Philippians 4:13

Standard 6M this morning down Sunnyside and through the Shamrock park neighborhood.  Nice and easy as a taper for tomorrow.  I had to go early again since Kami had to be at work by 5:45, so I may get another few miles in this morning after the kids get up.

Total time: 47:00  (Tangent 3 - 11.5 miles)

3M after the kids woke up, running laps around the block to keep an eye on them just to finish off some miles today and be ready for tomorrow.

total time: 20:10  (Trigon 2 - 334 miles)

3rd Annual Run, Rock and Roll HM here in IF.  I won it in 2006, didn't run it last year and hit it again this year as a training run.

Overall a good run.  1st place overall, new course record, ran a comfortable pace that I hope to keep at TCM and got a new pair of Asics shoes (any model!) to boot for the win.

The RD changed the course this year to make sure it was closer to the right length and because the county told him to make some changes on Thursday.  I had it just over 13M, but with the tangents it should be right near 13.1M.  Only about 35 runners, no other fast men but a great race on the women's side with the top 4 breaking 1:40!  My friend Andrea was neck and neck for third until Lynette out kicked her with less than 0.1M to go! 

I had forgotten how hilly this course really was.  Started off fast (5:44) during the flat/uphill first mile (had to back-off to a 5:44, started way faster and knew I needed to slow down) then eased into a groove at around 5:50ish.  But the hills started accumulating, especially 7-11.  Mile 7 was all uphill, and miles 8-10 were uphill on a wash-board gravel road, so really bad footing and my slowest mile  at mile 9 (6:08).  Overall happy with the pacing considering the course though.  Makes me feel pretty confident for TCM and for Poky and Salmon as training runs.

Did a 2M wu, 3M cd.

After the race, got home, showered and took the family to Craters of the Moon National Monument for the day and some hiking on the cinder codes and in the caves.  About 4M of hiking, will call it 1 easy mile. 

We also stopped at the Experimental Breeder Reactor - 1 National Historic site to show the family about the birth of nuclear energy and to explain how a nuclear reactor works.  The kids really enjoyed playing with the hot cell manipulators!

Tangents - 248 miles

7M recovery run this morning on the standard path down Sunnyside with a couple of loops around Shamrock Park.  Nice run, no soreness and good pace considering yesterday's run, did a 7:35ish pace.  Feeling good and ready for another higher mileage week, shooting for 85-95 miles.

total time: 53:13  (Trigon 2 - 341 miles)

1M playing "tag" and racing my son in the backyard for about an hour...he is fast!  Essentially did a whole bunch of barefoot strides.

Standard 7M early this morning down Sunnyside.  Felt great this morning, so I pushed the pace a little more than usual and ended up with a 7:15 avg. for today.  The last 3M were actually sub-7:00.  Will try to get a good lunch run in today, kinda hectic week as I am acting for my boss while he is on vacation, so a lot more meetings than usual.

Bought Kami new running shoes yesterday that are a 1/2 size large so she can run without causing blisters on the end of her toe from rubbing.  She broke them in this morning with a 4M run, and she was excited to get back out running...yeah! 

total time: 50:45  (Trigon 2 - 348 miles)

7M at lunch on a beautiful day, a little breeze and about 77 degrees.  Easier first mile (6:35) then 2M at slower MP (6:13, 6:24), a easy mile (6:34), then 3M at slow MP (6:21-6:24) for an overall avg. of 6:26.  Felt great, a good day of running.

total time:  44:59 (Trigon 1 - 471 miles)

Not feeling very peppy this morning at 4:30 when I got out the door for the run, so instead of trying to run faster, I ran a bit longer.  8M down my standard Sunnyside pathway and back home at just under an 8:00 pace, tacking on a mile towards Yellowstone Highway.  OK run, started feeling like a runner about mile 5 and my last 2M were my fastest at around a 7:37 pace.   Will get out for a run at lunch and maybe a bit with Kami tonight around Community Park.

Trigon 2 - 356 miles

Nice run at lunch in the heat (83 degrees with no wind).  Started off with a slightly upset stomach from the midmorning snack...Tabasco Cheez-it's are not good before a run!   Kind of a "step-down" progession workout today.  1.5M warmup (7:00 pace), 1.5M MP (6:00), 1M slow, 1M MP (6:12, felt left hammy tighten slightly so pace slower than I wanted), 0.5M slow, 0.5M MP (6:05), 0.25M slow, 0.25 TP (5:37), 1.5M cooldown.  Nice run with an overall average of 6:35.  Good running day!

total time: 52:40  Trigon 1 - 479 miles

8M early morning on standard Sunnyside pathway, similar run to yesterday morning.  Slow - a tad over 8:00 pace - but felt ok, just a bit tired.  This may be my only run for today due to work schedule, but I will try to squeeze a 4M run in at lunchtime if possible.

