Craig's Running Blog

Just a nice, easy 6 miles with the group. We started up at the temple in Bountiful and headed south along the road. Went 3 miles and came back. We kept together pretty well.

There was some discussion at the end of the run among us about resolutions and keeping the weight off. I went home and talked to my wife about it, and she has agreed to cut out most (if not all) sugar and nutrasweet from our family diet. We've been taking steps to get there, but now she's on board- and that's obviously important because she thinks of the meals a cooks.

Evening run with the group. We are back to doing hills on Wednesday evenings in Taylorsville on the bluffs next to the river. This was a low turnout- only 5 of us. I felt like I was doing the first 2 hills (out of 6) without having properly warmed up. The achilles were aching a bit. No worries- we did some sprints and I felt good after that.

This was also a landmark day because we switched schools for Kristian and put him in Kindergarten in the elementary school that Zoe attends. He was going to afternoon Montessori. So now he attends morning school at the same time as Zoe, and I am responsible for getting them there on time. That means even earlier mornings if I want to get a run in.

I tried going out on the porter rockwell and pipeline trails this morning, but they were still too icy. I got out about a mile, then switched to main roads. I ended up going east a few blocks toward the mountain and did my hill route. The main roads were good, but some of the side roads were pretty iced over. Hopefully the storm this weekend will bring warmer temperatures initially (melting the ice), and then the plows will do a better job clearing the snow during and after the storm. The roads and trails haven't been clear since that storm that hit us Christmas Eve, when the plowing staff was low.

I also got word today that we secured the Ragnar Relay van for the Moab 1/2 Marathon in March. We have 7 of us riding down in it: Dominique, myself, Andrea, Johnny, Alicia, Cortney, and Jason (Jasro). I don't know Cortney too well (Alicia's husband), but the others are all people I run with at least once a week. It should be a good time.

Rough morning. I was planning on doing a few extra miles, but the ice was really bad due to warmer weather. The thermometer said 45 degrees, which was fine. But the snow and ice was melting everywhere, leaving the ground slick. I fell once, but caught myself multiple times. I had to really slow it down due to the slick factor.

We all met in Kearns at 7am, but that's when the snow hit. It was warm when I was up at 5:30, but the temperature dropped to freezing and the snow started coming down hard. We all decided to go to the olympic oval nearby, which was a good choice. I had never been there, but it's a nice indoor track which surrounds the ice. There are a few areas where the lanes are narrowed down to 3, but it wasn't ever crowded to the point where I was stuck behind someone.

We did a mile warmup and then 4x1600 tempo with 1 mile recovery in between each one. Finished with a mile cooldown. Since the track length is 440 instead of 400, we actually did 11 miles instead of 10. Bonus.

I tried going out in the morning, but the roads were terribly slick. I got down to the bottom of the hill and there was this guy stalled on the side of the road. He hit the curb and got a flat, and the road was too slick for him to move. I offered to push, but we still couldn't make it move. I used that as an omen and went back home.

It snowed a couple inches sometime between noon and 3:00, so I decided that was also a good omen. Nothing really beats running on new snow. Quite a workout too. The temperature was right around freezing, so it was perfect.

I'm going snowboarding in the morning (Monday), so I won't get a morning run in. I'll have to meet a few people at 6:30 for a run around Murray Park. Not my favorite because of the busy roads, but it will work.

An evening run with a small group. I wore trail shoes to fend off the ice and snow.

The entertaining part of the evening was running into the missionaries as we stopped for water. I struck up a conversation with them. I tried keeping the conversation light so the girls I was running with would feel at ease and comfortable talking to them. However, the older missionary was pretty hardcore, almost as if the light conversation was a waste of his time. He tried commiting Andrea to take the discussions until she finally exclaimed "I WILL NEVER BECOME MORMON!".

Off day. Recovery.

I took a few miles on the treadmill, followed by some core excersices and swimming. 

Played racquetball at lunch. I was fresh, 'cause I didn't do a morning run. I had incredible energy and it showed in the last game, when I skunked the competition 11-1. The other games were nice and close.

In the evening, I met up with some running friends for our Taylorsville hill kills. There were 5 of us there. We talked a bit about the missionaries that we saw on our run on Monday. Basically, I waived to the missionaries on Monday as we were getting water 1/2 way through the run. We talked about it more on Wed night and that conversation led into our religious affiliations. I talked a bit about serving 2 years in Denmark, and how the culture and language is similar to ours in more ways than many other countries would be. As typical in Salt Lake, the group I run with is about 1/2 lds (somewhat or fully practicing), and 1/2 not. It always provides interesting conversation. In California, people I worked with and ran with would not dare talk religion in public circles. Different culture. 

I have to quit screwing around. I spent another morning snowboarding (that's twice this week). Great powder day. They opened the Millicent bowl in Brighton today after having it closed yesterday, so there was 2 feet of untouched powder over there. Incredible. After that was tracked out, we went over to Great Western and finished it up with some out-of-bounds riding. Very nice day. Warm too- about 20 degrees up there.

I will try to get my evening run in tonight after I get home. Unfortunately, snowboarding in the morning means working late.

PM: Ran 6.5 miles out on the paved trails in Draper at 9:00. It was a little icy 1/2 way through, so I had to watch it. My ankles were in pain off and on through the whole run due to the snowboarding earlier in the day. I'm glad I did it, though. I'm trying to get up to 50 miles/week and I'm having a hard time making it. I'm sure it will come soon, and then 60 miles/week will come once I increase the length of the Saturday runs in preparation for Boston. 

I took a bath after the run last night and slept well. I woke up this morning at 5:00, and felt pretty good. I was glad, because I wanted to get the run in this morning rather than trying to squeeze it in on a treadmill at lunch. That's no fun.

The run felt good. No ankle pains. I was still fatigued from yesterday's activities and lack of fuel. I wish it were Saturday so I could take a nap. Maybe I'll sneak one in at lunch.

I had to drive the vehicle around and provide hydration for the group today, but the course was laid out in a way that made it easy for me to run. We started out with a warmup, followed by 10x100 sprints. Then we went on to the core of the workout- 10 hard-effort hills on a 1/2 mile loop.We would hit each hill hard and then run together on the downhill. We followed this with a mile tempo run on the way back. Good workout.

I'm not quite at 50 miles/week yet, but I'm getting there. I'll make a goal of 50 miles for next week.

I'm going to get my mileage up to 50 this week. It should be attainable because I'm not planning on boarding any more than once this week (if that).

AM: 4 miles out on the paved trail. It was about 24 degrees- nothing too terrible. I'll finish up this evening with another 6 miles.

I sent out an email to my running friends about putting a team together for the Wasatch Back Relay. We'll see what kind of response that gets.

PM: Met up at Murray Park with Andrea, Natalie, Johnny, Tracy C, and the dog. We did a mile warmup, followed by some sprints. Then we did another 4 miles to finish up at 6 miles. We talked about the Wasatch Back Relay. I think we'll have a pretty fun team.

I got out early today at 5:30am. The paved trails were all clear and it wasn't too cold. I'm guessing around 25 degrees like yesterday. The muscles felt more relaxed and better than yesterday, but I'm getting some pain at the base of my big toe on my left foot. It's been bothering me since last Friday, although not too much when I run. I am not sure what's going on there, but I'll try to massage it.

We got word at work that our hours are going to be less flexible, which may be a problem. They want us to work 8-5. That's not going to fly with my current schedule. I may have to make some adjustments. How ironic- I may have to be flexible to accomodate the job's new inflexibility.

I met up with the group at 6:30 in the evening. There were 5 of us, which is always a good number. We had myself, Le Dominique, Tracy C, Tracy A, and Natalie. The big news was the "Loco Lugnuts" WBR team headed up by George. He has told the runners that run with us that they can't be on the team unless they run consistently with Locomotion. That effects about 5 of the team members (out of 12). So Dominique and I have reached out a hand. Dominique is willing to look into their privileged status as members of one of the original WBR teams, and I let them all know that they have a place on my WBR team. My team is going to be named Run Amoks (or some variation) because that is our informal group name.

Anyway, it was cold. Maybe 15 degrees. I only had shorts with me, but I kept my hands and head very warm. That seemed to work out ok.We did the usual hills out around the Jordan River area in Taylorsville. I threw in an extra hill at the end. 

We had some conversation about treadmills and how we hate them. They seem to be a necessary evil this time of year. On the coldest days, it's getting a little miserable to go out before the sun comes up. Still, I ran a couple days in 0 degree weather out in the Basin at the end of December.

AM: Got up and did some upper-body and core work. I contemplated running outside, but running at the gym seemed much more appealing because of the cold. This is a serious cold front we have right now. Temps are about 20 degrees below normal. I think the normal temps right now are 37/25 and we are dealing with 17/8.

Lunch: I'm not pround of my treadmill effort today, but something about the treadmill just hurts. I have more pains when running on a treadmill than I ever do on the road or trail. I have a theory that this is due to not warming up properly on the treadmill, and also not being able to be flexible enough on the treadmill with your speed. I talked to Dominique about it today and she said the same thing. Actually, she brought it up. She said that the treadmill hurts, and I agreed.

AM: The kids didn't have school today, so I used it as an opportunity to take trax to work. It is normally 4.5 miles to the trax station, but I ran a different route to make it an even 5. The 4.5 mile route is half trail, which doesn't always work in the winter.

PM: Returned 5 miles home.

We met as a group up in Bountiful for this one. We knew that the big hill was due today, and we did it. I was actually looking forward to it all week, but others in the group were dreading it. I'm not sure why. The toughest part of the run was the last 3 miles, where my lower legs were fatigued and I felt like riding in the sag wagon back. I stuck it out, and actually felt pretty good after I finished. No lingering tightness or sore areas.

I had the day off, which was great. It totally dumped about 5 inches overnight and another 7 or so during the day. So when I got up this morning to run, there was a good amount of accumulation on the roads. That's actually good news. While running on newly plowed roads or unplowed roads with tire tracks can be miserable, the paved trail is ideal under new snow conditions. It turns into something like a dirt trail run, but more cushioned. It was a serious workout because of the accumulation. I think something like 2 inches is ideal for running. 5 or more inches gets cumbersome because you have to work so hard to lift your legs out of the snow. After finishing up the run, I ate breafast, took a shower, and slept for an hour. That's my favorite kind of morning.

Took out on the paved trail, which is now covered with a foot of snow. Unfortunately, the snow was too deep and tracked for me to be able to run freely. So I got back on the roads and did a loop around east Draper. It's impossible to avoid hills in that area, so I got worked pretty well. Once I was totally warmed up, about mile 3, things felt right on. I think I'm finally starting to see a real fitness increase from the increased mileage. Moab will be a good sign. If I can break 1:20 there, I'll be satisfied and ready for Boston in April.

Due to the snow and ice, I had to run on the major roads. No problem. I took the big hill up Wasatch Blvd and then came back down through Pepperwood. I noticed a fitness increase since last time. Finished things up at marathon pace (6:00).

