Relentless

late morning - 6 Green Springs from PVHS. Sneaked out and got a run in. Hooray for me. (Landreth 445.7) These shoes are probably about done. In fact I have about 3 pair I should officially retire.

evening - 8.7 Chuckwalla trail run from store w/ club. Good run. Just sat back a relaxed with it. I didn't want to burn myself for Saturday. No weights today. (Cumulus red 375.15)

afternoon - 10.5 Junction through Coral Canyon.  A nice run out to the junction.  Weather is still perfect and my running is going well.  I was so pumped up by the reports of Sean, Paul, and Logan about NY that I had to real myself in more than once.  (precision 35.65)

morning - ran .3 down to parents' to watch part of the Oly Trials before I caught my ride out to Springdale.  4.2 warm up in Springdale - felt ready for the race, had good goals in mind.  But stomach was churning, I had some issues because I had eaten a steak for lunch on Friday (not a smart idea - steak eats me up).  Was ready to race, then I found out the race didn't start for another hour.  So I went back and sat in the car and when it came time I ran another mile to rewarm up.  (Landreth 451.2)

I am still very displeased about the race.  Here's how it went:  Wanted to hit the first 3 miles all about 4:50 or so, it is quick, but the first half is nice gradual downhill and quick - then the 2nd half makes up for it.  Tony Jones (former WAC champion at Utah State and a runner I worked with at Hurricane) was my only competition, but he said he was just going to run 6's - I knew that was bull.  So I take off and gain the lead from Jose and others at about 1/3 mile, but it just wasn't flowing right.  Mile 1 came in at 5:05 - I didn't stress, I figured I could make it up okay on mile 2 (it is the fastest).  Mile 2 5:01 - okay I lied I can't make it up.  Well maybe the time won't be quite there, but I'll get a win and still hit decent.  Mile 3 5:18 - I hear Tony yell behind me, "Here I come Holt."  And he just zooms right by me, with only a brief slow down for me to yell at him.  I just let it go here.  My stomach was all over, and I pretty much just started looking for a place to use the restroom.  Mile 4 5:46 - big hill on this mile, but I should have been at 5:20.  Mile 5 5:31 - Here I should have dropped back to low 5:00's, and if I would have I would have easily caught Tony, he really wasn't running awesome; he didn't have to the guy chasing him sucked! Mile 6 5:30 - became content with where I was and just ran it in.  Finish (.11 on the Garmin), but I was ringing later and later on each mile :33 (5:26 pace) - stumbled around all the walkers and got done. (Ohana 141.9)

Ran back up the course and finished with some of my xc girls (Cumulus orange 397.3)

Well - not happy with the race, my time, my effort, my place.  I said I would do any more 10K's when I finished.  I guess I shouldn't be so upset - I hit a course PR by 1 minute over last year, but that is not what I want, to be competitive at local races, I want to dominate local races and take it to the next level; and this race did not move me in that direction.

Had a good week's mileage and workouts.  Race didn't turn out to well, however.

Goals for next week: Increase mileage up to 87, get a good Tempo workout in on Tues., and lift twice this week.  Be happy.

AM - 7.15 Green Spring. A little easier to get up this morning because of the time change. Nothing to thrilling on the run. Just did it. (Paramount 262.8)

afternoon - 8 Washington Parkway from PVHS with Austin and Kimz.  These two smoked it - ave was 6:45 for the whole run.  Then weights.  And finished with 2 cool down on DI. (Precision 45.65) 

AM - 5 on treadmill @ 1%. 1/2 mile warmup and then just hit it at 7:30, didn't have a lot of umph and could tell I needed to keep it easy. (Cumulus red 380.15) Weighed 149.5 this morning.

