Maybe I'll Blog, Maybe I Won't

Not going to worry about running too much until this nasty air clears up.  I draw the line when it hurts to breathe while WALKING.

Starting to feel comfortable again.  Solid week.

No run today. Up to my eyeballs in physics and calculus homework.  Up 'til after midnight as it was.

11.5 miles out to Hyde Park and back.  Legs felt great today.  Solid run. Good week except for missing Thursday.  This air is killing my throat though.

This week was a little tough motivation wise and a good share of the time I just did not feel like running at all.  The cold didn't help at all.  BUT, I got out and battled through it and got in a solid run every single day, and today I was rewarded with the best run I've had in months.  Felt wonderful.  My legs felt smooth and it just felt effortless.  I could have run forever today.  Great week all things considered.  Best in months.  Broke 50 for the week. 

Longest run in months.  Meant to only go about 12, but that's how it came out.  Felt great!  I'll take it!

Easy run through campus, up to 12th East to 14th North, down to Main, 4th North, up Old Main Hill, and back home.  Felt pretty good.  Just took it easy after yesterday's long run.  Legs didn't feel tired at all.  Good sign.

easy ten today.  Went pretty slow.  Legs felt tired.  I think I pushed a little harder than I intended yesterday.  But no harm done.  I'm just trying to log some good mileage and get my base back to where it should be before I worry too much about planning out days for Big Workouts and stuff.  

Slow easy 7 and change.  Recovery pace.  Just enjoyed it and made a point not to work hard.

Nice evening run to Hyde Park via 16th East and back via 8th East.  Enjoying this "warmer" weather.  I've discovered one of my favorite things is watching snow melt.  I just feel like bursting into an evil, maniacal chortle ever time I see that cursed stuff running down the road in a stream of runoff.  Anyway, nice run.  Cache Valley sure looked beautiful today.  Great week, breaking my goal of 55 miles pretty easy.  Feels really good to be getting in some good mileage again.  It's been quite awhile.

Super tired today and felt like crap most of the day.  I blame it on eating a huge amount of junk food at a party last night.  Bleh.  Got the run done though, but that's about it.  Also, can someone pass the memo on to Mizuno that the big gap in the middle of the heel is horrible for running in snow?  I always wondered what it would be like to wear high heels.  Now I know...

Easy 12 mile run.  Hyde Park loop variation.  I am getting sick of running on the roads and using the same routes.  I can't wait until the snow melts so I can use the trails again.  Decent run though.  Still really tired today for some reason...like sleepy tired.  I've been getting plenty of sleep, but I just want to sleep more and nothing else.  I'm sure it will pass.  

Super easy run.  Lower legs and feet are starting to feel the mileage a bit.  I'm going to see what I can do about an ice bath in the next day or two.  Should be alright if I can do that.

Great afternoon for running.  I almost got uncomfortably warm.  Started out pretty easy, but got feeling great towards the last 4-5 miles and pushed it a bit.  Felt great so I went with it.  

6 really easy to rest the legs for tomorrow's planned long run.  

Scott emailed me last night about a "Freeze Your Buns" 5K here in Logan, and it was only $10 so I thought what the heck.  Got up early (for a Saturday) at 7 ate a banana and got all my warm clothes together and stuff.  Weather applet on my desktop said it was 8 degrees.  I guess it just means that Scott and I were more manly today than Jon, Cody, and Paul.  ;) haha.  Scott graciously gave me a lift down to the start at Logan High, since my car won't start.  Got signed up and got my free beanie (I figure a race, beanie, and food was a bargain).  Jogged the course with Scott.  Nice and flat except for a small uphill near the end of the loop.  According to Scott's GPS the course was pretty accurate.  Not very much competition, which is understandable given the cold and the low key nature of the race.  Start was very abrupt.  Took off and was in the lead right from "Go!"  No one really challenged me in this race, so I just kind of set a good pace but tried not to kill myself, as Scott and I were planning another 8 miles directly after the race.  Legs were pretty tired as expected due to the mileage this week, but it wasn't too bad.  Very cold air.  Kind of hurt my lungs, but not as much as I thought it would.  The cold was probably worth a good 30 seconds at least on my time though, plus I have done zero speed training in recent history.  Finished about a minute ahead of second place--a high schooler who just barely outkicked Scott.  FRB went 1 and 3.  Scott beat his longtime nemesis as well, so it was a good race for him I think.  After the race we went inside and stretched out a bit and I got some Gatorade and a half slice of bread.  Didn't really stick around for the awards, since it was just ribbons.  Took off on a run from the school down to Planet Walk and out by ICON and 10th West.  Doubled back for 7.9 miles for the run.  14.1 for the day.  Race time was okay.  Satisfactory for that temperature, the fact that I haven't done speed work in forever, the short notice and consequently worn out legs (although I probably wouldn't have rested for it anyway at this point).  Always nice to get the win though. 

Easy run, but legs feel trashed still.  Not so much the muscles, but joints and tendons all feel very fatigued.  Feet, ankles, and knees especially.  This started to build last week but it seems that yesterday's rest did nothing.  Last week I was debating on taking this week easy and it looks like that's what I will do.  Today was a test run, and my legs didn't pass.  Probably shoot for around 45 miles this week and then hit it hard again the first week in March.  This is okay though, because I've got until around June before I want to run another marathon, so I'm in no rush considering what I've been able to get done to date.  Better to remain injury free and take a 20 mile cut for one week than to get hurt and be able to do little to nothing for 2 weeks or a month.  I'm already at 60 miles per week, so I'm not complaining.

Easy run.  No sweat.  Legs felt better than yesterday, but still tired.  

