In search of old age PRs

House to Liberty Park then gym.

Run from House to City Creek and then through downtown.  I was supposed to meet up with a running group early this morning, but a 7 AM start is pretty early on a cold, dark winter mornings.  I wish they would start at 8 AM, so the sun would be up.

Slow speed work on ice/snow covered track at East High.  7x200 with mile warm up and cool down.

House to Liberty then gym in heavy snow.

Powder run.  House to Sugar House Park then gym.  Tough conditions.

House to Fairmont Park then gym.  Nice sunny weather, but a little slick in spots.

Run from House to Davis Park then gym.  Great weather.  I've decided to run a snow 5K in Park City on Saturday morning...we'll see how it goes in the snow!

I ran the Park City Snowshoe Stomp 5K this morning along the rail trail.  They had a running shoe division, so I gave it a try.  I put a couple of hex-head screws into the heals of my shoes and off I went.

It was a small race with less than 150 (estimate) people.  75% were snowshoe runners.  The course was an out and back with slight downhill to the ½ point.  I warmed up on the course.  The only way I could keep any footing was to stay in the middle of the trail where other people had packed the snow down.  I would sink below my ankles on the middle edges and down to my shins on the outer edges.

I lined up in front to get a good start and felt fine the first mile (5:45).  I began to slip in the snow the second mile-it was not packed as well (6:51).  The third mile was extremely tough.  My legs and lungs were burning from the cold (15 degrees).  I had to run on the edges due to all the other runners on the trail.  The last mile was a 7:32 pace.  At the 5K point I was 20:57, but the course was long so at 3.27 my time was 22:00 (according to my GPS).  I should have an official time posted later this week.

Running in the snow is hard.

House to Jordan River Parkway then back.  Nice run through the downtown area.  I had some upper lung issues after the race yesterday, but hopefully clearing up.

Quick run from House to Sugar House Park then gym.

Quick run to gym.

House to Sugar House Park then gym.

House to Sugar House Park again then gym.

Emigration canyon due to inversion in Salt Lake.  Elizabeth and Lucas drove me to the top and I ran back to the house.  The air quality was really bad once I hit Ruth's.

House to Sugar House Park then gym in the nasty inversion air.  My back was giving me a lot of trouble today, so I went to the chiropracter this morning.  Changed shoes and went for an easy run.  I hope the problem is old shoes.

House to Liberty Park then gym in the nasty inversion.  My back was feeling a lot worse today.  After the first mile it loosened up a bit.  I now know what my pace will be like when I am an old man.  I may have to take a few days off if things don't improve overnight.

Today is the first day that my back cooperated with my running.  It was a little sore this morning, but I felt like going out for a run at lunch.  Did a run from my house up toward Hogle Zoo and back.  It rained the entire time, but my back felt fine.  I'm interested to see how it feels tonight,  I will skip speed work tomorrow, but would like to get 4-6 miles in. 

Run in heavy, wet snow today.  My back felt pretty good, so ventured out.  I received a sample CD from the "Teaching Company" and downloaded to my IPOD.  One lecture was on books that have made history (History of Rome) and the other was on Einstein's relativity and the quantum revolution (black holes).  It was a welcome change from music and steverunner.com.  I will probably check some out at the library for long runs.

Run around the Sugar House area today on the wet roads.  I've decided to put off the gym for another 5-10 days and hope my back fully recovers before starting again.

I'm working in Sacramento this week, so today I enjoyed a 55-degree run along the American River.  I drove to Ancil Hoffman Park and ran through the nature trails (opposite side of the river where the main trail is located).  This was a narrow dirt trail.  I saw 40-50 deer and 20-30 turkeys.  I'm not sure what you call a group of turkeys (gagel?), but the deer were a herd.  There were several very large bucks with 12+ points on their antlers.  I was a little afraid on a couple of close encounters.

All in all it was a slow run, but it is nice to be in the warm sun again swallowing trail bugs. 

Four awful hotel treadmill miles.

Quick night run around Liberty Park.

Emigration canyon with group.

Speed work out at East High School.  1.5 mile warm up and cool down with 7x 200.

House to Sugar House Park then gym.  Since I despise the gym, I've decided to do less weights at the gym and focus more on core exercises during the week.  

Run to gym with core workout.

Late run in Georgia (work).  Ran through Briscoe Park in Snellville.  It was chilly, but at least the air was clean!

Run from house to Liberty Park then gym in the wind and snow. 

Run from house to Sugar House then gym for core work-out.

Run from house up to Wasatch Drive then back down to gym for core work-out.

Quick night run from house to Liberty with core work-out.

Run with group from Capitol to Sunnyside in heavy snow.

Speed work at East High with snow on the track.  1.5 mile warm up and cool down with 7 x 200.

Run from house to Sugar House park then gym for core.

Run in heavy snow from house to Liberty Park area then core work at gym.

Nice sunny run in Harvard-Yale area then to gym for core.

Nice day for a run, but was short on time.  Quick run around Liberty Park then gym for core.

Run with group from Coach Bill's house in Bountiful then up to Hidden Lake via Eagle Drive.  Elevation gain of 1500 feet made for a tough, but rewarding run.  The weather was great.  Skied Snowbird later that day.

1.5 mile warm up and cool down at East High School track.  7 x 200.

No treadmill at hotel, so 30 minutes of boring spin in El Paso (outside weather was 82 degrees today...too bad I had to work).

Treadmill run at hotel in Fredericksburg, Texas.  Town looks runner friendly, so will wake up early and try the roads before driving to Austin.

Run Wednesday morning on the streets of Fredricksburg, Texas.  Temperature was in 50's and got about 6.3 miles in.  Then drove to Austin and worked then drove down to Corpus Christi where I did an evening run on the treadmill in the hotel (6.2 miles).

Morning treadmill run at hotel

Emigration with group.

1.5 mile warm up and cool down with 7 x 200 at East High School.  As I was running to the school, someone hit a large deer with a baby.   The baby deer ran onto the track and stayed inside the fenced area.  After about 10 minutes, the mother deer got up and walked off!

