Every Race is an Adventure!

I intentionally slept in this morning to get a little more sleep. Even though I left a little later than usual, it still seemed a little cooler. It was also a little lighter. It was a beautiful morning for a run.

I ran down into Orem. As usual, there was a bit of a tail wind as I went south, which meant a bit of a head wind as I came back north. I ran 6.4 miles in 49:16 (7:42/mi). Mile splits were 8:34, 7:01, 7:49, 7:56, 7:43, 7:15, and 0.4 mi in 2:58 (7:22/mi).

This is faster than I normally run this course. I credit it to having watched "Chariots of Fire" last night. I ran my first two marathons, and my only sub-3 hour marathon, back in 1982, the year after this movie came out and won an Oscar for Best Picture in 1981. I ran many miles with the Theme from Chariots of Fire pulsing through my head. It is still my favorite running song. It was going through my head throughout my entire run this morning.

I've also been reading a book, based on a true story, called "Marathon", by W. William Winokur, that was published in January 2006. From http://www.helleniccomserve.com/bookmarathon.html :

"From the concrete canyons of lower Manhattan to the ruins of Ancient Greece, Marathon is a tour de force by a new voice in American fiction. In this impressive, multi-layered debut, based on a true story, W. William Winokur takes the reader on a journey that is at once historical, philosophical and spiritual in order to learn exactly what gives a life meaning. ... Framed by the story of Pheidippides’ celebrated run from Marathon to Athens, the novel is steeped in mythology and mystery. Winokur ponders the essential questions of life and death, the intersection of past and present, the struggle of duty versus passion, all while exploring one woman’s discovery of herself through ancient myths, lost journals, impossible loves, and timeless souls. ... Marathon is a richly imagined work that sets the conflict and intrigue of the ancient world against the reality of contemporary life. Compelling, thought provoking, and thoroughly engaging, Marathon is a powerful statement about the choices we make in life, and how to create a life worth living."

I'm only about halfway through it, but I'm finding it hard to put down. In fact, I slept in this morning because I was up so late reading it last night. If I stop blogging, maybe I can squeeze in a few chapters before I go to work.

I went to run with Nathan at lunch time today but I was late and he had already left. I went ahead and ran the Eagles View course alone. It was warm, but not as hot as it has been. I kept expecting to see Nathan on his way back but never did. I saw him in the fitness center after the run and he had taken a different course and gone a little longer than normal. I ran the normal 5 miles in 39:57 (7:59/mi). Not my fastest run, but on that run I feel good about anything under 40:00.

After a mile or so of warm up over to the track, Larry, Wayne and I did 3x1 mile repeats, with a 1/4 mile rest in between. My times were 6:48, 6:56, and 6:36. I feel pretty good about the times, although the consistency could be better, but my focus was on my form, trying to run efficiently.

I felt like I was running pretty smoothly, but it must not have been too impressive. There were two groups of cheerleaders, one on each side of the track, and I even knew one of the girls in each group and we greeted each other, but still our athletic prowess didn't elicit a single cheer out of either group. Actually, on one lap I think Larry did ask Stephanie for a cheer and she said something like, "Way to go, Larry, you're doing good." We figured they were saving their enthusiastic cheering for the young bucks...potential dating partners. Come to think of it, I can't remember ever hearing any good running cheers. Maybe something like "Kick again! Kick again! !Harder! Harder!" or "Larry, Larry, he's our man! If he can't hold his pace to the end, no one can!"

The weather was great and it was another enjoyable morning running with Larry and Wayne. 

It was a great morning for a run. Like Monday, I slept in a little (yes, I was up late reading "Marathon") so it was light and beautiful as I headed out. For some reason I decided to run towards the mouth of Provo Canyon and then down Palisades. It was just short of 4 miles to Center Street. I wanted to go 8 miles total, so I made up the distance looping through some side neighborhoods on the way back. It's gradual uphill to the golf course then downhill to Center Street. I ran the same route down and back. I really enjoyed it and will probably use it again.

I ran 8.1 miles in 1:09:21 (8:34/mi). Mile splits were 9:04/mi (for 3 miles), 8:05, 8:49, 8:38, 7:55, and 7:49.

At noon I did the traditional Lake View run. With Tom in India, and no Cory or Nathan, I thought I might have to run alone, but Will and Russ were leaving later than usual so I ran with them. Russ had to get back for something so he turned around at the church. Will and I had a very enjoyable run together. We stayed conversational the entire run and still managed to finished the 5.2 miles in 38:40 (7:26/mi).

