Rhett

AWESOME quality run. WOW 11 intervals at 5K pace is incredible. You are amazing!!!

Thanks, my motivation level is low right now, but I'm trying to make myself get it done. Hopefully by Monday I'll be mentally back and ready to run, but for the next couple days, I'll fust fake it.

Rhett...

I don't have any motivation right now, either, especially with a chest cold and a toothache. I'm still planning on a run in a little while. I need to get some food in my gullet. We just got back from taking my wife to the doctor. She has Strep Throat.

Great job on the intervals.

Dale

Dale,

I hope your wife gets feeling better soon, and I hope you don't get it from her. Good luck with that and stay healthy.

Rhett I am going to do a similar run Monday 10 x 400 meters @ 5k pace. I hope I can do it.

You are going to do so good at painters! What time are you shooting for again?

How is your motivation today Rhett?? If I were ever to run a workout like that my motivation would be at an all-time high!! That's some good speed there!

Wow Rhett. That's pretty fast. Yep, two weeks to go. I'm excited.

Great run Rhett 9.2 on the treadmill I'll have to try that sometime! Just kidding I could do that for maybe 30 seconds. Come to think of it I did try 10.0 a couple of times for 30 seconds and that is killer!

I think this next week is going to be my hardest before painters. But I am looking forward to it in a weird way. I want to see how far I can push this old body.

Rhett, you are so ready for Painter's. That's an awesome treadmill half marathon you ran today.

The visual of you "churning" those speedy legs at 9.2 made me gasp for air and about fall off my chair.

Only 2 weeks till Painter's? Yikes!!!

The more I read your workouts, the more I am convinced that you are crazy fast!!

"embrace the pain" -- I like that ... can I borrow that mantra?

Teena, I think you are wicked fast as well and your posts help inspire me to work harder. You can use anything off my posts that may help you.

I am definitely not wicked fast ... perhaps wicked, but not fast!!

Thanks for the permission in writing ... would hate to be slapped with a copyright infringement lawsuit!

embrace the pain my friend!

I have to say that you all inspire me to run better. Look how I was only a few months ago. Day after day of running the same slow speed. Now I'm doing speed work and I've seen huge improvements.

Dale

That "Embrace the pain" reminds me of a Depeche Mode song "Enjoy the Silence". Great workout Rhett! You look like your ready to really kick it in at Painter's. Painter's pretty hilly (up and down) so don't worry about your so called "wimping out" on the treadmill, real life racing will be a lot different.

Hey Rhett you are not allowed to show any weakness at all! Remember you are my mind game guru!

Just kidding I was just reading how you really have to practice your mind games just like you practice your running. We all have bad runs and today you had a bad mind game day. I am sure you will learn from it and move on!

Rhett!!!

I finally discover you're HUMAN! Yeah like Kathie said, you had a bad mind game day. I think I'm gonna play with my TM's incline and see if I get disappointed or fall off the darn thing. How about this for a new mantra: "Laugh off the pain!"

Sweet job there Rhett. 13 is really quite a huge improvement. Is the contest coming to a close soon?? I got to get on it more.:)

13 pullups?!!! Dang, I can't even get one. Way to go!!!

I think tomorrow is supposed to be the final day.

Oh Rhett I almost beat you with my .3 pull-up (I can't even use the plural pull-ups)! I bet that is why you worked so hard... you thought I might beat you.

Seriously though 13 pull-ups is dang good! I noticed that my running form is better when I work on my back have you noticed a change?

I agree that doing any core resistance training really helps maintain better running form, especially as I begin to tire at the end of a long hard run.

Umm, I googled pullups (to see if there's any trick or proper form in doing it.) I got "Huggies" (as in baby diapers). LOL!!! I am so OVER that or may be TOO OLD for both (the contest and the baby pullups thing).

Kathie,

I think I can do 0.4 pull up. Tomorrow is the final day. Are you scared?

Oh smooth I don't care if I have to work all night I will turn my .3 into a .45 just to beat you! :0

Stud on the pull ups.

Rhett,

You are the pullup maestro!! That is AWESOME!! Okay, tell me again, what is your goal for Painters?

I am hoping to get under 1:26 if I'm having a good day. If I'm not having a good day, I'd like to get under 1:28. That is what I ran the 2nd half of SGM in and is my current 1/2 PR.

Oh mighty PK,

Very nice recovery run and hopping!!

Your must humble servant is always impressed.

LOL

Hey how do you hop in a running motion? Am I just lame... I don't get it. Maybe you will have to show me at painters.

When I read about it I thought the same thing. Then I tried it and it isn't that weird. It's just like running on one leg, well almost like running. You are still hopping.

PK, you're always coming up with great stuff. Did you read about hop-running in Brain Training? Goodness, I can't imagine running on one leg. I can hardly do that on two legs.

Yep, Brain Training has all kinds of differnt exercises for improving running form, increasing speed, preventing injury, etc. I love my new book. Hopefully by using some of it's ideas I will be able to take the next step with my running.

I'm gonna have to pick up a copy of that book.

Oh Rhett, those are incredible paces, like ELITE paces!!! You keep getting better and better.

Wow Rhett not only are you the Pull-up king your are the repeat king! Way to go!

I have never run on a track is it as boring as a treadmill?

The track is worse than the treadmill, but it provides to perfect setting for speed work, so I am trying to make myself go once every other week. At least on the treadmill, I have a TV in front of me.

BEAUTIFUL in all aspects! That has got to feel good! PERFECT consistent mile repeats, SWEET paces! Look at that 5:52, what a STRONG performance! AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!!! Thanks for sharing this incredible run.

Be sure to line up at the front in Painter's. It'd be sweet to see you break the tape. You're so ready for this tune-up race leading to Boston.

Dale, LOL I wish I could run like an elite. They probably do their mile repeats sub 4:30.

Smooth, thanks for the vote of confidence, but I'm sure there will be many a runner faster than I am at Painter's. I'm just running against myself trying to prepare for the best Boston possible.

Wonderful progress.

NICE cross training, PK!!!

What days are you running next week and how many miles for each run?

CQ, thanks for remembering to call me PK. LOL

Dale, I don't usually decide exactly what I'm going to do each week until Sunday. I'll try and keep my intesity up but maybe go a little shorter than usual. It'll be something like:

Mon 6 mile tempo run at 1/2 mary pace

Tues 4 Easy with some strides

Wed 2 1/2 min repeats x 1 hr. but at 10k pace instead of the normal 5K pace

Thurs night EZ mile followed by 3 min all out lung crushing, lactic acid inducing run.

Fri Carb loading with Pop Tarts, etc. No exercising

Sounds like a great plan. I especially like Thursday's workout. Was that three minutes or three miles of all out lung crushing, lactic acid inducing running?

OK what is up with telling me not to lift any more and then you go and do a full body workout? I know you are afraid I might beat you right?

Dale, just 3 minutes. And when I say all out I mean everything I've got. The last minute of those 3 are painful.

Kathy, you did weights on Thurs. I lift on Tues and Fri. I won't lift anymore now. I figured you wouldn't be lifting 2 days in a row. Also, you have this a a goal race, and for me I will do my very best, but my goal race is Boston. If this were my goal race, I would have stopped lifting 2 weeks out.

Running into the wind is like running into an invisible wall. Did you get the benefit of a tail wind coming back? That's a great mp run. Very nicely done, PK!!!

Wow Rhett!!! Very impressive. Now tell me, do you ever have to walk or slow down to a jog? I still have to do that occasionally. It's frustrating.

Dale, no I don't walk and I try not to slow down. My slowest mile yesterday was 6:56 and that was straight into the wind. I may have to slow down though. Bad news. About a week ago I started having some pain in my left arch and I thought it was just a touch of plantar faciaitis so I started wearing my Strausberg sock at night and it seemed to help. Yesterday on the last couple miles of my run the pain really increased a lot. Last night I slept in the sock and when I got up this morning I realized that the pain is actually not in my arch, but above it, closer to my ankle and my foot was swollen. I'm thinking I may have a stress fracture. I iced it this morning and will continue to do it the rest of the day. If it is still bad tomorrow morning I'll call the podiatrist. If it is a stress fracture, I probably won't be doing Painter's and I may even have to pull out of Boston. That would totlally bite!!!

Holy Cow, Rhett!!!! I hope it's nothing too serious, but yeah, it's probably a good idea to have it checked out. Man, oh man, that really stinks. I hope it doesn't come down to you having to pull out of Boston. How long does it take for a stress fracture to heal, if that's what it is. Seems like I always hear 6 weeks. Just yesterday after I read about your speedy run I was thinking "How does he run so stinkin' fast without getting injured?" I think I may have jinxed you. Keep us posted.

Oh Rhett say it isn't so! I am fasting again for my daughter and I will add you into it. I hope it is not a fracture that would be so sad.

NO NO NO NO NO!!!

You have worked way too hard for this to happen right now.

Ice it, baby it, take some anti-inflammatories, elevate it, anything you can think of ... glucosamine, cherry juice ... whatever. And get into a doc asap. Seriously, no time to spare ... you've worked too hard.

I mean seriously, you're the PK!! PKs don't get injured!! Could you please relay that message to your foot?

Sending you all the positive energy I can muster up.

Hey Rhett...How is the pain this evening? Or Monday morning if you're reading it then. Did the swelling go down?

Dale

Thanks for the positive vibes you guys. They put a smile on my face when I don't feel like smiling, but as I smiled I could almost feel my foot getting better. They do say laughter is the best medicine and smiling is close to laughing. I do have a little more hope today after talking to a Podiatrist friend who is also my home teacher at church today. He says that the location of the pain may indicate a tendon problem, although with the amount of pain and the localization of the pain, he says the tendon may have torn off and possibly chipped the bone. I still think that would be better than a stress fracture. Anyways long story short, I'll see him tomorrow for x-rays and hopefully have more info.

Thank you for your concern, it really does mean a lot to me.

OH NO! It can't be! You've worked too hard. You have been doing so well. May be it's just a case of tendonitis? Keep icing it. I will be praying for you. We have to think positive.

Rhett..What's the prognosis?

Must be either bad news or he doesn't know yet. I hope it's nothing bad.

I'm on pins and needles. Still praying for ya.

