Chad's Runs

I have had a 10 year old treadmill in the crawl space downstairs. Its a piece of crap and I hate running on treadmills.  But with all the treacherous ice on the roads (my house is absolutely surrounded) I've been going stir crazy.  So I brought the thing upstairs and gave it a try.  The belt slipped the last time I ran on it but it slipped backward on heel strike.  I don't heel strike anymore so I didn't think it would be a problem, and it wasn't.  The problem was with the circuits.  After half mile or so it tripped the circuit breaker.  I thought the problem might be a mile long extension cord.  So I bought a 10 footer instead of the 100 footer I was using.  It worked for a bit longer but still tripped it.  After looking at the circuit closet it turns out that the bathroom outlets are on a 20 amp circuit instead of the 15 amp it was on.  So after running again the treadmill stopped again but this time on its own.  I guess it was getting too hot.  Any way, its hopeless.  That treadmill is good for walking but nothing more.

What a pain. I broke down and signed up for the Lehi Legacy Center. Its just been to darn cold and treacherous. So I got up at 4:30 and tried to be in at 5 when it opens. I was about 5 minutes late and because of that every single treadmill was taken.  So I took to the track.  Oh well.  Maybe I'll try after work.  I'm fat.

I've been sick all week.  I stayed home on Tuesday.  I've got chest congestion so I avoided any running until now.  I used a treadmill at work.  The Legacy Center is just plain crowded.  I was going to go six but didn't feel like it.

6 miles outside. Wow. Its been over a month since I ran outside. It felt great to get out, amazing in fact. The air was still crappy but at least it was above freezing.  I ran six with no struggles to finish although I was very slow.

6 out on the JRP.  Crystal clear skies but a little cold.  I got out around 5pm or so.  Not much else to tell.  Slow and fat.

6 treadmill miles after work. The road shoulders are full of snow so I chose to run inside instead.  Its getting easier to run six even if I am slow.

7 miles. That's one more than 6. Sweet. I can see some progress. Ahead it looks the same, too far to see. But when I look behind I can tell I've made some progress.

6 and a half on the treadmill. I started at 6 mph and bumped it one tenth after every song on my ipod for 1 hour. I finished at 7.3 with 6.6 miles completed.

6 good miles south on the JRP. I felt good.

I started my run north instead of south this time and this is what I saw.

So I turned around and went south.  Two years ago this happened and I think it was into the summer when it was drained and passable.  If you're training for a triathalon the 6 feet of water here might be of use.  But I'm not.

6 south and JRP and into Saratoga Springs. There was a nasty north wind coming back. I wasn't really dressed for it.

6 miles south. Same route as usual. Baby steps. This is the fastest I've run this route in a while. That being said, I still feel like I'm running in mud. Still slow and fat. I've got 20 or so more pounds to loose before I get to where I was two years ago.

What a beautiful day.  Sunny with, well, with smog.  But it still felt and looked beautiful.  I took a route I haven't taken before, mostly because the roads are busy ones.  I went west on Pioneer Crossing then across redwood road towards Eagle Mountain.  These are the closest hills.  There is a fairly substantial hill, at least compared to the flat where I live.  Anyway, The top of that hill hit just before my turn around at mile 4. I was averaging over 10 min miles but I never run hills so I'm not upset about the slow times.  Then my watch ran out of batteries on the way back so I don't know what the average pace was.  Oh well, very satisfying run.

7 Mile on the JRP trail. Well, sort of. The gate just down from my house is surrounded by ankle deep mud. I'm not going that way. So I ran north through my neighborhood then by the pond and onto the trail. Then I turned south again. By the time I got to my gate I had ran 1.5 miles. Now my distance landmarks are all messed up. Anyway, good run. Still slow but more progress.

The tunnel is still flooded. Maybe even more so. It's almost to the top of the ceiling.

I didn't feel good during this run. I was very slow. The plan was to run 10 but decided to cut it to 9 since I was so slow. Then at mile 7 I just didn't feel very good at all.  I called my wife to come and get me.  Oh well.

Good run but I kept getting interrupted.  My shoe came untied, my ipod had to be restarted, and my dad called, and still it was a good time, at least compared to the last few months.  I've still got a long way to go.  My gate to the trail is still full of mud, sticky slimy mud.  I still have to run a 1/2 mile north to access the trail by the pond.  No big deal, it just suck on the way back when my house is right there and I still have 1.5 miles left.

Shingles? Really?

It was finally warm enough for me to not wimp out on a morning run. 5 at 5. The shingles is all but over and doesn't hurt too much. Its been almost a week and a half so this run was supper slow.

Six in the am. The news said the low was to be 45. It was much colder than that. I wasn't quite prepared for the cold temp.

Got up for 6 this morning. Nothing to report. I was lazy and missed Saturday. Crap.

