Running

11.0 in 1:28:51. Avg pace of 8:05.

Ran with Becca up around Highland and Alpine.  Lots of hills it seemed like.  I was tired, but glad to get some miles in.

10.25 on the TM after lifting for 45 minutes.

Did 5.16 on the TM that was on the back row.  Finished right around 40 minutes. It was so hot and I felt like I was suffocating. Moved to the front row TM and felt awesome.  Did 5 miles in just under 36 minutes and then jogged to get me to a total of 10.25.  Pretty good mileage week for me this week.

8.0 in around 1:00:35.  Avg pace of about 7:34. 

Ran out by my old church and towards the freeway for 4 miles, then turned around and came back.  First two miles at about 8:04 and then I got progressively faster.  Last mile was about 7:00.  Could not figure out why there was so much traffic and why it was so much lighter than normal.  Turns out I woke up an hour later than I realized and didn't figure it out until I looked at the clock after my run.

6.19 in 47:58. Avg pace 7:45.

Big loop from 1100 West out to State St. and then connecting with Center St.  A few variations to get above 6 miles.  I think the cold is making me go faster than I would normally.  I was hoping to keep this around 8 minute pace average.  The tops of my right fingers ached because they were so cold.

8.48 in 1:03:57. Avg pace 7:33.

Out towards my old church and towards the freeway and back home.  I was going to do a 2 mile warmup, 4 mile progressive tempo, and then a 2 mile cooldown.  However, I lifted weights last night and it does a number on my body.  So, I just threw in some strides during the middle miles and called it good.  I was pretty tired.  Everything was still right around the 7:30 mark with the exception of mile 1 which was right above 8:00.

5.19 in 41:24. Avg pace of 7:59.

Didn't want to wake up this morning.  An easy recovery run today up Center St. to State St. and then over to 300 West and back.

10.30 in 1:20 on the TM.  No work for me today, so I ran longer than usual.

20 minute warmup and then did a pyramid workout.  1 minute slow, 1 minute fast.  2 minutes slow, 2 minutes fast.  Did this up to  five minutes and did 2 sets.  Slow was 8 minute miles and fast was 7:30 (not that fast) for the first pyramid and 7 minute miles or below on the second pyramid.  Anything below 7 minute miles was tough for me today.  Not a bad workout for me though on the TM.

14.30 in 1:57:37.  Went with Becca and we met Walter up at the Porter Rockwell Trail.  Wasn't as cold as I thought it would be until the end.  The run went by pretty fast as we listened to Walter tell some stories.

AM - 10.12 miles at 8:00 pace.  Good run for me outside.  Kept things nice and easy the whole way.  No work today, so went a little longer.

PM - Lifted for about 45 minutes and then ran on the TM for 3.65.

5.54 at 8:05 pace.  It was cold this morning and I intentionally kept things slow and easy since I put in quite a few miles yesterday.

7.0 on the TM.  This was my attempt at speed work.  I want to start doing this at least weekly to try and tap into some fast-twitch muscles (if I have any).  Did a one mile warm-up and 1 mile cool down.  Did 1/2 mile repeats with 1/4 mile breaks inbetween where I ran at about 8:30 pace.  First 1/2 mile was at about 7:20 (not fast, I know), next was around 6:50, next was around 6:30, next about 6:18, and then I did a full mile around 6:44 pace.  There may have been some other 1/2 mile repeats in there as well, but I can't remember too well right now.  My attempts at speed seem to bring all my aches and pains to the surface, but oh well.

8.05 in 1:01:59.  Avg pace about 7:43.

Ran out towards my old church and towards the freeway and back.  One of the warmer mornings I've run in during the past little bit.  The snow was lightly falling at first.  There were some slick spots.  I had to catch myself from falling a couple of times.

7.50 on the TM around noon after lifting for about 45 minutes.  Wanted to do 10, but my stomach wasn't doing good and I just was done.  Hoping it warms up a bit so I can go long tomorrow outside.

17 miles in 2:14:07. Avg pace of 7:53.  Great run for me.  Intended to only do 16 miles, but I don't know my way around Highland/Alpine real well.  Went out towards my old church and under the freeway. Connected to A.F. Main St. and got on the old Alpine Highway.  Ran all the way up to the Kohlers in Alpine and headed towards the Smith's Marketplace on the Highland Highway.  Eventually connected with 2600 North in Lehi and got over to 300 East.  Down 300 East and over to Center St and eventually home.  Ran the whole way with the exception of a stop at Smith's Mkt. Place to take a Gu. Splits were all very even and for the most part were right around 7:50s.  Had some good climbing around miles 6-9.  Great run. 

Will lift for a bit.

7.25 on the TM.  Perfect run for me today as I rarely got below 8:00 minute/mile pace.  I wanted to go slow as I figured I would still be feeling the effects of a longer run this past Saturday.  Looks like I will be on the TM for most of this week because of the weather.

7.05 on the TM.  In my car over to the LC I realized I probably could have run outside today.  Oh well.  I was feeling pretty good today, so miles 2 through 5 I ran at 6:44 pace.  Then I finished off with 2 miles at 8:00 pace.

6.07 in 48:55. Avg pace of 8:04.  Went towards the old church and then back home.  There was a steady, light snow fall the whole run and I was expecting it to be more slippery.  Overall, this was a fun, easy run.

6.45 on the TM.  Tried to do some speed stuff today.  Planned on 1/2 mile repeats.  Started with about a 2 mile warmup and then here were the splits for my repeats (this is the pace I set on the TM per mile):

1-6:18

2-6:18

3-6:18

4-6:15

5-6:11

6-6:44

The first one was rough.  Just couldn't get my body going.  However, they got easier as I progressed with them.  The last one was around potential desired marathon pace.....maybe.  Finished up with some easy cooldown.  Stomach was messed up, so I had to stop.

6.75 on the TM probably right around 7:50 pace. 

Lifted for a solid hour and then ran 10.25 miles on the TM.  Kept a pretty good pace.  Right around 7:30's.

10.15 in about 1:18ish.  Mid 7:40 overall pace.  Same route as two Mondays ago.  Would like to try and hit between 60-65 miles this week and then 65-70 the following two weeks.  Want to see if my weight fluctuates when I hit these kind of miles and I want to see how my body responds to it.  Will probably only lift once a week for the next three weeks to get all the running in .

8.02 in 1:07.  First mile was 9:00 and then everything else was about 8:10ish.  It snowed the whole time, but was never too cold or too slick.  Glad I didn't give in and go to the TM.

8.27 in overall time of 1:08:42.  Decided to do speed work today.  Did a 3.75 mile warm-up and then the goal was to do 5 1/2 mile repeats.  I've been doing this the last two weeks, but the workouts have been on the TM.  Today I found a stretch of road that was pretty wide and had descent light and minimal traffic (1100 west just north of Main St.).  Here were the splits for the 1/2 mile repeats:

1-0.51  3:13  6:18 pace

2-0.52  3:08  6:06 pace

3-0.51  3:09  6:12 pace

4-0.51  3:11  6:14 pace

5-0.51  3:01  5:57 pace

The first couple were tough.  Just seemed like I was having to work too hard.  Tried to relax after that and it seemed to help.  It seemed easier to do these on the TM, but I went a little faster today than I have been going on the TM.

PM - 4.04 miles right after work.  Averaged about 7:37 for the entire run.  I just naturally run a lot faster in the evenings as compared to the mornings. 

7.33 in 1:00:17.  Tired and very hungary when I started the run.  Just took things real easy.  Ran on part of a new trail that runs parallel to the train tracks right off of 300 West.

8.26 in 1:01:24. Avg pace of 7:26.  No work today and so I went out around 1:00.  Was able to wear shorts.  Didn't feel good for the first 3 miles, but just felt better and better as I went.  I was able to keep the pace pretty fast and I didn't feel like I had to work too hard.

14.70 in 1:53:47. Avg pace 7:45.  Took off towards Center St. and then headed South on State.  Made my way over into A.F. and then up towards Highland.  Turned around and came back via my old church.  Legs were a bit sore, but was able to keep a good pace and it progressively got faster.  Lots of miles in the 7:40s and the last 4-5 were in the 7:20s.  Good run and hit my 60 mile goal for the week.

Lifted for an hour.

8.57 in 1:07:22. Avg pace of 7:52.  Ran the 300 West route.  Some good climbing and some fun downhill on the way back.

4.76 in 37 something.  It was about 7:48 pace overall in the evening in shorts.

6.18 in 51:08. 6.16 avg pace.  I was tired this morning and didn't want to run.  I think the two runs yesterday are taking there toll on me today.  Back is stiff and sore and legs had nothing in them.  A little bit of minor pain in my right achilles, but nothing too bad.

