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XTerra AZ McDowell Mountain Trail Run

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Location:

SLC,UT,

Member Since:

Apr 28, 2011

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

PR Table and Notable Races

Marathon:
2:21:12 (Chicago); 2:20:41 (CIM)

Half Marathon: 1:05:45 (Long Beach)
10K: 30:03 (Portland)

All race results:
2011 - 2012 - 2013 - 2014 - 2015 - 2016

Personal:

   

Favorite Blogs:

Click to donate
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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
5806.100.000.00
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
22.000.000.00

[Using this page to link all my 2011 race results in one place. Race name links to the race report. Pictures link goes to my personal blog.]


XTerra AZ McDowell Mountain 15 Miles (1:28:19, 1st) - Pictures
SLC Winter Series 15K (50:29, 3rd)
 - Pictures 
Antelope Island Buffalo Run 50K (3:38:02, 1st)
 - Pictures  
SLC Running Company 5K (15:45, 1st)
 Pictures   
Provo City Half Marathon (1:10:52, 2nd)
 - Pictures  
Smile Center Memorial Day 10K (31:55, 3rd)
 - Pictures  
Fight for Air 5K (14:47, 1st)
 
Utah Valley Marathon (2:21:47, 4th)
 -  Pictures  
Mammoth Lakes Freedom Mile (4:37, 3rd)
 - Pictures  
Draper Days 5K (15:04, 4th)
 - Pictures  
National Guard 5K (15:49, 3rd)
 
Park City Trail 15K (51:05, 1st)
 - Pictures  
Top of Utah Half Marathon (1:05:40, 2nd)
 - Pictures  
OktoberFAST 5K (15:09, 1st)
 - Pictures  
Long Beach Half Marathon (1:05:45, 3rd)
 - Pictures - More Pics
Turkey Trot Tune-Up 5K (15:26, 1st)
 - Pictures  
Philadelphia Marathon (2:25:57, 13th)
 Pictures - More Pics


All races from the following year are here: 2012 Race Recaps

Comments
From allie on Tue, Jan 03, 2012 at 12:54:37 from 161.38.218.168

this setup is brilliant -- it's nice having everything linked in one place. i need to do this...

From PRE on Sat, Jun 30, 2012 at 11:55:02 from 99.50.213.11

Hey Jake,

Don't know if you will ever see this entry. Was just reminding myself of your times and figured I'd check them out again...knew 2:30 for Boston but forgot your best. Checked out your results and pictures again...some of them through this entry. Nice site. I still say - WRITE THE BOOK! Just great information and great pictures. Came across one with you and Dad eating ice cream. He looks exactly like you (older version)! As always, hope all is well.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.500.000.00

These are all of my 2012 races. Race reports from the previous year are here: 2011 Races

SLC Winter Series 5K (15:20, 1st)
SLC Winter Series 15K (48:04, 1st)
Mountain to Fountain 15K (45:53, 4th)
Boston Marathon (2:30:21, 23rd)
Thanksgiving Point Half (1:10:58, 4th)
Provo City 5K (15:01, 1st)
Memorial Day 10K (31:06, 2nd)
Fontana Days 5K (14:10, 2nd)
State Street Mile (4:12, 9th)
Portland Track Fest 10K (30:03, 9th)
US 1/2 Marathon Champs (1:06:02, 27th)
Lavender Half Marathon (1:12:36, 4th)
Dash for Donation (16:20, 1st)
TOU Half Marathon (1:06:03, 1st)
Wildcat Half Marathon (1:10:12, 2nd)
Layton Classic 5K (15:17, 1st)
TOU Marathon (2:22:12, 1st)
Great Pumpkin Run (15:09, 2nd)
Utah Fittest State Festival (1:15:50, 16:57, 2nd)
Newtown Turkey Trot 5K (15:49, 2nd)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.600.000.00

All of my 2013 races. Results from previous years are here: 2011 - 2012

RnR AZ Half Marathon - 1:05:55 (2nd)
SLC Winter Series 10K - 32:26 (2nd)
Phoenix Marathon - 2:23:55 (1st)
Utah Spring Classic 5K (15:36, 2nd)
SLC Half Marathon (1:07:39, 3rd)
Utah Valley 1/2 Marathon (1:07:11, 3rd)
USA 1/2 Championship (1:06:36, 60th)
Sugarhouse Relay Carnival (15:59, FUN!)
Murray Days 5K (15:44, 3rd)
Sawtelle Stampede (1:15:03, 2nd)
Tour de Run (1:11:05, 2nd)
Draper Days 5K (15:09, 4th)
Deseret News 10K (29:45, 5th)
Park City Trail 15K (56:15, 1st)
Dart Challenge 5K (15:08, 2nd)
Top of Utah 1/2 (1:05:39, 2nd)
Utah XC Invitational 6K (19:37, 13th)
Layton Classic 5K (15:26, 1st)
Kansas City Plaza 10K (31:06, 2nd)
Top of Utah Marathon (2:23:33, 2nd)
SoJo 5K (15:11, 1st)
Indy Monumental 1/2 (1:05:54, 7th)
Saltair Half Marathon (1:10:01, 1st)
Mesa Turkey Trot 10K (31:00, 1st)
CIM (2:20:41, 13th)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.700.000.00

All 2014 race results:

USA 1/2 Champs (1:07:26, 55th)
SLC Winter 5K (15:33, 5th)
SLC Winter 10K (32:38, 3rd)
SLC Winter 15K (48:43, 2nd)
Phoenix 1/2 (1:07:00, 1st)
USA 10 Mile Champs (50:12, 26th)
Indy Mini 1/2 (1:07:00, 16th)
Garry Bjorklund 1/2 (Jun 21)
--------------------
Top of Utah 1/2 (1:07:37, 1st)
Layton Classic 10K (32:33, 2nd)
Top of Utah Marathon (2:28:14, 3rd)

Chicago Marathon (2:21:12, 35th)
--------------------

Previous years - 2011 - 2012 - 2013

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
9.500.000.00

2015 Race Results

USA XC Champs (40:42, 48th)

Phoenix 1/2 (1:09:46, 5th)

London Marathon 
 (Withdrawal Notice)

----------------

(Can I classify these two as races?)

Ragnar Wasatch Back

Merkel Wedding Mile

----------------


"Retirement" Speech

 

-----------------

Training for El Nino /
 
Comeback / Farewell Tour:

SoJo 5K (16:04, 1st)

Saltair 5K (15:23, 1st)

USATF-Utah XC 5K (16:22, 2nd)

Newtown Turkey Trot 5K (16:01, 2nd)

Cow Chip XC (16:19, 1st)

-----------------

Previous years - 2011 - 2012 - 2013 - 2014

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.300.000.00

2016 Race Results

Memorial Day 5K - DNS
Freedom Half Marathon - DNS
Dash for Donation 5K - 16:46
TOU Marathon - DNF
EMR 10K - DNS
SOJO Half Marathon - DNS
Saltair 5K - DNS
Newtown Turkey Trot 5K - 
California International Marathon - DNS (Journal)

Previous years: 2011 - 2012 - 2013 - 2014 - 2015

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.500.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
8.500.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
12.400.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.600.000.00

PR Table

Distance Street Legal Downhill Dashes
Mile 4:19
June 2002
NY State Qualifier
4:12
June 2012
State Street Mile
5K 15:08
August 2013
Dart Challenge
14:10
June 2012
Fontana Days
10K 30:03
June 2012
Portland Track Festival
29:45
July 2013
Deseret News Classic
Half Marathon 1:05:45
October 2011
Long Beach
1:05:39
August 2013
Top of Utah
Marathon 2:21:12
October 2014
Chicago
2:20:41
December 2013
California International

All Marathons
2011 Utah Valley - 2:21:46 (4th)
2011 Philadelphia - 2:25:57 (13th)
2012 Boston - 2:30:21 (23rd)
2012 Top of Utah - 2:22:12 (1st)
2013 Phoenix - 2:23:55 (1st)
2013 Top of Utah - 2:23:33 (2nd)
2013 California International - 2:20:41 (13th)
2014 Top of Utah - 2:28:14 (3rd)
2014 Chicago - 2:21:12 (35th)

Selected Half Marathons
2011 Top of Utah - 1:05:40 (2nd)
2011 Long Beach - 1:05:45 (4th)
2012 USA Championships - 1:06:02 (27th)
2012 Top of Utah - 1:06:03 (1st)
2013 Rock n Roll Arizona - 1:05:55 (2nd)
2013 USA Championships - 1:06:36 (60th)
2013 Top of Utah - 1:05:39 (2nd)
2013 Indianapolis Monumental - 1:05:54 (7th)
2014 Phoenix - 1:07:00 (1st)
2014 Top of Utah - 1:07:37 (1st)

Other notable races
2012 Mountain to Fountain 15K - 45:53 (4th)
2012 Portland Track Festival 10K - 30:03 (9th)
2013 Kansas City Plaza 10K - 31:06 (2nd)
2013 Mesa Turkey Trot 10K - 31:00 (1st)
2014 Cherry Blossom 10M / US Champs - 50:12 (16th)

Comments
From Trevor Baker on Tue, Dec 17, 2013 at 06:32:23 from 174.27.253.140

Great stats. I like how you set this up. Nice and organized.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.300.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.400.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
24.200.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.300.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.100.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
9.700.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
29.000.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.100.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.300.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.800.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.700.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.700.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
4.500.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.200.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
24.800.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.900.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
23.300.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.500.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.600.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.200.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
23.900.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.000.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.100.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.200.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
13.900.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
8.000.000.00

Race: XTerra AZ McDowell Mountain Trail Run (15 Miles) 01:28:19, Place overall: 1, Place in age division: 1
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.000.000.00

Race Report on my blog: http://wasatchandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/02/xterra-mcdowell-mountain-trail-race.html

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.000.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.100.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
22.700.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
22.600.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
22.200.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
4.500.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
11.300.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
25.400.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
22.700.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
30.000.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.600.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.600.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
13.100.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
10.600.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
32.700.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.100.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.100.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.400.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.400.000.00

Race: SLC Winter Series 15K (9.3 Miles) 00:50:29, Place overall: 3
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
13.300.000.00

Race recap on my blog: http://wasatchandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/02/slc-track-club-15k.html

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
6.100.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
31.900.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.400.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.500.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
22.800.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.500.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
12.600.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
9.200.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
25.500.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.400.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
32.500.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.600.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.000.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.500.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
10.500.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.100.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.000.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.100.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.000.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
11.800.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
10.100.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
10.100.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.100.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
17.800.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.800.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
10.500.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
6.100.000.00

Race: Buffalo Run 50K (32 Miles) 03:38:02, Place overall: 1
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
32.000.000.00

Race recap on my blog: http://wasatchandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/03/antelope-island-buffalo-run-race-report.html

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
4.500.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.400.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
10.600.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.000.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.700.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.400.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
17.800.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
5.000.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
17.400.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.900.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.600.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.500.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.300.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.300.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
25.400.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.900.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.500.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.100.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
17.400.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.500.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
29.400.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
13.600.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.100.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.600.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.700.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
24.800.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
4.500.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
12.500.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
10.100.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
17.600.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.600.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.400.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.400.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
9.400.000.00

Race: SLC Running Company Free 5K (3.1 Miles) 00:15:45, Place overall: 1
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
8.000.000.00

Race recap: http://wasatchandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/04/5k-and-powder-day.html

Photos: http://wasatchandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/05/slc-5k-pictures.html

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
10.100.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.300.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.100.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
13.600.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
10.400.000.00

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
7.000.000.00

Race: Provo City Half Marathon (13.1 Miles) 01:10:52, Place overall: 2
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.000.000.00

Really happy with this one... shows the big mileage over the winter is paying off and my speed is coming around since the 50K. Averaged 5:29s for the first 6 miles, then 5:25s for the next 4, and then ran sub 5:20s for the last 5K. Nice controlled negative split race.

Full report here: http://wasatchandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/05/provo-city-half-marathon.html

Comments
From jtshad on Mon, May 09, 2011 at 18:22:34 from 204.134.132.225

Nice performance, congrats on a strong race.

From josse on Mon, May 09, 2011 at 20:44:11 from 75.196.165.246

That is impressive on that course. It is not an easy one. Great job!

From MichelleL on Sat, May 14, 2011 at 00:45:15 from 67.41.182.93

Nice job, and nice to meet you. Didn't know you were so speedy.

From fiddy on Mon, May 16, 2011 at 19:18:19 from 155.101.96.134

Jake, just wanted to say how impressed I was with your race. I admittedly went out too fast but you looked so strong when you passed me I knew I had no chance. I think you can definitely go under 2:30 at Utah Valley, just be sure to give yourself some time to rest up that last week.

From Jake K on Mon, May 16, 2011 at 22:04:57 from 67.177.21.60

Hey thanks everyone!

Fiddy- I see you are going to run the Fight for Air race? I'm going to run the 5K as a tune up for UVM. Also, we run at Sugarhouse all the time, so if you ever want to meet up, we're always up there after work.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
13.800.000.00

Comments
From Scott Wesemann on Mon, May 09, 2011 at 17:57:36 from 66.239.250.209

Welcome to the blog. I checked out your personal blog and you have some great photos.

From Wasatch and Beyond on Mon, May 09, 2011 at 18:55:17 from 155.100.213.19

Thanks Scott! I thought I recognized your name... I've read a bunch of your trip reports on summitpost. We should meet up for some mountaineering sometime!

From Scott Wesemann on Tue, May 10, 2011 at 12:15:25 from 66.239.250.209

There are some really sweet climbs planned this spring. I'll keep you in the loop. Shoot me an email scott.wesemann@xo.com.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
23.000.000.00

AM - 20.2 miles. Easy long run in the rain, 11 w/ Andrea.

PM - 2.8 miles. Shakeout w/ Andrea.

Comments
From Twinkies on Mon, May 09, 2011 at 22:18:05 from 67.182.252.148

Welcome to the blog. It's a great place to record your runs and connect with other runners.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.100.000.00

AM - 11.8 mi. Ran to Sugarhouse w/ Andrea then to work.

PM - 8.3 mi. Ran to Sugarhouse and did a few laps w/ Andrea.

Comments
From jtshad on Tue, May 10, 2011 at 15:28:39 from 204.134.132.225

Holy crap, that is some serious mileage this year!!!

From Jake K on Tue, May 10, 2011 at 15:35:37 from 155.100.213.19

Yeah it amazes me when I look back at the last 5-6 months... I've never done anything like this before, but somehow my body is not only holding up, but getting stronger! Lots of ice cream re-fueling! :-)

From Adam RW on Wed, May 11, 2011 at 09:01:35 from 155.101.152.123

Welcome. I also checked out your other blog and noticed the "these trails are behind where I work". Obviously they are behind all of SLC. But are you at The U? Hope to see you and Andrea out there sometime.

From Jake K on Wed, May 11, 2011 at 10:37:36 from 155.100.213.19

Hey Adam, thanks for the welcome... yeah, I'm on campus... I'm a research coordinator up at the HCI.

From Adam RW on Wed, May 11, 2011 at 10:56:26 from 155.101.152.123

That's great to know. I'm a post-doc trying to make the transition to faculty over in HMBG (Bldg 533). You're obviously quicker than me but I'd like to meet you sometime for a run.

From Jake K on Wed, May 11, 2011 at 12:11:32 from 155.100.213.19

Yeah that would be great! Maybe after work on the trails one day soon now that its finally getting nice outside!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.400.000.00

AM - 10.2 mi. Ran to work.

PM - 11.2 mi. Ran to Highland track and met Andrea for a workout... 400-800-1200-1600-1600-1200-800-400 w/ 200m jog b/w reps.  4s and 8s @ 5K pace, 12s @ 10K pace, 16s @ 15K pace. Good workout. 

Comments
From crockett on Wed, May 11, 2011 at 23:04:47 from 71.32.233.39

Welcome to the blog. Congrats on Buffalo Run 50K. I watched you finish and was blown away at your time. Any other ultras in the new future?

From Jake K on Thu, May 12, 2011 at 11:53:13 from 155.100.213.19

Thanks. Buffalo Run was definitely an eye-opening experience for me, in that its seems I am built for those kinds of races. I don't think I'll run anymore ultra-distances in 2011, though. Probably next spring again... I find it easier to just log lots of miles over the winter months, rather than try to do hard workouts and run fast. Part of me just wants to stick to the roads for a while, but part of me also wants to see what I could do in a 50 miler! :-)

From crockett on Thu, May 12, 2011 at 12:27:46 from 71.32.233.39

If you want a very fast dirt road 50, Check out my Pony Express Trail 50 in October. ponyexpress100.org.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.300.000.00

AM - 13.8 mi. Ran w/ Andrea for a bit and then up to work.

PM - 6.5 mi. Ran to Sugarhouse, met Andrea along the way, did a loop and called it a day. 85 miles in the last 4 days... tomorrow I'm taking an easy day in terms of running, but planning to go big w/ some ski mountaineering objectives. Then a long run on Saturday. 

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.500.000.00

AM - 10 miles on the trails in Dimple Dell park. 

Not exactly what I had planned for the morning... I had the day off from work and planned on doing a big ski mountaineering day. Long story short, conditions were unstable, and I took a very scary fall... came out of it with some bruises and cuts, but luckily nothing major. Got humbled by the mountains today. I wrote more about what happened on my website: http://wasatchandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/05/lesson-learned-in-limber-pine.html

So after I decided to pull the plug on my ski day, I went for a nice run in Dimple Dell to clear my head. Great to be on those wood chip trails.... and even better to finally be running shirtless! Its about time!

 PM - Ran from home up to Sugarhouse, met Andrea, and did a few loops around the park. 

Comments
From Scott Wesemann on Fri, May 13, 2011 at 19:06:00 from 66.239.250.209

Wow! Thanks for the report. Having been there before I know exactly how you felt. Nice work stopping yourself and getting down safe.

From Jake K on Fri, May 13, 2011 at 20:26:18 from 67.177.21.60

Yeah Scott I figured you'd appreciate the beta. Things need some more time to consolidate before we can really do some steep snow climbs (which are my favorite, and I'm getting impatient!).

From Scott Wesemann on Mon, May 16, 2011 at 19:32:51 from 66.239.250.209

Yeah, spring mountaineering season is usually my favorite, but this year has been very frustrating for sure. There have been a lot of slides up there and I am sure all of this rain this week won't help.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
23.000.000.00

AM - Long run w/ Andrea and my friend Bryan from work. Started at Mutual Dell golf course, ran down Emigration Canyon, then along Wasatch Drive/Blvd to the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon.  http://twitpic.com/4xk55e  Andrea ran 17 and then jumped on a bike that we had stashed along the route. I pretty much always do long runs w/ no water, so it was nice to be able to actually take some drinks while Andrea was biking along and could hand me a bottle. Great run... feeling awesome... 4 weeks until UVM!!!

 PM - Did the hardest thing I know... RESTED. No running, no skiing, no biking. My back was pretty sore from my fall yesterday, so I figured it needed some extra rest. I don't want that problem to linger around. 

Comments
From jtshad on Sun, May 15, 2011 at 09:40:06 from 69.20.183.178

Dang, that is some serious mileage. Looking forward to seeing how it pays off for you at UVM...I will be watching you disappear into the distance, I just hope to stay close.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
10.800.000.00

AM - 10.8 miles. Felt fresh and sharp.

PM -  Andrea (wisely) talked me out of doing anymore running! We skied a few laps up at Alta, then rode our bikes for a while...

http://wasatchandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/05/recovery-weekend.html 

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
22.400.000.00

AM - 6.4 mi. Easy run. Workout later today.

PM - 16 mi. Tempo run on bike path, out & back. Andrea biked along with the GPS. Ran 13.1 miles in 1:12. Felt super smooth and even a lot easier than the race a week ago. Having Andrea keep me on pace really helped. This is a big confidence booster for UVM. Up until last weekend, it would have been a 30 second half marathon PR.

Comments
From Holt on Tue, May 17, 2011 at 10:55:46 from 204.113.55.41

Very solid "tempo"! You are looking strong for UVM.

From jtshad on Tue, May 17, 2011 at 11:16:06 from 204.134.132.225

Wow, that is a great training run, you will rock UVM!

From Jake K on Tue, May 17, 2011 at 12:21:50 from 155.100.213.19

Thanks. Just need to get the taper right and put off any of my "riskier" skiing objectives until after UVM!

From Scott Wesemann on Tue, May 17, 2011 at 12:26:42 from 66.239.250.209

I'm excited to see how you do at UVM. My friend Seth (the guy you beat at Buffalo) is the course record holder. Your training has been pretty incredible this year.

From fiddy on Fri, May 20, 2011 at 19:26:58 from 155.99.198.167

This is amazing. You'll be going up against some of the best guys Utah has to offer at UVM. Paul Peterson, Bryant Jensen and a couple of Kenyans most likely.

Fiddy was my nickname in college. It was short for "fiddy-pence" because I'm british.

From Jake K on Tue, May 24, 2011 at 12:00:24 from 155.100.213.19

UVM should be very competitive. I know the half is loaded, but we should have a great group in the marathon as well. I'm spending the next 2.5 weeks reminding myself not to do anything stupid in the first 10 miles! :-)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.000.000.00

AM - 7.5 mi. Ran to Sugarhouse w/ Andrea then up to work. Felt a little tired, but not as tired as I thought I would be after last night's workout.

PM - 7.5 mi. Ran back down to Sugarhouse, met Andrea, ran a loop and then ran 5x200 w/ her @ her 5K pace.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.700.000.00

AM - 7.7 mi. Ran to work.

PM - 9 mi. Ran down to the track and met Andrea. It was raining, but the weather doesn't look like it will be any better tomorrow, so we went ahead w/ the workout we had planned... We did 6 x 800m @ 10K goal pace w/ a 200m jog. Went fine (Avg 2:30) except my hands were frozen at the end!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.200.000.00

AM - 9.1 mi. Ran to work. Cold and raining. Ugh. In the winter I call this "character building weather." But I feel like at this point, my character is already built! :-) I want nice weather!

PM - 6.1 Ran down to the park and met Andrea.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
24.500.000.00

AM - 20 mi. Woke up to the sound of thunder and pouring rain. Lovely. Went back to sleep for a few minutes and finally got out the door just after 5am. Figured I might as well just get the long run in. Highland - 6200S - Wasatch - Parleys - up to Campus. Some good net elevation gain on this one. This will probably be the last 20 miler before UVM.

PM - 4.5 mi. Quick lunch run, now heading down the St George / Zion until Monday night. Hopefully we'll bring back some nicer weather!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
7.500.000.00

AM - 7.5 mi. Ran in St George w/ Andrea. Mix of some trails and on the roads. We spent the rest of the day hiking around Snow Canyon w/ Andrea & my parents: https://picasaweb.google.com/Jake.Krong/SnowCanyon#

Great to be in some WARM weather! Snow Canyon was really cool. It was our first time there.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
13.000.000.00

AM - 13 mi.  Andrea and I started in Springdale and ran on SR-9 to Virgin. She was doing this as a progression run and I was just along for the ride! She ran a great workout, and its awesome that last year a 13 miler would have been a long, long run for her, and now she is doing runs like this and averaging 6:0-something pace for the last 5 miles and is totally in control.

Once we hit Virgin, my parents were waiting for us... we drive up the Kolob Res road and hiked from the Wildcat Canyon trailhead to the West Rim Trail, and then all the way to the Angels Landing trailhead. It was about a 21.5 mile hike. So a pretty long day overall! I'll post some photos from that hike shortly.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
13.500.000.00

AM - 7 mi. Easy run in Hurricane.

PM - 6.5 mi. Ran a loop around Sand Hollow Reservoir. 83 degrees and sunny. A few hours later we drive back up to SLC and hit the 50 degree rain again! Ugh!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
17.500.000.00

AM - 9 mi. Ran to work. Several easy days in a row have my legs feeling really fresh, which is good after putting in some hard work for the previous couple weeks.

PM - 8.5 mi. Down to the park and did a lap w/ Andrea, then to the track... just wanted to do something light to get my legs moving - 8x200m (200m jog) in 33-34 seconds. My left calf had been tight since the long hike on Saturday, but this seemed to loosen it up, so mission accomplished.

Comments
From jun on Tue, May 24, 2011 at 11:53:27 from 66.239.250.209

Ah, you changed your screen name. It was probably weeks ago and I didn't notice. Welcome. Great pic. I assume it's Lone Peak.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.500.000.00

AM - 6.4 mi. Easy morning run. Feels like cheating to only run for 45 mins! :-)

PM - 8.1 mi. Track workout at Sugarhouse. The idea was to do some "rhythm"  reps to tune up for the 10K on Saturday. Everything was done w/ a 200m recovery jog:

400 (75), 400 (76), 800 (2:32), 400 (74), 800 (2:31), 400 (74), 800 (2:29), 400 (73), 400 (68) 

 Felt smooth and easy. Looking forward to racing this weekend. 

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
12.400.000.00

AM - 7.7 mi. Ran up to work.

PM - 4.7 mi. Down to the park. Then to Costco to get lots of free samples!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
6.300.000.00

AM - 6.3 mi. Easy jog. Race tomorrow.

Comments
From jun on Fri, May 27, 2011 at 11:06:44 from 66.239.250.209

What are you racing?

From Jake K on Fri, May 27, 2011 at 11:09:33 from 155.100.213.19

10K in Orem. Little tuneup race to make sure I actually taper... and not think about UVM too much yet!

From jun on Fri, May 27, 2011 at 11:14:56 from 66.239.250.209

'Taper'? I don't understand. Ha.

Race: Smile Center Memorial Day 10K (6.2 Miles) 00:31:55, Place overall: 3
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.000.000.00

AM - 10 mi. Ran the 10K in Orem... 31:55 for 3rd... I'm pretty happy with that... I just wanted a hard effort and to get under 32 mins. My PR is 31:39, on the track, at sea level, so this is a solid indicator 2 weeks out from UVM.

Teren took off quick from the start, shadowed by a BYU guy who I don't know... I hung back, but really wish I had just gone out a touch faster and put myself in the mix, because we turned and ran into the wind for the second mile, and it would have been nice to be latched onto somebody for that part. According the the mile markers, I was 5:15 at Mile 1, and then 5:33 for Mile 2, and 4:19 for Mile 3! Haha I don't think so! I don't know why its so difficult to get mile markers in the correct spots! Anyways, at that point Teren and BYU guy were pretty far ahead, and I had no confidence in any of the splits, so I resigned to just run steadily hard the rest of the way. Not by any means an amazing performance, but I did what I set out to do, and felt recovered almost immediately afterwards. I'm definitely in much better shape for longer races than shorter races right now.

Andrea ran great once again... winning the women's race in 37:10 and she knocked over 20 seconds off the course record. She's ready to run another great half at Utah Valley in 2 weeks. 

(Added the recap on our other blog, which has Andrea's report that she posted on here as well) 

PM - Easy 30 minutes... was bored and wanted to shake the legs out a bit. 

Comments
From Adam RW on Sat, May 28, 2011 at 14:22:36 from 155.101.152.123

Nice runs to both of you. Looking forward to seeing what you do on the 11th.

From Burt on Sat, May 28, 2011 at 14:51:04 from 206.19.214.144

Very impressive! Especially that 3rd mile. LOL!

From Seth on Sat, May 28, 2011 at 18:27:38 from 75.169.121.121

Smokin fast, nice work!

From Jake K on Sat, May 28, 2011 at 20:18:22 from 67.177.21.60

Thanks! Really looking forward to UVM and seeing what I can do.

Burt - yeah, its always nice to equal your PR in the mile in the middle of a 10K road race! :-)

From emruns on Sat, May 28, 2011 at 22:37:35 from 76.27.114.171

Great races by both of you. Andrea is an animal. I can't wait to do some training with her. We'll have to all get together for a long run some Saturday and then go to breakfast afterward.

From Burt on Sat, May 28, 2011 at 22:56:23 from 206.19.214.144

When you say all, do you mean me, too?

From Jake K on Sun, May 29, 2011 at 01:16:35 from 67.177.21.60

That would be great, Emily. We should absolutely do that.

Andrea definitely has a TON of potential. She's only been "seriously" training for about 5-6 months now... I get more excited about her running than my own these days. I think if she decides she wants to keep at it for the next couple years, she definitely has the ability to qualify for the trials. She is all slow twitch so I can't wait to see what she does in a marathon! :-)

From Jon on Sun, May 29, 2011 at 08:36:11 from 98.71.134.29

Nice job, Jake. Looks like you'll be giving Paul some competition in a few weeks.

From allie on Sun, May 29, 2011 at 10:14:15 from 174.23.197.101

great job, jake. nice tune-up race for UVM -- looks like you are ready for a very strong race there!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.500.000.00

AM - 16.5 mi. Started at East High track and ran up Emigration Canyon. Easy (7:05 pace) on the way up, then came back down quicker (5:27 pace). Wanted to get my legs used to a little more downhill pounding. Was actually surprised I was running sub 5:30 pace b/c it felt a lot easier. That's a good thing! I think my downhill running form is getting a lot smoother.

Today marks the end of a streak for me. I count my weekly mileage starting on Monday and ending on Sunday... for the previous 27 weeks (starting November 15th), I haven't run less than 100 miles (GRAPH). The average for those 27 weeks was 124 miles / week. (This week I'm at 95 and I'm not running again today... and I'll cut back quite a bit more in the next 12 days). This is pretty incredible if you knew my injury history from 2003-2008... I don't think I was ever able to run triple digits for more than 3-4 weeks w/out something going wrong. 

So no matter what happens at UVM, I've already accomplished what I set out to do... I got myself back in the game. After falling below expectations in college, and then not even running a single race from summer 2008 until 4 months ago (and running maybe 45 mpw during that time), I've gotten myself back to a competitive level, I'm totally healthy, and I love running more than I ever have (but I'm not obsessed with it like I used to be). I have a much better balance in my life these days (and Andrea gets 99% of the credit for that!). My next 5-10 years will be my best years of running... I truly believe that.

Comments
From Fritz on Sun, May 29, 2011 at 22:21:06 from 67.182.226.25

That's an amazing streak! Some day I will do my first week over 100 let along 27 in a row. :) Good luck at UVM.

From Scott Wesemann on Mon, May 30, 2011 at 13:53:11 from 75.162.67.166

Those are some incredible numbers that I really can't even comprehend. Nice work getting back into the game. Very impressive.

From Superfly on Mon, May 30, 2011 at 13:54:03 from 74.211.21.81

Great job on pushing through a impressive streak of mileage. I use to run 120's sometimes 130's but anymore 100 or under seems pretty good.

From Andrea on Mon, May 30, 2011 at 14:35:12 from 69.131.218.205

You should've mentioned that in addition to the 100+ mpw, we went skiing on Sat. and Sun. of pretty much every weekend from Nov - end of April!

From Jake K on Mon, May 30, 2011 at 14:57:52 from 67.177.21.60

Yeah, I should have mentioned that... all the backcountry skiing helped heal my PF, and climbing and climbing and climbing at 10K feet really helped the aerobic system. Actually I give you only 90% credit for keeping me balanced, at least 10% should be thanks to skiing! ;-)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
11.000.000.00

AM - 11 mi. Started at Mt Olympus high school, down to 6200S then back on Wasatch blvd. Planned on doing a set of 200s at the end of the run, but jogged over to the track and realized all the construction equipment I saw when I was pulling in was there b/c they have torn out the track! So no 200s. But at least there will be a track new track close to home once they put the new one in.

I can't believe the Collins plot at Alta is showing 10" of new snow. A huge part of me wants to ski, but I've skied a ton this winter and right now I shouldn't be doing much other than resting. Boooo! :-) 

PM - Couldn't resist going to up Solitude and skiing a quick lap. There's still as much snow up there as there was 5 weeks ago! 

From Memorial Day 10K
 

Comments
From jun on Tue, May 31, 2011 at 11:25:37 from 66.239.250.209

It's crazy up there. Spring skiing hasn't even really started yet! Ha.

From Jake K on Tue, May 31, 2011 at 12:30:57 from 155.100.213.19

We should have some spring skiing by July ;-)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
17.500.000.00

AM - 4.5 mi easy.

PM - 13 mi. Last big workout before Utah Valley. Plan was to do 2 x 5 miles @ MP. I usually do tempo runs on the Jordan River Bike Path, but figured it was probably flooded, so I drove out west of the airport and started from Exit 111 and ran on the frontage road (where the SLC Track Club does the winter series races). I rode west 2.5 miles on my bike and marked out 1/2 mile splits with chalk on the road. I figured I'd do out & back loops. It was pretty windy, but since I was running east to west and back, and the wind was primarily from the south, it was more of a cross-wind.

(1 mile warmup) 
Rep #1 - 5:21, 5:21, 5:15, 5:21, 5:09 = 26:37
(1 mile recovery)
Rep #2 - 5:13, 5:11, 5:18, 5:18, 5:09 = 26:09
(1 mile cooldown)

The hay is in the barn now, so to speak. This obviously ended up being a bit faster than marathon pace, but I felt totally in control the whole time, and was actually surprised it ended up being so quick. But not too surprised, b/c I feel like I've jumped to a new level, and this is where I'm at now. Between the 10K on Saturday, a big negative split longer run on Sunday, and this workout today, I've done quite a bit of quality running in the past 4 days. Now its time to rest and not doing anything silly in the next 10 days :-)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
8.100.000.00

AM - 4.5 mi. Easy run up on campus. Recovery, recovery, recovery.
PM - 3.6 mi. Two laps around Sugarhouse. 

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
13.200.000.00

AM - 7.2 mi. Easy run up to work.
PM - 6 mi. Ran to the track and did 6x200m in ~33 seconds 

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
6.300.000.00

AM - 6.3 mi. Easy run w/ Andrea. Third straight easy day... feels pretty good! We're running a 5K tomorrow as a last little shakeout/tuneup workout before UVM. I'm definitely more geared towards a 50 mile race than a 5K right now, but it should be fun!

Race: Fight for Air 5K (3.1 Miles) 00:14:47, Place overall: 1
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
9.000.000.00

Last tune-up before UVM... the race started at Tanner Park and finished in Sugarhouse. Got a much better warmup than before the 10K last weekend. The first 1.5 miles of the course had a net drop, then it was pretty much flat the rest of the way. Definitely a nice, fast course (although it was also definitely long... we measured it twice, and both times it was about 90 meters long).

My primary competition was Andrea, so I didn't have anyone with me right from the start. I came through the first mile in 4:29... whew!... haven't run that fast since some track races in DC 3 year ago... kept cruising on the second mile, which I hit in 4:38 (9:08 at 2 miles). At this point my focus shifted to making sure I didn't do anything to hurt myself (I've had a slight groin pull that I'm hoping doesn't act up in the marathon next weekend), so I took the pedal off the gas a bit in the third mile (5:10). I had a ton of half-marathon runners to catch in the last stretch, and came through in 14:47. Somehow the posted results had me ~5-6 seconds slower, but there is no way that is correct... I stopped my watch after going past both of the timing mats because I was trying to be very conservative with my time.

Pretty happy with how good I felt today. So far I think I am getting the taper right :-)

Andrea finished 2nd overall in 16:52. Flying!!! 

Comments
From allie on Sat, Jun 04, 2011 at 16:29:05 from 24.10.191.18

way to go! that's a great tune-up for UVM -- looks like you are ready to roll. congrats on going 1-2 with andrea. awesome.

From Burt on Sat, Jun 04, 2011 at 17:46:54 from 72.223.90.79

Jake! Where did you even come from? I've never even heard of you, and all the sudden here's this guy cranking out sub 5 minute miles like it's nothing.

From Jake K on Sat, Jun 04, 2011 at 21:38:07 from 67.177.21.60

Allie - thanks! This definitely raised the excitement for UVM even more!

Burt - I will assure you that we are, in fact, real people. I'll let you know the next time I am down in the Phoenix area. My parents live down that way.

From Burt on Sat, Jun 04, 2011 at 21:45:20 from 72.223.90.79

Seeing is believing. LOL!

From Scott Wesemann on Mon, Jun 06, 2011 at 15:55:23 from 66.239.250.209

Wow! That is some speed. Sweet!

From Superfly on Mon, Jun 06, 2011 at 18:57:10 from 74.211.21.81

Great tune up. Good job. See ya at UV.

From Rob on Mon, Jun 06, 2011 at 20:06:44 from 204.15.86.95

Allie, now I see why your faking a stress fracture. Looks like you and James have some competition in the fastest couple contest.

From Nate on Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 09:50:10 from 67.20.210.229

Hey Jake! Great race!! Cool to see another section 2 runner here. I ran for Galway and graduated in 2001. Sounds like you are doing great after rocky collegiate years.

From Jake K on Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 10:46:13 from 155.100.213.19

Nate - I'm sure we ran against each other back in the day! Fonda Relays feels like a LONG time ago! :-)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
11.000.000.00

Easy 11 miler w/ Andrea this morning. 

Headed up to Alta to ski some corn in the sunshine... some photos on our blog of how its looking up there.... then came home and went swimming! I think winter might finally be over! Ski day #50 of the season for me... not as much as last year (108 days)... but pretty good for working a Mon-Fri job and running about four times as much mileage this winter!

From June 5 Skiing
 

Comments
From allie on Mon, Jun 06, 2011 at 13:58:57 from 161.38.218.168

fun pictures! nice job taking advantage of the opportunity to enjoy both winter and summer in the same day.

From Scott Wesemann on Mon, Jun 06, 2011 at 15:56:24 from 66.239.250.209

Cool pics. I think the snow has settled and I am going to hopefully get out and get some good mountaineering routes in this month. I'll let you know in case you're interested.

From Jake K on Mon, Jun 06, 2011 at 18:57:41 from 155.100.213.19

Yeah Scott let me know. After UVM I'm going to take it easier for a few weeks in terms of running, and will definitely be getting out on the snow as much as possible. I'll probably be taking the skis everywhere while I still can!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
11.500.000.00

AM - 7.2 mi. Ran up to work. Feeling excellent this morning.
PM - 4.3 mi. Down to Sugarhouse... then 8 x 50-60m strides on the track while Andrea was doing her shakeout run.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
9.800.000.00

AM - 4.5 miles easy on campus.
PM - 5.3 miles. Last little workout before the weekend. Met Andrea and measured out a mile w/ our bikes on Wasatch Blvd that had an average -1% gradient. Down for 2/3 of the way and then back up a bit over the last 1/3. Ran 2 x 1 mile w/ jogging the mile back as recovery - 4:57, 4:55. Felt like about half-marathon effort. Ready to roll!

Comments
From Burt on Tue, Jun 07, 2011 at 22:48:38 from 72.223.90.79

Good luck man!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
7.200.000.00

AM - 6.2 miles. Easy run through a few of the parks w/ Andrea.
PM - 1 mile... just an easy jog to loosen up after work.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
6.000.000.00

AM - 4.5 miles easy.
PM - 1.5 miles at the track. Quick warmup, then 4 x 200m in 41 seconds... feeling out race pace. Goal #1 for Saturday is to try and NOT run faster than 5:20 for the first mile!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
4.500.000.00

AM - 4.5 miles easy w/ Andrea. Legs felt bouncy and sharp this morning...the calm before the storm...

Comments
From Scott Wesemann on Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 11:21:41 from 66.239.250.209

Good luck tomorrow. The weather looks good and hopefully everything will fall in place for you to run the race you have trained for. I think you're going to kill it.

Let me know if you're interested in any of these. I'm hoping to get out in the next week or two. I would prefer a weekday, but I can also do a weekend if necessary.

Dromedary/Sunrise via Tanners Gulch.

North ridge or couloir on Pfeifferhorn

The Grunge/Cold Fusion couloir on Timp

Lone Peak (East face) or the Beatout (White Pine to Bells

Hypodermic Needle on North Thunder.

From Jake K on Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 11:25:21 from 155.100.213.19

Thanks Scott. I'll let you know how the legs are feeling after the weekend, but I'm thinking of trying to get out early on Monday or Tuesday of next week before work. Tanner's might be good b/c of the short drive and approach. I'm also looking to do a direct climb of Superior's SE face one morning. I'm definitely interested in the others, but it would have to be a weekend for the longer routes.

From Scott Wesemann on Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 11:40:48 from 66.239.250.209

A friend and I are tentatively planning for the Hypodermic needle on Sat the 25th. We will start at the White Pine TH, go through Maybird and climb a couloir up to the summit of the divide (Obelisk) and then go through Hogum and up the needle to N. Thunder and then out Bells.

Superior or Tanners sound good early on a weekday. It would have to be later next week for me.

From allie on Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 13:08:32 from 24.10.191.18

hey, good luck tomorrow! feeling "bouncy and sharp" is a good sign...

From Fritz on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 15:06:43 from 65.100.192.74

Amazing job today Jake. First marathon, negative split and around 2:22. Look forward to reading your report.

Race: Utah Valley Marathon (26.2 Miles) 02:21:47, Place overall: 4
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
26.200.000.00

The short story: Marathon debut, 2:21:46, negative split (71:10 / 70:36), and actually ran a half-marathon PR for the second half of the race.

The long version: Today was a most excellent day. It was fun and rewarding and just felt damn good to run fast. I've put in a lot of miles this winter in an effort to get myself back to a competitive level of running. Four to five months ago my goal for this race was to get to the starting line healthy and run under 2:37 (~6 min pace). As the spring (or endless winter) progressed, consistency was the name of the game, and my fitness steadily improved. A week after running a half-marathon PR at the Provo City Half, I did a 13 mile tempo that told me I had jumped to a new level. For the last 3 weeks leading up to UVM, my workouts were fantastic, and I felt great pretty much every single day as I tapered down the mileage. I knew I was ready for a special run today. My goal was to run ~1:13 for the first half and then negative split... but even with that objective in mind and realizing that the marathon is a long race that deserves a lot of respect, my real "plan" was to run without any external or internal limits... to just go out there, lay my cards down, and let it happen... I woke up almost every hour last night hoping it was finally 3:30am and time to get going.

Now to the race... perfect temps at the start, cool and dry. Bryant Jensen and the 2 Kenyans separated right from the gun, I hung back in the second pack w/ Paul, Dave, Clyde, and Sasha. The first mile felt super easy (5:47). We picked it up a bit on the second mile (5:29) but it was still conversational. The gap to the lead pack was getting big, so Paul and I took off a bit after 2 miles. Mile 3-5 were 4:59, 5:17, 5:23. Paul kept increasing the pace so I let him go, realizing I was going at a nice tempo at that point. Mile 6 was 5:15, then we hit the rolling hills for miles 7-9 (5:32, 5:31, 5:44). The next mile was back to 5:15 for a ten mile split of 54:16. A little faster than planned, but I was feeling great, despite running alone since the ~5.5 miles.

Miles 11-13 were 5:25, 5:36, 5:23. I passed one of the Kenyans at the 12 mile marker and moved into 4th place. Came through the half-marathon in 1:11:10. Faster than I thought I would, but I was feeling great, and the plan was to run with no limits, right? I knew that unless one of the guys ahead of me really blew up, they weren't coming back, and nobody from behind was going to catch me, so I focused on running my own race.

Miles 14-20 were 5:28, 5:23, 5:37 (uphill the whole way, I was actually really happy about this split), 5:22, 5:16, 5:24, 5:15. Twenty miles in 1:48:31, and that means my ten mile splits were 54:16 / 54:15. Very consistent. Miles 21-22 were 5:22, 5:17. Now I'm starting to feel it a bit. Not really in my legs, but in my TOES! I could feel a couple blisters coming at about 16 miles. Now they were hurting pretty bad, but nothing I couldn't fight through. Miles 23-24 were 5:26, 5:37 (hill). Hurting a bit but keeping it together... For the last few miles I started thinking "keep every mile under 5:30, and break 2:23"... Mile 25 was 5:21. Back on track. Andrea was at this point and cheered me on. Put the pedal down a bit and ran 5:13 for the 26th mile. I'm trying to do the math in my head... can I possibly get under 2:22?... when I hit the final chute I saw 2:21-something on the clock, then put my head down, and just absolutely went for it. The crowd was great, and anyone that saw the finish can attest that I was probably the most excited 4th place finisher of all-time! Ran 57 seconds for the final 0.2, almost tripping over my own feet as I was pumping my fists, and came in at 2:21:46. The second half of the race was 1:10:36, which is the fastest half-marathon I've ever run.

I had to take my shoes off as soon as I finished, so I just sat down on the ground and waited for Andrea to come find me. Needless to say, my excitement doubled when she told me that she won the half-marathon! As happy as I've been about my improvement curve over the past 6 months, I'm even more stoked for her... and I honestly mean it when I say that there's no way that I would been able to run so well today without her day-to-day support. 

This race feels good in a lot of ways. I'm sure I'll have a better perspective on it in the next few days. For now I'm just going to enjoy it and not try to over-analyze it. I put in the miles, did smart workouts, had fun doing it, and executed a great race today.

It was great to finally meet a bunch of you guys today. Hopefully Andrea and I will see you at a lot more races in the future. I also want to thank Hyrum and the UVM staff for putting on an excellent event... every detail was covered and very professionally done.

Now we're going to take a few easy weeks, ski, bike, hike, and let the bodies re-charge.

The next marathon is going to be Philadelphia in November. Goal time... TBD :-)  ...but if I've learned anything about myself in the last few months as I've built up towards this race, its that I'm not putting any limits on what I'm capable of.

 

 

Comments
From Rob on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 17:48:07 from 204.15.86.95

Umm, Holy crap. And that's all I have to say about that.

Good job is an understatement.

From Paul on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 18:00:41 from 24.10.141.104

Nice meeting you, and nice job! I knew after I saw your 2x5-mile workout the other week that you're the real deal. (you can't fake workouts like that). Keep up the training and think big!

From Burt on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 18:07:37 from 72.223.90.79

Ditto Rob! But I will add my initial thought - who runs a 2:21 and comes in 4th place? Oh yeah, someone who's running against Kenyans and Paul Petersen. Awesome debut!

From emruns on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 18:07:57 from 76.27.114.171

Awesome job. I feel very inspired reading your race report. It gives me so much hope that with consistent, healthy training I can get back to the level of fitness that I would like to be at.

From fiddy on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 18:31:50 from 97.117.80.47

I loved your finish. You had good reason to be excited. Consistency pays off.

From Holt on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 19:20:18 from 50.8.79.137

So impressive (and to do it mostly by yourself)! You have got some great things aheas of you.

And great to meet you and Andrea.

From Seth on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 20:21:40 from 75.169.118.22

Nice work! Glad to see your miles paid off. I think you've got a knack for this distance!

From crockett on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 21:03:30 from 71.32.232.58

Way to go, you have real talent. I saw you go by and cheered you around mile 24.

From jtshad on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 21:08:34 from 24.10.248.6

A stellar debut! What a great race, you have a lot of marathon's ahead of you and I am sure this is the start of good things to come. Nice meeting you and Andrea, keep up the great training.

From Scott Ensign on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 21:21:04 from 71.166.250.138

big congrats on an incredible debut, awesome!!

From allie on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 21:35:42 from 24.10.191.18

it was fun seeing you charge through the finish so enthusiastically. there's lots for you to be happy about with this one. congrats on an extremely impressive debut.

From Andrea on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 21:41:07 from 67.177.21.60

Who would've thought 2:25 was conservative?!

From Jake K on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 21:53:56 from 67.177.21.60

Thanks everyone for the kind words! Today was a lot of fun! Great meeting so many of you before and after the race. I'm so happy that I joined the blog and this great running community! You guys are awesome and so supportive!

So... James, Allie - I didn't look TOO ridiculous at the finish? :-) I was pretty stoked to see I was going to get under 2:22, so I just let it all out! I hope somebody got that on video so Andrea can see it and make fun of me for it!

From allie on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 22:35:35 from 24.10.191.18

jake - yes, i got it on video. :) it really is awesome. it's currently being uploaded. stay tuned...

From Jake K on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 23:16:57 from 67.177.21.60

Oh yesss! Thank you allie! Send me the link once you have it up. Can't wait to see it.

From Fritz on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 23:40:42 from 67.182.226.25

The link is up on Allie's blog! Thanks Allie.

Great job Jake. You ran a very smart race and looked incredible at the end. Huge things to come I am sure.

From Superfly on Sun, Jun 12, 2011 at 01:21:04 from 74.211.21.81

I knew coming into this race you were gonna rock it. Way to eat your first marathon like it was nothing. Good things a head for you man.

From Little Bad Legs on Sun, Jun 12, 2011 at 01:45:36 from 68.186.75.3

Wow. Wow! WOW!!! Great time and great example of putting in the work beforehand and then being rewarded on raceday. Awesome job.

From Jon on Sun, Jun 12, 2011 at 14:09:43 from 74.177.77.120

Jake- the mileage really paid off. Congrats and go get all your goals.

From Rob Murphy on Sun, Jun 12, 2011 at 14:27:56 from 24.10.248.6

I absolutely agree with what you said in the last paragraph. It's going to be fun seeing what you can do in the next couple years. That's how it is with a big breakthrough right? It allows you to envision the next big breakthrough.

Congratulations on hanging in there with some really tough, experienced marathoners.

From Scott Wesemann on Sun, Jun 12, 2011 at 22:40:32 from 205.158.160.209

Wow! Congrats on your race. Unreal. That is seriously impressive.

From Chad Robinson on Mon, Jun 13, 2011 at 01:39:42 from 208.110.158.185

Jake - Amazing race! It has got to be exhilarating that all your insanely long training mileage is finally paying off. I don't really think there is much running wise that beats finishing your first marathon well (extremely well in your case). Good luck this summer and fall and please don't get injured.

From Nate on Mon, Jun 13, 2011 at 10:35:17 from 67.20.210.229

Super crazy great job! Wonderful the milage and work paid off!

I laughed at this quote "We picked it up a bit on the second mile (5:29) but it was still conversational."

From Adam RW on Wed, Jun 15, 2011 at 00:38:36 from 24.10.132.131

Jake, What a truly amazing debut. Congrats to seeing all your efforts pay off.

From jhaddock on Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 14:51:25 from 67.166.127.0

I'm in your photo there at the finish line. I'm the dork behind you in the compression sleeves. I was throwing something away and saw you getting your picture taken and was trying to get out of the shot. Great job on the race.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
2.200.000.00

AM - 2.2 miles. Easy "shake out the kinks" run. Surprisingly, I'm not really even sore. The balls of my feet and a few toes are blistered... but my legs feel fine. Of course that makes me think I could have run harder! :-) The toe pain I had in the last few miles was perhaps as much of a limiting factor as muscular fatigue. Whatever... I'm not second guessing yesterday's race at all!

Cruised around on bikes for a few hours in the afternoon (primarily looking to see which store had the best sale on M&Ms), and catching up on some chores that have been neglected in the past week. Nice to just enjoy an easy day.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
3.000.000.00

AM - Rode my bike up to work. Took almost as long as it take me to run!
PM - 3 miles. Biked down to Sugarhouse, ran w/ Andrea, then biked home. I feel great... but I'm still taking it super easy this week.

I did a little breakdown of splits of UVM at work today that I think is interesting (which I also posted on my other blog, and that version includes a gross picture of my foot that I didn't want to subject everyone on here to look at!)... I took my mile splits and compared them to Paul's. We ran together for the first 6 miles, before he pulled away and chased down the leaders. He ended up finishing 2 minutes and 17 seconds ahead of me, and I wanted to see at what point during the race I lost that time to him.

After Paul put a small gap on me during the 7th mile, I actually made up some time on mile 8-9, which were primarily uphill and pretty difficult. At mile 10 Paul caught the leaders and obviously that spiced things up a bit up front, and they started flying. From 10-19 is where they really pulled away, except for miles 12 and 16, which had big hills. Over the last 10K, I actually ran fairly close to what Paul ran.

