"I don't really need a duck"

10 miles - no watch - about 1:15:00 - December was kind of rough it is time to get back on the horse.

7.0 slow cold miles.

7.15 miles @ 7:39 pace.  This was supposed to be a 10 mile day but at about mile 5 I started picking up a pain about 4 inches above my knee on the outside of my left leg.  At mile 7 it was shut down time.  I walked the rest of the way home.  I have never had this pain before so I really don't know what it is or if it is anything serious.  I guess I will give it a rest for a day and see how it is on Friday. 

5.9 miles @ 7:14 pace.  Time to see had the left leg is going to respond.  I set myself on the outdoor treadmill doing the 1.15 mile circuit around my neighborhood giving myself an easy bailout if the leg heads south.  The leg felt fine until the fifth lap.  I probably could have pushed out another lap but figured I had better quit while I was ahead.  The pace did feel nice however (one of my faster easy pace runs in quite a while).

10 miles @ 7:17 pace - 1:13:09 - 8.5 laps of the outdoor treadmill.  The leg felt great so we we'll have to see how it does tomorrow.  It could be a tad bit warmer outside.

5 miles @ 7:11 pace

7.25 miles @ 6:59 pace - 50:46

7.25 miles @ 7:23 pace

8.0 miles @ 7:23 pace - 59:35

7.25 miles at 7:22 pace - I just couldn't get my lungs to join in the fun.

8.40 miles at 7:09 pace - 59:59 - That run felt nice.

10.30 miles @ 7:09 pace - 1:13:38 - I did (3) repeats of the neighborhood loop of the Riverton half north of 126th south.  Tithing Point and Tithing Ridge Drive definately take 10% of what you got in the tank.  Nice way to put a dent in you within the first 4 miles of the half. 

10.15 miles @ 7:22 pace - 1:14:40

8.25 miles @ 7:30 pace - 1:01:47

10.15 miles @ 7:12 pace - 1:13:09

The last semi-warm run before a couple of freezing days.  The north wind was an unfriendly preview of the temps that are to come.  The legs felt great and thus I did a few pick-ups.

7.25 miles @ 7:34 pace - 54:41:32

Freeeeeeeezing cold but done.

10 miles on the TM - 7:09 pace - 1:11:28 at 1.5% incline (that is as low as my treadmill goes)

I didn't feel like freezing two nights in a row.

10.35 miles @ 7:23 pace - 1:16:25

10.35 miles @ 7:37 pace - 1:18:53

A slow Friday.

12.25 miles @ 7:42 pace - 1:34:12

Ran all but the last mile of the Riverton Half (had a time constraint). That half is going to be brutal.

10.3 miles @ 7:36 pace - 1:18:00

It was mighty slippery.  It was two steps forward one step back type running.

10.35 miles @ 7:22 pace - 1:16:12

10.45 miles @ 7:39 pace - 1:19:58

12.15 miles @ 7:54 pace - 1:36:00 - 791 feet climb.

Took the night off with only getting 3 hours of sleep the night before.  Ended up getting 11 hours tonight.

12 miles @ 7:06 pace - 1:25:13

I wish every night could feel like this (other than some bathroom issues).  I even avoided most of the strong wind.  I am not looking forward to the high 20's and low 30's coming up.

12 miles @ 7:43 pace - 1:32:43

Cold and slow.

12 miles covering all the categories.  7:13 pace - 1:26:34

I just went with it and pushed where it felt good and pulled back where it didn't. 

12.0 easy hard miles @ 8:24 pace.

13.1 miles @ 7:19 pace - 1:35:47

I made an easy tour of the Riverton half course.  I should be doable.

12.20 miles @ 7:59 pace - 1:37:26

This was a hard easy pace run.  I did (5) 0.5 mile repeats up a 6% slope as fast as I could handle.

12.0 miles @ 8:21 pace - 1:40:09

What a brutal run.  That is the heaviest wind I have run against in a long time.

16.28 miles @ 7:38 pace - 2:04:14

I was supposed to do this Saturday but I wused out and decided to do it today. Nice weather. The feet did get pretty tired around 14 miles.

12 miles @ 7:53 pace - 1:34:38

12 miles @ 7:25 pace - 1:29:02

What a beautiful night.  A little bit of wind from the south but nothing to crazy. 

12.0 miles @ 7:46 pace - 1:33:11

12 miles @ 7:39 pace - 1:31:52

One more day to go.

12.05 miles @ 7:04 pace - 1:25:08

I love 50 degree weather.  There was a little wind  but nothing major.  76.35 miles for the week - A new personal high.

12.0 miles @ 7:40 pace - 1:32:04

12 miles @ 7:34 pace - 1:31:01

12 miles @ 7:23 pace - 1:28:44

12 miles @ 7:14 pace - 1:26:55

I officially wore through the bottoms of my Vibrams (I even go holes in my socks).  I am going to duck-tape patch for 3 days until I can get a new pair on Friday.  Just about got a 1000 miles on them (not bad for 99% road running).

12 miles @ 7:13 pace - 1:26:35

My duct tape patches did the trick.  I just need to make them last until Friday.

Sleep got the better of me tonight.  The body felt fine but I needed sleep.

12 miles @ 7:03 pace - 1:24:35

I have a hard time classifying these types of runs.  I didn't feel like I was necessarily pushing the pace at all but I did have several relatively fast miles.  It has been a fast week.

Splits: 7:09, 7:15, 7:11, 7:17, 7:29, 6:58, 6:53, 6:40, 6:52, 7:05, 6:52, 6:52

You can sure tell what is uphill and what is downhill.

7 miles @ 7:13 pace - 50:30

My left foot was bothering me so I took the day off.

Sleep got me again.  The battle of running at night wages on.

12 miles @ 7:06 pace - 1:25:15

Nervously excited for the Riverton Half this Saturday.

Nose cold and right leg bothering me. 

4.35 miles @ 6:14 pace - 27:04

Just a small test run for Saturday.  Felt pretty ok.  I will be really happy with anything below 6:30 pace.  Shall be fun.

I really didn’t know how this race was going to sort out for me.  Nearly all of my miles over the winter have been easy miles with only a few in the 6 minute range, however my easy run pace has moved closer to a low 7 minute pace over the last few weeks (maybe my increased mileage was actually starting to pay dividends).  My goal time for this race was 1:25:00, anything lower was gravy. 

