I'm retired from racing. Really.

I figure it is a good time for an end of year review.  For my goals, I did a pretty good job meeting them.  I stayed relatively injury free, met my mileage goal of 2500-3000 miles (I would have been pushing the upper end if it weren't for my slacking plus a number of sicknesses in Nov/Dec).  I did set new highs for weekly, monthly, and yearly mileage.

I placed top 3 at Striders, Logan Peak, and MMM, and barely missed my goal by placing 4th at Jupiter Steeplechase.  I crushed my 1/2 marathon goal by almost a minute and a half, though I completely missed my St. George goal. 

I would say the highlights of the year included the first 3 striders races, particularly the 10 mile- I really enjoyed the challenges of the hills.  I got sick before the 1/2 marathon, which threw me off for the 1/2, 30k, and Ogden marathon.  WBR was ok, but I don't think I'm going to do any more overnight relays- I've done 5 and the fun is gone for me.  I really, really enjoyed doing my first 3 trail races- Logan Peak was a very fun, challenging course where I learned a lot about trail racing while managing to win and set a course record.  Jupiter Steeplechase was just plain fun and I want to do better in 2009.  The high point of the year was the 2 week period where I crushed my 1/2 marathon PR by 2.5 minutes at the TOU 1/2, and then won the MMM and almost set a course record.  Fun times.  That was quickly followed by the low point and my only bad race of the season at St. George.  I had really been looking forward to that race and knew I was in sub-2:30 shape.  However, I think I had not fully recovered from my previous races, though I still would have run a PR except for the weather.  I can't complain about only having one bad race all year, though it is disappointing when it was the one I had been focusing on and building towards.  I planned to take a little time off and then train the rest of the year, but a very busy schedule combined with a number of illnesses have resulted in a end of year slowdown, with only 27 miles in Dec.

Now for next year- the first think I need to do is get in shape again for the Striders series.  I am really looking forward this these races.  Assuming I can do the training, I want to aim for 2:35 at Ogden.  If I can get that, I plan to run very few road marathons in the future.  I am definitely running Wahsatch Steeplechase in June, something I have always wanted to do.  Things are a bit fuzzy after that, though there will be an emphasis on trail races and ultras- potential races include the Blacksmith Fork Freedom Run 15k, Wasatch Speedgoat 50k, Jupiter and MMM, TOU 1/2, maybe pace someone at the Bear 100, run the Ogden Valley 50 miler, and maybe run NYC marathon in Nov.  Who knows.  First I have to get over this darn cold and get in shape.  I want to run 3000+ miles and stay injury free.  That is the plan for the year- should be a fun one!  I'm tentatively planning on a 100 mile ultra in 2010, so I better get ready for that!

Happy New Years, everyone!

The roads were pure ice, covered with 2 inches of new, dry, very slick snow.  In other words, the absolute worst running conditions possible.  So I went to Planet Fitness and was greeted with my first every Pizza Night!  All you can eat Pier 49 pizza!  Needless to say, I was determined to get my membership's worth.  I ate one big piece immediately, ran 3 miles, ate another piece (yup, I still have my stomach of steel), ran 3 more miles, then finished with 2 more pieces.  Yummy.

6.

8

Seven.

Goose Egg, which is too bad cause I really wanted to run every day this week.  But when you first step foot in your house at 9:30 pm, it makes it real hard to run that day.  12 miles tomorrow with Paul.

Long run- it was my longest run since Nov 15 and my first run of more than 10 miles in a month.  Paul and I did the Youngward loop with a bit added on so I could get 40 miles this week.  Normal amount of chattiness for he and I, though I was breathing hard.  My legs were pretty tired by the end, as expected.  But I made it- it's nice to have enough fitness that I can take 2 months off and then just get up and run a half marathon distance (run, not race).

I got 3 running related Christmas gifts this year from my lovely wife, and I used 2 of them for the first time today- fleece headband/earwarmer, and a Garmin 205!  What a great wife!  I'm sure I will enjoy the Garmin.  Unfortunately, I somehow stopped it mid run today so cut out 3 miles.  But per Paul's garmin, we did 13 miles at 7:30 pace.  I have to comment on how most of my runs this week on a treadmill feel harder at 7:30 or even 8:00 pace for 6-8 miles than it does to run 7:30 pace for 13 miles on the roads.  I really struggle to run fast on treadmills.

Now it is off to an adult's pinewood derby, then watch NFL football!

7.  My left foot started hurting at the end of the run, so I will retire them one run earlier than planned.  So long, shoes!  They were good ones.

It was my first run with Cody since Nov 15.  We did a Planet Walk/Providence loop.  I only planned on 7-8, but we ended up doing 10.  10 miles, 1:15:30.

Almost 15 hours at work = no run.  I'll try to get up for a 4:30 am run tomorrow, but will likely be working 14 hour days every day till next Wednesday.  Fun.

Another 14 hour work day, leaving the house at 6 am.  I knew if I went home I would not get out the door to go running, so I took my clothes and went straight to the gym after work.  I did 6 miles at 7:30 pace, 2.5 miles at 6:30 pace, then .5 mile at 6:00 pace, then 1 mile at 8:00 pace to cool down.  Got home after 9 pm, just in time to say good night to my girls, shower, and now go to sleep.  Ah, life.  But it was good to get a run in, and my first run with faster miles.  Another long day tomorrow.

13 hours at work, then straight to the gym (if I step in my house, I won't get out again).  8 easy miles.  My left foot is really starting to hurt under the arch, which isn't surprising given my 0 miles to 40 miles in one week.  Ice, rub, and hope it gets better.  PF? 

Not sure if I will get a run in tomorrow- I will be at work all day (and on Sunday, too).

A lovely 12 hours at work.  After, I went straight to the gym and had just enough time for 6 miles before they closed and kicked me out.  Foot bugged me all day, the first time I have felt anything when I wasn't running.  A full day of work again tomorrow.

14 hours at work yesterday, and Marci went running when I got home. By the time she got back, I was way too tired to run. So I got up this morning and left for the gym before 5 am, in hopes of doing a double today (assuming I can stomach another run at 8 pm).  The place was surprisingly busy- I saw Paul and Mark Jorgenson.  I did 1 mile at 7:30 pace, 3 at 7:00 pace, 1.5 at 6:30 pace, 1 at 6:00, then one cooldown.  Hopefully I can get more tomorrow.