7.81 in 1:05:09. Another attempt at a speed workout today.  Ran 2.5 miles to the Lehi track and then did 6 x 400 meter intervals with 200 meter rests inbetween.  I guess I figured if I could hit 1:30 on my splits then I would be happy.  Splits:

1-1:40 Not a good start

2-1:34 Getting there

3-1:32

4-1:27

5-1:30

6-1:25

Threw in some 200 meter intervals at the end and then cooled down with a little over 2 miles.  I think my body is telling me I need to back off a bit.  I've been extremely tired all week.  I may back off the next two days. 

5.06 in 36:41. Avg pace of 7:15. Woke up late and so I only ran 5.  Tried to make it fast and was pleased with average pace especially considering mile 1 was 7:40.  Don't feel quite so tired and worn down right now, which is a good thing.

6.02 in 48:04. Avg pace 7:59.  Still don't feel all that great.  Just a bit tired and sluggish.

17.01 in 2:15:05. Avg pace of 7:57.

Same route as three Saturdays ago.  Felt rain drops every so often, but it turned out to be an awesome day weather wise.  Even had to take one of my pairs of gloves off.  Took about 5 miles to get in the groove and then I felt pretty good up until mile 13.  My knees started aching and I wanted to be done.  Was glad to see that my splits started around 8:10 and then got lower and lower as the run went on until I was consistently hitting in the 7:30s and 7:40s.  Didn't get as many miles as I wanted this week, but oh well.

Lifted for 45 minutes.

8.0 with no garmin. Ran out towards my old church and towards the freeway and back. Decided not to run with my garmin. Had a deer jump out about 10 feet in front of me at one point during the run. Legs a little sore from Saturday's run.

8.04 in 1:01:41.  7:40 avg pace.  Did the 300 West route.  Good climb out and some downhill on the way back.  

8.82 in 1:06:41. 

I decided to try and do the same workout that MichelleL and TylerS did yesterday (but without the 200m intervals at the end).  It was 4 x 2000m (1.25 miles) at around an overall pace of 6:05 to 6:20 or somewhere in that range for all 4.  Warmed up for 1.75 and then here were the splits:

1-7:30 (6:01 pace) Why am I doing this?  Maybe I should just do mile repeats......

2-7:41 (6:09 pace)

3-7:40 (6:09 pace) The best one by far. Felt relaxed and controlled.

4-Around 7:50ish

The last one was all screwed up because there was so much traffic.  This was a hard workout, but I actually came away from it feeling very good about things.  I probably went out too hard on the first 2 splits.  They were very uncomfortable.  However, the 3rd one felt really good and in controll.  It also had a slight (very slight) downhill to it.  Which also means that split 2 had a very slight uphill to it.

6.08 in 50:46. Avg pace 8:21.  Slow recovery run.  My body feels like it ran a race as a result of yesterday's workout.

2.40 on the TM in the evening after lifting for about 45 minutes.

6.0 in 47:14. Avg 7:51. Body still hurts a bit from Wednesday's run, but it must be feeling a little better because I was surprised to see the avg. pace of today's run at 7:51.  Hopefully the weather will hold out tomorrow and I can get a good run in outside.

17.0 in 2:19:37. Avg pace 8:13. Crappy run. Got no sleep and didn't eat much yesterday.....and what I did eat was garbage.  I did this same run last week in about 6 minutes faster.  Legs were hurting and it was just overall rough.  Glad it's done.

Lifted for about an hour.

6.0 in 47:05. Avg pace 7:51.  Legs still hurt this morning, but I think they are coming around.

7.22 in 55:27. Avg pace 7:41.  Goal today was to do 6 x 3:00 on with 3:00 off inbetween.  Here were the splits:

1-3:03  0.48  6:19 pace

2-2:59  0.48  6:14 pace

3-3:00  0.49  6:05 pace

4-3:00  0.50  6:01 pace

5-2:58  0.48  6:13 pace

6-3:05  0.50  6:11 pace

I'm pretty happy with this workout.  I thought I was a bit faster than what my times showed, but that's ok.  Overall, I felt like I was in control the whole time and I actually felt like I had another gear I could have hit if I wanted to (maybe??).  Feels like it is getting easier to hit these faster paces.

5.14 in 41:28. Avg pace 8:04.  Body is sore from yesterday's run, but I was surprised at how fast my average pace was today.  I thought it would be about 8:25ish.  I think the lifting last night has made me extra tired this morning.

6.50 on the TM.  Weather forced me to take my workout to the gym on the TM.  2 mile warmup and then the plan was a 4 mile tempo at or below 6:30 minute/miles.

1-7:00

2-6:18

3-6:18

4-6:18

Overall avg for tempo portion was around 6:26.

I switched TMs right as I began my tempo, so by the time I finished mile 1 it averaged out to a 7 minute/mile.  Most of it was at 6:18 though.  I'm pretty encouraged by this run.  After I hit mile 2 I felt like I could have pushed it a bit more.  Plus, I have a hard time going fast on the TM because it takes a while to get comfortable on it.  The thought of doing a 5k at 6:00 pace doesn't sound so far fetched right now.  Also, my body is feeling good this week with the cut back on mileage. 

5.0 in 40:37.  As expected, my body was a bit sore today from yesterday's workout.  Hope to go long tomorrow and hopefully the weather cooperates.

10.0 outside in 1:18:16.  There was a wind coming from the north and west, so any time I went those directions it was miserable.  So, I decided I would cut things short and finish on the TM.  Last 3 miles were 7:28, 7:11, & 7:00.

Lifted for a little over an hour.

Ran 6 on the TM.  Didn't feel great, but didn't feel too bad.

5.40 in 43:00.  Avg pace 7:57.  The weather has turned cold the last few days.  Just a nice, easy run.  Almost had myself convinced not to go out this morning, but I'm glad I did.

PM - 5.0 on the TM in about 42:00.  Nice and easy.

5.56 in 44:23.  Avg pace 7:59.  Nice and slow today.

4.44 on the TM in the afternoon.  Stomach didn't feel good.  About 8:00 avg pace.

5.0 on the TM

6.22 in 47:59. Avg pace 7:43.  I got no "giddy-up" in the legs this week.

4.0 with no garmin.  Slow and legs are sore for some reason.  Maybe it's all just a mental thing.

Wow.  Today was my attempt at a “big workout.”  I’m glad the weather held up and overall it went pretty good.

2 mile warm-up and then into a 2 mile tempo.  Splits: 6:58 and 6:35.  Was hoping to get them both around 6:40.  First one had some uphill.

Then I ran over to the LHS track to do 8x1000m with 200-300m rests.  Hoping to hit anywhere below 4:00 which would be around 6:20ish pace.  Splits:

4:00 (3:26), 4:04 (2:28), 3:56 (2:09), 3:54 (2:27), 3:52 (1:42), 3:50 (1:58), 3:58 (2:12), 3:56

Ideally I think it would be good to be hitting each of these at around 3:50 right now.  I felt pretty good for most of these and this was the best part of the workout.  The last two were not fun though.

Did a little over a mile cool down and had intentions to do a 2 mile tempo after that.  First tempo mile was 6:33 and then I did about a .25 cool down before doing the next tempo mile.  My watch got screwed up, but the second tempo mile was right around 6:40.  These were tough tempo miles for me after doing the track work, but I guess that is what these big workouts are for.

Cooldowned with a couple of easy miles and was glad to be done.

Overall:  17.0 miles in 2:14:30. Avg pace of 7:55.  You think it would have been faster, but I really took things easy on the cool down miles.

Lifted for about 1:20 minutes.

6.0 in 45:40.  Avg pace 7:36.  I had a lot of "pep" in my step this morning.  Which is weird because my abs are killing me from my workout at the gym on Saturday and the top of my left knee was sore.  Glad I got out this morning though.

Nothing this morning.  The top of my left knew was killing me all day yesterday.  Going up and down stairs was painful.  Also, my abs are still extremely sore.  May get out this evening, but I may take the day off.

Went out to run this morning and within a couple steps I could tell my knee was going to be in trouble.  I just stopped and came back home.  The pain was there all day yesterday until last night.  When I woke up it also felt good, but the minute I started running the pain came back.  I may just take the whole week off.

Swam 60 laps (down and back is 1 lap) or 120 lengths of the pool in about 54:45.  I believe this is about 1.70 miles.  It gets boring after a while, but it gives me a good workout.  After about a half hour I could tell that I hadn't swam in about 8 months.  We will see how the knee feels today....

