Speed only kills if you don't have it!

It has been a lot longer and harder road to recovery than I ever imagined.  Over a two years lay off will dampen your confidence in your ability to race a good race again for sure.  My goals for 2011 were weak and physically I feel like I didn't accomplish anything too big, except I am about 95% pain free now after over two years of injury and pain.  Here is a look at my 2011 goals and I will add my new 2012 goals with a few tentative races and times that could be subject to change. 

 2011 Running Goals:

Get Healthy , run pain free, and stay that way!

I think I accomplished this for the most part.

Cross-train 2 times a week minimum

Not even close, but will be an accomplishment this year.

Better after workout habits (stretching out, using the stick and foam roller)

I have been better at this, but plan to make it a major future habit.

Race this year!

Ran two little 5ks this summer in the 19 minute range and got my butt kicked.  I plan on some real races this year.

 2012 Running Goals:

Stay  Healthy and run pain free!

Cross-train, including weight lifting, 3 times a week minimum

Run over 2300 miles

Run Two Marathons

Sub 16:00 minute 5K

First run of 2012!  I had one last day off before I go back to school, from what seemed like a very short break.  I took advantage and slept in, then got up and ran about 9:00am.  I felt better than last week, but I am very fat and out of shape for me.  Weather was cold at first, but warmed up a lot as I went and I was shedding half of my clothes by the end.  I ran up Mount Ogden and out the end of Butterfield Park and back.  7:14 pace for the 4.5 miles.  I have a schedule set for gradually getting back into shape and I hope to stay consistent with that schedule.  I know that it will take me a lot of work to get back to where I was 3 years ago, but I am excited about the possibilities too. 

Ran from Monarch up to the private road on the trail and back with or behind some of the kids.  7:08 pace for the run. Very warm today.

No run today my calves are way too sore from the other day!  I did 8.5 miles on the bike instead and lifted my upper body.

Ran a very easy run today with some of the track kids.  We ran up Shaggy Peak to Mirabella and down 13400 S from Monarch.  7:44 pace.  My calves are still super sore from Monday, even sore to the touch, embarrassing!  The weather was crazy warm for January!  48 degrees and I was comfortable in shorts and and short sleeve shirt.  

Crazy day today, so I got out on my run late and just ran until I ran into the track kids and came back with them.  7:23 pace. We lifted upper body at the high school when we finished.

ran with Connor, Jesse J, McKay, and Jessica in the snow this morning.  We went from Rosecrest Park to the Cove Park and back.  7:29 pace. 

Did core and a leg and hip workout afterward.

Ran an easy run with the guys from the school out to 13400 S and back.  Legs were sore from Saturday's workout.  No watch.

Ran from Monarch up 13400 S to Mirabella, the took Mirabella to the trail and back down to the park.  30:18 for the run.  Still very sore in some areas, so I never felt super comfortable.  

No run.  Lifted upper body.

Ran mostly with Greg today.  We did a loop from Rosecrest Park Rosecrest - Juniper Crest - Emeline and back.  4 miles on the dot.  7:11 pace.

5 miles on the treadmill at lunch.  36:40

Lifted upper body

Ran this morning with McKay and Jesse from Rosecrest Park out around the Cove pond and back via 6400 W and 13400 S.  7:21 pace.  Legs are tired still.

Leg and hip workout after

Met with Greg. Connor, Chuk, McKay, and Jesse for a run this morning at Rosecrest Park.  It just started to storm and it was freezing when we started.  We did the same loop that we had done on Saturday, but added on Main Street.  The wind was brutal and cold and my legs were tired, so it seemed like I was laboring harder than I should have been.  I hung in there and was glad to hear all of them were laboring today.  7:20 mile ave for the 6.1 miles.

Went to Dr. Day's and got a badly needed adjustment with my wife this afternoon.  I have been off and have been really tight on my left side, probably due to my psoas injury.

Ran from Monarch up to the Res, around, and back.  It was very cold and the wind was freezing and brisk running up, which sucked because it is bad enough running up that hill especially when you are out of shape.  The way down is good downhill and we pushed pretty good.  I ran up with Greg and down with Jesse, Chuk, and Connor, until Chuk and Connor decided to throw down in the last .75 mile.  Tough run for me!  We cooled down around the park afterward.  About 7:15 pace for the run.

Ran from the HS to Main Street, around the park and back.  3 miles at 7:09 pace.

Lifted upper and lower body afterward tonight.

Ran with Greg today on a 5.1 mile loop from Rosecrest to Emeline to Monarch and back.  My legs are pretty sore from yesterday, so I never felt good, but I wasn't as sore as last time.  7:30 pace for the run

Easy run with my boys this morning.  We ran from Rosecrest Park down Prospero and Leila to Murdock, then back on Rosecrest.  Did 5 x 20striders in the last mile, if that is what you call what I was attempting.  Legs felt better, but still sore and tight from the leg workout on Wednesday.

Lifted upper body after the run.

Ran the "Frigid 5k" today down in Provo at Utah Lake.  I am reluctant to call this a race, but in reality it was my bets today.  The race put on by 26.2 and was not organized well.  At 8:30am they just started doing registration.  The race was supposed to start at 9:00am, but at 9:15am the pins finally came for bibs.  It wasn't frigid other than it started raining and never stopped.  I warmed up in a hail storm and then stripped down best I could.  The course was not difficult, but because of the rain, and the puddles, and the fact that everyone was soaked in the first half mile, I think it was slow. They should have called it the "Soggy 5k".

I have been sore half the week, so the legs were dead, not to mention I haven't run much or run fast in a long time, and I wasn't sure what to expect.  Surprisingly, I got into race mode, mentally, pretty quick, the problem was my body isn't even close to there yet.  I just couldn't get going!  I passed a couple of guys along the way, and started working on 4th and 3rd place.  I pulled onto them, but as much as I tried I could not get my body to move to catch them.  4th place was a second ahead and 3rd was 4 seconds ahead.  Oh well, I still won my age group, being fat and out of shape.  After the awards they did a polar bear challenge where people were jumping into a hole in the ice.  Not me!  I was so wet already and had spent most of the time after the race at the hand dryers in the bathroom trying to dry off.

I learned I have a very long way to go to be competitive again, and I think I gained a little more motivation to get there.  I guess that made it worth it.

Ran 5.5 easy miles on the treadmill at lunch at 8 miles an hour. 

After school I lifted my upper and lower body.

My keys disappeared at work today.  Either I lost them or someone stole them out of my desk when I was out of my room.  Anyway I caught a ride home with Nicholson, grabbed my spare and ran back to the school to get my truck.  Legs not too bad from workout yesterday, other than the ankle is way tight.  4.5 miles at 7:09 pace.

Ran on the treadmill at lunch because I am going to the Jazz game tonight. ran most of the run at 7:20 - 7:30 pace but sped up and ran a tempo mile at 6 minute pace (5:55) for the 5th mile.  43:00 for the run. 

Ran by myself in the rain today around South Herriman.  7:14 pace.  Legs were tired, but I am tired in general this week. Went to the Oval after to watch some of my track kids run in a meet.  

Ran around Daybreak Lake and then an extra mile around Daybreak with Greg.  Calves are pretty tight right now.  7:25 pace

I really didn't want run this series since I am not even remotely in shape.  I don't mind being motivated by getting my butt kicked a little, but 3 years of being out and being injured takes a tole on you mentally and physically anyway.  I signed up though and figured I would see where I was after almost 4 weeks of easy running.  I am now sufficiently humbled!

I warmed up by myself for two miles.  Legs were still sore from the training this week.  I saw a bunch of blog people were there that I really don't know, mostly because I haven't raced really since 2008.  In 2008 it was different for me because I went to do that series with Sasha, Steve Ashbaker, Adam, and Ted back when we had the racing team going on.  Now I am out of the loop completely.  Also I was in decent shape before I got pneumonia before Del Sol that year.

I went out at around 6 minute pace for the first mile.  I was way behind everyone that was in front of me.  Next mile was 6:12, I slowed down a bit probably more from not being used to running that fast and getting killed by the front groups then the "head wind".  Last mile was about 6:13 and I caught some chick that was about my age in here that had went out too fast, but that was about it.  Allie Scott was a few seconds ahead of me, I have never met her, but recognized her.  My last .1 was 38 seconds. 

After I cooled down for just over a mile and called it good.  No awards for me, which is something else I am not used to, and don't enjoy.

