Long May You Run

10 miles out and back from home.  felt pretty good since I took yesterday off.  I should not feel guilty about not running yesterday but I do.  Relaxed and watched football all day.  1:22:58  8:18 ave

10 miles back and forth be hind the Capitol.  1:27:08  8:43 ave.  very very cold

5.65 am miles no watch

10.1 pm miles no watch B Street route 

5.65 am miles, no watch

10.1 pm miles, B street route.  Had a strong pace tonight. 

5.65 am miles no watch

10.1 pm miles, no watch.  Felt a little sore and tired. 

5.65 am miles.  Wow, very tired today, every step was work.  I like to think that days like today build strength.

10 flat miles out and back from home.  1:33:35  9:22 ave.  This was a labored effort.  Very tired.  Slowly hammered out the miles.  I'm happy with my total mileage for the week but it was a definite grind.

10 miles behind Capitol 1:29:53  8:59 ave

5.65 am miles

10.1 pm miles B street route, no watch 

5.65 am miles

10.1 pm miles, watch free. 

5.65 am miles

10.6 pm miles, watchless, B Street route. 

5.65 am miles.  couple of inches of snow on the ground, wore trail shoes, love them.  I was very tired today.  

15.16  2:13:42  8:49 ave pace

Out and back from home, flat route.  It's nice to run during daylight. 

10 miles on the track.  Warm day, 40-45 degrees, felt like early spring.  First day above freezing for a long time.  1:29:36  8:58 ave, slow and easy.

5.65 am miles

10.9 pm miles.  warm day, 40°  1:35:23  8:45 ave pace.  With the break in the weather, all the snow is gone from the track, so I don't have to climb the mountain that is B street.  What a nice little break, flat miles! 

5.65 am miles 52:08   9:14 ave

10.9 pm miles 1:37:38  8:57 ave.  Flat run home, 6 miles on the track.  I am very tired and beat up.  It's days like these that make me think I'll never be able to run fast again.  Today was a hard pounding grind.  I did not have the benefit of energy, rhythm, flow or any of those other thinks that make running nice.  Every step was a feat of strength.  I know it's making me stronger.  I guess this is why training is hard. 

5.95 am miles  54:55  9:13 ave pace, very tired.  Put a little tape on my achilles, made a huge difference.  I'm going to do this every day for a while.

 10.9 pm miles.  8:48 ave.  6 miles on the track.  I averaged about a nine minute pace on the track.  I was pretty miserable, my legs felt heavy, every step was work and painful.  This caused me to think negatively, which defeats the whole purpose of running.  I tried to push out the negative and focus on positive things, this worked of course.  I also became angry, I was upset that the running was so labored and hurting and I'm sick and tired of the cold.  The last two miles I picked up the pace out of anger.  My last two miles were 8:13 and 8:15.  Tomorrow should me an easy day, only one short run in the morning.  Saturday I've got to put down a 20 miler, I've been putting it off the last two weekends, now is the time.  I iced both achilles tendons, light day tomorrow, looking to be reasonably strong on Saturday.  Oh, and did I say I was sick of the cold?  Yes, I'm sick of the cold.  Next week is supposed to be lows in the high teens and highs in the low 30's.  Yipee! 

5.65 am miles, no watch.  felt better from yesterday.  I was not fast today, but I felt strength in my legs.

20.28 miles out and back from home.  Totally flat, ave pace 8:57  Total time 3:01:38

Perfect morning for a run (at least for January).  It rained over night so the roads were damp and the air felt moist.  It was 7:25 am, dark , perfectly still air, bright moon in the western sky, which was the direction I was headed.  My goal was at least three hours on my feet and or 20 miles.  This is my first 20 miler before Boston.  I started out slow and planed on staying slow for the first 10 miles.  Once I hit ten I was going to evaluate what to do then, hopefully I'd be able to pick it up a little on the way back, that was the best possible outcome, however, I was prepared to slog it back at the same pace and I was still going to be happy.

First 10

9:27  9:30  9:50  9:35  9:25  9:27  9:19  9:07  9:12  9:13

11-15

9:13  9:03  9:01  8:59  8:30  I'm starting to pick it up and by mile 15 I wanted to pound hard the rest of the way but I told myself to hold back, this is my first 20 miler in the training cycle so keep it at 8:30, maybe slowly take it up to 8 by mile 20.

16-20

8:22  8:04 (oops, a little faster that I wanted) 8:08 8:04 7:21, then a cool down of .28 miles at 9:25.

I decided to hammer the last mile, I wanted Rattletrap to be proud!

After a couple of days of miserable running, this one was wonderful.  I felt very strong at mile 15.  This run turned out to be much better than I had hoped for.   A very good day indeed.  

I weighed myself after the run, 148.  I felt good about that too. 

5 miles on the track.  Beautiful day, lots of sunshine, nothing in the legs.  Yesterday took all the juice out of me.  9:57 ave.  wow.  There was no use going forward, going home and resting was far better for me than running another 5 miles, so that's what I did.  I ate a bunch of junk too!  I feel shame.

7 miles on the track 1:06:49 9:33 ave I am so tired. Normally this would be a 10 miler but i'm cutting back this week. Time to absorb some training.

5.65 am run 55:52  9:53 ave pace.  I didn't know I could run this slow.  The body is screaming for a reduced mileage week.  Brain is listening, request granted.  I'm cutting 5 miles off the afternoon run and will probably do so the rest of the week.

5.65 pm run 52:22  9:16 ave pace.  I'm sure enjoying the reduced run tonight.   

5.65 am miles  9:14 ave 52:10

5.65 pm miles  8:58 ave 52:38  

nice short, slow runs today.  starting to feel stronger, this is a good sign for the 5K on Saturday. 

5.65 am miles 54:54  9:43 ave  slow and easy

5.65 pm miles  50:50  9:00 ave pace.  A little tired but I feel like I should be in pretty good shape for Saturday's race.   

5.65 am miles. slow and easy, race tomorrow, trying to store up some leg juice.

I slowly ran the course before the race to warm up, threw in a couple of pick ups to get my legs ready to "sprint" 3.1 miles.  5K's are tough, there's no falling into a rhythm or grove or any of those things that actually feel nice.  I was shocked that I was not under 20 minutes.  I wish I could blame it on feeling lousy or a nagging injury but I can't.  I felt pretty good today and a sub 20 was a foregone conclusion with visions of perhaps a very low 19 and just maybe an 18:59 as an unexpected shocker (those pretty much never happen in this sport but I thought I was strong enough that there was a glimmer of hope).  I blame all those down hill summertime 5K's where I put up a few 18 and a half and 19 minute 5K's.  I was excited to test my true speed and did not fulfill my minimum expectation.  Oh well, a few years ago I never would have thought that I'd be here complaining about a 20 minute 5K.  I guess that's what keeps us coming back, hopefully stronger every year.

So, first mile 6:18.  I knew sub 19 had to be 6:06 so I'm thinking if I can't speed up I'm looking at 19:15, which would be great, actually anything in the 19's and I'm happy.  At the end of this mile I'm feeling great.  I even threw in a minor burst as I approached the mile marker to launch myself into the second mile, I'm rockin and rollin!  Mile two ... 6:27 ... ruh-roh!!  I'm giving it all I've got and I ain't got more to give, I thought I felt it slipping but you never know for sure until you look at your watch when you hit the mile marker.  Okay, all I can do now is keep pounding as hard as I can.  The people in front of me keep getting smaller, definitely not a motivating sight, in fact, it's a de-motivating sight.  I'm pushing and stomping and doing the positive mantra thing but I'm still not flying!  In fact, it's feeling like every third mile of every miserable 5K.  Third mile ... 6:39 ... you gotta be kidding me.  I'm thinking to myself "what kind of weak stick Boston Qualifier are you, a 6:39 ... pffffft that's not even a good mile in a 10K)  ... now I'm approaching the clock and I see the 19 and I also see the :58 go to :59 and I'm still a few steps away from crossing the line.  I can't believe what I'm seeing.  And I love this sport?  What the heck?  Can't wait for the 10K!
 

6 miles on the track  52:06  8:41 average.  Felt pretty good.  11 hours of sleep last night, very nice.

11.2 miles, six on the track 8:55 ave pace on the track.

5.65 am miles very cold but clean clear air.

10.9 pm miles 6 miles on the track 1:36:47  8:53 ave pace.  very cold, clear air, windy, single digit temps with wind chill.  The clean air was very nice!!! 

5.65 am miles.  Cold morning

10.9 pm miles.  Cold.  The air is fresh, but very cold.  The cold seams to be pounding away at my body, no cushioning.  1:39:03  9:05 ave.

5.65 am miles 

10.9 pm miles 9:01 ave 1:38:18  very tired, after the first two miles I decided to suck it up and concentrate on a strong stride.  I worked.  Looking forward to going to bed. 

5.65 am miles, no watch.

21.08 miles out and back from home, flat rout, north, Legacy Hwy.   3:09.01  9:00 average.  Happy to have another 20 miler under my belt.

