Every Race is an Adventure!

I started the new year by finally getting out and running with Larry and Wayne again. It was great to run with them again.

I played basketball again this morning with Andrew and company. I really stunk it up but got some pretty good exercise in. I finally hit a three pointer (after missing quite a few) near the end of the last game to help get us back in the game. I only mention it because it was probably the only highlight for me for the whole morning. At least I got some good exercise and didn't get too badly hurt (a couple of minor finger jams).

I got out with Larry and Wayne again this morning. I guess we barely missed Kevin. We were planning on 10 miles this morning, but with the treacherous icy roads and strong freezing wind we decided 6 miles would be enough. Despite the conditions I really enjoyed being out running with Larry and Wayne again. I think we're all feeling quite unprepared for the Painter's half marathon in two weeks, but there is a good chance it will be at least a little warmer in St. George. I think we'll all finish it okay, but I don't think there is much chance of anything near a PR for any of us. It seems as I get older I'm more content with and grateful for what I am able to do, and don't worry so much about what I can't.

I played in a church basketball game with my two adult sons tonight. We only had 5 players so I got a pretty good cross training workout.

I ran the Lindon loop with Larry and Wayne.

I finally got in a 10+ mile run. It will probably be the only one before the Painter's half next Saturday. I'm confident now that I will be able to finish the 13.1 miles, but it won't be very fast. I only averaged 9:23/mi this morning, but I didn't push the pace at all until the last mile or so, when I managed to average 7:23/mi.

With the bad weather, painful Achilles, and career change this winter, my training hasn't been very good. I'm okay with that. My life overall has been going pretty well and I feel happy and blessed. The weather is improving, my Achilles felt okay this morning, and I love my new job.

I think my goals for next week are 1) finish without injury, 2) break 2:00, 3) break 1:45. With my spotty training this winter, I have no idea what to expect. I do know that my 1:32 time last year is far out of reach this year.

I ran the Lindon loop with Larry and Wayne, enjoyable even in the dark and the cold, even though it wasn't quite as cold this morning.

Larry and I cut the Lindon loop short this morning for biological reasons. I could say we're tapering for Painter's on Saturday, but you have to be training hard in order to taper. :-)

Last year I was running 40-50+ miles per week. For the past few months I've not been doing much more than that per month, mostly due to a sore left Achilles, a career change, and bad weather. Considering my lack of conditioning, I'm quite pleased with the results of this race, even though it's 9 minutes slower than last year.

I started out the race running with Wayne, even though I knew he was in better shape than me. He said he was going to start out easy. I hung with him okay for the first 5 miles or so, and managed to average sub-7:30 for the first half of the race:

7:31, 7:31, 7:13, 7:18, 7:36, 7:13, 7:27

My lack of training caught up with me on the uphills and in the latter miles:

7:50, 8:07, 7:47, 8:02, 8:26, 8:16

My time was 1:41:34 (7:47/mi). I finished 10th of 49 in the M 45-49 age division, and 171st of 1033 overall. Wayne finished in 1:38, Bill R. in 1:47, Larry in 1:57, Lyle in 2:17.

I'm encouraged that even with my pathetic training I still managed to finish in the top 20%.

My left Achilles didn't bother me at all, but my right calf started feeling tight about mile 6 and two days later is still pretty sore, but it feels like it will heal up pretty quick (knock on wood).

I enjoyed seeing my old Novell running buddies Tom (and Kim), Nathan, and Bill. Kim is injured and was walking the 5K just to fulfill the Runner Series requirement, so Tom walked with her (what a guy!). Nathan's daughter was running the 5K so he did, too. He finished in 19:35 (6:18/mi), 2nd in his division. Not too shabby! It sounded like Bill's training has been a little like mine this winter, and he seemed satisfied with his slower than normal 1:47 (8:15/mi) half marathon. I can relate.

Even though it was a little chillier than I hoped in St. George, it was still very nice running in shorts and not having to worry about icy roads, no shoulders, or poor footing. I felt my running fire rekindle a bit. I think once things thaw out here in Orem it will throw even more fuel on the fire.

Karen and I enjoyed our quick getaway and I'm pleased with the results of the run. Life is good. No regrets.

Six miles with Larry and Kevin. We missed Wayne but it was great having Kevin along again (even with his young dog Dash, Ozzie's boy).

A brief frigid run with Larry. Mid-teens and a breeze. It was cold! With Larry's busy morning schedule today, we decided a couple of miles was enough.

Last night I registered for the Ogden Marathon in May, so I guess I need to start getting more consistent with my training. I hope the weather thaws out soon.

Larry later confessed to peeking at us through the window. He almost turned on the light and asked us to wait for him, but he was running late, and it was very cold, so he opted to feign still being asleep. Wayne and I saw the dark house, failed to see sneaky Larry peering at us in the darkness, and left without him. We enjoyed the cold run anyway, but would have enjoyed it more with Larry, and would have been willing to wait for him.

We're all planning to run the inaugural Hale Center Theater "When Hale Freezes Over" 10K on Saturday. We figured it was for a good cause. They are rookie race organizers so it could be an adventure.

I'm glad I decided to run in the inaugural Hale Freezes Over 10K put on by the Hale Center Theater in Orem. There were 200+ participants in the 5K, 10K, and 1 mile walk. There were some issues, but for a first time event I thought it was run pretty well. RunnerCard handled the timing, the post-race food (including hot pizza) was pretty good, and they had the awards and prize drawings inside the theater out of the cold, which was nice.

One hiccup was that the course markings in some spots were hard to see. There were a bunch of the lead runners that missed a major turn near the beginning. There were a lot of turns in the course as it winded through neighborhoods. Wayne missed a turn later in the race, and I had a little glitch myself on a corner where someone had apparently taken the cones.

Another fairly major hiccup was that they had no age division awards, only 1st-3rd male and female in each race. No masters division, either, which I just realized I would have won (I'm 48 and the two ahead of me were 24 and 33). After the race, one of the organizers told us it was their first time and they will fix things next time.

There were only 17 men in the 10K. To my surprise, I finished 3rd overall. I've never finished higher than 10th overall before. Sure, it was a small field, but it was fun to stand on the podium and get my picture taken. I got a nice medal, a pair of Asics running socks, and a season ticket to the Hale Center Theater. I also won another pair of Asics running socks in the drawing. Every participant got a couple of vouchers to upcoming shows (and a pen, and a deck of cards, and some discount coupons to various businesses).

The 5K and 10K runners started together and ran the first couple of miles together. I knew where the 10K runners were supposed to split from the 5K runners, but as we approached the turn nobody was taking the 10K turn. I confirmed with a guy at the aid station where the 10K was. I was hoping many of the numerous runners in front of me were running the 5K, but I was shocked when the only person to turn to the 10K course ahead of me was the woman in the tie-dye shirt about 20 yards in front of me.

The course works its way down to Geneva road during the first half then climbs back up the second half. I didn't want to die on the uphill, so I tried to balance taking advantage of the downhill with not overdoing it. I averaged about 7:06/mi before the uphill and averaged 7:25/mi overall. I slowed on the uphill as expected, but I was pleased that I never felt like the wheels came off. I actually feel like I could have pushed quite a bit harder near the end, but there was a huge gap both ahead of me and behind, and I wasn't anywhere near a PR. I didn't feel the risk of injury was worth any potential reward for pushing really hard. I recovered very quickly from the race and feel better than I have in a long time.

Mile splits: 7:14, 6:53, 7:14, 7:40, 8:06, 7:30, 6:54/mi for 0.2  - Overall: 45:59.6 (7:24/mi)

Logging the mileage for some past runs.

A little Church basketball cross training.

Logging the mileage for some past runs.

Larry (in San Diego) and Wayne (and grandchild's baptism) were unavailable so I spent the early morning working on my talk for Church on Sunday and went out a little later to run. As I was heading out the door about 10:30am I had an impression to call Kevin. I figured he'd be busy with his family, but I called anyway. It turns out he wanted to run and it was probably the best time of the day to get it in. We ran 6 miles together then I added 2.6 more. I really enjoyed the run. Kevin and I haven't been able to run together much this winter. We talked about various things, including my talk on Sunday, which I also pondered when I was running alone. It was time well spent.

I ran solo to Cascade Golf Course and back, padding softly in the newly fallen, and still falling snow. This was my first Monday run in over 3 months, a sign of my determination to step up the training. Getting ready for a marathon in May is a long climb and I figure I better get started.

I ran solo to the Orem Library and back. There were tiny ice crystals in the air when I started, and a light snow for most of the run. There was a dusting of snow the swirled when cars drove through it. It was pretty, but a little slippery. My dog even slipped a few times when I took her for a walk after the run.

I feel good about running on consecutive days...it's been "every other" for a while...and both were early morning solo runs in the snow and cold. I've had ankle and Achilles trouble all winter. I'm feeling much better. I hope I'm ready to step things up.

I'm registered for the Spectrum 10K in March, the Provo City 1/2 in April, and the Ogden marathon in May. That should be enough to keep me motivated.

Solo morning run to Cascade Golf Course. Cold and a little windy.

I'm counting a couple of cross-train miles for the Church basketball game tonight.

This morning Wayne and I headed towards Provo Canyon. We modified the route a little to avoid the cold headwind. I ran nearly a minute per mile faster than yesterday. I credit having Wayne there instead of running solo.

Larry is still out of town. Wayne must have seen the snow and decided to run inside today.

 I skipped running yesterday because I wanted to go at least 10-12 miles today and my body was telling me it was risky to do both. As it is, I ended up with 40 miles this week, more than twice my average weekly mileage for the past few months.

It wasn't snowing when I got up, but there was covering of new snow. By the time I started running it had started snowing again and snowed pretty heavily the whole run. I had to take my glasses off after a few miles so I could see. I tried to run on the newly fallen snow most of the time because the other spots were slushy or icy. I had to go into the middle of the road to avoid a 4-wheeler plowing a driveway and slipped and thought for sure I was going down. I'm surprised I didn't pull something with my acrobatics.

I headed towards Provo Canyon. The Provo Canyon trail had 2-4 inches of new snow. It was smooth running most of the way, but it felt a little like running in sand. The wind wasn't much fun either. Still, I quite enjoyed the run. I ended up going all the way to Nunn's park and back for a total of 14 miles. I felt like I was moving along pretty well the whole time, but my average pace was 9:25/mi. Some of these winter mornings I've only been averaging 10:00/mi for 6 miles, so overall I feel pretty good about the run...and finally getting in a 40 mile week again.

I ran solo down to 400 S in Orem and back for a total of 6.4 miles. It was dark with a cold wind...and so was the weather. I was feeling a little down for some reason and thinking some negative thoughts. What else was there to do but start singing? For a mile or so I sang...out loud...adjusting the melody to suck in air as needed...mostly songs about Jesus, and light, and the beauty of the world that I learned as a child. It helped, as it always does.

Lindon loop with Larry.

Solo run to Orem library. Roads were a little slick this morning.

Lindon loop with Larry and Wayne. It wasn't pretty (kind of like my basketball playing last night) and we all struggled a little even at a fairly slow pace, but it was good to run together.

One of my daughters had to be at UVU at 8:15am for an elementary school ballroom dance competition so I couldn't run in the morning with Larry and Wayne. I managed to squeeze in 6 miles in the early morning, and was hoping to get some more in later, but that never happened. We got home around 11:00am and then at 1:00pm Karen and I left for Ogden with Kenny and Mindy Fung and our daughters who were competing with their Studio 1 dance team in the Odyssey dance competition. Their son Nathan also came along. We didn't get home until around 10:00pm. Parts of the day were boring, sitting and waiting, but overall it was a great day. It was fun sharing it with the Fungs. I was glad to support my daughters. They're awesome and I'm glad they have the opportunity to participate in these activities (even if it isn't running).

I was not a little surprised to see 50 on my thermometer this morning. I called time and temp to confirm and it said 49. I ran solo to the Orem library and back. I've been averaging 9:30/mi or slower on most of these cold winter mornings. I averaged 8:30/mi this morning, due mostly I think to the warmer temperature. I could get used to this warmer weather.

Easy pace Lindon loop with Larry and Wayne. The milder temperature made it even more enjoyable than normal.

A solo run to the Orem library and back. Mild temperatures again. I ran the first four miles at an easy 9:00-ish pace. I decided to push mile 5 and ran it in 7:27. Even when I backed off back to an easy pace it was faster than I was running before, 8:20 instead of 9:00. I think of this phenomenon as shifting gears. Sometimes it isn't that much harder to run 30 to 60 seconds per mile faster, I just have to mentally shift into a higher gear.

I ran the 2000 N hill route with Larry and Wayne. This route is an oldie, and a toughie, but a goodie. I like having it back on the schedule...even though it makes for a slower average pace.

I ran solo to a little beyond Cascade golf course and back. It was colder this morning, with a cold wind from the northwest. I don't think spring is here quite yet.

Larry, Wayne, and I started by running the Lindon loop with Larry's wife Jolene. We then continued south to 1200 N and over to 800 E to get some more miles in. Larry cut off a little early; Wayne and I got in 10 miles. We need to start going longer soon to get ready for our May marathon, but it felt good to get in another 40 mile week.

Ran to Orem city center and back with Larry. It was good to see him out on a Monday morning.

I ran the 2000 N hill route with Larry and Wayne. Some bikers were slowly gaining on us as we headed up the steep hill. I jokingly asked if they had room for one more. One of them said they were our pacers, and that we needed to speed up...so I did and pushed quickly to the top. The lead biker stayed with me, but I pulled away from the others. I'm beginning to feel the positive affects of a few consistent weeks of increased mileage. I was a little scared after this run...because I felt so good during it!  I always get scared when things seem to be going well...wondering what new adversity is wait just around the corner. I'm trying to do better at enjoying the good times while they are still good, and not worry so much, so I'm just going to enjoy the nicer weather and healthy body while they last.

Larry and I wandered the hills of north Orem and Lindon, focusing more on the conversation than the running. It was good to see Larry meet his goal of getting out both Monday and Wednesday this week (in addition to his normal T, Th, Sat).

