"A Hefty Hunk Of Steamin Junk"

Happy New Year. What a beautiful day for a run. I fell like I am getting back to where I was before A got sick and had my mustle strains and all that stuff. Total time today was 49:33; I felt a little sluggish towards the end which tells me the flu bug I had last week is still lingering. All in all I felt like that I am on the right track, I also did 30 minutes of upper body training on the Boflex.

Ran my 3 mile split in 24:30 and realized that this was suppose to be a recovery run, and decided to back off on the inward half. My inward 3 mile split was 27:13 for a total of 51:43, it was another beautiful mourningfor a run. I like it when it is in the 20's makes it comfortable, but I will be glad for spring to get here in a few months.

Total time today was 51:01. I did a warm up of about mile and then just tried to keep a steady pace throughout the run. I also ran faster for about .5 mile total time on that split was 3:45, I did some strength training on my legs yesterday and I was kind of feeling today. Tomorrow I plan on running up Harry Davis hill in Salem, it is like a 7% to 8% grade and it lasts for about a mile, its brutal. Hopefully my legs will be able to cooperate.

Thursday's are Harry Davis hill days, as of the New Year anyway. Started out with the first mile split at 8:16, at the end of mile two I had droped to a 8:37 for that split which is at the base of said hill. Now, this is where the fun starts the hill is at a 8% grade and by the time you get to the top it is like a 10% grade. From the base to the top its about a mile which takes me to my third mile split which was 10:09, as you can see it is one steep mother. Once at the top I take a 1 minute walk break and start my way back down. My 4th mile split was at 7:53 as it was all down hill, mile 5 was done in 8:20 which is pretty flat and I was trying to get my legs to recover they were a little tired. Once I hit my last mile I felt a burst of energy and that split was done in 8:15, total time was 51:56

I am still trying to get over my cough and a few of my nagging injury's, but they felt pretty good today.

The roads were really snow packed and icy this mourning. May first mile split was 8:43, I was just trying to get the feel for the road and how slick it was. My second mile was 9:08 and the third mile was 9:18, which included a small hill which was very slick so I had to slow down. The forth mile split was 8:58 and the 5th mile was 8:45, I have noticed that the last few times I have ran that I seem to have a burst of energy towards my last mile and the same thing happened today. I was able to find a good stretch of road that wasn't to slick and my 6th mile split was 8:00 even. I am hoping for the roads to be a little better tomorrow, but who knows it is that time of year for snowy slick roads.

I ran a little later today so I could run when it was some what warm. Started off with my first mile split at 8:10, then the next split was 8:24 as I was in a bad stretch of road and it was snow pack and slick. 8:53 for my 3 mile split and then I started to speed back up, with my 4th mile split in 8:15. The 5th mile in 8:11 and the final mile in 7:31 for a total of 49:28.

I felt good after my hamstring was loose enough to get going but then I had to slow down for the condition of the roads.

I hope they are more clear on Monday.

My first mile split was 8:15 followed by an 8:25, 8:37, 8:16, 8:19, and then I finished up with an 8:12, total time was 50:10. The roads were still bad in some spots but I was able to find some good patches so It made it easier to keep my speed up where it was respectable. I think I might stay with the 6 miles a day for the rest of this week and then I might kick it up to seven the following week. I will have to see how I do this week and also if the weather will cooperate.

My first mile split was 7:57 and then it was pretty much down hill from there. The 2nd mile split was 8:32, mile 3 was 8:42, mile 4 in 8:28, and then 8:41 for mile 5, and then mile 6 in 8:42 for a total of 51:06. My legs felt real heavy today and I just could not get going. I know it was suppose to be a recovery run and boy was it.

I also did 20 miuntes of lower body strength training.

Today was a speed day. First mile split in 8:11 followed by,8:12, 8:17, 8:10,8:22 which includes a small hill which accounts for the slower time, its about 6% grade not very long though. Then I finished up with a 7:49 final split, total time was 49:12. My legs felt okay but I felt winded which I think is normal for doing speed work. I am still having problems with my right calf and hamstring, I can't seem to get it back 100%, it's more like 70%. It seems to bother me more when I walk than when I run. The only time I notice it when I run is when I try to lengthen out my stride then I feel it. Any suggestions out there would be greatly appreciated.

It is suppose to get cold in the next few days so I might be confined to my eliptical glider indoors. If it gets down into the single digits I find it hard to go out in that when it is that cold maybe if I had better gear.

