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

9:00am:  Stayed up late last night.  It was 30 degrees with wind (of course).  I ran 10.28 miles nice and easy to start off the year.

6:30am:  It was 44 degrees this morning but the wind was blowing 25-30 mph.  The good news is that I had clear pavement for about 90% of the run.  I ran 12.28 miles in a good pace and felt really good about my run today.  It was nice to have some fast miles outside for a change!!!

8:30am:  It rained hard, then snowed, then got cold quickly last night so I ran later today fearing icy streets.  It was 15 degrees when I left but winds were light and the sun was shining so it wasn't too bad.  I ran 19.23 miles with the last 5-6 on solid ice along the benches and hills by my house.  The in town stuff was fine and I got some nice miles in.  I cleared 80 miles for the week which was my goal and all of them were outside so I am happy!!!

No run today.  I did abdominal and leg weights workout.

6:30am:  It was cold this morning with below zero windchill so I ran on the treadmill.  I ran 10.25 miles in a pretty easy pace.  

6:30am  The temperature was 22 degrees with very little wind.  That was the good news.  The bad news was we had a dusting of snow last night that slickened the roads and hid the icy spots so I wore my "bolt shoes" as I call them.  I ran 12.27 miles on icy streets and ran fast when I could.

 6:30pm:  6.25 easy miles on the treadmill after my lower body weight workout.

6:30am:  Today was a horrible run.  The temperature was fine, 37 degrees.  The wind was nasty, 30mph+, but that was not the problem.  The roads were ice or black ice with some water on top of them.  I literally had to stop and walk several times because it was flat-out dangerous. Even my bolt shoes did not help.   I ran (ha) 12.29 miles in a pace around 8:30 due to the conditions.  It felt more like a survival outing than a run.  I will try to get some fast miles in tonight.

6:00pm:  It was 40 degrees and very windy tonight, but all the roads that were ice this morning were just wet tonight.  I ran 6.57 miles and in the dark I saw 3 deer dart in front of some cars while running up Satterfield.  

6:30am:  Temperature was 42 degrees this morning, but the wind was 20mph gusting over 30mph out of the South.  Luckily, the roads were nice and clear so I had OK South miles and great North miles.  I ran 12.31 miles and felt really good.

6:30am:  It was 28 degrees with some wind this morning.  I ran 12.28 miles in an easy pace.  I'm thinking a long run tomorrow if the weather isn't too bad.

6:45am:  It was 22 degrees this morning and the winds were light (about 10mph) so it was pretty nice.  I ran 19.53 miles with some fast miles mixed in.  

8:00am:  It was 27 degrees with almost NO WIND this morning.....I could not pass this up.  I ran 12.31 miles in a good pace that seemed really easy.  Nice run.

6:15am:  It was 35 degrees with winds steady at 20mph gusting over 30.......ya, it's Idaho winter.  I ran 13.14 miles in a fairly easy but steady pace.  I am shooting for 100 this week so I will push harder on Tue/Thur/Sat.

7:30am:  I ran later today because I have the day off.  It was 36 degrees with our old standby of 20+ winds with gusts over 30....whatever.  I had planned 15 miles but I stretched it to 17.12 because I felt good and I had the time.

6:15am:  It was 22 degrees this morning with very little wind and some fog.  I ran 12.28 miles in a fairly easy pace.

6:15am:  It was 25 degrees and foggy this morning.  I ran 12.31 miles nice and easy.

6:30am:  It was 17 degrees this morning with no wind and a Freezing Fog advisory.  There were times during my run that my eyelashes were trying to freeze together.  When I got home I was covered in frost and my head cover had an ice beard....I looked like Frosty the Snowman.  Other than that I had an Awesome run.  I ran 13.24 miles with some nice pick-up miles when I had good visibility.  I actually had about 15 minutes of clear running on the top of Satterfield because I was above the fog inversion.

8:00am:  It was 17 degrees but there was a lot less fog today.  I actually had sunshine most of the way.  I ran 22.36 miles and kept it under 3 hours.  

7:30am:  It was 13 degrees this morning with no wind.  I ran in to Kory after 3 miles and ran 3 with him.  It was nice to have someone to talk to for a while.  I ran 16.28 miles in an easy pace.

7:45am:  I had the day off and I work tomorrow so I decided to move my Tuesday longer run to today.  It was 15 degrees and light winds.  I ran 17.27 miles and took it pretty easy.

Rest day after 55 miles the last 3 days.

6:30am:  It was 15 degrees with no wind this morning.  I ran 12.23 miles in a pretty easy pace and ran 4 of them with Bob Fischer.

6:45am:  It was 18 degrees this morning.....a regular heat wave.  I ran 13.16 miles with 5 really good miles in the middle, felt good.

6:30am  I woke up to a fresh blanket of snow this morning.  The temperature was 30 degrees and it was snowing lightly.  I put on my traction shoes and had a good time.  I ran 12.38 miles and the traction wasn't too bad as the snow packed under each step.  It wasn't a fast run but it was a relaxing, fun time.

7:30am: It snowed wet and heavy this morning. Running in SLUSH was the order of the day. It was 32 degrees and snowing big fat flakes....I was very wet when I got home. I ran 18.42 miles in the best pace I could.

No running this morning.  We had stake conference at church this morning.  It was great!

6:30am: It snowed last night and then froze hard. The roads are very dangerous.....it was a treadmill day for safety. I ran 12.25 miles in a pace ranging from 7:30-6:49. Nice and sweaty workout.

6:30am:  Roads still nasty this morning.  The high yesterday was only 14 degrees so there has been no change in conditions.  Another treadmill day.  I ran 13.25 miles with each mile progressively faster until I was running at a 6:49 pace, the whole run at a 1.5 incline.

6:30am: Another treadmill day. Hope the roads get better soon. I ran 12.25 miles fairly easy after the last 2 days.

6:15am:  It was 18 degrees this morning.  The roads are still very icy but I've had enough of the treadmill the last 3 days.  Before I left I had to replace some of the bolts in my ice running shoes because I wore the hex heads down flat :)  I ran 15.17 miles and felt AWESOME.....  About 5 miles in I felt like I had the perfect pace, perfect stride, and if I didn't have to work today I would have run 20-25 miles.  I felt fluid.  I probably didn't look that way running on the ice, but I had a great time.  I kept the pace good and finished in under 2 hours.  I love days like this!!!

6:15am:  15 degrees outside with FREEZING FOG (oooh, my favorite).  The fog was worse on the benches and I was under it when I dropped down in to the main part of town.  Unfortunately my last 4 miles are back on the bench and I was covered in frost when I got home and my eyes tried to freeze shut at the corners.  I love a challenge :)  I ran 15.19 miles and was 3 minutes FASTER than yesterday.  It must have been that big bowl of pasta I had at Remo's last night, it was delicious!  I only need 5.85 miles tomorrow to break 400 for the month which will be a first for me. 

Morning:  I waited until it was light out to run this morning thinking it would be warmer.....it actually got colder.  It was 5 degrees and clear when I left.  The sun....yes we had sun today, was bright with all the snow and ice so I had to wear sunglasses so I did not go blind.  I ran 22.16 miles with 9 really good miles.  It was 20 degrees by the time I got home so all in all it was pretty good conditions.

No running today.  Church this morning and then pig-out during the Super Bowl this afternoon!!!

Morning:  It was 5 degrees with areas of freezing fog again.  I ran 13.26 miles and was fine as soon as my face went numb.  I needed to run off some of the buffalo wings and pizza rolls from yesterday.  

Morning:  It was 7 degrees this morning but the roads are clear except for a few spots so I am back in regular shoes :-)  I ran 16.29 miles and I think the shoes helped me because I did it in less than 2 hours!  No water stops or anything, just a nice steady run in the cold.

Morning:  It was 6 degrees this morning.  I'm getting tired of these cold days.  I ran 12.17 miles in a good pace.

