Chad's Runs

Went for a 5am run on the JRP.  I live 100 yards from the trail so I run on it almost exclusively.  I felt a little sluggish and ran at 8:50 pace.  I woke up early to run yesterday but saw the rain and wimped out.  I should have run because when I got up an hour later the rain had stopped and the weather was beautiful.

Run up the JRP and back for 7 miles.  Felt good at 8:40 pace.

Woke of for a 5am run on the JRP.  Felt a little sluggish and ran at 8:50 pace.  Woke up yesterday and wimped out when I saw the rain.  I should have run because when I got up and hour later the rain had stopped and the weather was beautiful.

Ran 9 miles this morning and felt great.  Ran at 8:50 pace.  I ran all the trail there is on the Jordan River Parkway in this section.  The north has Mountain View Corridor construction and the South has Pioneer Crossing construction.  There is about 4.5 miles between them.  I'm actually going to have to run on a road when I go past 9.

Wow, its hot!  I can't wait until July when it really gets hot.  It also doesn't help that I ran at noon.  I did 5 one mile repeats at a 8:30 pace.  Actually they averaged out to be 8:23, but I was aiming for 8:30.  I haven't ever really done mile repeats before.  I don't really know if that was a good pace to aim for.  If it was cooler I'm sure I could have done 8:15 without much trouble.

Well, I was 5 miles short last week.  I hope I can keep my slip-ups to the occasional one miss per week.  Today I got up and was running by 5am.  I ran 8 and felt really good; relaxed, strong.  My pace was 8:47.  I always try and run the second half faster than the first and I easily did that with a 8:10 last mile.

Ran relaxing 6 this morning at 5am.  I ran into a little surprise where the JRP goes under Lehi Main Street.  It was a lake.  Funny, because yesterday was dry.  There has been some flooding in Lehi, but what a difference a day makes.  The flooded area there was glass smooth.  There was a red warning light on the bridge that looked like two because of its reflection.  It looked as if a set of lights identical to those in the ceiling of the tunnel where placed in the middle of the floor.  It was a perfect mirror.  I meant to check my crawl space this morning for flooding, but I don't think I will have a problem.

Holy Hills Mount Goat!  I went running with a fried that lives up Traverse Mountain by Cabela's.  He is running the Wasatch Back here in a couple weeks and has been training in the hills behind his neighborhood.  We gained 700 ft in less than 2 miles.  It's been more than a year since I've ran any hills.  I used to run from the north end of the Thanksgiving point golf course to park north of Camp Williams.  That is quit the clime as well.  Any way, my quads are a little sore this morning.

Ran a nice easy 6 at a 9:30 pace.  I ran with the same friend as yesterday but instead of the hills on Travers Ridge we ran the flat roads of south west Lehi.  Last night the wind was howling but this morning it was just strong enough to keep us cool.  Although it is quite humid from the clouds and thunder storms.  I am going to run 11 tomorrow which will be my high for the year.  With Saturday's 5 the weekly total of 40 will tower over my previous high of 29.  I'm actually excited about putting in more miles and getting ready for the Top of Utah.

I originally had a 10 planned here.  I missed a mile earlier in the week so I decided to add one here and make it 11.  It rained a lot today and I thought I was going to wimp out.  Getting wet for 45 minutes while working hard and generating some heat is enjoyable.  Getting soaked and cold on a long slow run is miserable.  Well, I got lucky and it cleared up this afternoon and turned out to be a beautiful run.

 So, I started of with 11 planned but felt wonderful so I decided to run 12.  I was trying to take it slow and easy but was still running 8:45 - 8:50.  So I kept running down through Saratoga Springs with some beautiful, after rain views of the north end of Utah Lake.  My splits were staying under 9:00 so I decided on a 1/2 marathon under 2 hours.  As it shows on my short term goals, I want to run a marathon under 4 hours.  I wanted to do this last year at the Salt Lake Marathon.  I month or so before, I ran a 1/2 marathon at a 2 hour pace to see how it would work for a marathon.  I made it, but barely.  I was exhausted and winded and there was no way I was going to run a 4 hour marathon.  I ended up running 10 minutes back of my best time.  So with things going well about half way threw my run today, I threw cation to the wind and decided to test myself an see how I would do with 13.1 miles.  I ended up with 1:57:33.  I am pleased and encouraged.  With all the training miles I have planned (probably 3 times the training miles of Salt Lake), I should have a shot at it.

Got up early and ran a slow recovery run.  Average 9:38.  It was a chilly 45 this morning but with a beautiful mist above the river and wetlands as well as the fields.  I also saw a dear hopping through on of the fields.  The tunnel under main street isn't flooded any more but there is a lot of sediment left behind.  I have a twinge in my right achilles left over from Saturday's run but I don't think it will last.  I was definitely feeling the effects of the extra miles I put in Saturday.  

I have a little more bounce in my step this morning.  But as fun as that Saturday run was, I'm still not all the way back.  Ran at 9:08 pace through a beautiful morning.  Mist in the fields, pelicans in the river, a startled deer bouncing through a marsh, and a sandhill crane (I think) in the wetlands.  I enjoy these morning runs, but they sure do leave me sleepy the rest of the day.

 I was just looking at my geeky running spread sheet.  I have run more miles these last 5 weeks than I ever have in a 5 week period since I started this spreadsheet 3 years ago.  And I still have 3 or 4 more runs this week.  I started reading this blog 6 months or so before I actually started one of my own, and it has been inspiring.  I'm looking forward to pouring in more and more miles.

