Kerry's Running Blog

Regular loop through Highland Glen with Laureen. A bit foggy this morning with small ice crystals floating around.

My plan for the next few months is to build back up to running six days a week, then building up the number of days I run seven miles, gradually increase the length of my Saturday long runs while improving the distance of my tempo runs. My weight starting out the year is 149.4. While that's not bad, I'd still like to get down a few pounds by summer.

Highland Glen loop with Laureen. Humid with temperatures in the low 20's. As expected, there were a lot more people out this morning.

Highland Glen loop with Laureen. Temperature in the mid 20's. A little bit of knee pain starting out.

Ran indoors at the AFFC. There were only a few other people using the track, but I can usually only manage about 45 minutes of going around in circles.

Highland Glen loop with Laureen.

Highland Glen loop with Laureen. We went out about 10:00. The sun was out and it was quite comfortable despite the temperature reading in the mid 20's.

Highland Glen loop with Laureen (6:15 am). The eastern horizon is getting pretty light now by the time we finish. It looks like most of the New Year's resolution crowd has thrown in the towel. We only saw two other people out this morning.

Ran on the AFFC track while the kids were in Jiujitsu. I felt good and pushed the pace a little faster than I expected.

Ran indoors this morning at the AFFC. The cost was $3.50 for each of us, but that seemed easier to swallow than running outside when the temperature was only 3 above zero. It wasn't nearly as crowded as I expected. I pushed it fairly hard at times, either to keep up with someone that had jumped in for a few laps or just because I felt good. Saw Eldon G. and waved, but didn't have a chance to talk to him. Laureen worked on the elliptical and the treadmill.

Ran indoors in AFFC. Felt pretty good over all. Had to contend with some kids playing soccer on the track for the first twenty minutes or so(collided with a couple of them as they'd just dart off without looking where they were going). A little knee soreness after the run.

Ran indoors at the AFFC because of the poor air quality. I didn't know if I'd be able to run on that small of a track for that long, but with some music, I was able to get into a zone where I didn't much notice the passage of time. I talked with a kid getting to go on a mission off and on for the first half hour which helped to pass the time. I wore my heart rate monitor and pretty much kept my pace in the marathon range. The last ten minutes or so, I pushed the pace fairly hard and still felt good when I finished.

Ran indoors at the AFFC because of the cold (around 9 degrees) and the icy roads in our neighborhood. The track was fairly crowded this morning, but there was enough room to get around people. I caught up with and shadowed a couple of guys that wore matching Moab shirts for a couple of miles. I started to tire and fell off their pace just as they were ending. It really helps me to push the pace when I try to keep up with the faster runners that just jump in for a few miles. Felt good about the run, but I'm having a little soreness in my knee afterwards (usually after I sit down for a few minutes). It goes away before long, however. I need to get my mileage up in preparation for Boston, but I don't want to do it so fast that I get hurt. It's that old balancing act.

Ran indoors at the AFFC. A little lighter crowd that usual. Was a bit sleepy starting out, but felt good and ran fairly easily. Tried to keep pace with the two runners from yesterday, but they only jumped in for a few laps and were pushing a little faster pace. With about five minutes to go, a guy that I think trains for triathalons jumped in and set a pretty fast pace. I ran just behind him until I had to go. Still feeling a little bit of occasional knee soreness.

Ran indoors at the AFFC. Felt good after a mile so I decided to push the pace today. The weatherman reports that we probably won't get any relief from the smog until Wednesday or so.

Easy run on the treadmill. Ran the last mile at marathon pace. Felt good. No soreness or pain.

Ran indoors on treadmill again today. Air quality still poor. It's taking some getting used to, to run on a treadmill. Start out kind of slow and pick it up as I go. Yesterday, I ran for 45:12. Today for 43:24.

Ran indoors on the treadmill again today because of snow, wind and slick roads. Started out at a little quicker pace and then kicked it up a little for the last mile and a half. Finished in 42:00. I'm looking forward to the chance to run outside again.

Speedwork on the treadmill. After a one mile warm-up, I ran a quarter mile at 7:30, then a quarter at 8:35, then two more quarters at 7:30, followed by rest quarters at 8:35 and then a quarter that started at 7:30 and sped up to 6:40 about half way through. Finished with a half mile cool-down.

Treadmill today. Received about an inch of snow overnight. Four easy miles after yesterday's intervals. Last mile started at 8:00 pace and dropped to 7:30 by the end. No injuries or lingering soreness at this point. Hoping to do 14 tomorrow afternoon.

Long run from AFFC to the bench in Alpine and back. Suffering a bit of abdominal stress on the way out which forced a couple of pit stops. Overall pace was just under nine. It felt nice to be outside again. Felt a little tightness above my right knee for a mile or two and little occasional soreness there later on in the day.  Mileage was 37.28 for the week. I need to bump it up a bit next week, but not so much that I get injured.

Ran the Highland Glen loop with Laureen. Even though the temperature was in the low 20's, it felt great to be outside again. About half way through the run, the sun came up and made it seems like spring. The pond was frozen and snow covered, but there were birds singing in the trees. On some of the runs this week, I'm going to take off to the west before we round the pond and push the pace for the three or four miles. I need to build back up to at least seven miles a day and then a long run on Saturday.

Ran the six mile Kohler's loop in the dark. Temperatures were in the high 20's with no wind. I felt great from the very beginning. It's been a few weeks since I felt so good during a run. 

Highland Glen with Laureen. Beautiful spring-like weather. 

Felt pretty good this morning. Pushed it a little harder than on Tuesday. Average pace was 8:06.

Decided to run do long run today as we have a leadership meeting tomorrow morning at nine.  Didn't feel particularly energetic, but the first seven or eight miles went by pretty easy. Started feeling a little stiffness above my right knee with an occasional twinge of pain, but it didn't get any worse and even started to fade towards the end. I felt pretty tired by the time I finished, but my joints and muscles weren't really hurting. Average pace was 8:35.

A few miles on the treadmill just to stretch things out after yesterday's run. A little stiff starting out, but everything felt fine a mile or so into it. Had to postpone run until night time. Light rain falling outside.

Absolutely beautiful morning for a run. After a night of light rain and a little snow, the sun came out and warmed the still, clear air. Ran the Highland Glen loop with Laureen. In a few places there was still ice on the trail.

Ran with Laureen to the turnoff just west of the pond. Pushed it the last few miles around by Kohler's and home on 40th. Felt great.

Ran the Highland Glen by myself (Laureen wasn't feeling well). Ran close to marathon pace after the first mile and pushed it a little harder at the end (also ran up the steep hill on Redwood Drive just for fun).

Ran indoors at the AFFC. Started out at an easy pace, but picked it up after a couple of miles. Struggled a little bit at the end with lower bowel cramping. Felt kind of sickly for a couple of hours after the run.

Easy run around the Highland Glen loop. I felt like I was dragging today. I didn't try to push it at the end.

Easy run with Laureen up through the golf course to the mouth of American Fork Canyon, then down to Cedar Hills Drive and south to the nursery. A beautiful spring-like morning, but I must still be trying to fight off some bug as I continue to have bowel discomfort and am just generally fatigued. I'd hoped to do 16 or 17 today, but just wasn't up to it. It was probably a good thing as I've had some lingering stiffness and soreness in my right knee.

Ran on the treadmill today. Seem to be over whatever it was that was bothering me the end of last week. Started off slow and kept increasing the pace. Finished at about a 7:30 pace. No soreness or stiffness in my knee. I'd really like to get up around 45 for this week, but I'll have to see how it goes.

Ran the Kohler's seven mile loop at 6:00 a.m. Needed my headlight starting out as the moon had set hours before. It was light enough by the time I exited the Highland Glen Park that I could turn off my light. Felt good this morning. No aches or pains. Didn't push it especially hard (averaged 8:20 pace), but ran fairly hard the last couple of miles. I need to bump up a couple more of my weekly runs to this distance.

Highland Glen loop with Laureen. A little cool starting out, but it turned pleasant as the sun came out just as we were passing behind the high school.

Ran indoors at the AFFC while daughter was in Jujitsu class. No aches or pains to speak of. Started to push the pace towards the end.

Ran the first five miles on the treadmill in the morning (there was still snow on the streets from the previous night). Ran 12.9 later in the afternoon. It was kind of chilly running into the wind, but too warm running the other way. I felt a little sluggish starting out, but soon settled into a nice rhythm. Felt strong finishing up.

Felt a bit stiff and sore getting started this morning. Loosened up after a mile or so, but took it easy just the same. I'll cut back my mileage a little this week to make sure everything's healed up before making a big push the rest of the month. There's not much time left to get ready for Boston!

Easy run on treadmill. Didn't feel as sore as yesterday. Started out fairly slow and gradually increased the speed to 7.5 (close to 8 minute pace). Expected to see a lot of snow this morning, but I guess the storm's running a bit behind schedule.

Treadmill run before work. Felt a little better this morning so I started out a little faster and increased the pace a little faster. I had a little soreness on the inside of my left knee at the beginning, but it soon went away. I should be ready to bump up the mileage the next few weeks.

Ran indoors at the AFFC. For some reason my left ankle was quite sore. My stride wasn't as smooth and I even stumbled a couple of times. It felt a little better when I sped up towards the end.

A pleasant afternoon with Paul and Kevin (except for an extended bout of cramping and gas during the middle part of the run). The sun was out, but the temperature was in the low 30's. Most of the run was fairly comfortable, but there were a few moments when I seemed overdressed (going uphill) and other times when it was a little chilly.

I ended up taking yesterday off because of a sore hip. I didn't feel any pain after Saturday's run, but when I got up Sunday morning my right hip was so sore I could barely lift my leg. The soreness and pain persisted throughout the day and forced me to sleep on my back Sunday night. On Monday morning it felt better (at least I could walk without pain), but I thought I'd wait to see how it felt walking around and sitting before trying to go for a run. When I got home from work I decided that it'd be better to rest it than try to push it. I couldn't sleep on my side during the night, but I decided to go for a run this morning. It didn't hurt at any point during the run, but I had to shorten my stride a bit as I had trouble lifting my leg as high as normal. All in all, I don't think it's going to be much of an issue. It seems to be more like the stiff neck you get from sleeping at a weird angle. I need to make sure that I'm ready for an 18 miler on Saturday.

A beautiful, clear morning for a run. I was a little worried since yesterday weather forecast said the air was unhealthy. The haze from yesterday was gone and the moon and stars looked bright. Temperatures were in the low 30's.

My right hip flexor was sore most of yesterday, but when I woke up this morning I didn't feel any pain at all. I didn't want to push it too hard today to make sure everything was all right. I think at this point, I'm pretty much back on track. I'll try to go a little longer tomorrow and Friday and then do 18 or more on Saturday.

Great morning for a run. As I headed out, the moon was coming through the clouds after an overnight rain. It was still a little humid, but the temperature was about perfect (I realized a couple miles into the run that I was a bit overdressed). My hip flexor bothered me a bit starting out and my right knee stiffened up a bit the last couple of miles, but over all I felt pretty good.

Beautiful clear morning. A little cooler than yesterday due to the mostly clear skies. Saw lots of people out this morning -- what a difference a day makes. Started out the usual soreness in my lower abdomen. It eased up after a third of a mile or so. I forgot my reflective vest this morning, but a couple of women with vests were just ahead of me on the only dark exposed stretch. I think I kind of freaked them out a little as I started to close on them with my headlamp. I caught them at the turn signal by the HS, said hello and turned left. When it's dark like that, there can be lots of things that freak you out. As I was running around the pond I noticed a lot of lights just north of the pavilion, so I stopped to investigate. I was surprised to see a house with all it's outside lights on. I didn't realize that they'd built a house in what I thought was part of the park. As I started up again I noticed a soreness on the top and inside of my right knee. It bothered me off and on again during the remainder of the run. I put some ice on for forty-five minutes or so, but it's still a little stiff and sore. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about tomorrow's planned 18 miler.

I skipped Saturday's long run because of lingering soreness in my right knee. Even though I really need to get the mileage in, I know from past experience that pushing through that kind of pain results in long-term damage. This morning's run went fairly well. It was dark with a clear starry sky and a crescent moon. When I left the house around 6:00 a.m., temperatures were in the low 30's. I didn't notice any pain or stiffness for the first four miles, but then I felt a little stiffness creeping in. It wouldn't have even been worth mentioning on another day, but I iced it and took some Motrin when I got home just to make sure that it didn't get inflammed. This is a critical time for me. I need to put in a lot of mileage, but I can't afford to make things worse. I've had to walk/limp the last five or so miles of a marathon before and it's definitely not something I want to repeat. Since I'm fairly sure I could do the distance right now (at a slower pace), I'll probably take a day off if I notice any significant soreness.

A little warmer this morning. Temperatures were in the high 30's or low 40's. A crescent moon was out, but it was too low in the sky to provide much light. Over all I felt pretty good this morning and pushed it a little harder. My right knee started to stiffen up after about two miles, ached a little off and on between two and four and was more constant from four to the end. I'll probably put in my daily miles if it doesn't get much worse. The 20 miler on Saturday is another matter.

Today was pretty much a repeat of yesterday. I think I got a little farther into the run before my knee started to stiffen up, but it was probably just as sore (if not a little more) in the last mile. At least it doesn't seem to be getting any worse. It's most sore late in the morning after I've been sitting at my desk for a while. At bedtime there's little, if any, soreness.

Not much change from yesterday. The knee starts stiffening after about two and a half miles and is fairly sore from four on.

Stiffness in my knee didn't start until I had passed the three mile mark, but I think it was just as sore towards the end. It's pretty clear that I'm not going to be able to get in 20 tomorrow, but I should at least be able to get in five or more with some cross-training. I didn't ice my knee this morning on the way to work and didn't take any Motrin either. If anything, my knee was slightly less stiff when I got out of the car. As near as I can tell, the pain results from quadriceps tendonitis. It could be cartilage damage under the patella, but the fact that it disappears overnight and takes a while to reappear would suggest microtears in the tendon instead of more permanent damage.