Skipped yesterday because of homework, and was barely even able to find time to get out today.  Even that took a stroke of good luck.  But anyway, I did get out and after a mile or so I just thought "Hey, why don't I push the pace a little bit, since I can't go long anyway." So I pushed it to about CV pace for about 3.5 miles.  Felt nice.  Cooled back down the last mile and called it a day.

Easy pace.  Nothing special.  Didn't get much sleep last night, as I was up until 2 AM doing physics homework.  Yeah for school!

Just got out and ran through my run without much thought.  Pushed some sections a little, but mostly did not push it at all.  Just resting this week.  

Started off easy just to see how today was going to feel.  Ran down to First Dam and was feeling really good so I pushed it up the hill onto the Bonneville Shoreline trail.  Slushy snow really works your lower legs.  Run felt great even though it wasn't easy running up steep hills in that stuff.  Really felt like I got a quality workout in today.

Worked hard today.  Quads were a litte tired from slogging up slushy hills yesterday, but other than that my legs felt great.  I went 12.5 at a moderately fast pace with several pushes up to CV pace.  Was really tired by the end, but it was another good quality workout.  Take it easy tomorrow.

8 miles recovery pace thru North Logan.  Legs are sore, but not in a bad way.

Legs were really tired, so I took it really easy for the first 5-6 miles today.  Felt more energetic as the run progressed, so I took the pace back up to normal, but still didn't push hard at all.  Not quite ready for two long and hard workouts in a week.  Good run overall.

5 recovery miles.  Long run tomorrow.

long run up to the Yurt at the top of Green Canyon and back.  Still a couple of feet of snow, but luckily I was able to stay on top of it on the ski trails.  I was just so sick of roads.  Felt really good.  Snow was a little slushy and super slick and so going up was a chore, but I definitely got in a great workout.  Coming down wasn't so bad, but still did quite a bit of sliding around.

Recovery pace.  Legs don't hurt, but they had no energy either.  The good thing is that I feel no joint fatigue from Saturday.  Snow probably helped with that.

Today started out as one of those runs where you feel completely disembodied and you just can't get anything going any better than a slow plod.  But I just let it go and after a few miles I was able to get my mind back in control and the rest of the run went smoothly.  Put in a few pushes, similar to last Tuesday's workout.  But not as many or as long.    

Recovery run. 

Easy run.  Didn't need a huge amount of miles today, but still wanted to get a decently long run in.  Legs are tired and need some rest.  Tomorrow I will be traveling most of the day down home for Spring Break so I will just run a few miles before I leave and that should give me the rest needed.  Have a big long run planned for Saturday again.  

easy 6 late after the long drive to Hurricane.  I love this place.  You can go on a run at 10:30 at night in March in shorts and shirt sleeves. 

Long slow run out through the desert.  Nice weather for the first half and then it started raining.  I was ok with the rain.  It smells nice.  But then the temperature dropped 20 degrees and my hands got frozen and then I got tired.  But all in all it was a nice run.  Nice to run somewhere other than the streets of Logan.  I think this is also my longest training run to date.  We'll see how fast I can recover because my legs are pretty dead.  My recovery times have been improving recently, however. 

Easy run around the North Cinder Knolls.  Legs are tired, but not as bad as I thought they would be.  Hopefully they will be all ready to go tomorrow.

Big Workout #1

Ran from my house over to the HHS track at a slow warmup pace.  Got on the track and did 6x800m at a little faster than my 10k pace.  Was going to go a little slower, but whether it is the thick air or nice weather or what, I don't know, but I felt totally comfortable at about 5:30 pace.  We'll call it a "target" 10k pace.  400 meters recovery pace between each interval.  Here are my splits:

2:36--a lot faster than I was expecting for the effort

2:44--more in the range I wanted

2:43

2:44

2:40 this one took a lot more effort.  Felt like puking the last lap.

2:49  Took about everything I had.

 Took a minute after the intervals to stretch my calves out.  They felt very tight.  Muscles in my right shin also felt pretty tight.  I think it's just a matter of not being used to this kind of workout.  Got going on a run to finish out the miles for the day.  Started off slow until I got my legs back, and then increased my pace to about marathon effort for another 4 miles and then slowed back down to normal.  It was a very nice warm day for running.  I took my shirt off once I got out of town on my run.  (I waited that long so I could avoid blinding any unsuspecting motorists with my brilliant white torso)  Excellent workout today, but I am tired.

recovery run

Easy longer run out on the Hurricane Canal trail.  Legs were tired at first, but as I got out there jumping over rocks and stuff the legs loosened up and it ended up being a nice run.

Easy short run.

Long run.  Started from my house then got on the Canal Trail, then took the connector up the cliffs to the Rim Trail.  Followed that to the Virgin Dam Trailhead (near Virgin) and then followed the JEM Trail and Sheeps' Bridge roads out to Highway 59.  Crossed the highway and continued out to Diamond Valley Ranch and then to the H Road behind the H back to the highway, and back into town and home.  I was really dragging by the time I crossed the highway, but once I got a mile or so down the H road my body must have switched to fats or something because although I was still really tired my legs just all of a sudden started working again, almost on their own.  Finished the run at a pretty good pace.  Got a little sun as well. Quite pleased with my longest training run ever.  

2:32 (7:31/mi)

Recovery pace.  Legs are dead.

1:04:23 (7:34/mi)

whew! That 20 miler on Saturday really took it out of me!  Not that I expected to blow it off like nothing, but today I was still just dragging.  The good news is my legs didn't really hurt like yesterday...I just had zero drive and everything was still sluggish and tired.  I was going to try for 10 today, which is definitely less than normal for a Tuesday, but after about 3 miles I decided to pack it up and call 8 miles good enough.  Don't want any injuries.  Knees, ankles, and hips have definitely felt the mileage, but I think it's getting better over time, especially where I'm planning to plateau on the mileage until school's out at least.  Use this week to recover a bit and then focus on quality until summer comes around and I (maybe) have a little more time.

