Every Race is an Adventure!

Larry had to start his workday early today so we just ran the neighborhood 5K course. We didn't push real hard, but went faster than our normal easy runs. My watch showed us finishing in 25:51 (8:20 pace). I thought about doing a second lap a little faster, but resisted the urge. I ran twice yesterday and plan to run twice tomorrow, and my blisters are still not fully healed, so I opted to rest my feet a little.

This morning I convinced Larry to run the big hill course, a.k.a water tank road. This has been our traditional Wednesday morning run for years, but during the cold, dark, and snowy months of winter we switched to a well lit flat course through north Orem. Larry was afraid he might have to walk part of the steeper hills this first time. We didn't push real hard, but we didn't walk any of the hill either. It felt good getting up there again. We both enjoyed it. I think our traditional Wednesday morning run is back, at least until it gets too dark (at 5:45am) and snowy up there again.

At lunch time it was great to run the Lake View course with Cory, Tom, and Nathan again. After warming up getting over the freeway and into the neighborhood, we ran 1.35 miles @ 7:52/mi to the turnaround. We then ran 0.52 miles @ 7:44/mi. At the intersection where we turned south, I decided to push the pace to the stop sign after the next left hand turn. I figured it was about 1 mile. Nathan came with me. We ran 0.89 miles @ 6:30/mi. Tom (preparing for 5K race Saturday) and Cory (injured) hung back but were'nt too far behind us. We ran the 1.1 miles back @ 8:01/mi.

It felt good to run the hills this morning and then get in a little speed at lunch time. The recovering blisters bothered me a little, but not too much. I'm hoping that by continuing to run on them while they are healing, it will toughen them up (and me).

I ran the Lindon loop with Wayne. Very enjoyable. I don't have my watch with me, but I believe we averaged about 8:10/mi for about 6.2 miles. We had to keep the run short because I had a full day. I was in charge of a neighborhood cleanup project, one daughter had ballroom dance tryouts, another daughter had to be at an opera rehearsal, a third daughter had a church activity, a son had AP testing, and we had a baptism to attend. Sometimes everything just seems to happen on the same day.

I ran Eagle View with Nathan. I thought I was going to end up running alone, and was planning to push the pace a little, but Nathan showed up at the last minute and we ended up pushing the pace a lot. Even though Nathan had run fast in the Hurricane 1/2 Marathon on Saturday, and he said his legs were a little stiff, he still easily outran me. He beat me up the hill by 12+ seconds. He let me catch up there, and had to stop at a light on the way back where I caught up again, but still he finished another 12+ seconds ahead of me on the return trip.

Even though I couldn't keep up with Nathan, I did set a new PR for this course at 37:27 (7:29/mi). I think part of this was due to the fact that I didn't run in the morning before this run (like I usually do), and I only did a light run on Saturday.

Some comparative times for this same run earlier this year are:

1/25: 39:48 (7:58/mi)

1/29: 37:58 (7:36/mi)

2/5: 39:48 (7:58/mi)

2/12: 37:53 (7:35/mi)

3/5: 39:22 (7:52/mi)

3/12: 41:57 (8:23/mi)

3/19: 37:48 (7:34/mi)

4/30: 40:25 (8:05/mi)

5/7: 37:27 (7:29/mi) 

I normally run in the morning on Tuesday, but Larry was sick so I ran at lunch time today. I didn't have my Garmin, so I just ran a "clear my head" run down Kuhni road not worrying too much about how fast I was going, but trying to keep moving at a respectable pace. I measured the distance on Google Earth to be about 5.4 miles. I went out in 22:12 and back in 22:22, maintaining a pretty consistent pace for the entire run. My total time was 44:34 (8:15/mi).

I did the Lake View run with Tom, Nathan, and Cory. We didn't push all out but held a pretty good pace throughout the run. I didn't have my Garmin but clocked on overall time of 40:18 (20:50 out, 19:28 back). Estimating 5.2 miles for the run, the average pace was 7:45/mi (8:01/mi out, 7:29/mi back). I think Nathan's Garmin showed a 7:39 average pace, and Tom's 7:40, so the distance may be slightly more than 5.2.

Ran the Lindon loop with Larry this morning. It was a beautiful morning for a run.

I ran up Provo Canyon with Larry, Wayne, Kerry, Nathan, Ryan, and Ryan's wife. Most of us went from the mouth up to Vivian and back. Nathan and Wayne continued up South Fork for longer runs.