Ran 6 miles with a friend on the Jordan River Parkway this morning.  It was a nice relaxing 10 minute pace.  My achilles still has a bit of a twinge if I look for it, but I don't notice it at all while I'm running, so it really isn't a concern any more.  I've been aiming for 5 running days a week so I'll probably take tomorrow off and get an extra hour or two of sleep.  With all the hours I'm putting in at work and coaching my daughter's softball team, I've only been getting 6 hours of sleep the last few nights.

Nice run this morning.  Beautiful weather and I met ryandla this morning.  We met at Olympic park and ran on the Jordan River Parkway up to the top of the point of the mountain to that park up there.  I don't know what it's called.  I thought the climb was going to wipe me out but it didn't.  After we finished the 10, I went on and ran two more.  I had enough left to run those at 8:30.  Overall I ran at the same pace as the 13 miler of last week, but this one didn't wipe me out.  I hope I can stay motivated to keep increasing these miles every week.  I've gotten burned out when training for the other marathons I've run.

I was feeling great after yesterday's 12 and so I thought I might be aggressive from the start this morning.  That was a mistake.  My knees ached and I was exhausted after one 8 minute mile.  I shuffled the last five and ended at 9:11.

7 miles this morning.  It sure does take a while to get warmed up when you start at 5am.  With all of the additional miles I'm putting in each week, I don't seem to be getting any faster.  I guess all my body's energy is being used up to build endurance and not speed (8:47 avg).  I was going to run 10 this morning but I my daughter is going to Clear Creek camp for the week.  I had to drop her off at an elementary school in Lindon.

5am 10 miler this morning.  Having taken yesterday off I felt really good this morning.  I decided to cut a run out this week because of my daughter's softball tournament that took up a lot of time.  So, I ran 10 miles at 8:44.  I usually don't put splits here but I was proud of my kick toward the end and wanted to record it.  9:26, 8:47, 8:47, 9:00, 8:50, 8:51, 8:49, 8:45, 8:22, 7:42.  After my warm-up mile I was putting in really consistent times and I'm really proud of that 7:42.  Doing those last two after 8 miles is one thing.  Running those after 24 will be entirely different.  I don't have any illusions of being able to do that on race day.

Ok, no run again today.  Too much softball and work and not enough sleep.  I'm putting in a lot of time at work so I'll be ready for a 10 day trip to Illinois and back.  Next week is going to be hard to get the runs in as well.  I was worried about finding time to run while on vacation (I even put up a request for ideas on the forum) but I don't think it will be a problem.  However, I will skip the big 10-12 hour travel days.

 It is now official.  I am signed up for the Top of Utah marathon.  My wife and I decided to add a day to our trip and stay in a bed and breakfast to celebrate our 14th anniversary a month late.  I don't think there has been a single time in all our 14 years when we were a away from the kids for 2 nights in a row.  That's just not right.

 In other other non-running related news, the softball tournament was great.  I was so proud of the girls.  The progress they made over the last 2 months has been incredible.  This is a 3rd and 4th grade league with 8 teams.  I coach with my brother-in-law and both of our daughters are on the team.  We let the girls try out whatever positions they wanted during the season and had a lot of fun but finished 6th or 7th.  Once the tournament started we put the girls where they fit best and still lost our first game (up 5 runs and then gave up 7, ouch).  So we entered the looser bracket and started to win.  We won the next 3 games giving up 1 run and scoring 15-20.  Now there are 3 teams left and we are playing the Rays, team that beat us the first time (and twice during the regular season).  We had a great first inning and scored 6 runs.  We had a bad bottom half and gave up 7.   Those Rays can hit up and down the order.  We did have one play with several errors that allowed 4 runs to score, ouch.  Because the first inning took so long this game was only going to go 2 innings.  We needed some runs but only managed to score 2.  That's when our pitcher started throwing some serious fire.  This girl is only in 3rd grade.  She struck out one of their best hitters on some high heat.  We then gave up a single, had one more strike out, and two walks.  So, 2 outs, bases loaded, in the bottom of the last inning, a real nail-biter.  This girl hit a grounder to first where our first baseman scooped up the ball and beat the runner to the bag to record the last out.  WE WIN!

 So the next day we play for the championship but have to beat the team twice to win the tournament.  This other team has a dominant pitcher.  They haven't lost all year.  When we faced them during the season, the eyes of our girls were as big as saucers watching the speed of these pitches.  The stood at the plate just watching the pitches go by.  We got no hits, and never even put the ball in play.  We lost 7 to 0.  This time wasn't much different.  The girls were still intimidated.  There is a rule that only allows 4 walks per inning.  After that, balls are not counted, only the strikes.  They get a couple of hits in the bottom of the first and we give up 3 walks and two runs.  The second inning is scoreless for both teams.  The third inning one of our girls gets hit by a pitch and we collect 4 walks to score 2 runs and tie the game.  We still haven't put a ball in play.  After 2 more scoreless innings our girls are playing terrific defense but no hits.  The overtime rule puts a runner on second to start the inning.  We get a walk and couple of strikeouts.  Our best hitter finally puts the ball in play but it was a grounder to 1st to end the inning.  We give up a walk then a hard hit grounder past the 3rd baseman to score their 3rd run.  We lost 3 to 2.  But what a season.

 And what a book I've written. 

Slept in this morning and ran 7 miles starting at 8 o'clock.  I've been running at five, sometimes as late as 6.  8 o'clock is hot.  I think it was already in the mid 80's or maybe I'm just a wimp.  I took it nice and easy, about a 9:00 minute pace because I'm running 14 tomorrow.  

