Justin Park

A.M. - Decent 60 minute effort on the treadmill:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
20 mins @ 10.0 with progressive inclines, 3 mins each at 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 and 5 mins at 3.5
10 mins @ 10.0, flat
10 mins @ 10.5, flat
10 mins @ 11.0, flat

Bummed I missed the JRP run this morning with a bunch of the fellas, but the air deterred me.

P.M. - 7 easy on the treadmill after work.

P.M. - dark run late in the afternoon after work.

A.M. - 9 on the standard course before flying out to Disneyland for a few days.

A.M. - 10 on hotel treadmill in 60 mins. Can't remember the intervals, but the last 20 mins were at 10.5 mph and 11.0 (10 mins each).

Loved the SoCal weather and thick air.

A.M. - Similar to yesterday, but took it quite a bit easier. Ended with 10 mins at 10.5 mph.

The real workout of the day is carting my two children around the Disney parks all day. Love them to death, but they both just want to be held all of the time!

Came home today.

A.M. - Limited on time and could only get in 7.

A.M. - the standard

Same as yesterday.

A.M. - Nice Saturday 16-miler

the standard

same as yesterday.

Same as yesterday....Yeah, I'm super boring.

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

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
35 mins @ 10.0
5 mins @ 10.5

A.M. - Got kind of a late start this morning. Had planned on doing 15 or 16 along the normal route. But up on Little Cottonwood Rd at just over 3 miles I ran into Fritz and Josh who were coming down. I ran with them for ~11 miles south on Wasatch and back north on Dimple Dell and down to Highland. It was good for me run with them as it caused me to go faster than I otherwise would have. Hopefully didn't slow them down too much. Another 3+ home. Didn't have my Garmin today, so I'm going to call this one 16.5 and end up with a nice round 60.0 miles for the week. Good run.

A.M. - Standard 9-miler.

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

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph,
25 mins @ 10.0
10 mins @ 10.5
5 mins @ 11.0

A.M. - Woke-up late and only had time for 30 mins on treadmill...Had to avoid the toxic outside air:

5 minutes each @ 9.0-11.5 mph, all flat.

TM

Goose egg!

TM

TM

Canyonlands Half Marathon - 1:16:42; 10th overall. About 1:30 slower than last year, but still my 2nd best all time on this course. Conditions were a factor. Headwind for good portion of the race. Tailwind for most of the last ~2 heading to the finish. Obviously didn't have any speed in my legs. Couldn't expect to since I haven't really done anything speed related for about the last 6+ months. Could tell that the week end long runs helped the endurance aspect though.

Made the trip with buddies Scott T and Corey. Fun time.

TM

A.M. - 60 minutes gym treadmill, all flat:

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

Salt Lake Half Marathon 2014
Ouch. This race kicked my butt. Felt pretty flat during the warm-up and it was a apparent by the second mile that today was going to be a trudge, despite what the course was going to be. I didn't do any homework beforehand to scout-out the course. The course was scenic, but not my not my favorite variation. I'd summarize it as: plenty of downhill, lots of turns, a few momentum-killer uphill sections. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to capitalize on the sections which should have been faster. Just no speed in the legs. Not able to push to pace.

It was good to see a bunch of the guys I haven't seen in a while. Real reality check though to see first-hand how my lack-luster body of work and focus over the last 9-months has really put me behind.

I've needed a good behind-kicking for awhile. I'm injury-free and have been for a long-time, but my running-motivation has been in the gutter for what seems to be forever. Maybe this will serve as a spark.

Provo City is in 2 weeks and Ogden full 2 weeks after that. Hope to see some improvement.

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

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
45 mins @ 10.0
5 mins @ 10.5
3 mins @ 11.0
1 min @ 11.5
1 min @ 12.0
 

A.M. - 12-mile loop: LC Road/Wasatch triangle, regular direction.

A.M.  - 60 minutes at the gym, all flat:

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

Best little TM push I've had in a while.

A.M. - Same 12-mile route as Tuesday.

A.M. - 60 minutes on the treadmill:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
20 mins @ 10.0, progressive inclines; 3 mins each @ 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 5 mins @ 3.5
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
15 mins @ 10.5, flat
5 mins @ 11.0, flat
5 mins @ 11.5, flat

Nothing to write home about, but this concludes the most decent TM week for me in a long time. Christened some new PureFlow's this morning. I like them. They'll become my outside work horses. I've come down with a cold the last few days, very mild at this point, but I suspect it'll hit soon. Hopefully it runs its course quickly and doesn't get in my way too much these last few weeks leading up to Ogden.

A.M. - double 12-mile loops. Reverse triangle the second time around. It was raining pretty good before I started, but then it subsided. First 10 miles or so were dry, then the rain just progressively got heavier through the end of the run. Was a sopping mess when I got home, but pretty good run otherwise. Cold symptoms aren't really manifesting right now which is good.

A.M. - 61 mins on the treadmill:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
1 mins @ 10.0, 1.0 incline - stopped and changed treadmills here. My go-to one was being used by someone up until this point, then it freed up. I wouldn't have changed had it not been for the old guy (a gym regular) who kept giving me dirty looks for making too much noice on the noisy machine I was on. About a year ago, he thought the one treadmill I was always using was too loud and asked me to use a different one. I kept my cool and have obliged him ever since. I'm sure he still thinks I'm too loud. If he says something to me again (e.g. "slow down, or don't run here because you're too loud") I'm really going to give him a piece of my mind...

20 mins @ 10.0, progressive inclines with 3 mins each at 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 5 mins @ 3.5 - Did what I intended to, but it kicked my butt more this time than it did on Friday. Possibly due to Saturday's long run. As a result, kept the speed for the next 20 mins slower than what I was planning on.
20 mins @ 10.0, flat
5 mins @ 10.5, flat
3 mins @ 11.0, flat
1 min @ 11.5, flat
1 min @ 12.0, flat

Kinvara 4

A.M. - 15-mile route.

Pureflow 3

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
20 mins @ 11.0
10 mins @ 11.5

A.M. - Easy morning 9-miler.

A.M. - 35 minutes easy on the treadmill, all flat:

5 minutes @ 9.0 mph
10 mins @ 9.5
15 mins @ 10.0
5 mins @ 10.5

Adios Boost
 

Provo City Half Marathon - 2014

Splits: 5:14, 5:04, 5:24, 5:15, 5:23, 5:26, 5:34, 5:24, 5:35, 5:36, 5:42, 5:34, 5:39, 0:48

Fun race. It was great to see a lot of bloggers. Many great performances today. Brett Hales is a machine! (1:05!!!) Fritz, Nate, and Jason had great races. Matt and Mike had respectable runs (I say respectable, because they're obviously capable of more). For me, not a spectacular time, but I'm happy with it given where I'm at with my fitness/training this year. I'm slowly closing the gap versus where I was this time last year:

Canyonlands 1/2
2013 - 1:15:21
2014 - 1:16:42

SLC 1/2
2013 - 1:14:10
2014 - 1:15:48

Provo City 1/2
2013 - 1:11:22
2014 - 1:11:43

Ogden Full
2013 - 2:30:59
2014 - ??? (hoping for low-to-mid 2:30's)

Felt good for most of the race. In retrospect, I think I took it out a little faster than I should have, but its easy to get carried away with the steep downhill earlier miles. I know my splits later in the race paid for it. Cardio felt fine. Legs felt pretty good. Still don't have much speed in the legs, but that's to be expected since I've done very little lately to earn it.