Larry and I looped through Lindon and cut it a little short this morning. The lawns were covered with a thin layer of new snow but the roads were clear and it wasn't too cold.

I ran the Orem library route solo this morning. It was a little cold, with a cold breeze. I was glad to have long pants, layers, ear muffs, and gloves.

Despite the chill, I decided to push the pace a bit right from the start. My effort was pretty consistent for the entire 10K distance, somewhere between 10K pace effort and marathon pace effort, with the first warm up mile a little slower than the rest. I ended up averaging 8:01/mi. The average was 8:06 with less than a mile to go, and I tried to push and get it under 8:00, but didn't quite make it, even with a 6:30-ish pace the last 0.2 miles.

I'm feeling positive about my running. I'd like to be running faster, but I'm grateful to be feeling healthy and running as well as I am.

Larry, Wayne and I started out toward the canyon, but inspired by the cold wind we changed course and decided to run north on the canal road instead. It was firm on the way out, but was getting pretty muddy on the way back, and we could feel the weight of the mud sticking to our shoes.

Wayne and I wanted to go about 12 miles, Larry a bit less because he had already put in more miles than normal this week. Wayne and I plotted to keep Larry talking until we had gone far enough that he would have to run at least a total of 10 miles just to get back home.It turns out he had noted the distance but kept going anyway. He ended up running 11 miles to finish off a good week of running. Wayne and I took the longer way home and went 12 miles. We were both tired but managed to push the last mile considerably faster than the previous eleven (which wasn't very fast). The last mile was 7:51, with the overall average 9:17/mi.

I ran the Orem library route solo this morning. Larry had talked of joining me, but I think daylight savings time got the better of him. I know my body was sure reluctant to start running at what felt like 4:45am. Maybe that's why I ran so much slower this morning than Friday. Friday I averaged 8:01/mi on this route. Today I averaged 9:00/mi. I count it a victory that I managed to drag myself out of bed at all.

I ran the Orem library route solo this morning inside my freezer...well, it felt like I was running inside my freezer. It felt cold! My pace isn't worth mentioning, but I had three victories this morning: 1) I got out of bed, 2) I took the first step into the cold all alone when nobody else showed up, and 3) I kept my legs moving until the planned run was done.

Solo Orem library run. Cold again. Barely broke 9:00 pace (8:59/mi).

Four miles through Lindon with Larry.

This makes two years in a row we found out after I committed to run the Spectrum 10K as part of the St. George Runner Series that it conflicted with one of our daughters dancing at the BYU Marriott Center. With Karen's encouragement and my daughter's approval, I decided to go ahead and run the race this year, but I've decided I will skip this race next year if it conflicts again.

My plans for getting to and from St. George, and my sleeping arrangements while there, were more fluid than I normally like, but it all turned out well. I ended up riding down with Larry, Jolene, and their grandson Becket. I was planning to sleep at Jolene's parents' home, but we found out Wayne's wife was ill and Wayne was coming down alone. He was staying at a friend's condo and there was an extra room so I stayed with him. It was a really nice condo. I felt like I was staying at a 5 star hotel. Since both Larry and Wayne were originally planning to stay past Saturday, Kerry and his family had agreed to give me a ride back home. With Wayne's wife being ill and not coming down, he decided to head back Saturday so I rode with him so he wouldn't be alone and to allow Kerry's family to have a little more space. It's great having such generous and kind running buddies (and their families). Like most things in life, who you're with has a large impact on how much you enjoy what you are doing.

We had picked up our numbers the night before, but Wayne and I still got up and got to the start early enough to have plenty of time to warm up and hit the portapotties. The last bus in the first wave left just as Larry and company arrived. The second wave seemed slow getting back. We ended up being nearly the last people getting on the last bus.

It's good I had warmed up well and got my bathroom stops in. Just after we got off the bus they announced two minutes to the start of the race, and two minutes later we were racing down Snow Canyon.

I had been looking forward to this race for weeks. I've been increasing my mileage the past month or so, but I've been reluctant to push the pace because of the Achilles tendonitis I've been trying to get healed up all winter. It's been feeling pretty good and I hadn't wanted to push too soon and have it flare up again. But today I had decided to put it to the test. I was actually looking forward to the discomfort and challenge of race pacerunning and seeing just where my fitness is.

Given my lackluster training this winter until the last month or so, I knew the sub-40 time of last year was beyond my reach. My goals for today were 1) sub-42, 2) sub-7:00 pace, or 3) sub-45. I managed to average a 6:49/mi pace, but missed the sub-42, finishing in 42:22. Despite the fact that I finished 5th in my AD this year vs. 2nd last year, I feel really good about the results. My splits were: 6:06, 7:00, 6;30, 7:04, 7:22, 7:20, 6:24/mi for the last 0.2.

The weather was perfect, the scenery beautiful, and I really enjoyed the run. The first half of the run down the canyon I decided to let the brakes off but not push too hard. I averaged about 6:32/mi for the first 5K (20:15-ish) which I think was about right. I felt like I took advantage of the downhill while still retaining enough energy to not die on the uphill sections during the second half of the race. Once I set my effort level fairly early in the race I think I held it pretty steady the whole race, evidenced by only passing a few runners and having only a few pass me. There were a few that passed me multiple times, but I think my steady pace outlasted most if not all of them.

One of the runners that passed me once and who I never passed back was Hal Amos. He passed about 3.5 miles into the race. I could see him the rest of the race, and closed the gap a couple of times, but he finished about 30 seconds ahead of me. Larry's niece Jesse finished only 15 seconds behind me. Immediately after finishing I headed back on the route. Wayne was a few minutes behind, with Larry a little farther back, with Jolene right on his heels.

I kept going until I met up with Kerry and Laureen and their daughter Amelia (12). I finished well ahead of Kerry, but I would have traded him in a heart beat to be able to be running with my wife and one of my children. What a great family activity. Amelia has nice running form and showed some real toughness in this race. During the awards I asked if she might do it again and she smiled and nodded her head. It seemed to me that she was experiencing that satisfaction that comes from pushing your limits and enduring well.

I enjoyed everything about going to St. George for this race...the weather, my running buddies, the results...except that Karen wasn't there and I missed my daughter's performance. She earned a gold medal in the elementary school ballroom dance team match and survived 3 or 4 elimination rounds to make it to the quarter finals in the Newcomer Swing competition. As I said, next year I will be more careful in my calendaring. Maybe I'll drop the Spectrum 10K (even though I like it a lot) and try the Snow Canyon or Hurricane half marathon instead.

My legs were pretty stiff and sore in the morning so I waited until noon to run to let them loosen up a bit. I ran the water tank hills for the first time this year. My legs were tired, and my quads were a little stiff and sore, from the race Saturday but I enjoyed the run.

I ran the Lindon loop with Larry this morning at a very easy pace. The legs were still not 100% recovered from Saturday's race.

I ran the Orem library route solo this morning. The legs were feeling better so I pushed the pace just a notch above easy pace and averaged 8:29/mi.

My left Achilles tendon was a little sore again after Saturday's race, but not too bad. I wore the Strausburg sock to bed on Saturday and Sunday night, and I've stretched well everyday, and now it feels pretty good. I didn't notice it at all this during this morning's run.

Ran up 2000 N with Larry then looped down to 1200 N and back home.

I ran the Orem library route solo again. Average pace was 8:26/mi vs. 8:29/mi last time. Roughly the same but headed in the right direction.

With Wayne being ill this week and Larry not training for a marathon I suspected they might only want to do 10 or 12 miles today. I've been feeling good and wanted to go a bit longer so I went out and ran 4 easy miles before meeting up with them. I stopped off at home in between where I hit the bathroom, took a gel, ate half a banana, and drank some water. I also dropped off my jacket and changed into a dry shirt. I wasn't going to tell them I had run early, but it's hard to keep secrets from running buddies.

We ran the canal road this morning. It was a beautiful morning. It felt great to be out running.

As Larry isn't training for a spring marathon, he turned back a little earlier than Wayne and me. We hoped to catch him on our way back, but didn't see him again until we got back to the neighborhood.

Wayne really pushed me hard the last six miles or so. I was just trying to hang on. We went from 9:30 to 8:30 to sub-8:00 pace...much of which was on the gradual uphill while running in the upstream direction on the canal road. The pace was slower than what we hope our Ogden marathon pace to be, but it was definitely a hard marathon pace effort. It felt good to feel healthy enough to push the effort.

It's days like this...good buddies, long miles, hard effort, beautiful weather...that make running such a wonderful pursuit.

I went out for a noon run today instead of running in the morning. It was still plenty cold, and pretty windy. I figured I only had time for 5 miles, and that would have to be at closer to an 8:00 minute pace than 9:00. I averaged around 8:15 the first two miles, into the wind and with a little uphill. The third mile was 8:49, with some pretty good uphill. Mile 4 was along the canal road (mostly level) at 8:02. The last mile included the 1600 N downhill. Even though it was into the wind I still managed to drop down to 7:03 for the last mile, for an overall average of 8:04/mi.

This was not race pace, or even a fast tempo run, but it felt good to push the pace a bit. I'm feeling strong, and my Achilles is behaving, but it keeps reminding me to be prudent and not push too much too soon.

Larry joined me for an easy 6 mile birthday run this morning. What a great way to start the day.

This year is only 49, next year will be the big 5-0 and a new age division.

Larry and I braved the frigid blowing snow and ran up the big 2000 N hill, but Larry wasn't feeling well so we only got in 3.2 miles. I really didn't mind getting back indoors sooner to thaw out.

I ran 13 miles this morning...and walked 1 mile. I got in 4 easy miles early then met up with Larry, Wayne and Kevin. We headed north on the canal road. A few miles into the run Kevin stopped to talk with his father-in-law who was running the other direction. Larry stopped with him and Wayne and I continued on. We thought they would be right behind us, but we never saw them again until the end of the run.

Wayne said he hadn't been feeling well all week and didn't know how far he would go, but he ended up outrunning me again. About mile 4 into my run with Wayne my right hip starting hurting pretty badly. I have some arthritis in that hip. I tried running through it but by mile 5, still heading away from home, I knew I wouldn't be able to run another 7 miles. Wayne wanted to get in 12 miles so I told him to continue on. I would stretch and walk a bit and join him on the return trip. I ended up walking about a mile back the way we had come, stopping and stretching along the way, before Wayne returned. I ran with him the last 4 miles and the hip wasn't too bad.

My hip hasn't bothered me at all for a long time. I think the problem with my hip this morning may have been that I wore shorts even though it was pretty cold, especially during those 4 early miles I ran. I 'll have to keep an eye on it.

I was up late Sunday night, and it was cold and windy with 4 or 5 inches of new snow this morning, so I waited to run until noon. It was still cold and windy, but the roads were clear. I ran down 1600 N to 400 W, north on 400 W to the canal road, east and south on the muddy/snowy canal road, got off at the first opportunity and climbed east up a steep hill then wandered south to 400 E and 1600 N then west to home. I averaged 8:35/mi overall, running the last half mile or so at 7:52/mi, downhill, but into a pretty strong and cold headwind. It wasn't especially fast, but with the cold wind, mud, and hills mixed in, I felt good about pushing the entire 5.5 miles, and was not bothered at all by the right hip pain that hampered me on Saturday's run.

Larry and I ran 6 easy cold miles on the Lindon loop.

I ran the Orem library route solo this morning. I only averaged an 8:55/mi pace in the cold wind and snow. I'm glad I got out when I did. It started snowing part way into the run and now it's coming down pretty hard.

Same solo run as yesterday but I averaged 8:30/mi today instead of 8:55/mi. I didn't feel like I was pushing any harder. I think the faster pace was due to less cold and much less wind. It's still too cold for April. I'm looking forward to some spring-like weather.

Despite the wind, snow, and the cold I really enjoyed today's race.

I rode to/from the race with Larry and Jolene. I always enjoy being with them. Jolene ran the 5K and placed (as usual) in her AD. Larry and I met up with Wayne shortly before the race. Wayne and Larry decided to run the race as a training run. I felt pretty good and decided to race the race.

I met Tom and Terry shortly before the race started. They were shooting for 1:30, me for 1:40, so I knew I wouldn't be seeing them for long. I ran with them (probably faster than I should have) the first 1/2 mile or so and intentionally backed off as we started up the overpass. I gradually watched them pull away over the next few miles.

The other runners I saw along the way changed, me passing some, some passing me, but there were a few runners that stuck in my memory. The most useful to me was the woman in the yellow shirt who was 30 to 50 yards ahead of me from just after the start until about mile 11. She had a smooth, easy stride, ran the tangents well, and seemed to be maintaining a steady, maintainable pace very similar to mine. I used her as reference point. When I started feeling like I was slowing, I would draw encouragement from seeing her ahead running steadily and strongly, but not pulling away. She dropped her Gatorade at one aid station, and then stopped at the next one, and that's when I passed her. I felt like I'd lost my tow rope, so I decided to push even harder the last two miles. During this stretch I passed two young men with iPods and a man and woman running together. I remembered these runners passing me earlier in the race. It was exhilerating to finish strong.

Splits: 6:39, 14:27 (2 miles), 7:42, 7:38, 7:39, 15:11 (2 miles), 7:47, 7:44, 7:46, 7:54, 7:05, 0:39 (6:37/mi) = 1:38:11

I finished first in the 45-49 age division, but was apparently the only in my age division. I don't know if that is accurate. It seems hard to believe. I know there are a lot of 45-49 male runners in the area. I'll take the win anyway. Maybe they were all afraid of me...not likely...but I showed up and ran hard in the wind and cold, so I'll take the award.

UPDATE (OFFICIAL RESULTS): Time: 1:38:12 (7:30/mi), Overall place 60/417, Men 52/253, AD 1/15

I have to confess I feel better knowing I ran faster than 14 other men my age instead of working so hard only to finish first and last in my division. I was also pleased and surprised to see that I beat the 2nd place runner by 8 minutes. Still, Tom and Terry beat me by 7 and 10 minutes, so there is plenty of room for improvement.

