Kerry's Running Blog

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.