Every Race is an Adventure!

Kevin and I ran an extended Lindon loop this morning. I felt stronger this morning. It may have had something to do with only running 2.4 miles on Saturday instead of 12-14.

Avg. pace: 8:52/mi. 

Kevin and I ran the 2000 N hill route this morning. The temperature in the mid-40's was a nice change, but it was still a little chilly with the head wind on the uphill.

I felt like pushing the pace a little. Kevin easily matched me, and beat me up all the hills and at the end, but I must have worked him a little because neither of us spoke much this morning.

We averaged 7:08/mi on the mile downhill and 7:06/mi on the 1/2 mile downhill. I actually saw sub-7:00 pace on my watch for much of the long downhill. I haven't seen that for a long, long time. We averaged 8:52/mi last week on this route, and 8:25/mi today.

I've got enough miles in, and seen enough improvement, that I'm beginning to feel the urge to slip in some speed work. I'm really reluctant. After working so long to get healthy again, I do not want to get injured. I'll have to listen to my body and try to balance "no risk, no reward" with "better safe than sorry."

Kevin had an early meeting this morning so we left 15 min early. He still turned back early, but it was a relatively nice morning and I felt like going farther so I didn't turn back with him. He turned back at the Cascade golf course. I went on to the fountain up the canyon and ended up with 8.1 miles instead of the planned 6.

Today was a recovery day so I didn't push very hard. I averaged about 9:30 pace for the first 4 miles. As I reached the parking lot by the gas station at the mouth of the canyon on the return trip I heard voices coming under the bridge on the trail. In the early morning light I'm pretty sure it was Josse that saw me and waved. She was running with a few other fast women I didn't recognize in the brief moment I saw them. I figured they were running on up the canyon but then it sounded like they may have turned up into the parking lot behind me.

The thought of them blowing by me as I ran 9:30+ pace up the hill I guess was enough that I subconsciously picked up the pace. I ran up the hill at closer to 8:30 pace. I kept telling myself that it didn't matter if they passed me. I'm still getting back into running after an injury, it was a recovery day, and they are all probably 2-3 decades younger than me. Still, something inside me didn't want to get passed without a fight.

As I neared the top I heard their footsteps and voices closing on me. I figured getting passed was inevitable, but then I realized that I was almost to my turn at the golf course. If they were going straight, maybe I could avoid getting passed. I held on and made the turn just before they would have passed me. I felt a little unsocial, and a little ashamed of being so reluctant to get passed...and a little bit victorious...just a little.

I don't think I have much chance of this year being a PR year, but I'm optimistic as my average paces every week keep getting a little faster. A couple of times recently I've felt the urge to take the brakes off and go all out, but the wisdom of experience and the fear of injury have restrained the fire. Patience. Here a little, there a little. Enjoy each run every day. The joy is in the journey. The destination...there really isn't a destination. Each finish line is a new beginning.

This applies to life in general. Today Karen and I celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary. Our years have been metaphorically full of seemingly endless miles of training, good weather and bad, PRs and injuries, 5Ks and marathons, successes and failures.  Like every race, I think every marriage is an adventure. I'm not in the best running shape I've ever been in, not even as good as recent years. But I don't think Karen and I have ever been more in love. I know I've never been happier.

 I ran the water tank hills solo this morning. I made it up the 5 hills in 17:55...not a PR but not bad. The views of Utah valley coming down were beautiful. The sun was just hitting the snow-capped peaks of a half dozen mountains on the west and south of the valley.

I ran the Fast Half Mile from 400 E to Main on 1600 N at 6:46 pace. I was quite surprised and pleased to see sub-7:00. Very encouraging.

Since Kevin missed the hills yesterday I agreed to run them with him this morning. When he didn't come out I decided to run up 1600 N at an easy pace towards the hills and see if he came out late and caught up to me. I never saw him. When I reach the base of the hills my body was a little reluctant to repeat yesterday's run alone so I decided to turn around and run back down 1600 N. I ended up running 1.5 miles down to 400 W then back up to 800 E then back down to Main again and home.

I was feeling tired, so I worked on my mental toughness a little during the run. Often while running uphill I'll tip the brim of my hat down and look down a little to block out the sight of the uphill ahead of me. This morning I held my head up and mentally focused on and proactively challenged the uphill. I also pondered a little psychology and physics.

I imagined myself running 50-100 yards ahead of me and imagined what I would look like if I was running efficiently, strong and confident, and what it would feel like. I then tried to run that way and feel like I imagined myself feeling. Mentally I told myself that if I'm going to be running like that in 50-100 yards anyway it wouldn't be that much harder to start 50-100 yards sooner...so run like that now.

