Cursed Realm of the Faceless Ghost

My first run of 2012 was a mixed bag. On the one hand, I got to run outside on one of my favorite trails on an absolutely beautiful day. On the other hand, I felt awful, and calling my pace slow would be an understatement. 

Despite plans for something longer, "one of those nights" with Elliott meant that I slept in later than expected and as a result I ended up with time for a quick run up Grove Creek. I ran the same route [almost?] exactly one year ago and I was postholing after just over a mile. Today the trail was bone dry all the way to the bridge.

I'm not sure if it was the lack of sleep last night, the car time this weekend, or the high [for me by today's standards] mileage last week, but I was not feeling good. I hit the bridge in 27 minutes and change, which I think is more than 4 minutes slower than the last time I was up there, maybe a couple of months ago.

Still, I'm glad to have gotten out to run some vertical before a new semester starts tomorrow. I've set some goals for myself this year, and although they're ridiculously low, they're realistic for my current situation. As embarassing as it is to say it here, I'll go ahead and tell everyone that I want to run at least 30 miles per week all year long in 2012.

Yep, that's it. And the sad thing is that I wonder if I'll be able to do it. But hopefully things will get better in the summer and I'll be able to get back to some real mileage before the next school year begins.  

I went over to the gym this evening to meet my minimum daily mileage quota. There are a lot of people there lately--clearly, I'm no the only person with plans for the new year.

Anyway, four miles in 31:25. Basically, I ran at an 8:30ish pace, with a quarter mile at 5:30 or so at the end of each mile. 

Day three of sticking with the new plan. Four (nearly) midnight miles on the treadmill, three super easy and the fourth not so much. With any luck, I'll put in a lap up the south face of Big Baldy tomorrow. There's no snow there, so someone may as well run it. If anyone's interested in 3200- feet over two miles, let me know ASAP and we'll see if we can coordinate our schedules. 

I went to "run" Big Baldy, as planned, but I got a late start, so instead of going to the lightning rod at the false summit, I ended up turning around at the false summit before the real false summit. I had a headlamp with me, but that's just not a trail I want to run in the dark. 

<iframe width='465' height='548' frameborder='0' src='http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/139226172'></iframe> 

By the way, when I try to upload my Garmin files online, it freezes mid-upload or, even worse, crashes my browser well over half of the time. I use Chrome, but I've had the same problem using Firefox and even [shudder] Internet Explorer. Opera doesn't support the necessary plugin, so no luck there. I've had the problem on three different computers, so my computer isn't the problem. Has anyone else deal with the same issue? If not, maybe my watch is the problem.

Weak effort today. But it was a long day, and by the time I made it to the gym I was tired and hungry and my legs were sore from Big Baldy the day before, so I did 3 easy miles and called it good.

Yesterday, Jun invited me to run Lake Mountain with him and his brother today, so at about 6:30 I staggered out of bed to meet Jun. As I was heading to the basement to find some clean clothes, I noticed a text from Jun saying that the new baby had had a rough night and he wouldn't be able to run. So, I staggered right back to bed and slept for another three hours or so. 

Once I finally dragged myself out of bed for real, I realized that there was snow on the ground. I thought about trying to hit Big Baldy, but at the last second I decided that the trail was too steep to be good under the likely conditions. So I decided to head over to Saratoga Springs for a solo run up Lake Mountain.

I've read lots of reports of runs up the mountain, but I've never been there myself, so I was looking forward to a new adventure. I was especially interested in the climb because it sounds like it stays runable all winter long, and I'd love to have a semi-local option for legitimate year-round vertical (treadmills are great for climbing, but you really need the descents to prepare your legs for the trails).

It was cold and windy at the trailhead, but as I entered the canyon the wind died down, only to be replaced by fog and light snowfall. the amount of snow on the dirt road built gradually as I climbed, and by the time I was about 2.75 miles up, I was having some serious traction issues. I figured that I was slipping because the tread on the shoes I was wearing--road shoes--had become packed with snow. But at about 3 miles my legs slipped out from under me and I went down hard on my side. I brushed away the snow on the ground and discovered a thick layer of clear, bulletproof ice underneath.

I picked myself up and continued climbing, but things didn't get any better, so at about 3.6 miles I finally decided to turn around. The descent was a killer--traction was nonexistant, and despite my 14:00/mile shuffle, I went down three times, each harder than the last, and had several other close calls.

Eventually I made it back to where the traction was passable, and the rest of the descent went without a hitch.

I was disappointed not to make it to the top, but I'll have several more chances throughout the winter. I think I may need to invest in Microspikes first, though.

So, this concludes my first week of the new year, and I've already failed to reach my minimum mileage of 30. I'm not worried about it, though--the reason was to ensure a minimum amount of training, not miles. I managed to sneak in three good climbing days this week, so the mileage is a bit deceptive. After all, 6200 feet of climbing in a 26 mile week is respectable.  

There's not much to say about tonight's run. I hot out late, ran a few easy miles on the treadmill, and that was it. Better than nothing, for sure.

Another day at the treadmill. Tonight I ran an easy mile to warm up, then three at 6:40 (tempo-ish), then another easy mile to wrap things up, although I finished with a quarter mile at 6:00. I ended up with 5 miles in 35 minutes flat.

Have I mentioned that my right knee is starting to act up again? Take a look at my mileage over the last four or five months. Seriously? 

Five late miles at the gym, mostly mellow, with a quick half mile thrown in near the end.

I showed up with two minutes left in the 4th quarter of the Clippers game and stayed till the end of OT. Great game. I love seeing the Clippers not suck. 

Not the best run of the week. I planned to run five miles, alternating between 9:00 for the first 2/3 of each and 6:00 for the last 1/3. But after two of those I was feeling bonky and unmotivated, so I just cruised a very easy mile and change and called it good.

This happens all the time, unfortunately. I'm not sure if it's what I eat, when I eat, or how much I eat, or even some combination of the three. Back when I was cycling I was very on top of my nutrition, and bonking was still a constant issue. I'm not sure why I seem to think now that I can ignore my nutrition and expect to perform well. 

Yet another long day (aren't they all lately?). I was on the road by 6:30 so I could take Elliott to her grandma's house in Bountiful before I went to my internship in Salt Lake, and by the time I finished there, picked Elliott up, visited my grandma and drove home it was pretty late. But I still headed over to the gym for a quick four miles, and in a pleasant break from the pattern of the last few days, it wasn't too bad. 

I'm hoping to run on dirt tomorrow, because word on the street is that winter is coming next week. 

What a difference a week makes. I headed over to Lake Mountain again this afternoon with all my cold weather gear in the car, but I ultimately decided to leave my hat, jacket, and microspikes in the car, going instead with my shorts, some tights, a long-sleeved shirt, and some light gloves. I definitely didn't wish I had more. In fact, I ran all the way to the summit without my shirt (that's right--in the middle of January in Utah).

I felt pretty good on the way up. Not great, but I was able to sustain a pace that I would describe as comfortably pushing, walking a couple of steeper pitches because that's how I roll these days. There were a few icy patches along the way, but nothing even remotely similar to what I encountered last week, and I never once wished for my spikes.

It was windy at the top, but I hung around for a few minutes to enjoy the view of the valley.

On the way down I ran into Jun and his son Tyler, who were on their way up. It was funny that we ran into each other, because we had tentatively planned to run together today, although we gave it up when each figured the other couldn't make it. We chatted for a bit and then I finished my run, throwing in a quick out and back on some dirt road to round out my weekly mileage,

50:46 up, 30:09 down (not counting the time I was chatting with Jun). 

I hadn't decided on my running plans for the day when I woke up this morning, but after looking out the window I decided that Corner Canyon was my best option if I wanted to run trails. It's nice to stay as close to civilization as possible when the weather looks like it could get nasty.

I ran up Hog Hollow, down Ghost Falls, and up Clark's. There was some harsh wind on the initial climb, and some treacherous patches of ice on all of the descents, but it was a good run on the balance. I didn't see a single person until I topped out on Clark's and found two hikers looking at the map. I don't think I've ever seen those trails so empty.

Today was my second run in the MT110s. I'll need more time in them before I can pass final judgment, but so far I'd say that despite a few flaws, they're easily the best trail shoes I've ever worn. Thanks to these and the Minimus Road, it looks like I won't be jumping on the Altra bandwagon anytime soon. My apologies to the local brand.

PM: I went out for a late 1.6 miles, just to see if I can get back in the habit of the occasional double. I ran short because I was tired and sore. I ran 1.6 instead of 1.5 because I like seeing round numbers for my mileage.

Four miles on the treadmill at the gym, mostly easy, with one at 6:30.

Three miles at the gym. The middle one was at 14:00 (finishing faster) on the 15% grade. The miles on either end were pretty mellow. 

Great Clippers game tonight. Those guys are on a tear. 

