Every Race is an Adventure!

I ran a loop that starts up the Orem Main St. hill then up the big hill on 2000 N and back down, then follows the road above Oak Canyon Jr. High then down and around through Lindon and back up 1600 N in Orem. This is the old 6 mile loop we used to regularly do on Tuesdays, but I extended it in a few places to see if I could squeeze an extra mile out of it. I ended up hitting 7 miles right back in my neighborhood.

I ran the 7 miles in 1:00:50 (8:41/mi). Mile splits were 11:19, 9:18, 7:21, 8:06, 8:17, 8:29, and 7:57. I ran an easy yet steady pace. I was thinking of Sasha's recent comment on Tom's blog that easy runs should be easy.

At noon I ran the Lake View route with Tom. I thought it might be a little cooler than recent weeks, and maybe it was, but it sure seemed pretty hot. Both of us had run in the morning and neither of us was interested in pushing too hard. We still averaged 8:00/mi for the 5.2 miles. We both commented on how we seem to run faster at noon with the Novell guys than we do in the mornings. I think we both kind of felt like we were running closer to a 9:00 pace and were pleased that it was 8:00 instead. I really enjoy running with Tom. I'm going to miss him while he's in India.

I ran the water tank road with Larry and Wayne this morning. Before meeting up with them I ran a little over a mile to see if my foot was going to be up for the run up the big hills. I got a bit of a blister during Tuesday's run and the two runs yesterday aggravated it a little. I did some reading online yesterday and a few different sites mentioned the use of duct tape, both to prevent and to treat blisters. I tried it a little last night just walking around and it seemed to help, so I tried it again this morning for my run. It actually felt pretty good. Now I just need to do some reading on how to get the sticky off my feet. Oh well, live and learn.

I've been getting in some extra miles this week so I decided to take a break from running this morning and went and played basketball with my son Andrew and the morning crew again. It had been a long time since I had played. It was good seeing some old friends again. We played for about an hour and a half. I'm not sure why, but we score 1 point for a 2 point basket, 2 points for a 3 point basket, and we played 3 games to 21 (win by 2). We had 11 (only 1 sub) so we all got plenty of playing time. It was really a lot of fun. I even hit a few long shots. It was a nice cross-train break before the long run tomorrow.

What a great morning for a run! Seven of us started from the mouth of Provo Canyon around 6:00am: Nathan, Greg, and Ryan from the relay team, Larry and Wayne, and Michael Nelson, a former neighborhood runner. I ran with Nathan, Greg, Ryan, and Wayne up to Vivian Park. Ryan had to head back at that point. The rest of us continued up to South Fork Park. At 7.5 miles out Greg, Wayne, and I headed back down settling for a 15 mile run. Nathan continued on up. I believe his plan was for 20 miles.

On our way down South Fork we passed Sasha who was heading up. As Wayne and I were waiting for Larry and Michael on the bridge at the mouth of Provo Canyon we saw Sasha pass by again on his way south.

I ran the 15 miles in 2:01:00 (8:04/mi), not including three water stops and a bathroom break. There were so many runners up the canyon today that there was a line at every water stop.

 The GPS struggled getting a signal in spots on the way down, so the splits were a little off. Basically, most of the uphill miles were at around an 8:30 pace, the steeper hills at 9:00 or slower. The early downhill miles were around an 8:00 pace, speeding up to around 7:30 the last few miles. I pushed the last 3/4 miles at closer to a 6:30 pace.

The blister I've been nursing since I got it on Tuesday's run got a little worse today, but didn't really bother me until the last few miles. 

I intentionally slept in this morning to get a little more sleep. Even though I left a little later than usual, it still seemed a little cooler. It was also a little lighter. It was a beautiful morning for a run.

I ran down into Orem. As usual, there was a bit of a tail wind as I went south, which meant a bit of a head wind as I came back north. I ran 6.4 miles in 49:16 (7:42/mi). Mile splits were 8:34, 7:01, 7:49, 7:56, 7:43, 7:15, and 0.4 mi in 2:58 (7:22/mi).

