Run Derneld, Run!

Started at 7.5mph. 0.75 mile intervals, each one 0.1 mph faster than the last one. The last segment was at 9mph. The builder was 12 miles, with a 1.5 mile cooldown. First successful workout in a while. A great way to start 2020! Breakfast was grits with black pepper, overeasy runny eggs, and nutritional yeast. Yum! (13.5 in 1:38:31)

Sore from yesterday, but I actually welcomed the feeling, as it's been awhile since I felt that normal healthy soreness from a good workout. (6.8 in 0:53:32)

Very quiet day at work. Lunch time treadmill. (3.2 in 0:25:01)

Easy long run. (13.5 in 1:45:16)

Another good long run. This makes one entirely good week of running! (14 in 1:44:58)

Regular morning run. Actually woke up to my alarm. (6.9 in 0:52:36)

Easy treadmill. (7 in 0:53:22)

Small builder. Just enough to sweat a little. (7.1 in 0:53:10)

Good 50 minute push. (7 in 0:50:53)

80 minutes of incline, then some easy miles, then a fast final mile. (16 in 2:07:02)

Easier run, but felt pretty hard being tired from this week. (13.5 in 1:42:33)

Got to bed really early last night. Felt so good to wake up. (9 in 1:09:32)

Ran a little fast to squeeze in 7. (7 in 0:51:45)

Built up to marathon pace. (7.2 in 0:52:04)

Woke up early. Easy treadmill. (10.4 in 1:20:40)

Woke up early again. (10.9 in 1:24:15)

Treadmill at work with and climbing. (3.1 in 0:24:56)

Easy long run. (14 in 1:49:21)

Easy treadmill. (8.5 in 1:06:39)

Easy treadmill. (9.6 in 1:15:13)

Easy treadmill. (10.5 in 1:21:24)

Easy treadmill. (8.5 in 1:06:40)

Easy treadmill. Did this while fasting, because this morning I have my annual blood work. Can't wait to eat! (14 in 1:48:59)

Long run with 8 strides. It's been quite a while since I last did strides. My body is not used to running at a pace that hard. (16 in 2:03:50)

Felt pretty tired on this one. (8 in 1:01:48)

8 strides (6.9 in 0:51:53)

Early treadmill. Woke up almost 50 minutes before my alarm. (11.6 in 1:30:44)

Early treadmill. (11 in 1:28:00)

Getting better self control over my diet and sleep. Feeling a little better each day. (11.2 in 1:25:44)

Easy lunch break treadmill. (3.3 in 0:24:59)

Little tired. (14 in 1:48:23)

Finished my run, then found out the highway was closed due to weather. (12.7 in 1:38:47)

10 strides. Woke up nearly at the normal time! (7.6 in 0:57:28)

Early treadmill. Got hit by a bout of nausea very suddenly 5 minutes after stopping. Not sure why, but it wasn't fun having to keep going anyway. Had to catch the bus. (11.5 in 1:27:36)

Small aerobic builder. (6.9 in 0:51:36)

Mostly easy with some moderate splits. (15 in 1:54:05)

Tired from yesterday, but tried to push still. I am fatter, lazier, and slower than I usually am 17 weeks before a marathon. The biggest problem though is that I don't even care that much! (15.4 in 1:55:50)

Woke up at my normal alarm time and whipped out a small but good aerobic builder. 7.5 to 8.8, increasing by .1 at half-mile intervals. (7.2 in 0:53:08)

Easy 80 minutes (almost). (10.1 in 1:18:43)

10 strides. This felt really good. I think my body is readjusting to a hard pace, even if it is for short durations.

Light and easy long run. (13 in 1:40:19)

Early treadmill. We went out for a special Valentine's dinner last night. BJs Bayou is by far the best place I've eaten around here. Everything we had was nice and they made the bananas foster right in front of us! I could feel the weight of southern comfort this morning while running though! (9.8 in 1:16:20)

Easy lunch time treadmill at work (3.3 in 0:25:21)

Excellent aerobic builder. Feeling pretty strong. After my pacing job in 2 weeks, I'll start marathon-specific training. (16 in 1:57:14)

Easy treadmill. Traveling to Charleston SC for work through the last half of the week. Going to be very busy and not sure if I'll get much running in. (9.9 in 1:16:10)

10 strides on the treadmill. Strides are feeling very comfortable now. Time for repetitions.  (7 in 0:52:14)

10 miles at race effort. Felt pretty good! Fueled by Laffy Taffy. Will be traveling all day to get to Charleston, SC. (14 in 1:41:07)

