Rosswog Running Blog

This post-MCM morning, I slept in then had an exceptional breakfast with my sister and bother-in-law (quiche, french toast, and plenty of fruit juice), before heading out for an early afternoon jog around Arlington.  For this 4.1-mile workout, I ran around the National Cemetery and completed a lap around Towers Park.  In short, I just took in the views on this recovery run.  On the Arlington side of the Potomac the view of Robert E. Lee’s old house (i.e., Arlington National Cemetery) is an impactful reminder of the sacrifices that so many men and women have made for our country while the view of D.C. on the other side of the Potomac depicts our freedom through its great monuments.  Needless to say, Washington D.C. is one of my favorite cities.

We drove back up to Baltimore in the late afternoon; therefore, after unpacking I went for an evening run over to Johns Hopkins University.  I completed three laps on the school’s track before heading back.  The total distance of this run was also 4.1 miles at an easy/recovery pace.

Lastly, my non-running workout consisted of 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

Following a great night of sleep, I headed out for a mid-morning run down to Mt. Vernon Place and back.  I love running on the cobblestone streets surrounding the Washington Monument and just taking in the historical (statues of Lafayette, Peabody, and Tawny) and culture (Peabody Institute and Library) feel of the place.  Also, it was neat to see the number of people heading to the polls on this mid-term Election Day.  The total distance of the morning run was 7.2 miles at an easy/recovery pace (i.e., 10:47 minutes per mile).

In regards to my non-running workout, I was able to get in 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

This morning I headed over to Goucher College for a track workout.  Since I’m still recovering from the MCM, it’s too early to even start thinking about a speed workout.  However, since I heard good things from the Baltimore Road Runner’s Club on the Goucher track (i.e., they regularly meet at this track), I wanted to check it out.  Plus I figured it was a good opportunity to work on my form while knocking out some miles without worrying about the traffic and everything else that a big city like Baltimore entails.  So after a brief warm-up jog to the track, I proceeded to run 31 laps before a nice cool-down jog.  In total, I completed 8.2 miles at a relatively relaxed pace (i.e., 7:36 minutes per mile).  By the way, the Goucher track is pretty neat in that it’s Olympic size (i.e., eight lanes and a steeple chase hurdle) and it’s located down an embankment from the school surrounded by woods.  Supposedly there is a scenic trail through these woods that the school’s cross-country team practices on.  I’ll have to check this trail out next time I venture over to Goucher.

For my daily non-running workout I completed 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

Waking up to a rainy morning in Baltimore, I headed out for a run down 33rd Street to Johns Hopkins University.  Running around Hopkins is pretty neat in that you experience an old-college ambiance, especially with the cobble stone pathway in front of the gymnasium.  I completed four laps around the school’s track (which is really just a running path around the parameter of the lacrosse/soccer field) before heading back to my sister’s house.  The total distance of this run was 4.4 miles at an easy pace.

In the evening, the rain was still coming down, but I head out for another run in order to get in a few extra miles.  For this run, I ran down to Lake Montebello and completed one lap around the lake before heading back to my sister’s house.  The total distance of this run was 3.4 miles at an easy pace.

Before I headed out this morning, I completed my non-running workout of 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, a 60-second plank, and a 90-second wall sit.

Today, after spending the morning studying, my sister and I headed down to the Maryland Athletic Club.  For my workout, I hit the treadmill and completed a 10.1-mile tempo run.  In regards to this distance, 5k was at a marathon pace, while the rest was at a relatively easy pace (my overall pace for this run was 7:13 minutes per mile).

This Saturday morning, my sister and I drove over to Cornwell Farms which is located in the suburbs of Baltimore near the Loch Raven Reservoir.  Cornwell Farms consist of country roads, eighteenth-century looking farm houses, and a pretty extensive trail system.  I ran 12.9 miles over the roads lined with white fencing and along the trails.  I mainly just took in the fall colors.  Some of the trails were pretty steep and covered with wet leaves; therefore, I ran at a slow pace on the way up and down on these trails.  This was fine with me since it made for a good recovery workout after yesterday’s nice tempo run.

To top off my running routine for the day, I headed out for an evening run over to Stadium Place (the site that use to be the home of Memorial Stadium; they are finishing up building a neat little field in the middle of this lot) and completed three laps around it.  The total distance of this run was an even 2.0 miles at an easy pace.

My daily non-running workout consisted of 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, and a 60-second plank.

