Kerry's Running Blog

Just a couple of easy miles this morning before work. I've had a sore right quad for the last two weeks, but I think it's about healed.

Still pretty sore starting out, but the right quad eases up after a mile or so. It doesn't hurt anymore during the day or when I wake up in the morning. I don't think it's going to cause me any long term grief.

I was awake before 5:00 am, but hoped to get back to sleep. I should have just gotten up at that point. The soreness is still there starting out, but I can start picking up the pace once I get warmed up.

Walked with Laureen for a couple of miles. Temperatures in the low 40's, but humidity was high. Started to rain lightly on the way back. She had foot surgery in November, but is recovering nicely. Her doctor cleared her to start jogging after her checkup on Tuesday. She managed about a mile yesterday, but her foot was swollen today. I ran after we got back.

Mostly an easy run, but started to pick it up at the end as my sore quad is feeling a little better all the time.

Feeling a little better all the time. Started off kind of slow with just a little soreness, but felt decent after a half mile or so. Picked up the pace for the last mile. Once I can get back to consistent daily workouts, I'll start to pick up the pace and the mileage. 

Golf course loop with Laureen. Pretty nice day.

Highland Glen loop with Laureen. Really quite chilly when heading north up the trail. When we turned south with the wind at our backs, it was fairly pleasant. Laureen's running better all the time.

Easy pace for the first couple of miles, picked it up at the end.

Family run around golf course loop. Pushed it hard up Canyon Road and down the road by the driving range. Felt pretty good, but will probably be a little sore come Sunday and Monday.

Lunchtime run with Laureen and a couple of miles on my own. Sunny, temperatures in the mid-40's, no wind.

Still kind of sore starting out. Took it fairly easy this morning.

Highland Glen loop during lunch with Laureen. Raining lightly. Temps in the low 40's. Ran a couple of miles afterwards on my own.

Easy run at 5:40 am. A little bit of plantar soreness this morning. Just working through the typical aches and pains as I try to build my mileage back up. 

Highland Glen loop around 7:00 am. Temperature in the low 30's. Felt pretty good. No significant aches or pains. Picked up the pace towards the end.

HighlandGlen loop at 5:40 am. The trails were a little slick in places after yesterday's rain and snow mix. Temperatures in the low 30's with occasional fog and mist. Felt pretty good over all, despite a little pain in left knee starting out.

Ran the Highland Glen loop with Laureen and then a mile on my own. A mostly nice day, especially when the sun would pop out and it seemed like spring. The aches and pains are all starting to fade.

Ran Highland Glen loop (4.8 miles) with Laureen and then ran 1.4 on my own. 

Early morning run. A little slow getting started, but felt pretty good after a few minute. The cold air felt good.

Ran early with Dan on Highland Glen loop and a little later with Laureen and Amelia on the golf course loop.

Not really hurting, but not much spring in my legs either. I'll drop back on mileage a bit this week and then pick it up again next.

Took it kind of easy today. A bit sore in my upper quad.

Highland Glen loop at noon. Stiff wind out of the northwest. Wind chill in the teens, but didn't feel so bad since the sun was out. Pushed a pretty good pace after the first mile or so (especially with the wind at my back on the way home).

Highland Glen loop. Left the house about 5:30 am. A moonless, clear night. I discovered that my headlight was burned out when I hit a dark section of the road. It wasn't too bad even though I tripped a little on some little branches that had apparently fallen out of truck. The light would have also been helpful on some sections of the trail when I was blinded by headlights. Pretty decent run over all.

Late morning run with Laureen and Amelia. Cold north wind blowing. Highland Glen loop.

Highland Glen loop with Laureen. It snowed overnight, but left the roads and sidewalks clear. It was snowing lightly throughout the run with a little breeze from the southeast. Felt pretty good overall. Put in an extra mile after we got back.

Light treadmill workout this morning as I was feeling some persistent soreness in my upper right thigh.

Easy run just to keep loose. Felt pretty good this morning. Not much soreness in upper right thigh.

Ran with Laureen around noon. We took it kind of easy as she wasn't feeling very well. 

Great run this morning on the usual Highland Glen loop. Started out kind of slow, but felt great after a half mile or so. Beautiful, clear, cool morning. It was light enough to run without a headlamp the last mile or so. It just seemed like early spring today. Averaged an 8:40 pace.