1.5 mile warm, 7.5 mile cool with Brandon and Fritz.

I think the best thing that's happened to my running over the last few week is that I've got some fire back. I hope I can maintain it. The SL 1/2 behind-kicking I received has helped stoked my desire to start consistently putting more effort into my running (at least compared to what its been the past 7-8 months). I'm crossing my fingers I can stay healthy and slowly and consistently build, start getting on the bike, and hopefully get into decent form by late summer-fall.

*   *   *   *   *   *

P.M. - 27 miles on the bike. First time out this year and could really tell. Good time, butt the climbs kicked my trash. To top of Suncrest (Draper side) and back. Out via Wasatch/Hidden Valley Dr. Home via 13th.

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

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
45 mins @ 10.0
5 mins @ 10.5
2 mins @ 11.0
2 mins @ 11.5
1 min @ 12.0

Was glad that today was a planned easy day, because despite having two good nights of sleep, I felt pretty tired this morning. Felt decent by the end of the run. Hopefully just residual from Saturday.

A.M. ~62 mins on the TM, all flat:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
5 mins @ 10.0
10 mins @ 10.5
25 mins @ 11.0
7+ mins @ 11.5 (disappointed with myself for not sticking the 11.5 through to 60)
10 mins @ 10.0

A.M. - 15-miler. Triangle in reverse. Was wet and rained just a little. Wore the old Aegis.

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

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
45 mins @ 10.0
5 mins @ 10.5
2 mins @ 11.0
2 mins @ 11.5
1 mins @ 12.0

15 miles

Capped off a busy weekend with a super late night Sunday night getting ready for a all-day work meeting on Monday. Really didn't sleep at all....Stupid, stupid, stupid of me so close to the marathon. Oh well. Consequently missed my morning run. Made it up with 9 slogging miles in the afternoon.

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

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
5 mins @ 10.0
10 mins @ 10.5
25 mins @ 11.0
15 mins @ 9.0

Adios Boost

A.M. - Another TM day. 50 mins, all flat:

5 minutes @ 9.5
10 mins @ 10.0
15 mins @ 10.5
20 mins on/off, 12.0/10.0; first 10 mins were 1 min intervals. Next 10 mins were 2 min intervals (11 total mins @ 12.0). Nothing fancy, but it got the legs turning.

A.M. - 6 easy miles around the neighborhood.

***My wife has to bail on the Ogden Half Marathon. I know this is short notice, but is anyone out there interested in taking her spot? Let me know. I'll give you a really good deal.

A.M. - 3 easy on the TM, all flat (5 mins @ 8.0, 5 mins @ 8.5, 5 @ 9.0, 6+ @ 9.5).

Looking forward to tomorrow. Will be fun.

Ogden Marathon 2014

I’m pleased with how this race turned out. The result was where I was expecting/hoping to be based on the time of year and my training. I was about 30 seconds on the wrong side of last year’s time, but man, what a difference in weather conditions; last year was cold and wet. This year was sunny and warm. It was great to see so many friends and fellow bloggers. A lot of solid performances.

Pre-Race

Headed up to Ogden Friday afternoon with my buddy Scott. After a little run around at the expo, I was able to get my wife’s packet/bib for the half marathon (she wasn’t running due to hamstring issues). Later that night I off-loaded it to the person who would be running it in her place (perfectly legal BTW). Tony had also asked me to get his, which I did.

We got some grub and headed to the hotel (the Hampton on Washington). I about had a heart attack when they couldn’t pull up my reservation. Then I double-checked my email and realized we were at the wrong hotel! Idiot! Our room was actually at the Holiday Inn a couple miles away by the freeway. So we eventually made it to the right place, but unfortunately we wouldn’t be able to walk out of the hotel straight to the buses in the morning.

Got settled in and hit the sack around 11. Slept relatively well with the exception that I woke up in the middle of the night with a bloody nose (precious red blood cells!). It took a good 15 minutes to remedy.

Got up at 4, got ready, and had breakfast: Couple packets of instant maple oatmeal w/PB, half an orange, and half a banana. Drove to the buses and parked a few blocks away. As we were walking, I realized I had left Tony’s packet/bib in the hotel room. It was about 4:47 AM at that point. Stressed, I told Scott to go ahead and that I’d meet back up with him. I ran back to my car and buzzed back to the hotel. Aside from getting the heart rate up, everything worked out. I was able to get Tony his bib, regroup with Scott and a couple others (who had driven up that morning), and we made the bus with plenty of time to spare.

We exited the busses to much better conditions than last year. Instead of a wet cow-pie ridden field, the area had recently been dirt-packed. We hit the Johns, talked with some folks (including Steve Ashbaker and Jason Holt), and before long it was time to warm-up and get ready.

Strategy

In assessing where I was at fitness-wise, I figured mid-to-low 2:30’s was doable. Sub 2:30 was potentially in the cards, but probably not likely unless I had a really good day. I was feeling good, positive-minded, and optimistic for a good race. I knew that Bryant and Fritz would be duking it out at the front for the win and course record. Steve Shepherd was there and ready to put up a good time. And Jason Holt could definitely lay down the law if he decided to race. Unbeknownst to me beforehand, Jace Nye was also there. Steve Ashbaker could also lay down a good race. Then there was the possibility of having one or more dark horses that I didn’t know about. So placement wise, I figured top 5 would be hard, unless Jason decided not to put in a race effort and one or more of the others happened to falter.

My strategy for this year was to gun for a 2:30 time and run more conservatively during the early miles compared to last year. Last year I got to Ogden Canyon and felt like I didn’t have much left in the quads. So I was hoping that taking it a little easier earlier on this time would do me some good later on. However, I didn’t want to not take advantage of the downhill miles at the start to bank at least a little time. Knowing that I needed to average ~5:44 pace for 2:30, I had it in my mind to try and run between 5:35 and 5:40 for the first 8 miles out of the canyon. Then slower for the rolling miles through 15. Then pick it up again and give it all I had left down Ogden Canyon and to the finish.

Nutrition wise, I had 3 Gu’s onboard with me and would plan to take 2-3 of the race provided ones while on course. So plan was one prior to the start, then one at miles 5 (race-provided), 10, 15, 17 (race-provided), 20, and 23 (race-provided). Also planned for Powerade at each station. This ended up playing out mostly according to plan except for missing that last Gu at 23 (same problem as last year, BTW). The back-packer half marathoners were just too thick at that point. Note, taking the Gu at mile 5 is earlier than what I typically do, but I was confident I could stomach a fair amount of sugar during the race and figured it couldn’t hurt to be as generous as possible with it. In retrospect, I think it worked well and I’ll seriously consider doing it again for my next marathon.