This Sunday morning I completed my once-a-year run to the historic Fort McHenry.  For this workout I start at my sister’s house on Yolando Road and run over to Saint Paul Street then following the Baltimore Marathon Course down to the Inner Harbor and out to and around Fort McHenry before heading back.  It’s really a neat experience to see the sunrise over harbor.  Also, I saw a number of early-morning runners getting in some miles around the Inner Harbor and quite a few Miami Dolphin fans already starting their tailgate parities in preparation for today’s game against the Ravens.  The total distance of this run was 14.7 miles at an easy pace (i.e., 8:36 minutes-per-mile).

In regards to my daily non-running workout, I completed 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, and a 60-second plank.

Inspired by Bonnie’s run to Fells Point and since I have not run through this famous location since the 2008 Baltimore Marathon, I headed out for a morning run down to the Inner Harbor running around the cobblestone street of Mount Vernon Place on the way down.  Once at the Inner Harbor, I ran along the waterfront through East Harbor (which has really been developed over the past couple of years and contains the new Legg Mason skyscraper) and past Little Italy to Fells Point.  While I circled Fells Point taking in all the little markets and shops, I thought to myself that I’m pretty lucky to have run Fishermans Warf and Fells Point within the last three weeks.  Needless to say, running absolutely makes traveling so much fun!!!  Then I headed back around the Harbor and climbed the Battery Avenue stairs to the top of Federal Hill.  After running around the Samuel Smith statue, I headed over to Camden Yards and ran Eutaw Street (since they are replacing all the seats in Orioles Park, the ballpark looked kind of barren) before heading back to my sister’s house.  The total distance of this run was 14.1 mile at a relaxed pace.

Back in snowy Salt Lake City, it was absolutely a recovery day for me.  I completed 0.6-of-a-mile jog on the treadmill during a break from work.  Then following work, I went for a 4.2-mile, easy pace run up to the Smith-Kiln Chimney at the Brickyard Shopping Plaza and back while listening to the amazing overtime win by my Jazz over the Heat (by the way, Paul Millsap had one of the best performances that I have ever seen by a basketball player).

For my non-running workout, I completed 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, and 60 (50 lbs) curls.

Since it was a busy, busy, busy day at work, I was only able to get in two short runs.  After work, I completed an even 2.0 miles on the treadmill before heading home.  Then I went out for a late night 2.2-mile jog up to Saint Mark’s Hospital and back by way of Big Cottonwood Park.

My daily non-running workout consisted of 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups while I caught the very end of nice win by my Jazz over the Magic.

Happy Veterans Day!  For the first time since July 14th (i.e., before the Deseret News Marathon), I completed an interval workout on the treadmill!  After some stretching and a half-mile run at warm-up pace, I completed three miles of half-mile intervals (i.e., the slow halves at 9.2 miles per hour, while the fast halves at 11.2) in a time of 17:50.  After the first half-mile at 5:21 pace, I was really feeling it me left hamstring and was unsure if I could continue.  However, I made it through and my hamstring seemed to adjust to the speed.  This workout was a great reminder that I have a long way to go until I get to where I want to be with my running.  I finished up my treadmill workout by doing a half-mile cool-down at marathon pace and a 0.4-mile easy pace jog.

After I got home from work, in order to stretch out my legs from that interval workout, I jogged an even 2.0 miles around my neighborhood before calling it a day.

Taking a break from work, I hit the treadmill to watch the second half of the Jazz-Hawks game in which my Jazz got their fourth consecutive comeback win (third straight on the road)!  For this workout I ran 11.6 miles at a relatively easy pace (i.e., 7:47 minutes per miles).

For my non-running workout I completed 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

If you have not checked out today’s WSJ, there is a great book review on Unbroken.  I found it to be an inspirational article on the story of Louis Zamperini who was a record-setting Olympic miler before heading off to WWII.  In short, his plane was shot down and he was stranded on a life raft in the Pacific for 47 days before being captured and surviving a POW camp.  Laura Hillenbrand is the author of Unbroken and through researching for her renowned Seabiscuit book, she noticed that Louis was always on the 1930’s sports pages for his running and wondered whatever happened to him (i.e., not knowing anything about his WWII experiences).  In addition, Laura is suffering from a debilitating disease which makes writing about Louis inspiring.  I’m a big fan of running and history books, so I cannot wait until Unbroken hits the shelves.  If anyone has interest in reading this WSJ book review, here’s the link:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703514904575602540345409292.html

This Saturday morning I ran 3.4 miles down to the Salt Lake Running Company to meet up with the gang for a Sugar House Park run.  Once at the park, I completed a single lap around the parameter loop of the park then four laps around the inner loop of the park before returning to the store.  The total distance of this run was 10.4 miles at relatively easy pace (i.e., 7:10 minutes per mile).  After picking up my Cold Turkey City Creek Canyon 6k race packet, I jogged the 3.4 miles back to home.