Wetlands run. (8.67 in 1:13:50)

Hotel treadmill. I guess I brought the bad weather with me to Charleston... (11.9 in 1:31:05)

Ran out to Fort Sumter National Monument, by the old US Customs building, and past the Battery in Charleston. Timed it so I'd be in the east beach when the sun rose. Beautiful! (16.36 in 2:22:27)

Treadmill with some incline. 5 days until Zions. (10.4 in 1:19:59)

Small workout to shake the holidays off before this weekend. 3 sets of 1 mile at threshold pace with 2 minute rests. All at incline. (7.2 in 0:51:39)

Treadmill with incline. Got started a little late. (6.4 in 0:49:40)

Started this one too early... easy long run. (15 in 2:00:00)

Easy shakeout run through Cottonwood Heights. I am definitely a little more tired from yesterday's run than I should've let myself get with a pacing gig tomorrow... (6.85 in 1:00:11)

This run is almost entirely uphill, and I thought it would be harder than it was. I had a pace partner this time, and I hardly thought about the effort the entire time. Many good conversations. The rewarding feeling want as great here as when pacing the St George marathon last October. Nobody is shooting for a BQ when you're pacing a half marathon. The views were majestic running towards Springdale, and I bet they're a little prettier when you don't have to pay the $145 entry fee!

10 strides on the treadmill. Went really well until I hit some kind of nausea attack right after the 10th stride. Out of the blue after feeling good for 45 minutes. Very strange. (8 in 1:00:22)

Easy 90 minutes. Didn't have to get up terribly early today as I'm working in town this week, hooray! (11.8 in 1:30:34)

Almost race effort. Little tired to start with and all the way through but I pushed myself. (15.2 in 1:52:50)

Easy pace, but tired from yesterday. (11.5 in 1:30:44)

Short quick run. (6.7 in 0:51:25) also, I signed up to be a 3:35 pacer at the Ogden marathon!

25 minutes of calisthenics. Pretty short, but I'll probably still be sore since I don't do this enough.

Long run on the treadmill.Running 20 miles is the only healthy way to watch a documentary about Christina Tosi... What delicious looking desserts 😋 (20 in 2:32:56)

Tense run on the treadmill. Tense because I’m still sore from Saturday, but more because I really had to go to the bathroom for the last 30 minutes. (11.5 in 1:29:35)

Very relaxed today, opposite of yesterday. (11.6 in 1:30:18)

2x(2T,2min),2x(3minV02max,2min).1.5minV02, builder. It started as a great workout. Had to tone it down halfway through. I just haven’t been doing enough hard paces lately and need to transition. I am content with half a good workout, as it is much better than a full workout that takes too long to recover or causes injury. (12.5 in 1:30:15)

10 strides (6.8 in 0:51:13)

Small builder in the AM. (9.8 in 1:13:14)

3 easy miles, then 7 at race effort. Got tired earlier than planned on that, so I did a pyramid workout after that to get the mileage I wanted. (16.6 in 2:01:50)

Long treadmill run. Right Achilles' tendon is a little sore after this one, so I might dial back this week. (13.7 in 1:47:34)

Easy run. I almost didn't run at all. My Achilles was fine today, but I did have some right hip pain. (6.3 in 0:48:47)

Tested out the right hip and it is still not feeling good enough to start running again. (2 in 0:16:00)

20 second run today. I was going to see if I could do a mile run around the neighborhood. The first 5 seconds felt fine, then the back of my pelvis started to get painful.

Test 2. Ran down the block and back. Took it slower. Less sensitivity than last time, but it is still there. My hamstring was very tight this time, but it might be from a combo of soreness from calisthenics and not running for 3 weeks. Quarter mile!

I think I will start testing more often.

Took longer than yesterday to feel my hip, but I ended up hurting just as much as yesterday.

Test 4.

Definitely the best test so far. I think this situation is slowly improving.

2 tests today. Not much change from the first test today.

Test 6 (or 7, depending how you count it). My best test to date. At this rate, I'll at least be able to pace at the Utah Valley marathon (assuming it takes place).

This break has been a great motivator to do some quality strength training for the first time in years!

Test 7. Ran twice as far and still takes longer to start feeling pain. And the pain is less. I think I still want to see a PT about this.

Test 8. Ran the same distance as earlier today, making about a mile today! Feeling pretty hopeful!

Test 8. Ran over a mile this morning at a 10 minute pace. The speed is still awkwardly slow, and I know it's not the proper form for an efficient trot, but I am able to do it without my hip getting too sensitive. My hip always feels a little tense after these runs, not things are continuing to improve.

