Trails!

First run of the new year.  I decided to make it an even 10 miles.  I ran from the in-laws down to the Jordan River Parkway and south along it until I hit 5 miles.  It was pretty nice weather.  Windy but warm (35°).  The trail was in pretty good shape 90% clear.

T-1:11:17 (7:08) 155

The good news is that I beat the storm and got to run in 40 degree weather.  The bad news is that I stepped in a huge puddle.

T-65:25 (7:56) 146

Paul met me at my house and we took of tour of Providence and Millville.  The roads were pretty iffy but runnable.  It sure beat the treadmill, that's for sure.  I dropped off Paul at the gym and did another loop of River Heights before heading home.  I didn't get in the 15 that I wanted to run, but since my entire household is sick, that is probably wise at this point.

T-1:40:00 (7:51) 12.75 miles 146 ave

I woke up to severe stomach pains all throughout the night last night.  I was hurting pretty bad, but luckily it started to subside by 9am.  I went into work and things improved throughout the rest of the day.  I figure I ate something bad (My guess was leftover Christmas sweets).  I was ok to run by the evening so I hit the treadmill (to stay out of the snowstorm).  

T-58:40 (7:20)

I tried to run today and made it all of 5 seconds before the abdomen pain kicked in.  Everything is tender to the touch and Nurse Bethany says that I have an enlarged liver.  Great.

Still in pain.  Went to the doc. He eliminated some items (no ulcers etc).  Did an ultrasound.  The only usable info out of that was that I don't have a hernia as suspected.  The issue is in the lower intestine.  The most likely cause is a virus (I have no idea how you can get a virus in the intestine).  I have a CT scan scheduled for the morning to rule out any twisting or kinking of the intestine.  Looks like it is nothing major and I will have to deal with the intense pain episodes until it heals itself.  

Results from the CT scan (and $700 (with decent health insurance) hard earned dollars later) came back.  It turns out that I wasn't just faking but I truly am sick.  I have Diverticulitis.  I am not sure how all that happened as this is more common in old people.  I suppose that if I eat a lot of food, my overworked colon may think it is getting old. 

As a result, I am now on antibiotics and have to do a 2-3 day liquid diet.  Fun.  At least we have found the problem and can now get it taken care of.  I plan on running once the pain has subsided to allow for such craziness.  I will likely take off until Monday and enjoy the break...

I'm back.  After spending the weekend on a Liquid Diet recovering and loading up on Antibiotics, I feel healthy enough to run now.  I hit the treadmill this morning so if things went bad, I could step off and call it good.  I made it the whole planned 5 miles.  It felt good to run, even if it was slow.  I will get out this evening for some more miles.

T-38:45 (7:45)

PM: 5 miles on Planet Walk.  Much easier than treadmill.  Still feel ok.

T-35:40 (7:08) 159

10 with Jon.  

T-1:15:30 (7:33) 154

9 cold miles early am.  I was a bit sluggish at first, but got it going as time went on.  

T-1:03:15 (7:02) 161

AM: Providence Hills loop.  I hit the big hill hard today and got my HR up to 180.  Other than that, it was just another run.

T-60:25 (7:06) 8.5 miles 160 ave

PM: 2.5 on the TM

Providence River Heights loop today in the inversion.  It turns out that the air quality (pm 2.5) is 38.8.  Not good.  Nothing like smoking a pack while running.

T-58:40 (7:20) 152

Big Workout.  First in a long time, probably since SGM.  I drove up to the mouth of Blacksmith fork canyon to escape the pollution and I was greeted with a nice headwind.  It made for some cold temps on the way up the canyon, but the air was clear.  I ran 7.5 miles up at 7:20 pace.  I was working pretty hard to maintain that pace and I sure felt fatigued on the way down as a result.  For the workout portion I ran from the turnaround 7 miles at Marathon Pace (~6 min miles) with a cooldown of 1/2 mile.  It was a struggle to hit the times, but the workout is in the books.

Tempo Miles: 5:57, 6:00, 6:03, 6:00, 6:03, 5:59, 5:57

T-1:40:20 (6:41) 167 ave 178 max (175 ave for tempo)

AM:  Ran 4 outside in the 5° weather.  I was cold, so I came home and ran 4 more on the treadmill.  That is all...

PM: Trying a new thing out.  I went home for lunch and ran 4 miles on the TM before stuffing my face.  Seemed to work ok.

AM: 8 mentally tough miles on the TM.  It was another battle between the bed and the treadmill.

T-58:10 (7:16)

PM: 4 miles on TM.  Alternated 1 min at 9mph and 1 min at 8mph.  My boring entry string is still going strong.

T-28:30 (7:07)

AM: I decided to try the treadmill at lunch so as not to destroy my lungs from running outside in the gunk (pm is at 73.4).  I lasted 2.5 miles before I threw in the towel and ran outside.  I am totally dragging and found it mch easier to slog through a run outside than on the TM.  So, I ran to the end of Planet Walk and back. 

PM: 3.5 on the TM

Got up early and drove up to the mouth of Blacksmith fork Canyon.  I started at mile 14 of TOU marathon and ran up to the Hyrum City Park and back.  It was pretty dark on the way up, but on the way down I could see the pollution soup.  I hit it at mile 13 and the temps immediately dropped 15 degrees.  My attempt today was to run easy up and hard down (similar to last sat).  I felt awful and wasn't able to get going at all on the down.  Oh, well, I guess you can't increase intensity AND mileage all at the same time....

T-1:28:11 (6:47) 163

"Faster" Miles (down) 6:21, 6:33:, 6:23, 6:24, 6:08, 6:20, 6:04 pace for .5

Hour on the Treadmill

Slept in, waited for the rain to stop.  It did briefly (long enough to run to Paul's house to pick him up) then started again for good.  We ran up through Providence and enjoyed a nice chat.  I dropped him off at the gym and slogged through Providence again for some more miles.  I even did a jaunt on the Planet Walk.  Bad idea.  I took it easy on the bridges, but once I stepped off the bridge onto the cement portion of the trail, I biffed it hard.  I slid on my hip for a good 10 feet until I crashed into the snow on the side of the trail.  I couldn't even get up without slipping as it was a sheet of ice for as long as I could see.  I decided to call it a day and head home.  All better now...

T-1:50:30 (7:22) 154

AM: Treadmill 8

Lunch: 4 Miles on Planet Walk course.

 T- 27:30 (6:53) 157

Hill workout today.  The only bummer was the -1° F temperature my thermometer read.  Brrr.  I was all tingly and numb by the time I got home.  For the workout, I ran a 3 mile warmup into providence.  I then tackled the 200E hill.  I did 3 repeats with a jog recovery down.  That hill is nasty.  I went: 1:41, 1:40, 1:37.  After the third, I continued up the road climbing more hills up to the mouth of Providence Canyon before coming home via canyon road (100 E). 

T-1:14:44 (7:17) 155 ave 177 max

Heat wave today!  21 degrees with light flurries.  Perfect running weather.  I ventured out for 10 easy miles on the Planet Walk - ICON - Young Ward out and back.  