So, the positives I take from this are that I ran the uphills very well and closed strong for the last 10K. I'm much stronger on uphills than downhills... so that is something I need to work on... but I'm glad that its not the other way around. The middle part of the race will come with more training and experience. It would not have been wise to try and match Paul's acceleration after the 6th mile... I may have been able to hang for a while, but it absolutely would have come back to bite me later on. I'm happy that I was smart enough to let him go and focus on running my own race, and running negative splits.

If you saw allie's video of my finish, its clear that I had something left in the tank at the end. That is another good sign.

Comments
From Paul on Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 08:30:53 from 24.10.141.104

My watch had run out of memory after Mile 23, and as I look back at it, I think Mile 24 was closer to 5:30. But not sure.

It's a good sign that you had that much left for the last 10K. Most of marathoning is just getting to Mile 20 and then seeing what kind of pop you have in your legs.

From Jake K on Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 11:32:01 from 12.53.162.244

That might actually make sense, Paul... if I put 5:30 into that chart I made, it makes up for the difference I was getting b/w our actual times and the difference due to the mile splits. In any case, I was just happy to not blow up and almost be able to match what you guys did in the last 10K

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
4.500.000.00

AM - 4.5 mi
PM - Skied a lap at Alta... nothing like skiing in plaid shorts at 7pm! On a good note, my toe blisters are healed enough to wear ski boots, which means they are 99% better.

From Random June

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
6.700.000.00

AM - 6.7 mi. Now I'm sitting in the airport... flying to Philadelphia (work conference) for the remainder of the week. The upside of this trip is that I get to run a bit of the marathon course.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
9.000.000.00

AM - 9 miles from downtown Philly to the art museum, and then on the path along the Schuylkill River. Out and back. Nice run. 

Comments
From jtshad on Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 08:54:10 from 69.20.183.178

Be safe in the big city! Have a good trip.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
9.000.000.00

AM - 9 miles along the river again in Philly... the final miles of the marathon course. There is a short, gradual uphill over the last quarter mile of the course. Definitely will be remembering that one in November!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
11.400.000.00

Flew back from Philly early this morning. Ran 11.4 miles easy w/ Andrea when I got back.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
7.700.000.00

AM - 7.7 miles, rain run! We were planning of skiing Superior or Timp today, but obviously the weather gods are not cooperating. So now we are prepping gear for vacation (leaving next Friday). We're going to Tahoe and then either Mt Shasta or the Sierra Eastside for skiing, trail running, and biking. Luckily the planning isn't as extensive as last summer's "vacation", a 225 mile thru-hike on the John Muir Trail.

Comments
From Derunzo on Mon, Jun 20, 2011 at 12:06:34 from 64.56.60.130

Just watched your 2010 Summer Vacation video.... looks like you both had an unbelievable experience. Damn you DAIRY QUEEN! Ha ha!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
10.100.000.00

AM - 10.1 miles easy

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
10.800.000.00

AM - 10.8 miles. Ran 40 minutes solo, then looped back home and did 5 mi w/ Andrea.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
13.900.000.00

AM - 10.7 miles. Let myself run a little quicker this morning and it felt good. Getting excited about our upcoming vacation. We are leaving for California on Friday afternoon... heading to Tahoe/Mammoth Lakes for 10 days of skiing, running, and biking.
PM - 3.2 miles easy run w/ Andrea.

Comments
From jun on Wed, Jun 22, 2011 at 11:05:34 from 205.158.160.209

Jealous. Friday afternoon I'll be heading to Laramie, WY. Not quite the same.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
13.000.000.00

AM - 7.2 miles, easy run up to work.
PM - 5.8 miles. Ran down to the track and did 6 x 200m, averaging 31 seconds. We're going to be in Mammoth Lakes on July 4th, and they have a road mile race that day as part of the town's festivities... and according to twitter, it seems like Josh Cox will probably be running, along with who knows how many other Olympians that live there... so I just wanted to see if I had any turnover in my legs after the marathon (I do). If I end up doing the run, it will be at the end of our trip, so I won't be taking it too seriously.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
11.600.000.00

AM - 7.2 miles up to work.
PM - 4.4 miles, from work to downtown... Andrea picked me up and we drove all the way to Carson City, NV.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
12.500.000.00

AM - 8 miles on a foothill jeep trail in Carson City, with a few nice climbs. 
PM - 4.5 miles around some South Tahoe neighborhoods.

In between we did a great bike ride at Heavenly up one of the service roads... about a 2500 foot climb over the first half of an 11 mile ride. Stopped once we hit too much snow.

From Summer Vacation - South Tahoe

From Summer Vacation - South Tahoe
 

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
5.500.000.00

Another great multi-sport day. Did a quick 5.5 mile run on the lake in the morning, then went to ski Mt. Tallac, the most prominent peak seen from South Tahoe. Even though its almost July and Tahoe is only @ 6K feet, the couloirs are still pretty filled in. We skied an awesome line called the Cathedral Couloir, which had a nice, steep entry off the top. Lots of fun. Finished up the day with some mountain biking. Put up a bunch of pics on my picasa page

From Summer Vacation - South Tahoe

 

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
13.000.000.00

AM - 8 miles on the Rubicon Trail around Emerald Bay w/ Andrea. Amazing trail, right on the water. One of the most beautiful trails I have ever run.
PM - 5 miles in Kings Beach w/ Andrea biking along.

In between we skied 2 runs at Alpine Meadows in awesome summer conditions. We were able to ski right to the car.

From Summer Vacation - Emerald Bay and Alpine Meadows
We ran around this bay, which was superb.

From Summer Vacation - Emerald Bay and Alpine Meadows

From Summer Vacation - Emerald Bay and Alpine Meadows

 

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
9.000.000.00

AM - 9 miles w/ a handful of lung-busting hills in North Tahoe.
Then skied 2 laps (skinned 3000 feet) at Alpine Meadows (went to Squaw Valley first, but Alpine actually had more snow)... in the afternoon we did an awesome mountain bike ride w/ another 1000 feet of climbing on some XC ski trails that Andrea found. I'm exhausted!

Ran into this guy during lunch...

The running trails here are pretty sweet...

 

Comments
From jun on Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 10:18:01 from 205.158.160.209

Now that's a vacation!!!

From Scott Wesemann on Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 16:51:11 from 66.239.250.209

Sounds incredible. Great pics as well.

From JD on Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 17:26:19 from 70.96.78.149

Still skiing in late June! Nice!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.000.000.00

AM - 15 miles. It was raining all night, so we slept in. Ran 8 mi w/ Andrea in Incline Village on the bike path, then ran back to Kings Beach along the lake and added on a few large hills. Gotta take advantage of the perfect altitude (in my opinion, training at ~6500 feet is ideal).
PM - 4 miles

In between, the weather cleared so we went up to Mt Rose, skinned up to the summit, and skied a lap... battling some pretty large suncups on the descent. The next 4 days look perfect - weather going back to sunny, low 80s, and 0% chance of rain. Tomorrow we are headed south to Tioga Pass... should be some awesome skiing... can't wait.

From Summer Vacation - North Tahoe
 

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
12.000.000.00

AM - 8 miles in Tahoe
PM - 4 miles on a nice trail in June Lake w/ Andrea. We could definitely feel the lack of O2 now that we are up to 7650 feet! Tomorrow we'll be at 9K in Mammoth.
In between runs, we drove from Tahoe down 395 to Tioga Pass and skied Ellery Bowl. It was INCREDIBLE. The upper section of the bowl was pushing 50 degrees, no exaggeration. Climbing it was a bit scary... dropping in and actually skiing the top took some confidence. Major kudos to Andrea for absolutely rocking this! I would say that this line makes skiing Mt Superior feel like the bunny slope! :-) The scenery in the Yosemite high country is stunning... even if you aren't a skier, you'll appreciate these pics: Tioga Pass / Ellery Bowl

From Summer Vacation - Tioga Pass


Comments
From Burt on Fri, Jul 01, 2011 at 01:04:28 from 72.223.90.79

Holy smokes Jake! These pictures are incredible!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
11.000.000.00

AM - 8 miles. Ran a hilly loop around June Lake w/ Andrea, then added on a few more miles.
PM - 3 miles. Wanted to see how 9000 feet felt. Afterwards, I signed up for the road mile in Mammoth on July 4th, so I guess it didn't feel too bad! I'm planning on getting my butt kicked in this race, but it will be a fun way to cap off the trip.

We got to Mammoth Lakes in the afternoon... took a leisurely bike ride around the upper lakes, then skied a lap on the mountain after the lifts closed down for the day. There is a TON of snow here! 

June Lake:
 

Mammoth Crest:

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
7.000.000.00

AM - 7 miles. Ran UP the hill from our hotel (which is at 8900 feet). First few minutes were lung-burning!

The rest of the morning was dedicated to skiing. We skinned up to the east side of Mammoth Mountain and skied a few laps on some steeper terrain, then came back over to the main side and took a groomer back to the bottom. A little over 3K feet total. 

After a solid pool/hottub/lunch session, we did an incredibly scenic mountain bike ride on the Inyo Craters loops. 13+ miles and about 1100 feet of uphill. It was all sand, so even the flat sections were a lot of work! This area has an unreal system of forest roads and trails. 

Another shot of Mammoth Crest:
From Summer Vacation - Mammoth Lakes

 

Andrea riding against an incredible backdrop ...
 

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
8.000.000.00

AM - 3.5 miles, up the hill.
PM - 4.5 miles w/ Andrea, then 6 x 50m strides.

Today was basically a scaled-back version of yesterday. We ran, skied a fun couloir that I've been eyeing for a few days, and took an easy bike ride around town. Andrea and I have done a TON of cool stuff on this trip... in addition to running ~80 miles this week, we've skied for 8 straight days, done some great mountain bike rides, and spent a lot of time hot-tubbing! Between running/skiing/biking, I've cranked out ~30-35,000 feet of vertical in the past 9 days... but it doesn't even feel like that much because its been so much fun.

Tomorrow I'll race the mile in the morning, then we have the 9+ hr drive back to SLC.

We took out the camera for a little running photo-shoot today... easy to see why so many elites love Mammoth Lakes...

From Summer Vacation - Mammoth Lakes

From Summer Vacation - Mammoth Lakes

The skiing isn't too shabby for early July, either :-)

Lots more pics of Mammoth Lakes 

Race: Mammoth Lakes Freedom Mile (1 Miles) 00:04:37, Place overall: 3
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
9.000.000.00

Capped off our summer vacation by jumping in the Mammoth Lakes Freedom Mile this morning before we drove back to SLC. Our vacation turned out to be quite a training camp, so I was by no means rested for this one. In fact, my legs were actually a bit dead when I was warming up... so I just wanted to have some fun and see what I could do at 8000 feet. Josh Cox and Tim Tollefson got out in front of me off the start, and I couldn't really mix it up with them. I hung behind Josh & Tim, but he put the gas pedal down at the halfway point, and I resolved to run what felt like 5K effort the rest of the way :-) I wish I had gone harder after Tim, but I had too much fun running/skiing/biking for the past 9 days to have enough in my legs to make that possible. I hope I never have to race anything longer than a mile at that altitude, that's for sure! Cooled down 5 miles w/ Andrea to take advantage of one last chance to run in Mammoth, then made the drive back in 8.5 hours.

This was a good first post-marathon race, and a great end to end the vacation. I feel super strong right now, fully recovered, and I'm totally ready to get back into summer training mode and start building the miles back up... I think the focus for this summer will be to pop a good half at Top of Utah, and then hopefully take a shot at the OTQ this fall if things continue to go well.

From Summer Vacation - Mammoth Lakes

From Summer Vacation - Mammoth Lakes

 

Comments
From Burt on Tue, Jul 05, 2011 at 12:37:49 from 206.19.214.144

Whew, that's fast! Is that Josh Cox in the bottom picture? It doesn't look like him. But he's a nice guy. Jeff Shadley got to run with him in the Boston Marathon a couple of years ago. Jeff won the PowerBar contest and got to have Josh pace him the first half and some other super triathlon guy pace him the 2nd half.

From Jake K on Tue, Jul 05, 2011 at 12:40:10 from 155.100.226.53

Yeah, that is Josh... he kicked my butt! Super nice guy... enjoyed chatting w/ him for a bit after the race.

From Superfly on Tue, Jul 05, 2011 at 15:05:32 from 74.211.21.81

Fun to run with those guys. Good job!

From jtshad on Tue, Jul 05, 2011 at 15:56:04 from 204.134.132.225

Congrats, that is still smokin' fast. Y

Josh is a good guy, talked with him again this year at the RnR Arizona marathon. The triathlete I ran with was Peter Reid, a three time Ironman world champ.

From Burt on Tue, Jul 05, 2011 at 16:18:03 from 206.19.214.144

Oh, hi Jeff. Don't forget to tell him that you had to leave Peter in your dust.

From Seth on Wed, Jul 06, 2011 at 12:34:41 from 199.188.28.8

Wow, Josh Cox! What a cool way to end your road trip. Great job in the race.

From Holt on Wed, Jul 06, 2011 at 23:22:14 from 97.126.207.32

Cool experience - too bad you didn't lay it to Cox!

From Sasha Pachev on Wed, Jul 13, 2011 at 21:08:02 from 192.168.1.1

What time did Josh get?

From Jake K on Wed, Jul 13, 2011 at 21:10:59 from 67.177.21.60

He ran about 4:26. So he put about 8 seconds on me in the 2nd half of the race! :-0

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.700.000.00

AM - 9.3 miles. Wasatch Dr from HCI, out & back. Felt good. Now back to real life and work!
PM - 7.4 miles. Up the hill to 215 & back.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
17.400.000.00

AM - 9 miles. Ran up to work. Perfect temps this morning. I was expecting it to be 100 degrees in SLC when we got back from California. This weather is feeling pretty good. Updated my personal blog yesterday w/ all the highlights from our vacation: Summer Vacation Roundup
PM - 8.4 miles. Down to Sugarhouse and ran 2 laps around the park w/ Andrea.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
12.000.000.00

AM - 12 miles. Did a little tempo workout today. Ran from the HCI up Emigration Canyon to the firehouse (6 miles), then did 4 miles quicker coming back down in 20:42, then easy for the last 2 miles back to work. I only knew my start point and the four mile point of the tempo portion, so I has no idea what my pace was until the end. Felt more like ~5:30 effort, so the fact that it was actually under 5:10 pace is a good sign. 

PM - Took the mountain bikes for a spin on the Millcreek pipeline trail. No rattlesnakes!

Comments
From Burt on Fri, Jul 08, 2011 at 11:27:24 from 72.223.90.99

Is no rattlesnakes a good thing or a bad thing? If they make you run faster, they are a good thing.

From Jake K on Fri, Jul 08, 2011 at 11:35:53 from 155.100.226.53

Rattlesnakes are a very, very, VERY bad thing. I had 2 encounters last June in Millcreek, and didn't go back until October!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.900.000.00

AM - 7.7 miles. Up to work, nice and easy.
PM - 8.2 miles. Ran home, Andrea met me on her bike and rode back w/ me.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.000.000.00

AM - 20 miles in Park City on the rail trail dirt roads. Really nice run... absolutely perfect weather, and did over 90% of the run on soft surfaces. Andrea and I crewed a water station at the 10K trail race in the morning, so biking the course was our warmup. Then after the race was over we started our run. She ran the first ~9 miles w/ me, then escorted me on the bike for the last 11 miles. Averaged 7-flat pace for the first half, then low 6:20s for the second half. Just cruise control pace on a great day. I'm hoping to do a lot of my long runs in PC this summer & fall... I don't know if the little extra altitude boost will help, but it certainly won't hurt!

Comments
From Fritz on Sat, Jul 09, 2011 at 16:22:37 from 65.100.192.74

That's a good idea. I was training in montana at 6,500 ft on dirt last week and felt a difference when I came back. I would be up for a long run up there on a saturday or sunday if you need the company.

From Jake K on Sat, Jul 09, 2011 at 16:28:04 from 67.177.21.60

Yeah, we should definitely start getting together for some of these longer runs. I'm running Draper Days next Saturday... but I'd be down for another PC long run next Sunday. Plus, while Andrea is still healing up her back, we get free bike supports (aka water bottles) along the run!

From Fritz on Sat, Jul 09, 2011 at 16:59:09 from 65.100.192.74

I might run Draper Days too as a tune up for Des News. I guess I will need to take a rain check on the PC run because I don't want to overdue it before the marathon the week after. Let's for sure do a few up there in August and Sept.

From Rob Murphy on Sat, Jul 09, 2011 at 17:07:27 from 98.202.141.17

That sounds like a nice run. I've lived here since 2002 and been to Park City a billion times and didn't know about a "rail trail". I will soon be gearing up for the USATF Masters championship at Twin Cities in October and was just thinking that I need some fresh long run terrain.

Can you describe it and tell me where you access it?

From Jake K on Sat, Jul 09, 2011 at 19:33:58 from 67.177.21.60

Rob - Here's a link that describes it pretty well:

http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/trails/railtrl.htm

We picked it up @ the ice arena / hospital area near Hwy 40. There are a ton of other great trails in that area too. Look up "Round Valley"

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.100.000.00

AM - 11.3 miles. Its hard to beat running early on Sunday mornings... no cars, nice and peaceful. Probably my favorite time to run.
PM - 2.8 miles. A little shakeout run w/ Andrea after we went skiing.

Closed out the ski season by skiing the main chute on Mt Baldy today. Nice way to cap it off.

Comments
From Tom Slick on Sun, Jul 10, 2011 at 22:26:06 from 69.171.160.99

A local elite you are!!! And what an empressive mileage for the year you have racked up!!!! So whats your nest conquest??? DNews, SGM, or maybe the Boston '12???? I impressed with your dedication!

From Jake K on Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 10:58:04 from 155.100.226.53

Hey Tom - Thanks! My marathon focus for this fall is Philadelphia... going to try for an OTQ. Next year I'd like to run some more of the Utah marathons like STG.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
17.700.000.00

AM - 9.5 miles up to work, easy.
PM - 8.2 miles home.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
17.400.000.00

AM - 10 miles. Did a workout at Highland/Sugarhouse this morning while it was still nice and cool outside. Ran a few miles to warmup, then did 4x200m in 33-34 secs to get the legs moving. Then did a 2-mile tempo effort on the park inner loop road in 10:11. Jogged back over to the track, ran a mile in 4:52, then 4x200m in 32-33 secs. Cooled down by jogging the perimeter loop. Felt good during the whole thing. 

PM - 7.4 miles easy on the grass at Sugarhouse w/ Andrea. 

Comments
From Andrea on Tue, Jul 12, 2011 at 11:05:52 from 72.37.171.52

YOU ARE FAST!

From Steve Hooper on Wed, Jul 13, 2011 at 23:14:55 from 209.33.254.93

Good job Jake, way to get those legs turning over!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
17.200.000.00

AM - 9.5 miles easy up to work.
PM - 7.7 miles home. Today was, I believe, the 4th time in the past 10 days my department at work has had cake in the afternoon. I'm not even sure what or who the parties are for at this point! I just home they keep up this trend as I keep pushing up my mileage!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.100.000.00

AM - 8.1 miles up to work. 

PM - 7 miles. Ran from work down to the Sugarhouse track (~5 mi), then did a quick set of reps to feel out 5K pace. Ran 6 x 300m in 53-54 seconds (100m jog in between), and then 2 x 200m in ~32 seconds. Looking forward to running Draper Days on Saturday and seeing if I can be in the mix.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
9.000.000.00

AM - 8 miles. Sunnyside/Wasatch, nice and easy. 
PM - 1 mile shakeout after work.

Race: Draper Days 5K (3.1 Miles) 00:15:04, Place overall: 4
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.400.000.00

AM - Draper Days 5K... ran 15:04 for 4th place. We had a pack of 5 (Teren, Jamal, Brandon, James, and myself) that stayed together for about a mile. Came through the 1st mile in 4:50. At that point Teren made a little surge and gapped me a bit. Jamal and Brandon stayed with him. Second mile was 4:41 (had some downhill). I didn't think I'd be able to catch any of the 3 guys in front of me, so I just tried to not slow down too much on the 3rd mile (slightly uphill). Hit the 3rd mile in 5:08. Brandon wasn;t too far ahead at that point, so I tried to throw down a kick (25), but came up just short. In hindsight, if I had changed gears about 100m earlier, I probably could have got him. Coulda-shoulda-woulda!

Overall, I'm happy with this. I need to get that killer instinct in these shorter races. I finished with way too much left in the tank. In races like these, I think you always have an extra gear or two, but its hard to let yourself hurt enough to go there. Marathon training and racing is so much more methodical.  I'm going to run a handful of other shorter races this summer while I continue to build my mileage back up... they are great VO2 max workouts.

Warmup was 3 miles on the course w/ Andrea... Cooldown was 6 miles w/ Andrea, Emily, and Bill.

Next weekend we are going to Tennessee, so I'll take a shot at breaking 15 minutes at a race down there if the humidity and southern cooking doesn't kill me! 

PM -  4.4 miles easy. Nice and hot out. Heard we missed some fireworks after the race at the awards ceremony... sheesh... kinda glad I didn't win any money today and didn't stick around for that.

From Random July 2011

Comments
From Andrea on Sat, Jul 16, 2011 at 13:44:42 from 67.177.21.60

I can't wait for good 'ol home cooking!!! Be prepared for everyone to tell you that you are too skinny. My goal is to not gain more than 2lbs on our Tennessee trip! haha Good thing the race will be the 2nd day of the trip, not the end.

From Steve on Sat, Jul 16, 2011 at 19:10:24 from 209.235.31.148

Great race! I considered trying to catch you guys. For a few seconds anyways!

From Seth on Sun, Jul 17, 2011 at 23:26:18 from 75.169.118.44

Great run, sub 5 is rockin! Keep killin it,

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
22.000.000.00

AM - 19 miles. Long run on the Jeremy Ranch road. What a great place to run! I feel like I already hit the jackpot in my search for dirt roads that are over 6000 feet. Nice gradual rolling hills on hardpack dirt. This is going to be a staple long run location. I also finally broke down and got a Garmin watch (specifically for these longer runs and trail runs). Ran the first 10 miles w/ Andrea at 7:00 pace, then picked it up a bit for the next 7 miles (6:18) while she biked with me. Threw in a fast mile for #18 (4:51) and then an easy mile to cap it off. Total run was 2:06:19. Perfect morning... started at 8am and it stayed relatively cool.

PM - 3 miles shakeout.  

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.500.000.00

AM - 11.5 miles up to work via Parleys Trail / Wasatch Drive. Kept the pace intentionally very slow this morning.

PM - 9 miles. Ran home... clouds cooled it off a bit and it felt pretty good outside. 

Comments
From Fritz on Mon, Jul 18, 2011 at 21:38:05 from 65.116.116.6

Do you keep a closet of clothes at work or do you run with a backpack? I struggle with figuring out how to get my laptop and clothes to and from work every day.

From Jake K on Mon, Jul 18, 2011 at 21:40:25 from 67.177.21.60

I usually drive to work once or twice a week, and leave a duffel bag of clothes and food for a few days. It requires a bit of planning ahead, but its totally worth it. I save tons of time via no commuting, and I am never tempted to miss an afternoon run because I wont get home otherwise!

From Fritz on Mon, Jul 18, 2011 at 21:44:43 from 65.116.116.6

I could definitely rack up some miles if I got in this habit. PB&J and a loaf of bread are already in the refrigerator so the food is taken care of. Just need to remedy not taking my laptop home, which has become a bad habit.

From Jake K on Tue, Jul 19, 2011 at 10:29:34 from 155.100.226.53

There is no way I would have gotten in the miles that I did this winter w/out run commuting. Luckily I don't have to deal w/ a laptop or carry anything more than my ID card.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.500.000.00

AM - 14 miles. Emigration Canyon. Ran up steady, then 5 miles down faster in 25:33 (5:16, 5:13, 5:10, 5:07, 4:48). The goal today was simply to work on form... running "soft" on my toes and turning my legs over quick w/out expending too much energy. The first 4 miles were easy at that pace, so I picked it up a bit to finish off the workout. This week I'm just trying to get in some solid mileage, but also trying to have some pop in my legs for the 5K in Tennessee this weekend.

PM - 4.5 miles super easy on the wood chips at Liberty Park. 

Comments
From Adam RW on Tue, Jul 19, 2011 at 12:04:15 from 155.101.152.123

Will you be back in time to run the 10K on Monday? I think you would have fun! It is a fast course.

From Jake K on Tue, Jul 19, 2011 at 12:09:28 from 155.100.226.53

No we won't be back until Wednesday. Otherwise I'd definitely run the 10K... its seems like a really competitive race which would be a lot of fun. I'll definitely make it a point to run Des News next year.

From Scott Wesemann on Tue, Jul 19, 2011 at 12:38:27 from 66.239.250.209

Nice miles so far this week. Your training blows my mind. Good luck with your 5K. Hey, Jun and I might do the Devil's Castle couloir tomorrow morning if you want in.

From Jake K on Tue, Jul 19, 2011 at 19:29:44 from 155.100.226.53

Early to work all week for me b/c I am leaving early on Friday. If that couloir is still in good condition this late, that is amazing. The lines on Mt Baldy (as of last weekend) were all still very skiiable... so I'm actually not going to be surprised if the castle is still good to go. I'll be interested to hear how it goes!

From Scott Wesemann on Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 13:02:39 from 66.239.250.209

Jun had to bail because of a work issue, so we might try it next week if it's still in.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.500.000.00

AM - 10.5 miles up to work, very easy.

PM - 8 miles. Down to Sugarhouse, met Andrea, and did a couple laps on the grass. 

Comments
From Holt on Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 17:35:07 from 71.213.88.46

Back burning up the miles and workouts! Nice job.

Good luck in your race this weekend.

From Jake K on Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 21:16:58 from 67.177.21.60

Thanks Dave. Trying to find the right mix of bumping up the volume and mixing in enough faster efforts so I'm not feeling stale (but also not doing anything too hard too soon).

Seems like you've been getting some solid mileage in as well... are you planning a fall marathon? St George?

From Holt on Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 16:47:39 from 71.213.88.46

Yeah, I'll hit SGM. My wife thinks I should go somewhere else - but it is just too hard to pass up the hometown race and the glory that comes with always taking 5th! or something like that.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.000.000.00

AM - 7.5 miles up to work. Another perfect, cool morning. I hope I don't jinx it, but the weather has been amazing ever since winter ended in early June.

If you haven't seen the Letsrun series on RoJo's trip to Kenya, post #4 is worth a read.

PM - 6.5 miles. Ran down to the Highland track and did my typical "Thursday before a race" tune up... 4 x 300m in 52 seconds, then 4 x 200m in 32-33 seconds. 

Comments
From jun on Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 10:46:26 from 205.158.160.209

Just because I figure you'll find it interesting and appreciate it, my friend skied Suicide Chute (at least the lower half plus runout). They laughed the whole time at skiing in late July.

From Jake K on Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 10:48:20 from 155.100.226.53

That's awesome! It might still be skiiable in August, which is amazing!

From ACorn on Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 14:32:36 from 68.66.168.22

Thanks for the link to that post, it was fascinating.

From emruns on Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 20:56:26 from 76.27.114.171

I've been reading the series on LetsRun. It is so fascinating, and it makes me want to go to Kenya to train. Can you imagine doing a fartlek workout with 200 other people? And that's a slow day?

From Jake K on Fri, Jul 22, 2011 at 11:18:01 from 155.100.226.53

Its pretty incredible and these kinds of articles really can help us understand why the Africans dominate! Yeah, they have some genetic advantages (body type) and they are born at altitude, but for the most part, they are HUNGRY for success and works their butts off.

It would be really fun to go there and train.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
11.900.000.00

AM - 7.5 miles up to work.

PM - 4.4 miles. Running downtown from work, where Andrea picks me up on the way to the airport.  Traveling the rest of the day to Knoxville. The heat index there is supposed to be over 100 tomorrow. Good luck to everyone racing Des News (and other races) this weekend!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.000.000.00

AM - 15 miles. We were supposed to run a 5K in Knoxville this morning... but we were also supposed to get here at 9pm last night. Due to who knows what issues the airlines were having, we sat in Denver's airport for an extra 6+ hours, and didn't get to Andrea's house and to sleep until almost 4am. Yesterday was a long, slightly annoying day. So, even though I was still feeling pretty good, I didn't see the point in racing on 90 minutes of sleep. No point in wearing myself out. Instead I decided to just make today an easy run... ran the first 5 miles w/ Andrea, then 10 more solo. It is so HUMID here! I was dripping sweat about 2 minutes into the run and didn't stop sweating until about a half hour after I finished running. Despite the humidity, it felt good to run all the nonstop rolling hills through the countryside... I love this type of terrain.

Slightly disappointed that we didn't get to race, because I really felt that a sub 15 was in the cards, despite logging a lot of mileage this week. 

PM - 5 miles easy. Spent the day on a boat (First time trying to water ski, I couldn't even get up!... Andrea is awesome at it so it was fun watching her). Did a little shakeout run (on some major hills) before dinner.

Comments
From Jon on Sat, Jul 23, 2011 at 16:14:56 from 74.177.119.146

Too bad you couldn't race. The heat/humidity in the South really saps energy during runs. Runworks calculator says a temp of 80 adds 26 seconds to a 5k versus temps below 60- so a sub 15 would have been amazing.

From Jake K on Sat, Jul 23, 2011 at 23:50:26 from 24.159.182.27

Yeah I think I'd actually have a better shot at going under 15 up at higher altitude than in this world of humidity! Its pretty rough!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
3.800.000.00

AM - 2.8 miles. Weird morning. Felt awesome when I woke up (my resting heart rate has been 36 BPM the last 2 mornings, where its usually around 39). Andrea and I were just about 20 minutes into our run, going really easy, when I took a step, felt something shoot up from my butt up through my back, and instantly I felt like I had no strength in my back/core. Knowing discretion is the better part of valor, I just stopped and walked back while Andrea ran back home and came to pick me up w/ a car. I have no idea what brought this on... its definitely not an overuse injury. I think I just took a weird step and hit it just wrong. My theory is that I probably jerked some muscles in my back around while trying to waterski yesterday. I learned my lesson... its hard to do those kinds of things (especially some new type of movement pattern) when you are pushing the mileage. Gotta be careful. The rest of today will probably be a rest day, which I haven't had in a very long time, so maybe its a good thing?

Anyone ever experienced something like this before? A shooting pain just coming out of nowhere?

PM - 1 mile jog... it didn't feel right so I bagged it, then bagged up a ton of ice and froze down my back. 

Comments
From Scott Wesemann on Mon, Jul 25, 2011 at 14:38:35 from 66.239.250.209

It sounds like a muscle spasm to me. Yes, I have had it happen before and I would bet it was from the water-ski the day before. You probably worked a muscle you don't use as often and it was still fatigued. Whenever I have had a similar experience it has always been the day after I have been doing something semi-difficult that I don't usually do.

From Jake K on Tue, Jul 26, 2011 at 11:02:11 from 69.131.218.205

Scott - thanks... I think you are right on the money. I was thinking worst case scenario immediately, of course... but what you said makes more sense. It actually relieved my mind to read your comment last night.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
0.000.000.00

No running today. My last day completely off was in September 2010. I rode the bike w/ Andrea while she ran, and then we went white water rafting (which surprisingly didn't really bother my back too much). 

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.000.000.00

AM - 13 miles. Woke up and felt quite a bit better, so decided to at least try and jog around the block... and just kept going. Ran 10 w/ Andrea then added on 3 more. We kept the pace super easy (~8 min / mile), but I felt fine, so that was really encouraging. I'm not doing any faster running this week, just easy jogging until I feel 100% again. Running today was FUN!... I was on the verge of a mental breakdown last night so it felt great to be back out on the roads!

PM - 6 miles easy. Picked up the pace a little at the end and felt ok. My back is feeling a lot better than yesterday, and even better this afternoon than this morning. I think Sunday's incident was just a muscle spasm. Heading back to SLC first thing tomorrow morning... goodbye humidity! :-)

Comments
From Andrea on Tue, Jul 26, 2011 at 17:17:50 from 24.159.182.27

only on the verge of a mental breakdown?? I would say it was pretty full-blown! :o) But I'm also very happy that your life isn't coming to an end today. Happy Jake is BACK!

From Fritz on Wed, Jul 27, 2011 at 20:40:33 from 65.116.116.6

Glad to see that you won't need a therapist.

From Jake K on Wed, Jul 27, 2011 at 22:35:02 from 67.177.21.60

I definitely don't need a physical therapist... the jury is still out on whether I need a mental therapist!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.900.000.00

AM - 8 miles. Had to get this one in early (at 4am) before flying from Knoxville back to SLC. Back is feeling even better than yesterday, although being on airplanes for the past 7 hours didn't really aid the recovery process. 

PM - 8.9 miles easy. Ran down to Sugarhouse, met Andrea, ran some loops on the grass... the usual routine. 

Comments
From Burt on Wed, Jul 27, 2011 at 15:12:01 from 206.19.214.144

You're all over the place lately. Nice run.

From Scott Wesemann on Wed, Jul 27, 2011 at 19:02:48 from 66.239.250.209

Good to see you're back is feeling better. I'm sure the plane wouldn't help at all. I bet a muscle relaxer would would make everything right again :)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.200.000.00

AM - 9.2 miles up to work. Another noticeable improvement in how my back feel this morning. Almost back to normal.

PM - 7 miles easy breezy. 

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.400.000.00

AM - 11.4 miles up to work via Parleys Trail / Wasatch. My back felt great. Couple more days of easy paced runs and I think it will be 100%.

PM - 7 miles. Ran from work to the parking area for Parley's trail above Tanner Park. Now we're in Park City for the weekend... got 2 nights at the Westgate condos at the Canyons in exchange for going to a 1 hr seminar / tour tomorrow afternoon. Pretty good deal! 

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
24.000.000.00

AM - 20 miles on the Jeremy Ranch road. Ran 14 w/ Andrea, then 6 more. Averaged just under 7 min pace for the entire thing. It was cloudy and cool this morning... really nice running weather. Other than the cows that try to create a blockade on the road, this is my favorite place to do long runs. The total elevation gain/loss for the 20 miles is ~800 feet, pretty much rolling the whole way.

PM - 4 miles. Up a dirt road at the Canyons... serious climb for an afternoon shakeout! 

From Random July 2011

Being stalked by cows... 

Comments
From Rob Murphy on Sat, Jul 30, 2011 at 23:14:42 from 98.202.141.17

I actually had it in the back of my mind that I might join you guys this morning. Still a little too beat up from Monday though.

From Jake K on Sat, Jul 30, 2011 at 23:24:33 from 66.29.166.125

Give those legs a rest and join us next weekend!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.000.000.00

AM - 15 miles on the bike paths that run between the Canyons and Park City. Ran a little over an hour, then picked up Andrea and went back out. Nice run... cool morning.

PM - Did some mountain biking... rode a big loop in Park City... 22+ miles w/ 2600 ft of climbing. Its funny how I can run a trail like that a lot faster than I can bike it!

Put up a bunch of pics on my blog: Park City Weekend 

Comments
From allie on Sun, Jul 31, 2011 at 23:20:02 from 24.10.191.18

cool pictures. you two really know how to make the most of your weekends!

From Jake K on Mon, Aug 01, 2011 at 10:43:02 from 155.100.226.53

That's why we can't stay awake past 9pm! :-)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
22.000.000.00

AM - 14 miles. Did a workout at Sugarhouse Park on the inner road loop: 4 x 2 miles - 10:38, 10:23, 10:22, 10:20. Was shooting for marathon pace, but ended up averaging a few ticks faster. Did about a half-mile jog b/w reps. 

I found out this morning that I received a complimentary entry to the Philadelphia Marathon this November, so that's good. Their "elite" program get me access to a nice little warmup area, private bathrooms, etc.

PM - 8 miles on the BST, from HCI heading north. Took it super easy (~8:20 pace) and just enjoyed it. Nice change of pace for my legs. 

Comments
From Andrea on Mon, Aug 01, 2011 at 14:59:20 from 72.37.171.52

This song always makes me think of you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLexgOxsZu0

From Jake K on Mon, Aug 01, 2011 at 15:00:49 from 155.100.226.53

That's the anthem of my life!

From Rob Murphy on Mon, Aug 01, 2011 at 15:29:24 from 98.202.141.17

Nice splits on those hills.

Private bathrooms are the best part of recieving an elite entry. If you're still doing this stuff when you're 40, you will discover that you can get "elite" entries and still be relatively slow. Like me.

From Jake K on Mon, Aug 01, 2011 at 17:08:17 from 155.100.226.53

Yeah it should be a great opportunity for me. I'm glad that I won't have to worry about those pre-race logistics. Philly isn't as fast as Chicago, but an extra month to prepare, plus these kinds of perks, should help my chances.

The breakfast run on Thursday sounds great, unfortunately I can't be into work too late.

From Holt on Mon, Aug 01, 2011 at 23:09:58 from 71.213.88.46

Congrats on the entry! Cool stuff and you deserve it.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.500.000.00

AM - 10.3 miles. Paced Andrea for her workout, then ran up to work from Sugarhouse.
PM - 6.2 miles easy. Met Andrea along the way and did a Sugarhouse loop.  

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.000.000.00

AM - 12 miles. Pyramid workout on the track: 2-4-8-12-16-12-8-4-2. Splits were 35, 71, 2:25, 3:44, 5:00, 3:45, 2:26, 70, 33. My legs didn't quite have that "snap" this morning... I felt like I could run 75s all day, but didn't have the turnover to go much quicker. Rather than force the pace, I just kept the effort level consistent. No point in pushing workouts too hard... they are all just building blocks. 

I should note that the cheerleaders were out in full force again this morning. They start practice at 6am! Today they ran a mile and did jump rope... which as you can imagine made running on the track like running through a war zone!

PM - 8 miles on Wasatch Blvd, from the Dan's Supermarket to the 6200S Park & Ride and back. Nice run. Haven't done that one in a while. 

Comments
From Paul on Wed, Aug 03, 2011 at 12:04:24 from 24.10.141.104

No turnover, but you feel like you can run 75s all day...hmmm, sounds like you have become a marathoner! I can't remember the last time I broke 35s in 200m...but then again, I can't remember the last time I did a 200m interval!

From Burt on Wed, Aug 03, 2011 at 12:05:25 from 206.19.214.144

I hope you don't mind as I sit quietly back and watch you progress. Down the road from us there's this place: http://www.amazingjakes.com/

I think I'll call you Amazing Jake from now on.

From Jake K on Wed, Aug 03, 2011 at 12:05:32 from 155.100.226.53

After Top of Utah, we should race a 200m just to see if either of us can break 30!

From Jake K on Wed, Aug 03, 2011 at 12:06:32 from 155.100.226.53

Wow Burt that place looks awesome... maybe if I run fast enough they will sponsor me haha

From Burt on Wed, Aug 03, 2011 at 12:07:07 from 206.19.214.144

Sounds good. You're on!

Wait, you were talking to Paul, weren't you?

From Burt on Wed, Aug 03, 2011 at 12:08:33 from 206.19.214.144

I'll put in a good word for you.

From Scott Wesemann on Wed, Aug 03, 2011 at 18:30:45 from 66.239.250.209

Cheerleaders doing jump rope? Haha! I'm sure they were paying attention to the runners. :)

From Hamdog Alum on Thu, Aug 04, 2011 at 13:16:26 from 68.185.190.140

Wow nice work! Good comment about knowing when and when not to push and how each workout is a building block. It's not easy to run a 4x2mile workout then go down to the fast pyramid workout you ran. Your legs are all confused! Hope you don't mind if you're my new inspiration and congrats on your entry to Philadelphia!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.200.000.00

AM - 9.2 miles up to work.
PM - 6 miles. Ran down to the Highland track and did 6 x 150m in 23-24 seconds.

*We're going to do a long run on Sunday morning at Jeremy Ranch, if anyone wants to join. 

Comments
From Rachelle on Thu, Aug 04, 2011 at 17:16:25 from 159.212.71.77

Nice workout! I stalked your personal blog today and you and Andrea are just simply amazing. So cool how dedicated you are to the sport.

I look up to you both a lot as a new runner.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
10.000.000.00

AM - 7 miles easy.
PM - 3 miles shakeout. Been feeling a little "blah" today, but hopefully a good night of sleep will do the trick and I'll feel good in the morning. Racing the Minuteman/Charitable Trust 5K.

Also got my new racing uniform from Saucony in the mail (Andrea and I are now both running for their Hurricane team... jtshad is also on the squad), so I'll be decked out in some sweet bright orange clothing from now on! 

Race: National Guard Charitable Trust 5K (3.1 Miles) 00:15:49, Place overall: 3
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.000.000.00

AM - 5K race in Sandy. Not an easy course - the last 1/2 mile is a tough hill, and since the start/finish are in different spots, its actually a net uphill route by ~40 feet. I've been putting in some bigger mileage lately, and hit a couple good workouts this week, so I wasn't really feeling fresh going into this. The cannon start came out of nowhere, Teren jumped out to the lead as usual, and I just filed in behind w/ a few other guys. Brandon Hebbert quickly moved up to Teren on the first hill and I hung back just a little. I hit the mile in 4:55, probably 5 seconds behind. They increased the lead on me in the second mile (4:59). I didn't quite have the spark in my legs to run a great last mile and sort of just cruised it, since I was gapped and in no man's land. Ugly 3rd mile (~5:20) but that last hill is a killer. Came through in 15:49 for 3rd place... then jogged back and watched Andrea bring it in for the win, which was very exciting. Great first race since Utah Valley for her!

At first I was a little disappointed in this performance, but Andrea helped me put it in the perspective of the overall volume of training I have been doing recently.  I can't expect to be sharp all the time right now, but I got in another solid workout today, and won $50, so overall I call that a success :-)

Warmup was 3 miles, Cooldown was 6, most of it w/ the girls (Andrea, Emily, Susannah, and Stefanie). By the time I wrapped up my cooldown, all the Chick-Fil-A sandwiches were gone! Bummer!

 

PM - 3 mile run up in Mill Creek Canyon, shakeout. We were running on the Pipeline trail and got rattled at by a rattlesnake, which scared the living daylights out of me. I HATE snakes! Andrea stopped after 2 miles and I added on another one, then called it a day. Before the run, we rode our mountain bikes up to Dog Lake... a nice little 1000 foot climb on some very smooth singletrack. Fun bike ride on a beautiful afternoon.

Dog Lake:
From August 2011
 

 

Comments
From Rachelle on Sat, Aug 06, 2011 at 13:48:53 from 66.7.127.115

Nice race Jake and yay for $50. Spend it wisely. :)

Love the picture of you two superstars.

From Holt on Sat, Aug 06, 2011 at 14:18:30 from 97.126.204.25

Sometimes it is tough to remember that ULTIMATE goal and have to sacrifice a little now - so good job keeping the eyes on the prize and still getting a very solid race from it. Go buy some Chik-fil-a!

From Andrea on Sat, Aug 06, 2011 at 15:05:00 from 67.177.21.60

Jake has never had Chick-fil-a before! Ridiculous, huh?

From jun on Sat, Aug 06, 2011 at 16:56:03 from 174.23.185.55

By the time you finished I would have been at mile 2 still. Good performance considering your mileage has been through the roof lately. Nice outing for Andrea too. You guys are a serious duo.

From Burt on Sat, Aug 06, 2011 at 22:37:06 from 72.223.91.148

$50??? You can buy the whole restaurant!

From Jake K on Sat, Aug 06, 2011 at 22:42:25 from 67.177.21.60

I think its probably in my best interest that I don't spend $50 only on Chick-Fil-A... instead split it evenly b/w Diet Mountain Dew and M&Ms!

Thanks for the comments guys.

From allie on Sun, Aug 07, 2011 at 00:28:39 from 24.10.191.18

nice race, jake. that's a great time on a tough course, especially with all the miles you've been putting in.

sorry about the unfortunate chick-fil-a situation. not to worry though, there is one opening in sugarhouse very soon...

From Hamdog Alum on Sun, Aug 07, 2011 at 01:46:39 from 68.185.190.140

Jake nice race and most importantly you were smart enough not to push the last mile beyond what the body would give you. Could have saved you an injury at the mileage you're running.

From Walter on Sun, Aug 07, 2011 at 21:00:52 from 24.2.69.110

Nice running Jake! holy smokes that is a great time!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
24.000.000.00

AM - 20 miles at Jeremy Ranch. Ran 15 w/ Andrea (she ran very strong today) at a relaxed pace, then added on 5 more a little quicker (6:00 pace). Gorgeous up there this morning. Saw moosetracks (the footprints, not the ice cream, unfortunately) in the dirt, but no mooses!

PM - 4 miles easy. Trying out my new Kinvaras. The Tangent has been my go-to shoe, but its discontinued and I only have 2 pairs left. The Kinvaras are money, though! Love the feel and the flexibility. 

Comments
From ACorn on Sun, Aug 07, 2011 at 16:23:38 from 24.2.76.146

That is some excellent ice cream, I haven't had it in a long time and now I'm going to have to get some today.

Nice run! I'll have to check out Jeremy Ranch one of these days on my way to Park City.

You and Andrea are awesome, I enjoy checking your blogs and seeing how the pros do it.

From Rob Murphy on Sun, Aug 07, 2011 at 22:49:19 from 98.202.141.17

Nice big mileage day Jake.

I thought I might tack on a few more miles when I got home today. Had a beer and fell asleep on the couch instead. But it's the thought that counts right?

From Jake K on Mon, Aug 08, 2011 at 10:56:00 from 155.100.226.53

ACorn - its a great run... you should definitely give it a whirl sometime.

Rob - haha yes, just thinking about heading out for some afternoon miles after a long run is half the battle!

From Fritz on Mon, Aug 08, 2011 at 17:13:23 from 69.20.186.13

I just got some Kinvaras and have liked the feel of them so far. I tend to run a shoe into the ground before moving on to another pair so they are next in line. Do you rotate shoes from day to day?

From Jake K on Mon, Aug 08, 2011 at 17:17:01 from 155.100.226.53

I'm trying to get better about alternating... started to get myself more in the habit recently. Shoes definitely last longer that way (at least in terms of the cushion).

From jtshad on Tue, Aug 09, 2011 at 15:25:13 from 204.134.132.225

I love the Tangents as well, I have to make my last few pairs last for marathons. I am really bummed they discounted them. I am running in some Mirage now and like them and have a pair of Fastwitch I going to try. I have a pair of Kinvaras and like them for up to a half marathon distance, then the minimalist aspects start catching up.

I have a pair of the Cortanna's coming and look forward to trying them out too!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
26.600.000.00

AM - 13 miles up to work. Started early, nice & cool out.

PM - 13.6 miles. Ran home (8 miles) and as I came in the door, Andrea was about to head out for her run, so I just joined her since it was so nice out and I was feeling great.  

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.400.000.00

AM - 10 miles. Went to the Skyline High School w/ Andrea and did a workout. Warmed up, then did a 2 mile tempo on the road (10:20), jogged a few minutes, then went to the track and ran 8 x 400m (Avg 70.4 seconds) w/ 200m recovery jog. Felt good considering I ran 50+ miles in the previous 2 days.

PM - 4.4 miles after spending a fun couple hours at the DMV. Now I'm officially a Utah resident. I probably should have gotten that taken care of about 15 months ago.

Comments
From Rachelle on Tue, Aug 09, 2011 at 11:45:10 from 199.190.170.30

You rock my world! Nice workout.

From allie on Tue, Aug 09, 2011 at 22:54:02 from 24.10.191.18

Utah! With its mountains and valleys.

Utah! With its canyons and streams.

You can go anywhere.

But there's none that compare.

This is the place!

anyway, congrats on the utah residency. that probably just ruined it for you...

From Andrea on Tue, Aug 09, 2011 at 22:57:42 from 67.177.21.60

Is that really a song Utahns sing? If so, I gotta hear that in person!

From Jake K on Tue, Aug 09, 2011 at 22:58:51 from 67.177.21.60

That actually makes me never want to leave Utah and totally makes the DMV experience worth it!

From Rachelle on Tue, Aug 09, 2011 at 23:05:58 from 66.7.127.115

ha ha Andrea I will sing it to you! Welcome to Utah Jake. :)

Oh and great mileage!

From allie on Tue, Aug 09, 2011 at 23:12:49 from 24.10.191.18

unfortunately, yes. it's a real song. and i even picked the verse with the least painful lyrics. you should check out the verse about new technology. or pioneers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah,_This_Is_the_Place

From Jake K on Tue, Aug 09, 2011 at 23:25:03 from 67.177.21.60

WOW what a song! I am totally going to memorize this, and Andrea is going to hate you allie (and me) b/c of this! What new technology were they singing about in 1996? CD players?

From Jake K on Tue, Aug 09, 2011 at 23:28:54 from 67.177.21.60

Got the Mp3 for my ipod. Jackpot!!!

From allie on Tue, Aug 09, 2011 at 23:29:55 from 24.10.191.18

sorry, one more -- the audio/video presentation of the song. this will help you learn it faster:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDM20gHlI6M

i cry every time.

From Andrea on Wed, Aug 10, 2011 at 11:30:54 from 72.37.244.100

Thank you Allie. Guess what I got to listen to the rest of the evening??

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
22.700.000.00

AM - 15.6 miles up to work. Ran ~5 w/ Andrea. Kept the pace nice and easy.
PM - 7.1 miles down to Sugarhouse to meet Andrea for her shakeout.

Comments
From Paul on Wed, Aug 10, 2011 at 13:20:52 from 24.10.141.104

I'm amazed at the mileage that you pull off every day. Keep it up!

From Jake K on Wed, Aug 10, 2011 at 13:53:31 from 155.100.226.53

Training and recovery is pretty much a full time job right now! Somehow I'm managing to squeeze in my real job, too :-)

I'm feeling good & healthy, and figure that I have nothing to lose by going "all in" and trying to qualify this fall. Its really fun to be chasing this goal... a year ago I would have laughed at this idea... now it seems somewhat tangible.

Gonna cut it back a bit after this week, so hopefully we can push each other to some fast times at TOU 1/2.

From Paul on Wed, Aug 10, 2011 at 14:19:27 from 24.10.141.104

Yes, do as much mileage (and naps) as possible before you become old and crushed by the burdens of life! ;-) I've found that running takes less and less priority as I put more in my career and my family...there is both good and bad in that...it just is what it is. I sometimes wonder how good I could be if I had time and energy to do 120 miles/week, but I'll have to be content with 80-90.

I think you have a real strong shot at a qualifier. You have all the attributes needed, plus the work ethic. I look forward to tracking you in Philly.

Yes, TOU 1/2 should be fun. Weather up here has been fantastic in the mornings lately, so hopefully that will hold up. it's a really fast course if you hit it just right.

From Rob on Wed, Aug 10, 2011 at 20:37:56 from 204.15.86.95

I can only imagine that your full time job must be a quality assurance test engineer for Serta, or Lazy Boy.

I'm guessing though that you're going to tell us you're a guide for some high adventure rock climbing expedition company.

From Jake K on Wed, Aug 10, 2011 at 20:48:43 from 67.177.21.60

Paul - I do the "what if" game as well sometimes, wondering where I'd be right now if I had gotten my act together like this several years ago. But who knows if I'd have the passion for it like I do now if I didn't prioritize some other things for a few years. Right now I am lucky that I don't have any major commitments and have the opportunity to chase the dream... I'm also very lucky that Andrea turned out to be such a superstar and she's in this with me! :-)

Rob - I wish!!! I actually coordinate clinical trials at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Seeing what some folks have to fight through on a daily basis makes adding on a few extra miles or pushing a bit harder in a workout seem like nothing. I do wish I was allowed to take a mid-afternoon nap, though! :-)

From Andrea on Wed, Aug 10, 2011 at 20:52:56 from 72.37.244.100

Are you saying that I used to be slow???

