Every Race is an Adventure!

This morning's run was similar to yesterday morning's run. It was roughly the same course, but without the detours...and without Kevin. It was cold again, with the cold north wind again freezing my face on the return north, but this time I was alone. The pace was slow. The footing was tricky. There was about a 1/2 inch of snow along the shoulders of the road. I was tempted to run in the road where it appeared to be clear in many areas, but the reflection from the street lights revealed that much of it was black ice. The snow tended to pack to the bottoms of my shoes, often flying off and hitting the backs of my legs and occasional dropping into my shoes. I was tense most of the run, not feeling confident in my footing. If I had known I was going to be running alone, I may have waited until lunchtime and been able to run a little faster, but at least it's behind me now, and Sasha won't reprimand me for skipping a planned run because of bad weather. ;-)

I was planning to play basketball this morning, but then was asked to substitute and drive the junior high carpool because the assigned driver was having car trouble. I like to keep Friday's light so I'm not too tired for long runs on Saturday. I was just going to play ball today, but since I didn't, I went to the fitness center at lunchtime and put in a few miles on the treadmill. I warmed up for 0.5, then ran 0.5 at 8:00/mi, then 1.5 at 7:30/mi, then gradually cooled down for another 0.5 mile. They were showing "Blast from the Past" with Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone. I should have run more miles so I could finish the movie. I was quite enjoying it.

I had a good run with Kerry and Kevin this afternoon. It was a first attempt at a team run for our Wasatch Back Relay team, but many couldn't make it.

It was sunny and felt colder than I expected. The temperature was in the low 30's with a cold breeze at times. Kerry had a little stomach distress in the middle of the run, but he and Kevin both seemed a lot fresher than me at the end. I was beat. This was a high mileage week for me.

We went a little over 13 miles and averaged 8:32/mi overall. After warming up we started out at about 8:13/mi for the next few miles. We gradually slowed as we turned north and headed uphill for a while. Kerry had stashed water and Gatorade at a couple of places, and we also stopped for a bio-break at Kohlers. I feel like we held a pretty good pace throughout the run, and we finished pretty strong, averaging 7:52/mi for last 2.2 miles. It sure felt good to stop.

I enjoyed running with Kerry and Kevin, but I wish more of the team could have been there. I felt bad that we lost some with the schedule change. I look forward to more participants (and warmer weather) for the next team run.

I ran the normal 6.2 mile Orem course with Larry this morning. It was a little warmer but still pretty chilly. I'm looking forward to some warmer weather this week.

At lunchtime I ran Eagles View with Nathan and Cory. They were a little late so I warmed up for a 1/4 mile on the treadmill. The temperature was in the low 40's, which felt good to me. This past week of running has seemed especially cold to me...maybe just because I'm getting tired of it.

I feel like we pushed pretty hard, although I'm pretty sure it was harder for Cory and me than for Nathan. He pushed ahead of us up the hill. I managed to stay with him all the way back, but it took some effort. I'm very satisfied with the run.

My Eagles View runs this year have been:

1/22: 41:57 (8:24/mi)

1/25: 39:48 (7:58/mi)

1/29: 37:58 (7:36/mi)

2/5: 39:48 (7:58/mi)

2/12: 37:53 (7:35/mi)

2/26: 40:11 (8:08/mi)*includes time stopped at light

3/5: 39:22 (7:52/mi)

I was planning on basketball for this mornnig, but my son wasn't going so I opted to run instead. We had a basketball tournament game at night and I wanted to leave something in the tank for that so I only ran a little over 4 miles.

When I started out I had decided I would just run our neighborhood 5K course. However, as I started up 1600 N from Main I decided I wanted to go a little farther than that so I continued up 16OO N to 400 E (1 mile gradual uphill @ 8:41/mi), turned north up 400 E to 2000 N (1/2 mile steep uphill @ 9:30/mi), turned west down 2000 N to 400 W (1 mile big downhill @ 6:48/mi), turned south on 400W to 1600 N (1/2 mile level @ 7:49/mi), turned east on 1600 N up to Main (1/2 mile slight uphill @ 7:30/mi), then turned north on Main and went up and around the block to home (0.35 miles level @ 7:19/mi). I then let my dog out and we jogged around the block for a 0.4 mile cooldown. I averaged 8:06/mi for the 4.25 miles, including the slow jog at the end.