It goes without saying that I was on the treadmill again tonight. It felt pretty good to run on the incline last night, so I decided to do it again today. I ran two miles at about 15:00 on the 15 percent grade, with an easy mile on either end to warm up and cool down. I'll take it pretty easy tomorrow, because Fridays are my days with the least time, and with any luck I'll be on the trails on Saturday. Even if that means slogging through a foot of snow. 

One very easy mile just to keep the legs moving.

Grades came out today, and surprisingly (given everything going on last semester) they didn't suck. In fact, they in terms of GPA they were my best yet, although I did lose one place in the class ranking. I'm still pretty pleased with the results, so I'll celebrate with a long run tomorrow. 

As of today, I'm 0 for 2 on Crockett's canals loop. 

My first attempt was about two years ago--you can read about it here.  

Anyways, I decided yesterday to celebrate grades from last semester with a long run. Jun had mentioned that he was looking to go long, so I asked him if he was interested in joining me. He was, so we made plans to meet at the start near Camp Williams at 6:30. Since weather was a concern, we decided we would each look out the window at our houses before we left. If either of us saw something troubling, we agreed to call the other person and abort the mission.

So of course, when Jun told me it was windy and rainy at his house this morning, we abandoned the plan and decided to meet at the start anyway. When we got there, the wind was blowing in our favor, and the only precipitation was a light drizzle, so we decided to have a go at it.

Someone built a fence across the canal road right at the beginning, so we had to crawl under it, but other than that there were no obstructions along the route. And I should mention that this really is a unique route--essentially, it's a dirt road through farmland that happens to be right in the middle of a city. Along the way, we saw horses, geese, donkeys, and even a herd of bison (including a very large albino). If I hadn't been expecting rain, I would have brought a camera.

Anyways, we set into a mellow pace and arrived at the turnaround with no problem (other than my taking about 6 pee breaks in the first hour). After a quick stop at Maverick we headed south, and the weather quickly joined us. The wind and the rain picked up dramatically, and soon we were soaked to the core. 

I actually felt much better than I usually do under similar circumstances, and I think I would have been fine all the way back to the car. But just because I could didn't mean I wanted to, so when I started to notice that Jun was looking like he was in bad shape I let him know that I wouldn't be offended if we bailed early, and then I reminded him continually. Eventually he succumbed to the power of suggestion, and we retreated to the shelter of a Napa Auto Parts on 12300 south and called for a ride. 

It's a great route--one of these days I'll make it through the whole thing. 

More treadmill miles. I'm coming up with a running schedule that I think will work well throughout the semester, but I won't share any details until I've tested it out. 

Anyway, tonight I ran five miles and change: two at 8:30 to warm up. two at 6:30 to make me less slow, and almost one at 9:00. At the end I decided to kick it up to 5:00 for 0.2. I might have kept it up longer, but I was afraid I might fall off the back of the treadmill.  

Score one for Gold's Gym in Orem.

After hearing Catherine tell me about the new treadmills with their extreme incline I knew I had to check them out. And they're everything I've ever wanted and more, at least out of a treadmill. The key feature is that the incline ranges from -3 to 30 percent. That means I can log some Grandeur-style vertical and train my legs to run downhill, all indoors. Sweet.

So, for today's workout I jogged a mile at 8:30 to warm up, then I put the incline through the paces by cranking it up to 30 percent for a mile. I tried to do the whole thing at 3 miles per hour, but that was pretty rough, so I slowed down to 2.5 for a tenth of the mile near the end.

For the record, I really am excited about these treadmills. They'll make it a lot easier to stay in shape for the mountains in the summer. Now we just need to get a few of them at the gym here in American Fork. 

Thirty minutes on the treadmill with fifteen minutes of tempo thrown in,

Another thirty minutes on the treadmill, tonight with about 20 minutes on the 10 percent grade.

Looking back, it was a long, busy, stressful day. So I guess that when I finally got a chance to run aroundmidnight, I had a hard time talking myself into heading out into the cold. But I did go, so I guess there's that.

I ran my Corner Canyon loop this morning.I felt pretty sluggish the whole time, thanks to poor eating yesterday and poor sleep last night, but I still had a good time.

I decided to bring my microspikes with me, and it was the right call. There were sheets of ice covering most of the lower portions of Hog Hollow, and plenty of snow and ice on the Draper side. The traction with the spikes is incredible. Unlike a couple of weeks ago on Lake Mountain, when I kept falling even when I slowed to a walk, I was able to run fast and easily across pure ice--very cool. But I'm still going to return the spikes. 

The problem is that they pull in on the toe box of my shoes. Since my run, all of my toes are blistered, and the middle toenail on each foot is blacked out from where the chain on the microspikes rests directly on my toes. I've been going around barefoot because it's too painful to wear shoes. So while I love how the microspikes work, the cost is not worth it. I'm not sure what I'll do for icy runs, but it will have to be something else.  

Awful, awful run tonight. I felt good enough for about five minutes, but then I just started to feel bonky. I stopped for a drink of water after two miles and then hopped back on the treadmill, but then an ad for McDonald's hot chocolate came on, so I decided to go home and make my own hot chocolate. Good call.

Today was the last day to register for the Buffalo Run at a reduced price, so I went ahead and registered for the 50K. This will be the third year in a row I've run it, and the third year in a row it hasn't made any sense for me to do so. But I still think I can PR this year by simply not being stupid. Last year I remember seeing Byron Powell heading to the turnaround about 20 minute behind me. An hour or so later he went cruising past me as I staggered around wishing I was dead somewhere along the backside of the course. I think his strategy was better than mine. 

Anyway, more with less is the name of the game this year. I spent a little more than 30 minutes on a treadmill tonight, and I think I made it count. One very easy mile to warm up, followed by 1.25 miles in 15 minutes on the 15 percent grade, with some more easy running to round off the last mile and cool down.

Also, I can't remember if I mentioned this or not, but word on the street (and by that I mean word from customer service at Running Warehouse) is that the New Balance Minimus 00 will replace rather than complement the current Minimus Road. Apparently Five Fingers types and indigenous Mexicans are happy about that, but I'm not. The current Minimus is as close to a perfect shoe as I've found, and it's only been out for a year. Why kill it so soon?

Just in case the rumors are true, I'm looking to stock up. If you see any for sale cheap, let me know.  

More running at the gym, more feeling not so good. But there was a Clippers game on, so I stayed longer than I would have otherwise. One of those miles was on the 15 percent grade--the rest were on the flat at a mellow pace. 

More treadmill miles. There really wasn't a theme to this run. Some of it was slow, some of it was fast, some of it was in between. 

I didn't get out early today, and by the time I had time to run, I didn't want to. I convinced myself that it was much colder than it was, so when I finally went out the door I was dressed like an Eskimo. It was a pretty uneventful little run, and by the end I was too hot.

Today was my birthday, so I decided to celebrate with a long run. I decided to take another crack at the Canals Loop. Third time's the charm, and today I finally finished.

It's amazing what a difference the weather can make. Much unlike my last two attempts, today was 40 degrees and sunny. Other than some heavy death mud in the last ten miles, some route-finding troubles near the end, and an uncomfortable trip under the Bangerter Highway, I managed today's run without a hitch.

My pace was relatively casual, and I took a ten-minute break at the halfway point to sit on a curb and drink a Mountain Dew and eat a Cowtail. Even so, I felt pretty beat by the end. I guess I'm not really in shape to run this kind of mileage. But all things considered, I'm pleased that I can do it at all.

PM: Catherine pointed out that all I needed to do was run 4.8 miles more to hit the magic thirty on my thirtieth. Despite how exhausted and sore I was, that was tempting, so I went to the gym in the evening. The soreness in my legs and pain in my right foot worked themselves out pretty quickly, but I was fried. After one mile I couldn't imagine four more. I went to the bathroom and felt better, so I went back to try again. But I felt awful right away, so I called it a day and quit.

I have regrets, and I keep second guessing myself. I hate not finishing what I set out to do. But sometimes there's no reason to push too hard, and tonight was one of those times.

I was going to run longer, but my left ankle still hasn't recovered from Saturday, so I settled for a mellow thirty minutes. I was surprised, actually--not that I was still hurting from this weekend, but that the pain was on the left leg. I was sure my right foot would be downfall, if anything. 

I decided to try one of the programmed treadmill workouts tonight, and it was pretty cool. Basically, I spent 30 minutes at 10:00/mile while the treadmill undulated from 9 percent to 15 percent with lots of stops in between. Never easy enough to really recover, but never hard enough that my life flashed before my eyes. I'll probably do it again. 

More easy miles on the treadmill--45 minutes this time. My left leg still hurts a bit, but it's getting better so who cares. Really, there's not much to say about my run tonight. But how about that Duke game? What a finish. 

I wanted to run more, but my left leg still hurts, so I decided that the wise thing to was to stop before things get worse. I still ran the extra 0.1 to even out my mileage for the week, though. 

Anyway, other than the distance, my run was as planned. Alternating between half miles at 9:15 and quarter miles at 5:20. I figure that if I'm running the intervals fast, I may as well keep the recover very slow. Especially since I haven't run fast for a long time. 

