Every Run is a Great Run!

The SF runners had planned to meet at 8am for a New Year Run. Was up just after 7, took a look outside and saw breeziness. Weather.com said 0 degrees with -10 wind chill. Promptly went back to bed and Kim and I decided to try our luck later in the day. Went for a drive around 10am to see what roads were runnable. Not very many it turns out. Only a handful of roads not completely snow/ice covered and those that were clear had plenty of traffic. Trying to see the glass as half-full we made a game plan to get it done.

Finally got running just before noon. Not the funnest to try and stay dry, keep from sliding, and getting hit by brain-dead drivers, but we were able to get a good long run in and get some sunshine as well. We had the best luck down in Benjamin where the roads were the driest and traffic wasn't too bad. We also found a church open there (thank goodness for church basketball!) so we could get a drink and visit a bathroom. I was able to get in a few faster MP miles in the middle miles 6, 7, 9 with paces of 7:15, 7:04, and 7:24. Good to finally be done for the day.

8:36/143

AM: Ran with Kim early in balmy mid-teen temps with a touch of breeze. Still hard to find roads with good footing but we managed ok. Ran with Kay and Carolyn for a little bit. All in all a pleasant winter morning run. Hoping to keep those dang January blues and blahs away this year!

9:35/139

Noon: Ran 4 more at work. Lots of newbies at the gym as usual every January. They looked at me funny as I headed outside in my gear which did not include longs. Hey after the last few days mid-20's and sunshine feels like shorts weather to me! I wish the newbies luck with their resolutions but if past years are typical they'll all disappear by the end of the month and it will just be us old-time regulars.  Just as hard in Provo to find good roads as in SF. Not the greatest on Kuhni road, I'll try a different route tomorrow.

8:08/148

Early AM: Six miles with Kim, we both worked on trying to sweat off some braindead teenager frustrations. But kinda hard to work up a good sweat when it's so dang cold!

9:08/143

Late AM: Three more miles at work. I was unsuccessful at finding any decent roads to run on that didn't involve driving or dealing with snow/ice to get to a clear road. So I was content to just run around the parking lot a few times. The slip-sliding running seems to get some of my "itis's" fired up, especially in the lower ab and groin area. But on the bright side I was bewildered but pleasantly surprised when I weighed myself at the gym and found myself at my lowest weight since last May or so.

8:02

Working from home today so waited until around 11am for the run. Probably around 20 degrees at the start, wish it was warmer but we're getting used to it. Actually felt pretty good when the sun would poke thru the clouds.

Warmup mile with Kim then ran her speed workout (7 x  1/4 mile with 1/4 mile rests) then did a few hills solo. I was thinking around 1:45 (7 min pace) for Kim's quarters but she had good mojo today and did them all around 1:40 (6:40 pace) +/- a couple seconds either side. Very nice workout for her with just over 2 weeks until Painters 5K.This Saturday coach Tom will get to see how she does on 5K time trial #2.

8:30/150

AM: 5 miles easy on a lovely 9 degree morning. Rest day for Kim so all by my lonesome.

8:51/147

Noon: 3 more miles around work campus as well as 10 min XT.

8:05

Another fun BURRRRRRRRR run in the early morning with Kimilou. It might have gotten up to 10 degrees if we were lucky. At least the smog isn't as bad in SF as it is north of us. Sure is hard to get to the legs to want to move when it's so dang cold outside.

9:25/136

Went out around 7am and ran about 8 miles mostly solo but maybe a couple miles with a variety of SF runners. Then I met up with Kim to get 8 or so more including her 2nd time trial 5K in preparation for Painters 5K in 2 weeks. Two weeks ago Kim ran this same route in PR time of 23:21. I wasn't sure if that would be doable today since temps were quite a bit colder than last time. But Kim had it going again and was able to best her previous best by 12 seconds and finish with another PR of 23:09. Sweet! Sub-23 is looking more doable all the time for Painters. Looks like a pretty fast course, although pretty hilly so not sure how hilly-with-net-downhill will compare to the nearly flat loop course of previous years. But I am sure that it will be fun to see what happens!

Early AM: Ran 6 with Kim in our awesome 10 degree weather that has become typical for this Jan 2011.

Late AM: No good roads near work so had to make do with 3 more miles on the dreadmill. I actually didn't hate it as much as usual and it was nice to not have to wear so much gear. But I'm glad I was only doing 3.

Stinking cold day!!! This morning it was 0 degrees with wind chill making it feel 10-20 below! That is stinky!! Luckily it was my work from home day and had the option of going later. So Kim and I did just that and didn't get out the door until around noon. I ran with Kim for about 5 miles and did her drop-down speed workout (1 mile, .75, .50. 25, .25 rests - she did good!). Then I did 6 more miles with a bunch of hills. Felt pretty good today after getting warmed up. It was still only 11 degrees when we went at noon. It may have warmed up to 13 or 14 by the time I was done. Downright balmy.

8:15

AM: 6 miles with Kim on a quiet, crisp morning. Temps around 16-18, possibly the warmest morning of the year yet. Tomorrow morning it appears we may even see the 20's. Don't-care pace today, just under 9:30 I think.

Noon: 3 more at work. Temps around 26 or so with occasional sun. Felt kinda warm actually! I celebrated by wearing shorts and mocking all the people in the gym as I went out the door.

7:57

AM: 7 miles solo. Thought it might get to the 20's this morning but it was not to be. But 17 degrees was ok. 8:28/154

Noon: 3 miles at work. 7:58 pace. These short 2nd runs later in the day are relaxing to me. Although today after the 1st mile I had the annoying chorus from this Les Mis song going through my head over and over. Posting the youtube here in the hope I can exorcise this song that invaded my exercise.

Well Mother Nature finally gave us a morning with temps in the high 20's or maybe even 30. Of course there was a catch - along with the warmer temps we got rainy/sleety/slushy conditions that made for not the best roads to run on. Thankfully neither Kim or I was in any big hurry and were able to take it easy and avoid any slips or falls. Ended up running 5 miles.

9:35/134

Later at the gym did 25 min XT split between stair-stepper, elliptical and bike.

Long run on a foggy morning, temps in the low 20's. Ran 8 with Kim, then 3 with Chad, Kay, Hal, and Doc L, then the rest solo. Misjudged the length of the last loop and ended up little longer than I had planned on. But no problem as pace was on the pretty easy side and I still felt pretty good by the end. Looking forward to St George next week and forecasted temps in the 50's and sunny.

8:45/147

Slept in a bit today then ran 3 solo before meeting up with Kim for 5 more. Warm today - high 30's - and overcast. Nice to be able to wear shorts! Pretty nice for January although we did get rained on for a few minutes. This week is a RRR week for me (Rest/Recovery/Reduced-miles) to give my body/legs a break before officially beginning the 20-week marathon training cycle leading up to UVM.

I've been fortunate to have built a real nice winter running base and I'm feeling healthy. Nice to already have the base and have the body used to 60 mile weeks before starting the marathon training, as I should be able to start adding in the speed without also having to worry about adding mileage. Hopefully all will go well between now and June.

8:45/141

6 AM: Ran a little over 4 miles with Kim on a peaceful morning. Temps in the high 20's.

9:12/131

11 AM: Ran 3 more at work, my short relaxing run. Temps in the 30's with a little sunshine, felt good. I was very pleased to see my HR stay mostly in the 140's while running pace was in the 7's. This doesn't happen very often for me and I hope it's a sign of good things to come.

7:47/146

Working at home today so did hill workout around 11am. After warmup run with Kim I did the hill stuff solo. Pretty warm again in the mid-to-upper 30's but about 1/2 way thru the workout the wind kicked up and made things not as fun. Looking forward to heading down to St George on Friday. Forecast for the Saturday race is looking dandy.

8:11/160

AM: Nice & easy 3-miler with Kim then 1 more solo mile.

9:11

Noon: 3 more miles at work in the sun plus 10 min XT.

7:42/154

Nice little 10-miler solo in the early morning. This will be my long run for the week. Felt good. Ran the Krishna temple loop with a humungous moon to light the way. Moon was nice for the run, but made my sleep not so good since it made the room so bright. Now off to STG for some sunshine and warmer temps. Kim is going to rock her 5K! Good luck to everyone racing!

