I'm retired from racing. Really.

My first blog day was Feb 26 but I had been running since mid-Jan.  I'm estimating I had done ~100 miles in that period, so I'm putting that on here so my yearly total will be correct. 

8 miles at a medium pace on the beach in Florida.  Much better than running in the snow.

5 miles, from my house and along the Logan River golf course trail (aka Riverwalk).  Medium pace, especially since there was snow and ice on the track.  Night run.

2 very, very slow miles pushing the jogging stroller.  This was after a very fun, yet tiring, day of downhill powder skiing at the Beav.  First time I have tried running after skiing, and it didn't work.

Just curious- do you guys ever attempt to account for other forms of physical exercise as some sort of equivalent mileage?  For example, a day of skiing?  I also play 2 hours of basketball every Thursday and 2-4 hours of ultimate frisbee every Saturday.  Thoughts?

6 medium miles.  Loop from my house, through Providence to 300 S, to Blackhawk, to Riverwalk, then home.  Felt pretty good, especially the first half.  I need to get more sleep, though.  On pace for 35-37 miles this week, then 40+ next week.

4 miles at pretty easy pace around the neighborhood

Just over 11 miles with Paul and Cody, averaging around 8:00 pace.  Looped through Millville/Providence with a few hills.  Longest run this year by over 20 minutes, and I felt real good.  It was cold, though (somewhere around 0 deg F at the start, windchill below 0), and I enjoyed my eyelids almost freezing together.  Cody ran in shorts- I don't think he will do that again.

Snowshoeing, no run

10 medium pace miles.  Ran up Cliffside. 

5 medium miles along riverwalk trail.

I also donated blood today.  Do any other runners donate blood?  Do you slow down a bit on your next couple of runs after giving blood? 

8 miles in 1 hour with Paul, running a loop through River Heights/Providence/Millville.  Felt very good.  2 hours of basketball later in the day.

5 slow miles in Idaho Falls

13 medium paced miles (between 7:30 to 8:00) in Idaho Falls.  Felt kind of tired and sluggish the first half, but felt good coming back- I picked up the pace a fair amount the last 3-4 miles.  Perfect weather for a run (~40 deg, overcast).  I'm glad I got my 40 miles in this week even though I took Monday off.  I will run 6 days next week, 45-50 miles, with some hills and a bit of faster stuff.  3 more weeks till the Relay Del Sol.

7 miles on the Logan Canyon river trail.  Very enjoyable run, with lots of mud, snow, and ice.  Of course, that slowed me down on some sections, but still enjoyable.  Felt pretty good.

6.5 miles from my house, up to Providence canyon, and 1/2 mile into the canyon.  Lots of steady, uphill running to mimic some of my RDS legs.  Felt tired.

766- 85 miles

4 medium miles along riverwalk trail (29 minutes).  Felt pretty good.  Then played 1 1/2 hours of basketball after getting 4 cavities filled.

766-89 miles

10 miles today, out to the canal and along it, then home and around the neighborhood.  First 4 were at 7:22 pace, then next 3 were at 6:50.  Mile 8 was in 6:20.  The 8 miles felt tiring but good, and I'm glad to see I can pull a sub-6:30 out.  The final 2 miles were very slow (~8:30 pace) pushing the kid in the jogging stroller as a cool down. 

Finished by playing a few hours of basketball- good speedwork and very tiring.

766- 99 miles

5 very easy miles around Logan/Providence, running with the wife and the baby in the stroller.  Nice recovery run after a hard workout yesterday. 

766- 104 miles

15 miles at a somewhat easy pace, from start of the canal up the canyon to Guinivah Malibu campground.  I felt pretty crappy the first 4 miles, but then felt better the rest of the way.  I could feel that I was somewhat dehydrated and hungry, but it was a great run.  I love running in the mountains, especially when there is some slop, snow, and mud, and it was nice to run in a group (Paul, Dan, James, and Cody).  This run should help a lot with the Relay del Sol, since it was longer than all my legs combined.  Good day.

806- somewhere around 150 miles

9 miles- 3 up Green Canyon (still very snowy for most of the trail), 3 down, then 3 miles along the Bonneville Shoreline trail.  Lots of small to medium hills.  Got real muddy again.

806- 160 miles

Ran from my house (mile 21.5 on TOU course) back to mile 15.5, then home.  I ran 8:15 miles on the way out, then 7:30 miles on the way home.  While not the fastest times, I am pretty happy for 3 reasons- 1) I was pushing the baby and jogging stroller the whole way  2) It was raining pretty hard for much of the run and was windy, which really slows the stroller down, and 3) the stroller got a flat tire at the turnaround point, meaning I ran 6 miles with a flat tire and increased drag, including the hills on TOU course from miles 18 to 20.  Overall, a good run.

Total time 1:34:28

766- 116 miles

I ran from my house along the last 5 miles of the TOU course (very nice to have the miles marked), and then reversed the route.  I went out at 7:20 pace for the first 5 miles, then returned at 6:50 pace, which felt pretty good.  My last mile (mile 23 to 22 on the TOU) was a 6:30.  I felt good, which made me not feel quite so bad about taking yesterday off.  And being able to run 10 miles, with half of them under my goal time for RDS, sure helps me feel at least somewhat prepared for the race. 766- 126 miles

So my first toenail of the season has officially turned black.  It is not uncommon for me to be missing 4 or 5 toenails all running season.  And yes, my shoes are long enough- I think I curl my toes a bit when I push off.  Anyone else lose toenails on a regular basis?

6 miles at 10 pm as the first of my 3 runs in 15 hours.  Pretty easy pace (7:45/mile)

2nd of my 3 runs in 15 hours.  7 am, ran to Firehouse, then decided to follow Paul's lead and run the deer trail.  I ran up cliffside, along the deer trail to above fox hollow, then home through Providence.  Felt pretty tired and sluggish going up mountain road, but felt much better running the deer trail hills.  I lost one of my gloves, but drove up later and found it.

3rd run was at 12:30, meaning I did 3 runs (6 mile, 9 mi, 6 mi) in 14.5 hours. 

My 3rd run was from mile 21 to 18 and back along TOU course.  First 3 miles averaged 7:20 pace, 3 miles back was 6:40 pace, which I was pleased with supposing my mileage and that it was net uphill.  I actually felt quite a bit better in my 3rd run than my 2nd run.  I think I am in decent shape for the RDS (not great, but decent) and should be able to meet my 7:00/mile goal pace.  Supposing I only started running in February, I think I am doing ok.

Finished the day with 2 hours of ultimate frisbee (a little speedwork) and a 30 minute hike.  My legs are tired.

766- 147

6 easy miles with some of the RDS team.  First day running after missing Monday and Tuesday.  Went to the chiropractor for the first time ever on Tuesday and I am sore!

We leave tomorrow for RDS.

I have already read a few of the entries for the race from my teammates, and recommend reading them.  Paul's has more of a general overview and is rather humorous.  I recommend it.  Here is my report.

A group of us drove down Thursday night/Friday morning.  We met the rest of the team at the starting line in Wickenburg.  I was the last runner (runner 6) in van 1.  The race started well, with it quickly becoming apparent that our competition would be from the Google team.  The five runners in front of me ran great, though Google did manage to open up about a 4-5 minute lead on us.  After making my ritual 20 trips to the beloved port-o-podies (or so it seemed), my leg approached.  My first run started about 8:30 pm.  It was a short leg- 4.4 miles, though it was hilly the whole way.  I had not trained near as much as I should have (only 10 weeks of running), so my overall predicted pace was 7:00 miles, though this leg was supposed to be a 7:18 thanks to the hills.  I didn't like running along the highway for the first bit, but having a full moon was great.  I hit my first turn (1.4 miles) at 6:45 pace and was feeling good, though I knew I was (sadly) near my speed limit since my breathing kept trying to turn random and I had to force it to stay even (2 steps in, 2 steps out).  I then had a gradual uphill, gradual downhill, then somewhat steep uphill.  The second hill slowed me a bit, but not too much.  I finished with a nice downhill run and a time of approximately 30:30, 2 minutes faster than predicted but we were still 4 or 5 minutes behind Google.

We drove the exchange 12, where I took a very cold but wonderful shower and fell asleep for about 2 hours on a wrestling mat.  Having always been the 1st runner in my previous vans, I prefer being last so I can sleep longer.  Results continue on Saturday.

Part 2

Our team ran great leading up to my second leg.  Clyde had a very hilly leg with lots of turns- something I would have enjoyed.  Paul closed a lot on Google and I was only about 3 minutes behind them at the start of my leg.  I was slightly confused for the first half mile because I thought I missed a turn, but actually didn't.  My leg was 4.1 miles, with a constant ascent the whole time.  I pushed myself and passed 2 teams (the only ones I saw), finishing about 4 minutes under my predicted time (just under 7:00 miles again).  I was tired but happy.

The race got real exciting after this.  Van 2 ran great and closed the gap with Google to 20 seconds.  It's amazing that you can run 120 miles and be within 100 yards of a team.  Google pulled away a bit before my leg.  My leg was very short (3.3 miles) with one decent uphill, a steep downhill, and then some flat and gradual up.  I ran hard but was very tired.  I could definitely feel some fatigue in my legs on the downhill pounding.  I also thought the second half would be flatter and even some downhill rather than up, which was hard.  But, the "1 mile to go" sign came a lot quicker than I expected and I finished 2 minutes ahead of schedule (~6:16 miles).  I was glad to be done and was very hopeful would could catch Google.  Alas, it didn't happen, but we still took second place, 10 minutes behind Google and 90 minutes ahead of 3rd place.  It was very fun to have a team to race and they were great competitors and good sports. 

