Philippians 4:13

I slept in and went out around 7:30 with Moxie for 2.5 miles around the neighborhood before meeting the crew for a run.  Met Gray, Craig, Andrea, Marlin, and Tim at the corner...ran 6 miles with Craig and 10 miles with Gray.  Ended up with 14 miles in 1:50 on very slick surfaces...snow covered ice for most of the run.

Happy New Year.

10 miles at the gym in 58:10.  3-2-1 workout (5:30, 5:15, 4:55) with a warmup, recovery and cooldown.  Hard workout this morning.  (Tangent)

I went to the gym with Justin and we did a hill workout.  1 mile easy then 0.5 - 0.75 mile hill repeats at slow MP, ranging from 2% to 7% incline.  My last mile was a fast mile at sub 5:40...my legs are trashed.  (Tangent)

I ran 5 easy miles with Moxie then picked up Justin and we went to the store for the group run...a big crowd today.  We ran 6 miles together around the southern greenbelt loop then up to Broadway.  11 miles total in just under 1:30.  I am tired.  (Ride)

Day off.

I went to the gym with Justin to run this morning (1 degree outside) and EVERY SINGLE TM was being used...mostly by walkers.  So, we lifted weights instead.  I will try for a run later today.

5 miles during a late lunch run around the greenbelt.  Sunny but cold, untimed.  (Mirage)

4:30am...7 miles on the treadmill at the gym in 43:50 (6:16).  Warmup with MP progression.  (Boost)

4 easy miles in 30 minutes out on the desert at lunch.  (Mirage)

4:30am...6 easy untimed miles with Moxie on a slick path covered with a thin sheen of fresh snow.  (Ride)

5 miles on a very slick (snow and ice) pathway around the greenbelt.  My legs are sore from having to activate my stabilizers so much during this run.  (Mirage)

No early run today.  I tried to get up but didn't feel very good.  Very stiff neck and tender shoulder and just tired.  I will try to get in a snowy run at lunch and hit the gym after work with Justin for a hard mile repeat workout for him.

5.25 miles doing loops around Freeman Park on a snowy and icy pathway in a cold wind.  Just got this one done and glad of it. (Xodus)

Hit the gym after dinner with Justin for some speedwork.  1 mile easy, 1 mile at 5:10, 0.5M at 4:52, 0.25M at 4:17.  A total of 5 miles in 29:50. (Tangent)   Left hip was a bit sore but marshalled through.  Justin got down to 4:52 pace during his speedwork!

Slept in and went to the gym with Justin and Kami.  Justin and I just ran fairly easy, with some..."faster running" thrown in (I can't say "speed" anymore unless it is less than 10 seconds).   8.5 miles in 52:10 (6:08 avg).  No niggle in my hip (yes, niggle is the proper term as a "small annoyance or concern").  Justin did great and ran a 10K, proud of his dedication and commitment.  (Boost)

FRB PC report to meet terminology police standards:  16.75 miles outside, slow.

My report using MY words:

I went outside on a warm morning for a slow long run.  7 miles along Sunnyside with Moxie then I dropped her off and went back out solo through SRL to Broadway and back.  I ran into the store running group on the way back and caught everyone, even had a few guys try to catch and push me for a bit.  I picked it up to 5:30 pace for about 1 mile to drop them, felt good to run faster this late in the run.  Had some hip pain throughout the run that was slowing me quite a bit in the last mile or so. Lots of runners out today, including Alana and Curt who I saw I as I was finishing up.  (Mirage)

Went to the gym with Kami mid afternoon and did two progression pickups. Started easy then increased up to 4:55 over the course of 3 miles.  Started at easy again and progressed up 0.1mph every 100m for the next two miles ending up at 4:55.  Last mile at MP then the last 0.25M at 4:17.  6 miles in 35:48.  (Tangent)

10K on the treadmill at the gym in 40 minutes. (Boost)

5 untimed miles around the greenbelt on a very windy day.  Path a mix of dry and icy.  (Mirage)

4:30am...10K on the TM at the gym in 39 minutes.  Started easy for 2 miles then progressed up from slow MP.  (Tangent)

4.25 miles at lunch on a beautiful day on the desert.  Slow run to enjoy the sun and warmer temps...offset to a bit of SAD lately.  (Mirage)

7 miles outside on a nice day.  10K with Dan just catching up.   A nice fun run today, (Mirage)

I went to the gym while Kami was at church and the kids were at swim practice.  1 mile wu, 3 mile tempo at 5:21 AP, 2 miles easy.  6 miles in 35:10.  I hate running after dinner, man my stomach did not like that!  (Tangent)

5 easy outside with Moxie this morning...slow and tired and a bit sore, this was probably more to get Moxie out than me. (Ride)

5 easy around the greenbelt at lunch.  A bit of a twing in my right foot but nothing to work about.(Mirage)

11 miles on the treadmill at the gym in 68:25.  Good easy run with some intervals thrown in.  (Boost)

I met the new manager of the old running store, John Coyle, today.  Young fast guy running Houston half this weekend.

5:30am...11 miles in 1:09:58 on the treadmill at the gym before our kids swim meet this morning.  Solid, steady easy MP run.  (Boost)

It was cold outside this morning, so I went for a run in the early afternoon after church.  Sunny and warmer (still a bit cool in the shady parts), 6.5 easy miles with Moxie.  A bit of a twinge in my right ankle and sour stomach for the whole run.  (Mirage)

Early run on the TM at the gym.  1.5 miles easy to start, then into MP for the rest (6:18 - 5:46) with a couple of fast pickups.  0.5 miles easy near the end.  13.5 miles in 1:24:15 (6:15 AP).  Ran next to Curt and Justin during diffferent parts of the run.  (Tangent)

4am...5 miles in 31:15 before a long bad day at work.  (Tangent)

5 miles at lunch easy in the cool but sunny weather.  Stress relief run from a hard morning.  (Mirage)

I had to be at work really early, so I set the alarm equally early (3:30).  I decided that 2 days in a row at this time is just too much for my old body.  I turned off the alarm, went back to bed and will try to get a run or two in later today.

6 miles after work in 40:30.  Felt ok, really tired but tried to focus on knee drive instead of foot quickness like the TM promotes.  Need to work on putting both together on more hard outside runs to be ready for Boston.  Nearly got hit by 2 cars not paying attention at crosswalks...stupid drivers.  (Mirage)

4:30am...I met John Coyle down on the greenbelt for a quality workout this morning..first outside hard early run in a while.  We ran a loop easy for a warmup then into some hard effort.  I ran with John for about a mile then my goal was to keep him in sight (in the dark) for the remainder...mostly was able to do this.  We then cooled down for a lap+ and called it good.  Nice to have someone to help push me a bit...need a lot of work to be ready for Boston!

As we were talking, I mentioned that I ran the 08 US Masters marathon championship, he said he was still running in high school then...man I am old.  (Boost)

5 very easy miles on a beautiful day at lunch around the greenbelt.  Very easy, hips a bit tight from this morning.  (Mirage)

4:45am...12 miles on the TM at the gym in 1:15:09.  A couple of easy miles, then mostly MP with some intervals (200-400m) thrown in here and there.  Felt easy even after yesterday's workout.  (Tangent)

6:15am...17 miles this morning for a slower long run.  6 miles with Moxie, then went back out for a while solo then met the running group at the store.  Ran with Gray for a bit, but mostly a solo effort.  Tired and still lots of work to do in the next few months.  (Mirage)

6 miles with Justin and Gray from home through SRL and around the river.  Nice to get out in the afternoon in the sunshine.  (Boost)

I woke up this morning feeling like crap...shoulder hurt, groin discomfort and my jaw was on fire, it felt like I have been smashed in the face.  I skipped my run (sorry Justin for having to run in the basement).   Probably be a day off as I have a funeral to attend at lunch and we have Bible study tonight so no time.

5 miles after work in just over 30 minutes with Moxie.  Ran from home to SRL and back and saw Jamie and Peter.  I needed this run as a stress reliever from work today.   Jaw issue was from stress this morning.  (Mirage)

4:30am...7 miles on the TM at the gym in 43 minutes (6:09 AP).  Easy 1.5 warmup, then into a MP progression to mile 5.  Slowed back to easy MP and progressed up again through mile 7.  Felt good.  (Tangent)

4:30am...7 easy untimed miles with Moxie on a warmer morning.  Right at the end of the run it started to snow, expected to snow all day today.  (Ride)

6 miles at lunch on the greenbelt which was snow covered and slick, thus slow today.  (Xodus)

4:40am...7 miles on a warm and breezy morning with Moxie.  Snow and ice on the pathway made it a bit slick and slow.

6 easy miles with Dan around the river at lunch on a warmish but windy day.  Pathway was really sloppy and slick in areas.  One local hick/jerk purposely drove into a puddle to throw a huge wave of cold and dirty water all over us...gotta love nice people.  (Xodus)

I went to the gym early to get a run in today as I have meetings this morning and Kami has to work.  1 mile easy then slow MP into a progression up to threshold pace (6:22 to 5:00) over the next 6 miles with two faster quarters (4:45, 4:17).  7 miles in 41:53 (5:59 AP).  

