Relentless

afternoon - 10 River Trail. Pretty slow. I've decided to just finish out the weeks with 10's on Friday and Saturday and no doubles. Maybe that will help freshen me up a bit. (Landreth 112.5)

AM - 10 Wendy's. Run went much better this morning. I think my legs are starting to freshen up a bit. (Cumulus blue 170)

Nothing - Too lazy, tired, and sick from Olive Garden to make myself get up.  Oh well... no big deal this week.

AM - 8 Middleton. Run went very well this morning. Best run I've had since before being sick. Didn't time it, but from the clock at home, the 8 was in about 55 minutes - not the most stellar thing in the world, but I just felt very good. (Stratus red 300)

afternoon - 12x200's.  Started with 1 1/2 mile warmup and then got into the workout.  I didn't really have a clear goal going into it (which is never a good thing), but I hadn't done 2's in ... forever (?) so I just wanted to do as many as I could at a quick pace.  I soon found that I really don't have a quick pace anymore!  But I ran them as hard as I could.  Pretty much they were 34's with a couple 33's and then a couple 35's toward the end; then the wind really picked up and slowed me to 36's on the last two - with a 200 jog (1 minute approx.) between each one.  It was pretty difficult.  But a good 10K style workout as far as the demands on the body go.  Ended with another 1 1/2 of grass loops.  (Precision 345.2)

AM - 10 Wendy's. Solid run. Didn't feel as good and smooth as yesterday - obviously from beating myself up on the track. However, I did run at a faster pace even though I didn't wear a watch (the clock said right around 1:10 for the run). (Cumulus blue 180)

afternoon - 4 Old Car. Easy run with the boys team getting them ready for Region tomorrow and Thurs. I think they will all do well (boys and girls). They are very prepared, just need to be mentally tough. (Cumulus red 513.5)

morning - 12 Fields Loop.  Slept in a little today before having to go set up for Region track.  Run was okay.  Again didn't time it, just trying to enjoy being out running and build it easily through May to get ready for a great summer.  Both knees have been giving me a few problems.  Left knee - behind the knee like in the tendons or something; right knee - inside the knee.  I have noticed that I am walking around like an old man lately.  (Stratus 407.65)

AM - 8 Green Springs with a few extensions to make it hit the 8. An enjoyable run with some light sprinkles and then a couple nice cloud bursts. It is always fun to run in the rain because we have so little of it. My legs were mighty sore at first, but quickly moved out of it and the run was another good one. I guess I would say I am starting to come back from the sickness, marathon, and post-marathon blues. (Landreth 120.5)

afternoon - 10.5 GS/PL/WT Loop. Hadn't been up in the desert for a long time. There were a ton of flowers and cacti in bloom - is was very cool. Had a good run and enjoyed it. (Cumulus red 524)

Got to Kanab, after hitching a ride with Bill and Kendrick, in perfect time to get packet, catch a ride up to the start and get in a good warmup. Problem was, once we got to the start, we weren't allowed to run on the road to warmup. So we ran about 20 little circles around this parking lot to get a 1.5 warmup in and that was enough for all of us - maybe not our bodies, but for our sanity! It didn't look like any competition was there and that was quickly confirmed as the race started and Bill and I were about 50 meters up after about 100 meters! 1-5:21 Just really eased into it. Probably should have pushed this mile a lot quicker to hit my goal time. But I felt like just easing into it. I imagine this was probably a sub 5 mile on a hard race day. 2-5:03 This mile was also a pretty easy mile and even the 5:03 was smooth, but I was into race mode now. 3-5:19 For a course that is supposed to be downhill, I wasn't expecting this. Mile 3 and almost all of mile 4 were a gradual, not killer - but slowing you down, uphill; so I was proud that I was moving along pretty well. Luckily I didn't need any water or anything; they were barely set up and snagged me a water which would have come just in time had I wanted it (but this was probably the only snag - the race was really well managed and had great awards - except one thing, later - and quite the buffet of tasty fruits and drinks at the end - I would highly suggest more people run this race. Back to the report... 4-5:27 started to slow with the hill, but still trying to gut out a pretty good time. 5-5:26 course flattened out, but even though I was pushing, I knew I was quite a way up and the racers edge had gone even though I tried to trick myself into thinking I needed to gap somebody coming on me. 6-5:47 made the turn off the highway and into Kanab and the breeze that had been swirling and slowing me a little turned into a gale (no not SLC again!), at the same time I got a killer side-ache and about doubled over while facing the toughest section of the course (not killer uphill, but again steady climb). Lost some time here, but what can you do. .2-5:45(pace). Course measured very accurate on the Garmin (6.17). Bill came cruising in for a good 2nd and Kendrick a solid 5th overall.