T- 1:12:15 (7:13) 154

Only had time for a fast 8.  Did a sort of a progression run. 7 min down to 6 min.

T-53:12 (6:39) 163

Slogged for 8 miles on the Planet Walk.  My hamstrings are locked up tight.

T- Not timed

Lots of slow miles around Providence, Millville, Logan and Providence again.  Oh, I guess River Heights too.  Did about 9 with Jon then 5 or so with Paul before I ran out of time.  Back to framing my basement.  That sure is a time killer....Looks good though....

T-1:45:00 (7:22) 150

Easy Miles on Providence hills loop

T-63:10 (7:26) 150

Day 2 of my cutback week. Life is just getting in the way of running so it gets to take a backseat.  I did manage to squeeze in a brisk 6 on the planet walk (in the gunky air).  

T-40:50 (6:49) 157

8 slow miles on Young Ward short loop.  I was able to get out the door at 9pm and get a run in.  The chunky air made it tough to breathe and I ended up slowing down over the course of the run with each consecutive mile slower than the previous.  Off to bed...

T-59:25 (7:26) 145

AM: 4 On The Treadmill

3 on Treadmill - AM

Today was the first in the Striders Winter Racing Circuit.  Today's course was quoted by the race director  as being "only 5K but it feels like a 10K".  That is so true on this course.  Nothing but hills, up or down the entire way.  This is my third year running it and my goal going in was to better my time from last year of 18 mins. 

I have been so busy working overtime and then coming home and framing my basement that I have not had very much time to run (especially this week), so I in-advertently tapered for a 5K.  It seemed to do wonders though as the race turned out very well.  

It was about 30 degrees at the start with some icy intersections on the course, but otherwise very runnable.  Jon, Walter, Tim Wight, Nathan Pollard were all there for some good competition.  We all took off and I decided to go out hard and try and hang on.  I was out with Tim and Walter right behind for the first half mile.  By this point, we all knew that we were going to be killed by Trevor Ball who had already gapped up good.  He probably jogged the whole way to the win.  The battle for second was on though....

At the first mile marker (5:43) I was already ahead of my time from last year by 17 seconds and decided I was either going to kill my time or die trying.  I was running side by side with Tim up the big hill.  As we approached the last 100m of it, I dropped it down a notch and dropped him.  I looked back at the turn and saw a lone line of solid runners coming.  I did my best to beat my quads into submission on the downhill and not have Jon blast past me like he did last year.  I ended up all by myself for the rest of the race focusing on holding off the pack who was battling it out behind me.  Mile 2 was (6:00) exactly.  Picked up another 3 seconds over my 2008 time.  Looking good.  Mile 3 was hard since I was all by myself and wasn't able to work off of anyone, but I tried to keep a solid effort on the downhills and not fall on my face.  Mile 3 was (5:21).  The final uphill kick had an additional obstacle this year of a sheet of ice for 50 meters.  That kept the kick down to a slow pace (34 seconds). 

Watch time was 17:39 official time was 17:38

Very happy with the results.  22 second course PR and second place to boot.  Trevor Ball finished 53 seconds ahead of me with Tim Wight 20 seconds behind.  Nathan in 5th, Walter in 6th, and Jon in 7th.  

We did a group cooldown then Jon and I drove back to Logan.  Once I got home I had to run up to Lees to pick up my brother in law's vehicle to allow me to finish up my basement framing project (yeah).  (5.5 more miles)

Race stats: T-17:38 (5:40) 183 ave hr 190 max

Starting and finish Elevation: 4790 ft

Max Elevation (big hill): 5005 ft

Results are Posted HERE

7 on the treadmill.  Feeling it in my hammies still, but it is improving.

Young Ward out and back semi-loop (12 miles).  Today's run turned out to be an informal tempo run.  I was wanting to do some faster stuff but wasn't up for a formal tempo run.  I ended up picking it up as I went along today ending with a 6:13 mile.  Good enough.

T-1:19:30 (6:37) 161

8 recovery miles on Providence River Heights loop.  It wasn't timed, good thing because I was barely moving.  

Providence - Millville loop.  I attempted to hit the hills hard and ended up limping up the hills.  The effort was there, but the times were not.  Classic case of dead legs.  Glad I was at least able to run the whole way and not cut the loop short. Another day in the bank...

T-1:23:45 (7:17) 151

Pretty uneventful easy run today.  It was single digits again and when I ran past gossner foods, it was snowing due to the factory creating its own weather system.  That made it really cold.  On another note, I did run into Joe Wilson last night as we were both making a late night run to Home Depot.  Small world.

T-61:15 (7:39) 148

t- 1:57:00 7:48 150

Long and slow with Paul.  Felt like the weather....crummy.

Presidents Day  =  No work = More time for running = workout day

2 miles to TOU mile marker 21 then followed the course backward until I hit 7.5 miles (mid Hollow Road).  On the way back I did 10x 2 min on 1 min off fartlek.  I was all over the place on pace but was under Marathon pace and was close to 10K pace for the faster stuff.  Overall, a good run for the 5° temps I was running in.

T-1:43:23 (6:53) 159

AM: Avoided the Blizzard and stayed indoors for an easy 5 miler on the treadmill.  More tonight...

PM: 5 uneventful miles on the TM

I think I have come down with the same symptoms the majority of the blog currently has.  Laziness (aka body revolting against venturing out in the cold/snowy/winter air day after day while all you want to do is sleep).  I am burned out and would take a whole month off if it were not for the desire to set PR's and take advantage of the best fitness I have ever had.  I know many people can relate.

Anyway, I did manage to get out just before 9 pm this evening (first chance I got).  Slow miserable 8 miles (luckily it was un-timed).  Body felt lousy of course.  I think I will take tomorrow off and see if I can re-charge the batteries.  It seemed to work for others on the blog.

Enjoyed my day off yesterday.  Probably too much as I realized how much more time/energy I would have.  Although today I was glad to get out and run.  I was able to sneak off during my luch break and get in a quick 4 miles on the Planet Walk.  I was able to wear shorts and even see the sun.  Quite a concept.  

T-28:18 (7:05) 155

Striders Winter Racing Circuit 10K

Jon and I were happy to leave Logan's 1°  temperature and drive to Ogden (20°+) for the second of too many race, a 10K.  Today's course was a nasty hilly course I love to whine about.  After a quick warmup with Walter, Jon and James (Fiddy) who I haven't seen since WBR last year, the race was underway.  Trevor Ball was there again as he lives on the course and decided to try and win with a tempo run.  The lead group turned into James, Trevor, two guys I didn't know (Braden and Jason), Walter, Tim, and myself.  The pace was brisk, but maneagable over the first 2 miles (super fast second mile is all downhill). 

Mile 1: 5:38

Mile 2: 5:12

By this point the group has splintered and Tim and I were in the second group with Walter close behind.  I managed to not slip and fall on the sections of ice we encountered and actually managed to not freeze too terribly either. 