I went home to get Justin to come back to the gym with me but he was tired and his legs were sore from swim team practice.  So, back for 5 more miles.  1 mile at slow MP, then into a 5K effort run (17:15), followed by a MP mile.  5 miles in 29:20 (5:52 AP).  Tired and hungry now.  (Boost)

5:30am...12 miles on a cool and breezy morning with Curt, Andrea and Lynette. Easy pace along Sunnyside to the cemetary and back. Only had time for 12 miles before the kids swim meet this morning. (Ride)

4 miles in the late afternoon in 30 minutes with Moxie (to get her out and to get some sun).  Nice day, but the dogs was filthy afterwards from all the muddy water on the path...that was a lot of dirt going down the drain during her bath afterwards!  (Boost)

6:30am...6 miles with Moxie along Sunnyside on a relatively warm morning.  A light snow and a path mixed of dry and slick.  Honest pace today with some hard intervals thrown in.  (Mirage)

Go Broncos!

I went to the gym with Justin as Kami had to work.  We went early because my daughter was not feeling well.  

1 mile easy, 2 miles at goal MP, 2 miles at 5:50 AP, 1 mile at 4:52 AP.  Overall 10K in just over 36 minutes (6 miles in 35:15).  Last mile felt good, now need to get used to that outside.  (Tangent)

6 miles at lunch in 43 minutes.  This was a tougher run than expected as I wanted to put in a good pace, but the cold stinging snow in my face along with some slick spots just made this one slower and harder than desired.  (Mirage)

4:15am...I have to be at work early for a long day, so I hit the gym early.  8 miles in 49:20 (6:10 AP).  Started easy for 1.5M then into a MP progression, then mile 7 at around 5:36 AP.  Last mile back down to MP.  Felt stiff and tight at the start but better by the end.  (Tangent)

4:15am...headed to the gym for a workout (-2 degrees outside).  1 mile wu, then 3 mile progression from 6:18 to 6:00 pace.  Next three miles were a progression from 5:52 to 5:30 pace.  Then I ran a 5:15 mile to finish off 8 miles in 48:10 (6:01 AP).

Since it is Ride Across America time at the gym, we have lost Kami to spinning classes.  So I drove home to get Justin and came back to the gym so he could get his speed workout in.  I then ran 2 miles in 9:50 (4:55 AP) to finish off 10 miles for the morning. (Boost)

No lunch run today...1 degree with a windchill of -17!

5 miles at the gym in 32 minutes while the family was all at other activities.  Pretty easy run.  (Tangent)

4:30am...I was still asleep when I left for the gym and forgot my IPod so this was a very boring run.  2 miles easy, 7 miles in MP range.  9 miles in 56:40.  Legs a little tight at the start.  Saw Curt, Lynette and Rex there this morning (they didn't want to go outside either).  (Boost)

It is dang cold outside...-15 degrees (-31 with windchill) in IF, -43 in West Yellowstone!  All the schools are closed.  Still not awake when I left for work as I forgot my lunch.  Maybe I need more sleep?  Tomorrow is my day off...nap time!

4 miles at lunch on the treadmill in 25:55.  Still very cold outside. (Mirage)

5am...I slept in today (day off) and went to the gym.  My legs are a bit fried this morning so this was going to be just an easy run.  I ran next to Curt for a while and Justin to finish up.  Easy paced up to mile 7 then I picked it up a little and ran 3 miles at the end at MP.  11 miles in 70:27 (6:24 AP).  (Tangent)

5am...met John for a long run this morning.  Warm and calm but the snow on the path was about 2-3 inches deep.  It felt like we were running in sand on top of ice.  Our pace was slow but the effort was high.  Ran together to about 11 miles then he took off (he is half my age!).  My Garmin died in the first 3 miles so I don't know our time and I had to get home before John was done.  Nice to get out and push harder in tough conditions but my legs are fried!  (Xodus)

Kids did great at the middle school swim meet championships!

I got up and was going to run outside in the warm temps.  But I barely made it out the door before I nearly fell 4 times before going 200m due to the ice on the roads and sidewalks.   So, I went back in and spent time with the family, built a Valentines' day box for my daughter (dolphin shaped), put on a pot roast, watched Olympics.

In the early afternoon I ran 4 miles in the basement while watching the skiathlon finish.  Wow, those are stellar athletes.  26:30 total time in a new pair of Ride's (old model 3).

4:15am...7 miles outside with Moxie on a warmer morning.  Pathway mix of dry and icy.  (Ride 3)

Went home to take care of my sick daughter while my wife had to go to work.  5 miles on the TM in the basement in 33+ minutes.  The TM does not like prolonged periods at sub 6:15 pace as the breaker tripped on the machine and I had to wait to let it cool down.  (Tangent)

4:30am...7 easy miles outside on Sunnyside with Moxie.  (Ride 3)

5 miles in 38 minutes in a strong wind but warmer temps after Kami got home from her commitments this afternoon and she could watch our daughter.  Straight out on 5th West into the wind then back with a tail wind.  Just nice and easy as I am running 1 mile intervals tomorrow.  (Boost)

My right shoulder has been hurting the last couple of weeks and it was noticable again this morning.  It has hurt when I have shoveled snow and other things.  Reminds me of the beginnning of the pain I had about 8 years ago before I had surgery to fix a bone spur.

My daughter is sick again today with a really bad cough (it has been nearly a week of on and off again coughing).  Taking her to the doc today.

4:30am...very hard getting up this morning, tired, tight, sore shoulder, sore throat, ugh.  Went outside for 6 miles with Moxie on a warm morning with a fairly heavy wet snow coming down leaving the pathway with about 1 inch of snow and slick spots...the dog kept slipping but the Xodus held firm!  (Xodus)

Was going to meet a friend for some intervals but he ran into car troubles so I ran alone today in the wet and cold on slushy and slick roadways.  One main loop of the greenbelt (2.25 miles) then a fast mile (with the wind) in 6:15, slow mile (into wind), faster mile (6:35), slow mile back to the truck. Hard to go too fast due to the surface.  6.25 miles in 45:40.  (Ride 3)

4:30am...7 miles on a very warm morning (40 degrees) with some wind and a bit of rain.  I saw Sarah, Curt and Alana out this morning enjoying the weather.  Started with an easy effort then started to push to get a couple of miles in the MP effort range.  Did not bring Moxie as I did not want to have to clean her off due to the wet and dirty pathway conditions...she was bummed.  About time to retire these Mirage, right ankle was feeling this run in the shoes. (Mirage)

Warm and very windy at lunch.  Nice temps (overheated in fact) but swirly gusty winds.  I wanted to go a bit harder and for the effort, I would have thought I was running fast.  7 miles in 49:20.  That is not what I was hoping for.  (Ride 3)

Just found out I was renewed by PowerBar for 2 more years.  Registered for Mountain to Fountain 15K in Fountain Hills, now to book my travel.  Also looking at doing a 15K on March 23 in Balboa Park, San Diego.  Hopefully will help with Boston prep.

5:30am...I met John Coyle at the corner for a workout this morning.  3 miles wu then into a 3 mile tempo run (6:08) trying to keep him in sight.  Ran on 25th, Holmes then Sunnyside to Yellowstone.  We recovered to SRL then did a 400/800/1200/800/400 workout.  Paces: 4:58/5:17/5:37/6:00(uphill)/5:31.  We then ran back along Sunnysid and he took off for another 3 mile tempo and I ran home.   11.25 miles in 1:18.  (Boost)

After getting the kids off to school, went to spinning class with Kami for a leg strengthening workout.  25.5KM in just under an hour.  I am worn out and hungrY!

5:30am...met Curt, Gray and Lynette for a long run this morning in warm but windy conditions.  15 miles with the group, then 5 miles solo.  Tale of three runs:  north through SRL and the greenbelt to Freeman Park with the wind...great!  From Freeman Park back to our starting point agains the wind...hard.  Along Sunnyside and back home...just holding on.  20 miles in 2:35.  I saw nearly all the runners in IF I know out this morinng.  

Went back out with Justin for about 4 miles with some fartleks then finished off the 10K in 50 minutes.  26.2 miles in 3:25 for a training run.(Ride 3)

Biggest mileage week since exactly a year ago (this week in Feb. 13)!

Off to Poky today to watch the finals at the Simplot games.  Going to show Justin a real track meet.

4 miles with Moxie on wet, windy and warm morning. Legs feel really good after yesterday's run. (Boost)

5am...went to the gym with Kami to do spinning classes this morning and hand out PowerBar products as part of the promotion for the Ride Across America competition.  I really love the Energy Blasts and Fruit Blends and we handed out a lot of Recovery Protein bars.

50km in 2 hours of spinning, both classes hill workouts.  Good quad strengthening cross training.  Count this as 10 miles of easy running (even though my legs are pretty loaded up right now).

