faster with age

I was to busy to get out in the morning and didn't get out until 1:00 pm. I went on the mountain bike for 20 miles. I took a road I don't usually ride for about 4 miles of it. It is quite hilly which would be nice but it had just been graded and had very loose sand and gravel that slowed me way down in fact I nearly didn't make it up a couple of the hills without walking. The ride took an hour and a half. It was 92 degrees. I took a water bottle that was half ice when I left. After an hour in that heat the water was almost too hot to want to drink. I wasn't able to make it out for a run later.

I did a 5.5 mile run this morning with some fartlec thrown in. I did 1/4 at 5:50 pace and another 1/4 at 6:10 pace and 1/2 at 6:12 pace. Overall pace for the run was 7:57. I wanted to pick up the pace a bit before the 15k I'm running on friday. I'm not sure if I'll run anymore tonight. I still haven't gotten a new computer so my blogging has become a bit erratic.

I went 15 miles on the mountain bike this morning. I didn't push to hard having a race tommorrow. It took 1:01. Later I went for an easy 2 mile run. Didn't take a watch.

    Last year I did this race in 1:04:14. I figured I wouldn't have any trouble beating that and thought possibly I could go under an hour. Last night I came down with some kind of bug in my lower GI track [ my wife had it for a couple days]. It was worse this morning and required numerous bathroom stops that unfortunatly didn't seem to help.

After a 1 1/2 mile warmup I started the race with a 6:05 mile. My guts were churning and my next 2 miles slowed to 6:25 and 6:27. I had hopes of keeping my pace near or under 6:20 so I picked up the pace a bit and my shoelace came undone. I stopped at an aid station that was 75 yards before the 4th mile marker and tied it. When I stopped my garmin said I was at 6:18 pace for that mile. By the time I tied it and ran the final yards I finished that mile in 6:31. I only lost 13 seconds. No big deal. Near the end of mile 5, I spotted a guy from my age group that runs a lot of races here in Cache valley. He has beat me handily in the past including last year at this race by 4 1/2 minutes. I hadn't seen him since mile 3 and figured beating him was out of the question, now he was 45 seconds ahead, still a long way. I ran miles 5 and 6 both in 6:17 and closed the gap to about 25 seconds. The last quarter mile of mile 7 starts a steep climb that goes on through the first quarter of mile 8. I did these two in 6:38 and 6:40 and I was now 15 seconds back. Now the 13 seconds lost tying my shoe seamed like a bigger deal. I couldn't seam to close the gap any more.  I normally have a good last mile but only did 6:23 for mile 9. He widened the gap a bit during that mile. I ran my last .3 at 5:42 pace but he got me by  21 seconds. Maybe next time.  Here are my splits

1- 6:05                                                                                                                  

2- 6:25

3- 6:27

4- 6:31   tying shoelace would have been 6:18

5- 6:17

6- 6:17

7- 6:38   last 1/4 mile steep uphill

8- 6:40   first 1/4 mile steep uphill

9- 6:23

.31- 1:44  [5:42 pace]

     My guts felt terrible afterward but I felt pretty good about the race. I went under an hour at 59:32 /6:23 pace and was second in my age group to the guy I was trying to catch. I beat my last years time by  4:43.

1.2 mile cooldown

     This morning I went for 12 miles. Just took it easy even walked a couple of times. Overall pace was 9:14. I felt like I had plenty of energy but some muscle soreness from the race yesterday. The all out sprint I had with a 20 year old at the finish line yesterday probably didn't help.

This morning I went for an easy 9 mile recovery run. I felt like I had plenty of energy but my right calf was sore from the race last weekend so I kept it slow and shorter than I had intended. 9:14 pace. Then I went out on the mountain bike and went pretty hard for 15 miles. Did my fastest time this year and my second fastest ever on this course with 4 miles pavement and the rest dirt and gravel. Time was 52:32. 16.9 MPH ave.

