Maybe I'll Blog, Maybe I Won't

Great weather today.  Sunny and warm.  Finally.  Easy run North Logan.  

1:15:56 (7:06/mi.)

Felt fantastic today.  Weather was nice, if a little cloudy.  BST-Green Canyon out and back.  Second section of single track is 90-95% runnable, depending on how adventurous you are.  Definitely more runnable than the road.  Only a few spots where you posthole for a few steps.  Not bad.  *Note to self:  REST on run tomorrow!  No repeats of last week.

1:48:43 (7:44/mi.)

Easy easy run just around town.  Forced myself to go slow and it felt nice.

59:20 (7:23/mi.)

 Medium Workout #1

Felt much better today compared to last week.  Started out the first 6 miles pretty relaxed and easy, then moved into a fast tempo for the rest of the run.  It felt good to go fast.

1:21:42 (6:46/mi.)

Easy run.  Tired from yesterday, but not too much.

59:45 (7:15/mi.)

Long run.  Canal to WRL to River Heights to Deer Fence, up Providence Canyon until the snow stopped me, then back down and a mile out and back farther on Deer Fence to get the mileage, then back home.  Run felt good.  Weather was beautiful.  There is a TON of snow in the mountains still, and it is coming down VERY quickly.  Dangerous conditions for flooding.  Got a nice little sunburn as I didn't wear a shirt...it was too nice out! 

2:43:46 (8:06/mi.)

Easy run to get started this week.  Started out feeling slow but after a few miles I got loose again and felt pretty good.  Took it easy today.

1:19:58 (7:09/mi.)

LRT in an off and on light drizzle.  The Logan River is raging, but the mountains are very beautiful covered in clouds and with all the plants starting to bud out.  Very enjoyable, relaxing run.

1:54:24 (7:21/mi.)

North Logan-Hyde Park Loop easy.  Nice morning for a run.  A tad nippy and overcast at first, but the sun is now out and it warmed up a little.  Should be a beautiful day.  Too bad I'll be spending most of it working.  Run felt good.  A little tired at first, but I took it very easy and felt good by the end.

1:13:56 (7:22/mi.)

Green Canyon.  Second singletrack is 100% snow free, and it looks like the rest of the canyon is quickly getting that way.  Nice run in the sun today.  

1:55:53 (7:37/mi.)

First single digit run of the week.  I guess that's pretty cool.  Easy run to recover from the week and to get ready for tomorrow's long run.  Felt pretty tired today.  I don't think I'll run the Health Days 10k tomorrow, as much as I'd like to.  I'm walking a fine line increasing mileage as fast as I have lately, and with Logan Peak coming up I don't want anything keeping me from having some really good weeks in the next month and a half until then.  Big week this week, but hopefully bigger to come.  Felt pretty good though!  Very confident in my training this summer.  It's looking like I'm going to have all the time I want to run and still have some fun.  :)

1:00:03 (7:08/mi.)

LRT-Wind Caves.  Nice run.  Fierce wind (like, struggling to run 7:15 pace DOWNHILL) going up the canyon, especially at the mouth, but I was lucky enough that it was still going on the way back so I laid down a couple of sub-6:00 miles at 16-17 which was fun.   There were TONS of runners/bikers/hikers on both trails.  All of the hikers on Wind Caves thought I was nuts.  What's new? I also saw my buddy Craig (Craigalas) running at Second Dam, so I stopped and chatted with him for a couple of minutes before his turnaround.

 Oh, and this is my highest mileage week yet this year...by 0.1 miles.  Only I don't have a marathon in 3 weeks this time.  :)

2:44:28 (7:47/mi.)

Tested out my new shoes today.  It's amazing how you forget what cushioning feels like after running nearly 1100 miles on one pair of shoes.  It was very comfortable.  Just took it easy today.  Hoping to get another big week in this week.  I feel great!

1:28:09 (7:17/mi.)

NEW BLOG TITLE

Burt will be very appreciative to know that he is responsible for the inspiration.  Go here.  I should probably grow my beard again so I can be in character.

Long run up Green Canyon.  Single track is almost all the way clear to the Yurt, minus a couple of stretches on sections 3 and 5 (on the north facing side of the canyon).  Also, there is a nice little stream flowing down the upper part of the canyon.  Never seen that before.  The amount of snow in these mountains is unbelievable. 6 miles were at Tinman pace coming down the canyon and into town. 

