Rosswog Running Blog

This morning my sub-6:00-am run took me over to 4500 South and 700 East and back to Smith’s to pick up some groceries for breakfast before heading back home.  The total distance of this run was 2.1 miles at an easy pace in Vibram Five Fingers.

For my sub-6:00-am workout, it was a short run in that I ran over to Big Cottonwood Park and completed a single lap around the softball complex before heading back home.  The total distance of this run in my Vibram Five Fingers was 1.4-miles at an easy pace.

During my late afternoon break from work, I jumped on the treadmill for some speed play.  I accomplished 4 miles of half-mile intervals (i.e., the slow halves at 8.7 miles per hour, while the fast halves at 10.7) in a time of 24:57.  I followed this interval workout with a 0.3-mile cool-down run at marathon pace and 0.5-mile at an easy pace.

It was another short non-running workout for me in that I only completed 200 sit-ups, 25 push-ups, and 50 (16 lbs) curls.

It was tough getting out of bed this morning and I’m planning to sleep in everyday of the upcoming holiday weekend.  In the meantime, before riding my bike to work, I did manage to make it out the door for my easy-pace wake-up run.  For this morning workout, I ran 1.3 miles over to Big Cottonwood Park and back in my Vibram Five Fingers.

Following work, I accomplished my second run of the day on the treadmill.  I was feeling pretty sluggish; therefore, this run was only 3.2 miles at any easy pace.

In addition to my 32.0-mile roundtrip bike ride to work and back, I was also able to get in 200 sit-ups, 30 (40 lbs) curls, and 25 (50 lbs) reverse curls.

This morning I completed my second consecutive week a sub-6:00-am wake-up runs.  For this particular run, I changed up the course a little by running over to Saint Mark’s Hospital then back by way of 1300 South and Big Cottonwood Park.  The total distance of this run was 2.2 miles at an easy pace in my Vibram Five Fingers.

After a long week of work and wrapping up all the loose ends before the holiday weekend, I skipped my treadmill run in exchange for a late evening run outside.  This workout consisted of running up to Olympus High School, completing one lap around the school’s track, before heading back home for a total distance of 6.0 miles at an easy pace.

My non-running work-out involved 200 sit-ups and 25 push-ups.  Since my back is feeling a little tight and sore (i.e., I need to improve my push-up form), I’m holding off on my pursuit of the Push-up Challenge until after my trail race on the 13th.

After I woke up this morning, I headed out for nice and slow long distance run.  For this workout, I ran down to Liberty Park and completed one lap around the park before heading up to the Salt Lake City Library then up Capital Hill.  Following a lap around the State Capital Building, I headed down to Sugar House then over to the Brickyard Plaza before heading back home.  The total distance of this run was 19.5 miles.

In regards to my non running workout, it was a repeat of yesterday’s workout; that is, 200 sit-ups and 25 push-ups.

After a solid night of sleep, I went out for a middle distance-run at an easy pace.  Since I’m exactly one week away from running my first trail race, I do not want to push it and wear out my legs, but I still want to accomplish my minimum 60-miles-per-week of running. Consequently, my aim is to put some miles in at the start of the week in order to taper at the end of the week.  Also, my legs felt pretty good after yesterday’s long, but slow paced run; therefore, hopefully my plan is working.

Anyways, for this workout I ran up to Oakridge Elementary and completed one lap around the school’s trail before heading back home by way of Olympus Hills Park and the vacant lot which use to house the Cottonwood Mall then over to Big Cottonwood Park where I completed a single lap around the softball complex.  The total distance of this run was 11.2 miles.

My non-running workout for this Sunday consisted of a 60-second plank on elbows and toes, 200 sit-ups, 25 push-ups, and 15 metronomes.

Happy Labor Day!  Ironically, I rolled out of bed this morning and ran to work.  Since I’m taking some time off of work before and after my upcoming trail race, I just want to get all the lose ends tied up before I take off to Oregon.  However, today did not feel anything like a workday because I was able to get in a pleasant 9.9-mile morning run to work and after a short stint in the office, an enjoyable 9.5-mile run back for a total distance of 19.6 miles at an easy pace.

