Dare to be great!

Went out on a very blustery run this morning in Saratoga Springs.  My carpool ride was coming early this morning so I was on the roads running at  5:00.  I could tell it was windy on the way out but didn't pay much mind, just watching the stars and thinking about how I would wrestle the cougar they have been sighting in my neighborhood if it decided to attack me.  Then I turned around and it felt like I was standing still with the wind.  I was suprised I averaged faster than 9 min miles/ AP 8:38.  I had somewhat tired legs to begin with, so I treated it like a recovery run.  I will attempt to get a few more miles in this afternoon if time allows.

Got to sleep in a little this morning, went on a progression run with a 2 minute jog inbetween.  1 mile warm up , 3 k @6:52 pace, 1 mile @ 6:36 pace, 1K @6:20 pace, 800 @6:13 pace, 1 mile cool down, good run this morning.  I can feel my lungs expandng with the faster paces (for me anyways.)  Off to work....

Went out on an afternoon run with my boys.  Trenton was having a hard time today, so I sent Spencer on his way as we jogged/walked the last mile home. 

Woke up this morning and it sounded like the wind was crazy, so I chickened out and got dressed to go to the gym and run. I was planning on hitting the JRP. Got outside and it was breezy but not too bad. Hit the treadmill, 1.5 mile warm up @8:49, then 6.5 miles at half marathon pace 6:58 per mile. finished with a 1.5 mile cool down @8:49 with the last .5 a bit quicker due to having to get to work. My mind was playing games with me this morning, and I had to focus the last few miles to pull off the tempo. I was reading some blogs yesterday and some folks advice about turning off the brain. It gave me the motivation to keep it up and finish the tempo run. Good hard workout, felt great to push through and finish.

Went 3 miles with my son Spencer (9) this afternoon.  I was proud of him, we finished in 27:08.  I told him we will sign him up for a 5k pretty soon.  I love to run with my kids.

Went to the JRP parkway this morning with Laurel and Chet.  It was a bit chilly at the start.  We went from the iron bridge and headed south into Lehi.  2 mile warm up then 8 miles at marathon pace 7:28,7:27,7:28,7:36,7:22,7:22,7:24,7:17 finished up with a 2 mile cool down.  The MP miles felt prety good, the hardest part of the run for me was the cool down for some reason.  It hurt my legs and feet worse to run the last 2 at a slow pace then when cruising along.    I guess my mind could focus on all the little aches and pains and not concentrate on running.  I am guessing on a marathon pace,  according to my plan and based off my recent races and time trials it show my MP shoud be around 7:17-7:26.  I don't even know how MP should feel during a run.  I have a ton more mileage this year heading into the Ogden marathon and last year was my first one.  I will just trust my training plan for now and pretend this is my marathon pace for now and see how things go on some of my longer run and training runs.

What a beautiful spring day, went out from the house towards the highschool.  Went up and around the hill, then turned around and headed for home.  7:56 AP  Now off to work for a long day/night... blah.  It's spring break I should take some time off.  Hope everyone is enjoying their taper for Boston.

Tuesday Progression Run:  1 mile warm up from the house then a progression run on the path in the hood.  Every one had a 2 minute jog inbetween.

3K @6:59 pace 2K @ 6:37 pace, 1K @6:22 pace, 800 @6:06 pace  Finished with a mile cool down.  Run felt good, legs were tired last night and I didn't know how they would respond.  Only a couple more hard weeks of training before Ogden.

A couple easy miles with Blake and Terry during lunch on the Porter Rockwell trail in Draper.  Nothing special pace was just under 9 I think, just a nice recovery run with the guys from work. 

Had a great half-marathon pace tempo run this morning.  Went to the JRP, started at the Iron Bridge and went south 5.25 then came back home.  1.5 mile warm up then into the tempo miles.  I was hoping to keep all my miles around 6:59, miles went as follows 6:59,6:58,7:00,6:59,6:57,6:57,6:59,didn't catch the last .5 lap split but it was right there or a little faster.  I think I also got the pace imprinted into my mind and legs.  I will attempt a half-marathon time trial next week.  1.5 mile cool down at about 8:30 pace.

It wasn't exactly easy today but I hit my splits almost perfect and on top of my highest mileage week ever things are looking up.  Got to keep up the motivation and training.

Went to the track this afternoon with the family.  I wanted to sign them up for the provo city 5k, but when I went to sign them up I noticed a "kids marathon" where they log 25 miles on their own then, the day of the marathon they run 1.2 miles in a kid's race.  They were excited to get signed up on their first race.  We went to the track to see where they are fitness wise.  Spencer (9) finished his mile in 7:36.  I was proud of him.  My other two kids lost motivation after the wind and rain started and they proceeded to run around the inside of the track and tackle each other, boys.

Tomorrow is my first 20 miler for the year.  I just wanted to keep it easy today and I did.  I ran the mile with Spencer then finished up with another mile before the storm really hit.

