Running for Sanity

I did about 45 minutes on the elliptical machine today.  My achilles has been a little sore, so I thought I would take it easy.  It was the equivalent of a 5 mile run according to the machine. 

I did an easy 5.5 on the treadmill today.  About a 9 minute pace.  I felt pretty good and the achilles is doing better, but is still a little sore.

I usually run the Murray 5k, but I didn't this year because I volunteered at the Freedom Days 5k in Provo so I could win a spot in St. George.  Fortunately, my efforts paid off, and I got the spot.  So I'll see many of you there.

I did an 18 miler today.  I ran 6 with my pals Johnny and Andrea and they had to leave.  I was feeling good, so I did another 12 miles from where they left me.  An easy out and back on the JRP.  I was doing a 9 - 9:30 pace most of the way but picked it up a little bit for miles 14-16 ... about an 8:40 pace.  It felt good. 

Went on a hike up Little Water (in Millcreek canyon) with the wife and kids.  My three year old got a little tired, so we didn't make it all the way up to Dog Lake.  Maybe after a little more practice. 

Today, I ran 5 miles on the JRP.  I did a slow one mile warm-up (about 9:30 pace), then three one mile tempo runs with 4-5 minutes of walking in between:

mile one:    7:39

mile two:    7:45

mile three:  7:40

Then I did a one mile cool down, and went to work.  I don't normally run in the morning, but I have decided that I am going to start doing it this week.  It felt good today. 

I also learned that I got into St. George this past weekend.  My friend and I each earned a spot by volunteering at the Freedom Run 5k/10k in Provo.  I am a part of a great group of people who were very kind to help us to get in.     

I had an easy lunch time run around the canyon rim area, through Tanner Park and the Dog Park, and over to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.  And then over towards 3300 South and back down to the park.  It got a little bit hot towards the end, but overall I felt pretty good.  The first couple of miles had some slight uphill, but it was pretty much downhill for the last couple of miles.

This morning I ran over to Highland High and did 8 x 200 at repitition pace (50 seconds).  Then I stretched and ran home.  I didn't get out of the house until 6:35, so I need to get out of bed a little bit earlier.  I had to cut my workout a little bit short.  I did a total of 5.25 miles.

The achilles is still a little sore.  Trying to stay off the hills until I talk to the doctor.  I see him Monday.

Took the day off.  Felt a little tired and the achilles was a little sore.

I did a 7 mile easy run today on the JRP.  Mostly 9:30s.  It took me about a mile and a half to warm-up, and then I started feeling really good.  I dig the morning runs on the JRP.  It is so calm and the water cools it off a little bit.  The run took me a little over an hour (1:07:and change).

I took yesterday off to rest the achilles.  It felt a lot better today.       

I ran with the group today up Emigration Canyon. We held a steady pace and I felt pretty good. We went a litte under 9 miles out from Ruth's Diner and back. I was able to hold some 8:30s coming back (MP miles) so I felt okay with that. I didn't feel too tired after the run, so that was also pretty encouraging. I put in a lot (relatively) of miles this week and I am feeling great. I think I will hold it at 40 or so for the rest of the month before I try to increase mileage.

This was the farthest Johnny had ever run and he looked pretty good the whole way. So props to him.

I did an easy 4 mile run up city creek with the wife and kids.  I guess it wasn't too easy pushing the stroller up the hills, but we were taking it pretty easy.

I went to the doctor today.  He said I have achilles tendonitis and told me to hit the elliptical this week and avoid running until Saturday.  He put me on some cortisone and told me to call him when the swelling went down. 

So I will hit the elliptical this week and try to hold out until Saturday.

I did 55 minutes on the elliptical machine.  I did intervals every two minutes where I would up the intensity to get my heartrate up.  It was a pretty good workout, but I can't wait until I run again on Saturday.

Did another session on the elliptical machine.  I upped the resistance pretty high and got a pretty difficult 40 minute segment in.  I guess the one good thing about this week is that I am learning how to cross-train.  I know that according to the principle of specificity, I should focus most of my time on running. But this injury has shown me that I can get a pretty good workout in when I can't run for whatever reason.