14 miles this morning in Provo Canyon.  I started at the mouth of the canyon and turned around about 1.5 miles up south fork road.  Average pace was 9:07 which I'm happy with based on all the uphill, especially up south fork road.  I started feeling it around mile 9 heading back down and was going to slow down.  Then a group of people passed me and I didn't think they should have been able to.  I picked up the pace and passed that group.  I kept up the pace and ran the second half somewhere between 8:20 and 8:30.  I didn't need to go that fast, but I've enjoyed testing my endurance.  I'm encouraged again, the 4:00 hour marathon goal should be easy to get.  (Are marathons ever easy?)

Recovery run this morning at 9:30 pace.  Beautiful full moon this morning, and nice and cool too.  Legs are still tired and a little sore from Saturday but I'm not injured in any way.  This week is going to be tough to get miles in.  I will only get one more, maybe two runs in the rest of the week.  I've got to get 5-6 days work into 4 because we start the drive back to Illinois Friday morning.  With 10-12 hours in the car both Friday and Saturday, I won't run.  I don't want to risk being any more sleepy.  Then Sunday morning (shame on me) I'm running the Moline Firecracker 10K.  I'm excited about that one.  The rest of next week I should have time to put in some miles, but I'm not sure how well I'll handle the humidity.

I didn't run this morning.  My 12 year old son cut his finger last night and I had to take him to get it stitched up.  He cut it with his pocket knife but it's anyones guess what he was doing with it.  He's really smart, he gets straight As; but he's really dumb.  I hope I'm not the only one with a smart/dumb teenager.  Anyway, I was up late last night and decided to abandon this morning's run.  I'll run tomorrow.  I can't run on Friday or Saturday and risk being tired while driving so if I don't run tomorrow I'll miss an entire week.

7 miles this morning at 8:17 average.  I wanted to see if it was realistic to run my 10k this weekend in under 50 minutes.  I did this morning because my first mile warm-up was 9:40.  Everything else was right around 8:00.  I don't know how the conditions in Illinois will affect me.  It will be more humid but at lower altitude.  With a 7:30 start it will also be hotter than the 4:30 start this morning.  It's also on Sunday so I might be struck down.  Oh well, I'm looking forward to it.

Fun little race in East Moline Illinois.  Every thing is so green here.  Trees absolutely every where.  You would think with all those trees there would have been some shade during the race.  Nope.  It was hot.  And humid.  And hilly.  Up and down and up and down.  All of that took its toll and so I didn't make it in under 50 minutes.  I also started too far back in the pack.  I only had one person pass me the whole race because I started back with 10 minutes people and then passed all the nine minute people.  I don't know how many people ran the 10K because there was a 5K at the same time and we all started together.  My guess is 700-900.  Somewhere in there.  I raced in the Clydesdale division and came in 10th; 179th over all.  I'm very happy with that.  Now I've got a ton of miles to put in the rest of the week.  I missed almost all of last week so I have to make sure I get all of them this week.  There is a trail that runs along the Mississippi river that I'm excited to try.  I've got a picture or two that I'll add later.  I'll put up the splits then too.

How do you like my farmer tan? 

10 miles easy on the Illinois Mississippi River Trail.  It's not as scenic as it sounds.  It's back from the river a ways with river front property getting the priority.  With so many trees and so much vegetation you only get occasional glimpses on the river.  I took it super slow and easy trying to recover from yesterdays 10K, about 10:50 miles.  I started at around 6am and it was already hot and muggy.  I took plenty of water with me and was soaked from head to toe when I got back.  I don't know if I could ever get used to this.  I don't know how KP does it.  I've got 16 to run tomorrow or Wednesday.  I'm going to get up earlier this one, maybe I'll feel better after today's slow day.

Ran on the Mississippi trail again but I went north instead of south.  Port Byron was beautiful.  It was definitely more scenic than on Monday.  I can tell I haven't been running enough.  I felt slow and weak.  I hit a bit of a wall around mile 12.  The strangest thing was what the humidity did.  I started at 5am and by the end of my run I was soaked from head to toe as if I had took a dip in the pool.  I could literally wring out my clothes.  This moisture wasn't from rain, and it wasn't from sweat.  I was condensing.  Crazy stuff.

 OK, I have added a couple of pictures of the scenery in Port Byron.  Both of these are actually looking across the river into Le Claire Iowa.

Ran a slow 6 miles.  I hope I can get my endurance and speed back after two weeks of very little running.  At least I don't feel injured.  The bad news is that I'm out of town again next week.  I'll be camping near Laramie.  I will have a small trailer with an outdoor shower so maybe I'll have better luck with finding time to run this time.

8 easy miles at 9:30 pace.  I am running 16 tomorrow so I wanted to take it easy today so I have enough for tomorrow.  I felt much better than yesterday.  I had to focus on slowing down to 9:30 on the second half of the run.  My body wanted to run faster.

Rough run.  I really ran out of gas by 10 miles and struggled the next 5.  I was actually supposed to run 16 but I took a shortcut.  It just wasn't my day.  Overall pace was 10:30.  I haven't done much trail running, but I am looking forward to running in the mountains near Laramie next week.  The popup trailer I rented has an outdoor shower with hot water.  Nice.  I'm hoping next week is a little better.

Ran south out of Curt Gowdy State Park near Laramie WY.  It was a gorgeous run.  I should have taken pictures.  It was a gentle river valley full of hay fields, cow pastures, horse pastures, country farm houses, big barns and stables, and a display of antique wagons.  The elevation was 8700 feet so I was sucking air but the scenery made it well worth it. 

9 miles with Josh.  We ran on the Jordan river parkway after dark.  It was pretty cool with patches of warm muggy air.  I felt pretty good.  I'm not sure of the pace because the charger to may forerunner is dead.  I've ordered a new one.  I hope it gets here soon.

