Rob Murphy

4 miles in the AM on treadmill and strength training at gym. 11 miles in the early afternoon circling around the wood chip path at Liberty Park. Had planned to do one 15 miler in the AM, but bailed as I felt like crap. Then felt guilty and had to cram in some more miles. Felt much better on the second run.

Rest Day. Recovery from Super Bowl. The monday after the Super Bowl should be a federal holiday.

Eight miles in the gully with two of my boys - Garrett Jones and Ryan Fuller. The gully is mostly sand and wood chip with a huge hill at mile 4.

This was my 60 minute treadmill workout that I try to do once a week. I do 2 minutes at 7 mph, 2 at 8 mph, 2 at 9 mph, and 4 at 10 mph I do this for 60 minutes increasing the speed .1 every 10 minutes so that the last 10 minutes are at 7.5, 8.5, 9.5, 10.5.

Easy seven today at Sugarhouse Park in advance of the all important SLTC 10K on Saturday. Seriously, those people put on great races - great shirts, hot coffee after and tons of Great Harvest bread. 

4 miles in 32 minutes. Did a few fast strides over the last mile. Felt a littly more achy and sluggish than I would like the day before a race. Sleep and the 10 am start time tomorrow should help.

The conditions this year were better than last year - windy/cold rain instead of a full on blizzard. This is a flat out and back course along the south shore of the Great Salt Lake. I really enjoyed the first 5k with the 20 mph wind at my back. Ran splits of 5:46, 5:47, and 5:43.I felt like I was running pretty conservatively. I hit the 5k turn around in 17:54. On the last 5k I did my best Eric Norpoth imitation (obscure reference to the "blood sucking leech" who would draft off of Prefontaine and then blow by him in the end) and tucked in behind a couple guys. Ran 5:59, 5:58, and 5:58 coming back. Can't say I had much of a kick as I averaged 5:51 for the .2. I won the Masters division and was really happy with my 36:26 - my fastest 10k in many years not counting the downhill Deseret News 10k.

3 miles on the eliptical in the afternoon

Just ran an easy two miles today followed by weights at the gym. I actually worked pretty hard and expect to be sore tomorrow. It's a 3 day weekend, so I plan to do a long run tomorrow.

17 Miles today in 2:08:54. From home I ran to Sugarhouse Park and did two laps around the road loop. Then weaved (wove?) my way north and west through Salt Lake to Liberty Park. Did several laps around the 1.45 mile wood chip path. Felt pretty good and actually enjoyed the light 40 degree rain that fell the entire time.

Seven miles in 54 minutes. Plus an additional .5 around the block with Andy. Felt a weird little twinge on the outside of my left knee at the end. Probably should have done today's run on trails instead of the road or else done some cross training as I felt a little beat up from the hard 10k on Saturday and yesterday's long run. Will use some common sense tomorrow.It's only February! 

9 Miles in 70 minutes. That would definitely have to qualify as "easy miles", but I think the sand and hills in the Dimple Dell gully make it a bit harder. It was a great run today which is true anytime I'm off the roads and on the trails. Having the trails free of snow is a HUGE bonus in February.

Cross training and lifting today. Did 30 minutes on the lifecycle (10.8 miles) and 4 miles on the eliptical followed by weights. Did two sets of 10 squats with 185 lbs with the meat heads over in the free weights. Lots of push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups.

Treadmill run at gym.

1 mile warm-up in 9:30

9.4 miles in 60 minutes. I started at 9 mph and went up .1 every five minutes. Counting the cool down, I did 10 miles in 1:04:49. I cheated though. During the run I consumned 20 oz. of Cytomax which, according to the side of the bottle "reduces perceived exertion by 20%" and "lowers lactic acid level during training by 40% and "reduces oxygen consumption rate by 11%.

I'm pretty sure that if I quadrupled the dose I could run a marathon in around 2:10 :)

Great run today from my house in Sugarhouse up Emmigration Canyon to the top of Little Mountain and then down past the resevoir and finishing at I-80. Total of 15.75 miles with the first 12.5 being uphill. It's basically the Deseret News Marathon course in reverse. The weather was a challenge. I actually started out in shorts as it was sunny and nice at my house. After about a half mile I came back and changed into tights. Good decision as it was snowing quite hard as I climbed Little Mountain and dropped down into East Canyon. Fierce wind chill too. Ann met me at the end so I could wrap up in a quilt in the warm car for the ride back home down Parley's Canyon.

Rested today. Went to Chipotle for dinner. They had buy one, get one free burritos! Jazz had an incredible 4th quarter comeback and overtime victory.

AM workout - Got to the gym before work at 5:30. Did an easy mile on the treadmill and a mile on the elliptical. Did a hard weight workout. My legs and arms feel like jell-o now. I plan to do an easy 6-7 tonight.

PM workout - 5 miles in 37 minutes.

10 miles in 1:07:57 (6:48 average) on the rolling 1.4 mile Sugarhouse Park road loop.

Mile splits: 8:28, 7:20, 6:50, 6:47, 6:21, 6:15, 6:12, 6:12, 5:51. 7:29

Glad to get in a quality run today as I have parent-teacher conferences the next two days at school and will be working 15 hour days. It'll be hard to get in more than a handfull of miles.

No run today. Foiled by parent-teacher conferences

Eight miles in 57:49

Easy four today plus some fast strides. Race tomorrow. I should run well if the conditions are right. I'm going to aim for 5:56 pace for 15k. I've dropped a pound or two since the 10k (36:26) a couple weeks ago, so that should help. I've been reading Matt Fitzgerald's "Racing Weight" the last couple weeks and highly reccomend it for all endurance athletes.

Good race today at the SLTC 15K. The weather was good, especially for this time of year. The only negative is that I developed a pretty bad side stitch around mile 6 that just kept getting progressively worse and forced me to back off my pace at the end. I'm not sure why it happened as the 5:50 pace I had been running felt pretty comfortable. But overall, pretty good, and I'm significantly ahead of where I was last year at this time when I ran 56:48 for the same race.

Splits: 5:44, 5:54, 5:57, 5:56, 5:55, 5:49, (36:36 at 10k) 5:57, 6:04, 6:06, then averaged 5:53 pace for the .3

Ran and easy couple miles after with Bill Cobler.