House to Sugar House Park then gym for core.

House to Liberty then gym for core work.  Run in shorts and short-sleeve shirt.  The temperature had to be above 60 degrees!

Quick run before the rain and snow.  House to Sugar House then gym for core.  My feet have been hurting the last two weeks.  It may be time to retire my Asics Nimbus.  They have about 350 miles on them.  I was hoping they would hold up better!

I did my Sunday speed workout today at East High track.  I knew I would not be able to run on Sunday so I switched my "off" day.  1.5 mile warm up and cool down with 7 x 200. 

Elizabeth and Lucas came up to the track when I finished and Elizabeth ran 4 x 200 with a 1/2 mile warm-up.  Lucas must have ran 1/2 mile too!

House through Sugar House area then gym for core.  It was snowing when I started, but stopped while I was in the gym.

Run with group in Kerns.  Indian files with 6 fast intervals.

Run in cold, windy and rainy Chicago...I guess it beats the snow.  Ran from hotel to Navy Pier along Lake Shore trail.

Run with the boss along Lake Shore in Chicago.  It was cold and windy, so I had to give him my hat!  Nice run minus the wind.

Lake Shore run in Chicago in the rain, but warm (wore shorts).

Cold and windy along Lake Shore in Chicago.  Ran past Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium and Solider Field.  Followed up with core.

3/26/09: Updated my overall place and divsion place.  Also, edited my time to reflect official results.

I'm not sure of my overall place or division, because it has not been posted.  I believe my time is accurate, but there was no clear finish line.  I believe I was probably top 8 with 1st or 2nd in my age group.

I heard some runners grumbling at the start that the course was longer than last year.  Apparently, it was just under 3 miles, so the race director pushed back the start line and move the turn around point closer to 11th Avenue.  This meant a longer hill at the start and longer uphill to the approximate 2 mile mark.  I was hoping to come close to a PR, but with the extended uphill and my tough week at work I knew it was going to be hard.

It was cold with a head wind at the start.  First mile climbed 195 feet.  I ran 6:17 split, already way off pace.  I was now just hoping for a good showing.

Second mile averaged out flat with the uphill to 11th then the drop to Memory Grove Park.  I ran 6:21 split and was getting easily passed.

Third mile was down Memory Grove with a 249 feet elevation loss.  I ran a 5:48, which is what I wanted the entire race.

I finished the last 0.14 at a 5:37 pace and did not feel too bad at the finish.  The course distance was true and I feel pretty good going into the Spring/Summer training.  Next week is Moab!

Hard run from House up toward Mt. Olympus (Mill Creek).  Nice hill climb of almost 1000 feet.  I was more disappointed today with my 5K race from Saturday, so I decided to punish myself on the hills.

Easy run around Liberty Park.  My legs were sore from the hill workout on Sunday and I want to be fresh for the Moab 1/2.

I took Tuesday off because my left ankle was hurting.  It was feeling better today so I did a 1 mile warm up and cool down then 3 x 1200 at the track.  I tried to work on my Moab Half pacing running at sub 6:30 pace.

Run around Liberty Park at an easy pace.

It was a nice day for a race.  I stayed in Castle Valley which is above the start of the race.  The Inn ran a shuttle to the start at 9:00 AM, so it was a leisurely morning.  I highly recommend staying above the start line before this race. 

It was unusually warm at the start, so it was going to be hot at the finish.   I did a 2 mile warm up before the race and decided to lower my goal from 1:30 to 1:25.  Below are my splits:

Mile 1: 6:17—I watched a lot of people take off and pass me.  There must have been 20 girls in front of me.  I knew the majority of the pack would have a rough time once the actual race course flattened out.

Mile 2: 6:25—Found a nice rhythm

Mile3: 6:23—Began to look for targets as I move up

Mile 4: 6:23—Passed by a shirtless guy.  I decided to follow him

Mile 5: 6:20—Stayed on the shirtless guys heals even when he surged

Mile 6: 6:17—Moving good through the aid stations.  I was making good time on people while they slowed to drink.  I kept my stride and would try to take one big sip without slowing

Mile7: 6:21—Shirtless guy is starting to slow.  I decide he is done and began to look for a new running partner

Mile 8: 6:23—I did not wear my music for this run and it was starting to pay off.  I can hear most of the runners laboring to breath, so I could find/hear a good steady runner

Mile 9: 6:17—Big hill coming up.  I skipped my plan to take GUI here.  I thought it would slow me down and my legs were feeling fresh

Mile 10: 6:30—Up the hill.  Past most of the girls I could see by now.  There would be one more out of the canyon, but I never had a chance on the other 2 female finishers

Mile 11: 6:28—Two people pass me as we run on Main Street.  I always have a hard time finishing on this section

Mile 12: 6:36—Main street is dragging on, but no more people passing me

Mile 13:6:34—Nice to see the finish line.

Mile 13.1--:39 seconds…Garmin time of 1:23:59, but not finish--came through at 1:24:16.  I was able to talk, walk, eat and run after finishing so I know I left some extra time on the course.  Overall, I’m happy with the race.  The winter maintenance program appears to have worked.  I am looking forward to the summer race.  I will leave the MP3 at home for races now.

Slow run in the snow from house to zoo with core at finish.

I ran to Highland High School for speed work, but found the track demolished.  Looks like they will have a new track this Spring.  I ran around Liberty instead then to the gym for core.

Tempo work at East High.  1.5 mile warm up and cool down with 3 x 1200 at sub 6:00 pace.

House to Liberty Park then core.  A little cold and windy today, but could still run in shorts.

Fun race and well organized.  This little High School 5K was stacked with some of Utah’s best runners.  I knew the race was offering money to the top 3, but I was surprised by the talent that turned out (Teren, Emily, Hobie, Seth 1 & 2, Mary Ann, Thatcher, Fiddy, etc…).

It was cold at the start and windy.  The wind became a tail wind at the start and it was a big aide (along with the 300 feet of elevation drop).  There were 3 little hills, but nothing major.  I warmed up with the group for about 4 miles and then it was race time.