I got up at 6:00 am and had a banana, a yogurt and a clementine for breakfast and got in a couple visits to the toilet.  Over the next couple hours I took it easy on the couch (even dozed off for a few) and watched cartoons with the boys (Thomas and the Cat in the Hat).  At 8:00 am I got all my affairs together and got out the door by twenty after.  The start of the race was only a few minutes from my home and I got there with plenty of time to spare.   As has been well documented for this race the cold was expected but the south wind was most certainly unwelcome.  Clothing wise I went with a tech-t (pinned number to tech-t in anticipation of pulling the jacket somewhere near the end), arm sleeves and light jacket on top and compression shorts on bottom.  I also wore a beanie and gloves.   I did a few warm up jaunts and headed to the start line.  At the start line I met up with Rachel (RAD), Walter and Scott Ensign.  Scott and I determined that we had similar goal paces and decided to trade off taking on the wind (not like I provide the biggest of wind barriers).  The plan was set and it was time to race.

Mile 1 – 6:02 – As is typical I always get a faster than expected run out for the first mile (especially with a nice tailwind helping out).  I gapped Scott by about 30 seconds in the first half mile but once I settled my pace down we linked up at around the mile marker.

Mile 2 – 6:11 – Still enjoying the tail wind

Mile 3 – 6:13 – First mile into the wind and Scott and I take turns pulling in the wind and we both do well planning our tangents.            

Mile 4 – 6:36 - Welcome to the first hill of the course a 75ft climb over a 0.4 mile distance.  Ironically the hill is called Tithing Pointe – you definitely give 10% of yourself on this one.  My legs certainly felt the hill but I am still feeling great.

Mile 5 – 6:32 – More wind and hill recovery.  Scott and I are still pulling strong.

Mile 6 – 6:15 – A quick downhill switch back and heading more east than south made this mile pretty fast.  Scott certainly knows how to let it fly on those downhills.

Mile 7 – 6:40 - More wind (will this ever end) and a net uphill mile with a 75ft climb over 0.3 miles at the end.  Scott let me know that I was going to lose him as we approached the hill.

Mile 8 – 6:48 – More wind with no one to help pull plus hill recovery made this mile slow.  I am definitely getting tired at this point.

Mile 9 – 7:04 – This was my maintenance mile.  I took off my jacket and tied it around my waist, took off my gloves and stuck them in my shorts and started to take down was GU I could (it is really hard to swallow when you are breathing hard (I need to practice this more)).  I stopped at the water station to make certain to get some water down with my GU and headed off.  Scott passed me at the water station.

Mile 10 – 6:19 - Fueled up and out of the wind I quickly caught up with Scott and dropped him.  It was go time.

Mile 11 – 6:32 – The forecasted most daunting hill of the race became nearly no more than a speed bump (75ft climb over 0.2 miles).  Only 2 miles to go (nor more hill) and I am starting to put a good gap on my 6:30 pace virtual partner – I nearly evened out at mile 9)

Mile 12 – 6:21 - A little bit of hill recovery but I am still feeling great.

Mile 13 – 6:12 – A little bit of downhill (and some wind of course) and just riding it home.  Scott is about 40 seconds behind me but is holding strong.

0.02 – 9.6 sec – 6:29 (Garmin clocked this one short.) 

I am very encouraged by this race.  Last year I did the TOU half in 1:23:00 but the conditions were much more pleasant and the course is much tamer.  I definitely felt much stronger overall in this one.  My next race is the Ogden Marathon (my first full) and I really think I can get the 2:5x that I’m shooting for.  Thanks for running with me Scott and helping to share the wind (I really think it helped).  And yes, Kelli, the trophies are awesome (nice job).  I did a 3 miles cool down with Rachel after the race (nice conversation).

12.0 miles @ 7:24  pace - 1:29:05

Cold recovery run - 8 weeks to go.

4.35 miles @ 7:29 pace - 32:36

Still feeling Saturday so I figured I would just make it short and easy tonight.

Family stuff - no running.

6.25 miles @ 7:25 pace - 46:27

Left at 11:30 pm - Night time nap almost became night time sleep.

Noon - 6.0 miles @ 6:55 pace - 41:57 - 3 miles were around goal marathon pace.

10:30 pm - 12 miles @ 7:30 pace - 1:30:08

6.0 slow miles

Just not feeling it.

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:40 pace - 26:43

11:00 pm - 7.22 miles @ 7:14 pace - 52:14

Noon - 4 miles @ 6:58 pace - 27:54

10:00 pm - 7.25 miles @ 7:17 pace - 52:44 - Cold and rainy

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:51 pace - 27:27

10:30 pm - 7.22 miles @ 7:22 pace - 53:08

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 7:15 pace - 29:02

10:30 pm - 7.22 miles @ 7:28 pace - No wind! and suprisingly nice temps.

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 7:02 pace

6:00 pm - 4.35 miles

19.0 miles @ 7:17 pace - 2:18:28

Met up at the Lehi portion of the JPW Trail.  Despite the snow and all it was a great run.  This marks my longest run to date and the feet felt great. 

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:38 pace - 26:32 - Spring weather is fantastic.

No night run - I have a project to complete for work that is going to keep me up all night.  Probably no running tomorrow either.

Going on 2 hours of sleep no running today.

7.23 miles @ 7:10 pace - 51:51

A little wet and cool but not to bad. 

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:36 pace - 26:26

11:00 pm - 6.65 miles @ 7:27 pace - 49:38

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 7:19 pace - 29:19

6:30 pm - 7.0 miles @ 6:50 pace - 48:08 - Slow marathon goal pace

7:00 am - 9.0 miles @ 7:30 pace

6:00 pm - 13.15 miles @ 7:21 pace - 1:36:36

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:30 pace - 26:01 - A nice warm spring rain.

9:00 pm - 7.25 miles @ 7:00 pace - 50:44

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:47 pace - 27:08

10:45 pm - 7.25 miles @ 7:19 pace - 52:52

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 7:16 pace - 29:06

10:55 pm - 4.35 miles @ 7:30 pace - 32:40

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:54 pace - 27:40

11:00 pm - 7.25 miles @ 7:19 pace - 52:52

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:57 pace - 27:49

6:00 pm - 7.25 miles @ 7:04 pace - 51:04 - colder than I wanted it to be.

20 miles @ 7:34 pace - 2:31:30

I really dislike the hills in Herriman.  Can't complain about the pace considering the uphill battle.  Ogden should be a walk in the park (maybe).