10.25 miles in 1:16 in Sugarhouse Park. Maybe should have run longer today, but tomorrow is the first official day of track practice and I want to be able to workout with the team.

I ran a total of 3 miles on the track at school with my team. Today was the first day of practice and we had a lot of new kids out, so I took the group through some core exercises, striders, drills etc.

After practice, I went to the gully and ran 6.5 with Garrett. He's still getting over his sickness from last week, so I sent him back early.

Revovery day - running wise at least. I just did an easy four.

I also did a strength workout in the weight room at school. If we would get a couple high quality treadmills at Alta High School I could probably get rid of my 24 Hour Fitness membership and save some money.

Today I had a great run with three of my ace middle distance runners on the Alta High Track Team (Go Hawks!) - Garrett Jones, Ryan Fuller, and Chris Cutler. We ran a 60 minute fartlek alternating four minutes of easy running with one minute of mile race pace running. According to my garmin I reached a max pace of 4:11/mile. Did a total of 8.4 miles for the 60 minutes.

Barely managed to squeeze in the run today between work, track practice and a track team parent's meeting tonight. But managed to get in a run on the treadmill. Kept it at 8.1 mph, but jacked it up to a little over 9 mph for a couple miles. I think I'll do some cross training and lifting tomorrow.

Two easy miles.

Main workout today was a strength workout for about 45 minutes. Total of 125 push-ups. Lots of sit-ups and pull-ups. One set of dead lift with 155 lbs, back extensions, bent rows etc. Leg workout consisted of plyo jumps, leg press, leg extensions, leg curls, toe raises with 110 lbs.

I never lifted until about a year ago. I think it's a big reason why I've been able to increase the volume and intensity of my running without getting injured. It also makes me faster I think. I  think strength training is more important for over 40 runners like myself than it is for younger runners. I have to be careful though as I tend to be competitive with my lifting and have a tendency to overdo it.

I wanted to do some fast miles this morning and had to do them on the treadmill at the gym as they have child care. Ann worked last night and has to sleep today. Here's how it went down...

This was a continuous run that took about 1:15

1 mile easy - about 9 or 10 munute pace

1 mile in 8:30

4 x 1 mile in 5:30 with a .75 recovery (about 1:1)

1 x 1/2 mile in 2:40 with a shorter recovery

1 x 1/4 mile in 75 seconds

then an easy cool down at 8:30 pace

In case I haven't mentioned it before, I pretty much love treadmill running and consider myself an expert on devising fairly challenging runs. I don't listen to music while I run. The only entertainment I allow myself is watching the odd characters that populate my gym. I think this helps me develop the focus and concentration needed to race well. Plus, headphones, even I pod buds in my ears really bother me.

Probably 18 miles tomorrow.

The first 20 miler of the year so I feel like a real runner again. I finished in 2:31:33 (7:35 pace). I ran 13 to 15 in 12:40.

I only stopped at mIle 11 for some water and one GU.I travel light on my long runs - I carry a gel pack in my hand and look for spigots on the side of buildings. No cartrige belts loaded with gell and bottles that make it look like you're going to war! Ann was making waffles when I finished so I had two huge ones with strawberries. It doesn't get any better. With about a quarter stick of butter and a quart of syrup it's the perfect post run recovery meal. Right? She's at the gym now and we are going for a drive when she gets back. Probably to the Hill AFB museum up in Ogden. Andy has been wanting to go.

No running today. I had the courage to take a day off. I should be commended for that.

Two runs today. I was out the door at 5 am for an easy six. Then ran seven in the afternoon in the Dimple Dell gully in Sandy with some of my team - Ryan Fuller, Griffin Long, and Brandon Gardenhire. Very cold and rainy, changing to sleet, the whole way. Very hard core! We congratulated ourselves for our dedication when we finished.

One more thing... I recived in the mail today a book called "Be Fit or Be Damned" by the legendary Australian coach Percy Cerutty. It was written in 1967 and is out of print, so I paid a ridiculous amount for it on Amazon. But I'm a schoolteacher, so it's not a problem. Its cramed full of old school wisdom and Cerutty's "stotan" (stoic + spartan) philosophy.

AM Workout - One easy mile on the treadmill to warm-up. Weights - I did a circuit of eight exercises (push-ups, incline sit-ups, pull-ups, dead lift, plyo box jumps, bent rowing with dumbells, squats, deadlift) for about an hour. Really good workout.

PM Workout - 8.75 miles in 60 minutes - a little warm-up, a little cool-down, and a bunch in the middle at 6:25 pace. 

Easy 4.5 miles around the wood chip path at Liberty Park.

Excellent mental health run today. Did 9.25 miles in the gully after track practice. I wasn't able to run during practice as the kids were doing 400 meter intervals and I had to be the coach. So I went to the gully after. I really felt like running forever. It was warm and I felt great, but it was getting dark and I needed to get home and spend some time with the family.

Today I ran 10 miles. I generally wanted to do something that would give me a lot of confidence for a half marathon in a few weeks. Last year around this time I ran the Salt Lake Half in 1:18:06. I'm hoping to go at least a couple minutes faster this year. So here is what I did today...

all on the treadmill at 1.0% to 1.5% grade

1 mile in 9:30 - it was early, takes me a while to get rollin.

1 mile in 8:30

2 miles in 11:44 (10.2 mph)

1 mile in 8:30

2 miles in 11:44

1 mile in 8:30

1 mile in 5:38

1 mile in 8:30

Went to Great Harvest Bread Company after with Andy. Got a day-old loaf of 9 Grain bread, and a large coffee for $3.89. And they give you generous free samples, so Andy got a big chunk O chocolate chip cookie and I got some cinnamon raisin bread for free. Why would anyone go to Starbucks?

I ran 19.25 on the treadmill averaging about 8.2 mph (7:20). I wasn't able to run this morning, so the dilemma was how to get in a long run and still watch the basketball and "bracketology" on ESPN. The treadmill was the answer.

My weight is down to 145 now. Down 5 to 7 pounds from my racing weight last year. Hopefully it will translate into faster times.

My body is telling me to back off for a couple days. I'll probably rest tomorrow. Tuesday I will do 60 minutes of cross training in the morning and weights in the afternoon.

Rest and recovery day. Walked to Sugarhouse Park and back with Abby and Andy when I got home from work.

Best day of the year so far for a run. Left work for a while and squeezed in a 10 mile trail run at an easy pace (1:19). I 'll probably run a couple more miles with the team in track practice. 

