Justin Park

A.M. - 60 minutes on the gym treadmill:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph

5 mins @ 10.0, flat

5 mins @ 10.0, 0.5 incline

5 mins @ 10.0, 1.0

10 mins @ 10.0, 1.5... eew, not digging the incline today. Back down to 0

10 mins @ 10.0, flat

try incline again...10 mins @ 10.0, 1.5 incline... no, not having it. Back down

2.5 mins @ 10.0, flat

2.5 mins @ 10.5, flat

2.5 mins @ 11.0, flat

2.5 mins @ 11.5, flat 

A.M. - 12-miler (Little Cottonwood Rd./Wasatch Blvd triangle, 9800S, Roseboro)

A.M. - Easy pre-race run on the treadmill. 35 minutes, all flat:

5 minutes @ 9.0 mph

10 mins @ 9.5

10 mins @ 10.0

5 mins @ 10.5

1 min @ 10.0

30 seconds @ 11.0

30 secs @ 10.0

30 secs @ 11.5

30 secs @ 10.0

30 secs @ 12.0

1.5 mins @ 10.0 

PROVO CITY HALF MARATHON 2013

Was a slacker and never did this race report. I may circle back and try and summarize it at some point. Good race though for me for this time of year.

8 easy miles afterwards. 

A.M. - 60 minutes on the Life Centre treadmill:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
5 mins @ 10.0, 0.5 incline
5 mins @ 10.0, 1.0
25 mins @ 10.0, 1.5
5 mins @ 10.0, 2.0
2.5 mins @ 10.0, flat
2.5 mins @ 10.5
2.5 mins @ 11.0
2.5 mins @ 11.5

A.M. - Absolutely beautiful morning for a run. Unfortunately, I couldn't take advantage. One of those rare days where I really just didn't feel good. First half to 2/3rds of the run were fine. About 7, it became apparent I would need a pit-stop at the park. It came on fast! Really had to slow down to be able to make it to the park without exploding. After that I was done. Really couldn't get things rolling again. Decided to cut the planned 15-miler short and do my 12 course and just get it over with. Oh well.

I must say, I love running this time of year. Not cold, not hot, mostly just pleasant crisp spring air.

A.M. - 50 mins on the Life Centre treadmill, all flat:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
5 mins @ 10.0
20 mins @ 10.5
15 mins @ 11.0
5 mins 10.0

Pretty disappointed that I haven't been able to stick these runs for 60 mins for the past few months. The kill switch is just too tempting these days when things get uncomfortable and I'm just having a hard time holding 11.0+ OR incline above 1.5. Doesn't bod well for my confidence going into Ogden. Not sure if its just the time of year and that I'm still trying to recover from a stressful busy season (I usually have a bit of running lull post busy season; this year feels more pronounced)? maybe I'm a few pounds above weight? diet? mono? lacking motivation? just getting old? combination?... Not quite sure. But its been a while since I've consistently been happy with my treadmill runs. Hope to come out of the funk soon. Sorry for the soapbox.

P.M. - Had EQ visits scheduled for tonight, but there was a change of plans and they didn't end up happening. Perfect excuse to go out for a little ride. Weather was on the cool side and it was a bit rainy. Within 20 seconds of leaving the house, I was questioning whether riding this afternoon was such a good idea. I ended up turning back to grab a jacket and something for over my ears. It was getting late and there wasn't a ton of time. I didn't want to go very long anyways. Basically did the same route as last Monday. Went from my house up to Wasatch and south to the top of Suncrest and back. Didn't measure the distance, but I suspect it was between 25-30 miles all in with a few good climbs. Felt pretty good. Lotoja lottery results are supposed to be out by Friday.

A.M. - 15-miler

A.M. - 60 minutes on the treadmill. All flat:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
5 mins @ 10.0
20 mins @ 10.5
30 mins @ 11.0 

A.M. - 15-miler

A.M. - 60 minutes on the Life Centre treadmill:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
5 mins @ 10.0, 0.5 incline
5 mins @ 10.0, 1.0
20 mins @ 10.0, 1.5
5 mins @ 10.0, 2.0
5 mins @ 10.0, 2.5
5 mins @ 10.0, 3.0
5 mins flat with 1 min each @ 10 mph, 10.5, 11.0, 11.5, and 12.0

A.M. - 9-miler

A.M. - 45 minutes on the treadmill, all flat:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
10 mins @ 10.0
10 mins @ 10.5
15 mins @ 11.0
5 mins @ 11.5

Excited for Saturday. Its going to be fun, despite the fact I feel I'm going into it under-trained. Goal is going to be low to mid-2:30's. I think I should be capable of that. 