4.65 miles, cold, windy, snowy, very tired, cut run short.  Went to bed at 8:45, nice nights sleep.

5.65 am miles 52:47 9:21 pace.

10.9 pm miles 1:34:22  8:39 ave.  Cold, clear blue sky, sunshine, wow.  Nice day.

5.65 am miles  slow and easy, probably about a 9:20 pace

10.9 pm miles  8:50 ave pace 1:36:16   sore legs, sore achilles.

5.65 am miles 9:17 ave pace

5.15 pm miles 8:58 ave pace, feeling beat up and tired.  Trying to let my body heal a little to race a 10K Saturday.  It sounds very painful right now. 

6.68 am run, no watch.

42:19  6:49 ave pace.  I think I'm a little faster than this but I could not have run this race any better or faster today.  I delivered my best effort and think I ran the race intelligently. I was running better during the summer, I really expected more of an improvement in this year's Winter Series races.  Oh well, at least I improved.  37 seconds better than last year, should have been around a minute better based on my 20:05 5K. 

6:47

6:54

6:53

6:53

6:46

6:42

1.25  (7:05 pace) so much for a monster kick. 

6 miles on the track.  Slow and easy after yesterday's race.  55:26  9:14 ave.  What a wonderful day, 56°, running shorts and short sleeves, wow!!  Oh, and a little barefoot running in the middle of February, yipee!!!   My last mile was barefoot, 8:51.  It felt sooooo nice.  I love the feeling of running barefoot, it really stretches out the achilles and the calves.   It's amazing how much of an impact a little sunshine and warm weather can have on your disposition, I feel great!  Chock full-o-vitamin D.

10.9 miles 1:36:50   8:53 ave

5.65 am miles 51:54  9:11 ave

10.1 pm miles 1:33:30   9:15 ave  B St route, cemetery, behind Capitol, home.  Felt very strong running up B street and 11th ave.  It's been a few weeks since I ran this route, good to be back.  Halfway through the run I started to feel fatigue.  

5.65 am miles 52:27  9:17 ave pace

10.1 pm miles nice run until the blizzard hit.  Last three miles were miserable. High winds, icy snow blasting my face.  Not quite the worst weather I've run in, but I'm sure it's top 5. 

5.65 am miles 51:03  9:02 pace.  Beautiful, crystal clear morning.  Cold, but not painfully cold, white blanket of snow, clear roads, wonderful run.

10.1  pm miles 1:34:24  9:21 ave pace.  B St route, cemetery, behind Capitol, home.  Nice afternoon.  The days are getting longer.  Spring, please come quickly. 

6.15 am miles, no watch.  Felt pretty good this morning.

21.08 flat miles 3:15:54  ave pace  9:18 ave.  Dead legs, could not generate any speed.  I knew this was going to be a slog of a run but I'm pretty sure it's building strength.  Out and back run from home, north to Legacy.  Wind at my back on the way out, in my face on the way back.  40° overcast, light rain toward then end.  Wore shorts, yipee!

9 miles back and forth behind the Capitol.  1:17:48  8:38 ave.  I ran surprisingly strong.  Yesterday was a 21 mile slog, today I planned more of the same.  1st mile was 9:34 last mile was 7:28.  Don't know where the strength came from, but it was nice.

10.9 miles, 6 on the track.  1:40:37  9:14 average pace.  Typical slog run.

5.65 am miles 53:20  9:26 ave pace, wore TED hose, lower legs feel pretty good.

 7.9 pm miles  1:13:26  9:18 ave pace, running slow, beginning to cut some miles so I can try for a decent 15K time this Saturday.  I'm feeling very beat up.

5.65 am miles  51:45  9:10 ave pace

5.9 pm miles  55:01 9:19 ave pace, slow and easy 

5.65 am miles  9:16 pace, slugging away

4.65 pm miles 41:11  8:51 pace, shortest possible distance running home, no extra miles, trying to store some leg juice for Saturday's race. 

5.65 am miles, no watch.  Sure don't feel like racing tomorrow, but this last one of the series is always a tough one.

This race went very well for me today.  All my little aches and pains did not slow me down and according to the predictor I ran what I should have based on my 5K.  Negative split too, I was 32:12 at the turn around and finished the 2nd half in 32:01.  I was so happy to be holding my pace at the end of the race, mantras help for sure.

I was in a nice little group that held together until the turn around, benefited from a little drafting but we all scattered at the turn around.  It was just me and my mantra bringing it home.  No one passed me and I passed no one. 

7:00  7:02  6:49  6:48  6:49  6:59  6:54  6:50  6:54  2:08 (7:08)

When I woke up I was delighted to see that the overnight snow did not stick to the roads.  I brought a pair of trail shoes just in case.  All week long I expected to be racing on a snow packed road and I was hoping beyond hope that there at least would not be wind.  The day exceeded my expectations, the road was clear and the wind was mild.  

This race, and this series for that matter are key to my training. I alternate 20 miles runs with the race series over a 7 week period.  20 miler, race, 20 miler, race, 20 miler, race and another 20 miler next Saturday.  I'm satisfied with my performance in this year's series.  I course PR'd all three races, which I expected to given the amount of training I've been doing.  I know I can run a little faster with some tapering but loading up the mileage was more important.  Boston is my goal race!  No more races for me until Boston.  Well, maybe a St. Patrick's Day 5K.

15.36 miles, back and forth behind the Capitol, along 11th ave, through the neighborhood over to the University of Utah and back.  Very hilly route today.  I ran slowly, since I raced yesterday.  ave pace 9:30.  Lots of sunshine today but not very warm.  Ran in tights which was a wise move.  I knew I would not be running hard enough to wear shorts.  15 miles is a good start to the week.  I'm positioning myself to hit 100 this week.  I've been planning this month (March) since last summer when I logged a little over a half a dozen 80 and 90 miles weeks.  I think I can hit 100 three times this month.  We'll see.

11.9 miles 7 on the track 1:49:19   9:11 ave.  easy running, the goal this week is lots of miles.  mid 40's for the temp, it was wonderful.  I am so happy to see March tomorrow, I don't want to run in a deep freeze any more.  I felt pretty strong at the end of the run, I know it has something to do with the warmer weather.

5.65 am miles 51:11   9:04 pace.

13.1 pm miles 2:03:14   9:24 pace.  Lots of hills, up B Street, back and forth along 11th ave, back and forth behind the Capitol, then home.  Didn't run fast, but felt strong. 

5.65 am miles 52:18 9:15 pace

11.9 miles 1:49:14  9:11 ave 7.25 miles on the track.  100 mile weeks are tough.  I'm holding up well, I front loaded a few miles this week so I only have to run about 11 miles tomorrow and a little under 6 on Friday.  I want to be kind of fresh for Saturdays 20 miler. 

5.65 am miles  53:37  9:29 pace

5.9 pm miles  55:15  9:22 pace, so happy for a short run this afternoon, bee looking forward to it all week.  I don't have speed but I still feel power in my legs.  Something good must be happening in this "slog" training.

5.65 am miles, no watch.  Only 20 away from 100!  Plan on spanking out that 20 miler tomorrow morning.

21.08 miles out and back from home including Legacy path.  Tailwind out, very strong headwind back.  I have completed my first 100 mile week.  I liked how I felt today, still felt strong the last few miles.  I'm pretty sure this is my fastest long run so far.  2:58:53  8:29 ave.  I feel pretty good about this run.  On the way back into the headwind I had a 9:30 mile, that was all due to the wind, I had been running low to mid 8's up until then.

8:15  7:55  8:10  (a fast start because I was running with someone otherwise these miles would have been 9's, but it worked out because it set the tone for the run, I was going to stay in the 8:15 to 8:30 range after this start)  8:13  8:25  8:47  8:38  8:33  8:27  8:18  8:21  Turn around  8:27  8:26  8:54  9:23  (strong headwinds after the turn around) 8:29  8:36  8:28  8:26  8:43  8:09

I just realized I've run for 26 straight days and 16 prior to that.  42 days of running over the last 43.  I'm contemplating taking tomorrow off or at least only run 4 or 5 miles, we'll see.  The last 7 weeks have been pretty intense, 3 races and 4 20 milers. 

4.65 miles, snowstorm, very wet, didn't have warm enough gloves.  Didn't feel like fighting the good fight tonight, cut my run down to 4.65.  Looks like this is going to be a low mileage week.

5.65 am miles, lots of snow this morning, ran in trail shoes for traction.  Did not time the run, just enjoyed the snow.

10.1 pm miles, B St route, over to cemetery, behind Capitol then home.   9:21 pace  1:34:29 

5.65 am miles 50:20  8:55 pace.

10.1 pm miles 1:31:18  9:02 pace.  B St route, 11th ave to cemetery, behind Capitol, home.  Felt good, a little pep in my stride.  Shaping up to be a low mileage week, only doing 11 tomorrow and Friday's are always only 5.65, haven't decided what I'm going to do on Saturday. 