We started out at about a 9:00/mi pace but it kept getting faster and faster as I tried to stay with Wayne, Kerry, Nathan, and Ryan. We averaged 8:33/mi for the first 4.76 miles. At that point I was curious how fast we were going so I reset the lap. The last 1.06 miles up to Vivian was at 7:34/mi. That may have been the fastest pace I've run on the up portion of this run.

I ran with Kerry most of the way back. We averaged 8:10/mi for the 4.9 miles down to the fountain by Timpanogos Park. We met back up with Larry and Ryan and this point, and started running again as Ryan's wife went past. We averaged 7:57/mi for the last 0.87 miles.

The weather was great and the companionship was even better. I really enjoyed the run.

Ran the Lindon loop with Larry in the morning.

Ran Eagles View with Nathan and Cory at midday. This weeks 41:44 (8:20/mi) was much more enjoyable than last weeks 7:29/mi pace.

Ran the water tank road with Larry and Wayne this morning. I felt pretty good this morning. Larry was running behind me up one of the hills and said I had chiseled calves. I drew some positive energy from that and charged the last hill pretty fast. On the way back down 1600 North I decided to push the nearly perfect downhill section from 400 E to Main. I ran a 6:11/mi pace for the 1/2 mile and felt pretty good. It was a beautiful morning and I really enjoyed this morning's run with Larry and Wayne.

Larry took me on the "never ending hills" route this morning. As the name suggests, the course consists of hill after hill. We didn't set any speed records, but got a pretty good run in.

At noon I ran the Lake View route with Cory and Nathan. I averaged 8:04/mi out and 7:08/mi back in for an overall average of 7:36/mi. Not quite the 7:18/mi Nathan and Will ran yesterday on the same route, but I'll take it.

Larry, Wayne, and I ran the old Thursday route through Lindon which ends with the climb up 2000 N and then the long downhill back home. I felt pretty strong throughout. I averaged 8:45/mi overall for about 5.65 miles. I pushed the big downhill near the end pretty hard at 6:02/mi for 0.7 miles. In my mind I was preparing for the neighborhood 5K this Saturday.

I've been hoping I could break 20 minutes for the first time at the neighborhood 5K this year, but I'm not sure I'm quite there yet. That would require an average pace of 6:27/mi. I think I'm going to go for it anyway and see if I can hold on. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I met Kerry and Nathan at 6:00am at Provo Canyon. I conducted some relay business with Kerry then ran a couple of miles of warmup. They eventually hooked up with Cory, who was late, and headed off for their run.

At 7:30am was the 19th annual Northridge Neighborhood 5K Fun Run and Breakfast. I've participated for most of the last 15 years. My PR was last year's 20:36. My overall highest place has been 3rd.

Goals: 1. Break 20:00. 2. Take 2nd place overall.

Results: 1. 20:15 (new PR by 21 secs for course--but 16 secs short of sub-20:00). 2. 3rd place overall.

Kurt Gassman (18) took 1st place (as expected) with 19:44. My next door neighbor Taylor Allen (15) made his debut with a 2nd place finish with 19:45. I took 3rd place with my 20:15. I was the first finisher older than 18, and I'm 47, so I'm pleased with my performance...although there were probably only about 30 runners...plus bikers, etc.

The last mile was interesting. Kurt was in front, Taylor back a little, and then me. Suddenly Kurt stops and Taylor runs on past him. As I approach I ask if he is okay. He says he is, but that he is done. I proceed to chase Taylor, but he had a good lead and was running strong so I wasn't hopeful to catch him. A little while later I hear footsteps behind me. As Kurt passes on his chase of Taylor, he says he isn't going to let puking keep him from racing. Later he said he stopped, puked, and then decided to finish the race and still try to win. He and Taylor ran within a step or two of each other for last 1/2 mile or so, with Kurt holding on for the 1 second victory. I had a good view of the action from behind them and it was impressive, especially when Kurt said he kept heaving occasionally during the stretch, but with nothing coming up. It's great to see a new generation benefiting from the strength, endurance, and grit that can be learned from running.

The breakfast and visiting (many don't run but still come for breakfast) were great, too. I got 3rd pick of the prizes and got a nice iron outdoor thermometer for our deck. It was a great morning.

