the legs going after the weekend. 6:48ish average. Felt pretty relaxed. The legs did feel a little tired on the uphills though. 

Tom texted me saying his calf was tight and he was going to wait until tonight to run, so I ended up sleeping another hour and a half or so. Did 4 easy miles waking up and getting the legs going, then did 3 miles at marathon pace: going 5:58, 6:03, 6:00, and then a little over a mile cooldown back home. It took me about a mile to lock into that marathon pace, but once I did it felt really comfortable, and even easier than when we did it in the downhill a couple of weeks ago. My right IT band is a little tight though, so hopefully I can get that loosened up by Saturday. The fitness is there and the hay is in the barn, now time to take 'er easy and let 'er rip come Saturday morning.

Ran over to the Canyon Road trail and ran that today. I discovered it is slightly shorter than I thought it was. Aerobically things felt really easy today, but I could not get my legs moving. They just felt really sluggish. I rolled my IT bands a lot yesterday becuase they've been tight, so I don't know if that had anything to do with it. It also just be the weird way in which my body responds to rest, but I need the rest to be ready for Saturday. I was able to pick things up a little bit the last mile and a half or so. 6:50 average.

Super windy this morning, so the first mile uphill and into the wind was pretty killer. Other than that the run wasn't too bad. Things are still a little warm for my liking. I thought my left foot might hurt a little, but my right foot ended up hurting just a little bit. I think I'm going to try and wear different shoes to work todaya nd see if that makes a difference. 6:54 average, but 6:45s after that first mile.

Got up early and ran an easy shakeout over to the cross country course and a little bit on it, then back. Ended up shaking out a second poop in the process. Took care of that, then did a couple of strides. The strides weren't crazy quick, but relaxed. My feet were a little achy at first, but things are feeling good.

Well as Meb would say, I don't know if I exactly earned my PhD in the marathon today, but I think I can at least say I earned my masters. Tom and I did a mile easy warmup and some drills to get the legs warmed up and moving. The temperatures at the start were perfect. I honestly couldn't have really asked for a better first half. Things felt good and I was nailing the splits. The rolling uphills didn't really slow me down either, and by the end of those I had passed everyone except the leaders basically. (I also got to compete against some Kenyans today, I've never done that before) I went through the half in 1:20:10, which was about as perfect as it could get. At that point my quads started to feel the downhill and I didn't feel great for the next 3 miles or so. I was also annoyed because I was planning on fruit at mile 15, but the aid station didn't have any. After that I was able to get a second wind until about mile 21 or so, and then my legs started to really tighten up. I had to walk through some of the aid stations, and it was pretty hard to keep chugging along. I also had some minor cramping in my calfs, which hasn't really ever happened before. I definitely had 2:40 fitness in me if my legs had held up. 

Take aways of the day: I need to improve my form and running economy, as well as do more strength training. I feel like that may have contributed to my cramping at the end. I could also tell that my feet were fairly duck footed again. I'm motivated to give the marathon a go next year with some added fitness, and hopefully a much stronger body.

Stiffness and soreness much worse than it was last night. Staisr are actually giving me a hard time today, while yesterday they weren't too bad.

Walked up to the cemetary and around there to give my legs a little bit of movement. It's going to take a few days to get them semi back to normal.

Being on my feet and walking around at work was probably good for my legs today. When I got home I did a little bit of strength work. This evening I biked up to Green Canyon, hiked a little over a mile straight up the moutain, tried not to die coming back down the mountain, and biked back home. Going up was a solid cardio effort, and overall it was probably a good day for my legs.

Hiked Dry Canyon today. It was a much better grade, and super pretty. I was hoping to make it to the peak, but new it wasn't very likely with the snow on the tops due to the rain this morning. I made it up to 7500 feet before the snow forced me to turn around. I like going up, but coming down isn't ever fun. 

Went out for an hour bike ride in the evening. The low impact I feel was good for my legs. I went out through Smithfield and back. I was happy to get in some good aerobic efforts. 

Got up early and drove down to Fernwood to run with the high school team and test my legs post marathon. Rob wanted me to run with some of his young up and comers. The kid I ran with did the full loop for the first time ever. I mostly kind of just talked at him, but hopefully it was helpful. My legs were decent, but my calves are definitely still sore, and my butt was a little tight as well. Some of this may also be from my cross training over the last few days. It was good to be back running. I also broke out my new Altra Trail shoes. 54:30 was the time for the day

Today was a relaxed, thoughtless run out through a little bit of Hooper. My lower legs were tight and sore for the first mile or so, but after that they didn't feel too bad, at least it wasn't noticeable. I was just running by feel, but it ended up being a little faster than I had intended. 6:50 average

Easy miles on the small road this morning. M legs were feeling kind of sluggish and I couldn't get them going for quite a few miles. I ended up having to stop and poop at one point. I also stopped with three miles to go and talked with Tracy Fifield for a few minutes. Overall the legs just still feel tired. I also was running with a random chip on my shoulder today, and I have no idea why.