8:23/156

Ran with Kim a bit warming up for her soon-to-be record-crushing-PR-5K. She cruised to a massive PR 5K of 22:22!! Sweet!! Just goes to show that work will work when wishy washy wishing won't!

I tweaked my back a bit yesterday so I'm taking it easy today. Beautiful weather and January temps (50-60) in St. George. Wish we didn't have to go back today.

Not a very happy camper today. Whatever I did to my back/hip Friday appears to be alot worse than I thought. I don't even think it had anything to do with running, just a fluke thing by carrying some stuff in just the wrong way. My last "normal" run on Friday was an awesome 10-miler in the morning where I felt really great after having had a bit of a rest week throughout last week.

Closest thing in the past to compare to this was when I was late in my training cycle trying to run a BQ years ago and I tweaked the back/hip on a canyon downhill run. At that time I was way stressed because I could barely walk the next day and I was supposed to run 20 a couple days later. I ended up not doing anything on Thu/Fri then I went ahead and ran the 20 on Saturday. It was very tight at first but then loosened up and I ended up having a great run and the next week everything was back to normal.

Not sure if it's going to work out that way this time. Saturday I didn't feel too bad and I ran an easy 3.5 miles. But it got more painful as the day went on, even with taking a few Ibuprofen. Rested yesterday and it felt better. Felt ok this morning when I went out with Kim to test running but it was obvious after about 1/2 mile it just wasn't going to work and now I'm hurting pretty bad today.

Walked over to the gym just to see if any flavor of XT would work but no dice. Was hurting pretty bad just from the walk from my office to the gym. Tried bike, elliptical, and stair-stepper but no go. Just seems like most anything aggravates except sitting and laying. Meds don't seem to do much at all.

So I guess I just won't do anything at all other than all the R-I-C-E crap until I can walk around and feel perfectly normal for a few days with no trace of pain in the back/hip problem area.

This one really ticks me off. In times past when I've had nasty injuries it's because I "earned" them by ignoring the early signs. But this time around I've been trying to do everything just right and being very conservative (at least on pace, not necessarily mileage). I've felt really good most all the time and have been a good boy with taking reduced-mile/rest weeks even if I didn't feel like I needed them.

Oh well sometimes I guess no matter what you do things still go south. Sorry for all the whining today. I do realize in the overall scheme this isn't that big a deal. It's just really frustrating that right when I thought I had done everything perfect to set me up for a great marathon training cycle and then right when I FINALLY after months of patience am ready to being the actual marathon training and right off the bat I likely get a goose-egg on miles for week 1 of the 20 week program (OK so maybe .65 miles not 0).

At least I guess I get to have an extra long nap today after lunch. Let the detraining and weight gain begin.  Sorry but today the glass is half empty.

Guess one of the "joys" of being a morning runner is that even on days you don't run you still wake up nice and early.

I figure since I'm up I might as well post an injury update and write down a few words of wisdom/advice to myself (and whoever else might benefit) for future reference. And sorry about all the moaning/whining Monday, I was maybe a bit over-dramatic.

A few things to add to my list of things NOT to do, especially at 46+ yrs old:

1)  DON'T run a brisk (for me) early morning 10-mile run, then shortly after sit in a van for 3-4 hours straight, then in your eagerness to check out the newly  installed flatscreen in the master bedroom in the condo, rush carrying 2 or 3 bags/luggage AND a cooler all at once up a flight of stairs.

2)  If you wake up the next morning with a new weird pain that you aren't accustomed to, DON'T KEEP RUNNING if the pain is still there in any form after a few minutes or even  a few seconds if the pain is intense.

3)  If walking aggravates the pain then try not to walk much, and certainly DON'T try running in hopes the pain will magically disappear. Wait until you can walk with NO pain for a couple days or so, then try running but only in accordance with rule 2).

4) DON'T worry be happy.

Feeling some improvement this morning, but still feel pain when walking so for now no thoughts of running, probably not until next week.

Injury update:  Progress seems a kinda slow slow slow to me but I suppose I'm not a very patient guy. Back/hip does feel a little better each day but not by a whole lot. I'm not sure if I'll be ready to try any running on Monday like I had hoped. Need to be able to walk around more pain free than at present. Been taking a dose of Prednizone this week to attack the inflammation and try to kick start the healing but not sure if it's doing anything. I seem to get as much bang out of regular old Ibuprofen as much as anything.

Don't know if I've really described the injury in earlier posts so maybe I'll do that so if it sounds familiar to anyone they can share their wisdom with me.

There are really 2 pains. First, there is the dull, lower back pain and tightness on the left side. This I've had before from time to time and it's never bothered my running much. This dull pain kind of extends down into the left hip.

The other pain and the one that is causing me the most grief as far as running, walking, or any form of XT is in the left hip right around where the hip socket is (I don't know all the fancy medical terms for these body parts). This pain is a stabbing, concentrated  pain, kind of like getting poked with a needle in that spot.  Just feels very fragile and makes me nervous to do much of anything that puts any pressure on it.

Guess we'll see how the weekend goes and pray for the best but be prepared for whatever. I'm actually feeling pretty good mentally. Physically I'm beginning to feel like a slug. Thanks to Kim for all her support and willingness to give me rub downs and massages in my "upper thigh" area :).

Happy February! Always nice to get January over with.

Injury update:  As I laid in bed this morning listening to the wind howling outside and Kim getting ready to run I was thinking "today is a good day to be injured!"  I think I've lost all my mental toughness or maybe gave it all to Kim.

I'm feeling cautiously optimistic.  Been feeling better the last couple days and think I could possibly be 4-6 days away from running. I can still feel the pains when I walk but much better than last week. I also tried 10 min of biking at the gym today and it felt fine. Unless I feel worse tomorrow than today I'll start doing a little XT. 

Also tried a little bit of stairs and elliptical and although it felt way better than last week and doable, I decided to hold off on anything but bike & walking until the walking is pain free for a couple days so. 

Still hanging in there mentally (actually feeling pretty good) and feel pretty good about life in general.

Another day when I'm thinking if I've got to be injured then today is a good day for it. BRRRRR!! Temp around 0 when I drove to work. But at least I hear that the groundhog says we get early spring. Sure hope he's right!

Don't seem to be any worse for the wear after yesterday's biking experiment so around noon I wen't to the gym and did 20 min bike and 10 min walking on the treadmill.

Did 30 minutes on the bike at the gym. Slowly improving but still not sure if I'll be ready to run on Monday or not. Bike riding feels fine but still feeling enough pain in the hip area when I walk that I'm pretty sure it would alter my running stride in a negative way if I tried to run today. We'll just have to wait and see what 2 more rest days will do.

Had been feeling pretty good the last couple days as far as the injury. I had a little sickness over the weekend that didn't feel so good but that's another story. So I thought maybe it was time to test running. Didn't work out so well.

Started feeling the hip pain shortly after starting and it got no better by 1/2 mile so I stopped and walked back to the gym with head hung low and tail between my legs. Bike riding feels fine so I did 30 min of uninspired riding.

I've scheduled a doctor appointment tomorrow and get an x-ray of the hip to rule out any kind of stress fracture. It's been over 2 weeks now since the mystery injury so any bone stuff should show up now. Then I guess we'll see what happens in the next few weeks between some phys therapy and maybe some chiro work. 

Kinda feel guilty getting much bummed out about something minor like this, there are so many people I know right now who are dealing with far worse.  For me the glass is most certainly still half full!

40 minutes on the exercise bike and some light stretching and push-ups. Going to see the doc this afternoon.

UPDATE: So after going to the doc and discussing exactly what happened and the nature of the hip pain, we're thinking I must have a pretty good muscle strain or tear in one of the hip flexor muscles. He said these can take 4-6 weeks to fully heal which is kinda what I was thinking was likely the reality based on the pain yesterday trying to run. Maybe not my favorite thing but not too bad to deal with.

