Seeking a better country...

56 minutes, so a fair amount better than last night.  This cold is hanging on pretty well.  I thought I'd luck out and nip it early, but two consecutive mornings of driveways coupled with a bad sleeping baby has got me somewhat run-down.  I don't think a rugged 20 miler Saturday morning is such a great idea.  I guess it'll hold until next week;  I can add on after the striders 10 miler.

62 minutes.  Still sick, but my back and knee started to hurt, so I had to run to fix them.  No 20 miler this week, but I should be back on top of things to hit these last 4-5 weeks of training pretty hard.

I made it home in time to run on a beautiful afternoon as the sun was setting.  I wasn't sneaky enough to leave the house without three little ones in tow; 2 on bikes, 1 in the stroller.  We slowly made our way over to the dinosaur park they like (2 miles).  I dropped them off at the play equipment and ran laps with Jack.  The first one I noticed a strong south wind, and knew it was going to take forever to get home.  I ran 3.5 at the park, then collected the girls, and herded cats home into the wind.  They whined.  They complained.  They were tired.  We made 12 minute miles.  It was getting dark fast, and we didn't have any evening gear to enhance visibility, so each street crossing was nerve-wracking.  Jack sat silent and motionless in the stroller until the last mile, when he started shaking his bowling-ball head "NO" back and forth.  

My rt knee felt a bit sore, tendinitis kind of sore.  Or maybe it's the shoes?  I feel about 85% recovered from this cold.  The extra sleep has been nice; I need to get to bed earlier.  I'm loving the daylight in the morning, for just a few more days before it all gets tacked on to the end of the day.

I revisited one of last year's key workouts; the downhill tempo run.  I put a board under the back end, and took off running.  8 miles in 54 minutes, 1 mile cool-down.  I got pretty sweaty.  I'm vexed by the sore rt knee.  I'll have to consume some vitamin I today.  

On a separate topic, I think it's pretty dumb that spelling the letters out counts as words in scrabble.  "Aitch", "em" and "es" don't really seem like quality words. 

8 more on the treadmill.  The day after a harder effort is never very good, and tonight was no exception.  But I completed the run.  Mentally, my training is lagging a bit...  

"Race" on Saturday.  I say "race" because I need to just incorporate that into my 20 miler.  I plan to arrive early enough to do a 5 mile warmup, then the race with a 5 mile add-on afterward.   Last year I bumped along for 7:23 pace.  I guess my goal will be to beat that, maybe keep it to sub-7 pace for the 10 miles.  With all the hills, and before & after miles,  that'll be ambitious.

I found the missing shoe.  A 7 mile jaunt seemed like a good way to celebrate, 7:50 pace.  My start time was late because of 2 daughters' ballet recital.  They were amazing.  

Today's race served a two-fold purpose; a race and training run.  The upcoming marathon is much more important than the winter series, but I still limp away feeling like a chump for giving up a lot of time this morning.

Spencer graciously consented to hang out in the parking lot for an hour so I could get some miles in pre-race.  I started around 7:10, planning to do 5 before and 5 after.  I got "misdirected" on my out and back warmup, and ended up with 6 before, and came within 30 seconds of missing the start.  Also, there is nowhere flat to run around Weber State.  The warmup, "easy" miles were more taxing than necessary, esp. since I was pushing to get back in time for the start.  (It was chip timed...why do I care when I cross the mat?)  

The course mirrors the 10k, which is reasonable until mile 4, which commences a hellacious 1.5 mile climb, then some downhill and rollers till 6.5, then another steady 1.5 mile climb, followed by a nice 1.5 mile coast downhill, then final steep section at mile 9.25.  I held on pretty well until the steep at mile 5, (which was mile 11 for me) and walked a bit.  Once the dam started to leak, I didn't keep my finger in the hole, and made a pretty good living of walking up portions of a lot of the hills.  It was 20 seconds at a time, but WAY too many times.  I found myself in the no mans land between the good runners and the pretty good runners, though, so I wasn't losing placing.  But it's a series, and I lost around 5 minutes.  

Needless to say, I didn't turn in a great time; a minute slower than last year.  I blame that on a variety of factors; I was running miles 7-16, not 1-10, I needed some immodium, and had extra miles to do afterward, so rationalizations and excuses were plentiful.  But the one I can take responsibility for is that I was a wuss and walked too much.  