Highland Glen loop with Laureen and then a mile afterwards.

Lunchtime run with Laureen (HGL) and then 2.25 by myself. Warm, spring-like day.

Gorgeous, cold, clear morning. Temperature in the upper 20's. Low full moon in the West. A little soreness in my upper thigh that lasted throughout the run, but didn't get worse. Left around 5:35 am. It was fairly light by 6:00 am or so. Next week we'll be back in the dark at that hour. Saw one runner and one walker and heard some others.

Lunchtime run with Laureen and Amelia. Temple route. Amelia and I added an extra loop south of the temple and then tried to catch up with Laureen on 40th west. She had enough of a head start that we didn't catch her until Cedar Hills Drive. It was sunny with temperatures were near 60, so I was able to run in shorts and a long sleeve shirt. There was a slight breeze coming from the south that felt pretty good as we were running towards the temple. When we headed north (up the hill) with the breeze at our backs, it felt hot enough that I was regretting the long sleeves. A good workout over all. Should more or less be ready for the Spectrum 10K near weekend.

Nice recovery run this morning. I was worried that with the time change that I would be overly tired trying to get out the door at 5:30, but I woke up before my alarm went off and I wasn't really very groggy. I liked running in the dark again. Saw what looked like a father and some younger kids fishing off the eastern dock at the Highland Glen pond. It was quite dark, but they had flashlights and there was a half moon reflecting off the water. Saw a couple of other runners as I came out of the underpass and nearly got run over by a bicyclist without a headlight. Nice run over all. Just the slightest soreness in my upper right thigh. My weight is gradually coming down (166.7 on Saturday) along with my resting HR (47 on Sunday). 

Early run as we had to leave for a wedding in Salt Lake.

Highland Glen loop with Laureen. Took it kind of easy.

We were a little worried about the weather as we got closer to the weekend, but race conditions turned out to be almost perfect. It was cool and a bit breezy at the start, but a short warm-up with my daughter, Amelia, took care of the slight discomfort. Chatted with Lyle and with Larry and his wife for a few minutes. Didn't really see anyone else that I knew. Last year I ran the whole race with my daughter (as she liked to go out kind of fast, but didn't really have much endurance), but this year I just told her to run her race and I'd try to keep her in sight. I was really hoping I wouldn't see her in the later miles because that would mean she was still struggling with endurance at longer than 5K distance. It turns out I didn't have anything to worry about.

We worked our way closer to the front and took off at a pretty good pace when the race started. I saw Amelia weaving through traffic for a few seconds and then lost sight of her. I saw her about 100 yards ahead a couple of minutes later and then one last time as the road made a big turn. I ran a faster pace than most training runs, but still felt pretty relaxed. The first mile split was pretty close to 7:00, but I wasn't wearing a watch so I'm not sure. I fell into a comfortable pace (one I knew I could hold) and enjoyed the time through the canyon and past the first water stop. I didn't really need a drink of water, but I stopped briefly anyway just for a quick break. After passing the three mile mark I started feeling a little discomfort on the slight uphills, but recovered quickly when the course would turn downhill again. I'm pretty sure that mile was my slowest. I started to pick up the pace after the mile 4 marker, passing some and getting passed by others. I didn't really see anyone that was obviously in my age group. 

I was starting to feel the strain after the five mile mark, but I was able to keep pushing to the end. I was a bit disappointed to see that I was in the 48 minute range, but based on my training, that was actually a pretty good result. I saw my wife and daughters as I stopped at the water table and learned that Amelia had finished in just over 42:00. That was a big improvement over last year and about a minute a mile faster than I had run. That made my day. She was first in her age group and the sixth female over all. I finished second in my AG, so not a bad day for this early in the year. I think we can both bring out times down a bit with some consistent training this spring.  

Easy lunchtime run with Laureen. Cool and partly cloudy, some patches of snow still on the ground. A little bit stiff and sore starting out, but felt OK once we got going.

Extended my normal morning run by extending the loop south of the Highland Glen pond. Saw a couple of other runners coming up that road. Temperature in the upper 30's and partly cloudy (meaning it was fairly dark). Felt pretty good. No aches or pains to speak of.

