Speed only kills if you don't have it!

Easy Shaggy Peak loop with  the team.  I started in the back and moved up slowly.  23:40 for the run.  We had over 40 kids on a Friday which is awesome, so we had pancakes after the run.

After I did some core and mowed the lawn I went out to help Jaren learn to ride his bike.  After about 5 minutes today he was doing it himself.  3 days we practiced, man little kids learn fast!

This is the first race for me since November of 2009.  Instead of running the10kI ran the fun run.  The fun run varies in distance over the years from 2-2.5 miles, today it was 2.4 miles.  I wanted to run under 6 minute pace today which I barely did.  I warmed up with Connor for just over a mile and a half and did a couple of striders. 

When I lined up I was wishing that I had signed up for the 10k because there were a few decent runners, but no elite guys.  In fact I was the leader for the first 7/10s at about a 5:50 pace.  Oh well, baby steps. When I turned off the 10k course I was all alone on a little tempo run.  I settled into a pace that was probably too comfortable and had no motivation to increase it.  Wow it felt weird to run fast in a race type setting, it has just been so long!  Anyway, I finished several minutes ahead of everyone in 14:04, which according the garmin was a 5:51 ave.  Not too bad for being out of the loop for 2 years and about 10-15 lbs.overweight.  I think I will keep trying to very slowly ease up the miles and do some more little 5ks and stuff like that this year. 

I cooled down for a mile after and waited for Connor and Rory to finish the 10k.  Connor was 2nd and Rory 5th, not bad for a couple of 14 year olds.  I snagged them, Schiffman, and ET for another mile and a half cool-down after.  Met Chad Robinson on the blog and talked to Bill the "Wild Bull' after the race for a while.  I really have missed the running scene and hope to slowly get back into it now.

Yellow Fork this morning.  47 kids showed up today.  I was so tired from all of the weekend festivities that I slept like a rock and could hardly get out of bed.  I will for sure take a nap today. 

I started in the back to make sure everyone knew how to get to at least the first ridge, then finally made my way to the top of Varsity Hill, a few seconds faster than last week.  There I met about 10 of the fast guys.  They thought we were going back like last week, but I had other plans.  I took the best 7 guys (Chuk, Connor, Braden, Jesse, Tanner, Rory, and our new freshman Tommy) with me after the others turned back, and we went up the trail and onto a road that took us to a lookout spot that looks over Butterfield Canyon and the Copper Mines.  I had been there once before with a handful of Riverton kids about two years ago.  We came back down the Rose Canyon way.  Chuk, Connor, and I lost everyone in the last mile or so with our 5:50.  Great run, but it kicked my butt!  1:22:14 for the 15k run, with the last 4 miles at sub 6:30 pace.

Sent the kids on a run and they got lost and cut it short.  I went out with Mike Bradshaw to map out what will be possibly the all-time coolest cross country course in Utah.  We will use this course for our invitational.  We ran just over 4 miles.

We ran up to the Res today and back along Emeline.  Connor, Chuk, Calvin, Braden, Jesse, and I went further out to 6400 W. and came back on 13400 S., while the rest of the team went back on the trail.  It was hot and muggy today and I needed a drink after the first mile, but never got one the whole run.  Tough run, but we still averaged 7:15 pace for the 7.8 mile run.

4 easy miles with the tea.  I am off to Lava Hot Springs for the weekend before camp.

Lava Day 1- Evening run with the kids.  We went up High Country and took the fork that used to take us around a big tree and back.  Now the tree is a big stump. It was hot and muggy and we were at around 8,000 feet and I was dying!  I had a cramp in my lower back that I couldn't shake the whole run.  7:21 ave. , but I felt like I worked hard for that.  I should have run on Saturday.

Camp Day 2- Run into Lava.   It drops from 7200 feet to 5200 feet in about 5.7 miles the drops another 100-200 feet in the next 3.4 miles and has a lot of rollers.  It was hot too, like usual.  Allison and Heather Hartley aided us several times with water stops.  I started off with a group and by the time we hit two miles and the water stop at the start of Big Bear it was down to me, Jesse, Rory, Chuk, and Connor.  Jesse, Rory, and I got out ahead of Chuk and Connor after that and didn't see them again until we got out of smith canyon.  Jesse and I lost Rory at about 4.5 and Jesse lost me by a about 10 seconds until we hit the water stop after he hit a 5:05 mile on mile 5.  Jesse was feeling too fast for me and ditched me after the golf course.  Chuk and Connor who we had waited for out of the canyon caught me just after the golf course when I stopped to tie my shoe.  I chased them into town and even on the mile that was all uphill ran a 7:02.  Jesse finished about 40 seconds ahead, Connor 20 sec behind and Chuk 15 behind him.  I was about 45 seconds behind Jesse.  The kids and I always have a hard time on this run because even though it is downhill for the most part it is brutal!   The kids this year finished way ahead of past years.  We ate lunch, soaked in the river, and played at the pool for 3 hours.  Everyone was hammered.  Last year I ran this in over an hour with some miles over 8 minutes, and two years ago I was around 58 minutes.  This year 57:45 with my slowest miles at 7:02 and a 6:18 ave.