Went for a 5 mile run this morning. It was 43 deg. Felt good. My calf felt a lot better but I kept it easy again just to be safe. Pace was 9:06. Then went for 25 miles on the road bike at medium effort took 1:26.

Did 10 miles at 8:15 pace.

Ran 7 miles in the morning at 8:39 pace.

PM  Ran 5 miles at 9 plus pace.

This morning I did a 20 mile mountain bike ride The wind was blowing hard and it took 1:30. Then I did an easy run at 9:14 pace.

 PM Did another short run. 3 miles at 8:43 pace. I still haven't gotten a new computer so I have just been quickly blogging when I get the chance.

This morning I went on a 17.5 mile run up past the reservoir. I got started a little late and the temperature got up to 80. I dunked my shirt in the water 2 different times and it made the run quite bearable. I was a little worried about my right calf which had been a little sore most of the week since last weekends race and was planning to cut back the distance if it started getting sore but it was fine. I ran the first ten at 8:28 pace and picked it up a little faster to 7:52 pace for the next 7. Overall pace was 8:13. That was my first run this year over 15 miles.

     I just starterd irrigating again today. It was nice having it shut down last week. I have 2 wheel lines and one hand line that are each 1/4 mile long. The hand lines are in 40 foot lenths that each have to be disconnected then carried 60 feet and reconnected. The wheel lines have motors in the middle that roll the whole thing over 60 feet to the next setting. Much easier. I move them morning and night every day. I put my garmin on the other day and figured I end up walking about 4 miles every day doing this. It's not always the most fun when you've just finished running. 

    Tonight I was in a hurry to get finished before dark and so I ran when I had to cover the 1/4 mile back and forth across the field to the other end of the line twice for one mile. Probably not a very fast pace but wearing irrigation boots and running through knee deep alfalfa it should probably count for double.

This morning I went 11 miles up past the reservoir. I ran most of it around 8:30 pace but did mile 7 in 6:40 and mile 9 in 5:59. Overall pace for 11 miles was 8:14. After getting back I had to move my irrigation lines. I had a flat tire so I ran out and shut off the wheel  lines to drain. 1 mile round trip. I would have run back out to move them after they drained but I got lazy and put air in the tire so I could drive.

PM    Ran 4 more miles at 8:50 pace.

This morning I ran 3 easy miles at about 9:00 pace then headed out on my road bike for 26.5 miles. I rode up past glendale reservoir until the pavement ends. Overall ave. 18.5 MPH. As soon as I got back I ran 1 mile shutting off my wheel lines to drain before moving them.

PM   Ran 2 more miles at 9:05 pace. I wore my garmin doing irrigation and recorded 1.47 running. I was barley under 10 minute pace wearing hip boots and running through deep alfalfa.

This morning I ran 7 miles at 8:27 pace. I got back and ran another 1.75 moving my waterlines. I figure it saves on gas to just run the sections I would normally drive and I can get in more running miles. Only problem is sometimes I need tools.

PM ran 2 miles

This morning I did a 6 mile run Then went 12 miles on the mountain bike. I might run a little more later if I get a chance.

   This morning I did a 20 mile mountain bike ride off road in about 1:20. Then ran 1 mile shutting off water when I got back.

    I've got to go down to Salt Lake to a famly reunion tomorrow so I'm going to run the Draper days 5k in the morning. I've had a hot exausting day out in the sun today and I'm not going to get much chance for sleep tonight so I don't think that will help much for tomorrow but it should be a good training run.