Overall, it was a very enjoyable race.  I met some nice new people, saw some beautiful country, and had a great time.  I will make sure to start training earlier before future relays so I can pull my own weight rather than dragging down the average time.  It shows you how great my teammates did when our average time was 40 seconds/mile faster than my time.  They were great runners and enjoyable teammates.  Thanks, guys.

Looking towards the future, I'm not sure if I will do this relay again.  I enjoyed it and am very glad I did it.  But I think I want to run some other relays (other Ragnars, Hood to Coast, etc) before I would consider repeating this one.  If they change it to run from Flagstaff to Phoenix, though, I would be back in a heartbeat.

I ran up Logan canyon today, from the start of the river trail all the way to Guinavah Malibu campground.  I felt great, with only a little soreness from the race last week.  I think it is 10.3 miles round trip, but one of you GPS guys will have to confirm this.  First 5 miles were about 7:40/mile pace.  Return trip was about 6:52/mile pace.  I really pushed it the last 2 miles and ran from the end of the singletrack to the car in 11:50, which I believe is about 6:10/mile pace.  Again, one of you GPS guys will have to tell me exactly how far it is.  Anyways, a great run.  The only bad part about the run is that the snow and mud are gone, so it wan't near as fun as last time.

806- 170 miles

766- 127 miles

I was planning to do 8 today, but my legs felt very tired the whole time and I ran out of time.  But, I still did 6 around the neighborhood pushing the kid.  I am feeling some fatigue still from the race, plus some from a pretty hard workout yesterday.  It was good to still get some miles in and be ready for a medium workout tomorrow.

766- 133 miles 

Did a nice run with Paul.  I felt much  better than yesterday.  I ran to the rec center, then we ran through the Island and Sumac, the first dam, back on the canal, to the rec center, and then home.  About 7:45/mile pace or so, I would guess.  Somewhere between 11.5 to 12 miles.  Nice to run with someone and plan our races for the year.

766- 144 miles

5.5 easy miles with Paul around the landfill loop.  I need to eat less vegetables at lunch.

766- 150 miles

Very good workout today.  I hadn't run more than 15 miles yet this year, and really wanted to get in a good 16 today.  I didn't drink enough during the day (dehydrated) and ran in the afternoon (i.e. rather warm), but still had a good run.  I ran up Blacksmith Fork canyon, from mile 13 of TOU up to mile 5 and back.  As a result, I have my splits.  I wanted to run ~7:45/mile uphill and ~7:00/mile downhill.  Here are the results:

Mile 1- 7:29

2- 7:36

3- 7:22

4- 7:19

5- 7:19

6- 7:43 (lots of up)

7- 7:17

8- 7:33

9- 7:00

10- 7:13

11- 7:02

12- 6:48

13- 6:55

14- 7:06

15- 6:38

16- 6:41

I could tell I was dehydrated the whole run.  My legs were absolutely burning for the last 4 miles, but I was glad to pull off a few sub 6:45 at the end.  I'm not sure I could have run even 1 mile more.  Uphill was good but tiring, and downhill was just tiring.  There was a nasty headwind on the way down which added to my fatigue.  But it was a good run supposing my short season thus far.  With 5 more months of hard training, I should be in good shape for the fall marathons.

Total: 1:55:10  Ave 7:25/mile up, 6:55/mile down. 

766- 166 miles

Good recovery run today.  I am fighting a cold, plus it is 45 degrees and raining outside, so at the start of my run I decided to do 4 miles instead of the originally planned 8.  As the run went on, though, I felt great, so just kept chugging along.  8 miles, 3 times along the logan riverwalk trail plus to and from home.  Started at 7:35 pace, finished closer to 7:15 pace, with a little surge to the finish line.  Total time: 59:26.

766- 174 miles

12 medium miles- from my house, up to dry canyon, along deer fence, past providence canyon, and about half way to Millville.  12 miles total, 90 minutes.  My right knee has been twinging for a while and it is starting to hurt more.  Hopefully I can figure out what it is and fix it.

806- 182 miles

1 mile with the wife and kid, then met Paul and Ben at the Stokes trailhead.  We ran up the river trail, taking the high singletrack route to spring hollow.  More hills than I had planned on (well, actually, it was only 1 hill, but probably 1 or 1.5 miles long), but I felt ok.  Back down to third dam, the on the river trail.  9.5 miles (more or less) in 77 minutes.  It was good to see Ben and hear how he was enjoying DC.  Oh, and if Paul tells you that you are almost at the top of the hill, don't believe him.

806- 193 miles

6 easy miles around the riverwalk trail pushing the baby stroller.  Recovery day for a long run tomorrow.

766- 180 miles

Long run today from Paul's house up the canyon to Guinavah Malibu and back.  Ran with Paul, James, Cody, Dan, and Mark (though I think I called him Matt).  Nice run.  I felt 100 times better than I did on my long run last week.  We weren't going to fast for most of it (8:00 pace or so) and it was very nice to be on trail.  We started picking it up once we hit the canyon road, sub 7:30 pace or so the rest of the way (last 4 miles or so).  The last mile was real fast, 6:06 Cody said, but I still felt great.  It gets me excited for this season.  Just have to keep training.  60-62 miles next week.  I plan to go up 5-7 miles per week till mid 70's, then start evening out and adding some speedwork.  Plan to do most of my summer at 75-90 mile weeks.

806- 211

10 miles today- from my house along the TOU course for 3 miles.  Then through the island and along the canal.  Then turn around and back home.  5 miles at 7:15 pace or so, then back at just under 7:00 pace.  Fly to Alabama tomorrow for a business trip.

New shoes- Omni 5- 10 miles

By the way, congrats to the Boston finishers.  Nice job in less than ideal conditions.

10 miles in Monte Sano state park, Huntsville, AL.  Nice trail run, with a surprising amount of hills.  It is rockier and root-ier than most my runs in Utah- it made me worried about twisting an ankle once it was getting dark.  I ran out of light before I got enough miles, so I drove back to my hotel and finished off with 3 miles on the treadmill in 22 minutes.  I really enjoy running in that state park.  While I agree with Paul that travelling makes getting in runs very difficult, I enjoy finding new locations to run.  My coworkers think I am weird because I always skip the steak dinners with them and go on my run, grabbing a sandwich later.  The weather here is nice (low 70's), but running here in the summer is also a pain due to the heat.  But it is fun to find nice trails and go exploring in new areas.

806- 224 miles.

I only had time for 2.5 miles late at night- the workout facility in the hotel closed at 10 pm and I didn't want to go running outside at night in Huntsville.  But at least I got a run in.

806- 226 miles

I got up early to fly back to Utah.  I arrived back in Logan at 6:30 pm and immediately drove to Stokes parking lot.  I did a 7.5 mile run.  My legs were very sore and sluggish (not surprising since I had been sitting all day in an airplane), but my times were actually decent.  I felt much better by the end of the run.  I had hoped to do 10-12 miles, but it was getting dark and I figured I should head home since my wife was expecting me around 6 pm.  I don't think I will make my 60 mile goal for the week, but that isn't surprising since I was travelling and working long hours.

806- 234 miles

I took 3 days off last week to try and get my knee better.  It didn't feel bad today, which is a good sign.  I did 13.5 miles with Paul- from my house to the rec center to the canal.  Then we hopped on pipeline trail- first time I had ever done it.  I didn't know it was there.  It was fun except we couldn't run on the pipe because it had been raining.   

I was pretty sore today and felt very sluggish, which is strange since I didn't run for 3 days.  We were going at a pretty good pace for me- in fact, I ran out of steam my last mile and went pretty slow.  But it felt good to get a nice medium run in at the start of the week.  Total time 1:42:11

766- 187 miles

10 miles up the river trail to Guinavah Malibu and back.  I felt much better than yesterday.  Up in 39:30 (7:54 pace).   I wanted to really push it on the way down, with a goal to come back 10% faster (7:06 pace), but I ended up coming back in 35:21 (7:04 pace), which was great.  Each mile was at least 10% faster coming back except for the singletrack above 2nd dam.  I had a very nice burn in my legs by the end.  I ran the last bit, from the end of the singletrack back to the parking lot (just under 2 miles), in 12:09, which is somewhere around 6:20 pace.  Nice run.

806- 244 miles

Easy 6 miles on river walk.  Felt tired and sore.  Good to have an easy day.  46:15

Omni 5- 16 miles

Easy 10 miles around the island pushing the baby.  Still felt fatigued- this week will be 9 miles more than any other this year.  Plan to do a medium 6-7 miles tomorrow in order to have a good long run on Saturday.

Omni 5- 26 miles

6.5 easy miles with Paul around the golf course trail and sw logan.

Omni 5- 32 miles

18 miles- from my house to mile 16 on TOU (5.6 miles, 42:30).  Then I turned around and ran the last 10.2 miles of the TOU course, with mile splits.

17- 6:57

18-6:57

19-7:00

20-6:56

21-6:49

22-6:54

23-6:30 (I inadvertently found myself in the middle of a 10k race, so kind of surged and enjoyed catching 10 people)

24-6:38

25-6:32

26-6:38

26.2- 1:29

Then 2.5 miles home.  I had hoped to be under 7:00/mile for the 10 miles, so was happy with the run. Felt very good.  I even ran into Mark Jorgenson on the way home- he was finishing a 21 miler, getting ready for Ogden Marathon.