14 miles Saturday morning.  I had 18 planned but my wife wouldn't let me.  Too much going on.  We went to Lehi Foam day later on.  The fire department sprays a soap suds like foam over all the kids and the the get their fire hoses on a mist to wash you off when you want.  The foam stings your eyes but the kids went in and had a blast any way.  My 3 year old didn't like it but the other three dove in and got all foamy.  I have some pictures; I need to put them up here.

10 miles.  I still don't have the charge for my Garmin so I ran blind this morning.  But I felt stronger and faster than I have in a long time.  I started off slow.  It always takes more than a mile to warm up at 5am.  I continued to take it easy until about 6 miles, then I picked up the pace and ran hard without slowing for the next 4 miles.  I'd love to know my splits, but watch to tell me.  I bet most, if not all 4 or those miles were under 8:00.

 I added some pictures of my run in Illinois.

http://dcbailey.fastrunningblog.com/blog-07-08-2010.html 

10 more at 5am again.  It felt good.  My average pace was 8:39.  Much faster than Monday even though I couldn't match the speed on my last 4 miles that I did on Monday.  The moon was behind the clouds so it was pretty dark.  As I passed the wetlands/pond by my place there were some strange calls that sounded somewhat like a sick cow and they came from several different places so it was definitely some kind of animal.  Almost everything in that swamp is a bird with the occasional muskrat or beaver.  What made that sound?  Is that the sound that pelicans make?  I see them there all the time but I've never actually heard one.

Average Pace 9:26.

 Splits:

9:34, 9:18, 9:21, 9:03, 9:02, 8:58, 9:04, 8:52. 8:58, 8:57, 8:50, 8:52, 9:35, 9:11, 9:54, 9:51, 11:59, 10:21 

 I haven't ran 18 since I ran the Salt Lake Marathon last year.  I'm pretty tired with various blisters on my feet, but that goes with the territory.  I ran 3 out and 3 back, got a gel and a drink, went out and did it again, then did it a third time.  I din't want to carry that heavy fuel belt with more than a quart of liquid.  Those stops really mess up your groove.  I had a good 9:00 groove going after the first six and then getting started up again was a chore.  I did and made up the time that mile.  I had a bit fast groove going through twelve and the took that break.  I never recovered from the break.  That sounds strange.  I wonder when I would have slowed down had I not taken a break or just took a little water and gel and kept running.  I felt fine after twelve but felt heavy and weak when I started 13.  Who knew?

I didn't sleep well last night so I skipped this morning's run.  I did get in a run with Josh.  We ran 8, 4 min repeats.  The pace I ran each was 7:11, 6:50, 7:38, 7:49, 7:12, 7:21, 7:33.  That last one I forgot to reset so it is 8 minutes.  I haven't done any of these, opting instead to just run more miles.  This was Josh's idea and I enjoyed.  It gave the lungs a workout instead of just the legs.  Now I need to get up early tomorrow and run.  I don't do well on these night morning turnarounds, especially with only 6 hours of sleep in between so I'm just going to run an easy six tomorrow.

I put in 6 miles, starting off at a nice and slow 10 minutes or so.  I found that I felt pretty good so I picked it up and ended with a 9:24 pace.  I'm going to try for 10 more tomorrow.  I want to get 50 miles this week.  I've got a slow start so I'll need to run every day this week.

Ran through a fantastic thunderstorm this morning.  To the south and west were the biggest thunder bolts.  Then they started coming from the east.  It started raining as I was coming to the end of mile three so I turned around there not wanting to be caught far from home when a big storm hit.  There were some big bolts above me in the clouds but none ever did hit anywhere closer than 5 miles or so.  And by the end of mile 5 the rain had stopped.  So once I got back to the start I went out again to finish my 10 miles.  

Avg pace 8:56.  

I have some tightness/discomfort/pain on the inside of my left shin.  It doesn't bother me during a run, but I feel it during the day.  I hope it doesn't get any worse.

 30 more miles to go this week.  I'm going to run 5 tomorrow, 20 on Friday, and 5 on Saturday.  That will finish of my 50 mile week. 

I ran a nice slow 5 miles this morning.  I just wanted to do enough to get the blood pumping, but not anything that would hurt my 20 miles tomorrow.  I got more rain this morning.  It started to come down pretty hard toward the end of my run and I picked up the pace to avoid a possible hail storm.  We had a couple of those yesterday, one with big marble sized stones.

So, 20 tomorrow and 5 recovery miles on Saturday and I've reached 50 for the first time. 

It is now Tuesday and I'm finally writing this entry.  I had planned on running 20 miles but quit after 13.  I don't know what happened.  I had plenty of sleep.  I ate well.  I kept hydrated and took a couple of gels.  I just ran out of gas.  I guess I haven't put in this entry until now because I'm a little embarrassed.  Dead after 13 miles?  I still don't get it.

Felt great this morning.  I thought I would run on Saturday, but didn't.  I thought I would run on Monday, but didn't.  If I miss it in the morning, there is a high probability that it won't get done.  Anyway, this morning I did 10 right at my projected marathon pace, 8:54 average.  I ran strong throughout and easily could ran 13 and beyond, unlike last Friday.  I'm going run 10 more tomorrow then take Thursday off in preparation for Friday's run when I'll do 20.  I'm going to focus on that 20 instead of the weekly total.  Last week I wanted to do 50 miles and fell behind a little so I ran a slow 5 the day before I boinked.  I usually take the day off before a long run so maybe that had a little to do with last Friday's collapse, but I don't think that alone would do it.

Another 10 at marathon pace (8:50).  Most of the miles were faster actually.  I've been trying to go to bed by 9:30 so I at least have 7 hours of sleep when I wake up at 4:30.  But the earliest I've been getting to bed is 10:00.  Right now I'm quite sleepy.  I need to go to bed early tonight and with no run tomorrow, maybe I'll get a full 8 hours.

