Every Run is a Great Run!

Well I was hoping to do a long progression run today outside on at least somewhat dry roads, but Mother Nature as typical of this winter didn't want to cooperate so I had to settle for the treadmill. Plan was to start out nice and easy and increase tempo every couple of miles so the workout ends with miles 10-12 around 1/2 marathon pace. I was able to pretty much follow the spirit of the workout but I never feel like it quite counts as much on the treadmill vs. the roads. On the other hand the treadmill is so boring and takes more mental fortitude so perhaps it balances out in the end.

Did miles 0-2 @ 9:00 min pace, miles 2-4 @ 8:30, 4-6 @ 8:00, 6-8 @ 7:30, 8-10 @ 7:00, then finished with mile 11 @ 6:31, and mile 12 varied starting at 6:25 then speeding up every .25 finishing @ 6:00 pace. I'm very glad to have this run out of the way and hope to never have to do it on the treadmill again.

On a positive note my legs felt better today than they have since the race and I felt very loose and relaxed after the run. My hamstrings were not an issue and I was able to get a real good stretch in afterward. So anyway I'm feeling a little less apprehensive about the 10K next week, after the lousy attempt at a tempo run earlier I was bumming out but perhaps the legs will be ready to make a decent go of it for the race.

Late AM run with Kim for 7 miles then a few more miles on my own. Since we had B-Ball games and such early we decided to sleep in a bit and get the run in later in the morning. We saw JohnA and ran with him for a bit.

Kim and I had planned on going out early this morning but Tia was throwing up so I got in some miles solo. Weather wasn't too bad but roads were a slippery, sloppy mess in many places. Today is probably the high miles day for the week so hoping to get in another workout later at the gym and then also after work with Kim unless she goes earlier in the day. Miles all between 8 and 8:30 pace.

Late AM - Treadmill + Circuit/Weights.

PM - Got 6 miles in with Kim just after work. It took us a bit to get going on this run but ended up being a very pleasant, enjoyable run and nice way to end the day. I don't think I've done a 3-a-day since last June around WBR time. Nice to have a big chunk of the weekly mileage out of the way. I wanted to get my high mileage day out of the way early this week so I can a mini-taper toward the end of the week leading up to the 10K on Saturday. 

Easy run just before noon over to 7 Peaks via the hilly route. Caught a few glimpses of the sun so that was nice for a change. Legs a little tired from the 17 mile triple-whammy runs yesterday but not too bad. Kept the pace conservative just to be on the safe side. Average pace: 8:40.

Not the greatest run for me today. Where did that Painters race day "magic" go? Wanted to do a couple miles at what I think my 10K pace should be (around 6:15) but for some reason this week and last week I just don't seem to have much gas in the tank lately. Part of the problem today was that I should have waited another hour and the roads would have been clear but as it was I was having to deal with slick spots during my 2 fast miles and I was getting real frustrated and could not seem to get in any kind of good rhythm. It was all I could do to finish the measly 2 miles and even then I ended up wimping out big on the 2nd mile. Splits were 6:14 and 6:24.

This was not exactly the confidence builder I was looking for heading in the 10K race Saturday. Hopefully with a mini-taper from now until then I can avoid a crash-and-burn dud race.  I'm wanting to give Terry at least a bit of a scare but that might have to wait for the marathon. 

Early morning run mostly with Kim. Temps not too bad but a little wind to deal with. At least the roads were clear. Legs feeling pretty good.

Decided  to mini-taper for the 10K tomorrow so just a couple of easy miles this morning with Kim. Of course we were "slip, sliding away..." just like so many of us have been doing all winter. But even so it was a pretty morning and it sounds like we get blessed with a few days of sunshine. Yahoo!

As far as goals for the race tomorrow.... primarily I want to go out a bit aggressive and just see if I can hold on until the end without a big crash-and-burn. The way my fast runs have been going lately I realize I could be up for a big "dud" race but I figure I won't have any regrets if I just got out and give it my all, whatever my "all" happens to be tomorrow.

For goals I'm thinking Gold: sub-39, Silver: sub-39:30, Bronze: sub-40.

Looking forward to seeing all the other bloggers there. Good luck everyone.

Good day today! Happy Birthday today Elder Camron Lee, 20 years young! Can't believe I have a 20 year old kid!