I can tell this is going to be a rough and long attempt at a comeback!  I got beat by 4 girls today in a 5K.  First time I have ever been chicked by any girls other than my first marathon right after my mission and the TOU that I ran as a training run.  Never in a 5k!  I was a little disappointed I couldn't at least break 19 minutes either.  Oh well, I can't worry about how well everyone else is doing compared to me, I just need to keeping easing back into things and stay healthy and eventually I might turn into a runner again.  Probably everyone that beat me was at least 40lbs lighter and and doing 2-3 times the miles as me, not to mention a little speedwork.  I have to admit that it is pretty depressing to see where I am at right now, but it was nice to race again, even if I can't even compete with the women right now.:)

Ran with Greg from the High School up Mirabella around Butterfield and back on 6400 W and Main.  Pace felt decent and we picked it up on the way back and finished the 7 miles with a 6:12 mile.  I ran an extra mile in 6:37 to finish my run.  One of the better runs I have had in a while.  55:27 for the 8 miles.  

Lifted upper body after.  I was beat after this workout today!

Ran up 13400 S to 6400 W, and back on the trail with Greg.  Legs were a little tight, but I was more tired than anything.  Everyone around me has been getting sick lately, so I hope i can stay healthy.  We kept the pace easy, so the run wasn't bad.  Nice afternoon for January!  7:28 pace

Ran with and behind my track guys today.  We did a loop down to the Rec Center via Main and back on 12600 S., then around the school.  5.5 miles in 38:29.  I am feeling some minor aches and pains, probably because I am not used to the miles yet.

Lifted upper body afterward.

Ran down to Monarch for practice.  When I got there I realized that practice was at Rosecrest, so I took the fastest shortest way there.  Did 4 miles with Greg and the boys around the Cove pond and back.  Then ran home on Leila.  The legs were tired and I didn't feel like running today, but I ended up with 7.5 miles, I just took it easy and I was fine.  Now I just need 7 more miles in 2 days, and that shouldn't be a problem even with my crazy busy weekend.  7:35 pace

No run.

Got up to run before my conference this morning.  It was cold when I left, around 20 degree.  I didn't feel great yesterday and still don't feel great today, but good enough to suffer through 7 cold miles.  I went out to the Cove pond and back.  It was slow going at first and I progressed into a good pace by the end.  51:00 for the run.  Got my mileage goal of 33 miles for the week.

Ran with Greg at practice today.  We did 5 miles at 7:15 pace for the High School and then lifted upper body afterward.

Ran with Greg today again, just behind the faster boys.  We ran a loop form Monarch up around the Cove pond and back on the trail.  We picked up Jesse at the Cove pond when the other boys stopped to go potty.  The last 1.5 miles we pushed a tempo run.  i was just behind them and ran 8:48 for the mile and a half.  We did a cool down mile in 7:25 to finish the run. 53:30 for the run. 

It was a beautiful day in the mid 40s.  I didn't feel great on the run because of congestion, I couldn't breathe comfortably, but felt pretty good right after.

Not super cold today, but we got snowed on the entire run.  I ran easy back with Jessica today and we had a good little chat.  Ran from the school up to the trail head on Mirabella and back.

Lifted upper body afterward.

Ran over to practice at Rosecrest.  Ran with Greg and the guys for a few miles then came home.  Pushed the last mile in 5:47, which is fairly quick for me now a day.  7:15 ave. for the run.  Weather was great and the legs were tired.

Easy run over to Rosecrest from home at lunch.  I did a few striders and came back.  Felt really sluggish and tired today, not to mention the psoas and groin are sore.  Very congested and had a hard time breathing for some of the run, probably why I felt sluggish.  7:29 pace

I warmed up slow for 1.5 miles on the course.  My body has been fighting super hard to not get sick for a week and a half.  I have been very congested while running this week too.  Tis the time of year for crap to be going around, you know.  Also, I had some stomach issues with diarrhea this morning, which is very rare for me.  I knew this would be rough today, but it was rougher than I thought.

The biggest thing for me today was I had a super hard time breathing.  I coughed and hacked the entire way.  I would get my throat cleared for a minute and start feeling better and then I would get clogged up again.  Bill Cobler who was back and forth with me probably thought I was going to die!  The shoulders and diaphragm were tight too.  I struggled the whole way, which seemed like forever today, and could hardly stay under 6:30 per mile.  I got passed by 4 guys in the race and caught 2 of them (Nate and Bill) again in the last mile.  39:42 was my final time.  I cooled down for a mile after and finally got so I felt like I could breathe again.  My body was just not ready for a 10k, but I suffered through it today.  I am a little nervous for a 15k in two weeks after today.:)  Better get the oxygen ready for that one, eh!

My last 10k was February 9, 2008 and I ran it in 35:08, and was sick.  It will be a while before I am back to that form.

No run today.  I went home from school early and slept about 5 hours, and woke up with a fever.  Pretty miserable right now.  I guess this stuff I have been fighting for the last couple of weeks finally caught me.

Had a miserable night last night.  My body aches big time.  Made the mistake of going to school for my first two classes!  All I did was turn on a movie and freeze at my desk.  Came home after and slept another 4 hours.  My fever broke toward the end because I woke up soaking wet.  Body still out of commission.

No running at all this week.  I have just been hammered with this flu thing.  Mostly headache, weak body, and nasty cough the past couple of days.  I will try to run a few easy miles tomorrow.  Still don't feel good enough to try today.

Went out this morning for a run.  I went on a 3 mile loop today down Leila to Friendship and back on Rosecrest and coughed the whole way.  Still fighting this junk.  Pace was slow and I did not feel good.  7:55 pace.

Ran down to practice at Monarch.  I ran with Greg, we have both been sic, so we took it slow.  We did a loop up the trail and around the Cove pond, then back on Rosecrest and Juniper.  I didn't cough as much as the other day, but still coughed enough.  Still feel weak, but I was happy to get a run in again.  1:01:41

Ran with Lucy and Jessica today to the trail on Mirabella from the HS and back.  7:50 pace.  Felt really tired today and I still coughed quite a bit, but at least I got some miles.

Lifted upper body afterward.

Because of me being sick for that last week and a half and me still having a nasty cough, I decided not to go to the 15k.  Instead I went out on a run.  I went out to the Cove pond and back, and then added a mile on Leila and back when I got home.  The temperature was great, but the wind was crazy!  Going up Juniper I thought I was standing still half the time.  The wind started to switch to the west and coming out of Rose Canyon and the copper mines.  I don't know how hard it was blowing but it was blowing big garbage cans down Butterfield Parkway and I was going about 9:30 pace on flat.  I think I only got hit by about 15 tumble weeds!  The wind was at my back for a lot of the way back and I was running 6:30 pace and felt like I was jogging.  Because I my health and how hard that wind was blowing on the way out, my body feels like I ran 15 instead of 8.  1:00.03 for the 8 miles.

I was super glad that I didn't run the 15k if the wind was the same as in Herriman.  I would have never made it with the wind and my cough.

I ended up with half the miles this week that I was planning on before I got so sick.

Ran with Greg and the boys form Monarch up the trail to 6400 W, Up to DD Ranch and back on Main and 13400 S.  7.5 miles in 7:23 pace.  Still coughing, but it seems to be getting better.

Ran during lunch today before the State Basketball Tournament.  I went out around south Herriman with a nasty south wind blowing me around.  Didn't feel super great, still coughing too a bit.  Glad to get a run in though.  I have parent teacher conference tonight and tomorrow and I am afraid I won't get to run tomorrow.  7:25 ave.

AM- Snowed again last night and it was about 25 degrees when we met at Monarch for practice.  We did a loop up Main Street to 6400 W and then over to where we could get on the trail and took the trail back.  It was freezing until we turned south about half way and then it was better.  I liked the parts that were not plowed because it was less icy and had more traction.  Started super slow at around 9 min pace but settled into a sub 7 pace for the last 3 miles.  7:30 pace for the 6 mile run.  Kind of fun in all the snow!

PM- Haag came over this afternoon and we went on an easy run up to Butterfield park and back.  8:14 pace for 4.5 miles.  First two a day in a long time.

I needed a long run in to get my miles up to at least where they were 3 weeks ago before I got sick.  I have had such a busy and crazy week with my wife being sick, parent teacher conference, State Basketball, and all of the spring sports starting up, (including Track) it has been hard to find time to do anything. 

I met my varsity kids at Monarch and we went up 13400 S and 6400 W to the Cove.  We ran to the top of the Cove which is always a grind, and you always have the Rose Canyon head wind on top of that.  I was feeling tired from yesterday, not being used to a two a day and all, but I stuck with the guys (Chuk, Connor, McKay, and Jesse J.) fairly well.  The way down was a bit different because we added a loop on Main Street and then an extra .7 at the end to get 11 miles.  That is my longest training run since St. George of 2009, and the longest those kids had been on.  I was pretty tired at the end, but after the run I realized we were sub 6:30 pace for the last 6 miles.  Not bad for me right now!  1:18.52 (7:10 ave.) for the run.

