A Runner at Heart.....Riding a Bike

6:45am:  Nice, easy run today.  Temperature was 29 degrees so not too bad.  I ran 8.54 miles at an easy pace.  Tucson in 6 days.

6:45am:  It was 41 degrees this morning and windy, but nice enough that I did not need a hat or jacket today.  I ran a great tempo run, 10.52 miles, pushing the 2nd half faster than the first and finishing at a 6:10 pace the last couple miles.  

6:45am:  It was 35 degrees but the wind was cold and blowing from 15-25mph.  I ran 8.56 miles deliberately slow.  

7:00am:  Temperature was 22 degrees this morning with a wind-chill of 12, but that wasn't the problem.  It snowed a little last night but it melted when it hit the road and sidewalks and then froze on later in the night.  Everything had a nice glaze to it so I only have one word to describe today's run.....CAUTIOUS.  I was not going to risk it by running fast and slipping and pulling something 3 days before a race.  I ran 6.51 miles nice and slow.

7:00am:  It was 12 degrees this morning so I decided to run inside on the deathmill because I need to be acclimated for Tucson temperatures better.   I ran 4.25 miles with some good pick-ups.  Now I drive to Salt Lake to catch my flight to Tucson.

No running today....race tomorrow.  Drove the course today, the first 4 miles are rolling hills and there is a nasty out and back from mile 10-14 with lots of hills up and down.

Did some sight-seeing today.  Visited Suguaro national park and the Sonoran Desert Museum.  Lots of fun.

7:30am:  It was about 40 degrees at the start.  I felt pretty good when we started.  The first mile was downhill then miles 2-4 had ups, downs, turns, you name it.  I was slower than I had planned at mile 5.  I was averaging 6:33.  Then we hit more straight and gradual slope so I was able to settle in to a better pace.  The good news is that it clouded-up and we barely saw the sun the whole way.  It was probably only 55 when I finished.  Except for the headwind the last 5-6 miles, it was perfect.

I hit the turn at the 10 mile mark averaging 6:25 so I was back on plan.  The next 4 miles were tougher with some nasty hills on an out and back up to the entrance of the Biosphere 2.  I hit the halfway point at 1:25:31.  By the time I hit the main road again at mile 14, my average had sagged to 6:35.

 Back on the main road I was able to bring it down a few seconds over the next few miles.  I was moving pretty good through mile 19 when we started to hit a headwind and I was getting a little tired.  By mile 20 we had some uphills off and on until mile 23.  My pace faded due to the wind and hills and my fatigue but I still kept it respectable.

At mile 24 we had to make a sharp turn, run 100 yards uphill to the back of a strip mall, then make another sharp turn and climb again to the other end of the shopping center.  Then we got to make a sharp left to loop around a neighborhood to make the finish.  Mile 24 was bad but I did better the last mile even though I had to dodge a lot of half-marathon walkers that were clogging the narrow lane we had to run in.

I finished strong and set a new PR for myself at 2:53:24.  I was thinking I could get a 2:51 or 2:52 but I slowed too much in the last 4-5 miles.  I will keep working harder and I KNOW I can get that 2:45 in 2009!!!

Here are my mile splits:

1.   6:11

2.   6:34

3.   6:37

4.   6:51

5.   6:28

6.   6:15

7.   6:15

8.   6:20

9.   6:18

10. 6:25

11. 6:50  (uphill)

12. 7:14  (lots of uphill)

13. 6:34

14. 6:44

15. 6:27 (back on a straight road0

16. 6:33

17. 6:30

18. 6:29

19. 6:37

20. 6:47

21. 6:49

22. 6:52

23. 6:49

24. 6:49

25. 7:05

26. 6:55

0.2 6:17

I finished in 16th overall, 15th in men's and 2nd in my age group out of over 1200 runners.  It was a GREAT DAY!!!  I know that MILES=SUCCESS and I want MORE!!!

No run today.  Travel back from Tucson to Idaho.

7:00am:  It was snow covered and icy in my neighborhood this morning and my legs were stiff from travel yesterday so I ran on the treadmill this morning.  I ran 6.25 miles at a 1.5% incline finishing at a 6:58 pace.  Legs are a bit tight from the race.

6:45am:  It was 23 degrees this morning with light winds and some icy conditions.  I ran 8.52 miles with 2 faster miles in the middle.  My friend Jed was running 1/2 mile repeats so I ran 5 with him.  We did them in 3:18 to 3:25.  My legs only hurt when I ran downhill towards the end, so my stiffness is pretty much gone.

6:30am:  It was 17 degrees when I started, 12 degrees when I finished but it really wasn't too bad due to no wind.  I ran an easy 10.61, partially with Bob.

6:45am:  17 degrees this morning.  There is supposed to be a big storm tomorrow so I enjoyed the dry roads today.  I ran 8.52 miles with a couple of pick-up miles.  Legs are feeling great.

There was a nasty blizzard this morning.  I was still going to run, but my oldest daughter needed to work at the hospital in Blackfoot and the roads were really bad so I drove her up in the morning.  There were wrecks everywhere on the freeway so I'm glad I took her.  I made today my day off and will run tomorrow.

