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New years day run with the Utah County Crew, Fritz and Collin. 12600 JRP meeting spot and a loop back along 1300 W. Pretty icy on the parkway but the air was better there than it is downtown. 1:41:23 or a 6:45 avg.

Day off more or less. With two medium long runs and a long run this week, I want to avoid getting too high too quickly with the mileage. I have been feeling great lately but one thing I've learned from the blog is that if you do too much because you are feeling good, an injury may be right around the corner.

I did a 10 minute cycle warm up and then a number of lunges, stretches, PT type things and core stuff. I tried the core routine Rob posted last week and it will be a long while before I can get the brest stroke scissor action going.

Also did 4x8-10 seconds at 12 mph and 15 incline on the mill for some hill blasts to put my legs on notice. Some intermittent 8:00 pace in between blasts that totalled about a mile.

Easy at lunch from work to HCI and down through Fed Heights, 11th Ave and to the amphitheatre above memory grove. I did one loop of the flattish surface in 11th ave park and I didn't love it. Turned out to be about .31 miles.

With a net 200 ft drop, I tried to keep the pace even on the way back so it was more moderate with a few fartlek type accelerations particularly on hills and quiet roads.

67:46 total.

Goal was 20 with a fast finish. Left at about 12:40 and ran from my house up around memory grove along 11th ave through fed heights up to HCI through research park up around the zoo down wasatch to 21st south cut down through the neighborhoods to guardsman and down university ave to 1st ave. Tempo started at about 9th E and 1st ave but I was already pretty tired. It was downhill than uphill for mile 1 and more uphill than down through N temple and back home on 200 west. I ended up with 18 and 19 at 6:15 each and then bonked in 20 with a 7:55. I haven't bonked like that in months so I'm kind of glad I did. 2:21:39 or 7:05 average for the run. Still a negative split with 7:22 out and 6:48 back.

No water or nutrition and it was quite cold coming back west with a minor but biting headwind. I will plan better next time I do this run with a better course and a truly easy day the day before.

Easy with Fritz, Nate, Adam, Jake and Collin. Nice group but a very cold morning. From Highland up near Skyline and back. about 90 minutes total. Legs felt fine. I didn't run hard yesterday I just didn't fuel well.

Easy from work down to liberty park via 9th so and across liberty to 13th so. Winded up through the neighborhoods back to work. This is a new route. I wouldn't have attempted it before because it would not have been easy. It's a pretty consistent downhill and then back up totalling 800 ft net each way. 61:02. This may be the last of the really nice days...

AM

5:00 wake up. Final day at the Gym at City Creek. 6x800 @15k-10k pace. Warmed up just under 3. This time, I followed the 400 markings on the treadmill visual for "precise" 800s. Went 11.0mph, 11.1, 11.2, 11.2, 11.25, 11.4. 5:27-5:13 pace. All at a 1 incline. During a flat cool down, I did 2x400 @ 5:00 pace and it felt pretty good. 65:45 total

Lunch

I tried out the BST above work going south toward sunnyside and it is quite treacherous. I slid down a few feet backward and caught myself on my hands at one point. So beware. 1.7 miles on the ice and snow and then up emigration and back through matheson park to work. Nice to get in a few non-road miles. Legs felt good. The left glute is not gone but hasn't bothered me in a while. 48:09 or 7:54 avg

Well that sucked. In fact, it was the suckiest suck that ever sucked. I looked out the window and saw clear roads and headed out in the 12:00 hour. It was snowing lightly but not too bad. About three miles in, it started coming down harder and the road accumulation became a problem. Particularly slippery on the uphills. Wasatch out and back in 63:36.

I have these shoes my brother in law got somewhere and didn't like. I don't like them either but they are made for the cold and did the job today. They are a bit clunky but have no breathable fabric so a fortress of dry. I usually use them on treadmill runs because I don't mind wearing down shoes I don't care about.

I'm starting to wonder if I will make it home ok...

Treadmill miles because of the whiteout. No way I'm getting home today. 60 minutes total at a 1 incline.

I was going to do a "hill" workout but I'm doing some performance testing tomorrow and they told me not to go hard today.

"I'm the best in the world and I know it, I'm the fastest in the world and I'll show it. I'm the fastest and the strongest and I can last the longest, I'm the best in the world and I know it."

AM

5:30 wake up - my attitude is better now in the morning than it was last summer. Maybe it's the no drinking. 5 easy from home to 7th east and S Temple. Roads were mostly pretty good. It takes me 1.5 miles this early just to get to 8:20 pace but I managed to beat the 8 minute guy in the end. 39:48. 

PM

Bod Pod -14.7%. VO2max 63.4. Not sure about the latter calculation. The treadmill stopped between 9.5 and 10 mph and I waited a few minutes for her to figure it out. Then she started doing inclines at 9.8 mph and I tapped out at an 8 incline. My HR got up to 162 which is about HMP effort for me so I don't really trust the measurement. She actually put on the results sheet that she guessed my VO2max was closer to 67. So kind of a waste but FSA is use it or lose it. Hopefully I can trim down a bit with no drinking and better eating from now through Boston and get my body fat down to the 11-12% range. Counting 1.5 miles for the 14 minutes or so of testing.

Nice weather for a Saturday run with Rob, Fritz, Jake, Collin and James. We did a route from Highland to 6200 S and back through the neighborhoods. At about 27th S and 17th E starting at mile 15, we did a bit of tempo. Jake stayed with me for 2 5:40 miles going to Highland and then toSugarhouse  park and down and up the first hills going counterclockwise. After I left Jake and Fritz, I did one more Sugarhouse loop starting at a quicker pace to get in another decent mile (6:13) and then cooling to 20 in 2:17:08 or 6:51 avg.

Icy miles with Fritz and Adam into new territory for them. Down to 9th W and 17th S and back up from 13th E and S Temple. Not cold but the rain snow combo made for some slippery roads. 7:34 avg

Feeling a bit sluggish probably due to the run yesterday and the cumulative 230 in the last three weeks which is as much as I've ever done in a three week stretch.

Easy at lunch with Adam up Wasatch. Shorter run for him so I did a few loops of the hills near my office. 7:45 avg. Legs still feeling tired.

AM

5:00 wake up. Found a flat straight road in Rose Park to do 12x1/4 mile at 5k pace. Splits were 71, 80, 78, 77, 76, 76, 77, 78, 78, 79, 79, 75 and a bonus 72 (just undre 77 avg). Garmin paces were 5:09-5:20 (other than the too fast start and the fast finish at about 4:50) so just where I wanted the workout. First one was too fast but then pretty consistent but I did start to lose focus on the last few. Recoveries were about 55-70 seconds of jogging (targeting about half the distance of the interval). Felt strong and fresh after the recoveries. Nice and controlled. A little bit more than 3 up and 3 down for 11 total.

Lunch

Another 8 miles in 7:47 average down to the U and across through Harvard/Yale. Shorts and t-shirt weather - I was cool but not cold. No hot water in the office so I am taking cold showers.

