Wheeler Farm Loops

AM - Hiked the Highland Mary Lakes loop. Unbelievable views of the Grenadier Range. Immediate addition to the all-time favorite places list. [~9 miles, 3000']

PM - 7 miles. Ran in Silverton, winding around town with the whole crew, then added on a few more miles with Allie and James. We saw a wolf! Finished at the asphalt track (yes, there is an asphalt track in a town situated at 9300' with a high school enrollment of 10 students... WHY?) with a 400 (68 secs). James did it first so Allie and I had no choice but to follow his lead. We avoided use of the concrete/gravel long jump area.

AM - 14 miles. Started at Molas Pass with the everyone and we ran west on the Colorado Trail. Majority of the run was over 11,000 feet. Of course that meant Andrea would knock out her longest run of the year (9 miles!). We turned around at 5 miles and James beat me back to the pass by about 5 minutes. I ran back to the hut via Molas Lake. Great run.

PM - 7 miles. Around Silverton for 6+ miles (saw the town wolf again) and then met Andrea and Amiee at the track (we all quickly became obsessed with this track). I wanted to see what a 5:00 mile felt like at this elevation, so I ran a 1600m in 5:10. That tells you how 5:00 pace feels up that high! Then Amiee ran a 400m time trial (PR!) and Andrea followed by running a 71 second 400m in Teva Sandals! That was way too close to my time the night before, so I ran one more 400m in 66 seconds. Our lungs hurt so much after this.

AM - Climbed Mt Sneffels (14,150') via the SW Ridge. Fun! [~7 miles, 3500']

This was the first time I've been on a 14,000+ foot peak in 3 years. In the 18 months before that, I climbed over 50 14K peaks. 

Took the day off from running, long drive back to Utah.

AM - 15 miles. 10 Mile AT Tempo in 54:25 (5:27/mile avg). Tempo loop. 3 up, 2 down. I could tell on the warmup that I was a little flat from the trip/drive so I figured slowing down ~5-10 secs/mile would be the right effort for today. Good call - got in a solid effort but avoided dipping into the well or pressing to hit a pace. Warm/humid compared to Colorado... lost 7 lbs on the run!

PM - 9 miles w/ Kramer at the Horsepark. Steady pace, and Kramer threw in 6 x 1 minute surges but I skipped that part. 

AM - 5 miles. Horsepark loop w/ Andrea.

PM - 5 miles w/ Andrea (bike).

I got some spikes, so assuming I feel decent in the morning, I guess I'm running some XC tomorrow... first time since 2003! Not really ready for an all-out race effort again yet... my plan is to run sans-watch and go out at the very back, make it a progressive effort / workout.

Made a little San Juans highlights slideshow here.

AM - 3 miles w/ Andrea + strides.
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I've made a huge mistake. New (never worn) xc spikes + hot day + no socks = bye bye skin on heels. Ughhhh... you'd think I'd know what I'm doing by now.

Anyways, this was my first XC race since 2003. Essentially a tri-meet with BYU, Weber St, and Boise St, plus some unattached runners. Plan was to start off slow and work my way up. I think I was close to last place at the 1K (Andrea said there were only 1-2 guys behind me). Stayed there for most of the next kilometer but I could feel the skin ripping off my heels. Uh oh. Thought about dropping out at 3K, but figured it couldn't be that bad so I essentially tempo-ed the rest of the way. Moved my way up to 13th but the faster I ran the more my heels hurt. Skin was ripped off both heels... gotta get this fixed up ASAP. 

Splits were pretty consistent. I was 16:05 at 5K so I'm guessing the last K was a bit long because 3:32 doesn't seem right. Pretty fun... hopefully I won't go another decade before my next xc race. I'm mad at myself for being an idiot with the no socks thing because considering everyone goes out too fast in XC, I probably could have done some damage in the second half of the race. 

Skipped the cooldown obviously. Hopefully I'll be able to run in Layton tomorrow. Maybe I'll have to wear Crocs!?

More Photos (couple of Tomy and Susannah in there). Great spectator course... lots of looping around so Andrea got some good shots.

