Just Keep Runnin'

11.6 miles up Logan Canyon 159hr 166 max 1:35:29

1.8 16:01.5 151

1.0 9:01.6 161

1.0 9:08.9 159

1.0 8:25.1 161

1.0 8:37.7 159  

turn around (mile 466?)

1.0 8:05.2 158

1.0 7:49.0 161

1.0 7:46.1 162

1.0 7:19.0 160

1.8 13:16.0 161

 I ran leaning a little forward with a toe strike the first 7 to 8 miles, then my IT band seemed irritated (if I am diagnosing a fairly new discomfort properly...) so I eased back and coasted a little more flat footed, or even heel-toe.  I think that my lower legs tense up a little when I'm running on my toes (toe-heel-toe) - I'll need to work on this.

I did walk barefoot yesterday for a few miles (family walk) and two of my daughters joined me in this - Sierra (7 yr old) the whole time and Nikell (2 yr old who loves shoes) for little stints when she wasn't in the wagon...

Ran to Track (1.85 miles), then 2 miles barefoot, 1 with shoes, then ran home.

7.2 1:00:18 152hr total

1.85 15:53.4 147 to track

1/4 mile times (barefoot) hr

2:19.9 141

2:18.5 151

2:18.8 147

2:21.0 145  9:18.2-mile

2:20.0 145

2:14.9 149

2:13.4 150

2:11.6 150   8:59.9-mile

Shoes on...

2:02.0 143

1:59.6 152

1:59.7 155

2:01.2 155   8:02.2-mile

1:59.5 156

1:59.2 158

1.85 15:05.7 160 back home

8.2 miles 160/188hr 1:03:51

1.85 to track, 4 x 1/2 mile with 3/8 mile rest after each, 1 barefoot, then back home.

miles hr time pace 

1.85 152 14:06.7 7:38

.25 166 1:30.2 6:01

.25 179 1:26.5 5:46       .5 2:56.7 5:53.4

.375 153 3:37.6 9:40 recovery

.25 165 130.6 6:02

.25 181 1:24.9 5:39.6      .5 2:55.5 5:51

.375 159 3:35.9 9:36 recovery

.25 167 1:32.2 6:09

.25 183 1:23.8 5:35.2       .5 2:56 5:52

.375 161 3:39.5 9:45 recovery

.25 169 1:30.6 6:02

.25 184 1:24.4 5:38           .5 2:55 5:50

.375 162 3:37.5 9:40 recovery

barefoot

.25 149 2:14.5 8:58

.25 155 2:13.0 8:52

.25 155 2:13.0 8:52

.25 154 2:13.0 8:52

shoes back home

1.85 161 14:37.7 7:54

1/2s - 2:56.7, 2:55.5, 2:56, 2:55 !!!!!!!!!

Took the family camping - it was the last day of school for the elementary so Sierra wanted to do something special...  So no running today.

12.6 1:33:08 170/177  Ran up the canyon 6.3 miles, then turned around.  Because my wife was gone, I couldn't run early, so I made pancakes for breakfast, ate 7, then my wife returned with chocolate milk!  Then she left with the kids.  So, with a full stomach, I decided it was time to run.  Considering everything that was inside, I think it went well!

(Miles) Time Hr (Pace)     (if not 1 mile)

1.8 13:27.2 158 7:28

8:00.8 172

7:41.4 173

7:33.1 173

7:31.2 172

0.5 3:42.1 170 7:24.2  Tailwind kicked in (which was a headwind when I turned around.

Turn around at Gueniva-Malibu Campground

0.5 3:54.9 171 7:49.8

7:37.4 170

7:25.5 170

7:10.7 170

6:35.8 173

1.8 12:26.9 174 6:54.9

Ran to the track, took off the shoes and developed a love for blisters!