Test 8.2. Same thing as this morning. Felt about the same.

Test 9. This is the farthest I have run since going out of commission. There really isn't any pain. It feels like my hip is either not responding as well or is just really stiff. Either way, the situation is getting better every day. Based off my experiences the past few days, I am still thinking this is a sciatic nerve issue, caused by a strained muscle.  

Test 10. Sore from yesterday. I did a lot of squats and calf raises yesterday as well, but I am definitely not used to being this sore after a little bit of easy running. It's amazing what 4 weeks off can do.

Test 11. It seems weird to keep calling these tests, but I'm not 100% sure I'm okay yet. Just slowly putting more work in and seeing if things get worse.

Test 12. A full 90 minutes. Muscles are much less tense than Saturday. Still feel something weird under my left glute. Still suspecting piriformis syndrome. My cadence is still really low. I think the biggest struggle will be getting back to good form.

Test 13. Slowly improving my cadence. Still some tenseness in what I assume is my right piriformis. Excited to learn from the PT tomorrow.

Test 14. Tired and sore, but otherwise pretty good. Improving.

Went to see a PT about my issues today. Turns out my right SI joint was misaligned, and one of my muscles on my right side just wasn't able to function with the position my pelvis was in. It was pretty neat to see strength returning to my thigh after 30 seconds of the PT making me do specific exercises. I was given a list of stretches and exercises to do until my next appointment on Tuesday. The PT wants to make sure that my SI joint is staying properly aligned. 

Went to the PT this morning. They did dry needling and gave me some new exercises. There are some small muscles around my right hip area that area knotted up. I was given the green light to run up to 3 miles at a time. Woot! 1.5 miles before lunch.

Another 2.5 in the afternoon. It was slow, which is just fine right now, but it was also very sloppy. I think I got too excited about getting to run today...

Being gentle. Yesterday was too much (2.1 miles in the early AM). Nice temperature!

Easy treadmill run for just 10 minutes. It is noticeably less stressful than running on the road for some reason. Drove out to work this morning. I'm not a big nay-sayer to all these public health precautions, but I will definitely be relieved when the buses come back. 

Easy 2 miles on the road at work.

Treadmill again. Felt wobbly up through 1.5, then everything seemed to straighten up. Very nice!

Took it slow, but it felt very nice. Doing the PT's exercises right after running really made a difference too.

3 miles on a very flat road at work today. Felt very good and the weather was great.

7 miles on the treadmill. Third PT visit later today. Strength exercises have done wonders!

Easy treadmill. The PTs assessment yesterday was very positive. She couldn’t find tension in any of the muscles that she found it in last week. I was given some more strength training routines to perform daily. This has been an amazing learning experience. What I thought were some small aches and pains that I’ve felt for years were actually all connected and are due to my lack of maintenance (strength training and stretching). I’m really glad I had these 3 appointments.

Limiting this week to very simple runs. This was the fastest I've gone since my legs went out of commission. 8:03 per mile. Now to enjoy a day at home.

Next week is my last week with significant time worked at home. Hoping to convert some of that commute time into some easier long runs. Also, I will try going back to the road.

3 easy before leaving for work.

3.24 on a very flat street at work. I've definitely been more tired and sore after simple runs like these. It's been awhile since I was like this. I had deja vu of one of my first 6 mile runs that I ever did. I was quite sore afterwards!

Light run on the treadmill. Feeling less winded during each run. Gradually restoring cardiovascular function that I certainly lost being away from running so long. Next week I'll try running on normal uneven surfaces (i.e. outside!). Still doing lots of strength maintenance daily. Focusing on specific motions that use the hips and pelvis.

Started out tight and slowly loosened to a slow pace with decent form. Then the best thing happened for me: a guy ran past me like it was nothing, and he didn’t even seem to be running very fast! Whether or not it was a good idea, I tried to keep up with him. It felt great and I think it was just what I needed to be kicked into a higher gear. I was kind of achy/sore after it, but I think this “rabbit therapy” was helpful in recovery.

Went on a nice walk later with the family.

Short run on the treadmill before leaving to work. I now refuse to set my alarm earlier than 4am!

Nice jaunt at lunch time.

My first half since my pelvis twisted like a Rubik's cube!

Early treadmill before leaving for work. Went a little too fast on this run, and consequently I was pretty achy the rest of the day. I definitely need to give my muscles more time right now to recover between runs.