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:39 pace - 26:37 - Just the usual noon 4 miler with a little bit of rain.  The legs felt nice and smooth after Saturday's 20.

10:30 pm - 7.25 miles @ 7:01 pace - 51:00 - 3 of the miles were at marathon pace.

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:54 pace - 27:37

11:10 pm - 4.35 miles @ 7:02 pace - 30:33 - A little bit of snow but nothing to bad.

1:47 pm - 4.0 miles @ 6:28 pace - 25:53 - I guess I was feeling speedy.

11:00 pm - 8.40 miles @ 6:54 pace - 57:54 - Just a fast day.

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 7:25 pace - 29.45 - Slow windy recovery.

11:00 pm - 7.25 miles @ 7:25 pace - 53:53 - Still slow, still windy and more recovery.  Thats what I get for having a fast day.

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:57 pace - 27:50

4:50 pm - 7.15 miles @ 6:45 pace - 48:15

20.0 miles @ 7:21 pace - 2:27:08 - Got a preview of the middle ten miles of the Ogden Marathon Course.  It definately is a net down hill - running up course was not fun and I could have done without the wind.  I had a GU and water at mile 12 and survived the last 4 miles (with some stops).

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:48 pace - 27:12

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:43 pace - 26:53 - Finally back at it after two and a half days off.  Work became a huge priority so I only managed 5.5 hours of sheep between Monday moring and Wednesday night (most of that monday night).  Only two and a half weeks to Ogden (excited!).

10:45 pm - 7.25 miles @ 7:03 pace - 51:04 - Three of the miles were at marathon pace.  This run felt better than my noon run.

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:45 pace - 27:03 - Slight change of plans.  I planned on running the Riverton Half course Saturday has my last longish run before Ogden, but Jun offered up a free bib number for the Provo City Half, so I will be doing that instead.  It should be funner than a lonely run in Riverton.

My initial plan for today was to do (4) repeats plus a mile of the Riverton Holiday Hero's 5k course (nice and flat), however, when Jun offered up his wife's bib number I couldn't pass the chance (a lot more entertaining than 4 solo repeats).  My plan for the half was to run it at a comfortably fast pace.  I decided to run it at my current dream marathon pace of 6:30 (I think 6:43 is more realistic) without stretching myself too far.  As usual I went out fast for the first few miles (they felt easy)  - Mile #1 5:58 - Mile #2 6:09 - Mile #3 6:13 - Mile #4 6:16.  After mile 4 I settled into that 6:3x pace window - Mile #5 6:30 - Mile #6 6:32 - MIles #7 6:34 - Mile #8 6:37.  I took a Strawberry Banana Gel just before mile 9 (much smoother technique than at the Riverton Half) and grabbed some water at the mile 9 aid station - Mile #9 6:37 - Mile #10 6:34 (took water at the aid station to finish washing down the GU) - Mile #11 6:33 - Mile #12 6:34 - Mile #13 6:42 (could have done without the overpass) - for the last 0.1 I really don't know since I forgot to stop my watch at the finish.  My legs felt tired during the race but my breathing was never laboured.  It truely felt like a fast training run. 

I had a great time meeting and chatting with several bloggers including - Jun (thanks again), Allie, Lilly, Fiddy and Fritz (an probably others) and getting some good info for Odgen.  The weather was fantastic (I guess it could have been cooler during the race) and the race atmosphere was great. 

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:53 pace - 27:34 - Raining but not bad temps.

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:55 pace - 27:41

11:15 pm - 4.35 @ 6:47 pace - 29:28 - I almost didn't run this (I was really tired and just wanted to go to bed) but I did it anyhow.  Started feeling quite good after 2 miles and decided to push it the last 1.35 miles - 5:54 pace for mile 4 and 5:41 pace for the 0.35.  Now I can shower and go to bed.

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:48 pace - 27:15

11:00 pm - 7.25 miles @ 7:26 pace - 53:42

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 7:12 pace - 28:49 - Feeling tired and sluggish - a degressive run.

11:00pm - 7.25 miles @ 7:04 pace - 51:09 - Feeling much better (I'm not certain what the afternoon was about) a progressive run - started @ 7:22 pace and ended @ 6:50 pace.

11:30 pm - 7.25 miles @ 7:02 pace - 50:58 - Nice night for a run

11:30 pm - 7.25 miles @ 7:18 pace - 52:51

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:48 pace - 27:12

6:00 pm - 4.4 miles @ 6:37 pace - 29:09

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:45 pace - 27:01 - Cold and soggy.

6:00 pm - 4.35 miles @ 6:39 pace - 28:55 - I don't intend theese to be marathon pace miles its just how it works out.

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:47 pace - 27:08 - Now it is on to Ogden.

Wow!!!  So that is what it feels like to run a marathon!  I have never crossed a finish line feeling so much gratitude, excitement and elation.  My dream goal going in to my first marathon was to hit a sub-2:55 but my true goal was to be under three hours.  My initial plan was to be built up to 80 mile weeks by the beginning of February and to start putting in some big workouts by March, however, that plan didn’t quite work out.  I hurt my right foot pretty good playing indoor soccer the end on last November which bothered me through the middle of December.  I then got lazy through the end of December and slowly stretch in the month of January with some 20 and 30 mile weeks.  I finally started making an ok push in February with daily runs at 12 miles; however I missed a few days here and there for one reason or another (running 12 miles at 10:00-11:00pm in freezing cold was tough to get out to sometimes).  Come March I knew that I wasn’t going to have the proper buildup time to put in any “big” work outs so I kept all my runs at a relative easy pace and would rely increased easy distance to get me through the marathon.  I raced the Riverton ½ the end of March and finished in 1:23:52 on a tough hilly course with a lot of wind and cold.  This race gave me the confidence that maybe a 2:55 was possible and a sub 3 hr. was very likely if all went well.  The month of April was go time, this month was going to make or break my marathon dreams.  To help insure that I got good mileage in every day I started running 4 miles a day during my lunch break at work and then I would finish off the evening with 7 miles (instead of 12 all at night).  In April I put together three 70 mile weeks and one 45 miles week (due to no sleep with work conflicts) and my only real concern now was to please avoid injury.  I raced the Provo City Half (1:24:52) the beginning of May to try any lock in my final goal marathon pace (which I settled in at 6:41) and then let the taper begin.   I made it to race day injury free and with hopes that I had enough to get me a 2:5x marathon.   