This is faster than I normally run this course. I credit it to having watched "Chariots of Fire" last night. I ran my first two marathons, and my only sub-3 hour marathon, back in 1982, the year after this movie came out and won an Oscar for Best Picture in 1981. I ran many miles with the Theme from Chariots of Fire pulsing through my head. It is still my favorite running song. It was going through my head throughout my entire run this morning.

I've also been reading a book, based on a true story, called "Marathon", by W. William Winokur, that was published in January 2006. From http://www.helleniccomserve.com/bookmarathon.html :

"From the concrete canyons of lower Manhattan to the ruins of Ancient Greece, Marathon is a tour de force by a new voice in American fiction. In this impressive, multi-layered debut, based on a true story, W. William Winokur takes the reader on a journey that is at once historical, philosophical and spiritual in order to learn exactly what gives a life meaning. ... Framed by the story of Pheidippides’ celebrated run from Marathon to Athens, the novel is steeped in mythology and mystery. Winokur ponders the essential questions of life and death, the intersection of past and present, the struggle of duty versus passion, all while exploring one woman’s discovery of herself through ancient myths, lost journals, impossible loves, and timeless souls. ... Marathon is a richly imagined work that sets the conflict and intrigue of the ancient world against the reality of contemporary life. Compelling, thought provoking, and thoroughly engaging, Marathon is a powerful statement about the choices we make in life, and how to create a life worth living."

I'm only about halfway through it, but I'm finding it hard to put down. In fact, I slept in this morning because I was up so late reading it last night. If I stop blogging, maybe I can squeeze in a few chapters before I go to work.

I went to run with Nathan at lunch time today but I was late and he had already left. I went ahead and ran the Eagles View course alone. It was warm, but not as hot as it has been. I kept expecting to see Nathan on his way back but never did. I saw him in the fitness center after the run and he had taken a different course and gone a little longer than normal. I ran the normal 5 miles in 39:57 (7:59/mi). Not my fastest run, but on that run I feel good about anything under 40:00.

After a mile or so of warm up over to the track, Larry, Wayne and I did 3x1 mile repeats, with a 1/4 mile rest in between. My times were 6:48, 6:56, and 6:36. I feel pretty good about the times, although the consistency could be better, but my focus was on my form, trying to run efficiently.

I felt like I was running pretty smoothly, but it must not have been too impressive. There were two groups of cheerleaders, one on each side of the track, and I even knew one of the girls in each group and we greeted each other, but still our athletic prowess didn't elicit a single cheer out of either group. Actually, on one lap I think Larry did ask Stephanie for a cheer and she said something like, "Way to go, Larry, you're doing good." We figured they were saving their enthusiastic cheering for the young bucks...potential dating partners. Come to think of it, I can't remember ever hearing any good running cheers. Maybe something like "Kick again! Kick again! !Harder! Harder!" or "Larry, Larry, he's our man! If he can't hold his pace to the end, no one can!"

The weather was great and it was another enjoyable morning running with Larry and Wayne. 

It was a great morning for a run. Like Monday, I slept in a little (yes, I was up late reading "Marathon") so it was light and beautiful as I headed out. For some reason I decided to run towards the mouth of Provo Canyon and then down Palisades. It was just short of 4 miles to Center Street. I wanted to go 8 miles total, so I made up the distance looping through some side neighborhoods on the way back. It's gradual uphill to the golf course then downhill to Center Street. I ran the same route down and back. I really enjoyed it and will probably use it again.

I ran 8.1 miles in 1:09:21 (8:34/mi). Mile splits were 9:04/mi (for 3 miles), 8:05, 8:49, 8:38, 7:55, and 7:49.

At noon I did the traditional Lake View run. With Tom in India, and no Cory or Nathan, I thought I might have to run alone, but Will and Russ were leaving later than usual so I ran with them. Russ had to get back for something so he turned around at the church. Will and I had a very enjoyable run together. We stayed conversational the entire run and still managed to finished the 5.2 miles in 38:40 (7:26/mi).