I had to keep to the main roads today, so I did a loop around the bluff first (1.5 miles), and then stretched things out a little back at my house. After that, I did my standard 5 mile loop, picking it up the last half. Things felt really good. Not surprisingly, I was the only runner out this morning.

I am trying to figure out how to eventually get my morning runs up to 10 miles. I have only been able to do that by splitting up the run twice a day so far. If I want to get my mileage up over 60, I'm going to have to increase weekly mileage to roughly 10 a day. I just don't have enough time in the morning right now to do that. Maybe I can adjust the sleep schedule and get up at 5:00 rather than 5:30.

I will be registering a WBR team and act as the captain for it this year. It looks like our group will be putting together 2 teams- one a mixed team and the other a girls-only team. I may need to put the word out on the blog if we need a couple more runners.

Looks like more snow in the forecast...

Ah yes- I was glad to see the paved trail plowed this morning. There was a light dusting on there from yesterday, which made it perfectly cushoined. Maybe half an inch of powder on the asphalt. I wore my trail shoes and worked it. My trail shoes are quite a bit heavier than my road shoes, so I try to use them strictly for more difficult terrain.

I got a little inspiration from the movie last night. It was interesting seeing athletes at all levels. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite relate to anyone that was highlighted in the movie. I am somewhere between the elites and the guy who was trying to qualify for Boston. It's just been so many years since I was in that guy's shoes (trying to qualify), that the things he was focusing on were a distant memory. I really got a kick out of the older guy. He was the typical veteran slower runner that we see in Salt Lake Fit. From his jovial attitude down to the massive amount of junk that he carries with him on the long runs and races- it just made me laugh.

We all met at Ruth's Diner up Emigration Canyon. There was a good turnout this morning- about 15 of us. This was supposed to be a distance run with no fast miles, but I picked it up about halfway through in order to get some tightness out and push myself.

Topics of the day: WBR teams, Ogden Marathon teams, stretching session (coming in February).

The weather was cold at first, but quickly warmed up when the sun came out. I was content with 2 layers and a simple hat.

AM: Pretty easy 5 miles. It was sooo windy, but the snow and ice were off the roads. That was nice. The downside was the large number of puddles everywhere due to melting snow. I expect a storm later today. Olympic Oval tonight.

PM: The roads were so bad that I met up with the crew at the trax station near my work and got a ride out west to the oval. We decided to do 8x200 meter repeats, with 200 easy in between each and a mile warmup/cooldown. It wasn't too hard, especially considering it was the second run of the day.

AM: Snowboarding. The snow was decent, but it was too wind blown at the top. They have 112" now, which is pretty decent. That should make it interesting for the WBR relay in June when we have to run over Guardsman's Pass. When we did it 3 years ago there were some massive snow drifts on the side of the road. Hopefully they won't have a problem making sure the road is plowed this year. That's the funnest part of the race.

PM: I took the kids to the clinic because they were complaining about their ears. They checked their ears and checked for strep, but there weren't any problems. So they'll just have to tough it out. When we got back, I took off. It was 8:15. Got back around 9:15.

AM: 5.5 in the morning. It was icy and nasty, but I wanted to get in some mile knowing that my evening run would be short.

PM: 5 miles (hills) with Natalie, Tracy H, and Tracy C. It was a good run. We did 5 hills with some sprints at the top of hill 3.

Recovery day. I added on to my 5.5 mile loop to make in an even 6 miles. Unfortunatley, the trail is too iced over right now to run on, so I had to stick to the roads. There were a few cars that made me nervous.

I woke up and saw that it hadn't snowed yet, which was a disappointment. I was hoping to get some trail running in on some fresh snow. Oh well oh well oh well.

Did 1.5 miles around the neighborhood and then another 6 out on the roads.

Started off with a 1 mile jog down to Draper Park to meet the group. We had about 12 today, which wasn't too bad. The trail was clear and the spirits were high.

At mile 5, we did a tempo run of about 2 miles. I wanted to keep it at a pace that would feel good for 5 miles, so I did a 5:30. It wasn't too bad. I'm not to the point where I can maintain that for a 1/2 marathon, but I'm hoping the extra miles and good training will get me there.

We got hit by a storm in the morning. The wind during the night kept me up a little, but fortunately today was Sunday. After I shoveled off the driveway and sidewalks, I ate lunch and went out for a recovery (easy) run. The trail was deep in snow at times, so my shoes got pretty wet. I ran into a group of 12 deer on the trail, so I slowed to a walk and approached them slowly. They trotted off as I got close. It snowed again as soon as I got back, so I shoveled again during the evening. I couldn't bring myself to watch the superbowl, as I really had no interest in it.

Man- I was a punk today. We got up to the mouth of the canyon (big cottonwood) about 8:15, but it was closed. We waited and waited... finally got the road open at 10:15. So we blew off work and stayed up on the mountain until 3:30. I was trashed afterwards, so I was debating on Monday night speedwork. I decided to go out to the Olympic Oval and meet my friends, but then Andrea called and said everyone was bagging out. So I spent the evening at home with the family. I'm off to New Jersey starting next week (will be there every week until June), so I am trying to spend a little extra time at home.

My good shoes were wet from Sunday, so I put on an older pair. They felt stiff. Bad feeling. But I think I'm getting to the point where I'm conditioned enough and the shoes don't matter quite as much. Sure- I don't want broken down trashed shoes, but my legs and ankles are stronger than they have been in a couple years.

It was pretty cold. I started with 1.5 miles around the neighborhood for a warmup, took a restroom break, then did 6 miles in Sandy.

AM: Got out for 5 easy(ish) miles. I say "easy", but I always fall into a fast pace on these shorter runs. I am going to meet up with the group this evening for 5 miles of hill kills, so that should put today's distance up where it needs to be.

PM: Met up with the group for the hill run. It was a solid 5.5 miles.

It was a cold morning. For some reason, our water heater went out. That meant I had to hit the gym on the way to work for a shower. Oh well. I did a 7.5 mile loop.

I wanted to get 10 in today, but we don't have any hot water at the house. So doing a run in the evening was out. I did 7.5 in the morning and showered at the gym. Getting a new hot water heater in the morning.

Kearns run. We had a pretty good group today: Myself, Bill, Andrea, Johnny, Jason, Tracy A, Tracy C, Tracy H, Alicia, Natalie, Miriam, Scott. Christina was there, but some work issues kept her up all night so she offered to do the sag.

We started off with 2 miles slow to a church parking lot. Natalie, Tracy H, Alicia, and Miriam had all met to do some early miles, because they had to leave early for various reasons. So we started out and doubled-back when we heard they were trying to catch up to us. We got to the church parking lot and did 10x100 sprints. That got us all warmed up. Then we went over to the usual hill loop, where we run about 100m up the hill, turn the corer, and sprint another 50m where it levels off. Then we run easy arond the block and repeat. We did this 12 times today (we had done it 10 times in previous workouts). After we were done there, we did 2x1600 tempo runs. The first was slightly downhill (5:30 pace), and the second was slightly uphill with a slight headwind (6:30 pace). It reminded me of mile 6 at the Provo River 1/2 Marathon. Pretty tough, but I was running strong today. Good weather, too. I think we were running in the high-30s.

Long flight to Newark, NJ. I went into the city after we arrived, had dinner, saw a few things, and finally got out around 11:30. We were down in Princeton by 12:15am and I got to bed shortly after that. Long day.

AM: Got up early and hit the workout room at the hotel. It has the typical: elliptical, 2 treadmills, and a small weight bench. I did a mile on the elliptical to warm up, then did 4 miles on the treadmill. Then I got on the bench and did some core work. It's too cold to go out this morning, considering I don't know this area. It should warm up later in the week.

PM: Did an extra 4 on the treadmill. Then I did some upper-body work and a light swim.

It is too icy to run outside. we had some serious snow and sleet fall today, so the roads were terrible. I ran inside in the morning, and intended to run outside in the evening. However, that didn't work out.

AM: Still too slick, but it's going to warm up today. That means the roads will be clear and I'll be able to get out tonight or tomorrow at the latest.

It felt really good to finally get outside. There is a pretty cool trail that runs for miles right outside the hotel, so I can start running on that when the conditions are decent and it's somewhat light.

I finally had a good, successful run this morning. The weather was 29 degrees and clear. I was able to wait until light to run, and I ran on the canal trail 4.75 miles out and then back, making it 9.5 total. I am wondering if the sea level running will hurt me at all.

I got stuck in Houston overnight, so I didn't make my group run on Saturday morning. I did 7.5 on my own in the afternoon. It was better than nothing.

I texted Dominique last night and asked if anyone in the group was interested in a Sunday morning run to make up for my missed run yesterday. She told me that she was kind of sick and tired from the hill run they did, but Natalie and Scott had expressed some interest to meet me at 8:00. With that in mind, I took off at 7:00 and did 8 miles by myself, with 3 of those miles pushed up to marathon pace. After 8 miles, I was down at the park and picked up Natalie (no Scott). She had a little less than an hour, so we did 6.5 out on the trail and back. I was worried because she lost one of her gloves. It started to warm up nicely, so she was ok. After we got back to the park, I said goodbye and did another mile home.

Met up with the group at 7:00am at Sugarhouse Park. There were about 15 of us. We did 3 laps around the park, giving us 4 miles. After the chat and recovery drink, I did an additional (and faster) 4 miles around the park, giving me 8 total.

PM: Took a flight out to Philadelphia. First class, so I can't complain. However, getting the car and driving up to Princeton took longer than expected, and I didn't get to sleep until after 2:00am.

Got up after 3-4 hours of sleep and did an easy 5 miles. I thought this would be better than sleeping in, and I was right. It kept me going for half the day, but I was dragging during the second half of the day. The trail to the north-east of the hotel was muddy, so I'll do the south-west portion the rest of the week (weather permitting).

Got a good 8 hours of sleep and got up at 6:15. Took off at 6:45 as it was getting light enough to run the trail. I did the south-west portion this time, which is much drier and nicer. I saw about 5 other runners on the trail, but it was mostly deserted. The temp was about 25 degrees, so it was comfortable to run in. I was tired the last mile, but glad I got in 9.5.

Took off this morning on the trail. 4 miles out and 4 miles back. Pretty cold- around 20 degrees. But everything was clear. Pushed the 2 miles on my way back- that felt good.

Snowing on the east coast this morning, and it's very slick on the roads. I didn't have my trail shoes with me, so I stayed indoors on the treadmill. Drag.

Met up with the group at Emigration. At the turnaround point, I went a little further and then hauled down the hill to catch up with the group. Don't have much time to type right now....

Basic recovery run. Nice and easy. Tried out my performance trainers to see if they were in shape for Moab. They felt good.

Mostly a rest day. Did some cross training and core exercises. I stopped by the Princeton running store during the evening and talked to the staff there. They are a very enthusiastic bunch, and I promised to meet up with them on a Thursday night the next time I stay over until Friday.

