Trying to keep up with you

I've started running the week before Christmas.  Short runs and figured I'd start blogging once there was some consistency.  The stress fracture seems to be taking care of itself.  I'm keeping it light and easy.  Do not want to push the miles this soon.  The game plan is to kepp the mileage between 30 and 40 this month, 40 to 50 in February, and 50 to 60 in March.  By February I should be doing long runs again. 

Happy to be running again.

Easy treadmill miles at about a 8:10 pace.

Treadmill miles @ about a 8:15 pace.  Slow but enjoyable for a treadmill.  Little to no pain in regards to the stress fracture.  Slowly increasing the miles.  It sure does feel good to run again.

Wanted to run outside at lunch today but forgot the pack the outdoor gear...so another treadmill run. Relatively slow still.

Started at a 8:30 pace to warm up and ended at a 7:15 pace. 

Nice and easy pace (8:10). Felt relaxed the whole run and felt no pain from the stress fracture.  I am tempted to start pushing it.

Decided to push a little today.  Fist time I've pushed myself since the injury two months ago.  It did feel good.  Nothing extrodinary put got a chance to push the pace the last couple of miles.

	pace	mph
0.5 miles	8:20	7.2
0.5 miles	8:06	7.4
0.5 miles	7:53	7.6
0.5 miles	7:41	7.8
1 mile	7:30	8.0
1 mile	7:19	8.2
0.5 miles	7:08	8.4
0.5 miles	6:59	8.6
0.5 miles	6:49	8.8
0.25 miles	6:40	9.0
0.20 miles	6:31	9.2

Treadmill miles.  Slow...just didn't feel 100% or even 75% for that matter.  Decided to stay within my 2 and 3 heart rate zone and just get the miles in.

Nothing special...treadmill run.  kept the pace at about 7:40.

And more boring treadmill miles.  Kept the pace slow at about 8:06.

Easy 6 miles.  Felt a little soreness where the stress fracture was located.  I can't tell if I'm looking to hard at any soreness and being paranoid or not.  We'll see how it feels tomorrow.

Easy miles.  Kept the pace at about 8:20 per mile and watched the Chargers/Patriots game.  Plenty left in the tank once the 12 was done.

Slow warm up and then maintained marathon pace with a little push at the end.  No lingering soreness from Friday or Sunday, which is a good sign the stress fracture is pretty close to being gone.  I still won't push for 15+ on my longs until sometime in February.

In on business San Francisco all day.  unfortunetly no time to run....BLAH!

Just put in cruise control and ran.  Had to run on a treadmill since the smoke in SLC waqs just unbearable. 8:06 average pace.

First 4 at a very slow pace (8:20) and then, and just because someone jumped on the treadmill beside me, I increased the pace to a 7:30 for the remaining 4.  Good thing that someone motivated me because I was being very lazy this week in regards to pushing myself.

Another smokey day in SLC, thanks to the DV8 building fire.

Average pace of 8:20...yet I felt like it was harder than it should of been.  Not a great run.

slow and easy treadmill miles

Average pace 7:45.

Average pace 7:52

Run around the San Isidro Hipodromo in Buenos Aires.  Warm and humid but beautiful.

Spend the day on a plane or in an airport.  No time to run.

First day back to work after the 3.5 week vacation. No time to run.

Feeling feverish. No running.

Definite fever.  Stayed in bed all day.

Late run up City Creek Canyon. 

Treadmill miles.  Cold rainy day.

I finally got back to logging my miles.  After a long recovery from a stress fracture last year I became a little discouraged about any goals. Structured training kind of went out the window during March, since I spent virtually the whole month on vacation in Argentina.  I would run five to six days a week but they where strictly pleasure runs by the beach. 

I'm back and contemplating Ogden.  I'll test my legs in the next two weeks and see if its a realistic goal or not. If not, I'll get by rear in gear for the Deseret News Marathon in July.

Relatively  good run.  Maintained a 7:52 per mile pace, which is about where I expected to be.  I felt like I had a few more miles in me at the end.  Next weeks long run will really determine if I do the Ogden Marathon.

Easy recovery run with the last couple of miles at slightly over marathon pace (7:30).  Muscles do feel a little fatigued from yesterdays run but nothing out of the ordinary.  Not looking to push the miles to fast for too long.  I have to concentrate in staying healthy if I want to get faster.