I've been trying to think of ways to start with a full tank when I run 20 on Friday.  I'm going to have popcorn Thursday night.  That has helped in the past.  I've been laying off the pop this week as well.  Although I don't think I'm going to make it today or I'm going to sleep all day today at my desk. 

I got in the 20.  (whew).  I felt really good until about mile 13 (again).  I started to get thirsty and was still several miles away from water.  Unlike last week I was 8 miles from home so I couldn't wimp out and walk home.  I pushed on to the water fountain and took a gel.  I stayed there for a while trying to get hydrated and waiting for the gel to kick in.  It was hard to get moving again but I did manage it.  I started to feel better and by mile twenty I was moving pretty good.

I can't put in a long run this weekend because I'm going backpacking with my son's scout troop.  Somewhere in the Uintahs over night on Friday.  So to make up for it I'm putting in more miles during the week.  That started off today with 13 miles instead of 10.  I really enjoyed it.  I ran at an 8:50 average pace and felt great.  I don't know what's wrong with me on my long runs.  I'm feeling fatigued at 13 miles at a much slower pace.  Am I intimidated?  I really don't do anything different on those days.  It's a mystery to me.

10 more this morning.  I felt the effects of yesterdays fast 13 and ended up with an average of 9:08.  I was pretty tired and temped to throw in a walk or a shuffle but managed to step it up and push through.  I think that's one of my issues.  I sometimes wimp out early.

Taking the day off today.  I was going to run but I was so exhausted yesterday that I figured it was better to get some extra sleep.  I just couldn't keep eyes open yesterday so I went to be early and got up late.  Also, I've got various minor aches and pains in my lower legs that could use a day off, shin splints, ankle pain, etc.

I made up somewhat for the last crappy two days.  It felt good to run 15 at marathon pace (8:51 today).  My left shin is a little sore.  I hope it doesn't give me problems on the small backpacking trip tonight in the Uintahs.  It's only 2.5 miles in and not a lot of elevation change so it shouldn't be a big deal.  I never seem to get runs in when I don't do them early on Saturday morning.  I hope to put in 10 tomorrow but it probably won't happen.

10 miles average pace 8:58.  I had trouble getting out of bed and then had more trouble keeping a good pace.  When I'd put some effort into bumping up the speed it didn't reflect in the actual pace.  I got tired of trying so I just cruised on a relaxing pace for most of the 10 miles.

 On a different note, the short Uintah backpacking trip was great.  I was fun getting out with my son and seeing some beautiful country.  We hiked to Cuberant lakes.  It's just a little short 3 miles without much elevation change.  I should post some pictures later. 

Average Pace 8:40.  Nice cool morning that started at 46 degrees.  I pushed the pace and felt much better than yesterday.  

The moon sure moves fast.  It set yesterday before I was even half way through.  This morning it was up even after I finished about an hour later.  The two weeks of no moon nights seem to last longer than the nights with the moon.

 Hey, first page of the miles-this-week page!  That won't last. 

Nice easy 5 miles this morning at 9:00 pace.  Last time I ran the day before a long run I crashed.  I hope it doesn't happen this time.  The morning was beautiful with a bright moon.  It was also surprisingly cool.  The weather has been forecasting warm mornings, but if felt refreshing this morning.  TOU is coming up fast.  I hope I can reach my 4:00 goal.

I put in another 20 today.  It was much better than last time but I still think I'm intimidated and lack a little confidence on these big long runs.  I ran 15 last week and felt strong at the end, but today I was slowing down at mile 13.  Oh well, I got it in.  I did try and through in some sections of marathon pace about half way in and one toward the end.  The mile and half at miles 10 and 11 was successful.  I then tried for another 1.5 it at mile 18/19.  I ran the first at marathon pace and was pushing it on the last half mile.  I looked at my pace and saw 8:45 and was pleased that I was a little faster than MP.  I double checked and saw that it was actually 9:45.  I was discouraged right there and stopped immediately and walked for a bit.

Next Saturday is 2 weeks before TOU.  Is it too late to put in another long run?  Should I be cutting the mileage a little and starting to taper?  I don't know.  Any suggestions from some of you seasoned marathon veterans?

Ran a relaxing 9:00 minute pace this morning.  The weather was calm.  Props to every one that went out yesterday morning.  You have my admiration.  I took one look at the howling winds at 4:30 and went back to bed.

I had a heart pounding scare this morning when I ran across a skunk in the dark just after 5am.  The JRP is fairly narrow at this point with a drop off on the left and a fence on the right.  I heard something by the fence and took a look and saw it with it's rear pointed at me.  The only comfort was that the tail was not raised.  I was jittery for a while after that and took a different route on the way home.  I hate those things. 

 One more thing.  171 miles for August beats my personal best by almost 30 miles.  It still isn't very close to how many I wanted to get in, but I'm not sure my body was ready for too many more this month.  I need to stay motivated over the winter so I can come back with bigger months in the spring.  I usually don't run very many races, but maybe adding some more next year will help keep me motivated.  I'd also like to try the Wasatch Back but I don't know of any teams I could join, but it's still early. 

Saw that dang skunk again.  This time he was on the trail so I saw him earlier.  I waddled of the trail but stopped just off the trail onto the shoulder.  I just turned around and ran the other way.  It turned out to be pretty nice.  The area between the Pioneer Crossing tunnel and the RC Airplane field is untouched open space and a bit creepy in the dark.  It was also significantly colder.  I was a bit chilled.  The rest of the run was in Saratoga Springs.  It was nice and quiet with some great views of the lake; the valley lights reflecting off the glass smooth surface.