Three reasons I chose to push the stroller rather than putting in an honest 5K effort:

1. Elliott needed a new PR
2. My leg still hurts and I don't want to make things worse
3. I'm an out of shape wimp and I don't want to push myself 

Some reasons are better than others, but they are what they are. Ultimately, I'm happy with my decision to run the race with Catherine and Elliott, as the family approach is much more enjoyable and there's no way I was going to PR (or come close) even if I tried. I'm absolutely certain I would have taken second overall, though, so I would have won a giant Valentine teddy bear. I can live with that sacrifice. 

The race was fun. It's hard to maneuver through a large starting crowd with a stroller, but Elliott and I managed and we caught up with Catherine after a quarter mile or so. From there on the crowd was pretty thin, so we had no trouble. Elliott got cranky a couple of times, probably because she wanted me to go faster (or maybe because here face was cold), but she was in good enough spirits at the finish line to pop a wheelie as she crossed, almost taking Catherine out in the process (sorry, Catherine). We finished in 23:07, a huge PR for Elliott (her first race was 26:44), and Catherine's fastest since the baby. 

In the evening I made it out for another run at the gym. I was at the Gold's in Orem, so I decided to take advantage of the mega-incline treadmills. After a twenty minute jog, I cranked it up to 24 percent and hiked at about 20:00/mile for forty minutes, with the last four or five at 30 percent. According to the computer I climbed a little more than 1900 feet. I didn't feel great, but that's life.

Also, Sprint may have just proven itself at least as dirty and underhanded as our last wireless provider. Sigh. If anyone's interested in buying a two-month-old Galaxy S2, let me know.

Last week was a bit of a bummer as far as my running goes. I'm trying to do better this week.

Just under 45 minutes on the treadmill. One mile at 9:00, one at 14:00 on the 15 percent, one at 9:00, and one more on the 15 percent. I ran the first quarter of the last mile at 12:00, the second at 15:00, and finished it off with a half mile at 12:00. 

Five miles on the treadmill, alternating the pace between 6:00 and 9:00, although most (four miles) was between 6:40 and 7:30. It felt okay.

Five more miles on the treadmill, this time pretty steady at 8:00 for the first four, with two half miles at 6:00. The last mile was a cool down at 9:00. I was bored by the end, and I would have run faster, but my leg still hurts enough for me to be cautious.

I did the hill routine on the treadmill again. It's a pretty good workout in 30 minutes. 

Three miles on the mega-incline treadmill at the Orem gym. Those things are fantastic.

Anyway, I warmed up with a flat mile at 8:00, then I cranked it up to 30 percent and hiked at 20:00 for ten minutes, then I lowered it down to 25 percent and alternated between one mile running and one mile hiking (same pace) for the next eight minutes, then I cranked it back up to 30 percent for another two minutes. According to the display, it was a bit more than 1400 feet of climibing in one mile over twenty minutes. Not too bad.

I finished with another 8:00 mile on the flat. 

Catherine, Elliott and I headed up to Salt Lake this morning for a run at Liberty Park with Catherine's brother Josh. We ran five laps on the paved route for a total of 7 miles in just over one hour. Pace was leisurely, at just over 9:00. I had a good time, and I think everyone else did, too. Afterward we stopped by Banbury Cross for donuts, the breakfast of champions. 

In the evening I went to the gym for some more miles on the mega treadmill. One mile on each end of a mile on the 21-25 percent grade. 

Five more miles on the treadmill--it's a bit of a pattern this semester. Tonight, I ran 2/3 of each mile at 8:30 and finished at 5:30. It helps me get some speed in and breaks up the monotony, too. 

I did the preset hills routine on the treadmill again, but tonight I lowered the speed to 11:00 and added three minutes to compensate. One minute per mile makes a big difference, and while the workout is tough at 10:00, it's pleasant at 11:00. 

Also, I wore the trail shoes tonight because I thought they need some love.  

Five miles on the treadmill tonight, dead steady at 8:00. Not sure what I can say to make that sound anymore interesting. 

Tonight I celebrated Black History Month during my run by watching the end of  Boyz in the Hood on BET. Martin Luther King, Jr. would have been proud. (On a more serious note, I enjoyed what I saw, and now I have to watch the whole movie. I hope it's on Netflix.)

Beyond that, it was another run on the hill routine. Three miles, but this time I slowed it up even further to 12:00, which is even more relaxed and pleasant than 11:00. Even that slow, it's a pretty excellent workout. 

In a month, we're going to see what happens when you try to run a 50K off of 30 mile weeks. 

I got a late start this evening, and by the time I was ready to run it was too late to make it to the gym. I ran into some serious motivation issues, because I was tired and it was cold outside and I didn't know where any of my cold weather gear was. I stalled for a couple of hours working on some law review stuff, but at around midnight I finally got dressed in what were essentially pajamas and headed out the door. Once I got going I felt alright, but because of the motivation issues I already mentioned I ran 2 miles and called it good. 

I was going to break 200 miles on my shoes tonight, but because I'm a slacker that will have to wait.  

I was going to run in Corner Canyon this morning, but at the last minute I changed my mind and decided to head over to Saratoga Springs to run Lake Mountain, but on my way over I decided to stop earlier and run Lott Canyon, instead. It was probably a good idea. I returned my Microspikes last week, and there was enough ice in the canyon that I'm sure the Lake Mountain road would have been a nightmare. 

Despite the ice, I had a good run, but it was too short. I ran some extra credit loops around the neighborhood where I left my car, but I got bored and hungry and stopped at 9.7 miles. That's not enough. I was planning to run a couple more miles tonight to boost my weekly mileage, but thanks to the freezing wind outside, I don't think that's going to happen.  

Another night on the treadmill with the preset hill routine. Thirty minutes at 10:00, but I decreased the level to 15, which means I spent the whole time between 5.5 and about 12 percent. Still a decent workout. 

If you get a chance, follow this link to the Altra photo contest. You should vote for Catherine's entry. It's the best picture there. And I say that objectively, of course. 

I got out late tonight, and I only had time for 30 minutes before the gym closed. I decided to start and finish with an easy mile on each end of two miles at tempo. It wasn't the best workout, but I think it was good enough. 

Another short night at the gym. This time I warmed up with an easy 10 minutes before cranking the grade up to 15 percent for another 20 minutes at an easy pace.

Another night with the hill routine at the gym. Today I dropped it all the way down to level 12. It's amazing how quickly the intensity drops off, because on that level the grade only goes between 3 and 9 percent. I settled into a mellow 10:00 pace and cruised for 40 minutes while watching The Godfather on AMC. Some say I should watch that movie. 

This evening I had the great idea that I would try to do my long run for the week at the gym tonight instead of tomorrow. I thought that the weekend would be much more manageable if Catherine and I both didn't have to do long runs on the same day. But I didn't make it to the gym until a little after 11:00, and although I still planned to go long, I was so sleepy that I just couldn't do it. At times I though I was going to fall asleep on my feet, so I called it after four (very) slow miles.

Now I have to run 12.5 miles tomorrow. I'll find the time somewhere.  

This was one of those days when I really should have stayed in. With the Buffalo Run around the corner, I know I should be getting more miles than I am. But after last night's run, I should have known better than to try too hard today, especially since my late Friday night meant I wasn't any more rested on Saturday. 

Anyway, I decided to try to run in Corner Canyon. My plan was to run my typical loop, with the extension up Jacob's Ladder thrown in for good measure. I wasn't counting on there being so much snow, however. By the time I reached the saddle at the top of Clark's I had already been forced to do a significant amount of walking, thanks to the snow pack. Too make matters worse, I felt beat. Exhausted, sore, hungry, whatever . . . I shouldn't have been running. 

I thought about turning around, but I figured that with Catherine pushing so hard these last few weeks, I had no reason to be a wimp. I started down toward Ghost Falls, but the snow was so deep that I decided to head down Canyon Hollow instead. Once I was on the Draper side, the trail was better. But I was still trashed. Eventually I made it back to the car, and I was glad I did.

I need more miles, so I entertained the idea of going back out in the evening. But ultimately I decided to invoke the "time > miles" doctrine and call it a day. Instead of running more, I took a nice nap. 

I fully intended to run five miles tonight, and I was on track to do so, but then I had to take a phone call and the gym closed before I had time to finish my last mile.

I ran in the Cardio Cinema tonight. I haven't done that for a while, but I should do it more often.  

I went in for a morning run today, something I haven't done in a while. The weather was nice enough that I should have gone for the trails. But I was hesitant after Saturday, and at any rate I left the house without any sort of cool weather gear, so the gym it was. Ten minute to warm up, followed by ten minutes on the 15 percent grade, followed by a few minutes of easy running and one last mile at 6:30.

There are a lot of people at the gym in the morning. 

I dawdled again tonight, so by the time I made it to the gym I only had time for four miles instead of five. Typical of me, unfortunately.