Noon run with Laureen on a beautiful, warm spring day. Ran another mile after we got back.

Temple route with Laureen around noon. Warm, with light overcast. Ran in shorts and short sleeves.

Extended Highland Glen loop (south along trail to Deerfield Elementary, west to 40th, north to HS, west and and south to end of park, circle around the pond and then back the same way to the flag pole, north to the underpass and then back through the orchard and along the creek). Felt pretty good over all, but noticed some recurrent plantar pain in my right foot. Didn't push it that hard today. 

When I woke up this morning I felt like I was coming down with my daughter's cold. I considered for a moment just sleeping in, but by force of habit I just got up, got dressed and headed out the door. Temperatures were in the low 40's with a slight breeze out of the south. Mostly cloudy. About a mile and a half into the run, I started wheezing and I thought I might have to cut my run short, but I just kept going and about a half mile later it stopped. I still didn't feel great, but finished the run. I was a bit nauseated afterwards, but that too passed. I'm hoping I can fight this thing.

Laureen wasn't feeling well today so we cut it short (also needed to get back for the start of conference). As Amelila was still not feeling well, we just let her sleep.

Lunchtime run with Laureen, usual Highland Glen loop on a beautiful spring day. There were construction crews in the park pulling out and cutting down trees. It looks like a major renovation is underway. Ran a couple of miles after we got back.

Early morning run on usual route. Felt kind of sluggish starting out. I feel like I'm fighting the cold that my wife and daughter have had. It's just nice to run in the cold and the dark.

Early morning run, usual Highland Glen loop. Temperature in the low 40's. Nearly full moon in the west.  

I wasn't feeling very good last night and didn't even lay out my clothes for this morning, but I woke up at the usual time and decided that I'd feel worse not going than going. I'm glad I did. For the most part it was a seemingly effortless run with no significant aches or pains. After the first mile, I started to pick up the pace (which nearly caused me to fall on my face when I hit a rough section of pavement). I felt really good by the end and noticed how light it's starting to get the last quarter mile or so. 

Clear, beautiful morning. Temperature in the high 20's. Good workout this morning. 

Went out at noon feeling pretty good. With the mild temperatures I felt like pushing it today and started out at a good pace. I could tell something wasn't quite right today. I wasn't overly hot, but started feeling sick so I dialed it back a bit. I was wheezing a bit, which indicated my allergies were kicking in, but I don't think that was the main cause. Some gastrointestinal distress towards the end. Not sure if I'm coming down with something. 

I was a little worried about this morning's run, as yesterday didn't go so well. I didn't have any wheezing or feel sick to my stomach, but I felt a little weak in the knees at times. Over all, it went well. A nice warm morning for early April. Temperatures in the low 50's. Chased some deer through the neighborhood until I realized they were heading towards the main highway. Fortunately, they turned into a field before they got there. 

I thought it was going to be raining during my run as I could hear water trickling down the gutter, but was pleasantly surprised to find that the moon was up and the skies were completely clear. I love running just after it's rained, even if it means dodging puddles in the dark. I felt the usual sluggishness starting out, but was a little concerned when I got a little wheezy about a mile and half into the run. It didn't get any worse, however, and disappeared entirely at about the two mile mark. I thought that I'd push the pace on the last half mile or so, but I was feeling pretty good at the three mile mark and started there. I felt a little wobbly at times, but was able to pretty much retain decent form. I'm thinking that next week I'll add a day of hill repeats as I need to start getting my legs ready for the WBR.

Happy Patriot's Day! 

Temperature at 5:30 was in the low 40's, no wind to speak of. Clear skies. After a warm-up mile, I started to pick up the pace as I descended into Highland Glen. I slowed as I got to the pavilion to take off my windbreaker as I was starting to get hot. It was almost light enough to see the path. Coming up out of the Glen I started picking up the pace even a little more, passed three guys who were running together in the road behind the high school (I stayed on the path). It felt about like 5K race pace. I held on to the end, but felt a little bit sick after I stopped. I said hi to Lloyd by the park parking lot as he was apparently just heading out. 

 Lunchtime run with Laureen along the golf course trail and up Canyon Road. A very light, misty rain starting out that was heavier along Canyon Road. We were fairly wet before we headed back towards the west. Even though it was a recovery day, I pushed it hard down the long hill. 

