faster with age

     We spent last night at the farmhouse about an hour from the Milford Pa house. There is a nice loop here I like to run that's about 2.4 miles. It's all but about 1/2 mile on dirt road and very hilly. I did 5 laps which comes to 12 miles. 

1st lap 19:23  [8:09 pace]

2nd  18:56 [7:58 pace]

3rd   18:45 [7:53 pace]

4th   18:11 [7:39 pace]

5th   16:09 [6:48 pace]

     The temp was in the upper 50s here. The elevation is a bit higher so very nice conditions. It is mostly wooded with just a few farm houses very nice area. It's one of my favorite places to run. On the last lap I was pretty much running all out especially the last mile in 6:14. Overall pace for 12 was 7:40. Then I ran back to where my wife was walking and walked in with her.

     Back home. I did a 12 mile run up around the reservoir. I averaged 8:39 pace for the first 4 miles and felt pretty good so I picked the pace up a bit and averaged 7:45 for the next 8 miles. 

     I ran 5 miles this morning and kept the pace easy at 9:02 AP. 

     In the evening I was trying to take care of a problem with some stray irrigation water that was flooding my alfalfa field that we were getting ready to cut. I was lifting a heavy shovel full of mud while reaching out in an awkward position. I felt something in my hip just kind of pop pop like something just tore. It hurt some when it happened but then didn't feel too bad for a couple of hours when it got gradually worse until I went to bed. I had trouble sleeping because I couldn't find a position that didn't hurt. It is the same hip that I sometimes have had problems with but it is definitely not my hip flexor and doesn't feel the same as other hip pain I have had. This feels higher. More up in my waist area. It hurts just to walk or almost any move I make. Ibuprofen didn't seem top help much.

     Very sore to walk. Running is out of the question.

     My hip doesn't feel too bad walking now but quite sore just running a few strides.  I was hoping to run a half at the end of the month and I'm not in very good shape right now so I was hoping for 3 good weeks to regain some fitness. It's not looking too good.

     My hip felt very improved so I decided to see if I could run.  Didn't know if I would make it 100 yards or 3 or 4 miles. I had a slight discomfort with every step right from the start but it didn't get any worse so I ran 5 miles at an easy pace. It felt about the same at the end maybe slightly worse but it was encouraging. I was going to take ibuprofen this morning before I went but forgot so this run was encouraging. I'm hoping since I didn't get the injury running that running won't make it worse. I suspect though that running probably had something tired or weakend before the injury occurred. I'll have to see if it gets worse tonight or tomorrow but so far so good. 5 miles at 8:34 AP.

     Ran 10 miles up past the reservoir. My hip didn't feel any worse after yesterdays run and the discomfort on todays run was a bit less than yesterday. There are certain motions that still make it quite sore but running seems to be not too bad now. After the way it felt to just run a few steps last week I was afraid this might take much longer. 10 miles at 8:29

     6 miles easy  8:36 AP

     I decided my hip was feeling good enough to try a workout this morning. I did a 2 mile warmup at 7:51 ave pace then 6 mile tempo 6:56, 6:46, 6:54, 6:53, 6:46, 6:40. That would normally be marathon pace but today the effort felt much harder than MP. I didn't feel like I could have kept it up much further. Last year I was running this type of run a lot faster and a lot farther and it felt much easier. I guess I've got a ways to go. 8 miles at 7:05 AP

     I went for an easy 4 mile recovery run followed by 19 miles on my mountain bike. It's only the 3rd ride I have taken all year but I would like to get back to riding once or twice a week. I went out pretty easy but pushed it harder in the second half. It's amazing how much work it seems like to keep my heart rate in the mid to upper 130s when I'm out of biking shape.

     Ran 7 miles at an easy pace. I finally feel like I had a decent week of training. This might be the first week this year that I have actually run 40 miles. 7 miles @ 8:42.

     I ran the course for a new half marathon that is going to be held in town. I had to drop my son off in town for drivers ed at 10 am so it was in the upper 70s when I started and lower 80s when I was done. It is a fairly hilly course. I ran it in just under 1:44 [7:56 pace] and felt pretty beat at the end. My last 3 halfs have all been 1:25 [6:29-6:31 pace]. With the condition I'm in right now I doubt I'll break 1:30. The St George half where I ran my last 2 is also a loop course and pretty hilly but I think this one is a tougher course and it is 2,000 ft+  higher in elevation. 13 miles at 7:56 AP

     I went for a 13 mile bike ride then later ran an easy 5 miles at 8:48 AP.

     6 easy miles at 8:36 pace.

     Ran 2 warmup miles this morning at 7:51 then 8 mile tempo at 6:54 ave pace.  That should be my marathon pace but it was a tempo effort. overall pace for 10 was 7:06

     Ran 4 easy miles in the morning.