Morning:  It was 9 degrees this morning.  I hate to say it, but I'm pretty much getting used to it.  I ran 15.24 miles in a nice pace.  I saw Kory this morning about 10.5 miles in to my run.  He was coming down off the Monte Vista overpass and I was going up.  It's bad enough seeing him running faster than me, I didn't need to be going uphill as well :-)  

Morning:  It was 33 degrees with winds of 15-20mph and a mix of rain and snow.  I was able to dress a little lighter but the wind made it nasty.  Today was an easy day with a long run scheduled tomorrow.  I ran 13.27 miles in a steady, but easy pace.

Morning:  OK, where should I start?  I needed to run fairly early because I work today.  It was 18 degrees with areas of nasty fog.  When I turned on my Garmin I realized that I needed to charge it last night but I was ready to leave so it was too late.  It showed 2 bars on the battery life so I thought....maybe.  Well after it showed my first mile split I got the "battery low" message so I knew I would only get 8-10 miles before it died.  It was really foggy the first 8 miles and then it started to clear a little.  I ate a gel at the turn at Indian Hills Elementary which is just past mile 11.  I was feeling pretty good and then it happened.  About 1 block before I got to the railroad crossing on Cheyanne Ave a train slowly crossed in front of me.  I stopped at the crossing to wait for it to pass.  It stopped in front of me...........and sat there.  Then several minutes later it backed up but not enough for me to get around.  Then another couple minutes later it went forward....and stopped.  Then after another few minutes it backed again, this time far enough to clear the crossing.  I had only gone 11.48 miles (Garmin still working) but I stood there for almost 15 minutes in the freezing fog that had again rolled in.   Had I known it would be this long I would have ran back the other way even though it is longer.   I started to run again and realized that I was now freezing and could not get warm.  I was soaking wet from sweat and had been standing around too long.  My Garmin finally died after mile 12.  I was just trying to get to the ISU SUB to duck inside and warm up for a minute.  It is at mile 15.  The fog started getting thicker as I ran.

I made it to the SUB and got warm before my last 7 miles.  When I looked at myself in the mirror I had a thick band of ice around my neck and had ice on parts of my face.  I pulled myself together and made it the last 7+ miles home.  When I normally run this loop I get a little over 22 miles so I will call it 22 even.  It's nice to be warm again.

No running today....rest day.

Morning:  I don't have to work today so I waited until it was light to run.  It was 30 degrees with light winds this morning.  I ran 16.27 miles nice and easy.  I wanted to get a few extra miles in as I am going to California Tues-Thurs for work and don't know how many miles I can get in.  I am, however, looking forward to running in warmer weather :-)

Afternoon:  Sue and I drove up to the Nordic center outside of town and went cross-country skiing.  We went 3.88 miles and worked pretty good.  It was fun.

Morning:  It was 20 degrees this morning, snowing, and the wind was blowing 20mph.  I only had time for 10.17 this morning as I need to get to the airport for my flight.  More comfortable running the next 2 days :-)

Morning:  It was 40 degrees with light winds in Anaheim, CA this morning.  The 85% humidity made it feel cooler but I was in shorts and a light shirt and I did not care.  I don't know weather it is the temperature, light clothing, or the sea-level air but I was quick this morning.  I ran 12.22 miles with nothing worse than a 7:13 mile! I get 1 more day of this before I am back in the real world of winter.

Morning:  It was 46 degrees with light winds and 99% humidity (it had just finished raining) in Anaheim this morning.  The temps were perfect.  I ran the same route as yesterday, 12.25 miles, but I was 2 1/2 minutes FASTER!!!  I kept all but the first 2 miles under 6:55 and felt awesome.  I fly home tonight so back to the snow....

Morning:  It was 6 degrees this morning.  I'm definitely back home.  That is 40 degrees colder than my run yesterday!!!  I ran 15.28 miles and actually held a good pace the whole way.  Maybe I am getting faster....who knows?

Morning:  It was 20 degrees and snowing lightly this morning.  I ran 22.23 miles and it was un-eventful compared to last Saturday.....thank goodness.

Morning:  It was 8 degrees with a wind chill just below zero when I left this morning.  It warmed to a balmy 19 by the time I got home.  I ran 18.34 miles in a nice, comfortable pace.  It was actually a very enjoyable run and I was only planning 15 but I stretched it out at the end because I felt so good.  I am going to get over 100 this week so this is a good start :-)

Morning:  I have today off so I had time for another good run.  It was 12 degrees this morning.  I ran 20.18 miles, good pace again.  I was only planning 17 but stretched to 20 because I was feeling good and  had the time.

Morning:  It was 29 degrees with a fresh blanket of snow this morning.  I got snowed on a little as I ran but the temperature felt really nice.  I ran 13.16 miles in a slow pace due to conditions and I am a little tired from the 60 plus miles the prior 3 days.

Morning:  27 degrees with some wind this morning.  That was not the problem.  All of the snow and slush from yesterday is now frozen hard on the roads.  It was icy so I ran a fairly flat route and avoided my normal hills because it was just too icy.  I ran 13.45 miles and slipped 5-6 times and actually fell hard once.....only 0.3 miles from the end of my run.  I was rounding a corner and my inside leg went right under me and I was on the ground.  I skinned my knee and my elbow but I don't think I hurt anything :)

Morning:  It was 5 degrees with areas of "freezing fog" this morning, but the roads were mostly clear so that was good.  I ran 15.22 miles in a good pace with what seemed like an easy effort.  I really like my 15 mile loop so it makes it easy to run fast.  100 is in the bag this week...I am thinking 115.

Morning:  It was 8 degrees this morning but there was less of the fog so I had less ice on me when I got home.  I ran 13.21 miles in a good pace.  Long run tomorrow.

Morning:  It was 8 degrees this morning with some areas of that nasty fog.  I was, however pretty motivated for my run today as I was on the brink of doing more miles in a week than I had ever run.  My previous high was 104 and I had over 93 before I started today.  It was pretty cold when I was in the foggy areas, in fact it had only warmed to 16 degrees by the time I finished my run almost 3 hours later.  I ran 23.27 miles putting me at 116.83 for the week.  I need to go to work now but there is some dumb part of me that is tempted to run 3.25 on my treadmill tonight so I can break 120.  Luckily tired will probably overrule dumb tonight.  What a GREAT week!!!

I took a well-earned day off.  Just some abdominal work and weights in the evening.

Morning:  It was 30 degrees this morning.  That means only one thing.....precipitation.  It was a mix of rain, sleet, and big FAT snow when I left.  I was soaked within about 3 miles.  Luckily it tapered-off after 8-9 miles.  I ran 15.26 miles and my legs felt really "fresh" after the day off.  I got splashed really bad at mile 13 by a school bus but I was so wet it didn't even matter.  I think I am tapering-off to an even 100 miles this week due to the day off :-)

Morning:  It was 39 degrees and raining when I got up this morning.  I have the day off so I thought I would wait to see if conditions improved when it got light....and they did.  The rain stopped and I knew I had to take advantage of this.  I put on shorts, yes, I got to wear shorts in Idaho for the first time since.......a long time ago.  The only thing is I noticed how white my legs are since they never see the sun.  Oh well....  I strapped on my Camelback, put a couple gels in my pocket and headed figuring I would just go wherever I felt like going.  I headed out on Chubbuck road to Hawthorne, then south.  I jumped on to the Portneuf Greenway north of the downtown area and meandered my way south.  I ended up on the south Bannock highway and made the turn at Indian Hill elementary.  I then picked up the Kirkham trail over to 5th st.  I turned up Barton road and worked my way up to American road.  American road is rolling hills for over a mile so it is a good workout.  I then went up over the top of Buckskin hitting the summit at the 17 mile mark.  I went down the other side, across Parks road, and then down Pocatello Creek road.  By this time the wind had picked-up and I had a good headwind the next couple miles.  I went back up Satterfield and worked my way back home.  I did the entire run in just under 3 hours and it felt REALLY good.  Because I had water and never needed a nature stop I did the entire run without EVER stopping.  I am getting stonger and faster every week.  My PR is going down again when I race next.

Morning: It was 30 degrees this morning, not as warm as yesterday. I ran 15.44 nice and easy to recover from yesterday.