While listening to my Jazz make their fifth consecutive comeback win, I completed my non-running workout of 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

It felt so great this morning to get in a hill workout!  I jogged 0.65 miles over to Big Cottonwood Park to meet up with my Salt Lake Running Company friend at 6:30 am.  Early Sunday morning runs are perfect, because there is absolutely no traffic to slow you down.  We ran through the neighborhoods of Holladay up to the Mount Olympus trailhead (this is essentially my Jerry-Rice hill workout).  I was able to accomplish a personal best time of 43:17 for the 5.25-mile ascent (splits: 7:47, 7:26, 7:24, 8:34, 9:28, and 2:37), which made the two minutes of gasping for air and trying to warm my stinging-cold hands up at the trailhead’s gate somewhat enjoyable.  I wore my heart rate monitor which registered an average of 159 beats per minute during this climb, thus an excellent workout.  The best part about this workout is that the difficult part is all in the first half, so it’s a nice and relaxing run back down to Big Cottonwood Park.  On the way back down, I was thinking that running a sub-40:00 for this workout is possible, but only those that are in extraordinary shape would be able to do it.  In addition, I ran three cool-down laps around the softball complex before returning to home for a total distance of 1.9 miles.

Finally, for my non-running workout I completed 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, a 90-second wall sit, and a 60-second plank.

After a busy Monday at work, I hit the treadmill and knocked out a 10k while watching my Jazz lose a close game to the Thunder. I kept this run to a relatively easy pace increasing it throughout my run, but never getting to marathon pace (i.e., 7:17 minutes per mile).

In regards to my non-running work, I completed 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, a 90-second wall sit, and a 60-second plank.

Today, I was able to get in an interval workout on the treadmill for second time in less than a week.  I completed three miles of half-mile intervals (i.e., the slow halves at 9.2 miles per hour, while the fast halves at 11.2) in a solid time of 17:47.  I finished up my treadmill workout by running a tenth of a mile cool-down at marathon pace and a tenth of a mile cool-down at easy jogging pace.

Following work, I hit the treadmill for an 8.3-mile run at a relatively easy pace (i.e., 7:22 minutes-per-mile; 1.2 miles at marathon pace while the rest at a relaxed pace).  Due to yesterday’s interval workout, my left hamstring was a little bit tight during this run.  Consequently, it’s just another reminder for the need to thoroughly stretch before running.

For my non-running workout, I was able to complete 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, a 90-second wall sit, and a 60-second plank.

When I got off of work, I headed home and out of an evening run.  It was absolutely a recovery day for me; that is, I kept it at slow pace (10:04 minutes-per-mile) while I ran around my neighborhood and up to the Smith-Kiln Chimney at the Brickyard Shopping Plaza and back.  The total distance of this run was 6.3 miles.

My daily non-running workout consisted of 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, a 90-second wall sit, and a 60-second plank.

Following a busy work week, I hit the treadmill for a 10.2-mile relatively easy pace run (i.e., 7:50 minutes-per-mile) while watch my Jazz lose a tough game to the Spurs.  Look forward to the weekend where we might even have some snow.

In addition, for my non-running workout I was able to complete 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, a 90-second wall sit, and a 60-second plank.

This Saturday morning, I did my usual 3.4-mile run down to the Salt Lake Running Company to meet up with the gang for a Sugar House Park run (by the way, it was Rhielle’s last day of leading this group run, which she was done a beyond awesome job of putting together over the past year.  Once at the park, we completed a single lap around the parameter loop of the park then four laps around the inner loop of the park before returning to the store.  The best part of this run was that they were having some type of Christmas 5k because there were a half dozen of Santa Clauses running around the park.  We ended up having a Saint Ralph moment when one the Santa Clauses cheered us up park’s south hill.  Anyway, the total distance of this run was 10.4 miles and we were able to knockout the last 1.4 miles at a marathon pace.  Overall, I averaged a 7:04 minutes-per-mile pace, which is not too bad considering the weather was not ideal (i.e., pretty windy at times and we’re supposed to get a couple of snow storms over the next few days).  After thanking Rhielle for all the great work she has done, I jogged the 3.4 miles back to home.

