Run Derneld, Run!

Happy December! Got sick over the weekend, and finally got the courage to try my feet again this evening. I had only a short amount of time, and I commuted to use the BYU-I indoor track. That school has got to learn what a track is. The outdoor one is a perfectly normal and good track, but no credit to them because it was built in the Ricks years!

BYU-Idaho's indoor track again. Maybe I will like using it early on Saturday morning when the students are all asleep.

Some weekend miles at a modest pace. Trying not to mess up my recovery from whatever bug I had this week.

3 x 1 mile at threshold pace with 1-minute rests. Felt meh.

BYU-I indoor track. Really wishing right now that I had more time on weekdays.

BYU-I indoor track. 4x4minutes at interval pace with 3 minute rests. Felt decent.

BYU-I indoor track. Easy pace.

BYU-I indoor track. Just sat on cruise control.

5 miles easy + 1 mile T + 1 mile easy + 4.5 miles M + 1 mile E + 1 mile T + 3 miles M + easy cool down. BYU-I indoor track. These amounts are rough approximations, because according to the sign, one mile is approximately 5.5 laps on the track... Plenty sore after this one. Time for a restful weekend :)

BYU-I indoor track. Very easy miles (still sore from Saturday's miles). Conditions outside almost seem safe enough for me to man up and run outside.

BYU-I indoor track. Did a few good strides. Other than that, easy miles. Still a little sore.

BYU-I inddoor track. Another easy day, still felt like I shouldn't try anything faster today. I think I'll be ready for a quality run tomorrow.

BYU-I indoor track. 3x6 minutes at LT w/ 1 minute rests.

BYU-I indoor track. Very easy miles. Very relaxing!

AM: it was -14 degrees this morning and the indoor track was closed, so 12 miles on the treadmill. 9 miles at my goal marathon pace for April, and 1 mile at threshold pace. Tuned the paces a little bit faster than typical because it was the treadmill.

PM: 5.5 easy miles to relax and finish up the week.

4.5 miles on the treadmill. I was forced to use the treadmill on Saturday when the indoor track was closed. I had been avoiding it because the apartment complex hadn't been maintaining them very well. Turns out they've been fixed and run quite nicely!

Treadmill

Treadmill. The guy next to me set his treadmill to its fastest speed (12 mph) and tried to leave it running and jump on and off for 20 second sprints. Not sure that is safe :/

Got into Beaverton, OR yesterday for Christmas with the in-laws. Had some fun miles on big rolling hills here. Looking forward to the Ugly Sweater 5k tomorrow!

This is a very informal race. It is hosted by the Road Runners store in Tualatin, OR and follows some sidewalks, and community paths on bridges and that squishy black material that looks like asphalt. Went in strong, wanting to see how fast I could really do a 5k. I lost motivation when first place appeared unattainable very early on (I was in second) and then again when the halfway turnaround showed up way too soon (meaning the race distance was very off). I ended in third when a quick guy loaded me near the end. I probably could've gone a little faster and I definitely could've held the pace I had for a real 5k. I'm glad I got to participate in something while on vacation, and that I could do it with my brother-in-law!

Exploring the hilly suburbs of Beaverton, OR. A little too much ice on some steep slopes this morning, but I made it to the end unscathed! Also got a little lost, which is fun when you're running without a time limit.

More exploring in the hills of Beaverton. Found the hill of all hills (that I've seen on neighborhood streets) in Sexton. Just having fun on this in-law Christmas vacation :)

Today's exploring went into rural roads. I got truly lost today and the roads were all monster hills. Definitely a good place to train hills, but not to explore when you don't have a phone! I finally found a road I recognized and went until I got to Safeway. I went to the customer service desk, but they wouldn't let me use the phone for long-distance calls (ironic because my wife was less than 3 miles away). I did an easy jog back home, an hour later then planned. My wife figured I had gotten lost and didn't seem to be worried at all.

One last warm run. Almost 1500 ft elevation gain!

Back to Rexburg, and the treadmill. I will definitely miss Portland's winter running weather.

13.2 miles on the treadmill. Did 3x3miles at marathon pace with 1 mile easy rests.

Finished off the year right, with a great week balanced between vacation and training. The best part is that I feel great. This is the most mileage I've ever logged in a week. The last time I ran over 60 miles was two weeks before the Huntsville Marathon (2015). I spent a long time after that unable to return to my pre-Huntsville running performance. I finally feel like I'm getting back to where I left off and with a better understanding of some training principles, I am not worried about having another 18 months of sluggishness. I'm excited for a great new year of running!