Took the kids to the track on a nice morning.  Justin and I warmed up for a mile then did 8x200m repeats.  He did great for his first outside hard effort.  He was consistently at 35 seconds per interval.  Cooled down for a mile.  Katelyn did 4 sprints of 100-200m and walked a few laps as well.  Overall 4 miles with the kids.  (Boost)

Got up to run, but I was really tired and left leg was tweaked (knee and hamstring), so I sat down for a minute and an hour later I woke up...so I missed the run this morning in the warmish but windy weather.  Get one in at lunch and maybe after work with Justin.

7 miles at lunch on a windy and cold day in 50 minutes.  1M wu, 2 miles into a hard wind (7:13, 7:33), 3 miles at a faster pace (6:23, 6:21, 6:08), 1M cooldown.  (Mirage)

4 miles with Justin after work easy around the neighborhood.  Great time just running and chatting, he always impresses me with his knowledge and inquisitiveness.  (Ride 2)

4:30am...6 easy untimed miles with Moxie along Sunnyside on a warm but windy morning. (Ride 3)

6 miles in about 45 minutes on a nice day at lunch.  I was going to try to go a little harder but I had a slight twinge in my groin so I just took it easy.  (Mirage)

I got up to run this morning and still had a twinge in my groin and in my knee, so I took this morning off and will see about a run at lunch and/or after work.  Nothing too concerning but don't want to make it a real issue.

Got a comp entry into the Hot Chocolate San Diego 15K today, should be a good hard race with some tough hill climbing to prep for Boston.

8.5 miles in just over 59 minutes on a cold and windy day at lunch.  1 mile easy, then I started to push a bit into the wind.  Headwind all the way out then push a bit harder coming back with the wind.  Not quite MP but MP effort today.  Last 0.25M cooldown.  Groin was ok.  (Mirage)

5am...went to the gym this morning because I was going to run with Justin.  1 mile wu, then into 0.75M hills.  4 hills starti&g at 2-4%, 3-5%, 4-6%, 5-7.5%.  All 4 intervals at 6:22 pace with 0.25M recovery in between to get to 5 miles.  Justin showed up and we did 4x0.5M at 5:46 - 5:15 avg pace.  He did great!  Ran another quick mile and ended up with 11 miles in just over 1:10.  (Tangent)

3.5 miles around the neighborhood in the late afternoon.  Sunny, windy but warm...ran in Shorts in February! (Ride 3)

5:30am...met with Curt, Gama and Lynette for a long run this morning.  From Curt's house around the greenbelt and back.  Lynette and I ran and extension down Sunnyside to Woodruff and turned around.  Overall 16 miles in 2:06 with a few miles of a push up to slow MP.  Legs are a bit loaded up from yesterday's workout.  (Ride 3)

6:30am...had some coffee and watched the 3000m races at the USATF indoor nationals before going out for a run.  Quite the drama in both races and between the Nike Coaches and the women's DQ issue!  Wow.   

10K with Moxie along Sunnyside on a warmish and breezy morning.  I wanted to get an honest effort in after yeterday's SLR.  Warm up pace for 0.5M then into tempo.  10K in just under 37 minutes (approx. 5:55 pace) including warmup and two potty stops for Moxie.  This felt really easy and controlled so I am happy with the run today.  (Boost)

Went to the gym in the late afternoon with the whole family.  Justin and I ran and focused on form development, Kami lifted and my daughter swam.  I was showing Justin how to focus on knee drive, hip activation, leaning forward and foot placement and kick.  I ran an easy mile, then a 4:52 mile.  An easy mile then 0.25M at 4:45 to accentuate form to show him what it looks like.  Nice run to help him out in practice and relieving some stress he is having with school projects.  Nice gym date!  (Tangent)

I went out early with Moxie for an easy 3.25 miles then went back home to take Justin out for a time trial morning.  1 mile easy, then 1 mile at 6:22.  He was really mad, so we recovered for about 0.75M then into another hard mile at 6:10 pace (which he liked better).  Cooled down back to home with a couple of strides and drills (high knees, butt kicks).  Overall 8.25 miles this morning.  I am proud of Justin for his drive to improve on the second mile.  It is hard to push when you first wake up out in the cool air and darkness.  Track starts on Friday and I wanted to get a bit of a baseline as he starts.  (Boost)

5 easy miles on a warm but windy day at lunch with Dan.  Untimed run around the greenbelt loop just talking the whole time.  Nice easy run with a buddy.  (Mirage)

4:30am...6 very easy miles with Moxie along Sunnyside.  It was warmish but windy and for some reason my hands froze!  Really tired this morning, I did not sleep well (wife is sick and coughing and not sleeping so neither am I...hope she kicks this stuff soon!).  I saw Alana, Curt and Corwin out this moring, nice to see others outside again. (Ride 3)

4 miles in 29:30 at lunch on the desert.  Sunny and cool with a good wind.  (Mirage)

Was going to meet a buddy for a run but he got held up.  An absolutely beautiful day for a run.  7.3 miles in 48 minutes.  1M wu, 5 miles at ~ 6:18, 1.3 mile cooldown.  A great day...sunny, warm and light breeze.  Should have gone longer.  Broke out a new pair of racers to get used too (older Tangent 4's...last pair). 

4 miles after dinner to work off some stress, enjoy the warm weather and get Moxie out.

 I had to go talk to my son's math teacher...again.  She is bullying the kids and marking grades down arbitrarily because she wants the answers to "look" a certain way with no rationale.  She is the worst teacher I have ever experienced and we have another appointment with the principal again to discuss her lack of caring about her students.  She just wants to make herself feel good about bullying and being smarter than 8th graders.(Tangent 4)

4:30am...6 easy untimed miles with Moxie along Sunnyside on a nice morning for a run.  Cool but no wind made this an enjoyable easy run.  (Ride 3)

 Beautiful day at lunch again for a run...in shorts.  I ran just over 3 miles with DanS easy then at 3.5M mark, I picked it up for about 3 miles at a mid MP run.  Cooled down for the last part to finish 7 miles in 50:45. (Mirage)

Talked to the PowerBar folks about Boston today, may have something cool brewing.

6:00am...went to the gym with Justin (crowded, barely got treadmills).  Intervals today.  Justin did 6x400m at 5:15-5:00 pace, he is doing great.

I ran about a mile warm up then into intervals (pace in parentheses):  800m (4:57 pace), 2x400m (4:45, 4:39), 1200m (4:28), 2x400m (4:17), 1 miles (4:57).  400m recovery at slow MP in bewteen intervals.  7 miles total in around around 41 minutes.  Hard workout.  Lots of folks that we know running at the gym this morning.  (Tangent 3)

5 miles in 38 minutes on the RMMS track while waiting for the boys to present the National History Day project.  Actually not a bad morning for a run.  And...the boys rocked their project!  (Ride 3)

6:30am...very little sleep last night after one of the worst days of my life.  I took my daughter to swim team practice and ran from the swim center on a cold, windy and snowy morning.  Wet stinging snow and good wind from the NE.  Through downtown, into Freeman Park and around the river a couple of times then back to the swim center winding through the numbered streets.  11 miles in 1:30.  Just a run to get my head right.  (Ride 3)

Thanks Gray for your help and concern yesterday and also to my other running friends.  Sorry.  Mid life crisis or depression?

7:30am...slept in a bit and went out before church. I took Moxie out for 5.5 miles then dropped her off and fueled up a bit (thanks PowerBar!). I went back out and did a river loop to finish off 18 miles this morning. Nice morning but the roads/paths were inconsistent and a mix of slick and snowy mostly. Glad to get this one done, just in the knick of time before church. (Xodus)

I was supposed to leave for a business trip this morning on a very early flight.  I got to the airport to find that my flights were canceled and they earliest they could get me out was tomorrow...after my meetings are to take place.  So, no business trip.

Got home and decided I still had time for a short run before work.  5 easy untimed miles in warm weather.  (Ride 3)

7 miles at lunch in 50 minutes on a warm but very windy day, felt like I was running into a wall a lot of the time.  Slow going out but a bit faster coming back (6:50ish) with the swirling wind.  Sure wish it would help you as much as it hinders you.  (Mirage)

4:15am...7 miles with Moxie on a warm but a bit windy morning. Nothing fancy, up and down Sunnyside at about a 7:35ish pace.  Maybe a tempo at lunch today then into a small taper for the race on Sunday.  (Tangent 4)

Finally got out for a run after work (a busy day of meetings).  5 miles in 31:20 (6:16 AP) with about 0.5M warmup and 0.5M recovery mingled in the run at points.  Disappointed in this tempo, I wanted to be closer to or under 30 minutes.  Never could get a good rythm as my pace was all over (4:47 - 6:40!) during the intervals...need to focus.  Hoping for better pacing at MTF 15K.  (Tangent 3)

4:30am...5 easy untimed miles with Moxie on Sunnyside on a nice morning for a run.  Little sleep last night so a bit tired for this run.  (Ride 3)

6.25 miles at lunch on the greenbelt.  Cool and windy (going south, a lot warm coming back with the wind).  Ran about half of it with Gray and had a good chance to talk.   (Mirage)

4:30am....5 miles on a warm and windy morning with a few sprinkles.  Got it done between two good rainstorms.  I did not bring Moxie (she was really bummed) as I didn't want to deal with a dirty wet dog this morning.  (Ride 3)

No morning run today.  Heading to Fountain Hills on an early flight.  I will get a few miles in later today on the course (hill part) of the M2F course.  Pool time here I come!

