Relentless

AM - 4 Perry's.  Just wanted something a little different.  So took Twix up to a new subdivision on the other side of the freeway (I often extend the Parkway up here).  Turned out to be exactly 4.  So that's nice.  (Riders 483.75)

afternoon - 7.75 Panorama.  Easy 30 with the team around the middle school and such.  Did 8xbarefoot striders after.  Then got home and added 2.5 with Pyper through the North Desert.  (Barefoot '15 84.75)(Kinvara Green 395.25)

AM - 4 Perry's.  Took Twix up to the new little section we've been running.  Not a bad morning; still pretty chilly.  (Peg 690.75)

AM - 4 Perry's. Just cruised the neighborhood with Twix.

evening - 4 San Dimas. Ran an easy little shake out run through San Dimas... Something was amis at the Cirlce K! (Peg Blue 93.5)

morning - 3 Mt. SAC. ran the course with the team. Had a good run with Rob M. (Peg blue 96.5)

morning - 3 Mt. SAC. Didn't want to get up early to run, so just ran around the course a bit. Team ran pretty well today. A good trip and glad that the season ended well.

Made it through the week. Now I have to focus on teaching...

Goals for next week: get some good quicker runs in.

AM - 4 Perry's. Another morning run with the energetic dog. She really has learned to run pretty well, especially when it is just her and I. (Kinvara blue 313.5)

afternoon - 8.25 Dirt Mile. 5x1000. Started out with some awesome yoga for practice today... Small crew though. Ran up to the Dirt and got 3 for a warm. Then did 5x1000 at 3:08, :07, :06, :06, :09 just a touch quick (supposed to be 3:13) w/ 3 min rec. Felt good; enjoying running a little quicker. (Kinvara silver 533.75)

AM - 4 Twix. Dragging out of bed each morning. Not too cold lately. (Peg 694.75)

afternoon - 7 Hospital. Got in the weight room and am all swoll. 5 mins of elliptical while waiting for everyone to finish up. Then 7 miles out on the hospital loop. Actually felt pretty solid today. Might feel yesterday's workout and today's weights by tomorrow. (Peg black 438.75)

AM - 4 Bank.  Just up the road and back.  (Kinvara Grey 132.5)

afternoon - 5 Lower Grapevine.  Started off with a nice yoga session with Fiji and then a very chill recovery run out in the desert.  (Riders 488.75)

AM - 4 Twix.  Not too chilly at all this morning.  Going to school I saw a weird thing... In the SE sky there was a shooting-star like thing, except it was very slow moving and super bright.  It left a con trail about 3 inches long.  It was lit up real cool as the sun was just starting to put up some light.  I think it was probably a test missile like the one we saw a few years ago.  (Peg blue 100.5)

afternoon - 4 PV.  Slept in this morning; which is not a good starting point.  Then upon showing off my mad ultimate skills, I really twisted up my knee.  I would guestimate that it was some sort of sprain - researching let's me guess it is an LCL sprain; mild, but not totally cheese.  It hurt quite a bit and had no strength in it all after it happened.  Kind of a bummer.  (Peg black 442.75)

0 - Had planned a run with Steve and Logan.  I wasn't sure how I would do because my knee still hurt a lot throughout the evening and night.  In the morning when I got up, my first step it totally gave out and I nearly fell.  Decided it would be better to not run on it.  

Bummed about the end of the week; because the rest of it was good. 

It might take a little while to get this thing better.

afternoon - 3.5 Dirt Mile.  Took Twix up onto the Dirt to see how the knee would react.  It has been pretty painful over the weekend.  So I just took it easy and kept it short.  There really isn't a lot of pain while running, but it is very weak and wobbly.  It hurt quite a bit after and throughout the evening.  Probably won't be doing anything hard or long at all this week.  Also got a bit of a chest cold that is causing breathing issues.  (Peg black 446.25)

afternoon - 6 Trail to Nowhere.  Tyson and Mike came over last night and convinced me to run with them this afternoon.  So after setting the team up on Running2Win (sorry FRB'ers, but it has a lot of stuff that is very valuable from a coaching/team aspect) we went out.  I din't know how the knee would hold up.  It did okay; there was a bit a uncomfortableness and looseness in it throughout.  As big a problem was my breathing.  This cold I got has really settled into my lungs and made it tough to breathe at all.  (Riders 494.75)

afternoon - 5.5 DogPound.  After a yoga session, headed out with Mike and Tyson on DogPound.  They start off way to fast.  I told them that my main problem with college runners/programs is they think that everything has to be so fast... it doesn't folks, I promise.  Knee felt a bit better today.  I got a compression brace last night and wore it during the night and throughout the day.  It isn't very comfortable, but the compression seems to help a bit and give a little more stability and take some of the wobbliness out of the knee.  Really wasn't any pain during the run and less than before after the run.  (kinvara white 138)

afternoon - 6.5 Highland Trail.  Knee has been hurting quite a bit today, and there is some bruising that is finally starting to show.  Blah.  Went out and ran in the desert with Twix.  Went went to Lower Grapevine and then up the hill and made the Highland loop.  It was actually a pretty good run.  My knee hurts the least while running - but not after.  (Pace 207)

afternoon - 6 Trail to Nowhere. Didn't get tied with Tyson and Mike, bumma. But I did get all my grades tied up pretty quick. And at the bell headed out. Ran down 2450 to the River Trail and then up the T2N. Good run and kept the pace somewhat quick, 6:50. Knee was hurting a lot before the run and after. But like its been doing, it held up pretty good on the run. (Peg 700.75)

morning - 9.75 Sullivan Loop. Took Twix down to the river and ran the loop. Kinda wondered if I picked up the pace a bit how the knee would feel. So decided to try it out a little and it turned into a good steady state run. Did the tempo 6 miler between 6:05-6:15 pace, with a 6:25 up the Dam Hill (which, sadly, was quicker than a couple of the times this summer). Hopefully this helps me feel confident that I could go with a couple quicker workouts next week; although, the knee was in a ton of pain when I finished and kinda gave out a few times again. The big thing that bugs it seems to be catching it in some sort of sideways movement, but he forward motion of running isn't painful (but weak). (Peg blue 110.25)

Happy that I was able to run each day this week.

