Clyde's Comeback!

Biggish workout: Did the same 10 mile DC loop as last weeks workout with a 1 mile, and 2 mile tempo in the middle. My stomach was unsettled this morning (has been all week) so I didn't know what would happen once the tempo started. But after a 2.5 mile warm up I started the first mile in the same place I did it from last week. 4:54- it felt choppy but I was surprised with the time.  Jogged from the finish of this mile over to the River Bridge by the DC and started the 2 mile set from there to River Road. 2 mile in 10:19 (4:58, 5:21). This set felt a little more smooth and not as choppy as the first mile set. But I still slowed more than I wanted on the second mile with the little hills. Overall I'm pretty pleased. Big improvement from last weeks sets of 4:58, 10:33. However today I did it in the cool morning and last week it was in the afternoon at around 90 F and last week I'd already ran 10 miles that morning... 

No run tonight. It is our 10 year anniversary today. Mik'L had meetings until after 8 and so when she got home we just wanted food. Ordered some pizza from the factory and ate way too much. 

Taylor came over this morning and we did a EZ little run. Went out by Silkwood and looped some dirt roads then came back. 7:20 avg. Just chillin like a villain.

10 miles with the running club tonight. Regular loop. Just a chatty 7:03 pace. Never picked it up- rather just ran 7 min avg the entire run.

Middle B-hills loop. I really didn't want to run this morning. I've been on a running high for about 10 days but today I really just felt blah. Didn't sleep at all last night... maybe 2 good hours. Looking forward to not running the rest of the day and just kicking it with Myler and Mik'L.  

Met Dave, Logan and Taylor at the DC this morning. Ran an out and back up to River Road then back down the other trail into Bloomington. I felt like junk today. Last week I felt out of this world and today I would have been lucky to break 3 hours had it been race day. Good thing it wasn't. Just kind of sore all over and achy. Had a hard time getting into any sort of flow. Anyways my garmin was acting up on the way out but our pace on the way back in was a 6:34 avg and Logan kept pushing the pace or I would have ran with the 7 min guy. 

 Long B-hills loop with Paul H. Out at 6 a.m (early for me right now). It was still around 66 F. Decided to go shirtless. Good choice as it was pretty warm for the run. We kept a EZ but honest pace until the last hill by the gas station. The slowed a little back to the house. Belly was kind of jacked from taking cayenne pepper last night to help keep the immune system up. Legs felt so so.  

6.6 miles tonight around the middle B-hills loop. Ran it in reverse as to hit the headwind first. Just tried to relax and let the body run whatever pace felt good. No watch but it felt faster than 7 min pace. Legs feel about where they should for a Monday before a marathon. Nerves are medium to high.

Last Biggish workout before UV. Did the same 10 mile loop course I've been doing with a 1 mile then a 2 mile tempo mixed in. I wanted to run this today but not dip into any race day magic to pull it off. So I decided to try and slow it down a little and just get around the loop. Again started with a 2.5 mile warm up and hit the first mile through B-hills and around to the golf course. 4:56- too fast. I wanted to be around 5:15 pace but somehow the speedometer wouldn't dial it up correctly. Effort felt pretty smooth so I didn't stress about it. Jogged a couple miles over to the DC bridge and then started the 2 mile. I though I'd really try and run smooth and EZ on the first mile and then maybe try gearing up a little on the last mile. 5:15- This mile was perfect. It was very comfortable and the body didn't try and go faster just because it could. 5:21- Another good mile. Upped the effort a little into the inclines and actually ran a PR for this mile (last week was 5:22).  Good overall workout without laboring the body. Now to really crank up the taper and rest up before Saturday.

Cooled down back up River Road and back home. Feeling pretty optimistic about the days to come. 

EZ run around the inner B-hills loop. Relaxed. Went to the golf course to use the potty. It was a blessing. Trying not to think about the race this weekend. 