Mile 3: 5:34

Miles 3 & 4 was pretty challenging as it was pretty rolling with the big uphill coming up still.

Mile 4: 5:54

I was in 5-6th place running with Tim during mile 5.  Walter was a few seconds back.  The big hill approached....Time to go.  I was able to move away from Walter and Tim and slowly catch the guy in 4th (grey shirt guy as I called him aka Braden).  By the mile 5 marker, I was only a few seconds back.

Mile 5: 6:33

The first 2/3 of the mile was the rest of the uphill with the final 1/3 a nice downhill into the stadium parking lot.  I caught Braden on the hill and made sure he wasn't going to tag along.  I finished with a happy sigh as I was soooo glad to be done!

Mile 6: 6:27

Finish 1:10

4th place overall, 2nd in age group.  25 seconds faster than last year, yet 1 place worse.

T-36:28 (5:52) 179 ave 184 max 

We ran the course again for a long cooldown, but it felt more like a deathmarch.  Man I was sure tired.

Now the goal is to find more time to train so I can run a solid half at the Striders 1/2 marathon (next race).

I ventured up above the inversion this morning by running up to canyon road and continuing on Grand View Drive.  It was my first time on that road.  Sweet view of the valley filled with gunk.  The only problem was that it was around 40 degrees up there and I was dressed for 10.  Major over heating today.  Today was all about just getting the miles in. 

T-1:12:45 (7:17) 154

10 easy on Young Ward out and back course.  Warm and windy, but more importantly the air was clear.

T-1:14:50 (7:29) 146

10 while sleeping

T-1:14:00 (7:24) 144

10 miles again.  Yep, I am on a roll.  Today I ran a hilly providence millville short loop.  This week is all about increasing the mileage, so no major workouts.  I am venturing into injury territory so have to be careful.

T-1:11:30 (7:09) 153

Young Ward loop.  Pretty uneventful

T-1:16:00 (7:25) 146

Jon and I started running from the west end of Hollow road up the TOU course to meet Paul.  By the time we made it the 2.5 miles to Paul's car, we were popcicles and knew we had 3+ more miles of ~10 degree weather with 20mph headwind ahead of us.  

Plan B ensued.  We drove up the Hyrum city park and ran from there.  1 mile up then back down to my car.  The downhill with the wind was much nicer, but still cold.  I ditched Paul and Jon at mile 14 of the course to run the big hill and then tempo down hollow road.  I didn't get in a good workout this week, so I wanted 3 faster miles today.  I went 6:09 (up the hill then back  down), 6:00, 5:57.  We immediately drove back up to Paul's car.  Stiff and tired, Jon and I added on another 2 miles to get to 16 miles for the run.  

  Good week of consistent training.  Now its time to get into the Big Workouts and get into marathon shape.  Time's a wasting....

T-1:53:30 (6:59) 150 ave

Medium Workout -

Young Ward Loop via Landfill.

3 Mile Warmup at sub 7 pace

6 mile Tinman Tempo pace (goal 6:15)

• 6:14
• 6:14
• 6:15
• 6:15
• 6:16
• 6:09

3.25 miles at 6:40 pace

T-1:19:19 (6:29) 161

10 Recovery miles on TOU course.  Tired.

T-1:16:42 (7:40) 148

Providence hills plus Grand View extension.  Nice morning.  Warm and breezy.  

T-1:17:00 (7:31) 151

Medium Workout day

I warmed up to Paul's house.  Picked him up then ran to the start of the First Dam run course and began the fartlek workout.  We went 8x's 3min on 1min off.  Mostly.  We got pretty distracted talking and ram some longer hard intervals and some longer rest intervals.  It was sure nice to have company for a workout.  It was also nice to be able to keep up with Paul.  That has never happened before...in my short memory.  

Pace for the hard 3mins (goal was 5:50-6:00 pace on flat terrain)

• 6:02 (slight uphill)
• 6:00 (slight uphill)
• 5:58 (same)
• 5:56 (big up then flat)
• 5:25 (flat than big down)
• 5:32 (slight down)
• 5:55 (opps too slow for slight down)
• 5:40 (flat, but some dogs wanted to race so I got carried away)

I dropped Paul off and then ran the Planet Walk to get to 12 miles.

T-1:22:48 (6:54) 159

Bethany and I are flying out to Mexico tomorrow morning = good

We are even leaving the kids with the grandparents = good

That means that I don't have time tomorrow for a long run = minor annoyance

I decided to do it today as I had time in the late afternoon/early evening while we are in SLC.  I had my wife drop me off at the Jordan River Parkway at 700 N and Redwood.  I then proceeded to run the trail all the way to my in-laws house near 6200 S and Redwood.  It went pretty well other than taking a wrong turn and adding on a mile winding my way back to the trail.  I was moving along ok for the first half, but by the second I was sure hungry and bonking.  This was my longest run since SGM and I felt it.  I am sure running a long run the day after a medium workout did the trick, I feel like I need lots more runs of 15+ miles or I will be in sorry shape for the marathon.  I did my best to stay right at 7:00 pace for the run, but the last mile is all uphill and it killed me.  I sure enjoyed exploring more of that trail system though.  Pretty sweet.  Although I was glad it was still daylight running through South Salt Lake area.  Nice neighborhood.

I plan on getting out in the morning for a slow jaunt before my flight.  We will see how that goes. 

T-2:07:08 (7:04) 158

9.5 Slow miles to make it an even 72 for the week.  6 singles.  I was pretty tired this morning.  Off to the airport...

T-1:12:30 (7:38) 151

Cabo San Lucas - 

I went on vacation with my wife, my parents (to their time-share) and my sister and her husband.  We enjoyed ourselves greatly and especially enjoyed the nice temps (70's and 80's).  I will post some pictures when I finally make it home (I am writing this while at the in-laws in SLC).  The were good enough to watch our kids for a week, but we were sure happy to see them again.  As for training this week, I didn't do so hot.  It was more important to be with family and have fun then run.  Plus it made my family nervous to be out running for hours in a foreign country.  I did what I could. 

Today, I attempted to run on the beach where I was staying, but that lasted about 25 mins before my feet turned to mush.  It was hard work.  The flat part of the beach was deep soft sand and the hard sand near the water was too sloped to be able to run well.  Plus, when the waves came, I was running in 6 inches of water and mud.  Scratch that plan.  2.5 miles at an effort closer to 5.

I went swimming in the ocean later body surfing on Divorce beach.  Fun stuff.  I got beat up pretty good.  I am counting as 5 miles of Cross Training.

Today instead of the beach, I hit the treadmill in the fitness center at the Hotel / Resort.  It was busy, so they limited you to 30 mins on the treadmill.  I made decent use of the time getting in 4.25 miles before I was kicked off.  Rather than wait my turn again, I ran outside where it was cooler due to the breeze and finished off to get in 5.  We managed to get in some more serious beach/pool time before renting some quads and hitting the trails around the baja.  Fun stuff.

