My Running Log

A.M. Ran 5 miles at 8:00 pace on the treadmill. Though I did throw in a 1-4% incline for much of it because I was going to run hills outside but didn't because I wasn't feeling well when I got up. Might run more this evening if I have the time and energy.

P.M. Ran another 5 miles at 8:00 pace on the treadmill. No incline this time. Starting to get over this feeling of being under the weather.

Hooray!!! I finally had a breakthrough tempo run. I have been frustrated because I couldn't get myself going on these runs. I want to be able to run my target marathon pace and then get faster from there. Today I ran the first 2 miles (warmup) in about 8:20/mile. Then my mile times were (approx):

7:09

7:23 (mostly uphill)

6:59 (mostly downhill)

7:09

7:05

The cooldown was about 8:30/mile. The greatest thing about this workout was that I won a mental battle. My legs were hurting, and I really wanted to cool the pace, but I kept strong. The average pace was my target marathon pace. I also learned some things about my form and about relaxing during the run.

Ran 4 miles at 11 pm because it was a busy day. 7:43 pace. Stopped by to get one of the free root beer floats (in honor of Burt), but they were all out. What's that all about?!

Not feeling super great.

But my weight is the lowest it's been so far this year!

I thought I was just feeling run down, but now I'm wondering if I have been fighting a bug of some kind. Today I have felt worst of all. And it's been going on for a week now of not feeling great, so hopefully it will be over soon.

Since January 1, 2009, I have run at least 3 miles every Mon-Thurs and Saturday without missing. I had to keep that streak going because that's part of what gets me out the door each day. So I went to the treadmill tonight and ran for 30 minutes. It didn't feel good, but I'm glad I did it. Tomorrow I will rest up.

I'm logging and entry today because my weight dropped by 1.5 pounds from my previous low a couple days ago. I'm below 175 for the first time in awhile. The big drop is most surely from being ill. So maybe if I get ill another ten times, I'll get down to my high school weight. ;)

I ran 14 miles at an average of 8:05 pace. Went down 1300 East for 7 miles and then turned around. The bad was that it was windy and there were too many cars. The good was that I felt light on my feet and was able to hold the pace pretty steady. The last 5 miles were a struggle, but it was nice to get a good solid long run in.

Despite being sick this week and shortening two of my runs, I was happy to get to 40 miles again this week. And I lost weight, though that may be temporary. We'll see.

Ran the out-and-back to Le Cai (or however you spell it). This is an "easy hill" workout. At the end, I actually felt good rather than dead. Average pace: 7:54.

Just ran with Dustin on the track in the rain. We did 5x1000m with 200m rest. My times were:

3:54

3:55

3:54

4:01

3:54

So these are equivalent to about 6:15 mile pace. I felt good and that I didn't have to struggle too much to hit this pace, but it did challenge me, so it was perfect.

It was really great to have a buddy to run with.

Ran easy miles out and back to 700 E 6000 S. The first half was with Dustin. The pace was 8:00 exactly. Was going to throw in some sprints but forgot to. Oh well.

Ran on the treadmill tonight. It was 1 mile warmup at 8:30 pace, 8 miles of level 6 random hill climb at 7:30 pace, and 1 mile cooldown at 8:30 pace. This might have been the most challenging run of the year for me. At least one of the top 5. I can't equate 7:30 pace on the treadmill to running that on the road, but it was pretty fast for me.

I feel wasted. Maybe I pushed myself too hard on this one. Hopefully it doesn't take too long to recover, but at least I get a day off tomorrow.

Wow, this is the lightest I've been all year. Maybe someday I will get below 170. That would be awesome.

I went on a campout with the youth group from my church ward. After getting back, I spent time with my wife and daughter and then ran a "midnight chaser"...see how much running I could fit in before midnight came. I was hoping to get 16 miles. Not sure why 16...that just popped into my head because last week I did 14.

It was dark and a Saturday night, so I ran on the treadmill to avoid having to deal with traffic. I reached my goal of 16 miles, watching the news and the NCAA T&F championships. It was awesome to see BYU's Kyle Perry take the steeplechase crown.

Average pace was about 8:00/mile with 2 stops for drinks and a 1% incline for most of it. It was 2:07 of running.

This was my longest run of the year and my highest weekly mileage probably in 14 years. I'm starting to feel more like a runner.

Congrats to those who ran so well in the UV Marathon and UT Summer Games!

