Philippians 4:13

8.5 miles in 59:30 after Kami's parents left to return home.  It was very smoky outside creating not so great running conditions.   We didn't get home from the drive in movies until 1:30am last night so I was also a bit tired.

Kami did great yesterday on her 100 mile ride, finishing it in 5:44 for a 17.3mph average including into a 30mph headwind for about 40 miles of the ride.  She rocked (and is much more tired than I!).

4:30am...6 miles in 48 minutes in 42 degree temps...brrr!  It is about time to retire these Defyance shoes as I can feel it in my achilles  They have been really good shoes, an alternative to my normal Saucony trainers. 

I am still trying to decide if I am going to run Mesa Falls marathon or half mary this weekend?!?!   I need to let the RD know soon.  (Defyance)

6 miles on pleasant day at lunch in 40:55.  Started off easy then picked up to about 6:40 pace for last 2 miles.  I had to squeeze in between issues at work, but needed the stress relief so I got it in. (Ride Black)

6.5 easy miles early on a cold (39 degrees) morning.  Started slow but picked it up a bit near the end and felt good to finish in 51 minutes.  (Defyance)

A good 4 mile run at lunch on a beautiful day.  Start off the first 0.5M easy then picked it up for th rest of the run to finish in 24:18, so the last 2 miles were 5:55 pace.  Felt controlled and mostly easy.  I need to do more of these and longer before SGM.  (Ride Black)

6 miles easy this morning in 46:45 running down to SRL and back home. Decided yesterday to go ahead and run Mesa Falls marathon as a training run, so I will do a mini 3-day taper to get ready.  Spent most of the run praying for those family and friends in need right now, particularly Kory and a few other bloggers.  (Defyance)

3 miles in 20:30 on a sunny calm day, just an easy stress reliever from work.  (Ride Black)

5 very easy miles early on a nice morning.  My lower back was a bit stiff for the first 3.5 miles then loosened up in time for me to rush home before a pit stop.  I may do another run at lunch depending on time and desire.  (Defyance)

3.1 easy miles on a beautiful day at lunch, more as a stress reliever than training.  Gave thanks for the blessing in my life and just pondered more about life after talking more with Kory today.  He is doing well, still in ICU and HUNGRY!!!.  He is an inspiration and I will be using him as my motivation for Mesa Falls this weekend.  (Ride Black)

Slept in and went out just before 8am on a cloudy and windy morning for an easy 3.15M run.  2x0.5M at MP the rest just easy to taper for tomorrow's marathon in Ashton.  Now for a day with the family.  

I won the Mesa Falls marathon this morning in a time of 2:48:55.  I was running this as a training run to finish up an 80 mile week so I ran it a bit easier than full out marathon pace.  I also dedicated this race to my good buddy, Kory, in hopes that he recovers swiftly.  The announcer at the finish line told the crowd about this and what happened to Kory and the gave a nice round of applause (it brought me to tears).   Thank you, Lord, for the strength to push through the pain and struggle of a marathon once again!

Overall a good run, half on dirt/fireroads, half on roads.  More challenging than the profile shows (plus at the 6200 foot altitude!).   We had to run over several cattle guards in the first half and I had to slow down at most of the aid stations to grab a drink as they were staffed with only 1 or 2 volunteers (but they were out there in the middle of nowhere, thanks!).  Started off with some PowerBar Gel Blasts to get the fueling started.  I had to carry all my own PowerBar gels and used 3 of them during the run (they are great and really helped).  I went out easy and just cruised through the halfway point then I picked it up on the downhill before the 3 mile uphill at mile 17 (a tough one!).  Then I just rolled through the last 6 miles with the last 3 miles being slower than I wanted but it was a training run and no one was in sight so I eased it in to the finish.  Happy with the effort and the win.  Splits:  6:16, 6:25, 6:12, 6:14, 6:16, 6:20, 6:28, 6:35, 6:27, 6:32, 6:10, 6:21, 5:57, 5:50, 6:09, 6:11, 6:21, 6:49, 7:21, 7:05, 6:11, 6:24, 6:18, 6:35, 6:44, 6:34, 2:12 (I had 0.34M on GPS).

We had to get on the road before 4am to get to the school to get packets and take the buses to the finish for the 6:30am start...now I am ready for a nap! 

Unfortunately my training partner Lynette who rode with me to the race had to DNF at 22 miles as she developed a stress fracture in her foot!  Bummer as she was the lead woman at the time!

Taking a look back at my now 20 marathons in the past 5 years, I can say that God has blessed me in so many ways with my running:  accomplishing goals and having a sense of focus/purpose, making great friends in the community and on the FRB, demonstrating fitness to friends and family and providing motivation to others, etc.  Through His strength, I have been able to win 20% of the marathons I have run!  Not too bad for an older runner with faith!