Speed only kills if you don't have it!

I ran an easy Bluffdale loop with my guys this afternoon.  It was way hot out.  We did 4 x 100 Meter strides on the grass after.  6.5 miles at 7:40 pace.

I finally got to hook up with Walter for a run after two months of living in the area.  Walter came out to my house around 6:30pm and we headed out around Herriman.  We did a big loop down Rose Crest, up 13400, over toward the Cove, back by Butterfield Park, and up to the Res, then home.  10.5 miles.  It was so good to have someone to run with that is my own level, not to mention we had some real adult conversation!  I have nothing against my HS kids, but it was nice to not talk High School for a change.  Although Walter and I do talk a little High School, if you know how we are!:)  We ran easy but it was still good because it was hot and we ran all over the hills.  Hopefully we can hook up once in a while now.  Thanks for the good run and company Walter!  1:20:20 (7:39 ave) for the run.

Ran with my Varsity kids today around Herriman.  We did a nice big loop similar to the one Walter and I did last night but a little different.  It was a good run.  All of our legs are tired and were before so the hills were tough, but I liked it and we had a good time.  7:28 ave for 10 miles.

Walter met me at my house at 5:30am and we headed up Butterfield Canyon for a 20 miler.  I had planted a couple of Gatoraid up there last night because there is no water.  We averaged 8 minute pace for the 1,300 foot climb, and came back at 6:30 ave pace.  Our last mile was sub 6:00.  It was nice to have company on a long run because it helped it go by fast.  We ran 2:25:25 for the run.

I slept in this morning because I was so tired from all of the weekend activities.  I went out about 9:00am for a 5 miler on an out and back course along Rose Crest.  My legs were dead at first but loosened up as a went so I was able to average 7:00 pace coming home.  37:02

Workout today with my Varsity guys.  We did a to mile warm up with some 4 x 10m strides.  Then we did 5 x 1000 meters at 5K pace (5:20 pace) with 200 meter recoveries.  We hit 3:18, 3:20, 3:21, 3:20, 3:15.  Shaine and Chris did one extra one while we did some more striders as a rundown.  We cooled down for two more miles.  It was hot today and I was tired, but grateful to be able to be running fast again.

I ran with Chris and Alex mostly this afternoon, Dillon on the way out.  We went from the High School up to Day Break Lake to the bridge and back.  It was hot so luckily we had a park to get water at.  The run was great, I felt good after yesterday's workout.  We averaged 7:20 pace out and under 6:40 back.  55:56 for the 8 mile run.

I ran out to the pond by the Cove after practice.  The kids ran short today so I did a run by myself after.  It was way hot out but I felt good.  52:38 for 7.4 miles

Easy 4 miles out to Butterfield Park and back in the dark before work this morning.  Very easy pace with 4 strides about 100m.  31:56

I woke up at 6:00am and headed up Traverse Ridge to Suncrest.  This was my first race of the year and I had no clue what to expect, from me or the course.  I had see the elevation profile but that can only tell you so much.  I warmed up for 1.5 miles and headed to the start.  I saw about 6 guys (SLC Company and Wasatch Running) that I have seen at other races that I knew were decent and a lot of people that looked like and claimed to be hardcore trail racers.  I wasn't too worried though because I figured I could hold my own on trails.  I have run one other trail race, but this was 75% on rough single track (Jon Allen style, the stuff you can get maimed on), so a bit rougher than my last one.  The other 25% was dirt road and some pavement.  

The race started and several guys took off.  Within a half mile I was up with the lead pack right before the single track started.  There was one guy a little in front but everyone said he was in the 5k that had started at the same time so I didn't worry about him.  I took the lead on the single track and held it the entire race.  The only problem was the 5k guy was really a half guy and I didn't know it until mile 12.  He also got lost and cut the course by at least a mile so I never even saw him until the finish. 

The course was the most brutal course I have ever ran, the flattest part of the run was 6% grade or so it seemed!  Here are my splits and the best I remember the pain.

Mile 1- 6:16  Started out down then started to climb on single track

Mile 2-  7:34  Single track climbing

Mile 3- 7:25  Single track still climbing, I liked this part of the race.

Mile 4- 6:59  Hit some pavement and then a crazy downhill switch back single track.  I jacked my ankle good here, but luckily I rolled it in. I felt it the rest of the run though.  The guy behind me almost catches me because he missed a turn and cut about .2 miles. Started a nasty climb up the road to where we started the race.  Some of it  was paved.

Mile 5- 7:03  Climbed and then dropped until we hit dirt again

Mile 6- 7:08  Nasty hill at the first where I wanted to walk, and then starts to drop.

Mile 7- 5:38  Finishes the 1000 foot decent down a trail I thought for sure some would die on or maybe someone already has died on.  

