Once a runner and maybe once more?

Wed, Mar 10, 2010

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:00:00

7 mile run on the treadmill at noon. Kind of a crazy morning at the house so I waited until Myler went to sleep in his pack and play and then ran. I watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade for the first time in at least 10 years. That was the only good part. I struggled on the treadmill. I felt like I'd been on there for ever and looked to see I'd only been running for about 20 min's. Anyways 7 painful miles in 52 mins.

10 miles tonight after Mik'L got home for the office. I started out doing the B-hills/River loop. But when I got over into B-hills I decided to just turn around at mile 5 and do a out-n-back. On the way back I picked up the pace but not full tempo. Just a little faster and harder effort than normal running pace.

Tue, Mar 09, 2010

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:00:00

B-hills/River loop. I got soaked in the rain. I left the house at 7:30 and it rained the entire run. Other than being cold and wet I felt pretty good. Just kind of in a daze as I made my way around. I'm in awe at the amount of rain this season. I've never seen rain like tis in Utah before. There is a wether station at a school just a mile from my house and it has recorded 8.79 inches of rain for the year. The avg is like 2.5. With more on it's way this has to be on pace for some kind of record.

I had to laugh as I was running down by the river. It was running high and muddy almost at a flood level. But above the trail there were some new puddles made from the rain and the ducks were sitting on them like it was real pond. Kind of funny.

Mon, Mar 08, 2010

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:00:00

A.M.

B-hills/river loop. I felt pretty good at the first part of the run with no signs of race soreness. But the last couple miles or so the quads kind of said "yes we are". Nothing too bad and the hammy was only mild with pain as well. I think after Mik'L rolls it out tonight I should be pretty good for the week.

I'll try and get in a pretty solid week of mileage and maybe one good tempo or something. There is only 2 weeks until The Spectrum 10k and I'd really like to be a little more confident before that race.

P.M.

Ran out in the fields then over to my in-laws to meet Mik'L and Myler. I just ran smooth and easy. It was cooler out but it felt almost perfect. Hammy was kind of naggy but not too bad.

Sat, Mar 06, 2010

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 07:00:00

Ran the Lake to Lake Relay today with Bill, James, Dustin and Steve. We had a good time and ran pretty good too. I ran legs 5, and 10- so kind of the anchor legs. Our order was kind of messed up because Steve had to leave early. So it went: Steve, Dustin, James, Steve, Me, Bill, Dustin, James, Bill, Me.

Not the best case for everyone but me. I had the total rest time but some of the guys had to run just two legs after running. Kind of tough to do- but they did great. We were in third place after the first leg and then Dustin and James put us into 1st by my first leg.

Leg 5- 5.6 miles (should have been 5.98). I ran it in just under 29:00 but forgot to stop the watch so I didn't have an exact.

Splits: 5:25, 5:30, 5:53, 5:38, 5:43, 5:34 pace for the last part.

My garmin said 5:38 avg for the leg but might have been a little faster if I'd have stopped the watch. Nonetheless I was happy! Going into the race I thought I'd be thrilled to avg 6 min pace for my legs. I just didn't know what to expect after not racing or running hard for so long. Anyways the leg is like .5% grade downhill for the first 2 miles and then a solid mile or so climb then drops for about a mile and levels off to finish. Not a hard leg but with the climb not easy- it was rated 7 out of 10 for difficulty. I felt good with no hammy pain and only about barfed once at the top of the hill climb.

Then I handed off to Bill who ran a solid leg, then he to Dustin, then Dustin to James and James back to Bill. When Bill took off we had around 4 min and 20 second lead. But Bills leg was tough- and for that matter the wind had picked up and everyone from Dustin back had been fighting a headwind. Bill on short recovery was running against the 2nd place teams fastest runner (Kory). So Kory caught Bill and gapped him by around 1 min and 30 seconds. I totally didn't want to run hard and had been dreaming about relaxing on the finial leg to a win...

Leg 10- 4.8 miles in 28:22 for an avg of 5:55. This leg starts with a .5 mile climb and then you drop down the other side for about the same. Then it's a gradual climb to mile 3ish and levels off or kind of rolly the last couple.

