Welcome

Idea was a semi long run to see how I was feeling. I think the trail run 15 hours earlier took its toll because I wasn't feeling it. Left at 6:15 am and went to Liberty Park and around the wood chips twice. I then did another mile at West High on the way back to get in an even 12. 1:35:22 total.

Congratulations to all those showing their pride this weekend. I am proud of my childhood best friend and my brother-in-law among others and I am excited that they are living in an increasingly accepting time.

I have not sat down for the past 12 hours. I ran at 9 with Acorn and Steve Ashbaker at Liberty Park. I made it around about 4.75 times before I had to run off to meet my family for the pride parade. 53:20 total.

There, I took refuge in some shade and my wife realized I had stood right next to Ty Burrell with his wife and two daughters. You could say we hung out, but of course I never said a word to him.

Nice weekend. 

From work south on the BST to Sunnyside and up Emigration. 57:58 total with approx 1000 ft of climb and 143 HR. Felt very good.

Around 9 pm, I did four hill blasts. .5 miles for warm and cool 

5:30 am run

Idea was 20x400@81 with 200 rest in approx 55 seconds. This didn't work out, so I cut it to 16x400. I will try this workout again next Tuesday and be sure to take the day before easy.

1:21.9, 1:21.8, 1:22.2, 1:22.9, 1:22.7, 1:21.9, 1:22.1, 1:23.3, 1:19.1, 1:20.4 (1:21.8 for first 10)

1:26.5, 1:24.2, 1:24.3, 1:24.1, 1:26.9, 1:26.1 (1:25.3 for last six)

Meanwhile, the rests increased from 55-57 to 61-65 seconds. You can see that in the latter half I lost steam a bit. A lot more runners came on the track at that time and I think I was somewhat distracted and not happy to go around some. 

For the 5.94 miles of the workout, I averaged 6:15.7 including the recovery. 1:11:13 total with a 148 HR (149-171 avg during 400s and 178 max).

Lunch

I warmed up 10 minutes on the stationary bike and did a series of stretches and core work. I was dissatisfied with how my hill session went yesterday, so I threw in four hill blasts while doing the other stuff getting good recovery in between. I would put the treadmill at 12 mph and a 15 incline and then get my footing and go for 8 seconds. It felt like I think they should feel so I am hoping to replicate this outside. Also, I wore my Brooks Cascadias as to not kill or maim myself and I was successful in that regard.

7 easy. Went through the U (with the high school graduations that was a mistake) and up Virginia to 11th. Came back through the U and up to BST back to the office. Upper 70s and it was hot. I will have to go full time morning soon if I can manage it.

53:20 with 800ft of climb and 142HR(164 max).

5:45 am

Progression run - 5 easy, 5 moderate. First half in 37:32 (7:30), second half in 33:42 (6:45). First half goes 100 ft down hill and second half goes 100 ft uphill. Total time of 1:11:15 was two seconds slower than Tuesday.

Didn't feel great today. I'm feeling good on my easy days and bad on my speed days which probably means I need to take my easy days easier. I am kind of training for the Wahsatch Steeplechase on off days by getting in a lot of hills.

Today, went from home up 5th W through the Granary and then cut back to W Temple south to about 1800S. Was going to go to JRP but a train stopped that.

If you are having back pain, it may be a good idea to get an ultrasound: http://www.ksl.com/?sid=25471507&nid=711&fm=most_popular&s_cid=article-popular-3 

Lunch

10 minute warm up on the stationary bike, 5x8 second hill blasts at 12 mph and 15 elevation with intermittent stretching and core.

Then I ran to The Living Room. 2.25 miles round trip; 14:50 and 905 ft up (13:11 pace) and 8:43 down (7:45 pace). The Cascadias are not agile like my Merrell True Gloves but they are like a blunt force keeping your feet in place which is what I need for next weekend's race. I felt confident being aggressive going down (though not too aggressive - I carried my iPhone to force me to be somewhat conservative). 80 degrees - wish I hadn't left my HR monitor home for this one.

5 minute stationary bike cool. 

7 easy. Home today and had a friend in from out of town. I ran at about 3:15 and it was hot - lower 90s. Headwind on the way out kept me cool but I got very hot on the way back. North on Beck St to 89 frontage road. Not a scenic run. Heart was 131 for the first two miles; 140s for the next few and 150s for the last mile. 52:03 with 141 HR; 157 max; 300 ft climb. 

Good luck to all those running tomorrow. Should be a warm one. 

5:45 am.

120 mts easy; 15@97% of marathon pace.