afternoon - after getting my daughter tracked down after she ran away from school (1st grader) went out on a 9 miler with 6 tempo out and back to Middleton.  Started with the extension and then went out toward Middleton.  Had trouble warming up, muscle-wise, and wasn't sure if body was ready to hit a tempo.  Decided to get into after crossing Green Spring light at 2.75.  This would mean Tempo for the next 2 out and back and a hard section up FireStation Hill and back toward my house for the final two miles.  Started off just getting into it through Middleton (part gentle down/gentle up - 6:00; Then the next mile was mostly (.8) up Middleton Heights - 6:30 a little slow, but pretty decent climb; Then turned around and back down MH - 5:38 used the hill, but legs were loosing it; Back on the gentle roll of Middleton and across the intersection - 6:00 I felt pretty spent, my legs felt like Paula Radcliff's looked at the end of NY; Slowed for just a second and then told myself I wasn't going to give in yet and would go at least the next 1/2 mile to the base of FS.  When I got there I decided I should finish the 5th mile off - 6:30, was at 6 until the hill; Figured this last tempo mile was more moderate with just a few climbs so I should finish it off - 6:18 not great for a tempo mile, but at least I tried it; Finished off with whatever mileage was left around the extension.  Not a very good tempo workout.  It was probably too soon after the 10K, but I am glad I did it.  Lately I have been giving into my fatigued legs and mind, so I am glad I at least kept pushing today.  (Precision 55)

AM - 7.15 Green Springs. Not as hard getting up this morning which is always nice. Run was pretty slow - no watch - I could still feel some of the last week in my legs. (Paramount 269.95)

afternoon - 12 River Trail to DC.  Forgot watch today which was probably good.  It allowed me to just run how I felt, a bit tired, and not worry about trying to hit some pace or negative splits which I have done the other 2 times I ran this.  Construction on rebuilding the trail where it washed out because of the floods is in full gear as I had to dodge multiple tractors and diesels.  (Cumulus silver 187.05)

AM - 5 Washington Loop - backwards. Temps are nice, pace was easy, life is good. (Cumulus orange 402.3)

afternoon - 1.5. .75 warmup around PVHS fields and then weights, followed by .75 cool down.  (Landreth 452.7)

evening - 9.5 Club run Sunbrook.  Got off to a quick start with Hayden and Austin (Those high schoolers are always pushing the pace).  Then got comfortable.  Made sure Jeff was in sight and knew where he was going, then went with Steve.  Hayden was long gone, so Steve and I got a pretty decent pace going and ended with a couple 6:00 miles.  (Paramount 279.45) 

AM - 5 Washington Loop. Nice little run. Made it through the whole week getting up! Tomorrow is supposed to be 15, but I am not sure how I'll do it with our run-a-thon. Last year I just ran a bunch with the kids and hit 10 or so. (Cumulus 482.05)

afternoon - 10 Junction.  Took it out nice and relaxed and just had a good solid run.  Ran in new Asics Stratus that Steve ordered for me.  Felt good: light, cushiony, and quick.  (Stratus 10). 

throughout day - 18 on PVHS track.  It was our cross-country run-a-thon fundraiser, and I made a goal to run 3 miles with each group each time they ran (so 6 times x 3 miles).  The pace varied; sometimes I was cranking out low 5:00's and other times I was able to relax a bit and hit mid 7:00's.  The hard part was the start and stop.  Usually I had about 1 1/2 rest between and it started to play havoc on me.  By the last few sets, my right knee was swelling and in a bit of pain.  The limp and pain and swelling has stayed with me.  Team got 110 3/4 miles in ( just short of last years 112), but we have a bigger team with more of a range in skill as well.  We had fun and made some money.  (Precision 73)

Ran more miles than I was supposed to this week, and I wonder if that added to the issues with my knee.

Goals for next week:  get my knee feeling better, even if it costs me some running time.

Nothing this morning. I was even up-an-at-'em. So that wasn't the issue, but my knee was. It is still swollen and has a bit of pain in it at certain movement. I left my stuff at home so I didn't try something crazy after school. Then I'll decide tonight if the knee is feeling well enough to go out or not. I know it needs time off, but it is hard to lose those miles. Better a day or two now than a month or more later I guess.