Trigon 2 - 364 miles

10M early this morning.  A warm morning (65 degrees at 4:30am) with a slightly breeze out of the NE which is unusually.  Went longer today as I was feeling guilty for only getting in 1 run yesterday.  Good pace this morning, ending up with a 7:33ish avg. pace.  Started off a bit quicker (8:02) then pushed it up to the 7:30 range then saw another "rabbit" runner and pushed down to a 7:00 pace for the next mile to catch her (a good runner name Nikki who was moving this morning!).  From then on averaged about a 7:25 pace for the remainder of the run which felt nice and easy.  I WILL get a lunch run in today (7 or 8 miles).

Trigon 2 - 374 miles

8M at lunch on a nice bu warm and very humid day so it was hard to really get a good gear for this run as I ended up with a 6:49 avg.  Ran 1.5M wu with Dan S then increased the pace some and got 1 MP mile in, then the humid started taking its toll.  Ran around a 6:40ish pace for the remainder of the run. 

Trigon 1 - 487 miles

13M on a very nice morning, warmer and a bit muggy due to rain storm that blew through last night.  Slept in a bit more this morning as I am taking the day off to help with my son's birthday party so I started with a bit more energy that usual morning run.  Nice easy run consistently averaging 7:33, ran through Snake River Landing and around the greenbelt down to Northwind and then back.  By the end I was getting tired and very hungry, but it was a good run.  Saw my buddy Scott riding his bike to work, good to see a friendly face! 

Trigon 2 - 387 miles   total time: 1:38

17M run early this morning with the IF running group.  Started off early and ran 2M to Community Park to meet Deb and Andrea for a 3M out an back to the hospital.  Met up with McKay, Brian M. and Briam J. after returning to the park.  We then did a 7M loop out to Sandcreek Golf Course and back to the park.  Briam had to leave and Deb should have due to her knee issue.  Then continued on to Snake River Parkway for a 6M out and back.  I dropped off as we passed my neighborhood as McKay and Andrea went back to the park to finish of their run.  Overall a good run with about 2M of MP thrown in at point, overall avg 7:55. 

Total time: 2:14:30 (Trigon 2 - 404 miles)

After heading home, we back to the park to pick up soccer stuff for my kids teams this fall and stayed around for a coaches clinic and did some drills and practice to get ideas for the kids, about 1M of additional running.

Went to friends house for  BBQ last night and met the track/XC coach from Skyline high school.  Chatted for a bit with him and may help run with the boys this fall sometimes.  Also got a see a friend whose son was a stellar runner for Arkansas in college and talked with him for a while.  His son will be in town in a few weeks and I hope to hook up for a run.

7M on a warm and muggy morning down Sunnyside and through Snake River Landing to the Iggy's and back.  Nice early morning run, the pace started to pick up as the run went on, including charging the 0.75M long uphill at about a 6:50 pace.  Nice start to the week and feeling good after yeterday's easy long run.

total time: 53:58  (Trigon 2 - 411 miles)

8M on a much cooler and windier day than yesterday, but it was still pleasant (55 degrees).  Ran the same route as yesterday through Snake River Landing and then added another mile through our neighborhood.  Easy pace (8:00 avg) and my left achilles was tender after the run.  I only have ~420 miles on these shoes, but it feels like it is time to retire them.

total time: 1:04  (Trigon 2 - 418 miles)

5M run at lunch on a beautiful day...70 degrees and a slight breeze.  Short run due to work conflicts, but just as well as my left achilles started getting really tight at about 2M and I had to slow up to about a 6:45 pace for the remainder of the run (trying for some quicker stuff, but from the get go couldn't do it because of the achilles).  Better after the run, but need to stretch and ice it tonight.

total time: 32:50  (Trigon 1 - 492 miles)

7M easy early this morning.  My achilles was still a bit sore, so I broke open new pair of shoes to see if that help, and it did for a while.  At about 5M, I started feeling it a little again but nothing like yesterday.  So, I think it is time to retire both pair of Trigon's Rides (between 400-500 miles each).  Overall a decent run at about a 7:40 avg. pace.   Saw 1 shooting star and 3 other runners out at 5am (I knew all 3 of the women, good for them getting out this early). 