Ran east on S Temple to University and up to 500 S and Guarsman. Then south to SHP - met up with an almost-clydesdale named Greg who is aspiring to qualify for Boston again on 37 mpw due to hip issues. We ran together for about two miles and he introduced me to the drinking fountain on 15th E and 17th S in the private yard. I can't believe I didn't know that was there!

I ran around Sugarhouse Park and around Highland then turned around and wen't home. Last 2.3 miles at marathon pace effort. The idea is that this will be 97% of goal marathon pace and the finishes will get longer. 16 miles in 1:59:58. 2.33 miles in 15:02 (with 200 ft down and 120 ft up). Over 70 degrees when I finished and total climb of 900+ ft. Garmin said it was 2100 ft so that's gotta be right.

142 avg HR (165 max); 159 avg during last 15 minutes.

Plan was 6 easy. Met up with White formerly of the blog at Sugarhouse Park and did four laps on the grassy perimeter out to 17th East. Very easy which I needed to absorb the week of training. 1:05:26

White just PRd at the UV Half yesterday and he looked fine the day after.

8 easy. I thought I should get one last trail run of some ok distance in before the race on Saturday in my new Cascadias. I went up Red Butte Canyon to the fence, north on BST a mile then south past my work almost a mile. Very hot - mid 90s - but the "breeziness" really helps; together with strategic Red Butte bubbler use.

I tried to keep my heart rate sub 140 unless I was climbing a hill. 65:40 total with 140 HR and 800+ ft of climb.. 

Tough morning. Got up ok for a 5:40 am run but I was feeling very slow. I had changed my workout to a tempo run, but I could barely manage a 9 minute mile for my first warm-up mile. I "pushed" it for a 7:30 second mile and knew it wasn't my day. I kept going for a bit and turned around early. Managed 6.75 in 56:14 and was really shuffling at the end.

My left glute has hurt since the marathon but it has only been a minor pain. I thought perhaps ischial bursitis. In the past several days, I have felt pain in the sacroilliac area also on the left side. This latter pain has made it difficult to sit down for more than a few minutes. I don't think it is sciatica because there is no pain in my legs or tingling of any kind.

I am wondering if the region is sort of shutting down. It could all be interrelated with my prior hip pain and my general bad hip, but I think the initial injury was based on tightness in the hamstring and a pull at the connection to the ischium. This morning, it felt like my left leg wasn't firing. Never more than a dull pain, just feeling weaker and weaker. Wondering if I need to rest it, but maybe some ice treatment today. 

I went to The Joint in Sugarhouse and got a $19 first timers adjustment. First ever chiropractic visit. It felt like six or seven pops in the left SI joint area including a big one at the source of the pain. No pops when he did the right side. Feels better - there is a slight muscular pain there now. Of course, they suggested six follow up visits (2 per week) and regular monthly visits thereafter.

I then ran on the treadmill to test my hamstring and my turnover. It went:

• .25@7.5 mph
• .25@8
• .25@8.5
• .25@9 
• .5@9.5
• .5@10
• .5@10.5
• .5@10
• .5@9.5
• .25@9
• .25@8.5

Wahsatch Steeplechase

My first trail run. I remember reading Fritz's report last year and thinking I would like to run this race. I was a little intimidated and it really didn't fit in with my training but I wanted to do it. I singed up maybe ten days ago.

This week, I was sidelined by a hamstring strain that was causing trouble in my left glute. After taking Wednesday and Thursday off, it really improved. Yesterday I got my first chiropractic adjustment because my SI joint just felt tweaked. It felt much better. Finally, I got a deep tissue massage to work out the muscles in my hamstring. She told me that she was going to "work out" my legs and they would feel fatigued afterward. She asked that I not go too hard in my race.

I warmed up by running from my home to memory grove via the steep hill on wall street. Just under a mile to the start line. It was a bit chilly so that was a good sign. I enjoyed people watching with the trail running crowd. They are a different breed than road racers but definitely runners.

The race started about ten minutes late as we waited for the restroom goers to finish up. I just tried to run at a comfortable pace and manage the hills the best I could. My legs weren't feeling strong and spry so I think the massage may have had an effect. After the first few miles, though, I never thought about it again and I think I just had to get some rust off.

It gets ridiculously steep starting in mile 6 and, of course, mile 7 which you simply should hike as quickly as possible. The crags were by far my favorite part. It is beautiful and engages you at a high level. I almost feel like there is some of the primitive man in the trail navigator. I feel like your body knows exactly what to do and your mind just has to go with it.