I also did some wallsits, some core planks, and some stretching.  It was a pretty good workout overall. 

Did a 5 mile walk/jog with the kids in the jogging stroller at  the JRP.  The achilles is feeling better.  I'll start running again on Monday.

Four mile easy run at the JRP.  Everything felt great.  Dr. told me to do easy runs this week, so I will do 4-5 4-6 milers this week, and then start back up with my running pals next Saturday.  It felt great to run again. 

Easy 6.5 miler today on the JRP.  It took me about 2 miles to get warmed up, but after that I felt great.  The achilles was a little sore after I ran, but overall, I think I am almost back to normal. 

I did 3 x 20 pushups, 3 x 25 curls with light dumbbells, 50 crunches, 3 x 30 core planks, and 3 x 1:00 wall sits.

5.25 easy miles on the treadmill.  

I ran 8.5 easy miles at the JRP this morning and some strides in one of the parking lots in the middle of the run.  The achilles feels good.  I am looking forward to doing some threshold running tomorrow with the group.  It will be the first time I've done some hard running in a couple of weeks, so I am excited to test it out. 

I did lineups and 3 x 1 mile tempos in Kearns with the group.  My split times on the tempos were:

(1) 7:57 (slight down hill)

(2) 8:28 (slight uphill)

(3) 7:37 (down hill) 

 I probably went a little too fast on the last one.  In light of my injury, I am trying to keep things steady and consistent.  Overall, though, I am feeling really good.  I am excited for Provo 1/2 in two weeks.
 

I did some interval work this evening with Andrea, Tracy C., Tracy A. and Nattles.  I did a 1.5 mile warm up, and some strides.  Then I did 2 x 200 @ .41 and .42.  A little too fast for my level I think.  And then I did some Yasso 800s with jogging in between each rep.  My times were all over the place.  It took me awhile to find my pace, but I got more consistent as I went along.  My goal was to be in the 3:42-3:45 range).  My times were as follows:

1 -- 3:37  (whoa nellie)

2 -- 3:47 (a little faster)

3 -- 3:52 (speed up, slow poke)

4 -- 3:46 (better ...)

5 -- 3:44 (a little better ...)

6 -- 3:43 (there you go, good finish)

The last three were right where I wanted to be, especially considering the heat.  The first one was too fast and the third one was too slow.  Of course, I was dodging football player parents on the track during that rep, so that may explain the slower time a little bit.  Overall, it was a pretty good workout.  I did a 1/2 mile cool down and some stretching when I was done. 

I did 7 easy miles with Andrea, Johnny and Murphy up City Creek this morning.  We started at the Capitol and went up 3.5 miles and took it pretty easy coming down also.  It was a great way to start the day and to recover after the hard workout last night. 

Easy 5 mile run on the treadmill during lunch. 

I did 4 x 1 mile tempos today on the JRP with 2:30 minute walking breaks between each tempo. My mile tempos were as follows:

1 -- 7:43

2 -- 7:38

3 -- 7:39

4 -- 7:53

My last mile indicated that I probably needed to get miles 2-3 closer to the 7:43 range that I did for my first mile. I try to run my tempos in what is subjectively called "comfortably hard." And that's what I felt like. I was really surprised that the last one was so much slower than the first three. It felt pretty similar, but I did get caught up on the bridge because I got behind two walkers that weren't interested in letting me pass them, so maybe that is where I lost some time. Overall, it was a great run. I felt great when I was finished. I warmed up with a 1.5 mile easy pace and cooled down the same way.

Nice run with the group today from the capitol to This is the Place Monument, and back.  We started off pretty slow, then we sped up a little bit in the middle, and then brought it home pretty easy.  I was doing my goal marathon pace (8:25 - 8:40) for most of the run. 

I ran most of the time with my good pal Johnny and his Golden Retriever, Murphy.  Johnny's wife Andrea really encourages our friendship because Johnny is new to running and I think that she thinks our being friends will help his running.  Anyways, at one point I was running with Andrea, and Johnny was behind us about 30 meters or so.  Murphy was tired and so he was taking it a little bit easy.  So Andrea said, "Let's go back and run with Johnny."  And I said, "okay, cool."  So we ran back, and then she proceeded to leave both of us in the dust.  I thought it was cute that we ran back so we could run with Johnny and then she took off, and left us there.  Johnny and I proceeded to laugh about how Andrea encourages our friendship.    

