Rhett

4 easy on the TM. 7:15 AP

10 easy miles. 6 with Blake. Fished up with 5 strides and a cool down. 

4 easy miles on the trails with some strides on the last mile.

I'm getting excited for the race!

Same as yesterday...4 trail miles finishing up with some strides on the last mile.

4 more on the trails finishing up with strides

4 easy on the road in a light rain.

2 days till race day!

2 easy miles with a few strides near the end before heading off this morning. We are catching the ferry out of Long Beach at 2:00.  

AVALON 50

Today was the day I officially became an ultra-marathoner.  This was my first race ever over 26.2.

Blake and I left Havasu Friday morning around 8:30, caught the Catalina Express ferry at 2:00 and were on the the island in the cute town of Avalon around 3:00.  We checked into our hotel and took a quick walk around town. It's very small so didn't take long.  We then went back to our room, got our drop bags together, and went and picked up our race bibs and dropped off our drop bags.  We had dinner at the Lobster Trap and naturallly had fresh caught lobster.  We then retired to our room and settled down for a good night's sleep.

We awoke at 4:15 and got ready.  The race start was right outside the front of the hotel.  It was way low key.  We weren't even exactly sure which way we were supposed to run until we asked another runner.  Exactly at 4:59:50 (I was looking at my satalite watch.) We quietly heard a man saying 10, 9, 8, 7... and the race was underway at 5:00:00 exactly.  

I've never run this far so I'm not sure what kind of pace to run.  A few guys shot off fairly quicklly, but Blake and I just ran a nice easy pace like we were going out for a nice easy long run.  It was dark, so we were all using lights to see.  From the first step we were heading uphill, not too steep at first, but by mile 2 it was getting steeper and steeper.  We ran most of the first 5 miles of climbing, but in some spots it was too steep so we power walked.  I think it took over an hour to do the first 5 miles. (My watch froze up at mile 46.3 of the race and I lost all my data.)  We then started downhill and it was still dark.  At this point I dropped Blake. I run in the dark on trails all the time, he doesn't and he didn't put fresh batteries in his light, so he didn't feel comfortable running fast down the hill.  Basically I ran, and ran, and ran, and also did a lot of power walking up steep hills for a long time by myself.  Once the sun came up around 7:00 it was beautiful to see the island and the ocean.  

I don't think there was any part of this race that was flat. We were always either going up or down and quite often it was REALY steep.  Some of my miles were in the 17 minute range and a lot of my miles were around 7 minutes.  Blake planned on not running the whole race. He went out about 20 miles and then went back to the drop bag station (around mile 34) and waited for me.  It was great to see him and at that point I was still running strong, when I was not having to walk because of the steep hills.  I left that aid station in 4th place! Crazy, my first ultra and here I was at mile 34 in 4th place.  I was pretty excited.  Then at mile 36 all the steep hills caught up with me, and both of my hammys cramped.  I haven't cramped running since my very first mararhon in 2004.  I guess it is only fitting that I cramped in my very first ultra.  

For the next 3 miles I could only walk.  I tried to run a few times and the hammys would cramp right back up.  Wow, I forgot how painful that is, and how much it locks your legs up for a while.  During these 3 miles I was passed by a number of runner.  About mile 39 I gave it another go, running super slow at first and then gradually picking it back up.  Blake did a good job reminding me to keep it slow.  We were running with another guy at this poing who had done this race a number off times. He told us that if we could get to the last aid station by 12:00 we had a chance of finishing under 8 hours, but the next few miles after that aid staion were really steep uphill.  We arived at that aid station at exactly 12:00 to the second.  I downed some coke (it was the only thing I could stomach at that point) and walked on.  I didn't think we were ever going to summit the mountain, but when we finally did, I knew the last few miles were all downhill...steep!  I took off leaving Blake and ran as fast as I could down that mountain.  ( Was running right around 7 minutes I think. )  When I finally saw Avalon I was so excited.  I ran hard to the finish and crossed the line in 7:56:14 and 13th place overall.

Blake came in a few minutes later and we went and stood in the ocean for about 15 minutes to ice our legs.  It was cold.  Thanks Blake for sticking with me and helping me finish that race when I was cramping and didn't know if I would make it.

