Rob Murphy

AM: I was up late last night and felt tired/achy/sluggish this morning so I read some and went for a 2 mile walk. Looks like another scorcher today. Hopefully I'll feel like doing something more substantial this afternoon.

PM: Made it to the gym where I ran a leisurely 4.25 on the treadmill then some pool/hot tub recreating.

AM: Gully Longer Run plus 6 striders with the team.

PM: 1.5 mile warmup, weights and abs, swimming.

AM: 9 mile run at Alta with 5.5 miles tempo. Actually ran mile 5 on the downhill Summer Road in 5:50.

AM: 3 mile walk.

PM: Bike ride with Andy.

AM: 8.5 miles on the Pipeline. Started in the dark at 6 am.

Here's a thought. I pulled my copy of The Complete Book of Running by Jim Fixx off the shelf and began skimming this evening. I got it for Christmas, 1979 when I was a freshman in high school. It's pretty surprising how much of the information is still solid today. What really got me thinking though was the tone of the book. Fixx wrote it in the early years of the first running boom of the 1970s and his own life was transformed by the sport along with millions of others. There's this general tone of optimism and excitement like the human race has just discovered something transformative after thousands of years of civilization - peole should get outside and run. I remember the excitement of those years and the energy you felt at every local 5k or 10k.

When was the last time something like that happened? A mass movement that prompted millions of people to embark on something new and positive?

AM: Went with Abby up to Jeremy Ranch and ran to the barn and back. Beautiful morning but the run was a struggle.

AM: Good race. Competed hard. Didn't wear a watch. I will abide no talk of this 5k actually being 3 miles.

Today's race was the Dash For Donation 5k which is being held in conjunction with the national transplant games here in Salt Lake this year. So the race was really 3 races in one. An open race, a race for transplant recipients, and a race for living (obviously!) donors. Ashton Arndt, one of my former runners at Alta, is the recipient of a liver transplant (from his mom!) and is a legend at the transplant games. It was great to see him today and just an honor to know him. Also got to see some former friends and aquaintances from South Carolina who are in town for the games. Some pictures are on my twitter @murphy_rob

I was planning on a decent run afterwards to get my mileage up to 50 but I spent too much time socializing. Now it won't happen and I don't care.