Headed out around 5:30 expecting some rain, but it was relatively warm and dry. Slight breeze from the north with overcast skies. After a mile warm-up, ran a steady pace through Highland Glen park. Coming down from the pond I ran into a couple of women out running with their dogs which were confused and a bit aroused by my headlight. I wasn't sure that they were on leashes, but they didn't bark or attack. I put some distance on them, but could still hear them a mile further on. With the increasing light in the mornings, I'm starting to see more runners out. Saw a couple of other women out jogging as I approached the trail. Pushed the last half mile at 5K race pace.

I'm glad the force of habit got me out the door this morning, because I just would have stayed in bed without it. It was probably two miles into my run before I began thinking about what a beautiful morning it was and how happy I was to be out running in the semi-darkness. I didn't push it too hard today, but I felt good when I finished.

Had the day off so I left a little later and ran a little further. Felt good.

Early run with Laureen. Pushed it hard going down into the glen and around the pond.

Left the house around 5:30, kind of stiff going down the stairs, but was fine once I got out on the road. Did a couple of hill repeats on Redwood Drive and pushed it hard the rest of the way home. Intermittent stiffness in my left knee, but nothing to be too concerned about at this point. Felt good. Weight gradually coming down.

I was extra groggy this morning, getting dressed and getting out the door. When I started running, it was like I was still in a dream. I gradually came around, but didn't feel all that energetic until I was a couple miles into the run. Ran a fairly even pace until towards the end when I put it into high gear. I didn't feel any aches or pains, but I was breathing hard and sweating pretty good by the time I finished. 

Very warm this morning with the cloud cover. We've had daytime temperatures in the high 80's the last couple of days and it hasn't been cooling down that much at night. Ran in shorts and a long sleeve shirt at 5:30 am and was a little overheated by the end. Ran just below threshold pace for most of the run. Picked it up at the end. Generally felt better than yesterday. Saw lots of people out this morning (fourteen or so). 

Set the wrong alarm for this morning, so I was late getting up. Expected to see rainy conditions but it was warm and dry (but overcast). Mostly ran at an easy pace, but picked it up the last half mile.

This was our second race for the runner's series. We'd planned this as a family run, but our daughter had a track meet in Orem that she needed to be at, so just my wife and I ran it. She was first in her age group.

 I didn't wear a watch so I don't know my splits. I started off a little fast as it was cold and I wanted to get clear of the pack. After about fifty yards I was clear and from there to the end, I was only passed once and passed one. I followed a young twenty-something guy for the whole race and caught up to him with about a half mile to go. We chatted briefly and he then pushed a little harder to the end. I think he might have been motivated by the idea of not getting beat by an old guy. Felt like I'd given it my best effort, but was surprised when about ten minutes after the race I got really wheezy and congested. I think it was allergies kicking in. Later in the day I got one of the worst sinus headaches I've ever had, so I'm glad I was able to get through the race OK. 

Nice run this morning. Didn't push it too hard even though I wasn't sore or tired. Just enjoyed the morning run through the park and along the creek. Temperature was 41, which felt great even without gloves or long pants. Was running a decent pace the last half mile or so.

Highland Glen loop at noon. Nice day, cool breeze from the south.

Ran up American Fork canyon. Didn't push it too hard. 9:07 Average (around ten minute pace on the way up, around eight on the way down). Pretty much had the road to myself except for a driver's ed car and a couple of bicyclists on the way down. Should have had a little something to eat before heading out as I was feeling a bit weak and shaky the second half.

Didn't sleep very well last night, so I turned off the alarm for 5:25 am. Woke up about twenty minutes later than usual and decided to just go out for a quick run as I knew I wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep. Ran the trail behind the high school  and then added on a little by running up Redwood Drive. Not a great run, but better than missing it all together.

Slept better (and longer) last night, but woke up not feeling very motivated. Fortunately, force of habit kept me moving as I quickly got dressed and out the door. It was a beautiful, clear, cool morning. My legs felt really good, except for a little tightness in my calves. I pushed it a little harder for the last half mile. It's nice to see more and more runners out every day. 