Went and tried out my newfound discovery of the shoreline trail south of Logan Canyon, starting from Dry Canyon. I was fairly pleased with it, I would definitely go back and run it on a weekly basis probably. The only downside is the trial is narrow so your legs are constantly in contact with the weeds and brush. There are some pretty good blimbs at certain points. The legs felt pretty good, in the first mile the top of my left knee hurt briefly, but quickly went away. 

Decided to scout out Green Canyon this morning. My watch freaked out I guess at the beginning, so I had to run in some cirles at the end of the run to get the actual full 10 miles. It's a nice gradual climb all the way up, and I wasn't going super fast, but my heart rate was still up. There are a lot of curves in the trail, which makes it hard to get rolling super fast as well. Dodging the mountain bikers was also a bit of a pain as well. My legs felt good, other than some slight pain in the left knee going down. 

It was a sluggish start, and for soe reasonm since I haven't ran hard on the roads for a while, I for some reason felt like I had to prove to myself that I am still fit. I pushed fairly hard up the long hill and then let the big downhill really get my legs going. I rolled with the faster pace for another 2.5 miles after the downhill, running right around 6:07 pace. Took it easy the last three quarters of a mile. I felt my left knee once about a mile in, but then nothing. My legs started to feel all of the climbing I've done by the end of my fast section today though.

That first mile with the stadium hill was really slow today. I used to be able to fly up that thing, granted that was also in the afternoons. I don't really care though, because that mile wakes up my body. Overall my legs just felt tired today, which is probably a combination of trails, a harder effort yesterday, and the fact that I moved 2500 pounds worth of bookshelves yesterday at work. Luckily it was a l ittle cooler this morning and I was in the shade for most of the run. I did feel the left knee a little still, but not really anything to worry about at this point.

Started running pretty early this morning with Tom. We ran the river trail in the canyon out a little over three miles, then turned around and came back. It wasn't super fast, but a nice start to the morning. From there I kept running out of the canyon, along the canyon road trail, then back to my apartment to grab water, and then kept rolling out and back on 12th east. I held a pretty good pace once off the river trail: 6:30s for the most part. I picked things up a little the last two miles. It's been hard to get the legs going this week it seems like at least. Some minor pain in my left knee in the second half of the run, I'm wondering if the trails have something to do with it. 6:55 average for the whole run, mostly due to an extremely slow start on the trails.

After two and a half miles or so I was able to really lock into the mid 6:30s pace and roll with that the rest of the run. My legs felt a little tired from yesterdays effort, but I didn't have any knee issues. I kept getting rocks in my shoes, but otherwise it wasn't a bad run at all.

It was a trails morning with Tom. We ran a little over three miles up Green Canyon, not going crazy fast, and then back down. I then crossed the street and ran the shoreline trail almost over to Logan Canyon and then back to my car. My glutes and calves were tight the first mile or so, but after that I felt fine for the rest of the run. I also realized I don't hate that portion of the shoreline trail like I thought I did.

My legs were still asleep when I started this morning. I ran the first four or so miles with Tom just waking up the legs. Then I started fartleks. I paused them briefly because I ran into Austin Costley on the canyon Rd trail. I ran with him for a few minutes. The fartleks were good moderate effort for me

Ran a classic West Point loop. I ran by feel, and I would have guessed that I was going about ten seconds faster per mile than I actually was. It took my legs a bit the first mile to feel normal, they are used to climbing a hill first thing. My legs felt fine for the most part, although I did feel my left knee a bit. Aerobically it felt a bit harder than it should have, which I'm thinking is probably from not getting enough sleep over the last two days. 

Met up with the high school team this morning on the trails. Did a short little warmup that was pretty casual. I wanted to go hard today, but unfortunately I had to do it by myself. I tried to run mostly by feel. I felt good going out, and hit the gate at 22:10. Ultimately the story of the way back was the uphills were hard, especially in the mile after HPH. I came back in 24:08, making my time 46:18. This was almost a minute and a half faster than the Syracuse Record, so Rob said he'll call mine the alumni record. I did two really slow and easy miles up the other way on the trail afterwards to cool down.

It was really hard to get out of bed and get going this morning. I took things pretty easy, and decided to explore the eastbound path that connects the bluff path to the old rail path. I wasn't the biggest fan, but it was okay for a recovery run. Coming back my left knee hurt a little, and then while elevating after the run, the outside of both of my knees hurt pretty good. 6:55 average, and my legs didn't have much juice today.

I got a good early start this morning, which was nice considering the heat once the sun came up. I felt like I was holding a decent pace for the first 8 or 10 miles, but it was in reality only 6:40s. After that I got this second wind almost and was able to gradually pick up my effort. I felt my left knee just a bit at one point, and my lower legs were sore the first half. I was able to close around a 6 minute pace. My right quad was pretty tight afterward.