Mile 8- 8:13  All pavement climbing back up what we just lost in elevation.  Fast part of the race over.  The rest would all be uphill with a 1700 foot gain in elevation until the last half mile of the race.

Mile 9- 7:54  Ran through a neighborhood that was the flattest part of the entire race and then hit single track again.

Mile 10-  10:48  This mile was brutal, I think I could have walked the entire mile faster than I ran.  I don't even want to look at elevation grain for this.   Praying to finish the race by now!  

Mile 11-  7:24  Hit the third and final water stop after the single track and realized I still have company.  Up and down this mile but .8 was up.  Time to put people away though.

Mile 12- 7:38  Rough mile 90% uphill, but I hate company in a race like this, so if I puked I puked!

Mile13- 5:49 Oh my goodness there is more downhill afterall if I don't fall on my face in the last .4 miles! 

13.1 flat 30 seconds Done!  1:36:25.  Not a bad way to start out the racing season, my slowest half ever by 15 minutes!  No it was great for the course.  If someone could average 7:00 pace for the whole race that would be an excellent run.

 I think I was the only one that liked this course, it was crazy hard!  The way it was set up we ran uphill for 85% of the race.  The downhill came in segments so steep that it would take 3 miles to make it back up.  The course was pretty much two loops around the whole ridge.  We dropped off both sides too. There is really no where to go but back up if you go down because you are already pretty much on top at the start, well not quite.

The race was pretty well done and I'm sure it will be better next year.  They just need to mark the pavement sections better and tell their volunteers where to send people, I could have gotten lost several times.  And I know the third place guy would have more if he didn't have me in sight most of the race.  The first place guy definitely got lost at least once.  The trails were marked really well though.  I ended up with a 20 dollar gift card to Wasatch Running and some other good free stuff for my efforts.  I have never run anything quite like it, definitely a good one to try, I wouldn't want to train on it too much though because I know I would end up maimed.  Very rough terrain!

I went out on run today after practice. I am still sore from my race on Saturday so I went out for a moderate run. For being sore I actually felt pretty good ad was under 7 minute pace for most of my run. I ran up to Emmeline and took it over to Butterfield park, then went over to the Cove pond and looped back home along Rosecrest. Good run this evening.

AM-  Easy run at 5:30am over to Butterfield park and back.  I took it very easy, over 8:00 pace for the average.

PM-  I went out about 7:00pm after I got home from our XC meet.  I was tired from a long crazy day, but forced myself out for an easy loop around South Herriman.  I went up to Emmeline, over to Butterfield, down 6400 W to 13400 S and back home on Rosecrest.  My legs are tired so I took it extra easy because I have a big next couple days of training coming up.  7:42 ave for the run.

AM-  Early morning run in the dark to Rosecrest park and back.  I was way tired and am still going to run again with Walter this afternoon so my pace was super slow.  Long days, early mornings and tired legs are a bad combo.

PM-  Met Walter down on the Jordan River Parkway trail. just off of 12600 S.  It was hot this afternoon and we were both tired and said we would take it easy but that didn't really happen.  We ended up pushing out a pretty decent run. We ran the last ten miles of the Riverton City Half that Walt won back in March.  It was a good loop, and I was very familiar with most of it.  About 2 miles into our run we ran into Hall of Famer Jerry Sloan and his wife, kind of cool!  I knew Sloan lived in Riverton but I have never run into him before.  Walt and I had a good conversation which helped me forget how tired I was during the hot ten miler.  We ran the 10 miles in 1:10:44 (7:05 ave.)   Good run!

I was so tired and hammered this morning but I still drug myself out of bed for an easy 3 miles.  The frequency of my running has been tiring and that is on top of my way busy life right now.  I did a couple of striders in the middle.  Legs are way tired and tight.  I need to get one more 20 miler out of the way tomorrow.  I am excited to have 24 hours of rest before my next run.

Last long run, thank goodness!  No, I really need another 6 weeks of decent training but that isn't going to happen, maybe next year.  I have been so trashed this week and was not looking forward to this run at all, but it ended up being a pretty good run.  Walter came by at 5:30am, we had to start early because he had his daughter's XC meet at 9:00am.  

We did the same run as two weeks ago up Buttefield canyon from my house and back.  This time I panted some gatoaid and water in different spots.  It was dark most of the way out and we had a little headwind going on out of the canyon, but we still ran up faster than two weeks ago.  1:18:42 up.  Down was a good pace but we weren't killing ourselves either, 1:04:27.  The bummer was the wind switched when we came out of the canyon and we had a headwind for about 6 miles home.  I wasn't too bugged by the wind though, except when we were climbing back up Rosecrest with 2 miles to go.  We ended with a 2:23:09 for the 20 miler.  Good run for a couple of old tired guys.  Thanks to Walt for the company, it really helps me to have a friend on these long runs.  Now I just need to get some rest this weekend.