Total time: 2:09  Now it's time to go play a few hours of frisbee!

Omni 5- 50 miles

Did about 7.5 or 8 medium pace miles with Paul winding through Providence.  Then I ran the landfill loop by myself.  It was hot and I was pretty tired by the end.  I figured I was about 13 miles and was curious what I could do when tired, so I ran a final mile on the track.  Splits were 1:42, 1:39, 1:36, and 1:33.  Total of 6:31 mile, which was pretty good since I was running very relaxed, not pushing too hard, plus it was hot and at the end of a good run.  Good run today.

766- 201 miles

12 miles, from my house to the canal to first dam.  Felt a bit tired from yesterday.  Started at 7:45 pace, finished at 7:10 pace.

Omni- 62 miles

6.5 easy miles with Paul and James around south Logan.  First time I had run with those two together.  Looking forward to my vacation, especially after the hectic day at work today.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/05/02/derailment.shuttle/index.html That is my rocket that derailed, plus I know the people who got hurt.  Not a fun experience.  My group is in charge of the rail cars, too.

Omni- 68 miles

4 easy miles at 7:30 pace.  I leave tomorrow on my 2 week vacation but I will try to report on my runs when I get back.  I hope to be ~60+ miles each week, though I think my long runs won't be as long. 

766- 205 miles

Ran 20 miles with James, from mile 1.5 on TOU to my house.  Good run, nice weather, but we somehow ran right by our second water stop (gatorade on the side of the road).  All miles were between 6:50 to 7:12 pace, with a 7:06 average.  Not bad for the first 20 miler of the year.  Time 2:22

Leaving on vacation now.  Thanks for the run today, James, and good luck to all at Ogden marathon.

766- 225 miles

10 miles in Zions national park.  Nice run.

14 miles, from my house to the canal and up to just below 2nd dam.  Out at 7:30-7:45 pace,  back at 7:30-7:15 pace, with a final mile of 6:53.  I felt like absolute crap the first 3-4 miles- stomach cramps, wanted to puke, bad headache.  Not at all how I normally feel.  I really thought of turning around at 4 miles but decided to keep going.  Felt better on the way back, at least a bit.  Still have the headache. 1:43:53 total time.

I will try to catch up my blog for the past 2 weeks from my vacation.  I did pretty good running the first week (including some gorgeous runs and very hard runs) around Zions and Bryce.  One run was 8 miles with 2300 feet ascent, 2300 descent.  One run had 850 feet gain in the first mile.  Fun!  I tweaked my knee pretty bad backpacking in the Grand Canyon the second week and didn't run again due to concern for it.  It twinged my whole run today.

Omni- 82 miles

I don't really want to talk about my runs this week.

766- 230 miles.

8 miles on canyon river trail.  Easy.  Nice weather, and the leaves have come out so everything is green.

Omni

18 miles.  From my house to canal up the canyon to 3rd dam- just over 10 miles in about 1:15.  Then Paul, Dan, Cody, and James picked me up and we drove to Temple fork, where we ran about 7.5 miles.  Pretty slow on the way up, faster down.  I had never done that trail before- it's pretty nice.  Finished off with 2 hours of ultimate frisbee.

806

 Here is my weekly mileage total since Feb 26, for the record.

Feb 26- 36

Mar 5- 41

Mar 12- 47.5

Mar 19- 52

Mar 26- 22.8

Apr 2- 49.5

Apr 9- 55

Apr 16- 33

Apr 23- 64

Apr 30- 66.5

May 7- 38

May 14- 6.5

May 21- 45

Shoe total- 806 295 miles, 766 230 miles, Omni 112 miles

12 miles- up Green canyon, then up the Preston Valley single track to above the wind caves.  I hadn't done this trail in 2-3 years- I had forgotten how steady the climb is, plus how technical the trail is.  Much harder than Jardine Juniper, for instance.  Good hill run, though.

Finished with 1.5 hours of frisbee.

806- 305

8 easy miles with the baby stroller, back and forth along the planet walk.  This run was previously known as the river trail, golf course trail, paved river trail, etc.  From henceforth, I dub thee "Planet Walk"- anyone who has run it recently should know why.

Oh yeah, I ran into Paul and helped an old lady look for her hat.  It was an exciting run.

Omni- 120 miles

I was supposed to do 14 or so today, but was supposed to help a friend move out of his house so only had time for 7.  That's ok, though, because my quads were very sore from Tuesday's run (my first hard downhill of the year) so I was going pretty slow.  Need more downhills to get my legs used to it.

Omni- 127

10 miles with the jogging stroller, around River Heights and the Island, all the way to Sumac.  Then wound my way back.  Warm outside, but my legs feel better.  Looking forward to tomorrow's run. 

Omni- 137 (I can't find my 766's right now so I only have 2 pairs of shoes)

I think I saw Dan towards the end of my run- I tried to catch him, but was too far behind.  Dan, did you run through River Heights/Providence around 7:30 pm?

2 miles of cross training this morning (frisbee).

Paul, Cody, Dan, and I met at 1 pm for a trail run.  Yes, it was hot- 88 deg in Logan when we got back, so I figure it was 75 or maybe even 80 deg on our run.  We did the Beaver Creek to Sink Hollow loop, which I had never done before.  Nice run, but too many ATV's and dirt bikes for my liking.  I felt ok on the first half but couldn't really get my legs going fast on the downhill portion- still decent pace, but I was struggling a bit for some reason.  I still finished the 13 miles in 1:42:36, which puts me at 7:53 average pace.  Not horrible for a trail run, but it wasn't steep so faster would have been better.  I did enjoy doing some nice downhill through a pine forest.

I was the only one without a GPS watch- and I am proud of it!  I will hold out!  Those guys are all slaves to their watches, now.

Paul was talking about Brautwursts for sale, so I stopped by the stand after and ate 2.  Yum yum.  Plus some ice cream and pop.

52 miles for the week- I was hoping for 70, but missed Monday and my Thur run was about 7 short due to time.  I will plan for 65-70 next week, which may be hard since I will be in hot Florida for 4 days.

806- 318 miles

It was hot after work, so I didn't run until after dinner at 8 pm.  I made up a new run, partly because I didn't want to run up the canyon and partly because I knew I would need water, since it was still above 80 deg when I started.

See if you can map this run- the park run.  I went from my house to Ryan's Place Park (River Heights) to Merlin Olsen park to Adams park to campus, stopping by the quad and the hyper fields.  Then I ran to Hillcrest park, Lundstrom park, up to 1500 N, down to 800 E (passing the USU soccer fields and Romney stadium), stopped by Old Farm for more water, ran to Mt Logan Middle School, all the way to Logan High School, over to the Cache County fairgrounds, Willow park, the golf course, then ran into Providence where I stopped by Alma Leondhart park before coming home.  Lots of parks!

I started ~7:40 pace, did most of my run around 7:00-7:15 pace, and finished under 7:00 pace.  It was still warm, but there wasn't too much traffic, so I didn't mind running on the roads.  15 miles, 1:50:45. A great run to start the week.

I am happy to report that the people of Logan are very active.  I saw frisbee games, football, softball, volleyball, croquet, and even a game of red rover.

Now, here is the challenge- what big parks did I miss?  First dam, the park near Blackhawk, and Spring creek middle school are the ones I can think of.  Let's see if any of you can find a route with more major parks that isn't any longer than mine.

766- 245

8 easy miles around the island.  1.5 hours ultimate frisbee.  I leave tomorrow for Florida.

Omni- 143

YEEHAW!

I'm in Florida now.  I ran in Logan before I left- 40 deg and raining.  I felt great.  8 miles, from my house to planet walk, 3 times along it.  I wanted to go fast.  I started at 6:30-6:35 pace, and got faster from there.  Felt like I was slowing mile 5, but my time was faster.  Finished at 6:10 pace.  8 miles, total time 50:47.  Great run, it felt good to go fast. 

I was going to run 4 miles once I got to Florida, but I have to wake up in 5 hours.  Tomorrow.

766- 253

0 miles today, which is too bad since my week was looking like a definite 70 miles and now 60 will be good.

I only got 3 hours of sleep last night before having to go into work early in the morning (late flight).  Then, I worked a very long day and didn't get to my hotel until 10 pm.  Needless to say, no run, which is too bad since I was looking forward to running on the beach.

I was at Kennedy Space Center to watch the shuttle launch, which was an amazing experience.  A few hours before the launch, I ran 10 miles.  5 of the miles were on deserted roads on the base that had water filled canals on both sides, with alligators all over.  It sure made my heart beat faster the whole time to hear strange noises and keep jumping.  When you are running 20 feet away from an 8-10 foot long alligator with nothing between you and him, it lets you know you are alive and makes the run anything but just another training run.  And, once again, the shuttle launch was awesome.

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Last week was very long and tiring with little sleep.  I just could not get out the door for my long run on Saturday.  So, I did it today- 20 miles.  It was 80 deg or so when I started (5 pm).  I ran to the canal and up Logan canyon to just short of Guinavah Malibu.  I felt great at first- 7:15 to 7:30 miles.  By mile 6, though, I was tired- far more tired than I should have been, though I was not slowing down.  I started slowing by mile 7, although I tried not to.  My legs just had no energy (not a whole body fatigue, just legs- I think it is because I did not eat much food over the weekend).  I completed my whole run, but had slowed to well below 8:00 pace by the end.  The heat did not help, but my legs were just exhausted.  Now I travel to Alabama tomorrow- I am very tired of travelling for work.  Travel, 60 hour weeks, eating out, being in the hot south, and strange locales all make meeting my mileage goals difficult.

