Philippians 4:13

7M easy early this morning before my wife had to head off to work.  Nice and easy in warm and cloudy conditions.  A bit of a sprinkle near the end of the run.  Good start to the week.  (Trigon)

6.3M on a rainy and humid day at lunch.  1.5M slower with Pat B (he was running an easy day today), 4.5M at 6:30ish pace (a bit of intestinal distress didn't help), 0.3M cooldown.  Overall an ok run in 42:50.  (Ride)

7M easy early again this morning in warm (50 degrees) and rainy weather. Just nice and easy down Sunnyside and back, stopped and talked with Andrea about running plans later this week.  No feet or leg pain, allergy symptoms down but still a little congestion and a little cough.  (Trigon)

Great topic of "Big workouts" on the discussion forum.  BW is what I think can help me progress, but I just need to figure out how to find the time to make them happen.  I usually try to get a "fast/big" run in at lunch, but I am limited to around an hour to make it happen (including dress and showering).  Morning runs just are not conducive to this type of workout...a canundrum for me to solve and move up with my training. 

7M at lunch on a cooler and rainy day.  I had wanted to get a good tempo run in but from the start I kew it would be a challenge due to intestinal distress (even before the run).  1M relatively easy, then tried to pick it up and hit major intestinal issues (2 stops in little over 0.5M...that goodness for restrooms around the greenbelt).  After stops, felt better but still had trouble really pushing it to tempo.  1M cooldown around the park to finish the run.  Not the best run, but ok considering the circumstances.  Oh, and my legs felt pretty tired...I think I need the taper next week to be ready to race!  (Ride)

1-6:39, 2-6:13, 3-6:22, 4-6:27, 5-6:10, 6-6:18, 7-6:50.

Stretched this morning's run out a bit. Got up and out the door at 4:20am...feeing tired so originally thought only 6M. Well I then decided I was going for 6.5M, then just over 7M when I ran into Andrea and decided to go with her for a bit and ended up with 8.5M...slow and easy. Weather was nice...51 degrees, no wind or rain. Allergies are getting better everyday, just tired this monring, bring on taper week.(Trigon)

4.25M at lunch on a nice day...65 degrees, partly cloudy and no wind.  Shorter run due to being at the site and trying to remember I need to taper!!!  Easy at about a 6:35ish pace. (Ride)

7M early this morning in very nice weather.  Got out the door about 4:15am so I could be back in time for Kami to make it the gym before I had to go to work.  Kami may be getting more regular in her routine now that the kids are out of school for the summer.  I was going to go hill repeats with Andrea and Lynette but didn't make it and instead did a solo run through Snake River Landing.  This was probably the best early run I have had in quite a while...started easy but ended up finishing strong in about 50 minutes.  Felt really good, energized and the allergies symptoms continue to subside.  (Trigon)

We took the kids to see "Night and the Museum Battle for the Smithsonian" last night, a good movie and pretty good sequel. 

4M easy (6:45ish) at lunch on a really nice day...partly cloudy, low 60's, light wind.  Just easy paced miles to soak up some vitamin D, stretch the legs and relax the mind.  (Ride)

Slept in a bit this morning as it is my day off.  6M in 43 minutes on a nice morning, 51 degrees, partly cloudy and a light breeze.  Started off ok at about a 7:50 first minute and progressed to 6:31 for the last 2 miles.  Everything felt good, energy ok...only run today for taper before a longer run tomorrow to prep for UVM (downhill, 13 miles). 

14M run down the Sunnyside hill from the dump to home with Lynette and Andrea in overcast, cool (44 degrees), light wind and light rain.  We ran with McKay for a part of the time as well and I also ran into and met Ryan K. (Runninrye on the blog) while heading down the hill.  Overall average in 6:25, with most of the downhill sections in sub-5:30 (5:10, 5:11 best miles and they felt easy) except for sections where I ran back to check on the ladies or to chat for a while with Ryan.  Once on the flats, stayed in the 6:30 range except where I check on friends (Andrea's calf really started to hurt around mile 6).  The downhill's felt easy and great at a good pace which was what I was looking for to be ready for UVM.

My legs were pretty sore this morning, both quads and my left calf...good thing this is taper week.  4M early before church in overcast, cool and rainy skies.  I got pretty wet but it was a good shakeout run. 