While at the office, I managed to stop by the gym and complete 200 sit-ups, 25 push-ups, 20 (50 lbs) butterflies, 150 (50, 40, 30, 16 lbs) curls, and 20 (50 lbs) reverse curls.

For my pre-work sub-6:00-am workout, I ran up the Brickyard Plaza chimney (from the historical-record plaque at the base of the chimney, I found out it’s officially called the Smith-Kiln Chimney) and back for a total distance of 4.2 miles.  Since I was wearing my regular running shoes (i.e., not my Vibram Five Fingers--I'm suspending the use of these shoes until after my trail race this Sunday) I was able to complete a longer than normal wakeup run.  As far as my running workout goes, this was it; that is, today was absolutely a recovery/tapering day for me.

In regards to my non-running workout, I completed 200 sit-ups, 25 push-ups, 40 (30 lbs) curls, and 20 (50 lbs) reverse curls.

Since I had a busy and long workday ahead of me in terms of meetings,  I made it a point to get my entire workout in before 6:00 am.  As a result, I got out of the house just after 5:00 am and ran down to the Calvin Smith Library and returned a few videos before heading back. The total distance of this run was 4.5 miles and it was all at an easy pace since I'm tapering for this weekend’s race.  Also, the nice and cool morning air really woke me up for the busy day ahead.

In addition, I was able to get in 200 sit-ups and 25 push-ups before heading off to work.

Following a long night of practicing my presentation for work, I only had time to get in a short 0.3-mile jog before heading back to the office.  Luckily, I’m tapering for my big trail run (however, I do need to get in some more sleep).  In addition, I did not leave the office until late in the evening due to having to tie up a number of loose ends before heading off to Oregon.  However, after I got home I did manage to run over to Big Cottonwood Park and complete eight-and-a-half laps around the softball complex before heading back home.  The total distance of this run was 4.2 miles at an easy pace.

Lastly, my non-running workout consisted of 200 sit-ups and 25 push-ups.

Following a busy and long day of work, I took the opportunity to catch up on my sleep today.  Consequently, I went on a late morning run to wakeup by legs before catching my flight to Portland, Oregon.  This run involved running up the Smith-Kiln Chimney at the Brickyard then up to Harmon’s to pick-up a few groceries before heading back home.  The total distance of this run was 4.1 miles and since I’m tapering for Sunday’s race I kept it at an easy.

After arriving in Portland, I met up with my Aunt and Dad to drive down to Bend which is located in Central Oregon.  On the way, we stopped for a break at the base of Mount Hood and I had an opportunity to run a trail up from the west-end of Government Camp to Glade Trail which leads to the Timberline Lodge (the outside of this lodge was used in the movie The Shining).  It was nice to breath the cool and clean air of the Great Northwest while running through a picturesque pine tree forest.  The up-and-back distance of this relaxing run was 1.8 miles.

I was also able to get in a short non-running workout that consisted of 200 sit-ups and 25 push-ups.

My first full day in Bend (the day before the big trail race) was a busy day.  To start off my day, I went on a mid-morning run up to the West River part of town to get some breakfast with my Aunt, Uncle, and Dad.  Following breakfast, I ran through Drake Park then up to the FootZone running store on Wall Street to pickup my race packet.  Needless to say, it’s always an exciting experience to check out all the goodies in the race packet and the free t-shirt (for this race, we received red shirts with a cool Xterra design on the front).  In additional, at the packet pick-up, you have the great opportunity to meet runners from all over the place and this race was no exception in that I met a couple from Los Angeles and a group from Philadelphia.  Following the packet pickup, I headed over the Old Mill District part of town to check out where the race was going to start and finish. 

