Philippians 4:13

6M on a nice morning.  Wasn't feeling great on the run this morning, nothing bad just not into the run so again an easy run.  2 weeks of easier running after the Ogden marathon has felt pretty good as a break from the more high mileage training. 

Traveling all this week so I hope to get in 2 runs a day depending on meeting schedules and routes available.

total time: 43:14  (Trigon - 227 miles)

Laid pavers for a new patio we are putting in our backyard all afternoon. Looks pretty good, just have to let it settle in and finish the final sand application and it will be done.

6M easy paced (7:24) miles early this morning before catching my flight for my business trip this week.  Not a good run as I just couldn't get going again.  Ran in my Fireblades because I had already packed my Trigons.

total time: 44:23  (Fireblades - 114 miles)

4M from the hotel at an easy pace.  I ran after dinner and had a very heavy stomach which did not agree with the run.  Back to the hotel to watch the end of the Yankees game.

total time: 28:50 (Trigon - 231 miles)

6M early this morning before meetings.  A fartlek run with about 2M in increments between a 5:30 and 6:00 pace.  Overall a good run on a humid morning. 

total time: 41:19  (Trigon - 237 miles)

4M run after dinner from the hotel up to Devou Park...2M straight up hill.  Then a nice 2M downhill run back!  Dinner was a bit lighter than last night, but I don't like running after eating (no choice, the group went and I go with the crowd).

total time: 27:56  (Trigon - 241 miles)

5.35M easy this morning before taking off for meetings.  Got up a bit late, so I had to cut the run short of the 6M goal.  Nice run along the river amongst very nice houses with 10 hill repeats (0.07M) during the run.

total time: 36:55  (Trigon - 246 miles)

5.65M after returning from meetings today.  Ran the hill up to Devou Park and a bit of additional trail running then back down to the hotel in time to beat the thunderstorm rolling in.  As I was heading into the park, I spooked a dear out of the brush and it bolted out of the trees 5 feet in front of me and across the road, much closer and we would have run into each other.  Got the run in before dinner and drinks this time which made the run much more pleasant.

total time: 36:45 (Trigon - 252 miles)

8M early this morning along the river and through the nice neighborhood again with 16 hill repeats this time.  Leaving for home today...yeah!

total time: 58:20  (Trigon - 260 miles)

1M at soccer practice with my kid's team.  Glad to be home, but man am I tired.

10M this morning in cold crappy weather...windy, rainy and just cold.  Hip was feeling weird for the first mile then went away, but just couldn't get going fast so I just got the miles in.  Will try to do chores around the house and yard with my father in law (Kami's honey-do's) today weather permitting.

total time: 1:13:30  (Trigon - 270 miles)

12M early this morning in cold and windy weather...it should not be 37 degrees in June!  I ran 4.5M by myself before heading over to the Community Park for our group run.  Met up with Andrea and Deborah and ran for about 3.5M with Deb and 5.5M with Andrea before parting ways, then ran the last 2M by myself home.  I was cold and my hands were numb (even with gloves) by the time I got home.  Ran easy with the gals (7:35ish) and did some 6:45ish miles during my solo time.

total time:  1:29:30  (Trigon - 282 miles)

2M while refereeing my kids soccer games...the last two games of the season, now we get our Saturday's back!

6M this morning in cold weather once again...37 degrees and wind (at least no rain this time, but it was threatening).  Just nice and easy.  Now that I am home, this week I will do more up tempo runs at lunch per my norml routine.

Try to get a couple of honey-do's done around the house with my father in law while he is here.  Got the Basketball poll installed in cement, but we hit the sprinkler pipe and had to do a repair on it as well.

total time: 44:15  (Trigon - 288 miles)

Easy 7M run early this morning...back to the 4am runs.  Easy progression run from a 7:40 warmup mile to the last 2M at 6:40ish pace.  Good run on a nice morning...weather tomorrow is supposed to stink again.

total time: 50:00  (Trigon - 295 miles)

6M at lunch time on a windy and cloudy but warmer day.  Not a very good run...left hammy was twinging, right hip was creaky and my stomach was sloshing for the last couple of miles.  Got it in and a bit faster than this morning, but not quite the run I was looking for.

total time: 40:07  (T2 - 509 miles)