I got out too late for the gym tonight, so I ran my three mile loop from last semester instead. It was nice to be outside, and although it was a little sharp, it wasn't too uncomfortable. 

I was back at the gym tonight. I ended up going farther than planned because I wanted to see the end of the UFC match that was on TV. It ended with a KO less than a minute before the gym closed. so the timing was good. Muffin top got his clock cleaned by potbelly. 

This morning I went back to Corner Canyon. What a difference a week makes. It was still slow going--although several sections were dry and in great shape, there was also a lot snow, mud, etc. But it was nothing like last week's misery. I ran my usual loop up Hog Hollow, down Ghost Falls, and up Clark's trail. It took a lot longer than usual, but I figure that means I just got more out of it. 

In the afternoon Catherine, Elliott and I went for a short run on the local bike paths. It was a great way to spend time with the family and pad my mileage, too. Awesome.  

I went out for a very short run with Catherine and Elliott this evening. We wanted to check out a little bike path I've been seeing since we moved in here, so after dinner with the siblings we hopped in the car and headed over. It turned out to be a very short path. How short? Try 0.33 miles. We ran three laps, which was all we had time for before it started getting too cold for Elliott. 

I read Scott Jaime's blog for the first time in a long time yesterday and was interested to see what he had to say about treadmill workouts. I've been having trouble doing more than a couple of miles at a time lately, and I remembered that I need to throw in some sort of intervals to distract me and keep me going. I borrowed a concept from Jaime and, after a warmup, increased the speed by 0.2 mph every quarter mile. I'm sure I could work backward and figure out where I started and how long I went, but I don't want to. By the end of my five miles I was at 10.7 mph, and I was feeling it. Good run. 

I've overslept a couple of times this semester after problems with my cell phone alarm, so I've been thinking I should buy a backup clock. And since Catherine absolutely had to wake up early tomorrow to meet someone, I figured tonight was as good a time as any to do so. But it was late when I made the decision, so only WalMart was still open. Which was fine, because it gave me a destination for my run. The store turned out to be closer to home than I thought (just over 2 miles), but it was nice to run outside. For some reason, anything faster than 8:30 feels frantic to me indoors, but sub-7 outside feels pretty relaxed. 

Back at the gym tonight for a half hour run. For the most part, it was a mellow cruise on the flats. I also threw in 10 minutes on the 15 percent grade at a 12:00 pace, and that was pretty rough. 

More outdoors miles tonight. Only five, but it was nice. And more importantly, I've been able to maintain some sort of consistency this semester. The miles may be low, but at least my knee doesn't hurt. 

I was back to my mini loop tonight. I guess I'll make it up tomorrow. 

But maybe I don't have to. Because I'm an undertrained wimp, I emailed Jim Skaggs this morning and asked him to switch me to the 25K next week. I figure I've already proven to myself (three times!) that I can run a 50K without proper preparation. But I've only run a 50k once after a solid block of training. That time I won the race and set a course record (a soft record, but a record nontheless). Probably not a coincidence. 

Anyway, going forward I'd like to do less of the former and more of the latter. So far my knee has been holding up well enough under my light training load. No need to mess that up in one day. Instead, I'm going to run hard and enjoy the race. From there, I'll start slowly increasing my mileage. With any luck, my knee will cooperate and I'll be able to put in another honest race effort mid to late summer. Right now I'm thinking Katcina Mosa, Speedgoat, or Mt. Disappointment (in California), but we'll see how things unfold.  

I was planning to go outside and hit the trails today, but after spending all morning in the wind and cold with Catherine and Elliott at the Rex Lee Run, I decided I'd rather run indoors. So this afternoon we left Elliott with Catherine's sister and went to the Gold's in Sandy. I ran 12 miles and change: one at 10:00 on the flat, one at 6:40 on the flat, one at 10:00 on the flat, one at 10:00 on the 10 percent grade, and so forth. Not a bad workout. 

Forty minutes on the treadmill. I warmed up and cooled down with ten minutes on the flats. The core of my workout was 20 minutes on the 15 percent grade at 14:00. It wasn't very hard, so I think I should have gone faster. 

Flat miles on the treadmill. Five of them. 

Short and sweet--thirty minutes with the hill routine at the gym. That means 30 minutes undualting between 9 and 15 percent at a steady 10:00 pace. It's a good workout for a short run.

Easy run on my local loop. Race day is coming up, for better or for worse. 

Toady was my last day of my internship at the Supreme Court. I met Catherine at in Bountiful afterward, and we're spending the night with my grandma here so we won't have to drive as far tomorrow. Unfortunately, that means I never found time for a run.  So, goose egg for me.

It was ugly out there. The easiest way to put it is that I never felt strong. Even early on, before I felt trashed, everything felt forced. Uphill, downhill, it was all the same. I just didn't feel like a runner.

I'm not sure how I placed, since Catherine and I didn't stay around to see the results posted. I think I was seventh (and sixth man--ouch), but I'll update this when the official results are posted.  

Anyways, I think that about covers it. I'm sorry I'm not saying more, but I don't have anything to say. I was slower this year than I have been on the first lap of the 50K for the past two years, so that should be an indicator of the shape I'm in. The good news is that I can improve easily--all I need to do is run more, sleep more, and eat better.  

I left a book at school, so I had to drive to campus before the library closed at midnight. That did a lot to kill my motivation to run, and by the time I got out it was midnight and it was cold. Also, my foot hurt from Saturday, which was enough of an excuse for me to designate tonight's run ceremonial and quit after a mile. Go me. 

Elliott and I went out for a short run together on the bike path this morning. I felt alright. She slept the whole time. 

I've been behind on my blog this week, but the miles are up now.  

Elliott had a horrible night last night, and as  result all three of us spent a lot of today asleep. I eventually made it out for my run at about four, and on I day like this I normally would have gone for a couple of hours (it was beautiful out there), but since I had conference to go to I had to limit myself to one. I ran an out and back from Battle Creek to Dry Canyon, and it was great. I haven't been on that route for a while, but I'll have to make it a point to do it more often. 

I may get out tonight to make this a ten-mile day. But I'm not committing to anything.  

EDIT: I did get out for a few more miles. Technically, it was tomorrow, but whatever. Long live time travel. 

I think it's time for me to start doing the majority of my running outdoors again. It's less tedious (for me), I run faster, and I don't have to account for travel time. That means I can do the same run in less time, or I can run more in the same time. Either way I win. 

Anyway, five miles from my house in a strange sort of lollipop loop.  

Same loop as yesterday, but today a dog chased me. I thought I was going to get mauled. It's weird, because I've run down that street and past that house more times than I can count, and I've never seen that dog before. Next time I'll carry a big rock and try to knock him out.

I ran a shorter version of the route I've run for the last two days. I was on edge because of last night's encounter, but I didn't even see the dog tonight. Just like I haven't on every other run I've been on since we moved here.

I thought it was going to be cold tonight, so I ran at the gym. It wasn't cold, but whatever. 

Four miles on the treadmill. I've felt better.  

Another 4 miles on the road. It was colder tonight than it has been, but I felt better than I have recently, so I can live with the weather. This is my second run in a row without seeing the evil dog again, but I'm still apprehensive when I run past the house. It's funny that I'm so worried, since I've been running that route for more than a year and I've only seen the dog once.

Well, something is (almost always) better than nothing, so while I'm disappointed to continue my weekly trend of declining mileage, I'm happy I was able to get out on the trails today. Sometimes there just isn't enough time in the day, and there's nothing you can do about that. 

Anyways, I went exploring at Lambert Park. I discovered a (new to me) trail that climbs one of the mountains, but I didn't have time to see how far it goes, so I have something to look forward to in the future. And although I wasn't particularly fast out there, I should be grateful I could run at all, considering I had a cheeseburger, fries, and a large root beer less than an hour before running.

Running in Alpine on days like these is almost enough to make me break out in song, Sound of Music style. Seriously. 

I'm coming down with something, and finals start on Wednesday, so this is likely to be a low[er] mileage week.

Three late miles, not feeling too great. First final tomorrow, not feeling great about that, either :)

Two miles are better than no miles, but by how much?

One final down, three to go. I feel  like it was a good start. 

More treadmill miles. 

Final 2 was this morning, and despite a good start, I ran into trouble with a few questions to go, and spent so much time trying to figure it out that I ran out of time to properly answer the last few questions. Oops. In a month or two I'll know how much that affected me.  

Four miles on the road--late at night and in the rain. I was going to cut the run even shorter, but I felt better than expected once I started. 

This was a disappointing end to a disappointing week (running wise). I was going to run a ten mile loop in Corner Canyon, but I felt like garbage on my way up Hog Hollow. When I reached the saddle all the trails were closed because of mud. Normally I'd run them anyway, but today I decided to use it as an excuse to turn around. As disappointed as I was with my run, I have no doubt it was the right call. 

