Chris Rogers Training Log

AM... [E] 5 mile run (32:41).  Pace was fairly quick--had to pick up Kate at airport.  Felt pretty good--plan on another run in afternoon.

PM... [E] 6.1 mile run (39:49).  Pace a little quicker than I wanted, but didn't feel terrible.  Legs a little tired toward the end of run.  Go very easy tomorrow.  Stretch after. 

OK All... since I'm running on the Marathon GIS team for the Wasatch Back relay I figured I better join the group and get my training log on Sasha's website. Plus, it'll be a good motivational tool to stay sharp. I took an entire week off after Boston, and last week put in around 38 miles, so I'm starting to build back up where I need to be. This week is the beginning of throwing in some speed work again since I'm running the 1/2 at Ogden in a few weeks. I know I have the aerobic base from my Boston run--just need to tack a little speed on. Glad to be part of the group! Also--I run my training weeks Monday to Sunday--anyway to change that on our individual calendars?

AM... [E] 6.3 mile run (43:53). Concentrated on keeping pace VERY easy and comfortable. Stopped @ Viewmont and did 2x200 for some turnover (33-34). Light stretch after.

PM... Push-up pyramid to 8 

Off - Scheduled day off. 

 PM... Did push-up pyramid to 9

Since this is the first workout day since Boston, I wanted to do a little speed work but not completely blowout my legs.

AM Run... [Q] 8.3 miles total (55:53). Warmed-up to Viewmont HS then 800m of speed builds (jog curve, stride the straightaway) prior to workout--total warm-up was around 2.65 miles. Decided on 5x800m with 200m recovery (~70 second slow jog). Workout went as follows...

800m #1 - 2:32

800m #2 - 2:35

800m #3 - 2:38

800m #4 - 2:37

800m #5 - 2:38

The first two intervals were quicker than they should have been--could have been because I had to deal with the Viewmont track team practicing at the same time. The effort really wasn't that difficult and I probably could have comfortably done three more 800's. Getting to 10 would have been doable, but tougher. Cooled down 800m @ Viewmont then same route home.  Light Stretch after.

PM Run... [E] 4.8 mile run (31:36).  Pace was a little quicker than I would have liked--probably should have worn a HR monitor to keep it easier.  Legs were tired after run--go easy tomorrow.  Stretch after.

PM Run... [E] 8.55 mile run (57:00). Well, so much for an easy recovery day. I ran the 8.3 mile Huntsman to City Creek loop with Kyle. We maintained a pretty steady pace until we turned back toward campus on 2d Avenue. We pushed the hills up 2d Ave--probably around 6:10 pace--definitely tough by the time we hit the U golf course, especially on the heels of a workout yesterday (even if it wasn't very long). Did 4 XC strides on soccer field after which tacks on about another .25--call it 8.5 for the day. Stretch.

Off for no good reason, other than I felt like it.  The beauty of slowly building up after a marathon.

AM... [Q] 10.9 miles (1:12:07).  W/u to Viewmont HS plus 800m of speed builds.  The weather was pretty decent during the warm-up and first set of 1200-400, but then started to get nasty in a hurry.  Rain/sleet/snow mix for most of the workout and wind picked up to about 15-20mph on the backstretch.  The workout was 4x(1200-400) w/200m recovery after 1200's and 600m recovery after 400's.  Considering how crappy the weather was, I was very happy with the workout and stayed right on my goal pace (5:20 pace for 1200's, 4:48 for 400's).   Workout splits were as follows...

1200 #1 - 4:00

400 #1 - 72

1200 #2 - 4:01

400 #2 - 72

1200 #3 - 3:59

400 #3 - 72

1200 #4 - 4:00

400 #4 - 72 

Legs could definitely feel effort on last couple 400's.  Cooled down 800m at the track and then c/d back home.  I was very pleased with the workout since I stayed right on the splits I wanted to hit--even more so because of the dreary conditions.

AM... [E] 11 mile run (1:11:16). Steady state run--pace was definitely quicker than I had planned, but I felt great! Hills up to Davis Blvd by St. Olaf Church were tough, but still pushed through them because I was feeling good. Need to go very easy tomorrow to be ready for workout on Tues or Weds. Need to be sure to only do one easy run or I'm going to start down the injury path again.

Since I run my calendar Mon-Sun, I'll just list my weekly mileage every Sunday...

Week of April 30 to May 6 = 50 miles (5 days)  Not bad for my second week back after Boston

AM... [E] 6.2 mile run (43:05).  Ran easy through Centerville to Viewmont Track.  Did 800m on track w/2x200m (34-34) just to loosen up a little bit.  Good job of keeping run easy and under control.  I'm not going to bring my shoes to work or I'll be tempted to do a second run w/Kyle.

PM... [Q] 7.8 miles (52:38).  Had planned on workout of 3-2-1 miles w/2:00 rest and decreasing pace.  Had absolutely NOTHING in my legs and couldn't hold a pace that should have been fairly easy.  Ended up only doing 2 miles (11:33) and 1.5 miles (8:36) and felt completely spent.  Looking back at my log, I'm an idiot b/c it was an attempt at my 4th more up-tempo/workout type run in 7 days--not a good plan.  I think the combo of the tough hill day last Thursday with the workout on Saturday definitely took something out of my legs.  I'll plan to take tomorrow off and do easy miles until Saturday--use Race for the Cure 5K as a workout.  After that we'll see if I do one more workout before the Ogden 1/2 Marathon or not.

Off--I wasn't planning on taking today off until yesterday's debacle of a workout.  Aerobically I was fine, but my legs absolutely would not go.  Maybe it was moving to the woodchip trail at Liberty Park from the track, or maybe the effort over the past 6 days.  Either way, I'm playing it safe so I'm not completely worthless at Ogden.

Lunch... [E] 8.1 mile run (54:05).  Even after day off, felt absolutely miserable.  It was warm, but not terrible.  My legs just feel absolutely toasted.  I need to get in a better habit of throwing the HR monitor on to avoid pushing to fast which I have a tendency to do when running alone.  On top of that, I've lost some weight in the last week or two and I'm down to 128-129--way too low for me.  Still planning on Race for the Cure 5K on Saturday, but may not race it--need to be careful so I can get my legs bounce back by Ogden.  I don't want another disaster like Moab this year.  Went to training room after and learned some lower leg strengthening exercises.

AM... [E] 5 mile run (37:25).  Wore HR monitor to keep things easy.  Tried to stay below 140 for most of the run, averaged 138.  I'm a little concerned that my HR was that high for such an easy run--maybe I'm trying to fight off illness and that is why my last 3-4 days of training have been so poor.  Still planning on Race for the Cure tomorrow, then a sort of "mini-taper" for Ogden.

AM... [R] Race for the Cure 5K 17:02 (5:29 pace). Was 4th overall, 3rd in Division. I knew that I didn't have much anaerobic capacity, but that didn't stop me from going out in 5:08--a bad idea. I basically trailed Steve, Nate and Darrell by about 10m and tried to maintain that contact for the first mile to not completely be out of the mix. I would have been smarter to stick to my original plan and just try to run 5:20 pace straight through. Based on my workouts if I would have tried to run even I probably could have held pace. Instead, by going out to fast I started going anaerobic fairly early on and just had to hold things together for the last 1 1/2 miles. Last two miles were 5:35 and 5:46--nothing special at all. I caught Darrell around 1 1/4 and we pushed together for another 1/4 or so until I surged ahead. Darrell caught me with about 1/2 mile to go and I just didn't have anything to push any harder. Was a good workout, but need to run smarter when I don't have any anaerobic conditioning. Ran 3 miles warm-up and another 3 3/4 cool down for a total of 9.85 on the day.