Lifted for about 45 minutes this morning.  The knee feels a lot better and I will give running a try tomorrow......probably on the TM due to all the snow we are getting.

12.0 in 1:33:14.  Avg pace 7:46.  Headed out towards the old church and up on in to A.F.  Turned around at the 6 mile mark and came home.  The knee has been feeling good.  It hurt the  first two miles and then was good until mile 6.  Then the pain would come and go.  However, a couple hours after the run it is not doing good.  It is very sore.  Going up and down stairs is miserable and if I sit with it bent for any amount of time it kills when I straighten it.  Not sure what I'm going to do going forward.  I might be relegated to the pool and the weight room.  Sad thing is, is that I was feeling in pretty good shape.  Hopefully this doesn't last long.

Lifted for an hour.

Swam for about 51 minutes.  I hate counting laps, so I'm going to just keep track of time when swimming.  This allows me to think of other things while staring at the bottom of the pool.  51 minutes probably puts me around 1.75 miles.  Knee was very sore yesterday and it hurt when I pushed off in the pool today.  

Lifted for about 40 minutes.  Feeling fat.  Going swimming tomorrow morning.

Was going to swim this morning, but just didn't feel like it.  Did 53 minutes on the elliptical.  Knee has been feeling good, but I know if I start running it will start hurting.  Off to Vegas for the next couple days.  Maybe I will try running again.

4.24 in 36:20 in St. George.  Knee hurt for a while, and then felt fine for a bit.  Frustrating.

6.57 in 49:59.  7:36 avg pace.  Did this run in Las Vegas.  Weather was great and I was way overdressed.  Knee was painful and just doesn't feel normal.

Nothing.  I have eaten a lot of food over the last few days and am looking forward to getting back into a routine.

60 min on the elliptical.

Lifted for half hour and did the elliptical for half hour.  Knee pain when I woke up.  Took Ibpr. and it definitely helps.  I've been icing a bit more, but not as much as I should.

Probably nothing today.  Didn't get up early and the evening is full.

30 min lifting and 30 min on the elliptical.  Knee is sore when I wake up and for the first 3-4 min while on the elliptical.  Seems to feel better as the day goes along.  Tomorrow I try running again.  It will have been one full week since the last run.

5.0 in 40:57.  About 8:10 avg pace.

Knee was very painful for first 2 miles.  Seemed to feel better as time went along, but it still hurt.  I can tell it is going to be sore today.  Frustrated, but what do you do.

Finally a good workout today.  Lifted weights for an hour and then swam for 2 hours.  I had to mix it up with the swimming so I wouldn't get too bored.  I would do some interval things and then just some kicking exercises.  All in all, I'm guessing I swam just under 3.5 miles.  My upper body will be sore tonight/tomorrow.  

The knee was very bothersome yesterday after running. Up and down stairs and getting in and out of the car were rough.  

6.0 in 44:52.  Avg pace 7:29.

Contemplating going to see a doctor for my knee this week.  If I'm going to see a doctor I want the knee to be hurting; so I decided to run.  The pain was pretty much always there, but I can deal with during the run.  We will see how it feel throughout the day though as that is when I seem to have trouble.  It did seem to feel better if I lengthened my stride and kept the pace up.  It was nice to see that I could actually sustain this pace after not running much over the last 3+ weeks.  Splits:

1-8:10 2-7:35 3-7:40 4-7:18 5-7:09 6-6:55

6.0 on the TM in the evening in an effort to get the knee to hurt good enough to justify going to see a doctor (stupid, I know).  The knee actually felt pretty good all day today.  Hurt during the run, but not as bad.  I guess the key will be how it feels when I wake up in the morning.

6.0 in 49:00.  First 3.75 were miserable.  Probably the worst pain I've had with the knee while running.  Then I ran into Melanie B. and talked with her for a few minutes.  When I started back up, the knee felt much better for the next 2 miles.  The last .25 were then like the first 3.75.  

2.11 run/walk.  Trying to get in to see a doc.

2.10 run/walk.  Headed to dr. this morning.

Went to the dr. this morning.  He's a sports med. dr. and I think he does a good job, but he is all the way up in Bountiful.  A little bit of a drive, but I was able to get in to see him rather quickly and I had seen him last summer for some achilles issues.

After telling/showing him where I was having knee trouble and then after looking at the x-rays he could definitely see the problem.  Basically it is "runners knee" and is related to some alignment issues in my knee.  He said after looking at how I walk/run that it is easy to see why I have trouble and that it was only a matter of time before it manifested itself (I think the 17 mile workout about 4 weeks ago triggered everything).  Basically my left knee bends inward a bit when I run.  He said the problem should be fixable by doing some core strengthening exercises that focus on hips/pelvis/core.  He also gave me a cortizone shot to alleviate the pain and did so on the promise that I would do the strengthening exercises.  I will start running next Wednesday and hopefull the cortizone works its magic for the next little while so that I can get up to normal mileage.  Sorry, for the long explanation, but it is more for me to remember than anything.

Lifted for about 65 minutes and then swam for 2 hours.  Good workout.  Knee feels good and I don't notice any pain.  Just feels like I got a shot in it, which I did.  

Lifted for about 30 minutes.  Walked on the TM for about 8 min and then rode the stationary bike for about 17-18 min.

Swam for about 55 min.  Lots of people at the pool.  Might be getting a bit sick as I had a hard time catching my breath, which made it difficult to swim.  Planning on giving running a try tomorrow morning.  The knee has little to no pain ever since the cortizone shot.

6.18 in 54:11.  About 8:45 pace.  First day back running since getting the cortisone shot last Friday morning.  I was hoping to run pain free, but that was not the case.  There was pain the whole run after about 1/2 mile into the run.  The pain doesn't have an edge to it like it did before though.  We'll see how it feels throughout the day.

Lifted for 35 min and then walked the track at the L.C.  Walked at least a mile.  Tried to do the stationary bike, but pain was there every time I would pedal.

Pretty good amount of pain throughout the day yesterday after running.  Lots of runners I've talked to are mostly skeptical of going to see a physical therapist, but I went yesterday afternoon.  I worked with this PT last summer and I'm willing to give it a try.  He looked at things and has given me some more stretches/exercises to do in addition to what the doctor gave me.  Feels like I'm just tight everywhere.  He also taped it to try and help keep it better aligned.  That seemed to help yesterday, but not so much this morning.  Seems like I just complain a lot on my blog now, but really I just want to have a good record of what's happening.  I'm going to try to be more upbeat about this.  Looks like swimming is going to be the thing for me for the near future.  

Swam for 50 minutes.  Probably about 1.5 miles, which is slow for 50 minutes, but I do some kicking only stuff for part of the time.  Good workout.

Lifted weights for an hour and then swam for 2 hours.  Good workout.

Took 600 mg of Ibuprofin. Ran walked about 0.6 on the TM. Felt pain. Did the elliptical for 20 min. Minor pain at the beginning, but then I think the medicine kicked in and I felt better. Ran 1 mile on the TM with minor uncomfortableness coming and going. Ran the mile in just under 8 min. The lungs were burning.

Walked for 5 min.  Ran/walked about .5 and then started feeling pain so I stopped.  Elliptical for 40 min.  Going to the gym and before I started my workout I was hopeful that I would be able to run some miles.  It's a start.  Went to the PT yesterday.  Did some exercises, a cortisone treatment, and he taped it.

50 more min. on the elliptical in the evening.  Sweated a ton and it felt good.  Glad I went.

Swim for 50 min.

Swim 1 hour.  Knee pain is rather minor right now during daily activities.  I will occasionally feel some pain throughout the day when I straighten the leg or at other times (at times I will feel it while swimming). 

PM - Lift for 25 min and then elliptical for 45 min.

Run/walk 4.87 in 51:22.  Alright.  Feels like some progress has been made.  Started by walking .25 and then I started a light run.  There was almost always a slight pain in the knee with occasional bursts of more pain that would come and go.  I stopped and walked for a bit about 3 different times, but overall I'm encouraged by things today.  We will see how it feels throughout the rest of the day.  PT appt. this morning.

3.95 in 37:39.  It was a run/walk.  Sharp pain that would come and go, but overall, it's some more progress.

Lifted for 55 min and then swam for 2 hours.  I went for 1:17 straight, which is a record for me.  I hit the 2 mile mark at about 1:04.  I would have kept going after the 1:17, but I got a cramp in my calf and it stopped me dead in my tracks.  Continued on doing different things until I hit the 2 hour mark.  Did the 3.95 running/walking when I got home.  Also, weighed myself at the gym and was surprised to see about 162ish.  That means I've probably put on about 3-4 lbs since I basically had to quit running.  Not bad.

