Clyde's Comeback!

5 mile run this morning up in GS. When I got up by the golf course restroom at the top part of GS, and right as the sun was coming up I saw a pack of 3 coyotes run right across the road in front of me. Kind of cool to see them out on the prowl and up to no good. It reminded me of the Circle of Trust and all our early mornings this summer. 

I just took the run nice and easy and tried to work into this week. My left hammy has been really sore all weekend so I may have to do an emergency visit to April... It depends on how it feels this evening. We have a mini Big workout and I'll decide after that.

As I was showering I wondered: What would life be like if I only ran 5 miles a day?

(New Landreth- 174.2) 

9 miles this evening in a mini Big Workout. 4.5 mile warm up from the DC up the holly trail at an avg of 6:55 pace. Then at the end of the trail I turned around and started my 2x1 mile workout with 2 min's recovery. First mile I got out nice and smooth and felt like I was going fast but very relaxed I looked at the Garmin and I was going 4:40 pace at around .65 so I quickly backed off and hit the mile in 5:07. I had no intention of going that fast and worried coming into the workout alone that I'd struggle to even get the legs going at all. On the second mile I wanted to go slower than the first but not fall off the pace. So I worked into a controlled groove and hit the mile in 5:17- and that was that. The end of all my speed workouts for the year. I finished off by doing a cool down for the rest of the mileage back to the DC at 6:50 pace.  I was feeling pretty good. The warm up and cool down were both faster than I would have liked on paper but I really was just running easy and very smooth. 

(SS#2- 58.4)

I had some bad news today. On our way to the temple Mik'L told me that she had gotten a text that said one of my childhood friends had committed suicide last night. This was very sad to hear. I basically lived with him and his twin brother for about three years through the end of middle school and first part of high school. The three of us went through countless scouting, church, and community adventures. I grew apart from him and his brother as we got older and left high school but I'll always remember the good times we shared. What a shame. I haven't found out what day the funeral is... but there is a chance that it will be on Saturday and a chance that I'll miss the STG marathon and go support his parents and siblings.  

2 mile run this evening down to the corner and back. Just a short little shake out today.

Here is my crazy news.... I've posted this same thing in some replies on the subject from yesterdays entry.

Sorry to involve all of you-   

8 mile run today up the Middleton trail and to the water tank then down around the industrial park. Typical taper run with some pains and stuff along the way but overall a really nice morning to be out running. 

(Blue Cumulus- 512.7)

I decided to do what Jon did on his blog the other day. A short little comparison of this year and last year with some stated goals.

Last Year This Year

weeks at 100 or more miles- (10) 100 miles+ a week- (22)  

120 miles+ a week(5)  

Longest week- 103.7 133.65 all running miles

Snow Canyon Park 18 mile run w/ 7.5 mile tempo

(5:19 min mile pace) (5:12 min mile pace)

20 mile run with 10 @ brisk and 10 at tempo

overall-1:59:40 (tempo avg 5:19)1:55:47 (tempo avg 5:19) 

As far as overall mileage goes I'm hundreds of miles ahead of where I was last year at this time. I'm not sure how many but a lot.

Goals for STGM on Saturday! Listed in order of priority. 

1. To PR from last year

2. Be in the Top 10

3. Sub- 2:22

4. Place in top 5

5. sub- 2:21

6. Place in top 3

7. Sub- 2:20

8. Win

I'm really excited to have a good race. I haven't had one in 2008 and I'm due. I hope everyone else runs great and it can be like last year where everyone was getting PR's and being happy about all their hard work. It was a great day and hopefully we'll have another one to add to our memory bank.

Good Luck! 

6 mile run this morning. I did 2.5 up to the golf course and then 1 mile of barefoot w/ a couple strides mixed in, then I came home the same way. I felt good overall. The hamstring was kind of pesky but I've come to the grim reality that it's going to hurt on Saturday... just how much it will affect me is the question. Other than that the horses where chomping at the bit today. I tried to just go slow but kept finding myself at 6:20-30 pace then I'd back down to around 7 until I'd speed up again. 

(White Cumulus- 525.6) 

4 miles this morning up the starting line of the STG marathon. I met up with the girls (Michelle L, Josse, Marci, and Josse's sister- I forgot her name- sorry). There was a mild tailwind up there this morning... and the skies were all overcast. I've got this strange feeling that tomorrows weather might be interesting. Anyways the little run was good. The hamstring is a little more achy than I'd want but it go time regardless. Looking forward to a fun day of seeing friends and doing running stuff all day long. 

(Black Stratus- 187.5) 

I'm not even sure how to start this entry. I'm inclined to say it was a "bummer" race but this was so crazy that you almost have to laugh at it. Last year I would have been disappointed if I would have run anything less that a sub 2:30- so this year after all the work and miles I've put in and I ran a 2:31- well it just leaves me speechless. The wind was horrible and the rain just got annoying. No it wasn't worse than Boston in 2007, but what was worse was the fact that I didn't have anyone to draft behind with the exception of the very first mile... so in the end it made for a worse overall race performance. 

Things were slow from the start. We hit the first mile and someone said 6 min's and I looked at the watch and it was 6 flat. Around 30 seconds slower than the plan. Then it just kept getting worse. I hit the half in 1:16:10- the plan was for 1:11 high or 1:12 mid. I almost pulled out at the half thinking "why" why even push to the end and trash the body up. What could I possibly gain? The only reason I kept pushing was because I knew I was ready for a great, hard, fast race and I thought I'd just really hammer the second half and see what happened. Well nothing really happened. I did catch a few guys at around mile 19 (Sasha, Jeff, Dave D, and Nick M- who kept having to stop and retie his shoe and eventually left me again. I pushed into wind all race at the front of the pack until the base of Veyo hill and then when I slowed down going up Veyo and the pack dropped me and a new one formed with me and the 3rd place guy and a couple Japan runners. Then they all sat back and I broke trail until 23 or so and the 3rd place guy who had been sitting on me all race went ahead and at that point I was starting to feel the effects of my efforts.

You have no control over the weather and everyone had to deal with it so I really can't be too upset about that. The thing that really bugs me is that I can always finish on this course. On the good downhill coming into town I can roll and bring it home. So today that was the only think I was counting on and then I got there and couldn't get things to move. I finished so bad today and it cost me 2 or three spots place wise.

My splits were horrible so I'm not putting them up. In fact I've been to worked up to even look back through them. At this point it really doesn't matter. They wont be helpful to me in the future for anything.

I feel bad for everyone that had to pound through the weather today, and if you were the one in the front of your little pack I feel worse for you because you were working harder than the guy 3 feet behind you. In a race you can't physically force someone to take the lead and break the wind for you.

With the exception of a few blessed runners everyone was 10 or so min's slower than goal pace. Some up to 15 and others maybe only like 8. Me personally 12. Like I said this was so crazy and weird that you really just have to laugh about it. The ironic part is the conditions didn't seem to slow the winner down too much at all. He must have eaten his Wheaties this morning. 

I may come back to this and add more later but for now this works.

(SS#2- 84.6)