7.7 149 1:04:38

(miles) hr time (pace)   (if not a mile)

1.85 144 14:57.5 8:05

barefoot

148 8:39.1

151 8:37.5    I switched directions after this mile, realized that my calves were a little tight - so I tried allowing my heel to land a little sooner (like Saturday's run).  My heart rate dropped (1 bpm) and my pace picked up (1-2 seconds per lap)

151 8:33.7

150 8:25.0

shoes back on

1.85 153 15:25.5 8:20

lap times and hr  (all laps were just over 2 minutes, so add that to the seconds below)

14.5 139

9.7 148

5.8 153

9.1 151

9.3 151

10.6 149

9.0 152

8.6 153

Turn around

9.2 154

7.8 150

9.0 150

7.7 149

6.1 150

7.5 150

6.8 150

4.6 149

 The blisters aren't that big of a deal, a little tender, but I should have plenty of time to heal before the marathon Saturday.

3.1 miles 161/176 21:54.9 

Basketball tonight, but I thought I'd put in a few miles anyway.  Then I had time to make my family whole grain buttermilk waffles and buttermilk syrup!

3.8 166 25:58.2   Short run up the canyon and back (a bit of a taper prior to the marathon this Saturday

1.9 160 13:32.0  (7:18 pace)

1.9 173 12:06.2  (6:22 pace)

Obviously these would both be great marathon paces for me...but 3.8 miles is barely 1/7th of the way :(

5.2 159/174 38:51.5

1.85 to the track.  1.5 (6 laps with 7x100 strides). 1.85 back home.  Light rain, around 50° - nice!

1.85 148 14:01.8 (7:35 pace)

.25 157 1:46.9 - 1 stride

.25 165 1:41.6 - 2 strides

.25 166 1:49.8 - 1 stride

.25 166 149.9 - 1 stride

.25 167 1:40.6 - 2 strides

.25 164 1:59.5 - 0 strides

1.85 166 14:04.5 (7:36.5 pace)

1.9 157/169 14:08.1

.95 151 7:42.3

.95 164 6:25.8

I ran this in a completely different type of shoe that I purchased after the Ogden Marathon (4 weeks ago) in an attempt to switch to barefoot/minimalist shoes.  So this was my first run longer than 12.6 miles since the marathon and in my new shoes - next shoes will be Vibram 5-Fingers!

My goal was to beat the average of my marathons (not including Running From an Angel) of 3:39:12 but I really wanted to beat 3:30 and PR.  It was also a test to see if running marathons 4 weeks apart allows enough recovery time for me, though one could argue that I didn't give it my all in Ogden, since my negative split seems to indicate that I rested the first half.  As a side note, I tried to predict my best possible finish (I came up with something just over 3:28:42) using target heart rate goals, with times per mile starting something like 9:00, 8:40, 8:30, 8:20, 8:10, 8:00, 7:55... finishing most in 7:50 (nothing special, just seemed doable) with my heart rate eventually climbing to 166 in the first 13 miles, then 169-170 in the next 7, 173 after that, and maybe 181 for the final mile, with 167 being the overall average.  I told my wife that 3:28 was the best possible finish.  I was off this after the first mile.

Boring Details (not to me)

26.2 168/185 3:27:06 7:54.27 pace

0.2 154 1:56.6 9:43 pace (the mile markers count down from 26.2 so the first split is at 26 to go)

8:09.9 163 (clearly faster than I had planned, so I thought, "If I do 8 minute miles from her on out, I'll finish at 3:30!")

7:47.8 164 (wasn't supposed to hit this for quite a few miles)

7:52.1 164

8:00.6 164

8:08.2 165

8:05.9 165

7:54.6 165 (at least my heart was following the plan!)

7:51.2 164 (somebody passed me - from my age division I later found out)

7:56.0 165

7:44.1 163

8:13.2 165

7:58.2 163

7:35.7 167 (half marathon time was 1:44:21)

7:50.2 166 (I passed him back, as well as two others, now for the tall man in white shirt)

7:40.8 170 (heart rate went up sooner than expected, but pace didn't change much?)

7:24.1 171

7:47.8 170 (my wife drove by with the kids, turned around stopped and cheered!)