We had 11 show up for the basketball game, so I didn't get as much exercise as I had planned, but it was fun. We gave them a good game but lost. Don't tell the other guys, but I wasn't too disappointed. Now I can focus on my running instead of worrying about the regional tournament.

I ran 6 easy miles with Larry this morning. It was enjoyable as always, even more so as the weather wasn't quite so cold.

I missed out on my normal Wednesday tempo run with the guys at work because I had to take my son to the doctor. His right shoulder as been bothering him off and on for a couple of years. He thinks it was injured during a Lacrosse game his senior year. They diagnosed a SLAP lesion in his right shoulder and have scheduled him to be scoped in a couple of weeks.

Kevin and I ran a variation on the normal Orem route this morning. We kept each other going at a pretty good pace and averaged 7:52/mi for 6.3 miles.

We ran down Main to 400 S, over to 400 E, down to Center, over to 800 E, up to 1600 N, then down to Main and home. As we approached the intersection at 1200 N on 800 E we saw the "WordPerfect hill" in front of us. I thought briefly about suggesting we go up it because the downhill home from there would be nice, but then suggested to Kevin that we turn at 12OO N and take the more level route home. Kevin said, "Let's go up the hill." I figured it was just because Kevin likes hills so much. As I had already considered it, I readily agreed to going up the hill. As we climbed the hill I ascertained that the uphill was just a price he was willing to pay to get the long (1 mile) downhill home. We did the first 1/2 mile of the downhill at 6:50/mi then averaged 6:30/mi for the second 1/2 mile, both of us finishing with a pretty strong kick, although I have to admit that Kevin pulled away a little at the end.

We both felt like we had worked hard and felt very good about the run.

I needed to be home by 8:00am so I started my 18 mile run this morning at 5:00am. The weather was in the 40's, but there was a strong cold wind coming from the NW which made it feel colder.

I ran a 6 mile loop up through Lindon three times. I ran the first loop alone. I averaged around a 9:00 pace. I got off my planned course a little and ended up running a little over 6 miles. I was supposed to meet Kevin and Larry back at the corner for the second loop. I didn't see them as I went by and didn't dare stop as I barely made it around the corner and up the street to my house in time for an urgently needed bio break. I also took an eGel, got a drink, and changed my sweaty shirt. I began to sweat like a pig when I entered my house and I didn't want to go back into the cold wind with a wet shirt.

I headed back to the corner and saw them walking up the other way. It turns out they had followed to my house and waited a while, but then began to question whether it was really me they had seen go past in the dark. Luckily, because of the chilly wind, Kevin had went back for his vest. I met them as they were returning from Kevin's house.

The three of us ran the second loop together. I had enjoyed the solitude of running the first loop alone, but now I was beginning to tire and it was good to have their company. We averaged about a 9:00 pace for the second loop, too.

Larry's wife Jolene wanted to run 6 miles so Larry went to check if she wanted to run the last loop with us. She wasn't quite ready, and Larry needed a bio break, so he said they would run the loop backwards and meet up with us. After Kevin and I refueled, we added a little distance to the last loop by taking a different course out of the neighborhood. Since it was lighter now, we also decided to run along the canal road as it paralleled our course. At one point Kevin insisted that we leave the canal road and run up and back down a hill portion that we were bypassing. We got back on the canal road and met up with Larry just as we exited that portion of the canal road. We then continued the loop, meaning Larry and Jolene doubled back the way they had just come.