A.M. - 5 easy, slow miles on the flat roads around my neighborhood. 

A.M. - 25 minutes on treadmill, flat:

5 minutes @ 7.5 mph

5 mins @ 8.0

5 mins @ 8.5

5 mins @ 9.0

5 mins @ 9.5

I know full well I'm going into tomorrow somewhat undertrained. But all systems are a go. Feeling pretty rested and ready to roll. 

Ogden Marathon 2013

I had a decent day today. Given my current fitness, my training, and the weather, the result was actually better than expected. In assessing my fitness going into this race, I felt that mid-to-low 2:30's was doable. Considering I hit low 2:30's with the weather conditions, I'm happy. For my level of training to this point this year, it's what I deserved. As many others have commented in their posts, it was a little windy and very soggy. Definitely a run that tested character.

Pre-race stuff: One of the highlights of this run was being able to do it with two of my best friends: Scott Tasker and Corey Leavitt. Neither are what I would consider real regular runners, but both are definitely physically capable and could be great runners if they decided to commit real time to it. Back in September, Scott got the idea that we needed to run the Ogden Marathon. He committed about 10 of us to do it, including Corey and my wife and I. My wife was really looking forward to doing it (it would be her first full marathon since 2001). It was to be Scott's second marathon and Corey's first. Long story short, many of the folks ended up dropping out due to injuries or whatever. My wife included. About two months ago, she jacked-up her ankle and was forced to take a bunch of time off. She made the smart decision to forgo both the SL Half (which she had also signed-up for) and this race.

Friday afternoon, I picked up Scott and we drove up to Clearfield to get Corey. We got up to the expo about 5:30 got our packets and hit-up the restaurant that was in the same building as the expo (can't remember what it was called). I was surprised we got right in (the food wasn't bad). We headed a few blocks east to the hotel (Hampton Inn) on Washington. We got settled in the room and watched a movie. I peered out the window a few times and there were times when the rain was just pouring down. Around bed time, it was drizzling. We watched the weather and I was convinced our morning was going to be full of rain. We finally hit the sack around 11. I slept pretty good.

Got up around 4:20, got ready, made breakfast, and we were walking to the buses (which were just a block or two down the street) by 4:50. It was drizzling, but not too bad. We met up with a few more of our friends (Sheila and Abe) and didn't have to wait long to board the bus.

We got to the top and deboarded onto a wet, muddy, cow-pie ridden pasture. We didn't have to wait long to use the johns. We met up with a couple other folks (Russ, Jason, and Andrew) and just sat around in our ponchos and chatted until there was about a half hour to go. Then Corey and I made our way over to the road to start warming up. Got down to my shorts and tank and decided to keep the arm warmers on for the race (which I think was a good choice). I opted for my tight shorts for a couple of reasons: (1) enough storage room for 3 GUs (without them flopping around; two in the back zipper pocket, one in the inside pocket); (2) I figured the compression on the quads and hammies would be good for the marathon, especially given the weather conditions. I didn't intend to keep my compression socks (sleeves) on, but by the third mile, I realized I hadn't taken them off (not necessarily a bad thing though given the weather).

I had worn some older shoes and socks up to start in order to keep the race shoes and socks as dry/clean as possible. It was sad to see my LunaRacers get tarnished with mud and rain almost immediately after I put them on.

All of my best marathon experiences have been when I've been strict about taking in ample calories during the race. I'm talking 4 to 5 GUs and sips of gatorade/powerade at most stops. There weren't any special aid station tables for elites to stash their special mixtures and I didn't have anyone who could be out on the course to give me what I wanted when I wanted it. The race would be providing Cliff Shot's at about miles 5, 9, 17, and 23. My plan was to carry three onboard, take my first at mile 7, second at about mile 12, take the race-provided Cliff Shot at 17, take my third GU at Mile 20 (or defer and keep for insurance later), and probably take the race one at 23. This strategy pretty much was executed as planned except that I missed the one at 23. If that aid station had them, I missed it because I was more concerned dodging the congestion of half-marathoners. Looking back, it would have been nice to have had that GU.

