Every Race is an Adventure!

Went to the track with Kent. I ran 3x1 mile repeats again, targeting 8:00 minute pace. My times were 7:53, 8:04, and 7:49. Despite drinking water before the run, my mouth felt very dry. Perhaps I'm still a little dried out from three days in the heat and wind of the plains of Wyoming.

6 miles @ 9:43/mi

It was so humid (for Utah) this morning, and very warm for so early in the morning. It was slow going the whole way.

I ran past the Cascade golf course and back. There was a little excitement as I ran north just east of the golf course. There is a row of trees along the street. I must have been near some bird's nest because it would swoop down from the tree behind me and chirp at me then fly to the next tree. It chased me for 5 or 6 trees. It only came at me a couple of times on the return trip. 

10 miles @ 9:46/mi

I went to Provo canyon with Larry and Jolene. We met Wayne and Jolene's niece Angie there. I ran the first bit with Larry then Wayne and I went on to run 5 miles up then back. Neither of us felt much zip in our legs.

I've been kind of dragging since the handcart trek last week, then there were a couple of "not enough sleep" nights around the 4th of July. I hope to get back to a regular schedule. 

5.6 miles @ 9:46/mi including 3 x 1 mile repeats at 7:51, 7:53, and 8:04 with 1/4 mile rest in between.

This is my weekly "remind my body how to run faster" run. Larry had walked to the track with Ozzie but didn't run. Kent didn't make it this morning either so I was alone. It was hard work, especially the third repeat, but I'm still optimistic about little signs of improvement.

At the beginning of our lesson in priesthood meeting yesterday, our teacher (Ken Slater) wrote the acronyms MTTY and LTTT on the chalk board. I find it fun to try to guess what acronyms stand for, but couldn't figure these out. They are "More Today Than Yesterday" and "Less Tomorrow Than Today". I don't think I'll forget them. They represent one of the key principles (to me) of success, achievement, growth, and change. This principle is also reflected in "line upon line", "here a little there a little", and "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass."

I've had some excerpts from the following quote by David O. McKay on my bathroom mirror for years:

"Little things are but parts of the great. The grass does not spring up full grown by eruption. ...The rain does not fall in masses but in drops...Intellect, feeling, habit, character, all become what they are through the influence of little things...it is by little things, by little actions, that every one of us is going—not by leaps, yet surely by inches—either to life or death eternal.

"Life, after all, is made up of little things. Our life, our being, physically, is made up of little heart beats. Let that little heart stop beating, and life in this world ceases. The great sun is a mighty force in the universe, but we receive the blessings of his rays because they come to us as little beams, which, taken in the aggregate, fill the whole world with sunlight. The dark night is made pleasant by the glimmer of what seem to be little stars; and so the true Christian life is made up of little Christ-like acts performed this hour, this minute—in the home, in the quorum, in the organization, in the town, wherever our life and acts may be cast."

There is application of this principle to running, as to all other aspects of life. 

2000 N hill route. 6 miles @ 10:16/mi.

Got a big blister on left instep for some inexplicable reason. 

Water tank hills. 19:33 up the hills.

Aggravated yesterday's blister. 

South Fork Park to mouth of Provo Canyon. 7 miles @ 8:42/mi.

The blister from Tues & Wed returned and I walked at the end to try to minimize the damage. It's about the size of an elongated silver dollar on my left instep, raw flesh under a flap of skin. It's going to take some time to heal completely.

Provo Canyon. 10 miles @ 9:48/mi.

I didn't run all week to let my blister heal. It was fine. I felt some pain in my right foot and right hip, and my right calf was tightening up near the end, but overall I was pleased to get in 10 miles with minimal discomfort.

Trefoil to mouth of Provo Canyon. 10 miles @ 9:05/mi.

2012 Thomas Family Staycation week. I tweaked my knee on Monday playing tennis or exercising Tuesday morning. Due to the knee and the vacation activities I didn't run all week until Saturday.

I wore my knee brace and it didn't bother me. I felt some pain in my right foot and right hip, but that's been going on for a while. I felt some new tightness in my right calf near the end.

Overall I was pleased with the run. I'm not where I hoped I would be at this point in my training this year, but I'm okay. I'll adjust my expectations and persevere. 

At least one of you (thanks, Tom) is wondering if I'm okay so I thought I'd drop a quick note in here. I'm okay, just old and getting older, and too busy/lazy to blog. I've been running more than I've been blogging, but that's still not been much. The last two weeks have been no running during the week then a 10 miler on Saturday. I broke the pattern by getting a normal Monday run in this morning.

The first week of no running was to let a huge blister heal on my left instep. It first appeared on a normal Tuesday morning easy run. I was wearing my normal shoes and socks. I have no idea what caused the blister. It got worse on Wednesday's run (about the size of an elongated silver dollar) so I didn't run again until Saturday. It felt good for about 6 miles then resurfaced. I decided to let it heal completely, which took a week. It was fine on the next Saturday's 10 miler.

The second week (this past week) was our family's Staycation. We played tennis on Monday (among other activities), and I visited my parents early on Tuesday morning during which time my 80 year old father tutored me on his daily exercise program including deep knee bends. I'm not sure if it was the tennis or the knee bends, but all week long after that my left knee felt sore and a little swollen. I decided to skip running during the week so I could remain mobile for the remainder of the week's activities.

I was nervous about Saturday morning's run, but I wore my knee support and got in 10 miles at about 9 minute pace without aggravating my knee or getting a blister. That doesn't mean I was pain free. I have had some pain in my right foot, my right calf, and my right hip, but so far they are still manageable.

I've been blaming all these aches and pains on my age, but while I was visiting my 80 year old father he noted that despite his heart, sight, and blood pressure issues, he doesn't really have any pain anywhere. He worked construction and was always stronger than me, and still is. He does 100 mini pushups, 100 overhead pulls, and 100 modified jumping jacks every day, along with his deep knee bends and various other exercises. He said he recently added 20 regular pushups everyday. I have a feeling I could benefit from following his exercise regimen.

A little anecdote my dad shared with me. He said his blood pressure jumped really high recently (my parents rarely tell us of their health issues in a timely manner) while he was eating. He began to feel like this was the end. I guess he doesn't tell my mom about his health issues either because about this time she offered him an ice cream cone. He figured if he was going to die he might as well go out eating an ice cream cone.

Fortunately, he lived to tell me the story and was doing great when I visited him. He told me he's not concerned at all about death. I think his words were, "There's not 5 minutes difference between here and there." Since it's unlikely my parents will let us know there is something wrong until it's too late to say goodbye, as I left I said, "If I don't see you again, thanks for being a great dad." We don't say stuff like that much. I guess it wouldn't hurt to express love and gratitude a little more often to him, and my mom, and my wife Karen, and my children, and...

Well, I'd better go. If I don't see you again, thanks to all of my running buddies out there for your encouragement and friendship. "Because I knew you, I have been changed for good." (Any "Wicked" fans out there?)

That wasn't so hard. It felt pretty good...

I intended to run late this morning after I dropped my daughters off to go to YW camp. I took about 3 steps and my hip was so tight and painful that I turned and walked back into the house.