faster with age

     14 miles at 7:48 AP last mile 6:56.

8 miles at 9:02 AP

     Left for Arizona at 4 AM and arrived at 8:30 PM to bow hunt for Coues Deer [a miniature Whitetail Deer that live in Southern Arizona, Southwest, New Mexico, and northern Mexico]. It was late by the time we got camp set up. No time for a run.

     Daylight is so short this time of year that I couldn't find time to run until after dark when I got back to camp. The elevation at our camp was at 7000 ft and the road was a steep grade in either direction. I went uphill for 3 miles climbing around 500 ft, then back downhill to camp. I felt good on the run but tried to keep the effort easy especially on the downhill to have plenty left in the tank for a good workout tomorrow. 9:01 AP

     After hunting all morning I got out after noon to run. I drove 10 miles down the road from camp where there was about a 2 mile stretch of road that wasn't as steep. I had planned to run a 2 mile warmup followed by 10 miles starting at around marathon pace and working down to half marathon pace by the end. 

     I started out on my warmup and there was just no pop in my legs. I decided to do 4 warmup miles and see if I started feeling more energy. I didn't feel any better after the warmup and decided to try the faster pace anyway and see if I could snap out of it. I went out just attempting to run 7:00 pace and it was just way more effort than it should have been so I just bailed on the workout finishing that mile in 7:14 then just ran another 3 miles slow to make it 8 miles total at 8:41 AP.

      I was a little baffled at my lack of energy for this run. I expected that my pace would be a little slower because of altitude [maybe 10-15 seconds/mile] but after not running Wednesday and only going 6 yesterday, I thought I would feel fresh. All I could figure was the hiking I had done yesterday and this morning and maybe the steep run last night had taken more energy than I thought.

     I got a chance at a nice buck this morning and made good shot that put him right down. Coues deer are considered to be the toughest deer to take with a bow so I was pretty stoked about getting one. I decided not to run today after yesterdays run went so poorly.

     After bailing on my attempt at a workout last Fri, I decided to make another try at it. After getting my deer last Sat, I now had more free time to run during daylight [although I was still busy hiking into new areas to scout out places to put tree stands for my hunting buddy to hunt from and checking trail cameras we had already set out].

     I drove the ten miles back down to where there was a 2 mile stretch that was less steep [still hilly] than the roads around camp. Right away I could tell that it wasn't happening again. I couldn't get my warmup pace much under 9 min without pushing it and it was only slightly uphill. I just decided to go 7 miles at whatever pace my legs defaulted to which was a slow 9:24 AP. 

     I was a little baffled at my lack of energy again after 2 days of no running.  I was doing more hiking than this mixed in with my training back in Sept getting ready for St George and it didn't affect me this much. The altitude [7,000  ft at camp but a little less where doing this run] is just a little over 2,000 ft higher than home. I was running earlier this year while on a hunting trip at similar altitude and at Yellowstone at 8000 ft and felt like it only affected me slightly. I had carried my deer out of the bottom of a canyon [where I had left it to cool quicker] the night before. It only weight 80 lbs dressed and it was just over 1/4 mile to camp at the top but it was pretty steep and worked my legs different than they are used to. I suspect it affected me more than I thought along with the altitude and hiking thrown in.

     Decided to make a 3rd try at the workout. I started earlier in the morning before any hiking. I could tell right away things were going better. I started with 2 warmup miles in 7:51 and 7:36 that felt easier than 9 min pace yesterday. I decided to just do an 8 mile tempo rather than 10. Splits were 6:52, 6:53, 6:46, 6:47, 6:56, 6:48, 6:34, 6:14. I ran the tempo part back and forth on a 1/2 mile stretch where the hills weren't to bad. I was very happy with that run especially figuring in another 10 to 15 seconds/mile for altitude. Amazing what a difference a day can make.

     Did a run out of camp in the dark. I ran 2 miles up the steep grade before turning and running back down. We are a long ways from anything out there and there was only one vehicle that went by on the whole run. It was a local rancher passing through that stopped and wanted to shoot the bull about deer hunting for 15 minutes. I felt surprisingly good on this run after yesterdays hard run. 8:39 AP

     5 slow miles back at home. 23 degrees and very windy. 

     5 miles in pouring rain with a stiff wind. The weather has been crazy. Completely soaked by the end.

     Another 5 easy miles. This time no wind or rain and a warm 40 deg. What happened to winter? I decided not to run the half down in St George this weekend. My wife and I usually enjoy the short winter vacation down there where it's warmer, but no one could cover for her at work. It's about a 7 hour drive from here and after being gone 10 days until last week I decided to skip it this year. 

     It was pouring rain in the morning so I decided to wait to run since it was supposed to change over to snow in the afternoon and I like running in the snow. But when it changed to snow the snow was so wet that it just covered the road with 3 inches of slushy wet snow. Since I don't plan to do any races for a while, I did something I don't do very often and just skipped it.

     After deciding not to do the half last week, I kind of slacked a bit in my running taking a slight break. I'm planning to start getting the consistency back this week but will still probably keep it easy. 8 miles at 8:22 AP

     6 miles at 8:32 AP

     6 easy miles at 8:25 AP.

     1 hour of basketball.

     So, this was the week I was going to get back to consistent training. Mon through wed went as planned but then Wed night my son was getting ready to leave for a winter snowmobile camp in the morning and I was invited to go along and take the place of a couple of last minute cancelations. I couldn't pass that up. We snowmobiled back into a nice lodge where we stayed [wouldn't really call it camping] with tons of untouched powder all around to play in on the snowmobiles. I did bring some running gear thinking I might be able to run on the packed snowmobile trail, but riding all day in that deep mountain powder takes a lot out of you especially when it's the first time out for the year and I'm not in shape for it. I was too exhausted to feel like running. So now I'll do better next week for sure :-)

     6 easy miles. 8:50 AP

     Last night my right hamstring/glute started to get sore. Not sure whats up with that since I've barely been running and it felt fine yesterday. I went out to run anyway and it quickly got worse so I decided to bag the run.

     My hamstring was still sore today but I noticed it was kind of a burning pain which a lot of times means nerve pain. It is kind of like the pain that came out of nowhere right before the St George Marathon this year. I'm thinking it may be a touch of sciatica from all the heavy lifting on stuck snowmobiles over the weekend. Going out with several inexperienced riders in deep fresh powder is a recipe for a sore back from getting their machines unstuck. My back actually felt fine but I know it's not uncommon for the pain to be transfered to that area. I took some ibuprofen this morning and it went away completely. I ran easy miles at 8:34 pace just after dark then went to play basketball. We only had 5 players so ended up playing the whole game. The pain seems to be gone.

     Didn't take any ibuprofen today and the pain was back slightly. I started my run thinking maybe it would go away once I got going but it got a bit worse so I quit after 1 mile.

     Took ibuprofen today and things felt better. Ran 6 easy

     Ran 6 miles in the morning at 8:27 pace then went up into the mountains cross country skiing with my wife and son. It was my first time on cross country skis and I was surprised how much upper body effort it takes. I'm definitely going to have some sore muscles tomorrow.

     Ran 7 miles today. Felt better than I have lately but kept the pace easy until the last mile where I picked it up some. I could feel my hamstring burning a bit when I picked the pace up on the last mile and it ended up being sore all day Tues. 8:25 AP.

