Chad's Runs

This run kicked my can.  I ran it in the mountains south of Liberty near Pine View reservoir.  It wasn't very high, 5800 or so, but I ran at 2 in the afternoon.  It was probably about 90 degrees with a bright overhead sun.  I have done a horrible job getting out to run the past couple of months and I never get to run hills in my neck of the woods.  All this conspired against me.  I did a lot of walking the second half of the run.  But all in all, I got out.  I ran.

I was hoping to get out again last week but it just didn't happen. And before vacation it was the d___ Olympics that did it to me. I was staying up well past 11 which meant no run the next morning. Oh well. Speed is understandably slow.  I had no expectations other than to just get out.  But toward the end I tripped and took a nice face-plant.  My knees, collar bone, nose, and forehead are all scraped up.  Why am I posting this ugly picture?

I missed the light months. Its dark again. Bummer. I was running south along the trail when something black streaked in front of me down the trail and then off to the right. It looked look a cat but it was dark. Skunks don't run that fast do they? Anyway, I'm scared of skunks, especially after getting hit a bit earlier in the year. So I decided to hug the left side of the trail even though it was probably just a cat. I heard it rustling in the bushes as I passed. Its pretty creepy along the trail in the dark and rustling in the bushes just adds to the creepyness factor. Well, just then I brushed my left leg against some high grass growing just off the left side of the trail that I didn't see. I just about jumped out of my skin! Over grass! I felt a little foolish after that but the adrenaline was still pumping pretty hard.

As for the run, it was better.  Its amazing how much you loose after a few months with almost no running.  But today showed a lot of improvement over Monday.

This run was extremely ordinary.

Fun run.  Got to run in the light.  I left at about 7am and ran into my South African friend, Richard.  I finished up with 18 for the week.  I'm pleased with those brief miles.  Good place to start after my two months of slacking off.  Still slow though, 9 min miles or so.  After this run my wife and I went with some friends to Midway for lunch (everyone), golf (guys), and shopping (girls).  Lunch was ... wait for it ... AWESOME.  We went to this mexican place that was incredible, best I've ever tasted, my new favorite restaurant.  And a bakery, equally as good.  Here is a picture of the place.

The golf was awesome too, Wasatch Mountain course. 

The biggest nemesis impeding me from my early runs and weekly miles is staying up too late. Sunday night I stayed up watching the late sports news shows. There wasn't even anything interesting on them. Preseason football? Really? I stayed up for that? Anyway, an 11:30 bedtime is bad for a 4:30 wake up call, so I skipped Monday's run.  I want 4 runs this week so I should be able to get them all in.

I saw a skunk this morning.  It was dark so I didn't get a good look at him but it loped across the trail instead of dart like a cat would.  It also looked like he had his tail up.  Scary.  So I turned around and went the other way.  I so some runners this morning.  A group of 4 all with headlamps.  (I hate wearing those things so I just run in the dark.  I've run on the trail enough to trust it. I can't even blame last week's fall on the dark.  It was at the end of my run and was light by then.)  Where was I?  They were headed for the skunk when I saw them the first time.  I saw them again on my way back and it seems like they must have turned around somewhere near where I saw the skunk.

My speed was better.  I didn't feel all that strong but my average pace was the best it has been since I started again.  And that included a break to see what the skunk was going to do.  So I'm coming along but still have a long way to go.  I hope I can get in decent shape by the time the Utah half comes along.  I should get a PR because I've never actually raced a half before.  Weird huh.  

I saw that dang skunk again. I thing my south bound route is closed for a while. A skunk had that route closed for a while a few years back as well. I don't think he'll give me a schedule for when he might open it again.

So I turned around and ran north.  My legs were a little tired today.  The next day after a 5 miler my legs are tired?  Really?  Two months off really kills the fitness.  And it doesn't help that I gained 15 pounds during that time.

I don't even remember this run. I thought I had entered it already but I guess not. I do know that I ran north instead of south to keep away from the skunk. Oh yah, I remember thinking my legs shouldn't feel this dead after a days rest.

This run was brutal. I ran it at 1pm in the heat. My legs are tired. I've jumped in a little fast with 22 miles on my second week back but I don't feel any sore potential injury spots, just tired, so I'm not worried. I tried to squish a few grasshoppers but they seemed to escape at just the last moment. (random thought) The rest of they day I felt wiped out. I felt like I had run more than twice as long as I actually did. What the helmet! 7 miles should not be this hard.

Good run. I still feel week and tired. Those are the consequences of slacking for 2 months so I can only blame myself. But I did have my fastest average pace this morning since I came back. I saw another runner with no light. One of the only times I've ever seen that. I'm definitely in the minority with running in the dark without a light, even without moon light.

Ran at 11am.  It was overcast but still hot.  My endurance sucks right now.