5 miles running

5 miles cross-training

Today I got up at 5:30 to go deep sea fishing.  Not a bad setup, we split a boat rental with 6 of us and headed out to the local fishing grounds with our captain and his mate in-charge.  After close to 3 hours of 5-10 foot swells, I was not feeling to hot.  I spent a large amount of time standing up with the waves crashing over me trying not to puke.  Maybe next time, I will take some dramamine or something.  I was the only one to lose my breakfast, but once that happened, I was good for the rest of the day.  We ended up being very successful in our fishing adventures and had a blast.  Our captain was very good at what he does and set up up to catch some real fish.  We caught and released 4 marlin, but kept the 3 Dorado we caught (I brought in a medium sized Dorado).  Pretty sweet experience, but extremely tiring trying to not get thrown overboard and ride the waves all day.  We did enjoy our catch for dinner though.

Counting that ordeal as 10 cross training miles since I was more tired than after a 20 miler.

Will post pics of our fishing later...

AM: 7 miles around Cabo exploring the roads and dodging cars.  Tough on the feet as everything is shaped concrete.  Very un-even and un-forgiving.  I enjoyed it though.  

T-52:20 (7:28) 7 miles

PM: Massive amounts of swimming/sun

AM: More exploring around Cabo.  I did do some laps around a large dirt soccer field with the locals to help out the feet.  

T-48:00  (7:23) 6.5 miles

PM: The waves at Divorce beach were higher today so the workout was extreme. 

Last day at Cabo.  Bummer.  I got in 5 easy miles around town before packing up and heading out.  Great trip!  

T-37:00 (7:24) 5 miles

I felt lousy this morning. Not a big surprise since I am back to real life again, but still annoying.  I wanted to get in a decent medium workout but my body was rebelling.  I did the best I could considering it was a "3 star" workout.  The workout was the Providence - Millville Hills loop.  3 mile warmup, 6 miles hard (Tinman Tempo effort) then 3 miles cooldown.  The faster miles were: 7:54 (big hill), 6:29, 6:13, 6:10, 6:20, 6:13. 

T-1:21:40 (6:48) 161

PM: 4 slow miles with the kids in the Stroller....yep it was stroller weather.

AM: 8 untimed miles

PM: 2 Miles taking the kids to the park

8 Miles on Young Ward via ICON out and back.  Threw in some strides too.

T-59:15 (7:24) 145

Medium Workout Day - 

I was tired of running in traffic and didn't feel like 1.5 hours of running on city roads so I drove up to Blacksmith Fork Canyon (mile 14 of TOU) and headed up the canyon.  For the first time EVER, there was no wind up or down.  Weird.  I was able to hit a pretty fast warmup going up the canyon staying under 7 min pace.  I did 5 warmup then did 10 x 3 min hard, 1 min easy.  Goal pace was half marathon pace (5:50) to get a better feel of it.  I forgot how much it hurts to run fast (my memory is lacking).  Other than some stomach issues again today, the run went pretty well.  I was working pretty hard though and doubt that I can hold the goal pace for the whole half marathon distance.  Bring on race day magic!

Pace for the hard intervals

1. 5:55 (up hill)
2. 6:03 (slightly steeper uphill)
3. 5:45 (now the rest are down the canyon)
   
4. 5:48
5. 5:45
6. 5:46
7. 5:45
8. 5:54
   
9. 5:44
10. 5:38

Finished with 1.5 mile cool-down to the car

T-1:25:20 (6:33) (164 ave) (low 170's for the intervals)

8 REALLY slow miles today.  Those big workouts sure take a lot out of me.  I just limped along and was content with my 8:30 miles.

T- 1:06:00 140

GO AGGIES!!!!

Long run with Jon and Paul.  Paul took us on a tour of the famous Hyde Park Hill.  Nasty.  My legs are pretty tired after jumping from the mid 50's to 75 miles this week, plus this long run is 4 more than I have done this year to date.  I survived it, but it wasn't anything special.  No heroric effort or anything.  It was good to run with the guys though.  I was feeling a bit of tendonitis in my previous injury spot yesterday during the day, but it felt fine today.  I will have to watch it close this next week to make sure it is ok.  In all, it was a good week of training.  I feel like I can put together a good half marathon at this point, but not a full.  But I still have time for that...a bit.

T- 2:27:24 (7:22) 151

The best part of today though is that it is BETHANY and LILY's (my daughter) birthday!  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

AM: Snowy / Windy 8 in the morning.  Slow and steady.

T-59:10 (7:24) 148

PM: 4 more

Medium workout - 

3 Miles warmup

8 miles at tinman tempo pace (goal 6:15)

1. 6:16
2. 6:10
3. 6:07
4. 6:12
5. 6:14
6. 6:16
7. 6:13
8. 6:11

2.5 miles cooldown

I did the run on the Jordan River Parkway.  Why? you ask?  Last night I got called on a last minute business trip to Tulsa OK.  I am on my way to the airport now to repair a LED Display that is malfunctioning out there.  Fun.  We came down (to SLC) last night and stayed with family over night.  I am crossing my fingers that I can get the issue resolved and get home.  Not excited about taking up residence in Oklahoma.

T-1:28:00 (6:31) 163 (170's during tempo)

8 Easy miles around Tulsa.  I found a large group of soccer fields with a dirt trail around it.  .8 miles long.  Perfect for running.  I did a bunch of laps.

Things are going well here.  I am on schedule to make my flight tomorrow at mid-day.  Knock on wood, but the problem is solved.  

AM: Easy 8 in Tulsa - Didn't have time for more. Turns out I did, but it would've had to be around the airport as I was stuck there most of the day.   Weather in Denver cancelled my flight and the next, and anything else remotely close to being an airplane to get me home.  So, it looks like I will be here again tomorrow as I couldn't get a flight until 5pm on Friday.

Nada - 

Stuck in Oklahoma until 5:20 pm flight to SLC.  Nasty weather.

Long run with Paul -

We waited until it was sunny and nice to go for a run and it was great.  I ran over to his place and then we ran up the TOU course until near the end of hollow road and back.  All of the miles were pretty brisk and I was pretty worn out by the end.  I dropped Paul off when he hit 15 miles and I added on to get 20.  I have never been so tired and hungry and thirsty at the same time.  Major fuel depletion.  We hit a few sub 6:30 miles and my last mile was 6:35.

  T- 2:16:50 (6:51) 160

P.S. It is sure nice to finally be home again.

AM: Landfill loop on the snowy / icy roads.  Pretty slick out.