Ran in the afternoon with Laureen and Amelia part of the way. While they headed straight west on Cedar Hills Drive, I ran along the creek and met up with them just west of the pond in Highland Glen Park. I took it fairly easy for the most part and think that my knee seems to be showing signs of improvement. It was a little stiff at the end, but not sore. I elevated it for a half hour or so and didn't notice any signs of soreness until later that night when I got up from sitting for a while. I think I'll rest it Monday and Tuesday and see if I can't get it healed up for a long run (hopefully a 20 miler) on Saturday.

Took it easy this morning to test our my knee and see if it was fully recovered. Ran on the treadmill as a storm front was passing through with wind and rain. About three miles into the run my left ankle got a little sore, but I didn't notice any pain or stiffness in my right knee at all. After walking around and driving into work it's still feeling OK, but every once in a while I seem to detect a bit of stiffness (it might just be my overactive imagination). It might be too early to say that it's completely healed, but it's at least encouraging at this point. I'll try five or so for the next two days and then see about a 20 miler on Saturday. Even now, I think I'll break the long run up. Ten miles early with ice and rest and then another ten miles in the early afternoon.

Another easy five on the treadmill. Pushed it a little harder today and still no pain in my knee. I'll have to watch it this morning to see if it stiffens up at all. So far it's encouraging, but Saturday will be the real test.

Highland Glen loop this morning. It's starting to get light now about two and a half miles into the run. Kind of cool starting out, but it felt great after a few miles. Wore a knee brace just to see if it helped and if I could stand wearing it on a longer run. It wasn't too bad and it did seem to help. I'll probably wear it tomorrow for the first ten miles, just to make sure I can get through it without any soreness.

Ran ten miles with Greg at average 8:06 pace (American Fork/Kohler's loop). Felt pretty good, but my knee was stiffening up a bit by the end. Iced it and elevated it when I got home and it seemed like it was in pretty good shape. Ran errands, mowed the lawn and did chores around the house until five. Went for a three mile run with the idea of coming back home and running an additional seven with Laureen. The first mile was hard as my hip flexors and knee were sore. It started easing up a bit in the second mile, but experiencing a lot of lower bowel distress before hitting the three mile mark. Had to stop a couple of times before I got home because of cramping. Went out with Laureen and made it about a mile and half before the bowel problems returned. As my knee was pretty sore by that point I decided to just head back home. Iced and elevated it when I got back, but it was still pretty sore Sunday morning and the pain persisted through the afternoon. Sore again Monday morning, but seemed to gradually be getting better.

No pain in my knee this morning, but decided to rest it. I think between now and the marathon I'll try to focus on shorter, more intense workouts with weights and cross-training and back off if I notice any stiffening. I'm hoping that the knee will be healed up a bit before Boston, but the last five or six miles might be ugly.

Worked on weights and strength training and then ran a mile on the treadmill just to see how the knee was feeling. My ankles were a little sore for some reason, but my knee felt fine. I'll have to try going a little farther tomorrow.

Worked out with weights and ran a couple of miles on the treadmill. I'm interested to see how things go tomorrow. I'm really trying to give my knee time to heal while trying to maintain some level of fitness.

Nice run up Provo Canyon to Vivian Park with Paul, Tom and Greg. A little breezy at the bottom with temperatures around the mid-30's. Because of continuing knee soreness, I rode my bike to the Trefoil Ranch and then back down to the bottom of the canyon. Since temperatures at the top were in the mid-20's and I'd been sweating lightly, I nearly froze to death on the way down. It's been a long time since I was that cold. Paul and Tom look like they're in great shape for Boston. It's going to be interesting to see if my knee will just numb up as we go along or whether it'll be bad enough that I have to drop out. I'm going to just try to keep my runs short between now and then and cross-train as much as possible.

Light workout and stretching this morning. I was surprised to see how tight my hamstrings were. Knee still a little sore. Didn't notice any soreness in my ankle or hip flexors, but then I didn't really push that.

Another light workout this morning. Stretching, weights, leg lifts and crunches. Last night I soaked in the tub for half an hour with the jets on my knee and thighs. When I got out I didn't feel the slightest trace of pain. Took some glucosamine and chondroitin and put on a heat pad for a while. No pain at all during the night, but noticed a little stiffness and soreness after the ride into work. I think I'll follow the same routine tomorrow and then try the elliptical trainer at the AFFC tomorrow evening.

Followed pretty much the same routine this morning as the past few days. Weights/stretching and floor exercises. Knee was a bit sore yesterday off and on. I think most of that is due to having it bent while I'm sitting at my desk. I'm trying to keep it elevated more now with occasional heat. I'm starting to feel a lot of pent up energy, like I need to get out and run. If I'm not sore today, I may try the elliptical machine this evening.

Took it easy this morning just to test the knee. Didn't feel any pain or soreness, which is encouraging. I'll have to see how it feels later on to make sure it doesn't stiffen up from sitting at a desk all day.

No pain in my knee yesterday while sitting at my desk and no pain later that evening. Went a little farther and faster this morning and still no pain in my knee. Wore brace before and after as a precaution. Stretched hamstrings and ankles prior to starting, but right ankle was still a little sore. Didn't feel great, but things seem to be moving in the right direction. Just hoping I can get loosened up by Monday.

Felt pretty good this morning. Increased the pace and distance from yesterday. Didn't notice any pain or soreness in my knee or ankle. Getting some spring back in my step. I'm hoping I haven't lost too much endurance. Weather forecast for Boston looks pretty ugly (rain, wind, cold).

A little faster than yesterday just to make sure that my knee would hold up. Didn't notice any stiffness or soreness. Boston is going to be interesting -- if they don't cancel it this year for the first time. Some of the weather forecasts are saying rain/sleet mix with headwinds 35 to 45 miles an hour (gusting to 55 to 60). Doesn't sound like PR conditions :-)

Paul has already written up a much better summary of our Boston Marathon experience than I could, but I'll just add a few personal details.

I spent the days prior to the race looking at the weather reports and trying to find a reason to believe it wasn't going to be that bad. At some point I just decided that since it wasn't anything that I could change and since I'd already decided to run it that I wouldn't worry about it any more. That seemed to help as I left the hotel around 5:30 am to head for the buses at Boston Commons. It was raining steadily and the wind was around 30 mph gusting to 40 or so. I brought clothes for a variety of conditions, thinking that I could just dispose of what I didn't need along the way. I was at Boston Commons before 6:30 and was happily surprised to find that the rain had stopped and the wind had noticeably slackened. I didn't expect it to hold but was encouraged that it was at least pleasant for a few minutes. I met Tom a short time later and we went to get in line for the buses. It had started to rain again but that time and it seemed like we waited a long time before we boarded the bus. I noticed that there were a lot of grim faces, but determined faces on the buses.

As I thought that we would get to Hopkinton well around 8 am (based on our expected departure from Boston Commons by 7:00 or 7:30), I didn't even think to look for Paul immediately. Tom and I headed for the portapotty line as we both needed some relief. It was a very soggy walk across the field, but there was a growing sense of excitement. I pulled out my phone at that point and was surprised to see that Paul had called (I guess my phone was too buried in layers of clothes to notice). I called him back and we soon figured out where we were. I was quite surprised to find out how late it was. It was great to finally see Paul and head to the edge of one of the big tents to try to get ready for the race. They'd already called for the first wave, so we hurriedly changed into drier clothes before heading for the corrals. The conditions were far from ideal, but the whole thing was still very exciting. I had skipped many of my pre-race hydration, fueling and stretching rituals, but it seemed at that point that most everyone was just in survival mode. I really didn't know what to expect heading into the race. My knee had really been bothering me in the weeks leading up to the race to the point that a five mile run would leave it sore for four or five days. I tried to rest it as much as possible in the previous two weeks, but that meant I'd hardly run in the last month. My knee wasn't hurting at all during the start, but I put on a neoprene brace just to help as much as possible. My primary, secondary and tertiary goal was to finish.

It was thrilling to start the race and to realize that the long awaited moment was here. What could be better than running the Boston Marathon with my good buddies Paul and Tom! A thousand impressions and sensations made the miles just fly by. At about six miles I started to sense that the easy part of the race was going to end before long. I tried to brush that feeling away, but it just seemed to linger. When we stopped for a portapotty break, my legs felt unusually tight and drained of energy. My knee wasn't really hurting, but I'd pretty much decided that the underlying source of my knee problem was very tight hamstrings which seemed to be getting even tighter.

We got going again, but I could feel that things were starting to head south (although we were actually moving northeast). Approaching Wellsley College it was easy to forget your troubles as you could hear the screaming in the distance. It was incredible to run through that stretch of the race and just draw strength from all their energy. As we finally passed that section of the course my body started telling me it had had enough. I had to remind it that we were only at the half way point and that we weren't going to be quitting. I tried to hang with Paul and Tom for the next few miles, but I finally had to tell them to just go ahead. Neither Paul nor Tom seemed anxious to go, but after a couple of additional stops and entreaties, Tom reluctantly went on ahead. Paul insisted that he couldn't have kept up with Tom and wanted to stay back, but you just have to know from the nails that he eats for breakfast that he would have found a way to do it.

Over the next ten miles I continued to test the limits of Paul's patience. He never wavered or failed for a moment to stay positive and cheerful (despite his own pain). There were times when I felt worse and times when I felt a little better, but I'd already made up my mind that I'd finish one way or another. As Paul mentioned we finished strong. I felt pretty wasted, especially as you have to walk such a long way to pick up your medal and clothes bag, but I was very happy at what we'd accomplished. Despite or even because of the pain, it was an awesome experience. It reconfirmed my faith in the goodness and selflessness of others. Thank you, Paul. Thank you, Tom. And thanks to all the volunteers and spectators that came out in the wind and rain to help us find our way to the finish.

Note: I categorized these miles under marathon pace, not because we were really going that fast, but because it seems wrong to put them under "Easy Miles."

Worked out on an elliptical trainer at the Westin in Philadelphia.

Worked out on an elliptical trainer at the Westin in Philadelphia.

Beautiful spring morning with just a little sprinkle now and then. Temperatures were in the low 40's, high 30's. This was my first run since the marathon, so I mostly just wanted to see how the legs would respond. My hip flexors were just a litle sore, but over all I felt great. I ran into Greg P. and Chad L. on the trail behind the high school. Gradually picked up the pace without any noticeable pain. Just as I was finishing, my calf starting feeling a little tight, but I feeling pretty optimistic that my knee problem is a thing of the past. I'm going to just get back to running six days a week and then build up daily miles and start throwing in a weekly tempo run and a long run on Saturdays. 

My hip flexors were kind of sore starting out, but felt OK after a half mile or so. It was a little cooler this morning than yesterday with the clear skies, but the birds were singing and spring was in the air. I pushed it a little harder than yesterday after the first mile and I started to feel a little stiffness in my right knee towards the end. I think I'll first try to get back to running every day before I increase the mileage much.

A bit warmer and darker this morning with the overnight cloud cover. Pushed it slightly harder this morning (average pace was 8:20 compared to yesterday's 8:30). The last 0.4 mile was at 7:30 pace. I obviously lost a lot of cardiovascular fitness while I was trying to rest my knee prior to the marathon. I also put on some weight (155.2 on Tuesday). It's going to take some work to get back in top shape.

Wore the neoprene brace on my right knee and didn't notice any pain or soreness during the run or shortly after. My knee was sore, however, after the drive to work.

Took it easy this morning as my right knee was sore most of yesterday. Wore the neoprene brace during the run and the bigger brace afterwards. So far it seems to be feeling OK. Woke up with a sinus congestion and pain, but it went away as I ran. A beautiful clear spring morning with temperatures in the low 40's. If my knee feels all right today, I may try to add a few mile tomorrow.

Beautiful morning for a run. Clear skies, no wind and temperatures in the mid-40's starting out. Ran the Highland Glen loop at an average pace of 8:28. Wore the blue knee brace and noticed a little soreness towards the end of the run, but it went away when I finished. The run was a little harder than I was expecting at this point, but it's been awhile since I've run consistently every day. If I don't develop any knee soreness this morning, I should be able to get back to 30+ miles a week.

Highland Glen Loop. Averaged 8:29. Legs felt better than they have in a long time. No pain or soreness to speak of.

Quite warm this morning as I was comfortable in just a long-sleeve shirt (and reflective vest). Nearly ran into three deer at the south entrance to the park and then almost ran into another doe right behind the house (it jumped into the creek and slipped into the trees to get away).

Took it a little easier this morning on the Highland Glen Loop. Average pace was 8:31. Actually saw a few others out this morning. Ran without the knee brace this morning. Seemed OK, but will have to see how it feels later on this morning.

Regular Highland Glen loop. Warm this morning with the cloud cover. No wind to speak of. Hip flexors a little sore starting out, but that went away after half a mile or so. Didn't feel quite as energetic as Monday, but still felt OK. I figure that after I establish a good base in another week or so that I can start adding some variation. Right now I just need to get used to running six days a week again.

A fairly nice morning for a run (especially compared to yesterday's wind and rain).  Temperature was in the low 40's with overcast skies and gusty winds out of the north and northeast. My legs felt pretty good this morning and were grateful for the day off (my knee was a bit sore after Wednesday's run). Ran standard Highland Glen loop. I may try for a 10 miler tomorrow.

Very windy with a threat of rain. Temperature in the low 40's. Regular Highland Gen loop. Pushed it a little harder than usual just to get out of the wind. Average pace 8:23.

A perfect morning for a run. Clear skies, no wind. Temperature in the upper 30's. Regular Highland Glen loop. No aches or pains to speak of (hip flexors and knee are close to being completely healed up). Pushed it a little harder this morning just because it was such a gorgeous day.

Cooler than I expected this morning under clear skies. Temperature in the low 40's. Glad I wore a pullover. Routine run around Highland Glen pond. Good visibility at 5:45 even though brighter stars are still visible. Felt really good this morning, like I had a tail wind (enough though the air was still).