Some easy miles on the BST from Dry to Millville Canyons. My legs didn't have it on the uphills today at all. My legs were pretty slow and stiff the first two miles or so as well. I really don't like all the weeds that rub up against your legs, so I don't know how often I'm going to run this trail anymore. There were tons of grasshoppers first thing this morning too because I think I was the first one on the trail.

Went out for an early morning fartlek out into Providence. It ended up being a lot more hilly than I thought it would be. As a result I was actually pretty slow going out, as it was hard to get moving on the uphills. I had some good efforts coming back, but man the big uphill sreally got my legs today. The early morning and not getting as much sleep as I would like probably contributes.

Some easy morning miles in West Point that hopefully did the body some good. I need to get more sleep though. I ran up to Tom's parents house to meet him and Fessler. We then did an easy 4 mile loop together. I put in another few more miles around and through West Point. Everything felt pretty good overall, but afterwards as I was elevating and stretching I realized that my back and hips had some sore spots, which must be from something non running related I did yesterday.

It was a rough morning as I couldn't get out of bed, and then it took an extremely long time to poop. Getting my legs going was pretty hard as well. I did 15 minutes warming up, then 42:15 of what was supposed to be a steady state effort. I was slow getting going, and then ended up runinng quite a bit of it too fast. Between the hills and my legs, I wasn't very steady. However, I averaged 5:43s for that segment. I then did 5 minutes of a cooldown. My butt felt the uphills, especially towards the end.

Ran with Tom on the Logan Canyon trails this morning. He thought the Spring Hollow trail was going to be runnnable, but it's quite steep and rocky. So we mostly had to run on the River Trail. The pace wasn't anything crazy, but it was still a good effort and something different for the legs. The first mile was pretty rough as my legs were tight and tired, and it took a while for things to loosen up

My legs were really tired today, especially after some of that crazy uphill yesterday. I was barely moving up the stadium hill, and all of the uphills were kind of rough on the legs. I ran by feel and ended up running a little faster than I thought. 6:42 average. I ended up having to stop at the Rec Center in Smithfield to poop. I did feel my left knee a little in the second half of the run as well. Over the last two miles, I felt like my body wasn't using oxygen quite as well as normal.

Ran the shoreline trail onto the highline trail with Tom this morning. We weren't flying, but it took two miles before my legs really had any energy. I could have killed Tom on the uphills, so I took them pretty easy. My legs still didn't have tons of pop. I did 4 more miles up Green Canyon, which honestly I think did my legs wonders. The gradual uphill worked the legs, and then I was able to relax on the downhill coming back. No real pains or aches today. 7:30s average. I didn't get the best night's sleep last night, as I kept waking up in the middle of the night. I also didn't eat lunch yesterday and wasn't as hydrated yesterday as I should have been.

I still didn't have the most restful of nights last night, which was a little frustrating in all honesty. I don't know why I can't sleep without waking up. I told myself I was going to make today a fairly easy fartlek. I wanted to push the bigger uphills though (partially to get after the strava segments). I ran by feel, which ended up being slower than I would have anticipated. I only noticed it on my fast parts, but I didn't feel like I was getting in my complete stride. It felt like my hips were stopping my legs from fully extending themselves almost. My watch said afterwards that my stride on the run was about a foot shorter than normal too. 

I still kept waking up last night. I was hopeful that my legs would feel better today, but they were still pretty tired and sluggish. I couldn't get them going any faster than 7 minute pace. I'm convinced this is probably a result of my shoes being worn out and my legs are therefore not able to recover from the pounding they are experiencing. I did 2 strides afterwards to try and get my legs back in check.

Based on how hard 7 minute pace felt on my 2.5 mile warmup, I wasn't sure how well my steady state effort was going to go, as they were still dragging. Once I got rolling though, I felt fairly good other than being warm. There would be moments of like 30 seconds where my legs would feel tired, but then it would go away. I did 45 minutes of steady state effort, and covered 7.58 miles in that time, which comes out to 5:56 average. The splits were 6:02, 6:04, 5:57, 5:57, 5:54, 5:54, 5:52, and 5:47 pace the last not full mile. An easy half mile cooldown back home.

Wasn't planning on the long run today before last night, so I was pretty happy with how this run went. It took me probably 5 miles before my feet and legs started to feel decent. It was probably around 8 miles in where I was able to pick the pace up a little as well. I had to stop at East Park to poop and then got a drink as well. On my way down 300 I ran into Fessler and ran with him back to his house. During the last four or so miles, my quads started to feel the microtears and tightened up some. My mouth was also dry at that point.

It was an early, easy run this morning. I averaged 6:57s, but I honestly couldn't have ran any faster than I did today. My right quad was in pretty bad shape and was hurting pretty bad by the end of the run. I didn't realize yesterdays microtears were so bad. I did some scouting for deer without any luck. I did see a fox on the small road though!