As we neared home I was pretty tired and had to lock into a rhythm to keep my pace up. This caused me to pull slightly ahead. I figured once they hit a good stopping point in the conversation Kevin would be pushing to catch up with me. I was right. I was about a half mile into the last mile, averaging about an 8:15 pace, when Kevin caught me. Since we had averaged about a 9:00 pace most of the way, I felt like I was doing pretty good. As usual, running with Kevin somehow caused the pace to increase significantly and we ended up averaging a 7:39 pace for that last mile, meaning we were going even faster than that the last 1/2 mile. It felt good to have some juice left at the end of an 18 mile run.

I averaged just under a 9:00 pace for the 18.35 miles. My legs were pretty tired the rest of the day, but overall I felt very good and have no new pains to speak of. It was a good long run for me.

I ran an easy 6.3 miles with Larry in the morning. Our legs felt kind of heavy from Saturday's run, but it felt good to stretch them out.

At lunchtime I ran Eagles View with Tom and Cory. Known of us felt like pushing the pace too hard, although we did manage to squeeze in a couple of faster miles at the end.

My Eagles View runs this year have been:1/22: 41:57 (8:24/mi)
1/25: 39:48 (7:58/mi)
1/29: 37:58 (7:36/mi)
2/5: 39:48 (7:58/mi)
2/12: 37:53 (7:35/mi)
2/26: 40:11 (8:08/mi)*includes time stopped at light
3/5: 39:22 (7:52/mi)
3/12: 41:57 (8:23/mi)

I ran 8.3 miles on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail above the Eagles View neighborhood and south toward Springville. Just before Springville I took the dirt road down to State St. and headed back north along State St. As I approached the Eagles View neighborhood I decided to head back up into the neighborhood and take the normal route back from the Eagles View gate. Unfortunately, I headed up the road south of the white fence just before the neighborhood and ended up having to go off road through the hills. I finally made it back into the neighborhood and to the gate and then back to work.

Much of this run was in the hills and I had to work pretty hard. Even so, I only averaged 9:46/mi for the 8.3 miles. The steep uphills took so much out of me that it was hard to make up for it on the downhills. I also found myself holding back on many of the downhills because of the steepness and/or poor footing. Nevertheless, it was a fun adventure and a good run.

Even though most of the run had been significantly slower, the last couple of miles from the Eagles View gate back to work I set the goal of averaging under an 8:00 pace, in spite of my tired legs. I thought it would be a good mental as well as physical challenge. I averaged a 7:49 pace for the 0.65 miles down to State St. I worried about the next 1.5 miles back because it was not downhill any longer, it was mostly level with two overpasses mixed in. After the first overpass my overall average pace since State St. was 7:41, 8:01 at the top of the second overpass, then 7:54 at the bottom. If I could just hold an 8:00 pace for the level section back in I'd meet my goal. I was so tired I decided to not look at my watch until the next intersection. I just focused on form and rhythm. At the intersection I was pleased to see my overall pace since State St. down to 7:45. I pushed on, not looking at my watch again until just before the finish. My final average pace from State St. was 7:40. I was thrilled.

One of my first thoughts after finishing was that it was too warm. I was hot and thirsty. Through all my cold winter runs I'd been looking forward to warmer weather, and now it was finally in the 60's and I was thinking it was too warm. I pushed that thought away and replaced it with thoughts of how beautiful the day was, what a challenging yet enjoyable run I'd just had, and how good it felt to be done with it...and the water at the fountain in the fitness center tasted so good.

I ran the normal Orem route with Larry this morning. It was very enjoyable. I can't remember a single time over the years that I haven't enjoyed running with Larry. We can talk about anything, and have talked about just about everything. I don't even mind hearing stories I've already heard a couple of times before. My memory is so bad most of them seem fresh anyway.

At lunchtime I ran the Lake View tempo run with Cory and Tom. Today's run was not nearly as fast as previous weeks. Tom wasn't feeling well to begin with and dropped back on the return trip. Cory and I ran the 3 tempo miles at roughly 7:31, 7:37, and 7:04. Cory had to head back for a meeting. I waited and ran in with Tom. We had a total of a couple of miles of warmup and cooldown.

This morning I ran the normal Orem route again with Larry at an easy pace.