Went to the AF track to workout my wife and daughter. My daughter did a two mile time trial and I tried to pace her on some of the laps to try to maintain a six minute pace. I had to rest after a 1:30 lap, but she pretty much kept going. She wasn't happy with her performance, but there was a pretty stiff wind blowing out of the north and there wasn't the competition to push her and pace her the whole way. It gave me a renewed appreciation for what it takes to hold a six minute pace for a couple of miles.

Cold, clear and beautiful morning. Temperature in the upper 30's, nearly full moon. It was light enough to see the street clearly at 5:30. I've really suffered from allergies this year for some reason. Tears were streaming down my face starting out and then my lungs started to hurt and then I started wheezing about a mile and a half in. Fortunately all that went away at about the two mile mark and I started feeling pretty good (hard not to, on such a beautiful morning). With about a mile to go, I cranked it up to threshold pace and held that to the end. 

Beautiful morning for a run up AF Canyon. Temperature 47, clear skies, waning gibbous moon in the south. Even at 5:20 it was light enough to see the trail and roads.Was a bit surprised by all the people I saw this morning. Ran into a lady with two dogs on the trail (one of which was ready to tear into me), two couples on the golf course trail and eight or so runners on the way back. As I was getting ready to turn around and head back down the canyon, a couple of bikers called out a greeting and really quite startled me. I didn't hear them coming up the other side of the road and they were slightly behind me. Along that stretch of road I really thought I was all alone.  I pushed the pace on the way back to the point that my legs were starting to feel a bit wobbly towards the end. All in all, a great run. 

Steady pace, just to make sure that I didn't tighten up after yesterday's harder run.

Ran 6.25 by myself around 7 (2.1 at threshold pace) and then ran 7 more with Laureen and Amelia. Felt pretty good afterwards. No real aches or pains.

Wasn't feeling very good today. Tired and a little bit achy. Ran Highland Glen loop with Laureen at noon. Actually felt a little better when I pushed it harder for a third of a mile or so.

Ran up AF Canyon this morning. Had a headwind most of the way up, but it kept me at about the right temperature. A little more sluggish that usual starting out, but I was moving at a pretty good pace the last couple of miles. This course still doesn't feel easy, but it's getting better. No real aches or pains worth mentioning. 

Beautiful morning run with Laureen. A little cool starting out, but just perfect once the sun came up. Great start to the day.

Beautiful, clear morning. Temperatures in the low 50's. Light enough to see even at 5:25 when I left the house. Felt some soreness in my ankle for the first half mile or so, but felt great for the rest of the run. Pushed the pace the last mile.

Golf course - canyon road route with Laureen at 11:30. It was kind of hot, but there was a cooling breeze blowing most of the time. Pushed the effort and pace down the hill from just below the roundabout down to the bridge.

AF Canyon run. Was kind of expecting rain and wind this morning, but it was mostly quite nice. It took a mile or so before I really got going, but no real aches or pains to speak of. Saw a fair number of people out and about ten cars in the canyon.

Early morning run, Highland Glen loop. Cool. Temperature in upper 30's.

Building up mileage run. Extended Highland Glen loop. Breezy, warm (upper 50's) with heavy overcast. Sprinkled occasionally.

Beautiful morning run with Laureen. It was only 41 when we started out and the sun wasn't up yet, but once we got moving we didn't notice it much. When the sun finally hit, it was perfect. No real aches or pains to speak of.

A little "achy" starting out, but it quickly went away. Felt good to just run and plan out the day.

Nice run up AF canyon this morning. Not so much traffic as last week. Felt really good today and ran a little further up the canyon as a result. 

I didn't check the temperature before heading out, but it seemed like it must have been in the upper 40's. Typical Thursday loop except that I couldn't run on the creek trail this morning because it was blocked off for re-surfacing. 

Highland Glen loop.

Gorgeous morning for a run. Full moon in the southwest, birds singing. Temperature in the upper 60's. Usual Tuesday morning route. Left ankle a little sore at the end of the run, for some unknown reason.

Missed yesterday's run as I got called into work at 2:30 a.m. and didn't get back home until late afternoon. Slept well last night and was ready to go at 5:15 am, but had to take the dog for a short walk. A little on the cool side this morning, but clear and beautiful with a waning gibbous moon in the south south west. Pushed a good pace the last mile or so.

