Wheeler Farm Loops

AM - 12 miles. Sunrise run in Torrey.

PM - 9 miles. Sunset run in Moab / Spanish Valley. Last mile in 4:59 because it was getting dark and I felt like opening it up.

Stopped at Goblin Valley and wandered around for quite a while, then went for another hike in Little Wild Horse Canyon (a neat and very accessible slot canyon) before finally making our way to Moab. 

AM - 11 miles.

PM - 10 miles.

We went down to the Needles district of Canyonlands today and hiked to Chesler Park. Another amazing place in our national parks system - we are lucky to have them.

Vacations like the one we are currently in the midst of can be tiring, but they are constantly rejuvenating at the same time. Seeing the sun light up the red cliffs while running at sunrise, wondering what you'll see around the next bend of the trail while hiking, and soaking it all in from a high viewpoint. I never get tired of these adventures.

AM - 17 miles w/ 8 mile AT Tempo* in 42:07 (5:16/mile avg). Splits - 5:14, 5:20, 5:14, 5:16, 5:19, 5:17, 5:16, 5:10. *Downhill on the tempo route from a couple miles past Ken's Lake back to Spanish Valley, which drops ~100 ft/mile... very aided, but I still didn't want to push it below 5:15 pace and beat up my legs or push the LT line. Basically I justified this by saying I've been on my feet a lot this week :-)

After the run we went on a jeep tour on the slickrock above Moab. Andrea's parents needed a break after 5 days of hiking (we did too!). Plus, it is hot here. 

AM - 14 miles.

PM - 7 miles.

Back to work / reality. The highlight of a long work day was getting trapped in an elevator for well over an hour. That gave me a chance to finally catch up on stretching.

AM - 11 miles.

PM - 6 miles.

AM - 17 miles. Layton Classic 10K - 5:15, 5:35, 5:35, 5:05, 4:56, 4:59, 67 = 32:33. Short races during the bulk of marathon training are always a crapshoot. My strategy was to stay out of the lead but within striking distance for 5 miles, then hopefully go for the win in the last mile like at TOU. First 3.5 miles were slower (mainly uphill), then I put in a short surge to break it open. Steve took the lead from there and I followed 5-10 meters behind. At the 9K mark I made my move and passed Steve... then 200m later I got taken by surprise when John Coyle came past me. We didn't put enough distance on him and Jason during miles 4 and 5! I didn't really have enough fight to kick and John won comfortably. Overall a good effort and workout before tomorrow's long run. 3 up, 8 down.

PM - 8 miles.

AM - 23 mile long run. Park City - Snyderville Basin Loop. Averaged 6:39/mile. Felt really strong, especially over the second half of the run. Great morning - the long runs feel great once you get in shape. Andrea provided excellent bike support.

AM - 14 miles.

PM - 8 miles.

My primary goal this week is to post a set of photos from our trip every day on Wasatch and Beyond. Here's the first - Cassidy Arch - Capitol Reef.

AM - 14 miles.

PM - 8 miles.

Next up: Calf Creek Falls

AM - 14 miles. 

PM - 8 miles.

Number tres: Canyoneering in Capitol Reef

AM - 17 miles w/ 10 mile AT Progression in 54:40 (5:28/mi avg). Splits - 5:43, 5:36, 5:36, 5:31, 5:30, 5:26, 5:24, 5:21, 5:19, 5:12. Tempo loop. Relatively easy workout.

PM - 10 miles.

Fourth installment on SoUT photo week - Goblin Valley and Little Wild Horse Canyon.

AM - 14 miles. Gloves!

PM - 8 miles.

Today is Canyonlands' 50th birthday... good timing for this post: Chesler Park.

AM - 14 miles. 

PM - 6 miles. 5 + 10 x 30s uphill. Didn't push these too hard with a faster long run on tap for tomorrow.

Last one... Jeeping.

AM - 22 mile long run w/ 26.2K (16.3 mile) AT Tempo in 1:29:45 (5:31/mile avg). Tempo loop. 4 up, 2 down. Splits - 5:37, 5:36, 5:36, 5:33, 5:33, 5:31, 5:29, 5:32, 5:29, 5:32, 5:30, 5:30, 5:32, 5:27, 5:27, 5:24, 1:29. 

PM - 3 miles.

Had three possible workouts in mind for this morning (2x10K, 5-4-3-2-1M, and 13-15M AT), but ended up just deciding to do the full simulator when I woke up and saw this. Target was ~5:35 and not under 5:30. For the most part I stuck everything right in the range. I've done this workout a handful of times, and know by now that it's better to hold back a little.

Waited until it got warmer (mid 70s) in the late morning before I got started. Chicago weather can unpredictable, and I want to be ready for non-ideal conditions. Dropped 8.5 pounds worth of fluids during the run. Hopefully I won't actually have to run a marathon in the 70s (or 20s!) this year.

I also wanted a really flat long run today, as while most of the LRs this summer haven't been too hilly, they haven't been Chicago style. The tempo loop actually goes up and down about 10-12 feet every mile, which is actually more elevation change than Chicago's course.

The fact that I even made this graphic shows I'm very bored with Andrea gone for a week.

This wraps up my highest mileage week of the cycle. I'll start cutting volume back from here.

AM - 12 miles.

PM - 8 miles.

AM - 13 miles.