A weird morning for motivation for the run.  Hit the snooze button about 3 times before getting up a bit later than planned, then checked the weather outside to find very gusty wind and rain (but a balmy 52 degrees!) and almost went back to bed.  Got dressed and went outside to start the run and was hit with a downpour...thought about it and decided to head to the gym for a TM run.  So I changed clothes and started driving to the gym (not enthusiastically) and noticed the rain had settled down and then I saw a guy out walking and determined that if he can walk, I can run.  So, back home to change back into outside clothes (jacket and cap) and out I went for a now planned 5M.  As I was heading back from my 5M turnaround point, decided the weather wasn't that bad (in fact I overdressed) and plodded on for an extra mile.  As I hit my house at 6M, I further decided that I was being a wimp and went for 1 more mile around my neighborhood to finish off a 7M early morning run.  So, I went from almost not running to running 2M more than planned when I started.

total time: 51:15  (T2 - 516 miles)

5.25M at lunch in 35 mph winds, not fun.  Sunny and relatively warm.  Ran for a while with Dan S.  Last 1.25M ran at a 6:20 pace to end the run which felt good.

total time: 32:25  (Trigon - 300 miles)

4M early this morning in cold, windy and wet conditions.  It was only 36 degrees with a stiff breeze and I encountered rain, hail and snow during a 4M run!  This is June, what is going on?  As I was driving to work, I had to go through a snow storm...argh!

total time: 30:25  (T2 - 520 miles)

4M run at lunch in the very strong wind.  First 2M mostly with the wind and good MP splits (5:59, 6:03) then the 2M back were against a 32mph headwind (6:28, 7:05) which was not fun.  At least the temp was decent.

total time: 25:38  (Trigon - 304 miles)

Pretty standard 6M early really easy run in cool temps and a pretty good breeze...nothing exciting just miles.

total time: 46:00  (T2 - 526 miles)

6M MP run around the greenbelt with a 0.25M cooldown on a nicer day (slight wind but not bad).  Decent splits: 1- 6:19,2- 6:15,3- 6:18;4- 6:12,5- 6:01,6- 6:05, 0.25M - 1:38.  Hit 6M at 37:10 and may last 2M were my fastest and included the most uphill.  Right quads is a bit twingy after the run, but not bad. 

total time: 38:48  (Trigon - 310 miles)

After a horrible night of sleep (only about 4 hours of real sleep), I got up to a nice morning...cool, but NO WIND!!   A decent early morning run with slow warmup mile (7:42) then progressing to a 6:40ish pace for the last 3.5M.   It is supposed to be a great day so I will go long at lunch to enjoy the weather.

total time: 46:10  (T2 - 532 miles)

Nice day at lunch time so I went a bit longer and got in a 8.1M run.  First mile warmup with Dan S these a mile at about 6:29 to ease into MP.  The next 5M were at MP ranging from 6:18 to a 6:08.  Last 1.1M at a ease 6:55 pace.  Overall a really good run, but I have a bit of a twing in my left hammy and right quad.  Plan to stretch today to help loosen things up.

total time: 52:33  (Trigon - 318 miles)

9.25M early on this beautiful morning...what a day 45 degrees, no wind and a beautiful sunrise.  Ran over to Community park to see if anyone would show up for the group run...no one!  I even got a cool raffle prize from the RD of the Pocatello marathon:  for ever IF group run you show up for between now and July 26, you get 1 entry into raffle for a free entry in the race of your choice at Poky on August 30.  

I stopped short of my planned 10M as right achilles started really twinging hard about 8.5M, and at 9M in knew I just needed to stop so I headed home via a shortcut.

Had a weird animal encounter this morning...I was running along Sunnyside and all of a sudden 4 small black birds start pacing me while chirping away.  Suddenly, they start diving at me and swooping right by my head!  They followed me for about 1/4 mile before stopping. 

Yard work this afternoon and some play time with the kids.  Took them to see "Nims Island" last night, cute family movie.

total time: 1:08:22  (T2 - 541 miles)

A very easy 6M early on this beautiful Father's day morning.  Ran around Tauphaus Park and through my neighborhood just running easy and thinking about my 2 kids and the blessings they have brought into my life.  The last 2M my right achilles started getting pretty twingy again starting off with a dull pain then progressing to some sharp stabs.  Will have to baby it this week to be ready for WBR.

total time: 46:30  (T2 - 547 miles)

An uneventful 6M along my normal Sunnyside Road route.  Achilles a bit sore after the run...I could start feeling it about 4M into the run again.  Stretching and some ice today to help it recover.