I just did a recovery run today. Started out with a warm up mile of 8:25, Then I ran into some major wind right in my face and it slowed me down to 8:56 2nd mile split. My third mile split was a little better 8:08, and then recovered with a 8:26 4th mile split. My 5th mile split was in 8:19 and my final mile was done in 8:04. My average pace was, 8:24 total time was 50:21. My calf and hamstring felt alot better today I have been doing some strength training on my legs a little more. I am doing 2 to 3 days of lower body wieght training which I do on my easier days of running, so we will see how it helps. So far so good.

I ran in the afternoon today because we had 5 inches of snow and the roads had not been plowed. My first mile split was 8:02 with a second mile split of 8:28, Then I hit the base of Harry Davis hill, which I have mentioned before is like a 8% grade for about a mile and about a tenth, it's brutal. It usually takes me over 10 minutes to complete it to the top but today I did it in 9:50 took a 2 minute break at the top and then headed back down. My 4th mile split was 8:18, followed by a 8:03 5th mile split. My final mile to make up the 6 miles was 8:00 with the final .22 miles in 1:33 for a total of 6.22 miles, total time was 52:17. It was still really cold even though I ran in the afternoon and I here it is only suppose to get worse, so I might be doing my eliptical glider if it gets to bad.

I ran in the afternoon again today to combat the cold weather and it was a beautiful day clear blue skies and brisk. My first mile split was 8:20 the roads where really snowpacked and slick. Mile 2 was alittle faster 8:17 then I hit a little up hill strectch and mile 3 was 8:31. I did a 1 mile tempo run of 7:57, and then did a 1 mile recovery run at 8:21, my last mile split was 8:16 total time was 49:46. I tryed to take it easy today after running up Harry Davis hill but I was really surprised to see my final time it was quicker than I expected, expecially with the slick roads.

I also did 45 minutes of upper and lower body strength training I have really been trying to work hard on getting stronger expecially with my legs and my upper core, I hope it starts paying off here in the near future.

It was cold. 9 degrees is bitter cold so I  threw on another layer and gave it a try and to my surprise it was quite comfortable. Tomorrow I will start running in the mourning so it might be a little different. My first mile split I took it pretty easy (8:21)  my second mile split was (8:22).  The 3rd mile split I did a tempo run (8:05) and then the 4th mile split was a little recovery run at (8:18). The 5th mile split was at a pace that felt comfortable (8:22) and then my last mile to round out the 6 miles was (8:10) total time was 49:53.

All in all I felt okay. The cold didn't seem to hold me back other tahn the extra layer felt a little heavy and so I felt more winded at times but that could of been the cold. I will do my standard 35 minute upper body weight training to round out the day and finish my workout

We will see how it goes tomorrow in the real bitter cold hopefully it will start to warm up this next week.

I did an afternoon run today to combat the mourning cold. My first mile split was 8:04 followed by a recovery run of 8:31 The extra layers felt like they where slowing me down at least it seemed I was working harder than I usually have to. My third mile split was slow with a little hill in it (8:49) that was followed by a (8:31) forth mile. I hit my fifth mile and I seemed to lose my legs for that mile (8:53)but then my final mile split was alittle better at (8:16). I just didn't feel real strong today, I skipped out on breakfast and then I had a late lunch and it was not a good combination, Cheeseburger and fries, and boy did I feel it running. Total Time was 51:07, I hope tomorrow I feel a bit better than I did today I think I should try to eat better but those darn cheeseburgers just call my name and I can't resist.

I also did 30 minutes of lower body weight training.

I ran in the afternoon today and it was a 20 degrees and it felt great. I plan on running in the mourning tomorrow so I will see how that goes, I know it won't be 20 degrees. My legs were really tired today from the strength training on tuesday but after the first mile and a half they started to warm up. My first mile split was a little faster than I wanted to start out (8:10), then I did slow down a bit for a 2nd mile split of (8:27). Then I was a little faster for the 3rd mile split ( 8:09)  and I felt pretty good for that stretch of the run,  my legs felt like they where coming back. I did a recovery Run on the 4th mile split (8:25) which has a little hill in it and I tryed to keep the same pace up that hill which can be a challange for me. My 5th mile split was about the same( 8:23) and then I decided to pick it up for the last mile to round out the 6 miles ( 8:01).  Total time for the day was 49:41, finished the day with 45 minutes of upper body strength training. I sure wish it would warm up the warm weather makes for funner runs, tomorrow should be a cold one.