I ran the 5.5 mile 400 W/canal road/1600N loop at noon averaging about 8:37/mi overall, with a half mile at about 7:00/mi down 1600N near the end. I'm feeling pretty good after the hard run Saturday. Just a couple of minor aches and pains.

This morning I ran the Lindon loop at an easy pace with Larry, Wayne, Kevin and a couple of dogs.

Solo run on the Orem library route. Average pace 8:32/mi.

I was planning to run with Larry and Wayne this morning, but with the strong wind and rain I guess they decided to run later. I saw Lyle running past when I was at the "meeting corner" so I ran with him. I hadn't run or talked with him for a while until I dropped off my son's car at his shop the day before. He told me he signed up for the Utah Valley marathon in June, and he's also planning on St. George. He's in his 50's and only started running 2 or 3 years ago but it appears he has caught the running bug.

Lyle was only going about 4 miles so I went another couple of miles alone. I only averaged about 9:30/mi in the wind and rain, and I think I slowed down after Lyle stopped. Oh well, miles are miles...and getting out on bad weather days builds character...like digging holes...right?

I ran the Orem library route solo again this morning. When I run alone on dark mornings that's usually the route I end up picking. I like the mostly flat, will-lit route...except maybe for the frequent canyon wind and slight uphill for most of the return trip. I averaged 8:27/mi this morning. My average pace on this route is gradually improving, although most mornings I think the temperature has more of an effect on my pace than my fitness...the warmer it is, the faster I go.

I'm getting a little nervous about the Ogden marathon a month from now. I really need to get a few long runs in, but I need to be careful to not overdo it. I'm thinking of maybe 15 or 16 easy miles tomorrow, maybe up Provo Canyon for the first time this spring, but we'll see what the other guys are wanting to do.

Larry, Wayne, Kevin and I began our morning run by bravely running into the wind as we headed towards Provo Canyon. Kevin and Larry aren't training for a spring marathon, so they weren't going as far as Wayne and me and they turned back as we continued on.

Wayne and I ended up running out 7.5 miles, from my neighborhood to a little past Bridal Veil Falls, and then back for a total of 15 miles. I ran a warm up mile solo around the block before we started so I ended up with 16 miles.

After battling the wind and uphill, it was nice to turn around and head down the canyon with a tail wind. We got in a couple of miles around 8:15 pace and one down around 8:00. The climb up 800 N slowed us down, but we managed to run the last mile in 8:09. We averaged 8:55/mi overall for the 15 miles. For a long "slow" run, we both felt like we worked pretty hard and felt good about our efforts and the results. I was surprised how quickly I recovered from the run. My legs felt strong and I had no lingering pains (knock on wood).

Our plans are to run from my neighborhood to Vivian Park and back (17.5 miles) next Saturday, and from the mouth of the canyon to Trefoil and back (20 miles) in two weeks.

I ran the water tank hills solo at noon today. I pushed with a pretty steady effort the whole run. The water tank hills themselves start a little over a mile into the run and climb about 600 feet in about 1.5 miles. My rules of thumb for a good effort run are 1) under 30 min from home to the top of the hills, and 2) around 17 minutes up the hills (PR is 15:05). Today's times were around 1) 28:30 and 2) 17:20. I ran the last gradual downhill mile in 7:26. For this time of the year I feel good about the effort and results. My left Achilles is feeling pretty good, but it's still warning me not to overdo it. Sometimes I find myself longing to be able to push as hard as I want to, with my willpower being my only limitation instead of this old "injury waiting to happen" body. But most of the time I'm just grateful to be able to be running as well as I am, or even running at all. What a great blessing running has been and continues to be in my life.

As Larry, Wayne and I were about to start our run Lyle came running by. We decided to join him on his loop of the neighborhood 5K course. As Larry described it, Lyle was running like a freight train. We had to push to keep up with him as we were warming up. After one loop Lyle split off and we continued for a second loop. Wayne and I ran around the block while Larry made a pit stop at his house, so we ended up with 7 miles instead of 6.2. Overall average pace was only about 9:30/mi.

Time to catch up the blog.

This was an evening run, 6 miles, 8:25/mi average.

I took most of the day off work. This was a later morning solo run up to Provo Canyon and back. I missed running Thursday so I put in 10 miles today (8:42/mi average pace).

Wayne and I planned a 17.5 mile run for today...from home to Vivian Park and back. Larry and Kevin started with us but ran shorter. We had a couple of surprises. First, it turns out it's 18 miles, not 17.5. The bigger surprise was that there was no water (fountain still capped) at Nunns Park or Vivian Park, just at Timpanogos Park. We took our gels anyway (before we discovered there was no water). It was sure nice to finally get a drink back at Timpanogos park.

I felt tired this whole run. I think it was a combination of three factors: 1) a 10 mile run on Friday, 2) poor nutrition on Friday, 3) church cleaning assignment before run on Saturday...pushed heavy vacuum around for 45 minutes...worked up a pretty good sweat and burned considerable energy. The end result was that I slowly ran out of gas until I was completely empty. I felt it coming during most of the run but tried to tough it out. I sent Wayne ahead with 3 miles to go and asked him to drive back and pick me up. I struggled and made it to 16.5 miles, but that was it. I was feeling lightheaded and my legs felt like lead. I was sure glad to see Wayne's Jeep. When I got home I was chilled and couldn't seem to get warm. I ate a peanut butter and honey sandwich, showered, got dressed, then got into bed and slept for a couple of hours. I made myself some French toast when I got up and recovered pretty quickly after that.

Since I missed running Monday, I went out early and got in a couple of miles before meeting the guys. We then ran 6 miles together.

I went out early again and got in 1.5 miles before going to meet the guys. Wayne called Tuesday night and said he would be running this morning. I thought Larry might show, too, but neither of them did. I ran the Lindon loop. As I was running up the trail at Lindon Park I felt a sudden twinge of pain in my right knee. I walked up the hill and then rested and massaged it some. It felt okay so I started running again. It started hurting again so I ended up walking home the last 1.5 miles or so. I was reminded why I like running...walking is slow! I iced it and took some ibuprofen. It didn't bother me the rest of the day, but it has me

I went 6 miles this morning with Wayne and Larry. I wore my strap on my right knee as a precaution, but the knee felt fine. Karen and Brittany were prom dress shopping when I got home so I decided to get another run in. After last week's running 10 miles on Friday then running out of gas on Saturday's long run, I decided this week to get Friday's run in on Thursday night so I can rest up on Friday for Saturday's 20 miler. I got in 5.5 miles. I didn't wear the knee strap and it felt fine, but not quite 100%.

I'm very encouraged by today's 20 mile run, and greatly enjoyed it.

I picked Larry up and we met Wayne at the mouth of Provo Canyon at 5:30am. Kevin was a little late and drove to Canyon Glen and ran back to meet us. Tom said he might not come and not to wait for him, so we didn't, and he didn't. It would have been fun, but life happens. Maybe next time.

It was cool and humid, and a little dark at first, and there was a little light rain, and even some brief hail, but overall it was great running weather. The Provo and South Fork canyons aren't real green yet, but I still found them beautiful and greatly enjoyed them. I was the only one going 20 miles this morning, so by mile 7 the others had all turned back and I found myself running alone the last 3 miles up South Fork. I loved the solitude, the sounds of the birds and the brooks, and the misty clouds hanging low on the mountains (reminded me of the beautiful Smoky Mountains in North Carolina).

We took our time going up, about 10:00/mi average pace, which was fine with me. After running out of gas on last week's run, I didn't want the same to happen today. I had prepared much better...ate well and rested on Friday and didn't do physical labor before the run on Saturday...and just wanted to finish the 20 miles feeling good.

The route starts at about 4800 ft, climbs about 400 ft. over the roughly 6 miles to Vivian Park, then climbs about 800 ft. with some ups and downs to about 6000 ft. over the roughly 4 miles to the Trefoil gate. As I said, I averaged about 10:00/mi going up, with splits of 10:07, 10:03, 9:56, 10:20, 9:53, 9:38, 10:08, 9:36, 10:49, and 10:40.

The return trip was considerably faster, with splits of 8:16, 8:17, 8:19, 7:43, 7:40, 7:39, 7:24, 7:34, 7:48, and 7:45. My overall average pace was about 9:00/mi...10:00/mi up and 8:00/mi back.

The jump from 8:19 to 7:43 coming back was the result of hearing footsteps shortly before reaching Vivian Park on the way down South Fork. I had passed a young female runner farther up the canyon who was stopped on the side of the road. I almost asked if she needed help, but a couple of other runners had just greeted her and she seemed fine. She was obviously fine as it was her footsteps that were quickly gaining on me. I guess I picked up my speed instinctively...it wasn't consciously. She (Rebecca I think) asked how far I was running and it turned out we were both doing 20 milers in preparation for the Ogden marathon next month. We continued to run the same pace until she ran into a friend at the fountain at Timpanogos Park and I went on ahead. I'm glad she met her friend, it kept me from getting chicked on a training run.

I finished the run pretty strong and feel great. No aches or pains. My knee and ankle didn't bother me at all. No blisters and only very minor chafing. I think I could have finished another 6.2 miles pretty easily. I hope the rest of the day goes as well.

Wayne and Larry haven't been coming out on Mondays and Wednesdays, but Wayne says he's going to start and Larry might as well. It was nice to have Wayne join me this morning, but Larry didn't we make it. We ran the Lindon loop at an easy pace. It was a beautiful morning, but a little chilly with frost on the lawns and car windows. I think I've had enough of winter-like weather.

It's almost May.

I ran the 2000 N hill route this morning with Larry and Wayne...nice and easy. It was a beautiful morning.

Lindon loop with Larry and Kevin (and their dogs).

Larry, Wayne and I ran up past Cascade golf course and back. It was another beautiful morning, still a little chilly though.

Larry's headed out of town for a wedding, but Wayne and I are planning to run Provo Canyon early (5:30-ish) again this week. We both really enjoyed the early run last week. We plan to go 16-18 miles instead of 20 this week. The Ogden marathon is just two weeks away.

With the steady rain falling at 5:30 this morning I suspected Wayne but come to pick me up. I gave him a call and confirmed that he preferred to run at the fitness center later to getting soaking wet. I didn't want to pay to run at the fitness center, so I was going to go out in the rain. But then I decided to go give the fieldhouse at BYU a try. I ran many miles there in 1982 training for my first two marathons, but it has probably been 25+ years since I've trained there. Kevin J. and I tried once a year or two ago but there was a high school track meet going on.

I got there a little before 6:00am. No track meet this morning. At first there was mostly just a few senior citizens walking around or jogging. The numbers slowly increased and got younger as the morning went on. The big loop was closed this morning.

I had originally planned on 16-18 miles for today, but with 7 1/7 laps per miles, I didn't think my sanity would last that long. I decided to just start running and see how long I lasted.

Keeping track of laps was the hard part. I would count three laps on my right hand, then three laps on my left hand, then one lap not counting on either hand. Every 7 miles I ran an extra lap. I ended up doing this twice for a total of 14 miles. I didn't realize until afterwards that (7x7)+1 = 50, and 50x2 = 100, so I ran exactly 100 laps. That's a new record for me. In high school I once ran 10 miles in 80 laps on an 1/8 mile indoor basement track (no windows, just concrete).

This morning I averaged about 8:10/mi the first 7 miles and 8:30/mi the second 7 miles for an overall average of about 8:20/mi for the 14 miles. Not bad for running uphill into a strong headwind. OK, it was on an indoor track...level with no wind...but I still feel pretty good about the run. It was kind of fun passing people over and over again. I only got passed a few times, generally by people doing speed work or kicking at the end of their run. It reminded me (a little) of 1982 when I was 22 years old and in sub-3:00 marathon shape.

Driving home I passed a runner we see out most Saturdays, and other days when we run to Provo Canyon. He was soaking wet and it didn't look very fun. I don't mind running in light or intermittent rain, but with the steady rain this morning I was glad I decided to try the field house.

I ran the 2000 N hill route with Larry and Wayne. After missing yesterday, it felt really good to be out running. I really enjoyed the fresh morning air, exercise, and good company.

Lindon loop with Larry and Wayne. I threw in a couple of miles ahead of time and later ran a fartlek mile at 7:02 pace in the middle of our run. It was a beautiful morning and I felt great. What an awesome way to start the day.

Ran the Cascade golf course route with Larry and Wayne. Another beautiful morning! My hip was a little sore, probably from too much Danish ball at a wedding-related family canyon party up South Fork last night. It's been passed down in my wife's family for generations. It was a lot of fun, as it always is. I'd try to explain how we play, but I've never known anyone to understand how to play without playing it. I've also never known anyone to play it and not really enjoy it. It's kind of a cross between baseball, dodge ball, and ultimate frisbee.

Larry didn't make it out this morning, but I had an enjoyable run on the Lindon loop with Wayne and Kevin. Kevin and Larry have other commitments tomorrow morning, but Wayne and I are planning to run Provo Canyon from the mouth to Vivian and back at 5:30am tomorrow. We've really enjoyed getting out early for our Saturday runs. Only a week to the Ogden marathon.

Wayne and I ran Provo Canyon from the mouth to a little past Vivian Park and back for a total of 12 miles. We started a little after 5:30am, and the sun was just rising over the horizon as we finished a little before 7:30am. It was another beautiful morning and a nearly perfect run.

Our mile splits were 9:33, 9:00, 9:11, 8:54, 8:38, 8:25, 8:25, 8:05, 7:50, 7:41, 7:34, 7:34. Even though we only averaged 8:24/mi and we're hoping to average sub-8:00/mi at Ogden next week, I'm still counting these miles as marathon pace. Those first 6 miles uphill were into a pretty strong headwind. We actually held about the same effort level the entire run, except maybe for the first mile warming up. If felt good to finish with a couple of 7:34 miles without really picking up the effort level much.

