Justin Park

A.M. - Group long run on the Jordan River Parkway Trail with probably 15-20 folks, many from the blog. The plan was to meet at the parking lot at 12600 S. at 8am. As is typical for me, I was maybe 7 minutes late and most everyone had already started...Talk about punctuality! Luckily, Cotter and his buddy were late getting there too and said that the others had left about 5 minutes earlier. They took off and I needed another couple minutes to hit the potty. Its a good thing I saw them because that's the only way I would have known they were going to run north for the first out-and-back.

I figured the group had started out a reasonably modest pace, but knew that it would be difficult to catch them. Since the original plan was to go out 5 or 6 miles, I figured I would see them just after they turned back. I could see Cotter and his buddy about a quarter mile ahead of me and kept them in my sights for a while, but eventually lost them since they were running a little faster than me and I made a couple wrong turns. My first mile was 5:39 and the next 4 were right at 6 or just under. There was a tailwind, but that was too fast for my current conditioning and I knew I'd pay for it later when the fast guys wanted to pick up the tempo later on.

By the seventh mile I found myself in the middle of the golf course just south of 9000 S. and it wasn't clear if I was on the JRPT anymore or just the golf course path. I slowed to about 6:30-7 min pace. Neither the group or Cotter were anywhere in sight. I got to the north edge of the course and it curved and put me back going in a south-west direction. Just then I saw the group out of the corner of my eye. They may have seen me too. There was a big area of the golf course separating us. It appeared they were running east on a path paralleling 9000 S. I was tempted to just cut across the grass toward them. I probably should have. Instead, I stayed on the same path thinking that it would curve around again and put me right behind them. It didn't take me where I thought it would.

For the next mile+ I circled around the course hoping to run into them. It was a little frustrating and I was getting worried that we were just on different paths and I'd never catch up with them. Eventually, I made it to the southend of the golf course and to a point where I was sure that I was back on the JRPT. I hoped they hadn't already passed me on their way back. Finally, I spotted them coming toward me.

I fell in with the pack glad that I'd finally found them. At that point I was at 8.5 miles. Scott Keate said they were at 8.75, so I was just a little behind in terms of distance. They were cooking along at a good pace (sub 6:30) and were slowly picking up the pace. It wasn't long before the effort started feeling hard to me. Jake, Scott, and Fritz were breaking the wind at the front. Talking back and forth with each other like it was nothing. A couple of us, including Matt and I were riding their wake and breathing harder. I noticed that Cotter and his buddy weren't with the group. I figured they must have made some wrong turns too and were not as lucky as me to have met up with the group. Miles 10 and 11 were sub 6. By that time, it was down to 5 of us: Fritz, Jake, Scott, Matt, and I. I was fading. The pace was more then I was ready to handle. I just don't have the fitness right now and probably burnt too much mojo during the first miles when I was trying to catch up. During the next two miles (miles 12 and 13+), the 4 of them stuck together and increased the gap on me as they continued to push the pace. Mile 12 was 6-flat for me and 13 was 6:33. I was glad to make it to the cars and rest for a few minutes. I got some water, took a Gu, and shed my long-sleeve shirt which I probably shouldn't have worn from the start given the nice temps.

I felt better when we started up again. Now we were going south. Most of the remaining miles for me were around 6:30. I ran and talked with Matt for the first mile or so. He was sure looking great the last few miles before the break when he was pushing it with the others. He's a first class guy and I think he's going to have a monster year in 2013. Scott, Fritz, Jake, and Jon were a few steps ahead of us. Matt turned back and I caught up with the others. Fortunately, they were running at a pace I could manage. We ran on a section of the trail that had a modest climb and then a big down. A few of us complained about the fact we'd have to run back up it on the way back.

I was beginning to wonder how far out these boys were planning to go. Fritz, Jake, and Jon were shooting the breeze like it was nothing. Scott and I were talking and running a few steps behind. If we kept going much further, it was going to end up being well over 20 for the run. About 17, Scott and I decided we had enough and it was time to turn back. We figured we'd be road kill for those guys at some point (and we were right!). It wasn't long before we saw Toni and Devra (what a trooper!) and they turned back with us. Toni ran and talked with us for a while and Devra saved us from a wrong turn. When Scott's watch hit 20, we slowed to cool down for the last little bit. Sure enough, a few seconds later, Fritz, Jake, and Jon blazed passed us determined to finish in style. We later found out that their last mile was 5:15!