Short early treadmill run before driving out to work. One episode of Nadiya's Time to Eat. Not my favorite cooking show, but it's enjoyable. (2.4 miles)

A really great run at lunch time. Ran on a 0.4 mile loop that is very flat. Sped up along the way. I was pushing myself a little bit at the end, but it wasn't intense. Averaged 8:15/mile, which is amazing right now. The best part is that I'm writing this the next morning and I still feel fine!

Still feeling good! I went just far enough to hit 50 for the week.

Easy early run on the treadmill, but apparently not easy enough. Felt uncomfortable the rest of thte day. (6.8 miles)

Tried a little lunch run, and was unstable even with a very easy pace. (2.81 miles)

Easy run with perfect weather. Stiffened up a little bit in the second half of the run, but it wasn't bad, especially after doing some PT exercises afterwards. It seems nearly impossible to predict how I'm going to feel each day. Yesterday I was guessing that I wouldn't even run today. Then I woke up and felt great so I went out.

Teleworking today. Almost transitioned all the way back to 0% telework.

No morning run. Forgot to set my alarm.

Easy afternoon lunch run. The recovery time made this run feel really good.

Easy run before leaving to work. Got sucked in by what I was doing at work, and didn't get around to running at lunch time. Oh well, data analysis/management is a fun mental exercise for me.

Easy 90 minute run west of Idaho Falls. Through some neighborhoods and county roads. Only two unleashed dogs (which is pretty good for Idaho...).

Woke up to 30 degrees and snow. Treadmill day. And Memorial Day is still forecast to be warm and sunny.

Tried to get 14 miles in under 2 hours. Got pretty close. This is the perfect time of year for running past all the farms. They look really pretty at sunrise!

Early treadmill. 

Couldn't sleep for some reason. Got up, ran, then went back to bed before getting up again to leave for work.

A quick 1.5 miles in the middle of the day to keep the legs loose. 

Early treadmill. Rest for the rest of the day.

Was able to maintain a pace through the end by pushing hard the last 2 miles. There was some discomfort so I might regret this later

Second attempt at 14 miles in under 2 hours. Slowly and steadily getting better. Also, I wanted to check out Community Park because apparently Ellie really likes it. Playground, jogging path, and too many dogs. Everything my family needs/wants in a park.

Easy run before driving out to work.

Ran right before lunch at work. Started out kind of stiff, but this was one of the few times that I've felt running get easier the longer I go. Maybe that means things are becoming "normal" again?

Had enough time to run for 20 minutes before leaving for work.

Lunch time run went almost EXACTLY the same as yesterday, but felt even better.

Long run on greenbelt and in surrounding neighborhoods. Really good run, and now I am very tired. (14.5 in 2:00:25)

Easy pre-work morning run.

Easy pre-work morning run.
 

Lunch time run at work.

Pretty good run. Took it fairly easy and was seeing some good mile times considering.

Went to Cottonwood Heights this weekend. Did a good climb all the way up Bengal Blvd. It eventually goes into a neighborhood and out onto a trail. By the time I got to the trail I only had a few minutes before I had to turn around to get back in time to watch the kids. Next time I will get up earlier so I can go further. About 700' climb with this route.
 

Easy pre-work morning run.

Lunch time run at work.

Pre-work morning run.

Lunch time work run. These runs seem to be much better than my morning runs, even with higher temps and the occasional traffic to wait for.

Pre-work morning run.

Lunch time work run.

Pre-work morning run.

Lunch time work run. Pushed it a little harder on this one. It is my first run averaging sub-8:00/mile since before I took a break from running.

Probably the best run I've had so far. Things just keep improving slightly ever week.

We flew down to Texas to stay with my parents and siblings. Did an hour run this morning. The humidity is a big shock for me, even though I grew up with it. Grateful for Idaho's weather.

90 minute run through lots of old childhood memories. A lot has changed since I moved away in the summer of '09. So much more construction.
 

Light running just near my parents' house. My shin is bugging me. I've never had shin splints (that I've known of) and I wonder if this is it.

Easy 30 minute run in the morning, anticipating a challenging hike with Cheyenne and my parents later. (3.65 miles)

We went on the hike. It is a pretty awesome course. Behind a lot of these large neighborhoods is about 3.5 miles of gravel road that follows the powerlines. This seems to be the convenient place to do trail-running, as I saw a lot of them here. I had a great time and even tried running some of the hills. Very different from road-running, and I'll have to get more used to it. I want to go back before this vacation is over. (8.07 miles)

Easy running, staying in the neighborhood

Well, I went back to the gravel road with my mom and her friend. This time I "ran" the whole thing. I felt really good and in control until the last 10 minutes. Good thing that part was downhill. Got about 1700' and finished 60 miles in a week for the first time since I took a break from running. Progress!