After talking to a couple of Xterra employees who were helping setup some tents about the layout of the course, I jogged back to the FootZone to attend the Xterra University with last year’s defending National and World Champion, Max King.  It was an educational experience not only to get Max’s insights on the course, but also to learn about how he trains; that is, he’ll be logging 110 per week in preparation for the NYC marathon (his first real marathon), at times he has logged 130-140 miles per week (while working full-time as a chemical engineer), he stressed it’s import to give the same effort--not speed--when running up hills (so you do not slow down after you have competed the hill), and he’s also a big believer in minimalist shoes. 

Following the Xterra University session with Max, I ran over to my Aunt and Uncle’s place on Hawthorne for some pre-race carb-loading before biking back to my Great Uncle’s house on Cumberland.  The total distance of all of this running around was 5.1 miles and with the exception a single mile that I ran at marathon pace just to test out my legs, I kept the speed to an easy pace.

In regards to my non-running workout, besides the 2.1-mile bike ride back to Cumberland, I was able to get in 200 sit-ups and 25 push-ups.

Wow, today I ran my first trail race and it was more challenging than I ever imagined it would be.  To begin with, since it was a late start to the race (i.e., 9:00 am), I slept in; that is, I woke up just after 7:00 am.  After putting on my racing gear, I jogged one-mile from my Great Uncle’s house on Cumberland over to the Old Mill Shopping District (i.e., the site of the starting line, which was directly in front of REI) with my Aunt and Dad who were on their bikes.  At the starting line I met up with my Uncle; therefore, the three members of my support crew were all on hand and their support is extremely appreciated (i.e., not only before, during, and after the race, but also in getting me Bend in the first place in order to give me the opportunity to run something that I have never tried before).  Following some last minute stretching, the showdown at the Old Mill/Deschutes-River Trail to determine the National Champions was on (Actually, it was not much of a showdown on the men’s side with Max King repeating as National Champion and making the challenging course look easy by running a 1:06:46--winning by a margin of 6:12.  On the women’s side, Lauren Fleshman won by over two-minutes with an impressive time of 1:19:10).

Before the start, the race director informed us that due to some work by the Forest Service, they had to cut a small section of the course out; therefore, the 21k course would only be 12.8 miles long.  After the introductions of last year’s winners, the race started.  For the first mile, I kept a pretty good pace by running a 5:48; however, approximately three-fourths of this first mile was on a paved running trail around the Old Mill Park.  After we hit the dirt trail, my minutes per mile seemed to get slower and slower as the technicality of the trail continued to increase (my slowest mile was 7:59 for mile 9) . 

In the beginning the trails were pretty soft and dusty, then there was a steep and difficult climb before we reached the 5k marker which signaled the commencement of a loop that approximately 10k in distance to Meadow Camp and back (as a result, with the exception of a few minor differences, we would essentially run back on the first 5k over the course’s final 5k).  The 10k loop included many technical aspects, which ended up hammering my body and psyche.  First there were a couple of deep trenches (i.e., straight down and straight up) that were wide enough not to risk trying to jump over.  Second, a sun baked meadow of sagebrush with a steady incline and numerous switchbacks up a hill.  Third, a steep descent with sharp and rocky switchbacks.  Fourth, a straight descent with extremely soft sand; that is, basically red quicksand (for example, my left leg sunk down into the sand up to my ankle; therefore, filling my shoe up with sand).  Fourth, a burnt out section of the sage-brush forest which involved leaping over a fallen tree and following marked wooden steaks planted in the ground because there was no trail.  Finally, an up-and-down trail along the Deschutes River featuring large boulders (I’m use to hiking up these types of rocks and not running over them).  

After I got out of this treacherous 10k trail-loop, I was back on a familiar trail and able to make up some time especially with the final section of the course being paved.  With my legs plastered with mud and shoes filled with sand, I finished!  My time was 1:26:09 (i.e., 6:44 minutes per mile) and even though the course took a lot out of me, it was a humbling and valuable learning experience in that it thought me that I still have a ways to go to become a better runner both physically and mentally.  When I was giving him his post-race congratulations, Max informed me the “course is only as tough as you make it,” which is very true.