Mile 9, that of the 1,285 foot descent, really did a number on my knees and calves. I could feel them burning and, when my left foot kicked an exposed root, my left calf locked up and caused me to yell in agony. The calf improved but was tight throughout the remainder of the race. 

When I finally hit the road, my legs felt very wobbly. They recovered a bit but by the time I hit the trails on the northwest side of City Creek, I slowed down. My legs were destroyed and my calves hurt if I pushed it so I saw no reason to risk injury. I kind of hobbled to the finish, soaked myself in the creek, grabbed my shirt and decal and walked home with some intermittent jogging. Best morning ever.

Feel good now. Glute was a little tight but not sore and feels fine. 

Garmin:

Mile Split         Up Down  HR Max

1 7:08.9 233 0 162 175

2 9:48.5 617 79 165 175

3 9:10.4 399 89 162 168

4 9:39.6 445 92 160 170

5 10:15.5 446 97 164 173

6 11:44.2 534 36 160 167

7 20:19.7 1087 25 160 167

8 18:37.5 301 324 155 167

9 9:13.2 92 1285 155 161

10 8:07.6 20 656 155 161

11 5:55.2 0 375 157 161

12 6:16.3 0 200 159 162

13 7:13.2 21 179 158 162

14 7:20.4 30 233 156 163

15 7:28.9 0 202 162 168

16 6:55.9 0 271 159 162

17 3:03.7 6 78 159 164

2:38:18 4231 4220 159 175

Plan was six easy. With the race yesterday, I wasn't sure how I would feel. I decided to go with the Highland crew which included Jake and Kevin and newcomers White and myself. We did an easy loop to Kevin's house and around liberty park. I was thinking of turning around at three miles but I felt fine. I was sore but not fatigued. It is also nice to run in a pack. Makes you almost forget about the running part. A bit warm toward the end but overall a nice fathers day run. Now to sit around for the rest of the day! I didn't have my watch going for the first .15 because I was three minutes late, but bringing the 7:38 pace out to a round 10, that's 76:20 or so.

Happy Fathers Day to all the fathers out there. 

5:45 am

9 easy with White formerly and currently of the blog. Met up at the mouth of memory grove and ran up city creek. Legs are still very sore but not fatigued. Felt good. Beautiful morning.

69:50 with 900 ft of climb.  

Lunch. 10 minutes on the bike and then 45 minutes of stretching and core. I needed it. 

5:30 am

Goal marathon pace tempo. Met up with White at the BST lot across from the zoo. Warmed up 2 going up the canyon into a headwind and then did a nice tempo down the canyon. Idea was to reacquaint myself with some faster turnover. Splits were 6:12, 6:00, 6:06, 6:06, 6:19 (on east high track) and 4:38 for the last .75 on the track (35:21 total or 6:09 avg). White did a different workout but we met up at the east high track and returned to our cars. Nice morning. 72:33 total with 700 ft of climb. Accumulating sleep deprivation.

Lunch

Plan was 9 easy. I decided to sleep in this morning and did a lunch run on the treadmill at work. I love that I am giddy when I get up to go on my run. Its hard for me to go steady on the treadmill, so I decided to do a progression similar to one I hope to do outside next week. 60 minutes at a 1 incline as follows

Mile	Pace
1	7:30
1	7:15
1	7:00
1	6:45
1	6:30
1	6:15
1	6:00
1	5:42
0.36	5:27
0.49	5:13
0.15	5:00
0.25	8:00

The treadmill died right around mile 9 and I finished the last two minutes at an easy pace. In retrospect, I think I've been dying to run fast for a bit so it felt to good to be back in the 5s. I felt strong throughout - even in the low 5s. I generally find it easier to run on the treadmill and my HR check was a high of just over 160 some time in the low 5s.

5:30 am

I was able to get up and get out but I never felt any mojo. I ran to the West High track and tried to get warmed up. Its cold. I need to go to the bathroom. I am feeling slow and tired. Weak self finally won and I went back to the house to go to the bathroom That did me in. 23:35 total. It was 6:00 and my wife and son were already up. I took care of Colin for a bit and then just crashed for 45 minutes before getting ready for work. I am an 8 hour guy - if I get up at 5:30, I need to get to sleep by 9:30. Its hard to wind down by then.

Also, I have some workouts in my schedule that I don't think fit in very well. I may need to adjust rather than continuing to postpone and change things on the fly. I will try to do something at lunch but I haven't decided what. With Ragnar coming up tomorrow, not sure how hard I should push. 