8 at lunch with Adam. 7:40 pace. I swear it felt easy.

AM

5:00 wake up. 5x1 mile at 10k pace with 1/4 mile rests. 3 up 3 down. Went to the flat road in Rose Park I used Tuesday. It's about 1.4 miles long with 7-8 turns. I took a wrong turn on the first split and did a 180 degree turn. But it helped so that I got to see the entire road and had 3 splits by the time I'd done my first out and back. One more out and back and the workout was done. 5:36.4, 5:32.7, 5:33.2, 5:33.5, 5:29.1. I wanted sub 5:30 but I am satisfied with the workout. My goal time requires a 5:24 10k pace according to Jack Daniels so I am on my way. It was colder than Tuesday and I stayed up until almost midnight. Very happy with my dedication in January and getting some nice workouts in in high volume weeks.

Lunch

Another 8.3 up emigration and back. Felt better than Tuesday's double but it was up and then down rather than down and back up. 7:00 average.

Decent lunch group with Adam, Nate and James for a wasatch out and back. I am not disclosing time or pace but it was easy :)

Big loop with Frritz from Creek Rd to the mouth of Little Cottonwood south on Wasatch to 1700 E, up to Dimple Dell and east around to 9400 S down Highland and back. Ran into Justin about 6.5 into it and stayed with him until 9400 S and Highland. Lots of tough hills. There was going to be a 6-8 mile MP tempo in there but the route didn't really lend itself to a tempo. Also,  I died somewhere in mile 14 and somehow a steep climb revived me. Still managed to get the pace down in the last 5 with it being quite downhill. 2:14:08 or 6:36 average for me with almost 1500 ft of hills.

Nice day and nice to be above the inversion for a lot of it.

Now for a down week and some relaxation after coming within 2.2 miles of my first 100 mile week.

AM

6 am wake up. I work today but my kids are home so I had some morning flexibility for a nice easy run not too early. Went out on 600 W/700 W to 1300 S and back. It's a nicer run in the dark but still not a nice run. I am also glad I couldn't see the icky sky.

Hold on to your hats for this pace. 8:29 - 8 in 1:07:48. Nice unintentional day off yesterday. Other than taking my boy to cc ski lessons, I stayed home and did nothing. I even watched NFL football for the first time in ages, family be darned. "Daddy - I wanna watch Doya." "Go play." I used to think I liked the 49ers but I haven't truly cared for about 20 years. Charlie cried because SF lost because he is a proud SF native, though he could care less about football. Good day.

Lunch

6 more on the treadmill. The air is looking gross even up here. I have had some congestion for the past few days and I've been running outside constantly so perhaps a correlation.

Started at 8.5 mph and a 1 incline and moved up .1mph and .5 degress every half mile. So mile 2.5-3 was at 9 mph and 3.5 degress and HR got into low 140s. Then back down but with the speed going up. After 5 miles of that, 1 mile doing 6x80 steps at 5:00 pace with a brief rest at 9.5 mph.Nice workout without getting into the moderate range much. 39:20 total. Then some stretching and pt.

Emigration out and back. Feeling good. Air no good. 60:30

AM

Another 5am wake up. I had real hesitation getting up and running hard with the air outsdie. I tossed and turned at night talking myself out of it in that wakeful sleeping mode. I woke up at 5 determined to figure something out at lunch but I was awake and I said ok let's do it. I wore a kitchen towel over my mouth and nose and set out. Last week's workouts were at 30 and mid 20s. Today was mid 15s. 3 miles into the run my quads were still cold but I proceeded. 

Idea was 1 mile, .75, .5 and three or so quartes. I ran the first mile unevenly starting out too fast and then slowing. I ended up tearing the towel off my face half way through to get a breath and the air was instantly irritating. I kept at it and did the mile in 5:22. I reached for my towel and it had frozen solid. For the .75, I ran about a half a mile in 2:46 and decided it wasn't working. In addition to the bad air, my legs were a bit heavy. I think Saturday's long run isn't completely out of them. I put the frozen towel back on my face and went home.

Trying to decide whether I take it easy until Saturday or do another run at lunch on the treadmill where I can get up to about 5:20-5:30 pace to get some turnover.

PM

No run. Lunch with my wife instead. I did a massage with Tim this evening. He moved away from the glutes and really worked the hamstrings and calves. Particularly the right leg. Ouch. Flipped me over and worked on the psoas muscles too. So some new developments in painful spots. I am trying to wrap my head around doing an ice bath.

Wasatch out and back. A few strides on the way back. A bit clearer today with some wind.

More miles than I wanted today but I barely beat the 9 minute guy. Snowy, slushy, icy, muddy run up dry creek and along the BST with Collin, James and Nate.

Excited for the 5k tomorrow. Strategy is to take the first mile out hard and hang on for dear life. 5:15 first mile then try to stay below 5:20. The A goal is to break my time of 18:24 last year by two minutes.

Goal today was 16:24 which was arbitrary but also a good goal for where I am. The process of getting faster is the process of being disappointed with increasingly faster times. The 5:22 I did on Wednesday proved prophetic as that was my pace here. Drove up with Collin to save one car with the bad air. Warmed up 2 and saw a bunch of guys. I thought top 20 was optimistic. My watch went off right before each mile marker. Splits were 5:14, 5:21, 5:26 and :39 for the last .13 on my watch. Sprinted at the end thanks to Andrea and Jake cheering me on. Much appreciated. Tells me I need to go faster a bit sooner. Still a good time and I am glad we had nice weather but I want to do better.  Cooled down 2.

Afterward, I ran to the capitol to do some Boston video with Walter and crew. That ended up being another 5.75 miles for me total. The rally was kind of funny. There was one crazy chick singing this air is your air and trying in vain to get the crowd into it.

Weighed in at 165 today which is a pound lower than St George. Been taking care of myself in 2014.

Easy with James, Allie, Fritz and Collin. Started at liberty and went west to JRP and south to 3086 S then turned around. Those who like loops were sorely disappointed. Kind of cold.

Another wasatch out and back from work. Decent air up here but not good. Turned around at 30 minutes and took 60:48 total.

Tough morning. Got up at 5 and went to a flat 2 mile tempo loop in rose park. 600 N and 900 W to 1000 N and 1200 W and back. Was going for sub 6. According to my 5k on Saturday, marathon pace should be around 6:06 for me right now. Obviously I need to improve that in the next three months but this morning was a slow start. I thought I would shoot for sub 6 for 8 miles but the 6:02 first mile didn't feel great. My legs had no pop. I thought about a lot of things including cutting it short. My breathing was fine, I just couldn't get any fast turnover. So I stuck with it and averaged 6:08 for the 8 miles. Last mile was back toward home so it had a "hill" up to I-15. 2 up 1 down. In my 5x1@10k pace two weeks ago, I ultimately did 6 at 5:58 with the rests so I thought I should be able to at least hit that. I am happy I stuck with it when I wasn't feeling it and I think it is a simple matter of the legs feeling better.