Saucony HRC Stratos - 7 miles

6M at lunch on another perfect running day.  Unfortunately, not a perfect day for my body running.  My left achilles is still aching pretty good so my pace today was an easy one (planned some speed work!).  In addition, my GPS went out about 0.33M into the run, so the time is approximately, but it felt like and ended being about a 7:00 pace.  Will stretch and try to ice the achilles tonight and I may take some time off the remainder of the week to get it feeling better.

Saucony Stratos - 13 miles

Well, I took my own advice and took it easy this morning and only did 4.25M at a easy 7:10 pace.  After icing my calf last night, it felt a lot better and was feeling good this morning but I still wanted to be cautious.  So, I slept in an additional hour and got up at 5:00 which only left me time for a short run.  No real issue with the calf, though I did ice it while watching Olympics highlights.  Most likely only run for the day due to work schedule.  First soccer practice for my son's team tonight as well.  I may try to get a short 3-4M in later tonight, but not pushing it.

Trigon 2 - 422 miles

Got up early this morning and got in a solid 9M at a decent pace (7:38 avg) on a pretty cool morning.  Calf/achilles is feeling better although I did feel it but it didn't hurt at all.  Afterwards I iced it for about 20 minutes which helped.  Only run today due to work schedule.

Trigon 2 - 431 miles  Total time: 1:08:35

12M on a breezy and cool morning.  I got up early and did the first 8M at a decent pace (7:35ish) before Kami had to head to work.  After the kids got up, I went back out and finished off another easy 4M at about a 6:45ish pace.  Passed the IF girls soccer team out for a run around Community Park during this portion of the run...need to work on their cardio conditioning.  Calf/achilles is feeling a lot better, still noticed it but no pain.  Still take it easy this weekend (mileage might be low if we are out camping, but I will try to get in 10M tomorrow some how).

total time: 1:30:05  (Trigon 2 - 443 miles)

Up at camp in Island Park at 6200 feet.  Got up early and it was cold!  I brought a long sleeve shirt but no gloves, so my hands got cold!  Ran about 3.25M through the campground then came across a fellow camper from our group who offered a hot cup of coffee, so I ended the run there! 

Took the family on the float trip down the North Fork in the late morning/early afternoon and had a great time.  After we got back, most folks kicked back and the kids took off on the bikes to play and explore.  I went for a 4.75M run through the camp for a couple of loops and spent the last 0.75M racing the kids on the bikes.

Trigon 1 - 500 miles

4M in the morning after getting up a bit later to allow it to warmup (3M easy, 1M tempo) then got back to came to break it down and head home.  Family had a great time, starting getting Kami and I to think that we need to look into a camper as we are outgrowing the tent approach.

Trigon 1 - 504 miles  Total time: 26:17

4M in the early evening after getting home and the rest of the family resting/watching a movie.  Easy mile (6:35), MP (6:16), slow MP (6:26) and a final slow MP mile (6:28).

Trigon 2 - 447 miles  Total time:  25:57

8M early this morning down standard Sunnyside route.  Nice and easy 7:45ish pace.  Left leg about 99% back, right ankle twinging a bit but nothing to worry about.  Felt good.  Will try to get a good run in at lunch then the next 3 days on business travel so I have no clue what kind of mileage I will get in.

Trigon 2 - 455 miles   Total time: 1:02:44

6M at lunch on a hot and calm day.  Got in 1 MP mile and the rest were between 6:35-6:50.  Overall an ok run but started to feel a cramp coming on in my leg hamstring so I just finished it up easy at an avg. 6:38 pace for the run.

HRC Stratos - 19 miles

Out the door at 4:15 for my standard 8M on the Sunnyside route.  Nothing special to report, just a nice easy run with a pit stop at home at 7M.  Now off on business trip where I hope to get at least a few runs in before and after meetings and flights. 

Total time: 1:02:00  (Trigon 2 - 463 miles)

Arrived in Maryland and got the hotel, then went out for a run before hooking up with the other guys for dinner.  5.75M around town at a decent clip with a 6:20 and a 6:06 mile in there.  Found the HS track and did a 1/4 in 65 seconds then headed back to the hotel. Good weather for Maryland in August, not too hot, low humidity and a slight wind.

total time: 35:30  (HRC Stratos 26 miles)

7M around town from the hotel early (4:45) as we have early meetings today.  Same basic route as yesterday to downtown and back via the HS, only this time did 5X400 with 200m rest.  Slow 400's as I was still trying to wake up (avg. 1:32) but at least got some MP work in.  Now off to meetings and maybe a run this evening (unless we go to an Orioles game!)