We did a Bingham or bust run today.  This is a team favorite.  We run out to Bingham and run a lap around their track, usually while they are doing speed-work.  Nice afternoon to run, about 75 degrees.  7:07 pace

I met my Varsity kids in Herriman at the park across from Smiths.  We did a two mile warm up to Butterfield park and then did a two mile tempo run.  The guys were faster than I was in the first mile and I never quite caught up to them in the second.  My first mile was 5:38 and the second was 5:30.  We jogged back up a mile and ran one last hard mile.  This time I stuck right with my top five guys, in fact we were all within 2-3 seconds of each other.  Bryce was in front with a 4:53 and I was in back with a 4:56.  It is always nice to be able to break a 5 minute mile, it gives an old man confidence!:)  We cooled down for 1.5 miles and then did .5 miles with some strides for a rundown on the grass barefooted.  This was a great workout for me and the kids.  I just wish I would have been doing this all summer!  8 miles total.

Woke up at 5:00am to get a run in.  I have Parent / Teacher conferences today and tomorrow, so no time to run later.  It was dark and cold so I put on long sleeves, gloves, and reflection.  The legs were beat from yesterday's workout so the pace was slow.  I ran over by the church and four way stop on 64:00 W and back.  Just under 8 minute pace for the run. 

Another 5:00 am run because of Parent / Teacher conference.  I went out to Butterfield park  and back.  Kind of a progression run.  8:56, 7:56, 7:30, 6:53, 5:48, how is that for progress?  37:05 for the run.

Slept in today because I have the day off for being at school until 8:30 Wednesday and Thursday nights.  I didn't sleep well though for whatever reason.  I did the same run as yesterday at an easy pace, with 4x100 meter strides toward the end.  37:03 for the run.  We had an XC breakfast at Rylie's so I had to hurry and get back.

I got to the church behind the Oquirrh Mountain Temple early enough to get my bib and do a 1.5 mile warm up with Walter.  We could tell we were the fastest people there and neither one of us really new the course.  The course went from behind the new Oquirrh Mountain Temple down the hill and across South Jordan to the Jordan River Temple. About a half mile into it we had to stop and wait for some runners behind us to tell us where the course went.  After that it was marked and people were at the turns to direct us.   Walter pushed the pace and I just hung on.  He gapped me on a little downhill section with just under a mile to go and I just had no desire to try to go with him.  The course ended up about a block and a half long.  Pretty easy course, one you could hammer out a good time if you really were in shape or wanted to, or if you are Paul Petersen!  The last . 4 miles was a slap in the face after and nice half mile on easy downhill before that, we turned uphill and right into a head wind!  Walter finished about 4-5 seconds ahead of me for the win.  We pretty much ran away from everyone else.  I was surprised how many people were there.  I think I read last night that there were about 200-250 people, and I bet it was close to double that at the start line. Walter and I cool down between 1.5-2 miles afterward on the course.

Mile 1- 5:13  Coming off the Temple hill

Miles 2- 5:29  Flattened out prett good

Mile 3-  5:46  This was where the course was slower and we had to run across the sky walk and cross Bangerter, plus I grabbed water.

Mile 4- 5:36  I don't remember much about this mile except I was still hanging with Walter.

Mile 5-  5:32   flat-down-up.  This is where I lost Walter a little and was wondering where the finish was because I was feeling done.  27:38 for 5 miles

.15 - :46 Finally see the parking lot with the finsh, no real kick, just cruised in behind Walt.  28:24

This was a good run for me, I just needed a race under my belt before St. George next week just to get in the mode a little.  I am very rusty!  I think I can still salvage a decent marathon after such a hard year for me.  Hopefully Walt and I can help eachother out in that as well.

Big Bluffdale loop with Stockton, Alex and Dillon this afternoon.  It was hot, around 90 degrees!  We averaged 7:35 pace.  Legs tired today still.  maybe This taper will be good and maybe not, eh!  Tapering always feels crappy to me.

I had my Varsity kids do 3x1600 repeats on the grass today.  I didn't want to do more that one mile hard so I ran two with the girls and one with the boys.  I paced the girls on the first one to a 6:30.  Then I ran one with the guys at 5:21.  the one more with some of my other girls around 6:40.  The 5:21 felt great!  It was warm and very windy today.  This is my last speed until Saturday so just a could of easy days to taper down.  I just need to stay healthy and get some good rest and I should do okay.  Hopefully the weather will be decent on Saturday, I will always be nervous about that after last year's hellish experience.

Easy run with the whole team down to the city park and back.  It is amazing how it was mid 80s yesterday and snowing today!  Nice weather for the run though, I am hoping for the same on Saturday.  My left leg had some tightness in the tendons behind my knee.  Yesterday it was my ankle, the day before my hip.  Tapering , even a little, seems to always suck!