Today is my Birthday and I have so much going on (school, physicals for all spring sports, practice, and a Region planning meeting) I probably won't get home until 8:30pm.  I Woke up at 5:00am and ran out to the Cove and back.  The weather was not too bad, but I am not used to running that early.  I saw several women out running by themselves in the dark at 5:00am.  I ran up on several and scared them pretty bad.  I thinking how I wouldn't let my wife do that by herself, too many creepers around.  Anyway, I got a few miles in.  7:38 pace.

Easy run today.  I ran with Greg and Tanner at practice.  Tanner hasn't been running much because of basketball, my psoas was hurting and Greg just tagged along.  We went up the trail from Monarch and out to the Cove pond and back on Rosecrest and Juniper.  7.2 miles at 7:52 pace.  The wind was freezing cold and blowing hard today, but the run wasn't bad.

Ran over to Rosecrest Park and met the kids today.  The weather was WAY nicer than the past couple of days!  We ran up Emeline to the Res and back.  I ran home after.  7.6 miles at 7:10 pace.  

AM- Got up just after 5:00am.  I was so tired from the week and I played basketball last night for the first time in over a year and a half.  I was sore from that!  Temp was in the 20s and I had a hard time moving, I struggled through the whole run out to Butterfield Park and back, but got it done.  No single women today, they were all in pairs.  Maybe I scared them into in after Monday. 7:42 pace

PM- Ran with Jenny from the school, and before practice, down 6000W and up Main and back.  Nice afternoon and this time the pace felt easy, unlike this morning.   7:47 pace

Easy 10.2 around Herriman with Greg, Jenny and my track kids.  Still sore from basketball, but loosened up as I went.  First half was about 8:00 pace and then 7:00pace the second half.  7:36 ave.  First 40 mile week in 3 years!

Ran with Greg at practice today.  Wow!  Talk about nice spring weather!  It actually felt hot when we weren't running into the wind, which only for about a mile of our 7.5 mile run.  Definitely not used to close to 60 degrees.  We ran the same first part of the run from Saturday, but instead of going around the cove pond we went around Butterfield Park and back on the trail.  Never felt great on the run, but I haven't run 40 miles in a week in sooooooo long that I didn't expect to feel great today.  Had 3 mile under 7 min pace and averaged 7:16 for the run, nothing special, but not shabby either.

Early morning run before work out the Cove pond and back.  Nice morning, but pretty windy.  53:55 for the run

Ran down to Monarch Meadows to practice.  The kids were dead after yesterday's speedwork, so Greg and I led the way on our loop up Shaggy Peak, around Butterfield Park, and back on the trail (5.15 miles). I ran back home the long way up around the Rosecrest loop.  I was going into the wind and uphill for most of it and felt super slow, but actually was running about the same pace.  At about the 8 mile mark my left calf started to hurt, big ole knot in it!  I finished the run kind of gingerly and averaged 7:14 for the 9.5 miles.  I think the calf will be sore tomorrow!

Beautiful day for running today!

AM- Got up early and Chad Robinson came over for a run.  Awesome weather!  No wind, high 40s.  Wasn't sure how the calf  would be this morning after that knot yesterday.  It was tight but the pace was easy so no issues.  We had a good conversation, mostly about old blog vs. new blog.  I am pretty out of the loop after being out of racing for 3 years.  We went out to the Cove pond and back and averaged 7:08.

Lunch- ran out on Leila to Friendship and jumped on the trail and went to the top of the private road.  Came back the same way.  I was tired after running 21 miles in less than 20 hours, haven't done that in years.  I took it way easy and felt like I was crawling, it felt good.  I actually went faster than I thought I was though and averaged 7:27

My wife's Birthday is today so I had my assistants cover practice and we went to Tucanos and played some mini golf in the sun.  Nice day over all.

Easy run after school with the coaches and varsity girls.  No watch

We went to South Jordan to time a 5k for some people putting the race on.  We decided to have the kids do the race for practice today.  After the distance kids ran the race, Greg and I took them out for a cool down.  We ran the course backward and forward pretty much.  7:45 pace for the run.  It was very windy today, but still warm.  I hit my mileage goal again this week with 45 miles.  I feel tired, but not too tired this week, so I am getting better.

Ran down to Monarch for practice.  Long day at work and super busy, especially with the end of the quarter this week and me leaving for a couple of days to St. George.  I really didn't feel like running.  Besides this cold weather sucks!  But I knew I needed to get a few miles at least, and I did a little better than a few.  Greg and I hooked up like usual for some adult conversation.  We ran up around the res and down to Butterfield.  When we got there we decided to add on the loop around the Cove pond, and then we came down the trail.  When we got back I was at 9.6 miles, so I ran home and added around the block for 11.  7:19 pace for the run, not bad for the terrain covered and not wanting to run at all.  I was super congested today and it took me a while to feel good, even though the pace never felt hard.  I think my congestion stems from the weather roller coaster we have been on, the nasty south wind last week, and the 3 birthday parties last weekend with all of the junk I ate.  I ate a lot of junk!

For the 4 people that still look at this old blog I have a question?  My Garmin is 5 years old now and still works fine, but the battery life has went from about 8-9 hours to about 3 hours if I am lucky, and I was considering a new one in the near future.  Any suggestions on which one is the best one?  I am kind of out of the loop.

Woke up this morning and felt like I was going to die!  I couldn't move or get out of bed for several minutes.  I had just watched a Psych last night where Shawn got poisoned and I was sure that is what happened to me.  I was thinking carbon monoxide or something, but my wife and son were fine.   I finally struggled around and made it to school and eventually my Region meetings.  My tummy was yucky all day, but I never puked like I though I would.  I had no energy either.  I got better as the day went on, but the tummy is still yucky!   Must be like some 24 hour bug or something?  Hopefully I am better tomorrow.

I did run with Greg and the boys on an easy 5 miler this afternoon.  We went up the trail to the end of the private road and came back on Mirabella and Shaggy Peak.  7:26 pace.

Missed again today.  It was crazy with the end of the quarter and going to St. George.  I thought we would have time to run, but we got down there at 9:30 and everyone still needed to eat.

Stayed up until 2:00am and got up at 8:00am to run.  We stayed in Hurricane because St. George was filled up.  I ran down the main road from our hotel and out of town to just past where you turn to go to Zion.  I was on the sidewalk the whole run, not that fun.  Just after I turned around my left calf tightened up bad!  I stopped and stretched it a time or two, but it never seemed to help.  Other than that I went at an easy 7:19 pace.  The calf is sore enough I don't know if I will run until Monday.  Disappointed about my running week.  Sick, busy, and hurt makes for a crappy week.  I must still be super imbalanced  to get that knotted up on one side of my body.

On the bright side I have not run 12 miles in a long time.  I also got to chat with Logan, Dave, and Jody Benson at the meet.

One of the all time worst weather runs this morning!  I got up and out the door about 7:00am.  I had most of the day off for end of quarter grading.  The plan was to get 14 miles in before practice with the kids.  I ran up around Butterfield Park, down 6400 W and on to Main.  Going west on Main was windy, but the weather was nice to this point and I took the gloves off and wondered if I was overdressed with my long sleeved shirt on.  At about 5 miles it started to hail on me, and I got pelted good for over a mile before I turned North.  As I turned on Bacchus the wind picked up and it started to rain like crazy!  I was soaked in a couple of minutes.  Not only was I frozen, but I needed to go potty and had no paper.  As I turned off of Bacchus onto 11800 S knew I would never make it down to the high school. Lucky for me I saw a Kennecott trailer with a honey bucket and went potty.   Thank goodness!  The wind and snow picked up this time and I thought the honey bucket was going to blow away with me in it, because it started to tip several times!  I got out and headed for my school.  The wind and snow were hitting me so fast and hard that everything was freezing.  I was getting a brain freeze, and was getting blown all over too.  I made it to the HS and called Haag to send him to cancel practice.  I was going to wait for a ride, but started to get really cold and I really wanted 15 miles not 11.  I went back out and fought the 40 mile an hour head wind and snow for over a mile to Main.  When I turned on Main the snow started to stop, but the wind kept up.  I fought the wind all the way home.  I was so frozen and soaked that I sat in the shower for over 20 minutes to get warm.  It was crazy!  Allison went looking for me, but could never find me I guess.  Not sure I would have quit at that point anyway, I mean I left the school in a flat out blizzard!  Proud of myself for finishing and doing it in 7:31 pace for the run.  I hope I never do it again though!

Ran this afternoon at a super easy pace with my varsity girls.  They were beat up from yesterday's hill workout.  We ran from the HS to Main and up Main to Triple D Ranch and back.  7:55 pace for the run.  Legs were fine, but I was tired all day, so the slow pace felt good.

