Craig's Running Blog

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Mile warm up. 2x2 miles at marathon race pace (more or less), with some hills. Felt good by the end.

I am thinking a good taper this week will be another 5 miles tomorrow (Wed), then 3 miles Thurs and 2 on Friday. I am planning on some speed in there to keep things loose.

Easy today. I felt a little fatigued, but not hurt at all. Good sign. I'm not tapering as much as usual, so we'll see how that goes. I plan on running Thurs and Fri.

Nothing today. I got home last night and noticed a scratchy throat, so I got the Zicam going. I figured some extra sleep this morning would be good. I woke up with a very slight scratch in the throat, so I imagine I'll have some congestion on Saturday. Fortunately, it shouldn't be anything in my chest.

*crosses fingers*

Well, the sore throat and cold are still an issue- even more so today. I seemed to get more fatigued doing 1.5 miles than I can ever remember. I may have to scale it back at the marathon tomorrow, depending on how I feel.

This race was a bit mystery for me in terms of how I would perform... for a number of reasons. First off, I spent the majority of July and August battling an achilles issue. This was apparent after taking a week off before the Provo River 1/2 Marathon, racing, and then not being able to walk afterwards. Some constant stretching and strengthening during September helped, but it didn't help the missed training miles in July/August. The other big variable was a cold I developed a few days before the race. After battling it Thursday and Friday, I woke up Saturday morning feeling pretty close to normal, so that ended not being a factor.

 My friend and (sometimes) training partner Bob and I talked about running the first couple miles together. His goal was to break 3:00, which was similar to my goal (break 2:55). A couple months ago I had planned on breaking 2:45, but I knew that wasn't realistic this year. The big variable with Bob was this being his first marathon. I knew it was possible because he ran a 1:22 half at the TOU 1/2 Marathon, but experience is much more key at the marathon distance. We also tried talking Mark (aka "Red Dragon") into running the first 1/2 with us, but he was set on breaking 3:10 and running the first half conservatively (1:34-1:35). Our goal was to run the first half in 1:28-1:29.

So we took off and did a very conservative 2 miles in 14:08. I started to get impatient, so we gradually picked it up and started logging 6:30 miles at mile 3. Veyo and the gradual uphill to mile 12 slowed us down again to a 7:00 pace, but I started getting a second wind as we approached mile 13. The first half time ended up at 1:28:15, which I wasn't thrilled with because it was my slowest 1/2 time at St George ever. But, considering the goal, it was appropriate. Once we reached the downhill, I started to pick it up and temporarily left Bob. I tracked 6:05-6:10 miles going down the big hill to mile 16, where Bob met up with me again. I was surprised to see him, as he must have been logging sub-6:00 miles down the hill. After the hill, I kept a pretty steady 6:20-6:30 pace, and Bob gradually backed off and fell behind. I knew the hill before mile 19 would be tough, but I felt strong and passed a handful of people up it. I kept waiting for the wall, but it didn't come until mile 25, at which point I slowed down to a 7:00 pace and cruised in with a time of 2:53:05 and a -3:25 split.

Here are the splits:

Mile	Pace
1	7:15
2	6:53
3	6:21
4	6:26
5	6:31
6	6:14
7	6:15
8	7:28
9	7:04
10	6:56
11	7:13
12	6:46
13	6:31
14	6:25
15	6:11
16	6:05
17	6:12
18	6:20
19	6:38
20	6:24
21	6:14
22	6:33
23	6:20
24	6:35
25	6:46
26	6:58
.2	1:23

Generally speaking, I think I had a good, consistent performance. I bailed out on speedwork almost entirely this year due to a chronic achilles issue. So I think my endurance was ok, but I lacked the speed and threshold training that would have allowed me to pick up the pace. I think I can realistcally move these numbers down about 30sec/mile next year, which would put me right at my sub-2:40 goal. I've finished in the 2:40s twice, so I think that goal is very attainable.

I noticed times were a lot faster this year. Normally, a time of 2:53 would gaurantee a spot in the top 100, but I fell to number 121 overall this year. I attribute that to the weather more than anything else. Is it possible that runners are gradually getting faster with more information sharing and better gear? Possibly.

I keep thinking about next year. I think the different focus on my training that I've gained from veteran runners on this site will help.