Lunch

Did my Wasatch out and back. Warm up 2 in 14 minutes then 80 seconds hard and 55 secons easy (but not slow). I ended up doing 13 of these for a total of 4.5 miles at 6:18 pace (I didn't look at my watch or do splits but hard averaged about 5:35 and easy averaged about 7:40). Then cooled down 2.3 at a 7:30 pace. Warm and cool were more brisk than usual. 59:39 total with 600+ ft of climb. Started in the low 60s but warmed up quickly to 70.

Crocs gave me their first blister a day before Ragnar :(

Ragnar Day 1

I ran Ragnar this weekend with James (runmehappy) and some of his family and friends. We were in van 1 and I was the fourth runner. We had only five total runners, so I shared some of 4 and 5 with James. The weather was a bit on the cool side which was very welcome.

Leg 5 - I got the Avon Pass uphill. I felt ready to go after waiting for hours to run and charged up the mountain at a decent clip. With the 2:30 pm start and the dusty roads, I still manage a 7:25 pace over 7.7 miles with an elevation gain of 1216 (and a loss of 53). 54:58 total (my watch had the distance as 7.4 but I will use official).

Legs 16 & 17 - I doubled these legs because they totaled just over 8 miles total. I started near 10:00 pm so it had cooled considerably. The headlamp I wore was sweaty from the guy I borrowed it from (I've never owned one) and so I just carried it the whole way.  250 up and 80 down for elevation. This was also the most traffic I ran in weaving around runners and cars. Felt strong but tired a bit toward the end as the only real hill is at the very end. 55:19 total (just 21 seconds longer than the first run).

Ragnar Day 2.

Leg 28 was my last. This is the leg that descends from Jordanelle to Midway. 941 feet down and most of it in the first 2.5 miles. I wanted to go out fast but I didn't warm up much. I think there was also some cumulative fatigue setting in with the 3 hours of sleep and the most I've ever run in a week through Saturday (83.5 miles from June 15-June 21!). First splits were 5:49 and 5:22. Then, about 2.8 miles into the run, I hit a dead stop at the major intersection with the 40. I had to wait 60-90 seconds for the light to change while I just stood there. Major momentum killer. I still managed mile 3 in 5:41 due to some fast running earlier in the mile. Then 6:40 avg for the remaining miles which was equivalent to my flattish pace from the night before. 36:58 total not counting the wait at the stoplight. Probably 20 seconds longer since I didn't start my watch right away.

The team finished in just under 30 hours. Allie said it best a year ago and I echo her sentiments fully: 

although i had a lot of fun, i don't think this is really my thing. it's just not smart for me to do this. i felt vulnerable to injury the whole time, and i'm not a big fan of the overnight sleeplessness and messed up nutrition 

During the downhill dash, my right hamstring was a little tight. It can be early in a run early in the day, but it lingered longer and some groin pain eventually accompanied it. I was just praying not to get hurt much of the time. All that being said, I am kind of interested in doing an ultra where I have time expectations and we are gunning for a competitive finish.

A big thanks to James for inviting me and introducing me to some of his friends and family. They are a great bunch all around. I particularly enjoyed reviewing Constitutional Law questions for his upcoming bar exam. 

Total racing time: 2:27:25. Total Distance: 22.1. Avg pace: 6:40. That's slightly below marathon pace. I felt like I was running fast, but never pushing the pace. If I was to average a 10-k pace, I obviously didn't come close. 

Met up with Fritz and Nate Krah at Highland High at 8. Plan was 8 or 9 easy. Ran up to 2700 E and out to Murray Holladay Rd. and back. 1:13:45 total with about 350 ft of climb (most in the first 2.5). Beautiful morning. 

No pain anywhere this morning and I am feeling fresh so I am glad Ragnar didn't do me in.

Moderate treadmill run at work this afternoon due to a busy day. 52:58 all flat.

5:30 am

Progression run with White. Idea was 9 incrementally increasing miles. We met at the JRP and we didn't really warm up other than a slower first mile. Splits were 7:53, 7:06, 6:59, 6:45, 6:25, 6:18, 6:07 and 6:06. Cut it one mile short and we did a 2 mile cool down. I think I could have executed with a longer warm up but I wasn't sure it was worth it to push hard for another mile. 1:09:33 total. Beautiful morning.

Lunch

3.75 around Red Butte via the nature trail. I ran mile three in 5:31 with a 250ft drop from the gate down to Fort Douglas to get a sub 6 mile in for the day. 30:22 total with 550ft of climb, 151 HR (170 max;162 avg during fast mile). High 70s so warm but tolerable. 