Race

The race started and the big dogs (Fritz, Bryant, Jason, Jace, and Steve) immediately took to the front with me not too far behind them. According to plan, I kept it conservative. Bryant and the others seemed to be ‘loafing it’ a little more than I was expecting. Fritz soon grew impatient with the pace and slowly started gapping the other 4. I was feeling great. Came through the first mile at 5:39, right about where I wanted to be. I had decided to race in a pair of Adios Boost which, to prior to this time, I’d only done a few treadmill runs in. They were feeling nice and light underfoot. They’re heavier than the LunaRacers I’ve used for my last few marathons, but I was hoping the Boost cushioning would be a good thing.

This part of the course is beautiful. Mile 2 split is 5:42. I want to be a little quicker than that, so mile 3 is 5:33. For some reason, my legs didn’t feel quite as peppy as the first mile, but nothing overly concerning to me. Miles 4 and 5 are 5:31 and 5:34, respectively. A little on the quick side, but nothing crazy. Good miles to bank a few seconds for later on. I had done a good job ‘emptying the tanks’ before the start, but I had also hydrated well which may explain why about here I started feeling the slight urge to pee. I hoped that it would go away and not necessitate a stop later on. I tried to forget about and fortunately it never became an issue. I took a race provided Gu at 5 as planned.

The others continued to build their lead on me, but were spreading out. Jason, Jace, and Steve were still well in sight. I felt like I settled into a good comfortable rhythm for the remainder of the canyon miles hitting 5:33, 5:38, and 5:36 for miles 6-8, respectively. Definitely capable of pushing it more, but choosing not to.

We made a right turn heading north and Jason, Jace, and Steve are still in sight but gaining on me. Here is where the rollers begin. Mile 9 is a respectable 5:37 and even 10 is alright at 5:39. As planned, I take my second Gu right at 10. At this point, the 3 are pretty much out of sight. Mile 11 has a slight curving ascent to the left. As I crest it, there are some folks observing the race and suddenly Jason bolts out of one of the port-a-johns. It surprises me to see him there and I can tell he’s having issues. I’m not sure he notices me at that point and he quickly puts about a 5 second gap on me. Mile 11 ticks in at 5:53. I must have lost a little focus here.

I notice Jason’s great looking stride and form, but it’s not difficult to match his pace. I slowly bridge the gap and come up to the left of him. I ask him how he’s doing and he tells me not great. He asks me the same and I say “so, so,” which was a pretty honest answer. I continue to slowly move ahead and go through mile 12 at 5:40. During 13 you make another right turn north and run through the half marathon starting area. Lots of people and noise. I can still hear Jason not far behind me and he seems to be struggling. Mile 13 ticks in at 5:48. I notice the big race clock showing about 1:14:30. Not bad, but not a lot of wiggle room for the second half. I was at least a minute slower than last year through that point, but that was largely by design.

You take a left away from Eden Park and head west with about a mile to go before the biggest ascent of the race. I no longer hear Jason behind me. No one else is in sight ahead of me. Mile 14 comes in at 5:46. The climb begins and my pace definitely slows. I’m feeling pretty good and not worried about the slower pace. The last thing I want to do is blow a fuse pushing too hard up the hill. Mile 15 is 6:05. I take my third Gu. The course levels off and it’s time to try to start rolling again. Mile 16 is a 5:41.

By mile 17, you’re on a nice gradual ascent heading toward the dam. It’s about here that I realize I’m running a marathon. I didn’t’ hit the wall, but it’s not so easy any more. The sun is out, it feels a little warm. Positive thoughts are becoming more scarce. However, the legs and cardio still feel strong, albeit not fast. The quads aren’t shot yet. I take another race provided Gu and hit 5:48 for 17.

On the 18^th mile, you cross over the Pineview dam and begin the canyon descent. A guy tells me that I’m about two and half minutes behind the 4^th place guy. That’s quite a bit, I think to myself. I probably can’t catch him. I have no idea how far Jason or anyone else behind me is. Mile 18 ticks in at 5:32. I like that and want more like it, but I’m not feeling great.

Mile 19 is 5:41 – okay. I notice now that my quads are feeling considerably better compared to this same point last year. I was pretty sure the split was better this year too (it was).

Mile 20 is 5:50 – ugh. Should have been better. I knew I needed to get whatever I could out of these canyon miles. I take another Gu here. The caramel yeti one – yum. It would be the last Gu.  The further I go, there are more and more back of the back half marathoners. They’re not too annoying yet. I realize here that I’m feeling pretty good for this stage of the race. Back into a pretty good rhythm. Miles 21, 22, and 23 are 5:43, 5:33, and 5:40 – Yes! I will take those. All better than the same miles last year. Perhaps the strategy was working? Quads are still there.

Toward the end of 23 you come out of the canyon, the terrain flattens out and you get on the paved path. At some point around here I see Matt Poulsen shouting encouragement and later Spencer Simpson. Spenser tells me that 4^th place (Jace) is a minute up on me and hurting. So I’ve gained quite a bit on him since the dam, but he’s still quite a ways ahead. I’m still feeling okay through this point. Spencer would later tell me I looked pretty strong here.

Somewhere shortly thereafter, I guess I hit a soft wall. I wanted to take the race Gu at 23, but missed it. The half marathoners had grown very thick. I constantly had to yell “on your left.” Some would respond and move, others would not. I couldn’t help but get angry a couple of times. The small ups and downs and waviness of the path got the best of me and killed any momentum I had. I was mentally ready to be done. I really had no speed to call upon and just hunkered down to survival pace. Miles 24 and 25 were nothing to be proud of: 6:02 and 6:14.

Now on Grant Street and the home stretch to the finish. I know that 2:30 is no longer possible, but I’m okay with that. I’m feeling better now than I did on the stupid path, but still not able to really get the legs turning. Suddenly, I notice a marathoner in white compression socks 10 yards ahead of me. It’s Jace. Even at my current pace, I’m gaining and will soon catch him. I quickly access my options: (a) try and surge past him now and hope that I can hold him off through the finish; (b) stay quiet and a little ways behind him until closer to the finish, then try and out sprint him before he has time to notice and respond; (c) come up alongside him slowly and invite him to race me to the finish. I opted for (c). With about 300-400 yards to go, I came up along the right side of him and touched his back and said, “let’s go.” I picked up the pace somewhat fully expecting him to match me and likely blow right past me. To my surprise, he didn’t seem to have any fight left. I cruised almost unchallenged to take 4^th place and he came in about 15 seconds behind. As little as that was, it was one of the highlights my race; to have that little excitement at the end.

I saw Bryant and Fritz at the finish. Bryant said he felt “torn up.” He ended up finishing 3^rd. Learned that Fritz missed the course record by just 15 seconds (so close!).

I felt surprising good physically. Possibly because of all the sugar (6 Gus plus a little powerade AND water at most stations), or maybe the Boost shoes? Had I given it my all? It felt like it while on course, but I’ve noticed something (not good) about myself over time; I really don’t like the pain locker. My body doesn’t like to go there and tends to stay just out of it. I need to learn how to go there (and stay there for a while). I’m know it’ll take an overhaul in my training (e.g. less TM, more speed on the track, more long runs with tempo, more training runs with fast people), but I’m not sure I’m willing to do that stuff. At any rate, it seems odd, almost not right, to feel that good just after finishing a marathon.