2:04:48 (7:45/mi.)

Sore and tired today.  Took it real easy.

1:04:41 (7:37/mi.)

Felt much better today.

1:56:05 (7:12/mi.)

Got up at 10:30 this morning.  I feel like a slug.  But it was because I stayed up til 2:30 watching the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie after my old roommates talked me into it.  I was actually pleasantly surprised.  Not a bad movie at all.  Definitely the best one of the franchise since the original.  And it was the first 3D movie I've ever seen.  Pretty cool.  Anyway, after lounging around the rest of the morning and eating I got out on the run.  Felt absolutely horrible the first 3-4 miles, but then felt really good after that.  During the first part I was going to cut it to 8 instead of my planned 12, but I ended up splitting the difference and going 10 after I started feeling better.  Could have gone 12, but didn't figure the extra 2 miles was worth it after the first 4.  Not a bad run.  

1:14:31 (7:19/mi.)

Wow...what a day.  Got to bed at 1 AM last night, then had to get up at 6:30 to get on the run by 7.  Ran up Prov Canyon to the Quarry.  That's the farthest I've been up that canyon (not counting running across the top for Logan Peak or Leetham Hollow).  It was a beautiful morning for it.  There were still a few clouds clinging to the peaks around, and there was a little waterfall coming down the cliffs and the view into the valley was spectacular.  And there was that piney smell that only happens at high elevations.  It was very refreshing.  I can't wait for the snow to melt more so I can go on more runs like that.  It is melting steadily.  I got about half a mile further this week than two weeks ago.  I spent the rest of the day hauling furniture and other stuff around for some friends who were moving into their first house, then went to work until 10:30 PM.  Needless to say, I'm pooped.

2:47:14 (8:39/mi.)

Didn't get much sleep again due to picking friends up at the airport in SLC and not getting back until 2 AM.  Went out for a slow easy run.  Did 8 miles, but I'm calling it 10 for the day as I immediately went out and hiked another 7 at a brisk pace.  This was useful to discover that Jardine Juniper is probably near 100% runnable.  We didn't go all the way, but we saw no snow and that was getting nearly to the top of the ridge.  Putting that on the list for later this week.  

58:39 (7:05/mi.)

LRT.  Good run.  Felt fantastic today.  Last week was a struggle, so it was refreshing to feel good.  Got some miles at Tinman pace coming back, and a couple even at marathon pace.  I have had a little soreness in my hip flexors and groin muscles the last few days.  Not sure why.  It doesn't feel injured, just sore like if I had worked out in the weight room.  Can't figure out why.  New shoes maybe?  Oh well, it's not really hurting me, it's just there.   

1:58:11 (7:20/mi)

Jardine Juniper.  Awesome.

Big Workout #1

Felt really great today, so I thought I would try for an overdue BW.  Run went really well.  Ran out to College Ward via PW and all the farm roads and then back into town via 2000 West, Mendon Road, and the landfill to Center.  After a mile or two of warmup, I started increasing the pace, moving into a solid Tinman pace, then pushed harder after a few more miles, making surges into sub-marathon pace territory.  It was a hard run, but not as hard as I expected.  Brought it in at a moderate pace, still sub-7:00.  Legs are tired, but I think it was a great workout.

1:48:21 (6:41/mi.)

Easy 12 miler.  Felt surprisingly good!

1:28:11 (7:19/mi.)

Long run.  Canal to BST to Green.  Single track is 100% snow free to the Yurt.  After that it gets a little hairy, but it will soon be melted given the nice warm forecast next week.  Good run.  Very tired.  This was a really good week though.  Last week seemed like every mile was more or less a struggle, but this week was a lot better.  Still pooped though...and now I have to go to work.

2:50:56 (8:18/mi.)

Easy 11 miler.  Weather is cold and rainy and there is snow down to about 5,000 feet.  Curse this weather!  The rest of the week should be nice though.

1:24:49 (7:39/mi.)

Long run.  Young Ward loop in the nice warm sun.

2:02:53 (7:09/mi.)

Oh, and this concludes my highest mileage month EVER, by about 5 miles.  Wheee!