I really enjoyed doing the ultra and hope to do many more.

30 minutes on stationary bike and 20 minute on elliptical to work out some soreness from the 50 mile race on Saturday.

My legs were a bit sore, but less so than after a hard marathon.  I thought they would be a lot worse.

7 very slow miles that felt more like a shuffle than a run.  Soreness was almost completely gone, but legs were very tired.

7 easy miles that felt like actual running again.  Not fast but running.  No soreness except a small tightening in my right IT band near the end of the run.

7 easy miles a bit faster than yesterday. Legs feel like they are back and ready to get started on perparing for the Phoenix Marathon on Feb 27.

On a side note, tomorrow is the second annual Hot Air Balloon Half which I am the defending champion (see race report under Rhett's Races).  It starts at 7:30 sharp on the island.  Registration is up 100% from last year as Blake has confirmed that he will be racing with me.  If anyone else wants to join us, you can sign up on race morning.  The cost is $00.00 and all proceeds go to me the race director.  There are no aid stations, no street closings, and you must wear a GPS watch as the turn around is when your watch says 6.55.  Everyone is welcome.  There will be approximately 50 hot air baloons flying around us in honor of our great race.  It is a beautiful sight to see.  Weather is expected to be in the upper 40s with almost no wind.  See you tomorrow.

Today was the second annual Hot Air Balloon Half in conjunction with the annual Hot Air Balloon Festival here in Lake Havasu City.  We doubled the number of racers this year!  That means 2. It was 50 degrees and mildly windy this morning.  Unfortunately it was too windy for the Hot Air Balloons to go up like planned.

We started the race a little after 7:30.  My goal was to run 6:52 miles for as long as I could.  Having run the 50 mile race just 6 days ago, I wasn't sure how long I could keep up that pace.  I hit the halfway at 44:59, one second ahead of pace, and as I turned around I was pleasantly surprised to see Blake only about 50 meters behind me. 

I was starting to tire soon after the turn around but kept pushing.  Miles 9, 10, and 11 my pace started dropping though and about a quarter mile before hitting mile 11 Blake caught me. I slipped in behind him and ran for a bit.  It was nice to have someone there with me and my body soon relaxed and I was able to pick it back up again.  We ran side by side for the last 2.1 miles averaging 6:45.  I thought Blake was going to drop back, but I told him he had to stay with me and he dug deep and did it.  We crossed the finish line, 13.1 on our watches, at 1:31:25 in a dead tie for first place and since we are in differnet age groups we each won our age group. :)

A few things I learned about running a half marathon 6 days after a 50 miler:  1)  It takes more than six days to get your legs at 100% after a 50 miler,  2)  13.1 miles seems really short after running 50 miles,  and 3)  13.1 hurts as bad as a 50 miler, just in a different way. 

Congratulations to Blake who set a huge half marathon PR today, and he ran 40 miles of the 50 last Saturday with me.  He is looking good for his first BQ next month in Phoenix!

10 really easy with Blake while we watched all the hot air balloons flying.  It was a beautiful morning. 

Avg HR 128

8 trail miles with the middle 4 on what I am going to call Roller Coaster Rd which is a 1 mile dirt road in the middle of the desert that has crazy steep hills on the whole thing. 
 

I was cruising along this morning running at a low HR in the low 130s thinking how great is feels to be running 7:30 minute miles and not feel like I was working at all when all of the sudden about 8 1/2 miles into the run my left calf tighted and then gave me that sharp pain that I have gotten in the past when my calf gives me fits. I recognized what was happening really fast so was able to stop immediately and not casue any extra damage, so hopefully within a week I'll be back running strong again.  It sure is depressing though, that everytime I start to peak, my calfs give me problems!  My amazing running turned to a depressing run really fast.  I walked in the last 1 1/2 miles for a total of 10.

15 minutes walking the stairmill.

30 minutes arc trainer

15 minutes stationary bike

I did everything keeping my HR right at 135 which I found is way easier in the gym than out running in the real world.  My calf felt perfectly fine.  My old self would be out running tomorrow, but I'm going to take a few more days of cross training to be safe.

Another hour of cross training at low HR around 133 today.

30 minutes stairmill

30 minuters elliptical

\Calf felt fine.