Today was also Alicia's last run with the group.  She is moving to N. California with her husband Cort.  We had bagels to send them off.  I wish both of them luck. 

We did 4x400s at half marathon pace today at the track.  Then we did some strides.  We did a mile warm up and a half mile cool down.  We also ran slow 400s in between laps.  I ran with Andrea, Tracy C., Craig G., and Tracy's friend Angie. 

I'm getting excited for the Provo Half on Saturday morning.  

We did 3 easy miles and some strides at the JRP with Andrea, Johnny, and Tracy C. and the dogs (Jaxton, Murphy, and Stockton).  The JRP is so nice in the morning.  I love running there when it's cool.  I am also enjoying the taper for the Provo Half.  I think my body needed a little bit of a rest.  I put in some good mileage last week, but I think my body is enjoying the rest.

I ran an easy 3.5 miles around the neighborhood to stretch out the legs.  Both achilles tendons still feel a little tight.  But they felt good after I got loosened up.  I stretched when I finished my run. 

I am excited for Provo on Saturday.  I hope to get a PR.  Eariler in the season, I hoped to break 1:40:00 for this race, but with the course change and my injuries, I think 1:42 - 1:43 is probably more realistic.  We'll have to see how it goes. 

Saturday, I ran the Provo River 1/2 Marathon.  I had a good, solid race, but I made a few mistakes that probably took a couple of minutes off my time.  First, I didn't finish as strong as I would have liked.  I knew that I was going to get a PR, so I kind of cruised in the last two miles instead of pushing it.  I am a little bit disappointed about that.  Second, I ended up running close to 13.2 miles, so I didn't cut the corners very well, or else I started my Garmin before I got to the actual starting line.  Finally, I got caught at the back during the start and got a really slow start.  My first mile was much slower than the rest of my splits.  Overall, though, I am pleased.  I felt a little sluggish, but hey, I got a PR by a whole minute over my best time from three years ago.  How can I complain about that?  I think next year, with another good year of training, I will get under 1:40:00.  My training has been more focused and consistent, and I think I am starting to see some of the benefits to that.  I think that bodes well for St. George.  Here were my mile splits:

1 -- 8:40

2 -- 7:45

3 -- 7:52

4 -- 7:36

5 -- 7:56

6 -- 7:54

7 -- 7:31

8 -- 7:30

9 -- 7:36

10 -- 7:51

11 -- 7:42

12 -- 8:02

13 -- 8:17

.18 -- 1:23

 A 3 mile recovery run/walk on the treadmill.  I'm still a little sore from Saturday but feeling better.  My achilles and my calf are both pretty sore. 

This was a discouraging run.  I must have strained my calf or something during Provo, because it was very tight today.  I tried to run very easy (10 minute miles) to see if I could shake it out, but it hurt a lot at the end of the run.  I'll take today off and see how it goes tomorrow. 

I felt much better today.  Both achilles are still a little sore, but at least my calf was feeling better today. 

Today we (our running group) did a long run with 3 x 2 mile tempo runs.  We met at Smith's and drove over to Copper Hills High School.  We drove to the top of the highway and ran down.  When we were done, we ran back to Smith's in Kearns.  I also met a small group and we ran 3 miles before we drove over to CHHS.  Even though the tempos were slightly downhill, it was challenging.  Here are my splits on the tempos:

1 -- 14:41

2 -- 13:55

3 -- 14:12

The second one was a little too fast, but overall it was a good run.  But I was pretty trashed at the end.  I probably did too many miles for the week after a race and considering I only did 9 miles during the week.  Oh well, next week will be more normal I hope.

Today coach talked about taking GU "early and often" during the marathon.  So we practiced taking GU today.  We had a good turnout.  We missed T1 and Esther who did the same workout on Friday, but we had Craig, Andrea, Johnny, Murphy (woof woof), Scott, Christina, T2, Renae, Marie, T3, Nattles, Jennifer, and of course Coach.  Christina is really ripping it up lately.  She blew by me during the last tempo run.  She's improved a lot.  I'll have to ask her her secret.  We talked about running with the 3:45 pacer at St. George, but I actually think she will be closer to 3:35 the way she is running right now.   Time will tell.     