One additional mile at practice warming up with the team. First meet tomorrow, so I had to issue uniforms, collect paperwork etc. Not the most rewarding aspect of coaching.

5 AM - six easy miles around Sugarhouse Park. Track meet this afternoon. I may not be able to get in more miles.

Just throwing this out there to put some pressure on myself. This afternoon I'm going to race the mile at the Alta vs. Pleasant Grove track meet. That's right, 45-year-old me against a bunch of high school tracksters. 

4:57 1600 on the track. That was really fun. I wore spikes and everything. It brought back a lot of memories.

Seven miles easy. Mostly a trail run, lots of hills. 

Very hard time getting a run in today. Managed 9.25 and got in the door just as Ann was leaving for work. Wierd weather (well, not really for Utah in March) Cold, windy, horizontally blowing snow when I left. Sunny, calm, nice when I finished.

AM - 7.5 around Sugarhouse Park. Would have gone longer, but I had to get Abby to gymnastics. Will try to add a few more miles this afternoon. Probably at Liberty. My legs could stand a break from the hills and pavement.

PM - 10 miles in 1:15. Ran from home along the Salt Lake Half Marathon to Liberty Park and then around the wood chip trail until I got to 10. Ann baby jogged with Andy (he's four but we still squeeze him in the thing) and Abby rode her bike. Met them at the playground when I was done. Went to Cafe Rio on the way home.

This next week I'll back the mileage down a bit, take a rest day or two, and focus on quality. I hope to run a really fast time at the Leopard run next Saturday - a 5k that is a gradual downhill pretty much the whole way with a finish on the East High track.

Took a complete day of rest. Long days this week. Last week of grading period, two track meets, region planning meeting for next year. I'll be lucky to see my family let alone get in many quality miles.

6.5 mile Best Buy loop with my team. 49:17. I have some good young 9th and 10th graders for the first time in a while. Makes me happy!

Unplanned day off. Worked 15 hours. Didn't get home from track meet until 9:00. Too beat to run then. 

Got in an eight mile run at the meet between the 1600 and the 800. Ran 8 miles around a .8 mile loop around the DATC behind Davis High School. Middle 5 in just over 30 minutes. Felt great.

Easy 6.5 on TM. Light strength/weight workout after.

6.5 miles easy with Garrett, Ryan, and Brandon on the Best Buy loop. Threw in a few hard 100 meter striders along the way.

Ran the East High Leopard Run this morning. This was the first race on the USATF LDR calendar for the year. I finished third among the masters. Steve Anderson was in his own world running 15:3? - setting a masters course record. Nathan Pollard, always tough in 5k's, passed me on the track at the finish. My splits were 5:24, 5:18, 5:24, and 31 seconds for the last tenth. I wasn't too happy with my place, but can't complain about the 16:37. I ran 18 seconds ahead of my time last year.

This was a big race this year. Maybe 800 runners. It's only in its second year, but is definitely one of Salt Lake's best run races. Bill Cobler, the race director, does a really good job.

PM Workout: Easy run plus some cross training. Ran to gym and back (2.5 miles). Three miles on the eliptical. Then did a moderate strength workout.

My right achilles tendon is bothering me. Iced it twice today.

I hate to waste a perfectly good Sunday, but I had to rest today. Mostly because of my slightly hurting achilles. I iced it three times and that seemed to help. I did an easy jog around the block in the afternoon and felt no pain.

Came up with a new and pretty damn challenging 13.06 mile route from Alta High today. I'll call it an even half-marathon. The run is a 50-50 mix of road and trail, and very hilly. Here are my splits... 1:34:28 (7:16 pace)

7:53, 7:21, 7:05, 7:02, 7:25, 6:53, 6:38, 8:05 (uphill, loose sand!) 7:44, 7:29, 5:48, 7:19, 7:36.

Garrett Jones joined me. I think it was good for him even if it's not ideal mile training this time of year. I meant to come up with a name for this run (we name our regular routes), but forgot. Maybe "extreme gully". I'll run it by Garrett.

AM Workout: One mile easy on TM. One mile on elliptical. Fairly intense strength workout at gym. 

PM Workout: 6 miles on TM in 45 minutes

Very good run today. I would call it a 60 minute fartlek on the treadmill. 10 miles in 65 minutes counting the cool down. Varied the pace every two to four minutes ranging from 8:30 pace down to the mid 5:30s.

This is a workout that I do often enough so that it's a good barometer on my fitness. I have been able to accomplish it before, but it felt significantly easier this time. So I'm pretty fired up. I'm on spring break now (one of the benefits of teaching - spring break your whole life!) and the family and I are going to hit the road for the next few days. So I'll be doing the Steve Anderson deal - running in a different town each day. I found a 5k in Durango, Colorado that I might try to do Saturday morning since I'll be missing the Striders Half.

I got a very good warm and fuzzy feeling today while on the treadmill. I'm very thankful for this sport and the way I'm able to run still and all the good people I've met through it over the last thirty-two years. I ran my first cross country race in 1977 and heve never stopped. Happy running everyone!

First day of April and the first day of Spring Break, so naturally it snowed all day and there are several inches on the ground. I especially enjoyed the granular snow pellets stinging my eyes this morning. I did twelve miles in Sugarhouse Park averaging 7:44/mile.

Took the day off. Checked into the Best Western in Durango, Colorado in the afternoon. Played around in the hotel "fitness center" for a while. Riding the train with the kids tomorrow.

10.75 miles in Durango. Very nice run up the Animas River through town. Mile six to mile eight in 11:40. We are a couple thousand feet higher than in Salt Lake and I really felt it on the hard two miles I threw in in the middle of the run.

Rode the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gage RR for most of the day. Really beautiful scenery. Andy and Abby loved it.

PM: 5.75 miles around Durango. Toured Fort Lewis State College, Rim Drive etc.

6.5 miles in 46 minutes in Grand Junction, Colorado.

I had a good, but tough run this morning. I mostly accomplished what I wanted to, but struggled more than I wanted to. I ran a total of 9.75 miles. The run included...

1 x 1 mile in 5:52

1 x 1 mile in 5:48

1 x 3/4 mile in 4:14

1 x 1/2 mile in 2:45

5 x 1/4 mile in 82 seconds each

PM Run: 7.5 miles at Sugarhouse Park in 55 minutes. Cold, slushy rain-sleet-hail mix. I might have to start wearing my ski goggles on my runs.

