Every Race is an Adventure!

AM. I was going to give my ankle a rest this morning. After sleeping in until about 8:00am I decided I'd at least go put in a few easy miles and see how the ankle felt. I looped up around the elementary school and as I was coming down 1600 N I saw Kevin headed up the other way. I had only "run" about a mile, at 10:00 pace, but I felt just good enough that I decided to join him. He was headed up to the mouth of the canyon. His daughter was running down the canyon with the soccer team.

We got to the mouth of the canyon just as they were finishing. Kevin asked her if she wanted to run the 3 miles back home with us, but she said she was good. They all looked pretty fit but also looked like they had put in a good run and were pretty tired.

We headed back home. Twice Kevin asked what our pace was. That always makes me nervous because it seems that whenever the pace is mentioned Kevin gets faster. The last two miles were 7:53 and 7:22, with 6:40 for the last 0.2 miles. Average pace for the 7.2 miles was 8:28/mi.

I'm icing my ankle now, but it doesn't feel any worse than it did before the run. I'd describe it as a dull ache, not a sharp pain. Ankle pains are fairly common for me, so I'm not overly concerned. I'll just continue to keep an eye on it and try to listen when it warns me to back off.

PM. Our family gathering today included an extended game of Ultimate Frisbee. I think it was 8 on 8 most of the time (men, women, and older children) but our team had 3 "fast guys" versus their 4 "fast guys", so it seemed I was always chasing somebody. It was a good workout, and lots of fun. We played for a long time, so I'm adding a few miles to my mileage.

I ran six easy miles with Larry and Wayne starting up 1600 N then looping into Lindon. I wore long sleeves and gloves for the first time in a long time, but I enjoyed the brisk fall air. Early on my legs were still feeling the effects of Ultimate Frisbee yesterday, but they loosened up.

AM. I ran the water tank hills with Wayne and Larry. I really enjoyed the cool weather this morning. It seemed to help me run better.

It was dark again as we headed up the hills, but I had my headlamp this time. I ran the 5 hills (climbs from 4900 ft to 5600 ft in 1.4 miles) in 14:55 and felt...powerful. I think this is easily my fastest time up the hills. I thought last week's time of 16:15 was close to a PR. I ran the last "fast mile" in 6:09. The rest of the run was at an easy pace. The run is normally six miles, but I got in an extra 0.75 miles when I pushed hard up the hills and on the "fast mile" and then looped back. It was a good morning.

PM. I ran the 10K Lake View route solo at noon. I thought about doing some tempo miles, but when I first started out I felt some pain in my right hip and my legs felt sluggish. I ran the first mile in 9:41. Once I got warmed up, and off the trail and onto the road, I started moving a little faster. I ran the next two miles in 8:16 and 8:13. Since I didn't feel like running faster, but knew that I probably could, I decided it was a good opportunity for some mental training. I decided to run the next two miles as "focused" miles, or "Hal's pulling away and Josse is gaining on me hang in there and don't let them beat me" miles. I focused on keeping my feet turning over (about 180 steps/min), maintaining form, and keeping my momentum moving forward. Since I was focusing on effort and form, not pace, I didn't look at my watch until I was done. I was pleased to see that the splits for those two miles were 7:06 and 7:06. I quickened my pace by over a minute per mile and kept it steady for two miles by simply mentally focusing my efforts. Knowing I can do that gives me confidence when things start to get hard in a race. I cooled down the last mile in 8:15 and averaged 8:06/mi overall for the 10K (50:13).

If I run the Spanish Fork half this Saturday I'll probably have plenty of opportunity to mentally focus. It's a tough course and I think it's pretty likely that both Hal and Josse will be running it. Hal beat me soundly at Hobble Creek and Josse was right on my heels. I don't know if I'm up for the mental challenge of facing them both again so soon. (JK - it's just friendly competition, right?) BTW, I last ran the SF half back in 2005. I finished 4th in my AD, 23 secs behind the guy who finished 3rd...Hal Amos...who I didn't even know at the time.

As of today I'm planning to run it, shoot for sub-1:32 (I ran 1:37 in 2005), and see if I can hold off either Hal or Josse. At any rate, it should be a good barometer of what I can expect at St. George.