Got up in the morning a few hours before the race and got a couple of warmup miles with Kim. Then headed up to Saltair Pavillion for the 10am race. Wasn't sure what to expect after some less then stellar training runs as of late. But was pleasantly surprised to feel good and run well and exceed my "Gold" goal of sub-39 by over 20 seconds! Also a 10K PR by over a minute and a 5K PR for the last 1/2 of the race.

It was great to meet and talk to all the bloggers. Great bunch of runners and people. I'd list all the names but I fear I might leave someone out, there were quite a large contigent of FRB folks today and it looks to me like everyone did great. Nice honest course, pretty much flat with a bit of headwind the first 5K.

This was my first time ever even having a thought of being able to stay with my long-time buddy from HS days, Terry Bean (oldbean on the blog), also my long-time running mentor. Well today the Master Terry showed the student/grasshopper Tom that he still has a little zip still left as he smoked me by almost a minute, shattering my dream of being the overall Masters champion but on the other hand allowing me to bump up a spot and get 1st in the 40-44 division. Actually I can't think of a greater guy I'd rather have keep me out of 1st place.

Here are my splits and commentary:

Mile 1 - 6:14 feeling good, running in a pack at this point, wind not a problem. Stayed with Terry for this mile.

Mile 2 - 6:15 still feeling good, although less of a pack now so wind starting to be a little bit of and issue, I think Terry started speeding up a bit more than I on this mile but still within striking distance.

Mile 3 - 6:17 nobody to draft off of for this mile, headwind is most noticeable and I can't quite hold the 6:15 goal pace.

Mile 4 - 6:11 slight tailwind now so decide to try 6:10 pace and see what it feels like. Terry takes off like a wildman running sub-6 and I am too afraid of crash-and-burn to try to stay with him. This is the last mile that felt somewhat "comfortable"

Mile 5 - 6:12 getting tough now but I'm able to pass a couple of runners. Unfortunately I get "chicked" by 2 very speedy chicas (I think one of them was just a pacer and not running the race). I try to stick with them for a while but can't hold on, I think they are doing 6 min pace.

Mile 6 - 6:12 this mile was not very fun, feeling some pain now but I guess that's how it is supposed to be. I have a bit of a duel with another obviously Masters age runner, passing each other a few times until I can tell he is struggling pretty good with about a 1/2 mile to go. At this point I know I'm going to go sub-39 and this gives me a boost to speed up and leave my buddy in the dust.

.2 - 1:15 I usually have no kick so very happy to be able to run 5:44 pace to finish strong. It also helped to see Kim up ahead cheering me on and armed with camera to catch the finish! Thanks Kim! We'll post all the pictures later if we can figure out how to do it.

Good job FRB bloggers! Thanks for all the inspiration, training tips, encouragement and friendship over the last year. Thanks most to Kim for not only allowing me to indulge my running addiction but in also turning into a great runner in her own right. I look forward to cheering her in a few weeks at the Run 4 Red 5K!

Attempting to post pictures below..... Thanks Kim for being the FRB photographer today! Sorry to those that got missed, things got a bit crazy at the finish at times and we missed a few of our awesome FRB runners coming in.

Early AM: Did a couple of solo miles around 8 min pace then 6 more with Kim probably around 10 min average. One of the nicer mornings we've had for a while. Upper 20's, clear roads, only a bit of wind. Not quite Spring but at least a hint of better weather days to come. Nice way to start a Monday.

Late AM: Had to get my 2nd workout in a little earlier than usual due to meetings just after noon. Two miles on treadmill (8:00 pace), then did my circuit/weights workout, then finished with 1 more treadmill mile (8:00).

Legs feeling surprisingly good today after the race. Kim was kind enough to do some massage work on the hamstrings/calves/feet yesterday and I think it helped alot. Thanks Kim!

Noon run at work. Did the hill route out to 7 Peaks and back with a little diversion up to the mental hospital to get the 10 miles. I was hoping for a little nicer weather with some sunshine but Mother Nature wasn't so accomodating. Wanting to do 4-5 mile tempo run tomorrow but it looks like weather gets bad again so I probably should have done the tempo today. Thinking my legs would appreciate another easy day today but they actually had pretty good zip.