Thanks for all your concern. I didn't find out what was up till last night and havenn't had a moment to post the results. Sorry to make you wait. He took X-rays which came back negative, yea! So he says nothing is broken and doesn't think I have a stress fracture, but no way to be sure without an MRI. Bad news is he doesn't know what is causing the pain. I thinks it may have to do with small tears in the tendon in that spot. Anyways, he put me on some oral steroids to reduce inflamation and hopefully pain, told me to wear my orthodics more often (I haven't been wearing them for over a year, maybe 2), and told me to ice it a lot. Anyways, he didn't say I couldn't run although he insinuated that he wouldn't run on it. I asked if he thought running would casue any more damage and he kind of danced around the question but I got that of it that he didn't think so.

Long story short, my foot still hurts in an unusual spot, but I have permission (kind of) to run, so I have decided to stick with the arc trainer this week until Thurs night when I will do my 3 min. all out run. If I make it through those 3 mins without too much pain, I will be at Painter's. After Painter's I will re-evaluate and decide if I should keep training for Boston.

Sorry that took so long to say, not sure what is up.

PK,

That's good and bad news. Have you done any of your own research on the internet? Perhaps you have an entrapped nerve like me. Seriously, every person I talked to thought it was a stress fracture, but nope. The problem with tendons, nerves, etc., is that sometimes the pain lingers on for quite a long time.

It sounds like you have a good plan. Can't wait to hear how things go on your test run Thursday. Still thinking about you and sending lots of positive healing vibes.

Rhett,

No stress fractures is good news. It's also a good sign that you don't have any pain working out on the Arc Trainer. Sounds like a good plan to give the foot some rest and bring down the inflammation. Hope the test run goes well on Thursday. Know that we're thinking of you.

Way to stick with the RICE! Keep it up and you will be ready to go on Saturday.

No pain with Arc and elliptical is GOOD sign. Be vigilant on RICing and the prednisone. Hope your foot heals fast.

Are the roids disrupting your sleep at all?

Hope you wake up today with very little, or better yet, no discomfort in your foot.

Here's to the quickest healing available!! :)

So far I can't tell any side effects of the roids accept that I've been more hungry than usuall and have therefore eaten more than normal. I foot feels about the same. I won't really know until I run on it tomorrow night. I think I will wear my heavier cushioned shoes with the orthotics and I bet I'll be fine. I hate to race in those shoes those, they make me slow.

Rhett...Those 'roids must be doing something to you...lol.

Seriously, I hope you foot feels better for your test run.

I am glad to see you are still going to race. Take it easy... remember you goal is Boston. You could always run with me I will totally slow you down! On second though that is not a good idea at all I remember what happend when I tried to run with Andy!

Good luck on your "test run" tonight. Hope your foot/ankle co-operates.

Does this mean your going to be joining me at Painters for the 5k?? Looking forward to see you on Sat. And if you opt for the half. You will have someone cheering you in.:)

As long as all goes well tonight, I'll be doing the 1/2. I'm planning on being there and at lunch afterwards.

I will be sending positive thoughts for your test run tonight. GOOD LUCK! I know you will do fine.

Rhett...Good luck with your run tonight.

So How did the run go last night? I hope the foot is cooperating. It will be fun to see you at Painters. Are you going to run with Fly?

Kathie, my trial run isn't until tonight. I am anticipating that it will be fine. I suggested to Fly that we start out together, but he never responded. We'll just see how it goes and if we are running the same pace or not. If my foot is not hurting, I may just go for it and try for the 6:30 pace.

Wow that is a great pace to shoot for. I hope your foot is feeling better so I can be at the finish for you when you come in. Take it easy though tonight. Dont overdo it.

6:30s do sound fast too me also, but it still just gets me in somewhere in the 1:25+ range. Some of those guys out there are amazing fast. I bet the winner is close to 1:15.

I did finally respond. Sorry I've been busy....... If you're going for the slower pace, I'd love to pace with you or draft you.

I hope your foot is A OK!

Rhett,

How did the trial run go??

How did the foot go with the test run last night?

I'm leaving in couple of hours. Can't wait to see you tomorrow. Have a safe trip. GOOD LUCK!!!

My run last night went well. During the mile warm up it was a bit sore, but when I went into my 3 min hard run I felt nothing. This morining was a tiny bit tender, but nothing I can't run on. Thanks for all your concern. I'll see you all tomorrow.

That's good news! BEST WISHES for healthy feet/body and a GREAT run!

Glad your test did not yield bad news.

Yea! Now you get to eat Pop tarts!

That's great!!! Have a safe trip. How long of a drive is it?

Have a great race tomorrow. I've never run or raced in anything but cushioned trainers. I guess it is just what you get used to wearing.

I'm eating a Pop Tart as I type this. Yum. Everyone drive safely. Hopefully you are all coming to lunch after the race.

Rhett. You need to check the box that designates this as a race report! Sorry the race didn't go as planned. Painter's is a tough course to really go after a sub 1:30 with all the rolling hills and the cooler temps. Congratulations anyway on a great effort.

Well I was happy to see ya and chat with you a bit more this time then last race. You did awesome last time you were in SG. Maybe next time and if you slow down next race we are in together I might even be able to keep up with you. Sorry though that it didnt work out how you wanted. I am just glad your foot didnt act up on you during the race.

When I read Fly report I was so worried about you! I am glad you finished and with a time that I think is really great. Sorry I didn't see you after the race I would have loved to talk to you again.

How would it be to be disappointed with a 1:34??? I will never know!!

It was great to finally meet you. I really wanted to meet your cute wife and kids but you were gone before I could catch my breath. Stink!

yeah, the kids were getting restless and ready to go.

I definitely know how that is. Hopefully you were able to have a fun get-a-way with the family. What are the ages of your children?

Rhett,

It was so good to finally meet your drop dead gorgeous wife and darling children. You have such a sweet family. I noticed two of your children wear glasses. I guess it comes in handy to have daddy to keep them "sight healthy".

Sorry the race didn't turn out as you'd hoped for. I am just glad you came and ran and no major damage done. Now you can resume your Boston training. I'm sure you'll have lotsa good days ahead.

Glad your foot isn't any worse....Hey, am I the only one that gets sore muscles after a race? I can barely walk up and down stairs.

So how was your race, Rhett? Did you foot start hurting during the race?

Dale

Sorry to hear the foot still hurts. May be during this recovery week, it's okay to do the Arc Trainer and let the tendon/muscle/nerve heal a bit? Sending healing vibes your way.

Thanks Smooth. I think I am going to do easy runs all week and wear my orthodics. I'm sure it will start to get better soon. If not, I'll just learn to deal with the pain at least until Boston.

I'm so discouraged you are having to deal with this foot issue. Hope it gets well soon.

Thanks Paul. I think it was a good thing for me, maybe not as a runner but as a person. I think I was focusing way too much of my time and attention to running and I needed a wake up call. It has really helped me sit down and realize what my priorities should be and refocus on the things that are really important. Hopefully I will still be able to keep up on improving my running, but if not, there are more important things in life.

You looked good in the race photos: in case you haven't already seen, the link is http://www.zazoosh.com/events/178

Uphill sprints so soon after the race? That foot of yours must be feeling a little better. Nice workout.

Well, I didn't run the race much faster than I run a Sat. long run, so I figured I might as well do some mild speed work. I am keeping it easy all week though. No tempo runs or track work.

Hey Rhett, how is the pain in your foot? I sure hope it's getting better.

Yeah, it's really fun looking at the race pictures. I don't like mine, though. Some of them look like I'm barely moving. LOL.

I never like the race photos... maybe I can pay somebody to photo shop my thighs... Anyway I am glad you are back to doing some speed work but you are going to do more this month right... I think you meant speed work for the week.

Nice hill sprint tagged onto the recovery run. Sounds like the foot is letting you ease back into training.

PK,

About what grade of hills do you generally do sprints on ... and how long are they as well. I need to start doing those.

Kathie,

I hate all my race pictures too ... I think there should be a way to disable other users to see them. (although I don't want anyone else to be able to disable theirs ... I want to see those ones!)

Teena, it depends, but when I do them at the end of an easy run I usually do 10 sprints at about a 5% grade for 10 to 15 seconds each and then recover for 45 to 50 seconds. I start a sprint at the top of each minute.

Hey Rhett, how's the foot?

No better, no worse. I've put in 30 miles this week and hope to get a long run in tomorrow. I have to decide if I'm going to Boston before Feb. 5th or I lose my deposit on the hotel.

That would be a real bummer if you couldn't go. Have you heard any news from the doctor about what it could be?

Feb 5th? That seems so early to make a decision a lot can happen in two months. Is that the hotels policy all the time or just during the marathon?

I booked through Marathon tours, it's there policy to pay 1 night ($235) up front that can be refunded if I cancel by Feb 5th.

No more news on the foot. The more I run on it the more I think it is a tendon problem, possibly a tear, but I can tolerate the pain and I don't think I'm doing any extra damage, so I'll probably just tough it out through Boston, and then deal with the consequences afterwards.

O please tell me you have a rehab program for that tendon. Your mile repeats yesterday looks good.

You're one tough cookie. Nothing stops you. I'm sure it's not easy to lower your expectations/goal. To me, just being able to go and run Boston is awesome. You gotta do what you gotta do and make the best out of it. Good luck on your training and SPEEDY HEALING on your foot.

How's the foot doing Rhett? Is it getting any better?

Wow I am sure I would not have gone a whole mile in 9/10 pain but it did drop fast. Are you using any kind of wrap for support? Maybe that knew funky colored tape would help?

I've been thinking about trying that new tape. Do you have any experience with it. Yeah, I almost stopped my run after the first hundred yards or so and then determined to try out a mile and see if it improved. I'm glad I stuck it out, but I think I looked funny running with a limp for that first bit.

I have never tried it but BEMO on the other forum has. I think she really liked it.

Rhett...That's a real bummer. Have you decided if you're going to Boston?

Dale, during the first mile of my run this morning I decided I would withdraw from Boston. By the end of my run I decided I could handle the pain and will still do Boston. I may change my mind 100 times between now and then. If I don't cancell my hotel by Feb. 5 then I will be out my $235 deposit if I cancell. I hope to be more firm on my decision before then, but probably won't be.

It's a tough call...You never know, your foot may be better by then. That's a lot of money to lose. Maybe you should wait until the last minute to decide.

Rhett,

May be you should talk to a sport MD. I have read somewhere that if the pain is there during the warm up and goes away once the muscles/tendons are warmed up; it is likely an inflammatory response. Do some research on it and see what's the best rehab approach. The current RW has an article on the Kinesio tape. Try PM Slick and MarcE about sharing a room. Last year they had Tim for their "room-mate". This year Slick's son is not coming. It's just a thought; if you decide to cancel the hotel room and end up going and don't mind sharing room. I sure hope you find solutions to getting that left foot/ankle heal up good. Best wishes!