Felt much better today.  Did the Bonneville Shoreline-North Logan loop.  Legs still are not 100%, but it was a huge improvement over the last two days.  I was able to push the pace a little bit and still feel fairly comfortable.  

Felt really good today as well.  One small lingering pain that shows up once in awhile behind my left knee, but other than that the run today was completely pain free and felt wonderful.  Now if I can just get that recovery time down from my long runs...

easy run.

Longer run on the River Trail past Guinavah Malibu campground.  I think my aerobic endurance is starting to improve a lot because this run felt like nothing.  I also didn't notice any pain from pounding or prolonged running in general.  

easy pace.

Big Workout #2

2 mile warmup

4x5:00 at CV pace (figure each was about 1200m on average)

5:00 rest pace in between each repeat

10:00 easy

6 mi. @ marathon pace

finished at easy pace

Weather was miserable. Windy and dusty with just enough rain so that I won't be able to see out of my windshield because of the dirt stuck on it.  Also, my throat has been really scratchy and cruddy the last couple of days.  Hope it's just the dust from the wind blowing, and that I'm not coming down with something.  Pretty blah today, but got the workout in.  Figure my body should get used to doing this regularly.  Very hilly run.  Ran from my apartment to First Dam, then along Canyon Road to Merlin Olsen Park, and then up through River Heights into the mouth of Dry Creek Canyon.  Going out was where my intervals took place, so the last couple were up some pretty good hills.  First couple were more or less on a slight downhill.  Coming back I rested for a few minutes and then put it on marathon pace and hit cruise control until a couple miles out and then cooled down the rest of the way.  Hard workout.  Hopefully it helps me get faster.

Easy run.  Macey's Loop.  Huge improvement on recovery compared to two weeks ago.  Legs were still tired, but it didn't hurt or anything and I felt comfortable rather than having to drag myself through the run.  Throat feels much better than yesterday.  Moist air probably helps, although there isn't much worse than running with snow constantly flying in your face and eyes.  Wish it would decide to be Spring already.

1:02:17 (7:14/mi)

Sick. No run.

Still sick.  No run.

This week started out great, but a nasty head cold and sore throat really put the kibosh on finishing it out.  Still got some good quality workouts in, and todays run, although a little sluggish, was not bad.  Didn't want to push it too hard right after being sick, so I took it short and easy.  At least my body has had a chance to recover from any fatigue from the running, so I should be shipshape by Monday. Better next week.  

Easy run.  Everything is pretty well back to normal after being sick.  Felt very fluid and effortless today.  Also, I found a dollar and scared a muskrat (I think that's what it was, anyway) on the run.  

Easy long run.  Just didn't feel into a BW today.  Almost didn't want to go out at all, so I didn't end up going until I felt like it, which was about 7.  It may be just as well because the sunset was gorgeous.  I felt fabulous on this run.  Pace was effortless but pretty fast considering I didn't feel like I was working at all.  Great run.  Also saw7 deer, 1 pheasant, and another muskrat. 

1:43:12 (6:42/mi.)

Short easy run.  Weather was nice today.

49:57 (7:02/mi.)

Found a new dirt road today that I hope to explore further and turn into a course for a long weekend run one of these days.  Started out really sluggish and out of it today, but about the time I turned around to come back I woke up a little and the rest of the run went smoothly.  I think I might not have eaten enough today.  I was hungry the whole time.

 1:24:55 (6:41/mi.)

Easy run.  Good weather too.  :)

52:26 (6:59/mi.)

Long run.  Longer than anticipated.  Started at home, went via River Trail to Guinava Malibu, then to the Wind Caves.  On the way back down I went on the highway back to Spring Hollow because the trail between there and GM is pretty treacherous and it was getting dusk.  Wind Caves trail was a mess.  Slogged up and it was even worse coming down.  But it was a really good workout in spite of that.  Run felt very good.  I didn't hit nearly as much of a wall as my last 20+ miler.  The hill coming back up out of First Dam was a beast though.  Pace was excellent for that distance and I didn't feel like it taxed me unnecessarily.

2:41:39 (7:11/mi.)

Easy run.  Legs felt very tired at first, but I just took it very slow and they warmed right up.  Still took it easy, but I think I'm recovering nicely from Saturday.

1:06:11 (7:41/mi.)

12.4 mile loop followed by 5x100 m accels barefoot on the Quad.  I was debating on running a "midnight 5k" for A-Week just as a tempo run, but my legs just didn't have it in them today.  Hopefully after tomorrow's recovery I'll have that 22 miler out of my legs.  

1:25:14 (6:43/mi.)

Easy run.  First Dam/Temple loop.  I am pretty sore from those 100s yesterday.  I haven't used those muscles in that way in who knows how long.  But it felt good to do them.  

51:18 (7:01/mi.)

Was planning on a longer run, but I got out about 3 miles and my legs pretty much just shut down.  Cut the run short at a little over 9 instead of the 15 I was planning.  Not to worry though.  If my body needs rest then that's fine.  I'm in no big hurry.  

1:06:15 (7:12/mi.)

Made sure today was super easy.  Body still feels very tired.  See what I can do tomorrow.

36:00 (8:00/mi)

River Trail out around SHCG.  Took it easy on the way out and then pushed the pace coming back.  Didn't have time or desire to put in anything much longer today.  The run felt good.  It felt good to push the pace a little.

1:26:11 (6:34/mi.)

Beautiful evening for a run.  Moon and stars were out and it was a clear, but warm night.  Didn't have much time today, which was why I was out so late in the first place, but I felt great.  Legs felt fresh.  I don't know why but I always feel much more energetic at night.

50:02 (6:40/mi.)