Sent the varsity kids off on an easy run, while the JV is at Westlake for a meet.  I came home and ran on my own.  The legs are tight and tired from the last few runs.  I went out to Butterfield Park and back.  The run ended up being a progression run.  I went 8:05, 7:31, 7:00, and 5:33.  Then cooled down at 7:30 pace on Leila for a mile.  Felt tired and tight today, but I toughed out one good mile and took the others easy.  Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow.  35:31 for the run.

Easy 5:30am run to Butterfield and back.  I had a hard time getting out of bed today!  Legs were better than yesterday.  We have our first ever Herriman Track Invite today, so I had to get my run in early.  

Sent the kids off on an easy run from Rosecrest.  I waited for Greg because he was running late.  We are both running the Riverton Half tomorrow.  This will be my first Half in 4 years.  Not sure how to approach it yet?   We did an easy run up the trail and around the Cove pond and back past Butterfield to come back.  We met up with Haag at the pond and finished with him.  Warm day.  Not feeling like a stellar time is in me for tomorrow.  I guess I will just have to see how I feel and have fun.

First Half Marathon since 2008.  It was warm and windy this morning and all day for that matter.  This was my all-time slowest half, but still ok for me at this point.  Greg and I warmed up for a mile or so and then found Walter and finished the warm up with him.

The course was not easy like a lot of half courses around here, but I am fine with that if I am in shape.:)  My splits were all over because of going down into the gully and back out several times and the head winds we hit.

Mile 1 - 6:16 Flat with a tail wind

Mile 2 - 6:24 Feel relaxed and settle into a comfortable pace

Mile 3 - 6:23 Caught Greg here

Mile 4 - 6:57 Big hill here coming out of the Jordan

Mile 5 - 6:48 Head wind picking up

Mile 6 - 6:26 Lose Greg going down into the Jordan again

Mile 7-  6:57 By myself and fighting the head wind on the trail

Mile 8 - 6:59 Wind is kicking my but and I am in slow mo

Mile 9- 7:05 Still in slow mo climbing out of the gully in Bluffdale.  I can see several people in front of me but can't get moving to catch them, including the first woman.

Mile 10- 6:42 Catch a guy in green finally and can see the first woman up ahead about 30 seconds.

Mile 11- 6:41 Still can't gain any ground on the first woman, but get lovers lane and the small nasty hill out of the way.

Mile 12 - 6:44 still can't gain and getting frustrated that my body won't respond because there are about 5 people within a minute of me and I feel fine, but can't move the legs faster.

Mile 13 -  6:01 I get mad because the body won't move.  I know if I can pull within anyone that I can out kick them in the last 300m.  I pull up on the first woman with a block to go.

Last .1 - 26 second sprint and blow by the first woman

1:26.55 for the run and I did not get chicked!  Felt a little tired, but strong afterward.  Waited for Greg to come in (he felt back to 1:32 something) and then found Chad and went to cool down for just over a mile. 

Nice to get this one under the belt, and nice to get a 50 mile week finally.  It took along time to get to this point for me.  Give me 6 more months and I should be fine.  I have come along ways since I started running at the beginning of the year including dropping 16 pounds of fat, I now weigh 176lbs.  I would have liked to run under 1:25.00 today, but considering the conditions and how others ran, I am okay with how I did.

Treated myself and the family to Tucano's  for lunch and totally ate until I was going to bust.  Good day!

Ran with Haag and Greg this afternoon.  We went on an easy 7 miles up around Butterfield Park from the High School and back.  The north wind was cold today, but the run was nice.  I felt fine and had zero soreness from Saturday, maybe because I didn't run that fast either day.  Felt good to run today.  7:47 pace for the run.

Ran up around the Res and down Emeline and the trail with the varsity guys today.  It was a way nice afternoon for a run.  Good conversation with the kids, at least the semi mature ones!:)  7:05 pace for the 6 mile run.  Psoas is a little extra tight today for some reason, but felt good other than that..

Worked out with my varsity girls today.  We warmed up for almost 2 miles with 4x100m striders.  We did  5x1000m with 200m recoveries.  We averaged just under 6 min pace for the whole 5000.  Felt kind of easy today for me, I think that means I am finally getting in shape?  The wind was blowing in pretty good from the south, but the weather was warm.  The girls did awesome to stay with me every time.  Mile cool down at the end.  Averaged 7:35 pace for the 6.5 miles.  

Did a little more than I had planned, in fact a lot more than I would have thought a couple of weeks ago.  I woke up at 6:30am, which was super hard for me being my first day of a much needed Easter break.  I got out the door just before 7:00am.  It was pretty cold when I left, low 30s.  The goal was to do the same loop as I did at the first of last week when I got stuck out in a hurricane, and have about 14 miles in by the time practice started.   I would then send the kids off on a run and run home myself.  I took some toilet paper and a bottle of hammer heed with me this time just in case.  Once I got out by Butterfield Park I realized that I had miscalculated the time and I wouldn't make it back in time if I kept to the original plan.  When I got to Butterfield Canyon I ran or crawled up the road for almost a mile and then turned around and headed back down to Monarch Meadows.  When I got there it was exactly time for practice, but I had to run the last few miles around 6:30 pace to make it.  I was at a 7:25 pace and 13.6 miles when I got there.  I figured that if I crawled along with the girls or some slower kids I could get a few miles in.  Instead I ran with Greg up to the pond at the Cove and back.  I was tired, but once I turned around and I felt fine and it was gradual downhill other than the rollers on the trail, so I knew I could make a 20 miler.  The last mile was 6:19 and I felt strong.  8 miles were well under 7 minute pace and I got my first 20 miler in three years out of the way.  Two years ago I never thought I would be able to run a 20 miler again, so I was feeling pretty darn good about today.  2:27:05 (7:21 pace ) for the run.  Legs are tired and I have the beginning of a small blister under one of my big toes, but I feel good.

Now it is time to relax, play a little wii with my son, and maybe get a nap.

Legs are a little stiff today, and the psoas is pretty tight too.  I expected as much.  It was about 32 degrees when I headed to practice this morning, so I bundled up a bit.  I ran down to Monarch and met Haag and the kids.  Legs were tight that first mile.  I sent the JV off on a workout and then ran with the varsity on an easy 4 miler on Shaggy Peak, Mirabella, and the trail.  Legs got better as we went.  We did 7 x 20 second pickups in the last mile or so.  The pickups really helped me get my legs moving.  Ran home after.  6.5 miles at 7:45 pace.

Woke up early and did 4 miles before I had to go to UVU for our meet.  It was about 25 degrees when I left.  The legs were more sore today then on yesterday, so the first 2 miles were rough.  This was one of those runs that you just do it to get it done. Ran out the Butterfield Park and back.  30:09 for the 4 miles.  Glad to get another 50 mile week in.

Drove down to Provo with Haag and met the kids to run the L.A. Freeway.  We had 12 guys and 5 girls show up and complete the run, that is the most I have ever had.  It was freezing for the first two miles and I needed gloves, but it was hot at the end so I was glad i dressed down.  I ran with the boys, some of the run with varsity and some with JV, then back to varsity.  We hit a decent pace for the run overall, especially for taking it really easy at the beginning.  The last 3 miles were sub 6:00s.  I had the boys run an extra mile at the end while we waited for the girls to get done.  The Freeway was 1:14:10 for me, and the extra mile was 6:50, so 1:21:00 for the 11 miles.  

Went to Magleby's Fresh for all you can eat french toast after the run.  Ate outside because the weather sooooo nice!

Got up early and ran to practice today.  The weather was warm for 5:00am.  I met the kids at Rosecrest Park and we ran out to the Cove and back.  I stopped at a potty along the way and lost the kids so instead of running back to the park I ran home.  7:36 ave for the run.  I have a late lunch planned with some coaches so I won't run this afternoon.  

I did a speed workout with my girls today and they did awesome.  It was pretty windy with the storm blowing in, but I swear it is always windy in Herriman.  We warmed up for 1.5 miles with 4x100 meters striders.  The girls actually warmed up a little longer.  We did 7x300 meters with 300m recoveries, and 4x600m with 400 recoveries.  We alternates 300s and 600s until we got through the 4th one and then ended with 3x300m.  :60, 2:09, :61, 2:09, :60, 2:09, :61, 2:29 (700m), :58, :58, :56.  Mile cool down after for 8 miles.  7:23 pace for the run.  5:20-5:30 pace for all of our speed.  My little girls are getting tough, i was impressed!

AM- Left the house at 5:20am and ran over to meet the kids at practice.  We did a loop down to 13400 S to 6400 W and back ob Butterfild and Mirabella.  I mostly ran with Rory up in the front.  The kiddos were hurting today!  I split on Rosecrest and ran home on my own at the end.  Nice easy run.  Legs were kind of tired.  44:55 (7:29 ave) for the 6 miles.