I ran the Lindon loop with Larry this morning. After serving nearly five years I was released as president of the elders quorum yesterday. I thought I might be able to run faster with that burden lifted off my shoulders, but I didn't notice any real difference.

At lunch I ran Eagles View with Cory and Nathan. I didn't feel like we started out very fast, but I ended up finishing only 10 seconds off my pace from two weeks ago, which was my PR for this route. As we started up the steepest hill, Nathan pulled a little ahead and I tried to stay with him. Cory was a few steps back, but as we neared the top he put on a very strong surge and went past both of us. Nathan hung on better than I did. As I crested the hill I was too tired to brake, so I carried my energy up and over, past Nathan and Cory, and on to the downhill. Nathan eventually caught me, but Cory was paying the price for his aggressive push up the hill. Nathan and I ran a 6:35/mi pace back down to State Street where he had to wait for the light. I averaged roughly a 7:00/mi pace up and down the overpasses. Nathan began to pull away on the second overpass. I decided I wanted to try to average a 7:00/mi pace the last 3/4 miles from the end of the overpasses back to the start. I only managed 7:16/mi for the 0.37 mi to where I got stopped by a traffic light again, but I surged to 6:41/mi for the last 0.36 mi, so the overall average was 6:59/mi. It was a good hard run.

Some comparative times for this same run earlier this year are:

1/25: 39:48 (7:58/mi)

1/29: 37:58 (7:36/mi)

2/5: 39:48 (7:58/mi)

2/12: 37:53 (7:35/mi)

3/5: 39:22 (7:52/mi)

3/12: 41:57 (8:23/mi)

3/19: 37:48 (7:34/mi)

4/30: 40:25 (8:05/mi)

5/7: 37:27 (7:29/mi)

5/14: 41:44 (8:20/mi)

5/21: 37:37 (7:31/mi)

I was very tired this morning and wanted to go back to bed. I remember having my cell phone in my hand to call Larry and tell him I wasn't coming. The next thing I knew I was out running towards the big hill with Larry and Wayne. It was a brisk and beautiful morning and I really enjoyed the run, but I still don't remember when I changed my mind and decided to run instead of going back to bed.

Larry was up really late last night so he called to say he was catching a few more Z's and wouldn't be out for the morning run. I was still feeling the effects of the long physical day yesterday, which included hauling 1200+ lbs. of sand, and replacing the serpentine belt on my daughter's car (which had to be done from the right wheel well). I decided to skip the morning run and push the noon run a little harder.

I had a hard time getting out of the office and was late getting to the fitness center. Tom had been waiting for me and was just ready to head out (after about a mile on the treadmill I think), but he said he would wait for me to change. That was very kind, especially since he had a meeting after lunch and could only run a few miles with me.I very much enjoyed the mile and a half or so I was able to run with Tom before he had to turn back.

My mile splits for the first five miles were 8:09, 7:40, 7:25, 7:49, 7:53. I then walked 1/4 mile waiting for Scott Blake who I saw coming up the street, and then ran the last 1.3 miles back in with him at 8:14/mi. He's still recoverying from an awful heel and ankle injury about a month ago. I'm amazed he's running at all, let alone carrying on a comfortable conversation while running an 8:14 pace.

One of the things Tom and I talked about as we started the run was a Runner's World article I read yesterday about stride rate. It said, "At the 1984 Olympics, Daniels and his wife, Nancy, analyzed the stride frequencies of runners from 800 meters to the marathon. At distances from 5000 meters on up, the top runners, both men and women, were remarkably consistent: They ran with a stride rate of about 180 strides per minute." After Tom turned back, I tried to maintain a good marathon pace running as usual, but once every 1/2 mile I picked up my stride rate and counted my steps for a minute. I wanted to see what it felt like to run at 180 steps/minute, or if I could even do it.

When the seconds reached 00 I would start counting. Since 180 steps/minute is 3 steps/sec, I counted once for every three steps I took...One-2-3, Two-2-3, Three-2-3, etc. This allowed me to compare my counts with the seconds on my watch and see how I was doing. If my count matched the seconds exactly, then I would know I was at the 180 steps/second rate, else I would be able to see how much ahead or behind I was.