Race. At the start, I saw Riley, Brett, Bryant, Walter, Steve, and Jason Holt. My money was on Riley. With the season he's been having, if he was going to have a good day, he'd be laying down the law on everyone. I joked with him "Sub-2:20 today?" Walter told him to take down the record. Being modest, he played it down citing the weather.

The rain had been coming down all morning. Not too heavy yet. The race started about on time. Riley, Bryant, Brett, and Jason went out of the gate fairly modestly and formed the lead pack. They looked smooth and relaxed. Me and Walter and a few others were a few seconds back. Walter and I hit the first mile. I heard Walter comment that it was a fast. He immediately dialed back. It didn't really feel like we had ripped-it, but I looked at my watch and thought I saw 5:11. Yes, too fast. I ratcheted back as well. As a result, the second mile split was substantially slower (5:45). After the race, I saw that the first mile was really 5:27, which was good (not sure what I was seeing when I first looked at it).

By mile 2, Walter had dropped back and I was sitting in 5th place. That's how it would stay until about the 15 mile mark. The first 8 or 9 miles are cruising down the canyon at a nice modest grade. Riley led for most of these miles, looking fantastic. The others were right behind him and looking good. They had at least 30 seconds on me and that gap seemed to stay pretty consistent. The wind wasn't super strong, but noticeable and probably adversely affecting speed a little. My splits for 3 through 9 were: 5:29, 5:28, 5:32, 5:27, 5:34, 5:32, and 5:36. Fairly consistent as far as I'm concerned. I felt just fine. Just trying to stay smooth and relaxed and keep some of the guys in front of me within striking distance.

Right before we made the right turn off the Canyon road (about mile 9), I saw Riley pull off to the side of the road and tie his shoe. It only took a few seconds, but he went from 1st to 4th place. Bryant and Jason seemed to surge a bit. Uh-oh, I thought to myself. As little as that was, I bet its going to disrupt his rhythm (not a good thing in a marathon). I was still a ways back.

For miles 10-15 you hit some rollers and the biggest ascent of the race (which isn't terrible) at 14 or 15. As a result, my slits started slowing: 5:37, 5:43, 5:40, 5:49, 5:44, 5:56 (hill). Bryant really seemed to be stepping on the gas here and building time on the rest of us. Jason looked pretty good too. Brett was in third and slowly building the gap on me, but still within sight. Bryant and Jason were out of my sight by mile 12. Riley was starting to come back to me ever so slowly. It was becoming obvious it wasn't going to be one of his stellar days. Either that, or he was really holding back and was going to rip it the second half. But that probably wasn't the case because I couldn't imagine him willingly let Bryant get such a lead.

I came through the half in the high 1:13's. Not shabby. Maybe just maybe, I could go sub-2:30 if I can hold it together on the hill and take advantage of the descent down Ogden Canyon. 

Just after the 15-mile mark, I came up along side Riley and ran along side him for a bit. I asked how he was feeling. He said he feeling good cardio-wise, but that the legs just didn't have it today. He asked how I was feeling and I responded, "so-so" which was an honest assessment. I pulled ahead and hit 5:37 for mile 16. 

The canyon would be coming up soon, I was looking forward to that part. A nice gradient down, but not killer like SGM. I really wanted to capitalize. Mile 17 was when I first started noticing fatigue in my quads. Uh-oh. The split was 5:48. Kind of surprised that Riley didn't catch back up with me here. I had no idea how far back he was. I thought he was right there. I wasn't sure who else might be close behind either. I wasn't going to look back to find out though. Right about the dam, someone tells me the leader (Bryant) is about 3 minutes ahead.

Mile 18 has some good descent and I hit a 5:30. Okay, good. Give me some more of these. However, it wasn't meant to be. For the next several miles, the congestion of half marathoners just continued to build. Not terrible, but enough to be annoying. The course is beautiful through here and fast. Unfortunately, this is where my under-training caught up with me. I was feeling my quads. I thought I had been responsible enough on the descents. I just couldn't get it rolling. I felt fairly strong, stable, and steady, but not fast. No top gears. No more sub-5:40s. Splits for 19 through 23 were: 5:44, 5:48, 5:46, 5:40, and 5:47. With every split over 5:43, the possibility of sub-2:30 fades. Really wished I could have been about 10 seconds faster on each of these miles. I periodically catch glimpses of Brett up in distance. At some point, a dude says, "the guy in second (Jason) is struggling, go get him!" I couldn't see him though.