Several of the others who had cut their runs shorter were waiting at the park when we got there. It was good to see and talk to everyone. Truly a first class crowd of some of the best runners around. What a pleasure to have been able to get together with them this morning for a great run. I kind of regret not pulling out my phone for a group picture.

My overall pace was 6:17 (excluding the few minutes of rest after the first out-and-back). Definitely faster than anything I've been doing outside lately and my longest run since St. George. It felt good, but was admittedly more (in terms of mileage for that pace) than I was probably ready for. But again, an awesome run with awesome folks. Definitely looking forward to next time.

Rest day. Flew back out to ABQ tonight.

A.M. - 60 minute hotel treadmill run. All flat, 10 minutes each at 8.5 mph, 9.0, 9.5, 10.0, 10.5, and 9.0 (wanted to hit 11.0 for the last section, but wasn't ready for it today).

A.M. - Paseo Del Bosque trail

A.M. - 60 minutes on the hotel treadmill. Despite the lack of sleep the last few nights, I felt more energized and put in a slightly better effort than Monday. All flat:

5 minutes @ 9.0 mph
5 mins @ 9.5
20 mins @ 10.0
20 mins @ 10.5
5 mins @ 11.0
5 mins @ 11.5

Came home tonight. I'm going to Dallas next week, but happy about the fact that I'm not planning on going back to ABQ for over a month.

A.M. - Standard 9-mile out and back. Was slow and a bit of a slog today. Definitely good to be back on my home court though.

A.M. - Same run as yesterday. Was in a hurry to be on-time to a CPE seminar at the Salt Palace. Didn't have time to hit the gym as I normally would on a Friday morning. Good run. Felt more peppy than yesterday morning.

A.M. - Group Long Run - Orem/Provo Canyon. I had the privilege of joining 30+ folks (many from the blog) on a nice and juicy long run through Orem and Provo Canyon this morning. We met at the soccer fields (~1200 N 800 W) and ran north on the Murdock trail through Orem about 5 miles and then came back. After a brief rest, a bunch of us headed out for another five miles up Provo Canyon on the river trail. Right before Bridal Veil Falls, we stopped for a quick break. Toni had stashed some water and Powerade for us  (what an awesome fella!!). Jake b-lined it down the canyon at a blazing pace. As did Fritz and Matt. Brandon and Bryce weren't far behind. Me, Scott, and Mike took up the rear at a more conservative pace. I felt great. My average pace was 6:26. What a fun, awesome morning with terrific company! I'm looking forward to more of these. We need more ladies to join us!

I'm a dork and can't figure out how to post the picture of the group here. But see my Facebook page or Jake's blog. Anyone think we ought to petition for this to be the new picture on the FRB home page?! :) 

A.M. - Treadmill run at the Life Centre:

10 minutes @ 9.0 mph, flat
10 mins @ 9.5, flat
10 mins @ 10.0, flat
30 mins @ 10.0, progressive inclines, 5 mins each at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0

I'm off to Dallas for work.

In Dallas

A.M. - I'm staying at the hotel Palomar in Dallas. One of the hotel receptionists showed me where a nice little trail starts which is just across the street from my hotel called the Katy trail. How convenient that its so close because I'm in the middle of an urban jungle with no vehicle. It's nice and wide and paved and sections of it have two parelling paths; one cement and the other asphalt. It goes through urban and suburban areas and leads into the city. There were tons of folks using the path, but certainly not overcrowded. Lots of pretty tree cover along the way. Its about 4 miles long and ends at the American Airlines arena. I did a loop around the arena and came back. Made for a very nice and easy 8+ mile run. I'll probably hit it up again Thursday.

A.M. - 60 minute hotel treadmill run. The hotel has a decent little gym with some good Life Fitness treadmills, all flat:

5 minutes @ 8.5 mph
5 mins @ 9.0
5 mins @ 9.5
45 mins @ 10.0

Despite the lower elevation and yesterday's relatively easy run, this worked me more than I like to admit. Effort felt about as hard as Monday's eventhough Monday involved incline. Everytime I run on different treadmills from the ones at my gym, I feel like they work me harder. I swear my gym's treadmills must be slow by at least 0.5 mph.

A.M. - Katy trail to American Airlines arena and back. Awesome little route. The whole trail out-and-back is only a little over 8 miles. I wanted to get 10 today, so when I got to 8 I turned back and ran a mile. Then I turned around and headed back to the hotel (essentially I covered a one mile section of the trail 4 times).