3.5 miles on elliptical machine. Easy-medium effort.

3.5 miles on treadmill. 8:15 pace. Nice and easy.

Was feeling worn down today so took it easy.

Ran a semi-tempo run. I didn't put a full effort in because my upper quad was feeling pretty sore and was still feeling worn down. Plus my Garmin battery died. I kept a decent pace for much of it but didn't kill myself.

Either my scale isn't correct, or I am shedding pounds lately. This morning was the lightest I've been this year by two pounds. Maybe part of it is that I ran last night and didn't eat much after. But it's still exciting to see this drop. I can't wait to get below 170.

My run today started out great for the first two miles. But then my body told me it didn't want to run fast. I did 6 strides throughout, and that helped jumpstart me a little, but it was a struggle the entire time. Average pace was 8:32, partially because at the end my pace was 10-11:00.

Got some good miles in, and tomorrow is another day. 

Hill run on the treadmill. (Not random hills.) First half was at 8:00 pace. Second half increased it slowly to 7:30 pace. Level 6. Wasn't as hard core as last time but still a good run.

Enjoying a day to rest up for tomorrow's interval workout. Weight is pretty good.

9x800m at 3:00 each

Treadmill

Legs were hurting through much of it, but cardio felt better than usual. Decided not to do 10th repeat due to leg soreness.

50 miles this week. Second in a row with 50+. 

I flew to Portland today for a conference that starts tomorrow. This time I gave myself plenty of extra time and flew in in the afternoon. After arriving at my hotel room, I relaxed for a bit and then put on my running shoes and went to explore Washington Park, which is on the west (?) side of Portland. It's an area that has a rose garden, zoo, homes, and lots of forest area. The route I took was along the main road. It was a gradual uphill for almost the entire way out. I ended up where I thought was the top of the hill and turned around and came back. The run was incredibly beautiful, and the weather was perfect. I told my wife that we have to move to Portland now. :)

Average pace was maybe 8:30.

Best Monday run of the year (it's always good to think of something a run was the best of). 

Ran along the Wilamette River in Portland with my friend Ryan. It was a beautiful run. We threw in a couple faster miles at 6:47 and 6:30. That was really encouraging because there will some ups and downs and because my legs are sore. But this may have also been faster due to less elevation. Regardless, I'm happy with the run and absolutely love running when I travel.

Have been really sore, so when I got home from my trip tonight, I ran 5 on the treadmill. The average pace was about 8:40. Nice and easy. This might be the start of a taper until my race on July 4, so I can try to get over this soreness.

Was feeling really sore during the day, so I decided ahead of time to run easy again. I did 5 miles easy on the treadmill. I felt much better than yesterday while running. I've noticed lately that Wednesdays tend to be bad running days for me. It must have something to do with my routine of running hard on Saturday, getting good mileage on Monday, and then doing tempo runs on Tuesday. So I might change my running plan for the marathon to run easier on Wednesdays and harder on Thursdays.

Average pace was 8:15. 

Day off. Hip flexor feeling much less sore...

Ran 10 miles nice and comfortable. The first mile I was feeling stiff, and my hip flexor was bothering me a little. But by the third mile it was feeling just fine. I bumped up the pace and threw in 6x400m strides at 6:15-6:30 pace, and they felt very comfortable, if not easy. That was encouraging. Then I ran about 1.5 miles at 7:00 pace, and that was also comfortable. Average 7:30 pace over the 10 miles (on treadmill). I feel encouraged that I will be ready for a great race next Saturday. Hopefully the soreness will continue to go away.

I also had a chance to watch Josh McAdams, BYU alum, win the US title in the 3000m steeplechase. Pretty sweet!

Because I did two easy days to rest up, my mileage was lower (41) this week. But it was a good time to drop off the mileage, because I really want to run well next Saturday.

6 miles on the treadmill. Threw in 4 reps of 1/3 mile at 6:15-6:20 pace to get my legs going. I was more sore today than on Saturday. Maybe I have a "thigh contusion" as they call it in the football world. Which basically means some sort of thigh injury that can't be explained more specifically. I'm hoping this soreness is the type that means it's getting close to feeling better.

Came up with a game plan for my race on Saturday as far as minutes per mile. It will be really interesting to see what my body will let me do at this point in my training. 

Ran 4 miles on the treadmill. Threw in 3x500m at 6:20 pace. Felt good other than right thigh is still sore. Didn't want to run but did it anyway. :)