To bed now. 20 miles, 2:35.  Just glad to get the run over with and start the week with some good miles.

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AM- 5 miles at 5:30 am along planet walk.  Felt a bit tired, but better than yesterday.

Flew to Huntsville, AL, where I will be the rest of the week.

PM- 4 miles on a treadmill in the hotel right before dinner.  I wanted 1 more mile but had to meet my group for dinner.  Plus, I am almost at 30 miles for the week- 3/4 of my total for last week already.

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Omni- 157

10 miles in the evening resulted in a late dinner.  Hopefully I can get some or all of my miles tomorrow morning.

Omni- 167

8 miles in the evening.  Did a bit of a tempo for 1 mile at 5:50 pace.

Omni- 175

6 easy miles in the morning.  Getting ready for the race tomorrow.

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I did the Clarkston Gunsight Gallop as a warm up for WBR next week.  Went about 90-95%, not all out racing.  There are only 50-100 or so runners, but it was a very competitive race for the size.  I have to say, though, it was HOT!  I wanted to be under 18:00 at least.

First mile was gradual downhill and then flat- 5:34, 4th or 5th place.  A dog was chasing my at the 1/2 mile mark during the warm up, but he was gone by the time the race started.  I was hoping he would actually still be around, maybe to slow down the 1st place guy some.  2nd mile was pretty flat, a few small rollers- 5:46.  Felt pretty good and passed a bunch to move into 2nd place.  1st place guy was a minute ahead- ends up he is a high school student who just finished the track season.  2nd mile is rather pretty, with a nice loop through the Clarkston cemetary.  3rd mile was gradual uphill- 6:02.  One guy gradually closed on me and passed me with 1/4 mile left.  I caught him with 50 meters to go, but used my extra energy catching him so he pulled away.  I really hate getting out-kicked.  But my time was 17:24, 5:48 average, which I was pretty happy with.  That is my estimated 10k pace and is about dead on for my fitness level.  Supposing I haven't done a single speed workout yet but have just been building my base, this wasn't too bad.  I also arrived home from Alabama last night after midnight (22 hour day!!!) and was so tired from a long week that I took a 4 hour nap this afternoon.  I was worn out.

58 miles this week- started with a long run, then had to fight to get the rest of the miles on a business trip, not too bad.

Also, I promised I would tell everyone how my wife did.  She goes on walks, but has not run for months.  She had to push the baby stroller and wanted to break 40 minutes.  Actual time- 28:31.  Good job, babe!

12 miles, from my house to the canal, then 2.5 times along the canal.  Wanted to do a moderate, even pace and the canal (1.33 miles long) is great for that.  Started at 7:15/mile pace, worked down to ~6:50 pace for most of the workout, then dropped to 6:40-6:45 for a few miles.  The last mile was 6:20 and I felt pretty good- fast leg turnover and no aches or pains, not even in my knees.  Total time 1:23:40, 6:58 pace.

Question- my goal marathon pace is 6:00/mile.  So, what would be my threshold pace and VO2 max pace?

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Nice, easy, and hot medium-distance run with the kid and jogging stroller.  Planet walk, then over the blackhawk park, loop around some, then reverse the route. 

Finished with 90 minutes of frisbee (though I wasn't playing particularly well).  Does life get any better?

Omni- 190

Met James and Paul at first dam and ran up to Guinavah Malibu and back.  Pretty easy pace, more of a "get the miles in" kind of run.  Came back a bit faster, but averaged just over 8:00 pace.  Hot day, though the shade was nice.  I think all three of us talked the other's ears off but we solved all the problems in the world.  On pace for a pretty good week, even with the race.

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6 easy miles (7:15-7:20 pace, last one under 7:00), twice along planet walk plus to and from my house.  I saw 5 or 6 snakes and 1 deer.  The snakes are typical, the deer was a first time occurance.  Strange to see him in the middle of town.

BBQ later with half the WBR team.  The race should be great.

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4 easy miles around noon to get the legs loose.

Met the WBR team at Paul's house at 3 pm, headed over to Merlin Olsen park at 4 pm.  Sasha started at 5 pm and it was hot!!!  95 deg or so.  I was in the second van with Dan, Walter, Drew, Clyde, (I was runner 11, so this is my spot) and James.  We drove to Liberty and waited for van 1 to finish- they showed up around 9 pm, 15 minutes behind Weber (thanks to a wrong turn), 2 minutes ahead of BYU.  I had to wait until 10:15 pm for my leg, by which time BYU had a 6 minute lead on us. 

My first leg was very hard, climbing 900 feet in 2.9 miles before dropping 360 feet in the last mile, half the road up to Powder Mountain ski resort.  I took the baton and immediately passed a team, then did not see anyone else the rest of the way.  The uphill climb was lonely, hard, dark, but a good temperature.  I felt like I was moving too slow (I was supposed to average 7:00 min/miles for the whole leg), but was borderline anaerobic so knew I could not go any faster.  After what seemed like an eternity (just over 22 minutes), I reached the top and the 1 mile left sign.  I absolutely flew on the downhill- my team could see my little headlamp and thought I was a biker, I was moving so fast.  They and the exchange volunteers started cheering me on from 1/2 mile out.  My last mile was under 5 minutes (probably 4:50 or so).  My running brakes had given out, so it was a good thing there was a small rise right before the exchange to slow me down and hand off to James.  Total time 27:05 (12 seconds slower than projected) and rather tired.  It is hard to not get your first leg until after 10 pm.

After James finished his first leg, we drove to East Canyon lake, where I was able to lay down and got somewhere between 1 to 1.5 hours of sleep.  Then van 1 arrived and it was our turn again.  BYU was 5-10 minutes ahead.  My van had some very hard, long legs but did awesome though many of them felt horrible (throwing up, etc).  I rode in the van until my next leg, leg 23.  It was pretty easy- 4.6 miles with rolling hills and a net gain of 112 feet.  Clyde handed off to me around 4:30 in the morning.  I started off fast and felt great, even on the uphills.  I passed 11 people but really didn't have anything to gauge my pace until I crossed the freeway at 3.2 miles (under 20 minutes, just slow of my 6:09/mile projected pace).  I finished strong with a time of 27:32, 44 seconds faster than projected.  I felt very energized and enjoyed this leg- nice cool weather, not uphill, and actually had runners to pass.  My second leg last year (Trappers loop) was also my best, which is interesting.  My overall fatigue/lack of sleep hit me right when I finished, though, but I forced myself to eat and drink a bunch while we waited for James and drove to Midway.

At Midway, I got 30-60 minutes sleep on the grass before it was time to run again.  My van did great (Dan passed 50+ teams on his leg), with Drew and Clyde showing their intestinal fortitude with fast times up Ragnar (combined 7.6 miles, 3100 feet up in 68 minutes- under 9 minute miles while running straight up a mountain).  My last leg ran the final 0.9 miles to the top of the mountain, then was a quad-burning, lung-busting, body-cramping 2.8 miles more with 1200 feet down, with probably 900 feet of descent in 1.8 miles (almost 10% grade).  I reached the top in 6:00 min (6:30 pace uphill, so I was happy), then started the screaming downhill.  It was awesome, but painful.  My body did not cramp up, though I have some very nice raw spots on my heels.  I was running as fast as I could, barely having time to see where I was stepping and almost tripping a few times.  I did the first 1.5 miles downhill in 7 minutes (4:40/mile pace).  I hit a small incline and slowed down a touch, but tried to regain my speed on the downhill again.  Then, with about 1/2 mile left, there was a rather large and very, very unexpected uphill (it probably wasn't more than 200 meters long, but seemed huge).  It slowed me to what felt like a crawl.  I finally crested it and resumed a more gradual downhill, running at maybe 5:30-6:00 min pace to the exchange.  Total time 20:56, 5:39 average (this seems a bit slow given how fast I was running, either meaning the uphill took longer than I thought or the leg was a bit long).  I was exhausted and had run out of gas, not surprising given how hard I was running on the first 3 miles plus the total relay with little sleep.  James took the baton and we drove to the finish, running across as a team in 18 hours 30 minutes.  It was a great race and a priviledge to run with the team.  I look forward to doing it next year and giving Weber/BYU more of a run for their money.

One funny note on the last leg- half way down I caught a runner who didn't want me to pass him.  He hung with me for a minute, then asked what team I was on.  I answered and repeated the questionvto him.  He told me he started at 8 am, and I told him we started at 5 pm.  He immediately slowed down a ton and said, "then I don't feel so bad about letting you pass me."  As I pulled away, he shouted "How old are you?"  I answered, "28" and then heard him say, "Holy crap."  I was too far away to ask what he meant by that, but since he was definitely younger than me, I think he felt I was real old.  28 is just reaching the distance running peak and I don't feel old, but I imagine I will have many more experiences like this in life.

Good race.  I slept the whole drive home and for about 4-6 hours once we arrived.

I hoped to get a good 16 mile run in today, but was sorely mistaken.  Get it- sore-ly?  Ok, sorry, bad joke.