I've never run the Ogden marathon before. I'm running it this year for the scenery. I've heard it's  a beautiful run. Wayne and I aren't going for PRs. We're planning to not push at the beginning, enjoy the scenery, and hopefully feel good enough to maybe start pushing the pace coming down Ogden Canyon and in to the finish. I'm looking forward to it.

Lindon loop with Wayne. Beautiful morning. Feeling good. Looking forward to Ogden on Saturday.

2000 N route with Larry and Wayne. Easy pace. I'll probably only run 3 or 4 miles tomorrow as I taper for Ogden on Saturday.

Larry wanted to run the neighborhood 5K course this morning in preparation for the annual neighborhood 5K run this Saturday. When I signed up for the Ogden marathon I didn't note the conflict. I'm really going to miss running the 5K.

A couple of miles into the run my left knee started hurting so I stopped running and walked for a bit. It hurt a little while walking and actually felt better when I started running again. I was only running about a 9:00 pace at the time it started hurting. I haven't done anything to injure it recently, no hard training or long miles.

It was windy and cooler this morning, and that reminded me that this is my weather knee, the knee that sometimes hurts when low pressure systems move in. I came home and checked the weather maps and sure enough there is a low pressure system over Utah. It looks like there is a high pressure system moving in, and the forecast is for warmer weather this weekend, so I'm optimistic the knee will be fine for the marathon on Saturday.

The course was beautiful, the weather was beautiful, my performance was...so so.

The day started with getting up at 2:00am (after 4 hours of sleep), leaving at 3:00am, driving to Ogden from Orem with Wayne, and loading onto a bus between 4:45 and 5:00am. Everything went smoothly until we got on the bus. We thought it was leaving, but it only pulled a block up the street then parked on the side of the street with a couple of other buses. Other buses were passing us and apparently going on up to the start, but we just sat there for what seemed like a long time. We eventually left, but our bus (and a couple in front of it) took a wrong turn heading up the canyon and had to turn around when they hit a locked gate. We finally got to the start, and after some delay getting off the bus (which we were relieved to do), we finally hit the porta johns and hung out around the fires. Personally, I think this race could easily start at 6:30am or 6:45am instead of 7:00am. It's plenty light. The sun was actually all the way up over the horizon before the race started.

Wayne and I stuck pretty close to our plan to average 8:00/mi for the first 10 miles. Our mile splits were: 7:43, 7:51, 7:47, 7:48, 7:48, 7:46, 7:51, 7:56, 7:58, 7:54 = 1:18:22 (7:50/mi). We exceeded our goal a little, but I never felt like we were pressing the pace. We ran with a 14 year old young man named Abe for some of these miles. He seemed like a great young man. I kidded him that I had a cute 13 year old daughter that maybe he could date when they were both old enough. Abe eventually pulled on ahead of us.

The next 4 miles (11-14) north and west around the top end of the lake. These were gradual uphill miles and, although I felt we kept our effort the same, our pace slowed. Splits: 8:14, 8:14, 8:22, 8:17. We ran most of these miles with a runner named Matt. We stopped for water once when he didn't and he got a bit ahead of us, then slowly pulled away.

Mile 15 includes a half mile climb. Split: 8:50. I began to feel some pain on the top of my left foot at this point. It gradually got worse and I ended up with a pretty raw sore there by the end of the race.

Miles 16 & 17 (and half of 18) are slight downhill miles over to the mouth of Ogden Canyon. Splits: 8:27, 8:27. Our pace was consistent, but a little slower as we were beginning to tire.

I welcomed the downhill of Ogden Canyon (miles 18 to 22) and tried to let off the brakes and pick up the pace. Wayne didn't come with me. I managed to pick up the pace for a couple of miles or so (I passed Matt here), but then I began to run out of gas and wished I had Wayne's company again. Splits: 7:50, 7:38, 7:59, 8:35, 8:38. At this point I realized the next 4.2 miles weren't going to come easy.

Miles 23 to 25 followed the Ogden River Parkway. I was just hanging on. Splits: 8:25, 8:37, 9:30. Yep, the wheels were officially off at this point. The interesting thing was how few people were passing me, mostly young female runners two to three decades younger than me.

The last mile or so runs down Grant Avenue to 25th Street and the finish. I managed to pick up the pace to 9:12/mi for mile 26, and it was odd to me that it was enough to keep hardly anyone from passing me, although the people I was running near had all averaged 8:10 to 8:15/mi for the rest of the course. It seems this course somehow seems to beat people into submission by the end of the race. It may have been during this mile I passed Abe.

I did manage to put together a bit of a kick and average 7:35/mi for the 0.2 miles (0.3 on my watch). There was a group of runners in front of me and I simply willed myself to be in front of them. I could have passed a few more young women just before the finish, but I did that once and felt terrible later, so I was a gentleman and let them finish ahead of me rather than run my guts out to pass them.

My final time was 3:36 (unofficial), 8:12/mi. I was hoping for 3:30 or better, and it's my slowest marathon in the past few years, but it just wasn't in me today. I'm good with that.

I'll end as I began, the course was beautiful, the weather was beautiful, my performance was...so so...but I finished. As the announcer at the finish said, every runner that ran the marathon, half marathon, or 5K today got out there and lived life today. I wholeheartedly agree.

Official stats:  3:36:38 (8:16/mi), AD 21 of 116 (18%), Overall 272 of 1682 (16%)

Lindon loop with Larry and Kevin (if I remember right).

2000 N hill with Larry (if I remember right). Ran into Jeff Tulley and he ran with us for a couple of miles. I enjoyed catching up on things with him.

Cascade golf course route with Larry and Wayne. Legs are feeling good. I think this is the quickest I've recovered after a marathon. Getting excited about the Wasatch Back relay next month.

Wayne, Kevin, Kerry and I ran 12 miles this morning from the mouth of Provo Canyon up to a little past Vivian Park and back. We got started a little after 5:30am and were finished before 7:30am. I love running in the early morning. It was overcast with mild temperatures and a breeze. I loved running on the trail through the trees along the river. I saw a rabbit early on and some ducks on the river later. I commented on how lucky we are to be able to live and run here.

We didn't see many people on the way up, but met a lot more people coming up when we were heading back down, many of whom I knew, such as: Rich & Marci Lamoreaux (on a 4 hour training run getting ready for the Squaw Peak 50 in 2 weeks), Josse Tobiasson, Bryan Johnson, Kolby Wight, Lyle Brereton, Sasha Pachev, Dan Bachelder (BYU Cougar Band director when I was in it). These are all good people. There seems to be a high percentage of runners that are really good people. Are good people drawn to running? Or does running help make people good? Of course, I think most people are good people, so maybe it's as simple as some people run and some people don't. I overthink sometimes.

We averaged about 8:30/mi for the 12 miles. The mile splits going up were: 9:38, 9:15, 9:15, 9:15, 8:52, and 8:29. Coming back down they were: 8:41, 8:01, 7:52, 7:41, 7:02, and 7:53. At mile 11 my right hip was hurting a little. I've found it hurts less when I run faster so threw in a tempo mile. Wayne came with me as we pushed hard the last mile before the fountain at Timpanogos Park.

I really enjoyed the run this morning. Good place, good time, good weather, good people, good pace, good health. I've never felt this good this soon after a marathon. There's no shortage of adversity in life (I'll spare you the details), but there are also plenty of blessings. Counting them is a much better use of time than complaining. Life's good, enjoy it!

Due to the holiday today I ran alone. I slept in late, but not as late as I thought. I kept thinking I had slept in until 9:00am, and that it was going to be too warm, but just before I left to run I looked at the clock and was surprised to see that it wasn't 7:30am yet. I guess when you're used to getting up at 5:00am every day, sleeping in until 7:00am feels like sleeping in until 9:00am.

I normally run 6 miles on Monday, but thought maybe I'd go 8 or 10 this morning if I felt good. The morning was so beautiful, and great running weather, and I ended up going 14, to Bridal Veil Falls and back. I didn't run super fast, but I kept moving okay. I averaged 8:44/mi overall, and ran a couple of late miles at 7:45-ish pace.

Another beautiful morning! Larry, Wayne and I ran the 2000 N route. I didn't have much zip in my legs after yesterday's 14 miler. I enjoyed the run nonetheless.

With the prospect of Kent rejoining us (he got into St. George), Larry, Wayne and I decided to settle on a weekly running plan. We think Kent likes it better that way, and our route planning has been a little haphazard since Kent quit running with us. The tentative plan is: Mon: Lindon loop, Tue: 2000 N, Wed: water tank hills, Thu: towards the canyon, Fri: open, Sat: long run (usually Provo Canyon). The weekday runs are normally 6 miles, with 10-20 on Saturday. Those who want more mileage either get a mile or two in early or do two-a-days. This plan is very similar to what we've done for quite a few years.

Larry's the heart of this running group, the only member who's been at it consistently for about 20 years. He's my idol. He's never been the fastest runner in the group, and has yet to qualify for Boston, but he's held on the longest and has always been the most cheerful, positive, talkative, and encouraging to others. He got me back into running after 20+ years, and I honestly don't know if I'd still be running without him. Thanks, Larry!

Larry, Wayne and I ran the water tank hills this morning. I thought Kevin and Kent might join us but Larry forgot to invite Kent and Kevin didn't make it out. We started with a detour to the baseball field at Timpanogos High School. Larry's crew had planted some Arbivida bushes and he wanted to check them out.

Once we hit the hills Wayne and I pushed up ahead. We both realized we're not in hill shape, but we did okay. It will be good to run these hills regularly again. On the way down we passed Josse and her dog. She got my name right today (jk). Larry's dog Ozzie was with us and the two dogs greeted each other with a little sniffing and then, to our surprise, a litte growling. This is unusual for Ozzie, and it didn't last long.

Wayne and I pushed again the last mile home (from the old WordPerfect buildings down 1600 North), running it in 6:49. It felt good to go fast. I've done very little speed work so far this year. It's good to know my legs can still move that fast.

Larry, Wayne, Kevin and I ran toward the canyon this morning. Great weather again. At the 3 mile turn around point Kevin wanted to loop down to Wil's gas station and back up the 800 N hill and Wayne and I went with him. It took us quite a while to catch back up to Larry. With about a mile to go Wayne had started to pull ahead of us. I asked Kevin and Larry which one of them was going to go catch him, but Larry said it was my job. I closed the gap to 20 or 30 yards, but once Wayne heard me he picked up the pace and I never did catch him. We ran that last mile at about 7:10 pace, much of which was gradual uphill. I really enjoyed the run.

Kevin and I ran the 6 mile Lindon loop this morning, average pace 8:36/mi. Another beautiful morning. The weather has been awesome this week. I'm looking forward to running with some of the guys from the relay team tomorrow (6:30am, Provo Canyon). Kevin and I are going for sure. I hope some of the others show up. Wayne is busy tomorrow and is doing 20 miles today. Larry is running the Sojourner's "Gruesome Grizzly" run.

I picked up Kevin then we met up with Ryan, Nathan and Kyle at the mouth of Provo Canyon. It was pretty windy, but still a beautiful morning.

It was great seeing Ryan, Nathan and Kyle. We ran together for the first few miles. Nathan stopped at the bathroom at Nunns Park and then turned back after 5 miles with Kyle so I didn't get to run with him as much as I would have liked. Ryan and I pulled a little ahead of Kevin and Kyle. When we got to Vivian, Kevin's wife was waiting with his 16 year old daughter who ran back down with Kevin.

Ryan and I ran with Kevin and his daughter for a mile or two then pulled ahead. At Nunns Park we pushed the two miles to Timpanogos Park at about 7:00/mi pace. We ended up averaging 7:59/mi for the 12 miles. That's the fastest I remember running that route in a long time. We passed a guy during this stretch who said, "Young guys suck!" as we passed him. I turn 50 next year and enjoyed being called a young guy.

Nathan was headed back out for more when Ryan had less than a mile to go. He ended up going past Kevin and his daughter, too. I don't know how far he ended up going.

Another beautiful morning, another enjoyable run!

Another beautiful morning! Lindon loop (6 miles) with Larry and Wayne. I pushed mile 4 in 7:04 but the remaining miles were at an easy pace.

Larry, Wayne, Kevin and I ran the 2000 N route this morning. Kevin was pushing the hill pretty hard and got ahead of us. I decided to try to catch him. I did, but it wasn't easy. It looks like he's still got his uphill running legs. I ran the rest of the run at an easy pace. Wayne and Kevin pushed ahead a couple of times and then waited for Larry and me.

Larry, Wayne and I ran the water tank hills this morning. It was another beautiful morning. The mountains seem unusually green this spring. I usually like to pushed hills and then push again the last mile home, but not today. I was content with an easy pace and conversation.

My left foot has been feeling a little weak this week, with some twinges of pain a couple of times on Monday. It hasn't bothered me while running, but I've decided to not press my luck this week and just keep the pace easy.

Larry, Wayne, and Kevin and I ran the route towards Provo Canyon. I kept wanting to run faster, but my left foot has been sending warning signals so I've been taking it easy. On the way back Wayne and I doubled back to wait for Kevin (who had stopped at a bathroom) and then we all pushed until we caught Larry at 800 E.

After we crossed 800 E on 1200 N (going west) Wayne started pulling ahead. I asked Kevin and Larry if either of them wanted to chase Wayne, but they left it to me. I pushed up to sub-7:00 pace and was closing the gap when Wayne stopped at 400 E and started walking back towards me. It turns out he was only planning to push to that point then rejoin us. I motioned for him to keep going and caught him as he got back up to speed. We then pushed the last mile or so home. My foot actually felt better running faster. I guess that makes sense...more efficient stride, less pounding...and gets the run done faster so less time on feet.

I got up early with the intent to run but I thought about some important things I needed to get done and felt impressed to do them instead and rest my foot for Saturday's run.

Larry, Wayne, Kevin and I ran the Provo Canyon to Vivian route, joined by Kerry and Nathan. We left around 5:30am. When Larry, Kevin and I arrived Wayne, Kerry, and Nathan were already there. As they got out of their cars Nathan's first words were, "You guys are crazy!", referring to the time of day. I tried to assure him he wouldn't regret it.