5.65 am miles 52:10  9:14 pace

4.65  pm miles 37:15  8:00  pace.  Dentist appointment, straight home, nothing extra.  Warmest day of the year so far.

5.65 am miles, no watch.  I'm feeling very beat up.

ahhhh, first Saturday in 7 weeks that did not include a 20 miler or a race.  My body is thanking me and also asking for some more starting tomorrow.  Went out today for a quick 6 this morning then had me a good ole fashioned Saturday.  So this is how the other half lives?  

51:32  8:35 average pace 

17 miles on the track.  Nice warm day, 54° and sunshine.  As I started this run my goal was to go 15 miles.  Once I got a few miles into it I decided I better get some marathon pace miles in, Boston is only 35 days away.  I'm still not sure what time I should shoot for, but it's looking like about 3:15.  3:20 is my C goal and 3:10 would be wow I can't believe I ran this fast but did goal.  I think I also need to run around Boston a little on Saturday and Sunday to see what this sea level thing is all about.  If I have the strength and fitness to run around 3:15 I might pick a few extra minutes since I live and train at 4500 feet.  I guess I'll see.  So anyway, back to my run today, as I slogged away for the first few miles I thought how can I possibly run a 3:10, that's a 7:15 pace.  With my C goal being 3:20 I figured I'd run some 7:38's.  I wanted to do the last 5 miles at this pace so here is what happend.

9:24  8:51  8:55  9:03  8:53  8:51  8:02  7:58  7:49  7:36  7:27  7:28  7:15  7:16  7:12  7:12  7:14  total time 2:16:22   8:01 ave pace.  Once I hit the 7:15's I decided to see If I could bang out 5 of them.  It took a lot of strength and it felt good to tack on a few extra miles.  I considered see how many more I could tack on but it was getting very hard and I felt like I would have been entering that zone of foolish training so I made #17 my last.  I liked what I did here and feel good about 3:15.

This week is going to be another 100 miler or very close to it. 

10.9 miles  1:38:15  9:01 ave.  I can sure tell I ran hard yesterday.  Today was like lifting weights.  Each step was a repetition with a heavy weight.  I had the strength but not the speed.  It was a good pounding workout.

5.65 am miles 51:51   9:11 ave pace

13.1 pm miles  B Street route, 11th ave to the cemetery, back and forth behind the Capitol then home.  Wow, am I beat up.  This half marathon slog was a real leg builder.  9:15 ave pace. 

5.65 am miles 53:36  9:29 

13.1 pm miles 2:07:01  ave pace 9:42.  wow, that's slow.  cold, windy rain.  I am still shivering.  This was a miserable run, in fact, this one should count twice.  B St. route, 11th ave to cemetery, back and forth behind the Capitol, then home.

Starting off the week with a hard longish run is sure slowing me down now.  Tomorrow will be a lighter day (yay) and Fridays are always very light.  Looking forward to it, after this evening's run, I feel like I never want to run again.   

5.4 am miles  9:14 ave pace 49:54  felt pretty good considering how horrible yesterday was.

4.65 pm miles, straight home, nothing extra.  Ahhhhhhh, so nice to be home.  43:19   9:19 slow and easy.  Only a morning run tomorrow then 20 on Saturday.  I plan on having some spunk back by then. 

5.65 am miles  no watch.  Felt pretty good.  I've been planning all week to run a 20 miler tomorrow it's going to be windy and I find that very demoralizing.  I've already done a 20 miler in the wind, I really don't want to do another.

21.29 miles,  3:14:11  9:07 ave.  This was an out and back from home, but a lot of hills.  I turned around and the high point of the run which was 5223 feet.  The low point of the run was 4239 feet, so that's about a 1000 foot gain over eleven miles.  Almost all of the elevation gain was over about a 6 mile stretch from 4.5 miles to 11.  I chose hills today because of the wind.  I don't care much about my pace when I'm climbing.  The wind was not as bad as I thought it would be.  There were some pockets of calmness which was unexpected.  My route started at the valley floor, up Victory Road to 500 North (road north of the Capitol) loop behind Capitol over to 11th, 11th turns into Poperton and at the top of Poperton is a neighborhood that I weave through (steep climb) to get to the base of the U on the mountain.  Turn around and come home.  Got my 100 plus week in.  I'm thinking of doing another 100 miles next week and this will be the last one for this training cycle.  30 days to Boston!

10 easy miles on the track.  1:34:25  9:27 ave pace.  Very windy, didn't care, dressed warm.  It's 20° outside but the wind and no sun makes it feel very cold.  I needed at least 10 today if I had any shot of going 100 this week.   

10.9 miles 6.25 on the track.  very windy, dead legs, chore of a run.  It's mentally tough to run so many long slow miles.  I could not run any faster if my life depended on it, but somehow, it makes me faster on race day.  9:19 ave 1:41:34 total time.  100 miles this week is going to be very tough.  This is my last high mileage week.

5.65 am miles 50:30  8:56 ave pace

14.65 pm miles 2:13:23  9:06 ave pace B Street route, 11th ave to cemetery, back and forth behind Capitol, 1.5 miles on the track then home.  Legs felt pretty good.  No wind!!

5.65 am miles  51:49  9:10 pace

16.1 pm miles 2:27:50  9:11 ave pace.  B Street route, 11th ave to cemetery, back a forth behind the Capitol then home.  The uphill behind the Capitol was a real challenge.  I felt pretty good at the end of the run.  This is my last big mileage week, and today is my second to last long double day.  I'm on pace for a 100 mile week, the only thing that can throw me off would be the weather, it could be nasty tomorrow and I don't see the point in abusing myself to squeeze out some extra miles.

5.9 am miles 9:10 ave pace 54:04

16.1 pm miles 2:34:11 9:35 ave  same rout as yesterday.  B St. 11th Ave to cemetery, back and forth behind the Capitol then home.  I thought this run was going to be a lot harder.  The downhill from the Capitol hurt so I had to run easy.  It sure feels like I'm at the end of my back to back 100 miles weeks, the hard part is behind me. 

5.65 miles, no watch.  Looks like I'm going to get my 100 miles this week, a 10'er tomorrow should be quick and easy. 3 weeks to Boston, the hay is in the barn!

10 miles out and back from home.  1:39:27   9:57 ave pace.  This has got to be my slowest run ever.  My only goal today was to run 10 miles and get my weekly total to 100.  I knew I was going to go slow, but this is way slow and I kept getting slower with every mile.  Coming back I was faced with a stiff headwind.  I did not have the strength or desire to fight the wind, I gave up and just shuffled along.  This concludes my back to back 100 mile weeks, I am very tired right now.  

I received my Boston Marathon bib number in the mail yesterday.  Number 10748, that's me!  I will be at the front of the 2nd wave (9000 to 18000).  For the first time there will be three waves instead of two.  I am getting extremely excited and I feel good about my training.  My A, B and C goals are 3:10, 3:15 and 3:20.  3 weeks to the race, my taper starts now.  This next week will be more of a mental taper with mileage of about 80, not sure what I will do the next two weeks after that.  Last year I still logged some decent miles and felt like it was the perfect taper so I'll look back to last year and do something similar.  For now, no more long runs or races, just miles of fun running, maybe few marathon goal pace miles here and there.

9.9 miles 1:25:19  8:37 ave  5 miles on the track, decided to pick up the pace a little bit.  Still formulating a taper.

5.65 am miles 49:05   8:41 ave pace, it's been a long time since this run was under 50 minutes, felt pretty good this morning.

10.9 pm miles 1:37:22  8:56 ave pace   I was feeling strong and fast for the first half of this run  but then my legs got heavy.  One thing that I have noticed in this last training cycle is that even though my legs will feel sluggish, I still feel very strong.  If things go according to plan, I should have a very good run at Boston.  It's getting very close. 

5.65 am miles  53:35  9:29 ave   feeling a little sluggish, surprised I was this slow, it felt like I was a little faster.

5.9 pm miles 9:09 ave 53:54  did not feel good at all, just wanted to get home and rest.  Originally planned this to be about an 8 mile run, but no way.   

5.65 am miles  9:12 ave pace 51:57   so nice to be back in crocs.  It's a superior running shoe for me.  Running in the Kinvaras has been good over the last week, I was a little surprised how nice it felt to be back in crocs.

5.9  pm miles 53:54  9:08 ave  what a beautiful afternoon, 65°.  When I'm running a feel like there is now way in the world I could even run one mile at my marathon goal pace, forget about stringing 26 together.  I felt exactly the same way last year and really ran the Salt Lake marathon well.  So I guess this is a good sign? 

8.25 easy slow miles with Bill, south end of the valley.

5.9 miles 8:48 ave pace 51:52 total time

5.65 am miles 48:25  8:34 ave

5.9  pm miles  48:07  8:09 ave

I can feel my taper kicking in, got to be careful not to run too fast.  Very windy today, nice run, feeling pretty strong. 

5.65 am miles  52:31  9:18 pace, feeling beat up.  

4.65 pm miles  41:27  8:55 pace 

put on the old red crocks, pretty thin soles.  I want to get these over a thousand miles and beyond. 