Ave pace: 8:20

Late AM run: Weather was great. Tempo run was lousy. I went out earlier than normal to take advantage of the nice sunny conditions. Warmed up for 2.5 miles then wanted to do 4-5 miles at 10K - 1/2 marathon pace (6:10-6:30). However I think it was a little too close to breakfast for a tempo run as I got some major nausea and upset stomach after 3 miles and I pretty much bagged the workout at that point. Splits were 6:19, 6:26, 6:29.  I think next week I need to start out slower the first mile or 2 (say around 6:25-6:30 pace) and try to find the right pace so I can go the full 4-5 miles without dying 1/2 way through.

Actually the next couple of weeks could be interesting for the faster workouts since Kim and I and our son Tyler are all donating blood tomorrow night (how's that for a Valentine evening activity !?). Last time I donated I felt pretty drained for a few weeks during hard runs. But I figure now is as good as time as any to donate, no reason to completely give up doing good things just for the sake of running.

So much for the couple of sorta nice days we had. Woke up early with plans to run a couple miles solo then go 5-6 more with Kim. The night before the weatherman had assured us that this was a mostly wind with not so much snow kind of storm. Found a foot of fresh powder to greet me. Roads not plowed. Had a brief moment of stubborness and/or stupidity and thought perhaps I could run in some tire tracks and be OK. No dice as I was doing the major slip, sliding thing that seems like an injury just waiting to happen. Finally gave up after 1/4 mile and went back home to tell Kim it wasn't going to work so good. So instead we shovelled snow like lunatics for the hour and probably messed up our backs come tomorrow morning when we try for the next run.

Later at work I did some particularly boring treadmill and cross-train (circuit/weights) stuff.

OK too much negative tone.....need to remember that life is GOOD, every run is a GREAT run, we need the moisture (do we actually still need much more?), and wonderful springtime weather is just around the corner getting closer every second.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Had a very enjoyable noon-time 8 mile run-in-the-sun with Kim at work. We went on a modified LakeView route and really were liking the warmth and therapeutic aspects of the sun's rays even though the temps were still a bit on the nippy side. Yahoo weathers says only 16 degrees at noon but I think it had to have been warmer than that. Kim was running very well today, easily holding the average pace of 10 min/mi throughout the run while still being completely conversational as far as I could tell. She also had enough zip to take off the last 1/4 mile and run it under 8 min pace. She is certainly more of a 'kicker' than I am.

Earlier in the week I had mentioned Kim and I and my son Tyler were donating blood last night. Well we ended up batting only 1 for 3 as Kim and I were both rejected. Me because of my India trip last year and Kim because she was slightly anemic. Oh well, maybe next time. Now I won't have an excuse for any lousy tempo runs that might occur in the next couple weeks.

Frosty morning run with the SF group. Weather.com says it was single digits but neither Kim or I thought it felt quite that cold. I guess maybe we're just used to it. Finally got to see the elk herd that Clay talks about for the first time this winter. One of these days maybe there will even be a Clay sighting. Actually I passed a couple of runners that I wasn't sure who it was. Thought it might be Clay and Curtis but from Clay's blog today sounds like it was someone else.

Did a progression run where I speed up every couple miles and finish somewhere close to 1/2 marathon pace. With the very cold temps I thought I might have to tone down the pace a bit and this turned out to be true. One nice thing about this type of workout is it gives me a chance to talk to runners of a variety of speed levels but still end up with a nice overall average pace with some down right tough miles at the end to hopefully help teach a bit of mental toughness for the end of races.

Splits as follows: 10:41, 9:45, 8:50, 8:54, 8:28, 8:27, 7:59, 7:59, 7:31, 7:33, 7:07, 7:00, 6:40, 6:37.

Finished off with a 1.5 mile easy run back home from the storehouse. 

Another frosty morning run. Went a little over 10K with Kim. Ave pace around 10:00. Afterward went about 4 more solo. Ave pace 8:20. 

Day off today so heading off shortly to Canyons so boys can can snowboard then Kim and I and the girls are heading to Midway Homestead resort for a swim in "The Crater" hot springs. I was feeling a little dead-legged today so perhaps a dip in the Crater will be just what we need. 