Good run on another cool, clear morning. Highland Glen loop. Just a little bit of lingering soreness in my hip flexors and right calf for the first couple of miles, but over all felt really good. Ran without my knee brace today and so far I haven't noticed any problems.

Highland Glen loop. Beautiful, clear, Spring morning. My legs were feeling a little tired and stiff this morning. Ran roughly the same pace as yesterday. Pushed it a little harder after Cedar Hills Drive.

Beautiful run up Provo canyon with Paul, Larry, Wayne, Nathan, Ryan and his wife. Started out at a pretty relaxed pace and then picked it up a bit as we approached Vivian Park. Enjoyable run back down to the bottom. Average pace was 8:13 and average heart rate was 148.  Spent 24:19 in heart rate zone 4 (155 to 169) which worked out to be exactly three miles. This was my longest run since Boston. My left ankle was a little sore going up the canyon, but didn't have any knee problems during or after the run.

I was still half asleep when I started out this morning and it took a half mile or so before some soreness in my left knee and hip flexors went away, but I felt great after that. A slight breeze out of the north was cool enough that I pushed a little harder to warm up. Ran regular Highland Glen loop a little faster than usual. I'm going to try to build my mileage by five miles or so this week, work in a good tempo run and a longer run on Saturday. It doesn't look like the weather will be a factor, but there seems to be a lot of activities going on this week.

Highland Glen loop. Took it easy this morning as I'm planning to do a tempo run tomorrow morning. Pleasantly cool this morning with clear skies. There is now good visibility when I head out around 5:40 or so.

Tempo run on Highland Glen loop. Two miles of warm-up then pushed the heart rate up into threshold zone 4 (of 5). Average heart rate 166. Average pace 7:45 (6:30 to 7:00 on flat to downhill sections). For the most part felt very strong. No aches or pains to speak of.

Highland Glen loop. Fairly even pace for first four miles and then picked it up a bit towards the end. This run is starting to feel fairly easy, so starting next week I'll start throwing some seven milers into the weekday mix and still do 11 to 13 on the weekends. The mileage goal for this week is 37 to 38 (up from 32 last week). Next week I'd like to do 42 or 43. No aches or pains to speak of.

Highland Glen loop. I was a little surprised that there were so few people out this morning. I hardly passed a soul (and only saw a single bunny by the pond). Warmest morning so far (upper 50's, lower 60's).

Great run up with Provo Canyon with Paul (who had to get back for his neighborhood race), Nathan and Cory. Beautiful, warm morning with temperatures around 60 at the start. With turning back to meet up with Cory, Nathan and I had 7 miles by the turnaround at Vivian Park. Average pace up was 8:30. Fairly relaxed pace on the way back down until we were about 2.7 miles from the end and Nathan put the hammer down. Cory and I tried to keep up, but he soon had a good lead on us. The pace on mile 11 was 7:16,  mile 12 was 7:14 and the last 0.72 mile Cory and I average 6:56. Average pace for the whole run was 8:12 and average heart rate was 148.

When I got back home I went for a run with my youngest daughter Amelia (10). She was inspired by all the hoopla at Boston and wants to run the neighborhood mile race in July (in preparation for her long term goal of running Boston when she turns 18). As she's just getting started we alternated running and walking.

Felt just a little stiff going down the stairs this morning before heading out. Stood out on the front porch to see what the weather was like before getting changed. It was overcast and fairly warm with little or no wind. By the time I got dressed and started running, the wind picked up out of the north. I only really noticed heading towards the high school on 40th. The soreness and stiffness I was feeling earlier was gone after the first mile. Making sure I'm ready for the relay is the main focus of my thoughts and training right now (more tempo mileage and more weekly mileage). A lot more people out this morning. Saw Kim Roberts just before crossing Cedar Hills Drive.

Cool this morning with clear skies following yesterday's rain. Temperature in the low 40's. Regular Highland Glen loop. Slight lingering muscle fatigue (a good sign). Planning a tempo run for tomorrow.

Temp run on Highland Glen loop. Skies were clear overhead with some clouds (mostly high) in the south. Temperature in the high 30's. Steady wind out of the northwest starting out. Didn't really notice it after the first mile. Didn't really have any aches or pains to speak of, although my legs were a bit tired. Average pace was 8:15, 7:48 (HR 166 bpm) during the three mile tempo section.

Ran the Kohler's loop this morning with a run up the hill on Highland Drive before starting on the creek trail. Fairly cool this morning with temps in the high 30's. Ran fairly relaxed, but picked up the pace when I was feeling good. Average pace was 8:29. May try to get another seven in before Saturday's long run.

Took it easy this morning as the top of my left knee was a little sore and I didn't sleep very well last night (probably due mostly to seasonal allergies). Temperatures were pleasantly cool under clear skies. Wore the knee brace and will have to see how it feels today before deciding what to do about tomorrow's long run.

By coincidence, Greg and I met at the corner of Deep Creek and Sunset Drive at 6:41 just as if we'd had it planned (actually when we plan to run together we never get our schedules that matched up). We talked about the relay and other things for a few minutes and then jogged down to the funeral home to warm up. He headed north (as he had to get back in an hour or so) and I headed south towards the temple for a ten miler. My splits

Average pace was 8:02 for 10.23 miles. I've been thinking about what kind of pace to put into the spreadsheet for the WBR and I'm still a bit undecided (it probably doesn't help that I've haven't run any races this year as I've been trying to recover from injuries). In some ways I'm disappointed that it's taking a while to get any speed back, but then I look back at last year and see that an 8:02 pace on that loop was what I was doing in late summer when I was in top shape. I think I'll probably go with a 7:45 as that might be the best predictor.

Ran 2.8 miles with Laureen and Amelia after I got back. Amelia showed a lot of improvement from last week so we ended up going a little farther.

Regular Highland Glen loop this morning, only I went out about two hours later. I was a little tired from getting bed late and not sleeping very well, but over all things went well. Running in the sun made me realize how little training I've done in the heat. I need to get in a few hot runs between now and the relay.

Kohler's loop this morning at 5:30. Temperatures in the mid 40's. Like many mornings, I was on autopilot for the first mile or so. I often wake up from a deep sleep and find myself running ten minutes later. I'm very used to the routine at this point, but the abruptness of the change from unconsciousness to vigorous activity still seems a bit weird at times.

Wednesday temp run on Highland Glen loop. I realized that as I was walking down to the corner that I hadn't scheduled the workout on my Garmin. I was, however, able to find an earlier tempo workout and selected "Do Workout". As I was still half asleep it looked to me like the workout started as the lower set of numbers was changing, so I started off on the two miles of warmup. It was a little cool this morning and I was glad I was wearing long sleeves and pants. When I just about to the two mile mark I glanced down at my watch and it showed two miles on the distance. Thinking that I was supposed to start the tempo section, I immediately pushed the pace up to my threshold range. As I was rounding the pond, it dawned on me that my watch never should have showed two miles on the distance. On workouts like that it counts down from two miles so it should have shown three or close to zero. I should have pushed the start button at the beginning of the workout. Knowing what threshold pace feels like, I just kept running. I may have pushed it a little harder than normal for a tempo run because I didn't know where my heartrate was for sure. Heading up the hill out of the park, I could feel my legs getting heavy and I was breathing fairly hard. I eased up a bit as the hill levels out to a one percent uphill grade, but kept a fairly steady effort. I felt like it was about 10K race pace, but unfortunately I didn't know how fast I was going. Ran hard along the trail and then jogged the last quarter mile to cool down. A good workout over all.

Kohler's loop this morning. Clear skies, still pleasantly cool at 5:30 am. No aches or pains to speak of. I'm seeing a slow, steady progress in over all endurance and fitness. I'm planning to increase the number of seven miles days each week, while keeping Saturday long runs at 13 plus. I'm also slowly increasing the number of threshold miles each week. By the end of July I'd like to be at 55 to 60 miles a week, with at least ten of those at threshold pace.

Nice easy run this morning on a clear, cool Spring morning. Legs felt good. Saw Kim R. as I was running up the hill on Redwood Drive. I turned around at the top and caught him along the creek trail. We chatted for a bit and then I asked him if he was planning on doing any races. He said he'd done one in the past, but was reluctant to do any more because he was so slow. He'd heard about the Provo River Half from a colleague, so I encouraged him to sign up and assured him that he'd be far from the last to finish. He sounded like he was seriously considering it. I have to remember to follow up with him on Sunday to see if he was able to find the web site.

Ran Temple/Canyon Road loop. It's been a while since I ran the long hill up 40th and Canyon Road, but it felt OK. On the steeper sections my legs felt heavy, but it wasn't killing me. I do think that I need to run that course a little more often. I'd hoped to take my youngest daughter out for a run when I got back, but she was still asleep (extra tired after a sleepover the previous night). When she finally got up it was time to get ready for a Primary activity so I just went over to the church a little early to help set up. I should have run an extra three while I had the chance :)

Highland Glen loop this morning. Fairly warm this morning with no wind. Clear with some high clouds. After a one mile warmup, my legs felt quite fresh. Pushed the pace at times just for fun. Ran up the hill at the end of Redwood Drive and then down the trail. The tempo runs and increased mileage seem to be paying off as my resting heart rate has dropped to around 40 and my legs feel strong. I'll try to add a few more tempo miles this week.

Kohlers/Highland loop. Very warm with temperatures in the mid-60's at 5:30 a.m. A bit of a canyon breeze. Everthing's feeling good at this point in my training. As I was getting close to home, I saw a guy leisurely riding his bike up ahead of me. Since I take some perverse pleasure in passing people on bikes, I pushed the pace until I caught up with him. I could tell he was a little embarrassed as he briefly started going faster, but I just started pushing it faster as well. Sometimes in the morning it's too easy to just run the whole way at a comfortable pace, just lost in my thoughts, unless I spot somebody up ahead. I guess it's a good thing as it makes me work harder than I might otherwise.

Minutes before my alarm went off this morning, a storm front hit with high winds and pounding rain. I had planned a seven mile run this morning (four at threshold pace), but I just laid in bed and laughed when my wife reminded me it was time to head out. After fifteen minutes I got dressed and hopped on the dreadmill. It's been a while since I've run inside so every mile seemed to go by very slowly. I gradually increased the pace until I was running 7:30 by the end (which didn't cause much cardiovascular distress). The time seemed to go by faster as I was watching an interesting show on the History Channel about the D-Day invasion.

Kohler's loop on a cold, clear Spring morning. The clouds and rain of the last couple of days moved out and left everything smelling fresh and invigorating. I was surprised to find that I was a little bit stiff starting out and that my left ankle was a little sore during the middle part of the run. Whenever I get that soreness on the top of my ankle, it's usually followed later by knee soreness, calf cramping or other ailments -- usually in the other leg! The soreness might be a result of having run on the treadmill on Wednesday. I'll have to try further experiments to find out. Average pace was 8:17.

Ran again this evening when I got home. Highland Glen loop at easy pace, but steady pace. Hip flexor was sore for the first half mile or so and my legs felt a bit heavy, but felt OK the farther I went (except for a touch of bowel distress the last half mile or so).

There was some confusion this morning about what time we were supposed to pick up our daughter from trek. We asked our neighbor on Friday if he knew what time we were supposed to be there and he sent his daughter in to ask his wife. She came back out and said 7:30 a.m. That sounded kind of strange, but his wife had been one of the drivers that took the kids up to Cascade Springs. I figured that I would try to get in a run sometime in the late afternoon or evening as we'd have to leave around 6:30.

As I was eating breakfast around 6:15, my neighbor called and said that his daughter had gotten things mixed up and that we weren't supposed to be there until 10:30. Since Laureen was already up, we decided that we'd go for a run together. It was a beautiful, slightly cool morning along the creek trail. He then worked our way down to 48th and ran north to the light. Laureen's been struggling with a pulled muscle, but she was running well today. We ran west to Kohlers, south past the Highland Park and then worked our way back east. When we got home I thought about taking Amelia for a run, but she wasn't up yet. I didn't get that many miles in for the day, but it was nice to run and talk with Laureen. I've missed that the last couple of months.

Highland Glen loop this morning with a run to the top of Redwood Drive. I would have liked to have run a seven, but I was tired and wanted to sleep as long as I could. Yesterday I was on the go from 5:00 a.m. until well after nine (four stake meetings, plus our regular block schedule) -- then we never seem to get the lights out before 11:00 p.m. Once I got out the door this morning, I felt great. My legs felt light and springy and the miles seemed just flew by. I didn't wear my watch, but I know that I was easily under marathon pace the last mile or so. Now if I can just get a nap in and get to bed earlier tonight :)

Kohler's loop at 5:30 a.m. Felt a lot more rested this morning and was actually semi-conscious during the first mile. My legs didn't feel as fresh as yesterday, but they still felt pretty good. Ran a pretty steady pace through the first four and then picked it up a bit, just because I was feeling good. Ran 8:02 on the slight uphill from Kohlers and 7:17 on the slight downhill towards the high school. Averaged 8:02 over all, without feeling like I was pushing it. Tomorrow, I'll do a tempo run on the same route, probably going a little slower the first couple to warm up and then pushing it harder during the middle four.

Tempo run on Kohler's loop. Two and a half mile warm-up. Four miles threshold pace and a half mile cool-down. I didn't feel like I was in great distress at any time, but I was glad when the tempo stretch was over. I'd like to be able to stretch that part out to six miles or so by the end of next month. The inside of my right ankle was sore when I got out of bed and I briefly considered skipping today's run to rest it, but like most aches and pains it went away after a few minutes. It briefly came back a couple of more times along with a sore big toe, but right now none of those things look like anything to worry about. I know It's normal for me to be kind of a hypochondriac just before the relay, out of fear that I'm going to get injured and let the team down. I certainly worried about that last night as I was cutting one of our bigger (diseased) trees down with a chain saw. I kept imagining that I was going to slip and cut my foot off.

Distance	Avg Pace	Avg HR
2.50	8:40	133
4.00	7:22	164
0.53	8:24	160

My heart rate zone 4 (threshold) is from 155 to 169. Maximum HR is 183. I was happy with the 7:22 as it included a couple of good uphills and then a long gradual climb, before flattening out, dipping and finishing with a mostly gradual downhill.