UPDATE: The college race was just the opening act. The high school action was where it was at today. Alta XC guys ran awesome - 6th place at the Murray Invite! [Results] And in round two of what is going to be a series of epic duels this fall, Kramer outkicked Conner, 15:18 to 15:20. Its so cool to see two of the best runners in the country pushing each other so hard. Here's some photos from the high school XC meet.

Above: Coach Murphy telling everyone to eat more eggs.

OK one more, since I have nothing to do except soak my feet in epsom salt right now. I believe the picture below was from my last XC race. Yikes!!!

After yesterday's XC debacle I almost didn't even bother driving up to Layton this morning. But as it got closer to 7am I think Andrea realized I was going to be a total PITA all day so she said we should just drive up and see how my feet felt once I warmed up. I got there in time to jog the course w/ Kassi which was great because it took my mind off my heels and got me to stop being mad at myself. Thanks Andrea and Kassi for snapping me out of my funk this morning.

I'm really trying to re-train myself into racing more conservatively off the start. Jace Nye and Jason Holt were there, so I was content to let them set the tempo early. We went out a lot slower than I ran the first mile last year, and by halfway it was just Jace and I. We hit 2 miles in 10:08 and then I decided it was time to move. Ran the last 1.1 miles in 5:18 (~4:48 pace), so a nice negative split and felt like I had a lot more in the tank. Heels held up OK with a solid tape job. I will admit, I'm still pretty tired from the Colorado trip. [Results]

Fun 5 mile cooldown with Andrea, Allie, James, Kassi, Dave, Riley, etc.

Ken and Janae Richardson did a great job organizing and directing this race. I'd highly recommend it.

As usual, Andrea took some great photos. Some FRBers in here: 2013 Layton Classic

Now gotta rest up for the Peruvian Dash and BBQ bash! (ie. 3 hours in the hot tub at Alta!)

Start

2 miles

Last half mile

No further damage done!

AM - 11 miles (3 up, race, 5 down)
PM - Peruvian Dash 8K w/ Abby. Super fun!

AM - 6 miles. JAJA run from the Peruvian Lodge up to the Albion Basin campground and back. We haven't gotten enough high-altitude uphill running lately.

PM - 9 miles w/ Andrea (bike).

Yesterday afternoon was the Peruvian Dash 8K. I ran with Abby. This was her longest run ever so if you get a chance check out her race report and give her a shout. We ran the second half of the race in a scary lightning storm. Abby sprinted ahead of me at the very end and I couldn't keep up! The rest of the evening was a ton of fun - great dinner, hours in the hot tub, lots of time spent with great friends. Spending the night at the lodge after the race and party is the best. I don't want this race to die, and I'm going to do my best to help bring it back (as a 1 mile) next fall.

I'm able to run thanks to these shoes Andrea "modified" for me yesterday...

AM - 15 miles. Started w/ Andrea for the first ~6 miles. Heels are slowly improving but it will probably take a full week for the skin to come back. Just have to tape them up good... the first couple minutes aren't fun but then the area gets desensitized and it doesn't bother me at all.

PM - 5 miles w/ Andrea (bike).

AM - 12 miles. LT Reps: 6 x 1 mile - 4:55, 4:55, 4:53, 4:53, 4:53, 4:49 (4:53 avg). Tempo loop. 3 up, 1.5 down. Target was 4:55, but couldn't help dipping under (good sign). The legs are starting to bounce back from the Colorado trip... extra RBCs kicking in?

PM - 6 miles + 8 x 100m on the Alta track (averaged ~14.5 seconds).

I decided to join Paul and Jason D and head to Indianapolis for the Monumental Half Marathon (Nov 2), so that will be my next big race. Although I'm smarter than both of them since I'm only racing half as far as they are. 

AM - 7 miles. Rain run w/ Andrea. Our longest run together in who knows how long!

PM - 7 miles. Horsepark.