I wasn't planning on running again until tomorrow, but I felt ok and figured an easy recovery run would help speed recovery. Did a nice, easy 3 mile loop at a 8:00 pace. The legs felt a little sore, but certainly not hurt.

I am planning on maintaining low and frequent mileage for the rest of the year to let things heal and so forth.

I felt a little better this morning. Legs were still a little sore in the quads, but I stopped after .6 miles, stretched it out, and felt pretty good. Instead of a 8-8:30 easy pace I did a 7-7:30 easy pace, which is ideal for my easy training.

One of the interesting things about my neighborhood (Hidden Valley Bluff in Sandy) is the geographic layout. It basically consists of a large 1.5 enclosed loop, so the traffic is minimal and it's popular for runners and walkers that don't necessarily live in the neighborhood. As I came back into my neighborhood with .5 to go, I recognized a lady up ahead that was running in the same direction. I challenged myself to pick it up and reach her by the time she got to my house. I picked it up to a sub-6:00 pace and reached her. It felt good.

Strange- my achilles isn't hurting me anymore. I guess I shouldn't say that and jinx myself, but I'm hopeful that gradually picking up and then sustaining my mileage over the winter will strengthen it without stressing it.

I think I felt about 90% this morning. No more achilles issues, but I'm still stopping after .5 miles to stretch things out. I would have done an even 5 miles today, but I played raquetball at lunch. I couldn't let these guys work me too bad.

It's hard to say how much I'll play raquetball this winter, but I would anticipate at least once a week. Maybe twice. I played with Adam today, who is much better than me. It's been a long time since I played someone better than me, so it's a pretty good workout.

Oh ya- got back on the usual 5.5 mile route this morning and it felt better than it has in months. The achilles is healing up nicely. I didn't even feel it. Now I just need to stay on top of it and keep strengthening it for the next couple months.

Anxious to do a 10k or half marathon in the near future, but unfortunately winter is coming. I may have to wait for the Moab 1/2 in March. :(

PM: I got home (somewhat) early to take advantage of the light a bust out a trail run. I am already tired of running in the dark in the mornings, and we aren't even to November yet. So I was able to get out at 5:30 in the evening and had about 1.5 hours of decent light left. I went up to the trail head and caught the Bonneville Shoreline trail. Took it down to corner canyon and then took an alternate single-track trail back to the Porter Rockwell trail. They were doing work on the alternate pipeline trail, to where it connects back to the Porter Rockwell trail and extends a few blocks to the north. Things felt good, but I was a little achy the last mile. So that's probably a good mileage to peak out at this week.

I had my daughters baptism in the morning, so I couldn't get out until after everyone cleared out of the house and Teresa decided to take a nap with the baby. I was wavering, but I finally decided to get out at 2:30. The weather was noticeably cooler and wetter than yesterday, but it was still shorts and long-sleeved shirt weather. Same route as yesterday, but I caught it short on the BS trail by taking the 4WD road back down to the trail head (rather than continuing on the BS trail to corner canyon). The 4WD road is a solid, downhill, mile-long, smooth dirt raod that I like to push the pace on. I came down it at a 5:30 pace today, which felt pretty good. I would like to take the whole road from Suncrest down to Draper as a tempo run before it gets snowed over. Maybe next week.

This was a slight alternate to my usual 5.5 mile loop. I found that starting at my house and ending at the bottom of the hill below my house (rather than at my house again) is a great way to get some more slight downhill training at the end. Everything felt good. I'm going to plateau at approx. 35 miles this week and probably hold that weekly mileage through the end of the year.

Did a hill workout and pushed it pretty good coming back. 5 miles. Not a huge deal, but it felt right.

I came back and had a message on my phone from Mexico. They had some problem with their video encoding I had to look at, so I didn't have time for any stretching. Drag.

Did the same run as Monday. It was a little wet and cool out, but it's not getting cold enough yet for ice. Good thing. Worked it pretty good on the downhill and ended up with a total pace of 6:36 over 5.1 miles.

The weather Saturday is going to be crap, so I don't know about the run. I'm thinking about doing it with Locomotion 'cause a friend of mine is providing hydration. But I hate most of their runs and I would much rather hit the trails. 

Slept in this morning until 6:15, so I had to make the decision of running a quick one in the morning or waiting until the evening. Knowing that work can extend itself into the evening sometimes, I decided morning would be my best option. So I ended up cutting about a mile off the run. I will make up for it tomorrow when I do my Friday afternoon trail run.

