Rhett

I was up coughing much of the night and was in a medicine fog when I finally got up, but I went out and slogged through 10 miles at a recovery pace when I got up anyways.

Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow for my long run.

22 easy miles with Blake.

AP 8:18

4 easy miles with Blake to help the legs recover from yesterday's long run.  Overall felt good after I got out a few kinks at the beginning of the first mile.

10 easy miles this morning...felt good.

1 mile warm up followed by 1 mile at tempo effort with half mile recovery jog...repeat 5 times then an extra half mile cool down for a total of 9 miles.

I had my sights on doing 6 repeats, but on my fifth one my time dropped to marathon pace, so I called it a day.

10 more easy miles.

Nothing exciting to report.

4 recovery miles nice and slow

10 mile bike ride.

My legs really enjoyed that bike ride this morning. I missed both my rides last week as I am trying to get in 2 rides a week.

23 miles with Blake between seminary and work this morning after a night being up with Tally who was throwing up.  I feeling it now. Hopefully I survive the work day.  Good thing it's Friday. I'll need the weekend to recover.

AP 8:19

I woke up to thunder and lightning and a rain storm so the morning ride with Blake was unfortunately cancelled.  Instead, I went to the gym and rode the stationary bike for 30 minutes and then ran easy on the TM for 4 miles.

This was my first week to hit 60 miles in about a year...plus I got in 2 bike rides.

8 easy miles on a nice calm overcast morning.  Legs felt really good after the rest yesterday.

1 mile warm up, followed by 1 mile at tempo effort with 1/2 mile recovery jog repeated 6 times.

My mile splits were all over the place with my slowest at 6:36 (2nd repeat) and my fastest at 6:19 (last repeat).  My average pace on the repeats was 6:28 though.

Total run: 10 miles

I was very happy with today's run and think it will be a nice confidence booster for the final 6+ weeks of my marathon training.

8 recovery miles, nice and easy.

4 more easy miles followed by a 10 mile bike ride through the hills at SARA Park.

Biking sure makes my legs feel good.

HOT AIR BALLOON HALF

Before you start reading this blog, you should know that this is not a real race and I was the only participant. :)

This weekend is the Hot Air Ballon Festival in Havasu and it started this morning with a mass assention of balloons at about 7:30. I decided I would run my own personal half marathon and try to do it at my goal pace (6:52) for my upcoming marathon.  I had to drop off some stuff for my son at the high school on the way to the race, so I was a few minutes late for the 7:30 start. Luckily the race organizers waited for me before they started.  After warming up my legs with some active stretching, the race started.  The first couple miles felt difficult for marathon pace and I was have trouble settling in on a nice consistant pace, but I finally started to find my groove about mile 4.  After going around the island once I crossed the London Bridge which was packed with race watchers (actually people watching the balloons) cheering me on.  I headed out London Bridge which goes along the lake until the halfway turn around were I was at 44:38, just a little ahead of goal pace. 

I turned around to head back toward the London Bridge and there must have been 40 to 50 balloons up in the sky over the lake. It was really pretty.  Nice of them to all be up there in honor of my race. On mile 8, I lost my focus and had my only mile over 7:00 for the race.  I regained focus quickly though and was back on pace as I crossed back over the London Bridge where I had a nice pick me up from the even larger crowds that had gathered to see the finish of my race.  Then I just had one more time around the island.  I was now having to work a bit, but all my splits were in the high 6:40s as I pushed through to the finish to win the inaugural Hot Air Balloon Half in a time of 1:29:49 (AP 6:51). 

I would like to thank all the Balloon pilots for their efforts in making this race so fantastic and scenic, and all the spectators who came out to cheer.  As the winner and current champion, I think I will start training hard so I can defend my title next year. 

Seriously though, I wasn't sure if I could hit my marathon pace for 13.1 especially with no taper or carb load or anything special.  I'm hoping to continue to improve over the next 6 weeks and be able to maintain that pace for a whole marathon.  Only time will tell, but this gives me the confidence that it is possible.

It has been a crazy Saturday. I didn't get to my workout until8 pm.

30 minutes in the stationary bike followed be 4 recovery miles on the TM. Legs felt great after yesterday's half.

I didn't have to teach an early morning seminary class this morning since it is a school holiday, so I was able to sleep in an extra hour and still have time for a 12 mile easy run before work.

1 mile warm up followed by 1 1/2 miles at tempo effort (goal 9:45) with 1/2 mile recovery repeated 4 times, then 1 mile cool down for a total of 10 miles.

All 4 mile and a half repeats ended up being exactly 9:42. I was mostly running by effort with the occasional glance at the watch, so I thought it was odd that they all were exactly the same.