Mile 1: 5:28.  Elevation drop of 48 feet with the largest hill/climb at the start.  I saw 51 year old George at the start and decided I would try to hang with him as long as I could.  Lots of people in front of me, but they begin to slow down about 0.75 into the race. 

Mile 2: 5:36.  Flat area before Wakara and on Foothill, but still good drops on Wakara and Sunnyside.  Elevation drop of 137 feet.  I begin to lose contact with George.  He is starting to speed up and pour it on.  I try to find a new running partner.  I was able to pass a few more people and can see one of my running buddies (Craig).  I decide to try to keep “visual” contact with him.  There are several fast women in front of me and I could watch them race.

Mile 3: 5:32.  Drop down Sunnyside then on to East High track for ¾ lap.  Elevation drop of 126 feet.  I can still see Craig, but get passed by two women who were flying.  I was actually running fast, but still getting passed.  I really need to do more speed work.

Mile 0.1: 5:30/mile pace.  This was run on the track so no elevation changes.  I was able to see Craig about 200 meters in front of me finish.  I could not muster up a kick to try and pass two close competitors.  I could see the clock on the track and saw I was way under PR, so this influenced my effort.  I was all smiles on the track. 

I finished feeling great and PR pretty easily (previous best 18:29-flat course last Fall).  It was fun to meet Mary Ann and some of the other bloggers.  Elizabeth and Lucas were at the finish to cheer me in.  We let Lucas (2 years old) run on the track after most of the runners had come in.  He loved it.   

Uphill both ways in the snow!  Well, it felt like it.  House to Huntsman Cancer center then back.

Nice warm run in Paso Robles, CA.  The hotel suggest I run on the shoulder of Hwy.43 West, but the road was busy, so I ventured off some rural side streets.  I headed north on Arbor then made a west turn on Live Oak.  The road turned to gravel with rolling hills and took me down large tracts of land with rows of grapes.  The road ended at L'Adventure Winery.  I did not see a car the entire four mile stretch.  This was a really cool run.  It made me miss California.

Long drive from Paso Robles up to Fairfield today.  Did a late run around the Green Valley area in some very nice neighborhoods.  Spring is in full swing in California.

Speed work at East High.  1.5 mile warm up and cool down with 7 x 200 followed by core.

House to City Creek followed by core.

Skied all day yesterday at the Canyons.  The snow was perfect.  My legs were sore at this start of the run today, so only did 13.  Ran first half easy then second half at race pace (JRP--north).

Perfect weather today.  Run from house to Sugar House park with some trails.  Core and stretching afterwards.

Run in Dawsonville, GA on very rural roads.  I had to watch for pick-ups and dogs.  Nice run with great weather.

Tempo work at Dawsonville High School after working in Atlanta.  1.5 mile warm up and cool down with 3 x 1200 followed with core.

Lay-off after Easter.  Run in North Carolina on trails.

Finally, back home!  Quick night run around Liberty Park.

Elizabeth ran the Salt Lake 1/2 today and Lucas ran the 1K (?).  They both ran the entire distance!  Later in the day, I did speed work at East High (1.5 mile warm  up and cool down with  7 x 200).

Ran City Creek with Jason Rose on Sunday morning.  The weather was perfect and we planned to go further up the canyon, but the snow got too deep.

House to Sugar House park then home for core.  Great running weather!

I ran to the track to do speed work, but there was a race meet going on, so I ran up to the U and back to the house.

Now that the days are longer, I've begun 2 a days (hopefully once or twice a week).

Morning: 1.5 mile warm up and cool down with 3 x 1200 at East High School followed by core.  Total of 6 miles.

Evening: 5.6 miles to Sugar House Park

Slow, easy miles around Liberty park this morning.  There were 40-50 Army or Reserve guys doing a time trial.

Run with group in Kerns followed by 2 mile March of Dimes walk.  Kerns workout included tempos, intervals and hill kills.

Speed work at East High.  1.5 mile warm up and cool down with 7 x 200.  It was snowing during my work out!

I got a quick run in before flying out of town--House to City Creek area and back followed by core.

My first run in a true sand storm.  Late day run in Palm Desert.  The outbound 3 was easy with the wind, but the return was brutal.

Morning workout in Palm Desert.  I hope today will be a "two-a-day."   3 x 1200 tempo runs with 1.5 mile warm up and cool down.

Night run in downtown Palm Springs of 5.05 miles.

Early morning run in Palm Desert in strong winds followed by core.

Speed work at East High.  1.5 mile warm up and cool down with 7 x 200.

City Creek Canyon in the rain with JasRo.

House to Sugar House Park.  Also, stopped by the pharmacy to drop off a prescription.

House to Avenues then toward Memory Grove Park followed by core.

6 miles morning tempo work out at East High track.  1.5 mile warm up and cool down with 3 x 1200 at 5K pace followed by core.

6.02 miles in the evening.  Run from House to Sugar House Park.

Interesting run today in the Hispanic section of Colton, CA.  Once I left the park area, I ran into prostitutes, transvestites, pimps and a teenage gang.  The weather was nice and hot, but not the best choice of courses.  

Run with group at Draper Park.  Two loops on Porter Rockwell trail with some sprints and tempos.

Speed work at East High with Jason.  7 x 200 with 1.5 mile warm up and cool down.

House to Sugar House park with some trails in between.

A little back pain today from hard work in the yard on Sunday, so went to the chiropractic doc for a quick adjustment.  I plan on a follow up on Thursday.  Easy run from house to Avenues/Federal Heights area.

Run from house to zoo.  I'm planning on a two a/day tomorrow, because my back is feeling better.

Morning track work out.  We DVR LOST last night and stayed up past midnight watching it, but still got out of bed at 5:45 for the run.  3 x1200 with 1.5 mile warm up and cool down.  Found out this morning that our Wasatch Relay team has a 3 PM start.   I've been assigned LEG 1 (13 & 25), so that puts me running at 3 PM, 10:40 PM and 7:53 AM.  At least we can sleep in on Friday.  The 10:40 PM run should be interesting...8.5 miles down New Trappers Loop at night.  Total Relay miles will be 18.5...I'll sleep good that Saturday afternoon.

