Breaking the Wall

Ran easy by myself in the morning by my house. Saw Sarah getting out for a run, and went a mile with her. She did it in 11:17, the fastest time so far since the birth of Jacob.

Then looped around some more and found Matt Asplin. Ran some more with him.

Afterwards, went to Dr. Jex's office to start the Pettibon treatment. Did some neck and spine stretches and adjustments.

In the afternoon went to see a client, and ran a mile afterwards. Clocked a quarter on the Provo River Trail, it was 1:34. The stride felt wide and relaxed.

In the evening ran with the kids. Did some more Pettibon excercises.

Met up with Ted and Mike Kirk at the Canyon View Park. Ted drove us up to Vivian. We warmed up from there to the start of the Provo River 10 miler. Ted's measurement with Garmin 205 agreed with my earlier wheel measurement, and the distance was 3.23 miles from the east end of the guard rail by the bathroom.

From there we ran another 0.2 to the bathroom in the park, and back, which gave us 3.63 for a warmup.

Then Mike and I started the tempo run while Ted ran his own pace back to his car. Mike + downhill = trouble for whoever is trying to keep up with him. 16:37 for the 3.23 down the South Fork, or about 5:09 pace. According to gmap-pedometer, this is 480 feet of elevation drop, or about 2.8% grade. All the downhill running shook Mike up and he had to make a bathroom stop at Vivian.

Then we continued along the course of the Provo River 10 miler. Hit the 5 mile mark in 26:19, which sounds about right, but I always take Curt's mile marks with a grain of salt.

Passed the Nunns Park, the miles on my standard 3 mile tempo run course were 5:22, 5:27, 5:29 (16:18). Mike was pushing the pace. I would at times tuck behind him, and at times come out and help push it. One more mile after than, which we did a bit under 5:30. We hit Curt's 8 mile mark in 42:41. I was not quite sure where exactly the finish was, so we went all the way to the bridge that is definitely past the finish got 53:40 at that point. Our true time for the 10 mile course was probably around 53:35.

Then we jogged back to the Canyon View Park. Total of 15.9 for this run.

Ran with the kids in the evening to make it an 18 mile day. Also worked out with weights, bench press, 105 pounds, narrow grips sets of 5, then 4, then 3. Did Pettibon exercises.

Overall, the tempo run today shows that I have recovered to my pre-Desnews level for the most part. I raced the same course in 53:05 in June. The run today was hard, but I ran with what Mike calls "the killer instinct" off. When Mike ran faster than I wanted to, I'd just hang in there. When he backed off to a slower pace that opened a window of opportunity to cause trouble, I'd just take it without trying to neutralize him or make a break, which I would try in a race.

I asked Mike today for his opinion on the optimum length of the long run. I really like his approach - you should go for as long as you can maintain a good form. Of course, if I apply his suggestion too literally, I should never even start my long run.

Drove to Payson with Ted and Benjamin to pace Benjamin in the Payson Onion Days 5 K. Benjamin did an excellent job running a PR of 23:31.6. His official mile splits were 7:16 - 7:42 - 7:56. Ted's GPS gave him 7:17 - 7:47 - 7:57. According to Ted's Garmin 205 the course was only 3.08. The course did not have any sharp hills to seriously confuse the GPS. So based on what I've seen from Ted's GPS measurements in the past, I'd have to say the course was probably 10 seconds short. However, even then Benjamin still would have gotten a PR. I wish the race directors in general considered course certification a high priority. It does cost some money (or work), but it is very well worth it in the long run. Maybe I should make a banner "Race Director, certify your course!" and run it on this site. Along with that "Race Director, start your race where the certification documents tell you you should" especially for the Great Salt Lake half-marathon. The 1-9 age division was very competitive. Benjamin ended up third - got beat by R.J. Lundberg and Nathaniel Kruger who are both 9. He finished 34th in the men's division out of 108, and was beat by 7 women out of 118. Not too bad for a 7 year old kid. The race was won by Mike Michael Buckhoff, a master's runner from California in 16:33.8. The results are available here. Afterwards, Ted and I went back on the course to do a tempo run. I hit the first mile (slight down) in 5:26, which agreed with Ted's GPS. 10:58 at 2 miles, about 3 seconds short, and then I took a wrong turn at around 2.7 and ended up running 3.4 in 19:11. Ted ran 2 miles in 11:40, and then jogged down to finish in 18:56. This would have given him 4th place in the race. I was not very happy with the way I felt in the tempo run - the stride felt tense and choppy. So went I got back home, I decided to do some more tempo running after a run with Jennifer, Julia, and Abbi (Benjamin did his honor lap in the stroller sitting right next to Joseph). The second tempo run went better, at least I liked the way I felt better. I ran one Slate Canyon Loop (2.11). First three slightly rolling quarters in 1:21 each. Then the quarter uphill in 1:32 (5:35 for the mile). 7:26 at the turn-off into the Slate Canyon (1:51 for 0.29 uphill). Then 8:30 with 0.625 to go. 9:05 with 0.5 to go (35 downhill). Next two quarters 73 (down), and 80 (up). 11:38 for the loop, only 5 seconds slower than my course PR. Overall I felt the stride was wider. Did Pettibon exercises, and took the Adrenal formula. Sarah went to SLC to see her family, and when she tried to come back the van refused to start. So she is stuck in SLC now. If anybody can recommend a good mechanic in West Valley, the advice will be appreciated. This means I had to fix myself dinner tonight. I followed her Buckwheat Recipe, and it turned out really good.