 

I went to meet Larry and Wayne this morning but neither of them were there. I think Wayne might be tapering for the Provo River Half Marathon this Saturday. I saw Larry's wife Jolene heading out for her walk with Denise. She had left Larry at home thinking it was a biking morning for him, when he normally leaves later. She said he was moving pretty slowly this morning and may have fallen back to sleep. I went over and rang the bell, waited, then knocked and waited some more. I figured if he was that tired I'd just let him sleep so I headed out alone.

I ran the water tank road like we have been doing on Thursdays, but when I got to the top instead of turning around I continued on the dirt road for another 1.25 miles or so until the Garmin got to 4 miles. I then turned around and headed back. It was another beautiful morning, and I enjoyed the run, but some companionship would have been nice.

Even though I went a little farther than normal, my pace must definitely be rated as easy. I only averaged a 10:12/mi pace for the 8.1 miles. Sure, there were quite a few hills, but my legs just had no zip. I pushed pretty hard yesterday, and with the extra miles I've been trying to get in, the legs only had an easy run in them today.

Basketball with Andrew and the morning bunch. Once again, it was a nice mental and physical break from all the running, and a social opportunity to keep in touch with my basketball buddies.

Larry and I ran to the summit of Mt. Timpanogos and back this morning. It's been something I've been wanting to do for a long time, and I wasn't disappointed.

We left Larry's house around 4:50am. Even that early the parking lot at the Timpanooke trail head was full. Apparently a lot of people hike up to watch the sunrise from the top. We had to park about a half mile away.

We started from the Timpanooke trail head at 5:45am. It was still dark so we used head lamps for the first couple of miles. This was only my second time up, and the first was 25 years ago, so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. We chose (wisely, I think) to only run where the trail was not too steep and not too rocky. We ran most of the way back down, walking when it was prudent.

The weather was cool and comfortable clear up until we reached the saddle. The wind was really strong from there on up to the summit. We were just wearing our running shorts and a t-shirt, and got pretty cold. Our hands were so cold it was difficult to write our names in the register at the summit. We had both taken our cell phones and called our wives from the shack at the summit. After drinking a little and eating some of the homemade energy bar Larry's wife Jolene had sent along (it was awesome!) we started back down. Going up from the saddle to the summit was pretty challenging, but coming down that section was even tougher I think, especially being cold with numb hands. Once we got back down to the saddle and beyond the sun hit us and the wind died down and conditions became perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed the run back down.

Everyone we saw along the trail was very friendly. They stepped off the trail to let us pass, and said kind words about our efforts. Most of them were college-age kids. One girl said we were her heroes. Others told us we were crazy. A couple of girls in one group gave us high fives as we passed. As we approached one large group I was a little ahead of Larry, who they couldn't see yet. The conversation was something like this: Seeing me coming running, one of the boys said, "Something must be chasing him!" I said, "Yeah, that guy behind me won't stop chasing me. Tackle him!", as I ran past. Larry heard this as he approached them and said, "Stop that man! He stole my wallet!" The kids knew we were joking and got a pretty good laugh out of it.

The wildflowers were beautiful, in reds, yellows, and purples. The sky was clear and blue and the meadows, plants, and trees were green. It starting getting warm near the end, but there was a nice breeze. Even the brooks were babbling about how beautiful it was. We saw various chipmunks and other small animals, one that looked like a guinea pig. As we came running around one bend there was a deer standing near where the path curved in almost a full circle. We expected her to bolt, but she just stood there about 20 feet away looking at us as we ran around her. We slowed to a stop and I began to ask her if she was having a nice day. I think she got nervous about us stopping and she went off into the trees.

The Sojourners Running Club was running Timp today. We had a bit of a head start on them and only three of them passed us. The third guy that passed us said the two in front of him were both sub-2:30 marathon guys, so we didn't feel too bad about them passing us. On our way down from the summit, near the saddle, we came across a group of them. Larry knows Cheryl Harper and talked to her for a bit. She said she had snacks in her van at the bottom and told us where the keys were. When we got down we both enjoyed some Nutter Butter cookies from her van, and Larry had some grapefruit juice from the cooler.

It took us 2:52:16 to reach the summit, and the return trip took 2:19:40, for a total of 5:11:56. My GPS was unreliable, but the Sojourner's web site says "9 miles to the top (18 total but probably worth 20 or more!)"

Larry stubbed his toes on some rocks and hurt his big toe on his left foot, but other than that we both thoroughly enjoyed the run. It was awesome!