     Hamstring was still a little sore so I decided to take a bike ride instead of running. I went 15 miles on my mt bike while it was snowing lightly. About 1/2 of the ride was on snow. 

     Later on my wife and I drove up the canyon and went cross country skiing. It was snowing lightly the whole time and was  quite nice.

     Hamstring/glute still a little sore today so I just did a short easy run. I went 5 miles and felt a slight burn throughout the run but I haven't felt anything from it since the run. It seems odd that I'm having to deal with injuries now while I've barely been running. All I can figure is that it must have to do with some of the other activities I've been doing that my body isn't used to [snowmobiling, basketball, or skiing]. It all seemed to start 2 weeks ago after the snowmobiling weekend. 9:25 AP

     Another slow easy run today. Things were improved today. Only a slight discomfort. 9:14 AP

     6 easy

     Another 6 easy miles. 8:58 AP

5 miles slow

     5 miles. hamstring seems to be feeling good. 8:22 AP

     2 miles @ 7:53

     In Milford Pennsylvania today. I ran down the road  to a nice trail that climbs about 500 feet to what is called Milford Knob. It's a gorgeous view of the area from up there. They've had a mild winter here and there was no snow on the ground. The trail is a nice smooth dirt trail carpeted with leaves from last fall. Some of the climb is just steep enough that walking is faster. My slowest mile climbing was 10:47. I ran 7 miles total at 8:49 ave pace.

     Still in Pennsylvania. I ran from the house to the same trail I did yesterday. I ran to the Milford Knob again which is an overlook that gives you a great view of town as well as the tri state area along the Delaware River where Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey all come together. I took a slightly different route this time that was slightly shorter at 6.3 miles round trip. A lot of the climbing can be run but a few places get steep enough that hiking is as fast or faster. I gets tempting to go fast coming back down but I restrained myself. Overall pace was 8:47. 

     My reason for coming out to Pennsylvania was to help my stepson move back to Idaho. I flew out and spent the last 2 days doing some repairs to the car [a 93 Toyota Camry with around 250 thousand miles on it] and packing it completely full of his belongings. This morning we headed out early to make the trip back across the country to Idaho. The car has plenty of problems so we loaded in a bunch of tools and went for it. We made it to Chicago to spend the first night with my sister in law. Never got a chance to run.

     We started driving again early and made it to North Platte Nebraska. Never got a chance to run again.

     We got to bed Late last night in and were planning to leave somewhat early. I didn't want to miss another day of running but also needed to get as much sleep as possible to prepare for another full day of driving so I just got up early enough to get in 4 miles. Ran through the streets of North Platte and a little ways along the Platte river. We headed out and drove all day again arriving home about an hour before my 9 o'clock basketball game. We only had 5 guys again so all had to play the whole game.

     Ran 5 miles this morning back home. 

     Ran 7 miles easy this morning. 8:49 pace. 

     Ran another 7 miles today. It was 29 degrees with a very strong wind. 8:40 AP

     Ran 8 miles this morning. Went up to the reservoir. That's the first time I've made it that far in a while. Ran pretty easy but did pick up the pace on the last 1/2 mile. 8:29 AP.

      Ran 8 miles again today up to the reservoir. It was 29 deg with a stiff wind blowing. 8:32 AP.

     Got a root canal done in the morning so I didn't get a run in. 

     PM-  played basketball. Tried to run the court pretty hard each time since I didn't get a run in this morning. 

     We got some snow last night. When I got out to the pavement it was pretty slushy so I drove 2 miles up to where the dirt road to the  reservoir road starts and ran in the fresh snow. I took my dog along and she jumped several Pheasants and Hungarian Partridge. It's slow going in the snow but nice. I ran 5.5 miles.

      When I started my run this morning it was 25 deg and calm and sunny with a fresh new layer of snow. The first couple of miles that are paved was on packed snow but when I left the pavement I was running in about 4 inches of powder. I ran up by the reservoir again. The snow is nice to run in as long as you don't worry about pace. I figure conditions like this mornings slow me by about 1 min per mile but I love it. Haven't run in snow much this winter. 9:20 AP

6 miles easy.

8 miles legs felt heavy so just took it easy. 9:06 pace

My runs have just been easy and short. Not much exiting to write about. 8:48 AP

     Another 6 easy miles just after dark. Ran a little faster the last mile. 8:29 AP. Really nice day today. The past few days have been cold windy and snowy. Next week is supposed to be nice .

     The weather has been nice the past few days and I finally got a chance to run during the day while it was warm. It was 54 degrees and sunny. I ran 10 miles up around the reservoir and there were only a couple of small spots that were still muddy. I ran the first 4 miles at 8:16 pace then the next 6 averaged 7:42. This finally felt like a real run going a little further and faster than I have in a while. I was surprised how tired I was by the end. My fitness isn't at a very high level right now. Last mile was 7:26. Overall pace for 10 was 7:55.

     Very nice afternoon. 60 degrees. It would have felt too warm if not for the breeze. Ran on the dirt road up around the reservoir. 8:13 AP

     6 miles easy.  8:33 AP

     I ran 10.3 miles on the beach in San Diego. The weather was great. Temp was in the lower 60s with a nice breeze. When I didn't get the breeze it felt too hot. I ran partly on the sand and partly on the boardwalk. The first mile was around 8:30 then the rest were between 7:19 and 7:52. Overall ave for 10 was 7:45. I've never seen a place where there are so many people running. It was a fun run. Wish I could have gotten in a couple more runs while I was down there.

    Later that afternoon, my wife and I went on a 5 mile hike in the Torrey Pines State Park.

8 miles at 8:41 pace

     Ran another 8 miles up by the reservoir. I took my dogs along today and yesterday. My German Short Hair must run 20 miles while I do 8. The other 2 are running behind me after about the 3rd mile. I ran the first 4 pretty easy then picked it up to around 7:30s the second half. 8:03 pace overall. 

6 miles easy.

PM  We went and played racquetball for the first time in several years. It was fun and a good workout.

     I was pretty sore today from racquetball yesterday. I only ran 3 miles and walked a couple more with my wife and stepson.

     5.25 at 8:46 pace.

     10 miles at 8:36 AP.  Up around the reservoir. It was 70 degrees today. It felt too hot for running but otherwise very nice.

     6.2 miles at 8:44 AP

     Went and played racquetball again. We played for about an hour and a half.

      I went running after dark at about 9:30 PM.  I felt a bit tired from the racquetball earlier so just kept it an easy 7 miles at 8:57 AP

          I didn't feel sore today after yesterdays racquetball like I did last week. It's amazing how quickly our bodies adapt. I drove up to the reservoir with my son, stepson, and dogs. I ran 7 miles while my sons walked and ran a bit less distance. My stepson is wanting to get in shape and has just started running. We met back at the jeep and they took the dogs and drove home and I ran home adding another 3 miles. My legs didn't feel quite as fresh as they should have probably because of yesterdays racquetball session. 10.3 miles overall at 8:15 AP.

     Traveled down to Southern Utah today to do some camping and hiking in the great spring weather.