AM - Semi-eventful morning run this morning. Temps still chilly, huge moon, a bit on the breezy side at times. I went 2 miles solo then went to meet Kim for 6 more miles. She had gotten a little further along than I was expecting so she surprised me a bit when I saw her and realized it was her in the dark. She hollered to me and as I turned to her I hit a patch of black ice and went down pretty hard on my right hip! Kim says I did it very gracefully however. I thought I was going to be hurting but I felt pretty good throughout the run and also as I'm writing this. We'll see how tomorrow feels.

Actually ended up being a pretty nice run. With the haze it made the morning moonset both eerie yet spectacular as we watched the blood-red moon set behind the West mountains.

Late AM - Did a few treadmill miles plus my typical circuit/weights cross-train routine. Don't seem to be any worse for the wear from my biffing it this morning.

Tempo run day. Ran on Kuhni road just before Noon. Did 3 mile warmup with some striders, then 5 miles tempo, then 2 miles cooldown. I sure can't seem to pull off a really good tempo run since before the Painters 1/2 (unless I count the SLCTC 10K race). At least I didn't do what I've done the last couple weeks and bag the workout early. I vowed to run whatever pace I had to so I could at least finish the full 5 miles. Was hoping to average around 6:30 but my legs didn't want to go that fast today and I had to be content averaging 6:40. Also got a bit of upset stomach toward the end. I need to figure out for these noon tempos what exactly is the best thing to eat for breakfast so I can focus on the "run" without worrying about the "runs".

I suppose if I'm looking for excuses I could say that my right hip and shoulder are a bit sore from my spill yesterday. Also I was a bit underdressed today and couldn't seem to get as warm as I would have liked to have been. And even though I ran an out-and-back route I SWEAR I had a headwind the entire way (it was probably slightly uphill the whole way too! :)) Oh well I've been through these little mini-slumps many times before and usually things turn around after a bit of patience. Every run is a GREAT run!

Splits today were 6:35, 6:41, 6:37, 6:43, 6:39.

AM: Went 2 miles solo then met up with Kim with plans to go 6 more. Unfortunately Kim was fighting an infection and that in combination with some meds on an empty stomach made for a not so good run for Kim and she had to end the run early. I felt bad for her I hope things go OK for her at work today and perhaps if she's wanting to get some more miles it will work in the afternoon.

Kind of a peaceful morning with the snow falling lightly. Temperatures warmer than they've been for a while for the AM hours. Legs feeling kind of dead after the tempo run yesterday. I'll plan on taking it real easy today and tomorrow so hopefully the legs will be ready to go Saturday. Planning another progression run like last week but this time going 16 miles rather than 14.  Planning 2-3 more miles later today, perhaps of the crosstrain variety.

Late AM: Treadmill + Circuit/Weights = 3 more miles.

Went out with Paul just before noon and ran a loop out towards Seven Peaks via the hilly roads and then back along State street and nearby sideroads. It was a bit rainy/slushy when we started but ended up not being too wet for most of the run. A lot better than the treadmill in my book. We kept the pace pretty nice and easy and had a good chat. It was nice to have some company, I haven't run with any of "the guys" for a while. Ave pace 8:49.

Foggy, misty morning run. Temps were relatively mild (mid 30s) and the wind/rain behaved so not too bad of conditions for a February morning run. Got in a few miles with Kim (sorry Kim that you didn't have such a great run today) then finished off the progression run solo. Didn't see any elk today but did finally see that rare and mysterious creature/runner from Salem and the blog known as Clay! It was nice to finally actually meet you Clay and shake your hand! 

The progression run was hard at the end like it's supposed to be but I was pleased I was able to hold the 6:30 pace or better for the final 2 miles. Much better than last week, mainly due to the warmer temperatures I think.

Splits for first 16 miles were as follows: 10:20, 10:05,  10:29, 8:28, 9:00, 8:36, 8:04, 8:13, 7:57, 7:53, 7:28, 7:30, 7:05, 6:56, 6:32, 6:26.

Nice early morning run in light snow. Temps not bad, no wind, didn't step in any major puddles, all in all a nice run to start the week. Went about 2.5 solo and the rest with the lovely, charming Kimberly. Legs feeling really good today, best they've felt I think since before Painters. No hamstring tendon-butt-itis issues so maybe Brent's ball exercises I've been doing are starting to kick in. Hoping this is a sign of good things to come.

