Clyde's Comeback!

Little shake out/ gauge/ question and answer/ mini tempo workout thing. I am registered for the Dnews half on Thursday. But have ZERO confidence in actually RACING. So  I just wanted to see what the body had in it after feeling sickly all last week without going into the tank too much.

Wamred up all around B-hills and ended up at mile 7 up by the two churchs on Brigham road. Decided to tempo from there down and around the park and back over by the house. Just get in three miles and see how things felt doing it.

Went 5:34, 5:36, 5:32- First mile could have been much faster because theres some good downhill but I just tried to really stay smooth. Second mile is the hardest on paper and times show it. Third has some mild climbing, some flat and mild down.

Anyways in the end I was happy to feel a lot better than last week. But still have Zero confidence in really racing up in SLC. But I'm already registered and already have other plans while being up there. So maybe I'll just do it as a glorified workout.

2.2 cool down

7 miles on the treadmill this afternoon before going to see April.

Joined Log and Stephen for Tuesday tempos. Only I just planned on doing the warm up with them. Then I cut back through the fields and met them at River Road to re-join for the cool down. Temps were CRAZY nice. 66 F!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Felt like Heaven. Best morning all summer- and in July nonetheless. Not very often do I say I wish I was doing my tempo. But today I really wish I would have been doing some kind of workout. It really doesn't get any better than today in the summer. Sometimes in October (like in 2011) it's 75 F or so... Anyways as you can tell I LOVED it and needed it. Legs felt like rail road ties after April worked the shiz out of them last night. I expected it. Slow and EZ this morning @ a 7:20 avg.

B-hills and secret st. Tried extra hard to keep this slow and ez. Another super awesome morning. 72 F. I honestly think I passed Mitt Romney riding a scooter through B-hills. He gave me a patriotic/ presidential, smug grin as he passed. His hair was perfect and untampered by the wind. #what #itcouldhappen

I have ZERO expectations for the race tomorrwo. All I know is I'll control what I can. Get there early... get a good warm up in... lots of pre potty stops. Then see what happens. Main goal is to stay on the bus the entire time and not decided to jump off early.

#wewillsee #timewilltell

Well... Honestly I'm pretty happy with this considering on paper the time looks slow. But for as sick and messed up as I have been the last two week and the lack of real workouts and downhill running. Today was a positive step. You have to race often to race well... I always say. So call it a glorified workout or whatever. But I was happy to run some good miles 1-8 and then keep working and not give in after that.

I was pretty upset when I was driving from Draper up to the bus pick-up. It was 3:30 a.m and the temp read 86F... you have got to be kidding me? Thats one of the reasons I wanted to do this race was to get out of the heat. And it turned out to be hotter than any workout so far this year in the STG. FML for sure on that one.

I got on the first bus leaving and had plenty of time for 3.5 really solid trips to the potty and 4.5 miles of running warm up. It was hot though and no warm up was really needed. Finished with the warm up in time to top off with a good drink and take a gu. Good thing because I forgot to take a second and I think it really hurt me after mile 8.

Anyways the race started on time. Smile. From the gun about 7 guys took off HARD. Then a few others were up there and even a chick. Justin, Steve and I took the first mile pretty smooth. It felt like I was holding back and still hit a 5:06 mile. I don't want to know what the lead pack hit. I was in around 12th place in the first mile but quickly slid into about 6th.

Worked through the canyon trying to run the tangents as close as possible and trying to dodge the headwind in any way possible. I hate wind. I just pounds my spirits. Both while running or in every other part of life. But splits seemed to be coming off pretty good and I didn't focus too much on it. Took water at ever aid station and put most of it on my head.

As we came out of the canyon at around mile 6 my breathing was way too hard. heart rate was too high and I had no balance.... or feel for what was happening. I tried to relax and Justin came up to me. At the time I was in 4th then to 5th behind Justin. Anyways I thought he'd just blow by as I was just kind of chillin and trying to find some rhythm. And for the next two miles or so I was able to just sit there with him. That was nice. I got some positive mojo back and felt like I might be able to really work the ending miles... Well between mile 9-10 I lost the confidence and Justin had pulled up on me by about 50 seconds. Mile 11 was no better as he was now about 65 seconds up and I looked back to see no one. So I just thought "5th it is". And kind of gave up the chase. Time or place were never a goal today. So I'm ok with both.

Hope to progress from this. Get some real workouts to fall down in the STG and maybe run another half in a month with some real "racing" goals.

Cooled down with Justin for 2.8 around the park. Then did some more getting back to the car.

The worst part of the day came during the cool down when my stomach really started to rumble. Since then I've been on the throne more than 15 time with lots of blood mixed in and coming out. Sorry it's gross but there's no pretty way to talk about it. Had crazy bad stomach cramping/ sick symptoms all day. I feel horrible. Like maybe worst post race stomach issues ever. Even worse than Hobble in 07. And that was bad before, during, and after.  So another FML there.

Had the course @ 13.17 and I hit ALL the tangents. FYI

Ran south to the Porter Rockwell trail then over to the Draper park until I was out 6 miles. Then back. There was a house on fire up on the hill and it made for lots of trucks and service vehicles screaming up and down the roads. Then tons of people going up to look. And lots of ash in the air. I saw a snake on the trail too. Snakes are so so so so so so creepy. I was on high alert the rest of the run- I hate snakes. Just took it super EZ. 7:14 avg for the run. I felt  pretty good overall in the legs. But around mile 9 my stomach started to be really queezy again. From there to the finish it was smooth, ez, and shallow breaths. Need to get a couple solid meals in today to try and settle things down. Rio here I come:)

Justin picked me up in Draper and we drove down to AF to join some Utah county boys. I'm bad with names but... Matt Poulsen and co. Their plan was to do a warm up. Which ended up being 6 miles. Then do a 3 mile tempo. Then 6 miles at like 6:20 pace. Then another 3 mile tempo. Justin and I didn't know about doing any tempo but after the warm up I couldn't not try. So we started the tempo with Matt and (other little fast dude). About 1.5 into it my quads were really feeling the soreness from Thurdays race and I decided to back off. Justin came up and we ran together to finish off the 3 mile tempo in a 5:33 avg. Then we started the 6:20 miles and both of us decided we wanted no part of the last 3 mile tempo so we just ran the last 11 miles at a 6:22 avg and hit 20.

It was a good morning. Good to go out and meet some new guys. I think we started with about 8 in the group. Got in some really good miles and a lot better than if I'd have gone solo. Then the group went to the Sev (7-11) for a post run slurpee. My fav.

Thanks for the run guys! And thanks to Justin for driving me down there and back. Plus temps were nice and cool compared to Thursday morning. Legs are pretty sloppy though and quads are sore. Glad tomorrow is a day off.