A little jogging, but mostly walking. Had an episode of sharp lower back pain on Saturday as I was working in the garden. Wasn't completely debilitating (as it sometimes is), but made it difficult to walk after sitting for more than a couple of minutes. It helped to just keep moving. 

A light run to make sure that the back was OK. The only real soreness was running downhill.

Noticed a little twinge in my back going downhill, but over all felt pretty good. Not much spring in my step, but doing OK.

Ran legs 1 and 13 of the WBR. Didn't really feel my best either run. Had some bowel issues and developed some pretty good blisters on both feet (I'm guessing from the downhill sections). Averaged 8:49 pace for the first leg and 8:23 for the 13th. 

Leg 25 of the WBR. Quads were sore from the downhill sections and my feet were sore from the blisters, but I mostly quite enjoyed this run. Temperatures must have been in the 40's, but it was clear and sunny and a beautiful morning for a run. Caught up to a guy from Riverton and chatted with him for about a mile. Was kind of dragging a bit the last mile or so. Averaged 9:19 pace.

Nice Saturday morning long run with Laureen and Amelia. For a half mile or so, we were on the same path as the AF half marathon which kept us moving at a good pace. We'll have to try again next year to get into that one as it would have been nice to just run that distance with some support along the way.

Kind of a work-out-the-kinks run this morning. Felt pretty good this morning, but maybe a little more tired towards the end of the run. Temperatures were in the low 70's, but it was still fairly pleasant for running.

Golf course, Canyon Road loop with Laureen before work. Temperatures in the low 70's, but there was a breeze out of the south so it wasn't too warm. Chased a golf ball down the hill by the driving range.

Run up AF canyon and back. Much cooler this morning (temperatures in the low 50's). Lots of cars heading up the canyon. Felt pretty good over all.

Started out kind of slow because my back was sore, but I started feeling pretty good around the three mile mark and picked it up. Feeling pretty good about where I'm at, but know I need to increase mileage and continue to lose weight. I was at 162.2 earlier in the week and RHR was down to 42. My blood pressure is sometimes running a little high though.

Routine Monday morning run. Temperature in the mid 60's. Saw a star in the east for the first time in a long time (about 5:20 a.m.). Felt pretty good this morning with no significant aches or pains. Started pushing it after about the mid-point.

Good run this morning. Temperature in the mid-50's, fairly humid. Mostly clear skies with some low clouds hovering over Mt. Mahogany. The Quail Fire in Alpine looks to be mostly out following yesterday's rain. A little smoke still hanging over the mountain. Ran through the command center set up at Lone Peak HS. Looked like they were just opening for breakfast around 5:30 a.m. Lot's of trucks and trailers and scattered tents. Seems like things are winding down for the firefighters.

Kind of a warm morning. Temperature in the low 70's and humidity above 60 percent. Venus and a couple of stars were visible just above Mt. Mahogany as I was heading out. The days are definitely getting shorter. My back was a little sore starting out and was even a little sore when I finished. Felt pretty good for the most part and pushed it even a little harder than usual the last mile or so. Saw the kids from AF run by as I was coming up the path behind the high school. Counted 31, but there might have been more out ahead. Couldn't tell at that distance whether they were girls and boys or just girls. Ran into some deer just before that, which only reluctantly moved off the path to let me pass. Saw quite a few people along the creek path this morning including the Leavitts, Lloyd and Sister Davis from the 3rd ward.

Another warm, humid morning. Temperature in the upper 60's. A little slow starting out, but felt pretty good over all. No real aches or pains to speak of. 

Highland Glen loop.

Saturday morning run with Laureen and Amelia. Cloudy and cool for July. Ran up to Alpine and followed one of the Lone Peak XC routes (where they go for hill repeats). Life is good.

Woke up at 4:45 and got up a few minutes later to take Drake for a walk. Temperature in the low 60's, high humidty, mostly cloudy. Mars and Saturn were visible for a few seconds at a time over Mt. Mahogany. Dark enough to need a headlamp at times. Felt pretty good this morning with a little extra spring in my step. Weight at 161.4 (still have a ways to go, but moving in the right direction). Signed up for the DesNews 10K last night. Amelia's running it as well.