I thought I had a beanie in my gear but it wasn't there this morning and I can't go poking around for stuff and wake up the house so my head was quite cold. Can't wait for the weather to get a bit warmer. It's interesting how the Spring/Fall marathoner (in a four season climate) suffers through weather too cold or too hot just to come into form as the weather turns favorable. I am dreaming of those warmer days.

Easy from work across HCI and down 11th ave. Loved the light rain and the cool clean air. 7:30 avg

10-15mts of hills 1-3 minute intervals. Equal distance rest.

So of course I went out at the snowiest part of the day to get this in. I warmed up just under 3 and did the hill going up Colorow to my office. That only ended up being 1 minute and my pacing was awful - a burst of too fast followed by barely finishing for a one minute interval. These ended up rising about 70 feet over 800 feet so a bit steep at 8.75%. Also wet and not getting warmed up.

So after two of those, I decided to take it in to the treadmill to get in a proper work out. Good timing as coworker was just finishing. I did minute intervals of 1-2-3-3-2-1 with equal minutes rest. Did inclines between 4-5.5 and speeds of 10.5-11.5 mph (I consider it a 6:00 avg given that the treadmill is slow). Was definitely working hard. After I finished, I put it all the way up to 12mph and 15 degree incline for 20 seconds. I've done this before but never more than 10 seconds or staying on the treadmill while raising the belt/speeding up and lowering/slowing down. So that was fun. Cooled down 1 milish.

Overall, an awesome workout. My face is still stinging and my muscles feel fatigued. I don't feel this way often enough.

Not much time so I went to the treadmill and got in 9. Blah. I hate doing it two days in a row and I really hat not doing a workout on it.

Long run with Jake, Kotter, Kramer and Fritz. Murph for a couple Sugarhouse laps. Nice until it snowed hard for the last bit. Ran about 5 with just Jake. I had my phone in my pocket but no watch so I didn't know what our pace was. Was surprised it was 649 because it felt like an easy stroll.

Liberty park run with Jake, Nate, Allie, James and Collin. Up to memory grove and down B which everyone loved. Ended up at 10.2.

After the run, I went to my tempo loop to check it out in the light of day and assure myself I could run sub 6 on the course. I was carrying my phone to monitor pace and it killed out just after the mile mark.First mile was 5:33 and the second was a similar effort. Felt strong throughout. Phone revived after it warmed up. I need to average 5:28 for next weekend's 10k barring bad weather.

Moderate emigration out and back. I wasn't feeling quite as good as I thought I was feeling. 6:24 avg for first 9 with the downhill miles in 5:50 or so. Then an 8:45 back up to the office. My Kinvara 4s now have a big strip of duct tape on the inside left foot to keep my foot from falling out. It is working better than expected.

Modified plan this week is moderate run today then 3x3 miles @ MP Wednesday and race on Saturday.

AM

5:30 wake up. 5 miles in the snow and ice up to memory grove. The road is plowed all the way up which is great. A really peaceful morning. 8:06 average

Lunch

7.1 more easy down S Temple to 7th E and back up. Through the U each way. 8:00 pace. Some stretching, core and PT thereafter.

AM 5:30 wake up and 45 mts core/cardio with the wife

Lunch

3x3 miles at marathon pace with .5 mile rests. I wanted to do this yesterday morning but following Jake's smart planning for not running in snow, I decided to modify to today. This morning was cold and dark and I didn't want the fear of slipping so I made time to do it during the work day.

This meant using my Wasatch tempo out and back. From 1300 S to just before it ends at about 2250 S is 1.5 miles. A tempo on this road is pretty nice traffic wise mid day but it does have miles as follows: 1 - 45 up and 22 down for net 23 up; 2 - 50 up and 50 down for net 0 (and a 180 turn); 3 - 22 up and 45 down. So it is not flat but not hilly either. Did the three sets in 5:58.8, 5:57.4 and 5:59.7 average.  5:58.6 total avg with miles between 5:53.6 (2nd mile) and 6:04.4 (1st mile) - evened otu after that. It wasn't hard until the last set and it was tough hanging on at the end there.

A great work out that left me spent. 2 up 2 down.

AM

5:30 - 45 minutes easy up memory grove. Hips feeling a bit tender. 5.5 total

Lunch

Another 9 with Adam going along 11th ave. About an 8:00 avg.

Easy treadmill miles. 4x20 SECONDS at "5:00" pace. 30:00 total. Not sure what to expect for tomorrow but the goal is sub 5:30 each mile.

I wanted this race to mean something but it is hard to put your hopes into a winter series race. What's most important to me when I race is being satisfied with my effort and that didn't happen today. Upon arriving at Saltair, there was some noticeable wind. I had a nice warm up primarily with James and the wind got stronger as we returned to Saltair. After I changed and did a few accelerations, I felt good and 5:30 felt comfortable.

Right before the race started, I had an unusual negative though of something like, "Why do I have to do this. Doing well is hard." The race started and I settled in at about 5:25 pace after a bit of a quick start. I felt very comfortable and the first three flew by uneventfully. I chased Nate and Benjamin who made up the "chase pack" to the lead five (I think there were 5). First three were 5:23, 5:28, 5:26. As the leaders passed after the turn, Jake said something like, "Go get them." I thought that was a nice idea, but it didn't have the needed effect of increasing my determination. 5k was about 16:50. After the turn, I realized just how bad the wind had gotten as it was blowing hard from the west. Mile 4 was 6:08. It got slightly better after turning southwest but I had no determination. I continued to coast at a comfortable pace. Miles 5 and 6 were 6:01 and 5:53. I sped up for the last bit and got a 1:24 for the last .25 on my Garmin. My mile splits were right on for the first couple but there was an 11 second gap by mile 6. So splits are a bit fast.

6:00-6:15 is now my giving up coasting pace. Perhaps that's good because that is getting faster but I haven't learned how to dig in and will myself to go faster. I fought the wind but I didn't really fight to stay on pace. In fact, I decided to not even look at my watch after the turn because I didn't really have a plan B for the wind. I fell off from Nate and Benjamin a bit on the second half and made no effort to close the gap. I didn't really care.

On the cool down, James wanted to do 5 by 60 seconds hard. I went with him and by the third rep my legs were feeling it and I was working in the latter half of the minute (4:50-5:15 pace w/general slowing over the minute but faster each rep). I haven't replicated that effort and pain in a race and I think that is where my opportunity lies. Decent speed, a good aerobic house, now I just need to learn how to push the limit and run hard when my will weakens (or even better, maintain a strong will).

While running, I feel like, "How much does it matter if I push right now?" But returning home, I am angry with myself for not giving it my best.  This is my challenge going forward.

Overall, still in a good place. 5:45 pace so a nice workout and no worse for the wear (good positive spin from Coach K). 80 mile week with a good mid-week tempo. Averaging 80 for the year thus far. I was feeling a bit beat up midweek (dealing with a new bout of hip bursitis on the right side) but I am fresh and motivated now.