I got to Fountain Hills today to spend the weekend with my friends (thanks for hosting me Rachel!).  After getting to the house, Rachel took me out to McDowell Mountain Park to preview the course.  I ran the course from the park entrance to the finish line and back.  The downhill doesn't look as big as on the profile and the rollers were a bit bigger than I thought but manageable.  Ended up running som of it at race pace but mostly a good tempo taking it easy on the uphills (6:28, 6:10, 6:05, 6:58, 6:38, 6:47, 6:50)..  Overall 7 miles in 45 minutes with a 0.5M warmup and 1 mile cooldown.  Good to see the course.  Now to enjoy the warm weather for a few days.  (Tangent 4)

I slept in (a little) and hooked up with Kory Wheatley for a run (he drove over to FH from Glendale).  We had a great easy run on the M2F course and just talked and caught up on life and family.  Really happy to get to see my great friend, thanks for the talk and great example of being a Christian man it helped a lot.  8 miles in about 1 hour.  Had a coffee and chatted a bit at the Fountain park then back to the house.

Rachel and I went out for 2.5 miles easy from the house around the fountain and back.  Nice finish to the morning.  Now to get our numbers and spend some relaxation time and time at the pool to be ready for the race tomorrow.  Nice! (Boost)

Ran the Mountain to Fountain 15K this morning.  What a fantastic race.  4th Master (just out of the money), 1st in age group, 23rd overall man (3 women beat me, very strong runners!).  I feel really good about this race and felt that I raced it well.  More to come.

Rachel drove me over to the community center for the elite check in.  Met up with John, Derek Delancey and others.  Chatted with Ricardo for a little bit.  On the ride up sat and talked with Derek, John, Ricardo and Brett Bernacchi and enjoyed the viewed.  We warmed up with all the elites and I had a chance to meet and talk to Sarah Hall, Katie McGregor, Carlos Trujillo, Susan Loken and a few others. I saw Rachel and Janet as well and we got ready to go. It was a beautiful morning...sunny, light wind and about 53 degrees.

Went out right on target and hit 5:45 for the first mile.  The field was spreading out and I was running by myself in mile 2.  Hit second mile in 5:25 so I was on target.  I was a bit behind a group of 3-4 people at this point and picked it up to latch on and ended up in the lead of this little group.  Mile 3 in 5:24.  Cruising down the hill and crossed 5K at 17:15 then mile 4 at 5:24.  On to the rollers.  Our group was still mostly together and the woman in the group (Ariana) started to pick in up and a guy from Tuscon and I were going back and forth.  Hit the rollers fairly well from mile 4 - 6.  5 - 5:47, 6 - 5:37.  There is a good hill just past the 10k mark (34:54) and then the big half mile climb from 6.75 to 7.25 (mile 7- 5:55).  Ariana was still ahead and I was duking it out with Lucas as we hit the hill.  We passed Nicole Feest and I encouraged her to latch on and she couldn't.  As we crested the hill I poured it on to drop Lucas and chased down Andrew (Tuscon guy as well).  We were right with each other through mile 8 (6:05) then at the turn and downhill I opened it up again for the next mile to go 5:40 for mile 9.  I crest the hill on Saguaro and really just push hard to the finish and nearly catch Ariana and keep Andrew from trying to creep up on me.  I start saying my mantra "God give me strength" on the last 0.3M at about 5:03 pace to finish strong at 53:07.  I set the course record for 45 year old men today!

 I feel reall good about the race and felt that it was a good indication of where I am.  I feel that I ran a smart strategic race and was able to pass 4-5 folks and battle it out with the Tuscon guys by running smart early.  If I had run a bit faster early I may not have had the charge late to get those two great runners.  If I could have been up with Derek and trying to stay with him my fade could have been much worse than it was and likely would have had no kick.  

Afterwards, get a masage and go for a light jog with Nicole and John and have a nice chat (Nicole even made me feel humble by indicating she had no idea I was a Master's runner...thanks Nicole!).  I did this part totally backwards...beer, massage, cooldown jog.  Enjoy the beautiful weather and awards/party, have a bit of chow and talk to some of the folks.  This is a great race and I will definitely come again and bring Justin next time!

Talked a lot with the guys from the Banditos Running Master team that won Boston last year.  They are coming back so it should be fun to see how we compete, hopeful that we will be right there.  Great guys (Ricardo and Brett) so it will be fun.

Based on McMillian, this is a good indicator of 2:39-2:40.  I need to put in some good work the next few weeks to try to solidify the training. Based on RW, Age graded time equals 48:40.

Now for some pool and relaxation time..ok call it a nap! (Tangent 4...these worked and felt great!)

Went out for a solo run on a beautiful morning.  5 times around the fountain and back to my friends house.  8 miles in 1:01 with one pickup mile to slow MP just to shake out the legs.  A transformative run for me spent in prayer and figuring some life issues out.  A Wow run for me.

4 more miles with the running group helping assess the kids form and giving some pointers on running efficiency and technique.  Around the fountain twice and back.

Off to the airport later to head home.  Going to miss the sun and warm weather but I miss my family.  Thanks Clausen's for such a great weekend...coming back next year with the whole family!  (Boost)

4:15am...8 untimed miles with Moxie along Sunnyside.  Some water/ice mix with snow on the grass.   Yesterday morning I was running in shorts and no shirt in the sun, now in the cold dark with gloves, tights, cap and fleece...what a change.  Another great run to figure out a few things.  What a difference a week makes...(Ride 3)

4:15am...7 easy untimed miles with Moxie along Sunnyside on a cool morning.  (Ride 3)

5 miles in 32:20 at lunch on a nice day.  Late run, but needed to get out to work off some work stress. I felt a bit of a tweak in my knee around mile 4 so I pulled the pace back in a bit. (Mirage)

4:30am...6 easy untimed miles with Moxie along Sunnyside on a cold (24 degrees) morning.  Still felt a bit of a tweak in my knee so I will just take the runs easy today. (Ride 3)

6.7 miles in just under 47 minutes on a beautiful day around the river.  I ran about 2 miles with Dan just chatting then he turned back and I went a bit longer and picked up the pace to comfortable pace (6:40ish pace).  No tweak in the knee.  (Mirage)

Boston Bib numbers are out..1218.

I skipped a morning run to get some extra sleep and went out at lunch time in the warm weather.  Shorts and longsleeve shirt to start and ran shirtless for about half the run.  4 miles out and back along Sunnyside with Moxie then solo through SRL and around the greenbelt and back.  14.5 miles in 1:37:30 (6:43 AP) with about 4 miles thrown in at MP or better (5:30-6:15) including mile 14 at 6:08 pace.  Overall a great run, my front side mechanics feel really good and the power and turnover are clicking together better than they have in a long time.  Looking forward to the 15K in a week and then Boston!  (Boost)

I did not get any sleep last night (I saw EVERY hour from 10pm - 3am).  Finally decided that I was not going to get anywhere, so I got up just past 3am and was out running at 3:30am.  11 VERY slow miles around the greenbelt through SRL.  Running on fumes and in sleep walk mode.  (Ride 3)

Off to Lava Hot Springs for my daughter's first IF Cutthroats swim meet today.  

6am...took Moxie out for 4.5 miles along Sunnyside then dropped her off at home so I go back out with Curt for a run.  We did a loop around the river through SRL and back for 10 miles then I added on a few more to finish off 18 miles on a very nice morning.  I was still a bit tired so this was just a long slow run.  Had fun talking with Curt and hope to have a fun on the nice weather day today.  (Ride 3)

Very tired again this morning so I slept in.  It was windy out but should have gone because today it is supposed to rain and stay windy!

Yep, should have gone this morning.  When I started it was just windy but by about 0.75M in started to rain (sideways), then snow (sideways), then stinging hail (sideways), then blizzard!  5.25 miles doing laps around Freeman Park, then I had to go in.  Pace was good considering the conditions (probably because of them so I could finish faster).  Had to hide under a tree at one point due to the hail, but ran out after the HUGE thunder clap!  Ugh!  (Mirage)

4:30am...7 easy untimed miles with Moxie along Sunnyside on a cool but calm morning.  Only run today due to work schedule.  (Ride 3)

5am...interval run this morning.  I was meeting John for this one but he overslept and showed up for my last interval.  Saw Andrea and Corwin out on the Sunnyside path and ran some of the intervals with Andrea trying to help her out.  Overall did about 4 miles of intervals at between 15K - Marathon pace range (5:27-6:05), last 2 1-mile intervals at 5:35, 5:40.  Nice morning for a run!  Felt like the goal pace for this weekend's 15K is in the works.  7 miles total this morning.(Boost)

Lunch run with Dan on a cool but nice day around the greenbelt.  5 miles with Dan at 7:35ish pace then 1 mile around the park solo picking it up to 6:30 pace.  6 miles total in 44:30 (7:25 AP).  (Mirage)

4:30am...7 easy untimed miles with Moxie along Sunnyside.  Very easy for first half, sped up to easy for second half.  (Ride 3)

6 slow miles at lunch on the windiest day that I have ever run (30mph with gusts to 50mph!).  That kinda just sucked except for the bright sunshine.  (Mirage)

I decided to sleep in and skip the morning run when I saw it was 18 degrees outside.  I went to spinning with Kami after dropping off the kids at school just to give them a rest before this weekend's race.  Easy fast spin focusing on the strategy for the race.  I will count this as 5 easy miles (28 km in 56 minutes).