My Dad had to fly up to SLC for a business meeting last night, and was able to sneak out early today and spend the afternoon here before heading back to Phoenix. We decided to go golfing... played 18 holes... and it was (super, super surprisingly) the best I've played in years. I only play like once a year, so its been a long time since I've shot 6 pars in a round (and I missed 3 par/birdie putts under 4 feet)! Then again, playing a 4400 yard executive style course makes things a bit easier :-)

Very fun day, glad we were able to randomly spend a Wednesday together.

AM (Noon) - 9 miles. Mile cutdown on the Highland track: 16-12-8-4 (400m) in 4:47, 3:35, 2:21, 66. 3 up/down to HHS and back.

I like this workout as pre-race tune up. Last time I did this (before UV/Duluth) I ran 5:06, 3:46, 2:27, 69. Sheesh.

PM - No run. Alternated between sitting in the hot tub and pool at the gym for a while. What some might label "rest".

AM - 8 miles. Millcreek.

Despite the fact that there are about 30 races in Utah this weekend, I'm flying to Kansas City, MO this evening to run the Plaza 10K on Sunday. Before you say "well, that's random" I'll jump in and say that yep - it's pretty random! Here's how it happened... I had a Frontier voucher that I needed to use this fall, so I started looking for places I could fly to for ~$200 and corresponding races. Browsing led me to this one, and I really liked that it was a big, competitive, stand-alone 10K (that wasn't a sideshow latched on to a HM/Marathon). I shot an e-mail to the KC Running Company and they offered to give me a hotel room (sweet!). At that time (early August) I was leaning towards running the 1/2 at either Long Beach or Des Moines (mid-October), so the timing was great for a good 10K effort. I figured after TOU 1/2, I'd hit some speed workouts for a couple weeks and take a crack at lowering my PR (30:03). But then I ended up having the opportunity to take the trip to Colorado (anti-speed workouts!), and decided to push back my target HM to the Monumental 1/2 in early November. In hindsight, I realize I could have used my airfare voucher for that race. 

Anyways, that's why I'm going to KC for 36 hours to run a 10K. The prize money is excellent, so I'm hoping that will draw a very competitive field. I think I can probably run ~30:30 if I run smart (negative splits). I'd be happy with that. My primary goal, however, is to win the race.

AM - 6 miles.

PM - 5 miles + strides.

In Kansas City... I've heard mixed reviews of KC, but the area I've seen is super nice. Enjoyed running along the river, through some of the parks / sculpture gardens, and around the plaza.

Spent some time this afternoon talking with Troy Fitzgerald, who owns the KC Running Company and directs tomorrow's race. I really enjoyed our conversation and his thoughts on balancing higher-level racing with mass participation and providing the "event experience". Obviously a relevant topic after CGI dropped elite running a few weeks ago. Troy feels like a good race can have it all, and he's willing to sacrifice some of the bottom line to put up prize money and incentives to create competitive races at the front end... while not taking anything away from the middle/back of the pack, and providing them with a first-class experience all the way. I came away impressed by Troy and his company. This is why it doesn't really matter what Competitor does - there are lots of great, local / regional races out there who are directed by people who understand all aspects of the sport. They "get it" - while participation is what drives the market, competition is also important... It's a SPORT, after all. We're lucky to have a lot of these types of races in Utah.

Sounds like the race tomorrow will be stacked. I hope that holds true!

Outlined how I ended up at this race in Kansas City in Friday's post. Was shooting for mid 30s, but more importantly to compete well and place high. Accomplished the latter and more important goal.

It was a little windy this morning and that probably made the course harder than I expected. "Flat" is a relative term in KC... it wasn't that hilly, but had a few short rhythm-breaking inclines. Weather was good, though - low 70s, and rain held off until after it was over.

Started slow (5:10) in a big pack (10 guys) then I reluctantly injected some pace and got the race started for real... strung it out a little. Benson Chesang rolled off a couple 4:45s and opened up a large gap that was hard to bridge in the wind. By ~3.5 miles it was down to me and long-haired guy (Javier Ceja) for second. Miles 2-4 were 4:51, 4:58, 4:46. So, all over the place, but felt like a consistent effort.