Solid run this morning. Went out and back on the canal trail for 9.5 miles round trip.

Nice morning. It was a little wet, but not a big deal. Out-and-back for 9.5 miles.

Things felt tight this morning, and my strassburg sock and gua sha tools are at home! I did 6 easy, and things felt great after mile 3. Got back to the hotel and did some upper body work.

I've had enough of this traveling diet. I need to get serious starting next week and be careful what I'm eating.

Recovery type run. The weather was good, and I went out in the afternoon after buying a new pair of shoes. I'm into the Mizuno Wave Runners now.

Met at the capitol. There were about 12 of us. Good turnout. We went down to the post office by the U and came back. I spent miles 9-11 catching up with Andrea and Scott. They were about 1 mile in front of everyone 'cause they weren't stopping at the hydration spots.

The run felt good and solid. It was a bit slippery after the snow Sat evening, but not too bad.

I had to take a red-eye in the night, and arrived in town at 9:00 this morning. The only redeeming quality was that it was first class and I got a $400 travel voucher out of it, which I'm using to travel to San Diego in June for the Rock n Roll marathon. Just did some upper body work in the evening. No running. I want to make sure I'm rested and ready to race this Saturday.

Warm morning! It was about 55 degrees. I got out and did 9.5 on the trail. The new shoes feel good, but the ones at home feel better with the inserts. Anyway, it was a good trail run, with some fast paced running in the middle.

Pretty much an easy 6.5 today, concentrating on keeping things loose. Did some upper-body work after the run. I'm going to go ahead and treat this week like a semi-taper week.

Good run this morning. I started off slow to get things warmed up. When I was 1/2 way through, I picked up the pace for 2 miles at 1/2 marathon race pace, and things felt good. It was a little tiring, but there were no pains and things were fluid. I'll take it as a good sign. I'll probably do a few easy miles tomorrow morning to keep loose, so this was my last big effort this week.

Canyonlands Half Marathon.

I met up with the Ragnar crew and we road down in what they call the "Chariot of Sweetness" (COS). Those of you that ran Del Sol will know what I'm talking about- the decked out orange van with sirens and the like. Dominique was the hookup on that, obviously. So it was Dominique, myself, Andrea, Johnny, Jason, Alicia, Cortney, and Bill. I can go into some detail on the race for each of them, as we have all supported each other this winter and we are intimately familiar with each others' accomplishments. But first- the race report.

We arrived at the expo in style. I was driving and having fun with the sirens. I used the whistle call a lot and got a ton of stares. Inside the expo was filled with the usual Locomotion volunteer crowd- they have some deal where they get in the race each year if they volunteer. I heard from more than one source that this race was easier to get into this year, so it's either losing its popularity or the supply of other races in UT and CO has increased during the spring. The only other race I really wanted to run in March was the Buffalo run, and that's a trail race, so who knows. Anyway, I talked to Kris L a bit- his knee has recovered from last year and he is getting back into racing now. He was going for a nice even 1:45. I also went over to the Salt Lake Running Company tent and talked to BJ Christensen  for minute. I knew he would be a force in the race, since he came in second last year. We talked about the store he works at (Runner's Advantage) being sold to Salt Lake Running Co. I have some mixed feelings about that. I'm glad Stan could unload that stress off of his plate, but I will miss running Salt Lake Fit out of that store and meeting so many people in the running community.

On to the race. We were staying in Green River 'cause the hotel is nice and cheap, and they don't force you to stay 2 nights. We met up with Natalie and her husband John (who was there for support) and went down to the race.

Good signs at the start- cloudy at the start and cool. We knew we would be racing in the '40s, which is really ideal. Tracy C, Miriam, Christina, and Marie met up with us at the start, so we had a pretty solid crew of 13 to hang out and pass the time with. It was cold, but it didn't feel colder than last year. Again, the cloud cover was a blessing. I mentioned that I wanted to break 1:20, as that was my personal course record and time the previous year. It seemed attainable after the good training I had put in, even though the traveling was messing up my diet and sleep a little.

I noticed a few fast running bloggers at the start, but only recognized Logan F from his picture. I would later meet Walter and Cody and put a couple names to faces. My friends had all met Walter before through some training runs during the week at the Olympic Oval, but I've missed those due to my travel schedule. Andrea mentioned that we should hook up because he's pretty fast but not completely out of my league. Kind of like the difference between Chris Pope and me- pretty comparable runners to the point where we can train efficiently together. Anyway, had I met those guys before the race, I would have talked to them and tried to keep up with Logan and Walter's pacing (before Logan took off). As it was, I ended up being a couple minutes behind at the end and I had a little left.

Mile 1: 5:45- I was surprised at how many people ran out in front of me at the start. Some were obviously way over their heads. I held back and was satisfied at the mile split.

Mile 2: 6:10- Still not warmed up completely, the course leveled out and I lost what I gained in the first mile. No problem. Feeling good.

Mile 3: 6:05- Both achilles were causing me some pain, but I was running through it, hoping that I would warm up and the pain would reside. I was right.

Mile 4: 6:00- Feeling better and strong, I headed in to the middle section of the race and started passing those that I knew were over their heads.

Mile 5: 5:55- Feeling good, and making sure I was under 30 minutes for 5 miles. Nice and smooth.

Mile 6: 5:55- I grabbed a vanilla cliff shot at the aid station, which proved to be a bad idea. I forgot my cliff shot at the start, so I wanted something to give me some extra energy. Unfortunately, this was hard to choke down and I spent the next 3 miles coughing. I fell in pace behind Ben Kadlec and we maintained that for the next 5 miles.

Mile 7: 5:55- This would have been faster, but I started getting a bug in my chest and I couldn't figure out what was up with my breathing and coughing. It happened right after the cliff shot. Weird.

Mile 8: 6:05- Not feeling as good with my breathing, but my legs felt good.

Mile 9: 6:10- This was probably the low of the race. I knew the hill was coming up, and Ben K was putting a little distance between us. Some guy came by on a bike that he knew and gave him encouragement. I was just trying to get over the bug in my chest.

Mile 10: 6:05- Started turning it around. The downhill after the hill worked out the issue in my chest, and my toes felt good. They were starting to feel a little numb over the previous 2 miles, but the downhill got the circulation in there again.

Mile 11: 6:00- Started feeling even better. I thought I could start picking it up. Ben and I approached Cody and Brad P, so we got in a pack of 4 at mile 11. I noticed Cody's fast running blog shirt, so I wanted to ask him what his name was- so I could put a name to the blog/face. We exchanged a few sentences, and I mentioned that I was feeling good. He told me to make a move. I agreed.

Mile 12: 5:40- Picked it up. It felt really good, but I was too far behind Scott S to catch him. Someone yelled out that I was #17, which seemed right. I think I had been down around #40 in previous years, but this was a better day and my endurance has improved.

Mile 13: 5:55- Just holding on at this point, but everything was fine. I cruised in when I saw that breaking 1:18 wasn't going to happen.

After I finished, I grabbed my bag and went out to see my friends come in. I didn't see Esther, but I heard she came in at 1:29. Impressive. I saw Natalie at about 1:36. I thought I would see Bill and his crew sooner. I finally saw Bill and Alicia at 1:42, and I knew Dominique and Andrea were right behind. I thought it must have been a bad day for them. Well, I was right. I saw Dominique at about 1:45, and she said something really bad was going on with her foot. Andrea was literally right behind her, so I asked her if anything was wrong. She said no. That was a small relief. I ran around to the food area and talked to Andrea. She said Dominique was in the medical tent. So I went in there and got the scoop. It wasn't good. We wheeled her out in a wheelchair and propped her up in the van. I wanted to do something, but there really wasn't anything I could do to make it better. We found out the next day that yes, there was actually a fracture in her foot, and she ran most of the race on it.  

Just a recovery run this morning. It felt really good. I can't remember feeling this good after a half marathon before. A little sore in the right quad, but it was barely noticeable.

Took a plane out to Jersey during the night, and got a few hours of sleep. Not nearly enough. Daylight savings also messed things up to where it wasn't light until 7:00. I got my wash and lifted some weights (upper body) while it was getting done. I had enough time after to do a short run. I wanted to do more than 6.5, but there just wasn't time. I will try to hit the treadmill or elliptical in the evening to round things up. 

PM: Got out of the office around 5:30, and noticed it was still light. So I decided to do another 5.

A little sore from the 2 runs yesterday, but not too bad. I warmed up gradually, never really pushing it until the last mile. Good effort- 9.5 miles.

An easy 8 miles. It was pretty dark when I went out, 'cause I had to be back by 7:30. Ran along the canal. I scared a goose at one point and it hit me with its wing as it flew away. That was weird.

Lower calves/achilles are tight, so I'm going to stretch throughout the day. Have to stay loose for the Leprichon Lope 5k on Saturday.

Easy out & back on the trail.

I got back in last night. I took the opportunity today to get onto the bonneville shoreline trail. There were a few glacial spots, but it was very much runnable and it felt good to get up there again.

Met up with the group at an early 6am. We were surprised at how cold it was. Ran up city creek canyon 4 miles and turned around. Stevie and Maggie showed up- we hadn't seen them since last year. That was good. I talked with Scott a bit. We were the only 2 guys there (Johnny showed up later for the race).

We got registered about 8:00 and started warming up for the 8:30 race. I stripped down to a tech shirt and shorts about 8:15. I was the only one out there dressed like that, and I knew the other fast runners would regret it. Checked out the competition. There was some young kid named Carey Dahle that looked pretty serious who said something to me about my attire. I immediately marked him as a fast kid with little experience that would burn out halfway through the race. Another experienced guy came up and asked me my age. His name was Darin Beane. He was looking to win his age group. He was 38, and I'm 34, which was the same age group. This was a small race with 10 year brackets. He looked strong, but not particularly fast. More like an ultra guy than a road racer. Sure enough- I found out after the race that he's running in the Buffalo Run next week.

The race started at the bottom of the hill by the capitol. The gun went off and the pace felt slow and controlled, just like I wanted. That first uphill by the capitol is pretty steep, so I started feeling funny with the anxiety of the race and the lack of oxygen. I started wondering if I would have to back off. I told myself to calm down and reminded myself that everyone was feeling it. I found myself at the front with Carey. We got to the top and proceeded on the flat up to the city creek bend. The two of us crossed a patch of ice that I had run over earlier, so I knew it was there. I had him go first, and he yelled out "Whoa! I wasn't expecting that there!!". I took it as an opportunity to open up some conversation, so I could check his breathing and see if I should make a move. I told him I knew it was there, and that they had salted it that morning. Then he asked me "Where do we go?"- which pegged him as a rookie at this race (same as me). However, I had run the course that morning and knew it well. I told him to go straight on the road to the turnaround, and noticed that his breathing was labored as he talked. We crossed mile 1 together. I didn't dare look back, but I peeked over my side as we made the turn to see who was behind us (without making it obvious). There was a wasatch running girl pretty close to us named Carri Joyce, and Darin was behind her. That Cabanillas girl was also pretty close, and I knew her from the strong race she had at Provo River last August. Anyway, Carri looked strong, so I knew I had to pick it up or else I would get chicked. We started on the second uphill from the bend up to the turnaround. I immediately made a move and ran as fluidly as I could to make it look effortless to those behind me. It was actually feeling good, and I picked up the effort to about 5:50 (uphill). I hit the turnaround and started back down at a 5:20 pace, smiling as I passed by the runners. I was pleased that I was putting a gap between myself and Carey (the guy). The girl (Carri) sure looked strong, and she was right on the tail of Carey. I wish they didn't have the same names, 'cause this is getting confusing. They were at least 100m behind me at this point. Darin was behind her, but he was back and out of contention. Then I started seeing people I knew. Natalie was the first, but she was zoned out with music (as usual), and didn't see me. Then I saw Andrea- she looked pretty strong. I gave her five. Johnny was close behind with the dog. I started seeing others I knew as well- Marie, Tracy, Christina, Alicia, Esther, Traci, etc...