What I dubbed my "Hell week" is finally over.  I intended to run after work yesterday, but ended up working from 6 am until almost 10:30 pm, so it was well after 11 when I got home.  In the past 8 days, I worked 96 hours with no days off.  If you account for my 2 hours commuting each day, it averages out to 112 hours (14 hours per day) away from my family due to work.  I know in some professions it is common to work 80-100 hours per week, and all I can say is I would quit if that were me.  This week almost killed me- I went days without seeing my kids, and all I did was work and sleep.  Fortunately, I am taking tomorrow off work so should be able to do a double to make up some of the miles I missed.  It is definitely easier to run 100 mile weeks and work my normal hours than it is to work as much as I did this week- I have no idea how MichelleL runs so much during her busy tax season.  I travel to Florida next week for business, so getting my runs in will not be easy.  I have just been so busy this month that getting in a good running routine has been difficult.

AM- 8.

AM- 6

PM- 7.  I planned on 10, but had to cut the run short due to foot pain.  I have had a pain under my arch for a few weeks that has annoyed me and caused a bit of pain.  I haven't done anything, and it hasn't gotten worse or better.  During today's run, it became painful enough that I started to limp a bit, then it became almost excruciating.  Hmm, better do something now.

After 3 days rest, I was hoping my foot would feel better.  It hurt for the first 1/2 mile, then started warming up a bit.  I ran for a few miles, then did elliptical with Paul while talking to him about PF, then ran another bit.  It hurt during the last part- dang it.  I'll have to really start treating this.  6 miles total.  Now it's off to Florida.

Very nice, warm run on a 65 deg evening at 10:30 on the beach in Cocoa Beach, Florida.  No moon, so it was very dark, allowing me to see the cruise boats steaming out to sea.  I practically had the beach to myself and really enjoyed it.  The high was 10 deg in Logan today, so this was a nice change.  I wandered into the water at the very end, so I am hoping my shoes dry fast enough for a morning run tomorrow.  Now I will shower and sleep.  Tomorrow I will spend all day presenting my engineering drawing of the Ares Rocket to NASA that I have spent the past 6 months on at work.  Hope it goes well.

10 at 7:30 pace.

14.2 miles at just under 7:30 pace.  3 deg windchill when we started with plenty of icicles on eye lashes, clothes, and Paul's beard.  Cody and I did about 9 together, then we did about 5 more with Paul.  They even dragged me up the hill to Cliffside- man, I am not in good shape right now.  Foot hurt the whole time, but not overly so.  Longest run since SGM.

Pizza day at Planet Fitness!  I ran a few miles, ate a piece of pizza, ran a few more miles, ate pizza... you get it.  10 miles in all at about 7:30 pace, a bit slower at the end when I was weighed down.  I figure it's good practice for fueling during an ultramarathon.  Foot hurt a lot less than last week.

8

7.5

6.5

Just seeing if anyone is still watching the mileage board.

Time for the first Striders race of the year- the 5k.  I knew I would not be as fast as last year- I am about 4 weeks behind in my training as compared to 2008, which means about 50 miles less in the past month.  The course if very hilly, with 350 feet of climbing in the first 1.5 miles.  Ben VanBeekum and Chad from last year were not there, but Tim Wight, Nate Pollard, Walter, Cody, Jeff MacArthur, and a mystery man (who ended up being Trever Ball and kicking all our trash) all came ready to race.  The temp was about 30 deg- most people wore tights and/or long shirts.  I was the only person (dumb enough) to wear just shorts and a singlet.  It wasn't too cold, though, and it's only 3 miles.

Last year I ran a 17:57, with splits of 5:59, 6:00, and 5:24.  This year definitely started faster, with a first mile of 5:49.  I was in 7th place by this point.  Second mile was a painful 6:29- you can't fake a lack of base miles when racing uphill.  Cody absolutely pulled away from everyone at this point (except Trever, who was far ahead) and laid down the hammer the last half of the race.  Third mile was 5:33, and the last .1 was 33 seconds.  I had someone right behind me who pushed me the last 1.5 miles but never caught me, though he came close on a few of the icy turns when I slowed down out of caution.  I pushed the whole way, with breathing bordering anaerobic even on the downhills, and ended up in 7th and 1st in my age group (though I would have been 4th in the 35-39 age group).  My time was 29 seconds slower than last year, which is about what I expected.  I still want to place top 3 in the series, which means I really have my work cut out for me the next few months.  My foot is mostly better, though, so I plan to resume regular training.  Congrats to everyone, especially Cody and Walter.  Add in a few miles warm up and cool down with Cody, Walter, and a few others.

PM- Added a solid hour of snowshoeing while carrying McKinley, wandering up and down the mountains with the family.  Tiring.  We'll count it 2 miles crosstraining.

8 miles, though it felt a lot longer than that.  One of those days.

AM- Bagel morning at Planet Fitness.  I arrived at 4:35 and watched them set up the bagel table as I ran.  However, there were no bagels yet.  I ran 6.5 miles and felt much better than yesterday- I even threw in a few miles at 6:30-6:45 pace.  The whole time I eyed the table- no bagels yet.  I took my shower and left at 5:40- still no bagels!  Grrr.  Paul says they arrived about 10 minutes after I left.  I was hungry and looking forward to them.  Oh well- I'll just have to make sure I eat extra pizza on pizza Mondays as retribution.

PM- 6.5 more.  My 767 shoes finally kicked over 500 miles and are officially retired.  I think I will use them to replace the 765's which have been my everyday shoes for the past 5 years, since they are really wearing out in the sole.

PM- 8 miles.  5 at about 7:30 pace, but I wanted to get a bit of a workout in the middle.  I did two miles at 6:15 pace and one at 6:00 pace, followed by one mile cooldown.  Felt fine.  I am giving blood tomorrow, so will only get one run, plus a very easy run Fri.

Sick, fever, no run today.  But I'm skipping work tomorrow, so if I feel better I can easily do a double to make it up.  If I'm still sick... well.

Still very sick. No work, and I can barely even stand up. Ugh.

I have been trying to figure out why I get sick so much over the past 6-8 months.  I have always been very healthy, maybe catching a flu or cold a couple time a year, but nothing else.  But I have been very sick a lot recently.  I know I have never gotten enough sleep, which I think is the biggest player.  Add to that a new kid 8 months ago and a new, very stressful job (with sometimes long hours, like when I worked 14 hours yesterday), and I think it has pushed me over the edge.  Solution?  Not sure- ideally, more sleep, but that is easier said than done.

