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Provo Freedum Run

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Location:

Orem,UT,USA

Member Since:

Apr 03, 2006

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Age Division Winner

Running Accomplishments:

HS/COLLEGE:
mile: 4:56, 2 mile: 10:21 (1978)
marathon: 2:52 (St. George 1982)
OLD MAN (20+ years later):
5K: 19:53 (Nestle/Art City Days 5K 2007)
10K: 39:55 (Spectrum 10K 2008)
half marathon: 1:26 (Hobble Creek 2008)
marathon: 3:07 (St. George 2007)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Get back to a BQ marathon time (currently 3:40).

Long-Term Running Goals:

Have fun running, keep fit, and fight middle age spread. Run consistently and injury free. Maintain a healthy balance between running and other life priorities. Encourage my ever-aging running buddies to keep running so we can continue to share runs on the trail instead of rocking chairs.

Personal:

Blessed to be married to Karen for 30 years. We have six children (4 daughters/2 sons) ages 16 to 30, and one wonderful granddaughter.

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Altra Instinct 1.5 Lifetime Miles: 83.50
Altra Lone Peak 1.5 Lifetime Miles: 21.80
Saucony Guide 7 Blue 2 Lifetime Miles: 376.95
Saucony Fastwitch 6 Lifetime Miles: 200.05
Saucony Guide 7 Black 1 Lifetime Miles: 271.15
Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.456.959.000.003.0026.40
Saucony Guide 2 Miles: 6.00Saucony Trigon 5 Miles: 6.00Saucony Guide TR Miles: 6.20
Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
2.750.253.000.000.006.00

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.

Saucony Guide 2 Miles: 6.00
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Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
0.000.006.000.000.006.00

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.

Saucony Trigon 5 Miles: 6.00
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Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
2.700.500.000.003.006.20

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.

Saucony Guide TR Miles: 6.20
Comments(2)
Race: Provo Freedum Run (6.2 Miles) 00:45:00, Place overall: 120, Place in age division: 4
Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
2.006.200.000.000.008.20

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.

Comments(1)
Easy MilesThreshold MilesMarathon Pace MilesTrack speed mileageHill mileageTotal
7.456.959.000.003.0026.40
Saucony Guide 2 Miles: 6.00Saucony Trigon 5 Miles: 6.00Saucony Guide TR Miles: 6.20
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