While listening to my Jazz make another comeback road victory (this time in Portland), I completed my non-running workout of 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

Heading out in the morning snow (a good six inches) and sleet, I jogged 0.65 of a mile over to Big Cottonwood Park to meet up with Soren, my SLRC buddy, for a run.  In order to get some practice in on the Salt Lake Marathon Course, we ran up to Olympus High School the followed the course on Holladay Boulevard to 6200 South down to Van Winkle over to 4500 South and 700 East before returning to the park.  Considering that we were hit with flying snow from passing snowplows and ran on the snowy and slick roads, our 7:36 pace for this 11.3-mile run was pretty good.  For my cool down, I jogged the 0.65 of a mile back to home.

In the afternoon, I ran a few errands by jogging up to the Brick Yards Shopping Plaza and back.  The total distance of this run was 5.10 miles.

Finally, for my non-running workout, I was able to complete 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, a 90-second wall sit, and a 60-second plank.

Following a great night of sleep, I headed out for a morning run before attending my monthly volunteer committee meeting with the American Lung Association.  For this chilly morning run, I headed down to Granite High School to run the bleachers (i.e., to practice for the Fight for Air Climb); however, they were covered with ice, so I headed back home.  The total distance of this run was 4.5 miles at an easy pace.

On my commute home from work, I jogged across town to get the bus and to get in an extra 1.8 miles before calling it a day.

In regards to my non-running workout, I was able to accomplish 300 sit-up, 30 push-ups, a 90-second wall sit, and a 60-second plank.

Following work and to avoid the blizzard of the decade, I stayed indoors and knocked out 10.1 miles on the treadmill at a relatively relaxed pace (i.e., 7:37 minutes per mile).  It was a pretty boring workout since the gym’s television was down due to the storm.  It’s going to be a fun/interesting Turkey Trot 6k this Thursday!

My non-running workout consisted of 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, a 90-second wall sit, a 60-second plank, and 60 (50 lbs) curls.

Following a busy day at work, I hit the treadmill for a short recovery run.  I was able to get in 2.9 miles at an easy before heading home.  After I got home, I took a short 1.2-mile jog around the neighborhood before calling it a day.  I figured to keep the workout short and slow today in order to be ready for a twenty-plus mile workout tomorrow.

For my daily non-running workout, I completed 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, a 90-second wall sit, a 60-second plank, and 60 (50 lbs) curls.

Happy Thanksgiving!  First of all, I do not do well in cold weather (running wise or anything else) and for me it was beyond cold this morning in Salt Lake City.  Secondly, I had never signed up for a Turkey Trot before due to the cold.  However, three weeks ago a few of my running friends from work motivated me to sign up for City Creek Cold Turkey Run (i.e., a 6k race).  At the time, thinking that it would be a nice autumn day, I figured that it would be a great opportunity to get in a twenty-plus-mile run by running to and from the race.  Still wanting to accomplish a long run, I decided to wake-up early, suck it up and head out into the cold.  It was 12 degrees and the wind chill made it even colder.  I’ll have to post a pic, but I wore five layers (i.e., the one time I had hyperthermia from running was due to not having enough layers, so I always wear plenty of layers), my Under Armor tights, grocery sacks between my shoes and socks (i.e., in order to run through the snow), mittens, a neck gator, an extra thick stocking cap, and safety glasses to keep my eyes from freezing up.   Packing a thermos full of hot water, I headed out for the 8.7-mile jog up to the starting line at the State Capital Building.  Two miles into this run, I knew keeping my hands warm was going to be my big challenge as I clinched them within my mittens and just continuously rubbed my fingers together.  I would be lying if I said I did not think about calling it a day at this point by turning around and going back to my warm home.