I went back to work and did 7x8 second treadmill hill blasts (12mph and 15 incline).

Today, I exceeded my mileage total for 2012! 

5:30 AM

Easy six times around the wood chips with White. 1:10:08. Nice morning.

Nothing else today as I have lawyers in from out of town and we will be going on a hike at Snowbird. I also have to give a presentation today so that should be fun (not my strong suit). 

At work until late yesterday and no break today until 3:30. I wanted a speed workout, so I used the treadmill. 4x1@sub5:30 with two minute recoveries. Warmed up 2.75 and cooled down 1.75. 

Miles were 5:27, 5:27, 5:27, 5:20. I was at an incline of 1.5 throughout the workout until the final mile. Then, I started at 5:00 pace and decided it was a bad idea and went down to 5:27 pace at .25. Then at .5, I reduced the incline to 0 because I was ready to stop and that was my lifeline. So, last mile in 5:20 but with a less challenging final half.

For the rests, I stopped the treadmill and got a drink. I then returned and got back up to 7:03 pace. Then I steadily increased to 11 mph before the .25 rest was up. This was about two minutes each turn. I think stopping the treadmill for 15-20 seconds and the recoveries allowed it to not overheat and kill on me again.

This was harder than I thought it would be. I think it was a combination of the incline, the shoes, the warm day (our building is a bit sensitive to weather) and the bbq shredded pork sandwich and ribs I had for lunch. Very tough overall. My hair was soaked and it usually only gets wet around the edges.  

Plan was six easy. Red butte, BST, U wandering. It was hot on the hillside and I was done at 45 minutes. Watch is dead so I used the Strava app which only tracks in tenths of a mile. 45 minutes even but it said 8:10 pace. 500 ft of climb. 

I had tired legs from yesterday's hard workout. Also ran right after eating salmon for lunch, so overall not my favorite run. 

I decided on Wednesday to sign up for the 5k. The next evening, my boss put me on a rare Saturday call. When he told me about it, I said "As long as it's not at 7:30." He said that in fact it was. But he'd taken a call while riding his bike recently and I didn't need to speak so he thought it should work. 

I was thinking of doing 16-17 miles before the race and got up at 5:30. I had a number of emails and had to work for an hour so that plan was ruined. Then I realized I hadn't plugged in my Garmin and it was dead. I also couldn't find my sports headphones to take the call and had to steal my wives iphone headphones. I didn't get out the door until after 7 and I had time for a very short warm up of two laps.

I felt pretty stupid trying to take the call but I didn't want to back out of the race. I announced my presence and put the phone on mute. The headphones were uncomfortable so I ditched them and tried to listen to the call on speaker. This was the beginning of the end because I somehow didn't mute my phone and I was causing interference on the call. When someone complained, I got it back on mute but somehow hung it up shortly thereafter. The phone was too sweaty to operate after that.

So, no watch, no iphone GPS and no idea how many laps. As Fritz lapped me, I asked how many. He told me he was done so that meant one lap left. It certainly wasn't a fast effort, but solid.

It also warmed me up for an impromptu coed medley 1200 start. Again, no watch but I stayed right ahead of Rob, so given his time of 3:51, I must have been right about 3:50. The team took first (out of two teams and with men running 9 of the 10 laps) so I got a nice return on investment though I didn't feel great taking it.

This is a really great idea for an event. I think it has so much potential to be the bragging rights race of the year so I am hoping it gains more traction. Though I've seen Allie and gotten to know her a bit through the blog, this is the first time we've spoken in person. She and James are big assets to the local scene.

I had to hurry back home to be with the kids while my wife got her haircut so no cool down (other than a delicious green popsicle). No time for another run today so hopefully a good long run tomorrow.

Got up at 6:15 and left just after 6:30. Idea was 8 easy, 8 moderate and 4 hard. Went to Liberty then up to Sugarhouse then up to 2000 E and 3900 S and back.

Averaged 7:31 for the first 8. Then averaged 6:47 for the next 5. I got drinks at Liberty and Sugarhouse but I was dying of thirst and it was getting hotter. Last five were 7:24 avg and I was really struggling at mile 18. I decided to have my wife come get me as I lay on some cool grass by Little America. We did our first (and hopefully last) visit to the cluster that was Dunkin Donuts. A novelty for kids. If Americans run on Dunkin, that explains a lot...2:10:56 with about 500 ft of climb.

In this heat, I need to prepare better to drink and get energy. Low to mid 70s when I started and mid 80s when I finished. I may do treadmill lunch runs for this short week to catch up on sleep and avoid the killer heat.