Kohler's loop. Left the watch home and just ran for the fun of it. Enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells of the early morning. Legs felt pretty good. Still have some bounce in them after yesterday's harder workout.

Here is a map of the Kohler's loop:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1046961

Highland Glen loop. I thought about going longer today, but I thought the extra sleep would probably do me as much good at this point. My legs have been really great, but I occasionally have fleeting aches and pains that make me think I might be on the verge of an injury. No reason to risk that right now. I'll start increasing mileage again after the WBR.

Great run this morning with many friends (old and new). I hadn't seen Verdon for a long time so I ran and chatted with him for the first mile and a half or so. He was having a hard time talking and breathing so he kept encouraging me to catch up with the others (who by that time were no longer in sight). I caught up with Larry and Wayne after a few minutes and chatted with them briefly, before trying to catch the others. After a couple of minutes I caught sight of them on some of the longer stretches and started to slowly close the distance, but the closer they got to Vivian, the more the seemed to pick up the pace. Even though I never caught them until they stopped to head back down, I still got a great workout in nonetheless. I ran back down with Paul (as he relates in his blog entry) and Martin, who joined us about a third of the way down. It was fun seeing everybody and getting in a good workout besides.

Broke in a new pair of shoes this morning. Picked up a couple of Asics Cumulus VIII's for Father's Day, which means I can take retire a pair that's been in the rotation since just before the SGM. The shoes performed just as expected -- which probably isn't too surprising since I've been buying the Cumulus (through the yearly iterations) for the last five years or so.

I saw Bruce M. for a minute this morning (he's the one I tried to recruit for our relay team at one point). He was running hard just as I was starting out, so we only chatted for a minute. He's on a sub-master's male team (Team Sonic) that's starting at 10 am, which is kind of odd since their projected pace is 7:50. It'll be fun to be competing against them and even more fun competing against the sub-master's team that's starting at the same time that we are.

(C3 5.24)

Decided to take a rest day today as my legs weren't exactly feeling fresh yesterday and I've been tired enough that I start to doze off anytime I just sit down for a few quiet minutes. I read somewhere that the more miles you run, the more sleep you should get. With the longer days and the kids being out of school, we don't even start thinking about going to bed until it's quite late. I'd like to get in a good run tomorrow and then get as much sleep as possible Wednesday and Thursday night in preparation for the relay.

Highland Glen loop. As light as it ever get at 5:45 in the morning. An amazing number of people out running, jogging, walking and biking this morning. Legs felt pretty well rested and springy. No aches or pains to speak of. I have to admit to being a bit nervous about the heat that's predicted for this weekend, as almost all of my training is in the early morning. Some cold water every mile or two should help :) 

Broke in another new pair of Asics Cumulus VIII's this morning. (C4 5.24)

Rest day prior to the relay. My legs feel great. I was hoping to get some extra sleep in last night, but it was even later than usual when we finally turned the lights out. Oh well, maybe a little nap at lunch will help :)

Leg 3 of the WBR from Hyrum to Paradise. Took the handoff from Nathan who came flying into the exchange, and started heading south up a small hill. I felt like I was holding back a bit so that I could get somewhat acclimated to the heat (it was upper 90's at that time). As I made it up the hill and headed east, my mouth felt unusually dry and I could feel myself heating up. Finished the first mile in 7:40 and was happy to see my vanmates waiting with water. I stopped and gulped some down and then poured a cup on my head before taking off again. I was surprised that my mouth was dry again after about a quarter of a mile, as was my shirt and hat. It was HOT! Finished the second mile in 8:00, feeling somewhat nauseated. Heading out of Hyrum there is a long, straight open stretch with open fields on both sides. It seemed to go on forever. Fortunately, my teammates were waiting with water every mile or so which would give me an immediate burst of energy, but I'd dry out and heat up again in about a quarter of a mile. I got slower and slower as the leg progressed, averaging about 8:11 over all. I knew that one would be rough and I was very glad to get it out of the way. It took a while for me to cool down afterwards walking around under the big shade trees at the exchange.

Leg 15 is 4.9 miles and passes through a quiet residential area in the Morgan Valley. Tyler was my bike pacer and kept me entertained with stories from his mission in Bolivia. It was a beautiful night for a run and the temperature was almost perfect. The course was rolling and we passed a few other runners along the way, but I was listening so intently to Tyler that I hardly noticed the distance. I was surprised when he hit the one mile marker and although I was running at what I felt was a good pace, I began to pick it up as we got closer to the finish. I was confused by a car with its park lights on and thought for a minute that it was the exchange. When I realized it was a car instead, I almost didn't know where to go from there until I heard my teammates shouting. My average pace was around 7:30. 

Leg 27 starts in Kamas about 200 N Main and heads south into Francis and then follows Highway 32 west along the Provo River. I took the handoff from Nathan who came in fast and looking very strong. I started out fairly conservatively for the first half mile and then began to pick up the pace. There was as steady headwind from the south that blew alternatively hot and cold. Other runners were strung out in front of me as far in the distance as I could see. Since I hadn't seen any other runners my first leg and only passed three or four the second leg, it was motivating to see others ahead of me that I try to catch. By the time I got to the turn I'd passed six. The van was waiting for me with water, but it was still cool enough that I really wasn't thirsty. As I slowed to grab a sip, a girl passed me on the inside corner, the first time I'd been passed. She seemed to be running strong so I started after down the hill. I kept her pretty close and even started to gain on her down the steeper part of the hill, but she started to pull away when we got to the bottom. I was feeling pretty strong over all, but I didn't feel like I could push it any harder than I was. I passed three more on the way to the exchange and was close to passing the 10th, but she started to pick up the pace and I didn't have enough gas in the tank to catch her (it wasn't the girl that passed me earlier). It felt great to be finished and I knew that I'd given it my best effort. Average pace was 7:31.

1st mile: 7:44, 2nd mile: 8:02, 3rd mile: 7:10, 4th mile: 7:18, 5th mile: 7:27, last .12 6:51 pace.

My legs felt good this morning, but I decided that I needed to make sure that I was all caught up on sleep. Church meetings started at 6:00 a.m. yesterday morning and even though I was able to get in a nap before our block started, there were times during the day that I felt quite drowsy. Sleeping in this morning, put me a little bit late for work and some heavier than normal traffic. Just a few minutes after clearing the congestion by turning onto I-215, a black SUV cut in front of me driving around 100 mph. There was a UHP officer giving a ticket to someone on the side of the road and when he saw that guy go by, he just ran to his car and jumped in. About two seconds later, another UHP car goes screaming by on my left, followed a few seconds later by another and then all heck (family-safe term substituted) broke loose as more than a dozen police cars flew by in a couple of seconds. For at least another minute or two, the police cars kept coming. When I turned on the radio to KSL they said the guy they were after had apparently killed a guard up at the University Medical Center and had carjacked the SUV. By the time I was ready to turn off the freeway on 35th south, they said that they had caught up with him at an Arby's on 17th South and Redwood (that was a lot of ground to cover in just such a short amount of time). This is the KSL link to the story:

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=1393844

I still need to add an entry for the WBR, but I wanted to look over my Garmin log before doing so.

Highland Glen loop. Pleasant temperatures, no wind to speak of. My calves felt a little tight from the relay, but seemed to be getting their spring back. I should be able to go back to seven miles starting tomorrow. Pushed it a little harder on the home stretch without any problems.

Kohler's loop. Pleasant temperatures. Cool canyon wind especially on the Highland Highway segment. Still feeling a little tightness in my calves, but no aches or pains to speak of. For some reason, I hardly saw anyone out this morning.

Kohler's Loop. I was definitely on auto-pilot this morning. Just woke up at 5:18 without the alarm, got dressed, headed out the door and was at least a mile into my run before I was fully conscious. I was running a pretty good warm-up pace, but as always, I picked it up when I saw a runner ahead of me. He was kind of plodding along so it didn't take too long to catch him, but I guess I was hoping that he was going my way and we could chat for a minute. On mornings when I'm more rested, I think about lessons I need to prepare or programming challenges at work or just enjoy the birds and other sounds of the morning, but there are times when I'm tired that apart from my eyes being open, I'm effectively asleep (even though I'm running an eight minute pace or so). I can understand how Dean Karnazes would fall asleep running during one of his 300 mile adventures. The brain can disassociate itself from the body and rest even when the heart, lungs and legs are still working pretty hard.

Easy run with Laureen through the golf course, up Canyon Road, along the foothills and down along the canal. Great morning for a run. Although there was a time or two when I felt tired, towards the end I felt like I could keep going forever. Laureen was running well and seems to be on track with her training for St. George. This next week I'm planning to bump up my mileage to around 50.

Kohler's loop. Mild temperatures with the usual canyon headwind heading east on the Highland Highway. A little tightness in my right calf starting out, but no real aches or pains to speak of. I'm going to try to do seven miles a day through Friday, then a 15 miler on Saturday. I have a lot going on this week, however, so that may change.

Kohler's loop at 5:30 am. Temperatures a little warmer this morning with the usual canyon breeze. It's gradually getting a little darker each morning, so I may have to start wearing my reflective vest again. I'm hoping to get in a tempo run tomorrow before heading out for the Freedom Festival parade.

Kohler's loop this morning at 7:07 a.m. Warm-up: two miles, tempo: four miles and cool-down: 0.57. Average pace: 8:01. Average pace during tempo section: 7:33. For some reason my heart rate monitor wasn't working and I didn't push it as hard as a result (it beeps when my heart rate falls below the lower threshold limit). My last tempo run average pace was 7:55 and the temp section was 7:22. It really didn't feel that hard today. I guess I now know why.

Kohler's loop at 5:30 a.m. Light breeze out of the south that helped it feel a little cooler. As this run is starting to feel very easy, it's probably about time to bump it up a bit. I'll have to try some different possibilities next week to come up with another mile. I'll also have to start getting up just a little earlier (and to bed a little earlier).

Kohler's loop. Warm this morning with fairly strong canyon wind on some sections. My legs felt good this morning (even springy), but I had a hard time getting up and going. For at least the first three miles I just kept thinking how tired I was and how little I was looking forward to a long run tomorrow. That feeling never entirely left me, but I started to think that that's what training is all about -- refocusing your mind on your goals and pushing through pain and discomfort. I'll do at least ten tomorrow, but I have a wedding to go to in the morning and I'd like to sleep in a little past 5:15 :)

Ran early with Laureen, south around the corn maze, through the golf course, south along the mountain and back along the canal road. We were a little pressed for time (as my nephew was getting married in Bountiful), so we cut things a little short. Over all, it was a nice morning despite the smoke and a chance to just spend time with my wife. She has had some lingering aches and pains, but she seems to be running stronger all the time. It's great to have something that we both enjoy doing that gives us some exercise as well. It really helps to have a couple of hours to just talk without any interruptions. Some couples have a little time just before drifting off to sleep, but if I'm just laying in bed with the lights out, I could only maintain consciousness for about 60 to 90 seconds. I can't count the number of times that I've been talking to Laureen and have fallen asleep in the brief pause between something I've said and her reply (which usually startles me to the point that I jump halfway out of bed). Come October I'm going to take a whole week just to catch up on sleep :)

I woke up just after five and realized that I wasn't going to get back to sleep before my alarm went off at 5:15, so I quickly got dressed and headed out for a run. It was dark enough that I couldn't really see how smoky it was, but there was a slight smell. After a couple of miles I noticed that my throat was a little sore, but that might have been due to the fact that I was a little dehydrated. I was going to explore some extensions to my daily route, but I forgot to put on the Garmin before I left. It was just as well, as I had to get back a little early so that I could drop my daughter off at the church for the start of girl's camp.

Kohler's loop. Warm and smoky, with not even a hint of breeze. Left the house around 5:25 which is now kind of dark. I seriously thought about sleeping in this morning as I figured the extra rest might do me more good than the exercise, but my body is so used to that time schedule that I knew that I'd at least have to get up and go to the bathroom and that I was unlikely to get back to sleep anytime soon. I guess that's why it's best not to develop bad habits, as they can be so tough to break. I'll try to get a tempo run in tomorrow.

Tempo run this morning on Kohler's loop. I got to bed a little earlier last night and it seemed to make a difference. It's kind of amazing that I almost always wake up at 5:14, about one minute before my alarm is set to go off. I just wonder what part of my unconscious brain has the task of monitoring my internal clock and waking me up at exactly the right time. I know that chemical processes in my body happen at precise intervals, but what is that tracks a particular process and correlates that to external, mechanical clocks. I'm also amazed that I can generally think of a time before going to bed and that most of the time I'll wake up just at the time I was thinking about.

I usually think about things like that on my morning runs. I guess that running the same course most days (and not paying too much attention to the scenery) gives me more of a chance to think. Sometimes I'm hardly aware of the fact that I'm even running.

Warmed up this morning for 2.5 miles and then pushed the pace up past my lactate threshold and held it there for another 4.0 (average pace 7:23). Cooled down for little more than half a mile. Overall average was 8:02.

Kohler's loop including a run around the pond. I'm looking at ways to increase my daily run from seven miles to eight. I think if I start out heading south towards the elementary school and then down to the canal and out to 48th that I'd have it. I didn't run yesterday because even though I went to bed about a half an hour earlier, I woke up with abdominal cramps and generally feeling sickly. The cramps bothered me off and on throughout the day, but were gone this morning. I'm not quite sure what brought that on, perhaps some little bug (that might also have been the reason I was feeling so tired earlier in the week). Today's run went well, but it was a little bit more of an effort than I expected.

I'm going to try to get 10 to 12 in tomorrow morning before I run with the family in the Cedar Hills race. My youngest daughter Amelia is quite excited about it as it's her first race. She hasn't trained very much, so I'm a little bit afraid that she'll be discouraged to find that she's at the back of the pack. I'm hoping that it will be more of motivator to work harder for the next one. 

Extend Kohler's loop and one mile fun run with my wife and daughters afterwards. I previously wrote up a long description of the day, but apparently it timed out on me and I lost it all. Oh, well. 