 

I went to meet Larry and Wayne this morning but neither of them were there. I think Wayne might be tapering for the Provo River Half Marathon this Saturday. I saw Larry's wife Jolene heading out for her walk with Denise. She had left Larry at home thinking it was a biking morning for him, when he normally leaves later. She said he was moving pretty slowly this morning and may have fallen back to sleep. I went over and rang the bell, waited, then knocked and waited some more. I figured if he was that tired I'd just let him sleep so I headed out alone.

I ran the water tank road like we have been doing on Thursdays, but when I got to the top instead of turning around I continued on the dirt road for another 1.25 miles or so until the Garmin got to 4 miles. I then turned around and headed back. It was another beautiful morning, and I enjoyed the run, but some companionship would have been nice.

Even though I went a little farther than normal, my pace must definitely be rated as easy. I only averaged a 10:12/mi pace for the 8.1 miles. Sure, there were quite a few hills, but my legs just had no zip. I pushed pretty hard yesterday, and with the extra miles I've been trying to get in, the legs only had an easy run in them today.

Basketball with Andrew and the morning bunch. Once again, it was a nice mental and physical break from all the running, and a social opportunity to keep in touch with my basketball buddies.

Larry and I ran to the summit of Mt. Timpanogos and back this morning. It's been something I've been wanting to do for a long time, and I wasn't disappointed.

We left Larry's house around 4:50am. Even that early the parking lot at the Timpanooke trail head was full. Apparently a lot of people hike up to watch the sunrise from the top. We had to park about a half mile away.

We started from the Timpanooke trail head at 5:45am. It was still dark so we used head lamps for the first couple of miles. This was only my second time up, and the first was 25 years ago, so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. We chose (wisely, I think) to only run where the trail was not too steep and not too rocky. We ran most of the way back down, walking when it was prudent.

The weather was cool and comfortable clear up until we reached the saddle. The wind was really strong from there on up to the summit. We were just wearing our running shorts and a t-shirt, and got pretty cold. Our hands were so cold it was difficult to write our names in the register at the summit. We had both taken our cell phones and called our wives from the shack at the summit. After drinking a little and eating some of the homemade energy bar Larry's wife Jolene had sent along (it was awesome!) we started back down. Going up from the saddle to the summit was pretty challenging, but coming down that section was even tougher I think, especially being cold with numb hands. Once we got back down to the saddle and beyond the sun hit us and the wind died down and conditions became perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed the run back down.

Everyone we saw along the trail was very friendly. They stepped off the trail to let us pass, and said kind words about our efforts. Most of them were college-age kids. One girl said we were her heroes. Others told us we were crazy. A couple of girls in one group gave us high fives as we passed. As we approached one large group I was a little ahead of Larry, who they couldn't see yet. The conversation was something like this: Seeing me coming running, one of the boys said, "Something must be chasing him!" I said, "Yeah, that guy behind me won't stop chasing me. Tackle him!", as I ran past. Larry heard this as he approached them and said, "Stop that man! He stole my wallet!" The kids knew we were joking and got a pretty good laugh out of it.

The wildflowers were beautiful, in reds, yellows, and purples. The sky was clear and blue and the meadows, plants, and trees were green. It starting getting warm near the end, but there was a nice breeze. Even the brooks were babbling about how beautiful it was. We saw various chipmunks and other small animals, one that looked like a guinea pig. As we came running around one bend there was a deer standing near where the path curved in almost a full circle. We expected her to bolt, but she just stood there about 20 feet away looking at us as we ran around her. We slowed to a stop and I began to ask her if she was having a nice day. I think she got nervous about us stopping and she went off into the trees.