Went to PT yesterday morning.  Did some exercises and another cortisone treatment.  The knee throbbed in the evening while sitting for a while.

6.35 run/walk in 1:01:05.  Only walked about 0.6 of the entire distance.  Feel like I made some more progress.  Pain for most of the run, but it is manageable.  At times a sharper pain comes.  I stopped and walked twice and it definitely helped to calm things down for a while in the knee.

Swim 1 hour.  Minor pain throughout the day in the knee yesterday after running.  Felt it going up and down stairs and it would get stiff if I sat for long periods of time at work.  Will try to run tomorrow.

Run/walk 6.40 in 59:33.  Ran about 5.90 of the total distance.  Minor pain that would come and stay until I stopped and walked.  I would say that this is some more progress in the right direction though.

Elliptical for 1 hour.

Run / walk 6.50 in 58:21.  Only walked for about 0.3 of the total distance.  No Ibuprofin (spelling ?) today.  Similar to prior days, there is a manageable pain in the knee for most of the run.  If I walk for a bit it calms down for a bit when I start back up running.  PT appointment this morning.

9.0 in 1:16:25.  Avg pace 8:29.

Best run in a long time.  Great weather starting at about 6:00 am.  Just took things nice and easy and walked a couple of times to give the knee a break.  Knee was taped from the PT appointment yesterday.  Seemed to help.  Great progress this past week.  Hopefully things continue to improve.  

Lifted for 55 min and did the elliptical for 45 min as well.  Wish I was racing the SLC 1/2 marathon today or Boston on Monday.

6.72 in 59ish.  About 8:49 avg pace.  Walked/ran this afternoon after getting off work a bit early. Started at Willow Park and ran south 2 miles. Then back north for 2 miles and continued past car for about 1 more mile and then back to the car.  The least amount of pain I've had while running.  Everything is really slow as far as running goes, but it was nice to be out in the sun.

Lifted for about 40 min.

5.95 in 52:38.  Avg pace 8:51.  A little more walking thrown in today.  I was a bit nervous to run this morning because I ran in the early evening last night.  The knee felt pretty good, but my quads were sore.  I will probably not run tomorrow and hopefully the knee feels fine today.

Elliptical 45 minutes. Legs needed a break from running today.

5.78 in 47:11.  Avg pace 8:10.  By far the fastest run I've had in quite some time.  Ran with Mark.  It was windy, rainy, and snowy.  Very cold by the end.  Ran a big loop towards State St. and then hit 1100 West and back home.  About the 5 mile mark I told Mark I was slowing down and to go ahead.  We were clipping along around 7:10-7:30 for a bit.  I could have held it, but I get nervous too right now.  Minor pain throughout in knee.  It's still manageable.  My left quad is tight/sore.

Run/walk 4.80 in about 48 minutes.  Ran about 3.75 of the 4.80.  The running was slow.  Probably shouldn't have run.  More pain in the knee than I've been having recently.

10.40 in 1:30.  Avg pace of 8:40.  Took 800 mg of Ibup.  Stopped and walked several times, but was just glad to be out running.  Knee was a bit bothersome and more than anything I'm just way hesitant to open things up and run "normal."  Went up to State St. and then up 300 N. a ways and then made my way back down home.

Lifted for 50 min and did the elliptical for 30 min.

8.05 in 1:04:22.  Avg pace 8:00.  Ran with Mark.  Same route he and I did last week.  At about 5 miles we split and I added on a bit more.  Mile 4 was 7:39.  Mile 6 was 7:32.  Mile 8 7:43.  Walked twice during the run.

5.0 in 42:50.  8:34 avg pace.  Took it way easy today.  Perfect pace for me today and hopefully I get a good run in tomorrow.

7.0 in 59ish min on the TM.

30 min lifting.  30 min on the elliptical.

5.07 in 40:32.  Avg pace 8:00.  Mile 4 was just over 7:00.  Mild soreness/pain in the knee.

10.70 in 1:27:06.  Avg pace 8:08.  Ran the 3rd North route starting at 5:30.  Weather was pretty good, but wish I was running in shorts and a no sleeve shirt by now.  Legs were very sore by mile 9 and knee was more sore than normal probably due to all the exercises at the PT yesterday.  I think that's also why my legs were sore, and my body isn't used to 8:00 pace for 10-11 miles.  Took 800 mg of IBup. before running.

Lifted for 1 hour and did elliptical for 33 min to get to 2 hours of cardio today.

5.50 in 42:49.  Avg pace 7:47.  Ran with Mark.

Stationary bike for 11 min and then elliptical for 26 min.

7.0 on the TM all around 8:10 to 8:15 pace.  Knee was a bit sore throughout.

7.35 in 58:27 with Mark.  Avg pace 7:57.  Ran with Mark for 5 and then I added a couple more.  Felt like I was sucking wind the whole time.  Probably a combination of 3 straight running days, bad eating, and perhaps a little bit of a cold coming.

6.50 on the TM.

Spin class in the PM for 1 hour.

Rest day today. Hopefully this makes me feel better for tomorrow's 10-12 mile run.

Found out that I didn't get into St. George.  I was really hoping to run it again this year. Oh well. Now to decide whether to do Top of Utah, Mid-Mountain, or something else. I'm entered to run the Utah Valley Marathon in June, but I won't be ready. Contemplating the DesNews Marathon now.

11.78 in 1:32:28.  7:51 avg pace.  Best run in a long time.  Day off yesterday helped me feel pretty good.  Did the 300 North route and added a bit on the end.  Around miles 9 and 10 and was very relaxed and was picking the pace up, so I decided to push it a bit and I felt really good as I was going around 6:30 pace for about 2 miles.  Wore heel inserts as my left achilles has been a bit painful the last 2 weeks.

Lifted for an hour and did 28 min on the elliptical to get me to 2 hrs total of cardio.

6.80 in 54:56.  Big loop down to Saratoga Road and then back around to Center St.

PM 38 min on the elliptical

7.0 in 57:00.  Body is a bit sore.

6.80 slow and miserable miles.  No energy and legs are sore.

6.80 in 51:47.  Avg pace 7:37.  One of the better runs I've had in a while.  Tried to push it through the first 5 miles.  Splits: 8:11, 7:40, 7:21, 7:21, 6:56.  Cooled down with an easy 1.80 after that.

PM Spin class at the LC.  Sweated a lot.

No run today.  Short on time and hoping a day off helps me run better/further tomorrow morning.  Went to the PT today for the last time.  I'm in that awkward stage of where the knee doesn't feel completely normal, but it doesn't hurt enough that I can't put in some miles. 

Wish I was in good enough shape to run Ogden, but I think the plan is to now try and get ready for DesNews on July 24th.  We'll see how the training plays out though.

14.13 in 1:52:16.  Avg pace 7:57.  Started at mouth of Provo Canyon and ran up until about a mile past Vivian and then back down.  Took my time going up.  Probably averaged about 8:20s.  Tried to go a bit faster coming down, but didn't want to push it too much.  Lots of miles on the way down near 7:20 with a low of about 7:06 on mile 13.  Legs got sore around mile 12, but I felt pretty good.  I think I topped 40 miles for the week for the first time in a looooong time.  Hopefully I can keep progressing.  Looking forward to all the Ogden race reports to come in.

7.90 in 1:02:37.  Ran with Mark for the first 5 and then added on.  Great weather.  Legs were a bit sore from Saturday.  Just trying to up the mileage a bit this week and continue to build a descent base.  Stomach trouble most of the way as I ate horribly over the weekend.

PM Spin class for an hour.

7.15 in 56:11.  Typical route with Mark for the first 5 and then I added on a bit.  Rained a bit off and on, and there was some wind at times, but overall it was pretty nice.  Some aches and pains in the legs and I definitely felt the spin class for a good portion of the run.

7.35 in 1:01:18.  Just a slow, recovery run.  Typical route with Mark and then I added on a bit at the end.  Very slow, which I was fine with.

7.15 in 54:34.  Avg pace 7:38.  The recovery day must have worked yesterday because I felt really good today.  Miles 5 and 6 were both low 6:50s.  That's good progress for me.

PM Spin class for one hour

15.59 in 2:03:33.  Avg pace 7:55.

Got off work early and knew it was suppose to rain tomorrow, so I decided to do my long run this afternoon.  Started at mouth of Provo Canyon and ran up just past the main park in South Fork and then back down.  First 5 with Mark and then he turned.  We ran head on into a snake.  When we realized it we both jumped and we startled it off.  Hate them.  It was probably the longest one I've seen while running.  Felt surprisingly good for going 5 straight days with running and I thought the spin class last night might cause me trouble at some point in time.  The last 4-5 I had to really concentrate to keep things going good.  We will see how I feel tomorrow, but some more good progress for me as I ramp up my miles a bit.  