Off - Had to get up at 4:00am, to the airport, and meetings in Denver until around 9:30pm.  LONG day.

AM... [E] 6.4 mile run (43:06) in Denver.  Ran along a little stream on paved bike path.  Not a bad run overall, although I was a little tight since I didn't run Sunday on the heels of the 5K on Saturday.  Concentrate on getting some easy runs in this week before Ogden on Saturday--an easy week without any sort of workout leading up to Ogden was pretty effective last year.

Off - another crazy meeting day and also travel back to SLC.

PM... [Q] 6.7 mile run (43:27).  2.6 mile warm-up down to Liberty Park from Huntsman Center.  Then did one loop (~1.5 miles) on the woodchip trail at up-tempo pace (8:25).  Effort felt kind of tough and my hamstrings were tight, but I guess thats what I get for the sporadic running during the NCAA conference I was at.  Cool down back up to campus, which was much slower with the uphill.  Didn't feel very good overall, but hopefully a couple easy days on Thursday and Friday will loosen me up and get me ready to go for the Ogden 1/2 Marathon on Saturday.

PM... [E] 5.5 mile run (37:05).  Ran normal 5 mile loop through DT Bountiful.  Stopped at Viewmont HS on the way home and did 800m of speed builds.  My legs felt like crap for the entire run, and even the speed builds didn't do a whole lot for me.  Took my time stretching after and that seemed to help my legs feel a little better.  Hopefully the "dead leg syndrome" will go away for Ogden on Saturday. 

AM... [E] 4.9 mile run (34:04).  W Bountiful loop via Parrish Lane.  They're doing all kinds of construction on what used to be a great gravel road.  My legs still weren't great, but felt better than yesterday.  Spent quite a bit of time stretching after the short shake-out run since that seemed to help yesterday.  Again, I felt better after stretching, so may do so again tonight. 

 Kyle got into the 1/2 marathon, so he and I will run.  Not sure who else will be there--Darrell told me today that a new member of the Wasatch Running Center team will be there--Matt Harmer.  We'll see how it goes... my legs have to feel better than they have the last two weeks or I won't even break 1:14.
 

AM... [R] Ogden 1/2 Marathon (1:14:56) (5:43 pace).  Wasatch Running Center had a great day for those keeping tabs.  In the 1/2 marathon, WRC runners went 2-3-4 and in the full marathon WRC runners went 1 and 6. 

Kyle picked me up and we were out the door to Ogden by 4:00am.  Got there quicker than we thought, sat around for 30 minutes then hopped on the bus to the start line--we were out to the start by around 5:45.  The bus situation was MUCH smoother than last year, so props to the Ogden organizers for fixing that glitch.  Kyle and I warmed up an easy 10 minutes, then I tacked on another 6 minutes to stay a little bit loose.  At the start line I met Matt Harmer (a new Wasatch Running Center teammate), Scott Browning and Dustin Ence--its always nice to put faces with names--especially those of you on the blog who share such valuable training information.  Matt wanted to go out in the 5:20 range, Kyle and I wanted to be more in the 5:40 range, so we compromised and went somewhere in between.  With how my legs have felt the last two weeks and how poor some of my workouts have been, I figured if I was between 1:13:30 and 1:14:30 I could consider it a pretty decent day.

Out of the gate, the leader and eventual winner, Peter Vail hammered us.  He took off was up 20m in the first 1/4 mile, and we had no intention of following.  Instead, Matt, Kyle and myself packed up and worked together.  We hit the first mile in 5:33 and followed up with a 5:50 second mile--probably a bit of an overcorrection for the quicker first mile.  We settled in for the next couple of miles along Pineview Reservoir, when I realized I was in trouble.  My hamstrings started really tightening up around 4 1/2 miles--a problem I've had quite a bit of the last two weeks.  When Matt and Kyle started pulling away, I basically had nothing to go with them.  I tried to surge a couple of times coming down the canyon to make up ground, but they surged just as hard.  I could see the two of them trading off for a bit, and Kyle said after the race that Matt got away from him at about 8 or 9 miles. 

As for me, with how my legs were feeling I concentrated on trying to stay around or just below 5:40 pace to run at least somewhat respectable.  I was able to hang tough until we came out of the canyon and my legs had had about enough of running hard for the day.  My last three miles were completely terrible, even though I tried pushing a little bit harder at certain points to see if I could "liven up" a little bit.  That didn't happen, and my final time suffered as a result.  All in all though, it wasn't that bad considering how frustrating my training has been the last two weeks or so.  I'm thinking I need to get in for a massage this week to help me loosen up a little bit and get my legs back under me.  I'll probably take Sunday and Monday off before getting back at it.  All in all, the race was OK--the time wasn't that far off where I figured I would be based on my workouts, and aside from the last three miles I ran fairly smart and stayed mentally in the race.  After the race Kyle and I cooled down another 10 minutes.  Splits were as follows...

Mile 1 - 5:33

Mile 2 - 5:50

Mile 3 - 5:33

Mile 4 - 5:40

Mile 5 - 5:25

Mile 6 - 5:40

Mile 7 - 5:45

Mile 8 - 5:37

Mile 9 - 5:35

Mile 10 - 5:28

Mile 11 - 5:52

Mile 12 - 6:06

Mile 13.1 - 6:43

Off -- Legs were feeling crappy after Ogden 1/2 marathon and in general I was tired from getting up early on Saturday, racing and working on various house projects the rest of the day on Saturday.

Off... Another planned day off after the Ogden 1/2 Marathon.  Planning to just run easy for this week, then do one workout and the Salt Lake 10-miler next week.

PM... [E] 5.8 mile run (38:13).  Run from Huntsman to 11th Ave Firestation to H street and back.  Just went nice and easy--didn't worry about pace at all.  Quads still a little sore, but overall my legs felt pretty good.  Got in a good stretch after the fact.  Get in another easy run tomorrow and then maybe two runs on Thursday.

Had an insane day at work and then baby class at night... just ran out of time to get anything in today.

AM... [E] 5 mile run (35:31). Went out with intention of doing Bountiful HS/Davis Blvd loop, but my quads were still sore. They're fine just walking around, but as I get into runs they're still feeling the after-effects of Ogden. I don't know how all you downhill junkies do it--my legs just don't bounce back quickly from downhill runs. Good stretch with the rope after.

PM... [E] 5.75 mile run (37:32).  Another easy run... quads felt much better than this morning.  Slight soreness still, but hopefully some of these easy runs will help get rid of whatever is left.  Good stretch after. 

PM... [E] 8.6 mile run (55:40, 6:28 pace). I actually felt pretty fresh today even though it was warm and a course I haven't run before. I guess I usually tend to run faster when I don't know where the heck I'm going though--need to learn to control the urge to push when it isn't necessary. Did a loop out past the landfill around a small lake, through West Bountiful and back home. Not much of stretch after--had to pick up my parents from the airport.