Later in the run my thoughts switched to physics, and what it meant to run efficiently. I imagined a large straight arrow representing a force vector on a physics diagram coming out of my hips and aiming straight ahead up the road. I then imagined smaller arrows in up and down and side-to-side directions. These represented wasted energy that should be focused on moving me forward. The image came to my mind of a tulip-shaped flower closing up like a Venus Fly Trap, redirecting and merging all of the smaller mis-directed energy arrows into the large straight arrow moving straight ahead.

I consider these mental experiments a success.  My legs were feeling pretty heavy the first trip up the hill, averaging only 10:45 pace for the first 1.25 miles up. I averaged 8:29 pace back down, 9:26 back up the second time, then 8:12 the last 1.2 miles back down and home. After averaging only 10:45/mi for the first 1.25 miles, after playing mind games with myself I ended up averaging 9:12/mi overall for the 5.6 miles.

It was a beautiful Saturday morning...finally.  I met Wayne, Kevin, Larry, and Larry's wife Jolene at the mouth of Provo Canyon for a long run. It was cool enough with the breeze at the start that I wore my jacket and gloves.

Larry's health still doesn't allow him to run as much as he would like. We ran 3.8 easy miles with him, with a little walking mixed in, averaging about 12:00/mi.

Larry and Jolene stopped to turn back at Bridal Veil Falls. Kevin, Wayne and I continued on. We had realized the Provo City Marathon was running down the trail this morning until we saw some of the mile markers. We didn't know what time they were starting or how many runners there would be. We got to Vivian Park and talked to some volunteers at the aid station there. The marathon was going to start in about 10-15 minutes at South Fork Park. We were planning on 14 miles and still had a little over a mile to go to get to 7, so we decided to risk it and head on up South Fork Canyon.

At mile 7 Wayne said he wanted to push on to 8 for a 16 mile run and Kevin and I decided to join him. Not long after we saw the lead marathoners coming around a corner. We moved to the far side of the street and stayed pretty much out of the way. There weren't as many runners as we thought there might be and they passed by us pretty quickly. The race had just started so they hadn't spread out very much yet.

We continued on to the 8 mile mark, averaging about 9:42/mi for the 4.2 miles of uphill after Bridal Veil. We could tell Kevin could have going faster, but Wayne and I were concerned about having enough energy left to finish the 8 mile return trip so we didn't push it. 

Kevin pushed ahead at about Bridal Veil and ran the next 3 miles about a minute per mile faster than us. Wayne pushed ahead of me a little before Timpanogos Park. I averaged 8:29/mi for the 8 miles back down, and that was plenty good for me at the end of my longest long run, and highest mileage week, of the year so far.

We had talked about going to the THS track this morning, so even though I was alone I went. After a 3/4 mile warm up getting there and a 1/4 mile warm up lap I decided to run 3x1 mile repeats. I ran the first in 7:40 and figured if I could stay under 8:00 for all three it would be a good morning. I ran the 2nd in 7:40 again, and the 3rd in 7:30. I ran the last lap in 1:40, about 6:40 pace. I'm encouraged. I was pushing hard, but not really going all out (not mentally weak, just prudent as I'm still a little concerned about injury). It felt pretty good.

It was great to see Larry and Jolene waiting at the corner this morning. Kevin joined us and we headed up 2000 N. My legs felt very heavy this morning and burned going up the hill even though we were slower than last week. They were heavy the whole run, likely a lingering effect of yesterday's mile repeats and last week's higher than normal 47 miles. Like I mentioned to Kevin, at least my legs were just tired. I'm feeling much less pain than in recent months.

Average pace: 9:24/mi 

We had planned to run the water tank hills this morning, but with all the rain we feared mud so Kevin, Wayne, and I opted for the golf course route instead. Wayne and I were dragging; Kevin stayed with us easily and I think he was just idling.

I was hoping for Wayne and Kevin to be out, but was glad to head for the water tank hills with Larry and Jolene. At the start of hill 1 I took off. After three days of heavy legs I finally felt some zip in my legs.

As I made the switch back to begin hill two I saw Kevin coming from behind. He's been running so much faster than me that I was sure he was going to pass me before the top. I decided to just ignore him and push steadily and strong up the hills. He never did catch me. Of course, he had left about 5 minutes after us and had been pushing hard since the beginning of the run. I may have tested him anyway as I got up the five hills in 15:38...pretty fast for me. A good time is usually under 17:00.

As the four of us were coming down the hills I got distracted at the bottom of hill three...just before we got to the smooth, easy road... and suddenly felt the pain of a rolled right ankle. I don't know if I stepped in a rut or on a rock. I managed to catch my balance and not go down. I've learned to keep running (walking, playing) on a rolled ankle if at all possible, a.k.a., "walk it off". It really hobbled me for the next mile or so but I didn't want to stop.