Rob convinced Justin to run the Running with the Leopards 5k in SLC.  So we warmed up a bit around the zoo then I paced Justin to his 5K PR in 18:51!  I am so proud of him!  (Boost)

I ran the Hot Chocolate 15K in San Diego this morning.  Left early to drive to PETCO park then warmed up a bit and dropped off gear.  Really well organized start/finish area (huge!).  Talked with Todd, Eddy and Tim at the start.  Hilliest course (besides Race to Robie Creek) that I have ever run!  No way to get a rythm so just was using the course for what it gave you.

Splits: 5:51, 5:44, 6:09,6:15, 5:56, 5:39, 5:48, 5:59, 5:15, 1:24 (4:53 pace) for last 0.3M.  4th OA and first Master.  Really fun course and fun to race another one.  Went out conservative and was running in 7th place at mile 2.  Slowly started reeling in the runners over the next 5 miles on the hills (all young guys, several HS kids).  I caught 3rd place right before 7 mile mark but he pulled away on the big hill in this mile and I was never able to quite reel him in again (9 seconds behind at the finish).

A young kid caught up to me at 8.5 miles (right after a spectator told him to "go catch the old guy!") and I thought he would be able to out kick me.  I told him to go get 3rd place and he did not make a move.  So, I threw down hard right before mile 9 and he could not respond (us "old guys" can still run...even outrun a HS kid!).  Felt great to have a kick that big at the end and push for a good time on a difficult course.

4 mile cool down on the Harbor with Eddy (winner) and his teammates.

Overall a good day, satisfied with this one and another good prep for Boston!  (Tangent 4)

6:30am...5.25 miles with Justin.  Hilly run on a warm and misty morning.  Great to get out for a run with him, nice to chat and share the time. (Boost)

Up and out early 6 miles solo on the hills around the area.  Stopped back by the house and picked up Justin for 4 more focusing on uphill and downhill form.

6 miles of walking around the zoo and downtown area.  Due to the hills, going to count 2 more miles.

Slept in and went out a bit later for a solo run.  Most hills I have run on a training run in a while...compares easily to Sunnyside hill and beyond!

From our friends' house to Twin Oaks Blvd then up a huge hill to the Ridgeline Trailhead.  About 6 miles of trail running up and down at the top of the hill.  Ran into another runner (Jose) and ran 2 miles with him.  Then downhill back to the house with an out and back before heading in.  18 miles in 2:22 on a very tough run today.  (Boost)

5.5 miles solo on a hilly route then back to grab Justin and do it again.  A great time running and talking with Justin, so glad we can share this passion and time together.  (Tangent 4)

4.75 miles solo around the neighborhood then 3.5 miles more with Justin.  Slow and tired today.  (Tangent 4)

Slept in a bit then went out for 6.25 miles solo around the area and to scope out the college track.  

Went back and grabbed Justin then warmed up for 2 miles before his 1 mile time trial on the track.  He did awesome, ran each lap well and set a new mile PR!  Great confidence builder before heading into his first meet next week!  Cooled down for about 1.75 miles back to our friends.  Heading home today via the Murphy's tonight.  Not looking forward to leaving the warm weather for the cold back home.  A great spring break vacation! (Tangent 4)

Got to SLC last night and spent the night with the Murphy's. Rob and I went out for a run around Sugarhouse and around the park a couple of times for a nice 8 mile run.

We all went to breakfast at Ruth's then watched the Carlsbad 5000M race. Then we made the drive home in the pouring rain and snow back to IF. Glad to be home. Our pets are especially happy to have us home!

I did not get to sleep last night until after midnight, I skipped my morning run and slept in a bit.

7 miles in 46:30 at lunch on a nice afternoon.  Ran easy for about half the run and at a MP effort for about half.  Ran with Sage and Phil for a while nice to chat.  (Mirage)

4:30am...6 easy untimed miles with Moxie on a chilly (28 degrees) but calm morning.  Bumped into Andrea, Alana and Curt.  (Ride 3)

4 miles in 26:30 (6:37 AP) on a cool and breezy day on the desert.  (Mirage)

A group of us were interviewed by one of the local TV stations today about going to the Boston marathon.

4:30am...a repeat of yesterday, nearly exactly.  6 miles with Moxie easy on a cool morning. (Ride 3)

6 miles in 41:30 on a cool and breezy day.  Just ran easy and never got rained on (though it looked like it was going to open up any minute!).  (Mirage)

Early run with Curt this morning.  7 miles along Sunnyside just having fun catching up.  (Ride 3)

6 miles in 43:22 at lunch on a nice day for a run.  Just an easy day today. (Mirage)

Proud of Justin about his track meet today.  He ran a very solid 800m in 2:32 (was leading most the way and just got passed at the end when he let up to save it for the 1600m).  Then he ran a solid 5:41 in the mile!  I know he is a bit disappointed with the place but this is a building block and lesson on racing to apply through the season.

I slept in and went out at 5:30am for a run with Moxie.  I started slower then picked it up on the way back and threw in some intervals.  7 miles in 49:15.  

I stopped at home to get the kids ready for school and went back out a couple of hours later.  I ran at a decent clip to SRL and back for 6 miles in 39:30 with some good hard intervals in this run too.  Only had a cup of coffee and part of a waffle in between.  Feel pretty good.  (Ride 3)

I got nearly no sleep last night (ok, 3 hours) but got up and out the door at 5am to meet Curt and Andrea for an easy run.  We ran 8 miles to the greenbelt via SRL and back.  Super tired and slow. (Ride 3)

I grabbed Justin and we went to the track to meet John and Richard for some intervals.  We ran 3 miles to warm up then Justin and I ran 6x400m with 200m recovery at between 78 - 84 seconds.  We ran about 0.5M cooldown for 5.5 miles total.  Now off to watch my daughters swim meet this morning.  With Kami's spinning class this morning, we did a family triathlon!  (Boost)

Got a good night sleep last night and went out for a run before church.  Good run this morning on a nice but morning (in shorts!) with Moxie in an honest effort.  5 miles in about 32 minutes which felt very controlled and easy.  (Tangent 3)

4 easy untimed miles with Justin and Moxie early this morning along Sunnyside.  (Ride 3)

7 miles at lunch at goal MP (5:59) in 41:53 on a very nice day for a run...warm, sunny and light breeze.  Splits: 6:01, 5:58, 5:58, 6:00, 5:50, 6:02, 6:02.   Felt ok, a bit harder than I wanted but not too bad.  (Mirage)

Marlin, Kami and I were interviewed by one of the local TV stations today about going to the Boston Marathon.

4:30am...early and easy 10K with Moxie along Sunnyside.  Slow and tight, likely only run today due to work schedule and evening band concert. (Ride 3)

3.3miles after work to enjoy the sunshine. (Tangent 3)

I received confirmation today that I will be a member of a PowerBar panel at the Boston Marathon Expo to discuss nutrition and racing (pre/during/post) as a top age group runner.  Going to be fun!

No morning run today as I was very tired.  Justin had a band conert last night that went late then I had to reinstall programs on our computer after getting the OS refreshed over the weekend so I was up past midnight.  Plus for some reason my right groin was a bit tender last night.  I will try to get an easy run in at lunch today to enjoy the weather (and wind!).

6 miles in 44 minutes running with Dan S for 5 of them.  A really nice day for a run besides the wind...warm, sunny!  Nice to get out and chat and blow off some steam.  Groin/hip was feeling good during the run and even better afterwards but I will still watch it.  (Mirage)

Still tired this morning from the lack of sleep yesterday and my hip was still achy.  So, I skipped the morning run and will likely take the next two days off to let the hip/groin heal.

No run, letting my groin rest and feel better.  Had a massage today and he was able to pinpoint the tender ligament...hope it helps.

Conference call with PowerBar TeamElite folks today!

5am...out for an 8 mile run with Curt through SRL to the greenbelt and back.  Nice run with great company.  Added on a couple more miles then went to the gym with Kami to set up PowerBar products for the last day of Ride Across America party (PowerBar sponsored the event).  Ran home from the gym to get a total of 12.25 miles in 1:32.  My hip actually felt great...good news!