What do all of you think?  Causes and solutions?

I've lost 6 pounds in 3 days.

I ran 23 miles this morning to make up for lost time.

No, just kidding.  I'm actually home again from work, still sick.  But I am seeing a doctor later this morning.

PM- 6 miles.  Felt about how you would expect for the first run in a week after being sick.  But it was good to be back on my feet.

9 uneventful miles.  I'm gonna get my butt kicked this weekend.

5 miles on the Willow park/Planet Walk loop.  Dark and icy.

Sheesh, that was pathetic, far more so than expected.  I had nothing in me today.  Almost 3 minutes slower than last year and 11 places worse.  And I got chicked for the first time in a long time, at least the first in my 2 years on the blog.  Huh.

Splits 5:51, 5:27 (big downhill), 6:01, 6:26, 7:08 (big uphill), 7:09, 1:24.

To top off the day, I even got lost on my 6 mile cooldown with Fiddy, Cody, and Walter and ended up adding an extra mile. Congrats to Fiddy, Cody, Walter, and everyone else who ran a great race!

9

12 miles, with 3 at 6:30 pace and 2 at 6:00 pace.  Good run.  I only planned on 10, but had a little extra time so kept going.  Besides, I needed to make up a few miles from yesterday, when I decided to watch the Presidential address instead of taking a late night run.  I think it was a good decision.

6

AM- my alarm went off 3 days this week at 4 am but I was always too tired to get up.  I finally dragged myself out of bed today and got in 6 miles while watching the latest NFL free agency news on ESPN.  I have another run planned later tonight.

PM- 9 more.

Long run with Paul and Cody.  Cody and I started at the end of hollow road and ran 2.5 miles to the junction near Blacksmith Fork canyon.  The temp was 11 deg, and there was a very strong and cold headwind (windchill was probably below zero!), so Paul had the great idea of driving to the top and running down rather than freezing and fighting the wind.  We drove to the Hyrum hydro park, ran up a bit, then ran all the way down to Cody's car.  We averaged about 7:00 pace down the canyon.  At the bottom, the tail wind was so strong that my back got cold!  Once we got to the bottom, we drove back to Paul's car.  Cody and I finished off with a few more miles- a bit stiff and sore after sitting in the car, but it went fast.  Overall run of 16 miles at 7:14 average pace.  Cody bought us danish's on the way home- yummy.

Today was my longest run since St. George.  It was also a new weekly high mileage since SGM, 10 miles higher than my previous high.  Plans for next week are 60 miles with 2 hard workouts and an 18 mile run.

AM- Today is Marci's birthday, so I took the day off work to celebrate.  Early morning 6 mile run before I made her breakfast in bed.  Easy miles, except threw in .5 mile fast to get ready for an afternoon workout.

PM- workout day.  Nice weather- about 45 deg and a bit breezy, but I wore shorts and a long sleeve shirt.  I ran the Providence hills loop and wanted to do 4-5 miles at a moderate tempo pace, though I wasn't sure what pace that would be since I'm not in great shape and since the whole run is very hilly.  Almost 3 miles warmup at about 7:30 pace, then started the tempo at the bottom of the Providence hill.  Tempo miles were 7:29 (very uphill), 6:24 (1/3 mile uphill, 2/3 down), 5:59 (mainly downhill), 6:12 (pretty flat), 6:07.  Cooled down till I hit 9 miles.  The tempo felt ok- the first big uphill was painful (I saw my pace as slow as 11 min/mile), the downhill was fast.  I really could have used someone to run with the last 2 miles- my pace was decent, but I could have gone faster.  I kept falling off pace and had to consciously push my speed back up.  6:10 pace is pretty good, but I could have done better.  I'll do another hill workout on Thursday- maybe repeats.  9 miles in 1:02:30.

AM- 6.5

PM- 8.5 more.  Saw Drew Michener running- he looks like he's doing fine.

My Saturday post-long run donut run has scientific backing.  If it works for the USA Olympic cross country ski team, it works for me:  http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-02-11-protein-recovery_N.htm

PM- Small workout today.  I planned to do hill repeats, .5 mile each.  I didn't want to run downhill, so I did it on the treadmill.  I did 2 miles warmup, then started the repeats- .5 mile at 6:58 pace on a 5% incline, then .5 mile recovery.  I only planned on 4 but felt good so I ended up doing 6 repeats.  9 miles total, and a good workout for the Striders 10 mile next week.  I'm counting the repeats as MP- I was working pretty hard.

AM- Easy 6, but I felt good and had time so made it 7. 

Today is our 5 year anniversary, so Marci and I are going to the Melting Pot in SLC for dinner- no evening run.  But I don't need it- my planned 60 mile week will already end up closer to 65... plus it should be a good dinner.

Wow, quite the adventure run today.  Paul and Cody were out of town, so I was on my own.  I slept in and finally started my run at nap time- 3:30 pm (with a barely-eaten PBJ and Mac and cheese digesting in my stomach).  It looked gorgeous and sunny out, though it was only 35 deg.  I wore shorts and a long sleeve tech shirt, with stretchy gloves.  As soon as I started, I discovered a brisk breeze was blowing that made it quite cool- I turned around 3 minutes into the run to trade my shirt for a fleece top, and to get my ear warmers.  I was very glad I did that, but I was still an absolute popsicle for 2/3 of my run - brrrrrr!!!  But at least having frozen legs and hands helps distract from how tired I was.  Wind chill was 25 deg when I finished, and I was in my shorts and thin gloves for all 140 minutes.

I ran to the canal and up into Logan canyon.  I took the mostly-snowpacked, sometimes rough, and occasionally very icy river trail almost to the end of the singletrack.  My average pace on the roads was about 7:30, and was about 8:15 on the snowy trail, though the last mile of very rough singletrack yielded a whopping 10:23 mile!  Wow, smoking!  And let me tell you, it was as hard as a 6 min mile on the roads.  I was glad to turn around, but discovered I now had a strong headwind that really chilled me even more.  I ran back along the canal and through River Heights and Providence to my old house, then to the church where I picked up my car.  The return miles on the road were 7:30-8:00 pace, and my legs were rather tired by the end.  Of course, I kept my donut streak alive by stopping by Macey's for a danish, even though it was 6:30 pm.  18 miles, 2:20:38 (7:48 avg- pretty darn good supposing I had 5 miles on snow and ice).