     Today we hiked into Bluejohn Canyon. This is the place that Aron Ralston was trapped and had to amputate his own arm [as in the book he wrote  "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" that was made into the movie "127 Hours"]. This is a difficult canyon to reach. If you don't have equipment to rappel it is even trickier to find a way to get down into the canyon. There is no trail or particular place to start from. It only gets visited by about 100 people per year. I had to study and print some Google earth pictures of the area and take some gps readings so that we could plan how we would pick our way for 2 miles across the desert and miss other steep canyons and ravines using my Garmin to navigate. My Wife and I, my Son and Step Son, and my Parents all were able to make it across the desert and to the bottom of the canyon. My dad is 80 years old and my mother is 72. They keep themselves very fit. We then hiked for 1 1/2 miles up Bluejohn canyon through some of the most beautiful slot canyon I have been in. Most of it is from 1 foot to 10 or 12 feet wide at the bottom with 200 foot walls going straight up on either side. The coolest stretch had walls about 15 feet wide at the bottom but narrowed to only about a foot or two high overhead. We must of hit it at just the right time of day when there was a thin stream of light making it in that caused an orange glow to the walls inside. It looked like a cathedral. We eventually had to turn back when we got to where rock climbing gear was necessary.

     When we got back to where we had climbed down into the canyon, my son and step son and I went another 2 1/2 miles down the canyon to the spot where he was actually trapped. We had to do some rock climbing to reach these parts and had to hope we would all be able to climb back out. I had a climbing rope but no harnesses or other rock climbing gear. The last section of the canyon got very narrow and tight just before the place he was trapped. It was hard just imagining what had happened in that spot. As we went farther down canyon, it continued to narrow to the point were it got completely dark. I had one small flashlight to share between us. There were a number of spots to climb down in the dark that were very tight and tricky and for about a 100 yards you felt like you were just squeezing through a cave. Then it starts to get light and you come right out of the hole onto a 15 foot wide shelf 60 feet up from the valley floor. Very dramatic entrance to the much larger canyon. At this point the only way down is to rappel so we headed back at that point.

     It was a very exhausting 12 miles with all of the rock climbing and a lot of hiking through sand. We were pretty beat by the time we returned to the jeep just as it was getting dark. My wife and parents were able to follow the tracks we had made while hiking in that morning [ours were the only tracks out there] and got back ahead of us. It was an awesome adventure and we got a lot of great photos.

                                                                                        Picking our way across the desert

                              My wife and sons down in the bottom of Bluejohn Canyon

                                       My Mom and Dad under a log wedged into place by flash floods

                                                 Over a mile of the hike is slot canyon like this

     This was like a cathedral with the walls closed in high overhead with a sliver of sun coming in.

                                                                         Gorgeous color with the sun just sneaking in.

    The trapped S-Log at the head of the final section of slot canyon. This was a 15 foot drop down in and  just a short distance before the spot Aron Ralston was trapped.

                   This is the boulder that trapped his arm.

     Climbing down in the complete darkness just past the accident sight with just one small light between us. Of course the flash makes it look like broad daylight.

     This morning we did some hiking and exploring in Goblin Valley. 

     After lunch we hiked another very cool slot canyon that we have done a few times before [except for my stepson] called Little Wild Horse Canyon. This one is very accessible and not to far from where we were camped.  It was a 5 mile round trip hike. It is also a very cool gorgeous canyon but it had a lot of hikers and it really made me realize how much the complete solitude and remoteness of yesterdays adventure added to the overall experience.

                                                                             Little Wild Horse Canyon

     This morning we hiked to "The Great Gallery". It is a huge rock wall of ancient Indian art thought be be over 3,000 years old. It is one of the most spectacular panels of ancient Indian art anywhere. On our Bluejohn Canyon hike last Friday, if we would have done the 60 foot rappel and continued down the canyon another 4 miles we would have come to this. Today we came in from down canyon. The hike starts by descending 700 feet in the first mile into the bottom of the canyon followed by a gorgeous hike up the canyon bottom past 3 other large panels of rock art. It is a 7 mile round trip hike. We did this hike 2 years ago and we knew about the Aron Ralston story, but didn't realize that it had happened just up canyon from here.

      It is very hard to capture much of this in one picture. A lot of the figures are over 7 feet tall.

                                                                            They call this large figure "The Holy Ghost"

This is from our Bluejohn Canyon hike last Friday. I just posted a bunch more pictures there.

     8 miles easy after dark.

     10 easy paced miles up around the reservoir. 8:34 AP

     I ran 10 miles up around the reservoir. My Garmin was dead when I went to leave so I just ran without a watch. Kind of a nice change.

     5 miles at 7:48 AP

     7 miles easy

     I was bent over all day today working on a project and in the PM when I got a chance to run by back was sore. I began a run thinking it might loosen up but it just got worse so I bailed on the run.

     My back felt better after some Ibuprofen in the morning. Ran 10 miles up around the reservoir. Really nice running weather at about 57 deg. 8:04 AP.

     I started this run just before dark and finished the second half in the dark. My son and stepson and I drove up and started on the reservoir road and all three of us ran different distances out and back from the car at our own paces. I had run 7 by the time we met back at the car then I ran another 3 miles the rest of the way home to make it 10.  The temp was perfect in the low 50s and calm. I felt better on this run than I have for a while. Average pace ended up at 7:37. Last mile in 6:52. I don't know when the last time I ran any distance under 7 min pace. Less than 2 miles of the run was on pavement and it was pretty much dark by halfway. I normally end up quite slow while running on dirt without any light but tonight the pace seamed good.

     I rode 19 miles on my mt bike today on dirt roads. It's been a while since I've been on a ride. The last one was back in February in the snow. I need to get back at it. With over 4 miles left to go in my ride, my seat fell off. Since I didn't have the tools I needed to put it back on, I just had to gather the parts and put them in my pockets. I had to put the seat in my shirt and tuck it in then ride the 4+ miles home standing. You wouldn't think it would be that hard until you try it.

     My son's and I and the three dogs drove up to the reservoir road to run. I ran 6 miles and they ran 4. My two bird dogs were pointing and jumping pheasants and a couple of Hungarian Partridge all along the way. On my way back as I was running back past the upper end of the lake, a pheasant flew up on the other side of the lake and I realized that my German Shorthair was over there and had jumped it. She then was trying to stay even with me on the far bank which was going to get much farther away in a bit. It was about a quarter mile back to the upper end of the lake and I didn't want to go back. She didn't really want to do it but I was eventually able to coax here to swim across. My sons who just started running are getting quicker and weren't very far behind me when they hit the 2 mile turn around.

     Same run as yesterday. 6 miles at 8:10 AP

     Didn't get in a run but played a little over an hour of racquetball late PM

     Ran early this morning before leaving on a trip to Craters of the Moon National Park. I ran 9 miles at 8:30 pace. My legs felt heavy from last nights late night racquetball. It was a tough run. This week there is free entry into all National Parks so we took advantage and made the 2 1/2 hour drive up. We did some hiking and a lot of cave exploring. 

     My sons and I and the 3 dogs drove up to the  reservoir road again just before dark. The temps had been in the 80s today [which is very unusual for April] but it was  starting drop and feel much better. The road had just been graded today which made it a lot slower to run on with the fresh loose gravel. We each ran at our own paces and distances. It was mostly dark by the time I was at 5 miles. After 8 miles on the dirt I ran another 4 on pavement to make it 12 total. I ran the first 3 at 8:02 pace then averaged 7:14 for the rest of the run. The fastest miles were a 6:52 7th mile and a 6:31 last mile. 7:26 overall pace for 12.

     Didn't make it out until after 10 PM. Just ran an easy 4 miles to at least get in something.