I met T1, Renae, Nattles, and Andrea at CHS Track for speedwork.  We did a mile warmup, 4 x 50 meter strides, 2 x 400s, 2 x 800s, and 2 x 400s.  All with full recoveries.  And then we did a cool down. 

My achilles tendonitis (on both sides) is still giving me some grief.  But I think I can make it to the marathon.  We were all pretty hammered.  I think we are all still recovering from Provo Half and from the tough workout this weekend.  I am going to take it easy the rest of this week and do all easy miles.  I usually do some tempo or marathon pace runs on Thursday, but I think I will scale it back this week and incorporate some MP miles into my long run on Saturday.   

I did an easy 6.25 miles on the treadmill during my lunch break. 

I did 20 miles with the (smaller than usual) group up Emigration Canyon, over to Parley's and back.  I did 4 miles at between 8:15 - 8:30 pace on the way down the hill to try and duplicate St. George.  I was able to hold it pretty good.  Overall, it was a great run and I wasn't too worn out afterwards.

I did speedwork on the treadmill during my lunch break.  I did a 1.5 mile warmup, I did 6x800s @ 5k pace with 3 minute recoveries in between.  And then I did a 15 minute cool down.  Treadmill runs bore me, but I like that I can control the pace.   

Four easy miles on the treadmill at lunch.  Not much more than that to report.

I got up EARLY this morning  (4:15) and met Tracy H.  She was doing her long run (18 miles) since she won't be there Saturday, and I decided to get up early and join her.  We ran from my house up to the VA hospital (about 5 miles) and then back.  We took a more direct route back, so I ended up doing just under 9 miles.  The first 5 miles were all gradually up hill, and Tracy always runs so fast.  I'm glad I got up and did it, but I'm pooped this morning.  Maybe I'll go home and take a nap at lunch time. 

12 easy miles on the jrp.  Got caught in a hail storm.  Scary. 

3.5 easy miles on the treadmill.  Had a tough week.  Achilles are really sore.  Trying to hang in for another month or so.

15 out at CHHS with the group.  We did a 2 mile warm up, 3 2 mile tempos with full recovery and then 7 miles back to our meeting place.  It was a good run, but I was sore all weekend.   

I had an overall good experience despite the poor conditions.  My prior PR was a 4:01:37 at TOU over five years ago.  So that I got a PR on such a difficult day speaks volumes to my training this year.  I couldn't have done it without my running buddies and Coach Bill, and of course the blog helped as well (even though I haven't been on for a little while).  I also had to deal with some injuries this year, so overall I am satisfied and happy with how things ended.

My goal for the race was 3:50:00.  Here were some of my splits:

Mile 10:  1:28:52 [goal: 1:29:20] right on pace

Mile 15:  2:13:39 [goal: 2:13:21] still there

Mile 20: 2:58:05 [goal: 2:56:34] a little behind, but not too far off

So at this point, I really wasn't too far off pace, especially considering the weather.  By mile 20, though, I started to strip off my clothes and was dying for a new pair of shoes and socks.  I was also quite cold.  I never did get warmed up.  My pace really started to break down the last 4 miles.

Mile 22:  9:34 [goal: 8:33]

Mile 23: 9:24 [goal: 8:33]

Mile 24: 9:19 [goal: 8:44]

Mile 25: 9:48 [goal: 8:44]

Mile 26: 10:00 [goal: 8:44] 

So I lost a good 5 minutes of time over the last 4 miles.  So I need to really work on my endurance next year. 

I saw Christina on the course, and I enjoyed one exchange we had around mile 21 or so.  I told her:  "this is what we have been training for all year."  And she belted out this shrieking noise that could have only reflected disdain.  It would have made me laugh if I had had any extra energy to give.  I was really proud of my fellow runamoks.  Everybody did so well and hung in there on a really tough day.   

Easy Thanksgiving morning run with the group.  Rolling hills and good conversation.