Hurdle the Dead, Trample the Weak

6:40 pm: 3.11 miles

Glad to say that I'm finally healthy enough to begin running again. Was able to take the last couple of months to rest and build strength in my legs. Was feeling sick this week, but couldn't wait to get back out there. Went for an easy 3 today and will continue for the next week.

Roads were pretty slick. Had to be careful on the downhills so I didn't slip and fall. Was still able to get in a decent pace.

8:30 pm: Gym

10:28 am: 3.1 miles

Legs were defintely sore. They're gonna have to get used to running again. Roads were a bit better to run on. Cold running is fun running

8:30 pm: Gym

🎉 Happy National Spaghetti Day 🎉

10:52 am: 3.01 miles

Was definetly feeling tired today. I don't think I've completely kicked my illness. Will have to keep running through it. Legs were really tired as well, but we got through. Trusting the process right now

12:35 pm: 3.15 mile hike

Hiked around Lehi to keep my legs moving

In honor of National Spaghetti Day I made sure to make a big pot and eat as much as I could. Definitely bunt the first batch of garlic bread though.

4:05 pm: 3.1 miles

Still feeling pretty sick. Woke up this moring exhausted and stayed in bed for most of the day resting. Finally got up and got outside to grind out 3.1 miles. Felt pretty nauseous after the run though. Hopefully I can get to bed early tonight and sleep this off.

7:00 pm: 3.1 miles

Still feeling pretty sick so I did my 3 on the treadmill

Too sick to leave bed

7:10 am: 4 miles

First day of spring semester for me. Woke up early to get my run in before class started. I don't feel sick anymore which is great so I felt like I was able to open up abit on the run. Averaged a 7:50 mile.

8:24 pm: 4 miles

Had a busy day at work, but I managed to get my run in at the gym on the treadmills. Ran for 30 min at a comfortable pace and then finished out the last mile to 4. Averaged a 8:00 mile.

7:34 am: 4 miles

This morning was super cold. I really wanted to quit during the first 2 miles, but after that I was able to warm up and continue to run. Ran another 30 min while finishing out the last mile. Averaged 7:58 pace. I ran the first 7 min at 8:30 pace, the next 15 min at 7:30 pace, and then finished out at 8:30 pace.

7:20 pm: 5 miles

Had another treadmill day, but this time I increased the mileage and pace. Ran 5 miles and averaged 7:30 pace. Legs felt good and was getting ready for tomorrows long run.

1:04 pm: 8.5 miles

Death by treadmill. Anything over 6 miles should not be run on a treadmill, unfortunately today I ran 8.5 miles. The goal was to run it without dropping below 8:00 pace.

During the first 4 miles I was able to stay on pace comfortably however once I hit mile 4 I had to drop it to 8:34 pace. Ran that for the next 3.5 miles and finished my last mile at 7:30 pace so that I finished fast. Overall averaged an 8:14 pace. Didn't hit my goal, but I'm more happy that I got the miles in. I can worry about times once I build up my base and get stronger.

Legs felt pretty good. My left calf was pretty tight from this weeks running, but eventually I didn't feel it as I continued to run. Towards the end I could feel that my shins were putting in the work, but nothing concerning on that front.

Next week I expect to run 45 min each day while finishing out the last mile so that I can continue progressing. Lots of stretching/massaging to come tomorrow.

12:10 pm: 6 miles

Ran for 45 min today and then finished out the last mile to reach 6 miles today. Averaged a 7:41 mile. Felt great throughout the run, however my left calf was still tight. Other than that I was feeling great. It was pretty warm when I started and was able to finish as it started to snow, so I had some great running weather. Did 100 calf rasies in the shower to help avoid shin splints.

7:00 pm: 4 miles + elliptical

Hopped on the treadmill at UVU after class and started to run. Kept the pace low because my calf was still hurting a bit. After a couple of miles I noticed my shin was beginning to hurt as well so I called it after 4 miles and hopped on an elliptical for 20 min (2.61 miles) to lessen the load on my shin. Averaged an 8:55 mile on the treadmill. Didn't have a ton of time because I had a paper due. Lots of rolling and stretching when I got home. Hopefully tomorrow it will feel a bit better.