PM- I thought it was supposed to be 55 degrees today, but after school it was raining and in the upper 30s, what's up with that crap?!  We were meeting at Butterfield Canyon and it was a blizzard on the way there and I was worried going to the canyon and not sure if I would have to cancel practice or something.  But it was just foggy and no snow right in the canyon when we got there.  We went up 2.5 miles and turned around.  It started to snow pretty good on the way back.  The snow would have been fine if I had some ski goggles on because it was flying right in my eyes.  Nice run with the boys though.  7:08 pace for the 5 miles.  Had a warm shower and hot chocolate when I got home.

Sent the kids off on their different workouts and we (me, Haag,and Greg) ditched them and went on our own run.  We ran from school up Mirabella to the private road and back on 6400 W and Main.  Nice to just run with my coaches.  7:24 pace for the run.

We had a meet in Logan today, so I got up early to be on the bus.  I took running clothes and had Haag and Greg do the same.  When we got to Logan high we had about 45 minutes until our girls raced in the 3200m, so I took them on a loop into river Heights and Providence.  I made sure we went up the Providence hill.  They were talking about that little hill all day after that!  We went back down where Jon Allen lived when I was in Logan and along 200 E back to 300 South and back.  It was 6 miles.  So Greg and I added another mile down to Willow Park and back.  7:22 pace for the run and made it back just in time for the races.  Nice day in Logan!  It was raining when we left and I thought it would be crappy weather in Logan, but it was nice. 

Ate at Center Street Grill and got some Aggie ice cream after the meet.  Made me miss Logan!

Woke up and ran over to Rosecrest to meet the kids.  I ran with them up to 6400 W and Main and back, then back home on my own.  Going to be a long day with meetings etc, so had to get a run in early.  7:16 pace

Ran down to Monarch and met the kids.  Ran with Rory mostly and the varsity guys up the trail to the Cove pond and back.  Ran home afterward.  7:05 pace

Ran over to Rosecrest and met the kids.  We ran up Emeline to almost the end and back.  Mostly ran with Rory and then Chuk joined us for the second half.  Ran home after.  The left calf was a little sore, and I was tired at the 5:00 hour, but felt alright other than that.  7:24 pace

Ran down to Monarch for practice.  Ran with Greg and the kids up the trail, around Butterfield, and back on Shaggy Peak.  Ran home after practice.  The run home is always tough because it is uphill and I usually stand around afterward with the kids.  49:37 for the run.

We were at the Woods Cross Invite today.  Greg and I went running with Lucy, Jessica, and Tessa around Bountiful area for 5 miles.  Very warm and nice, almost too warm for running.

Took off with Greg from my house at 6:30am.  We went on the same run I went for my 20 miler, without adding on the extra run with the kids.  Nice morning, almost too nice of weather for this time of year.  About 4 miles into it Greg was hurting, probably because he was thinking about 11 more mile to go.  I pretty much drug him along up Butterfield Canyon.  On the way back he was falling behind again, but with about 3.5 miles to go he found his "Happy Place" and we cruised on home at sub 6:30 pace.  We got done, jumped in the car and down to Monarch about 5 minutes late for practice.  Sent the kids off, and the I took Greg to Kneaders for his birthday today.  Good run and a beautiful day. 1:49:52, 7:20 pace.

Woke up and ran to Rosecrest.  Ran with the kids to the Stake center on 6400 W and back.  Then I ran home.  It was super warm, probably 60s at 5:15am.  7:14 pace for the run.

Ran down to practice at Monarch and ran with the kids around Butterfield Park and back, opposite of Thursday's run.  Ran home afterward.  53:00

Ran over to Rosecrest and ran around Butterfield Park with the kids, and then home.  Added an extra mile on Leila.  7:11 pace.  I am headed down to St. George today until Saturday for an AD conference, and I am looking forward to getting away.

Met Clyde, Steve, Bill (Wild Bull), and Dustin at the park by the Dixie Center this evening for a run.  It was in the mid 70s and pretty windy, so I was glad it wasn't too hot.  It was good to run with those guys again, it has been years.  We did a loop through the old and new Painters courses on the trail and around Bloomington.  I mostly ran with Clyde until we hit the park with the potty and then we picked up Steve.  About 7 miles into it Clyde took off on some tempo and Steve followed him.  My left calf that was so tight yesterday started to tighten on me 3 miles into the run.  Between the calf and the late lunch that wasn't settling well with me I decided to just cruise the last 3 miles instead of attempting to go with them.  Finished the run and added another .4 miles to make it a 10 miler.  6:40 pace for the run.  Felt fine other than the calf.  I need to get into a Chiropractor soon because I must be imbalanced.

Slept in this morning finally.  The run this morning was super easy, mostly because my left calf is so sore.  I worked on it good last night with my stick and my hands and it helped it loosen up and get more sore at the same time.  I ran out of Sunbrook and up Dixie Dr. to Sunset.  I found a paved trail and ran on it through some condos for a while.  Then I turned around and headed back on the trail.  The trail ended back on Dixie Dr. about a mile from the Sunbrook turnoff.  I came back the same way after that.  Loosened up as I went, but kept the pace easy.  Beautiful day down here in St. George!  7:26 pace for the run.

Met Clyde and Steve this morning at some churches by Desert Hills.  We ran on some Bingham Hwy out toward Arizona in the middle of no where.  The run looped back into Bloomington eventually.  We were cruising along at sub 7:00 ave for almost the first 10 miles.  Steve started to fall back a little here.  We stopped for Clyde's at least once a run potty break at a bathroom, and split up.  Clyde went farther and Steve ann I ran back to the start.  Steve was hurting, so I just stayed backed with him and chatted.  7:04 pace for the run even with the last 3 miles pretty slow.  Felt Like I could have went 20 miles today, I just didn't have time because I had to get to my conference.  I had a good time running with Steve and Clyde.  It is nice to have a titch more mature conversation on a run than I do with my Track and XC kiddos. 

Morning run over to meet the kids at Rosecrest and then out to the Cove and back.  I didn't run back to the park, just turned and went home when I hit Rosecrest.  7:06 pace for the run.

Ran down to Monarch and did a 4 mile loop with the Varsity boys, then ran home.  It is our 9th Anniversary so I had to get home to go out with my wife. 6:57 pace

Ran over to Rosecrest Park on Leila and ran with the Varsity boys on an easy 4 mile loop around Butterfield Park.  Ran home via Rosecrest and Juniper.  7:26 pace.

Ran down to Monarch and ran with Greg and the guys on a 4 mile loop up the trail and down Shaggy Peak.  Did 10 x 90m barefoot striders on the grass at Monarch, then ran home.  49:13 for the 7 mile run.

ran with Haag and Greg up to the Double D and back from the HS.  7:28 pace.  Legs are tired to and I need to get a long run tomorrow.

Legs have been tired the last couple of day and so has the rest of my body.  I woke early again because I wanted to drive to Provo, get a long run in, and make it to BYU to watch my girls run the mile on time.  I drove to Riverwoods, put some Heed in my fluid belt, and took of up the canyon.  I started out at 8:25 pace and the legs were hurting, but I eventually got into a rhythm, and felt okay.  I ran into the marathon and half marathon about 5.5-7 miles into it.  I had no idea they would be coming down the trail or I would have went on the road because it was a pain running against them, especially when I got into the slower runners.  I eventually made it through and jumped on the highway at Vivian.  I ran 3 more miles up to the Mile 16 mile marker at the top of the big hill before the cabins.  I was surprised to get there in 1:14.00.  I turned around into a headwind, but stayed in a good rhythm, so it wasn't too bad. I ran 6:40s for a few miles , and started to get back into a good rhythm averaging 6:12s the last 4 miles.  2:19.02 for the 20 miles, 6:57 ave.  Got cooled down and through the marathon traffic to BYU just in time to see one of my girls qualify for State in the mile.  Legs are more tired now, but I am happy with a good run.

Super tired from everything today.  My legs are still tired too.  I missed practice because of a meeting, which will probably happen again tomorrow.  I went out on an easy 7 miler out to the Cove pond and back.  Legs got better as I went, but still were tired, whole body is tired actually.  7:28 pace

I had a really bad day today with all of the hearings and meetings I went to.  I needed to burn off some stress.  I went with Haag and Shaw from the HS up around Butterfield, then talked them into adding on the pond loop.  I mostly ran with Shaw since Haag kept falling off the pace.  We ran back on 6400 W and Main.  I turned around and ran back to get Haag and added about 1.5 miles to the run in doing so, giving me 10 miles.  It was kind of hot and windy, but it felt good to get rid of a little stress. 1:12:23

Went out at 5:00am because I have Region Track today and knew I wouldn't get out later.  I ran out to the Cove Pond and back and did a 10 minute warm up, 17 x 1 minute fartleks with 1 minute recoveries.  Seemed kind of hard with my legs being tight, especially the right hammy, but I got it done.  49:00 for the 7 miles.