AM... [E] 8.2 mile run (53:10, 6:29 pace).  Planned on running up to Bountiful HS, Davis Blvd then Viewmont HS.  Plan was to do 1 mile of speed builds (averaging out to marathon pace) at each high school.  Was able to do the speed builds at Bountiful, but apparently Viewmont is replacing their football field and the whole area is a disaster and fenced off--no more workouts at Viewmont for a while I guess.  Pace was pretty close to yesterday, and I felt more sluggish and legs were definitely tired after the uphills.  Overall, a pretty decent run, but should probably be sure to keep the pace in check tomorrow.  Good stretch after.

AM... [E] 10.1 mile run (65:02, 6:26 pace).  "Long run," or at least starting to build back toward log runs after  Boston and Ogden 1/2.  Pace was even quicker than the last two days, but the route is board flat for the first 5 1/2 miles.  Went along gravel road by Salt Lake, then up through Farmington looping back through Centerville.  My legs are starting to feel the mid-6:00 pace I've been pushing the last three days, so I need to make tomorrow nice, easy and slow(er).  Rope stretch after.

AM... [E] 6 mile run (40:17, 6:42 pace).  Easy run w/normal Bountiful/Main loop and tacked on distance to Porter Lane.  Pace definitely felt easier, though still a bit sluggish.  Hopefully the slow pace will help me bounce back a little tomorrow.  GREAT stretch after.

AM... [E] 8.3 mile run (54:42, 6:35 pace). Dropped my parents off at the airport, headed in to work early and ran the Huntsman/Sugarhouse loop plus a little extra. Felt great, and the weather this morning was absolutely perfect. Cool enough for a long sleeve t-shirt, but who can complain--I wish the 10-miler would have been this morning! Pace felt comfortable and didn't have any real soreness that I was feeling on Sunday. Hopefully I've finally got all of Ogden out of my legs. Good stretch after again.

PM... [E] 4.8 mile run (32:39, 6:48 pace).  Nice easy run around Sunnyside Park and FB Complex with Kyle--stayed on grass as much as possible since Kyle's calf has been bugging him.  Easily within conversational pace and a good second run for the day.  Can't beat the weather!

PM... [E] 5.6 mile run (37:45, 6:44 pace).  Another crazy busy day.  Had to get to work early and had baby class at night.  As a result, had to squeeze a run in between the end of work and class.  Wanted to go a little longer, but time didn't allow for it.  Run was similar to yesterday, tried to stay on grass and soft surfaces as much as possible.  Legs felt a little sluggish again.  Short stretch after.

Off... I only wanted to get in around 50-55 this week, and realized that with Friday and the race on Saturday I'd be creeping up to 60+ with a run today.

AM... [E] 5 mile run (33:38, 6:43 pace).  Easy run on the normal Bountiful main street loop.  Stopped at Viewmont on the way home and did 5x100m strides.  Felt very sluggish for the first 15-20 minutes, and then started feeling good.  Maybe I'm actually becoming a marathoner if it actually takes me 20 minutes to start feeling good!

 Planning on the Salt Lake 10-miler tomorrow.  I got an e-mail from Sports-Am saying the race is down in numbers but "distinguished."  Not quite sure what that means, but hope to see some of you out there!
 

AM... [R] Salt Lake 10-miler (56:45, 5:40 pace).  This one could be classified as a lack-luster performance on my part.  Just as with Ogden, I didn't feel comfortable starting around 5 miles, and basically starting tracking on 5:40ish pace (give or take).  It seems like most everyone else did the same--the time between each of the first four runners and their final finish was essentially the same at mile 6 as it was at the finish (or pretty close anyway).  The first two miles are uphill before turning into Emigration Canyon and going down for the last 8.  The first mile wasn't too bad as far as inclines in Utah go, but the second mile was definitely a challenge.  Mike Kirk and I were hanging around each other for the first two miles and both of us ran around 6:40 for the second mile.  Once we turned toward the downhill Mike bolted past me and was hoping I would come along--after the race he said it was a lot faster than he had wanted and didn't realize it until the mile marker... I came through in 5:26 for that mile.  The 4th mile was my fastest, and sounded like that was the consensus among others as well.  It was also about the point that Chad came tearing by me.  He was rolling--I ran a 5:03 and he still went by me like it was nothing.  After passing me, Chad put some distance on me, and I essentially ran alone, trying to hold 5:40's for the rest of the race.  Although I didn't race that well, Wasatch Running Center was stellar as always... going 1-3-4-5-6 in the race.  Just missed the sweep!

Considering I've done absolutely no workouts since Ogden I can't be overly disappointed with my performance.  I do think I was in better shape last year at this point, and for some reason just haven't felt very comfortable with faster runs since Boston (both races and workouts)--I need to figure that out.  I may need a more extended break--but not until after Wasatch Back Relay.  Here's the splits for those interested... 

Mile #1 - 5:40

Mile #2 - 6:40

Mile #3 - 5:26

Mile #4 - 5:03

Mile #5 - 5:18

Mile #6 - Missed the Marker

Mile #7 - 11:30 (for 6 and 7, 5:45avg)

Mile #8 - 5:42

Mile #9 - 5:48

Mile #10 - 5:35

Warmed up about 2 miles with Mike and then cooled down with the WRC runners VERY SLOWLY--1 mile max. 

PM... [XT] Did a one hour hike with the dog on the trail up by the Bountiful Temple.  Was a good evening for a hike as it was cloudy and the heat wasn't too bad--also a good break from running after yesterday's downhill 10-miler.  The only problem was I chose a trail which was several downhill for about 3/4 of a mile on the way back to the car--quads weren't too happy with me.  Back at it tomorrow...

PM... [E] 8.4 mile run (54:33, 6:29 pace).  Did the 800W Btfl/1500S/Orchard Drive Loop (I'm starting to track all my routes on allsportgps.com).  The goal for the run was to not worry about pace at all--just go as I felt and not look at my watch at all.  It's amazing how quickly the pace can drop when you're not worry about it.  I actually felt pretty good, and the heat wasn't terrible since it was mostly cloudy outside.  Good stretch after.

L... [E] 8.3 mile run (53:54, 6:29 pace).  Huntsman/2nd Ave/City Creek/11th Ave Loop.  Was warm and windy, with the wind picking up as the run continued.  Started out feeling OK early in the run, but after the downhill section my back starting bothering me a lot--I actually had to back off some when I got up to 11th Avenue because it was becoming more painful.  Not sure what that was about, but tried some heat during the evening which seemed to help some.  Probably will take tomorrow off since it still hurt walking around during the evening.

Off...  My back is feeling a little better today, but still sore.  I'm thinking I'll try to get back at it tomorrow, but try to stay on flat routes for the remainder of the week.

PM... [E] 8.25 mile run (53:14, 6:27 pace).  200W/Centerville/Orchard/Viewmont Loop.  Started out very easy and slow--close to 7:00 pace, and continued to build throughout the run.  Felt sluggish and off during the beginning of the run, but felt better as the run continued.  Didn't really want the pace to be 6:27, but tried to just go off of feel and not worry too much about overall pace.  Stretch w/rope after.

PM... [E] (48:45, 6:43 pace).  I'm taking the advice of Sasha and Paul and making an effort to get my "easy" days under control.  From now on, I'm becoming a physiology geek and strapping on the HR monitor to make sure I don't go much above 75% of max HR on easy days.  Theoretically my max HR should be 191, but I'm figuring I'm probably closer to the 193-195 range.  Therefore, trying to keep the avg. HR for the run at or under 150.  Today was the first HR monitor day and avg. 148 for the run, and I could definitely tell the difference from what I've been doing on my former so called "easy" days.  I sure hope this helps!  Rope stretch after.