total time: 44:45  (T2 - 553 miles)

7M MP run at lunch on a beautfiul warm and windless day.  1M warmup (6:18) and last mile cooldown (6:18), the middle 5M were between 5:53 -6:08.  Achilles didn't bother me during this run at all.  Thanks to Jon for reminding me that my T2's are long on the tooth and need replacing and that should do the trick.

total time: 42:45 (Trigon - 325 miles)

7 easy miles early on a glorious morning once again, 50 degrees and no wind.  It is supposed to get to 88 degrees today!  Broke out a new pair of Saucony Trigon Rides for my run this morning to address my sore achilles...worked like a charm as there was no pain whatsoever (old shoes can hurt you!).  I will try to get another run in at lunch today after meetings and going to a chiropractor visit with my wife.

total time: 52:02  (Trigon 2 - 7 miles)

6.5M at lunch on a warm and wonderful day.   Just an easier run, 6:39 avg. pace, to keep my legs fresh for this weekend.

total time: 43:11  (Trigon 1 - 332 miles)

Wow, the nicest morning yet...55 degrees and no wind, just beautiful.  5M easy early (4am) as I head to the site today (every Wednesday) so I had to cut it short.  Will get a 5M in at lunch on the desert trails.

total time: 37:30  (Trigon 2 - 12 miles)

6.5M after work today on a windy but warm afternoon.  Couldn't get a lunch run in today due to meetings and driving schedule, so I went right after I got home as the family were all gone to friends houses.  Nice run, did not push just ran easy at about a 6:40ish pace.

total time:  43:30  (Trigon 2 - 19 miles)

Standard early morning 6M run down Sunnyside.  Getting pretty jacked for WBR, looking forward to seeing the teams!

total time: 46:00  (Trigon 2 - 25 miles)

6.1M fairly easy (6:38 pace) around the greenbelt at lunch on a beautiful day...hope for this kind of weather the next 2 days, not too hot, not too cold, not too windy...Just right!

total time: 40:35  (Trigon 1 - 338 miles)

3M this morning to get the legs going at around a 6:15 pace (ran without the GPS).  3 1M loops around the neighborhood to check on sleeping kids since I ran after Kami left for the gym.  Heading out for SLC this morning to hook up with Walter and Kimball to drive to the start of WBR!  Let's go FRB (well, white team anyways).

(Trigon 2 - 28 miles)

Wasatch Back Relay - Day 1

Picked up Deborah (on team The Bunions) and drove to Pocatello where we switched trucks to ride with Kory Wheatley and headed out for Odgen.  In Ogden we dropped off Deborah to hook up with her team and headed for South Jordan to catch a ride back to Logan with Walter and the team drive for van 1 (white), Kimball.  We arrived at Paul's, got coordinated and introduced to all the team members then headed to the start.  In white team van 1 was Jeff M, Hayden, Tyler, Walter, Sasha and myself.  Van 2 was Taylor, Dave, Adam, Seth, Logan and Clyde.  At 5pm the gun sounded and we were off.  We could tell from the start that BYU had brought the best team.   The team ran well through the first legs in the heat.

My first leg was Leg 6 - 6.93M  at 8:01pm

Splits were as follows:  1-6:22 (uphill), 2-6:04 (uphill then start of smoking down), 3-4:46 (steep downhill on gravel), 4-4:46 (still steep SOB), 5-5:31 (leveling off), 6-6:01 (flat now feels like a hill!), 0.93M-5:33  2M in 9:32 and 5K in 15:40!  Way new PR and so fast that I passed and beat 3 vans down to the pavement!  This was an awesome downhill but it was so steep that it trashed my quads for the rest of my legs.  After the blue team arrived, I talked with Jon and found out he beat me by somewhere between 1- 4 seconds, mostly with more left in the last 3M. 

total time: 39:04  (Fireblades - 121 miles)

2M of warmup and cooldown for this leg.  After our handoff we were already 12 minutes behind BYU and knew at this point it was likely a battle for second and third with FRB Blue.  Everyone ran well, but the heat really took its toll.  After handing off to Van 2, head to find something to eat at the Subway in Huntsville, but the line was huge so we hit the gas station (I had a Lunchable...yum!) and drove to exchange 12 (what a mess and way crowded!).  No sleep (except for Jeff and Tyler who took every opportunity to get some shuteye!).   