I hoped I could get a 12 mile run in but was very, very sore still so figured I would see what happened.  I looped around the island a bit, then ended up on the canal and ran it back and forth twice.  My pace was 8:00-8:15/mile, and I was sore.  I could feel the soreness in my legs with each step.  Finally, after 8 miles, I decided to try and do the last 4 miles a bit quicker (though I was happy just to be able to run all 12 miles).  I hoped to at least be sub-8:00, but I must have felt a bit better than I thought.  I did the last 4 miles in 29:33, 7:22 average.  Good run supposing how sore I was, and a good start to 70 miles this week (hopefully).

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2 hours of frisbee and an easy run.  Just a tinge of lingering soreness.  Hot- about 90 degrees at 7 pm.  I feel sorry for the St. George people in the real heat.  But I can understand how they feel- I can never run in the mornings (except Saturdays), so usually have to either run in 90+ deg or wait till after 8 pm, which my wife doesn't like since it makes dinner so late.

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I got home from work late but it was still 91 deg when I started my run.  I wanted to run in the shade so I ran over the planet walk and ran it back and forth... 6 times.  Must be a record.  But it sure beats a treadmill, which is what the St George guys were talking about for afternoon runs.  I did the first 12 miles at 7:20-7:30 speed, then did the last two at 7:03 and 6:40 pace.  Good run, especially given the heat.  The soreness from WBR is about gone.

14 miles, 1:42:36

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1.5 hours of great frisbee (you missed out, James) and a run up Logan canyon.  Felt very tired- I think it is a combination of not eating enough recently, dehydration, and not enough sleep.

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Supposed to do 8, but only had time for 7.  Ran to Merlin Olsen park, then to the planet walk and then home.  Hot (above 95 deg).  Pushed the kid the whole time.  Long run tomorrow- plan to be above 70 miles this week!

Omni- 215

Long run this morning- it is so nice to be able to run in the cool mornings at least one day per week.  Started at Hollow Road, ran 3 miles and met James.  We ran up Blacksmith Fork till the Hyrum hydro park- easy pace up (especially the first mile with a VERY strong headwind).  We did some marathon pace miles on the way down- 2 fast miles (5:56, 5:58), then 1 slow, 2 more fast (5:51, 6:00- mile marker may have been a bit off), 1 slow, then 1 more fast (6:03, which isn't bad since we ran most of the way up the big hill into Hyrum).  Added a few more miles to make 20 even.  I felt pretty tired by the end- my legs were out of energy.  But it was nice to get 70 miles this week.

Did some ultimate frisbee afterwards, which I will count as a cross train mile to get me to 70 for the week.  Then went and watched Paul and Cody finish the Logan Peak run- what a course!  5 1/2 hours for 26 miles!  Good job, guys- I imagine they are taking a nap now but will write later.

Omni- 235

I've been planning to do Jardine Juniper for some time, but ended up having to watch the kid so couldn't go.  I did get 6 miles in on the river trail, then went home and got the jogging stroller.  I ran 4 miles, stopped to watch Marci playing tennis, then did about 5-6 more miles.  Not sure total distance- 2:00:01, exactly, but wasn't quite moving 7:30 pace.  We'll call it 15.5 miles.  (I later checked it on mapmyrun.com and it was 9.54 miles, meaning my 15.5 total was dead on).  That puts me at 36 miles in my last 2 runs.  Definite easy day tomorrow.

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I found this article very interesting, and thought some of you might, too.  Lots of runnings stats- 6 pages worth.  I liked that 11.6 million Americans ran at least 100 days last year- that's only 3.8% of the population.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,sssssss6-243-297--10909-1-1X2X3X4X5-6,00.html

6 easy miles with 5-20 second striders thrown in.  New shoes- tangents.  Race tomorrow.  Sleep now.

Tangent- 6

Freedom Run 15k today down Blacksmith Fork canyon into Hyrum. It would be a good judge of where my fitness was, with my first decent race. I wanted to be at least under 55 min. I couldn't sleep last night- maybe 4 hours, waking up at 4 am. Tried to sleep more, then just got up. Did 2 miles warm up, then ate and waited for Cody and James to arrive. We drove to the start, where we did another few miles warm up, waiting for the start. It was delayed due to lots of race day signups.

Race finally started with a very deep field for the size- maybe 300 runners. Perfect weather- cool, a bit of a tail wind for a few miles. Wanted to start slow and Cody was happy to run with me. First mile was 5:41- a bit faster than I wanted, but felt good. Big pack ahead of us, we were in 13-14 place, with us in an empty spot (how I like it!). Second mile was 5:50, then 5:54. Picking off a few runners. We caught 2 guys who tried to tail us, so I picked it up to lose them. Cody dropped but one guy stayed with me. Fourth mile 5:38, then 5:39. Still feeling good past the half way mark, but hoping the hill doesn't make me pay for my surge. 5:42 for mile six. We hit the hill and I got up it pretty good- 6:02 mile for mile seven. I passed a guy right at the top- running up it last week in training paid off. I was now in 9th place- it sure if fun to pass people all race rather than get passed. 5:56 mile for the next mile (a bit uphill still), then picked it up with a 5:41. Last mile same pace as first. 0.3 mile in 1:48 for a total time of 53:56 and 9th place. Boosted my esteem for the marathon. Felt good and relaxed and enjoyed the race. James was a minute ahead of me, Cody 30 seconds behind. Good job and thanks for the race, guys. 2.5 miles cool down. 

I looked up previous results and found my time would have put me in second place the past 2 years.  Looks like the race is growing.

New Tangent shoes felt great. Tangent- 20.

Met up with Jeff Shadley in Idaho Falls.  We did a nice morning run together- I felt good even though we were trucking along pretty good (6:50/mile pace, maybe), plus I only slept 9 hours the past 2 nights combined.  8.75 miles with Jeff, plus a mile warm up and a mile (plus a bit) cool down.  Enjoyed running with him and am meeting him again tomorrow for a short run.  Good run, very nice to run in the cool morning, good conversation.

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Met Jeff at 6 am.  60 degrees- pretty nice (a lot better than 90 deg in St George).  We did a loop up to the river and around the trail there.  9 miles, probably 7:10-7:20 pace average (or so).  Logan should have developed their river like that.  A long run tomorrow will put me around 75 miles for the week. 

Omni- 255

Still in Idaho.  Didn't start my run till after 10 am (saw a late showing of Transformers last night- great movie!).  Ran around community park, and wound my way around the cemetery, to the river and Fremont park.  Felt like I doubled my mileage by running from tree to tree to try to stay in the shade- it was hot!  Felt like crap for the first 3-4 miles, but pushed on and felt better.  1:40:57- probably 13.5 to 14 miles, so I will round down.  Hot.  Hope to get an easy 3-4 in later today.

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Just over 3 miles around first dam to warm up, then met Cody and James and drove to Jardine Juniper trail.  My favorite run, first time this year.  Finally.

We didn't push it too hard going up but it was definitely hot.  Very steady climb (1850 feet total).  We saw a mom and baby moose.  Great views and pretty scenery, including at the tree.  Fast but relaxing run down.  Cody's watch said 10 miles but utahmountainbiking.com says 11.4.  I'll go with Cody, though effort wise it is definitely closer to 12 miles.

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4.5 miles with Paul on the planet walk.  Like he said, "Hot!"  Then ran some on the Logan track and around the neighborhood by myself before going to frisbee.  Recovery miles- the next 2 days should be harder, 12-14 miles each.  I may be able to sneak in my first 2-a-day of the year, too.

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[Announcer]:  This week on The Running Channel: It's animal week!  You may remember our show two days ago when we introduced you to a mother and baby moose, as well as a couple of more domesticated animals, horses.  Today's program continues by exploring Logan Canyon with our host, Jon.

[Jon]:  Thanks for joining me today.  Let me tell you about today's run and the animals we encountered on it.  The run started at the canal trail and wound it's way to the mouth of Logan Canyon, continuing all the way to Guinavah Malibu campground.  We wanted to see plenty of wildlife so we didn't start the run until after 7:30 pm, figuring the animals would be out around dusk once the oppresive heat of the day was gone.  We started at a fairly easy pace, between 7:30-8:00 minutes per mile on the way up, and it was a good thing, too.  Had we been going any faster, we might have stepped on the rattlesnake that was stretched across the gravel trail just below Third Dam.  It was a beautiful diamondback, stretching 3 or 3 1/2 feet long and as big around as a tennis ball.  It could easily eat my water bottle whole.  After observing him and waiting for him to get off the trail, the run continued.  There were plenty of birds and small mammels, and a large number of canines, but nothing larger.  At least not yet.  Join us after this commercial break for the return trip.

[Commercial break] This show is brought to you today by New Balance shoes and shirt, Pearl Izumi shorts, and the letter N.

[Jon]:  After turning around at the 7.5 mile mark (60 min running time), we quickly ran into a very large animal in the brush just above the trail.  I didn't get a good look but am sure it was a deer.  The next animal was of the slightly smaller version- insects.  They were out in large number tonight along the trail and river, and I tried to identify specific species by swallowing them, inhaling them, and getting them stuck on my chest and in my eyes.  Alas, I was never able to conclusively determine what they are.  It was getting dark at this point, so the return trip was slightly faster, between 7:00-7:30 pace for the first 3 miles.  Once I reached the end of the singletrack, I increased the pace to around 6:30 per mile and tried to maintain that the rest of the way, hoping to cover more distance and observe more animals.  I was richly rewarded as I rounded a corner near the Nature Center and startled a deer on its way to the river.  We raced for a while before he veered into the brush.  The run exited the canyon but there was one more exotic animal to be seen on this journey.  Just before the canal trail, I passed the elusive and speedy Polpy, also known as Paul P. in some parts of the country.  This creature  relies on speed to escape predators/competition, and is indiginous to Indiana but has migrated to Utah and integrated himself quite well with the local habitat, though he did stand out with his reflective vest this evening.  Polpy escorted me back to my car, and also confirmed that my pace was sub-6:30, which was good to hear.  By this point it was 10 pm and dark, so I ended my animal trek for the evening.  Return trip was 52:45 for 7.5 miles, giving an overall average pace of 7:31 min/mile.