Went to the gym early.  Lifted for an hour and then swam for about 45 min.  Swam a mile in about 32:30 which is pretty good for me because I have not swam in over a month.  Went for a short, slow run to just see how I was feeling.

7.5 on the TM because it was raining this morning.  Now it's a full on winter storm outside.  Knee was more sore than usual after the run.

Spin class for 1 hour in the PM.

6.0 in about 47:18.  Usual route with Mark.  Felt like I was dragging sandbags the whole time.  Will try and do about 6 more tonight.

6.0 in 46:33 on the Porter Rockwell Trail starting around 123rd South and 13th East.  Went straight to the trail from work and never did feel all that great.

8.0 in just over 1:06.  About 8:15 avg.  Perfect run for me.  Ran with Mark on the usual route for about 5 and then I added on.  Took things really slow and easy.  My body is worn down, but hopefully by taking this run easy and not doing any more exercising today I will feel better tomorrow.  Great weather this morning.

8.5 in 1:08:40.  Went about 1.5 miles further than I wanted cause I got lost in some neighborhoods over around the cemetery (spelling??).  Felt better than the previous few days, but still sore all over.

PM Spin class 1 hour

17.10 in 2:16:17.  7:58 avg pace.  Started at mouth of Provo Canyon at 6:00ish and went up about 8.50 and then turned around and came back.  Didn't care about pace today.  Told myself I would take it easy and if I wanted to go faster at the end, I would.  Lots of 7:30ish miles coming down with the last 3 at 7:14, 6:45, and 6:57 (stopped at the water fountain for a minute).  Ran with Mark the first 6.  I felt good and feel like I'm making good progress.  I think I will try to introduce some speed/interval/tempo stuff starting this coming week.  Will try to lift for an hour later on today.

Sick.

Sick.

30 min on the elliptical.  Feeling better, but still not real great.  I had my training right where I wanted after last week and then this sickness has kind of kicked things back a few notches.  Hopefully I can get back on track pretty quickly and the rest will help my body feel better.

5.0 in just under 40:00.  First post-sick run and first time running since last Saturday.  Felt better as I went along, but could tell I was sick.  Ran out by Willow Park and the Jr. High.

5.37 in 43:54.  Great weather this morning.

17.20 in about 2:25ish up and down Provo Canyon.  Miserable run.  I haven't run this much due to being sick and I think the sickness just took it out of me more than I thought.  I had thoughts that maybe I should turn around at the 6 and 7 mile marks, but I kept going.  Around mile 12 I was in survival mode.  My legs had nothing right from the start and I was working way too hard.  Last Saturday I did almost the exact same route and I finished about 10-11 minutes faster......that's how bad I felt today (and I took it relatively easy last week too).  Hopefully I'm feeling 100% next week.

7.50 in 59:35.  Ran first 4 with Mark and then I added on by going down by the new jr. high.  Felt better after about 4 miles and everything was in the low 7:40s after the first 2 miles.  Pretty sore from the run on Saturday.

PM 4.0 on the TM.  Easy.

2 mile warm-up.  3 mile tempo 6:46, 6:47 (had to stop and start watch so that I could jump across the ditch in the road that was created to alleviate flooding), 6:34.  2 mile cool down.  Very flat loop route out to Saratogo Rd and then over to Center St.  Tempo miles felt hard and I think my pace is all over the place when I'm running the tempo.  Legs (quads) were still very sore during the run.

9.50 in 1:13:52.  7:47 avg.  Standard route and then added on by going out to Willow Park.  Wanted to cross under Main St. but the tunnel was almost filled to its height due to the flooding.  Had to back track a bit to finally get across.  Legs didn't feel good, but I was in the 7:30s and 7:40s for most of the run after the first 2 miles.  Even had 1 or 2 in the low 7's.  I need my legs to come around.

PM 6.25 in 51:09.  Started at Jr. high and ran out towards Willow Park on the JRP.  Felt better than anticipated.  Left knee is a bit bothersome and legs are just sore overall.  Will back it off tomorrow.  

4.0 slow miles on the TM in the PM.  My legs got nothing in them and they are just sore.  My plan is to get up earlier tomorrow and run long and hope that the easy day today benefits me tomorrow.  I think I'm still feeling the effects of not running much last week and then all of a sudden running 17 last Saturday and then really increasing my miles this week.  We will see how tomorrow goes.

14.0 in 1:48:58.  7:47 avg.  Up to Smith's Marketplace via 300 West and back all the way down Center St. and then down by Loch Lomond and up 1100 West and back home.  First 4 were all over 8:20 and then from about mile 5-12 I hit a good, relaxed stride.  Lungs felt good.  Legs were good and I was able to push it pretty good.  Legs got tired toward the end, but this was the best I've felt all week and the best run I've had all week.  Left knee continues to be sore and worries me a bit.

6.25 no watch.  Ran out from Jr. high to Willow Park and on the JRP.  Felt better than anticipated.  Got my miles right were I wanted them this week, but it felt like I had to work real hard for them and my body didn't respond that well.  Would like to get right around 60 next again, but hopefully the legs feel better.

 Watched the UV races today.  Saw the leaders of the half at several different points.  They make it look so effortless (although I know it's not).  It was exciting to see how close they were, and then to see the leader not make the last turn.  Very inspiring, but I'm glad I wasn't running.  Lots of fast runners today.

8.0 in 1:00:17.  7:32 avg pace.  Good energy today.  Ran 2.5 and then stretched for a second.  When I hit mile 3 I went 1 min on and 1 min off for the next 2 miles.  My "ons" were all around 6:25 to 6:40.  Felt pretty good and continued to run faster after the few pick ups.

13.10 in 1:41:26.  7:45 avg pace.  I have a funeral to go to later this AM and don't go to work until after, so I had some extra time this morning to go long.  Went out towards Saratoga Springs.  Felt pretty descent, but not super great.  Glad to get a longer run in during the week though.

6.0 no watch.  Standard route with a little added on.  No energy probably due to the run yesterday and from giving blood last night.  

7.50 in 57:29.  7:40 avg pace.  3 mile warm up and then 1 min on, 1 min off, 2 min on, 2 min off.  Did this for 3 miles and then cooled down with 1.5 at the end.  The "ons" were around 6:30-6:50, except for a couple of them that were around 6:20.  Don't know if these types of runs help me much, but at least it gets me feeling some marathon pace and 1/2 marathon pace.

PM 6.25 no watch from Jr. high out into Willow Park on the JRP and back.  Easy, very easy tonight.

3.60 in around 30 min from the Jr high out towards Willow Park around 2:00 after getting off work early.  Planning on about 20 tomorrow up and down Provo Canyon.

20.0 in 2:41:10.  Started behind movie theaters in Riverwoods and ran 10 up the canyon and then 10 back down.  First 7 with Mark.

First 10 - 1:27:00 About 8:42 pace.  First 4-5 were miserable.  Heavy wind, didn't feel good.  Mile 10 has 2 killer climbs.  Climbing Southfork was tough for me today as well.

Last 10 - 1:14:10 About 7:25 pace.  Started feeling better coming down.  From about 15.5 to 19 were great.  Caught a guy that was running barefoot and tried to gap him, but he kept right on my tail, which made me run harder.  Felt pretty good overall the last 10 miles and got some good leg pounding, which should be beneficial for DesNews.  Very encouraged by the last part of this run.

Great mileage and a great long run for me.  I think I will try and scale back to around 50 miles next and maybe try and run a 5K out here in Lehi.  Week after that, I will bump the mileage back up and will try to get a 23 mile run in.

9.10 in 1:11:30.  7:52 avg pace.  Standard route extended out to Willow Park and on the JRP over and around my church building.  Windy!  Felt better than anticipated.  I recovered very well from the 20 miler on Saturday.  Been eating everything in sight, and it usually isn't stuff that's good for me either.

7.15 in 54:54.  7:41 avg pace.  Standard route with Mark and then added on a bit at the end.  I've been eating lots of crap lately, so I guess it was right that I felt like crap on the run.

PM 4.0 starting at 98th South on the JRP and going south.  Wanted to do about 5-6, but at about mile 4 my stomach started killing me.  I had to pretty much walk for a mile back to the car.

9.0 in 1:10:55.  7:53 avg pace.  Standard route and then added on into Willow Park.  Same route as Monday.  Legs are feeling fatigued.