My plan for the race was to keep the first half at 1:27 and just see what the second half would give me.  My planned fuel for the course was a total of three strawberry-banana GU’s (loaded in my but pocket) to be taken approaching miles 9, 15, and 21 (along with water).  After spending 5 hours of time in the hotel bed in an out of sleep I got up at 4:00 am, got dressed, and had a Gatorade and a banana.  My loving wife then drove me to the buses to start on my adventure.  The good thing about getting on one of the first buses is that you get the pick of the litter of the port-a-potties, the bad news is that I had an hour and a half of standing/walking around before the start of the race (I will probably be a little less punctual the next time around).  I did get to meet and chat with Stephen for a bit before the race and got hellos into Rob, Teena and Fritz.  The weather and temperature was fantastic from the start and I knew I would be fine in my tech-t and compression shorts.  Apparently there was some challenge getting all the buses through, so the start of the race was delayed 10 minutes (which turned out to be a God-send for my wife and kids). 

The first half of the marathon pretty much went exactly how I had scripted it.  I tried to keep as close to 6:41 pace for the first 8 miles as I could (I knew that low 6’s were going to feel easy at first but I would pay for them later). 

Mile #1 – 6:24

Mile #2 – 6:27

Mile #3 – 6:22

Mile #4 – 6:28

Mile #5 – 6:31

Mile #6 – 6:32

Mile #7 – 6:34

Mile #8 – 6:38

Approach mile 9 I took my fist GU and got ready for the rollers for the next 9 miles.

Mile #9 – 6:43

Mile #10 – 6:43 (somewhere in here I passed a guy that had his Garmin alert beeping every second – very annoying!)

Mile #11 – 6:52

Mile #12 – 6:47

Mile #13 – 6:56 (I came through the half at 1:26:21 (a little faster than planned but everything was still together))

I am now telling myself that ALL I had left was the uphill at mile 15, a few downhill rollers, and then down the canyon (Easy, Right?!)

Mile #14 – 6:48

Mile #15 – 7:10 (darn that hill) I took my second GU leading up to this mile along with some water at the aide station.

Mile #16 – 6:50

Mile #17 – 6:52

Mile #18 – 6:41 (Starting to head down the canyon and taking what the downhill on tired legs will give me)  After this point I really can’t trust much more from my Garmin other that miles paces on the river trail in Ogden.  According to my Garmin I did some impressive mountaineering in the canyon with several 300 ft. accents with some of that a 6:12 pace (I know Crockett, Jun and all you others would be impressed).

After some path drawing in Google Earth and some calculation I figure that I averaged 6:54 pace through the canyon (6:50 pace minus the Pee brake at mile 20).  The run through the canyon was where my marathon destiny was made.  I probably made mistake not taking my last GU approaching mile 21.  I burped up some stomach contents around mile 19 and really got nervous about taking another GU (would it make me feel worse?  I decided not to risk it and just kept on trucking).  Allie and Fiddy cheered me on at mile 21 (whether I was looking good or not was irrelevant, but having someone calling out my name at that stage of the race was fantastic!  Thanks!)  I even did some good-old Sasha grunting through the canyon (it really does work – and I didn’t care what anyone thought).

I got to mile 23 marker with about 24 minutes left on the clock to get under 3 hours.  I was tired and sore but I knew I had it in the bag.  Dodging half-marathoners on the river trail was definitely interesting at times.  I also nearly took out a guy that was casually crossing the trail without looking.  At the 25 mile marker I had over 10 minutes to finish under 3 hrs.  As I approached 25^th street the clock came in view showing me at 3:59 and change (I definitely think the course was long – according to my Garmin my last 3 miles were in the 7:20 pace range) and almost magically the course was clear of all other runners but me.  I did it!  I tend not to be a very emotional individual but I nearly broke down in tears.  I have never felt an emotion like that at the end of a race.  Phenomenal!

I got my finishers medal, grabbed a bottle of water and a Creamy (yummy!), and made my way out of the coral to meet up with Aubrey (my wife), Steffin and Alex (my boys), and my mom (and nearly came to tears again).  It turned out that the alarm never went off for my family at the hotel and my woke up at 9:30 am with only 25 minutes to get herself dressed, the boys dressed, my mom moving,  checked out of the hotel, and at the finish line at 9:55 am for my projected finish time.  Superwomen ended up 5 minutes late but ended up with about 5 minutes to spare (Once again the late start was a God-send).

The only cloud of the marathon experience was the lack race and age division results from the timing chip system.  I figured that I had a good shot at an division medal but had to sit it out until 2:00 pm to find out (Thanks family for being so patient – I place 4^th in my division and 20^th overall (2300+ runners)).    To finish up the day we had some Baskin Robbins ice cream and made a stop at the Air Force Museum (I couldn’t say no to the boys after how patient they were after the race). 

Thanks everyone!

6:00 pm - 4.35 miles @ 6:39 pace - 29:00 - My first run after the marathon.  I didn't intend for it to be this fast but it felt nice.  My left calf muscle was tight.

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:55 pace - 27:41 - Nice and easy run on a great temperature day.  My left calf was less sore and tight today.

I decided to find out what my 5k speed was like after the marathon last week, besides who can pass up a free relaxing 5k on a nice Saturday morning.  I had charted out the course in google earth and learned that it was going to be short and the last mile was all uphill and was definately going to be work.  I figured my best potential competition for the race was going to be Chuck Mitchell (all he had to do was show up and he would beat me).  Sure enough, I saw him running his warm-up on the way to the church.  The weather was a little cool and breezy but nothing to bad (tech-t and shorts). 

Mile #1 - 5:30 - Chuck and another kid took out fast for the first quarter to third of the mile and I was only about 20 yards behind and breathing pretty hard.  I knew I would be having to slow down soon enough.  After the initial surge Chuck droped the outher kid and I passed him shortly after.  You could tell that Chuck (top runner on the Herriman Cross Country team) hasn't ran very many road races, his lines were all over the place.  I kept a pretty steady 20 to 30 yards behind him.

Mile #2 - 5:54 - Down hill running through the neighborhoods.  I didn't slow down as much as I thought I would, but I knew the uphill was coming soon.