What's a better substitute for running when injured or trying to avoid an injury by taking off some load like I wanted to today: an elliptical or a stationary bike?

2:00 pm: 60 min spin cycle + 20 min elliptical

Decided to take the load off my legs today and do a mixture of cycle and elliptical. Was on the spin cycle for 60 min (16.7 miles) and then finished off with 20 min on the elliptical (3.44 miles). Wasn't really sure how to convert that all into running so I just logged 4 miles. On the bike I stayed above 100 rpm on a decently good setting so that there was still a burn throughout the entire workout, making the walk over to the elliptical more of a waddle. Used the elliptical to cool down and break up the lactic acid in my thighs.

Afterwards in the shower I did another 100 calf raises. Gotta keep those shins happy

4:08 pm: 4 miles + 30 min spin cycle

Gave myself a light impact day. Started off with 4 miles very easy on the treadmill and then finished out with a 30 min ride. Averaged a 8:44 mile. My shin and calf felt way better today, just a couple of aches here and there, but I'm glad I'm taking some impact off. On the bike I didn't go under 100 rpm on a decent resistance and rode for 9.1 miles. Not a bad workout today.

7:54 pm: 4 miles + 30 spin cycle

Decided to do another low impact day. Shins felt great on the treadmill. Averaged a 8:02 mile and set the incline to 1.5% the entire time. No serious pains, only small aches. After the treadmill I rode the cycle for 30 min, biking 7.4 miles. Legs were a lot more tired today and I really felt that in the bike today. The last 10 min of the bike was mentally tough. 100 calf raises in the shower again and lost of stretching and rolling.

4:28 pm: 4 miles

Overall run anaylsis:

Legs felt great. Lungs felt great. Glad to be back. I think that I will continue workouts like this for a while until I'm confident my legs are strong enough to endure more. No real pains in the shins other than some aches here are there.

Running thoughts:

I think I'm going to sign up for some half marathons this summer. Or just some races in general. That should help me to stay motivated to keep running and improving. I also need to start strectching more as well as rolling out my musscles. Tonight I'll have to set an alarm to remind me to do that before bed. Can't wait for the snow to go away so that I can safely run outside. Until then the treadmill is gonna be my best friend.

Other:

After my run I spent an hour in the gym doing a light leg day and then did 100 calf raises in the shower before heading to class. Going to do some core tonight.

3:41 pm: 6 miles

Overall analysis:

My legs were sore from yesterday's workout, but before I ran I spent about an hour stretching and rolling my legs out so my legs felt super super great. The cold made it a bit hard mentally, but around mile 3 I didn't even notice it. Lungs felt great too. Could feel a bit of aching in my shins but I think its just getting used to the runs. Cold made the muscles feel good though. My watch died halfway through the run so I didn't get the last 2 miles of my run. After the run I did 4 X 200m sprints and those really drained my legs. The last two I was really fighting to the end.

Running thoughts:

Geez it's cold, but I'm glad I didn't over dress. I had "Beer For My Horses" by Toby Keith stuck in my head so that was kinda nice to help get my thoughts off of the cold. Gonna stretch and do some more core tonight before bed.

Rest day. Didn't have time to fit in a run. Did some core and stretching though. Will start again on Monday

4:07 pm: 4 miles + Leg strengthening

Overall anaylsis:

Legs are still pretty tight. I did some stretching and rolling this morning and that helped a lot, but I'll for sure be doing some more tonight. I could feel the tightness in my left calf as I ran, but the more I ran, the less I noticed it. Also for some reason I had a bit of trouble (minor) towards the end aerobically. Don't think it was anything serious, just the circumstances of the day. Overall I felt great. Was able to run with the elevation set to 1.5% the entire time. Walked a half mile as a cool down. After the run did some squats and calf raises to help strengthen my legs. Probably could have gone heavier with the weights, but I wanted to keep it light for now.

Running thoughts:

Had a guy next to me try to race me. Anytime I moved my speed up he did the same. Not sure why he wanted to do that since he came after I had started running and then also left before I finished so I guess I won? People are very interesting at the gym.

