Old Man Still running

It is a new month and a good day.  Treadmill this morning.  For the first time in 10 months no pain at all in the leg and my legs felt light and strong.   Very encouraging.  Surprising given that I did run 77 miles a few days ago.  I suspect that helped.  I hope for a high mileage month.

Lunch run - Wow!  It is like a light switch turned on!  What happened?  I went out to try a tempo run and could run at nearly full speed with no pain on pavement.  Ran a fairly easy 5K at about 8:00 pace and then continued on.   I'm starting to believe that running can be fun again, without constant pain.

Treadmill, all it good.  Working on core and upper body too.

Lunch 4-mile fast run on pavement.

OK, it was time to attempt my first short-distance race in more than a year.  I've really hesitated to try going at nearly full-speed because the pressure it puts on the leg, but I've been pain-free this week pushing the speed close to 7:00 pace, so it was time to put aside the fear and go do it.   I found a nice 5-mile race that is half pavement on the JRP and half dirt with some single-track.  Nice.

I went there early and ran the course in the dark, hard to follow, couldn't see the markings but did most of it.  After registering I went and ran the winding single-trace section again and it was marked nicely.  As I was coming back, I saw some lady with a dog vandalizing the course markings and looking around to see if anyone noticed.  Could not believe it!  I just about confronted her, but she left half of the markings in that section so it would be OK.  I told the race director and he said someone had also removed markings yesterday.  

So, I had a nice 10-mile warm-up.   Several people recognized me at the start and were so kind including a runner and their crew from my Pony Express race.  The timer also knew who I was.   I can't hide anywhere!

Off, we went.   During the first mile, I settled in 5th place out of about 50 runners and that is where I stayed the entire time.  I decided to push it pretty hard, about 90%, but not red-line at all.   It was nice to be running fast again for the first time in more than 10 months.  Mile one on dirt and pavement was 7:02.  Nice.

During mile 2, I passed the guy in front of me.  I guess that ticked him off because he sped up right after I passed and as he ran by me, said, "You cut me off!"  Wow.  So, I just stayed away from road-rage dude, backed off with no desire to pass him again.  I see that he is a triathalon guy....kind of explains it.   Road rage dude did a nice job eventually catching a guy in front of us to finish in third.   My mile 2 was 7:31, all JRP pavement.

We made a turnaround at a trailhead and then went off on some sweet single track.  Great fun.   I closed on the guys ahead.   Mile 3 was 7:51.  Very winding bike single track for the next mile, 8:17.   With about 100 yards to go, I came within ten feet of the guy ahead, going at 7:00 pace. He woke up and pushed it harder.  I had no desire to compete, happy to let him get his place he was in for most the race.

I finished in 36:56 in 5th place.  I had hoped to finish in under 40:00 for my first short race in a year, so I was pleased.  With a true effort I know I could have finished in under 35.   Good progress.

At the finish, I didn't stop, I continued on a ran the 5K course to cool down.   It was a nice morning.

Treadmill and lunch run.   For lunch I have been running a one-mile lap around a park, trying to get myself mentally ready for Across the Years.

I'm plotting an adventure run to do soon, something that no one has done before.  Once I do it, I'm sure many others will try. 

Treadmill 

Here's the crazy adventure run plans for tomorrow.   End to end Jordan River Parkway run from Utah Lake to the Great Salt Lake.   End-to-End JRP is about 48 miles.  If I continue clear to Great Salt Lake (Farmington Bay), I'll add another 9 miles on Legacy Parkway trail and roads/dikes to the Bay, for about 57, then 3 back to the Trailhead to get picked up.  Lots of downhill, Great Salt Lake is 300 feet lower than Utah Lake.  I suspect I would be the first person to do this in a day.

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/151760909/

Perfect day running.  Decided to take off work and do a long run today instead of Saturday when it will be bad weather.  I ran which I think is the first end-to-end Jordan River Parkway run, starting at mile 0 at Saratoga Springs and sticking with the JRP all the way to Legacy Parkway, 47+ miles.  Then I ran up Legacy Parkway 6 miles, and then more miles in the Farmington Bay Waterfowl management area, very cool, probably ran about ten in there.   My wife drove up and picked me up just as the sun went down.   My end-to-end JRP took 9:29.  Pretty easy pace, taking pictures, checking routes, searching for water sources and eating breakfast and lunch.

I'll write this up on my blog with pictures and video.   Legs felt fine.  At 50 miles I was really feeling great.   Did end out with some blisters, so I'll have to let those heal.

Restless sleep last night, very sore hip flexors.  But when I woke up in the morning seems like all the muscle pain went away.  Wow.  I'll be good to run again tomorrow.  I wrote up my crazy run at:  http://www.crockettclan.org/blog/?p=1046

8 miles of boredom on the treadmill, then went outside and ran on the JRP.  Kept running into people I knew and enjoyed some short back and forths with them.  Ran into the big fast group of Dan, Scott, Matt and others, some of the best runners in the entire valley.  Then ran into neighbors.   It was a beautiful crisp morning, perfect.  I love it after a snow storm.  Geese hunters were out in force.

