Running

10 miles on the TM down at the hospital gym.  Finished in 1:15:52.  Pretty good for me right now.

AM CF and then 3.5 easy miles on the TM.  Legs are sore from the last two days' workouts.

6 miles.  First 3.25 were on the track at the LC cause all the TMs were full and then the last 2.75 were on the TM while talking to Melanie.

PM CF and then I ran 3.5 easy on the TM.

10 on the TM in about 1:20.  Off to CF.

4.25 on the TM.  Easy pace with about 4 one minute pickups over the last mile.

PM 4.25 on the TM.  Easy.  Some minor pain back in the left knee. 

5.5.  First 4 were on the indoor track and then last 1.5 were on the TM with about 4 1 minute strides mixed in.

PM CF 

PM 5.25 on the TM.  Hoping for more, but stomach was iffy.

6.3 in 53:30 (8:30).  Temps were good enough to run outside.  Went up to 300 W. and back. Slow going in a lot of spots due to the ice/snow.

AM 4.75 on the TM.

PM CF 

11 in about 85:15 on the TM.  

CF 

AM 3.75 around the indoor track at the LC. 8 laps = 1 mile and I did 32 laps, but it seemed to short for 4 miles.

3.50 on the TM at the hotel in Bozeman. 

AM 3.5 slow ones on the TM in Bozeman.

PM 3.5 on the TM and then CF 

AM 6.50 on the TM.  2 mile warm up and then did 20 one minutes on/off segments.  Cooled down a bit.

PM CF and then 4.6 slow miles on the TM.

AM 4 miles on the TM.  Woke up late so I didn't get as much as I was hoping.

AM 12 miles on the TM and the Crossfit.

AM 6 on the TM in around 50 min.

PM 6 on the TM in around 47 min. 

AM Crossfit.

PM 8 miles on the TM.  About a 2.5 mile warm up and then 3 x .75 with .50 rest in-between.  First one was at 6:44 pace, second at 6:39 and third at 6:34.  Cooled down 2 miles after.

AM 4.25 slow miles on the TM while I talked with Melanie and Julie a bit.

PM Crossfit and then 3 slow miles on the TM. 

AM 3.25 slow miles on the TM.  It wasn't much, but I only wanted a few.

PM CF 

AM 12 on the TM.  Rough run cause my stomach was giving me trouble.  Went to Crossfit afterwards.

PM 3 easy mile on the TM. 

PM 7.10 on the TM.  Slow.

PM Crossfit and then 3 miles on the TM.

AM 5 on the TM.  Took yesterday off cause I haven't been feeling good.

PM Crossfit 

AM 5 on the TM.  

PM CF 

AM 12.25 in 1:35:30 (7:48) on the TM.  Felt pretty good today.  This was a planned cut back week with hopes of getting the mileage up around 50 next week.

Crossfit 

4 more miles on the TM in the early afternoon.  Actually felt really good.  Kept it easy between 8:00 - 8:30 pace. 

AM 3.25 on the track at the LC and then 3.75 on the TM with 20 1min on/off segments with the on segments between 6:50-6:58.

PM Crossfit 

AM 7 miles total.  First 4.5 on the track and then the last ones on the TM.

PM Crossfit 

AM 5 slow miles on the TM in about 44:30.

PM 5 more miles on the TM in about 43:00. 

PM 7.25 on the TM.  Worked the pace pretty good tonight.

AM 4 slow miles on the TM.

AM 13 in 1:40:30 (7:43) on the TM.  

Crossfit. 

PM 3.5 slow miles on the TM. 

AM 3.5 on the TM.  Flying to Bozeman so not much time this morning.

PM 3.5 on the TM in Bozeman in the early afternoon.

AM 2.5 easy on the TM in Bozeman.  I just wanted something to get the morning started.  I should be able to get another run in later today.

PM 6.10 on the TM.  The last 3 at around 7 min pace.....which is flying for me right now. 

Crossfit.

PM 6.10 on the TM at about 8 min pace.

AM 5.0 on the indoor track.  Body is sore and tired.

PM 5.5 on the TM. 

AM 14.50 in 1:53:25 (7:50).  Long(er) run with Rob and Ryan this morning.  Started at the Maverick at Thanksgiving Point and basically headed south through Lehi and then back up north.  Pace was around 8:00 for the first 5-6 and then it was anywhere from 7:30-7:40 after that.  I struggled the last 1.5, but running with these guys made me keep going.  Rob looked liked he could have run another 10 miles.  This was my first run outside in close to two months.  I have a long ways to go to get ready for Boston.  Good run though and it went by fast having others to run with.

PM Crossfit 

AM 5.25 easy, slow miles on the TM.

Crossfit 

AM 5.50 on the TM at just over 8:00 pace.

PM Crossfit and then 3 slow miles on the TM. 

AM 9.5 on the TM at about 7:55 pace.  First 2.5 were on the indoor track.  Only workout for today.

AM 7.10 in 54:25 (7:42).  It was just over 30 degrees and the wind was mild, so I ran outside.  Did the standard route with a bit added on.  Did 3 miles faster in the middle (7:33, 7:07, 6:58).

AM 5.3 in 46 min.  Just a slow, recovery run on the TM.

PM Crossfit. 

PM Crossfit and then 3.5 easy on the TM.

AM 15.85 in 2:02:30 (7:44). Started at about 5:40 and headed north and got up into Thanksgiving Point and then made a loop and came back south.  Was worried about the weather, but it turned out to be pretty good except for a couple of cold spots where the wind picked up from the south.  And I actually felt pretty good for most of the run, especially at the end.

Crossfit 

Around noon I ran an easy 3.5 on the TM.  Slow, but legs felt really good. 

AM 4 miles in about 34:45 on the TM.  Should be able to get another run in tonight.

PM 7.5 in 56:30 on the TM.  Felt really, really good on this run.  This will be a cut back week for me.  Hopefully hit around upper 30s on the mileage with a long run on Saturday....then will up the mileage again next week hopefully. 

AM 5.10 on the TM with most of it around 8 min/miles

PM Crossfit 

AM 3.6 on the TM before heading to Reno.

AM 17 in 2:10:56 (7:42).  Started at 5:40 and essentially headed up to Highland and then over to Smiths Mktplace and back home.  Kept it pretty steady for a a while and then was able to pick up the pace the last 6-7 miles.  

Crossfit. 

PM 3.5 in 29:00 on the JRP.  Slow and easy. 

AM 7.4 in 1:00:23 (8:10).  Good run outside.  Up 300 West and back.  Goal this week is to hit between 55-60 miles.  Probably a lot of slower miles to get my body use to some increased mileage.

PM Crossfit 

AM 8.15 in 1:09:28 (8:31).  Slow run.  Up Center St. and then eventually went under the freeway and made may way over to Pioneer Crossing and then home.

AM 6.4 in 52:47 (8:15).  Standard route with a bit added on.  Body is tired and doesn't want to move too fast.

PM 3.6 easy on the TM. 

AM 5.35 no watch.  Standard route.

PM CF 

AM 5.4 in 44:48 (8:18).  Slow run up Center St.

AM 20.5 in 2:39:38 (7:47).  Ran with Rob and Ryan this morning beginning at 6:00 from Ryan's house.  We pretty much ran all over north Utah County.  Headed west from Ryan's house and connected to the trail.  Then went south down into AF and then up to Canyon Rd. and then connected to the Murdoch trail and made our way back towards Ryan's house. The wind was howling from the north, but it wasn't problematic for me until the last 4-5 miles when we were heading right into it.  My legs were beat up and I was struggling, so I was glad when Ryan talked to his wife and she came and picked us up about 2-3 miles away from his house.  Rob kept running.  Rob is in really good shape and the elements (wind/hills) didn't seem to bother him one bit.  Good character building run, but the wind sucks.  