Rhett - be careful with that foot. It is a hard call on what to do with it. I fought what sounds to be a similar inflammation two years ago at this time. It surely wasn't fun being less than 100%, especially being locked into a race.

Rhett,

I know exactly what you mean about Boston. I have gone through the same stuff in my head ... because this is suppose to be my first and best, right? The main thing that keeps me going right now is Smooth!! Sharing Boston with her is a dream. I keep putting off buying my plane tickets though.

I'm with Smooth, I think you need to see a sports doc. I called mine again yesterday.

Tim, thanks. So did you end up having to quit running a while for it to go away?

Teena and Smooth, your right, but I am stubborn and am trying to deal right now. I'm thinking I may be able to talk my podiatrist into a cortisone shot that would carry me over through Boston, then I will take some time off to let it heal.

Ack ACK ACKKK!!! That doesnt sound good Rhett. Get it checked out man. And RICE it.

Wow Rhett this is great news! I think Boston had better get ready for you to tear-it-up!

WOOHOO!!! YAY!!!! HIP HIP HOORAY!!! I AM SO SO SO SO SO HAPPY!!!! I just startled the kitty cat. BEST NEWS EVER!!!! I'm blowing kisses to my computer screen.

OK, I'm done with the happy dance. Yes, more power to all those things you did and the prayers!!! WOOHOO!!! BOSTON here you come!!!!

That's fantastic news, Rhett!!! Let's hope the pain stays low or even better, non-existent.

Kathie, Smooth, Dale.

Thanks, I am still not 100% and am far from being in the clear, but I'll take it for now. You guys are great to be excited for me. May all your runs be injury free.

Good luck with your run tomorrow.

Glad to see that your foot is getting better. Good luck tomorrow.

I will be thinking of you tomorrow and sending healing thoughts your way.

Good to hear you're back on your EZ with hill sprints run. Good luck on your 16 miler. I know you'll do great.

He Rhett, did you mention a few weeks ago that you won't be running St. George this year? Or was that someone else?

Yes Dale, that was me . My kids have fall break that week and we have planned a family vacation, so I'm thinking about doing TOU instead.

PK!!!!

That is AWESOME!!! Okay, I am convinced that your good healing spirit will spread my direction and I will also have some great days in the very near future. Right now I am in the same place you were a few days ago ... questioning Boston, etc. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me experience what you are now experiencing as well (other than no way ever could I run your pace).

Nicely done PK!! You are awesome!

Rhett I am doing the happy dance for you!!! Wow you have done so well in your recovery I am sure this is a well deserved blessing!

Wow, Rhett. Am I crazy or is that a lot of miles?!!! You and Smooth and really tearing it up. I believe you ran 30 miles more than I did this week. Of course, you're all further along in training for Boston. Great job. Hope the foot feels good in the morning.

Teena, Kathie, Dale. Thanks I feel blessed to be back so quickly from what I thought would keep me from running Boston. This morning my foot was a little more tender than normal, but no sharp pains.

Teena, I hope you soon heal. I included you in my fasting and prayers this weekend. Good luck with your injury.

That's gotta be a good feeling!!! SO VERY HAPPY for you. We have Feb and March for some solid good training and hopefully peak in April before the Boston taper. Looks like you're in good shape to ramp up your training. We need everyone, including Teena, to be healthy and ready for Boston. Here's to injury free training and running!

Very cool hill workout. You'll be so ready for them Newton Hills.

Nice workout.

That sounds like a great workout. I really need to start doing hill work.

I was reading today that hill workouts are one of the best ways to increase speed. I think I might try and get more hills in my training this year too.

I likes the speedwork. It sure makes the runs more enjoyable.

Great job Rhett. How is the old foot feeling??

How did the tempo run go?

Mark, the foot is feeling great compared to a couple weeks ago. It is still not 100%, but it doesn't seem to hamper my running after it's warmed up.

Teena, great. I'm about to post it.

Very nice runs this whole week. Glad you're monitoring that foot. Keep up the good work.

Your training is and has been so good. What happened at Painters?

I am so glad you are feeling better and everything is coming together for you! Good luck tomorrow.

Paul, I had just hurt my foot and was on prednisone. I really think the steroids messed me up, and I just had a bad day. It happens. Hope it doesn't happen at Boston.

Kathie, thanks. Yes my running the last couple weeks seems to be heading in the right direction. My foot is still sore, but doesn't hamper my running anymore. Hopefully it only gets better from here on out. I'm going to be asking a lot from it over the next 10 weeks.

Looks to me you're back on the training wagon and moving full steam forward. Good luck on your 20 miler tomorrow. How many 20+ milers are you doing this cycle? Are you still following that special carb and poptart regimen?

Ye Haw!

:)

Smooth, I plan on doing a 20 miler every other week and then 3 weeks out a 23 miler. I only do the carb thing every now and then when I want to have a real good run. If you do it too often, you get fat!! I probably will do it before my 23 miler and then before the race.

Nice workout.

Question: as I start running longer I plan to stash bottles. What do you do with the bottle after you finish it? I assume you drive back around and pick them up later?

That would be the best thing to do, but since I run on streets with houses, I just look for someone who left out their garbage can and throw them in there. I pass a few gas stations as well and use their garbage cans as well.

Genius.

That makes sense when running in town. I guess when I'm in the mountains and my runs get longer I am just going to have to load up and carry the empties out.

I don't like to run with a camelback. I have a water bottle belt. That should be enough.

well done, as usual

Nicely done!!! I bet it feels SO good to have that first 20 miler under your belt and with it executed so nicely with no issues. I am so happy to hear that your foot is doing well. Your paces just blow me away. 1 down 4 more to go. Have fun training.

Great run Rhett. I ditto smooth I am so glad everything is coming together for you.

Great job, Rhett. I'm always impressed with your stamina and speed. What is your goal at Boston? I think you mentioned that you'd like to PR, is that right?

Nice! I'm almost glad I won't be at Boston because the way your training is going you'd leave me so far behind I'd have to take a train to catch you. Keep it up! I look forward to running vicariously through come April.

Man Alive Rhett!!! No way, no how, anyone would ever believe that you were barely running a couple of weeks ago! CRAZINESS I tell you!

Awesome 20 miler!!! How in the world does anyone run their 20-milers sub 8s???

Dale, I want to run a Boston PR. I don't think I can do better than my 2:59:00 I ran at SGM, but I'm going to shoot for 3:00:00. I may blow up at some point in the race, but I'm going for it anyways.

Fly, I wish you were there to run it with me. You are in great shape right now.

Teena, if I can't do 20 under 8, no way will I do 26.2 at 6:52. Some times it baffels my mind when I think I ran a marathon averaging 6:50 when there are recovery days that I can't barely run 8:30s for a few miles.

Paul, Smooth, Kathie... thanks for the encourgement. It helps motivate me.

I am not going to sound too happy because it might jinx you but it is so cool when your training runs go so well.

Dang, Rhett!!! Knock on wood, it sounds like you're back to your old self. Way to go!!!

Rhett, you did awesome on your marathon paced run last night and nice recovery run this morning. I love to read about your training. Very cool. Boston's gonna be so fun.

Glad the foot didn't act up too much.

Great workout again Rhett.

Nicely done PK!!

Nice workout.

I just got word Ogden Marathon sold out so my whole marathon plan has to be revised.

Great workout Rhett. Do your kids watch you run? I have teenagers and they would "need" me every 5 seconds if I were at home on the treadmill

WOW, that's an AWESOME mile repeat TM workout!!! Do you ever feel the urge to grab onto the TM bar? What kinda mind game do you play to get 6 mile repeats in those crazy fast pace?

Great job, Rhett!!! I think I could probably do 200 meters at that pace, but even that might be pushing it.

Paul, I can't believe how fast that marathon filled up. I'm thinking about doing TOU in Sept. Maybe I should start thinking about actually signing up.

Kathie, I do my TM work at the Gym. My kids are in the play area.

Smooth, yesteday I did the, "I can keep going for 2 more minutes, then I'll back down" game. I only have to tell myself that 3 times and the mile is over. And no I don't ever have the urge to grab the TM bar when it is going 9.8 mph. If I did that at that speed I'd probably go flying off the TM. :)

Dale, thanks. I couldn't always do that. You'll get there and probably soon at the rate you are improving.

I am with you on those mile on a TM they can be tough. At least you know how far you have gone and can keep the pace easier. What I am learning about speed work though. Is being that they are faster the faster I am done with them is what I tell myself.:) Great job man.

Sounds heavenly!!

Looks like most of us put in an EZ day today. I am learning fast how important they are now that I have added hard days.

Like a pro., you're doing the hard/easy principle training so beautifully. It's a bit more challenging here with the crazy winter weather. I just hope we will be rewarded come race time.

Nice job Rhett. Glad to hear everything is working right.

Nice to hear the foot is feeling better. I run in the dark so much it sounds weird to actually run when it's light.

Another tough workout!!! Where do you get all of your energy? Are you running a 20 miler tomorrow?

Well Rhett if it felt easy it could have been way too fast, I am like you though I need to make my easy days easier.

Dale, Tomorrow I will only go 16. I'll do 8 EZ miles out and downhill, then 8 back up hill fast.

How in the world can an AP of 7:54 feel easy!! You're nuts (and in such good shape).

Nice job!!

Hey Rhett, how steep is this hill? I always have it in my head that you're running up and down hills with 10% grade.

Just more than the last mile of my ez run is up a long straight road that has about a 5% incline. I only so my sprints for 10 secs each and then just keep running up for 50 secs...repeat 10 times.

When I do my real hill work the hills are longer and much steeper, more like 10%. That will be this coming Monday's workout.

Teena, thanks. I think I am a bit nuts, but I was making a conscious effort to run slow and easy I just need to do better at slowing down.

Kathy, your workouts lately have been pretty intense. Your doing awsome. Have you given any thought to the duathalon idea?

Rhett while I like the idea of a duathlon/triathlon, I don't own a bike and I can't swim so for now I will just stick to the running and then when I get rich and famous I will hire a swim coach and buy a bike.

One of these days I need to plan my workouts. You do things so smartly.

NICE EZ run. How do you figure out the percentage of hill inclines? There are two hills on a rounte that I frequently run.

One is 1.5 mile long with a 195' ascend.

The other one is 0.3 mi long with 63' ascend. These numbers are from my Garmin graph.

Most of the time I run them at a steady pace. Sometimes I would "sprint" to one telephone pole and recover to the next telephone pole; or counting sets of 30.