Easy running, but I probably shouldn't have done it at all. My shin is bugging me a lot more after Saturday's trail run.

4 miles on the treadmill at Gold's Gym. 1000' in elevation change. This didn't bother my shin, but even a slight quick step towards a jog created a noticeable discomfort.

Easy lunch time run at work. I took some time off for my shin and I think it is paying off. Today felt great and in control.

Easy 20 minute run before leaving for work.

Lunch time run at work.

Easy treadmill run before work. Started watching The Mandalorian.

Lunch time run at work. Fastest I've gone in a while. My body is not used to it.

Easy pre-work run around the neighborhood.

Lunchtime run. Did some fast(er) repetitions today. The course I typically run on is basically a 0.4 mile loop in the shape of a rectangle. I sped up on the long sides of the rectangle, which are only slightly longer than the short sides. Probably about .11-.12 miles each, so with recovery distances of .8-.9 miles each. It felt good to try something different out.

Easy pre-work run.

Lunchtime run. Feeling a little sore from yesterday. My body is no longer used to this!

Good run several times around the temple loop portion of the greenbelt this morning. I didn't feel like waiting for traffic to pass so I could cross Broadway. I wish there was some kind of pedestrian bypass over or under Broadway. The end of my middle toe is pretty swollen now a few hours later. It didn't hurt at all during my run and I haven't had any issues with it before now. Weird.

One hour running within the neighborhood. I think the neighborhood fireworks went up 10x this year since the local show (Melealeuca Freedom Festival) was cancelled. I am a real crank when it comes to fireworks being launched near my house... I was still excited to celebrate the 4th however!

Fast paced lunch time run. Getting some strength back.

Very breezy lunch time run. I planned on an easy run, but sped up a little to get in 3 miles.

Early morning run. I am finally able to get these in again, since my house isn't packed with visitors!

Easy lunch time run, and it felt great!

Easy morning run. I am having to get up earlier and earlier to make sure I get a seat on the bus.

Same as my fast run last week and it wasn't even planned. I felt much better doing it this time, and wasn't huffing at the end.

Solid 10 miles this morning. It was a moderate effort, but the focus was really on consistent good form and cadence.

Good long run that went farther and faster than planned. We were supposed to go hike Hell's Half Acre this morning too, but our visitors slept in...

Got in 5 miles before work.

Easy lunchtime run at work.

Easy double loop before work.

Easy lunch time run.

Slightly longer morning run. Had a couple minutes extra. I guess I just woke up faster than usual.

Easy lunch time run.

Easy run before work. I took a later bus, so I got another 20ish minutes in. 

Easy lunchtime run. 

First time running over 10 miles on a work day in a LONG time.

Easy early morning run. 

What started as an easy lunch time run, until I saw a runner ahead of me at the end. The last 0.3 was fairly fast.

Long morning run. Basically a big square around Idaho Falls, with my house at one corner, and Sunnyside-Hitt on the opposite corner. Now I know about how far I'd need to walk to pick up food at Tandoori Oven :)

Easy hour before work. The bus schedules have changed now, so I may be able to start running about an hour AND catching the bus I want.

Easy lunch time run. I tried really hard to pay attention to my form during this run. Without pushing harder, I notice my pace improve significantly. It was a confidence-building experience.

Easy morning run. Easy lunchtime run.

Easy morning run.
Easy lunchtime run.

I had a dentist appointment this morning, so I had some more time this early morning. I did the same run as on Saturday, but a little further. This is the longest I've gone since getting injured! 

Tired legs after yesterday.

Ran in Twin Falls today. Tried to do rim to rim in the canyon. I went down the south rim, and then I spent a while unsuccessfully trying to find the bridge that crosses the river (it was still dark). I saw too many skunks, and probably ran on the golf course more than the owners would have liked. I actually felt really good during this run, even after tripping on a lip in the sidewalk, followed by a glorious dive and slide on the cement. Got and kept running relatively unharmed and grateful that nobody was there to hear me yell "Holy crap, stupid city!"

Easy 8 before work. My left leg is feeling a little gimpy today. Can't run quite as smoothly as I'd like. Just took it easy.

Easy lunchtime run at work. Basically felt the same as this morning. Lunges with knee raises afterwards felt VERY good!

Morning run before work. Cut it a little short because of increase discomfort in my quad/hip.

No lunchtime run. Raining and my hip and ankle are asking for a break.

Short easy run before work. Kept it short so as to not reaggravate anything, but I felt okay.