PM Lifted weights and then did 2.5 on the TM very easy. 

AM 3.5 on the TM in Reno.  Work is killing me, which is why I didn't run yesterday.

AM 10 in 1:18:44 (7:52).  Finally a good run this week.  Went up 300 West and then back home.

PM 3.05 in 25:46 (8:28).  Just a short run around the neighborhood at about 8:00 PM.  Slow. 

AM 7.05 in 56:15 (7:58).  Up by the cemetery and back.

PM 4.15 on the TM.  Really slow. 

AM 7.2 at 8:04 pace.  Up 300 West and back.  Driving to Vegas to catch a flight to Hawaii this evening.

Morning - 5.0 from the beach we were at all day.  Did 4.5 more later on. Did not get the mileage I wanted this week, but did pretty good considering I didn't get a long run in, didn't run on Monday at all, and only ran 3.5 on Tuesday.

AM 6 miles around the condo. This trip has not been good for my running. 

AM 2 easy miles.

10 at around 8 min pace on the TM after driving home from Vegas.

AM 7 in 56:54 (8:06).  Up 300 West and back.  I'm pretty sure the last week of vacation has killed any chance I had of running a good Boston Marathon.  Today's run was a lot tougher than it should have been.

PM CF 

AM 7 in 1 hour.  Random route that ended up going up Center Street.  Legs just didn't want to go this morning.

PM CF 

AM 5.15 no watch with Mark.  Center St. and back.

AM 7.15 up 300 West and back.  2 miles at around 7 min pace which is flying for me now days.

PM 4.25 slow, easy miles on the TM. 

AM 4.5 in 36:55.  Slow and easy.  Pioneer Crossing out to Saratoga Rd and over to 700 South and back home.

AM 21.80 in 2:47:47 (7:42).  Started at 5:20 and hopped on to Pioneer Crossing and pretty much headed in a straight line until I got to Canyon Rd up near the mtns.  Then headed north and connected to the canal trail.  Followed that for a bit, hopped off it and then back on and eventually ended up by Smiths Mktplace.  Continued on the trail down towards then freeway and then wound my way back.  Very similar route to what I ran with Rob and Ryan three weeks ago.  I had to get revenge on this route cause it destroyed me when I last ran it.  

Very good run for me.  I was only planning on 20, but I miscalculated a bit, but I felt really good throughout and kept the pace around 7:00-7:20 for about the last 5-6.  Really good run, and the last long one before Boston.  Boston will be a glorified training run for me and good preparation for Ogden.

Went to Crossfit after the run. 

PM 9 miles on the TM in about 1:10:00.  Got up, got ready and walked out the door this morning and realized it was too windy and it started to rain.  So, I went back inside and slept a bit more and ran on the TM this morning.

PM 7.55 in 59:38 (7:55).  Ran out towards Saratoga and back.  Need to get back to the morning schedule.

AM 7.25 up 300 West and back.  Threw in a 2 mile tempo at 5 and 6 (6:19, 6:20). 

AM 7.05 in 56:25 (8:00).  Standard route with a bit extra added to get to 7.

PM Crossfit and then 3 on the TM. 

AM 4.10 in around 35 min.  Slow, easy run.

Headed down to St. George to run the second of our two races in the runner's series to get into the St. George marathon.  It's not really worth going all the way down there for a 10K, but we didn't have much choice since there is only one race left after today's and it is the Saturday following Boston.  Anyways, I was quite pleased with my race today, as I haven't come close to running this fast in about 5-6 months....and this seemed like a pretty honest course with a lot of rollers and a really crappy climb from mile 4-5.  I missed fourth place by about 1/2 a second, but oh well.  Splits:  6:06, 5:51, 6:09, 6:10, 6:55, 6:30, 0:29.  The course was just a bit short.

Warmed up 4 and cooled down 3. 

AM 7.05 up 300 W. and back.  Avg about 8:20.  My legs were a bit tight from Saturday's race, but not too bad.  Will take it pretty easy this week in prep for Boston on Monday.

PM Crossfit and then 3 easy miles on the TM cause it's winter again.

AM 6.10 on the TM because it was raining.

PM 3 around the neighborhood.  No watch. 

Mark and I ran 5 miles this morning at a slow pace.  Started at about 9:00 from our hotel in Cambridge.  Ran across the river by the basketball stadium and then up to the Commons. Ran back down by the river and down to the bridge.  Across the bridge by MIT and then back up to the hotel.  Such a cool place to run.  Tons of runners out.  We crossed paths with Kara Goucher and Shalane Flannigan who were running together down by the river.  They are fit.  A little cold while running, but no rain. 

Took the subway down to watch the 5k race this morning, and then ran back to the hotel. Was right around 2.5 total.

Luckily my bro and I had left the area before everything happened at the finish.  So scary. Hopefully others from the blog are okay.  I can't even imagine being down there when it happened.  Great, great race for me today for the shape that I'm in.

Sittiing at the airport the day after now.  This truly is the awesomest race and was the complete reverse of last year's suffer fest due to the heat.  My plan was to just go easy for the first half and not kill myself (I knew I wasn't in good enought shape to go all out) and then see where I was at time wise once I hit the half.  Started off very conservative in comparison to everyone around me, which I was fine with .  Started clipping off 7 min miles pretty consistently and that was pretty much the story of the race for me with the exception of a couple of places.  I stopped right around the 9 mile mark at an aid station to pick up a bandaid and then I stopped at the port-o-potty around mile 12 I beleive.  I probably lost about 30 seconds on each stop.  Just continued to plug away with the idea that I would try and relax once the Newton hills hit and then hopefully pick things up a bit after that.  My pace obviously slowed once the hills hit, but I wasn't struggling nearly as bad as everyone around me.  Felt pretty good once the hills were over and was able to pass tons and tons of people the last 4-5 miles.  I ran the whole way with the exception of the two stops mentioned above and really did well menally and physically throughout the race.  As I mentioned before, this was a good race for me for where I'm at right now.

The begining, Wellesley, and pretty much the remaining part of the race from mile 20 to the end are the awesomest running experiences ever.  It's so incredible and hard to explain if you've never experienced it, but it is why I want to keep coming back while I can.  I would love to be in great shape when I run this thing again, although the hills are pretty rough. 

Afterwards I meandered my way through the post-race stuff and got my bag. I probably left the area about 35-45 min after finishing with the intent of just meeting my brother back at the hotel since he was going to finish after me.  I think the bominb and everything must have happened while I was on the subway back to the hotel and my brother was just over by the medical tent went it happened, but we were both totally oblivious to what had happened until we got back to the hotel.  Pretty scary and surreal all at the same time.     

Here are my splits from the BAA.  I will add my splits from my watch later.