In addition, I was able to get in a post-race, easy-pace run in over to Cumberland then over to my Aunt and Uncle’s house on Hawthorne and back to Cumberland for a total distance of 5.6 miles.  Lastly, my non-running workout consisted of 200 sit-ups and 25 push-ups.

Following a great night of sleep, my legs felt pretty good after the thrashing they took yesterday on the Xterra Nationals Trail Running course.  Consequently, I went on a morning run in my Vibram Five Fingers through the Old Mill District then over the south side of Bend near the town’s minor league ballpark.  After meeting up with my Aunt, Uncle, and Dad for breakfast, I ran back to my Great Uncle’s place on Cumberland.  The total distance of this run was 5.2 miles at an easy pace.  Also this was the longest distance that I have ever run in my Five Fingers and my feet still feel strong!

After doing some yard work and studying for the CFA, I went on a second run down to the Bend Library then up to my Aunt and Uncle’s place on Hawthorne for dinner before heading back to Cumberland.  This run amounted to 4.1 miles at an easy pace.

For my non-running workout, once again I kept it short and sweet by completing 200 sit-ups and 25 push-ups.

This morning, I got out of bed and went for a short morning run over to the West River part of town to get some breakfast with my Aunt, Uncle, and Dad.  The total distance of this short morning jog was only eight-tenths of a mile in my Vibram Five Fingers.  Also, my calves were a little bit sore from yesterday’s five-plus-mile run in my Five Fingers.

I went out for a late-morning run through Drake Park and over to the FootZone on Wall Street to pick up a couple of pairs of stocks and some running sleeves (in regards to the later, I’m thinking ahead to the cold weather of the Philadelphia Marathon); that is, I might as well take advantage of Oregon’s zero sales tax.  Since I’m a big running geek, I love to visit running stores when I’m away from Salt Lake City in order to find out about all the neat races that are going on in the area.  In short, there are a number of trail races that take pace in Central Oregon and not that many marathon road races (e.g., the Bend Marathon was cancelled a couple of years ago after only a few year’s of existence).  With all the trail racing opportunities that I found out about around Central Oregon, no wonder they call Bend “America's Best Trail Running Town.”  After my FootZone visit, I ran through the downtown part of Bend before heading back to Cumberland to get some lunch.  The total distance of this run was 2.5 miles at an easy pace.

In the late afternoon, I headed out for a my third and final run of the day.  For this run, I ran over to the Bend Library.  Then after studying for the CFA for a couple of hours, I ran over to Juniper Park where I took a lap around the outer wood-chip trail encompassing the park before heading over to my Aunt and Uncle’s house on Hawthorne for a spaghetti dinner then running back to Cumberland.  The total mileage of this final run was 5.5 at an easy pace.

In regards to my non-running workout, I completed another day of 200 sit-ups and 25 push-ups.

Shortly after I got out of bed this morning, I went for a quick run over to the West River part of town to get some breakfast with my Aunt, Uncle, and Dad before running back to Cumberland then over Hawthorne.  The total distance of this morning run was an even 3.0 miles and with the exception of the middle mile that I ran at marathon pace, I kept it to an easy pace.

For the afternoon, we took a family road trip up north to the Warm Springs Native American Reservation where I spent time relaxing, studying for the CFA, and running trails.  In regards to the latter,  I ran parts of all four Kah-Nee-Ta trails for a total distance of 5.6 miles.  This run was not only quite technical, but also pretty steep (considering my lack of trail running skills, this was great practice).  Consequently, even though I was spending a lot of effort, it took me almost an hour and two minutes to complete this distance.  Finally, having the opportunity to run over the beautiful high desert terrain is what trail running is all about.  While covering the Kah-Nee-Ta trails, I ran by red clay cliffs, maneuvered between two canyons (Kah-Nee-Ta and Charley canyons), and saw a hawk hovering overhead and lizards scampering across the red-dirt trail.