My schedule isn't going to allow a 20 miler on Saturday. My conflicts start around 7:00 am and are spread throughout the day. I'll have time to run, but not 20 miles. Instead, I decided to run the 10.5 miles home from work today, and I plan to run back in to work in the morning. I left my street clothes (plus a fresh shirt and underwear), and my vehicle, at work.

I ran from East Bay up University Ave. to the mouth of Provo Canyon then up 800 North to Orem, then worked my way up to 1200 North, over to Main, and then north to home. I ran the 10.5 miles in 1:25:08, an average pace of 8:06/mi. (I stopped my watch for lengthy traffic light stops, but kept it running during brief delays.) The average paces for various stretches of the run were:

Work to Wil's Pit Stop: 8:08/mi

Wil's to Provo Canyon: 8:19/mi

Up 800 N to Golf Course: 8:42/mi

Golf Course to 1200 N 800 E: 8:15/mi

800 E to Main on 1200 N: 7:46/mi

1200 N to 1600 N to Home: 7:36/mi

I'm thrilled. I was hoping for around a 9:00/mi average pace, and as heavy as my legs felt when I started the run I thought that was overly optimistic. The temperature was perfect, about 60 degrees with a bit of a breeze. The run home was very enjoyable. I hope the run back tomorrow morning is equally as enjoyable. It will be a little cooler I'm sure, but it's a gradual downhill most of the way instead of up. I'm really kind of looking forward to it.

I'm nearly euphoric. I just finished my 10.5 mile run into work this morning and I feel great, and it's not just because I only had to stop at one red light coming down University Ave. (a near miracle in my opinion). I ran the 10.5 miles in 1:21:13, an average pace of 7:44/mi. Here are the average paces for various stretches of the run (paces for yesterday's trip home in brackets):

Temperature: mid 40's [yesterday aournd 60 F]

Home to 1200 N to 1600 N: 8:01/mi [7:36/mi]

Main to 800 E on 1200 N: 7:58/mi [7:46/mi]

1200 N 800 E to Golf Course: 8:05/mi [8:15/mi]

Down 800 N from Golf Course: 7:58/mi [8:42/mi]

Provo Canyon to Wil's Pit Stop: 7:20/mi [8:19/mi]

Wil's Pit Stop to Work: 7:42/mi [8:08/mi]

Overall: 1:21:13 @ 7:44/mi [1:25:08 @ 8:06/mi]

The overall downhill grade definitely helped make this run faster than the run home yesterday. The weather was a little chilly at the start, and there was a really strong headwind from the golf course to the mouth of the canyon, but overall the cool sunny morning made for a very enjoyable run. Today's run was a training run for Boston, but it felt much more like a blessing.

I ran the water tank road with Larry early this afternoon. We wanted to get in some downhill in preparation for the Spectrum 10K next Saturday. We took it easy on the way up, including walking some of the steeper sections, so we could push the pace a little on the downhill. I didn't risk pushing it too hard on the dirt portion of the downhill, as the footing wasn't all that good. In fact, I only pushed hard for two sections.

On the steep paved section down to 800 E I pushed as fast as I dared, holding back so I didn't end up kissing the road. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I averaged a 5:46/mi pace on this section. We then recovered as we ran over to 400 E at about an 8:36/mi pace.

The final push was downhill on 1600 N between 400 E and Main. I think the downhill grade there is nearly perfect. It's a pretty good downhill but I didn't have to expend any energy at all putting on the brakes to not lose control. I averaged 5:40/mi for this 1/2 mile stretch, slightly faster than the steeper downhill.

I've been told the first half of the Spectrum 10K this year is steeper downhill, with a more gradual downhill the second half. My first goal is to set a new 5K PR (less than 20:13) in the first 5K of the race, with a stretch goal of breaking a 40 minute 10K overall. I figure to do this I'd need to average around a 6:00 minute pace the first 5K (18:12), and then try to hang on and average a 7:00 pace (21:42) the second 5K.