Morning:  It was 34 degrees but the wind was blowing steady at 15mph out of the South so it did not feel that warm.  I was in to the wind for most of the first 7 miles until my turn at I.S.U.  After that I got a weird 2nd wind during my 9th mile (I'm sure the tailwind helped) and I pounded the last 6 miles in a great pace with the last mile at 6:42.  It was a good run.

Morning:  I met Barry at 5:05 to ride up to the top of Buckskin Rd so we could run the Pocatello marathon course.  It was 18 degrees in town, not sure what the temperature was up on top.  Because it had snowed up there yesterday we had to be careful the first 6-7 miles as we were on ice and snow on a downhill section and the only light we had was my little headlamp.  Once the roads cleared-up we picked-up the pace.  We ran 17.13 miles in a 7:24 average.  It was a great time.  Long run tomorrow.

Morning:  It was very cold this morning, 10 degrees with some wind that made it pretty nasty.  I ran my standard Saturday loop but did not have much kick today.  I ran 23.52 miles and managed to break 110 for the week.

Morning:  It was 23 degrees this morning with some light winds.  My objective today was just an easy recovery run.  I was feeling pretty sluggish so I did not worry about my pace at all.  I wasn't sure if it was the downhill run on Friday, the long run on Saturday, or the high mileage the last few weeks but I was slow today.  I ran 15.21 miles nice & easy.  When I weighed myself today I realized that I lost 3 pounds this week so I am obviously not eating enough to fuel my miles.  Hopefully some better eating this week will solve the problem.  Goal this week 110+.

Morning:  It was 30 degrees this morning with light winds.  I felt much better today and had some good speed when I wanted it.  I ate much better yesterday and also hydrated more.  I ran 15.26 miles in a good pace.

Morning:  I have the day off so I waited until after the sun was up to run.  It was 37 degrees with some wind but it was nice enough for shorts.  I wore a long-sleeve tech shirt which was great when I was in to the wind but I got hot during miles 12-18 when the wind was at my back.  It also warmed up to 50 by the time I got back.  I had a great run today.  I ran 23.40 miles with several MP miles thrown in along the way.  I had my Camelback with water so no stops again and I was able to maintain a nice pace.  By my estimation I am in 2:50-2:53 shape right now.

Morning:  It was 32 degrees with no wind this morning.  Just a nice, easy recovery run today after yesterday.  I ran 15.24 miles and luckily the rain held off for me.

Morning:  Welcome to spring(?) in Idaho.  It was 30 degrees with winds steady at 25mph gusting to almost 40.  The wind chill was 15 degrees and it felt nasty.  It even started snowing halfway through my run.  I ran 15.20 miles and was lucky to keep some of the miles under 8:00 due to the winds.

Morning:  It was 28 degrees, winds 10-15mph, and snowing this morning.  This is really depressing after some nicer days earlier in the week.  It is, however, better than the huge winds we had yesterday.  I took it easy today and only went 12.13 miles.  I have been tired this week with a touch of a cold so I wanted to save it for my long run tomorrow.

Morning:  It was 20 degrees this morning with winds 15+, making the wind chill in the single digits.  I ran today with Barry Smith who is training for Ogden.  He wanted to go 18 miles, his longest run so far this year.  We went out Chubbuck Rd, then north to Tyhee, West to Rio Vista, then worked our way back.  It was chilly against the wind but was nice on our way back.  I ran 18.5 with him and then another 2.12 by myself.  Total run 20.62 miles.

No running today.....rest day.

Morning:  It was 22 degrees and very ICY this morning.  It snowed 3-4 inches at my house Sunday afternoon and it turned the streets in my neighborhood to solid ice.  I ran 15.28 miles nice and easy.  Miles 5-9 were actually pretty nice around ISU as they did not get very much snow and those streets were OK.

Morning:  It was 21 degrees with winds steady at 20mph, gusting over 35mph.  We have a wind advisory today....YIPPEE :-(    It was NOT a nice day to do a run.  The wind was very cold.  I ran my standard long loop and was glad to get home.  I ran 22.70 miles.  Nothing spectacular to report.....I survived.

Morning:  OK...Monday's theme was ICE, Tuesday's theme was WIND, today was just COLD.  It was 15 degrees with a wind chill just above ZERO this morning.  I am getting tired of having a numb face when I run.  I ran 15.28 miles today and had a pretty nice pace since the winds were fairly light today.  

Morning:  It was 16 degrees this morning, but no wind.  I ran 15.31 miles nice and easy and enjoyed the "no wind" part very much!!!

Morning:  It was 18 degrees with no wind this morning.  Today was an easy day, only 12 miles planned and I guess because it was a short run I had a great pace.  I ran 12.23 miles and kept most of the miles under 7:00 and didn't feel like it was very hard.  Long run scheduled for tomorrow.....I wish it was warmer.

Morning:  I ran today with my friend Barry Smith.  We planned a long run on the Pocatello marathon course so I stashed a car at Century High School last night.  We drove up to the top of Buckskin at 6:15.  It was around 20 degrees but we had a very cold headwind when we headed SouthEast.  We started down the backside and after 3 miles Barry suggested I pull ahead as he was a little behind me.  We agreed that I would do the 1/2 mile out and back (1 mile total) on Rapid Creek and he would not so that should make us finish the same.  I started doing the math in my head and realized I would need to average :25/mile faster than him to make up the mile by the time we finished.  I was cruising along around 6:30-6:35/mile for a long time. 

 I was finally able to see him ahead of me when we had a long straight stretch going in to Inkom.  He was running really well and I was not closing the gap very quickly even though I was still pulling 6:45-6:50/mile at this point.  I just kept plugging away but we were playing a great game of cat and mouse for the next 6 miles.  I ended up finishing about :15 seconds behind him.  It was exactly 22 miles to my car.  I did 22.00 miles in 2:31 for a 6:52 average.  He did 21.00 miles in 2:31 for a 7:11 average, probably his BEST run ever as he has never broken a 3:30 marathon. 

 This was an awesome finish to a 102+ mile week.  Yes, it was cold and windy but we pushed each other very nicely for a great long run.

No running today.....a very needed rest day :)

It was 42 degrees this morning with winds 10-15mph. It wasn't raining when I left. It was, however, raining pretty steady by mile 5 and by mile 7 I was soaked to the skin. I was in shorts and a long-sleeve tech shirt with thin gloves. I was OK except my hands which were really cold once the gloves soaked through.

I ran 15.23 miles in an easy pace as my legs were still a little tight from the hills on Saturday.

It was 41 degrees with winds 10-15mph this morning, but it wasn't raining yet so today was better than yesterday. I ran 15.25 miles in a comfortable pace but faster than Monday.

It was 27 degrees this morning with very light winds. I just did a quick 12.38 miles as I needed to be at work a little earlier this morning.

It was 27 degrees this morning with very light winds.......a regular Idaho surprise!!!  I ran 15.22 miles very comfortably in a nice pace.  I did several pick-up miles after I was warmed-up and they felt really good.  We are getting closer to race season and I am anxious to see what gains I have made with all these miles.

It was 29 degrees this morning......same old same old. There was a very light breeze so that was good. I ran a nice, easy 12.56 for an easy day today. Long run tomorrow.

It was 37 degrees this morning with a few windy spots (S. Bannock Hwy) but overall a nice morning.  4 of us left my house at a little after 6.  Only Barry Smith and I went the whole 22+ miles.  We ran in an easy pace but still less than 3 hours for an easy long run.  This was a step-back week for me so only 93 miles.....I feel like a slacker!!!

Rest day today...only ab work.

Holy Mother Nature!!!! It was 28 degrees with 20-25mph winds and SNOWING HARD this morning. I woke up to 4-6 inches of snow (hard to tell exact amount because the wind was blowing so strong) on the roads. I ran 10.61 miles today and the miles in to the wind were unbearable. The snow was just the right consistency to feel like I was being Sand-Blasted. The wind was mostly out of the West so I tried to face East as much as I could but I cannot do that exorcist thing and spin my head all the way around. I put down all my miles as slow miles but they certainly were NOT easy miles. I hope the weather is better tomorrow so I can do some tempo work.