We all ran pretty much together at an easy pace the first 3 or 4 miles, then Kerry, Nathan and I pulled ahead a little. Mile splits going up were: 9:37, 9:34, 9:24, 9:35, 9:02, 8:44

After a bathroom stop, we started with Larry and Kevin on the way back. Wayne had turned back after 5 miles. He's tapering for the Teton Dam marathon next week and also had somewhere to be this morning. Nathan and Kerry start to pull ahead and Larry and Kevin told me to go ahead and run with them. I get to run with Larry and Kevin all the time.

Nathan, Kerry and I gradually increased to around a 7:25/mi pace. I told them about my recent pattern of pushing the two miles from Nunns to Timpanogos (and the fountain). As we rose out of Nunns the pace quickly quickened. I was thinking of pushing to about a 7:00/mi pace, but Nathan and I were soon running at a 6:30/mi pace. When we realized it he offered to back off a little but I said I'd like to hold it as long as I could. We finished the first mile in 6:36. Nathan was still cruising but I was slowing so I cut him loose. He ended up running the second mile in 6:15; I was please with my 6:52.

Mile splits coming back were: 8:42, 8:03, 7:28, 6:36, 6:52, 7:28

We ran back to meet Kerry who wasn't far behind. Nathan went on to meet Larry and Kevin while I ran in with Kerry. After chatting with him a bit, I headed back up the trail again. It wasn't long before I saw Larry, Kevin and Nathan coming. Colby Wight was a little ahead of them and stopped to talk to me about the UVM he's running next week (I ran it last year). I ended up running in with him just a little ahead of the other guys. Nathan head on down towards Wil's Pit Stop for some miles. He's sure running well...and I think he now better appreciates 5:30am runs. It was beautifully awesome this morning. I can't think of a better way to start the day...early morning, great weather, nature's beauty, good buddies, and an exhilirating run.

I retired my old Saucony Guides today at 530 miles. The heels are worn pretty badly. I ordered new ones a couple of weeks ago, but they haven't arrived yet. This morning I decided to try out the Saucony Guide TR trail shoes I bought a few weeks ago. I'd never run in trail shoes so I didn't know what to expect.

I didn't see anyone at either of the "meetin' corners" this morning. Maybe they didn't recognize me as I forgot my hat. I always run with a hat and I missed it...especially when it started raining a little and my glasses started getting wet.

Since I ended up running solo, I decided to try out the shoes on the canal road. I headed west to 400 W then north through Lindon until I got on the canal road and headed SE. I decided I had time and inclination to go a little farther than the normal 6 miles this morning so I went all the way down to 800 N on the canal road, then doubled back up to 2000 N then west down to 280 W and our normal route home from there...a total of 10 miles.

I didn't go very fast (about 9:25/mi overall). I liked the feel of the shoes...no pokey rocks...although they did feel a little heavier. I ran 10 miles then walked the dog, thinking about how comfortable the shoes were.

I ran the 2000 N route with Larry, Wayne and Kevin. I threw in a half mile or so fartlek section, but mostly just ran at an easy pace. It's always good getting out with the guys.

Larry, Kevin and I ran the water tank hills this morning. Since there was a chance I'd be running the marathon this Saturday I took it very easy and cut it a little short.

It was great to see Kent out this morning. He quit running a couple of years ago, but his daughter is training for the St. George marathon this year so he's back and is planning to run it with her.

Well, it looks like I'm in the Utah Valley Marathon. I got email confirmation last night and another packet pickup information email this morning. Lyle and Cory were 99% sure they could get me in through a sponsor entry, and I had also emailed Hyrum about his offer from many months ago to let me run for free as a training run. I'm not quite sure which of them got me in, but I'm in. [I just noticed Lyle left a voice mail last night confirming he had got me in.]

I'm really excited to run UVM again. I'm not quite sure why, since I went out way too fast last year and didn't enjoy the last 6 or 8 miles much at all. I think mostly it's the course calling me, especially with the changes this year (more canyon, no Timpview climb or airport dirt road). I'm also looking forward to running a relaxed marathon. With the relay next Friday, I plan to run an easy training pace at the marathon. The primary goal is to enjoy the marathon while beating up my body as little as possible so I have the best chance at being fully recovered for the relay.

I only went an easy 5K this morning with Larry and Kent before turning back. I guess now I need to focus on resting and eating carbs.

Some of you may question the wisdom of running a marathon 6 days before the Ragnar Relay. I know I do, which is why I wasn't planning to run UVM even through I really wanted to. As I think of why I decided at the last minute to do it, various thoughts come to mind: 1) faith over fear, 2) no guts, no glory, 3) you only live once, 4) Get Out And Live (GOAL - from Ogden marathon), and 5)  Vivir con miedo, es como vivir a medias! (A life lived in fear is a life half lived. - Strictly Ballroom). Some other sayings that also come to mind: 1) time will tell, 2) hindsight is 20-20, and 3) the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

NOTE (on pudding quote): "It is worth remembering that, as the phrase is quite old, the pudding wouldn't have been a sticky toffee pudding from the sweet trolley, but a potentially fatal savoury dish. ...THE OED describes the mediaeval pudding as 'the stomach or one of the entrails of a pig, sheep, or other animal, stuffed with a mixture of minced meat, suet, oatmeal, seasoning, etc., and boiled'. ...Mediaeval peasants, faced with a boiled up farmyard massacre, might have thought a taste test to have been a wise choice."

Comparing running a marathon six days before a 24 hour 180 mile relay race to eating a "potentially fatal boiled up farmyard massacre" may be a good analogy. I'm hoping for a delicious sausage breakfast.

Last year I ran the inaugural UVM in 3:30 and finished 13th overall and 2nd in my AD. This year I ran the UVM in 3:50 and finished 112th overall and 11th in my AD, and I'm happy about it.

As I mentioned in my blog earlier this week, on Tuesday I heard about a possible opportunity to get a free entry via a sponsor, and by Thursday I was in. I really wanted to run UVM again this year, but with the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay the following Friday/Saturday I didn't want to beat myself up too badly. The free entry allowed me the luxury of treating it as just a long training run...no pressure to run fast.

I'm happy about 3:50 because it shows that I kept to my plan to run the race at a slower pace. I won't mention that, like some other bloggers race reports described their last 5-8 miles, from roughly mile 20 on felt a little like a death march. In other words, I was no longer running a slower pace by choice.

I was running a slower pace by choice at the beginning. In fact, I decided to be one of the last runners to start and run from the back as a new experience. (I love chip timing.) I decided to make a last minute pit stop and the race actually started while I was still sitting in a portapotty. I wasn't worried. I finished up and just walked to the starting line. I almost delayed too long (2 minutes 45 seconds). Just before I crossed the start they yelled to a few runners behind me that they were about to pull up the timing mats.

I forgot to turn off the auto-pause on my watch, so the following splits do not include a 1+ minute potty break about mile 9 (ran into Canyon View park restrooms, much needed, wouldn't have made it much farther), and a stop to talk with Tom Lee at Geneva Rd. (he had to drop out because of a bad migraine...dang!...and he's been running so well...he can't seem to get a break in a marathon).

My mile splits were roughly: 9:20 (easy start, uphill), 7:59, 7:32, 7:54, (passing people, downhill), 8:39 (uphill), 8:04, 8:11, 8:04, (still passing people), 8:45 (pit stop), 7:56 (out of the canyon), 8:21, 8:41, 8:21, 8:21, 8:42, 8:44, 8:42, (slower on the level, but still a pretty steady pace), 8:52 (talked to Tom, met Larry on his bike who rode with me the rest of the way - unplanned, unexpected, much appreciated - as you can see from the following splits I was quickly running out of gas), 8:47, 8:54, 9:04, 9:12, 9:38, 9:36, 9:27, 9:44, 7:45/mi for 0.2 (I was pleased to have enough juice left for a decent kick; similar to Ogden last month I simply willed myself to the front of the group of 5 or 6 runners ahead of me - one still barely beat me).

I enjoyed talking with a number of friends/runners after the race...after I downed about 6 cups of Gatorade. The day seemed really humid, especially at the beginning. My glasses kept fogging up the first 8 or 9 miles. Although I hydrated well during the race, I think I was slightly dehydrated by the end.

My chief goal was to leave my body in good enough shape to recover in time for the Ragnar Relay on Friday/Saturday. I'm optimistic that I met that goal. I have a little soreness in my left foot/ankle (which has been there for many months), but I soaked my legs in our above ground backyard pool (which is still really cold since the weather hasn't been hot) and I feel pretty good...good enough to agree to some mall shopping with Karen and the girls this afternoon. I think Verdon (a relay teammate), who was watching his son in the marathon, was a little surprised to see me run by. He good naturedly (I think) yelled that I was supposed to be tapering for the relay. When I saw him at the finish and told him I ran 3:50, he seemed confident that I had not overdone and could recover. Like I said, I'm optimistic. I feel pretty good. I ran the Ogden marathon last month 14 minutes faster than today's marathon and felt like pushing my training again by the following Wednesday. Time will tell.

Last year I ran the 1st UVM because it is in my backyard, I wanted to support it, and I thought it would be cool to say 10 or 20 years from now that I had run every one of them since it started. The goal is still intact...2 down, many to go.

I ran the Tuesday 2000 N route with Larry, Wayne and Kevin this morning. Wayne and I had both run marathons on Saturday. We weren't fast, but for three days after a marathon I thought we ran pretty well.

My legs don't quite feel like running race pace yet, but I don't feel any stiffness or soreness from the marathon. I'm confident that by Friday evening I'll be ready for my first leg in the relay. I think I'll run a few easy miles tomorrow to keep my legs loose then take Thursday off.

My new Saucony Guide 2s finally arrived. I wore them walking around on Saturday but ran in them for the first time this morning. They feel great.

I ran part of the water tank hills route with Larry, Wayne and Kent this morning. I ran the 1.2 miles to the base of the first hill then walked up the hills while they ran then rejoined them on their way down.

Walking the hills alone in the early morning was nice. I enjoyed viewing the cloud-covered mountain peaks, the beautiful valley and lake, the unusually verdant (nice word, huh? - I think it means green) hillsides, and the colorful wildflowers.

On the way back I stopped to fix my shoe. As I sped up to catch up I decided to just keep going. I didn't push hard, but just tried to run efficiently and keep my momentum focused forward on the comfortable downhill from the old WordPerfect buildings down to Main Street. I was pleased to see I averaged 7:25/mi for that mile. I can tell my legs aren't quite 100% yet, but I felt no lingering aches or pains from Saturday's marathon. I don't plan to run tomorrow or on Friday before my first leg around 7:00pm. I'm confident that I'll be able to run at least the first two legs fairly well. The real test will be my third leg, the long gradual uphill around noon on Saturday...but then the third leg is always an adventure.

I'm looking forward to the relay!

I ran leg 8 of the Wasatch Back Relay about 7:00pm. It didn't seem overly warm until I started running, but with this cool spring I haven't done much heat running and with the temperature in the 70-80 range it quickly seemed quite warm.

This was a short 3.4 mile leg rated easy. It was level to slightly downhill for two miles then gained about 150 ft. in the last 1.5 miles of gradual uphill. My mile splits were: 6:48 (adrenalin), 7:11 (heat), 8:00 (uphill), 7:36/mi for last 0.4 (kick). I passed 10 other runners and was not passed.

I'll log my other two legs in tomorrow's entry.

Continuation of the Wasatch Back Relay...

After our first set of legs we went to Morgan High School, ate their spaghetti dinner, and tried to grab a little sleep on their wrestling mats.

Leg 20, 7.0 miles, Moderate, about 3:00am

The temperature was about 60' with a bit of a cool breeze. With no moon yet, it was dark and the stars were clearly visible. This was a downhill leg that dropped about 950 ft. over 6.5 miles with a slight uphill the last 0.5 mile.

I enjoyed every step of this leg from the very beginning. I commented to everyone of the 19 runners I passed, except maybe the last two as I was kicking for the exchange, on how beautiful the run was. Those who replied agreed.

Mile splits were: 6:40 (some stiffness in right hip), 6:14 (loosened up), 6:04 (too fast? but fun), 6:55 (leveling some), 6:39, 7:39 (leveling more, some fatigue), 7:48, 6:46/mi for last 0.1. I passed 19 runners and was not passed.

After this leg I ate a peanut butter sandwich and some other food I brought. After our second set of legs we headed to exchange 30 in Heber to await our final legs. There was some sporadic light rain that prevented sleeping on the grass, so we tried to get a little rest getting as comfortable as we could in the team van. I'm not sure I got much real sleep at all.

Karen and my two youngest daugthers were coming up to watch my third leg. As I talked to her on the phone she mentioned heavy wind and then heavy rain in the valley. We could see it coming, and during the leg before mine it hit pretty hard. During my leg it let up, but then it hit again during some of the later legs, and seemed to settle for good just after we finished. It rained very hard on the drive home.

Leg 32, 6.1 miles, Moderate

The best part of this leg was seeing Karen, Emily and Amy along the way. They weren't expecting so soon and weren't ready with the cameras when I first passed so they drove up ahead and tried again. This time all three of them were out of the car, one with a video camero and the other two with still cameras. I crossed the street to greet them and felt like a celebrity with the papperazi snapping photos.

This leg gradually climbs uphill the whole way, with the steepest climb right at the end. My mile splits were: 7:10 (Karen & the girls), 7:46, 8:08, 8:25, 8:34, 8:47, 7:10/mi for last 0.1. I was worried about this leg. With the last minute decision to run the marathon last Saturday, I was concerned that if I hadn't fully recovered this is where it would hit me hardest. Despite the gradually slowing splits on this leg, I actually felt fairly strong, and had enough for a brief kick at the end. I passed 32 other runners and was not passed.

So over the three legs, if I counted correctly, I passed 61 other runners and was not passed. I may have done better without the marathon the week before, but I really don't think so. My legs hurt less before leg three, and better during leg three, than they have in my previous 5 WBRs.