I guess I missed a memo. I was the only one out (again) at 5:30am for the Thursday 10 miler to Provo Canyon. I only averaged 8:45/mi for the 10.1 miles, with the first two miles at around 9:40/mi. With the SF half on Saturday, I didn't want to press too hard, but I did manage a 7:07 mile near the end.I feel okay about the run, especially with the hills and the strong headwind.

Overall this year, my race times have been pretty good, slightly faster than last year. That surprises me since my training hasn't been all that impressive. I got pretty good mileage in, but not much quality speed work, except for the races. Monday morning while running with Kevin he said that over the years he's been able to beat me regularly in training runs, but during races I seem to have a 5th and 6th gear. I think there is some truth to that. Maybe it's because when I'm trying to go all out during a training run is usually when I end up injured, so I've conditioned myself to always hold back a little during training. On race day, I forget all that and thrill at the adventure of pushing my body to its limits.

Another factor might be that my first priority is to enjoy the running lifestyle with my buddies. If that means a shorter run or a slower pace, so be it. When I feel up to it I try to slip in some speed work here and there. I realize I could probably train better and run faster with a more rigid and challenging training program, and this may be runner blasphemy, but running faster PRs is a secondary goal for me.

Oh, I ran in my new Ragnar Relay Warriors Club jacket this morning for the first time. The Ragnar Relay organizers sent it to me free for running in the Wasatch Back Relay the past 5 years. What a great gift. It's now my #1 running jacket. It's lightweight, fits well, and worked great in the cold headwind this morning.

I had thought about getting in a few easy miles today, but then decided that resting my ankles and getting a little extra sleep might do me just as much good. However, when Nathan pinged me about maybe doing 5 easy miles at noon, I took a look out my window at the beautiful day and couldn't say no.

It was a very enjoyable run, except for a little problem in the middle...my middle...my stomach to be exact. A few miles into the run my stomach warned me there was a good chance I wouldn't make it back without a bathroom stop. That's when I remembered that I had decided to have a glass of milk with breakfast this morning, something I've learned not to do on days when I'm running at noon. It always seems to hit me about 4 miles into the run. I found a bathroom at a care center at 3.97 miles, just in time. Nathan got in over a mile running around waiting for me.

I averaged 7:47/mi for the 5.2 miles (not counting the pit stop). Even with the gastric discomfort, I'm still glad I chose to run. Every race is an adventure, and training runs can often be quite adventurous, too.

What a beautiful day to run!

I wasn't sure what to expect today, but my legs had felt good this week so I was hopeful I could get under 1:32, maybe even close to 1:30 if things went really well. My plan was to take a mental break during the hills, basically at mile 4, the hills in the middle, and again at mile 9.

The traditional matchup with Hal and Josse didn't happen today. They were both running on high mileage with some soreness in their feet or legs. I ran most of the race alone, at least mentally. Cal was near me during most of the race, and we talked a little in the middle of the race, but we were both working too hard to talk much.

I was a little surprised at how well taking the mental breaks on the uphills worked. When it was time to focus again, I almost felt refreshed and ready to get back to work. That said, I didn't really slow down all that much during the mental breaks. It's hard to tell because they were uphill miles where I naturally slow down anyway.

Cal pulled even (he had been just behind me for a while) as we started the middle hills. We talked a bit, but when he noticed how much we had slowed he went on ahead up the hill. I let him go, because I was on my mental break, but on the downhills I gained back ground. I pulled back even with him on the last downhill just as we merged back with the runners still coming the other way.

I took my last mental break during mile 9. Cal was still with me as we passed the mile 10 marked, but then the break was over. I pushed the last 3.1 miles hard and pulled away. I could see Tom up ahead, as I could most of the race, but I never caught him. I think I drew energy from all the 5K runners I was passing at the end. A couple of high schoolers (I think) passed me in the last mile or so, but I was running sub-6:30 at the time and that was the best I could do.

1 - 6:55
2 - 6:52
3 - 7:03
4 - 6:59
5 - 6:50
6 - 7:14
7 - 7:15
8 - 6:37
9 - 6:53
10 - 6:52
11 - 6:49
12 - 6:35
13 - 6:27

13.1 1:29:57 (avg 6:52/mi)  [16 of 311 overall]

It felt good to finally have some juice left at the end of the race. That, and finishing in 1:30, gives me renewed hope to be near 3:00 at St. George.