My left hamstring is very tight at the bottom and has been for a while.  I had to stop 3 or 4 times to try stretching it- it really slowed my down on the downhills.  I'll have to work on it. 

Last week I did 58 miles with a 16 mile long run, both of which were my longest since SGM.  So that means I broke both records again this week with 64 miles and 18 mile long run.  Next week will be ~65 miles and will include the Striders 10 mile race.

AM- Scrubbed my morning run because A) I couldn't fall asleep until midnight due to daylight savings and a Sunday nap, and B) I knew I would need extra time to get to work due to 6-8" of snow that fell last night.  It took over 1.5 hours to get to work- fun times.  I guess I'll get just one run in this afternoon.

PM- 18" of snow in 18 hours at my house, and it's still coming down.  But my lovely wife shoveled all the snow!  I planned to do a speed workout but my hamstring is still very tight and twingy, so I didn't want to aggravate it.  Ended up doing 10.5 easy miles.  And I scheduled a massage for Wed to get my leg worked out.

PM- 9.5 easy.  And that's all I have to say about that.

AM- 6 medium.  And that's all I have to say about that.

PM- 10 medium, followed by my one hour massage.  The masseuse said she had never felt a hamstring as tight as mine in 10 year of massage.  Both legs actually had quite a number of tight spots.  Hopefully my legs will feel better- I'll find out Saturday on the big downhills.

AM- 7.  With my 4:10 am wake up these past few days, I have only been getting about 5-5.5 hours of sleep a night and am really starting to drag.  I need to get to bed earlier for the next few days.

AM- It's been cold all week in Logan, with morning temps in the single digits.  This morning was 2 deg, windchill of -6.  Brrr.  6 easy miles.

Both my girls have been sick this week with fevers, coughs, and runny noses.  I woke up yesterday with a sore throat and it is worse today.  If I get sick again I will be very put off!

Race day.  Last year the Striders 10 mile was one of my 3 great races of the year (2nd place, 59:53).  With my reduced training and being sick a few weeks ago, I knew I wouldn't be near that time.  I was 2:38 slower in the 10k a few weeks ago then last year, so I figured reducing that gap would be a good goal for this race.  It is a very hilly course (931 feet climbing!), which would help me on the downs but my lack of training would reveal itself on the ups.  See Walter's blog for a great description on the difficulty of the course.

At the start I saw Fiddy, Walter, Trever Ball (who was running easy), Tim, Jeff, and Paul Pilkington.  Temp was about 25-30 deg, with no ice on the roads.  Here are my splits:

Mile 1 and 2- 11:37 (no mile 1 split)- running easy.  Walter, James, Paul, and Tim take off.  I am in a good group with Jeff and Trever for most of the race.

Mile 3- 5:58- rolling downhill

Mile 4- 6:14- rolling uphill

Mile 5- 6:50- big uphill- 12 seconds ahead of my 10k time from 3 weeks ago

Mile 6- 6:50

Mile 7- 7:26- finally the end of uphill.  Last year I ran a 6:58 on this mile.

Mile 8- 5:18- downhill.  Last year was 5:02.

Mile 9- 5:57- at the start of this mile, my chest really tightened up for some reason and I really had trouble breathing.  After slowing down a hair and relaxing for a few minutes, it loosened up.

Mile 10- 6:13- the last uphill on this mile is painful.

Trever pulled away on the uphill at mile 5.  Jeff pulled away on the ups and I passed him on the downs, up until my chest tightened when he caught me.  We were even at mile 9, but he pulled away and beat me by about 15 seconds.  But it was very nice being able to run near/with him for most the race.  I finished in 7th place overall (and didn't get chicked).  My time was 2:35 slower than last year, so I did close the gap by 3 seconds like I wanted, and on a longer course.  I am ok with this race, but it is hard knowing I was in so much better shape last year.  However, I got sick before the 1/2 marathon last year, so it will even out. 

Tim Wight took 2 wrong turns (his brain tumor has reduced his visual ability) but still beat me by a bit.  Trever is planning to do the whole series, as are Walter and Jeff.  They are all 3-7 minutes ahead of me, so my top 3 goal for the series will be very difficult.  But I will keep working hard and see what happens- 31 miles of racing left.

Good job to everyone today!

2 miles warmup and 4 miles cooldown with Walter, James, Twinkie (Matt) and others.  And in some good news, my hamstring didn't hurt.  Finally.  Now I get to spend the day painting my house.

PM- I had considered doing a little workout, but just a few steps into my run knew that my legs were still tired and a bit sore in the quads, so will wait for some speed tomorrow.  Instead I just pounded out 12 miles.

AM- It's a new morning run record!  I squeezed in 7.5 full miles before I had to jump in the shower at 5:30 am in order to catch my 5:45 vanpool to work.  4 medium miles, followed by 3.5 miles at 6:00-6:45 pace in order to get in all 7.5 miles.  Of course, now I just want breakfast and a nap...

PM- Small workout.  8.5 miles with some fast stuff- I did a descending tempo, with 5 min fast, 5 recovery, 4 fast, 4 recovery... down to 1 min.  The first tempo was 5:50 pace, second was 5:45, and I kept going faster on each one till the 1 min was 5:30 pace.  Felt real good although my legs were tired going into the workout.   

PM- easy run.  Ran with both kids and Marci to Willow Park, dropped off Marci and McKinley to play, and continued with Aspen to the end of Planet Walk and back.  Ran home as a family.  Nice day- sunny, 55 deg, with a slight breeze.  6 miles at a whopping 9:26 avg pace.

PM- I was supposed to do a nice Big Workout with Cody today, but work interfered and I got home rather late.  I finally got out for a run at 9 pm, so just wanted to get in a few miles.  It stinks I missed the workout- maybe I'll try to add a few fast miles during my long run Sat.  6 miles.  My missed workout also means I'll have to run tomorrow morning and night- grr, I was hoping to sleep in till 5 am tomorrow, rather than my 4 am running wake up.

AM- 6.5 uneventful miles.

PM- Willow Park-Planet Walk with family (in the future, I will abbreviate this as WPPWWF). 4.5 miles.