In the evening, after we got back to Hawthorne, I went on my third run of the day.  This one was 2.0-mile run to the Bend Library then over to Cumberland.  The combined distance of my running for the day was 10.6 miles.

For my non-running workout, I was able to accomplish 200 sit-ups, 25 push-ups, and 10 metronomes.

When I was a kid, during my family’s summer vacations to Bend, I regularly walked up Pilot Butte with my Aunt and Dad in the morning.  Consequently, having the opportunity to run to the top of Pilot Butte was one of the things I was most looking forward to on my trip to Oregon.  The Butte sits on the east side of town and as a kid one of the things that truly amazed me was that people actually ran up it; that is, fifteen to twenty years ago I could not imagine running such a monstrous hill.  However, this morning it was my turn to run Pilot Butte.

I woke up at 5:30 am to get started by jogging from Cumberland, through Juniper Park, up Greenwood Avenue to the base of Pilot Butte for a distance of 2.9 miles.  Then I proceeded with running five intervals up-and-down the Butte for a total distance of 11.30 miles.  The distance from the front gate up to the top of the Butte measured exactly 1.13 on all five of my ascents with an approximate elevation gain of 450 feet (i.e., 3700 to 4150).   I was able to pace myself pretty good running up the Butte; that is, my first climb was in a time of 11:54 and from there I just focused on increases the pace for each subsequent trip up.  On my last interval, I went all out and reached the top of the Butte in a time of 9:31.  Overall, I ran 11.30 miles on the Butte in a time of 1:36:48.

Not to go un-noted, the panorama view of the Cascades from the top of Pilot Butte is absolute amazing.  Look out to the west, you can see from south to north, Mt. Bachelor, Broken Top, the Three Sisters (i.e., South, Middle, and North), Mt. Washington, 3 Fingered Jack, Mt. Jefferson, and Mt. Hood (in regards to the latter, I plan on visiting this one again on my way to Portland this Saturday).

After accomplishing my Pilot Butte objective, I jogged to the east side of town to have breakfast with my Aunt, Uncle, and Dad before running back to Cumberland then over to ED’s grocery store to pick up some lunch.  The total distance of this run was 4.9 miles at an easy pace.

Lastly, my non-running workout consisted of 7.5 miles on the bike, 200 sit-ups, 25 push-ups, and 10 metronomes.

Shortly after I got out of bed this morning, I went for a quick run over to the West River part of town in my Vibram Five Fingers to get some breakfast with my Aunt and Dad before running back to Cumberland.  Then I went out for a relaxing, easy-pace destination run.  First, I ran down to the Overturf trailhead and climbed the 200-plus feet to the top of Overturf Butte.  From the top, there is a great view of Bend and Pilot Butte (i.e., where I did my interval workout yesterday).  Then I ran back down the trail and into town where following my “Bend Historic Sites” map, I jogged around to about half of the sites taking pictures and reading the plaques.   Consequently, I learned about such iconic Central Oregon figures as Klondike Kate (legendary business woman of the old west that took care of sick children in her Bend home) and George Palmer Putman (publishing mogul who operated the Bend Bulletin and would later marry Amelia Earhart after leaving Bend).  The total distance of morning warm-up and destination runs was 6.2 miles.

During the late afternoon, I went on another run.  This one involved running from Cumberland to the Bend Library on Wall Street then over to Hawthorne to have some diner with my Aunt, Uncle, and Dad before heading back to Cumberland.  The total distance of this second run was 4.6 miles at an easy pace.

In the evening, I hit the Juniper Park Gym with my Aunt and Uncle to lift some weights.  For this non-running workout, I completed 3.0 miles on the stationary bike (this bike was really interactive in that it was like a video game with a flat screen television and you had to actually steer around the turns and the other bikers on the course), 2.0 miles on the hand bike, 200 sit-ups, 25 push-ups, 20 metronomes, 100 (30, 20 lbs) curls, and 50 (50, 40 lbs) reverse curls.