Kevin and I had both been looking to the Fast Half Mile from 400 E to Main near the end of the run. I ran 6:45 pace there last week and was looking to give Kevin a run for his money. With the lame ankle, that challenge would have to wait. I did try to see if running faster hurt more or less. It turned out to be less, and I managed 7:40 pace.

After the run I iced my ankle then worked from home to stay off it and keep it elevated. 

I didn't run Friday to rest my injured ankle and let it heal a little.

We decided to run at 6am this morning. It was great to be able to wear a short sleeve shirt.

I didn't know until I met Larry a little before 6 that he hadn't heard from Wayne, and that he and Kevin only had 50 minutes to run before needing to be back to head off to a church service assignment. Wayne didn't show. After an 4.8 miles with Kevin and Larry, and a quick pit stop at the house, I decided my ankle was feeling good enough for some more miles.

First I looped around the neighborhood 5K course. I was going to do it a time or two more but I was bored, and my foot was feeling a little tired, so I decided to head to the THS track and run on the slightly softer service. They were just beginning to set up for a USA track meet. I got in 3 miles there then decided to loop up to Canyon Park (old WordPerfect buildings) and come back along the canal. With all the trees, the Canyon Park parking lots are almost like arboretums. I looped around the parking lots some then headed home along the canal.

When I reach 1600 North I came across Martin Wright who had just finished his run. As I was talking to him Rick Lamoreaux stopped to talk with us. After chatting, and checking out some thick smoke from a nearby house (just a guy burning trash), I headed on home. 

When I started this morning I wasn't sure how far my ankle would let me go. I stayed close to home as I wandered, but I ended up going 15.25 miles. It wasn't fast...a little over 9:00 pace on my own...but I was grateful to discover that despite a little pain and weakness, it appears my rolled ankle isn't going to impact my training too much. Later in the day I ran errands and did some yard work without it bothering me much.

THS track - alone. I felt pretty slow this morning running over to the track. My warm up mile getting over there was at about 10:00 pace. I ran 3x1 mile repeats in 7:45, 7:33, and 7:31 with 1/4 mile jogs in between. I had time so I threw in a final 800 at 7:00/mi pace. Considering how sluggish I felt this morning, and where I am in my training, I'm satisfied with these times. 

2000 N hill route - alone. I didn't feel a lot of zip again this morning, but I didn't dawdle. I averaged 9:19/mi. I did manage 7:10 pace for a half mile downhill. I didn't mind the rain too much, but like many other people I'm ready for some consistent sunshine.

Wil's Canyon Stop route...solo. Average pace 8:43/mi. I picked it up a little on 1200 N from 800 E to Main. I like this straight, flat stretch. When I run it it is usually near the end of a run so I can measure how fast I can run a flat mile when I'm tired. Today it was 7:52. Not a PR my any means, but still moving in the right direction.

It was raining heavily in the morning. All this rain has me so depressed that not only didn't I run, I couldn't even bring myself to go to work. I decided to work from home. I came close to just crawling back into bed and sleeping all day.

I ended up getting some good work done. About 5:00pm I realized it wasn't raining and thought about going for a run. Our neighborhood 5K Fun Run and Breakfast is Saturday morning, so I decided to do my long run tonight. Wayne's been running in the evenings so I called him. It turns out he had went at 2:00pm and had just finished a 19-miler.

I started at the mouth of Provo Canyon at about 5:50pm. As I stopped to adjust my IT band strap shortly into the run, I was nearly run over by another runner who was coming from behind. I ended up running just behind him for the first few miles at just under 9:00 pace. I decided to try to average under 9:00/mi all the way up to Vivian Park, which is a good clip for me. I ended up averaging 8:53/mi for those first 6 miles (8:45, 8:56, 8:59, 8:48, 9:08, 8:45). The next 2 miles up South Fork were much steeper and slower (10:19, 9:28), for an overall average of 9:08/mi going up.

I was hoping to go faster coming back down, but when I turned around I felt a strong headwind and it start raining pretty heavily for the next couple of miles. I had taken off my jacket at Vivian Park and tied it around my waist. It didn't take me long to put it back on. My legs felt pretty tired from working on the way up. I decided to just try to keep them turning over for as long as I could. I wasn't really sure I could hold a respectable pace for all 8 miles back. I'm pretty pleased that I did, but I was sure breathing hard those last 3-4 miles. My splits were 8:39, 8:33, 9:01, 8:54, 8:42, 8:45, 8:46, 8:32, for average pace of  8:44/mi.

My overall average pace was 8:57/mi. for 16.14 miles. I'm counting all these miles as marathon pace effort. I may have let my focus slip briefly a couple of times, but for the most part I applied marathon pace effort the entire run. I hope by marathon time this same effort yields faster times, and for 10 miles more, but given where I was 6 months ago, I'm very pleased with where I am.