The Sojourners Running Club was running Timp today. We had a bit of a head start on them and only three of them passed us. The third guy that passed us said the two in front of him were both sub-2:30 marathon guys, so we didn't feel too bad about them passing us. On our way down from the summit, near the saddle, we came across a group of them. Larry knows Cheryl Harper and talked to her for a bit. She said she had snacks in her van at the bottom and told us where the keys were. When we got down we both enjoyed some Nutter Butter cookies from her van, and Larry had some grapefruit juice from the cooler.

It took us 2:52:16 to reach the summit, and the return trip took 2:19:40, for a total of 5:11:56. My GPS was unreliable, but the Sojourner's web site says "9 miles to the top (18 total but probably worth 20 or more!)"

Larry stubbed his toes on some rocks and hurt his big toe on his left foot, but other than that we both thoroughly enjoyed the run. It was awesome!

After Saturday's run up Mt. Timpanogos, this morning's run wasn't much more than a "loosen up my legs" run. I can feel a little soreness in my quads, but surprisingly I feel pretty good. I only averaged a 9:11 pace this morning, but the first mile was 10:54, so I did gradually speed up as my legs loosened up.

At lunch time, I ended up running alone again. It was probably a good thing. I wouldn't have been able to keep up. My quads still felt a little sore, especially as I started the downhill halfway through. My legs didn't have much zip in them. I ran the 5 miles in 41:55 (8:23/mi = 8:48/mi up, 8:00/mi down).

Larry committed to help Kent pour concrete at 6am this morning, so Wayne and I skipped going to the track and ran the Lindon loop instead. I was up early so I ran 1.3 easy miles before meeting up with Wayne. I felt fine during the 1.3 miles and the first mile with Wayne, but then I started feeling some tightness and a little pain on the backside of my right knee. My legs have been a little tired from the long run up Timp on Saturday, but generally they've been feeling really good lately. I'm not sure what triggered this pain today. I didn't run hard yesterday, and we weren't pushing the pace very hard this morning. In addition to my quads being a little sore from Saturday, I also felt a little tightness in my right calf. Maybe running the steep Eagles View hill yesterday stressed the already fatigued calf causing it to tighten up into my knee. I may have also bumped my mileage up too quickly over the past couple of weeks. I think I'm going to have to back off a little until I can figure out what's up with this pain I felt this morning. Bummer! I was feeling so good about how my running was going. At least I still have some time before St. George.

I ran the 20-miler from Trefoil to the lake this morning with Larry, Wayne, and Nathan. It was overcast with a light rain falling for most of the run. It was nice not having the hot sun bearing down on us, but by the end of the run I was so wet water was dripping off my shorts.

We all ran together until Nunn's Park, then Nathan and Wayne gradually pulled away never to be seen again until the end. When Larry and I stopped at Will's Pit Stop, Larry convinced me to try to catch up to Nathan and Wayne. I averaged 8:00-8:15/mi for the next four to five miles but then I started to feel the pain behind my right knee again so I backed off and ran the last couple of miles quite slowly. It didn't hurt at all at the slower pace, and wasn't really hurting too badly at the quicker pace, I just didn't want to risk aggravating it.

All in all it was a good run. I finished in under 3 hours and had pretty good energy throughout.

I ran the Lake View course instead of the normal Eagles View course today. I think running the steep Eagles View hill last Monday after running Timp the previous Saturday (after two consecutive weeks of increased mileage) contributed to the minor calf strain that presented itself last Tuesday, and that let me know at about mile 18 this past Saturday that it wasn't completely healed. So, today I decided to skip the morning run and do the flatter Lake View run instead of Eagles View at lunch time. I want my legs to be as well rested and healed as they can be for the Hobble Creek Half Marathon this Saturday.

I decided to run a quick marathon pace today, which meant I tried to maintain good form and rhythm and push the pace a little, but not too hard. I finished the 5.2 miles in 40:22 (7:46/mi). I went out in 20:36 (7:55/mi) and back in 19:45 (7:36/mi). I felt pretty comfortable the whole run. I did feel a little tightness in my right calf, and a little soreness in my left ankle and left achilles tendon. None of these seem very serious, but I think I'll try not to overdue it this week and lean away from training hard and towards tapering for the half marathon Saturday.