AM- Long run. Cody and I did planet walk, then picked up Paul and did the Hyde Park loop. Nice loop, though there is one rather long hill that definitely increases in steepness. Good temperature, 35-40 deg- shorts, long sleeve shirt, gloves. Dropped Paul off and ran home. 20 miles on the nose, 7:22 avg (2:27:13), with 3 miles under 7:00 (fastest of 6:42). My legs have been sore all week and were very sore for the first half of the run, but started feeling a lot better by the end. Kind of strange. I felt pretty good considering this is my longest run by 2 miles and my highest mileage week by 6 miles.  Finished off with a huge, delicious brownie courtesy of the Drapers.

Next week I plan to be 70-72 miles with another 20 mile long run, followed by a 60 mile week with a mini-taper leading into the Strider's 1/2.

PM- 10

PM- Medium workout.  Ran to the Aquatic center and met Paul- my legs were very sluggish right from the start, which was not a good sign.  We ran Young Ward loop.  We decided to do a tinman tempo- I wanted 5-6 miles, he wanted 8, so we settled on 6.  I wanted 6:15 pace, he wanted faster but talkative, so we did 6:15 and talkative.  3 mile warmup at 7:00 pace, then 6 mile tempo.  Tempo miles were 6:06, 6:15, 6:13, 6:11, 6:16, 6:13.  It was lightly snowing when we started but was coming down rather hard by the end.  We were rather chatty the whole tempo, which I'm sure hurt me a bit the last few miles.  The first 4 miles felt good but I was definitely working.  Mile 5 was harder, and mile 6 was much more difficult than it should have been. 

I definitely don't have my speed yet- I am naturally an endurance guy, not a speed guy, so really have to work on my speed once I have a base.  I am trying to build both right now, though my emphasis is on base.  Cool down took me to 13.5 miles in 1:31:45, 6:52 avg for the run.  Ok workout, but Thursday's will be better.

AM- 6, with 1 at 6:45 pace to get all 6 in before I had to go to work.

PM- 4 more.

I had a workout with Paul planned, but had to cancel.  I have been feeling a bit under the weather all week, and today I started getting real achy and a bit of a fever.  I figured it would be better to take a day or two off to hopefully nip this in the bud rather than fight through it.  I haven't had injuries this season, but sickness has definitely been my bane.

PM- 12 miles at about 7:40 pace- 1 with the jogging stroller, most with Cody, some with Paul.  It was sunny but just above freezing with a breeze- in other words, still rather cold, despite looking nice.  Felt tired and sluggish, which isn't a surprise supposing I haven't run since last Wed.  I did get some awesome farmer blows, though, and could breath thru my nose for the first time in 3 days.  Here is my route- I don't think anyone other than Cody and Paul can figure it out:  PW, PH, LH, CH, PW, MH.  I did the last 4 miles alone- it always seems much harder to finish off a run by yourself after running with people for the first part, esp. when you are cold and tired.

AM- I got in bed by 10 last night, but tossed and turned for over 3 hours, finally falling asleep sometime after 1. Annoying. Nevertheless, I got up at 4 this morning for my run. I think I am going to be tired today. Plus my company is laying off 300 people today- hopefully I am not one of them. 6.5 miles.

PM- I did not get laid off, but it is not fun at all to watch your friends and coworkers leave.  Just sad.  For my workout, Paul and I were going to do a tempo on the First Dam 10k course.  The weather was rather cold, with some intermittent wind and snow.  After 3 miles warm up, we were off.  My legs again felt sluggish during the entire run, just like the previous 2 weeks- not sure why, but I hope it goes away.  The goal was about 6:00 pace for the run.  I cannot say I ran with Paul during the workout- I just watched him progressively get further away.  My first mile was 6:29, then 6:49, then 7:04.  I had nothing.  Nothing.  The rest of the workout I struggled to hold 7:30 pace, plus had to stop for a bathroom break.  Paul finished his workout, ran home, showered, ate dinner, watched a few episodes of the Simpsons, got back into his running clothes and ran back to the park... and he still got there before I finished my workout.  2.5 mile slog home.

So I can declare today was one of the 5 worst workouts of my life.  Crap.  I either have to write it off, or else I will get so depressed about my current fitness that I would quit running, eat lots of candy, get huge, and have to go on "The Biggest Loser" in a few years just so I could walk around the block in less than an hour.  [Commentator]- "He used to be a 2:40 marathoner.  Now he just wants to lose 240 pounds.  Please welcome, Jon!"

AM- 6. As tired as I am right now, I'm really debating the whole run vs. sleep benefit. Sleep might win tomorrow.

Thinking of yesterday's terrible workout, I think part of the problem was due to the stress of the day and the layoffs. A lot of my coworkers said this morning that they got home last night and felt like a truck had run over them. Just a bad, stressful day. So hopefully that was the problem.

PM- 7.5 easy.  My legs are starting to feel better- hopefully another easy day tomorrow will have me ready.

PM- 5.5 easy miles.  Now it's race time- hopefully it won't be windy like last year.  Although the weather predictions right now call for snow and wind.  I figure that will just keep people away and earn me a higher place, more food, and less people in the port-o-potties.

Striders 1/2 marathon. Cold and snowy at the start, occasional blustery wind thru mile 9, then the mother of all headwinds to the finish. I had been fighting a cold all week and had a bummer of a Tuesday workout, but felt I could do ok.  Splits were 5:39, 5:52, 5:56, 5:58, 5:56, 6:05, 6:05, 6:17, 6:27, 6:20, 6:50, 6:47, 6:44, .1 in :38.

The first mile was a bit quick but felt ok.  I ran with Jeff MacArthur thru mile 5, then he made a huge move, had a great race, and caught 2 people, beating my by 2.5 minutes.  I ran alone the rest of the way, with the closest guys 2 min ahead and 1 min behind.  I did ok till about mile 8 then started tiring.  The huge, strong, steady headwind from mile 9 to the finish absolutely sapped any remaining strength, making it a slow, slow slog to the finish.  I think the wind in the last 4 miles was stronger than last year's, which is amazing- it was so strong it was literally knocking my upwind leg into my other leg mid-stride... never had that happen before.  The sad part is my time this year is 45 seconds slower than last year, even though we had a headwind the entire race last year and I had practically been on my deathbed the week before with an illness (although I did have someone to work with last year to conquer the wind).  Pretty lousy race- the highlight was food and hot cocoa at the finish, followed by about 45 minutes warming up in Paul's car- we were shivering popsicles at the finish.

I just have to believe that if I keep putting in the miles and working hard, eventually things will improve.  Oh yeah, and quit getting sick, which has happened about 2-3 times/month since December.  Not kidding.  It's getting really old by now.