5.15 am miles.  beat up.  48:28  9:25 pace   not feeling well at all.

6 miles out and back from home.  Snow, very wet, I could not believe how wet I was after 46:59.   8:42  8:28  8:06  7:28  7:08  7:07.  Ave 7:50

I felt like a Boston Marathoner today, what a feeling! 

5 miles 48:05  9:37 ave  behind the Capitol.  Wore the shoes I'm going to wear for the marathon.  Sure felt nice to put on my old friends.  These shoes are pretty much out of life, this might be their last race.

4.65 am miles  43:53  9:26 ave pace, slow and easy

4.65 pm miles 41.12  8:51 ave pace,  slow and easy, storing up leg juice for Monday.

4.65 am miles 44:08  9:29 ave slow and easy

4.65 pm miles 41:08  8:51 ave, more slow and easy 

4.65 am miles. rain and sleet, actually felt kind of nice.  no watch

4.65 pm miles.  Stopped at the Salt Lake Marathon expo, nothing too terribly interesting.  

2.5 mile easy run in Boston Common.  Ready to go!  Couple of quick little spurts just to feel alive.

Perfect day for a marathon, cool, sunny and a tailwind.  I was poised for the run of my life, three years of training just waiting to be downloaded onto the holy grail of marathons.  Everything went perfectly leading up to this race.  I was healthy, strong and luckily suffered no set-backs, I was ready.

The hotel was a small Boston block away from The Commons (Boston Park Plaza) where we caught the bus.  I arrived at my designated time but still had to wait in line for an hour and a half.  I didn't care, I had to wait somewhere so what the heck.  The drive to Hopkinton was fine until we exited the freeway.  Traffic was bumper to bumper and it was cutting into my settling in time at Athletes Village, which I was looking forward to.  I wanted to wander around and do some chit chatting with the other runners.  I didn't have this opportunity while standing in line at The Commons because I happened to be surrounded by people who did not speak English.

What little time I did have at the village was spent standing in a porta-potty line, I didn't really have to go but I figured I'd get in one more "clearing out" since it had been such a long time since I woke up and did my morning routine.  

I barely had enough time to get from the porta-potty to the bag drop, I felt a little rushed but still everything was going smoothly for my run of a lifetime.  I made it to corral #2 with about a minute to spare. (second wave)  Everything was perfect.  If I had a complaint it would be that I didn't have enough time to soak it all in, I was a little stressed because I was not sure I would make it to the line in time.  Looking back, this is much better than spending an inordinate amount of time standing in the corral.

I'm finally here, wearing the shirt, shorts, socks, watch, shoes and gloves that I always envisioned running Boston in.  My minimum goal was 3:20, my "oh my gosh" goal was 3:15.  My plan was to run 7:30's until the Newton hills and then gauge my strength, maybe give up 7:45 to 7:50's.  I really thought I'd still be able to maintain 7:30's through the hills and then hammer down the last six miles at about 7:15.  In my heart of hears I knew I would come in at 3:18 and I would be incredibly happy with that.

Gun goes off and I'm hitting the starting mat about a minute or so later.  Sea of bobbing heads in front of me, what a sight.  I had been warned by many people that it is difficult to stay at your pace because of the excitement, so I went out of my way to stay in control of my pace.  I wanted the first mile to be the slowest.

1.  8:15  mission accomplished, a little slower than I wanted but I'd rather have this split over something in the 6's.

2.  7:28  perfect baby!  Right according to plan.

3.  7:34  perfect, pacing is a strong point of mine, everything going well.

4.  7:20  way happy, perfect start.

5.  7:37  perfect again, this mile was slightly uphill.

6.  7:26  maintaining perfection, I'm very happy, but my stomach feels full and I'm not passing any wind.  This starts to dominate my thoughts and keeps me from feeling a good groove.  If I could just pass some gas I'd feel great, but I can't and I know that this could mean trouble.

7.  7:31  another great split but know my stomach does not feel good and the thought of hitting a porta-potty is really bringing my down because I don't want to give up any time but then again, it might cause me to run poorly if I don't.  My mind is being dominated right now with this quandray.  I wish I could just groove on down the road and enjoy the greatest marathon ever.

8. 7:35  another good split but my stomach is killing me, I've know succumbed to the porta-potty and began a search.  I ate a fig newton during this mile, one of about 4 or 5 that I will eat during the race.  To this point, I have only taken about 6 or 7 swallows of water, just enough to be comfortable.

9.  9:16  yes, found a porta-potty.  This mile is downhill so I figure I lost 2 minutes and this is bumming me out.  The 3:15 is now off the table.

10.  7:25  another good split, this is slightly up hill so I feel like I picked up about 5-8 seconds.  However, my stomach is killing me, it feels like I'm carrying a set of steak knives in my belly.  The porta-potty stop did not cure what was ailing me.  

11.  7:36  still liking my splits and time, but I'm consumed with stomach pain and unable to enjoy by Boston experience.  I'm hoping it's just a rough patch and it will subside soon.

12.  9:18  I saw a porta-potty and figured I'd better hit while I had an opportunity.  I'm really bummed at this point because I've given up 4 minutes.  In 12 marathons I've never had to use a porta-potty, or even stopped for a quick pee at the side of the road.

13.  7:34  Totally consumed with my stomach issue, in case you haven't figured it out, it's full blown diarrhea.  My stomach is killing me, I'm upset that this is how my Boston run is unfolding, and I know there are more stops i'm going to have to make before this is all said and done, what's even more maddening is knowing that I have a lot of strength but my stomach is ruining my race and experience. 

14.  7:39  plugging along trying to cope with the hand I've been delt, carrying a table setting of steak knives in my stomach.  

15.  10:17  wow, this one was bad.  I didn't have the luxury of a porta-potty, it hit without warning.  I ran off the course and finished my business behind a dumpster.  Key word here is "finished"  ... I run back to the course having lost another several minutes and one of my gloves.  I feel horrible, both physically and emotionally,  who wants to be around someone who pooped their pants?  I feel like a little kid who had an accident.

16.  7:17  downhill mile, I actually felt really good for this mile, my best feeling mile so far, I throughly enjoyed it.   

17. 7:55  the first of the Newton hills.  I'm still very strong by I've easily given up 7 minutes and I'm worried about how I'm going to hold up running a marathon on 8oz of water and 1 fig newton?  There is no way I'm going to eat or drink from here on out, in fact, I haven't since mile 8 so I go ahead and throw away the rest of my fig newtons.

18.  8:08  2nd Newton hill.  Since my goal times are wiped out I'm finding it difficult to push.  My dreams are crushed, my stomach hurts, I have diarrhea, I know the rest is going to be more unpleasantness.  Whata-ya-do?  Bummer!

19.  10:48  wow, another unplanned blow-out on the course.  I finished my ordeal in some bushes in the front yard of some poor unsuspecting Bostonian resident.  I worry about the children, I figure the adults understand and probably have witnessed such an event before.  Once again, several minutes lost along with my other glove.

20.   8:06  3rd Newton hill, wow is me, I'm having a bad race.

21.  8:27  Heartbreak?  pfffft...  my heart was broken long before this.  My legs are getting a little heavy, I think this is due to no food or water since mile 8.

22.  7:39  My best mile of the race, I felt great so I decided to run a little harder than I probably should have but I didn't care, I'm going to saver this mile and let it feel good.  This was in front of Boston College, the students were going nuts and I fed off of their cheers.  What a wonderful experience. 

23.  8:17  Just running out the miles at this point without no motivation.  I really wanted to be digging deep and hanging on to a killer finish time but that was lost a long time ago.  I could not do the math to figure if I could still break 3:30 (re-qualifying time) but as well as I could figure it seemed like that was out of the picture as well.  Remember, no food or water since mile 8, no glycogen to use the brain.

24.  8:08  feeling sorry for myself, no glory, no hype, I'm a poopy mess.

25 to finish line.  10:07  which is an 8:26 pace.  For three years I envisioned this finish, pounding my way to a great finish time, no such luck.  I just want a real bathroom.

So, if you did read this it's no accident that the report is extremely bowel centric.  That's how my race went.  All I could think about was my stomach pain, hitting a porta-potty and how messed up my race was.  I came into this very well trained.  3500 training miles, tons of PR's in 5 and 10K's along the way.  It's frustrating not being able to run a dream race, however, the dream of getting here is what I cherish.  No mater how I ran, I'm still a Boston Marathoner.  Getting there is the dream, the personal validation that comes along with it.

I feel like I could run a 3:33 any day of the week.  Well now I can say "I can run a 3:33 with diarrhea, virtually no water and one fig newton, so there!"  

I am anxious to race again.  I'm thinking of running the Desnews Marathon with the intention of unleashing all my frustrations.  

Oh, almost forgot.  Boston is an incredible marathon.  These people know how to put on a race and the support of the residence is incredible.  Boston is every bit as incredible as I thought it would be.  It is a very worthy goal to pursue.  If I could afford to run Boston every year I would.   