I have one of the screens on my Garmin set to tell me the % incline/decline and when I'm running up the hill I just look at it a bunch of times and take the average. I'm sure it's not exact, but I don't want to do the math to figure it out.

Nice mileage, AWESOME pace and strong finish. New shoes are wonderful especially with PERFECT running road and weather condition! GOOD JOB on your long run today!!!

You don't get too many days like that... new shoes, perfect weather, and a great run...you should mark this one down for the history books.

Awesome, Rhett, Awesome!!! 55 miles in ONE week. Sounds like the weather was just perfect for you. It was snowing up here even before I got up this morning.

So you are telling me that you ran 8 miles uphill with an AP of 7:03!! Crazy boy!!

Nice run, Rhett. Nice shoes, too. I love my Speedstars. I bought a pair at the expo at Boston last year and ran in them for the marathon the next day..feet felt great. I bought a new pair recently--bright yellow, and I love running in them. They're very light. Do you plan to run Boston in yours? Do you think there's enough cushion for long runs?

Marc, my new ones are bright yellow as well. There is plenty of cushion for long runs in them. I usually race in the Hyperspeeds which are even lighter and have less cushioning in them. I need a new pair of those before Boston though, so I may just race in my Speedstars.

Nice easy morning run at a stinkin' 7:47 pace???

Oh man ... that kills me!!

Nice job PK!

great job on both runs!!! WOW!!!

I love to run at sunrise it is the best! My dream run would be to run on a beach in Hawaii at sunrise or sunset.

AWESOME hill run last night and nice run this morning. I have a hard time running early in the morning during the dark winter months. I need to change my attitude. GOOD JOB!!!

What da??!!! If I really want to stop, I press the STOP button, NOT increase the speed! You are one CRAZY FAST SUPERMAN with bionic mental toughness, I tell ya!!!! AWESOME TEMPO RUN!!!

Sweet run, Rhett. I really need to get a new treadmill at home. If mine was working correctly, and not sitting in the corner of my bedroom as a clothes rack, I'd be tempted to jump on it right now!

Dang, Rhett!!! I don't even know what to say anymore. great job.

Great progress. You are very strong.

Oh so that is the Jedi mind trick you use - when you are so dead you want to stop speed up! You are crazy. I think I will stick with when you want to stop count to ten and then stop...or count to ten again.

Smooth, Marc, Dale, Paul, thanks.

Kathie, I have found that sometimes when I am tired if I speed up it actually seems easier than continuing at the same pace I've been pounding out. One of my Jedi Mind tricks.

Do you cross train on your EZ days? You deserve an EZ day after yesterday's awesome hard workout. I always love EZ days and sometimes dread hard days. I have noticed that after an EZ day the next day's workout is so much better.

Funny, I used to love the easy days and dread the hard days. Now I LOVE the hard days and dread the easy ones. The speed work is a lot of fun.

Just make all your days easy like I do. (I'm trying to slow you down.)

Smooth, I have changed up my training from what I did at SGM. Hopefully that won't be a mistake. I am running 6 days a week instead of 4 and I cut out most of my cross training. Every morining (Mon-Fri) I do 15 mins of either jumping exercises or core exercises. That is it. No weights, no eliptical, no pull-ups, NADA!!!

No packing bulky guns? Smart thinking!! You're an elite runner in my book. I think it's good to change things up with different training cycle. With the good weather you have down in AZ, it'd be a waste not to run more days and less indoor xtraining. What do you think of Brain Training?

Smooth, the weather has been fabulous here this winter. Should be a great morning for a long run tomorrow. I really like the Brain Training ideas. I don't use any of his training plans in the back, but I use a lot of his ideas in my training. I am using his jumping exercises and core exercises and think they are helping.

Great job, Rhett. I know I keep saying this, but I really need to start running some hills. That's the one part of my training that I always overlook.

NICE recovery run. Have a great 20 miler tomorrow! Your training looks awesome.

Dale, hill sprints build leg strength and make you faster.

Smooth, how far are you going tomorrow? How many 20 milers do you have planned for the training cycle?

I'm doing 20, may be 21 ('cause it's the 21st) tomorrow. I have at least four 20 milers this cycle.

How does one keep it nice and easy when running 10 hill sprints at the end?

Fly, that last mile+ of 10 to 15 sec hill sprints isn't easy, but it never seems to take much out of me the next day. They are not like my hill repeats that I do ever other week. Those wipe me out.

Wow Rhett You are looking so good I think you might just go sub 3 at Boston...but then what do I know.

Great job, Rhett...What time did you get out for your run? Sounds like a tough run. I hope you can get some rest today.

Kathie, I'm going for sub 3 at Boston, but it will be tough. I may crash and burn.

Dale, I got up at 3:45 went and put out some water bottles and was out running by 4:20. I had to be at work seeing patients at 8:00. Only have to work till noon. :)

You seem very strong and focused. Way to go. You are well on your way.

Wow, Rhett, you are more committed than I am. It's easier for me to run in the middle of the night BEFORE I go to bed. The last time I got up that early to run was when I met Slick and Mark-O up in Park City. Never again....except for marathon mornings.

By the way, is your total time for the 20 miles supposed to read 2:33:04?

yes, it is 2:33:04 . If I had done it in 1:33:04 I would have set a world record. Thanks for catching that typo.

WOW!!! I knew you're FAST. When I saw that 1:33, my jaws dropped to the floor. You ran twice as fast as me!!!

That was an awesome mountain loop you did. 700+feet???!!! You're very committed and motivated to get up that early. You ran w/o headlamp? I am impressed. You were done running by the time I started mine. You're an inspiration to me. GREAT JOB!!! You're so there for that sub-3 at Boston!!!

Yeah, and he started his run only 45 minutes after I went to sleep....Well, he started hiding water bottles.

That is some serious speed on a 20-miler!! You are seriously on fire PK!! AWESOME!!!

Great run there Rhett. Anytime you can run that fast for that far, and still be able to knock out the two fastest miles at the finish says lots for your endurance and the shape you're in. Stay healthy and can't wait to see how you do at Boston!

Rhett, I just read your response on Brain Training. I'm gonna try some of those core workout this week. I like the ideas about afferent feedback and cues for running forms. I have been thinking about my running form more, working on "the belly button to spine". It's hard to constantly think of that during the run.

yeah Smooth, I like how he has you focus on one thing at time with running form. It is hard to concetrate on more than one at a time, but over time they just become natural.

Okay PK ... I must have missed it. Where is the post on brain-training ... I need MAJOR help with running form ... obviously!!

If it wasn't blatantly obvious to you before it should be now, Painter's was a fluke. We all know you are much faster than you were on that day. Having said that, I may never let you forget that fluke because I will probably never finish ahead of you in a race again! :)

Nice workout. Boston, here you come!

Oh yeah!!! That is the Rhett we know. Great speed there speedy. And to run fast at the first of your run pulled it back in and then gunned it again at the end. WOOT WOOT!! Either way at painters I was happy to run with you some and chat with you. Just imagine how you would of done if it was in the morning over doing it late at night too. Great time trail though bro.:)

Awesome run, Rhett!!! You finished your 13.1 in the exact same time it took me to run my 10 miler Saturday night. I'm positive you'll go sub-3:00 at Boston. A superb performance.

Rhett, that's an awesome half marathon performance, nicely planned and executed. You're an incredible athlete. It doesn't hurt that you are a GREAT dad. How late did you go run? I'd be so pooped after FHE and tucking kids in bed after a long day at work; not to mention you ran 20 miles on Sat. I am very impressed. Sub-3 at Boston will be icing on the cake, a well earned and deserved reward. AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!!!!

Fly, I think we would run a fairly even race. You have gotten fast in your "old" age.

Mark, thanks, it felt nice and easy. I never was breathing hard till the very end. That was the best part.

Dale, I wish I were positive I could go sub 3 at Boston.

Smooth, I started around 8:00. Luckily my kids go to bed at 7:30. I have been working really hard on making running like #5 on the priority list with the family/kids right at the top. I think the more I concetrate on doing what is important, the more my running has improved.

Hey Rhett, I guess it's easier for someone else to say you'll go sub 3 at Boston. Just like my wife keeps telling me I'll go sub 4 at Ogden. I don't feel confident that I can do that yet.

As for priorities, that's pretty much the reason I've been doing my long runs at night when everyone is in bed. Those long runs take a lot of time away from my family.

How old are you, Really? 22?

Great job man. You planning on doing the Ragnar this yr?? Your training looks well in line with that kind of training. What was your next race coming up again?? I know Boston but anything inbetween?

Dale, I'm 37 but I'm getting faster and my theory is every year you get faster you don't have to count. So I've been getting faster since I started racing at age 34... that makes 34 still.

Mark, no I'm not doing Ragnar, too far to travel. My next race is a half marathon here in Lake Havasu that is 2 weeks and 2 days before Boston. My goal in that race is to run it in exactly 1:30:00 (marathon goal pace) and not a second faster.

Wow Rhett your training runs keep getting better and better. I am sure you are in the best shape of you life.

And younger and younger too! :D AWESOME!

I know that 8:00 miles feel pretty easy for me, they must feel like walking for you, Rhett. Best of luck going for that sub 3:00 at Boston and the 1:30 at Havasu. Sounds like a great plan.

Rhett I think I get faster just reading your reports I can't imagine what it is doing for you. Can you set up the treadmill to do all your speed changes right at the beginning? I need to figure out how to do that.

I use the gyms treadmills. It has an interval workout mode so you pre-program it for your running speed and your jogging speed and then you only have to hit one button when you want to switch back and forth. I love that setting, makes speed work a ton easier.

I use the gyms treadmills. It has an interval workout mode so you pre-program it for your running speed and your jogging speed and then you only have to hit one button when you want to switch back and forth. I love that setting, makes speed work a ton easier.

Keep up the good training and you will hit your goal in Boston.

Hey Rhett, I've noticed the same thing after doing my midnight long runs. I just thought it was a fluke, but when I wake up the next morning, my legs feel great.

Delayed onset muscle fatigue is always worse for me abot 48 hours later. Way to keep at it, stud.

I am glad your new schedule is working for you. It is amazing how no matter how long you run you can always learn more. The other day the kids in car pool were teasing me because I was reading the complete book of running... they kept saying they knew how to run at two years old and I was just now learning! What do they know they are just teenagers :)

Kathie, that's funny. Just the other day I was giving a friend of mine a hard time about taking a running class at the gym. I asked her if the told her "right, left, right, left..." She didn't think that was funny.

Great job, Rhett. Look at all those miles. I only have 10 for the week

Quality, as always!