From Lily on Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 00:15:29 from 67.199.178.210

You and Andrea are awe inspiring! But Paul, you are as well! Total superstars in my book.

From Jake K on Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 12:06:05 from 155.100.226.53

Andrea I would say that you had a tiny bit of untapped potential :-)

Thanks Lily!!!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.000.000.00

AM - 12 miles easy.

PM - 8 miles. Did a light "get the legs moving" workout. Also wanted to try out my Saucony Peregrine trail shoes. Ran 4 miles on the outer loop at Sugarhouse, then did 10 x ~200m on the grass. Garmin tells me my average pace on the reps was 4:38/mile, so they were like 35s. Nice to do it on the grass, and I like the shoes.

Before running this morning I went down to the human performance lab at the U and got a BodPod test. I didn't have to pay for it, and actually get my health insurance premium reduced by doing things like this. We have a pretty good wellness program on campus.

The test result was that my body fat percentage is 1.5%. Yeah right! These pods (which cost >$30,000) are pretty accurate, but only within 1.0-2.7%. So realistically, maybe I'm actually somewhere ~4% or maybe even a little higher. That is still pretty good, and exactly where I should be based on how much I am running. This is what the results show... 

When I got to work, one of my co-workers had left a 2 lb chunk of cake on my desk. Based on the result of my test, I think I can afford to munch on it! 

Comments
From jun on Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 12:03:21 from 205.158.160.209

And go back for seconds.

From Lily on Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 12:53:53 from 67.199.178.210

Um yeah for sure. Eat the cake my friend! :)

From Andrea on Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 12:58:53 from 72.37.171.52

You left out the part that said "Body Fat Rating - Risky (low body fat) < 5%. Ask your health care professional about how to safely modify your body composition" Even if you put all 2.7% error on your results, that would still only be 4.2% which is STILL below the ultra lean typical elite athletes of 5-8%. = EAT MORE!!! :o)

From Chad Robinson on Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 13:02:20 from 67.136.62.186

I will have to go do that ($25 is not bad). And yes "let them eat cake".

From Jake K on Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 13:04:18 from 155.100.226.53

Chad - its not a bad price... a lot of labs charge $30-50 to do the test, and it only takes 15 minutes. They also do VO2 max and LT testing.

Andrea --> http://www.jssm.org/vol7/n4/12/v7n4-12pdf.pdf Right in the range I should be :-)

From Rachelle on Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 13:52:59 from 159.212.71.25

I'm with Andrea! Eat a freaking pizza and a cake!

From Rob on Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 15:26:22 from 206.71.84.68

I'm not a doctor, or even an expert on running. But from what I've read showing up on race day at that body fat percentage is probably great, but going through an entire training cycle with that low of a body fat percentage could be detrimental. Your body needs some place to get it's energy from.

From Jake K on Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 15:30:30 from 155.100.226.53

I agree with you Rob. Honestly, I have some reservations about how accurate that test really is. I eat a ton, and while I have at times in the past (years and years ago) been slightly lighter, I've never been this strong on a day to day basis. So I take the results with a few grains of salt. My philosophy is to eat whatever I want as long as I feel good while running! Including about a quart of ice cream every day.

From Rob on Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 15:38:36 from 206.71.84.68

Really? Wow, Ice cream is on my no no list. My stomach really pays the price if I try to run the day after eating ice cream. That's how I decide my diet, what ever food I can keep down on my next days run is all good.

From Jake K on Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 15:40:50 from 155.100.226.53

Yeah, I would probably do well in ultra events b/c my stomach can handle almost anything! I eat ice cream every night, and usually eat extra before races. I've never had a problem. Its amazing and I am grateful for it!

From Seth on Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 16:06:08 from 199.188.28.8

Wow, that is low, but I think if you're feelin great, go with it!

From what I've read regarding energy usage compared to heart rate levels, this makes sense why your fat is so low and you feel fine.

Your body doesn't start to really tapping into carb stores until the range of 70% max heart rate(if I remember correctly). Below 70% your body is primarily using fat for energy, so considering the amount of moderate intensity running(and some biking) that you do, I think you're mainly burning fat during the bulk of your workouts, which is means your carb stores(glycogen I think is the appropriate term) are staying relatively topped off, therefore you feel fine each day.

This also makes sense why you can eat so much "junk food" and feel fine. You workout out a ton at the appropriate hate rate intensities to burn off all the fat.

I could be wrong, but I say, if you feel good, go with it....just don't stop eating enough or switch to mainly low-calorie foods(i.e. only lettuce :)).

If you're really curious, you should post something on the running forum and get Sasha's opinion. I've learned a ton by reading his posts.

Btw, Nice mileage so far this week. Keep it up!

From steve ash on Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 15:57:23 from 24.10.169.210

Very impressive stats Jake.. I weigh about 139 lbs hydrated right now but have been as low as 134lbs at 6ft 2 in. And I wear a 28 in waist! However I don't think I'm quite that low in body fat:) Keep those miles up.

From Jake K on Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 16:00:39 from 155.100.226.53

Steve there is no way I am actually even close to that low. I am 5'9" and low 140s. I would have to be 10 lbs lower to have a BF% that low, and I love eating (and having energy) way too much to let that happen :-)

Funny how a $40,000 device isn't even that accurate!

From Holt on Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 16:04:40 from 204.113.55.41

Steve,

no human is as skinny as you! So don't judge by him Jake. And that is coming from the guy that may be 2nd on the skinniest human list!

From Adam RW on Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 16:07:57 from 155.101.152.123

Jake,

Very interesting results. But I agree that accuracy on the edges of the curve are probably off. I would also love to know your VO2max...

I will have to give the BodPod a try but right now I'm sure I'm back in the double digits.

On Thur night were you running with three other guys? I think I may have seen you. I was the guy in the the very bright florescent yellow shirt.

From Chad Robinson on Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 16:08:56 from 67.136.62.186

That must be a short list because I am certain I am #1 (6'-1" - 120 lbs).

From Jake K on Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 16:14:18 from 155.100.226.53

Adam, I was at Sugarhouse last night, but I was just doing some short reps solo down on the grass where they play rugby/frisbee, and then cooled down w/ Andrea. It would be interesting to do a VO2 max test, but who knows how accurate their testing is. If they let me do it for free, I'll do it.

You tall guys are surely skinnier! :-)

From Adam RW on Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 16:16:31 from 155.101.152.123

I know someone in the department that I'm sure would love to put you on their rig. I did it the first year I got here and the values were similar to the ones I had done in graduate school. I'll let you know what she says...

From Jake K on Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 16:17:47 from 155.100.226.53

That would be very cool. Let me know.

From Holt on Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 18:34:05 from 204.113.55.41

Chad,

that is nuts! Go to dinner somewhere fattening tonight!

From Scott Wesemann on Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 18:37:34 from 205.158.160.209

That is an impressive % for sure. Eat all the ice cream you want.

From Rob on Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 20:34:02 from 166.205.9.180

I'm filling out my application to fat camp as we speak!

From Adam RW on Sat, Aug 13, 2011 at 09:58:58 from 24.10.132.131

Jake, Two of the four people I contacted already got back and do not have access to equipment. I'm still waiting to hear from the person that ran my test 4 yr ago. In the meantime the other two did give me alternate options. PEAK does have it for a $50 fee but I would suggest contacting them and telling them a bit about yourself.

http://www.health.utah.edu/peak/PEAK-Services/Health_Fitness_Testing/AerobicFitnessTesting.html

Also, TOSH has done some in the past...

I'll keep you posted if I hear back of any other options.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
11.800.000.00

AM - 7.4 miles up to work, easy. Tomorrow I'm running a 15K trail race in Park City. Just using it as a tempo / progression run and not going anywhere near all out. It should be fun.

PM - 4.4 miles easy. 

Comments
From Superfly on Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 13:55:27 from 74.211.21.81

Good luck tomorrow and Great job so far this week.

Race: Park City Trail 15K (8.9 Miles) 00:51:05, Place overall: 1
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.400.000.00

AM - 14 miles - Park City Trail 15K. Report below.
PM  - 4.4 miles shakeout, probably too fast. Biked downtown to see the Tour of Utah, too.

Race Recap
Despite a flat tire on the way over, we got there in plenty of time for a short warmup. The course was primarily on singletrack at Round Valley. As I said yesterday, my objective today was tempo run (and to not twist my ankle!). Here's the course elevation profile:

I found myself in the lead after about a quarter mile, and didn't see anyone else until the finish line. Splits were 5:39 (a little hill then mainly flat), 5:57 (all uphill), 5:42 (net downhill, but very rocky / technical), 5:55 (rolling on the twistiest trail I have ever run), 6:22 (all uphill on more of the twisty trail), 5:53, 5:50 (these two miles were downhill but it was impossible to get moving b/c of all the switchbacks, I was just trying not to get hurt!), 5:19 (jeep road, woohoo), then 4:22 for the last 0.9 miles. The course was 0.4 miles short :-) Average pace was 5:45/mile. Final time was 51:05.

Perfect tempo run at 6500-7000 feet on some really fun trails. I really wasn't even breathing hard by the end of it, so I stayed well within myself as planned. I'm not a fantastic downhill runner on technical trails, so I was just happy to not injure myself on the downhills in the middle of the course... a few times I came into the switchbacks too hot and almost ran off the trail... 150 degrees turns are tough! I am very impressed by the folks who can fly down that type of terrain. I think 2nd place was about 7 minutes behind, and Andrea was really close to the other top guys.

After the race I actually got a massage, which hopefully will help me recover quickly, since I have another harder effort planned for tomorrow. Cooled down a little over 3 miles on the grass fields.

While we were waiting for awards, Galen Rupp, Mo Farah, and their crew came running by looking crazy smooth and fast. Its cool to just randomly see some of the top runners in the entire world cruising along. 

We both had our new fluorescent uniforms that Saucony sent us for this one... they are very bright!...

From August 2011

Comments
From allie on Sat, Aug 13, 2011 at 16:06:55 from 24.10.191.18

nice race out on the trails and congrats on the win. the saucony uniforms look good!

From Holt on Sat, Aug 13, 2011 at 17:58:23 from 71.213.91.113

It's all about the visual recognition! Nice run.

From Rachelle on Sat, Aug 13, 2011 at 20:37:06 from 66.7.127.115

Congrats on the win!!!

From Seth on Sun, Aug 14, 2011 at 11:06:23 from 67.177.36.242

Nice work! Signletrack can be tricky for flying downhill.

From Lily on Sun, Aug 14, 2011 at 17:44:50 from 67.199.178.210

Nice uniforms! And way to go on this 15k on a trail!! Trail running is tricky for sure.

From steve ash on Sun, Aug 14, 2011 at 18:14:01 from 24.10.169.210

Jake, your are a running animal!

From Superfly on Mon, Aug 15, 2011 at 16:15:38 from 74.211.21.81

Great race at the end of a big week. My highest weekly mileage ever was 135 and I didn't run a race at the end of it. Your a machine. Keep it up man. I'm excited to see you hit some more big PR's along the way.

From Chad Robinson on Mon, Aug 15, 2011 at 16:28:52 from 67.136.62.186

I love the orange and the pink. I have a bunch of orange (vizipro) saucony gear (it is a must with most all of my running being at night). Nice tempo run/win.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.400.000.00

AM - 15 miles. Emigration Canyon tempo run. Needed to pound the quads a little to harden them up for TOU1/2 in two weeks. I didn't go too hard in the race yesterday, so this was a situation where back to back workout days actually made sense (ie. more time to recover today, take an ice bath, etc., as opposed to being at work). Andrea and I started at East High and ran up Sunnyside / Emigration Canyon. She turned around at the 6 mile mark and began her tempo, I went up another mile before starting back down the road. 

Splits for the 7 mile tempo were: 4:57, 4:54, 4:51, 4:49, 4:42, 4:38, 4:29.

33:20
for 7 miles, average pace = 4:45/mi. I was shooting for something in the 5-5:10 range, so this was a little quick, but did not feel overly strained. I definitely set aided PRs along the way for the last 5K (~14:20) and 10K (~29:20). I enjoy (and can run quicker on) the gradual downhill sections on Sunnyside a lot more than some of the steeper grades further up the canyon.

Felt good to let 'em fly a little bit this morning, without going too hard. I actually feel really good right now. We had a bit of a tailwind this morning on the tempo, which would be really nice to have at TOU as well! :-) 

PM - 4.4 miles easy. 

Comments
From jun on Sun, Aug 14, 2011 at 13:07:27 from 70.103.189.14

Uh, damn! Just to be clear, I often run 7 miles in twice that time.

From Hamdog Alum on Sun, Aug 14, 2011 at 13:27:27 from 68.185.190.140

Wow!!! This is world class stuff! Way to go.

From allie on Sun, Aug 14, 2011 at 15:49:09 from 24.10.191.18

great workout. blacksmith fork is usually quite generous with its tailwind, so it's very likely you'll get one at TOU 1/2.

From Jon on Sun, Aug 14, 2011 at 16:29:50 from 98.71.186.198

I'd pay to see you against Paul in a few weeks...

From Steve Hooper on Mon, Aug 15, 2011 at 00:13:29 from 209.33.254.93

Jake, way to rock the tempo. Keep it up.

From Scott Wesemann on Mon, Aug 15, 2011 at 18:47:18 from 205.158.160.209

What Jun said.

I ate ice cream after my Kings Peak run on Sat. You might be onto something. It was pure heaven.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.000.000.00

AM - 8 miles up to work, very easy.
PM - 7 miles, down to Sugarhouse to meet Andrea and ran a few miles w/ her. A little tired today, as expected.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.200.000.00

AM - 8 miles up to work.
PM - 7.2 miles, ran home.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.500.000.00

AM - 12 miles. Workout was 3-2-1 w/ a half mile in-between, target paces were 5:15, 5:05, and 5:00. Andrea and Emily were also there (Liberty Park) doing the same workout. Splits were 15:46, 10:14, 4:59. So, basically right where I planned to be. Not an amazing workout, but got the job done.

PM - 3.5 miles easy. 

Comments
From Superfly on Wed, Aug 17, 2011 at 11:04:08 from 74.211.21.81

Actually pretty much an amazing workout with the mileage you've been hitting. Good job man!

From Hamdog Alum on Wed, Aug 17, 2011 at 23:26:10 from 68.185.190.140

I agree with superfly. You must be made of steel!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.000.000.00

AM - 16 miles up to work, easy (~7:45 pace)... about 8 miles w/ Andrea and Allie. Felt a little stiff, otherwise a nice run and nice to have multiple running partners! Heading up to the Uintas w/ my Dad for a couple days after lunch this afternoon. Planning on taking it pretty easy since we'll be at 10K feet.

Comments
From ACorn on Thu, Aug 18, 2011 at 15:44:13 from 24.2.76.146

Enjoy your father-son bonding time in the Uintas. I'm sure it's beautiful up there.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
11.800.000.00

AM - 8.2 miles
PM - 3.6 miles

Both runs were on a jeep road near Trial / Crystal lakes in the Uintas. Whew, even running easy at 10,000 feet can be a burner! Spent the day fishing some of the lakes up in that area w/ my Dad and uncles... first time I have been fishing in about 15 years. It was pretty fun and I actually caught a few trout!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
6.600.000.00

AM - 6.6 miles. Another day fishing in the Uintas. 

 

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
12.000.000.00

AM - 8 miles. 5000m Time Trial on the Highland track. I wanted to get in a harder effort this weekend, but I was out of town for yesterday's races, so decided to run a time trial on the track instead. I ran 15:22.7 (on Andrea's official stopwatch), which is actually 8 seconds better than my track PR from college. I came through 3200 in 9:45, then sort of fell off the pace in the last mile... running solo is tough. I think this was a good tuneup for next weekend, and especially encouraging after eating camp food (ie. bacon and bacon-related products) for the last 3 days! :-)

PM - 4 miles easy.

Andrea and I took my Dad up to Snowbird for Oktoberfest and a scenic tram ride during the afternoon. Wispy clouds made for some cool photos. More pictures here

I also put up some pics from my camping trip to the Uintas. The mosquitoes are past their peak and hardly noticeable, so if you're looking for some running/hiking at 10K feet, now is the time to get up the Mirror Lake highway before the snow starts flying again!

 

Comments
From steve ash on Sun, Aug 21, 2011 at 15:56:08 from 24.10.169.210

I could pace you for the first mile maybe.. Great job though, I love that track.

From Andrea on Sun, Aug 21, 2011 at 18:22:18 from 67.177.21.60

This was officially timed on my watch - it should be a race report!!

From Superfly on Sun, Aug 21, 2011 at 18:28:19 from 74.211.21.81

Maybe that's why I never get very good. I eat bacon and bacon related products all the time:)

From Bonnie on Sun, Aug 21, 2011 at 18:29:08 from 64.119.33.134

I agree with Andrea,

track + stopwatch = race report.

It will make your real race, with competition look that much more impressive ;-)

PS I love that track.

From steve ash on Sun, Aug 21, 2011 at 21:04:50 from 24.10.169.210

Yes, PS-I love that track:)

My lack of proper grammar and English language are glaringly apparent at times..

From Jake K on Sun, Aug 21, 2011 at 21:32:00 from 67.177.21.60

Maybe MORE bacon-related products are the key?

From Lily on Sun, Aug 21, 2011 at 22:01:46 from 67.199.178.210

I got a nice laugh from the Bacon comment. More power to you! :)

15:22!!!! Need I write more!

Love the picture. Glad you got to take your Dad to Oktoberfest. So cool Jake.

From Rob Murphy on Sun, Aug 21, 2011 at 22:28:01 from 98.202.141.17

Gotta love the August "Oktoborfest" at Snowbird!

I'd really like to join you for some long runs. It gets so hard squeezing the training in once fall rolls around and school/cross country starts.We have Saturday meets which really cuts down on my racing.Basically, my running takes a back seat to my coaching. This is the first year in a long time that I've committed to a fall marathon and it's going to be a challenge getting the miles in.

From Jake K on Sun, Aug 21, 2011 at 22:47:17 from 67.177.21.60

Rob I'm definitely down for Sunday long runs too, especially on weekends when we have races. After TOU, we'll try to start coordinating.

From Fritz on Sun, Aug 21, 2011 at 23:01:22 from 67.182.226.25

If you need a good warm up for your xterra race you should check out the Hidden Peak 6k Challenge on Sept. 17. Bottom to top of tram = leg burn. It has to rank up there with my favorite races.

http://www.sports-am.com/events/index583.htm

From Jake K on Mon, Aug 22, 2011 at 12:12:58 from 155.100.226.53

Fritz I was actually thinking of running that one (the idea of taking the tram back down and not trashing my legs is VERY appealing to me) but we'll be in Moab w/ Andrea's family that weekend.

From Hamdog Alum on Mon, Aug 22, 2011 at 17:49:15 from 68.185.190.140

Nice pics Jake. That country is so amazing! Nice trial too!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.200.000.00

AM - 8 miles up to work.
PM - 7.2 miles home.

My parents and sister went up to the Tetons for the week, so Andrea & I are watching their dogs. Jesse James (12 year old Bichon Frise) is a huge running fan. He attended every XC/Track meet in high school, and made his way to most college XC meets, too... running all over the courses w/ my parents and barking at all the runners. Its been a long time since he's been at a race, but he will be there at the TOU1/2 this Saturday... so if you see him, say hi!

From Jesse James

Comments
From Rachelle on Mon, Aug 22, 2011 at 11:52:13 from 159.212.71.25

He is the cutest thing alive. Dogs are the best running companions.

From Andrea on Mon, Aug 22, 2011 at 12:11:50 from 72.37.171.52

You are playing favorites b/w Jesse James and Chloe! No pic of the chihuahua??

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
10.500.000.00

AM - 4.4 miles easy. Did not get ANY sleep last night... Jesse James was feeling sick and needed to go outside every five minutes to either poop or throw up. I'm glad I don't have kids... does it make me a jerk to say that?

PM - 6.1 miles. Andrea and I did the same workout that we did the Tuesday before Utah Valley: 2 x 1 mile on Wasatch Drive (-1% gradient). In June I ran 4:57, 4:54 (temperature in the high 60s). Today I ran 4:39, 4:31 (temperature in the mid 90s).

All things considered, a good little workout, and I feel confident that I will run a strong race at TOU this Saturday. I feel like I've made the progress that I wanted to this summer... but we'll find out in a few days. I've never run one of these famous Utah downhill 1/2s (unless you count the 2nd half of UVM, in which case my aided PR is 1:10:37). I'm also excited because my family will be there to watch.

I had absolutely no discipline on my diet today, which I'll chalk up to being up all night, and incessantly snacking to stay awake at work. Not a good thing to do, but at least its only Tuesday and I have a few days to get myself back on track and feel sharp before the weekend.

Comments
From Andrea on Tue, Aug 23, 2011 at 22:02:39 from 67.177.21.60

Sometimes you just need a whole medium sized bag of peanut m&ms to run 4:30s!

From Rachelle on Tue, Aug 23, 2011 at 22:23:31 from 66.7.127.115

Nice workout! And diet? What diet Mr. 0% body fat. I think you will be just fine. :)

From Hamdog Alum on Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 01:04:10 from 68.185.190.140

Kids are more work, but dogs can be a close 2nd when sick! Get some good sleep the next couple a days you'll be back on track. Must feel nice to know you have that 4:30 speed on the small downhill. You've got to be really confident right now! Not too many people are going to match that speed.

From Jon on Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 21:15:01 from 98.71.188.104

Good luck on Sat. TOU 1/2 is awesome. If you need a bathroom or to get away from the crowds, run down the canyon ~.5 mile from the start to a nice picnic area with dirt parking lot. But don't publicize it- it's the local secret.

From Jake K on Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 22:12:54 from 67.177.21.60

Thanks guys!

Jon - now if someone googles "bathrooms ~.5 mile from the start in a nice picnic area with dirt parking lot" they are totally going to find out about these bathrooms thanks to your comment! :-)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
11.500.000.00

AM - 7.2 miles up to work, easy.  
PM - 4.3 miles.

Comments
From MarkP on Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 01:19:53 from 64.134.230.183

Good luck at the TOU-1/2. I'll see you up there.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
7.000.000.00

AM - 5 miles easy. Its so dark out in the mornings now! I just read this blog post which I thought was a refreshingly simple point of view, especially the last couple paragraphs.
PM - 2 miles and a couple quick strides.

Comments
From Rachelle on Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 14:31:07 from 159.212.71.77

It is way too dark in the mornings already. So sad. :( headlamps and reflective vests season!!

From emruns on Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 11:27:44 from 76.27.114.171

Love the blog post! Running is the most simple of sports, and yet, we love to complicate it! Good luck to you and Andrea at TOU this weekend. You'll love the course! It's so pretty. I'm sure you guys will run amazingly.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
5.000.000.00

AM - 5 miles easy. Ran w/ Andrea. Drove my car to work for the 3rd time this week... that's the downside of a low mileage week... it almost takes me longer to drive than to just run up here!

PM - Drove up to Logan, met up w/ my family (they are on their way back from the Tetons). Staying at the super convenient Super 8... got a frosty at Wendys... feeling relatively relaxed... now its off to bed. 

Comments
From allie on Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 13:08:17 from 24.10.191.18

there's just no getting around those traffic bottlenecks around the U. have a great race tomorrow.

From Rachelle on Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 13:54:17 from 199.190.170.28

I bet you save tons of gas money running to work too. I am jealous!

GOOD LUCK TOMORROW!!

From Superfly on Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 14:32:06 from 74.211.21.81

Good luck to you guys tomorrow. I'll be looking for a big PR in you half time.

From Scott Wesemann on Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 16:43:26 from 205.158.160.209

Good luck with your race. I'm excited to see your time.

Race: Top of Utah Half Marathon (13.1 Miles) 01:05:40, Place overall: 2
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.000.000.00

I've been looking forward to Top of Utah 1/2 as a way to cap off the "summer season," and since it fell 12 weeks before Philadelphia, the timing was perfect before I start my big buildup towards the marathon. I also figured this would be a good indicator of whether I was on the right track towards the OTQ.

Pre-race logistics were easy breezy. TOU does an awesome job organizing this race.  Andrea & I got on a bus around 5:20am, hung out w/ Paul and chatted a bit at the top, and before you know it, it was time to warmup and get rolling.

I took the lead off the start... Paul and I separated from the pack immediately. Splits down the canyon were 4:48, 4:58, 5:03, 4:55, 4:51, 4:56, 4:53. We pretty much ran together... I tried to make sure the pace was honest and would set us up for sub 66. I would get a little bit ahead at times, but not by much, and by the 5-6 mile mark we were running shoulder to shoulder.

Around 7.5 miles I got a bit of a sidestitch and Paul put a little gap on me. I was probably 5 seconds behind when we hit the 8 mile marker. For the rest of the race, he maintained a 5-10 second lead. I never was quite able to make a strong enough move to close the gap.

Miles 8-10 were 4:59, 5:05, 5:06. Ten mile split was 49:35

Now it was uphill time. Ugh. The hill from 10.5 - 12 is not easy. I missed the 11 mile split, but I ran 10-12 in 10:39. I think it was probably around 5:15/5:25 for those two miles. Paul kept running strong up ahead.

Crested the hill and tried to take advantage of the remaining downhill, with a goal of getting under 5 minutes. I ran the last mile in 4:58 and then the last 0.1 in 28 seconds.

Official time was 1:05:40. At first I thought I could have run faster, but a few hours later my perspective has changed. I'm really happy with this result... its probably the second best performance I've ever run (other than UVM). I guess at first I was a little disappointed because I didn't feel 100% today, but all things considered, its a big step forward for me. It was also great to have my parents and sister (and their dogs) there cheering me on at the 7 mile mark and the finish line. 

After I finished, I ran back a bit to watch Andrea bring it home with another PR! Then ran about 4 miles cooldown w/ Paul and called it a day. 

Now its time to buildup for the marathon. I am excited to see what happens this fall. Its going to be a fun journey. 

There was a nice article about the race in the Herald Journal

Awesome awards! We weighed them on our kitchen scale when we got home... mine weighed 6 pounds! I barely have the upper body strength to pick it up :-)

Comments
From Jon on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 12:13:49 from 74.177.100.34

Nice job, Jake. Paul's tough to beat, esp. on his home course. That's an awesome time, though- congrats.

From Dan on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 12:21:39 from 24.209.83.20

I agree, great time, congrats!

From steve ash on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 12:37:52 from 24.10.169.210

Second Jon on that for sure. Great race Jake.

From Jody on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 13:42:33 from 75.141.131.35

Congratulations! Great job!

From Lily on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 15:13:50 from 67.199.178.210

Way to push. It's still an awesome time. That last 6 or 7 miles is tricky.

From Becky1 on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 15:14:16 from 76.23.13.133

What a race. I was up there this morning and saw your finish. Very impressive!!!

From Carina on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 15:48:43 from 204.15.86.83

Wow!! What a great race!! Nice job!!!!

From Rachelle on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 15:57:07 from 66.7.127.115

YOU FREAKING ROCK! Congrats Jake!

From allie on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 16:01:18 from 24.10.191.18

congrats on a very strong race. what a great way to cap off your summer of awesome racing. a time like that has to feel good going into your big buildup for the OTQ. nice job.

From Paul on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 16:21:27 from 24.10.141.104

Great job, you're doing everything right to get the OTQ, and I think this race points that you're on the path. Nice racing and chatting with you today.

From Adam RW on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 16:54:48 from 24.10.132.131

Congratulations on the PR. To have two "best" performances in the same calendar year is fantastic. Philly doesn't stand a chance!

From Burt on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 16:59:23 from 72.223.91.148

Holy smokes Jake! Imagine if you'd not had that little side stitch. I love that picture of you running. You look world class. No doubt you have an OTQ in you.

From Holt on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 17:05:08 from 71.213.91.113

Great job Jake - we were all talking this morning about the big showdown and you guys didn't disappoint. Great racing - all your hard work is paying off big time!

From Jake K on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 17:29:36 from 67.177.21.60

Thanks guys! This was a really fun race. Definitely a big confidence booster for me.

From MarkP on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 17:36:13 from 97.117.116.43

Great effort today. It was nice seeing you and Andrea. I wish I could have seen the last mile with you and Paul.

From Kelli on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 18:21:38 from 71.219.67.82

Fantastic race for both of you! Holy power couple!

Great perspective on the race, I think we always feel like we might have been able to go faster after the fact, but it is just cause we are so tired we can think straight!

Best of luck to you the rest of this year, I think things are going to go superbly well!

From Superfly on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 18:26:35 from 74.211.21.81

Great race Jake! Your hard work is definitely showing up. I'm not sure about starting a "big build up" before Philly...LOL. You'll be at like 200 mpw if you go any higher. But if it doesn't kill you it will make you stronger:) Stay healthy and your going to ROCK Philly harder than Balboa. Good luck man we all can't wait to see it happen.

From Jake K on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 19:01:08 from 67.177.21.60

I don't necessarily mean "big" in terms of more miles than I've already been running... but a combo of miles/workouts/importance of it all. Clyde I am also really happy that you didn't give me a nickname like "The Logan Missile." haha that is great! Hopefully Paul will change the title of his blog to reflect his new nickname.

From MichelleL on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 20:34:23 from 219.79.122.198

Nicely done Jake. You finished really strong--what a great race.

From Andrea on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 20:44:04 from 67.177.21.60

I'm so proud of you. Incredible time, exactly where you thought you would be. Next up - sea level half! I think there will be quite a PR compared to your current unaided PR.

From Little Bad Legs on Sat, Aug 27, 2011 at 22:40:00 from 68.186.75.3

Great job. Way to give it your best and come away with an incredible time. Can't wait to see what you do in Philly.

From Scott Ensign on Sun, Aug 28, 2011 at 02:56:30 from 67.40.112.231

nice job Jake, way to push Paul and keep him honest. come back and run next year- you and your wife are welcome to stay with me, I live just a half mile from the finish. beats the super 8 for price and convenience.

From Hamdog Alum on Sun, Aug 28, 2011 at 09:14:42 from 68.185.190.140

Way to go Jake! That race had to be alot of fun, it certainly has been fun to read about. Any race you gave it your best shot is always a good race no matter the outcome. It has to be exciting to reflect back on how far you've come in such a short amount of time. There is not a shred of doubt that you have the fitness and talent to OTQ, it's just a matter of stepping into the right race.

From Steve on Sun, Aug 28, 2011 at 10:02:12 from 76.27.108.183

Awesome race! You guys looked so fast out there.

From Seth on Sun, Aug 28, 2011 at 15:06:53 from 67.177.36.131

Nice work! I hope you get that OTQ!

From Walter on Sun, Aug 28, 2011 at 16:57:04 from 24.2.69.110

Great job there on Saturday. I was wondering who you were. You lit it up at the start and helped push the pace. I am so amazed at you and Paul's speed! So, so awesome!

From jtshad on Sun, Aug 28, 2011 at 18:09:54 from 69.20.183.178

Congrats on another very strong race! That OTQ is right there for you. Nice job!

From Rob Murphy on Sun, Aug 28, 2011 at 18:58:39 from 98.202.141.17

I wish I could have had a ringside seat to watch you two battle it out. Really fun watching you progress Jake.

From Jake K on Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 11:24:32 from 155.100.226.53

Thanks for all the positive stoke everyone! Its so awesome that we have such a supportive community of runners.

From Scott Wesemann on Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 12:46:21 from 205.158.160.209

Awesome! Wow, what a race. Those splits are crazy fast. Congrats on your race. Great pics!

From Nate on Tue, Aug 30, 2011 at 14:36:11 from 67.20.213.83

Crazy fast once again! Congrats on a great race and new PR

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
13.000.000.00

AM - 13 miles. Ran w/ Andrea and then added a few more miles on. Nice and relaxed.

I put this in my race recap from yesterday, but the Herald Journal had a nice article this morning about yesterday's race: Half marathon showdown at TOU ... although I thought it was kind of funny that they referred to Andrea as "Krong's girlfriend"... considering she has won every race in sight, I think the pecking order should be the other way around!

In the afternoon we took my sister up to Alta for a short hike to Catherine's Pass. She is in town for one more day and flying back to NYC (where she lives) tomorrow. We saw a moose on the hike, which was really cool.

 

Comments
From Paul on Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 10:33:02 from 24.10.141.104

The online version did not have them, but the "paper" version of the newspaper had individual pictures of you and Andrea.

From Jake K on Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 10:37:18 from 155.100.226.53

They still make "paper" newspapers?

From jun on Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 10:57:03 from 174.23.185.55

COngrats on the race. I just saw the report yesterday. And I sure love that trail up to Catherine's Pass. Gorgeous.

From allie on Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 11:01:30 from 161.38.218.168

nice article with some great pictures. congrats again.

cool moose.

From Jake K on Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 11:22:35 from 155.100.226.53

Paul - was it these photos? http://www.hjnews.com/photography/2011/08/27/top-of-utah-half-marathon-2/

Thanks jun and allie! always cool to see a moose!

From Rachelle on Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 11:50:29 from 159.212.71.17

Gorgeous pictures! And you and Andrea are basically celebrities. Very cool!

From Paul on Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 12:59:57 from 24.10.141.104

Yep. Although I had not seen those photos. The paper had about 5 or 6 photos from that full set.

From Kory on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 20:16:45 from 134.50.89.24

Nice workout and pictures. Thank you for your kind words. You have some amazing elite times.

I would love to run with you when I get down to SLC again. Although I may never get back at the level I was this race means more to me than any race I've ever achieved excellence at. God's running with me and provided my recovery. Thanks

From Kory on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 20:18:24 from 134.50.89.24

Also congrats on your race at the Top of Utah half. I've never ran the half just the full twice.

From Adam RW on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 23:35:55 from 155.101.152.123

Awesome moose sighting and nice news coverage for all three of you (Andrea, Paul and you).

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.300.000.00

AM - 11 miles up to work. 
PM - 9.3 miles, meandering around the neighborhood, somehow managing to get lost and ran a little further than I intended. Started later than normal so it was a bit cooler out and I just felt fantastic. I love runs like that where you feel unexpectedly great and its simply fun to be outside running.

Comments
From Superfly on Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 13:42:38 from 74.211.21.81

I'm supposed to be the only one with lung problems. Did you clean your toilet?:) Hope it's nothing too painful. Most likely you'll be in full stride within a few days.

From Jake K on Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 13:45:34 from 155.100.226.53

Its not too bad. I only notice it if I TRY to make it noticeable. No 400s this week! :-)

The same thing happened after I ran the mile in Mammoth Lakes a few months ago. I think it just happens when I am breathing REALLY hard. If it means I was running hard, then I'll take it.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.000.000.00

AM - 11.3 miles up to work. A little tired this morning... stayed up past my bedtime watching the World Championships.
PM - 8.7 miles home... winding through the neighborhoods. I thought this article about Ryan Hall that I read in Running Times today had some good insight. He has a  focus on "big" workouts (a theme I have discovered is popular on this blog), but knows its equally important to have the confidence to not "prove" yourself in workouts. I also liked the quote about responding to training, and not merely surviving it.

Comments
From emruns on Tue, Aug 30, 2011 at 10:57:52 from 76.27.114.171

We're addicted to the world championships! We watch it on the DVR. It goes much faster when we can fast forward.

From Jake K on Tue, Aug 30, 2011 at 11:07:17 from 155.100.226.53

Its fun to actually have a reason to turn on the TV at night! :-) The coverage has been pretty good so far, other than cutting out the middle 20 minutes of the 10K races!

From Steve on Tue, Aug 30, 2011 at 21:54:06 from 12.200.234.20

Very good article. Some things there to really think about.

From Rob Murphy on Tue, Aug 30, 2011 at 22:16:01 from 98.202.141.17

I'm doing my best to popularize the "little workout" followed by pizza and beer. It's not catching on though like I would have thought.

From Jake K on Tue, Aug 30, 2011 at 22:19:22 from 67.177.21.60

Rob I think we should be doing THAT too! Low key weeknight track meets/workouts followed by some tailgating!

From Hamdog Alum on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 00:33:00 from 68.185.190.140

Thanks for sharing this article! Puts things in perspective when a guy like Hall is saying he needs more balance and rest!

From allie on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 11:30:35 from 161.38.218.168

great article. thanks for posting it.

From RAD on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 18:29:31 from 76.27.16.189

I really like this article! Thanks Jake!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.500.000.00

AM - 12.7 miles, up to work. Here's something to drool over this morning: Running in the Italian Dolomites
PM - 7.8 miles, easy run home. It got a little windy which made it seem less hot. I'm terrible at the Daegu time calculations, but if my math is right, the men's 5K heats should be on tonight. It will be fun to watch the master tactician Lagat do his thing.

Comments
From Andrea on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 11:05:02 from 72.37.244.100

I WANT TO GO THERE!!

From Lulu Walls on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 12:03:01 from 155.101.137.249

Happily drooling all over my desk now. Thank you!

From Rachelle on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 12:24:22 from 159.212.71.173

Very cool! And nice miles.

From Holt on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 16:13:02 from 204.113.55.41

How did they pull off that gig - and why am I sitting in a classroom?!

From Jake K on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 16:23:13 from 155.100.226.53

There are companies that will shuttle your gear from hut to hut, and you can just run that entire trail through the Dolomites, staying a sweeet mountain huts every night. Sounds too good to be true? It sort of is... it costs about $2000 USD! I think I'd rather just wear the same clothes every day. That's why merino wool was invented, right? :-)

From RAD on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 18:30:50 from 76.27.16.189

I like that idea. If you're running every day anyway, who cares about clean clothes? :)

Nice miles - I hope to run internationally some day...

From Jon on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 20:54:50 from 74.177.100.34

I'm in, if you're in. When do we fly?

By the way, we're going to have to ask you to leave the blog. You are putting the rest of us to huge shame with your amazing mileage. Good work. Hope it pays off with an OTQ.

From Jake K on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 21:15:24 from 67.177.21.60

Jon as long as I feel like I gave it my best shot, I'll be happy. And I think we should schedule the FRB Dolomites trip for summer 2012! Seriously, how cool would a running hut trip be? I bet you could pull off something really cool using the 10th Mtn system in Colorado. That would be a big mileage week at some killer altitude!

From Jon on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 21:48:03 from 74.177.100.34

I've done some sweet backpacking in New Zealand, and they have a nice hut system there, too. So many options, so little money and time.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.600.000.00

AM - 14.4 miles. Planned to meet a friend from work for an Emigration Canyon run, but he had to bail at the last minute, so I ran from the HCI to Wasatch Drive and did an out & back. My legs were a little tired this morning, so when I felt how strong the wind was blowing out of Emigration Canyon, I wanted no part of that battle and just ran on Wasatch instead.

Here's some morning stoke - Women's 1500m final. I don't want to spoil it and say who won, but the look on her face when she crossed the line was priceless. And an excellent post-race interview.

PM - 7.2 miles. We got kicked out of work at 3pm today because of the football game, so I met Andrea at Liberty Park. We did 5 laps on the woodchips, which felt great on my legs. 

Comments
From Andrea on Thu, Sep 01, 2011 at 14:54:24 from 67.177.21.60

I couldn't stop smiling when I watched her post-race interview!

From Jake K on Thu, Sep 01, 2011 at 14:55:36 from 155.100.226.53

Me either, I wonder what people walking by my desk were thinking I was watching... I felt so happy for her!

From Jon on Thu, Sep 01, 2011 at 21:53:35 from 74.177.100.34

Where do you work that you have to stop for a football game?

From Jake K on Thu, Sep 01, 2011 at 22:28:21 from 67.177.21.60

Huntsman Cancer Institute... but we're under the umbrella of the university of utah... and apparently they needed the parking for any "non-essential" employees.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.900.000.00

AM - 11.4 miles, up to work. Got 9.5 hours of sleep last night. This afternoon we're headed up to a little cabin in the Snowbasin vicinity for the long weekend. I'll miss watching the final days of the work championships, but it will be nice to just unwind a bit. Tomorrow morning we have a solid crew meeting at the trailhead on the north side of Pineview Reservoir for a long run. I think the plan is to shuttle up and run the first 15 miles of the Ogden Marathon course then add on some extra mileage as needed, or just run around the reservoir. If you want to join, we'll meet at 7:15am.

PM - 4.5 miles. Our cabin has wifi... sweet. 

Comments
From Rachelle on Fri, Sep 02, 2011 at 12:02:44 from 199.190.170.31

It is gorgeous up there. You will love it! Your mileage this week is insane, nice work!

From Rob Murphy on Fri, Sep 02, 2011 at 13:04:55 from 205.127.70.66

Sounds fun this weekend.

Thanks for the well wishes. The Pocatello Half is a good race where old guys like myself can win as they don't have prize money. Shadley and I finished 1-2 last year. Don't get many chances to win races at 46!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.600.000.00

AM - 20.6 miles. Long run up in Ogden w/ Andrea, Allie, and Ken, who managed to sneak away for 15 miles even though his wife just had a baby :-) Really nice run... 15 on the roads, then the last part on a rolling singletrack trail. It was cold when we started, we all wished we had gloves!

Comments
From allie on Sat, Sep 03, 2011 at 16:03:40 from 24.10.191.18

gloves would have been nice, but you were right on about the body suit -- that would have been ideal.

thanks for the great run this morning. have a nice long weekend.

From Rob Murphy on Sat, Sep 03, 2011 at 22:23:41 from 98.202.141.17

Are you guys going to run the Fabulous Alta Peruvian Downhill Dash and Bar-B-Q Bash next Saturday? Best race in Utah, no contest. Great food, a keg, and they rent rooms at the closed for the season lodge for runners.

From Jake K on Sun, Sep 04, 2011 at 13:41:34 from 67.2.56.151

My quads won't let me run it... they are too afraid of the potential aftermath. It does sound like a lot of fun. I do want to run up to the top of Hidden Peak soon (Xterra prep) and take the tram down. Maybe we'll do that on Saturday and then watch you guys run 4 minute miles down the canyon.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.300.000.00

AM - 11.1 miles. Ran the first half w/ Andrea, then found some nice hills for the second half. Nice run on the farm roads. Despite not doing any workouts this week (by design), I still feel like I got in a very solid week (~130 miles) and recovered from the race last weekend.

My sister (Jenna) was quoted in the NY Post this morning, although they spelled our last name wrong, which is probably a good thing, which you will realize when you read her quote and the title of the article :-)

PM - 4.2 miles, followed by an axe throwing competition against Andrea, which I'll have some excellent video footage of tomorrow.

Did a nice mountain bike loop this afternoon, linking Wheeler Canyon with a few of the other trails in the Snowbasin area. We also found out that the grocery store in Eden sells giant bowls of soft serve ice cream for 50 CENTS. In my mind, thats the equivalent of discovering gold.


Andrea riding towards Mt Ogden 

Comments
From steve ash on Sun, Sep 04, 2011 at 13:01:24 from 24.10.169.210

Thats what I call mileage!

From ACorn on Tue, Sep 06, 2011 at 13:26:33 from 68.66.168.22

I laughed heartily at your sister's quote. She seems to be pretty street savvy, probably knowledge she learned from her bro.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.500.000.00

AM - 14.2 miles @ Snowbasin, see below...
PM - 6.3 miles easy w/ Andrea then added a little more on.

Ran the XTerra Nationals course at Snowbasin this morning. The "21K" is actually a bit over 14 miles, as I expected (its not quite realistic that linking 2 trails would come out to an exact half marathon!). Andrea ran the first loop w/ me, which is ~6 miles of rolling but rocky singletrack. I didn't necessarily love this section, and rolled my ankle several times. The second loop goes up towards Sardine Peak on a very smooth trail. Its about a 3 mile relentless climb up to the top, then comes back down on some huge switchbacks, which are also very run-able. Then you have a steady gradual climb over the last mile back to the finish. Overall, the total elevation gain is probably between 2000-2500 feet (profile and map below).

Now I have a decision to make... whether or not to actually run this race. One on hand, its a fun course and I think I could put some major hurt on people from the 7-10 mile marks, there is incredible prize money, and honestly I feel like I can win this race. But on the other hand, its 2 weeks before the Long Beach 1/2 Marathon, which is a much more important race for me. I'm not sure how many times I can go to the well this fall. The 2500 feet of downhill scares me, and I can't imagine the winning time being faster than 1:20-1:25, so its extra time on the feet.

The competitor in me wants to do this race and just crush this course, but the coach in me (who already told Andrea she probably shouldn't race it), knows I'm probably better off just saving it for Long Beach.

From September 2011

 

Comments
From Fritz on Mon, Sep 05, 2011 at 19:04:04 from 97.117.67.53

Tough call but I think you could still win it, which would be pretty sweet, and if you took it easy for a few days be ready for Long Beach. But if you do think the downhill will takes its toll no reason to risk it. You have trained too hard not to give your goal races your best effort.

From Rachelle on Mon, Sep 05, 2011 at 19:29:54 from 66.7.127.115

Nice run! I am a running newbie so I have no solid advice. But if it were me and I though I could win it I would definitely race it. :)

From Russ on Tue, Sep 06, 2011 at 11:24:25 from 74.114.3.253

If you rolled your ankle "several times" on a training run, what might happen during a race with good prize money on the line? That would be my biggest concern (if I were fast, but I'm not) would be getting hurt just as the fall race season begins.

From Jake K on Tue, Sep 06, 2011 at 11:34:15 from 155.100.226.53

Russ - part of the problem is that I was looking around a lot... in a race I probably would be a lot more focused... but still, you are right, getting hurt like that would be a devastating blow to me. Its hard to back out of the race, but my other goals are just too important to risk anything running this one.

From Paul on Tue, Sep 06, 2011 at 12:09:25 from 24.10.141.104

You can run this race next year. But you can't qualify for Trials next year.

From Jake K on Tue, Sep 06, 2011 at 12:12:04 from 155.100.226.53

Paul, exactly.

I had a sketch of what my training would look like if I kept XTerra in there, and then took it out and put in the workouts I'd do instead. The latter scenario is the better scenario by a wide margin. The decision has been made :-)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.800.000.00

AM - 12 miles. 6 mile tempo run at Liberty Park in 32:16 (5:23 pace). Started nice and early this morning because I had to be at work by 7am, so the streak of 10-11 hour sleep nights came to an end at 3. I'm targeting 5:20-25 pace on these marathon paced tempos per Paul's advice, who told me that I can expect to drop 5-6 seconds per mile w/ the drop in altitude and wearing racing flats, which seems reasonable. The pace felt pretty easy after the first mile (wake up!) and I was tempted to go faster or extend the length of the effort, but stuck to the plan. I don't need to get ahead of myself in workouts. Consistency is the most important thing and I am holding myself to that.

PM - 9.8 miles. A little quicker than normal for the first 8.5, then saw Andrea and ran an easy mile with her. 

Comments
From Jon on Tue, Sep 06, 2011 at 21:42:37 from 74.177.100.34

Man, you and Andrea have the life- run a ton, sleep a ton, kick everyone's butt at races. Am I missing anything?

From Jake K on Tue, Sep 06, 2011 at 21:46:26 from 67.177.21.60

Just wait until ski season...

http://wasatchandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/04/winter-isnt-over-yet.html

http://wasatchandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/04/superior-day.html

From Jon on Tue, Sep 06, 2011 at 22:22:00 from 74.177.100.34

Yeah, I remember looking at your posts last winter. Enjoy it.

From Hamdog Alum on Tue, Sep 06, 2011 at 23:45:07 from 68.185.190.140

Man Jake, don't you ever get sore putting your body through that kind of mileage. Seriously, you must be made of steel or you're taking some kind of super recovery drugs. Nice day of training!

From Jake K on Wed, Sep 07, 2011 at 10:52:47 from 155.100.226.53

Sleep is the major key. I never slept more than ~7 hrs or so before I met Andrea. Now I average 8-9 hrs, and sometimes get even more. Wearing compression socks all day helps a lot too. The super recovery drug is Kroger brand Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream.

From Hamdog Alum on Wed, Sep 07, 2011 at 22:03:39 from 68.185.190.140

Thanks as always for sharing the tips on recovery! I must say I like your taste in ice cream :)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.500.000.00

AM - 11.2 miles. Went to Liberty Park w/ Andrea and helped pace her tempo run. We warmed up 2 miles, then did a 5.5 mile tempo @ ~6:13 pace. I ran up to work from there... the shortest route from Liberty Park to my office is only 3.7 miles, but it climbs 750 feet! Being a pacer for elite women would be a really sweet job.

PM - 8.3 miles, down to Sugarhouse and did a lap w/ Andrea. 

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
22.300.000.00

AM - 15.1 miles, up to work. Ran about an hour w/ Andrea and Allie. SUPER WINDY this morning, especially once I started heading up the hill on Sunnyside. Holy moly it was like running against a wall! Hope all of you running TOU get that wind next weekend! :-) Hit 4000 miles for the year this morning... I'm 99.9% sure I've never run more than 3500 miles in a year before... and even that might be pushing it.

PM - 7.2 miles home. 

Comments
From Russ on Fri, Sep 09, 2011 at 11:12:31 from 74.114.3.253

Nice! 4000 and September's not even 1/3 done yet. Looking forward to your upcoming race reports.

From Jon on Sat, Sep 10, 2011 at 07:04:25 from 74.177.100.34

Man, you're a mileage maniac!

From Paul on Sat, Sep 10, 2011 at 09:54:28 from 24.10.141.104

4000 MILES?? Dang, I always assumed you were reporting kilometers!

From Jake K on Sat, Sep 10, 2011 at 15:25:23 from 67.177.21.60

I was under the impression that all you guys were logging nautical miles, so I was just trying to keep up!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.000.000.00

AM - 10.5 miles. Track workout at Highland. Warmed up 3 miles and then did 2x200m in ~35 seconds. That was kind of slow, so I decided I was just going to do whatever my legs gave me and not press hard on the reps. The workout was 10 x 600m w/ 200m jog. I averaged just under 1:51 and all the reps were less than 1 second off the average. I didn't try to pick up the pace on the last couple (or even in the last 100-150m of the individual reps), just ran an even effort through the whole workout. So very consistent but not very fast. I'll blame that on getting a mandatory flu shot yesterday afternoon at work :-)

PM - 7.5 miles while getting the windshield replaced on my jeep.

Hard to believe 9/11 was TEN YEARS ago! Senior year, XC team... what a crew...

 

Comments
From Andrea on Fri, Sep 09, 2011 at 11:12:37 from 72.37.171.52

Flu shots are the worst! At least the swelling makes your arm look more muscular :)

From Rachelle on Fri, Sep 09, 2011 at 18:13:17 from 199.190.170.22

Awww how cute. You look so young in that picture. Very crazy it has been 10 years, I can hardly believe it.

From Hamdog Alum on Fri, Sep 09, 2011 at 22:06:27 from 68.185.190.140

The guy on the far left looks like he his shoulders could be weapons out on a CC course!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
24.000.000.00

AM - 24 miles at Jeremy Ranch. Andrea and I ran out (9 mi) & back to the East Canyon Reservoir, and she added on an extra mile to get 19. From there, I kept going along the I-80 frontage road to the Spring Creek trailhead, and a spot that I knew would be great for soaking our legs in a cold stream afterwards. Picked up the pace a bit on the last 5 miles and felt really good. We soaked in the freezing cold water for ~15 minutes, which was heavenly recovery.

I think Andrea is going to give the marathon a shot this fall and go for the OTQ, so that is what we talked about the entire run. I really believe she can do it. The question is whether to run Philly with me or go to CIM a few weeks later. As I told her, whether we both make it or not, just the fact that we are having this conversation says a ton about how far we have come in the past year.