AM. I almost left early this morning because nobody has been showing up to run on Monday, but waited a few minutes and headed past the "meet here" corner at the normal time just in case. I found Lyle there and we ran the traditional Tri-City loop though Lindon into Pleasant Grove and back to Orem at an easy pace. He's pretty excited about his first marathon at St. George. He's been training well, he's healthy, and I think he'll do well.

My legs feel good, even after the fast race on Saturday. I have some soreness in both ankles (inside left, outside right) but it's not unusual, I'm taking care of them, and I think I'll be fine.

PM. Ran 5 easy and enjoyable miles with Tom and Nathan towards Eagles View. The weather was beautiful. I'm really fortunate to have so many great running buddies. I'm looking forward to running St. George with these two in a few weeks. I hope to at least stay with them until Veyo and Dammeron Valley. I plan to back off a bit during the hills and expect them to begin to pull away. I believe they could both finish in 2:55 or faster while 3:00 is a big stretch goal for me.

I ran the normal Tuesday morning run up 2000 N with Larry and Wayne. I pushed ahead on the big hill, and Wayne and I pushed ahead on a smaller hill, and looped back both times. Combined with the 1/2 mile I ran before meeting them, I ended up with 7 miles instead of the normal 6.

I was planning on getting in a couple of miles early and getting in 8 miles, and was up and dressed plenty early enough to do it, but I spent the time reading the new Liahona magazine that just arrived instead. The Liahona is the church's Spanish-language magazine. I decided a number of months ago to subscribe and start reading it regularly to brush up on my Spanish skills. I served an LDS mission to Barcelona, Spain in 1979-81, then taught Spanish to new missionaries at the Missionary Training Center for a year, and completed a double major in Computer Science and Spanish at BYU. I used to be pretty fluent in Spanish, 25+ years ago.

AM. I ran the water tank hills with Larry and Wayne. I pushed the 5 hills hard again, finishing them in 15:05, a new PR 10 seconds faster than last week. I must like headwinds and the cool darkness, because I always seem to run these hills faster in those conditions. Maybe it helps me to focus when all I can see is the road just ahead of me lit up by my headlamp. I didn't push the "fast mile" at the end of this run this week, partly because my legs were pretty tired, and partly because running fast is usually when I get injured. That's the last thing I want right now.

I actually got a little scared last night. My daughter had borrowed her friends bike for a group ride. It was in the rain when I got home from work (I was soaking wet and cold from riding my motorcycle home in the rain) so I moved it up onto our big front porch out of the rain. I didn't mistep or anything, but as I walked into the house my left achilles started hurting quite a bit, bad enough that I started limping and didn't want to walk on it. After a while it felt quite a bit better. It didn't bother me at all on this morning's run. I think it's telling me I'm right on the edge of injury and need to be careful, hence no "fast mile" this morning.

PM. At noon I ran the 5.2 mile Lake View route with Bill at an easy pace (8:19/mi avg). The weather was pleasant and we had an enjoyable run.

I ran the 10 mile to Provo Canyon run with Larry and Wayne this morning at an easy pace. With a little over 1.5 miles to go Wayne pointed out it was 6:55am. I try to be home by 7:00am, so I ran the last 1.5 miles in 5 minutes. (Just seeing if you were paying attention.) Actually, I did push the pace down from around 9:00 to 6:57 for the last 1.5 miles, but still got home a little late.

This morning, just before I woke up I had a dream that it was Thursday at noon and I was wondering why I couldn't find anyone to run with. Then I realized it was Thursday and I had missed the 10 mile run in the morning. I was really disappointed. Then my alarm went off and I saw 5:00am on the clock and realized it was Thursday. I hadn't missed the run after all. And I'm glad, because I really enjoyed it this morning. For some people having to run 10 miles would be a nightmare. For me, the nightmare was fearing I'd missed it.

I ran from the mouth of Provo Canyon up to Trefoil and back with Larry and Wayne. Kevin joined us for a good portion of the run, as did Larry's daughter Stacia and her husband Jeremy.