Split	time of day	time	diff	min/mile	miles/h
5K	10:23:11AM	00:21:47	21:47	07:01	8.56
10K	10:44:58AM	00:43:34	21:47	07:01	8.56
15K	11:06:37AM	01:05:13	21:39	06:59	8.61
20K	11:28:49AM	01:27:25	22:12	07:09	8.40
HALF	11:33:33AM	01:32:09	04:44	06:57	8.64
25K	11:51:24AM	01:50:00	17:51	07:22	8.15
30K	12:13:40PM	02:12:16	22:16	07:10	8.37
35K	12:35:58PM	02:34:34	22:18	07:11	8.36
40K	12:57:59PM	02:56:35	22:01	07:05	8.47
Finish Net	01:07:29PM	03:06:05	09:30	06:59	8.61

Splits from my watch:

1-7:02

2-7:02

3-6:54 

4-6:50

5-7:02

6-6:56

7-6:57

8-6:55

9-6:53

10-7:03

11-7:01

12-7:12

13-6:56

14-7:00

15-7:03

16-7:34

17-7:10

18-7:14

19-7:00

20-7:04

21-7:26

22-6:51

23-7:06

24-7:02

25-6:58

26-6:53

0.2- 2:46 (my watch showed this as 0.42)

PM Crossfit: 5 rounds of 20 kettlebell swings and 400 meter run. Then Mark and I bench pressed for a bit.  Essentially jogged the 400 meters during the workout.    

AM 8 in 1:06:59 (8:22).  First run since the marathon.  Very slow and conservative, but it was great to get out.  Left at 5:30 and got sprinkled on a bit.  Headed up Center St. and over tot he road parallel to State St. until I hit the 4 mile mark and then came back the same way.  

Crossfit.  Did the warmup with the group and then did shoulder presses, dead lifts, and toes to bar.

AM 7.35 in 1:02:18 (8:29).  Slow run on the standard route.  Extended out to the jr. high to get a few extra miles in.

PM Crossfit.  Did a mile before the workout and then .75 during the workout. 

PM 7 in 58:02 (8:17) in the early afternoon beginning on the JRP out by Saratoga and heading north.  Slow run.  Legs are tired, I was low on fuel, and I'm fighting a cough.

AM 7.05 in 56:18 (7:59).  Ran towards my old church and and wandered around over there and came back.  Felt pretty good for about the first 4-5 and then I get pretty tired.

AM 7.10 in 57:32 (8:06).  Up 300 West and back.

PM Crossfit "Angie"  100 pull-ups 100 push-up 100 sit ups 100 squats for time.  This will workout will destroy me for several days. 

AM 3.30 in 27:40 (8:22).  Just a short, slow run this morning around the neighborhood. Hope to get more in later this afternoon.

PM 3.50 on the TM.  Slow. 

AM 20.0 in 2:33:00 (7:39).  Started at 5:15 and ran the first 7 with Mark and then we split. Similar run to 4 weeks ago.  Pioneer X to Canyon Rd to Murdoch Trail to Smith Mktplace. Was right around 8 min pace at the 10 mile mark and then started to drop it down.  Legs were tired the last 4 miles, but was able to get through it.

Crossfit.  Didn't have much to give cause I was tired. 

AM 8 in 1:06:10 (8:16).  Up 300 West and back.

PM 4 miles at about 8:11 pace in Reno, NV.  Actually found a good trail to run on by the hotel.

PM 6.10 in the early afternoon on the TM.

AM 7.10 in 58:02 (8:10).  Up 300 W. and back.  Cold out.

AM 3.55 really slow miles around the neighborhood.  Really tired.

PM Crossfit.  150 kettlebell swings for time (53 lbs - 12:09).

Ran 2.5 easy miles on the TM. 

AM 4 miles in 33:30.  Running the Provo City Half tomorrow. 1:2?:00?

Uh, this was a rough race for me.  I was the roadkill for several people over the course of the last 5 miles or so and if the race was any longer a few more would have caught me.  On the bright side, this is about a minute faster than what I ran last year at this course and it was fun to get out and run a lot faster than I have been recently.  My plan was to go out at 6 min pace and hold it for as long as possible and then hopefully not fall to pieces.  Maybe a dumb plan, but I feel stuck in this rut of running half marathons in the 1:21:00-1:24:00 range and I want to get out of it.  So, I tried...

1-6:02

2-5:46 Found myself with James from the blog and one other guy.  Melody, Kassi, Scott and a few others were about 20 yards ahead of us.  I knew they were gunning for 1:20 or under so I figured I was in good shape.

3-6:06

4-5:52

5-5:52 Right around here I fell back from James and the other guy, and realize I probably need to get things down around to 6:15 or so pace if I want to keep going.  The distance to the group ahead was about the same as it had been.

6-6:45 I pulled off to the side of the trail here to pee and lost about 40 seconds, but mentally this killed me.  It's not so much that I needed to stop, it's just that my legs were already hurting a bit and it was easy to give in.

7-6:20 I was afraid I was not going to be able to get back on pace after the stop, but was surprised to see this split.  This split is all the result of having a girl catch me and running with her, and then Rachelle eventually caught us as well.  

8-6:38 Right after the 7 mile split I stopped again for a second.  Both girls are long gone now.

9-6:43 Stopping at aid stations.  Get passed again for the last time by a guy.

10-6:27

11-6:51

12-6:43

13-6:30

0.1-1:05 

So, the first 5 miles were great and then things kind of fell apart.  Lots of factors I believe...Boston from a few weeks ago, 20 mile run from last Saturday, 2 weeks of increased mileage, the severe downhill for the first two miles, and just running faster than I probably should have for the first 5 miles of this race.  But those were the funnest miles of the race.  

I got two weeks until the Ogden marathon.  Probably dumb to run a marathon just 4-5 weeks after another one, but I think I will be okay and that I can run a good time at Ogden if I can rest up and get my legs back.  I'm targeting to run 2:55 there and hope to run it even, so putting together two halves at 1:27:30 doesn't seem too intimidating right now after running this race today.  We will see though.

PM 3.25 easy on the TM. 

Nothing.  I don't understand how a lot of people that ran the Provo City half on Saturday are running yesterday and today.  My legs, and particularly my quads, are so sore.

PM Crossfit.  50-40-30-20-10 of double unders and sit-ups.  Benched a little bit after.  Did a little bit of running during the warm-up and my quads are still very sore.

AM 3 miles no watch around the neighborhood.  Legs were runnable, but still pretty sore.

PM Crossfit 2 rounds of 800 m run 30 DB push presses 30 band good mornings.  Legs feeling noticeably better this evening. 

AM 7.10 in 57:11 (8:03).  Up 300 West and back.  

PM 3.5 slow miles on the TM. 

PM 4.05 slow miles on the TM.  My body has not recovered well from the half last Saturday.  Sore legs most of this week.  Hamstrings feel tight.  Both achilles have felt a bit sore at times.  And I've eaten awful this week.  This is all not good a week before running a marathon.

AM 14.25 in 1:48:39 (7:37).  Started just after 5:30.  Went up by Smiths Mktplace and connected to the Murdock Trail.  Headed down towards the freeway and then back down towards 300 West and home.  Went faster than I thought I was, especially based on how I've felt this week.

Crossfit.  5 rounds of 800 meter run, 30 KB swings (70 lbs) 30 pull ups.  Teams of two. Finished in just under 31 min with Dave H.  More miles than I was hoping to get today, but oh well.

AM 5 miles easy no watch.

AM 6.25 in 50:55 (8:08).  Ran from hotel in Bozeman out in to the fields away from town.  It is gorgeous up here right now.

PM Crossfit.  3 rounds of 20 push ups, 15 pull ups, 400 m run. 

PM 5 miles on the TM.

AM 2 miles with strides.

