Every Race is an Adventure!

I went to the track with Larry and Kent this morning. Once again, they ran their 1/2 mile repeats while I did 1 mile repeats. Yesterday I told Larry that after a week of pleasure running at Lake Tahoe I was ready for a tough workout and was going to run 4 x 1 mile repeats at sub-7:00. When it came time to do it this morning I felt like maybe I'd bitten off more than I could chew. I decided to give it a go anyway. I remembered a couple of quotes from President Hinckley that I heard yesterday about just doing the best you can, and doing a little better today than yesterday.

It actually felt good pushing hard, in a "push your limits and find out what you can do" kind of way. As it turns out, I could chew what I bit off and ran the 4 x 1 mile splits in 6:48, 6:56, 6:55, and 6:50. Including the run to and from the track and the 1/4 mile rest laps I ran a total of 6.8 miles at 8:03/mi. I recovered pretty quickly and my body and spirit both feel good. I hope the rest of the day and week go as well.

Larry, Wayne and I started running the 2000 N route this morning. Coming back down the hill a couple of us decided that a stop back home for a bathroom visit might be a good idea. After the pit stop we went back out for the second half of the run, basically following the neighborhood 5K course in reverse direction. This was definitely just a conversational easy run, and that was fine with me.

Water tank hills with Larry, Wayne, Kent and eventually Kevin. Beautiful morning. I felt slow today, and my arthritic hip was a little sore, but I still pushed the hills in 16:35 and the last mile in 6:33...pretty good for me. I enjoy this run because I get to push uphill for about 1.5 miles, push downhill 1 mile, and just enjoy conversational pace the remainder of the run.

Wayne and I ran up to Provo Canyon and back. Although we both had tired legs, we decided to go 10 miles instead of the normal 6. We only averaged 9:07/mi, and the end felt like a 20-miler instead of a 12-miler, but it was still an enjoyable run, but one we were glad to have done.

Lindon loop with Larry, Wayne and Kevin. Easy pace. No zip in the legs. A little pain in left knee and right hip. Beautiful morning. Good friends.

I was thinking this morning that so far this year I've done quite a bit of running, but not a lot of training. I've always been kind of a "zen" runner, without a firm training plan or schedule. I think I kind of like it that way and don't plan to change. For me, running isn't something I do, it's more a part of who I am. I'm not as dedicated or zealous as many runners, but pretty steady and consistent. I don't just run, I'm a runner. It's a lifestyle. It brings me great happiness and satisfaction. Many of my closest friends are runners. I apply much of what I've learned from running to life, sort of a lens through which I see life. One of my favorite "happy places" is being out on a run, whether alone or with my buddies or in a race. I'm grateful to be able to run. I think if everyone started their day with an early morning run, the world would be a better place...but the running trails would probably get too crowded, and it would be harder to place in my age division. You know what, that would be okay. I wish everyone could taste the joy of running.

Larry and Kevin were hiking with the YW, and Wayne was at a cabin with his wife, so Kent and I ran down to Wil's, up the canyon to the fountain, and back home. It's good to see Kent back running. He and I don't run alone very often. I wasn't sure what we would talk about, but it didn't seem to be a problem. I really enjoyed the run.

I'm exacly sure where my fitness is. Next week's Provo 1/2 marathon will interesting...every race is an adventure.