     I've been slacking on getting my runs in the past 2 days. After having record breaking temps over earlier in the week, things have turned colder including of and on snow all day yesterday. I've been waiting to do my runs in the PM so that my sons can go but the past 2 days there has been brutal wind rain and snow that time of evening and since I don't have any important races in the works, it was too easy to wuss out and bag it. Another poor running week. At least it started with a good one on Monday.

     Today though my wife and stepson both came up to the reservoir with me while I ran and they walked. The weather was nice today. I ended up doing 10 miles at 8:29 AP.

     Ran 4 miles easy the first 2 easy then 1/4 mile fast 1/4 mile slow for the second half of the run. Running 1/4 at 6:20 pace felt much harder than it should. I'm pretty sure I couldn't maintain that or probably not even 6:30 pace for a 5k right now. Overall pace 7:57

     8 miles at 8:39 pace

     Didn't get out until after 10 PM. My Garmin battery was dead [it turns itself on sometimes when I take it off the charger] so I just ran 4 easy miles without a watch. There was a nice bright moon.

     I was hoping to run 8 miles but only had time for 5. During the run I picked it up to about 6:30 pace for 4 minutes. After 2 minutes at recovery pace I tried it again but only got about 1/2 way through it and it just felt too hard and I slowed to a much easier pace. Legs felt heavy today and just overall low energy. Overall pace for 5 was 7:50.

     6 miles at 8:30 pace.

      Almost didn't run. I got home after dark and ate a big dinner. Then I got hooked on some tv and it continued to get later and the incentive to get out the door got lower.  At 11:30 I had pretty much decided to just go to bed but I then convinced myself I could at least get out and run 3 or 4 miles with the Supermoon lighting things up. It was supposed to be 30% brighter than normal. It was nearly midnight when I got out the door. As soon as I got going I felt great and ended up running 10 miles. It was awesome. I have run with a full moon a lot of times but nothing like this. I started out with the first couple of miles over 9 min pace then gradually picked up the pace after that. Last mile was 6:52. I was going for a tempo effort the last mile and didn't look at my watch [I could actually read it without the light]. I felt like I was running about 6:30 pace and was surprised to see a 6:52.

     4 easy

     Ran 2 at 7:53 pace. Then 4 X 1/2 mile fast 1/2 mile slow. Averaged 6:18 pace on the 4 faster 1/2s. This felt a little better than last week when I ran some 1/4s about that pace but still felt like I was running a 6 min pace. I've been slacking for too long. I need to get the mileage up.

     8 miles 8:58 pace

      This race is a small local race that is put on by Franklin County Medical Center [the hospital here in Preston] and it is free if you don't get a shirt. My wife works there as a lab tech so her and I, my son and step son all decided to do it. It's been almost 6 months since I have raced and I am not even close to being in race shape but figured this would be a good workout that would force me to run a little faster.

     They had a good turnout of around 100 people. I've won this race the last 3 times I have run it. There are 2 guys I know of in the area that usually beat me [not counting some of the high school xc runners who are still involved in track for another week] and when I showed up one of them was there. I was wishing I was in good shape so I could at least make a race of it. 

     After running a 2 mile warmup, I lined up to start the race. At the beginning we had the usual kids sprint out front for a ways. After a couple of blocks it was just me with Scott [the guy that usually beats me] about 10 yards ahead of me and another guy I didn't know running ahead of him. Somewhere before the first 1/2 mile, Scott and I both passed the other guy. I kept expecting Scott to run away from me at any time but his lead never got to be more than about 25 yards. I really wasn't pushing too hard because I figured 2nd was the best I would get and I knew my time wouldn't be good even if I made it hurt. First mile was 6:28 and I was closing the gap a bit. A little ways into the second mile I caught up and ran along side for a little bit. I thought he must have been taking it easy but his breathing sounded more labored than mine. This got me feeling a little better so I took the lead and put on a bit of a surge for the next .3 or .4 to put some distance between us. Before the end of the second mile I started feeling much worse from the extra energy I had spent building the gap. 2nd mile was 6:21 and I was feeling lousy but was still maintaining the pace. They actually advertise this race as 3 miles but it is even shorter than that. The last time I did this race it was short. They made a slight route change and now it's even shorter. As I ran down the last almost 1/2 mile straight away I could look back and see I had a good lead so I never felt the need to kick and the end and finished the last .71 mile at 6:18 pace.

     I had only expected to run about 6:30 pace so I actually exceeded my expectations  and didn't feel too bad about the slow pace. I guess it's a good start to some better training.

6 miles @ 8:35

     Didn't get away until late morning after moving irrigation pipe and waiting to meet a truck with a delivery. The temp was 75 at the start and was quickly climbing. I ran 10 miles up past the reservoir and surprised a pair of Canada Geese that were on the bank with 7 goslings. It was fun to watch them put up a very noisy fuss while they scrambled to get everyone into the water and away from the shore. The temperature climbed into the 80s which I'm really not used to yet. I stopped and soaked my shirt in the lake a couple of times. With just under 2 miles to go, I was so thirsty I stopped and went into the church for a drink of water. It was open for today's primary election. 8:13 AP

     Last night was our annual church's father son activity. At the end they had they had a competition with 4 events. One of them was a three legged race. Toward the end of the three legged race, my son and I had to really pour it on to catch the team ahead of us right at the line. The extra force of pulling your leg forward with another leg tied to it or the awkward motions of trying to keep from falling seemed to strain my hip flexor a bit. It seems to be a week spot I have and has lately felt like it was on the verge of acting up anyway and I think this just put it over the edge. It just felt like a fatigued muscle when we finished and went straight into the next event which required you to take turns sprinting to marked circles on the field, catch a football while inside the circle that was thrown by your partner, then after he sprints to the next spot and you pass to him you sprint to the next one until you cross the field. The sprinting on the just strained hip flexor definitely made it worse. I could tell I had done something right after we finished but just hoped it wasn't too bad.

     This morning it was only slightly sore so I decided to just do an easy run. I went 6 miles at 8:55 pace and the hip seemed better after a couple of miles. The rest of the day, after the run, my hip tightened up more and more and felt much worse by evening.

     Hip flexor not any better so I skipped the run.

     My hip flexor was still just as sore yesterday but felt much better today so I attempted another run. I went 5.5 miles and it felt great. I felt like I could have gone farther but didn't want to risk it. With the day off tomorrow I'm hoping to get back to normal training next week. 8:26 AP

     Ran 12 miles up around the reservoir. I wasn't able to get the run in until 11 o'clock so it got pretty warm [around 80 deg] by the time I was done. I got my water stash out though so I was able to get a drink at 4 miles and then again on my way back at 8 miles. My hip flexor felt completely back to normal so I guess skipping those 2 runs last week payed off. first 4 miles at 8:16 pace. Next 4 at 7:54 pace. Last 4 at 7:35 pace. Overall pace for 12 was 7:55.

     8 miles after dark 8:42 AP

     Got up at 4 am to go turkey hunting. I went with my bow up into the mountains at spent 2 hours hiking through some country where I took my son 2 weeks ago and got one but couldn't locate any. I ended up with no time to run.

     5 miles at 7:58 pace.  I've been putting in a lot of hours digging 8 to 12 foot spruce trees for landscaping and moving irrigation pipe in between. add that to not getting enough sleep and my energy seems to be shot. 