Little Valley loop. Got the second straight horrible nights sleep last night. Woke up feeling like I got run over by a garbage truck. However once I finally drug myself out the door and got running my "running" body felt pretty good. Legs felt great, stomach felt great and the fresh air of the morning seemed to loosen up all my anxiety. Hoping to relax today- sleep good tonight and drive up north tomorrow morning. 

Had a accident yesterday. Who knew mixing bleach and toilet cleaner would create a toxic chloramine gas? I inhaled it while cleaning the potty and then spent time with poison control. It burned/iced/froze my lungs up so I couldn't breath. It was pretty scary for about 30 min's. It will slowly get better but it sucks that the marathon is tomorrow. It all makes sense to me know. I always clean the toilet this way but this time I was actually kneeling by the potty so it made the fumes worse. But in the past when I have felt like my lungs were wrapped with a rubber band now I know why... like last year at STG marathon. I cleaned the house and toilets the Thursday before the race.... 

Anyways I'm going to live. I'm actually going to go up and see what happens at the race. I've been too pumped up for this race to not show. I'm not sure what will happen but between now and then hopefully a miracle. 

Jogged over to the park this morning and then from there down to River road I tried MP. It was hard and I couldn't have did it for 26.2. Then kind of cooled down another mile. I had to see what would happen and maybe kind of help my lungs work the junk out of them.

Devastated doesn't do this justice.

"Sorrow is part of the game". Pat Riley

Normally I'd say this race was a bummer but it wasn't. My week leading up to this race was a bummer and caused me not to be able to bring the "A" game. So under the circumstances I ran ok to good up til mile 24... then the levy broke. Recap on the week. Bad sleep every night. No naps. Lots/ LOADS of extra stress (none running related). Then my little Chlorimine gas incident where I damaged the lungs on Thursday. Honestly the week sucked. And I only got 2.5 hours of sleep Friday night. I've been so tired all week but just can not fall asleep when it time to do so. 

However through it all we drove up on Friday, had dinner with some friends and I found myself on the bus at the right time Saturday morning on the way up the the start of the race. Had to wake at 2:30 a.m to do so.  Got a little warm up in, hit the porta potty, and chatted... then it was time to race. Before the race I was freezing. After the race started I was hot the entire way down.

Mile splits- I took mine off the garmin. I noticed on some of the guys reports that their watch spits were a little off mine. I also recorded the course long at 26.27

1. 5:52- Slow but good mile to warm up into the race.

2. 5:26- In a group with Sasha, Dave, Jake and the likes of Mr. Paul Peterson

3. 5:14- I had no idea this mile was this fast. Didn't feel that way.

4. 5:34- By now Jake and Paul have moved up and even Dave had pulled ahead. So it was just Sasha and I for a while.

5. 5:27- Having Sasha right behind you has it's perks. Like you can turn your brain off and let him handle the math. So he'd verbally post split times. Kind of nice. 

6. 5:34- Same as the last couple miles

7. 5:33- Last mile down to the turn. Now to get ready for the hills.

8. 6:07- I decided a month ago that when I got to these hills I'd just back off and run them EZ. Hills at altitude for a guy who lives at 2480 ft just kill you.

9. 6:13- Despite relaxing we run them pretty good and pick off a Kenyan who had passed up earlier. Plus once on top I was ready to roll again.

10. 5:27- I wish more of the course was like this mile. No rollers... just smooth good downhill.

11. 5:35- My wife her sister and Kendra Hooper were here. Mik'L gives me a water and a GU but I'd a ready taken a GU back at the top of the hill.

12. 5:54-  Sasha and I catch and go by Dave. I didn't remember any of these uphill sections from when I ran this race last year. I thought it was a free fall to the tunnel.... I wish.

13. 5:49- Trying to use any downhill and survive any uphill. Hit the half in 1:14:40 I think. Sasha goes potty right here and I go ahead of him.

14. 5:41- I knew that from the end of the tunnel to about mile 16 it was kind of hilly and slow. So I'm not pushing here just trying to get up all the hills for once and for all. 