Over all I really enjoyed the relay again. The heavy rain at the end put a damper on things, but worse than that was the horrible parking arrangements at the finish. It took forever to get in and out. They really need to fix that. It left a really sour taste in my mouth after an otherwise delicious relay.

I forgot to set my alarm last night so I woke up late for running this morning. I went out about 30 minutes late and ran the Monday route in the reverse direction, figuring I'd meet up with whoever ran this morning. I ran two miles out and back alone.

I only averaged about a 10:15/mi pace this morning. My legs felt relatively good on Saturday after the relay, but Sunday my calves were a little tight and sore. I think the 4 mile jog this morning loosened them up again. Considering the marathon two weeks ago followed by the relay this past weekend my legs feel relatively good. With hopefully better weather on the way, I think maybe it's time to kick the training up a notch...as work/family schedules permit.

I ran the 2000 N route with Larry, Wayne, and Kent. Wayne and I pushed up the big hill. Later we double backed up the hill to find Larry's dog Ozzie then pushed a little to catch back up with Larry and Kent. The rest of the run was just at an easy pace.

What a beautiful time of year. The weather has been absolutely perfect the past couple of days. With the wet spring, everything is green and beautiful. I can't think of much that is better than an early morning run with good friends on a day like today.

It's Wednesday so Larry, Wayne, Kent and I ran the water tank hills. I'm trying to step things up a bit so I pushed up the hills, and Wayne wasn't far behind. I ran the hills in about 16:40. I consider anything sub-17 to be a fast ascent for me so I was pleased. We took it easy on the downhill until the last mile down 1600 North. As has become tradition, Wayne and I pushed this last mile pretty hard and ran it in 6:40. I was pleased as my legs felt like lead after pushing the uphill.

I'd like to up my weekly mileage, but there seem to be so many other things that take up my time. At least I can accelerate the pace here and there and maybe get in a little extra mileage. This is a great time of the year. Mostly I'm just going to enjoy it.

I ran the Thursday route with Larry and Kevin. I enjoyed the run even though my legs seemed pretty heavy.

Kent was there when we met but as we were waiting for Larry he decided to start and run the old Thursday route (Tuesday's route in reverse) so he could cut out the hill and run 4 instead of 6.

I ran the Orem library route solo this morning. My legs felt tired again, and it was pretty humid. I had to work a little to even average 9:00/mi mile. I hope it's still lingering effects from running UVM two weeks ago followed by the WBR last week.

It was great to have 5 regulars out on a Saturday run again. Larry, Wayne, Kevin, Kent and I met at 5:30am and drove to the mouth of Provo Canyon to run. The headwind made it a little cold on the way up, but it ended up being a beautiful morning.

Kent's just getting back into running so he and Larry turned back at 4 miles out. The rest of us went to 5.5 miles before starting back down.

My legs have felt pretty sluggish the past couple of days, and this morning started no differently. I was encouraged, however, that they felt okay as we picked up the pace later in the run. I decided to push the two miles from Nunns to Timpanogos again and was pleased to manage splits of 7:11 ans 7:12. Kevin was right with me and Wayne wasn't far behind. After a stop at the fountain I saw a runner up ahead in a yellow shirt that was running well and decided to push the last 1/2 mile and try to catch him before the parking lot. I didn't quite catch him, but ran a good pace and was just behind him. My watch showed the last 0.2 at 6:49/mi.

Well it looks like I'll be running the Redrock Relay in September. Larry's the team captain and has registered the team. It should be fun. Larry, Wayne, Kevin, and I are on the team (the old guys). The younger generation members include Stacia and Jeremy (Larry's daughter and her husband), Colin and Michael (sons of Larry's neighbors), Jessica and Angie (Larry's nieces), and Danette and Ally (Stacia's friends).

We have our final team party for our WBR relay team on Monday. I've been kind of looking forward to having the planning over for another year, but now Larry's asking to draw on my experience to help organize the Redrock relay team. Oh well, I guess that's what friends are for. Here we go again...

Today was my first day back on the track for quite a while. Since Kent has returned Monday has returned to being "speed work" day at the track. Kent and Larry were doing quarter repeats today to work on their leg speed. I'm not ready for short/fast speed work, so I just did mile repeats. Kevin came late and ran some with me and some with Kent and Larry.

 My "fast" miles weren't really fast, but faster than most of my training runs lately. I ran three one mile repeats at 7:25, 7:15, and 7:05. I've been in better shape in the last couple of years than I'm in right now, but at least I feel healthy and I'm headed in the right direction. I decided to finish with one quarter mile sprint and ran it in 1:24 (5:36/mi pace).

I'm still cautious about pushing too hard. It seems whenever I start to push my training hard I end up injured. It seems to be such a fine line to walk. I'm just grateful I'm running as well as I am and I'm enjoying running as much as ever. The weather has been awesome recently, if a little cooler and wetter than usual, and the world seems especially green and beautiful.

I got up early to help Karen get all the coolers loaded for girls camp. She's one of the ward cooks again this year, as well as now being a MIA Maid Advisor. With Brittany also being a 6th year YCL with many assignments, and Emily also going to camp, our house has been abuzz with pre-camp activity. Now Amy and I are left with cleaning up the mess they left behind and trying to survive until they get back.

I saw Wayne and Kent run by at the beginning of their run at the normal time as I was loading coolers at my house. I saw them again as they were finishing their run while I was loading additional coolers at another house. I saw Kevin later and he had also been helping to get his wife and daughters off to camp. I don't know where Larry was.

I finally got out for a solo run after 8:00am. It was already too warm, high 70's I think. I decided to race the virtual training partner on my watch - 6 miles at 8:00/mi pace. I knew this was aggressive for me right now, especially on the Lindon Loop which has some hills, but it was something to shoot for. I was about 300 ft behind after the first mile, but caught up and built about a 150 ft lead by the end of the downhill during mile 3. By the end of mile 4, after climbing out of Lindon Park, I was behind again for good. With a mile to go I was 0.12 miles behind, and I could barely crack 8:30 for the last mile. I finished in 49:28 (8:15/mi) - mile splits were 8:28 (warming up), 7:54 (on pace), 7:24 (good downhill), 8:29 (up out of park), 8:43 (gradual uphill - getting tired), 8:30 (working hard).

It's clear I'm not in as good as shape as the last couple of years, but this was another step in the right direction.

I ran the water tank hills with Larry and Kent this morning. The weather was pretty good but it seemed a little sticky (humid) to me, as have several other mornings recently. I still think we've had some pretty great running days, and the wet spring has made for a beautiful world to run in.

I pushed the five hills again this week. Last week was 16:40, this week 16:30...right direction. I was planning to push the last mile home again like last week, but I was so engrossed in conversation with Larry and Kent that I missed the starting point. I ended up pushing the last 1/2 mile from 400 E down to Main. Last week I ran the last mile in 6:40; this week I ran the last 1/2 mile at 5:43/mi pace. I haven't had my legs moving that quickly for a while...it felt good.

I got up at 3:45am to go secure a spot for my family at the parade. Tiffany and her friends came a little after 5:00am which freed me up to run the Freedom Run, which I've wanted to do for years but have always been left watching it while saving a parade spot. I hurried to Kiwanis Park to get registered but forgot I didn't have enough cash so I had to go find an ATM. I got registered befor the 6:00am deadline then hurried home to get my running clothes on. I thought I would make it in plenty of time but then I hit parade traffic on 900 E. I ended up parking and running the last mile or so to the park. It served as a good warm up.

I saw Vern Henshaw and his daughter, Mike Jasper, and Jason Hodson at the start. Mike was planning to run at about my pace, but he was looking for some extended family members, and Jason was planning to run sub-40:00...way too fast for me at this point on this course.

I didn't have time to study the course (more about that later) and had not really given much thought as to how fast to go. I quickly decided that 7:00/mi pace would be a stretch goal, but I wouldn't kill myself and would just take what the day gave me and enjoy the run.

The day was beautiful, if a little warm and humid, and I did enjoy the run very much. I smiled and people watched the crowd as I ran the parade route, slapping hands with some of the spectators along the way. I was a little disappointed that Tiffany and her friends were sleeping instead of cheering when I ran by, but I shouted to them and Tiffany and one of her friends got a quick glimpse of me as I passed.

I stopped for a quick drink of water at the turn from Center St. to 900 E. The only problem was I was surrounded by a lot of the 5K runners I had caught up to at this point. I followed the correct path at the first 5K/10K split, but I hadn't studied the course and wasn't aware of the 5K/10K split at Center and 900 E. I should have run the 3/4 mile loop towards Seven Peaks and back to 900 E, but alas I didn't see the 10K pointers and followed all the 5K runners up 900 E. Jason passed me going up 900 E. I asked him why he was behind me. He said his quad was a little sore but that we should still make sub-40:00. At this point I suspected I had missed a turn somewhere. This was confirmed when my watch showed only 5.4 miles when I finished...in 39:46. What a bummer!

My first concern was that I not be given an award that I hadn't earned. I tracked down the official timekeeper and told him what happened and asked him to pull me from the race results. He calculated my pace and how much of the course I skipped and said he would just penalize me 5 minutes and took my bib number. At the time they were busy correcting 150 or so runners who had run the wrong race.

I decided to drive down and run the section I had skipped. This meant first running back up to my car. I had averaged about 7:21/mi for the part I ran. I ran the missing section at about a 7:00/mi pace. Combining the two times had me finishing in about 45:00 (7:15/mi).

I went back to check the official results to make sure they had fixed or eliminated my time. They had not, but listed me in 3rd place in my division at 39:46. A 45:00 time would have placed me in 4th, with the 5th place time (my buddy Mike Jasper) at 46:53. I found the official timekeeper again and reminded him of my situation. He remembered and went to talk to the director who was about to hand out awards. I decided to change clothes and finally head to the parade to be with my family.

I checked the official results online today only to see that they still had not corrected or eliminated my time. Oh well, I tried. I know I should have studied the course, but my last minute decision to run didn't really leave time for that. However, since the fact that hundreds of runners ran the wrong course at one point or another, I don't think it was entirely my fault.

Despite the troubles, I still really enjoyed the run...and it makes a good learning lesson (study the course) and, like most unexpected turns, an interesting experience and memory.

I went with Larry and Kent to the track again this morning. Again I did mile repeats while they did 1/4 mile repeats. My legs felt pretty sluggish this morning. Actually, I've felt tired pretty much since last Thursday when I took the day off to start cutting down the big dead tree in front of my house, which took me most of Thursday and Friday. Saturday was the parade, the 10K, then Stadium of Fire late into the evening. Sunday was hours of church meetings and clerking, then playing games with my family until late in the evening. It will be nice to get back to work so I can get a rest.

Anyway, this morning I did three one mile repeats at 7:07, 7:14, and 6:59, then 1/2 mile @ 6:59/mi, the 1/4 mile @ 6:11/mi, the 1/8 mile @ 5:44/mi., with about 1/4 mile jog between each repeat. I'm not at the top of my game, but as awful as my legs felt this morning, and as little speed work and tempo runs as I've done this year, I'm satisfied. It felt good to push harder than normal. It helped to work out some of the frustration I'm still feeling from the mess up at the 10K Saturday.

I ran the 2000 N hill route with Larry and Wayne this morning. I think I'm getting spoiled by all these beautiful running mornings, but I'm sure enjoying them.

The pace was really slow this morning, but it didn't feel very easy. Maybe I'll feel some zip for the water tank hills tomorrow.

Water tank hills with Wayne and Kent. We're hoping Larry not showing means his daughter Stacia finally had her baby...or maybe the mattress just got him again.

We ran easy warmup pace to the bottom of the hills as usual. Sometimes I'm eager to start the push up the hills, but I wasn't so eager today. With Wayne's encouragement I started the push anyway. I ran the hills in about 16:42, just slightly slower than last week. I didn't push hard again until the 1/2 mile from 400 E down to Main. I felt really good on that section and ran it at 5:58/mi pace.

I was really tired yesterday. I think I dozed off about 4 times at work and twice after work. Even when I was awake I had a hard time concentrating. I even forgot the Tuesday night meetings I had. They called to remind me about the second one so I showed up late, but I completely missed the first one. I got better sleep last night so I hope I do better today.

Wayne and I were the only ones to show up this morning. We ran the Thursday route toward the canyon. At 800 E we saw Mike Jasper turn onto 1200 N just ahead of us. We picked it up a little to try to catch him but it wasn't happening. Just averaging 8:45/mi for the run felt hard. Neither of us really wanted to get up this morning, but we both did and now with the run behind us we're glad we did.

We had a good turnout for our 5:45am run: Larry, Kevin, Wayne, Tom, Nathan, Michael, Collin, and me. The weather was cool and overcast...perfect for a long run.

We ran the first couple of miles together (9:27, 9:24) then Nathan, Tom, Collin, and Michael started pulling away. I stayed back with Wayne, Kevin, and Larry. I figured since Tom, Nathan and I were the only ones going 20 miles, that I would have plenty of time with them later in the run...but the gap kept getting bigger and bigger (9:34). Wayne, who had run 9 miles pretty hard last night, was only going 9 again this morning. He went with me and we closed the gap, passing Collin and Michael (8:43, 8:24). He turned back at 4.5 miles and I pushed on and closed the gap a little more on Tom and Nathan (8:20). After a brief stop for a drink at Vivian we started up South Fork. The uphill felt a lot like...well, uphill (10:08, 9:17, 10:05, 10:06).

The four miles or so back down to Vivian were faster, but not as fast as usual (8:36, 8:26, 8:38, 8:16). I think my legs were feeling the effects of pushing earlier to catch up. After Vivian, Nathan said he wanted to go sub-8:00 the rest of the way down so we bid farewell. Tom and I stayed together the rest of the run, both of us content to just keep moving and finish (8:53, 9:10, 8:47, 8:57, 9:11, 8:49). We averaged 9:04/mi for the 20.15 miles.

This 20 miler felt a lot like...well, a 20 miler. It was great getting to run with Tom and Nathan again, and it was great to have the run done.