It was really windy and warm (61) this morning.

10 miles- Keeping it easy

4 recovery miles followed by a good hilly 10 mile bike ride.

Before I write this I want to put this diclaimer.  I know that is not a normal or recommended method of training for a marathon, but Blake and I decided to give it a try, but with much respect to the distance keeping things nice and easy.

Today we ran 27 miles, AP 8:25.  For Blake, he set a marathon PR by about 8 minutes!!!! We were at 3:40:20 at 26.2.  I felt great for the entire run and felt like I could knock out a bunch more miles at that pace when I was done.  Now I just need to make sure a recover properly from such a long run.

30 minute bike ride with a Tabata thrown in the middle

4 mile TM easy run. All felt good.

My legs felt better this morning for my easy 10 miler than I think they have felt on any of my easy 10 milers recently. I ended up being about 15 seconds per mile faster than normal or than I wanted to be. I hope that doesn't come back to haunt me tomorrow when I am actually supossed to be running fast.

1 1/2 mile warm up followed by 3 x 2 mile tempo effort (goal 13:00) with 1/2 mile recovery jog then cool down to 10 miles.

I did the first two repeates too fast and paid for it on the third, but still averaged 12:54 on the three 2 mile repeats.  Overall felt pretty good.

Another easy 10 miles

4 recovery miles followed by a 10 mile bike through SARA Park.

The bike always seems to reinvigorate my legs.

It was a rainy morning! I was excited to get out and run in it.  Blake and I headed out for a long run. About a quarter mile into our run, a school bus drove by and hit a puddle and soaked us from head to toe. It was cold, but we didn't have to worry about tip toeing throught the water any more since we were already soaked.  The first 15 were really easy and fun, just chatting and running, then we tried to go for mp pace for the next 5.  I was shooting for 6:50, but only managed and average of 7:10 over those 5 miles. It was a net up hill of a good 200 ft though and the last 1/2 mile was about a 5% grade, so it probably wasn't as far off mp as the numbers say.  Then 1 mile recovery where Blake and I met up again.

Total run 21 miles, AP 8:05

30 minutes on the stationary bike with a Tabata thrown in, then an easy 5 mile recovery run on the TM.

It was a beautiful still morning in Lake Havasu City. The sun started to rise a couple miles into my run. Birds were chirping as I ran through the park towards the lake where I saw people getting out on their kyaks and gliding over the glassy water. As I approached the docks right before I reached the London Bridge, the ducks were out swiming and quacking.  I passed by a few walkers and then crossed under the London Bridge. About half mile later the sidewalk that runs along the channel runs out.  That is my turn around point.  As I turn around I can see the sun coming up over the horizon right behind the London Bridge. It is a pretty sight to see.  On my way back towards the bridge, I had to hurdle a little yippee dog that was on too long of a leash.  The own laughed, I just kept moving heading along the channel back towards the park.  My watch beeped...mile 6. I did some quick math and realized I had averaged 7:15 for the first 6 miles... way to fast for an easy run. I consciously switched down to more of a recovery effort for the last 4 miles continuing to enjoy the beautiful morning. I passed some more walkers and a runner or two then I was climbing back up the hill back towards home looking at the mountains that surround the city until I hit 10 miles and the fun was over signifying I had to start the rest of the day.

AP 7:23

I woke up this morning feeling really tired.  All my seminary students were tired as well, but we survived class. I changed at the church and headed straight to the island for my fast running day.  I sure could have used a little caffiene, but didn't have any so I drank a sip of water and started my warm up.  I did a 2 mile warm up along with my usual running drills I do on fast days, butt kicks, high skips, running backwards, and bounding.  I do 3 sets of each during the warm up run.  My two miles was up and I wasn't feeling too much better.  I decided to give it a go anyways. 

The plan 2 x 3 miles (goal 19:30).  The first mile of the first repeat felt ok, but the second one felt horrible. I was about to call it a day about 3/4 the way through the second mile because I was so tired. I even took half a walk step and reached to stop my watch, but before I hit the button I changed my mind and decided to go for it and see what happened.  I ended up finishing the first 3 mile repeat in 19:16. I was spent though.  I took my half mile recovery very slowly, but it went by way too fast.  Then I starte on the second repeat.  It actually wasn't as bad as the first and I finished it in 19:19.  Then 1 1/2 mile cool down to finish my 10 mile run.

The cool thing was on each of my repeats each mile got faster. First repeat (6:28, 6:25, 6:21). Second repeat (6:30, 6:26, 6:21). Today was a good mental exercise, pushing through the will to stop and being able to still hit my goal. Hopefully it makes me a stronger runner.