Lava Day 3- Relay with the kids.  I warmed up for 1.2 miles and tried to shake out some of the soreness.  I wore my old tangents yesterday and ended up with a huge blister under my right big toe and it hurt the whole time today, but I duct taped it up and was able to run.  Leisl and Haag were with me and together we ran 1:03.00 even.   Last year that time might have won it, but this year we were 5th and the winning time was 58:25 for the 8.5 mile relay.  I ran my two legs in 9:12 and 9:17.  Cooled down with Haag for a mile afterward.

I ran an early morning run on the highway toward Perry from the in-laws and back.  I was super tight at first but started to loosen up and finished with a 6:10 mile.  7:23 ave.

Fartlek workout in the playground with the boys.  We warmed up for 10 minutes and did 12 x 1 minute repeats with 1 minute recoveries.  Connor led most of them for us.  We ran over some rough terrain and it felt hot.  I could tell that I haven't done a real workout in a long time.  Cooled down back. 46:15

Trail and Mirabella loop with Haag at 7:36 pace.  Legs felt better today.

Epic Yellow Fork run today.  We had a slim turnout today for some reason, but Macy showed up and we took the pack up varsity hill and then 9 of us went on to lookout point.  Jess J, Landon, Christian, and Bryce turned around there and Macy, Rory, Calvin, Braden, and I went on toward the Radio towers.  We passed an old cabin and continued to the right until we hit a gate that said No Trespassing, so we went to the East.  We climbed even higher until we hit another gate with the same sign and so we turned around.  We could see the ridge of the Oquirrhs about .5 miles away, but couldn't get there.  We ran down the road together for a while and then started to separate. Braden and Rory fell behind, and Macy and Calvin disappeared so I ran the last 3 miles alone.  Macy and Calvin accidently found the single track and finished a couple of minutes after me.  1:34.15 for the 10.4 miles.  I was glad I had a belt and bottle with men today because that hammered me.

Ran up around the res, down Emeline to the trail and back to Monarch Meadows with Connor and Rory at a 7:40 ave.  Tough run, but we took it easy because of yesterday.

Ran an easy run with Haag today.  We did pancakes and water mellon after the run for the team.  I am doing my first 5k tomorrow since November of 2009.  I don't expect a lightning tim, but I am hoping for 18s.  This is actually kind of a big deal for me considering all of the rehab and stressors I have had in my life the last 2 years.  My goal is to drop another 10lbs, 180 doesn't quite work for me, and get back into things for next year.  Jaren is going to run the kids race.  I have run with him around the block (.6 miles) 3 times and he will do fine.  We go about 10:30 pace and he just chills out and chats with me the whole time, no problem!  That is decent for a 5 year old.  Should be fun.

I knew that today would be rough because I have been hammered from this week.  We stayed at my parents house last night.  I got up and ran the first mile + of the course.  Mona has changed a lot since I grew up there and the area we ran a lot of the course in was new to me.  I knew there were 2 Juab kids that could beat me right now in my condition, unless I felt good for some reason and they were both there.  That is pretty much it.  I let the 2 kids get out fast and I could never catch them, although I almost caught 2nd right at the end.  I tried hard but the body just wouldn't respond the whole race.  Not an easy course for a PR by any means.  First mile was 6:23, 2nd was 5:58, and 3rd was 6:08, with a 53 second last .17 miles.  

I cooled down for 3 miles, one of which was Jaren's kids mile.  I will likely never run a kid's race with him again because he cried the entire way and stopped and wouldn't move with about 50 yards to go.  This is where he went from 1st to 3rd in his age.  Not bad prizes for the race, I got a nice bottle and $25 for my efforts.  I will be back to dominate this one next year!

5 Mile Loop with the team 7:46 pace

Dimple Dell Loop Connor.  We started slow and in the back, but caught all of varsity and passed them at the end, except Jesse and Tommy.  47:19 and 1 mile cooldwn

Tempo with the boys.  We did the trail to 6400 W and back down 13400 S.  I hit a 6:08 first Tempo and then went into a 5:35 next 1..  Mile cool-down at 8:00 pace

5.2 miles with Greg and the kids 7:28 ave.