Felt pretty decent today.  A couple of little tweaks in my legs, but nothing abnormal.  I figure that's mostly just a function of the amount of mileage.  Run today was up Green Canyon and on the BST.  There was still some snow up the canyon towards the top and I had to abandon the single track after the second section of it.  Several times I broke through the crust on snow patches and plunged my foot into a few inches of water.  Hopefully it's all gone by the end of this week.  It was melting like gangbusters and wasn't too bad in most places though.

1:59:55 (7:16/mi.)

Super easy today, although the legs don't feel too sore.  Tired, but not sore.  

53:23 (7:31/mi.)

I also analyzed my diet today on a whim.  Here are my findings.  Total caloric intake: 3179 calories. Breakdown: 1928 from carbohydrates (61%), 800 from proteins (25%), and 451 from fats (14%).  This is pretty typical of what I normally eat--I was making no effort to be particularly healthy, but it looks like I'm doing pretty well.  Only 100 calories came from "bad sugar" on my 9-grain cereal in the morning and the jelly on my PB&J snack after school.

Medium Workout #1

Jogged half a mile up the hill to the Fieldhouse, then did another half mile warmup

4x800 m (400 m rest between intervals, along with a half mile warm up and cool down on the track before and after)

Goal was to get as close to 5:00 pace as possible and maintain for as long as possible up to 4 repeats. Here are my splits:

2:32

2:35

2:40

2:35

Didn't actually hit 5:00 pace, but I am satisfied with what I was able to do.  This was kind of a test to see what I am capable of speed-wise.  With more practice this will get easier.  My goal now is to run at least one speed/pace workout every week, even if it's not technically a "Big Workout."

Finished with a loop out by Macey's and back. Running outside the Fieldhouse totaled 8.6 miles.

58:57 (6:51/mi.)

I always forget how easy it is to run at 3000 feet.  Went out for an easy 7 miles and ended up going fairly fast even though I wasn't even breathing hard at all.  I had to keep slowing myself down because this was supposed to be a recovery day.  Passed 2 cops on 700 West. 

47:23 (6:46/mi.)

Sky Ranch-Sand Hollow Loop in sunny Southern Utah weather.  It feels like summer here.  I probably got some good tanning in, as I went without my shirt.  Pace was a lot faster than the last time I ran the same loop about 5 weeks ago by over 5 minutes, but with the same or perhaps a little less perceived effort, so I am seeing improvement.

2:09:39 (7:09/mi.)

Easy run.  No shirt weather.  :)

51:34 (7:15/mi.)

Big Workout #3

I had a really great workout today.  I'm calling it the best I've had all year.  Here it is:  Warmed up by jogging up to the Fieldhouse, then did another half mile on the track.

5x1000m, Goal pace: 3:25 (5:30/mi.), 400m recovery

3:23

3:24

3:26

3:26 (left calf got really tight at the end, so I took an extra 200m recovery and stretched it out a bit)

3:20 (after this one I realized that I could probably have pushed the other 4 a little harder, but no harm done)

cooldown/recovery

Finished the workout with a 9.8 mile tempo run at 6:11/mi. 

Total running outside the Fieldhouse: 10.3 miles 1:05:10 (6:19/mi.)

Easy peezy run in the cold.  Why on earth it snowed today after being 70 yesterday, I'll never know.  Not a fan.

55:09 (7:33/mi.)

Weather was absolutely miserable today.  Windy, cold, and at about 8 miles I got pounded in the face by a sleet/hail squall.  Didn't feel terribly good.  But I managed a decent pace anyway and the run was good.  Just miserable conditions is all.

1:30:21 (7:03/mi.)

Easy run.  Nothing terribly special.

51:30 (6:46/mi.)

No energy today.  Ran from my place most of the way up the Providence Canyon dirt road.  Big snowstorm all the way up the canyon.  It was miserable.  Just decided to bag it at about 8.5 miles and came back taking a small shortcut or two.  Yuck.  It is May for crying out loud.  Why is it snowing?!?  

 2:02:38 (7:26/mi.)

Very nice run today.  I felt fresh and energetic.  Worked on my posture and stride during the run today, just for fun.  I was watching youtube videos last night of the Olympics and such and so I was experimenting around with my form a little to try and copycat.  Oh, and in other news I totally owned my physics final today!  I was only unsure of my answer on one problem, and I will probably still get some partial credit on that one.  

59:37 (6:55/mi.)

Big Workout #4

This was another quality workout.  I think I am getting used to this type of training and the faster paces.  I'm getting a sense of how I'm going to improve it over time as well.  Here's today's workout:

1.5 mile warmup

4x1600m @ 5:30/mi.

400 m rest between #1 and #2, but that about killed me in #2 so I increased recovery to 800 m, but a little faster.  Here are my splits:

1	5:29	typical first interval, felt slightly labored but not bad
2	5:29	about died, increased recovery
3	5:28	much better.  getting into pace
4	5:26	felt almost effortless.  debated on doing another, but decided against pushing the limits too much...this time.

After the intervals and a little more recovery I got out and did about another 9 miles at 6:20 pace, plus a cooldown at the end.  Last couple of miles of the tempo run was a struggle, since the wind wasn't helping me today like last week, but overall I feel like I'm getting faster and stronger.  I am starting to feel as strong as I felt in high school speed wise (although I'm not doing the right training for HS races), and even much stronger in my endurance.  This may sound like excuses but I think I've finally kicked the 2 years of not running out of my mind and body.  I am now back to relishing hard workouts when I do them and being mature enough to rest when needed.  Feels much better than having to struggle just to find motivation to get out on a mediocre run.  Hopefully the trend continues.

Took it super slow today.  Possibly my slowest ever run since I was a wee laddie.  This run wasn't much more than a jog anyway.  But it felt nice to rest the legs because they were totally dead.  Picked up the pace just a little after about 3 miles of a torturously slow start and finished the run in good form.  

