What ever it takes!

It's so cliche but I've decided I need to set a New Years resolution,  I've decided I want to be a runner again,and to be a runner you must blog about it.  I have a love hate relationship with this site but it does help me get motivated which is what I really need.  2 1/2 years ago I completely destroyed myself running the Bighorn 50,  I remember waking up that morning thinking I should drop out but ran it anyway, about 25 miles in I had a very slight trip but could tell I completely torn my already weak hamstring, I walked back to the closest aid station and for all intents and purposes haven't really ran since.  Well, 2.5 years later I'm out of shape and over weight and have been in a total funk, it's just been the last month or so that my hamstring feels "completely" healed.  I've been dabbling in jogging this year, even ran the Bighorn 30k with my wife for old time sake, but now I need to get serious, eat better and train smarter.  As of now I have no time goals, no real objective other than to just get back in shape.  So here I am.

So my Sunday morning running partner Nellie died this last summer, she was getting old 14 years, towards the end she was only able to get 3 - 4 miles in without me having to drag or carry her up the hill home.  Since then I have still made it a tradition to go run my same 4 mile loop on the dirt road.  I love my early Sunday morning jogs in the dark,  time to think about everything.

6 miles on the treadmill, I was expecting the gym to be wicked crowded today being the first monday of a new year but it was pretty much like a normal Monday at the gym.

Another morning at the gym, felt really good today.

I'm back, Mr predictable.  Same workout I've done every day this week.  Maybe I'll switch it up tomorrow, or maybe not.

FYI, average pace is 9:20.

Felt like I needed to give my legs a day off so just elliptical trainer followed by weights.

My normal treadmill run.  It's only been normal this week,  I was only at ~4 miles per run before I decided to be a runner again.

Avg Pace 9:16
 

Early morning at the gym before flying to Monterey, hoping to get some nice beach trail runs in this week.

Avg pace 9:03

Pretty spectacular run along the Monterey Bay coastal trail.  These are the days that make me really want to get back into shape.  I remember the last time I was here I ran 20 miles along the coast and never wanted to turn back. 

Almost didn't run outside today due to rain but when I went outside I realized it was actually warmer than yesterday and the rain was more of a nice cooling mist.  Another perfect morning run along the Coastal trail.  No run tomorrow since I have a 6:00am flight and a 1 hour drive from Monterey to get there.

I went so long without blogging I've gotten out of the habit and almost forgot.  5.5 on the treadmill cause 6 was just too long this morning.

Good run today, felt easy and relaxed.  Finished with 5 interval sprints.

Avg pace: 9:07

In Silicon valley for the week for training, I woke up this morning not feeling real motivaded so I just went to the Hotel Gym started running on the treadmill and was having a miserabe time in the hot smelly gym so I decided to buck up and go outside.  Ran the canal trail, very nice morning 50 degrees is quite perfect for running, the trail is a bit spooky at 5:30 in the morning, I got chased by a skunk.  after 6:00 there are more people on the trail and it's not as spooky.  I guess that will be my run for the next 5 days.

Ran the canal trail again but when the other way. It works out perfect the trail is 6 miles long and my hotel starts right in the middle, so either way I run it's 3 miles out 3 miles back for a total of 6.  Ran by Levi's Stadium, pretty cool seeing them get already for the Superbowl.
 

Same run as yesterday.  I wish I could say I like skunks, they're so cute,  but I don't.

Still in Santa Clara for the weekend.

Last day in San Jose, I'm going to miss the perfect running weather in the morning.  Next week in Key West.

Haven't been feeling well this week after getting home from California, dragged myself to the gym this morning, I actaully didn't feel terrible running on the treadmill but still cut it short.
 

5 miles on the treadmill, still trying to fight off this bug.  Last night my son (13) told me he really wanted to be in the Olympics as a miler.  Guess I better get my butt in shape so I can help him reach his dreams.

5.5 miles on the treadmill before getting on a flight to KeyWest.

Feel really guilty about complaining how hot and humid it was running this morning in KeyWest while my wife is home shoveling out a foot of snow and driving the kids to school since the roads are too bad for the busses to get there. 

But it was really hot and humid and I feel sick now.

30 minutes on the elliptical followed by weights.