Ran the extended Kohler's loop this morning (which consists of an extra section south to Deerfield Elementary and then along the canal and a loop around the pond in the middle of Highland Glen Park). Average pace was 8:17. No aches or pains to speak of. There were times when I felt a little extra energy and other times when I seemed to be dragging a bit. I stopped for a few seconds as I was nearing the Kohler's turn when I noticed three quarters in the road. When I run with my wife she always stops to pick up money, as it not only gives her a chance to rest, but  also because the coins add up over time. The last time I helped her count it out, she had well over a hundred dollars just from money she's collected on her runs.  

Explored a slightly different route this morning as I wanted to avoid running along the rutted and sometimes rocky canal road in the dark. After running south to Deerfield Elementary, I followed Harvey Blvd. west to 48th. Then followed the Kohler's Loop course except I didn't run around the pond. On the way back down 48th I kept going to the nursery and ran back east along Harvey and followed the trail back home. Almost exactly eight miles as it turned out. Laureen was just heading our for a five miler as I was walking up to the house. It was warm and humid morning with heavy cloudcover, so I was pretty hot and thirsty. Today the uphill sections just seemed to be a lot easier for some reason.

Extended Kohler's loop at 5:20 am. Warm with clear skies. I thought I'd skip the tempo run this morning as I'm still getting used to running eight miles every morning. I was tired starting out, but I just noticed how pretty it is in the morning just as it's getting light and how nice everything smells and I felt a bit more energized. I pushed the pace at times just for the fun of it, but for most of the run I was just lost in thought. During the last mile I could tell that I was a bit tired as my running form started getting sloppy. Picking up the pace seemed to help. My weight this morning was 153.2 which is where I've been stuck for a while. Prior to the SGM last year I got down to 146. I'm guessing that the pounds will start to come off again as I start to consistently hit 50+ miles per week.

Extended Kohler's loop on a warm, partly cloudy morning. I got to bed a little earlier last night so I was feeling more rested when I got up, but I felt the effects of having bumped up my mileage to eight a day as I was getting started. My legs were sore or anything, I just didn't have much spring in my step. After about four miles I started feeling more energized and felt strong finishing up. It might have been due to a little extra energy gained from swallowing some gnats in my run through the park.

In the past that might have grossed me out a little, but I've watched a few episodes of Man versus the Wild (or whatever it's called), where they drop this ex-special forces commando off in the middle of some wilderness area armed only with a knife. Over the course of several days, he finds food, water and shelter and makes his way out to civilization. He'll eat just about anything that will give him some energy and not make him sick, like live snakes and scorpions (after biting off the head and stinger), grubs, termites, ants and even squeezing drinking water out of elephant dung (I missed his explanation of how that could be safe). After watching some of the things he's done to survive, swallowing a few gnats doesn't seem too bad.  

As Laureen wanted to do her long run this morning and finish before it got too hot, she got up with me and ran with me for the first mile and a half or so. We stashed some water at a couple of points along the way. It was sure nice having her company starting out. It made it so much easier to get up and get going. She turned before reaching the high school and I kept heading north with the idea that I'd catch up with her somewhere along the way. Knowing that she was ahead of me and that I'd started out a lot slower than usual, I started pushing the pace right away. Giving her more than a mile of headstart meant that it was going to take a little while to catch her. It wasn't until I'd rounded the corner at Kohler's and was just about to the light on 48th that I caught her. We ran together again for a little while and then needing to get back, I pushed the pace the rest of the way home.

I was surprised after I left her to see so many other runners out. And even more surprised to see that they were all women. For a minute I thought there must be some kind of early morning race going on, but they didn't have any numbers on and were going in different directions and besides, who ever heard of race on a non-holiday Friday morning? It must have just been a weird coincidence as I hardly saw anyone else the rest of the way. Anyway, it was a nice morning and a slight break from the routine. I'm really hoping to get in 13 or so tomorrow, but we've got a couple of things going in the morning so I'll have to see how it works out.

Got up and ran the extended Kohler's loop around 5:20 am. Pushed the pace the last few miles and felt a bit ragged by the end. After taking my oldest daughter to help out at a fund raiser yard sale in Pleasant Grove (she needed to be there by 7:00), I came back and ran another three as I needed to get back to drop my youngest daughter off before the start of the Cedar Hills parade. I'd hoped to do more this morning, but I felt pretty tired by the time we got back home, so I just stretched out on the couch and took a nap (also knowing that we were going to be spending most of the hot afternoon painting the garage :)

Extended Kohler's loop this morning. Temperatures were in the high 60's or low 70's with smoke in the air and partly cloudy skies. Left the house around 5:25 am. I was just a little stiff getting out of the bed this morning, but my legs felt pretty good throughout the run. I pushed it harder the last couple of miles and felt a bit ragged the last half mile or so. Before hopping in the shower I was happy to find that my weight has dropped to 150.8. Even though I still have a little ways to go before the marathon, I'm finally moving in the right direction (those 50+ weeks seem to help).

Just ran the short high school loop this morning as I needed a break from the eight milers. My legs have actually felt fine, but I just needed to sleep in a bit this morning and do something different. I felt like this morning was like a drink of cold water in the middle of a long run, like standing in the shade for a few minutes. I was going to just run easy the whole way, but I ran into another runner just west of the football field and by reflex I started picking up the pace. I kept imagining that he was doing the same and was right behind me, but when I turned onto 48th I could see that he was about a quarter of a mile back. It just felt like a good pace so I kept it up the rest of the way home. I wasn't wearing my watch so I don't know what my pace was.

Extended Kohler's loop, temperatures in the upper 60's, low 70's with heavy cloud cover. An easier day yesterday and the extra rest helped me to feel a lot more energetic this morning. I left the house without any time goals in mind, but after a few miles of warming up and being lost in thought, I started picking up the pace heading up to the Kohler's intersection and pushed it harder after making the turn on 48th and heading down the home stretch towards Harvey Blvd. Luckily there was a cooling breeze blowing from the south. Turned the corner and tried to maintain pace the rest of the way home. Usually I average 8:30 to 8:20/mile for the whole loop. This morning I was 8:03. Increasing the miles and losing a couple of pounds (I'm down to 150.8) have both helped. I may take an easier day tomorrow and push it again on Friday, with a long run on Saturday and back to 50+ next week.

Rest day. Lone Peak, creek trail loop. Clear skies, cooler temperatures after yesterday's rain.

Extended Kohler's loop under clear skies. Temperatures in the mid to upper 60's. The streets were still a little wet in places from last night's thunderstorm. It was a little humid, but everything smelled so good. It's nice to see the stars out as start out. Started out a bit slow as I noticed a little unexpected stiffness. I think it might be from bicycling with my daughters nearly every night. As they're getting in a little better shape, we end up going a little farther and on more challenging trails. Last night we rode to the mouth of American Fork Canyon and back to Deerfield Elementary and then back home. Racing along the creek was a lot of fun.

Anyway, after warming up for a couple of miles, I started picking up the pace, not only because I felt good, but also because I realized that the Provo River Half is only about two weeks away. My average pace dropped a little (to 8:00 even) and I spend a little more time at faster than marathon pace. On the final climb along the path, I felt pretty tired and had to start counting (one-two-three-exhale!) to keep myself going. As I was walking to cool down, my neighbor Doug and a friend (brother?) were just heading out for a run.

Had a nice early morning run with Laureen (at least it started in the early morning). We ran down to the canal and then through Highland Glen Park and looped around by Kohler's and back to the golf course. Then we followed our typical route to the mouth of American Fork Canyon, up Canyon Road and then along the foothill trails until we got back to the canal road. I went a little farther than Laureen as I took a detour by the high school to drop off some water for our return trip. I pushed it harder on that section so that I could catch back up with her.

Some couples like to get cleaned up and go out to a movie or dinner on Friday nights. We get up in the dark on Saturday mornings to jog along a dusty trail for miles, swat gnats and get good and sweaty. I guess there are different ways of keeping true romance alive...either that or I'm just a cheap date.

I felt a few aches and pains on Sunday morning as I was getting ready for my early morning meetings, but they were all gone this morning. I woke up about 3:30 thinking it was about time to get up and had a bit of a hard time getting back to sleep. Other than feeling a little extra tired starting out, it was a beautiful early morning  with the full moon and stars (the temperature was in the high 60's or low 70's). For the most part I ran  at a nice even pace for the most part, but picked it up as I got closer to home, particularly when I spotted another runner up ahead (who turned on to Cedar Hills Drive before I could catch him). Lloyd came around the corner about then and I ran into PN walking along the path and my neighbor Doug just as I was finishing.

Woke up just a little earlier than usual this morning. It was nice to just sit on the front steps and look at the stars before heading out. I felt very discouraged this morning as I found out last night that registration was closed for the Hobble Creek Half. I'd held on registering until it was close to my birthday (as an early present) just because I'd been spending so much on running and we had some other large expenses to consider. It has been one of my favorite races and I was really looking forward to it as I was moving into a new age group (and even had a chance to place for a change). I'll just have to find another challenge. Anyway, today's run went well. Eight miles a day is getting easier. 

Fairly good run this morning, even with a little less sleep that usual. Temperatures were in the low 70's or high 60's with some high clouds partially obscuring a nearly full moon. No hint of a breeze. My legs felt good, but I was a little concerned about some pain in my left ankle that  would come and go. There were times when I thought that I should cut the run short, but then the soreness would disappear. I finished feel strong and walked up to the house with my faithful home teacher who was also just finishing up with a run.

Slept in a bit this morning because I needed to take the day off to take our SUV in for repairs (we went to a movie last night and it wouldn't start when we came out). It was very warm and humid starting out, but over all I was feeling pretty good. Average pace for the run was 7:45. First mile (warm-up) was 8:25 and the other seven miles were 7:54, 7:34, 7:50, 7:47, 7:30, 7:15 and 7:42. Total ascent for the extended Kohler's loop is 682 feet and total descent is the same.

Warm, humid morning with temperatures in the high 60's to low 70's. Mostly cloudy with an occasional breeze. I took it real easy starting out, as my ankle and achilles tendon were quite sore. Within a couple of minutes, it didn't bother me at all. I'd had some issues with my ankle on Wednesday, but didn't have any problems at all on Thursday. After a good warmup I picked the pace up, but didn't want to push it quite as hard as yesterday. When I cross my lactate threshold (which equates to a HR of about 164), not only does my breathing get a little more labored (exhales are a little more forceful), but I find that I'm thinking only running. If I'm lost in thought about something else, it's almost always an indication that I'm below that threshold. When I go above 90 percent of my maximum HR, my muscles start sending a lot of hate mail to my brain and I usually have to repeat some mantra to block it out and keep myself going.

Ran with Laureen on our usual Saturday morning loop. We passed 49 runners and bikers along the way and found exactly 60 cents in change. A nice morning all in all.

Got out the door a few minutes earlier than usual. Temperatures very comfortable with clear skies. I don't think there was even a  hint of light on the eastern horizon as I sat on the front step and put my shoes on. The quarter moon was high in the sky and the stars were very bright. Yesterday I felt a little bit of soreness in my left ankle, but this morning everything felt fine. The first half mile of my warmup was very slow, but after that I began to settle into a nice rhythm. My legs felt great and the miles just passed by almost unnoticed. I pushed it a little harder the last couple of miles, but was happy that I was feeling so good at the end. I'll probably mix things up a bit before the half marathon on Saturday.

It doesn't look like there's any chance of getting in to Hobble Creek. I stopped in at Runner's Corner on Saturday and the girl at the counter said that the waiting list already had 200 names on it. Dang! I'm sure there'll be a rush on it next year. Maybe they'll have to start using a lottery soon.

I decided to try and sleep in this morning, at least until my alarm went off, so I was a little late getting out the door. Unlike yesterday morning, I noticed that the northeast horizon was already starting to get light, perhaps due to the fact that there was a little less moonlight this morning and the moon was a little higher in the sky. Sitting on the front step putting my shoes on, I was happy to see Betelgeuse just clearing Mount Mahogany. Orion was on his side just as if he'd been sleeping on top of the mountain. For me, it's a sign that the changing of first leaves is not that far away (sometimes we've seen the changing colors while waiting for the start of the Provo River Half which is held the second Saturday of August).

Fairly ordinary run this morning under clear skies and temperatures in the upper 60's. I felt a few extra momentary aches and pains, probably from having practiced soccer with my daughter yesterday evening. This morning I passed 22 people including Lloyd N, Doug S and Richard L (yesterday I only passed 14, mostly going in the opposite direction).

I had to laugh at an article I read in the sports section of the Deseret Morning News yesterday. It was talking about Josh McAdams, the BYU runner who recently won the 3000 meter steeplechase at the USA Championships, followed by a win at the Pan American Games in Brazil. The thing that struck me as funny as how he was described as being so short and stocky that teammates and others referred to him as "The Hobbit", looking more like a wrestler at 5'9" and 150 lbs -- which just so happens to be my exact height and weight! I had to tell my wife about that one as she and my mother-in-law rib me a bit about being too skinny. I guess it's all relative. The current US mile record holder for the 55 to 59 age group is my height and only weighs 122 pounds. 

I felt like I needed a physical and mental break this morning so I slept in an extra half hour and just ran easy for three miles. I felt pretty rested when I got up even though I woke up fifteen minutes before the alarm went off and I actually got to sleep about forty-five minutes later than usual. I hadn't really planned to taper much (if at all) for the Provo River Half this Saturday, but I'm just feeling like the rest and change of pace will do me good.

Light workout prior to tomorrow's race. I felt some spring in my legs this morning, which was encouraging, but I also noticed some soreness in my right hip and quad when I sped up the last mile. It must be a result of practicing soccer with my daughter. It'll be interesting to see how it goes tomorrow. Most of all I don't want to come away with an injury.