AM... [E] 9.75 mile run (68:08, 6:59 pace).  Woods Cross/Mill Park/800W loop plus another .25.  HR monitor worked its magic again and kept the pace easy--HR avg 147 for the entire run.  Amazingly enough I've actually felt good on my runs the past two days (imagine that).  It actually felt like I was holding back today and was working my rear off to keep the HR monitor under 150.  Some of the run back toward Bountiful is uphill, which was part of why my HR started creeping up.  For those of you who regularly use a HR monitor--how do you factor hills into your HR avg on easy days?  For instance, if I do an easy run with lots of hills, your HR will obviously be higher.  So... do you just back off the pace to keep your HR low even though it becomes incredibly easy--or do you keep the pace roughly the same and let your HR go higher and just realize that the increased effort is because of the hills on that portion of the run?  I'm still figuring out how best to utilize the HR monitor on easy days, so any insight is appreciated!

PM... [E] 5.8 mile run (41:09, 7:05 pace).  Avg. HR was 151.  W Btfl/400N/Main St Loop.  Easy run to start the week.  Was about 85 when I headed out the door, but didn't feel too bad.  HR was probably a little high based on temp and slight uphill, but as some of you recommended the other day, I'm going to try to use the HR monitor as more of a guideline to keep easy runs under control and not worry about specific readings (e.g., I don't want to jump up to 170).  Planning on three workouts between now and Wasatch Back, and then its into the St. George Training Plan.

PM... [E] 8.3 mile run (57:15, 6:53 pace).  Avg. HR 155. Huntsman to Liberty Park, 2 loops around the outside on the grass, then back to Huntsman.  The hill on the way back really beat me up--HR was as high as 178 after reaching East HS.  Probably a little tough to be called a true easy day, but just looking to keep mileage up until I start up for St. George the first week of July.

Off

PM... [Q] 7.3 mile run (47:29, 6:20 pace).  Up in Park City after work meetings.  Had to squeeze a quick workout in between the meetings and baby class.  Ran 12 minute warm-up from park, up toward PC on 224 trail.  Then 4 x 4 minutes [T] pace (which at this point is comfortably hard--didn't worry about pace, just went on feel) with 3 minutes recovery.

L... [E] 6 mile run (41:21, 6:52 pace).  This run was harder than the pace actually looks.  Started at Willow Creek Park on Old Ranch Road again, but went toward mountains on the East which had a pretty good climb thrown in.  Footing was uneven and rough.  Legs felt the pounding a little bit on the way back.

Off

AM... [Q] 10 mile run (64:00, 6:24 pace).  Very hot out and didn't feel all that great, but managed to keep run fairly quick.  Warmed up 15 minutes then 3 x 4 minutes [T] pace.  Easy for a little stretch and then tried to build a quick, steady pace (although a little slower than [M] pace) for the rest of the run.  Very dehydrated when done--should have got out the door earlier.

AM... 11.5 mile long run (1:18:20, 6:48 pace) in Park City with Kyle.  Started at Kimball Junction and ran up 224 trail to Kearns Blvd.  Looped back on west side of trail and back through Willow Creek to Kimball Junction.  Good run--felt much better than yesterday.  Stretch after.

PM... [E] 5 mile run (34:43, 6:54 pace).  Nice easy run, didn't worry about pace--just went off of feel.  I'm getting better at keeping the easy runs truly "easy."  Stretch after.

PM... [E] 7.5 mile run (51:34, 6:52 pace).  Had planned on a workout, but a) wasn't very motivated and b) wasn't very motivated.  Instead just did an easy run.  Will plan on doing a progressive run tomorrow.  Next week starts the St. George program.

PM... [E] 7.2 mile run (47:58, 6:39 pace).  Bad news folks... Today's plan was to warm-up 15 minutes and then progressively decrease pace down to around 5:40ish.  Well, about 3 or 4 minutes into building, I started to feel a shooting pain in my left hamstring by where the tendons connect to the outside of the knee.  Not good timing for the Wasatch Back Relay.  I tried to keep some sort of pace on the run, but it definitely affected my stride length--felt almost like when you start locking up really bad at the end of a marathon.  I'll keep taking advil the next two days, and will try to stay on the flat tonight to not aggravate it any further.  Light stretch with rope after.

PM... 3 mile run (20:48, 6:56 pace).  Went down to Liberty Park to stay on the woodchip path and try to avoid aggravating my hamstring situation any further.  I ended up bailing a little over 20 minutes because my hamstring remaining extremely sore.  I tried stretching, but that seemed to further compound the problem.  I'll keep icing and taking advil and hope for the best at the Wasatch Back Relay this weekend.

PM... 15.71 mile run over 3 legs. I was runner #3 of the MarathonGIS.com relay team, so I ran leg #'s 3, 15 and 27.  Here's the synopsis of each...

LEG #3 (5.66 miles, 34:20, 6:03 pace)...
I received the wristband from Dustin Ence, who unfortunately ended up following a BYU runner off-course. Dustin's Garmin said that he had tacked on about an extra mile or so, so we figured we gave up around 6 minutes. All in all that wasn't a huge deal--only one team passed us (Runner's Corner--a mixed team). I took off a little bit hard for the first couple of miles to try to catch the BYU and Runner's Corner runners. I caught both of them about 2 to 2 1/2 miles into my leg--maybe a little too hard for a couple of reasons... 1) it was way hot and 2) my hamstring that has been bothering me since Wednesday was still not feeling good. After catching those two I continued to put distance on them, and by the exchange zone we had moved into 2nd place overall and gapped BYU and Runner's Corner by 2 minutes and change (maybe 3, I can't really remember). My pace had slowed down significantly and I was off my projected pace of 5:58, but considering the heat and how my hamstring felt--I'll take it.

LEG #15 (4.95 miles, 29:53, 6:02 pace)...

I was a little worried about this leg.  My hamstring was really bothering me after the first leg, and I wasn't too sure how it would hold up for the rest of the relay.  I asked the guys in the van to make sure they didn't get out in front of me by much more than 1 mile.  The temperature was a cool 47 degrees, but after the earlier legs there were no complaints from me.  My hamstring hurt quite a bit, but I figured if I could at least hold around 6:00 pace I wouldn't be too disappointed.  I was able to do that and handed off to Cody for a blazing 5K.

LEG #27 (5.1 miles 30:53, 6:03 pace)...

I was hoping to run a bit faster on this leg as there was quite a bit of downhill.  However, the downhill really aggravated my hamstring and I had to back off the pace quite a bit to hold things together.  I managed to hold roughly the same pace as the first two legs, but that pace was 2:00 slower than we had projected.  Aerobically this leg felt entirely easy, my hamstring just was not allowing me to push myself any faster.

I loved meeting everyone and being part of the team, and would love to do this again next year!  Hopefully I'll be healthy and be able to make a little bit more of a meaningful contribution so we can drop our time even lower.


 

Ragnar Relay... see Friday entry

Off... Recovery from WBR, and hopefully some healing for the hamstring.

Off... Bad news.  I went and saw the athletic trainers at the U of U this afternoon to have them take a look at my hamstring.  There is visible swelling and the back of my leg is starting to get black and blue.  Based on those symptoms and my demonstrated range of motion, they believe I have a second degree tear of my biceps femoris.  Not good.  Basically I'll be on the icing/compression plan for the next 3-4 days, and then may be able to throw in electro-stim after that.  They recommended not running for 2-3 weeks, but will also re-evaluate as I continue treatment.  Looks like I'm going to be on a steady cross-training diet here for the next couple of weeks--I'll look at it as an opportunity to work on upper body strength as well!

