Seeking a better country...

They are working me so long, I had to leave work in the middle to run for 6 miles through industrial parks in west Salt Lake.  The course is flat, very flat.  The dump smell wafted over me and soothed my tired mind.

Another work run in scenic sw Salt Lake.  Last night I left work at 11:15.  Tonight might be an all nighter...glad to get it in.  Now I'm so sweaty.

The week from hell at work is over.  I got home by 4, turned around and went to run.  Home to Parrish to Legacy to Pages home.  I was glad to see the eagles hadn't been chased by poorly designed homes.

Considering how much the last two weeks have worn me down, the run went pretty well.  I can't wait to sleep through a movie with the kids tonight.  7:28 pace for the run...exactly the marathon pace I need to keep to qualify for Boston.  7:28, 7:06, 7:19, 8:04 (I walked for a bit) 7:25, 7:26   

15 miles, overall pace was 8:17.  Not fast enough, but considering the terrain, it was all right.  I ran Deuel Creek to Farmington Canyon, west to Legacy Parkway, and home on the trail.  The first 4 miles are up and down, over dirt and ice road this time of year, so there was no make-up speedy stretches on the downhill.  By mile 4, I felt a blister rubbing on my arch, but it never got too bad.  I got off the dirt road around 7 miles.  I had a fast mile coming down into Farmington, and then trudged along for the rest on Legacy.  My run was mostly completed in solitude, aside from a couple bikers on Legacy and a few hikers on the trail.  

My legs are tired.  I'm very tired.  I'm very sore in my core/inguinal area.  I've got a ways to go, but it was a good effort.  10 more similar runs between now and the marathon.  It's weird to run that long.  It's hard to stay on top of things mentally.  I know the last 5 miles of that run is the whole purpose of the workout, and I tried to make them count.  

I brought along 36 oz of powerade...I'm glad I did.  I need to experiment with clif blocks and gu, just to figure out what works and for how long.  I was sloshing a bit.  Last year I ate a lot of Starburst Jelly beans on the long runs.  Soon the easter candy will be for sale and I can replenish that supply.  Any tips on what works for replacement on the long ones would be appreciated.  Splits were:  10:05, 8:23, 8:15, 9:07, 9:51, 8:56, 8:50, 6:57, 7:50, 7:39, 7:46, 8:02, 7:44, 7:36, 7:17.  I'm proud of that last mile.  The 6:57 is true, it was a gradual descent from the canyon into downtown Farmington.   

I tried to go slow to recover from yesterday's 15 miler.  The first 3 miles were over 8 min pace.  Mile four was 7:30 ish and mile five was 7:06.

These were slow, treadmill miles.  Hot, sweaty, languid miles.  For the first time, I had to wait a bit for a treadmill.  Several people were exceeding the 30 minute time limit, extending my wait.  This didn't bother me since I exceed that limit all the time.  The parking lot was full due to a state hockey game. 

I need to get a haircut or remember my headband.  Too many times my hair flipped sweat into my eyes.

I decided to do mile intervals rather than slog along on the TM.  7:15, 7:08, 6:53, 6:53, with 60-90 sec recovery in between.  Good times.

Treadmill.  Nothing special.

7:43, 7:43, 7:38, 7:54, 7:51, 7:24, 8:10, 7:15, 7:18, 7:57, 7:43, 7:22.

I ran the mostly flat course from home to the walking overpass on south Legacy trail.  It rained light and steady for the first hour.  I'm soaked and cold.  These splits include walk time so fiddle with my piece if sh## ipod shuffle that doesn't work properly, also to drink.  I tried the caffeine tang.  Mostly it tasted nasty, but hey, it's a little fluid.  Max met me at 9.3 miles with some powerade, which 4 out of 5 people prefer in a blind taste test.  

There were no bikers on the trail, but 8 other runners.  I saw a dead, decomposing red fox, and two roosting eagles on Pages lane.  Also a cow urinating with better pressure and flow than my garden hose.  (not a euphemism)  

Overall pace for the run was 7:40/mile.  That's satisfactory, for what is supposed to be a long, slow run.  By the end, I was feeling the belgian waffle breakfast, and wanting to walk.  Well, I told myself, "You can do anything at any point in time for 10 more minutes."  Thus, the 7:22 final mile, uphill.  I'm feeling pretty good about the progress this month.  I need to look back on last year's garmin stuff and see how I'm comparing.  At this point, the Boston qualifying is achievable.  13 weeks to go.  That's a long grind.  It'll be tough to keep up the excitement and intensity.  I plan to turn one short run each week into mile repeats, just to vary the workouts, and keep things interesting.   

My feet are in good shape.  The blister I wore and drained on Monday is completely fine.  My toes look good, only one nail is coming off.   