Goals for next week: really enjoy e holidays with my fam. Get onto some workouts again. Get the knee better. And clear out this chest cold and cough.

morning - 5.5 Twix. Nice and easy with the dog. A little gimpy in the knee to get going. (Kinvara lime 650.75)

afternoon - 6 Dirt Mile. 3x1000. Thought I would be able to get a workout in. Knee really didn't hold me back, but my lungs did. Took the first easy, just to kind of work into it and hit 3:20; then 3:15 for the 2nd; but half way through the 3rd, my breathing really struggled and I could tell it would be a lot of stress to push through the he rest. Finished it up in 3:20 and cooled on home. Glad to have had the opportunity to bridge the gap into what hopefully will be a better workout next week. Knee gave out on me pretty bad later this evening; obviously it isn't healed up yet and I need to be smart on it. (Pace 212)

afternoon - 9 Cit Wells. Thought I might get into the snow up by the cliffs. No snow, but ran through a super dope cloud bank pretty much the whole time up in the desert. Saw James and we were twin ears with some old blue marathon shirt. Let Twix off leash for awhile. See took off like a beast at first, but eventually came back and did a better job at staying around. Knee wasn't great; neither were the lungs. (Riders 503.75)

morning - 10.5 Green springs/Parkway. Took Ry over to run with the girls team and did a quick 5 miles in 32 mins around GS. Then a short 5min break to drive home and finished up with the Parkway Loop con Twix. A really neat morning with the fog rolling in and an awesome sunrise over a cloud bank lighting up a freshly white Pine Valley. I love living in Southern Utah. My knee is not too bad during the run, but before and after, it seems worse than last week. No bueno. Enjoyed a nice yoga session after. (Peg blue 120.75)

AM - 9.75 DogTown/Dirt Mile Tempo. Ran with a heavy heart this morning as our neighbor passed away after a head injury he got in a bike accident. He is the son of the lady who was hit and killed while running with Ally a year and a half ago. He was in my classes and on our team for a little. Good therapy to just go run in the cool dark morning. Dropped off the dog and then did 4 miles at 5:47, :46, :43, :42. (Pace 221.75)

0 - usual trip to SLC in the snow.  Merry Christmas. 

morning - 10.25 Sego Lily.  So glad I found all my supa cold weather stuff since it was 3 degrees when I started today. Tried to find some place that Twix and I could go with dying by car or ice. Basically ended up just doing sego lily in both directions and only slipped once; but it was a pretty hard fall and really set off some pain in the left knee and hip. (Peg Blue 131)

A better week for the knee sprain and getting a little bit more mileage and speed in. 

Goals for next: just about the same; continue to see improvement in the knee and get prepped to run a little quicker. 

morning - 13 Sego Lily.  Not quite as cold this morning as Sat.  Did a double Sego with a little variation from the other day.  Then Twix and I grabbed Ry and we did 30 more minutes for her run in a few days with Christmas, getting sick and then the weekend.  Finishing up Matt Fitzgerald's How Bad Do You Want It? that Rylee got for Christmas.  Inspired by Vis, I really think the next frontier of running will be reached by an understanding of the body AND MIND and how they interrelate.  (Peg Blue 144)

morning - 9.5 Sego Lily. Around the in-laws one last time. Glad to leave this crappy running. (Peg blue 153.5)

morning - 9.75 Twix/Chuckwalla. Took the dog around a bit, then over to the trail with the team. The rigors of the trail really wasn't good on my left knee. It is slowly improving (everything said 2-4 weeks, so I guess it is about right), but this wasn't too good for it. (Peg 710.5)

morning - 9.5 North Desert. Didn't want to do the workout I probably should have. My knee hurt a lot from yesterday's trail and I just didn't feel like it. So just kinda looped into the desert and ran a cool little loop I have up there a few times. Too bad it will all be gone in a few years. Have I ever mentioned that I really don't like people. (Pace 230.25)

Ended the year with the fewest miles since I started fully blogging. (In 2006, most of my blogging was done at the end of the year off sporadic paper records.). I am not really too bummed by it - I am surrounded on the mileage board by the likes of Riley Cook, Jake Krong, and Paul Peterson. Three dudes that I have the upmost respect for and wouldn't mind being lumped in with. I didn't really love my running this year. Most of that was due to the dissolving of The Circle of Trust. I just never really enjoyed training and a lot of running seemed like a grind. And I love this life too much for it to be a grind, so my main response was to just cut back and let whatever happen happen. As such I didn't run nearly as much. Did have some good stuff: really enjoyed XC season this year (excepting the absolute bull that happened at State to the girls, but even that was countered with Hell Raiser's title), it has been fun coaching a great group of kids including my own daughter, got to run with James a touch more, and I'll never forget the awesome adventure that was Steve, Logan and my's Virgin Rim Trail Run (that thing was what running and life is all about - just getting out there and doing something amazing and crazy). Thanks for letting me have more chances to grow 2015 - peace out.