Larry, Kent and I went to the THS track this morning. I tried to do some faster mile repeats while they did their 1/4 mile repeats, but my "fast" miles were pretty slow: 7:04, 7:13, 7:13. I was obviously still feeling some effects from Saturday's 20-miler.

Injury report:

1. The Achilles and PF trouble in my left foot that bothered me months ago seem to have faded into the background.

2. The chronic "feels like I'm recovering from a minor ankle sprain" pain in my left ankle comes and goes but hasn't really affected my running too much.

3. The chronic arthritis-like pain in my right hip comes and goes, but has been coming more than going lately. It seems to bother me less when I run at a faster pace, probably because my form is smoother and more efficient when running faster.

4. The chronic high hamstring pain in my right buttocks is minor and doesn't affect my running.

5. The pain I get in my right knee sometimes when walking up stairs still comes and goes. It doesn't affect my running at all.

6. The pain I occasionally get in my left "weather" knee hasn't bothered me much lately. It's usually related to pressure changes in weather patterns.

7. I haven't had too much trouble with blisters and chafing, but a little. Saturday's 20-miler left me with a few minor blisters.

My old crippled body is showing its years, but its hanging in there. I just need to keep a close eye on it, take care of it, and listen when it tells me to back off a little. While I would like to continue to get faster and stronger, I'm just grateful for all I am able to do. The human body is amazing, even mine.

Six hard "easy" miles with Larry, Wayne and Kevin on the 2000N route. I ran the miles at what is normally a very easy pace for me, but they sure didn't feel easy. I had some gastrointestinal difficulties. After stopping at the restroom at a park around mile 5 I felt quite a bit better and managed some 7:00-ish pace for half a mile or so as Kevin and I caught back up to Larry and Wayne.

I really enjoyed this morning's run. The weather was perfect, and my legs actually felt a little zippy this morning.

Larry, Wayne, Kent and I started by running the water tank hills as we normally do on Wednesday. I had decided I wanted to run the five hills in under 16:30 this morning so was mentally ready to start working when we reached the bottom of the first hill. I pushed at an effort level I hoped to be able to hold steady all the way to the top, and then I just held it all the way to the top. I felt pretty strong the whole way and finished in 15:54. Wayne and I added a little distance at the top and then joined Kent and Larry for the easy paced descent.

I pushed the last half mile again from 400 E down to Main Street on 1600 North. My legs felt fresh and I felt fast. As I passed Carol Clegg and another lady walking up the sidewalk I asked them if the mountain lion was still chasing me. I averaged 5:41/mi pace for the 1/2 mile. Wayne wasn't far behind at about 6:10/mi pace.

As we were cooling down Wayne suggested, joking I think, that we ought to go another four miles. I had time and I've been wanting to get in more mileage so I asked if he was serious. We ended up running another four miles on the Lindon loop at about 8:40/mi average pace. Larry grabbed his bicycle and came along with us.

It felt good to run strong this morning, especially after having tired legs the past couple of days. I feel sorry for the people that slept through this awesome part of the day when they could have been out running or walking or bike riding or in some other way enjoying the amazing bodies and beautiful world our Heavenly Father has given us. I feel very grateful this morning.

Normal Thursday run with the guys.

Wayne and I decided to go early and run 10 miles up Provo Canyon. We

took it somewhat easy going up into the strong headwind (9:00+ pace). I

didn't feel like we were pushing all that hard coming back down, still

conversational, and averaged around 7:30/mi. After stopping at the

fountain Wayne's belly was bothering him a bit so he told me to go

ahead and push hard to the end, so I did. It felt good and I felt fast.

I was surprised and pleased to see I averaged 5:54/mi for the last 0.56

miles. I wish I could always feel that good when I run.

Provo Canyon with Larry, Kevin and Kent. We went up slow (about 10:00/mi) in a strong headwind. Larry and Kent turned back at 5 miles and Kevin and I went on to Vivian. We ran a little faster on the way down, but I was beat. It felt a little like the last six miles of a marathon. This was the end of my first 50+ mile week in a long long time and it felt like it. Kevin drug me to a few faster miles at 7:38, 7:18, and 7:34 but I slowed about 8:30/mi for the last couple of miles. It was also getting pretty warm by end at about 70' or more I think.

I didn't run today. I was up early loading vehicles and beginning our trip to Lake Tahoe for the week.

This was my first morning running at Lake Tahoe. We were on the west side of the lake just south of Tahoe City in an area aptly named Pineland. We stayed in a very comfortable two story, 3 bedroom, 2 bath cabin on Ward Creek with a balcony, large deck and hot tub surrounded by giant pine trees. It was beautiful.

The weather was nearly perfect every day (a ltitle hot one day), and never more perfect than in the mornings for my runs. On this first run I ran the 3/4 mile down to the bike path along the lake and headed north to downtown Tahoe City. I was only planning on 6 miles but it was so beautiful I wandered farther than planned and ended up with 8 miles. I stopped at the marina to ask about boat rentals (we went out on the lake for a fun couple of hours later in the day), stopped on a pier to look at the gorgeous lake, and wandered some dirt paths through a camping area.

I ran at "tour" pace and averaged 8:59/mi for the run. I felt pretty good about that considering I was starting at 6500 ft instead of my normal 4800 ft. This run also had lots of rolling hills, with about 2000 ft of ascent and descent mixed in, a lot of it at the beginning and end. Our cabin was at about 6500 ft with the lake at about 6200 ft. I had to push hard the last 3/4 mile uphill to keep the average under 9:00/mi.

This was my second morning run at Lake Tahoe. Today I ran east down to the bike path and then south along the lake. One of my goals was to find a good rocky beach area for rock skipping. I did, and we went there later and had a great time. Morning runs on vacations are great times for getting acquainted with the area.

Again I was planning on a 6 mile run and ended up running farther, this time 8.25 miles. I maintained my tradition of trying to cheerfully greet every runner/biker/walker/person I passed during my run. I found the locals and the tourists very friendly. I even received cheerful greetings when I ran past a few different groups of construction workers. I can't imagine much better running than along beautiful Lake Tahoe on a beautiful morning. I thoroughly enjoyed it and even took my hat off once while running and prayed to thank Heavenly Father for the great blessing.

I ran at "touring" pace (about 9:00/mi) again. It was comfortable but not easy. I was winded and pushing, not coasting. I'm not sure if it was the elevation, the rolling hills, or my imagination, but it felt just a tiny bit harder to run at Tahoe than in Orem. I tried to stay under 9:00/mi for this run like yesterday, pushing hard up the last 3/4 mile, but I didn't quite make it, averaging 9:01/mi.

This was my third and final run at Lake Tahoe. Today I decided to head west up Ward Valley. I immediately questioned my decision as I steadily climbed from the start for a total of a little over 3 miles to just over 7000 ft. The total ascent was about 1800 ft. I almost made it above the tree line, but today I stuck to about 6 miles instead of pushing to 8 like the two previous mornings. I think my average pace up of about 11:20/mi had something to do with that decision.

I managed mile splits of 7:25, 7:12, and 7:50 on the way back down, averaging 9:21/mi overall for 6.4 miles. I ended up not regretting my decision to run up the valley. In my three days of running in Tahoe I explored north, south, and west of our cabin (the lake was east) and it was all absolutely beautiful.

We had an awesome trip to Lake Tahoe. All nine of us (parents, 6 kids, 1 fiance) got along well, we all enjoyed most everything we did, and everything went smoothly...most of the time. It's odd, but a line from Ursula's song "Poor Unfortunate Souls" in the Little Mermaid (one of many songs listened to on the very long drive home) sums up the trip for me, "Yes, I've had the odd complaint. But on the whole I've been a saint". We had a couple of car issues, some tired and hungry kids now and then, and some annoying sunburn (thankfully not me) but overall it was a nearly perfect trip. I feel blessed and grateful for the opportunity.

No run today. Up early to pack, clean and load for the return trip from Tahoe.

We drove through Carson City and stopped in Virginia City on our way home. We really enjoyed Virginia City and stayed there longer than planned. We ended up not getting home until about 1:30am this morning. I did get to sleep for an hour or so just before SLC. My 17 year old daughter Brittany took a turn at the wheel as Karen and I were both pretty sleepy. All of our other drivers were in the other car. I woke up to Brittany merging from I80 to I15 in a pouring rain. She couldn't see the lines on the road and was just following our other car up ahead. She was nervous but did great, especially considering she's never driven on the Salt Lake freeways before.

After unloading the vehicles, checking on the dog, etc. I didn't get to bed until about 3:00am. I set my alarm for 5:00am and told myself I'd decide then whether or not I would get up to run with the guys at 5:30am. To my great surprise, and Karen's, and Larry, too I think, I did get up and ran 12 miles up Provo Canyon with Larry and Kent, from the mouth to Vivian and back.

It was overcast and seemed very humid to me. My shirt got very wet and felt heavy. I was content to just run easy, and averaged 9:04/mi for the 12.1 miles. I did push the two miles from Nunns to Timpanogos on the way back down. I ran the first mile in 7:11. My Garmin told me I ran 6:27/mi for the second mile, but I'm not sure I trust it. I sure didn't feel like I was running that much faster than the first mile.

After the run I showered then went back to bed about 8:30am and slept until after noon. I still feel a little tired, but I think I've managed to repair our recliner (fingers crossed). My goal for the rest of the day is simply to get unpacked and get rested and ready for tomorrow, Sunday, the day of rest, which is normally busy for me from early morning until mid-afternoon. I'm not complaining. Our wonderful trip to Tahoe is already abundant payment from God for whatever small service I can give back to Him. He's a very generous partner.

I went to the track with Larry and Kent this morning. Once again, they ran their 1/2 mile repeats while I did 1 mile repeats. Yesterday I told Larry that after a week of pleasure running at Lake Tahoe I was ready for a tough workout and was going to run 4 x 1 mile repeats at sub-7:00. When it came time to do it this morning I felt like maybe I'd bitten off more than I could chew. I decided to give it a go anyway. I remembered a couple of quotes from President Hinckley that I heard yesterday about just doing the best you can, and doing a little better today than yesterday.

It actually felt good pushing hard, in a "push your limits and find out what you can do" kind of way. As it turns out, I could chew what I bit off and ran the 4 x 1 mile splits in 6:48, 6:56, 6:55, and 6:50. Including the run to and from the track and the 1/4 mile rest laps I ran a total of 6.8 miles at 8:03/mi. I recovered pretty quickly and my body and spirit both feel good. I hope the rest of the day and week go as well.

Larry, Wayne and I started running the 2000 N route this morning. Coming back down the hill a couple of us decided that a stop back home for a bathroom visit might be a good idea. After the pit stop we went back out for the second half of the run, basically following the neighborhood 5K course in reverse direction. This was definitely just a conversational easy run, and that was fine with me.

Water tank hills with Larry, Wayne, Kent and eventually Kevin. Beautiful morning. I felt slow today, and my arthritic hip was a little sore, but I still pushed the hills in 16:35 and the last mile in 6:33...pretty good for me. I enjoy this run because I get to push uphill for about 1.5 miles, push downhill 1 mile, and just enjoy conversational pace the remainder of the run.

Wayne and I ran up to Provo Canyon and back. Although we both had tired legs, we decided to go 10 miles instead of the normal 6. We only averaged 9:07/mi, and the end felt like a 20-miler instead of a 12-miler, but it was still an enjoyable run, but one we were glad to have done.

Lindon loop with Larry, Wayne and Kevin. Easy pace. No zip in the legs. A little pain in left knee and right hip. Beautiful morning. Good friends.

I was thinking this morning that so far this year I've done quite a bit of running, but not a lot of training. I've always been kind of a "zen" runner, without a firm training plan or schedule. I think I kind of like it that way and don't plan to change. For me, running isn't something I do, it's more a part of who I am. I'm not as dedicated or zealous as many runners, but pretty steady and consistent. I don't just run, I'm a runner. It's a lifestyle. It brings me great happiness and satisfaction. Many of my closest friends are runners. I apply much of what I've learned from running to life, sort of a lens through which I see life. One of my favorite "happy places" is being out on a run, whether alone or with my buddies or in a race. I'm grateful to be able to run. I think if everyone started their day with an early morning run, the world would be a better place...but the running trails would probably get too crowded, and it would be harder to place in my age division. You know what, that would be okay. I wish everyone could taste the joy of running.

Larry and Kevin were hiking with the YW, and Wayne was at a cabin with his wife, so Kent and I ran down to Wil's, up the canyon to the fountain, and back home. It's good to see Kent back running. He and I don't run alone very often. I wasn't sure what we would talk about, but it didn't seem to be a problem. I really enjoyed the run.

I'm exacly sure where my fitness is. Next week's Provo 1/2 marathon will interesting...every race is an adventure.

THS track with Larry and Kent this morning. It was yet another beautiful morning. There seem to have been a lot this summer. I'm a little bummed about the days getting shorter, but there's still a lot of great running to be had between now and the St. George marathon in October.

I did 4 x 1 mile repeats again like last Monday, at about the same pace. One difference is that I ran the first two repeats consecutively, without a rest in between. My mile splits were 7:01, 6:49, 6:52, and 6:50. Overall I ran a total of 7 miles @ about 8:37/mi average, with a little walking mixed in.

I've been very cautious about stepping up my training this year, especially speed work. It seems this old body of mine is always on the edge of injury so I have to listen pretty carefully. To me going a little faster isn't worth the risk of not being able to run at all. So far so good...knock on wood. I tend to push my limits on race days, however. I'm looking forward to Saturday's adventure in the Provo 1/2 marathon.

I ran the 2000 N hill route with Larry and Wayne. The uphill is never easy, but overall this was an easy pace run as Wayne and I are tapering a little for the half marathon this Saturday. We plan to run the normal runs on Wednesday and Thursday, but not push hard, then rest on Friday.

Water tank hills with Wayne, Kent and Larry. Easy pace, tapering for Saturday's race.