After a long night with a sick 3 year old, and a complete day of doing nothing, I logged 5 slow treadmill miles.  Too much yummy soup and homemade bread does not make for a good run.  Incline: 0%, Overall pace: 9 min/mile.  Brutal.  I can't believe I watched the entire episode about some crying high-school nerd who wanted to be a hip-hop dancer.

Felt a bit punchy after choir, so I came home to my 4 mile run.  Overall time 27:30.  7:11, 6:38, 6:35, 7:07.  Something like that.  It felt great to run harder than usual.  Reading all the blogs today lit a fire under me.

4.2 miles, overall pace 7:23.  I guess that's not that fast.  I ran up and down Porter lane, from the frontage road to the cemetery.  The turnaround is 1.15 miles, so that's a pretty good sustained hill for a good heartrate workout.  There were only 6-7 cars going by in the 30 minutes.  The only run hazards are navigating the busier cross-streets.  Luckily I had my reflective vest to protect me from harm or accident.

I left the garmin home so I could run easy.  4 miles to the creek and back to my son's hoops game.  They dominated, 60-15.  My left medial kneecap region was giving me a little feedback.  I'm guessing it's from the more strenuous effort on Tuesday.  I'm running with my sister this p.m.

Ran with my sister around campus, Red Butte Creek, VA Hospital, etc.  

I had 2 concerts yesterday, from noon till ten, so I didn't squeeze in the long run until this morning.  I ran from home to Farmington Canyon, down past the pond, home along Highway 89.  I've felt a little cold waiting in the wings at the back of my throat for the last 4 days, and thought about skipping the long one, but I don't notice any change after the exertion.

I forgot to start the GPS until I was at the reservoir.  I ran 8:30 type pace most of the run, never really pushing.  The road and trails on the mountain are in great shape, aside from 4-5 places where you dive east to cross streams.  These are icy with very bad footing.  I'm curious to see if I really pay the price for this run in the coming week.  3 of my kids have been home sick all week, including vomiting, so I hope not; although a few days of lounging about the house sounds somewhat appealing... 

Reading and back, after work.  Overall pace was 7:50.  The sun was brightly shining, but February is back!  The temp was in the 20's with a breeze.  I felt warm enough, but my pace says I was pretty cold.  My left kneecap hurt initially, but the pain subsided by the end of the run.  Today it feels fine.

5 tm miles after choir.  I pity the poor baby on the MTV show about pregnant teenagers.  Too bad they keep them so often.  Trashy tv doesn't seem to make the miles pass more quickly.  Maybe tivoed trashy tv would work better. 

7:48, 7:32, 7:09, 7:17, 7:18.  Lovely rainy night.  Home, Jennings Lane, 400 W, home.  I was overdressed, and ended up taking off my reflective vest and pullover while running across 400 W.  There was very little traffic, and the low clouds made everything seem pretty dark.  I got home and went to tuck in my 5 year old, and she wouldn't have anything to do with me because I was so wet/sweaty.   

I ran Centerville Blvd. to Freedom Hills park.  For the 1st mile climb I did zero stopping, and posted my fasted 1st mile ever.  After not being a quitter, I decided to continue not being a quitter, and didn't walk in any of the usual spots.  Felt the BURN.  The north exposures remain icy, but the rest of the trail/road is in great condition.  The eagles were soaring outside Ford Canyon.  I'd like to find their nesting area.  Overall pace was 8:12, not bad for 4 trail miles.  9:35, 9:31, 8:44, 8:14, 7:27, 7:21, 6:32.  

This was a heavyweight, toe-to-toe slugfest.  I got back from a funeral around 2, and just headed out.  The day was nice enough temperature-wise, but the headwind running south was considerable.  I'm glad I went south for the first half.  I ran from home, looped around the pond, and went to marker 2 on Legacy trail, then back.  I was under hydrated, having consumed my 15.4 oz of powerade by mile 8.  Luckily the sponge was open for golfing, and I got a good drink at mile 13 to get me home.  My ankle started off sore, I think from wearing old shoes yesterday, but it wasn't a problem on the run.  I had salt trails on my face when I got home...that hasn't happened for a while.  The usual toes blistered up, and by mile 10 I was cursing myself that I didn't try out the glide I bought.  Now I've been home 2.5 hours, and feel okay.  Time to start doing laundry.  I had one good mile, around 12, where I fartleked the reflectors at the side of the road.  Oh, the games we play.  Overall pace on the pancake-flat course was 8:02.  I stopped the watch for my pit stop at the golf course, but it was only a minute.  7:35, 7:29, 7:36, 7:59 (headwind begins), 8:33, 8:10, 8:09, 8:13, 9:04 (drink, stopped to stretch hip flexors) 8:06, 8:05, 7:21, 8:13, 8:07, 7:48.  Not a bad effort for a meaningless run on a windy Saturday afternoon.