4:34 pm: 5 miles

Overall Analysis:

Body wanted an easy day so I gave it one. Brought my pace wayyy down and let my legs glide on the treadmill. The incline was set to rolling hills so it varied as I ran, which I enjoy a lot. My legs are sore from yesterday and definitely tired. Starting out was a bit challenging, but as I got into the rhythm then it was alright. Gonna do some core, stretching, and calf raises tonight.

Running Thoughts:

Had a long day at work and I wanted to take my mind off of the unsolved coding problems that awaited me after the run so I watched a Nat Geo documentary called "Sharkatraz" while I ran. It's a documentary about the sharks that hunt around Alcatraz and how the guards would use rumors of shark attacks to scare the prisoners into good behavior. Granted, It's not as great as the title, but I learned some interesting things. Apparently the guards at told the prisoners they had tamed some great white sharks and trained them to hunt prisoners who tried to swim away from the island. They would even say they had caught a great white shark (they named him Bruce) and cut off one of his fins so he could only swim in circles around the island waiting for an escaped prisoner to jump into the water. There are even reports of prisoners claiming to see this "one finned shark". Thought that was kinda interesting.

Wasn't able to find time to run, but I played in two soccer games (Total play time of 1 hour and 15 min) so I'm gonna say that's about of 4 miles. Really tried to keep moving the entire time, even if I was jogging in place, but was able continuously run up and down the field.

9:07pm: 4 miles

Overall Anaylsis:

Had a pretty good run. Wanted something hard, but kinda hard so I set the incline to 5% and didn't touch it until the end of the run. Was able slowly increase the pace from 6 mph to 7.5 mph on the last mile. Felt pretty good, but during my last half mile I thought my dinner was gonna come back up. After the run my left shin had some small pain, so I'm going to have to watch that. 100 calf rasies, core, and stretching before bed.

Running Thoughts:

Not many thoughts today. Head was empty and was just enjoying the treadmill. Got a camping trip coming up and so I've been trying to figure out if I can still run while camp out there. Gonna have to pull up some maps. 

5:58 pm: 5 miles

Overall Analysis:

Had a great workout today. Decided to take it to the track and try to work in a little speed, so I ran the Prefontaine. 1 mile warm up, 3 miles (200 m sprint, 200 m jog), and 1 mile cool down. After the first couple of sprints my lungs were hurting, but I was determined to finished so I put my head down and ran it out. Legs felt great the entire time and had no problems with any shin today. Calf raises, core, and stretching tonight before bed.

Running Thoughts:

Relied a lot on positive affirmation today. Really wanted to walk on my recovery jogs or even cut my sprints short, but I kept telling myself that I was strong enough to do it. I really believe that, that's what got me through the workout. Really shows the importance of training your body AND your mind.

4 miles

Trust the process

4 miles

2.6 bike cool down after weights

3:08 pm: 6 miles

Overall Anaylsis:

Started off with an easy 1 mile warm up at 9:14 pace and then let my legs go. I felt super good today and had no pain in the shins. My lungs couldn't have felt better. Ended up averaging 6:32 per mile on the next 5 miles which I haven't done for a while. Gonna have to bring it back in the future to stay healthy.

2:44pm: 4 miles

Overall Anaylsis:

Feels good to be outside. Was going faster than I wanted to, but the legs were feeling great. Was able to also get in a bit of hill work. Really enjoyed this run and will probably be doing it again.

8 pm: 4 miles

Had a soccer game. We won 3-2. Did a lot of running with a lot of sprinting, but the legs still felt slow.

4:30 pm: 4 miles

Overall anaylsis:

Going real slow but feeling good. Want the legs and shins to get strong so won't be doing anything too crazy for a while so I can build back up to it. Legs were a little achy but nothing to serious or concerning.

4 miles

3 miles

4 miles

4 miles

6 miles

10:17 am: 4 miles

Overall analysis:

Was feeling pretty good throughout the run until the end of the 3rd mile. Really felt myself crashing, but was able to finish the run out strong. Averaged 7:27 pace. Been doing a lot of pre and post running stretches and massages and I think that it's really helping my shins out.

