What lies within

Early morning run with Reed and Toni. 20°. Good times. Legs were pretty beat after the workout yesterday but by the end of the run they felt much better.

Long run with Matt, Scott, Fritz, Toni, Kevin, Walter and Dan. Good steady pace. About 20 degrees warm. Felt good. Had some IT band trouble the last 3 but after some therapy it feels a lot better than it did last week. 

 6:40 avg. 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/268762169 

Easy run with Matt, Reed and Spencer. We were going to do some speed but Matt and I both wimped out. We'll try again tomorrow. It was pretty cold (14ish) and very foggy.

Met Matt, Dan, and Toni at 5am. We ran down to the Lehi tempo loop. Did some stuff and then ran home.

3.5 warm up
4x1 mile with .25 rest (5:07, 5:25, 5:23, 5:22) 
3.5 cool down

I was hoping for better but I wasn't feeling it today. Breathing seemed to be the bottleneck today which is uncommon for me. Air quality was nasty (borderline unhealthy). The lungs feel ripped up now. I've even developed a slight cough. Can't wait for spring! 

Easy run with Matt, Reed and Toni. IT band was sore the last 5. I rolled and stretched. Feels better now but it's a persistent bugger.

slept in. went to the gym.

1 slow mile.  10 minutes of AIF. 3 slow miles (8:30). 1 mile at 11.1 mph (5:24). 4 x 200m at 14 mph. Cool down.

 trying to baby a sore IT band. no pain but plenty of tightness. 

finished up with another 15 mins of AIF and weights. 

Easy run with the dog. 34 degrees at 5:30am. Feels like spring! Unfortunately it's a front. Should have held the winter series 10k today!

Drove up with Matt and Scott. Sparse clouds and clear streets through SLC buoyed our spirits. As we passed the airport we came into dense fog, light snow, steady wind and slick looking roads. I was beginning to question my decision to run the race. 

A 3 mile warm up with Matt and Scott proved sure footing, steadily falling snow and uncomfortably high headwind for the return portion of the course. Legs were feeling good, stomach, not so much. I usually eat oatmeal before a race because it runs through my system so fast. This morning's breakfast wasn't going anywhere; it felt like it was still in my esophagus.

The snow started to fall more heavily at the starting line.  The first mile and a half felt great. My stomach started feeling uncomfortable and by mile 2 was cramping slightly. By the turnaround I was hurting and frustrated. Legs felt great but everything else was on fire. First half splits (5:17, 5:24, 5:26). On the way back the wind felt more like a series of brick walls than a 10mph headwind. The ice flying into my face didn't help. I slowed considerably. I watched Scott's group steadily pull away as I struggled to hold a decent pace. I didn't. After 5 miles my legs completely recovered, an odd feeling during a 10k. Last half splits (5:52,6:04,5:59,1:22). 

4m cool down. I steadily felt worse and worse as the day progressed. I've got some kind of bug...

Given the circumstances I wasn't too upset. It was fun to run with such a talented group. Matt ran a phenomenal race; well deserved. I'm looking forward to more races, better weather, and less flu.

Missed the group this morning but headed out on my own. A balmy 21°. 7 easy miles followed by 2 @ 5:40 and then a steady effort (6:30ish) the rest of the way. Felt a little tired from the race but overall it went well.

PM: 5 on the treadmill. Progressive from 6mph to 11mph. 1% incline. Felt good. Weights after.

Easy run with Scott, Matt and Toni. Cold but comfy. Legs were tired from yesterday but otherwise feeling good. IT band is feeling good, no pain there. The AIF routine seems to be helping.

AM: Met Scott, Reed, Matt and Toni for a Lehi loop. It was 25 degrees!!! It felt very comfortable. Scary that 25 should feel so warm.

After 5 miles Scott joined me for some tempo. 4 miles (5:37, 5:31, 5:37, 5:44). The 2nd mile had quite a lot of downhill, the last mile was all uphill. Even effort at just under LT. Felt great. 2 mile cool down.

I was grateful to have Scott with me for the first 3. It is so much easier when there is someone to share the joy! Thanks Scott. 

PM: 6 miles easy on the TM. Weights. 

Easy miles with Matt. 29 degrees and a light snow. It was great.

Lunchtime run around Lehi. 39 degrees and sunny!! It was nice.