So anyway, after the finish, Tara, who beat me by 5 minutes on a bum ankle came with me for the final 4.  We were pretty slow, barely eking out 10 minute miles on winding BST and Mt. Ogden Golf Course.  Did I mention there is nowhere flat to run?  That sure didn't help.

 The main take-home from today is I HAVE GOT TO WORK OUT A FUELING STRATEGY.  Oh yeah, and toughen up the old brain.  

After a Frosty at Wendy's and a very frosty ice-bath (15 minutes) followed by a 20 minute hot shower, I feel okay.  My legs are pretty tired, and I want to puke, but other than that, it's a typical Saturday in March. 

After a nice walk to the cemetery and creek, my legs felt like they could use a few miles to shake out yesterday's run.  I continue to monitor rt knee inflammation...it was uncomfortable playing the organ at church today.  (40 minutes)  

Jack and I ran to BST, but it was too bumpy for him.  So we came back down to pavement and met the family for tennis at the park.  Mostly I ran laps on a .21 loop; very boring and pretty windy.

1.25 to the caucus meeting and back, then 7 slow downhill miles on the treadmill.  I'm not feeling it.  On the bright side, I got paid today.  It's strange how the uncertainty of the last 2 months at work produced an undercurrent of excitement, as though every time there was a breeze, it might be the winds of change.  But now the situation is resolved, and I feel something akin to disappointment.

Biggest Loser Progression run.  I made it to 8 miles and 8.6 mph by the end.  My legs felt springy this afternoon, which translated into a nice run for the first time since Sat.

 Also, at work I threw down a 6 minute plank.  That's right, 6 continuous minutes, a new PR.  Few things are more uncomfortable than a plank, so I'm going to keep practicing them, putting the pain aside, and finding new mental compartments.  That can only help with the final grueling miles of a marathon.   

3 of these miles were out and back to stores for formula and rice cereal, and to pick up pizza, followed by 10k.  What a perfect night.  Also, a 5 minute plank at work.  I'm trying to talk several co-workers into completing a fall half marathon.

I was getting sleepy while driving to St. George, so I pulled over and ran at the rest stop to wake up.

9ish miles on Virgin River Trail.  I needed a long run, but didn't get up early enough to run for that many miles before my son's tennis tournament started, so I took what I could get.  I'm coming down with something, or the cold I thought I kicked is resurfacing.  I gotta get 100% healthy soon...

16 miles, 7:50 ave pace.  (2:05)   Running for this long takes a long time.  I used a board for the slight downhill simulation.  Even my freaky morton toes are intact.  As a diversion, I finally watched Harry Potter 7.2  It was okay and grim.  The movies do a disservice to the books.  4 weeks from Boston, three weeks from travelling...I'm pretty excited.

7 recovery TM miles, along with the Amazing Race.  That show is pure comedy.

Lovely run prior to sunset, with Jack rolling along in the stroller.  He stayed awake sitting up for 2 miles.  After that he gradually relaxed one body part at a time, and slept for the rest of the jaunt.  I love looking down at his fuzzy head and stretching new skin of his fingers.  Conditions were perfect.

I didn't get home till after 10, and still needed to run.  I hopped on for an easy 10k.  I know I'm in full marathon mode when all the runs feel lousy until mile 4 or 5.  When things finally started to click, my time was up.  I went upstairs and found that everyone had gone to bed...I could have put in more miles after all.  

I was so late getting home because of an informational meeting on refinery expansion.  Currently 2 of the 5 refineries in Salt Lake and Bountiful are considering expansion.  They haven't applied for permits, but the writing is on the wall.  This is a horrifying possibility in terms of air quality.  Some of you may have gathered that this is a pet issue, but after 2+ hours of listening to specialty physicians describe the effects of PM 2.5 and aromatic hydrocarbon pollution on vessels and arteries everywhere in your body; heart, lungs, brains, eyes, developing infants, placentas, etc... Well, needless to say, there are ample reasons this is my pet issue.  I've even given serious thought to moving away.  