6.25 House to Sugar House park on some trails.

First leg of relay.  1.3 mile warm up followed by race.  Splits:

Mile 1 5:30

Mile 2 5:54

Mile 3 5:55

Mile 4 5:59

Mile 5 5:56

Mile 6 5:57

Mile 7 5:54

Waited for Coach Bill and ran the remainder of the half with him at 7:00 pace.  Next, ran to exchange 4 at easy cool down with Travis at about 8:00 pace.  I believe our team finished 2nd overall in the relay with a respectable time of 2:57.

I had to fly to Dallas Sunday night, so no running.  I was also a little sore from Ogden on Saturday.  Got back to Salt Lake Monday night and ran around Sugar House Park.

Hill workout from house to City Creek through Avenues followed by core.

Run in Boulder after working at the University.  It was a late evening run in the trails around the campus were packed with runners and bikers.  I followed the trail along the river and up into the mountains...great trail!

I had to stay an extra night in the Denver area, so I ran on some trails again in Boulder.  Boulder is a great city for running.  There are trails absolutely everywhere!

Speed work at East High School.  7 x 200 with 1.5 mile warm up and cool down.

Up City Creek Canyon and onto the trail with Jason then back down.

House to Sugar House park with some trail

Hot run in Tulare, CA in residential area.

Night tempo work at East High.  1 mile warm up and cool down with 4 x 1200 at sub 5:45/mile pace.

Urban city run from house to Brigham Young's house.  I tired a pair of New Balance 1063 today.  I've never seen a shoe like this from NB.  It seems too modern for NB!

Run with the group in Kerns.  Interval work out with 6 x 600, 4 x 400 and a fast mile tempo.

East High School track work out.  1.5 mile warm up and cool down with 7 x 200.

Easy run from house to Liberty Park.  I'm having a small issue with achilles tendinitis, so taking it easy this week.

House to Sugar House park

Run in the Avenues area

House to Sugar House park

The plan was to run the Wahsatch steeplechase route from City Creek, but once I reached the top of Black Mountain, I realized my water belt pouch was open and my car remote was missing!  Luckily, my cell phone was still there.  I ran the trail all the way back down with no luck.  I had to call Elizabeth and Lucas to get me into my car.  So, if anyone finds a car remote on Black Mountain its probably mine...REWARD!  It was still a great run.  It was probably in the 30's up top with a little snow.  I will try again next week. 

First run back after tough run last Friday on the Wasatch Steeplechase trail.  I have been sore for the last four days.  I felt like I ran a marathon...I think I will try it again this Friday.  Today, ran up Emigration and back to the house.

House to Sugar House Park in the rain

Tough run on the Wahsatch Steeplechase route.  The course is much harder than I anticipated.  The top of Black Mountain is pretty difficult to navigate and the back side down to City Creek was very muddy and overgrown.  Good luck runners!  I saw four big snakes, at least fifty lizards, hundreds of butterflies and one deer.  Great hill work out and I know I will pay for it over the next couple of days.

GA run

5.1 Miles: First leg of the Wasatch Back Relay in the heat.  We had a 3 PM start.  My goal is to run 10K pace for all three legs of the race.

8.5 Miles: Second leg of the race at 10:30 PM.  One mile up steep uphill of Snowbasin, then screaming down hill for the remaining 7.5 miles.  Stayed on 10 K pace.

Last leg of WBR.  Started this leg at 7:48 AM.  Felt good first 2 miles then started to crash.  Still finished a little over 10K pace.  

The team finished 14th overall, so good showing.   We were 20 minutes over our sub-24 hour goal...maybe next year.  I enjoyed the 3 PM start because you got to pass a lot of teams.  I ran past 63 runners and luckily BYU did not pass me at night!

First run back from WBR.  Easy run around Sugar House Park.

Tempo work at East High School (4 x 1200).  There was a skid's ummer camp for track going on while I was running.  It was fun to see the 200 five to ten year old kids running hard.

Speed work at East High school.  7 x 200.

Sugar House Park

Run with group from Capital to above Hogle Zoo

Run to Sugar House Park

4 x 1200 at East High School

Run above Hogle Zoo and up Kennedy then back to house.

Run in Vacaville, CA. on a very hot evening.

Run on old railroad track line in Tulare, CA.  I found the Santa Fe bike and dirt trail about a mile from my hotel and followed it east until it ended at a canal and grape field.  It was a late evening run, but still 96 degrees at the finish.

Diagnosed with the flu today, so no running for the next couple of days.

Decent race today at the Murray 5K.  I was not feeling great when I woke up, so I did not expect to much (flew home from Oakland late Friday night).  The Murray race always has fast people, but I was surprised that 18:10 took 2nd in my age group.

Mile 1: 5:37--Way to fast for the uphill climb.  I would pay for this in the later miles.

Mile 2: 5:53--Closer to pace, but struggling to stay with the pack.  A guy named George passed me here.  He always passes me in 5K races in Salt Lake.  I need to stay ahead of him if I want to run in the 17's.

Mile 3: 6:04--I was done, but could see the first place female closing in on me.  I also passed a couple of peope which was a surprise.

Mile 3.1 0:34 (5:17)--Did not get chicked!  I should have had more kick to place two spots higher, but not bad with all things considered.

Wahsatch Steeplechase route with Craig and Jeremy.

Run from house to Sugar House Park.  Legs were very sore from running the Wasatch Steeplechase route on Sunday.  Also, have not been able to shake my cold that I picked up on Friday.

House to Hogle Zoo and up Kennedy Hill.

House to Memory Groove Park then back home through the downtown area.

Tempo work at East High late in the day.  1 mile warm up and 1 mile cool down with 4 x 1200.  A couple of fast runners training on the track tonight (sub 5:00 pace), but I did not recognize them.