Yes, marathon pace miles.  Marathon pace right now, if I do Ogden, will be around 7:50 to 8:00.  This run was at a 7:51 pace.  Very confortable pace.  Heart rate stayed in the low Zone 3 (152 bpm).  My threshold is around 172 bpm with a VO2 Max at 62 (at least last time I had it tested at the U of U last fall).  So, with that long protracted explanation, I think I'm OK training consistently in that range.  I will slow it down a bit for my long run next Sunday and I test my legs on a 18 miler.  My biggest challenge, I think, is having the cardio and muscular endurance to go the distance.  I did do one marathon, Phoenix Rock n Roll, in which I had only one long run prior, a 20 miler.  I didn't wear a watch and ran only on feel.  It wasn't a fast run by any measure (just under 4 hrs) but I never felt so good crossing the finish line.  I went on a two hour hike later that afternoon.  If I do the Ogden marathon I probably use the same strategy. 

A little faster than I intended but it felt OK.  Total time: 46:55 Pace: 7:34.  Will slow donw tomorrow and Friday to make sure my legs are fresh for the long run on Sunday.

Just set it in cruise control and went.  Felt a little fatigued towards the end of the run but nothing serious.  Will slow it down even more for tomorrow.  Total time: 63:40  Pace: 7:57.

Up City Creek Canyon.  Kept a mild pace.  Didn't bother with timing the run.  I'll take tomorrow off and go for a long run on Sunday.  Looking foward to it.

This was my trial run for the Ogden Marathon.  And I kept it slow, which seemed even harder.  The pace/stride just didn't feel right.  Any how...I averaged around an 8:17 mile.  Did not feel good what so ever towards the end and really struggled.  It could of been dehydration, uncomfortable stride, but most likely it was due to lack of training with long runs.  By mile 16 I totally scappred the idea of doing Ogden.  So I'll chalk up this run as my first long training run for the Des News Marathon.

Sore all over.  Didn't bother with keeping time.  It was just fast enough to keep from beig considered a "power walk".

I got some desperately needed sleep last night and it did me a world of good.  I woke up anxious to get my running shoes on, which didn't occur until 3:30 pm.  Started the run at about a 8:30 pace and by the time I hit the 3/4 mile mark I was at a 7:52 pace, which felt comfortable to maintain the rest of the run (with the exception of a bathroom break).  Heart rate stayed in Zone 3.  It looks like my body is rebounding from Sunday's run.

Spent the day traveling to St George and in meeting.  Unfortunelty no time for a run.

Still in St George.  Early morning run from the Holiday Inn to the airport, down through the historic district, out to and around the the Temple, and back to the hotel.  I didn't have my garmin with me but given the time I'm guessing around 7.5 miles.  One of the most scenic routes I run.  Always run it when in St George.

Spent the rest of the day on the golf course with clients.  I really do enjoy a round of golf and manage to shoot 86, which for me that is great.  However, I find myself daydreaming of running through the golf early in the morning.  What can I say, I'm yet to meet someone that gets a runner's high from playing golf.

Still in St. George.  Same route as yesterday.  Later that day we (my wife and I) went over to Zion's Park.  Tried a hike that would be within my wife's range and one that we hadn't done before.  We end up doing Hidden Canyon.  Very rewarding hike, absolutely gorgeous and a perfect day to boot.  After some pizza at my favorite spot down there we headed back to Salt Lake.

Was planning to get my long run in today...

Before I could head out the door my wife managed to make me promise to work on the garden prior to leaving.  She knows all to well that I am usually spent after my long run.  By the time I got everything done it was time for the traditional family Sunday lunch at 4:00 pm, which was followed by visitors.  I felt like I was cheated out of my run.  That being said, I'd rather keep a happy balance at home than try to shove my long runs in without any consideration for the family.

Since the long run didn't happen yesterday I had to get it in today.  Thank goodness no one cares how long my lunches are.  I headed up City Creek Canyon from my gym (Planet Fitness on 3rd South and Main).  Went all the way to the top, end of the road.  I had to run through snow the last 1/4 mile but it was worth.  Towards the end of the run I could feel the fatigue settle in.  There are some serious inclines towards the end, specially the last 1.5 miles.  Its fun to past the cyclist up the steep hills.  I kept the pace conservative but the run still managed to kick my rear.

I categorized the 6.2 miles as "easy" miles because of the pace but I'm still feeling the effects from yesterdays 15 mile hill run.  The pace was 8:06 but I felt like I was running on an empty tank the whole way.  I'll take it easy tomorrow and hopefuly be fully recovered by Thursday.

Back up City Creek Canyon.  Started very slow but by the time I got to the turn around point I was in a nice rythm.  Legs feeling much better at the end of the run.  Good solid run.