Lots of good food at the finish, and ran 3 miles cooldown with Paul and Cody.  10 min pace.  To add some adventure, the parking lot was a muddy field, so we helped push 3 or 4 cars out before heading home.  So of course we were covered in mud and spread it to Paul's car.  Sorry. 

I have been getting headaches this week and started getting one after the race.  During the drive home, it became incredibly, incredibly painful- by far the most excruciating headache of my life.  By the time we got home, I could hardly stand or open my eyes, and almost threw up.  Excruciating pain.  But I felt better a few hours later after drugs and a nap.  I truly empathize for anyone who gets regular migraines- I can't imagine what it would be like to experience that every day.

For the record, the weather at Striders 1/2 stinks- strong headwind 2 out of 2 years.

PM- Today was ultramarathon training.  How, you ask?  The trails are still snowy.  True, but a key component of ultramarathons is being able to refuel mid-run.  Seeing as today was Pizza Monday at Planet Fitness, the training program fell into place.  I showed up, ate 2 pieces of yummy Pier 49 sourdough pizza, ran a few miles, ate more pizza, ran, etc.  By the time I was done, I had run 10 miles and eaten almost 5 pieces of pizza.  My stomach didn't feel great, but I wasn't close to puking or anything like that.  Training was a success.

AM-6.5 easy.  Disappointed last night wasn't a more exciting game.

PM- 10 miles from the start of the canal to a little ways up the singletrack on the River Trail.  Felt good, though my shoes are worn out resulting in some ankle/achilles pain.  Something strange happened, though... I got passed on my run.  By a girl.  Wearing an iPod.  And she didn't look like a USU track star or anything- she was wearing some mid-calf length exercise pants.  That has never happened before- I rarely get passed during a workout, esp. by a girl (I'm not bragging or being judgmental, just saying how it is).  She blew by me at the start of the canal trail and put a good 30 meters on me in less than a minute.  I was curious and figured this was one of three things: A) She was doing some fast repeat (very unlikely), B) she was just starting her run and sprints out of the blocks, or C) she really was that fast.  I kept her in sight and after about 3 minutes she was definitely not getting further away.  Then she rapidly started coming back to me (I was doing ~7:15 miles).  Within a half mile of when she passed me, I passed her back and she was definitely huffing and puffing.  Apparently B was correct.  It was an enjoyable run, though, and I must mention to the Rooster that there is still a lot of snow/slush on the river trail.  Passable, but wet.

AM- 5.5 easy.  Tired this morning.  New shoes.  I have had two pairs of 765's, two 766's, one 767, one 768, and now a 769.  Definitely my favorite line of shoes.

PM- 5 more.  I banged my knee today and it is kind of sore.

Funny story of the day- yesterday, Marci went running with the kids in the jogging stroller.  Midway through her run, our 2.5 year old looked up at her and said, "Mommy, run fast like Daddy!"  Kids say the darndest things :)

PM- Medium workout.  I figured I needed to do some hills, so I drove to Providence canyon.  I ran Deer Fence to Dry Canyon, up Dry a bit, back to Prov canyon, and down to Millville Canyon.  I had planned to do a few more miles towards BSF but found the trail closed "To protect wintering wildlife."  A handwritten note said it would open the second Saturday in April- that's in 2 days!  So instead I headed up the surprisingly steep and rocky Millville canyon- rather challenging.  Between that climb and the return climb to Providence, I was pooped.  The weather was a bit chilly and windy, with intermittent rain and even hail, but not too bad.  I saw 3 deer and only 1 person.  I am sure I will do this quite often to get me in shape for my trail runs, since it is hilly but snow-free (though muddy).  SportTracks says I did 2000 ft climbing, Garmin says 3200 ft.  It was a lot either way.  Fun but tiring run.  1:45:18 for 12 miles, which puts me at 8:50 pace.

I have to say, my XT Wings are awesome shoes- I can barrel my way thru anything and can run right over all rocks (short of ankle-twisting ones).  Great shoes.

PM- 6 easy, 2xPW with both kids in the jogger.  I'm gonna take Paul's idea and track stroller miles- I'm curious how many miles I do with it this year.

The 768's are officially retired.  They were good, good shoes and will be missed.

PM- Cody is injured, so I was on my own for my long run today.  I slept in so finally got around to my run around 3 pm.  Unlike most of my previous Sat afternoon runs, I actually was well hydrated and fed (though I could have done without the bean burritos last night).  Pretty mundane run, most at 7:30-7:45 pace.  Felt crappy till about mile 12, then started feeling incrementally better.  I felt good enough to run my last two half miles at 7:00 and 6:00 pace- and the 6 min pace felt easier than most of my slower miles.  Huh. 

Highest weekly mileage for the year.

AM- 6.5 easy. Doctor appt after work, so we'll see if I get in another run.

PM- Big Workout.  Due to the 38 deg temp, steady rain, and breeze, I ran on the treadmill.  4 miles warmup (at which point Paul showed up and ran next to me for an hour), then 4 miles at 6:15 pace.  Then the fun started- I raised the incline to 10% and did 1 mile at 10:00 pace.  Then another mile at 8% incline, then another at 10%.  One last mile at 8% but at 9:00 pace- 8% at 9 min pace is definitely easier than 10% at 10 min pace.  2 mile cooldown.  Today was definitely my best workout in a long, long time.  I felt moderately tired at the end (and my shirt was absolutely drenched), but was still running strong.  My previous workouts have been complete duds, so it felt good to run hard but not strain and not run out of juice.  14 miles, about 1:50:00.  I will definitely do more hill climbs like that to prepare for my trail races.

AM- Got in a full 7 miles this morning. Supposed to snow 18-36 inches in the mountains over the next few days- it may be a while before I can run most of my trails.

PM- 7.5 more.  It's snowing.

PM- Big Workout.  Figured I would be alone, but Cody surprised me by saying he was going to run in the afternoon.  Weather was about 38 deg, slight breeze, slight drizzle the whole time- just enough so we didn't get too cold or wet- pretty good, actually.  We did the North Logan hill loop.  5 mile warmup at 7 min pace, then 7 mile tinman tempo (goal of 6:15 pace). 