Finished with a 3.25 cooldown. (Ohana 42.05) (Stratus 409.3)

Fun race, and I was pleased with how I did. Still room for improvement, but a good one overall. Glad to get the win and make it a Southern Utah race sweep for the Holt boys today (James won the Cotton Days 10K)!

Got a big ol' rock thing for first and a river trip down Catarack (sp?) Canyon outside of Moab ($1000 value), but I would rather have won the $200 they gave out last year. Not to be ungrateful, but to go on this, I would have to pay another $1000 for at least my wife to go (I thought it was a trip for 4, but I misunderstood). So if anyone out there is planning on taking a river trip contact me and I give you a good deal!

AM - 8 Green Springs with extensions. A little fatigued - not as good a run as last week. I will try and get a solid week in even with State Track. That means probably a little bit early in the week. (Landreth 128.5)

afternoon - 9.5. 2 mile DI loop with team to warm up. Then they did their 4's. After I did a big loop to get the legs moving again and went into my workout (200,400,600,800,1000 w/ equal jog distance to run between each). 200-33.45, 400-1:09 felt pretty good about the 2 and 4 but maybe overdid it a little and got pretty spent, 600-1:54, 800-2:39, 1000-3:25. Then I got home and did 2.5 more on the treadmill to finish the cooldown. (Stratus red 309.5)

I spent some time reading what I had done last year while I was in this phase because I feel like I am not doing very well right now. Unfortunately, I am right. Last year I was running quite a bit faster. 200's (sets of 10+) at 31 and 32's. 400's (sets of 12-16) at 1:16's. The turnover I used to have just isn't there anymore - even in just a year I feel it slipping.

afternoon - 12 River Trail.  Not the best of runs.  Started off with the boys team and they turned back after awhile.  Then I just kept trodding along.  Hopefully the end of two stressful and time consuming things (school and track) will get me mentally and physically back into the groove.  (Cumulus blue 192)

AM - 8 Middleton. Forced myself to get up. My mind and body just aren't into it right now. A change will be good. (Cumulus silver 472.62)

afternoon - 6.25 Foremaster with Austin and Jeffrey. It was pretty hot, and I am not used to it. (Stratus 415.55)

AM - 15 Fields run. Pretty nice run mostly because it is so nice to run in the mornings in SG in the Spring. Temps are perfect, little traffic, just really nice. To bad my running isn't as nice! But I think the longer run today and getting back into some longer ones will do me some good. (Landreth 143.5)

afternoon - 8.75 (I think) went with Austin from Lehi HS into American Fork and did a little tour of the area. A pretty nice little run. (Stratus red 318.25)

PM - 13.50 Lehi to near Point of the Mountain by way of Redwood and back through some fields. Actually not a bad little run. Pretty eventful however. Saw all sorts of wildlife, including 8 deer, a wretched pig farm, and rabid dogs that wanted to eat me alive. But it is always needed to go out and run after the first day of state track and just get away from it. Ruth did awesome and won the 1600, but then we had a couple disappointments - oh well, that's life. I probably won't get out tomorrow. (Stratus red 331.75)

2nd day of state track.  No run.

Goals for next week:  It is time to get real again.  I will be entering a Speed Phase for the next 1 1/2 months (an idea I have been toying with in my training for the past while).  Mileage for this phase will be between 85-100 with 2 days of hard speed stuff.  This is based upon what I guess might be called the Kenyan model where after a long base building period (this past winter) the athlete switches to a 6 week speed phase with 2 hard speed workouts/week then transitions into a marathon specific phase for about 8-10 weeks and then the taper.  This idea follows a lot of my own personal philosophy that to run a fast marathon you have to be able to run fast in the first place and then teach yourself to translate that into marathon specific running.  We'll see how it goes. 