30 minutes stationary bike

10 minutes jump rope

30 minutes stationary bike

10 minutes arc trainer

Right near the end of my jump rope my calf started to tighten up a bit, then again it did it about 10 minutes into the arc trainer.  No pain just tightening but I stopped as soon as I felt that.  Maybe tomorrow I will try some light jogging.

Avg HR 115

90 minute hike with Doone and the kids. We climbed up to picnic table peak. It was a lot of fun and a good way to get some low intensity aerobic work in. 

6 easy trail miles. 

Avg HR 137

Calf tightened some right near the end and took a few hours to get back to normal. 

30 minutes on the stair mill. 

10 minutes jumping rope

20 minutes arc trainer

Kept HR around 135 most of the workout. No calf issues. 

6 very easy trail miles...avg HR 130

Calf did not tighten up or cause any problems, but I could tell it wasn't 100% and had I tried to run harder, I would have probably had some issues. 

Same cross training workout as Tuesday but today I would say my calf felt 100%. Now to see how it feels running tomorrow. 

Not sure what to expect this morning with my calf on the mend for the last week and a half, but I felt like it was close to 100% yesterday doing cross training so I headed out with Blake this morning for a long run.

The first 16 miles we kept it nice and easy keeping my HR in the 130s then we dropped to mp for the last 4 miles doing those at 7:05 pace.  I felt great.  That was the most energy I've had on a long run in a long time and my calf gave me no problems.  I also did this run on only water and the last time I ate was yesterday's dinner around 5:30.  I've been training my body to burn fat for fuel and I think it is working really well.

9 trails miles this morning which was more of an exploration adventure than a run. There was a lot of power hiking and some rock climbing. It took 2 hours to do the 9 miles. I kept my HR in the low 130s for most of it. 

It was 40 degrees and raining out so I wimped out and went to the gym for an easy 7 mile TM run.  Avg HR 133

30 minutes on the stair-mill keeping HR in the 130s

Then a little warm up followed by 5 all out sprints of about 100m with a little cool down probably totally about 1 mile.

Nice easy 6 mile trail recovery run.  I do love being on the trails.

20 minutes stairmill

10 minutes jump rope

20 minutes stair mill

10 minutes jump rope

Avg HR 132

12 easy miles keeping my HR under 141 then 8 miles at mp (ended up being about a 6:55 average). Then 1 mile cool down for a total of 21.  Felt great like I was getting stronger the longer the run went. 

Run was done carb free this morning  since dinner last night. 

Lane woke up with a bloody nose at 4:20 this morning. Since I was up, I headed to the gym for an easy recovery TM run. 

14 miles, kept the HR right at 126 the whole time. 

6 easy miles on the trails this morning keeping HR in upper 130s.  It looks like our winter is over, it was in the upper 50s when I got up this morning.  I was wishing it would hold on till the end of the month so my marathon would be colder. :(

30 minutes on the stairmill at HR around 136;

Then a small warm up followed by 5 all out 100 m sprints with a 100 m walk recovery and then a little cool down all totalling around 1 mile.

4 very easy trail miles at HR in 120s.

20 minutes stairmill

10 minutes jump rope

20 minutes stairmill

10 minutes jump rope

11 easy miles, but I was having difficulty keeping my HR under 141 this morning. Then I started into some mp miles which felt much better (averaged around 6:55).  Did that for 8 miles. Then a 2 mile cool down.  No fuel during run or before run since I ate dinner last night around 5:30, just water.

2 weeks and 1 day till Phoenix Marathon!

11 easy miles of trail adventure keeping HR in the mid130s

Congrats to fellow BYU alumni Jared Ward for making the Olympic marathon team today. 

I've been pretty sick since Saturday evening so I haven't run since Saturday morning. I felt it coming on Friday afternoon. I guess that explains why I was having trouble keeping my HR down on my run Friday.  I woke up feeling much better today so I did a very slow 4 mile trail run. I had to keep it way slower than normal to keep my HR in the 130s though.  I'm glad the sickness happened this past weekend, not this weekend or the next. I think I'll be back to 100% by race day on the 27th. 

I'm still trying to get my legs back under me as I recover from the flu.