The benefit of having Andrea drive the last 5 miles of the run alongside me... a moving aid station! 

Comments
From ACorn on Sat, Sep 10, 2011 at 16:21:28 from 24.2.76.146

You and Andrea are both awesome. Pretty inspiring to see what a ton of hard work and consistency can do!

From Rob on Sat, Sep 10, 2011 at 17:47:32 from 72.254.84.204

Heck yeah! If the aid station were moving at say, ...~11.3 mph for 26 miles that would be great motivation.

From Sasha Pachev on Sat, Sep 10, 2011 at 18:58:24 from 192.168.1.1

Another idea for Andrea. Rocket City Marathon. Very nice flat course. You will need enter the race officially and pace her as the competition is sparse, but she earns cash. The race director will definitely give her a comp, and might give you one as well to help the fast time on the women's side, they do want fast times there, they just do not have a whole lot of money. CIM I think is faster than Philly if it is the same course as it has been.

Thoughts on your training. I think your marathon endurance is OK. It is naturally good due to your smooth form and possibly some other invisible natural qualities - e.g naturally good glycogen store. So it only needs a little maintenance, maybe run the last 8-10 miles hard at the end of 20 once a week. In all honesty, marathon endurance is a stubborn beast. It responds only to very moderate stimulation, and does not like to be pushed beyond that. I've gone through several stages of "I am really going to train myself to be a beast in the last 6 miles of the marathon" and every single attempt resulted in an underperformance. On the other hand, "bum" training with the long run of only 20 with only 10 hard in the middle gave me the best results. I've learned the hard way why Jack Daniels does not recommend going over 22 in a long run. You definitely can when you are fit, and when you are fit you will survive it if done not too frequently for the level of fitness, but it does not build fitness even if you are fit to survive it.

I see the biggest block to your progress right now is not being able to crack 14:00 in the 5 K. 9:16 3200 m is on pace for 14:22, and with endurance there is not a whole lot of difference between 3200 and 5000. So the capability exists. However, the big question is where it went.

Your current speed allows you to run under 2:19, but to go further it would need to improve so that you are not scared about the idea of running 5:00 for the whole marathon.

I would approach the speed problem by identifying the breakdown point and working on it. Do a time trial in 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, and 1600 m and see if you are lacking in those distances. The target times would be somewhere around 25.0, 53.0, 1:58.0, and 4:12.0. If you are too far off on the 200, then you try to fix it with hill sprints. Otherwise, the workout is something involving the target speed for the distance of failure with the interval being about 70% of the distance of failure.

My intuitive feeling is that the speed problem simply comes from the lack of practice of running really fast, and will be corrected if you could train with somebody that will push you. I know it is a challenge to find a partner at this level of speed, but with some creativity can be done even if that means two or three people running a relay.

From Jake K on Sat, Sep 10, 2011 at 19:34:31 from 67.177.21.60

Thanks for the comments Sasha. I have heard good things about Rocket City as well.

Regarding the long runs... I don't plan on doing many more in the 23-24 mile range, especially once I get into the last 6-7 weeks. Honestly I am not worried about the endurance (that is my strongest asset), I just did it today b/c I was enjoying it and having fun. 20 milers w/ some MP mixed in, and the longer MP tempos are going to be my bread and butter this fall. Better to be a couple % points undertrained than 1% overtrained! I know saying that seems ridiculous w/ the amount of mileage I am running, but fortunately I am in a situation where I have plenty of time for recovery... so I really don't feel as if I am over doing it.

You are right, achieving my maximum potential in the marathon is going to require getting my times down in shorter races. 2:19 is the goal for this fall, but not the ultimate goal. In high school I could click off ten 28 second 200s w/ no problem. Now I can't touch that, but that is going to be an objective for next year... get the speed back. I have it in me, I just haven't used it in a long time. I mean, before this spring I hadn't even done a structured workout in about 3 years! I just need to be patient and not push the speed thing too much this fall... if I keep the course I'm on, I think I can get under 2:19. But looking forward, there is untapped potential that I won't get to unless I train my legs to run very fast again. I like the short hills sprints you have been doing, that is a good idea and you see a lot of the east africans(Canova's guys) doing those types of things.

We'll have to do some track meets next spring/summer and see if we can get those mile/3K/5K times down. It would be a beneficial thing for a lot of folks on the blog!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.100.000.00

AM - 10.5 miles slow & easy.
PM - 5.6 miles.

Got a ton of household cleaning, yard work, car stuff, and other odds & ends accomplished this weekend. About 20 things knocked off the "to do" list.  We also finally got some photos printed to go in frames that we bought a long time ago. While looking through some older pics, I found this one of Andrea and I from a couple years ago when we first met... most people wouldn't suspect this, but at that time, I actually had longer hair than she did! And she is going to kill me for posting this...


Comments
From jun on Sun, Sep 11, 2011 at 21:04:45 from 174.23.185.55

My first thought when I saw that was "why is he posting a pick of Andrea and some weird guy from the cover of a smut novel?". Ha

From Andrea on Sun, Sep 11, 2011 at 22:15:23 from 67.177.21.60

We look tough! haha

From steve ash on Sun, Sep 11, 2011 at 22:37:04 from 24.10.169.210

I remember days when I had hair like that! LOL! Never would have thought..

From Fritz on Sun, Sep 11, 2011 at 22:37:52 from 67.182.226.25

You should share this with Pearl Izumi. Bowlers might be an untapped market.

From Burt on Mon, Sep 12, 2011 at 13:34:44 from 206.19.214.144

Ha! I thought you were dressed up for 70's night!

From Kam on Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 00:47:38 from 174.23.252.148

We definitely need to go bowling sometime.

From Jake K on Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 11:18:51 from 155.100.226.53

Agreed... a Fast Running Blog bowling night is an EXCELLENT idea! Who wants to take the initiative to set this up?!?!

From Superfly on Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 12:42:15 from 74.211.21.81

I'm in. Lets do it in St. George or VEGAS!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.000.000.00

AM - 15 miles, up to work. Ran about 8 w/ Andrea.
PM - 5 miles, down to Sugarhouse and rolled into 4x200m on the track in 31-32 seconds

Comments
From Rachelle on Mon, Sep 12, 2011 at 13:00:44 from 199.190.170.24

Big miles for the morning. You look so different with long hair. ha ha that made me smile.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.300.000.00

AM - 12 miles. Tempo Run at Liberty Park: 8 miles in 42:42 (5:20 average pace). During the first mile I was thinking "this is too early, we need to start doing these in the afternoons"... but after 5-10 minutes I got into a really nice rhythm and the rest of the workout felt very smooth. Pace was a little quicker than last week, exactly where I want to be on these runs.

Over the weekend I read Adam Goucher's new book - Running the Edge.  Its not what you'd expect from a typical running book, but I thought it was really good. Might be worth checking out if you are looking for something to read. Here is my review.

PM - 8.3 miles. 

Comments
From allie on Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 12:03:50 from 161.38.218.168

loved the review -- thanks for sharing. this book is definitely on my "must read" list now.

From JD on Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 16:12:02 from 70.96.78.149

Thanks for the review - looking forward to getting a copy!

From Rachelle on Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 16:31:52 from 159.212.71.199

Thanks for the review and awesome job on the workout! Your training is so inspiring.

From ACorn on Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 16:52:41 from 68.66.168.22

Great workout and thanks for the book review, I'm always looking for stuff to read while I'm on the exercise bike.

From Hamdog Alum on Wed, Sep 14, 2011 at 13:16:10 from 68.185.190.140

Great review - looking forward to reading it!

From fiddy on Thu, Sep 15, 2011 at 20:23:29 from 155.101.96.134

Thanks for the link. I'm curious, did you run that tempo on the woodchips, grass or pavement?

From Jake K on Thu, Sep 15, 2011 at 21:57:44 from 67.177.21.60

I do the tempo on the wide paved sidewalk thing. Its nice and smooth... I'd break my ankle trying to run on the woodchips or grass in the dark!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
22.100.000.00

AM - 14.8 miles, up to work, slow & easy.
PM - 7.3 miles easy. Ran a couple w/ Andrea.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.000.000.00

AM - 10 miles. Easy run on Sunnyside / Wasatch Drive. Had a little more pop in my legs compared to yesterday.

PM - 9 miles. Track session (same as May 25 but w/ a couple extra 200s thrown in at the beginning and end). Workout was 2-2-4-4-8-4-8-4-8-4-4-2-2 w/ 200m jog b/w reps. Splits were 33 seconds for the 200s, 70-71 seconds for the 400s, and averaged 2:26 for the 800s.

Good to get in some work at 5K pace, although right now I'm not sure my 5K pace is much faster than my 1/2 marathon pace. We'll find out in a few weeks.  

Comments
From ACorn on Fri, Sep 16, 2011 at 00:01:16 from 24.2.76.146

That looks like a brutal track seesion. Nicely done!

From Jake K on Fri, Sep 16, 2011 at 13:19:08 from 155.100.226.53

Thanks. Its actually not too bad... once you get to the middle 800, its all downhill from there! I just figure a marathon is 2+ hours on continually fast running, so I can't complain about running hard for 1-2 minutes at a time :-)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.800.000.00

AM - 14.8 miles, up to work. Felt surprisingly decent. Andrea's parents are in town, so we're headed to Moab this afternoon until Monday night. Tomorrow we're going to do our long run on the Hurrah Pass road, which I am very excited about.

PM - 7 miles. We hit the storm of all storms on the drive down to Moab. Most lightning I have ever seen. No lie, some of the strikes were hitting the ground 75 yards from the road. You could see all the sparks fly up when it hit the ground! It was intense. Once we got down here, there was a slight break in the storm (I don't mind the rain, but was terrified of going out in the lightning) so I got out for a quick run while Andrea and her parents went grocery shopping. I trust her to bring back lots of ice cream. There's no way we're running Hurrah Pass tomorrow... the road will be a mess, so we'll have to stick to the bike path for the long run. 

Comments
From Tom Slick on Fri, Sep 16, 2011 at 12:37:23 from 69.171.160.158

Yowzza, look at that mileage count for the year! Looks like your ready for the Olympic Trials or at least a shot 1st place at Boston.......Keep up the great work......

From Jake K on Fri, Sep 16, 2011 at 12:46:45 from 155.100.226.53

Thanks Tom. I've had some luck w/ good health and I'm giving that trials qualifier my best shot!

From Adam RW on Fri, Sep 16, 2011 at 13:17:10 from 155.101.152.123

Enjoy the trip and the change in scenery.

From Scott Wesemann on Fri, Sep 16, 2011 at 13:47:32 from 205.158.160.209

That should be a sweet run tomorrow. Your weekly miles are incredible. Nice!

From Superfly on Fri, Sep 16, 2011 at 17:25:38 from 74.211.21.81

Have fun in Moab. It's soo nice there this time of year. We usually always go in September. Love it!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
22.000.000.00

AM - 22 miles. Long run on the roads in Spanish Valley and Moab. Ran the first 20 miles w/ Andrea, and we picked it up to her marathon pace (6:17) for the last 3 miles. Then I went right into a fast mile (4:45) and then finished it up with an easier mile. The whole run had about 1100 feet of elevation gain, so it was another strength-builder.

PM - Hiked around in red rock land... iced my feet really good, and soaked in a hot tub. An excellent day!

 

  

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.500.000.00

AM - 11 miles
PM - 4.5 miles

Typical easy Sunday runs. We had a really nice afternoon hiking around Arches NP w/ Andrea's parents. Went out to Delicate Arch, then did a cool ranger-guided tour through the Fiery Furnace. Fun day.

 

 

 

Comments
From Scott Wesemann on Mon, Sep 19, 2011 at 15:01:36 from 205.158.160.209

Great pics! Looks like a blast.

From Hamdog Alum on Tue, Sep 20, 2011 at 21:41:50 from 68.185.190.140

You guys know how to have a great time! The pictures look awesome.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.000.000.00

AM - 16 miles. Beautiful morning in Moab. Andrea and I ran out to Ken's Lake. We did the first 9 easy, then used some gradual downhill and did 4.5 miles at her tempo pace (~6:15). At that point she split off and I went into the same hard mile that I did at the end of the long run on Saturday. Today I ran it in 4:37 (Saturday was 4:45). At this rate, if I stayed down here a few more days I'd be running 4:10 by the end of the week! :-)

PM - 3 miles in Price, quick shakeout on the drive home.

Spent the day exploring around Fisher Towers and Onion Creek Narrows... 

 


 

Comments
From Lily on Mon, Sep 19, 2011 at 11:52:59 from 67.199.178.210

Way to run. That is a dang fast mile. Enjoy your time in Moab. Awesome place!

From Superfly on Mon, Sep 19, 2011 at 19:07:45 from 74.211.21.81

I've ran that road many-o-time. We stay at some of the cabins up by the golf course so that's right in our little area. I've did a big 19 mile loop out behind the golf course on a trail/ dirt road in that canyon and up around the mountain coming out just south of Kens lake. Then took the paved road back down around the the condo.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.000.000.00

AM - 10.8 miles, up to work. 
PM - 8.2 miles, down to Sugarhouse and did 2 laps w/ Andrea.

*Oct 1st, 5000m on the track, probably 9am, probably Highland High School. If you're interested let me know. We'll have some rudimentary timing and prizes. Andrea and I figured it would be fun to turn our pre-Long Beach time trial into something a little more fun. The only thing I'll guarantee is that this will be the flattest and most accurate 5K you'll run this year! Afterwards we'll probably go out to breakfast or something.

Comments
From jun on Tue, Sep 20, 2011 at 11:00:24 from 205.158.160.209

I was just about to make a very sarcastic comment, but instead I think I'll just come and make a fool of myself. As long as my wife doesn't work I'll be there. Keep posting this as a reminder.

From Rob Murphy on Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 15:59:45 from 205.127.70.66

This is true. I run on the Highland High track all the time and can attest to the fact that it is flat.

From Chad Robinson on Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 02:37:52 from 208.110.158.227

Count me in.

From Jake K on Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 10:54:08 from 155.100.226.53

Jun and Chad - I'll get in touch w/ both of you early next week. Sounds good, glad you are coming.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.800.000.00

AM - 11.5 miles. Workout at Liberty Park: 6 x 1 Mile. Averaged 4:54 (fastest was 4:52 and slowest was 4:57). This was a tough one to start before 6am! For these next two weeks the focus is primarily on some faster workouts to sharpen up for Long Beach, then we'll move back to the marathon-paced stuff.

PM - 7.3 miles, ran home from work. I looked up the last time I did mile repeats in my log (before joining this blog)... it was one of my first workouts of the year, just before the SLC Winter 15K. That day I did 4 x Mile in 5:30. So... there's been some improvement over the past 6 months!

Comments
From Andrea on Wed, Sep 21, 2011 at 14:45:59 from 72.37.244.100

Maybe one of these days I'll run a sub-5 min mile!

From MarkP on Wed, Sep 21, 2011 at 15:01:08 from 97.117.127.158

Nice work out. Do you guys do these on wood chip trail? I feel like I'm moving in slow motion on the trail.

From Jake K on Wed, Sep 21, 2011 at 15:08:03 from 155.100.226.53

Thanks Mark. We do the workouts on the paved path. It would be impossible (for me) to run that fast in the dark on the wood chip trail. Plus there is a 100% chance I would rip my ankle apart. I save the wood chips for shuffling slowly on the cooldown :-)

From ACorn on Wed, Sep 21, 2011 at 17:03:21 from 68.66.168.22

Wow! Can't wait to see what you can do at sea level.

From Rachelle on Wed, Sep 21, 2011 at 21:35:35 from 66.7.127.115

Glad to hear I have room for improvement. That is quite impressive Jake!

From Superfly on Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 18:49:21 from 74.211.21.81

Yeah your killing it right now. Keep the ball rolling man. Just stay healthy and get to Philly in the shape your in right now... and race day will be magic!

From Jake K on Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 21:02:50 from 67.177.21.60

Rachelle - absolutely! The keys are to be patient, be consistent, and believe in yourself!

Clyde - Thanks man. I am feeling really good right now. The 1/2 in 2 weeks should be a good indicator, but I definitely think I am already at a higher level than I was at UVM. I really can't wait to lace 'em up for another 26.2!

From Hamdog Alum on Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 21:31:56 from 68.185.190.140

Jake - You've made a huge improvement! Way to go!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.100.000.00

AM - 10.8 miles, up to work, easy. Nearly got taken out by a car that just blasted through a stop sign. I hope they got wherever they were going 2 seconds faster. I also hope that they had their radio turned up loud because the woman driving would not have liked what I yelled at her!

PM - 7.3 miles, ran home. 

Comments
From Andrea on Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 14:07:29 from 72.37.171.52

Well, I hope you didn't bang on her car! You should tell the story where you could've gotten killed.

From Jake K on Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 14:09:56 from 155.100.226.53

No I didn't hit her car or even swear. You'd be proud of me. But she was a terrible driver and was probably playing w/ her iphone or something like that... just went straight through the sign and missed me by about 3 feet.

From ACorn on Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 14:35:13 from 68.66.168.22

I'm impressed by your restraint, glad that nothing serious happened.

From Scott Wesemann on Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 11:27:24 from 205.158.160.209

I just about got hit the other night. I have noticed that a lot of people do not look right when they are making a right turn, they only look left. There was a car going really fast that rolled through the stop sign and I knew they were not looking, so I jumped onto the sidewalk. If I had not been paying attention it could have been ugly.

From Jake K on Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 11:31:20 from 155.100.226.53

Yeah that is a common thing I notice... people only look to see if there is traffic to the left of them. But in this case, I was coming from the left! She didn't even look to see if she was pulling out in front of another car!

From Scott Wesemann on Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 11:35:47 from 205.158.160.209

She was probably in the middle of a hot texting conversation. I hope she heard your barrage of expletives.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
12.600.000.00

AM - 9.6 miles, up to work. The 8 minute guy kicked my butt this morning. 

PM - 3 miles. Rode my bike home and then did a quick shakeout run. Then we went to The Pie. Great night.  

Race: 10,000m Time Trial (6.21 Miles) 00:31:34
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.500.000.00

"Technically" this wasn't a sanctioned race, but its a PR so I figured I'd make it a race report...

The plan for this morning was 5-6 miles at half-marathon effort. I decided to do it on the track, and then convinced myself that running 10K would be a good mental challenge. Ran up to the Highland track from home, and scoped out my competition:

  • Old guy in lane 7, doing pushups every 200m
  • Blue shirt guy in lane 4
  • Obese guy walking around the infield

I did a bunch of strides and then got going. Thinking that 5:00 pace at sea level is worth about 5:05-ish up here, I just wanted to run ~76 second laps.

The pace felt very easy. First 3 miles (actually 1600s) were 5:06, 5:06, 5:06 (all within 0.2 seconds of each other). 5K was ~15:57. I kept the same effort but gradually got a bit quicker as I got into a nice rhythm. Next 3 miles were 5:03, 5:02, 5:01. With a lap to go, I knew it wouldn't take much to beat my college 10K PR. Last 400m was 69s. Second 5K was 15:37. Total time was 31:34.3.

After I finished, I wasn't all that winded, so I went straight into a set of  6 x 200m in 31 seconds

Now, the key this morning was that I really didn't run anywhere near all-out. I would say this was maybe a 90% effort, max. I think I could probably go sub-31 right now, which is a great sign. Two weeks until Long Beach... if the weather (ie. wind) cooperates, I think I'm ready for a really good race.

First run in my Saucony Type A4s. Great shoe. A bit different than the A3... might not be a marathon shoe, but its going to be my go-to 5K/10K flat now, and I am thinking I might wear it for the half-marathon as well. 

PM - 3 mile shakeout. In the afternoon, we went for a hike up at Brighton w/ Andrea's parents... colors are starting to change...

 

Comments
From Kory on Sat, Sep 24, 2011 at 14:24:47 from 184.155.137.220

Nice workout and very technical strict training to achieve the best performance. Going anaerobic and not really hitting a threshold limit at that pace is awesome. Feeling very easy really means your fitness level is high. What do you normally eat after a workout like that or any workout for breakfast?

Do you eat right afterwards? I usually wait an 1 or 2 because my body is just not ready for food yet.

Nice job.

From ACorn on Sat, Sep 24, 2011 at 15:41:55 from 24.2.76.146

Glad the competition didn't frighten you.

From Hamdog Alum on Sat, Sep 24, 2011 at 16:04:42 from 68.185.190.140

Great race report! You're probably feeling good because you're 25 miles under last weeks mileage :) It's kind of funny to think your running 31:30 10K's with no competition on 100 mile + weeks. Quite the opposite of college!

From Jake K on Sat, Sep 24, 2011 at 18:31:06 from 67.177.21.60

Kory - I ate two bite-sized snickers before I started. I do try to eat a solid meal (protein / eggs) as soon afterwards as possible for recovery, though.

ACorn - the obese guy kinda creeped me out a bit... I think he was watching me.

Hamdog - Yeah, its amazing how a 115 mile week feels refreshing! :-) This week, and the next 2, are planned down week though... I need to make sure I don't over do it now, and be peaking when mid-November rolls around.

From Andrea on Sat, Sep 24, 2011 at 18:31:33 from 67.177.21.60

Must've been the 10.5 hours of sleep you got last night. And the 20 miles less per week. Now let's see what you can do with a real taper!

From Rachelle on Sat, Sep 24, 2011 at 22:18:11 from 66.7.127.115

You are amazing! Gorgeous pictures and awesome workout. So incredibly inspiring and impressive. The sky is the limit with your abilities and determination Jake!

From Burt on Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 01:10:03 from 72.223.91.148

5:06 pace? Wow! I might be able to run that pace for a 400 if I'm lucky.

From Jake K on Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 18:08:57 from 67.177.21.60

Burt than you could have paced me for the opening quarter mile!

From Adam RW on Mon, Sep 26, 2011 at 10:42:48 from 155.101.152.123

Truly amazing! I can not wait to see what you do when you are trying. With the marathon world record falling yesterday this is the year for great running from all.

From MichelleL on Thu, Sep 29, 2011 at 23:35:17 from 58.153.15.64

Wow, just caught this. What an amazing time. I was just amazed by the " I wasn't that winded so went straight into the 6 x 200s" (I am paraphrasing). That is awesome. You are going for OTQ I am assuming?

From Jake K on Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 11:03:26 from 155.100.226.53

In all fairness Michelle, I did take about a minute (maybe two) before starting the 200s. I was surprised at how quickly I felt recovered, in terms of my breathing... I guess that means I ran it at the right effort level, and didn't "go to the well."

And yeah, the marathon trials is the goal right now - after UVM I sort of realized that I might have a shot it, and things have gone very well for the past few months, so now I feel like I can do it. The half-marathon standard is pretty tough, but I'm confident that with one last cycle of marathon specific training after Long Beach, I'll be able to get the job done in Philly. Its the same day as your marathon, and w/ Andrea running Philly as well, it could be a great day for the blog! :-)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.100.000.00

AM - 11.1 miles, easy around the neighborhoods... 6 w/ Andrea.

PM - 3 miles shakeout.

117 miles for the week, after weeks of 134, 142, and 141.  The main thing is that my workouts have been very solid in addition to the volume. Nice, consistent progress. I'm going to back it off a bit for the next 2 weeks, hopefully run well at Long Beach, and then do a cycle of very marathon-specific training before Philly.

Great day in sports... a new marathon world record, a very strong comeback race for Paula Radcliffe, and the Bills beat the Patriots! I loved this picture of Patrick Makau in Berlin after the race...

Comments
From JD on Mon, Sep 26, 2011 at 01:22:31 from 97.117.107.209

Suddenly I'm feeling very thirsty!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
17.800.000.00

AM - 13.4 miles, up to work. 8.5 w/ Andrea. 

PM - 4.4 miles, down to Sugarhouse. 

*OktoberFAST 5K: We'll start the race at 9am on Saturday (Oct 1) at the Highland High School track. If you are planning to come, send me an email / private message w/ your name, age, and a seed time. We need to know how many people to expect. If we have a volunteer to start a timer, we can use my laptop and a stopwatch as a backup. If we don't have any volunteers, it might end up being more of a time trial (and I'll try to finish quickly and get the times for everyone behind me). Supposedly Saucony is sending us race bibs.

Comments
From MarkP on Mon, Sep 26, 2011 at 11:57:07 from 97.117.127.158

Its a great idea! Sorry, I can't be there (St. George).

From Paul on Mon, Sep 26, 2011 at 12:18:41 from 24.10.141.104

I may be there, but will have two kids in tow, so won't be running. Maybe I can handle the timing. I'll let you know.

From Jake K on Mon, Sep 26, 2011 at 13:05:18 from 155.100.226.53

Paul - your help would be greatly appreciated if you can make it. You and AdamRW could always do a 100m stroller-push exhibition race afterwards! :-)

From Andrea on Mon, Sep 26, 2011 at 13:23:28 from 72.37.244.100

I would love to see a stroller push 100m dash!

From Paul on Mon, Sep 26, 2011 at 13:29:03 from 24.10.141.104

My kids can both run (or walk at least). They can race w/o the stroller. No sense in forcing me to exert myself.

From Jake K on Mon, Sep 26, 2011 at 13:29:44 from 155.100.226.53

Haha true you are still technically in post-TOU recovery mode, right?

From jun on Tue, Sep 27, 2011 at 14:48:38 from 205.158.160.209

Oh snap. That is this weekend. Email on it's way.

From Jake K on Tue, Sep 27, 2011 at 14:50:56 from 155.100.226.53

jun we'll make sure there is an aid station with chicken soup for you halfway around the track... i'm not sure you are used to these kind of "less than a full day" races

From jun on Tue, Sep 27, 2011 at 14:52:59 from 205.158.160.209

I also need a fold-out chair, an umbrella, and someone to massage my upper thighs.

From Scott Wesemann on Wed, Sep 28, 2011 at 13:28:07 from 205.158.160.209

Jun- If I wasn't running St. George I would be there for your leg massage.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.500.000.00

AM - 7.5 miles

PM - 7 miles. Track session: Warmed up 2 miles + 2x200m (34,34). Workout was 1600-1200-800-400 (400m b/w reps). Targeted 5K pace for the 16/12, then stepped it down a little for the 8/4. Splits were 4:46, 3:35, 2:21, 65. Then I added on another 2x200m in 32, 31. Overall I felt pretty good and think that if I run with even a decent amount of mental fortitude, I can dip under 15:00 this Saturday. 

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
17.400.000.00

AM - 13 miles, up to work. About 7 w/ Andrea. My legs felt really good this morning.

PM - 4.4 miles, down to Sugarhouse. 

I'm a little peeved about this whole Canyons-Solitude tram idea. To try and justify it on grounds of reducing traffic in BCC is ridiculous! Nobody in their right mind would drive all the way over to Park City, take two lifts to the top of the Canyons, then a tram to BCC, then another lift or two to the top of Solitude. Best case scenario, you'd be skiing by 11am! The real problem is that this would set a precedent and open the flood gates for other ski areas to expand into Twin Lakes Pass, Grizzly Gulch, and White Pine. Ugh. 

Andrew McLean will surely be leading the charge (or at least helping spread non-biased information) on this one. His recent posts: Wasatch Conflict Primer and The Canyons Tram and Ted Wilson are worth reading if you're interested in what is going on.

Comments
From allie on Wed, Sep 28, 2011 at 12:14:15 from 24.10.191.18

i saw this on the news last night -- they were talking with carl fisher from save our canyons and he said this would open the door to creating a huge "mega-resort" that connected all of the ski resorts in the wasatch. i think the tram idea sounds like a big hassle, especially considering the time it would take -- i wouldn't spend my time riding a tram to another resort after paying to ski all day. however, i can see the "touristy" aspect of it -- lots of out-of-towners and more leisurely skiers would probably be all over a tram ride that connected them to another resort. i can also see how this would be a concern for someone like you, as it will certainly encroach on the back-country ski areas. time to picket!

From Jake K on Wed, Sep 28, 2011 at 12:27:34 from 155.100.226.53

If the Canyons wanted to build a tram to Park City and Deer Valley, I wouldn't even care, because its all private land... but this tram would be built entirely on PUBLIC land, and tarnish these areas for backcountry skiers... not to mention mountain bikers and runners who ride/run the crest trail.

I guess what ticks me off is that they are trying to spin it as "good for the environment" (less cars up BCC)... when in reality the whole concept is just a way to sell more real estate at the canyons.

At least, since the proposal crosses USFS land, there will be lots of mandatory public input sessions, so you can bet Save Our Canyons will fight this to the end!

From Scott Wesemann on Wed, Sep 28, 2011 at 13:27:00 from 205.158.160.209

I agree with you 100%. I'm also pissed that Snowbird wants to build a roller coaster on Mt. Superior. I know they also have White Pine in their sights. I support Save our Canyons and all of their efforts to stop the madness.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
9.800.000.00

AM - 7.3 miles, up to work.

PM - 2.5 miles w/ 4x200 on the grass at Sugarhouse. 

*Last chance... OktoberFAST 5K on Saturday morning... email me if you wanna run by tomorrow night. It will be pretty low key but should be fun. Good chance to run fast and meet some fellow bloggers. 

Comments
From Hamdog Alum on Sat, Oct 01, 2011 at 10:27:57 from 68.185.190.140

Wish I could run it with you, but I maxed out my credit card paying for Boston last week! This will be my 1st and last Boston - (unless my wife ever qualifies)

Awesome job getting the race together Jake - way to give back to the sport!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
8.000.000.00

AM - 6 miles on campus. Easy McBreezy. The "down" week has already worked its magic in terms of getting rid of any little aches and stuff like that. I hold up to the bigger mileage really well, but it will be nice to go into my last cycle of marathon training (after Long Beach) feeling good and fresh, because that will be a challenging 3-4 weeks!

PM - 2 miles, shakeout.

Look what Saucony sent today... awesome... who wants the #1 seed?

 

Good luck to everyone running St George tomorrow! Negative splits!!! 

Comments
From Rachelle on Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 12:04:59 from 159.212.71.17

Thanks Jake!! And maybe if you were walking I could possibly keep up with you? I'm sure your EZ pace is faster than my sprint :)

From Jake K on Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 12:10:32 from 155.100.226.53

My easy pace most mornings is probably a lot slower than you would think!

Good luck tomorrow! You are ready to go. Run smart, and have fun!

Race: OktoberFAST 5K (3.1 Miles) 00:15:09, Place overall: 1
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
12.500.000.00

OktoberFAST 5K!

Awesome morning... our little track event turned out to be a great time. We ended up having 9 runners, several volunteers, and a handful of awesome spectators!

My race recap... I thought I'd be able to crack 15 flat, but it turns out that is a more difficult task than it seems! My kilometer splits were 3:00.1, 2:59.8, 3:02.2, 3:03.4, and 3:03.9. Total time was 15:09.5. For another solo effort, I'm not exactly thrilled with the time, but I have to be happy with it. Its 13 seconds faster than my time trial about 5 weeks ago, and in reality its the fastest 5K I've ever run (Draper Days was probably short this year, and the Fight for Air doesn't count b/c it was aided). I fell off the pace in the last mile and didn't really muster any type of kick. But, in the past week I've time trialed 5K and 10K PRs. I'm looking forward to the half marathon next weekend... I think I'm ready to really pop a good one... hopefully an honest PR on a fair course. [~9.5 miles w/ warmup & cooldown]

Here's the results:

Jake 15:09.5
Adam C 17:07.3
Andrea 17:16.3
Adam W 17:40.7
Chad 18:17.4
Dave 18:31.1
Sandy 19:01.9
Kam 20:09.1
Ashley 20:32.6 

Allie did an excellent job taking photos. I've put all of her pictures on my picasa site: OktoberFAST 5K

Paul and his kids came out to spectate, as did Adam W's family, and Kam's son (who helped me with the timing... thanks!). 

Afterwards we had some chocolate milk and then ran a couple laps around Sugarhouse to cooldown. 

We are definitely going to do this again - October 29th - Spooky Fast 5K. Mark your calendars! (It was originally the Boo Fast 5K, but Andrea decided to change the name, and I don't argue with her! :-) Sorry Adam!)

Thanks to everyone who came out this morning. You all ran great, and that was a lot of fun! 

 
The whole crew after the race

 
First lap

 
17:16?!?! I am really impressed by another big PR for Andrea. That's sub 17 at sea level!

Check the Picaca link for more actions shots... there are pics of everyone.  Saucony was awesome to hook us up with some race bibs, stickers, and some token prizes, so that was really nice of them.

PM - 3 miles shakeout. Legs feel really good. 

Comments
From allie on Sat, Oct 01, 2011 at 14:45:27 from 24.10.191.18

did you enjoy all those dud photos?

that was a great event you guys put on this morning. good turnout for the first one and i'm sure participation will grow with future races. nice job on your race -- i'm sure it was hard to do that solo but you still ran an incredible time.

From steve ash on Sat, Oct 01, 2011 at 14:53:31 from 24.10.169.210

Nice work Jake I think you and Andrea have set great example of what work and dedication can really do:)

From Adam RW on Sat, Oct 01, 2011 at 15:09:59 from 67.182.248.141

You two did a great job with this. Thank you so much. That is a great collection of pics as well. I'm looking forward to 2.0 or maybe a BOO Fast 5K? Sorry you missed your mark but you also didn't mention that it was pretty hot for 9am in Oct I'm sure that played into is a little as well.

From Kurt on Sat, Oct 01, 2011 at 16:31:52 from 174.52.144.102

Smokin’ fast time, especially for running it solo. Great job!

From Burt on Sat, Oct 01, 2011 at 18:32:57 from 72.223.91.148

How fun. I wish I could have been there. To watch!

From Bonnie on Sat, Oct 01, 2011 at 20:33:14 from 150.135.114.237

Congratulations Jake, what an awesome idea and your fitness is really moving along!

From Jake K on Sat, Oct 01, 2011 at 20:34:29 from 67.177.21.60

Thanks guys. We've been talking about it this afternoon, and looked at our training schedule from now until Philly... a 5K on Halloween weekend seems like it will fit in perfectly... so its a go for October 29th... same place, same time, same fast 5Ks!

From Adam RW on Sat, Oct 01, 2011 at 21:58:40 from 67.182.248.141

Jake, I agree with everything you said about the 29th. Except the "same fast 5Ks." I'm thinking next time around there is going to be "some faster 5Ks", at least one person under 15 and 3-5 under 17... Maybe even one or two of those under 16.

From Andrea on Sat, Oct 01, 2011 at 22:13:16 from 67.177.21.60

Adam - based on your remarks, it sounds more appropriate for the race to be called Spooky Fast 5K! (Get it? I know, totally dorky)

From Jake K on Sat, Oct 01, 2011 at 22:17:24 from 67.177.21.60

You got that right Adam. And you are going to be one of those sub 17s!

From Adam RW on Sat, Oct 01, 2011 at 22:38:16 from 67.182.248.141

Andrea, I got it and agree that it is a better name and remember I'm a scientist so dorky is about as good as it gets :)

Jake, Thanks for the note of confidence. I haven't been under 17 on the track since 2000 so it is about time I get there again.

My wife said if she has a list of numbers names she can call out laps for all the runners next time.

From Scott Ensign on Sun, Oct 02, 2011 at 01:23:58 from 70.58.46.82

awesome race! if you need any 50 year old geezers for the October 29 edition let me know!

From Chad Robinson on Sun, Oct 02, 2011 at 03:27:45 from 208.110.158.227

Jake - Thanks again to you and Andrea for a fanstic event (and nice chatting with you - apparently Julie C is crazy enough). I am sure some healthy competition could have pushed you under 15 (and is was a bit warm). I am definately in on the next go around. And good luck next week.

From Kelli on Sun, Oct 02, 2011 at 19:40:49 from 71.219.83.151

Holy crud. That is dang fast.

From Little Bad Legs on Sun, Oct 02, 2011 at 23:33:36 from 68.186.75.3

That is sweet! Way to organize such a quality event--I wish I could join in for the next one (or any of them for that matter). Your miles this year are paying off BIG TIME!

From David Nelson on Sun, Oct 02, 2011 at 23:47:17 from 50.135.48.254

Nice to meet you guys yesterday, thanks for letting me in as a late entry. Beautiful morning in Salt Lake, and the football game was fun (since our state's team won). I did a race report, for what it's worth:

http://nelson.fastrunningblog.com/blog-10-01-2011.html

Good luck in Long Beach and Philly!

From Superfly on Mon, Oct 03, 2011 at 12:47:30 from 74.211.21.81

Cool little race and the Halloween race should be a BASH too. Good job man your running awesome.

From Nate on Mon, Oct 03, 2011 at 13:01:14 from 67.252.184.93

Sounds like a cool small event. I'm always a fan of super low key no-frill races

From Tyler on Mon, Oct 03, 2011 at 23:43:13 from 140.160.191.87

Nice work! Gotta love running pr's in time trials.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
11.500.000.00

AM - 9.5 miles at Liberty Park w/ Andrea. Easy pace, soft surfaces.

I was doing a little googling this morning and found this article about the Long Beach 1/2 Marathon... apparently there are ~20 guys trying to hit the OTQ, and a few guys who have already hit the time are going to be pacing. Somehow the elite coordinator who setup our entries neglected to tell me this... haha! Honestly I figured there was a 50/50 chance that I'd even have a group to run with, based on previous years' results. But now that there appears to be a huge pack trying to run sub 5:00 pace, that changes my strategy a bit. I may just have to go out with this pack, tuck in, conserve energy, and see how long I can hang. 

PM - 2 miles shakeout. I'm ready for it to be next Sunday already! I feel like I didn't even do anything this week and still hit 90 miles. I'm gonna go nuts in the next 6 days! 

Comments
From Hamdog Alum on Sun, Oct 02, 2011 at 22:14:34 from 68.185.190.140

Sounds like a fun race Jake. Enjoy the taper and rest up for Philadelphia training. Good luck at Long Beach.

From allie on Mon, Oct 03, 2011 at 17:38:08 from 161.38.218.168

that's great that you will have some guys to run with -- i'm sure you can hang.

question: if you hit the OTQ standard in the half, would you still do philly? maybe that's a dumb question, but i'm curious...

From Jake K on Mon, Oct 03, 2011 at 17:56:05 from 155.100.226.53

Its not a dumb question at all. My initial response is "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it" b/c on paper, I have never done anything that suggests 1:04:XX is a realistic goal. But luckily races aren't run on paper!

Honestly, I have thought about it a lot... I like the "what-if" game to pass time while running solo... I figure there is a great chance I would still do Philly because I think I can WIN it, and that isn't an opportunity I want to pass up. Big race, big stage... that would be huge for me. With my mileage and strength, I think I can pop 2 good marathons in 2 months. Plus, I'd still be there no matter what (for Andrea and Thanksgiving).

Obviously aiming for one peak at the trials has its benefits... but lets face it, its not like I'd be in the mix for a top 10 finish anyways. I think the only way I'd NOT race Philly is if I was already qualified and Andrea wanted me to pace her instead.

It would be a tough call... but I guess if I even have to make this decision, that will be a really good thing. It would be a dream scenario to hit the OTQ in Long Beach. Everything has to go right and it would have to be a perfect race... but its a possibility so I'm going to give it my best shot...

I hope you ask me this same question next Monday! :-)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.800.000.00

AM - 10.5 miles, up to work. 6 w/ Andrea. 

PM - 4.3 miles down to Sugarhouse.  

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
11.000.000.00

AM - 3 miles on campus. The light rain this morning is a sign of things to come... its a good weekend to head to California! Last tuneup workout before the Long Beach 1/2 this afternoon. I didn't feel like doing it in the dark, and figured I might as well get as many 10 hr nights of sleep as possible this week, so I slept in.

PM - 8 miles. Track workout - 5 x 1000m + 5 x 200m (400m "float" b/w 1Ks, ~45 secs b/w 200s) Warmed up 2 miles and did some strides, then got rolling. The plan was 1/2 marathon pace (or slightly faster) for the 1000s, then "fast but relaxed" for the 200s. Splits were 3:05, 3:05, 3:04, 3:04, 2:59, 33, 31, 31, 31, 28. Cooled down with a mile jog.

Comments
From jun on Wed, Oct 05, 2011 at 11:00:56 from 205.158.160.209

Enjoy Cali and good luck down there. As for attending the Half Prego Half Marathon, you guys definitely need to show up. Don't worry about running, just come for the food after. It will be awesome to meet you and have everyone there.

From Adam RW on Wed, Oct 05, 2011 at 14:03:44 from 155.101.152.123

Best of luck, safe travels and HAVE FUN!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
9.300.000.00

AM - 7.3 miles, easy recovery run. Legs are feeling great. Andrea was doing a workout this morning on the track, and I didn't like the idea of her running alone in the dark, so I went with her. I ran her warmup/cooldown with her, and ran laps around the perimeter of the track while she was doing her reps... yelling "LAST CHANCE WORKOUT" the whole time :-)

PM - 2 miles, rain shakeout. 

Did you know the accuracy of the running course in a triathlon only has to be accurate to 10%?! (Link to story) So technically the "marathon" portion of an Ironman can be 2.5 miles short and that is perfectly within the rules. I don't necessarily have an opinion on the matter, or really even care at all, I just find it interesting the so much margin of error is allowed.

Comments
From Andrea on Wed, Oct 05, 2011 at 11:18:54 from 72.37.171.52

HAHA I wish you would've actually done that - I probably would've run 5 min pace!!

From Superfly on Wed, Oct 05, 2011 at 13:07:03 from 74.211.21.81

My wife would love your reference to Biggest Loser:)

I find that triathlon fact very interesting too. So how many Ironman marathons are short? 2.5 miles could be a big deal with their boasting times. I mean a 2:40 marathon at the end of a Ironman is really impressive but a 2:40 on 23.7 isn't the same. Still great but not apples to apples.

From Lily on Wed, Oct 05, 2011 at 13:12:45 from 67.199.178.210

2.5 is a lot to be short. That's to bad they allow such a big margin.

Andrea is tough. She's going to kick some trash this weekend!

From Holt on Wed, Oct 05, 2011 at 16:18:30 from 204.113.55.41

Very interesting read on the tri-"marathon". Now it makes me wonder which tri's have short marathons...?

From Jake K on Wed, Oct 05, 2011 at 16:47:44 from 155.100.226.53

Yeah that's a HUGE difference... I don't know exactly what the top triathletes can do, but I'm guessing the best ones clock ~240 for the run. So that could easily be 255 if the courses are short!

And to think how big of a deal we all make if a course is off by 0.1!! :-)

From ACorn on Wed, Oct 05, 2011 at 17:35:09 from 68.66.168.22

Good luck this weekend Jake!

From Merri on Wed, Oct 05, 2011 at 21:45:56 from 160.7.252.148

Ha I love a great last chance workout! ;)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
8.500.000.00

AM - 6.7 miles. A cold and rainy run w/ Andrea, Allie, and James through Sugarhouse. 

PM - 1.8 miles, quick shakeout after work. Just trying to stay in the normal routine. 

Not running-related, but worth a watch: 60 Minutes segment on Alex Honnold. My hands start to sweat just watching him on a video.

Comments
From allie on Thu, Oct 06, 2011 at 11:47:50 from 24.10.191.18

that is unbelievable!

From Jake K on Thu, Oct 06, 2011 at 11:55:32 from 155.100.226.53

What Alex can do is incredible... physically he is amazing, but what really impresses me is what he can do mentally to stay focused and calm. That being said, he also TOTALLY FREAKS ME OUT!!! I hope he gives up free soloing before something bad happens.

From allie on Thu, Oct 06, 2011 at 12:01:57 from 24.10.191.18

yes, the staying calm part is what impressed me the most. he's so casual about it (whistling!). but to put yourself in a situation where you could die in an instant -- and do it repeatedly -- that's nuts.

From JG on Thu, Oct 06, 2011 at 12:41:41 from 71.59.27.33

Always good to have company on a rainy run! Jake, you have mentioned before a laptop timing system you use ... Can you offer any suggestions on a good affordable system? My son just started running cross country this year, and think that would be cool to use at some of their speed workouts.

From jun on Thu, Oct 06, 2011 at 12:58:57 from 205.158.160.209

First let me say that I've known about Alex for a while now and I'm continually impressed with what he does. That being said I'm not a fan of free-soloing. I've done enough climbing and soloing to know what the experience is like and it terrifies me.

Second, I'm absolutely certain that the hostess was flirting with him. I bet they hooked up.

From Andrea on Thu, Oct 06, 2011 at 13:32:20 from 72.37.244.100

You can't really blame her...I mean, who can resist that van setup?

From Jake K on Thu, Oct 06, 2011 at 13:38:01 from 155.100.226.53

JG - I think this is a good free program: http://www.isu.edu/~wattron/RonSoft3.htm

Jun/Andrea - That chick was definitely jonesin' on Alex and that sweet van he rolls in!

From allie on Thu, Oct 06, 2011 at 13:40:06 from 24.10.191.18

"i have big hands and fingers."

"show me."

From Jake K on Thu, Oct 06, 2011 at 14:03:25 from 155.100.226.53

I actually laughed out loud when I read that! :-)

Its a shame they edited out whatever happened after that dialogue... I can speculate on what was said next, but I don't want to get kicked off the blog!

From Scott Wesemann on Thu, Oct 06, 2011 at 18:21:48 from 205.158.160.209

I get freaked out climbing a 10 foot boulder with a slew of crash pads and Jun’s welcoming arms waiting below for me to fall. That made my heart pound. Crazy! Yeah, it was pretty evident that she wanted a ‘ride’ in the van.

From Chad Robinson on Thu, Oct 06, 2011 at 19:29:52 from 50.73.39.89

"Let me go on, like I blister in the sun. Let me go on Big Hands I know you're the one"

From MarkP on Thu, Oct 06, 2011 at 23:34:53 from 64.134.234.98

Good Luck at Long Beach! You guys are going to do great!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
6.900.000.00

AM - 4.4 miles. Ran the horsepark loop w/ Andrea, then did six quick strides. We'll do our pre-race 200m reps tonight. I feel strangely relaxed this morning... maybe even calm. I've had highs and lows this week as I mentally prepare for the race on Sunday (as everyone does)... but now I feel balanced, I've visualized what is going to happen a thousand times, and physically I am as ready as I can be.

PM - 2.5 miles. 8 x 200m on the track in ~35 seconds w/ 200m float in between. We went to Granite High (since there are HS football games at the tracks we usually use)... an old 4 lane track with super tight turns and extra long straightaways.

Oh, and I quit Diet Mountain Dew about 3 weeks ago. Maybe the lack of caffeine is why I feel calm :-) Here's a blog post on my history with diet dew

Comments
From Adam RW on Fri, Oct 07, 2011 at 11:14:07 from 155.101.152.123

Jake, Glad you found that balance for your race. Interest thoughts on the caffeine. I always struggle with that and my coffee intake looking at resting hear rate. Have a great run tomorrow, you've put in the work now enjoy the rewards!

From Little Bad Legs on Fri, Oct 07, 2011 at 12:09:57 from 68.186.75.3

Good luck this weekend. You're going to do great!

From Scott Wesemann on Fri, Oct 07, 2011 at 13:13:12 from 205.158.160.209

Good luck Sunday. I'm excited to see the results.

From Rachelle on Fri, Oct 07, 2011 at 15:09:27 from 199.190.170.22

Great to hear! I could not agree more with what adam said You've put in the work now enjoy the rewards!

From Kory on Fri, Oct 07, 2011 at 17:07:28 from 134.50.89.24

The calmness is the fact you know your ready. The most important part is trusting in the training. You've done the work and only have to think about that in the race to know that I'm fit enough to really push it.

I thought if this in one of my marathon's when I worked hard in my training and that's when I got my best time (2:36).

I drink Diet Mountain Dew every day and even before a run. I agree I don't think it really affects you, but it's good to cut out if your trying everything possible for the best success. I should cut-back but I love it.

Good Luck and have confidence Sunday.

From Jake K on Fri, Oct 07, 2011 at 17:09:34 from 155.100.226.53

Thanks guys. Its going to fun to lay it on the line and see what I can do.

Kory - I hear ya man, I love the dew too. If I run really well on Sunday you can bet I'll be celebrating w/ some! :-)

From allie on Fri, Oct 07, 2011 at 17:14:34 from 24.10.191.18

the dew christmas tree is my favorite. and the ugly sweater.

have a great time this weekend and good luck.

From Jake K on Fri, Oct 07, 2011 at 17:15:29 from 155.100.226.53

uhhhh, what ugly sweater? thats pretty much my best holiday attire.

From allie on Fri, Oct 07, 2011 at 17:21:44 from 24.10.191.18

sorry, i was thinking "festive" but for some reason my fingers chose to type "ugly".

festive.

From Andrea on Fri, Oct 07, 2011 at 17:23:57 from 72.37.171.52

No, definitely ugly.

From Kelli on Fri, Oct 07, 2011 at 21:16:40 from 71.219.83.151

GOOD LUCK this weekend. Glad to hear you found the calm, that has to help going in to a race! Looking forward to hearing all about it.

From Hamdog Alum on Sat, Oct 08, 2011 at 00:46:01 from 68.185.190.140

Love the Dew Jake - don't ever give it up for good! I know you don't need luck because you're well prepared, but I hope all the uncontrollable variables work out to be fantastic for a fast race.

From Bam on Sat, Oct 08, 2011 at 04:53:23 from 86.40.155.40

Jake - Good luck this weekend. I'm sure you'll do justice to all the hard work you've put in.

From jtshad on Sat, Oct 08, 2011 at 10:30:24 from 69.20.183.178

Good luck on the OTQ tomorrow!

From Paul on Sat, Oct 08, 2011 at 11:39:48 from 24.10.141.104

Wow, quite the Diet Dew collage. Rip it up tomorrow, and have fun out there!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
4.400.000.00

AM - 4.4 miles, horsepark loop w/ Andrea, then 8 quick strides. Now we're off to the airport. I make no promises about tomorrow other than I'm going to give it my best shot. I don't really feel that much pressure because I only began to have illusions of qualifying in the half a few days ago, and Philly is still "Plan A". So this will be fun!!!

"And Cassidy stood tall there in the dark, while a cool breeze ruffled the ragged lock of hair on his forehead, knowing that for one instant there would be a kind of calm in the midst of all that pounding, roaring furor, a moment of serene calm before an unholy storm. There would be a single instant of near disbelief that it would finally be happening in a fraction of a second; finally happening after the months, the miles, the misty mornings; finally happening after the eight or ninth now forgotten interval along the way somewhere that broke your heart once again. He would be leaning over tensely with the rest of them while the white lights burned down on them and for an awful split-second he would feel as if his legs had no strength at all. But then his heart would nearly explode when the pistol cracked." 

Live results w/ 10K and 10.8 mile splits will be here: http://liveraceresults.com/LBM
My # is 14790, Andrea is 14873 

Comments
From Lily on Sat, Oct 08, 2011 at 11:31:04 from 67.199.178.210

Go Jake and Andrea!

From Superfly on Sat, Oct 08, 2011 at 14:52:02 from 74.211.21.81

Have fun and good luck. This will just be a good bench mark to see where you are. And if you qualify then you can drink a regular dew and bag the diet crap.

From Aaron Kennard on Sat, Oct 08, 2011 at 15:11:50 from 98.245.117.176

Good luck! Look forward to hearing how it goes. That's such a great book.

From flatlander on Sat, Oct 08, 2011 at 16:43:39 from 76.31.26.153

Love that book, good luck in Philly.

From Kory on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 02:21:19 from 184.155.137.220

Your going to do awesome because God's is going to bless your hard training.

From Kory on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 12:49:41 from 184.155.137.220

Great time. 01:05:43 can't wait till your report.

