Clyde's Comeback!

Pushed Myler around the B-Hills loop. It was a chilly 46F this morning. Actually it was kind of fun to have a good chill in the air. I'm guessing it was in the 30's up at the start of the marathon course. The forecast for Saturday is windy... You know how I feel about wind. 

Didn't get a run in today. I had planned on doing 3 miles but was just way too busy and trashed. I bought 47 shrubs at the nursery and planted them in the yard today... not really the best day before the race plan but it was fun putting the yard together. 

Well what a day. Surely one of the most fun running/racing outings I've ever had. The plan was simple: Pace a group to a sub 3 hour marathon. I wanted to hit the first half in 1:28 then bring it home a little faster. But also that would give us just a little wiggle room if things turned slower. At the start there was 10-15 runners willing to join our force and in the end we finished with 1... One man hit a sub 3 hour marathon with us. Some unknown guys took off and finished ahead of the pack early in the race but most fell back. The one however was Paul Harrmer. A newby to the blog. He lives right around the corner from me and has become a great find as a friend and running buddy. By around 10 miles into the race we realized that Paul would be our only "groupie". We hoped to have Nate Bundy come up and join after the half but never was able to link up.  We hit the half in 1:28:40ish (I didn't look too close). Then coming down off the hills we maintained good pace but by Wichester Paul was starting to loose steam. But he battled, over and over again. I could tell he was struggling in many places so Logan and I would force feed him GU's, water, and gatorade. By the time we hit town Paul started to cramp up pretty bad so we backed off the pace... this made things interesting. Logan and I would cheer on Paul and  then look at each other saying "it's gona be close man", or "he's not doing that good". I'd redue the math 2 or 3 times a min and everytime we still were on track. Paul would say "I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know where to go" and we'd counter with just stick to our backs and keep going. Once I told Paul to pick out someone in frount of us as a goal to go pick off.... after giving  him a chance to look them over I said "who do you want to go get"? His answer was priceless... a shakey " I don't know man"... at the time it was really serious but now to think back it is really funny. 

Anyways with the help of a cheering crowed we pushed through town and my watch stopped at 2:59:08. I haven't checked the official time or place but we were all thrilled to make it on time. Logan and I loved it. I've always wanted to run the STGM without racing or stressing about things. This was totally a great day and a marathon never to be forgotten. I finished feeling amazing and could have ran home: Not sore at all. So that's nice too!

It was great to see all the other bloggers... a beutiful day here in the STG.

Planned on getting out all day but I've been really, really busy and will be for the next two weeks. I'm doing some charity work for the Hunstman World Sr. games. I'm running the computer program for the softball events. In the next couple weeks there will be over 1,100 softball games.... that sounds very intimidating. 

Worked at the softball fields from 8 to 5:30 and had Myler the whole time so it was like double the work. Then finally got home and did some house projects and got a little run in before getting ready to celebrate my wifes little Birthday. She's 28 today but still just a little girl. I got her when she was only 19 and she was a cute little girl back then too. 

 The legs felt heavy... not very sore at all but heavy and more like I had two left feet.  

B-Hills loop early before heading to the Sr. games. Legs didn't didn't feel half as heavy as yesterday. Hands were cold... time to start wearing gloves. 

Felt really good this morning on my little run before heading over to the softball stuff. The horses where wanting to go but I just kept it easy. I'm guessing for the next couple weeks until the games are over I'll be stuck on this schedule for the most part. I spent 13 hours at the fields yesterday watching 60 and 65 year old guys hit it over the fence... pretty cool stuff. 

B-Hills loop again this morning. It's nice and cool out. Gloves and a long sleeve... no pants. I'll be ready for the games to be over so I can get back to a regular system here around the house. But this is kind of a nice little mix up for the system anyways. 

Finally got out this evening after working at the softball deal all morning and then coming home to work in the yard this afternoon. Once out running I felt really touch-and-go for the first 4 miles or so. Mik'L brought home a bunch of Cafe Rio from her meeting this morning and I downed about 3 adult servings worth at 1 p.m... and by the time I ran it still was booming in the system. Other than the tummy feeling way loaded I was able to get some good turnover on the legs. I hit the run at an avg of 6:46 min mile pace. By far the best run the Saturday after STG marathon ever. It's nice to feel like the legs may be coming around. I really think I need some focused workouts to help the speed come back. 

Mesquite anyone? 

Went on a run today pushing Myler. We toured through the better part of B-Hills and back to river road through Eagles Landing. It was absolutely perfect out. No wind and temps at around 75F with overcast skies. Myler loved it a I didn't hear not even a peep from him. I felt great and the legs wanted to roll again but you don't roll pushing the jogger. Avg of 7:22 pace for the run... not a bad avg with the kid mind you. 