First 20 miler of the year.  I went solo again this morning.  I wanted a run that simulated the Ogden Marathon course somewhat.  I had my wife follow me to the iron bridge in Lehi where I dropped off my vehicle then had her drive me to the entrance to the ranches in Eagle Mountain.  Started in the ranches then came down past the high school then crossed the street and headed for the end of the JRP.  The first 5 of so were mostly downhill.  Then I hit the JRP and headed north.  It was mostly a headwind from 5 miles until 15.5 miles.  The trail is mostly flat with some rollers until around 14 where it starts climbing up to Camp Williams.  I wanted to simulate the hills at Ogden around 14.  Turned around at 15.5 and headed back to the iron bridge where I parked.  It was nice on the way back as I got a tail wind the last 4.5.  Miles were as follows:8:01,7:56,7:48,7:53,7:52,7:58,7:50,7:54,7:57,7:537:55,8:07 had to go through a mud pit where the trail was closed.  My shoes were about 5lbs each after,7:56,7:49,8:07 up the big hill,7:29,7:26,7:33,7:19  AP for the run 7:49. 

Took a goo at miles  7 and 14, felt really good on the run after my highest mileage week ever.  It gives me confidence I will be able to do well at Ogden this year.  Got home and jumped in the ice bath.  Only a couple more hard weeks of training to go.

Went out this morning on the 3 mile loop around the neighborhood. Legs were feeling a bit "tired" this morning. Mostly treated the run as a recovery run. AP 8:17

I can not get the stream of Boston to work on my computer at work yet. Now what am I supposed to do all day. Good luck to all.

Progression run on the canal trail in my neighborhood.  1 mile warm up then 1.25 miles at 6:53 pace, 1 mile @6:30 pace, .62 miles @6:20 pace, .5 miles @6:09 pace, 1 mile cool down.  Every one had a 2 minute jog in between. 

Easy cheesy 2 laps around Liberty Park in the wood chips during lunch at work with Terry. I enjoyed the run today, overcast with just a misting of rain. I plan on running a few more with the kids after work tonight. I am planning on a half-marathon time trial this weekend. Hoping for 1:30:00. Got to let my legs recover and be ready to fly this weekend.

PM: Went out with Spencer(9) and his neighbor friend.  It was funny his friend started out all springy legged and confident, running backwards and saying how easy it was.  Hit the first mile in 8:53.  I could tell my son's friend was going to be having problems soon listening to his breathing and his showboating stopped.  Around 1.5 he stopped and needed to walk/jog the rest of the way.  I was telling my son in the beginning to just wait and see and be patient and his training would pay off.  I jogged back with his friend and hopefully he comes with us again.

Tempo run this morning on the JRP in Lehi.  1.5 mile warm-up, then 5.5 miles at proposed half marathon pace. tempo miles were 7:02,6:57,6:59.6:57,7:00,last .5 6:57, 1.5 cool down @8:40 pace.  I'm not going to lie, it was kind of tough this morning.  Maybe I read too many discouraging race reports from Boston or something.  I am going to run a half marathon time trial this weekend and hope to hit 6:59 pace.  If anyone wants to pace me, I may need it. 

It was time to see what my legs had in them with a half-marathon time trail just a few weeks out from the Ogden Marathon. My time last year was 1:37:08. I was fairly confident I could hit 1:30 today. I made the huge mistake of working in the garden last night. I borrowed a neighbor’s tool to help till the garden. It was one of those tools where you put it in the dirt and twist. Well the garden got tilled and some delicious vegies got planted; however, when I woke up my back was a wreck from all the twisting. I knew just from trying to roll over it would not be my day.

My wife Laurel planned on going with me on her bike to pace and be a rolling aid station as I was going to do this by myself. We drove out to Cedar Fort and I attempted to do a 1.5 mile warm up. My back was very stiff and I stopped about every .25 to stretch and try to loosen it up. Got done with the warm up and stretched some more. Just from the pain on the warm up I decided to go easy the first half or so and see if my back eased up and would let me get into a good rhythm. I decided to treat it more like a tempo run then a time trial.

Got off to a good start with the first mile coming in at 7:03, I couldn't get into a good rhythm my back felt like it would seize up at any moment. I had to take almost baby steps because if I opened up my stride too much it would cramp up. I decided to just go with what I could do the next few miles as they were mostly flat, uphill. next miles were as follows: 7:14,7:18,7:19,7:22,7:10,7:15,7:12, my legs were feeling great and my breathing was under control, decided to open it up a bit as the pain in my back was easing up a bit. Last miles were as follows: 7:01,6:51,6:46,6:43,last .1 6:03 pace. Finished in 1:32:46 this is a new PR for me. For running solo and with my back acting the way it did, I know I can break 1:30 sometime this year. Got home and ran a 1.5 mile cool down with my son Spencer. As a plus my legs feel great now, as it was mostly a long tempo run. Hopefully my back loosens up soon and I will be back in action next week. At least I didn't pay an entry fee and feel like I had to race with the pain. Ice and Ibuprofen will be my friends. Sounds like the Salt Lake Marathon and Half were nice this morning.