Race: Long Beach Half Marathon (13.1 Miles) 01:05:45, Place overall: 3
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.000.000.00

Full Report... this is a longer one! :-) 

Pre-Race: When I found out 5 days ago that Long Beach had assembled a very competitive field for this race, I adjusted my race strategy from a negative-split race, to just going with the fast guys and seeing what I could do. All along (which actually means since July), my plan had been to qualify for the trials in Philadelphia, so this was just a "bonus" attempt. Equaling my time from Top of Utah was something I really wanted to do... and there were 2 ways of doing that - either a conservative start and negative split, or just run the OTQ pace as long as possible and risk blowing up. I took the chance on the latter, on the chance that I might catch lighting in a bottle and have a magical race. I figured it was worth taking the chance; I'd regret it if I ran 1:05:15 off a conservative start.

We ran from our hotel to the starting area, then did some strides, typical pre-race stuff. Since we were staying so close, we didn't even have to bother using the bathrooms at the starting area. It was nice. This race was HUGE (~25,000 runners). After the wheelchair athletes took off, we lined up at the start. The announcer tried to keep the crowd of people trying to get up to the front of the line off the heels of the "elites", so he yelled out "If you paid for your own your shoes, stay behind the rope!" That was pretty funny to me.  

The RaceIt was nice and cool at the start, and it was light outside, but the sun wasn't on us yet. When the gun went off, I just felt amazing... I knew it was a fast pace right away, but I told myself I was staying with the pack as long as I could. It was a solid pack of probably 12-14 runners up front, and we were led out by a couple motorcycles, several cars, a truck, and a half dozen guys riding along on Elipti-Gos. I felt like I was in the Tour de France!

The first 6 miles of the course looped around through the waterfront area of Long Beach. Lots of turns, but only one really sharp one. I tucked into the back of the lead pack (probably around 8th-9th place) for most of this time. We were moving... opening mile was 4:56, then 9:46 for the next 2 miles (2nd mile marker was way off so I didn't even click my watch). Miles 4-6 were 4:52, 4:55, 4:54. My 10K split was 30:26. That's 68 seconds faster than I've ever run for 10K, and I'm fairly certain that I equaled (or came very close to) my 5K PR during the some of those early miles. 

Once we got past 10K, we started an out & back along the beach. At this point the pack really started to fall apart. I knew the pace was not sustainable, so I settled into a "comfortably hard" pace. Still, a few guys fell off me during these next 2 miles, and I think I moved into 5th place. I missed the mile 7 marker, then hit 8 miles in 10:20 for the last 2 miles. Ouch. I'm paying the pace for the really fast start. Need to re-focus, but its getting hard. I make a goal to catch the guy in front of me, and get him by mile 9, which is 5:01. My 15K split is ~46:17. That's another PR.

At 9.6 miles we turn around, off the beach, and back on the road towards the finish line. I'm closing in on the guy in 3rd place. I really want a podium spot. The 10 mile split was 5:06... too slow, but I actually closed the gap. He was dying worse than me I guess. 

I missed the 11 mile mark, so the 2 miles from 10-12 was 10:18. Ugh! Fading. This part of the course has no spectators and it quite lonely. The second place guy is 10-15 seconds in front of me. I tried to muster up a little fight, but only managed 5:03 for the 13th mile, and then 28 seconds for the kick to the finish.

Final time was 1:05:45 for 3rd place.  [Update: Don't you hate it when they give you a time (1:05:43) and then 8 hours later they just randomly add 2 seconds to the official results??? Apparently I ran 2 seconds slower. Oh well... same difference I guess]

Post Race: Found my aunts, uncles, and grandmother who had come to watch (they live in the LA area), then we cheered Andrea in. Holy freaking moly... her 1:17:03 was incredibly impressive. She is an absolute superstar. Then we got escorted to the VIP area... but since they weren't giving out awards for quite a while, we cooled down by running back to out hotel, took a shower, then came back to (wait around forever and eventually) get our awards. Went out to a great brunch with my family, then went to the aquarium, walked around the waterfront area, etc. A very fun day. Now we're relaxing in the hotel for a bit and will head back out to watch the sunset on the beach tonight. We're flying back to SLC tomorrow morning.

Quick Analysis: I am proud of myself for taking a chance and going for broke today. I mixed it up with some very accomplished runners and beat most of them. I also paid the price for going out so hard. With more conservative pacing, I think I could have run ~15-20 seconds faster. But that's ok... I am very confident that I can run under 2:19 in November. I'm so excited to get into this last cycle of marathon training!!! 

Not that there is anything wrong with aided courses (especially considering the level of competition we have in Utah), but it feels really good to run what I feel is a very honest PR. There's no altitude / downhill conversions for this one... it is what it is, and I like that.  

While we were walking around all afternoon, Andrea and I talked about our plan for the next month. We feel very confident... we have an excellent training plan... we'll support each other through this last push towards Philly, we have amazing family who believe in us (I think my parents have already booked their hotel for the Olympic Trials!), and we have the encouragement of this amazing community of runners on the blog, which means an awful lot to us. 

Now, lets get ready for Philadelphia!!!

PS - Our Spooky Fast 5K is going to be October 29th. Everyone is invited, and I hope a lot of you will be able to make it. E-mail me for details.

There were about a hundred photographers on the course, so hopefully we'll get some good action shots... here's a few from my camera after the race... 

 
Post race w/ Andrea... we are pretty happy!

 
Top 3 men

 
With the extended family after the race

 
C'mon, you knew this is how we'd refuel!

 
Long Beach harbor - the course wound all around this area... it was actually quite a scenic course, which we realized when walking around afterwards... during the race I wasn't paying attention to anything other than running.

Comments
From Holt on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 12:59:22 from 97.126.200.104

Wow Jake, WOW! Great job - excited to hear the whole report. Enjoy basking in the glory... and you are going to kill it at Philly!

Great job to Andrea too!

From Bam on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 13:03:11 from 86.41.96.106

Jake - knew you'd bang it hard - your training suggested you'd have a cracker today. When I was out this morning, I said to myself, Jake'll come in around 65/66 mins. Well done. Next stop 2.18 in Philly...

From allie on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 13:46:35 from 24.10.191.18

congrats on a great race, jake! what an awesome day for both you and andrea. i'm looking forward to hearing all the details.

From Adam RW on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 14:27:31 from 67.182.248.141

You two are such an inspiration. Glad to see the hard work paid off. Enjoy the time with the family and a little rest...

From ACorn on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 14:48:16 from 24.2.76.146

Way to go Jake! You made the podium which has to feel great and gave it your all. You're a stud! Big congrats.

From Claudio on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 15:04:45 from 108.3.241.149

Wow! Congratulations on an amazing time! I will be looking for you in Philly, from some distance that is... you'll probably be flying back to the finish at mile 23 or so when I'll be still heading out at mile 17! Go get that OTQ and podium finish in Philly as well!

From seeaprilrun on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 15:42:52 from 68.103.241.11

Whoa! Amazing! Wow! Y'all will be going to the trials together!!

From Fritz on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 15:56:49 from 65.100.192.74

Great job Jake. You will crush it at Philly for sure.

From Lily on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 16:10:35 from 67.199.178.210

YES! Way to run my friend! You WILL get the 2:18 next month. You know it! :)

From Rachelle on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 16:59:56 from 66.7.127.115

Congrats to you both!! I can't wait to here more.

From Bonnie on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 17:33:03 from 64.119.33.134

Congratulations Jake! What an awesome performance!

From Hamdog Alum on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 18:25:59 from 68.185.190.140

Jake you opened some big time doors in fitness with this race! I love the 5K and 10K PR's - freaking awesome!

From Tyler on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 18:48:05 from 140.160.191.126

Wow wow wow, can't wait for the full report

From MichelleL on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 19:11:07 from 58.153.15.64

Incredible!!! excited to read more.

From Paul on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 19:31:23 from 24.10.141.104

Yeehaw, that's awesome! Yes, with a sub-1:06 half under your belt, you are looking GOOD for Philly! Congrats on the PR, and to Andrea too.

From Steve on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 20:09:34 from 76.27.108.183

Awesome run, Jake!

From Superfly on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 20:58:37 from 74.211.21.81

"Oh by golly!" as my 2 year old boy Myler would say. Yeah just keep yourself healthy for Philly and weather permitting your in like flin. Good job man!

From Jake K on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 21:07:41 from 71.95.204.66

Thanks so much for all the support everyone! I can't even say how much it means... I feel like I have an army backing me up in this last push towards qualifying for the trials.

The full report is up now.

From JD on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 21:28:23 from 97.117.107.209

Very inspirational stuff! Congratulations!!

From Jon on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 21:57:44 from 98.71.176.77

Man, awesome race. Good job, and go get em at Philly!

From JulieC on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 23:18:41 from 207.108.176.103

congrats Jake!!! Great report!! You two are so fun to read about!! REAL people doing AMAZING things!! Gotta feel great about that!! : D

From JulieC on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 23:21:01 from 207.108.176.103

oh , I am interested in your Spooky Fast 5K. Let me know about where and time. Also, about the course. Thanks.

From Carina on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 23:23:49 from 204.15.86.83

AMAZING!! Way to go, you'll kill it in Philly!!!!

From MarkP on Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 23:48:42 from 97.117.127.158

Way to kick please do not swear and go for it! I really enjoyed reading the report and will be cheering you guys on in Philly.

From MichelleL on Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 00:02:26 from 58.153.15.64

Ok, trying to decide which split is most impressive. I love the mile 9 split, the mile 10 split is awesome given what you have already done and a 180 turn, where you are bound to lose a couple of seconds. Your mile 13 split is crazy good. So much to admire about your gutzy race. Congrats!

From jun on Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 00:28:12 from 174.23.189.233

Unreal Jake. I followed it through the online splits this morning. Way to go. I won't be running the 29th as I'll still be recovering, but I want to come and see everyone run. Count me in.

From Little Bad Legs on Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 00:34:20 from 68.186.75.3

Don't you just hate it when the best you can do is a 5:03 for your 13th mile? Haha!! Dude, you KILLED it! Way to go. Excellent report and great job today. Going for broke from the beginning rather than running conservative during the first half shows just what kind of runner you are. Philly will be great!

From jtshad on Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 10:32:41 from 69.20.183.178

Congratulations on a stellar race on an honest course. You did great and will kill that OTQ in Philly. That is an amazing time!

From Russ on Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 11:14:51 from 74.114.3.253

Great job! What an awesome race, and great race report. OTQ is looking great for you - it will be fun to watch. Good luck on training this next month.

From JG on Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 12:50:25 from 71.59.27.33

Congrats! Way to go for the gusto from the get go! Awesome running!!

From Jake K on Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 16:57:49 from 155.100.226.53

Thanks again for the kind words everyone!

JulieC - the "course" for our 5K is twelve and a half laps around the Highland High School track... flat and fast!

We're planning to do some kids fun runs (short dashes) too... and we'll get some small prizes to give to all the little ones... make it a fun family event.

From Scott Wesemann on Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 18:47:59 from 205.158.160.209

Wow, congrats on your race. That is very impressive. I really enjoyed the report.

From Burt on Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 19:05:09 from 68.14.209.26

Awesome job Jake. And congrats on being a more popular blogger than allie! In her face!

From Oreo on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 16:57:54 from 206.81.136.61

Stunning!! Great job on the race. Good luck in Philly!!!

From Bryce on Wed, Oct 12, 2011 at 00:19:55 from 76.27.58.194

Really impressive. Great job to you and Andrea all the way through. Very, very inspirational to see the rewards that your hard work gets you. Best of luck in Philly!

From Sasha Pachev on Wed, Oct 12, 2011 at 16:45:17 from 192.168.1.1

Jake - you qualified for a bummer! Close enough to 1:05:00 to where you are justified in saying that. Few people understand that to "qualify for a bummer" is actually a great honor.

And I think this establishes a benchmark of sorts that TOU half is worth a fast sea-level half.

From Jake K on Thu, Oct 13, 2011 at 16:19:45 from 67.177.21.60

Ha I know where you are coming from Sasha, but there was definitely nothing that bummed me out about this one. If anything, I'm FIRED UP for this last cycle of training before Philly! :-)

Andrea and I have talked a bit about comparing TOU 1/2 to a flat sea level half. We can't seem to come to a definitive conclusion... Its hard to know exactly what the "conversion" would be, because we are both in better shape than we were at the end of August. Especially Andrea. But I think its fair to say that your time from TOU gives you a good starting point in terms of how to pace for a sea level race. I will say that the short hills (overpasses) on the Long Beach course didn't feel like anything comparing to racing up hills at 4500 feet!

From Sasha Pachev on Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 16:30:30 from 192.168.1.1

Jake - qualifying for a bummer in the half is actually quite exciting. The philosophy behind the half standard is to allow the guys with sub 2:15 potential who have not yet done it to be at the Trials. In other words, they set it high enough so that a true 2:19 guy will never be able to wiggle his way into the Trials by running the half. So if you are shaking your fist at that standard from a 45 second distance, that is very encouraging.

However, there is a reason they require "only" 2:19 for the full. Marathon is a long way to go, and the journey is precarious. No matter how well you've trained and how positive all the indicators are, you can never come to the starting line and feel any safer than on the edge of a cliff. In fact, it is one distance where you are not safe until you've crossed the finish line. A blow up at 24 can send all hopes down the drain. This is not to say that you should panic in fear of the unknown, but remember to be humble as you race and be thankful for every mile on target.

From Jake K on Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 16:56:21 from 155.100.226.53

I knew you meant it as a compliment, Sasha. I do agree that there is a satisfaction is being close to what is really the "A+" standard (the 10K being the A++). But I'm starting to see myself now as a 64:XX 1/2 runner and the times feels attainable to be, hopefully next time around.

I have a ton of respect for the marathon distance, I know there are about a thousand tiny variables that can go wrong, and I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch... but that being said I'm still going into this with supreme faith in myself and the work I've put in. Its sort of like skiing a ridiculously steep mountain... the more confident you are in your abilities, the better the chances of getting to the bottom w/out something going horribly wrong! ie. blowing up at mile 24 :-)

From Bam on Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 16:59:42 from 86.40.8.246

Sasha makes a good point and I've been thinking how well you'll go in Philly. I've looked over your training and races and I reckon, all things being equal, you'll have a good day and surprise yourself. If, as Sasha recommends, you respect the distance, I think you'll bust-up 2.19 and run around the 2.17.30 mark - perhaps do the first half in a cozy 69.15 and come home all guns blazing. Be careful not to over cook the last few weeks; those sniffles you've had are a warning. Anyway, I'm putting 100 cyber bucks on you to go sub 2.18. No pressure man, just a vote of confidence.

From Lily on Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 17:04:48 from 67.199.178.210

If this were facebook, I would 'like' bam's comment.

From Kelli on Sat, Oct 15, 2011 at 14:14:18 from 71.219.83.151

CONGRATULATIONS! Great race, way to hang it all out there. I hear what you are saying about the honest course PR, that has to feel so good! (I, however, prefer aided---I need all of the help I can get!!)

This marathon is going to AMAZING!!! I can not wait to see what happens.

Great pictures, you do look happy, AND those tiny little bowls of ice cream were just not enough. I clearly need to teach you two how to consume ice cream. ;o)

From Jake K on Sat, Oct 15, 2011 at 16:48:45 from 67.177.21.60

Kelli anytime you want to come have an ice cream eating contest against us, BRING IT ON!!! We get wimpy sizes when we eat out, but you should see our freezer at home and what we go through on a weekly basis! :-)

From Kelli on Sat, Oct 15, 2011 at 18:15:57 from 71.219.83.151

OH, you do not know who you are daring!!! BTW, have you two tried Nelson's Custard yet? I know I commented on Andrea's blog that you MUST go there, you live close enough.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.000.000.00

AM - 8.7 miles easy. Early start (4:45am) before our flight back to SLC. Ran along the waterfront in Long Beach, looping back to the hotel and picking up Andrea for the last 4 miles. The fog moved in as we were running, which was both cool and creepy. 

PM - 7.3 miles easy. 

Some race photos I stole from the web... 

 

Comments
From Rachelle on Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 17:49:03 from 159.212.71.199

Did you beat the guy with the pink socks and shoes?

Cool pictures.

From Jake K on Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 17:50:43 from 155.100.226.53

Haha yes I did... he has actually run low 1:03-something for the 1/2 marathon and 13:44 for 5K... but I said, no man in pink socks is beating me!!! :-) I mean, Andrea has those same socks!

From ACorn on Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 18:23:42 from 68.66.168.22

Looks like a great race to be a part of!

It has to feel good to recover quickly enough to run almost 9 miles the next morning. Way to go man!

From Jake K on Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 18:26:08 from 155.100.226.53

I feel pretty rested from taking it relatively easy the 7-10 days leading up to the race. I won't do anything hard for 3-4 more days, but I feel good enough to get the volume back up (actually I'm looking forward to it!)

From Rachelle on Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 21:28:18 from 66.7.127.115

So glad you beat him. ha ha! I have those same socks too. :)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.400.000.00

AM - 13.1 miles up to work. Same distance as Sunday morning, 40 minutes slower! :-) I started to feel a little bit of a sore throat last night. Getting sick is always a risk when you run really hard and then spend time in an airport / airplane. I think when we travel to Philly I'm going to wear a surgical mask on the plane, Galen Rupp style. Dorky but effective. Luckily I don't have any hard workouts on the agenda this week if this does end up affecting me at all... the primary objectives are to get the volume back up, do a token MP workout on Friday if I am feeling recovered, then an easier long run over the weekend.

PM - 7.3 miles home, easy. 

Comments
From Rachelle on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 11:45:10 from 159.212.71.77

There is lots of illness going around right now and the mask is probably a smart idea. Kick up the vitamin C intake a notch and take it easy. :)

From Curt on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 20:26:27 from 69.20.189.206

Hey Jake thanks for the comment. Congrats on your Long Beach race, very impressive. To answer your question about the heat for the full, it did start to take it's toll. It was much hotter than I was use to but I think there was a lot going on by then.

From Kam on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 20:49:40 from 174.23.230.68

The mask also helps you have more room to yourself. For some reason, people freak out about those masks. Late congratulations on a great performance on Sunday.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.400.000.00

AM - 10.4 miles up to work. Beautiful morning... full moon and a very colorful sunrise just as I was turning onto Sunnyside. My legs are feeling good, although I definitely caught a cold.

PM - 9 miles home... met Andrea and ran the last 5 w/ her. 

Comments
From Lily on Wed, Oct 12, 2011 at 11:48:10 from 67.199.178.210

oh my, this morning was AWESOME! The full moon run made my day for sure!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
25.000.000.00

AM - 17 miles. Ran 11 w/ Andrea, Allie, and James. I hope this becomes our standard Thursday morning because its fun to have a group. Then I went straight into 10 x 200m (Avg 35 seconds) on the track to get my legs moving a bit, and ran home from there.

PM - 8 miles easy. I called in sick to work today because I'm trying to shake a cold, so laying around all day had me feeling pretty good by the afternoon. 

I put up some race photos and a little video footage of the finish at Long Beach on my blog:  Long Beach Action Shots ... Andrea's kick at the end was mighty impressive.

 

Comments
From Rachelle on Thu, Oct 13, 2011 at 13:31:09 from 199.190.170.31

Nice mileage for a Thursday morning! It is very impressive that you have recovered from the half so quickly.

From Kory on Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 01:32:38 from 134.50.201.6

Your pushing some good endurance and even hard quality miles after the race. Just be careful with the fatigue factor. I bet your downing those carbs. :-)

From Jake K on Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 10:42:33 from 155.100.226.53

Haha yeah Kory I have been an eating machine this week!

Feeling good though... all those winter miles from December to April has given me a really solid foundation from which I can recover very quickly. I knew I was taking a chance by doing that, but I'm just glad that its worked out in my favor.

From Scott Wesemann on Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 17:48:34 from 205.158.160.209

Great pictures!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.500.000.00

AM - 7.5 miles, up to work. Opted to sleep in an extra hour this morning and do my workout this afternoon. 

PM - 14 miles. Ran 4.5 miles down to Sugarhouse, met Andrea, changed shoes, and got going on my workout. The plan was 2 x 5K @ marathon pace + 8 x 200m @ 1500m pace (600m jog after the 5Ks, 200m jog between the 200m reps).

Splits for the 5Ks were 16:37 (5:23, 5:19, 5:17, 38), 16:33 (5:23, 5:17, 5:15, 38), then for the 200s they were 31.5, 32.5, 31.9, 31.9, 32.5, 31.6, 31.7, 31.9 (Avg 31.9).

Felt good and recovered from the race last weekend. Nice warm sunny afternoon... can't beat this weather for fall training! 

Run Utah magazine has done profiles on lots of runners from the blog; the last couple issues have featured Paul, Fritz, Walter, and Andrea. The newest one came out yesterday, and I have a profile in there. I get asked from time to time about my background and training philosophy, so I hope this answers some questions and potentially useful or interesting information. You can download the PDF here, and if that doesn't work you can get it through my blog as well. 

Comments
From Rachelle on Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 12:52:38 from 159.212.71.200

I read it last night Jake and it is an awesome article. Your passion and enthusiasm for the sport are incredibly inspiring.

From ACorn on Sat, Oct 15, 2011 at 17:02:13 from 24.2.76.146

I second Rachelle's comment.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
27.500.000.00

AM - 24 miles. Long Run on the Park City rail trail. Nice mix of dirt and bike path. This was Andrea's longest run of the buildup, so I ran 22 w/ her, then did a faster mile at marathon pace (5:18, net uphill. I'm glad I'm not running a marathon at 6500 feet!), then one more to cooldown. Absolutely perfect running weather today. Afterwards we went for brunch at Wasatch Bagel.

PM - 3.5 miles shakeout. I swear I don't do these short shakeouts to pad mileage... I really feel like there is a huge benefit in doing them to expedite recovery. Seems to work for me. Legs felt excellent. 

 

Comments
From Adam RW on Sat, Oct 15, 2011 at 16:52:33 from 67.182.248.141

You show that breakfast who's boss.

Nice run. I like that trail.

From Jake K on Sat, Oct 15, 2011 at 16:54:20 from 67.177.21.60

Unfortunately most of it came home in a doggy bag... my stomach only seemed to want chocolate milk after the run!

From Hamdog Alum on Sat, Oct 15, 2011 at 21:09:11 from 68.185.190.140

Jake the size of your breakfast looks like the size of my dinner. Awesome training week off the 1/2 and nice run!

From Jake K on Sat, Oct 15, 2011 at 21:11:55 from 67.177.21.60

haha technically that was Andrea's breakfast AND mine... I'm not a total pig! :-)

From Andrea on Sat, Oct 15, 2011 at 21:24:07 from 67.177.21.60

AND also technically he could only eat half of it! What a wimp.

From Hamdog Alum on Sat, Oct 15, 2011 at 22:55:46 from 68.185.190.140

I've had breakfasts that big! Probably a major reason I haven't lost the last 10 pounds my legs and feet need. I keep thinking the training will take the weight off. I've lost most of the fat, but the muscle from years of not running doesn't come off so easily.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.700.000.00

AM - 10 miles easy w/ Andrea on a beautiful Sunday morning, then treated my legs to an ice bath.

PM - 4.7 miles easy. Spent the day watching football (stupid Bills!), reading, and alternating between laying on the couch, floor, and bed. My job on weekends (during non-training hours) for the next month is to be as lazy as possible. 

We went to see Like There's No Tomorrow last night. It was entertaining, but wasn't as good as last year's Warren Miller film. That's actually a good thing because I am consciously trying not to get excited about skiing yet. I want to enjoy this perfect weather as long as possible! 

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.600.000.00

AM - 12.6 miles, up to work... first 7.5 w/ Andrea.

PM - 8 miles. Ran down to Sugarhouse, then did 8 x 300m @ 5K pace (Average 52.9 seconds) w/ 100m between reps.

Need some feedback on the Spooky Fast 5K we were planning to do on Halloween weekend. After some tinkering w/ the training schedule and thinking about the overall plan, Andrea and I really need to use that Saturday morning for our "dress rehersal" 13 mile tempo, since its 3 weeks out from Philly. Plus, Andrea isn't allowed to run faster than half-marathon pace until her hamstring is totally healed up. So for those of you that want to run, there are a few options...

1. Have the race on the afternoon of the 29th (I'm happy to sit in a chair and do the timing)
2. Do it one of the following Saturdays (Nov 5th or Nov 12th) 

Maybe we can just try to come to a group consensus? Any input is appreciated!

 

Comments
From Chad Robinson on Mon, Oct 17, 2011 at 11:01:48 from 50.73.39.89

I think November 5th is a better plan. That last weekend in October is pretty busy.

From Rob Murphy on Mon, Oct 17, 2011 at 11:05:35 from 205.127.70.66

Hey Jake - I won't be able to run - too soon after my Grand Canyon run with Steve - but I can probably help out if you need anything.

From allie on Mon, Oct 17, 2011 at 19:09:28 from 161.38.218.168

i wasn't going to be able to make it on the 29th, but if you do it in the afternoon, i could come.

that said, i realize there are plenty of other people who are interested, and most of them will probably prefer a run in the morning since weekends are so busy with family stuff. we're planning on running a 5k at wheeler farm on the 5th, but depending on the start time it may be possible to do both. and as far as i know, the 12th works.

also, my sister and brother-in-law are interested in participating. they have started entering races more to get in shape and they were really excited when i told them about this one. i'm sure they would be good with any weekend, but i just wanted to let you know that you can add two more to your list of participants!

From Kam on Mon, Oct 17, 2011 at 19:13:53 from 68.66.163.179

I've got two kids who would like to come run, but they'll be in the high 20's. Whenever you settle on a day, we'll be there.

From Jake K on Mon, Oct 17, 2011 at 19:15:22 from 155.100.226.53

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'll talk to Andrea tonight, we'll give some time to let others chime in, and then we'll try to come up w/ a date that works best for most.

From ACorn on Mon, Oct 17, 2011 at 22:27:49 from 24.2.76.146

I could make any of those days. I think you should do it on a day that works in nicely with your and Andrea's training schedules.

Let me know how I can help. Thanks for putting this together

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.000.000.00

AM - 8 miles on campus, slow and easy.

PM - 12 miles. 10 Mile Tempo Run in 52:30. Average pace = 5:15 / mile.

Andrea and I did this workout as an out & back out on the Frontage road along I-80, past the airport (where the SLCTC does the winter series). I felt really smooth and controlled on this run. Very nice confidence booster. Splits were 5:20, 5:21, 5:20, 5:18, 5:17, 5:11, 5:13, 5:13, 5:11, 5:06. I guess I got a little excited at the 180 degree turn after 5 miles, then just kept it rolling. A few more solid marathon-pace workouts like these over the next couple weeks, and I'm going to be feeling really good about my chances in Philly.

Warmed up 1 mile + strides, cooled down 1 mile just as a gorgeous sunset was kicking into high gear.

Comments
From Oreo on Tue, Oct 18, 2011 at 16:03:38 from 206.81.136.61

It's been great to stumble on your blog. You are kill'n it!! Awesome. I loved the Diet Dew blog post. How's that going btw??

From Jake K on Tue, Oct 18, 2011 at 16:05:56 from 155.100.226.53

I think I'm officially at ONE MONTH w/out any Diet Dew! I honestly don't even miss it at this point.

Planning to chug one after Philly, though! :-)

From Oreo on Tue, Oct 18, 2011 at 16:09:00 from 206.81.136.61

Will taste sweet I'm sure... Stay after it.. I'm cheering for you.

From ACorn on Wed, Oct 19, 2011 at 03:18:34 from 24.2.76.146

Nice workout Jake! Very solid.

From Adam RW on Wed, Oct 19, 2011 at 11:21:55 from 155.101.144.2

Very tight splits. Nice to finish off with the fastest to show that you were really in control of the pace.

From Jake K on Wed, Oct 19, 2011 at 11:53:49 from 155.100.226.53

Thanks. I felt like I could have closed in 4:4X if I wanted to, which is a very good feeling... but I'm saving that kind of big "go to the well" effort for another month! :-)

From Andrea on Wed, Oct 19, 2011 at 12:29:18 from 72.37.244.100

That tempo has to give you a lot of confidence for the marathon. You are going to CRUSH IT!

From Jake K on Wed, Oct 19, 2011 at 12:30:40 from 155.100.226.53

If I don't stop for a philly cheesesteak at the mile 4 aid station, I expect to run fairly well

From Rachelle on Wed, Oct 19, 2011 at 13:19:21 from 159.212.71.17

Nice tempo run Jake. It boggles my mind a bit that you can run 10 miles in 52 minutes. That is just amazing!

From Scott Wesemann on Wed, Oct 19, 2011 at 13:32:17 from 205.158.160.209

Wow, nice PM workout. That is seriously fast. Philly cheesesteaks are the best! I hope you get to indulge when you're out there. Congrats on the no Dew for a month. I gave up Diet Coke for one day last week. Haha.

From Hamdog Alum on Wed, Oct 19, 2011 at 19:29:03 from 68.185.190.140

for that pace to feel that easy for you is fantastic! That taper week you had must have left you feeling really good this week considering you're back up in mileage again.

From Jake K on Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 14:18:51 from 155.100.226.53

Erik - the taper for Long Beach really served two purposes - 1) race fast 2) it set me up to feel somewhat "fresh" going into this last cycle of training before the marathon, which I think is important. I timed things pretty well... and I also think I have a good idea now of how to time my taper for Philly. No need to re-invent the wheel on that one!

From Hamdog Alum on Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 16:45:05 from 66.188.108.30

The 1/2 was perfect for your training toward Philly! It must feel really nice to feel good too!

I've been maintaining mileage because I didn't get a 1/2 race in this fall, so it's been a longer build up than I expected or really planned. I would have rather had a 1/2 marathon to break things up a bit.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.400.000.00

AM - 11.8 miles. Campus/Sunnyside/Wasatch. Nice easy run in the dark. Our fire alarm or carbon monoxide detector decided to start doing the "low battery beeping" at 4am this morning... c'mon!!! Didn't they know we did a big workout last night?? Now none of them have batteries! Take THAT stupid machines!

PM - 8.6 miles. Watched the last 4 races of the state XC meet, then Andrea and I went for a run around Sugarhouse Park and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Comments
From allie on Wed, Oct 19, 2011 at 11:18:02 from 161.38.218.168

sorry -- that's annoying. that happened to me once when i was staying in a hotel. the front desk/maintenance woman came up to my room and stood on a stool trying to figure out how to turn it off. every time it would beep she would scream at it: "ohhhh shut up!" this went on for about 20 minutes. it was hilarious.

nice run to start off your early morning. maybe you can squeeze in a nap sometime today...

From Lily on Wed, Oct 19, 2011 at 12:03:25 from 67.199.178.210

I've had that issue before. Why is it always in the middle of the night? SO messed up!

From Rachelle on Wed, Oct 19, 2011 at 13:16:07 from 159.212.71.17

ha ha I'm with Lily! It can never happen at a normal hour. Always the middle of the night.

From Paul on Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 11:10:24 from 24.10.141.104

Yes, ours only do that at 4AM as well. It's an amazing feature. The last time it happened (a couple weeks ago), I pulled the unit completely off the ceiling and threw it in the refrigerator. (4AM-logic). But it seemed to work pretty well.

From Kam on Sat, Oct 22, 2011 at 09:13:47 from 174.23.216.3

The machines are out to get us...it's all part of a government mind-control conspiracy.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.200.000.00

AM - 10.2 miles, JAJA run!

PM -10 miles. Short workout to bridge the gap between the Tuesday tempo and this Saturday's long run - 5K Tempo + 4 x 400m. Splits were 16:22 for 5K (5:16, 5:16, 5:13, 37), then 70, 69, 68, 67 for the quarters.

Last month's Running Times had a nice article about "citizen runners"... guys working full time who are still at the upper echelon of the sport. There was even a little sidebar that mentioned Paul as one of the very few USA guys who had qualified for the trials while working a full time job. The main article, though, was about Yuki Kawauchi. Its filled with awesome quotes...

If you train two or three times a day and have free time between runs then you just waste it playing video games... people can't survive just doing one thing all the time, so I think it's important to have a balance between hard work and hard running.

I think common sense and true enjoyment are what's needed. Back when people didn't have as much money they thought about their training and worked hard to get better. At some point technology became more important and they started relying more on scientific training and things like supplements and taping, and maybe they forgot what the important things are.

...I'm old-school. I run, I work hard, and I like it. I read up, thought about what I needed to do, and found what works for me. There's no reason Americans can't do the same thing. It's worthwhile spending money on things that will help your training, but spending money itself isn't going to make you better.

Comments
From allie on Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 13:44:43 from 24.10.191.18

great quotes -- it goes right along with your blog title. no secrets. no fancy gizmos. just a lot of hard work. i like that he talked about balance, too. smart guy.

nice HTML skills, btw.

From RAD on Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 13:45:43 from 98.202.23.178

you mean a cute outfit and matching shoes for $500 won't help me hit my BQ? crap.

Nice article. I think I like 'old-school' too, I'm ready to find what works for me. Glad you had a good jaja run! You four are great runners - if I passed y'all in my car I'd probably slow down and be in simple awe! I couldn't pass you any other way :)

From Jake K on Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 13:54:27 from 155.100.226.53

I have to say that while I am always skeptical of the latest and greatest inventions, I have become a HUGE believer in compression clothing... socks and the calf sleeves (for recovery)... as well as the celliant recovery tights I have.

But nothing is a substitute for a steady diet of 15-25 miles a day!

I'm gonna have to really start brushing back up on my HTML skills if Sasha doesn't bring back the formatting bar! :-)

From Rachelle on Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 14:40:48 from 159.212.71.200

Nice run and great article. Thanks for sharing. I really could not agree more with the last sentence. You can put as much money into the sport as you want but it is the work that really counts.

From Andrea on Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 14:43:16 from 72.37.244.100

Personally, I like having cute matching outfits!

From RAD on Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 14:47:16 from 98.202.23.178

I have used the compression sleeves and they are worth their weight for sure. I also love matching outfits! I even bought new shoes for SGM (same style etc just different colors) just to match my stuff :) BUT, I sometimes judge race competition by what they are wearing and yeah...clothes don't make you faster :) They might make you cuter, but not faster! Oh, if only they did.

From Jake K on Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 14:55:56 from 155.100.226.53

There is definitely something to be said for wearing something that makes you FEEL fast.

If you FEEL fast, you'll RUN fast!!!

From Hamdog Alum on Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 19:14:34 from 68.185.190.140

I read that article yesterday. Yuki Kawauchi is smart man!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
17.600.000.00

AM - 9.3 miles, nice and slow. Ran 4 w/ Andrea, then up to work.

PM - 8.3 miles home. 

She's baaaaaaaaack.... 

Comments
From Lily on Fri, Oct 21, 2011 at 10:54:18 from 67.199.178.210

nice and slow, I like it!

From Jake K on Fri, Oct 21, 2011 at 21:03:58 from 67.177.21.60

slow today, hammer time tomorrow :-)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
25.500.000.00

AM - 22.1 miles, Long Run / Tempo Run on the Jordan River path. Had a great crew this morning - Chad, James, Andrea, Emily B, Devra, and Mae (not sure if I am spelling her name right). The first 11 miles were pretty easy as we ran as a group (7:01 per mile average), then I did a 10.5 Mile Tempo on the way back. This was originally intended to be a progression run on the way back, but I hit marathon pace almost immediately, and since it felt smooth I just kept it rolling.

Splits for the second half of the run were 5:29, 5:20, 5:21, 5:19, 5:17, 5:14, 5:15, 5:24 (had to come to a complete stop to get out of the way of some bikers), 5:14, 5:12, and 2:35 for the last half-mile. Total time for 10.5 miles was 55:40 (Average pace = 5:18 / mile). Then I added on a little bit more to run back to Andrea, and ran back in with her as she was finishing up the last quarter-mile of her tempo finish.

This was another excellent confidence booster for me. Once again, it felt very smooth and controlled. I love tempo runs! They are definitely my strength, even when I'm cranking out 140 mile weeks. And the fact that I am hitting sea-level marathon goal pace at altitude is a good sign. My legs will be ready for the pace, but it should feel even easier at sea level.

Four weeks from tomorrow!!! 

PM - 3.4 miles shakeout 

Comments
From RAD on Sat, Oct 22, 2011 at 15:23:53 from 98.202.23.178

wow...10.5 miles in less than an hour? I'm just in serious awe! Nice work out there the marathon will seem like a breeze hitting pace at high miles and altitude!

From Kam on Sat, Oct 22, 2011 at 15:34:30 from 68.66.163.179

12% more oxygen at sea level compared to the Salt Lake Valley. You'll be dancing.

From Jake K on Sat, Oct 22, 2011 at 16:58:18 from 67.177.21.60

I could definitely notice the extra O2 when we were in Long Beach, so I expect Philly will be the same!

I do hope that I am DANCING at the finish, although Andrea doesn't let me practice my moves because they are "embarrassing" to her!

From Lily on Sat, Oct 22, 2011 at 16:59:39 from 67.199.178.210

Glad you are gaining more confidence. I am so excited for you!

From Chad Robinson on Sat, Oct 22, 2011 at 22:21:52 from 208.110.158.227

Nice work out there Jake, it was fun to tag along. You are definately hitting some impressive numbers under honest conditions. BTW - 2 things - What was that book again? And I forgot to mention to you that I really liked your response to James Barnes blog post the other day. I was thinking many of the same things.

From Jake K on Sat, Oct 22, 2011 at 22:24:18 from 67.177.21.60

Chad I am glad you could make it. Fun running w/ you again.

The book is "Which comes first - Cardio or Weights?" http://www.amazon.com/Which-Comes-First-Cardio-Weights/dp/006200753X

You will really enjoy reading it!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.500.000.00

AM - 10 miles. Soft surfaces and easy pace were the goals for this morning, so we went to Dimple Dell park. It was a really nice run. I may have kicked the 5:20 guy's butt yesterday, but the 9:00 guy almost got us today :-) 

PM - 5.5 miles easy. What a nice afternoon! 

Let's develop everything! Seriously, a 200 home development in Cardiff Fork? Has anyone that supports this idea ever been in Cardiff Fork? It is paradise... especially in the winter. I get so mad about this stuff!

Comments
From ACorn on Sun, Oct 23, 2011 at 16:24:50 from 24.2.76.146

Jake-

I work at a real estate brokerage and listen to proposed deals like this a lot. Your comment is spot on. The abundance of moronic developers and the areas they decide to "improve" with their projects is often maddening.

From Jake K on Sun, Oct 23, 2011 at 20:17:42 from 67.177.21.60

I know I'm a bit biased as I want access for skiing and outdoor recreation... and I definitely respect private property and the right for owners to do as they want with what they own... but at the same time, I wish some of these folks just looked at the bigger picture once in a while.

From Holt on Mon, Oct 24, 2011 at 17:43:28 from 204.113.55.41

I hear you about this Jake - we have the same problem down here with the desert. When I was a kid, they (whoever "they" is) promised to not develop up above the Green Springs golf course and protect the desert there; now there is 3 more miles up into the desert - and that is just one example. People down here who want the development say that it is just stupid tortoise habitat, but it is a lot more than that... and that narrow minded thinking is what has led us into all the problems we face now anyway.

On another note - I love Dimple Dell, my in-laws live just 1/2 mile from there so I always spend tons of time on those trails!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
23.600.000.00

AM - 10.8 miles. Ran 6 w/ Andrea, then headed up to work. Feeling recovered from Saturday's workout. 

PM - 12.8 miles. Ran 4.5 miles down to the track, then rolled right into the workout - 5 x 1000m + 5 x 200m. Wanted to keep the 1Ks somewhere b/w 5K/10K and Half-Marathon pace (since there is not much difference between those paces!). Splits were 3:07, 3:05, 3:05, 3:04, 3:01 (400m jog b/w reps), then averaged 32 seconds for the 200s (with a 200m jog b/w reps). Cooled down 2.8 miles in the park with Andrea. 

Comments
From Rachelle on Mon, Oct 24, 2011 at 15:03:50 from 159.212.71.69

I am voting for November 12th because I think that is the only day I could make it. Which is an incredibly selfish reason but that is my vote. :)

From Jake K on Mon, Oct 24, 2011 at 15:07:44 from 155.100.226.53

Well, we want people to actually come, so that's an EXCELLENT reason for a vote :-)

And regarding the 12th... we are planning to head over to Jun's for his post-race BBQ anyways on that day.

From fiddy on Mon, Oct 24, 2011 at 21:26:50 from 155.101.96.134

1/2

From fiddy on Mon, Oct 24, 2011 at 21:27:12 from 155.101.96.134

I mean 1/3 Ok this is the 4th attempt.

From Adam RW on Tue, Oct 25, 2011 at 15:28:45 from 155.101.152.123

Option 1 and 2 work for me. Option 3 I have something else and is the only day I can't make it, sorry Rachelle... But right now with only two other votes in it looks like I'm on the short end of the stick.

And awesome workout by the way!!!

Also and not that it matters. James, you can edit a post vs. adding a new one.

From Steve on Tue, Oct 25, 2011 at 22:07:54 from 76.27.108.183

Nice workout Jake! Those 1ks are serious groundwork. Always loved em..

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.300.000.00

AM - 12.2 miles. Ran the horsepark loop w/ Andrea, then up to work.

PM - 8.1 miles, easy. Down to Sugarhouse and around the perimeter of the track while Andrea did her workout. Just took it really easy today, after 4 of the last 8 days have had some quality miles.

Comments
From Burt on Tue, Oct 25, 2011 at 15:30:36 from 72.223.91.148

Serious miles so far this week again. Not as serious as Nevels. But then, you're not raising money for tornado relief. Great job anyway :)

From Jake K on Tue, Oct 25, 2011 at 15:38:41 from 155.100.226.53

I think its safe to say that Nevels should take the crown for the next couple weeks! And that is more than OK by me! :-)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.600.000.00

AM - 8.2 miles up work, easy. Chilly outside this morning! Brrrr

PM - 7.4 miles, down to Sugarhouse and ran 3 miles on the grass w/ Andrea. 

We're going to do the 5K track race on November 12th. Since we'll be past Halloween at that point, we can't call it Spooky Fast... so I think Turkey Trot Tune-Up 5K will be the official name unless someone thinks of something better. For now, lets plan on ~9:30am... that way it will hopefully be slightly warmer outside and someone won't pull their hamstring a week before Philly. :-)

Comments
From allie on Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 10:59:48 from 161.38.218.168

it was officially cold this morning. let the layering begin!

From Rob on Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 11:15:02 from 206.71.84.68

If you did it a day earlier it could be the 111111 5K

From Andrea on Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 11:17:59 from 72.37.244.100

I know at least 3 people that are getting married on 11/11/11! I guess they need extra luck for their marriage! haha

From Rob on Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 11:41:15 from 206.71.84.68

I take it you and Jake aren't 2 of them?

Wait a minute, how can 3 people be getting married?

From allie on Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 11:42:35 from 161.38.218.168

turkey trot tune-up. i like it. november 12th sounds good.

maybe we can round up some geese from sugarhouse park to be the mascots. they are kind of like turkeys.

From Jake K on Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 11:45:28 from 155.100.226.53

Oh and anyone can dress up like pilgrims or indians if they want to. if fact, its encouraged!

From allie on Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 11:48:39 from 161.38.218.168

i'll bring my bonnet and my browning m1911 (the state firemarm). i'll also bring my dutch oven (the state cooking pot).

From Andrea on Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 11:50:17 from 72.37.171.52

Rob - Can't say I'm a huge fan of one of the "significant others".

Allie - warmup: geese roundup 8am-9:30am (it might take a while).

From Jake K on Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 11:50:29 from 155.100.226.53

and this time we'll bring a boombox to blast the "THIS IS THE PLACE" song on repeat during the whole race

From ACorn on Thu, Oct 27, 2011 at 00:33:51 from 24.2.76.146

Awesome miles Jake! I like your taste in music too.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.000.000.00

AM - 5 miles easy on campus. Another 10 hour night of sleep. I am racking these up lately! This afternoon is the "dress rehersal" half-marathon tempo. I basically got the idea for this workout from the Hanson's standard 26.2K @ MP, although I feel like 16 miles is a bit too long at altitude in terms of recovery... so for the sake of symmetry I scaled it back to 13.1. 

PM - 15 miles. The BIG tempo run, as described above, out on the frontage road between the airport and Saltair. I ran 13.1 miles in 1:09:16 (Average pace = 5:17 / mile).

I am ready. The cake is done baking, and its out of the oven now. All that's left to do is let it cool off, then add some frosting and sprinkles over the next couple weeks.

I really didn't want to crush this workout, just run it nice and controlled. My splits were: 5:21, 5:21, 5:20, 5:19, 5:18, 5:18, 5:13, 5:16, 5:17, 5:18, 5:18, 5:14, 5:13, :30. Very even effort. When I accidentally hit a faster mile in the middle, I was able to ease right back to the proper pace. As soon as I finished I drove back along the route and made sure Andrea and Emily B were doing OK, and drove alongside them as they ran their last couple miles. They had a great workout as well! We cooled down a mile in the dark together once they finished up.

If you told me at the beginning of May that I'd run 1:09:16 in a half-marathon RACE this year, even on an aided course, I would have been pretty happy with that. To run that fast during a workout, without pushing it too hard, during a stretch of 140 mile weeks... well, that's just cool! And it makes me feel very confident about my ability to execute a great race in 3 weeks. 

Comments
From fiddy on Thu, Oct 27, 2011 at 18:03:01 from 155.101.96.134

I'm never able to hit marathon pace at altitude. Just to give you an idea. I did 14.6 at 5:53 pace prior to Boston 2010. I got hurt and missed the last 5 weeks of training (some running but no long runs). Yet I still ran 5:48 pace for the marathon and I was at 5:40 pace through 16.

From Jake K on Thu, Oct 27, 2011 at 18:06:36 from 155.100.226.53

Yeah I've talked to Paul about this and he said if you can run marathon goal pace + 5-6 seconds on tempos, that is a pretty good indicator of where you are at. I feel like that rule of thumb seemed right when we went down to Long Beach. That's why I'm feeling pretty confident after the two longer tempo runs I did last week.

From seeaprilrun on Thu, Oct 27, 2011 at 22:42:19 from 68.103.254.223

Awesome. OTQ coming!

From Oreo on Thu, Oct 27, 2011 at 22:58:54 from 174.27.187.36

Awesome.. The power of the Dew is with you... Seriously man that's rock'n speed.

From allie on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 09:28:33 from 24.10.191.18

crazy good workout, jake. wow.

that cake should also have a big "OTQ" written on it. and sparklers!

From Hamdog Alum on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 10:44:54 from 68.185.190.140

Jake perfect workout and a great confidence booster! Now if only you could put yourself in a bubble to preserve everything and protect against sickness! I've become a handwashing fanatic since I'm around sick kids all day at school - not to mention I'm always working with computers (tons of germs on keyboards and phy.ed. equipment)!

From jtshad on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 11:02:36 from 204.134.132.225

You are ready and primed. You have but in a lot of hard work this year and will do great at Philly!

I have some Fastwitch, sounds like I have to try them out to see if they will be my replacement for the Tangent's I wear in marathons. The Miraage are ok, but just not a go to shoe for me.

From Jake K on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 11:07:29 from 155.100.226.53

Thanks guys.

Erik I work in a HOSPITAL... germs everywhere! I think I'm just going to wear a surgical mask once we get to the last 10-12 days before the race.

Jeff you should definitely give the Fastwitch a shot... they are essentially just a lighter version of the Tangent. Perfect marathon shoe in my opinion. If only they still made them in the Vizipro Orange! If I make the trials I'm going to ask Saucony to make me a pair in the bright orange.

From Hamdog Alum on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 12:43:57 from 68.185.190.140

Jake - good idea!

Jeff - I wear the Fasttwitch. Just picked up new pair to use for the Monumental. They've never given me a blister and they give just the right amount of shock absorption for the marathon and they feel light weight on the feet.

From Jake K on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 12:57:33 from 155.100.226.53

The little bit of extra cushion in the Fastwitch really makes a big difference. When I run hard in the A3s or A4s, my feet can tell that I ran hard, even if its only 5-6 miles. For a race under a half-marathon, I can live with that. But my toes were really killing me in the final miles of the utah valley marathon... I'm hoping by switching to the FT, I can prevent that from happening this time around.

From Holt on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 13:09:55 from 204.113.55.41

Jake - looks like everything (body and confidence) is totally ready. Now go and get it in a couple weeks!

From Steve on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 13:15:42 from 12.54.212.2

Very cool workout!

From dutterman on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 14:46:13 from 137.112.13.203

Jake, you running Monumental? I live in the Indiana area. I'll be running the half. Hitting 90 mile weeks for the first time ever in my 30 year career. Looking to have a breakthrough marathon to be a 21 year PR.

Good luck!

From Jake K on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 16:34:24 from 155.100.226.53

Dutterman - I'm running Philadelphia... but Erik (Hamdog Alum) is running Monumental

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.500.000.00

AM - 9 miles. Started w/ Andrea, then up to work. I wasn't feeling too trashed this morning, which is somewhat surprising after what we put our bodies through last night! I'm definitely going to wear the Fastwitch for the marathon... I hate giving up the 1.5oz (compared to the Type As), but it will be worth it when my feet aren't hurting at mile 23. We did a comparison of all our racing flats recently on the blog.

PM - 9.5 miles, home from work. Great run... beautiful outside, perfect weather, really enjoyed it... looking forward to the long run tomorrow. 

*Long Run tomorrow, all are welcome! - 8am - Jordan River Trail... meet at James Madison Park (3300S 1100W). We'll have people going 14-22 miles, easy pace until the very end.*

Here's some video I shot last night. If you get past my first minute of rambling, there's some good footage of Andrea running...

 

Comments
From ACorn on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 13:46:48 from 68.66.168.22

Awesome vid, thanks for sharing!

From Scott Wesemann on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 18:29:53 from 205.158.160.209

I liked the vid. She is making it look so smooth and easy.

From SlowJoe on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 21:08:32 from 75.109.104.60

Hey Jake, thanks for posting that shoe review; I've been thinking of using the A4 for my next full but haven't tested it on anything longer than 13. The only other lightweight shoe I have is the Kinvara and it doesn't seem to rebound as well - have you tried those?

Keep up the great work.

From Jake K on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 21:31:47 from 67.177.21.60

Joe - I wear the Kinvaras for training all the time. They are pretty soft... great for training, but not a racing shoe in my opinion. You want something that is a little stiffer so you aren't wasting energy.... you want that rebound. I would give the fastwitch a try if I were you. Their weight is essentially the same as the kinvaras, but they definitely feel a lot faster... and the little extra cushion in the toes area especially makes a BIG difference.

From JD on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 22:29:03 from 71.37.100.35

Love the dash ornament.

From Kory on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 23:24:21 from 184.155.137.220

Awesome Awesome running. Jake your an amazing runner and God has Blessed You. God going to bless your dedication/motivation in the marathon.

I agree with you Jake... the Kinvara are great training shoes, but the spongy feeling don't give you that burst off feel off the road.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
26.400.000.00

AM - 22 miles. Long run on the Jordan River Parkway. Had another great crew this morning - Andrea, Emily B, Devra, AdamRW, ACorn, Chad, and Bryan. Chilly at the start (had to use hot hands in my gloves this morning). We ran the first 20 miles at a pretty good clip (~6:57 average pace), then I added a faster 2 mile effort in 10:01 (5:01, 5:00). The stretch that I did the faster effort on had a good little hill in the middle of it (out & back so I hit it twice), so I was pleased to be able to accelerate to that pace at the end of the run without having to crank it up too much. Great run, great company, great conversations... it just flew by! Really enjoyed myself this morning. 

PM - 4.4 miles, horsepark loop.