     In Milford Pennsylvania today. I ran up a hiking trail that I like here that goes up to the Milford Knob Overlook. It climbs 500 ft mostly in 1 1/2 miles. I had to hike some small parts that were too steep. I ran 7 miles round trip from the house.I got away late and the temp was into the 80s with a lot of humidity.

     I did another trail run today that took the same trail up to Milford Knob Overlook then took the Cliff Trail along the ridge past several spectacular overlooks above the Delaware river. You can see Pennsylvania, New York, and new Jersey.  There are a lot of ups and downs along the ridge. The temp reached 82 by the time I got back and very humid. The entire trail is pretty shaded so not too bad until the last mile on the highway back to the house was in the direct sun. I went 12 miles total at 8:44 overall pace with some of the uphill miles as slow as 12 minutes.

     Still in Pennsylvania. I ran from the house to a  paved road that goes down through what they call the Delwater Gap National Recreation Area. There was a closed bridge ahead and no through traffic. This kept the traffic very low [only 1 car about every 5 min]. On the run I saw a Box Turtle, an 8 inch millipede, saw several whitetail deer, and a few wood ducks. It was a beautiful morning after raining most of the night and was much cooler. I ran a little over 8 miles at 8:37 AP.

     My wife and I got up early and hiked up to the Milford Overlook. On the hike we found an ornery snapping turtle and had a rare sighting of a Pileated Woodpecker. Nice temps again and nice morning.

     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.

     I rode my mt bike 30.3 miles to Thatcher summit. The first 14.5 miles of the ride climbs almost 1000 feet and the ride is half on dirt road. I could tell I haven't got my biking legs back yet. My legs were pretty tired and my butt was pretty sore by the end. I used to do this ride about once a week and it wasn't a big deal.

     My hamstring got sore Saturday evening after the half marathon so I didn't run yesterday and decided I would take it easy today. I ran 6 miles at 8:55 pace. Everything felt alright.

     Ran 10 miles late morning.  The temp was 88 deg. Kept the pace easy again and everything felt fine. 8:36 AP

     Rode my mountain bike a little over 20 miles on my favorite loop.  It's about 3/4 on dirt and has some big hills. I pushed it pretty hard and averaged 16 mph which is pretty good for me on that route.

     Ran 10 miles up around the reservoir in the heat [around 88 deg]. I ran a few short stiders during the last couple of miles. 7:56 AP

     Ran 3 miles early and didn't have time to run farther. I was planning to do a few more later but never got the chance. I ran 2x400s faster during the last mile at around 6 min pace. 7:52 AP

     Ran 3 miles at 7:41 ave. Then 4x1/2 miles at 5k pace with 1/4 mile recoveries at around 8:30 pace. I ran the first 2 halfs at 6 min pace [way too fast for 5k for me right now]. The next 2 I ran at 6:15 pace which is still faster than 5k pace for me right now. Finished up with a 7:45 mile.  Overall pace for 7 was 7:25.

     Went 30.29 miles on my mt bike this morning. The temp had already hit 70 by the time I left and was 89 by the time I finished. I pushed pretty hard today and averaged 15.9 mph. The route is half on dirt and climbs nearly 1,000 ft the first half. I felt much better than I did on this same route last week and finished it 17 minutes faster today and felt better at the end. I've got to get in bike shape quick for the biathlon that I'm doing 2 weeks from Sat. 

     6 easy miles 8:52 AP

     10 miles 8:39 AP

     I went to the track for some intervals this morning. With a biathlon coming up in two weeks I decided to get in a 5k workout. My target was to run 5x1000 at what felt like a pace I could sustain for 5k with a 400 recovery lap between each. I started with a 3 mile warmup then went 4:03, 4:06, 3:54, 3:52, 3:48 with recoveries at around 8:30 pace. The first 2 were intervals were probably more what my 5k pace would have been today but I couldn't resist pushing for a little better time on these and ran the last 3 at a little harder effort. I ran another 3 1/2 laps cooldown to make it an even 8 miles. 

     PM  I headed out for a ride on my road bike but about 4 1/2 miles in my derailleur broke and I had to call my wife to come pick me up. When I got home I hopped on my mt bike and did another 20 miles on the highway. I kept the effort pretty hard. and felt pretty good considering the hard workout in the morning.

     Ran 6 miles this morning. I was feeling some fatigue from yesterdays 2 hard training sessions. Made this a very easy recovery run at 9:30 AP

     My hip was bothering me a bit again this weekend. Biking didn't seem to bother it so I took my favorite mountain bike route for the first time this year. It is 46 miles total with 28 miles on dirt and 18 paved. It includes a 14 mile section of dirt road down through the Oneida Narrows with about 6 miles along the Oneida Reservoir then 8 along the Bear River. There is a campground along the reservoir and I always love the smell of cooking breakfast lingering in the trees as I ride past. This ride has about 1200 ft net elevation difference from highest to lowest points. I hammered pretty hard this whole ride except near the halfway point I did take about a 10 min break at a grassy picnic area along the reservoir to eat an energy bar and get a drink. I averaged 16.1 MPH. I felt pretty good throughout this ride. My arms actually got the most tired from all of the jarring they take on the bumps. There was one 5 mile section in the Narrows that was extremely rough. It was a very nice ride and my average speed was about as fast as I have done it. I feel like my biking fitness has come back quickly over the past couple of weeks. I wish I could jump start my running and see some quick improvement the same way.

6 easy.  Hip still a little sore.

11 easy. Hip much better. 8:39 AP

     Went 20 miles on mt bike

     I wanted to get in at least one 5k specific workout this week and decided for me the best 5k workout is a 5k the week before the race. I ran a 5 mile warmup starting at 7:58 pace and progressing to 7:23 by the 5th mile. Then I changed into my racing flats and ran the 5k. I was planning to run it in about 20 min. but went a little faster in 19:27. Splits were 6:15, 6:22, 6:19, and :31. I had a slight tailwind the first 1.5 then ran back into the headwind the last 1.6.  I finished up with 2 miles at 8:12 pace. I am pretty happy with the result but I never really felt that great the whole time. Even the warmup felt hard. It might have something to do with the biking that I've added the past couple of weeks.

     Went for a 19 mile mt bike ride in the 93 deg afternoon heat.

     Family reunion up at the spruces. Went on a 5 mile hike.

     Went on my usual 20.2 mile course on my mountain bike. I really hammered the whole ride and beat my PR for this route. I finished in 1:08:21 which is an average of 17.7 mph. It is about 12 miles on dirt and 8 on pavement with some good sized hills. I'm feeling confident about the cycling part of the biathlon this Saturday and shooting to hit 23 MPH+ on the road. I think it is within reason as long as I don't kill myself too bad on the 5K right before.

     14 mile run up past the reservoir. 8:27 AP

     My right calf tightened up a bit yesterday during the last couple of miles and this evening when I started to run it was still sore. I had some problems with this calf last year so I played it safe and only ran 1 mile then got on my bike instead. It was nearly dark and I only had time to go 10 miles. I don't have a light.

     My calf felt fine today and I ended up running 4 miles. After warming up for about 1 1/2 miles I ran 9x200 at around 6 min pace with 200 slow recoveries.

