Wheeler Farm Loops

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

PM - 9 miles w/ Andrea (bike).

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

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

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

PM - 5 miles w/ Andrea (bike).

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

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

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

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

PM - 7 miles. Horsepark.

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

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

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

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

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

AM - 8 miles. Millcreek.

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

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

AM - 6 miles.

PM - 5 miles + strides.

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

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

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