8 miles in 59 minutes on treadmill.

Morning Run: 5 miles in 40 minutes at Sugarhouse Park. Watched Sponge Bob in the basement with Abby while eating my Grape Nuts and banana before getting ready for work. Plan to do a workout on the track this afternoon.

Afternoon Run: Well, I sort of wimped out and did a leisurely 8.25 mile trail run (1:03)  instead of the gut busting track workout I had planned. It was just too nice this afternoon and I didn't feel like suffering. Low 50s, sunny, perfect day for running.

Today was a very weird day running wise. It was a very busy day and I didn't drag myself out of bed for a morning run. With a track meet at Brighton after school, It didn't look like I would get a run in. But I managed to squeeze in a total of 4 miles on the track. Also jumped into the boys 1600 which I ran in 5:15.

Was up at 4 am. Actually, I was up at 2 am, had a bowl of cereal and went back to bed until 4. After a glass of juice and a cup of coffee I was  out the door at 4:30. I did 12 miles in 1:32. Also included 6 one minute surges at about 5:20 pace on the downhills to work on a little speed and turnover.

Really horrible run today. I was outside at a track meet all day - the first warm one with glaring sun . As we were hosting the meet, I probably ran four or five miles around the meet and up and down the stadium steps to the press box all day. When I got home, I did five slow, plodding miles around Sugarhouse Park. Absolutely no life in my legs. Maybe a good night's sleep and I can finally get in a long run tomorrow.

Finally got in a pretty high quality long run. 21.75 in 2:41:17 (7:25 pace).

I started out with about seven hilly miles in Sugarhouse Park. I exited the park at the Garden Center entrance by Highland High and then followed the Salt Lake Half Marathon route to Liberty Park. Circled the path for several miles around Liberty, with some detours into the surrounding neighborhoods.

It's nice to have a day off. I plan to do some yardwork, hang out with the kids, and maybe catch a little of the Masters.

Complete day off. Felt good.

Seven miles over the Best Buy Loop. Did six fast 100 meter strides after.

Six miles at Sugarhouse Park.

Gully Long Run. Beautiful, sunny day for a trail run. This is the kind of run I'd do every day if I were just concerned with health and fitness and not obsessed with holding back old age and improving my racing times.

I ran an easy 2.5 miles with my team today. They have the Davis Invitational tomorrow and I have the Salt Lake Half. Ran a few fast striders on the football field after.

I had a great day at the Salt Lake Half Marathon. The only downside was that I got passed in the last couple miles by another masters runner. Anyway, the 1:15:31 that I ran today was significantly faster than the 1:18:06 I ran last year. I ran virtually the entire race alone. It would have been nice to have had a group of guys to work with. My kids with their cow bell really helped at two or three points along the way.

My splits..

5:18 (stupid), 5:44, 5:42, 5:34, 5:47, 5:49 (1.06 miles), 5:38, 5:49, 5:47, 5:56, 5:50, 6:23, 5:43 (last 1.1)

I ran seven miles in 56 minutes when I got home.

Rested today. Walked a total of four miles. I'm more sore than I thought I'd be from the race yesterday. 

Today I did the Gully Long Run (6.5 miles) with my team. After, I went in to 24 Hour Fitness, which is right next to the gully on 13th East and did 2.5 more on the treadmill. Weighed 142 when I finished.

Another early morning run. I was out the door at 4:30 and was able to get in 11.25 at about 8 minute pace. Mostly wandered around east Salt Lake and Sugarhouse Park. I wish I had time to do another half hour so I could watch the sun come up.

Afternoon run was a quick 4.5 miles around the neighborhood before I had to be back at school at seven for a parent meeting for the trip to DC this Summer..  

I didn't run today. Let me list the reasons why...

1. I was tired and sore

2. I was too lazy to get out of bed at 4 am 

3. I have a job

4. I had a track meet to coach after school

5. It was rainy and cold

6. I'm a bad person?

Maybe I should stop connecting running so much to my self esteem? 

Fifteen miles averaging just over seven minutes per mile. I ran the first 6.5 with my team and continued on for about 8 more. I mostly felt good, but I have that deep muscle soreness still. The kind you don't notice walking around during the day, but you definitely feel it on the run. Still, it was a nice run.

Today I finally felt up for some quality miles so I did a one hour tempo run on the treadmill. I ended up doing 9.6 miles in one hour - mostly averaging around 9.6 or 9.7 mph after the warm-up. I ran about 5:50 pace for two miles.

My mom is in town visiting from Florida, so Ann and I are going out to dinner tonight. The Jazz have a home playoff game tonight, so we'll probably try to avoid downtown. Maybe end up at Fiddler's Elbow for the second half.

8 miles in about an hour on the Jordan River Parkway. I had a LONG track meet today at Taylorsville High School, but I was able to slip away for a run. Fortunately, the school is right next to the parkway - which is a great place to run.

Another one of my runners went under five in the mile today. Skyler Sorensen, only a Sophomore, turned in a nice 4:51. He ran a great race, I was very proud of him.

26 miles in 3:15. I mostly averaged around 7:30 pace after doing the first couple miles between eight and nine minute pace.

This is easily the longest I've ever gone on a training run. I feel good, no aches or pains. Maybe It'll pay off in May and June. Now we are off to Sunday School for the kids (Starbucks across the street for me) and church. Abby is participating in the service today and is excited.

Today is Andy's adoption Day (the anniversary of the day we finalized his adoption), and as always, we will go to Bucca Di Beppo tonight to celebrate with friends.

Four and a half during track practice with my runners.

Today I left Alta and headed South on 13th East into a hellacious headwind. Major changes in the weather the next few days with cold rain/snow and high winds in the forecast. Headed up the Porter Rockwell Trail for five miles and then turned around. Awesome tailwind on the way back. Ran with Garrett, Skyler, Ryan, and Jesse but had them turn around before me.

Today was mostly a strength training/core workout day. I did a warm-up and cool-down on the treadmill. It's been a couple weeks since I lifted, so I'll be pretty sore tomorrow.

Ten miles in 1:10. I ran the Best Buy Loop plus a bunch of laps around the Alta Track while my AP U.S. History students were taking an after school practice exam. The essay portion of the exam takes over two hours, so I multi-tasked and went for a run while they were writing.