The run up, into a strong cold headwind, was mostly at an easy pace, about 9:40/mi average, although I did push ahead for a mile and half or so at sub-8:00 pace just before Vivian so I could get a feel for running more or less at marathon pace on a gradual uphill stretch.

At the top of South Fork I had to make a portapotty stop. I felt much better after. Larry and Wayne knew I was planning to push the pace on the way down so they had already started down. My mile splits down South Fork were 6:44, 6:49, 6:59 (quick water stop), and 6:39. I passed Larry just after I stopped for water at South Fork Park, and Wayne just before Vivian Park. I made a 5 second stop for water at Vivian and pushed the rest of the 6 miles to the mouth of the canyon at marathon pace effort. My mile splits were 7:24, 7:34, 7:12, 7:07, 7:14, and 7:19. My average pace for the 10 miles down from South Fork to the mouth was 7:06/mi.

When I finished I ran back to meet Wayne and run in with him, then we both ran back to meet Larry. My total mileage was 21.8 miles in 3:04:52, average pace 8:28/mi. All in all I think today was a great workout. I pushed pretty hard, but not to the point of risking injury. The weather was a little cold at first but I was dressed properly and ran comfortably the whole time, including no blisters, chafing, muscle cramps, etc. I did need the one potty stop halfway through, but that was a small price to pay for the chocolate dipped vanilla ice cream cone I had yesterday. It was not unexpected. I definitely won't be eating ice cream the day before the marathon...but I'll definitely be eating some Blue Bunnies after.

AM. I ran 6 easy miles with Larry and Lyle this morning on the Lindon loop. I pushed up one short steep hill and the legs felt pretty good, but mostly we just ran easy and conversed.

PM. I ran the 5.2 mile Lake View route with Tom, Nathan, and Bill. The pace was a little faster than this morning, but still an easy conversational pace (around 8:30/mi).

I ran the 2000 N route with Larry, Wayne, and Kevin this morning. I ran most of it at an easy pace. I was surprised to feel some tightness (not pain) in my left calf. It must be from the 10 mile tempo run down Provo Canyon that was part of my 21+ miler on Saturday. My calf loosened up and never really bothered me.

I threw in a couple of fairly long fartlek stretches, one on some moderate uphill in the middle of the run, and the other on a level stretch near the end. Wayne had pulled ahead at the end and was running a 7:15-7:20 pace. I pushed to close the block or so lead he had on us and then finished up the last 1/2 mile or so with him.

AM. I ran the water tank hills with Larry and Wayne this morning. Kevin had said he would be there to charge the hills with me but he didn't show. We old guys normally start all of our runs with a few groans as we work our way through the aches and pains of getting started, but this morning I actually felt pretty good right from the get go.

After the 1.25 mile warm up to get to the hills I shifted gears and started the charge up the hills. I've gradually improved my time up the hills this year from around 17:00 minutes down to 15:15 two weeks ago and 15:05 last week. My goal was sub-15:00 this morning. I worried that I had started out too aggressively. I was working pretty hard right from the start. I just tried to keep my legs turning over as I pushed up the hill. The last hill I was breathing every step, taking small steps to keep my turnover rate up, and just hanging on. I finished in 14:21! Setting PRs is great...but it raises the bar and makes it that much harder the next time.

I also decided to push the last "fast mile" today. I thought I'd just open up and run a quick pace that felt good; I didn't want to push too hard and risk injury. It turns out I felt pretty good and ran it in 6:02 without feeling like I was pushing the limit.

I'm feeling strong and confident. That always scares me.

PM. I ran the 5.2 Lake View route at noon. The day was beautiful. I started out solo. About 1/2 mile in I was feeling pretty good, but didn't want to push it, so I decided on a medium effort run.

A little over a mile into the run I heard a helicopter and looked over my shoulder to take a look. When I did I noticed a runner that I didn't recognize not too far behind me, and he seemed to be gaining on me. I don't get passed all that often on training runs, and especially not on this out of the way route that is mostly just used by runners from Novell on their lunch break. I thought I knew all the Novell runners who were capable of catching me, and he wasn't one of them. I decided to not worry about him. If he caught me, he caught me. It was about half a mile before I finally heard footsteps, but then he didn't seem to want to pass me. I finally turned around and told him he could pass me. He said he would like to but he was giving it about all he had.