[Announcer]:  Join us tomorrow when Jon journeys up the new singletrack in Green Canyon in search of the rare mountain lion.  This week on The Running Channel: Animal Week!

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First did 8 miles up Green Canyon- up in 36 minutes, down in 27.  Didn't see a mountain lion, but I did see 3 deer (only 10 meters away from one) and a garter snake.  Then went straight to campus and played 1 1/2 hours of awesome ultimate frisbee- great speed work!  Then, since it was now cool (9:30 pm) and my wife is gone this week, I decided to do a few more miles in the evening rather than wake up at 4 am tomorrow for a run.  I drove to the planet walk and ran along it a few times.  Total of 14 miles, home at 10 pm again.

Report on new Green Canyon singletrack:

The new singletrack starts about 3/4 of the way up the canyon (I kept turning on small trails too early, thinking I was there, but was wrong).  It starts on the left (west) side and actually heads the wrong direction for a bit before switching back.  You get a nice climb on the west side before coming back and crossing the road.  After crossing, there is a short section of singletrack before hitting a jeep trail that dumps you back on the main road.  However, right after you hit the jeep trail, there is a path to a campground on the right (east)- GO TO THE CAMPGROUND!  The singletrack picks up again at the back of the campground and then continues almost all the way to the end of the road.  It is a nice trail and certainly changes the feel of the canyon run.  Nice to get off the road and away from ATV's.  The singletrack adds a bit of distance too the run, probably 1/4 mile or so each way.  This is perfect since the run to the end was about 3.7 miles each way, so now it is real close to 4.  One of you GPS slaves should run this and tell me if I am right.  I definitely like the addition, though.

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I had to be home from my run by 6 pm so had to back out of a run with Paul and Cody.  Given the heat, I did the old reliable shady trail- planet walk.  A few loops on it were just what I needed.  Pace was 7:15-7:30/mile.  7 miles total.

New shoes- Mizuno Wave Ascend 2, trail shoes.  Felt great, look good.  7.

Met Cody and Paul and drove up into Franklin Basin.  We ran 8 miles up Franklin Basin road at a slow pace (8:30-9:00 miles or so), but it was gravel and averaged 4% uphill (1500 feet uphill total).  We turned around and averaged under 6:30 for the way back- in fact the last three were under 6:00 pace, as fast as 5:45 or so.  It was nice to know I can run that fast at the end of a long week and pretty good run.  The weather was great- first cool run this whole week.  The temp was 50 deg or so, rather than all my other runs which have been above 85-90 deg.  No animals to note other than a bunch of cows.  Time 2:00:27.

After the run, I drove to campus and ran 2 miles on the grass.  Then I played 2 hours of awesome (yet hot) ultimate frisbee- little bit of cross training.  Finally went home for breakfast at 12:30 pm.  Good mileage for the week.

Ascend- 25- You know it's a real, real good week when you wear trail shoes 5 out of 6 days!

One item of note- 4 of my runs were on trail.  I noticed that if you add up the time I was running on those trails and assume that I were instead running at a descent pace (say 7:00-7:15 miles) for that same time, I would have ended up with about 4 more miles for the week, putting me at 81.  So trail runs are much funner and easier on my body but slightly lower my mileage.

It was very hot after work and I wasn't in the mood for a run.  So, I ate dinner and then did the best thing to make myself run- I had my wife drop me off later somewhere and I had to run home.  She dropped me off at the start of the river trail, and I ran up to almost Guinavah Malibu (Cody, that is the correct spelling)- about 5 miles in 38:36.  Then I ran down, starting to push the pace a bit at the end of the singletrack (34:59 down, including 13:00 for the last 2 miles).  I tried to stay between 6:45-7:00 the rest of the way home (just over 5 more miles)- I did the last 4 in 28:13, so I was a hair slow.  However, it was completely dark so I'm sure that slowed me down some, especially on the canal.  All in all, a good run supposing I didn't want to get started.

Hope to get 80+ miles this week, but it is very doubtful since I will be travelling Wed-Fri.

Ascend- 40

I was hoping to do 12 or so, but felt horrible on the run- it was very hot, I was tired, and I had trouble maintaining 8:00 pace.  So I cut it short rather than continue a pointless run.  But at least I got some miles in.

Fly to Alabama tomorrow morning.

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Only had time for 8 miles on the hotel treadmill.  2 warmup, 4 tinman tempo (6:30 min/mile), 2 cool down. 

Omni- 277

I did what has become my normal Monday evening run- up Logan canyon in the evening.  Started at the canal at 8 pm, ran up the canyon and back.  Still hot, but not as many bugs as previous weeks.  Didn't finish till 10:15 pm.  I think my few days off turned my legs into jelly, cause they were both very tired and sore by the end of the run.

Acsend- 54

Took the day off work, so I got a morning run.  Wow, that was NICE!  So nice not to run in 90+ degree weather!  I really wish I could do that every day- I know my training would be better/faster if I wasn't always fighting the heat.  Morning run was from my house along TOU course to the finish line, then back, plus a bit more.  Started at 8:00 pace, steadily and continuously picked up the pace with the last mile under 7:00 pace.  9.5 miles.

I spent most of the day outside watching my daughter while my wife played in a volleyball tournament with her sister.  They won it, never losing a match.  I didn't drink or eat much, so figured I would be a bit tired for my afternoon run.

Afternoon run started at Green canyon parking lot, ran about 2.5 miles up the canyon.  In the RAIN.  Yep, it was raining for the first time in almost 2 months.  It was glorious and cool and refreshing.  Sounds like a Sprite commercial.  Turned around, ran down to Bonneville Shoreline trail, ran to first dam, then up to USU campus, winding my way around a bit, finishing at the quad.  Finished with an hour of good frisbee.  Very tired.  11 miles.

35 miles in 25 hours.  More miles already tha ALL of last week.

Omni -287

766- 315

This is my first week with 2-a-days, which means waking up at the butt crack of dawn.  Earlier, actually.  Morning run started before 4:30 am- ouch!  5 miles from mile 21.5 to 24 and back on TOU course.  Started at 8:10 pace, finished at 7:25 pace.  Felt ok considering how many miles I have run and how tired I am.  Way too early for a run and not even cool out- close to 70 degrees.  38:25 time.  2-a-days are very hard for me when I have to get up so early.

Evening run- 6 easy miles with Paul on river trail.  51:51.  Might have been a hair longer than 6, cause 8:30 pace seems a bit slow.  It was humid and there was a very pretty mist/fog over the river and especially over the lakes- rather dense on the lakes.  I thought it was very pituresque (sp?).

Omni- 292

I now have 6 pairs of running shoes. 

Road shoes: Saucony Omni 5 (292 miles), NB 766 (315 miles)

Trail shoes: Mizuno Wave Ascend 2 (60 miles), NB 806 (332 miles)

Racing shoes: Saucony Tangent 2 (20 miles), Nike Elite (not sure- probably 100 miles)

Since I just bought the Tangents, I think my Elites will be changed to road shoes/lightweight trainers since both of my other road shoes are getting up there in years.

Met Cody at my house (we figured it was the first time just the two of us had run together).  Ran to planet walk and then looped around to the Blackhawk park.  I wanted to do 5x1200 meter repeats, but the loop we did ended up being 0.92 miles (1472 meters) so we only did 4.  It was my very first speed workout of the year, so I was hoping for 5:30-5:40 pace.  I did them in 5:06, 5:07, 5:08, and 5:06, with 2.5 minutes recovery.  Very consistent, but I would have liked to get faster with each one.  Cody kicked my butt on the last 2 and beat me by 4 seconds on the last one.  My legs felt ok, my lungs were slowing me down.  But it was very nice to have someone to do speed work with rather than hammering them out alone.  Ran home via planet walk.  10.25 miles (it's official- from Cody's GPS) in about 1:15.

Followed the run with almost 2 great hours of frisbee.  I ran even more than usual- it was a great game.  You all should join me sometime- very fun, good cross training and speed work.  I'll count it for 2.25 crosstraining miles, given how hard I was working.

Elite- about 110 miles.

6 easy miles, two times on planet walk, pushing the jogging stroller.  Easy, not timed.  I saw Dan walking with his wife and 2 dogs and talked to him for a minute.

766- 321

Cody and James came to my house and we drove to TOU start and ran to my house, 21.6 miles or so.  We ran all the miles between about 6:45-7:15 pace, with most within a few seconds of 7:00 pace.  Finished up a bit faster, with our last .6 at 5:43 pace (or something like that).  Average worked out to 6:51/mile pace.  Felt pretty good, though I was thirsty and my legs were defintely tired by the end.

Followed workout immediately with over 2 hours of good ultimate frisbee.  Cody's watch said he moved over 5 miles during the game.  I usually figure it is equivalent to about a mile per 45 min to 1 hour.  I'll call it 2.5 miles today.

