Denouement

I ran from my mom's house in Cedar Hills.  Uphill to the mouth of AF canyon. then downhill to 5300S, stopped at Kohler's for potty/water, then down 5300S, did 8 x strides, then back home.  Unfortunate that the location of my mom's house forces me to do downhill first, but it is good to be in a naturally hilly place, but the hills involve no steps, mostly gradual.  I was sucking wind quite a bit. The altitude is hitting me (about 1500m).  4:48 pace overall.  I switched back to k's :D

Planned to meet EmilyB and Josse at 6am, but my phone died in the middle of the night.  I knew I was in trouble when I saw light coming through the window.  I woke up at 6am, got to Provo by 6:40, they were squarely in their hard workout.  So I was able to hang out with them for a bit, but I was on my own for the hard workout.  The plan was Fartlek: 3x4min-2mineasy-3x3min-1.30easy-3x2min-1mineasy-3x1min-30secseasy, all at 3:40 pace.  I did poorly on the 4 minute bits, probably equally a result of being half-out of shape and from feeling the altitude.  My paces for the four minute bits were 3:43, 3:55, 3:52.  The last one was uphill a bit from the river trail to Vintage park, a bit cross countryish, so I was feeling a bit better on that one.  The 3 minute bits were: 3:46, 3:36, 3:35.  So finally got down to the paces I needed.  It seemed 3:35 was easier to keep than 3:45, but perhaps that was just because the workout was now half over.  2 minute paces were: 3:35, 3:37, 3:39, then one minute bits were: 3:28, 3:43 (missed 5 or so seconds of the first of this, not sure how I missed my watch beeping), 3:24.  

For a cool down I ran around the Provo Temple.  That area is so pretty, I wish I had a camera, though the hill is just as daunting as I remember.   I started the workout poorly but am happy I stuck with it.  Will do a run in the afternoon.  

PM: ran 5 miles in the heat in Salem.  The two bank thermometers said 93F and 102F--meaning . . . those thermometers are inaccurate!  And it was stinking hot!  Got some chocolate milk at the end.  The US version tastes so much better than the HK version. 

Easy run around Cedar Hills.  Felt tired and out of energy.  Probably from yesterday's afternoon run.

Core workout 

Met EmilyB for a tempo interval track workout.  The plan was 2 x 2 miles at 6:00 pace, and 3 minutes rest.  We met at the BYU track.  I only got 3k of warm up.  A short warm up for me.  Emily thought I was trying for 5:50, so she kept ahead.  First mile of the first one was 5:57, then came in 12:59.  It felt way too hard, should have felt a bit more like a tempo.  I needed to go to the bathroom, so the rest was actually 3:35  I told Emily that I didn't think I could do another 12:00, so we decided to try for 91 seconds.  The first lap was 91, then 90, 90, 90, then got slower for laps 5-7.  In lap 8 I did 83, so got 12:02.  Not the best way to get a 12:02, but I'll take it. 5.37k cool down. 

Core workout in the pm 

Easy 8.36k run including 6 strides

I was going to do the free SLC race but was afraid I wouldn't have competition, and I heard it would not be timed, so I started to consider doing the Wasatch Wellness 5k, which was in provo and I thought Melody was racing it.  I waffled, even in the morning, but decided to go to Provo, and try to hang onto Melody.  Plus my youngest was getting baptized today, so I needed to get back as soon as possible.  

I did a longer warm up, 4.1 miles, I ran the course and it seemed a bit short.  The race is a slight downhill in the first half, and then a slight uphill on the way back.  The 10k was starting 10 minutes before the 5k, and it looked like Melody was at the line about 5 minutes before the start.  I go up to her and it was her, and she is running the 10k!  Dang it, I look around for the race director, and I see him doing last minute race prep, and I wonder if I can handle the mental transition from 5k to 10k.  I decide to stick with the 5k rather than try to switch last minute.  Melody tells me I can pace her in on the 10k once I finish the 5k. It looked like less than 100 people, which surprised me.  There were actually 66 finishers in the 10k.  I was hoping for more people in the 5k.

At the 5k start, the female contingency looks sparse. There were 203 5k finishers, so better but still sparse.  I switched my watch to take 1k splits since there weren't mile markers.  I am hoping to go out at 3:40.  At the 1k mark I am in about 6th place (including men, no females). 3:47, At about 1.3k we cross state street toward the Provo Cemetary ,and the lead group of men were stopped before the police cleared the road for them to cross, so I am able to catch up.  I stick with them, then pull a surge, and am in 2nd place by the 2k mark, 3:53 (I might have been slowed as well by the crossing)  this k too si slightly downhill.  3:50 for the 3rd k.  I am reeling in the #1 guy but we start to head uphill. 4th k is 3:52, so didn't slow down.  The last k was short, .7k at 3:39 pace, gradual uphill.   I didn't catch the boy (17 years old), he finished 7 seconds ahead. So the overall pace is disappointing, but I did run consistently so that's something.   

I jogged back on the 10k course, where I saw the race director, and informed him of the short course, then saw Melody, who was leading the race outright.  I ran downhill with her, but let her go when she turned the corner and did the last 200m uphill.  Cool down was about 2.5 miles.