PM - 10 miles.

USATF-Utah State Cross Country Championship information, date, location, etc.

AM - 14 miles. 12K Wave Tempo in 39:53 (5:21/mi avg) - alternating 4 x (1K ~LT / 2K ~AT). Splits - 3:14, 6:47, 3:15, 6:45, 3:15, 6:42, 3:13, 6:40. HHS track. Target was ~3:11 for the 1K segments, so I was off the mark on those but just tried to run smooth and didn't force the issue.

PM - 6 miles. Record high temperatures - I got my wish!

AM - 10 miles.

PM - 8 miles.

Andrea finally got home last night after 8 days in Philadelphia: abdominal surgery round two and subsequent recovery. We finally found out why every type of conservative rehab imaginable wasn't helping - the first surgery (16 months ago) never healed properly (and was probably botched in the first place). Dr. Meyers had to re-do the side that was already "repaired", and also fix the "good" side because that had started to tear over the past year as well. It was pretty extensive - he removed scar tissue from previous surgery, loosened up the lower abdominal area because it was excessively tight, released both psoas, released the left adductor and pulled right adductor back up to a higher attachment point so it can function correctly.

Andrea is really, really tough.

AM - 10 miles.

PM - Off.

I'm running the TOU Marathon tomorrow as my last long run of the buildup. My target is 2:30 +/- 2 minutes. In an ideal world there would be a pack running a steady 5:45 pace for the majority of the race and then it would come down to a fast finish over the last couple miles with everyone (including me!) in contention for the win. But in reality these kinds of scenarios almost never play out that way, as someone will always take it out faster. I will be making a very conscious effort to not "accidentally" run 2:23 like I did last year. If I could sneak in the top 3, that would pay for the trip to Chicago, and this will be a hard workout that doubles as a nice dress rehersal of the race day routine (food, drinks, etc).

AM - 26 miles. TOU Marathon - 2:28:14, 3rd place. Average pace = 5:39 per mile. Splits at the bottom of the report. Came through the first half in 1:14:24 and then ran the second half in 1:13:50. A controlled, even effort... stuck right to my plan.

Tylor Thatcher and Jason Holt took off at a quick pace, which ended up being a very good thing because it forced me to decide right away whether I was going to follow my plan or give chase. I ran most of the first 14 miles with Nate Hornock and Jon Heslop. Once we hit Hollow Road I pulled away a bit and ran the rest of the way solo. Overall it was a good effort and just what I needed today - a high quality long run that would continue to build fitness and not take anything out of the bank.

TOU always puts on the best races. I'm happy to add another moose trophy to the collection.

Andrea and Amiee were out on the second half of the course providing encouragement and giving me someone to briefly talk to every couple miles. All of these photos are from Amiee...

Pack running

Smooth bottle handoff from Andrea.

I took 5 gels today - PR! (I'm liking the liquid consistency of the Powerbar gels)

I also took a 20 minute ice bath afterwards - PR!

Devra got to wear the moose ears

Logan graffiti

Floppy hair adds a new element to my running

Splits: 5:34, 5:42, 5:38, 5:36, 5:41, 5:46, 5:48, 5:39, 5:41, 5:42, 5:42, 5:38,
5:40, 5:36, 5:35, 5:32, 5:51, 5:48, 5:34, 5:48, 5:47, 5:28, 5:42, 5:38
and then 0:56 for the last two-tenths (which was definitely short because I
was doing no more than jogging it in at that point).

AM - 8 miles.

PM - 5 miles.

AM - 9 miles.

PM - 8 miles.

AM - 11 miles.

PM - 8 miles.

Update from Andrea.

AM - 14 miles.

PM - 8 miles.

AM - 16 miles. 15K Wave Tempo in 50:39 (5:27/mile avg) - alternating 5 x (1K/2K). Tempo loop, so the splits are more of an estimate. Averaged 3:15 for the 1K segments and 6:51 for the 2K segments.

PM - 4 miles.

Slower today, but I'm not concerned. The marathon is about your body of work over 2-3 months, not the last 2-3 workouts. My hamstring has been intermittently bothersome for a week or two, so I'm being careful about not pushing the pace on faster sessions. Getting to the line healthy is a lot more important than squeezing an extra couple seconds out of workouts.

AM - 14 miles.

PM - 8 miles.

PM - 12 miles in Cupertino, CA. 

Early flight out here, then some redwoods hiking at Big Basin State Park.

AM - 18 mile long run. Easy effort (6:55/mi avg). Planned on doing 2x5M @ MP, but quickly (and hopefully wisely) adjusted the run. After getting three miles into the first effort I wasn't anywhere near marathon pace and pulled the plug. Cruised around Cupertino and found a dirt path for the rest of the way. Couldn't see the value in forcing a session that just wasn't going to end well. Feeling "off" for a day two weeks out isn't the end of the world. 

Headed down to Santa Cruz and did a nice, long beach walk in the afternoon.

AM - 10 miles. Cliff Drive path along the ocean in Santa Cruz.

PM - 5 miles in the redwood groves at Henry Cowell state park.

Fun day - we did a leisurely hike/stroll along the shoreline at Wilder Ranch, then a picnic / nature walk / nap in the redwood forest later. Lots of sunshine, giant trees, and sea lions.

AM - 8 miles.

PM - 8 miles.