Random Inspirational Quote

60 degrees outside again - :)

Legs are feeling pretty sore and tired - 3 mi. easy outside w/ dog

4 mi. easy on TM at 7 mph...

5k / long run Saturday

total: 7 mi. in about 61-62 min.

2 mi. bike, then 2 mi. easy run w/ strides - until severe weather

Pink Power 5k in town.  Road bike 7mi. over to race, 1.1 warmup, race, 1.1 CD, bike homw 7mi.

Race went okay - 5:50 for mile 1, okay through 2, and died for last 1.1.  Really though I'd be more like 18:15... plenty more opportunities for that after Carmel Marathon in April.  Grand Canyon trip coming up next week - maybe I'll see some of you crazy guys out there! :)  We're just hiking, though - hopefully some early morning trail running is in the cards though. :)  We'll be on Hermit. 

AM Treadmill miles - 8 mph for most of the run (after 2 mi. building up from 7 mph.) Decent long run - 20 mi. - 2:31:10

Bike over to UPS store and back - 16.75 mi. - 1:11,

50 crunches, 20 PU, 25x2 obl., 20 PU,

easy run on TM - 4 mi. - 32:00

Trying to incorporate some basic core and strength training throughout the day:

3 x 20 pushups,

PM - 8 mi. easy - 1:07:35 -- 65 degrees outside !

5 p outside run around neighborhood loop (70 deg!): 1.25 mi. WU, 6 mi. MP - 40:30, 0.75 mi. CD,

7:30 p TM: 2 mi. easy - 17:10 

10 mi. total

Throughout the day - 80 pushups, 150 crunches

AM run: outside - easy 7 mi. Terrace Lake Course - 57:07,

PM run: TM - 2 mi. easy, 1 mi. MP (9mph) - 3mi. - 23:21

Start driving the 28 hours to the Grand Canyon with Dad tomorrow morning.

Will try to get some miles in when we stop - should be fun to run different places :)

AM - 3 mi. outside before leaving to drive to G. Canyon with Dad.  

Off - Driving all day - made it to Flagstaff from IN in 2 days of driving with 2 hour breaks each day to watch UK Bball games.

AM Run on Rim Trail of Grand Canyon. Rim Trail is a mostly paved and somewhat hilly trail that runs along a good portion of the South Rim.

Ran from Bright Angel Trail head over to South Kaibob Trail head and back past Bright Angel and over to Potter (?) Memorial

Elevation - ~7000'

views/vistas - spectacular

15 mi. - 2:00:00

What an awesome run!  Totally worth the drive all by itself.

After the run in the park, we went back out to Best Western in Tusayan (2.75 mi. from park entrance) to meet up with rest of the hiking group.  6 of us total.  After a fairly poor night's sleep (with 3 people who snore - :) and 6 people crammed in to one room), an early morning run before the hike.

4 am run: 2 x Tusayan to GC park entrance and back

25 degrees, but clear skies - made for another awesome run w/ stars and fresh higher elevation air. (~ 6500' here) w/ 4 x 0.5 mi. strides

9 mi. - 1:12:34

Started hike at ~ 8:30a from Hermit's Rest down to Hermit's Creek.

slow moving group, but fun, nonetheless.  Only one fall resulting in injury - a scraped up shin

~ 8.5 miles down to camp site - arrived at about 5p

6 am run from Hermit Creek Camp to Ridge beginning Tonto West Trail.  1.25 mi. out and back.

GPS watch was struggling, but kept the time just fine.  30:00 of running for a difficult 2.5 miles on the trail.  Very fun running!  A little scary on the down grades and loose rock (which seems to be an extremely common feature of the trails in the GC)  Very slow going with the amount of effort required.

Started day hike with group at around 9a.  Hermit Creek to Monument Creek to Granite Rapids and back.  This made for a full challenging day.  It was about 9 miles of hiking total, but required a great deal of arduous climbing and descending to reach our destinations.  But, as with everything in the GC, it was total worth every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears to get to see these amazing places. - Got back to Hermit's Creek Camp at around 5p.

LEft Hermit Creek at 6a for same trail run as yesterday - again GPS not working too well, 30:00 run again with a couple of stumbles and scaring a hiker who did not hear me coming up behind him and telling him I was coming :) 

2.5 miles trail run - 30:00

Started hardest part of hike @~ 7a - Hermit Creek to Boucher Creek on Boucher Trail.  Several difficult near vertical climbs as well as a fair amount of vertical exposure spots made for a challenging 5.5 miles of hiking.  One member of the group and I hiked off at a faster pace and reached the Boucher Trail split off to wait for the rest of the group and be sure of which way we were supposed to be going :)... After everybody was caught up and had a chance to rest, we headed on down the trail to Boucher Creek and made it to camp site #2 by 4p, by which time the sun was beating down and was starting to take its toll - I think it was about 85 degrees, which the hottest it ever got for this trip. 

Hardest day of hiking - More near vertical climbs and rock slide to climb up, along a lot of vertical exposure.  LEft Boucher Creek at dawn and arrived at spot that was to be camp site by 10:30a.  Rested a bit, dropped back in shade of tree at Yuma Pt. and ran trail run - 25:30.  GPS messed up again, so distance unclear - call it 2 mi.  Waiting on rest of group for a while and could see them tryiong to make the climb from bottom of difficult portion of trail.  Hiking mate and I (Shawn) grab some water bottels and jog back down trail to help rest of group.  7 minutes of jogging back and we reach first of group - a little frazzled from vertical exposure spots - he wasn't a happy camper even as he sat on a shaded rock overhang with the pack off.  The rest of the group makes it up the hard parts and Shawn carries Sherrie's pack the rest of the way to Yuma Pt.  IT was about 1p at this pt. and hot and sunny.  A couple of the group are low on water and Yuma Pt. turns out to be a dry camp spot, though with a spectacular near 360 degree view.  Group decides to move on to dripping springs, where there is a strong possibility for water.  Shawn and I decide to push and hike to the Rim tonight.  It was a hard hike up and up ... and up, but we both made it an hour before sundown.  

