Psalm 91:1 NKJV He who dwells in the secret place

I'm sort of struggling what to run this week.  I know I probably shouldn't run too hard since I ran a marathon on September 1st.  I thought I would go easy until Wednesday and do a small tempo to get ready for TOU.  But here's what I did today.
 

This morning I ran 5.1 miles with the dog at a 7:09 pace. Very chilly morning and I wasn't dressed for it. I wanted to just take it easy. I worked hard this weekend around the house, where my knees were a little sore. I had to cut up three tree branches that the wind knocked on top of our house, and these where good size branches were I used a chain saw to cut them up. Then I had to pack them all out in the back up my pick-up, and take them to the city dump. This pretty much took all day.

I really don't feel well rested so I need to get some rest this week. I've done a lot of work around the house staying up late. Also fixing people's computers the last few days have given me some late nights too. Rest wise I'm not where I feel I should be for TOU.

Today my goal was to beat the 7 minute Garmin Guy, and I was able to accomplish that.  It was a good run:  6.07 miles at a 6:52 pace in 41.40 minutes with the dog the entire time.  It felt really easy and comfortable.  I ran three of the miles in a lower or 6:30ish pace.  I ran three upward and three downward.  I went up Pocatello creek road, turned on the Olympus hill road than went back down.

Tomorrow I'm going to run three-four miles at a 6 minute pace, and the rest of the week run easy to get ready for TOU. 

 Last night I sat in our Hot Tub for the first time in a while because of the cooler temperatures.  The Hot Tub felt relaxing.
 

Today I ran a mini tempo of 3 miles. First off I was up late replacing our Kitchen faucet.  It started leaking last night so I had to d an emergency repair, and go by a new one at Home Depot..  I spend a $100 on a new one, expensive but lifetime warranty.  I didn't get to bed until 11:30pm.  Basin Wrenches are wonderful for working under the sink. 

Okay back to the run enough about boring stuff.
I did a 2 mile warm-up(6:47, 6:35)  Then I started in the tempo (5:58) felt harder than it should have., but I think it's because I was tired, and my back was kind of sort.  Probably due to laying under the kitchen sink last night.  Next mile (5:42) I felt better and last mile (5:47) I went uphill for a ways on this one and it was a good effort for that last mile. Then I did one mile cool-down of (6:41).  Overall I'm pleased with the effort, but I do need to get some sleep these next few days.

Today I  ran 4.33 miles in a 6.47 pace.  I didn't really want to run this fast but it felt so easy.  I ran around the neighbor and up and over the overpass to get a little downhill and uphill in the run.  Nothing major. 

Ted, Steve if you want to go in on a hotel than I will, but I did accept to stay with Logan's parents if the offer is still there.   It would be great to hang around together before the marathon.

Easy run at 7am today for 4.1 miles at a 7:18 pace. I'll see everyone tonight at Paul's house.  I'm about ready to leave for Logan.  Thanks again Paul for letting me stay at your place.
 

What a nice day for a race. The weather wasn't bad the company of fast blogger runners was great. First off I wanted to thank Paul and his wife for allowing me to stay at their house it was a blessing. Also meeting Sasha, Steve, Cody, Jon, James, Logan, and Paul was a treat.

Sasha, Paul, and I all got up at 4:45, although I have to admit I was up at 4:00. I was so excited to run for some reason. Sasha was too, he was ready to box, and lucky for me I wasn't near him. Although, he might not have the body like Roy Jones he could out run him.

My initial intent for this race was to be somewhere under 2:50, since I really didn't want to push too hard after running a marathon two weeks ago. I made this decision during our warm-up before the race.

I felt really good in the race. I decided I would try to average between a 6:15 and 6:20 pace and that plan was a success.

I ran with Cody almost the whole race, and we had a good conversation going. Cody is an awesome guy. At the half-way point Cody and I checked in around 1:22, and I figured that under 2:50 was in the bag. I just didn't know by how much. I really did hold back quite a bit, but that's okay because St. George is coming. For a little bit Cody and I traded taking the pace, and that worked well. At Mile 18 I held back a little to go up the hill, and I feel now maybe that wasn't such a good idea. (mile 18 6:24, Mile 19 6:28 and Mile 20 6:39). I really felt strong until Mile 25 or 24 where I made a wrong turn and Cody yelled at me and got me going in the right direction. Who knows where I would have ended up, because the Cop patrolling the street wasn't paying attention and never saw me turn the wrong direction. If it wasn't for Cody yelling at me I would have ran a lot further today. But that stop and turn around kind of broke my pace and I felt some fatigue set in (Last two miles 6:31, and 6:31). It was good to see the finish line knowing that I broke 2:50.

My fuel strategy was about the same in this race like all the others. I drank water at almost all the aid stations and had a gel at mile 11, and mile 17. I think though it might have been a good idea to take another gel at mile 21 just to experiment what affect it would have.

Overall, I felt I could have ran faster but saving some for St. George I think was a better strategy for me.

For me the best part of this whole race/trip was meeting and talking to all the fast runner bloggers. I really feel I've gained some good friends.

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