3M very easy this morning in cool and wet weather. This was just a shake out run as my legs were a bit sore from Saturday's run (quads and calves especially). Rolled my legs when I got back...no worries just the kink's from an agressive downhill run. (Trigon)

5M at lunch time with Pat B. in cool and cloudy conditions...perfect running weather actually!  Nice and easy shake out run (legs are still a bit stiff) with great conversation about our race strategies for this weekend (he is running Teton Dam Marathon in Rexburg...expect to see him as the winner).   (Ride)

6.35M run at lunch on a beautiful day...sunny,calm and about 60 degrees.  Started off at MP for the first 4M (6:15, 6:13, 6:25, 6:25).  About 2.5M in my calves/achilles started to tighten so I slowed up a bit.  At about 3.75M I caught up with Dan S and we ran the rest of the way back together at a easy pace (~7:20ish).  Nice taper week run. 

6.25M run at lunch with Pat B. on a nice day...55 degrees, no wind, cloudy.  Nice easy conversational pace (7:14) for the run just to keep legs refreshed and to shake them out a bit. 

Looking forward to the race on Saturday, quite a group up front...it should be fun.

Short easy run of 4.25M before work this morning in nice running weather (45 degrees, no wind, no rain).  Just a easy taper run in my racing shoes to keep the legs fresh...did this one early due to work meetings today.

3M easy after sleeping in a little (went out at 5:20) in pretty warm and misty/rainy weather.  Ready to race tomorrow.

Driving down to Provo this morning with the family.  Looking forward to seeing all the FRB'ers.

Quick update:  2:41:40ish, 8th overall, 1st in AG.  Disappointed with my time (didn't even hit C Goal of sub 2:40).  Course not as fast as I thought.  Calves started to have issues early (4M) and my last 5M was a death march. 

More later.  Ok here is later...

Walked to the bus pickup with Kory and Bill M and met up with MattK (from the Blog), Walter and his friend Scott.  Nice ride up to the start.  Only had about 40 minutes to wait.  Got ready and saw lots of FRB'ers at the start then we were off.

Ran steady with Walter from the start.  The front pack of 4 guys took off about mile 2, followed by Sasha and Jeff (Steve A joined them shortly as well) and Kory was running just back of us for most the race (until he passed us!).   Steady and easy on the rolling downhill out of the canyon.  It was a beautiful running day and nice scenery.  However, about 3 miles in I could start to feel my left calf tightening and I mentioned it to Walt at mile 4.  So here we are, me and my calf and Walt and his cold congestion trying to run fast, quite a pair.  We are hitting our splits ok (averaging about 5:50ish) coming down the canyon.  Lots of mileage on concrete (which sucked, it was very hard and we could both feel it). 

Hit mile 10 at 58:35ish feeling ok (calf still tight, Walt having issues with his congestion still).  Start to get into Provo and all the turns start!  This was actually a real pain in the butt.  Hit half at 1:17:22 (a little behind now) and Walt has to duck into the portapotty.  I see Kory coming on as we run an S-curve (the first of many sharp turns)!  Still a slight downhill but feeling mostly flat. 

We run into town and get away from the highway (by running behind a strip mall, how scenic!) and onto the Jordan River Pathway.  Now the curves and dips really start as we wind along the river and duck under roads via tunnels...momentum sappers!  I start to see Steve A at mile 16 and can tell he is slowing (as am I..my average pace is now moving from 5:50 closer to 6:00 all the time, yikes!).  I tell myself to stay patient as there is a lot of race left and my calves are still tight, no need to implode trying to catch Steve.

At mile 18, I am coming up on Steve and he stops and tells me he is done.  I wish him well and marshall on knowing that Kory is coming on.  I am running in 7th, but the legs are weakening and the calves are preventing me from pushing with full power on the kick.  I only took 3 gels during the race (at 7M, 15M and about 19M) but I don't think any more would have helped.  I am walking the line between trying to maintain a decent pace and not pushing too hard so I don't crash even more and cramp up hard.

At mile 23, Kory catches me and we run together for a stretch.  He is such a strong finisher I try to stay with him but my legs don't respond (still no power) so I just try to keep him in sight.  At mile 25M I see him weaving all over the road (is he going to fall?  no, he is just trying to be a good friend and pull me along!) as he looks back to try and encourage me to come up...not in the cards.  He puts nearly a full minute on me in the last 3M, great job Kory!

As I enter the mall parking lot, I just start to push with all I have...since I missed my A, B and C goals I think maybe I can get 2:40:32 for a third time...nope.  As I hit 26M, I run as hard as I can to the finish and cross the line pretty pissed off at myself. 

Overall an ok race but disappointing in the time and my fitness.  The course was not nearly as fast as I thought it would be (Sasha told me this right before the race, he was right).  Still have some tweaks to do in my training to try and get back in the 2:30's in a future race.  Focus on more "big workouts" and long intervals, more hills and more fast finish long runs (including at least 2 20+ milers) before the next marathon.