Congrats to Riley for breaking the course record on a tougher day than last year and showing what it means to fight the elements and continue to push hard. He ran something like 16:25 on the second half which to me shows a lot of toughness. I believe this shows I had 15-20 seconds per mile in me on the way back if I had his determination.

AM

Went out at 10am after my mom came and got the kids for church. Wasn't sure how the rain would be so I looped close to home. My right hip was quite tender and wasn't warming up much. I ended up circling the West High track after a couple miles and that's when the rain hit.

I had my phone with me because Colin was crying when he left and I was getting nice and wet so I hurried back home. If it lets up this afternoon, I may try again. Thank goodness for precip but I am not a happy rain runner. 8 avg

PM

8.5 in West Weber at 7 pm after a big roast and potatoes dinner. Along 2800 W and w to plain city on Pioneet Road. 7:28 avg

Decided on a day off. First in three weeks. Did 20 minutes on the bike and some stretching/PT stuff. This is a good week in the schedule to have some flexibility and maybe back off mileage to see if that reduces inflammation in the hip. I've had this before once on both sides. It just sticks around for a few weeks and then goes away. I am a master of the hope for the best approach.

Workouts and long run will be a priority but indecision rules the rest.

AM

5 am wake up. 4x2 miles at MP. Felt ok on the warm up of 3 miles but not peppy. I thought I would have a better session than two weeks ago on the Rose Park tempo loop. After struggling through a 6:06 mile, I hoped I was just warming up. Next miles were 6:11 and 6:12 and all I could think about was stopping. After slugging through a 6:26 mile, I stopped. I didn't want to run anymore. I just stood there for a minute wondering what to do and than walked a bit. I then started a jog toward home and had a 9:35 mile which was more or less flat. The right hip was omnipresent but I don't think it affects pace. I am not sure what to make of this so I will continue to mull it over. I think some changes will be made but I don't want to overreact to a down week.

Emigration out and back in the rain at lunch. I came in and the rain stopped.

From work down the U track. It was actually open so I went in and saw the track team warming up so I left after a lap. Went across to Sunnyside and up emigration. When I turned around, I did a downhill mile in 5:15 to see how everything was feeling. I am old but I felt prety good.

AM

From HHS with Jake, Kotter, Murphy, Collin and some high schoolers. After a big Tanner Park Wasatch loop, I did three lapsA of the park with Jake and Kotter then a 5k on the track at marathon pace. A regressive tempo of 543, 555 and 606 for 1822 total. The south curve was still icy and a bit treacherous. I was going to keep going but hips were tight. Maybe a shakeout tonight. Four new blisters on my left foot. Goodbye Kinvara 4s!

PM

Four mile shake out to memory grove and back. Left hip felt ginger; migrating inward.

I broke out the blue crocs for the first time in a bit to embarass the crew and let my blisters breathe. Nice morning but I felt kind of blah. Liberty park wanderings with Jake, Nate, James and a variable ensembel cast.

I decided to do some hill stuff today based on a Jake inspired idea (though I don't know that he'd have me do it today). I ran up memory grove to city creek about 3.25 miles and then started the work out. I didn't have a pace in mind but the idea was to go hard but not laboring hard. I did 4x1/2 mile uphill and they were all 3:09-3:11. For the rests I went back downhill a 1/4 mile other than the fourth rest where I kept going uphill. Then I turned around after the fourth and did 4x1/2 mile downhill in 2:35 other than the third when I did half uphill and half downhill so it was 2:59 (that way I wasn't running hard through the gate going out of city creek). Rests were 1/4 mile uphill. Intervals were about 85-135 ft elevation change which is about 3.25-5%. Fun workout without being overly taxing on a beautiful day with lots of folks out.

Easy across to HCI and down 4th ave via fed heights. I felt sluggish going down so I decided to pick up the effort on the way back and that felt a bit better.

I forgot socks today and went sockless. The Ride 5s have an edge for the lacing structure that caused both toes to bleed but otherwise they actually felt better. I sometimes get some numbness in these shoes and none of that today.

Lunch

Plan was 6x1 mile progressing from MP to 15k pace. I went outside around 11 when the wind was already picking up just to see how bad it was. Within two miles, the snow started coming down pretty good and I headed back to the office. I didn't want the possibility of a big workout in the evening hanging over me with the bad weather so I opted for treadmill.

On the treadmill, I did 4x1 mile at 5:36-5:27 with a 1.5 incline. I ran past the mile mark by 20 seconds each time since the treadmill is slow and I consider these to be 15-20 seconds slower than stated pace. Since I wasn't really locking in 5:40 pace for Saturday, I decided to stop at 4 and hope to go out and do another 2x5:40 this evening to get a feel for the pace. I have started understating treadmill mileage but I know that's a tricky game. I just go .2 over on each run and call it fair. 10 miles total

PM

5 miles right after work. Commuted mostly home then ran 1.5 to the west high track and did 2x1600 in 5:38 and 5:42. It was cold with a strong wind but I didn't feel labored. Felt surprisingly strong.

AM

50 minutes of Biggest Loser weight loss yoga. It's more of a core and stability routine.

Lunch

8 easy most of it with Adam from work to Wasatch. Feeling good not great.

Dry creek with James and Nate. Forgot my watch at home but 8 is a pretty precise guess.

Goal tomorrow is to run 5:35s as long as I can and try to stay below 5:40s throughout. There is some wind in the forecast (10 mph WSW) so we shall see.

Forgot to mention. I felt spry today for the first time in two weeks. My minor hip issues are on the mend but not mended but it really was a spring in the legs and a positive attitutde that had been lacking.

Now I need to understand if this is a bad thing. Some may say that you should never feel that great during marathon training. Maybe I need 80+ mpw for adaption? I am mulling it all over but I have run 84 miles in the past 7 days...

Finally met a goal for this series of sub 53. This was a less agressive goal but it is a good benchmark for where I want to be. Translates into a 2:39 marathon. 5k splits are my favorite, 17:35, 17:39, 17:34. 26:30 out and 26:19 back. Even effort throughout and no let down at the end. Splits 5:36, 5:40, 5:37, 5:46, 5:44, 5:40, 5:38, 5:45, 5:41, 1:40 (garmin had the last part as .34.). 

I felt like I was going to slow during mile 8 when I struggled to hold 5:45 pace but there were a few times like this throughout the race where I felt like letting up but refused to do so. I kept looking at the 5:40 average pace on my watch and when it slipped to 5:41 in mile 8, I was determined to get it back down.

Felt good today and enjoyed the warm up and cool with a bunch of folks. About 3.5 up and 4.2 down. Perfect weather.

AM 8 easy with Nate up memory grove down 11th around fed heights and down s temple. Gorgeous morning. Legs feel good but my right hip hurt for about 6 miles so its a little angry at me.

PM 5 more easy in West Weber.