First I did a slow short warm up jog, then I jumped rope for 10 minutes and followed it with 2 150 m stides.  I repeated that 2 more times for a total of about 30 minutes jumping rope and 6 strides.  Finally I did a short cool down jog.  Total running was about 2 miles.

5 really slow miles out keeping my HR in the 130s.  I'm obviously still not 100% because I had to run about 9 minute miles to keep my HR in that range.  Then I turned around and ran back at mp averaging 6:57 which actually felt pretty good.  That will be my last run of any consequence till raceday.  I'm heading out of town with my sweetie after lunch today for the weekend for a little R & R.  Hopefully I return back on Monday feeling 100% normal again.

4 easy on the trails, really slow...over 10 min per mile pace.

Same 4 miles as yesterday but feeling a bit healthier so I tiny bit faster. 9:53 per mile

I woke up feeling great this morning for the first time in about 2 weeks!

First I did a nice slow short warm up jog.  Then 5 minutes jumping rope followed by two stride around 150 m at about mile pace with 150 m jog recovery.  Then I repeated the whole thing 2 more time for a total of 15 minutes jumping rope and 6 strides.  Then I very short cool down jog.

Total running ended up being right at 2 miles.

My legs felt light this morning.  For some reason jumping rope always helps my feel light on my feet, probably because contact time with the ground is so quick and I'm up on my toes the whole time.

4 very easy trail miles keeping the HR in the 130s and then a few mp strides.

2 days till race day. I feel healthy and strong. Now I just hope it's not too hot.  The high for Satruday in Phoenix is snupposed to be 88.  Hopefully it will still be in the 60s at the time I finish.

Now they are predicting 90 degrees tomorrow. :(

2 easy miles this morning with 4 mp strides of about 200 m each thrown in.

Bring on raceday.  Please be cooler than predicted though.

2016 Phoenix Marathon

Blake and I ran the Phoenix Marathon today.  It was warm and sunny but no significant wind.  The plan was to try and pace Blake to a 3:05 marathon since his BQ time is 3:10.  The actual 3:05 pacer was crazy faster than he should have been right from the start so we did our own thing and ran the first half in 1:32:01 exactly were we wanted to be at that point.  With the warm weather I was dumping water on my head at every aid station starting at mile 7 but it still caught up with us eventually.  During the 18th mile Blake dropped of the pace so I slowed a bit hoping he would come back to me.  At mile 20 I was at 2:22:25 which still had us on pace to get a fast enough time to get him into Boston but he was no longer near me.  At that point I was starting to feel it a bit and we already had decided that if he didn't get a good BQ time we would run Revel Mt. Charelston on May 7th to try again, so I decided to mail it in and cruise in to an easy BQ without spending myself too much.  I only ran an 8:26 pace for the last 6.2 and finished in 3:14:38 for a BQ with 10+ minutes to spare. I turn 45 in May so I only needed a 3:25.  I was tired at the end, but my legs on not sore like they usually are when I run a marathon all out, so with a week of cross training I should be ready to pick right back up on marathon training.  

After Blake realized he wasn't going to make his BQ, he did the smart thing and walk/jogged the rest of the way in, so didn't finish until 3:34:??.  Now we get to run another marathon!  Hopefully he will get that BQ and we can enjoy Boston together next year.  His wife says we are all going whether he qualifies or not.  :)  We'll see.

30 minutes easy on the stationary bike for a little active recovery.  Legs feel really good.

This is next part is so I can refer back in the future as I continue my discovery of what I can do on low carbs.  I don't think I really bonked at all in the race but the last 6 miles were tough.  Not sure if it was the heat, having been sick the previous 2 weeks, the mild calf injury I had to deal with the last 8 weeks before the race, or if my nutrition had something to do with it.

Anyways, here is what I ate previous to and during the marathon:

Friday

Breakfast- 4 eggs, sauteed spinach, avacado, parmesan cheese

Lunch- 2 large bowls of chicken and vegtable soup

Snack- 2 Lara bars

Dinner- 6 oz steak, 12 grilled shrip, small salad without crutons, brocolli

Saturday

Prerace- A glass of unsweetened almond milk with 2 tablespoons coconut oil

During race- 3 gels and a lot of water

I meant to take a 4th gel around mile 21 but I forgot.

30 minutes stationary bike pushing the pace harder today.