We ended up running the last 3 miles or so together to the turnaround point and back to Novell. His name is Ray Miller. He's a manager in Novell IS&T and was on one of their Wasatch Back Relay teams. He's been running for about 1.5 years, and started because someone in IS&T wanted him on their relay team a couple of years ago.

As usual the good conversation helped the time pass. I averaged 7:39/mi for the run.

I ran with Larry up toward the canyon. We were surprised that Wayne didn't show up. That's unusual. My Garmin complained about the lap database being full a little over 2 miles into the run and stopped timing. Larry ran a short loop while I stood under a street light and tried to figure my watch out. I eventually gave up and just finished the run. Based on Larry's watch (subtracting the extra distance he ran) I probably ran around 6 miles, all at easy pace.

Larry and I ran 4 easy miles this morning. We wandered over to the THS track and ran on it for a while. It was nice having a comfortable surface to run on and not have to think about where we were going.

We talked a little about our young adult children. We both have good children, but they don't always make the choices we might like them to make. All we can do is try to make sure we at least teach them correct principles, as we understand them, and then they're going to make their own decisions...kind of like we did when we were their age, and we turned out okay. It's that old circle of life thing.

Larry, Wayne, Kevin and I ran on the canal road, out 7.5 miles then back for a total of 15. I doubled back a couple of times and ended up with 15.6.

It was a nice cool morning and we didn't leave until 7:00am. It was just starting to get a little warm for running when we finished. We got rained on briefly a couple of times. The first time was a pretty hard rain that even included a little hail. Even with the rain, it was a pretty comfortable and pleasant run along the canal road. We passed a number of other people on the canal. Near the end we saw a large group of young male runners. A little while later we saw a slightly smaller group of young female runners. Both groups looked pretty fit. I think they may have been BYU runners.

At about 10 miles I double backed for a 1/10 of a mile or so, took a quick bathroom break, then pushed at around 7:00/mi to catch the others. It was much harder than I thought it would be. After running with them a bit I was feeling really tired and decided I needed to "lock in" and try to hold a good pace the 3-4 miles to the end. Wayne had already pulled ahead so he was my target, but I never caught him. I found it harder than I wanted it to be to hold even an 8:20 pace. That's when I started rationalizing: 1) it's gradual but steady uphill, 2) there's a good headwind, 3) I'm 11-12 miles into the run and I've had no water or gels, 4) I'm wearing my oldest and heaviest trainers, etc. At least it was good training to keep my legs moving when they didn't really want to.

I'm still optimistic about the chance for a good run at St. George. Time will tell.

AM. I ran the Lindon loop with Lyle this morning. He's running really well. He's targeting sub-4:00 in his first marathon at St. George in two weeks. I just let him set the pace this morning and he was surprised that we averaged 8:50/mi for the 6 miles. It seemed pretty easy to him. I think he's going to have a great race.

PM. I ran 5 miles with Nathan towards Eagles View. We stayed conversational and didn't push very hard, but still averaged around 7:38/mi, even with the hill and overpasses. I wish I was as confident that I have a sub-3:00 in me as Nathan and some of my other buddies are. Even better would be if I had as much confidence that I have a sub-3:00 in me as I am that Nathan has a sub-3:00 in him. He's so ready.

Larry, Wayne and I went a little over 4 miles this morning. Collin ran a mile or two with us but he hasn't been running so he dropped off early. We went a little quicker than normal this morning, and a little shorter. I pushed the second mile at 7:06 (some uphill) and averaged 8:05/mi overall for the 4.25 miles.

Larry and I ran 5 easy miles (9:00/mi) this morning. Good conversation made the run pass quickly.

I staying at home today so I guess I'll miss the noon run at work. Dang.

Larry, Wayne, and I started out planning to run 5 miles. We spent some extra time and distance looking for Larry's dog Ozzie at one point, and ended up with an extra mile.