Mile #3 (0.95 miles) - 5:59 (6:23 pace) - I definately don't have the strength yet to push a fast pace, uphill, at this stage in a 5k.  Chucks didn't slow down as much as I did and his lead stretched to 50-60 yards.  I never looked back to see who was behind me but I never heard footsteps either.

I did a mile or two cool down with Chuck (7 minute pace) and told him that he needs to work on his tangents.  I also told him to focus on recovery (and proper eating) and keeping his easy runs easy for cross country this year.  He is a good kid and fun to talk to and see at races.

All-in-all I felt pretty good about this race.  I havn't done any real speed training since last August and I stayed pretty motivated on pushing the pace despite being in no-mans land.  Had it been a full 3.1 miles I figure my time would have been 18:20 +/- and with some focused speed traing and weight training I could be living in the 17's again.

9:30 am - 9.5 miles @ 7:02 pace - 1:06:48 - I got lucky and missed all the rain on this run.  Everything is feeling pretty good.

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 7:02 pace - 28:10 - Left foot was tight and sore to start.  It loosened up towards the middle.

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 6:47 pace - 27:09 - The left side of my left ankle still starts out a little tight and sore but losens up after half mile or so.

This marks the first time that I have actively cross trained due to an injury. It looks a though I have developed (or am about to develop) a stress fracture in my left foot. It was not visible in the x-rays but all the signs are there. As a result I get to cross train for four weeks (what a joy!). I have been okayed to take it easy at Ragnar, otherwise it is all about the elliptical.

I did 1 hour on the cross fit machine - 5.88 miles - 178 strides/min - Resistance 7. I was somewhat surprised that a heel plant position did not feel right on the machine (apparently my midfoot/forefoot strike translates to machines as well). Also, what a sweaty mess I was (I will be bringing a towel next time).

1 hr on the elliptical (with the arms) - 6.75 miles on the rolling hills.

This workout was intresting.  My legs were tired and really didn't want to go faster but I couldn't get my heart rate up (especially compaired to Monday).  I may use the one with the stationary handles again next time.  I still need to give the stair stepper a go.

The thing that is going to be the hardest about cross training is finding the time each day to do it.  The gym closes at 10pm, so if I have anything in the later evening my cross training plans are pretty much shot.  I will do my best to get a workout in 6 days a week. 

Another hour on the elliptical (with the fixed arms).  It was a tougher workout than Wednesday.

1 hour on the armless elliptical.  What a joy.

Another hour on the elliptical.  All ellipticals are definately not the same.  I had to switch off the one I started on because I kept banging my knee on the machine, plus the thing was like running through mollases no matter how easy the setting (annoying).

Another hour of elliptical bliss.  I get to find out Friday at Ragnar what my foot is thinking (the doctor gave me permission).  I have done a couple hallway jogs at work (maybe 100 ft.) and have felt no pain at all, however I don't want to get to excited and blow it up.

I took the cub scouts on a 3 mile hike up and down the dirt road at Yellow Fork Canyon.  We did 20 minute miles going up and 16 minute miles going down.  Didn't make it to the gym for my love afair with the elliptical.  |:o|

This was my first ever welcome to the event that is called Ragnar.  I was kind of nervous about how this would roll out with the recent stress fracture in my foot (2-1/2 weeks ago) but the doctor I was good to go.   I became a late add on team that was looking for a finish in the 29 hour range, so there was no pressure to finish fast but to just have fun and enjoy.  After two weeks of elliptical heaven and watching four of our runners finish their legs it was my turn to give it a go.

Leg #11 is a 3.2 mile run that climbs a total of 986 ft. with a 51 ft. drop with a start elevation of 4923 ft. and a finish elevation of 5858 ft. 

Mile #1 - 6:52 - Running outside feels fantastic! This first mile only gains 184 ft. but the fun is soon to come.

Mile #2 - 8:02 - I am still enjoying running but 303 ft. of elevation climb is not as fun a 184 ft.  I do continue to pick-off runners (this would be the theme of all of my runs).

Mile #3 - 8:40 - 382 ft. of elevation climb.  I am definitely ready for this hill to be over with, but outside of being tired everything is good.

Last 0.2 - 1:29 (7:30 pace) - What a relief to be done and to be handing off to my sister so she can finish the climb up to Snow Basin. 

Outside of my legs being totally beat (I can tell I have lost some fitness over the last couple of weeks) and nearly vomiting at the end everything felt really good and my foot gave me zero signs of discomfort.  I do wish that I had gotten a full night of sleep last night (3.5 hours) but I had a project I had to get out for work for Friday (today) that kept me up late.  Once my sister did a fantastic job of finishing off her leg we got some dinner at Quiznos and made our way to East Canyon Reservoir for some rest and relaxation.

12:10 am - Leg #23 (5.5 miles @ 6:56 pace) - 5.5 miles with an elevation gain of 406 ft. and an elevation drop of 214 ft.  Most of the elevation gain was toward the front leading up to the Rockport Dam with the being mainly downhill rollers.  Unfortunately I was unable to get any real sleep at East Canyon so I wasn't as rested as I would have liked to have been, but my body was feeling good and I was anxious to get running after a 10 hour break.  The weather was absolutely fantastic and went with my tech-t, shorts and arm sleeves (plus I was in my wheel-house of running late at night). 

Mile #1 - 6:56 - 100 ft. of net elevation gain.  Feeling good and enjoying the run. 

Mile #2 - 7:19 -110 ft. of elevation gain.  I am feeling the cumulative effects of the previous 100 ft. of climb and the 900+ covered yesterday, but the dam is in my sights so I know the climbing will end soon.

Mile #3 - 6:58 - That’s more like it. 

Mile #4 - 6:55 - I have a beautiful full moon view over Rockport Reservoir to my left and nice downhill rollers stretched out in front of me with the periodic red flashing light indicating another runner I would get to pass and let them know how well they were doing and how little they had left to go.

Mile #5 - 6:48 - I am really hitting a groove and loving it.

Mile 0.5 - 3:26 (6:31 pace) - What a perfect end to a beautiful leg.

12:48 am - Leg #24 (6.9 miles @ 8:50 pace) - 589 ft. of elevation gain and 200 ft. elevation drop.  It was always the plan that I would run this leg with my sister so she didn't have to run solo in the middle of the night.  Her initial goal was to cover it at a low 8 minute pace but I had zero intent on pushing it any faster than what she wanted.  I must admit that I was quite glad that she wasn't feeling any faster since I was doing about all I could to keep with her through the last 3 miles.  She did enjoy my company and she really did a fantastic job.  She did walk for about 30 seconds near the top of the big hill during mile 5, but she more than made up for it on the downhill that came during mile 6 and finished strong.  We finished off to a little house in Heber (that our team leader had access to) to get some peaceful shut-eye for about 3 hours. (8:01, 8:38, 8:47, 9:26, 10:01, 8:25 & 8:30 pace for the last 0.9 miles).