Great workout today. Four x 1 mile in 5:30, 5:30, 5:27, 5:24 with 800 meters of easy jogging between each.

Seven miles in the gully. Lots of hills.

19 miles in  2:23:27. I classified these as "easy" miles, but they were mostly uphill to the top of Emmigration Canyon and then down to the original Deseret News Marathon starting line at the golf course near I-80. I really pushed it to the summit of Little Mountain.

Mom, who's still visiting from Florida, Ann, and the kids picked me up at the top and I changed clothes in the car and we hung around Park City for the afternoon. Had a Buffalo Burger at Squatters Brew Pub. A good day. Ogden Marathon in 13 days. I'm ready for it, but still uncertain about my schedule that weekend. Bummer, because I'm eager to meet Jeff from Idaho Falls, and also to find some way to at least be in the same neighborhood as Steve Anderson for a few miles.

Just did an easy one mile warm-up on the treadmill before a fairly hard strength/core workout.

I did an easy six miles around Sugarhouse Park. Included six fast striders on the Highland football field barefoot.

7.5 miles in 52 minutes. Ran the middle 3 in 18 minutes.

I had a nice early morning run today. Alta is hosting our region track meet this week, so getting out the door at 4:45 is the only option. I ran a little over nine miles around the Sugarhouse area and the park. The sun was just starting to come up as I finished. Cold for May - 35 degrees.

I ran "extreme gully" today with Garrett Jones. 13 miles in 1:36:09. The run consists of about 7.5 miles of rolling hills on the roads and about 5.5 miles of hilly trail with lots of sand and wood chip. It was a great day for running - sunny, light breeze, about 60.

Well, I won't be running Ogden next weekend which is why I ramped my mileage up again today. Both Garrett and Ryan Fuller qualified for state and so I'll be down in Provo coaching my runners. I'll miss running the race, but would much rather be with "my boys". I'll focus on Utah Valley in June. 

Mile repeats today on the Highland High track. I ran 5:25, 5:20. 5:18 with a 400 meter walk/jog recovery in between. Pretty tough after yesterday's run.

Republicans here in Utah ousted Senator Bob Bennett today essentially for being too liberal. Democrats forced congressman Jim Matheson into a primary because he's too conservative. So we are forcing both parties to the extremes. I may move my family to a state where sanity is more common. Any suggestions?

22 miles in 2:39. It was a hard run today with a lot of hills and I struggled, mentally at least, more than I have in my previous long runs this year. Hopefully it was the hard training on Friday and Saturday. Anyway, it was still nice to get another long run "in the bank".

Finished up at Liberty Park and met mom, Ann, and the kids at the playground. They had the kiddie water fountains and guysers shooting out of the ground on finally and Andy had lots of fun running through them and getting soaked. Had a late lunch/early dinner at the Olive Garden for Mother's Day. The kids made both Ann and grandma breakfast in bed this morning.

Zero miles today. I did go for a leisurely two mile walk.

Another day of no running. First time since December I've missed two consecutive days.

Today I left school a little early and headed to downtown Salt Lake so I could run up City Creek Canyon. I didn't really have a plan for the run - just wanted to get in a few miles with some hard efforts. So I headed up the canyon and about 7 miles up I encountered stinging hail and had to turn around because of ice and snow in the road.

14 miles in  1:42:35. Mile 9 in 5:57, mile 10 in 5:58, mile 12 in 5:36. These were downhill miles so it wasn't too hard, but the fast turnover was good for my legs I think.

I ran an easy six miles today around the neighborhood and Sugarhouse Park.

Also did about an hour of lifting. Included 3 sets of 12 squats with 145 lbs.

At the state track meet at BYU today we had a "coaches run" after the 1600 wrapped up. I went with Timo from American Fork, Tom Porter from Skyline, and Bill Cobbler from East. Really nice run with lots of good conversation up the Provo river trail and back.

Another run with the coaches today, After the 3200 we did an easy 6+ through Provo. I had sort of plannde to take the day off. The 14 miler up and down City Creek Canyon on Wednesday and the heavy squats on Thursday really did a number on my quads. But I couldn't turn down the coaches run.

A good long run today despite still having sore quads before I even started. I left at 5:45 so I could be done in time to sleep through church. Sometimes it's hard to stay awake under the best of circumstances, but after rolling out of bed at 4:30 for 23 miles it's virtually impossible.

Looking foreward to the Bees game this afternoon (the Bees are our baseball team here in Salt Lake - the AAA affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels).

I wasn't sure I was going to run today ot take a rest day. I ended up doing a fairly easy 7 miles on the treadmill. It was a good compromise as I feel the treadmill is a little easier on the legs.

On the treadmill...

1 mile warm-up.

4 X 2 Miles with a 1/4 mile jog interval. Times were 12:20, 12:00, 11:56, 11:56

This is a hard workout to do at my gym which is very warm and it's hard to keep my sweat from flying all over the people on the TM next to me - as there is about one inch of space between the machines. Also, there's the people who want to engage in conversation when you're cruising along at 5:50 pace. Usually after a couple minutes of me responding with short grunts they leave me alone.

AM: Easy 4.75 miles around Sugarhouse Park.

PM: 6.5 mile run - mostly trails, sand, wood chip.

Also did some lifting at the gym. Soaked in the hot tub after.

Really easy 5 miles in Sugarhouse Park.

Today was an interesting workout and I would really appreciate some comments/criticism from anyone who has an opinion.

I have felt a real lack of motivation the last couple days. Yesterday I struggled through 5 miles feeling like a turd most of the way. This afternoon I headed out for my run and it was worse. I just felt slow, lethargic, crappy. Finally, after 6 miles, I bailed on the run and went over to the Highland High track. On the spur of the moment I decided to run 12 X 200 with a 200 walk/jog recovery. This is the type of workout I havent done in decades - but man it felt good. I started out running 35 seconds and worked my way down to 32 at the end.

The bottom line is I was able to salvage a horrible run. At the end, I felt really good about myself as a runner. Somethng just told me, "run fast 200s". I know that no marathon training plans (I'm running one in 4 weeks) proscribe fast 200s, but sometimes its important to just go with your gut.

It will be interesting to see how I feel tomorrow.