I was surprised, and pleased, that my count reached 64 or 65 each of the 6 one-minute intervals I did, which equates to 192 to 195 steps/minute. I noted that even though I felt as though I was shortening my stride to get the quicker turnover, my speed still increased significantly, roughly a minute/mile faster. The quicker steps obviously took more energy/effort, but the effort did not seem as intense as other times when I've tried to push the pace by keeping my stride length the same and just trying to run faster. By mentally shortening my stride and focusing on turnover rate I seemed to run more smoothly and efficiently...and faster.

Below are my over paces for miles 3, 4, and 5. The numbers in parentheses are the paces for the 1 minute quick-stride intervals I did during those miles. I didn't think to measure the pace until half way through mile 4, but my feeling was that the first 3 quick-stride intervals were pretty quick, probably closer to 6:30/mi than to 7:00/mi.

7:25 (?) (?)

7:49 (?) (6:36/mi)

7:53 (7:02/mi) (6:49/mi)

I'm think I'm going to focus a little more on stride rate between now and the Wasatch Back Relay next month. I'm also planning to run the Nestle 5K a week from Saturday. I'm thinking of  maybe focusing the whole race on just counting my strides every minute and trying to keep them at 180/min...ignoring my pace...and see I can hold it to the end, and then see what my finish time turns out to be. I'm not sure I'll do that, but it would be an interestnig experiment.

I ran the Lindon loop with Larry this morning. I was pleased to see that the pace of our "easy pace" is getting a little quicker. During the winter we slogged some runs at a 9:45 or slower pace. The average of this morning's run was closer to 8:45. Some of that was due to Larry wanting to push the last mile. Larry was hoping for around a 7:30 pace and we came in at a 7:33 pace.

About 2/3 into the run I decided to check Larry's stride rate and then mine. Yesterday I only counted my stride rate while I was pushing hard for 60 seconds. Today I counted at our normal pace. Larry's stride rate was 168 and mine was 180, even though we were both running the same pace. He was surprised by this. I've been trying over the last year or more to try to shorten my stride and increase my stride rate. It seems I've made some progress. I really think it might help Larry, too. It might be what he needs to finally get that Boston qualifying time. He's been within 5-10 minutes for years. Of course, every year he says he needs to lose 20 pounds and put in more miles. That might help, too.

With the holiday weekend I ended up not planning a run with anyone, so I was left to decide on my own what to do. I decided to do a loop around Orem. I started on 1600 N, went west to 2000 W, south to 2000 S, worked my way east and north to Palisades then north to Cascade Golf Course, then worked my way west and north back up to 1600 N and then west to home.

It ended being 14.6 miles. I finished in 2:10:12, for an average pace of 8:55/mi. I averaged around 8:50/mi for the first 6.5 miles, then slowed as I headed east and then north, which were mostly uphill. I stopped at exactly 10 miles and took an eGel and drank about 8 ounces of water from my water bottle. I felt pretty good the next 2 miles north to Cascade Golf Course, but I was still only running just over a 9:00 pace.

As I turned west, and began the gradual downhill instead of uphill, I picked up the pace. I ran the mile to 1200 N/800 E at 8:17/mi. I started the next mile at 8:06/mi, but my average pace for that mile slowed to 9:00/mi as I went up the big hill and around the former WordPerfect buildings, but I managed to pull the average back down to 8:24/mi by end of that mile at 400 E/1600 N. I was now only a little more than a 1/2 mile from home, and it was my favorite 1/2 mile downhill, so I pushed the pace from 400 E to Main. I decided to not look at the pace on my watch as I pushed this 1/2 mile, but instead I solely counted my stride rate. I had calculated my stride rate at right around my target of 180 a few times during the earlier part of my run. I calculated it at 195 for this section, the same rate as when I was pushing hard on Wednesday. When I checked my pace at the end of the 1/2 mile it was 6:47/mi.

I felt pretty good about finishing that strongly, and overall I just felt pretty good after the run. I had no real aches or pains to speak of, and recovered pretty quickly. The skies were overcast and it never got too hot. I think I prefer running with a buddy or two or more, but I also enjoy a good solo run now and then, and I enjoyed this one.

Similar to Saturday, because of the holiday weekend I didn't have anyone to run with and no real plans. I finally settled on running the water tank road and ended up leaving at about 7:00am.

It took me most of the mile from home to the base of the water tank road to loosen up. I decided to push the series of five hills pretty hard, focusing on keeping my legs turning over at around the 180/min rate I've mentioned in recent blogs. I felt pretty strong all the way to the top and ran the 1.42 miles uphill in 15:55 (11:15/mi). I feel good whenever I can do it under 17 minutes, so today was a good effort.