Wasatch out and back at lunch. Didn't bring shoes so I wore the back up to the back up because I took the back up home last week. Felt ok.

8-10@MP was the workout. I've struggled with these early in the morning on a flat loop I made in Rose Park so the plan was to go right after work and do a loop on the east side. I settled on a hilly loop with a net drop of about 250 ft. Went from work over to Wasatch and started on the downhill behind the zoo. Went along to BST through Tanner Park up 2700 E to 3160 S (Lambourne) down to 1700 E and across the freeway and back up on 1900 E. The tempo ended just after 1300 S and I cooled down to my office. The effort felt consistent and I felt good but not great. A bit banged up by the end. 60:51 for the tempo with miles of 5:54, 5:59, 6:06, 5:59, 6:15, 5:46, 5:52, 6:02, 6:19 and 6:29. Total of 500 ft up and 750 ft down. Grade adjusted per strava shows 6:15, 5:57, 5:51, 5:52, 5:48, 6:19, 6:19, 6:09, 6:01, 5:55. Strava 

Broke in the new Skechers and the verdict is still out. They are nice and comfy but they bothered the ball of my right foot big toe more than usual and I wonder if they are perhaps a bit unforgiving. We shall see.

Lunch run with Adam. Wasatch out and back. Didn't bring my watch. Beautiful day. A bit warm and I was thirsty at the end!

Felt beat up from yesterday's effort. Starting to wonder if I need to cross train this hip for a bit.

Lunch run with Nate and Adam along the BST and in the neighborhood above Hogle Zoo. Legs felt great today and I'm glad I gave them a rest yesterday. Shoes also felt very good. Beautiful day but windy.

Long run with James from HHS to BST to Wasatch to Murray Holladay Blvd and back. Very windy going south. My last 20 miler was four weeks ago but I felt good throughout. Ran for about as long as I would like to run Boston time-wise.

City creek out and back from home. No real plan but I wanted a decent effort. I felt pretty good going uphill so I did a "tempo" at 6:54 average over 3 miles in the canyon but that was 200 ft up per mile. Then turned around and my legs didn't feel like going super fast so I hovered just under 6:00 pace and than closer to 6:30 pace for the last 3. I was fine with that because it was feeling a little jarring. 6:40 average for the run with 1150 ft up. Perfect day other than a tad windy going south.

1.2 miles at lunch. I realized right as I was leaving that I was supposed to be a judge at a high school mock trial at 1 in Holladay. I found Adam and apologized and went back to work. The highlight of the mock trial was an 'attorney' named Atticus (seriously).

It is Charlie's 6th birthday today and Colin was throwing up at pre-school so I stayed home with him while Charlie went out to birthday dinner. Next opportunity to go out was 8:30. I ran to liberty park and back in 60 minutes exactly for 7.75 miles. Beautiful night but dinner sloshed around uncomfortably. Hip hurt the whole time.

From work at lunch. Just trying to test things out. I took two days to rest the hip but it didn't really feel any different. So I either live with it and hope for the best or put a stop on running and figure out some appropriate cross for a couple weeks. Since I can still race, I think I am going to deal with it through Boston and then give it a break. Onward and upward.

I did Kevin's tempo loop from 11th and Virginia down memory grove and up 2nd ave. Though it was far from an even effort. 5:48 average included a 5:01 mile down memory grove road. Somewhere in that mile the inflammation disappeared so I guess I just need to run fast all the time. (I lie. This is not his route. His goes down Bonneville to E Capitol Blvd and State I guess.)

Great weather - a refreshing intermittent drizzle.

Lunch run. Lazy and slow.

Nice nooner from home to the JRP and the 201. Gorgeous day.

Met Jake, Nate, Fritz and Rob at HHS for a long run. Ran through Tanner Park up Wasatch and about 1/2 mile past Ruth's. Then turned around and did a Josh MP tempo. 10.1 to 17.1 was 39:48 or about a 5:41 pace with a drop of almost 800 ft. I felt really good until the sugarhouse hill and then I was done. Cooled down about 4 a lot of it around the highland track.

Absolutely perfect weather and I could not be more grateful for the partners willing to run pace with me.

Lunch run in the 2:00 hour. Super windy which I just love. Left hip and right glute were both quite sore.

Treadmill at physical therapy appointment.

Based on the tests done, I have some hip alignment issues that have caused my right leg to be too short when standing/running (too long when sitting). He was able to do an adjustment and provide me with a self-adjusting routine.

Based on other tests, I have weak glutes on both sides. I compensate with the TFL on my left side and the hamstring on my right side. So a few glute exercises were given. I also have a super tight IT band on my left side which to date has never caused any grief.

Although my toes point out on my left foot, my kneecaps point straight ahead so there's not much he can do about that. I am going back for further evaluation and therapy soon.

Long day with Colin sick with me in my office in the morning (I managed to get him to sleep for 2.5 hours under one of my desks)and then hospitalized in the evening after a doctor visit showed low oxygen and no recovery after treatment. Learned at Primary Childrens that he has RSV. He has done as well as we could hope and should come home this afternoon.

3-2-1 sharpening workout for Canyonlands on Saturday. Warmed up about 2.5 to Wasatch and did it on the Wasatch rollers. Started out a bit slow with a 6:04 (40 up 50 down) running with Adam then took off and went maybe a bit fast for the next two at 5:35 (40 up 25 down) and 5:38 (40 up 60 down). Then a .5 mile rest and Adam left. Then 2 at 5:42 (65 up 50 down) and 5:46 (5 up 30 down) which felt like the right effort. Then .25 mile rest and 1 in 5:33 (35 up 50 down).

Felt good the whole time. It was a strong effort but I never felt like I was really working to hold pace.

Overall, I will be upset if I don't hit 5:45 pace on Saturday and the goal is 5:39 pace. 

Thursday afternoon run from work to 11th ave and C. Nice afternoon. Feeling pretty good.

Nice morning run from home. 5 stries on west high track. On my way to Moab! 1:13:59 or die trying.

I went to Moab with my family and mom. We stayed at the Aarchway Inn along the course and they shuttled me to the buses which was nice. As we were pulling away I realized I didn't have my watch and he waited for me to get it. Good service.

Buses were efficient and uneventful - I talked to a brewer from Alamosa, CO. When I got out in the canyon, it wasn't as cold as I was expecting. I found James before long and hung out with him. We warmed up 3. I felt good but worried that I didn't feel very hydrated and decided to drink at every aid station.

For the first mile, I was part of a chase pack chasing Smyth. That pack thinned out over the course of the mile and I tried to stay on the tail end of it. After I passed a guy probably right around mile 1, I was by myself the rest of the race. Never passed anyone and was never passed by anyone.  Mile 1 was 5:22 which was what I expected. Then I tried to get in a good rhtyhym but I felt like the first four were a slight downhill the whole way. So my pace stayed a bit quicker than anticipated with 5:32, 5:37, 5:34 for the next three miles. The pace wasn't hard but I feared my ability to hold it for 13 miles. Mile 5 has a couple of gradual hills and I stayed with it at 5:43 and 5:42 for the next mile.