I'll continue with the biking for a while, add some phys therapy after a few days and beef up the core work. I'm thinking I may sell my UVM entry and look toward a fall marathon. I'm also thinking maybe UVM and I just aren't meant for each other, this would make me 1-3 getting to the starting line and 0-3 finishing.

45 minutes on the lovely stationary bike.

Did 45 minutes XT with the majority on the bike. I've felt pretty good the last few days and I wanted to try a few things today while I'm off the meds and don't have them masking any pains. 

I actually ran a few steps. Felt much better than Monday but still enough little pains and weirdness to where I think I'm still maybe a week away from doing a meaningful test run.

Also did 5 min each on the stair stepper and eliptical to see how that felt. I could feel the hip just a bit but I think I could probably do more and be OK. For now I'll stick mostly with the bike with maybe a touch of higher impact stuff every so often just to better gauge where I'm at. By golly I'm becoming a pretty patient guy.

Finally had success on the test run! Woohoo!! Ran a whopping 1 mile this morning with the lovely Kimberly (Happy Valentines babe!!) without any stride-altering pains. Felt like I could have gone more but I didn't want to push my luck. Tomorrow if all goes well I'll try 2 or 3.  Of course I felt and ran like a slug, pace in the 9-10 range for the mile and my HR was probably still thru the roof.

Later at work went to the gym for 45 min XT (30 bike, rest split between stairs and eliptical). Felt good, no pains. It was such an absolutely beautiful day outside it was so tempting to try another run in the sun but I was a good boy and stuck with the indoor non-impact stuff.

Ran 3 miles with Kim this morning then she got 3 more. Still no stride-altering pains but man I sure feel out of shape! Can't believe what 3 weeks of nothing but some casual biking does to my running fitness. But I suppose it will come back quick. On a positive note my weight has stayed down at my race-shape level during my injury break.

HR averaged over 160 for a 9:30 pace. Before the injury I could do 5-10 miles no prob at sub-8 pace with that kind of HR. It will interesting to see how it goes in the next few weeks.

Got daring today and went 5 miles mostly with Kim and she tacked on 1 more mile. Nice sunny, warm day for Feb but pretty windy. My back/hip seemed to have survived the run, but I think I'll play it safe and take tomorrow off from running after 3 days straight, then maybe run 4 on Friday and try 6 on Saturday. 

8:56/160?

Day off from running. Went to the gym for 20 min bike, 15 min eliptical, and 10 min stairs. Also did some core stuff. 

I don't love the crosstraining but I do feel pretty good afterward and it seems to help alot with running/injury recovery. Going to try and keep 2 or 3 days a week with 30 min or so of XT for next few months and see how it goes.

Ran 4 solo in the morning. Kim has been fighting a lingering cold and was going to try later in the day when it's (hopefully) warmer.  HR was ridiculously high again, 175 ave for 9:05 pace.

Later went to the gym for 30 min XT.

Ran 6 with the SF group. Kim is fighting a lingering cold that keeps her up through the night with a hacking cough and wisely stayed in today. 

Felt OK but still can feel some pain/stiffness in the back/hip. So far it doesn't make me run weird but if it just stays the same and doesn't improve thru next week I may take another week or 2 off from running and just crosstrain. At this point I'm about 95% sure I'll bag UVM and look toward a fall marathon to shoot for a PR.

9:33/152

Had a nice 6-miler with Kim with about half in the sunshine. And no wind for a change so that was extra nice! My legs are slowly coming back and the back/hip felt pretty good today and better than Saturday so that is positive. Just gotta keep it nice and easy for a few weeks and enjoy the journey.

9:20/158 (come on HR! Get with the program!!)

Dang cold today! Especially with the wind chill factor. Ran 5 with Kim and that seemed adequate for today. Later went to the gym at work for 30-min XT plus some core work. Based on my ave HR today maybe I should count a few miles as Threshold instead of Easy.

9:25/165

Working at home today so waited until late in the morning when it was sunny and high 30's then ran 7 miles with Kim, mostly down in the river bottoms. Kim was doing some quarters so I hung back and kept it easy while she did her speedy stuff. 

Felt OK on this my longest run since before the injury. Still feel sluggish and out of shape but I know in time the legs will come back.  With the 3 days in a row running and this long run I'll take tomorrow off. The sun and temps were dandy today.

9:14/151

45 minutes XT (bike-20, stair-15, elipt-10) at the gym and some core stuff.

Lots of wet snow falling this morning and the roads were a sloppy mess, so we decided to sleep in and try our luck later.  Good move. We still got the wet blowing snow pelting us in the face but the roads were nice and clear if you could avoid the puddles.

This was my most enjoyable run since before the hip injury despite the snow. Starting to get my legs back and I think taking the last couple days off was a good move.

9:03/156

Ran 6 in the morning with Kim on a cold breezy morning. The creepy crawly snow flurries from the wind blowing Saturday's snow across and down the road made for a pretty groovy effect. Looking forward to spring and nicer weather.

9:06/160

Later went to the gym for 30 min XT (10 min each stair/bike/elipt) and some core work.

Ran 6 this morning with Kim same route as yesterday and about the same temps but today the canyon winds were insane!!  About as bad as I've ever seen and made the run feel like a tempo run when going into the wind even though pace was 9-10 range.

9:14/164

Later did 30-min XT at work gym similar to yesterday.

Morning 6 miler very similar to the last 2 days, very WINDY!! It worked better for Kim to go later today so I was solo. Legs and hip feeling really good this week so just need to wait a couple more weeks or so for the cardio to catch up so my HR isn't so whacked out all the time.

8:58/168

Later went to gym for 30 min XT. Bikes were busy today so did 15 min each stairs and eliptical.

Rest day today. Just did 30 min XT at the gym plus some core work.

Nice 6-miler with Kim in the early morning. NO WIND today which made things especially nice!  Been a good running week so maybe I'll try 10-12 tomorrow.

9:11/152

Was going to go to the gym for some XT but been busy at work and I'm thinking I'll get more benefit from a nice nap at lunch.

Survived  my first double-digit run since mid-Jan. Woohoo!  Ran mostly with Kim and Doug B. The wind was back again but it wasn't too bad.

8:56/152

Nice 6-miler with Kim in the early morn. Overcast but no wind made for a peaceful run. Everything is feeling pretty good.

9:05/150

Later did 30-min XT at the gym and some core.

Nice 6-miler with Kim in the morning. 9:05 pace.  Later went to gym for 30 min XT.

Working at home today so Kim and I went out later for a nice-weather 8-miler. We did some fartleking across the universe. My first day trying some faster pace stuff, mostly 6:30-7:30 range. Felt pretty good it was fun to run faster again after a 2 month break. Kim was looking pretty dang strong too.

8:40/156 (nice to see HR starting to get with the program a little bit)

Had planned on just XT today and no running. But it was so nice out when I went to the gym I had to get outside a get a little sunshine and ended up running 1 mile BFOG.  Also did 30 min XT and some core.

Ran 5 in the morning mostly with Kim. Felt a bit sluggish for some reason. Later on did 30 min XT at the gym.

9:18/152

My heart goes out to all those suffering in Japan.

Nice morning for a run. Ran 13 with Kim and the SF running dudes. I put all 13 as easy miles for but some reason I really ran out of gas the last 3-4 miles and they weren't so easy. Maybe the mid-week faster running took more out of me than I first thought. Need to remember that when you get to be an old-timer you need to be patient and build up the miles/speed v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y....

9:01/161

Ran 6 with Kim on a very dark morning.  We spooked a deer who in turn gave us a major spook. Felt much better today than Friday/Saturday.

8:56/148

Later at the gym did 10 min on stairstepper then 2.5 miles of running including 1.5 BFOG.

8:16

Another dark & dandy early morning 6-miler with Kimi. Pace was dont-care, just over 9 min/mi I think. Dang time-change always makes me groggy for a few days.

Later did 30-min XT plus core at the gym.

Ran 7 miles with Kim around lunch time. She had a hill repeat workout planned so I joined in for the fun. Ended up with 6 hill repeats, around .35 miles each.

9:03/146

Mini-rest day today. Slept in and waited until later at work for the workout. Warmed up with 10 min on the stair stepper then 3 miles running and 10 min cooldown (bike/eliptical) and some core work. Feeling pretty good on the run.