I ran 1:32 last year at Hobble Creek and finished 14th in my division and 135th overall. My goal this year is to meet or beat Cory's performance last year. He finished in 1:29, 10th in our division and 99th overall. My goal is to break 1:30 and finish in the top 10 in my division and in the top 100 overall.

I ran 6 easy miles through Lindon with Larry and Wayne this morning. It was a little dark. When it's dark I'm always afraid of stepping on unseen objects or holes in the road. I've done it too many times. It may be time to move all of our early morning runs back to Orem's well-lit streets again. Dang! I'm going to miss the light in the mornings.

I went with Larry this morning over to the THS track. He wanted to try a couple of quick miles this morning prior to the half marathon this Saturday. His neuroma has hampered his training this year, but he's hanging in there.

After we warmed up for a mile or so I ran the first mile with him. I missed starting my watch but I think it was pretty close to 7:51. When he stopped to rest before his second mile I kept going for two more miles, both at exactly 7:01. They felt pretty good. I didn't feel like I was pushing too hard. I was wearing my lighter shoes that I plan to wear Saturday. They are getting old, but still felt pretty good. I'm looking forward to the half marathon on Saturday. It will be fun finding out where I am in my training. I hope I'm not disappointed.

Nathan and I ran the Lake View course at lunch time. We're both running the Hobble Creek half marathon in a couple of days so we took it at an easy conversational pace. The weather was cooler than it has been and was quite enjoyable. We averaged 7:55/mi for the 5.2 miles. I felt like it was closer to an 8:30 pace, and was pleasantly surprised that it was 7:55. That's about the pace for a 3:27 marathon. I felt like it was an "easy marathon pace" effort, so I'm encouraged that my St. George marathon goal of 3:20 may be within reach. But I guess I need to take it "one game at a time" and not look past Hobble Creek. I'm looking forward to it.

I ran the Hobble Creek Half Marathon this morning. I picked up Doug Eddy around 5:40 and we got an a bus a little after 6:00. I was a little concerned when the bus driver asked, "Does anybody know where we're going?" He was planning to just follow the other busses but the ones in front of him had all left. With some directions from us runners he made it up the canyon just fine.

After unloading from the bus, Doug and I decided to jog up the 3/4 mile or so to the start. One purpose was to loosen up our legs, the other was to make sure I had time to use a portapotty. It turns out we needn't have worried about the portapotty. I made it in time to get to the start line before the starting time, but the race ended up starting about 35 minutes late. The rumors were that a few of the scheduled buses didn't show up so they had to send some of the earlier buses back for a second trip.

I found Nathan near the start. Wayne was on one of the late busses and we all started together. We had what we thought was a good spot near the starting line, but with all the late arrivals a number of slower runners clogged the area a bit. With a little darting and weaving I eventually got through the congestion. Nathan joined me shortly. I guess Wayne chose not to follow us. I never saw him again until after the race.

Nathan and I were planning/hoping to average about a 6:30 pace for the first 6 downhill miles. Along the way Michael Nelson (a former neighbor of mine in his 20's) caught us and ran with us until the water station at mile 6 1/2. At that point he pulled away and ended up finishing in 1:25.

I noticed a short young woman in blue shorts ahead of us, as well as a runner that looked like Rich Lamereaux (basketball player from my stake, we both stayed in Kent Gassman's in-law's home in Cape Cod for the Boston Marathon this year), but I wasn't sure it was him.

Three times I passed the young woman in the blue shorts, and three times she passed me back. She ended up finishing just ahead of me.

We caught Rich when he stopped for water (at 6 1/2 I think). He caught back up and eventually pulled ahead a little, but I would always catch back up when he stopped for water. I kicked and caught him at mile 13, but when I shouted "Come on, Rich" he did, and pulled away at the end.