Mile 1 is downhill, 2 is up, 3 is all gradual uphill, 4 is rolling, 5 is slight down, 6 and 7 are fairly downhill.  Splits were 5:59, 6:29, 6:24, 6:12, 6:11, 5:54, 5:53.  I didn't feel great the first 3 miles and pretty much ran 2-5 meters behind Cody (though the same pace).  Felt better mile 4, then stopped for a potty break.  I felt very good mile 5-7- didn't really feel too tired by the end.  I wasn't watching the splits as we ran, but am pleased, especially with mile 6 (I never would have guessed it was that fast).  6:09 avg for the workout, faster than planned.  Felt good, esp. the second half of the workout and esp. given my hard workout Tuesday.  This is the first good week I have had this year in terms of workouts.  If the long run on Saturday is decent, this will easily be the best week of the year so far.  2 miles cooldown- 14 miles, 1:33:35, 6:41 avg for the run. 

PM- WPPWWF.  5. 

There is reason for much celebration and rejoicing in Cache Valley... the Planet Walk bathrooms are now open for the season!

PM- Long run with Cody.  We drove to Hollow road and ran up Blacksmith Fork canyon.  2 pm, sunny, about 60 deg.  We chugged up 11 miles in 1:19:19, stopping briefly for water at mile 9 courtesy of the hydro park.  It was rather warm and I was dripping sweat.  We could feel a wind coming up the canyon, which was not a good sign.  Sure enough, as soon as we turned around we battled a rather brisk, sometimes downright mean, headwind the whole way down.  I didn't really plan water/fuel for the run (silly me), and Cody mentioned on the way up that he wanted to bonk to prepare himself for the marathon.  At mile 15, he told me "mission accomplished".  Within a few miles, I started hurting pretty badly, too.  From there, it was just a slog to the finish, fighting the wind and tired legs.  We did a pretty good job staying about 7 min pace on the way down (some 6:40's), but slowed to 7:20-7:40 after mile 18.  We did pick it up the last one with a 6:52 mile.  Very, very tired by the end- not a run to remember.  2:36:51 for the run, 7:08 pace (1:47 negative split).  80 miles next week.

Mildly bad news- I hope. After steadily increasing my mileage and running lots of hills last week, my right achilles started to bug me last Wed, though it wasn't bad and I just ignored it all week. I can certainly run through it, but it is now painful enough that I noticed it every step I took yesterday. Since I don't have any meaningful races till June, I'm canning my 80-mile week this week and will rest it. I'm guessing at least 2 days, maybe more- whatever it takes. I've never had any achilles problems before- anyone know any good treatments outside the traditional ice, rest, and stretching?

Last day off. My achilles is still a bit sensitive, but tons better than last Sunday. I will start easy (6 tomorrow? 10-15 Sat), then jump back into my mileage next week but with minimal speedwork and hills. Keep icing and stretching, and then resume normal runs the week after, assuming no setbacks. I really think my killer treadmill hill workout is what caused this, since I hadn't done much hill work and my achilles was sore the next day. I need hills, but guess I better ease into it a bit.

PM- After 5 full days off, 4 PW miles at 7:10 pace.  Hopefully my achilles doesn't hurt tomorrow.

Striders 30k today. However, due to concerns of my achilles, there was no way I was going to race today. Plus, I'm not in a money position, the weather isn't great (how come the weather is great mid-week and crappy for the races?), and I didn't want to spend 7-8 hours away from home. So, I slept in a bit and ran with Cody at 7 am. We ran to the canal and up the Logan river trail to the start of the single track- 8 miles exactly each way. Up in 56:28 (7:03 pace- pretty fast for the up). We ran the 2 miles down the trail fast into a small headwind- 6:05 and 5:50, then relaxed the rest of the way home. 1:50:38 for the run (6:54 pace), 54:10 return (6:46 pace). Felt pretty good- achilles was tight the whole way, but not painful. We'll see how it is tomorrow. Cody's foot started hurting by the end. It was 40 deg and pretty nice the whole run- it started raining hard just as we got home, and quickly turned to a hard snow. Good timing.

PM- 9 miles.  Nothing to see here, folks.  Just move along... move along...

AM- 6.5 miles.  No need to gawk, folks, just move along...

PM- 9.5 miles on the Logan River trail.  Slow but nice to be running on trails.  My achilles is still tight, esp. running uphill.  The week off helped a bit, but not near as much as I was hoping.  So, I will keep running normal mileage, ice, and monitor- hopefully it will slowly get better, or at least not get worse.

AM- 7

PM- 5.  Had to hurry home to watch 4 kids.

AM- 6.5. Shoes are retired.  Actually, maybe I'll give them one more easy 4-miler just to hit the 500 mark.

PM- Let's see if Cody can figure this one out: ALP-MOP-C-FD-C-ALP.  7:30-7:45 pace on the 5 miles out, 7:00-7:15 pace on the 4.5 miles back.  9.5 miles in 1:10:06.

This makes 3 days in a row that I have gotten up at 4 am to run. It must be the high-mileage time of the year. Unfortunately, I am not getting to bed until 10:30-11:30 pm. Yes, I am dead tired right now.  Dead Tired.  But for some reason, I still woke up about 5 times last night, which is very rare for me.

PM- 7 easy.  Merlin Olsen park to the canal to almost the start of the river trail.  Not many people out despite the nice weather- I can tell that USU just finished.

Now these shoes are officially retired.

I'm going to admit that ever since St. George marathon last year, I hate running in the rain- at least anything more than a sprinkle. So when it was 45 deg and a continuous downpour today, I went to the gym. It is actually my 2nd 20-miler on the treadmill in a month. I am trying to build up a tolerance so that my training for ultras next winter won't be so bad. And today was much, much easier than any other long treadmill run. I didn't do any hard workouts this week while resting my achilles, but I wanted to challenge myself today with a 10 mile tempo.

I did 9 miles warmup at 7:30 pace, then picked it up to 6:30 pace. I increased the pace each 1.25 miles until I was doing 6:00 pace at mile 17.75. With .5 mile to go in my tempo, I increased to 5:30 pace, then 5:00 pace with .25 mile to go. I was working hard but still felt good, though sweat was flying off me in voluminous amounts.  1 mile cooldown, giving me 20 miles total in 2:17.  I felt strong at the end, much different than my last long runs where I bonked at mile 16.  Good workout.

First 80 mile week of the year.  I'm going to be cautious with my achilles mainly by avoiding big uphills, but I think I am improving.