AM: Easy 2 miles

PM: 11:25 miles in 1:20. I tacked on the extra .25 to make it an even 80 for the week.

An observation... I was running at Sugarhouse Park where they were holding bicycle races (criteriums I believe they call them) all day. Let me just say that cyclists are much more likely to be extroverted type A types than runners. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but as a group, I prefer runners.

Probably the last 20 miler before the marathon June 12th. I ran an even 20 averaging 7:10. I ran the 16th mile in 5:50 and threw in several fast surges in the last mile to hopefully acclimate myself to doing that in the latter stages of a marathon.

I felt good today. The weather was nice - no wind and sunny, just cool enough to wear gloves which made it perfect. Now, how to taper for a couple weeks without getting fat. I know, I could practice not eating everything in sight.

Rest day.

I went for a 3 mile walk.

Five miles on the treadmill.

Also lifted weights at the gym for about an hour.

AM: Left at 4:30 this morning. I ran 11 miles at 7:40 pace. That was pushing it as it's really hard for me to get under eight minute pace that early.

Nice walk around the block with Abby after the run. She is an early riser like me and we've started going for walks around the neighborhood around sun up.  

Just an easy run - except for the 5am part of it.

Today I did the Gully Long Run (very hilly, sand, wood chip trail) in 47 minutes. After that I did six steep hill repeats on a 250 meter hill at close to maximum effort. I ran them hard enough so that I was in extreme distress after each. Good times!

Finished with a weight workout. But fewer sets than I usually do. 

This morning I did a 16 mile run from the I-80 overpass in East Canyon to the summit of Little Mountain and then down Emmigration Canyon to my house. My wife dropped me off at the top of the canyon at 8:30. It was 40 degrees with a steady rain.The rain turned to snow at the top of Little Mountain. Perfect for Memorial Day weekend. I noticed it was 88 degrees today in Minneapolis. I should move to a warm state - like Minne-freakin-sota!!

The first 3.75 miles of this run are all uphill before dropping down into Salt Lake. Here's my splits:

7:42, 8:08, 7:29, 7:37, 6:18, 6:22, 6:02, 6:02, 6:01, 6:04, 5:56, 5:54, 5:53, ( 1:26:07 for 13.1), 6:43, 7:05, 7:19.

Ran by Ruth's Diner in Emmigration Canyon about 10 miles into the run. The smell of bacon while I'm running can drive me insane with hunger. All I can say is it's a good thing I didn't have my credit card with me. I might have had to make a pit stop.

I was going to take the day off, but it was so incredibly nice outside this morning that I just had to run. Went 6.25 in 47:30. Great run.

Took a complete rest day and also ate too much junk. I need to remember to use some discipline the next couple weeks.

4 miles of walking. 

Today I did the Best Buy loop around Sandy. Averaged a little under 7 minute pace.

Also did 180 push-ups and 150 sit-ups. 

Veggie Burrito from Barbacoa for dinner. No sour cream. Vow to self... no ice cream tonight! Got to watch the night time munching.

AM: 3 mile walk around the neighborhood.

PM: 9.5 mile fartlek in the gully. This is a pretty good estimate, but my Garmin petered out about a mile into the run. It was borderline hot so I was pretty darn knackered after the run.

Treadmill run. 4.25 miles at 8 minute pace with 5 x 1/4 mile in 75 seconds.

Weights and core exercises after.

Today was the last day of school so I'm done with work until the middle of August. This is way, way, way high up on the list of things I like about teaching. I do XC practice 4 days a week throughout the Summer but that's not like work for me.

6.5 miles in 50 minutes in the gully. I was a little sore from the fast (for me anyway) quarters and the weights yesterday. I ran ar 2:30 in the heat and am actually glad to finally be able to acclimate myself to it.

11.5 miles on the treadmill. The workout included...

1.5 mile warmup

3 x 2 miles in 12:06, 12:04, 11:55 with one mile at 8 minute pace between each.

1 x 800 in 2:45

1.5 mile cool down

Walked 3 miles in the afternoon

No running today. Seemed like the right time for a rest.

I walked about 2 miles and did some stretching..

Today was the first day of cross country practice and I had a huge turnout. I ran 8.25 miles in the gully at 7am before practice. Towards the end I threw in a couple miles at 6 minute pace.

I divided up the kids into several groups based on age and experience and spent a lot of time talking to the new kids about diet, patience etc. I had them run a mile. The fastest one ran 7:25. I had the veterans run from 4 to 7 miles depending on their fitness.

After, I did some weights at the gym. About 50% of what I normally do.

Five miles today. Included 4 x 200 meters in 32 seconds. 200 meter walk interval.

Five easy miles at Alta/Snowbird. This was the first Alta run of the Summer for my cross country team. I was surprised at how comfortable I felt at 8500 feet.

Four 150 yard striders at the end.

I'm feeling really good now and am excited about the UVM this Saturday. I don't have any aches or pains and I felt some real pop in my legs the last couple days. I plan to take the day off completely tomorrow and then head down to Provo on Friday. We are actually starting our family vacation then ( I know its Provo, but we are staying at a hotel with a pool which makes it a vacation as far as my kids are concerned). After the race Saturday we are heading for the Central Coast of California for several days at the beach. Should make for some nice recovery runs.

Pretty much a complete day off. Went to Sugarhouse Park for cross country practice and walked about 2.5 miles with some intervals of easy running.

One more day!

From the house to Sugarhouse Park and one lap around. Eight minute pace with a handful of faster pickups.

I'm a little bit annoyed with a slight cold. No fever, just a bit of congestion. I'm about top head down to Provo to get my packet, drive the course, and relax at the hotel. I'm really excited about the 2:45 am wake-up call tomorrow. Hopefully I'll squeeze in a nap this afternoon.

I will write more later, but I ran the Utah Valley Marathon in 2:43:23 this morning. Cold with lots of rain the first half and swirling winds.Sometimes a headwind, sometimes a tailwind. Way more uphills than I expected the first 14 miles. I got a great rhythm going down University Ave. in Provo, I ran 25 to 26 in 6:09.

Oh yeah... this was a marathon PR for me by nine and a half minutes,

am: 2 miles on treadmill at the Pismo Beach Athletic Club. Weird, quirky little gym. They had huge posters all over the club of their Boston Marathon finishers over the years - all wearing their "PBAC" shirts.