Clear skies, temperatures in the upper 50's, high humidity. Kind of tired this morning. Took half a mile or so before I started to enjoy being out. Took a little different route today in that I ran north past the high school and then followed the path around the pond. From there I headed west to the Alpine Highway and then north to the light at the Kohler intersection. Ran east to the light and then south to the funeral home (taking a potty break at McDonald's). Pretty good run over all.

Ran up AF Canyon and back. Beautiful morning. Temperature in the upper 50's with some headwind running up the canyon. Averaged 7:30 pace on the way back.

Early morning run with Laureen and Amelia. Probably should have started at 5:30 as it started getting kind of warm towards the end. Took in the Highland Glen park, Art Dye, new PG park, then Mt. Mahogany trail and back along the creek trail.

Averaged 7:31 pace. 

Ran the usual Saturday loop, going in the opposite direction of the Timp Half. It was fun to see so many runners pass by. We ran into one of the first full marathon runners as we on the path behind our house around 6:00 a.m. (we'd started earlier, but were looping back that way). We were able to avoid the sun until about the last three or four miles.

Left the house around 5:15 am after walking the dog. Warm and humid this morning, with some cloud cover. Felt pretty good for the most part, although my calves were a little tighter than I would have expected. Didn't see too many others out this morning, but thought I heard someone cry out as I was nearing the south end of the Highland Glen road. I stopped for a few minutes to listen, but didn't hear or see anything else. It was still pretty dark. Stopped again when I came back that way after looping around the pond, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

Left the house about 5:15 am. There was a nearly full moon low in the west, but it was mostly obscured by clouds. Temperature was in the low 70's with fairly high humidity. Warm breeze coming out of the canyon. With the cloud cover it was kind of dark heading up the canyon, but I had my headlight and could still see where I was going. For some reason there was a lot of cars heading up the canyon this morning (around 15 or so). My quads were a little sore on the way up, but not enough to really affect my pace. I turned around at the 9 mile marker and pushed it pretty hard on the way down. Felt a little more tired than usual as I hit the uphill section before the pumping station. Was hot and a little dehydrated when I finished, but felt pretty good over all. No aches or pains to speak of. Average pace was 9:02. 

One of the prettiest mornings in recent memory. There was a full moon in the southwest and Mars and Saturn were just brilliant above Mt. Mahogany. I didn't check the temperature before leaving, but I'd guess it was in the lower 60's. Didn't feel as humid. Kind of started off slow, but got in the groove after a mile or so. Just enjoyed the quiet. Outside of the occasional car, didn't see anyone or anything moving about until I was about a half mile from. home.

Beautiful early morning run with Laureen. With the full moon we were able to leave early and not need a headlamp. Amelia didn't join us as she's been having problems with her knee, but she ended up doing 11 or so while we were gone. We all went out for muffins and smoothies afterwards. All in all, a great start to the day.

Nice warm morning. With the days getting shorter, there's no hint of the coming sunrise at 5:15 am. Saturn and Mars continue to separate above the eastern horizon. No moon this morning, but there's always enough ambient light along the Cedar Hills trails that you can run without a headlamp. I switched it on, however, as I started up AF canyon. Pretty stiff breeze for the half mile or so and just enough to keep you cool after that. A lot of cars heading up this morning, along with quite a few bikers as I was heading down. Passed a young woman on the way back that looked at me like I'd just jumped from behind a bush. She said I scared her and I almost said it was no wonder since she had her ear buds in. I think it's a little dangerous to be so completely unaware of your surroundings. Anyway, a good run all in all. I felt like I pushed a good pace on the way back.

Ran Alpine Days 5K with Amelia (at least I think I ran it with her...she was well out of sight after the first turn). There was a nice turnout for a local race (only cost $5). I was a bit slower than I expected, but I still managed to place first in age group. 

Felt great running in the dark this morning. A sliver of moon came up over Mt. Mahogany just after I left. I nearly fell on my face when I ran into some unexpected construction activity just west of the high school. I had my headlamp on, but it was hard to tell how uneven the ground was. Didn't see another runner, walker or even someone out to get their paper during the whole run. It's now even kind of dark when I get back.