Off from running (injured). Did 6 exercise ab circuit, 65 second per exercise w/15 seconds rest.

Off from running (injured).

Off from running (injured). Did 6 exercise ab circuit, 65 second per exercise w/15 seconds rest.

Treatment @ U of U included heat, ultrasound (3.0 for 7:00), massage, stretch, light leg curls with both legs, 2x5 bridges on stability ball and electro stim/ice (21 for 15:00).
 

Off from running (injured).

Treatment @ U of U included heat, ultrasound (3.0 for 7:00), massage, stretch, 1 set of light leg curls with both legs, 2x5 sets of light single leg curls, 2x5 bridges on stability ball, heel slides w/left leg on stool and electro stim/ice (22 for 15:00).

Off from running (injured).  Yesterday's rehab was too much for the hamstring--it was not happy today with increased swelling and occasional shooting pain.  Will need to back off more on Monday.

AM... Lift @ club.
Chest Press (machine) 2x10 (95#)
Shoulder Press (machine) 2x10 (45#)
Incline Press (machine) 2x10 (60#)
Pullovers (machine) 2x10
Curls 2x10 (45# straight bar)
Tricep Extension 2x10 (40# dumbbell)
Upright row 2x10 (45# straight bar)
Reverse Flys 2x10 (5# plates)
Seated row 2x10 (90#)

PM...
Did 6 exercise ab circuit, 65 second per exercise w/15 seconds rest.

Off from running (injured).  Hamstring is less inflamed today, but still has some pain.  Rehab again tomorrow.

Off from running (injured).

AM... Treatment at U of U. Went a little more conservative today, and did ultrasound, massage, good stretch, 2x30 leg curls with light weight (both legs) followed by electro stim and ice for the last 20:00. Felt pretty good walking out of the training room--we'll see how the hammy responds throughout the day.

PM...
Lift @ club.
Bench Press 2x8 (95#)
Shoulder Press (dumbbell) 2x10 (20#)
Flys (dumbbell) 3x10 (15#)
Reverse Flys (dumbbell) 3x10 (8#)
Curls 3x10 ( 1 set 45# straight bar, 2 sets 50# straight bar)
Tricep Extension 3x10 (40# dumbbell)
Upright row 3x10 (45# straight bar)
Seated row 2x10 (90#)

Did 3 exercise ab circuit, 65 second per exercise w/15 seconds rest.

Off from running (injured).

AM... Treatment at U of U.  The results of yesterday's treatment wer much better than Friday's so we worked a little harder today.  Did ultrasound, massage, good stretch, 1x40 then 2x30 leg curls with light weight (both legs), as well as 3x30 extensions on hip flexor machine.  Followed by electro stim and ice for the last 20:00 at 18.  Starting to feel better, but still no running.  Rather be cautious than jump back too soon and make matters worse.

Off from running (injured).

Off from running (injured).

Off from running (injured).

Off from running (injured).

Off from running (injured).

Off from running (injured).

Off from running (injured).

Off from running (injured).

Off from running (injured).

Off from running (injured).

Off from running (injured).

AM... 5 mile run (35:45, 7:09 pace). Back at it!!! Its been three weeks since I last ran and have been working hard at the rehab, strengthening my hamstrings and working on flexibility. This week will be very easy (so long as hamstring pain doesn't return) and the start of building toward regular training again.

AM... 5.8 mile run (39:43, 6:50 pace).  Out the door early.  Legs actually felt better than yesterday's run, with no hamstring pain.  Still need to be conservative and keep the pace and miles low for this first week back, but its encouraging to run back to back days with no pain.  Just need to keep at the flexibility and strength work.

Off from running.

PM... [E] 6.8 mile run (48:37, 7:07 pace).  Went out with Kyle after work and did Huntsman, Sugarhouse loop doing the long gradual hill all the way back.  It was around 101-102 when we left, so it wasn't a very pleasant run (I know--its nothing for the St. George boys).  Leg felt good the whole run, and got a good stretch with rope afterward.  Overall the run felt pretty hard--probably a function of being out of shape, running uphill, and the heat.

AM... [E] 5 mile run (35:12, 7:02 pace).  Didn't really feel all that great.  I know I'm not in good shape, but the heat yesterday really took a lot out of me.  My hamstring still feels fine though, and if I can get through the week without pain I'll try to jump up in distance a bit this weekend.

AM... [E] 7.2 mile run (49:50, 6:55 pace).  200W/Centerville/Orchard loop.  The loop has some rolling hills after the first 3 miles, so this was a good test to see how my hamstring would feel.  No problems, so the strength exercises, rehab and extra stretching must be doing the trick.  Stretch after, both static stretches and rope stretch.

AM... [E-M] 7.3 mile run (48:50, 6:41 pace). W Btfl/Jessie's Meadow/800W loop. Wanted to push pace a little harder than I have been since returning to running, but not kill myself. It was about 85 when I got out the door, so considering the pace and the heat, this run was a pretty good effort. Still no hamstring pain, but I'm being careful to stretch a lot. Also did 1x40 and 1x20 ball squats--body weight only. Good first week back to running, and with 12 weeks until St. George I may be able to throw enough together to run somewhat decent.

AM... [E] 5 mile run (34:30, 6:54 pace). "Normal" 5 mile loop. Tried to keep pace easy and steady. Legs were a little sore from the ball squats yesterday, but I felt better as the run progressed. All in all, I'm pleased to have a 37 mile week without any injury--for this week I'll shoot to up the mileage into the 40-45 range and have one run of at least 10 miles. I'll continue to keep the pace easy to medium through this week, and launch into workouts the week after.

Off from running. 

PM... 3x30 ball squats (body weight only) 

AM... [E-Med] 10 mile run (66:58, 6:41 pace). Jessie's Meadow/1500S/Orchard loop. This run is the most comfortable I've felt in about 2 months. The pace was quicker, but most of the run is slightly downhill or flat. HR was much more under control than it has been in the past week, so I'm hopefully gaining back some conditioning--the overcast skies were helpful as well I'm sure. Good stretch after--both regular and with rope.

The day off from work also gave me some time to revise my St. George training plan based on my injury.  I'm not going to get in the training I wanted to, but starting from 12 weeks out, I should be OK in the big scheme of things.  Who is looking to run around mid-2:30's at St. George?  We should get a group to work together!
 

AM... [E] 8.2 mile run (57:35, 7:01 pace).  Centerville/Orchard/Viewmont loop.  Run got progressively faster, with the first couple of miles being very slow (mid 7:00's).  Didn't want the pace to get too fast as this was an easy day, so just tried to stay on a pace that felt easy, and the HR monitor also indicated was easy.  Regular stretch after.

PM... [E-Med] 7 mile run (46:33, 6:39 pace).  GREAT run.  Probably the best I've felt since the Boston Marathon.  Ran the "Normal" BHS/Davis loop.  Pretty decent uphill to Davis Blvd that I just tried to stay comfortable and not push to hard.  Opened up a little bit on the downhill since I was feeling so good.  Don't know what it was, but a great run today.  Rope stretch after.

Scheduled day off from running.  Tomorrow will be my first "long run" since the injury--a whopping 12 miler.