Easy four miles on the road. In a few more days, I'll be two-thirds done with law school. That sounds nice.

Check out those miles. Not much to say.

Three late night miles on the road. One of my top goals for the summer is to return to a normal sleep schedule. Once I do that, I think I can start thinking about building my mileage back up. 

Another short, late run at the gym. I could have run more, but 1) I waited too long to head out the door, and 2) once I got to the gym I decided to do my strength training first. That's right-strength training. I am going to be sooooo buff by the end of the summer. 

No running today, but it was on purpose.

I'm not in the best shape of my life. In fact, I'd say I'm in the worst shape I've been in since I started racing my bike back in 04 or 05. At least as far as endurance is concerned. But sometimes I  convince myself I can do more than I should.

My last real long run was on my birthday. I knew I wasn't set to run 25 miles, but I wanted a long run on my birthday, so I did one. Likewise, I wanted to celebrate the end of the semester with a long run, so when my friend told me about the Bosho Marathon, I decided to give it a go, despite averaging just barely over 30 miles per week this year, most of them on flat terrain.

The course itself is pretty sweet. It starts heading south on the BST from the Huntsman Center for a 3-4 mile loop, before heading north for some new adventures. Despite all the time I spent on the BST when we lived in the Avenues, I never really branched out from the main trail. Today was an eye-opener as to what is available out there.

I was having a good time, and it was nice to be on the trails, but it was pretty clear to me that I was in over my head. At about 15 miles, when the course veered off the BST in North Salt Lake to climb some peak on the way back to the start, I decided to bail. I continued straight ahead to Eagle Ridge. Catherine was having her own bad run in Bountiful, so I called her and she picked me up and that was it.

I picked up a couple more miles walking along the road while waiting for Catherine (yeah, I'm counting those), but I was still shy of 30 for the week so I went out for a short road run with Catherine and Elliott in American Fork this evening.

Today's lesson is clear (actually, it has been for some time)--the residual fitness is gone. I've been slowly talking withdrawals from the massive base I built up over years as a cyclist, but after two years of law school it's gone. I'm not starting from scratch, but from now on, if I want to run well, I'm going to have to put in an honest effort.  

I ran out of time tonight and had to keep it short, but at least I got out.

I tried to make up for yesterday by . . . not slacking today. Five miles on the road, mellow pace. It felt good, other than some gnarly heartburn near the end.

Same route as last night. I felt pretty off at first, but I figure that I need to just establish a minimum daily mileage if I'm going to rebuild fitness. I'm not sure if I started feeling better by the end, but I did run faster than last night.

I used to be fine with treadmill miles. But now I absolutely hate them. Maybe it's because the treadmills at our local Best Gym Ever are rapidly falling apart. Or maybe I just don't have the necessary patience anymore. 

I spent the morning with Elliott watching Catherine run the Thanksgiving Point Half Marathon. Catherine had a good run (which you can read about on her blog), and Zero and Drop told me they love me, so the morning was a success. 

After the race, I was foraging for food and I noticed several people out on bikes. That seemed like a good idea, so instead of running I went out for a road ride in the afternoon. Up and over Suncrest into Draper, than across to Redwood Road and back home through Lehi.  I felt a bit out of place on a bike. But I guess that makes sense since I haven't been on one since December. Wild.

Right after I got home I went for a short road run with Catherine and Elliott so I could say I had run today and so Catherine could round off her highest mileage day (and week) ever. Then we went to PF Chang's to use a $35 gift card that management had given us after improperly packing the ice cream in a takeout meal we bought a week or two ago. Sometimes it's good when restaurants screw up.

Worse than usual tonight. But at least I was back before the weather hit. 

No run tonight. I was going to, but I fell asleep in the chair while writing my paper, and took that as a sign that I was too tired to go outside. The storm helped confirm mu decision. 

I really wanted to let today's run go, too, but I decided that I should at least do something. 

Wow--this is by far the worst running week I've had in who knows how long. Don't worry, I'm not injured or sick. I just finally ran out of batteries. I've had paper that was due today, so after working at my internship all day then working on my paper at night, I just wasn't sleeping enough and I finally decided to just write this week off for running. I stayed up late last night (actually till 4:30 today) to finish and submit my paper. Now that's done, so I'll use the weekend to catch up on sleep. Hopefully Monday will represent a new beginning for me.

In other news, my sister ran the Provo Marathon today. My brother and I went to cheer her on at two points along the course. Watching the front runners come through made me wonder where I could end up in something like that. Not at the front, I'm sure, but maybe I'll use the summer to prepare for an honest marathon attempt in the fall. 

It's only one day into the week, and already I've almost passed last week in terms of mileage. Nice!

Unfortunately, I felt off after a couple of miles. But If I'm going to get back in shape, I need to just suck it up and keep running. After a couple of weeks I should have some spring back in my step. 

So, one day after my new commitment to consistency, I missed a day. Sleep is important, too. But I'm back on track tonight with a slightly shorter version of Monday's loop. 

Tonight I ran a lap around the temple, coming home by way of the bike path that makes up most of my mini two-mile loop. It wasn't a great run, but it was good, and it would have been better if it weren't for the heartburn that was bothering me by the end. I'm not sure if I should blame Iggy's for lunch or Brick Oven for dinner or both. 

So, I missed two days this week, but that was semi-deliberate. Not that I wanted to miss days, but right now I think that sleep needs to be a higher priority than absolute consistency if I want to regain my fitness. So when life got in the way and I had to choose between a run an a full night's sleep, I chose sleep. 

Anyway, this morning I ran a 10-mile road loop from our house. It hurt a lot more than I think it should have (weird to think that I used to run 10 miles once or twice a day like it was nothing), but that was mostly my legs protesting. My lungs were perfectly comfortable at an average pace of 7:30, which is encouraging.

I've decided that I will run mostly on the roads this summer, because it's just so much easier to fit into my schedule. But my plan is to maintain climbing legs by hiking with Elliott.

I gave that a try this evening. Catherine and I hiked up Battle Creek to the Trail 51 junction with my brother, and I carried Elliott in the Baby Bjorn. As expected, it was hard work, and as expected, I'll need a better carrier. But we had fun, and we're looking forward to introducing Elliott to the outdoors this summer.

Diet Coke and M&Ms for breakfast. Jalapeno cheesesteak, fries, and Mr. Pibb for lunch. Costco pizza and Root Beer for dinner. No heartburn on my run tonight. Go figure. 

Same loop as yesterday. I didn't feel as good, but since I'm trying to build consistency I just slowed down and chugged along rather than cutting the run short, as I've gotten in the habit of doing. 

My lower legs have been sore, so I'll probably dial back a bit tomorrow. 

As planned, I ran a little less tonight. For some reason, my lower legs have been quite sore lately, so I wanted to back off just a little for a day. But it does feel nice to be moving toward some sort of consistency. 

Hooray for consistency. I ran my new loop again tonight. I'm hoping to make this part of the routine. It still doesn't feel as fluid as it should, but that will come. At least I'm out there. 

I got rained on tonight. I hadn't even considered the possibility, but it felt nice when it happened.  

We decided to head to St. George this weekend to visit my grandparents, and with work and travel time I wasn't able to run. I'm okay with that. 

Catherine and I ran together this morning while my brother kept an eye on Elliott. We ran from my grandma's house to the bike path and then into Bloomington Hills. From there we ran up Webb Hill, but on the way down Catherine's IT band started to act up. Eventually, it was too much for her, so she walked to a nearby hotel and hung out in the lobby while I ran home to get the car and pick her up. 

It's a bummer about the injury, but at least we know that not racing today was the right call. Still, I know the frustration of an injured knee. I wish we could figure out what makes our bodies rebel against the things we love doing. 

Shortly after our run on Saturday I started to feel a horrible pain in the back of my right knee. I started to worry that I had damaged a tendon or something, but I soon noticed a red lump that was pretty itchy by the end of the day. So I think what happened is that something bit me in the wrong place (as though there's a right place for something to bite you).

Anyway, that seemed confirmed by tonight's run, because although my knee was sore before I started, it didn't bother me at all once I got going. Although, I did start feeling the dull ache on the outside of my right quad that makes me worry there's an IT band issue around the corner. But that can't be right. Seriously, take a look at my mileage this year and tell me if an injury is warranted.

Anyway, tonight I ran the same loop I ran last week, which is quickly becoming my go-to daily run.  Tonight I ran it in reverse, which made the return a bit less monotonous. Even more so because I finished with a shortcut through the cemetery, which added a tiny bit of bonus mileage. 

Late. Tired. Short run. Lame.

I ran my new daily loop, backward again. It was late and I haven't slept more than 4 hours per night for a couple of days, but I felt pretty good. My consistency sucks these days, but I'm hanging on as well as I can. 

So, this has been a bad week on paper, but I'm okay with it. I took one day off because I just needed sleep, and another because there was not time to fit in a run around my sister's wedding. Sometimes life happens, and sometimes there are things that matter more than a run. And on the plus side, the on the days that I did run I felt much better than I have in the past few months. If you're going to run 20 miles per week, it's probably better to do it in a few 6-mile runs than in daily 3-mile runs. 