This was miserable.  Rained the whole time, headwind, cold, and I had some issues with a cramp or pain up near my shoulder and upper arm that made things pretty miserable from about 19 on.  Glad it's over.  Last 7 miles were not very fun, but the first 11-12 weren't too bad.  We had a little group together for most of that time and even though my legs didn't feel great they eventually came around for a while, but after the rollers up through the half everything felt dead.  Splits (for motivational purposes for future races):

6:40, 6:52, 6:35, 6:44, 6:38, 6:41, 6:41, 6:36, 6:46, 6:39, 6:57, 6:48, 6:53, 7:27 (bathroom stop), 7:11, 6:52, 6:47, 6:42, 7:07, 8:08, 7:17, 8:55, 7:20, 8:45, 9:11, 9:00, 2:58.

Sorry, for the not so positive perspective.   

PM 40 minutes on the elliptical.  This is about the least sore I've ever been after a marathon. Quads are a little sore, but not much at all.  Just a bit tight.

AM 2.15 in 18:05 (8:24).  Easy run around the neighborhood.

PM Crossfit.  Tabata of squats, 10 meter sprints, row for calories, and db push presses. 

PM 15 min on the elliptical.  2 mile run on the TM.  Crossfit......8 rounds of 12 kettlebell swings, 24 double unders, 12 sit-ups.  Benched for a bit after.

AM 3 in 24:47 (8:16) just around the neighborhood.

PM Crossfit.  4 rounds for time of 15 toes to bar, 5 man makers, 10 burps, 400 meter run.  1 mile during the workout. 

AM 11.75 in 1:32:20 (7:51).  First run up and down Provo Canyon this year.  A little bit cold but just took it really easy and went up to Vivian and back.

Crossfit.  3 rounds for time of 400 meter run, 21 kettlebell swings, 12 hand stand push-ups.   Benched for a bit afterwards. 

AM 12.10 in 1:34:25 (7:48).  Medium-long run.  Up to 300 W. and then over to Smiths Mktlplace and back.  Really windy heading up, but it was nice coming back.

Crossfit.  1000 meter row followed by 100 pull-ups, 100 squats, 100 push-ups (broken up) followed by 1000 meter row. 

AM 6.15 in 53:23 (8:41).  Recovery run.  Went down and ran in the park in Loch Lomand for a bit.  Went on to the dirt trail that led out to the lake, which slowed me down a lot. Made a loop up to 700 S. and over to 500 W. and then home.

PM 3 easy miles on the TM. 

AM 6 miles in 49:56 (8:19).  With Mark up 300 W. and back.

AM 10 in 1:18:12 (7:49).  General aerobic run up to Ivory Ridge and back.

PM Crossfit. .75 miles in total before and during the workout. 

AM 6.05 in 51:13 (8:28).  Recovery run out towards my old church and back.

AM 17 in 2:11:47 (7:45).  Started at 5:35 behind the movie theaters in the Riverwoods and went up the canyon 8.5 and back.  Wanted to slowly get into the high 7's and then gradually bring it down to 7:10-7:20.  Felt pretty good until around 15.5/16 when my right hammy started giving me some trouble.  Freezing cold for a good part of the run, but a good one nonetheless.

Went to Crossfit and benched, did shoulder stuff, and rolled my legs. 

AM 8 in 1:03:07 (7:53).  General aerobic run with 10 x 100 meter strides with 100-200 meter walk/jog rests in-between.  These were done over the course of the last 1.5 miles of the run.  Went up to 300 West and then took the running trail north and then back.

PM Crossfit.  3 rounds of 400 meter run, 31 air squats, 15 pull-ups, 9 burpee box jumps.  1 mile total during the workout combined with the warm-up.

AM 12 in 1:33:46 (7:49).  Started just after 5:00 with Mark and ran up to Smith's Mktplace and back.  Eased into things and then started clipping off some descent miles from 7:40's to mid 7:20's.  Everything else this week will be slower recovery runs to get ready for UVM half.

AM 6 really slow miles in 53:20 (8:45).  Went south down by the park in Loch Lomand.  I was slow, but I also ran on some dirt down towards the lake and that made me even slower. Good recovery run though.

AM 7 in 57:48 (8:15).  Another slower run to try and bring my legs back before Saturday. Same route as Monday.

AM 6.05 in 49:46 (8:13).  Easy miles out towards the jr. high and back with a few strides.

Splits:  6:04, 6:18, 6:30, 6:16, 6:12, 6:11, 6:08, 6:08, 6:08, 6:15, 6:21, 6:12, 6:20, 0:59

Very happy with the way things went for me today.  This is about 30 seconds faster than what I ran at this race last year and over a minute faster than Provo City Half several weeks back.  Great weather.  I liked running on the other side of the road.  I gave back more time than I should have on the two climbs in the canyon, but I paced things pretty good overall. Stomach never felt great, especially in the first few miles (Thai food yesterday was a bad idea).  

Started off and and pretty much ran the first 4-5 miles with the girls who were running 3rd and 4th place.  We eventually split and and one girl fell back and the other girl kept running strong.  It was interesting to see her trying to catch Allie for pretty much the whole race. Others would occasionally catch up to me and then fall back, and I eventually caught 2-3 people when we came out of the canyon and started on the straightaway.   

I just kept thinking that I had to keep clicking off at least 6:15's around mile 8 on, and was able to do it for the most part until mile 13.  Overall I felt really good until the last mile.  I had a guy about 10 yards in front of me from about 9 to the finish and I just couldn't get him, but he helped me sustain my pace.   

Good race.  Next up for me is probably DesNews Half, and hopefully a lot of good, solid mileage and a little weight loss. 

Went to Crossfit. 

AM 10.25 in 1:20:38 (7:52).  Ran up to Ivory Ridge and back.  I was worried that I would be pretty sore from Saturday, but I actually feel pretty good.  I have a few very minor sore areas on my quads and my achilles are a bit sore, but I felt pretty good during the run.

AM 10.5 in 1:22:34 (7:52).  I'm in Bozeman for work.  Ran from my hotel west on Baxter Rd.  Good run and great temps and scenery up here.

AM 6.10 in 51:37 (8:28).  Recovery run up Center St. and back.

AM 11.0 in 1:26:26 (7:51).  Ran up to Ivory Ridge and back.  Pretty sluggish for the first 5, but then started feeling better.

AM 5.25 in 45:25 (8:39).  Basically did a big circle on 700 S. out to the jr. high and then back up and around on the north side of Main St.   Slow recovery run.

PM Crossfit.  About a mile combining the warmup and the workout. 

AM 17 in 2:10:24 (7:40).  Started at the movie theaters at the Riverwoods and went 8.5 up the canyon and then back down.  Tried to keep the last 5-6 around 7:00-7:20.  Overall, felt pretty good, with some minor aches and pains in my knees.

Crossfit.

AM 8.5 in 1:05:48 (7:44).  General aerobic run with 10 x 100 m strides done over the last two miles with around 100 m run/jogs in-between.  Went up to the gas station on 300 West and then headed north on the trail and then came back.

AM 12.5 in 1:37:05 (7:46).  First 4 with Mark.  Left knee and right achilles are giving me some trouble.  Need to keep an eye on them.

AM 6 in 51:32 (8:35).  Easy, recovery run around the neighborhood.

AM 10.5 in 1:21:32 (7:46).  Up to Ivory Ridge and back.

AM 6.6 in 55:36 (8:25).  Slow, recovery run up by the cemetery and back.

PM Crossfit 

AM 20 in 2:33:42 (7:41).  Started at 5:40 behind the theaters in the Riverwoods and went 10 up the canyon and then back down.  My turnaround point was the entrance to Big Springs.  Couple of nasty climbs up South Fork.  Kept most everything on the way down between 7:10s and 7:20s.  Hamstrings were on fire the last half mile.  Good run.  Weekly mileage has been great for me the last 4 weeks.  Need to keep it up.