T-55:52 (7:43) 144

PM: Wandered around the neighborhoods with Paul and Jon.  Easy pace

T-60:20 (7:33) 142

AM: 5 easy on Planet Walk.  Tired

PM: I was planning on joining Paul and Jon for a workout but forgot about previously made dinner plans.  The run got put off until 8:50.  It was lightly raining, but not too bad so I figured I would be ok.  I was wrong.  I froze my butt off when the rain turned to big fat flakes of snow and the wind started to howl.  It was like the St. George marathon all over again.  Only much shorter.  I warmed up 2.5 miles to the First dam run 10k course start/finish line and tried to do a 6 mile tempo.  The first mile was uphill but with the wind.  Most of the second was the same, but I decided to turn around at mile 1.75 and cut out almost 2 miles because I couldn't see anymore due to the snow and I was killing myself trying to hold a tempo pace in this weather.  Turned around and did better the further away from the canyon I got.  I still had a nasty headwind though.  The six mile tempo turned into a 4.4 mile tempo.  I then decided that I had better hustle home or I was going to lose all feeling in my body.  I ended up hitting some good splits due to self preservation.  Good motivation tool.

Tempo splits:

• 6:05
• 6:17
• 6:15
• 6:06
• 5:56 pace for .4

Cool down home:

• 6:38
• 6:36
• 6:30 pace for .7

Now to recover and rest for the big race Saturday (striders 1/2)

T-1:03:40 (6:32) 9.75 miles 164 ave

Still snowing here in Logan so I opted for an easy 5 on the treadmill.  

T- 40:00

Landfill loop with 5 striders.  Other than that, pretty un-eventful.  Tapering for Striders.

T-53:00 (7:34) 145

Another nice 'n easy 5ver on the Planet Walk.  

Striders 1/2 Marathon

We (Jon, Paul, and I) left Logan in a blizzard and headed to Ogden Valley passing warm and dry Ogden on the way.  The weather in Eden was snowy and cold.  Oh, did I mention windy too?  The race was a humbling experience to say the least.  Not that I was planning on winning or anything, but I was hoping to run closer to 1:16.  I felt that I was within reach of my PR assumming good weather.  None of that happened and I was only racing to survive.  

I started out fast with Walter and Tim.  It was probably a bit aggressive and I am sure I paid for it later.  Walter soon pulled away and Tim and I ran together until mile 5 when he pulled away for good creating his own roadkill.  From that point on, I was on my own.  I also really started to slow down and hurt pretty bad for the rest of the race.  Exiting the canyon, we encountered a stiff headwind that really took it out of me.  The race continued to decline until I was inching along for the last 5K.  Enough whining now, but this race was really frustrating.

Lessons learned:

• Traveling is not good for training.  I was away for 2 weeks
• Eating out while traveling is also a bad idea.  5+ pounds of weight gain really hurts.
• Stress from life really takes a toll.
  
• Running into a headwind sucks.

Mile splits:

1. 5:29
2. 5:37
3. 5:47
4. 5:49
5. 5:41
6. 5:56
7. 6:04
8. 6:06
9. 6:17
10. 6:17 (59:00)
11. 6:46 ouch
12. 6:37
13. 6:44
14. :35 (with the wind finally)

T-1:19:42 (6:05) 176 ave 185 max

3 mile cooldown with Jon and Paul at a blistering 9:43 ave pace.

8 easy miles today.  I took inventory during the run to see how bad the damage from the race was.  Minor tightness in hammies and calves.  The bigger concern was the bruise under the third toe.  Running a half in the Fastwitch was not a good idea.  I had to try it out though.  I had better keep an eye on it.  I would say the pain level was low during the run today, I would label it as irritating.  Other than that, I should be ok.  I think I will be able to do a solid workout wed or thurs if the recovery continues well.

T-58:55 (7:22) 148

Brisk 10 miles on Young Ward via ICON out and back course.  The foot was about the same as yesterday.  Decided to test my recovery and run the last mile fast.  5:53

T- 1:06:56

No running, foot hurts.  It isn't improving while still running on it, so a day off (or more ) will have to fix it.

The foot bruise injury felt a lot better today after taking the last 36 hours off.  I decided to wait until the afternoon to let it heal as much as possible before running on it.  For my run, I stuck to the grass as much as possible.  I ran over to the fairgrounds and did a few loops until I got bored, then wandered over to Logan high.  I did a mile or so inside of lane 1 on the smooth but soft artificial turf before doing another mile in the grassy field.  The foot felt much better on the grass than the roads but still got pretty sore by mile 6.5.  I have it in a bowl of ice water as I type this.  Hope it helps.

T-58:07 (7:16) 154

6 very easy miles today mostly on grass.  I had to cut it short due to continued pain in the foot.  I can manage the pain, but am worried about further damage.  I am also starting to wonder about my "bruise" diagnosis.  I would think a bruise would heal by now.  Meanwhile I am watching my sub 2:40 marathon go out the window now....

T- 47:10 (7:52) 142

*** Details of the injury/pain

The pain is localized near the third metatarsal (what would be #18 in image).  When I push deep into that area with my finger it kills.  If I walk lightly, it is fine.  Running causes pain due to the extra weight and pressure.  If it is a bruise, it seems to be a bone bruise (is that possible?).  It could also be Morton's neuroma or simply a strained tendon in that area.  It seems very different than when I had the bug/spider bite as that was much close to the surface of the skin.  This is very deep in the foot.

PM: 4 glorious miles in the rain. 

My injury has been steadily improving every day and I would rate the progress at 80% healed.  Only jumping up and down on one foot (while barefoot) causes pain.  It feels perfect while wearing shoes.  I decided that I had had enough and was willing to risk it all by going out for a short run.  I ran to the end of Planet walk and back with no issues.  That is a good sign.  I will be curious to see how it feels tomorrow as a result of today's run.  If it is doing well, I will push my luck further and run some more. 

Landfill Loop plus a bit

I didn't feel any worse off this morning so I headed out for an easy 8 miles.  It went well with the rain starting just as I got home.  Foot pain is a 1.  Barely on the scale.  Maybe even a .5.  My legs were ready to roll today but my heart and lungs were still on vacation.

T-55:37 (6:57) 160

Big Workout

I needed to try and cram some fitness back into me before my marathon.  I hope its not too late to do any good, but I figure it will help if only mentally. The foot injury felt close to 100% today with only a twinge for a mile or so.  I hope it holds out after today's workout.  

We ran the North Logan Loop starting out with 5 mile warmup at 7 min pace.  The goal for the workout was 6-8 miles at tinman tempo pace (6:15).  We ended up doing 7 with an ave pace of about 6:10.  The splits were: 6:02 (down), 6:27(up), 6:24(up), 6:12(flat), 6:11(flat), 5:48(down), 5:55(down).

Very satisfying due to the legs that felt like jello during the cooldown.  I define a good workout by the jello-ness.  This was jiggly.

T-1:33:18 (6:39) 167 ave 183 max

7 slow and easy recovery miles.  I didn't time it but I am positive I was close to 8:30 pace.

22 mile long run with Jon - 

We started at the west end of hollow road and headed up the canyon.  I didn't feel good from the start.  Not a good sign.  I figured a good 22 miler with no fueling would cause a serious fuel shortage and MIGHT help prepare the body for the rigors of a marathon.  If only I could learn to burn fat better so the bonking wouldn't be quite so horrible.  I was pretty miserable from 15 miles on, but got bumped into a hole new level of uncomfortable-ness from 18 miles on.  What was I thinking?  This better help.  Oh well, it is over and I am still alive.  I do have to say the water at miles 9 and 14 was a lifesaver.  Next time I will not do this in the afternoon when it is warm and when there is a hefty wind blowing up the canyon creating a fun headwind when you are tired!  I did give it my all for the last mile and was rewarded with a 6:52 split.