Ran from the hotel out to Key West airport and back, there was a breeze off of the ocean that really stunk this morning, made me think I was running the Antelope island causway except there were Palm Trees, it was 82 degrees and 90% humidity.  Felt a little better than I did on Monday but it was still hard.

On the way back everyone was standing out on the peir watching the sunrise so I stopped for a minute to watch.  Cool that you can watch the sunrise over the ocean and sunset over the ocean from the same hotel.

Downright chilling morning this morning in Key West, 62 degrees, Brrrr.  :)  It was so nice to not have the hot hot humid run this morning, there was a pretty good wind but it just made it nicer.  I had a really good run, during the last 1.5 miles 2 guys past me up, for the first time in a long time my competitive side kicked in and I just couldn't let them "beat" me so I picked up the pace and went at a pretty good clip the last ~mile.  All my Garmins are broken so I cant really say what a pretty good clip actually is but it was hard and felt good to have the energy to give a final push.

Woke up on East Coast time so I just decided to hit the gym early.

8:54 avg pace

Treadmill run, now off to San Diego for the week.

I'm in Rancho Valencia today, about 20 miles North West of San Diego.  Absolutely insane place, average house price is about $10 million dollars, I have no idea how so many people have so much money.  I just went running around the neighborhoods, lots of hills pretty nice morning but not real great running, I was hoping to find a nice running trail. 

I'm not really sure how far I ran, I was running for an hour but with all the hills I just put down 5.
 

Do you want $1 million dollars, all you have to do it wear Addidas shoes.  Oh and run fast.

http://www.adidas.com/us/football_terms_and_conditions

6 miles on treadmill.

Sasha, seriously create a fast running blog app.  I'll pay $10 for it.  I'm sure most users on here would.  

Last December one sunny weekend on a whim Britt and I drove up to Midway/Heber to look at some cabins.  We looked at one and both of us totally fell in love, in a completely spontanious moment we put an offer on the cabin.  2 months later we are finally signing on it today.  Could be the biggest mistake of my life, 10 year plan is to move there permantely but for now I'm really excited to do some mountain trail running.

Spent the weekend at the new cabin, I was planning on running up there but was so sore from digging out 4 feet of ice and snow all around the cabin I never got around to it.  Slept in this monring and just ran the dirt trial.

2 miles on an aweful hotel gym treadmill that kept slipping on me.  I hate that.

Normal 6 mile gym run.

Beautiful moonlit run along the dirt trail this morning.  I'm thinking I need to cancell my gym membership and start forcing myself to run outside.  Mostly cause I'm poor now that I have 2 houses.

Early run at the gym, had a conference Downtown SLC today.  Ah the exotic places I get to travel.

4 miles on the trail, great morning.  Plan was to run at lunch again but I ate Chinese food instead.

3 miles with the kids at the cabin.  We were planning on going 6 but the hills kind of killed my 12 year old so we cut it short.

Back to the gym.
 

5 miles on the dirt road.

Rainy and windy run on the dirt road.

I wish I knew what was wrong with me besides oldness.  Nothing really hurts anymore I just don't seem to have energy and can't push myself to run like I used to.

6 treadmill miles.  I felt better today than yesterday.

Treadmill run at the gym, now I'm in Palo Alto for a couple of days.

Beautiful morning here in Palo Alto, my hotel is about 2 miles up University Dr. from Stanford, which used to be one of my favorite places to run.  I have a loop I used to do around the campus but I couldn't remember how far it was and by the time I got to the campus I wasn't in the mood to accidently run an extra 3-4 miles so I just did an easy out and back. Lots of bunnys and black squirrels.
 

Was up at 3:00am so I went to the hotel gym for a quick workout and headed to the airport to try and catch the early flight home.

Quick run at the gym before heading to Vegas

I was going to just go to the Wynn Gym this morning but when I looked out my window at 4:30 this morning I saw some runners with pace cars following them on Desert Inn Rd which is part of my "regular" Vegas loop so I had to go check it out.  Turned out being more of a hassle because they were causing a huge traffic jam but I asked someone and they told me they were running Baker to Vegas, I've never heard of it but suspect it's like a Ragnar relay race. 

4 Miles with Bradin at Four Seasons