I hit the turn off to go down to memory grove, and I knew this part would be screaming fast. I picked it up to about a 4:50-5:00 pace and just relaxed. It felt so good. I was actually bummed when I saw the finish line coming, 'cause I knew that I could keep it up at least another mile like that. I crossed the line and got the official time- "16:32". Not bad. I made up some time in the last half. A very very fast course, so I'll call it an aided PR.

Carri came in about 40 seconds behind me and the kid (Carey) was behind her another 20 seconds. He got chicked, but he's young and can use it as a lesson. Darin came in right after them and I talked to him for a while, where I learned that he was doing the Buffalo Run. I'm jealous. The Cabanillas girl was right behind him.

I watched my friends come in and we celebrated a good day before we nearly froze.
 

Got up after very little sleep. I didn't have enough time to do more than 6.5 miles, but it's better than nothing.

AM: Fairly easy run. Things felt better than yesterday, even after the late night in the city (NYC) last night for St Patricks Day. I brought my gear into work so I could run back to the hotel. It's about 3 miles, but I will stretch it out on the trail.

AM: It was raining outside, so I had to do part of the morning workout inside. I did a mile on the elliptical to get warmed up, then did a mile on the treadmill without shoes. I wanted to see if I could pull off barefoot running on the treadmill, and I had pretty good results with it. I definitely felt the working out of the ankle area, because running without shoes forces you on your toes. To not put too much strain on that area, I kicked the speed down to about a 9:20 mile. Then I put the shoes back on and went outside for 2.5 miles.

PM: Another 3 on the treadmill. It was too wet outside. Did the usual light upper body workout as well.

It was too wet to run on the trail, so I took to the roads. I went out about 3.5 miles and came back when I was sufficiently lost. Of course, I knew the way back. I just didn't know where I was.

I got up early (still on east coast time). I kicked back and played a little xbox until the sun came up (arond 7am). Then I went outside and noticed the hose faucet was leaking, so I had to run to the hardware store and fix it. I got done around 8, and went out on the Bonneville Shoreline trail. I saw 3 guys on bikes trying to ride the trail. If I go out with riders that are decent, we go about the same pace, but these guys were out of shape and slow. So I passed them up and never saw them again. I hurried back and got my stuff together. Had to drop by the office and then catch a ride out to the in-laws' house in Vernal.

AM: I got out on the trail down by the Green River. It was a cold morning, but it's so dry out there that anything approaching freezing doesn't feel cold. The trails were mostly clear, but I came across a couple snowbanks, and the dry riverbeds were muddy. I usually run back through the dry riverbeds. I tried to get up to the overlook bluff, but a snowbank kept me from getting to the top. 8.5 miles.

PM: Did 2 loops around the lake for 11 miles. Burned off that heavy Easter lunch! 

AM: I got up early in order to get in 6.5 miles on the paved trail before my flight. It was very nice out- about 50 degrees I think. Much warmer than back east in the morning.

Mid day: I went to the airport and got my flight bumped. So I came back and decided to get another short run in on the trails. It was like 60 degrees outside- perfect. I left about 1:00 and got back about 2:00. Then I left to catch a flight at 3:00. Did some gua-sha action on the achilles and lower calf muscles when I was finished running. I needed that.

The gua-sha therapy session from yesterday was a boost. I went out this morning on the trail near Princeton a little fatigued, but not in pain. It's weird how the muscle scraping does that- makes me feel a little more fatigued but any pain I was feeling before at the begining of my runs is gone because those knots and the scar tissue are worked out a bit. I brought the tool out with me on this trip so I can work on the lower legs a bit more. Over all, a very successful morning.

7 miles on the trail in the morning in Princeton.

Did 1 mile in the morning, then another 6.5 in the evening.

Pretty tough mileage on the Bonneville Shoreline trail. I flew back into UT in the morning and spent a little time in the office. Then I came home and did a run around 4:00. Decent weather, but a bit cool. I had shorts and a shirt on, but I had to wear the gloves as well.

Speed workout in Kearns. We had a decent turnout. It was myself, Scott, Andrea, Johnny, Tracy A, Jason R, Maggie, Tracy C, Christina, Bill, Esther, Natalie, and Traci H. Chris Pope (aka "The Pope") came by for the first 4 miles since he lives nearby. He's still trying to fully recover from the knee issue, but at least he's out and running. We also had a new runner join us- Scott (Maggie's husband). That makes 2 Scotts.

We did a couple miles warmup, then 10 sprints, followed by 6x300 intervals, then the 6xhill repeats, and finally a tempo mile to finish it off. I went out afterwards with Natalie, Traci H, and Esther to get a few more miles. The guys were well represented today, though, with 8 of us at one point.

Well, it's almost April and it snowed a couple inches last night. That's hopefully the last snow we'll see until November. I went down to the paved trail to take advantage of the new snow padding. The first couple miles were nice, but then some idiot decided to take his 4-wheeler on the trail and plow it. So I spend the last several miles dodging thin layers of slush/ice. I'm sure it will all be clear by tomorrow, but that won't do me any good 'cause I've got a flight today and I'm back east all week.

It's crazy how fatigued my legs felt yesterday on my day off. I still didn't feel that great this morning, but I felt much better after running a mile, stretching, and running another 3 miles. By mile 4, I was actually feeling normal again. Relief.

This was an honest effort, but I didn't get much sleep the night before 'cause I got into New Jersey late.

About the same effort as yesterday with some upper-body workout. I also ran a mile on the treadmill barefoot.

I was in NYC late last night. I need to stop doing that. I didn't have time to run in the morning, but got in some miles after work.

Very wet day. I got in about six miles, but that's all that I could manage with the time.

Flew back in last night. We all met up at Emigration Canyon in the morning at 6am. Early. We went up over the hill and noticed that the 10 mile race was starting. Stevie was the only person I knew running it. She looked strong as she ran by- I'll have to check to see if she won it. We went up towards East Canyon as far as we could, but the road was still closed for winter and we only made it a half mile beyond the gate. Then we came back and ran down to the bridge by the gold course (near I-80) and back. A little over 20 miles.

I developed a cough after the long run yesterday, which got worse overnight. It kind of a mix between congestion in the chest and a sore throat. I hope it's not too serious. I really don't feel good- think I might have a slight fever. This isn't the best timing, but it never is.

Went out to the olympic oval in the evening. I was feeling the effects of the cold and didn't want to run. I didn't do anything fast, but I did manage 5 miles.

Felt equally terrible in the morning, but I forced myself to do a slow 3 miles. Didn't get much sleep during the previous night due to a cough.

I'm not 100%, but I'm on the mend. I felt good enough this morning to do 7 miles. Nothing too fast- I had to catch myself a few times and roll back. The ankles aren't 100% either, so I think I need to work on them tonight.

Got some gua-sha work on my ankles last night. After a tight mile warm up this morning and a stretch, things felt loose and great.

AM: Just had time for 5 miles. I'm trying to make sure I have enough sleep to get completely over the cold. Will go for another 3 in the evening.

Light day.

Met with the group out at Kearns. We had a good showing of about 16 people, 12 of which completed the entire 16 mile workout. Did the slow/easy parts of the workout with the whole group, while Walter and I pushed it on the difficult intervals.

Part 1: 6 x 615m

Pace: 4:53, 4:53, 4:48, 4:48, 4:43, 4:43

Part 2: 6 x 350m

Pace: 4:37 for all

Part 3: 6 x 150m (hills)

Pace: ??? (not timed)

Part 4: 1 mile tempo

Pace: Not timed, but felt like 5:30

I got home in time to get ready to go skiing. Kristian and I went up there. It was a bit difficult getting him up the lift for the first run just due to the logistics of it all, and because he had only been up once before. After that, he didn't fall all day and beat me down the hill each time. Not bad for a 5 year old. I kept asking if he wanted to try another lift, but he liked the comfort of the same hill.

We stopped about 3:00 and had a hot dog. I talked to some people at the table from Boston about the marathon and so forth. It's interesting to get others' perspectives on Utah. My experience is that most visitors really like it, and most people from Utah like the state as well. However, the transplants (people from other states that now live in Utah) don't seems to like it too much. Part of that is due to neighborhoods that are tight within the Mormon circles, and those that aren't Mormon feel like they're missing out of socialization within the neighborhood. The other part that's difficult for people is living in the general culture of UT, where things are closed on Sundays and the night life is very low key.

My right ankle was still hurting from snowboarding on Saturday, but it felt better after I did a few miles. I had to cut it short, thinking I would run in the evening in NJ once I got there. However, I always underestimate the time it takes me to get to the hotel from the airport. On top of that, I had a conference call with Japan at 8:15, which cut my evening short.

AM: Had to throw my normal running shoes out because they were nasty from my last trip out here. They got mold in them, and they weren't worth salvaging. Wore my performance trainers this morning and did 7 miles. It all felt good. I'll have to grab some new shoes at lunch.

Lunch: New shoes. The usual Missuno Wave Riders, with a good insert for my arches. I'll give them a test run tonight.

PM: Ran an extra 4 miles in the new shoes. Felt really good.

AM: Did 7 on the flat trail. It took a couple miles to get warm, then it felt good.

PM: Did 2 on the treadmill at the hotel. 1 with shoes and 1 barefoot. Everything is feeling ok.

AM: The usual 7 on the flat trail. I picked it up for a couple miles at the end (marathon pace), and everything seemed in order.

I found out yesterday that the Ogden 1/2 Marathon is full! 1700 people have filled it. I am on the waiting list now, so we'll see how that goes.

AM: Pushed it a little to get the feel of the marathon pace. It all felt good. I am still congested though. I have to get over that..

AM: 5 easy miles before the drive from New Jersey up to Boston...

PM: Met Mark at the airport. He wanted to do 3 miles in Boston, so I went with him. Things feel ok.

Ran it with Lance Armstrong, and pulled away a bit at the end. Details...