Lunchtime run. Everything felt pretty normal.

Slightly longer morning run than yesterday. Playing it safe. Almost no pain.

Easy lunchtime run at work. Feeling better.

Longer morning run. Took the later on-time bus.

Easy lunchtime run at work. Feeling fine. Will shoot for a long run tomorrow.

Long run around Idaho Falls. I've been doing this longer route once each week for the past 3 weeks. Each time I add a little more. The only race I have left this year that hasn't been cancelled is STG. With the current trajectory, I don't see it happening. I'm thinking if it does get cancelled, then this will be the one race I do not defer and choose the virtual option (if available). This is the one race that I really don't want to see go out of business, and I do want at least one more goal race to train for this year, even if it is virtual...

No running today. Just my standard strengthening exercises given to me by the PT. My left knee is sore in a way I have never felt before. It is in one small location that I can touch and feel. It gives me no irritation at all walking on level surfaces. I immediately begin to notice it going up or down stairs. It is better this morning than yesterday. Fingers crossed that this is a matter fixed my a little time off.

Back at it. My knee is mostly better. This run didn't seem to irritate it at all.

Opted for an early morning 5-mile walk instead of a run, just to be cautious with my knee. I was pleasantly surprised that I couldn't feel it by the end of the walk, nor at our family's hike a couple of hours later at Hell's Half Acre.

Long run. Knee doesn't bother me after the first half mile (same thing as Thursday's run). We'll see if it gets sore later. I kinda fell apart towards the end, and started pushing harder.

Based off observations of my knee on Saturday's run, and a 5-mile walk on Sunday, I betted on a relaxed 1 hour run today. It was noticeably slower than similar runs at first, but I slowly got more efficient and comfortable. My knee felt stiff through most of the run, but really loosened up in the last 2 miles, and I finished with a really good final 0.2 miles. This discomfort in my knee seems to be getting better with USE rather than REST. I am saying that because I took almost all of last week off and it didn't help at all.

I went into this run not expecting much, but my knee actually loosened up within the first mile. I also felt more energy than usual and felt good about this run. It's been many months since I could comfortably jog 11 miles in 90 minutes. I also slept in a little bit today, which might have helped. I started this run at 5:30am-ish, as opposed to 3:15am.

My work has begun requiring us to telework 50% again. We got the announcement yesterday late-morning when I was in the office. I decided to take today off instead of spending all my time yesterday in the office getting materials prepared for working at home. I'll be in the office Wednesday/Thursday and hopefully by then have meaningful telework figured out for Friday...

Morning run

Morning run.

Lunchtime run at work.

Telework day. Easy 90 minute run.

Added another mile to my Saturday loop. If I continue to add a mile each Saturday, then I'll complete a marathon on October 3rd, which is when STG would've happened. I should be out of town only one of the weekends before then, so sticking to my schedule should be fairly smooth.

Regarding today's run, very smooth. I went at a calmer pace, and was in control the entire time. I could've added a little more, but I am happy with this slow weekly progression.

Telework day. 

This morning I discovered that the Mesa Falls Marathon is still a go for this Saturday...I am really close to making the most impulsive decision of my life!

Some faster intervals mixed into this one. I'm excited about Saturday. A little scared, but mostly excited.

Broke open ISO Pair 3 today to start walking around in. Hopefully they're ready by Saturday.

Very easy effort, staying inside the neighborhood. Telework day, so didn't have to get up in the middle of the night.

First run in pair 3. 24 hours remaining.

What a fun day! Ashton really puts on a good small town race, and it draws a high percentage of vacation racers from across the country (even in the middle of COVID-19). For having decided to do this race 5 days earlier, it went surprisingly well. Some minor hiccups were chafing on the skin around my left Achilles tendon began at mile 10 and continued through out the race, and I got a rock in my shoe at mile 3 and couldn't get it out unless I wanted to completely untie my shoe (which I chose not to do). I paced pretty decently, but I also was pushing myself very hard. I did not expect half of the race to be low-maintenance gravel/ATV trails (I did not read the course description closely enough I guess). I spent a good part of the race chasing people, and I caught a lot of them on the big climbs in miles 17-20 (at the end of the race, I found out a lot of them were actually relay runners, oops!).  Mile 26 definitely had that "holding on for dear life" feeling. I went straight to the medical tent afterwards for some help with my chafed ankle. My sock and shoe had both soaked up quite a bit of blood (2nd time I've done something like that). If STG ever gets cancelled again, I'll definitely consider doing this race again.

Note to self: PB&J sandwiches are a pretty nice snack for carb-loading the day before.