15. 5:47- At the half I really think I can break 2:30 still. I'd just need to hit a 5:45 avg to do it. Body never felt horrible (until the end of the race) but never felt great. So I just tell myself "your doing it, so keep going".

16. 6:03- The hills are really getting to me.

17. 6:04- There was some downhill on this mile but some uphill too. And it slowed me!

18. 5:45- Finally I think it's time to kind of get into a little groove and try to just work on tempo and being smooth.

19. 5:30- Same effort as the last mile just more downhill.

20. 5:55- I still think I can get things going and break 2:30 but I can't have any more slow miles....

21. 5:57- As I leave the canyon I decide to JUST hit 6 min pace in and you'll run a pretty good race.

22. 6:02- Doing it!

23. 6:04- Still doing it...

24. 6:27- NOT doing it. The wheels really start to fall off here and I kind of just decide to "jogg" it in not knowing where anyone else is behind me. But then I think Ben passes me like I'm standing still on this mile. And there's no desire or physical way to go with him. I was DONE.

25. 6:24- Death march.

26. 6:43- With about a mile left in the race Sasha shows up. For about three strides I try to go with him and then fold. I was marching to a slow, painful death. 

last .27 in 1:56 or 7:03 pace. My wife says she's never seen me look that trashed at the end of any race. Boy did I feel it too.

So why the blow up... I really don't know. We started out fairly slow. After my workout two weeks ago where I ran the first half of STG in 1:12:20 and it felt good. I thought being under 1:13 for the first half of this race would be doable. But that was on a good day... this wasn't. I got really hot today. At every water station I took a cup and dumped it on my head. My wife gave me water bottles at mile 11 and 17ish and I basically dumped both of them on my head. And I was still burning up. I don't know. Pretty happy about how the first 23 miles went and pretty bummed about the last 3. I ran a 2:34 at SLC marathon in April and I'm in better shape now. Today should have been faster.

No running today. I feel pretty beat up. The quads are weak and sore. Spent the whole afternoon/ evening doing some drip line projects that I have been pushing off for a couple months. It will be nice to not have to carry water in a bucket and drag the hose around anymore to all the bushes and trees I've planted in the last year. 

I was going to run with Paul this morning but I slept right through my alarm. Maybe the first time I've ever done that. So mid morning I pushed Myler around the Little Valley loop. I felt ok the first mile but the rest of the run felt like the finishing miles of Saturdays marathon. Just had nothing and the quads are really weak and sore. Now I wish I hadn't even ran because it will most likely just delay the recovery. 

Ran the Little Valley loop this evening. It was still close to 100 F and between the heat and my body still being pretty trashed from the marathon- this was a hard run for me. Not only are the legs still sore and heavy but I've got some real overall general fatigue. Even the simplest daily tasks have seemed too much. I need a good 17 straight hours of sleep and I think that would help square me off.  

Ran with Harmer and Hughes on the middle B-hills loop. Pace was EZ. I'm still generally trashed and the legs seem like railroad ties. But I believe today felt better and there might be light at the end of the tunnel. 

Regular B-hills loop. Legs are still in the dead stage. Kind of feels like someone punched my quads and gave me a dead leg... but it just won't go away. This morning was the worst my breathing has been too since the chemical accident. I was way short on breath. Had I been running with anyone I wouldn't have been able to talk to them. Oh the joys... hoping to get back to normal soon. 

DC loop. Had to be at the temple at 7:40 a.m so I just ran a lone this morning early from the house. This run felt better than the rest of the week had but still felt like I was pulling a spare tire and then some. 

Busy day. Temple at 8 a.m. At the lake by 11 a.m. Home from the lake around 4 p.m. Then out to dinner with friends at 6 p.m. Not home until 9:30 p.m or so and then just died.

Left the house and headed out on the middle B-hills loop. Once I got over to the park I saw Logan with his team. I beckoned him to come and he said he needed 10 min's. So I ran a mile around the park and waited for him. Then we ran the loop. Legs felt pretty heavy and I asked what pace we were going. Logan said 6:40... faster than planned but good to see the legs can handle it. I'm guessing by the end of this week I'll feel normalish again. 