Went and lifted my chest and shoulders a bit at Crossfit. 

AM The workout today was 10 miles with 4 miles at half marathon pace.  Warmed up 4.5 miles which meant I would start the tempo at the JRP out by Saratoga and run north and connect up with 700 S.  Splits for the tempo were 6:19, 6:20, 6:22, 6:30.  My goal was to hit these around 6:25, but when you hit the first one faster it is hard to back off.  The last .75 of the last mile was into a head wind and there is a slight uphill for a bit, which is why I faded a bit.  Overall I finished it in 25:32 for avg pace of 6:23.  Cooled down with 1.65 back to the house.

AM 11.10 in 1:28:17 (7:57).  Ran with Mark up to Ivory Ridge and back.  Legs had nothing in them, but they did loosen up after 4-5 miles.  

PM Crossfit 0.75 during the workout. 

AM 6.3 in 55:34 (8:49).  Slow, recovery run.  Not much in the tank right now.

PM 3.75 in 32:00 beginning about 5:45 PM.  Felt better than this morning, but that's not saying much. 

AM 10.25 in 1:20:27 (7:51).  Up to Ivory Ridge and back.  Ran the majority of it with Mark, but he stopped and walked a few times so we split at times.  The best I've felt since Monday.

PM Crossfit 

AM 6.05 in 52:03 (8:36).  Slow, recovery run up to the trail by State/300 West and back.

AM 18 in 2:18:32 (7:40).  Started at 5:30 am behind the movie theaters at the Riverwoods and ran 9 up and then back down.  Mark was with me for the first 4-5 and then we split. Plan was to run the last 5 at marathon pace (or what I think my pace should be right now) which is 6:40-6:50.  Very hot for that early in the morning.  I was sweating like crazy the whole way.  Never did feel great during the run.  Hit the last 5 in:  6:51, 6:44, 6:40, 6:42, 6:46.

This is the 5th week of 5 straight solid weeks of training for me.  I was able to get right around 60-67 miles each week, which is great for me....and I have enjoyed it and have felt pretty good most weeks.  Next week is a recovery week for me and I'm very excited for a little break before ramping back up again. 

AM 7 in 57:13 (8:10).  Went up to the trail by State and 300 West and then back.  10 x 100 meters with 100 meter walk/jog rest in-between. 

AM 5.10 in 41:56 (8:13).  Up Center St. and back.  Not much time today for anything.

AM 10.25 in 1:20:37 (7:52).  Up to Ivory Ridge and back.  My legs don't feel that great this week, and it's suppose to be a recovery week for me.

PM Crossfit 

I headed out to Tooele (which is where I'm originally from) today to visit family and decided to run there 5k that is held in tandem with their parade.  I don't run a lot of 5ks and quite frankly, I'm a bit scared of them.  Half marathons put me right on that edge of being very uncomfortable, and 10ks and 5ks put me way, way over the edge.  I should probably do more of these shorter races.  Anyways, since I don't run a lot of these, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

The course seems pretty accurate and mile 1 has some pretty good downhill on it.  Crossed mile 1 at 5:15 and immediately got a bit scared, but I was actually doing okay.  Mile 2 puts you on to the parade route, which is where the race stays all the way to the finish.  The parade route is a great distraction because it provides for some great "people watching" while running.  It is still downhill, but not nearly as much as the first mile.  I had eventually passed all those that started off way too fast, and was now behind about 6-7 people, who were all high school kids.  Crossed mile 2 at 5:23 (these are probably the 2 fastest, consecutive miles of my life).  The leaders were probably about 30 seconds ahead, but I had one kid right in front of me.  I knew I was probably in trouble for mile 3 as it levels out quite a bit and then switches to a mild uphill for the final half to three-quarters of a mile.  I knew I was going to struggle on this part and that going out too fast was going to come back to bite me.  Sure enough, mile 3 was 6:17 and then the last part took me 35 seconds.  I completely died at the end and never was able to catch up to the kid who was in front of me for most of the last 2 miles.  

Anyways, the winner had to have been right around 16:30ish.  Like I mentioned, everyone that finished in front of me was in high school.  They all looked like they rolled out of bed and could run that fast every morning if they wanted without much trouble.  But I was quite pleased with how well I ran.  Average pace for the race was 5:40 and never in a million years did I ever think I would ever run that fast in any race.  Makes me want to keep working to get faster.  For the most part, I felt somewhat smooth during the first 2 miles, but as I mentioned, kind of fell apart the last mile.  Overall, a good run and day (pretty hot during the run as well).  

PM Crossfit.  I was so tired last night and this morning that I just skipped an easy run and slept in.  Went to Crossfit in the evening.  Got a mile in during the workout.  Legs are very sore from the wall balls during Wednesday night's Crossfit class.

AM 16 in 2:02:24 (7:39).  Started at 5:40 AM behind the movie theaters in the Riverwoods and ran 8 up and 8 down.  Surprising felt really good, which was odd because my legs have not felt good the last two days.  Right when I turned around in South Fork and started running back down, all of a sudden I heard something to my left.  When I looked over there was a moose running parallel to me about 20 yards away.  I stopped, and it kept going and it turned and headed away.  I'll admit, I got a little scared when I saw it running.  I now believe that they are as fast as people say they are.  And they are huge.  It sprinkled on me on the way back and there were tons of people in the canyon.  

Went to Crossfit after running.

Next week I will ramp back up the mileage to around 60.  Hopefully my legs will respond to the recovery week I had this week. 

AM 13.75 in 1:50:23 (8:02).  Up just past Smith's Mktplace and back.  Wanted to get something longer in today because I'm not sure if I'll get a run in tomorrow or not.  Didn't feel real great, but did okay today.

PM 3.25 in 30:30 on the TM in Bozeman before my meeting.

AM 3.0 in about 26 min from my hotel before catching a flight back home.

PM 3.6 at about 8:30 pace in the early afternoon.

AM 7 in 59:00.  Slow, recovery run up 300 West and back.

PM Crossfit 

AM 9 in 1:11:08 (7:54).  Up 300 West and back.  First 2.5 with Mark.

PM Crossfit.  Workout was 5 rounds of completing 200 meter run and as many ring push ups as possible in 2 minutes with a 2 minute rest.   

AM 7 in just over 57 min up to the path parallel to State.

PM Crossfit.  .75 during the workout. 

AM 20 in 2:33:07 (7:39).  Same usual Saturday route.  Started at about 5:40.  Kept the pace honest on the way up, and then started clipping off 6:5x's - 7:2x's on the way down.  My body is ready for a day off.

AM 9.0 in 1:13:05 (8:07).  Up 300 West and back.  Not much in the legs.

PM Crossfit.  1 mile during the workout. 

AM 12.4 in 1:36:24 (7:47).  Big cemetery loop.  Basically up in to Highland via the cemetery in Lehi.  Felt pretty good the last 3-4, but took a while to get going.

AM 7 with Mark up 300 West and back.  Slow, recovery run.

AM 3.5 warm up to the Lehi track.  3 mile tempo at half marathon pace.  2.5 cool down at home.  My garmin said I hit the 3 miles in 6:15, 6:19, 6:19.  I think I ended up closer to averaging 6:30 for the full three mile temp.

PM Crossfit 

AM 7 slow, recovery miles out towards Saratoga and back.