Splits: 5:21 (got out fast... maybe too fast), 5:44, 5:58, 6:37, 5:54 pace on the last .8.

So I was trying to run down the lead kid here and caught him at around mile 3. As we climbed up the dam by the lake I could see the finish line stuff and people were yelling "go, finish hard". So I thought I was basically done... Not when I got to the entrance to the parking lot I realized we still had to go out and back a long the lake and I just about died at the thought. Here the wind was pounding (hence the 6:37 mile). I just couldn't go any faster against it and it was warm or maybe even hot now as the sun was roasting me. Mouth dry and legs done I went out the the turn around and then back to the finish. Not a strong or pretty finish but fun to have caught the (Decker team) and got a win for us.

Overall I'm really excited about how the legs did today. Like I said if you would have given me 5:59 avg pace last night I would have taken it. Hopefully I can use this race to spring board myself into some faster training workouts and maybe find the runner I lost 16 months ago?

Fri, Mar 05, 2010

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 07:00:00

B-hills loop this morning. It was 35F and just a little chilly. I hoped that the 30's were gone until next fall but maybe a few more weeks until we can write them off.

The legs were a little stale today. I just couldn't ever get into a good groove. Most likely I'll relax and won't run again until the relay tomorrow. But if I'm feeling frisky I'll do some barefoot tonight to help the form straighten up.

Thu, Mar 04, 2010

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 07:00:00

Club run tonight at the dC. We just went out and back up the river. On the way up the pace seemed nice and smooth. Then we turned around and had a nice headwind on the way back. I hate wind! I decided to just try and run relaxed with good form and hit around a 7 min avg. Ended up hitting 7:03 for the run. I felt really good for whatever that means.

Wed, Mar 03, 2010

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 07:00:00

Nice run this morning with Paul H. We went out by the hill below the new airport and ran some dirt roads then dropped over and looped the Stone Cliff hill. It was just a touch chilly for the first two miles then after that it was amazing. When we finished it felt like a summer morning while chatting on the street. Should be another good day- yesterday it was 70F out here in Little Valley.

Anyways the run was great too. We just ran a conversational 7:25 pace and the legs felt great throughout. No pain at all. I know it's not forever but once in a while a pain free run sure feels like a million bucks.

Tue, Mar 02, 2010

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:00:00

B-hills/ River loop this morning. It was pretty warm for a morning run and I worked up a good sweat. Got home and stepped on the scale for the first time in about a month- 155lbs. Not too bad. I thought I'd be closer to 160lbs because I've been eating like a mad man. Still I'd like to be around 150ish for a better race weight. I guess it will come if I stop with the soda, ice cream and other ish in my diet.

Legs felt slow but strong on the run this morning. No major pain from the hammy- nice because I was only going around 7:30 pace for the entire run.

5 miles tonight out in Hurricane with my uncle and my aunt. She road a bike while we ran. Pace was slow but not too bad. Whatever it ended up being it was just right.

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:00:00

Inner B-hills loop. Nice and easy to start off the week and month. I'm running the Lake to Lake relay this weekend down here and need to really get things going this week before trying to race. I'll try and clean up the diet along with running a few doubles and doing a lot of core workouts. Then a mini taper on Friday and hopefully I'll feel semi racey... we'll see. Blue skies out today- should be a good one.

8 mile run this afternoon pushing Myler around the B-hills/ River loop. He never fell asleep but never made a sound either. Must have been really into the run. I felt pretty good- all things considered. Just relaxed and tried to keep hips and stride square with smaller strides to minimize pain from hammy.

Sat, Feb 27, 2010

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 07:00:00

Nice group run today from Steve's house. Steve, Bill, Mike W and myself. I saw Dave doing his run on my way over there (he had some stuff going on and had to be done early). Anyways it was good to see Mike again. We ran up to GS and hit most of my old trails on the powerline and down turkey farm then around the industrial park before heading back to Steve's. I loved it. I miss those trails so bad and it feels like years have gone by since I last ran out there. Then on the way back down and around Steve picked it up and I just kind of stayed relaxed and kept him close. I'm still trying to work out the bugs in my legs and body since Moab. My hammy got a little tight on the last 2 miles and the ankle was semi sore. Hoping for a solid week coming up before doing this Lake to Lake relay...