Mostly just wanted to shake off the weekend as I didn't get enough sleep and ate way too much junk. It was actually a decent effort, and other than the uphills being hard, things were pretty good. My right quad started to tighten up in the last two miles or so. I almost stepped on a rattlesnake on the highline trail, which was a good wake up for my senses to say the least.

Earliest run I've had in a while, started at 5. Felt decent the first few miles, but I knew they were slow. Six miles in my right quad started to hurt pretty good. It never went away after that, and it made it hard to pick up the pace. 6:57 average. Also today I finally ran in some new shoes, Saucony Ride 9s. 

I decided with how my right quad felt yesterday, it was better to not try and do a fartlek today. I decided to get a good chunk of my run in on dirt as that would probably help my legs, which ended up being true. My legs felt significantly better and more relaxed when I was on dirt. The last two miles I felt good enough to pick the pace up a little bit. 6:48 average. Still getting the new shoes to feel good on my feet though.

My leg finally felt back to normal today, and with some decent rest and recovery yesterday I was able to have a better run than expected. It felt good and since I didn't have a hard effort this week, I let myself enjoy the run. 6:25 average. With the last three 6:15 and below. My feet hurt from the new shoes, and I remembered that my socks never seem to sit right in Sauconys at first. My inner lower leg muscles had some minor aches here and there, but nothing out of the ordinary. 

I had a hard time waking up, and then I couldn't get my poop flowing the way I would have liked before getting going this morning. It didn't really cool down at all, so the first few miles I was adjusting to the heat and waking up my body. My legs did really well and didn't give me any problems. My left shoe still makes my foot hurt, but it's not even really muscular, moreso hot spot type pain. I did have one quick stop where I tried to poop during the run, but not much came out so I kept trucking and it didn't bother me. The hardest part about the run today way the mental aspect over the last five miles. I needed someone or something to distract my mind, because physically I felt fine. 6:34 average

Got up early and pushed Dry Canyon in the dark, hoping to make it to Logan Peak. I wasn't sure if the trail went all the way, and it doesn't, so getting close is all I was able to do. Surprisingly, the few times when I stopped to hike on the way up, it felt better on my legs to run. I did feel the strain on my calves though. The worst part was that the trail was pretty grown in, and all the plants ripped up the legs and arms some, and I was super itchy afterward. 

In the evening after I got home from work, I did a 3.9 mile shakeout/de-stressing run. 6:28 average for that. It was hot, but everything felt good other than my feet. Partially because I ran in my work socks probably.

AM-Was planning on doing a fartlek, but two miles in when I realized that I was going 7:10 pace and it felt like a 6:20 effort, I decided to bag it and just survive the run. I had to start at 5 so I could get to work on time. Nothing really felt out of wack though. 6:58 average for 9 miles

PM- Did an evening shakeout with Tom, as he tested his legs. Unfortunately his legs are trashed, but I felt really good, and running felt pretty effortless. 4.2 averaging 6:54, but a good chunk of it was faster than that.

Slept in a little, which felt good. It was slow getting out the door this morning, but a great morning for a run. Ran the trails, and it was raining, which was refreshing. Saw a deer and some chukars as well. There was also a high school team up there that I passsed both ways. Things felt good today, and overall it was one of my better trail runs. 7:10 average, but I was approaching today as recovery anyways

I was really waning in motivation this morning, and almost didn't run. This is not like me. In all honesty my legs felt fine, however they didn't have a whole lot of pop as my run was still relatively slow. I didn't really care too much because I was mostly proud of myself for getting out the door, but I may have to cut back on the mileage. I think everything else in my life is starting to crash down on my running. 6:59 average

Ran in the evening after an early morning at work. I felt good for the first half of my run, but then about half way through I had quite the allergy attack. I've never had this happen mid-run before. I had everything from my nose, coughing, and sneezing. That really messed with my breathing ability it felt like. I averaged 6:47s, which wasn't quite as fast as it felt, so I don't know, but I honestly enjoy running, even though lately I haven't been running well..

Felt awfully wiped out when I woke up, so I just decided to call it a rest day. I struggled through some core work, but that was about it. 

Ran without a watch to try and help my mental state, which it did and I was able to enjoy my run more than if I wa paranoid by my watch. My left big toe tendinitis started hurting right at the beginning, and I felt it periodically throughout the run, generally on the uphills. I hadn't felt it at all before today, which is weird.. Otherwise everything seemed to be in line.

Ran hard. Trying to run away from some demons. Toe still hurts. Who cares.

Medium effort based on heart rate. Only good thing about working nights is that I am awake in the morning. Getting going up the hill was rough though. Felt the toe a little, but also slightly felt the right one.

