Rob Murphy

I was able to come home and rest a little before my workout, but I still don't like how my chest and lungs feel.

Started out with an easy 3.25 mile warm-up which finished on the Highland High track. Then I switched into my sharp new Nike Zoom Rival D spikes.

6 x 100 meter striders

6 x 200 meters in 35, 33, 31, 31, 30, 30

2 mile cool down...

I really felt like I was getting sick earlier today, but I took a couple Advil's and my achy symptoms went away.

Managed to squeeze in four easy miles with a handful of fast pick-ups at 5 to 6 minute pace during lunch.

More parent-teacher conferences after school then off to the airport for the trip to ABQ for USATF indoors. My first race, the 3000, is tomorrow evening. 

Medical update. Feeling like complete crud. Not sure about race tonight? 

Well, I made it through. Felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest the whole way though - the dry indoor air at the Albuquerque Convention Center coupled with my cold/fever.

The gun went off and the pace was really slow for the first 400 meters. Really tightly bunched pack with lots of elbows and jostling. Came through 200 in 41 seconds and 400 in 82. I was actually digging this because I certainly didn't feel like runing fast and it was nice not being off the back of the pack.

About a half mile in, things began to open up. I quickly discovered that there were three or four guys racing for the win (17 total in the race), and then everyone else.Anyway, before the mile I was in 13th place with thoughts of quitting running through my head. I was running alone now and at least didn't have to worry about tripping. My good buddy Doug was taking pictures of me with his fancy camera and I was mostly concentrating on looking good each time I came around to his location. Priorities!

Then, a strange thing happened. I began passing people! One or two every lap, steadily working my way up in the field. Now I had something to race for! With two laps (400 meters) to go, I was coming up on the shoulder af an African American dude that I had had a great conversation with before the race. I could clearly see "45-49" on his back and I knew that if I could get around him I might actually finish pretty high in my age group. Then, and I'm slightly ashamed to admit this, my mind engaged in some racial stereotyping. I thought "this guy's probably fast and will outkick me over the last 50 meters if I don't put some distance between the two of us". Just being honest.

Passed him and one other guy the last lap. Finished 5th overall and 2nd in the 45-45 which earned me a supercool medal proclaiming me the "National Runner Up in the 45-49 Division in the 3000 Meter Run.

So there it is, not a good time. I sometimes run faster for the first couple miles of a 10k road race. But a fairly satisfying conclusion to a really difficult race.

Now, for the mile today. Cold isn't any better this morning, but I did get a good night's sleep.

Geez! This kind of racing is a whole different ball game.

Today I ran the mile here in Albuquerque. It was clear that the top two guys were in their own world, so I quickly realized that I should be aiming for the bronze medal. Ran with a pack of 5 guys all obviously thinking the same thing. After several laps of running together, I honestly felt like I was the strongest runner in the group and had a great chance at third. But with about 300 meters to go one of the guys shot to the front of our pack and kept the hammer down. I was the only one who went with him and we had a pretty good duel down the final back stretch. He outkicked me for the bronze though. Bummer.

Really enjoyed the intensity of track racing this weekend and I think I will be a better runner because of it. This meet was a great experience. Watching all the 90 year olds compete was very inspiring. And watching 70 year olds run 6 minute miles was just crazy.

Just a really easy run. Had to stop when I started convulsive coughing and spewing up gunk from my lungs.

7.75 miles on the treadmill in a little over an hour.

Lungs felt much better and the breathing was easier. Only a little coughing.

And thanks to all you guys expressing concern. I'll be ok.

6.25 miles in 48 minutes around the neighborhood.

Just trying to get some strength back. Felt better today. No coughing!

8.5 on the treadmill in 60 minutes.

am run: Easy 5 miles around the Alta High track plus some striders and 10 stadium steps.

pm run: Six easy miles on the treadmill at Steiner during Abby's swim practice. 

12 miles in 1:25:10 mostly around Sugarhouse Park.

Doing a "longish" run today, I definitely felt a lack of fitness due to my reduced mileage the last few weeks and my illness. I felt pretty good though and don't think it will take me too long to get my strength back.

My buddy Bret ran a 39:10 10k today as he prepares to go under 3 for the marathon in a couple weeks. You can see his race report under "race reports".

16.75 miles in 2:00 - 7:10 pace.Finally, a run that left me feeling a little bit optimistic for the upcoming season.

40.25 miles over the last three days. That is high mileage for me, a guy who has never even once in my life hit 90 for a week.

Spring has sprung here in Salt Lake. My run today took me through Sugarhouse and Liberty Parks - both were crammed with people exuding giddyness at the warm waether. I don't ever remember getting this feeling when I was growing up in Florida.

Easy run on the treadmill at Steiner.

11.25 miles in 1:23 - mostly in the Dimple Dell Gully - that is, mostly sand and woodchip with lots of hills.

I love this run and running on trails in this kind of terrain. I think you develop strength that you don't get from the roads and that you definitely don't get from the treadmill.

Lunchtime Run - Gully Long Run (6.5 miles) in 51 minutes.

After this run was over I took a shower and then purchased a Roast Turkey Ranch and Bacon Market Fresh Sandwich from Arby's. Tasty! 

Evening Run - 7.5 miles in 55 minutes on the treadmill at Steiner.

Day off. Because "rest is the basis of all activity" - Joan Benoit Samuelson

Six easy miles in the early am around Sugarhouse Park.

pm workout:

1.5 mile warm-up

9.5 miles in 60 minutes - started at 9.1 mph and worked up to 10.5 mpg. Obviously spent more time in the nines than I did in the tens,

1 mile cool-down

Pretty good training day. Felt good.