The official results have been posted and I was happy to find that I'm now classified with my correct gender. Instead of placing in first in the female 55 to 59 (and possibly being a contender for the Athena award as well :), I actually placed fifth in the male 55 to 59. I'm reasonably sure my splits were:

1	6:53
2	6:53
3	6:42
4	7:02
5	7:06
6	7:25
7	7:46
8	7:19
9	7:18
10	7:20
11	7:33
12	7:25
13	7:41
.1	6:34 pace

When I showed up early Saturday morning to pick up my bib, the guy looked a bit puzzled and said that he thought that was a female number. So I went over there and sure enough they had it. I asked one of the volunteers about getting changed to a male {insert joke here} and he said he could take care of it. A few minutes later I had a new number and was apparently considered to be male for all practical purposes.

The race itself went well. My heart rate monitor wasn't working so I ran what I thought was an aggressive but sustainable pace. I didn't start out with any body I knew, but I soon was running about the same pace as several others as one minute they'd be a couple of steps ahead and another minute, I'd be slightly ahead. I talked to the girl that was running the closest to my pace and she was targeting a 1:30 finish. The guys just behind me were targeting a sub-1:35. I told them I wanted to beat last year's time of 1:37. After about five miles they slowly began to pull away, either because I started to slow down a bit or they were thinking they needed to speed up because they were only pace to run 1:37.

I thought about taking an eGel at the aid station just before heading up the hill, but I wasn't feeling just a little bit of stomach discomfort. I took a water and headed up the hill. For a few minutes I felt like I was plodding along, but then I started feeling energetic and actually enjoyed the climb. I was trading places with Wayne at that point and Greg was just ahead of me at the turnaround.

Most of the rest of the race I really felt quite strong. The miles seemed to go by quickly and there wasn't any time that I felt overly tired (that might have been an indication that my daily eight miles runs had built up my endurance or that I wasn't pushing myself hard enough). By the end I didn't feel like I could run any faster, but I definitely could have run further. By the official clock I took off about two minutes from last year, but by my watch it was closer to one minute. I didn't hear a gun or any indication that the race had begun except that people started moving.

When I checked results after the race, it showed me back in the 55-59 female division. I emailed Curt to explain the problem, but I got a notification that email address on the trailrun web site wasn't valid. They apparently got it figured out, because the posted results are correct. I guess I'm back to just being a hobbit. 

On Sunday morning my calves and ankes were feeling tight and sore after the half marathon, particularly going down stairs. As my achilles tendon on the left foot has been giving me a bit of trouble, I thought I'd see how it felt before heading out. Yesterday, it was even more stiff and sore than it had been on Sunday, but this morning I was surprised to find that it hardly bothered me at all. I decided that it'd still be best to take it easy this morning so I only ran 3.4 miles and except for a little lingering soreness in my quads running down a short steep section, my legs felt great and even had a bit of spring in them. If they still feel OK tomorrow, I'll start back on the eight mile routine.

Ran up and down the soccer field a number of times with Amelia, passing the ball back and forth. She's slowly building up her endurance as well as improving her soccer skills. I really enjoy the times we can find to practice. Her coach is a real nice guy, but doesn't seem to have much free time. So far they've had one practice and one game with another game scheduled for Thursday.

Partly cloudy with temperatures in the 70's. Didn't push it too hard this morning as I just wanted to make sure I was fully recovered from the half marathon. Didn't notice any significant aches or pains, but there were times when I just felt tired. Weight this morning was 150.4. I was a little concerned after the run when I turned my knee the wrong way and felt a sharp pain on my left inside knee. It went away but I felt it a time or two again. It's probably nothing, but the pain was coming from a place that's been sore from time to time.

As my left knee was bothering me off and on throughout the day yesterday (especially going down stairs), I thought I'd take it easy today just to give it a chance to fully recover. During the night it hurt enough to wake me up every time I turned over, so I decided to skip this morning's run. With very little time left to get ready for St. George, I want to get as much training in as possible, while staying injury free. Walking around this morning and going downstairs, the knee feels OK. I'd like to try a shorter run tomorrow and then a longer run on Saturday if possible. Since it seems to be aggravated by downhill running, I'll probably avoid that for the time being. With a little luck, I'll be back on track next week.

Left the house about 5:20 with Laureen. She wanted to get a long run in this morning before it got too hot, but that meant starting out in the dark. And it was dark this morning. No moonlight whatsoever and not even a hint of light on the horizon. She's been having some soreness in her legs so we started out very easy. We dropped off some water and then ran along the canal road, which is a bit of hazard even with the light from my headlamp. Laureen was feeling pretty good and even remarked how much she liked running in the dark. We ran up north of the high school and dropped off so more water and then headed southwest into Highland Glen Park. After looping around the pond and heading up the hill on the west side of the park we parted company as it was light enough to see by that time and I needed to get back and get ready for work. It felt great to run after a few days off and I gradually increased the pace heading up towards Kohlers and then heading east towards the mouth of the canyon. I noticed a little stiffness in my hips and upper thighs, but no soreness in my knee. I pushed the pace even more as I rounded the turn and headed back south. I couldn't believe how good I felt. I finished the run with a good strong effort. I think I should be good for 55 or so miles this week.

Clear, beautiful starry skies this morning. No moon. Temperature in the low 60's. Even though I was wearing my headlamp, I never turned it on just because I enjoyed running in the dark. I guess I'd be in trouble if there was some new obstacle along the route, but for the most part I could run it with my eyes closed. Felt good this morning. A few fleeting aches and pains, but nothing of any consequence. Not so many people out this morning (maybe because it's the first day of school).

I really didn't feel very motivated when I got up this morning, but got out the door anyway. I had a few minor aches and pains getting started, the most worrisome being some plantar pain in my right foot that stayed with me through the first mile. I kind of plodded along for a few miles and then stopped for a potty break in the park (I had to run a bit out of my way because the first bathroom was locked). After running up the hill out of the park, I gradually started getting a better attitude and even thought, what would I rather be doing right then. Running effortlessly in the cool morning just as it was getting light in the east. I was thankful just to be healthy enough to do that. I might be putting in a lot more effort than just staying fit requires, but pushing one's limits brings a lot of long term satisfaction. Less than five weeks of effective training time left before St. George (and then maybe I can spend a few mornings sleeping in :)

Today's run was a lot better. I just kept reminding myself that at least I'm not running on a treadmill in a stuffy little room in India (thanks for the encouragement, Tom :)  The PF in my right foot gave me a bit of trouble throughout the day yesterday, but this morning it was barely noticeable. It might have helped that I started out fairly easy to give all the muscles and tendons a chance to stretch out. Temperatures during the run were in the low 60's with some dark clouds and occasional flashes of lightning in the south. I was glad to find the gas station open across from Kohler's because I really needed to make a pit stop this morning. I really felt good this morning and feel like I can start to bump up the tempo mileage next week.

Beautiful clear morning with cooler temperatures (high 50's to lower 60's). Had a few more aches and pains this morning, but they were all gone by the first mile. Instead of focusing on what I was giving up (sleep in a nice soft bed), I just tried to be more aware and grateful for what I was gaining in return. It's sometimes too easy to take your surrounding for granted and hard to appreciate the things that you see and do every day, but as I tried to do that, I not only enjoyed my run more, I actually started running faster just because I could.

Started out around 5:20 and finished when the sun was up and it was starting to get warm. Felt pretty good over all, but was dragging a bit after we came down off the mountain trail. At our last water stop we met Dustin Bybee who's on BYU's cross country team. He was about an hour into a 14 mile run. He said he was anxious for the season to start as he'd been preparing hard all summer. He said that his wife was a runner too and that they'd like to run St. George maybe next year. It was fun chatting with him. We finished out the run and then enjoyed some fresh peaches off the tree. All in all, a great way to spend a Saturday morning.

I sure enjoy having a chance to rest on Sunday (even though I get up even earlier than other days). I felt refreshed and ready to go this morning and pushed it a little harder as I thought about Paul and Nathan's breakthrough performance on Saturday and Tom's dedication to putting in a hard training effort in less than ideal circumstances. It really helps to have running buddies that are not content to rest on their laurels.

This morning's run had a little bit of everything. Just before I left the house I went out back to look at the lunar eclipse. Just a thin rim was visible at that time (about 5:20). As I started on my run, the clouds were partially obscuring the moon, but I had a great view of Sirius just coming over the mountain in the southeast. I seriously considered skipping this morning's run and hauling out my reflecting telescope, but I didn't want that excuse to show up on one of Sasha's top ten lists :)

I noticed that there were a lot more people out today. Maybe they got up to watch the eclipse as well. Just before I made the turn to head north on 48th west, I saw a spectacular shooting star that came from the northeast and shot towards the moon in the southwest. I couldn't help but think that was some sort of omen. Especially when it was followed a few moments later by flashes of lightning in the northwest.

For some reason, I didn't feel that great this morning. My left hip was a bit stiff and sore and I had some bowel discomfort going on. As I came up out of the Highland Glen Park I had an increasingly urgent need to find a restroom. Fortunately, I made it to the Chevron station at the corner in time. Outside of that distraction, my thoughts were occupied with my brother who suffered a series of mini-strokes yesterday. In each instance he had a sharp pain behind his left eye and was unable to speak, raise his right leg or touch his nose with his right hand. I was at the hospital during one of the incidents. They transferred him from Pioneer Valley Hospital to University so that a neurologist could see him. The doctor we talked to was a little concerned that he'd had several incidents in a short time and that we have a family history of atherosclerosis (my brother died at 44 from a heart attack, my father had bypass surgery in his early 50's and my grandfather died of a heart attack at 62). My brother text messaged me just before midnight to say that everything seems to be OK.

I was a little later getting home from my run, so I really had to hustle to get ready so I could take my oldest daughter to school. I was rewarded with an incredibly beautiful double rainbow in the west. The sun was up and shining through the clouds and a light rain was falling. It was quite an eventful morning.

Beautiful, warm morning for a run. Temperatures in the upper 60's. Full moon to make it easy to see where you're going. Left knee felt a little sore going down the stairs this morning and was a bit stiff starting out, but didn't have any noticeable aches or pains after the first mile or so. Felt fairly energetic this morning and started picking up the pace after passing the high school (about the two mile mark). Just as I was coming to the four mile mark, a couple of runners turned on to the Alpine Highway heading the same direction as me (only on the other side of the road). Without any conscious effor on my part, my pace picked up significantly. It never fails...if I see someone ahead of me that I have any chance of passing (even if they're on a bike), I start running faster. And after I pass them, I always figure that they're trying to pass me back so I run faster still. I know it's kind of a Pavlovian response, but it's kind of fun and it gets me to work harder. And just when I was starting to think about backing off a bit, another couple turns on to the road right ahead of me and off I go again. No sign of the bowel discomfort that bothered me most of the day yesterday.

Interesting run this morning. I was short on sleep last night and my right arch was sore starting out, so I figured that if it didn't start feeling better that I would just turn around at one mile. The soreness subsided and I thought that it wouldn't really do me much good to go back home and try to get back to sleep anyway. It wasn't as bright out as yesterday morning because the full moon was behind a big cloud. I was a bit surprised by a flash of lightning to the south, but it was far enough away that I wasn't much concerned. A few minutes later there was a very bright flash followed a few seconds later by a loud clap of thunder. It was kind of weird because there was lots of clear sky and only a few bigger clouds. Just as was approaching the seminary building a few drops of rain started to fall, which turned into a good downpour about thirty seconds later. I thought about heading back home, but there was enough clear sky to the north and south that I didn't think it could last very long. I stopped under a clump of trees to get out of the worst of the rain and waited there for maybe five minutes. There were only a few drops coming down by then so I decided to just keep going. I was pretty soaked, but it was a warm morning and I thought it wouldn't take too long to dry out. The roads were wet, but the air was fresh and invigorating.

As I was coming out of Highland Glen park there were a few more flashes of lightning behind me and to the west, but it appeared to be sheet lightning so I wasn't overly concerned. Even though there were a couple of big dark clouds around  there was a lot of clear sky to the north. By the time I was nearing the corner by Wells Fargo Bank it started to rain again. I ducked under the drive thru for a few minutes but decided it wasn't that hard so I took off again. It didn't seem that bad until a car would pass and its headlights showed how much rain was actually coming down. It felt great to be out running and I picked up the pace as I turned onto 48th and headed south. The rain continued until I reached the high school and by the time I reached Harvey Blvd, the skies were mostly clear overhead. All in all, it was a wonderful morning and I'm glad I decided not to cut it short.

Overcast skies. Temperatures in the upper 60's. I tried to take it fairly easy this morning as I'm planning on a 20 miler tomorrow. I may have taken it easy in any case as I wasn't feeling very energetic. I had lots of running around yesterday afternoon and evening and getting something good to eat was almost an afterthought. I was in bed by 10:30, but was tired enough to turn in by 9:00.

Had a great run up Provo Canyon with Paul, Tom, Will, Wayne and Larry. A young woman named Sheena missed her group at the bottom of the canyon and so we invited her to run with us. At Vivian, Tom turned around to go back and Larry, Wayne and Sheena turned to go on to Pine View. Paul, Will and I continued up to Trefoil.

The leaves were starting to turn at the top of the canyon and temperatures were just perfect. When we got down to South Fork, Paul and I stopped for water and Will ran on ahead as he had to get back. We ran at a pretty comfortable pace and met up with Will with a little less than a mile to go (he was having some problems with his knee). It was terrific seeing everybody again. Long runs with your buddies sure make the miles go by quicker.

My Garmin was having problems so I just left it in the car. Paul's watch said we made it to the top in 1:34 and back to the start in around three hours. 

I'd hoped to get some mileage in yesterday, but ended up sleeping in a bit and then found there wasn't enough time before leaving for a family activity. I didn't feel too bad about that as I've put in a lot of miles the last two weeks. My legs felt great after Saturday's long run and I was able to keep going all day without any noticeable problems. This morning I was having some bowel discomfort which caused me to stop and walk a time or two, but other than that I felt pretty good. As Laureen has been recovering from some illness and injuries, we're planning a long run for Saturday (which will mean I'll have to miss the race). I've got to take my daughter up to Midvale that morning at 8:30 so we're planning to start well before dawn. I'm planning to have at least twenty-five miles by then, so this drop-back week should still give me around forty-five. Next week I'm planning another big mileage week. Even though I was happy with how I felt on Saturday's long run, I want to be ready to go farther and faster by the time SGM rolls around. I haven't checked my weight for a week or so, but my resting HR has dropped down to the low 40's, high 30's which is where it usually is when I'm close to being in top shape. If I keep my mileage up without injury and get my weight down to 145 or so, I'll feel like I'm about ready for St. George.