Well my back is still pretty jacked up, was in pain pretty much all day yesterday and today.  Sitting 3 hours in church was torture on the back.  It was slightly better today than yesterday so hopefully it continues to loosen up.  I was at the park with the kids today letting them get the wiggles out and decided to jog around the park to see if it would loosen it up some.  Hurt pretty bad to run.  This week is one of the toughest on my marathon training schedule so it needs to hurry up and feel better.  I will head out in the morning and see how it feels.

Ever wish you could look into the future.  I got the chance to this morning on my run.  I know exactly how it will feel to run 50 years from now when I am 87.  After taking the last 2 days off due to back pain, I decided to try to run this morning.  Started really slow and easy, back was really tight to begin with.  I decided to stop every half mile and stretch out the back.  I wanted 10 today but put in the time it would take me to normally run 10 and just see how I was feeling.  Just kept running and stopping every .5 to stretch.  By the end of the run it was feeling much better, still painfull, but better.  I am optimistic in the next few days I will be back in action. 

PM: Went out with the kids on a 3 mile jaunt around the neighborhood.  They tell me everytime we go out running how much they love to run.  So much fun.

Went out with the kids for an afternoon run around the neighborhood.  All 3 went with us the first mile (it was the first time T.J.(5) came with us on a run.  He did great!  Our first mile was 11:17, then Spencer (9) and I went on for 3 more miles, 9:32,9:16,9:09.  It was the first time he went over 3, and he did great also.  My back is still in pain but less pain everyday.  Went another mile to see how it felt at base pace, felt ok 7:53, last .30 averaged 7:20. 

Tomorrow morning I am supposed to do a 8.5 mile tempo run at half-marathon pace with a 1.5 mile warm up and cool down.  This is supposed to be my high mileage week for the Ogden Marathon coming up, but this back strain is killing me.  I will see how tomorrow goes, maybe I will do 4 at half marathon pace, jog a half mile, then see how I feel for another 4.  Got to listen to the body and be smart this week.

Went out this morning for a tempo run on the JRP trail in Lehi.  Started at the iron bridge and headed south.  2 mile warm up, almost ran into a skunk the first mile,  that was TOO close for comfort, it's tail was up and everything, the sun wasn't up and I'm lucky I'm not very stinky right now.  Tempo miles were at 7:14.7:00,7:12.7:11,7:18,7:06,7:08,7:10,7:04,last .5 6:50 pace. 2 mile cool down. Felt really good, with my back acting up I just went out and ran by feel.  Tried to keep the pace between half and marathon pace.  My back was ok today still tight and felt like it would lock up for the first few miles then started to loosen up by the end.  It's getting better every day.  I have a 22 mile run this weekend so it better be good by then. Oh and I saw another skunk on my cool down, it is skunk alley out there. 

Uhhh, does mowing the lawn count for anything.  Wife is out of town so I have been on daddy duty all day.  Spent most of the day helping prep my sister's house to sell.  Hopefully all this scrubbing and painting does not lock my back up more.  I signed up my son for his own blog this afternoon.  He has been begging to be able to blog the miles he has been running.  22 miles bright and early in the morning.

Had a great run this morning with Chet.  Got out early and it was a bit chilly when we started.  Good thing Chet had an extra pair of gloves I could borrow. Did almost the same route I did a couple weeks ago to mimick the Ogden Marathon course. Started in Eagle Mountain at the maverick in the ranches.  Went south through the ranches and down past the high school, linked into the JRP trail and went north.  Cruised along past Thanksgiving point up past Camp Williams to the beginning of the trail, then headed back to the iron bridge where we left a vehicle earlier.  Got to see all the runners out for the Thanksgiving point half.  I was nervous the trail would be closed.  I swear I saw Walter flying by.  Miles were as follows:

8:03,8:02,7:56,7:55,7:59,7:52,7:51,7:53,7:56,7:52,7:47,7:59,7:39,7:53,7:48,8:00,7:42,7:42,7:31

,7:29,7:34,7:14

Run felt pretty good.  My back pain was minimal and I think it should be back to normal next week.  Overall another confidence booster for the marathon in a couple weeks.  AP 7:48. 

Have the day off so waited a bit to head out running.  Wanted to get some hills in today.  Went from the house up into the trails, looped around then headed south up and around the hill before the stop sign then back home.  Didn't worry about pace just tried to keep it relaxed and enjoy the hills.  Legs are a little tired from the 22 miler on Sat. but not too bad.  Finished with 2 hill sprints and 2 sets of one-legged hops.  AP for the run 8:29