I could not believe the number of people at this race. The last count I heard was over 27,000, which is the second largest Boston marathon ever. The 100th running of the marathon peaked at over 36,000.

I was staying downtown at the Hilton. Mark (http://reddragon.fastrunningblog.com) got us a room with his miles. He told me that he tried to pay for a second room and they wanted over $900 a night for it over the marathon weekend. Wow. His wife, Elizabeth, sent some fruit and tea/juice to us the day before, which was nice to have in the room. She also sent us a post-race chips/beer/rootbeer package. I called Teresa and told her about it, and she said (in typical Teresa fashion): "I wouldn't have thought of that." Funny. But make no mistake, Teresa supports me in crazy ways that most spouses wouldn't put up with. I can train and/or race anytime/anywhere and know that she will never have an issue with it.

The night before the race, I went to the hot tub on the 7th floor and hung out with other runners in the hotel. There were all types in there- the older novice that was out of his league, the young hero who was going to run it hurt, and the veteran who had all the answers. I let them know that I was going to run it with Lance Armstrong, since our goal times were the same. They wanted a report the next day after the race, so I guess I was committed.

We boarded the buses at early in order to make the 10:00 start. The suggested 6:45 time seemed excessive, but then I saw the massive number of runners lined up for the buses. We waited in line through about 3 waves of buses before we got on ours at 7:05. When we departed on our bus, I looked out and saw that the lines were even longer than when we first got in them.

We hit some nasty traffic on the highway out to Hopkington right before the turnoff. The roughly 30 mile ride took us 90 minutes. When we were stopped in traffic with the other buses, some runners got anxious and had to relieve themselves off the side of the road. At first it was only guys, but then some girls did it too. There was no good tree cover. I saw one girl get done with her business and then wag her butt back and forth to air out. Mark and I had a huge laugh over that one.

I don't know if it was nerves or what, but we got to the start and waited in lines to use the portable toilets twice. I was so hydrated that I would have to stop on the course about mile 9 to go again, which is somthing that I always try to avoid. I called Traci and Natalie (a couple girls I train with) to see where they were. They told me, but the number of people made it too hard to find them. Anyway, the toilet lines ate up about 45 minutes, so by that time we had to get moving over to the start. We through our drop bags in the proper buses and headed across town to the corrals. I was in the first corral, while Mark was in the third. We did a couple laps on a side street, stretched for a second, and then said "good luck" and made our separate ways. I spend a few minutes trying to find Walter in my corral, but I couldn't spot him.

The start of the race was kind of silly. They were introducing some of the elite runners, but there's no way anyone in the race could see them. I guess that was more for the spectators benefit. Then they did the Star Spangled Banner bit and we were ready. The next thing was weird- they anounced "Now for the start of the race, Walter Brown...". I guess he was the guy that fired the gun. Did I hear that name wrong?

I didn't have a watch on for this race, so I started off running by feel. My ankles were very tight and sore, but I felt great apart from that. It would take 7 mles before that pain subsided. I don't know what the deal is with that, but I need to work on strengthening the ankles. About mile 2, I noticed the guy in front of me looking over to his left. I looked to see what he was starting at, and it was Lance Armstrong. I could have easily missed him early on in the race because there were so many runners. He seemed to be going too slow, but I learned later that he was just running conservative in the first half. I hung wth him for about 5 miles, but then I got anxious and pulled ahead. By this time, I was really feeling good, and I would continue to feel good until about mile 22.

The girls at Wellesley were crazy. I had heard about them, but I wasn't prepared for the sheer amount of noise. I had heard that they compete for kisses, but let's get one thing straight- that wasn't going to be my thing. I saw a couple runners from Japan stop with their cameras. I noticed a few other runners stop for a hug or a kiss on the cheek. About half way through the line of girls, I came up on this sign that said "Kiss Me! I'm Mormon!". Well, at that point it's just mandatory, you know.

I came across the half mark at 1:25:16. That was conservative, so I needed a good negative split to break 2:50. Fortunately, I was feeling good and I knew I could stay strong for at least another 8 miles.

About mile 16, I started hearing chants for "Lance!", so I knew he was right behind me. He came up beside me, which gave me a little motivation to pick it up. The cheering increased 2-3 times as we approached the crowds and they saw him. That crowd support boosted me up the hills. I noticed the hills, but I hit them strong and felt good at the top of each one.

At mile 22, it started to get tough. I was kept pulling ahead of Lance by about 100 yards, only to see him catch up again. I was passing guys left and right. It was about a runner every 5 seconds. At the dip at mile 25, Lance pulled ahead again and gave me the motivation just to keep pace with him. I ran right behind him through the last couple turns and into the final stretch, where I got some time on film. I reached deep at this point and found some energy to pull ahead, trying to come in under 2:50. I crossed the line at a gun time of 2:50:53, and I knew it didn't take me more than 30 seconds to cross the start. Sure enough, my official time was 2:50:30. A good effort for Boston, especially considering I can't shake this cough left over from a cold I've battled for the last 2 weeks.

Went to the doctor today to see if I can get over this cough. It started as a cold and the maraton aggravated it. I decided to go out to West Valley to the office of a friend of mine- Chris Valentine. I knew he would hook me up. He got me some codeine cough medicine and an inhaler. I've got some sort of bronchitis, but nothing that needs antibiotics. Should be ok to run with the inhaler.

Not a bad morning, once I got warmed up. It was cold, and the first mile gave my ankles grief. I stopped at mile one, stretched the lower calf muscles and achilles, and then ran again. After that, things were good, and mile 2 - 6.5 were very smooth. I actually felt a little fatigue in the quads left over from the marathon, but it was very slight. Looks like I'm cleared to start training again.

The cough is getting better. I was wheezing back at my house when I stopped running, so I took a hit on the inhaler and felt pretty good after that. Haven't had any coughing during the day today, so hopefully I'll be 100% in a day or two.

This was a interval/speed workout for most of the group, but I took the drills easy. Here's what Bill had to say about the workout (to save me some typing). Terrilee runs a massage/rehabilitation clinic near 5400 South and 700 West. It was well worth the time.

Team!

We had an OK run a week after our races; despite our being a little roughed up, the weather was good, and I'm told the course/area was attractive, so we will likely return for more workouts there.

Thank you to all who attended the stretching seminar at Terrilee's location last Saturday.  I want to impress on you all as to how important stretching is to all runners who want to be competitive and healthy (I'm not sure that leaves any runner out).  I meant it when I said that I want all of us to have stretched at least 6 times before next Saturday's workout (Emigration Canyon, Ruth's Diner 0600 start).  We can count last Saturdays seminar as 1, but if you took off on Sunday, now you have to stretch every day, or do double workouts.  If you missed the seminar, and for that matter, if you have not taken advantage of my offer of a personalized strength training seminar, shame on you.  I am doing all I can to give you the opportunities to fulfill your potential as runners; step up to the challenge.  We have big races ahead of us and your teammates depend on your performance.  Are you going to let them down?  So stretch: you have the knowledge and the gear, get with it.  I promise you, 3 weeks of stretching and you'll be amazed at how good you feel and how fast you run.

A special thank you to Terrilee for having us; not an easy task.

Coach Bill

Trail run. Up to Ghost Falls in Corner Canyon (Draper). From my house it's about 4 miles each way, and about 6 of those miles are single-track trail.  I took my time.

AM: Short tempo run, doing 3 miles at marathon pace after a 1 mile warmup. I cut it short for intervals this evening. I've been implementing the stretching we talked about on Saturday, and I'm noticing some results. We'll see what difference 3 weeks makes.

PM: Did 4 miles at the Oval: 6x50 sprints and 6x300 intervals.

AM: Somewhat easy run on the trail. The weather was very nice and warm. I came back on a dirt trail that parallels the paved Porter Rockwell trail. I heard someone calling my name, so I took off my headphones and said "hi" to a neighbor of mine named Pascal. He's a consistent 1/2 marathon runner, and hopes to do his first marathon at St George this fall. 5 guys in my neighborhood signed up together- one of them is a 14 year old kid!

AM: Just did 3 on the paved trail and got some milk on the way home. Will be doing another 5.5 or so this evening.

 PM: Did 5.5 with the group. We had myself, Andrea, Johnny, Tracy C, Natalie, Traci H, and Katherine there. Katherine is new to the area from New York.
 

The usual 6.5 on the paved trail loop. It had snowed during the night. Obviously, it's too late in the year for ice on the road, but it was still crazy.

AM: Didn't get up in time to do a run, so I organized my thoughts and wrote down notes for a hydration seminar I'm giving SaltLakeFit tomorrow. I'll try to get in a good run this afternoon.

PM: Ran from my house on the trails up towards Suncrest. I took Clark's Trail down. It just had one little patch of snow at the top, but that didn't even cover the whole trail. It's a lot of vertical to get up there, so I was tired by the end.

Went up to Emigration Canyon at 6:00. The group was meeting early. I had to get back down to Reservoir Park at 8:00 to give a hydration seminar to Salt Lake Fit. I did the first up up the the summit with the group, then did the second half at marathon pace down to the bottom.

AM: Trail run from the park at the top of Wasatch Blvd back to my house. 5 miles.

 PM: Another trail run. This time I went out on the Porter Rockwell trail and took a side trail up to corner canyon. I couldn't believe how many people were out. Fair-weather runners all. A 78-degree day finally got them out of the gym or something. I got home and did a hardcore stretching & gua-sha session.
 

Evening run along the Draper Pipeline and Porter Rockwell trails. I took the back route back into my neighborhood on the bluff to get in an extra 1.5 miles. Nice weather. A little warm. Things felt good due to the intense stretching/gua-sha session last night. Played some soccer with the kids after it got dark (9:30), so that gave me a little extra stretching time on my feet.
 

I took the day off so I could go with Teresa up to Logan in order to help out with some wedding photography. I had a little extra time in the morning, so I put the garmin on and plotted out my trail route. I finally got an accurate 7.5 mile reading on it. Things felt ok- not great. Got some inflammation in the ankles- especially the right side.

Hooked up with the group in the morning. We had 2 new faces- Alisa (sp?) and Amber, both of which are going to be on the all-girls WBR team. Amber is a solid, steady, veteran runner. Alisa is a friend of Maggie. She's pretty young, and she was able to do most of the mileage. So it looks like we lucked out. We still haven't seen how Phaedra (sp?) runs, but I would assume she's similar.

We started off with Indian files, where the group runs slow and the person in the back sprints up to the front. Then we did a 6 x .5 mile loop- that was tough. We ended with the 375 yard loop- easier. Did a mile tempo on the way back. My ankles were inflamed pretty bad, so I took some Ibuprofin (which I never do) and iced when I got home. They felt fine the rest of the day, so I was able to do some heavy yard work and take the kids to Boondocks at night.

Warm morning. I couldn't resist getting out on the trail, so I did a nice, eary 7.5 on the single track. Nothing big.

Cold, wet morning. The ankles felt good after the warmup.