AM- Got up and ran early.  Went out to the Cove Pond again at a super easy pace.  8 min. pace out and 7 minute back.  Hamstring still tight.  7:30 pace.

Came home for lunch and ran 4 miles at 7:30 pace.  Very windy.  Region Track will finish up today and we have a good chance of winning  both boys and girls. 

We won both Region titles yesterday and I was at the school late.  This whole week I have been busy and tired.  Today we went to Logan just to get away for the weekend and relax.  I went out on a 4 mile run from our hotel over to River Heights to the elementary school and back.   7:28 pace.  It was nice to run by some of my old stomping grounds.  I forget Logan is such a pretty town.

Was in Logan for the weekend and need to start doing some speedwork and racing, so I went to this race.  No big expectations since I haven't been doing anything fast and I have been beat up and tired this week.  

Warmed up on the course for just over 2 miles.   Then did some striders and dynamic stretching before.   Hamstring was very tight this morning.  It was in the high 30s when I got there, thank goodness it warmed up by race time.  Ran into Scott and Drew at the start and saw a couple of other quick guys that I recognized, but no ringers.   Those that have done this course know it is not a quick one because of the uphill at the beginning.

Mile 1-  6:26  First mile wasn't too bad, but I was back behind several people, some were 5kers though. 

Mile 2- 6:49  Drew, Sean, and 2 others are up ahead by 20 seconds.  The hammy is super tight and I am altering my stride a bit, plus the hills got steeper.

Mile 3- 7:06  I was having a rough time keeping turnover here because of the hills and hammy.

Mile 4- 5:30  Finally got turned around and striding out.  Caught a guy here.

Mile 5- 5:46  Trying to catch Sean and Keith, Drew is coming back to us.

Mile 6- 5:29  I catch Keith and he is trying to stay on me and still going after Sean.  Feel strong at this point.

Last. 2- :53  Lose Keith on the steep down hill and kick to the finish.  Sean is right in front.  Drew finished less than 10 seconds in front of Sean, so there were 4 of us in about 15 seconds.  38:02, would have liked to get under 38 minutes.

Cooled down for 2.5 miles with Sean and Scott after the race.  Kind of fun and a good workout for me.  I definitely am not used to pushing fast paces and have a lot of work to do, but I felt plenty strong.   I this race 5 years ago in 35:46, so a lot slower, but that is because of no speed or racing.

Had a great time in Logan this weekend and it was good to get away and relax.

Ran down to Monarch and ran with the boys going to State.  We went up the trail to 6400 W. and around Butterfield Park and down Shaggy Peak.  Ran home afterward.  Nice easy run, but it was hot today.  7:19 pace.

Felt kind of like I was getting sick, plus the hip and hammy are sore like they are bruised, and it was freaking hot.  I decided to take the day off.

Still not feeling great, and pretty congested, but good enough to run.  The weather was warm and windy the whole run.  I ran down to Monarch and ran up the trail with Chuk and Jesse.  They turned around at 6400 W, and I kept going up around the pond to Butterfield and then came back the same way.  Took it pretty easy, but the wind made it a little tougher than I wanted.  I ran home from Monarch after.  7:19 pace for the run.

Ran over and met the kids at Rosecrest.  We then ran up to the Pond bathrooms and back, and I ran home.  I did not feel good, really dragging along today.  Still feel like I have been on the edge of being sick, and the legs are tired.  7:25 pace

Watched my kids run the 1600 at State and then left on a run.  Greg came with me for the first half.  We ran down Canyon Road and onto University and took the trail to the canyon.  Greg came up about a mile and turned around.  I kept going up to Vivian.  It started to rain on the way up and I got soaked!  The wind was whipping pretty good up the canyon on my way back, so it sucked to run into, but it dried me out.  I made it out of the canyon and back to BYU the same way I came.  I got back right as it started to rain, good thing because it rained hard for a couple of hours.  I am still a little sick with a bit of a sore throat, but I still ran ok.  7:11 pace for the run.

Ran from BYU out past Timpview from 900 E. and back with Greg.  Nice easy run.  Little sore from yesterday.  We got back just in time for the 3200m.

Busy day at school with testing and meetings.  I got back at 5:30pm and went out for a run.  i sure didn't feel like running in 90 degree weather!  I toughed it out though and ran out to the Cove and back.  thank goodness there was a bathroom with water where I turned around.  Made it home and was pretty hot, even though I ran easy.  50:49 for the 7 miles

Ran down to Monarch and up the trail to the pond and back.  Then I added another two miles on Rosecrest.  It was really hot again, but I took a belt and some Heed with me today.  The last mile was still rough though.  Good thing I ran super slow, about 7:50pace.

Progressive tempo workout today.  I was not looking forward to this run, even though it was cooler today finally.  I have been tired and I haven't really done any speedwork all year.  I did two 1 mile repeats, one half mile, and one 1/4 mile with less recovery after each repeat.   I did a loop around the Cove pond down 6400 W and Main to 5600 W and home on 13400 and 4800 W. I Ran over to the Cove pond via Leila instead of Roserest.  When I hit 3 miles I did a tempo mile.  The wind was whipping good on this one and I ran a 5:43.  Recovered for a mile about 7:50 pace, all of my recoveries were about that pace, and did another mile this time with a cross breeze 5:21.  Recovered for a half mile and ran a half mile in 2:38.  Recovered for a 1/4 mile and then did a 1/4 in 1:15.  Ran a mile home afterward.  7:10 pace for the run.  Felt ok in the speed, but had a hard time breathing through my mouth the entire run because I am still congested.  

Right hammy was very tight today.  I took both runs very easy to loosen up.

AM- Ran out Butterfield park and back.  I was crawling at first at 8:30 pace until I finally loosened up a bit.  7:42 pace for the 5 miles

PM- Ran this afternoon up on Rosecrest and up Emeline and back.  I was better this afternoon, but still pretty tight in the hammy.  It took a while to get loosened up again.  7:30 pace for the 5 miles

Ran an easy 4.5 miles from the Cove over to the Library and Rec Center.  No watch

Picked up my number at the Rec Center and drove over to the Cove.  I warmed up for 3 miles before the race.  I saw a couple of guys at the start that looked fairly fast, but no one too fast.  My biggest weakness right now is the lack of tempos, races, and speedwork, so I don't have much speed.  Besides my right hammy is still way tight.  I would do better in a longer race I think.  I was supposed to run a 10k, but it was cancelled because they only had 20 people sign up.

A couple of guys took off right away, but I soon caught all but the Bingham kid.  He was about 10 seconds ahead of me after a mile and I wasn't gaining.  At first I thought he would come back to me, but he kept the same pace as me the whole race.  My splits were: 5:36, 5:40, and 5:35, last .18 was :43 seconds.  The Bingham kid finished about 8 seconds ahead.  I felt fine, just not enough speed to catch people yet.  It was good to get a race in today.  I need one more long run and then I will hit some fast tempos I hope in the next two weeks.  Not a bad showing for me since the last 5k was flatter and I ran it in over 19 min.

Ran back to get my truck after and went a longer way to get 4 miles.

Got up early to do my last long run for a while.  I was kind of dreading it in a way because I knew I would be solo again.  I packed 12ozs of Heed and wore a long sleeve shirt because it was 45 degrees when I left.

I ran out around the Cove pond, down 6400 W., and up Main and Butterfield Canyon.  Butterfield gets pretty tough after 10 miles.  I tried to push it back, but the head wind that started up slowed me up a bit, especially on the uphill miles.  I was trying to break 2:20:00, but even with my last 3 miles in 18:10 I was a little short.  My first mile was 8:26 and my last mile was 5:48.  I averaged 7:43 for the first 10 miles and ran 1:03:15 back.   Felt fine other than some tightness in the right hammy.  I am still congested and coughed up a lot of junk along the way.  Hopefully I will get over all of that in the next two weeks.  Glad to get this one done.  I probably won't do another 20 miler until August now.  I need to work on some shorter faster stuff this summer.  2:20:31 for the run.

Long day today at work.  I am also a little tight from yesterday.  It took me a while to get going today.  I went out on Leila and onto Prospero and up on to Emeline.  Came back on Rosecrest and then took the little trail back down to Leila, then home.  30:30 for the 4 miles.

Ran up to Butterfield Park and back.  Nice weather, and it felt good to run off some of today's stress.  Hammy felt better.  29:01

I got up early because I have graduation today and figured I wouldn't have time to get a run in later.  I went out to Butterfield Park nice and easy and then did tempo home.  I went 2:50 for the .5 then 5:58 (uphill), and 5:37.  Felt decent.  7:06 pace for the run.  I will try to get a good tempo in on Saturday.

