Kerry's Running Blog

Perfect morning for a run with clear skies and no wind (temperature at the start was 47 degrees). The air was fresh and clean following yesterday's rain. Felt pretty good starting out, no significant aches or pains. Starting having some GI issues about three miles in and fortunately found an open restroom. Coming around the turn at the south end of Highland Glen Park where the trail from American Fork joins in, I ran in Steve S. I don't really know him that well, I just happened to meet him on a run a couple of years ago (heading the other direction along this same stretch). Steve is someone you'd remember running with. When I mentioned what a beautiful morning it was for a run, he started singing at the top of his lungs as we were running along. Steve just looks (and mostly acts :) like the kind of guy that's been a bishop a couple of times. He is a civil engineer, a grandfather with 15 grandchildren and is a very fit 62. He used to run a lot of marathons, but has given that up to focus on shorter races. He said he's been in California the last couple of months and when I asked if he had a project that he was working on down there, he said yes...me. He said he was diagnosed with prostate cancer about six months ago and has been there for proton therapy (which involves high doses of radiation from a proton accelerator). The treatment has been effective and the side effects minimal. He has been able to continue running for the most part. It's kind of amazing how much you can learn about someone in less than ten minutes. After he turned around at 40th west I continued east to run up North Cottonwood Drive. I still had a bit of a queasy stomach so I didn't push it too hard on the way back.

Got up a few minutes earlier so I could get in a ten miler before having to take my daughter to school. Warm (57) and overcast with a slight breeze from the south southeast. I was a little surprised to see the clouds this morning as the weather reports seem to indicate it would be clear...not that it mattered that much. Conditions were almost perfect. I tried to hold to a fairly steady effort throughout which worked out to an average pace of 8:33. Felt a little tired and achy towards the end, but recovered fairly quickly afterwards. I'll try for another 7 miler tomorrow and then another ten miler on Friday and possibly Saturday.

Perfect conditions for a run this morning. Temperature was 51 under mostly clear skies with just a slight breeze from the south. Started out with the typical old-man shuffle, but started feeling pretty good after the first mile. Today's run was remarkable for all the people I saw out walking or running this morning: President Noble, Lisa Barrager, Mark Soelberg and his wife and Mary Powell were the ones I knew. I also saw Ryan Bybee again this morning and thought that I need to talk to him about getting on the blog (last year's SGM was his first marathon -- he was 21st overall with a time of 2:32). His brother, Dustin, is a senior at BYU and was on the cross-country team. I need to ask him if he's related to Blair Bybee. Blair was a friend of mine that was running marathons back in the early 80's. On top of that he was an all-around good guy, a doctor that worked with young leukemia patients up at University Hospital. I'd like to find out where he is and what he's doing now.

Conditions during this time of the year are close to perfect every day. Clear, beautiful skies. Temperatures hovering around 50 degrees. And plenty of light at 5:30 a.m. Backed off a little from yesterday's pace and felt great. I continue to have a bit or soreness in my right calf, but it really doesn't affect much of anything. Kids get out of school today so it'll be a little crazier working from home with all that excitement. 

I missed out this morning's run with Paul, Wayne and Larry because of a scheduling conflict, but I still wanted to get in at least ten. Laureen is still battling a very sore Achilles tendon, so I was on my own this morning. Started out heading south towards the temple, thinking I'd do the American Fork to Highland loop, but about a mile and a half into the run I caught up with a woman that had on the same Hobble Creek Half Marathon shirt. I said hello and said something like "nice shirt" and when she noticed I was wearing the same one, she said that she'd tried to get into Hobble Creek this year, but that it was already closed. That started a conversation and I ran with her for the next mile and a half or so. She lives in the town homes in Cedar Hills and teaches dance at Timberline Junior High. It turns out she's also doing the Wasatch Back Relay for the first time and is running the 6th set (they have a 9:00 a.m. start). We talked about that for a bit and she asked about my watch (Garmin 305) and asked if I knew of one that also monitors body temperature. I said I didn't know of one, but encouraged her to join the blog where she could obtain all kinds of useful information. On the hill heading north, she said she was going to stop and take a Gu so I took off as I needed to get back home by 10:15 or so. It's always nice having someone to run with. I ran to the top of Canyon Road and then down to the mouth of American Fork Canyon and then west to 48th, south past the high school and home. I got home just in time to shower, eat and head off to shop with Laureen and Amelia at 10:40.