The kids are on Spring Break (HA) this week....I feel bad for them. It was a lot nicer last week.

It was 28 degrees this morning with winds 10-15mph but at least it wasn't snowing. I ran 13.33 miles as a good tempo run with some nice pick-ups in several miles.

It was 32 degrees this morning with winds 20+mph and a wind chill around 20. We have a Winter Storm Advisory for today and tomorrow....YIPPEE :-(

I ran 10.36 miles nice and easy today. Tempo run tomorrow if the weather is not too horrible.

It was 17 degrees this morning and very windy with the wind chill around zero. If you have to talk about wind chill on March 26th you know you MUST be in Idaho. The streets were coated with a layer of ice from the storm so it had to be a treadmill day.

I decided to do a hill sprint workout that I have not done in years. I warmed-up for 20 minutes and then got in to it. The workout consists of sets of hill sprints at different inclines. I ran 6 reps at 7.5% incline, 6 reps at 10% incline, then 4 reps at 12.5% incline. Then you are supposed to run a mile at 0% but my treadmill only goes down to 1.5%. For that mile you increase the speed 1-1.5mph and you still feel like you are going to bust through the front of the treadmill. I ran that mile in 5:56 and felt awesome.

I then cooled-down for a few miles to round out the workout.

It was 19 degrees this morning with some light winds but nothing too bad. I ran 12.56 miles and it felt really easy..... I went out thinking easy recovery run and it turned out to be an easy almost tempo run. I love days when your results surprise you in a good way.

It was 31 degrees with winds around 10mph. I ran this morning with Barry Smith (he NEEDS to join the blog) and Mike Williams who runs for Idaho State University. We ran 15.22 miles and Mike and I pushed the pace several times for some MP miles and we even pushed the mile up Satterfield hill keeping that mile in the 7's. Overall a nice finish to a taper week for me.

It was 30 degrees and snowing with winds 30-40mph this morning so Treadmill here I come.....

Today was just an easy active-recovery run with all the miles at a slow pace. This was easy on the treadmill as I kept me in line even though I wanted to go faster. I ran 6.00 miles.

We got a nice blizzard late yesterday so the roads here are a MESS. Another treadmill day. I ran a nice, easy 8 miles in a comfortable pace.

It was 30 degrees this morning with winds 15-20, gusting to over 30....GRRR. I did a nice tempo run today keeping the pace between 6:30-6:45 on all the miles except the uphill on Satterfield. I ran 10.52 miles....felt good.

It was icy again outside after yet ANOTHER snowstorm......  I ran 6.00 miles on the TM nice and easy.  Where is SPRING???

It was 33 degrees, windy, and some light snow blowing around this morning. I ran 5.13 miles with a couple of pick-ups.

Left for Moab this morning.  It looks like the weather is going to be REALLY bad for the marathon.

Wow....where to start.  We got on the bus at 5:15 for what was supposed to be a 6:30 start.  It was raining/snowing and wind in Moab.  The RD said it was going to be "iffy" at best because there was over 6 inches of new snow on the top and the wind was nasty.  When the bus turned to go up highway 313 we were plowing through 6 inches of slush that turned in to 6 inches of blowing snow as we climbed higher.  The bus driver was basically following the reflectors on the side of the road to keep going.  It took us almost an hour and a half to get to the bathrooms at Deadhorse point, only 30 miles from town.  At this point the RD told us the race was cancelled and we were driving down to the halfway point and just running a half-marathon.  A bunch of us talked and decided we would go the full distance anyway.......just crazy I guess.  I decided that this would be just a training run due to the conditions and the fact that I am running Salt Lake in 2 weeks

 The bus drove back to the start and the RD told us we were officially on our own and gave us each a water bottle as there would be no aid until past the halfway point, if any.  10 of us got off the bus and watched it drive away.  The wind was nasty 20-30 mph and pelting us with snow.  I was dressed fine for this but would pay later as my clothing would get soaked and heavy down the road.  The first 3 miles were NASTY.  We had a gradual uphill with snowdrifts on the road and we tried to keep moving by following the tire tracks of the bus without slipping and falling.  I took off and another runner went with me.  I found out later that it was Nate from the blog, he lives in St. George.  Nate pulled ahead of me and was looking pretty good.  We made the turn back on to highway 313 around mile 3 and Nate stopped for a nature break.  I noticed a bunch of footprints and realized that a majority of the people on the bus decided to start their race here because the wind was more at our backs and the downhill started.

Nate passed me again by mile 4 and started picking up the pace.  We were running downhill in deep snow and had to be careful not to fall.  We started catching the runners that started around mile 3 and I had a hard time seeing where Nate was as we worked our way through the other runners.  I passed what turned out to be the last of those runners around mile 9.  By this time the roads were just deep slush and I was getting SOAKED.  We were also getting splashed by passing cars.  The bottom half of my pants were heavy and I was bothered by having to carry that stupid water bottle as I could not use my arms like I wanted.

By mile 14 the roads were just wet but I could feel the fatigue of the downhill coupled with the stress on the legs from trying to run without falling in the slick conditions.  I could see Nate ahead of me but he had a good 3/4 of a mile on me by now.  We got our first water station (un-manned) at mile 15 so I tossed the stupid water bottle.  At about 17.5 we turned on highway 191 in to a HEADWIND that would dog us the rest of the way.  We would be going uphill the next 3-4 miles.  At mile 19 we went under the highway and were on a dirt road.  Actually it was that special Moab red mud with slush on top of it.  The footing here was bad and my pace showed it.  We then ran on the old highway that was probably last used in the 1950's.  It was so broken-up that you could not get a good pace going like running on a bad cobblestone road.  At mile 23 we got a better path and I just coasted in to the finish.

They gave me a 2nd place overall picture at the finish and I talked to Nate for a couple of minutes before walking back to the motel.  An interesting day for sure.  I have 1 bloody toe from the rubbing wet socks but otherwise I am good.

Drove home from Moab today. It was nice and sunny. Too bad the race wasn't today.

It was 25 degrees this morning with light winds. I ran 8.33 miles nice and slow as my quads are still a bit tight from Saturday's run.

It was so nice this evening (60 degrees) Sue and I went on a bike ride. It really helped to loosen-up my quads. When we got home I did leg presses, curls, and extensions.

It was 28 degrees this morning, ran in shorts anyway. It was 35 by the time I got back so it was nice. I ran 15.29 miles in a fairly easy pace. My quads still hurt a bit on downhills so I didn't want to push too hard yet.

It was 50 degrees and windy this morning.  Easy recovery run early because I had a meeting at 8:00 this morning.  I ran 10.32 in an easy pace.

It was 40 degrees this morning with wind and some light rain. I ran 12.27 miles with a couple pick-ups, but nothing serious.

It was 35 degrees this morning with very light winds.  I ran 10.51 miles and felt pretty good for the first time this week.  Last Saturday's run in hard conditions has really taken a lot out of me.  

It was 35 degrees this morning and was actually a bit moist outside.  I ran 10.22 miles with some nice pick-ups along the way.

It was beautiful this morning.  40 degrees, sunny and just a light breeze.  I ran 8.53 miles and really did not push at all, just an easy effort.  It felt great.

It was a nice afternoon.  We were having dinner at grandmas house and my son and I decided to ride our bikes over and back.  We rode a total of 8.52 miles although the big uphill on Satterfield only an hour after a big dinner was interesting.

41 degrees and a bit windy this morning.  I guess I better enjoy it as the weather is supposed to get nasty Tuesday through Thursday.  The forecast said "snow with significant accumulations possible" on Tuesday night and Wednesday.  The high Wednesday is supposed to be 38!!!  Oh well, as long as it is OK in Salt Lake on Saturday.  I ran 8.37 miles nice and easy as the taper continues.

It was 35 degrees and windy this morning when I left.  I ran 1 fast mile before I ran slower for a couple of miles to talk to Brent Lee.  He is going to Boston this weekend.  Then I saw Kory and turned around and ran 3 miles with him.  We kept all 3 around 6:35-7:00 as we talked and it seemed pretty easy.  By mile 5 it had started to snow pretty good and by the time I got home I was very wet and my hands were getting cold.  It looks like the bad weather is coming in.