Bottom line, There isn't a soul along the Wasatch Front that isn't being poisoned by these industrial pollutants.  Every time there is reduction in air quality, there are both chronic and acute health problems noted by doctors.  It makes me sick to think about all the workouts I've completed while breathing in this gunk, not to mention all the other breaths, all day every day.  Check out this link for current action items, including refinery expansion and Rio Tinto expansion. Your health can't take any more of this!!!      http://www.uphe.org/priority-issues/air-quality

Long run with Tara and Andy.  Last time we ran together it was 35 degrees cooler.  Tara tried to kill us by adding in some hills.   At one point she remarked, "You'll thank me for this later."  It was currently taking much self restraint to not punch her in the face, but she's probably right.  When we dropped her at her house, we had done 4 uphill miles out of 12.    That left Andy and I with 8 to go, pretty much already trashed.  We gu'ed up, and headed to the edge of Farmington and back to my house, with a detour for me to change shoes.  Andy drove me to the brink of collapse, but we finished.  

I don't know which hat I'm going to pull another 10k out of.  (sentence ending in a preposition)    It seems a bit much to ask of taper magic, sea-level bump and race day adrenaline.  As I spent the last hour of the run gamely trying not to puke it occurred to me over and over and over again that this really isn't necessary.  Just because one time I wrote down sub-3 marathon as a goal doesn't mean I am strictly required to spend all this time, effort and money in pursuit.   "Controlled and strong" got me through 3-4 miles at the end.  It's funny the lies we tell ourselves to try to drown out the ugly truths that flow so easily from the subconscious mind at the end of a sustained effort.

Obviously, it's getting near the end of a marathon cycle.

After picking up my car, I went to my Dad's and changed out 5 exterior light fixtures.  3 hours after the run, I feel all right (Thanks, Rumbi Island Grill and 3 cans of Dew).  I'm looking at my 57.4 miles per week and thinking about getting in 2.6 more tonight.  Sick, sick, sick.  I may never take a stab at 60 in a week again. 

p.m.  3.2 miles at sunset with Jens to finish off the week, very slow.

10 minute miles.  2 of the kids joined me for the "24" season 5 viewing.  Not surprisingly, Jack Bauer is in trouble again.  In 2 episodes he killed 4 people. 

So, should I start cutting back this week or wait till next week?  

These miles felt like they took forever.  Clocking in at a pedestrian 71 minutes, I guess they did.  The good news is, that's a m/m faster than yesterday.  Ugh.  There is no sign of bounce in my legs today, either.

I had a better workout last night.  Instead of being acted upon, I acted.  2 miles at 7 mph, then the rest at 8 mph.  After two nights of bumping along, it felt great to get on top of things, and run a little harder/sweatier.  3 older kids joined me for "24" viewing.  Several head-shots later, I wish they hadn't.  

I tried Jake's mtn dew concoction, minus the electrolyte plus the fizz.  It tasted great, and was my first dew since Sunday.   I didn't have any fancy bottles though, just an ugly, restaurant-grade tumbler from Bintz.  So far, they have proven indestructible, but the kids have still lost a few of them.

I'm soliciting recommendations for books that are set in or about New England.  I'm set with John Adams, but  I need some stuff for the younger readers (13-18).  One of the kids devours facts/historical, but the rest enjoy fiction/fantasy. 

2 miles warmup, then 8 @ 8 mph.  For some reason, 8 mph seems faster than 7:30 pace even though they are the same.  I think it's the higher digit.  Strangely, 9 mph doesn't seem faster than 6:45 pace.  I'm not as familiar with these numbers as I should be, what, with my aspirations.  I guess they were more wishful thinking this time around.

Still, it's been a good training cycle.  I'm going to wonder what to do with my hard-earned 50 mpw habit when there's no marathon on the horizon.  Honestly, it's getting time for the pendulum to swing back.

If I was going to write a poem on my blog, it probably wouldn't rhyme.  There might be punctuation issues, meter would be absent, and like as not it would be ironic, in a half-smile, half-frown kind of way.  I wish Bam was still making entries about leprehcauns.  How do you spell that word anyway?

8 miles, alternating slow and slower.  It took 2 episodes of "24" to do these 8, so really slow.

"24" progression run.  I got up to 10 miles in less than 2 episodes, so much better effort than last night.  Top pace was 6:58 (8.6 mph).

I would have enjoyed running outside, but so much dust and pollen stirred up by the wind would have knocked the allergies into mega-high gear.