Cursed Realm of the Faceless Ghost

December 22, 2024

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Location:

Provo,UT,

Member Since:

Apr 07, 2010

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

5K - 17:11 (Cougar Run)

10K - 34:35 (Deseret News)

15K - 57:33 (Utah Running Club)

1/2 - 1:22:26 (Mountain View Trail)

50K - 4:22:31 (Sapper Joe)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Sub-2:45 at Saint George Marathon

Win the Antelope Island half marathon

Long-Term Running Goals:

I'd like to run the Angeles Crest 100 at some point. And I'd still like to go sub-4 at a trail 50k. Other than that, I'm open to suggestions.

https://www.strava.com/athletes/4808912

Personal:

I was a competitive cyclist for years. In 2009, after racing in the Tour of Utah, I decided I had plateaued as a cyclist--I could continue to improve, but I wouldn't break through to a new level. So, I started looking for a new challenge.

I thought that challenge would be mountain biking, but I'm a terrible bike handler. I married Catherine in January 2010 and a couple of weeks later I entered the SLTC Winter Training Series with her. A couple of weeks after that I decided I'd like to run ultras, so I signed up for a couple of 50Ks to get started.

Those first races came and went, with varying results. I was looking forward to running more and possibly pushing into the longer distances, but I injured my knee in June 2010 and I've never been consistently healthy since.

I started law school in August 2010, which meant less time for training. In June 2011, Baby Elliott was born, which meant even less time for training. But she's worth it.

Baby Nora joined us in October 2013, with the same effect on training as Elliott (who, incidentally, is no longer a baby).

I (finally) finished school in April 2014 and now I'm an evil corporate lawyer in Salt Lake. I have no illusions that I'll ever get back into the shape that I once was, but I'm perfectly at peace with that. I still have many goals to accomplish and many years in which to do it.

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Miles:	This week:	0.00	Month:	0.00	Year:	0.00

Sun, Dec 30, 2012

Total Distance

0.00

I thought I'd jump the gun a bit and write my year-end post a couple of days early. I don't think there's any reason to stick to a 365 day schedule, and since my training for Ogden starts tomorrow, as far as I'm concerned my 2012 running year ended yesterday.

This was not a great year for me. I've struggled to maintain consistency in the past because of injuries, but since Elliott was born a year and a half ago I've struggled to maintain consistency because of a simple lack of time. With family life, school life, and sleep to compete with, running sometimes just loses out.

I had my best stretch from August through November. When we moved back to Provo, commute time was suddenly available for running, and I was able to settle into a nice routine of running in the morning before school every day. The late arrival of real winter weather really helped with this. In fact, I think it's the cold that derailed me in December. There were other factors--finals, travel, sick Elliott--but I don't think any of these would have stopped me if it weren't for the cold. When there were other things to worry about, I had a hard time motivating myself to either a) bundle up and head outside or b) run on a treadmill. This is bad news, since these will be my only options for the next few months. With any luck, the upcoming motivation will help keep me going.

I've mentioned marathon training several times in the past few weeks. That's because I'm actually going to try to follow a plan to prepare for Ogden. I found a 20-week schedule that seems reasonable and that I plan to start tomorrow. I'll make some modifications as necessary to suit my personal goals, and I won't be so blind as to adhere to the plan at all costs (I've learned that that's a recipe for injury), but I do plan to follow through on this, and if I can avoid injury I should be in great shape at Ogden. When I was a cyclist, there was nothing I could do better than grind away at threshold pace for 2-4 hours. If my running strengths are similar, I should be able to run a solid 26.2.

Weight: 0.00

Comments

From Fritz on Tue, Jan 01, 2013 at 22:09:54 from 67.177.4.64

I can't imagine having to balance a new child, marriage, law school, and staying consistent with your training. Of course something has to give and only you can set your priorities. Hopefully the busiest times are behind you and you can execute on your plan to race well at Ogden. Good luck with school and the training and have a great New Year!

From Dorsimus on Wed, Jan 02, 2013 at 08:26:55 from 209.23.248.163

Sounds like a plan! Good luck in your preparation! Hopefully we'll be able to see you around every now and then!

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