During this time, there had been varying headwinds/crosswinds/tailwinds but nothing that affected racing that I remember. During mile 7 was when the first big headwinds started hitting (gusts up to 30mph were in the forecast). I think I was at 6:13 pace right around 6.55 on my watch (36:50 at the half of  the half which was right on but my garmin wasn't matching the mile markers) but I sped up and got the mile down to 5:55 when the wind died down. I decided that the new strategy was to not fall apart with the big headwinds and take advantage of the tailwinds as much as possible. Miles 8 and 9 were both 5:46 with varying winds. During mile 10, the headwind picked up right at the base of the hill that is about 50 ft over .2 miles. So, the strongest headwind of the race on the steepest hill. My pace was 6:29 when I hit the top of the hill  and I managed to get it down to 6:04. There continued to be a strong headwind heading west and then finally relief toward the end of mile 11 when I turned south toward Moab. I was not feeling quick coming under the road - 6:03 for mile 11.

I am tired and I am not feeling great but now I've got a pretty big tailwind. I passed my family at the Aarchway and that was a nice boost. Mile 12 was 5:39. I felt pretty done at this point and kept looking at my watch which I hate doing (.8 to go...). I managed a 5:47 for the last mile and 5:20 pace for the last .18 (56 seconds). I was a bit long so all of the splits are a bit fast.

I was glad to not give into the wind and develop the strategy to really push hard at opportune times to make up time in the second half. There was a time there when it felt like the Saltair 10K where I was just going to have to give in to the wind and finish the race but the winds relented often enough and I was motivated enough to stay with it.

1:15:25 is my PR from the DesNews half so I missed it by 1 second! Obviously this is a much better performance but come on. Where was the mindfulness on that one? I was glad to place sixth among a competitive field and I feel like I am still on the right track for a 2:35 at Boston. Cooled down 4 with James and had two beers before my family caught up with me.

These are some of the best organized and executed races in Utah. My first half was The Other Half in 2010. With 167 miles of sporadic training and no running for the three weeks prior to the race, I got a 1:47 and that felt awful. Everything about these races is so well thought out. It is clear they care about the runner's experience and not just the entry fee.

From home to city creek via memory grove. Turned around at the gate. Felt pretty good other than a twinge in the right quad that has been there since the latter part of yesterday's race.

AM

Physical therapist. 1.4 mile warm-up.

Lunch

Emigration our and back. Felt really good. 8.6 miles in about 58 minutes. I left my watch in the Aarchway and so no watch the last couple runs. It's pretty nice.

I think I have what I need to run pain free. No hip pain today and I didn't have the tightness the day after the race that I have been accustomed to.

PM

Easy 4 to West High track around 8 times and home.  A few pick ups in the last 800.

AM

5 easy from home to s temple and I St.

Lunch

Another 8.2 easy up dry creek with Nate. Nice day. Got my watch in the mail today in time for my workout tomorrow.

I decided on 6x1 at threshhold pace off of 90 seconds rest. I ran down early to the U track and was disappointed to see the new barricades covering lanes 1-3 which are apparently going to be forever closed to the public. So even though track was "open" I would have had to do the workout in lane 4 and there was a lot of activity going on.

So I headed up to Wasatch. I did my first mile starting at Foothill and N Campus Dr. I felt pretty strong and stayed with it including a dart across Sunnyside and Foothill and got a 5:35. I rested 90 seconds. The second mile up to Wasatch had likely a 100 ft climb and I really slowed. I got 6:12 for the mile and I no longer felt peppy. Mile 3 didn't feel much better and I got 5:43 and I was working too hard. The words of coach K regarding not overdoing it this week entered my head and I knew I couldn't complete the workout. I did one more mile at 5:51 and my legs were pretty much done. I sauntered up behind the zoo and up emigration canyon and then did 4 minutes fast and 3 minutes fast down the canyon during miles 11 and 12.

With PT workouts and higher mileage days the legs are a bit tired but I am actually encouraged. I am working harder this week and it will pay off. So happy to have the hip problems solved for now. Feels like a new beginning.

I kicked a brick paver pretty hard on January 26 on a Sunday run with the crew and fell. I started complaining about the hip pain on the blog on Feb 6. I am pretty sure that hard kick caused the misalignment and I am pretty sure it is realigned. I will still do the other stuff to fix the chronic imbalances though.

AM

7.6 in just over 60 minutes. To liberty park and on the wood chips for .46 miles. Just over 60 total. Feeling good.

Lunch

8 more with James and Nate along BST and up Emigration. Nice but still a chilly wind about.

Recruited Kotter and Krah. Ran from the zoo to the top of little mountain in 7:16 pace (1300 ft up) then per Nate's suggestion took it easy on the two 240 ft down miles (6:16, 5:53) and then tempoed the rest of the way down for 5.5 miles/700 ft down at 5:38, 5:28, 5:33, 5:32, 5:25, 5:29 for .5. I left them still feeling good and went back up to do another 3 miles/430 ft down at 5:41, 5:45 and 5:37 

6:31 average for 22 miles and I felt very strong throughout with the 1700+ feet of climb.

Easy with Fritz from memory grove to U to liberty park and back. A little cold to start out then perfect.

Lunch

Dry creek with Adam. Very slow. 7.85 total.

8 at marathon effort. 1.5 up and 1.6 down.

This was during lunch so I made a route that started at Arapeen and Wakara going south around the zoo and to the end of Wasatch at 2300 S. This is a nice Boston simulator other than the 1 mile 150 foot hill from Sunnyside to the start of Wasatch and then another 150 ft 1 mile down. These are miles .7-2.7 and 5.3 - 7.3. 450 ft of total climb and descent for the tempo. Spits were 5:53, 6:02, 5:55, 5:56, 5:55, 5:56, 5:59, 5:56. The slowest miles were those with the most climbing . Felt strong throughout but it was a good effort. Mostly, I was feeling thirsty for the first time in months with the temperature nearing 70 by the end of the workout. 6:31 for the workout just like the Saturday long run but with a slow 300 ft climb back to the office on the cool down.

The intention at Boston if I am feeling good is to go after the hills and keep those miles sub 6 if possible.

I'm pretty sure there was a Trevor Baker sighting on the warm up. He looked long enough for me to look back and I think it was him. If I'd ever met him before, I would've been sure to say hei.

Lunch

7 with Adam and Nate. Would have gone farther but we were all really cold with the rain.

PM

6 more from home. I chose the two raniest times to run. And of course it's a beatiful sunset now.

10 x 3 minutes hard up and down hills with 60 second rests. 2.5 up 2 down. I got out between two storms and did this in Emigratio nCanyon. The workout ended right as the second storm hit so I had two miles of snow back to my office. Hard workout but not long so I think it was a good second workout for the week.

Lunch run with Collin and Nate for most almost entirely on trails. Nice weather.