The run went better than I thought it would beforehand because my legs were pretty tired at work, and my hips felt pretty tight. Once again, once I got going, I didn't even feel like  I needed to take it particularly easy. Same situation as yesterday with the toes. But they aren't getting worse luckily.

An hour of running at altitude

70 minutes of running at altitude

50 minutes of running at altitude. Pretty slow and not very motivated

Windy and really smokey air. Wasn't motivated to get out of bed, and didn't really feel the running either. My quads and hips were pretty tight. 7:03 average, still in the slump

Ran four miles on the trails by myself to get in a decent aerobic effort. I did those at 7 minute pace, which is moderate effort on the trails. I then did the full 7 miles out and back with Zach and Jeff as some nice recovery to get the legs and body back in check. Easy running at 9 minute pace.

Ran in the good old kinvaras today. Mile and a half warmup, followed by some light dynamic stretching, drills, and two strides. Then started into 2x2miles with 4 minute recoveries going 11:26 and 10:58. I originally had planned on doing another rep of 2 miles, but based on how my legs felt I decided to break it into two one mile reps because I still wanted to try and hit my paces. I went 5:18 and 5:17, just slower than I would have liked, but I couldn't really get my legs to go any faster. I was breathing pretty good on that last rep as well. Other than my legs struggling some and the speed being a bit of a shock to the system, I was pretty happy with how it went overall. Mile cooldown.

Legs were pretty tired and sore this morning, so didn't try and do anything crazy. Ran my Hooper/Clinton loop backwards to avoid any back to school traffic. Nothing hurt enough to be concerned over. 6:41 average.

Lower legs especially were still sore and my first 5 miles were right at 7 minute pace. 6:48 average

Back in Logan, and I felt the slightly higher altitude difference. Ran up and met Tom for a few easy miles. Legs were a little tired this morning and it took a while to get them going. Ended up averaging 6:43s, with the last three miles under 6:30, so I still somewhat had a progression. Upper body also a little sore from push ups yesterday.

AM 6.3 mile trail adventure up to Naomi Peak and back. Pretty good climb going up and easy running coming down. Beautiful views up at the top, unfortunately Tom lost his phone. 13:28 average for that run with the hills.

PM 3.8 miles at 6:50 average with a neighbour of mine that isn't in the best of shape. We were bouncing around between like 6 flat and 7:15s the whole run, which I could handle but he was killing himself, haha. Things felt good. Very pleased overall with this week and that my legs don't feel shot. Sleep helps

Training in the dark is here to stay. Took a while to get the legs going this morning. Second half was with Tom. Calfskin still a little sore, but good. Kicked the last half mile down the hill as well

Nice and slow mile and a quarter warmup followed by some stretching and drills. Then I did 3 miles at goal 10k pace, with splits of 5:25, 5:25, 5:29 for 16:20 total. Jogged for 5 minutes and then did 5x1k at goal 5k pace with 2 minute jog recoveries. Averaged right around 3:15-16s, which I was happy with, but they were pretty hard. It was hard for me to keep that pace rolling on those repeats, and I wasn't really breathing through my nose at all. I felt like I had to poop on the last couple as well. Really easy mile and half cooldown back home where I had some pretty crazy allergy reactions, which stinks but also is a sign that I ran hard.

Side note is I played a little bit of ultimate frisbee this afternoon/evening. Haha Greg Hoffman also asked if I was still running, and when I said yes, his response was, "Yeah you look like it!"

Legs are definitely feeling yesterday, but luckily the calves aren't destroyed because I did the workout in trainers. Pretty slow start, and then my communication with Tom was poor. I waited at his place for a few minutes buy it didn't look like he was up so I just left. Had to poop a little for most of the run as well. 6:51 average

Was supposed to meet Tom, but he didn't wake up again, so I ran like half a mile back and forth by his place waiting just in case. Not super fast today, just taking it easy. Things felt decent, but my feet did hurt a little. Probably a sign the worn out shoes need to be retired. 6:57 average. Probably should have done more for recovery yesterday as well.

Hit the shoreline and highline trails with Tom. We probably had the first three miles int he dark with our headlights. Legs didn't feel super strong, so it was probably a good thing to hit the trails. I did another 2.5 miles after up and down Green Canyon. My feet didn't hurt today, so the shoes probably have been the issue since I wore different shoes today (my trail shoes)

Ran the causeway with Tracy and some of the Ogden Crew guys. Honestly the best I've felt and the best long run I've had in a long while. Makes me kind of excited for a marathon again. 6:21 average, I did through almost 14.5 with Tracy, and then he told me to do about a mile and a quarter hard and then cooldown the rest. I was able to run about 5:25 pace for that, which was nice considering how hard I'd been running previously. The causeway is long and buggy, but running with a group of five guys made it seem effortless. 