No run.  I am done with another year of school though!

Got up and drove up Butterfield Canyon a couple of miles for a big workout, at least big for me.  I wanted to hit 10 miles at 6 min. pace or better.  My first 10 was great, 5:50 pace around 36:10.  Then I hit some good uphill and a stiff South wind in the next few miles that slowed me down a little.  My first mile was 6:02, Mile 7 was 6:08, and mile 9-10 were 6:16 and 6:30, the other 6 were under 6 min pace.  I ended up with a 59:42 for the 10 miles.  Felt pretty good, still a touch congested though, and it got warm quick.  The wind the last 2 miles kicked my butt!  This was a great run for me overall though.

Legs are pretty sore from Saturday, not part of the plan!  I didn't think I would get sore because the 10 miles was similar to the last 10 miles from Monday, but I guess it was 3 minutes faster.  Still!

AM- I slept in for the first time in a while and got up about 8:00am.  It was already 80 degrees.  I went out for 5 miles up to Butterfield and 6400 W and back.  The first mile hurt today and it took a while to get moving.  After that I felt fine other than the soreness in the upper legs.  I took it pretty easy, but ended up with a pretty decent progression run.  35:35 for the 5 miles.

PM- Ran 3 more miles to loosen back up this evening.  It was about 95 degrees, so I was glad that I didn't have to go far.  7:27 pace

Ran out to the Cove and back.  wore a HR monitor today for the first time in a long time, just interested in where I was.  Legs are still sore from Saturday, but I went slow.  44:05 for the run.

Finally made it to the chiropractor today and he worked me over for about an hour.  I feel much better already, which most of the time is not the case.  

Ran to 6400 W by Butterfield Park and back.  Did one fast mile in 5:21.  Legs felt better, but still not fresh, still a little tight.

Went out on an easy run this morning.  I went on Leila to Prospero, got on the trail on Friendship to Mirabella, then took Mirabella back to Rosecrest and home.  I did a few striders in the last mile.  7:25 pace.  Legs are still tight but much better than they have been.  I hope they will recover completely by Saturday.

Got up this morning and jogged a mile.  Still feeling a bit tight, but I should be fine.

Not quite sure what to think about tomorrow?  I have 3 goals as usual for a race like this.  Feel good 2:38:00, Feel decent 2:40:00, Feel crappy sub 2:45:00.  I am interested in the weather as well to see what it will be like.  It has been a long time coming for this marathon and I hope it goes well.

Not much good to say about this one, I'll just chalk it up as a learning experience, and one I don't wish to have again. Nice morning and pre-race rituals.  I got eaten up by fighting the headwind for 13 miles by myself, mentally and physically destroyed!

Everything went well through mile 7 (42:04 at mile 7) and then I fell apart and was lucky to finish.  Worst I have ever felt in a marathon!  I got passed the entire race and never passed one person (except Steve Anderson who was walking about mile 13), not the norm for me, I usually negative split and catch all kinds of people.

I started out with two young guys and we came though 7 miles at 6 minute pace and I felt good.  Then the wind hit!  I run in the wind all of the time, but today it hammered me.  I lost the two guys when we hit the hills and I was trying to suck down my first GU.  I was on my own from then on.  I started to break down mentally first, since I could see that time was going to blow away with the head wind.  Even on the 10th mile that was good downhill I was slowed up, it felt like I was running in place.  The wind was nothing like St. George 2008 and minus the rain, but I was in great shape then, sub 2:30 shape and had people to run with in the second half, not the same situation today.  I kept trying to mentally get back into things even when I slowed down so much over the next 6 miles.  I came through the half at 1:24:25.  The more I went the slower I got, it seemed like the whole canyon was uphill instead of down.  I took another GU at mile 13, but it didn't agree with my stomach so I never took anything else except water, and I know that was a mistake too.  I was lucky to average sub 7:00 pace down the canyon.  Around mile 19 or 20, just before getting out of the canyon, I started cramping up in my calves, I am sure from nutrition and hydration during the previous 20 miles, that was apparent by the amount of salt and minerals all over my body when I finished.  I have never had the cramping like that before.  This is where I fell apart all the way and people started to pass me and there was nothing I could about it, because if I tried to speed up my calves would cramp and I would almost go down.  I knew if I stopped I wouldn't get going again or finish so I kept crawling along clicking off 7:00 plus pace for the last 7 miles.  I had one mile, (mile 25 I think?) that was 7:49.  At one point around the last mile Josse started running with me, or ahead of me, and asked me if I could catch the guy in front of me, I said no way.  I would have loved to catch him but my legs wouldn't let that happen, they were lucky to be moving at all.  I was lucky to get in and finish. Marathons can be a gamble some times, you never know how your body will react to conditions.  I lost a big on this one!  I did finish though right?!

My final time was 2:56:06, definitely my worst marathon of all time.  I was pretty bummed, but so glad to be done at the same time.  I know most people didn't have a good race today.   I felt awful afterwards too and walked for a while then had to lay down on the grass.  This was a mistake because my calves cramped up bad when I was on the ground.  My wife tried to dorsiflex my feet, but the calves were contracted so tight that she couldn't move them.  She finally got them to dorsilfex and I was able to turn over, then started to cramp again and had to have help standing up.  I limped around the rest of the day.  I did still place 4th in the age, but since I should have won it, and got passed by all of the 3 ahead of me in the last few miles, that was no consolation either. 

On top of an awful marathon, my son Jaren broke both bones in his lower arm at my little sisters house this afternoon, which puts a bit of a damper on our vacation to Disneyland and San Diego next week.  Then we found out our friends just up the road had a little baby with Down Syndrome and they had no clue about until he was born.  They are devastated right now!  That would be a hard trial in life!  Anyway, not a super good day for me. 

The good thing for me is I learned a lot and relearned a lot and I will do everything in my power to not have a race like that again.  I will be ready for St. George this fall.  I will be smarter in my training, in my nutrition and hydration, and my race tactics next time.

Second day of XC and my assistants are both doing Wasatch Back, so I was it today.  I decided to run even though I was going to wait until tomorrow.  Started at the back and made my way up, talking to all of the new kids on the way.  We have a lot of new kiddos!  Probably averaged 8-8:30 pace for the 4 miles.  Legs felt a little heavy from not running all week, but the rest of me felt good.  The week off has been nice other than I have been kind of sick with stuffy nose etc..  I will go a little longer tomorrow.

Met a few of my kids up Yellow Fork this morning. I wanted a nice slow tough trail run today. We went a way that I have never gone before.  We headed up Rose Canyon on the dirt road (which no longer has 3 foot deep ruts anymore).  I started out with Jess and Lucy for the first mile while Chuk, Connor, Jesse, and Calvin  went up ahead.  I lost the girls after a mile the boys kept going, so I ran almost all the way up by myself.  The first 4 miles was a 1900 foot climb.  I met up with the boys and we came down by Varsity hill and got on the single track for the rest of the way.  It was super dusty and hard to see rocks, roots, and stumps because of the lighting on the snake single track.  I was leading down at one point and went down on my right side face first.  Luckily it was a part with mostly all dirt and not a lot of rocks, so I didn't get beat up too bad.  Calvin went down worse a few minutes later.  We saw cows, rattle snakes, deer, turkeys, and almost ran into a big fat sheep on the way down, that freaked all of us out a bit.  Connor thought it was a bear!  We were all filthy when we got done, especially me from my Pete Rose down the mountain.  Fun run, and very tough.  I am ready to do some of these though trail runs again.  I remember running a lot of good trail runs in Logan with Paul, Cody, and Jon and just always feeling tough.  I need that toughness back.  8 miles in 9:05 pace and we climbed and dropped 2,000 feet both ways.

Ran with the team this morning.  Over 70 kids, most of who I don't know yet.  I started with Haag and we came from behind the slower kids and talked to them.  First couple of miles were around 8:30, then I left Haag and went a little further.  I hit 7:02, 6:29, and 6, 25 for the last 3 miles.  Felt good, a little sore from Saturday though.  7:24 pace for the run.

Ran down to monarch for practice. We ran up the trail and out around Butterfield Park to the Cove and back.  Started off at a slow pace with Greg who is still sore from WBR.  Ran with him for 2 miles and then went out to the Cove pond by myself.  I was a ways behind my fast legs and could never catch them because they were flying.  I was moving pretty good coming back myself.  Finished the run and visited for a bit, then ran home.  7:05 pace for the run.  

We are heading to Disneyland and San Diego for the next 10 days, so all of my runs will be at sea level for a while.

Stayed in Mesquite last night, still 104 degrees when we pulled into town.  It was about 90 degrees this morning running!  I ran from Falcon Ridge on a big loop around town.  Super hot!  Felt good though.  7:18 pace.