     I look forward to this race each year since it's in my home town. It starts with a 5 K run then a 14 mile bike. My training has been quite a bit better the past month than it has been all year but still quite a bit short of what I was doing last year. I felt like even though I have only been riding my bike a couple times a week for the past 6 weeks that I was having some good results on some of my training rides and might be able to PR even though I would be a bit off on the running side of things. 

      I ran a 1 1/2 mile warmup before the race.  The 5k was first and I ran the first 1/2 mile in about  8th place. By the time we hit the turn around I had 2 guys just a little ways ahead of me then a good sized gap up to three high school and college runners.  Shortly after the turn around I passed the next 2 ahead of me and continued to increase the gap on them throughout the rest of the 5K.  I ran past the clock at the end of the 5K and it was just turning over to 19 minutes but it was still quite a ways down to the bikes so I didn't hit the button on my watch until I got to my bike which was closer to the correct 5k distance. That ended up being 19:24. I was pretty happy with that time considering my current fitness. I ran a 19:27 5k time trial last Friday but was quite spent at the end. Today I ran about the same time but without killing myself so bad. That was what I had hoped to do.

     My transition took 1:05. That included riding my bike down to the other end of the parking lot then making a u-turn out of the lot onto the road before hitting my lap button to start timing the bike leg.

     After making another quick turn I could see a rider about a block and a half ahead. This would give me somebody to focus on catching. After a half mile or so we came to the next turn but the rider ahead of me kept going strait. When I got to the intersection I could see the sign to turn and new this was the route so I turned and though maybe he was not part of the race. I couldn't see anyone else ahead of me but had a guy gradually gaining on me from behind. He finally caught and passed me about 8 miles in. He got about 30 yards ahead of me and I worked to keep from letting him get any farther. For the next 2 1/2 half miles I stayed in this position [ far enough back to not be drafting]. At this point I passed him back and just tried to hammer pretty good the last few miles. I ended up finishing about 1/2 min ahead of him. I was 37:55 on the bike leg. Average speed was 22.2 MPH. I was hoping to be a little faster on the bike. 2 years ago I finished the bike in 36:03 for 23.3 MPH ave speed.  I was hoping to beat that but that year they did the bike first so I guess that just shows what the 5K takes out of you. My overall time was 58:24.

     After finishing my wife said I was the 3rd to come in. I knew there had been 3 runners ahead of me and I also thought I may have been passed by somebody in the team category [that was on the bike ready to go when his runner came in] while I was in transition for a minute getting my bike and changing shoes and putting on my helmet. I went over and checked the board and both of the guys that finished ahead of me had been teams which left me first overall for the individual category.

     One of the 3 runners ahead of me was Luis Vidal [who just recently joined the blog] from Logan. He won the individual race last year. He ended up coming in a few minutes behind me. I talked to him after the race and found out that he had missed a turn and the rider I saw miss the turn was the team rider that had passed me in transition. He was focused on Luis a block ahead of him and had missed it also. The 2 of them went quite a ways before getting back on track.

     The first year I did this race I finished 15th. Then I finished 4th the next 2 years then 2nd the last 2 years so it was sweet to finally win it but I wouldn't likely have beat Luis if he haden't missed the turn so I guess this one gets a big asterisk next to it.  My overall time was 38 seconds slower than last year but I guess I don't feel too bad about that knowing how much better my overall fitness was last year. Hopefully I can make some good progress over the next 2 months and get back in good shape for the St George Marathon.

     Left for Eastern Pennsylvania today. Didn't have time for a run before I left pulling an empty trailer with my jeep.

    Slept in North Platte Nebraska in the back of my Jeep Cherokee in the Walmart parking lot. Went for a 6.5 mile run before hitting the road again. 

     Made it to Joliet Illinois [just south of Chicago] last night. Did a 5 mile run before hitting the road again.

     I arrived in Milford Pennsylvania at 2 AM this morning. Had to get up at 6:45 to make it to Newark Airport to pick up my wife who came in on the red eye. Ended up with no time for a run.

     Spent last night and today up at the farm in North East Pa. I slept in this morning and it was pretty hot and humid for a run during the day. Finally got out for 5 miles just before dark.

     Still at the Pennsylvania farmhouse. I ran 17 miles in the morning. I didn't feel quite as good as I did on last nights run right before dark. I ran the 2.35 mile loop 7 times plus a little extra to make it 17 even. It is a very hilly loop through the woods and 3/4ths on dirt.I ran most of it pretty easy. Last lap was a bit faster with last mile in 7:26.

     Easy 3 mile run before leaving the farm to head back to Milford Pa.

     We spent all of yesterday loading up the jeep and trailer with things to haul back to Idaho from my wife's parents home. Her mother passed away this past year and we are clearing out the house to get ready to sell. We were up very late last night and early this morning to get away at a decent hour today. Didn't have time to run.

     We had been on the road about an hour when the Jeep Cherokee started to overheat. On the way out to Pennsylvania I had been loosing a small amount of coolant but not enough to tell where it was coming from and I was able to just add a small amount each day. When I pulled over I had coolant going everywhere and I could now here it spraying from a crack in the radiator which apparently had just become much larger. It took most of the 4 gallons of water I had along to refill it. Luckily we found an Autozone in a small town nearby that had my radiator in stock. I was able to change the radiator in the parking lot and we were on our way again.

     We arrived at my wife's sisters house in Chicago around 3 am [much later than planned.

     I had been hoping to get a run in this morning but after arriving so late last night and very little sleep the night before, I decided the extra time sleeping was more important.

     After sleeping until 9 am then visiting some, we got on the road late again and made it to Lincoln Nebraska by about 10 pm and finally got a full night sleep.

     Today we had all of Nebraska and Wyoming to cover plus around 2 hours of Idaho. No time to run again. That radiator problem at the beginning put us too far behind to find any time to run. We finally arrived home around 2:40 AM 

     Finally got a chance for a run. Things were going well when out of the blue at 6.5 miles I got a knee pain I've never had. By 7 miles it felt bad enough that I decided I had better walk. I walked 1.5 miles back home. It felt normal while walking. I tried running a couple more times but the pain quickly returned. Don't know why I would get a new injury on an easy run after 5 days of not running.

     After not running yesterday I decided to try another run and see how the knee was. I ran 5 miles and it felt fine until the last mile I though I might barely feel something in that knee but very slight.

     After yesterdays run went alright I figured to just try another 5 miles then maybe more if the knee felt fine. I took ibuprofen this morning.  I only made it 3.5 miles then had to walk home again like last Saturday. It seems pretty odd that I would get an injury on an easy run last Saturday after not running for 5 days prior. I wonder if it had something to do with the drive back from eastern Pennsylvania. Driving 36 hours over 3 days sitting with my knees bent. My lower leg [shin] was getting sore from operating the gas pedal by the time I got home. I was saving about 2 miles per gallon by drafting off of semis especially on the way home when I hit a lot of headwind. I don't normally do that very much but it adds up to a few hundred dollars savings in fuel on a 4500 mile trip [out and back]. I couldn't use cruise control though while doing that because of the varying speed of the trucks. It is my right knee that has the problem. 

     Went out later for 15 miles on my mt bike.

     30.5 miles on the mt bike today. Giving the knee a couple of days.

     Ran 4 miles without problems from my knee. 8:26 AP

     After Saturdays 4 mile run went alright I decided after a day off in between that I would try for 6 miles today. I got right around the 5 mile mark and had to give it up again and walk the last mile home. I guess this isn't going to go away quickly. I think it may be patellar tendonitis from looking on the internet. I wouldn't expect an injury like that after 2 weeks of hardly any running but that seems to be right where the pain is coming from.