At mile 8, there was a water station just before the mile marker. Rich was a little ahead of Nathan and me. He took a cup of water but didn't stop to drink it until he had pushed his watch at the mile marker. He stopped pretty suddenly right at the point where we turn off the road onto the jogging path. I nearly collided with him, and Nathan did. The collision popped one of the pins on Nathan's Garmin so it was only hanging on the wrist band on one side. I had a velcro pocket so I put the loose pin in it for safe keeping. I offered to carry the Garmin in the large pocket on the back of my Race Ready shorts. Nathan initially declined, but eventually took me up on my offer. The watch must have been holding him back because shortly thereafter he starting pulling away and ended up finishing in 1:26.

The official clock said I finished in 1:28:03, but my watch said 1:27:02. My goals were to run sub-1:30, finish in the top 10 in my age division, and in the top 100 overall. I haven't seen official results yet, but I think I achieved all three goals. (1) Whether my time was 1:27 or 1:28, it was a new PR (was 1:29) and I beat 1:30. (2) I was very surprised when they called my name as the 3rd Place finisher in the Male 45-49 division. I was only 14th last year. (3) As for finishing in the top 100, I got an Elite 100 medal for finishing in the top 100 men. Wayne finished in 1:31 and he said they told him he was the 65th male runner to finish. I figure there's a good chance I was in the top 100 overall (including women). I'm thrilled with my performance. I think I prepared for and managed the race well. It was tough near the end, but I hung in there. I felt light headed a couple of times just after I finished, so I must have given just about all I had.

My mile splits were:

Mile 1 - 6:37
Mile 2 - 6:20
Mile 3-4 - 12:34 (6:17/mi)
Mile 5 - 6:28
Mile 6 - 6:20
Mile 7 - 6:33
Mile 8 - 6:30
Mile 9 - 6:44
Mile 10 - 6:59
Mile 11 - 7:14
Mile 12 - 7:10
Mile 13 - 6:53
Mile 13.1 - 0:41
Overall - 1:27:02

There don't seem to be any anomalies in my splits, so I'm going to claim a time of 1:27, instead of the 1:28:03 I saw on the finish line clock.

Even though the race was late starting, and we were all worried about it getting too hot, I never really felt too hot. We were in the sun more than we would have been had the race started on time, but even in the sun I felt a cool breeze for most of the race. It was a beautiful day, on a beautiful course. I had a good performance and was able to share it with good friends. It was awesome!

(Tom - Running on a treadmill in a hot, humid hotel fitness room in India might top this experience...but somehow I doubt it. Welcome back home!)

Man, have my calves been tight and sore since the Hobble Creek half marathon on Saturday. I've been massaging them with The Stick, which has helped a little. I skipped my normal run this morning and ran at noon. I hoped walking around during the morning would loosen them up a little.

I ran (jogged) the Lake View course alone. It was a little warm, and I had to make an unplanned bio-stop at the park, but overall it was a pretty enjoyable run. My legs started out pretty stiff, but loosened up some during the run. I didn't set any speed records. I averaged a little over 9:30/mi out and around 9:00/mi back.

I did an easy run with Larry and Wayne this morning. I got confused on which course we were running and contributed to our turning at the wrong corner, resulting in us getting back to the neighborhood after only 4 miles instead of 6. We're all still recovering from Hobble Creek, so no one complained too much. My legs were feeling a little better but the right calf was still a little tight. I may go out again later today if my legs feel up to it.

I ran the Lake View course with Nathan at noon today. It was pretty warm, and I didn't feel like I wanted to run very fast, but it ended up being a pretty good run. We ran the 5.2 miles in 39:30 (7:36/mi), out in 20:37 (7:56/mi) and back in 18:54 (7:16/mi).

Larry, Wayne and I ran the big hill up 2000 N this morning. It was the first time I remember it feeling cool in the morning for a long time. There was a light rain as I walked to the corner. This was another easy pace run. My legs actually felt pretty good this morning, and I was tempted to do a couple of speedy fartleks, but I resisted the urge. I didn't want to risk pulling something for no good reason, and I'm still focusing on getting my legs recovered and ready for the 20-miler Saturday.