After packing up last night in preparation for my road trip to the Portland airport and the return flight to Salt Lake City, all there was left to do in the morning was to get in a nice run.  Consequently, I headed out the door just after 6:30 am in my Vibram Five Fingers and ran down to Drake Park.  Then I crossed the Deschutes River by running over the park’s wooden bridge (running over the bridge’s wooden planks of in shoes that offer very little support is a neat feeling) and headed into town and up to my Aunt and Uncle’s place on Hawthorne where I met up with Dad to drive up to Portland.

On the way to the airport we made a couple of rest/running stops.  First, we stopped at the town of Madras where I practiced running back and forth over a fifty-meter section of the Safeway’s parking lot.  I’m sure the shoppers were probably wondering about why some strange guy was repeatedly running fifty-meter forward then backwards across the parking lot.  Only true runners can understand the method to our madness (i.e., I have read in Runner’s World that running backwards will help lengthen your stride).

For our second stop, we took a nice long break at Mt. Hood’s Snowpack Summit ski lift (i.e., on the west end of Government Camp).  During the trip, the weather was perfect, until we reached the Mt. Hood National Forest where it all of a sudden the sky became overcast and it started to drizzle.  Consequently, I put on a windbreaker, gloves, and a ski-cap before I started my ascent to the Timberline Lodge.  I was really excited to see this site since my Aunt informed me that one of my Great Aunt’s had her picture taken with President Franklin Roosevelt in this legendary lodge that is probably best known as the outside of Overlook Hotel in the movie The Shining.  In regards to the latter, my 3.5-mile run up to the Timberline seemed to turn into a Stephen King novel; that is, the climb was extremely steep (it took me just over 50:19 to compete and I was running the entire way up), the trail was very technical and rocky, the intensity of rain continued to increase, and a thick fog engulfed the mountain side.  In fact, the fog was so think that I could only see about twenty-meters in front me; therefore, the various ski lifts that I ran under seemed to come out of nowhere.

When I was completely soaked from head to toe, I felt the wind really pick up and it began pushing against my body.  As the wind was howling through the pine trees, I checked my Garmin watch and it was reading approximately three-and-a-half miles and there were no signs of a lodge (or anything for that matter) as I looked around through the haze.  I was wondering if I made a wrong turn and decided to tough it out for another half of a mile before turning around.  Of course, this is when the shingled-frame of the Timberline Lodge appeared through the fog.  I was surreal to run through the fog, gusting wind, and pelting rain around this historical landmark.  Since I was completely soaked and not wanting to freeze to death, I decided not to go into lodge in order to maintain some of the body heat that I created with during the climb.  As a result, I high-tailed it down the trail in a time of 33:42.  The total distance of this run was 7.5 miles at a slow, but gritty pace.  In addition, given that I was heading to the airport (what a heck of a trip), I had plenty of dry clothes to change into; however, it took me some time to become un-waterlogged.

Finally, my non-running workout was concise in that I completed just 200 sit-ups and 25 push-ups.

Even though my week off of work in Central Oregon was completely tremendous, it feels great to be back home in Salt Lake City!  Today, after a morning of unpacking and recouping from my trip, I went out on an easy-pace, Sunday afternoon run up to the Smith-Kiln Chimney at The Brickyard.  After picking up some CFA study supplies at OfficeMax I headed back for total distance of 4.1 miles.  In short, it was absolutely a rest and recovery day after running 72.8 miles for the week.  This is by far the most miles that I have ever run during a single week!

For my non-running workout, I accomplished 200 sit-ups, 25 push-ups, and 10 metronomes.

Since I’m returning to work tomorrow, I decided to enjoy the sunny weather by going out for a nice run this morning.  For this run, I ran over to Sugar House Park and completed a lap around both the outer trail and road along the inside of the park.  On the way back, I took the Salt Marathon route, breaking it off at Keller Lane in order to return by way of Big Cottonwood Park.  The total distance of this run was 14.2 miles at an easy pace (i.e., I came in just under two hours with a time of 1:59:01).

