Chris Rogers Training Log

Off from running.  The good news is that between yesterday and today I had one day scheduled off and only 5 miles that other day.  I thought I would have time to get a short one in today, but it just didn't happen.  Will get in workout tomorrow

PM... [Q] 9 miles total... [E] 2 mile warm-up INCLUDING 1/2 mile of speed builds.  Then 4x1mile mile with 400m recovery jog (~2 min).  Splits were...

Mile #1 5:37 (400m recovery)

Mile #2 5:37 (400m recovery)

Mile #3 5:35 (400m recovery)

Mile #4 5:36 (400m recovery)

Could have handled one more mile, but played it conservative considering I'm building mileage and its only my second workout back.  Was pretty pleased with how comfortable the pace was for where I thought I was at--didn't figure I would stay below 5:40 for all of the miles.  [E] 2 mile cool-down after.  Regular stretch.
 

AM... [E-Med] 8.4 mile run (56:07, 6:40 pace).  This run ended up being WAY TOO FAST.  After the workout yesterday, today should have been a slow pace.  Unfortunately I scheduled myself too many things today and tried to squeeze the run into a short period of time--for me an ingredient for running too quickly.  My legs could tell also, as they were pretty tired throughout the run.  We'll see how that bodes for the long run tomorrow--starting to build back toward respectability with a 14-miler.

AM... [E-Med.]14.5 mile long run (1:35:44, 6:36 pace). Felt pretty tired--both physically and as a result of sleep shortage. Maybe the lack of sleep didn't allow me to realize how quickly I was clipping along during this run. Ran the Farmington/Davis Justice Ctr loop. It was pretty decent temps (low 70's, but humid) and this loop has a fair amount of shade. Took about 16oz. of fluid throughout the run. Felt tired the first 2-3 miles and last 2-3 miles, but otherwise felt better than yesterday. Need to be sure to run SLOW tomorrow. Regular stretch after.  Got in 46.9 for the week--which is pretty decent considering I had two days off for the baby.

Scheduled day off from running.  Probably could have run since I had two days off last week, but I'm going to stick to my training plan in building mileage to prevent injury.

AM... 8 miles total.  [E] 2.1 mile warm-up including 800m of speed builds to U of U track at East High School.  Then 5x800m with 400m recovery (~2 min).  Workout went something like this...

800m #1 - 2:39 (400m recovery)

800m #2 - 2:39 (400m recovery)

800m #3 - 2:38 (400m recovery)

800m #4 - 2:38 (400m recovery)

800m #5 - 2:36, negative split 80-76 (400m recovery)

Overall I felt kind of dead--mostly tired though.  I guess new babies and irregular sleep patterns can really take it out of you.  Once I got rolling I was OK, but didn't feel great by any stretch--much more comfortable doing the mile repeats.  [E] 2.1 mile cool-down after, followed by regular stretch.

 

PM... [E] 5 mile run (35:15).  Dragging and very tired today.  Just got in, got out, and went to sleep.

AM... 10.25 miles total [E] 2 mile w/u including 800m of speed builds.  Then [Q]... 5x1 mile with 400m recovery (~2 min).  Workout went as follows...

Mile #1 - 5:36 (400m recovery)

Mile #2 - 5:31 (400m recovery)

Mile #3 - 5:32 (400m recovery)

Mile #4 - 5:29 (400m recovery)

Mile #5 - 5:28 (400m recovery)

Then [E] 2 mile c/d after.  Overall was very pleased with the workout.  The main goal was to add volume from last weeks workout and keep the pace roughly the same.  Instead I increased volume AND decreased the pace held.  My legs were pretty tired by the end of the workout, and I could feel the effort while cooling down, especially in my hamstrings (which haven't worked that hard in a while).  Regular stretch after. 

PM... [E] 9.9 mile run (66:43, 6:44 pace).  Davis Blvd/St Olaf/800W loop.  The trek up to Davis Blvd was brutal, and my legs were not happy about going uphill after yesterday's workout.  In general I had jello legs and didn't feel very good until about the last 15-20 minutes of the run.  I guess I know where I stand in recovering from workouts.  I need to adjust my schedule and go shorter tomorrow--I'm going to run the Garden of Eden 10 miler on Saturday and use it as a [M] pace training run.  Rope stretch after.