She says I'm a tough coach... but marathon training is not easy! :-)

A) Andrea after the long run this morning, B) Andrea after the tempo run on Thursday night, C) Now she is officially becoming a marathoner!

Comments
From ACorn on Sat, Oct 29, 2011 at 13:27:24 from 24.2.76.146

Way to finish Jake! That was a fun run for me thanks for letting me join and bring up the rear. I didn't know 14 miles could go by that quickly.

From Burt on Sat, Oct 29, 2011 at 13:35:12 from 72.223.91.148

I tried to run with you guys, but I couldn't keep up. And I think I heard someone say, "Let's ditch Burt."

From Andrea on Sat, Oct 29, 2011 at 14:20:35 from 67.177.21.60

Nice candid photos. Really.

From Jake K on Sat, Oct 29, 2011 at 14:24:46 from 67.177.21.60

Burt, I think we said "Let's CATCH Burt"... we thought you were up ahead. Technically we were running in your direction!

From Chad Robinson on Sat, Oct 29, 2011 at 16:10:03 from 208.110.158.227

Thanks again for the running oportunity and nice job on that final 2 mile effort. I am doing my best to be a Saucony billboard (there orange stuff rules).

From allie on Sun, Oct 30, 2011 at 00:34:07 from 24.10.191.18

your pictures are cracking me up. i especially like B.

From Adam RW on Mon, Oct 31, 2011 at 10:22:56 from 155.101.152.123

I knew it seemed like you were back right away when we were eating the banana cake but holy crap 10:01 after 20 miles!!! Amazing. I am so excited for you and Andrea for that matter. Thanks for including me in the run this morning it was a blast.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.600.000.00

AM - 12 miles easy w/ Andrea, then added on a couple more.

PM - 3.6 miles shakeout. 

Another 2:03 marathon in Frankfurt today. Kenya is going to have to leave a 2:03 guy at home for the Olympics next summer... they have 4 now! Unbelievable. Inspiring to see this new generation of marathoners who simply attack the distance. This is exactly how I am approaching Philadelphia from a mental perspective... no fear, no limits.

Comments
From DaleG on Sun, Oct 30, 2011 at 14:22:45 from 71.199.57.238

You're going to rock the marathon! Are you attempting to qualify for the Olympic Trials or have you already done that?

From DaleG on Sun, Oct 30, 2011 at 14:29:09 from 71.199.57.238

Oh, by the way, I'm a Diet Mountain Dew fanatic, too! I can't get enough of the stuff.

From Jake K on Sun, Oct 30, 2011 at 14:32:33 from 67.177.21.60

Dale - I'm taking my shot at qualifying in 3 weeks at the Philadelphia marathon.

I'm 6 weeks w/out diet dew (or any soda) now. I think that is probably my biggest accomplishment of 2011 :-)

From DaleG on Sun, Oct 30, 2011 at 14:42:34 from 71.199.57.238

I'm positive that you will qualify!

Giving up Diet Dew is very tough and it's impressive that you have gone that long without it. I need to try and cut back to only having it on the weekends.

From Tara on Sun, Oct 30, 2011 at 17:10:01 from 68.164.105.250

I'm excited to hear your results! Is Andrea doing it too?

From Jake K on Sun, Oct 30, 2011 at 19:22:17 from 67.177.21.60

Tara - yes, we are both running Philly :-)

From Jon on Sun, Oct 30, 2011 at 20:43:48 from 74.177.82.194

4 2:03-marathoners. Crazy.

From Adam RW on Mon, Oct 31, 2011 at 10:03:57 from 155.101.152.123

The question will be if this could change the strategy at the Olympics. Do you think it will be a strategic triple medal or crazy record attempt?

From Jake K on Mon, Oct 31, 2011 at 10:17:07 from 155.100.226.53

Supposedly the London course for the Olympics has lots of stupid 180 degree turns, so its probably not a record course. I bet they will run like they did at the world champs this summer and try to sweep the medals.

From Adam RW on Mon, Oct 31, 2011 at 10:24:56 from 155.101.152.123

Bummer but I guess that is what championship races are about in the longer distances. It's a shame though it would be great to see them head to head and go under 2:03... But course and event seem to be in the way of that.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
17.500.000.00

AM - 7.5 miles up to work. I've run 425 miles in the last 3 weeks, so I'm starting my gradual taper now. I don't want to cut back too much this week, but there is also no point in running anymore big mileage weeks. I'll probably run ~100 miles w/ three workouts planned. Say a prayer for Andrea... when I run fewer miles I have lots of extra energy, and therefore I'm extra annoying :-)

PM - 10 miles. Shorter workout today. Ran 4.5 miles down to the track, then did a 5K Tempo in 16:22 (5:17, 5:15, 5:12, 39), jogged a lap, then 8 x 200m in 33.2 seconds. Jogged another lap and then called it a day. Andrea shot a bunch of slow-motion video of me running, so I'll get to see how my form looks.

Here's arguably the best Halloween costume I've ever made... this was 2007, obviously, since robot technology has improved so much since then...
 

Comments
From Rachelle on Mon, Oct 31, 2011 at 11:07:50 from 199.190.170.31

Love the costume. I am the same way when I run less miles (MAJOR ADHD) so I am praying for Andrea. :)

From Andrea on Mon, Oct 31, 2011 at 11:52:47 from 72.37.171.52

You are such a nerd!!

From Carina on Mon, Oct 31, 2011 at 20:41:50 from 204.15.86.83

That costume ROCKS!! Nice workouts today!

From Hamdog Alum on Mon, Oct 31, 2011 at 21:09:29 from 68.185.190.140

Wow! Awesome costume, quite possibly the best homemade I've ever seen! Nice workout out too. That 5K tempo pace must feel really relaxed for you.

From Jake K on Mon, Oct 31, 2011 at 21:26:57 from 67.177.21.60

The best dancing I have ever done was wearing that robot suit.

Yeah that tempo pace is feeling pretty comfortable... been hitting 5:15-5:17 A LOT the past couple weeks for everything from 3 to 13 miles... trying to lock that pace in my legs so it feels natural on marathon day. Its somewhat crazy that my 5K splits need to be in the 16:20s :-0

From seeaprilrun on Mon, Oct 31, 2011 at 21:56:24 from 174.159.181.51

That is sick fast! With that much work at MP and those big miles...your OTQ is going to happen. Have a great taper. I'm super annoying too when I have to cut back on running.

From Kelli on Tue, Nov 01, 2011 at 14:09:29 from 71.219.90.3

GREAT COSTUME!!!

Yes, there was a man at the race dressed as a Garmin and it was my favorite costume! I have no idea how he ran in it, though!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
12.000.000.00

AM - 2 miles. Just a quick shakeout before work. I needed to find a way to cut back my mileage this week, so taking the morning off seemed like a good idea when I woke up and the rain was pouring... just went back to sleep for an extra hour instead. Andrea shot some higher-speed video of me running last night, which is pretty cool, but now that I know our camera has this capability, it guarantees I will be spending a lot of time editing skiing footage this winter!

PM - 10 miles w/ Andrea. Legs felt good. Glad we waited until after work to do this run because it was a very pleasant evening. 

Comments
From Rachelle on Tue, Nov 01, 2011 at 11:20:27 from 159.212.71.17

Good call on sleeping in. Extra sleep is a good thing before a marathon.

From DaleG on Tue, Nov 01, 2011 at 11:46:34 from 71.199.57.238

Cool video footage. What video camera was used for that? I'm looking to get a decent camera.

From DaleG on Tue, Nov 01, 2011 at 11:48:40 from 71.199.57.238

Oh, I just got your email. I'll go check it out. Thanks

From Jake K on Tue, Nov 01, 2011 at 12:02:23 from 155.100.226.53

Dale, the camera is a Casio EX-FH25. Its like a "fake" DSLR. I've been happy with it... shoots great action shots. Its not the best for real higher-end photography... but I didn't want to pay a ton for something that is in my ski backpack and takes a bit of abuse.

I don't think they are making it anymore, though. Seems like prices on it now are up around $1000... I got it for a quarter of that.

From seeaprilrun on Wed, Nov 02, 2011 at 09:49:28 from 68.103.241.53

Outstanding form on the video. Definitely elite.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.500.000.00

AM - 6.5 miles around campus. 

PM - 10 miles. Workout was a 3 mile marathon-pace tempo on the roads, then to the track for 1600-1200-800-400, and finishing with another mile @ MP

Splits were 15:57 (5:19, 5:21, 5:17), 4:49, 3:38, 2:26, 70, 5:15.

I was a little disappointed in the 12-8-4 portion of the workout... my stomach started acting up about halfway through the 1200, and if I had tried to run any faster on the 8/4, it might have been a disaster! I like doing these step-downs and hitting the last couple reps hard.... the legs were OK w/ that plan, but my stomach wasn't letting that happen today. No big deal... and on the bright side, I felt like I was jogging for the last 5:15 mile.

Comments
From Adam RW on Wed, Nov 02, 2011 at 10:22:04 from 155.101.152.123

It was a bit chilly. Were you wearing a reflective vest? I think I may have seen you.

From Jake K on Wed, Nov 02, 2011 at 11:02:53 from 155.100.226.53

I had all my bright orange / reflective gear on with the flashing light as well.

From Rob Murphy on Wed, Nov 02, 2011 at 21:03:56 from 76.27.122.13

I'm pretty sure you ran right down my street this afternoon. I tried to catch you but you were too fast.

From DaleG on Wed, Nov 02, 2011 at 21:09:58 from 152.216.11.5

Impressive!

From ACorn on Wed, Nov 02, 2011 at 21:37:08 from 24.2.76.146

Solid workout Jake, you're dang fast. I get the occasional stomach ailments too but it usually ends my workouts. Way to hang tough

From Jake K on Wed, Nov 02, 2011 at 21:47:15 from 67.177.21.60

Rob, we probably did come right by your place... next time please be ready with a water bottle! :-)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
13.700.000.00

AM - 7.7 miles, JAJA run through Sugarhouse. 

PM - 6 miles easy. Nice recovery day. 

Yesterday I reached my goal of 20,000 perfect pushups for the year, with almost 2 months to spare!

Today is Andrea's birthday! I made a slideshow with some highlights from her 24th year

Comments
From Russ on Thu, Nov 03, 2011 at 10:42:21 from 74.114.3.253

Nice goal achievement! I don't feel like doing math right now - how many pushups per day is that? Morning and night or once per day?

Happy Birthday Andrea!

From Jake K on Thu, Nov 03, 2011 at 10:44:09 from 155.100.226.53

Its actually only like 60-something per day. I usually just do them after my afternoon run. Gotta keep the arms from being TOTALLY scrawny :-)

From Andrea on Thu, Nov 03, 2011 at 10:44:44 from 72.37.244.100

Thanks for the slideshow!! It makes me look athletic :) Did we do anything but exercise and eat ice cream?!

From Jake K on Thu, Nov 03, 2011 at 10:51:22 from 155.100.226.53

We had frozen yogurt sometimes. And I think we watched a couple movies. But otherwise, nope... it was pretty much all exercise and ice cream.

Just think what the slideshow would look like if I stretched it back a few more months... it would have JMT, the ridiculous Labor Day trip to CO where we climbed six 14ers in like 36 hours, etc.

From allie on Thu, Nov 03, 2011 at 11:01:38 from 24.10.191.18

cool slideshow -- looks like a year packed with fun!

i've done 8 pullups this year.

From Andrea on Thu, Nov 03, 2011 at 11:04:00 from 72.37.171.52

Allie - I think you tie with Jake on pull-ups!

From Jake K on Thu, Nov 03, 2011 at 11:05:19 from 155.100.226.53

Shutup Andrea!!! I had to quit doing perfect pullups so my groin injury would heal!

From Lily on Thu, Nov 03, 2011 at 11:34:12 from 67.199.178.210

That is because you are a machine Jake, Way to push up! :)

From DaleG on Thu, Nov 03, 2011 at 14:00:27 from 71.199.57.238

Nice run and 20,000 pushups? Seriously? Guess how many I've done this year? 4. I need to find my Perfect Pushup devices. I know they're around here somewhere.

From RAD on Thu, Nov 03, 2011 at 15:07:48 from 98.202.23.178

LOVED the slide show, it's like my ideal life - fun, climbing, running, skiing, biking, fun, icecream, fun and more icecream :) Especially if I looked like both of you I certainly wouldn't feel bad about eating all that icecream! Okay, I eat that much now and I don't feel bad about it :)

I loved the pic doing the pushups with the helmet on - worried about falling? :) Happy Birthday and here is to another fun filled, exciting year!

Oh, and 20,000 push ups? I can't even do 1 pull up! - scrawny arms and a fat butt don't make it easy for me to do anything well with upper body.

From rockness18 on Thu, Nov 03, 2011 at 17:47:41 from 69.183.244.106

Happy Birthday to Andrea and great pics...love the shorts in the mt. slopes! Good luck as Philly gets near...can't wait to see how you do!

From runningafterbabies on Thu, Nov 03, 2011 at 20:05:50 from 71.195.219.247

Awesome. 20000 push ups is unreal. No wonder your arms are so cut. Enjoy the cake and ice cream tonight. I loved the photo collage of Andrea.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.000.000.00

AM - 7.5 miles. Started with Andrea, then up to work. 

PM - 7.5 miles, retraced my path from this morning back home. Warm and windy. Got a big workout on tap for tomorrow, hoping the weather will partially cooperate. 

Comments
From DaleG on Fri, Nov 04, 2011 at 19:54:26 from 152.216.11.5

Good luck with the big workout tomorrow. Looks like a storm is brewing.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.600.000.00

AM - 4 miles, shakeout in the snow. Nice morning for an easy run, but its not worth risking running a faster workout in these conditions. When fitness is near its peak, the biggest concern is some sort of freak injury. We'll re-evaluate this afternoon and either do it then, or modify the plan.

PM - 16.6 miles. 4-3-2-1 workout. Andrea and I met Emily B out at the frontage road around 2:15pm... the roads were dry and the weather was clear, although it was pretty windy. We made the right call by waiting until the afternoon. After a quick one mile warmup we got going with the workout. Splits were:

  • 4 miles in 21:09 (5:14, 5:18, 5:20, 5:17). Major headwind the whole way. 
  • 3 miles in 15:28 (5:10, 5:11, 5:08). Tailwind. Felt a lot easier!
  • 2 miles in 10:16 (5:13, 5:03). Headwind for the first mile, 180 degree turn, nice tailwind coming back.
  • 1 mile in 4:54. Cruising to the finish with the tailwind.

In between each effort was a half mile of running at about 6:40 pace. Cooled down a little over 4 miles, most of it with the girls once they finished up. Glad to get this one done. I wore my heavier shoes instead of my racing flats, because I thought the roads would be wet... so I am pretty happy with how this one went. Only one more harder workout left!

------------------------------------------------
If you read Chris McDougal's latest article in the NY Times this week, this response by Alex Hutchinson is worth a read. I'm all for minimalist running, good form, etc., but McDougal is so one-sided in his arguments that its pathetic (especially if you have a broader knowledge of the topics he is taking about / skewing). Alex does a nice job in his response of finding the middle ground, and calling out Chris for fabricating his anecdotes. I think Born to Run was an interesting book... and the fallout from it had some great benefits - the shoe companies started to think and innovate, which is awesome... I just don't really think he should be viewed as any type of authority on running, and I get the feeling he definitely looks at himself that way.

Comments
From JG on Sat, Nov 05, 2011 at 16:28:50 from 71.59.27.33

Ummm ... Congratulations on hitting 5,000 miles for the year! The city of Brotherly Love will be good to you!

From Lily on Sat, Nov 05, 2011 at 19:07:20 from 67.199.178.210

I agree with your thoughts on McDougal. And I have some Altra's and they are hard to transition into. They hurt your achilles bad!

Glad you guys got the run in you needed. It's cold outside today so good job.

From Jake K on Sat, Nov 05, 2011 at 19:14:37 from 67.177.21.60

Cool I didn't even realize I had hit 5000 yet!

Lily - my problem w/ McDougal is that he takes things WAY out of context, and uses a lot of selective quoting from true authorities on running (ie. Vin Lanana) in his book. And then people that don't know any better, or don't have a strong background in the sport, take what he says at face value. And in many ways, he is just as guilty of doing what he criticizes the shoe companies for - prescribing a "one size fits all" philosophy towards footwear (or lack thereof is his case). The truth is, while barefoot running and super-minimalism works for some people, the vast majority of us fall somewhere in the middle ground.

From TheMr.K on Sat, Nov 05, 2011 at 19:24:03 from 74.38.114.91

I agree with that McDougal over simplifies the whole barefoot thing but I too have some Altras and since I transitioned to them I haven't had one day of joint pain, IT pain or achilles pain.

From Jake K on Sat, Nov 05, 2011 at 19:32:57 from 67.177.21.60

Mr.K - totally agree... lower profile shoes, like the Altras, Kinvaras, etc. encourage good running form (ie. not slamming your heel into the ground). Shoes aren't the enemy... bad form / mechanics is the problem! Running barefoot doesn't necessarily fix that problem.

From Lily on Sat, Nov 05, 2011 at 21:14:37 from 67.199.178.210

Don't get me wrong, I love my Altra's, but they have been a Mother F'er to transition into. Perhaps if I wasn't trying to train and transition into them at the same time it would have been easier. I also don't think barefoot running fixes the problems. They recorded me running and even when I took my shoes off I still had issues. It really is looked at now as a one size fits all approach. I say run in what feels good.....I ran for about 8 years without an injury until this last winter, so I don't believe that shoes is the problem really. Anyway, it's fun to hash this around a bit. :)

From MichelleL on Sat, Nov 05, 2011 at 23:18:43 from 202.4.201.45

The book was entertaining but as I read it it sounded like hyperbole and some googlefact checking showed that the book was indeed an embellishment of the truth. I agree that he either sees this as a calling or a lucrative career.

oh yeah this is jakes blog right? Great job on your workout. hay is in the barn and you are ready!

From Bam on Sun, Nov 06, 2011 at 05:00:34 from 86.40.251.49

Jake - that's an excellent session. What I like is the recovery: 3:20 0.5 mile recovery when you're mixing it up with some serious efforts; has to be a confidence booster for the marathon. And if I have this right - there's no air where you live - then the session is all the more 'breathtaking'. Can't wait to see your final harder workout.

From Chad Robinson on Sun, Nov 06, 2011 at 15:03:34 from 208.110.158.227

I find it interesting that people just assume that the force of striking the ground dissapear just because you are no longer heel striking or wearing a minimalist shoe. While doing the elliptical in the summer I watched a lady absolutely abuse the treadmill in a pair a Vibrams. There is no way she was going to avoid injury at that rate. And yes, switching to a midfoot strike definately gives your calves, achichiles and ankles a heck of a workout that takes time and patience to develope.

From Jake K on Sun, Nov 06, 2011 at 15:08:48 from 67.177.21.60

Chad - what you said is very important and is exactly what gets left out of most discussions. Yes, landing mid/forefoot reduces impact forces. No doubt about that. But what a lot of folks don't realize is that if they put on a pair of vibrams, and "accidentally" heel strike 3 out of 100 times, the forces are SO HIGH in those couple of individual impacts that its almost worse than just heel striking all the time in cushioned shoes!

That's why I think shoes like the Kinvara are so great... they really encourage the proper form, but there is a little protection there, too... just in case.

From Adam RW on Sun, Nov 06, 2011 at 17:56:29 from 67.182.248.141

Jake great workout. I'm glad it waited for the afternoon and worked out for you.

Also, interesting conversation about Born to Run. That and the accompanying Nature article that came out convinced me to change my running form. But I agree with you. I still wear the same shoes that I always have because of the concern of the 3 in a 100 heel strikes and the fact that hitting a rock or worse yet piece of glass/metal would kill barefoot or in the Vibrams.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.200.000.00

AM - 11.5 miles. Ran 6.7 w/ Andrea, then added on some more. Nice, easy run on another beautiful morning. Running on the snow covered grass park was the highlight. Feeling pretty good after the harder effort yesterday afternoon. 

We watched the NYC Marathon before heading out. Awesome race. The lesson to be learned from Mary Keitany: don't go out too hard! But the real story was Geoffrey Mutai running a negative split 2:05:05... holy moly! Course records in every world major race (Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, NYC) in 2011... I don't think "raising the bar" even begins to describe what has happened in the marathon world this year. 

Nice run by Meb K, too. If Sasha has proven that a 2:30 marathon can be run in Crocs, Meb has now proven that a 2:09 marathon can be run in Sketchers. I think both are impressive! :-) 

PM - 2.7 miles shakeout. 

Comments
From Chad Robinson on Sun, Nov 06, 2011 at 14:52:53 from 208.110.158.227

I was wondering if that was what he was running in. That was definately an interesting race strategy by Mary. That mile split down 1st made me question if she was going to be able to hold on. Nice run with 2 weeks to go!

From allie on Sun, Nov 06, 2011 at 15:44:55 from 24.10.191.18

the sub two hour marathon in hokas is coming...

From Rachelle on Sun, Nov 06, 2011 at 17:39:40 from 66.7.127.115

Nice run! Mutai is seriously like a machine. So inspiring to watch him run.

From Kory on Sun, Nov 06, 2011 at 19:11:44 from 184.155.137.220

Meb a great runner. I think we would be even greater if he didn't have so many injury setbacks in the past..

From Bonnie on Sun, Nov 06, 2011 at 20:29:01 from 64.119.33.134

Some guy on LetsRun caculated Mutai's splits they certainly were impressive:

3mile: 15:04

4mile: 19:58 (4:54)

5mile: 24:45 (4:47)

6mile: 29:23 (4:38)

7mile: 34:06 (4:43)

8mile: 38:50 (4:44)

9mile: 43:41 (4:51)

10mile: 48:27 (4:46)

11mile: 53:20 (4:53)

12mile: 57:59 (4:39)

13mile: 62:46 (4:47)

14mile: 67:29 (4:43)

15mile: 72:23 (4:54)

16mile: 77:17 (4:54)

17mile: ???

18mile: 86:45 (9:28 for 2mi)

19mile: 91:30 (4:45)

20mile: 96:22 (4:52)

21mile: 100:53 (4:31)

22mile: ???

23mile: 109:57 (9:04 for 2mi!)

24mile: 114:45 (4:48)

25mile: 119:26 (4:41)

26mile: 124:05 (4:39)

5k: 15:34

10k: 30:24 (14:50)

15k: 45:13 (14:49)

20k: 60:04 (14:51)

25k: 75:07 (15:03)

30k: 89:47 (14:40)

35k: 104:18 (14:31)

40k: 118:44 (14:26)

From allie on Sun, Nov 06, 2011 at 20:32:19 from 24.10.191.18

14:26 at the end of the race! he is unbelievable.

From Jake K on Sun, Nov 06, 2011 at 20:35:51 from 67.177.21.60

Textbook way to run a marathon. Easy first 5K, then a very consistent pace for the next 20K, then absolutely dropping the hammer! So basically I could hang w/ him in the middle of the race for about 5K if I was all out. That is humbling! :-)

From Jon on Sun, Nov 06, 2011 at 20:44:14 from 74.177.82.194

It's amazing the depth of good marathoners right now...

From Superfly on Mon, Nov 07, 2011 at 14:00:26 from 74.211.21.81

outside of America right Jon... Wish we had a couple more big guns. I mean hats off to Meb but he really wasn't even in the same race as the top 3 guys.

From Jake K on Mon, Nov 07, 2011 at 14:09:37 from 155.100.226.53

Meb's run was impressive, but he's not even in the same league anymore as the top Kenyans (the top Ethiopians are barely in the same league as the top Kenyans right now!). Luckily for the rest of the world, they can only send 3 guys to London. They probably deserve to send about 8.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
13.000.000.00

AM - 7.5 miles. To Sugarhouse Park w/ Andrea, then up to work. Our typical easy morning lately.

PM - 5.5 miles. Down to the track, then did 4x200m + 2x100m. My legs felt like they had a ton of "pop" so I had to hold myself back and try not to run too fast. That is a good problem to have! 

Turkey Trot Tune-Up 5K - Saturday November 12 - 9:30am - Highland High School Track
It looks like the weather is going to take a turn for the worse starting this weekend... so right now we're just going to say "weather permitting." Hopefully it will be decent on Saturday morning. If you plan to come, either leave a comment or shoot me (or Andrea) an email. That way if for some reason its a downpour and we need to change the time or something like that, we'll be able to make sure we get in touch with everyone. 

Comments
From Chad Robinson on Mon, Nov 07, 2011 at 13:47:03 from 50.73.39.89

Count me in rain or shine.

From Adam RW on Tue, Nov 08, 2011 at 23:32:20 from 67.182.248.141

I sure hope the weather works out for you all. Sorry I won't be able to join you either way :(

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
11.500.000.00

AM - 7.5 miles up to work. 

PM - 4 miles around campus, finishing up at the orthopedic center where Andrea was getting a massage. 

Mileage reduction = increased blogging activity. Here's a couple I've written recently: 1) Thoughts on running footwear and 2) Why we run short track reps during marathon training

Comments
From Rachelle on Tue, Nov 08, 2011 at 10:51:23 from 199.190.170.21

I for one am glad you are blogging more. I really enjoy your blog.

From Rob Murphy on Tue, Nov 08, 2011 at 10:54:18 from 205.127.70.66

Nothing wrong with being fast Jake. No need to apologize for it - I'm thinking about the 200s.

From Lily on Tue, Nov 08, 2011 at 12:18:57 from 67.199.178.210

Well you know how I feel already about McDoofus and the minimal running thing. I am not anti minimalist, but I don't think it's a cure all and I don't think it's realistic.

I loved the track workout posts. As you know that is what I am doing right now and I can totally attest to the positive things it can do for a runner. I feel way more explosive in my sprints and I know that coupled with other training runs it can make for one fast runner. Love it!

Glad you can blog more. Makes me excited for the next 2 weeks and your and Andrea's OTQ marathon. Go go go!

From Bam on Tue, Nov 08, 2011 at 13:26:39 from 86.42.127.244

Great post on short track reps. The Kenyans are big into their diagonals - a similar idea. I think the most important thing about short speed reps is the emphasis on form.

I noticed how the short reps fit into the jigsaw of your training. Great that you and Andrea shared this with everybody - it might help some who are struggling to improve. Tip of the hat to both of you.

From Kory on Tue, Nov 08, 2011 at 18:52:56 from 134.50.89.24

You continue to amaze me the amount of miles you put in. It's truly inspiring and motivates me to do more.

From Hamdog Alum on Tue, Nov 08, 2011 at 21:50:22 from 68.185.190.140

Jake I enjoyed reading your blogs. Thanks for posting those! I agree 100% on both topics.

How do the all the tendons and ligaments feel? I'm amazed they hold up so well for you on such high consecutive mileage weeks. I use my foam roller and massage stick religously, just so I can make it out the door when I'm doing high mileage.

From Jake K on Tue, Nov 08, 2011 at 21:57:12 from 67.177.21.60

Thanks for the responses everyone. Glad you enjoyed the blogs.

Hamdog - I can't even explain it, and I don't want to jinx myself, but I've had ZERO aches and pains over the past 6-7 weeks. In September I had some random but minor things bothering me, but once we did the "mini taper" for Long Beach, everything went away. Even when I went right back up to 140 mpw w/ the harder workouts afterwards, my body has had no complaints. I can't explain it. I ice and use the stick, but not as religiously as I probably should. I guess all the strength I have accumulated throughout the year has really hardened up my body. All the mileage was either going to build me up or completely break me down... I'm glad it was the former!

From Hamdog Alum on Wed, Nov 09, 2011 at 23:19:12 from 68.185.190.140

Thanks for sharing that Jake. I bet it has a lot to do with the variety of cross training you do through other sports. I think you've gained a lot of strength to balance out some of those muscles and tendons running doesn't always strengthen.

I read something about how Hall and Cox avoid tendon problems through pro-active PT. Basically, they do lateral movements to strengthen the medial side of the leg to take strain of the patella tendons, IT bands, etc... Much of it is low stress not to zap energy from running, which basically means it's all body weight exercises and they essentially are warm-ups/cooldowns of 10-15 minutes. The exercises develop overall strength throughout all of the running muscles with lots of different lunges and core exercises during less serious training cycles of the year.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
17.000.000.00

AM - 4 miles, easy shakeout run on campus. 

PM - 13 miles. Last Chance Workout!  2 x 5 miles, starting at marathon pace and then stepping it down... one mile warmup, two strides, then got rolling...

First 5 miles in 26:02 - 5:17, 5:15, 5:16, 5:12, 5:02. Ran by feel and didn't look at my watch too much. The effort felt very sustainable.

1 mile recovery in 6:45 (I only really needed a fraction of this, but I wanted to replicate the same workout from May 31st, 10 days out from Utah Valley) 

Second 5 miles in 25:42 - 5:11, 5:11, 5:10, 5:09, 5:01. I told myself I was not allowed to run under 5:10 until the last mile, and pretty much stuck to that. I was in a great rhythm for the first 4.5 miles, and then only picked it up over the last half-mile. 

Cooled down a mile w/ Andrea.

Honestly, I felt like I was holding back the entire time on this workout. I got what I needed out of it, but I'm saving the real big effort for 10 days from now. 

I saw the list of athletes running Philly today. Its a fantastic field, and should be a great, very competitive race. The apparent contenders include:

-Kenyan guy with PRs of 1:04 / 2:16
-Ethiopian guy with PRs of 1:03 / 2:17
-Winners of the 2011 Hartford and Baltimore marathons (both ran 2:21 in those races)
-13:26 / 28:30 / 1:03 guy making his marathon debut
-Former 3:43 1500m guy and USA World XC team member
-About 7-8 guys who have run 1:07/1:08 for the half-marathon or low/mid 2:20s for the marathon 

Now I have to just contain my excitement for a little bit longer!

Comments
From DaleG on Wed, Nov 09, 2011 at 22:30:56 from 152.216.11.5

I have all the confidence in the world that you could win the marathon. Go Jake and Andrea!!!

From runningafterbabies on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 00:10:59 from 71.195.219.247

Great workout. You should be confident. You've put in the work. Go get 'em!

From Bam on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 01:38:26 from 86.41.125.46

Topnotch, Jake. Great session. Apart from the times you managed and how relaxed you felt, the great news is that you felt that you only needed a fraction of the recovery. You're ready, Jake.

If I have this right, you're after the qualifying time for the Olympic Trial, which is 2:18/2:19? If this is so, be careful not to get involved in the race. Too many people chasing times get involved in the race and end up missing out. Run your own race, get the time and the overall race will take care of itself. Get involved in the last 6 miles when you're flying and they're dying.

From Jake K on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 10:19:20 from 155.100.226.53

Thanks guys.

Bam - that is solid advice and it is exactly how I am approaching this... don't get caught up early. I need to run 2:18:59, and Philly is a negative split course (all the hills are pretty much in the first 10 miles), so it would be silly to go out much faster than 69:15-69:30. If guys go out harder, I'm just going to let them go. I've done all these hard workouts solo, so I'm not going to force a pace to run w/ a pack like I did in the last half-marathon. The goal is to get to 30K on pace, and then drop the hammer.

From Rachelle on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 14:14:28 from 159.212.71.199

Jake you are right where you need to be. I am so excited for you!!

From Hamdog Alum on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 14:58:10 from 66.188.108.30

I can't wait to see hear about the showdown! Nice workout and a fantastic confidence booster!!

From Bonnie on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 20:34:13 from 64.119.33.134

That is a great field for Philly! The good news is you likely will have people around you for most of the race - until you drop them, of course.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
10.500.000.00

AM - 6.5 miles. Another nice JAJA run through Sugarhouse neighborhoods. My legs felt really good, which means I did the workout at the right effort level yesterday.

PM - 4 miles. Ran a couple loops around Sugarhouse park, then finished on the track with 8 x 100m (16-17 seconds). Just strided out on the straights and ran the turns easy.

We are still planning to do the free Turkey Trot Tune-Up 5K on Saturday morning at the Highland track. The weather looks like its going to be off & on gross all day, and we need to get the workout in no matter what, so we're just going to do it rain or shine or snow or ice or sleet or rainbows. If anyone is planning to come that hasn't told us yet, let us know so we make sure we have enough chocolate milk! New Time = 9:00am

FYI - Saucony is looking for wear testers for women's size 8 and men's size 10. They want people averaging at least 40 miles / week. You can email them and ask for an application: Weartest@Saucony.com

Comments
From ACorn on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 13:39:16 from 68.66.168.22

Jake,

Just found out that I'm moving offices Saturday. Wish I could make it but won't be able to. I'm bummed. However, I am stoked for next years track races. That'll motivate me to get my mile time down.

Also, what's so great about size 10? Everyone knows that optimal wear testers wear size 11s.

From Jake K on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 13:51:18 from 155.100.226.53

Bummer you can't make it!

I agree... 11 is where its at. For a few years I did wear testing for Nike and they were using people who wore 11s. But I think 8W/10M are the most common sizes, and that is why its the current standard.

From Rachelle on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 14:16:49 from 159.212.71.199

Darn it I wish I wore size 8 but I have baby feet.

I am bummed I can't come up for the 5k but I have a family thing Saturday morning. Drink some chocolate milk for me. :)

From DaleG on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 14:24:50 from 71.199.57.238

Tell me about these track races next year that ACorn mentioned. Sounds like a lot of fun.

From Jake K on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 14:29:47 from 155.100.226.53

Dale - what we'd like to do next summer is some more "informal" track races. Shorter stuff, like the 800, mile, 2-mile... and some kids dashes if parents want to bring the little ones. Just get a group together on a weeknight, run a few heats, then go out for ice cream afterwards! I think it would be a lot of fun. There are tons of awesome road races in Utah, but not many opportunities to run on the track. Hopefully we'll be able to make this happen. I imagine we will actually have a good amount of support for this.

From DaleG on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 14:39:08 from 71.199.57.238

Count me in!!! I've been saying for a long time that I wish there were some track races in Utah. That would be awesome. That'll give me something to look forward to next summer.

From TheMr.K on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 14:45:32 from 168.179.185.33

I want in on the track races too. Keep me posted.

From Fritz on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 20:20:11 from 65.116.116.6

You can count me in for Saturday although I have run at 5k pace for....maybe 5 months. :) I am a wear tester for Nike but I wonder if there is correlation between wearing those and my injuries. Thanks for the tip on the Sauconys.

From allie on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 20:38:35 from 24.10.191.18

would you consider holding a discus event in conjunction with the track races? i need an excuse to wear my glam pie boots.

james and i are in for saturday. we can certainly help with anything if needed...

From Andrea on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 20:40:13 from 67.177.21.60

Allie - weren't you a long jump pro? I'd like to see that in action!

From DaleG on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 20:46:10 from 152.216.11.5

I wish I could be there. I'm sure you'll all have a lot of fun, especially watching Allie long-jumping.

From Jake K on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 21:37:38 from 67.177.21.60

Allie the discus question prompted me to create an entire blog post about the day that I threw the javelin. Enjoy...

http://wasatchandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/11/blast-from-past-july-28-2006.html

From allie on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 21:41:16 from 24.10.191.18

my grandma just turned 79. we can invite her and see if you can redeem yourself (careful, she's tough...)

From Jon on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 21:48:50 from 74.177.82.194

Thanks for the Saucony heads up. I just sent them an email.

From Jake K on Fri, Nov 11, 2011 at 10:51:42 from 155.100.226.53

I'm probably going to start focusing more on the hammer throw

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
6.900.000.00

AM - 4.4 miles, easy horsepark loop w/ Andrea. 

PM - 2.5 miles. Ran on the track and incorporated 4x100m, 2x200m, 2x100m... just at 5K pace to stretch the legs out. It was basically the easiest fartlek run EVER :-)

Andrea scraped the little bit of remaining snow/ice off the far turn (by the creek) so no one should slip and injure themselves tomorrow. 

Track 5K, 9am tomorrow. No field events this time. Unless Andrea and Allie decide to square off in the triple jump.

Here's a blast from the past of when I threw the javelin and got beat by a 71 year old woman

Comments
From Bonnie on Fri, Nov 11, 2011 at 20:29:28 from 64.119.33.134

That link cracked me up ... a 9 year old and a 71 year old!

Race: Turkey Trot Tune-Up 5K (3.107 Miles) 00:15:26, Place overall: 1
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
10.500.000.00

AM - 7.5 miles. Turkey Trot Tune-Up 5K at the Highland Track. Another fun morning... we had seven runners (and three spectators) this time. Luckily the rain held off, although I think everyone would agree that the wind was pretty tough to deal with.

I decided to just go out at 5K goal pace and see how it felt. First mile was 4:48. My legs felt really good, and sensing that Fritz was behind me for the first couple laps definitely helped. But the wind on the backstretch (actually for about a 150m stretch) really slowed things down, so after 5 laps I decided to scale back the effort. I knew it wasn't going to be a PR day (James thought the 15+ mph winds cost us about 20+ seconds, and he is REALLY good at math, so I'll take his word on that), so there was no point in going all-out with next weekend's race being slightly more important :-)

Second mile was 4:58, the third was 5:04, then 36 seconds for the last 200m (DNK - did not kick!). Finishing time was 15:26.4

The somewhat official results were...

Jake 15:26.4
Fritz    16:38.1
James 16:47.5
Andrea 17:58.0
Bryan 18:07.2
Chad 18:58.8
Sandy 19:09.8 

Allie was awesome enough to be the official starter and photographer again. We need to get her a gun to start the race next time. Here is a slideshow of the photos...

They can also be found here

Not nearly my fastest 5K, but I got what I needed out of this run - a harder effort that will help me stay sharp, and will make marathon pace feel so much easier and sustainable. It is interesting to hear people's opinions regarding the "short race before a longer race" strategy. Some are strongly opposed to it, feeling that it takes something away from the target race. I think that if you can't recover from a 5K in a day, then you aren't in good enough shape to run a good marathon anyways. I've done it before every half-marathon/marathon this year, and so far the results have been good.

Next year I really want to attack the 5K distance and significantly bring down my PR. But right now my heart is 100% in the marathon, and its the only distance I really care about being able to crush at this point. I hope this upcoming week just flies by! 

PM - 3 miles shakeout. Went to the movies this afternoon... saw Footloose... I feel like that high school had a disproportionate number of exceptional dancers compared to the average school.  It did not remind me of my high school experience at all! :-)

Comments
From DaleG on Sat, Nov 12, 2011 at 13:25:30 from 71.199.57.238

Congrats on 1st place. I agree with your thoughts on recovery after a 5k.

From Bam on Sat, Nov 12, 2011 at 13:54:59 from 86.40.248.201

Well done to all. There's nothing more heartbreaking than running a 5k on the track in windy conditions. Given the conditions, the times were excellent. If allie had swept the leaves off the track the times might have been a smidgeon faster - she could've asked Kam for some help: he's something of an expert in the leaf removal department.

I think a 5k in your taper is a top idea, not so much for banging out PR's, but rather to keep the legs spinning.

Both you and Andrea are in top nick and I'm sure you'll both bring home the 'ice cream.

From Fritz on Sat, Nov 12, 2011 at 15:13:00 from 173.10.22.170

who was that dumb guy on your tail for the couple of laps? Oh, that would be me and I paid for it at the end. I just didn't want to get lapped.:) Still a fun time and it was nice to catch up with the running crew. Take it easy this weekend and enjoy your taper.

From Burt on Sat, Nov 12, 2011 at 16:16:20 from 72.223.91.148

Ha! I was going to ask if you lapped everyone. Nice job.

And please don't give allie a gun.

From Rachelle on Sat, Nov 12, 2011 at 20:59:49 from 66.7.127.115

Nice job! I love all of the pictures and am sad I missed out. I am amazed at how fast every ran with that wind this morning. It was brutal.

From allie on Sat, Nov 12, 2011 at 21:07:03 from 24.10.191.18

yes, if this pattern continues, i will need a gun, a red blazer, and a straw hat bearing the USATF logo.

nice job on the race today. i'm glad you got what you wanted out of it. i always do a 5k the week out from a marathon for the exact reasons you mentioned. i think it's a good plan. you and andrea couldn't be more ready. it's been fun watching you build up for this and really bring it all together in the last few weeks. watch out, philly!

From seeaprilrun on Sat, Nov 12, 2011 at 21:50:34 from 205.172.12.230

Cool pics and nice time in windy conditions. I see no problems physically with a tune-up 5K, but know there are some folks that mentally really need to save it up for the marathon, so the 5K is maybe not such a good idea, especially with the risk of it going badly and undermining confidence. I guess it depends on how your brain works as a runner!

From MichelleL on Sat, Nov 12, 2011 at 23:35:55 from 202.4.201.58

Nicely done. next weeks race pace will feel easy breezy.

From ebates on Sun, Nov 13, 2011 at 02:45:27 from 67.171.127.157

Excited for your results next week!!! Question- how much should I start tapering? Three weeks out tomorrow. Did 23 today. Total mileage this week was 72, last week 70. Thinking of doing 65 next week, 50, then 25 last week before the marathon... don't know.

From Superfly on Sun, Nov 13, 2011 at 17:18:48 from 74.211.21.81

Looking fast for next week. Hay is in the barn. Stay off any icy/dark/injury waiting trails and get yourself to Philly with those same wheels. It's gonna be good one man.

From Kam on Sun, Nov 13, 2011 at 18:43:46 from 174.23.233.202

I love the times including 10ths of a second. I can't wait to hear about your race next week.

From Tara on Sun, Nov 13, 2011 at 21:45:16 from 75.169.159.43

Great race!! I'm going to come and run one of these one day for sure.

From Jake K on Mon, Nov 14, 2011 at 11:25:22 from 155.100.226.53

Thanks for the comments everyone. Hopefully next year we'll be able to make these events a little bit bigger, run some different distances, etc. I think it has the potential to be a lot of fun.

Kam - we got times to the tenth of a second because of my FAT system (Fully Automatic Timex).

From Adam RW on Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 09:55:34 from 155.101.144.2

Nice run. Sorry the weather didn't behave and I am bummed I wasn't able to join you this time around. Enjoy your final taper week and get lots of rest.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
10.000.000.00

AM - 10 miles easy w/ Andrea. Woke up to rain, so we went grocery shopping first, and then it was really nice outside by the time we got started. The new track at Olympus high school is in place.

Comments
From DaleG on Sun, Nov 13, 2011 at 20:48:48 from 71.199.57.238

Good thing you waited to run. It's no fun running in cold rain. Warm rain is ok, though. It's cool that you have access to tracks. Up here in the Ogden area, they lock all the high school tracks and I'm not sure why.

From sflores on Mon, Nov 14, 2011 at 10:05:52 from 65.202.194.210

Very impressive BLOGS, I have been reading your blogs for the past 3 weeks now. I find myself reading them daily! I grew up in Logan Utah. I was a soccer player since retiring I am now a runner. I am trying to get to a 1:10 1/2 marathon! Good Luck in PHILLY!!!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
10.000.000.00

AM - 5 miles. Ran 3 w/ Andrea and then another loop around the block. Did extra pushups because I have an abundance of energy to burn off. I also need to make sure my arms are big enough to keep my arm warmers from falling off. Laugh if you will, but Andrea has that problem! :-)

PM - 5 miles. A mini-workout to keep the legs turning over. 8 x 400m w/ 200m float... the first six were at marathon pace - 82, 79, 78, 78, 78, 78... then I let myself run "fast but relaxed" on the last two - 67, 66.  

Last night we had an enjoyable dinner and great conversations with the Murphy clan. I think Rob just invited us over so we would become obsessed with Summit (their dog) and offer to puppy-sit him anytime they needed. If that was the case, his plan was 100% successful.

Comments
From DaleG on Mon, Nov 14, 2011 at 13:19:30 from 71.199.57.238

Poor Andrea and her skinny arms.

Sounds like you had a fun time.

From ACorn on Mon, Nov 14, 2011 at 15:01:39 from 24.2.76.146

Super stoked for you and Andrea this weekend! Nice work on the pushups too.

From DaleG on Mon, Nov 14, 2011 at 22:18:50 from 152.216.11.5

Nice evening run.

Will we be able to track you and Andrea during the marathon?

From Bam on Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 08:32:39 from 86.40.147.248

Nice evening session. Good idea to drop in those 400's @ MP. Keeps everything ticking over nicely. Like DaleG, I'd be keen to track you and Andrea during the marathon. If we can, would you give an idiot's guide (for me) on how to track your progress?

From Jake K on Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 10:58:13 from 155.100.226.53

I just posted a link to where all the tracking will be: http://wasatchandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/11/live-updates-from-philly.html

From Lily on Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 11:29:50 from 67.199.178.210

It's almost time! so stoked for you guys!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
8.000.000.00

AM - 5 miles. Horsepark loop w/ Andrea, then added on a little loop on our street. 

PM - 3 miles around the block. 

A couple people have asked if there will be live updates / tracking at Philly. It appears that they have a pretty decent system in place. I compiled all the info for a post on our blog: Live updates from Philly. Supposedly there will be timing mats at 10K, 1/2, and 30K. And there is some "map-tracker" that hasn't gone live yet... not sure how that would work unless they put a tiny GPS chip in everyone's bib :-)

Comments
From DaleG on Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 19:21:53 from 152.216.11.5

That's very cool. Thanks for the info.

From Lulu Walls on Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 20:16:21 from 166.70.240.95

Sweet! Will be tuning in for sure.

From Aaron Kennard on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 at 14:58:35 from 98.245.117.176

Good luck in Philly this weekend! You've got it.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
8.400.000.00

AM - 8.4 miles. Workout at Liberty Park. Nothing too hard, just enough to keep the legs from getting flat. Warmed up 2 miles, then did 3 x 1 mile with an easy mile in between (full recovery is essential at this point... the last thing you want to do it wear yourself down even a fraction of a percent). Splits were 5:14, 5:07, 4:56. It was tough getting going on the first one especially, which I think was due to the fact that it was early and COLD!

The Training Wisdom of John Kellogg. This is an old thread from Letsrun that I don't remember ever reading. Its interesting that pretty much everything I believe about training is in these 2 pages. I guess I've picked up a lot from JK and the Brojos over the years. Not to mention that its all pretty much Lydiard-based. I wanted to share this because in 2 concise pages, it covers 98% of what you need to know about running fast. Print a copy. This is a case where its OK to kill a tree :-)

Comments
From jun on Wed, Nov 16, 2011 at 10:35:03 from 205.158.160.209

Good luck to you guys. I really hope you hit your goals.

From Jon on Wed, Nov 16, 2011 at 10:41:12 from 98.71.177.166

GOod luck!

From Scott Wesemann on Wed, Nov 16, 2011 at 11:31:59 from 205.158.160.209

Good luck this weekend! I'll be watching the results.

From DaleG on Wed, Nov 16, 2011 at 12:45:39 from 71.199.57.238

Lookin' good!!!

From DaleG on Wed, Nov 16, 2011 at 12:54:54 from 71.199.57.238

Jake, do you know anyone that has a commercial grade treadmill they want to get rid of for cheap....or for free?

From Jake K on Wed, Nov 16, 2011 at 12:56:24 from 155.100.226.53

Dale - Paul was selling one not too long ago.

From runningafterbabies on Wed, Nov 16, 2011 at 14:54:51 from 71.195.219.247

Looks like you are in prime shape for a solid OQT.

Thanks for always passing along such good info!

From Adam RW on Wed, Nov 16, 2011 at 18:51:15 from 67.182.248.141

Jake, Now I'm not sure about this but it is pretty suspicious to me that JK "Jake Kellogg" and JK "Jake Krong"... Just saying... It is a good read. I haven't read it all yet and as .pdf comes out to 13 pages total.

From DaleG on Wed, Nov 16, 2011 at 19:04:40 from 70.6.139.220

Ha! I was thinking the same thing.

From jtshad on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 at 10:17:31 from 204.134.132.225

Good luck in Philly this weekend! Get that OTQ and run well!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
8.000.000.00

AM - 6 miles, JAJA. My legs feel downright springy.

PM - 2 miles with 4x200m @ MP. Some new additions to the elite fields for Sunday. A 2:12 guy and 60-flat guy. I think its safe to say I'm gonna be letting that lead pack do their own thing. I'm racing the clock!

Last night we went to the USATF banquet - Andrea and I were the guest speakers, which was a very nice honor. We sat at the kids table with Allie and James. It was awesome to feel such genuine support from so many other people... we know we have a lot of people pulling for us this weekend, and that is a really good feeling.

In the raffle I won a free entry into the Ogden Marathon! The chances that I would actually run a spring marathon in 2012 are about 0.001% (or less). But as Emily said, I can probably make a lot of money selling that bib :-) 

I wasn't kidding about the kids' table. They even gave us chalk. Here is some of the artwork... 

Allie drew this... 

And James counted with this...
 

Comments
From jun on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 at 10:23:33 from 205.158.160.209

haha, kids table. That's awesome. I'd feel right at home there.

From Rob on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 at 10:32:33 from 72.254.10.28

Good luck this weekend, don't think you really need it though.

How much for the Ogden Bib?

From Jake K on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 at 10:34:22 from 155.100.226.53

Haha I don't know if its transferable. I basically have a piece of scrap paper that says "free ogden entry" on it. They say its official though!

From Andrea on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 at 10:36:32 from 72.37.244.100

How come you didn't post your moose-dog? I was the only normal one at the table!

From Jake K on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 at 10:39:48 from 155.100.226.53

The picture of MooseDog came out blurry!

From Russ on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 at 10:42:43 from 74.114.3.253

Jake and Andrea, we're all pulling for you this weekend. I can't wait to see the results.

From Oreo on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 at 11:43:43 from 206.81.136.61

Good Luck.. Let it Roll and you'll Rock it.

From allie on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 at 13:02:26 from 24.10.191.18

moosedog was the best artwork on the table. our pictures were extremely disturbing, although i'm glad you got documentation -- my psychiatrist will be impressed.

i hope you guys have a great time in philly. you are definitely ready for this. you both looked energized and springy this morning. best of luck. i'm all signed up to receive text updates -- looking forward to my first one at about 5:33am. that will at least get me out of bed to track the rest of the race online. i expect that you will be updating your twitter account throughout. "just had a cheesesteak at mile 4. rolling now. literally."

From Rachelle on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 at 20:13:15 from 66.7.127.115

I wish I could have heard you guys speak. I bet it was great.

You know exactly what you are capable of so definitely run your own race. You might feel great towards the end and suprise yourself.

I can't believe I will be waking up at the butt crack of dawn on a Sunday to track you guys. ha ha! Do it for me. :)

From Bonnie on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 at 21:06:31 from 12.43.252.210

Good Luck Jake!!

From Jake K on Fri, Nov 18, 2011 at 11:17:03 from 155.100.226.53

Thanks everyone. I'll make sure not to go out too hard... I'd feel bad if the text updates went out at 5:32am. That's hardly enough sleep for a Sunday morning. 5:33 it will be!

From Bam on Fri, Nov 18, 2011 at 11:32:49 from 86.42.123.219

Good luck to both you and Andrea. Enjoy the day and the ice cream after the race.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
4.400.000.00

AM - 4.4 miles, horsepark loop w/ Andrea.

Last chance blogging frenzy! Pre-Marathon Odds and Ends -  Andrea's Final Miles Motivation (I especially love the one about "losing weight with every step to make it easier!" - Nothing new on race day.

And finally, I already wrote what is essentially "part one" of my race report, because it really stands on its own, regardless of how things go this weekend: The Journey (so far)

Leaving for Philly later this afternoon.

Comments
From MarkP on Fri, Nov 18, 2011 at 13:59:28 from 70.167.210.227

Enjoyed your write-ups and its been great fun following you guys on the blog. Kick a$$ this weekend!

