Rob Murphy

Twelve miles around Sugar House.

I'm going to retire from serious, competative training and racing starting now. I decided that I can't be a great teacher and a great coach and a good family guy along with the hard training and racing. I'm making too many compromises. It's one thing too many at my age!

So excited to have made this decision. I feel like a weight has been lifted.

I'm still going to post here every day and race occasionally, but I'm not going to force anything or have goals. My competition goals will be channeled into my coaching.

6.25 treadmill miles. Swam a few laps and soaked for a while after.

Occasional treadmill running is really important to my success as a runner for several reasons. When I go a long period of time with no treadmill runs, my running suffers. True fact!

A follow-up on what I wrote yesterday...

Many of the great masters runners I know, or know about, either don't have demanding careers, or don't have kids, or their kids are grown.  Several of the truly great coaches I know here in Utah don't have kids. Lots of the great coaches I've known were once great runners themselves but their own running has taken a back seat to their coaching and family obligations in recent years.

It comes down to the old Bill Bowerman quote..."you can do two things well, but you can't do three things well". I think this is true for most people. I've been working hard the last few years to be a great husband/father, a great teacher/coach, and a great runner. I've just decided that one of the three has to take a back seat and it isn't going to be the first two.

AM: 2.25 miles warming up with the Alta cross country team.

PM: Went for a 4 mile walk while Andy was at baseball practice around the neighborhood next to Whittier Elementary here in Salt Lake City.

First day of school tomorrow. On A days I'll have three U.S. History classes with an average of 40 students/class. I won't let those ridiculously high numbers prevent me from skilfully individualizing instruction to meet the unique needs of each learner nor will I let it prevent me from forming a meaningful relationship with each child.

No running. Rough day!

Two miles of jogging at the meet.

Conner broke Kramer's course record from last year by seven seconds.

AM: Walked the dog around the block. Went to work.

PM: One mile at practice warming up with the team, Andy's baseball game got rained out, hung around downtown Sugar House with the fam, went to Best Friends Animal Society to pet the kittens and puppies and listen to the kids whine about getting one, Central Book Exchange, Barnes and Noble for a cup of coffee, and the farmers market for a clump of basil.

Exhausting!

I'm planning on a real run tomorrow.

Got a pretty cool book today in the mail . Marty Liquori's Guide for the Elite Runner co-written with John L. Parker. Written in 1980, so a little dated, but mostly good, solid advice. Strong opinions too which I like.

Liquori was a stud. Seriously fierce competitor.

AM: I had an early morning cross country practice down at the school. My kids ran really well today while I held the stopwatch and drank coffee.

Went to Liberty Park after and ran 5.25 miles. Beautiful fallish day.

PM: Two mile walk.