faster with age

     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.