Got a little food and made my way to the massage tent. Had one of the best post-race massages I think I’ve ever had. The guy was really good. I eventually found Scott’s wife and kids and learned from the race app that he was at 25.2. I jogged up course to find him and ran him in.

Overall a very fun day. Grateful for the way things turned out and I’m excited for this summer. Looking forward to some down time this week. Hopefully start getting on the bike. Next race will most likely be the AF half.

30 minutes on the elliptical.

30 minutes on the elliptical.

40 minutes on the stairstepper

Busy day. Work golf outing from 7 to 11 in Midway (the one time per year I get out). Then funeral for most of the afternoon. Finally out the door after 7 pm for once up and down the Little Cottonwood Trail on the mountain bike. Fun ride.

30 minutes on the elliptical.

A.M. - 45 minutes on the stairmaster followed by 30 on the elliptical.

P.M. - Suncrest ride (to top from Draper side). Out and back via Wasatch. Had the time and day light for more, but don't quite have the cycling legs yet. They'll come. Beautiful afternoon for a ride. I wish this weather could last all weekend. Garmin died halfway through, so I don't what the distance was; between 28 and 30 I think.

This completes a full week off from running. On purpose, post Ogden marathon. I actually feel my body rebounded quicker this time compared to any other marathon I can remember, but I'm glad I took a full week. Time to start easing back into things.

A.M.1. - 60+ minutes on the TM at the gym. First run since Ogden. Nice and easy, easing back into things:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat
55+ mins @ 10.0, flat

Adios Boost

A.M.2. - Ride to Little Mountain and back (~50 miles). Couldn't ask for better weather. Lots of folks out enjoying it.

A.M. - Easy 9 miles.

A.M. - 60 minutes on the TM at Life Centre:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat
25 mins @ 10.0, flat
20 mins @ 10.0, progressive inclines; 5 mins each at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0
10 mins @ 10.0, flat

P.M. - Millcreek ride (~39 miles). First Millcreek of the season. Made to about the 0.25-mile from the top before the snow was too thick to keep going. Had an awesome tailwind for much of the first ~10 miles to the canyon, but then later had the reckoning on the way back home.

A.M. - 9 miler

A.M. - 60 minutes on the TM:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat
25 mins @ 10.0, flat
25 mins @ 10.0 with progressive inclines; 5 mins each @ 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5
2 mins @ 10.0, flat
3 mins @ 11.0, flat

Boost

A.M. - 14.1 miles. Was a real slog this morning for some reason. Just didn't have anything in the tank. May have been a tad dehydrated.

P.M. - After several hours doing yard work in the sun, I wasn't in the mood to break out the Cervelo for a road ride. Instead went mountain biking to Little Cottonwood trail. Twice up and down. Not quite the workout I would have gotten on the road bike, but still two hours of cycling and very fun. Mountain biking works you differently. Weather and temp conditions were awesome.

A.M. - 60-minute TM run, all flat:

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

Boost

A.M. - slow 9.

P.M. - Millcreek ride (~40 miles). No more snow blocking the road, but there is a big silly tree that got knocked down across the road about 100 yards from the top lot.

A.M. - 60 minutes on the TM:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat
15 mins @ 10.0, flat
30 mins @ 10.0 with progressive inclines; 5 mins each at 0.5 and 1.0, 15 mins at 1.5, 5 mins at 2.0
2.5 mins @ 10.0, flat
2.5 mins @ 10.5, flat
2.5 mins @ 11.0, flat
2.5 mins @ 11.5, flat

Boost

A.M. - 12 mile loop

P.M. - Bike ride with Josh T from my neighborhood. Around 30 miles in all (didn't have my Garmin, so that's an estimate). Went north on Wasatch to 33rd South. Then back south on Wasatch to 123rd South. Then back home past Larkin, 1300 E, and Sego Lily. Good easy ride on a beautiful evening for riding. Fun to go with Josh.

A.M. - Was up later last night than I should have been and couldn't turn off my mind. Consequently, struggled to get out of bed. Got in 9 miles.

Old Ride 5's

A.M. - Back-to-back 12-mile loops. Perfect morning for a run. Felt/ran okay, but needed a pit stop at about 15 (heavy anniversary meal/dessert started to feel unsettled in the tummy).

P.M. - Emigration/Little Mountain ride (~50 miles). Terrific afternoon for a ride.

A.M. - Easy 9-miler following a sleepless night.

P.M. - Millcreek ride (~40 miles).

A.M. - 9 miles.

A.M. - Up real really to get in a short run before a golf tourny sponsored by a service provider of my company.

A.M. - 12 miles. Triangle in reverse.

P.M. - First Big Cottonwood ride of the season. To Brighton (~40 miles). Always a good ride. A bit windy though.

Big goose egg. Hate those...

Second sleepless night this week. This time I just couldn't over come it. Close week has been brutal this go around. Hopefully, it levels out. Got off at a reasonable time this afternoon and could have squeezed in a run, but decided to save it for Saturday's long run.

A.M. - same long run route as last week. Once normal direction, once in reverse. Felt pretty good. No gym/TM runs this week. Running has kind of taken a back seat this week due to a busy work week. Hope to get back on the wagoon next week.

P.M. - Spent the middle of the day boating at East Canyon. Fun, but a little on the cool side. Got home early enough to take the bike out. Millcreek (~40 miles).

A.M. - 60 minutes on the gym TM, all flat:

5 minutes @ 9.5
5 mins @ 10.0
20 mins @ 10.5
20 mins @ 11.0
10 mins @ 11.5

Felt surprisingly smooth. Maybe, just maybe, the cycling might be starting to have a little effect on the cardio.

Adios Boost

P.M. - Big Cottonwood ride to Brighton and back. Wet, windy, cold character-building ride...You need a few of those every year. The valley was gloomy and I thought to myself that I would regret venturing up into the canyon, but of course I continued on. The ran got progressively heavier the further up I went. The first few miles coming down were really cold until the numbness settled in. I know that I sound like I'm complaining... It was good to get the ride in. Between the weather forecast and my wife's tricky work schedule, not sure if/when I'll be able to get the bike out the rest of this week.

A.M. - Easy pace medium-long run.

A.M. - 60 mins on the gym TM, all flat. Similar to Monday:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
5 mins @ 10.0
10 mins @ 10.5
40 mins @ 11.0 (body didn't want to go above 11 today)

Boost

A.M. - Triangle in reverse. Easy pace. June weather has been awesome this year.

P.M. - Millcreek ride (~40 miles). Observations: (1) the new paved/slurried (whatever) section of Wasatch Blvd s*cks; (2) a lot of motorists s*ck too; (3) looks like an angry Sasquatch was hanging out in Millcreek and thrashed down a ton of aspens all over the road... Good ride tonight.

A.M. - 10 easy on the TM:

5 minutes @ 9.5
50 mins @ 10.0
5 mins @ 10.5

Boost

A.M. - Double 12 mile routes, both time running the triangle in reverse.

P.M. - This was my wife's weekend to work and I had the kids. Didn't have a ton of time by the time she got home, but was able to squeeze in a BC Brighton ride (~40 miles).