It was 35 degrees with lots of wind this morning and it felt cold due to the moisture.  I ran 6.24 miles nice and easy.

It was 32 degrees this morning, but luckily the snow only stuck to the grass and the roads were just wet.  I ran 5.57 miles with a couple pick-ups in the 4th mile just to work on leg turnover.  

No run today.......driving to Salt Lake this afternoon.

It was actually very nice weather for a race, especially compared to the stuff I had in Moab 2 weeks ago.  The temperature at the start was 38 degrees (at least that's what the gas station thermometer at mile 1.5 said).  It was overcast at the start and I was at mile 17 before the sun started to warm things up.  There was some wind here and there...but nothing serious.

Ok....to the race.  It took me almost an hour on the stupid train to get to the start.  People kept trying to get on a full train and we were at each station for 5 minutes.  I did not get to the start until less than 20 minutes before the gun.  I did a quick warm-up jog with Barry and downed a gel and some water and away we went.

Barry and I ran together until the half/full split at Sugarhouse Park.  We paced each other and he was going for a sub 1:28 in the half (he got a 1:27 something, CONGRATS BARRY!).  I was feeling pretty good until mile 7 and my stomach started getting cramps pretty bad.  My splits started to sag and I was starting to think I would be lucky to get a 3:15. 

I hit the half in 1:28 and I normally am 5-7 minutes slower on the 2nd half of this course so I knew a sub-3 would be tough.  But then my stomach either started to feel a little better or I got better at ignoring it.  Someone told me at the 1/2 that I was in 29th place and that seemed to motivate me.  My splits from the half until about mile 20 were much better and I picked-off 6 runners by mile 18.  I could see the next 3 ahead of me but I could not reel them in.

1 runner passed me in Liberty Park with 3 miles to go and I lost one of my goals of not getting passed in the 2nd half.  I was doing OK until the 25th mile which had a "new" hill on State St. that we never had before.  At this point I was weaving through all the half-marathon walkers and almost had to stop in this narrow section on S. Temple in a construction zone as the walkers were 4 abreast and blocking my way. 

I finished in 2:59:13 and came in 3rd overall in the Masters category so I finished in the money :-)........I know it's only 50 bucks but hey........I'll take it (if I ever see it, this is Devine racing ya know).  I also got 3rd in my age group so considering my stomach issues, if I can still sub-3 on a bad day only 2 weeks after my last marathon I am doing OK.

I am tired from the drive home and will post splits later.

OK....here's the splits.  You will see that they are all over the place

1.     6:21

2.     6:29

3.     6:24

4.     6:21

5.     6:40

6.     6:47

7.     6:55

8.     6:50

9.     7:03

10.   6:35

11.   6:42

12.   6:52

13.   7:07

14.   6:33

15.   6:29

16.   6:32

17.   6:42

18.   6:47

19.   6:48

20.   6:58

21.   7:08  (starting to fade)

22.   7:04

23.   7:19

24.   7:18

25.   7:46 (stupid hill anyway!)

26.   7:13

.023   6:39

It was a beautiful morning....clear skies and 40 degrees.  Today was an easy recovery run.  I ran 10.25 miles nice and easy to work out some stiffness in my quads from Saturday's marathon.

 Went on a bike ride tonight because it was soooooo nice outside....around 70 degrees.  I rode 10.27 miles and it helped my quads alot.

It was nice again this morning, 40 degrees and light winds.  I ran 15.21 miles nice and easy again as I am still recovering from Saturday.

Another nice morning....43 degrees.  I was a bit tired after Tuesday's run so I ran slow and easy today.  I ran 12.08 miles very easy.

It was warm and windy this morning.  53 degrees.  I kept it easy running 10.28 miles.

It was cooler this morning (40 degrees) but the 20+mph wind was really cold when I ran directly in to it.  We have a chance of snow the next 2 nights...GRRRR.  I ran 10.54 miles and felt pretty good.

It was 25 degrees on the top of Buckskin this morning.  My friend Barry Smith needed one more long run before Ogden so I agreed to run with him.  We ran the first 23 miles of the Pocatello marathon course.  We just went fairly easy for distance and did not push hard.  I ran 23.00 miles in 2:49.......Kory don't yell at me, it felt really good.  My Camelback hose froze by mile 3 but I thawed it out by tucking it in.  I ran in shorts even with the cold and was fine because there was little wind

It was 33 degrees this morning with winds 15-20 making the wind chill around 20.  I ran 10.62 miles nice and easy except the last couple miles I picked it up because the wind was so cold and I wanted to get home.

It was another chilly morning, 26 degrees with some wind.  I dressed better today than yesterday so it was OK.  I ran 12.32 miles.  Quads a little tight the first couple of miles.  Not sure if it was from Saturday's run or yesterdays weights.

It was 36 degrees and raining this morning.  I ran 12.41 miles with some good pick-ups and got wet the last half of the run but not too bad.

I ran another 8.79 this afternoon around the neighborhood because I wanted to go farther this morning but I didn't dare with the on and off thunderstorms we were getting.  Holy crap, that was a nasty run-on sentence :)

It was 33 degrees this morning but at least it wasn't raining.  I felt pretty good today and had a good pace throughout my run.  I ran 13.24 miles.  I saw Kory running up Oak St. in his cool weather gear and he looked like a Ninja with his pullover hat on.........spooky.  I tried to get his attention but he must have had music on and couldn't hear me.  

It was 27 degrees this morning, another cold one.  I ran 15.21 miles in a steady pace for the most part.  

I woke up early this morning with nasty stomach cramps.  I think it was from some late evening snacking last night.  Since I was up early I ended up going out for my run early and went a little farther than I originally planned.  I ran 15.31 miles and had some stomach issues the first half.  I stopped at ISU to use the bathroom and get a drink of water and that seemed to help.  I kept the pace nice and easy as I am planning on doing a 10K tomorrow in the middle of a 20 mile run.

It started as a nice weather day today.....it did not stay that way.  It was 40 degrees with almost no breeze when I left the house.  I ran to Barry Smith's house and we ran together to the start of the 10K.  I ran 4.10 miles to the start averaging around 7:30/mile, just nice and easy.  

The weather for the 10K was perfect.  We started at 8:00am.  They changed the course this year so it is actually a true 10K.  In past years it has been short (like 5.88).  The problem was the 10K runners started with a loop around Raymond Park and the 5K runners/walkers went directly South.  So, as you may have guessed, before we hit the first mile marker we were running through a sea of 5K walkers, strollers, little kids on bikes, you name it.  The 5K and 10K courses were together from mile .3 until mile 3 for the 10Kers.  

Barry and I ran together to pace each other today as a speed workout to prepare for Ogden in 2 weeks.  Barry's only goal today was to beat me.  We were about 1 minute behind the leaders at mile 3 when we had some uphills and winding trails so our pace slowed a bit.  When we got to the top of our climb and flattened-out I was worried that we would not break 40 minutes as we were behind schedule.  During mile 5 Barry pushed the pace and actually made a move to try and gap me with 1.5 miles left to go.  I hung on and stayed about 10 feet behind him as we pushed on.  I caught him at 5.7 and we were both pushing pretty good.  I asked him if we were running in together and he gave me that "I'm going to beat you" look.  We saw the finish line with .2 to go and we both just went all-out.  We sprinted (well, as fast as 2 guys in their mid-40's can sprint) to the finish and we both crossed at the exact same time.  Our pace the last .2 miles was 4:23!!!  His foot with the timing chip must have been his front foot and mine must have been my back foot because the official results had him 2/100's of a second ahead of me.  So he got his goal and beat me......NICE JOB!!!  It was a PR for both of us.

Here are the splits:

1.  6:13

2.  6:19

3.  6:45 (some uphill)

4.  6:47 (more hills)

5.  6:19

6.  6:10

.2  4:23

So he finished 3rd overall and I was 4th.  The 1st overall was in our age group and the 2nd overall was in the 50's age group so today OLD GUYS RULE!!!