Splits:  1-6:09, 2-5:39, 3-5:52, 4-5:54, 5-6:10, 6-5:45, 7-5:39, 8-5:47, 9-5:47, 10-5:43, 11-5:51, 12-6:08, 13-6:00, 14-5:51, 15-6:02, 16-6:09, 17-6:14, 18-6:18, 19-6:21, 20-6:29, 21-6:28, 22-6:35, 23-6:49, 24-6:34, 25-6:42, 26-6:41, 0.2 (0.34 on garmin)-2:08.

After the race yesterday, we move up to SLC (nicer hotel, closer to other activities for the family) and spend the afternoon at the Museum of Natural History and playing in the pool with Kory and Rachelle's kids.

After a fitful night sleep, we head to Hogle Zoo on a great morning with the Wheatley's for a fun morning.

Drive back to IF after a quick lunch to find out horrible news.  A good friend of ours died over the weekend leaving a wife and 3 young children.  Pretty close friend's of ours (mostly through mutual friends)...very sad.

4M easy early before Kami' goes to work...slow and uneventful except for being charged by a big dog. Legs feel ok, calves still tight a bit.

5M at lunch on a wonderful afternoon.  First 2.5M with Dan S, then back to the office.  Just have to clear my head after talking to friend's about our friend who died.  Nice easy run at an average 7:14 pace...legs felt good but still in recovery for sure.

Looked and found out my buddy Pat B. won the Teton Dam marathon in a time of 2:39:39!!!  That is a tremendous time on that tough course!  Way to go Pat!

5M very easy early this morning.  Great weather, legs just very dead today...recovery week! (Trigon)

5M easy at lunch out on the desert at the site facility.  Nice sunny and warm day with no wind.  Just nice and easy...ran 0.5M with Ron N. who is training for a sprint tri and is nursing a sore knee.  (Ride) 

6M early on a nice morning, 50 degrees and no wind.   Nice and easy, legs heavy again...I can definitely tell I am in recovery mode.  Hard to get up and out the door but I always feel better after a run.  (Trigon)

5M run at lunch on a nice day in 37:15.  Nothing special, inside of quads a bit sore today but nothing to worry about.  (Ride)

1M after dinner with my son in 9:30...gotta keep him running.  He did great, we were talking the whole time and he sprinted to the finish.

5M easy early this morning...hard to get up, tired and unmotivated.  Planned 4, ran 5.  Quads still a bit sore.  (Trigon)

5M easy at lunch on a beautiful running day.  About 0.25M into the run, my foot "twinged" big time, felt like a pop run under the ball of my foot.  I stopped and stretched it out and the sharp pain stopped.  It didn't bother me the rest of the run but I will watch it.  (Ride)

Slept in and went out for a run after the sun had come up!  9M in 1:01 (avg. 6:48) after an easy mile, then I started to push the rest of the miles between 6:50 and 6:30.  Foot a bit tender this morning but not bad.  I will ice it and continue to watch it.  

We probably aren't camping this weekend as the weather tomorrow is supposed to turn nasty in Island Park/Yellowstone (thundershowers, 50 degrees and wind) even though it is beautiful right now.  Even with the camper, spending the whole weekend in 120 square feet with 4 people would not be the most enjoyable.  So, stick around, play outside today.  I might try to run the big local 10K race tomorrow...we'll see.

Got home from the run and discussed the weekend plans with the kids...no to camping due to weather.  Kids got invited to play at a friends house, so Kami and I went out for a 4M run...she did great and her foot did not bother her.  Average pace of 8:45!  Nice to run with her again!

1M with the whole family as a "practice" for the race tomorrow.  I am going to run the Scenic River Classic 10K and Justin and Katelyn are doing the kid's 1M fun run.  It is very cool how excited they are about it!

I ran the big local fund raiser race, the Scenic River Classic  2nd overall to a 18 year old by about 10 seconds...not a bad time considering I ran marathon a week ago.

Went out easy in the race and was sitting patiently behind Cody (1st place) throughout the whole race until about mile 5 where he slowed and I caught him at 5.5M.  Almost got hit by a car crossing over Broadway (had police on one side and not the other crossing...had to come to a complete stop!).  My legs were feeling a bit heavy and his youth paid off and he had a bit more of a kick in the last 0.25M than I did...I should have pushed harder to try and break his spirits (note:  fight harder at the end!) and take the win but alas it didn't happen (I kinda gave in and that is disappointing but I am happy with the time overall).