   I had a family reunion to go to down in Salt Lake so I decided to leave extra early Saturday morning and hit the Draper Days 5k in the morning. My wife was on call friday night so we couldn't leave until morning. I didn't get to bed until 12:30 and got up at 3:15 to get on the road before 4:00 am to make the 2 1/2 hour drive. I didn't taper at this all week but figured this would be my tempo run for the week. The course was changed from a net downhill course to a loop course. I only got in a 1 1/2 mile warmup before the race. I was just planning to try and run just under 19 min./ 6:06 pace.  I did the first mile in 6:07 and the second in 6:02. Halfway through the 3rd mile there is about 1/4 of uphill. I think I got a little to comfortable running behind a couple of younger guys that had been running about the pace I liked. I didn't relize how much we had slowed until we were closing in on the third mile. I took off and left them then but it was to late. 3rd mile was 6:23. Last .10 in 36 [.12 according to Garmin]. It was a good workout and I still got in 72 miles for the week. I think I could have run this a bit faster and my heart rate never quite got up to where it normally does on a 5k but I'm glad I did it. 

   I went on a 4 mile hike at the reunion which was up at the spruces. Then I got in another 6 mile run that night in Sandy from my parents house.

We stayed Sat. and Sun. nights at my parents house in sandy We had another get together mon. for my wifes family. I went for a 13 mile run mon. morning from my parents house in Sandy. I ran 5 miles to where saturdays 5k was in draper. then around the course and back  to their home. My miles were mostly between 8:00 and 8:30 for the first half. My dad came out on his bike and started riding with me at about mile 9. Mile 11 I picked up the pace to 7:44. I got a drink from my dads water bottle then went through some sprinklers right after. It felt so good I picked up the pace and did mile 12 in 6:32. Mile 13 I was still feeling good and finished it off in 6:13. Not sure what got into me those last 2 miles It wasn't planned but it was feeling good so I went with it. Overall pace 7:59.

This morning I did 26 miles on my road bike.

PM   5 mile run easy.

    I finally found a minute to catch up my blog. Hopfully we'll have a new computer soon. This morning I did 7.5 miles at 8:43 pace. I  plan to run a little more later on.

PM   Ran 3 more miles easy.

I ran 8 miles this morning after 2 miles I did 5 x 1000 at around 5k pace with 400 recovery run between. I hit 3 of them in 3:51, 1 in 3:49, and 1 in 3:52. Overall pace for 8 was 7:42.

PM ran 2 easy miles.

I went for a 26 mile bike ride this morning. I intended for it to be a recovery day after doing some speed work yesterday and planning a 20 mile run for tomorrow but I felt pretty good and pushed the pace more than I should have. I kept telling myself to take it easier and finally after 21 miles I eased off a bit for the last 5. Usually 2 hard days in a row means tired legs on the 3rd day so I guess I may have to play it by ear tomorrow on my long run and cut it short if I have to and do it Monday. For me forcing a long run on tired legs is a good recipie for injury. Afterward I ran 4.5 miles easy pace w/o a watch.

PM ran 2 miles easy.

I did 20 miles this morning. It started out nice and cool [around 52] but quickly warmed up when the sun got up. I was feeling a little beat around 8 miles where I turned back toward home but had to go at least another 8 to get home. after 16 I didn't feel any worse so I went ahead and finished out the 20 I had planned. Felt good to be done today and for the week. 8:13 pace.

   This morning I did 20 miles on my road bike. I warmed up for 3 miles then rode the 14 mile biathlon coarse for a race I'm doing this weekend in Preston. I rode hard but not quite race effort. Average speed was right at 20 MPH. Then another 3 cooldown. Later I did a 5 mile run. Easy pace without watch.

PM 3 miles easy pace after dark. It was cooling off and felt good after working out in the sun all day.

I did a 9 mile run this morning at 8:32 pace.

PM  3 mile run no watch. 9 min. plus pace. I plan to cut the mileage back to 60-65 this week for recovery. It will also be a bit of a taper for the biathlon this weekend.

This morning I did a 7 mile run starting with a 3 mile warmup. The next 3 miles I did a fartlek run alternating 1 min. at about 6:00 min. pace then 1 min. 8:00-9:00 pace. Then a 1 mile cooldown. I did the 3 mile fartlek part at 7:04 pace averaging a bit under 6:00 pace for the faster intervalls and 7:42 pace overall for the full 7 mi.

Did 20 miles on mountain bike