Seeking a better country...

Okay.  Both pairs of shoes are about equally worn, so I have no idea which is which any more.  (is that two words or one?)  I need some replacements; I think my hip soreness is on the shoes being high-mileage.  Even if it isn't, it's a simple experiment to perform to rule them out.

So today I got up in the 5's, ran over to JP, and did five miles on the grass barefoot.  It was 77 degrees outside.  The weatherman predicts a cold front coming through today, with overnight lows in the 50's for the next few days.  I hope that comes true. 

I'm running in the local 5k tomorrow with both my boys.  I've been nervous for 2 days.  It's so stupid.  It goes without saying I'd like to beat my PR.  I don't know.  I predict my performance will be right around 20 minutes.  Ideally, I'll finish in the high 18's.  The elevation is net-zero, with the hills in the first half, so I'm not going to get any favors there. 

I got up around 5:30 for this 7:00 race.  I woke up a dozen or so times overnight in anticipation.  I don't know why I get so amped up for a local 5k.  I had some toast and milk, and ran a couple miles for warmup.  Then I got my boys up, and we headed over.  

Conditions were unbelievable for the 4th; light breeze and 60 degrees.  I lined up at the front of the crowded start.  Bang.  Mile 1 has most of the hill stuff.  I was in about 40th place rounding the corner to head up.  By the end of it I had settled into 22nd.  Mile 1 split was 6:30.  Over the last 2 miles I passed another couple people, and got passed in the last .4 miles.  I never looked at my watch for times, just pace.  I knew I hadn't slowed down, and I felt okay, but wasn't going to check my time and slow down.  When I rounded the final corner with a few hundred yards to go, I saw 18:50, so I knew I had a big PR in the bag, but not a chance at getting my goal for a finish in the 18's.   I pushed through the finish, feeling very spent and a bit dizzy.  Sure enough, I puked twice in the chute.  

Mile 1:  6:32,  Mile 2:  6:13,  Mile 3:  6:09,  .1:  :24 sec (4 min pace?  can that be right?) 

My boys came in strong, Max under 24:00 and Jens under 26:00.   I guess I need to find a smaller race so I can at least get an age division award.  Or I guess I could put in more hard work and effort.  After the race we had our street-wide breakfast and watched a snoozer of a parade.  The girls got lots of gross taffy.  This is a great way to start the 4th weekend.

BST to Freedom hills, a couple loops around the park then home the harder way.  What a beautiful morning, especially the temps.  It reminds me I want to move to Flagstaff.

Same run as Monday, but in the evening.  Temp was pretty good.  Max came along to check out the repair work on his mountain bike.  Everything seems to be in order.  I didn't have it.  My legs felt slow, and with no ipod, all I could hear was my breathing and shuffling.  It made me feel slower and slower.  I got home well after dark to enjoy some popsicles and an episode of The Office I had never seen. 

I didn't get home from work until 9.  My wife kindly sent me out for a run.  This run was a good choice, but a bit of a chore.  It was a run of smells; wildfire, saw-cut wood, honeysuckle, petunias, some disgusting honey bucket, watermelon.  The mountain top is glowing orange in the dark.  It was kind of mesmerizing to look up there and see the flames.  

I woke up around 6:45, ate some toast, and was off by 7:00.  I had to get Ash some cereal too.  I knew I wanted to run a bit farther today, but didn't have a specific route in mind.  I ended up at Jennie P and ran 15 laps barefoot around the field.  Then I put my shoes back on, and headed north.  I got a drink at smoot, ran to the end of Cville, and headed back home.  By now the sun was up full, and I was too hot.  I needed my utility belt with some sugar.  I was totally depleted, and barely moving along.  Funny thing, I carried a cliff shot the whole time, but I couldn't force myself to gag it down.  That was a mistake.  Overall pace was 8:05.  

Lost in Park City.  I started of at Marriot Mountainside and took the rail trail.  6 miles later I ended up by a fire station.  The nice man gave me a drink and water bottle.  I didn't want to out and back, so I headed in the general direction I thought I should go.  Old Ranch Road, Trailside drive.  7+ miles later I arrived at the Canyons.  By now it was pretty hot, so I caught the free bus back up to PC.  I'm glad I didn't have to run the additional 3.5 miles.  I got about twice what I bargained for...how often does that happen?

Woke up.  Got out of bed.  Dragged a comb across my head.  All of that happened except the comb part.  Got dressed.  Took a dump.  Found and charged my gps.  Found my way outside and stretched things out, and after that I went into a dream.  Ah, ah ah ah.  Ah ah ah, ah ah ah.

I saw a deer today oh my.  Well actually that was yesterday.  And though the  deer was very dead, I had to sniff a lot.  Now I know how many sniffs it takes to fill my nose with pwer.  I'd love to run seven miles....