First run back from the swine flu.  It was very hard to breath.  I can see why people with respiratory issues have such a hard time with this type of flu.  Ran a slow pace and tried to gauge my "readiness" to run with the group tomorrow.  Ran from house to Sugar House park.  I need a quick recovery, because my weekly mileage needs to go way up to be ready for the Pocatello marathon in early September.  

Tough work-out in Kerns with group.  Still pretty weak from the flu,

but ran one good 1.7 mile tempo.  Around mile 10 it got very hot and

began to cramp.  I was glad to see the finish.

Speed work at East in early morning.  7 x 200 with warm up and cool down.

Early morning run from house to Sugar House park.  Ran slow because I would like to get a long run in on Tuesday.

Early long run from House up Emigration canyon and back down.  Lots of bikers out early in the morning.  Ran easy to the top and a good pace back down to the house.  Luckily, a little cooler and breezy this morning, so one bottle of water was enough for the run.

I received an invitation to run a road race with my company's corporate team.  The race will be in Breda, Netherlands.  They have asked me to run the 5K, 10K or 15K.  The race is on October 4 and I have business meeting later that next week in Holland (perfect planning).  The problem is the long flight with little rest before the race.  I plan to arrive October 3 (Saturday afternoon), but its probably best if I do the "easier" 5K race.

Not very sore from the long run on Wednesday, so did a nice 10K run around Sugar House Park.

Quick run from the house on trails for 1/2 the time.

Another hot and humid Deseret News 10K.  I was amazed at the elite runners that showed up for a chance to win $1500.  The winning man, Alene Reta, is incredible.  I tried to stay with him the first 5K, but then had to slow...lol.  Those guys are amazing.  I have never seen a more stacked field at any race.  It was cool to be at the start with elite local and national runners.

I jogged from my house to the start (about 3 miles) and was sweating pretty hard when I arrived.  Unfortunately, there was no hydration at the start.  I hit the portta-potties really quick and talked to some running and blogging friends then tried to squeeze my way toward the front.  Below are my splits:

Mile 1: 5:33--I was feeling strong, but lots of people were passing me.  I knew not to go out too fast, so stayed back (in hindsight this may not be the best way to run the DN 10K)..

Mile 2: 5:38--Nice mile.  Starting to catch people that passed me earlier.  I could see several women in front of me and I begin to reel them in. 

Mile 3: 5:59--Tough little hill up to South Temple, but I was planning about a 6:00/mile pace here.  Runners are no longer passing me.

5K Split: 17:48--Right on Pace.

Mile 4: 5:57--A lot slower than I wanted down South Temple.  I get passed by a guy pushing a jog stroller!  Crap!

Mile 5: 6:00--Made the turn down 200 East and catching lots of runners, but I know my pace is toast.

Mile 6: 6:22!!--Half marathon pace!  I guess I'm more of a 8K runner.  This last mile blew my 36:00 goal out of the water.  I'm now just trying to pass people (and not get passed).

Mile 0.22--Ran at 6:05 pace.  I caught several runners toward the finish, but one guy flew by me like I was walking. 

All and all, not too bad.  I ran pretty hard this week (mileage wise) trying to come back from the swine flu that put my marathon training mileage behind.  With a little more rest, I should get the sub 36:00 next year.  It was still a PR.  Watched several other running friends come in and everyone had a good race.  Kudos to Craig who smoked the course.  I didn't know he could run that fast--2nd in his age group.  Also, apparently, a water stop was missing, but I rarely take hydration during a 5 or 10K (will just slow you down). 

On vacation on Edisto Island (low country of South Carolina).  It is incredibly humid.  Ran a little over six miles and sweated like a ran a marathon.  Ran along the beach and through the local areas.  Found a nice bike trail I will explore later in the week.  Also, saw two alligators near the running path...crazy. 

Early morning Edisto Island run while on vacation.  Hot and humid. 

Early morning Edisto Island run while on vacation.  One of my nephews ran 1 mile with me.

Ran the entire island this morning.

Early morning Edisto Island run while on vacation.  Hot and humid again.

Last run on Edisto before returning home.  The runs were difficult due to the humidity.  I'm glad to get back to Utah.

Out and back course from house up Emigration then Pine View early this morning.  Relaxed, easy pace up then marathon pace back down.  This is the longest run I've done this year.  I will try to get a 22 and 25 miler in before the Pocatello marathon.

Speed work at East High.  The track was very crowded this morning.  There were about 10 runners and a large group of middle school cheerleaders on the track.  Ran 1.5 warm up and cool down with 7 x 200.  My legs were sore from the 20-miler on Monday.

The miles are coming easy this week.  Ran 10 late in the day without water.  I also ran in new Asics Cumulus 10 shoes.  These are my current favorites.  I've been looking for a new shoe for over 3 years.  I use to run in Filas, until they changed the design and I've been looking for a new shoe(s) ever since.  I still have a pair of Saucony Pro Grids I need to try.  I like my Saucony Fast Twitch for races, so hopefully it will be my second training shoe.  If you need a review on any neutral, high-arch shoe, let me know and I can fill you in.

My 2 year old has a virus.  I hope I don't get it.  I can not afford to lose another week to the flu.

Tempo work at East High.  1 mile warm up and cool down with 8 x 800.  The track was packed again this morning.  A group of middle school cheerleaders took up most of the track after turn 2.  There were also 3 or 4 fast runners with a coach.  I'm not sure what the they are training for, but they looked to be young college guys.

Long run from house to Emigration.  The temperature was perfect.  I had a good pace coming back down into the Valley.  Just one more long run, then Pocatello!

My legs felt pretty good after yesterday's 22 milers, so did some speed work at East High (7 x 200).

Evening run from House to Sugar House Park.

Hard hill work out this morning.  Ran from home up to Wasatch/Devonshire drive on the East Bench. 

I also found out today that my Aunt can not go on an Alaskan cruise with my mother and her other sister.  It kind of stinks since we purchased it as a gift and it is nonrefundable.  I debated about going myself, but it is the same weekend as the Pocatello marathon.  I would be OK with it if my Aunt had a good reason or would have told me "NO" last month when I bought her tickets.