Went to bed thinking I would be running, but when the alarm went off, and I got up, knee was still tight and swollen.  The pain was reduced, however.  Nonetheless, I decided to keep off it for a little longer and re-evaluate this afternoon.  Injuries suck.

AM - 5 Washington Loop. Decided if my knee felt at least as good as last night I would go out and give it a try in the morning. Got up and the knee felt pretty good. As I started off, and throughout the run, it felt very pudgy - kind of a squishy fat feeling. But for the most part it was okay. Then halfway into the run, a sharp pain developed on the inside of the knee and I wished I was close to home, so I could stop. Trying to loosen it, I did a butt-kick and that sent a very sharp pain all the way through me, so no more of those. The knee pain lasted for another mile; then I let my mind wander off and when I came back, the pain was gone. Iced and ib after. Now it feels just a small amount of swelling type of discomfort. I don't know if I'll go out this afternoon or not - if so it will be short, no more than 5. (Stratus 15)

evening - 5.15 Warm Springs and then down to ball fields for 1 mile barefoot grass.  Knee felt pretty decent this evening.  Not much pudginess and very little discomfort.  I wasn't sure if I should go run barefoot or not - I thought it might help align me a little, but I worried about the unsure footing of the grass.  I decided to; when I got there I interrupted someone's little session out in the middle of the field.  It reminded me of a time in high school - during a race at Dixie HS I led the pack down into Snow Park and there was a middle age couple doing their thing right next to the course (I could have reached out and kicked them), but they didn't seem to mind the distraction and kept on keepin' on.  For me, it was all the more reason to run fast and get out of there!  Anyway... the barefoot running was good once my feet were thoroughly frozen due to the wet grass.  (Paramount 283.6) 

AM - 5 on treadmill at 1%. Warmed up for 1/2 mile and then kept it just at 7:30 for the next mile and a half. The knee was feeling pretty decent and warmed up, so I took it down to 6:58 and finished out the next three. I will keep the miles pretty low the rest of the week and not lift tonight and hopefully all will feel back to normal next week. (Precision 78)

evening - 7 St. George Running Center Club run down trail through Dixie Downs and back up by Snow Canyon High School and onto trail and back.  Run was okay.  Here and there my knee was giving me problems.  I didn't push any parts.  (Cumulus silver 194.05) 

AM - 7.15 Green Springs. Slept in a little since almost all school is gone to the state football game, so no need to show up early - anyway, got going and run went well. My knee pain hasn't been showing up until the last section of the run. I don't know if that is good or bad. Headed up to Provo for Pre-Foot Locker this afternoon. (Precision 85.15)

PM - 5 in Orem.  Around UVSC and then into Orem a little.  Knee was still there.  (Stratus 20) 

AM - 7 up pass University Mall into Provo and turn around just pass the Provo River Trail. Still felt some twinges in the knee and decided to take the evening off after getting home from the race. (Stratus 27)

Knee is feeling 100% yet that's for sure, but the couple days off did help a bit.

Goals for next week: once again, get my knee better.  Play it safe and smart.  Get some good runs in and bring the total for the week up if my knee lets me.  Don't freeze in SLC.  Eat a lot of turkey! 

AM - 5 Washington Loop reverse. Made it out of bed and ran slowly around town. With about a mile left I realized how slow I was going and picked it up a little - very little. Knee felt pretty decent today after 48 hours rest. (Cumulus red 385.15)

afternoon - 8 River Trail Loop, but stuck to the road as they are rebuilding the trail, and then came up Mall Drive.  Run was the best I've had since my knee started hurting.  With no effort at all, the whole run was under 7:00 and a couple downhill miles were at 6:00.  Pain was very minimal and only occasionally.   (Stratus 35)

Then  weights (very light on the leg lifts) and 2 miles cool down. (Landreth 454.7)