T-2:37:02 (7:09) 159 (high 160's for the last 5 miles)

Easy run on the young ward loop.  I was sluggish for a couple of miles then loosened up a bit and felt better.  

T-1:14:25 ( 7:15) 150

Big Workout-

4 Mile Warmup

8 Mile Tinman Tempo

2 Mile Cool Down

Up early to hit the road.  The weather was nice so that made it much easier to get out the door today.  I headed out to the TOU course (again) and followed the course backwards from mile 21 to 16.  I was not feeling too great (legs tired, stomach iffy, foot injury still sore, etc) but did the best I could.

• Mile 1 6:14 (down) trying to get the body moving
  
• Mile 2 6:23 (slight up)
• Mile 3 6:26 (slight up)
• Mile 4 6:02 (opposite of 3)
• Mile 5 6:06 (opposite of 2)
• Mile 6 6:31 (opposite of 1 - up millville hill)
• Mile 7 6:22 (half up /half down)
• Mile 8 6:05 (down)

The two mile cooldown ended up being not much of a cooldown as I felt like pushing the pace all the way home (good sign).  6:24, 6:26

T- 1:30:34 (6:28) 163

Took the day off of work.  I am spending the day painting the basement instead.  I got the primer all sprayed on and while it was drying, I took off for a quick 5.  Tired from yesterday's workout and all the time I have spent working on the house.

I feel like I got ran over by a truck.  14 hours of painting sure does a number on you.  I remember why I got a college degree now. The worst is behind me now.  I managed to fall out of bed and stumble out the door.  I decided against anything hard today and did a hilly course to compromise. Providence hills loop with the extension to Providence canyon.  I worked the hills pretty good and managed to go sub 6 on the downhill.  

T- 65:30 (9.25 miles) (7:05) 157

Met Paul today and ran with him on the Landfill Loop via Planet Walk.  Just missed the rain, so nice weather.  We took it easy but still slipped in some low 7 min miles without trying.  

T-65:30 (7:17) 149

T-minus 8 days to marathon.  Final Long run.  Jon talked me into 16 instead of 18 miles and I am glad he did because the foot started to really hurt at mile 13 and running on it only made it worse.  Hopefully with some rest and taper, the foot will get better.  I will take some serious time off after the marathon to get it properly healed.  

Anyway, todays run felt good and it was nice to hit some trails and get off the roads a bit.  Up and back to Second Dam (actually the start of the single track to be more specific) via the canal trail. Nice 7 min pace made easier by a slight tailwind.  The return home began with 2 speedy miles down the trail (6:05, 5:50) before backing off to 7 min pace for the rest of the run.  We arrived home just as the rain started to fall.  It is now snowing like its January.  That was close...

T-1:50:50 (by my watch) (6:55) 156

Nada-

Resting the foot...

Landfill loop easy - 

The goal this weekend was to rest the foot and see if it improves.  It did improve, but still bothered me during the run today.  Maybe 2 of the 6 miles were not pain free.  I have been leaning towards a neuroma as the most likely cause.  I still have a few more days to let it improve before throwing in the towell.  Other than that stress, the run was nice.

Landfill Loop again today.  The foot was better off today than yesterday.  It hurt for about a mile.  Kind of random as it was mile 2.  I did 2 of the 6 miles near marathon pace. 6:00, 5:57.  They felt hard.  

T-39:50 (6:39) 158

Easy 5 on "H-OH-AC-WP-PW-GC-H" course.  I can sure get used to this 5-6 miles a day thing.  Foot felt good except for during the strides.  The push-off causes pain.  

Well, we survived the 8.5 hour drive including stops to Denver. No child mutinies, only a large amount of spilled drinks and food.  It was a success.  Today I got out for an easy 5 miler with some strides.  I felt good.  My foot was ok today.  I wore my marathon shoes for the last mile to see how they feel with the foot injury.  It felt great.  I will wait to make the shoe selection a race day decision as that still up in the air.  Now, to relax and enjoy some vacation time...

T-35:45 (7:09) 156

Final 2 mile tuneup.  Ready to roll...

I have been looking forward to doing a different spring marathon this year than in years past.  I have run the Ogden Marathon two years in a row and countless races on the course and felt it was time for a change.  I enjoy visiting my Dad and Step-Mom who live in Denver so I found a race near them that looked fun.  The Colorado Marathon.  The race begins up a canyon (Poudre River Canyon) and ends in downtown Ft. Collins (a pretty cool city that reminds me a lot of Logan).  My last marathon was St. George 2008 and so needless to say, I was worried about weather for today's race.  Turns out that I didn't need to worry as it stopped the downpour a full 3 hours before the race began.  Whew!  Conditions were ideal with a near 40 degree start and a mid 50 degree finish.  Very light wind, I would call it a breeze.  So now that the stage is set, the marathon can begin (only 15 mins late).  

We began and I quickly joined the lead pack as they meandered down the canyon.  4 guys in the front row with myself and one other drafting behind.  The pace was perfect for the first mile (6 min), but very soon became a bit too brisk for me.  I finally let them go at the 4 mile mark as they were pulling me along too fast.  I do have to say though that I sure do love the first 6 miles of a marathon.  You feel great, all tapered and fresh, the race day magic is flowing, then WHAM, you idiot, you entered a marathon.  What were you thinking?  The misery then overwhelms you. 

I made my way down the scenic Poudre Canyon (Very similar to Blacksmith fork in grade only much prettier (and greener)) all by my lonesome as I settled into my pace.  There was still a lead pace of 3 but the rest of us were spread out by over a min before long. The canyon goes for 17 miles then abruptly the course becomes hilly.  There were two major hills that were not monsters, but tough.  After those, the course is mostly flat, but still slowly dropping as it follows the meandering river.  Anyway, back to the race. 

I exited the canyon in 6th place and went to work to catch "green shirt" ahead of me.  He seemed to be coming back to me slowly.  The only problem was that my body was doing the same.  I was losing it quickly (as I had fully anticipated).  I had strategically asked my wife and father to greet me on the course at mile 19 as I knew I would be struggling.  They gave me my Gu and water that I was ready for and I was off without breaking stride.  That carried me about a mile before the wheels really started to come off.  By that point in the course, I was passing the Half Marathoners in droves.  The race had the brillant idea of starting the half marathoners an hour and 15 mins after we started so that everyone would finish at about the same time.  The problem with that is now the course is packed with halfers and there is little room for the marathoners.  To make matters worse, they made the course along a riverside trail that just didn't have enough room to pass.  I collided with several runners as they "attempted" to move out of the way.  I was getting sick of yelling "on your left" and "make way".  That was my biggest complaint about the course.  It messed with my tangents horribly and I lost a lot of rhythm and momentum frequently.  The upside was that many of them were pretty good cheerleaders for the marathoners and entertained me with comments as I went by.  Most were very complimentary quite opposite what I was feeling at the time.  I spent the last 10K in suffer mode totally bonked and attempted to salvage what I could out of the second half of the race.  I did finally catch and pass green shirt at mile 24 but was passed by 3 other runners along the way.  I guess I should have gone slower the first half so I would have suffered less, but I chose my own fate. 