Wasatch Back Relay Day 2

After taking back the baton at leg 12 from Van 1, BYU was still widening the gap.  Everyone was getting pretty tired due to lack of sleep but we were running on some pretty good adrenaline.  Jeff M ran an amazing leg, and the other guys ran well in the dark (but we had a full moon so that added a bit of light to these legs).

Leg 18 - 5.11M  at 1:10am  

Got to the exchange 17 and parked the van.  I got out to use the restroom before my leg.  After leg 1, my insides were a bit topsy turvy from the fast running and high quality diet in the van!  Went to the gate to wait for Sasha and really noticed that a good headwind had developed which was not going to be fun.  Saw Sasha heading in and noticed I was the only team member at the exchange.  Took of my long sleeve shirt and gave it to the volunteer to get to Sasha after the handoff.  Took off in the dark to tackle the hill ahead.  Splits started off ok, in the 6:17 to 6:35 pace through 3 miles, but then fatigue, wind and the hill took its toll and the next 2.11M were slower at 7:09 to a 7:31 pace.  Came into the exchange with the volunteers yelling our number...but no Taylor.  Waited some period of time (not sure) and then Taylor came bolting out of the crowd to grab the baton.  Found out van 1 fell asleep and did not make it to the exchange before me, so van 2 had no idea when I was coming in.  When I hit the exchange, I pressed the wrong button on the GPS (lap rather than stop) so my clock kept running and I told Sasha the wrong split time.  My pace was still back about 1 minute from prediction and I was disappointed again in my performance.  The only real thing that kept me going was the runners I was passing...lost count at 35 (because I probably couldn't count anymore due to fatigue and lack of ability to count in my head at this point).

Back into the van and off to the high school for some sleep.  Once there, most folks grabbed their bags and hit the grass for some sleep.  I ended up just laying down in the van and caught about 1.5 hours of sleep.  At 4am, the alarm went off the head to the next major exchange.

total time:  34:40 (Tangents - 222 miles)

Leg 30 - 3.55M at 7:25am

My legs are totally thrashed and I am working on fumes from lack of sleep.  The team is still performing well, but we are now about 40 minutes back of BYU and about 40 minutes ahead of the blue team in a solid second place.  Took the handoff from Sasha (after running a great leg) and headed down the dirt road.  First mile in 5:38 and feeling ok, then the wheels fell of and the next 2 were in 5:59 and  6:14.  My quads were dead and heavy with lactic acid and just wouldn't go. Again focused on passing runners to get through the finish with a 6:02 pace for the 0.55M left.  DONE!  Now just time to relax and watch van 2 perform and come in strong to the finish.  Talked to Jon after his leg for the blue team and found out he beat me in all 3 legs by about 2 minutes!  Great work Jon.

total time: 21:09  (Tangents - 230 miles including wu and cd)

Drove to the finish line to rest and await the teams to come in.  The team ran in with Clyde as the fourth team to finish, second place overall behind BYU by 35 minutes.  Finally got to have a beer with Adam (only took 2 relays to get it done!).  Overall a good performance by the team.  I am disappointed that I didn't hit any of my projections and contributed so much to our missing  mark.  I think the lack of any real speed work since Ogden contributed to this.  It was great to see all the guys and meet a few of the folks on the blog face to face.

After the race, got everyone situated, drove back with Walter, Kimball, Cody, Steve Hooper and Deborah and made the trek home after a couple of drop offs.   Thanks to Sasha, Steve and Paul for contributing so much to the teams.  Thanks to Kory for driving his truck down and back (and staying awake for the drive!).

Woke up this morning after about 10 hours of sleep and my legs were trashed.  No thought of running today.  Spent the day with the kids and helping Kami with some yardwork.  Then we biked over to my parents house for dinner and back home, about 5 miles which I will count as 1 easy mile.

4M easy early this morning.  Legs still very sore so this was very slow.

(Trigon 2 - 29 miles)

5M easy around the greenbelt at lunch, very slow once again as the legs are still recovering.

(Trigon 1 - 343 miles)

My legs are still pretty trashed, so this was a slow easy run again this morning.  Slept in a bit since I am taking the day off for my daughter's 6th birthday, big party this afternoon that we have to get ready for...a tea party with 16 little girls. 