Five days now since anyone has commented on my blog. No validation for me I guess. I suppose it will have to come from within. :(

Todays' run was a struggle. Mostly did it to get 70 miles for the week.

My niece, Mary, is in town for the weekend. Mary lives in Massachusetts and is thinking about going to Westminster College here in Salt Lake next year. Today they had an open house for accepted students - so I went to that with her all day. It was really nice. I ran into several of my old students feom Alta who are now at Westminster.

After I got home I was pretty sluggish and unmotivated. Cold, windy, snow flurries, lots of good basketball on TV. Managed to get out and circle the neighborhood a few times.

I'm planning on 20 plus tomorrow so maybe the easy day today will help.

21 miles this morning in City Creek Canyon - 5 miles uphill, 5 miles downhill, 5 miles uphill, 5 miles downhill, 1 mile flat.

Time was 2:35:07 (7:23 pace). Feel good now, not beat up or sore.

Went down to Draper after my run to watch my former runner Garrett Jones do his mission farewell thing. He's off to Denmark/Iceland/Greenland.I go to LDS Church at least once a year when my boys invite me when they talk in church prior to leaving on their mission. I had this observation that us non-Mormons are probably more impressed with the whole two year mission thing at age 19 than Mormons are. I try to imagine me doing something like that when I was 19 and I laugh. But today I heard a bunch of very small boys singing songs about going on a mission for their church someday and it occured to me that the LDS Church starts getting these guys mentally ready for this at a very young age.

Really appreciated the food after at Garrett's house as I was pretty famished after the run this morning.

6.25 on the treadmill in about 45 minutes and, as an added bonus....

125 floors on the stairmaster.

Ten miles in the gully - sand, wood chip, trails, hills. Just under 80 minutes.

Exciting evening planned for we Murphy's (Ann and I). Going to Energy Solutions Arena to see Bon Jovi!

We rock. 

Thirteen miles along the "extreme gully" route that I invented last year in 1:38. Starts at Alta and goes up to 13th East and then to Dimple Dell Rd up to the top of the gully and back down. Very hilly run, half road, half trail.

Ran with Garrett Jones and had a lot of good conversation. We hope to squeeze in a couple more runs before he heads off to Denmark.

Rest day.

5.75 miles on the treadmill - generally around 8 minute pace but with six quarters thrown in at around 5:30 pace just to get the legs turning over at close to race pace.

Felt pretty good. I'm kind of annoyed at the heavy snowfall we're experiencing right now. I was hoping for nice conditions for the Leopard Run 5k tomorrow morning.

I really need to work on my confidence. My racing has gone fairly well this year with the exception of Albuquerque when I had pneumonia. Yet I'm feeling a general lack of confidence before every race. I'm feeling pretty good right now, but all I can focus on is how Steve Anderson, Steve Ashbaker and Walter Brown (young punks in their early 40s) are going to hand me my lunch tomorrow.

Need to get that Eye of the Tiger thing working for me. 

Fair race today. 16:39 is one second slower than last years time for this race. Bummer. Splits were 5:11, 5:24, 5:28.

I tried to hang with Steve Ashbaker. He was easy to spot with a red cap. For most of the way he was running ten  to fifteen seconds in front of me and I thought I might be able to close at the end. I just didn't feel any life in my legs the last mile.

I got beat by all the top masters. Steve Andereson ran 15:22 finishing only about ten seconds behind Dennis Simonaitis. He's really looking good and I think is about to emerge as a nationally ranked master.

Went out to breakfast after at the IHOP with Steve Anderson and his two girls. Abby and Andy love playing with the Anderson girls at races.Steve paid with the $50.00 he won at the race. Sweet!

pm run: 9.25 miles around the Highland High track in 1:05 (7:03 pace).

I woke up this morning incredibly sore in my quads. Almost like marathon soreness. Not sure now what my workout plans will be for today, but they definetly won't be a long run.

pm: So I decided to go to the gym and do a little cross training and watch the tournament at the same time...

20 mile ride on the lifecycle in 55 minutes.

Nine miles in 63 minutes on the treadmill at Steiner. Snowed off and on all day with lots of wind.

Looks like close to 70 though on Wednesday!

No run today. Wasn't able to work it into the schedule.

6.5 miles this afternoon in about 45 minutes and I was lucky to get that in.

This is being a very difficult week at my work.We have had allegations of racism and religious bigotry against students, faculty, and administrators at Alta High School. This has been picked up by all our local media outlets and even by some national ones and has resulted, thus far, in the suspension of our principal and one of our assistant principals. In addition to this, we have a heavy law enforcement presence at the school and TV cameras and reporters camped just off of school property waiting to fan the flames.Those  of you who don't live in Utah can read more at the Salt Lake Tribune website (sltrib.com) or the Deseret News (desnews.com). The many comments beneath each of the articles reveal a lot of attitudes and opinions that I would associate with Mississippi in 1962.

Apparently the Department of Justice in Denver has expressed interest in what is going on as well. Rumor is that the Southern Poverty Law Center is getting involved and might be coming in to provide us with racial sensitivity training and other such info.

I taught and coached for six years in South Carolina before moving to Utah in a school that had a fifty percent minority population and didn't even come close to experiencing anything like this.

Needless to say, this has everyone, teachers, staff, and students in a bit of a funk. Kind of hard to focus on teaching history.

Eleven miles in 1:18 in City Creek Canyon. I was very surprised to be forced back by snow in the road about 5.5 miles up. It was almost 70 degrees today.

Beautiful run. Better day.