2 easy miles from the hotel, down around the Charles River and back.

4.65 miles, back in the saddle.  39:01   8:23 ave pace

5.65 am miles 49:39  8:47 ave pace

4.65 pm miles 40:31  8:84 ave pace

not sure whats next for me, just trying to get my sea legs back. 

5.65 am mile 8:52 ave pace 50:06 total, good feeling run today

4.9  pm miles 8:35 ave pace 42:03 

5.65 am miles 51:16  9:04 pace

5.65 pm miles 50:17  8:54 pace, one mile barefoot on the track.  I hope barefoot season is here to stay for a while, it felt good, really stretches out the achilles  tendon.

8:49 ave pace

5.65 am miles 9:08 ave pace

4.56 pm miles  8:26 ave pace

5.65 am miles 50:53 9:00 pace

5.65 pm miles 47:06  8:20 pace 1 mile barefoot on the track.  nice warm day today, warmest of the year. 

5.65 am miles no watch, just running to work.

6.03 out and back from home.  53:48  8:55 ave.  64° loving the nice weather.  

5.25 miles on the track 4 miles at 7:31 ave pace, .25 cool down 1 mile barefoot.

4.65 miles 8:48 ave 40:56  run home in the rain.  

5.65 am miles 8:57 ave 50:34

5.65 pm miles 8:32 ave 48:13  mentally and physically starting to come around.  Starting to wrap my mind around getting ready for another marathon July 25th.  Staying on flat land for a while, once my mind and body are right I'll start with major downhill running, which means major uphill running.   

5.65 am miles 9:06 pace 51:21 

5.8 pm miles 8:20 pace 48:19 total.  1 mile barefoot on the track.

5.65 am miles 51:10  9:03 ave pace.  Not much spring in the step this morning, but a beautiful day.

5.75 pm miles 52:13 9:05 ave pace.  Nice and warm this afternoon, I think I actually sweated!  One mile barefoot on the track. 

5.65 am miles.  no watch.

12.93 miles 2:01:37  9:24 ave pace.  Up and down City Creek starting from the Capitol.  Beautiful warm day.  Snow at Rotery Park which cut the run short by about .04 miles.  This run is normally 13 miles.  This is my longest and toughest run since Boston.  I feel kind of hammered right now.

4.65 miles 41:45  8:59 pace  very very tired.

5.65 am miles 51:35  9:08 ave

4.65 p mile 40:47 8:46 ave.  Very tired 

5.65 am miles 51:08  9:03 ave   sluggish this morning.

4.65 pm miles 39:45  8:33 ave  I can't believe that just a little over a month ago I was logging 100 mile weeks.  I'm a little depressed thinking what it's going to take to get back there again.  I can't believe the difference between then and now, physically and mentally.  I feel like an old wash out.  I'm temped to run a small local 5K Saturday.  It would do wonders for me mentally if I can clock a solid sub 20.  On the flip side, if I'm over 20 I'd have to shoot myself. 

5.65 am miles  45:38  8:04  what a day, beautiful run in the rain.  After feeling like I'd never be strong again, or have a bounce in my step, today changed back to normal.  Felt like a real runner today.

4.65 pm miles 38:58  8:23  more rain this afternoon, quite heavy for a moment.  Wonderful run.  I love running in the rain especially when there is no wind.  Still feel like a runner.  I just might do that little 5K Saturday. 

21:11  6:50 pace  This is a very small local race, only about 50 people.  I am embarrassed with my overall time.  This is a perfectly flat course and I wanted to race it to see where I am physically.  Well, I'm not in a very good place.  So I guess I need an excuse and I think I have one.  Four days after Boston I had oral surgery, apicoectomy to be exact.  It's been tough, still have some pain and some infection a month later.  I hope to bounce back soon and get that 8 ft tall and bullet proof feeling.  Haven't picked the next race, it will be something in June and then Desnews Marathon in July.  We'll see how this unfolds.

6 miles on the track.  Felt pretty good today.  The meds my oral surgeon gave me are working well.  Dull pain and swelling are gone.  50:20  8:23 ave.  Cool and rainy all day until about 2pm.  The sun came out and I was on my bike headed to the track at 4pm.  Nice little ride run ride.  The ride was 8.31 mile.  I was feeling great on the run, I could have done a lot more but sometimes it's nice to quit while your strong.  As I prepare for Desnews, I'll have plenty of time to wear myself out. 

4.65 miles mostly in a strong headwind.  39:46  8:33 average pace.  I am feeling much much better.

6 am miles 50:31  8:25 ave pace, best feeling run I've had for a long time.  I think it has something to do with the steroids my oral surgeon gave me which I started taking Saturday.  Tomorrow is the last one, so I guess I'll start feeling crappy again around Friday.

6.65 pm miles 55:44 8:23 ave pace.  Still feeling great.  Absolutely no achillies pain.  I wonder if that comes from the meds I'm being fed? 

6.15 am miles 52:38  8:33 ave pace.  Feeling real good!

6.65  pm miles  58:17  8:46 ave pace 

5.65 am miles.  50:15  8:54 ave pace.  No run home today, jaw hurt, left work to go see the jaw Dr again.  Slight pain and discomfort and swelling back.

10 miles out and back from home.  Nice run today, 61°  1:24:43  8:28 ave pace.  Had to stop abut 4.5 miles into the run to wait for a rancher to move his 40 head of cattle down the road.  Turns out, all forty head were bulls.  The rancher stopped me in the road and told me to wait, so we chatted a bit.  He told me each bull gets 20 cows to himself.  It was quite a sight seeing this heard of bulls coming down the street.  They were snorting and grunting, head butting each other and pushing one another into the ditch on the side of the road.  It was quite a sight.  I was terrified as they got closer.

17 miles 2:29:29  ave 8:48.  One mile at the track, then straight up to the top of City Creek Canyon.  Light rain the whole run, temps in the 40's.  At the top, I hit my lap button and kept it going until I hit the gate.  I'm preparing for a steep downhill marathon (Desnews) so I want to start keeping track of the downhill parts.  From top to bottom 41:43 7:36 ave pace.  I was running down pretty hard, I wanted a good effort to use as a baseline for training.  the next two miles down to the track are also a steep downhill run.  Those miles were 7:35 and 7:32.  When I got back to the track I wanted to put in one more hard flat mile.  It was 7:19.  My legs were dead, this was pure strength.  I had no bounce in my step.  It felt like wight lifting.  It looks like this is going to be my staple workout to get ready for Desnews.  Up and down City Creek.  During the week I'm going to start by B Street runs, this gives me some downhill during the week.  I haven't done B Street since tapering for Boston.  It will be nice to return to it.

10 miles out and back from home  1:23:18  8:20 ave pace  42:43 out 8:33  40:35 back 8:07

4.65 miles  41:54  9:01 ave pace.  very very very tired.  came home, ate everything in sight and went to bed early.  This run was a huge chore. 

5.65 am miles  48:47  8:38 ave  feeling pretty good this morning, clipping along pretty well.  My jaw stopped hurting sometime on Sunday, it's been nice, I think it is behind me now.

7.01 pm mile  8:57 ave 1:02:45  Back to the B Street rout home.  The last time I went up B street was the end of March.  It's nice to be back.  Great up hill run, over 400 feet in a little more than a mile, then 2.5 miles back down. 

5.65 am miles  48:25  8:34 ave pace

7.01 pm miles B street rout, ran pretty hard, screwed up my watch so I don't have a time, but I know one of the downhill miles from the Capitol to the track entrance was 7:38. 

5.65 miles 46:19  8:12 ave pace. feeling real good!

17 miles 2:35:55  9:10 ave  City Creek Canyon run.  2 miles on the track then two more miles to the guard shack, then 5.5 miles to the top of the loop.  Beautiful day today, kind of cool in some parts but the heat felt nice.  I started at about 9:00 am.  I did not run super hard coming down, which is the emphasis of this run.  From the guard shack up 57:18  10:25 ave.  I know the first three miles were 29:30 or 9:50 pace, the next two miles would have been 27:48 or 11:07 pace.  wow.  Back down was 44:38  8:07 ave.  Last week my down hill time was 7:36.  This run really kicked me hard.  I was dead by the time I got back to the track.  The down hill miles from the Capitol to the track were 8:24 and 7:50.  I planned on running at least one more hard mile at the track but when I stopped to open the gate I decided to stop for good.

4.65 pm miles 40:48  8:46 pace.  nice little short run home.  Little stiff from yesterday but not as stiff as my last City Creek run.  Progress?

5.65 am miles 47:11  8:21 ave pace  wonderful morning run.

8.1 pm miles 1:11:02  8:46 ave pace.  nice warm sunny afternoon.  B street route, 1 mile on the track barefoot 8:06 for that one mile. 

5.75 am miles 50:13 8:44 ave  another wonderful morning.

7.1 pm miles 1:03:07  8:53 ave  B street route.  By the end of the run the wind was blowing hard.  I got sand blasted a few times, I had grit in my mouth and eyes when I got home.  Nothing stops the run! 