7:59/153

Six miles in the morning with Kim. Had a huge full moon for a little while before it set a couple miles into it.  The canyon winds were in one their angrier moods, holy cow it was blowing something fierce!!

8:59

Later went to gym at work for 30 min XT plus some core.

Nice & easy but kinda long social run today.  Kim and I ran with the SF group and enjoyed hearing a mix of both somber and silly stories. 

The first part of the run we listened to Doc Ludlow recount his experiences of the past week and a half in Japan. His wife is Japanese and her family is from the Sendai area and ironically they had made a trip to Sendai just days before the disaster hit. Fortunately they were in an area of Sendai 6 miles from the ocean so the tsunami didn't affect them, but some of the extended family lived closer to the ocean and were affected. Thankfully all the relatives survived. It was very interesting to hear a firsthand account.

Then later we got to hear out some of the escapades of "British" Bob and a his long time buddy and running partner Dave.  Stories of an encounter with "Diaper Boy" on the Provo river trail and other various running/racing adventures. Good stuff and made the run go by quick. Hadn't run 15 miles since early January. I probably won't go much further than for another couple months or so.

9:14/146

Ran 5 with Kim on a windy but fairly warm morning. Then we parted ways and I ran 2 more while she put on her new coach hat and helped some 20+ ladies get started on a couch-to-5k 9 week beginning runner training program. Go Coach Kimmer!

8:49/152

Later went to the gym for 10 min XT and 2 miles BFOG. Brrrrr on the BF!

Six in the morning with Kim. When we started we had a nasty wind with snow pellets smacking our face but thankfully after the first mile or so the wind died down and it ended up being a pretty nice run.

Later to the gym for 30 min XT and some core.

Working at home so we ran just before noon in the sun. The sun was really nice but the dang wind was bothersome. But we're used to wind here in SF.  Kim had a 3 mile tempo run planned which sounded good to me to help me transition to a bit faster running and MP. She had some pretty good mojo going and averaged 7:40 over the 3 miles finishing with a strong sub-7:30 on the last one. Nice.

Mini-rest day. After 10 min warmup on the stair stepper I had a nice relaxation 4 mile run at work.

8:14/151

Coach Kim and Kay went out extra early this morning so she could get her 6 in before meeting up with her newbie runner ladies group. Since I was only going 4 or 5 I decided to sleep a bit longer and go out solo. Ended up with 5 on a cloudy but peaceful morning.

During the run I was inspired to give Sensei Kim's running grasshopper's group the honorable name of "Kim and the Kardiodashians". So from this point forward that is what they shall be know as.

8:48/154

Later to the gym for 30 min XT plus some core.

A bit cold for late March and the canyon wind was ruthless this morning. But we got out and got er done early running with the other SF crazy runners. Ended up with 14 miles. The last mile uphill into the wind kicked my fanny.

9:02/150

Up and at it early today, ran 5 with Kim then some more solo as Kim went to meet up with the Kardiodashians.  Nice to not have any wind for a change. Feeling pretty good today, wasn't sure how much more I'd go solo but just went with the flow and ended up with 10.

8:44/147

Six miles in the morning with Kim. Hopefully we get some warmer more spring-like weather soon.

Had plans to go to the gym later for some XT and core but got too busy at work and it didn't happen.

Worked at home today so did the run later in the morning. Kim was doing a 6 x 800 workout (400 rests) so I joined in for the fun.  Temps were pretty nice (40's) but the dang wind made the 800's feel harder than normal. Plan was to shoot for 3:30-3:45 for each interval.

Kim stayed pretty consistent thoughout except for the last one when Coach Tom decided to mess with her a little and pick up the pace to see if she would notice. She figured it out by about 1/2 way through and I don't know that she appreciated it but did a good job staying close and finished it in 3:20something.

Splits (rests):

3:37 (2:32)

3:37 (2:43)

3:36 (2:52)

3:39 (3:02)

3:38 (3:13)

3:18

Mini-rest day.  Ran 4 miles just before lunch including 2 BFOG. Also did 10 min XT warmup and some core.

Five in the early morning. Busy morning at work but managed later to squeeze in 30 min XT plus core.

8:39/153

Very enjoyable run today with the SF group on maybe the warmest morning of the year so far. The wind was pretty nasty at first but by the end the sun was out and we were in short sleeves. Sure felt good!

Had some excitement early on when it was still dark. Chad and Dan who had started earlier than everyone else decided to hide off the side of the road and give us a big spook. Kim let loose with the mother-of-all-screams and provided entertainment to everyone for the rest of the run.

Maybe the best I've felt all year finishing up this long run.  Not blazingly fast but just happy to be feeling good and not pooped at the end.

8:54/151

Looks like this morning we got knocked back into February! Chilly in the 20's with wind chill making it feel like teens. Roads were mostly clear but snow everywhere else. We got dumped on Sat night & Sunday morning with 6-8 of wet sloppy white stuff.

Ran just over 3 with Kim then she went to finish up on her own and get over to coach the WannaRunna5k Kardiodashian ladies.  Since I had the time I headed over to the trail with thoughts of running 8-10 miles.  Bad move to run on the trail.  It was still dark and the winds and heavy snow from the weekend storm made the trail a treacherous obstacle course, with branches and entire trees laying across the trail everywhere.  So decided to bag the trail idea and ran on the roads up around the golf course and home for 10 miles.

8:52/148

Early morning 6-miler with Kim. Pretty cold again and of course windy, but nicer than yesterday. An enjoyable run overall.

8:58/140

Later went to gym with plans for 30 min XT. But the sun and warmer temps beckoned so I did 10 min XT and 2 miles easy run outside. Finished with core workout.

Got about 3 miles solo then met up with Kim and did some short hill repeats. Plan was for 6-10 repeats but Kim was feeling the love so we actually did 11. Felt pretty good and the weather was kind and ended up being pretty nice for this kind of workout.

8:58/149

Mini-rest day. Ran 5 easy in the early morning. Work day and running rest day for Kim so I was solo. Later at the gym did 30 min XT and some core.

8:45

The weather wasn't too inviting at first as we contemplated our Friday morning long run. Needed to get the long run done today since too much going on tomorrow. But we headed out and ended up having a great run.

The rain/snow calmed down after the first few miles and we were able to get into a good groove after about 6 miles. Didn't have a particular course in mind, just sorta random. Just past mile 6 we were by the high school so we decided to run a few laps around the track. I thought it would be really boring, but surprisingly it kinda put me into a trance/meditation mode and I kinda enjoyed running round and around the track. Felt like auto-pilot running. Kim seemed to be feeling good too as she sneakily picked up the tempo as we went.

Finished off running on the river trail and then up river bottoms and up heartbreak hill back home. Now time for a rest week and some R&R.

8:55/145 (nice to see that ave HR working its way down each week)

Had a dandy morning run with Kim around the citrus trees and Redlands temple. Beautiful sunny morning with near perfect running temps in the 50's.

8:44/146

Had a nice morning run - 5 miles with Kim then 2.5 more solo. We ran in the vicinity of the happiest place on earth.  I usually feel sluggish running during vacation/travel time but actually felt pretty peppy after the first 3 or 4 miles.  Gotta love that near-sea-level oxygenated air.

9:10/131 (5) 7:43/159(2.5)

Squeezed in one more Disneyland run before the long drive home. Vacations are nice but home is best!

Since we got switched over to Pacific time zone sleep habits we decided not to rock the boat just yet even though we're home now and we went out an hour later than usual.

I wasn't a good eating boy on vacation so today we start the process of purging all the gunky out of the body and try and get rid of the vacation gut. Actually I felt pretty good today notwithstanding the extra 5 pounds.  Had only planned on going 10-12 but ended up tacking on an extra mile. Weather today was awesome - mid 40's - felt just dandy. Kim started off maybe a tad sluggish but was really cruising the last half of the run.

8:53/144

Got er done early before the worst of  the storm comes in later. Warm temps around 50 and humid. No rain at the start and just a light sprinkle towards the end. All in all a pretty nice morning. Ran about 4 with Kim then did 6 more solo around the golf course and river trail. Still packing an extra 3 pounds or so from the vacation but still feeling pretty good on the run.