7:43.1 171 (heart rate is still higher than expected)

7:54.8 170 (my family - bros/sis, dad, G-parents - was cheering from up above at Sweet Water Cabin (trailer) Park)

7:54.0 170 (time to boost the HR)

8:01.9 172

7:49.4 173

8:14.0 171 (oh no! I'm slowing down, but have passed a lot of the Halfers...We started at 6:48, they started at 7:40.  I can also still see the man in white, as well as a women in orange that is just ahead of him, and they're also passing people)

8:06.0 173 (I need to pick it up, though I passed two women who placed 2nd and 3rd overall in the women's)

7:42.8 178 (Caught the man in white!  It turns out he is a co-worker who has run Boston, and beat me by a minute in Ogden.  I also passed the women in orange - 1st place female overall)

7:43.2 178 (sprinted after the turn into the park!  Second half was 1:42:45 - negative split!!!  Final 10k was 49:16 - 7:56.77 pace)

If I had finished 26 minutes sooner, I would have been 1st in my AG and 2nd overall!  I'm not sure what my place was overall, they haven't posted times on the internet.

My knee is sore (I've had knee problems since the 8th grade - running has helped a lot, though the races are tough on them, as well as running in the morning if I haven't been training much.)  I had been taking glucosamine for the last 1.5 years, but thought that a true test of barefoot theories would include ditching the glucosamine, so I haven't taken any since the day of the Ogden Marathon.

Official results have posted.  I could have placed 1st (1:26:25) or 2nd (1:34:38) overall if I had run the half.  Oh well!

Light jog, barefoot - slow, on the road.

1.9 146/160 18:38.1 total

.95 143 10:04.9 (10:37 pace)

.95 149 8:33.2 (9:00 pace)

My knee is feeling a little better!

3.1 151 hr 27:03 barefoot!  Still recovering from the marathon, so I took it a little slow.  I may have gone a little too far for my soft feet - 2 new blisters.  The 4 from last week are toughened skin though!

3.1 158/168 23:45  Played basketball last night, knee feels fine - maybe not 100%, but close enough.  This is the longest that my quads have been sore, they're still a little stiff.

8 168/177 57:38.6 total (7:12 pace)  Up the Canyon to Zanavou (sp?) and back

1.8 154 13:52.1 (7:42 pace)

170 7:51.5

172 7:35.1

.2 170 1:35.2 (7:56 pace) - turn around

.2 169 1:32.5 (7:43 pace)

172 6:45.1

174 6:20.2

1.8 174 12:07.7 (6:44 pace)

Knees feel good.  Pace felt good, maybe a little pushed, but overall a nice run.  Made buttermilk pancakes (best yet) for the family...I think they like waking up to hot breakfast, even if they don't like waking up!

2 158/168 16:13.3 Barefoot!

155 8:49.6 Headwind, uphill (a little)

162 7:23.7 Tailwind, downhill (a little)

Should have gone to bed earlier last night, but I was waiting for bread to rise and cook...1:30 am.

13.6 1:39:11 166/175 7:18 pace.  Up the canyon and back.  I wanted my pace for the 1st half faster than my previous marathon pace (7:54) and for the 2nd half I wanted my pace faster than BQ pace (7:17)...

144 8:09.9

0.8 157 6:02.5 (7:33 pace)

164 7:58.6

168 7:37.4

165 7:38.1

2 168 14:57.7 (7:29 pace) turn around - 52:24.2 (7:42 pace for 1st half of run)

168 7:05.0

170 6:57.0

169 6:55.1

170 6:46.5

169 6:36.2

0.8 170 5:30.5 (6:53 pace)

171 6:57.0 - 46:35 (6:51 pace for 2nd half)  There were times in the 2nd half that I felt like I was taking a rest, so mentally I thought I needed to push, but my HR and times were pretty good.  At one time I felt like my legs were tired and it was too far to run this early after the marathon, but it was during the second fastest mile.

After, I made buttermilk pancakes, but I didn't have sour cream so I used strawberry Yoplait - delicious!  Then we drove over the mountain to Eden to get Vibram Five Fingers!!!

Finally, a V5F report!

