Fly on the Wall

13 slow miles on JRP.  9:31 & 138 bpm.  89 degrees.

Felt like I need more recovery.

JRP. 83 degrees. Felt pretty good today.

My splits are an indication of how easily I succumb to peer pressure.

1- 9.04  started with group of 4 co-workers.

2- 8.19 durring this mile I was pulled away by the fast guy.

3- 8.02 talking with the fast guy.

4- 8.07 still talking with the fast guy.

5- 7.53 (included stopping for a traffic light) still talking with the fast guy, who was having trouble running so slow, while I was having trouble forming complete sentences.  :)

6- 8.35 fast guy had to get back to work. so I was left running solo.

8.20 ave pace.  No HR monitor. 

4.5 weeks till St. George.  I hope you are all able to make the best of this weeks training.

JRP. 89 degrees. 6 miles w/ 5x100 strides.

9:01.  136bpm.  BLAH. 

10.4 miles ez warm up.  Downtown, Memory Grove, up City Creek.

Ran at marathon effort down City Creek to Memory Grove.

1-6.29, 153bpm.

2-6.25, 165.

3-6.30, 169.

4-6.47, 169.

5-6.40, 168.

6-6.37, 170.

7-6.39, 172.

6.36 ave. 166 bpm.  About 81 degrees when I finished.  About a 10 mph head wind in a few places.  Variation in splits due to grade, head wind, and temp.  Downhill miles but still, I felt so much better than at last week's race.  My legs were not crampy and the overall effort was easier.  As I was running I started looking for snowballs, cause I started thinking I have a snowball's chance of running sub 3.

1.6 mile cool down.

EZ miles on hilly terrain up by Eden/Wolf Creek.  Legs tired, not much of an effort but miles in the bank at least.

A.M.  -  6.2 miles.  This is the last big week before easing into my taper.  I feel like I really need to make this week count!  We ere up at Wolf Creek and I ran on the road to a trail system about 1.5 miles away.  About 1/2 mile into my run a truck was coming up the highway so I ran onto the shoulder thinking I better be careful I don't step in a hole and re-injury my ankle.  Then I bam! I rolled my ankle.  #@%#!!! It hurt but was not as bad as last time.  So after a minute of assessment I got back up and gingerly finished my run.  When I got back I took 400 mg ibuprofen and iced it.  It hurts but is not too bad.  It is the timing that is bad!  I'm not sure what this will mean for the rest of my week.

P.M.  -  Took 600 mg ibuprofen.  Then headed out the door at recovery pace.  My ankle felt much better than expected.  Some pain inside but I kept an even stride.  Ice and another 200mg before bed.  I'll see how it feels tomorrow when I hope to do some intervals.  4.6 miles.

11 miles w/ 6x 1200m intervals @ 5k pace, 2 min recovery.  The good- my ankle was fine. I iced it the morning and took 400 mg ibuprofen before breakfast, about 5 hours before my run.  The bad- I was just sucking wind on this run.  I don't get it.  I took Sunday off.  I ran easy paces yesterday.  I got enough sleep.  I ate a decent breakfast.  Yet, I was dogging!  Friday during my long run I was cruising and felt strong.  Today I felt like a big turd.  So what was different today?

0.75 mile intervals:

1-6.09, 167bpm;

2-6.22, 169bpm;

3-6.21, 169bpm;

4-6.22, 168bpm

5-6.27, 166bpm

6-6.31, 167bpm

ave 6:22.  this is 6 seconds slower than when I did a similar workout a couple weeks ago.  Yet my pace miles on Friday were 7 seconds per mile faster than a few weeks ago (and at a lower heart rate).  Argh!!

14.2 ez on JRP.  My legs could feel yesterday's intervals but otherwise just another run in the bag.  Started out with a slow warm up.  Overall about 8:45 at 144 bpm.  80 degrees. 

As I type this I'm noticing the on screen add, "Stop wasting time with long boring cardio workouts that don't burn fat effectively....  Discover shocking fat-burning foods."  Dang, I should have skipped my run and eaten some "fat-burning foods" instead.  Or maybe it's a good thing I ran instead of eating "shocking food?"  Speaking of fat, I have a health check up (through my wife'w work) next week.  Anyone want to guess what they measure my body fat at? 

8 miles with 8x100 strides.  JRP.  82 degrees.  Ave. 8:44, 146 bpm.  (max hr 178 bpm) Mile splits ranged from 7:45 to 9:22.

I ran the first 5 miles and 7 strides with the fast guy.  I find it very motivational to try to run fast next to somebody who is fast.  It made for a good workout.

Hope everyone training for Saint George is able to make the best of this week before easing into a taper. 

City Creek EZ

12.2 "warm up" miles.  Downtown, Memory Grove,  11th Ave, up City Creek.

7 marathon effort miles down City Creek.  DOWNHILL.

1-6.23, 149 bpm.