Legs feel 100% recovered

15 minutes on this ladder climbing machine thing that I have never done, but it kicked my butt and was kinda fun.

15 minutes arc trainer

I'm getting some kind of chest cold. I never get sick, but this is my second sickness in the last 3 weeks. Good thing the marathon was right in between the two. Also nice that I am planning on no running this week for a good solid recovery anyways.

30 really eays slow minutes on stationary bike.  This cold is kicking my butt. I'm so tired.

I'm losing the battle against this sickness.  I was up all night sweating then freezing then sweating again and aching all over.  I even cancelled my early morning seminary class today for the first time in the 3 years I've been teaching it.  I still gotta work though, so I loaded up on meds and I here doing my best.

3 really slow trail miles still trying to shake this sickness, but strating to feel better.

I think I feel like myself again today. Still a little tired though. 

2 nice and easy.

4 trail miles.  Still really tired.

6 trail miles. I think I feel almost normal today. Still a little cough and a bit tired though.

8 slow easy uphill miles keeping HR under 141 followed by 5 steep downhill mp miles. 

The race I'm doing in May is a serious downhill marathon, so I'm trying to get in some downhill training over the next 8 weeks.

5 easy trail miles on a beautiful morning.

It was nice running to seminary again this morning. Over the last couple months I'd gotten out of the habbit but it felt really good to do it again today, and it gets me awake and ready to teach. 

12 total miles, 5 on the trails all at a low HR.

7 easy miles with avg HR of 131 followed by 4 downhill 1/4 mile repeats (avg 1:25) with a slow recovery jog back up. 

Total 9 miles.

10 really easy miles, 3 of them on trails

Avg HR 135

It feels good to be building the aerobic base again.

11 easy miles keeping the HR in the 130s.  3 of the miles were on the trails.

It was good to run with Blake again this morning. It was our first run together since our marthon 3 weeks ago.

9 slow easy miles uphill keeping the HR below 141, followed by 6 mp (6:50s) miles downhill.

I felt much better this week than I did last week with a similar run.

4 easy trail miles after a long night of camping with the Boy Scouts.

2 easy miles to warm up

6 x 1/4 mile downhill repeats (avg 1:20) with slow jog back up

1 mile cool down

6 miles total...trying to get my legs used to running downhill efficiently.

6 easy trail miles on a sunny morning in the low 60s. It was beautiful out there today.

Same trail run as yesterday, but even easier...avg HR 130.  I wish the weather would stay like this all year round.

6 miles

8 miles uphill very easy with an avg HR of 136. Then turned around and went back down the same way I had come for 8 miles back downhill at mp ((avg 6:50). 

Heading out for a skiing trip this morning so probably won't get any running in the next few day. 

7 easy trail miles.  Legs felt nice and refreshed after a few days of skiing.

7 easy miles keeping HR under 140 then 4 x 400m downhill with a slow jog back uphill.  I was going to do more, but the bottom of my left foot was hurting so I called it a day. I hope it isn't anything that lingers too long.

My  left foot was really bugging me yesterday and still this morning. I think I may have a metatarsal stress fracture.  Hopefully it's just a bone bruise from running funny yesterday, I was compensating for some PF by running a bit more on the outside of my foot.  I put myself in my boot and that makes it feel much better.  Maybe a few days in the boot and I will be better.  Here's hoping.

30 minutes stationary bike at HR in the low 130s

A lot less pain in my foot after wearing the boot yesterday, but still a long ways from better.  Still in the boot today.

30 minutes on the bike

Bike 70 minutes

Another day in the boot.  Foot actually felt fine walking without it a bit this morning!

Another hour on the bike. It was a beautiful morning. Cycling was great but a nice trail run would have been sublime. 

3 slow miles on the grass to test out my foot. By the end of the third mile it was starting to hurt. It didn't bother me during the day today though so I guess I didn't overdo it. 

When I awoke this morning, my foot felt wrong. I'm thinking I my have to withdraw from my upcoming marathon. Maybe it will get better though and I can just run it nice and easy. 

55 minutes cycling on a cool morning. I gave a scare to a big coyote that was trying to cross the street as I came cruising by. 

About another hour on the bike.  It was a bit warmer this morning and there was smoke in the air from a fire that was down in Parker (a town about 20 miles south of us).