From Hamdog Alum on Fri, Nov 18, 2011 at 17:51:55 from 68.185.190.140

Good luck Jake - go kick some $%!

From DaleG on Fri, Nov 18, 2011 at 20:30:10 from 173.126.218.49

You two are awesome. When I first stumbled upon your blogs, I was struggling with running, but you and Andrea have inspired me, and now I look forward to each and every run, even though I don't have much time lately.

I am extremely excited for the both of you. Good luck and enjoy every minute of the marathon.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
3.800.000.00

3.8 miles along the river and the start/finish areas of the course. Travel was relatively uneventful... direct flight to Philly, got in late and spent last night at a hotel by the airport, then took the train downtown this morning and checked into our nice hotel in Logan Circle. Surprisingly they had our room ready for us at 9:30am, which was pretty sweet (and convenient). After running we've just been taking it easy - got some lunch, went to the expo, and hung out w/ Andrea's parents for a while. Our hotel room has a kitchen so we didn't have to bother with the hassle of going out to dinner. 

Thanks for all the good wishes we've gotten this week - it really means a lot to us! 

Really looking forward to getting after it tomorrow morning.  

We decided to go Galen Rupp style at the airport and in the place yesterday... the mask definitely keeps people from sitting next to you!
 

Comments
From Russ on Sat, Nov 19, 2011 at 19:11:19 from 24.72.198.228

Glad you made good on your threat to wear the mask. That's good for at least 2 minutes faster tomorrow.

From Jon on Sat, Nov 19, 2011 at 19:33:39 from 98.71.177.166

Good luck to both of you.

From Oreo on Sat, Nov 19, 2011 at 19:34:15 from 174.27.141.95

I love it... Good Luck tomorrow.. U got it!

From jun on Sat, Nov 19, 2011 at 23:46:22 from 174.23.175.249

It's time. I can't wait to follow the race. Go get 'em.

Race: Philadelphia Marathon (26.2 Miles) 02:25:57, Place overall: 13
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
26.200.000.00

Philadelphia Marathon Race Report

As everyone knows, I was going for the Olympic Trials qualifying time of 2:19:00. I was very confident going into this, as my training had been pretty much perfect, I was 100% healthy, and feel like I pretty much nailed the taper just right. When I went to bed last night, I felt like there was absolutely nothing I could have or would have done differently.

We woke up at 5am, went outside for a quick 3 minute shakeout jog, then hung out in our hotel room until about 6:20am. The temperature was 51 degrees when we woke up, which was really nice because it was 27 degrees the day before. It was also windy, which we didn't think was a big deal at the time. We made our way down Ben Franklin Parkway with thousands and thousands of other runners. The atmosphere was exciting. Checked into the elite tent, used the private bathroom (best perk of elite seeding!), and at 6:50am they brought us out to the course. We did a few strides, and literally a minute before the race, the elite coordinator introduced the OTQ pacers. What? We had not been told about this before, but it was a welcome surprise. The men's pacer was a small little Kenyan guy. Then we were off and running...

The start down the parkway felt amazing. A true big city marathon atmosphere. If you've ever been to or seen this area in front of the art museum, you would agree that this is simply an iconic road to start a big race on. It was very cool.

Everyone went out fast, and there were half-marathoners mixed in there, so I made sure to hang back and stay conservative. Just before the one mile mark, things thinned out a bit, I found our pacer and a pack started to form. Hit the mile in 5:11, but with all the adrenaline and loud crowds, that was about as slow as I could possibly go.

Then we found our rhythm. The next miles were 5:20, 5:19, 5:19, 5:14, 5:18, 5:17. Perfect. The crowds on Chestnut Street were the best I have ever experienced during a race. I tried to conserve as much energy as possible and stay tucked in behind some taller guys. The wind was swirling, seemingly coming from every direction, and it was obvious this would play a factor in the race.

After 7 miles, you leave the downtown area and hit the hilly section of the course. Splits here were 5:23, 5:27, 5:28. Exactly what I wanted - conserve energy on the uphills. Our pack was probably still about 7-8 guys at this point (the lead marathon pack was never in sight).

The next 3 miles were mostly flat, with some gradual hills, but nothing too challenging. Hit 5:12, 5:17, 5:16 - then the half-marathon in 1:09:33. Right on the money!

Not many guys running with the OTQ group made it much past halfway. The 14th mile was 5:11, and it was already down to 3 - the pacer (who didn't talk much but was doing an awesome job), myself, and Karl Savage (a local favorite and former 4-minute miler). We just kept rolling and I was feeling good - 5:17, 5:16, 5:23 (up and over a bridge with the 2nd 180 degree turn). Just before we hit 17, the pacer told me he was done and couldn't go any further. He wished us luck. I said "Are you ready to do this Karl? Its just us now" I think he said he was ready, and within 20 seconds he dropped and I never saw him again (he ran 2:35).

Now it was on me to make this happen. It was go time, now or never. I controlled my own destiny. No crutches, no pacers, not really even any competitors around. I think I was in 6th or 7th place.

The next 4 miles were 5:18, 5:18, 5:22, 5:22 - the latter two having more uphill than I anticipated. The 30K split was 1:38:51 (sub 2:19 pace), and my 20 mile split was 1:46:05, just a few ticks off the 1:46:01 that I had written with a sharpie on my arm. This was exactly where I wanted to be... on pace at 20, and now I could do what I was trained to do - drop the hammer and catch everyone in front of me...

But before I had a chance to take a swing, the hammer hit me. And so did the wind hammer - the wind was now blowing directly from the east (straight up headwind) and while not an absolute killer, it was very noticeable while running solo and having no one to tuck in behind.

I tried to fight it. And my 22nd mile was 5:32. Slowest of the race, and it was a gradual downhill. I just couldn't accelerate on the downhills. My hamstrings and calves were knotting up. But all hope was not lost yet. I heard someone tell me I was in 6th place sometime during this mile.

Then the $h#t hit the fan. Or it hit the wall. The wall that I tried to convince myself didn't exist started to show itself in an ugly, nasty way. The 23rd mile was 5:58, but after running sub 5:20 pace for 21 miles, that felt like I wasn't even moving. Like I was running in sand. And it was about to get a lot worse...

At Utah Valley, when I hit the 23 mile mark I told myself "only 15 minutes to go!" and absolutely crushed the last couple miles, running some of my fastest splits of the race. The story of these last miles couldn't have been more different...

My form was completely broken by this point - I was hunched over and not running smooth at all. It was a struggle to move. And then I started getting dizzy. Maybe it was just a lack of mental focus - I don't know, but my head was spinning and I just felt awful. I hit an aid station and walked through it. This is when I was supposed to be clipping off 5:05 miles, and it was like I was running the Wasatch 100 miler! Walking?!?! Oh man. The 24th mile was 6:22. So now I'm at women's OTQ pace!

I'm at a point that I have never experienced before... fighting to stay upright. Mentally, checked out and I know I'm not going to get re-engaged in this race. Runners coming the opposite way (the second half is an out and back) were so supportive and encouraging. I just couldn't rise up and run fast like they were telling me to. I was stumbling around, weaving back and forth across the road. Its funny to think about this now... but it wasn't funny at the time. I considered just stopping and waiting for Andrea, thinking that maybe if I rested for 15 minutes, I could bring her in at 6:20 pace. But at the same time, I just wanted to get off the course in one piece, and I didn't want to risk upsetting her if she saw me in a bad state and ruin her OTQ chances, so I soldiered on... stopping to walk at every aid station and about every 2-3 minutes otherwise... I was Gallo-walking! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Mile 25 was 7:04. Cool, now I'm at race-walking OTQ pace. Guys are flying past me. I go from 6th or 7th place to 13th. During this mile I tried to high-five Andrea's dad and I completely missed (by about 4 feet). My depth perception was gone. I had officially hit the wall.

The last 1.2 miles took me 9 minutes and 31 seconds (7:55 pace). With a little over a quarter mile to go, I saw my sister and a ton of my friends from college who had come out to watch. I gave them all high-fives and just shrugged my shoulders. I think they were surprised to see me looking so terrible, because they had seen my 30K split and didn't expect the blowup any more than I did.

The finish was anti-climatic. Not the 2:17 and and OTQ and "Ryan Hall style" celebration and getting draped with the American flag like I had visualized on every early morning run and hard workout for the past 4 months. I just crossed like any other runner, having experienced the "other side" of the marathon that so many others have gone through. A rite of passage of sorts. 

I drank 3 cups of Gatorade, then threw it up. Went to the elite tent, changed my clothes, and went back to the finish to watch Andrea come in. I had my phone, so I told my sister to text me when she came by. I got the text when the clock was at 2:47-high, and Andrea came in just over 2:49. She looked strong as she crossed the line. I immediately wrapped her up in a big hug and told her how proud I was of her and how much I loved her. As I wrote about on our blog the other day, the journey is what really matters, not necessarily the outcome. She asked me how I did, and I saw the pain in her eyes when I said 2:25. She knew better than anyone how bad I wanted this and how hard I had worked. It was almost tough to admit to her that I had run so slowly.

After the race we met up with all our friends and family. They knew we didn't hit the times we wanted and were very supportive and cheered us back up. After a while I came back to life and started to feel better. We got some cheesesteaks and Dairy Queen, walked around for about 4-5 miles, and had a nice afternoon - it was good to have time with friends to take our minds off the race... and laugh about my 8 minute mile finish!

For such an incredible field of runners, the results across the board were not that great. The women's winner ran amazing, but none of the African men even broke 2:19, and none of the American guys qualified for the trials. I think the wind really kicked a lot of guy's butts over the last 10K.

I did everything I could, and it just wasn't my day. I wouldn't have changed anything about my training... I wouldn't have tapered differently... and I wouldn't have raced with a different strategy. I hydrated well during the race at the aid stations and I took my gels, so I was fueled perfectly. I have no regrets about anything. I don't even regret making this such a "public" goal. If you want to achieve great things in life, you have to push it to the edge, and sometimes that means you will fall short of expectations, especially when they are very high.

I'm burnt out on writing now... I think I'll have some more reflections on the race tomorrow, but I wanted to get this up tonight.

I'm not going for a last-chance last-chance qualifier in the half-marathon in Vegas in two weeks... it crossed my mind for a split second, but I think I need to take a break, then start from scratch again.

I feel blessed to even be in the situation where a 2:25 marathon is a complete disaster with an EPIC blowup over the last 4 miles! That says a lot about how far I have come this year. This has been the most amazing year of running of my life, and I believe my ceiling now is a lot higher than I ever thought possible.

When talking to my parents after the race, they reminded me of a very fitting quote from Bill Rodgers: The marathon can humble you

I'll bounce back, stronger and faster than ever, you can mark my words on that. And now I don't have to go for 2:19 all at once - I have years to get there, and before that - knock down my PRs at shorter distances.

Quick thoughts on the Philly course - crowd support is amazing for the first half of the race, then its pretty lonely until the very end. In terms of the difficulty of the course - we definitely underestimated it. Its not a Chicago/Berlin/London pancake flat course. The hills are a lot more significant than we gave them credit for and I guess if there was any aspect of the race that we were under-prepared for - that was it.  

[Day after thoughts... I think electrolyte depletion played a role in my demise... some thoughts on that here.] 

A lot of very good professional photos from the race. Some more below...

From 2011 Philadelphia Marathon

From 2011 Philadelphia Marathon
 

From 2011 Philadelphia Marathon
 

We're keeping this poster, and we're going to cross out 2012 and write in 2016!

 

Comments
From DaleG on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 11:25:15 from 184.223.135.169

You both gave it your best shot and I am still impressed by your efforts. Well done!!!

From MichelleL on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 11:55:35 from 218.219.224.25

I was watching, watching the great splits, and so sad to see it unravel at the end. O for 3 today unfortunately. You guys are still young and still have a long running career ahead of you. Your attitude is inspiring :D

From Bam on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 12:02:41 from 86.40.3.113

Well done, both of you. Fantastic effort. You've banked those miles and the experience. Get some ice cream down your necks and relax. Outstanding effort and I'm sure that both of you will be runners who will make the breakthrough to the next level. And I'm positive that both of you will make that breakthrough sooner rather than later. Once again, sterling effort. Be proud of yourselves; you're a credit to your families.

From Russ on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 12:15:15 from 24.72.198.228

Great job to both of you - I was watching the splits come in and was so excited. Glad to see you both gave it your all and have no regrets - you are both amazing runners.

From JulieC on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 12:57:58 from 67.41.189.197

WAY to stay on pace!! really Jake it helps me to know that even fitter people like yourself can feel what I felt at SGM---- although the goal was achievable for you (and will happen soon), it makes me think a bit more at the power of stars aligning on that day when it all comes together as planned, but the races that turn out slightly different, define us. How do we overcome? how do we turn it around and move forward? WE do and as runners we never give up our goals. Of course your time is wonderful to me. Your courage and your readiness to put down the hammer....I get that. And then the unexpected... the walking...fatigue...WELL DONE REALLY. Glad you have family to celebrate with : D.

From SlowJoe on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 14:18:38 from 75.109.104.60

Sorry you didn't get the time you wanted. With the improvement you've achieved just in the last year, I bet the time will be yours for the taking if you still want to run in the trials 4 years from now. Nice job, you've been fun to watch.

From Burt on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 14:47:12 from 72.223.93.131

Great attitude. Let us know when the full report is up.

From Ben VanBeekum on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 14:58:11 from 70.103.189.14

Jake

You are my inspiration man!!

Still a great time on a rough day!! Glad to see the positive attitude. Hats off to a great first year of Marathoning!!

From fiddy on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 15:00:01 from 97.126.211.192

I have three thoughts.

1. One bad day is not going to undo all that training. It's going to pay off eventually. Trust me, I've been there.

2. No one in the field broke 2:19 today!

3. Maybe too much of a taper?

From Rachelle on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 15:36:00 from 66.7.127.115

Great attitude about the race. You put it all out there and you will OTQ. Today was just not the day. Stay positive and know that you have so many people supporting you.

You are both an absolute inspiration to the running community.

From Oreo on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 15:52:30 from 174.27.141.95

Awesome race - great time. No worries man - you are still in the upper echelon of Running. All props.

From Jody on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 16:18:46 from 75.141.131.35

Great job! We don't always get to realize our goals the first time out, but YOU WILL. Great attitude and great things are ahead. I am just lucky enough to watch them unfold.

From Tara on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 16:37:19 from 75.169.159.43

Very inspiring Jake. I love that you are positive. Great things ahead for you, for sure.

From rockness18 on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 16:38:00 from 69.183.246.183

Great run- love how you left it all out there!

From Fritz on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 16:51:32 from 65.100.192.74

You went for it. That's all that matters. Enjoy your vacation.

From Hamdog Alum on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 18:22:55 from 68.185.190.140

Way to run tough Jake! I'm sorry you didn't accomplish your goal, but you have so much more to be thankful. The process you went through to get yourself to this level is also quite amazing!

From seeaprilrun on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 18:23:39 from 68.103.252.193

Great job today and outstanding attitude! I admire that you went for it, and you will get it. You will get it! No regrets, that's awesome. One magical day "going for it" is going to pay off bigtime. Have a wonderful time and I am looking forward to the details!

From sflores on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 18:24:55 from 98.204.193.19

Good race!!!! Sorry to hear you didn't finish hard as planned. I am glad you listened to your body and didn't over do it! I heard 2 people died at the race near the finish line!

Congrats on a great race!

From Jake K on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 18:38:38 from 74.92.85.81

Thanks for all the comments everyone. Full report is up now.

We need to go get some more food now!

All the support means a lot to me. I was running for all of you guys today, and feel like I let y'all down! :-(

But this is part of the process, and it will make the jump to the next level even sweeter.

From DaleG on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 18:55:27 from 184.223.135.169

You didn't let me down. I'm proud of both of you.

From Rachelle on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 20:13:00 from 66.7.127.115

All I can say right now is thank you! Thank you for inspiring so many, for being so humble, and for being such an amazing emample.

You didn't let anyone down. And your attitude towards it only proves your amazing character. You WILL OTQ, you will.

From Superfly on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 21:16:03 from 74.211.21.81

Good job man! Your journey has been motivation to us all. The marathon is pretty ruthless. In 10 marathons one might only get 1 or 2 great outings. I've had more than my share of bummers. Wind always kills too. Recharge yourself and don't jump back into hard training. That's an injury waiting to happen.

From Michael Finch on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 21:29:32 from 75.169.202.195

Hey! My name is Michael Finch, I run XC at pine view high school. I just want to say how much you inspire me. I've been reading your blog for a while and have learned a lot from what you write. You ran a great race for how you felt and i'm impressed with how you took it to only motivate you to do better with your running. You are an amazing runner!

From flatlander on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 21:35:30 from 76.31.26.153

Good job today and good report. Very informative that nobody (US or otherwise) hit a US-level OTQ today. Thanks for all the inspiration on the blog and for all the links to good running articles.

From Aaron Kennard on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 21:54:50 from 98.245.117.176

Jake, 3 things:

1 - Awesome perspective

2 - It's great how open you are with your goals and insights, that will continue to take you to amazing places I believe.

3 - STUPID WIND! I think I understand more than I want to how tough that last 10K into the headwinds was for you. And it really is pretty cool from another perspective how a 2:25 is a horrendous blowup for you, because for most of us mere mortals that would be an incredible accomplishment.

From Adam RW on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 22:12:49 from 67.182.248.141

You've done so much more than any of us could ever hope for and though I know that is no consolation thank you for sharing the whole thing with us.

From JulieC on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 22:17:05 from 67.41.189.197

I honestly say I feel your every emotion about the race turnout. I had tears in my eyes reading your take on the feelings of the last few miles. As you know I was very sad my last few miles. Nothing can prepare you for THE unexpected WALL. VERY HUMBLING!! I hope to join you on the STRONGER FASTER COME BACK : D

From Oreo on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 22:51:32 from 174.27.141.95

time for D mtDew..awesome again.

From jun on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 22:59:06 from 174.23.175.249

Yeah, you'll be there in 2016, there's no doubt about that. I'm in awe of your attitude so close to the finish of that race. You guys are amazing and it's not because of your running, it's because of your character. Thanks for the write-up, it was amazing.

From Claudio on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 23:02:20 from 12.30.250.2

It was a rough day, and you still had a very fast time - but as you say, it really is more about the journey than the finish and outcome. So congratulations on your great journey - so far, as it's certainly not over!

From runningafterbabies on Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 23:52:28 from 71.195.219.247

I admire your attitude, Jake. You always see the glass half full and find a way to spin things I a positive way. I think the hardest thing about marathoning is that everything can look so good on paper, but a lot of times it comes down to the external factors out of your control- wind, pacers dropping out etc. It gave me chills when I read about the last couple miles of your race. Not a lot of people in this world understand the feelings you felt and the strength and courage you showed. Otq 2016.... Here you come.

From MarkP on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 00:06:31 from 97.117.104.229

Wow! I mean WOW! That was thrilling! You guys are awesome. Great job pushing through. I can't wait for PART II!

From Bam on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 01:43:19 from 86.40.245.5

It's 6:30 a.m. over here and I've not long got back from my morning run and I'm sitting here reading this with tears streaming down my face.

There's something about you, Jake. You don't see it often in people, but when you do, it smacks you in the face - hard.

Your race report sums up your character. The honesty humbles me. Your love for Andrea is beautiful and special; for you to be thinking so lucidly about her when you were on your knees - wow, lad. That's real love.

Look after yourself and Andrea. Have a break and then get back at it. Everybody on this site knows that it will happen for you and Andrea. Just be patient. Best wishes.

From Jake K on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 06:51:06 from 74.92.85.81

For the third time, I just want to thank everyone again. Reading through all the comments again this morning makes me feel good, and takes away the sting of what happened yesterday morning.

Just a few thoughts (not that I was thinking about this race at all last night or anything! :-)

James - I don't think I over-tapered. I followed the exact same plan at Utah Valley, but actually ran more miles over the last 3 weeks this time around. I felt as fresh and bouncy in the couple days before the race as I ever do.

Clyde - I will definitely not be rushing back into things too soon. My ability to recover is incredible (I don't even feel bad right now.... probably b/c I jogged the last 5K!)... but if I want to make the next jump, I need to re-start from (a new) baseline. I don't plan on running faster than 8:00 pace for about 2 months. I don't think there is anyway I will run a spring marathon, so there's no rush to ramp things up too quickly.

Bam - one of my friends who reads my blog (but isn't a member) referred to you as "Irish Emeril Lagasse". Haha I loved that!

We couldn't sleep past 6am this morning, so we woke up and turned on the news and saw some good video of us running. We looked great in the first mile! :-)

I added a few pics of the race action that I got from Andrea's parents.

It would be great to get together for some EASY runs w/ more folks from the blog over the next couple weeks when we get back to Utah next weekend. Some of the group runs that started to happen this fall have been one of the best parts of this whole thing, and we want to keep that going.

PS. I still haven't had any diet dew, but my college friends think the lack of mountain dew over the past 2 months was my downfall!

From allie on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 07:20:47 from 24.10.191.18

great report, jake. thank you for sharing your journey in such detail, even when it became painful. i love your positive attitude and your honesty about how you felt before, during and after the race. i'm sorry about THE WALL -- i'm not sure anything hurts more, but it happens to every single marathoner at some point. like you said: "a rite of passage." it's just great to read that you are okay and are moving forward with the same attitude and determination as before. that says a lot about you, and that passion is certainly going to take you far in this sport. there is no doubt that you have "it" -- and those thousands and thousands of miles are going to pay huge dividends for you. this was just one day.

enjoy the recovery time and the 8:00/mile phase. i suggest we throw in more gallo-walking on thursdays (just so we can be prepared for anything) ;)

From Paul on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 09:01:28 from 24.10.141.104

Sorry it was not the race you wanted, but great job and great attitude. As an objective observer, I think you did everything right (or at least nothing wrong). Your training build-up was perfect, no injuries, no setbacks, great volume, great workouts, great mix of races. The taper was appropriate. Race-day you didn't do anything dumb, went out pretty conservative (most people do the opposite). Your goals were realistic, based on your recent half marathon. But it just wasn't your day. Marathons are weird like that. The wind surely factored in for the last 10K, when most people are hanging by a thread anyway. With marathons, there has to be a bit of luck involved, to go along with the training and natural talent. Both times I qualified, I had lucky days with perfect conditions and tailwind, and that fact is not lost on me. But when you race enough marathon, you get those "gem" days. You also get some stinkers.

Anyway, keep up the good attitude, take some time off, and get some ski days.

Interesting that the winner at Philly was the same guy who won Utah Valley...

From Paul on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 09:06:06 from 24.10.141.104

Oops, I misread the initial results...Cheruiyot was third...but he did just win Indianapolis two weeks ago, so he was probably a little tired.

From Holt on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 09:43:30 from 204.113.55.41

Jake...

What a gallant effort. So sorry that that it didn't work out. But I love your effort, your training, and most importantly your attitude. Mike, from my team, introduced himself up in the comments a little, and I would have to say that he really does think your "all that"! Everyday he is like, "Coach, did you see JakeK's workout today?!" But you know what is really interesting... you don't just inspire guys like him, you inspire an old guy like me too.

From jtshad on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 09:49:27 from 204.134.132.225

A great report of a strong but challenging race. Your training and mental approach to this race was very impressive. As Clyde indicated, having that perfect day at a marathon is hard to find. You will rebound to future success.

Enjoy the vacation in NYC.

From Rob on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 09:56:10 from 204.15.86.95

Thank you! For being human.

From Susannah on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 10:10:20 from 155.97.6.155

Great job and great race report! You are definitely right that you had done everything you needed to and were well prepared. Its good to see that you still kept a positive attitude despite a rough finish. Good luck to you in your recovery and in future training!

From rockness18 on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 13:10:23 from 69.183.237.0

Jake, I'll post comment #42 :). Don't worry about the start. I didn't want to throw your focus, so purposely kept it brief. You've been a real inspiration in your training- looking forward seeing what you accomplish in 2012!

From Seth on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 21:16:38 from 67.177.36.131

Great effort! You still have lots of chances to reach your goals and I'm confident you will. Keep running smart and enjoy the ride!

From RAD on Tue, Nov 22, 2011 at 00:16:13 from 98.202.23.178

Good call on the Dairy Queen! :) All amazing, fantastic athlete eat there after a race!

I'm glad you have the perspective to see how absolutely crazy it is to have a 2:25 be a disaster. My heart was breaking for you as I read that last 10K - I think the marathon monster has chewed many of us up at that point.

What a great journey you have had this training season, and I love that you can see how much more you can gain over the next ones as well.

I'm just SO absolutely impressed with both you and Andrea! What superb athletes you are, and an inspiration to us all to keep that positive attitude and tenacity! Even if I just long to finish over an hour slower than that :)

From Jon on Tue, Nov 22, 2011 at 09:25:23 from 74.177.97.245

Jake- I'm still impressed. We definitely more from the races when things don't go as planned than the perfect races, and it sounds like you're doing just that from this experience. We were rooting for you and are bummed the OTQ didn't work out, but like you said, you've got a lot of time to keep improving and try again. Best of luck!

By the way, walking in 100's is one of the perks!!!

From JG on Tue, Nov 22, 2011 at 13:14:44 from 71.57.246.108

Awesome job Jake, you are an amazing inspiration to so many people! The last 10k is always an unknown when you are putting forth a max effort, to be on pace at 20 is a tribute to your training. As Fiddy pointed out, nobody in the field hit the mark you were shooting for! You were perfectly prepared & I dont know of any traing plan that would have anyone in the field prepped to conquer a headwind in the last 10k at that speed unless they were a 2:10 marathoner! Hold your head high, your day will come!

On another note, you may want to experiment with Endurolyte capsules by Hammer. Everyone is religous about racing with gels, but not electrolytes ... And cramping is a clear indication they were in deficit. If gels are like fuel in your gas tank, electrolytes are like oil to your motor ... If you run out, it is too late, aka game over.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving, we all know you will be back with a vengeance & strike when the iron is hot!

From Scott Wesemann on Tue, Nov 22, 2011 at 14:12:08 from 205.158.160.209

Wow, what an experience! I saw your time and knew you had been hoping for a sub-2:20. I have no doubt you will bounce back and reach your goals. I enjoyed the report.

From Jake K on Tue, Nov 22, 2011 at 15:59:24 from 75.193.147.199

JG - The electrolyte thing is actually something we thought about, but too late... and I didn't want to try something new that I hadn't experimented with in training. I really think it was my downfall, not the wind, not fatigue. My whole body just cramped up... not just my legs. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before.

From crockett on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 at 15:29:44 from 71.36.83.141

Very inspirational writeup. To me, an amazing performance and challenge. Wow. Yep, electrolytes could be it. I now take an S-cap right before a race of any distance.

From Lily on Fri, Nov 25, 2011 at 00:00:46 from 67.199.178.210

I remember once Walter Brown talked to me about trying to stay electrolyte balanced so we don't finish a race with our backs forcing backwards. We should finish upright... it all comes with time and more experience in the marathon distance. To most of us, you still did very very well. I know you trained for this, there are so many factors and the stars kind of have to align. No worries, you will come back stronger and all the more determined. I know you will.

From Kelli on Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 23:32:08 from 71.219.83.156

Well, at least you went and got some ice cream. But, seriously, I need to show you two how to really eat ice cream! Those cones are so small.

Sorry about how the race turned out for you, not really sure what else anyone can say. Nothing, I guess. You were ready, that is one thing I know. It is interesting how this race turned out for so many of the elites, there was something in the air for sure. Some bad JUJU.

Enjoy some rest, you are seriously the craziest runner out there. I can not believe the miles you run. Where do you find the time? Oh, wait, you run twice as fast as the rest of us. ;o)

From Nate on Wed, Dec 07, 2011 at 13:34:11 from 67.20.208.205

Jake-

Sorry this is so late, what an inspirational/positive write up for such a rough day.

Setting such high goals always have a large change of failure/I've experienced it both in running and my academic career. But I'm right with you, I'm not a public person but making goals public adds a layer of accountability that is a real benefit to keeping you honest with yourself.

I see big things in your future races and thanks for the support you toss my way

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
2.400.000.00

AM - 2.4 miles. Andrea and I ran from our hotel down the Ben Franklin Parkway to the art museum, up the "Rocky" steps, then back along the river trail. 

Physically, I feel fine this morning... like I did a really hard workout yesterday, but I don't have that "day after" feeling like I did after Utah Valley, where slow jogging was a true struggle. My stride felt normal, my muscles don't ache. When I woke up this morning my heart rate was in the normal range (just below 40).

I don't know for sure, but I think the physical problem yesterday was electrolyte depletion. When things went south for me, everything was cramping up. My legs, my shoulder, my back, my arms. And it was completely bilateral. Additionally - I got dizzy and delirious. Most of the time after races, I don't even want anything to drink. Yesterday my instinct at the finish line was to stumble right to the Gatorade tent and drink as much as I could (so much that I threw up and then had to start over). I had a girl at the tent fill me up a 24 oz bottle, and as I slowly drank that over the next 30 minutes, I came back to life. As the day went on, I felt better and better... and this morning, I feel downright normal.

I truly believe that I was physically in shape to run under 2:19. I mean, its not like I have regressed over the past 5 months! I'm clearly in the best shape of my life. And mentally I was razor sharp going into this. Maybe the electrolyte imbalance was a contributing factor to the blow up. All the evidence I have suggests that might be the case. It was a little warmer yesterday than I expected, and I was wiping some sweat off my head in the early miles. Combine that with the fact that I'm at my lowest weight of the year (or like, since high school) and don't have much reserves... I might have just gone over the edge a little bit and lost a little too much electrolytes. And once that happens, there is no turning back.

But I also feel like I need to add that I'm not totally blaming my performance on that, even if it was precisely what happened. I will admit that when it hit me that I wasn't going to run 2:18, I threw in the towel mentally. I had no interest in running a PR in the 2:19-2:21 range yesterday. That really didn't mean anything to me or matter to me at all. It was kind of an all-or-nothing mentality that I had. That is a tough way to approach a race (no "B" goal). But I don't regret it, and if I had to do it over again, I'd do it the exact same way.

Now we're off to New York City for a couple days.

This picture was on the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer today. I'm on the far right:

From 2011 Philadelphia Marathon

Comments
From Fritz on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 11:44:00 from 74.82.64.160

How many gus did you use during the race? Until I got in the habit of cholking down 3 or 4 I hit the wall in every rae.

From ACorn on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 13:17:36 from 71.37.100.246

Jake,

Glad that no physical damage was done yesterday. You and Andrea are both class acts, I am beyond impressed with your attitude and outlook on life. Truly refreshing and motivating to see such determination and optimism.

Congrats on a great year!

From Rachelle on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 14:05:33 from 159.212.71.69

I think you are probably right about the electrolyte imbalance. I have had this problem at 2/3 marathons and am still working to figure it out for me. Every marathon is an experiment and I know without a doubt that you will take what you learned and use it moving forward.

Very glad to hear that physically you are feeling ok.

From Hamdog Alum on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 15:00:26 from 66.188.108.30

Jake - Just read the full report. Nice write up! As you know I experienced a very strong head wind my last 6 while running alone as well. It was a huge factor! I have no doubt I would have broke 2:40 if wasn't for the wind. The wind just compounded the cramping due to electrolyte imbalances. It's amazing how much the mind and body starts to shut down when those electrolytes get too low. I have no doubt you where fit to OTQ. The marathon just takes some luck and maybe more experience, but that's what makes it so interesting and why the distance is so respected. Thanks for being so inspiring to my own running. I probably would have never believed I could run over a 100 miles a week in a week out if it wasn't for you!! Enjoy your rest and skiing!!

From DaleG on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 15:07:01 from 71.199.57.238

Ahhh, go ahead and just blame it on the electrolyte imbalance. I'm sure that's the only reason. As you said, you did everything right leading up to the race. Glad you're feeling well and relaxing.

From Jake K on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 17:33:41 from 75.198.167.43

Fritz - I went with 3 GUs. At UVM, I only took 2 (13 & 20). This time I took my first one around 9.5, then again at 15, then I think around 20. I definitely wasn't under-fueled.

I really think the electrolyte thing is what killed me. I've been thinking all day that I want to run the Manchester road race on Thursday! I feel good! But I'm holding off - I promised Andrea I'm not racing for at least 3 months! Time to re-charge and build it back up the right way.

From runningafterbabies on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 22:54:21 from 71.195.219.247

I know you had it in you to run well under a 2:19. You know yourself and your body better than anyone else, trust in that. I think there is definitely something to your suspiscion of an electrolyte imbalance. Especially when I remember you saying you were kind of woozy there at the end.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
4.600.000.00

AM - 4.6 easy miles around Prospect Park in Brooklyn w/ Andrea. Kind of a dreary, rainy day - same as the weather when we were here last fall.

I've been going through emotional ups and downs over the past day. At times I just feel like I absolutely blew it on Sunday... it makes me sad. Physically - I am feeling pretty good right now, like I didn't go to the well at all, and that kind of makes it worse! I want nothing more than to redeem myself - I know I am in such incredible shape right now and I just want to prove it. The fact that we will be 30 minutes away from the best Thanksgiving road race in the country (Manchester) this Thursday is sooooo tempting. But discretion is the better part of valor, right? I'll get my chance to redeem myself. I'm going to enjoy the time with my family and some easy jogging with Andrea and my parents this week. And occasionally look at 2012 race calendars, because thinking about that makes me feel better :-) 

This sort of feels like my senior year in high school. In XC I was one of the favorites going into our sectional meet (in New York, sectionals are how you qualify for states). I fell apart in that race. Everyone thought top 5 was a lock, and I finished 26th. No state meet for me. That weekend I wrote on the wall of my bedroom "4:20, 9:20, Section II Champion." Those became my goals for the outdoor track season. We didn't have an indoor program at my school, so I had to watch my competitors run fast times all winter long, while I waited for a shot at redemption. That spring I ran 4:17 and 9:16, winning both the 1600 and 3200 at the sectionals, against all the guys who crushed me in XC.

Comments
From Rachelle on Tue, Nov 22, 2011 at 16:38:31 from 199.190.170.29

All of the emotions you are going through are totally normal. You will accomplish your goals in 2012 but there is no reason to push and risk injury right now.

Enjoy time with your family. I've never been to NYC so I'm jealous. :)

From Rob Murphy on Tue, Nov 22, 2011 at 18:24:54 from 76.27.122.13

I have to admit that I have never heard (until now) of a 4:17/9:16 gut who didn't go to state in cross country.

Those are all normal thoughts going through your head. You'll be fine.

From DaleG on Tue, Nov 22, 2011 at 19:17:38 from 152.216.11.5

Thanks for sharing the emotions, it means a lot to hear other people have the same thoughts. Also, I love your determination!!!

From Jake K on Tue, Nov 22, 2011 at 22:28:16 from 75.198.204.28

Rachelle - 48 hours is about my limit in NYC. Been here just over a day now and I already can't wait to get out of here! But I am definitely not a city guy. There is actually a lot of cool stuff to see and do if you have never been here. I guess NYC Marathon and then a few days in the city needs to go on your list of things to do :-)

Rob - I think the primary reason I ran 4:17/9:16 is because I didn't go to state in XC. That really lit a fire under me, and I was very driven to prove myself after that experience.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
8.000.000.00

AM - 4 miles around Prospect Park w/ Andrea

PM - 4 miles from my Aunt's house in Connecticut.

After 4 days in Philly and NYC, I'm officially SICK of big cities... so its nice to be out in the Connecticut countryside now. Andrea and I made a plethora of pizzas for my whole extended family... everyone loved it!

Comments
From Rob Murphy on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 at 20:13:56 from 76.27.122.13

Kudos for using the word "plethora".

Happy Thanksgiving!

From DaleG on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 at 21:22:51 from 152.216.11.5

Happy Thanksgiving!

I, too, hate big cities...In fact, Salt Lake seems too big to me now. You should move up to the Ogden area like my family and I did. So laid back.

Pizza sounds good!

From Bam on Thu, Nov 24, 2011 at 11:50:40 from 86.42.123.142

You're at it again, Jake: talking food and not sharing recipes... Tut, tut, tut. Enjoy Thanksgiving. Do you have cranberry sauce with your bird?

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
8.000.000.00

Happy Turkey Day!

Ran 8 miles this morning... 5 w/ Andrea, then added on a few more. Nice run through the rolling hills surrounding my aunt's house. I'm thankful for a lot of things today... but from a running perspective, I'm thankful that I had the best year of running of my life (along with the most fun year of running ever!), and that my health is 100% going into 2012. I think I've already picked out my big target races for next year... that didn't take long :-)

My buddy Patrick McDermott posted some nice photos from the race on his blog. He is an absolutely stellar photographer - you probably see a lot of his work... a lot of the "cover" photos from the NYC Marathon (Mutai crossing the finish line) were his. If you are interested, check out his website: Patrick McDermott Photography.

Some of Pat's photos...


The pack


Intensity


Focus

And some I stole from the race website...


This was probably in the 12th mile

 

Comments
From Bam on Thu, Nov 24, 2011 at 11:57:12 from 86.42.123.142

The pictures are top drawer. The 12th mile photo and the last photo show a lot of pain on all the runners' faces.

You look relaxed and deep in concentration in the 12th mile shot. Is the last photo near the point where the pacemaker dropped out? You look like you're saying, 'come on lads, the hill isn't that steep.'

Happy Thanksgiving, again.

From Jake K on Thu, Nov 24, 2011 at 12:30:34 from 96.32.4.123

Bam - that last photo is precisely around the spot where the pacemaker dropped, and I told the guys it was time to take it on our own. I dropped both of those guys in the next 200 meters! The pack was gone at that point.

Pat said he had a hard time getting god photos of me early in the race because I was always tucked in behind someone bigger than me. Trying to run smart and conserve energy.

Happy Thanksgiving! Although I don't imagine you have the day of over across the Atlantic.

From Rachelle on Fri, Nov 25, 2011 at 17:15:18 from 66.7.127.115

Thanks for sharing the photos they are great.

From Fritz on Fri, Nov 25, 2011 at 18:40:02 from 65.116.116.6

Great pics!

From Hamdog Alum on Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 20:38:48 from 24.240.65.116

Wow, those are some sweet photos!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
9.000.000.00

AM - 5 miles w/ Andrea, then went for an hour walk with my parents. My dad managed to find the biggest hill in Connecticut, in true Krong style. Beautiful day out.

PM - 4 miles. Needed to blow off some steam. Beautiful sunset while I was out there. 

This pretty much sums up Thanksgiving w/ my family...

It should also be noted for the record that I have drank 2 cans of Diet Dew so far this week. I think Andrea has had about triple that amount. So I am either winning or losing... not sure which one... today I might just get a 12 pack and go for broke. 

Comments
From DaleG on Fri, Nov 25, 2011 at 14:33:39 from 184.192.120.23

Go for broke and do the Dew. You deserve it.

You should wear those hats on the flight home.

From Rachelle on Fri, Nov 25, 2011 at 17:13:51 from 66.7.127.115

Love the picture. It looks like you 2 are having fun and you most definitely deserve it.

From Holt on Fri, Nov 25, 2011 at 22:32:53 from 50.8.79.137

Jake, I love your attitude on life, running and all things! Focus on what is important and go for it - and on everything else have a great time and enjoy.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
10.000.000.00

AM - 10 miles. Ran 5 solo, then another lap w/ Andrea. Same run we've been doing pretty much every day since we got here. Nice and warm (comfortable shorts weather!) this morning. Now we start the journey back to SLC. Gonna be a long day of traveling.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
8.200.000.00

AM - 4.4 miles, horsepark loop w/ Andrea. Had a nice trip back east, but I have to say that I am really, really happy to be back in Utah. 

PM - 3.8 miles 

These are all of the cousins on my dad's side of the family, with my grandmother (who is almost 90 years old and still going strong). I obviously didn't get the height genes! I sort of felt like the "outcast" all week while with the family to a certain extent... other than my parents, no one else really "gets" me. My sister and my cousins think that Andrea and I are the most boring people in the world, primarily because we're the only ones who don't drink (somehow that is the primary indicator of how exciting your life is in the eyes of younger people). If only they really knew... 

Comments
From Andrea on Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 14:15:21 from 67.177.21.60

Apparently the 60 days of skiing, 16 races and training for the trials, biking, hiking, rafting, trips to Moab, Sierra Mtns, Phoenix, Long Beach, TN, etc. just can't compare to the endless stories of getting drunk, passing out, and waking up not knowing where you are or what happened.

From Bill Mandler on Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 14:22:18 from 184.155.130.117

Having paid attention to yours and Andrea's activities this past year, I could NEVER describe the 2 of you as boring.

I think you live a very exciting life. So I guess this means I "get" you. But I guess I have to disqualify myself because I am a runner :)

From steve ash on Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 14:27:57 from 24.10.169.210

For sure Jake, knowing from personal and hard experience alcohol is just a dead end street..

By the way I would hardly call you two boring.

From Jake K on Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 14:38:13 from 67.177.21.60

Steve, Bill - you guys "get it" of course, because we are all runners. My parents are the same way - they have run marathons and are both good athletes... they completely understand the life that Andrea and I have. Its the younger kids that frustrate me... its not like anyone in my family is an alcoholic... and I have no problem w/ social drinking (especially over the holidays when you are with family! honestly the primary reason I don't partake is because I absolutely can't stand the taste of beer and wine)... but these kids just think its SOOOO COOL and drinking / staying up all night is all they want to talk about. Most of it is act and "trying" to seem cool in my opinion. But still, I continually invite them to come out here and stay with me - to ski, hike, and see things they would never be exposed to otherwise, but they all think Utah is boring! Their loss I guess!

From Rachelle on Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 15:16:30 from 66.7.127.115

It makes me really happy to hear that you two like Utah. So many people mock the state but they really have no idea because they've never been here to experience the amazing outdoors.

You two are anything but boring!!

From Rob Murphy on Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 19:59:37 from 76.27.122.13

People mock Utah? Whatever for?

From Jake K on Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 20:13:08 from 67.177.21.60

Rachelle - if I have it my way, I'll never leave ;-)

Rob - I guess they like skiing on ice instead of powder?

From DaleG on Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 21:45:54 from 71.199.57.238

Jake, if they think you two are boring, I'd hate to know what they think of me and my wife. You guys do ten times more than we do.

Glad to have you back to your home, Utah! I'm also glad that you like it here. Utah rocks!!!!

From Lily on Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 22:31:19 from 67.199.178.210

Love Utah. Whenever I go on a trip and come back, my heart swells when the Wasatch Mountains come into view. And it's not boring here. This place is fulla adventure!

As for the drinking thing. Drinking is overrated.

From MichelleL on Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 22:40:37 from 42.98.202.26

Ditto on all! I miss the skiing! You guys are so adventurous. It is sad to have family members not get you, though, I understand that. Most of my family doesn't know the difference between a 5k and marathon. They think I can hurdle and I wear spikes.

From Fritz on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 00:26:29 from 67.182.226.25

I thought I was the only one who can't stand the taste of beer and wine. The longer other people think Utah is boring the better.

From Jake K on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 11:07:01 from 155.100.226.53

Yeah I just keep telling the people that the skiing is better in Colorado and there is nothing to do here ;-)

From crockett on Sun, Dec 04, 2011 at 18:03:34 from 71.32.235.128

I even see this "coolness" and "toughness" attitude toward drinking in running circles. Before and after ultras there is plenty of time to socialize with others. While I don't feel like an outcast among them, I scratch my head when I hear the conversations and attitudes about how cool drinking is, this from amazing athletes who are so tough on the trails. Oh well. So I don't get them, but still enjoy being around them.

I miss skiing. I used to do it a ton, but after it messed up a knee in 2003, I just have lost my nerve to ski like I used to for fear that it will take away my running.

From Lulu Walls on Sun, Dec 04, 2011 at 18:20:46 from 166.70.240.95

I heart beer. Maybe that is why I am so slow :)

From crockett on Sun, Dec 04, 2011 at 18:42:48 from 71.32.235.128

I really love diet-caffine-free Mt. Dew. But if I sat around talking about how smooth it is, how tough I am because I can drink a bunch, how I love one after a hot run, people would think I'm more of an idiot than they already think I am. It is a strange cultural thing.

From Jake K on Mon, Dec 05, 2011 at 18:58:58 from 155.100.226.53

Crockett you just made me want to go to the store and buy 10 liters of diet dew! :-)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
12.000.000.00

AM - 9 miles, Sunnyside/Wasatch. I'm just running easy and doing whatever I feel like for the next month (or longer). No structure... probably just a lot of run commuting to and from work. Time for a break. Physically I feel really good, probably because I only raced 21 miles of the marathon :-)

Its only 8:15 and I've already had to tell the Philadelphia blowup story 3 times to people at work. I'm glad I had a really nice run this morning, or else I'd probably lose my mind today! 

PM - 3 miles, Sugarhouse Park. 

Comments
From Lily on Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 11:27:35 from 67.199.178.210

I hate the marathon relived the whole week or 2 after.... or half marathon. Whatever. It's all the same and it kind of sucks. I think you need an ice cream break today :)

From Jake K on Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 11:28:58 from 155.100.226.53

Oh dont worry Lily... I plan on take at least 2 ice cream breaks per day this next month! :-)

From Jake K on Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 11:35:53 from 155.100.226.53

And I should add that the fact that everyone is interested, and wants to hear all about it, is actually really cool. I'll talk about running all day if people actually want to talk about running! :-)

From DaleG on Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 12:33:05 from 184.192.120.23

I know how you feel. I quit telling people at work when I do races. The main reason is because they always tell me I'm crazy for running. But, I will also talk about running all day if anyone is interested.

From DaleG on Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 22:33:53 from 184.192.120.23

I hope the rest of your day was better.

From Bonnie on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 22:18:39 from 64.119.33.134

ha ha ha ... that is so funny about telling the Philly story 3 time to people at work. The same people btw, or different ones?

Enjoy the "enjoy running again" break!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.600.000.00

AM - 7.3 miles, up to work.

PM - 7.3 miles, back home. 

Comments
From DaleG on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 22:28:25 from 152.216.7.5

Nice runs to and from work

From Jake K on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 22:30:18 from 67.177.21.60

Get used to this one Dale... its going to be my standard for quite a while now!

From DaleG on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 22:32:34 from 152.216.7.5

Sounds good.

From DaleG on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 22:33:42 from 152.216.7.5

I would like to run to and from work, but the thought of running to work in rush hour traffic doesn't sound appealing, and running home at 2:00 in the morning sounds even worse.

From Jake K on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 22:34:38 from 67.177.21.60

Yeah I hear ya on that! Luckily we live just the right distance away from Huntsman to make it possible for me.

From Rob on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 06:32:29 from 186.215.147.164

That is a nice distance. My work moved last year so its a 19 mile run for me. I've only managed it once.

From Jake K on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 11:07:42 from 155.100.226.53

Haha Rob that would be a tough day to run to and from work! Good training for a 100 miler though :-)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.600.000.00

AM - 7.3 miles, up to work.

PM - 7.3 miles home, but much more exciting than yesterday. As I turned from Sunnyside on to 1900E a group of 4 high school kids (with tape recorders) wanted to ask me some questions for a school project. I told them OK but they had to keep running with me. They asked me if I could define hyperbole, simile, and metaphor. I think I passed their test. Then one of them asked me which school I went to. Before I had a chance to respond, he said "Or did you already graduate from high school?" I just laughed and said yes... almost 10 years ago! At that point they all seemed pretty tired, so we said our goodbyes, and I thanked them for their inadvertent compliment.

I enjoyed reading Ross Tucker's wrapup of the barefoot running roundtable discussion at UKSEM. This presentation he made is also worth checking out. I really like how he is able to present a balanced view on this topic, and also presents the science in a way that mortals can understand. 

Comments
From Rob on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 11:18:25 from 187.50.185.99

How long did you say this is going to go on? You just went from the most exciting blogger to the most boring :)

Just kidding, good job on that 7.3.

From Jake K on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 11:19:34 from 155.100.226.53

I HAVE to be boring for a little while if I want to be more exciting than ever in 2012!

From Rob on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 11:27:50 from 187.50.185.99

I can't wait.

From allie on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 12:07:17 from 161.38.218.168

i love copy and paste season. 8,8,8,8,8,8...

From Jake K on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 12:09:37 from 155.100.226.53

Trying to work on strengthening my weaknesses... in this case, the fingers that do "CTRL-C + CTRL-V"

From Bam on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 12:50:42 from 86.40.149.4

Ah, but Jake, you're itching to throw in a cheeky little session. Let me see now... yes, I've got it. To stop you getting bored and dizzy, see if you can come up with a killer speed session - it has to involve a javelin and ice cream (caramel, ice cream).

From Jake K on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 13:03:11 from 155.100.226.53

I've been itching to let 'em rip for about a week now. If we had a decent amount of snow up in the hills right now, I could easily shift my energy towards skiing for a bit... but instead I've just been looking at the race calendars for next year and getting all antsy!

Maybe I need to find an indoor meet where I can throw the javelin. Of course that will probably get me tossed in jail after I kill someone.

From ACorn on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 14:40:51 from 68.66.168.22

Maybe we can get Nerf to make you a javelin so you can practice in your condo over the winter. I'd buy one too.

Nice mileage Jake.

From jun on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 15:12:54 from 205.158.160.209

I'm tired of reading about barefoot running vs shoe running. I don't think it's the right argument. It should be heel strike vs midfoot strike. Shoes are only meant to enhance one or the other. Reading about barefoot running just seems silly to me. nice miles.

From Jake K on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 15:16:32 from 155.100.226.53

I completely agree with you. But that is too logical of a topic to sell newspapers and magazines and books. Everything has to be on the extremes! :-)

From jun on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 15:18:06 from 205.158.160.209

So true.

Do you think I could get published if I did research on the running efficiencies associated with compression shorts on hot chicks and banana hammocks on men?

From Jake K on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 15:23:52 from 155.100.226.53

I'm sure you can get your entire sample population for this study from this blog w/ no problem at all! And if your conclusion is a faster 5K w/ less training, Runners World will surely publish it!

From Rob Murphy on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 15:52:23 from 205.127.70.66

I just picked up this book called "Born to Run". Has anyone heard of it?

The author is a big advocate of barefoot running - or else running in these shoes called "five fingers". I predict that this book will cause many people to take up barefoot running.

Mark my words! You heard it here first.

From jun on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 15:53:57 from 205.158.160.209

Rob, hahahahaha. There is actually sarcasm leaking out of my computer.

From Bam on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 16:11:31 from 86.40.9.116

Many dawns ago, when I was in my early twenties and living and training in Kenya, I had a houseboy (aged 40-50) called Gazungo and he went everywhere barefooted. He'd leave my trainers outside my door for me to slip into for my morning runs. One morning, I went to put on my trainers and a scorpion fell out. After that I gave the barefoot thing a go - the faults, foibles, and follies of youth. Mashed my feet up and got a brutal infection. Barefoot's okay if you're brought up not wearing shoes and you're not running 100+ mpw and you need your few shillings to feed your family rather than protect your feet, otherwise, if you opt for the barefoot option, you're probably the sort of fruitcake that believes in leprechauns.

From allie on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 16:15:06 from 24.10.191.18

"five fingers" -- i was wondering what those were called. i think they were doing a giant wear test at ragnar this year. or was it last year? i'll check my bumper sticker.

From Rob Murphy on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 16:24:58 from 205.127.70.66

Yes Allie, I predict that the Five Fingers will be huge with people who run RAGNAR. Not as huge as putting RAGNAR decals on their cars though.

From Jake K on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 16:29:43 from 155.100.226.53

I really think we are missing the forest for the trees here. What I want to know is how well do these barefoot shoes perform during zombie dashes and obstacle course mud runs?

