Kerry's Running Blog

Easy run to get loosened up for half marathon on Saturday. Felt pretty good. Ran into Greg P. and Chad L. and chatted for a few minutes. Saw a half dozen deer and a couple of foxes. Broke in new pair of shoes (Asics Gel Cumulus like I always get).

Just a quick report from Saturday's race. My official chip time was 1:44:38 which put me at an average pace of 7:59. I'm not sure that was accurate. My GPS watch showed the course as being 13.3 miles instead of 13.1. They apparently made some last minute changes to the course to lessen the impact on traffic and they might have goofed on the distance. My watch showed me at a 7:42 pace for the first ten miles and 8:24 average for the last 5K (and 7:07 pace for the last 0.2). It was kind of a mixed day for me. I ran with my friend Greg the first half and pushed it fairly hard (around a 6:15 pace on the downhill section leading to Sugar House Park). When it flattened out, I didn't back off fast enough and my heart rate climbed up close to my maximum and I started to get a side ache. I took an eGel at about five and half miles as there was supposed to be a water stop at 6 -- there wasn't (nor at 7 or 8). I started feeling nauseated at which point I really backed off. After a half mile or so, I felt OK again and started to pick up the pace again. Felt good until I hit a long hot, slightly uphill stretch approaching downtown. I felt like I was just plodding along, until turning onto the final stretch on Rio Grande street. There was a large crowd lining the street and their energy helped me to finish a little stronger. My watch showed an average pace of 7:52 for the race and an average heart rate of 166. I really liked the course and for the most part it was well organized with lots of volunteers and crowd support along the way.

A little bit sore from Saturday's race. My quads were a bit tight as was left calf. Right achilles tendon was also a little sore, but felt pretty good after a couple of miles. I picked up the pace a few times just to see how it felt, but was slowed up running around the lake as a lot of water was running down the road (I couldn't see where the water was coming from, but the lake was almost up to the trail in places). Had a nice run on the back part along the creek. Had to sprint the last section as multiple sprinklers were watering that part, even then I got pretty wet.

Just a little bit of lingering soreness from Saturday, but felt good overall.

Didn't really feel any soreness or stiffness this morning. Started out at a relaxed pace and then picked it up from time to time, occasionally getting down around six minute pace.

Ran 5.24 in the morning and 6.02 after I got home from work. Felt a little sluggish starting off the second run, but felt strong at about two and a half miles on the uphill section. Pushed the pace over the next couple of miles, but had some bowel cramping with about a mile to go. Still felt some discomfort a couple hours after the run. Checked my blood pressure when I went over to Kohlers (100/65). Body fat percentage is now 17.2 percent.

Felt a little stiff starting out this morning, but that went away after the first mile.

Went with Laureen this morning. It was just a nice time to be out. A little bit cool and humid following the rain that blew through yesterday. We walked and ran at a pace that she was comfortable with. We started out heading north along the creek trail and followed it around the golf course and then up the hill on Canyon Road. Stopped for a drink at the Church and then followed a dirt road above the homes. It was nice to talk, run and walk. Dropped down into homes east of the canal and as Brittany had a jujitsu camp at 9, I pushed the pace along the canal and up the road and trail to our house. Made it just in time.

Started off a little bit sluggish, but started feeling pretty good heading into the park. There was a beautiful full moon just about the lake. I wish I'd had a camera right then. My legs felt good heading up the hill out of the park, so I picked up the pace. As I made the turn onto 48th, my legs felt light and springy. I pushed the pace along the trail just because it felt good. I'm not sure how fast I was going, because I let Laureen take my GPS watch this morning so she could figure out how fast she and Janet were going.

Started off easy to wake up and see if any of the little aches and pains really amounted to anything. Picked it up a bit after hitting the first mile and started pushing it on the hill at two miles. Felt great until the last of the uphill section when my legs were starting to tire a bit. Saw some deer at the side of the road by the high school and a couple of cars coming the other direction. Motioned for them to slow down and about one second later one of the deer darted across the road. The car just barely missed hitting it. Good run today.