10 miles at a recovery effort, nice and easy.  Another beautiful morning in Havasu.

AP 7:59

4 fun easy miles. I had a little pep back in my step today.

Then 10 mile hilly bike.

Legs are feeling fresh and ready to run long tomorrow.

Oh what a beautiful morning! Oh what a beautiful day!

53 degrees, clear sky, no wind, lake of glass, people out and about walking and enjoying life. I love Havasu this time of year.

Blake and I headed out for a nice long run. We always have so much fun running and talking that the miles juss fly by.  Through 15 we were right around 8:00 pace, then we separated for marathon paced miles.  I did the next 6 averaging 6:47 (6:42,6:53, 6:46, 6:51, 6:48, 6:42) where we met back up and did 2 cool down miles for a total of 23 miles.

Marathon pace felt so much easier this week than last week.  I was very happy about that.  One more week of hard training, then on to the taper!

30 minutes on stationary bike with a Tabata in the middle.

5 painfully slow recovery miles on the TM. (AP 8:27)

Nice easy 10 miler this morning. I kept telling myself... slow down, save it for tomorrow. I did a pretty good job of keeping it easy for how alive and energetic my body felt this morning. AP 7:45

Hopefully I will feel that good tomorrow when I want to run fast.

I woke up feeling much better than I did last Tuesday.  After seminary I headed to the island for my weekly tempo run.

I mixed in 3 sets of my running drills durning my 2 mile warm up then set off for a 6 mile tempo run...goal 39:00.  Splits went as follows: 6:28, 6:24, 6:28, 6:27, 6:26, 6:18 for a total of 38:33 for my six mile run. Then a 2 mile cool down. 

I was very pleased with this run and am glad it is behind me. I was worried if I would be able to hold that pace for a full 6 miles. It is my final tempo effort before race day. Any more fast running I do will be at mp. 

10 recovery miles keeping it easy after yesterday's hard run.

AP 7:45- felt much slower than that.

4 slow miles truly respecting the recovery run.  AP 8:25

10 hilly miles on the bike through SARA Park.

Today was our last long run before the race! Blake and I headed out on our usual route and were having so much fun running and talking we kept having to slow ourselves down because we would keep creeping the pace faster and faster on accident.  We ended up doing the first 15 around 7:50 pace. Then we split as we moved into some mp miles.  I averaged 6:48 over the next 4 miles. I thought my legs felt tired this morning, but once I got into mp they felt really good.  Then a 2 mile cool down for a total of 21 miles, AP 7:40

Bring on the taper!!!!!!!

20 minute stationary bike with my last Tabata of this training cycle

5 recovery on TM @ 8:27

Legs felt tired at first, but by the end all felt good.

8 easy miles with Blake on a beautiful morning.

Right at the end of my run yesterday, my right calf tightend up and then was sore all day yesterday. I could still fill a little tightness in it this mornig walking, so I decided to take the bike out for a ride.

20 miles at a fairly hard effort.

I will probably ride again tomorrow just to be safe that it is healed all the way.  Since I'm tapering, the lack of running but still getting in some good cardio may actually be beneficial.

20 more miles on the bike.

Calf still mildly sore this morning. That means tomorrow will not be a run day either.

Rest day with some core work and some calf therapy.

Calf felt great this morning. I warmed up with some active stretching, did the foam roller on the calf, then a little more active stretching.  I then hoped on the TM at 10 minute pace and tried to run.  Unfrotunately it didn't feel quite as great running, not terrible but bad enough I didn't want to risk running on it this close to race day, so I jumped on the elliptical and took my disappointment out on it with a good hard 90 minutes of elliptical work.  I think my calf feels even better after doing that.  I'll cross train again tomorrow and see how the calf is doing Monday.

I'm in Phoenix for the weekend at my cousin's wedding. They got married in the new Phoenix temple. It is beautiful. I had time to get in 30 all out effort minutes on the elliptical before the day's activities began. 

My first week of taper has definitely not gone as planned, but I'm not so sure if I might be better off having done a lot of really hard cross training than I would have been with the usual shorter easier running that I usually do during taper. 

Let's start with the good news.  I was out of town eating out all weekend and I actually lost 2 pounds down to 150 which is the lightest I have ever been for a marathon.  Also, I ran this morning and the part of my calf that was hurting all week felt 100%!!! Yea!  The bad news though, unfortunately is that a different part of that same calf strained a bit this morning 3 miles into my run.  Taking no chances, I stopped immediately and walked in the last mile of my run. It is much less of a strain than what I did last week, so I think I should be fine by race day. I just would really like to get in a few running miles before the race.  This has been the weirdest taper ever.  Especially after what I think has been one of my very best, healthiest training cycles up until I started the taper.