1:00:05 (8:13/mi.)

Added a calorie counter to my blog today.  This is how many I am eating, not how many I am burning.  Going to see how much fuel I am consuming every day, just out of curiosity.

Super good run today.  I felt surprisingly fresh for only having one day since my killer Tuesday workout.  I just got rolling and kept feeling faster and better as the run went on.  This is shaping up as a very quality week.

1:17:50 (6:16/mi.)

Easy run.  3x100m easy accelerators barefoot on The Quad on the way home.

57:57 (7:25/mi.)

Easy long run up Logan Canyon via the River Trail and most of the way to Wind Caves.  First time I've run that trail in months when it was 100% snow and muck free.  Very nice run, sunny weather and a good pace.  Not a bad way to spend two and a half hours on a Saturday afternoon.  This week has been great running-wise.  I feel like I've turned a corner somewhere in the last week or two and now my body is letting me train the way I want to.

2:25:20 (7:05/mi.)

Easy run.  Muscles still tired from Saturday.

55:36 (7:18/mi.)

Legs were still sore for some reason, so no BW today.  Decided to go about 12 easy.  After a few miles I started feeling decent and finished the run at a moderate pace.  

1:23:25 (6:40/mi.)

Moderate paced run after driving home.  Legs hurt from sitting in a car for 5.5 hours.  Bleh.  Probably went too fast.  Oh well.

53:32 (6:51/mi.)

Medium Workout

Guess I just didn't have a BW in me this week.  Warmed up for 3.5 miles.  I was going to do 3x2000m at 5:30/mi., but after the first one I crashed so I cut it short after 1000m of the second one when it started off slow and got slower.  Turned the workout into a reverse pyramid, going as fast as possible on each interval.  Went much better after this.  Here are my splits:

2000m: 6:51 right on pace

1000m: 3:33 slow

800m: 2:35

600m: 1:51

400m: 1:09

200m: 00:29 all out

Finished with a few more easy miles.  No tempo run.  Just didn't have it in me.  Decent workout though.

 In other news, I just got called back from K-Mart and they have offered me a job, so that's where I'll be working this summer and probably for awhile.  I can now afford to buy a new pair of shoes, and none too soon, as mine now have 1000 miles on them and my right foot is starting to hurt a little like it's bruised.

Inaugural run in my new Brooks Adrenaline 10's, courtesy of SGRC.  I almost forgot what it's like to run in new shoes and NOT feel every pebble and stick in the road.  Felt great on what I think is a bruised foot (which is what I get for waiting 1013 miles to buy new shoes).  Just let my feet carry me but didn't work hard.  Pace felt very relaxed and easy.  Also, today I crossed the 1000 mile mark for the year. 

58:44 (6:49/mi.)

Easy long run in the heat.  My eyes hurt now from being soaked in a salt solution for two hours (also known as sweat).  Got some good tanning in, though, but I'm definitely not used to the heat.  Great pace.

2:09:57 (6:59/mi.)  

No run today.  :(  Between being homeless for most of the day and moving into my new apartment I just was not able to get out.  Also, I do not yet have internet access at my apartment, which is why I am just now (Thursday) getting to my blogging.  Hopefully I can get it soon.

13 easy miles.  It's amazing how rusty one day can make you feel.  Not a bad run though.

Easy run before work.  Signed up for the Logan Peak Trail race today, so I will be joining Jon and Cody on that one.  Hopefully I don't die.  I think I have the mileage, but I need to do some more mountain climbing I think.  I will try and do some in the next couple of weeks.  Tomorrow I might run the TV towers.

Not a good run today.  I took an hour long nap before my run and then set out to run the BST and TV towers.  Run did not start well, and never got better.  I felt really out of it and even nauseous at times...and this was before I even got to the mountain.  I got as far as the first shoulder of the trail to the TV towers and decided just to bag it as I was feeling dizzy and ill.  It may have been that I hadn't taken time to fully wake up before trying to run, or maybe it was because my nutrition has been terrible the last few days as I have been trying to restock my groceries on a very limited budget, or maybe a combination.  Anyway, I ran back home and fixed myself a giant plate of spaghetti and felt better afterwards.  Good news is that the climbing itself wasn't making me tired at all.  Legs felt like they had plenty of juice to go the whole way.

Tempo run.  Much better than yesterday.  

Easy run.  Last week was bad, and I felt it today.  Also, I left my watch at home so no time or pace until I get a new one.

Todays run started out sluggish and cruddy, but I was determined to stick it out and felt much better after a few miles.  It was a beautiful day so I went up Green Canyon.  Single track is clear all the way up and it was beautiful with all the leaves and grass finally coming out.

Was only going to go about 8.5 today, but I got out and the pace felt good and I decided to add on.  Was pretty tired by the end, even though I didn't push the pace, but it will be good to get the miles in.  

Discovered the Deer Fence Trail today.  It was more difficult than I anticipated, but it is a good trail.  Plan on doing more runs there.  Saw a red fox (I think) and almost stepped on a snake of some kind.

Easy recovery run.  Legs are trashed.  Right calf felt a little tweaked, but I think it will be ok.

Long run.  River Trail and then up the highway past GMC to round out the miles.  Run started out sunny but about the time I turned around to come back I got hit with a thunderstorm which was kinda cool.  Oh, and this week marks my highest ever mileage for one week.  PR! 

Easy run.  First morning run in a long time, as I have a lot of stuff I'm doing today.  Felt well rested and relaxed, especially considering last week's mileage.

A few miles easy followed by a few miles of tempo pace.  Warm and humid after this morning's rainstorm.

BST/N. Logan loop plus extensions.  Easy for the most part.