Rather than coming back down the hill like we normally do, I decided to drop down the trail that eventually leads down to the mouth of Provo Canyon. I've never been down this way before, and took a couple of wrong turns, but eventually worked my way down to the new homes just east of the golf course. I stopped a couple of times to enjoy the view. I couldn't enjoy it while I was running because I had to watch my footing.

After coming off the hillside, I ran a little over 1.5 miles at an easy pace, around 8:55/mi. At 1200N/800E I decided to step up the pace and averaged 7:33/mi for the last 1.5 miles home. It was very warm this morning, and I was hot when I finished, but otherwise felt pretty good.

Larry didn't show this morning (probably sleeping trying to recover from the holiday weekend). I didn't feel like doing a regular route, so I decided to (more or less) run the Lindon loop backwards and add the big hill up 2000 N on the end for a couple of extra miles.

I was jealous of Kerry averaging an 8:02 pace for his long run on Saturday while I only averaged 8:55, so I decided to start out a little quicker. I ran the first three miles in 8:02, 7:50, and 7:55.

That looks pretty good, except there was some downhill mixed in that I had to pay back with some steady uphill during the next 0.9 miles (9:42/mi).

For the next 1.71 miles (8:18/mi) I ran upstream (slight steady uphill) on the canal road.

I then turned and headed up the big hill on 2000 N for 1.0 mile (10:29/mi). The last 0.25 miles at the top level out a bit. I think my pace for the steep 0.75 miles was about 10:56/mi. I ran the top 0.25 back down at 8:10/mi, followed by 6:55/mi for the steep 0.75 miles down. I wanted to go faster, but my legs were pretty heavy from the hill climbing. I couldn't turn them over as quickly as I'd like and I didn't want to risk falling flat on my face.

I ran the last 0.5 mile down Main St. and back home at 7:11/mi.

My overall pace was 8:25/mi for the 8.15 miles. This is still a little slower than Kerry's average on Saturday, but I mixed in some good hill work so I still feel good about the workout.

I ran alone again this morning. This time I picked the flatter Orem route. It was a little chilly this morning with a cool breeze. I opted for the vest and gloves for the first time in a while.

I think the hard runs of the past couple of days caught up with me. I had a real hard time getting going this morning. I ran 6.4 miles at an easy pace (8:49/mi), but it sure didn't feel easy. A positive was that I got faster as I went along.

As I was running back home the thought struck me that this might be similar to how I'm going to feel on the 3rd leg of the Wasatch Back relay. I ran hard yesterday and the day before, and was feeling sluggish today. My 3rd leg (leg 25 - Hard) is a 4.8 mile run up a 1.8% average grade. I highly doubt I'm going to be feeling much zip in my legs at that point.

I ran the water tank hills with Larry and Wayne this morning. It was nice not running alone again. The pace was a little slower than when I pushed hard solo on Monday, but with a 5K race on Saturday I didn't want to push too hard. We still maintained a steady push up the hills.

My bad knee acted up a little at the beginning of the run, but I don't think it's anything unusual. I don't plan to run on Friday as I taper for the 5K.

I still plan to try once again to break the 20 minute barrier at the 5K, but after riding the course on Tuesday on my motorcycle I can see it's not going to be easy. That first mile looks pretty challenging with the big hill into Mapleton.

I think I'll just try to hang onto Tom for the first mile or two and then try to step on the gas until the tank runs dry as we head back down to the high school and around the track. It's going to require some star alignment for me to reach my goal, but I'm counting on drawing energy from the other runners to hopefully get me over the hump.

Dang! I just remembered a quote Larry shared with me recently from Steve Prefontaine. I googled and found it, and another quote, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Prefontaine.

"The only good race pace is suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die."

"A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more. Nobody is going to win a 5,000 meter race after running an easy 2 miles. Not with me. If I lose forcing the pace all the way, well, at least I can live with myself."

So now I'm faced with my original plan to hold back a little that first uphill mile, or live on the edge, force the pace all the way, and push (and risk reaching too soon) my mental and physical limits. Strangely, I feel myself being drawn to the latter right now. How can you be sure where the limits are if you never push them? I hope I come to my senses before the gun fires on Saturday morning.