I somehow got out of work today at 4:00, and made it home by 4:30. I can usually do that on Fridays, and this was no exception. I had a party to go to at 7:00, so I knew I had to be done with the run by 6:00.

The weather was unusually warm, with a strong south wind blowing. This time of year, that usually means storm within 24 hours. I took off at an easy pace, up to the Orson Smith trail head on Highland Drive (in Draper). I went up the new connector trail to the Bonneville Shoreline trail. On my way up, I felt the familiar sharp pains in both achilles tendons, so I backed off and tried not to run on my toes up the hills. Perhaps I have been running too many hills this week? Hills seem to aggravate the issue- especially when I run exclusively on my toes up the hills.

I did a modified shoreline loop, and returned back the way I came. I would have run longer if I wasn't planning on running tomorrow at 7am with locomotion. That's one of the downers about scheduled group runs- it can confine your other runs.

I made it back home about 5:45 and thought it would be better to mow the lawn one last time this year. The shower could wait.

We met at 7am this morning at Wheeler Farm. After all these years running in Salt Lake, I haven't ever run around Wheeler Farm before. I found the loop to be short, but very enjoyable. As we started out, we did our first loop arond Wheeler Farm. I learned that the 5k that is run there on the first Saturday in November is a trail 5k that does 2 loops around the park. Sounds like my kind of race- except for the 5k. I was talking to some other runners about how horrible I am at the 5k distance. In fact- the pace I ran during my only 5k this year was exactly the same as my Provo River 1/2 Marathon pace. That says something about my lacking speed, or good endurance (or both).

After the initial 1.5 miles, we took off on the roads. Dominique showed up a few minutes late, so she was waiting at the parking lot. We took off together at an easy pace, passing most of the loco club members. This time there were 2 runners that made smart remarks as we ran by, which is pretty typical. It irritates Dominique, and I can't say I like it either.

Andrea was providing hydration for the run, and Bill was there to help out and say "hi". Alicia also showed, but she didn't run either due to an abdominal strain. We talked a bit about starting our winter training in 2 weeks. It sounds like both Andrea and Bill have been taking some time off since the marathon.

We asked Bill about his thoughts on consistent (6 days a week running). He didn't say it was a bad idea, but he did offer an interesting insight. When we say that people who run 6 days a week don't get injured, that's because people that do get injured are no longer able to run that often whilst injured. So it is accurate to say that runners who run nearly every day aren't injured, but what happens when they do get hurt? Just some more light on the subject. Personally, I am feeling really good now that I'm running consistently and averaging 35 miles a week. I am going to keep it up and gradually edge the mileage up.

Man, it was cold this morning. Right at 34 degrees when I got up. I gave myself some extra time this morning so I could dress warmer. I usually wear shorts down to 30 degrees, but I'm not acclimated yet to the cold. It turns out that I overdressed. I was too hot by mile 1.

Took the usual route up to Wasatch Blvd and down 1700 East to the bottom of the hill. I did some threshold speed during the slight downhill and worked it. It felt good, but I was more tired than usual at the end. I guess that's good. Not hurt- that's the key.

Need new shoes.

I checked the thermometer this morning. 40 degrees. Good enough for shorts. I should have ditched the gloves too, 'cause I was burning up at mile 3.

I decided to run the Porter Rockwell this morning. A relatively flat course that would allow me to get an extra mile or two with the same effort. It was dark, but I could still make out the trail well enough. The nice thing about the trail is no cars. I hate having headlights in my face.

I felt good after nearly 2 miles warming up. I decided to push it a bit. Did miles 3-5 at 6:15, 6:14, and 6:17, which is goal marathon pace.

Noticed a meteor yesterday, and 2 meteors today. There were probably more, but I wasn't looking up at the sky too much. I did some stealth kills on the trail, Wasatch Back style. Snuck up behind a couple girls first and cruised by them, scaring them. Then I snuck up behind a couple that were walking with a flashlight. Nice. 

New shoes have been ordered from Overstock. Yes.

This was a hill workout. Pretty tough at times, but the end felt right. I cut it a little short because I'll be playing raquetball at lunch.