I went to my bro-in-law's game store last Friday and ran into a guy that I used to work with back in 20001 - 2003. Turns out he works at the game store for fun a couple nights a month and knows my bro-in-law well. So we talked for an hour. He still works at the place that I left in 2003 (I left that place in April 2003 and started working at SPS, where I met Renan and subsequently met you). Anyway, we talked for an hour or so. It made me nostalgic and I wanted to go back and work at that place again, or at least re-live the couple years I worked there. Funny how that is.

I went and gave a seminar to SaltLakeFit last Saturday. That was very interesting. They had 40 people there, most of them returning from last year. It was a more relaxed crew- maybe 'cause it's smaller? Dunno. I talked to Hollie afterwards about the group. I let her know the reasons I'm not involved this year and I told her not to burn herself out. I explained that I was making plans this year to do some more racing than previous years and more weekend camping with friends/family. I couldn't do that for the last 3 years 'cause I had to get someone to cover for me whenever I wanted a summer weekend for myself. So in a way, it was good to see those guys, but it was also a relief to walk back to my car and drive home (I ran early with friends in Emigration and then gave the seminar at 8:00).

Another 6.5 miler on the paved trails in Draper.

Very very tight this morning. It took about 3 miles to get into it, before the ankles loosened up. I need to get on top of that and stretch more today.

I wanted to get on the trail, so I got up about 5:45 to give myself some time. Did the usual corner canyon route. I didn't see anyone else at all today.

I'm thinking about running the Draper Trails 15k on June 7. It doesn't look competitive at all, so I'll have to think about it.

I'm thinking about taking tomorrow off to give myself a little rest. I'm going to be up late 'cause the form to register volunteers for WBR opens up at midnight. I want to give our team's volunteers the times and locations they've requested.

Regarding St George-

This is stupid. So this ½ marathon has a couple SGM slots to give away. Instead of giving them to the winner, they’ve decided to give it to the person who volunteers the most hours. Like I’m going to work my --- off for 20 hours in order to *hopefully* be the one volunteering the most hours to this race. I wanted to see if I could go run it and win it, then get the St George slot.

FYI- You can still register for the Grand Slam, and then run Des News, Park City, ToU, and St George. I would do that, but Park City falls on Aug 23^rd, when I’m on vacation.

My St George opportunities are starting to run dry. I don’t know what to do beyond begging… L

From: Scott Summers [mailto:runsum@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 10:59 AM
To: Craig Green
Cc: 'Dr. Jerry Simons'
Subject: RE: Homestead Memorial Half info-

Hi Craig,

We have decided how to allocate our STG slots. The following will be posted on the Homestead site today.

The Homestead Memorial Runs have been given guaranteed slots for entrance into the St George Marathon on October 4, 2008 for both the 5k and Half Marathon. These slots will be given to the runner who provides the most volunteer hours (their own hours or the hours of friends and family) to help with the each race. To compete for the slots you must register for the race and then provide volunteer information to the race committee at runsum@gmail.com.

Ideas of where volunteers might help include:  packet preparation, race morning packet pickup, course pointers, traffic control, water stations, finish line and finish line food.

The guaranteed slots to the St George Marathon are just slots. The winner must still register for the marathon and pay the entrance fee. The winner must also agree to a photo and provide a bio to be reported to the local media and to the St. George marathon.

We hope that you will join us in Midway.

Scott

Yes, I took yesterady off. I had to get a stump out of my yard in the morning. I got back out today, the day before the Ogden 1/2 (I'm running the second half of the marathon in a 2-person relay). Things felt pretty good. I'll try to stretch and stay loose today.

Once again, I am unable to break 1:16 at the half marathon. I ran this one about 30 seconds faster than Provo River last August, so I guess that's good. Especially considering I ran it as part of the relay so I didn't have the competition or motivation that running the real 1/2 marathon would have given me. The other thing to consider is that my total distance was 13.29 instead of 13.1, which might have been because I took the baton before the relay handoff instead of after. I'm not sure, though. If the distance was off and I really ran 13.29 instead of 13.1, then I did finally break 1:16.

Mile splits:

1) 5:46 - I was fully warmed up and ready for it

2) 6:06 - The hill. Didn't slow me down too much.

3) 5:40 - Slight downhill after the hill

4) 5:55 - Rolling

5) 5:35 - The biggest downhill of the course

6) 5:52 - Leveling off through the canyon

7) 5:54

8) 5:38

9) 5:27

10) 5:43

11) 5:12

12) 6:03

13) 5:50

.1) 1:40 (The Garmin gave me a total of .29 distance for the last bit, giving me a total of 13.29 miles run instead of 13.1)

Unfortunately, my right achilles was nagging me through the run. It didn't slow me down, but I'm paying for it now. It looks like I might be out a few days with inflamation issues while it heals. Time for ice and a bit of scraping.

I'm hurt. It's the ongoing achilles problem. I went to the gym and did some elliptical work and then did some running in the pool. No problems doing any of that.

I told my running friends that I wouldn't meet up with them to do hills tonight. I went to the gym instead. I was planning on more elliptical and pool work, which I did, but I also decided to try the treadmill. The first 1/2 mile was rough, but then I stretched and the next 2 miles were ok.

I've been scraping and icing every night before bed, and it's been helping. I got up this morning and actually felt good enough to walk around without pain, so I decided to try a run. The first mile was pretty rough, but again- stretching and slowly warming up helped. After the stretch at mile 1, I was good to go the usual 6.5 miles. I felt pretty good and finished strong with no pain. Good sign.

Things started off murderously painful again the first mile, then progressed to something I could manage after that. I went up on some trails and made it an even 7 miles. I feel better today after the run than I did yesterday, so I think I'm still improving. No more pain during the day, and I can lift my heels with no discomfort.

So I got a reply email Friday afternoon about the Homestead Memorial 5k: ------------ Hi Craig, Give me a call at 801 822 2083 about the St. George slot. We thought they were being advertised on our Homestead website, but they are not. As a relatively unknown potential prize, we may not have much competition for a slot. Scott ------------ I gave Scott a call, and he let me know that I would get the St George entry slot if I ran in the race and got a volunteer. Since I wasn't fully recovered for another 1/2 marathon, I opted for the 5k. It was a small race- maybe 200 runners. I scoped out the competition, and immediately saw the ringer- Darren B who just graduated from BYU and ran on their cross country team. I didn't know what would draw someone of that caliber, but I found out later that the winner gets a free night stay at the Homestead. The gun went off and there were the usual 2-3 young kids that went out too fast. Beyond that, it was myself, Darren, and a couple other guys my age that looked somewhat fit. After the first half mile, Darren and I pulled away, and then Darren put some distance on me. There were a couple tough hills on the course. One on particular was at mile 1, and it was so steep I thought about walking for a split second. Darren finished it at about 17:35 and I came in at 18:29. The third place runner was about 20:30. So the deal was that Teresa and the kids were supposed to be pointers at mile 2, where the course does a short 180 degree turn. Unfortunatey, Teresa couldn't find that spot on the course. I finished the race and ran back along the course to find them. They were at the side of the road just cheering the remaining runners on. Teresa wasn't familiar with the area, so she never found the place on the course that she was supposed to be at. After the race, I stayed for the awards and approached Scott. He gave me the St George entry slot certificate and got my picture. Now I just have to write up a bio of myself and send it on to him. I'm really relieved that I'm able to get into St George.

I was a little sore from the 5k, but not bad. I got out and did some trail work. It felt a little forced, but I did it without too much of a problem. The icing and scraping finally seems to be kicking in.

I got home and started feeling tremendous sinus pressure in my head. It got so painful that I had to bow out of church and lay down for a bit. The pain was mostly in my left ear, and it kept getting worse. I was just laying there, and finally got some relief when the ear drum perforated and the ear started draining. Great- another ear infection. I'll have to go talk to my doctor friends down the street and see if they can call in a prescription.

Not exactly an easy Memorial Day run, but it was enjoyable. I met up with the group at the Capitol. I thought we were doing about 6-8 miles, but I learned that we were going up to the top of City Creek, which is about 7 miles each way and an elevation difference of about 1500 feet. I was testing the ankle out to see how it was, and it felt ok. In fact, other than some general fatigue at the end of the run, I didn't have any problems. Very good sign. Maybe I've finally started to get on top of this thing.

I ran with Bill and Alicia mostly. Andrea and Tracy had their dogs, so they could only go halfway up. They did that twice. Jason and Renae were there too, and we waited for them at the top, then ran down together. The rain was dumping, but it felt nice. I got a little chilled at the end, but not too bad.

I felt better at this morning's run than I have for at least 2 weeks. I started out slow, but it wasn't painful. I stretched at mile 1, then ran solidly the rest of the way with no issues. Just a little stiff in the ankle after the run, but some stretching, scraping, and icing should take care of it. I'll meet up with the group tomorrow night and see how the speedwork goes.

I met up with some friends at Cottonwood H S and did 5 x 800 repeats. I was going to do 6, but the ear infection was making me dizzy and the ankle was bothering me.

Felt really good this morning after a day off. I took it slow at first and hit the dirt trail. No need to stop and stretch. I went along the trail and did the usual 7 miles. I didn't get a lot of sleep the night before, but I somehow got up and out the door before 6:00. I saw a group of 5 women trail runners coming the other way on the Bonneville Shoreline trail. I wonder what that was about. I'll talk to them next time and see if they do a trail route on Fridays.

Met up with the group at the capitol. We went around City Creek, through the U, and up to the zoo. Noticed Chad and possibly some other fastrunningblog runners coming the other direction when we started. I ran with Walter, Natalie, and Esther mostly. Walter has a lot of good insight and stories about the fastrunningblog racers. We took off the last 2 miles and did a tempo. We averaged a 6:00 pace over 2 miles- not bad. I actually felt better doing that than running slow because it gave me a chance to stretch my legs out.

Andrea printed some forms off fastrunningblog for the Heart of Holladay 5k, so we got about 10 of us registering for that. I expect the competition to be tough, but it should be a good time.

Awesome day. I met up with the group in the evening for speedwork at Cottonwood H.S., but I didn't get there until they were leaving. I did get a chance to talk with Jason a bit about his training, and gave him some advice on increasing his consistency and weekly mileage. He had a decent 1/2 marathon last year (1:44), but didn't have the mileage for a marathon. Needless to say, he crashed and burned at Top of Utah.

I did a few miles easy in normal shoes in the morning. No big deal. The real test came in the evening at the track. The high school installed artificial turf this last year, so I wanted to try out my Vibram Five Fingers on it. I tested it out with a warmup mile- no big deal. The ground was surprisingly springy and the barefoot shoes felt great. Then I did 2x800 at tempo pace. The repeats felt great- better than any recent intervals I've done. For fun, I did 4x100 sprints at the end on the football field. Crazy fast. I couldn't believe the quick turnover you get when you don't have shoes weighing you down. I'm definitely doing that each week while I can. I'm afraid the football team will start practicing soon, but I'll make use of it while I can.