This would still be a real stretch for me. I've trained all winter for the first time since I started running again, and I've been putting in record mileage for me recently. This week I ran nearly 64 miles, and I've run over 256 miles in the last 5 weeks since I decided to run Boston this year. I've been focusing on marathon training, so I'm concerned about having enough speed for this 10K. I plan to run shorter, faster miles next week as I taper for the Spectrum 10K. We'll see how these runs go, but today's experiment running some short, fast downhill sections at a sub-6:00 minute pace gave me some hope for a PR performance next Saturday.

I ran 6.2 easy miles on the Orem route with Larry again this morning.

At lunchtime my plan was to run up Eagles View with the Novell guys at an easy pace and then push the downhills, similar to Saturday. However, when I hit the fitness center at 12:00, Tom was warming up on a treadmill and Cory wanted to leave right then (we normally leave at 12:10) to get back for a 1:00 meeting. I told them to go ahead and I would try to catch up.

I changed as quickly as I could and headed out. I saw Tom a block or so up ahead, but I couldn't see Cory at all. I got stuck at a red light and Tom pulled farther ahead. I ran a sub-7:00 minute pace for about a mile to catch Tom just before State St., not quite the easy pace I had planned.

We saw Cory quite a ways ahead of us and never caught him, even though we pushed up the hill at a pretty good pace. I decided to go ahead and push the downhill. I ran from the top of the hill down to the stop sign (0.58 miles) at a 5:40/mi pace. For the less steep 0.36 miles from there down to State St. I averaged 6:08/mi. We backed off the pace a little for the 1.56 miles back to work, but still managed an average pace of 7:35/mi.

Even though I was planning to take it easy the first part of this run, by chasing Tom and Cory I ended up with my fastest time so far this year for this run, 37:48 (7:34/mi).

My Eagles View runs this year have been:

1/22: 41:57 (8:24/mi)

1/25: 39:48 (7:58/mi)

1/29: 37:58 (7:36/mi)

2/5: 39:48 (7:58/mi)

2/12: 37:53 (7:35/mi)

2/26: 40:11 (8:08/mi)*includes time stopped at light

3/5: 39:22 (7:52/mi)

3/12: 41:57 (8:23/mi)

3/19: 37:48 (7:34/mi)

I was planning to get out with Larry at 5:45am this morning but I guess I turned the alarm off at 5:00 because I didn't wake up until about 5:38. I was a few minutes late getting out and I guess I missed Larry.

I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to run this morning. I ended up running the neighborhood 5K course, with a total of about 1.5 miles of warmup and cooldown.

I ran the 5K course in 21:52 (7:04/mi). My paces for the 3.1 mile downhill, level, uphill loop were roughly 6:45, 7:02, 7:12. According to my Garmin I ran the last 0.1 mile at 5:49/mi, but I'm not sure I believe it.

I have normally been doing two-a-days on Wednesday, but since this is a taper week I decided I would only do the morning run. However, when I awoke and saw the driving rain being blown sideways at times by the gusting wind the thought crossed my mind that maybe it would be better to do the noon run instead.

Some issues prevented me from running at the normal time. I missed running with Cory. He was just finishing up in the locker room when I got there.

I ran the 5.2 mile Lake View course. Instead of the 3 mile tempo run in the middle like we've been doing, I swapped out the middle tempo mile for a recovery mile. My splits for the 3 middle miles were 7:07, 8:36, and 6:50. I ran the 1.2 miles back in at 8:24/mi.

I just ran a few easy miles this morning to loosen up my legs. After some really slow warm up the last two miles were at about an 8:30 pace. I'm feeling pretty good about the Spectrum 10K Saturday (knock on wood). I've got a few minor aches and pains, but that's normal for my old body. Overall, I feel pretty strong. The tightness I've had in my right calf for the past couple of weeks is mostly gone. I felt a little tightness in my left calf this morning, but it's not too bad. We'll see how I feel race day morning, but I'm optimistic about a good performance. I'm looking forward to finding out what I've got in me.