The week could have been better, but I'm not going to complain. 

Also, I got attacked by a dog on my run. My rule is simple--if an angry dog comes close enough to me that I can kick it in the head, I'm going to. It did, so I did. That slowed it down for a bit, at least enough for me to get clear. I don't care if we're talking about a poodle in a pink sweater (and in this case, we are), dog attacks aren't funny.

Actually, I guess it is kind of funny in retrospect.

Catherine and I were going to run the Remembrance Run 5K (hooray for free races) but we slept in instead and went for an easy run on the bike path with Elliott. I'd say it was a fair trade. 

Morning miles for the first time in a while. My goal right now is to be in bed by 10:00 and up at 5:00 to run. I got to bed a little late last night, but close enough to count. This morning I ran my usual loop. This was the first time I've run it before 10:00 PM, so now I know what the neighborhoods I run through look like. 

Another early morning run. I'm trying to make this a habit, but it will take a while before this stops feeling so unnatural, even if I am getting more sleep than I used to. But if memory serves, it always feels a little uncomfortable to get up for an early run, no longer how long you've been doing it.

I felt okay today. A little more sluggish than yesterday, but my pace turned out to be about the same, so who knows. I did feel some twinges in my right knee, however, which is unsettling.  

Today makes four mornings in a row (and three early mornings). It's still hard to get out of bed and run, but at least it was warmer this morning. And I was a bit faster than yesterday, even without adjusting for a mid-run bathroom break.

I was exhausted last night, so I thought about sleeping in this morning but decided against it. When this morning came around I reconsidered, but I didn't want to fall off the wagon after less than a week, so I got up, although a little later than planned. I also ran less than I have the past few days, but that was planned. Tomorrow I'll do a "long" run.

I finished my week with long(ish) road run. This has probably been my best week of the year based on consistency alone, and I hope to have many more like it. I was a bit worried about my left knee today, but I had to keep reminding myself that I smashed it rock climbing yesterday and that the pain had nothing to do with running injuries.

Catherine and I may take Elliott out for a hike this afternoon. I'll update this accordingly if we do.

PM addition: Catherine and I took Elliott to hike Grove Creek with my brother and my cousin. I first ran that trail almost two years ago, and ever since I've been wanting to take Catherine up there, so it's nice that we finally did it. It was a beautiful day to be on the trail, and Elliott did great, except for one time when I accidentally pushed a small branch that snapped back across her cheek. Understandably, she was not happy about that.

It's a lot of work hauling a little baby up there. I hope it helps me regain my climbing legs. Anyway, I count those miles, and I believe that makes this my highest-mileage week of 2012.

I accidentally slept in this morning, but I realized my mistake and was up and on the road within 30 minutes of when I was supposed to be, so no harm done. My legs were heavy and stiff this morning, kind of like I had recently done a long run. I'll take that to mean my plan to build climbing strength by hiking with Elliott will work. After all, if my makes my legs sore, it will make them stronger. Or something. 

I slept in again, probably because I was up too late last night, but I still went out and did my daily run. I'll re-adapt to this routine eventually.

Today is Elliott's first birthday. Can you believe it's been a year already?

I woke up an hour late again, but I also went to bed an hour late again, so I suppose it balances out. After two days of soreness, my legs felt back to normal this morning. But my stomach was mildly upset, probably because dinner last night was cake and ice cream. 

Another day of running, same as the day before. 

A nice, short, easy run with Elliott. Some days it's just great to be outside. Today was one of them.

Since I'm working on the consistency thing, it should be no surprise that this week was substantially similar to last. This morning I went out for my 10(ish) mile road loop. I didn't feel so great. Either my stomach is sick of all the leftover burthday cake or I'm having some kind of allergic reaction to something (there's a lot of sneezing and mucus and a rash on my leg to go along with the unhappy intestines). Or maybe both. Even so, my comfortable pace ended up at about 7:30, so it wasn't a bad run. 

I'm hoping to get out for a hike with Catherine and Elliott this evening, and I'll report back if I do.

UPDATE: Alas, no evening hike because of the scary strong winds around here. Also, my IT band has been pretty sore all day. If I'm injured again, it may be the last straw. Because if I can't even run this kind of mileage without injury, then there's no way I can build any meaningful fitness by running.  

Despite my worries on Saturday, my knee felt pretty good this morning. In fact, all of me felt pretty good. It was a nice day, and I was glad to be out for a run. Maybe I'm finally adjusting to this morning thing. 

I've been doing this run primarily without a watch now that I know the mileage. The last time I was running 6-7 miles a day was during my first semester of law school, and I was running at an average pace of about 6:4x. A couple of weeks ago my mellow pace was closer to 8:00. In another week or two I'll start wearing my watch again. I'm curious to see how my pace will have changed after a few weeks of running consistently without worrying about my pace.  

Last night was a late night and Elliott woke up early this morning, so no early run for me. The worst part is that I didn't finish what I stayed up late to finish, so I'll be up late again tonight. Which will interfere with tomorrow's run. Sigh. 

Anyway, I ran 3 miles in the evening with Catherine and Elliott. And I went out later for a quick 2 miles to break up my late night and to pad my mileage. I felt like garbage on the last run, so yes, I think the early morning runs are better.

I was up late last night finishing one project that's been kicking around for a while, which meant I slept in this morning, which means I was out for a late run tonight. So yeah, I'm back to my old tricks, unfortunately. I think I'll be running at night again tomorrow, but hopefully I can get back on the morning routine on Friday.

The run was okay. Swimming with Elliott this afternoon was better.

Tonight's run was almost exactly like last night's. Except I was a tiny bit faster.

So, I didn't sleep in today, but then I didn't go for a run. Instead, I got some work done. When Catherine and Elliott woke up, we all went for a run together. It was nice.

The usual weekend run up through the golf course to American Fork Canyon and then back home along the highway. I felt fine the entire way, but I wonder if my knee will give me trouble later like it did last week. Even if it does, I guess it's okay as long as it stops by Monday.

I'm hoping to head up Grove Creek withe Elliott later today. I'll update if I do. 

UPDATE: No hike today. Elliott and I needed haircuts.

Back to my morning run routine for the first time since last Monday. I felt a little sluggish at first, but it was a pretty good run overall. The weather is just about perfect at 6:00 AM these days.

This was a bad one. In fact, it was more of a walk than a run. I didn't eat enough throughout the day, apparently, because after two miles I found myself wobbly and lightheaded and walking most of the way home. Do you know how I know it was a bonk and not something else? The whole way home I couldn't think about anything other than what I was going to eat when I got home. 

I went for a short hike with Elliott this evening up Grove Creek Canyon to the switchback. That's a workout.

I was a little gun shy after my crappy Tuesday run, but I went out to tonight to run the same route at the same time anyway. It turned out to be worth it. The run was just okay. But Lake Mountain is burning, and I had an impressive view for most of the time I was out. Unfortunately, we couldn't get a good picture.

Catherine and I ran the same route that we ran last Friday. Maybe this is our new routine. No knee pain for anyone, either.

It was very hot, so we should have gone earlier. But it's good that we went as early as we did. The Lake Mountain fire is dumping smoke everywhere, and it will probably be hard to breathe this afternoon.

This morning we ran a relay at Allie's 5K. I don't think either of us was prepared--I haven't run even remotely fast in about a year--but I think we did okay, all things considered. I ran 7 laps, Catherine ran 5.5, and we ended up fourth with a time of about 19:20. Most of all it was fun to meet other FRBers.

And of course, congratulations to Allie and Fiddy.

This evening we hiked in Dry Canyon with Elliott and my brother. My legs felt like jelly. 

Against my better judgment, I headed out for an early run with my cousin in law(?) Aaron. I met him years ago through cycling, but now it turns out our wives are cousins, so I'm sure we're related somehow. 

Anyway, I felt awful almost from the start. There were ups, but there were more downs, and I planned to quit or stop short at least twice. But somehow I wound up on the summit, and I'm glad I did.

As for the run, I had a great time. I need to spend more time on the trails with friend. Aaron and Jun have both invited me out many times this year. I just need to manage my time better so I can join them.  

Two very slow, very sore miles. I had a good back-in-the-day story to highlight how out of shape I am now, but I decided to keep it to myself.

Anyway, I'm actually surprised at how good I feel. Yesterday's run was the first time I've run down a hill since April. I think my legs have held up nicely. 

So, here I am catching up at the end of a very bad week. The simple reason is that on Tuesday I decided to accept a spot at the Marriott School, which means I'll be a student for one more year and I'll finish with two degrees (JD/MBA) instead of one. More is better, right?

The effect of that is that I've had to finish some online prerequisite courses, and since I work during the day, the only time to do them is at night. Which means I'm back to my old late-night running routine. Which means I run less or feel worse. Or, as was the case every night this week, both. Fortunately, I had Sunday's Timp run to pad my mileage somewhat.