Off from running.  I had planned on something in the 6-8 range for today, but my legs feel absolutely toasted and tomorrow is another fairly big workout day (I'm using the Garden of Eden 10 miler as a [M] pace run).

AM... 16 miles total, which is what I had scheduled for my long run (I've built two miles per week for the last 3 weeks).  The plan for the "race" was to get up to Eden early and put in 4 miles prior to the race--around 6:40-:45 pace--run the "race" on marathon pace (and if I felt good maybe try to run a little faster the second half)--and finish up with another 2 miles after for 16 miles total.  I haven't done much tempo training since my injury, so I figured this race, which is pretty low key, would be a good barometer. 

When I got to Eden, I found out that none of the Weber State team would be running, and figured that even running only 6:00 pace I could be close to winning.  I ran 4 miles prior to the race on about 6:40-:45 pace, allowing myself only 5 minutes until the actual race started.  Right out of the gate, I was running alone and as I suspected, was able to do a controlled [M] pace run and was able to win the whole thing.  I got a little excited and ran too fast on the first mile (especially with my stated goal of running target [M] pace for St. George), but got back on pace after the first mile abberation.

I held 6:00 pace just as I planned, although there are a couple of hills involved that actually make the course a fair challenge and the effort may have been a bit harder than 6:00 pace.  There is a gradual climb from the start through mile 3, with the majority coming between mile 2 and 3 (approx. 400 feet total, about 300 feet between miles 2 and 3).  There is also another short hill around mile 7, that actually wasn't all that bad.  You can see the course and elevation at the following link... http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=145076  After the race I tacked on another 2 miles and did a regular stretch.

I was happy to run 10 miles of [M] pace in the middle of a 16 mile run.  I was fairly comfortable throughout, although I will admit the hills did feel pretty tough--not sure if thats a function of where I'm at fitness-wise, if the hills were really that tough, or if my third workout of the week caught up with me.  All-in-all, I was happy as I set out to do exactly what I wanted--10 miles of [M] pace and 16 total.  I missed a lot of mile markers, but here is what I did get...

Mile #1 - 5:28

Mile #2 - 5:55

Mile #3 - 6:52

Mile #4 - 6:01

Mile #5&6  - 12:05 (missed the 5 mile marker)

Mile #7&8 - 12:08 (missed the 7 mile marker)

Mile #9 - 5:46

Mile #10 - 5:48

AM... [E] 9.6 mile run (67:06, 6:59 pace).  Ran the Woods Cross/Mills Park/800W loop, plus a little.  I started out today planning only to go in the 5-7 range, but my legs didn't feel all that bad after yesterday's run, so decided to go a bit further.  This week I will start ramping up the mileage a bit as I think I finally have enough miles and  workouts under my belt to handle the increased volume--looking to be in the 63 to 70 mile range and then for sure 70 miles the week after (as always, pending on how my body responds--NO INJURIES!).  Good start to the week, and I was happy that I really didn't feel very beat up after yesterday's long run [M] pace run.  Regular and rope stretch after.

AM... [E] 7.2 mile run (49:38, 6:53 pace).  200W/Centerville/Orchard loop backwards.  Apparently Saturday's run caught up with me today.  For as good as I felt yesterday, I felt equally bad today.  My legs felt generally dead, hills felt difficult, and my L achilles starting bugging me at the end of the run.  I have a second run planned for this afternoon, but I can feel my achilles when I'm walking, so that is likely out.  The important thing is to keep on the workouts and long runs, so if I have to take a crosstrain today tomorrow, I'll do it.  Regular stretch after.

Off from running.  Probably could have gone, but my achilles is still bugging me a little, and at this point I'd rather play it safe and not run.  I'll try again on Wednesday evening, which will give me about 60 hours between runs.