Met Scott, Reed and Toni at 5:30am for a long one. Plan was to do 2 10 mile loops, one easy, one at MP. It 19 degrees, a little too cold for my liking but manageable. The loop has some rolling hills and a gradual incline (228 ft up) for the first 5. Last 5 are either flat or downhill. 

First loop was uneventful. Averaged 7:20s.  2nd loop was AWESOME! Scott and I took the first 5 at manageable effort and then picked it up on the last 5. Splits were: 

6:14, 6:00, 6:02, 6:17, 5:57, 5:52, 5:40, 5:32, 5:27, 5:26

First mile was the hardest, it made me a little worried about the workout but then we settled in to a groove. Mile 6 we started picking it up. When I saw the split for 8 I thought I was shocked, everything felt great. It was a steady to the end. Didn't feel overboard. My legs felt better after the 2nd loop than the first! Odd. 

Many thanks to Scott for dragging me through it! This was a real confidence builder for me. 

Met Scott and Toni at 7am for a chilly run. Last 5 were in the SUN! Felt good but the IT band flared up a little bit the last 3. (7:08 avg)

The AM crew were all out of commission this morning. I thought I'd head to the oval but when I woke up and saw 28 degrees with little wind I decided there was really no excuse not to get outside. 

Headed down to the Lehi tempo loop (3.5 miles). 4 x 1 mile repeats with 0.25 rest.

5:20, 5:24, 5:10, 5:14

First one was progressive to ease into a faster pace. 2nd one was into a strong head wind and by effort was the most difficult. 3 and 4 felt solid. 4 had some more head wind. I'm happy with the workout. I've made progress, slowly but surely. 

4.5 miles back home. 

PM: 5 easy on the treadmill. AIF, Foam roller and weights. 

10 Easy with Toni, Scott and Spencer. 

Didn't feel like running in the wind so I headed to the gym at lunch.

2 miles warm up. 8 miles at something between AT and LT. First mile in 6:00, 2-6 at 5:39,  7 at 5:30, 8 at 5:39.

Jumped the gun a little with 2 miles to go, started accumulating lactic acid so I backed it off for the last mile.

 The first 3 felt too hard but then I settled into my pace and it felt pretty easy the rest of the way. 

Met Toni, Scott, and Matt for a pleasant run in the snow around Alpine. 25 degrees, lightly falling snow and a fun group made for a great run.

Skipped the winter series 10k due to the blizzard. Looks like I made the right choice.

Met Matt and Scott for 20. Matt was with us for the first 10. At 12 Scott and I stopped and stretched and started the tempo portion. As we started I could see the black wall of the storm front closing on us fast. After 1/2 mile we had high headwinds. After 3 miles we had higher headwinds and snow/ice blowing in our faces. Good fun. Scott and I alternated the lead/draft about every quarter mile, it helped but the effort was still tough.

We averaged 6:00 for 5 and then took it easy the last 3 (although Scott wanted to charge the MOTHER! I made 3/4 of the way with him before I had to give out.

Happy to get it in but it was a tough last 7 miles. 

Met Matt, Scott, Reed and Toni at Scott's for a frigid 5am run. 15 degrees at the start and 11 at the end! 

PM:  6 miles on the TM at the gym with 1 at MP. Weights.

With the nasty weather I decided to head to the Oval for my workout.

4 miles warmup. 10 x 1K with about 350m active recovery (between 1:45 and 2:00 mins). 

Splits:  (3:13.4, 3:13.4, 3:12.5, 3:14.5, 3:14.0, 3:14.6, 3:13.9, 3:14.8, 3:14.5, 3:08.4)
Average: 3:13 (5:11 pace) 

2 miles cooldown. 1:36 for the whole run.

The first 6 were pretty easy. Last 4 got harder but still controlled. I'm happy with the workout. I was pretty beat at the end but there was still a little gas left in the tank. I could have done a few more. The 1K isn't exactly marked at the Oval so I had to estimate a little...it was pretty close. Hit the 800m mark between 2:32 and 2:36 on each of them.

Easy, solo run around Lehi and Highland. Chilly.

PM: 5 miles easy on the TM. Weights.

4pm, 41°, sunny. 

3m warm up.

4m tempo (5:34, 5:35, 5:38, 5:40) 

1m cool down 

I found a flat 1.5m loop near my office. There was a 5mph wind but I don't think it affected me too much. I wanted to do 6 but I couldn't hold the pace. Stopped after 4. Not quite recovered from Tuesday's workout. Still, a good push. Had to cut the workout short to get home in time for dinner.