Fri, Feb 26, 2010

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 07:00:00

Ran early on the B-hills river loop. Everything felt pretty good. Hammy maybe at a 2 and ankle was about all better.... maybe like a 1. It was kind of chilly but not too bad after I got going.

Thu, Feb 25, 2010

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:00:00

The day slipped away from me. We had to go up to Cedar this afternoon and I just didn't get out.

Wed, Feb 24, 2010

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:00:00

Ran over to the freeway via the Knolls and down to the trail in Bloomington then back up and through B-hills back home. Kind of gloomy out today with temps at 38F when I left. My ankle was around a 2 when I left but after running for a mile or so it loosened up and I really didn't notice anymore pain. Hammy however was pretty tight still. Maybe only a 4 on the pain scale but it felt like a tight guitar string that was about to bust. Just going to have Mik'L continue to roll it out. Last night while rolling it she isolated about a egg size knot right in the middle. Hope to be able to work that out.

7:02 avg for the run this morning.

Tue, Feb 23, 2010

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:00:00

Messed around out in Little Valley for a couple and then looped the Stone Cliff hill. It was cold out this morning. 29F and here I thought winter was over. I actually planted a few rows of corn, peas and onions in the garden a few days ago. Hopefully they hadn't germinated yet and there will be no harm done. I know for sure nothing has broke the surface.

Anyways the run was pretty good other than the cold face. I felt like I was dragging and running pretty slow- but ended up with a 7:02 avg for the run. So not bad at all. Ankle is at a 2 or 3 and hammy is around a 4 still. I didn't have Mik'L roll it out for me last night and need to continue to do so as it really helps.

Mon, Feb 22, 2010

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:00:00

B-hills river loop. It rained a ton on Sat and Sunday so I wanted to get out and look for flooding... it's got to happen sometime with all this rain. Plus my hammy felt much better this morning than it did yesterday. Ran slow. No watch but I know slow and this was right there. I had some general stiffness but no major pain. Hammy was at a 4.5 and ankle was still about a 6.

The river was high and muddy but no real flood. There was a few places where puddles had swallowed the road and the golf course bathroom was being pumped out because of flooding. Also all the fairways are entirely saturated. But I was disappointed not to find any real floods- no houses floating down the river, bridges washed out, you know the good stuff.

Sun, Feb 21, 2010

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 07:00:00

Hammy killed today- 9 out of 10

Ankle was a little better- 6.5 out of 10

I had Mik'L roll my hammy out. It hurt so so bad. She got right on the knot or tear and applied a lot of force. I screamed! I also used the electric impulse thing and later that night I felt light years better. More like a 4 out of 10.

Sat, Feb 20, 2010

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 07:00:00

Mik'L had Stone Cliff's annual meeting this morning so I couldn't join the guys. My ankle and hammy are both very sore so I decided to not run today... and it was very rainy out. There is so much rain this year!

Fri, Feb 19, 2010

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:00:00

Ran the B-hills river loop in revers. My left ankle and hammy are really sore. Ankle is around a 8 out of 10 and hammy is around 7. So the pace was slow.

Thu, Feb 18, 2010

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 07:00:00

Club run tonight. From the DC down around Bloomington and back up. I'm just trying to keep things smooth and easy while working out the kinks. My hammy has been sore all week and the last day or so my left ankle has really hurt. I'm guessing from all the rough footing during the race. I never really "rolled" it but it rocked back and forth too many times to count. Anyways just kind of crippled at the moment. All this and then Bill and Steve wanted to race during the club run. I just had to let them go. Main goal was to relax and try to loosen up. So James and I just hung back and chit chatted. Beautiful evening for a run.