Mountain Workout

Ran from my place to the TV reflectors on top of the mountain just east of town via First Dam and BST.  3000 foot climb from lowest point (First Dam) to highest point (top of the hill), but there were hills all over in between that including Old Main Hill so it was probably more like 4000+ feet of total climbing.  That was kind of the point of this workout though.  Man, that hill is steep.  Some spots I swear are a 45 degree angle.  Running was probably the wrong word for most of the main climb...more of a jog walk, but that's all I could manage.  Excellent workout.  Quads are destroyed both from the climb and the controlled slide back down.  I didn't biff it once though, so that's a good sign.  Otherwise I probably would be dead, because I think once you start rolling on that hill you won't stop 'til you hit the bottom.  Anyway, great workout.  Hopefully it will help prep me for Logan Peak. 

8.6 easy.  Quads are quite sore, so I took it very easy.  Played steal-the-bacon until late and did a lot of sprinting around chasing people and stealing the flag.  Legs are even more sore after that.  :P

Note to self:  Going on a long run starting at 11:00 at night is not a great idea.  I have never had this happen before, but as I was just about back home I kept getting slower and slower until I was just going at a plod and was actually getting sleepy while running...then I guess I momentarily fell asleep at the wheel because the next thing I knew I was running into a bush on the side of the road.  It was weird.  Never had any idea that was possible.  It must have only been for a moment though because I don't remember any discontinuity really, just that I was all of a sudden running into a bush.  It was a good thing I was only a block or two from home.  Interesting experience.  But I got my 70 for the week.

Easy easy run.  Hammies are sore for some reason.  I guess they just got jealous of my quads and decided to join the party.  Going to cut the mileage down to 60 this week.  I love that 60 feels like a rest now.  It's great.  Best shape of my life.  Get all those little naggers healed before Logan Peak.

Fun run today.  Did the Jardine Juniper trail with Jon and Cody.  Great trail for running.  I think it is now one of my favorites.  It was really good to run with Jon and Cody again after so long.  We took it easy on the way up and chatted about the coming Logan Peak race and other odds and ends and it was real nice to catch up on everything.  The tree itself was pretty cool...much bigger than I expected with only a little tuft of green at the top of an impossibly gnarled and twisted skeleton of a trunk.  Pretty neat sight.  The views from the trail are gorgeous as well.  I think I am going to have to actually hike it (Imagine that--hiking a trail! Who does that?) sometime very soon so that I can take it slow and enjoy the scenery some more.  Anyway, on the way back Jon told me I should take the lead and go fast and so we ended up averaging just under 6 min. miles the whole way down.  It was fun to just boom down the trail and not have to worry too much about tripping over stuff in most places.  Good run.  Good company.  Boosted my confidence on as the clock continues to wind down to LP.  I am getting really excited for this race!  Thanks for the run Jon and Cody.  Lets not let it be so long until next time.  

AM- 7.5 miles easy.  Canyon Road loop.  Got a good dose of the canyon wind coming down the hill into First Dam.  

PM-  Hiked the Jardine Juniper trail with one of my friends because I wanted to have a chance to take it in slowly and she wanted to hike it.  On the way back we got hit with a pretty good thunderstorm which was fun but we decided to run the last mile back to the car, so I got another mile there. 

Today I felt like poo.  That's about the long and the short of it.  My hammies for some reason feel really sore.  Not sure why.  Oh well.  Also, I went and checked out the new specialty running store ("Runners North") by Macey's after doing my grocery shopping because I saw that they had an "open" sign out.  They were still waiting on a lot of product to come in so the shelves were pretty bare...not like I had money to spend anyway.   But the people seemed pretty friendly and helpful.

Dear Logan weather,

I would very much like to put away my winter running clothes.  If you could please help me out in this endeavor by actually behaving like it is halfway through June, I would very much appreciate it.  Thanks.

Joe 

Didn't actually need any miles from a weekly mileage standpoint today, but I went out in the rain for a little bit anyway.  The loop I took ended up being exactly a 5K, so it will be nice to have that for time trials or something. 

Final long run before Logan Peak.  Felt absolutely fantastic.  Ran to Wind Caves via the River Trail (again...I need to scout more long routes) with extensions to get the miles in.  Had a bit of excitement on the way back when I came round a corner just before SHC and found myself practically nose to nose with a moose.  Ok...so maybe it wasn't quite nose to nose, but after a few minutes of staring each other down he decided I wasn't actually a threat he came CLOSER until I could have reached out and poked him in the nose if I'd have wanted to.  I had definitely NOT decided that he wasn't a threat so I did no such thing.  After a few minutes of trying to get past him without getting myself into a spot where I couldn't run away quickly he started wandering up the trail the same way I was going.  I walked behind at a respectful distance until he left the trail so I could get past.  Cool experience, but it made me a little nervous.  He was BIG even though he couldn't have been much more than a yearling.  I was nervous because the whole time I was remembering my dad telling me about him getting charged by an angry momma moose when he was a Boy Scout and I was having visions of being mashed against a tree or something.  Anyway, interesting experience.  You don't have that happen every day.  

Today I took it very easy.  5.5 mile loop and then ultimate frisbee at FHE.

So, apparently, God didn't want me to run today.  Wish I would have known that earlier.  Was supposed to go on a long run with Jon and Cody, but I got off work late because right when I was getting ready to clock out some things came up that had to be done and I was the only one there to do them.  So I was 10 min. late getting off work and missed Jon and Cody.  Tried to catch them, following some guy's directions that they had gone onto the River Trail (don't know if that was actually the case or not) and ran my guts out trying to make time and catch them.  Eventually I gave up and turned around and went back to First Dam where my car was.  By this time I was dead from running fast with no warmup, plus the leftover fatigue from Saturday.  Almost decided to call it quits right there but thought I'd drive over to the Planet Walk and do a couple easy miles there to cool down and try to make a respectable day of it.  This went fine until I went to cross the RR tracks.  I slipped on the embankment, tripped over both rails, and ate it on the other side.  I really banged up the toes on my right foot somewhere in the process and scraped up my left hand, elbow, and leg pretty good.  I jogged/limped over across the bridge and surveyed the damage:  bloody hands, elbow and toes.  My feet are going to be the ugliest things on planet earth before too long.  At this point I was done so I soaked my legs in the river and tried to wash off some of the dust and blood.  Limp-jogged back to the car and went home to lick my wounds.  Don't worry, I'll be back at it tomorrow.