AM 21.50 in 2:51:17 (7:58).  Started just before 5 AM behind the movie theaters in the Riverwoods and headed up just past 10.75, which put me pretty close to the top of South Fork.  I was pretty cold all the way up until about mile 15 due to a steady, small breeze.  Just took things very easy the whole way.  Hardly looked at the watch.  I will take things easy the next three days and hopefully will be able to run a good half on Wednesday.  I'm excited to see how the improved training over the last 2 months helps with the race.  Hopefully today's run didn't do more harm than good.

AM 9.05 in 1:13:39 (8:08).  Up 300 West and back.  Pretty slow run, but the miles went by fast and I felt better than I was expecting.  Tomorrow I will do 4 miles with some strides and hopefully I will feel good for the half on Wednesday.  This may be my best chance of going under 1:20.

PM Crossfit. 

AM 4 easy miles with some strides.

Despite the aided course, this was a really, really good race for me today.  I've never gone under 1:20 and was able to get it today, and I just generally felt really in control and good throughout.  And I was able to hold the pace together throughout the race.  Really happy with how things went.

5:57, 6:01, 6:00, 6:07, 6:05, 6:02, 5:59, 6:11, 5:56, 6:09, 5:59, 5:58, 6:10, 0:57 

Started fast, but not nearly as fast as a bunch of others.  It was pretty incredible to see Fritz, Riley, and one other guy just take off right from the start.  For some reason, I didn't think the downhill was as steep as it really is (It never seems this steep during the marathon).  I was really able to just lock into a pretty good pace and rhythm and keep it up.  It helped that I was able to catch and pass people all the way up through about mile 10.  After that, there was one girl way up ahead, and she started coming back to me but I just ran out of real estate to catch her.  I was worried that I was going to die once we came off of S. Temple and things flattened out, but I was able to keep it together and finish relatively strong, although that last straightaway is rough. 

Like I said, really happy to have finally broken 1:20, albeit on a very aided course. Although I'm sure it has to be comparable to all the others downhill screamers around here.  I'm feeling really good about my training right now and just need to continue to put the work and miles in and hopefully I'll continue to get faster and stay healthy.  

Cooled down 1.40 and walked about 4 miles afterwards. 

AM Crossfit .50 during the workout.

AM 16.10 in 2:10:18 (8:06).  Started at 5:30 AM at the theaters in the Riverwoods.  Went 8 up and then back down.  Probably about 3-4 more than I should have done.  First run since the race on Wednesday.  Right calf was really tight for the first 4-5 and then loosened up. Took it really slow and easy.  Tired from the race and all the family/wedding stuff this week.

AM 9 in 1:15:55 (8:26).  Up 300 West and back.  Legs are not responding well since the race last Wednesday.  Just a slow run this morning with some aches and pains in my legs.

PM Crossfit 1 mile during the workout. 

AM 11.10 in 1:30:41 (8:10).  Up to Ivory Ridge and back.  Feeling better, but not back to normal.

AM 4.10 slow, recovery miles.  So slow it was kind of miserable.  Hopefully I can get a few more in this evening.

PM Crossfit 

AM 10.50 in 1:24:41 (8:04).  Up to Ivory Ridge and back.  Really slow on the way up, but picked it up on the way back.

AM 7 in 59:30.  Up to the jr. high that's by the cemetery.  I've been off all week with my running.  Knees hurt, achilles hurt, no spring or pop in the legs and no energy.  Everything is slow..........slower than normal.  Hopefully it goes away soon.

AM 18 in 22:15:50 (7:33).  Started at 5:45 at movie theaters in Riverwoods.  Went 9 up and 9 down.  Did a 6 mile tempo at the end.  Wanted to hit between 6:40s and 6:50s, which is just about 10-15 seconds slower that my desired marathon goal pace.  Splits for the last six were 6:54, 48, 39, 40, 42, 46.  Finally felt good up until the tempo portion.  Got through it okay.

Crossfit. 

AM 9 in 1:12:30 (8:03).  Up 300 West and back.  First 2.5 with Mark.

AM 2.5 mile warm up to Willowcreek jr. high and then 6 x 800 with a rest in between of 50-90% of the time it took me to run the prior 800.  Splits (rest):  2:56 (2:05), 2:47 (2:41), 2:50 (2:39), 2:52 (2:30), 2:52 (2:36), 2:49. These were tougher than I was expecting.  The first one completely shocked my system and then I got use to the effort.  Glad this one is over. 

AM 7.40 in 1:04:16 (8:41).  Really slow recovery run up 300 West and back.

AM 11 in 1:25:31 (7:46). Up by Ivory Ridge and back home.

PM 4 in 34:00.  Easy recovery run on the JRP out by Saratoga. 

AM 8 in 1:06:59.  Did 10 x 100 m strides with 100 m walk/jog rest in between efforts.  

PM CF 

AM 18 in 2:16:43 (7:36).  Parked in the Riverwoods and ran 9 up and down.  Pretty bad headwind on the way up and pretty much cruised relatively easy on the way down (around 6:50-7:15 pace).  Met Spencer on the way down.  He was clipping along at a pretty good pace.  I'm ready for a rest day tomorrow.

Crossfit.  Didn't do the workout, but benched and did shoulder presses. 

AM 10 in about 1:11:15 (7:07).  So, I met Spencer on Saturday while running up/down Provo Canyon and he told me I should come run with the crew that gets together.  I was pretty hesitant to do this just because I knew it would be a bit intimidating.  Anyways, I decided to do it this morning and am really glad I did.  While it was intimidating, it was very motivating and the miles flew by pretty quickly.  Basically did a big loop from Scott's house. Fun run and I will try and join them as often as possible.

AM 12 in around 1:43:00 (8:36).  I flew up to Bozeman for work yesterday and decided that this morning I would run towards the "M" on the mountain side.  Took it pretty slow the whole way out and especially slow (one 13 min/mile) when I started the climb up the trail that takes you to the "M."  I made it about a half mile away from the "M" and then turned to come home.  Came home the same way I went out and clipped along at about 7:30-7:45 pace.  Good, fun run up here. 

AM 10.10 in 1:12:10 (7:10).  Ran on the JRP with Scott, Matt and Toni.  Fun to run with these guys and the miles sure do fly by fast.

AM 8.5 in 1:10:33 (8:18).  Slow, easy run up 300 West and back.  First 3 with Mark.

AM 4 slow, easy miles with Mark up and down Center Street.  Running Park City half tomorrow.  Looks like a pretty honest course with a gradual climb for the first part and then a gradual downhill on the last part.  Looks like a good part of the course is on dirt as well. Should be fun and give me a good workout.

Wow.  Kind of a tough race.  I wasn't sure what to expect with this one.  About half of the course is on a dirt trail (the Fastwich aren't the best trail shoes.  I should have known better)and it climbs about 300 ft over the first 7 miles.  Luckily we lose that elevation on the final 6 miles.  I was in the pain/uncomfortable zone pretty quickly and it lasted for a while.  The elevation in Park City, the dirt trail, and the steady climb were rocking me pretty good.  I was wishing I was running Hobble Creek at this point in time actually.  I knew Rachelle (I called her Rachael the whole race) was right behind me and luckily right at the turnaround  (about 7.5 mile mark) she caught up.  Having someone to run with really helped a ton.  We basically stuck together the rest of the race.  When I started fading at about 11.5 she took the lead and I was able to hang on until I got feeling better.  We passed one guy around mile 10.5 and the other 3 in front of us were just too far out in front to catch.  The last 5 miles were good and I was able to get into a decent rythem and clip along.  Overall, a good workout for me.  It's hard mentally to see the 1:28:30 mark and too see that my avg pace is probably slower than what I would like to run at SGM, but this was a different race and was a good workout for me.  Winner finished just over 1:25. 