40 minutes on the arc trainer. That didn't hurt my foot!

30 minutes arc trainer

30 minutes stationary bike

30 minutes arc trainer

30 minutes stationary bike

I wish I were outside running this morning. It was in the low 60s and raining.  That would have been amazing.  I don't get to run very often in the rain out here in the desert. But, since I don't enjoy biking in the rain I did my long workout for the week inside at the gym. :(

2 very gentle easy miles on the tail this morning. No pain, but was getting less comfortable the more I ran.  It will be interesting to see how it feels tomorrow.

I decided, with my cut back on running from this injury, it would be a good time to start doing my core work again so I spent about 20 minutes doing core work after the run.

It's looking less and less likely that I will be able to run any of the marathon on May 7th. I woke up to a sore foot this morning after those 2 really slow, easy miles yesterday.  Oh well, if I can't run, I'll just go and be a cheerleader for my buddy Blake and hope he BQs so we can run Boston together next year.

50 minutes elliptical, which does not hurt my foot at all, follwed by some core work.

50 minutes cycling. It was beautiful out this morning. I can't run but I'm glad I was able to get outside for some exercise. 

I went to the podiatrist this afternoon. He took X-rays. There is no fracture. That's the good news. He says my 4th metatarsal joint is inflamed. All I can do is rest it. That means no running till it is better. Then he says after 2 months if it isn't better he will inject it with cortisone. Looks like the odds of me running a marathon in a little over 3 weeks is small. 

10 minutes on the ladder machine

core work

20 minutes on arc trainer-- as long as I keep my heel pressed down I don't seem to cause any strain on the injured part of my foot. At least I can do most everything else besides running and jumping.

Biked for 75 minutes on a windy morning then core work
 

Core

50 minute bike. A little chilly out this morning

core

30 minutes on arc trainer

core

30 minutes arc trainer and then core work. 

I had to leave the house by 4:45 this morning to get to Vegas for some continuing education but I hit the gym at the resort after a long day of classes. 

30 minutes arc trainer and then core work. 

We had a long lunch break between classes today so I went to the fitness center. 

30 minutes stationary bike followed by core work. 

It's good to be home and back in a more normal routine. Until my foot is better it won't be totally normal though. I do think it is getting better and hope to be running again next week. I did officially withdrawn from the Mt. Charelston marathon yesterday. 

30 minutes arc trainer followed by core work. 

30 minutes bike followed by core work

Core work then a massage.

30 minutes elliptical followed by core work. 

30 minutes bike followed by core work. 

2 minutes jumping rope to test my foot. Still had some significant pain so I stopped.  Then did core work. 

I doctored up a foam pad under an insole  to protect my metatarsal inury and gave running a go this morning.  I made it 2 miles in the TM without much discomfort.  Now to see how it feels tomorrow.

My foot felt pretty decent this morning but I decided to play it safe and ride the stationary bike for 30 minutes.  Then did some core work.

Foot was feeling good so used my new homemade insole and tested it out on the trails this morning.  I did 3 miles slow and it felt pretty good.  Then core work.

Sick in bed. :(

4 easy trail miles this morning!!  My foot is improving. I'm almost back.

Core

Today I head to Vegas with Blake for the Revel Mt. Charleston Marathon.  He's going to do great. I'm excited for him.  I really loook forward to seeing Smooth, Larry, and Teena too. I haven't seen any of them in a few years.  I wish I were running, but at least I get to go.

Blake BQ'd and set 21 minute PR with a 3:07:22!!!! 

I also got to see Teena finish who also set a PR. 

It was a great race weekend enemy though I didn't run. Besides all the BQing, the best part was dinner on Friday with Smooth, Larry, Teena, Ryan, Shelby (Teena's friend who also BQ'd in her first marathon) and Blake.  Now we can all do it again I'm Boston next year. 

6 trail then core

5 trail then core

30 minutes on bike then core

5 trail then core

5 trail then core

6 trail then core work

Foot is still sore but runnable. 

6 trail miles.  I saw a snake out there this morning.  I hate snakes!

Then core work.

6 more miles on the trails this monring followed by core work.