You're so disciplined to do recovery runs, always thinking ahead to save some in the tank for the next hard workout. You're like a well fine tuned machine. What an AWESOME athlete!!!

Great job, Rhett. That wind can be a killer. Time for some rest.

I applaud you for going out in the wind. I opt to take the easy path too many times when the trees are blowing. Nice workout!

You amazed me with your speed. I couldn't run even one mile at 7:28, no less in a long run with headwind. I agree with ya on the training in adverse condition, it just prepares you better for whatever race day brings. GOOD JOB, PK!

Nice 16-miler there PK!!

I'm always amazed at how you take the downhill easy and then hit the uphill (second half of your run) hard!! You are so stinkin' hardcore!!

Have a great Sunday my friend.

Teena, I don't know if you will get this message, but I'm glad you're still out there checking in on us. I hope you are doing great and life has become a little less stressfull. We all miss you, but completely understand why you disabled your blog. Sometimes stepping away for a while is the best thing. We all miss you.

Of course I got your message!! And of course I'm checking up on all of you!! :)

I am doing well and am feeling very positive. Doing some healing, some crosstraining, some running, and LOTS of homework! :)

Have a GREAT Sunday Rhett!! It's Stake Conference today for us ... I am taking a cushion to pad the hard chair. People will laugh at me but they will wish they had thought of it!! Oh yeah, and extra treats for all! :)

Wind and Hills boy Rhett you are and animal!!!!!

Hey Rhett, how's your foot feeling these days?

Dale, my foot is not bothering me at all when I'm running. It is still a bit tender sometimes, so I am still icing it 2 to 3 times per day in hopes of not having to go through that scare again.

Although you didnt do the plan, it sounds like you hit it hard and got the desired result. That is going to pay off big time in the Boston hills.

21 hill sprints planned - dude that is seriously hardcore.

Good idea taking a recovery week. That's what I did last week. I feel so much better now.

good plan - don't burn out now. Still lots of time to prepare for Boston.

GOOD THINKING in listening to your body and make adjustment accordingly. That's alot of mileage in the mid 50s for 5 or 6 weeks. Also, all your miles are quality miles, quality workouts. Last week was my "slump" week. My body just wouldn't let me run faster. We got so used to running with discomfort that it's good to look at our log and take a step back week when the body dictates it. Thanks for sharing your wisdom.

Tim and Smooth. Yeah, I can just tell my legs are shot right now. I'm sure after an easy week they will be back stronger than ever though. Thanks for the encouragment.

You are very smart to step back and take a needed rest. It makes me respect you as a runner even more.

Hey easy is always good! Oh I hope you don't mind that I live a speedy life vicariously through you!

You're going to need to start carrying a fire extinguisher if you run any faster!

nice job man - how many miles are you going to increase your tempo runs to before Boston?

I will do max at 9 miles at 9:40 pace. For a traditional tempo run and 14 miles at marathon pace for a marathon pace tempo run. What do you think? Is that enough?

OOPS! I mean a 6:40 Pace on my 9 mile tempo run.

It sounds like a great plan. I asked around about it in the fall and it depends on who you talk to. I went up to 11 "tempo" miles in the fall. Most people told me that is too much. Looking back on it, the pace for that tempo was a little slow for my pacing. I made 6:35 pace for that one, so it was more like a MP but that's ok. It just means that I can improve my training this year.

You are doing a great job this go-around. Keep it up and stay healthy!

Tim

So how do the legs feel? rested?

Sounds exciting to me!! :)

Kathie, my legs are feeling better, thanks for asking.

Teena, thanks for checking in. I'm sure any painfree running sounds exciting to you. Are you still running Boston? I really hope you are and that you will be able to do it without pain. I know we are all praying for you.

Glad to hear you're still taking it easy. Feels good, doesn't it?

Hey Rhett, what's your plan for the next 6 weeks leading up to Boston? When are you going to run your last 20+ miler?

Rhett,

I think Boston is very doubtful. Didn't purchase any plane tickets. Ry says that I can change my mind at the last minute and he would be happy to pay the extra amount for the flight. He was worried that if he purchased the tickets thought that I might feel too much pressure to run and continue to make foolish running decisions! :)

Besides, I have you and Smooth whom I can temporarily live vicariously through. I'll run Boston, just not sure if it will be this year.

Marc, I will do a 20 miler tomorrow at a little slower than normal pace since I'm trying to make this an easy week. Then in 2 weeks I'll do another 20 miler, then 1 week after that (3 weeks out) I'll do a 23 miler. 2 weeks out I'll be running a 1/2 marathon at marathon pace. Then the taper will begin. What are your plans.

Teena, we will miss you in Boston, but I think you have made the right choice. It will just be that much more sweet next year when you get to go.

Rhett, your plan sounds a lot like mine, but I'll to a mid-long run this weekend, as I just ran a full last weekend. I want to give my muscles a little time to fuel back up..but not too much time. I'd like to hit at least three 50+ mile weeks, and maybe peak at 60 (that's a lot for me). There are 2 local half-marys between now an Boston, but I haven't signed up for either. I don't want to wear myself out...and when I enter a race, I usually have to go for it, and not hold back. I'll keep watching your blog..

Stick with it nice and easy bro. And great to hear the legs are feeling great again. Got to love it.

Have a nice long one. :)

Hey Rhett, I hope your long run goes well tomorrow. How many more 20 milers do you have?

Did you get your 20 miler in on Saturday, Rhett? How was it? I did my long run last night but for some reason it doesn't show up on my blog. It just shows the mileage for the week so far. Strange.

What are you training for? Boston? Are you going to do the Havasu half on the Apr. 4th?

Burt, yes I'm doing the Havasu Half Apr. 4 but I'm going to run it at marathon pace not race it. It will be my final tune up before Boston. Are you doing the Havasu Half?

Rhett - I figured the half would be a good workout for you heading up to Boston two weeks beforehand. I'm thinking about doing it. Do you know if there's a website for it? I just got an email about it, and all it had was a contact name.

Oh. Just found the website. Who knew if I googled 'Havasu half marathon' it would be the first choice?

darn you beat me to the sarcastic post of, "Have you tried HavasuHalf.com ?" It should be a great race. Burt, what is your Boston goal?

Well, I guess it's my turn for the sarcastic post. Seeing how the only marathon I've ever run was over 5 hours, my goal is to sit back with a glass of lemonade, and enjoy the race. Good luck to you, though. I'm sure another sub 3 is within your reach.

Great job, Rhett. Sounds like you've been pretty busy since Saturday. Glad you made it home ok. That is a long drive. When I saw your total run time I thought "Dang, he ran three more miles than I did in an hour less than it took me to run 17." and then I realized it was a typo.

Nice 20 miler Rhett. Way to keep it "easy."

OOps! Thanks Dale. I keep doing that. I guess in my head I'm an elite runner.

Hey you need to think positive! I am always and elite runner in my head!!!!

WAY to get that 20 miler done and not "racing" it. You're always an elite in my book.

So nice of you to drive 6 hours to show support to your brother. I'm sure he appreciated that.

Can't wait to "watch" you ramp it up this week with your training. 6 weeks to go...WooHoo!!!

Great job! Kind of cool to wake up that early, nail a 20 miler, and get home before anyone else has done anything, isn't it? Once I did the 4:30AM wake up on a 23 miler through downtown Atlanta. It was a little weird getting running out there with all the people just leaving the bars...Got a lot of hoots and hollers that day.

That's amazing that you could sit in a car for that long after a long run, and not get out and feel all stiffened up. You're going to be SOOOOO ready for Boston!

Thanks everyone,

Tim, yeah, I love running early in the morning before most people have gotten up. I bet running through a big downtown area in the middle of the night would be pretty cool, but since I live in a small town in the middle of nowhere, I wouldn't know.

Do you ever get to run across the London Bridge?

I do run across it sometimes. Tonight I drove across and then ran around the island a few times. It you come and run the Havasu Half on the first Sat. of April you too can run across twice in the race.

I have a ways to go yet before I start planning for half marathons, but it sound like fun. I would have a blast playing around the Colorado River if I lived there. I love Arizona and the desert.

Wow those splits look really great, I am glad your rest week paid off.

My husband just bought me Brain Training for runners and I started reading it today.

Holy Moly, Rhett. I don't know how you can run that fast for that long. Always impressive.

I started reading my Brain Training for Runners book, too. Good stuff. It's going to take me a long time to finish it.

Wow nice splits but more impressive is that you did that late at night. No snow to deal with to boot.:)

That's a very impressive training run. Looks like you are ready for a great performance at Boston.

Kathie, Dale, I hope you guys enjoy Brain Training as much as I did. It has some great ideas that you can incorporate into your current training plan.

Mark thanks. I didn't feel like going out last night, but I'm glad I did.

Andy, Thanks, are you sure you don't want to show up at Boston and pace me to another sub 3? :-)

Rhett,

That is an impressive 15 miler. Amazing how you hit those marathon pace right on the button and so late at night. I think I need to seriously look into more easy weeks. I smell another sub-3 at Boston for ya!

real nice, man!

My wife is heading down with two of her girlfriends for a few days away at a local resort there in Havasu. How is the weather right now?

They will get there on Friday night, late and be leaving next Wed.

Nice job on hitting it right at 8. Enjoy that great weather while it last. Things start to heat up for you guys here in the next month or 2??

jun,

Today the weather is amazing. High of 80, no wind, no clouds, just perfect. I don't know what the forcast for the weekend is though. Seems like the only thing that ever ruins the weather around here is wind.

Another envious day and nice run, Rhett! Sounds like you live in paradise right now. The only way I get to look over Utah Lake is when I run up SunCrest. I do LOVE living in Utah with our four seasons.

Sounds like a great place to live. How were your legs today after your incredible 15 miler last night?

Dale, my legs felt pretty good this morning considering how hard I ran last night. My calfs were a tiny bit sore, but everything else felt great.

Nice run, Rhett. Enjoy your couple weeks of Springtime!

Enjoy Wednesday night mile repeats with the kids. :)

Paul, you've got my schedule totally figured out. I guess I've become predictable.

Great job, Rhett. Someday my legs will be able to move that fast.

Man Alive PK!!

Are you for real?

That is some sweet speed there.

Impressive as usual.

Wow Rhett you are the man!

I really need to learn how to pre program the treadmill. What brand of treadmill is at your gym?

AWESOME TM workout! I'd love to be there and watch you run #10 & 10.3 on the mill...so cool! It'd be dangerous for me to attempt such a thing.