Weights/core workout as well.

pm: 3 miles along Pismo Beach in 28:30.

am: 5.5 miles in 43 minutes. Mostly a sight seeing run around Pismo and Shell Beach. After the run I went down to the beach with the kids to dig for sand crabs and explore the caves. Then a swim and now I'm ready for the day at 11:20. We signed Abby up for surfing lessons this week, so we have to have her at Moondoggies Surf Shop at one for her three hour lesson. She was absolutely beat when it ended yesterday but really loved it.

pm: 3 miles on beach in 23:30

One last 6 mile run along Pismo Beach. Just went South 3 miles and turned around. Abby wasn't done with surf school so I showered in the beach showers and got a bread bowl of clam chowder. After that, we picked up Abby and drove up highway 1 to Big Sur.

This was definitely one of my top 10 all time runs. We stayed at Big Sur (Pfeifer Beach State Park Lodge). I did a run along the trails in the park and a few miles along the Big Sur Marathon course.

Tonight we are in Dixon Ca. outside of Sacremento heading back to Salt Lake. Spent 4 hours along the Embarcadero in San Francisco this afternoon.

Sort of an unplanned day off.

5 miles on the treadmill at the gym. Followed it up with 2 miles on the eliptical. I didn't really feel like doing much - mostly just burning calories. I gained five pounds this week with reduced running and excessive restaurant eating.

Back to some serious training and responsible living tomorrow.

I ran the gully long run this morning at 7 am before my kids showed up for cross country practice. While they were out running, I went into the gym and did 2 more miles on the treadmill.

2  more miles fairly hard on the elliptical.

My right achilles is aching. Iced it for 20 minutes when I got home.

The left achilles again!

Jogged an easy mile on the treadmill and then lifted. I did my normal strength routing but did an extra heavy leg workout. Couldn't do the plyos though since it hurt the achilles too much.

I'm staying off it as much as possible and icing it every few hours. I'm not too pessimistic that it will keep me out too long, just don't want to do anything stupid.

Today I ran with my cross country team. We started out at Alta Ski Area and headed up to Albion Basin. There was still a lot of snow over 9000 feet and I turned around when it got too slushy and deep. Probably another week or so until we can make it all the way to the campground and around the loop. But it was a beautiful day and it was nice to be up there.

Iced my achilles in Little Cottonwood Creek after. Cold! It hurt a lot more coming down than it did going up. I plan to do an hour of some type of cross training this afternoon.

pm: went to the gym and did 4 miles on the eliptical ( I think I spell the word "ellipticle" different every time. Because I have no idea how to spell it.).

After the gym I took Andy to Home Depot to get his very own hammer. Christmas in June!

X Training day thanks to screwed up achilles.

Walked 5 miles this morning. From my house to Sugarhouse Park, twice around, and back.

Went to the gym and swam 70 laps. That's a mile I think. Alternated strokes, but mostly freestyle. Did 8 laps with the kickboard.

It felt so good to be back in the Speedo! I don't know why I've been wasting my time with running. I kid.

I did jog a few steps without pain which is a good sign.

Another zero running wise.

Walked four miles including my normal morning walk with Abby. She talked mostly about her Up With Kids performance of Peter Pan tonight. I think she may be the dramatic thespian type. Not sure where she got that.

Four miles on the elip at the gym in 32 minutes. Pretty intense strength workout after. Then fed the ducks at Fairmont Park with Andy.

I did jog for about two minutes without pain. I may try to run an easy 4 miles tomorrow.

Bummer. I'm going to have to come to grips with the fact that I'll be on the sidelines for a while.

I tried to run this morning. Started out easy around the block and felt no pain in the achilles for about 2 minutes. Then it was like someone flipped a switch and it felt as bad as ever. So I bagged the run and went to the gym. At the gym I tried to run on the treadmill with basically the same result.

So I did 6 miles on the eliptical in 48 minutes. The machine said I burned 960 calories, so maybe at least I won't get fat. My heart rate was up to 150 at the end so it was a pretty good workout. Walked one mile on the treadmill in 14 minutes after.

I think this definitely will alter my racing plans the rest of the Summer. I'll have to miss the Murray 5k on July 4th for the first time since moving to Utah in 2002. And the D News Marathon is definitely out.

I'm not sure why this happened. I finished a marathon 2 weeks ago with no indication of any problem. Took 3 days off after then started back slowly.... Who knows?

Actually, I think it may have been the beach running I did last week. Running on sand stretches the achilles excessively. I'm about to check out some advice at achillestendon.com

pm: walked 2 miles so totals for the day are...

1 mile running

3 miles walking

6.25 miles on the elliptical

Back to my elipticle spelling issues. I once read that William Clark (of Lewis and Clark fame) spelled the word "mosquito" 39 different ways in The Journals of Lewis and Clark. No Deep Woods Off I guess.

Today's cross training journal...

am: picked up Ann from work at 8am. She's a nurse at the University of Utah and often works 12 hour night shifts and the kids and I often take her to work and pick her up. Went to Mcdonald's on tha way home. I, however, was able to avoid the bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit because I had a bowl of steel cut oatmeal with fresh strawberries before we left. How's that for monastic discipline?

anyway, I walked the 3 miles home from McDonalds which according to my Garmin burned something like 270 calories. Then went to Barnes and Nobel and picked up the new Outside with an article about Lance Armstrong. In the pictures he definitely has the lean, gaunt look of the supremely fit endurance athlete.

pm: walked to the gym (1 mile). Approached the treadmill with great optimism. Ran one mile and then the achilles started hurting. So, I did 125 floors on the Stairmaster in about 20 minutes. Man that was hard! This was my first ever workout on that thing. I can't believe that Fritz (from the blog) does like 500 floors. I'd have to see it in person. Then I did 2 miles on the eliptical followed by 70 laps in the pool and a walk home.

totals...

running: 1 mile

walking: 5 miles

stairmaster: 125 floors

eliptical: 2 miles

swimming: 70 laps (1 mile)

1.25 miles in 9:10. Felt great for the first mile, then tightness, then pain!

Stopped and walked home.

pm: 2 miles on the treadnill alternating every 1/4 mile from running at 7 mph to walking at 4 mph on a 15% incline. So, 1 more mile of running.

Strength workout - basically 2 circuits, little to no rest between sets.