     I decided to take the rest of the week off from running. Went 20 miles mt bike.

     25.2 miles mt bike.

     20 miles mt bike

     I haven't run since last Monday when I had to walk the last mile. I tried it again this morning but decided to just go 4 miles. I felt good this morning and my pace just naturally started out faster than it has been lately. I ran around 2.75 miles averaging from 7:45 to 7:56. I was feeling good on the way back so I threw in a quarter at 5:45 pace then 1/4 recovery at 8:21. Then 1/2 mile at 6:22 pace followed by another 1/4 recovery. Last 1/4 was 6:19 pace. These were all into an 8 mph head wind. My knee felt great on this run but last Monday it wasn't bothering me until I got closer to 5 miles although I think I was feeling a very slight discomfort by 4 that I didn't get today. I wanted to go farther but decided to play it safe. 7:37 AP

     Out scouting for deer and elk again. The bow hunt opens Thursday. Did quite a bit of hiking checking my trail cameras. I came down with a bad cold last night and couldn't sleep. It seemed like the hiking helped with the congestion.

     My goal for this week is to keep my running minimal enough to not aggravate the knee. It has been around 5 miles that it started hurting last week so I'm keeping the few runs I do under 5 miles. After coming down with a bad cold Mon night, I haven't been able to sleep the last 2 nights with bad congestion and sore throat. I thought I would try a short run anyway but felt very week. I went 4 miles at 9:28 pace and had to stop at the church and rest in the shade on the lawn for 10 min before finishing up the last 1.5 miles.

     Still feeling pretty crappy. The hunt opened today and I got up this morning early and did a fair amount of hiking. Didn't feel so good and had to take it slow. I'm signed up for a half marathon on Saturday but since I can't run much more than 5 miles with my knee problem, I was thinking of switching to the 5k. As bad I as feel with this cold, I'm not sure even running that will be a good idea.

     About 6 weeks ago I signed up to run  Pocatello Half marathon today. This year my running has really tanked after last year was my best and I PR'd in everything I did. 2 months ago I finally felt like my training was starting to feel better and my legs were starting to feel less stale. I got up to 40 plus miles for a couple of weeks with some extra biking thrown in. Then things fell apart again and I have only managed an average of 9 miles a week over the past 4 weeks. I have managed some biking mixed in but not a lot. 3 weeks ago I had a knee problem come out of nowhere while I was barely training anyway. I have been able to run about 5 miles fine and then it gets sore quickly and I'm done. I think it is Patelor Tendonitis. I've run very little the past 3 weeks and it hasn't gotten any better. I knew I wouldn't be able to run the half so I switched to the 5k rather than bag it all together.

     I drove to Pocatello last night and stayed at my daughters house. I have had a terrible cold the past few days that has zapped my energy with a lot of coughing and congestion that has moved into my chest. Needless to say my expectations weren't high. I got a good night sleep for the first night in the last 4 and woke up feeling much better [other than the chest congestion] than I had been. The overall trashed feeling was gone.

     I ran a 1.17 mile warmup before getting on the bus about 40 min before race time. The race went out and I took off at a good pace and felt good. I hit the first mile in 6:06 and was feeling pretty good. I thought maybe I would be shooting for sub 19 for the first time this year. The way I felt yesterday 21 minutes wouldn't have surprised me. I was surprised to have been leading the race from the beginning and ran a chunk of the next mile at around the same pace. Then my lack of endurance from not running much lately caught up with me and I slowed way down. 2nd mile ended up at 6:25 which seemed bad now but yesterday I wasn't sure I could run 1 mile that pace so didn't feel too bad. I was content to just cruise and not make it hurt too bad knowing I had a good lead. I picked up the pace a little the 3rd mile without realizing it to 6:13 and kicked a little but not too much and finished the last 1.1 [Garmin] at 5:30 pace for 19:22. I was surprised that that time was good enough for first overall this year. I won 55 dollars in gift certificates to a running and cycling store that I can definitely use.

     This Pocatello Marathon is just the best. I did the Marathon twice in 96 and 97 and just had to wonder why I haven't been back. They give you a nice duffel bag for your cloths drop, a bag of Idaho potatoes and package of hash browns along with all the typical stuff you get from other races. The food at the finish is awesome. And includes a baked potato bar and barbecued pulled pork sandwiches.

     Now I'm signed up for the Saint George Marathon in 4 weeks so it will be interesting to see if my knee will let me get in at least one long run before then or if I'll even be able to run it.

     Rode my mt bike up to my friends hunting camp in the mountains nearby. 31.35 miles round trip with a lot of climbing. Last mile quite steep on dirt.I was in one of the lowest gears and barely moving. 14.1 mph ave for the whole ride.

     After not running any runs over 4 miles last week, I decided to test it for 5 miles this morning. I haven't been able to make 5 without knee pain the past 3 weeks. I felt fine all the way today. 8:37 AP

     I made it 5 miles yesterday so went for 7 today with no knee pain. I ran the last mile in 6:43. 8:17 ave overall.

     Went 15 miles on the mt bike in a very strong wind. Tough ride.

     Elk hunting this morning. Hiked around 4 or 5 miles.

     I'm signed up for St George Marathon in 4 weeks and haven't done a run over 7 miles in the past 5 weeks when I did a 17 miler. Last year I had done four 20 milers by next week. I guess typically next week would be my last long run before starting a taper. This year I have nothing to taper from. I decided to try for 15 miles this morning and see if my knee would hold up. I made it to 5 miles and my knee felt like it was going to act up again. I didn't want to risk having to walk too far home so I turned around there. By the time I made it home [at 10 miles] it felt the same but I decided against running any farther today. 8:29 ave pace with last mile in 7:41.

     15 miles mt bike

     6 miles. Minimal knee pain from the start but didn't get any worse. Maybe even best last mile.

     Decided I'd better try a longer run since I've got SGM in 3 weeks. I didn't know if the knee would hold up but figured I'd find out. I started out around 8:35 pace and picked it up slightly each mile and averaged 8:17 for the first 7 miles. Then I picked it up a little more and averaged 7:37 for the last 8 miles. The last 4 miles I averaged 7:25 pace and counted those as marathon pace since I'll be lucky if I can keep that pace in the upcoming marathon. My knee was slightly sore again from the start but I didn't notice anything during the last few miles. Hopefully I can get in a 20 miler next week. 

Only had time to get in 12 on the mt bike before it got too dark.

Got in about 4 1/2 hours hiking while bowhunting deer and elk. AM and PM combined.

Hunting again in the morning. Went for a pretty good hike.

     Went for an 8 mile run at 8:13 pace. Everything felt good.

     Was going to do my 20 miler yesterday after my longest run of 15 last week but wasn't able to get out.  Got out this morning and felt very good. I ran the first 4 at 8:10 pace then the next 8 averaged 7:52. With 8 miles to go I dropped the pace into the mid 7:20s and was surprised how good it felt. I held this pace for the next 4 miles then ran 7:09 for the 17th mile. I had been expecting to feel horrible by this point because of my lack of long runs, but felt like I could keep this pace the rest of the way. However toward the end of the 17th mile I started feeling my IT band just a bit and within another half mile it was getting worse. I have had IT Band issues before but not for the past 4 years. It was tough to quit while my run was going so well but with about 2 1/2 miles to go I decided I'd better walk the rest of the way home and not risk a full blown flair up that could take weeks to get over. After walking a mile and a half, a neighbor picked me up and gave me a ride the rest of the way.  This run was giving me a lot more confidence for the marathon in 2 weeks until the ITB problem. If that comes on during the marathon as bad as I've had it before, it can stop me in my tracks. I guess it's no surprise that this would hit when I'm making huge jumps in the length of my long runs. It's a recipe for injuries. Especially as I get older.

