Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow

February 2008

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Location:

Fort Collins,CO,

Member Since:

May 15, 2003

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Local Elite

Running Accomplishments:

Unaided PR's:
5K: 14:48 (Track - 2001)
10K: 30:45 (Track - 2001)
10K: 31:32 (Bolder Boulder - 2013)
Half Marathon: 1:06:09 (Duluth - 2013)
Marathon: 2:17:54 (Grandma's) - 2014)
Marathon: 2:19:47 (Indianapolis Monumental - 2013)
Marathon: 2:19:49 (Indianapolis Monumental - 2010)

Aided PR's:
10K: 29:38 (Des News - 2011)
Half Marathon: 1:05:30 (TOU Half - 2011)
Marathon: 2:18:09 (St George - 2007)
Marathon: 2:17:35 (Boston - 2011)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis in June of 2008. Started taking Enbrel in March, 2009.

Run as much as I can, and race as well as I can. Make the most of however much time I have left as an able-bodied runner.

Training for the 2018 Colorado Marathon

Long-Term Running Goals:

  Run until I'm old, and then run some more. Stand tall.

Personal:

1 wife, 2 kids. 1 cat. Work as a GIS Specialist/Map Geek

Endure and persist; this pain will turn to your good. - Ovid

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. - Romans 5:1-5

 

 

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Saucony Trail Shoe Lifetime Miles: 247.50
Hoka Clifton Lifetime Miles: 491.50
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Saucony Zealot Lifetime Miles: 478.75
Saucony Kinvara 6 Lifetime Miles: 433.50
Saucony Kinvara 6-2 Lifetime Miles: 358.75
Brooks Pure Connect Blue Lifetime Miles: 337.25
New Balance Trainers Lifetime Miles: 314.50
New Balance 1400 Racers Lifetime Miles: 65.00
Brook Pureflow Lifetime Miles: 99.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
38.250.000.000.0080.00118.25
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.001.001.00

Went to physical therapy in the morning. Did heat pack and ultrasound again, and stretched out a little. Then did some exercises: 4-way hip with the theraband, hamstring curls with the stability ball, leg raises while laying on my belly (works the glutes), rolling around in a chair, and 10 minutes on the stair-stepper (which I'll count as a cross-training mile). It was all actually fairly tiring. I'll keep doing these exercises at home every day, since I've got therabands, a stability ball, and an office chair at my disposal. I go again to PT on next Friday. If things are going well, and I don't imagine I'll need to go much more after that. Kinda costs a lot of money, since I still have to pay my deductible. Most of this stuff I can do on my own, I think it's worth it to have a little bit of guidance and oversight.

I ran about 100 meters on the sidewalk on my way to get coffee later in the morning. I didn't feel any pain. Shoveling snow didn't feel too bad either, which is good since we got about 8 inches last night. I may try running a mile tomorrow.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
1.000.000.000.002.503.50

Ran to the gym (0.5 miles). I use the term "ran" loosely, because it was more like a jog or shuffle. My leg felt better than it had on any other previous running attempt since the injury, but not perfect, as I can still feel "it". But it's a step forward.

At the gym, I did 25 minutes on the bike. I managed to get my HR over 160, which is a recumbent bike PR. Then lifted weights:

  • 1x14 bench press @ 115 lbs
  • 1x10 bench press @ 115 lbs (wish I had a spotter so that I could do more)
  • 1x23 arm curls @ 20 lbs
  • 1x14 lat pulldowns @ 90 lbs
  • 1x10 lat pulldowns @ 90 lbs (tired)
I'll do my leg PT exercises at home later tonight, along with my usual core exercises. 

Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
1.000.000.000.000.001.00

Ran a mile. Slow. Definitely better than last week, maybe a little better than yesterday. Some discomfort still, but hopefully this is progress.

Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.004.004.00

Pizza Monday at the gym today. I managed to get 4 pieces. I wanted a 5th, but there was no more pizza at that point. This is my personal definition of a bummer.