Ran easy 8 miles with Ted in the morning. Then did 4x100 with ankle weights 18.5 - 18.3 - 18.1 - 17.3. Then 2x100 regular 16.0 - 15.6. Then put on ankle weights again and went for a cooldown. Ran into Matt Asplund, so ended up going a bit longer. In the evening ran with the kids. Also did Pettibon exercises.

Easy 8 miles early in the morning near my house going out and back on my slightly rolling mile stretch. Started at slower than 8:00 pace. Kept gradually speeding up. Saw at 3.25 that I was 53 seconds behind the 7:00 pace, but was running a bit sub-7:00. Figured I'd play the catch game with the imaginary 7:00/mile guy. It is a silly game since all I needed to do to catch him is run one mile in 6 minutes. But it is very entertaining. I caught the fantom runner shortly before 7 miles. He said: "It is not fair". I said: "Too bad". Total time for the run was 55:32. Last two miles were 6:39 and 6:35. This pace is not very fast, but I was pleased that it came naturally without any additional mental effort. The stride felt wider and more relaxed. I felt I was maintaining momentum better on the short hills. The heart rate 3 seconds after the finish was 126 (counting for 10 seconds).

In the afternoon ran with Benjamin. The other kids had already run on the way to computer school (free experimental early reading program in our area done on computers). So I took Benjamin out for a mile in the stroller. I started out at 10:00 pace, but then warmed up and went faster. On the last quarter I saw that I could beat Benjamin's mile record with a little pickup, so sped up to 6:20 pace and hit the mile in 7:06. Ran with Benjamin on the way back in 8:24 with the last 0.5 in 3:50.

Worked out with the weights - 5-4-3 bench press with 105 pounds, narrow grip.

Went to see Dr. Jex. He gave us some more equipment and more exerices. I am doing them every day now.

Noticed an improvement in hand dexterity. Got dressed faster today, washed the dishes in a reasonable amount of time, and put away the laundry faster than my wife expected me.

Ran with Ted in the Provo Canyon. Did a tune-up for Alta Peruvian 8 K. 6x400 down with 200 recovery. 69.2 - 68.3 - 68.8 - 69.2 - 67.7 - 68.6. Total of 8.5 for the morning run.

Ran with the kids, and added an always on the run mile with Joseph in the stroller.

Mini-taper for Alta Peruvian 8 K. Ran easy 6 miles in the morning by my house on the flat stretch going out and back in 41:38. It was raining. Last 2 miles were 6:50. The heart rate counted for 10 seconds starting 2 seconds after the finish was 114. That is rather low for me. I suppose the rain tends to lower it. However, it is possible to have it much lower. Lasse Viren had it at 84 going 8:00 pace. In any case, I am glad I do not use the 220-age formula to determine the intensity of my workouts, or I'd die.

Had another session with Dr. Jex. For the first time had a proper response to the shared loading on the neck. Afterwards ran with the kids in the canyon. Ran another mile with Abby later in the evening.

Alta Peruvian Lodge 8 K tomorrow.

Alta Peruvian Downhill Dash 8 K, 22:35, 2nd place.