Thanks guys, it was neat to realize as I was doing my last repeat that I wasn't breathing to hard or anything and except for my legs, it felt comfortable.

Teena, great to hear from you. How is school coming? Do you get a spring break? What kind of training if any have you been up to? I hope your feeling better.

good job Rhett

you seem to be hitting all your marks recently. all this hard work is going to pay off.

PK,

School is coming along, just finished midterms, hallelujah!! Spring Break next week ... sweet ... have one paper that I need to write, but that's it! :)

Mostly I have been cross-training during the week and getting a long run in on Saturdays. My pace is suffering a bit, but at least I get to run. Contemplating a 20-miler this Saturday, but will cut it way short if I need to.

Seriously Rhett ... you amaze me. You are doing so awesome!! Keep it up PK!

I'm jealous! jk I'm so happy for you. Gotta love days like that. How fun that your little boy is running and training for the 5K and you get to run with him this evening...a priceless day indeed! I still treasure the memory of my son running with me at dusk on Dec 31 2008. He was visiting from Iowa. Next time I see him, he'll be a daddy with a little girl of his own.

So much fun to run with your son! How old is he again?

Awesome, Rhett!!! Are you running another 20 miler this weekend? My son always says he wants to run a race with me, but he never wants to train for one. I think if I take him to get some decent running shoes he might change his mind.

Smooth, I bet you can't wait for that grand baby to arrive. Congrats.

Kathie, he is 9 and is quite a good runner for his age.

Dale, I love running with him. We really bonded some last time he was training for a 5K. I think it made him feel special to have his own time with dad. Tomorrow night I'm taking him up to Vegas by himself to go the the MWC tournament.

You're going to the MWC tournament? I am really jealous. We went couple years ago. We got to watch basketball day and night for 2 days and I got to run on the strip in the morning when all the gamblers were asleep. The Utes and the Cougs are doing so well in the conference this year. Proud time to be a Utahn.

Special bonding time for you and your little boy, lucky fella!!!

I hope some of you "spring" rubs off. I am happy you had a great run.

Wow, Rhett that sure was a scare. I've done that before running on some grass, I stepped in a hole, and though "uh oh, that's going to swell up like a watermelon!", but I've been lucky..I think you were lucky you were warmed up when it happened, and your ankle was able to stretch and absorb the worst of it.

Awesome 16 miler! Great pace -- that's only about :30 over your MP. Great miles this week, too.

It's amazing how many bad thoughts go through your head in the seconds after you roll your ankle. I've done it and am always certain that I will be hobbling around on crutches for weeks only to get up and finish the run with very little pain. Good job on finishing a great run.

Rhett..Great job on the run. Let's hope you won't feel any pain on your Monday run.

PK ... no getting injured!!

Yep, baby that ankle. You know what to do. Don't get lazy with the ice either if it starts feeling better.

Nice run btw!! You are so wickedly fast.

Oh Rhett how scary! You had better take care of yourself. Wasn't it around this time last year that you played soccer and almost got hurt?

Glad things seem alright. I worry your close call just reinforces my preference for the comforts of treadmillls.

nice run! careful out there!

Tim

AWESOME 16 miler. How's the ankle today?

Wow, I hope it's nothing serious

Sounds like you may be okay with the knee and ankle. Hopefully it continues to improve.

Great news about your knee!!!

10 easy miles on a "very hilly course" is what I want to be able to say. I'm going to be committed to running hills from now on.

How's the weight? I still need to drop a few.

Paul, In Jan. I decided that I would quit worrying about my "ideal race weight" and just let it go where went. I did also start eating only whole foods in Jan. though...nothing with added sugar, no crackers, no chips, no pop tarts (that bites), no ice cream, only whole foods. But, I decided I would eat how ever much I wanted and whenever I was hungry. My weight has stayed about the same. This morning I weighed in at 157 and if I had to pick and ideal race weight, I'd say 152. I am in the midst of my 2 longest weeks of training so may loose a couple more pounds before all is said and done. Either way I feel great and have had so much more energy than ever before in my life.

Boy, you opened a can of worms with that question, didn't you.

Yea for the lack of knee pain.

I eat whole foods too. Like a whole cake in one sitting...that counts right!

GREAT mileage yesterday and today, WOW!!! BEST part is no knee pain and the ankle is not sprained.

How do you know what's the "ideal race weight"? I seem to stay the same whether I eat a lot or less; whole or junk food. Sure...after long runs, hard workouts, I loose a few pounds but the body always equalizes the weight back to what seems to be comfortable at.

Smooth, I don't know how you determin ideal race weight. I think it would be the lightest weight you can obtain, but still feel like you have energy and are strong. For me, anything less than about 152 and I look like I am sick. I ran SGM at about 157 and had my best race ever, so maybe that is my ideal race weight.

Yeah that is a good question and answer. I have thought about what I think is my ideal yet not really sure. I have just sat around the same weight 170-173 no matter what. Might of put on a little bit over the last few months of less running. But still sitting at 175 range. Just tring to stay balanced and no to hungry.:) Good job going whole foods though. Great Harvest bread oh yeah!!!

Wow that is so fast! Wow I have nothing left to say... wow

Yeah, what kathie said!!!

That's a blazing fast TM workout. Did you ever worry you're gonna burn up the motor or set the belt on fire? :)

So what do you talk about when you run with your son... that has to be the coolest thing ever. He should start a blog.

It is super fun. We usually talk about school and his friends and sports. He really seems to open up when we are running together.

Looks like another long week for you. Very cool to be able to run with your son. I've got a couple more years until my boys (5 and 6) will be able to run for more than 1K. Can't wait!

Rhett...Have fun running with your son. How many miles are you running this weekend?

I'm slowly learning not to throw in too many races while training for a marathon. They always knock me out for a good week. I should have just taken it easy last weekend. Hopefully I'll be nice and rested for my 18 miler.

Dale, I'll be going 20 Sat morning and my son wants me to take him out for a lap around the island Sat afternoon, so that'll be about 4 more. Tomorrow I'll probably do an easy 6 or 7. I'll be around 70 for the week. Then next week will be my long week of this training cycle.

Great workout last night. I have to run downhill to hold that pace.

Your recovery pace is my puke pace! Enjoy running with Chase tonight. Man, you're building up some serious mileage. I'm running my longest this Sat. and that's it. Next Sat. I have a half-mary, then it's taper time.

Smooth, what is your plan for the 1/2? Are you going to do it at marathon pace? How much are you going to run building up to it? I'm trying to decide how much to run the week of my 1/2. I'm thinking I'll do a normal week, but take a rest day Thurs and an easy day Fr.

The 1/2 course is a challenging one with lots of turns, 3 hills, narrow road and hwy; hard to get in a groove; so I'm running it at marathon pace and might add on 4 miles to make it a 17 miler. The finish is by a parkway so I can run on it.

I will treat that week as a normal week with one speed work, one hill day, one medium long run, an easy one with some strides and one rest day.

I'm jealous, Rhett. Someday I hope my kids will want to run with me. They always tell me they do, but when the time comes they always back out.

Another 20 tomorrow?

Yeah, what's tomorrow?

Yep, another 20 tomorrow. My last 20 before Boston. I will do a 23 miler next Sat though.

Good luck on your run tomorrow.

Good preparatory run for your 20 miler tomorrow. Are you going bright and early like last time?

I'm planning on a 23 miler tomorrow. That might be it.

Smooth, I'm jealous that you are getting your final long run done tomorrow. I guess I'll be there soon. Enjoy your run and make the most of it.

Nice job Rhett. Too bad about that mile 2. LOL.

GREAT JOB!!! Sounds like a successful 20 miler and great pace on a rolling hilly course. That 7:23 AP is FAST!!! Very impressive!!! I can't believe you ran 4 miles later pushing Lane in 90 degree heat, WOW WOW WOW!!! 10mm might be slow to you; but that's my long run pace. You're so ready for Boston.

OH! and CONGRATS on an awesome 70 miler week!!! Will that be the max mileage or do you plan on another BIG week before tapering?

Wow I think 70 miles in one week would kill me. Glad your runs are going so well, Boston is going to be amazing!

Burt, thanks, yeah mile 2 was my only one over 8 mins, so I didn't make my goal for the run, but I'll take the great run anyways.

Smooth, I plan on one more long week this week. It will be right around 70 as well.

Kathie, with all the cross training you do, you probably put in an equivalent of 70 miles.

AWESOME RUN, RHETT!! You sound pumped for Boston. I'm already buying Smooth's dessert if she PR's at Boston..I'll add yours to the list. I see a sub 3:00 at Boston in your future. What did you do last year?

Holy Moly, Rhett!!! You and Smooth are putting us all to shame. That's a very impressive run. How did your legs feel on the second run with the kids?

Marc, last year a sqeeked out a BQ qualifying time of 3:15 and change so I need to have better than a 15 min PR on the course to break 3, but I really think I have a good shot at it. It'll be close.

Dale, To my suprise I did the second run with the kids pushing the stroller and felt great the whole way and the better suprise is, I had no stiffness Sunday morning or today. I guess my body is getting used to this running thing finally. Tonight 14 mp miles and it looks like it'll be really windy.

Simply amazing, Rhett. I hope to get to that point one day. I'm pretty stiff today after my long run last night. I know some of the soreness in my arms and back is from trying to get a lug nut loose on the car. I struggled with that for a long time. One thing that is preplexing is it hurts to take a deep breath. I don't know if I strained something working on the lug nut or if it's from my long run.

Unbelievable, Rhett!!! You are on fire!!! look at those paces. WOW!!!

This is so cool! I am so happy for you... you have trained hard and I am sure it will pay off.

Awesome run Rhett! Those splits are great! I could never make it through an entire run without looking at my watch.

WOWOWOWOWOW!!! LOVE IT!!! I am SO SO SO SO HAPPY for you!!! What an incredibly awesome run. The BEST part is you ran by feel and did so well after a long long Sat. run. You're peaking right, stay healthy for the next 27 days and you'll reap your reward.

Blistering :) All your dedication is coming together.

Daaaaang Rhett! Great job on the training. I wish I would've trained better so that we could've teamed up for Boston! I think I'm scaling back my expectations a bit. I haven't done as well in the winter as I had been planning/hoping. I'm guessing we'll be in the same corral of the first wave. We should get together pre-race at least. Again, great job man!!

Sweet run there Rhett. I would think your gearing up for a great taper with a awesome peak at Boston. Great job.

Mattk, good to hear from you again. What is your bib #? I'm 2567 so I'll be in coral 2. There will be a few of us meeting up on race morning to ride the busses together. I'll keep you posted on where and when to meet.