Oh, I think the tunnel might be drained. I haven't ran there but driving over it looks like its dry. You can't see the bottom from the road though.

7 after work UNDER main street.  First time I've been through there in a while.  Weather was great.  Sunny and chilly.

Winter obstructed plans again. I saw that blanket of snow on Saturday and went back to bed. We had family in town so I knew I wasn't going to get another opportunity but running in 5" of snow would not have been fun. As for today I got up early and ran 8. I thought it was going to be super dark so I was planning on running east instead of on the trail.  But when I walked outside there was this big moon.  I thought it would have already set.  Cool, I can run on the trail.  Well, about 3 miles to go and the thing sets and it got dark.  I could hardly tell where the trail stopped and the shoulder started.  It was on the way back and I didn't see any obstructions on the way out so I trusted that the trail was clear and just ran.  It was a little scary and I ran a little slower than I otherwise would have but I'm in one piece. 

8 miles in the am. It was nice and bright this morning under a waning gibbous. Its funny that I saw three people on the trail in the extreme dark and 20 degrees but saw nobody out with a nice bright moon and 40 degrees.

What a crappy year for running.  This is the longest run I've done since since Utah Valley last June.  All was going well until about mile 5.  I suddenly could hardly walk on my ankle.  No misstep or anything, just sudden pain.  I walked it off for a bit and suddenly it was gone.  Pinched nerve?  I don't know but I'm perfectly fine.  I finished the rest of the run without incident.  I was slow but consistent.

7 on sluggish legs.

Went in the afternoon after work. It was actually hot. My legs felt heavy again. I don't know why. I tried to run a couple fast half miles and that was frustrating because the effort didn't show any results.

5 in the afternoon nice and slow. I've had a crappy week of running. Busy. Weather. Lazy. Not necessarily in that order. I'm happy with it all things considered. 

This one went well. I took it easy for the first half then picked it up and finished strong. The lights are fixed under the main street tunnel and the pelicans are back. 

7 miles in the afternoon. I got up early but saw the snow and wet roads and went back to bed. I'm afraid of wet roads freezing and becoming slick. I'm getting up there in age and I don't want to break a hip.

4 runs in 5 days. This hasn't happened for a long time. I don't feel any injuries coming on but I don't want to tempt fate and my body isn't used to this much pounding.  So this morning I took it nice and easy and made it short.  With my busy schedule I think a good compromise is 4 runs a week.  Now I have to find the motivation to get in that many.  I haven't done a good job with that the last year or so.

This was supposed to be on Thursday morning, but got back late Wednesday from the Bon Jovi concert.  I'm a dork but it was awesome.

My garmin battery was dead which is weird because it seems I just charged it.  So I took it easy and enjoyed the cool, well actually cold, air.

Failed to find time to run on Saturday.  It was busy and I wanted to sleep in.  Oh well.  So this morning I got out and it was real dark.  The trail is creepy when its this dark so I ran east on the road.  I felt heavy and pushed through and finished with a respectable time.  I hope I didn't push too hard so that tomorrows run is miserable.

6 miles including 4 1/2 mile repeats in the 7:45 pace range. There is slow progress but there is a long way to go to get back to were I was a year ago.

I wanted to get out on Wednesday or Thursday but it didn't happen.  But today was a good one highlighted by a bald eagle.  I tried to take a picture but it wasn't more than a spec, not enough zoom. I haven't run twelve for a while but it went well. The Thanksgiving point half was running and got in the way of my run. I should have raided an aid station.

Here is a crappy picture of the bald eagle. Its the black spec on the top of the tree. You'll just have to trust me.

7 miles on tired legs. I guess Saturday's run took more out of me than I thought. It's nice that there is light in the morning now. Only for the first mile or two was it fully dark.

7 Miles with some half mile repeats somewhere in the middle. I was happy with the results.

7. Legs were a little tired. I've been consistent and getting all the runs I've planned so maybe that is why my legs are tired.

Nice day out. I slept in and got out around 8. I hit a bit of a wall around mile 8 but was able to break through around mile 10. This was a good week for miles for me. Because of time constraints this is about what I'd like to do every week.  3 one hour runs during the week and 1 two hour run on the week end.

7 on tired legs again. I'm waiting for them to strengthen up and get some endurance. It's not coming like it used to. I'm getting old I guess.

Its been a crappy couple of weeks for running. There are various reasons, not all of the legitimate. I can feel the results of the layoff and its not good.

A few more runs and I'll have 1000 miles on the Mizuno Elixers. They still work fine for repeats which is what I mostly did today. 5 half milers.

Ran around Disneyland. You can't see anything from the outside.

Seven miles around San Diego.  I enjoyed it a lot.  They have a bay side bike trail that I bumped into and ran on for a bit.  It boarders the ocean with a big stretch of marsh land in between.  Its funny how many people were running in jackets.  San Diego was in the 60s most of the day and if the sun peeked out it would hit 71 or so.  I am not sad at all that I missed all of Utah's heat this week.