7.0 in 53:53.  Old church route out towards the freeway and back.  Threw about 10 strides in to get the legs going a bit faster.  

6.0 in 48:23.  Standard loop with a bit extra and some strides.  Last three strides felt very easy and comfortable and sustainable around the 6:00 range.  Hope it feels that way tomorrow.

Ran the Lehi Roundup 5K today.  Ran over to Stonehaven dental from home.  Saw Melanie B. from the blog (she was running 10k which started a bit later) and was talking with her and then all of the sudden the 5k started.  Whoa.  So, not a good start to the race, but I was fine with that.

Mile 1-6.24  Just passing lots of people since I started at the back accidentally.

Mile 2-6.20 Finally settle into place.  I'm in 7th from about this mile forward and pretty much was on my own.  Uphill everywhere in this thing.

Mile 3-6.25 This is where the big hill comes into play.  It's got to be about 1/2 mile long.  Get some good downhill for the last 1/2 mile, but the 2 guys in front of me aren't coming back to me.

The distance on my watch was low compared to the race.  I hate 5ks, but it was a good workout for me.  I get frustrated cause I feel like I should be fast and that I should be able to run a 5K at 6:00 and below for each mile.  Feel like I need to lose some weight as well.  I seem to carry all my weight up top, which is why I've cut back on lifting weights to only once a week.  Hopefully that will help me lose some bulk.

Overall, a good race and I'll just keep plugging away and trying to get faster.  4 more weeks until DesNews Marathon and I think I'm in good shape with my training.  I just got to keep it up for the next couple weeks.

Finished the day off with a run home, which was miserable cause my legs had nothing and it was freaking hot.

8.15 in 1:02:07.  7:38 avg pace.  Standard route with extra added.  First 5 with Mark.  Felt really good today, and especially felt good after the first 4 or 5.  

Mile 5 - 7:30

6 - 7:20

7 - 7:00

8 - 7:09

Didn't feel like I had to work too hard to get to the low 7's today.

PM 5.0 in 42:00.  Slow, easy, hot.  South from Willow Park and back to the car.

8.0 in 1:02:35.  8:49 avg pace.  Standard route with Mark up until 4 miles, then I added on.

PM 5.0 in 39:00 on the TM.  Felt surprisingly good tonight and could have went faster/further, but I didn't want to push my luck.

5.10 in 40 min out toward Saratoga and back.  Took it easy.  Through in some strides.  Felt better than anticipated.  This is all I'm doing today.  My body needs a rest.

9.0 in 1:08:48.  7:39 avg pace.  Standard route with Mark for 4 and then I added on out towards Willow Park.  Got into a good flow up until the last two miles.  Good run.  No music at all during my morning runs this week.

PM 5.0 on the TM in about 39 min.  I didn't want to fight the wind outside.

5.0 in 40:21 with Mark out towards Saratoga Springs and back.  Nice and easy.  Wore the old school yellow Asics Speedstars.  I love how light they are, but hate the color.  Will try and do around 12 tomorrow.  Plan to do 23 on Monday, which will be my last real long run in prep. for DesNews.

7.50 on the TM.  Wanted to do about 12 outside, but it was freakin windy when I woke up.  This scared me away from going outside.  Go figure, the wind had died down pretty good when I was walking out of the gym.

23.0 in 3:06:27.  8:06 avg pace (I'm fine with that).

Started at my house and did the 300 West route up to Smith's MarketPlace and then up (and I mean up) Suncrest.  Turnaround point was at 11.50 miles, which put me right at the top of Suncrest by the market shop, which looked vacant.  Beautiful views of Utah Valley and eventually of SLC when I hit the top.

The plan was to take it easy going up.  I hit 7 miles in 55:48, which was perfect.  Took a gu and drank some water that I dropped last night.  Then the climb started.  Next 5 miles were 8:41 (almost got hit by a BMW), 9:51, 9:43, 9:07, 9:11.  I didn't care how long it took me to get to the top, but I got there in 1:38 and ran pretty much the whole way.  Pretty steep climb. 

Then the fun began.  My whole goal of the run today was to get some good pounding on the legs on some severe downhill......and I got it.  Next splits were: Mile 13-7:01 14-6:32 15-5:57 16-6:44 17-7:08 18-7:18 19-7:52 20-8:01 21-8:40 22-8:58 23-9:46.  Hahaha you can see where the wheels came off.  It was a battle towards the end.  Pretty sure I saw Smooth around mile 17 and got a smile and a wave. 

Overall, very happy with the run.  Got some good turnover going on the downhill and then a couple of good solid flat miles after that.  Pretty sure I was dehydrated around mile 16 when I stopped and drank some more water and took another gu.  Not sure what this run means for DesNews, but I'm hoping the dehydration combined with the huge climb is what made me die off towards the end.  Hopefully I'll recover well from this and gain some confidence from it. 

Pretty sore in my legs from yesterday's pounding.  Will not run today, but may lift and do some elliptical depending on when I get off work.  Hopefully yesterday's workout didn't do more damage than good.

PM 15 min elliptical and about 25 min of light lifting.  Just based off of my time on the elliptical, I better be careful over the next few days.

5.50 out towards Saratoga Springs and back.  No watch.  Nice and easy.  Felt better than I anticipated, but still sore in the quads from Monday.  I think I should be okay though as far as any injuries from Monday's workout are concerned.

7.40 in 57:07.  7:43 avg pace.  Standard route with a bit added on towards some farm roads out by the jr. high.  Still sore and still recovering.

PM 4.0 at 8:30 pace on the TM after lifting for 30 min.

5.0 out towards Saratoga Springs.  Easy and slow.  My legs had nothing in them today.  Planning on 17 up and down Provo Canyon tomorrow.

17.0 in 2:12:11 up and down Provo Canyon.  7:46 avg pace.  Felt great on this run (even on the steep incline of South Fork), especially on the way down the canyon.  Got in a good rythem (sp?) and there were lots of people on the trail, which keeps me motivated.  Even saw some of the RHPC running and talked with Smooth and Ericka for a second.  Going to lift for an hour.

8.0 in 1:01:34.  7:42 avg pace.  Standard route with Mark and I added on by going down by the newer elem. school west of our house.  Stomach gave me problems for most the run and legs felt fatigued after about 5 miles.  Threw in some strides.

8.0 in 57:34.  7:12 avg pace.  Alone, ran out towards Saratoga Springs.  Felt really good and decided to push the pace.

PM Lifted for 35 min and then 15 min on the stair climber.

9.0 in 1:13:00.  Ran up over to the east side of Lehi.  Eventually made my way to 1200 East.  I like it up there.  Lots of people out walking and running.  Took things very slow.

8.0 in 1:02:41.  7:50 avg pace.  Ran out by old church and towards the freeway.  Didn't feel well, just tired in the legs.  Settled into a 7:40-7:50 pace after the first mile, which was around 8:20.

PM 4.0 on the TM after lifting for 30 min

13.0 in 1:37:35.  7:30 avg pace. Went up and down Provo Canyon.  First couple with Mark, and then I pulled ahead.  About 8 min avg up the canyon and about 7 min avg coming down.  Pushed it a bit at times coming down.  Good run.  Off to lift for an hour.  Will not touch a weight this next week due to marathon on Sat.  Hope to not go crazy with a one week taper, but luckily I'll be out of town Tues-Thurs, which should help the mental stability.

7.15 in 53:00.  7:25 avg pace.  Standard route with a bit added on going down by Loch Lomond.  Lots of pep in the legs today.  This really will be the last run of any length this week up until Saturday.  Hopefully I can get a couple of 3 milers in over the week.

2.0 at about 5:10 a.m. with no watch before leaving town for a few days.  Just wanted to get something in and I won't run again until Thursday evening for a few miles.

Nothing. Out of town.  Feeling heavy.

3.50 in 27:00.  7:44 avg pace.  From jr. high out to Willow Park and back.  Threw in some strides.  Left knee a bit sore.  More excited than nervous right now for the marathon.

Nothing.  Mowed lawn.  No work today.

Splits: 6:38, 6:17, 6:26, 6:44, 7:00, 7:17, 8:09, 7:36, 6:40, 7:11, 6:41, 6:48, 6:42, 6:57, 6:38, 6:53, 6:43, 7:40 (bathroom stop), 6:39, 7:05, 8:16, 6:48, 7:49, 7:48, 7:56, 8:33, 2:19

Early morning.  Woke up at 1:45 so I could get ready and drive to catch the bus.  Luckily I went to bed at 8:00.  So I actually got some good sleep.