I'm 2648, so I'm in 2 as well. I'm actually staying a little bit out of town and will probably be dropped off near the start, but I'd like to meet up sometime.

It's good to see all of you hard work paying off. I'm going to start living vicariously through you.

Thanks everyone for sharing my excitement with me about my good training run. I hope it all comes together on race day when it actually counts.

awesome run man - keep it going and you're going to get a 2:55 in Boston.

Goodness, Rhett, I hope you get plenty of sleep tonight, or today.

That's what I need...take a psuedofed hours before my Sunday School class. I have been sleeping like a baby lately. Good recommendation on Alma 5-7. I love those chapters too. I read them whenever I feel lacking in Christlike attributes. This morning I was reading D&C 76 and was so touched by God's mercy.

I'm sure you'll get some good sleep tonight. You may want to use nasal strips for stuffy nose? I have never used them; but I'd think they won't make you hyper.

You described one of my typical nights before a big race (minus the reading the scriptures part..though I might just have to give that a try next time, instead of turning on the weather channel :)

I had no idea sudafed kept you from sleeping. I've been a bit stuffy lately..lots of pollen in the air down here lately. 27 days until Boston! (and even less unti the expo!!!)

I went to the temple yesterday and read Alma 5 before going in. It really set the mood for the session. Thanks. Great run...I hope you had better sleep last night.

Awesome woorkout, Rhett. Sometimes I do that same Jedi mind trick. It works. Also, since I have to do a lot of treadmill training, if I'm feeling like I need a little motivation, I'll watch some recordings I have of the New York and Boston Marathons. Those are always inspiring.

real nice, man. keep it up.

Excellent. I think these hard intervals have really helped you.

I'm not sure what to expect in the half on Saturday. I was shocked with your Painters time, so maybe I should shoot for 1:30 ish. I've just never raced a half before so am clueless.

Paul, I had a bunch of weird stuff going on at Painters with my foot and the steroid bloating and all. I'm sure you will run a great 1/2. Good luck and have fun.

I'm not surprised your legs are tired after running 45 miles in four days. Great job.

great job on the run. One more long run right and then you start to taper?

Yep, I'm ready to taper!!!!!!

And during your build up to your taper you are coming of your sub 1:27 half (as part of your 14 mile workout). Not even an all out effort.

Listen to you. Legs are tired, and still run 10 miles. You're so ready to go sub 3:00 in Beantown!

That was an AWESOME mile repeats you ran last night followed by a 10 miler like it's nothing! WOW, you are on top of the game right now. Enjoy the taper after your 23 this Sat. I'm so excited for you to reap that sub 3 reward at Boston.

Sounds like a good plan. Do you like sweet potato? I LOV'EM! Be sure to eat the last meal (breakfast) same time, same thing as in the marathon. Hope the weather co-operates for you in the morning. GOOD LUCK and enjoy your Boston simulator 23 miler. Can't wait to hear how it goes.

Do you really eat beagles? Mine just died a few months ago and had I known that was part of your diet I would have sent her to you. Good luck with your long run tomorrow.

They are best deep fried Andy and since I'm not currently eating fried foods, I guess I'll have to eat bagels instead of beagles this time.

Smooth, I love sweet potatos. May I'll have to pick one up at the store and bake it tonight.

Way to go you got me hooked on pop tarts and now you don't eat them any more? Oh well I love potato pearls, just add garlic salt and cheese!

Thought the whole beagle thing was really funny!

Right on Rhett. I cant wait to see how this run goes man. Sounds like you have found a great carbo load that really works for you. To bad it sounds like you dont do it all that often. But I will have to try it on my 16+ runs.

Good luck on your run tomorrow, Rhett. You are so focused, you're putting me to shame.

The whole beagle/bagle thing had me laughing hard. Fun stuff!!!

ok - so what is a potato pearl?

Tim, potato pearls are like dehydarated potato flakes, but they are in tiny little balls instead of flakes and the are way yummier and more like real mashed potatos. I just eat them plain and I love them.

How was your 23 miler, Rhett?

It went more than great Dale. Thanks for asking. I'm at work and don't have my Garmin so I'm waiting till I get home to post a good report, but I posted a quick review of it over on the forum if you want a sneak peak.

Glad to hear it went well. I'll check it out.

my friend - you are ready to go fast in Boston. DO IT!

Awesome run, Rhett... I know I always say that, but it's true. So what was your final time for the run? I'm too lazy to figure it out.

Rhett, looking good. You are so ready. Good job.

Thanks guys. I feel very confident right now, but there is always that little voice in the back of my mind saying it will be very hard to go sub 3 in Boston.

Dale, the total time was 2:47:02.

Rhett, you executed your 23 miler beautifully!!! You are SO SO SO READY to take that sub-3 in Boston. Have confidence in your hard work and training. Enjoy the taper. You running the Havasu 1/2? What's your plan for that final tune-up race?

Thanks Smooth. My plan for the Havasu 1/2 is to run it at MP. There are actually pacers for this race and one of the pace groups is the 1:30 hour group, so I think I will just run with that group and make it a goal not to get ahead of them.

Stay away from the soccer field! You're so ready for Boston!

Marc, yeah thanks. I was just thinking about how I went out a played a soccer game 2 weeks before Boston last year after not having played in a game in a long time and how sore I was for a good week. That was stupid. It probably cost my at least a few minutes in Boston last year. This year I'm doing everything by the book.

Your workouts seem so smart Rhett, do you think the Brain Training book has helped?

I don't know how smart they are, but they seem to be working for me right now. Brain Training is great if you read it for the ideas and some of the training advise. I think it really helped me focus on a few of the small details of running. I don't think there is any one training plan for everyone. You just have to do what works for you.

I've never done hill sprints. I worry that it might mess with the archilles. With that said, you're smart doing them once every 4 weeks and on an easy week. You are SO SMART in your training. Your legs will be so ready for the Newton Hills.

I love easy runs in perfect weather. You show a lot of self-discipline or restrain to not run longer. Are you saving it for a hard workout tomorrow?

Of course, tomorrow will be my final med long tempo run. 9 miles at 6:40. Next week I'll probably drop my tempo run down to 6 at 6:40 for my final tempo run.

Your workout plan is so awesome. Is 6:40 your half-marathon race pace or 10K rp?

It's my half marathon pace.

The weather sounds perfect! It's great to run in the 50's..and a light breeze. Can't wait to hear about your 9 miles at 6:40 tomorrow. If I'm lucky 6:40 is probably near my 5K pace these days.

So Speedy! great run!

Any minute now...we'll see how that 9 mile tempo run went!

Be safe on the road.

AWESOME tempo run and very TOUGH "mind game"!!! WOW!!! 9 miles at 6:40!!! You're fast and strong. Sounds like a long and busy day tomorrow. Have a safe trip and successful CE. GOOD LUCK at Havasu 1/2 on Sat.

Looking forward to meeting you. Can't thank you enough.

Hope you got your run in before your long drive. Drive safely!

Good luck at your race on Saturday! Even though you're "only" running MP, you'll probably still take home an AG award. Can't wait to hear your report. Stay safe.

Thanks everyone. I made it home safely, but very late last night. I did get my little run in before heading out in the morning. Work was super crazy today, so I'm just getting around to posting my runs. I'll let you know if I survive the 1/2 tomorrow. Looks like we may have some crazy wind.

Sorry about the cold. I guess the positive side is that it happens now and you're immuned for Boston.

Good thing you'll probably have it all out of your system soon. My family has been sick, and I've been flirting with it. If I get it, I want to get it soon and over with before next week! I really want to meet up for Boston and run at least a portion with you. I think your idea about meeting at the bag drop is good. We could even meet at the one of the bag drop letters/numbers earlier so we can hang during the village time. Since I have no idea what I'm talking about, you tell me what you think and I'll plan on it. I can't believe how close it is! (we're actually going out on the 14th).

I hope you start feeling better soon, Rhett. Don't overdo it on the runs or it'll make it worse.

First to comment on your race! And using your computer to do it. You ran a great race. That was a very strong finish. You had some ground to make up, and you did it. Man, that Kuck is fast. Thanks to you and your wonderful family for letting me stay the night!

Way to go PK!! I can't believe you ran a 1:25 and still had gas in the tank at the end!! I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to track you at Boston. :)

A huge congrats to your wife as well. A 2:03 for her first half is AWESOME!! I remember my first half about 3 years ago or so. I ran a 2:29. Your wife rocks!

Also, congrats to your son!! :)

Congratulations, Rhett!!! Obviously being sick didn't slow you down. Oh boy, I wish I went down there and ran that with you instead of this one up here. I'm going to have nightmares about it for a long time. LOL. I'm still trying to warm up and I finished two hours ago.

Wow Rhett 1:25 and still gas in the tank... you are the man! So you were fourth over all but how did you do in your age group?

Chase is defiantly taking after his dad... he is one speedy dude!

Excellent warmup race, Rhett!

I think the way you ran it was smart. You didn't blow doors the whole way so I don't think it will adversely affect your marathon at all. It will help you more than anything.

I ended up getting 3rd in my AG. 1st and 2nd overall were in my AG

CONGRATULATIONS Rhett!!! WOW!!! 1:25 with gas left in the tank!!! 3rd in your AG!!! I agree with Timp. A most EXCELLENT pre-Boston warm up. We still have 14 days to go. I have confidence that if you had to run Boston next Sat. you will do it with flying colors. You are simply AAAHMAAYZING!!!

Congrats to your sweet wife!!! That's an awesome first ever half mary time. I won't tell you what my first was. High five and hugs to Chase. He's got your genes in his speedy pants, for sure!

Time to taper, get over that cold and store up your energy for the BIG DANCE in Bean Town!

Thanks Smooth, I'm excited to see you Boston. I feel like a child waiting for Christmas... like I just won't get here fast enough.

How are you feeling today, Rhett? You did amazing at the race and you weren't even feeling 100%. Wow!!!

Great race and WOW for being brave enough to let Burt stay in your house with you. What a nice guy you are.

Tell your wife she did awesome and to keep up the hard work.

Good luck in Boston!

Oh---and I forgot to congratulate your son! That is awesome, it is so fun when the kids start running!! He did a great job.

Wow, Rhett, you're one speedy dude! Congrats to Doone and Chase on their races, too! I'm sure you're very proud of them. I think you'll have plenty of time to recover for Boston. 6:50's are going to feel slow! :)

I just realized I hadn't commented on this yet. . . Wow! You had quite a bit left in the tank to finish like that. Each run you are making me realize more and more that our Boston time together will be limited to chatting before the gun! Great job.