After two crappy weeks of running due to vacation this one was slow. Jello legs.

7 half mile repeats between 7:15 and 7:30 pace except for one. That one was into the wind and uphill and I only managed a 7:41. I thought I might run these a little faster but I don't think I've recovered from my lack of miles the last two weeks.

This is the longest distance I've run in quite some time. I was planning on 12 unless I was still running well and then I wanted to put on that 13th. I'm happy with the consistent pace I held even if it was a little slower than I wanted.

Slow recovery run. My quads are a little slow and my legs are tired from Saturday's run. That's good. I took it easy and put in the miles.

I almost forgot. I saw a beaver this morning swimming under the bridge crossing the Jordan River. It's nice having some light for my morning runs.

Did some half mile repeats but I'm entering this a week later so I don't really remember much. I hit my pace or better on each of the seven. That much I know.

This the annual celebration here at the Utah State Developmental Center and this is the second year of the 5K. They changed up the course a little since last time. There were hills and other parts of the course that staff had a hard time negotiating a wheel chair.  The organizer just measured it in his car and told us it was going to be 3.3 but everyone with a GPS ended getting 3.6.  Anyway, it was fun.  I came in second again behind a 60+ year old, but that guy is fast so I'm happy with the result.  I thought the co-working of mine that came in 3rd last year was going to give me a run for my money but in the end I smoked him.  This is the fastest I've run in a while.  I haven't really tested myself, especially at this short of a distance.  I was slower than last year but infinitely than I would have been 6 months ago.  I've still got a ways to go before I'm back to where I was a year and a half ago.

10 easy miles. It was nice and cool for a change.

Half mile repeats today. I ended up with 9 instead of 7. I had some watch configuration issues so I restarted the workout after 2 repeats and I just thought I'd finish 'em all up. I wanted to get them all at or under 7:25 pace. I did well except for one that is almost all a gentle uphill slope. I let myself get behind and then about killed myself trying to make up the time. I didn't think I made it but looking at the times on my watch after the pace read 7:25. Cool. I did it. 7:20 next week.

I'm going to take Tuesday and Wednesday off because I want to test myself on Thursday.  I want a 7 mile run average at 8:30.  It shouldn't be hard but I haven't done it since before last year's crappy summer.

I wanted to run this one fast and failed.  Crappy run.

Finished up 100 for the month.  I want to stay in the 100 to 120 miles for the next year or so.  I won't have time for any more, but after that I'll bump them up.

Where has my endurance gone?

I ran blind this morning and it was fun.  Just ran to run.

I ran a different route into Eagle Mountain.  There are actual hills over there, something there isn't much of in west Lehi.  It was fun.  It was hot.  I went through all 40 ounces of  water and Gatorade.

Where did that come from.  I tried to average 8:30 pace for 7 miles before the end of June.  I didn't get close when I tried.  I couldn't match the pace I was running in May.  It is hotter but still, I didn't understand what was going on.  So this morning, after running 27 miles in the last 4 days, which is a lot for me, I felt strong.  I ran the first one slow but decided to push it and see where it went.  Last week and the week before when I tried that I was done after 3 miles.  Today I just kept going I kept putting in fast miles and bringing my average pace down and finished with 8:28 average pace.  It came a week late but there it is.  Cool.

Another quick 7.

I wish I had had more time. Because I was short I only got in these 8. To much crap going on.

My legs were dead this morning. I started to finally feel a little warmed up after 5 miles and picked the pace up some.

Its getting darker. Crap. Bet there were a lot of people out this morning. I don't know if I've ever seen so many. The run was so so, not a lot of bounce in my step but not completely sluggish either.

8 miles. I had more "pep" than I did on Wednesday. I probably would have had more if I could have found my headphones in the dark and pumped '80s rock as Scott suggested. I usually don't run with music but I like to put some on every once in a while to shake things up.

10 take-it-easy miles.

8 miles I pushed pretty hard, especially on the last 4. Average 8:30. Its coming down.

Took it easy this morning after yesterday's hard run.  I'm starting in the dark again.  That sucks.

8:24 -- More progress, they're coming down.

I'm counting it. My goal before the end of this month was to run 8 miles at an average pace of 8:15. I thought there was no way I was going to make it and had decided to put it off a month and try to get that pace in August.  Today was unexpected and I'm counting it.