Anyway, the lack of sleep and such from throughout the week carried its effects over till today, so even my weekend run was super short. I figure sometimes it's just best to let go. I can relaunch my comeback next week. Morning runs, of course. 

I have no memory of my alarm going off this morning, but I must have just turned it off when it did. Fortunately, Elliott woke me up a little later, so I still had time to go for a morning run. I ran a truncated version of my daily loop--not the first time I've run that route, but it was the first time in daylight.

I felt a little sluggish, but my pace and everything else were normal. It's so much better to run in the morning.  

Night run with Jun and a couple of others. We ran my old Slate Canyon loop, which I don't think I've run since November 2010. After a few delays, we were on the trail at 10:00. The pace was super mellow, and there were a few stops along the way, so we weren't back until after midnight. 

I had promised that the route would be good, so I was worried that it wouldn't live up to what I remembered. Fortunately, it delivered. Cool trail, plenty of vert, and great views, even in the middle of the night. The whole time I was talking up "the payoff," the point were you pop out of the trees and the view of Utah Valley opens up below you. It turned out to be every bit as awesome as I remembered it, and maybe even better at night.

We finished by running down the Y itself, which I've never actually done. It's amazing how big that thing is. 

Easy, easy miles on the road. It was late, and my legs were surprisingly sore from the night before.

More easy miles, this time in the Cardio Cinema. Transformers was on (the third one, I think), but I had to leave right as they were gearing up for an epic final battle between good and evil. And what's the point of a movie like that if you can't stay around to watch when things explode?

Traditional Friday morning run with Catherine and Elliott. Splits may or may not be on her blog, if you're into that sort of thing. 

Catherine ran early this morning, so I knew I wouldn't be. Consequently, I stayed up way late last night for work Naturally, I was in no condition to run at any point this morning. Unfortunately, I never did get out for a long run. But I hiked past the Y and into the canyon with Elliott on my back and I went for a 4--mile road run immediately afterward. If you count the hiking miles, which I do, that puts me over 30 for the week.

For some reason I had a hard time waking up this morning. And once I woke up, I had a hard time motivating myself to go out the door. But I got out anyway for a short 4 mile loop. My legs felt strangely heavy and slow, but otherwise it was a decent run.

Same run as yesterday, same struggle to get up.  

Yesterday Jun suggested that sluggish legs on Monday are the result of poor eating over the weekend. I agree. And as he mentioned, one solution (albeit one that interests neither of us) is to eat better over the weekend. Of course, another approach would be to eat junk all week--if you eat just as poorly every day, your legs shouldn't feel any worse on Monday than they would otherwise, right?

With that in mind, I had chocolate cookies for dinner last night. And my legs felt better this morning. I should start a coaching service. 

No rune today. I wanted to, but I also needed to finish my hours for the week at work. By the time I took care of that it was almost midnight, and although I've never had a problem with that in the past, I think the midnight runs are a bad idea and I'm doing what I can to get away from that. So I went to bed. 

I wish I could figure out what I need to do to normalize my schedule. 

Anyway, I was too tired for a morning run today, but I made it out this evening for the same run I would have done. I ran my 10 mile loop, although I ran a slightly shorter variation because I was worried that the Garmin batter was going to die (actually, I just needed an excuse, and that was a convenient one).  

Three miles on the treadmill just before midnight. They should only show movies with subtitles or lots of explosions in the Cardio Cinema.

Morning run. Slow. 

Late night run. Also slow. 

I'm trying to break the night run cycle, so I got up early and ran this morning even though I would have rather stayed in. It was a nice morning, though, so I'm glad I got out.

Not much to report about the run itself. I ran the same loop I have been running, but I ran it in the opposite direction. Wild! 

This morning Catherine, Elliott and I ran the Steel Days 5K together. I always get worried about navigating the crowd with the stroller, but the opening stretch was four lanes wide at this race so I lined up in the front row. 

There's not much to say about the race itself. Elliott and I stayed with Catherine the whole way and we all finished together. Catherine pushed hard and scored a post-pregnancy PR. Elliott didn't work hard and might have even slept through the race :)

Afterward we ran two easy miles together and then went to Magleby's for all-you-can-eat French toast. It was a good morning.

I had to get up early this morning so I skipped the morning run. The meeting I was supposed to attend got canceled after I arrived, so the morning just turned out to be a waste.

I ran in the evening, earlier than usual, but kept it short in anticipation of the Deseret News 10K tomorrow. 

I've only run this race once before. The other time was two years ago as I was just coming off of a knee injury. But even with the injury, I was in much better shape and had been training much harder for much longer. As a result, I took the race pretty seriously and was pretty nervous as we lined up for the start. 

This year I had absolutely no expectations at the start, and as a result I felt remarkably relaxed. I guess the lesson is that the secret to inner peace is to lower your expectations. It's hard to be disappointed when you set the bar low enough. 

Anyway, the start was terrible as usual. Too many people and not enough road. Things thinned out early enough, though, and I ran into RAD as we ran along Foothill.

I tried really hard to settle into a sustainable pace, and I think I did a good job. I never felt like I was going so hard that I was going to explode, and my pace was relatively consistent throughout the race. But after about two miles my lower leg was killing me. I think it has something to do with not running much at all and then going out and hammering sub-6 miles down steep paved roads. By the end the pain was so bad that it was definitely slowing me down.

Despite the challenges, I finished just over 38 minutes, which I consider respectable, considering my training over the past year or two.

We hung around for a while and met several FRBers and saw Fritz win the marathon. We also ran into one of my old cycling teammates, Dave Clinger, who apparently is a runner now. (Google him sometime--he's one of the more interesting people I've ever met.) I hadn't seen him for about three years, so it was good to catch up briefly, and I was very glad to see that he seems to be doing well.

Anyway, the race wasn't really a triumph, but it was a fun experience, and we'll probably be back again in a year.

EXCHANGE OF THE DAY

Race announcer: "Those are some interesting shoes. What are you running in?"

Sasha: "CROCKS!!!!!"

Great, awful pain in my lower legs after the race yesterday. I ran .6 miles and then decided to walk home via a shortened loop. I think I'll be off until Monday. It's pretty bad, but it's not a long-term injury. I dealt with the same thing back when I was learning to run on my forefeet. 

I almost fell over when I got up this morning because my lower legs hurt so bad. No run for me today. 

My legs are still sore, but they're feeling better. Still, I took another day off and walked to the park with Elliott instead. 

I decided to take one more day off from running just to make sure my leg is healed when I I start back up on Monday. But instead of indulgin in my new sedentary lifestyle, I went mountain biking with my brother in Corner Canyon. I rode one of his bikes, a 6-inch travel trail bike (very different from my singlespeed hardtail), and we went up to Jacob's Ladder, down Upper Ghost Falls, and back up on some climb that I would have known the name of last year. Canyon Hollow, maybe. 

Anyway, it was my first MTB ride since December. I should ride more often.

After almost a week off, I decided it was time to get back on track, so I got up and went for a morning run today. Unfortunately, my leg was hurting within the first quarter mile. I thought about turning around, but I decided to finish the run out ans see how things went. 

My leg hurt the entire time, so it was a slow run, but I don't think it got significant;y worse throughout the run, so maybe that means I can keep running through this. Not surprisingly, given the source of the pain/injury, my leg hurt more on the descents, and I even walked a short, steep drop right before I got back to our house. 

I'll head out again tomorrow. If things haven't improved at least a little bit, I think I'll take a couple more days off. We're going to Arizona this weekend, and I want to make sure I can run with Catherine and Burt, if the opportunity arises.

I've been slow on the updates lately, so I'd like to apologize to all 3 of my readers :)

I needed more time this week to recover from last week's 10K. My leg hurt pretty bad on Monday, so I took Tuesday off. Wednesday I made it almost 3 miles without pain, and I ran only 2 on Thursday so I could have a pain-free confidence builder. Yesterday I ran my Friday Five with Catherine and Elliott. My leg was fine, although I felt crappy for other reasons. 

Tonight I ran a variation of my 10 mile loop through the golf course. Actually, it was an entirely new last half. I tried to find the bike path that they used for the half marathon last week, but somewhere I got lost. I got to know some new roads in the area, and I made it home eventually. And I even came in a little over 10 miles instead of a little under, as I usually do.

Late night run, and as always I felt bonky and off. But tonight I know why--no breakfast and no dinner. All I had today was a small lunch and a Smart Cookie that Catherine got me. So I guess I should expect a lousy run.

I've got some good news, though. I found a one-day deal online and scored a couple of pairs of MR10s for 40 bucks each. So even though New Balance discontinued my favorite shoe ever after less than one year, I don't have to give it up yet.  In fact, my current shoes have 800 miles and are still going strong, so I could be running in Minimus for quite a while with two new pairs.

No run today-too busy packing.