Ran from the hotel early this morning up and back on Ball and then around Disneyland.  Nice morning kind misty and overcast.  7:13 pace

Ran from hotel up and back on Ball and then out on Walnut and back.  7:19 pace.  Pretty tired from Disneyland yesterday and going all day again.  The family is having fun though!

No run traveling and setting up camp.

We are camping on the beach in Carlsbad for the next few days.  I went out and ran down (south) the 101 Hwy into a little beach town called Encinatas.  Did an out and back at 7:19 pace.  Hanging out on the beach today.

Ran east up into the mountains and the super rich area of Carlsbad.  Amazing houses and area.  A lot of big hills.  Had to stop for a potty break at Vons.  7:21 pace

Lego Land today.

Kind of tired and beat up, but still ran up east into the mountains for a morning run.  Went a different route then yesterday after 2 miles.  7:12 pace for the 8.5 miles

Seal Beach today.

Went back south on the 101 and went super slow even after a potty break at a gas station.  The weather is great here, 60s in to morning.  I am was tired today so I went really easy.  7:43 recovery pace.

Beach today.

No run.  Packed up and drove to Mesquite.  It was a 110 degrees in Mesquite and I had no desire to run after the long drive and baking hot temps.

First run back in Utah in two weeks and with the team.  I started slow with Haag and Shaw and we moved up and talked to kids on the way.  We did a loop up the trail the 6400 W and over to Main, then down to Mountain View Corridor on 12600 South and back to Monarch.  the last 1.5 miles we did tempo.  I averaged just under 6 pace for the tempo.  Finished with another almost mile to get 8 miles.  Saw "RAD" Rachel as she biked by, Amazon!:) 7:17 pace

Ran around Rosecrest and Mirabella and down 13400 S with the kids today.  Did 5x100m barefoot striders on the grass after.  Easy run. 7:34 pace

Not really a race because I didn't race.  Didn't feel good from the start, still not recovered from my vacation.  My goal was to run the first half in 6:10 pace and then pick it up, I never picked it up!  I just ran the second half and didn't care.  The times and places were all messed up by Runnercard at the end, not really a stellar race or performance.  

Ran up in the playground with the boys 7 miles.

Easy miles with my coaches.  7:24 pace.

Jogged a mile this morning and then Greg and Jonathan came over and we drove up Butterfield a couple of miles.  I wanted to get a 10 tempo run in.  Greg and I lost Jonathan after a mile and stayed together out of the canyon for a bit.  Then Greg tucked in behind me for the next couple of miles.  He came back up around 5 miles for a bit and then fell off again.  I stopped to wait for him at mile 7, but he could never hang on.  Mile 7 was 6:01, mile 9 was 6:05, and mile 10 was 6:23, the others were all under 6 minute pace.  I ended up running the run in 59:02 (5:55 ave).  First 10k was just under 36 minutes.  Ran back and finished with Jonathan after Greg got done.  Great workout, although I am sure I will be sore.

Ran an easy 3 miles up on High Country before the kids got here for camp.  easy AM run.  Sore from Saturday.

PM- Super hot!  I ran our standard Monday evening camp run with the kids.  It felt so hot I thought I was baking.  I turned on the outside shower when we got back to the cabin and cooled off when we were done.  7:10 pace for the 5 miles

Ran down into Lava from the cabin.  This is a tough run because of the steep downhill at the beginning and the rollers at the end, plus it is always hot.  I was by myself the whole run since I started a couple of minutes behind the boys.  I caught all but the best 5 by the end.  Super hot, glad I wore sunglasses, sun screen, and took a GU.  Got down to the pool in 57:43 for the 9.2 miles.  After we were done a storm came in and cooled off everything.  Just my luck to run in 100 degrees and then have it rain when it was time to go swimming!  Oh well, such it life.

Super sore from yesterday and tired from camp.  The kids needed a coach to run the relay to make teams even and so Haag and I each took a leg.  I warmed up over 3 miles before my butt finally started to loosen up.  I ran my leg of the relay in just under 9 minutes for the 1.4 miles.  Cooled down a mile and a half after.

No run. Came back from camp late and I am beat!  I am super sore too and I have a half marathon in Mona on Saturday.  I bet I am still sore by then.

Easy run with the team. No watch.  Still super sore!

I shouldn't call this a race even though it was a race.  I was so sore yesterday that I just about bagged it, but I was going to be down there visiting my parents anyway.  I grew up in Mona and my Dad and I were about the only runners to run in the whole county.  Pretty weird to have a couple thousand people there for a race, actually I didn't like it.  I was hoping for a low key race that I wouldn't have to push since I was so sore, but Young Living was giving deep money which brought out most of the ringers around. 

We got dropped off  North of the Res on a rad that swear I had never been on.  I warmed up for 1.5 miles before.  This helped me to walk better at least.  I ran into Corbin and gave him a hard time about coming down and ditching Farmington like I did.  Accept Corbin brought half the old and new Weber State team down too.  We talked about the race after we saw all of the ringers show up, and decided that we could run about 1:20 on that course.  I knew the course well since I trained on it a high schooler all the time.  As the race started my legs wouldn't go at all, too tight.  Dumb move to think I could run decent after my XC camp.  After the first half mile I resolved to go for a training run and about a 1:25 since there was no way I was getting better than 8th today.  I ran most of the race way behind and way in front of everyone else.  Of course 70% of that race is uphill and in the middle of no where.  The last part of the course is on the dirt farm roads through the lavender fields.  the last mile was downhill and my fastest.  Finish time was 1:26:28.  Not being sore and actually putting forth some effort I might have run a 1:20, but that is about it right now. 

The race was fairly well done and it was fun for me to see the farm again.  I spent the summer and fall before my mission doing all of the landscaping for that place.  I haven't been back in 15 years.  They had good prizes, and of course the cash that brought down all of the ringers.  I would think Bryce would be a much more attractive course for the money boys and girls then a race in Mona that no one will run fast on, guess not though?!  The little activities and Knight shows they had at the farm were fun after the race.  Glad I did it, even though it hurt and was a little boring running alone.  Next year if I do it again, I will make sure that I am not sore and dead from camp.

Easy 4.5 miles this morning.  

Yellow Fork with Greg and the faster boys.  Varsity hill seemed harder to get to than usual.  It was muddy because of yesterdays rain.  We continued on to lookout hill and stopped for a minute to enjoy the view of all 3 valleys.  We came back on the snake trail.  I took it easier than normal down just because the trail was muddy and rough from the rain.  9 miles at 9:50 pace.

We did a loop up around Butterfield, down 6400 W, and back on 13400 S.  Warmed up to Rosecrest Park and then did 6 x 2 minute fartleks with 2 minute recovery.  Not sure how fast we were, but even with the slow recoveries those miles were all in the low 6s.  Cooled down at the end.  Greg and I went an extra 1.5 miles to cool down and encourage the slower kids.  7:16 pace for the run.

Left achillies still tight and giving me some issues.

Ran with Kami and  Lucy up Butterfield and back.  We went a little longer than usual.  The girls did awesome today.  

Easy loop with the kids, no watch.  Ultimate after.

Warmed up only a mile because of time, I should have gotten up early.  The race starts about a half block from my parents house so that makes if nice.

I saw a couple of HS kids including a couple that had graduated and Jake Morgan who was a 48 second 400m/1:56 800m kid who will be running at Weber this fall.  I knew Jake could beat me if he was in shape because I am so slow right now. This is not a fast course and it starts and finishes uphill with the downhill in the middle.  Not a blazing course by any means.

The race started and Jake and the others took off.  The problem for me besides no speed is I still drag up the hills since my injury and the first mile is almost all uphill and has a good stretch of rough dirt road.  I was immediately behind!  I finally got rolling and caught the first girls about a K into it and then eventually the 2nd place guy just before a mile.  By them Jake had me by 45 seconds.  First mile was 5:59.

Jake opened up a few more seconds on me but not much after that.  I focused on running smooth and made sure I put a good gap on everyone else since I was going for second now.  Second mile was 5:46

I saw my Dad around here and I was a good 55 seconds back by now, but had about that on 3rd.  The last mile I cruised 5:56 .  When I was out about a quarter mile out my watch hit 3 miles, so I knew it was long, but that is what you get sometimes with a small town course.  The last 2 blocks were 1:09, so my finishing time was 18:52.  Jake was 17:58.  Minus about 40 seconds for a 5k. 

Jake and I cooled down for two miles afterward and had a good chat about college.  I had a good time and felt decent today, I am just still too slow to run with the fast guys or kids yet.  I did feel stronger and was happy with the first mile if nothing else.  Got a little small town prize money for my efforts, and enjoyed the day with all of the family.  If you ever want to see some good fireworks little Mona has had the best show in the state for over 20 years and it was even better this year.