The pace slowed on miles 5-6 (5:10, 5:05). Javier and I went back and forth a bit, neither one of us really wanting to commit to a long push. Just before the 6 mile mark I noticed his stride falter a little, so I threw it down and was able to outkick him, putting about 6 seconds on him over the last quarter. I'm closing races a lot better, and starting to get more confident in my ability to finish strong. 

Not a fast time, but I feel like I ran smart... and I'll take $500 for 2nd place in a 10K! 

Benson (2X Big 12 Champ in XC and 13:57 5K) won in 30:55. After talking to him afterwards, I realized he was fading at the end. Another half-mile and I might have gotten him. I wasn't really even paying attention to him at the end - I was more focused on my race with Javier. Waited a bit too long to make a push to break the tape, but like I said - I ran the smartest race I could to ensure a high finish and not blow up. Did a cooldown run with Benson and the guys from the KC Smoke team. Nice group of guys.

As I said yesterday, this was a great all-around event / atmosphere. I'm glad I decided to make the trip to KC.

Finish line GIF...

AM - 15 miles (3.5 up, race, 5.5 down)
PM - 4 miles w/ Andrea (bike) after getting back to SLC.

Some more photos...

Start (I can't find myself in this - where was I?!)

Probably around 2.5 miles

Not sure what point this was

Post-race

My rental car (only $10 + tax for this babe-magnet!):

AM - 7 miles.

PM - 10 miles. Best Buy loop w/ the Alta XC guys. Got in trouble (from one of the football coaches) for not dressing in "modest" attire.

Solid stretch / soak in the hot tub afterwards.

AM - 5 miles. Horsepark loop w/ Andrea.

PM - 6 miles. Track workout w/ the Alta team. Wanted to balance my own interests (recovering from the 10K, getting over a minor cold, and being ready for this upcoming weekend) with helping Kramer get ready for the Bob Firman Invite on Saturday. He was doing 3 x 1600 at 5K pace, so I ended up pacing him for 80% of the workout. I ran the first 1600m, then 800/400m on the second rep, and 1200m on the third - splits were something like 4:45, 2:22, 71, 3:37. Afterwards I sort of felt bad that I didn't just do the whole thing with him, because the wind was brutal this afternoon, but I guess in hindsight this was probably a good compromise.

Another good hot tub session afterwards. The great thing about running at Alta HS in the afternoons is that I have to drive right past 24 Fitness on my way home, so there's no reason not to stop in and soak for a while.

AM - Off. Rest.

PM - 8 miles + massage.

Best piece of literature you'll read this week: How Far Did Rocky Go in His Training Run in ‘Rocky II’? This is a simply fantastic blog post. Thank you, internet.

AM - 6 miles. JAJA from HHS.

PM - 6 miles w/ Andrea (bike).

Nice article about Kramer Morton and the Alta XC team in today's Salt Lake Tribune. One of their photographers took some photos during our workout on Tuesday.

AM - 5 miles. Horsepark.

Pre-TOU thoughts...

I went back and forth on running TOU a lot this year. I finally decided I was "in" for certain about 6 weeks ago, sent in my registration and put the race on my schedule. Andrea tried to talk me out of it a hundred times, and for the record - I agree with every reason she gave me about why I shouldn't run. There are a lot of risks here. Last year I yanked my hamstring in this race and had to shut down my season. That ended up being OK, as winning TOU was a nice cap to the year. This year, however, I have other goals for the next few months that are much more important.

I'll freely admit that running a marathon I haven't really specifically prepared for is not a good idea. I think I've done 6 long runs of 20+ miles this entire year (20 mile days are a lot different than 20 mile runs), and have almost completely neglected (by design) the longer MP tempos this summer. My primary goal this fall is to PR in the half-marathon at Indianapolis, so throwing in a mid-September marathon doesn't exactly jive with that plan. BUT on the other hand, I love this race and want to be a part of it. As defending champ, I feel somewhat obligated to get back on the line. In addition, I'm well-aware that simply finishing will probably get me the overall win in the USATF Circuit. 