This is the second most mileage I have ever done in a week, I believe.  Lots of mileage.  At least for now, I am top of the blog mileage board.  Some of the guys haven't run yet today, though, so I don't think I'll be there for long.  Maybe I'll have to do another 10,000 mile day.

Omni- 314

Ran a bit at first dam, then met Cody and drove to right hand fork.  We did the Ricks Canyon to Steel Hollow loop- about 12 miles with 2200 feet up and 2200 feet down (or so).  Didn't push it on the uphill, but were still working (Cody commented that our 9:30/mile pace up had him at the same heartrate as our 7:00/mile pace run last Saturday).  Ran down Steel Hollow, which is an awesome downhill singletrack.  We were moving faster but it was getting dark so eventually slowed down.  Plus I twisted my ankle pretty good, which gave me a little scare.  Saw lots of cows, 1 deer, no people.  Good run.  Definitely the most dirty/dusty legs of the year.  Time 1:43:30- effort was same as 14 miles, but run was warmup plus 11.8.

Ascend- 72.

I was supposed to run 14 miles after work, but it didn't work out.  Between 95 degree heat and a sore ankle from yesterday, I decided a few miles into my run to switch with tomorrow's schedule and make today the easy day.  Planet walk, 7 miles.  Now we will just see if I can get 2 medium runs in tomorrow.

Elite- 117

Ran with Paul from rec center up past the nature center and back.  I don't know what I ate, but after having to take my third port-a-potty stop in 5 miles, Paul couldn't wait and finished ahead of me.  I added some extra miles looping through the island and around Logan High.  We watched the mountains burning.  Ankle hurt pretty bad- I'll have to ice it tomorrow during work.

Omni- 325

1.5 mile warm up, then ran the length of the canal 3 times (1.33 miles each time) as a tempo run with only a few seconds rest in between each one.  First one was 8:17 (6:13 pace), second one was 8:25 (6:19 pace- tired), third one was 7:55 (5:56 pace).  Tired by the end.  Then I ran about 4-5 miles or so with Cody, drove to campus, and ran another couple miles around USU.  Finished with an awesome game of frisbee- very fun with lots of running/cross training.

766- 333

6 miles at 4 am.

Elite- 123

PM- 6 miles with the jogging stroller on planet walk.  Ran naked, no time.

766- 339

Got up early and did a few miles.  Then James came and we went to Garland for a 10k.  Couple miles warm up, then the race.  It was an out-and-back with one highway underpass then gradual uphill to the turn around and slight headwind on a windy farm road.  Mile 1 was 5:43, 3.1 was 18:30, which was rather slow- about a minute slower than I hoped.  I didn't feel like I had much spring in my step but was otherwise ok.  James and I led for the first half with one guy right behind us.  He made a surge at the turn around and pulled away from James and I a bit.  James pulled about 5 seconds ahead with 1.5 miles to go.  I kicked a bit early and pulled to within a second of him but then he picked it up a bit and took second.  Came back in 17:47 (last mile was 5:43- same time as first mile, even though the first mile has a big downhill and the last mile has big uphill).  I finished in 3rd, just a few seconds behind James.  The guy who won is the same high school guy who beat me at the Clarkston 3 miler earlier this year, and I beat him in the Freedom Run.  Ok run, good workout, but hopefully doesn't show my true fitness.  ~3.5 miles cooldown.  Won a pack of 3 microfiber socks as a door prize, and we got a nice breakfast.  I got 4 helpings of the ham.

Went to frisbee afterwards for a few hours- hot but fun, as always.

Tangent- 33

Missed the evening run- didn't get home until after 11:30 pm.  Few miles short this week.  But supposing I was around 30 miles at the end of Wednesday, I did add almost 45 more the last 3 days with no long run.  90+ next week.

6 miles at 4 am.

PM- Met Cody, James, and Dan at Green Canyon after doing 1.5 miles warm up.  We ran up Green Canyon for 6 miles- the last mile of singletrack was rather difficult (entering Naomi Wilderness), with a 12 minute mile, lots of bushes, steep uphill, rocks, etc.  Total elevation gain was over 2000 feet.  Coming back was great- first mile was slow on the difficult stuff (10 min) but then we averaged 6:30 pace for the last 5 miles, including a few singletrack spurts where I really picked it up and was doing ~6:00 pace (most of the last mile) or even sub-5:30 for a minute.  Great run, great trail, great company, not too hot.  Pretty darn good day.  And nobody sprained an ankle.  1:57, with my warmup.

More miles today than Mon-Tues last week.  But, thanks to a slow trail, todays 13.5 mile run was equivalent time and effort wise to more like 16 or so- so running trails will make my mileage appear lower than the road runners.  It's worth it, though, to run in the mountains.  I'm thinking of running mostly trails next year and may change to just a time tracker, rather than mileage.

Elite- 129

Ascend- 85

Ok, here was my running day.  First, I met Paul in the evening and we did 8.5 miles at 7:16 pace through the island, past first dam, and back on the canal.  Saw a helicopter filling its water bucket, and even got dripped on.  Then, I drove to campus and did another mile.  Then, I played 90 minutes of great frisbee, good for some cross training miles.  Finally, I drove to planet walk and ran it with the wife and baby stroller at about 8:00 pace, 2 miles more.  Total was 11.5 miles running, 3 miles x-train.

766- 350

6 miles at 4 am.

Just under 7.5 miles with Paul on the river trail in the evening.  My key fell out of my pocket about 1/2 mile into the run, but someone found it and set it where I could see it on the way back.  Nice people.

Omni- 331

Ascend- 92

Speed day- Hot outside, 90+ degrees.  Ran from my house to the middle of the canal- 4 miles.  Then I did 6 times 2/3 miles (from the canal bridge to one end, rest 2 min, back to bridge, rest 2 min, run to other end, etc).  I wanted to run ~3:50 for each (5:45 pace, my 1/2 marathon pace).  Here are how they went:

1- 4:01 (my legs were sluggish due to no warmup)

2- 3:53- felt better

3- 3:51

4- 3:49

5- 3:49

6- 3:46- legs were definitely getting fatigued by this one.  But I was glad that I was getting faster on each one.  I would say the turns and very uneven, rocky terrain probably slowed me down 5-10 seconds per mile, so it would have been about 5:35 pace on a track, I'm guessing.  After doing them, I definitely think the bridge is smack dab in the middle of the canal- within 5 meters of dead center, I bet.

Finished with 2 more miles, then 1 1/2 hours of great frisbee (played very well for some reason- Marci and I scored the first 6 points after we got there).

766-361

5.5 miles at 4 am. I saw 5 shooting stars this morning, and 3 on Wednesday. I probably look silly running most of my run with my head pointing towards the stars to the east. A few years ago I saw 15-20 shooting stars on one morning run at the height of the meteor showers.

PM- 7.5 miles easy in Idaho Falls 

Omni- 336

Elite- 136 

Great run today even though I was by myself. Slept in a bit till 7, then ran the following: In-laws house (in Idaho Falls) to community park (the park has a marked trail- I ran 1 mile, thought I was doing ~7:15 pace but actually did 6:52- that is a nice way to start, but I had to recalibrate my internal speedometer), winding my way to Pancheri and the Snake river, up the river along the greenbelt all the way to Fremont Park, back 1 mile, cross the river, back to Pancheri, turn around, back to Fremont, back along the snake river to Pancheri, back to community park, 2 miles at the park, 1.5 miles home.

I was averaging 6:50-7:00 pace for the first 12 miles, then tried to pick it up to sub-6:30 pace for the rest. I actually felt real good (though my legs were tired). Mile 16 along the river was on a marked 10k course, with a 6:10 mile exactly. Miles 19 and 20 were on the marked community park course, and I did those in 5:54 and 5:58 respectively. It feels great to be running sub 6:00 pace after 20 miles and a very long week. I was very tired by the end of the run (probably due to the relatively fast pace plus the fact this is my most miles ever- I did 90 miles in a week 2 years ago) but still had my legs. Great run. 2:24:01 for 21.5 miles.

I ate 4 bowls of Lucky Charms afterwards and I am still hungry!

Elite- 157

AM- 6 miles and 9 shooting stars.

PM- Parked at the canal, ran to first dam (6:50 pace- pretty fast start), then met Dan, ran to river trail (a bit slower), met Cody and Paul, ran to spring hollow and back (~7:50 pace), then back to the end of the canal with Dan (7:30-7:40 pace).  Then did another lap plus a bit more on the canal for more miles, running 7:15 pace.  Total was closer 15.5 miles, 1:58:00 exactly.  Good to start the week off with some miles.

Dan and I saw Drew Michener at first dam on the way back and talked to him for a bit- he was just coming back from a trail run.  Good to see him.

Elite- 163

Ascend- 107

AM- 5.5 miles

PM- Very hot.  96 degrees at the start of my run.  Ran to the end of planet walk (2 miles, 14:50), then wanted to do 5 miles at about marathon pace (6:00/mile), back and forth on the path.  Did 6:14 (not warmed up yet), 6:00 (dead on), 6:01, 5:53 (feeling good- stretching it out), then 5:48 (rather fast- LT pace). 

When I finished, I decided I had one more in me and wanted to see what I could do- I busted out a 5:26 and felt great, then ran 2 miles home.  That is faster than my splits in the 5k type races, recently.  Felt good to run sub-5:30 at the end of a run.  And, given that I was running in 95 degree heat on a trail that has some obstacles (90 degree turns, bridges, rail crossings), the "track time" would be faster.  And no GPS to tell me otherwise!