Larry, Wayne and I ran the normal Cascade route this morning, but took it easy and cut off a mile as part of our taper for Saturday. I saw a little lightning and heard a little thunder as I got up this morning, but there was no rain.

Last night I finally started thinking seriously about goals for the 1/2 marathon on Saturday. I must be getting old because I was thinking I'd run it last year in 1:33 or so, but when I looked back I saw that I had run it in 1:29. I was almost shocked looking at my splits. All I remembered was the big hill on the highway and fading at the end and worrying about Josse passing me.

I'm not sure I have a 1:29 in me this year. I think I'll target 1:30 as my stretch goal, but I'll be satisfied with anything under 1:35. I must say, however, that there's a part of me that is urging me to "let 'er rip" and do a little limit exploration on Saturday morning. I haven't been doing a lot of speed training, but I've done a little, and my mileage has been pretty good, and I feel healthy.

I believe it was Tom that first called me a zen runner. I don't follow a strict training plan or race plan, but tend to consider the circumstances at hand (weather, buddies, schedule, etc.), listen to my body, and my spirit, and then try to run whatever feels right. I think this works for me because I have a tendency to overdo and push too hard. Neither my body nor my mind tell me to take it easy unless there is a good reason.

A great part of being a zen runner is never knowing quite what to expect. Every race is an adventure. There are so many factors that determine the outcome, and it's an adventure watching things unfold and watching how I respond and discovering what I'm capable of. Another great part of being a zen runner is not being too disappointed if my performance is less than what I hoped. The finishing time is only one measure of accomplishment. The experience itself is the adventure.

It will be interesting to see what unfolds Saturday morning.

I got up at 3:45am, picked up Lyle at 4:50am, caught a bus at Riverwoods at about 5:15am, then waited around for the start until a little after 7:00am. The weather was cool for August, and it was a little chilly waiting for the start, but it made for great temperatures during the run. The slight chance of rain didn't materialize, although the sprinklers along the trail near the end managed to get me pretty good as I was focused and working to pass a strong runner in front of me who looked to be close to my age. I managed to pass him and hold off his kick at the end.

I felt pretty good going into the race, but I didn't feel like my training was quite up to where it was last year. I was pleased to end up running the same time as last year, though the couse was different last year due to the fire. I think I ran the race better this year. I didn't push quite as hard during the early downhill miles and managed to hold a pretty even pace clear through the finish.

Miles 1-4: 6:46, 6:26, 6:43, 6:30

Down South Fork Canyon - Took it easy on the brief uphill sections and released the brakes a little on the steeper downhill sections.

Miles 5-6: 7:00, 6:48

Vivian to Bridal Veil - A little flatter.

Miles 7-8: 7:29, 7:19

Included the uphill loop from Bridal Veil and back.

Miles 9-13.1: 6:52, 6:54, 6:49, 6:55, 6:42, (5:13/mi for final kick)

Last year I ran the first mile in 6:07 and the last two miles in 7:28 and 7:21, and felt beaten at the end. This year I never bonked and held a strong, steady pace through the finish, including a strong kick. Not long after the race I felt ready for more. Maybe I'm in better shape than I think I am. That would be nice.

Last year my 1:29 time got 4th in my division. This year my 1:29 earned me 3rd place. The winner of my age division was exactly 1 minute ahead of me, certainly within striking distance. The only problem is that next year I'll be 50 and in a new age division.

I'm very pleased with today's race. I feel like I ran smart and pushed hard through the finish. I reached my stretch goal of matching last year's time even though I don't feel my training is quite where it was last year at this time.

The temperature was perfect. The day was beautiful. I wish more of my buddies could have shared it, but Terry, Tom, and Lyle all had great runs. All in all, I think it was a pretty good use of my time this morning.

Kent said Larry said Wayne might show up this morning. Neither Larry nor Wayne showed up so Kent and I went to the track alone. My legs were a little stiff from Saturday's race so I didn't push hard this morning. I ran along as Kent did his 1/2 mile repeats.

Ran the 2000 N route with Larry at an easy pace. We saw Lyle near the elementary school and he ran in with us. His legs were still a little sore from the race Saturday (as were mine), but he seemed pretty excited about meeting his goal of sub-2:00.

Water tank hills with Larry, Wayne, and Kent. My legs were feeling pretty much recovered from the race Saturday. I pushed the hills up (16:47), and the last half mile (6:22/mi), but at about 90-95% effort instead of all out.

I was encouraged by my performance Saturday. Part of me wants to bump up the mileage and speed, but another part of me wants to be careful to avoid injury. I'll just take it a day at a time and try to find the right balance.

Cascade run with Wayne and Kent.

Lindon loop with Larry, Wayne and Kevin.

We changed up our Provo Canyon run a bit this morning. We all wanted to go at least 16 miles. The mouth to Vivian is about 6 miles, so we started by running from the mouth the two miles down to Wil's Pit Stop and then back. Larry, Kent and Collin did 16. Wayne and I went 18 by adding one mile up South Fork and then back to Vivian.

We thought we might get rained on but it held off and the weather was great for running. It rained pretty hard for a while not long after we got back. I was grateful we didn't have to run in it.

Splits to Wil's and back: 9:27, 9:08, 9:42, 9:38 (all hanging together)

Up splits: 9:42, 9:27, 9:16, 9:29, 9:25, 9:07 (pulling away), 10:11 (South Fork), 9:51/mi (for 0.3)

Down splits: 7:47 (South Fork) , 8:21, 8:02, 8:05, 7:57, 7:36, 7:51/mi (for 0.9)

We average 8:55/mi overall for 18.2 miles.

I told Wayne I was starting to feel pretty tired with a couple of miles to go. That's when I noticed that the pace had dropped to sub-8:00. I was pleased to realize that I was feeling tired because we were picking up the pace at the end of an 18-miler, not because I was bonking.

I'm very satisfied with the run. I enjoyed it, held a respectable pace, and finished feeling tired but pretty good.

THS track with Larry and Kent. Larry was feeling ill and went home after a couple of warmup laps. I hope he feels better soon.

My legs didn't feel up to running hard this morning. While Kent was doing his 6 x 1/2 mile repeats, I decided to just do a 4 mile tempo run instead of the 6:50-ish 4 x 1 mile repeats I've done recently. I ran the first three miles at around 7:05-7:10/mi and the last mile in 6:48.

I was up late last night, and I've been really tired recently, so I chose sleep over running today. My legs felt tired yesterday, too, so I figured resting them a little before this weekend's Hobble Creek half marathon might not be bad. Unlike some people, it was hard for me to choose to sleep instead of getting up early and running. Personally, I would have preferred to run, but my body was telling me otherwise.

Water tank hills with Larry, Wayne and Kent. I didn't push the hills today, trying to save my legs a little for the Hobble Creek 1/2 this Saturday. I wasn't planning to push the last 1/2 mile either, but I couldn't resist picking up the pace a little. I had been talking about trying to equal this year my 1:26 finish at Hobble Creek last year, a 6:34/mi average pace. I was afraid of pushing the 1/2 mile downhill today and having it only be at around 6:30/mi pace. That would be discouraging to think of having to hold that pace for 26 times that distance. I decided to take the brakes off anyway. I didn't really feel like I was pushing all out, but still managed 5:58/mi pace. That is actually somewhat encouraging. The Hobble Creek race should be yet another grand adventure into realm of Paul's possibilities.

I ran 5 flat miles solo at an easy pace this morning. I had a hard time getting my tired legs moving, my hip was stiff and sore, and it felt hard to run a 9:30+ pace, so averaging 6:35/mi for 13.1 miles at Hobble Creek in two days should be a piece of cake.

Maybe I've waited long enough to file my race report that nobody will see it. Today wasn't my best run, but I feel good about it anyway.

First the splits. I think comparing this year to the last two years is pretty telling:

I woke up to discover two undesirable conditions: 1) digestive tract issues, and 2) an already warm morning with a forecast for near record highs.

I'm not sure if I was a little ill this morning, or if my digestive tract issues were simply the result of breaking my tradition of eating pasta or pancakes the evening before a race...I had a peppery steak and cheese sandwich from the Italian Place instead. Since it is now Saturday night and I don't feel sick, I suspect it was the sandwich. I didn't have an issue during the race, but after 4 potty stops prior to the race I felt a little weak and not quite 100%.

I decided to go ahead and run hard anyway to see if it was physical or mental. Looking back on the race, I think it was physical. As early as mile 2 things began to feel harder than they should, even though I was running slower than the past two years. By mile 4 or 5 I had decided I was just going to try to keep moving as fast as I could at a sustainable pace and try not to bonk.

You can tell by the splits that by mile 9 I was beginning to slow, which continued through mile 12. I think the heat was a factor. I think Josse passed me during mile 9, and Jessi passed me around mile 11. With about a mile to go I met up with Tom (not racing) who began to pace me and encouraged me to begin closing the gap on Josse and Jessi. A moment later Nathan caught up to me (despite his nursing a hamstring injury the whole way), It wasn't long before Nathan and Tom were pulling away, but they gave me enough of a boost to get me rolling the last mile. I caught and passed Josse (running on 5 weeks of training), but Jessi's kick matched mine and I couldn't catch her.

I feel good about hanging in fairly tough mentally even though my body wasn't at 100% today. I believe every race is an adventure, and today's had some unexpected challenges, but I feel good about my response and am happy with the results.

Update (official results):

Congratulations on finishing the Hobble Creek Half Marathon
on August 22, 2009.  For your records, the weather that day was
warm and beautiful.

There were 34 finishers in the Male 45 to 49 age group and
1100 finishers in the race.

Your overall finish place was 90 and your age group finish place
was 7.  Your overall finish percentile was 8 while your age group
percentile was 21.  Your time of 1:30:54.4 gave you a  6:56 pace per mile.

Complete results can be found online at www.SRCevents.com

If anyone checked my blog this week they might be wondering if I've been running. I have, I just haven't been blogging. It's Thursday night and I'm just logging Monday's run.

Monday Kent and I ended up going to the track alone. I normally do 1 mile repeats while Kent and Larry do 1/2 mile repeats. I guess I was still recovering a bit from the 1/2 marathon on Saturday because I didn't feel physically or mentally up to mile repeats. I decided to run the 1/2 mile repeats with Kent, mostly so I could rest more in between.

If I recall correctly, my times were something like 3:20, 3:23, 3:21, 3:17, 3:20 and 3:02. You can tell by the last split that I probably wasn't going all out the first five. Still, I feel like I pushed pretty hard for as tired as I was.

Larry and I ended up running alone this morning. I got in 1.5 miles before meeting up with him and we ran the 2000 N route, slightly modified. His dog Ozzie seemed to fall behind more than normal and we kept stopping for him. Now that school is back in I'm trying to get home by 6:45am for our morning scriptures and prayer. At 6:40am I realized I was still 1.5 miles from home, and Ozzie was nowhere to be seen again. Larry sent me home and went back for his dog. No...I didn't run the last 1.5 miles in 5 minutes. I was late and only made it in time for prayer.

Water tank hills with Larry and Wayne, and eventually Kevin. I didn't feel much like running this morning. When I told Larry this he asked who I was and what I had done with Paul.

When we reached the bottom of the hills and began our ascent I told them I was going to push hard to purge the "not wanting to run" business. I started up strong and never let up...and actually felt pretty strong all the way up...finishing the ascent in 15:29, a 25 second PR for this year.

Wayne and I add some distance at the top then began the easy descent with Larry. Around the bottom of hill 5 we say Kevin and his dog headed up. I encouraged him to finish to the top and said he could catch us. I felt bad that we weren't going to see much of him so Wayne and I doubled back before descending hill 1 until we met up with Kevin, at the bottom of hill 2. He was flying and pulled away from us pretty quickly. He slowed when he caught Larry and we all ran together until the last 1/2 mile.

We traditionally push the last downhill 1/2 mile pretty fast. Again, I wasn't really feeling like it but went for it anyway. Once I got moving I got in a groove and ended up running 5:53 pace for that 1/2 mile, another season PR.

It wasn't fast enough to not make me late getting home again. Doubling back (needlessly as it turned out) for Kevin was a mistake.

My good running buddies Larry, Wayne and Kevin decided among themselves to start leaving at 5:40am instead of 5:45am to give me a better chance of getting home on time. What great guys. The only problem was that only Wayne showed up today. We did meet up with Kevin later, but he had left far more than only 5 minutes later. This was a little more up tempo easy run. I got in a little over 1/2 a mile before meeting Wayne and ended up with 6.6 miles. Leaving earlier and running faster got us back by 6:35am, with 10 minutes to spare, which I spent walking and talking with Wayne and Kevin and still barely made it in on time.

We decided on an early 20 mile run up Provo Canyon, but later Larry called me at work to say that Wayne had something come up and wouldn't be joining us Saturday, and also that Mark Nelson had called and was planning to run to the top of Timp on Saturday. We have been saying how much we enjoyed it a couple of years ago when we did it and that we ought to do it again this year. This weekend is probably our last good opportunity. Larry was going to talk with Kevin and Kent. I guess I'll find out tomorrow morning if we're doing Timp or not.

Larry and I went out for 4-ish mile at an easy pace.

Today I ran to the shack on the summit of Mt. Timpanogos at 11,749 ft. The weather, companionship, and scenery were awesome. The wildflowers and other mountain flora were beautiful. I saw mountain goats, raccoons, and squirrels. I even got to witness a fairly vicious but brief dog fight dangerously near the edge on the saddle, between Larry's dog Ozzie and another dog.

My legs were still pretty tired from running up Timp on Saturday. I was just going to run easy around the track while the others did speed work, like Larry did, but I decided I liked the idea of walking/jogging every half mile so I ran 1/2 mile repeats with Kent. Splits: 3:40, 3:40, 3:39, 3:32, 3:21, 3:04. You can see that my legs felt better as I went along. I didn't feel like pushing hard until the last interval.

I ran an easy six miles on the 2000 N route. Quads were still sore from the descent down Timp.

A slow run up the water tank hills, partly because we're tapering for the Red Rock Relay, and partly because my quads were still a little sore.