In all, I was hoping for a 2:40 finish time, but knew that 2:45 was much more realistic.  2:46 is a tad slow, but considering my lack of training, and abundance of injuries and other setbacks, I will take it.  I enjoyed the race and am glad I ran it.  I would recommend it for many people.  It is aided, but still tough due to altitude, crowd control, lots of rollers over the last 10K, and the two tough hills.  Still a PR course for many people. 

My foot injury didn't affect me too much, although it irritated me during the race and hurts pretty good now.  I count that success. 

Mile splits/ HR:

1. 6:03 170
2. 5:55 172
3. 5:48 174
4. 5:51 175
5. 5:58 174
6. 6:02 172
7. 6:08 171
8. 6:04 170
9. 6:06 168
10. 6:13 167
11. 6:09 167
12. 6:05 168
13. 6:13 169
    
14. 6:12 168
15. 6:20 169
16. 6:20 170
17. 6:27 170
18. 6:14 171
19. 6:46 172
20. 6:18 170
21. 6:34 170
22. 6:51 170
23. 6:54 171
24. 7:07 168
25. 7:07 168
26. 7:11 170

   26.2 1:22 173

 First Half: 1:19:15 (6:03)

Second Half: 1:27:04 (6:39)

Total 2:46:19 (6:20) 170 ave HR 

8th Overall / 997 Finishers

2 Easy miles with Bethany and the kids.  It was nice to get out and enjoy the evening together.  I think I am close to being fully recovered from the race.  I still have some tightness in the right hammy but the feet feel good.  I am almost over the post marathon cold too.

Rode Bike out to Mendon and back.  15 miles in under 45 mins.

Got out for 5 easy miles this morning.  PW via AC.

4 Miles to Logan High with the kiddies in the stroller.  They ran one lap on the track.

Providence hills loop.  Pretty un-eventful.  Just happy to be running injury/pain free.  

T-61:00 (7:11) 153

PW 5

AM: Brisk 6 miles on Landfill Loop.  2 warmup then 2 fast (5:54, 5:55) then 2 more.  Good to push it a bit.  I can still feel some fatigue from the marathon, but the recovery is going great. 

T-38:48 (6:28) 166

PM: Rode the bike with Corey.  He kept me honest with a tough pace.  My legs were shot.  We rode up a big hill in Wellsville just for kicks.  Bad idea.  Great to get out on the bike once in a while.

22 miles in about 70 mins. Easily equivalent to an hour of running.  (8 miles)

Didn't feel like it today.

Trail run with Jon - 

I got to test out my new shoes today and they felt great.  I am excited to own a pair of trail running shoes that don't injure me.  That is an important piece to the trail running puzzle.  We started at the canal trail and headed up Green Canyon via the Shoreline trail.  This includes the nasty climb (10:48 mile) up the mountain at first dam.  1500 feet of  elevation gain in today's run.  In all, a good run.  He was nice enough to take it easy on me and take an easy day.  We topped off the run with 2 for 1 cinnamon rolls at Albertsons.  Mmmmm

T-2:09:20 (8:05)

Early AM run with Jon.  We got in 6.5 together (although he started even earlier to get more in) before I dropped him off and headed back out for more (PW 5).  Jon was working me over with some sub 7 stuff but once I dropped him off I made up for it by slowing way down.  Much better... I ended up with 11.5 before calling it quits.

T-1:23:12 (7:14)

Trail run day-

Canal trail and River Trail.  I took it easy going up the canyon while enjoying a tailwind.  I took the right fork on the singletrack for almost a mile before I turned around.  44:44 up.  Once I turned around, I hit the gas pedal to see if I could kill myself on the singletrack.  Sadly, it didn't happen, I only got tired.  I ended up going hard for 3 miles until I exited the trail and was back on the road.  (6:20, 6:16, 6:02).  The rest of the run was in the 7-7:30 range.  38:27 down

T-1:23:11 (7:14) 165

Landfill loop slowly

AM: Easy 5 on Planet Walk

PM: 28 miles up to Hyrum City Park in BSF Canyon on the bike.  It was a lot of fun.  We had a good group of 4 tonight.  Sections of the ride we pushed it, and sections we took it easy.  Overall, a solid effort.  I will count biking miles as 1 mile for every 10 mins starting now (even though it is much harder than that effort wise).  

T-1:25:00 (19.75 mph) 28 miles

Typical tired Friday.  Planet Walk 5...again (its because I can do it in my sleep).

Trail run with Paul - 

Well, to be more accurate, it was a road, but still....  We left Paradise and headed up towards the Wellsville's.  After and hour and lots of hills, we made it to the summitt.  Nope not of the wellsvilles, but of Wellsville canyon.  Pretty neat run, nice to try something new.  On the way down I saw a large bird of prey (not sure what exactly) fly off in front of us with a snake hanging from his beak.  I admit I may have been halucinating since Paul claims to have "missed it" even though it was right in front of us.

T-1:56:30 (7:26) 15.65 miles

Good weekend so far, as I have crammed in a boys night out on a father son campout with Jaxon, a trail run with Paul, a day of home projects and still have two days to go...

Trail Run -

Today was a great day to hit the trails.  No work, sun was out, trail was muddy.  We ran on the Deer Fence Trail, but today it was better known as the cow pie trail.  Nasty.  A good run, I felt good, and most importantly, no injuries as a result.  I am cursed with that trail.  The hills are so nasty, it usually causes me to break something. Looks like I am in the clear (so far) this time.  I followed up the run with lots of projects around the house.  Long day. -8:12 ave

AM: Providence Hills loop.  It was hard to get out of bed today, but once I warmed up it turned out fine.  Back to the grind.

T-62:15 (8.5) (7:20) 147 

PM: 4 stroller miles with the kids.  Even had Jon and his kids along too.

Big Workout-

North Logan Loop.  5 Mile warmup to the cemetary.  Legs were sluggish and I was not feeling good at all.  Oh well, go with it and see what happens.  The goal was a repeat of April 16's workout.  7 miles at Tinman Tempo (anything sub 6:30 was today's desired pace).  

1. 6:19 (down)
2. 6:43 (rolling up)
3. 6:42 (up)
4. 6:24 (flat)
5. 6:20 (flat slight down)
6. 6:01 (flat then big down)
7. 6:05 (flat then small down)

2 Mile cool down at sub 7 pace.  I am dead tired now, but glad to get that in the books.  Today's run was only a min slower than in April even with the lead legs.  That is the overall time, the tempo was 10-20 seconds a mile slower today.  Must have run the warmup and cooldown too fast today or something. 