8:33/160 

Six miles on another wet but peaceful morning. This time we started out with rain but after a mile or 2 it mostly tapered off. Later did 30 min various XT at the gym and some core. The scale at the gym was kinder than the one at home and only showed me up a couple pounds since pre-vacation.

8:59/146

Man was that a crazy Boston yesterday or what? Fun to watch and amazing to contemplate the kinds of times turned in by the winners.  Big congrats to those on the blog who ran it.

Went to the track for the first 6 miles then 4 more on the roads.  With my coach hat on and to help me ease into faster running and help Kim at the same time, we both ran a 6 x 800 workout.

Did a similar workout 3 or 4 weeks ago but coach Tom kinda messed up and didn't do the rests as long as they should have been which made things too hard the last 1/2 of the workout. Other than after the 1st repeat, this time I did better at keeping the rest time in the 3-4 minute range like it's supposed to be. This was good and allowed Kim to improve a little bit with each repeat. She was still pooped at the end but the earlier repeats seemed quite a bit easier than last time.

 Don't have my watch so I'm not exactly sure on the repeat times but I think they were 3:38, 3:37, 3:31, 3:30, 3:29, 3:28.  All the rests were in the 3:00-3:30 range except for the first one which was 2:5something. Nice!

For comparison, here are the splits from a few weeks ago:

3:37 (2:32)

3:37 (2:43)

3:36 (2:52)

3:39 (3:02)

3:38 (3:13)

3:32

Easy 4 miler in the morning. Later in the morning did 30 min XT and core at the gym.

Felt a bit nippy for late April this morning. Watch temps jump from the 50's to the 90's in the blink of an eye come May. Ran 5 easy with Kim then later did 30 min XT at the gym.

Nice morning, a bit cool and overcast but very little wind - a rare event in SF. Kim and I met up with a good size group at 6 and ended up getting a dandy run in.  Around mile 8 I tried my luck for the first time in a while running with some of the speedier guys including Chad and Hal. They about wore me out but I managed to finish in one piece and get in my fastest long run for a long time, maybe for the year.

8:24/161

It was a dark and stormy morning.  Actually that's about how every morning has been in Utah the last few weeks.  Ran just shy of 4 miles with Kim then she went to coach her wanna-runna-5K ladies and I ran a few hills. Feeling pretty good, but looking forward to a little sun one of these days. 

8:34/152

It was a dark and stormy morning. The wind blew, rain fell, hail pellets in my face, soaked shoes. Yet it was strangely relaxing.

8:17/152

Later 30 min XT at the gym and some core.

Well we finally got a morning that wasn't so dark and stormy. Clear but pretty dang nippy with temps around 30. Ran down to the track and did a few strides and 220s as I'm trying to get the legs used to the idea of faster running. Finished up running the river bottoms back home.

8:22/157

Nice to have Kim back safe-and-sound from her work-trip down to St. George to kick off the remodel on our 1BR condo we picked up a couple months ago. This condo is right next door and shares a wall with our bigger condo. So we're excited to fix it up and have more options with our vacation rental business and also to be able to more comfortably handle large family/friend groups when we're down there. Big thanks to Kim's parents for helping out with a bunch of manual labor stuff this week.

Another coolish morning, a little above freezing so warmer temps than yesterday, but the wind chill factor probably made it feel colder. Just ran a nice and easy 4.5 recovery run.

Later did 30 min XT and core at the gym. Nice to see some sun today!!!

Guess we're back to dark-and-stormy mode today.  Got in 5 miles in the morning. Kind of a weird run, legs felt good and fresh but seemed to have no wind and my HR was definitely on the high side. Not sure what's up with that, hopefully I'm not coming down with something.

8:34/155

Went out an hour earlier than usual since we needed to be in Ephraim for our son's graduation (good job Camron!).  Not used to being surrounded by a winter wonderland of snow on the last day of April but such is the weather this year.

Got in about 10 with Kim then 5 more solo with a bit in there with Dan and Pat.  Got in a few MP miles during the middle of the run.  

8:31/158 

Another nippy morning, we don't usually see 25-30 degrees in  May. But clear and not too windy so a nice morning for a nice run to start out the week.  Looks like this just might be our last sub-freezing morning until fall or winter.

Ran just under 4 with Kim then did some hills while Kim finished up and did her thing with the WannaRunna5K ladies - who I passed on the last mile - they were doing really good. I was feeling pretty good today as well and finished up the last mile running MP.

8:25/156

Taking a little bit of a rest week. No run today but went to the gym and did 40 min XT and some core work.

Went down to the track to do a drop-down workout with Kim. Temps around 40 about perfect for this workout except for some wind from the West. Plan was for 1, .75, .50, .25 mile intervals starting around Kim's 5K pace and progressively faster. Rests were .25m around 3 minutes or so. Kim had good mojo going despite having back/hip issues thru the night and executed the workout perfectly.  I didn't get split info off the watch but I know the first mile was around 7:25-7:30 and the last quarter was 1:32 (6:08 pace).

After the drop-down ran another mile with Kim then she went to give the WannaRunna ladies a workout and I ran 4 more miles to make it 10 for the day.  I was feeling good at the end so I did the last mile at MP.

8:25/156

Nice and easy recovery run in the morning.  Ran 3 with Kim then 2 more solo. Later went to the gym for 30 min XT + core.

8:54/141

40 min XT + core at the gym just before lunch.

Nice morning for a run today.  A bit windy at times but in the 50's and finished in the sun. Ran with Kim and the SF group, we didn't have very many starting out but picked up a pretty good sized group along the way.  From the getgo for some reason I didn't have much gusto and my HR was pretty high.  Maybe I'm not used to temps above 40's yet. But an enjoyable run nonetheless.

8:40/162 

Back to our dark & drizzly mornings after a few days of reprieve last week.  But on the sunny side of things Kim and I made it into St. George - woohoo! Had a great day yesterday with lots of family over for a Mother's Day celebration and feast, and best of all got to spend about 90 minutes talking to our son Tyler in Denmark. So the week is starting out dandy despite the rain!

Ran just shy of 4 miles with Kim then ran some hills while she went to coach her WannaRunna ladies. Had pretty good pep today, much better than Saturday. Still not sure what the deal was. Finished last mile in around 7 min.

8:17/157

Seven miles with Kim on a cloudy but pleasant morning.  Ran down by ballparks along the river trail to check out the flooding situation. Already starting to encroach on some of the yards of the homes close by. I'm afraid it will only get worse the next few weeks. 

Kinda groggy today.  Last night heard about some very negative behavior from someone in the neighborhood and it bothered me during the night and made for some restlessness.

Had planned later to go to the gym for a little XT and core but I forgot my gym bag at home so guess I'll bag it or maybe tomorrow.  Probably get more out of a long nap anyways.

8:54/140

Ran 10 this morning, 5 with Kim including a 1/2 dozen strides then 5 more solo. Later went to the gym for 30 min XT and some core work.

8:37/158

Nice easy recovery run with Kim in the morning as we scoped out the 5K course for her WannaRunna5K beginner race next week. Later went to the gym for 30 min XT + core.

Ran just under 5 on a clear but windy morning. Later did 30 min XT at the gym.

8:17/157

Nice long run on a nice day, albeit a bit windy as usual.  Ran with the SF group and then some solo.  Finally ended up over in Salem to cheer Kim with her 5K-that-ended-up-being-3.5K race.   She did real well despite being shorted a mile. Course had a few rolling hills and with the wind and warmer temps made it not the fastest for racing.  Need to start adding in some warmer temp miles to get used to the summer temps soon to come our way.  We're too used to 35-45 degrees in the dark.

Managed to get in 3 MP miles during the last part of the run.  With my current fitness level and based on what my HR monitor tells me, I'm counting anything in the 7:00-7:40 range as MP.

8:15/161

Ran about 2 with Kim then did some hills. Not quite as much pep today compared to the last 2 mondays, maybe still some lingering effects of the Saturday long run.