My totally unusual taper continues.

30 minutes stationary bike at moderate effort.

Another 30 minutes on the stationary bike.

Trying to stay positive about being 100% healthy on race day.  Calf does feel much better today!

Nice easy 20 minute spin on the stationary bike.

I wanted to do an easy warmup run this morning, but with still some mild calf discomfort I figured another 24 hours of rest would be more benificial. 

Rolled my legs and some easy stretching.

Anyone religously inclined, I could use all the prayers I can get for my calf.

Phoenix Marathon 2015

Friday after lunch, Blake and I headed to Phoenix.  We stopped and picked up some new running shoes at the Sketchers Store, went and picked up our race bibs, and then checked into our hotel.  Blakes wife and kids met us at the hotel and we then headed out to get some dinner at Sizzler where we ate plenty of carbs.

After maybe my best night's sleep before a marathon ever, we got up around 4am, got ready and went and caught the bus to the start.  It was high 50s, cloudy and a real strong head wind.  After the Star Spangle Banner which included some fireworks, we lined up for the race.  My calf was feeling pretty good after all the rest over the last 2 weeks.  I hadn't even tried to run for about 5 days, so I didn't know if I'd even be able to go once the gun went off.  To my pleasant surprise, I started off pain free and settled into a real nice comfortable pace pretty quickly.  I had settled in with a few other guys and a couple gals running my pace.  We were runnning mostly single file since we were heading right into a strong wind much of the way.  I had a really nice mental focus and rhythm going and was thinking how great it was that I was running so well and it was feeling so easy when I passed the 11 mile marker and BAM, might calf did it's thing.  I stopped immediately getting a few looks from those I'd been running with, and I knew my day was over.  

I didn't even attempt to run another step and I'm glad I didn't.  I walked about 20 yards to the aid station that was right there and asked to see how I get picked up to be taken to the finish.  No one had any idea, so I borrowed a voluteer shirt (mostly becasue I was getting really cold) and started cheering on the other runners.  I made friends with some of the voluteers after about an hour and a half of cheering when one of them told me they had to leave and would give me a ride to the finish.

He was really nice and we had a nice conversation on the way.  He lives near the Gilbert Temple and I was able to talke to him about the importance of temples and how families can be together forever because of the ordinances performed in the temple and other things that are a lot more important than me having finished the race. 

I am greatful that I was able to run a marathon paced 11 miles.  I averaged exactly 6:45 per mile for those 11 miles and felt great.  I'm also greatful for the experience I had after stopping.  I really feel like I am in shape to go sub 3 right now and I figure after a few weeks rest from running, I will be able to pick up this huge running base and fitness and pick right back up on my marathon training, so I signed up to run Utah Valley Marathon on June 13th, last night.  I had a blast this weekend in Phoenix and I'm excited to head up to Provo to run in June.

Blake ran a 3:25 and change getting a 23 minute PR!!!!!!!!

I mile barefoot in the grass before swimming in the lake

1 mile barefoot in the grass before swimming in the lake.

1.5 miles barefoot in the grass before swimming in the lake.

4 miles early in the morning before heading out for a weekend of skiing in Brian Head.

Morning bike ride--52 minutes, cut short by a flat change

Evening fartlek hill run-- 4.5 miles

Morning:  1 mile barefoot in the grass before a 40 minute swim in the lake.  The water is warming up a bit.

Evening:  I started lifting weights with Chase (my oldest son) about 4 weeks ago.  Upper body, lower body and core.  Then I did a 5 mile easy run.  My legs were tired from the weights so I took it nice and slow.

20 mile bike ride on a windy morning.

I was going to do an easy run this evening, but my calves felt tired so I decided to take the day off from running.

Morning:  1 mile barefoot in the grass before a 40 minute swim in the lake

Evening:  I had a a little time before dinner so I took off from my house and ran out to some trails in the desert that are less than a mile from my house. I've never done much running out there.  It was fun to explore the trails out there a bit.

5 miles, 88 degrees

I headed back out into the desert for some more trail running this morning.  I got in 8.3 miles.  Some of it is rocky enough or steep enough that the pace is pretty slow.  I averaged about 9:30 minutes per mile, but I reallly like how it works different muscles than running on the road and it requires full concentration so you don't go down.  I think I'm going to start doing a lot more trail running.

Evening:  Upper and lower body weight training and core work with Chase.