2-6.15,  163.

3-6.30, 165.  (downhill but 5k PR pace)

4-6.44, 164.

5-6.26, 164.  (downhill but 8 seconds off 5 mile PR)

6-6.28, 167.  (downhill but 10k PR pace)

7-6.29,  168.

6:28 ave pace. 162bpm ave.  Yipee!  8 sec/mile faster and 4 bpm slower than these same miles last week.  And last week was an improvement over the time before.  Downhill but I'm feeling strong even if my legs are tired.... This was at the end of a 70 mile with speed work week.

1.4 miles cooldown. 

7 miles on JRP with 8x100 strides. A bit of wind but great temp wise.

12 ez on JRP.

City Creek, late afternoon.  6 w/ 6x100 strides.  3 uphill.  3 downhill.  It felt humid. 
 
  
 
Health checkup results:  Blood Pressure low and within normal range. Blood sugar normal.  Cholesterol borderline, total = 204.  And the machine said my body fat was 2.8%.

5 miles @ EZ pace. City Creek. 82 degrees.

9.6 mile ez. Downtown, Memory Grove, up City Creek.

5.5 miles DOWN City Creek. ave- 6:35, 161.  A bit off today.

1- 6:25, 150 bpm

2- 6:27, 162

3- 6:36, 164

4- 6:51, 166

5- 6:40, 163

5.5- 6:30, 165

1.9 ez

5.5 Capitol grounds and City Creek.  Ran into 2 of my neighbors and ran with them for a while, which was very nice.

8 w/ 8x100 strides on JRP. Nice and cool at lunch. Felt pretty darn good.

I was supposed to run 5 ez today but didn't make the time to get it done.  I spent the day on a field trip to Antelope Island with my kids and a 100 or 200 of there classmates.  That doesn't count as cross training but I was much more tired than if I had run 5 ez.  Oh well.

8 w/ 3x 1mile repeats on JRP. 

6:07 @175 bpm.  ugh.

2:25 recovery. 

6:13 @177bpm.  ohww.

4:18 recovery. 

6:13 @175bpm.  ouch.

8:33 ave pace including slow walk recoveries.

Ran my warmup with the fast lady and fast guy.  The fast guy ran his first marathon on Saturday (TOU).  He was FAST but today he still had remaining pain and was recovering and thus almost slow.  It is good to know the fast guys are human.  His debut time on OK but not ideal training?  2:39  :)  How cool is that! 

5 @ carefree pace with no electronic monitoring gadgets.

Ran up and down Provo Canyon on the trail.  Quite nice... the leaves are turning.  Only issue was a small rubbed raw spot on the top of my foot.  Go figure. 

Ave up and down- 8:29 @141 bpm.

7 w/ 8x 100 strides.  Ave up and down canyon including strides and recovery- 8:19 @ 142bpm.

I  ran on the trail up Provo Canyon.  This is the most runners I've ever seen outside of a race!  Gaggles, packs, herds, and flocks of runners!  I noticed quite a few St. George Marathon shirts.

Rest day. 

It was my daughter's 10th birthday Saturday and my wife and my 12th anniversary on Sunday.  Our family spent the weekend up Provo Canyon in Wildwood at my in-law's family cabin.  Late Saturday night/ Sunday morning our dog started acting nervous and weird.  By Sunday morning we realized he was really sick and took him to an emergency vet in Orem.  He was bloated and his stomach had twisted.  The vet said he had a 50/50 chance if we opted for surgery.  The other option was euthanasia.  The surgery was incredibly expensive and I'm not sure if paying so much for a dog is justifiable.  That much money could by a well for a small African village.  On the other hand my daughter was trying to give me all her birthday money to help pay for it (she only knew the surgery was expensive, not that euthanasia was the only other option).  So we did the irrational thing and opted for surgery.

Our dog survived the surgery but lost about 20% of his stomach (before this he was almost as skinny as I am).  He is still doing ok and the vet says if he makes it through to Wednesday morning without infection setting in he should live.  I realize we could have a sick child or a host of other problems that would be much, much worse.  None the less, I am exhausted from the stress of all this.  

5.5 EZ on JRP.

5 ez w/ 2 @ marathon pace effort.

3 mile warm up.

6:55, 168bpm.

7:00, 176bpm.

2 mile cool down.

6:52 pace is a 2:59:59 marathon.  So I was 3 to 7 seconds off pace, BUT it was 83 degrees with a 26+ mph head wind (gusts to 33+) for about 1.7 of these 2 flat miles.  My heart rate for the second mile was a bit higher than I would have liked.  With cooler temps, no head wind, some drafting, race day magic, caffinated gels, dumb luck, and the pull of gravity down the hills at Saint George, I think I've got a shot at sub 3. 

5 ez on JRP.  Cold but not wet.

3 days out and the forecast is not looking too good.  It's the wind I'm worried about.  Lets hope for a nice tail wind.