I had about 35 minutes until the awards so I went for a cool-down run of 4.27 miles in a 7:28 average.  It was during this time that it started to rain and I got pretty wet.  During the awards I stood under the park shelter with everyone else but got a pretty good chill.  My plan was to run home after the awards but it started raining really hard and I was not dressed for it so I caught a ride home.  I try to do another 8 or so tonight if the weather clears up.

It was 45 degrees with light winds this morning.  I ran 8.55 miles nice and easy as an active recovery run.  No real push at all.

It was 35 degrees with some light winds this morning but the humidity was over 80% after all the heavy rain we received yesterday.  In other words I was pretty wet when I was finished even with the cool temps.  I ran 12.44 miles in a decent pace.

It was about 45 degrees windy and raining this morning.  I have the day off so I wanted a nice, slow distance run today.  When I turned South on Hawthorne I had the wind in my face and a steady rain.  Knowing that I was going to be going this direction for the next 8.5 miles did not really excite me.  

When I made the turn at Indian Hills it started to clear-up and I started getting too hot because I was dressed for wind and rain.  I got to spend the next hour and a half sweating like crazy and now the wind was behind me so it did not cool me off much.

I ran 23.16 miles in a nice, easy pace and feel really good but glad the uncomfortableness is over.

It was 45 this morning with no wind, actually a very nice morning.  I ran 10.13 miles nice and easy and did about half of them with Bob.

It was 45 degrees with nasty winds this morning, 20-25mph at times.  I was feeling a bit sluggish today due to the cold I have been fighting for the past week so I was not happy about the wind as an added bonus to my fun.  I ran 13.22 miles in an OK but not really fast pace.

It was 26 degrees this morning but at least yesterdays 40+mph winds are gone.  I ran 10.56 miles and felt a little better than yesterday cold-wise.

It was 26 degrees this morning with no wind.  6 of us drove up to the top of Buckskin and it was a nice morning.  Barry Smith and I ran the first mile slow with the others, then we took off and ran some nice pace miles back into town.  I ended up running 13.24 miles in all.

After the run I helped a friend move out of his apartment for 2 hours so I got a good workout so far today.

It was 40 degrees and sunny...a beautiful morning.  I ran 6.56 miles nice and easy.  Ogden in 6 days!!!

It was 45 degrees this morning with some wind, but not too bad.  It is supposed to be 75 today so that will be nice.  I ran 8.57 miles nice and easy.  I will do some faster tempo miles tomorrow to keep fresh for Saturday.

5 days to Ogden.....

It was 37 degrees and windy this morning.  I did a good tempo run with 4 MP miles and good pace on all the miles just taking it easy on the uphills.  I ran 10.54 miles in all.

I got my official e-mail that I hit the lottery for St.George!!!!  I always earn my way in through the Grand Slam but it is alot easier and less-stressful this way.

It was 28 degrees this morning with a Wind Chill (yes, I said wind chill) of 19 degrees.  At least the wind was better than the last couple of days.  I ran 6.53 miles very easy.  Saving it for Saturday.

The weather forecast for the marathon is looking pretty good.  It might even get a little warm by the finish.

3 days........

It was 48 degrees and windy this morning, but at least it wasn't in the 20's like yesterday.  I ran 4.16 miles nice and easy.  Legs are feeling good.

2 days.....

No run this morning, just doing a bunch of work around the house before I go to work today and then drive to Ogden this afternoon.  A not so funny thing happened to me late yesterday.  I got an e-mail from the Ben Lomond hotel in Ogden saying that their reservation computer had crashed and they were overbooked and I now do not have a room.  I booked that room in early February and I love staying there because it is right where the buses leave from and less than a block from the finish line.  They blocked off rooms at other motels but now I am at the Days Inn which is 8 blocks South and I have to figure out parking and such for the morning.  Worst of all they did not seem to care AT ALL!!!  

 This, however, will NOT spoil my day tomorrow.  I am prepared, and pretty rested.....

OK......so I didn't quite PR today.  This was my 2nd best marathon ever but I am a bit disappointed that I wasn't under 2:53 like I wanted.  It was nice and cold at the start, about 39 degrees is what I saw on someone's thermometer.  There were some light winds at times but nothing that really hurt us.

I jogged the 1.1 miles from my motel to the bus pick-up area and got there in plenty of time.  We got to the start a full 1 hour and 15 minutes before starting time and the fires were quite helpful.  I got to meet LOTS of bloggers today before and after the race.  I met Nick Mc, Amber, Riverton Paul, Allie, Dustin, Bill from St. George, and Walter.  I hope I did not forget anybody.  It was fun meeting all those great runners.  

So back to the race.  I started kind of fast and had to back off as I was clipping a 5:50 thru the first 1/2 mile, which is too fast for me.  I settled in to a 6:15-6:20 pace and was doing good thru mile 8.  I made the turn North and passed several people in the next couple of miles but I was not happy with my splits.  How could I be passing people and slowing down so bad.  I had been trailing Bill Cobler since the start and finally passed him around 10 1/2 but it was not a great mile for me.  Dustin passed me around 11 1/2 and he was looking good.  I passed 3 more before the half but still was loosing ground on my goal. 

I crossed the 1/2 in 1:25:45, just 45 seconds off my goal but I could tell that I was fading a bit.  I did the uphill mile 15 in 7:07 but was able to get back in to the 6:35-6:40 range right after that.    Right about mile 15 is when I began to notice the huge hot spot on my right foot as a nasty blister was developing.  I must have had a wrinkle in my sock.  The problem was I was STUCK in the 6:35-6:45 range.  Even down the canyon I could not  go much faster and that blister was feeling like it was going to explode.  I passed the female first place runner at mile 21 and she was having some issues and ended up getting passed at the end.  I was still teetering on the edge of a PR at mile 23 but I knew it would be tough on those narrow, winding trails especially with all the walkers blocking the entire path at times.  I was getting tired and dodging all those people was not fun.  And let's be honest....when I knew my PR was out of reach and I had nobody left to pass or pace with except half-marathon walkers, my motivation level wasn't at it's peak.

I ended up finishing in 17th place, I think.  I will correct it once they actually post overall results.  I did get a 2nd place age group award so that was kind of nice.  The top 4 overall were Seth Wold, Nick McCombs, Fritz Van de Camp, and Walter Brown.  The bloggers did great!!!  My friend Barry Smith from Pocatello ran a 3:08, shattering his old PR of 3:30 so he had a great day as well.

Here are my splits

1.  6:02

2.  6:21

3.  6:16

4.  6:19

5.  6:24

6.  6:21

7.  6:25

8.  6:34

9.  6:45

10.  6:41

11.  6:55

12.  6:45

13.  6:52

14.  6:48

15.  7:07 (hill climb)

16. 6:45

17. 6:47 (the mile I finally passed the dude in the clown suit and BLUE wig)

18. 6:35

19. 6:34

20. 6:41

21. 6:45

22. 6:38

23. 6:26

24. 6:48

25. 7:06 (and the wheels fall off......)

26. 7:08

0.2 6:41

P.S.  Everyone with a GARMIN had the course long by about .2 of a mile.  I had it at 26.39.  I think when they measured it they used the tangents, and then don't let us run them in the canyon.  I also think you add on extras on the trail dodging the walkers and such.  Not an excuse.  I did not earn a PR.  Just an observation.

It was beautiful this morning.....46 degrees, a light breeze, sun coming up.....     I ran nice and easy today as a recovery run after Saturday.  My right hammy was tight for the first 5-6 miles but it finally loosened-up.  That nasty blister on my right foot was bearable and only bothered me when it "gooshed" a bit when making turns.  I knew it was there but it was OK.  I think the blister caused me to run a bit off balance the last 11 miles of the marathon and that is probably why the hammy is tight.  I ran 10.27 miles in a slow pace and the legs, while not fast, felt pretty good.

It was warm this morning.....61 when I left, 71 by the time I was done.  Not quite used to that yet.  I ran 13.21 miles, a bit quicker than yesterday and no hammy problems today.  The blister is hardening pretty good, just a bit soft around the edges.