During mile 23 or so, you come out of canyon and get on a paved path. The congestion of half marathoners is pretty bad from here on out. A lot of weaving in and out and yelling "on your left." Some hear it and move respectfully. I wanted to take the race-provided Cliff Shot at 23, but being overly concerned about dodging half marathoners, I never end up seeing it. Would have been nice to have taken one, but it may not have helped much. The course winds and rolls and really slows me up. I hit a 6:00 flat for mile 24. Ugh.

25 is similar, but even slower: 6:15. Ugh. I know sub-2:30 isn't happening today, but I can still pull out 4th place (assuming Riley doesn't assassinate me from behind) and a respectable low 2:30's time. Surprising, I still feel good. Still pretty decent, but no leg speed. My body had defaulted to race survival mode speed.

Now on the longgggggggg... home stretch (Grant street). The finish line is way up in the distance several stop lights ahead. I trudge along. At some point I look down at my watch and see 2:26:45, :46, :47. Is 2:30 still possible? No, the finish is still too far off to make it in time. With about a quarter mile or so to go, I see Ben VanBeekum off to the left yelling me on. Mile 26 is also 6:15.

I come into the shoot and see the clock ticking up to 2:31 and crossed at 2:30:59. Good enough for 4th place. 1st place in the division also defaulted to me.

I see Brett and Bryant and congratulate them on their races. Bryant won with a 2:23...Freaking amazing!

I see Corey's wife, Rachel, and their kids on the other side of the fence and talk with them for a minute.

Then I saw Scott Keate and learned that he dominated the half marathon, despite being led off-course for a half mile, he still pulled out a 1:11. Amazing.

Ate some Great Harvest bread and got right into a massage. IT bands and calves were really tight. At one point while the girl was working my left IT band, it shot a cramp down my calf that hurt like a mother. I never get cramping. I'm glad it didn't happen on course. A result of the cold I guess. She got it worked out though. By the end I was freezing.

I had to wait forever to get my drop bag. Fortunately, Riley, the saint, was there and saw me and let me take off my singlet and where one of his shirts. It was a life-saver while I waited more that 15 mins in the rain for my stupid bag. It was awesome talking with Riley. I was sorry he didn't have a good day (by his standards; 2:39), but the dude is a class act. Such a good attitude. Has more talent in his toenail than I have in my entire being. He's going to figure-out the marathon soon and be a huge force to reckon with.

After awhile, I regrouped with my friends and made it back to the hotel to shower and pack up. Scott was hoping for a Boston Qualifier (3:05). Given the conditions, that wasn't meant to be today. He did great though with a 3:22. Over an hour and 10 mins better than his first marathon (also Ogden) 3 years ago. Corey blasted his goal of sub-4 hours posting a 3:53 and feeling great. Sheila was hoping for a 3:40, but had a bit of a rough go with the weather finishing in around 4:05.

We were on the road home a little after 1. So much fun to have done this race with my friends. Wished Lindsay (wife) could have joined us. Next time. 

I'm pretty sore. Going to take it easy for the week. Maybe try and spend some more time on the bike.

Congrats to everyone on the blog who soldiered through this race today.

Did nothing today. Was just lazy. Going to have a pretty easy week.

A.M. - No running today, but I took a nice ~2.8 mile walk around my neighborhood and up to Granite Park. Beautiful morning. Legs are feeling good.

A.M. - No running again. Slept in a bit and headed down to the gym. Did 30 mins on the elliptical at a pretty easy effort.

P.M. - Bike ride north along Wasatch Blvd to part where the path over Parley's starts. There was somewhat of a headwind on the way out, but it was nice to have it at my back on the way home. On the way back, I went up to the park-n-ride in Little Cottonwood. I felt really good and could have made it good ride if I had more time. I didn't my Garmin, but I'm going to say it was around 28 miles. The canyons are beckoning. I'd love to do Millcreek this Saturday. 

A.M. - First running since the marathon. 30 minutes easy on the treadmill, all flat:

5 minutes @ 8.0 mph

10 mins @ 8.5

15 mins @ 9.0

Feeling fine. Just taking things easy this week. Still feeling a little heaviness in the legs from the marathon, but all systems are a go. Nothing is sore.