My calves were a bit sore from the weights last night, so I decided to go for a long ride.  I got the bike out and headed out for a nice long adventrue.  I was descending down the hill from my house and hit a rock that I didn't see and I heard the dreaded noise of a flat tire.  I was about exactly 1 mile into my ride.  I hopped off the bike to see which tire blew and to my dismay I managed to flat both of them with that stupid rock.  I only carry one spare and since I was only a mile out I didn't want to call my wife and bother her, so I took of my bike shoes (it's hard to walk in them) and walked my bike home.  I'm totally counting that as 1 mile of barefoot running today by the way.

Once home I decided I didn't want to waste the cool morning weather changing tires, so I put on my running shoes and headed back out to explore the desert trails. I found some new routes, a few of which were not runnable, but had a lot of fun none the less.  I ended up doing 6 miles just under 10 minute pace.

19 mile hilly bike ride this morning

Tonight I made it out the door about 8:30 for my run and it was still 85 degrees. 

1 mile warm up

4 x 1 mile with 1/2 mile recovery jogs (6:15, 6:20, 6:52, 6:35)

1/2 mile cool down

I was all over the place on my mile repeats and they hurt way more than they should, but I guess since I haven't done any fast running for about 6 weeks, it's a good start.

Morning

1 mile barefoot running on the grass with strides followed by 40 minute swim in the lake.

Evening

Lifted weights with Chase:  Upper body, Lower body, and Core

4 mile easy run

20 mile bike ride pushing hard this morning.

Too tired to run tonight. 

Morning:

1 mile barefoot in the grass with strides before swiming 40 minutes in the lake.

Evening:

Upper body weights and core with Chase. I skipped lower body since I'm going long tomorrow morning.  Then 4 mile easy run.

I ran 3 1/2 miles to a trail run that I used to run with Jeff before he moved. Then did the 10 mile loope which is a pretty difficult trail run, then the 3 1/2 miles home running into a 20 mph wind, for a total of 17 miles.  It wasn't fast (AP 8:32), but I got it done. Parts of the trail are steep enough that I walked, but most of it is runable as long as you watch your footing.  It was fun though.  I need to get Blake out there and show him that run.

Blake and I went out for a ride this morning. The weather was amazing, high 50s and no wind.  It was fun to get back out on our bikes together again.  Blake had a flat during the ride, but we got that fixed and continued on.  I ended up doing 27 miles on the ride.

After the ride I headed out on the trails and got in 5 miles of trail running, nice and easy. It was a glorious morning and I felt like I could just stay out there exploring all the different trails for hours, but I had a stronger desire to get home so I could watch general conference, so I hurried home just in time for that and I'm glad it did. It is inspiring to hear the words and council of modern day propthets.

Afternoon: Lower body workout

1 mile barefoot in the grass with strides followed by a 40 minute swim in the lake. It was really windy causing a lot of waves, but it was fun. I hope to get in a good tempo run tonight. Hopefully it won't be so windy.

Still really windy this evening.  After 1 mile warm up, I did 4 miles at tempo effort (6:38 avg.) then 2.5 cool down.  The strong wind made the tempo miles tough and a little slower than I would have liked, but it was good to get them done.

19 miles on the bike about 10 minutes slower than normal this morning because of serious wind.

6 miles on the trails before lifting weights with Chase tonight.  (upper body, lower body and core)

1 mile barefoot in the grass with strides before a 40 minute lake swim.  My swim felt strong this morning and I went farther than I usually do in my 40 minutes.

I finally got myself out on a Wednesday night for a run.  I am always pretty tired by Wednesday night, but I put on my running clothes and got out the door for a 4.5 mile fartlek hill run.  I ran the hills (9, each 100+ meters) strong and took the rest of the run easy.

20 miles on the bike. The wind finally stopped blowing this morning, but the temps were down in the low 50s.  It was really nice out there.

6 miles on the trails this evening, followed by upper body weights and core work with Chase.

My legs felt a bit tired after last nights tough and rungged six mile trail run, so I headed out for my long run cautiously this morning.  I did the same 17 miles I did last week with the middle 10 miles on trails.  I took the first 3+ miles to the trail easy, working out the kinks from last nights run, but as soon as I hit the trails my legs came to life and I got in a nice rhythm.  I ran the trails much better than I did last week, only having to walk the one really steep long hill and I felt much better coming out of the trails and was able to push my pace on the last 3+ miles home. 

AP 8:14...still not fast, but these trails on not ones many people could run fast.  They sure are fun though.

I got up with the sun so I could get in a few trail miles (6) before heading to work this morning and I was rewarded by finding a new trail. I always like exploring a new trail it brings excitement and energy to my run.  I only had time to go a little ways on it though. Hopefully I'll have more time next week to take it farther.