8:30am:  When I got up this morning I had a decision to make.  It snowed again last night and the temperature was 4 degrees with a wind chill of minus 9.  I could run on the treadmill (boring) or brave the weather.  I put my Yaktrax on my shoes and went for it.  

It snowed the whole way and there was an inch of new powder on top of yesterdays frozen snow.  It was a blast.  I ran 15.52 miles in 2 hours and it was very peaceful.  I am SO glad I decided to go outside.  Besides, it warmed to 6 degrees with a winchill of minus 4 by the end so it was all good.  The wind wasn't that bad and I was pretty comfortable.

6:30am:  The temperature was minus-2 but there was very little wind and the moon was pretty bright so visibility was good.  I ran 10.56 miles at an easy pace.  My ankles are a bit sore from the snow running the last 2 days.  They always have to adjust to the uneven terrain in the winter.

6:30am:  It was 15 degrees and snowing pretty hard this morning.  The footing was pretty bad, especially going uphill on Satterfield.  There is enough snow on the streets in my neighborhood that you can safely drive a snowmobile down the street.  I know this because my neighbor has already done it.  I ran 10.51 miles slow because it was hard to run fast.

6:45am:  It snowed all day yesterday and there was no way I could run fast.  I have been slogging through deeper snow for 3 days so I needed a faster workout to maintain my leg turnover.  I ran on the treadmill today and it felt good to go fast again.  I ran 10.25 miles and averaged 6:58/mile with 2 miles at 6:31 all at a 1.5% incline.  Yeah.....I stunk up my basement real good.

6:45am:  It was minus-7 outside with a windchill of minus-16 so I ran on the treadmill again.  I ran 10.25 miles at an easy pace at a 1.5% incline.

6:45am:  The temperature was better today (23) but it was snowing hard and the wind was blowing steady at 20-25mph gusting over 30 so it was another treadmill day.  I ran another 10.25 miles averaging 6:58 with a few 6:30 miles at the end.

8:30am:  It was 14 degrees this morning with a wind chill of minus-1.  The streets are either snow-packed or have black ice from any melting yesterday so my Yaktrax were not the best solution.  I grabbed an old pair of Asics 2120's and put 12 hex-head sheet metal screws in each one for traction.  It worked really well and I felt like I was in good control in most conditions.  I ran 15.62 miles in just over 2 hours.

No running today.  Just some abdominals and leg weights.

6:45am:  It was a blizzard this morning, we had at least 6 new inches of snow at my house and the wind was blowing hard so.......Treadmill.  I ran 10.25 miles starting at a 7:47 pace and finishing at a 6:53.

6:30am:  Roads still pretty bad, we received about a foot of snow yesterday alone.  Another treadmill run.  I ran 13.50 miles averaging 7:24 with the last 3 at 6:53.  Nice, easy run.

6:30am:  Another treadmill day.  I ran 10.50 miles in a 7:22 avg.  Nothing special.

I was actually planning on running a few treadmill miles this morning but I was not prepared for what happened overnight.  WE GOT BURIED!!!!  I had at least a foot of new snow and the wind was gusting to almost 60mph when I woke up.  I had drifts up to 6 feet in my yard.

Needless to say, my son and I spent at least 3-4 hours shoveling at my house and my mother-in-laws house just trying to keep us dug out .  Every time we finished, it just kept snowing and blowing.  My neighborhood looks incredible.  I called my parents in Montana and told them not to come down for a few days because there was no way they would make it.  Most of the roads are closed and the wind would keep it that way.

I am tired, my back hurts, and I will run tomorrow.......

BUT WE HAD A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS :)

6:45am:  Deep snow outside, I ran 11.50 miles on the treadmill with a 7:24 average.  It snowed again last night so......back to the shovels again.

7:00am:  Ran 10.25 miles on the treadmill in a 7:24 avg.

No run today, just some weights and abdominal work.  I found out tonight that a friend of mine who has been battling cancer the last year and a half passed-away today.  He would have been 51 next Saturday.  He leaves behind a wife and 2 little kids both less than 4 years old.  I worked with him for over 11 years and he was a great guy.  Enjoy every day that you are given.  I know he is in a better place and will not suffer anymore.

6:30am:  Kind of a different run today.  The temperature was almost 40 degrees this morning but the wind was blowing hard out of the South at 25-30mph, gusting to 40 sometimes.  The footing was tricky as our snow is melting.  I ran on slushy pavement, soft gushy snow, ice, puddles, and got splashed by many vehicles.  I ran 12.15 miles in a pretty slow pace.

6:00am:  Tried to get out earlier today......we are going skiing :)  It was 30 degrees this morning but the nasty wind was blowing 20+mph and it was cold.  It was in the 40's yesterday so we had a lot of melting.  I was either running on completely dry pavement (yahoo) or solid ice from melting snowdrifts.  I ran 10.56 miles.

8:30am:  It was 12 degrees with some wind today.  I had the day off so I ran later.  I ran 16.13 miles on dry pavement and ice.