This was the first mourning run in about a week. I have been running in the afternoon to run when it is warmer, it was 0 degrees. Tryed the layering system and it worked out pretty well, I had three layers on my core area and then my thermopolis tights along with some insulated sweats for my legs and I really didn't need them. Tomorrow I will shed those because I felt like I got to hot for my legs, I also had a beanie on and another one for my face and nose area. Its was really quite comfortable for the most part, my eye lashes froze together which was kind of wierd but other than that it was alright.

My firts mile split was 8:19 and then I was pretty slow from there on I think the extra layer on my legs really slowed me down, but it was a recovery run today so I just tryed to keep an even pace. My 2nd mile split was 8:32, followed by 8:59 with a little hill and then my 4th mile split was 8:50. My legs felt really heavy at this point and my 5th mile split was 8:52 and then to round out the 6th mile I sped up just a hair to 8:39 for a total of 52:16. I don't know if the extra layers on my legs accounted for the slower time or if I just was wore down from the cold, I just don't know. Hopefully tomorrow I will have a better time but I will be doing some hill work so probably not here I come Harry Davis Hill. I also did my strength training on my legs for about 20 minutes and core area.

Harry Davis Hill kicked my butt this cool brisk mourning. I was up at 5:30am got dressed and headed out, took Sasha's advice and used two pairs of tights for my legs and it kept me pretty toasty. My first mile was a little warm up of 8:25 and mile two was the start up HDH so I was alittle slower on this 8:56. Then I hit the main part of the hill and my time and legs where pretty much waisted mile 3 10:12, my 4th mile split was alittle better at 8:27 which was all down hill but slick. Mile 5 I did speed run of 7:59 and then a recovery run for my 6 mile 8:23, I ended up going a little extra this mourning about a quarter mile more I did .22 miles in 1:49. Total Miles 6.22 with a total time of 54:15, I don't know if the extra stength training on my lower body has wacked my legs out or if it is the extra layers I am carrying around, I quess it could be a combination of both, that and the cold. I also did 35 minutes of upper body strength training on the bowflex. I might go a little further tomorrow, maybe 7 miles as I am thinking of lengthening my mileage next week to 7 miles a day so maybe a little teaser run tomorrow.

Today I felt like I needed to take it a little easy. I wanted to start with going an extra mile to prepare for next week, I want to up my mileage to 7 miles a day so I tryed it today to see how it felt. My first mile split was 8:50 just trying to get warmed up 2nd mile was about the same 8:51 mile 3 has a little hill in it but I still was alittle faster at 8:48. Then speed up to 8:20 for mile 4, 5th mile split was 8:27, followed by an 8:25 6th mile split. I decided to see how much I had left in the tank so I picked up on the last mile for a speed run and did a 7:58 7th mile. Some of mile splits where a little slower than usual but I decided to just take it easy today for the most part, I think the extra layers make it harder and work you harder because of the extra wieght.  Total time was 59:42, after I hit the timer on my watch I ran another .25 mile cool down which is not reflected in the total time, so total distance was 7.25 miles. I also did 35 minutes of leg training with the bowflex and some core training for my ab's. I am tired today it has been a good week of training , both running and strength training.

See ya next week.

Another week and it looks like it will be a cold one, again. I am  increasing my milage this week to seven miles a day. My First mile split with a warm up was 8:26, I couldn't seem to get my legs going this mourning and mile 2 plit was slower at 8:48. Mile 3 has alittle hill in it but I was proud of this split as it was faster with the up hill in it 8:22 then I picked it up to a tempo run with a 4th mile split of  7:56. I tryed to recovery on the 5th mile split with a 8:42 and then followed that up with a dismal 8:55. Picked it up for my last mile split for rounding out the seven at 8:16, some days I feel like I am all over the map with my splits I think that is something that I need to work on so I can be more consistant. Total time was 59:33 with a quarter mile cool down which is not reflected in the total time,  I would like to get that down to around 53:00 to 54:00 I feel that would be respectable, I also did 30 minutes of upper body wieght training on the bowflex.

I did a tempo run today. I wanted to see if I could improve on my time and see if my legs would hold up. My legs felt really good but my lungs did not and I think alot has to do with the air quality in Utah county. My first mile split was (8:05) followed by (8:18)(8:13)(8:05). My 5th mile split I did a recovery mile(8:19)followed by (8:17), Picked it up for my final mile,(8:06) to round out the seven. Total time was 57:29, my average pace pr mile was alittle better at (8:12). My goal is to get it around 53:00 for the 7 miles so I am not far off. I also did 30 minutes of lower body weight training which included my core area.