I'm trying to get some people together on Sat for a trail run in Draper. Looks like I have 4 takers so far. The good thing about trail running is that you can't go that fast, so a small group will tend to stick together with people of relevantly similar speed. I can even run with someone on a trail that I would run 2 or 3 min per mile faster on a road. The uphills keep the group together. The downhills spread people out more, but you have to wait ever 1/2 mile or so at a trailhead or junction. Good times. If I could, I would do all my training on trails. I know my speed would suffer, though.

Played Adam in raquetball at lunch. Came out on top 16-14, 10-15, 15-6, 9-2 (when the lights turned off). Uh huh.

The 5-6 mile runs are getting easier. I only got about 5 hours sleep last night, but this was an enjoyable, easy run. around Wasatch Blvd and down 1700 East to the bottom of the hill.

I should have checked the temp before running this morning, because it was a little cooler and I could have used gloves. My hands were aching by the time I got to mile 5. It didn't help that I carried a water bottle.

Went out on the pipeline trail and came back on the porter rockwell trail. It was dark, but the moon was full. Nice.

Well, this was a pretty strange day. Dominique put out an email earlier in the week to our friends (about 12 or so) asking if anyone wanted to go for a run this Sat. I responded that I did, and we ended up having about 6 people interested. I even made a batch of fuel for recovery at the end on Fri night, and put it in a gallon container. One thing led to another and everyone flaked out except Natalie. Now Natalie is a fast girl (she just qualified for Boston at St George), so she wanted to run with me 'cause she figured the run would be challenging. Unfortunately, there were just 2 of us that showed up at 7:30. I really expected to be running with Dominique, but her son got sick at the last minute. Drag.

As it turned out, the loco club had shown up at Draper Park at 7:00, and were already a few miles into their run. As we were about to take off, we noticed them run by and start on the Porter Rockwell trail (the same direction we were going). So Natalie said "should we just run with them?". I thought it would be a good idea, 'cause I didn't want to carry conversation for 2 hours. Unless I know the other person I'm running with really well, I prefer not to do a long, easy run with just one other person. Shorter tempo runs are ok, 'cause you're concentrating on the distance and speed more. Anyway, in a larger group, you can shift betwen conversations and running mates if things start to get stale.

So we took off at the back of the loco club pack, and I started talking to Christina and George as Natalie took off in front of me. I told them I was running trails, so I would be taking off on my own after a mile. At the mile mark, George told me that the registration to 2 trail events in Feb and March are open for registration. Those are the Moab Red Hot 50k+ (which has a 30k? option this year). The other is the Antelop Island 50mi/50k/25k race. I would like to do the shorter distance of each, if possible. Especially if I can find someone to go down with to Moab. Dominique sounded interested at one point, but I can't remember if she put it on her schedule. Bob has also expressed some mild interest. Kris Lander may be up for it, but he's still recovering from knee sugery and is up to 6 slow miles now. Moab Red Hot is an awesome ultra for a first one, and even has the shorter 20-21 mile option.

Anyway, the run itself was good. I caught the shoreline trail and took it around to the back of the new Draper temple (still under construction) and then came back. I finished at the same time as the loco club. Tracy told me that Natalie was looking for me 'cause I took off on the trails without her. Oops. I'll have to make an appearance at her wedding reception in 2 weeks and apologize. :)

I say I ran 8 miles easy, but I don't know if the hills and trails are ever really easy. It still tired me out.

AM: Ran the 4.5 miles down to the Trax station. I'm taking trax today 'cause school is out, so I don't have to drop my daughter off.

PM: Will run the 4.5 miles home from the 10000 South station.

Put on my brand new shoes this morning. They felt a little stiff at first, but I was suprised to find my legs in really good shape at the end of the run. So I guess I did need new shoes after the usual 3 months/450 miles. Overall pace: 6:40

I felt a little fatigued after the double-run yesterday, but not too bad. It was mostly just a longer warmup than I'm used to. By the end things felt good. I can usually tell during the day if I'm in good condition by the ability to run at will. I was walking from one building to another at work today, and I had to run across the street to make the light while it was still green. No problems. Good sign.

Felt a little stiff this morning. I'm thinking about inserts for these new shoes, 'cause they don't have quite the arch support I need.

I went out on the pipeline trail and back on the porter rockwell trail. I decided to run 4 x 800 at 5k pace (5:15-5:30). Took it slow between the 1/2 mile intervals. No problems.