This afternoon Cade wanted me to take him to the lake to practice open water swimming, so we went down to the lake for a bit and practiced.  He really started to improve after a little while. I'm not sure how long I actually swam, probably not much more than 10 minutes.  Afterwards we came home and I did lower body and core work while I watched the end of the 3rd round of the Masters.

I knew I was going to get out of work earlier than normal today, so I decided to take advantage of the cool morning and run, then do my swim right after work.

After 1 mile warm up, I did 4 x 1 mile (6:12, 6:09, 6:13, 6:02) with half mile recovery jogs and then a cool down until I hit 8 miles.  I entertained ideas of doing a fifth repeat, but decided it would be better to end on a fast mile than throw in another that would probably be in a disappointing time. 

I finished work about 3:15 this afternoon and headed straight to the lake. Afer a 1 mile run barefoot in the grass with strides, I decided to do my swim without a wetsuite.  It was cold, but not too bad.  I did a full 40 minutes and swam pretty much the same distance I've been doing with the wetsuite in that amount of time.

7 trail miles this morning at a decent pace...for trails.   This evening I was going to to go biking, but the boys wanted me to play basketball with them and by the time we got done the sun was setting.  Chase and I then lifted weights.  Upper body, lower body, and core.

I woke up to 30+ mph winds so I decided I better not go swim in the lake as planned. Instead I went for a ride.  I biked 19 miles. 

Tonight I did a fartlek hill run with 12 hills at a strong effort and everything else easy for a total of 5.5 miles. 

Since the high school kids are doing testing today, we didn't have seminary this morning, so  I had a little extra time to go out in the desert and play.  I took off running and just followed trails I hadn't tried before.  I just ran all over the place and had a blast doing it.  I ended up going 11 miles before I called it a morning.  

I lifted with Chase this evening...upper body and core.

Another beautiful morning in Havasu...high 50s, slight breeze.  I ran out to the trail I've been doing the last few Fridays, were I met Blake.  We did the 10 mile trail, and then I ran home for a total of 17 miles.  AP for the run was 8:00.  I did stop and talk with Blake a few times, so there was some recovery time in there when the clock was not running.  It was fun to be out on the trails with my best buddy.  I think it surprised him how much tougher trail running is than running the roads. 

I got up and ran 6.5 trail miles early this morning. A few hours later I went riding with Blake.  We put in 26 miles.  Then this evening Cade decided he wanted to head down to the lake to practice some open water swimming with his new wetsuit, so I got in 11 minutes of swimming.  Now I'm sitting around eating way too much watching some hoops.  

Beautifully calm morning with a glassy perfect lake for a swim.  1 mile barefoot running followed by 40 minute lake swim.

Windy and warm (86) tonight, but went out for a tempo run anyways.  2 mile warm up followed by 5 miles at tempo (6:40), then 3 miles cool down.  I'm hoping to get that tempo pace back down to 6:30 soon...back where I was at in January.

20 mile bike ride this morning.

Upper body and core work with Chase right after work, then 6.5 trail miles a bit later.  My legs were a bit dead on the run and I actually went down twice...once when the trail gave way under me and once when I was looking off to the side and tripped over a rock.  Just minor scrapes though.

In the morning- one mile barefoot in the grass with strides followed by a 40 minute lake swim in very choppy water from all the wind.

In the evening- 7.5 mile fartlek hill run with 13 hills run hard, everything else easy.

10/4 Brick

10 miles on the bike followed by 4 miles easy running this morning.

Only had time for a lower body workout this evening. Lots going on tonight.

I took off this morning for a long run and right away knew I had dead legs. I was running, but I wasn't going very fast.  It ended up being a good mental exercise in continuing on even when the legs were not into it.  I did 20 miles with 10 on the roads and 10 on the trails.  AP 8:42

It was way too windy this morning and I had an early work meeting as well, so I just did some core work to start off the day.

I finally got around to a run about 8:00 tonight. The good thing was the wind had significantly died down, but is was still 81 degrees when I started.  After a 1 mile warm up, I did 6x1 mile (6:01, 6:00, 6:08, 6:01, 6:18, 6:20) with half mile recovery jogs, then finished up with a couple mile cool down for a total of 11.5 miles.

Although I would like to get those last two miles under 6:10, I'm pretty happy with how it went.

Brick workout this morning--10 bike/ 4 run

Lifted weights with Chase after work--upper and lower body

6 easy miles a little later, legs were a bit tired by this point.

1 mile barefoot in the grass with strides followed by 35 minute lake swim.

I was going to get in another run tonight, but I was exhausted, so sat around, ate ice cream, and watched basketball.

I ran 3 1/2 miles to seminary this morning then ran back home another 3.5.  I then took the kids to school and then got in another 2.5 before heading to work.