Anyways, we agreed to a certain set of rules that I'm going to try and hold myself to:

-This cannot be an all-out effort. Something around 2:28-2:30 would be ideal. The worst thing I can do is run 2:24 (enough to beat me up and set back my training).
-If anything hurts or bothers me, drop out immediately. There's no glory in running through (or creating) an injury.
-If anyone takes the pace out fast, let them go. Don't get caught up in the early stages of the race.
-Don't take the lead unless it's an effort to control the pace.
-If the pace is slower and I'm feeling good towards the end (last 5K), then go for it.

Those 5 rules add up to one over-arching theme: Don't be stupid.

The field is pretty stacked on paper - Scott Wietecha, Riley, Bryant Jensen, Brett Hales, and Seth Pilkington are the names I recognize, a couple Kenyans running who I don't know, and probably some others that I'm missing. Although with STG coming up in two weeks, I wouldn't be surprised if Riley/Bryant skipped this or use it as a workout.

Scott and I have talked strategy and we want to try and work together for a 1-2 finish. Ideally, the slower the pace the better - then go for the tape in the last 5-10K. Off a slow pace, I'm confident in my ability to finish strong if I'm in contention (like I did at Phoenix in March). I feel like I actually have a much better chance to win off a faster pace, but I'm not willing to do that kind of damage to my legs right now.

Who knows how this strategy will play out? All it takes is one guy to take it hard in the early stages of the race, and the plan immediately gets thrown out the window (that's why I'm writing and saving this post on Wednesday, but not clicking "publish" until after the race is over - not giving anyone any ideas!). If it goes faster early, which the more I think about it is actually almost a certainty with the amount of fast, competitive guys that will be on the line, I just have to keep my ego in check and let it go - run at a steady effort, get a good workout, and keep in mind my other goals for the fall.

In an ideal world, the race will be tactical and I'll have a chance at the end. In a more ideal world, I'll stick to the rules I outlined above. We'll see... hopefully I don't regret doing this.

Pre-race thoughts / strategy / goals in yesterday's post. In summary, Scottt Wietecha and I wanted to go 1-2 while taking it somewhat "easy" if possible and saving our legs a bit.

The strategy, as expected, went out the window immediately when Seth Pilkington shot off the line into the lead, and he was closely shadowed by another guy I didn't know (Jesse Dunn). Scott gave chase a little, and I positioned myself about 10 meters behind him - determined not to get "caught up" in the early racing. After a couple comfortable miles (5:26, 5:31), the pace increased a bit (5:19, 5:16), Seth/Scott pulled away, and I made the decision to not chase them. Jesse fell back after 6 miles, and I just tried to maintain a steady effort. I didn't want to press too hard, but I also wanted to keep Seth/Scott in sight, just in case they started to come back to me. Next 7 miles were 5:24, 5:29, 5:27, 5:24, 5:23, 5:28, 5:28. They had a big gap on me through 10 miles, and then somewhere around that point I noticed that Scott was pulling away from Seth, so I picked it up a bit and reeled Seth back relatively quickly over the next two miles (5:21, 5:21). Split at the half was around 1:11:00 - two minutes slower than last year, but it felt even easier than that.

Tailwind was strong coming out of the canyon, so mile 14 was the fastest of the race (5:14). Then on Hollow Road I really locked into a consistent groove - 5:24, 5:24, 5:24, 5:24. According to Mr. Timex, these 4 miles were all within two-tenths of a second of each other. 

A little past 18 miles Andrea gave me the update - Scott was a minute or so ahead, and Seth was about two minutes back. So it was time to decide whether to hammer the last portion or go into steady-hard-cruise control. I chose the latter and took it pretty easy up the Milleville hill (5:50, 5:42... although I overshot a turn by about 40 feet before realizing it - nearly a disaster!). Then it was really just about relaxing and keeping the effort under control for the last six miles - 5:33, 5:46, 5:46, 5:22 (oops, too fast!), 5:38, 5:36. I finished second in 2:23:33. Scott ran 2:22:34 to take first.

I couldn't believe how I felt at the end. No "wrecked" feeling like usual after 26.2. Not even a "semi-wrecked but don't really want to admit it" feeling. No pains or aches, just a little (expected) fatigue. Despite running about 5-7 minutes faster than I was planning to, I wasn't in the beat up state that I thought 2:23 would leave me in. We'll see how I feel in a week, but I'm cautiously optimistic that I'll come out of this OK and this won't derail progress towards my fall goals. This definitely felt the easiest of the six marathons I've run (which was the idea).