Started the day with a 1 mile jog. Then after breakfast went to the Regional Priesthood Leadership Training in the Marriot Center. There was a lot of traffic - here in the Utah County the LDS population is large, and even if you only gather men in leadership positoins from all the congregations, there was enough to fill up the Marriott Center (22,700 capacity) almost to the limit. Park at the law building to avoid traffic problems and ran 0.5 miles to the Marriott Center. After the meeting ran back.

Came home, ate lunch, and then went to the race with Sarah and the kids. A short warm-up, jogged to the start, hit the porta-potty enough times to avoid trouble in the race, and then they fired the gun.

The race goes downhill at a fairly steady 7% grade, and produces fantastic times if your legs have been trained for this type of running. The course record is 21:04 set by Larry Smithee, which also happens to be world-best for an aided course. My PR on the course is 21:58. John Kariuki, a 2:12 marathoner, ran it once in 21:38. Downhill running is a different type of animal.

I looked at my competition, and saw trouble. Corbin Talley, Steve Ashbaker, Nate Hornok, and Tim Stringfellow.

Stiff headwind from the start. Steve took off hoping to lose us, but we all tucked behind him. First mile in 4:37. Then Tim took the lead. I really liked it - he is tall and has wide shoulders. Two miles in 9:05 (4:28), the wind is still there but subsiding. The pack still has 5 people. Not good, prize money is only three deep. I figured the legs of the competion must have been softened by all the pounding at this point, and decided to take some initiative. I did not think I'd be able to break away, but I hoped to cut the pack down to three. It worked - only Corbin stayed with me. 3 miles in 13:22 (4:17), I think it was possibly a bit short. I sensed that Corbin was strong, and eased off a little to encourage him to take the lead. He did. Our next mile was 4:32.

Then I saw the sign that said 9% grade ahead. I figured if I had a chance of winning, it would be right here. So I took the lead and pushed as hard as I could. Corbin responded - this is trouble.

And then there was more trouble - Nate Hornok caught us. Both Corbin and I were extremely concerned. He has a relentless long kick that will crush almost anybody who happens to be around him. So Corbin puts on a strong surge. I try to hang on but hitting my speed limit. I let him go for a few moments, but then by some miracle manage to cover it.

About 0.5 to go. Corbin and I are looking at our watches, and probably thinking the same thing - when will the race be over. I make another attempt to lose him, but it does not work. Finally, with about 200 meters to go he shifts into the Corbin kick gear. I am already in the Sasha kick gear, so I cannot match it. 22:32 for Corbin, 22:35 for me, 22:45 for Nate, 23:01 for Tim, and 23:15 for Steve. $100 prize + very good circuit points, which makes it very likely for me to reach my goal of winning the circuit this year.

Steve, Nate, and I ran back up to the lodge at what I calculated to be about 9:30 pace average.

Ran with the kids when we got home, and did bench press, narrow grip, 5-4-3, 105 pounds.

Tempo run in the Provo Canyon this morning. Warmed up to the mouth of the canyon. Then ran 5 miles - 2.5 up, and 2.5 back down. Headwind on the way up. Quads were sore from Alta Peruvian for the first time probably ever enough to feel a signicant difference.

Total time 29:13. Mile splits - 6:02 - 6:01, then the next quarters were 1:34 and 1:39, which gave me 15:16 at the turnaround. This was rather odd - the headwind did get stronger, and the grade did get steeper, but I think I slowed down more than I should have. Possibly sore quads are to blame - quads become more important as the grade increases.

Turned around, and tried to shift gears. A quarter in 1:28, then another in 1:23. This gave me 6:04 for the mile. Now got into the rhythm. Next two miles 5:35 and 5:31.

It felt good to get the blood going. Cool down. Then we went to see Dr. Jex for more Pettibon treatment. Ran 0.7 strech on the way back since I had to drop Sarah off with the car and the kids at the computer school.

Ran with the kids in the afternoon, and added some more during and after Benjamin's soccer practice.

Also played a practice game. Some kids including Benjamin were on my team, while the coach and another parent were on on the other, as well as the rest of the kids. It really helped to have Ryan, who scores most of the goals in their games, on our team. We ended up winning 1-0 to Benjamin's delight with Daddy scoring the goal with 30 seconds to go.