#1 - 35 push-ups, 30 incline sit-ups, 9 pull-ups, 10 x deadlift (145 lbs), 15 dips, 30 crunches. 8 chin-ups, 10 x deadlift, 35 push-ups, 30 hanging leg lifts, 8 pull-ups, 10 x deadlift

#2 - 10 back squats (145 lbs), 25 push-ups, 20 x bent rows (35 lb. dumbells), 10 squats, 25 push-ups, 30 incline sit-ups, 10 squats, 25 push-ups

Walked 1 mile home.

One mile in 7:30

Three miles on the e-lip-tic-l in 24 minutes.

Funny quote of the day...

"Lance Armstrong adheres to a strict diet of steroids and Michelob Ultra"

Ha! I refuse to use "emoticons" because Lance says they're unmanly for men over 30.

Todays workout...

4 mile walk

135 floors on Stairmaster in 20 minures

100 laps in the pool (1.4 miles?), Swallowed maybe a gallon? Achy gut now. Sat in the hot tub for a while after the swim and had to endure this guy asking questions about my workout and then being really impressed. On the way home I felt shallow and self centered for not asking him about his workout.

I've decided to pack it in for 2010. After a couple days of no running, I was optimistic that I would notice a little bit of improvement in the achilles today. No dice. If anything it was worse. So I will be thankful for my almost three years of running injury free and check out for a while.

I've signed up for the Austin 3M Half Marathon on January 30. It is supposed to be one of the faster courses in the country, but not aided. I've also wanted to check out Austin which I hear is a great city. So, I will get the achilles better and then do a long build-up for next year.

One mile on the treadmill today in 8:30.

6 miles on the elliptical in 46 minutes. Did lots of 30 second "sprints" at 100 rmp on level 12 or 13.

Today is my wedding anniversary - 16 years. We have a babysitter and are going to Fresco at 15th and 15th in Salt Lake. What a pain to find a babysitter on 4th of July weekend!

Five miles on the elliptical in 37:36. Had my HR up between 140 and 150 the whole way according to the, no doubt, accurate machine.

Was able to watch the Prefontaine Classic track meet while at the gym. Saw the 5000 which had the first ever sub 13 on U.S. soil. Solinsky and Lagat struggled a bit though.

5 miles in 1:11:41.

Hardly a PR, but it felt good to be out moving.

Did a "fast" 6.5 mile walk in the gully today while my kids ran.

Gym afterwards - one mile warm-up on the elliptical and some strength training.

New protocol for my achilles: I was reading some Tim Noakes the other day ( The Lore of Running, AKA The Bible) and he mentioned icing a sore achilles 8 hours per day. So I got six bags of crushed ice and am going to devote myself to that the next couple days.

I'll report back. Send some positive thoughts my way.

5.25 miles on the elluptical in 40 minutes. 

am: 100 laps in the pool in 58 minutes.

More cross training madness this afternoon. May hop on the treadmill for a few minutes?

pm: Ran one mile in about 9 minutes. No pain, but some stiffness and weakness - a good sign I guess.

3 miles on the elliptical in 23 minutes.

Then another half mile at about 7 mph.

Walked 5 miles.

I'm now doing daily rehab type exercises for the achilles proscribed by a physical therapist friend.

I think I've finally reached "acceptance" in my stages of grief - dealing with not running.

7.25 miles on the elliptiacl in 56 minutes. According to the machine that burned 1100 calories.

Got a cool package in the mail from mom that included the Johnny Cash childrens album recorded in 1975. My kids LOVE Johnny Cash, especially "At Folsom Prison" which might not be totally appropriate for a 4 year-old. When they're belting out in the back seat "I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die", I get a little concerned. But apparently not concerned enough to stop playing it.

Other items included a Tampa Bay Rays pennant, Tampa Bay Rays pony tail thingys for Abby, about a millon sample size Cliff Bars mom swiped from a 10k road race she volunteered at on the 4th of July, and a big bag of Dunkin Donuts coffee which was great because coffee expenses amount to close to a car payment.

See I don't have running to write about, so this will have to do.

Two miles on the elliptical.

Massive amounts of IRON PUMPING.

Oh yeah, don't know if anyone heard this but apparently Lebron James signed with the Heat. Didn't receive much media attention.

Six miles on the elliptical in 45 minutes.

I'm not sure what constitutes mileage on an elliptical? I get it for a stationary bike or a treadmill, but I never see anyone ellipticalling over hill and dale in real life. I do know that the percieved effort is different. Running 6 miles in 45 minutes is easy, while 6 in 45 minutes on the elliptical feels like a threshold run.

Perhaps I'll swim a mile or two this afternoon. Perhaps not.

pm: Went to the gym planning to swim, but there were about 8 people sharing 3 lanes. Decided to do some more ellipticalling.

4 miles in 30 minutes.

I think tomorrow I'm going to post a fake running workout on the blog just to see what it feels like. Maybe 16 miles in 1:36.

I think I'm about a week away from being able to run. I did a mile and a quarter on the treadmill at 7.5 mph with no pain. I'm resolving not to push it though.

Walked 5 miles from home and around Sugarhouse Park.

am: 2 miles on the elliptical. Weights. Moved up to 175 lbs on the squat and deadlift. With all the lifting lately I've made substantial strength gains. But I'm aware of the hazard of bulking up and gaining weight. I don't seem to be gaining weight and I'm definitely stronger, so I'm curious to see how it impacts my running. If I ever run again!

Ran 5.5 miles in Sugarhouse Park. Achilles hurt pretty bad but I ran thtough the pain.

I've decided to ice a lot and gulp piles of ibuprofin and just run until it ruptures or miraculously heals. I expect lots of comments praising me for my wisdom and maturity.

Six miles in 42:50 around the wood chip trail at Liberty Park. Wanted to avoid hills. Pain in the achilles kicked in at around a half mile and sort of got worse and worse until about 3 miles. Then the pain either lessened or I got used to it I'm not sure which. Anyway, the last two miles were actually fairly enjoyable running at about 6:30 pace.

Didn't feel any loss of aerobic fitness after my month of almost no running so the cross training has paid off I think. Definitely a decline in neuromuscular fitness though as I don't feel nearly as smooth as I did before the injury. "Smooth" is a vague concept I realize, maybe running economy would be better?

Finished up with 2 miles on the elliptical in 15 minutes.

I think I might give the 10k at Deseret News a try next Saturday.