Ran out to Liberty Park and did 4 outside loops(1.9 miles per loop) and back to the gym. Perfect weather. I'm not used to running out the grass trail on the outer edge of the park. It took some getting used to. You definetly run slower on the grass trail but it sure is easier on the knees. After the stress fracture last year I made a commitment to stay off the cement roads and side walks. After the first loop I managed to get into a nice relaxed rythm. Ended the run with alot of gas still in the tank.

Ran at an average pace of 7:55 per mile.  Nothing special just slow and flat run. Plan on doing maybe a short run tomorrow (Mother's Day) and then a long run on Monday afternoon.

Spend yesterday baking breads for the widows that live on my block. I'm a bit of a bread nut. I grow my own wild yeast and spend most of my free time on weekends running, baking, and garden work. For Mother's Day I made a carmelized onion and herb Ciabatta (Italian for Slipper because of it's shape) and a Rosemary Garlic Potato Bread. Six loafs in total. Being a three stage process I started Friday with the end product out of the oven on Sunday. I made some sour dough bread for the family. I try to stick to the original recipe from the place of origen the best I can, which often requires ordering on line the ingredients not readily available in your local supermarket and I grow all my own herbs. No machines, all is done by hand to secure the perfect tecture, elasticity and moisture. The end result is well worth the time. Enough about baking, although I could write about it for hours.

Today was my long.  For some reason Mondays work for my longs.  Total time: 2:26.  Uneventful.  Part of the run (about 3.2 miles) was done on the road and I had the worst luck when it came to lights.  I had to stop at nearly every light.  It drove me nuts.  Ended the run strong.  Much better long than my last 18 miler, which was a disaster.  Tried to keep it slow the whole way as per Josse's and Sasha'a advice.  Average pace 7:58 per mile.  Had a few more miles in me at the end.  Good solid run all around.

Pleasant 7 miler up in the hills.  Pushed a little to hard to consider it as a recovery run so tomorrow will be my recovery run.

Run up City Creek.  Went up slow and then ran tempo pace down.  Stayed with a slower running partner on the way up to force myself to stay slow, which worked perfectly.  I the way down a just tried to reel other runners in.  Averaged a 6:30 pace downhill.  Tempo but not Threshold. Not sure what my uphill pace was but it was slow.

I usually don't track my splits but since I was wearing my garmin today I thought I'd give it a try.  I've actually tried to track my splits several times in the past but always seem to hit the wrong button at some point and mess it all up.

Split Distance	Time	Pace
2.35 miles	19:04.25	8:07
1.7 miles	13:00.08	7:38
1.7 miles	13:24.08	7:53
1.7 miles	12:32.04	7:22
2.35 miles	18:16.54	7:46
Total 9.80	1:16:16	7:47

Today was my 10 miler (a little short). Ran from the gym out to Liberty Park and did loops on the outer edge trail.  In the past I was calculating that the loop was 1.9 miles and thinking I was running way too fast for the effort.  Now that I have a better measurement (1.7 miles) my times fall in line with the effort. 

Relatively hard push up City Creek Canyon.  Ran with Jeff who just did the Ogden Half (1:34) and he still managed to keep a hard pace. 

I'm planning on runnig the Telford Half on Memorial Day in Kaysville.  Should be a flat run.  Hoping for a sub 1:40.  We'll see.

Listed as easy only because of the pace.  It was a tough 10 miler.  It may have been because I was fatigued from yesterday's run, or the heat and humidity, or both.  I ended the run with an extremely dry mouth.  Not a good sign.  Should have hydrated better.  Tomorrow will be a recovery jog.  I don't think I'll be pushing myself much from here till Monday.  Instead of the Telford Half I'll be doing the Striders Memorial Day Half in Syracuse.  Looking foward to it.

Easy eight miler.  Kept the pace right under a 8:00 min mile. Smooth and relaxed.  I'll do one more short run on Saturday and then I should be prime for the race on Monday. 

Easy treadmill run to loosen up the legs.  Ready for the half-marathon.

Very fun race.  I didn't hit the time I wanted, a sub 1:40, but this was the first race in a long time and I forgot how fun they are.