     PM  19 miles on the mt bike.

     We went on a church camp out with our ward in the mountains near home. I got up around 6am and ran 8 miles.  It was pretty hilly with some pretty big hills. some miles were over 10 minutes. Nice morning and nice run. 8:50 AP

     I wasn't able to get out for a run in the morning and ended up not getting out until late afternoon when the temp had peeked out at 92 deg. There was an 8 to 10 mph wind blowing that helped a bit except when it was at my back. I ran 11 miles up past the reservoir. I took most of it at a pretty easy pace then picked it up a little on the last 2 miles. The last 2 miles were into the headwind which helped me feel cooler and I averaged 7:42 on those 2 with a few strides thrown in. Overall pace for 11 miles was 8:17.

     I went 19 miles on my mt bike just before dark. I was trying to keep my heart rate in the 140s which takes a pretty big effort given my current cycling fitness. 

     I was planning a run yesterday with some intervals at 200 and 400 but I felt felt some soreness in my hamstring while out working. With the half coming up Saturday, I was planning to just taper a bit on Thurs and Fri. but decided maybe I'd better just skip Wed run to be safe. I ran an easy 4.25 today and the hammy seemed fine but I didn't run anything very fast.

     I'm not in any kind of race shape right now and would definitely not  have been running a half right now, but this was a first time race that was here in town and I figured I should support them. The name of the race is from the Napoleon Dynamite movie that put Preston on the map. The course even went past some sights from the movie [including Napoleons house] and they even had some sweet tots at the end. 

     I ran about a 3/4 mile warmup then lined up for the start at 6:45 AM. The temp was 50 deg and completely calm. Perfect conditions. After the first few blocks, I was running and talking with a high school kid that had recently done 4:40 in the mile. A ways ahead of us was another high school  runner, a ways up from him a 30 something ironman triathlon runner then way ahead of him already was Conner Mantz.

     Miles 1,2,3- 6:56, 7:05,and 7:10. The first 3 miles were a gradual uphill with a good sized hill to go down then back up at the end of mile 3. I was still running with the high schooler and having a lot of conversation. The pace felt casual but that was fine with me. During the 3rd mile we caught and passed the kid ahead of us.

     Miles 4,5,6-6:54, 7:13, 7:03.  Mile 4 was a gradual downhill and we caught the Ironman guy and ran with him for a few miles. The pace still felt very casual and with the conversation the miles were going by quickly. The 3rd mile had another big dip with a steep hill on the backside and we were also running on gravel through here. The Ironman guy was from Pheonix up here to a family reunion and I could tell on the uphill that the altitude was tough for him. He would get breathing pretty hard and slow down but caught back up after we got back on the flat.

     Miles 7,8,9,10- 6:53,7:49,7:30,7:23.  Mile 7 started out with a good downhill to the lowest point on the course but near the end of it begins a 200 foot climb over the next 3 miles. A little past the halfway point, the kid I had been running with picked up the pace a bit. I went with him for a ways but then decided I was content with the effort level I had been at. The Ironman guy started falling back as we started to climb. Around in here somewhere a large dog ran out barking at the kid ahead of me but didn't get to close before backing off. I had seen this dog when I ran by here last week and it had done the same thing. However when I came along right after, he charged all the way out after me and was acting very vicious only inches from my legs. I run into dogs often and usually handle them quite well but I was a little concerned about the way this one was acting. I had to stop and face him or I was afraid he would take a chunk out of the back of my leg. I yelled at him a couple of times to get home and he backed off slightly and I was able to continue. The triathlon guy was catching back up while I was stopped and just before he got to the dog a cop that was patroling the route pulled up between and got the situation under control.

     Miles 11,12,13-6:58,7:09,6:58.  Finally done with most of the uphill. Mile 11 was a nice gradual downhill mile but I continued my casual comfortable pace and only ran a 6:58. It was starting to feel hot with the sun up high now even though it was still only 60 deg. My wife had stopped to cheer me on at various places on the course and as she drove by in this area she gave me a glass of water to dump over my head. It felt great. I had another dog come out after me that looked like a rottweiler cross. This time I was pissed and I ran at him and yelled loud. It kind of shocked him and he went back into his yard. He regrouped and came at me again and I did the same thing. He decided that was enough and went back into his yard.  Next mile was still net down but it has another killer steep dip to go down and back up. It felt like a snails pace climbing out of it then another dip [not quite as bad ] right after that. The rest of the race I just kept the casual pace. 2nd place was way ahead and 4th place was way back. This was definitely the most enjoyable last 3 miles of any half I have run. No need to make it hurt now.

     My time was 8 minutes slower than any of the halfs I have done the past few years but it was about what I expected with my current fitness. It was fun and a good training run to start off my training for Saint George.

     Conner did great running a 1:14 on a tough course.