9:18 am - Leg #35 (7.30 miles @ 7:23 pace) - 2091 ft. elevation drop and 350 ft. elevation gain.  Unfortunately the plan for some peaceful sleep did not quite pan out.  Apparently the older gentleman in our group has a bit of a snoring problem and thus those 3 hours of wished sleep may have been 30 minutes (hard to tell).  I was tired my calves and quads were not like me too much but my foot felt fantastic. 

Mile #1 - 7:35 - We finished the climb over Guardsman’s Pass and down the cliff (that’s what it felt like) on the other side.

Mile #2 - 6:48 - This is the mile of diminishing returns where I really can't go any faster but I can't go any slower either.  Please let this end soon. 

Mile #3 - 6:53 - Finally a little bit of sanity has been returned to the course but my legs are beat.

Mile #4 - 8:23 - Of course in true Ragnar fashion they must throw in a "lovely" climb to remind you where you are.  I covered the 150 ft. climb over 0.2 miles in 2:37 (13 minute pace @ 14.2% grade) with zero walking (I passed about 6 people walking up this stretch).  After the hill the course returns to some sanity.

Mile #5 - 7:33 - Getting back to a normal feeling pace - albeit on trashed legs and some dandy feeling blisters on my big toes.

Mile #6 - 7:23 - Getting faster and feeling better.  Loving the fact of spotting runners ahead and working to catch them.

Mile #7 - 7:06 - Same as above and almost done.  Only 0.3 to go.

Mile 0.3 - 7:06 pace - Nice finish and my final hand off to my sister. 

What a remarkable and challenging event.  The great news is that I never had one sign of any issues with my foot, but now I am at a quandary of how to proceed with my training for the rest of the summer (I think I will suffer myself through another week of the elliptical and get it going again next week.)  Next time around (I must do it again) I am bringing my 2-man tent along so my chances of sleep may improve.  I will also make all efforts to get a full night of sleep in the night before.  My calves are still tight and my quads don't like me too much still but all-in-all I feel pretty darn good. 

Suprise! I get to fly to Bakersfield tonight for work! (Not that exciting)  No time for the gym for the eliptical.

I got up before 6 am and did an hour on the eliptical at the hotel.  Now it is time to roast in the 103 degree weather of Bakersfield.

A big zero and my calves are still as tight as anything.  Must get a good night sleep.

My life is being to crazy to get to the gym before it closes so it's time to get running again.  If the foot complains I will have to back off.  My calf muscles were super tight but they started to loosen up a bit toward the end.  Super slow.

No time for any running but my calves are feeling better.

I decided to run up the 2.5 mile dirt road at the top of Butterfield Canyon to the Copper Mine overlook.  There was some walking involved but the weather was awesome and the view is spectacular.  Unfortunately Vibrams do not do well on dirt road so I wasn't able to take advantage of a fast downhill run.  As a result of my sorry feet on the dirt road I have decided it is time to join the Croc movement.  To usher in the new Black Croc Era gave them a 1 mile tour around the neighborhood - felt nice.

10:35 pm - 4.35 miles @ 6:51 pace - 29:44

Back to my night time running madness.  My first big run in the Crocs and it went pretty well.  They sure are easy to put on and take off.

10:40 pm - 4.35 miles @ 7:01 pace - 30:27

I was tired and wanted to go to bed (got to bed @ 2 am last night making pies) but I went out anyways.  Not to bad for being tired and the weather was nice.

10:40 pm - 7.25 miles @ 7:07 pace - 51:28

Starting to feel like a normal runner again.  I guess I will find out what I have in me at the Riverton 10k this Saturday.  The Crocs are feeling pretty natural.

10:45 pm - 4.35 miles - 7:10 pace - 31:16 

Still stretching my crocs out.  I plan to run the 10k in my Vibrams.

Apparently I have lost some fitness over the last month, but nothing that can't be found again.  Had I been on top of my game I should have finished with a high 37 or low 38, but, none-the-less it was a great day and a good race.  This is the second year that I have ran this well done race in Riverton (they do a good job on all of there races). 

The good news is that I beat my time from last year by nearly 2 minutes if I adjust for the course length change (6.3 this year : 6.1 last year) and I didn't have any pain in my foot.  My splits were as follows: 6:02 (made an effort to manage a slower start, downhill), 6:07 (downhill), 6:27 (half up/half down), 6:29 (uphill but strong), 6:47 (big uphill (ouch) and long steady uphill), 6:22 (half up/half down - nice recovery from the hills in mile 5), 1:54 (6:16 pace for the final 0.3 miles).  I was 4th place behind 3 cross country kids - Bingham, Herriman, and Riverton (I will get them all next year).

I met James Barnes for the first time and chatted with him for a bit.  I also met up with Kelli (nice job running the stop watch), her husband (nice race), Rachel (gave me a nice race pick-me-up after the turn around), and her sister (definately not last). 

7:30 am - 4.35 miles @ 7:50 pace

I am still tired and sore from the 10k Saturday morning.  This ended up being a good recovery run.

11:00 pm - 7.25 miles @ 7:05 pace - 51:22

This run felt a lot better than yesterdays and the light night breeze was welcome. 

FYI - Crocs are kind of annoying when they get wet (Squeaky!)

10:40 pm - 7.5 miles @ 7:36 pace

It was another I was tired and wanted to sleep nights.  I decided to go see what the Herriman track was like and the distance it was from my house (2.68 miles).  I ended up climbing over the fence since they don't seem to want people using the track.  I will probably have to use the Riverton High track for interval training.

10:40 pm - 7.25 miles @ 7:11 pace - 52:02

11:00 pm - 4.35 miles @ 7:08 pace - 31:03

This run felt good after a long day.  Some of my form is coming back.

10:35 pm - 7.25 miles @ 6:54 pace - 50:00

I was definately feeling on on this run, especially when I hit the downhill portion of my loop.  My three downhill miles were - 6:45, 6:32 & 6:42.  I wasn't pushing super hard but I was giving it a good effort.