Perfect running conditions this morning. Temperatures in the low 50's after a thunderstorm rolled through yesterday evening. Legs felt great, although there was a little soreness in my left upper hip. Started pushing the pace at the four mile mark. I probably should have brought my headlamp as there were sections that were pretty dark with debris from the storms of the last couple of days. Saw Venus coming up over the mountains in the east. It was so bright that for a few minutes I thought it might be some kind of aircraft. The last mile and a half it was light enough to see the road surface. Finished around 6:25.

Felt great this morning. Temperatures were in the low 50's and the skies were clear. There was enough of a crescent moon in the east that faint shadows could be detected along the darker stretches. I picked up the pace to catch a slower runner in front of the high school and then held that as I headed southwest towards Highland Glen Park. As I came to the traffic light by the Highland City Offices (at the four mile mark) I picked up the pace again and held that the rest of the way. Venus was a little higher in the east this morning, but set a bit as I ran towards the mountain. By the time I finished it was about a finger width above Mount Mahogany. Weight was 148.8.  Still need to lose a few more before St. George.

Got up at 4 am to do a long run with Laureen. She's been hurting a bit lately, but seemed to run strong once we got going. There was no moon starting out so it was pretty dark, particularly heading south along 40th. About the second time we ran around the pond in Highland Glen Park it was starting to get light enough to see the pavement. After about six or so, we started to see a lot of people out walking, jogging or riding. Shortly after we started on the dirt trails on the mountain east of Cedar Hills, I left Laureen as I needed to get back and take Brittany up to Salt Lake for a goalball tournament and then take Amelia to her soccer game. It was a busy, but nice day all in all.

Beautiful morning for a run. The skies were clear and temperatures were in the upper 40's. I was a little concerned on Friday because the arch in my right foot was quite sore during miles 12 and 13. I thought it might be a result of shortening my stride to run with Laureen, but I wasn't sure. This morning I didn't feel anything during the run and didn't even have the usual stiffness after the fifty minute commute into work (in fact, this morning I felt like I was ready to do another eight or so). I'm happy with the way I'm feeling this close to marathon and hope to make the next eleven training days very effective. I'm anxious to see what I can do this year.

Another perfect morning for a run. Tempertures in the low 40's under clear skies (no moon). I was just a little stiffer this morning starting out, but once I got warmed up, I felt really good. After reading Brent's blog from yesterday morning, I couldn't help thinking about large animals lurking in the dark as I ran through the park. It makes it a lot more fun to imagine all the hidden dangers and what I'd do if there was a cougar right in the middle of the path. Less dangerous, but more suspicious were the two boys I saw walking on the other side of the street as I came up on the Alpine Highway. They were in their early teens and didn't seem to be in a hurry to get some place (where would they be going at six in the morning anyway?) Last year I saw a couple of kids out about the same time of day, trying hard to conceal a can of spray paint, but I couldn't see that these kids were carrying anything. When I see kids wandering around the neighborhood late at night on a school night (or early in the morning in this case), I can help but wonder if their parents are fully engaged.

Clear skies, temperatures in the high 40's, no moon. I've been thinking about Paul's post from yesterday where he reported on his marathon pacing. I tried the same thing this morning and concluded that the mitigating factors (e.g. second run of the day, lingering injuries, running during the hotter part of the day) he listed definitely affected his pace, since I know he's faster than I am. My results from this morning looked like this:

Mile	Pace	Grade	Comments
1	7:59	1% up	Felt relaxed
2	7:36	1% up to 1% down	Felt relaxed
3	7:25	1% down	Mostly relaxed
4	7:26	flat to 1% up	Threshold pace

Over all, I felt good about the effort. I noticed that on the downhill section (mile 3) that I gradually sped up as I was feeling good. By the time I reached the end, I was breathing a little harder than I had the first two miles. For the final mile, I spotted a couple of runners about a hundred yards ahead and since I was feeling good, I decided to see if I could catch them before they made their turn south. I didn't feel like I was pushing it that hard, but I kept up the pace for the rest of the mile, which felt hard when heading up the trail towards home. One of the ladies was Jill W. I'm not sure who the other one was as it was still fairly dark.

Today gave me a pretty good feel for where I am fitness-wise and also how to gauge when I'm running at a good effort (even breathing, no sharp exhales, no stress). I'm sure the pace that will feel easy the first part of the marathon, will feel like an all out effort the last six miles but hopefully I can hang in there and get past the usual calf cramping and bowel discomfort.

Clear, moonless sky. Temperature in the low 50's. Outside of a little PF in my right foot, I'm feeling really good. Even the PF goes away after a mile or so. Just eight more days of effective training before St. George. As always, I'm sure to regret not getting in enough downhill runs.

I was puzzling this morning over the fact that when I run through the darkest part of the park I can still see the road clearly enough to avoid broken branches in the road and even see large cracks. There was no moon and the eastern horizon wasn't even starting to get light. There is a glow in the north from the lights in Salt Lake County, but that hardly seems like enough to make things visible in a heavily wooded area. Kind of strange. 

Mostly cloudy and warm this morning. Left the house around 5 am as I had to get back for a meeting (my daughter's annual IEP) at 7:15. I was a bit surprised to find more people out and about than I usually encounter so early in the morning. Legs felt really good, but I didn't want to push things too hard before tomorrow's long run. We're planning to head out for a 20 miler at 4 am. When we get back from that we have to take Brittany to Salt Lake for goal ball practice and then rush back for Amelia's soccer game and then head back to Salt Lake to pick up Brittany and take her to her Jiujitsu class. Then, as I'm the stake clerk, I have to hurry and change for a stake presidency meeting with Elder Pocock, followed by a two hour leadership meeting, dinner with the stake presidency and Elder Pocock, followed by the evening adult session. I think I might have to stuff my pockets with fireballs to keep going (a trick my former stake president taught me for staying alert during a long day of meetings). I'm already looking forward to sleeping in a bit on Sunday morning!

Laureen and I started out at 4 am like last week. The tour of Manila, Pleasant Grove, Highland and Cedar Hills. Legs felt good at the end, but was glad to finish. Long day of family and church activities turned out much better than expected. I'm actually feeling energized at the end of the day.

The first step down the stairs in the morning is usually a good indication of my lingering injury status. Most of the summer I've had to brace myself for some sharp pain in my left knee, hip flexors or right ankle. Often, the pain or soreness is gone by the time I reach the bottom, but this morning and most of last week, I've felt nothing. I'll take that as a good sign. What doesn't seem like such a good sign is that my weight was up a little over a pound from last week (after a 60 mile week and really watching what I eat!). Oh well, I had a good run this morning. I was kind of waiting to see if there was any lingering fatigue from Saturday's long run before deciding whether to push it or not. I thought I'd wait until the four mile mark before I made that decision. As I was approaching the turn on to the Alpine Highway, a young woman  passed ahead of me going north at what looked like a pretty good pace. As I rounded the corner heading north, I realized after a minute or two that she wasn't gaining on me, so without giving it another thought I started to pick up the pace. I could have surged a bit an caught up to her rather quickly, but I didn't want to try to keep that up the rest of the way to Kohler's. As I closed in to about ten feet, a dog suddenly started barking nearby and it freaked her out a bit and she turned around and saw me. When it's so dark, you naturally wonder about strangers so I just said good morning in a friendly voice and passed her. It would have been nice to have somebody to talk to inasmuch as we were going roughly the same pace and going in the same direction, but it wasn't going to work with a young woman. I thought about the reports that I'd read recently about some guy up in Bountiful that's been targeting early morning joggers. I didn't want this young woman to have any reason to doubt my reasons for being out at that time of the morning. After passing her I continued to pick up the pace and finished strong. Saw lots of people out this morning including Lloyd N., Jill W and the bishop and his wife.

One thing I forgot to note on my blog entry for Saturday was our encounter with a group of hunters in the foot hills above Cedar Hills and Pleasant Grove. We had run into a couple of guys earlier that were in hunting vest and looked like they were scouting things out and it may have been the same two that we saw about a half an hour later on another trail. They were outside their truck at that point with their shotguns. We headed off on another trail and as we rounded a corner we saw two more pickup trucks with hunting decals in the rear windows. We didn't think too much about it until we heard a shot off in the distance, followed by another shot less than fifty yards away. The fact that we couldn't see who was shooting or what they were shooting at made us think that maybe we ought to turn around. We didn't hear or see anything else as we headed back down the mountain, but we were wondering what they might have been hunting and whether it was even legal in that area (many of the trails are fairly popular with hikers, runners and mountain bikers). That's something I need to remember to check on.

I was planning on taking it easier this morning, but just as I was getting ready to turn on to the Alpine Highway heading north a young guy passed in front of me going the same direction. Yesterday I was thinking it would be cool to have somebody to talk to along that stretch and it was like central casting sent somebody to meet me there EXCEPT somebody forgot to tell him to leave the iPod at home! He seemed quite absorbed in his music so I just picked up the pace, said good morning and passed him. Oh well, at least having somebody there pushed me to run a little harder along that stretch and I just kept it up the rest of the way home. Felt great this morning despite a few fleeting aches and pains. Beautiful clear skies this morning with temperatures in the high 40's to low 50's.

It might have just been my imagination, but the stars seemed even brighter this morning. Venus was spectacular as usual and I even saw a couple of shooting stars. It was a routine run in many ways, but a bit unusual in other. Shortly after passing the high school I saw someone's motion detector light come on across the street and about five seconds later three deer came running on a collision course towards me at full speed. I stopped and they passed about ten feet ahead, but I waited for a bit to see if there were any others coming. A minute later some furry little creature scurried across the road in front of me (it might have been a rabbit or a skunk). I was going to turn my headlight on just to give any other creatures fair warning that I was coming, but just about then I got something stuck in the bottom of my shoe that made a very odd clicking noise, loud enough that it would give anything in the immediate area ample warning. When I got into the park there were a couple of animals fighting just a little ways off the path, with sudden loud shrieks and then softer whimpering, following my the sounds of branches breaking. I think it might have been racoons, as I've heard something similar before (it definitely wasn't cats). The rest of the run was fairly uneventful. Legs felt good overall. Temperatures were in the low 50's under clear skies.

Clear skies, slightly warmer temperatures. I felt a bit of soreness in my instep on my right foot laying in bed this morning, but it really didn't bother me during the run. This, of course, is the time of year when I become hypersensitive to every ache and pain. Feeling great overall. No shooting stars this morning, but someone did shoot off a large firework somewhere in American Fork around 5:45. People are strange.

Fairly warm, clear skies. And dark. Took  it fairly easy for the four miles, pretty much lost in thought and then picked it up at the four mile mark, realizing that this is one of my last effective workouts before St. George. Felt pretty good, but realized that I couldn't have kept up that pace forever. I guess I'm as ready as I'm going to be. I'm just happy that all my injuries seem to be healed up at this point.

Beautiful, clear morning. Pleasantly cool for the whole run. A bit of a canyon breeze right at the mouth of the canyon, but nothing outside of that. Laureen and I left the house about 5:30 (after I drove around to drop water off). We were both amazed by the number of runners we saw this morning. We expected that this close to St. George that we'd see others out and about, but there were two or three times as many as last week. This week we only ran down to Harvey Blvd. before heading north (cutting off a few miles in the process) and we didn't extend the run along the mountain trail, nor run further west along the canal, but outside of that it was basically the same run as last week. Laureen was running stronger, which I was happy to see. If she does well this year at St. George it'll all be worth it. I was hoping to add a few more miles on, but we needed to get back to take the girls to some early activities. With the light rain and cooler temperatures in the afternoon, I was really hoping to get out again, but there was just too much to do.

Cool morning under clear skies. Temperatures in the high 30's. I was surprised to find some tightness and a little soreness in my left ankle this morning. I shouldn't have taken yesterday off. I needed to get my daughter to school early, but I could have found a way (I felt some extra regret after seeing how nice it was following overnight showers). I felt pretty good by the time I finished, but I need to make sure that I get out every day this week.

For those living in Utah and who run in the morning, you may want to pause for a couple of minutes and watch the skies towards the northwest. The International Space Station will be passing from the northwest to the southeast starting about 6:12 a.m. It won't be quite as bright as Venus, but should be clearly visible.

Pass Details

Date:	Wednesday, 26 September, 2007
Satellite:	ISS
Observer's Location:	Home ( 40.4117°N, 111.7625°W)
Local Time:	Mountain Daylight Time (GMT - 6:00)
Orbit:	332 x 346 km, 51.6° (Epoch 24 Sep)
Sun altitude at time of maximum pass altitude:	-13.3°

Event	Time	Altitude	Azimuth	Distance (km)
Leaves shadow	06:10:25	18°	314° (NW )	926
Maximum altitude	06:12:23	68°	35° (NE )	367
Drops below 10° altitude	06:15:12	10°	120° (ESE)	1,276
Sets	06:17:12	-0°	123° (ESE)	2,110

Clear skies, slightly warmer than yesterday morning with a full moon in the west. Temperatures in the high 30's or low 40's. It was fun to go out this morning with the moon out and the cooler temperatures. Legs felt great except for a little tightness in my right calf. It was beautiful running around the pond in Highland Glen park with the moon reflecting off the mirror surface. I really felt invigorated. As I came up out of the park and ran behind the high school, I paused just before turning onto to 48th West to watch for the International Space Station. It started out pretty faint in the northwest as it was over western Oregon and got progressively brighter as it climbed overhead. Within a couple of minutes it passed between Sirius and Venus and disappeared behind the mountain. It was cool to realize that the astronauts up there had traveled from Oregon to Colorado in just a matter of a few minutes, more than 200 miles overhead. After that I pushed the pace back home as I had to leave early this morning to drop my daughter off at the airport (and just because I felt good). Luckily I could see well enough through the trees along the creekside path to avoid stumbling over something.