I did my first IontoPatch yesterday.  Thanks Teena for coaching me through how to use it.  It's supposed to get dexamethasone into my foot and help eleviate the inflamation.  I have six of them and I'm supposed to do one every 3 days. I hope it works.  According to the website it should end up being equivalent to a cortisone injection without having to have an injection.

6 on the trails this morning. I came across a rattle snake this morning. It was just laying there in the trail in front of me, never rattled or coiled up, but I stopped and looked and it definitely had a rattle. I guess he just didn't mind my presence. Of course I went way around it. As I said the other day, I hate snakes. 

 Three easy, trails. 

6 trails then core

7 very steep hilly trails then core

4 easy trails to recover from yesterday's hills then core

6 Trail then core.

I took my first fall in a long time on the trails this morning. Not too bad though, just cut up my knee a bit and jammed my wrist.  I'd only give it a 3 out of 10 on the fall scale.

8 trail miles with Blake this morning. We ran out to a really pretty cove by the lake with some big cliff like rocks. It was a pretty morning.

5 on the trails with Blake and my bro in law Dan. 

4 trails followed by core.

7 really steep hilly trails, then core

6 more on the trails. It's getting hot out there even when we start at 6 am. 

Then core

8 miles with Blake this morning. Did I mention it's getting HOT...supposed to hit 117 today.

6 trail miles with Blake, then core

7.5 hilly trails with Blake then core

7 easy miles on a trail by a lake in Camas, WA. It was a beautiful 55 degree morning. Great running weather. 

4 hilly miles around my brothers neighborhood in Camas. Low 50s. 

5 miles on the beach at Kalaloch which is in northwest WA. Upper 40s

7 miles around downtown Vancouver Canada and along the bay. Low 60s. 

4 miles around Vancouver this morning in a light rain before heading to Seattle. 

It was 93 degrees at 7:00 for my you this morning but it was good to be back home on my  desert trails. There was just something wrong about being cold all the time in the middle of the summer that I really didn't like about the Seattle/Vancouver area. 

96 degrees at 5:45 this morning! It actually didn't feel that bad though and I ran really slow which helped a lot.

6 miles on the trails

6 really hilly trail miles with Blake

I am not feeling quite right this morning. I hope I'm not coming down with something.

I definitely have a cold, but my run felt a little better this morning. 

6 miles on the trails with Blake. 90 degrees at 6:00

I decided to take my talents to the TM this morning.  :)

6 miles keeping HR under 140

I actually enjoyed that. While it's so blasted hot for a while, I may start doing 2 or 3 of my runs per week indoors on the TM allowing me to get in some faster running. 

8 slow miles on the trails on the backside of the little mountains so I could be mostly in the shade as the sun was coming up. I turned around down by a pretty little cove on the lake but stopped and enjoyed the view for about 5 minutes before heading back. 

6 hot trail miles with Blake then core

7 TM miles keeping HR under 140.  Nice and easy and inside with AC.

7 Trail Hill miles hot and a bit humid (for the desert).  Then some core.

8 miles on the trails with Blake this morning. It was coudy, breezy and only 84 degrees this morning.  That was a treat! I wish it had rained but we weren't that fortunate.

10 on the TM nice and easy keeping HR under 140

7 on the trails with Blake

I slept in a bit then did some core work then a warm up run followed by a few all out 50 meter sprints then a cool down. All totaling 2 miles. It wasn't a lot but I feel reenergized having done some fast running. 

7 Hilly trail miles with Blake and some core

10 on the TM keeping HR under 140

13 miles on the trails with Blake. At mile 7 we stopped and swam in the lake for about 5 minutes.  It was refreshing and cooled us down just enough so we could finish the last 6 miles. When I got home I jumped in my pool as well. It was definitely hot to be out there that long and on the trails. 

Core then 40 minutes on elliptical. 

4 trails

8 trails

9 trails 

11 trails 

8 trails 

I was at Scout camp all week near Flagstaff around 7000 feet elevation. I found time to get some trail running in each day but Saturday. It was great. I wish I could train up in the mountains more. 

AM

I did a little warm up followed by a few sprints followed by a cool down totalling 2 miles

PM

7 miles on TM with HR not going over 135

AM- only had time for core work

PM- 4 miles on TM

4 miles on the trails this morning.  Yikes it is hot out there!