As for the run, I ran at 9:15 pace.  I didn't feel very strong so I kept easy.

Most of my run was along the St. George Marathon route.  The think I wanted to do was gain a little confidence from running close to marathon pace.  I did that so I'm excited.  The pace was under a 9:00 minute mile until my left knee started to ache and feel loose and unstable, about mile 15.  That down hill did a number on that knee.  It still feels achy and week when I walk down a hill or stairs.  I think it will feel fine in a few days.  I don't think I should run on it though.  Maybe I should go to the Legacy Center to peddle a cycle or an elliptical.

Left the Garmin at home today.  I just wanted to go out and relax; get the blood running through my sore thighs.  It was hot, muggy, and dark this morning, but it was good to get out since I haven't been out since Saturday's run in St. George.  Speaking of that run in St. George, my knee feels fine.  It hasn't felt loose, sore, or anything out of the ordinary for the last couple of days.  My quads on the other hand have been extremely sore, and they still are, 4 DAYS LATER!  I should have been stretching and working them a little, but I've just been taking it easy.  Today they do feel better but I can still feel the ache, especially when running down hill.  I should have been running more hills but I enjoy just running from my front door.  There aren't any significant hills within 5 miles of my house so I don't run many.  I need to occasionally jump in the care and drive to some.  I hope that run on Saturday will at least help a little on the downhill course in Logan next week.

I thought I'd try out the course tool.  This is my usual 10 mile run.

10 mile JRP Route

OK.  It works now, but I used mapmyrun.com instead of this course tool here.

My big toe felt a little irritated yesterday.  It felt worse this morning; puffy, hot, etc.  I went out to run and found that I was favoring that leg and limping a little.  I don't want an injury so I turned around.  I went to the doc and I have a staph infection under the cuticle.  I caught it early enough so they won't have to lance it.  I just need some antibiotics and I'll be fine.  I think I'll be fine run any time now.

This was a fun run.  I don't often run with people.  It seems the running friends I do have all have different schedules.  But I was able to hook up with RAD, Calvin, Staci, Becca, and Annette for this run, all of whom I met for the first time.  Runs, especially long ones, are so much easier when going with friends.  I'm almost jealous that I didn't run the entire 22 because I felt so good after the first 12.  Almost.  I did get a chance to give a shout out to the group as they hit about mile 19 from my house.  That was fun.

 TOU is Saturday.  I'm excited.  I hope to meet more FRBs.  Are any FRB people planning any hookups I could crash, like at the spaghetti dinner?  I'm also excited for the rest of the weekend.  My wife and I are staying at the Providence Inn Bed and Breakfast through Sunday in celebration of our 14th Anniversary (it was in August but this is close enough).  I can't remember the last time we spent two nights away from all of our kids.  I hope I'm not too exhausted and sore to get around and see some sights, etc.

 Thanks again Rachael for inviting me along.

Ran a relaxed 4 miles without the Garmin.  Weather wasn't as cold as it has been, but it was dark  Maybe another 4 miles tomorrow, or maybe I'll sleep in.  I haven't decided.  I want to keep my legs fresh and ready but not tight and stagnant.  I don't completely understand this taper stuff.  You rest and heal.  But if I miss a week of running, I feel tight and slow.  Where is the line between rested, healed, and strong -- and tight and slow.  I also don't understand how cutting back on the miles and tapering is hard for people.  I like to run, but I also really like the encouraged sleep-ins.  I just don't feel an irresistible urge to run every day during a taper.  After months of training, a few days off feels wonderful.

 My sister-in-law needs some female advice.  She is training for a half marathon and running about 25 miles a week.  She is worried about  athletic amenorrhea.  Her blog is rachael's runs.  I've tried to get her to join this one.  Maybe some of you can help convince her.

I beat my personal best by 2 minutes but was behind my goal by 25 minutes.  Crap.  I was on pace but my knee just wouldn't let me.  I've been worried about it since it hurt after my run in St. George.

 I don't know how people give a mile by mile account of their marathon's  They seem to blend together.  It was a beautiful morning and I felt great.  I started with a 9:03 trying to fight the crowd.  Mile 2 was more of the same but I still managed a 8:23.  I often went around the crowd during these two miles which messed up my watch.  It was now .13 miles ahead of the course.  That's a whole minute and a half I would have to make up.  After that I tried to take a better line down the canyon.  Mile 3 was 8:21.  The first water stop was at the beginning of mile 4 and I can't remember if I stopped or not, but my time for that mile didn't reflect one.  I ran it in 8:15.  I was putting in some great splits and felt relaxed with easy breathing.  It was encouraging and I was getting a good lead on my 4 hour goal.  5 was 8:30, 6 was 8:35, and 7 was 8:30.  I was maintaining a fast 8:30 pace.  8 was 8:23 and 9 was 8:38.  I took a hammer gel at the start of mile 10, took a water and finished the mile at 8:55.  I was still hanging around 8:30 but I was starting to feel my knee.  11 and 12 were 8:50 and 8:44.  I always have a hard time getting back up to speed after a walk for a water and gel.  13 was 8:51 and 14 was 8:41.  I was slowing a little but I was still getting ahead of 4:00 pace.  15 was out of the canyon and a quick 8:31.  Out of the canyon, you get a bunch of people cheering with signs all over the place.  It gives you a bit of a boost.  I took another gel and water at the start of mile 16 and finished it at 9:36.  I knee was starting to ache more and I had a little difficulty getting started again.  Mile 17 was 8:49 and 18 was 8:53.  That was the end of the down hill and I was at a 8:40 pace.  That's where I wanted to be, except that my watch was ahead of the course by .15 so instead of 9 minutes ahead I was only 7.5 or so.  19 and 20 are a steady uphill.  Its brutal going into the difficult stretch.  I ran them in 9:34 and 10:18.  21 flattens out but I was tired from the previous 2 and ran it in 10:15.  I took a gel running into the aid station and walked in for some water to wash it down.  I needed the energy and the water to have a chance at 4 hours, but I also was worried about getting started again because of my knee.  I was right about my knee.  The pain was horrible trying to get running again and I couldn't even stand it to try and warm it up.  I walked for a while and tried it again with the same result.  I knew 4 hours was out of the question I decided I was just going to quit at the end of 22.  I didn't want to walk in at 5 hours.  Toward the end I found that I could walk pretty fast and if I walked at a 14 minute mile I would still PR.  22 was 19:42, 23 was 14:15, 24 was 13:23, 25 was 13:37.  During 26 I tried to do a limp/run and it actually worked.  After a few minutes I could actually run.  I wish I would have figured this out earlier.  Mile 26 was 12:54.  So I actually ran across the finish line, beating my person pest, set at this same marathon in '05, by 2 minutes.