Running thoughts:

It's getting to be pretty hot. I'm gonna have to reinstate the early morning runs. Also I feel like I need to hydrate more. Gonna have to start carrying a water around with me again.

1:31 pm: 2 mile walk with the dogs

6:25pm: 2 mile run with the GF

Overall Analysis:

Shins were feeling a bit achy during the run, but I was able to keep it under control and after some post run stretching they felt fine. Pace was nice and slow so that was nice

Running Thoughts:

Glad to be running with someone again, even if it is slow. Miles are miles and it should be good for my body to be doing some slow miles
 

5:50 pm: 4 miles

Overall analysis:

Shins were definetly aching today, but there were no sharp pains so I'm taking that as a good sign. I ran the first 3 miles with the GF, but then exploded into a hard last mile by myself. Averaged 8:28 per mile, but my last mile was 6:22. Felt really good during the last mile. Only major concern right now is the heat

Running thoughts:

I've really been enjoying my lacross ball massages right before bed. Part of me wonders if I should just always have a ball on my so that I can massage whenever I have a free moment. I also need to find a waterbottle that I will remember to take with me everywhere so that I can stay hydrated before and after my runs.

4 miles

4 miles

2:47 pm: 4 miles

Overall anaylsis:

This was a great run near the mouth of AF canyon. I didn't perform as well as I would have liked to, however I still enjoyed it. The mixture of heat and uphill switchbacks really got to me (according to strava some of them were graded above 20%) which made for a really slow run. By the end my muscles and lungs were pretty beat so I went and layed in the river for a while before driving home. On the flip side no concerning aches or pains. Still riding that pain free high!!

Running thoughts:

Today was a bad running day. I know that it was hot and had some big hills, but I still expected more from myself. I will definetly be cominig back to log some better stats. The river afterwards felt amazing though. I think I'm going to make ice baths a regular thing. I've been reading up on the positive effects cold plunges can have on your body and it seems pretty appealing.

9:53 pm: 2.27 mile walk

6:06 pm: 4 miles

Overall analysis:

I think my legs are finally healing. Was able to run pain and ache free!! Felt good all the way through, I just need to get used to the heat. Was feeling some slight tightness in the shins driving home so I'll have to watch that and stretch it out. Other than that, I'm feeling really hopeful.

Running thoughts:

I gotta get used to the heat. I'm not sure why I struggle with it so much, but I'm hoping that as I continue to run I'll get more used to it. It may be time to cut the hair to help get some extra ventilation.

4:47 pm: 3 miles

Overall anaylsis:

Body is spent. I was aerating all day and was able to fit this run in during my break, so everything was already tired. I was able to push through however and get in a quick 3 before going back to aerating. Legs and lungs where tired, but feeling stronger.

Running thoughts:

I can feel myself getting stronger and stronger every day and it's making my excited. I need to remind myself to keep it controlled so I don't undo any of my healing, but all I want to do is run. I can't wait until I can run longer miles.

3 mile walk

10:56 am: 4 miles + 1 mile walk/jog cooldown

Overall anaylsis:

Today I was able to run comfortably in the heat. I can tell that I'm getting used to it and improving my physical and mental strength. Purposefully watched my pace to keep it slow, especially while running downhill so I didn't burn myself out too quickly. After the 4 miles did a real slow 1 mile walk/jog as my cool down. Shins had a couple of very small complaints, but they subsided very quickly. Lots of stretching and massages tonight.

Running thoughts:

Today I was in the zone. I was really focused on how my body felt as well as my breathing. Ended up missing my turn around point which left me 1 mile from where I started, so I used that extra mile as my cool down. Took a very very cold shower when I got home, and it felt amazing. Going to be doing some cold plunges in the future. I also want some more hills in my run, but I'm scared that the downhill will undo all the work I've done on my shins, so hopefully I can find something that won't be too bad.

9:18 pm: 2.45 mile walk

5 miles

Believe it or not I've actually been running a bit, just haven't been loggin it here. Gonna start logging here again, so I gotta go and backfill the data.

Been feeling good and strong. Slowly building my mileage up and then we will see what we can do.