I decided to try a new trail run today, but unfortunately I chose unwisely.  I ran/hiked up a very steep Mount Olympus.  Coming down was not much faster and I fell once...hard.  Also, I did a poor job planning my hydration needs.  One bottle of Gator-aide is not sufficient to run Mt. Olympus in the middle of the afternoon.  Elizabeth was pretty worried when I called over 2 hours late.  I had to promise to run with my cell phone on all future trail runs.  The view at the top was incredible and I saw a really neat snake.

I was planning on 10 x 800 repeats in the morning, but it may have to wait until evening.

After my disaster of a run on Wednesday, my body is ready for a break.  I was planning on 10 x  800 on Thursday, but my toe and legs were killing me.  It was all I could do to run 4.5 easy today.  I have a 24 mile run planned tomorrow, so I hope to be over the "hurt."

Nice run in the rain this morning.  I was sore the first 3 miles, but the pain went away in my foot, toe and leg (Mt. Olympus fall).  I ran at a good pace, about a minute slower than marathon race pace.  I felt great and fresh at the end , probably from the cool temperatures and rain.  

7 x 200 at East High School with warm up and cool down

Easy run from house to Sugar House park.  The weather was nice and chilly.

Tough interval work out this morning at East High track.  This was my final track session before my marathon.  The track was packed with the Salt Lake Track club, cheerleader camp and the normal walkers.  I ran 12 x 800 with a 2:46 average pace.  I gradually speed up with the first one being the slowest and the last being the fastest (the track was slowly clearing out through out the morning).  I hope I'm not too sore for Hobble Creek on Saturday.

Early, lazy miles to Sugar House Park then faster back home.  I tried out some new shoes that may become my racing "flats."  They are the Asics Speedstar 3.  They weigh about 1 ounce more than the Fastwitch, but have a lot more cushioning.

Taper run around Liberty Park

A new PR on a very fast course.  Things started late, so it was already hot at the start.  I was feeling really sorry for the 2+ hour guys out there today.  We had an interesting exchange at the start of the race.  Apparently, some dude and his family rented the "entire" campground and did not want people using the bathrooms at the start line...good luck with that.  He actually asked the runners to "keep it down," because his family was sleeping...seriously...wake their arsses up and come watch the start of this race!  BTW-we all used the bathroom. 

Mile 1: 5:46  We quickly formed a group of about 10 runners with two females (one was Mary Anne, but I do not know the other).

Mile 2: 5:47  The group stayed together and people took their turn at the front.

Mile 3: 5:49  I was feeling pretty good, so lowered my race target from 1:18 to 1:17.

Mile 4: 5:45  My running friend Craig begins a little push and we start to break away and lose runners.  Craig is out front by himself but there are still 5 of us in a pack with one female (we lost Mary Anne here; I believe she was having a tough day).

Mile 5: 5:49  Still in a good group.  I can still see Craig.  He has become my race target and I follow him all the way to the finish.

Mile 6: 5:48.  We lose the other female runner and begin to prepare for the climbs.

Mile 7: 5:53 First climb up toward the golf course.  Things are getting very warm now.  A Runners Corner guy takes off from the group after his friends on bikes ridicule him about going slow.  He quickly gaps me, but I try to stay close.

Mile 8: 5:44 Nice recovery after a small climb.  The Runners Corner guy is now cruising.  He was sandbagging the top.

Mile 9: 5:57 We are now on the trail and it has some tough little rollers.  The RC guy has passed Craig and is probably running sub 5:00 now. 

Mile 10: 6:05 I'm on my own now for the rest of the trail.  I can hear a couple of runners behind me, but try to focus on my pace.

Mile 11: 6:13 A very gradual uphill section.  I get passed by another runner that appears to be flying.  I know I'm slowing down and try to focus on getting back up to speed.

Mile 12: 6:17 Turn into the sub-division when side-stitch pain hits.  It has been a couple of years since I've had one of these in a race.  I did a very poor job hydrating at the water stops and I was now going to pay the price in the hot sun.  Two more guys pass me.

Mile 13.1: 5:33 Home stretch running hard.  I do not want anyone else to pass me and I'm trying to catch Craig and the other two guys between us.  My side-ache was still hurting, but I tried to run through it.

Total time in at 1:16:30.  The last mile was work, but I didn't feel completely spent.   This is a fast course and if they would start earlier or on-time this could yield even faster times.  Nice run and nice finishing area.  Most of our Runamok group PR'd today.  The awards ceremony was delayed and the race officials kept complaining about age group placers or male/female bib changes.  If you are going to bandit the race or run with someone else's bib number, please don't let them scan you or take your race number...better yet...don't go through the finish!  I'm sure they will be even bigger Nazis about the race bibs next year.

Mike Vick won the Men’s divisions.  He seems to win it every year.  They should probably change the name of the race to honor him.  Also, Lindsey Dunkley won the woman’s around 1:12…that’s incredible-almost a course record.  She could easily qualify for the Olympic Trials with that speed.  Meet a few bloggers at the start and can say I beat Walter-lol.

Recovery run from house to Sugar House Park.  It took several miles before my legs began to work again.

Short run from house around Liberty Park.  Legs feel a little more recovered today, so will try to do a good run on Wednesday.

Marathon pace work on the track at East High School.

I drove the Pocatello marathon course yesterday evening.  The second half is going to be challenging.  The course actually starts on the East side of I-15 then runs south of Pocatello before following the highway north back into town.  I had no idea of this by looking at the course map!  Here is a quick overview:

The start is rural and steep.  It will be hard to hold back the pace the first 3 miles.  It probably drops a total of 600 feet the first 5K.  Also, I believe the road is open to traffic, but you really need to cut the tangents on all the curves up top.

There is a slight out and back at mile 7, but not much of a climb.  Also, a nice hill around 10.5 that stretches for 0.2 miles followed by a steep, short climb up to Inkom road around 12.25 (0.1 long).  Most of the course elevation drop ends at mile 13.5.  At this point you follow the freeway north back into Pocatello.

From mile 14-20 there is little shade as you have RR-tracks on your left and I-15 highway on your right.  Several rolling hills on this section between miles 15/16 and after mile 19.  There is a good drop at mile 17.5 to the 18.0 mile marker.

