Cursed Realm of the Faceless Ghost

Week starting Apr 07, 2013

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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:

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<iframe height='454' width='300' frameborder='0' allowtransparency='true' scrolling='no' src='https://www.strava.com/athletes/4808912/latest-rides/184689bbf831149f2053e60709730c07651232d3'></iframe>

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
Total Distance
50.40
MR10 (2) Miles: 17.40MR10 (3) Miles: 27.00
Weight: 0.00
Total Distance
8.40

My legs were sore yesterday from Saturday's run, and they were even more sore when I woke up today. That's never encouraging before a speed workout. Surprisingly, I made it through all of today's workout without cutting any corners, although I was about ready to tap out on the last set. That means the intensity was about right. 

Forty-nine minutes alternating between five minutes at 6:33 and two minutes at 5:33. Not as bad as it sounds at the beginning, worse at the end. I guess that makes it a good workout.  

MR10 (2) Miles: 8.40
Weight: 0.00
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Total Distance
6.00

Easy miles at the gym. I made a barley vegetable soup for dinner last night. It was pretty high in fiber, so I wasn't a very good treadmill citizen this morning. 

MR10 (3) Miles: 6.00
Weight: 0.00
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Total Distance
6.00

I was worried about tonight's workout. Thirty minutes alternating between 30 seconds at 5:21 and 30 seconds at 6:22. I figured I would be done by 10 minutes, but it turned out to be easier than I thought. Which is not to say it was easy. After 20 minutes I put the treadmill on a 1.5 percent decline. That was to make it easier for me to finish, but I justified it by saying that I need to train on downhills to get ready for Ogden. 

Weight: 0.00
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Total Distance
9.00

I was supposed to go 10 this morning, but I had to cut it to 9 in the interest of time. I blame the rain. I hate running cold and wet even more than I hate steady miles indoors, so I had to go the gym. Unfortunately, the travel time ate up what would have been available for that last mile. If the sun is out, maybe I'll go add a mile or two with Catherine and Elliott this evening. 

MR10 (2) Miles: 9.00
Weight: 0.00
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Total Distance
0.00

Rest day.

Weight: 0.00
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Total Distance
21.00

As far as running is concerned, things haven't been going as smoothly over the last week or so. The obvious reason would be that my workouts are getting harder. But more than that I think it's the inherent impracticality of trying to prepare for Ogden while in school. It doesn't really work to deal with the highest volume and intensity of training at the same time you're trying to prepare for finals. The first thing to go is sleep, and when you stop sleeping enough it spills over into the rest of your life pretty quickly. But hey, it's only a couple of weeks, right? 

Anyways, despite having a rest day yesterday, my legs felt tired from the start on today's run. Usually they don't start getting heavy and stiff until well into the last half of the run, but today they were there before mile 7. Maybe way before. I can't really remember. Regardless, I could tell it was not one of my best runs ever.

I had already decided to blow off the marathon-pace finish that my schedule called for, and the sore legs only reinforced that. But as I ran through Nunn's Park, two runners blew by me in the low-6:00s and invited me to jump in. It turned out to be Sasha and Chad Robinson, and as I started running with them I was surprised at how comfortable the faster pace felt, even though I was having a bad day.

(Believe it or not, even though I've been on the blog for more than three years and run on the River Trail many, many times, this was the first time I've met Sasha.)

Anyway, I stuck with Sasha and Chad for about 3.5 miles (I think) before they turned off and headed into Orem. When they left, my motivation to run fast went with them and I settled back into my low 7:00s for the last few miles home.

All in all, it was a decent workout. And it brings me to 50 miles for the week for the first time of the year. (That used to be no big deal at all, but times change.) I'm glad I ran into Sasha and Chad, and the faster miles were good for me. But it also made it painfully clear that at those paces, my legs are the limiter, not my cardiovascular system. I could chat and carry on with no problem. But my legs were stiff and sore and altogether unpleasant to be around. I'm not sure quite how to fix that, other than to run lots and lots of miles for lots and lots of years, which may or may not be practical at this stage in the game.

Fortunately for me, I don't care nearly as much as I used to. I'm just happy to be reasonably fit and on track to run Ogden injury free. Give me the chance to taper for a week or so before the race, and I'm sure my legs will hold up for 26.2 miles.

PS: we've recently gone public with this, so I may as well say it here. Catherine and I are having another baby in October. 

MR10 (3) Miles: 21.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments(3)
Total Distance
50.40
MR10 (2) Miles: 17.40MR10 (3) Miles: 27.00
Weight: 0.00
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