I planned to just walk this morning, with some short intermittent jogs, as that is what my legs have usually permitted in past marathon recoveries. This is the first time I've been able to go out and do a very consistent slow slow jog the whole time. It felt really nice. This is the first recovery where I haven't felt any deep muscle pain too. Does this mean all my marathons should be planned 5 days in advance??

Had surprisingly normal run. This is the best my legs have felt 3 days after a marathon. I've signed up as a pacer at the new Beaver Canyon Marathon on October 3rd. It is basically someone cashing in on the big September/October races being cancelled in Utah. 

Wow this recovery is going great. Took some time off today for my daughter's second 1st day of preschool. Used the early morning to test out a 15 mile run. 

Wasn't sure about the weather, so opted for the treadmill. Made it 2 miles, then went outside and just stayed close to home.

9.2 more outside. The weather was actually perfect.

Easy miles before work.

Felt adventurous and went for 21 today. I brought a Wasatch Nectar gel packet and a small gatorade I got in a hotel COVID breakfast bag several weeks ago. Wasatch Nectar is a relatively new company down in Utah that makes gel packets that have only honey, water, and electrolytes. They are less viscous than GUs, and I think I prefer them. I've never actually bought any gel packets though, since I just use whatever I get from my previous races. So...I'm not sure this comparison has any value to me. On long runs like these, as long as it isn't a moderate or hard effort, I am usually content just carrying a traditional CLIF bar. Anyways...the run went great, and I kept a steady pace the entire time. Floating around 8:20/mile.  

90 minutes. Decided to attempt some strides. They were pretty sloppy. My legs just won't move really fast right now, but that's probably because I haven't done any real speed work in months.I have another race on October 3rd, so I'm not planning anything crazy, but it is about time to start putting some more effort into my runs occasionally.

Easy 6 before work.

Relaxed long run on a telework day.

More relaxed than usual on a day at home. Planning a big run tomorrow.

I decided to finish another marathon this year, since I forfeited my entry to the Utah Valley marathon for a virtual race, rather than defer to next year. I think I was technically supposed to do this before the end of June, but oh well. This is my first virtual race, and I can confidently say that this is not for me. It is not a race, and there is no motivation to shoot for a good time. The logistics for this were a little interesting. I mapped out a loop inside my small neighborhood that is about 1.1 miles. I placed anything I thought I might want in my mailbox and left it open. I passed by the mailbox on each loop, so it was just as good as normal aid stations. I'm glad I did this, as I was unsure if I had the grit to actually go out and run a marathon without any hype of race day. Well now, I know and don't really want to prove it to myself again :)

Pleasantly surprised with how easy this felt.

Today was my 5th annual half marathon with my mom. This is the first time we haven't been able to participate in a race for our Mother-Son run.We parked at Snake River Landing and we each ran paths of our choice. We celebrated with Jamba. It was a good day with mom!

The days have been back and forth with my SI joint dysfunction. Some times I feel a constant nagging on a nerve. It is not quite pain, but is darn irritating. It's like someone has got a strong grip right on your most ticklish spot, and your leg can't move right because of it. This morning was not one of thos times, and this run felt great. After about mile 7, my legs suddenly loosened up a lot, and running became very easy and efficient.

In Cottonwood Heights today and tomorrow. Ran up to Ferguson Canyon. The last bit was very steep, and 100% on hands. Kind of fun. I missed a turn on the way down, and spent some time on "Top of the World Drive". That's a pretty good street name. Later, I hiked with the entire family on the "Living Room" trail next to the U of U. We had a few who weren't cut out for the hike. Some in our crew were just either too young (21 months) or too old (83 years). We all had a good time exploring the parts of the trail that were manageable. 

Returned to the Living Room with just my parents. My mom and dad often plan to hike when they are visiting from Texas, and their plans are usually thwarted by a million other plans, as well as by the responsibilities that come with having 3 autistic children. We went extra early in the morning, and only my two kids and Grandma had woken up before we got back. They are the early-risers.

Turned around after a block. 20 minutes later, I'm glad I did. My eyes already feel slightly irritated...

Poorly planned long run. Made poor choice of bringing a protein bar on my run. Also didn't read the ingredients. There was a lot of shaved coconut that I had to spit out. It doesn't swallow very well. Hit the wall before mile 16, which I did not expect. Slogged home.

Took my parents to hike Table Mountain today. We ran out of time and turned back after 4 miles up Huckleberry. This was my first time hiking in the Tetons. I will have to come back soon!

Very smoky. Not good for running. 