Splits:

1 & 2	15:40	15:40
3	7:52	23:33
4	8:42	32:15
5	7:34	39:49
6	7:55	47:45
7	7:31	55:16
8	7:19	1:02:35
9	7:32	1:10:07
10	7:43	1:17:50
11	7:41	1:25:32
12	7:43	1:33:15
13	7:28	1:40:44
13.1	0:52	1:41:36

I spend last night listening to the rain and thinking how cold and wet it was going to be.  I left the house at 5:50 am thinking I had plenty of time to get to the park where the race was held, pick up my number and chip, and get to the starting line.  I get out to Syracuse, and not knowing the area at all, I couldn't find the right park.  After going in circles for 20 minutes I find the park, run to the starting line and get ready to race.  I needed to go to the port-a-poty but knew I miss the start if I did.  It was already raining so everyone was soaked by the time the race started. 

Mile 4 was the first port-a-poty.  I had no choice but to stop and I lost anywhere from 45 to 55 seconds.  Did not panick and just got back into a rythm.  At the turn around point at about mile 6.9 it really started to pour down with some good wind.  I had already dumped my long sleeve jersey and was running in a short-sleeve. My feet where soaked and it felt like I was running with a couple of bricks on my feet.  It got cold running against the wind in the rain but by mile 10 the rain turn into a light drizzle and the wind died down.

By mile 12 I realize I still have plenty in the tank and I try to make the last mile the fastest.  Not quite the fastest but second fastest.  When I crossed the finish line I felt good.  Not as spent as I thought I would be.  I jogged a mile or so right after to keep my muscles loose.  All in all a fun race and well organized.  The suprise was that I actually placed second in my age group (40 - 49).  That, of course, can only happen in a small local race.

Race results are not oficial yet.  I'm waiting for them to be posted on www.stridersrunning.com.

Recovery run up City Creek Canyon.  Some soreness in my quads but quickly went away once I started running.  I'll keep it rather light this week and then start gearing up for Des News next week.

treadmill miles. I managed to keep my heart rate fairly low and the exertion level was mid to low but I'm still feeling some muscle fatigue from the race on Monday. 

Rest day.  I decided not to run today and let my muscles fully recover from monday's race.  I want to start next week (Sunday) with a quality long run.  I think the recovery is necessary before I start the next training cycle.

I'll push some weights around today and probably swim a mile or two after work.

8:00 mile pace.  Seemed easy.  Heart rate stayed in upper zone 2.  I feel almost completely recovered from Monday race and I'm looking forward to Sunday's long run.

Nice early morning run.  Managed to get into a good rythm after I got the kinks out (0.5 miles).  Maintained about a 8:00 pace for 0.5 miles and then would increase the pace for 0.5 miles.  Fastest pace was a 7:08 for a 0.5 mile.  I'm feeling pretty close to fully recovered from the race on Monday.

Lifted weights afterward.  Kept the reps around 10 to 12.  Before I started doing triathlons and running on a regular basis I would only lift weights, which created more bulk than I care for.  So now I'm careful not to add any unnecessary muscle mass, since it'll only slow me down.  Just enough weight to tone the muscles.

Time: 1:49:25

Pace: 8:11/mile

Hot day to be running in the afternoon.  Should have planned this run in the morning.

56:00

8:00 min mile pace

Struggled a little today.  Unable to get into a rythm.  Slept poorly last night and been having some stomach problems.  Hopefully tomorrow is a better day.

Beautiful rainy day.  I was actually looking forward to running in the rain.  The temp was just right and I think I got my running mojo back after two mediocre running days.  Still having some stomach issues but it seems to be resolving itself.  Ran up City Creek Canyon at an easy pace and pushed a portion of the down hill.  No watch or garmin today.  Went by feel.

AM - 1 mile warmup and 4 miles at 7:30 pace, quicker than marathon pace but slower than threshold.  Treadmill run.

PM - 8.3 mile run up City Creek Canyon.  Overall easy pace with a couple of pushes here and there but nothing serious.  Perfect cool weather. 

47:01. Treadmill run.  Normal training pace with some 800 meter accelerations.

Easy morning run followed by stretching and some weights.

3:11:04

BLAH!

Did a mix of a road run with a mountain trail run which kicked my rear.  Total altitiude gain of 2,840 feet with some very steep inclines.  I definitely bit off more than I wanted to chew.  By the time I finished the run I was spent.  My right hamstring started to tightening up the last two miles.  It didn't cramp up but it felt as if it would any minute. I'll massage it out tonight. Next long run will be nice and flat for a change. 

I decided to take yesterday off because of time limitations and because I was still pretty beat up from Monday.

To my suprise I felt pretty good this morning.  I had planned a 8 x 800 for today and was doubtful about being able to complete it.  After a 1 mile warm up I jumped right into it.  I kept the 800s at a 6:49 mile pace and jogged 2:30 between each one at a 8:30 pace. I felt strong all the way through and ended the run with a 1 mile cool down.