I worked out at gym too. Did 10 minutes on the mutant stair-stepper thingy, and then 30 minutes on the bike. Then lifted weights:

  • 1x10 chin-ups @ body weight
  • 1x12 lat pull-downs @ 100lbs
  • 2x12 shoulder press @ 90lbs
  • 1x10 4-way hip @ 70lbs (all positions)
  • 1x10 4-way hip @ 80lbs (all positions)
I decided to do the 4-way hip machine because of my therabands at home broke. Also a bummer. They must have been old and brittle. I'll get more at PT on Friday. 

Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.004.004.00

The 2008 LDR schedule has been posted. I've summarized the changes in my Blog. Yes, being injured and all, I get bored.

*****************************

10 minutes on super-elliptical followed by 30 minutes on the bike. Kept the heart rate up and tot a pretty good workout. Then tossed some weights around:

  • 1x15 bench press @ 115 lbs
  • 1x10 bench press @ 115 lbs
  • 1x25 arm curls @ 20 lbs
  • 2x16 single-leg calf raises @ body weight

Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
1.500.000.000.002.504.00

Ran 1.5 miles. Felt a little better than last time, but "it" is still there. Clocked my last half mile in 4:30. Oh yeah.

After dinner I went to the gym and 10 minutes on the arc thingy and 15 minutes on the bike. Then lifted weights:

  • 2x13 lat pull-downs @ 100lbs
  • 2x15 shoulder press @ 90lbs
  • 1x12 4-way hip @ 70lbs (all 4 positions)
  • 1x10 4-way hip @ 80lbs (all 4 positions) 

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.000.000.00

Today I added another item to Sasha's "10 lame excuses not to run today" list. Today's lame excuse: computer hardware upgrade. And a frivolous upgrade at that. I bought a second graphics card that matches my first so that I can run in dual-GPU SLI mode. Thank you ebay. Now I can do 3D GIS faster. Maybe I should get some games too, but I'm probably not cool enough for that. Anyway, as with all computer activities I got completely sucked in with motherboards, power supplies, fans, drivers, and settings, and the next thing I knew it was 8:30PM. At that point I had time to either do a cardio workout at the gym or my PT/core work before bed, but not both. I went with the PT and core work, which doesn't involve putting on shoes.

Comments(23)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.003.503.50

AM - PT at the hospital. Did the heat/ultrasound routine, followed by rolling-chair walking, 4-way hip machine, stability ball hamstring exercise, and 15 minutes on the stair-stepper.

PM - 20 minutes on the bike. 

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.005.005.00

Went to the gym in the morning. Did 20 minutes on the arc trainer thingy and then biked for 30 minutes. Got a vigorous sweat going and kept the HR high. I ran out of time for lifting, since I had to get the car over to Car Smart at 10AM for oil change/tire rotation, but did a set of 11 chinups before I had to go.

Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
2.000.000.000.000.002.00

It's a gorgeous day here in Logan. After church I put on my shorts and long-sleeve shirt and tested my leg for a short run. I ran just across the first bridge of the Planet Walk and back, which is about two miles total. I was completely pain-free for the first 200m, then I could feel "it" the rest of the way, but it was better than my last time out. Slow progress is still progress, right? I wore a watch to get a sense of pace. I was just under 8-minutes for the first mile, then I dialed it back for the second mile and hit about 9 minutes. I think my body will run about as fast as it can until it feels pain or discomfort, so I think going from >9-minute pace to <8-minute pace might be better progress than I initially assessed. I think if I had kept it 9+ pace to start out with today, I would have gone pain-free longer. In any case, not a bad little run, and I enjoyed being out there in the sunshine.

I'll enjoy being on the first page of the mileage board will it lasts... 

Comments(10)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.005.005.00

Worked myself over again at the gym. 20 minutes on the arc trainer, 30 minutes on the bike. I got my HR up to 168, my new bike PR. Made a big sweat spot. Afterward I threw some weights around:

  • 2x15 upright bench press machine thing @ 90 lbs
  • 2x10 4-way hip @ 70 lbs (all 4 positions, both legs)
  • 1x20 arm curls @ 20 lbs 

Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.005.005.00

Similar sweat-fest as yesterday: 20 minutes on the arc trainer, 30 minutes on the bike. Then heaved some weights:

  • 2x15 lat pull-downs @ 100 lbs
  • 2x17 single-leg calf raises @ body weight
  • 1x12 shoulder press @ 90 lbs
  • 1x10 shoulder press @ 90 lbs
And as usual, more PT and core work to come later at home.  

Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.005.005.00

20 minutes on the elliptical, 30 minutes on the bike. Lifted:

  • 1x15 bench press @ 115 lbs
  • 1x13 bench press @ 115 lbs
  • 1x25 arm curls @ 20 lbs 

Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
1.000.000.000.004.005.00

I went to the gym this morning rather than the evening. I figured that would be a good Valentine's Day present: actual time after work. I did a total of 1 mile running, in transit to and from the gym. The running was very slow, but pretty much pain-free. But I think the reason it was pain-free was because it was so slow, but I'll run slow for now if that's what it takes. At the gym, I did 15 minutes on the arc trainer and 25 minutes on the bike. Even though this was a little bit less cross training than usual, I still managed to sweat more. Afterward, did 1x12 chinups.

Comments(8)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.500.000.000.004.505.00

AM - went to PT. Did the heat pack and then ultrasound again. During my "heat pack session", I actually dozed off and got in a 15-minute nap. Take 'em where I can get 'em, I guess. Then did 10 minutes on the bike, 3x10 @ 75 lbs on the 4-way hip, and 10 minutes on the stair stepper.

PM - had chiro adjustment, then went to gym, where I ran half a mile on the treadmill at 9-minute pace, and then did 25 minutes on the bike. The run felt pretty good, but I didn't want to push it. Maybe I will go farther tomorrow. 

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
3.000.000.000.000.003.00

Long run today: 3 miles! Actually, I did 3.1 miles, because I wanted to do a 5K. Total time was 29:59. That's 9:38/mile for those keeping track. But the good news is that there was no real pain. Or not much anyway. After about half a mile it felt a little "tweaked", but stayed stable and didn't turn into pain. I think if I had gone faster or further, it would have become pain, but for now this will work. My main problem right now is that my form feels really sloppy, like my body has forgotten how to run properly. Hopefully that will come back.

A year ago, Lybi's goal was to beat my 10K PR in a 5K. She has done that easily now, and has recently massacred by old 8K PR in a 5K as well. Now the tables have turned. My new goal is to beat Lybi's 5K time...in a 5K. I need to shave off over 5 minutes from today. If I can achieve that, then I will turn my attention to beating Sasha's kids in a 5K.

Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.000.000.00

No real workout today, but I did do some intense sledding, and climbing back up the hill was a bit like a stair-stepper, except harder. Does that count as cross-training?

Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
3.000.000.000.003.506.50

Ran with Jon through River Heights to the gym. I g-mapped the route to be about 2.2 miles, and it it took about 18 minutes, so pace was somewhere in the neighborhood of 8:15/mile. At the gym I did 15 minutes on the arc trainer and 20 minutes on the bike.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.006.006.00

Gym. Did 20 minutes on elliptical, 20 minutes on arc trainer, and 20 minutes on bike. Lifted:

  • 1x15 bench press @ 115 lbs
  • 1x12 bench press @ 115 lbs
  • 2x10 4-way hip @ 80 lbs 

Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
4.250.000.000.000.004.25

AM - slept poorly last night, and had nightmares about relational databases. Woke up with a strong conviction to learn PostgreSQL. Not how I want to start my day. Later, I met some people from church for breakfast at McDonalds, so I ran there at about 9-minute pace, about 1.25 miles (10 blocks). I ended up hitching a ride back because running with a cup of coffee would have been awkward.

PM - needed to drop off a DVD for work at Square One Printing, and since I don't have a car during the day, I ran there. 12 blocks each way, so 3 miles. The run took 26:00, so 8:40/mile pace average. Definitely the best run I've had since getting injured. During the first mile it felt like I was starting to get some biomechanics back. The last half was a bit sluggish, but not too much pain. The air here is really nasty from the inversion, and I was hacking up stuff by the end. I am definitely looking forward to our vacation down to St. George starting tomorrow!

********

By the way, I posted a recruitment thread on the message board for our Wasatch Back Relay teams. Reply to the thread if you are interested in running with us, and I'll add you to the list.

Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
3.000.000.000.000.003.00

Stayed at James' place in American Fork, and then drove down to St. George in the morning for our spa vacation (2nd place St. George Marathon prize). Stopped by Clyde's for a while, and then I totally worked him over during a 3 mile run in which we average 8:30/mile.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.003.003.00

Cross training at the spa. Did 15 minutes on the elliptical and 15 minutes on the bike. Then did some ball drills and and PT work.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
5.000.000.000.000.005.00

Ran with the St. George Running Club this morning. They were kind enough to run by and pick me up at Green Valley. Then we ran down Dixie St. to the light at some other street (think it was Sunset), where I turned around and went back by myself. 

My goal today was to beat Lybi's 5K time. Thanks to team pacing, I blazed through the first two miles in 7:44 and 7:47: well under pace. After the turnaround, I was on my own, and pace slowed to 8:12 for Mile 3. But it was still good enough for 24:30 at 3.1, so I broke Lybi's post-high school 5K PR, but not her 5K PR. Maybe next time. Then it's on to Benjamin. My last two miles slowed down quite a bit, and I ended up with 5 miles in 41:21 (8:16/mile). It's still a work in progress, and still some irritation in the hamstring, but at least I'm back to running a somewhat normal pace.

After breakfast, we drove back up north (regretfully), and checked in to the Peruvian Lodge up Little Cottonwood Canyon (another race prize). Alta has a ski free after 3PM deal on their small lift, so I hitched a ride out there and had time to get one run in before the lift closed. This is my first time tele skiing this year, since I've been too tentative to try it with the hamstring. I figured trying an easy run on the free lift would be the safest way to test it before actually shelling out money tomorrow. It seemed to have passed the test. I could "feel" the tendinitis, but it didn't affect my turning, and didn't bother me too much. And I didn't biff at all, despite being out of shape and out of practice. Recovery that evening was good.

Comments(7)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.000.000.00

Tele skied for a couple hours at Alta. It was fun and went pretty well. Skiing is kind of like riding a bike; it comes back very fast after a lapse. I'm not sure if I can count this as cross training mileage, but it is a very good workout in any case. The hamstring held up well; some discomfort, but no linger bad effects. I figure it's making it stronger.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
1.500.000.000.005.006.50

Ran to the gym, then did 20 minutes on the elliptical, 15 minutes on the arc trainer, and 15 minutes on the bike. Did 13 chinups, and then ran back home.

Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
3.500.000.000.000.003.50

There is an excellent blog post by Josh Cox on The Final Sprint. Good motivation for the morning.

Ran to end of Planet Walk and back this afternoon. Timed my 5K in 24:10, another post-injury PR, but still short of Lybi's PR. Mile splits were 7:35, 8:02, 7:48. It probably would have been faster, but I lost time on snow and ice and some of the sharp corners. It was probably a 23:50 Draper Days equivalent. 

Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
3.000.000.000.004.007.00

AM - jogged around the block with the dog, then ran to breakfast. 1.5 miles total.

PM - ran to the gym (and back afterwards, 1.5 miles total). Did 20 minutes on the elliptical and 20 minutes on the bike. Then did 2x10 @ 80 lbs on the 4-way hip machine. 

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
4.500.000.000.004.008.50

AM - Ran around the block with the dog, then did another 2.5 miles. Pace was about 8:40/mile.

PM - ran to the gym. Did 20 minutes on the elliptical and 20 minutes on the arc trainer. Then did 1x15, 1x12 bench press @ 115 lbs  and 1x24 arm curls @ 20 lbs. Ran home.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.500.000.000.008.509.00

AM - ran the dog around the block and then jumped on the bus for a PT session at the hospital. Did 10 minutes of bike, 15 minutes of elliptical, and a bunch of strength exercises. I'm done with ultrasound. Probably will have my final session in a couple weeks.

PM - tough workout at the gym. 25 minutes on the elliptical, 15 minutes on the arc trainer, and 20 minutes on the bike. For those keeping track, that's 85 minutes total x-training today. Yuck. But I get to do a "long" run tomorrow. 

Comments(6)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
38.250.000.000.0080.00118.25
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