Total time: 50:45  (Stratos - 33 miles)

6.65M on a beautiful evening in Baltimore.  Went out after a good dinner with the guys, but too soon after such a big dinner (too much salad bar, and that last beer was too much!)  About 2M in, I had to stop and puke as the pressure on my stomach was too much.  Feeling better but still running a little slower, I followed the map I had for a 5M run, but obviously got a bit lost and ended up going long on a pretty hilly course.  Heading back tomorrow, but plenty of time in the morning for a good run.

Stratos - 40 miles  Total time: 48:30

9M on a very nice morning and feeling a lot better than on the run 9 hours ago.  Took the same basic loop as last night but in the light this time.  Got onto the BWI trail for a while, I will have to run this one the next time I am in town (it is a nice looking 9M loop around the airport).  Felt good for a early morning hill workout.

Total time: 1:05:35  (Stratos - 49 miles)

After a long day of travel yesterday (a 3 hour delay in Cincinnati due to mechanical problems with the plane), I got out for an easy 7M on a chilly morning.  Started out wearing my Trigon's and immediately ran back home to change shoes and retire these as my achilles started feeling it right away.  After changing into the Stratos, a good run at a 7:27 pace.  Will get out for 6-8M at lunch today.  It is good to be home.

Total time: 52:10  (Stratos - 56 miles)

Nice 7M run on a beautiful day at lunch...65 degrees, sunny and a light wind.  1M warmup (6:39), then some 50/50 miles of tempo and MP for the next 5M, then a cooldown mile.  The total run ended up with a nice and easy 6:22 avearge pace.  Felt great, no pain or any fatigue, just a simply fun run.

total time: 44:30 (Stratos - 63 miles)

16M solo run early this chilly morning.  Got up early to start the run at 5:15 and head to Community Park to see if anyone would show up for the group run (no one did).  Went out for the rest of the uneventful run at an avg. 7:35ish pace for the entire run.  Not too motivated this morning as I had not run this cold in a while, so I almost quit at 8M but kept going to finish it off.

Total time: 2:02:00

2M with the kids at a Kids Run this morning.  Ran 0.75M with Katelyn as she finished 6th out of about 100 kids.  Then I ran 1.25M with Justin with him finishing 7th out of about 90 kids.  A fun event put on by a local ped's clinic to promote physical activity.  Every kid got a medal, a t-shirt and a backpack...and it was free!

New Stratos (2) - 18 miles

8M on a beautiful morning...56 degrees, no wind crispness in the air.  Started off slow and not too motivated (8:15) then saw a rabbit up ahead about 1/2 mile and kicked it into gear for the rest of the run averging about a 6:45 pace which felt pretty good.  Nice start to the week. 

Time: 56:00  (Stratos 2 - 26 miles)

8M early this morning on the standard pathway.  Started way slow, then bumped up to around a 7:30 avg. for the last 7M.  Good early morning run, nothing to write home about. 

Total time: 1:01:30 (Stratos 2 - 34 miles)

Stayed late at home to get the kids off to their first day of school, then had to head right to the site for a meeting and got back late for lunch.  Got out for a quick 5M run in hot and very windy weather (probably windiest day in IF this summer!).  Overall an ok run, but couldn't get my energy level up for a tempo run.

Total time: 32:56  (Stratos 1 - 68 miles)

1M with the soccer team for a scrimmage helping the kids understand positioning, spacing and passing to get ready for Wedneday nights game.  Got a good sweat up!

7M early this morning on a VERY WINDY day...felt like a hurricane out there at times, especially when I was heading south.  Luckily, most of the run was down Sunnyside Road which is an east/west connector so I just had a heavy cross-wind for the run.  Overall a decent run for 4:15 in the morning.  Left hamstring was a bit tight during the run, but not worried about it right now.

I talked with my friend Pat who ran and won the Mesa Falls marathon last weekend.  He indicated that the portions of the run on the gravel road (13 or so miles) were especially tough this year as it was very dry, washboard and slippery and let his calves really feeling strained.  With this in mind, I am really rethinking running Salmon as nearly 20 miles of the race are on gravel roads and I am sure they will be no better than those in Island Park for the Mesa Falls race.  I just don't think I need/want to cause that much strain on my body before TCM just for a training race and a possible win in the marathon.  I would rather be fresh and healthy heading into the Master's championships with a solid last few weeks of training.  I will likely call the RD in the next day or two to discuss this more, but I am leaning heavily to not running.

Total time:  55:30  (Statos 2 - 41 miles)

5.25M around the greenbelt on a very windy day with Pat B.  He is still recovering from Mesa Falls marathon, so we just took it easy and had a great conversation about work, family, running.