This run was a grinder.  The morning was cool, which I enjoyed.  My legs felt fine, except my lower leg.  After consulting google, it appears my medial tibia, superior to the tuberosity is bothering me.  That doesn't seem right.  It's my left leg, and all the pictures online are of right legs, and I'm absolutely terrible at rotating things in my mind.  So, long story short, my leg hurts a bit.

6:30 a.m.  BST, to the two houses way up there in Farmington, then down and home on Highway 89.  It was hot.  Too hot.  I hope it's not that hot next week for the 24th.  I'd never been up that high, and it was a tough climb.  I had one mile in the 13's.  Ugh.  My left leg is flaring up.  It might be time for a couple days of megadose vitamin I.

I got home from Trek out at Elberta around 4:00.  When it got dark, I tried to shake off the cobwebs.  It wasn't cool at all, but it felt heavenly compared to the previous 4 days.  I ran to Freedom Hills park, did three laps there, and came home.

This half went about like I expected.  I knew I wasn't going to be setting any PRs on this course;  it was pretty flat, and the race temperature was far from optimal.  My goal was to beat my previous best on a flat course, which I did by a minute +.  

I made it to the start line with about 20 seconds to spare.  I didn't have much of a warmup, but it wouldn't have made any difference.  Out of the start, there were about 12 people in front of me.  I moved into 8th place in the first mile, which was important, as I was the last person to make it past a railroad crossing in front of a 3-4 minute long train.  That kind of screwed everyone over except for the people who got out quick.  

Water stops were infrequent, only every three miles.  They had no gels, no gatorade, only water.  There were no porta-potties either.  I know this was a first time race, but come on!  The final water stop was at mile 9, then nothing till the finish line.  

This was a pretty lonely run.  By mile 9 I saw someone up ahead in a green shirt.  I wasn't expecting to reel him in, but knew if it was going to happen, it would be on the long, gradual uphill of Pages Lane.  Right after recrossing the tracks in mile 12, I passed and gapped him a bit.  Then I held on till the end, cursing the race organizers for omitting that mile 12 water stop.   

My mom and sister were at the finish, having completed their 10 miler to be there in time to wave me in.  We had chuck-wagon breakfast after the race, but it could have been called upchuck-wagon breakfast.  Oh well, at least mine was free with the race entry.

So I ran a race, and got a meaningless high placing in a small field.  Medium fish in a little pond.  Still, it was fun, and good to surpass my Huntsville Half time from 2 years ago.  

I took out the new single seater jogging stroller with Anna.  We went to Freedom Hills and back, with a detour to see the burning Colonial Lumber building.  That thing slowed me down.  She's 4, and heavier than a 1 or 2 year old.  It was a good workout, and I enjoyed her prattle.  "Oh, this is the poo and pee place."  "We had dinner here with Grandma and the cousins once."  "I really need to go pee."  (We peed on the soccer field at reading.)  "I'll pee behind this tree so nobody will see me."  "This road is bumpy because the rocks aren't all the way stuck down."  "I think a shooting star is following us.  Maybe it's a comic.  Comics are made of dirty ice.  I know all about comics."

BST to Freedom Hills, home on 400 W.  Colonial is very burnt out.  I bet they'll have that up and running pretty fast, they are a building supply, after all.  They probably have some sweet hook-ups with contractors.

I hoped to run in the cool, but to no avail.  The clouds kept the temps up overnight, so this was a sweaty slog, but hey, another run in the books. 

I found a pretty okay treadmill that the owner will trade for mowing the lawn for a while.  I'll pick it up this week sometime.  I'm excited to use it this winter getting ready for Boston...  The thing that will be a little expensive is buying a flat screen to put in front of it.  I think I'll cancel the gym membership to pay for that item.

 P.M.  3+ miles on the stair climber at the Rec Center.  My legs feel thrashed.  I liked it, though.  It's very low impact, and a good heart rate activity.

BST to Freedom Hills.  This is getting repetitive.  I scared up a dozen magpies, and even a couple rabbits today.  I stopped for a bit of a dip in Ricks Creek, named for my great great Grandpa.  I didn't get out until after 9, so this run was warm, but the monsoon clouds were sticking around.  Even though it was late, it wasn't much cooler earlier.  

To try and remedy the situation, I've been washing windows this morning.  I know of no better way to get some wind and rain.  I was checking the calendar, and Layton Marathon is in 9 weeks.  I guess I need to get a bit more dedicated.  The treadmill is in the house, so that will be a good aid.  It's a noisy sucker, though.  I'll have to turn the tv up really loud.  Thank goodness for captioning.