; 

5.95 am miles  48:07  8:05 ave  feeling pretty good, wonderful morning for a run.

7.1 pm miles 58:06  8:11  ave.  B Street route.  My pace up B Street 10:20 for 1.26 miles.  I'm too tired to figure the pave for the rest of my run but they were probably 8's. 

5.65 am miles 48:53  8:39 ave   what a wonderful day to be alive, healthy and running.  Beautiful morning!

10 flat miles out and back from home.  1:23:04  8:18 ave pace.  Last two miles were 7:20 and 7:11.  Worked in the yard all day yesterday (about 6 hours), most of it squatting down pulling weeds.  My legs are very sore.  

4.65 miles 37:31   8:04 ave

5.65 am miles 49:08  8:42 ave pace.  Loving the pre summer mornings.

10.1 pm miles 1:24:26  8:22 ave pace.  B  Street route, added an out and back totaling 3 miles along 11th avenue.  I focused on running the downhills hard,  8:35 (1st half mile uphill, 2nd half downhill)  7:45  7:43  7:20 , last two miles flat 8:04  7:43.  Felt nice to sweat. 

5.65 am miles 48:40  8:37 ave

10.1 pm miles 1:31:52  9:06 ave.  Warm afternoon 84°  B Street route, out and back along 11th.  This run was much harder than yesterday.  Wiped me out. 

5.51  am miles  9:36 ave pace  52:53 total time.  Tired and beat up.

10.1  pm miles 1:37:40  9:40 pace.  This run was pretty much horrible.  The wind was blowing and my body was(is) tired and week, plus, it was cold.  This was a top 10 most miserable run.  I'm glad it's done, and I'm glad I did it.  I went outside a few minutes ago to take out the garbage and now it's a beautiful evening.  What a crazy spring/early summer.  My route was B Street, out and back along 11th ave then home.  Wrapped both achillies tendons, worked well.

10 miles out and back from home.  Ran in the rain, got soaked twice.  I kind of dried off between soakings.  This was about as hard of rain as I've ever run in.  1:26:19  8:38 average.  I feel like a slug for not running Friday or Saturday and only going 10 today.  I really need to start putting in some 20's to get ready for Desnews.

7.65  1:06:39 8:43 ave pace.  2.25 miles barefoot on the track.  I think I went a little too far, I have a few blisters in the making.  I've been doing a few miles here and there barefoot, no more than one mile at a time, 2 miles should have been no problem, in fact, I was going to go 3 barefoot.  It felt really nice in the warm afternoon sun but my feet, although seemingly strong enough, may not be tough enough on the bottom.  I'm hoping that I didn't mess up the bottom of my feet, I've got some monster up and downhill miles to put in.

5.65 am miles 49:14  8:42 ave pace.  Got a nice blister on the bottom of my foot and big toe.  I still can't believe that 2.5 miles barefoot on the track would do such damage.  Oh well, gotta keep running.

10.1 pm miles  1:33:31  9:16 ave pace.  B Street route.  I saw something absolutely amazing this afternoon.  It was about 5pm, I'm running along 11th ave and two bucks cross the street no more than 20 feet in front of me.  I could no believe it.  Their racks were in velvet and looked to be about 4 points.  First, it's rare to see a buck, not only that, but two together.  It's also rare to see two bucks in a residential setting at 5pm in 80° temps.  Wow, lucky me!    I had to run on the easy side because I'm running on blisters.  I decided to run in flats today thinking it would be better on my blisters which I think turned out to be a good choice.  Tomorrow I think I'll run in a new pair of Saucony fast twiches that I've had stashed away for a few months.

5.65 am miles 51:07  9:02 pace

10.25 pm miles 1:33:13  9:06 pace  87°  B Street route.  I was wiped out after about 7 or 8 miles, the last few were tough.  I had to stop for traffic and was quite dizzy, but was okay as soon as I started running again.  Time to get heat trained.  Ate too much pizza tonight, feel very bad, even three hours later.  I'm not going to get that girlish  figure sucking down two platefuls of pizza.  First day in Saucony Fastwitch 5s, good shoe,  I like it better than the Kinvara.  Had to stay in traditional running shoes today because of my blisters.  Today my toe blister popped on the afternoon run.  I'm gong to run in them tomorrow.

5.65 am miles  50:08  8:52 pace.  Slowing down a little this morning.  I still felt bloated from my pizza pig out last night.  By the end of the run I felt pretty darn good, first mile or so was rough.

10.1  1:33:13  9:14 pace  B Street route.  This run was a killer.  My overall time does not seem correct because most of my downhill miles that I ran were 9:30's and the last two flat miles were 10 and 9:45.  I thought about cutting this run short by half.  It would have been a wise decision but I'm glad I did it anyway.  Slow run in 90°.  I've got to burn off all that pizza and running fatigued  in the heat should be good training for Desnews.

5.15 am miles no watch.  It's finally summer!!

21.89 out and back from my front porch to the top of City Creek Canyon and back.  3:28:04 total time and 9:30 ave.  Speed was not the focus here, I wanted to go long at a fairly high temp, 80° and be on my feet for 3+ hours.  Mission accomplished.  River rushing hard, beautiful day.

I've determined that Crocs are a superior downhill shoe so I've decided to run Desnews in them. 

4.65 miles home, nice and easy 41:14  8:52 pace  87°

5.65 am miles 50:55 9:01 pace.  A cyclist was hit in front of Energy Solutions Arena this morning.  He was taken away in an ambulance.  I think he's one of the regular cyclists I see every morning, I feel horrible, it's a shame that something so simple can be so dangerous.  I count my blessings several times a day that me and my family are happy, healthy and usually safe.

10.1 pm miles 1:34:38  9:22 ave pace, B Street route.  Mid 90°'s today, my wife said it was 97° when I got home.  Tough run in the heat, I felt like I was running pretty hard the last two miles and those were 9:01 and 8:53.  I had a steep downhill mile at 8:15, the one from behind the Capitol to the valley floor.  Good solid hot hard downhill training.  Drank a lot of water when I got home. 

5.40 am miles 53:16   9:52  that is a very slow pace, I'm beat up.

10.1 pm miles 1:41:35  10:04 YIKES   ...  that's slow.  Another warm day in the 90­°'s, it wasn't bad at all because it was cloudy.  I thought about cutting this run short to get some rest for Saturday's 5k. I bargained with myself and agreed to cut tomorrow short and Friday I probably won't run at all.  You'd think that a bunch of miles at a slow pace day after day wouldn't do anything for you but it's surprising how well it works, at least for me.  It's days like this that make me wonder how in the heck I can string together a few 6 something minute miles in a 5K, it seams impossible right now. 

5.65 am miles 54:10  9:35 ave  tired and beat up. 

4.65 pm miles 44:18  9:32 ave  No 10 miler today, rest tomorrow and race Saturday.

20:23  ave 6:34.5 average pace.  1st mile 6:29  2nd mile 6:32  last 1.1 mile was 7:22 which  is a 6:42 pace.  I'm a little surprised that my fastest mile was the uphill mile.  I was very happy after that first mile because I thought my next two miles were going to be faster.  Didn't happen.  Kam said good morning to me has he passed me between the 2nd and 3rd mile.

This is the first time I've run this race.   Very impressive, 22 bucks if you register day of, nice microfiber shirt.  No chips, it's all manual pull tag, key ring thing.  Execution was flawless.  Results where in fast and accurate.  These people, the Rotary club I guess, did an excellent job.

Very nice finish line too.  This race is very well supported by the community, in fact, I think all of them knew I wasn't a Centerville boy. 

Beautiful day for a race, I had a great time. 

4.65 miles 40:36  8:44 pace.  Took Sunday and Monday off, it felt nice to take it easy, outside of  some yardwork, which was kind of pleasant, laid low and rested.  I'm planning one more long uphill - downhill body slam before the Desnews marathon.  I'll probably do this on Saturday morning.

5.65 am miles 50:52  9:00 ave pace.

10.1 pm miles 1:32:19  9:08 ave pace.  B Street route.  I'm tired.  

5.65 am miles

10.1 pm miles 

5.65 am miles.  48:24  8:34 ave pace.  Very happy that there is only one run today.

22 mile run from home to the top of City Creek and back.  This run was designed to emulated my Desnews marathon morning prep and time of day run.  I woke up at 2:00 am, ate my oat meal, drank two cups of coffee and watched my recorded version of Friday's Tour de France.  I went to bed at 8:30 to get as much sleep as I could.  My achilles tendon is very sore, so I taped up my ankles, slipped on my white Crocs and headed out the door at 5:00 am.  The running goal today was to climb rather slowly to the top of City Creek and then blast down at an aggressive pace and then hold a marathon goal pace for the last flat 3.5 miles home.  My "B" goal for this race is 3:19:59 (7:38 pace), this would be 10 minutes faster than my BMQ time which puts me in the second early registration wave.  I think I have a realistic shot at this time.  If I hit it, I then have to figure out how in the heck to pay for another trip to Boston, oh joy!