Long run with 8 mile tempo. 8 up 4 down. Met up with Fritz, Nate and Kotter at HHS and did a loop south through Holladay. The 8 back is a net zero with a lot of rollers so, you know, Boston simulation.  It was pretty windy going out but that meant more favorable winds on the way back.

I guess I forgot to tell Fritz we were running tempo so he got things off to a quick start. We dropped to sub 5:50 right after a pit stop at 7.75. Starting at 8, miles were 5:45, 5:44, 5:42 and 5:46 (down 70 ft, even, even, up 65 ft).  I lost steam on the next mile and fell back a bit and was a afraid I was dying off 5:56 with 57 up. Next mile was 45 down and a 5:45 and I was feeling better. Then a 5:47 with 17 ft down and a 5:52 final mile with 8 ft up. 47:48 for 8.25 miles or 5:47.6 avg.

I was not felling as good as last week and I was cooked by the end but I think that's exactly what I needed.

Liberty park with Fritz and Collin. A bit windy to start but it settled down. It took 4.58 miles to shake out the legs.

Lunch

From work to 11th and C and back. Threw in a 6:03 downhill mile to feel that pace for Saturday at the Sriders Half. Plan there is to do 10 at marathon pace and then race to the finish.

More specifically, a slower mile 1 like Boston in 6:05 or so. Then drop it to 5:45 for the rest of the downhill and about 5:50 as it flattens out through mile 10. At this point I have to run mid 5:30s to the finish to PR in the half marathon ever so slightly.

I like this half because it is not much more than 300 ft net downhill so it is "honest" for Utah. Those early downhil miles range from 20 to 80 feet and the last three are about 60ft up total so I would earn that finish.

PM

4 easy from home w/two miles around the west high track. Some accelerations.

New monthly high with 344.85. Glad to be healthy again.

Lunch

8.5 Wasatch out (into the wind) and back (with the wind!). Chilly. No workout today. In addition to the weather, my stomach was unhappy with all I ate this morning including two eggs not 30 minutes before running.

PM

4.5 on the treadmill right after work. February 19 was my last treadmill run other than at physical therapy :)

4-3-2-1 miles at marathon effort with 4-3-2 minutes rest or so. The forecast said no precip so the snow for two hours before the run and the first three miles of the run was a surprise but it wasn't sticking and didn't affect anything.

After a two mile warm-up, I did the same four mile stretch from Research Park over the hill and down Wasatch at 6:03 (flat), 6:09 (75 up), 5:46 (75 down) and 5:49 (7 up). Felt ok. Then return to 1300 S and back to the end of Wasatch at 5:55 (7 up) 5:58 (even but 30 up/down in it) and 5:58 (7 down). Now I was more tired than I wanted to be. Then back to 1300 S and a shorter turn south at 5:58 (13 down) and 6:08 (25 up). I am tired and working now. Last mile was returning toward the zoo with 30 ft down then 60 ft up. I was very tired and managed a 6:14. 5:59.5 avgerage. Almost 2 mile cool down back to work.

Not a bad work out and not far off marathon pace but almost a blow up at the end. I attribute it to a tough workout, sub-optimal weather (wind not snow) and high mileage recently (187 miles over the last 14 days). Also running my easy stuff too fast including 6:40 pace on the treadmill yesterday evening.

I may reduce miles slightly this week to be fresh for Saturday. Maybe even Friday off!

Recovery pace (8:26) with Adam in the trails above work at lunch. I feel awesome today.

Easy AM miles up memory grove. I threw in 6x80 step murphys. That's it for the day! Lowest weigh in!

Signed up for a Community Supported Agrigulture share yesterday. Looking forward to fresh produce and eggs for 25 weeks. Now is the time to sign up.

Rode down with Fritz. The buses were late and I used a honey bucket so I was only able to warm up about .65. Plan was 10 at marathon pace and race to the finish. Did what I intended but the last 3 were slower than I wanted and I missed my pr by 9 seconds. Feeling confident notwithstanding. 5:56, 5:44, 5:46, 5:46, 5:45, 5:44, 5:46, 5:48, 5:56, 5:47, 5:44, 5:42, 5:42 and 29 to finish (4:55 pace). Strava tells me my effort on 11-13 was 5:38 so that's probably the right effort.

Afterward, I picked up some Asics Hyper Speed 6 shoes from Ken and Janae Richardson of utahrunning.com. I have joined their elite team and I will have a little bit of gear for Boston. I will test out the shoes to make sure I am comfortable for Boston but was pleased with them doing a couple errands today.

HHS Millcreek loop with Fritz and Adam. Great weather. Felt really good. I have the same quad tinge I had after Canyonlands on the right leg covering the vastus medialis.

First run in the new Hyper Speeds and I think I will love them. 

Lunch run with Nate along BST to Wasatch. Nice views but windy. 7:56 pace

Lunch

BST to 11th Ave via Popperton. A few strides. 7.6 total. Getting warmer.

8-9 mile marathon pace progression (start slower than/finish faster than). I decided to take it easier on myself and I drove down near liberty park at lunch to do the tempo around the park. 1 mile warm up then 6:07, 6:02, 5:57, 5:51, 5:46, 5:42, 5:42, 5:35. This went better than expected and my legs felt light throughout - I think it's the shoes. It was in the 70s the whole time and I was getting pretty dehydrated by the end of it. 1.2 down. Tapering is awesome.

Lunch - 8.9 easy along BST to emigration canyon and up. In the 60s with some wind going down the canyon.

Lunch run up to devonsure with Fiddy and Nate. 60s and sunny (maybe into the low 70s - it was warm).

Boston accuweather prediction is now 68! (52 two days ago)

Well organzized local 5k that Fritz introduced me to. In Canyon Rim so it has about 190 ft of hills but starting an ending in the same spot. Splits we'e 5:36, 5:29, 5:36 and 36 to finish (.14 on the watch at 4:36 pace). Felt good though the hills take it out of you so the last mile isn't as fast as it should be.  Did another 18:00 5k on the way back to HHS. Feeling really good.

Won an entry into the Law Day 5k in the raffle and a year supply of frozen burritos. 

Liberty park 11th ave loop with Fritz, Allie, $20 for a few and Murphy for a liberty lap. Still feeling great. I might throw some MP stuff into a shorter run tomorrow am. Still trying to decide. Was going to be 13 w/5-6 @ MP but that doesn't seem right.

9 on the treadmill at work at the end of the day. Did 5 at 5:42-5:30 (+15 seconds for slow mill). Did an extra .25 to get an honest 5. Felt good. Heat acclimation with the lack of ventialtion in there.

Red Butte Skyline Nature Trail from work to Dry Creek and one mile up then back to work along the BST. First day off in nearly a month tomorrow!

In New York. Got an early checkin and I was able to go out around 1:00. Wasn't sure how I would feel after a red eye but everything felt great. Did a four mile tempo when I hit Central Park in 5:48, 5:57 (big hill on northwest corner), 5:45, 5:40. It felt really easy and it's going to be hard to hold back come Monday.