Ran in the afternoon today as I was up most of the night with one of my daughters, needless to say I got no sleep. Decided to just take it easy today but as the run went on I felt like I had all this energy so I tryed to keep the same pace and I was surprised at some of my splits. 1st mile split to warm up was 8:12, then I slowed just a bit to my 2nd mile split of 8:25 but that was when I got my burst of energy 3rd mile split was 8:15 with a good size hill in it. Then I really picked it up for 4th mile split which was 7:59, that also had a little hill it. My 5th mile was even better at 7:52 and I followed that up with a 8:07 I felt like I had to ease off a little bit. My final split was 7:55 I really like it when I have extra strength towards the end it really feels good , my final time was 56:57. I was surprised by my energy level considering I haven't had much sleep so I was pleasently surprised with my splits and I hope the improvement continues. I also did 30 minutes of upper body wieght training, tomorrow is Harry Davis Hill day I will really need a good nights rest tonight to tackle that monster, 5:00am will come mighty fast. I did a quarter mile cool down which is not reflected in my total time.

Today was one of the worst days running I have had in a while. I had such a great run yesterday that I was just amazed at how bad I was today, I think my legs didn't have enough time to recover because I ran in the afternoon yesterday and then this mourning. That is only 12 hours to recovery as apposed to 24 hours. Harry Davis Hill killed me today, I had mile splits of 8:45,9:17, 10:45 which  is all straight uphill for about 1.35 miles  with an 8 to 10 % grade. Mile 4 was 9:16, followed by a downhill of 8:33 , mile 6 was 8:49 and then I was pretty much done leg wise,  my final mile in 9:15. Total Time was 1:04:45, even though my splits where horrible it was a good workout with all the hill work I can't go wrong with that.

I hope I will recover enough to have a better run tomorrow time wise,  although I won't be pushing it to hard tomorrow. I usually do 25 minutes of lower body weight training but I figure my legs had a good enough workout this mourning.

I decided to give my lungs a break from the horrible smog outside, so this mourning I did 47 minutes on the Nordic Track Eliptical glider and then strength trained my legs for another 20 minutes. I will be hitting the road again tomorrow and I might  even treat myself to a 10 or 11 miler depending on how I feel and the amount of time I have, hello 5:00am.

This was by far the worst run I have ever had since I started running 2 years ago. I don't know if it was the un-healthy air or me, all I know is I had nothing in the tank. My splits where the worst, total time was 1:04:32 for the seven and a quarter miles, In fact there so bad I just want to forget the whole day. Well okay, I'll let you know this much I only had 3 of the miles where I broke a 9:00 mile the other four were over the 9 minute mark and I have been averaging around a 8:15 mile and I think today it was around a 9:05 mile, I know that is not that bad but it felt like I haven't been running at all, I had no energy and now strength. I'm glad it is Saturday so I get a nice recovery day tomorrow, hopefully Monday will bring better things , like some clean air or stronger legs, who knows.

What a beautiful mourning for a run. I was kind of nervous about my run today because I had such a lousy run on Saturday, but I pulled myself out of bed and laced up my shoes and away I went into the foggy air,   and as bad as my day was on Saturday it was that good today, I had my strength back and some of my speed.  My splits went as follows, 7:59,8:04,8:07, 8:10,8:03,8:11, and 7:31. Total time was 56:09. I don't know what happened on Saturday, I quess I just was wore out from all the strength training on my lower body during the week.

It sure felt good. This mouring reminded me why I am doing this and what my goals are and how I am slowly working towards those goals and how I will have set backs and I shouldn't be so hard on myself.

I finished up with 35 minutes of upper body weight training, see ya tomorrow.

I did a recovery run today 7.25 miles. My average pace was 8:48, I really tryed to take it easy today I had a real good speed workout yesterday and I could feel it as far my legs where concerned. My splits went as follows; 8:47,8:45,8:56,8:35,8:52,8:45,8:54. I taked on about a minute per mile more than I would usually take just to try and teach myself that I don't have to go fast on every run, so it was good to just take it easy and have an easy even pace throughout the run. I did some strength training on my legs when I finished the run, not real heavy just light and easy. Depending on how I feel I might do Harry Davis Hill tomorrow if not I have a pretty flat course that I will do instead of the massive hill that kills.

My legs felt a little better today but I still tryed to just keep an even pace and I wanted to finish with a little faster time than yesterday. My splits where as follows,8:35,8:47,8:45,8:34,8:48,8:48,8:25

the roads were slick from it snowing and so there were spots that I had to go slow. Total time 1:00:45 which was a couple of minutes faster than yesterday, Tomorrow if the roads are better I will be doing Harry Davis Hill, if not then I will keep to my regular route. No weights today I am taking a day off from that.