A.M. - Another easy 30 minutes on the treadmill at the gym:

5 minutes @ 8.5 mph, flat

5 mins @ 9.0, flat

4 mins @ 9.0, 1.0 incline

4 mins @ 9.0, 1.5

4 mins @ 9.0, 2.0

4 mins @ 9.0, 3.0

2 mins @ 9.0, 4.0

2 mins @ 9.0, 5.0

Inclines are much easier at a slower pace. 

A.M. - Did a hybrid of my 12/15-mile and 9-mile courses. Took it nice and easy. Would have went longer had I got my butt out of bed earlier. I was in a bit of a hurry to get home for wife to go to the gym.

Did a bunch of sprinkler work today.

P.M. - 40-mile ride to Brighton and back. First Big C ride of the season. Felt good. Had a tail wind most of the way up, then a headwind from about Spruces campground to the top. Life is so much awesomer after a good canyon ride. 

A.M. - Brick workout. My buddy Scott texted me last night and wanted to do an early ride. I was reluctant because he wanted to go early and it would interfere my morning run time. My wife had to be to work by 9 (so I would have the kids), so time was of the essence. Scott needed to be done by 7:30 and proposed we leave by 6. I decided I could do the ride and still have time for a little run.

Bike - Met up with Scott right at 6 and we took 13th East to the top of Suncrest. Came back pretty much the same way, but altered our descent to go passed the temple. I need to ask Scott how far it was, but I'm going to guess it was in the neighborhood of 25 miles. Felt real good on the bike. After separating from Scott, I was almost to my house and I rode past two ladies clipping along at a nice pace. I didn't take long to recognize that it was Allie and Devra. I hooted at them.

Run - Standard 9-miler. Great morning for a run. Felt good. 

Most of the rest of the day was spent at Utah Lake boating with my family. The best part was watching my 3 year-old daughter with her cousins on the tube.

A.M. - 15-miler. Little Cottonwood Rd/Wasatch Blvd triangle, normal direction. A bit of a trudge today.

A day of hot and cold.

A.M. - 60 minutes on the Life Centre treadmill, all flat:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph

5 mins @ 10.0

20 mins @ 10.5

30  mins @ 11.0

Gym felt exceptionally warm today. Either it really was, or it was normal and I've just become unaccustomed after not doing any harder workouts over the last 2 weeks (due to Ogden marathon taper and recovery).

P.M. - 40 mile stallion ride up Millcreek and back. First Millcreek ride of the season. Ride up the canyon was awesome. It started to get overcast and drizzling ever so slightly until I got to the top. Then it started raining more, I had to take the descent real slow with the slick road. There were a few spots where snow was still across the entire road. It got real cold real fast. The only semi-warm gear I had on was my running arm warmers and my full finger mountain biking gloves. By the time I got to the bottom of the canyon, it was just pouring. Poured the who way home. I was drenched. Lighting and thunder all over the place. Rain finally started letting up when I was about 2 miles from my house. Had to take a long hot shower to get my core temperature back up...Good fun nonetheless!

A.M. - 15-miler. Wasatch Blvd/Little Cottonwood Rd triangle in reverse direction.

A.M. - 60 minutes on the treadmill at the gym:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
5 mins @ 10.0, 0.5 incline
5 mins @ 10.0, 1.0
20 mins @ 10.0, 1.5
5 mins @ 10.0, 2.0
5 mins @ 10.0, 2.5
2.5 mins @ 10.0, flat
2.5 mins @ 10.5, flat
2.5 mins @ 11.0, flat
2.5 mins @ 11.5, flat
(10 miles)

P.M. - Met up with Jake around 5:45 at the 6200 S park and ride to do a Saucony wear-test (Jake reached-out a few days ago and I fit the profile for the test). I won't go into much detail for fear of divulging something I shouldn't, but the test basically consisted of wearing 3 sets of shoes for a mile each and completing a questionaire afterwards for each pair. At the end, Jake handed me a pair of Kinvara proto-types to alternate wearing with another pair (I'll be getting next week) over the next eight weeks. This is my first wear-tester experience and I'm excited to be able to help out. Especially since the Kinvaras are one of my favorite models of all time. (~3 miles).