In regards to my non-running workout, I completed 200 sit-ups, 25 push-ups, and 10 metronomes.

In the morning, I got back to doing my sub-6:00-am run in my Vibram Five Fingers.  For this workout, I ran over to Smith’s to pick up some groceries and back.  The total distance of this run was 1.6 miles at an easy pace. 

After work I skipped the treadmill and headed home where I went out for a late evening run.  This was another errand run in that it involved a running over to the Holladay Kinko’s and back for a total distance of 4.1 miles at an easy pace.

My daily non-running workout was short and sweet in that I only got in 200 sit-ups and 25 push-ups.

Before biking to work, I went out for my sub-6:00-am run in my Vibram Five Fingers.  This run entailed running over to Big Cottonwood Park and completing one lap around the softball complex before heading back.  On the way back, I truly experienced this discomfort of running in Five Fingers when I stubbed my big left toe on who knows what (i.e., it was too dark to tell).  In short, a little blood and throbbing, but I’ll live.

After work, I hit the treadmill for the first time since September 3rd.  Consider I was still experiencing a little discomfort in my left foot, it felt good to be back on the treadmill.  For this second run of the day, I ran 3.2 miles at an easy pace. 

Besides my 31.9 mile roundtrip bike ride to and from work (by the way, it felt great to get in an extended bike ride even though it was a little bit cool in the morning), I was able to accomplish 200 sit-ups, 25 push-ups, 170 (50, 40, 30, 20, 16 lbs) curls, and 20 (50 lbs) reverse curls.

With my left big toe feeling much better this morning, I headed back out in Vibram Five Fingers--this time with a flashlight--for another sub-6:00-am workout.  For this run, I jogged over to Big Cottonwood Park and completed one-and-a-half laps around the softball complex before heading back.  On the return trip, I discovered what and how I stubbed my toe the other day; that is, it was a manhole cover and since I was running with little foot-support, I was dragging my feet to reduce the poundage.  As a result, I need to pickup my feet--lesson learned.  The total distance of this morning run was 1.6 miles at an easy pace.

Following work, it was back to the treadmill where I ran total of 4.6 miles.  I regards to this distance, I was able to pick up the pace and complete 2.2 miles at marathon pace while the rest was at an easy pace.

For my non-running workout, I completed 200 sit-ups, 27 push-ups, and 60 (50, 40, 30 lbs) curls, and 20 (50 lbs) reverse curls.

I did not feel like getting out for my sub-6:00-am workout, but I made myself do it and after the first half-mile of a slow jog, I felt great.  Since I had to bike to work, I just completed 1.3 miles or running in my Vibram Fiver Fingers, which entailed running over to Big Cottonwood Park and a single lap around the softball complex before heading back.

After riding my bike home from work, I ran up to Olympus High School and completed two laps around the school’s track before heading back home.  The total distance of this run was 6.6 miles at an easy pace.

In addition to biking 32.0 miles to and from work, for my non-running workout I completed 200 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, 50 (50 lbs) butterflies, 200 (50, 40, 30, 20, 16 lbs) curls, and 20 (50 lbs) reverse curls.  In regards to the push-ups, I think I have built a wall in that I can complete 25 of them relatively easy, but anything above 25 is a struggle.  Consequently, with the aim to one day complete the infamous Push-up Challenge, my plan of attack is to work on accomplishing sets of 30 push-ups and to increase this number when these sets become easy.  We’ll see how this plan goes.

Since I slept in this morning, I decided to go out on two separate runs today; that is, a morning and an evening run.  As a result, for my first workout, I ran up to the Smith-Kiln Chimney at the Brickyard then stopped by Office Max to purchase some CFA study supplies before heading back home.  The total distance of this mid-morning run was exactly 4.0 miles at an easy pace.

