El Burro Blanco

10 miles in the morning.

13.15 miles in the evening.

I did an out and back to Red Mountain Spa.  Lots of people were on the parkway this morning.  I love seeing people out and about.  It makes me very happy.  Kept it nice and relaxed.  Good start to the week.  Hill repeats tonight!

I went out to Desert Hills High and ran 3.15 miles out on the dirt trails.  I am looking for various routes for the upcoming cross country season.  There are a variety of routes to run on which makes me very excited.  I then met up with everyone at the Dixie Center for our big workout.  We had the usual faces with 2 new additions (Joe and Eric Larsen).  It was good to have fresh faces.  We did 3x up Webb Hill.  It is about .92 up and the same back down.  I wasn't feeling that great after the first one and I know the reason why.  I threw up my dinner twice and was really dehydrated!  I had eaten some salad a little earlier and it did not sit well.  The second repeat was a little better but I threw up more time at the start of the third repeat.  I pushed threw it and was very happy I did.  I drank plenty of water once I got back to the car.  10 miles total for the club run. 

I think Clyde is calling the hill repeat workout "Meat Grinder Mondays."  I think that is a perfect name for it.

7.35 miles in the morning.

10 miles in the early evening.

First day of cross country practice.  It was a lot of fun and it felt good getting kids out.  I think a lot are still on vacation so it might be a little sparce for a bit.  I had about 15 kids come out though.  We did a 1 mile warm-up and then ran a 5k route around Desert Hills.  I wanted to keep it easy to see where everyone is at; endurance and in shape wise.  Katey then led us in some core exercises afterwards.  It should be a good year.  There a lot of 9th and 10th graders so we need to make sure we build a good foundation for the program.  I ran another easy 3.15 miles after practice.

I went out in the heat today.  I took the shirt off and dipped the hat in water and away I went.   I did my usual 10 mile run out to Red Mountain Spa along the parkway.  I ran through sprinklers in order to keep me cool.  The wind was blowing just a bit but it was still very hot.  I focused on my breathing along with staying relaxed and this really helped.  My shorts were extra salty once I got back to my parent's house.  I immediately jumped into there pool.  It was so refreshing!

11.30 miles in the morning.

9 miles in the afternoon in 108 degree weather!

I ran with the cross country team again and then added on 6 more miles.  I went out towards the Arizona Strip.  It was a nice change of scenery for one of my runs.  Legs felt really good.  It seems like everyday gets better and better.

It was a scorcher this afternoon.  I am going to try more of these afternoon runs when it is really hot.  I think it will help me focus on my breathing a lot more.  I will try and stay relaxed even though the heat might not be very bearable.  I made sure I drenched my hat again which helps out a ton.  I kept it easy the first half and then pushed it slightly on the way back.  I got home and drank a big glass of water and then jumped in the pool.  I won't have this luxury everyday after I run so I will have to take advantage of it every chane possible.

Katey and I are now heading over to Zion to camp out for the evening and then go on a hike in the morning with some friends.  I will try and get some miles in early tomorrow morning.  I am going to run through part of the park.

6.10 miles in the morning.

10.20 miles in the evening.

I had to cut my run short this morning because Katey and I were going to hike the Subway in Zion National Park today with some friends.  I kept it easy and ran out towards Ivins and then back. 

The hike was really fun today.  It was nice and long.  It took us about 9 hours to do.  A long time hiking but it was very enjoyable for all who was there.  There were places to jump off into water and also places to repel down.  I wasn't that tired so I hurried home and met up at the store for the club run.  Kamm, Steve, Dave, and I did the usual 10 mile loop.  It got a little chilly on the run tonight (I think it dropped below 95!)

Bill, Dave, and I met at the store at 5am and then headed up to Enterprise for the 2nd Annual Steve Abraham Lincoln Hooper Memorial 17.35 Fun Run.  This race started last year and is slowly getting more popular!  There were not a lot of runners in this race so all three of us were happy about our chances of doing well.  This course is all on dirt road and has quite a few hills to climb up.  I made sure I pushed it as hard as I could on the uphill and relaxed the downhill.  I feel much stronger now going up hills than I did in the past.  I almost fell down going one hill.  My foot hit a rock and I pretty much went horizontal but was able to come away unscathed.  I then almost tripped again going uphill hitting another rock.  I am happy to report that I survived though.  We kept the pace conversational for the first 4 or so miles and then slowly picked it up.  All in all it was a great race.  I hit 2:06 something.  Not bad considering all the dirt and hill climbs.  The highest elevation point we hit was just over 6100 ft.  The Garmin was right on though.  I crossed the cattle guard and was at 17.35.  Not a USATF certified course but the people who marked the course last year did a phenomenal job with getting the correct mileage.

Bill took 1st place in the Masters division, Dave took 1st place in the Sub-masters, and I took 1st place in the Open division.  Our prize was waiting for us at the end of the race.  All three sat in the cold river for about 20 minutes.  It felt really good on the legs.  Great run for everyone today.  Might go for another short run this afternoon.

Dave, James, Dustin, Marcie, and me went up along the marathon course today for our run.  We did 20 miles of the course.  It was perfect running conditions the entire time.  It was very cloudy and had a little bit of rain in some spots.  We started out just above Veyo and ran back down to the store.  It was nice and relaxed for the the first little bit and then Dave and I pushed it for the last 5 or so miles.  I stayed relaxed and the legs were really turning over quite nicely.  I was very sluggish at the start but finally got out of the funk later in the run.  It was a nice push for the end of the week.  Happy with another solid week of training.  I can't complain too much.  Looking forward to doing Bryce in 2 weeks.