Feeling good this morning after the barefoot workout last night. I decided to wear the Mizuno Waverunners without the high arch support. It felt pretty good. I went out on the paved trail and saw a couple guys in my neighborhood. Pascal is registered for St George. He was running with Steve B, who also runs the typical 1/2 marathons during the year (Moab, Salt Lake, etc). I'll have to ask if he is training for anything. I counted 8 guys and 1 girl in my immediate neighborhood (ward) doing the St George Marathon this year. That's a pretty good ratio.

I pulled a Sasha and made an errand out of the run, grabbing some milk at the store on the way home.

Very rainy morning. I wore shorts and a long-sleeve tech shirt. It was kind of cool for that. I saw others out on the paved trail all bundled up. Whatever. 7 miles- felt good.

Trail run. I felt fatigued today, probably because I've been eating junk at work and not getting enough sleep. It will be good 3 weeks from now when this release at work is over with.

Brutal run with the group up at Brighton. It snowed on us the whole time. Not typical June running.

After the letdown of a run at Brighton, I met a few people at Wheeler Farm to get some miles in. We did 2 total loops around the farm along with a long loop down to Murray Park. Very nice weather. Perfect

PM: Took the kids over to Hidden Valley Park, at the top of Wasatch Blvd. Teresa and I did a couple loops around the park (each loop is 1/2 mile). The kids rode bikes. Then we took a quick hike up the canyon to a small waterfall. That was about a mile round trip.

My ankle was bothering me, so I got in the pool at lunch and did 200m of laps and 500m of pool running. Judging by the time and effort spent, I figured it was equivalent to 4 miles. After the workout, I went to the airport and got on a plane to New Jersey. It's supposed to be hot and humid out there, so we'll see.

AM: I didn't get in until about 3am last night due to air traffic control issues. So I slept in. I got out running about 8:30, but it was just too hot by then. The heat and humidity almost killed me. (4 miles)

PM: Got out and did the 4 mile loop again. Still hot and miserable. It almost reached 100 degrees today in New Jersey.

AM: Did some elliptical, barefoot running on the treadmill, weights, and pool running. Not as hot today, so I'll get out in the evening. I'm changing it up and bit and doing half my workout indoors to relieve some stress on the achilles. It seems to work pretty well.

PM: Did 4 miles and felt pretty good. I pushed it up and beyond marathon pace a few times just to see how I felt. No problems.

Another 4 miles cross-training in the morning, then 4 running miles in the evening.

Did a good morning run

A.M. Ran Heart of Holladay 5 K in 17:29, 14th place. The race was very competitive as expected. I was actually expecting a few more fastrunningblog people, but the wasatch team was out in full force 'cause they were sponsoring the race.

I warmed up with my friends by running the course and then doing some pickups at  the start. I got a good feel for the course, but actually racing the course makes the downhill feel faster and the uphill feel tougher. I could tell it would be pretty fast until mile 2, and then the last mile would be brutal.

I ran the first mile at a good pace of 5:25. I was right on the threshold of being uncomfortable, which is what I wanted. I ran by Sasha a bit, but he pulled ahead with some other faster runners. I soon noticed that I was at the back of the fast running crowd, which I prefer over the front of the mid-pack crowd.

The second mile starts with a slight up, then goes down, and flattens out. The downhill is super fast, but I thought it would make more of a difference on my time than it did. Instread, I came through mile 2 at 10:45, so I kept a 5:20 pace that mile.

The last mile had the brutal hill that just went on for days. I got fatigued and felt myself fighting it. I finished off that third mile in about a 6:05 pace and finished off with a 5:39 pace overall. Not terrible.

Wasatch Back Relay

We all met up in the morning and Andrea's and Johnny's house. 2 teams: Runamoks and Runamok Divas. Our 2 "Van 1" crews dropped by Bill's house in Bountiful for some supplies and words of wisdom. He basically told us to treat this like a race. Don't do the first leg too hard. Don't treat this like a slumber party. Hydrate with Coke and chips after each run (interesting idea there, but I liked it).

We got up to Logan at 12:15 and had a start time of 12:40. Perfect. I checked in, got a mild warmup (not much of one) and lined up with about 15 other people. I didn't see much in the way of competition at the start, but that was expected since I was the anchor on our team and I had made a conservative estimate on our overall pace. Natalie (from our Runamok Divas team) lined up with me, and she was probably the second strongest runner in the crew. I found out later that she fell in behind the "Jogging Broads" girl at the end of the first leg. I didn't get her name, but I talked with her before her last leg. She started our last leg before me, then gave me a playful push as I went by. They were a really cool bunch of girls, and our Divas team had a friendly rivalry going. Interesting enough, although they were about 15:00 ahead at the beginning of the last set, they only beat our Divas team by 25 seconds. They literally went down the finish chute together. Wow.

Ok- back to leg 1. I was hindered by the heat, but I decided to throw caution to the wind after the first block and race it.

Mile 1: 6:42 - conservative warm up

Mile 2: 6:02 - good pace

Mile 3: 5:40 - ideal pace

Mile 4: 6:35 - the heat started to get to me

Mile 5: 6:25 - I held on through the heat to finish

I was hacking and coughing like crazy. That's what I get trying to race in the heat while getting over a cold. The same thing happened last year.

Johnny went out strong, but the heat soon got to him as well. He had a brutal hill about 2/3 of the way into his run, and he had to slow it down pretty good. Fortunately, this was his slowest leg and his other 2 legs were much stronger.

Jason did our leg 3, and the Divas runner (Alicia) caught up with him. They finished together. I was proud of Jason for picking it up at the end and not letting Alicia get in front of him.

Christina was our leg 4 runner. I didn't know how she would do, but she was smart. As long as her breathing is going good, she is pretty consistent and strong. She finished with a great effort and put a good gap on Katrina (the Divas runner).

Scott did the brutal leg 5 up Avon pass. That is arguably the hardest run of the relay. He had Andrea close behind the whole time. I was wondering why they didn't run together, but Scott explained it well afterwards- this was a race, and you had to give it everything you had. Great attitude.

Tracy C started off a little tentative on the hill down Avon pass. I forgot how rocky that was, and it didn't really suit her style. Like Johnny, this was her toughest leg, and she got stronger after that. My friend Jen (on the Divas team) is a crazy downhill runner, so she put something like a 10 minute gap on us. That was ok. I wanted to be close to them, and they were in another division. I was really hoping they would beat the Jogging Broads team.

We spent an hour or more at the first major exchange, taking a cold shower and getting some food. Then we followed the course and drove up to Snow Basin. We should have spent some more time there, because they had a great grill and some nice, comfortable seating. Maybe next time.

Leg 2: This started out at 9:00pm at the base of Snow Basin. I had a mile uphill to begin with, then it was screaming downhill after that.

Mile 1: 7:14 - tough uphill

Mile 2: 5:36 - hardcore downhill

Mile 3: 5:31 - downhill

Mile 4: 5:47 - some level, but mostly still downhill

Mile 5: 5:58 - starting to slow down

Mile 6: 5:31 - steeper downhill

Mile 7: 5:46 - downhill

Mile 8: 5:47 - more downhill

Last .5 miles: 5:45 pace - a downhill finish

I coughed a TON after that run. Fortunately, I had the inhaler on hand to give me the boost I needed and calm down the cough. Johnny went out next, and had a good leg. After that came Jason, and he held his own. Still no sign of the Divas team. Christina went out 4th, and I was getting tired by then. After Scott and Tracy finished up, we followed the Divas van to the school and tried to find a place to sleep. The inside was full, so some of us found a place to stretch out on the lawn. I didn't get any sleep, but I still felt better after laying down and stretching out for 2 hours. I got a call from our other van at 4:15am (Traci H) with an hour to go, so we headed out.

I had a good 30 minutes to warm up at the Rockport major exchange. I felt good, just a little fatigued. I figured I would start out slow and pick it up. I talked with the Jogging Broads girl a bit at the toilet line. She was really nice. As it turned out, she took off on her leg 1 run about 2 minutes ahead of me, and it didn't take long for me to catch up. It's weird that they were ahead of us at that major exchange, but then lost 20 minutes in the final set of legs. The Divas almost caught them (25 seconds behind).

I was trying to catch up with Kent and the Loco Lugnuts team on my leg, but it didn't work out. I ran it very conservatively due to fatigue, but finally felt good enough at the end to pick it up to a 6 minute/mile pace.

After the other runners' legs, we went to the school in Heber and got some food. I took a quick shower and we waited for some others to take a shower. We finally got out of there and made it to the finish line. We were all very tired, so we weren't prepared for the confusion of gear, rides, and food at the end. Next year, we'll plan out the end a lot better so that everyone is comfortable and we don't have to make hard decisions.

Here are some emails that circulated after the event from my van members:

-------------------

I want to let you know what a great time I had this weekend.  I have never done anything like that before.  But that was, for me, one memorable weekend.

I really should commend my team, and especially my van mates.  Things could have gotten ugly when we lost our water cooler.  And when the van broke down, and it became apparent from our blank stares that nobody knew what to do, we could have let things fall apart pretty easily.  But I was so impressed with how calm everybody remained, and how we tried everything we knew, until we got it running again.  I think the way people react under stress is a good indicator of what kind of people they are.  And I think I learned a lot about my teammates this weekend.  Also, thanks to van 2 for coming to our rescue.  You really saved us with that second water cooler. 

I also want to thank Andrea and Craig for organizing and leading our respective teams.  I know you both put in a lot of time to help things go smoothly.  I really appreciate all that you did for us.

Finally, I wanted to thank Coach.  Our team has such incredible chemistry and it all starts at the top.  Thank you for sharing your love of running with us.  

I hope everybody has a great week and I'll see you all soon.

Jason

------------------

Jason totally summed up our experience in Van 1 and on a whole the training as a group!  It was so fun to experience this relay with both Runamok teams throughout the relay!!
I had a great time in the "Man Van" and learning so much from them and getting to know them on a different level including "Nature & Viking Man"!  He is really "The Man"!
Everyone is so supportive in our Runamok group, and the chemistry is amazing!
 
I appreciate Coach's  insistent and enthusiastic support with everything and the push to  "eat appropriately" before, during, and after the race, or should I say "drinking appropriately"!!  I DEFINATELY felt better before, during, and after the races by doing this!  This was my 5th year with the relay!  I was able to perform and felt much better!! 
 
Wow!  So much to say.....Wow!!
 
Thank you to Van 2 and the Runamok Divas for your constant support and enthusiasm!!
 
I also want to thank all of our volunteers for our two teams!  Without them, we were not able to run the relay! 
I hope we can include them with any possible post-relay parties...???
 