A.M. - 60 mins on the TM, all flat:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph,
5 mins @ 10.0
10 mins @ 10.5
15 mins @ 11.0 - really felt like I was working today at this pace for some reason, so I ratched back down:
5 mins @ 10.0
10 mins @ 10.5
10 mins @ 11.0

Boost

P.M. - Millcreek (~40 miles). Felt good.

A.M. - 15 miles. Normal triangle. Tired legs. Even at very easy pace, this route feels challenging (and long) the morning after a ride. Decided to take this old pair of Aegis to the roads (they've been a long-time TM-only shoe). Felt firmer than expected, probably because they've got a fair amount of mileage.

A.M. - 60 minutes on the gym TM, all flat:

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

Boost

P.M. - Emigration ride to the fire station half way up and back (~40 miles). Felt a little sluggish.

A.M. - Triangle in reverse.

A.M. - 60 minutes on the TM at the gym, all flat. Felt a little lethargic at the start, but felt better the middle to latter part of the run.

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

Adios Boost

A.M. - Three times up and down the 9-mile route, minus a mile or so of the last down section (for the sake of time and getting home). Despite the seeming monotony of the course, I really like this route. Felt pretty good, but needed one pit stop half-way through and my garmin, the wristband part, came apart twice! Stupid thing... Highest mileage week for me this year so far.

A.M.2. - Big Cottonwood-Guardsman Pass ride (~50 miles). First time up to Guardsman this year; definitely one on my favorite rides. Lots of cyclists out taking advantage of the beautiful weather today. Obvioualy didn't have a full charge going into this ride due to the close proximity to this morning's long run, but felt good considering. Had to get the ride in early because the wife and I are heading up to Snowbird this afternoon/evening for a belated anniversary outing.

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

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
20 mins @ 10.0 with progressive inclines: 3 mins each at 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 5 mins at 3.5
10 mins @ 10.0, flat
10 mins @ 10.5, flat
5 mins @ 11.0, flat
5 mins @ 11.5, flat

Boost

P.M. - Millcreek ride (~40 miles), Did it with my buddy Scott. Always fun to ride with someone. Comfortable pace. Killer-good weather again.

A.M. - Normal direction 15 mile route.

A.M. - 60 minutes on the TM, all flat:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
5 mins @ 10.0
10 mins @ 10.5
25 mins @ 11.0
10 mins @ 11.5
5 mins with 1 @ 10.0, 1 @ 10.5, 1 @ 11.0, and 2 @ 11.5

Boost

A.M. - 15 mile loop. Slow.

P.M. - Millcreek ride (~40 miles). Breezy.

A.M. - 60 minutes on the TM:

5 minutes @ 9.5
5 mins @ 10.0
10 mins @ 10.5
30 mins @ 11.0
5 mins @ 11.5
5 mins @ 10.0

Boost

A.M. - Double 12-mile routes, one normal triangle, one reverse. Warm and breezy.

P.M. - ~41-mile ride up Big Cottonwood to Brighton and a little more. Kind of a poorer-effort ride. Had intended to go up the top of Guardsman (~50 mile ride round trip), but the heat was getting to me and my water bottles were extra low when I started the ascent toward Guardsman (after looping around Brighton). Just decided I was done and wanted to go home. Still a good ride, but a little bummed I didn't go all the way. Maybe for the better though. It was hot and I'm sure I was on the dehydrated side.

A.M. - 60 minutes on the TM:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
20 mins @ 10.0 with progressive inclines; 3 mins each at 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 5 mins @ 3.5
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
15 mins @ 10.5, flat
5 mins @ 11.0, flat
5 mins @ 11.5, flat

A.M. - 9 very slow miles after a night with little sleep. Month end close at work is getting better, but still kicks my butt every month. In the middle of a very busy couple of days, so running (and cycling) will drop a few notches on my focus meter temporarily. Probably not ideal heading into back-to-back race weekends, but such is life.

P.M. - Short, hot, but quality ride up Little Cottonwood Canyon. First time up LCC this year. Stretched the ride around my neighborhood a little to get an even 25 miles.

P.M. - Yes, PM. After another brutal night, I missed my morning run. So I made it to the gym afterwork. Energy and legs were surprisingly good. Can't say so much for the GI system, which is often the case when I run in the afternoons. Made it as far as my bowels would let me at 11.0. Then finished up relatively easy after a short nature break. Definitely could have finished stronger if it hadn't been for the GI.

5 minutes @ 9.5, flat
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
10 mins @ 10.5, flat
27 mins @ 11.0, flat
(break)
10 mins @ 10.0 flat
3 mins @ 11.0 flat (to make it 30 mins total @ 11.0).

Just glad to have gotten a run in today.

Love the Kinvara's for the TM, but for some reason they're much noiser (slap, slap, slap!) then most of my other shoes when on the mill. I tend not to wear them much anymore because I'm afraid I bother people. The Adios Boost work great though.

A.M. - 9 miles. Was out like a light last night when my head hit the pillow. Slept great until about 3 AM and then just couldn't sleep anymore, eventhough I tried for a couple more hours. Got up and did my planned nine miles. Felt pretty good.

P.M. - Could feel the sleep thing catching up to me in the mid-afternoon, but got home and made it out on the bike around 7 PM. Wanted to go easier than normal. Ended up heading south on Wasatch this time and eventually to the top of Suncrest and back. ~30 miles. Very windy on the way out. The wind and rain progressed the further up Suncrest I went. Definitely made the ride more challenging than it normally would have been. Definitely not a pleasant/enjoyable ride, but glad to have at least gotten out.

A.M. - Easy pre-HM 35 mins on the TM:

5 minutes @ 9.0
10 mins @ 9.5
10 mins @ 10.0
5 mins @ 10.5
5 mins @ 10.0

I don't have real high expectations for tomorrow, especially after the week I've had. But I'm excited to race and assess where I'm at.

Boost

  Hobbler Half Marathon - 2014  

More on this to come later. Had an 'okay' run. Not great. Felt a little flat from the get go. They changed the last ~3 miles of the course this year. I like the changes and this route is definitely faster, but the course was short by ~0.2. So I actually crossed the line in 1:10:28. The splits are a little discouraging when compared to the past 2 years. Not sure how I should interpret that. Admittedly, the fitness this year isn't quite where it was the past 2 years at this point in the year. Other excuses: Also felt really at this race both the past 2 years at this race. This time, not as much. Had a rough work week (especially Mon-Weds) that threw off my sleep and runs this week. Biked on Thursday, which probably wasn't a big deal though I generally like to be off the bike the Thurs and Fri before a Saturday race.

Good to race again though. Ogden full was my last ~2 months ago. Fritz dominated. He is looking very strong. It was good to be able to cool down with him afterwards. Kudos to Dave Taylor too who turned in a very fine race.

Timp half is this coming week, so we'll see how that goes.

P.M. - afternoon boating with the family followed by a ~40 mile Millcreek ride.

A.M. - Just under 64 minutes on the treadmill. Felt great, but thought it would be a good idea to intentionally take things easy coming off of Saturday's race:

10 minutes @ 9.0 mph, flat
~54 mins @ 9.5, flat

Boost

Hoping to get the bike out this afternoon, but the 101 degree forecast doesn't sound inviting.