Now off to the Ribgy Invitational track meet to watch Justin run (3200m, 800m and maybe the 1600m too!).  1 mile or so of warming up with Justin doing some fast strides.  I am very proud of him, he did very well in his races (12:03, 2:41, 5:51) and nearly did not get to run 3200m due to poor coaching adminstration...good thing I know a few folks to work with to help out!   (Ride 3)

Lots of drama during the events.  I went with Justin and Braedon to check in for the 3200m and the official said they were not on the list and there were no late adds.  Apparently no Taylorview coach went to the coaches meeting right before the event to check the rosters for late add/drop and they had not registered the runners correctly.  After talking to the head meet coordinator (whom I know) and the District 91 T&F program lead, we were able to get the kids in (only 3200m on this side of the state this season...won't let a kid in who WANTS to run it? Please!).  Justin was furious and ready to leave the meet but I got him settled down and he ran great after we got him on the list just in the knick of time!  Inept coaching this year.  The lady helping out with the distance kids is very nice though and really trying to learn and is very impressed with Justin!

6:45am...went out with Moxie for a run on a windy and cool morning.  Nice up tempo run (untimed) with my hip feeling Great...no pain or issue at all!   Nice start to the taper week, getting excited to go to Beantown with all my friends!  (Ride 3)

Skipped the morning run to sleep in.  I was going to go short, but it was 21 degrees...so I bailed.  Going harder at lunch then maybe after work with Justin.

Conference call today with the nutritionist who is on the Nutrition Panel this weekend at the PowerBar booth...this is going to be fun!  The panel discussion takes place at 11:30am on Saturday and Sunday...stop by to say hi or heckle me!

Went out for my last tempo run before the Boston Marathon.  Ate a PowerBar Fruit EnergyBlend then out to the the run.  Ran 1 mile easy with Dan S. then into my 6 mile tempo.  I ran along the greenbelt to Bill's Bike and Run and stopped in for a PowerBar gel (testing my GI track for compatability for the race).  Splits: 5:54, 6:04, 6:00, 5:57, 6:02, 6:11 (slowed down on purpose) (right at 6:00 AP).  0.25M cooldown for 7.25 miles in 45:45 (6:18 AP).  Everything felt good and easy, including my hip (it may have been older shoes which I have retired).  (Mirage Red)

5:00am...went out on a nice morning with Moxie for a short easy run.  At the 4 mile turnaround, we saw Alana, Andrea, Curt, Gama and Shannon who were running 5 miles.  So I ran the rest of the way with them having some good conversation.  5 easy miles with good friends...hard to beat! (Ride 3)

5 mile easy progression run in 36:30 outside in windy and cool conditions.  Splits: 7:46, 7:28, 7:21, 7:13, 6:42.  Nice and easy and no issues...besides taper madness. (Mirage Red)

Moment of silence today at 12:49 MDT for those impacted by the Boston Bombing this day last year.

4:45am...5 easy untimed miles with Moxie along Sunnyside on a cool and calm morning.  Only run today...taper madness is hard!  (Fastwitch Red)

Nice easy 5 mile run at lunch around the greenbelt in 34:30...felt great and strong!  (Fastwitch Red)

No run, travel day and Red Sox game!  We arrived in Boston around 4:30 and met Marlin and Mauri at the hotel.  We waited a bit for Lynette to arrive but she was having issues at the airport so we headed downtown to meet the crew at the game.  It was freezing out!  Fun to catch up with folks and have a Sausage and a brew, but man oh man we were cold.  Got back to the hotel really late and we were very tired.

No run, we slept in then went to the expo.  I had a great time meeting up with all my friends from PowerBar and beingn on the panel discussion at PowerBar with Josh Cox, Sarah Reinersten and Eric Zaltas.  A decent crowd but it could have been better.  Wow, was the expo crowded...we had to get out a couple of times just to stay sane.  Went to the Hoyt's presentation then lunch at the Pru then back to finish off the expo.  Highlight was stopping by the Athens Marathon expo and talking with a very nice Greek guy,  he gave us a finisher's medal from the 2011 Athens marathon for Justin!  

A very Busy day with a finish at Atlantic Fish Co. for our anniversary dinner.  On the way back to the hotel we stopped by the PowerBar Party at the Bell in Hand to say hi and talk with folks.  A nice time but would have been more fun if they had left it on Monday night.  Ate way to much and ended up puking that night due to too much food.  Also started to lose my voice and get a scratchy throat today.

He is Risen!

3.25 miles with Marlin down to Revere Beach before Easter Service. After the service we went to brunch at the church and talked to some very nice folks including a marathoner (Mike J.) from Minnesota who knows friends of ours who just moved to Boise...small world!

To the expo and Panel Discussion.  I even had someone ask me for my autograph! Another great day with PowerBar including meeting the founder and talking with the President of the company for a while and meeting Jenny Maxwell (PowerBar founder) and her fiancee, Jeff Rosen .  Great people!

Then off to the IF Runners dinner for a great pasta dinner and fun!  On the way back to the T, we walked through Boston Commons and into the middle of HempFest!  Hope there are no drug tests for mid-packers tomorrow...man I guess I really don't care...ooh, pretty butterflies!  Relaxed in the hot tub with Marlin and Mauri then off to early bedtime.  Ready to roll!

2:39:00 today!  1st Idahoan, 298 Overall, 8th in 45-49 AG!  Executed my plan perfectly and felt great!  More to report later!  (Tangent 4)  An awesome race today, I stayed patient and executed my plan exactly how I wanted to letting others go when I knew I needed to stay easy so I could run strong later.  Went to my mantra "God give me strength" often and He did!

One of my best races ever!   Thanks to all the IF runners for being such great friends, especially to Marlin and Nate for riding the buses and hanging out together at the athlete village. The bus ride to the high school took forever and was causing issues with the well hydrated runners.  We got the village and found a good spot in the sun to relax and hit the PoP several times.  I fueled up on PowerBar EnergyBlends and the new Performance Energy wafers and was ready to go. The announcement came for  Wave 1 corrals 1-3 to leave and I ran to the starting line for the warmup.  It went from cool the warm in a matter of minutes and was shedding my outer layer quickly.

I saw Walter at the start and the runners from the Phoenix Banditos team and was going to try to run with them but we had different plans and drifted apart. I wanted to go out conservative and use the hills wisely to conserve energy.  Well the first mile was a bit fast but ok (6:00) along with the next 2 miles.  Walter was ready to go and took off so I let him go and settled in near the Banditos team.  Nice guys but in a zone and competitive mode so I just ran near them not in the pack as  Bret had invited me to do.  Nice and easy for the next few miles hitting right around 6:00 pace pretty easy.  I took my first PowerBar gel at mile 7 and it gave me a boost.  Had a bit of hip twinge at mile 9/10 but told myself I was not going to let that happen and prayed to make it go away, and it did!  Fun running through all the towns and HUGE crowds.  Wellesley did not disappoint and was as loud as ever and fun to high 5 all the girls!  I hit the half  mark at 1:18:19 right on the mark I wanted. I took another PowerBar gel right around 12/14 miles to keep the fuel tank up.  I was taking water/Gatorade every stop and dumping water every stop to keep cool on a warmish day today.

Around mile 15 I caught up to Walter and prayed that he would latch on and we could run together.  I tried to stay consistent and not give too much back through the Newton hills and ran right on my projected splits for the second half.  Around mile 17 I saw the first Bandito runner coming back to me and passed him.  I tried to stay nice and patient as the hills started and prayed a lot!  I crested Heartbreak at exactly the pace I wanted and started to open it up on the downhill and saw another Bandito coming back so I poured it on and was feeling great.  I felt stronger through here than at the half!  It was great being in Boston and the crowd was amazing and full of energy!

I was hoping for a closer to even split (1:18/1:19 or 1:20) but I will take the 1:20:40 second half gladly.   I ended up passing lots of people in the second half and saw lots of runners cramping up badly and I felt so bad for them.  I ran by Derek at mile 24 and wished him well and hoped he would run with me to keep me going.

The turn onto Boylston was amazing...what energy!  I pushed hard in the last 0.25M and passed two more runners and just missed the sub 2:39 but I am ecstatic with the result.  My fastest Boston yet, 10 minutes faster than my first 8 years ago!  I have been the first Idahoan every time I have run here and give God the glory for this run and the healing opportunity it provided all of us!

This Boston marathon was another amazing experience (they all have been tremendous) and it was great to share it again with so many friends.  Nice to see Lynette, Marlin, Andrea and Alana at the finishers area but it was cold downtown so Marlin, Mauri, Kami and I left to go get our bags and head the hotel to recuperate.  After the race in the family meeting area a young guy came up to me and said: "Hey, you are the PowerBar guy!  I used the tips all of you told me about this race and I ran a 6 minute PR!  Thanks!".  That was cool, glad what we talked about helped someone do great!

We were too tired to make it back downtown and ended up sitting in the hot tub and having dinner at the hotel with some other marathoners (Richard Hirst, you are a great guy!).  Lots of fun but and emotional day but now very tired.   Wow, Boston is the best race in the world!