Ted had an early meeting. So we started at 5:00 am at my house. Both of us were asleep in the early miles, so it took us 3.5 miles to catch the imaginary 8:00/mile guy. I was satisfied once we caught him, but Ted suggested we chase the 7:45 guy. Got him around 5.5. Then the 7:30 guy was not that far ahead. So we went after him, and went passed him at 7.5. Finished the 8 mile run in 59:39 with the last two miles in 6:52 and 6:50. My heart rate counting for 10 seconds was 120. At some point I'll get around to measuring it in a more high-tech manner (heart-rate monitor). I am waiting to accumulate enough in-store credit at Wasatch Running to get Garmin 305.

Ran with the kids afterwards. Found a new way to motivate Jenny to hold the pace. She is allowed to spank me as much as she wants to during the run. Of course, I run slow enough for the task to be possible, but fast enough for her to have to hold a steady pace to do it.

Ran some more in the afternoon with Jenny and Julia in the stroller. Saw Dr. Jex again.

In the evening did bench press, 105 pounds, narrow grip, 5-4-3.

A few days ago I added a new feature to the blog - you can now set watches on people's blogs so you get a notification any time an entry is added or modified, or a comment is posted. But so far I do not see a lot of people using it. Is this because it is not very useful or because people are having a hard time figuring out how to use it?

If it is the latter - log in, to to Blogs, click on Add Watch button next to the blogs of interest. To disable, click on Remove Watch. Do not set watches on your own blog unless you really want to get redundant e-mails.

Early in the morning ran 8 miles by my house a mile out and a mile back four times to stay flat. After 3 miles was 29 seconds behind the 6:40 guy, and noticed I was going steady 6:40 pace. Figured I'd get him on the last half if I have to. But it was not necessary - I naturally sped up to sub-6:40 pace, and caught him with 0.4 to go. Total time was 53:10. Last two miles 6:29 and 6:21. Heart rate counted for 10 seconds was 132.

In the afternoon ran with the kids. Ran some more during break in Benjamin's soccer game. They won 5-0. The opposing team had a great goalee, and held on quite well until the last quarter. Then with all the firepower (Ryan, Spencer, Benjamin and Josh) out on the offense they scored 4 goals to go from 1-0 to 5-0. Still unbeaten and unscored against.

Ran with Julia after the soccer game, and then a mile with Abby, Benjamin, and Julia and Joseph in the stroller.

Ran with the BYU Army ROTC cadets this morning. We went on a 6.64 mile loop from Smith's Field House to Will's Pit Stop, then up the hill to Timpview, then past the MTC along 9th and back to Smith's Field House.

Had to stop at the Will's, so that gave me 1.5 of tempo building a lead, and then catching up. Towards the end we passed the Air Force cadets, and I could sense some rivalry between the two.

Afterwards jogged back to my car, and drove to the Provo River Trail by Geneva Road. Decided to do a 5 mile tempo at an aggressive marathon pace. The goal was to keep 5:45.

The start did not feel very good - 44 seconds on the first 200 and it felt brisk. However, I got into the rhythm later on and felt better. Total time 28:16. Splits - 5:41, 11:18 (5:37), turnaround in 14:08 (2:50), then 17:00 at 3 (2:52), 22:49 (5:39), last mile in 5:37. I cheated on the last mile to get an even split on the second half by hitting the last 2 quarters in 1:24 and 1:23, but the presense of the motivation to cheat this way is a good sign.

Came home ran with Benjamin, Jenny, and Abby. In the evening ran a little bit with Julia. We were practicing for our The Cat in the Hat skit at a ward talent show, so I was dress as the Cat in the Hat, and she was dressed as Thing 1.

I have been thinking lately about setting up the Fast Running Blog Fund. So far the development and the improvements to the blog have been happening whenever I could find a few hours to hide in my office and code, which does not happen too often. With the fund in place, once there is enough money to pay for a feature, I could pay myself out of the fund to do the work, and thus would be able to make the blog quite a bit better.

Possible sources of money for the fund - online advertising and donations. Online advertising so far has been making pennies, but I recently got approached by Burst Media to run a campaign for a month targeted specifically to runners, and they are willing to pay enough to sponsor about 12 hours of coding. That is a good start. Hopefully the improvements will help us increase the traffic. Once the traffic is up, not only does the blog get more in advertising fees from the volume, but it is also able to get into higher-paying networks.

My eventual goal is to get the blog to the point where it generates enough revenue to provide sponsorships for developing athletes. The recipient of the sponsorship will be required to maintain a blog, train at a serious level, and help other runners in the blog on a daily basis. My dream is to be able to help a large number of marathoners go sub-2:20 (men) and sub-2:40 (women), and maybe even get somebody to win Boston or medal in the Olympics.