Beautiful clear morning with a full moon high in the west. Temperatures in the low 40's or high 30's. I wasn't sure I was going to run this morning as I was not feeling well yesterday afternoon and evening. My joints ached, my head hurt, I was chilled and had no appetite. I went to bed early and felt fine this morning.

I left the house around 5:30 and stopped for a few minutes after turning on to 48th west to watch the ISS pass over. It was fairly faint and it's movement could hardly be detected until it got closer overhead (overhead being a relative term as it was hundreds of miles to the south). As it headed southwest it grew dimmer and then disappeared in Provo's light pollution. Starting out my right instep was sore and there was a little tightness in my calves, but after I stopped and started running again I didn't notice it all. I felt great and started to push the pace a bit as I headed down into the park. After looping around the pond and passing by restrooms and trailer I was surprised to see a couple of SUV's coming down the road into the park. Fisherman sometimes arrive pretty early, but something told me these weren't fishermen. I stopped for a minute to see what was going on. The vehicles stopped in the road and four or five people got out and went west on a little trail that leads to the back of some homes. I watched for a couple more minutes and saw them come back, get back in and then slowly turn around. They didn't seem too nervous or concerned so I figured that they were probably OK. As I took the longer loop to the south, I saw them drive out of the park going very slow and turn into the parking lot at Lone Peak. Kind of odd behavior, but then teenagers often do things that are hard to explain. I pushed the pace the rest of the way home as I had a little time to make up. 

The most extraordinary thing about today's run is how ordinary it was in almost every respect. It wasn't too hot or too cold. It wasn't too dark or too light. It wasn't too hard or too easy. I didn't run too fast or too slow. I wasn't overly rested when I got up, but I wasn't dragging either. I didn't see any creatures moving around in the dark. I didn't see any suspicious activity of any kind. I saw two ladies out walking, but it would have been more extraordinary if I hadn't seen anybody. My instep was a little sore starting out, but even that pretty much disappeared during the run.

Clear, beautiful morning although a little on the cold side (temperatures were probably in the low 40's). A half moon almost directly overhead. I was pleased with how good my legs are feeling with just a few days left before St. George. After a couple miles of warm-up, I ran the rest at marathon pace. I'm excited and ready to go. It'll be fun seeing everybody.

I guess there are some doubts about my preparation lingering somewhere in my subconscious as I had kind of a strange dream about the Wasatch Back Relay. I dreamed that I was in the off-van and we were in some nearly deserted little town looking at each other because we didn't know where our hotel was or whether we even had a hotel. We didn't have any food or water and nobody even seemed to know where or when we were supposed to meet the other van. I alternated between blaming myself and then blaming others for our total lack of preparation.

As the probability of us forgetting to plan for the relay is at close to zero as you can get, I must have been thinking about how I should have run more hills before St. George, how I've forgotten to pick up any eGel, how I don't know for sure what I'm going to wear, how I don't have any throw-away clothes to wear the first few miles and so on and so on. I've been through this enough times that I know that I'll get everything in plenty of time, but I guess there's just that fear of forgetting some critical item and suffering greatly as a result.  

Just got out this morning to loosen up and make sure everything was working. No surprises except for a sharp pain in my big toe that lasted for 30 seconds or so. Kind of weird. Stopped at the flag pole overlooking the pond to just  look at the stars for a minute. Stopped again to stretch just before turning onto 48th. Right now I'm planning on a short run tomorrow before leaving for St. George.

Followed the carbo-load method outlined in the forum. Warmed up for a mile and then ran a mile at 5K race pace. Had waffle breakfast immediately after.

Arrived at the start about forty-five minutes before the start of the race. Had a chance to hit the POP and relax by the fire for a few minutes. It was cold enough that I elected to wear a long sleeve shirt over the top of my technical shirt along with my gloves. Started out with Wayne, dodging other runners and trying to find a little space by running along the edge of the road. I was a bit surprised to find that my ankles and lower shins were fairly tight right from the beginning and didn't seem to be loosening up. First mile in 7:56, second mile in 7:58. The crowd had broken up and we were feeling warmed up, so we started to pick up the pace a bit. Third mile in 7:21, but ankles were still tight and PF in right foot was starting to bother me a little. About half way into the next mile I had a sudden sharp pain in my right instep. After running for a few steps I started to think I was done for the day. I tried altering my stride so I didn't come right down on the sore spot, but I knew that I couldn't keep that up all day. I just kept going gradually put more weight on it. It hurt, but the pain didn't seem to be getting any worse. Fourth mile in 7:28. I was still thinking at that point that I probably going to have to take a DNF, but I just kept going anyway. By that time I'd lost sight of Wayne. I took a gel heading into the five mile waterstop, but it didn't go down very easy.  As there was a nice downhill the next couple of miles, I kept up a consistent effort with a 7:23 and 7:14 for miles six and seven. Starting up the hill at Veyo, the pain eased up a bit and I actually started feeling OK. The next three miles were not fast (8:43, 8:44 and 8:29), but my foot was feeling better. Took another gel approaching the 11 mile mark and then walked through the waterstop. Mile 11 in 8:50. As things started to level out a bit, Greg W. caught up with me and we ran together for a little while. He was looking pretty good, but my foot was getting sore again and I let him go. Mile 12 in 8:15, mile 13 in 8:01. I was happy that things weren't getting any worse and I was starting to feel pretty confident that I'd be able to finish. Mile 14 in 8:13. By the time the 3:30 pace group caught up with me and I ran with them for a while. Mile 15 in 7:42 and mile 16 in 7:59. At mile 17 I took a short POP stop (8:05) and struggled a bit with the uphill on 18 (8:15) and 19 (8:44). I was feeling pretty queasy at that point and was hoping that I could just barf and get it over with. Mile 20 in 8:58 and 21 in 8:26. I was pretty much just in survival mode the rest of the way. I really, really wanted to just stop and walk for a while, but I knew I wouldn't get going again. Mile 22 in 9:17 and mile 23 in 9:05. Even with the cool temperatures I was feeling overheated and I was breathing like I was running much faster. Mile 24 in 9:05 and mile 25 in 8:59. The last full mile was torture in some ways and exhilarating in others. I got a boost from some neighbors cheering me on and it was nice to run downhill in the shade. I got another boost from the band playing on the corner and then the excitement of the crowd at the finish just pulls you along to the finish. About two seconds after crossing the mat, I felt pretty wobbly and thought I might barf, but I managed to make my way through the misters and find a place to lay down. Wayne was there and we talked for a bit and somebody gave me a cup of ice to rub on my legs (that was so appreciated). After a few minutes I got up and shuffled to my car and drove back to the hotel to pick up my daughter so that we could go back to the finish and watch my wife come in. She looked strong and finished in her best time ever.

As I look back on the race, I'm a disappointed with my time, but really feel like I gave my best effort under the circumstances. I don't know why my foot would start hurting so early in the race. I know I didn't get enough hill training in this year or enough tempo miles. I think it would also have helped a lot to have run more races during the summer. I was happy and grateful to finish with a BQ, however (mostly as a result of moving into an older age group :) 

Beautiful fall morning. Temperatures in the high 40's, low 50's. Plenty of sunshine. The quads and left calf have been sore the last couple of days, along with the PF in my right foot, but I was happily surprised that today's run went fairly well. Everything was still a bit sore starting out, but it all felt better than yesterday and didn't get any worse during the run. I was a bit surprised, however, by the effort it required to run at a fairly slow pace. I was breathing like marathon pace, but probably only running 9:30 to 10:00 pace. It's just so nice to get out again.

Had a delightful late morning run with Laureen and Amelia (my youngest daughter -- we couldn't talk Brittany into going with us). The weather was just perfect. We ran down to the Highland Glen pond and back, stopping to explore along the way. We stopped to watch little trout jumping out of the water after the occasional insect and also jogged over to watch some boys practicing soccer. Amelia's starting to get the sense that she can run at a slower pace and it's still fun and good for you (up til now she seems to have had only one gear). We just had fun and Laureen found lots of lucky coins scattered around the school. My legs are starting to feel halfway normal.

I succeeded in getting both daughter out this morning to go with me. They weren't up for a three mile run, but they were both up for a bike ride along side me. As I didn't want to hold them up too much, I pushed it a little harder than I had orignally planned, but the legs felt pretty good. The PF in my right foot bothered me starting out, but I was happy to find that it had pretty much faded after the first mile. Riding up the slight grade on the path behind the high school was a bit harder for the girls and I had to stop a couple of times to wait for them. It was fun to be out with them and challenge them to a bit of a race. As long as we were going uphill I had the advantage, but as soon as we started down the path along the creek, they started to pull ahead. I ran harder to keep up and was surprised at how good I felt. Average pace for the run was 8:06.

Intended to sleep in this morning, but Laureen and I were both awake early, so we just decided to get up and go for a run. It was overcast when we left the house, but not raining. We ran the Highland Glen loop backwards and had fun kicking up the leaves along the creek path. By the time we were looping around the pond the wind had kicked up a bit and a light steady rain was falling. We stopped for a minute to watch a big balloon slowly descending into a field. It was apparently on a cord of some kind and was being reeled in by some guy in a pickup. We thought we'd jog over that way and see what he was doing, but he drove off before we even got close. The balloon was wider than the bed, so he had to drive kind of slow. We don't know what he was doing, but it was a nice distraction from the rain and wind. After he passed the high school and started south, the wind and rain started to let up and we made it home without getting completely drenched.  

Ran the extended temple route this morning with Laureen. Warmed up for two miles and then ran south to pick up an extra mile while Laureen ran east. As I pushed it down the the hill, my right heel was pretty sore, but it felt OK when the road flattened out and then started to climb. As I wanted to catch Laureen before she got to the top of the hill on 40th, I pushed it fairly hard. I really enjoyed putting in a harder effort, but couldn't catch her until just after she'd turned the corner onto Cedar Hills Drive.

It didn't look too bad as we were leaving the house this morning, a few drops were falling and there was a light breeze out of the north, but Laureen and I hadn't gone more than half a mile before a cold rain started with strong gusts of wind (enough to make me a little nostalgic for Boston). We hurried north along the creek trail to find some shelter in the trees and found that when we got to the end the wind and rain had died off. That didn't last long, however, and within a few minutes a light rain started back up and more gusts from the north. We turned south at the trail south of the country club golf course and it almost seemed pleasant. When we turned north again to follow the trail into Highland Glen park, the wind and rain were right in our face and we decided to head back home. As usually happens, the clouds started to break up a bit by the time we got home.  My PF was a bit of a bother throughout the run, but it never got any worse.

Ran the Highland Glen loop this morning. As it was a bit on the chilly side starting out, I ran a little faster than planned. As I felt great after the warm-up, I pushed it for the next couple of miles and pushed it even a little harder on the last 1.2 miles.

Mile	Pace
1	8:32
2	7:59
3	8:05
4	8:06
5	7:39
.2	7:20

Overall average was 8:03 with a total elevation gain/loss of 424 feet.

Cross-training day. Worked out with weights and then went for a walk. PF bothering me a bit after yesterday's run. Beautiful warm fall day.

Went out for a run after some taking care of some errands. A strong wind was blowing out of the northwest and the clouds were low and threatening. Temperatures were in the low 40's and dropping. For some reason I just loved today's run. There were times when I was running directly into the wind that I wasn't moving at all and other times when the wind was pushing me from behind so hard that I might have been running world record pace if I could have just spread a bit more sail. People would look at you like you were insane, but I've been out in a lot worse conditions. There's something just fun about being out when there's a real blow.

Ran the duck pond loop with Laureen on a beautiful (if somewhat cool) fall day. Felt great to get out.

Temple loop with Laureen.

Laureen and I went exploring a bit as we wanted to look at the stone on different houses to decide what kind we want on the fireplace in our family room. We headed east on the canal and then wound our way up through the neighborhood on the east side of Canyon Road.

I've been a little pressed for time lately and haven't been very good at keeping the blog up. Hopefully that will change in the next week or so.

Highland Glen loop. Bright, full moon in the west with temperatures in the low 40's. Just as I crossed 48th heading east I ran head-on into a herd of deer. The shadows near the orchard made it was dark enough  that I thought they were big dogs at first even though the closest one was no more than ten feet away. Eight of them gathered in a nearby yard and we looked at each other for a minute before the biggest doe lost interest and guided the rest across the highway. The run along the creek trail was a bit tricky as the shadows and leaves obscured the path. At one point I almost missed a turn that would have put me right in the creek. It was just fun to be out this morning.

Today Laureen and I just put the GPS on and ran whereever we felt like.  We ran along the creek and then down towards the high school before picking up the trail along the golf course. After climbing the hill on Canyon Road we took a right down into the subdivision to try to find a house that had the kind of brick we're looking at for our fireplace. After we found the house we jogged over to the golf course to get a drink in the club house. We then down along the trail past the driving range and wandered west until we picked up the creek trail again.

Ran the Highland Glen loop. Hazy conditions, temperatures in the upper 40's. I felt pretty good so I pushed it a little harder today.

Mile	Pace
1	8:11
2	7:41
3	7:44
4	7:53
5	7:29
.23	6:51

I was also happy to see that I haven't gained any weight since the marathon (still at 148.6).

Highland Glen loop with Laureen. Generally pleasant temperatures on a beautiful fall day.

Temple loop with Laureen.

Kind of pressed for time today so Laureen and I just took the creek trail and then looped around behind the high school.

Highland Glen loop. As I was feeling pretty good, I pushed it a little harder today.

Mile	Pace
1	8:18
2	7:33
3	7:48
4	7:50
5	7:36
.24	7:09

Average pace was 7:45 and the total time for the run was 40:28 (4 seconds faster than last week).

Highland Glen loop with Laureen.

Highland Glen loop. Temperatures in the low 30's under clear skies.