I ran 2M warmup, then the race, then 1M fun run with my son (who ran an 8:20 mile!) and a bit more to finish of 2M after the race.

Cool and cloudy and threatening rain (then the sun would come out at times).  Dark clouds loooming...I hope it rains so Kami doesn't get too pissed that we didn't camp!

7M on a glorious morning (sunny, 50 degrees, no wind).  Ran a nice easy recovery pace and just spent time praying and thinking about all the blesssings in my life on this Father's Day.

6.5M bike ride down the waterfall at Snake River Landing with the family on a great morning.  Lots of fun with the kids.

Took the family and my parents to "Star Trek" for father's day...glad we went biking earlier because a huge hail storm hit us just as we were walking into the theater.

Happy Father's day to all the dad's out there!

6.5M easy early on a cool and windy morning. (Trigon)

5.5M at a 7:00 average pace around the greenbelt.  Cooler and windy, intestinal issues the whole time...I am glad there are lots of bathrooms.  (Ride)

5M early on a cooler morning (38 degrees...in late June!).  Nice and easy nothing to report.  Heading out on a 2 day business trip for meetings.  Hope to get a couple of runs in before returning tomorrow afternoon.  (Trigon)

After arriving and completing meetings today, got to the hotel around 5:30 and it was still 108 degrees...so I decided to wait on the late run.  Couple of beers, dinner, 2 hours of craps (only lost $10), then out for a run around 9pm...in a blast furnace!  Still about 95 degrees with wind.  Man, it is hot! (Ride)

9M early to beat the heat (only 75 degrees!).  Same route as usual, but this time I got to run through the wetlands park out at my normal turnaround point...2M through a nice natural setting on dirt trails, nice change from the asphalt jungle and vehicles.  (Ride)

Back home later today...my daughter's 7th birthday!

6M easy and early on a very nice morning through Snake River Landing...just the normal early run. 

Went out at lunch with plans to do some speedwork...didn't happen.  It was a nice day (muggy, partly sunny, temps ok) but I just didn't have any energy in the legs...oompf if you will.  Ran comfortable at a 7 minute pace around the river with an extra loop in the park.  The Snake River is flowing super high right now overflowing it's banks everywhere (including over the pathway in a couple of spots).

7M very easy early this morning in warm (70 degrees) and cloudy conditions.  Man am I tired today, it was tough getting going.  I don't think I felt like I was running until 3M point, then somehow stretched out an extra mile this morning.  After getting home and getting ready, fell back asleep for about 15 minutes before heading out for work.  Coffee, more coffee.... (Trigon)

Nice 6M run at lunch on a pretty good weather day (78 degrees, light wind, partly sunny) at an average 6:30 pace.   Decent splits (7:11, 6:27, 6:22, 6:25, 6:11, 6:22), legs felt pretty good but not fully there until mile 5 then I felt like I had some kick.  (Ride)

Out the door at 6am for a long run on a beautiful morning...55 degrees, light wind, sunny.  10.5M around the city to the start of the To Bone and Back Race start to say hi to friends running it (including Kory!).  5M back home, total avg. pace at 6:49 (1:44-1:45 total time).  Felt good, started slow, speed up to about a 6:30 from mile 4-11M, slowed a bit for the last 4M at about a 6:40ish. 

Now back home to set up for and execute our daughter's birthday party...pool theme!  Glad it is today with the nice weather rather than yesterday afternoon in the 1.5 inches of rain and hard hail!

7M easy on a beautiful morning...sunny, cool and no wind.  6:54 average to Snake River Landing and back.  Started at just above 7:00 pace and ran the last 4M at about 6:30.  Nice start to the week.  (Trigon)

6.5M early this morning...kinda hard to get going, tired.  I did do some speed pickups trying to race cars to landmarks (each one better 200m-0.1M) just for fun and to try and wake up.  Beautiful morning, 55 degrees, no wind.  (Trigon)

6.5M at lunch on a sunny and warm (80 degrees) day.  1M wu @ 6:25, then goal MP miles for a few (5:52, 5:55, 6:03) then a bit slower as I started to feel the heat...6:10, 6:18 and finally a cd 0.5M at 6:45 pace.  Overall average of 6:12 which felt pretty easy.  Stopped twice for water and once to talk to a friend but overall a decent harder effort. (Ride)

7M easy and early before Kami had to get to work.  Ran through Snake River Landing and back home...just nice and easy. 

Ran 3M after Kami went to work and her parents left.  The kid's rode their bikes with me as we went through the neighborhood.  Easy 7:40 pace.