It was great that Scott and I could go 1-2, but the best part of the day came shortly after our finish... Allie's finish was awesome. Her 4th win at TOU, but more impressive - 2:44! What a huge, well-deserved breakthrough. The Top of Utah Marathon is not an easy course. The canyon is downhill but not ridicliously so, and the last 8 miles are challenging and can really expose you when you're chasing a fast time. That part of the course ate me up last year. I think Allie's time is really, really, really impressive. I couldn't be happier for her.

One of the things I did differently today was actually eat gels during the race. Not just open them, pretend to bring it up to my lips, then throw it on the ground like I've done in the past. I actually squeezed the gooey contents into my mouth and injested it. I took 4 whole gels (right before the start and at 7, 14, 20). This is a big deal for me because I've never gotten down more than one before. Obviously it made a big difference in how I felt, and I'll be replicating this strategy in future marathons.

Speaking of future marathons - apparently there is a rumor floating around that I'm running St George in two weeks? I've had like 10 people ask me, and I have no idea how that started. I can assure you that there is a 0.000% (ie. ZERO) chance that I'm running STG. I'll be laying on the couch watching the finish line webcast.

Major thanks to Andrea for being the on-course support crew for myself, Scott, Allie, and Devra. She helped the four of us bring home $5000 :-)

Herald-Journal article: Historic day for Moore at TOU Marathon, Wietecha beats friend for men's title. Jason Turner always does a great job covering local running.

Splits - 5:26, 5:31, 5:19, 5:16, 5:24, 5:29, 5:27, 5:24, 5:23, 5:28, 5:28, 5:21, 5:21, 5:14, 5:24, 5:24, 5:24, 5:24, 5:50, 5:42, 5:33, 5:46, 5:46, 5:22, 5:38, 5:36, 60. [1:11/1:12:30]

More photos from Andrea: TOU 2013

AM - Hot tub / pool. Lots of stretching and massaging. Biked along with Andrea while she ran. Might have been my first bike ride of 2013?

PM - Hot tub.

PM2 - Dinner at Red Robin w/ the Murphys for Andy's birthday.

Great first day of training for St. George. I've been pretty nervous for the last couple weeks about the ramifications of running a marathon with 1000' of downhill 6 weeks before the Monumental 1/2. So, why not just run another one 4 weeks out that drops 2.5X that amount? I'm kidding, obviously :-)

Felt like it was wise to take the day off and be pretty lazy. I've got a nice chunk of time between now and Monumental (I decided on Indy instead of Des Moines just in case TOU ended up being quicker than planned, which ended up being good thinking... I knew I couldn't trust myself). No need to rush things, I just want to get in a good 3-4 week block of solid workouts leading up to that race. I'm going to take it pretty easy this week (reverse taper) and while I'm definitely following the "listen to your body" approach, I won't do anything too hard for at least 10 days.

AM - 4 miles w/ Andrea. Followed by an hour of getting my legs fixed by Tim Pagoaga (massage therapist for the Univ of Utah athletic department). There were definitely points during the session where I was hurting a lot more than during a race, but it was well worth it. I'm very picky about who I let touch my legs, but Tim was great. I trusted that he knew what he was doing and the discomfort would be worth it afterwards. This is a new PR of 2 massages in 48 hours (I got one immediately after the race on Saturday too). 

PM - 8 miles. Horsepark loops. Felt surprisingly spry.

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Andrea graded the marathon based on what I did relative to my pre-race rules. Her comments in bold, my responses in italics...

-This cannot be an all-out effort. Something around 2:28-2:30 would be ideal. The worst thing I can do is run 2:24 (enough to beat me up and set back my training).

C- You ran 2:23 with 3rd place at 2:32! There was no need to go that fast with it not being a goal race and with the concerns of bouncing back from a marathon. I don't give this an F only because I don't think it was 100% effort and it was a mental boost which is important. Also, there is still a good chance that with the right recovery, an A+ race in 6 weeks is possible.