Easy run by myself in the cuse. Fasting yesterday messed up by bowels, so as I expected I had to poop around halfway. I felt much better after that. The legs were tired and a little stiff after Saturday. 6:50 average

Pretty blah kind of run just going through the motions. Feet were a little tight at first, but otherwise the legs got feeling better the longer I was on them. 7flat average. Part of the blahness was from it bing too hot to sleep in my apartment

Pace was all over the place today due to hills and Tom not being able to get his legs moving. The first couple of miles my left foot and ankle hurt on the outside like yesterday. I also had the new shoes foot ache the first two miles today. Otherwise things are tight, but still good .

Made an educated decision to hit the treadmill today due to all the smoke particles in the air. This pushed my running back a little because the ARC doesn't open until 6. I ran the half mile up there, then did 9 miles in 60 minutes on the Tready listening to Cities mag podcast. Then ran the half mile home. Other than just suffering on the hamster wheel, the foot and ankle story was basically exactly the same as yesterday.

6.8 miles averaging 6:47 pace. The first mile and a half I ran at medium effort because I was running a few minutes late for meeting Tom. I did four pretty easy miles with him. After the run I did a couple of strides in the parking lot. Basically the same story with my feet as the last two days, hopefully the shoes will break in here soon. The legs are feeling good, and it'll be interesting to see what I can do tomorrow over 10k.

Warmed up around 2.5 miles with Riley, Ben, and Tom. Things felt pretty good. Once the gun went off I found myself in no mans land pretty quickly, which I didn't really want, but ended up being the reality for the whole race. My quads didn't feel like they had the pop or the strength I wanted today, especially on the uphills. The first 5k had a lot more uphill than I was ready for, which slowed be down pretty good. I was high 17:30s to 17:40 through 5k, and then ended up feeling decent once the downhill came back. My legs did start to fail me at the end though. I did 2.7 miles of cooldown with Trace, and I honestly didn't feel too bad once I got going.

Easy miles with Tom to start off. The hamstrings and calves were a little sore and tired, but overall not bad at all. I did a few more miles after that, and picked the pace of a little. The run felt really long and boring today though, probably because I was struggling to get the miles I needed with my route. 

Had a hard time waking up the body and getting the bowels flowing the way I wanted before running. I felt decent once I got going, but I did have the poop pains. Since it was dark it was hard to spot porta potties, but I luckily the one I knew of was still there right when I really needed it. 6:46 average, so decent pace. It's pretty hard to guage pace when it's dark and you can't really anything. The feet gave me a little problem the first mile, but beyond that I was fine. The legs still feel a little tired, but overall pretty good. 

This workout ended up going a lot better than I had thought it would, especially now that I've had some time to analyze the metrics from it a little. I probably did 10 to 14 minutes of running to somewhat warm up, and then did 20 x 1minute on/off, basically completely by feel because it was dark. I did not feel very strong on the uphill parts, which shows me that is something I need to work on. For the most part my fast parts were between 5:20 and 5:40 pace, most of them around 5:30, and my off segments were actually a little faster than I had anticipated, most not dropping below 6:35 pace. I was consciously making sure I didn't slow down too much on those. My very last rep was uphill and I was starting to really feel it, so it ended up only being around 6 minute pace, but I also had taken the previous off segment slower as well. I had about two miles of an easy cooldown around 7 minute pace. The average heartrate for my run was 176, so I was definitely working. I wore the heart rate monitor for the first time, and it gave me a bunch more metrics. My vertical oscillation is kind of high considering how quick my cadence is, which tells me I probably need to hit the weight room and get a lot stronger in my core and hips, as well as work on better mechanics with my arms. 

Overall very happy, especially considering that 10k is probably lingering in my legs a little. 

I tried to pay attention to my effort today to keep things in control and get the recovery I needed. I can't run super slow on my own very easily though. I averaged 6:57 pace, with pretty consistent 6:50s, with the uphills being slower. I ran out to the no man land farm land, and it was extremely dark. I wished I had a headlamp. Average heartrate was 159.

Nice and relaxing miles this morning on the trails with some cooler weather and rain. I did almost get attack by some dogs roaming the woods in the dark while doing my 3 mile warmup. Did 6 miles with Tom on the shoreline and highline trails. The run was really exactly what I needed today. 7:20 average, 158 average heart rate

6:40 average. Did the first 7.5 by myself at a decent clip. Cooler morning, so perfect running weather. Did the rest of the run with Tom. Felt good, was mostly going for the time on the feet more than anything. Nothing was really hurting though. 

Tried to keep things pretty relaxed for my run this morning, but I was kind of surprised when I analyzed my watch data afterwards. My average heart rate was just over 160, not what I expected. My heart rate really shoots up those first few minutes though.. The legs felt pretty good for the most part, so it was just shaking out 48 hours of not running. 6:56 average. I'm not sure what to think of this heart rate stuff at this point.