Upper body and core work with Chase tonight.

10 easy miles that didn't feel as easy as they should have.  I'm in serious need of a recovery week.  I'll do a long run tomorrow and then next week is recovery!

It was already about 80 degrees at 5 am when I got up for my run this morning, but I felt much better than yesterday morning.  About 13.5 miles of my 20.5 mile run this morning were on trails and I was able to finish running my fastest on the last few miles.  

Later in the morning I swam with my boys in our pool.  While they were playing I got in 10 minutes of deep water running. Then later in the afternoon, Cade and I went down to the lake for his last open water swim practice before our triathlon next Satruday.  We did 3 swims of 200 m each, which was about 10 minutes of swimming for me.

I did a nice little brick workout this morning  to start off my recovery week.

10 miles biking/ 4 miles running.

Even though this week is a recovery week, I still wanted to get in one quality run this week, so I chose today for a tempo run.

1 mile warm up

6 miles tempo (6:22, 6:27, 6:29, 6:30, 6:24, 6:31)  38:43, AP 6:27

1 mile cool down

Goal was 6:30 pace on the tempo run, so I was very happy to be able to complete this run.

Upper body, Lower body, and core with Chase tonight. I tried to keep it a little lighter than normal since I have a race on Saturday.

1 mile barefoot in the grass with strides

40 minute lake swim in very choppy water...it was kinda fun.

I did a nice little brick this morning: 6 bike/ 3 run.  I can tell that I'm starting to feel fresher than I have in a few weeks thanks to the recovery week.
 

Light upper body and core workout with Chase tonight.

6 easy trail miles this morning.  It was really cool outside (for us) today.  I'm excited to do the little spint triathlon tomorrow with Cade. It should be fun.

Cade and I did the Bucket List Triathlon this morning here in Havasu.  He did the super sprint (200 m swim, 4 mile bike, 1 mile run) and I did the sprint (800 m swim, 12 mile bike, 3 mile run). 

Cade (10 years old) improved a lot this year especially on his swim.  He is so cute out there trying his best, always with such a positive attitude.  As the only participant under 18, he won his division and finished in the middle of the pack overall.

I had a difficult swim this morning, not performing as well as usual, probably because I swam without my wetsuit that I have been wearing during most of my training.  It really does help to wear one.  Anyways, out of the water there were a good 25 people ahead of me.  I made up for my bad swim with a solid bike averaging 20.5 mph even though it was pretty windy.  Off the bike there were about 12 people ahead of me, but some of them were just barely out of the transition before for me.  I passed about 7 people in the first mile of the run and had my sights on the next guy who was well ahead of me at the beggining of the run.  I finally caugt him with about half mile to go on the run, but he was able to kick right as I got a few yards behind him.  I matched his kick and stayed a few yards behind him, but just couldn't dig deep enough to pass him, so he beat me by a few seconds.  I ended up finishing 5th overall and 2nd in my AG.  

It is always fun to do local races, especially with my family.

My legs really needed that recovery week. I felt much fresher today than I have in a while.  After a 1 mile warm up, I did 6 x 1 mile (5:59, 5:58, 6:00, 6:01, 6:08, 6:09)  with half mile recovery jogs and then a cool down until I hit 11 miles.

10 miles on the desert trails this morning. 

Lifted with Chase tonight: upper and lower body and core

Fartlek Hills

2 mile warm up, followed by 5 laps, each just over a mile with 3 good hills (approximately 150 m each), for a total of 15 hills run hard.  Then a couple mile cool down until I hit 10 miles for the run.  Everything but the hills was run easy.

10 trail miles through the desert this morning.

Upper body and core workout with Chase this evening.

It was a nice cool (low 60s) cloudy morning for a long run. The wind was a little strong, but I can live with that.  I ran my 1st 11 miles solo then met up with Blake for the last 12 miles.  It was nice to have some company to for the second half of the run.  It sure made those last 12 miles go fast and feel pretty darn easy.

23 miles , AP 7:54

6 easy trail miles this afternoon. Our high temp for today was only 75 degrees!  That is crazy cold for Havasu in May.  It is often over 100 by now.  Anyways, I took advantage of it by running in the afternoon instead of early morning.  Those 6 miles put me at 70 miles for the week. I can't remember the last time I put in 70 in one week.  Since I didn't swim or bike this week, I actually felt like I did less exercise than normal though.

9 mile trail run on a cool, breezey morning. Felt some strain in my right calf. I better take a few recovery days.

25 mile bike ride. It was georgeous outside today. I wish I was running, but I had a great ride, covering the distance significantly faster than normal. I'll probably stick to riding the rest of the week to be safe.