Noon run on that lush, tropical, Hawaii-like road known as Kuhni Road. Temps pretty mild, the sun was trying desperately to break through the clouds but was unsuccessful. Had to go solo since Paul ran this morning and Nate and Will were being treadmill wimps.

Ave pace: 8:30

Today I have to also sing the praises of my high school alma mater Manti High School boys basketball team, who played the underdog role and was successful in defeating Parowan for the state 2A championship. Go TEMPLARS! 

FINALLY got a slight inkling of beatiful spring days to come as the sun worked it's magic and managed to stay out of the clouds for the duration of the run. It was great that Kim was able to join me for warmup/cooldown miles and be there to support me while I did some tempo miles. At last I can say I FINALLY had a half decent tempo run after weeks of lousy ones. I was hoping this would be the case after I was feeling yesterday like my legs were back after a couple weeks of being a bit dead. Wanted 6 miles in the 1/2 marathon pace which I decided would be anything in the 6:15-6:40 range. Ended up at 38:38 for the 6 miles, ave pace 6:26.

Splits were 6:35, 6:25, 6:18, 6:25, 6:27, 6:24.

Afterward did some stretches and circuit/weights workout.

Oh yeah...also wanted to mention so I don't forget....Since today was tempo run day and I've had various upset stomach and nausea troubles in the past, I tried eating things for breakfast more typical of pre-race routine (i.e. bananas, bread/jam, yogurt, etc). I usually eat alot of whole grain, fibery stuff like oatmeal, bran, shredded wheat, etc which is all well and good but doesn't seem to sit too well for the hard workouts.

AM: Nice easy recovery run in the early morning hours with Kim-barley. 4.5 miles. At first the wind looked like it would going to cause grief but it ended up cowering in fear before us and was a non-issue.

Noon: Went 6 miles with Paul and Nate out toward EagleView but decided to go straight toward 7 peaks instead of up the nasty hill. Beautiful day and great to have some company. Luckily for me after the hard tempo yesterday we kept the pace nice and easy around 8:20 ave I think. Actually I'm surprised how well the legs are feeling today despite running hard yesterday. Night and day compared to the last couple of weeks. I think the warmer temps help a lot.

AM: Got in 5 miles with Kim. Thanks Kim for dragging me out this morning, when the alarm went off I was more than ready to go right back to bed. Actually ended up being a nice run. Temps not too cold and no wind. Kind of turned into a bit of a progression run for Kim as we sped up most every mile finishing the last mile somewhere approaching Kim's 5K pace at 8:44.  There was a bit of a stop in the middle for reasons I won't go into. I'll let Kim comment further on her blog if she feels so inclined. I'll just say we were thankful for churches that are open at 6:15am!

Noon: Went with Will and Russ on the Lakeview route. Russ turned around at 2.5 miles but Will and I went the 6 mile route. Another absolutely beautiful pre-spring sunny day. Ave pace: 8:20.

Early morning solo meditative/reflective run. Just me and the crescent moon and stars. Two warmup miles, 8 miles in the marathon pace range (6:40-7:00, ave 6:50), then 2 cooldown miles.

Today I pay tribute to one of my all-time heroes and role models, my father Glen Lee. After a gradual decline in health the last few years, and after 15 often lonely years since my Mother passed away while they were serving a mission in England, my Dad passed away peacefully yesterday morning, apparently while saying his morning prayers. He would have turned 80 in a couple of months. This was not so unexpected considering his declining health, especially over the last year. Of course we will miss him but he is certainly now in a place that is far happier for him as he is reunited with the love of his life. My Dad was a simple man who loved people and in turn was loved by everyone in the small town of Ephraim and surrounding communities. For years he owned and operated "Lee's Variety Store", a small five-and-dime store of the type that don't exist anymore in the Walmart era. He was "Mr. Lee - the Candy Man" and he brightened the day of thousands of children who came in to the store for years after school to check out the selection of penny candy. Not only did he provide great service, but was often known to also surprise his customers with one of his signature goofy songs, such as "Old Man River" or "Clementine", but typically with the words changed around to include the name of the possibly bewildered customer who was lucky enough to get treated with the serenade to go along with the candy. We'll miss my Dad but hopefully beyond that we'll try to model our life after his and leave a legacy of joy and love to all those we meet!