P.M. - Big Cottonwood ride to Brighton (~40 miles). Felt good. Was glad the heat wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting it to be. Canyon was lovely. Slight tailwind on the way down made for a fun fast descent.

A.M. - 15 miles. Modified the second part of the run from the usual route.

A.M. - 60 minutes on the gym TM, all flat:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
5 mins @ 10.0
10 mins @ 10.5
10 mins @ 11.0
Had a brief intermission here only because I wasn't paying attention when I was setting the time on the TM and only set it for 30 mins instead of 60.
15 mins @ 11.0
15 mins @ 11.5

Felt good.

Boost

P.M. - Little Cottonwood ride (~25 miles). Ran into an old buddy of mine from Deloitte, Brian, at the top of the canyon. I about fell off my bike when I saw him on a road bike. He's always been a hard core Mtn bike dude, but he's gearing up to do Saints and Sinners with some friends. Good to see/talk to him.

A.M. - 9 miles easy.

A.M. - Easy TM miles, all flat:

10 minutes @ 9.0,
10 mins @ 9.5,
10 mins @ 10.0,
4 mins alternating 30 seconds: 10.5, 10.0, 11.0, 10.0, 11.5, 10.0, 12.0, 10.0
1 min @ 10.0

Timpanogos 1/2 - 2014

So mixed feelings about this one. The good things were:
-Its always fun to take the win (although no one fast showed up).
-It was the best I've felt in a half so far this year. Definitely felt better at this one compared to the Hobbler last week. I would attribute that to a more condusive work schedule, more regular sleep partterns, and better timed workouts this week compared to last week. Generally, I feel my fitness is heading in the right direction.
-Splits for the first 8 miles were really good (for me), and they should be given that you're falling off the face of the earth down AF Canyon. I slowed considerably on the flatter miles, which I need to work on.

The big negative was that the course was very poorly marked. The last 5 miles of the course were different this year. I got lost somewhere during the 10-mile and never was able to get back on course. I ended up improvising and running my own route to get my mileage. It ended up being a smorgasbord of turns, loops, and several U-turns. It definitely threw me out of rhtym and slowed me down. During the 11th mile, which ended up being a 6:24 split, I finally made it to an aid station and literally stopped and asked them what direction I should be running. None of the 10 volunteers knew what to tell me. Pretty frustrating. I wasn't the only person who got lost either. The race organizers seemed pretty unapologetic about the whole thing. Oh well... It surprises me how often things like this happen; poorly marked courses, leaders being misled off-route, short courses. In retrospect I should have done a better job of familiarizing myself with the route.

The time is just under a minute slower than my best time at this race 2 years ago. The course was different this time, there was no Scott Keate to pull me, and last time didn't have any off-course debacles (certainly no 6:24 splits). So all things considered, I feel pretty good with the result.

The highlight of the morning was arguably the cooldown. After finishing the race at the Lone Peak HS track, I started running west on one of the roads to cooldown.  I ran into Matt Poulsen and Nate who were in the latter miles of their run and started running with them. It made for a brisk cooldown (6:00 average for 6.7 miles). Great conversation and they introduced me to the 'Big Mother' which immediately caused me to drop serveral seconds behind. Matt and Nate both look super strong right now. Matt was talking up a storm and wasn't out of breath at all. The run ended a couple miles later at Matt's house where his wife had prepared a deluxe spread of breads, fruit, juice, eggs, the works! Several other guys also trickled in. Matt was gracious enough to leave all his guests and drive me back to the HS... Such a cool guy.

P.M. - Millcreek/Little Cottonwood double canyon ride (~60 mile). Been eyeing this one for awhile and finally got the guts to attempt it. Intentionally kept the Millcreek portion real conservative. Stopped at the 7-11 at the mouth of BCC to fill up the bottles. I definitely looked/felt like a turtle going up LCC, but eventually made it to the end of the paved road. ~7,550 total vertical feet and a good confidence booster for the Ultimate Challenge ride coming up in a few weeks.

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

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
50  mins @ 10.0 at the following inclines: 5 mins @ 0.5, 5 mins @ 1.0, 25 mins @ 1.5, 5 mins @ 2.0, 5 mins @ 2.5, and 5 mins @ 3.0

Still a little sore from Saturday, but not bad at all.

Boost

P.M. - Millcreek ride (~40 miles).

A.M. - 15-mile route.

Bondi 3

P.M. - Mtn biking. Twice up and down the LC Temple Quarry Trail. Lovely. I forget how much fun mountain biking is when I go a while without doing it. Nice change of pace from the Cervelo.

A.M. - 10 easy on the TM in just over 60 mins, all flat:

15 minutes @ 9.0
15 mins @ 9.5
20 mins @ 10.0
10 mins alternating 1 min each @ 11, 10, 11.5, 10, 11.5, 10, 11.5, 10, 11.5, and 10.

Boost

D-News Half Marathon

Third half marathon in less than 3 weeks. Probably not the smartest thing to do. Especially for a guy like me who has a propensity for injuries when I overdue my running. However, I wanted to be part of the atmosphere of the event, was able to get half off on the entry fee, and was planning on getting 15 miles today anyways. I figured this would be a good way to get some quality miles.

After having run a half marathon (Timpanogos) just this past Saturday (5 days ago), I knew I wouldn't be at full strength today and shouldn't have too high of expectations for myself. I resolved to try and run hard, but not take it to redline. Mainly just try and keep things smooth and even and get in a solid effort. In the end, I feel I accomplished just that.

Aside from the recent 2 half marathons, one other thing I didn't have going for me was that at work yesterday afternoon we had a "storage room organization party" which basically was ~3 hours of lifting and totting a lot of heavy file storage containers. This probably had more of a mental impact than anything. I suspected it would sap some strength and cause me to wake up with a sore back. I took 200 mg of IB last night just as a preventive measure. Fortunately, the back was perfectly fine this morning and no noticeable fatigue from last night's moving exercise. So that was good.

Woke up at 3:50 AM and left the house pretty quickly. Just openning the garage, you could feel the warm breeze out of the south and is was apparent that it was going to be a warm one. On the bus ride up Emigration, the wind looked pretty fierce. Just as my bus got to the top, there as a quick bout of light rain that quickly passed. Spent about 15 mins in the potty line and then did a light warm-up up the canyon (~1.5 miles). Pretty soon it was time to roll.

The gun went off and the big dogs including Brett, Steve S, and Jason quickly took to the front. There were 3 or 4 others right up with them too. I quickly settled next to Clyde and Steve A. I really didn't not want to push the early miles, especially the first mile too fast. I was content to let Clyde and Steve pull a few seconds ahead. I went through the first mile in 5:07. Fast, but the effort didn't feel hard and the course was really conducise to a fast split. It ended up being my fastest of the race.

For the next 2-3 miles I trailed shortly behind Steve. Clyde was maybe 5-7 seconds up. There was definitely a headwind. Gusty at times. It certainly was making us work harder. Still, I wasn't pushing to hard. Just tried to run comfortably and let the wind do its thing. Splits 2-4 where 5:18, 5:20, and 5:30. Was a little concerned that the split times were climbing pretty quickly, but I wasn't going to worry about it. The wind and the rollers were definitely playing a factor. It was also quite warm, though at no point during the race was I particularly bothered by the heat.