 I'm disappointed I didn't do better but encouraged by the first 20 miles.  I finished with plenty of energy, I just didn't get a chance to use it all.

Congratulation to Allie for KICKING IT.  She won and slashed her personal best.  I met her right after she collected her cash and congratulated her.  Well, here it is again.  Congratulations Allie! 

Nothing today.  I'm feeling a lot less sore than yesterday.  After sitting for a while yesterday I'd tighten up and getting up to walk just turned into a hobble.  My knee still aches a little.  It's on the outside and at least part of it is the IT band, but it seems more than that.  I've never had IT band issues before so maybe it is just that.  A friend of mine is going to get some KT Tape for his knee.  I wonder if that will work on the outside of mine.  What direction would I even put it on?

I borrowed P90X from my sister-in-law.  Ouch.  I tried out the Legs and Back and felt sick 3/4 through.  I like to run because I can push myself and still feel good afterwards, tired and sore, but good.  Feeling sick isn't fun.  I was supposed to then do the ab workout but didn't.  I didn't feel good for the rest of the day.

I've never been one for weights or any kind of workout other than running.  I know I need to in order to get much faster.  So I'm going to give this a try again, but every day!?  Oh crap. 

I decided that Friday was just a trial and that this morning is day 1 of P90X.  I don't remember the name of the stupid workout but it had an infinite number of push-ups and pull-ups.  Then you do it again.  Then comes the abs and core work.  I didn't push my self as hard as last Friday so I just feel wobbly and weak instead of sick.  I can deal with that, but I'm sure I'll be sore later.  I'm still sore in my legs from Friday's workout.

 I've been reluctant to put this on the blog because that makes me kind of committed.  But if I can get through this then start cranking up the miles in January, I'll be good and ready for a good summer of running.  This P90X takes so much time that I don't know when I'll have time to run over the next 3 months. 

I was sick this week.  I woke up Tuesday morning with a nasty sore throat.  I stayed home but still worked.  I felt good enough to work but I didn't want to spread it around.  I felt fine later in the day so I got up early Wednesday and did another P90X workout.  Arms and shoulders, I think.  Then the Ab Ripper X.  But later in the day I started feeling what I though was coming Tuesday afternoon, cough, congestion, etc.  I slept in a little Thursday and skipped the Yoga.  Then today, I did another P90X workout (legs and something else then the ab workout).  I was going to run afterwards but got up too late and didn't have time.  I'm pretty much sore everywhere.  As I've said before, I only run.  I ignore every other part of my body, and even my legs except for running.  This needs to be done, but it sure will be tough.

Kenpo today.  I'm not coordinated and struggled with all the moves, that may account with why it wasn't really hard for me.  My heart rate didn't seem to be elevating like it should be for that work out.  

Anyway, I went for a run afterwards.  I've been reading about form, landing on the mid-foot, etc.  I want to find a book or two if anyone recommends one.  So I think I was doing fairly well but could't maintain it at all.  I got winded in a hurry, but couldn't seem to figure out how to take it easy running that way.  I noticed when I was gassed I wanted to revert to my old form so instead I walked for a bit.  I tried shortening my stride but then that increased my turnover, which is probably a good thing, but I couldn't maintain that either.  Some of the fatigue probably has something to do with the 1 hour kenpo I did immediately before the run, but still, two miles?  Oh well, I don't know that it will improve much because I'll have very little time to run over the next 90, or actually 84 days.

Back and shoulders today.  At least that's what I think it was.  The workout titles seem to be running together.  It was a lot of push-ups and pull-ups.  Then ab ripper.

Plyometrics.  It sucks.

Yoga.  I suck.

Started Legs and Back but got sick about three quarters through.  I skipped the rest and Ab Ripper as well.

No Kenpo today.  I played 18 holes with my dad instead.  I also hung crown molding in my daughters' room.  That was much more of a workout than Kenpo would have been.

Arms and chest and ab ripper.  I can already tell a huge difference between week one and week three.  I can actually do a few push-ups.  Amazing!

Plyometrics today.  It was a lot easier than last week.  I need to move some furniture around and get more room when I do this one so I can be more aggressive.

I've been sick and staying up too late reading.  So I missed Wed-Fri of p90x.  We (meaning my family) spent the weekend in Lander WY with my wife's grandmother.  It was fun and I managed to get in a run.  It was slow and relaxing, although I am still not over my cold.  I paid for it later in the day and didn't feel well at all.