Splits: 6:00, 5:44, 5:55, 5:53, 6:02, 5:47, 5:52, 5:56, 5:56, 6:02, 6:06, 5:57, 6:02, 5:59, 6:03, 5:47, 6:13, 6:03, 6:10, 6:27 (heartbreak), 5:51, 6:02, 6:02, 6:16, 6:22, 6:01 pace for 0.2M.

No run, day to explore Boston and have some fun with Kami!  We walked about 4 miles today to see the memorial exhibit at the Public Library then through the North End and Quincy Market area.  Nice lunch at Umberto Galleria and dessert at Modern Bakery and a beer at the Bell in Hand...and coffee from Dunkins.  Now very tired and ready to go home.

No run today as we had an early flight back home.  Starting to feel sick (headache, stuffy ears, sore throat) that I was able to push off past Monday.  Nice to see the kids and be home, but not for the cold and windy weather. 

5.5 easy miles with Curt and Moxie on a cool morning along Sunnyside.  Legs are feeling pretty good.  thanks for the run, Curt!  (Ride 3)

5 miles at lunch in 39 minutes on a windy day before the rain started.  Legs still tired but getting better quickly. (Fastwitch Red)

5:15am...5 very easy miles with Moxie along Sunnyside.  Ran into Curt and chatted for a bit then caught up to Kari and her friends and talked for a bit of the run.  Sore legs. (Ride 3)

6am...Justin and I went out and met up with Craig, Curt and Lynette for a run on pretty nice morning (though storm clouds are looming).  Started easy but threw in several pickups to MP or better with Justin and Craig.  A nice run with a good group, proud to have Justin part of it!  8.5 mile total. (Ride 3)

Went to breakfast with a college friend this morning before church then a long morning at church (but good!).  Went out for a run in the early afternoon with the whole family!  Kami, Katelyn, Justin and I all went out for 2 miles then Justin and I did a 5K in pretty decent effort (20 minutes) for a total of 5.1M today.  Right hammy still tight but getting better! (Mirage Red)

4:30am...6 untimed easy miles with Moxie along Sunnyside on a cool but calm morning.  Hard time getting up this morning but got out the door.  (Ride 3)

6.3 miles with Dan around the greenbelt to Pancheri and back.  Nice easy pace having a good chat the whole way.  Right hammy still a bit tight but improving.  We finished up right before the snow started...good thing because we were in shorts!  (Fastwitch Red)

A very busy week of all day meetings so this will be a light running week but heavy on stress!

4am...7 slow easy miles with Moxie along Sunnyside on a cool but calm morning.  Right leg getting a lot better.  Very busy day at work today..ugh! (Ride 3)

4:00am...a repeat of yesterday along Sunnyside.  Another busy day at work then Justin's track meet tonight. Hoping to see him bust out a stellar mile!  (Ride 3)

4am...a broken record week...7 miles with Moxie along Sunnyside before another long day of meetings at work.  (Ride 3)

Very proud of Justin in his races yesterday, espeically a new PR in the mile (5:38!).  He is running very well, now for the conference championship he just needs to fully embrace the racing part and let himself go into the other "hurt" gear to go for the win. 

Tired from a long week of all day meetings (that went Excellent!!!) so I slept in and went out for a short run after getting the kids off to school before church meetings and dr. appointments.  4.6 miles in 30:10 minutes (6:33) and will count as a slow MP.  The last 2 miles were not fun as I really needed a pitstop but had no place to stop especially with Moxie.  (Mirage Red)

5.4 miles in 37 minutes around 3pm in nice warm and sunny weather.  Nearly hit by cars twice and yelled at once for running on the road...I like morning runs so much better! (Boost)

6:30am...5 miles with Moxie on a beautiful morning...warm, sunny and calm.  Got her out for a bit and ran into Alana and Andrea and ran with them for a little bit and chatted.

Came home, dropped off Moxie and grabbed Justin to take him for a time trial at the track.  3 miles of warmup along Sunnyside then a 1 mile time trial.  He did GREAT and PR'd with a 5:12!  He now has the confidence to go for it at conference and try to get the school record (5:09:95).  He can do it.  Cooled down and talked for another 3 miles.  A total of 12 miles today. (Boost)

Skipped the morning run before church so I could fertilize the lawn and make the family waffles for breakfast.  

Justin and I went out for 3.5 miles after church on a warm but windy day.  He went short to cut for taper and because his stomach was upset.  I went back out for 2.7 more for a total of 6.2 miles in 47 minutes. (Mirage Red)

4:15am...7 easy miles with Moxie along Sunnyside on a nice warm morning.  Another early and long day at the site so likely only run today.  (Mirage Red)

4:30am...6.2 easy miles with Moxie along Sunnyside in a light rain.  Left achilles still a bit achy.  (Ride 3)

I slept in a bit after getting up but not feeling so good.  I am staying home to take care of Kami after her procedure and to be her for a couple of home repair issues.  Went out around 6:30am and it was cool, windy and rainy for the whole run.  Stomach not doing well but the achilles is a lot better.  A blah day.  (Ride 3)

4 miles in 27 minutes in the late afternoon while Kami was napping.  Curt finished off the deck and Allen B. installed a new hot water heater...lots of fixes today.  Beautiful afternoon for a run, achilles still doing better each run and it should be back to normal soon based on the improvement.  Got harrassed for running without a shirt by a tough group...of 4th graders.  Turned around an had a discussion of being curteous!  (Boost)

Got word that I have an elite entry at St. George!

4:15am...ok, so my achilles is still a bit more sore than I thought.  5 VERY easy miles with Moxie along Sunnyside.  About the time I ended it was feeling better.  This one is bugging me.  (Ride 3)

7.3 miles at lunch in 51 minutes on a beautiful day around the river.  Achilles felt great!  (Fastwitch Red)

Busy day at work then Justin's conference track meet tonight...I am hopeful that he can run a breakout race if he believes in himself, embraces the pain and races his competition.

Very proud of Justin for running a huge new official racing PR of 5:25 in the 1600m!  He is learning to race and was in great position going into the last 200m and just got nipped by a couple of guys to finish 5th in a close race for 2 through 5.  He is learning how to dig and will find that closing gear.  He is building a very strong base to hit IFXC next year and excel.  He is going to be better the longer the distance and I can't wait to try to keep up with him.  Tomorrow...the 800m where he has the school record (broke the 19 year old record this season).

I slept in and got up around 5:30am to run but it was crappy outside (windy, rainy, cold).  So I waited and went out after taking kids to school and getting Kami's orthodics (so she can run!).  10 miles in 1:12 in cool and very windy conditions.  I got a few raindrops but nothing that I thought I would get based on the clouds.  Tired and the achilles was mostly good.  (Mirage Red)

Hoping Justin can run strong in the 800m in these winds.

6am...went out with Justin, Craig and Sheridan for a 10 mile run.  We ran through SRL and around the greenbelt and back.  Justin's first double digit run, 10 miles in 1:17...for a recovery run!  Good group to run with in the cool, windy weather.  After dropping Justin off at home, went out for a 5K with Moxie untimed.  Achilles is improving but still there.  (Fastwitch Red)

Went out later in the afternoon on a beautiful day with the kids.  I ran 1 mile with Justin and Katelyn then finished off 2.1 miles more with Justin. He ran 13.1 miles today!  Great day with my family!  (Mirage Red)

I woke up around 2am with a stomach ache and an outline in my head for a speech I am giving next week.  So up at 2:30 and spent a couple of hours drafting my speech.  A little bit of napping before the famil got up to celebrate Mother's Day breakfast with Kami then church.

We got home and Justin, Kami and I went out for a run to get Kami started on her training and to try out her new gear (Hoka shoes!).  3 miles with them then 1 more mile with Katelyn.  Now for dinner with my parents...a really good day if I can stay awake.  (Ride 3)

Skipped the morning run.  My ankle/achilles was still a bit sore and really swollen yesterday so I am wrapping/resting/icing it.  It feels better but looked bad last night.

5 miles around the greenbelt with Dan at about a 7:30 pace (he is tapering for Ogden) plus 1 mile back and forth from the office to the locker room (truck at the shop) for a total of 6 miles.  Ankle has been wrapped all morning and during the run and I felt it.  After the run and unwrapping it feels great! (Fastwitch Red)

4:30am...4 slow miles with Moxie.  My achilles was very bothersome this morning short I cut it short.  This issue is getting old now. (Ride 3)

7 miles in 47:50 on a beautiful day at lunch.  Easy fartlek run with some sub 6:30 intervals thrown in.  Leg felt great, almost not noticable at all!  Hope it keeps improving, seems to hurt the most at night and in the morning, classic sign of tendonitis. (Fastwitch Red)

3.25 miles at Community Park after work with Justin and Kami.  Kami is doing great trying to get back into running. (Mirage Red)

Decided to skip the morning run to let the achilles continue to heal (feeling way better).  I will run at lunch and after work with Justin.