At mile 20.5 you go under the freeway and up a long hill (0.4).  This will be undoing of most runners.  Once you reach the top you are now on 5 lane highway!  You won't leave the 5-lane road until mile 25.5 where you turn into the park.  There is also a gradual 0.4 hill after mile 23.  This will be a very hard section.  You can also see the road for a very long ways!

The finish is at Ross Park and is heavily shaded.  It looks like a great place to finish, but is flat.

I'm excited to run the race next week and hope it will be fun.  It seems very comparable to Top of Utah, but it has some very long road stretches on the second half (places where you can see the course for miles).

Run from house to above Hogle Zoo (Kennedy) then MP back home.

Met the group at the Porter Rockwell trail early this morning.  I ran the first 5-6 mile easy, then the remainder at MP pace. 

I volunteered to drive the Sag vehicle after my 11.5, but had an issue with finding REVERSE in a Coach's old Toyota 4x4 truck.  It was pretty aggravating and embarrassing.  The 4x4 gear selector was labeled on the upper transmission control, but it was actually for the bottom gear selector...a little detail that took me 15 minutes to figure out.  So, I spent 15 minutes trying to get 2H, 2L and 4L into REVERSE!  I missed the runners on the next to last Sag stop and felt horrible.  So, here's some good info for the next SAG driver of Coacc's truck:  Use the gear selector labeled 4-WD (also the BRAKE light stays on all the time).

PS: Coach Bill recommended 5/4/3/2/1 of 200's five days out before my race in Pocatello.  I will give this a try starting Sunday.

Warm up and cool down with 5 x 200 at East High School

Warm up and cool down with 4 x 200 at East High School

3 x 200 at East High.  The track has been very busy this week with school starting.  I'm glad my marathon is on Saturday.  My mileage has been low this week, but the 200 meter sprints are wearing me out. 

2 x 200 at East High School

Last run before the marathon.  1 x 200 with warm up and cool down.

Great PR race for me today.  Bloggers filled the top 4 spots (excellent job Jeff, Kory and Bill).  This is a great small marathon.  The course sets up a lot like Top of Utah.  This course is probably a little harder with the steeper climbs the 2nd half.  

The race director does a great job with this race.  I walked out of my motel at 4:55 AM, got on a bus and it left promptly at 5:00 AM.  I was off the bus by 5:30 AM and had just enough time for the warm up and porta-potty then on-time 6:15 AM start.  

The first half is where the entire drop is.  I believe I was around 1:23 coming through the half.  The half marathons were all on the side of the road cheering like crazy.  It was a great boost.  The 10K and 5K people did the same thing.  It was nice to run by them before their race started. 

The second half is not very scenic and pretty difficult.  It has several rollers and a large hill at mile 21.5.  It's funny; I didn't see any wildlife until mile 22 in town.  I almost stepped on a coiled up rat snake!  Crazy!  Last 10K was pretty hard, so my spilt was around 1:29. 

I ran most of the race by myself in 3rd place.  I ran the start with Angela (women's winner) then caught up to Bill Mandler and ran 1-2 miles with him. 

The finish was a kid's paradise.  They had free "blow-up" toys the kids could play in and FREE cotton candy and FREE BBQ with baked potato!  For SWAG we got a very nice gym bag, the best long sleeve technical shirt I've ever received, a cool medal and a large bag of potatoes with hash browns!  This is a great race and the people and volunteers in Pocatello were wonderful.  I highly recommend it.

Splits:

Mile 1-6:13 Drop then small climb then more drop.  I was around 10th at the start.

Mile 2-6:23 More drop and runners are settling into their pace.  Most of the rabbits are reeled back in.

Mile 3-6:08 Feeling pretty lose, so I set my goal down a little.  I wanted to be out of the canyon in 1:26, but with this much drop I decided to take what I could get then.

Mile 4-6:13

Mile 5-6:14

Mile 6-6:15

Mile 7-6:33 Out and back climb.  You can get a good look at the leaders and other runners on this climb and return back to the main course.

Mile 8-6:14 Dropped hydration at the water stop...arg!

Mile 9-6:16

Mile 10-6:10

Mile 11-6:16 Dropped hydration again...this time I stop and go back!

Mile 12-6:10

Mile 13-6:21 Course begins to flatten out

Mile 14-6:13 Half marathoners gave me a boost with their cheers

Mile 15-6:24 Course begins to hit the rollers.  I hope to stay sub 6:35 for all the miles until the big hill on 21.5

Mile 16-6:36

Mile 17-6:47 Oh no.

Mile 18-6:36 Better

Mile 19-6:27

Mile 20-6:36

Mile 21-6:48 up the big hill and no cramping.  I would have been happy if the course ended there.  You also hit a 5 lane road here and will run it almost all the way to the park/finish.

Mile 22-7:20 Paying for the hill.  I almost stepped on a snake!

Mile 23-7:05 Looking for Bill in my rear view mirror.

Mile 24-6:57 At this point I knew I could break 3:00 even if I walked in. The aid station people said they couldn't see anyone behind me--lol.

Mile 25--7:16 Finally getting off the 5 lane road!

Mile 26--8:02 High-fiving and coasting in.

Last 0.2 at 6:49 pace. It was great to see Elizabeth and Lucas at the finish!  Ran the last 0.05 with my 2 year old (Lucas) and he loved it!

I had 26.2 at 2:52:02, but I probably did a poor job with the tangents up top.  The road is not closed, so you have to look and listen for cars as you run that section.

First run back since the marathon on Saturday.  Legs felt pretty good, but feet were sore.  I'm not much of a fan of Asics Speedstar, although I really like my Asics Cumulus training shoe.  I need to find a new marathon and 1/2 marathon racing shoe.  I'm debating about running the Greek Festival 5K this Saturday.  It is always a fun event, but the course stinks (Gateway area).  I will try to go to the track on Friday and see if I have any speed back before deciding.