Today was our neighborhood 5K, a tradition of about 20 years now. Larry has been a key force in this race since its inception. We missed his presence this year as he was in St. George supporting his daughter Stacia in her triathlon.

Last year I ran the course in 21:31 and took 2nd overall. I finished about 18 seconds behind 16-year old Tiffanie Allen. This year I finished in 21:43 (12 seconds slower), and about 30 seconds behind 17-year old Tiffanie, and in 3rd place overall.

The difference this year was 21-year old Christian Stewart. He hung just behind Tiffanie and me for the first 1/2 mile then as we turned down 2000 N he flew by us, broke contact, and cruised on to win, finishing over a minute ahead of me. I was proud of Christian. The last time I remember running against him I think he was a young star football player in high school. He started off very fast and I passed him as he was walking at about mile 2. Now, after maturing, serving a 2 year LDS mission, and working out under Coach Omer at BYU, he was a force to be reckoned with. I'm very happy for him. He is a great young man. I'm probably most happy that he gets to take possession of the traveling trophy...an old running shoe, mounted and painted gold.

One of the highlights for me today was getting to see my daughter Emily run the course again. She has been on the Jr. High track team the last two years, but as a long jumper. I haven't been able to convince her to be a distance runner. After I finished I ran back and ran in the last 1/2 mile or so with her. Someday I hope it's 26.2 miles, but I'll take what I can get. I let her pull away as she kicked for the finish and just watched her. She's got pretty good form, a natural runner. Someday she'll catch the running bug. Until then I'll be patient, and enjoy the days like today.

My splits today were 6:30, 7:31, and 7:43, which reflects the nature of the course...downhill, level, uphill. I maintained a consistent effort and stayed about the same distance behind Tiffanie until the uphills. Gravity seems to affect me more than it does her. Maybe because I probably outweigh her by about 50 lbs.

I'm still representin' for the old guys. The winner was 21, 2nd was 17, I was 3rd at age 51, and 4th was 15. Fifth place was Lyle at 55, so I can't let up. Scheduling helped today, too. Among those in the neighborhood who probably would have beat me, Lecy was at the state track meet, Kevin was at Park City at some business shindig, and Brad was running the Ogden Marathon. Still, you have to show up to race.

This neighborhood 5K fun run is a great tradition. The weather today was perfect. And the neighborhood breakfast afterward was very enjoyable. I felt like running more, but since I had done my long run on Thursday I decided to save my energy for Karen's "honey do" list. It was a good thing. And it was a good day.

I went to the track alone this morning. I did 3x1 mile repeats again with an 800m interval at the end. My mile times were 7:31, 7:37, 7:32 with 3:38 for the 800m. If I split these into 7x800m intervals, it averages to about 3:45 per 800m. Using the Yasso 800 guidelines, this would indicate about a 3:45 marathon (about 9:00/mi). I ran 16 miles Saturday averaging about 8:57/mi for a training run, so a 3:45 marathon is probably a pretty good estimate of where I am right now. I'll take it for now. That may be my target for the Utah Valley Marathon next month, but I hope to be close to 3:30 (or faster?) by St. George in October.

2000 N hill route with Kevin. Neither of us felt fast today, but we endured with a 9:05/mi average overall.

Wil's Canyon Stop route with Kevin. We pushed the effort throughout this run and averaged 8:20/mi overall, which is good for us at this point. We dropped to 7:30/mi for the 1/2 mile from 800 E to 400 E on 1200 N.

Water tank hills solo on a warmer but overcast and very windy day. My legs felt very heavy this morning. I still managed a not fast but respectable 17:47 time up the hills. A lone biker started up the first steep hill just ahead of me. He's part of a group of bikers we regularly see in the morning. I managed to pass him and get well ahead by the top of the hill. He must have went back down or waited for his buddies because by the time I got to hill 5 I heard them talking coming up behind me. I made it to the top of hill 5 and turned back down just before they caught me.

The Fast Half Mile that is part of this run near the end was not so fast today...8:28/mi. That's slower than our average pace for the entire 6 mile run yesterday. I worked pretty hard today, it just wasn't fast. It's all good.

I had to get back to help clean the church at 8:00am so Kevin and I started at the mouth of the canyon at about 5:45am and maintained a pretty steady pace throughout the 12 miles.

The splits up were: 8:42, 8:50, 9:06, 9:10, 8:48, 8:52

The splits down were: 8:22, 8:24, 8:03, 7:55, 8:08, 7:44

Average pace: 8:30/mi 

2000 N hill route. No rain...but a little chilly. It was great to have Wayne, Larry, and Jolene out. I was surprised not to see Kevin.

I played tennis with Karen and the kids last night until about 9:00pm. We don't play much, and we're not very good, but it was a lot of fun. I wasn't feeling very zippy this morning so it was an easy pace morning. With the big hill, average pace was only 9:59/mi.