Didn't get to bed quite as early as I was hoping to last night, but I was able to wake up fine this morning. I ended up reading my scriptures before running today because I thought the rain might die down a little over those 30 minutes. I don't think it did though. I didn't wear a light or anything reflective, which was probably a little dumb. I mixed it up by running the 3 mile workout loop, then the 6 mile loop. I ended up running half of a mile with the guy I pass all the time, his name is Sterling. He just likes to run, but it was good to meet him. He was huffing pretty good going 7 minute pace though. I had a few 6:20s mixed in today, with the majority of the rest around 6:40. I also learned that it is extremely difficult to see puddles in the dark. I of course was completely soaked by the end of the run. Things felt good though, probably because I find running in the rain energizing. 6:38 average

My original plan was to do a workout this morning since it was most likely going to be the only day without rain for the rest of the week. However, when my alarm went off, I was not feeling the best and decided to bag it then. I couldn't poop beforehand either. I just went out and put in some miles. The fact that I knew it was cool out helped motivate me to get out the door because that is my favourite kind of running weather. I did end up having to stop almost 8 miles in to take care of some business. 6:48 average. Saw some of the North Logan deer this morning as well, but they were surprised to see a human running in the dark. My legs were also a little stiff and sore today due to the fact that after my cool and rainy run yesterday I didn't stretch, roll, or take any prehab action.

My bed was still calling my name this morning. I felt good once I finally got out the door and running though. Getting up the motivation to do workouts by myself in the dark is challenging though, especially since I can't even see my watch. My route today had a lot of somewhat rolling hills, which I was honestly loving today, as it got me moving. 6:36 average feeling pretty good once I got going. My left ankle and shin were bothering me the first mile or so though. I did feel that my breathing was a little harder than normal today though.

Some slightly damp miles with the timex since the Garmin didn't want to find satellites. Enjoying the run, did a few miles on the Lundstrom park trail to give the legs a little break.

This run turned out better than I anticipated it would. It was a cool morning and I didn't start crazy fast. It took me a while to get going, plus the first half of the run is pretty hilly. After 6 miles or so I was able to start picking up the pace. Once I got done with the uphill I did 4.5 miles at a good effort, I was mostly running by feel on all that downhill, both the steep and gradual. I ended up throwing down a bunch of 5:40s. The last 4 miles were around 6:30s, just trying to recover. It was a kind of weird sensation though for my legs after almost five miles of fast running to still be moving at a decent pace but try to recover. Great effort. 6:28 average. Made up for the fact that I didn't get a workout in during the week. 

Weird weathered morning, I didn't know how to dress. The fact that the temperature is dropping while I'm running doesn't help. I hit the Lundstrom Park trail in the dark, then met up with Tom and did 5 slow miles with him. Pretty easy day overall. Haha Tom was complaining about how dark and cold it was. 6:50 average, things felt pretty good.

Not sure where the entry for this run went... but I don't want to type it all out again. Ran semi hard, 6:38ish average. Lots of introspection

My legs felt a bit sluggish this morning. 6:48 average. I just couldn't really get the stride to open up, but that's okay. I wasn't looking for anything crazy today

Really windy this morning, which wouldn't be that big of deal, but my legs didn't really have the energy to fight against it. I felt like my legs needed some Green Canyon loving to get them feeling back to normal, so I ran up past the cave aways from 16th, so like 2 miles of uphill. That seemed to give my legs what they needed, and then I felt great on all the downhill back. 6:53 average.

Probably overall ran harder than I should have this morning. Started 30 minutes later so that I could get my full 7 hours of sleep, plus I have time to do that on Fridays. The outside of my left calf was sore today, especially on the uphills, probably from yesterdays climb. I need to roll them really well later today. My breathing felt kind of hard too, especially the first couple of miles, I had a string of 3 6:30s in the middle of my run today, and I just let it happen because it didn't feel out of control. The gradual uphills in the end really got me though. 6:42 average. 

Random side note: the fact that I'm going to be standing for hours at the game tonight is not going to help what I want to do tomorrow morning in Mantua for my long run. 

Last nights football was crazy and didn't leave me as rested as I could have been for this run, but it ended up being a really good run anyways and it was well worth it. The progression concept didn't go exactly how I had envisioned in my head, so I ended up making some adjustments on the fly. The first 8 miles or so were around 6:40-45, and then when I started picking it up, it wasn't as gradual as intended. I went like 6:23 6:13 6:06 6:10 6:01 5:57 5:46. I had planned another mile of hard running, but since the whole run had been faster than planned and I was starting to feel the wheels go, I did the last three miles as a cool down between 6:35 and 6:40 pace. 6:27 average. The lower legs were still sore like yesterday, but otherwise things felt really good. 

Ran 5 miles by myself, then a little over 5 with Tom, then a half mile or so finishing up. I didn't feel the greatest today. The legs were tired, and overall I felt pretty sluggish from the weekend. No crazy pains, but didn't have a whole lot of pop. 6:57 average.