Okay, so I feel a lot better about things after looking over my splits.  The plan was to start conservative, take it relatively easy going up Little Mtn, and hit the 1/2 mark around 1:28 and then hopefully have something left to come in right around the 3 hour mark.

Started off perfect going down Big Mtn.  Easy, relaxed and everything is good.  Start climbling around 5, 6 & 7 and I feel like I'm taking it pretty easy.  Apparently I took it too easy as I didn't realize it at the time, but I was shocked to see an 8:09 mile.  Settle back into a groove on some more downhill and am loving the turnaround point where I could see the runners up ahead of me. I only notice Allie and Riverton Paul from the blog and they were both running strong. Around mile 10 I pass a girl and my guess now is that at the time she was in 4th place for the women.  She was losing steam pretty fast though.  I pretty much was by myself all through these miles up until around 14, where I get passed by an older man as I stop to drink some water and put on some music.  In hindsight, I wish I would have gone without the music.  I'm loving the canyon though and the temps are still cool for me. 

Legs are still feeling good up through the turnoff out of the canyon.  One of my goals was to not let Wasatch Blvd get the best of me this time around.  Kept a good steady pace, but finally had to stop at the Port O' Potty around mile 17.  This cost me a good minute.  Turn on to Foothill and I start catching the 2 guys ahead of me.  And then......I succumb to the dead and tired legs and walk on mile 21.  This is not good and usually signals the end for me.  Once I give in and walk, it is easy to keep giving in and walking.  Funny thing is, I was doing so well just before this and hanging on strong.  I HATE FOOTHILL BLVD now!!!  I actually recovered quite nicely on the next downhill portion.  At this point the legs are wasted and I'm wishing I had somebody to run me in the last 4-5 miles.  I think I may have seen D. Holt (may not have been him as I only recognize him from the blog)  around mile 21 and I almost told him I would pay him to run me in.  The run/walk continues.  I get passed by one guy, but I pass him back at mile 24 as I see my parents and get some more downhill.  He passes me back and probably finished 2 min. ahead of me.  I end up getting passed by 2 more guys around mile 26.  See Smooth and Teena I believe by the finish.  They are the best dang people to have cheer you in.  Couldn't help but smile when I heard them.

Overall, a bit disappointed, but it wasn't too bad of a race for me.  It was actually the 2nd fastest marathon time I've had.  I probably got the time I deserved for the shape I was in.  However, the good thing is that I have a ton of desire to bring my time down and get faster/better.  I think if I could break the 3 hr mark it would be a big confident boost.  Just got to figure out how to do it and I got to get mentally stronger in those last miles and not give in as easily.  Good learning experience though.

This is about as sore as I can remember being after a race.  I do pretty good unless I'm standing and bend my legs.  I think I will try the elliptical for a while tonight.

Just over 50 mins on the elliptical.

PM Elliptical for 15 min and lift for 15 min.

Run/walk 3.20 in just over 41 min.  My legs were feeling noticeably better the last day, so I thought I would give running a try this morning.  I quickly realized that my legs aren't ready for much yet.  Back to the elliptical.

PM 21 min on the elliptical and about 25 min of lifting.

6.50 in 54:00 up and down Provo Canyon in the evening with Mark.  Legs were okay until afterwards.  Probably shouldn't have run this much, but oh well.  Lifted for 40 min.

45 min on the elliptical.  Left knee is a bit sore and feels a little weak after the run last night.  

Afternoon: Lift for 30 min and 20 min on elliptical.

Nothing.  Went to Lava Hot Springs yesterday/today.  Plan to hit things hard this week and really ramp up the training for TOU.  Hopefully the body responds well after DesNews.......but I'm a bit worried.

9.0 in 1:11:53.  7:59 avg pace.  Started at 4:30 in the afternoon and ran out towards Saratoga Springs.  The heat was a killer.  

10.50 in 1:22:52.  7:54 avg pace.  Lots of hills for the first 4 miles.  Legs are dead right now.  No zip in them.  Hopefully they will come around because I'm suppose to run the Provo River 1/2 this Saturday.

PM Lifted for 20 min and then 5 miles on the TM.

5.50 on the standard route.  Thought I was going to end up on the TM cause it was raining pretty hard, but then it just stopped.  My body is protesting the miles this week.  I may have done too much too soon.  Today I just turned the watch off cause I felt horrible.  I might need to back off.

7.0 in 53:43.  7:41 avg pace.  Finally a good run for me.  I felt really good this morning, especially compared to the rest of this week.  It was cooler and there was a south wind along with some occasional rain.  Ran a random route so that I could stay somewhat close to home in case it got too bad weather wise.  First time running in the Kinvaras and I loved them.

PM 4.50 on the TM.  This wasn't a good run.  I had to get off after about 2.30 miles cause I was dizzy and light headed.  Started feeling better and got back on and finished with a couple more.

5.50 no watch.  Nice and easy out towards Saratoga Springs.  

Goal for the Provo River Half tomorrow is to beat last year's time of 1:24:18.  If I have trouble I should at least be able to get some good miles in at marathon pace. 

Goal was to beat last year's time, which was 1:24:18.  If nothing else, I knew I would at least get some really good miles in today.  I love this race because it is so organized (joke), and I love the course.  I know exactly what to expect on this thing.  Splits:

1-6:06 Right away I'm running with no shirt guy

2-6:09

3-6:23 Still no shirt guy, me, and red shirt guy.  We are picking off a few people, but I can't believe how much better I'm liking running in a group.

4-5:56 Feeling pretty good still and making our way onto the path. 

5-6:31 Our group of 4-5 has dissipated.  No shirt guy drops back and red shirt guy made a move.  I should have went with him.  It would have been a bit painful, but I think it would have helped me in the long run.  I'm running solo for pretty much the rest of the race. 

6-6:23

7-6:49 Make the turn on to the old highway and there is a really good headwind.  Mentally, I think this is where I would have benefitted from having people to run with while going up the hill.  Andy-where were you this year?

8-6:45 Hit the turnaround and realize Melanie B. is about 15 sec. behind me.  Dang she's fast.

9-6:50 This is where things turned bad.  We go under the freeway and I have to pee real bad.  Red shirt guy is up on me by about 35 sec and I have a couple guys about 15 seconds behind me.  The first bathroom is locked in the campground, so I run to the next.  I probably lose about 45 seconds and a good rythem (spelling??).  Last year I ran this mile in 6:16.  Looking back, this pee stop kills me.

10-6:28

11-6:33 Running with another red shirt guy and hoping we can push each other, but then he surges and gaps me by about 20 seconds.

12-6:45 Holding on.

13-6:37 Wanting to walk..............but I don't.

.10-0:52

Finish in 1:25:11.  Overall, I'm not too disappointed.  It was a good race.  I got some very good marathon pace miles in and fought through some rough patches.  The pee stop killed any chances of finishing ahead of last year's time, but what do you do.  I should of hit the bushes as that would have been faster. 

The only disappointment I have is that it feels like I've stalled in my progression lately. Hopefully the marathon from two weeks ago is still in my legs and that is one thing to blame, but I need to start doing some training miles at a faster pace.  At Hobble Creek I'm going for 1:20 right from the start.  I may bonk and end up walking the last 3 miles, but oh well.  Good run today overall.

PM Lifted for 45 min and did the elliptical for 15 min.

9.50 in 1:16:13.  8:01 avg pace.  Ran the short cemetary loop.  Really good weather this morning and I just took things nice and slow today.  Lots of hills throughout the run, and my legs are still a bit fatigued from racing on Saturday.  Only run of the day as I would like to try and do some form of a workout tomorrow morning.

2 mile warm-up.  Stopped and stretched for a bit.

4 mile tempo at marathon pace (between 6:40-6:50).  Splits: 6:27, 6:30, 6:30, 6:29.  The entire route is pretty much flat and I knew I needed to hit the first mile or else I would get disappointed.  My splits were more like half marathon pace for me.  The first two were a bit uncomfortable, but then I started feeling good.  I have a hard time motivating myself to do tempo work in the early mornings, but I think if I could have slowed myself down to marathon pace that I could have done a longer tempo.  Good workout for me today though.

Cooled down with 3.15 miles to get back home.  I was almost cold during the cool down.  Great weather this morning.

Bruise on top of left knee is a bit bothersome.  I nailed it against an end table a week ago Monday.

PM 5.85 in 46:52.  8:01 avg pace.  From jr. high out towards Willow Park.  Nice and easy.

7.25 in 56:26.  7:47 avg pace.  Went out towards the old church and a little bit towards the freeway.  Came back via 1100 West.  Felt better than anticipated.  I usually have a really rough time the morning after an evening run.  Still great temperature this morning.