Tracy C

--------------

Thanks for a GREAT race. We had such great momentum and spirit this past weekend.   The individual accomplishments pale in comparison to the collective challenge that we accomplished.  I feel very fortunate to be among such a fine group of people.  Special thanks to Andrea, Craig, Coach and everyone who worked on the logistics and planning/organization for this flawless effort, and to the Man Van folks for the support, especially during the Ascent to Avon (sorry about the bad words).   I'm sure I wasn't the only runner to remember a Kearn's Killer Workout or two when times were tough.   What is most unique about this group, I think, is that we've found a space where we can challenge ourselves and push limits in a safe, nurturing environment.  The pressure on this team is the right kind of pressure, to work hard and to have confidence in your abilities and preparation. 

However, I do have to say that there were more than a few times when I had to look over my shoulder during the Wasatch Back legs, because of F.O.A.M.  (Fear Of Andrea Martinez).     :)

Best to All.   Can't wait to get out there and pound the pavement again!

Scott

--------------------

I just wanted to thank everyone for all of their support this weekend. A year and a half ago I would have never imagined myself participating in an event like this (much less anything longer than a 5K!). As much as I enjoy running now, it's the camaraderie and friendships that we share that makes me look forward to our Saturday runs the most. I feel honored to be able to train with such talented and friendly people and with such a caring and passionate coach. I look forward to seeing you all on Saturday!!!

Johnny 

P.S. Scott, I too suffer from F.O.A.M.. Our support group meets Tuesdays at 6pm. It's sponsored by Marie Callendar's and Aquaphor. Feel free to join us sometime ;o)

---------------

I ditto everything that has been said about the WBR.  I don't think I'm quite caught up on sleep yet, but it was worth it!  In our van we were talking about how cool it is that Craig is sponsored by Aquaphor, and I said I would like to be sponsored by Marie Callendars--I guess it doesn't go hand in hand with athleticism, but imagine the free food samples I may get to try! ;-)

Christina

Swimming only today. My quads are still in pain from Friday night's run down trappers loop. I put in 1000 yards, which is good enough to call a workout.

Still a little sore this morning, but not bad. I went up to the Bonneville Shoreline trail and did a shortened loop back to my house. It felt better as the run went on, which makes sense.

Ran up city creek with Natalie, Andrea, Johnny, and Tracy C.

Not the best morning. I felt ok at first, but I think my shoes are bothering me. I need to get them sorted out. Too much fatigue/inflamation in the ankles

AM: Ran 4.5 miles to the trax station. Felt pretty good. I read Sasha's post on injury recovery and prevention. I have to say that I agree with it pretty well. Sometimes I get caught up in the number of miles, but it's important to stay in touch with what your body can handle and make sure you are fully recovered the next day.

This wasn't as easy of a race as I thought it would be. That's primarily because I hadn't run a 10k in something like 3 years and I wasn't anticipating the hills on this course. This is a loop course, so there is no net elevation loss either. It keeps you honest.

I got there early because my friends Jason and Johnny were both trying to get St George entry slots. They had to put in some volunteer hours at the race, and they ended up getting the 2 slots. Good job for them.

I spent the better part of 40 minutes warming up. I wasn't happy with the warm up. My ankles ached and I couldn't get them in running form. I would pay for this later.

I talked a little bit with Michelle and Josse at the start. I figured they would be right up there with the top finishers, and I was right.

I got off to a pretty fast start, and I was pretty happy with my push up the hill. At mile 1, the course peaks out and the next mile has a pretty good downhill stretch to it. I tried to relax as much as possible. By mile 3, we were in the middle of the parade route in Provo, and I was getting tired. If it was a 5k, I would have been in great shape, but I had to hold out for 3 more miles. The last 3 miles were insignificant, but it felt like I was getting progressively slower. There were a TON of 5k walkers to dodge on the course. That had to slow the 10k runners down. There were also a number of runners that signed up for the 10k but ran the 5k, so they had these unreal 10k times that were fake. They sorted out the top 10 after the race was over, and I moved up from 24 to 16 overall.

Easy miles at Wheeler Farm with Andrea and Johnny. I was sick the day before, but felt ok this morning.

Awesome workout on the artificial turf, as always. Andrea, Stevie, Natalie and I did our workout together. We tried some plyometrics after the intervals on the artificial turf, then did our cooldown mile barefoot on the turf. I did all my intervals on the turf as well, in my Vibram 5 Fingers. Felt really good after.

Easy 6.5 miles out on the Porter Rockwell trail. Felt pretty good after last night's speed work.

Hit the trail up on the Bonneville Shoreline. It was very nice. The ankles are feeling good. I wasn't running too fast, but my strength felt like it was all there. It's a tough climb up to the shoreline trail.

AM: 4.5 miles to the Trax station

PM: 4.5 miles home. I saw a friend of mine in the neighborhood and he raced me in his car the last .25 miles. Things felt ok. I'm going to take off tomorrow in preparation for a long run on Saturday.

Emigration canyon...

Trail. Bonneville Shoreline.

Track work with Andrea and Natalie at Cottonwood high school. I did it all on the turf. Renae and Tracy were also there. We did 800s and they did 200s.

I took yesterday off 'cause I was so tight. Got out this morning and did 6.5 miles. It wasn't bad at all once I got warmed up. I iced things down after the run and now feel much better than yesterday (when I didn't run). It's funny how a run will actually loosen you up.

Did 5.5 miles in the morning on trails. Things felt ok, but I didn't have a lot of time. I've been staying up too late trying to help Teresa with her parents' 50th wedding anniversary party this weekend. She's compiling & scanning pictures. I had to download (borrow) some music for the slide show we're making. Funny stuff- Willie Nelson, Elvis, Randy Travis, etc. So I pushed the boundary a little and got some good rockabilly/psychobilly stuff to throw in the slide show. Hope they don't mind.

Lunch: Swam 1000m. I wanted to do 1200m and will eventually work up to 1600m, but time was once again a constraint. Still- I feel good supplementing the short morning run with some swimming.

AM: Ran to trax

PM: Ran home via South Towne Mall. Very hot.

I was too sore in the ankle this morning, so I swam instead. 1200m.

Up in the Uintas. Did 3.5 miles up and then back down. Base elevation was about 7000 feet, and I went up to 8500.

Got off the plane on time and met up with Andy B. We waited around for an hour or so and then greeted Mark P. The 3 of us got the van and went up north. I knew Mark would be hungry, and he was. We stopped at McDonalds (maybe not the best choice) and got some grub. We continued up to Bellingham for the first major exchange. Decided to stop at Fred Meyer for some food. Bought way too much. Oh well.

We hung out for a couple hours at the major exchange and finally met up with van 1. A good bunch of guys that I hadn't met before, except for Cody (briefly). Cody did 2 legs in the first set, so he was running #6. He got in and we sent Andy on his way. All of a sudden, it occurred to us that we only had 3 guys in our van. Logistically, that makes things difficult because one person has to drive and the other has to be getting ready to run. That means the guy driving is likely the one that just ran.

Ok- Andy's first leg was pretty tough 'cause it had the biggest hill of the course (I think). We got a little lost, but fortunately turned around and had plenty of time to get me ready at the exchange. I got the wristband from Andy and took off on my 2.94 miles. It was a pretty good climb up hill and then downhill the last mile. Avg pace 6:33, which isn't terrible considering the hill. I also showed .2 miles longer on my Garmin, so I think the leg was longer than projected.

We sent Mark off on a 6 mile leg, then I had to follow with another leg of 5.31 miles. This wasn't as bad, and I had a pretty good pace of 6:04 for the leg. We weren't passing many people at this point, because we were still in the back of the pack overall. After I ran, we sent Andy off again for his second leg. I got in touch with Dave N and he was waiting at exchange 11- just in time to run. Perfect timing.

Mark and I wanted to go to a Denny's to get some light food that we could digest easily. It worked out pretty well. I didn't have much, but I forced myself to eat hashbrowns and 2 eggs.

Andy put in the longest leg of 8.5 miles. It was pretty much around the perimiter of the Indian reservation. I got ready and took off on my leg about 1:15am. Not the best time to run, but there were a lot of people to pass during that time. About the last 1/3 of my leg was on an asphalt trail, which was kind of weird because there were no lights. In fact, I had to cross a bay on a running/biking trail. Pretty strange, but enjoyable. This was a tough leg because of the distance. Total: 7.7 miles @ 6:16 pace.

The last leg was a real challenge because of a decent hill and because I was so tight. After the first mile, I had a hard time keeping my pace below 7:00. Blah.

Swim: 1000 meters

Also did 1/4 mile of pool running.

I think I'll be ok in a couple days. My left ankle is killing me, but it just feels really tight. Shouldn't be anything serious. Ironically, my right ankle, which usually gives me problems, is ok.

Just a very easy 3 miles to get my left ankle loosened up. It helped a little, but it tightened up again within an hour after the run. I'll stretch/walk throughout the day and try it again tomorrow.

The run went a little better this morning. Still super-tight in the left ankle, but nothing seriously hurt. I've been stretching, using the stick, gua-sha, you name it. I'm finally to the point today where I can walk normally, so that's a good sign. The run wasn't even painful, just slow and tight.

If everything goes right and I continue to improve, I'll try my usual 6.5 mile course in the morning.
 

Another 4 easy miles. It wasn't terrible after I got warmed up, but the left ankle still has very little strength in it.

swim - 1200 meters. Threw in some pool running for good measure.

Did 4.5 miles at 8000 feet on trails and dirt roads. It is feeling better. Almost normal after I warmed up. I certainly felt much better after I was done than before I started, which tells me that the runs are good and keep me loose.

AM: Did 3.5 miles warmup around the cabin (8000 feet elevation).

Afternoon: Did 7 miles of single track trail at 7000 feet elevation. I was in some pain at the end, so I walked part of the last mile. Ironically, I felt pretty good the rest of the day. I'll do some work tomorrow on artificial turf and see how that goes.

I didn't enter this race report until a month after the race. I guess I was disappointed with my overall performance. Not that it was really bad, but I have run 1:16 and change the last several years at Provo River. I think my big problem was my achilles tendonitis, which has both cut into my training and slowed me down a little in the race. After I finished, I couldn't walk right for about 4 days. Fortunately, I was finally able to get the tendonitis under control at the end of August with some prednisone.

After months of battling an achilles injury, I finally got into the doctor on Wednesday and got some prednisone to control the inflamation. Within a couple days, I was feeling good and able to walk first thing in the morning with no pain. The run Friday morning felt pretty good, and this morning's run felt great.

We all met up at Brighton to do 16 x .75 loops. We started out without a warmup, just to see how our muscles would respond and how much easier the 2nd and 3rd loops would be compared to the 1st. It was a tough workout at close to 9000 feet.

It's been the injury, a somewhat disappointing race at the Provo River 1/2 Marathon, and a vacation in Southern CA that have kept me from blogging. I'll try to get back on it leading up to the marathon (St George).

No running today. I have to be careful to make sure I'm getting healed enough on the achilles injury for the marathon. I did some laps at the pool and saw Scott there (in my running group). 1200 meters total.

Met up with the group at the capitol. We went up to the top of City Creek and back down for about 14 miles round trip. Good day. About 10 of us had breakfast afterwards at "The Other Place".