Last day in New York. Another Central Park loop. This time more direct. Tried to go slow but still averaged 7:00. I even had a lunch bomb at Frankie's Spuntino and was burping up the radishes with white anchovies sauce the whole time but I still couldn't run slow. Also bumped in to an old friend from San Francisco so that was pretty random.

On to Boston tomorrow morning with another day off!

In Stoneham. Nice quick jaunt down Main Street. Two at 5:55 and 5:53. I was a little groggy and never fully warmed up. Good reminder to go out easy tomorrow.

In my hotel room and my wife is reading a book so I might as well spill this out while it is fresh in my mind. I was talking to my wife about this race and I started to realize the things I think went well and how important it is to put those things down for me to remember and to share with others. I set a goal of 2:35 shortly after the St. George Marathon. I really enjoyed that race but it left me wondering what I could do without PEDs (performance enhancing downhill from Kevin). I thought that just getting another 2:36 on a more honest course after a solid block of training would be a good accomplishment so I set a goal of a 100 second PR.

Pre race. In addition to the normal routine of banana, bagle+pb&j, coffee with almond milk and gatorade to sip on (had it at 5:15 which was much more than three hours pre-race) I had a power bar and a gatorade pre race lime that were given out at the village.I met up with James, Kevin and Kevin's crew and hung out until we were called. The village was great - not cold and I kept movement to a minimum - Kevin knew of a place where the crowds were slightly less intense. A long walk to the start had me singing the final count down for several minutes. The sun was warm on my back after I shed my prerace sweats and I decided I would need to keep cool and hydrate. After the elites were introduced, the race started right on time and we were off.

Plan was to run over 6 for the first 3. Off the starting line, I was struggling to slow down with the people all around me going gangbusters. I successfully got myself over 6 by the end of the mile and it felt like a leisurely run. I took water at the first aid station, sipped a little and doused the rest on my back. I decided to take water for three stations and gatorade every fourth station with most of the water going on my head and back. I also decided to go with my original plan rather than stay at 6 because I was feeling good and I dropped the pace little by little. First three were 6:01, 5:56, 5:50 (18:31 5k; 5k splits are based on BAA results which had me about 9 seconds behind the clock at the start). Somewhere around this point, I tucked in behind a crew of 6-7 BAA runners thinking they may have my time goal. I followed them religiously and tried not to focus on pace or strategy. Next three were 5:42 (whoops), 5:58 (whats going on here) and 5:49 (ok well that's a 5:50 average so I'll take it - turns out only mile 4 was off target). Of course, my Garmin isn't matching the mile markers and when I hit 10k at 36:49 (18:18), I decided to abandon the BAA crew (I wanted 18:05s). Mile 7 was overzealous (5:42) and then I started to get into Josh's marathon groove. Running the effort I wanted and feeling good just cruising (5:49, 5:51, 5:48, 5:51). 15k was 54:50 so an 18:01 5k that felt really good. Somewhere during mile 9, I remembered to take a GU even though I was feeling ok (citrus). I hit 12 in a 5:41 and I was feeling good. Then those crazy Wellsley girls really gave me a good shock. They screamed so loud, I couldn't help but put out my hand for a few fives and read some of the funny signs. This was the first and last time I interacted with the crowd. My ears were ringing for a bit. 20k was still looking good at about 1:12:56 (18:06 5k) so I was happy with my splits and pacing. Mile 13 was 5:52 (a little slow and I blame the girls) and the first half was 1:16:53 (about 20 seconds above target but most of that from the intentional slow start).

It was around mile 13 that I started to feel the outside of my right quad. It didn't hurt but I knew it was going to. I dropped a salt tab (it fell apart with all the soaking so I got less than half) and two advil right at the onset of the discomfort. First three marathons, initial discomfort happened at mile 13, 15 and 19 respectively so I took this as a bad omen since Salt Lake was the only race I hit the wall in. From here on out, I knew I had to be mentally tough and execute the strategy to carry me to the finish without falling apart. 14-16 were 5:50, 5:54 and 5:40 (big downhill) so four consecutive miles where I knew I was falling off pace but just slightly.  I was afraid my fastest splits were behind me but I kept drinking water and splasing myself and racing.  25k was 1:31:08 or 18:12. Not great coming up to the hills but not far off. I took my second GU during mile 15 (mocha).

I felt ok on the first two hills (the uphills were actually kind of a nice break) and was encouraged to see 5:59, 5:59 for miles 17-18 (in line with a silly goal I had to not let a mile on the hills go above 6:00). I then sped down the hll in 19 and got a 5:47 which restored my confidence in running with the pain (not getting a lot worse -1:49:34 for 30k or 18:26). After running 5:15 pace during this mile, my left quad and calf both throbbed and I decided I shouldn't run that fast anymore and I should shorten my stride. Miles 20-21 were 5:59 and 6:12 and I was encouraged to be staying on target over the hills.

I'm in pain but this is Boston and now it's time to go! 5:32 for mile 22 (that was fun but I don't know if I have another one of those)! 35k in 2:08:00 or another 18:26 which was better than expected (I was no longer thinking about 5k splits at this point). I took another GU in mile 22 but I wasn't hitting all the aid stations now. I think in the last five miles, I doused myself once or twice, took one sip of gatorade and used one sponge. The crowds are thick now and the emotion carried me. 23-24 were 5:46 and 5:51. I really wanted to slow down but I realized everyone around me was in the same pain house and I threw in a surge going up the hill in mile 25. I passed maybe 10-15 runners and got a 5:53 (staying on pace is now separating me). 40k was 2:26:16 or an 18:16. Still hurting but carried by emotion, I threw in another surge in mile 26 and passed another handful of guys and got a 5:50. I just tried to hold it together until the end and finished following a guy in but not sprinting (I tried sprinting in in Ogden on bad legs a year ago and I still have a bad glute to thank for it). Last part was 2:14 (garmin had it at 26.38 so maybe a 5:52 pace to finish - 1:17:24 second half; 2:34:17 and a 2.5 minute PR!).

I was hurting pretty bad and could barely walk the mile of tears to the Common to gather my stuff and get out of there. In the end, it was my feet that were killing me. I think the Hyper Speeds are very fast but they offer no support and my feet were sore all over. I knew I had a blister on the bottom of my left foot but they just killed and I was limping pretty good (no thanks, leave the wheel chair for someone else please).

Overall, I got what I wanted and I am happy with the result. Congratulations to all those who ran and to the city of Boston for a wonderful show of pride and perseverance. Also, a thanks to Utahrunning.com for the elite racing team invite and gear. The jersey had people screaming Go Utah! at me throughout. Finally, a big thanks to Jake for help designing my workouts on this buildup and his encouragement throughout. Definitely a big positive for me.

The strategy and the result.

Plan     Actual

*I knew the course ran long on the Garmin so I prepared to for that in my pacing strategy thus the 2:20.