Slept in this morning. Started with the kids run (Benjamin, Jennifer, and Abby). Then ran 8 miles out and back a 1 mile near my house. Was chasing the 6:40 guy again. Got him with 0.2 to go. Total time was 53:15, last two miles 6:32 and 6:15, heart rate 144 at the end.

Went to see Dr. Jex. On the way back stopped in the Provo Canyon for Julia and Sarah to do their runs. Sarah is recovering very well - she ran 2 miles a mile down and a mile back up in 21:38, which is a huge post-Jacob record.

In the evening we went to the ward camp-out and did our The Cat In The Hat skit. I was the cat, Sarah was the mom, and also spoke for the fish, Jacob was the fish, Benjamin and Jenny were the boy and the girl, Julia was Thing 1, and Joseph was Thing 2. I believe the Things played the best of all, since what they had to do was quite natural to them. I think we've started a family tradition - you become a Thing when you learn to walk, and you graduate from being a Thing when you learn to read.

Did bench press in the evening - 105 pounds, 5-4-4, narrow grip.

Ran with Ted in the Provo Canyon early in the moring. A warm-up, then a 5 mile tempo - 2.5 up, then 2.5 down. The plan was to go 6:00 up, and 5:30 down - an aggressive marathon pace.

Ted went with me on the first mile - 5:55. The next mile was 6:00. 0.5 in 2:57 to the turnaround - 14:52. Next 0.5 in 2:48 - 5:45 mile. Ted was supposed to meet me with 2 miles to go and run the rest of it with me, but he was not there. Next mile in 5:27. I saw Ted some distance ahead. Soon I realized he was not jogging waiting for me to catch him. I felt tempted to crank it up and come up to him fast, but decided it would not fulfill the purpose of the workout, which is to program the marathon pace into the system. However, there was not I could do about my runner affinity instinct - if there is a runner ahead of me, he pulls me like a magnet. So I ended up doing the last 0.5 in 2:38 slowly coming up on Ted but never got him. Considered hitting the last quarter in 70 to get it over with, but resisted the temptation. Glad I was able to have the temptation.

Last mile in 5:21, total time 28:28.

Later in the morning took Benjamin to a cross-country meet in Kiwani's park. He ran 3 K on grass in 15:27 and took 2nd in the pre-Bantam division. Got beat by Jacob Blackburn by about 15 seconds. Met fellow blogger Dustin Ence for the first time in person at the meet. He was there with his team.

Ran with Jenny, Abby, and Julia later in the afternoon.

Ran with the kids in the morning. Then drove to the Provo River Trail by Geneva Road. Warmed up, then started the 5 mile tempo run - 2.5 out, and 2.5 back. Mostly flat, a slight net drop on the first mile, and the same net climb on the last.

The form felt different during the warm-up, so I knew it was possible that I would run faster than normal. The goal was to run aggressive marathon pace. I decided to try to hold 1:24 per quarter pace to see how it felt, and back off to 1:25 if it felt too aggressive.

Total time - 27:57.7. Splits - 5:36 - 11:11 (5:35) - turnaround 13:59 (2:48) - 3 miles 16:48 (2:49) - 22:23 (5:35), and last mile in 5:34. Again, cheated on the last mile pushing it enough to get a negative split.

Felt in control of the pace. When I was focused, I could relax and run 1:24 quarters. When I lost the focus a bit I would hit 1:25. Then I would wake up and hit a couple of 1:23s to compensate, but then it started to feel too aggressive, although still sustainable with proper focus.

The stride felt wider and more relaxed. I felt like I was getting more bang in the stride length for the buck of effort. At the same time, I felt like I had just gotten off a bike and was trying to run. It seemed like my muscles were trying to learn a new trick and were not catching on right away. But they will eventually, and even in this state I was running faster with the same effort as before. Finally some tangible fruit from the spinal correction work in the last couple of weeks. I have hopes that it will continue to grow.

Ran to Benjamin's soccer practice and back in the evening.

Easy run with Ted in the morning. Chased 7:30 guy, and got him on the last mile, which we ran in 7:06. Total time for 8 miles 59:40. Heart rate afterwards was 108 counted over 10 seconds. That seems way too low - I felt I had worked harder than that. Maybe it is just dropping too faster as soon as I stop.