12.25 in 1:36:37.  7:53 avg pace.  Medium cemetary loop starting at 5:15 am.  Ran the first 5 miles in the dark, which I really like.  Some good hills for the first 4-5 miles and then it levels out and then I get a little downhill.  First 5 miles were all over 8 min (mile 5 was over 9 because I stopped at the water ftn).  Most of the miles after that were in the 7:20-7:30 range.  Legs feel thrashed right now.  Left knee is sore.  In fact, left leg is sore.  Good run for me on a weekday though.

6.0 in 47:34.  7:56 avg pace.  Standard route with a couple of laps around Wines Park to get me to 6.  Hopefully by taking it easy today I'll feel better for tomorrow's long run.  Hoping to go 20 up and down Provo Canyon.  Left leg is still giving me some problems.  Knee is sore, but it feels like I have a knot in my left calf and that it pulling on my left hamstring.  Will keep an eye on it.

20.0 in 2:36:12.  7:49 avg pace.  Started at base of Provo Canyon and was planning to run 10 up and then back down, and hopefully have a "fast" finish (maybe the last 5 or so faster).  Everything was slow going up.  Hit 5 miles at 42:14 and then hit 10 at 1:24:22.  This was 8:26 avg and there was some good climbing going up South Fork.

Started back down and there were lots of people out, which I like.  Took it easy coming down South Fork.  Saw a moose off to the side of the road.  I hit the next 5 miles all around 7:30.  Split for 15 was 2:02:13.  8:08 avg pace.

Then I hit a good groove.  Next splits were 7:03, 6:57, 6:42, 6:42, 6:31.  I got lucky here.  Sasha and hit 2 guys came flying by around my 17 mile mark.  I tried to keep up with them, but couldn't do it.  With about 2 miles left I realize that one of Sasha's guys had dropped back.  I was catching him and finally got him with about .75 left.  His name was Mike and we talked until I finished up.  He definitely made me keep the pace up.

Good run for me.  I ate aweful yesterday, but I didn't bonk on the run today.  My legs are through for the week.  I feel like I'm teetering on the edge of maybe having some problems with my left knee and my feet.  This is the most mileage I've done in one week I beleive.  I will scale it back next week a bit and hopefully run well at Hobble Creek next Saturday.

9.25 in 1:10:36.  7:38 avg pace.  Did the short cemetary loop.  One of the best morning runs I've ever had.  Things just felt really smooth and easy.  Felt like I was almost gliding and that I didn't have to do much to get the pace up.

Not sure how this week will go.  Would like to hit around 60 miles, but I would also really like to run well at Hobble Creek, so I may scale things waaay back on Thursday and Friday.

Tempo day.  2 mile warm up out towards Saratoga.  Stopped and stretched for a bit and then got in to my tempo.  Plan was 5 or 6 at marathon pace (6:40-6:50) hitting the JRP and coming back home via 700 South.  Very flat course. 

Splits: 6:36, 6:39, 6:31, 6:36, 6:39.  Avg for tempo was 6:37.  It's like I get so scared I'm not going to hit my times that it makes me run faster.  Oh well.  I had to work at it this morning pretty good to keep myself going. I think if I could just relax a bit more and slow down maybe 7-10 seconds more that I would be a bit more comfortable.

Cooled down with 1.50 back home.

PM Elliptical for 25 min

9.0 in 1:15:26.  8:23 avg pace.  Wow.  I was really slow this morning.  Very tired and worn out for some reason.  Will try to scale way back the next few days and hopefully some "pep" will be in the legs on Saturday.

6.25 in 50:33.  8:05 avg pace.  Ran the new Pioneer Crossing Rd.  Went 3 miles west and turned around and came back.  The road isn't open to cars yet, but is practically finished.  It wasn't as fun as I thought it would be to run it.

5.25 no watch.  Standard route.  Nice and easy.

Was hoping to hit 1:20, but I'm finding that that might be way out of my league for now.  Plan was to try and hit low 6's or sub 6's in the canyon and then try and hold on until the end.  Splits:

1-5:56

2-5:43

3-6:02  I'm settled in with a nice little group of 4-5 people.  Pace is fast and a bit uncomfortable, but I'm going with it.

4-5:45

5-6:09

6-5:49

7-6:43  About the 6.50 mark I find that I got to pee.  I lost a good minute at Provo River half to a pee stop and now it's going to happen again.  Probably lose about 40-45 seconds on this mile because of the stop.  Mentally this killed me.  I just kept thinking "not again."  I've never had this problem in the past, and now it's happened in my last 3 races. 

8-6:07  Passing same people again that I passed a mile previously.  By now there is about a 40 second gap in front of me to the next people and no one behind me.  It's lonesome.  I hate that.

9-6:41  Hit the trail portion and I'm fading.  The little uphills are killing me and the heat is getting me.

10-6:39  I spent a long time at the aid station right after this mile marker.  Mentally I'm done.  A little more mental toughness and I think I could have got the 2 guys that were in front of me here.

11-7:15  Feel like I'm giving up.  Legs are dead.  A guy catches me and he's flying.  I'm interested to see how long it takes him to get the group that's a good 45 seconds up on us.  He eventually got them before the 12 mile marker.

12-6:36  Don't know where this came from.

13-7:15  Walked a couple times in here and feel like I'm just jogging it in.  Legs do not feel good.

.10-0:41 One more guy passes me right here. 

 Well, overall I guess it wasn't too bad.  This is about 90 seconds slower than my last year's time at this race.  Why does it feel like I'm getting slower?  I wonder if the DesNews Marathon is getting the best of my legs.  Maybe it was jump in mileage a week ago.  At any rate, I got a good 11 miles in at marathon pace or way better.  Hopefully a couple more weeks of good training and solid mileage will lead to a good Top of Utah Marathon just below the 3 hour mark.

14.75 in 1:56:43. 7:55 avg pace.  Ran the long cemetary loop this morning cause I have no work today.  This route takes me up into Highland for a while.  All I wanted was a longer, slower run to get the week off to a good start.  I felt pretty good for the most part.  Legs started to wear down around the 10 miles mark, but they held up better than I thought they would.  I didn't even catch the 8 minute guy until around mile 12.

Saw lots of people out running.  Stopped and talked to the Crack O' Dawn group of 6-7 for a bit and then saw Melanie B. from the blog and talked to her for a bit.

8.50 in 1:05:45.  7:44 avg pace.  Ran out towards Saratoga and connected up to the JRP and came back via 700 South.  Legs were sore, but was able to get into a good groove and cruise along.  It was cold.  I could have worn a long sleeve shirt and gloves and been good.

9.50 in 1:11:35.  7:32 avg pace.  Short cemetary loop.  I wanted to get in some good miles at just a bit slower than marathon pace.  Ran 2 easy miles and then did 6 faster ones.  Splits were 7:14, 8:06 (two brutal hills), 7:01, 7:25 (another hill), 6:50, 6:55.  Cooled down with 1.50 to get back home.

3.0 on tm in hotel in Burbank, CA.

5.0 in the afternoon after returning home.  Miserable run.  The heat got the best of me.

6.0 in just over 48 minutes.  It was about 8:05 avg pace.  Very tired and it was miserably hot and humid this morning.  Standard route with a bit added on in the middle to get to 6.  Hoping to run around 20 tomorrow morning.

20.0 in 2:33:00.  7:39 avg pace up and down Provo Canyon.  Same route as 2 weeks ago, but finished about 3 min 12 sec faster this week.

Perfect weather for the run.  Rained a bit the last 2 miles.  Tons of runners on the trail, especially on the way up.  I started about 5:30 am.  I wanted to take it a bit easy going up, but I wanted to throw in some surges to try and keep the pace more honest than I typically do when I climb up this route.  Hit 10 miles in 1:21:47 and was very encouraged by this split.  

Turned around and had to take a pit stop at 12.50.  Took it pretty easy coming down South Fork, but still kept a good pace.  Tried to stay relaxed and my splits just kind of naturally stayed in the low 7's or upper 6's all the way down to the car.  Last 10 mile split was 1:11:11 or 7:07 avg pace. 

Overall, a good run for me.  But to be honest, my legs were feeling it the last 2 miles.  If I had to do another 6.2 today I could have been in trouble.  Hopefully this is due to the two halfs in the last 3 weeks and another 20 miler 2 weeks ago.  I think the legs will come around over the next 3 weeks.

7.50 in 1:02:03.  8:17 avg pace.  Standard route but finished by going out by the new jr. high and then home via 700 South.  Very slow and sluggish.  Knees and feet hurt a bit.  Lots of wind as well.

PM 4.0 on the TM at about 8 min pace.