Somewhere during about mile 4, I pull ahead of Steve. Clyde is still maintaining a steady gap of a few seconds on me. There is another younger guy who is slowly coming back to us. I eventually pass the young fella around Ruth's' Diner. Legs and lungs are feeling strong. I'm running just 'good' but not fantastic. I could probably go faster, but not much more so. I was content to maintain the same gap behind Clyde for a while longer. Mile 5 is 5:32. Definitely some rolling terrain and modestly strong headwind. In my mind I'm thinking today is probably going to end up 1:11 something. Maybe 1:10'ish if I can get something good rolling.

We hit the six mile just before exiting the canyon. About 6.3'ish I take my Gu. As you go by the zoo, there's a modest incline. I pull up along Clyde and start chatting with him. The headwinds are mostly non-existent at this point. I feel the Gu kicking in and next 2 miles are probably when I feel the best/strongest throughout the race. Mile 6 and 7 are both 5:24. I pull a little ahead of Clyde, but he sticks with me for a while. I definitely could have gone faster here, but I was intentionally slowing here a bit thinking to myself that I wanted to save some gas for the later miles.

During 8, you round right onto Foothill Blvd. My pace slows a little bit, but I'm still feeling fairly good. I stop hearing Clyde's breathing behind me. Mile 8 is 5:33.

Okay, less than 10K to go. Most of mile 9 is sceaming down past the U and Rice Eccles. By the stadium, I spot Brian Sommers watching the race. I ask him why he's not running and he's says something about breaking his ribs(?). Later, I also see him down at Liberty Park. The course turns north onto 13th. Mile 9 is 5:15.

10 starts on a slight incline, the a big dip and an up toward South Temple. The rollingness slows my pace and I was refusing to push very hard up the hills. Mile 10 is a 5:33.

Now on a nice straght gradual stretch down South Temple. I wanted to try and get a nice pace going the rest of the way, but my body seemed to have different ideas. Again, I was never pushing the redline, but I didn't/couldn't muster much speed. In retrospect, I wish I would have tried to push harder these last few miles. I think my splits could have been a little faster.

On a tangent thought, on these downhill half marathons, maintaining a decent speed for the last few miles has really been a challenge for me. It seems like that's been the case many years. Even 2012, my best year. That year, it wasn't until mid-August that I seemed to start doing a better job holding a more repectable pace to the end. Today, may have been a good day to try and practice that (i.e. really try and push hard at the end). But conversely, maybe its a good thing I didn't. At some point, if I want to improve, I need to do something that's going to help me build speed for the late stages of races. I think I view myself as a guy with a good aerobic base, but when it comes time to go over threshold, I really have a hard time holding it for any length of time. Given my training routines, I know I shouldn't be surprised by this.

Miles 11-13 end up being 5:27, 5:29, and 5:43. 1:09 for the last 0.19.

After crossing the line and getting some water. Clyde finished not too far behind and we cooled down for ~2.8 on the chipped trail around the park.

I think I ended up finishing 4th overall (Brett was 1st, Steve 2nd, and Jason 3rd). I haven't see the results yet though to confirm that. For a while, I was disallusioned that I had finished about 1:09:45'ish . I should have looked at my watch, because it turns out the race clock had started about 2 minutes late. Oh well... I'll take the 1:11 and change today. Nothing spectacular, but mission accomplished for the day.

Fritz dominated the marathon with a ~2:26.  Josh E had a good race given the conditions (3rd). Cotter (2nd) looked pretty beat up. The heat and wind definitely impacted the halfers, but even more so for the marathon folks.

P.M. - Big Cottonwood ride to Brighton (~40 miles).

A.M. - 60 minutes easy on the TM, all flat:

30 mins @ 9.0
30 mins @ 9.5

Boost

A.M. - Long run in the UC with Clyde, Matt, Nate, Jeff, Chad, and a couple others (sorry terrible with names). Utah, Salt Lake, and Washington County bloggers represented! Picked up Clyde in Draper at little after 5 and drove down to Nate's in American Fork. Matt and Nate were planning on doing a long run with tempo that involved some easy miles to start, then 3 marathon pace (~5:30), ~8 moderate (~6:15-6:30), and another 3 MP. Clyde and I weren't too keen about joining them for the tempo sections having just come off the half marathon on Thursday, but we decided to assess how we felt when we got there. My body was feeling good today. No real soreness to speak of, just heaviness in the legs and the usual post race energy levels.

The route was a big loop that headed west under the freeway then out to about Thanksgiving point and back south through Lehi, then back. First 6 miles were at chill pace. The group took a couple quick potty breaks. When it came time to tempo, Clyde and I decided to give it a whirl since it was only 3 miles. I took back seat and held on with them through about 1.25. I felt like I was working pretty hard from the start. Then I fell back a few seconds. Maintained about a 6 second gap through about 1.5 then Clyde backed off and him and I ran together. Felt stronger during the 3rd mile, which had a little more down. Finished maybe 10-12 seconds back from Nate and Matt which I'll take this day. I think Clyde and I averaged ~5:33 for that section. The next 8 miles were at a conversational working pace. Stopped at the (Lehi?) high school for one last potty stop. At 17, it was tempo time #2 for Matt and Nate. Clyde and I wished them well and him and I continued through the end at about the same pace. I think the last 11 were at around 6:22 ish.

Very fun morning. Nice temps. Happy with today's effort. It was definitely more quality than I otherwise would have gotten had I just done my own Saturday morning long run. Grateful to the UC group for letting Clyde and I crash their party this morning. Nate and Matt are looking like juggernauts right now, so everyone better watch out!

It was great to have Clyde to run with. Him and I were ready to put in about the same level of effort this morning. He's going to be ready to kill it at SGM.

P.M. - Awesome 65.5 mile double canyon ride: Big Cottonwood-Guardsman Pass/Little Cottonwood. ~9,250 of vertical.

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

5 minutes @ 9.5, flat
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
50 mins @ 10.0 with progressive inclines; 5 mins @ 0.5, 5 mins @ 1.0, 20 mins @ 1.5, 5 mins @ 2.0, 5 mins @ 2.5, 10 mins @ 3.0.

A.M.2. - Took the day off work today to go boating with the family at East Canyon. Rode my bike up there to meet them (via Wasatch, Emigration, Little & Big Mountains). Good ride. I beat them to the entrance gate, so I turned around and rode toward them to get a few extra miles. Ended up with ~50.5 total. Glad to get the ride in early so I didn't get caught in the rain. We got several good hours of boating (and I got to ski finally) before the rain forced us off.

Run-bike-ski-quality time with the fam.... Days don't get much better than that!

A.M. - Standard 15-mile route. Normal direction in rain.

A.M. - 60 minutes on the TM, all flat:

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

Boost

P.M. - Millcreek ride (~40 miles). Good ride, but a windy one.

A.M. - 15 hard fought miles. Easy pace run, but my tummy was off and I was dragging. Was one of those where you're just wanting for it to be done. Beautiful weather and temps though.

Bondi

P.M. - Mountain biking. 2 times up and down the Little Cottonwood Temple Quarry Trail (~19 miles).