Ran with the kids in the afternoon.

Taper for the Top of Utah marathon. Ran easy 5 miles by my house this morning with 1 tempo mile in 5:45. Then saw Raymond, and ran a bit more at the same pace to catch him. Ran with him for a little bit, then ran a tempo 600 in 2:07 to the end.

Ran with the kids in the afternoon.

Also did bench press, 3 sets of 3 with 105, narrow grip. Still doing the Pettibon excercises and taking the Adrenal Formula. Started the headweights and the Wobble Chair.

Ran with the BYU ROTC Army cadets again this morning. They were doing a fartlek. This was perfect for me, as their pick-up pace was right around my marathon race pace. However, I ended up running at my marathon pace somewhat longer than expected due to a bathroom stop.

In the evening ran with Jenny and Julia, went to see Dr. Jex for another session of Pettibon treatment, and then took Benjamin to a cross-country meet. He did better than last Saturday - 4 K in 20:09, first in pre-Bantums. Jacob Blackburn was not there, but he was ahead of Sophie Thompson by a much bigger margin than in the 3 K. I think he is starting to get used to running on grass.

Ran a mile in the morning. Warmed up the first 1000 in 4:22, then ran the last 600 in 2:11. Ran with the kids in the afternoon.

In the evening drove up to Logan, ran from the car to the expo, picked up the packet, helped Paul sell his cool map of the course with elevelation-profile adjusted pace charts, then ran back to the car. Staying at Paul's house.

Quick report on TOU - will add more later. Top of Utah Marathon, 2:33:12, 5th place. It was the most competitive year in the history of the race - the top three finishers broke Hobbie Call's course record of 2:25:12, including Hobbie himself who got booted into third. I ended up first in the Utah LDR circuit, which also gives me the win for the whole thing. Now a full report. First, the results to a great extent speak for themeselves. Now the story. The morning started with me discovering that the toilet broke in the middle of the night. Since everybody was still asleep, I put the warning sign on it and jogged from Paul's house to the bus loading area. It was 26 degrees at the start, accoding to the announcement of a race official, and it did feel cold. I decided to start in a long-sleeved shirth and gloves, and then disrobe as it got warmer. It never got warm enough for me - I kept all of it until the finish. At the start I saw Leon Gallegos (expected), Hobbie Call (surprise appearance), and George Towett, a Kenyan 1:03 half-marathoner living in Georga - how about that - a Kenyan George from Georga. So I knew that in order to win, I would either need to super-perform, or organize a crash or a DNF without crashing myself. Super-performance was not likely, and there was no 7% downhill grade to organize a crash. I decided to focus on running my best. Because of the cold, everybody was taking it easy on the first mile. After about a half mile, I was done with the warm-up, and switched into a race pace. The competition was still warming up. First mile in 5:37, then 5:27. Leon caught up. Next mile in 5:22. George Towett again appropriately for his name came by towing another runner - Jason Delaney from Colorado, a 2:19 marathoner. That reminds me of drafting behind a guy named Matt Pulle in Huntsville, AL in 2003. George and Jason looked like big trouble - good form, running relaxed at sub-5:20 pace. Hobbie was duing his leisurely Hobbie-start, for which he did pay later. I think he could have hit the qualifier and second place, had he taken George and Jason seriously. 5:22 felt too aggressive, which was not a good sign. I decided to back off to what felt right, and ended up with a few 5:35 miles, which later became 5:40-5:45. 5 miles in 27:26, 10 miles in 55:50. I let Leon go, Hobbie came by looking like he was jogging around 6 miles. I could have fetched a ride to Leon, but decided to play it safe. 1:13:41 at the half, 1:24:29 at 15. Got passed by Carson Cambpell from Preston, Idaho at around 16.5. He recognized me, but I did not recongize him. I then knew he was having a break-through race. He looked relaxed, like he was jogging. I considered going with him, but decided it would not be wise. I started seeing Leon, which was a good sign. I could still win the circuit without beating him, but I wanted to prove Bill Cobler wrong. He told everyone before the race that Leon would beat me and win. So focused on playing it safe, and slowing reeling Leon in. Engery-wise I felt fine, but I could feel that my form was gradually deteriorating, which caused me to gradually slow down, although it appeared that I was putting in the same amount of cardiovascular effort. This has happened in every marathon I 've run, but I think in this one I was particularly noticing it because this became the primary cause of the slow-down. Ahead of me, and past Carson I saw Leon, and I thought I saw another runner with Leon. I started getting excited. Then as Leon turned the corner, I noticed that the other runner looked exactly like Leon. I was having a little bit of a double vision, not fatigue related, just an eye problem. Maybe the mind too - I really wanted that other runner to be there. Hit the uphill miles in 6:12 and 6:14. 20 miles in 1:54:29. Watched Carson passed Leon. Leon did not resist, which is a good sign. Next downhill mile in 5:59. Then a steady 6:15 pace. Passed Leon at 23 - he did not resist. Started closing on Carson a bit, but not enough to get him. He was still fairly strong. 6:25 on mile 26 which had a climb and then a drop. On that mile saw Paul's dad. Did not recognize him at first. He yelled: "We've fixed the toilet". I then knew who he was. For some odd reason this gave me some warmth of the soul, knowing that the toilet was fixed as I was working through my last half-mile of the race. 2:20:02 for George, 2:21:38 for Jason, 2:23:08 for Hobbie, 2:32:24 for Carson, 2:33:12 for me, 2:33:52 for Leon. Won the Utah LDR circuit - courtesy of Joe Wilson who chose to miss Alta Peruvian 8 K and this marathon to run well in St. George. But again, who says there is anything wrong with the strategy of showing up for every marathon and other leg-trashing races to make it not worth it for the competition. If you have a strength, use it. If you cannot win with speed, win with persistence. Also, turned out than me passing Leon at the end cost him fifth in the circuit ($100), and gave it to Steve Ashbaker, who did not have a good race, but toughed it out to the end and scored just barely enough points to be even with Bill Cobler but beat him because Bill had more races. Again, the lesson repeated - when things do not look good, hang in there, there might be some hidden reward. Afterwards, felt very good, more like I've run a tempo 15 with 5 miles of additional jogging than a marathon. Hardly any soreness in the leg muscles. Some stiffness and tenderness in the joints. Cooled down to Paul's house. Took a shower, then jogged to the awards ceremony. Got a moose an a consolation cash award ($50) for getting booted out of the top three (won 30-34 age division) to make me feel better. It is very nice of TOU to offer that - they understand how somebody feels when they are close to the money but for one reason or another get booted out. Ran with the kids in the evening, and lifted weights - regular workout with 105 pounds.