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to St. George to run the Spectrum 10K. We stopped and visited my parents in Nephi both on the way down and the way back. After my dad's recent strokes and my mom's knee surgery it was great to see them both doing so well and to visit with them. It was also enjoyable to spend a couple of days alone with Karen. I really enjoyed sharing the drive down and back with her. I really appreciate her support of my running.

Larry picked me up at the hotel and I rode to the race with him, his wife Jolene, his daughter Stacia, her husband Jeremy, and Wayne. I also saw Scott Blake before and after the race. It's great to have good friends to share these experiences with.

The Spectrum 10K course runs through Snow Canyon State Park. What a beautiful place for a run. The weather was perfect. There was no wind. It wasn't too cold at the start nor too hot at the finish.

They changed the course this year because of the increase in the number of runners. I had been told the course was basically half pretty steep downhill then half gradual downhill. I don't think that was entirely true. It seemed to me the last mile or so were at best level, with a little more uphill grade than I originally expected. They also added a section in the first part of the race where we turned and went uphill on the West Canyon Trail for 3/4 mile before doubling back. It was actually kind of fun on this section to see the people in front of me as I went up and the people behind me as I went down.

My goal was to break 43 minutes, with a stretch goal of shooting for 40 minutes. I figured this would take roughly 6 minute miles for the first half and 7 minute miles for the second half.

The first mile was downhill as promised. I tried to take what the hill was giving me without pushing too hard and ran it in 5:42. I may have taken it a little too fast, but I felt like I was running within myself.

The second and third miles, at 6:39 and 6:50 revealed that 40 minutes wasn't going to happen. However, this included the added uphill section, so I still felt like I was doing well. I hit the 3 mile mark at 19:12. There wasn't a 5K marker and I wasn't wearing my Garmin, but I figure I ran the first 5K in around 19:50. My 5K PR is 20:13.

I maintained my pace down the lower portion of the canyon and ran the next two miles in 6:47 and 6:49. I ran the 6th mile in 7:18. This is the level-to-slight-uphill section that I originally thought was supposed to be gradual downhill. Luckily I realized it wasn't as I drove the course prior to the race so I was expecting it. I just held on and tried to maintain my form and breathing.

In summary, my mile splits were 5:42, 6:39, 6:50, 6:47, 6:49, and 7:18 with a final time of 41:43 (6:42/mi). I finished 1st in the Male 45-49 division and 20th place overall. It was clear evidence to me that dedicated training really pays off. It was a great birthday present. I received a plaque and a $20 gift card to the St. George Running Center.

Larry and Jolene celebrated a greater accomplishment than me. Larry met his goal of running under 50 minutes. In fact, as coincidence would have it, he tried to out kick Scott Blake near the finish but Scott barely held him off. This was Larry's 18th consecutive Spectrum 10K. In fact, he was wearing his 1990 Spectrum 10K t-shirt. Jolene placed 2nd in her division, and also received a plaque and gift card. But their greatest accomplishment was that they were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary. At the beginning of the awards ceremony the race officials recognized them and they presented Jolene with a bouquet of roses Larry had provided.

My 47th birthday was just a good day all around. It was truly a blessing. Throughout my life I have received far more of these tender mercies from God than I deserve, but I am sure grateful for them.

I went out with Larry in the morning. My legs were still pretty tight from Saturday's race. I thought running some easy miles might loosen them up. It might have a little, but they were still pretty tight after the run. Larry ran a little farther than I did this morning as I had to make a pit stop at Orem High about halfway through. I'm sure glad the school opens early in the morning.

In the afternoon I ran Eagles View with Tom and Nathan. Nathan was coming off being sick and told me to go ahead with Tom, but Tom was really feeling good today and my legs told me to not even try to stay with him. He was about 15 seconds ahead of me at the top of Eagles View. He maintained that lead until the light stopped him at State Street. Nathan and I caught up and we all waited for the light together, but as soon as it changed Tom was off again. I tried to at stay at least close enough that I could shout some friendly trash talk at him to keep him working hard, but by the time we finished he had built up a 10+ second lead again. It was good to see Tom back to his old self and feeling good again. I'm also sure this is one of the few times I'll finish ahead of Nathan.