10:45 pm - 7.25 miles @ 7:26 pace - 53:53

Just a nice and easy run before calling it a night.

A big fat zero for the day - Sleep won the battle tonight.

11:00 pm - 7.3 miles @ 7:08 pace - 52:06

Another nice night run.  Took Steffin to see Harry Potter tonight - They did a good job with it and it wasn't as long as I thought it might be. 

6:00 pm - 6.30 miles @ 7:01 pace - 44:11 - So it is kind of hot at this time of day.  I definately could feel the effects of the heat.

7:30 am - I did a workout with Sasha today - Good stuff.  This is the longest training run I have done since before the marathon and the last few miles let me know it.  After a 3 mile or so warm-up we did a mile pick-up to see where I was at - The first quarter was nice, the second was ok and the last two were tough.  I ended up doing about a 5:55 mile which wasn't to bad with all things considered.  We then proceed are way up along the Provo River.  On the way we saw Lilly, Rachel and Kelli running the RHPC half.  Sasha plan was to run 20 miles (which I am not quite ready for yet) and I planned to take a breather at about 7 miles in and wait for him on the return trip to bring it back in.  While waiting for Sasha I ran with Kelli for a bit and had a nice chat.  I picked up again with Sasha for the last half mile of his tempo run (I trailed behind somewhere around 6:00 pace).  We finished the rest of the way at a high 7 minute pace and somehow managed to speed up a little the last 2 miles.  I couldn't wait to get to some water.  I felt that I got some good advice and I will be back for more.

10:40 pm - 6.7 miles @ 7:18 pace - 48:53 - I had some stomach issues and some general fatigue from Saturday, otherwise it was all good.

Noon - 4 hot miles.

10:00 am - 9.7 exhausting miles with several stops - My busy week is definately catching up to me. - I did do my 8x10sec hill sprints.

10:40 pm - 7.45 miles @ 7:10 pace - 53:26.  I got a lot of work on the yard done this weekend (the planter wall is just about done).  A pretty decent start to hopefully an improved week.

- About 60 meters of lunges

Sleep.

10:57 pm - 9.7 miles @ 7:33 pace - 1:13:24

I did the same run as last Saturday and it felt quite a bit better.  I did my 8x10sec hill sprints as well.

10:45 pm - 7.28 miles @ 7:26 pace - 54:09 - Another nice easy run for the week.  I did have to make a pit stop at Smiths, but all is well.

5:47 pm - 6.28 miles @ 7:09 pace - 44:55.  I really need to remember to wear my visor on theese hot afternoon/early evening runs - eyes and sweat don't mix to well.

7:30 am - I did my second workout with Sasha today and I felt much improved from two weeks ago.  At three miles in we did a test to see how long I could hold 5:55 pace (last time I barely hung on for a mile) which I managed to hold for 1.5 miles at closer to 5:53 pace.  We then continued to take it easy through the 7.5 mile mark where stopped off at the park up Provo Canyon while Sasha continued up for the tempo part of his workout (he totaled 20 miles).  I picked back up with Sasha for the last half mile of his tempo run at about 5:30 pace.  We then took it easy again for the next several miles.  Sasha asked me what pace I could go through the last 3 miles with - I told him low seven - He suggested 6:30 pace (I didn't protest or complain).  With 3 miles to go we started my tempo run for the workout and my splits ended up being 6:21, 6:39 and 6:33 (Sasha is a great motivator for me).  I definitely felt stronger this run and I am encouraged by my improvement.  I plan to run with Sasha again next Saturday.  One lesson learned is that I need to slow down my pace on my easy runs so I can put more effort into my hard runs - I will be certain to focus on that.

11:00 pm - 7.25 miles @ a 7:46 pace - 56:25.  Now that I am starting to include true tempo and speed workouts into my program I am making certain that I focus on keeping my easy runs as an easy pace.  I get to run fast on Wednesday.  I did 80 meters of lunges.

11:36 pm - 7 miles @ 7:46 pace - 54:49

Another nice easy run and I just beat the rain. I plan to do a 3 mile test tomorrow night.

10:50 pm - 6.52 miles @ 7:18 pace - 47:35

I tested out my test loop this evening after 4.3 miles of easy running.  I mapped out the loop to be just under 1.5 miles and my Garmin put it at 1.47 miles.  I used 3 different manhole covers for lap markers:

MH #1 - 0.26 miles - 1:31:50 - 5:46 pace - 22ft elevation drop

MH #2 - 0.46 miles - 2:46:30 - 6:02 pace - 25ft elevation gain

MH #3 - 0.75 miles - 4:26:47 - 5:55 pace - 3ft net elevation drop (20ft up and down)

Total pace - 5:56

I was pretty pleased with my effort considering the low sleep I have had this week.  I probably could have pushed it a bit more but now I have a good baseline.  My plan is to double up this loop one day a week to help give myself a good read on my fitness level.  My short term goal is to get comfortable at 5:50 pace.

10:50 pm - 7.2 miles @ 7:40 pace 55:13

Nice weather, nice run.  I also borrowed the measuring wheel from work and marked off the 400 meter makers for my Test Loop (I'm sure my neighbors thought I was nuts - of course that probably wouldn't have been their first clue).

Noon - 7.05 miles @ 7:35 pace - 53:26

Hot!

7:30 am - 17.0 miles

Workout #3 with Sasha.  We essentially did the same workout that we have done the previous times but we kept the test run at just a mile and I went through with Sasha to the 8.5 mile mark to give me a total of 17 miles.

3 miles easy to start things off (7:30 pace +/-)

My test mile time was 5:42 (We decided to speed it up since we would only be doing a mile).  The third 400 was definitely work

5.5 miles easy - got a drink of water at the park and waited for a bit to catch back on with Sasha for the last 800 of his tempo run.

200 meters building up as Sasha approached (my quads didn't like the park break so much) and nearly hung on for the last 600 meters with Sasha (about 5:20 pace for me).

4.5 miles easy and getting ready for my 3 mile temp run with the goal to beat last weeks’ time.

Tempo Run:

Mile #1 6:23 - felt pretty decent by I could tell I was tired from the previous 14 miles

Mile #2 6:36 - This mile was a lot of work and I could definitely do without the underpasses under intersecting roads.  But, you haven't lived until you have had Sasha sing to you "Do what is right let the consequence follow" as you are struggling to kept pace.  I dropped back some but was able to keep good contact.