Legs felt a little sore in the shin muscles from the marathon, otherwise without the memory of running it, I would not have known I had run it. Today, no soreness whatsoever.

Started the day with a 1 mile jog in street clothes in 6:55. Then in the afternoon we went to see a house near the Provo River Trail. Just like it is promised in Malachi 3 in the Old Testament, The Lord has opened the windows of heaven and poured out so many blessing on us that there is not room enough to receive them. Our Fast Running Kids, who are also homeschooled, are starting to feel crowded in 1060 sq. ft. with Daddy working at home on top of it. So we have put our house up for sale by owner, and are shopping for one in the right location - as close to the Provo River Trail as possible.

I liked the neighborhood. I noticed that more than 50% of the houses in the 200 meter radius had a van parked in the driveway - a tell-tale sign of a stay at home mom with enough kids to need a van. The Fast Running Mommy was concerned about the kids having enough friends - I do not think that would be an issue.

After seeing the house, I went for a run to get a feel for things. Also took Benjamin for part of it. Then picked it up to about 6:40-6:45 pace, ran some on the trail, and then through Provo to the soccer practice. Decided to take a slightly different route and ended up running through downtown Provo. Ran past one of the few bars. The Utah County has a reputation of having the highest number of churches per bar, if I remember right it is 72. That is one reason I like to be in the Utah County.

At the practice ran with Abby and her brother Josh. Then ran back home with Benjamin and Jenny, and then took Julia for her standard quarter mile run. Total of 11 miles for the day.

Early morning run with Ted at 5:00 am. Of all people, Ted is really good about getting his run in when it appears nearly impossible.

Warmed up 2 miles. Had a hard time getting going. Then ran a tempo on the Slate Canyon Loop (2.11) one time around. To make things interesting gave Ted a 30 second head start.

Those seconds seemed like eternity as I watched him take off at a very good pace. First mile in 5:45. Closed only 8 seconds. Then closed some more on the big hill. Then once we started going down, I finally got into a good rhythm and passed him at around 1.7. Last quarter was 1:23. On the down I was probably going around 4:45-4:50. Total time for the loop 11:50. Ted got 12:37 - a perfect 6:00 pace, which indicates he can run about 37 minutes in a 10 K right now - I have calculated that whatever pace you can hold on that loop, you will be able to do in a flat 10 K.