My last run was on Friday and then I spent the weekend in Wyoming. I was up late on Sunday so I skipped Monday's run as well. So this morning I figured I was rested and I'd check to see where I was.  It didn't take me long to get warmed up so my first two miles were faster than usual.  I kept a good pace on mile 3 then started to push it on mile 4.  Amazingly I was on pace to get that 8:15.  I was now running in the high 7s and I got the average pace down to 8:17.  I had this one in the bag; until the gnats.  For a solid mile there was a dense swarm of gnats.  They weren't there on the way down so they must have just woken up.  The were getting in my eyes and I was choking on them.  At one point I had to stop because I was choking so bad.  Well, there went my time.  I lost motivation.  By this time my average was down to 8:21 with just 1 1/2 miles to go.  I picked myself up and started to run again.  The swarm ended and I decided I might as well pick it up and see where I could finish.  Mile 7 was 8:24 with the stop and I got discouraged again.  I started out mile 8 slow and thought, "This is stupid. I'm going to kick it up again."  I pushed for the last half mile or so and ended up with an average pace of 8:18.  D@#^ gnats.

7 slow miles. My legs were pretty tired after yesterday's run.

Half mile repeats today. I hit my target pace on all 7 repeats. My legs are sore.

This run kicked my butt. I ran 12 last week and felt like I could have run way more but not this week. I'm used to running flat.  Up by Thanksgiving Point the hills start to grow.  The two miles added from last week to this week were up there.  I feel like a pansy because they are pathetic little hills but they kicked my butt.  There is no flat.  For about half the miles on this run there is just no flat ground.

This run started out great but about half way through my achilles started to hurt. It just got worse and by the last two miles I had to walk off the pain several times for a minute or so. This totally sucks. Just when I started feeling like I was making good progress I get a setback.  I had also signed up for a race on the 17th.  Just found out that it is the same day as the father and son's camp out.  I'm going to take a few days off and see how I feel.

4 nice and slow miles because I don't want to make my achilles worse. It is still nagging at me after taking almost a week off. Well I got bored and was feeling good so I decided to see what I could get my average cadence up to over 4 minutes.  I managed a 175 which is excellent for me.  I haven't counted for a while so I'm pleased with how it went.  I also ran it at about a 7:00 min pace.  Well, when I finished the 4 minutes my achilles started to hurt again.  I limped on it and took a shortcut through a neighbor's yard to finish up.  I'll try again in a few days.

4 slow miles. I forced myself to keep a slow pace this time with periodic walks. This run was more to shake off the cobwebs and get my heart rate up. I loosened things up but my achilles was always nagging at me but wasn't getting worse. I finished off the run with no further pain so I'm pleased with the progress. I'll probably wait until Monday to run again.  (Father's and son's outing)

The achilles pain started with the first step.  That sucks because I hadn't been feeling anything walking around during the day.  Well, after about a mile the pain started to go away.  After another it was just whispering to me.  The last 2 I didn't feel it all.  I'm still taking it easy and limiting the miles.

4 more easy miles.  I saw a big group of about 8 this morning.  I don't think I've ever seen a group like that on the trail before 6 before.  Weird.  I was happy to find that all was about the same as yesterday.  The pains all but disappeared on the second 2 miles.  I'll go for 5 on Friday.

A couple of runs last week and this one all felt good.  A month ago I'd feel good durring the run then limp around for a few days so I decided to take some time off to get it better.  I started up again last week and iced my achilles after each run.  So far the run has been pain free after I warm up and I'm pain free durring the day as well.  Is that dependent on the ice?  I don't know, but either way I'm getting better.  I'm going to try for 15 miles this week and see here I am.

I'm over the achilles problem. I felt nothing after the first 5 minutes. Its now 5 or 6 hours later and I have no soreness and I didn't ice it either.  I'm not sure how fast I want to get back to the 30 to 35 miles a week I was running.

I've recoved from all injuries.  Time to start bumping up the miles.

Good run.  First time in the Altras since the achilles injury.  They're a little harder on that tendon than the Mirage is.  After warm up there was no sorenss and there hasn't been all day.

6 at night. I wanted to sleep in Saturday morning so I ran Friday night. The moon was out and bright. The main difference I noticed running Friday night instead of Saturday morning is all the campfire smoke in Willow Park. (cough, cough)

7 miles running south. No bugs. Last time I ran south there was more bugs than air.

6 easy miles.

Hat and gloves and rain. I guess fall is here.

My mornings are going to be busy these next few days so I ran last night and I'll find another night soon too.  It seems nobody runs at night and it wasn't even that late.  There was no moon so I decided not to take the trail and get some light from street lights.  This one was the fastest I've had in quite a while.  I'm feeling pretty good.

This run was the first step for getting back on track from a miserable motivationless week last week. No health problems, nothing, just a lack of motivation.

Finally got my can out of bed.

Worked from home and got in a mid-morning run.  The weather was absolutely perfect.

Another day of perfect weather.  I was out at about 11:30 and it was sunny, 55 degrees with a cool breeze.  It doesn't get any better than that.  It was sad that there weren't very many people out.  I left my watch at home and just ran relaxed.  

Not much to report over the last couple of weeks.  I'm not pushing it, just building back up the miles.