8.2 154/176 1:01:20 (7:29 pace)

NB-790

1.85 144 14:28.5 (7:49 pace) warm up on the way to LHS track

Vibram 5-Fingers!

.25 131 2:09.2

.25 146 2:01.0

.25 150 1:59.0

.25 153 1:54.1 warm up mile in new shoes! (8:03.3)

.25 159 1:47.2

.25 161 1:39.9

.25 167 1:37.9

.25 169 1:37.5 tempo mile (6:42.5)

.25 157 1:57.7

.25 155 1:50.1

.25 158 1:49.9

.25 159 1:49.4 slower mile (7:31.4)

.25 164 1:41.1

.25 169 1:37.6

.25 172 1:35.7

.25 174 1:33.2 tempo mile (6:27.6)

Barefoot

.25 160 1:52.5

.25 162 1:44.8

NB-790

1.85 154 14:34.3 (7:53 pace) back home

I went to bed late - disappointing because I was excited to get up this morning to try out my new shoes.  But by 5:50, I just couldn't sleep any longer!  It was great.  After the 4 miles in the V5F and the 1/2 mile barefoot, I actually noticed the arch in my NB-790s while running home.  There seemed to be a strange bump in the middle of my foot! 

I thought about doing the full 8 miles in the V5Fs, but decided that I didn't want to push it too hard - I'm not sure how one develops plantars fasciitis, but that is what many non-runners seem concerned about.

B-Ball.  Wore the VFF to work!

5.2 158/183 38:35.1 (7:25 pace)

1.85 151 14:10.2 (7:40 pace) VFF to LHS Track

barefoot 0.25 miles each

152 1:47.3

166 1:42.5

168 1:42.6

170 1:42.7

176 1:29.6

181 1:21.6

1.85 159 14:38.4 (7:55 pace) VFF back home

Moutain Roads, mostly paved for the first run (NB-790s). 

8 157/178 1:07:05  (8:23 pace)

First half - downhill - 4 145 30:05 (7:31 pace)

Second half - uphill - 4 169 37:02 (9:16 pace)

Then my brother-in-law and sister-in-law wanted to go for a run.  Quite steep, up, then down, then turn around.  Wore the VFF, all dirt/gravel road - most distance at one time in these babies!

5.6 172/188 47:16.7

First half - 2.8 166 23:07.5 (8:16 pace)

Second half - 2.8 178 24:09 (8:38 pace)

My longest VFF run!  Same as Thursday's first run + 1.1 mile each half.

10.2 162/184 1:20:55 (8:06 pace)

2.5 151 18:32.6 (7:25 pace) mostly downhill

1.5 159 10:32.9 (7:02 pace) gentle downhill

1.1 163 8:20.1 (7:35 pace) - turn around 37:25.6 (7:20 pace)

1.1 161 8:20.9 (7:35 pace)

1.5 163 11:47.9 (7:52 pace) gentle uphill

2.5 171 23:21.0 (9:20 pace) mostly uphill 43:29.8 (8:32 pace)

In the 2.5 mile stretch, one 1.1 mile stretch averages over 10% incline...

7.5 160/183 57:45.0 (7:42 pace) up Logan Canyon

1.0 151 8:09.5

0.8 159 6:39.5  (8:19 pace) - nice headwind

1.0 161 8:54.2 - nice headwind

1.0 163 8:16.5 - headwind died down - turn around

1.0 154 7:30.2 - slight tailwind

1.0 157 6:45.9 - tailwind

0.8 166 5:10.1 (6:28 pace) - 6 0:25 strides with 0:25 in between

1.0 172 6:19 - 3 0:25 strides with 0:25 in between followed by 1/2 mile in 3:00.

Saturday must have been a killer, my calves were so tight!

The training schedule calls for 8.7 miles today, but I've found that running that far the same day as I play basketball does a number on my knees.  So...

4.0 160/177 30:01.9 total

1.875 151 14:11.2 (7:34 pace)

0.25 165 1:42.4 (6:50 pace)

1.875 168 14:08.2 (7:32 pace)

Evening - Basketball 1:30