Jogged another two miles, and then did 100 m accelerations. 4 with ankle weights - 19.1 - 18.8 - 18.3 - 17.9. Then 4 more regular - 15.9 - 16.1 - 16.0 - 15.5.

Went to see Dr. Jex in the evening. He always runs a massage tool on my back and legs, which will discover hidden tightness and soreness issues. Although I ran a marathon on Saturday, to my surprise there was no tightness or soreness discovered, and I did not bust out into hysteric laughter when he did my hamstrings, which I have been doing in the earlier visits without fail.

Ran with the kids in the evening. Total of 13 miles for the day.

Ran early in the morning before going to the temple. 8 miles in 55:29. Started slow, then chased the 7:00 mile guy. Felt lazy, so took a while to catch him. Came up within 3 seconds with 0.5 to go, and then decided to run the rest at marathon pace. The 7:00 mile guy did not like that. Ran the last 0.5 in 2:56.

In the afternoon, did 2 miles of always on the run in 13:09 with the last 0.5 in 2:53. Also ran with the kids.

Ran early in the morning again with the BYU ROTC Army cadets. Ted took them on a 10x1 minute with 1 minute rest. Again, as usual this early, had to stop to go to the bathroom, and then catch them, so that added some extra tempo running. Afterwards ran some more miles with Ted.

Then drove to the Provo River Trail by Geneva road. Did 4x100 with ankle weights (19.2 - 18.8 - 18.3 - 18.0), and 2 without (16.6 - 16.5). Then did a 5 mile tempo run.

Felt sleepy somewhat on the first 0.75 (4:16), then got going. 1 mile in 5:39. Next one in 5:34 (11:13). Steady 5:36 pace to the turnaround (14:01). Thought I'd break 28:00 no problem. However, the turnaround knocked me out of rhythm a bit, and I started feeling something out of whack. 2:52 on the next 0.5 (16:53, 5:40 mile), then the next mile in 5:47 (22:50). Cardiovascularly, as well as in the muscles I was feeling great, and it felt like I was going 5:34 - 5:36. However, the form was not as smooth for some reason.

On the last mile I regrouped, improved the form, pushed a bit, and managed 5:35 to finish with 28:15.8.

My guess is that after 12 miles of being on my feet I experience some structural deterioration which makes the form less efficient. This is why I think I can never run a good marathon with a negative split. I can run a good marathon, and I can run a negative split, but not in the same race. Negative split means in essence I need to run the first half so slow that it would be possible to run faster than that with the structural deterioration that kicks in later and regardless of how fast I run in the first half.

My feeling is that the deterioration I am speaking about is connected to compression of the disks in the lower back, but I could very well be wrong.

Ran with the kids in the afternoon. A long day, now need to get some rest, and sleep in particular before St. George.

Ran with Ted in the morning. We chased the 7:30 guy for 8 miles and beat him (59:42).

Ran with the kids in the afternoon. Starting an early taper for St. George.

Paced Benjamin to a new PR of 23:18 in a 5 K over by the Rock Canyon - first place in 11 and under, 22nd overall out of about 60 mostly adults. He got a ribbon for his award and a huge clock in a raffle (shouldn't it be the other way around - get a small thing in a raffle, and a big one for the achievement?). But, regardless, the effort ended up being properly rewarded.

The course had a net drop of 150 feet, but included a couple of climbs of 100 feet. Mike Vick won with 16:32. After pacing Benjamin, ran a tempo on the course in 17:27. I felt like I had put about a 17:10 effort into it.

The course was measured with my wheel and using my chart. However, I was not there when it got measured. It suspiciously started exactly where the organizers wanted to start it, and ended exactly where they wanted to end it. gmap-pedometer shows that distance as 3.08. There were no mile marks. I think I'll remeasure it next week to be sure.

In the afternoon, ran with the kids. Benjamin was up for anothe r run and did a mile in 9:01 without breaking a sweat.

Ran some with the Fast Running Mommy at the end of her run. She ran two miles in 22:13 gradually speeding up. Last quarter was 2:27.

Also ran back from the Priesthood Session of the General Confernce. Good messages. Got me thinking deep.