9.6 mi. on what my dad deemed one of the hardest trails in the Canyon, and Shawn and I chug some bottled water and scarf several trail mix type snacks from car, hop in car and head to the closest bar :)

Off running today - Everybody out of the Canyon by 10a the next morning - Shawn and I are there to meet them at the top with donuts and a 12 of Coors Light :).  Showers and burgers and more beers all around - a couple of hours of reflection and hanging around the resort areas of the park, and the group splits - the other four are off to Southern CA, we are starting the long drive back to IN.  Dad and I make it to Gallup, and get a hotel.  

10 mi. run from Motel 6 near Interstate into downtown Gallup. 

1:17:20

Strides of MArch Half MArathon in Oklahoma City.  What a lucky find - my dad I driving back through decide to stop for the night in Oklahoma City and I find this race about 2 miles from where we are staying.  PRetty good showing on tired and sore legs from the Canyon hike.  Slow 1st 2 miles and a windy day also combined for a time that was a little slower than I would have liked to have seen.  Nonetheless, a PR by about a minute, and a good measuring stick for where I am and what I should be able to do in the coming weeks.  Half Marathon next Saturday in Carmel, 10 miler in Louisville the following week and the Carmel Marathon April 21.   

Nice to be back home!  Great day!  It seems I returned from out West to spring time in the midwest :)  It is 80 degrees and sunny with everything blooming :)

Legs are a little sore but energetic after yesterday's half marathon.

PM run - 2 x 3.55 miles outside around neighborhood loop - 30:52, 28:43 

easy 8 mi. w 2 mi. buildup:

4.1 mi. - 39:37,

2 mi. buildup - 13:30,

2 mi. CD - 17:40 

PM - 80 degrees

2 mi. easy - 18:11,

8 mi. bike - 31:50,

6.28 mi. easy - 53:40

Taking it easy today - I am tired (our air conditioner broke - it's hot in our house :( )

PM - Outside - light rain, 75 degrees

Easy 5 mi., 2 mi. MP,

1.25 mi. easy w/ dog after dinner 

Off - Sam Costa Half Tomorrow - Kentucky vs. IU tonight - GO CATS!!!

Sam Costa Half Marathon in Carmel, IN.  Perfect day for running this morning - 55 degrees and overcast.  Mu goal for this race was to go out and run between 6:20 and 6:30, hoping to run about a 1:25:30.  Splits looked okay (fairly even), except for 2 blips - I think the slow one was from going up hill and with a water stop slow down.  The 6:10 at mile 9 was to try to shake loose of a one of those runners whose footfalls are very loud and for some reason annoy me :)  It sounded like this guy was intentionally smacking his flat feet on the pavement.

6:19, 6:25, 6:25, 6:17, 6:24, 6:17, 6:25, 6:40, 6:10, 6:25, 6:17, 6:31, 6:27, 0.1 in 0:52

I'm pretty excited about this time - PR by about 2 minutes!  As a celebration I went out and bought some new Ravenna 3's :)

Pretty sore, but I was thinking about running the 5k close to Seymour tomorrow (for freyguy, if u read this :) )

Got some new shoes yesterday - Ravenna 3s and they feel absolutely wonderful!  Wore them for the race and the WU/CD runs.

5k in Cortland, IN this afternoon - pretty good turnout for a small town race - about 150 people.

Both Tom and broke the course record on what appeared to be a course that was short by about 0.05 - this was the second year for the race :)

2 mile WU w/ strides,

Splits: 5:51, 5:55, 5:53, 0:09 for the last 0.05

17:48 is a PR for this distance, nonetheless. 

 2.5 mi. CD jog with a couple of the guys

Overall, this was one of the best sports weekends I've probably ever had - I set 2 PRs and Kentucky advanced to the Final Four!!

GO CATS!!

Throughout the day - 3x20 pushups, 3x50 situps/crucnhes

PM run outside - 2 x 4 mi. easy:

4.2-34:34,

3.8-31:20

PM outside neighborhood loops run: 8 mi. easy - 5 mi. 42:17, 3 mi. - 25:21 

6.25 mi. easy bike to Mill Race Park -30:06,

7 mi run - buildup (7:52, 7:36, 7:25, 6:38, 8:12, 7:54, 6:00) - 51:37,

6.25 mi. easy bike home - 27:56

knee feeling tender - easy outside PM run

3.34 - 32:08 and

1.22 - 11:14 w/ dog

Nathan and I ran this race in Louisville, KY that finishes in Papa John's Stadium on UofL's campus.  This is a fun race, but the course is difficult.  Miles 2.5 thru 6 go through Iroquois Park which consists of several healthy climbs.  I definitely think that trying to push through these effected the later miles, as well.  Split times reflect as much:

6:17, 6:16, 6:35, 6:45, 6:37, 6:40, 6:20, 6:43, 6:45, 6:33

It was pretty awesome to be running on UofL's campus the morning of the Final Four match up with Kentucky.  Being a big Kentucky fan, I naturally had to wear all blue :)