PM: 5 miles + core H

Today was one of those days that seems to appear every once in a while. A day where you can't seem to escape work and then come home to another set of chores and problems to solve. It was just one of those days that seemed like I never got to sit down and the run kept getting pushed back until it was late at night and time for bed. But I'm sick of those days impeding my progress.

Ran 5 miles at 11:17pm. Put on some running tights and a headlamp then headed for the streets. Still building mileage and strength so the average pace was 8:41 per mile. Afterwards did Jay Johnson's core H routine, stretched, and now it's off to bed.

PM: 5 miles + core H

Ran today with the fiance. She's been running with me lately and has actually be improving a lot. Kept a pretty steady pace and ran an 8:51 average mile.

Been listening to a lot of Jay Johnson's running podcasts and really love what I've learned so far about running.

2:15pm: 6 miles

Ran around the Provo Airport with Lauren. Averaged an 8:51 mile again. Been feeling really good lately and my legs have been awesome. Glad to see the work pay off. Gonna do some core and stretching later tonight.

8:02 am: Utah Human Race 10K

Ran the Human Race today with Lauren. We ran the first 2 miles with the future mother-in-law and then broke off to run the reset. We averaged an average 9:00 min pace which was good considering we were running 10:50 pace for the first couple of miles.

The course was fun. It was just the Sandy fourth of July race course, but backwards so it was pretty familiar. Can't wait for the rest of the day. Got 2 turkey dinners planned and some football games to watch.

Best holiday ever!

2:04 pm: 5 miles

First day of snow in Utah. Ran around Orem for miles by myself, averaging an 8:04 mile. Not too shabby.

I want to start recording a deeper anaylsis/self reflection of my runs here. I'm trying to come up with some questions I can ask myself both during and after my run. Hoping to create something that will help give me a clear and concise analysis of what I'm doing everyday.

Core and stretching tonight before bed

6:17 pm: 7 miles

Couldn't have asked for a better run. Temperature was below freezing, but to be honest I couldn't tell. Was just able to enjoy my 7 miles around the Best Buy loop. Lungs and legs felt great and have been this entire week. In fact, this is the first week I have ran 30+ miles completely pain free in a long long time. Couldn't be happier. Can't wait to continue building and get stronger.

Did some stretching before bed.

Rest day with stretching and self massages

This weeks goals:

• 0 unplanned days
• 30-35 miles
• execute a planned pre run routine/warm up before every run
• execute a planned post run routine/SAM after every run
• 2-3 X 100 M striders after each run

PM: 5 miles

This past weekend I did some research on warm ups and drills. Specifically which ones to do, what is better than others, why you should do these drills, etc. Came upon a dynamic warm up video (written by Jeff Boelé) on Coach Jay Johnson's youtube channel that I really liked and decided to try it out.

After the warm up I ran 5 miles averaging an 8:32 mile. Felt super good right off the bat (I'm thinking it was because of the warm up) and was able to hit some pretty hard hills. Had a total of 661 ft in elevation gain. By my turn around point, I was pretty winded, but was able to hit the downhill and recover.

After the run did 2 X 100 M striders on the road. Felt good to get in a short sprint. Haven't gone that fast in a while.

PM: 5 miles

Did the dynamic warm up again before running a quick 5 miles. It felt oddly wamr today for there to be snow. Anyway I felt really good on my run and was able to average a 7:59 mile. I'm really liking this new warm up, unless I find a reason not too I think I keep it. 3X 100 m striders after the run.

Later lifted some weights with Lauren and then did some stretching before bed. 

PM: 6 miles + core h

Ran in the gully today. Every time I run there I always miss it more when I leave. I was racing the sunset (and it was getting really cold) so I didn't have time for the whole warm up. After a few drills and small stretches I went into it.

I swear as soon as I dropped into the gully it dropped 10 degrees. Just after the second mile, I ran into a group of coyotes that were yipping and howling. They were only about 20 feet from me so naturally I stoped running to start howling with them. Was pretty fun hahaha. Then got back on the trail and averaged an 8:16 mile. The trail was kinda snowing, but nothing too bad.

Later in the night I went to my future brother-in-law's wrestling match and ran into my high school running coach. It was nice to talk to him again and catch up.

Did core h and some stretching before bed.

5 miles on the treadmill