We were on the road almost all day, but we made it to Pinecrest (in the eastern Sierra) in time for a quick run/hike around the lake to stretch out our legs. My Garmin never got a good signal, so I never got an exact mileage, but I'm just going to call the loop 4.3 miles. 

Another lake lap. I felt like garbage, but it was still a good run. 

Yet another lackluster lake run. But I like being here so much that my fitness doesn't bother me. The trail is super technical and super scenic, and I wouldn't mind running it every day for the rest of my life. 

Not sure about the mileage today, but it was at least what I've posted. Of course, most of that was hiking. We walked down the trail to Strawberry this morning. But since I was carrying Elliott, I count it. Cross training, sure, but miles on my feet are miles on my feet, and the extra weight makes it a legitimate strength workout.

This evening we went out for a trial run with the jog stroller we rented for tomorrow's race. It's a good thing we did, because it turns out that there's a bent axle or something that makes it unusable.  

Catherine and I have come to Pinecrest together three times, but this was the first time we were around for the annual Pinecrest Run. I've been interested in the race since we found out about it because the trail around the lake is ridiculously technical. But it turns out that the course doesn't go around the lake, which was (initially) disappointing. 

The course is basically a figure eight--first we run two miles through the cabins around the lake, then we set out on the lake trail before doubling back up a steep fire road and down the dirt road to the start. I think I settled into 8th place pretty early on during the first half of the race, but I picked off a couple of runners ahead of me and by the time we came back through the start I was sitting in 5th. 

Once we hit the trail, that changed quickly. Apparently, road runners struggle on trails. The trail section was short but it was very technical, and I passed three of the runners ahead of me like they were standing still. (The fourth, a high school cross-country runner, was long gone by then.) 

When we left the trail we started up a short but very steep fire road climb out in the sun. I ended up hiking the last half because it was more efficient (and possibly faster) than running it. At the top there were no course markings so I headed in what seemed like the only way to go. But after half a mile I hadn't seen any more markings, which worried me because up until then there had been a  flour mark every 100 feet or so. At least the runners behind me were on the same route.

At that point we were descending gradually on a dirt road. Eventually two runners behind me caught up, and I was able to confirm we were on route. I had no kick left in my legs, so I figured that they would beat me because they had caught me. But when we got back on the road for the final stretch back to the start/finish, they faded or I surged and I found myself alone and ahead again.

I ended up in 2nd place, about three minutes behind the winner, and I was happy with the result.

Catherine and I love Pinecrest and we loved this race. Hopefully we can do it again next year. 

My usual American Fork loop, abridged edition. 

Wow. It's been a while since I posted, thanks to orientation at the Marriott School and moving and a bunch of other things that have come up. And I really did miss about a week of running in there, unfortunately. But I've been running regularly since Wednesday, and I've updated my mileage accordingly. I also finally got around to writing a race report that I should have done a couple of weeks ago.

Our new place is in Provo, near the 24 Hour Fitness. New homes mean new routes, and right now I'm just trying to get situated. But after three days it looks like there are plenty of options, so I'm happy about that. And it's nice to be closer to some trails.  

I had thought about running Squaw Peak this morning with Jun, but he's sick and I had a late night, so that will have to wait. 

Elliott woke up this morning, so instead of running trails, I went running with her. All of my runs this week have been exploring the Provo River Trail, and this was no different. I thought we would run out to the lake, but we hit a park and I saw that there was still 1.5 miles to go, which means that we would have finished over 10 for the day. Fine for me, but Elliott was ready to go home and eat breakfast, so the lake will have to wait for another day.

I'm actually pretty happy to be so near the bike path. It's less than a mile from our house, and it seems like a great place to run. The farther you go, the prettier it gets. The entire route is nice, but once you make it through the trailer park, it's fantastic. 

I'm in the middle of yet another attempt to get my running back on track. Right matters is the day-to-day consistency. Once I get that, I can worry about distance and speed. Until then, what's the point?

Anyway, I was tired this morning, so I ran a quick out and back on the River Trail to Independence Avenue.  

Provo River Trail loop to Independence Ave. I passed some homeless-looking guys who were out fishing on the river. One of them was wearing combat clothes and pushing a funky tricycle. I wondered if he was going to shoot me or stab me or something. He didn't.

I overslept (by only a little) again. I can't seem to figure out snooze on my phone, so I guess I'll need to start setting a second alarm 15 minutes later. 

Instead of taking the River Trail, I decided to go the opposite direction this morning and run a lap up around the Provo Temple. It turned out to be shorter than I thought--just over four miles where I was expecting closer to five--but it was still a good route. The good news is that it turns out we're probably about two miles from Rock Canyon, which means trails are withing easy running distance once again. 

Same route I ran on Wednesday. Not much else to say about it.

Jun had mentioned an early morning run up Timp, but I didn't hear anything else about it after that. I woke up this morning to one of the most important thunder storms I've ever been in. My first thought was that I was glad not to be up on Timp. My second thought was to hope that Jun et al weren't up there. They were, and the reports only reinforce my gladness not to be there with them.

Once things dried out I went for a boring out and back on the River Trail. It was nice, warm, and dry.  

I thought about using the holiday to get out for a short trail run in the morning. But instead I decided to use the time I would have used to drive to the trail to sleep for another 30 minutes or so and then run another River Trail route. Other than a minor number-two emergency, it was pretty uneventful. 

The weather has been great for running lately. Fall has always been my favorite time of the year for running and riding. (I know it's still summer, but it's starting to feel like fall, so whatever.) 

I seem to have a hard time getting up exactly on time these days. I'm tired, but not any more tired than usual. I think the problem is that I've been sing my phone as an alarm since we moved, and I don't know how to use the snooze feature. Instead, I set up a second alarm 15 minutes after the first. But my routine used to involve hitting snooze 3 or 4 times before I got up, so I don't know if the two-step alarm is enough.

Provo Temple loop. Still a nice route, but nicer at 5:00 AM.  

I was able to get up when I planned to this morning. Unfortunately, Elliott had a rough night last night and I was far more tired than expected. So I ran 4 instead of my planned 5.

I'm still not quite caught up on sleep from last night, but I've been doing so well with my morning runs that I didn't want to break the cycle today. I ran one of my usual River Trail loops this morning. The creepy homeless-fisher guys were back today, or at least on of them was. Also, some fat kid laughed at me from his car in the Beto's parking lot. But I'd rather wear short shorts than be a fat kid, so whatever.

Catherine was running with a group this morning so I decided to skip my early run and go with Elliott after she woke up. We just ran an out and back to the park on Liberty Avenue. It was a nice time to be outside. 

I realized that it's been a long time since I ran on trails (not counting Pinecrest). I ran My Y Mountain loop with Jun and the Gang sometime back in July, and I ran Timp with my friend Aaron sometime just before or after that. But other than that, I really can't think of any local trail runs that I've done lately. 

So, I decided I should do something about that. My main goal has been to just run consistently. Now I need to get back my climbing legs. I think that if I can run on the trails every Saturday, I should make some progress. At least I should get stronger than I am now.

So this morning I ran my Y Mountain loop. I really love that route. I think it took me about 1:45 to run the loop from the Y parking lot. That's kind of depressing, considering that I used to run the 12-mile loop from our old house in 2 hours even. But it was nice to be running in the mountains again, and the weather couldn't have been better.

I'll probably try to run Squaw Peak next weekend. If anyone is interested in joining me, just shoot me a message.  

What happens to your quads if you run a 3.5-mile, 3,000-foot mountain descent after 3 months of running exclusively on the road? I'm not sure, but it isn't pretty. 

This morning my quads were so trashed from my run on Saturday that I could barely move when I got out of bed. Things got better as I ran, but not much. It was a very stiff and sore four miles today. 

Still super sore. That's okay--it just means I run slower. 

My legs are still super sore. I don't like to think about it--it just reminds me that I'm super out of shape. But I did average about 7:40 today, which isn't fast, but it is the first time I've dropped under 8:00 this week. 

The sign at a bank near our house said it was 52 degrees this morning. That's great running weather. Too bad we'll probably only get a few weeks before it starts getting too cold to be comfortable.  

I've done a pretty good job of sticking to my schedule this week. All I need to do is run 4 miles tomorrow (probably with Elliott) and then 8-10 on Saturday on the trails and the week will have gone exactly as planned. 

There's a park on the River Trail that I run through both ways on my runs. The sprinklers have been on every day this week, and they spray directly at the trail. I don't think I'd mind in the middle of the day in August, but at 5:00 on a fall morning I'm not so sure.  

Four miles, as scheduled.

I finally ran to the lake this morning. Or at least, I ran to the end of the River Trail, which spit out in a parking lot that I assume is down by the lake. I needed to get home before 7:30, so I didn't bother going down to see the lake. 

Even with an unscheduled bathroom break (clock running), I averaged just under 7:20. The endurance is lacking, but I do feel like the consistency over the past few weeks is paying off.