The slow climb to the top of City Creek was rather painful, the slow pace and steep uphill really stressed the achilles.  It was a beautifully cool morning, with my achillies aching I was concerned that I would not be able to do the downhill bomb I was hoping for, but I soldiered on.  

Mile splits up which was 11 miles.

9:22  9:16  9:13  10:29  10:36  10:31  10:05  10:16  10:29  10:43  11:28

Mile splits down

7:24  6:43  6:53  6:53  6:44  7:01  7:08  6:55  7:17  7:27  7:30

The pain subsided within the first mile down, then I went for it.  I kept glancing down at my Garmin to check my pace and I liked what I saw.  There were a few times I was sub six, in fact, 5:43 was the fastest I happened to see.  I wish I could do that on the flat, and for many miles, oh well.

I'm very happy with this run, It turned out better than I expected and it's a confidence builder going into the Desnews marathon.  I got the morning routine down and the downhill training seems to have me prepared.  The hay is in the barn!

For you bird people, I saw a lazuli bunting in City Creek, very beautiful bird.

Total run time, 3:10:28   8:39 ave pace.

Up time 1:52:28  10:13 ave pace 

Down time 1:18:00   7:05 ave pace 

2 super easy miles on the track about 10 minute ave pace.  Mainly wanted to get on my bike for a little spin.  Watching the Tour de France over the last 9 days has made me bike crazy, that and suggesting to another runner on the discussion forum to put his bike away and forget about it.  I feel like a hypocrite.  

4.65 miles 8:52 ave pace 41:14 total time.  Mondays are rough, re-entry back to work and still feeling the effects of Saturday's long run.

5.65 am miles 53:59  9:33 pace

4.65 pm miles 41:03   8:50 pace   

Easing back on the miles, I guess I'm tapering a little.  I can still tell I ran long and hard Saturday.

5.65 am miles  51:40  9:09  ave pace

4.65 pm miles 40:12   8:39 ave pace 

keeping it slow and easy, still feeling a little tired. 

5.65 am miles  51:33  9:07 ave

4.65 pm miles 40:31   8:43 ave   Another easy short day.  Had pesto for dinner made with fresh home grown basil.  Wow, been waiting a long time for this meal, looking forward to many more before "basil season" is over.

5.65 am miles 51:49   9:10 pace.  I doubt I'm going to run Saturday or Sunday, looking forward to the rest.

18.5 miles on the bike.  No running, nice easy weekend, got some chores done, it was very nice.

5 miles 92°  42:57  8:36 ave, hot day.  Hard to believe that I'm going to be marathoning in a week.  Gotta trust the training.

5.15 am miles 47:58   9:19 pace.  great night's sleep, over 9 hours.  woke up late so I had to run with a belly full of oatmeal and coffee.

4.65 pm miles  39:27  8:29 ave pace.  Felt better this afternoon, had a little spring in my step. 

5.65 am miles  48:16  8:33 ave pace.  I have not felt this good for a long time.  I hope this is a sign that my taper is working.  

4.65 pm miles  39:42  8:32 ave pace.  Still feeling good.  Looking forward to resting up the next few days and watching the Tour de France.  Tomorrow's stage is going to be exciting! 

4.65 am miles  42:38  9:10 pace.  Easy cruise into work, did not want to run hard.

4.65 pm miles 38:50  8:21 pace.  Pretty much done running until the race, if anything I might run a few interval half miles at the track at marathon goal pace or something like that.  Strickly psycological.

Could not have asked for better weather for this race, the sun was rarely out and it was nice and overcast for most of the race, most importantly at the end.  Heat was not an issue at all, and for that I'm grateful.  Waiting at the top of East Canyon wasn't too bad, I brought a blow up mattress, pants and a long sleeve shirt.  I needed more than the long sleeve shirt, I was cold.

The last time I ran this race was 2003 and it was my first marathon.  The course is a lot different so I didn't know exactly what to expect.  I wound up liking it but It's definitely not one I will make an effort to do every year.  However,  I like that it's easy in that it's a local marathon so there's brain damage involved with running it.  Roll out of my own bed, short drive to Energy Solutions Arena and I'm done.  No planes, trains, hotels and all that stuff.

My Boston run last April was not the race I wanted to have so I was anxious to get out and marathon again and actually post a time that was indicative of my capabilities.  I wore a pace band for a 3:19, that was my A goal, B goal was sub 3:25 so I can at least hit one of the early registration waves for Boston.  C goal was to just run a qualifying time.  I feel pretty good about my 3:23:55, it's a PR but It still might not be fast enough to win the Boston registration war.  Moreover, I need to figure out how to finance this little trip.  

So, here I go, the plunge from the start line:

1.  7:07

2.  6:51

3.  6:55

4.  7:26

5.  7:51

6.  7:58

7.  8:52

8.  8:24

9.  7:18

10. 7:41

11.  7:26

12.  7:23

13.  7:32

14.  7:35

15.  7:29

16.  7:44

17.  7:40  (at this point, only 15 seconds off pace for 3:19)

18.  8:08   (fogettaboutit) 

19.  7:52   (just hanging on, making sure I don't blow my sub 3:25)

20.  8:01

21.  8:36

22.  7:57

23.  8:06

24.  7:48

25.  8:08

26.  8:27

.2  1:45   (8:45 pace, yes I was sprinting)

The end of this race is tough, I had NOTHING left and hung on for dear life for my sub 3:25.  If I didn't have that carrot dangling in front of me the last 6 miles of this race would have been a lot different.  For the rest of the day I was extremely uncomfortable.  This race really kicked me hard and left me nauseated until about 5:30pm.  Feeling pretty good now and looking forward to going on an eating binge for the next few days.  Ice cream, cookies, candy, pie, donuts and chocolate malts.  Oh, and I'm probably not going to run on the weekends for a while and I'm going to finally put miles on my road bike and channel my inner Tour de France.  The rest of the summer is going to be WONDERFUL!

 Another thing, I ran this marathons in a pair of Crocs.  It worked out very well, I just might be done with running shoes altogether.  "Take That $100 Shoe Manufactures"! 

got our for an easy ride.  My legs are torn up from yesterday's marathon.  I haven't been this sore since my first few marathons.  Standing, walking, going down stairs, bending and getting up from the sitting position are all very painful and difficult.  Cycling was not.  It made me think about cycling as a cross training activity.  I was always thought the point of cross training was to more or less work the same muscles but without the impact.  I don't think I used any of my running muscles while cycling.  Or is the point of cross training to work different muscle groups?

no running, just a chocolate malt today.  I'm not running tomorrow either.  Still having trouble getting around.  I can't believe I'm still this sore, still walking down stairs one step at a time.

another day of recover and another milk shake.  This time from McDonald's with two big macs.  Being a slob is so easy, no wonder it's so popular.

5 miles out and back from home.  Felt nice to get out and run.  This is my first run since Desnews.  I spent 8 hours yesterday doing yardwork and re-finishing our wooden outdoor table and chairs so I was a little depleted to say the least.  I haven't been binging lately like I thought I would.  I ate my english muffins this morning without butter or jam, so I guess I'm back to my weight watcher ways.

47:54  9:35 ave pace.

The ball of my right foot is about to poke through my blue croc, the end it near for these old friends. 

4.65 miles 41:01  8:49 ave.  I don't know if I'm still sore from the marathon or the backyard table restoration on Saturday.  I'm going to run minimal miles this week, should end up around 45 total miles for the week.  Nice and easy.

5.65 am miles 51:40  9:09 pace, nice easy stroll to work

4.65 pm miles 40:43 8:45 pace.  It's nice to just run with with no pressing goals, just running because I like to. 

5.65 am miles  44:54  7:57 ave pace  felt like kind of going hard, i'm usually a full minute per mile slower than this.

4.65 pm miles 38:03  8:11 ave pace.  I'm liking the fewer miles, my body is responding well and I feel a little spunk coming back. 

5.65 am miles 52:49  9:21  ave pace, did not have the spunk I had yesterday, feeling the effects today.

4.9 pm miles  43:28  8:52 ave pace

5.65 miles 48:32  8:35 ave pace.  Looking forward to taking the weekend off, no running until Monday afternoon.

19.5 miles on the bike.  Rode up Victory Rode to the Capitol, over to the U, around campus then back home.  Beautiful afternoon ride.  I don't plan on any weekend running this month.  It's been fun dedicating all day Saturday and Sunday to leisurely summer weekend activities and small domestic projects.  It's nice to not be training for anything right now.  However, I want to run the U of U alumni 5k and post a better time than last year.  This will be tough, I ran about 19:30.  I'll probably be itching to race again in September, we'll see, there is plenty of good stuff in September. 

4.65 miles 40:438:45 ave pace

6.15 am miles 8:28 ave pace.  felt strong and peppy this morning, added an extra half mile because I was a little ahead of schedule.

6.65 pm miles 8:15 ave pace.  2 miles on the track.  Today felt very nice, I'm curious about what tomorrow will bring.  I'm usually dead legged when I run a little faster than normal, but I'm putting in less weekly miles. 