AM- 7.  I changed vans to work effective today.  The new van leaves 40 minutes later which means A) I can extend my morning range to 11-12 miles, B) I can sleep in a few minutes and still get my 6-7 miles, or (my personal favorite) C) I can sleep in till 5:50 am and not run!  Yeah- more sleep is good.  Although I imagine doing C will make getting up at 4:05 to do option A that much harder...

PM- Wanted to run some trails.  Ran 8 miles on Green Canyon.  No snow for the first 1.5 miles, then just a few patches till 2.5 miles.  The rest of the way to the top was slow going with lots of snow.  It was packed enough that I didn't sink past my ankle, but sometimes what appeared to be snow was just slush over a stream- always a good foot-wetting experience.  Up at 8:30-11:00 pace (yes, running uphill in the snow is very slow), down at 7:40-6:00 pace (yes, much faster).  Then, I dropped by Planet Fitness for pizza night!!!  Ate 2 pieces of pizza, ran 2 miles, ate another piece (while running), 2 more miles, then 2 more pieces.  Yummy.  I get some funny looks since I am running the fastest of anyone there AND am eating pizza at the same time.  It's a talent, I guess.

AM- 9.5 miles, with 3.5 at 6:30 pace and 1 at 6:00 pace.

AM- 11

PM- Big Workout.  I had a hard time motivating myself to start and felt sluggish on my warmup, though the cloudy sky and 55 deg temp was perfect.  Ran tempo repeats on the canal- started at the bridge, so the first leg was 2/3 mile, then did 5 legs of 1.33 miles, then the last leg of 2/3 mile.  Goal was about 6:10 pace (which is pretty good for this time of year and given the poor footing on the trail which slows me down ~10 sec/lap versus a track).  Times were 4:16 (6:24 pace- slow at first), 8:24 (6:21), 8:13 (6:13), 8:10 (6:13), 8:07 (6:06), 8:04 (6:06), 3:47 (5:47).  Felt good- working fairly hard but not strained, and didn't notice my breathing until the last two.  I was glad I sped up the whole way.  14.5 miles in all in 100 minutes (6:55 pace).

AM- 7.  My weight has finally dropped below 140.  It was 138 this morning.  My SGM weight last year was 133-134, then I got up to 145-148 over the winter.

AM- Long run with Paul.  Slept in a bit (till 6:30, I think) which was glorious.  Ran to Paul's, then we ran a leisurely pace to the canal and up the canyon to just short of Guinavah Malibu.  Weather was very nice, and I really liked my new arm warmers and handheld water bottle from SGRC- thanks, Steve!  We blabbed at each other the whole time, mainly running related with a few random topics thrown in the mix.  After a few faster long runs, it was nice to be a bit easier on this one- 7:54/mi to the turnaround, 7:42 avg on the way back (though we did a few sub-7 on the downhill before slowing as we tired out).  22 miles, 2:51:37 total.

AM- 12.  Good start to the week.  Planning on ~87 this week with only 16 on Sat.

PM- 10, ran the whole Logan River trail while Marci pushed both kids in the jogging stroller.  Ran in my brand new Saucony Progrid Guide TR shoes, from the St. George Running Center.  Good shoes.  Nice day for a run.  McKinley loved throwing rocks into the river afterwards.  1:14:46.

AM- 6 miles.  I had to do the last 3 at ~6:15 pace in order to have time to eat bagels.  Because, for the first time ever, I was able to participate in Bagel Tuesday at the gym!  After working out, I at a nice Einstein's bagel- blueberry with blueberry cream cheese.  Then, after my shower, I figured I should eat one for Paul, so I had a cherry with almond cream cheese.  On my way out the door, I decided to eat one for Cody, as well, so had a cinnamon sugar bagel with strawberry cream cheese.  Supposing I only pay $8/month for my gym membership, they didn't make any money from me this month.  And that doesn't even count what I ate on Pizza Monday.  Of course, I don't think I lost any weight with my 3 bagels, either.

PM- Thought about a big workout but my legs immediately said "no".  Ran around Logan for 10 miles.  Wanted 14, but ran out of time before I had to go home with the kids, and I'm too tired to go out again.  I can easily make up the miles tomorrow and Fri.

AM- 7.  I was dead tired when I got in bed last night at 10 pm, but then could not fall asleep for 2 hours.  I hate it when that happens!  So now I am very, very tired today. 

PM- Marci was hosting a baby shower, so the kids and I were banished to the outdoors. I ran an easy 6.5 miles at 9 min pace with the kids, and included a 45 minute stop at McD for food and playplace. It was my first time getting more than ice cream at McDonalds in probably 5 years. I still prefer Wendy's.

I just noticed I am at exactly 1000 miles for the year right now.  Cool. 

PM- BTW (big trail workout)- started .8 miles into the Logan River trail, ran to Guinavah Malibu, then did a hard hill climb up to the Wind Caves- 1200 ft climb in 1.75 miles.  Then ran down 1.4 miles, back up 1 hard mile with 700 ft climb, then all the way down and back to the car.  14.5 miles in 2:07:47 (yup, a whopping 8:48 pace).  About 3000 ft climb on the whole run, and my legs were pretty tired by the end.  We'll count the 2.5 miles as MP, even though it was about 11:00 pace.

Reason #492 that I love trail running:  About 1/4 mile up the wind caves trail, a spring had burst from the ground and washed out the trail on the side of a steep hill/ravine.  The stream is big enough that you can't jump across and has no dry rocks, and it caused the hillside above it to sluff off such that it is very steep (maybe 60-70 deg angle) and curved (like the bobsled turn from he%@), bare, loose dirt with no plants other than one overhanging tree branch.  It took me about a minute on my way up to carefully climb up, across, and back down and was rather difficult with lots of slipping.  On my way back down, I came tearing down the mountain with a head of steam to find a big group of college students trying to cross.  The guys were all linking arms while the girls were shrieking and slowly climbing over the guys, trying not to fall or get wet.  Well, without losing my momentum, I simply ran straight up the side of the loose dirt, angled around, turned straight down the mountain (sliding and almost falling, but just barely, barely hanging on), ducked under one very low branch, and flew on down the trail.  The whole thing took me maybe 3-4 seconds and (in hindsight) was rather dangerous- if I had slipped, I would have fallen about 8 feet down and landed right on them.  As I kept going without looking back, I heard some unprintable mutterings from the group that essentially amounted to, "That guys is *bleeping* nuts.  Completely insane.  Suicidal."  It was great!  I'm sure they now think all trail runners are crazy.  Which we may be...