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.000.000.00

AM - 9.7 miles. Woke up and the power was out. No big deal - in our place items such as headlamps and ice axes are always close by. We met up with James and Allie for the regularly scheduled JAJA run. This morning's edition featured a little bit of wind! After 6.5 miles I cut off from the group and headed up to work. The wind on Sunnyside and up the hill towards HCI was crazy... I was almost standing still at times. The worst part was the dirt blowing in my eyes and mouth. Not what I wanted for breakfast. In hindsight, we should have shuttled a car up Emigration Canyon and tried to break the 10-mile world record coming back down. I think we all could have crushed it!

PM - 4.3 miles down to Sugarhouse where Andrea picked me up. 

November was my best month of the year for perfect pushups (3025, barely beating June)... now I'm incorporating the Perfect Pullup back into the routine since my groin pull is finally healed. They are a lot harder.

 

Comments
From Lulu Walls on Thu, Dec 01, 2011 at 11:49:48 from 155.100.212.208

I can't believe you ran in that stuff. Well actually I can... I had difficulty making it a block to the bus stop!

From Jake K on Thu, Dec 01, 2011 at 11:56:05 from 155.100.226.53

I was almost embarrassed as all the cars were going by me up the hill and it looked like I was jogging in place! Felt like the last 5K of the marathon all over again :-) Ahhh, memories!

From JG on Thu, Dec 01, 2011 at 12:37:37 from 71.57.246.108

Nice job, now you can take it easy in December! With the extra day you only need to do 98/day to PR again. :)

From Rachelle on Thu, Dec 01, 2011 at 12:38:38 from 159.212.71.17

Gotta love running uphill in the wind. I'm pretty sure your "slow" pace was still faster than my fast pace. :)

Nice job with the pushups. :)

From Bam on Thu, Dec 01, 2011 at 14:48:47 from 86.40.154.36

I like the idea of crushing the 10 mile record. Somewhat reluctantly I've come round to liking the idea and trying to do push ups. But seriously Jake, pull ups are hardcore. Even in fantasy land I'm not going to try and match you on pull ups. The image I have of me trying to do a pull up would have even the hardiest opponent of euthanasia clamouring for a law decreeing that all males over 40 with the slightest hint of lard should be publicly fried in their own fat on Fridays. They'd call it, Friday Fry Day.

From ACorn on Thu, Dec 01, 2011 at 18:14:03 from 68.66.168.22

Pullups are the best. I can't think of anything better for an overall upper body exercise.

From Scott Wesemann on Fri, Dec 02, 2011 at 14:09:27 from 205.158.160.209

Last night as I did my pullups at the gym I wondered to myself if I was doing the perfect pullup. Now I'm curious. exactly what is a perfect pullup?

I do a lot of weight training on the pull up bar. You can work your entire upper body and core. Great workout.

From Jake K on Fri, Dec 02, 2011 at 14:14:30 from 155.100.226.53

The perfect pullup is the rotating handle thing from the same company that makes the perfect pushups handles:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7nvMCHH1bw

I do like that I can feel some core activation doing pullups... it makes me feel better b/c I am lazy about doing core stuff otherwise

From Scott Wesemann on Fri, Dec 02, 2011 at 14:17:10 from 205.158.160.209

Ahhh yes, I think I saw this on tv once about 2 am. Looks pretty cool.

From Jake K on Fri, Dec 02, 2011 at 14:19:13 from 155.100.226.53

They became totally worth it once you could buy it at KMart for one-third of the original price

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.600.000.00

AM - 7.3 miles up to work. Bet you can't guess what I have planned for this afternoon.

PM - 7.3 miles home. 

Last night our power was still out when we got home, which meant 6 quarts of ice cream were in serious jeopardy. Andrea and I decided the reasonable thing to do was eat as much as we possibly could for dinner before it all melted. I packed as much into a bowl as possible, posted up on the couch, and before I finished my second bite all the power came back on! Bummer - I put the bowl back in the freezer and ended up cooking a bunch of spinach... then of course ate a quart of ice cream later in evening... everybody wins!

8am tomorrow - JRP @ 3300S... easy breezy run. About 10 miles. Everybody is welcome! 

Comments
From allie on Fri, Dec 02, 2011 at 13:52:47 from 161.38.218.168

a quart? i'm not questioning you like that's a bad thing...i just don't know how you do it or where it all goes. i can finish off a pint pretty easily, but i'm not sure i could do a quart.

i'm glad you got your power back.

From Jake K on Fri, Dec 02, 2011 at 13:54:33 from 155.100.226.53

i'm probably overstating. it was probably more of a baker's pint.

From Rob on Fri, Dec 02, 2011 at 21:04:30 from 204.15.86.95

I was actually considering joining you on your run tomorrow but the wind storm changed my plans.

From JulieC on Fri, Dec 02, 2011 at 22:10:33 from 67.41.189.103

on the mileage talk again--- seriously 5,200 + m iles last year!!?????? wow!! Too bad we don't get "frequent runner" miles to earn free shoes or something!! : D

From Jon on Sat, Dec 03, 2011 at 13:19:42 from 98.71.184.216

So what is your favorite brand/flavor of ice cream, since you eat so much of it?

From Jake K on Sat, Dec 03, 2011 at 13:20:58 from 67.177.21.60

Kroger chocolate chip cookie dough

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
15.400.000.00

AM - 11 miles on the Jordan River path w/ Andrea, Emily J, Rob, Allie, James, and Bryan. There was just a little dusting of snow on the path... enough to make you pay attention so you wouldn't slip. Gotta get those snow/ice legs back under me. The sun came out and it was a really pleasant morning. Nice run... good conversations always make the time fly by.

PM - 4.4 miles, ran up to Smiths on 3300S and met Andrea so we could do our grocery shopping. Nothing beats an all uphill shakeout run.

Comments
From Rob Murphy on Sat, Dec 03, 2011 at 20:43:24 from 76.27.122.13

Not to be contrary or anything, but I can think of plenty of things that beat an uphill shakeout run.I'll start a list...

1. Puppies

FYI, Davis boys finished 3rd in the U.S. today. American Fork 6th. I'd say two teams in the top 6 is more than our fair share.

First time all year Davis beat AF.

From Jake K on Sat, Dec 03, 2011 at 20:46:03 from 67.177.21.60

We watched the webcast. Pretty exciting races... they did a better job with the coverage of that meet than most pro level races that are on TV.

From Jake K on Sat, Dec 03, 2011 at 20:46:51 from 67.177.21.60

Alright, I guess pretty much everything beats an all uphill shakeout run... but at least the weather was nice!

From Andrea on Sat, Dec 03, 2011 at 20:50:47 from 67.177.21.60

Rob - the live webcast was pretty fun to watch. It was great to see how happy Corbin and his team were when they got 3rd!

Totally agree on the puppies thing!!!

From Rob Murphy on Sat, Dec 03, 2011 at 20:51:36 from 76.27.122.13

2. Dark chocolate

3. A fine Cabernet

4. Your team winning the World Series/Super Bowl

5. Little baby ducks

6. The first warm day of spring

7. Garbage trucks and cement mixers (from Andy)

From Andrea on Sat, Dec 03, 2011 at 21:01:44 from 67.177.21.60

okay you lost me...

From Jake K on Sat, Dec 03, 2011 at 21:16:18 from 67.177.21.60

2a. Milk chocolate

2b. Semi-sweet chocolate

4a. The Buffalo Bills simply winning half of their games

7a. Fire trucks and Transformers

From Hamdog Alum on Sat, Dec 03, 2011 at 23:16:39 from 24.240.65.116

2b Mint Chocalate

4b. Green Bay Packers going undefeated for back to back Super Bowl wins

5a. Shooting ducks

From allie on Sun, Dec 04, 2011 at 02:36:59 from 24.10.191.18

5b. geese

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
12.600.000.00

AM - 8.6 miles. Ran 5.5 w/ Andrea, then added on another loop around the block. We were planning on taking the day off and going hiking, but the weather isn't too great.

Been refreshing the CIM results all morning... awesome runs by Fritz and Emily B! No OTQs, but a pair of very impressive PRs. Also saw on Greg McMillan's twitter feed that Bonnie ran a 1/2 marathon PR today. Good job today bloggers!

PM - 4 miles. 

Comments
From ACorn on Sun, Dec 04, 2011 at 14:16:52 from 24.2.76.146

Random question...

As I updated Fritz's marathon splits, I wondered, is there a reason they have the time mat placed at 5.9 miles, 13.1 and 20?

Seems like it would just be easy to put them at 1/4 marathon (6.55), 1/2 etc.

From Jake K on Sun, Dec 04, 2011 at 14:36:47 from 67.177.21.60

I have no idea why they would do a 5.9 split... if anything, a 6 mile or 10K split would have made a lot more sense. I think RDs usually just put them wherever its convenient. The bigger races (Chicago, NYC, etc) usually put them every 5K.

From ACorn on Sun, Dec 04, 2011 at 14:43:31 from 24.2.76.146

Thanks, I thought there may be some method to the madness. Apparently, it was just a convenient place to put the mat.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.800.000.00

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Comments
From Chad Robinson on Mon, Dec 05, 2011 at 11:49:23 from 50.73.39.89

Nice perspective and nice run. You will make some "luck" and "magic" next go around.

From Fritz on Mon, Dec 05, 2011 at 11:53:21 from 65.116.116.6

Conditions were definitely perfect for good times yesterday. I would have pictured you with the five or so guys with 2:18s who were bunched up in a pack and passed me at mile 22. No reason to dwell on it though. You will have that time under your belt in no time and if the window is the same as these Olympics you will only need to wait until 1/1/14 to give it a go again.

From Jake K on Mon, Dec 05, 2011 at 11:59:22 from 155.100.226.53

Yeah I told Andrea yesterday that as soon as the window opens up again, I'm running the first weekend, whatever race starts the earliest in the morning, so I have the absolute first shot possible! :-)

I'm hoping we can do some more running together in the upcoming year. I think it would be really good and beneficial for both of us.

From Fritz on Mon, Dec 05, 2011 at 14:38:09 from 65.116.116.6

I know I could benefit a ton and hopefully you could too (or at least a little). I have always neglected speedwork and tempo runs partly because they are tough to do alone. Plus long runs are also more enjoyable to do with a group. I think it's great that you and Andrea are already getting people together. In a week or so I will look out for your group runs and join in for sure.

On another topic, I had a long conversation with a woman triathlete/runner from LA yesterday at the airport. We were talking about compression socks and she mentioned that wearing these tights at night has made a world of difference. Have you heard of them? She says she only wears them at night and not for training. Interesting idea.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045EP6AQ/ref=s9_simh_gw_p200_d0_g200_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0PSC72SP6ESBARQP9107&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938811&pf_rd_i=507846

From Jake K on Mon, Dec 05, 2011 at 14:42:56 from 155.100.226.53

Yeah, Saucony makes something similar - a "recovery" tight. I am usually pretty skeptical about that kind of stuff, but we both have them, and I truly think they help. I actually think they are really comfortable to sleep in as well.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.600.000.00

AM - 7.3 miles up to work.

PM - 7.3 miles home. It felt warm outside compared to the past couple mornings :-)

Anyone down for another group run and out for breakfast on Saturday morning? Something in the 10-15 mile range. 

Comments
From allie on Tue, Dec 06, 2011 at 14:29:06 from 161.38.218.168

yes.

From Kelli on Tue, Dec 06, 2011 at 19:26:58 from 71.219.83.156

In my dreams I could keep up. ;o)

From Jake K on Tue, Dec 06, 2011 at 19:30:31 from 155.100.226.53

It'll be an easy breezy run Kelli! I'm running as slow as possible for the remainder of this calendar year... you should come!

From Kelli on Tue, Dec 06, 2011 at 19:31:29 from 71.219.83.156

OH, so you guys would let me win??? And then feed me??? Tempting. And it will not be sub zero temperatures (unless, of course, you are going at 3 am).

From Jake K on Tue, Dec 06, 2011 at 19:33:40 from 155.100.226.53

Until the skiing gets good I am taking every opportunity to run in SUNLIGHT (ie. not 3am) on the weekends!

From Kelli on Tue, Dec 06, 2011 at 19:36:58 from 71.219.83.156

SMART! Post the plan and just maybe I will grace you with my presence. I say that very sarcastically, ask Allie.

From Chad Robinson on Tue, Dec 06, 2011 at 19:39:23 from 50.73.39.89

8am at 33rd on the Jordan Parkway?

From Jake K on Tue, Dec 06, 2011 at 19:40:45 from 155.100.226.53

Let me talk to Andrea and see where she wants to run. That will probably be the location, though. That way its easy to loop back if people want to be done early and then add on some miles going the other way.

From allie on Tue, Dec 06, 2011 at 19:41:08 from 24.10.191.18

you should definitely come, kelli. you're always fun to run with. i'll bring your favorite sesame crackers if you'd like...

From Kelli on Tue, Dec 06, 2011 at 19:42:16 from 71.219.83.156

Now THAT is worth getting out of bed for!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.600.000.00

AM - 11.3 miles. Andrea was up early to run w/ Devra so I started my run to work about 30 minutes earlier, and therefore had almost no choice but to take a longer route.

PM - 7.3 miles home. Left work a little later than usual and caught an incredible sunset as I was coming down the hill from HCI. Nice way to end the day. 

Comments
From Andrea on Wed, Dec 07, 2011 at 11:26:00 from 72.37.244.100

Really - no choice? I am not encouraging your mileage obsession!! :)

From Jake K on Wed, Dec 07, 2011 at 11:29:07 from 155.100.226.53

It was a pleasant morning to be out for a slightly longer run.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.300.000.00

AM - 11 miles. JAJA run, then split off and headed up to work. It was relatively warm out this morning compared to the rest of the week.

PM - 7.3 miles home. After lots of harder workouts from mid-April to mid-November, I'm starting to enjoy this "down" period of just easy running for a while. Recharging the batteries. 

Saturday - 8am - Jordan River Parkway @ 3300S. Easy run... then breakfast afterwards if anyone wants to join us.

Comments
From Rob Murphy on Thu, Dec 08, 2011 at 20:57:54 from 76.27.122.13

Is breakfast on you?

From Jake K on Thu, Dec 08, 2011 at 21:40:32 from 67.177.21.60

Egg or Sausage McMuffin?

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.800.000.00

AM - 7.3 miles up to work.

PM - 7.5 miles home. Crossed paths w/ Rob on the way and ran a bit with him. We talked about running, surprisingly. 

Here's something cool - Sam Fox just finished running the PCT (~2650 miles) in 2 months. The promo video for the documentary being made about his journey features some nice Grand Canyon running footage.

Comments
From Vis on Fri, Dec 09, 2011 at 21:10:49 from 208.88.8.22

Cool video. I'm not so sure the Deb-from-Napoleon look was the best choice for the most serious part of the promo though.

Love to read your blog, by the way.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
17.000.000.00

AM - 13 miles. Ran on the JRP w/ the biggest Saturday morning crew yet - Andrea, Allie, Kelli, James, Rob, Chad, Adam, Kam, and Scott. As Chad pointed out, the turnout was better than the track races we've done! Perfect winter morning for running.

Afterwards a few of us went out to breakfast at Over the Counter. Rob was right - they make a solid omelet. Andrea, Emily B, and I stayed until noon rehashing our marathons, and talking about our plans for 2012. Fun morning. 

PM - 4 miles around the block. We have my department's xmas party tonight, which means I have to wear something other than sweats and stay up past 9pm. Should be fun though... hopefully we'll get a really fancy meal out of it. Black compression socks double as dress socks, right?

Comments
From Rob on Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 15:33:38 from 90.182.128.42

Some day I'll be there. Sounds fun.

From Jake K on Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 15:45:47 from 67.177.21.60

Once you take at a break from globetrotting I hope you'll be able to join us Rob!

From Rob on Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 15:53:15 from 90.182.128.42

Next stop, exotic Wyoming with the in laws for the holidays. Jealous?

From Jake K on Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 15:54:38 from 67.177.21.60

Depends on where they live... Jackson? :-)

From Rob on Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 16:00:57 from 90.182.128.42

If you're going to Jackson you say Jackson not Wyoming. ;). Kind of like Park Citys not really in Utah.

They live in Sheridan.

From Jon on Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 16:19:38 from 98.71.184.216

So what is the plan for next year?

From Kelli on Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 16:20:04 from 71.219.83.156

Thanks for the speedwork. ;o) Wish we could have come to breakfast to hear about the marathons, I bet they were good stories. Plus, I was hungry.

From Jake K on Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 16:25:32 from 67.177.21.60

Jon - I'm going to run the local circuit this year, someone needs to give Teren a run for his money :-) ... and then the big races for the spring will probably be Bolder Boulder and the USA Half Marathon Champs (which are part of Grandmas Marathon weekend). Might try to run some college track meets as well. And then I'll definitely do a fall marathon.

From Jon on Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 16:30:46 from 98.71.184.216

Have fun in Boulder. I grew up in Denver and ran that race many times. Make sure you're in A wave!

From Hamdog Alum on Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 22:52:49 from 24.240.65.116

I think you could pull it off!

From Kam on Mon, Dec 12, 2011 at 11:04:23 from 174.23.201.253

I hope your Christmas party went well. Thanks for putting together a good run, and picking up my tab at breakfast.

From Jake K on Mon, Dec 12, 2011 at 11:14:21 from 155.100.226.53

No problem Kam. Glad you could come out and run w/ us on Saturday!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
9.000.000.00

AM - 9 miles winding around Holladay. My legs have been begging me to let them move a little quicker, so I ran faster than normal for the second half of the run (5:45-5:55). It felt good to do something other than jogging. I'm sticking to my easy running plan for the remainder of the month, but I might throw in some strides or something starting this week just to get some turnover going.

PM - Andrea and I hiked up Mt Olympus (~7 miles r/t, 4200 feet climbing). The lower half of the trail was dry, then it got snowy and icy. Microspikes were very helpful (thankfully we brought them on Scott W's recommendation). As the day went on we could see the inversion in the valley building up. Nice to be up in the mountains... looking forward to actually getting some snow and going skiing!

I put up a little trip report with photos on the blog: Hiking Mt Olympus in Winter. A few below...

 

Comments
From Scott Wesemann on Mon, Dec 12, 2011 at 12:43:41 from 205.158.160.209

Excellent pics and report. The spikes are definitely helpful on the descent. I love getting out above the inversion for some clean mountain air. Nice work guys.

From Kelli on Tue, Dec 13, 2011 at 15:50:39 from 71.219.83.156

Look at all that crap in the air! When you go high and look down it, it is GROSS!!! And we are out breathing it....yuck!

Nice hike, though. ;o)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.300.000.00

AM - 7.3 miles up to work. Early start this morning - hopefully that means I can leave work a little earlier and run in the daylight this afternoon.

PM - 11 miles home via Wasatch Drive / Parleys Trail. Finished before it got dark out and didn't even have to turn on all my flashing lights. On the downhills I noticed that my quads are a little stiff from the hike yesterday. 

Comments
From jun on Mon, Dec 12, 2011 at 20:40:20 from 174.23.163.223

awesome. You are actually human, who knew.

From Andrea on Mon, Dec 12, 2011 at 20:58:13 from 67.177.21.60

When he got home, he was almost crying because he was so sore from the hike yesterday. Asked me to give him a massage and get him lots of ibuprofen while he was laying on the floor!

From Jake K on Mon, Dec 12, 2011 at 21:14:34 from 67.177.21.60

AHHHH That is NOT TRUE at all! I stretched for like 10 seconds and was completely fine! You are just so HILARIOUS Andrea! :-)

Craig - in all seriousness though, I don't know how you guys run the downhill trails like you do!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
13.000.000.00

AM - 9 miles, Sunnyside/Wasatch. Nice morning. 1/100th of an inch of snow on the ground.

PM - 4 miles. 

This interview with Cam Levins from Southern Utah University has been making the rounds. Talk about miles make champions...

Since its snowing today, I decided to compile some data from the Collins plot and project how much we will get this winter. Andrea tells me this is not a linear relationship :-) I'm really just trying to see if I can get Fiddy out of blogging hibernation... I have no choice but to assume I am correct unless he tells me otherwise!

 

Comments
From Rob on Tue, Dec 13, 2011 at 11:46:48 from 72.254.18.140

You measured it? If we used the metric system there would be a name for that.

From Jake K on Tue, Dec 13, 2011 at 11:48:31 from 155.100.226.53

One milli-inch

From Rob on Tue, Dec 13, 2011 at 11:50:24 from 72.254.18.140

:) Nice!

From Rob on Tue, Dec 13, 2011 at 16:08:44 from 72.254.22.133

Can I play? Even if it's logarithmic your only off 40 inches.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2823097/SnowTotal.png

From Andrea on Tue, Dec 13, 2011 at 16:13:54 from 72.37.171.52

As an expert protocol reviewer, I give Jake a D and Rob a C.

From JG on Tue, Dec 13, 2011 at 16:18:55 from 71.59.27.33

Uh oh Jake, I think you need to maintain a 'C' average to remain meet eligible!

From Rob on Tue, Dec 13, 2011 at 16:21:53 from 72.254.22.133

I wanna change my answer to 357

(Avg Y/Avg X)*79 = 357

From Jake K on Tue, Dec 13, 2011 at 16:27:42 from 155.100.226.53

If we get less than 650 inches of snow, I'm going to be mad that I didn't run Boston. I'm hoping for 720 and skiing well past July 4th again!

From Holt on Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 16:51:21 from 204.113.55.41

Cool article on Cam. And the crazy thing (that most don't believe) is that it is true. I have had multiple kids go up to SUU on recruiting trips and they all come back telling me the same thing, "Do you know how much Cam runs?!" And I find it hard to believe also... but it is real!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
18.600.000.00

AM - 11.3 miles up to work. Got the N'Sync christmas album going on my ipod and had a very enjoyable wintery run!

PM - 7.3 miles home. 

Comments
From Kam on Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 11:29:43 from 68.66.163.179

Are you sure about your music choices, Jake?

From Jake K on Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 11:35:43 from 155.100.226.53

I get 2 weeks a year where its borderline socially acceptable to listen to this album, and I intend to take advantage!!! :-)

From Holt on Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 16:47:18 from 204.113.55.41

what?....

From Andrea on Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 16:49:22 from 72.37.171.52

I think you might've lost some blog followers with that one!!

From Jake K on Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 16:53:35 from 155.100.226.53

Its a certified double-platinum album!

I guess I'll have to find the Chuck Norris Christmas album and listen to that tomorrow to prove that I am manly.

From Scott Wesemann on Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 17:06:12 from 205.158.160.209

May I suggest Neil Diamond Christmas? Suave and sexy like the N'Sync with a bit more manly mixed in.

From ACorn on Thu, Dec 15, 2011 at 02:37:31 from 24.2.76.146

I wholeheartedly support your choice to listen to whatever tickles your fancy.

From Rob on Thu, Dec 15, 2011 at 05:52:15 from 72.254.62.24

I suggest we move to a "don't ask, don't tell" policy on the blog.

From Steve on Thu, Dec 15, 2011 at 17:21:35 from 66.87.66.77

Nice workout! I think my kids have some Justin Bieber I could email you..

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
17.800.000.00

AM - 10.5 miles. JAJA run. Split off from the group after 7 miles and ran up to work. Allie made a custom map of the run using the latest satellite imagery.

PM - 7.3 miles home. 

Thought this was interesting - at the Fukuoka Marathon, race officials pull you off the course if you don't stay under 2:46 pace!

Comments
From Andrea on Thu, Dec 15, 2011 at 11:15:25 from 72.37.244.100

Well that's one way to keep you motivated! If only I would've had that at Philadelphia...

From Jake K on Thu, Dec 15, 2011 at 11:18:09 from 155.100.226.53

That's the race you should have tried to qualify at! :-)

From RAD on Thu, Dec 15, 2011 at 11:42:42 from 98.202.23.178

yikes. remind me not to sign up for that one - I'd only make it a mile or less!!

From Jake K on Thu, Dec 15, 2011 at 11:44:43 from 155.100.226.53

Well you have to run 2:42 just to get into the race... but they don't allow anyone to have a bad day! :-)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.600.000.00

AM - 7.3 miles up to work. 

PM - 7.3 miles home. Ran the first mile easy down the hill and then decided to do a spur of the moment light progression run. Didn't have my garmin so I just went by feel... averaged about 5:35-5:40 pace for the last 6+ miles. Felt good to get the legs moving a bit.

Since the UAC doesn't have much to talk about right now in terms of snow conditions, this morning's forecast provided some information about exercise in the smog. I thought this might be worth sharing...

Smog Outdoor Exercise Guide:
First and most important, I check the Utah Air Quality Trend Charts each morning and concentrate on the top graph of PM 2.5 (the bad stuff). Those who live near the mountains can sometimes get lucky when the drainage air currents at night can push a pocket of fresh air out into the valleys near the canyon mouths. You can sometimes see that reflected in the trend charts.

Second, check the Meso West surface observations. When you see down canyon breezes in your local canyon. Since I live in Salt Lake, I check Parleys Canyon and the new weather station on the Utah Museum of Natural History, which sits at the bottom of Red Butte.

Third, get your exercise first thing in the morning because you will only have a short window of clean air at the base of the mountains before the daytime heating pushes it back up against the mountains. 

Comments
From Rachelle on Fri, Dec 16, 2011 at 13:09:02 from 199.190.170.30

Very interesting. I have definitely noticed that it is much clearer in the morning than later in the day. The smog was really bad last night in Payson.

From Kelli on Fri, Dec 16, 2011 at 20:39:46 from 71.219.80.158

It really hurts my throat to run in this stuff. Am I alone there???

You truly are amazing! Do you know that I can run that pace for about a minute on the treadmill, and sometimes I have to grab the side for a moment to keep me from flying off?!? You are truly an amazing athlete.

From Jake K on Fri, Dec 16, 2011 at 21:12:55 from 67.177.21.60

I don't love the air in the afternoons, but what can you do? At least when its smoggy, the mornings aren't too bad. I know its not great for your lungs, but I can't handle (mentally) exercising indoors. I just enjoy being outside, even when its crummy.

From Kelli on Sat, Dec 17, 2011 at 00:22:55 from 71.219.80.158

I do not think the air will kill us. ;o) AND it looks much better today so it is slowly moving out.

Enjoy your run and breakfast tomorrow.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
19.000.000.00

AM - 15 miles. Ran on the JRP w/ Andrea, Emily B, Fritz, and Rob. Nice run and good conversations as always! It is a shame that we'll be out of town next weekend because Rob and Fritz are planning a post-apocalyptic run on I-80 on Christmas morning :-)

PM - 4 miles around the block, nice & easy. 

Comments
From Fritz on Sat, Dec 17, 2011 at 14:57:44 from 65.100.192.74

It was a fun run. I forgot how nice that trail is. I am looking forward to running on the overpass at the i-80/i-15 junction then seeing if we can make all the way to the 6th south exit without being stopped.

This is the PreRace from First Endurance I was thinking of buying. Check out the video that describes the clinical trial results.

https://www.firstendurance.com/nutrition/prerace.html

And here is the Ultragen that triathletes and Cyclists swear by for recovery. http://www.firstendurance.com/nutrition/ultragen.html Optygen is the other product people rave about but it is super pricey. One of these days I will convince them to put EFS liquid shot in packets.

With the Pro Deal and a coupon I can get about 50% off one order so let me know if you are interested in anything.

From Jake K on Sat, Dec 17, 2011 at 20:38:14 from 67.177.21.60

Thanks man I'll take a look at that stuff.

Looping those overpasses is going to be really sweet... gotta make sure to run the tangents, though.

From Rob on Sun, Dec 18, 2011 at 02:27:25 from 166.205.14.17

Oh man, I wish I was going to be home too, I've always thought running I-15 early in the morning would be great cause it's lit the whole way, but with a group on Christmas, wearing Santa hats would be Awesome. You're wearing Santa hats aren't you?

From Jake K on Mon, Dec 19, 2011 at 13:03:53 from 155.100.226.53

Rob - I would wear a full Frosty the Snowman suit (if I had one!)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.000.000.00

AM - 17 miles. Ran about a mile w/ Andrea, then she had to stop, so I ran down Highland to 6200S, up the hill, then back along Wasatch Blvd. Dramatically different weather just a few hundred feet higher up on the bench - the sun is shining! Averaged a little under 6:40 pace for the run. When I'm not doing harder workouts, my easy runs end up getting a bit quicker. When I was about 50 yards from home, I took a bad step off the sidewalk and nearly broke my ankle. No residual effects... whew, got lucky on that one!

PM - 4 miles easy shakeout. 

Comments
From jun on Sun, Dec 18, 2011 at 14:34:18 from 174.23.163.223

That's a really good average pace considering you ran that hill up 6200 S. That's a monster. I sure have loved getting above the inversion this last week. It's actually beautiful out.

From Jake K on Sun, Dec 18, 2011 at 14:36:21 from 67.177.21.60

Yeah once you get up above 5000 feet, its really nice out!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.600.000.00

AM - 7.3 miles up to work.

PM - 7.3 miles home.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
17.000.000.00

AM - 13 miles. Met Bryan this morning, started at HCI and ran up Emigration Canyon, out & back. Good run. 

Noticed last night that my ankles don't look the same. The medial side of my right ankle appears to be a little swollen just above the arch, maybe from when I twisted it on Sunday morning? The problem is that I can't remember with any certainty which ankle I twisted! Luckily it doesn't hurt... I'm just going to keep my eye on it and stay on top of it with the ice / compression combo.

PM - 4 miles easy breezy. 

Comments
From Rachelle on Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 12:33:22 from 159.212.71.200

I am glad to hear that there is no pain and I'm sure the ice/compression and taking it a little easier will really help.

From Jake K on Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 12:37:33 from 155.100.226.53

The real problem here is that I was staring at my feet long enough to even notice the difference :-) I need some new hobbies! :-)

From Andrea on Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 12:40:51 from 72.37.171.52

There is a pretty obvious distinction between a club foot vs. not!

From Jake K on Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 12:41:26 from 155.100.226.53

I don't have a club foot or a cankle!!!

From allie on Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 15:29:06 from 24.10.191.18

my doc made fun of my cankle when i went in for x-rays this summer. i still haven't gotten over it.

From Jon on Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 22:06:35 from 98.71.146.224

I've had swollen and strange colored ankles that didn't hurt, and didn't know where it came from. If you can run on it, then run!

From Jake K on Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 22:20:03 from 67.177.21.60

Yeah its not really even swollen... just looks a little "weird" - kind of like me... so I'm giving myself the green light! :-)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.300.000.00

AM - 7.3 miles up to work. From up on the hill, you can definitely tell a storm is moving in... it should clear the gunk out of the air.

PM - 9 miles home. Added a little extra loop around Sugarhouse park because it was so nice out. Fresh air!

Comments
From Lily on Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 12:06:13 from 67.199.178.210

Nice job. Did the air seem a little clear already? I hope it clears it out. I also hope it snows! :)

From Jake K on Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 12:11:35 from 155.100.226.53

Yeah you could already tell the difference this morning... I could actually see the sky a little bit!

From Kelli on Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 17:05:41 from 71.219.80.158

The storm did not last, the snow is already melted. WE NEED SNOW! I can not think of a December that has been so snow-less.

From Jake K on Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 17:11:27 from 155.100.226.53

Kelli - your intuition is correct, there has not been a drier early season that you would remember...

Alta guard station Nov/Dec snowfall totals... we're holding down the #4 spot on the all-time worst list right now (52" in November, 12" in December)

1976 30.5"

1962 48"

1959 61.5"

2011 64"

From Kelli on Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 17:13:26 from 71.219.80.158

Stinks for those of you who ski!

I am just sick of the "teaser" snow that we keep getting. It looks like it will finally dump on us (like today), and then NOTHIN'!

It will not be a white Christmas here. :(

From Jake K on Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 17:15:25 from 155.100.226.53

The problem is that when it does snow for real, its going to be avalanche city, which is scary!

At least its good running weather! I told Andrea that if the no-snow trend continues for another month, I'm just gonna run Boston!

From Kelli on Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 22:47:39 from 71.219.80.158

Sounds like a great plan, I would love to see you do that!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.300.000.00

AM - 11.3 miles up to work. Very nice winter morning. And now the days start getting longer!!!

PM - 9 miles home. Left work a little early today, so I got to run in the sunshine! Did some basic drills when I got home (high knees, butt kicks, skipping, lunges, etc). Going to try and get in the (good) habit of doing these more often. 

Cool trailer I came across this morning - Iten: The Town of Red Dust. Try to watch that and not get fired up for a run! Its almost as good as the preview for the new Batman movie :-)

Comments
From Rachelle on Thu, Dec 22, 2011 at 12:13:22 from 199.190.170.29

Yay for longer days. :)

From Andrea on Thu, Dec 22, 2011 at 13:00:27 from 72.37.244.100

THAT IS AWESOME!! You have to be way more excited about that than the silly Batman movie :)

From Jake K on Thu, Dec 22, 2011 at 13:04:28 from 155.100.226.53

The question is - can the full length movie live up to the promise of the trailer?

For Batman - 100% chance

For this movie - I would say 92%. It may not be as action-packed as Batman, but then again, its a running film, and those are few and far between.

From seeaprilrun on Thu, Dec 22, 2011 at 13:21:29 from 68.103.254.209

Oh wow cool movie!

From ACorn on Thu, Dec 22, 2011 at 20:27:17 from 24.2.76.146

Thanks for posting that link. The state of Kenyan domination in running is fascinating.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
20.000.000.00

AM - 20 miles. No work today (University Closure Day for non-essential employees!), so I was able to sleep in, then do a long run before we fly to Tennessee this afternoon. Ran south through Holladay to the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon, back north on Wasatch Blvd to 3300S, then meandered down through the neighborhoods to home. That is a pretty good long run route (map) - some rolling hills in there to break it up. Averaged a little under 6:50 pace for the run.

Beautiful day out - clear, sunny skies... enjoy it! We're off to Knoxville now! 

Comments
From ACorn on Fri, Dec 23, 2011 at 20:20:08 from 24.2.76.146

Have a nice vacation and happy holidays!

From DaleG on Fri, Dec 23, 2011 at 21:43:42 from 152.216.3.5

Merry Christmas!!!

From steve ash on Sat, Dec 24, 2011 at 17:13:56 from 24.10.169.210

I had some really good workouts on that course and need to start training on it more. It will definitely make you a stronger runner that is for sure.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
14.000.000.00

AM - 14 miles. Really enjoyable, easy paced run through the farm roads and rolling hills near Andrea's house in Knoxville. I haven't run w/ Andrea all week because her hamstring has been acting up, so it was really nice to get out there with her this morning and see her feeling good - we ran 10 miles together, then I added on another loop.

On the plane yesterday I read a book that Rob Murphy let me borrow - Young at Heart... the biography of Johnny Kelley. What a great, inspiring story. Johnny completed 58 Boston Marathons, winning twice, and even notched a top-10 finish when he was 50 years old! Talk about longevity and consistency! I couldn't help but smile all the time while reading this one - definitely worth checking out. Johnny had an incredible passion for both running and life. Reading his story really makes you realize what a wonderful gift it is to be a runner.

I hope Santa is good to all of you today... Merry Christmas Eve!!! 

Comments
From Jon on Sat, Dec 24, 2011 at 12:00:11 from 98.71.175.203

Merry Christmas to you and Andrea, Jake.

From Bonnie on Sat, Dec 24, 2011 at 12:11:58 from 150.135.115.190

Merry Christmas Jake!

From Rob Murphy on Sat, Dec 24, 2011 at 16:21:16 from 76.27.122.13

Wasn't that a great book? I'm glad you liked it and glad that Andrea is back running.

Missed you guys along the JRP this morning. Ran with Fritz and Jon Kotter. I hope we can keep those runs going.

Merry Christmas to you guys.

From Rachelle on Sat, Dec 24, 2011 at 23:14:54 from 66.7.127.115

Sounds like a great run and so good to hear Andrea is feeling better. Merry Christmas!

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
22.000.000.00

AM - 13 miles. Easy Christmas morning run... 10 miles w/ Andrea. Finished with form drills and 6 uphill sprints (walk back down).

PM - 9 miles. Shorts and sunshine! Great run, quick pace... felt like spring outside. Today was a low-key day at the North household... just the immediate family, so lots of time to relax... and run twice :-)

Merry Christmas!!! 

Comments
From Rachelle on Sun, Dec 25, 2011 at 13:42:15 from 199.190.170.28

Sounds like a fun run. Merry Christmas!!

From Adam RW on Mon, Dec 26, 2011 at 17:39:52 from 155.101.152.123

A day late, but Merry Christmas none the less! I hope it was a wonderful day for you.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
25.000.000.00

AM - 15 miles... 10 w/ Andrea. Caught the tail-end of an incredible sunrise and wished I had been out the door even earlier - but then again, we're on vacation, so its nice to be running in the daylight all the time this week. Andrea's loop of choice this morning had a ton of short but very steep hills, so I didn't feel the need to do any hill sprints afterwards :-)

PM - 10 miles... just cruising along on an old country road where I saw at least a half-dozen ponies, which totally made my day. 

[Neat article on Ekidens and Japanese high school running. Its really cool how competitive these races are.]

Comments
From Burt on Mon, Dec 26, 2011 at 12:03:40 from 72.223.93.131

They should call that the Kyoto Bowl. Except that name is already taken by a restaurant.

From Bonnie on Mon, Dec 26, 2011 at 16:53:04 from 150.135.115.190

Great link, and Japanese runners are super tough, they have such a long history with distance running.

From Jake K on Mon, Dec 26, 2011 at 17:53:45 from 69.131.218.205

Burt - I think they should call the winning team the Panda Express. Oh wait, Pandas probably don't live in Japan... and that name is already taken by a restaurant, too.

Bonnie - their DEPTH is always what amazes me. Can you imagine a high school boys team with 5 guys running sub 14:30 5Ks?!?!

From Burt on Fri, Dec 30, 2011 at 12:10:05 from 72.223.93.131

They should call you Amazing Jake's. Wait. Already taken by a restaurant.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
23.000.000.00

AM - 15 miles. Ran 10 w/ Andrea. The forecast called for 100% chance of rain this morning, so we were lucky to make it through 7 miles before the heavens opened up on us. After Andrea headed indoors, I kept going and it was an absolute downpour for the last couple miles. A hot shower and breakfast felt really good afterwards.

PM - 8 miles. It continued to rain all day, but stopped before I went back out, and I had another very pleasant run. 

Yesterday I read a good article written by Jennifer Pharr Davis. If you've never heard of her - she set the record for hiking the Appalachian Trail this summer. I liked this quote: “If you don’t fail at something at least once, then you haven’t set your goals high enough.” [Here is the article from Blue Ridge Outdoors]

Comments
From Jon on Tue, Dec 27, 2011 at 12:30:49 from 98.71.175.203

I've heard her speak a couple of times and spoke with her for a while. Very impressive, what she did.

From Kelli on Tue, Dec 27, 2011 at 16:07:53 from 71.219.80.158

Wow, very impressive lady (I googled her). Great quote. I fail often, so I think I am good!

Glad you survived the downpour!

From Bonnie on Tue, Dec 27, 2011 at 17:04:51 from 150.135.115.190

Great read, thanks Jake. Regarding our discussion on Japanese HS runners, my friend in Japan said that the collegiate scene is equally as popular -- here is a link:

http://japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2010/12/2011-hakone-ekiden-toyo-vs-waseda-watch.html

From Jake K on Tue, Dec 27, 2011 at 17:46:26 from 69.131.218.205

Yeah, Jennifer Pharr Davis is pretty impressive. I know how I've felt after hiking a bunch of 20+ mile days consecutively... I can't imagine stringing 50 mile days along for 6 weeks. She is one tough chick - and also very humble, inspiring, and seems like a really great person.

Bonnie - jeez, that would be like if they added a RAGNAR relay to the olympics! That is the most competitive and fast relay... wow.

From runningafterbabies on Tue, Dec 27, 2011 at 18:56:00 from 63.230.20.41

You guys got rain? I'm praying for any kind of precipitation down here in Utah County. The ski slopes are calling my name and there is NO SNOW!!!

From Jake K on Tue, Dec 27, 2011 at 19:22:02 from 69.131.218.205

We're in Tennessee... I'm SURE it didn't rain in Salt Lake! :-)

Yes some snow would be great... we'll have to hit the slopes together sometime when it finally starts coming down

From Lily on Tue, Dec 27, 2011 at 19:33:29 from 67.199.178.210

Great read and nice mileage today. I could not have run in those conditions

From MichelleL on Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 21:11:11 from 42.98.254.15

I've got failure in the bag ;) Looking forward to reading your links.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
21.000.000.00

AM - 15 miles... 10 w/ Andrea. Beautiful morning in Knoxville. Sunshine!

PM - 6 miles, shorts and t-shirt. And so ends the Tennessee holiday training camp. Flying back to SLC this evening. 

Anyone want to meet up for a New Year's Eve run this Saturday morning? If anyone has suggestions on where we should meet - lets hear them! Otherwise we could always do the standard 8am / JRP / 3300S? 

Comments
From Rob on Wed, Dec 28, 2011 at 11:30:08 from 72.55.212.141

I'm planning on being there, I don't care to much where it is. Last year allie and I started at the Maverik at Thanksgiving point exit to try and entice more Utah County runners but it was -1 degrees and no one else showed up.

From Dragonvulture on Wed, Dec 28, 2011 at 11:40:13 from 71.213.20.94

We have a good group running from Highland at 6:30 am on Saturday if you are interested. We are planning on a 16 mile loop and then maybe adding a few afterwards.

From Rob on Wed, Dec 28, 2011 at 11:47:53 from 72.55.212.141

Humm, I do like the 6:30 time better.

From Dragonvulture on Wed, Dec 28, 2011 at 12:32:31 from 71.213.20.94

We should have at least 5-8 runners on Saturday from Highland. A few of them sub 2:40 guys. Most days we end up running around a 7 minute pace. If you want directions text me at 8013107971 and I'll send you the info. A few of us have been running most weekdays at 5am from either somewhere in Lehi or Highland. Usually from 9-13 on weekdays, most days around 10ish.

From Jake K on Wed, Dec 28, 2011 at 16:24:18 from 69.131.218.205

630 sounds good in theory, but Andrea's plane gets in around midnight on Friday, so an early start may be a hard sell. We'll talk about it.

From Scott Wesemann on Wed, Dec 28, 2011 at 18:05:21 from 75.162.70.118

Wow, 91 miles already this week? Impressive!

From Dragonvulture on Wed, Dec 28, 2011 at 20:17:42 from 71.213.20.94

If it doesn't work out this week, we are pretty consistent every saturday morning somewhere, with a nice sized group if you are interested in joining us for a run. I was one of the six guys running with you at the beginning of the Buffalo 50k for the first few miles before you, Seth and Nick decided to start racing.

From Jake K on Wed, Dec 28, 2011 at 22:33:22 from 12.238.42.3

Scott - this is what happens when I'm on vacation!

Dragon - you gonna give the Buffalo Run another go this spring? That was back before I joined the blog, so I hardly knew anyone at that point. I had no idea who Seth was so needless to say it was a surprise when he was still around 25 miles into that one!

From Dragonvulture on Wed, Dec 28, 2011 at 22:52:41 from 71.213.20.94

I am going to do the 25k at Buffalo Run this year. I'm hoping to break 2:40 at Utah Valley, so doing a couple of shorter versions of races I like to do before hand. It was either go for under 2:40 or run Buffalo 50 miler and Squaw Peak 50. Didn't think I could do both the same year. I think Seth has actually started to train again, but I think he may be heading into longer distance stuff.

From Jake K on Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 11:18:28 from 155.100.226.54

That is probably a good idea. That course can leave you a little banged up, so going for the 25K will get you a good race but you won't have the hangover effect and can keep pushing towards UVM.

From Bonnie on Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 16:41:30 from 64.119.33.134

TUCSON!! I have a route all picked out and everything ;-)!!

From Jake K on Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 16:42:45 from 155.100.226.54

Only if we could run the Mt Lemmon marathon course! :-)

From Bonnie on Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 16:46:18 from 64.119.33.134

Yikes ;-) I have a better route in mind for you guys -- nice dirt road, lots of hills, lots of saguaro's, no snakes on New Years Day!!

From Jake K on Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 16:48:44 from 155.100.226.54

Now that sounds pretty nice.

I think we are going to run the Bandidos / Mountain to Fountain 15K in March. Seems like they have created a really good, competitive race... and it will be a good excuse to head south!

From Bonnie on Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 17:02:53 from 64.119.33.134

Yes! I will likely run that race as well.

Last year Greg McMillan put a team together, they won pretty handly. Well, the winning team gets their weight in beer. The race directors were breathing a sigh of relief thinking, "great, all these little skinny marathoners can't weight too much", well, they were pretty surprised when they found out that one of the team members was a division I full-back (Jamie Winslow's, nee Canterbury - NAIA Champion in the mile - husband)!! He threw about 300lbs worth of beer right there! It was pretty funny.

From Jake K on Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 17:04:13 from 155.100.226.54

It looks like a super fun race. I saw that McMillan's crew swept the mens and womens teams last year - but maybe we can put a "mixed" team together that can win that division.

From Bonnie on Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 17:09:17 from 64.119.33.134

I bet you can!!! It will be great to meet you and Andrea - if I run it myself I won't be able to cheer you on though, since you will be showered and have eaten breakfast by the time I finish ;-)

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.300.000.00

AM - 9 miles up to work. Sugarhouse loop variation. It felt really warm out this morning - I had my gloves off for almost the entire run, which is very unusual for me.

PM - 7.3 miles home. Pretty tired now, since I didn't get back until very late last night. Gonna hit the sack early tonight for sure. 

Comments
From JulieC on Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 17:12:09 from 67.41.188.93

it is ALL your doing that I have been running insanely these past four weeks. Just sayin'!! : D

From Jake K on Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 17:16:47 from 155.100.226.54

Is that a good thing or bad thing? :-) You've been rocking it lately so I say that insanity is good!

From Rachelle on Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 20:28:42 from 66.7.127.115

It is seriously so nice today. Ran this afternoon with no gloves, hat, or long sleeves.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
16.000.000.00

AM - 8 miles. Ran from HCI to the base of Emigration Canyon. On the way back I did a faster one mile effort (4:40) on roughly the first mile of the Leopards 5K course. It felt good to open it up a little bit. The idea was just to tell my legs that lazy jogging month is over. Its a shame that Running of the Leopards won't be on the circuit this year. I'll still probably run it, because I'm definitely not going back to Antelope Island that weekend! :-)

PM - 8 miles. I think there is an unwritten rule that when its this warm outside on December 30th, you have to hit the track! I wanted to see how my legs would feel turning over a little quicker, so I did 2 perimeter laps on the grass at Sugarhouse to warmup, then 12 x 200m on the track, averaging 33.6 seconds. Just kind of cruising along... the effort felt more like 35-36 second splits, so that is good - the neuromuscular coordination is still there. Today was my first effort(s) at running faster since Philadelphia, and I'm pleased with how everything felt.

Reached my goal of driving to work less than 100 days this year. Today was #98. Good thing I have statistics on everything. 

Tomorrow we're going to meet at the Jordan River Trail @ 3300S (usual spot - James Madison Park) - 8:00AM. My cell is 4802842666 in case anyone is running late... if you send me a text we'll wait for you.

Comments
From runningafterbabies on Fri, Dec 30, 2011 at 11:50:26 from 71.195.219.247

Where did you find the 2012 LDR schedule? I'm bummed about RoTL too - I had it on my schedule. That's a fun FAST race.

From Jake K on Fri, Dec 30, 2011 at 11:54:25 from 155.100.226.54

Its not out yet, but Mary Ann's website (Utah Running Guide) says that Leopards is not on the circuit this year. I'm not surprised b/c I heard some rumors that the PTA didn't want to do the prize money anymore.

Hopefully they'll post the schedule soon b/c I am sick of checking every day to see if its up! :-)

From Rachelle on Fri, Dec 30, 2011 at 13:39:40 from 159.212.71.77

4 minute mile? Holy crud I bet that was a good feeling to know you still have it in you. 2012 is going to be a great year for you.

I can't even imagine how much money you save on gas by running to work. That is just awesome.

From Jake K on Fri, Dec 30, 2011 at 13:42:35 from 155.100.226.54

It was closer to a 5 minute mile than a 4 minute mile! :-)

From Rob on Fri, Dec 30, 2011 at 21:33:07 from 204.15.86.95

Do you run North or South from there?

From Jake K on Fri, Dec 30, 2011 at 21:33:44 from 67.177.21.60

Usually go south to start

From JulieC on Fri, Dec 30, 2011 at 22:31:43 from 67.41.188.93

thankfully we are all running our own "race" because I don't feel my 3,000 miles are near as impressive as you NEARLY doubling them!!! : D. way to get the speed back in them legs on a nice warm day.

From Hamdog Alum on Sat, Dec 31, 2011 at 00:07:19 from 24.118.88.170

Your commuting is absolutely amazing! I can't believe how many miles you ran this year. You do realize you averaged about 56 hours a month running!

From Jake K on Sat, Dec 31, 2011 at 16:29:10 from 67.177.21.60

Erik - considering the average american spends double that time watching television, i think i was using my time wisely! :-)

From Hamdog Alum on Sun, Jan 01, 2012 at 11:38:08 from 24.118.88.170

I absolutely agree! I can't even imagine how terrible it feels to sit around that much doing something that provides virtually nothing in return.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
22.000.000.00

AM - 18 miles.  Ran 12 on the Jordan River trail w/ Andrea, Allie, Devra, Emily J, Adam, Rob, and James... then I ran home from there. Another beautiful "shorts weather" morning. Felt very good today.

First run in the Saucony Mirage shoes... really like them. This is finally a viable replacement for the Tangent, and something I can alternate w/ my Kinvaras when I want something with a bit more support. 

I'll probably just do an easy 200 miles later this afternoon to get 6000 for the year :-)

PM - 4 miles shakeout. I decided that was a better idea. 

Here's some recommended reading for the weekend - Runner's World article on Desi Davila 

Comments
From Rob on Sat, Dec 31, 2011 at 13:56:41 from 204.15.86.95

I would guess even for you it would probably be a good idea to get started on your afternoon run now.

Nice meeting you this morning.

From Kelli on Sat, Dec 31, 2011 at 14:39:56 from 71.219.66.129

And you could and would do it. ;o)

Have a great New Years!

From ACorn on Sat, Dec 31, 2011 at 16:16:57 from 24.2.76.146

Congrats on a great year! Thanks for taking the time to put together runs and "races" as well as sharing your thoughts on life and running. I have appreciated it immensely.

From Jon on Sat, Dec 31, 2011 at 16:17:36 from 98.71.175.203

5800 for the year? That's nuts, and a huge FRB record!

From Jake K on Sat, Dec 31, 2011 at 17:41:50 from 67.177.21.60

Thanks guys.

Jon, I think my best year before this year was probably ~3000-3500 miles, so this was a big leap. Its cool that I am stronger, not broken down, after all of this.

From Russ on Sat, Dec 31, 2011 at 21:13:24 from 24.72.198.228

Great year Jake! It's been fun watching you and Andrea give us two hard workers to root for and also inspired me and others to bump up our game. Happy New Year!

From Kelli on Sat, Dec 31, 2011 at 23:21:20 from 71.219.66.129

And thanks for all of the reading suggestions, too.

From Adam RW on Mon, Jan 02, 2012 at 16:07:47 from 155.101.152.123

Jake, Thanks for prodding me out the door this morning. It was a great run. You have been a great addition to the blog and thank you for organizing these runs and the races earlier... I hope 2012 brings you everything you dream of.

Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
5806.100.000.00
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