Total time: 41:30 (Stratos 1 - 73 miles)

4.5M very early this morning on the Sunnyside route as it a my usual Wednesday at the site.  Easy first mile, then ran the rest at about a 7:35 avg.  Overall felt really good.  I will try to get another 4-5M in at lunch today. 

(Stratos 2 - 46 miles)

4M at lunch in between meetings and tours.  Went hard to simulate race pace for this weekend and ended up avg. 5:55 for the run.  I was not too happy with my power/kick, but the turnover felt pretty good.

Total time: 23:40  (Stratos 1 - 77 miles)

Easy 5M on a cooler morning down the standard Sunnyside road route.  Legs felt great this morning as I started my mini-taper for Saturday's race.  The pace was easy, but I ended up with last couple of miles just under 7:30 and it felt like 8:00 pace.  I will get a 5 miler in at lunch today at around a 7:00 pace just to keep the legs fresh for the race.

Total time: 38:45  (Stratos 2 -  51 miles)

5.75M easy around the greenbelt at lunch, running with Dan and Pat.  We ran easy (7:30ish) and just talked the whole time.  About 4M in, I had some serious intestinal distress and had to make a stop at 4.5M and it never really got much better for the rest of the run.

My GPS battery died right before the run...the avg. battery life is getting crappy right now (maybe 7 hours), anyone else with a 205 having issues with their batteries?  I am going to check the Garmin website and send them a note.

Stratos 1 - 83 miles

Day off today so I slept in a little and got out for an easy 6M at around 5:30am.  Nice day, good temp and no wind.  Ran down through Snake River Landing to get a little rolling hill work and ended up averaging 7:17 for the run, the last 3M just under 7:00 pace.

total time: 43:38 

After dropping the kids off at school, Kami and I went out for 4M from our house over to Community Park for a lap and back home (her normal route).  Ran into some friends and chatted for a bit.  Kami did great averaging 9:00 pace and making it look easy.

Looking forward to tomorrow's race!

Stratos 2 - 61 miles

Great day today.  Got up early and caught a ride down to Pocatello with Lynette and McKay.  Once there, met up with Andrea and did a 3M warmup then got on the buses to the start.  Stomach issues from yesterday continuing but not too bad up to the start.  Right before we get on the buses, see a young guy in an ISU warmup suit and chat with him for a bit.  He indicated a goal of 1:10, so I knew I was in trouble for the overall win. 

At the start, the weather had settled down and the high winds in Poky had died out in Inkom at the start.  This race is all rolling hills despite what the profile shows so keeping a consistent and maintainable pace is the trick.  The gun goes off.

1- 5:21   Go out hard with the ISU guy, John Ricardi.  The pace feels ok, but I know that I likely cannot sustain it for the whole 13 so I back off to run my race and let him go. 

2- 5:34  Just crusing through the rollers.

3- 5:41  A bit more uphill here but still rolling and passing marathoners.

4-5:49  More hills.

5- 5:32  A bit of downhill section so I pick up the pace.

6- 5:39  Still feeling really good.  The next mile is where I got my side stitch last year so I just focus on nice a steady running

7- 5:45  Feeling good.  Take a Gu right about here.

8- 6:06  The hill under the freeway up to Century high school.  Not too long but a momentum killer.

9- 5:58  Over the worst of the hill and now just catching my breathe and rolling on the uphill through here.

10- 5:49  Breathe back, but now starting to feel a little intestinal distress.

11- 5:51  Intestinal issues getting a little worse, just focusing on keeping consistent.

12- 5:55  Ok, insides not feeling good.  Trying to decide whether to stop at a porta pottie or keep going...I keep going.

13- Made the turns into the park and I can see the finish...and the blue huts!

0.13 - 0:45  Finish with all that my insides will allow.

Overall I secured a second place finish, the 1st Master and take 3 minutes off my time from last year!  Young ISU runner John smoked the run in 1:09:xx with a great race.

As for our little IF running group, Andrea won 1st overall in the HM, Lynette was 1st Master just behind her and McKay was 3rd in his AG!  Not to bad for the IF group.

Afterwards, did a 2M cool down with Lynette, then a 4.9M cooldown with Andrea.  After the awards, my family had driven down after my daugther's soccer game and we spent the afternoon at the Ross Park water Park.  What a great day!

Kory W. deserves huge kudos for a smoking 2:36, new course record and outrunning Chuck Engle!  His training was superb and he peak just right to blow the marathon away!

Tangent 3 - 26 miles

5M easy before church just to loosen the legs up a bit.  Felt really good after yesterday.

Total time: 37:45  (Stratos 2 - 66 miles)

Took the family to the East Idaho State Fair and walk around all afternoon...the last couple hours in the rain running from building to building.