AM - 5.75 Dogpound from home. Took a lot of effort to get out of bed this morning. But it always feels a lot better once you do and are done. Run was pretty decent. Took my watch to measure, and it gave me an opportunity to see how slow I run in the morning. Pretty dark out , I should probably get some sort of light so cars don't kill me. Knee pain was again very minimal. I am going to try a little longer run this afternoon. (Cumulus silver 199.8)

afternoon - 14 Fields.  I made a stupid mistake and wore my cumulus for a shorter run this morning and Precision for a longer run this afternoon.  I like the precision a lot, but I could feel the pounding by the end of the run today.  Other than that, run was pretty good, however.  I was a bit fatigued by around 8 or so and just kind of held on to it.  Did really push at any part of the run, it was more of a see if the knee can handle it run.  And for the most part, it did well.  A couple of times, I felt a slight twinge for about a 1/4 mile or so, but it faded as my mind wandered.  (Precision 99.15) 

AM - 13.15 Wendy's and Green Springs.  Did get to sleep in until a quarter to 6 this morning - nice!  But I also had to get a little longer run in since it is a travel day and I don't think I will want to run when I get up to SLC tonight.  So I thought I could do my own little uneventful 1/2 today, and it went alright.  Less fatigue than yesterday, but for about 1 1/2 miles around mile 9 (up in Green Springs) my hips were tired, it slowly went away however.  Also, very very little knee pain.  I don't quite dare say, "no pain," yet, but it is feeling better.  I need to make sure I keep icing even being out of my normal running routine this weekend.  I ran the course in 1:36 which is nothing special, but I made sure I never looked at my watch for anything other than distance; I did not care at all how fast/slow I went.  (Stratus 48.15)

Everyone have a great Thanksgiving!  Be grateful for your family, your health, and your love of running! 

morning - 9 SLC - up onto Danish and Creek Road and then back around to Fishers'.  Run went very well for a nice easy run.  Pace was comfortably easy but still right at 7:00; no knee pains (even after waking twice with knee in pain last night); wasn't deadly cold (but still 25); and I enjoyed the scenery.  (Cumulus Silver 208.8)

evening - 5.1 Sego Lily Loop.  Turkey and Gravy vs. my guts.  The winner... it was a draw.  Somehow made it through the run even though pretty much all of Thanksgiving wanted to come back out.  Good solid hill running. (Paramount 288.7)

mid morning - 11.05 Wasatch. Pretty and pretty slow run. Didn't have a lot of juice - I think the hills of the benches are wearing me out a little; they are relentless. So I just tried to enjoy the scenery of my favorite run in the area. Knee had a little bit of an ache, and it was a little more sustained than the last day or two - iced it up, stretched, and sticked like always. (cumulus silver 219.85)

evening - 5.25 Sego Lily reverse (with a missed turn for a little extra). Decided to run the run in the opposite direction of usual hoping it would be a little easier hill-wise - it was. No knee pains on this run. Just kind of went through the motions. Ready for a decent run tomorrow and to be done for the week. (Paramount 293.95)

mid-morning - 18.5 Wasatch/Cottonwood Heights/Ft. Union/Dimple Dell.  It has been a little while since I ran a long run (probably since the SGM) and I had kind of forgotten how it treats you.  I did okay, however, it was just pretty slow.  Weather wasn't too chilly especially once the sun came up over the mountains - forgot to write about the awesome moon rise I watched last night as I finished up my run.  Hips were a little sore here and there, but the knee treated me alright.  I have officially earned my pink polka-dot jersey (Cyclers know what I mean) and am ready to head back to SoUT.  (Cumulus silver 238.3)

Met my biggest goal this week which was to get decent mileage in with the knee feeling good.  Also ran some good hill workouts - although not by choice - and hit a long run.

Goals for next week: Establish 100 mile weeks for the next few and get back into the swing of things for tempo runs.   