8:31/162

Recovery run on another overcast but peaceful morning.  Ran about 5 with Kim then 2 more solo. Later went to the gym for 30 min XT + core.

8:58/142

Another lovely blustery overcast morning.  Today was an experiment day for me. Time to attempt my first official tempo run in a very very long time.  Wanted to ease into things so only plan I had was to run anywhere from 1 to 3 miles at any pace that started with a 6.  

Warmed up a bit with Kim then she went to do some WannaRunna5k business and I finished my long warmup of about 4 miles with some strides. I have to confess I tilted things in my favor a bit for this tempo run by working it so I had the winds at my back and a ever so slight downhill course.  

Started out probably a bit fast the 1st mile so decided to just go with it and get to 2 miles. Overall I'm pleased with the run.  Averaged 6:31 pace overall which I figure is probably good for 6:40-6:50 on a true flat no-tail wind course. So I'm thinking my 5K pace right now may be around 6:40 and I'm pretty sure I can drop that 20s or so the next few months with some good training.

Overall for 2 mile tempo: Ave pace/HR 6:31/181 max HR 194

Mile 1 - 6:35 / 176

Mile 2 - 6:27 / 188

Well today was Y-A-R-R!! (Yet Another Rain Run). One of the wettest mornings so far.  Kim was diligent today in keeping to her plan to do her long run (14 miles) since she has her WannaRunna5K doings on Saturday. She got a bunch in while I was still sleeping then I joined her for the middle of her run. Pretty much soaked from head to toe. But legs feel surprisingly good after the tempo experiment yesterday.

Later to the gym for 30 min XT + core.

YARR. 8:31/154

Well we finally got our reward for all the rainy runs the last week and all spring.  Today was an absolutely gorgeous near-perfect running May morning.  Clear skies, mild winds and amazing scenery with all the green and snow-capped mountains.  

Today was Kim's WannaRunna5K finale as her little band of formerly non-runners toed the starting line and finished their first official 5K. I helped Kim set up a bit then did my long run while she shepherded  her ladies.  Sounds like they did super and kudos to Kim and all of them for gettin' er done. 

Ran with the SF group but mostly Hal.  We got ambitious and ran up Harry's for the 1st time this year. Then Hal kicked my fanny on the way back to Osbournes.  I'm not quite where I'd like to be with the cardio but I'm getting better each week and enjoying the journey and not dealing with any injuries.

8:13/163 

 Happy 17th Birthday to boy #3 Jansen Lee!!!

Mini-rest week this week so no run yesterday. Kim and I had a good time in St. George for a quick trip to work on our 1 BR condo we're getting ready to add to our vacation rental pool.

Plan for today was to go to the track to do some Yasso 800's. Figured I'd start with 5 reps in the 3:10-3:15 range and see how it went.  Lucky me just about the time I got to the track the rain started pouring and stayed that way the whole time I was doing the workout. Yet again soaked from head to toe but we're used to that now.

These were harder than I wanted them to be but nice to get done. I would like to think the nasty weather and wet clothes slowed me down some.  I figure I need to be able to do around 10 of these at 3:10-3:15 to translate to a 3:05-3:10 at SGM. Finished up with a 3 mile cooldown run with Kimi.

8:18/156

800 splits (with equal rest jog in between):  3:11, 3:12, 3:10, 3:11, 3:10

Later did 20 min XT + core.

A bit chilly and breezy this morning but no rain so that was nice.  Nice recovery run with Kim then later to the gym for 30 min XT.

9:12/134

Decided to kick up the hill training a notch since WBR is getting close.  Kim and I drove over to base of Harry's hill ran up an down 3 times.  Not the funnest thing to run up that hill but temps were pretty warm and it felt pretty good.

8:23/168

Enjoyed sleeping in this morning.  Later went to the gym for 45 min XT.

Headed to Ephraim for Scandinavian Festival in just a bit so had to get up early and get the run done. Ran 7 or 8 with Kim then joined up with the SF group and I got some MP miles in with Chad and Steve.  These runs do seem to be getting a little easier every week so maybe the mojo is coming back.

8:21/154 

Woke up a little before 7 and the rain was pouring down.  Decided to roll the dice and wait a bit and went back to bed.  Good choice.  One hour later and the rain had stopped and it wasn't too bad at all.  Later on the sun actually came out for a while and it was beautiful.

Ran 4 mile warmup with Kim including a few strides to get the legs prepped for the 4 mile tempo run that came afterward.  Wanted to keep the ave pace below 7, somewhere between 10K and HM pace. Turned out to be a nice little tempo run.

4 mile tempo AP/HR: 6:46/181 (max HR 191)

Splits (AP/HR):

1:  6:36/170 (cheated on this mile, good downhill in the middle)

2:  6:52/180

3:  6:48/187

4:  6:45/190 (had to work the last 1.5 miles, had a pretty good headwind) 

Nice recovery 7 mile run with Kimi in the morning.  Nice clear skies but a little nippy for May 31 and MONGO WIND!  Just about got blown off the road a couple times. 

Later to the gym for 30 min XT and core.

8:52

Kim and I ran our Harry's Hill workout this morning then I did 4 more miles solo afterward.  Beautiful morning with great views of the mountains and valley from the top of the hill. My calves were a little tight so I decided to back off the intensity a bit on the hills and ran alongside Kim. Felt pretty peppy on the 4 mile run home (mostly flat) and kept the pace in the MP range (7-7:30)

Overall AP 8:26

Nice recovery run with Kim on an absolutely perfect running morning.  Clear, sunny skies, no wind, temps around 50.  Perfect! Apparently other folks had the same idea as we saw a lot of walkers and runners on the river trail. Now off to SG for some R&R. Looking forward to seeing Little Mermaid at the Tuacahn tonight.

Nice easy 4-miler with Kim in St. George. Near perfect weather once again. But our gang down here is a bit bummed out that Tuacahn had to cancel the Little Mermaid debug last night that we had tickets to. Rats!

Loving these mornings lately. The long run today in St George makes it 3 straight days of perfect running weather. Kim and I ran up towards Snow Canyon mostly on the trail then ran back down.  Absolutely beautiful surroundings looking toward Snow Canyon and also enjoyed the desert landscaping around the Entrada resort area.

I briefly tinkered with an MP mile the last 1/2 of the run but my body didn't seem to want to do that so I only did 1 mile. I'm thinking since I already ran some faster stuff on Mon/Wed my legs didn't want anymore of that. So I just tried to keep up with Kimi who was really feeling some zip the last few miles.  I think she'll do very well at UV 1/2 marathon next week.

8:43/147 

Beautiful morning. Did a modified version of the Harry's Hill workout. Kim has a hilly race on Saturday so she slept in a little longer and did a flat-ish run so I was solo today.  Instead of running up and back down the same way, I did the loop version of the workout, running up Harry's but then continue down the other less steep but longer side then loop around and do it over again.  Finished with 1 more time up the hill  and back down non-loop style since I was out of time. Felt pretty good and the view from the top was awesome as usual. But I really do stink at running uphill, the downhill is much funner! :)

8:06/163

Nice 7 mile recovery run with Kim on a lovely morning. Later to the gym for 30 min XT and some core.

8:45/140

Went down to the track to do some Yassos. Perfect temps around 50 and not much wind. Wanted to try and get 6 reps in the 3:10-3:20 range and was hoping it would feel better than when I did 5 reps a couple weeks ago in the pouring rain. The first 3 felt a little harder than I wanted but then for whatever the last 3 felt pretty good.  Pushed it a little on #6 to get a 3:05. Overall I feel pretty good about this workout.

In between reps I walked for 30-45s then slow jog for total rest time same as the interval time (3:10-3:15).   Splits for the 6 were 3:09, 3:11, 3:12, 3:09, 3:10, 3:05. Ave/Max HR 163/193

Overall for 10 miles: 7:52/163

Nice recovery 5 mile run out to the river trail and back. Day off for Kim as she is resting up for her Saturday race so I was solo. Gotta say the weather the entire last week has been about as good as it could ever get for a morning run.

8:29/145

Nice little Friday 3 miler. Did a few strides the last mile and a half. Canyon winds were a bit feisty this morning. Looking forward to 18-miler tomorrow and watching Kim smoke her half marathon.