AM... [E-Med.] 12.4 mile "long run" (81:57, 6:41 pace).  Farmington-Lagoon Out/Back course.  This was really my first "long run" back, even though it wasn't that far.  Temperature wasn't too bad to start--a little warm at the end.  Pace stayed fairly event, was out in 41:15 and back in 40:42.  Course is rolling hills in the middle, with the first and last 3 miles fairly flat.  Felt pretty good overall, but could tell I haven't done anything over 10 in a while.  Regular stretch after.

AM... [E] 7 mile run (49:33, 7:04 pace).  Parrish Lane/W Btfl Lake loop.  I won't be able to do this loop much longer--the Legacy Highway construction is crossing over at several points so I'll lose it soon.  Tried to stay nice and easy after yesterday's long run at a fairly decent clip.  Felt pretty drained overall.  Regular stretch after.

AM... [Q] 8 miles total (51:46, 6:28 pace).  First workout since injury--definitely could tell its been a while and didn't have much zip at all.  Had planned on doing either 5x1000 or 5x800, however my body felt.  Ended up doing 1x1000 (600m recovery jog ~3 mine), 3x800 (400m recovery jog ~2 min)--a little shorter than I would have liked, but at least its a starting point.  I warmed up with [E] 2.1 miles, then did 800m of speed builds.  Then went as follows...

#1 - 1000m (3:16)

#2 - 800m (2:38)

#3 -  800m (2:39)

#4 - 800m (2:38)

I could have maybe handled one more 800 at this pace, but I was pretty tired at the end of this workout.  I'm sure its a combo of being out of shape and running no true workouts since around the end of May/beginning of June.  All in all, I'll take it as a starting point.  The workout later this week will be close to [T] pace than this workout.  Regular stretch after.

Off from running.  My wife and I had our first child today--a 8lb 10oz boy named Lucas.  Definitely a good reason for a day off!

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. 

AM... Headed out the door with every intention of doing a long run, and wound up only doing 9. For whatever reason, my body just feels completely beat up. Aerobically I don't feel bad at all, my legs just feel beat up. Not quite sure what thats about since this has been a terrible training week without much mileage (although one solid workout). I decided to listen to my body and sacrifice the mileage for the week to an even greater degree--its worked for me so far and I've had some pretty successful workouts and runs--so I'll keep listening to what my legs are telling me. The short term plan from here on out will be to do two runs on Sunday, Monday, with an easy day Tuesday and workout on Wednesday next week. Should equal a higher mileage week, with a quality long/tempo type run on Saturday when I run the Spanish Fork 1/2.

AM... [E-Med.] 11.8 mile run (1:17:55. 6:36 pace).  Didn't feel overly good today.  Still feeling generally tired--hopefully catching up on sleep this weekend will help.

AM... [E] 10.6 mile run (68:46, 6:29 pace).  WBtfl Lake/Farmington Bay Loop.  This was a new route that I tried based on Andy's recommendation to jump on a gravel road by W. Bountiful Lake.  It was actually a really cool run--out on the lake with nothing else around you--lots of birds and no other people.  Its the first day since probably the Park City 1/2 Marathon that I've actually felt good.  Could have something to do with the fact that I've actually got some sleep the last two days.

No running... no good excuse.

No running... no good excuse.  I don't know how some of you juggle your schedules--between work and the baby, I'm finding running to be more of a project than an activity I enjoy at the moment.  I may just worry about getting in some runs between now and St. George so I can actually run the thing, and not worry about running a blazing fast time.  If it happens it happens, but I feel pulled in a million directions right now.

AM... [E] 9.2 mile run (61:34, 6:41 pace).  Jessie's Meadow/400N/Orchard loop plus W. Btfl lake.  Felt great and fresh--but I suppose that should be the case after three days off.  I'm planning on running the Spanish Fork 1/2 Marathon tomorrow--likely the same plan as the Park City 1/2--go out on marathon pace for 4-6 miles, then crank it down to tempo pace and make it into a bit of a workout.

AM... Spanish Fork 1/2 Marathon. The plan for Spanish Fork was much the same as it was for the Park City 1/2... I wanted to go out around marathon pace (5:55-6:00) and then drop the pace as the race went on. I didn't want to be overly competitive, but at the same time figured that once we hit the middle of the race, could drop time if I was feeling good. I met up with James at the start and we warmed up 2 miles together. Then at the starting line we saw Chad as well. Among the three of us, we decided to go out on around marathon pace for at least the first 4-6 miles, and then drop pace if we felt good. The three of us went out together for about the first three miles or so, and when I didn't grab any water a small gap opened between myself, Chad and James. I really didn't speed up--just wanted to stay on pace and didn't feel I needed water so early on. Chad surged to join me, but James hung back a little bit. Chad tracked off my shoulder until somewhere around the 5 mile mark, and I started to slip away from him--I didn't really make any strong moves, just kind of wound up that I sped up a small amount and Chad stayed about even. However, we hit a pretty good uphill around 6 1/2 miles, and I worked the hill pretty hard to stay on 6:00 pace, and when we hit the downhill I opened up and popped a 5:29. I figured that would give me a pretty good cushion, so dropped back to around 5:40 pace, and stayed at that pace for the remainder of the race. I think if I was really "racing" this 1/2 that I could have probably held about 5:40 pace--so somewhere around 1:14. That being said, I was hoping I could have closed a little bit faster the last 3 miles--more like 5:35 pace, but all in all I can't complain. It was mission accomplished for the run/workout--and good day for Wasatch Running Center as Chad and I went 1-2. After, James and I ran the 5K route for cool down and Chad hooked up with us for about 1/2 of it after running in with his wife (who was running the 5K)--total of 18.2 for the day (although James says he's going to refuse to be so exact on his mileage, even though he has a Garmin now!). Here's the race breakdown...

Mile #1 - 5:52 (Packed up w/Chad, James, and one other guy)

Mile #2 - 6:02 (Still pack running)

Mile #3 - 6:01 (Still pack running, but some slight gaps)

Mile #4 - 5:53 (James dropped off a little, Chad is running off my shoulder)

Mile #5 - 5:52 (Chad and I still together, but it seems like I'm pulling away)

Mile #6 - 5:55 (I have a gap on Chad at this point, although I don't really know how--I haven't really made any sort of move)

Mile #7 - 5:59 (Steepest uphill section--maybe 1/2 mile long or a little longer. I feel like I'm a pretty decent uphill runner, so I pushed here a little bit hoping to create a bigger gap)

Mile #8 - 5:29 (Turned the corner of the uphill and saw a fair downhill ahead. Since it came after a turn, I surged pretty hard knowing I could put a pretty good amount of time on the field.

Mile #9 - 5:42 (Wanted to settle back to 5:40ish pace for 2-3 miles)

Mile #10 - 5:41 (Still just hanging on pace, feel OK, not great)

Mile #11 - 5:43 (Still just hanging on pace, feel OK, not great)

Mile #12 - 5:42 (Was hoping to drop pace here down to about 5:35, but just didn't have it. With such a big lead, I just figured I would finish out the run--the purpose of the workout was accomplished either way).

Mile #13 - 5:40 (Staying on pace--had to come to a 3/4 stop crossing a road that wasn't traffic controlled)

.1 - 31 (Finish in 1:16:08 - Not a bad time--especially going out slow and working the second half of the run).

Afterward I went to the CC meet hosted by BYU at East Bay Golf Course--it was a great race, and Minnesota beat BYU... all is right in the world!