Got a call last night out of the blue from a nice guy in Illinois who asked me to be on his mixed master's Hood to Coast team (a team that is almost always in the top 3 master's category).  Kinda cool and flattering, not quite sure how he got my name.  Would be fun, but can't do it due to other family commitments and too much other racing travel.

Trigon 2 - 35 miles

4M easy early this morning before heading into work at 6am.  Legs are feeling a lot better this morning, but still ran really easy (7:55 pace) to let the legs come back.  I was playing with the kids last night and my son kneeled on the side of my leg and I screamed in pain, so they are not fully back yet.

May try for a short run at lunch today to continue the recovery.

(Trigon 2 - 39 miles)

Got in a good 4M run at lunch today.  Decided it was time to get a little speed back into the legs, so I went a bit faster today.  I had a rabbit to catch on the road today and track him down...passed him going out at 1.80M and then caught him on the way back at 3.25M.  Splits were good: 1-6:32, 2-6:38, 3-6:13, 4-6:04.  Legs felt good and actually better after the run.

total time: 25:25  (Trigon 1 - 347 miles)

Very tired today, had to take a quick nap once I got home from work.  After dinner we biked over to Community Park and I played with the kids while Kami ran a couple of miles.  Biked home right before dark, 4M round trip count it as 1 easy mile.

Slept in a bit this morning since I was so tired yesterday.  Got out at about 5am for 5.1M easy this morning around the neigborhood as Sunnyside was freshly chipsealed and it was dusty and smelled like tar.  Real easy 7:45 pace as my left glute (or Priformis) is a bit sore this morning...nothing really bad but I sure can feel it.  Feels better when I run but I don't have back or leg pain with it.

Plan on registering for the Firecracker 5K today which is a race right down the parade route just before the parade on the 4th.  I will see if I can keep up with/hold off Ken Richardson this year (assuming he shows up which I expect).

total time: 39:29  (Trigon 2 - 44 miles)

7M at lunch on a warm and windy day, not a bad day for a run.  Was planning on going a bit faster again today but 0.5M into the run I was stung by a bee right under my right arm!  It stung like a bugger for the next 3M and I felt it the whole time.  I didn't have a bad reaction, but it wasn't the best start to a run and through me off my groove.

total time: 47:09  (Trigon 1 - 354 miles)

Standard easy 7M along Sunnyside this morning.  About the coolest 52 degree temps I remember (it felt cooler)...very easy this morning, just couldn't get going.  I just got into an easy groove since this is a recovery/easy week before getting back into full training mode in a couple of weeks for TCM. 

I will try to get a short 4-5M in at lunch before heading to Layton with friends to hit Lagoon and Raging Waters this weekend.

total time: 46:40  (Trigon 2 - 51 miles)

4.5M easy at lunch befoe heading home to pack up and drive to Layton with our friends.

total time: 29:40  (Trigon 1 - 358 miles)

10K with Briam in Layton up to the foothills and back then to the hotel lobby for a cup of coffee and a good talk before waking the families for the day.   Nice easy run and conversation.  Now off to a day at Lagoon with the family and friends.  Expect this to be a long day of walking around the park!

total time:  46:40  (Trigon 2 - 57 miles)

8M easy this morning from the hotel up into the foothills and back.  Easy run after spending 12 hot hours at Lagoon yesterday having a blast with the kids and friends.  A decent run once I found a bathroom, but I did get a little back pain around 4M and got a stitch at 6M that took almost a mile to get rid of. 

Epliogue:  EVERYONE was still asleep, so back out the door for another 2M at a 6:28 pace.

Now for a day at Raging Waters with family and friends before heading home.

total time: 1:12:56  (Trigon 2 - 67 mles)

Standard 7M early morning run down Sunnyside Road. Nothing special to report for this nice and warm morning. Will try to get a run in at lunch depending on meetings and other obligations.

total time: 52:34 (Trigon 2 - 74 miles)

Kami worked today and my Dad had an appointment, so I went home for a couple of hours to watch the kids before Kami returned.  I took the kids to the schoolyard for them to play while I ran on the 0.25M pathway.  I did 2 1 lap repeats in 1:17, 1:20 then the kids wanted to run/ride their bikes with me so I had to slow down for the remainder of the run.  Kids were getting hot and tired (91 degrees out) so we cut it short so I could get back in time to feed them lunch and for me to get a quick shower before returning to work.   May try to go tonight with Kami!

total time: 21:22  (Trigon 2 - 77 miles)