This weeks goal is to be around 70-75 miles.

P.M. Ran the middle B-hills loop again. It was at 5 p.m and felt really, really hot. Plus my lungs wouldn't open up and I just couldn't breath. I'm wondering how long this will last. I also decided I "blew up" my quads at UV. Their just blow up.

DC loop in reverse. Mik'L didn't get back from her run until later so I didn't get out until about 8. It warmed up but the run was ok. I could breath better than last night.
The quads are still blown up.

Pushed Myler on a out and back run into B-hills. It was hottish because we didn't get out until after 8 but my legs felt the slightest sings of improvement (which gives me hope). Myler sang me "wheels on the bus", "doggy in the window", and "give said the little stream". It made the second half nice. 

Inner B-hills loop. Just not really into running and don't really want to "jump" back into real training too soon so my mileage may be lower for a while. The body felt kind of stiff but overall the quads are working themselves out. 

10 Club run tonight. Today officially begins the HOT summer running. We've been really lucky this year to not have anything really hot until this late in the summer. But today it was the full metal jacket and then some. I pulled into the parking lot and my trucks digital gauge said it was 106 F. When I got out it felt like it was even hotter. We ran the loop in reverse and had a opening 2 mile headwind that felt like a blow dryer in your face. I did ok until about the last mile then I started to really feel the heat and dehydration. We ran it fairly fast too... 6:40 avg. 

Up at 4:55 so I could get my run done before Mik'L went to her run at 6:30 a.m. It was a struggle this morning so short after totally depleting myself in last nights club run. Not to mention that the overnight low was still over 75 F in my yard and over 90 F out on the blacktop. It took about 3 miles to get going and then about 6 miles in I was done. Now I'll spend the rest of the day working out in the yard and heat laying 100 lb diamond blocks to build a retaining wall. 

Had my alarm set to get up and go run with the guys but... I woke up at 3 a.m and could barely hobble to use the restroom. So I decided to bag it. Turned the alarm off and went to bed. I had spent the last two days lifting 100 lb diamond blocks and making walls up and  down my ditch by the chicken coop. Now I was just too sore- running wasn't even an option. Plus I had to spend all day Saturday working on than project and others around the yard and house to get ready for a little neighborhood BBQ here. 

Not running ended up being a good decision because it was already peddle to the metal all day long until I went to bed at around 11 p.m Saturday night. I just needed that little extra rest to get through and finish off 3 straight days of very hard work. 

DC loop. Felt pretty good for a Monday. Because I didn't run on Saturday and Sunday I had lots of stomach build up so it was a 4 star morning. But legs are finally coming out of the rut after a good two weeks. 

DC loop this morning. It felt really hot. I ran by Logan and some of his team. We were going to do like a high five or a elbow bump in passing but I didn't want to shatter any bones so I chickened out. 

5 more miles this evening on the treadmill. It was 106 F and the wind was blowing at around 30 mph. That's basically a food dehydrator. I didn't want any part of it so I stayed in and watched some of the Sandlot. 

DC loop with an out and back 4 miler at the end. Up early and out running by 5 a.m but was depressed to see it was still 80 F. The run felt kind of sluggish at first then pretty good in the middle and by the end I was really dehydrated. I'm not adapting to the hot running weather very good this year. It's sucking the life out of me. Ever year it gets harder to do and this year is no exception. 

4.3 miles tonight around the Little Valley loop. It was windy and hot. I wore a hat soaked in water and a white tech tee soaked in water. I think it helped. 

Middle B-hills loop. This morning was a real struggle. Myler has been running a pretty high fever and I think I'm starting to get whatever he has. The body is just TRASHED. Hopefully I'll feel better throughout the day or else I just wont even go to club or if I do it' will be a slow death. 

10 miles at club. Temps were actually pretty good and under the circumstances I ran good for being as sick as I've been. Just started to feel really iky in the last 3 miles and had some unplanned stomach issues pop up onto of the rest. Still was happy it was only 92 and not 106.