PM... [E] 8.7 mile run (58:34, 6:43 pace).  I took off Tuesday and waited until tonight to run in an effort to alleviate problems with my achilles/lower calf that flared up on Monday.  I felt pretty good for most of the run, with no sharp pains, with a little bit of dull pain from time to time (though not much).  Didn't worry about the watch and ran a new route (WBtfl Lake/400N/Orchard) which helped to go off of feel.  Rope stretch after.  My lower calf/achilles actually bugged me more after the fact that during the run, so I stuck my lower leg in a bucket of ice again.  Will try a workout on the woodchip trail at Liberty tomorrow.  My mileage goal for the week will need to be readjusted--but not a big deal--I'd rather be healthy than hurt.

PM... 10.25 miles total. Unfortunately on the way to Liberty Park I got pulled over... along with 5 other people. If you're in the area of 9th and 9th--BE CAREFUL!!! The cops were standing behind signs, trees and cars along the side of the road to get speed readings coming down the hill by East HS. Yes--you read correctly--they were STANDING and then would step into the road and wave people over. I was pulled over with about 5 people, and as soon as I left, I saw them pull over another five cars.  Can't say as I've ever seen anything like it. Not a good start to the workout, but what can you do!?

Once at Liberty, [E] 2 mile warm-up, then 2x3 miles on woodchip trail around the park. Workout went as follows...

3 Mile #1 - 17:18 (5:45, 5:48, 5:45)

2:00 recovery jog

3 Mile #2 - 17:20 (5:52, 5:49, 5:39)

I was pretty much spent after this workout--but more in my legs than aerobically. I was a little disappointed to feel so dead at the end of it considering it was only 6 miles and the pace really wasn't all that fast. But I was happy to at least get this sort of workout in and it definitely shows how much work I have to do. My lower calf/achilles didn't really bug me very much, so hopefully staying on the soft surface will prove helpful. After did [E] 2 mile cool down.

AM... [E] 5 mile run (35:31, 7:06 pace).  Normal DT Bountiful loop.  Basically ran as my body felt and tried not to pay much attention to my watch.  Felt tired after yesterday's workout.  I stopped by Viewmont HS on the way home hoping to do about a mile's worth of speed builds (stride straights/jog turns), but got yelled at to get off the track after 800m.  Viewmont is putting in a new fieldturf field and they were putting the final touches on painting the field.  Apparently a 135 pound runner looping the track is an extreme threat to the welfare of the football field... I suppose I could have argued the merits of the football field construction being a waste of a good track for a summer, but elected to head home instead.  Light stretch after as I had to get to work.

AM... 18.75 Mile long run (2:02:35, 6:32 pace).  Drove up to Park City and basically did the PC marathon course--starting and finishing at the Kimball Junction Rec Center (minus the 3 mile loop over Hwy 40 and the section up to Deer Valley).  I chose the route mostly because I wanted to run the 1/2 marathon course (the last 6 miles of the run) which I'm running next weekend.  I borrowed Kyle's Garmin so knew exactly where I was on pace and mileage.  The weather was absolutely perfect--mid 60's to low 70's, overcast and light rain.  It came down a little harder up by Park City, but I couldn't have been happier for the rain and cooler temps.  The first 3-4 miles I felt a little sluggish, but started feeling better as I crossed Highway 40 and approached the Rail Trail.  Felt good from the rail trail up to Park City, and GREAT as I ran back down to Kimball Junction (but its downhill--you're supposed to feel good).  The average pace was pretty quick, but the last 5-6 miles or so are also downhill and I got rolling pretty good at some points.  Tried to just go off of feel, and had a couple miles dip into the mid 5:50's, but just wanted to do whatever my body felt like.  I was very happy with this run, especially after how tired I felt during my Thursday workout.  Was happy to get my mileage up to 60 this week without falling apart (there was only one minor concern early in the week), with all of the mileage coming in single runs with one day off.  Will try to stay in the 60-65 range for one more week before jumping up to 70.

AM... [E] 6.1 mile run (42:03, 6:53 pace).  Normal Bountiful DT loop, then stopped by Viewmont on the way home and did 1 mile of speed builds.  Felt a little dead the first 15-20 minutes, but OK afterward.  Rope stretch after.