Took it kind of easy today. My calf and ankle were kind of sore when I woke up. I'm not sure why since they weren't sore the day before. Felt OK after a mile or so, but not as good as yesterday or the day before, even though I got to bed a little earlier.

Ran after getting home from work as I was too tired to get up at 5:15 (sleep over at our house). Didn't feel particularly energetic, maybe because it's usually kind of a low time of the day for me.

Ran the Strawberry Days 5K in Pleasant Grove. What made it especially fun was meeting up with Verdon, Paul and meeting Kevin Jessop who will be joining us at the WBR. The highlight of the morning was Paul winning entry to the St. George Marathon. It could only have been better if Kevin had won a spot too.

Finished in 21:40 which works out to a 6:59 average pace. The first mile is a nice two percent downgrade which I finished in 6:22. I deliberately held back a bit as I felt that maybe I didn't warmup enough (I really didn't get into my normal breathing rhythm until we were about a mile and quarter into the race). It's always hard to know if you've held back too much at the beginning, but I felt great at the two mile mark (7:20 pace) and started picking it up. As the course heads east after rounding the south end of cemetery, it's a slight uphill. I slowed to around an eight minute pace, before turning at 2.6 miles and heading towards the finish. I felt pretty strong at that point and gradually accelerated (the downhill helped) and hit the three mile mark at 6:29 pace (7:15 average) and dropped to 5:45 pace by the finish. Placed 52 overall and third in age group behind Gordon Hullinger (17:11) and Dionisio Carroll (who was exactly 10 seconds ahead).

Talked to the Schvaneveldts and Millers after the race. It was nice to see them and talk to them about the race and what they've been up to.

Felt good to get out this morning even though I didn't get much sleep last night. No aches or pains. Didn't push it until I was past the three mile mark. At that point I just starting running faster because I wanted to. It was a bit warmer this morning than it has been. Will taper a bit this week leading up the Wasatch Back Relay on Friday.

Felt pretty good this morning, although my achilles tendon was a little sore when I got up. Ran at a pretty relaxed pace starting out. Saw Greg P. and Chad L. on the road south of the High School. Saw a couple of deer in the park. I don't know whether they're the same ones I've seen before, but they don't seem especially afraid of me. They're often only fifteen or twenty feet away when I go running by and just stare at me. The foxes at the south end of the park at pretty much the same. They're a little wary, but don't seem that scared. Picked up the pace for the last mile and a quarter.

First leg of the Wasatch Back Relay (leg 8). It was inspiring to watch Verdon pounding up the dirt road for the handoff as he was giving it his all. I felt well rested and took off up the dusty road at a comfortable pace. It was hot, but it really didn't affect me for the first mile or so. I loved running on the dirt road especially when I got to the shade provided by the trees. There was also a beautiful stream running by the road for much of the way. It would have been perfect if it hadn't been for all the dust kicked up by passing vehicles (one of the volunteers said that some of them were van 1's that didn't want to take the long way around to the next major exchange). Ran first mile in 8:12, second in 8:47. Was pretty hot by that time. It was a relief to get water from my van mates and have them cheering me on. For the third and fourth miles, the steady climb started to take its toll on me and my pace dropped to 9:07 and 9:10 and to 9:12 pace for the last .31 miles. Overall pace was 8:51 or about 11 seconds per mile slower than I was shooting for. Finished in 38:10 (56 seconds slower than projected). I don't think I could have pushed it any harder than I did. Recovered fairly quickly after drinking a few cups of cold water. My GPS showed a net elevation gain of 359 instead of the 487 in the race book.