It was cooler this morning at 50 degrees, but very windy with winds steady at 20 and gusting to 35mph.  I ran 10.55 fairly easy with splits all over the place due to the wind.

It was 34 degrees this morning, but winds were light.  I ran 12.26 miles, nothing eventful.

It was 40 degrees this morning and sunny.  I ran 10.61 miles with a few good miles mixed in.  Hammy a little tight again today.  Need to stretch tonight.

I decided to sleep in a bit this morning.  I am still fighting this stupid cold that I have had for several weeks.  I did not leave for my run until 8:00am.  It was 46 when I left, 66 when I got home so I got to run in warmer temperatures.  I need more warmer runs to prepare for heat-fests like DesNews.  I ran 15.22 miles and felt pretty strong the whole way.

 Oh yeah.....21 days 'til Utah Valley........I know.......

It was 55 degrees and overcast this morning.  Humidity 75% which is really high for us.  I got drizzled on a couple of times but nothing serious.  I ran 15.26 miles just nice and steady.  Planning a long run tomorrow for the day off.

It was 50 degrees and overcast this morning.  Great conditions for a long run.  I ran 22.70 miles in a nice steady pace.  Now it's off to the cemetery and a family get-together.

It was 44 degrees and calm this morning.  I was a bit tired from yesterday's long run and all the activities from the day.  I ran 12.23 miles in an easy pace.

It was 41 degrees with barely a breeze, what a beautiful morning!  I ran 12.21 miles with a couple slow miles from 5-7 ( I ran with Bob Fisher and he was recovering from the Coeur d' Alene half-marathon).  Then I picked-up the pace and had some strong miles from 8-12.

It was 45 degrees...another nice morning.  I was tired today because we got home late last night after my nephew's graduation in Kimberly.  I did a shorter run today, 10.31 miles pretty slow.

I finally got a massage tonight to work on my tight hamstring and glute that have been dogging me for a week.  I am so pig-headed and don't take advantage of massages when I have a massage therapist living in my house for only 2 more months, she is getting married.

It was 50 degrees with light winds this morning.  Another nice morning.....I love this time of year!!!  As soon as I started I could tell that last night's massage worked wonders.  She really dug deep in my right hammy....it felt very supple today and my run showed it.  I ran 12.71 miles and finally had some decent speed!!!  I finished running the last 3 miles at MP and felt wonderful.  I am going to get weekly massages now....I am sold!!!

It was 55 degrees when I left this morning......70 by the time I was done.  My run was different today.  I needed to pick up a company car that was left at the airport and wanted to make my run end there.  I started out with Barry Smith and we met Todd in Chubbuck.  We ran around Chubbuck and I left them after 10.7 miles when we were at the corner of Philbin and Siphon roads.  I headed West on Siphon to go all the way around the airport.  This stretch was 7 miles of a very gradual uphill with a slight headwind that felt pretty good.  

I spooked myself by getting way too close to what appeared to be a rattlesnake at mile 14.69.  I didn't hang around to confirm the snake type......all that mattered is that it was a snake.  So for the rest of my run any stick on the road spooked me so I stayed pretty much close to the middle of the road.

I turned South on the Arbon Valley Road at mile 17.75 and headed for the freeway.  I hit the freeway at 21 miles and still had to work my way back to the airport.  I had planned on 23 miles today but at 23 I was still almost 2 miles from the car so I just kept going.  I hit the car at 24.98 so I ran past it just to break 25 for the day.

Because this run did not have any major hills up or down my pace stayed pretty steady.  I finished the run in just over 3 hours so I felt pretty good about it, plus I broke 110 for the week.

It was another nice morning.  Just a little rain before I started, 50 degrees.  I ran 10.27 miles nice and easy.

No run today.  I got up at 4:30 like normal but I ended up taking Sue to the hospital instead of running.  She has been really sick since late Saturday and was just not getting better.  She was really dizzy and nauseous and if she moved at all she would get sick.  She had not eaten anything since Saturday dinner.  

It looks like it is an inner ear problem that is giving her severe vertigo.  They gave her 2 bags of IV fluid because she was so dehydrated and some medication to "dampen" the vertigo.  They can't really treat it....it just goes away I guess.  Then I had to rush up to Rexburg for my first of 4 straight days of full day corporate inspections (more like labotomies).  I am exhausted.

I woke up at 2:45am and could not go back to sleep.  Must be the stress of everything going on this week.  I decided to get up and get my daily paperwork completed and do my run early so I can go to work early and get ready for the next inspection.  It was 51 degrees and drizzling lightly when I left at 4:40.  This is probably the earliest I have ever run.  It's been a while since I ran in the dark as well.  I started off in what I thought was a pretty easy, but smooth pace.  I could not see my splits for a couple miles because I forgot to look at my Garmin when I happened to be under a streetlight.  By the time I could see I realized that I was on my way to a pretty good tempo run.....so I went with it.  

I ran 15.22 miles in a very nice pace.  I'm not sure why....but I just love my 15 mile runs.  It was wierd to be finished with my run by 6:30am, but I think I needed this kind of effort today.

Well.....off to work....fun, fun, fun.

It was 48 degrees and nice this morning.  I only had time for a shorter recovery run today, work early again.  I ran 10.28 miles nice and easy.

It was 55 degrees this morning with a couple sprinkles of rain at the start then nothing after that.  I was planning some speed work today so I grabbed a small water bottle and headed up Jerome to the top of Satterfield.  I ran in to Angela at the top and she was running 1/4 mile repeats so I ran 6 of them with her.  3 down and 3 back up a slight incline.  After that I ran over to the other end of Satterfield to do my mile repeats on the downhill section of Satterfield and Pocatello creek.  I left my water bottle at the top.  I ran down 1 mile fast and then ran back up a mile slow.  My fast miles were 5:53, 5:50, 5:45, and 5:44.  I was not real excited about the 1 mile run back up the hill but it was OK.  My fast runs were comfortably hard and I felt good about the pace.  I really need more speedwork like this.  I ran a total of 13.46 miles.

It was 55 degrees and overcast this morning.  I ran 10.22 miles nice and easy after yesterdays repeats.  I am doing a 10K tomorrow as part of a 15-16 mile day then I start my taper for Utah Valley next week.

It was 42 degrees and raining with some wind today.  Not exactly ideal conditions for a 10K.  It was raining pretty hard at 6:30 and I was wondering whether I should run to the race start as I had planned or drive down.  I was talking to Sue about it and she said "Don't be a pansy.....you ran a marathon in a blizzard in Moab".  Well that's all it took.  I ran the 5 miles to the race start and did the first 4 all under 7:00 because I got a late start out the door.  I was pretty soaked when I arrived at the start but luckily I only had about 10 minutes until race time so I did not get too cold.

This 10K has a lot of hills and we were against the wind until almost mile 3.  I kept a pretty good pace and was within 25 seconds of Kory at the turn on Barton Rd when he just took off trying to catch the leaders.  I ran a 6:13 the 3rd mile and he gapped me something fierce.  The last mile and a half is a steady uphill back to the hospital and I finished in a 40:23.  There were over 500 runners between the 5K and 10K today...even with the bad weather.  They had a fantastic turnout.

Kory and I ran together for 2.7 miles on the way home in an easy pace and we talked the whole way.  I finished the day at just over 16 miles and I am now over 2000 for the year.  I did not break 2000 last year until......are you ready for this.....December 16th!!!

Utah Valley marathon in 7 days........

It was 42 degrees...but at least it wasn't raining.  I ran 8.26 miles in an easy pace.  Some of the miles had good splits but I am putting them down as slow miles because the effort was easy.

When I got home from work I received a suprise.......I got a $75 check from the Ogden marathon for my 3rd overall in the Masters division!!!  I still haven't received my check from Salt Lake.......and I'm not holding my breath.

It was 44 degrees and sunny this morning....YAY.  I did a tempo run this morning and kept all the miles under 7:00 except for the one up Satterfield hill.  I ran 10.42 miles in a great pace.

5 days til Utah Valley......

It was 50 degrees and cloudy this morning.  I ran 8.51 miles nice and easy.  The taper continues.