Easy day.  Right big toe is extremely sore and somewhat swollen.  No other signs of damage, though.  No visible bruising, broken skin, deformities, etc.  Definitely messed with my stride significantly.  I don't think it's broken.  Just hurts like billy-oh.

No run today due to my foot.  I gave it a couple of doses of RICE, and as of last night (I'm writing this Friday morning) it felt much better.  This morning there is no pain and only very little when I put weight on it.  Normally I probably would have just run through it, since I don't think there is any actual structural damage, but I need to be as near 100% and pain free next Saturday as possible, so I figured it was worth it.

Moderately hard run today.  Foot felt fine.  Slight pain, but it's about 1000x better than Wednesday.  Definitely going to be fine.  

Late night run.  I love running at night, even though I don't do it very often.  Stars were bright and the moon was out.  Very peaceful and nice and cool.  Last 15+ mile run before Logan Peak.  It's the final countdown...

AM:  A couple of friends of mine have recruited me as some sort of running coach, so I ran with them to the bottom of the hill by the Logan Temple and did 3x sprints up the hill with them.  

PM: Short tempo run at about marathon pace (didn't have a watch, so no exact pace).

AM:  2.5 very easy miles with my friend on the LRT.

PM: 11 miles with Jon on the LRT.  Easy pace.  Felt great!

AM:  Easy run down thru the Island with my friend.

Easy run in the heat.

Last run before Logan Peak. Did the Planet Walk and then back via the RR tracks.  This time I didn't trip and jack up my toe. Everything feels great. Will probably do some stretching and maybe some icing today.  Can't wait until tomorrow!

This race was epic.  I can't say how much I enjoyed myself, even though I would say that this is definitely the most challenging run I've ever done in my life.  Anyway, here's the blow by blow report.

Got to Mt. Logan Park at about 5, picked up my packet and waited around with my parents (they came all the way from Hurricane to watch me--they're great) until Jon and Cody showed up.  Cody graciously let me borrow his bottle with the cool little hand loop.  Jogged around and warmed up with them for a bit, and earned my second star for the race (the first star was at home).  Soon they had us on the line starting and Cody, Jon, and I were quickly in the lead pack with a couple of other guys (one was named Scott I believe, and the other name I forget).  Dry Canyon was a relaxed but still very tough climb to the first aid station, during which one of our pack dropped off and another guy named Chris joined us.  We then crossed a bit of snow, and a few downed trees and began the South Syncline loop.  Soon the trail became very downhill and we started cruising pretty fast.  Scott started to pull ahead and Cody and I were flying along trying to keep contact, with Jon and Chris not far behind when Cody took a bad spill in front of me.  I was a little worried as he looked a little rattled and didn't seem to take well to jumping up and running again.  He made it though.  After that things settled down a bit until we got to the second aid station.  At this point I was starting to feel a little fatigue in the legs, but not too bad.  Chris then began pushing the pace to the top, although Jon, Cody, Scott and I hung back.  Instinctively I wanted to chase him to maintain position, but I followed Jon and Cody's example and held off, and I was grateful I did.  I am definitely not used to the strategic approach used in a race like this, so I pretty much followed Jon's and Cody's every move for basically the whole race (thanks, guys).   Anyway, back to the narrative.  We reached the top (Scott dropped off somewhere in the ascent) and unfortunately had no time to admire the fantastic views, as we needed to chase down Chris.  I will have to get up there again sometime to fully appreciate it.  We caught Chris coming down to the aid station again, and he dropped off quickly.  After a quick stop grabbing some Gu and electrolyte caplets I took off and soon was able to catch up to Cody.  Jon was a few meters ahead but we maintained contact and caught up on the single track.  The climb up North Syncline was absolutely brutal, but I made it fine with energy at the top to cruise down to the final aid station.  Here Cody just blew through, and I made the momentary decision that anything I would get there would not have time to help me before the race was over, so I followed and this seemed to be where the race really began to heat up.  Jon fell off, although I didn't know it at this point.  I was focused on keeping close contact with Cody, as he had really turned on the afterburners.  Made it through the switchbacks with no mishap, but coming into the shady section I began to have a hard time breathing and felt as if I could not open my lungs to get air in.  Really weird feeling.  I attribute it to the quick descent.  Anyway, this caused me to lose contact with Cody while trying to resolve the issue, all the while expecting to hear Jon come pounding down behind me.  All of this not paying attention soon resulted in me taking a nose dive and sliding down the trail.  Oh did it hurt!  I banged up my knees and shoulder, and I even have somewhat of a shiner on my cheekbone.  But I believe that this turned out to be a good thing, as it completely relaxed me and I had no more breathing problems after this point.  My goal now was just to make it down the canyon with an untied shoe without tripping and to get this thing over with.  Back on the Deer Fence section I was surprised with my ability to deal with the rolling hills even though my legs were gone.  I think I was just so used to them being dead tired that it didn't matter anymore.  Finally made it to the road and back to the park.  Finished with a little slow sprint for show and came in a little under a minute behind Cody.  I was so surprised that I finished second.  I did not expect to do anywhere near this well or to even come close to touching the CR.  It was great though!  I feel wonderful about this race, and I am definitely putting it on the calendar for next year.  Many thanks to Cody and Jon for letting me stick right with them and helping me along.  Thanks also to my Mom and Dad and my friends who showed up to support me.  Congratulations to both Jon and Cody on some great races.  Cody was an animal and Jon is just a beast for running the kind of mileage he has been and only taking a little taper and still having a great race.  FRB with a clean sweep as well, so that's fun.  Great race, great company, and just a great time overall!

