Fly on the Wall

First official day of St. George Marathon Training!!!!!

8 miles on JRP with 10x100 strides. 1:08:12.  8:32 ave pace.  150 bpm ave.

 I want to train well and run fast at St. George.  But finding the time to do so will be tuff, especiall on our impending family vacation. 

mid-long run. 11 miles EZ. 1:28:24.  8:00 pace. 154bpm.  Quads a bit sore but felt pretty good overall. 

5 EZ on JRP w/ friends.

9 miles general aerobic.  7:51 ave pace.  151 bpm ave.  This was one of those runs where it just felt good. 

EZ trail miles above the Aves with a friend.  The wild flowers are absolutely incredible!!

ave- 11:29 / 138bpm 

I was a bit sluggish and my legs a bit tired.  I think I will cut back on some of my planed training miles next week before my race.

5 recovery miles.  Downtown, Memory Grove, City Creek, and back home.

Started a bit sluggish but felt good at the end.

The training plan for St. G. called for 8 miles with 10x100 strides, but in the interest of having a good race this Saturday I'm cutting back my miles a bit.

Started out with a mile plus of slow for me miles with a coworker, then picked up the pace. Last 5 miles ave 7:34, 153 bpm.

Plan called for 12 but I did 10. I'll probably skip a few runs in an effort to "taper" for Saturday.

 Legs felt tired. 1 slow warm up mile with co-workers then picked up the pace a bit.  ave for all 10 miles- 8:06, 147bpm. 

5 EZ in the rain.

3 very ez, between rain showers.

Wasatch Steeplechase.
Short report- I ran up. I ran down. I finished without a frown.


Here are some more details. I fear it sounds a bit self aggrandizing. Sorry.
I love races that are close enough to home that I can jog to the start. The crowd at the starting line looked a bit intimidating , a bit like Boston runners but with muscles. I lined up 2 or 3 back and with a "ready, get set, go" we were off. And boy were people moving. I was wondering where the fire was? I guess people were moving out so that they wouldn't get stuck in a traffic jam when the route hit the single track.

Any way it was pretty much just a fun slog up... and up... and up... Then it go steep. Way too steep to think about running. So I walked as fast as I could, huffing and puffing along. Total elevation gain about 4,500 feet.

After a few false summits, the course got rocky and cliffy. At one point they had spotters on the course to assist "runners" who may have needed it. A rope or two were also in place as an added measure of safety? I passed a guy who was pretty much prostrate on the rock and looking a bit tense! I was a bit worried that he might do something unexpected if I startled him as I passed but I told him I was coming, went on around, and all was well. Up until this point I could see a gaggle of runners behind me and a gaggle ahead of me. But as we crossed the ridge line we got spread out and I only saw maybe 7 runners in the next 7ish miles.

From the ridge line the trail drops into Smugglers Gap where volunteers had hiked in supplies for an aid station! I downed a cup of some kind of rocket fuel and was on my way down... down... down... Near the top of this descent I passed one runner. This section is described as "2.5 miles of quad-burning, gut-wrenching, knee-breaking downhill on an overgrown, root-infested single-track trail..." I'd add that it was also wet and slick. At least it wasn't raining (and didn't while I was on the course). I made it down this hill with no twisted ankles or other injuries except a very minor rope burn on my hands and neck. There was another rope set up on a particularly steep and slick spot. I didn't see it and almost tripped on it but managed to grab on and use it too control my descent.

Next came a run down City Creek Canyon on much more mellow trail and some paved road. I tried to open it up and let er rip as much as my now very tired legs would allow. With about 5k to go I hit a rock and rolled my ankle. It hurt but was nothing I couldn't run off after a few choice words. I passed about 4 runners on this section. As I approached the finish I was beat and couldn't find the will to pick up the pace even though I thought I would feel much better within 10 minutes of finishing and wish I had kicked it. This proved to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Met Mr. Twinkie and another blogger.  Saw one Fastrunningblog singlet.


0 .84 jog and walk from my house to the starting line.

1 8:05 160
2 11:34 168
3 9:33 169
4 10:27 170
5 10:55 167
6 12:12 166
7 20:54 163
8 16:06 163
9 10:11 166
10 7:22 167 pavement
11 6:18 170
12 6:35 170
13 7:32 168
14 7:04 171
15 7:45 169
16 6:43 172
16.31 6:56 176

16.31 Garmin miles, 9:54 average pace, 166 beats per minute average. advertised elevation gain and loss- 9,000 feet.
16th overall (I think) out of 200+ runners (I think results are not yet posted).

0.82 Jog and walk home.

Sick with flu like symptoms.  My daughter's school had cases of H1N1.  She and my wife were both sick with flu like symptoms a few days ago.  I guess it's my turn now. 

No more aches and fever.  Just feeling wiped out. 

5 EZ on JRP.  Ankle felt just fine.  Legs felt pretty good.  Body felt OK but not fully recovered from the flue.  

I wanted to go further but my stomach was grumpy, my legs were heavy, and every thing else was generally tired.  I think I'm still dragging from the flu.  I'm looking forward to getting back on my training plan, hopefully soon.  

8:34 ave pace. 136 bpm.

I decided on 5 EZ today in hopes of having a good run tomorrow.  

Not recovered but recovering. 

We're off to Yellowstone...

West entrance of Yellowstone.  

9 miles with 4 at 1/2 mary pace.  I should have run the faster miles under 6:45 pace but it felt so blasted hot.  I think this was my first run of the year in anything above 70ish degrees.  During my last run it was in the mid 30s.  Today it was about 50 degrees hotter, 85.

3 miles ez.

4- 6:47, 174bpm.

5- 6:59, 180bpm.  Overheated.  In an act of desperation I stopped and dunked my hat and shirt in the oh so foul Jordan River.  Yuck!  No floating bodies but a large floating trash jam.

6- 6:52, 174bpm.

7-7:03, 180bpm.

2 miles ez.

I usually don't mind the heat so much but I really need to aclimate to it.  Oh well I guess this leaves a lot of room for improvement!

14 miles.  8:08 ave pace. 163 bpm ave.  92 degrees.

Made it about 9 miles before I got hot enough for my pace to really slow and my heart rate to go up.  Cooled down with gunge water.

1- 7:56  138

2- 7:56  153

3- 8:03  155

4- 8:01  161

5- 8:05  168

6- 8:03  170

7- 8:10  172

8- 8:12  173

9- 8:22 174

10-8:13  170  cooled off with water

11- 8:08  166

12- 8:04  161  cooled off with water

13- 8:09 167

14- 8:28  166