1:04:55 for 10 miles exactly- beat the 6:30 guy.  Fastest run of the year.

Finished with 90 minutes of great ultimate frisbee.

766-366

Omni- 346

AM- 5 easy miles

PM- 8 easy miles with the jogging stroller

Omni- 351

766- 374

Discussion topic: (i.e. I want everyone's opinions)- what do you think of Yasso 800's as training for a marathon?  Too hard?  Too fast (i.e. V02 max rather than LT or MP)?  Worthwhile?  Good indicator?  What do you think?  Anyone ever done them?

Yasso 800's are doing 10x 800 meters on a track, with each 800 ran at your marathon time (i.e. 2 min 40 sec for a 2 hr 40 min marathon), with equal recovery time between repeats.

Bad day.  I was planning to do a good track workout (6x1000m- my first track workout of the year).  I felt real sluggish running to the track, then discovered that a high school girls soccer game was going on.  My foot is sore so I wanted to run on something soft- I ended up essentially slowly looping around the LHS grass for the better part of an hour, occasionally watching the game.  Makes me miss soccer.  But I felt crappy the whole run and couldn't get going fast- probably a combination of high miles and 4 hours sleep last night.  But at least I got miles in.

Tangent- 43

AM- 6 miles.  Still sluggish, plus my left foot is hurting again.

PM- Planned 9 mile run was scratched.  Injury precaution.  No 100-mile week, but that is ok.  Healthy is more important.

766- 380

Did 1 mile warm up, then Cody, Dan, Logan, and James came to my house and we drove to the metropolis of Newton. We met my work running club there for a nice 18 mile loop through the rolling hills of farm country. Good run- my foot didn't hurt too much and my legs felt pretty good- not as fatigued as at the end of some long runs. Relaxed for about 12 miles, then we picked up to about 6:00 pace for the rest of the run. Finished with 2 miles to get us to 20, though I cut short a bit and probably got 19.5. 20.5 total today, I will round down. My watch said 2:10:10 but I forgot to start it twice, and I know Cody's said 2:15. If my foot hurts later, I will rest an extra day or two.

90 miles for the week- I could have made my goal of 100 if I ran yesterday afternoon, but I would rather be un-injured for my races than meet some meaningless mileage mark.

Elite- 183

Day off to rest foot. I wasn't planning to let up at all this week, even with TOU 1/2 marathon on Saturday, but I would rather make sure I am injury free than fight this for the next month.  Plus, I can just act like it is a planned taper, of sorts.  I'll make sure I get lots of sleep, too.

Day 2 of injury rest.  Start running again tomorrow.  I will have 100 hours of no running, so hopefully it did some good.

First run since Saturday, so my foot got over 100 hours of rest.  Started out feeling very sluggish and rusty running the TOU course, but my first mile was 7:09- surprisingly fast for how my legs felt.  Maintained 7:00-7:15 pace for 6 miles (TOU to mile 24, up to canal, past first dam a bit) plus 1 mile back.  Then I picked it up for 2 miles of tinman tempo (6:30 pace), then 2.5 miles of 6:15 pace.  Last .5 was easy.  Good run.  The best part was there was a pretty good thunderstorm, and I got rained on pretty hard for about 4 miles.  Felt great!

Elite- 195

6 easy miles (2 with the jogging stroller), plus 4 cross train frisbee miles.  I'm getting excited for Saturday's race.

Omni- 357

7 easy miles with Paul on river trail, 55:46.  No snakes or moose or badgers, probably cause James wasn't with us.

Ascend- 114

Race day.  Woke up all night with anticipation.  Got up at 4:40, did 2 miles to warm up and get the bowels loose.  Ran to the finish line and rode to the start up the canyon, then 2 more miles warm up.  Perfect conditions- just under 50 degrees, with a very strong tail wind for about 2 miles out of the canyon.  Lots of runners, including many bloggers (Logan, Paul, James, Cody, Walter, etc).  I hoped to break my PR (1:15:35).  Here are the miles:

1- 5:32 (felt good but I was worried it was too fast)

2- 5:46 (relaxed- running with Cody)

3- 5:45

4- 5:33 (caught James and Walter)

5- 5:28 (not sure why I was feeling so good, but I let it ride)

6- 5:20 (fastest mile this year, including workouts)

7- 5:21

8- 5:33

9- 5:43 (Hollow road- I was really hurting here and could feel my 5:20's, but knew 6:00 pace to the finish would give me a PR)

10- 5:46 (started feeling a bit better at 10.5)

11- 5:58 (uphill and tired)

12- 6:09 (uphill and tired)

13- 5:35

0.1- 0:33

Walter and I were duking it out from mile 4 till the end- he was ahead 15 seconds, then I got 10 seconds ahead, then we ran the last 3 miles side by side.  Both pushing very hard, wanting to beat the other.  We saw someone gaining on us at mile 12 and were wondering who it was- it ended up being Logan, who took a wrong turn.  I got a few yards on Walter with a mile to go and beat him by 5 seconds for 3rd place overall.  The time- 1:14:07, crushing by PR!!!  One of the better races of my life.  Plus, I have never placed lower than 3rd in this race (3rd, 1st, 3rd) and continue my streak of 3rd place finishes this year (5 of 7 races). 

Overall I was very happy with the race, and I think many other people were, too.  Good race.  I think I am on track for my marathon goal in 3 weeks as long as I can keep running on my foot.  3 mile cool down.

Tangent- 63

14 easy miles on the canal and river trail with the guys (Cody, Dan, Paul).  Easy pace- 7:30 on the flat, 8:00 on the river trail.  Hip flexors were sore at the start, everything was sore by the end.  But it was worth it for Saturday's race.

Ascend- 128

Repeat of yesterday, somewhat.  10 miles on the river trail.  Easy-moderate pace up, moderate to hard pace down with 8x20 second striders.

Ascend- 138

6 easy miles.  Planned to do 2-6 mile runs, but my left foot started really hurting again right at the start of my first run.  Worrisome.  I'll have to decide how to deal with this.  I have noticed that my foot hurts a lot more when I wear my NB 766, so I will semi-retire them until after the marathon.

766- 386

10 miles at Green canyon.  Real hot (90+ deg), but I felt great.  30 seconds faster to the 2 mile mark than usual.  Not many people, great trail.  8:30 pace up, sub-6:30 pace back.  Felt good.  I think my 766 shoe really exacerbates my foot problem.  Finished with some great frisbee.

Ascend- 148

6 easy miles.  Hot.

Elite- 201

Run with the work club plus some of the guys.  Started at mile 3 of TOU, ran up to mile 1, potty break (why do I only have 1 on training day but 5 on race day?), then waited for the other guys to do 2 more miles.  Rejoined them at mile 1 on the way down, doing a moderate pace until mile 7 of TOU.  James and I ran together the rest of the way, and I wanted to be 6:00-6:10 pace.  We were around 6:05 pace for the first 5 miles or so, then dropped to 5:55-6:00 pace for the last 5 miles.  Good run.  Immediately drove to my grandparent's house, 7 hours away.  Boy, my legs get stiff in the car when I can't stretch.  Gorged on peaches from James the whole weekend.

Elite- 219

13 miles around Cedaredge, Colorado (my grandparent's house).  Lots and lots of deer and rabbits, with lots of mobile homes and dogs along the way.  Very nice to sleep in a bit (6:15 am) and still be able to do a decent run in the morning.  My job stinks for that.  By the way, mapmyrun.com showed my route to be 12.89 miles, meaning my internal calibration is still pretty dang accurate.

Planned to do 6 miles in the evening, but didn't get home until 10:15 pm (after stopping by Provo where my sister is moving in and taking her husband to SLC).  That essentially scrubbed my evening run, plus my morning run Tuesday.  My plan to get most my miles M-T of this week just went kaput.

Elite- 232

Working from Pfizinger's book, it was time for a "shake out the legs" VO2 max workout.  4 easy miles warmup (7:00 pace), then ran 3 x 1.03 mile.  I wanted to be sub-5:30 pace.  My times were 5:34, 5:35, 5:31 (these were 10-12 second longer than 1 mile), so all were sub-5:25 pace.  String them together and I would have a 5k PR!  4.5 miles home, with an extra .5 mile jogging between the repeats.  Legs felt pretty good, nice to get some blood flowing.

Elite- 244

12 easy miles- 4 on TOU, then got the kid and stroller, ran to planet walk, met Cody and Paul, twice on planet walk, ran to Cody's, then home plus a hair.

Ascend- 160

River trail- I wanted to work up a sweat.  Started at the nature center parking, ran hard all the way up.  Reached the Guinavah Malibu campground at 35:50 (5 miles, 7:07 average uphill on trails).  Fastest ever.  Fast run down, but didn't push too hard- 32:27 down (6:30 average).  Finished with 1 mile cooldown running to meet my wife and parents, who were hiking.  Good run.  Foot didn't hurt too much.

Ascend- 171

5 days...

8 medium-easy miles.  Ran to planet walk and arrived exactly the same time as Cody (not planned).  Ran to the end, then to his house.  Ran back to planet walk, to the end, then ran into Paul about halfway back (also not planned).  He ran the rest of the way home with me.  Nice to run into 2 guys on one run without planning it.  That is what happens when we all have the same easy run that is almost exactly 4 miles for all of us (Paul, is it 4.25 for you?).

Elite- 252