AM... [E] 6 mile run (42:06, 7:01 pace).  Normal DT Bountiful loop.  Stopped by Viewmont track on the way home and did one mile with 200m moderately hard, 200m easy (37, 36, 35, 34 on hard strides).  I was actually a little sore from yesterday, which I wasn't really anticipating, so started very slowly for the first 2-3 miles.  I loosened up after that and felt better, and the 200's definitely helped my legs feel better by the end.  Light stretch after.

PM... [E-Med.] 9.8 Mile run (64:10, 6:32 pace). Ran W Btfl Lake/Farmington Bay/Parrish Lane loop. Running out at Farmington Bay is rapidly becoming one of my favorite runs--there is nothing out there, there is wildlife everywhere, and its close to my house so I can't complain. The only bad thing tonight is that there was quite a few bugs, but not too bad overall. My right hamstring was feeling a little bit tight, but I other than that I felt pretty comfortable, even with a pace that was fairly quick for a normal training run.

PM... [E] 7 mile run (46:26, 6:38 pace).  Normal Bountiful HS/Davis Blvd loop.  I was planning on adding in some faster surges at the Bountiful and Viewmont tracks in the middle, but my legs felt absolutely dead today.  I felt out of sorts overall, and probably should have run quite a bit slower than I did.  I also think I may not be getting enough calories the last few days.  Figured I would go a little easier today since I'm planning on a workout tomorrow.  Stretch after.

PM... Short on time again, so just got out for 5 and called it good.  Better than nothing.

AM... 8 miles total.  [E] 2 miles for warm-up, then 3 miles on tempo pace around Liberty Park (5:50, 5:53, 5:54).  [E] 3 miles cooling down for 8 total.  Had planned on a second run in the evening, but getting ready for company coming in to town took priority.

 

PM... [E] 8.3 mile run (54:12, 6:31 pace).  Huntsman/City Creek/2d Ave loop.  Way too fast for an easy run.  Granted, there is a pretty fair amount of downhill on this run, but there is a fair amount of uphill as well.  I'm sliding back into the habit of running too fast on easy days.  I felt like I was sleep walking again.  Sleep this week hasn't been going too well for the little one, and while my wife is probably paying more of a price than I am--I'm feeling pretty drained as well.  As long as I keep getting miles in at this point, I should be OK.  Good stretch after.

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AM... [E] 9.9 mile run (66:15, 6:41 pace).  Davis Blvd/1800S/800W Btfl.  Felt very good, although I should after a couple of days off.  Picked this route because there is quite a bit of downhill the second half.  Better pace for an easy day.

PM... [Q] 11.2 miles total.  [E] 2.6 mile warm-up from Huntsman to Liberty Park.  Once at Liberty, did 5 mile progressive tempo run w/Todd on the wood chips.  Splits were...

Mile 1 - 5:44

Mile 2 -5:48

Mile 3 - 5:46

Mile 4 - 5:37

Mile 5 - 5:34

After, [E] 3.6 mile cool down looping part of Liberty Park plus, back up the hill to Huntsman.  The cool down is always a bit of challenge because its a pretty good climb on the hill by East HS.  Felt pretty comfortable, and could have held the pace for a couple more miles.  Regular stretch after. 

AM... [E] 6 mile run (43:08, 7:11 pace).  Easy run today after yesterday's tempo.  I could tell I didn't really do any tough workouts last week, as my legs felt a little bit weary.  Could have something to do with the entire tempo being on woodchips as well, which I don't do a ton.  OK with being a little tired as today was easy.  Beautiful running weather this AM.  

PM... [E-Med.] 10 mile run (67:14, 6:43 pace).  Huntsman/City Creek/2d Ave Loop, plus added on distance up City Creek Canyon to get to 10 miles.  Ran w/Todd again.  We didn't really want to worry about pace too, much, but still keep it somewhat honest.  Cruised pretty easy on the downhill parts and worked the 2d Avenue uphill to campus--that hill is always longer than one remembers by the time you get up to the U golf course.  Stretch after.

AM... Ended up being sort of a mixed bag this morning.  Started out running easy at Liberty Park, and then ran into the U women's CC team.  They were doing a 4-mile progressive tempo run, so I jumped in with them for 4 miles (6:55, 6:30,. 6:15, 5:55).  After the 4 miles I did another to miles on my own to hit 7 miles for the AM.  It wasn't overly hard, but it was kind of nice to change up the pace a little bit in the middle instead of just doing a regular run.

AM... 15.7 mile run (1:43:10, 6:34 pace).  Farmington/Davis Fairgrounds loop.  Didn't feel very good on this run.  Pace started slow and built to average close to 6:30 pace, but wasn't comfortable and my legs felt generally dead.

Off.. travel and meeting day in Colorado Springs

PM... [E] 6 mile run (40:20, 6:43 pace).  Easy run in Colorado Springs.  Nice cool temps, but again, felt kind of out of sorts.  Maybe it was the elevation, or just the crazy schedule with traveling and meetings.

Off... travel home.  Thought I might have a chance to get a run in once back in SLC.  I was wrong.

PM... [E] 2.1 mile warm-up then 4 mile progressive tempo starting at marathon-ish pace.  Plan for the tempo was to run marathon pace for the first two miles, then drop to tempo-type pace--faster on each of the last two miles.  Tempo went (5:56, 6:00, 5:38, 5:25).  Felt absolutely great and didn't feel like I was pushing very hard at all.  Maybe despite the fact that my training hasn't been all that great I'm doing OK afterall. [E] 2.1 miles home.  Total run was 8.2 miles (52:13, 6:22 pace).  Felt good about this overall.

PM... [E] 8.2 mile run (54:05, 6:35 pace). [E] up to Bountiful High School then jumped on the track and did 1 mile of 200m hard/200m easy. 200 hard was 33-33-33-33 and felt comfortable, not like I was overly pressing. Then up to Davis Blvd and back the normal route downhill. Second consecutive day of a pretty decent run (even though the distance isn't very long).  The pace over the last two days also hasn't been overly fast, but still quick for regular training runs.  I'll back off it tomorrow a little before Saturday to do a "long run" before winding down next week.

Off... not feeling very good... hoping that its nothing big.

Off... cold, rainy and I'm sick sick sick.  I can't eat anything or seem to keep anything down without my stomach rejecting it.  Not good timing.

AM... [E-Med] 9.3 mile run (59:36, 6:24 pace).  Still didn't feel overly great, but wanted to get a little zip on the run since the last two days killed me.  I felt out of sorts, but ironically, the two miles of marathon pace felt the best.  Ran the BHS/Davis Blvd loop, but stopped off at the BHS track for two miles on [M] pace (5:52, 5:54).  Tried to keep some pace on the second half and work the downhill as well for one of my last sort of "quality" type runs before SGM.

AM... [E] 6 mile run (40:41, 6:46 pace).  Still not feeling real good.  My stomach is still doing somersaults and my legs feel like crap.  Hopefully I can shake out of this soon.

PM... [E] 6 mile run (39:33, 6:35 pace).  Normal DT Bountiful run, then stopped by the VHS track and did one mile of speed builds.  Felt a million times better today and pace was OK.  Legs felt good, stomach felt good... I'm bouncing back from the last few days of being under the weather.  Tomorrow I'll do a couple of miles on [M] pace again.

PM... [E] 5.5 miles.  No watch--don't want to worry about time/pace at all for the rest of this week.