We did our traditional "week before the marathon" 10 mile run down Provo Canyon from Trefoil to the mouth. The mostly downhill course gives us a good feel for the marathon (quad pounding, leg turnover, feel what marathon pace feels like, test run of race day shoes/socks/clothes) but only 38% of the distance. Larry, Wayne, Kevin, Michael, Colin and I started together. Colin hasn't been running much and only ran down to Vivian where his car was parked.

The weather was cool. I hit the portapotty just before we started. The only stop I made during the run was for a quick drink at Vivian Park. I warmed up briefly. When we started I just released the brakes and let gravity pull me down the road. I hoped to average around 6:30/mi for the first 4 miles down South Fork, then try to stay sub-7:00 for the remaining six miles down to the mouth.

Mile splits: 6:10, 6:31, 6:41, 6:32 (6:29 avg for first 4 miles), 6:49, 7:01, 6:39, 6:42, 6:57, 6:47 (6:49 avg for last 6 miles). Total time 1:06:51 (avg 6:41/mi).

I finished first and jogged back the 3/4 of a mile to the drinking fountain at Timpanogos Park. I passed Wayne then Michael and then Larry just before the fountain. Kevin had stopped at a bathroom and was farther back. I took a quick drink then headed back. I could see Larry ahead and decided to close the gap. I noticed Wayne had also doubled back after finishing and was now running with Larry. I pushed my pace to 6:47 and closed some of the gap but Larry finished very strongly and I wasn't able to catch him.

I'm encouraged because I feel like I ran well today and my legs felt pretty good, during and after. I was disappointed that I got a little blister and a little chafing, but I think I know what to do to address those issues so I'm not too concerned. Averaging 6:52/mi for 26.2 miles is quite a bit bigger challenge than 6:41/mi for 10 miles, but I haven't given up hope. With the lower altitude, a good taper this week, carbo loading, and race day magic, you never know.

I wandered 4 very easy miles along my serpentine route this morning. There is some tightness in my calves after Saturday's 10 mile tempo. It felt good to get out and loosen them up.

Lyle was just starting his run as I was finishing so we ran together briefly. He had a good run Saturday and seems pretty upbeat about his first marathon this Saturday. He should be. He's trained well and I think he has a great shot at breaking 4 hours.

Larry and I went for an easy run this morning. After wandering for about 1.5 miles we found ourselves near the start of the neighborhood 5K course. Larry decided he wanted to run it at a bit of a faster pace to see how it felt.

Shortly after we started we noticed that his dog Ozzie wasn't behind us. I told Larry to keep going and I went back to find Ozzie. I was just out to stretch my legs this morning and it didn't really matter to me how I did it. I found Ozzie a block or so back and got him to come with me. He tried to get lost a couple of times, but we finally caught up to Larry on a section where the course doubles back. I ran the rest of the way with Larry except for the final loop around the park (it was too dark for me and I didn't want to risk a misstep). Larry averaged around an 8:00 minute pace and should do well at the marathon.

My calves are still a little tight from Saturday's run so I decided I'd soak them in a cold tub for a bit. As I stepped into the tub I realized I'd turned on the hot water instead of the cold. I decided heat might be beneficial, too, so I kneeled in the hot water and massaged my calves while they soaked. I then hit the shower and ran straight cold water on them for a few minutes before warming up the water to finish my shower. They feel much better. I'll continue to roll them with my stick 2 or 3 times a day for good measure, but I think I could run the marathon on them today, and they still have a few more days to recharge.

I wore my marathon shoes today. After Saturday's run I had the beginnings of a blister in the same spot on both feet, left foot worse than right, on the top of my foot just above the joint of my big toe. I could feel some thickness at that spot in my shoes, at the bottom of the tongue, so I decided to unlace my shoes anddo some trimming. I think I removed the trouble spots. I tried them this morning and they felt good. I also cut and put the adhesive tape part of a flexible fabric Band-Aid on that spot on both feet last night. After sleeping, running this morning, soaking in a hot tub, followed by cold and then warm in the shower, they are both still on securely. I bought the "tough" variety this morning that are supposed to stick even better and "stay on untill you take them off". I plan to cover the hot spots from Saturday with the tape from the Band-Aids just to be sure the hot spots don't reappear during the marathon and turn into nasty blisters.