AM - 10 Wendy's. Decent little run today. Let's see what happens today. (Cumulus silver 482.65)

afternoon - 6x400's. Warmed up (although I shouldn't need to use that phrase as it was 105 when I stepped out of school!) with the PVMS run 2.5. Got back to the school to see that our track was starting to get torn up - we are getting a new one this summer, and I guess there are getting started right away - so I ran as the grader stripped the layers of track up. As it was so hot (black track and artificial turf field probably made it well over 130 down on the track) I planned on just doing 6 or so. 1-1:15, 2-1:16, 3-1:18 then I got a quick drink and rest time went from 1:00 to 2:00 between 3 and 4, 4-1:15, 5-1:18, 6-1:22. The heat was pretty intense and although I think I could have probably made it up to 10 or so they would have all been 1:20 or so and I might have dropped on the track (I've had heat exhaustion, even heat stroke, too many times). So I figured that was enough and jogged 2 big loops to round out the 6 mile workout. Although the times weren't stellar, I felt better than the past few speed workouts. The legs felt more fluid, like they were actually eating up ground, instead of fighting every step. (Landreth 153.5)

Also ran in the pool for about 5 minutes (no watch/official time). I am going to do this throughout the summer, and I just wanted to see how it felt. I was difficult and got me breathing decently. I think I will get a better hand of the form as I practice it more. From now on, I will just label it as Pool Run - (time)5 min.

I just realized the 50K is this weekend not next so I changed a couple things around for the week, but no big deal - I am not really racing at all, just going for a 31 mile run!

Another side note: I tried on Hayden's toe-shoes (whatever they are called) at state track. They have an interesting feel. It would be nice to have a pair so as to not have to worry about stickers and stuff on the grass, but I need another pair of trainers first. So maybe someday.

AM - 8 Middleton. Not a bad little run, but I was a little sore from yesterday's speed in the heat and the swimming I did yesterday. (Stratus -8

afternoon - 8 Parkway. Another burner, but Austin and I decided to brave the heat. We carried water and hit all the fountains along the way. Now I feel a bit drained. Looking forward to cooler weather tomorrow. (Cumulus blue -8

Pool Running - 5 min. 

AM - 10 Junction. First time in a long time I ran out to the Junction. I was a bit tired and trashed. I am not sure if my hammies are wasted because of the heat or the pool running (I think a bit of both). (Stratus red 341.75)

early afternoon - 8 River Run. It was 10+ degrees cooler this afternoon than at 5:00 this morning! It was a much needed break. My legs are still pretty drained and sore. Running is fine, but it does scare me a little for this weekend's long run. (Cumulus red 532)

AM - 8 Green Springs w/ extensions. Very nice weather. Left knee has still been giving me fits, so I wintercrested and took some IB last night and this morning. No pain during the run. It is just after that it gets very tight and sore. (Cumulus blue 200)

evening - 7 Club Run. Hadn't been to club for a long time, so it was nice to catch up with Mike and Dustin. Everyone else ditched us. Worked on the legs with the massager for a long time when I got home to try and get the soreness out. (Stratus 422.55)

AM - 10 Wendy's. Another solid run - nothing great, nothing bad. Knee is feeling a little better, so is quad, need to stay on top of them though. (Stratus red 351.75)

afternoon - 5 Parkway. Temps were almost cold, very nice. At the end picked up the pace a little to try and beat the rain that finally showed up. (Cumulus blue 205)

AM - Holy crap... what a neat experience. This run was one of the reasons I love running. Up very early to hit the bus up to Central. We were told the rains had made the trail section a bit wet (but it turned out to not be bad at all). Also, the overcast skies made for some pretty dark running. The race organizers tried there best, however, by having a 4-wheeler right behind us, so we could see a little. A little chilly at the start, but not really too bad - low 40's. Race started off with a guy who I later learn is Shawn Martin (brother of Theo and Tim Martin, All-Americans from NAU and Page, AZ) and he is a pretty good runner in his own right, some other guy, and myself. My plan coming into the race, and throughout, was too make sure I DIDN'T race; instead make it a good long run, so I can run well throughout the next couple weeks of training and don't have to recover. So that thought dictated how I ran. About 4 miles into the race, we hit a series of masterful hills along the powerline trail going out of Central. The other guy had nothing on the hills and I just sat right behind Shawn. My mind, however, kept going back to racing since I was right with him, so I stopped at the aide station around 7 and took a gel and let Shawn pull away. As I got going again, I kind of closed the gap. I was having a lot of fun running on this trail/dirt road and subsequently closed the gap and found myself only 30 meters back. So at around 9 I stopped at the aide station and shot the breeze for a couple minutes with an old elementary teacher Mr. Empey. So now Shawn is way up and I can just relax. The views were amazing and the fog was just rolling off the hills. Coming off 12 and onto the paved section of the course, I once again caught Shawn who was going the shoe exchange (I didn't change shoes). So I pulled up on him by about maybe 20 seconds. At this point, I was just rolling down through toward Gunlock. I was caught by Shawn and we just settled into an awesome rhythm. We talked for probably 6 miles and the times just kept getting quicker - down to 6:00 (much quicker than planned). So I told Shawn to just keep on rolling and I held up at another aide station. Then I stopped up at the next one. It was kind of funny, the volunteers didn't understand why I was just stopping and talking and the leader was pulling away! Anyway after Shawn was long gone, I just kept it moving. Around 24 my parents were at the junction of the highway to Mesquite and Gunlock. I chatted with them for a minute and notice I was starting to tighten up, so on I went. The last section of the race is essentially the same as the River 1/2 that kind of ate me up last Sept. Although I was starting to tighten and lose it, I felt better about my running this time than then. The course had a little twist at the end with a loop around a few blocks to add the last mile that was kind of a pain. And at that time, I really just wanted to be done. But on a run this long, I think anyone would really just want to be done.