In the evening, I went for a second run up to the Smith-Kiln Chimney.  However, this time I ran over the Holladay Post Office by way of 1300 East, up to 1500 East, then up 4500 South, then over to and up Murray-Holladay Road.  After I mailed a letter at the post office, I returned home by way of Big Cottonwood Park and completed a single lap around the softball complex.  The total mileage for this evening run was 10.1 at an easy pace.

My non-running workout was concise in that I just completed 200 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

Since I ran a number of trails during my recent trip to Oregon, I’m sort of missing the feeling of running off-road.  The closest trail to my home is the dirt path around the parameter of Big Cottonwood Park where they host a number of high school cross-country meets during this time of the year.  Even though this course is missing the technical aspects of true trail running, it’s a change from running on the road.  Consequently, I went out for a morning run in my Brooks Cascadia 4 trail-running shoes and completed four laps around the parameter of the park before heading back home.  The total distance of this non-technical trail run was 6.3 miles at an easy pace.

I then changed into by street-running shoes (Adidas Sequence) and headed out for the second half of my morning workout.  This run entailed running over to Murray-Holladay road, down Highland Drive, then up through the loop around the Holladay Cemetery before heading back to home by the way of Big Cottonwood Park where I completed one lap around the softball complex.  This second run also amounted to 6.3 miles at an easy pace. 

Finally, while watching the Sunday morning news programs, I completed my non-running workout that consisted of 200 sit-ups, 32 push-ups, a 60-second plank on elbows and toes, and 12 metronomes.

Early this morning, I got out of bed and headed out the door for my first sub-6:00-am workout of the week.  For this run, I ran over to Smith’s in my Vibram Five Fingers to pick up some groceries before heading back.  The total distance of this wakeup run was 1.6 miles at an easy pace.

Following work, I ran on the treadmill for 2.1 miles with 1.8 miles of this distance at marathon pace.  I followed this workout with a run from work over to the airport and a short run around the neighborhood after I got home.  The combined distance of these runs was 4.1 miles at an easy pace.

In regards to my non-running workout, I completed 200 sit-ups, 33 push-ups, 70 (40, 30, 16 lbs) curls, and 20 (50 lbs) reverse curls.

I woke up with a bad headache, but I still managed to get out the door for my sub-6:00-am run.  However, since I was commuting to work by bike, it was a slightly shorter than normal wake-up run in that I ran over to Big Cottonwood Park and completed just a single lap around the softball complex before heading back.  The total distance of this run was 1.3 miles at an easy pace.  In addition, I was able to exercise my headache away by riding my bike to work. 

Following work, I hit the treadmill and ran a total of 4.9 miles.  In regards to this run, I completed 2.7 miles at an easy pace and 2.2 miles at a marathon pace.  Since the trail race I completed a few weeks ago, I have been doing longer runs at an easy pace; therefore, I’m going to try to pick up the pace on my runs over the next few weeks. 

For my non-running workout, I completed 200 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, 100 (50, 40, 30, 20, 16 lbs) curls, and 20 (50 lbs) reverse curls.

This morning I woke up and it was pouring buckets.  Since it was dark and raining outside, I almost talked myself out of going on my sub-6:00-am run.  However, I strapped on my Vibram Five Fingers, pulled over a windbreak, and just headed out.  At first, I tried to run around the numerous puddles, but this was too much work.  Consequently, I just ran through them and it was a blast.  The total distance of this run over to Big Cottonwood Park and two laps around the softball complex was 1.7 miles at an easy pace.  Afterwards, I was completely soaked, but this is what running is all about!

After work, it was back to the treadmill and making a conservative effort to increase my pace.  I completed a total of 4.1 miles with 3.4 miles of this distance at a marathon pace.  In addition, after I got home I went for a short 0.6-mile jog around the neighborhood.

Lastly, my non-running workout consisted of 200 sit-ups, 34 push-ups, and 10 metronomes.