Beautiful day at lunch for a run!  1M warmup, 5 mile MP tempo (6:20, 6:12, 6:18, 6:15, 6:15), 1.25M cooldown for 7.25 miles in 47:30.  Nice run and my achilles felt really good!  (Fastwitch Red)

4 miles after work around the neighborhood with Justin on a warm and sunny afternoon.  4 miles in 27:45 just having fun talking about our day and running.  I am very proud of his commitment and improvement (he had a great run at PE today!).  This is awesome...now working on getting Kami and Katelyn out here consistently!  (Mirage Red)

4:30am...5 easy miles with Moxie along Sunnyside on a nice morning. Achilles still improving but feel it first thing in the morning...or it could just be I am old and tired! (Ride 3)

9 miles on a beautiful day at lunch.  Ran the greenbelt to BIll's Bike and Run to meet up with Gray for about half of the distance.  Nice time chatting and catching up running an  honest pace (sub 7:00).  Ankle/achilles felt good.  (Fastwitch Red)

5:15am...slept in and went out before the family got up on warm morning.  6 miles with Moxie along Sunnyside then I dropped her off and went back out for 6 more through SRL.  Got back home just in time to go out with Justin and Katelyn for just over a mile through the neigborhood.  Finished off 14 miles total at the end in 1:50 total time.  Easy pace throughout. Achilles is about 85% back to normal. (Mirage Red)

Good luck to all the racers this weekend! 

In Manhattan, MT to visit friends and go to our God son's confirmation this weekend.  Justin and I got out early on a beautiful morning for an 8 mile run on the country roads and through town just enjoying each other's company and talking.  Total time fo 1:02.  (Mirage Red)

We went to a track meet and two baseball games today to see our friends' sons compete. They are both very athletic and inspiring.  In between events, Justin and I ran around the block at the track meet for an additional 2 miles.(Boost)'

Woke up with a bad head cold this morning so I went back to bed.  We went to church for our God son's confirmation then to a baseball game before heading home for the 3 hour drive.

Got home and it was just too windy and I was tired and still not feeling good so today is a day off.

4:45am...6 easy miles with Moxie along Sunnyside.  Nice and easy feeling better than yesterday but very tired.  Achilles is 99%!  (Ride 3)

A beautiful day at lunch!  Wanted to get in a solid MP tempo effort...didn't go as planned.  1 mile wu, then 6 mile tempo but the pace was slow and hard and I could not breathe right (and a side stitch)...oh well at least the achilles is better the cold will go away soon.  Splits: 6:08, 6:12, 6:14, 6:08, 6:14, 6:20.  0.35 mile cooldown for 7.35 miles in 47:13 (6:25AP).  (Fastwitch Red)

4:15am...6 very slow easy miles with Moxie along Sunnyside.  Feeling tired and sore, but the cold appears to be gone.  (Ride 3)

6 miles afterwork doing loops in the neighborhood around the swim center waiting for Katelyn to be done with swm team practice.  I just beat the heavy rain storm! (Fastwitch Red)

4:30am...6 untimed miles with Moxie along Sunnyside on a pleasant morning.  (Mirage Red)

6.5 miles at lunch in 41:15 on a beautiful day!  0.5M easy then into a MP tempo with a slight loss of focus in the middle then a slower 0.5M to cool down a bit.  Great run!  Splits: 6:22, 6;11, 6:15, 6:37, 6:18, 6:16, 6:29 pace for last 0.5M.  (Fastwitch Red)

Got an entry into the Redfish Lake Memorial Run half marathon...Justin and I are going to run it this weekend (his first Half marathon!).

Woke up at 4:15am to go run, let the dog out then sat down for a moment.  An hour later I woke up!  So no morning run (tired, right leg a bit fatigued too!) so I will get in a lunch run and/or one after work while waiting to get Katelyn at swim team practice.

10 miles in 1:11 on a beautiful day at lunch nice and easy.  I decided for one long run instead of two shorters one and will work late to make up for enjoying the beautiful noontime weather.  (Fastwitch Red)

3 miles with Justin afterwork...around the neighborhood easy just having a chat.  (Mirage Red)

Giving a talk at the National Honor Society Induction Ceremony tonight at one of the high schools in town, honored to be asked to talk about "character".

Went out for an easy run with Moxie before the family woke up then back out with Justin and Katelyn for a mile before school.  (Ride 3)

Having lunch with the Wheatley's today!!

We made our way up to Alturas Lake yesterday to participate in a work weekend at Luther Heights Bible Camp.  Justin and I and Erik Teig registered to run the Redfish Lake Memorial Run Half Marathon this morning.  We got up, had breakfast and drove up to the Redfish Lake Lodge to pick up our registration and numbers and get Justin outfitted with a GoPro Chesty (got a free entry to wear it, he thought it would be fun for his first marathon).

We warmed up for about 2 miles then got to the line for the start.  Right from the gun it was Erik, Jacob Renz and I at the front.  It was more of a challenging course than I thought it would be at elevation (6,600 feet) with hills, single track, dirt and sand roads, asphalt...we had it all!  Erik pulled away at mile 2 when I started feeling the elevation and a hip twinge and he got a gap of about 20-30 seconds over the next few miles.  I was running in second with Jacob right behind me pushing pretty good.  At mile 8 we pop back onto the highway and my hips, which were feeling tight at mile 2, really start to bother me so I slow a bit and Jacob passes me about mile 8.5 and we run within about 10 seconds of each other.  At mile 10.5 I cross paths with Justin again as he is about mile 8.  I grab his arm warmers and stop for about 15 seconds to encourage him (he is not too happy at this point).  I push to catch back up to Jacob and am gaining but just run out of room and energy (and hip issues hurt a bit).  Finish the race and run back out to find Justin at mile 12...he is not liking life or me!  He finishes really strong!

I am proud of Justin and we had some fun running in a beautiful location though the race was slow!  Had a great lunch then drove back to the camp to put in a full afternoon of moving logs and slash to clear out the location for the new lodge.  What a great day!!!  (Fastwitch Red)

7 miles with Erik and Paul up the road to the trailhead by Alturas Lake.  A bit sore and tired from the race and working yesterday.

Another full day of moving logs and slash...great service time and fun at camp!  Man, they serve great food here!  Very tired and hit the rack early tonight.  (Fastwitch Red)

7 miles with Erik and Micah down the road then some great single track around the backside of Alturas Lake..over logs, through snow, etc.  Very tired and heading home today.  Really great time at camp!  (Fastwitch Red)

4:30am...6 easy untimed miles with Moxie along Sunnyside.  Ran with Alana and Sarah for a short bit.  Very tired this morning after the full weekend and lack of sleep, Moxie is "readjusting" to home after the kennel over the weekend...not fun cleaning up after her messes in the basement this morning.  (Ride 3)

3 miles with the family in evening after dinner.  1.5 miles with Katelyn (wearing her new Fastwitch shoes!) and then with Kami and Justin to finish it off on a very pleasant evening.  Cool to have us all running!  (Boost)

4:30am...5.25 easy untimed miles with Moxie along Sunnyside.  Tired and right hip a bit tight this morning so I cut it short and will run longer at lunch.  (Tangent 4)

7.25 miles at just over 7:00 pace around the greenbelt at lunch on a beautiful day for a run.  Still lacking energy to go fast today.  (Mirage Red)

3 miles after dinner with Justin really easy.  VERY bad heartburn made this a pretty bad run but fun to run and talk with Justin. (Boost)

Got up and dressed and out the door with Moxie.  But by the end of the block my hips were so tight I just turned around and went back to bed for another hour.  Hope to get in a run later.

8 miles on a beatiful day.  No hip pain but also didn't push it hard so this was just an easy enjoyable run.  (Mirage Red)

I slept in this morning and went out for 1.25 miles with Katelyn before school.  After dropping off the kids, I went out at 9am for a easy MP tempo run and finished off 8.25M is 52:45 (6:23ish) through SRL and back home.  Now for a day off to do stuff with Kami and run with Justin this afternoon.  (Fastwitch Red)

3 miles around Community Park with Justin and Kami then another 1.4 miles solo around the neighborhood.  Test driving some Hoka Stinson Trail shoes for the potential to run with at RONR.  (Hoka Stinson Trail)

Got out for a training prep run for RONR 50K.  I wore my Nathan hydration pack, Xodus shoes and other trail running sundries for this run.  I met Lynette for 10 miles, then ran solo for the next 5 miles mostly on the trail portion around the Community Park.  I ran home and picked up Justin to help me through my last 5 miles at the trail again.  I was beat by the end of 20 miles in 2:42 (wanted to go 25 buy my hips were on fire!).  (Xodus)

Straight into yard work and cleaning the garage this afternoon (and taking camp trailer in for service).  A busy day..time for an Alaskan Ale with the neighbors!  

Met Marlin and Gray early and we drove to Pocatello for a trail run on City Creek trail.  That was fun and challenging and lots of elevation.  Tried the Hoka Stinson Trail...nope!  I do not feel stable in these either going up or down the trail.  10 miles in 1:33 as a training run for RONR.  Revising our estimate for the race after this one.  I had one light turn of my left ankle but it is feeling ok.  Man, I am tired after these last two days!   Great run boys!

Lots of work around the house rearranging to move Justin's room.  I am very sore and tired...my hips and ankle hurt.