Today, someone on my team mentioned that Troy Aikman often frequents the Katy trail during the morning. If he was there this morning or Tuesday, I didn't notice him.

Today was my birthday. My team and I went to a nice dinner and had some of the best red velvet cake I've ever tasted. See my Facebook for a pic. I've got to admit though, I'm getting real sick of all the eating that comes with the traveling. Yuck. Much harder to control what you eat when you're on the road and eating with groups of co-workers all the time.

A.M. - Last morning in Dallas. 60-minute hotel treadmill run. Felt better than Wednesday's TM run. Must have been the extra iron from that 10 oz filet mignon last night :) All flat:

 5 minutes @ 9.0 mph

5 mins @ 9.5

15 mins @ 10.0

20 mins @ 10.5

15 mins @ 11.0 

A.M. - Okay. Today my wussiness was on full display. Got home from Dallas last night. My wife was itching to get in a good run (since she can't go when I'm away (young kids)) and also wanted to go to the gym. She's been nice to adapt her Saturday mornings to enable me to go do the group runs the last couple weeks, so this Saturday was for her. My plan was to sleep in and start my run around 8:30. Wanted to do between 16-20 miles on some variation of my standard routes.

My wife woke me up around 6:30 right after her run and told me there was a bunch of snow and that she wasn't going to head down to the gym. I was half asleep and my brain wasn't functioning properly, but it should have registered to me that I could have made it to group run at 8 AM. Instead, I went back to sleep and didn't get up 'til after 8. All the snow outside made me chicken-out and abandon my outside running plans and I just decided to go the gym and hit the treadmill again. Made it down there a little before 9. I didn't have a ton of time because we had family pictures scheduled and I needed to try and squeeze in a hair-cut before then.

All flat run went as follows:

5 minutes @ 9.0 mph

5 mins @ 9.5

5 mins @ 10.0

15 mins @ 10.0

20 mins @ 11.0

5 mins 11.5 

My tummy was malfunctioning at that point, so I pulled the plug at 55 mins and called it a day. Wanted to make it at least another 5 minutes. Could of if I really wanted to, but I'm just a wuss today and don't have a lot of mental toughness lately. 

Rest day

A.M. - Easy treadmill run at the Life Centre. 45 minutes, all flat:

3+ mins on a crappy treadmill at 8.5 mph. I got of and switched machines after a 1/2 mile.

5 minutes @ 8.5 mph

5 mins @ 9.0

35 mins @ 9.5

Please excuse my whining, but my week got off to a bit of a rough start. Couldn't fall asleep for the life of me last night. Probably due to a combination of too much sleep Saturday night, too much sugar Sunday night, and stress about work. After getting maybe a couple hours of shut eye, I got up later than I should have and had to abbreviate the run and lacked the motivation/energy to do any more than an easy pace.

Also, I tweaked something on the outside of my left knee on Sunday. I strongly believe it wasn't running related. I felt it start to come on Sunday afternoon and I had not run since Saturday morning. I'm thinking it was one of 2 things (which I did a lot of both on Sunday): (1) shoveling the snow and packed-ice off my driveway Sunday morning (not sure if maybe the repetitive motion and applying force in a weird way may have aggrevated it); (2) lugging around my fat little 7-month old who wants to be held 24/7 but is always squirming and shifting his weight around forcing whoever is holding him to compensate for his movements. 

Good news is its not that bad and its definitely runnable. Soreness was probably worst Sunday. Its not a knee pain. I'm guess I strained my IT band on the lower lateral side of my knee. The best way to describe it is that its most noticeable if I try and kick-off my left shoe without untying the laces. That force applied to the heal of the left foot resonates up to the lower lateral side of the knee and kind of hurts. Also can feel it a little when I'm going down stairs. I could feel it a little while I was running, but the running didn't make it worse. I'm going to watch it over the next few days and take it a little easy. I wore a compression sleeve on my knee for most of the day.

A.M. - Standard Little Cottonwood Canyon park and ride out and back. The leg issue I brought up yesterday is still there, but improving. It was just fine while running.

A.M. - Same as yesterday. Wednesday is normally a treadmill day, but I slept in late because I was up working late last night (a common theme lately; don't go into public accounting kids!). Went outside because I could get it done faster. Motivation to run this week is lacking. Leg continues to improve, but not 100%.