Off from running.  This really wasn't planned, but today was the first day of school at the University of Utah which means this week will be absolutely crazy for me--today was just the beginning.  It will be a tough week to get everything in, but I'll have to make an effort to do what I can.

AM... [E] 9.2 mile run (61:03, 6:38 pace).  Bountiful HS/Davis loop.  Stopped at Bountiful HS (which is about 3 miles in) and did 1 mile of speed builds.  Continued the loop, and then stopped by Viewmont HS at the end and did another mile of speed builds.  Total run of 9.2 miles--felt great after--I think the change of pace in the middle really helped shake out my legs some.

PM... Workout at Liberty Park. Warm-up [E] 2 miles, then did 2x2 miles and 1x1 mile with 2:00 recoveries. Workout went like this...

2 Mile #1 - 11:16 (5:35, 5:41) 2:00 recovery

2 Mile #2 - 11:04 (5:29, 5:35) 2:00 recovery

1 Mile - 5:34

Had actually planned on 3x2 miles, but I was absolutely shot halfway through the third one. I probably should have pushed through--I'm lame.  The crazy work hours and Lucas not wanting to sleep very well is catching up with me--just learning how to juggle all this stuff as a first time dad I guess.

I started cooling down and Bill Cobler was running at Liberty Park as well, so we ran together for my cooldown--total of another 3 1/2 easy miles for me. When it was all said and done, ended up with 11 miles. Just like last week, the workout felt tough, but I accomplished my goal of running at a pace faster than last week's workout, with only 1 mile less of volume. Thats probably OK in the big picture since I'm running the PC 1/2 Marathon on Saturday which will get me a good workout between threshold and marathon pace (the plan is to run marathon pace up the hill, and open up on the way back down).

AM... [E-Med.] 8.3 mile run (55:15, 6:39 pace).  Huntsman/11th/City Creek loop.  Was only planning on doing the firestation and back, but felt pretty good and the weather was nice so did the full City Creek loop.  Felt pretty good for most of the run, although I was feeling pretty tired from yesterday's workout as I climbed back up 2nd avenue toward campus.

AM... [E] 5.4 mile run (38:18, 7:05 pace).  West Bountiful Lake.  Was completely out of it this morning--felt tired both physically and sleep-wise.  Hopefully I can catch up some this weekend, although the early start at the PC 1/2 marathon won't help much.  I'll have to take a nap in the afternoon!

AM... 21.2 miles.  Ran the Park City 1/2 Marathon, and then tacked on another 8 miles after to get in a "long run" for the day.  We got on the road a little later than I would have liked and as a result, I basically go no warm-up in at all.  That was actually OK by me, as I figured it would help me stick to the race plan.  The plan was to run the uphill portion of the course (which climbs from 6400ft at Kimball Junction to almost 7000 in a Park City neighborhood) close to 6:00 pace.  The course is an out and back, so the plan was to open up the pace on the way home and negative split the race and get a fair threshold run in as well.  Sasha asked at the start if I wanted to trade off on the lead, but I knew they would be going faster than I wanted--so stuck to my plan.  Out of the gate, Sasha, Jeff and Bob Thompson took the lead.  I basically sat in 4th place until around mile 5, when I finally caught up to Bob (I had been closing the gap for about 3 miles).  Bob and I hung together up the steepest hill section of the course, and then on the way back down as well until we crossed Old Ranch Road (around mile 10).  Once we crossed the 10 mile mark, I started to run fairly hard for a couple of miles a) to try to drop Bob and b) to continue to increase my effort for the planned workout.  I accomplished both a and b, and was very pleased with my effort.  This course is fairly tough and is not conducive to running fast at all.  The 600 foot climb at the PC elevation factors in, as well as all of the 90 degree turns (and these are true 90 degree turns) in the first 3 and last 3 miles of the course.  Despite these factors, I ran almost exactly as I wanted--out in close to 6:00 pace and back faster.  The thing I was most happy about was that I was able to throw in some faster miles, and they were on the downhill section of the course that was more gradual (so in theory I was doing a little more work than gravity). This is a great sign as I felt very comfortable and controlled--much better than at the Garden of Eden race two weeks ago.  I wound up finishing 3rd overall, behind Sasha and Jeff.