I thought about my pre-race comment about 2:24 being the "worst case scenario" when I was at mile 25 and realized I need to make sure I ran 2:23 or slowed down a lot and come in at 2:25 instead of hitting that catastrophic 2:24 :-)

-If anything hurts or bothers me, drop out immediately. There's no glory in running through (or creating) an injury. 

A- No injuries! Not even that pesky hamstring. However, those blisters on the back of the feet are still a bugger and need to heal so as to not have more problems. Despite what you think, the blisters didn't magically heal DURING the marathon.

I give myself an A here. The newskin / moleskin combo worked great. Hamstring sleeves helped a lot - after two straght marathons where they locked up on me in the second half, I had no issues this time.

-If anyone takes the pace out fast, let them go. Don't get caught up in the early stages of the race. 

B- Still went out about 20 seconds per mile faster than intended but did let Seth and Scott go when it got too fast.

Agree.

-Don't take the lead unless it's an effort to control the pace. 

A+

Never really had the chance to take the lead. Glad my only A+ is for losing! :-)

-If the pace is slower and I'm feeling good towards the end (last 5K), then go for it. 

N/A The race was too fast the whole way so I guess this passed.

Overall: B

AM - 10 miles. First 6 w/ Andrea.

PM - 5 miles. Broke out a fresh pair of Kinvara 2s. They'll last until the Kinvara 8s come out.

AM - 10 miles.

PM - 4 miles.

Vote for your favorite TOU Mile 15 photo. A voter will be randomly chosen to win a screenshot of the photo they pick.

1) James tearing his shirt off just in time to flash the Zazoosh photographer

2) "No stuffed moose this year, so I'll do something Moose-y now"

AM - 8 miles. JAJA. 

PM - 6 miles w/ Rob and Kramer.

I liked this op-ed in the NY Times: Losing Is Good for You. In life, “you’re going to lose more often than you win, even if you’re good at something,” Ms. Twenge told me. “You’ve got to get used to that to keep going.” 

AM - 10 miles. Short atrophy-buster workout on the track - 4 x (400-200-200m) (2-2-4). Averaged 68.3 for the 4s and 33.6 for the 2s. Just something to wake my legs up and bridge the gap between the marathon and getting back into workouts next week.

PM - 4 miles at the Nebo XC meet.

AM - 15 miles. Started the morning by running a half mile with Abby, then headed up to Jeremy Ranch w/ Rob and the team. For most of the guys it was their debut on the heavenly road. I thought it was going to be freezing but the sun was out in full force and it ended up being t-shirt weather. We saw donkeys, sheep, and sled dogs. Andy told us that when cows say "moo" they are actually saying "milk." I think his theory is 100% correct. Altogether a fantastic morning. I was thinking over the last couple miles... it doesn't get much better than running in these kinds of places this time of the year.

AM - 10 miles. Big group run from Highland... typical Holladay loop. Kevin had the best hat and Josh was dressed like a ninja.

PM - 4 miles. Finished at the gym for hot tub. Then a quick detour over to Smashburger. Pretty good sequence of events.

New marathon WR this morning in Berlin - 2:03:23 for Wilson Kipsang

AM - 14 miles. 6 mile AT Tempo in 30:53 (5:09/mi avg) - 5:11, 5:10, 5:11, 5:08, 5:08, 5:06. Tempo loop. 4 up, 4 down. Got started a little quick (was aiming for ~5:15) but since I was only going 6 miles I just rolled with it, even though it was at the very fast end of the AT spectrum.

PM - 4 miles.

Orginally was planning on waiting a few more days before doing a workout, but I bounced back from TOU even quicker than I expected. I'll be honest, when I saw the finishing clock that morning my first thought was uhohcrapioverdidthis. But, that's why perceived effort is more important than what clocks tell you. I knew I didn't run the marathon too hard while I was in the midst of it, and the way I've felt over the past week has backed that up. Of course, how I feel right now is still sort of irrelevant... how I feel over the next 2-3 weeks will ultimately be the test.