3 days til the marathon...

It was 44 degrees with a light, misty rain this morning.  I ran 5.23 miles nice and easy.  

This is hard to write....

 I am in pain and I am extremely depressed.  I was doing just fine until my heel flared-up between mile 22 and 23.  I was in 11th place overall and averaging a 6:40 pace for the entire marathon at mile 22.  I think I originally tweaked my heel 10 days ago doing some downhill mile repeats.  It hurt a bit the next morning and would hurt a little at the start of each run and then be fine within a mile or so. 

At the start of the marathon I felt it a little and then it went away before the first mile marker so I thought I was fine.  I was holding a good pace and had picked-off 2 runners between mile 21 and 22 when it flared-up.  It brought me to a dead stop and I had to hop on my right foot just to slow down.  I tried to stretch it but nothing worked.  I basically had to find a way to half-hop, half jog to the finish.  If this would have happened earlier I would have taken the DNF.  I was winning my age group by over 10 minutes....I still ended up 2nd.  You will see by my mile splits how slow I came in.  The day started good......now I can't even walk.

Here are my splits:

1.   6:37 (some uphill)

2.   6:18

3.   6:29

4.   6:28

5.   6:45 (some uphill again)

6.   6:23

7.   6:23

8.   6:23

9.   6:31

10.  6:28

11.  6:30

12.  6:41  (some wierd turns this mile)

13.  6:38

Half Split 1:25:44

14.  6:33

15.  6:49  (on the trail now)

16.  6:52

17.  6:51

18.  6:50

19.  7:04

20.  7:12  (fighting a gut-ache from my last gel)

21.  7:01  (feeling better)

22.  7:00  (passed 2 runners...last good mile)

23.  9:05

24.  9:36

25.  10:23

26.  11:29

Basically I can hop/hobble a 10-11 minute mile to finish a marathon.  I was easily on a 2:55-2:56 pace.

What I really need right now is a nice slow recovery run to help clear my head and put this behind me.  It will probably be days until this can happen.  I am not a happy person.

The heel is really painful today after it tightened up more when I slept.  I have to walk really funny in a hopping motion to get around.  I iced it a couple times and I have been rolling a trigger point ball under my foot.  It feels more like plantar fasciitis today and I know how to treat that.

Woke up this morning and my heel still really hurts but the pain is probably down about 20-30% from yesterday.  I am rolling my foot on the trigger point ball as I type this.  I am pretty sure I can work this out this week....hopefully.

I am feeling a little better about things even though winning the Grand Slam is probably toast now.  I was 13 seconds out of first going in to Saturday and I was a little ahead when this happened.  Now I am about 15 minutes behind with only 2 races (Park City and St. George) left to go.  I will just do my best and will still win my age group.

I have decided to cancel the 40-mile Ultra that I was going to do on June 27th and I have yet to register for Deseret News.  I have run Deseret News for 8 straight years and I was hoping that this would be the year I could finally run a "good" one.  I will decide by the 4th of July.  It is not that important a race for me.

I want to thank everyone for their positive comments.......you guys in the blog are the BEST!!!

Oh, by the way.......I WILL be back!!!  (See...I'm feeling better about things :-)

I slept with a special brace on my foot last night to keep my PF issue stretched during the night.  My foot was really sore after work yesterday.  My work shoes don't have enough arch support and I was basically flat-footed all day on hard concrete floors.  

I iced this morning and I now have KT tape on my instep and heel.  It feels alot better with the tape.  I put my running insoles in my work shoes today.  I hope it helps.

Day 4 of no running.......GRRRRR!!!  My foot feels a little better every day.  I iced it early this morning while doing some computer work.  Then I went for a 10.39 mile bike ride.  It felt GREAT to actually get my heart rate up.  The riding did not bother my foot at all in fact it seemed to help due to the increased blood flow.  I told myself that I would not even think of running until I skipped 5 days.  That means 1 more day and then I will evaluate it.  I am walking almost normally now so I am keeping my finger crossed.

It was raining a ton this morning so a bike ride was out of the question.  I decided to walk on my treadmill to try and loosen my foot up a bit.  I was doing OK so I tried to see if I could run.  NO GOOD AT ALL.  I could run for about 1/4 mile until I could no longer stand the pain so I went back to walking.  I walked 2 miles........that doesn't count for anything.

Went for another 10 mile bike ride this morning.  It was pretty windy so not as nice as I would have liked.  I had my daughter do a pretty aggressive massage on my foot last night.  It hurt like crazy when she hit certain spots but I can feel some improvement this morning.

I am probably going to try to do a long bike ride tomorrow...my body is craving a harder workout.  I don't want to get fat either.

I had my daughter give my foot another massage tonight.  It did not hurt as bad as yesterday.  I hope that's a good sign.  I iced it good after she was done.

It was 56 degrees and a bit muggy this morning.  I decided to give my foot a try this morning.  I ran 3.13 miles slow, not because I wanted to but the pain would definitely increase with the speed.  The pain was probably a 6 or 7 but if I went fast it was more like an 8 or 9.  I stayed on the soft shoulder of the road as much as possible and that helped as well.  It feels better when I am going up a slight incline and hurts more on a decline.  I need to find a long, gradual uphill to run on.

I am icing it right now and we shall see what happens.  It does not hurt any more than it did before my run so I am hopeful.

It was cool and windy this morning.  I rode my bike 10.58 miles and tried to work hard and get my heart rate up.  

I got another hard foot massage tonight and then I iced more.  I am sure getting tired of icing all the time.  I need this thing to just go away.

It was 45 degrees with a cool breeze this morning.  I was able to run 5.35 miles nice and slow.  The pain level was much better than Saturday, more like a 3 or 4 and it was more of a dull ache rather than the acute pain it was Saturday.  I am icing it again and will get another massage/torture tonight.

It was 39 degrees this morning....a bit cool for June.  I ran 5.24 miles nice and easy focusing on my footfall to ensure I do not get secondary injuries by running abnormally.  The pain level was the same as yesterday although my foot was a bit sore during the day yesterday.  I got another massage last night and iced.....same old same old.

It was 48 degrees...an absolutely beautiful morning.  I ran 5.27 miles nice and slow again.  The pain level was probably around a 3 and seems to decrease a bit every day.  If it feels OK tomorrow maybe I can go a couple more miles.

I have some "new" pain on the side of my foot.  It is on the outside, opposite of my arch/heel pain.  I figure it is probably a compensation issue so I did not run today.  I will evaluate it tomorrow morning.

It was 56 degrees this morning, very nice and sunny.  I ran 6.58 miles and things went pretty well.  The pain level started out around a 3 and gradually got better from there.  I actually felt like my form was good and I even ran faster each mile as things warmed up more without really meaning to.  

Hopefully this is a good sign.

Today's feeling......CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM....:)

Tonight we went to the wildflower festival at Pebble Creek ski area.  We ended up riding the chairlift to the top and hiking all the way back down on the switchbacks, stopping to enjoy the scenery along the way.  My foot ached pretty good during and after.  Probably not a good idea to do a steep downhill hike with my foot issues....I will probably pay tomorrow.

It was 58 degrees and sunny this morning.  I ran 8.53 miles nice and easy.  It took about 2 miles for my foot to loosen-up after that hike down the mountain Saturday evening.  After I ran uphill for a mile and a half I was feeling really good and was able to run a faster mile and it did not hurt any more than the normal.  Pain level today...about a 2 after I was warmed-up.

I put this on the wrong day, this was my Monday run.

It was 60 degrees with some wind this morning.  I stretched really good and decided I would try to go 10 miles today if my foot felt up to it.  I kept myself within 2-3 miles from my house...just in case.  I ran 13.26 miles and my foot did fine.  Towards the end of the run it was actually fatigue that bothered me more than my foot.  That's what happens when you do almost no running for over 2 weeks.  The pain level was a 2 at most and sometimes I did not even notice it.  The run was pretty boring since I kept running back and forth on the top of Satterfield from miles 5-12, but I finished just fine.  I need to get used to running in warmer weather now.

I put this on the wrong day...this was my Tuesday run