It was a good day for Wasatch Running Center, as we went 1-3-4-9-10. After the race I hydrated a little bit, and then got out for another 8 miles to hit 21.1 for the day.  Here's the whole race breakdown...

Mile #1 - 6:07 (still warming up--temps were 41 degrees at the start!)

Mile #2 - 5:51 (tried to make up for being a little slow on mile 1)

Mile #3 - 6:05 (Bob is starting to come back to me)

Mile #4 - 6:00 (still gaining on Bob)

Mile #5 - 5:59 (almost there)

Mile #6 - 6:19 (caught Bob, but the climbing is starting to get tough)

Mile #7 - 6:47 (the steepest section of the course)

Mile #8 - 5:36 (we're on our way down)

Mile #9 - 5:42 (holding steady, but dodging a lot of oncoming 1/2 marathoners)

Mile #10&11 - 11:10 (I missed the 10 mile marker, but judging on effort I was probably around 5:39 and 5:31, give or take as I started to build pace to break Bob)

Mile #12 - 5:18 (I had broken Bob a little on 10 & 11, so surged pretty hard in some of the blind turn areas to build a lead)

Mile #13 - 5:33 (almost there, and still very comfortable and controlled)

.1 - 26 (total time 1:16:59, 5:52 pace--great training run for SGM!)

Off from running.  This day was scheduled as either an easy 5 or off--depending on how I felt.  I actually felt OK, but I've been erring on the side of rest if needed and I've stayed relatively healthy as a result.

AM... 8.3 mile run (58:34, 7:03 pace). Jessie's Meadow/400N/Orchard loop. Just went out easy and tried not to worry about pace. Started out closer to 7:20-:30 pace, but gradually came down. Stopped at the Viewmont track on the way home and did 1 mile of speed builds. Felt pretty sluggish at the beginning, but very good by the time I did the last 400m. Light stretch after.

PM... Had planned on a second run, but the same achilles/lower calf thing I was feeling two weeks ago sprung up again.  Seems to keep happening 2 days after long run. 

Off from running.  Partially as a result of too many meetings and busy work schedule, partially because I didn't want to have my achilles flare up (it worked taking a day off two weeks ago).  Healthy = continued training.

AM... 11 miles total.  Warm-up 1.8 miles plus 800m of of speed builds (2.3 mile total w/u).  Then tackled the same workout as last week... 3x2 miles w/2:00 recovery.  A couple of goals for the workout... a) stay around 5:35 pace--probably the best pace I could expect for a 1/2 marathon currently, b) try to stay even or negative split each mile in each interval, and c) come down on each interval total time. Workout went as follows...

2 Mile #1 - 11:10 (5:36, 5:34), 2:00 recovery

2 Mile #2 -  11:12 (5:36, 5:36), 2:00 recovery

2 Mile #3 - 11:06 (5:34, 5:32), 2:00 recovery

 I was dragging a little bit on 2 mile #2, but came back better on 2 mile #3.  I was pretty pleased with the workout, as I pretty much felt as though I was sleepwalking through the whole thing.  When you're feeling like that and can get through it, all is well.  2 mile cool down after.

PM... [E] 5 mile run (34:05, 6:49 pace).  Just easy second shake-out run.  It was later than I had hoped for, but at least I got it in.  Legs were a little sore from earlier today. Rope stretch after.

Yet another day off.  Running has not been fun this week.  It has basically been a project just to find time to get it in--plus, Lucas has decided that he has no interest in sleeping at night.  Not a good combo for training.

AM... [E] 8.1 mile run (54:37, 6:44 pace).  Huntsman/Sugarhouse full loop.  Felt absolutely miserable this morning.  Slept about 3 hours or so and was completely dragging.  Glad to get the run in, but I need to catch up on sleep this weekend.  Hopefully the long weekend will help out in that department.

PM... [E] 5 mile run (no watch).  W Btfl/400N/200W loop.  Just ran easy and didn't worry about time.  It sure felt slow, but not too concerned about it--just needed to get miles in.