Yoga today.  I find Tony's p90x yoga annoying.  He works well on the other DVDs, but I have a hard time with the yoga video so I DVRed some TV programs and I find I like them better.  Even so, I still suck and yoga.

I have not been motivated at all lately.  I was going to run on Saturday but my son had his 7th birthday party.  My wife didn't want me to go before which was fine, I'd just go after.  Well, it rained all afternoon.  I looked outside and I didn't feel like going.  I should have got up early yesterday to do P90X but slept in instead.  Well, today I actually got up and did plyometrics.  It kicked my ___ but felt good.  It's time to find some motivation.

I RAN THIS MORNING!!!!  And what a beautiful morning it was.  I got my lazy rear out of bed at 4:30 and was running by 4:50.  I broke out the cold weather gear and wasn't cold at all.  The knee that gave me problems on the marathon didn't complain at all, but it was only 4 and half miles.  I could tell I haven't been running because the pace was quite slow(9:30) but my effort wasn't.  I also had a few joints, mostly my left ankle, tell me they didn't want to be running or up this early.  It felt good all the same.

It appears that I'm motivated just enough to get out of bed and exercise once every two weeks.  I didn't run, but I did play basketball this morning and I get breathing hard and worked up a good sweat.  Will I get out again before December?

I wondered in a previous post if I would get in another run before December.  Well, the answer unfortunately was no.  But I only missed it by a day.  Still pretty pathetic.  I went to the Legacy center for the first time in I don't know how long, a year maybe?  4 miles on the treadmill in 34:43, whatever that pace is.  My ambitious plans for this week are basketball tomorrow and running Friday and Saturday mornings.  My resolve always weakens the night before when I want to sleep in the next morning.

Treadmill miles are SO LONG.  I don't remember how fast I ran 'em. 8:30 - 8:45 probably.  It doesn't really translate though; my treadmill pace is always a lot faster.

This was my first outdoor winter run of the season, pretty pathetic actually.  I bought some Yaktrax that allie recommended but roads are dry so I have yet to try them out.  The weather hasn't been very cold and was nice this morning as well, cloudy but in the upper 20s.  After a mile or two I'm already too warm for the hat and gloves.  Winter outdoor running is always more intimidating than actually cold and difficult.

I'm back baby!  I've ran 4 out of the last 6 days, and one of those days off was Sunday.  Sweet!

I'm slow.  I had a hard time getting my pace down below 10 minute miles.  It also took a while to get warmed up.  I didn't want to be out there until about mile two, then I started to feel good.  Even so, my endurance is suffering from my 2 1/2 month slack off.  Saturday's mile 6 was a tough one.  I hope things come back soon.

Basketball this morning (its been years and you can tell).  I'm on a roll (not on the court).  I've only slept in and skipped a workout once in the last week.  I've got three more runs and another morning of basketball this week.  

No run this morning.  My three-year-old was up all night coughing.  She has had this nagging cough for several weeks now.  She has asthma and even a small cold goes straight to her lungs.  Last night was especially bad and we had to give her the nebulizer at 3:30.  She obviously didn't want to be up and cried through the whole thing, poor girl.  So my alarm was set for 4:30, we got her settled back in close to 4 and I just added an hour so I'd just get to work on time.  I thought at the time that I might leave work a little early to get it in, but my office mate is out with the flu (really) so I have to cover.  Crap, there goes my 5 day (woopdy-doo) streak.

5 miles, beautiful day.  Nothing else to say.

Put in 5 miles this morning.  Weather has been nice.  27 at 4:45 which is colder than I thought it would be, but still comfortable.  I did some 1/2 mile repeats.  I ran 'em at 7:40 - 8:00 minutes per mile pace.  I was huffing and puffing after each one which is bad because I could have run the whole 5 miles at that pace 4 months ago.  I need to lose the 10 pounds I gained during the 2 1/2 months I took off.  That will probable help.

Basketball this morning.  I didn't notice until after playing and cooled down a little, but my knee is a little sore.  I want to run tomorrow, especially if there's snow.  I bought some Yaktrax and haven't tried them out yet.

No running today or yesterday.  My knee hurts.  I don't know exactly what happened.  It didn't hurt while I was playing basketball Tuesday morning.  I had no idea I'd hurt it until after I'd cooled down.  It feels a little better today, but it's still swollen.  I'm sad because I wanted to try out my Yaktrax but didn't get the chance.  I don't know when I'll be back out.  Next week maybe?

I got up planning a walk to get the knee loosened up and see if there was anyway  I could run on it.  I was also excited to put on the Yaktrax.  So I walked out into 4-5 inches of snow at about 5:30 and still snowing and got to the end of my drive way and tried to run and it felt great.  I ran the whole two miles without any pain.  I felt a little feedback from my knee at one point then realized it was the wrong knee.  Weird.  I only did two because that's all I had time for.  I got up later than the usual morning run because I anticipated only walking this morning.  Plus I had a mountain of heavy snow to shovel.

It sure was light out this morning.  I know the moon is full but with all the clouds there was no way it was peeking through.  Does it light up the clouds enough to provide a nice even light across the whole sky?  Just a random thought. 

What fun this was.  Great run with fellow bloggers.  RAD put it together (Thanks Rachael!), and just down the trail from my house.  How convienent.  Since my knee has been giving me problems, I had the option of dropping off at my house at 3 or 7 miles, but it felt great so I finished all 10.  That may have been a mistake because my knee swelled up like a balloon.  It was definitely a mistake not to ice it when I was done; but I have a couple of desks I'm making for my kids bedrooms.  I worked on them the rest of the day, more on Sunday and I'm still not done.  So I'm going to take all the next week off from running and maybe try it on the 3rd (if it is above 10 degrees).