6:10, 6:35, 6:47, 6:56, 6:35, 7:19, 7:14, 7:00, 6:30, 6:38, 6:13, 6:29, 6:26, 1:32

AM 11.6 in 1:26:41 (7:28).  Got in about 1.5 before meeting with everyone at Scott's house. Did the 10 mile loop.  Feel like I'm getting sick and my stomach was not right, but legs felt fine today.  Will try to get more miles in later today as I'm trying to front load the beginning of the week because I head to NYC tomorrow through Friday and then upstate NY Friday through Monday.

PM 5.4 on the JRP by Willow Park.  Then crossfit. 

AM 6 slow, recovery miles up 300 West and back. 

AM 8.25 with Mark.  Went about a half mile from our hotel to Central Park and ran around there and then back home via 5th Avenue.  Central Park is a pretty cool place to run.

Walked about 4 miles throughout the day.

AM 8.  Went up to Central Park again and ran a loop.  Threw in a 2.5 little tempo run. Came home via 5th Avenue again.

AM 7 miles up to Central Park and back to the hotel.  Pretty slow.  Central Park was an awesome place to run.  One of my favorites.  Walked about 3-4 miles yesterday and an additional 2-3 today.  All the walking was in flip-flops, which made my feet and achilles sore the whole time we've been here.

AM 18.5 in about 2:30:00 (about 8:05 pace).  Started with Mark at 6:00 AM and ran to the local church history sites in upstate NY.  Very pretty up here and the weather was perfect....about low to mid 50's.  Glad to get a good longer run in this week and that I was able to hit decent mileage for the week despite being on vacation most of the week.

AM 10.5 around Palmyra, NY.  First 4 or so with Mark.  Eventually made my way over the track and did 4 x 800 just to try and get my legs turning over a little bit.  Splits were:  3:07, 3:02, 2:55, 2:49.  Did 300 meter rests in between.

PM 5 miles from the jr high out to the JRP and back.  No watch.  

AM 10 in 1:10:28 (7:03).  Ran on the JRP with Matt, Scott, Chad, Toni and Ty.  I struggled today.  Probably due to the bad eating for the last week while I was gone.  These runs are really good for me.

PM Crossfit.  1.25 before the workout, .5 during, and 1.25 after.  

AM 8 slow, recovery miles in 1:08:45 (8:35).  First 2.5 with Mark.  Went up 300 West and back.  I actually felt better than I was anticipating.

AM 8.5 in 1:10:42.  Slow and easy up 300 West and back with a few little additions to add on some mileage.  Was going to run with the group this morning, but my body has not been responding well this week and I thought the faster pace with them would set me back.

AM 20 in 2:29:27 (7:28).  Started at 5:30 in the Riverwoods and ran 10 easy miles up the canyon and then did 8 a mile tempo.  Splits for the tempo: 6:24, 6:20, 6:16, 6:25, 6:22, 6:19, 6:21, 6:19.  Cooled down 2.  I wanted to hit between 6:30-6:40 on the tempo, but just kind of went with it after a while.  Legs have not felt great most of the week, so I was pretty happy with the run today.  Awesome weather.  Ran the first 8 with Mark.

AM 12 in 1:38:00 (8:10).  Pretty slow run up to Ivory Ridge and back beginning around 6:15. Legs started feeling better after about six or so. 

Crossfit.  1 mile during the workout.

AM 10.35 in 1:18:27 (7:35).  Ran with Matt and Mike from Matt's house.  Slower pace than normal with these guys, but lots of hills, including the big one towards the end.  Stomach was off the last half of the run and finally had to hit a bathroom around 9.5.  But a good run and cool to run with people who are really fast and good people.

AM 9.35 in 1:17:39 (8:18).  Ran about the first 6 with Mark up to 300 West and back.  Then I added on around the neighborhood.  

AM 11.35 in 1:23:06 (7:19).  Ran with a big crew on the JRP.

PM Crossfit

AM 7 slow miles in just over 61 min.  Up 300 West and back.

AM 22 in 2:50:15 (7:44).  Started at 5:30 and ran 11 up Provo Canyon and then back down.  Was with Mark up until 9.  Did a 4-3-1 workout beginning at the turnaround with half mile break inbetween.  Splits were:  6:27, 6:28, 6:29, 6:22 then 6:39, 6:28, 6:24 then 6:37.  Not nearly as good as last week's tempo, but my body feels thrashed right now and it didn't feel good before or during the run.  Glad this one is over.

AM 15 in 2:03:44 (8:14).  Ran up to Smith's Mktplace and back with some extra added on to get to 15.  Really, really slow for the first 9-10 as my body was working out some stiffness.  I felt really good last week up until Friday/Saturday and then my body felt aweful.  I'm hoping this week goes better.  No run until tomorrow afternoon as I'm off to Montana.

PM 8 at just over 8 min pace in the afternoon because I was in Bozeman in the morning and didn't have time to run.

AM 10 in 1:10:37 on the JRP with Matt, Scott, Chad and Mike.  Did 5 miles and then started what was a small tempo.  Splits:  6:33, 6:23, 6:33 and then I jogged it in the last two miles.  I did not feel good at all during the tempo and pretty much came to a complete stop around 3.25 just to regroup a bit.  Overall, not a bad run though.  We were in the rain most of the time.

AM 9.15 in 1:18:12 (8:33).  Very slow recovery run up 300 and West and back with Mark and then I added a bit on at the end.  Rained the first 2 miles.  Legs were not good the first 4-5 and then gradually started feeling better.

AM 5.15 slow miles.  Standard route with Mark for the first 1.5.  

AM 20 up and down Provo Canyon starting in the Riverwoods just after 5:30.  Did the first 10 with Mark and then I tried to push the pace for the next little bit to get some quicker miles in.  So I don't forget, splits for 12-18 were:  6:46, 35, 50 (dropped my gu and had to stop and get it), 35, 35, 21, 32.  My legs and body have been feeling beaten down for the last 2-3 weeks and today was no different.  Definitely a better long run than last Saturday.  Hopefully as I drp the miles as the race nears I will start to feel better.  20 in 2:33:56 (7:42).      

AM 9 in 1:13:48 (8:13).  Pretty slow or the first 5-6, which was fine.  Up 300 West and back.  With Mark for the first 6.

PM 4 slow, easy miles on the JRP out by Willow Park.

AM 10.39 in 1:18:49 (about 7:35).  The big hill loop from Matt's house with Matt, Scott, Mike, Toni and Reed.  Fun run.

AM Met up with Matt, Mike, Reed, Chad and Toni at Lehi HS.  Did a 4 mile warm up and then they all did 4 mile repeats, but I only did 2.  Did them both in 5:53 with 800 m rests inbetween.  Extremely windy, which I know slowed the others down quite a bit, so I'm assuming it did the same to me.  Did not want to push my luck by doing more than I should, which is why I capped it at 2.  Probably should have done 1 more.

PM Went to crossfit.

AM 7 in about 58 minutes with Mark up 300 West and back.

PM 4.25 miles on the JRP out by Willow Park.  Slow.

AM 6.5 in about 54 min.  Standard loop with Mark and then I added on.  Slow run.  Another cold morning.  