Simple 10. My parents and siblings leave this weekend. We've had a great time.

First long run on the treadmill in a long time. The AQI was pretty bad today when I got up. Funny, because when I was done with my run I saw that it was raining, and the rest of the day was very nice.

I had limited time today so I decided to go a little faster. I actually felt pretty good!

Tried to go fast again today like yesterday. "Fast" this year is very different from last year, but I am grateful I can still run. I honestly wasn't sure what was going to happen back in April/May.

Had in-town training for work today. Rode my bike there. It was nice, but I am not used to it and am pretty saddle-sore.

I almost didn't go out this morning. I felt very sluggish for the first few miles, but for some reason I was going much faster than usual. I even have the path measured where I ran, so I know it wasn't a GPS fluke. Anyways, I got pretty excited about that and held it for an hour. Easily one of my best shorter runs this year, considering how easy it felt.

Biked to work again today. Still saddle-sore.

Good easy miles. First day back into the office for awhile after a long stay-cation with my parents/siblings here and then in-town training. Catching up on work was a little stressful today.

Decided to use this morning for school work instead. I don't have any time to run on work days anymore after 4am unfortunately.

Treadmill. Just some maintenance until next Saturday when I'm pacing the new Beaver Canyon Marathon (3:30). Plus I need more time/energy for my school work.

6 on the treadmill before work.

3.08 at lunch time.

6 on the treadmill before work.

8 on the treadmill. Going on a mini-vacation this week, and ending it with pacing the new Beaver Canyon marathon. It will be in the low 20s at the start line. Brr.

An hour in Cottonwood Heights

An hour in Hurricane

I paced the Beaver Canyon Marathon today. This is the first year of the race and there were 270 people. The course is beautiful. This is definitely Beaver's kept secret. The road coming down from Eagle Point Resort is very deep between the mountain sides. The course had an overall drop of almost 4800 feet too, which I have never come even close to before. Writing this two nights later, my legs are still completely chewed up. I may go through this entire week without attempting to run. I missed my pace time by 24 seconds unfortunately.

Rested all week, then had one short tired run on the treadmill

Just a little bit of running in the afternoon. It actually was with Ellie in the stroller. We went to Albertsons to get some ice cream for our Monday night tradition (homemade pizza and ice cream). It was the first time in over a year that I've run with Ellie. She is getting too big for the stroller but we still had fun. 

Slow easy run on the treadmill. My energy levels are very low right now.

Still feeling tired. I have been supplementing with iron for about 2 weeks now. The doctor at work needs me to get my hematocrit, WBC, and hemoglobin up. This has been a long post-marathon recovery, but without injury!

More easy treadmill.

Starting to feel more energy. Got a little over 8 miles in an hour.

Felt even better today. I kept ramping up the speed on the treadmill today and I'm pretty happy with where I finished.

I have been feeling better every day. I'm starting to wonder if low iron has been plaguing me for awhile...

I was about 3 minutes into this run before I realized I had accidently left it at 8mph, faster than I would go on a planned "easy run". I felt pretty good so I just left it there. 90 minutes later, I was surprised how good I felt. Definitely going to keep taking iron. The doctor says I still need to go see a hematologist to see if I have a genetic predisposition to anemia.

6 on the treadmill before work.

Treadmill.

0.1,0.2,...0.8 miles at LT, broken up with 1 mile recoveries.
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Wednesday night at 5:30pm I started getting the chills. By the time I went to bed around 9pm I was shaking uncontrollably and starting to feel warm. Slept terribly. Felt completely fine by 6am yesterday! That was quite a trip!

Treadmill. Was going to go farther, but got a suspicious twinge in my shin. Have I finally learned when to stop?

12 miles at marathon pace, then a fast 1.1 to make it a half.

Treadmill. Very relaxed effort, but still kind of tired from yesterday. Had my blood drawn for testing for the 6th time this year yesterday...

Easy 90 minutes with a fast finish. Besides being a little tired, it's been a good 3 days of running so far. 

6 easy on the treadmill before work.

6 at estimated marathon pace, with a fast finish. Still getting used to this again. I also have this weird discomfort in my right shoulder area whenever I breathe in deeply or lay down.

Treadmill. Watched part of the Ted Bundy documentary on Netflix. Quite terrifying.

Slept in yesterday...until 4am! Didn't have time to run, so I felt a lot of energy this morning. 15 miles at 8mph, then a fast finish. Finished the Ted Bundy tapes, then Netflix automatically transitioned to a drama about Ted Bundy (starring Zac Efron)...lots of Ted Bundy.

Easy run before leaving for work.