Did the little B-hills loop this morning. One more week of this Sr. games stuff and I can get back to regular life. I ate a big ribeye steak last night at Texas Roadhouse and it wasn't sitting in the belly very good this morning. Almost had a roadside but managed to fight it off until I got home. Legs felt good though. The hammy is being very mellow the last few weeks including during STG. So is it ready for real training? I'm not so sure. One hard 10 mile tempo and it might hurt just as bad as ever or who knows maybe it's finally coming around. I might try something next week to test the waters. 

2.25 miles tonight. I ran over to the park in my 5 fingers then a little around there while helping with the cross country race. I drove the 4-wheeler in front of the kids as they raced like a little pace car. The course is really fun but could be kind of confusing without the pace wheeler. Then after that I just ran back home.  

Totally forgot to set the alarm today.

B-hills loop with Paul this morning. It was nice to get out and run with him for the first time since the marathon. His legs seem to be coming back just fine. We didn't do any turbo stuff and just kept it at chit chat pace. 

May get out once more today.  

A great run this morning down the West Rim trail in Zion NP. Had a little group: Billy, Scotty H, James H, Steven, and Logan. We started out in the dark and made our way down the dirt road to the trailhead. Then it started to get light and everything looks like a photo opp. The fall colors were out and that even made things more beautiful. The running part was good as I never felt like we even ran at all in the end. We hit 8:01 avg for the run... not bad down that trail. But we surely didn't push the pace like last year. I took a bunch of pic and posted on facebook so some of yall can check them out. 

The sad part of the trip came just as we started going down the chizzled trail in the face of a cliff. I came running down the trail and into a baby fawn deer. There was three choices the deer could make:1. Go back up past us and be ok... but it would have to have walked right next to us. (2. turn and go down the single track ledge cliff trail to the bottom and be safe- but this would have required some reasoning and the little guy is only animal. (3. Get freaked out and jump off the 300 ft cliff and see how that turns out. It was sad (honestly it was) and he jumped off. I tried everything I could in those short seconds to get him to come back up and go find mommy. But by that point he was freaked out and running like a bullet in every direction. I almost wish we hadn't gone this morning and maybe it wouldn't have happened. I have a soft heart for stuff like this so it was kind of a downer from there on out. But the run was good. The views were Amazing and I really need to do this run more than once a year. We did it last year this very same weekend but no deer died... just my hamstring because we ran it like animals that time.   

Did a little family workout this morning. My wife pulled Myler in the bike trailer and I ran. We did a little loop through B-hills. A perfect day. The weather is just amazing. It was fun to get everyone out and recreate together. Now I'm going to watch football the rest of the day. 

To be honest my legs were pretty sore. Much more sore than two weeks ago after the marathon. There is a lot of steep downhill on hard rock on the run we did yesterday... but yeah the legs were kind of heavy for sure. 

A.M.

Easy B-hill loop pushing Myler. The quads are very sore from Fridays run in Zion... I'd say on a scale of 1-10 of soreness my legs were a 3 after STG a couple weeks ago. Now after the West Rim trail it feels like a 8 or 9. Ouch!

 P.M.

Met Logan at the DC and we ran the Temple Quarry trail. It's been well over a year since I've ran this trail and I thought tonight would be a good time to introduce Logan to it. The trail is cool because it's right in the middle of town and no one knows about it. Located just above the airport it is really easy to get to and as you can see we did it round trip tonight in under 8 miles. Anyways it was great. The weather is amazing... a touch on the warm side by the end of the run but other than that it was great. 

When we got back to the DC we were just chit chatting and then Logan walks over to the side and starts barfing his brains out. I've never seen someone puke so much volume as he did tonight. Seriously I kind of feel sick from just watching. But at the time I was laughing my butt off.  

Pushed Myler down through Eagles Landing and around B-hills. Nice run this morning. Skies are cloudy and it smelled of rain... we could sure use it. We finished up before anything happened. Feeling pretty strong throughout. I'm going to really try and get into a good core workout routine. I'd like to get that back as I've lost it for over a year and it makes such a big impact on my racing. 

P.M.

My legs have been begging for some faster stuff so tonight I gave them a small taste. I hit the B-hills loop. I warmed up for a half mile and then pounded MP over to the gas station and then cooled off back home. I didn't have a watch but from the microwave clock it took my just at 30 mins to do the loop. So with the warm up and cool down stuff I'm guessing my faster miles were around 5:30 pace.  It felt o.k at best. The hammy was tighter than I'd have liked and just overall I'm out of it as far as running fast. It's going to be a long way to the top if I wanna rock and roll.  