PM Crossfit

AM Ran with the big group this morning.  Ran just under a mile to warm-up and then we did 8 up and 8 down.  Started at the Orem soccer fields.  Kept things at a good pace on the way up (averaged about 7 mm) and then it was every man for themselves once we turned around.  Splits on the way down were: 5:56, 6:18, 6:21, 6:22, 6:20, 6:20, 6:24, 6:17. Toni slowed and ran the last 2 miles with me which was a big help.  16 total in 1:46:46 (6:40).  A really, really good run for me and a big confidence boost for the marathon.  

AM 8.10 in 1:07:10 (8:18).  Up 300 West and back.  First 3 with Mark.

PM 4 slow miles on the JRP out by Willow Park.

AM Met Matt, Mike, Scott, Reed and Toni at Lehi HS for mile repeats.  Did a little over 4 miles of warm up and then I did 2 mile repeats wtih 800 m rest.  Splits were 5:36 and then 5:52.  The last one was rough for me.  Stomach was giving me problems for pretty much the whole time.  Similar effort to last week, but we didn't have to fight the wind this time.  Cooled down with several miles around the track.

PM 3.5 easy miles on the TM.  I need to start dropping my miles, but my appetite is through the roof.  Not a good combination.

AM 6.3 at about 8:25 pace with Mark up 300 West and back.

AM Got up at my normal time to go running (5:00) and started running around the neighborhood but it was too cold, so I went back home.  Wednesday and today did not go as planned with the running.  

AM 13 in 1:39:40 (7:40).  Started from home with Mark at 6:00.  36 degrees.  It's like winter.  This weather sucks.  Ran up to Smith's Mktplace and back.  Threw in a 3.5 tempo from 8-11.5. Splits were:  6:32 (flat), 6:22 (mostly flat), 6:13 (300 W. downhill), 6:10 pace for the last half mile which had a little downhill at the beginning.  I had some spring in my step today, but legs did not feel good afterwords, which may be from the colder temps.

AM 10.55 in 1:18:49 (7:28).  Thanksgiving point loop with Matt, Scott, Reed, Mike and Chad.  

AM 5 in just over 40 min with about 4 strides during the last mile.

Another day off for me this week.  I'm taking things even more easy this week than I normally would just to make sure I'm good to go on Saturday.  Goals for Saturday are:

C. Break last year's time of 2:56:05

B. Low 2:50s (2:51:xx - 2:53:xx)

A. Break 2:50:00

I've never trained better for a marathon and I've put in a lot more miles than I have before, but I know that doesn't necessarily translate to a good race time.  Running a time (2:50:00) that you've never run before is almost more mental for me than anything, but I'm confident I can pull off a good race.  The plan is to hit the half around 1:26:30 and then hopefully run around 1:23:00 - 1:24:00 over the second half of the course.  Looking forward to the race though.  Leave for St. George tomorrow.

Really happy with my race today.  Goals coming in to the race were A. Break 2:50:00 B. Low 2:5xs C. Best last year's time of  2:56:05.  I knew breaking 2:50:00 would be a bit of a stretch, but I had to go for it and I'm glad I did.  I ate a banana and granola bar at 4:30 am and then another banana about 45 minutes prior to the race.  It was cold and windy (in the right direction) up at the start.  Ran with gloves up until around mile 20 and a beanie up until about mile 13.       

First half in 1:27:30 Second half in 1:23:26

Miles 1-7 6:37, 6:41, 6:25, 6:23, 6:33, 6:21, 6:16  I pretty much started the race running with Melanie B. and Julie E., just like I did last year. This was good as they are pretty dialed in and keep the pace honest and steady.  I was probably about 5 seconds slower than I wanted around miles 3-5, but I wasn't too worried.  Stomach was good and legs were feeling fine.  These miles flew by quite quickly.   

Miles 8-13 7:23, 6:53, 6:52, 7:02, 6:47, 6:29  I hit the bathroom right before Veyo (I have to pee at least once in every marathon which is something I need to solve), and while it slowed me down, it didn't slow me down as much as I thought.  The tailwind up Veyo was great, but then on the subsequent climb it kind of switched to more of a crosswind.  Ran with Melanie up through about mile 11, but then I was pretty much on my own...as far as running with anybody that I knew.  I probably lost my shot at breaking 2:50:00 during this stretch of the race.  I just bled a little too much time and took it a little too easy on these climbs.  But I was trying to find a balance.  I crossed the half at 1:27:30 and I knew I was about 45-60 seconds off where I needed to be.  

Miles 14-20 6:31, 6:20, 6:20, 6:27, 6:26, 6:38, 6:23  I was looking forward to this next part of the course.  Running through Snow Canyon is great and I knew this is where I could make up some time, plus you start to get more crowds along the way. There were two girls that went flying by me down the descent in Snow Canyon.  They never did come back.  There were two other guys that passed me up the climb on mile 19 who also slowly pulled away.  I believe these were the only people that passed me in the second half of the race.  While I did make up some time on this part of the course, I didn't feel like I was really able to get going like I needed to.  Right around mile 19-20 I could feel the beginnings of the pain/doubt zone.  I knew I just had to work through it and things would get better.  I surprisingly got up the hill in mile 19 quicker than I thought.  

Miles 21-26.2  6:15, 6:26, 6:19, 6:14, 6:17, 6:15, 1:22 (5:59)  This section ended up being my favorite part of the race.  I just tried to find a balance between pushing hard, but not too hard.  My feet were hurting and numb, but I really just got into a good rythem here and started clipping off people in front of me.  I was definitely in the pain locker, and was looking for anything to keep me going.  The spectators, the bands, the other runners, thoughts of good training runs I had done.......I was doing and thinking of everything I could to keep my pace up.  I was able to pass a lot of people in these last few miles, and despite feeling really crappy, my pace was getting faster.  Those last two miles are tough as the terrain seems to flatten, and I was so happy to round the last corner.  I passed one guy right before rounding the corner and there was no one else in sight ahead of me.  I could see the clock getting close to 2:51:00 and I had to at least come in under that.  I was spent, but so happy with how my things went, especially the last 6 miles (and in particular the last 4).    

I was happy to see/hear that things went well for so many others.  I owe a big thanks to Matt, Mike, Scott, Reed, Chad, Toni, etc.  I started running about 1-3 times a week with them about 2 months ago and it has helped me a ton.  It's kind of a one-sided relationship with these guys as I don't bring a ton of value to the group, but I get all the benefit of running with them.  They are smart, talented and very motivating and the runs I've done with them gave me a lot of confidence during this race.  Also a big shout-out to my bro Mark, who I have run a lot of miles with building up to this race.

When I started this running stuff several years back, I never would have thought I could have run a marathon in the low 2:50s.  Very happy with this race and looking forward to recovering and learning from this one and trying hit the 2:45:00 mark.       

PM Went to CrossFit today.  Easing my way back into things.  Enjoying the down time from running, but feeling gross already.

PM Crossfit.  Pretty rough workout.  Lots of push presses, pull-ups and very light running.  Still a bit sore and will err on the side of caution.

PM Crossfit.  

AM 6 in 47:14.  Met at Matt's house and ran the first three on the Murdoch trail with Matt, Mike, Scott, Chad and Brandon, and then I cut it short and headed back to the car.  Lots of aches and pains and I decided to play it safe.

AM 8.05 at about 8:45 pace.  Started at 5:30 with Mark and ran slow up 300 West and back.  It felt like 20 miles by the end.  Still lots of aches.

AM 9.3 in 1:15:13 (8:05).  With Mark up to the trail right off State St. for a bit and then back.