T-1:34:15 (6:44) 161 ave

Bike ride with Corey to Camp Lomia up Logan Canyon.  We went hard but didn't hammer it.  51 mins up 39 down. 20.4 mph ave including stop lights. (1:30:00) 

5 Easy on PW.  Tired

Long Run with Jon - 

Today's run was a nice and "easy" 20 miler up Logan Canyon.  We kept the pace nice and conversational with minimal pit stops.  A success.  Great day for a run and judging by the crowds out running, many people agreed.  We even saw Joe and Scott heading up the canyon too.  I told Jon that we should pick it up the last mile to sub 7 and so he picked up the pace even more to have us finish with a 6:25 mile.  A good long run to end a high mileage week for me. 

T-2:35:30 (7:46)

Hill workout - 

House to Dry Canyon. 3 miles flat then 2 nasty miles (~8 min and ~9 min pace) then did 1 mile up Dry Canyon.  12:20 mile with HR at 170.  Its about a thousand foot climb over the last 1.5 miles.  At 6 miles, I turned around and flew down the canyon. 5:45 on the trail, then 5:37, 6:07 on the road before it flattened out.  The remaining 3 miles were at 7 min pace.  Legs are shot now.

T-1:30:40 (7:33) 12 miles 156

PM: 2 with the kids in the stroller.  We went to the park.

I woke up this morning and couldn't even walk.  I am so sore from the hill workout I did yesterday.  Marathon sore.  I put off the run until the evening to try and work the soreness out.  It sort of worked.  I did ok during the run once I got warmed up.  I joined Jon for 7 miles on the Landfill loop and then did the Planet Walk by myself.  I swallowed a pound of cotton while on the PW.  Not a good time of year to visit the PW.  

T-1:17:30 (7:45) 150

Up early to join Paul and Jon for an easy run.  We did 7 with Jon, dropped him off then ran Paul home, then did the PW again by myself.  Legs still very tender.  Going down stairs or any hill is painful.

T-1:38:00 (7:50) 142

AM: Planet Walk 5 with strides.  Legs still sore, but much better every day now.  The scooter is broken, so I rode the bike the 4 miles into work (12 min).

PM: Rode bike home then rode out to Wellsville and Mendon by myself.  Pushed it pretty hard.  I was pushing close to MP or Tinman Tempo pace effort the whole time.  ~25 miles at 20.5 ave speed.

Met Paul, Jon and Joe (after 300 invites he finally comes to a run with us) at PW but didn't go on it.  Instead we did Landfill loop and checked out the dirt road at the bird refuge.  I enjoyed my 8:20 pace before I met up with them.  They forced me to wake up and get moving.  Good to get out and enjoy the nice morning.

T-51:30 (7 miles) (7:21) 146

Rode bike to work and will ride home later, assuming I ever leave.

Utah Hemophilia Foundation Blood Run 5K -

3rd Overall, 2nd Male 17:00 (5:28) 179 ave 185 max HR

Yep, I got chicked. But I am getting ahead of myself...

I have a brother in law who is a hemophiliac and my wife is a carrier of the disorder, so I have some real close personal ties to the hemophilia foundation. I was planning a trip to SLC for a family gathering so I was able to fit in this race without a big deal. It is held in Highland (in Utah county). Nice area and it turned out to be a great day for a race. I got there and ran the course for an easy warmup. I was not feeling great due to the non-taper and the fact that this is the highest mileage week of the year for me. Not a lot of zip in those legs. I have done 0 speedwork in the last few months and was completely unprepared for this race. But, it is a 5K so at least it is over quick.

At the starting line I saw a few fast looking guys but 2 fast looking girls. One was MaryAnn (formerly of the Blog) and the other was a super skinny girl Lindsey Dunkley (33:11 at Des News 10K in 2008). The first mile was downhill and with the wind (there was a canyon wind this morning). I was in 5th place for most of the mile working my way up to 3rd by early in mile 2. Mile 1: 5:19  I was able to get past MaryAnn and into 3rd place but couldn't quite get up to the shoulders of the top two runners (Logan Petty the top runner for Davis High, and Lindsey).  I was thinking to myself, who is this girl?  Impressive.  Mile 2 was not great and I was not enjoying the headwind we faced.  I was slowly slipping back and losing contact.  Mile 2: 5:42  Ugly.  Mile 3 was back up the hill, but no longer into the wind so it evened out a bit.  The two speedy folk kept pulling away and I was slowing down.  I hit the mile 3 in 5:38 but the garmin showed .95 for that mile.  So either short or I took the tangents too well.  Is cutting through backyards legal?  I will go with the short mile theory.  The final bit was uphill too, but I was fighting the clock to break 17 min.  I lost by .1 as my official time was 17:00.1.  So, it was a good race based on time, but it was short so it was only average.  Maybe I will focus on some speed work and run another 5K later in the season for a shot at a PR.  But before that, I need to train with this Lindsey girl.  Very speedy, but she ended up getting out kicked by Logan by 11 seconds.  I know I will never hear the end of this from Jon.  He LOVES it when I get chicked (it seems to happen all too frequently).

The highlight of the race though was the free massage at the finish.  Not many 5K's have complementary massages.  I won a plauque thingy for third overall and won a $50 gift certificate to 26.2 in American Fork.  The raffle was stacked with a couple of hundred prizes.  I walked away with $20 gift card for Ruby River Steakhouse (where my wife and I enjoyed a great lunch while grandma watched the kids!).  Not a bad days work for a charity run.

After the race, I did a cooldown waiting for the awards and then drove to the mouth of the canyon and looked for running trails.  I ended up on a dirt road that is basically the shoreline trail.  It was nice to get off the roads and enjoy the trail.  I did 4 out and back and called it a day.  (7:45 pace). 

AM: Young Ward Loop.  Just took it easy this morning and cruised at a comfortable pace.

T-1:14:12 (7:14) 10.25

PM: Rode the bike to work, but had to hitch a ride home due to the inch of rain that fell in the half hour right when I wanted to ride home.  Instead, I ran back to work to ride my bike back home.  The problem arose when the clouds opened up when I was halfway there and drenched me.  I turned towards home to bag it, but since I was halfway there I figured I may as well keep going.  Luckily the rain passed quickly and I survived.  3.75 miles running 7.5 miles biking (convert to 2 running)

Big Workout -

Did a warmup with Jon and Paul then did 2 at Tinman-ish pace 6:24, 6:16.  They took off while I hit the Logan High track for some 1000's.  I did 6x1000m at CV pace (~5:40 = 3:30-3:35 per 1K) with 200m rest.  I had some serious stomach issues today and had to make two stops after the speed stuff. Looking back at what I ate yesterday, I think I know what the problem was (and it wasn't the brownies, I swear). After the 1K's I did a cooldown on the planet walk and headed home.  14 miles total.

1000 M times

• 3:29
• 3:33
• 3:34
• 3:34
• 3:33
• 3:29