Wed, Feb 17, 2010

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:00:00

B-hills loop this afternoon after Mik'L got home from the office. The hammy has been pretty sore and achey since the race. That sucks because it didn't bother me at all the week of the race or during... but it's sure sore now. The weather rocks. I might have to point that out everyday- it's really that nice.

Myler is still really sick. A fever of 102.7 and a total body rash, redness, peeling, cracks and pain. I feel so bad for him but don't know what else to do... as we are following the dr's orders and will most likely go back on Thursday morning for the 4th day in a row.

Tue, Feb 16, 2010

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 07:00:00

It was another great day but I didn't get a run in. Since coming home from Moab we've had Myler in to see the Doc 3 times. He's been bad- really bad. He's got this horrible rash, redness all over his body that has started to peel off and leaves his skin dry and cracking. He looks like his whole body has horrible burns all over it. It's been so sad to see him so jacked up. His poor eyes have been swollen shut and all filled with goop. The doc said it's some kind of allergic reaction but nothing more specific. So for now we've been drugging him up with some meds and are hopping for the best.

Mon, Feb 15, 2010

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:00:00

B-hills loop this afternoon. I wasn't going to run and was going to let the legs rest but it was too nice out. I love this time of year. I'm fairly sore and mostly tired from the race on Saturday. I'll take the week fairly easy and try and work the kinks out of the system.

Sat, Feb 13, 2010

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 07:00:00

1 mile warm up with Logan. 20 F at the start.

35 miles... race was only 32 miles but....

We started out and from the begining I was feeling it today. Everything was clicking. Smooth, fast and swift with low effort. So I lead up to about 5 miles and then two guys took off and I though I'd back off and just kind of hang behing them. Then we hit snow- up to our knees until mile 13ish. This section sucked big time but everyone had to deal with it. Splits were way slow and I tripped twice here in the crusty stuff. After the second aid station (13 miles) we hit a flatter road with snow but it had been driven on so we could now (run). Karl was right by me here but I laid it down and couldn't see him anyomre by around 17.

I was in 2nd place and closoing fast on the first guy and feeling like never before. Just felt great. Then I took a wrong road and went out 1.5 miles before I realized what had happend.... SUCK! Back around and to the course. I was totally crushed. Couldn't believe I was so stupid and at that point I lost the fire. Just kind of slowley made my way back in (this all happened at mile 21). From here on out I walked up all the hills and was so sad... I really wanted to lie down and cry. Ended up taking 2 more bad turns but only lost around 5 min's total on those.

I'm so mad. I know I would have won. I haven't felt this smooth forever and was only getting stronger until the wrong turn. The guy who was in front of me totally died. Plus I would have caught him in under half a mile.

I'm really ready to run a race without any *'s by them. Like this one was great and I know I would have won but.... It's time for some positive karma. Anyways finished in like 10th overall and just under 5 hours. I was totally on pace to break 4 and this was on a very slow year.

Karl Meltzer won the race but when he finished he thought he was in 2nd... to me. He didn't know I had gotten lost. He ran a 4:19. I think I would have been in the 3:50's.

What do you do? It's not his fault I can't follw instructions so a win's a win. But I was't the only one who got lost more that once today.

Fri, Feb 12, 2010

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 07:00:00

A quick run with Steve and Logan around the golf course.

Thu, Feb 11, 2010

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 07:00:00

Went down to the DC to club. I didn't think anyone would be there and they weren't. I just wanted a short run tonight so I looped the B-hills-River road loop. Plus added a little in some mud out on a trail to test my trail running gaiters. They worked ok. I'm not pumped about wearing them but think with all the mud and snow they will be worth it. Anyways did the loop in 6:57 avg pace and the legs felt really giddy.

Wed, Feb 10, 2010

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:00:00

Out and back into B-hills pushing Myler. It was a nice sunny day and a enjoyable run. The hammy and calves were a little tight through 4 miles but then loosened up. Not much but something I hope to avoid on Saturday.

I hauled compost onto the garden this morning from the landfill. They sell the best stuff out there and for cheap. They filled my truck bed up with wet compost for only $7.50. A bag of the same type stuff at Lowes is like 4 bucks. Anyways the garden is ready to plant... maybe next week.