AM - 7.15 Green Springs. Back at it again. Woke up good, and weather was nice. Run went smoothly with only minor tightness in the knee. (Precision 106.3)

afternoon - 12 River Trail to DC and back. Run was going well with splits around 6:45-50 on the way down. Turned around and headed back and then realized I was supposed to be hitting some Tempo miles, so I got speed up and then hit the lap button. First was 5:48 - pretty good on the 2% steady incline back up the river. Then I hit a 6:09 which included a short but steep hill to connect back to Riverside Dr (I did notice that the trail may be finished, however. And I am going to go explore to see on Weds.) At this point I wanted to stop, but decided to keep it moving as best as possible. On Riverside the uphill continued and my time slipped more; until the last .2 when it evened out and I brought it back down to 6:09 again. Here I decided to go until I hit the big climb back up 2450 to PVHS - I thought it might be about .75 miles - was about right, so I pushed up the hill to hit the full mile (since I was actually supposed to do 5 tempo miles and this would only make 4) and hit it in 6:11. Wasn't the best Tempo run ever, but I did it and got the legs moving, lungs breathing, and heart racing. I am not as fast as I was a couple months ago, but that is okay. I'll keep the mileage steady near 100 and start bringing in a little more tempo. (Stratus 60.15). Then weights (took leg lifts a little higher, but still less than usual) and 1.5 more miles of cool down (cumulus 483.55)

AM - 5 Washington Loop. Nice run. A little sore from not using the stick after yesterday's workout like usual. (Cumulus red 390.15)

afternoon - 9 GS/PL/Middleton.  Hadn't been out on the trail in a while; it was nice.  Unfortunately, I had developed a pinched nerve in my back throughout the day and it was giving me a lot of problems.  As I started the run with Ruth I wasn't sure I was going to be able to go too far - but it actually started to loosen up a little throughout the run.  (Paramount 302.95) 

afternoon - 10 River Trail.  New section of the trail is finished (hooray).  Run was tough; I was very tired and tight.  Stopped on the way back and stretched for a few minutes and things started to feel better just as I finished up.  (Cumulus silver 248.3)  Then 6 x barefoot grass striders.  I have really got to get these back into the weekly routine.  My hips felt off and painful.

evening - 5 treadmill @ 1%.  Needed to hit my 5 from this morning (back was hurting so bad last night I couldn't sleep - so when I finally fell asleep, I slept in).  Took it easy at only 7:30 and just tried to relax.  (Cumulus orange 407.3) 

mid morning - 5 Mall Run. I have been very tired lately, and once again I couldn't get up - I can't be so lazy about it and need to just do it. So I sneaked off during my prep and got a quick 5 in. (Precision 111.3)

evening - 12.1 Club run down SC Parkway Trail to Ivins and back.  Came in with a very negative attitude (not about running, but about life), but the run helped me think about a few things (not to be such a moron and to get rid of my wo-is-me attitude).  Started off with the large group (16 or so runners).  Chatted with Steve for awhile and then ran with Ken for awhile.  Then found myself alone as everyone headed back.  Planned on going 5.5 out, but had to extend to the church to find a restroom and suddenly Hayden was there.  Planned on coming back at a progressive tempo (2 at 6:30, 2 at 6:00, 2 at 5:45).  Hit 6:29 and 6:20 with Hayden then he fell back after working hard to catch up in the first place.  Then went 5:58 and 5:55.  The last two were the last rolling mile of the trail and then the incline up to the store, hit a 5:52 and 5:50 (was pleased because on flat these times would be under 5:40).  Felt good to move a little and enjoy a run.  (Stratus 72.25)

AM - 5 on Washington Loop. Slept good and woke up easy this morning - very nice. Run was slow and relaxed, just what I wanted. Not as cold out because of the cloud cover. (Precision 116.3)

afternoon - 10 I'll just call this the Mud Run.  It had been raining for hours and hours straight, so at first I thought about avoiding any dirt.  But the more I got going the more fun it sounded.  So I went out from PVHS on the Parkway 8 miler, then instead of dropping under the freeway, I went up tortoise fence road and across on to the golf course and back.  The mud was amazing.  For about 4 miles every step I took was an adventure.  I was slipping and my shoes were attempting to be sucked off.  My legs were absolutely covered in mud.  It felt like I was in some extreme cross-country race; it was awesome.  (Paramount 312.95)