AM:  1.5 easy with my friends/trainees.  No watch.

PM:  6 at a plod.  I am actually surprised at the speed of my recovery so far.  Yesterday I was pretty sore, but today wasn't too terribly bad.  Definitely tired, but compared to St. George 2008 my recovery is going extremely well.

51:24 (8:34/mi.)

AM:  3 easy miles with my friend.  No watch.

PM:  7.3 in the heat.  Legs are still definitely sluggish, but I actually had a little spring in them today and there is no longer any soreness.

53:42 (7:21/mi.)

3 miles easy, and then 3.3 up Green Canyon with my friend.

7.3 miles on the TOU course part of the time, then 3.7 with my friend.

easy miles.

Spur of the moment 5k.  My friends who I am helping get ready for the TOU half wanted to run it, and said I should come too, so I thought "what the heck."  Rode with my friends and one of their roomies who drove us there.  We were already running a hair behind when I would have left, but I figured it would be ok because this seemed like a really low key race.  Anyway, to make matters worse we got pulled over on the way, and made it to the starting line with about 5 minutes before the race started.  I hurried and registered and threw on my flats and got to the line with about 30 seconds to spare.  Race was uneventful.  Dropped everyone after about 200 meters.  I am kind of disgusted with my lack of drive to really push myself when running alone in this race.  I knew I had it in the bag and I just kind of coasted.  I will have to work on that, and find some other drive besides winning when I know that I'm going to win.  I'm kicking myself for not running the 10k instead, since I found out after the race that Walter Brown of the blog ran the 10k and would have given me someone to try and stick with.  Good news is, I felt like I could have easily maintained that pace for 10 or 15k without too much trouble.  Legs were not even tired afterwards.  Lungs were a little burned, but that's it.  After I finished I ran back about a half mile and helped my friends run in.  I also saw my old XC coach who is now living in Smithfield (he took 3rd in the 10k and his wife and little daughter ran the mile) and a kid I know from home who is apparently also going to school up here.  As I said before I met Walter, which was nice.  I've decided that if you can't get away from the FRB mafia in Lewiston, UT, you won't get away from it anywhere.  Soon we will assimilate all of humanity into the borg.  (ok, a little too much Star Trek...)  :)

Tempo run.  Trying to make up for not pushing myself as hard as I would like to have yesterday I guess.  Felt pretty decent, considering.  Still probably not 100% recovered from last saturday, but good enough to push a little harder and not worry too much.

No watch.

2.8 miles easy jog with my friend in the heat, then drove up to Green Canyon and ran with Jon and Cody up the canyon for 10 miles of fairly easy running.  Very nice run. 

No watch.

easy run.

51:30 (6:52/mi.)

Green Canyon at a slow pace with one of my friends who came up to visit from Pleasant Grove.  Apparently I am now being referred to as "Coach Joe" by all my "trainees."  haha.  Actually someday I wouldn't mind being a coach, but it's just funny.  Anyway, it was a gorgeous morning up the canyon.  Had my second ever moose encounter.  Not nearly as intense as the last one though. 

1:47:40 (8:36/mi.)

Easy miles.  Not a lot of time today.

River Trail.  Felt really good today.  Dusted some bikers up the single track, which is always fun.  

1:47:38 (6:56/mi.)

Camping with the family.  Easy 8 on trails.

No Watch

Went to Bear Lake today with the family, rode jet skis, played on the beach, swam, got totally fried, blistered my feet on the burning hot sand between the bathrooms and the beach, then came home and ran.  Despite the blisters and massive sunburnage, I felt absolutely fantastic.  Turned it into a tempo run and then felt so good I decided to try and hit my goal TOU pace (6:00/mi.) or better for the run, which I managed to do nicely.  My route was similar to, and included some parts of, the last few miles of TOU with some rolling hills and such.  Just a great run today.

1:01:26 (5:57/mi.)

Easy run after work.  No watch.

18 miles at a moderate pace up the LRT to GMC.  Saw two snakes.

2:02:15 (6:47/mi.)

Ricks Canyon-Steel Hollow loop with Jon and Cody.  Well, mostly with Cody.  Jon wanted to go set a course record so we let him go on ahead after a few minutes, or so we thought.  Turns out we unknowingly passed him earning a star, so he was behind us trying to catch us most of the way, but every time he got close he would have to stop again.  He must have had a regular constellation going on by the time we got done.  At one point he was 10 seconds behind us and we were totally oblivious.  Anyway, the run was enjoyable.  Shady for the most part and the running felt relaxed, after a few minutes of feeling stiff at the beginning.  Beautiful scenery. 

1:40:16 (8:22/mi.)

Green Canyon from my apartment via the long way around campus.  Started off tired and sluggish, but I was stubborn and halfway up the canyon I finally felt like I could push a little.  Got to the Yurt location, turned around, and actually felt pretty good the rest of the way.  Flew down the canyon and then took it back in at a slower pace but still felt pretty good.  Calves were a little stiff, but nothing bad.

2:03:22 (7:15/mi.)

AM: 4.9 miles very easy with my friend.  Legs were very stiff and sluggish, so I was fine with the slow pace.

PM: 5.2 miles.  I was originally not going to run but this evening I got a huge urge to go out and get a few more miles in.  I was glad I did.  Felt much better than this morning, though the pace was still pretty slow.