Looks like I'm at the top of the mileage board for the month.  Let's see if I can stay there.  It has been a very long time since I could do that.

p.m. ran south of home to Lake Mountain development and back.  Funny how our yard has no snow in it but just four miles down the lake they have six inches.

Good week, big miles.  Feel faster and stronger.

Treadmill.  Pretty cold outside.   Plotting my next crazy adventure run.  Maybe this week, we will see.  Another thing no one has ever done before.  Gotta love those.

Here's my next goal.  Bikes do this often, using a longer route.  http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/153102245

Treadmill, some tough inclines

OK, not a race, but worthy to highlight.  I accomplished the first known Run Around Utah Lake.   I'll do a detailed writeup, but in short:

Started from my home in Saratoga Springs by the lake at 2:00 a.m.   Run down the west side.   Very dark, cold, lonely.   I almost turned back about ten times.  Just wasn't enjoying it.  But somehow stuck with it.  As the sun came up around Elberta near mile 30, my spirits improved and I was far enough away to just keep going.  Breakfast in Goshen.   I enjoyed the rural run west of Payson, had never run there.  Lunch at Spanish Fork.  I took some good critical, creative short cuts near Provo. Dinner at Provo. Called home to give my ETA for finishing to my wife.  I knew I would finish.   Dusk in Orem.   No great way to cut off miles from Orem to Lehi.  Was going to go on the railroad, but they had guys out testing Frontrunner, even at night. One guy told me it was a $1000 fine for going on the tracks.   Second dinner in American Fork.   Arrived home before 10 p.m.  About 83 miles.  Took me 19:54.  I took my sweet time in places, especially the breaks to go in places and eat.    Legs held up well.  Painful nights sleep but felt great by morning.   Nice long training run.

Recovered well. Pain falling asleep last night, but felt pretty great in the morning and went to work on time.  No big deal, just a training run.  A little worn out by the afternoon.  Leg fine, no new blisters, just swelling where the old ones were that weren't totally healed.

Worked out the kinks on the treadmill.  Working on foot speed.  Planning my next long crazy training run, probably on Friday.  Here is a map of the likely run.  Can anyone guess where it is?

Easy treadmill to stay loose.

Did another crazy Black Friday run.  Usually I go to the Grand Canyon, but I don't think my leg is ready to pound those extreme downhills.

So, I attempted to run around the San Pitch mountain range, about 97 miles.  Started at Levan, about 12 miles south of Nephi, at 1 a.m.   Ran the 30 miles south to Gunnison in the dark, timing it to make sure the food mart was open.   From mile 20-25, it was terribly cold in patches, into the teens.  It was a terrible mental exercise to hang in there and not turn around.  Great anti-DNF training.   I seriously almost turned back three times.  My water bottles with diluted Ensure turned to ice cream.  It tasted great but only made me colder.  Finally as the road rose higher off the desert floor the temps went into the mid to upper 20s and I felt much better.   I had new life at dawn.

Ran around the south end of the range and made then started run north through Sanpete Valley, reaching Manti and Ephraim. 

I gave up the adventure at mile 65, at Moroni for two reasons.  1. My knee stiffened up pretty badly.  2. The road from Ephraim to Nephi has an unsafe narrow shoulder and cars fly by at 70 mph.   I was on pins and needles for the ten miles I did on it.  There is no way I was going to run on the during rush hour or in the evening.  Can't do it.  Reroute alternatives on the north end are few and add a bunch of miles.

I did have a great run up Sanpete Valley with perfect cool running weather.  It was a great day.

I think the knee will be fine.  It is not in the area that got carved up in '03.  It appears to be muscle related, quad insertion areas are swollen, but not very sore.  We'll see tomorrow when things calm down.

Feet and leg muscles came out great.    I'll work up another video.  Took a bunch of pictures along the way.

Accomplished my third 100k+ training run in three consecutive weeks.  It feels like a good distance to push the legs towards big time race distance.

Knee is better. Looks like I stopped in time.  I'll take Monday off then get going again.

Treadmill.  All OK, just a blistered toe.

Treadmill, speedwork

Yet another 100K training run.  4th 100K+ run in 22 days.   This time I ran around the  Oquirrh mountains, the southern portions.   Started Cedar Fort, ran clockwise through Fairfield, 5-mile pass, Stockton, Tooele, up Middle Canyon, and than used a route I done before to return to Cedar Valley.  Got up close to 8,000 feet so had some snow to run in.  Great fun.  This was my favorite 100K run of the four.   I'll compile the video tomorrow.

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/157241045

With 441 miles this month, this is the most miles I've run without doing a long ultra race.  Twice I had bigger months, but that was because of Across the Years.