     Did quite a bit of hiking while bowhunting elk. My IT Band got a little sore at the end. 

     I hadn't run since my IT Band flareup last Thursday. I tried 4 miles easy with no problems. I've been stretching it out quite a bit. 8:26 AP

     20 miles mt bike

     With SGM coming up next week I haven't done any up or downhill running. I was a little worried about my ITB problem since running downhill is always much harder on it. I started by running the 1 mile out to the big mile long highway hill near my house in 8:14. Then

down: 7:07

up:     8:35

down: 6:46

up:     8:30

down: 6:34

up:     8:21

then the mile home in 7:07.  Most of the mile is a 6% grade so the uphill miles were a harder effort than the downhills. I took a short rest at the bottom each time. My knee [IT Band] did fine but I was way tired the last 2 miles. I can tell how out of shape I am. 7:39 pace overall for all 8.

PM   3 hours of hiking out hunting. ITB got slightly sore a couple of times on some downhill.

     Ran 12 miles out the highway so I hit the 2 big hills out and back. IT Band held up for the run. 8:25 ave pace.

     Ran 6 miles total. Last mile was 7:35. I guess I will consider this my new marathon pace for now. 

     Ran 8 miles today and felt pretty worn out. I did a few striders the last 2 miles and ran the last mile in 7:30. I'll be pretty happy if I can average 7:30 pace for SGM. With the training I've done for this one, I may be lucky to average under 8 min.

     I went out for 2 miles. 7:46 and 6:48. I guess 7:46 is about what I expect my marathon pace to be Saturday. 6:48 is what I averaged last year but it felt more like 5k pace today.

     I put in for the St George Marathon lottery back in April feeling like I should be able to beat my last years PR time of 2:58. Last year was my best running year and I pr'd at every distance I ran but felt like I had peaked a month or 2 before the marathon and had slipped a bit. Last year's race also had very hot conditions, the hottest start on record in the 35 years of the race. I figured if I could get back in decent shape and luck out with some better conditions, I would have a good chance. The problem is that this whole year has been a struggle. Every time I have put together a few good weeks of training, I have ended up with some kind of minor injury that puts me right back where I was. 2 steps forward and 2 steps back.

     In the last 8 weeks I have only averaged running 17 miles per week with the highest being 25 and going back 14 weeks I averaged 22 miles per week with only 1 week over 30 miles at 33. I really didn't do any workouts and my 2 long runs were a 15 miler and a 17 miler that was intended to be a 20 until my knee [IT Band] flared up and I had to walk home. That was just 16 days before the race so it didn't give me a lot of confidence that it would allow me to make it 26 miles. 

     If I would have been signing up for this race any time in the last 2 months, I don't think I would have. But  we already had hotels booked and my wife's sister from Illinois and her husband were in St George visiting with their son and we had some plans with them in Zions Park for Friday so my wife and I and our 2 sons went down to make a 3 day vacation of it.

     I guess that is enough on the whining.  We had a nice time on Friday doing some hiking in Zions Park the day before the race. The conditions for this race were perfect. It started out nice and cool with a great tailwind that ended up lasting at least through the first half. Exactly what I had hoped for when I had signed up. Too bad I had no fitness to take advantage.

     As the race started I just tried to keep the pace feeling very easy. I knew this could get really ugly in the later miles. I didn't know what to expect so I didn't have a very definite goal for this race. I was hoping to at least get under 3:30 which is my BQ time but figured I would have to run a ways and see how the pace felt and my goals may change as the race went on. The 3:05 pace group went by right off the bat and it was really hard to make myself let them go but this race was going to be mostly about survival for me today. This was by far the least prepared I have ever been for a marathon so I was sure I would be hitting the wall big time. When I got to the beginning of Veyo Hill at about 7.3 miles, my overall pace was at 7:10. It was mostly downhill to this point but the next 5 miles are uphill so I figured my overall pace could still be 7:30 or less by the half, that would be good. I tried to stay relaxed going up Veyo and the rest of the uphill and just go as slow as I needed to not let it feel too hard. I ended up hitting the half at about 1:37:32. Overall pace at 7:27. My right calf had started to tighten up on me at around 9 or 10 miles [like it did last year] then around 14 miles my right hamstring from my butt all the way down to the back of my knee started to tighten up. That was a bad sign this early. I really hadn't felt all that great since about the first 4 miles but at the same time the pace felt like I could maintain it for a while. I was holding back a lot on the downhills knowing this is worse on my IT Band. I was walking through all the aid stations and after the half I was also stopping to do a quick stretch.

     Around mile 15 I realized I was running just ahead of the 3:15 pace group. After about 3 miles they passed me at an aid station. I felt like I could go with them but I was feeling it more and more and still had a long way to go so I watched them disappear into the distance over the next 3 or 4 miles.

      3:15 seemed to be gone and I figured I still had a big blowup likely coming somewhere after 20 miles. I also was aware that if my IT Band flared up, I would probably be reduced to a walk within a mile or two. It was kind of nice though not being near as worried about my time as I normally would be.  Each mile after 20 I was surprised that I really wasn't feeling any worse than I had since the half. After passing mile 23 I actually started picking up the pace a bit and started passing a lot of people. After I hit 24 I realized that I was feeling better than I ever had at this point in a marathon and it kind of pumped me up mentally. I hadn't run a single mile under 7 min [even on those 3 or 4 with big downhills]. I decided I would run this last [much flatter] mile under 7 for my fastest mile of the race at 6:59 then finished the last .22 at 6:02 pace.

     I finished in 3:15:30. Almost caught back up to the 3:15 group and passed tons of people that last 2 miles. Many who I remember passing me earlier. I felt better after the race than I ever have after a marathon. That last fastest mile was still 1 second slower than the same mile last year when I had a big slowdown on the last 2 miles.

     I felt pretty good about this one under the conditions. To steal a term from my wife's nephew who is an avid cyclist that we visited with while down there, I'm calling this my "Off The Couch Marathon". It's not like I was doing nothing but compared to the training I normally do, it almost seemed that way. I think if I would have had last years fitness with these conditions today I would have easily run 3 to 5 minutes faster. Last year not only was it much hotter but there was a headwind most of the way after the 8 mile mark. I noticed a couple of others that ran nearly the same time as me last year that ran 2:54-2:55 this year.

     On the drive down to St George Friday morning, a wheel bearing on our car started making noise. I figured we would have to take care of it when we got home but it got much worse in a hurry. After the race we went to an O'Reilley Auto parts and I changed the wheel bearing in their parking lot borrowing some of their tools. I was amazed that I was able to squat down under the front of the car for nearly an hour just 2 hours after running a marathon. At the hotel that evening I didn't give a second thought to going up and down the stairs and we played a little tennis that night. The next morning I had some sore muscles but they loosened up when we went back to Zions and did another short hike.