6.8 miles this morning with Paul. We did the Stone Cliff loop at 6 a.m. Pace was easy but steady. Good to get out and shake em' after hitting some speed last night. Paul's legs are still crabby from STG so no one wanted anything more that laxi taxi today. 

After I dropped Paul off I decided my wife was still asleep and that I'd do few more. So I did the park loop. Really tried to focus on smooth, controlled form. I'm happy to be getting back to a regular type of training model. Hopefully the body will stay on board and let things develop the way the mind has it mapped out.  

5.4 miles around the B-hills loop pushing Myler. I felt o.k on the run but the legs were DEAD later that evening sitting in the temple. I thought I was going to have to walk out of a session... I'm not sure why things were so jacked but I'm glad it's over.  

Felt horribly tired and trashed all day so I kept putting the run off. Finally got out this afternoon and decided to run over to the club run. I got there and no one else showed. So I ran down around the Bloomington loop and then back up and home. I did the first couple nice and easy to warm up then kind for just settled into a smooth but driven pace. I had the ipod in for the first time in like 8 months and it seems to spark my legs up. Anyways I ended up hitting an avg of 6:43 for the run and thats with the warm up and cool down. Nothing major but a start of the cycle to bring the motion back. 

Pushed Myler on a loop out through the fields. I felt like junk. Cooked a big breakfast of eggs, sausage, cheese and juice and then ran a hour or so later. Bad call. Anyways this will most likely be the last run of the week as we are doing the West Rim trail tomorrow as a hike and it could take about 6 or so hours. 

Actually hiked 15.5 miles today with Mik'L down the West Rim Trail in Zion. Hiking time was 5:06 and actual time was 6:15 (we stopped for pic's and lunch). Because of the TOFM (time on feet moving) I'll call it a 5 mile run for the blogs sake. Actually I'm sore. More sore than when I ran it last week in just over 2 hours. So go figure. 

We had a great time and actually just kind of went through it without incident... until I rolled my ankle. Ouch! Somehow I just wasn't watching and rolled it pretty good right under where the deer went off last week. Then from there in walking was kind of pained and maybe thats why I'm as sore as I am. Today the ankle feels better but not great.

Mik'L did great and never even complained! She's always a good little trooper. We had fun and took a bunch of pic. I'm ready to try a different trail in Zion now... as I've done this one 4 times and never done anything else. Other than the little ones right off the road. Not to say this isn't AMAZING because it is... I'd just like to do them all.  

Hit the treadmill this morning while Myler was napping. I wasn't in the mood to push the jogger and the treadmill hadn't been used for some time. It wasn't too bad. I was sore in the ankle where I rolled it last Saturday but still runnable.

Did one mile on the treadmill and then Myler was getting fussy so I put him in the jogger and we were off. Did the B-hills loop. It was getting kind of stormy and I thought we may get trapped out in it but we finished in time. Well it actually never started to do anything. Anyways I rolled the carp out of my ankle again last night and it hurt big time. So I didn't run last night and was going to bag this mornings run... but it felt o.k so I went out. Felt great on the run but I really kept things in line as to not put myself in out once more. 

B-Hills loop this evening with my uncle. Nice and easy but he's improving. It was chilly as I wished I'd have brought some gloves.  

Was going to run with Paul this morning but it was a little too chilly for our liking. Actually I was still going to go but the sound of the howling wind changed my mind. Cold I can handle... a little. But cold and wind I really, really dislike. So I did the run on the treadmill after Mik'L went to the office and while Myler slept. Actually I enjoyed it.

8.1 electric miles on the treadmill this morning. I warmed up at 6.5-7 mph for way too long and then had to hit 9.5 for 20 mins to finish under an hour.  I'm not ready for the gloves, hat and layers thing yet.  

Went to club tonight and Dave was the only one who showed. If he hadn't I was going to just go home without running. But he did and we headed down the trail. In the end it ended up being a great run: good conversation, great running temps, and we held a really honest little clip down around the Bloomington loop.  

I didn't get a run in today but I did get a ton done in the yard. It's looking good and we are getting really close to finishing up. Just a few more projects to go. 

Good morning run with the boys. Dave, Logan and Paul. We ran the Zen trail and then a little more up around the Green Valley race trail. It was a great morning out and the running was good too. Trail runs always take much longer to get the distance in but they seem to be more enjoyable.