Day two of the WBR (leg 20). After getting something to eat at East Canyon we stretched out in our sleeping bags for a while. I was tired, but it took a while to get to sleep. I woke up about 15 minutes before my alarm was set to go off. It was a very beautiful starry night. Changed clothes in the restrooms and walked back to the van. As we were heading up to the exchange I heard a radio message from John saying he was almost there. I hoped Verdon was already up there and waiting. There were a few minutes of confusion trying to figure out if Kevin (our pacer) was ready for the transition and where Rich was and if he got Dave's finishing time. Verdon took off down the road, but it was a few minutes before we got everything organized and followed him down the road. We saw Sasha flying along with his pacer and yelled some encouragement. After we made sure that Kevin found Verdon we drove down to the next exchange. It was cool enough that I didn't take off my sweats until Verdon was just a couple of minutes away. Took handoff from Verdon at 2:16 a.m. Started off at a comfortable pace, not wanting to push it too much since my muscles weren't warmed up. It was great having Kevin there as he kept up a nice conversation as I was settling into my pace. First mile 6:37, second mile 6:39. We saw another runner up ahead that we appeared to be closing on. I saw him take off at the exchange at a very fast clip. I thought he might be waiting for our light to catch up with him so he could see where he was going (there was no moon and he was running with a very small headlight). I expected that as we passed he would follow along, but he dropped off right away. The miles seemed to go by very quickly. Third mile pace was another 6:39, but I slowed to 7:22 for the fourth mile due to a flatter section at the beginning and a small uphill and flat section towards the end. Picked up the pace a little on the fifth mile to 7:08 just before entering Henefer. It was a little eerie running through town as there were a number of street lights but absolutely no signs of life. A slight uphill beginning about a quarter mile in. Pace slowed to 7:46. Slight uphill as we followed the course up and over the freeway. 8:05 for the the 7th mile and 7:08 pace for the last tenth. Over all, a nice run. It was great having Kevin there and the temperature was about perfect. Didn't need to drink during the run and only needed a little bit after. Was surprised to find Darin there and chatted with him for a few minutes. Started to get chilled standing around so I headed back to the van and put on my sweats.

After getting some sleep in Park City, we drove to the major exchange in Heber City. After Verdon took the handoff we drove to the next exchange. I felt a lot more rested and ready for my third leg than I have in years past, but I could definitely feel the heat. Took the handoff from Verdon and tried to settle in to a comfortable pace. First mile in 7:41. Felt pretty good and could see I was closing on another runner. As I passed over a bridge at the east end of Deer Creek I recognized it as a place where I once fished with my Dad and brother Andre (both now deceased). It brought back a lot of memories and I wanted to just stop and take it all in. I pushed on though and soon passed the girl I'd been following. It seemed to be getting hotter by the minute. The rest of the run was mostly slight uphill through Midway and the surrounding roads. My van mates stopped for me a few times to give me cold water. I didn't drink much, but it felt so good to just pour it on my head. I'd get an immediate burst of energy right after that. Seeing them also provided a psychological lift as the course takes a number of a turns and it would be easy to get off track if you weren't paying attention. I felt like I was just plodding along towards the end. I saw a couple of women up ahead of me as I neared the exchange and closed within ten yards or so before the exchange. I was very glad to be done, but felt bad that I'd been so slow. My average pace was 8:48 and I'd slowed to 9:04 or worse by mile 4. According to my GPS there was more of an elevation gain than advertised. The race book said the total elevation gain was 377, but I showed 479. I don't think I could have pushed it any harder than I did. It was a hard leg, but I really felt for Paul and Tom who would have to climb the mountain in that heat! Those are two very brave and strong runners.

Felt good to get out this morning. I had some lingering soreness in my calves and achilles tendon on Monday morning and as I hadn't been able to catch up on my sleep Saturday night, I decided to take it off. Tuesday, my legs felt good, but my wife and I stayed up late talking.

I was a little surprised how good I felt this morning. My legs felt strong and there seemed to be a little extra spring in my step. Pushed a little harder than usual the last mile and a quarter.

Run through the Adventure Park after work. It seemed like more of an effort running after work and in the heat, although I felt pretty good the last couple of miles.