AM - treadmill run.  1 warm up mile and then maintained a 7:54 pace for 4 miles.  It felt harder than usual.  I'm probably feeling the effects of yesterday's 800s.

PM - 8.5 miles up City Creek Canyon.  Should have had lunch before I left.  By the time I got back to the gym I was ready to walk right into Carl's Jr and get me the biggest hamburger they have.  Of course I didn't. I'm all talk.  Easy pace up and down the canyon. 

Getting a little hot running at noon but still a gorgeous day.  Eventful 10k.

Easy run.

I had take a few days off. My allergies where completely out of control.  Today was my speed work day and it went almost as good as I hoped for.  I was hoping to do 8 x 800s at a 6:40 mile pace.  Managed to do the first 4 at that pace been than need to slow it down a bit to a 6:49 mile pace for the last 4 800s.  The first 4 x 800s was really pushing my limit by the second 4 x 800s seemed to easy, so the sweet spot for now is probably a 6:45 pace.  I would jog for 2.5 minutes at a 8:30 pace between repetitions.  One mile warm up and one mile cool down.

Brooks Adrenaline 8 - 8 miles

Flat run on the Jordan River trail.  Started around 8 am and by 9 am it was too HOT!  Lousy run!  Pace 8:11

Its still is too hot to enjoy my runs.  Need to start running before work!

More miles than I should do at marathon pace but I had some pent up energy to burn since I didn't get a run in yesterday.  As most the runners on the blog, I am constantly trying to juggle family, work, and running.  I've recently took a different position at work and its really eating into my running time.  Running is not as important as work but it is close.  I've passed up regional managerial positions to avoid the travel required, which would disrupt my running. So taking any new position at work that requires more hours (10+) just isn't worth the increase in pay.  I really need to think about quality of life issues that new position is taking from.

One mile warm up and then a relatively quick increase to a 7:06 pace for 4 miles. Not quite Threshold but certianly quicker than marathon pace.  Somewhere around a 10k pace.

Run up the canyon and over to Shriners.  Leisurely run.

Very flat energy wise.  Plugged through it and got it done. 

I'm trying to eliminate those things they may negatively effect my running.  I've had trouble falling asleep at night, which may be because of too much caffiene.  So I've cut out all the cafienated drinks (diet coke, coffee).  We'll see if it has an affect.

Energy level is back.  Took a nap on Saturday and on Sunday, which I think really helped.  I'm still off of caffeine.  Still dealing with headaches in the morning from the lack of my morning coffee but I think it'll be worth the effort.

After one mile warm up and eased into a 7:30 pace, which I had no problem maintaining.  Great run and confidence booster.

Ran the first 20 miles of the Des News marathon.  Felt strong pretty much the whole way through.  Time: 2:46:40.  Average pace: 8:20. 

Trail run (1/2) up City Creek Canyon.  Legs struggled a little on the way up but eventually loosened up.  The way down was fast and fun.  Still feeling stiffnes from Saturday's run.  Hopefully by tomorrow morning that will be all gone.Considering doing one more long run prior to Des News.

Brooks Adrenaline 136.9

I did most of the run on a narrow trail.  About 4 miles up I rolled my right ankle on a rock.  Hurt quite a bit initially but managed to walk it off and continue the run.  About another 1/4 mile up the same thing happens.  I walk it off and start running again.  I can feel my ankle stiffen up as I run but finish the run none the less.

No run. Ankle is very stiff in the morning and hurts to put much weight on it.

No run.  Swelling has gone down but may ankle is still stiff and sore.

Very short run. Just wanted to see how the ankle felt.  Spent a good time strentching it out.  The soreness is almost gone but it remains stiff.

Started very slow and gradually sped up.  It took about three miles to get into a rythm.  Ankle feels much better however there is still some stiffness.

I'm staying off the trails until after the marathon. I'm to proned to twisting my ankles. Legs where a little flat but heart and lungs had plenty of capacity.  So I pushed it a little.  Soreness in ankle is all but gone.  Still a little stiff but not much at all.  Should be 100% here in the next couple of days.

Last marathon pace run before the Des News Marathon.  Went well.  Maintained a 7:52 pace, faster than marathon goal pace.  Ankle seems to be back to normal.  Starting to get excited about the marathon.  I'll be at the registration desk at the expo next Wednesday.  The volunteer time gives me a free pass for the marathon, so I'm not sure if that really counts for volunteer work.