8:18/151

Did something a little different today.  Wanted to get an 18 miler in but also wanted to see Kimi come in on her 1/2 marathon (congrats to her! - 1:45 and 5th in AD and that included a potty break and stopping to help a guy who collapsed!).

Anyway to pull this off considering the 6am race start time I decided to get up bright and early with Kim (3:40ish!!) and run from my house over to Provo to the finish line area. To get to 18 miles had to be creative and add in some extra loops but worked out well since I've run in this area a zillion times at work.

Kind of dark, eerie, but peaceful running on the back roads so early like that.  But I got into a good groove and ended up having a great run.  The last gel I took at 15 was caffeinated and got my hyped up enough that I finished the run with some MP miles of 7:35, 7:30, and 7:20 pace. I'm thinking after a rest week next week finishing with WBR I'll be ready to start some 20-milers. Fun stuff!

Fun to watch Kim and the other runners come in. Usually I know a lot of people running the race but today seemed like I hardly knew anyone. Fun to watch the marathon winners come in and see Paul P just seconds behind the winning Kenyan  and a minute or 2 under 2:20. I didn't see the 1/2 winner come in but looks like there were some smokin' fast times there as well.

8:09/159 

Down in St. George again. Did a few hill repeats and a little bit on the bunny trail. Then Kim and I and Jansen worked our tails off all day to get condo #2 ready for vacation rentals.  We are finally just about there. 

Six nice and easy on the bunny trail in SG.  Not much gas in the tank today guess I'm not used to heat and/or manual labor. But weather and surroundings were beautiful so still a great run.

Easy 7.25 mile recovery run. Later did 30 min XT at the gym.

8:31/149

Just an easy 3 with some strides to save energy for WBR tomorrow and Sat.  Later went to the gym for 30 min XT plus some core.

Wasatch Back Relay leg 1.  Too tired to write anything up tonight.  For now I'll just say I had a great time, loved the cooler temps, loved the beautiful surroundings.  Don't think I ever remember seeing Utah this green.

Ok feeling a lot better now after a good nights sleep. I had legs 10, 22, and 34 (ragnar) this year. Kim and I were on a Spanish Fork Running Club mix masters team this year.  I had been wanting to do one of these with Kim and glad everything worked out so we could.  Our team was called "Run like Hal" in honor of our fearless team captain and running machine Hal Amos. Everyone on the team did great, it will be interesting to see where we end up placing in our division.

So leg 10 was a nice, mostly flat almost 4 miler (3.95?) near Huntsville and ending at the base of Trappers Loop road. Ran this just after noon and I was super happy with the mild temps in the 60's since I remember other years being in the 80's.  

Our team this year was mostly for fun and only mildly competitive so I didn't plan on killing myself on any of these runs.  Only goal for this run was to run smart and keep my ave pace under 7 min. Took the baton from the one-and-only Hal Amos and I was off.  

Almost blew my goal of running smart the first 1/2 mile as I got caught up in the excitement and was running around 6-6:15 pace. Oops! Finally settled down and ended up at 6:56 for mile 1.  The just-under-7 pace felt good so I stayed in that area the rest of the way.  Had some headwind for much of the run so that made it a little tougher at times. Ran mile 2 in 6:53, mile 3 in 6:59 and last .95 in 6:33 (6:57 pace) to finish with an overall pace of 6:57 and time of 27:22.  Handed off the baton to Kimi for her much harder run up Trappers loop rd.

Felt great afterward and could tell I left plenty in the gas tank.   Mission accomplished. Met all my goals. And had fun! After not really racing for nearly a year and a half it was fun to get a taste of a race and pick up around 10 road kills during the run.

One other tidbit..... Turns out Hal ran his leg 9 in exactly the same pace (6:57) so I think I did my part in living up to our team name! 

Ok so leg 2 ended up being a kind of freaky run. And I notice I have this on Saturday but I think I actually ran this late Friday around 11pm or so.

This was one of the legs that had been changed to run on the rail trail.  I thought only part of the run was on the trail but the entire thing ended up being one straight, flat, monotonous jaunt in the pitch black as the fulll moon had not yet risen.

I was feeling great after leg 1 and itching to get going again. My goal was to run in the MP range (7:10-7:30 pace) which ended up being tough to do with having to run on dirt trail the whole way which probably cost 10-20s per mile.

Took the baton from Hal in Coalville ran down the hill then turned right onto the rail trail. Felt super at first and had a good runner's high going for a little while but then started getting freaked out a little bit by a few things.

As I mentioned it was pitch black with no moon and only my headlamp and occasionally the head lamps of other runners to light the way. I don't like running with headlamps much and something about staring at the headlamp light ahead of me and also being blinded by the headlamps of cars on the adjacent freeway made it feel like I was running blind and was also claustrophobic.  I don't usually have claustrophobia problems but in this case I was getting weirded out a bit and was running a little spooked the last half of the leg.

Had a hard time finding my footing and in some spots there were bumps, rocks and grassy/weedy areas that you couldn't really see until it was too late to do anything about it. Also near the middle there was a nice little river running right through the middle of the trail. Luckily a couple other runners got there just before me and gave me warning so I didn't go slopping right through it and likely doing a face plant.

The last couple miles I was just wanting really bad to be done with the trail.  My running felt great and I mostly cruised along at 7:30 pace and passed 8-10 runners, I think pretty much the same runners I had passed on the first leg.

But the claustrophobia was getting to me and to make matters worse, I had sweat running down into my eyes causing my vision to get all blurry and I really could not see worth a darn. I had all these thoughts of me running straight off the side of the trail down into a river or pit and never being heard of again. I just tried to focus on the lights and reflective vests of the runners ahead of me and let them help lead me along. 

Finally got to the finish line after some of the most eerie, spooky 7.5 miles I've ever run.  I was glad to see the full moon had come out so Kim didn't have to run in pitch black. I was also very happy to see that Kim didn't have to continue on the creepy rail trail. When I handed off the baton I said something to her along the lines of "if you start getting freaked out just walk for a little while" but turns out she did fine and I was the only one in the van getting freaked out on leg 2.

7.5 miles @ 7:30 pace.

LEG 3 - The infamous "Ragnar" leg up the mountain to Gaurdsmens Pass.

I had a little payback in mind for this leg.  I ran this leg once before 4 or 5 years ago and ended up feeling like I had been totally defeated (annihilated?) by the mountain.  That time I ran the first 1/2 mile way too fast and ended up walking before even reaching mile 1.  Ended up with my tail between my legs most the rest of the way doing lots of walking and feeling very humbled and defeated.

I'm not a very good uphill runner and much prefer the down.  During races I always seemed to get passed on the uphill by everyone I just passed on the downhill. So I knew I had to be smart to avoid a repeat of the first time up ragnar. While the entire leg is ruthless steep uphill at altitude, the worst of the steep is during the first 2 miles so I knew I needed to hold back at first.

Fortunately I stuck to the plan and ran the first mile conservative, trying to remember captain Hal's advice to "keep my head down and just keep plugging away and DON'T WALK!".  I had 3 or 4 runners maybe .2 or .3 miles ahead of me and it was hard that first mile to resist the urge to speed up as I knew these were the same runners I had been passing on the other legs so it was frustrating to not be gaining on them during the first mile.

Finished mile 1 in a snailish time of 12:33.   Even slower than I had planned but the good news is that I wasn't totally dead like first time I ran this. Actually started feeling pretty good and like I was getting into a little bit of uphill rhythm. And while this leg is almost entirely straight up, occasionally you get a tiny breather of downhill that I found really gave me a boost.

With my optimism of surviving mile 1 I set my sights on the 3 runners I could see ahead. They were still a ways off but I noticed the first signs of them cracking from having run the first mile too fast and 1 or 2 of them were walking on the steepest uphill sections. Ended passing all 3 of them by the end of mile 2 and running it in 11:17.

Was still feeling pretty good despite some pretty heavy huffing-and-puffing. Bad news was that I didn't see any other runners ahead to focus on the entire rest of the way.  So had to play a few little mental games and enjoy the scenery.