A.M. - Can sum today's run up as an attempted (and failed) Scott Keate TM workout (got about 40%) which ended up being pretty random:

All flat:
5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
5 mins @ 10.0
1 min @ 12.0, 1 min @ 10.0
2 mins @ 12.0, 2 mins @ 10.0
3 mins @ 12.0, 3 mins @ 10.0
4 mins @ 12.0, 4 mins @ 10.0
Next set would have been 5 and 5 mins same speed. Then would have tapered back down: 4-4, 3-3, etc. Got about 40 seconds in the 5 minute fast block and bailed. Just didn't have it today...
10 mins @ 10.0
10 mins @ 10.5
5 mins @ 11.0
1 min @ 11.5
4 mins @ 10.0

I haven't tried this since Sept 2012. I would like to be able to hit the whole thing soon. I think it provides good speed stimulus. Will probably try and give it a go next week (Fri). The 12.0 intervals feel very hot to me right now, especially the first couple (then the speed feels a little more comfortable, you've just got to hold it longer).

Energy has felt a bit on the low side the last couple of days. Not exactly sure why. Sleeping has been relatively good and regular. Work/other facets of life haven't been too stressful. I've been getting the running miles and time on the bike that I'm wanting. Maybe just a little worn down. Maybe some residual from the recent racing. I guess its just part of the ups and downs of training.

A.M. - 3 times up and down the 9-mile route. Lots of folks out running, walking, and biking in the beautiful weather. I saw the "Gateway to LaCaille" 7k runners doing there thing.

P.M. - Fritz, you called it.... Same ride as last week; double canyon, Big Cottonwood/Guardsman and Little Cottonwood (~65 miles). Felt good. Weather/temps were awesome. Worst part of the ride was coming down LCC. I was cooking pretty good when I came to the big descent by Tanner's Flat. They've been doing some road work and the shoulder of the road (and well into the road past the white line) is all jacked-up and uneven. There's some loose gravel/sand too. I lost traction and went of the road. Dang near turfed it. Very glad I didn't.

Feeling pretty confident heading into the Ultimate Challenge next week. My longest ride has only been 65 (2 of them), but I feel like I've been getting good quality from hitting the canyons. I would be nice if some of the benefits of the cycling work could translate to my running. We'll see.

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

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
20 mins @ 10.0 with progressive inclines: 3 mins each @ 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 5 mins @ 3.5 (felt quite challenging today)
2.5 mins @ 10.0, flat
17.5 mins @ 10.5, flat
5 mins @ 11.0, flat
5 mins alternating 1 min each @ 11.5, 10.0, 11.5, 10.0, and 11.5.

This effort was about all I had today (maybe some residual from Saturday). I'd like to build to the point were I can hold the 11.0 and 11.5 sections longer (on this work-out with the progressive incline the first half).

Knock on wood, I'm super grateful that my body feels good right now (and has pretty much the whole summer). Really no twinges, etc. to speak of. I'd sacrifice a bit of fitness any day to be in this state. When you're in the middle of them, its very easy to take for granted these extended periods of being injury free. Again, knock on wood. I hope the body can stay in one piece for another couple of months (at least).

Weather forecast for the afternoon looks kind of grim for the Wasatch Front (i.e. rain). Would really like to be able to squeeze in a ride. If I'm able to, there's a very good chance it'll be a wet one.

Boost

P.M. - WET Millcreek ride (~40 miles). I was pleasantly surprised when I left work in the afternoon... The sky was a little cloudy, but mostly clear. I thought I might get lucky. First part of the ride was dry and calm, but from the second I started the ascent up the canyon, it got darker and darker. Rain began to fall, lightly at first. By 2/3rds the way up the canyon, it was pouring down hard. People were driving out of the canyon probably thinking how crazy I was for continuing to go up. The going up part was actually fun. Coming down sucked though. The rain had largely subsided by that point, but it was COLD! and I had to go real slow because of the slick roads. All in all, ended up being a pretty uncomfortable ride. Oh well, I suspected that it would be. Just glad to get one in.

A.M. - Standard 15-mile medium long run. Easy pace. Nice morning.

Hoka Bondi 3

A.M. - 60 minutes on the TM. Similar progression run as last Wednesday, but hit the last 15 mins @ 11.5 versus 5 mins last week. Felt pretty good. All flat:

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

Boost

P.M. - Big Cottonwood ride to Brighton and back (~40 miles). Good ride.

A.M. - 15-miler. Reverse triangle.

Bondi 3

P.M. - Mountain biking. 2 times up and down the Little Cottonwood Trail.

A.M. - Long story short I slept through my normal wake up time and had to abbreviate the length of my run. Did 45 mins instead of 60 mins. Abbreviated S Keate TM, all flat:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
5 mins @ 10.0
1 min @ 12.0, 1 min @ 10.0
2 mins @ 12.0, 2 mins @ 10.0
3 mins @ 12.0, 3 mins @ 10.0
4 mins @ 12.0, 4 mins @ 10.0
5 mins @ 12.0, 5 mins @ 10.0
1 min @ 12.0, 1 min @ 10.0, 1 min @ 10.5, 1 min @ 11.5, 1 min @ 12.0 (toyed with the idea of doing the full last 5 mins @ 12.0, but mentally I was done).

Boost

Shorter time and distance than I normally would have hoped for, but good news is I got a solid 8 hours of sleep and got a little speed work in; 17 total mins @ 12.0 pace.

Won't run tomorrow because of the Ultimate Challenge ride which starts early in the morning. Super excited for it. The bike is tuned up and has the new Enve wheels on it now... Can't wait to try 'em out!

Ultimate Challenge ride - 2014

Unfortunately I don't have time now to expound on this event, but let me just say it was awesome. This is the third year in a row that I've done it and this was probably the funnest time and my best go at it. Super fun. The new wheels are sweet!! Climbs were tough, but I felt strong and well prepared and tackled them just fine. I think the double canyon rides I've been doing the past few weeks paid dividends on this ride. Total time was 6:50 including 4 stops (with a length 20-25 min one in Park City trying to wait for a buddy to recover). 110 miles; ~12.5K elevation gain.

No run today.

~2 mile walk from my place up to and around Granite Park and back.

A.M. - 60 minutes on the gym TM. Was interested to see how today was going to feel after the big ride Saturday, but no running since Friday morning. A little residue fatigue, but the legs felt pretty solid:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
20 mins @ 10.0 with progressive inclines; 3 mins each @ 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 5 mins @ 3.5 (felt on the better side of average on this section of the workout).
2.5 mins @ 10.0, flat
7.5 mins @ 10.5, flat
17 mins @ 11.0, flat
3 mins @ 11.5, flat

Slightly more intense than last week's go at this one. Felt pretty good which I guess is to be expected after not having done a normal long run on Saturday. Still want to work toward holding the 11.5 section longer.

Boost

The next couple days are our big push for monthend close, so I'm not sure what to expect yet for riding this week.

A.M. - 15 miles. Lucky to get out this morning after a really late night.

Hoka

P.M. - ~40 mile ride to the firehouse halfway up Emigration Canyon. First half was pretty much dry. Coming home was real wet. I knew it would be. Needed to get the ride in though.