PM... [E] 2.1 miles followed by 1 mile [M] pace (5:59), 1 mile c/d.  4.1 miles total.

PM... After getting to St. George, easy 18:30 and strides.

AM... 10 minute warm-up from hotel to buses, then another 10 minutes with Mike Kirk at the start line. Met up with a good group at the start... Ted, Chad, Cody and teamed up as we all had similar time goals. Unfortunately for me, my poor training over the last month definitely showed and I tanked about halfway through. Here's a recap...

Mile 1 & 2 - 12:10 Starting out nice and easy--didn't want to get caught in the trap of going out too fast.

Mile 3 - 5:51 Let loose a little bit and dropped the pace. Trying to get into a groove to hit 1:17-1:18 pace at the 1/2 point.

Mile 4 - 5:51 Same pace, still working together as a group

Mile 5 - 5:56 Had to stop for a quick bathroom break at the mile 5 marker. Cost me about 40 seconds and the group got away from me.

Mile 6 - 5:50 This mile was blazing fast, considering my split included the bathroom break--probably around 5:10 actual running time. Looking back, it probably wasn't real smart to make up the gap on the group so quickly, this early on in the race.

Mile 7 & 8 - 11:51 Still working hard to get back up to Chad, Ted and Cody. I finally caught them about halfway up Veyo hill. Then I had to back off for a couple of minutes to recover from the effort the last 3 miles. Backed off, but stayed within contact of the group.

Mile 9 - 6:20 Good group pace going.

Mile 10 -6:05 Good group pace going.

Mile 11 - 6:26 The last real uphill section of the course. Chad kept us in check to make sure we weren't expending too much effort on the uphills.

Mile 12 - 6:02 Finally about to start down. The group started gapping Cody a little bit at this point. I wish I would have hung back with him!

Mile 13 - 6:07 The group started rolling a little bit as we went downhill. I couldn't go with them. The pace wasn't overly fast, but my legs just felt dead--especially my hamstrings.

Mile 13.1 - 1:19:25 Slower than what I wanted, but from what everyone had told me, this course can be negative split by 4 or 5 minutes if all goes well. I still had hopes of a solid sub 2:40 time at this point.

Mile 14 - 5:56 The group is walking away from me, but I'm still holding pace at where I want to be, so no worries yet.

Mile 15 - 5:58 Status quo, but legs starting to feel it a little bit.

Mile 16 - 5:55 Status quo, but legs hurting more.

Mile 17 - 5:58 My legs are really starting to feel like crap at this point. I was still able to keep pace, but was concerned because I knew the steepest downhill section was coming up. I'm not the greatest downhill runner in the world, so was a little worried.

Mile 18 & 19 - 12:13 Steve Olson and I went back and forth with each other on these miles. I would go a bit ahead on the uphills, he would get me back on the downhills. Legs were really not feeling good on the downhills.

Mile 20 - 6:44 Cody came flying by my like nobody's business. I was really wishing I would have backed off a few miles back with him instead of plowing ahead with the group. My right hamstring and calf hurt a lot at this point, and my IT Band hurt every step. Tried to open up my stride, but everytime I did could feel the cramping coming on.

Mile 21 - 6:34 Managed to keep scooting along, but not very fast.

Mile 22 - 6:51 Really hurting here.

Mile 23 - 6:56 Still hurting bad.

Mile 24 - 6:23 When I hit the last 5K I started feeling good again. If you look at the course map, its no real surprise--this is where the downhill sections of the course become less severe. Its interesting that I wasn't able to handle the severe downhills and couldn't run fast at all, but as we reached the more moderate hills, I was fine and was able to push my pace lower. Clearly, I'm better on a more gradual grade--maybe I would be better suited for Top of Utah?

Mile 25 - 6:17 Continue to feel better and started trying to push a little harder.

Mile 26 - 5:56 Felt great in the last mile. Started looking ahead to people who had blown by me on the bigger hills to see if I could catch them.

.2 - 69 Fairly strong finish on 300S.

TOTAL 2:41:30

Today is the start of a week off.  I usually take at least one week off after a marathon, and this one will be no exception.  I'm sore today, but not nearly as bad as after Boston this past spring.

Off.  Still a little bit sore, but I'm actually kind of surprised how quickly my body feels like its bouncing back from the downhill course.  My calves are the most sore of anything.

Off.

Off.  I actually felt very recovered today and probably could have started running, but I'm sticking to my one week off.

Off.  Feel no lingering effects from SGM today.

Off.

Off.

Afternoon... First easy run back after SGM.  [E] 5.4 mile run (38:38, 7:09 pace).  West Btfl Lake out/back.  Didn't worry about pace, just wanted to get out the door and start running again.  The muscle soreness didn't start coming on until about 14 minutes into the run, but wasn't overly terrible.  My calves were again the most sore area by far. 

 
This week begins the super-technical phase of my training known as "brainless running."  If I feel like running long, short, easy, hard, or not at all, that is what is on the schedule for the day.  The most important thing is to re-charge the batteries, both mentally and physically.  Also time to figure out what target races will loom for the spring!

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L... [E] 5 mile run w/Kyle at Lunch (33:59, 6:47 pace).  Huntsman to Firestation stop sign and back.  Legs didn't feel real good during the run, but to be expected.  Stretch after the run felt good.

Off... traveling all day--there isn't a good way to get to Columbus from SLC.

AM... [E] 5.8 mile run (39:27, 6:48 pace).  In Columbus, OH... ran along Olentangy River trail from OSU campus north.  Just out/back--there were marks on the road every 1/4 mile for the first two miles--going out I was around 6:50ish pace, coming back as fast as 6:33.  Felt pretty good for not running much lately.

AM... [E] 5.6 mile run (38:14, 6:50 pace).  Run along Scioto River--crazy high school rowing competition going on so I had to weave through a bunch of high schoolers for a while.  Otherwise, nice cool/crisp morning--great for running.

Off... was hoping to run when I returned home, but didn't happen.

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L... [E] 5.6 mile run w/Kyle (38:26, 6:51 pace). Dr. Hill loop--not pushing, but didn't feel overly comfortable either.

Some non-running news... this past weekend I was in Columbus, OH to interview for an Assistant Athletics Director position at The Ohio State University. I was offered the position, and so Nicolle and I will be moving from Utah in the near future. My first day will be November 26th, and I'm very excited! I'll miss racing with all of the Wasatch Running Center boys and Fast Running Bloggers, but I'll still stick on the blog and stay in touch!

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AM... [E] 5 mile run (33:30, 6:42 pace).  Normal DT Bountiful loop this AM, easy pace.  Got up early to watch the Olympic Marathon Trials.  One of the greatest performances I've ever seen was put on courtesy of Ryan Hall.  Paul Petersen ran a great race--probably even better than SGM considering the course and conditions.  Unfortunately, the event was overshadowed by the death of Ryan Shay--great competitor and representative of the distance running community.

AM... [E] 7.2 mile run (47:20, 6:34 pace).  200W/Centerville/Orchard loop.  I knew the pace was a little quick, but wanted to liven up my legs a little bit.  Felt pretty good aerobically, legs felt a little bit dead, but nothing terrible.

Off.

L... [E] 6 mile run (41:16, 6:52 pace).  Out/back from Huntsman Center through Bonneville GC and neighborhoods.  New route that I hadn't run before and was a nice change of pace.  Beautiful day--the sort of running weather I wish we had year round.  Light stretch after.