After running up windy State Street (i.e., I figured to get in some extra practice for my next marathon, I would follow the Salt Lake Marathon course to downtown), I was glad to reach the starting in order to spend fifteen minutes next to the campfire to warm up my hands.  Not surprisingly, my friends from work were there and ready to go.  Four minutes after 9:00 am (which seemed like an eternity while standing in the cold) they finally started the race.  While running up City Creek Canyon, my left hand went completely numb because I had my mitten rolled slightly down my hand from when I started my Garmin watch.  Consequently, on the way back down the Canyon to the finish line at the Capital Building, I was pretty much focusing on getting movement and feeling back into my left hand.  In short, it just felt great to finish the 3.85 miles in a time of 23:56 (i.e., 6:13 minutes-per-mile).  After the race I headed straight back to the camp fire to warm-up, enjoy some delicious post-race muffins, and talk to my friends from work that both ran terrific races considering the brutally-cold weather.  As the sun started to heat up the Salt Lake Valley into the high 20s, I jogged 8.55 miles back to home.  Overall, I’m glad I competed in and finished this race, plus I have a feeling this will not be my last Turkey Trot (it now has to be one of my running traditions).

In regards to my daily non-running workout, I completed 300 sit-ups, 30 sit-ups, a 90-second wall sit, and a 60-second plank.

Following a busy week at work, I headed home and out for a late evening run.  While listening to my Jazz win an awesome game over the Lakers, I jogged over to Big Cottonwood Park and completed eight laps around the softball complex before heading back.  The total distance of this run was 4.3 miles at an easy pace.

My non-running workout consisted of 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, a 90-second wall sit, and a 60-second plank.

Early this Saturday morning, I jogged 3.4 miles up to the Salt Lake Running Company to join up with the gang for a group run.  For this run, we headed up to Liberty Park and completed three laps around the park before heading back to the store.  The total distance of this run was 7.9 miles (2.9 miles at marathon pace and 5.0 miles at an easy pace).  After picking up a new pair of Adidas Sequence running shoes, I jogged the 3.4 miles back to home.

While watching another epic Utah-BYU game (17-16 win by my Utes), I completed my non-running workout of 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, a 90-second wall sit, and a 60-second plank.

For the second Sunday in a row, I woke up to run in a snowstorm.  After a 0.65-mile jog over to Big Cottonwood Park, I met up with Soren and we ran south on 1300 East to the Van Winkle Expressway.  Then we proceeded to knock out miles 16.0 to 23.2 of the Salt Lake Marathon course, which entailed running over to 4500 South and 700 East up to 500 East then north to Liberty Park.  Following a lap around Liberty Park, I proceed through the continuous snowfall back to Big Cottonwood Park.  The total distance of this run was 14.7 miles at a slow but not really an easy pace (total time of exactly 1:55:00, which equals a 7:50 pace); that is, not only was the snow slowing me down, but my legs were just plain tired.  I finished up my daily run by jogging 0.75 miles back to home.  Overall, it was a great work and provide an excellent experience with running the second half of the Salt Lake Marathon course.

Besides shoveling my driveway and sidewalks twice today, my non-running workout consisted of 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, a 90-second wall sit, and a 60-second plank.

Lastly, I just realized for my Monday-Sunday weekly miles that I have been keeping track of since I started running in April of 2005, this week’s 76.7 total miles is a personal record (thanks in large part to my long run on Thanksgiving)!  However, even though my legs feel relatively good, I do not plan on breaking this record any time soon because I rather put in five fewer miles in exchange for more speed play.

It was absolutely a recovery day for me; that is, I went out for a run after work but kept the pace really slow (i.e., considering the snowpack, this was easy to do).  For this late evening run, while listening to my Jazz win their sixth consecutive game (this one over the Bucks), I jogged around the neighborhood before heading over to Big Cottonwood Park.  There were wide pools of standing water at the park (i.e., it must have been pretty warm during the day) that were filling the air with a cool steam (the same steam you get when placing an unfrozen ice-cube tray into the freezer) due to the 12-dergree temperature.   It was a pain to run around these pools, but made for a surreal feel.  I eventually made my way over to the snow-packed track circling the softball complex.  As I completed five laps around the softball complex, I was glad I wore my Brooks Cascadia trail running shoes.  I then called it a day and jogged back home completing a total distance of 6.2 miles.

My non-running workout consisted of 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, a 90-second wall sit, and a 60-second plank.

Following a really busy week at work, I decide to make today a recovery day.  Consequently, late in the evening, I visited the treadmill and was able to run for 4.2 miles at a relatively easy pace before calling it a day.

For my daily non-running workout, I was able to get in 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, a 90-second wall sit, a 60-second plank on elbows and toes, and 60 (50 lbs) reverse curls.