6.15 am mile 51:12  8:20 ave pace.  Feeling pretty good.

4.65 pm miles 39:29  8:29 ace pace.  I was going to add two miles at the track but I spaced out and ran past it.  No biggie, no need for for the extra miles anyway. 

6.65 am miles 56:45  8:32 pace.  Really liking getting out a little early to add a mile to this run.

6.65 pm miles  56:51  8:33 pace.  2 miles at the track. 

6.15  miles 55:47  9:04 ave   I love these beautiful August mornings.

25 mile late morning bike ride.

4.65 miles 38:36  8:18 pace

6.15 am miles 52:32  8:33 ave

6.65 pm miles  didn't time the run, only the two miles on the track and those were 8:35 and 8:40 

6.65 am miles  56:39  8:31 ave    Ran strong this morning.

4.65 pm miles 40:33  8:43 ave   Ran straight home, no extra miles, no worries, good to be home. 

6.15 am miles 53:29  8:42 ave

6.90 pm miles  57:22  8:19  for the first time in probably a year I did some speed work.  I didn't want to do much, I wanted to do .25 off then .50 off then one mile all at a 6 min per mile pace.  what I wound up doing was .25, .50 then another .50, it was very difficult.  my splits were  1:32, 3:11 and 3:15.

For some weird reason I wanted to wear traditional running shoes so I slipped on the Fastwitch 5's.  I sure missed my Crocs, it will be a long while before I slip running shoes on again. 

6.65 miles 1:00.25  9:05 ave  taped up my achillies, both legs.  slow and easy.

6.65 miles 58:30  8:48 ave

6.15 am miles 55:08  8:59 ave 

6.65 pm miles 57:34  8:39 ave

6.65 am miles 58:26  8:47 pace

6.90 pm miles 58:33  8:29 ave   did a little speedwork today, just like last week, quarter mile at 1:35 off for a quarter on for a half mile 3:10 off for a quarter and back on for the last half mile 3:16.  Practically identical to last week.  Very hot today, 98°.  My blue Crocs are pretty much toast.  There is a hole in the bottom of the right one and I put a hole in my sock this afternoon.  I don't want to stop using them so maybe I'll wear "almost dead" socks and finish them off for good.  Maybe I can get another 50 miles out of them. 

6.15 am miles 9:15 ave pace 58:56  feeling the effects of yesterday's short but hard effort.

6.65 pm miles 59:02  8:53 ave.  I enjoy the heat, nice easy run home, high 90's 

6.15 miles 58:43  9:33 ave pace.  wow, this is slow.

31.5 miles on the bike.  Out and back to SaltAir.

13.8 miles on the bike.  Home to Liberty park and back.  Riding through the city is nice on Sunday, very few cars, calm and quiet.

6.65 miles 59:41  8:58 ave

6.15 am miles 56:12  9:08 ave

4.65 pm miles 37:44  8:07 ave 

6.15 am miles 56:29  9:11 ave

6.90 pm miles 58:55  8:32 ave  sticking with me weekly "speedwork" for lack of a better word.  the routine is quarter mile on, quarter off, half mile on, quarter off, half on then run home.  splits were 1:46  3:33  and 3:36.  These splits are 10 to 15 seconds slower than the prior two weeks.  I feel tired and achy.  there was a stiff wind too but the tired and achy had the most impact.  Looking forward to a 5 day weekend!  Probably won't run a whole lot but that's okay, I'm still kinda runnin' for nuthin' right now. 

5 miles 40:03  8:00 ave, out and back from home.

10 miles out and back from home 1:30:27  9:03 ave pace.  This run really killed me, it felt like it was the heat but it was only 87°

10 miles out and back from home 1:28:27  8:51 pace

4.65 miles 39:50  8:34 pace.  1st day back to work after a long weekend is rough.

6.15 am miles   54:45  8:57 Ave

4.65 pm miles  38:46  8:20 ave

6.15 am miles 54:00  8:47 ave

6.90 pm miles 58:28  8:28 ave  this is my sorta speedwork session for the week.

1st quarter mile 1:41  

1st half mile 3:21

2nd half mile 3:17

I felt a little stronger this week. 

6.15 miles 53:17  8:40 ave pace

6 miles on the track 51:33  8:86 ave

4.65 straight home from work.  Felt strong and rested.

6.65 am mile 57:52 ave pace 8:42 

7.20 pm miles 8:26 ave pace  did my little speedwork kind of run today.  quartermile fast, then a half and then another half.  1:34  3:05  3:06  best splits to date since I started this about a month ago.

6.65 am miles  59:45   8:59 ave

4.65 pm miles 39:13  8:26 ave

6.65 am miles 58:40  8:49 pace

6.65 am mile, recorded my time but I somehow lost it.  Nothing eventful, just an ordinary run.

Beautiful day for a race.  Based on other runner's comments and one runner's Garmin the course was a little short.  2.9 something.

I was expecting to be sub 20 but I am very doubtful that I really was sub 20.  My nephew who took 5th had a 40 second PR and he was shocked.  This was a hilly course so it wasn't a PR kind of course.

I'm chalking this up as an intense workout and a great way to spend a wonder Sunday morning. 

4.65  38:43  8:20 ave

6.15 am miles 53:54 8:46 ave

4.65 pm miles 37:01  7:58 ave  felt light and strong, very good feeling. 

6.65 am miles 58:58 8:52 ave

4.65 pm miles 39:37 8:31 ave 

6.65 am mile 55:33  8:21 pace

6.9 pm miles 53:09 7:42 ave pace  this is my little speed work day, quarter mile 1:41, off a quarter 3:08 half mile, off a quarter and last half 3:05.  felt stronger than ever, this isn't much but it's a nice little workout and I am seeing improvement. 

6.65 miles 58:15  8:52 ave

4.65 miles.  what a wonderful time of year.  

6.35 am miles 53:59  8:30 ave

4.65 pm miles 38:44  8:20 ave 

6.65 am miles  56:19  8:28 ave

4.9 pm miles 41:16  8:25 ave 

6.15  53:32 8:42

4.65  39:59  8:36 

Nice easy run to work.  Running a 5K tomorrow, expecting a good fast effort.  I feel light and strong.

Beautiful day for a race.  Approx 340 runners.  My age group was 41 and over, there were coincidentally 41 men and I was 3rd.  My A goal was to be near or better than last year's time of about 19:30 or very close.  My C goal was sub 20 so I finished right in between.

This course is on the University campus and is very challenging with equal uphill and downhill parts.  This is a race that I had been doing some semi serious training, a little weekly speedwork and trying to drop a few pounds.  I feel both were successful.  I raced at about 145 pounds.  When I'm heavier than this it seems like I can't break sub 20.  It's tough getting to and maintaining this weight.  I eat three meals a day and snack only on fruit.  I keep a very watchful eye on my meal proportions too.  I decided to let loose yesterday a pigged out on three large chocolate chip cookies!  Those were sure good.

4.65 miles, no watch, run home from work

5.15 am miles 8:59 ave pace 46:20 total time.  woke up late this morning and had to shave a mile and a half off my am run.

4.65 pm miles  38:25  8.15 pace 

6.15 am miles 52:20  8:31 pace.  cool morning, some light rain here and there.

6.15 am miles, watch went supernova.  I think I need a new battery.

1 pm mile, had to run over to the car shop to pick up the car. 

5.65 miles 49:50  8:49 pace

10 miles out and back from home.  1:18:11  7:49 ave

8:28  8:30  8:26  7:44  7:39  7:38  7:29  7:32  7:26  7:11 

6 miles behind the Capitol, 48:35  8:06 ave

6.15 am miles still having watch issues

4.65 pm miles the last three were about 8:20 pace so I figure the whole run was at about that pace. 

6.15 am miles  watch malfunction.  

4.65 pm miles 37:39  8:06 ave pace 

6.65 am miles

7.1 pm miles, 1:01:32  8:40 pace.  B street route, haven't done this one since the beginning of July, it's time to ramp up my running. 

6.15 am miles

4.65 pm miles 39:59  8:36 ave pace 

10 miles out and back from home.  Very warm day.  1:28:22  8:50

6.15 am miles 51:25 8:22 pace

4.65 pm miles 38:46 8:21 pace

Life kind of got in the way with my running the past three days.

6.15 am miles 50:50   8:16 ave pace

7.1 pm miles 58:45  8:16 pace, B St. route, beautiful fall trees along the loop behind the Capitol. 

6.15 am miles 51:59  8:27 ave

13.1 out and back from home 1:48:39  8:18 pace  out and back from home, flat terrain. 

13 miles up and down City Creek starting from behind the Capitol on West Bonneville Blvd.  time up 10:04 ave pace 1:05:28, easy steady pace, enjoying the scenery.  Down 55:05  8:28 ave pace.  Beautiful day. 

4.65 afternoon run 42:04  9:03 ave  long day, sluggish run

5.65 am miles 50:53  9:00 ave pace

7.1 pm miles 1:04:36  9:06 ave