That is a crazy pace. You're inhuman!

Congrats! Great pace, great race, great picture!

I just checked the HavasuHalf official race results and they have me at 1:24:56. I think I will leave my garmin time (1:25:41) as my PR time on the Bio section though since I don't think my garmin was off by 45 secs.

See, you're such a pro. I would have taken the official time as my PR. Heck, I'd take whichever time is faster; it just makes me work harder the next time. At my age, a few seconds PR is HUGE improvement. No matter, you are ONE SPEEDY TALENTED RUNNER in my book any day.

My time was right on.

Yeah, Burt, that is what has me confused. I've asked a few others and they say their time was right on also, but I just don't see how my watch would have been that far off from the official time. I stopped it right when I crossed the finish and I lined up on the starting line.

Did you happen to glance at the clock as you finished? I didn't.

Hey Rhett, that's a tough decision about which time to take. That same thing happened to me at the Utah Human Race last Thanksgiving. I was only about 10 feet from the starting line and I hit the stop button as soon as I crossed the finish line, but their time was about 40 seconds better than my Garmin time. I was thinking the same thing "How could it be THAT far off?"

So which time did you claim Dale?

Burt, when I crossed the finish they still had the clock for the 5K people up since some of them were still finishing. It read like 58 minutes or something like that. Maybe I should take that as my official time! LOL

Well, I was going to go by my Garmin time, but after consulting with a bunch of people, they all said I should claim the official time since it was, after all, official.

OK, sorry to beat a dead horse with my race and all, but here is something cool. I just went back to my garmin and calculated the last 3.1 miles (5K) and I did it in 18:59 which ties my 5k PR. So I ran a 5K PR at the end of a 1/2 marathon. How cool is that?

a thousand times more than "WAY COOL."

WOWOW! That's the COOLEST STRONGEST FASTEST SMOOTHEST 5K PRs at the end of a blazing fast Half. You're AAAHMAAAYING!!!

Teena - like that's even possible. :)

Rhett - I'm going to have to start calling you Ryan pretty soon.

Burt ...

Oh ... it's totally possible!! :) (btw, I take it you are referring to Ryan Hall ... but my Ryan is even cooler!!)

A thousand times way cooler?

More than that by far!! :)

(btw ... comparing my Ryan to Ryan Hall ... not comparing my Ryan to Rhett ... don't want to get into a brawl with Mrs. Rhett! We'll leave that subject untouched:))

What an amazing race. A sub 6 mile on your last mile with gas still in the tank? Are you kidding me?

Teena, a 1000x cooler than way cool!!!! SWEET!!!

Andy, thanks, I don't know what got into me, but I was just feeling good and decided to chase down the guy in front of me.

GREAT workout!!! I might try that one of these days. I LOVE reading about your workouts...so inspiring, intelligent and positive. 13 days 'till show time!!!

feels like you are cheating, doesn't it?

No guilt! It's not like eating a cookie. This is GOOD for ya!!!

8:26 must have felt like walking to you! Enjoy some well-deserved taper time.

I'd call that a smart recovery run with less than two weeks to go. Gotta love the taper baby, maintain fitness and let things heal.

I agree I think the treadmill miles at 1% are harder... I thought it was because it was more boring but more and more I think the 1% is a little tougher than a flat road. (but then what do I know)

I agree the treadmill at 1% is harder than running outside. The treadmill is perfectly flat..I like the variation in the terrain outside to work more of the various stabilizing leg muscles. Kind of like lifting free weights versus the machines with the plates. Nice run, Rhett.

They'll feel better tomorrow!!

Boston is SO SO SO SO close!! Yahoo!!! :)

8:46 is still faster than my marathon pace. Your legs felt terrible because they are used to running fast. I bet they feel fabulous today!!! :) My feet are killing me from wearing heels all day yesterday. You're lucky you don't have to wear heels.

There are a lot of things I don't wear being a man that women wear and boy am I glad that it was women that chose to wear those things instead of some man. I think I would avoid heals this close to Boston. Heck I got a new pair of dress shoes this week, but I'm not going to wear them till after Boston for fear of getting a blister or something.

That's one thing I envy about men. You guys can wear anything you want. I wish I could wear my running shoes to the temple, the wedding and the Broadway musical; but somehow they look really silly with a pretty dress. In hind sight, who'd care. I had to RUN on the streets of Salt Lake last night with those stupid heels 'cause we were late getting to the theater. O well, vanity won over sanity.

Smart choice. At this point in training it us just about letting your body recharge.

Yes that is a very good idea... sleep is a big part of training make sure you are getting enough of it.

What is your calling? I thought you were in Young Mens.

Rest Rhett. Every-other-day from now until Boston works for me..but I'm much older than you.

I'm learning so much from you guys. I don't know how to rest.

Kathie, I'm High Priest group leader. It's definitely an interesting calling since all those I have stewardship over are on average about 30 years older than I am, but it has been a good experience. I have done the YM thing though. My wife is currently with the YW.

I know how to rest, but I can't. I hope you start feeling refreshed, Rhett. That's really cool about Kenya!!! I read it on the forum.

Wow you are a High Priest? You must have been in a bishopric right or are you just that wise?

Kathie, I am wise beyond my years. LOL

No, I was in the bishopric and have been a HP for 9 years now. Before my current calling I was on the High Council. Now that is a great calling. People think you have to do a lot but if you don't mind talking in church once a month, it's great.

Don't let the secret out. Now they're gonna call you to be the bishop.

I bet you're one of the fastest High Priests alive! :)

Marc, I probably am. I'd be willing to wager that I a race of High Priest group leaders around the world, I'd finish near the very top. Fortunately for them they would probably all school me in a contest of gospel knowledge and other things that are way more important than speed.

How can you not fall asleep in welfare training?

I've had to teach twice in group. Talk about intimidating. I flat out told them that I wasn't there to teach, but rather lead a discussion. LOL!

Nice last long run. Thanks for posting what you're gonna do. I was wondering about that. I really need my legs to feel fresh by the 20th. Yep, we'll be sitting in Fenway a week from now. WooHoo!

I think running M W and F would be extremely smart!! No sense risking anything at this point!! You are so so so so so so so so ready!!

Carb up and love the easy week!! :)

Thanks Teena,

So how are you feeling? Last we heard you had strained something playing basketball with your kids?

I'm healing: slowly, but surely (at least I hope)! Could be tons worst!! :)

Happy Easter to you and your family!!

Man I think you are just feeling dead legged cause of the taper. No worries. Have a good warm-up on Marathon day and you will rock it.

SO HAPPY you got that "I love running" feeling back. I think I'm feeling what you were feeling on those last runs last week. Sounds like your legs are regenerated/rejunvenated. You are training SO SMART and timing everything just right. You are READY!!!

Glad to see it all coming together. One week to go!

Man, I'm looking forward to everyone's race reports. Exciting times...

Good job resting PK!!

We need to somehow make sure that Smooth follows your example! :)

Teena, if we see Smooth post any running miles the next day or 2, you're going to have to go over there and tie her up or something. LOL

That's the plan! I am already tempted to go do that.

I'm glad your able to get some extra sleep, Rhett. Are your legs feeling any better?

Dale, my legs feel a ton better I think. Since I didn't run today I'm not sure. I'll give them a nice easy 6 miler tomorrow with some MP strides. I'll have a better idea then.

GOOD BOY for resting. Can you actually SLEEP?

Teena's the one that we need to tie down!!! She ran THREE miles today at 8 paces!!! I'm telling ya! We need to keep her on THE PLAN so she can run Boston with us next year!!!

You realize that I see these posts Smooth, right?

YOU BETTER BE RESTING YOUNG LADY!!!

Just got off the phone with Olga. She was in the ER. poor thing...so I rescheduled lunch with her. I'm heading out for my hairdo.

How do you see these posts? Aren't you supposed to be at the Dr. or studying?

I am studying Smoothie!! My computer has to be on while I study cause I use it non-stop for my stats class. Everytime someone posts on a blog where I have posted my computer says, "ding." And then my curiousity makes me check!!

Have fun getting your hair done. One of my favorite feelings in the world is that feeling of someone else washing my hair. Don't know why, but I love it! Make her wash your hair twice!! :)

Relax and Rest!!

(back to my stats -- BORING!!)

That's how it works? Wow, what a distraction. Nope, I already washed my hair. She's just gonna trim it a little so I don't look so shaggy. BYE!!! I don't know how any human could stand Stats...like watching paint dry!!!

Amen. But my professor LOVES them!! :)

I'm sure you look gorgeous!!

I will be leaving to the doc's in 20 minutes!! When I get home you better be fast asleep taking a long nap.

PLEASE TRY TO REST!!

(Thanks Rhett for letting us invade your blog.)

Good job on resting!!! I hope your legs feel brand new tomorrow!

Teena, is that true? You are supposed to be resting even more than Smooth. You have to stop running or this thing is never going to heal and I really want you to be able to run Boston with us next year. You will have plenty of time to get back in shape if you take a few months off now, but if you get hurt again, you won't get to do Boston again next year. Please listen to Smooth, I don't want to have to drive all the way up there to UT to tie you down. Booth of you...REST!

BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!BOSTON! BOSTON! BOSTON!

Sorry, just getting those pre-race spectator jitters. I'm looking to following everyone's progress on-line!

Have a great run Saturday!

Wow, this must be the most posts for a REST DAY I've ever seen -- next to Teena's I think?!

Rhett,

Do you sleep well without exercising? I sleep better on days that I run. I was dead tired on Sunday and last night but my mind won't let me fall asleep so I just lay there going crazy.

Marc, I'm going for a record for the most posts on a rest day, but Teena will always hold that one.

Smooth, I've been sleeping like a baby. It is weird how quickly a have gone to feeling like I'm not a runner. It seems like an eternity since my 1/2 which was only 10 days ago. I do usually have a few restless nights while tapering, but non yet on this cycle. I think my body needed the extra sleep this time around.

Fly, I love the "BOSTON" post. It actually made me a bit nervous to ready "BOSTON" so many times.

Paul, thanks for the good luck post. I'll try and make my quick jog on Saturday a great one!!! LOL Monday though I really could use the luck.

The record is yours Rhett ... afterall, you are the PK!!

(Pretty lame that the only record I can hold has to do with posts on a rest day ... that stinks! I've never placed in the top three of any real race in my division, let alone first place like you so often do ... so ... here's the deal: you take the record for number of posts on a rest day, and I will have to obtain somehow a top 3 in my division somehow. What do you think?)