Nice run up AF canyon. It was dark this morning without the moon. I don't usually turn on my headlamp while I'm still on the path, but I nearly ran into a couple of women out for an early walk. At first, all I saw was something dark coming towards me. I thought it might be a big dog, but it didn't bark or make any sound. I was startled enough that I stopped until I could see who or what was coming towards me. I said hi and headed up the canyon. It was quite windy for the first half mile, but it eventually died down. There were probably only a half dozen cars this morning (plus a couple of bikes and one other runner). Felt pretty good over all, but felt a little more wobbly than expected during the last mile.

Quite warm this morning. Mostly cloudy which made it extra dark at 5:15. Didn't feel especially energetic this morning, but I wasn't hurting either. As I came into Highland Glen Park this morning I noticed a white car that was backed into a parking space north of the playground. It's very unusual to see any cars there in the morning. As I was circling the pond I thought I heard some voices, but couldn't see anyone in the darkness. There appeared to be a couple of small lights in the water on the south end of the pond. It was kind of strange, but I just figured that somebody was up early to fish. I was tempted to stop and investigate further, but I couldn't really see that anybody was doing anything wrong. Didn't see anybody the rest of the run. I used to see at least a half dozen people on any given morning. I kind of like having the roads to myself though.

Early morning run with Laureen. The sun didn't catch us until about the last three or four miles. Legs were a little tired on finishing, but quickly recovered. 

There are some mornings where I don't see one other person out and about, but not this morning. I was startled when another runner was coming up the path just east of the pond. I had my headlamp on and pretty much blinded him when I jerked my head up and then when I was about to turn off to the south, he came around again and I almost ran into him. It reminded me of that story from the early 20th Century when the only two cars in a particular mid-western state ran into each other. As I got back into Cedar Hills there were a half dozen others that I passed on the streets and path. I wonder if everyone was just adjusting to their back-to-school schedule. I figure that I'm going to have to get up closer to 4:30 am to finish in time to take Amelia to school at 6:00 am.

I had to drag myself out of the house this morning for some unknown reason. I woke up as usual a little before five and got ready, but I wasn't really feeling anxious to run up the canyon. After the first five or six steps, however, whatever negative feelings I was having disappeared and I could just enjoy pounding along the path in the dark. With the cloud cover I could barely make out the path in places, but I know it so well that I could probably run it with my eyes closed. It was warm and humid as I expected, but was a little disappointed to find that there was essentially no wind coming out of AF canyon. There was a little more traffic than I expected going up the canyon, but I only had to step off the road three or four times on the way down. I was surprised to see another runner coming down the canyon as I was heading up. He must have been up pretty early. I also saw a biker coming up the canyon as I was heading down. There were also a few more people out along the golf course path. All in all I felt pretty good. A few twinges in my left ankle, but my legs didn't really complain.

A few minor aches and pains starting out, but felt pretty good once I got going. Beautiful morning with the stars brighter than I've seen for some time. Temperature in the low 60's. In addition to Saturn and Mars in the east, Orion was lying on his side just above Mt. Mahogany. Sirius came up just as I was heading into Highland Glen Park. I was kind of annoyed that there were more rocks in the road by the bend. I spent several mornings clearing that path. I started pushing the pace on my way back out of the park and felt pretty good. There was a nice breeze coming out of the canyon. 

Early morning run with Laureen. We had to cut it short in order to get back for Amelia's XC meet at AFHS.

Dark, warm and beautiful morning. Stars and planets were extra bright. Left the house a little before 5:00 a.m. My left ankle was just a little sore starting out, but I took it easy for the first half mile or so and it seemed to be OK. Turned my other ankle on the east side of the Highland Glen pond so I decided to turn on my headlamp at that point. Saw two other runners and a couple walking.

Ran up to the Timpanogos Cave sign in AF canyon. There was a nearly full moon in the west, but it was completely obscured by clouds. Very warm morning, but with a nice breeze out of the canyon. Saw a lot of bikers out this morning. Coming down the canyon I mistook several pairs of them for cars as they had very bright headlights. Saw one other runner going up the canyon as I was heading down. Raced a mother and her son on bikes when I got back on the creek trail. A bit dehydrated this morning and suffering a little GI distress.

Highland Glen loop. Nearly a full moon low in the west. High, thin clouds with temps in the upper 30's. Haven't run since I hurt my back last Friday, but it felt OK today. Didn't push it too hard, but still maintained a decent pace.