Mile #3 6:20 - I really gave this mile all that I could and it paid off well.  It helped that after running the same course three times I knew how close we were getting to Sasha's house and how soon the suffering would be over.  Sasha also gave me target 400 splits for the last mile and I think I hit all of them.

My total time for the tempo run was 19:19 which was 13 seconds faster than last week.  It feels good to be making progress. 

10:45 pm - 7.5 miles @ 7:16 pace - 54:25

Nice temperature for a nice easy night run.  Once again I had to make a potty stop at Smiths (I thought I had it all taken care of before I left).  At about the 6.5 mile mark I did an 800 meter pick-up with my quarter times at 83 and 85 (I am liking my yellow road markers). 

I also did 95 meters of lunges.  It is now time to have an ice cream bar, shower and head to bed.

Sleep got the better of me tonight - Next thing I knew it was nearly 11:30 pm.  I guess I was tired.

10:50 pm - 6.5 miles

Well apparently my GI tract was not happy with me tonight.  The plan was to do my 4.3 mile warm-up loop easy followed by my 1.47 mile test loop fast and then the 4.3 mile loop again.  On my warm-up loop thinks were feeling a bit off, and of course I had to make a pit stop at Smiths again (It is a nice clean restroom).  I figured all was taken care of but apparently I was wrong.  My 400 splits on my test loop were 88, 93, 92, 91, 86 and 77 (356 meters -0.22 miles).  I will spare you all of the disturbing details but let’s just say better out than in (I guess) and no 4.3 mile cool down loop as clean-up became a priority.

Last week I ran my test loop in 8:44.3 and this week I ran it in 8:50.2.  I was slower by 6 seconds but I will chalk it up to not feeling well. 

I am feeling better now however.

10:50 pm - 7.38 miles @ 7:23 pace - 54:29

Things felt much better this evening (no pit stops or other disasters).  I did an 800 meter pick-up toward the end (trying to target 5:50 pace) my 400's were 87 and 90.  The second 400 didn't feel pushed I just didn't realize that I had slowed down. 

Time to continue my Fat Boy diet and get to bed.

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 7:24 pace - 29:37

Hot and slow.

7:30 am - 4.0 miles @ 6:05 pace - 24:19 -

I must start out saying that James Barnes did a fantastic job with this race (as well as all the kids getting great sponsor support) and to this point with the cross country team.  This was the second annual Herriman Mustang Stampede that is held to help support the cross country and volleyball team.  For a mere $8.00 you were provided with a great race with fast competition (those cross kids are fast), breakfast, prizes for the winners and one heck of a raffle (talk about sponsor support!).  The other great thing about this race is it is only about two miles from my home and covers the streets that I run daily.

My goal heading into this race was a low 24 minute (I would be very excited if I got sub 24).  I met up with Kurt Stevens (from the blog) at the start line and chatted briefly as we discussed pace goals and I pointed those that should be at the front.  I also had some fun explaining my Croc's as a choice of running foot wear (sorry James).  As with true race starting fashion (especially with high school kids) the race started out faaaaast, but I settled my pace to some sense of normalcy after a few hundred meters. 

Mile 1 - 5:48 - this mile uphill with about 32ft of elevation change but felt nice and fast.

Mile 2 - 5:55 - this mile had a drop of nearly 80ft and really felt nice after that first fast mile. I passed up Rory toward the end of this mile.

Mile 3 - 6:19 - what goes down must come back up on loop course and this was my payback mile for the first two miles.  I passed up a kid sporting a side cramp at the beginning of this mile. 

Mile 4+ - 6:17 (6:02 pace if I want to trust my Garmin and Google Earth measurement) - This mile had a net downhill and finished with about 3/4 of a lap on the track.  I had a kid in front of me by a few seconds that I sort of tried to real in but I ended finishing 9 seconds behind him (I need figure out how to simulate Sasha support at races).  I ended up finishing 7th overall and just 19 seconds from a sub 24. 

After my race I had my 7-year-old run in the 1-mile kid’s race.  His time was slow but he kept a really good even pace and didn't stop to walk once despite some minor protesting and this being the longest he has run by nearly a half of a mile - finish time of 13:02.

As promised a nicely done breakfast was provide, awards were handed out, and the raffle (with surprisingly high quality items - I won the grand prize - a $200 photo shoot gift card) completed.  Now it is time to get the family together and head up to Wolf Creek Resort for a more-or-less relaxing day.

8:00 pm - 12.0 miles @ 7:38 pace - 1:31:47 -

4 miles was not going to be enough mileage for the day so I figured this would be a good opportunity to get in a good 12 mile out and back near Pineview Reservoir at a nice easy pace.  The first 1.3 miles had a net drop of 365 ft. (I was not looking forward to heading back up this).  The remaining 4.7 miles follow up-course of the Ogden Marathon at about the half marathon marker with a series of rollers.  My time out was 44:34 and my time back was 46:26 with the last mile being 8:39 (love that 300 + feet of climbing). 

On a slight downer note it looks as though I will have to postpone the Boston Marathon a year after to having to replace our central air unit.  It will give me the opportunity to have a better qualifying time for 2013.

Noon - 4.0 miles @ 7:18 pace - 29:15

The temperature wasn't to bad but it did seem a bit humid (for Utah). 

6:00 pm - 4.35 miles @ 7:10 pace - 31:17

I did do a pickup at the very end (the last 1166 ft of my measured course) to see what my stride length and race is at an accelerated pace.

 - At 5:42 pace my stride rate is 180strides/minute and my stride length is 5.13 ft or 1.56 meters.

5:45 am - 9.0 miles with the BBK's at Riverton High Track.

Given that the boys are up with the inlaws at Wolf Creek for the week (we join up with them Wednesday night) I thought I would hook up with the BBK's while I had a chance. 

The planed workout was 1 mile warm-up with strides on the straights for the last 800 meters, followed by Yasso 800's with 400 meter active recovery, and finished off with a cool down in the neighborhoods.  I didn't know many 800's we were to do so I was mentally prepairing for 10, but the plan was to do 6.  I did 7 as a result of lapping the field.  My 800 times were 2:43 (1:17 400 - oops), 2:51, 2:53, 2:51, 2:54, 2:54 and 2:56.  My average 800 time was 2:52 for an average pace of 5:42.

I finished of the workout with a chatty 2.5 mile cool-down at 8:26 pace.