Finished up by meeting all my goals. I ran solidly, had a lot of fun, enjoyed the scenery, and I think I'll be able to bounce back next week (knock on wood). I entertained myself by singing random notes as I went down through the river bottoms around 23 when I was pretty bored, and had a victory cheer for myself w/ help from the volunteers at 27 when I told them I was now running the longest I ever had!

Today was the kind of day that I think could have been a pretty solid sub 2:30 day. I actually went through the marathon at 2:58 (and that included the much tougher/slower trail section). Fun stuff! (Landreth 184.5)

AM - 10.25 Millcreek Trail. Went down and got James and we ran up the trail to the highest water pump. The run was amazing. The temps were great and there was a light little sprinkle. No wildlife however. (Cumulus silver 492.9)

afternoon - 9 Coral Canyon by Grapevine Springs w/ 1 mile barefoot grass running at Highland Park.  Can't complain at all about these temps.  I wish every summer afternoon run was at 75 degrees, but it looks like it is all coming to an end soon.  (Cumulus red 540; most I have ever recorded putting on a shoe, it is still feeling good and holding up well) 

AM - 10.25 Washington Loop then joined James for Dogpound. Legs were a bit more tired today than yesterday. The whole run ave. was only 8:00. But that's what the legs had. (Cumulus blue 215.25)

afternoon - 6.65 Dino Tracks.  Still nice out, but starting to warm up.  Dip in the pool after was quite refreshing.  Still some residual fatigue in the legs. (191.15)

Pool Running - 10 minutes.  Earlier in afternoon, before afternoon run.  Twice as long as both other times.  Getting the hang of it.  Noticed that the faster I went, the more I stayed up on top of the water.   

AM - 10.1 Parkway with James and then Washington Loop with a little added up into Green Springs. Still feeling and running pretty slow. Hopefully it will start to come around a little by the end of the week. (Stratus red 361.85)

afternoon - 9.25 Grapevine Springs/West Ledge/Highland Park with 5 barefoot grass striders and another few laps around the park to hit 1.5 barefoot. A bit breezy which kept the temp very bareable. Legs seemed like they are about to break through the fatigue. (Cumulus blue 223)

Pool Running - 10 min. this afternoon 

AM - Washington Loop w/ James and then Sandberg's Pond. Although I am feeling a little less fatigued in the legs, I am very tired from the mileage this week. Subsequently, I still haven't broken an 8:00 min. ave. since the 50K. Kind of crappy, but it is coming around. (Stratus 431.6)

evening - 10.5 Club Run.  Although I didn't feel that fast (and actually it wasn't), this was the first run all week to go under 8:00 - 7:13 ave.  So that is a good sign.  (Cumulus blue 233.5) 

AM - 10.05 Chipman Hill w/ James and then around Urie to finish off the 10. Pretty sleepy tired this morning. Was mostly asleep on the run down to James'. (Landreth 201.2)

afternoon - 8.5 Highland via Prospector.  Ran naked, but ran this one a few weeks ago so I looked back at the mileage.  The spring wind we've had has really helped make the afternoon runs bearable even enjoyable.  (cumulus red 548.5) 

AM - 17.25 Snow Canyon/SGM run. Good group run this morning. Ran from store and climbed up through Snow Canyon then down the course back to the store. Ave was 7:13 again. So finally another one under 8:00. Logan was nice enough to just sit back with me as we watched the Bull pull away. Got some blisters on my left pinkie toe - not sure what happened there. But a good end to the week. Got some good solid mileage and at the same time let the legs recover from the 50K. (Stratus 448.85)

Goals for next week:  Hit mileage right at 100.  Bring in a couple speedier workouts with 300's on Monday and 800's on Weds.  to prep for the upcoming 10K / 1/2 marathon season.  Keep working my core exercises each day and do at least 3 days of pool running.