I didn't run today because my legs have been feeling tired and I needed to save my strength for the annual adults v. young men basketball game at 8:30pm. I did some running before the game to warm up, and felt pretty good most of the game, but near the end of the game I pulled myself out because my legs were beat.

The tradition is to play to 100, with half-time whenever the first team gets to 50. We rotated 14 adults against their 10, but without success. They beat us 101 to 90, but that wasn't too surprising. Our young men's team repeated as region champs this year, with another undefeated season. For this game they also had the services of two players who didn't play on the church team because they were playing on the high school team. One of them was a valley all-star. He probably scored 40 points or more. On the other hand, our men's team only one a single game this year. We were no match for them, but it was a lot of fun.

I ran the normal Orem route this morning. It was probably good I was alone. Otherwise, we would have been splashing slush all over each other. The temperature was about 32 F with with a fresh covering of snow on the ground and more coming down. I was dressed well and didn't get real cold, but I did get very wet by the end. I had to keep shaking snow off my hat and gloves, and I stuck my glasses in my vest pocket after a mile or so. They were so wet I could barely see through them. In some spots there was about 1 inch of snow. I didn't mind running in those areas. Unfortunately, the rest of the run was through about 1/2 inch of slush, hence my comment about getting really wet. It was also surprisingly noisy as the cars sloshed through the slush.

I ran the Orem route alone again this morning. There was a light rain falling, but the running conditions were far better than yesterday morning. I managed to get in 5+ miles at marathon pace this morning, plus some warm up at an easier pace. The marathon pace miles ranged from about 7:30/mi to 8:30/mi (depending on the grade), with the average being 8:01/mi.

I ran the 20 mile up/down route between the mouth of Provo Canyon and the top of South Fork with Tom, Kerry, and Greg. We started about 6:30am just as it was getting light. The temperature was around 36 degrees, but there was a cold canyon breeze. The other three all wore long pants. I had mine in the car, but my legs were only kind of cold, not really cold, so I didn't put them on. I was afraid they would be too warm at the end. In hindsight, I probably should have worn them. It never did get real warm before we finished. Ah well, I feel like I had a good run anyway.

We averaged 8:57/mi up to Vivian Park. At this point, Kerry wanted to give is sore knee a break so he got on his bike he had stashed there earlier. Even though the road gets quite a bit steeper starting up South Fork, Tom and Greg started up at the same pace we had been going. I felt the extra effort right away but managed to hang on. We only slowed 1 sec/mi and averaged 8:58/mi up to the Trefoil gate.

After refueling at the top, we started down. It didn't take long for me to realize we were going to go down considerably faster than we came up. Greg had led strongly coming up, and took off at a strong pace to lead us back down. We averaged 7:42/mi back down to Vivian, then slowed slightly to 7:50/mi down to the gate just above Bridal Veil.

It was along this stretch I felt myself getting tired and sloppy in my form. I decided to tighten up my form, shorten my stride slightly, and pick up my turnover rate a little. This little bit of focus really made a difference. I pulled slightly ahead then stopped and waited for the others at the gate. When we started up again I focused again and again started to pull away. I averaged 7:19/mi for about the next two miles. I could tell I was pushing too hard to finish at that pace so I backed off and ran the next mile or so at 7:48/mi to try and save something for the last mile. At one mile to go I picked the pace up slight to 7:40/mi for 1/2 mile. I then tried to take it up a gear and I averaged 6:54/mi for the final 1/2 mile.

My Garmin showed 20.11 miles in 2:46:48, average pace 8:18/mi. I felt very good about the run. I held on through the difficult times and ended up finishing strong. I did feel a blister forming in the strike area of each foot near the end, but they weren't bad. My legs were pretty tired after the run, but they recovered pretty quickly.

The best part was spending the morning with Tom, Kerry, and Greg. I also saw four other people I knew on the trail, including Doug Eddy. He looked good. It's good to see him getting enthused about running.