I slept extremely well last night. 6:42 average today in some intense fog. My lower legs felt fine today, but my left hip/lower back hurt a little for the first half, then it moved more into my left IT band and knee a little. I think my hip flexors and IT band are just tight, which is also limiting my stride.

First time in a long time the hours I slept was more than the miles I ran. Before I went to bed last night I had the thought, you need to turn on your alarm, but I didn't. I woke up at 6 this morning to my roommates alarm going off. As a result, I hurried to try and get ready, and got in a quick 5.5 mile run. I could have gotten the full miles if I'd skipped reading my scriptures, but that wasn't worth it. Nothing crazy the first two miles. Between 6:10 and 6:15 for the next three miles, and then 6:48 pace for the last half mile. 6:34 average. Also really windy during this run.

Welp, it happened again and I forgot to set my alarm. I have class 30 minutes later today, but pooping wasn't cooperating today so I was only able to do 7.2 miles. It was cool, and my legs didn't really seem to want to work. 6:47 average.

17.7 miles. More than anything I was just wanting to get some time on my feet today. I thought my bowels were going to be fine, but two miles in I could tell that wasn't going to be the case. I had to stop at the Hyde Park Cemetary to poop, and there were a few points later on where my stomach felt pretty uneasy and I was afraid I was going to have to poop again. I was able to keep a good pace for the second half of the run, but the first half was just getting me going. 6:38 average. Nothing crazy like my last couple of long runs though.

Afternoon: 1.7 miles of running around and cheering during the men's cross country race. 

Went duck hunting this morning, so didn't get out the door to run until almost noon. It was a lot warmer than I'm used to. My legs were extremely heavy today, yet I couldn't really slow down. 6:13 average. I attempted a couple of times to relax some, but it didn't do much, so I went with it. Being awake, it being warmer, having food in my stomach, and the flat plus lower altitude all influences probably why I was able to run faster.

Bowels weren't what I would have liked this morning, and as a result I was late getting out the door, as well as had to take a stop on the run, which wasn't even extremely effective. 6:53 average today. I was pretty relaxed and enjoying the run. Tested out my new headlight, which is awesome. Was also enjoying the cool weather. The legs felt basically 100 percent, nothing like they did Saturday.

My sleep had to be cut short yesterday due to a chain of events. I actually felt extremely rested when I woke up this morning though. Yesterday afternoon/evening my calves and knees were a little achy, but nothing seemed to bother me too much today. Mixed things up a little today with my route, and saw more deer than normal. I also saw a raccoon on the Lundstrom Park trail. A little faster than yesterday, 6:45 average. I discovered the Gradient Adjusted Pace thing on Strava today, which is pretty cool as well to see what the effort is on the hills. 

While I slept great last night, I woke up this morning feeling exhausted. It was a little slower first mile as I wasn't feeling the uphill climb, plus the construction is more of a pain now than it used to be. The longer I ran today the better I felt overall, but my hipflexors haven't been feeling up to snuff. My left one actually bothered my a couple of times on some uphills. I need to take some time to do some serious foam rolling, and do some strides to open up the legs.

Medium effort day on the trails, felt pretty good overall. Did feel the left hip flexor some in the beginning. 7:02 average

Kept things pretty relaxed today. It was pretty cool and crisp so my legs weren't necessarily moving ideally. Nothing really bothered me today, and I think I've about got my stride back to normal. Did two quick strides att he end of the run.

The first few miles I was thinking I needed to hit the strength training more, which I probably do, but the run improved the longer I ran. Once I got into Hyde Park I was able to push pretty good on the uphill climb, and then keep a solid medium effort pace for the rest of the run, with most of the miles around 6:15. It was pretty nice weather. 6:30 average for the whole run. 

Woke up with slightly sore hips/glutes from some potato harvesting yesterday.

I felt pretty good this morning, but couldn't really get the legs moving. I didn't feel it while running, but I do think my glutes and hips were still a bit stiff/tight, and that was probably why. 6:50 average. 

The first two and a half miles or so my breathing felt way harder than it should, but felt much more normal once I picked up the pace a little. I love the feeling of my legs just flowing and not having to think about it, and feeling like I am just floating along. 6:39 average, with 5 miles in the middle at 6:30 pace. My right knee was achy and tight for the first half mile or so up the stadium hill, but otherwise felt good for the rest of the run.

6:39 average, so today statistically looks basically exactly the same as yesterday, but it wasn't. My splits overall were a bit more consistent today. Other than Mile 8, all of them were between 6:30 and 6:44 I believe. Lots of runners out today surprisingly. I also scared a lady, and I wasn't even being loud. She can't be that jumpy if she is going to run in the dark. My left knee was pretty tight for the first mile and a half or so, and my legs felt extremely tired through the first two and a half miles or so. Things loosened up after that, but my legs didn't feel quite as fluid as yesterday. I also had to stop at my normal porta-potty, but I'm afraid it won't be there much longer.