10 mile hard hilly bike followed by lower body and core work.

Core work in the morning. 

25 minutes deep water running in the evening. 

27.25 mile bike ride this morning with Blake rolled by 30 minutes deep water running.  My family is heading to Lake Tahoe tomorrow for a week.  Hopefully I will be able to do some running and get some high altitude training.

4 miles on the Tahoe Rim Trail at almost 8000 feet.  Since I live at 500 feet I really felt it in my lungs.  My calf did great though!  I did take a spill out there this morning and came back all bloodied.  It looked pretty nasty, but after showering and getting cleaned up it's not nearly as bad as it looked.  

6 miles on a different section of the Tahoe Rim Trail than I ran yesterday.  The first 3 miles where mostly up a fairly steep grade and took me just over 28 minutes then I turned around and ran the 3 miles back in just under 21 minutes.  It was fairly technical running with big rocks and downed trees to big to jump over so I would jump up on it with on step then off the other side with the next step.  It was really fun but at the same time a little scary especially after my painful wipeout yesterday.  Calf felt a bit better today than yesterday.  

After a couple days of trail running I decided that give my calf a rest and I rode the stationary bike for an hour with a tabata thrown in.  We did something me kayaking and hiking today as well. 

My calf felt good after the rest day yesterday and I was excited that hit the Tahoe Rim Trail this morning.  I'm not sure what happened, but about a half mile into thee run my calf tightened up so much immediately stopped and walked back and went to the fitness center at our resort.  20 minutes on stationary bike. 30 minutes elliptical. Looks like I want nt be doing any more running this week.  :(

45 minutes deep water running while the kids swam.

After a day seeing Yosemite Park, we stayed the night in Mamoth Lakes.  I figured I should take advantage of one last high altitude workout and went to the fitness center around 9:30. Cade and Lane wanted to join me.  They were hillarious using the treadmills, elliptical and stationary bike.  I wish I could pipe into some of their energy.  I did 20 minutes on the stationary bike and 20 minutes on the elliptical.  Then I had to convince them it was time to go.  The were still giving it their all at that point. I can't believe they lasted that long.

30 minutes jumping rope this morning. 

30 minutes deep water running tonight. 

30 minutes jumping rope this morning. 

Core work tonight.  

Calf feels pretty close to 100% but I won't know till I run on it.  I will probably give it a test tomorrow. 

I ran this morning!  No pain, no tightness, felt perfect.  I only did 4.5 miles, but did a really hilly run.  If it still feels good throughout the day and tomorrow morning, I'll go a little farther tomorrow.  I hope this means my calf will be 100% for UVM in 10 days.

I drove up to the Hualapi's for an altidude run this morning (approx. 7000ft). I ran for an hour about 7 miles (super hilly).  Calf did great!

6 easy recovery miles with Blake.  Calf still feels good.  I broke out a new pair of shoes today.  I think I will wear them in the marathon next week.  

I got up early and drove to the foothills of the Hualapai mountains for a run at about 4500 feet.  I ran most of the 10 miles at marathon effort although it was pretty hilly so it wasn't quite as fast as goal mp.  Which brings me to...I have no clue what I'm going to shoot for next Saturday.  Usually I'm going for a sub 3, but with having taken the time off to get the calf better I'm thinking somewhere between 3:10 and 3:15.  I probably won't decide till race morning. 

4 easy miles with a 1 minute stride at about 1/2 mp pace thrown into each mile.  I felt really good this morning. AP for the 4 miles was 7:15. Maybe that is a sign that I should shoot for a 3:10 on Saturday as that would be mp pace for a 3:10 marathon...or maybe I should be going faster since that felt pretty easy this morning...or maybe I should be going slower so I don't crash at mile 20. So confusing!

Rest Day

I started out with 3 easy miles followed by 2 miles a mp then 1 more easy mile.  The goal was to try and feel a nice pace so I can decide how fast to run Saturday.  I felt like I was going really easy on the 2 mp miles, but I ended up running them at 7:05 then 6:59.  They were both a mild net decline though.  I'm thinking 7:15 pace for Saturday, but I may still back that down to the 7:20s.  My BQ time is 3:15 which is 7:26, who know? I just hope it isn't too hot Saturday.  That would definitely make me back down the pace.  Best news is, there doesn't seem to be any aches or pains.

2 miles with some strides just to loosen up the legs.

I threw caution to the wind today and golfed 18 holes with my good buddy who I hadn't seen for many years.  I seemed to have escaped without hurting myself too much for the race. Probably being in the sun for a few hours was the worst part of it.  I don't think the actual golfing took much out of me.