The last 2 miles are a little easier than the first 2 with a few more little flat and downhill breathers that feel heavenly even though they are shortlived. The other cool thing during the last mile or so (cool as in temps AND cool as in "groovy") was running through the "snow tunnel".  With the crazy wet year we've had the snow was piled high on either side, sometimes up to 8-10 feet.   Also for some reason with the way the snow melts if made it so you get all these cool statue-like snow "hoodoos".

With all this cool stuff all around I actually got a little bit of runner's high the last couple miles and was able to run them at 10-10:30 pace and finish up with ave pace of just over 11.

Dare I say this leg was the funnest leg of all? YES I believe it was even though I was dead at the end, thoroughly exhausted yet euphoric at the same time.  Best part was Kim giving me a big wet kiss as I handed her the baton before she headed up to the top of mountain to run down the other side. 

Yes this was a very fun year. Had a great time with my teammates and experiencing this with my eternal teammate Kimi! 

Nice easy 10-miler to start the week.  My legs have never felt as good during and after WBR as they have this year.  But wanted to play it safe today and keep the pace relaxed.

8:30/149

Easy 7 miles in the morning then later did 30 min XT and core at the gym.

8:28/149

Ran some hill repeats but as a reward for having run up ragnar Saturday without walking I did the uphills really wimpy/easy.  I can tell I still have lingering fatigue from WBR as the last 2 cooldown miles were like a death march.  Glad that Kim was able to get out today and get some mostly pain free miles. That last downhill leg she had off the cliff into Deer Valley pounded the snot out of her legs! Hopefully with a couple extra rest days she'll be good as new shortly.

8:38/159

Nice and easy 5 today mostly with Kim who is still recovering from her WBR leg thrashing. Hopefully a few more easy days and maybe some extra rest days will do the trick. 

Later went to the gym for 30 min XT plus core.

9:31/134

Just 3 miles with a half dozen strides.  Want to save my energy for possible first 20-miler of the year tomorrow. Thought of going to the gym for some XT but really just didn't want to in my Friday state of mind so I didn't.

Nice to get the first 20-miler of the year in the books!  Ran 7 or so with Kim then joined up with the SFRC  boys and got 9 or 10 more with them before finishing up with 2 or 3 more solo.  Felt pretty good I think my legs are ready for a bunch more 20+ mile runs between now and SGM. Not worrying about pace this early in the cycle, plenty of time for that later in the summer and early fall. 

8:33/153

Now that at I'm a friend of the hills and whatnot after groovin up my ragnar leg at WBR I couldn't resist another nice early AM run with Mr Harry Hill.  Didn't want to push it too much on a Monday so kept things pretty nice & easy most of the run.  

8:33/151

Ran out-and-back 7 mile route from our house to Canyon View Park via the river trail. Kim's back was acting up last night so she sent me on my way while she tried to coax her back to loosen up then I met back up with her for the last part of the run.  Beautiful summer morning and a nice run.

8:41/139

Later did 30 min XT + core at the gym.

Since I'm running a 5K a week from Saturday I thought I'd go the track and do some quarters. Wanted to run 8-10 and try to keep them under 1:30.  Stepped outside and immediately noticed it was hotter than usual for 5:30am. Also a bit muggy and breezy. Sign at the bank said 72 degrees. Ugh! I'm not a great warm weather runner and I especially don't love doing speedwork in the heat. But hey, gotta at least give it a shot.

Warmed up 3 miles then did some strides. Then the fun begins.  First 2 reps did not feel very good. Already having thoughts of bagging the workout or only doing 4 reps. Finally decide to not think about 8-10 but just do 1 at a time and see what happens.  This worked out pretty well and while I never got in a real good groove I was able to complete 8 reps and keep all but the 2nd under 1:30.

Just to add to the fun on my last 2 reps I had to deal with a herd of buffalo aka cheerleaders doing their 1/2 mile "workout" and hogging up the entire track in the process.  My fastest rep was #7 at 1:24 when I must have got angry trying to weave thru the jogger girls and ended up picking up the pace. Finished up with 3 mile cooldown and glad to be done.

Overall: 8:08/159 max HR 194

Splits: (Time/aveHR/rest-time)  1:28/161/2:19, 1:30/173/2:20, 1:27/174/2:21, 1:29/175/2:22, 1:28/180/2:25, 1:26/182/2:32, 1:24/183/2:39, 1:27/185

Six miles with Kim at don't-care-pace on the bunny trail down in St George. Nice morning and sunrise and not too overly hot.

Happy Independence Day! Got out around 6am and noticed it was plenty warm, windy, cloudy and muggy! Probably around 75 degrees. This week is a reduced miles week for me but I wanted to get a mini-long run in early in the week. Since today is a holiday it seemed like a good day for a 12 miler with a few MP miles in the middle.

The warm muggy weather had me feeling sluggish from the start. Ran from my house to Canyon View park via the river trial, got a drink then started the MP tempo run.  5 miles of MP would have been nice but the warm/windy/muggy conditions had me not feeling the love and I could never get into any kind of groove.  Decided to stop at 4 miles feeling a lot more worn out than the 7:15 ave pace should have left me. 

Met up with Kim for the last few miles of the run as we both death-marched/jogged back home looking forward to being done and getting a big drink!  I suppose this warmer runs are good for you but I much prefer the 45-55 degree range.

MP splits were  7:09 (slight downhill), 7:14, 7:18 (slight uphill), 7:15

8:14/159 max HR 187

Ran 6 with Kim on a warm and muggy morning. Felt pretty sluggish I think the humidity factor makes it feel 10 degrees warmer. Later went to the gym for 30 min XT.

9:04/137

Kim and I had fun with hills today.  Decided to do an up/down Payson Canyon run.  Started at Beercan then up 4 miles just past the water hole then back down.  With 2 miles left Kim's knee was doing some weird stuff so I raced to get to the van while she worked out the kinks.  Luckily she ended up doing fine (we think/hope) and I was surprised to find her not far behind me. Always gotta be careful on the steep stretches of Payson.

8:45/148 

Easy 5 in the morning then later 30 min XT and core at the gym.

8:23/150

Easy 3 miler with a few strides along the way.  Excited for the 5K tomorrow although I wish it could be a bit cooler and less humid than it appears it will be.  I'm a 50 degrees and dry kind a guy.

8:15

Ouch!!  It's been nearly a year and a half since I've raced a 5K and I had forgotten how much they hurt!  Not the result I wanted today but sometimes that's how it goes.  This was not a PR type course, lots of hills including bonus of canyon headwind with the uphill the first mile.  Also pretty warm temps probably around 70 at the start. It didn't help that the race started 15 minutes late.

I had hoped I could come in around 20:something, and if the stars aligned even sneak in under 20.  No stars aligning today.  I thought I would squeak in under 21 but either the race was a tad long or garmin was off (I measured 3.14 miles).

Mile 1 - 6:47  Lots of uphill.  Course tool said I need to be around 6:40 or less for sub-20. Since it was hard enough to get the 6:47 I could sense that sub-20 wasn't going to happen.  Just trying to run by feel and not crash and burn too early.  Passed a couple guys this mile.

Mile 2 - 6:25 Downhill comes during this mile.  I was hoping to be closer to 6-6:05 but by the end of this mile the wheels are already wobbling and my motivation is going down the toilet.

Mile 3- 7:00 Ugh, can't even get under 7.  Steady uphill most of this mile but not as steep as mile 1 but feels worse because it's mile 3.  I'm too far behind to catch the next guy in front and nobody is threatening from behind so I'm really have a hard time finding a good reason to try very hard.  The best I can do is think of Terry old-Bean being disappointed in me wimping out this mile but that doesn't seem to help much.

Last .1 (.14?) I manage to speed up a bit to finish (52s, 6:15 pace) and it's great to hear Kim cheering me in.  

Felt pretty hammered at the finish and actually feel like I worked pretty hard. Just not reflected in my time. Just need  a bit more focused training, a friendlier course and cooler temps and I think I can get down into the 19's again. Looking forward to doing some more racing over the summer.  Not a lot of Master's competition in this race but I'm happy for the 1st place Masters and 7th place overall.