It was snowing for part of the run. The canyon road was icy, there was a lot of traffic, and not much of a shoulder. I've gotten pretty good over the years to not slip, but I'm probably stupid to run on the canyon road in these conditions with all the cars.

A.M. - Same run as the last two days... Boring I know. Temps felt especially cold today. Wore my heaviest running mittens, but the thumbs still got cold toward the end. Leg is doing just fine. Very thankful for that.

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

5 minutes @ 9.0 mph

5 mins @ 9.5

10 mins @ 10.0

20 mins @ 10.5

10 mins @ 11.0 (wussed-out)

2.5 mins @ 9.0

2.5 mins @ 9.5

2.5 mins @ 10.0

2.5 mins @ 11.0

A.M. - Standard 15-miler. Felt the leg a little on the steeper inclines, but not really at all on the flats or descents. It didn't hurt, but its still noticeable. Its been a little more tender today compared to the last few. I've had a compression sleeve on it most of the afternoon which feels good. Rest day tomorrow should help.

A.M. - Standard Little Cottonwood Canyon park-and-ride out-and-back.

A.M. - Same as yesterday. Nice and cold and slushy. Was up terribly late last night, but felt alright on the run though. Needed a good Christmas day nap though.

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

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat

5 mins @ 10.0, flat

40 mins @ 10.0, progressive inclines, 5 mins each at: 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0

2.5 mins @ 10.0, flat

2.5 mins @ 10.5, flat

2.5 mins @ 11.0, flat

2.5 mins @ 11.5, flat

The incline section felt too easy. I normally would have struggled pretty hard with this. I wasn't using my normal treadmill this morning, so I question whether the incline settings were accurate. After the run, I walked on the machine and messed with the incline settings. It seemed to be working, but it just didn't feel right. I'm not in very good shape right now and with all the junk I've been eating lately, this incline should have done me in.

A.M. - Shortened run this morning out on the snow and slush covered roads. I slept in and my wife had to work today so I needed to get home quick for the kiddos. Out-and-back to just past the Bell Canyon parking lot at the mouth of Little Cottonwood. I wouldn't mind getting in a few more miles later on, but realistically there is a slim to no chance that will happen.

A.M. - Thought I was going to have a running partner this morning, but I guess he got busy :) It was snowing out, so I decided to take it inside. 60-minute treadmill run at the Life Centre:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
30 mins @ 10.0, progressive inclines with 5 mins each at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
5 mins @ 10.5, flat
5 mins @ 11.0, flat
5 mins @ 11.5, flat

Felt pretty good. I was back on one of my preferred treadmills and today's 30-minute inclince section worked me over harder than the 40-minute (up to 4.0 incline) did on Wednesday and confirmed my suspicions that something must have been off with that machine.

A.M. - Slept in quite late and didn't get started running until mid-morning. Did my go-to 12-mile and 9-mile routes back to back (less the first mile of the 9-mile route). Nice and easy, about ~7 min average pace. It was pretty cold out, but I was bundled nice and warm. On my hands, I wore my thin spandexy Nike gloves and then put my fleece mittens on too. The doubling-up kept my paws nice and toasty the entire run.

Here are the links to my 2012 races:

Canyonlands Half Marathon - March 17th 1:18:12; 6th overall

Utah Valley Half Marathon - June 9th 1:14:21; 6th overall

Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay - June 15th-16th Legs 1 & 13, Leg 25

MS Bike Ride - June 22nd-23rd Day 1 (100 miles), Day 2 (75 miles)

Hobbler Half Marathon - July 7th 1:11:36; 4th overall

Deseret News 10K - July 24th probably 32 something 

Timpanogos Half Marathon 1:08:51; 2nd overall

Ultimate Challenge (road cycle) - August 11th ~5:51:00

Hobble Creek Half Marathon – August 1:08:27; 3rd overall

Pocatello Marathon – September 1st 2:26:10; 1st overall

LOTOJA Classic (road cycle)
September 8th 9:38:49; 174th overall

St. George Marathon – October 6th 2:24:08; 7th overall

A.M. - 60-minute treadmill run at the Life Centre, all flat:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
5 mins @ 10.0
20 mins @ 10.5
15 mins @ 11.0
(wuss-out/potty break)
15 mins @ 9.0

...Maybe I should go bang-out 35 more miles today so I can hit the 3,000-mile mark for the year...Nah, maybe next year. Happy New Year everyone!