Well, I have a pretty nasty cold today, so no running.  I also, will not run the Greek Festival 5K tomorrow, which I really enjoy (great raffle prizes, Sasha)!

Back to running again after my illness.  I was going to take it easy, but I was running the same course as the East High School CC team.  So, I had to stay a few steps ahead...lol.

I'm debating about a February marathon or just waiting until next Fall.  I'm undecided, but I had success with the 1-marathon-a-year strategy this year.

Also, I have a corporate team race the first of October in Holland.  I need to get my butt on the track and get ready for a 5K.  I feel a lot of pressure, since the owners coordinate a seminar with me participating in the team race!

I was planning on track work this morning, but could not get out of bed in time before school started (track is closed during school hours), so ran up to Hogle Zoo above Kennedy Drive.

I'm thinking of running the Lost Dutchman in Arizona on Feb. 12.  It looks like a fun and challenging small marathon.  The airfare for me and my family is a little high ($750 for three), so I'm thinking about asking the race directory for a comp entry since I should place in the top 5.  I feel uncomfortable asking, but I know you do not get anything unless you ask!  If I don't run this race, I may not run another marathon until October of 2010, since we are expecting another baby in early April.  

Speed/Tempo work to try and lower my 5K time.  I ran 6 x 400 below 5K pace.  Track was busy again this morning at East High School.

So, the Lost Dutchman marathon comp'd my entry!  The race director actually sound excited to have me come run it.  Its weird, but now I feel some real pressure to have a good race.  I hope this new found "pressure" can motivate me through the winter training.  I traditionally have not had very good Spring marathons; however, this one is in February!

Group run up Emigration.  I drove the SAG, but still got some good miles in.

7 x 200 at East High School with warm up and cool down

5 x 800 with warm up and cool down on a desert road in Primm, Nevada.

I have run every inch of paved road and parking lots in the City of Primm, Nevada.  There are a couple of dirt roads that turn out toward the desert and into the mountains, but I would have to jump over fences to access them.  I will either trespass tomorrow or get some 400's in next to I-15.

The Primm hotels are a little dicey, but the buffets are all Vega$.  I feel like its Thanksgiving with all the food I'm eating.  It's hard to pass on great food that's dirt cheap.

6 x 400 in sunny Primm, Nevada on an empty desert road.

Run with Coach Bill's group around Capitol area.

7 x 200 with warm up and cool down at East High.

Hill run from house to Avenues.

More speed work at East High this morning.  Warm up and cool down with 6 x 400.  The XC team was out running early this morning on the track the opposite way, so I did the 400's in lane 8.  I always run a little too fast when there are people on the track.

Run to Sugar House park.  I really enjoy running in cooler weather, although I could have done without the wind.  I also went in for an adjustment at the chiropractor.  I feel much better and looser after seeing him rather than a massage therapist, but I still think he is a quack.

5 x 800 at East High with warm up and cool down.  There was snow on the ground at the track!

Fun 5K race today in Breda, Netherlands.  I was little jet-lag and out of sorts due to a cancelled connection and a re-routing through Paris, but 20 hours later I made it to my hotel for a few hours of sleep  before race time. 

This was a company team race that consisted of the top 3 times in a 5K event, 10K event and 15K event.  Since I was worried about my jet-lag, I was entered into the 5K.  I was actually on a team with several teenagers whose families work for my company.  They were all very talented kids.  My boss and company owner put a little pressure on me to do well.  It was strange having your job future rely a little on your race performance!

The race started at 11:00 AM (3 AM MST) and I immediately hooked up with 15 year old Luc out toward the front.  There must have been about 10-15 runners in front of us.  Our goal was to be under 18 minutes.  On a flat, sea-level course I thought this would be easy to obtain even with the jet-lag. 

The course had many turns taking you along the canals of Breda.  I ran the course earlier in the morning and got some good photos and most of the village residents were at the race. 

Mile 1: 5:25.  I wanted to make sure my body would respond to the travel and I actually felt very relaxed.  The weather was cool with a little wind.

Mile 2: 5:47.  Right on pace.  Running with Luc, we settled into a nice groove running.  We passed several “rabbits” during this mile.

Mile 3: 5:42.  We picked the pace up the last 800 meters.

End: 0:38.  Total 17:32.  Luc pulled away from me the last 200 yards.  I could not keep up with his kick.  I was surprised how much the 15 year old had in the tank.  He did great and I was pleased with my time-a PR on a flat, true course.  At the finish, I really felt I should have run the entire race at a sub 5:30 pace, since I never felt winded or tired.  Usually, during all my races I get this urge to walk.  This urge lets me know I’ m running a good pace, but it did not happen today.  I actually felt a little disappointed at the finish…I wanted to keep going!

Our third runner was another teenager (Joris) and he came in around 19:30.  We finished 2nd overall and my company won a nice trophy and we received an additional medal.  For participating in the race, I got a nice reflective vest and all the beer, ham and cheese sandwiches I could eat or drink.  Our 10K and 15K teams did well and everyone was happy with their race times.   It would be fun to run the 15K course if I could arrange an earlier arrival to Breda to get acclimated to the time change.  

Run this morning around the city of Breda.  I stayed next to the canals for most of the run.  One of the canals lead through Stadspark Het Valkenberg which is now a park, but use to be the royal grounds for the ruling family in Holland.  Some of the structures such as the canal station and castle are over 500 years old.

Later today I will be working in Ermelo.

After a long day in a sales seminar, I got out for a 10K run through the forest of Ermelo, Holland.  It was cold and rainy, but the dark forest made for a fun run.  

Another run through the Ermelo forest area.  I did some wet and muddy trails today and found a look-out stand.  Up top you could see across the region and onto a Dutch army training field.  

Only time for a quick 4 miles down a new trail in Ermelo.  The first sunny day of the week!

Run around Sugar House Park.

7 x 200 at East High School.

House to upper Avenues.  Nice hill run.

Quick run around Liberty before flying out to Texas.

Tough run in Corpus Christi, Texas along the waterfront.  The temperature and humidity were high, so lots of sweating.  I can take the heat, but the humidity really drains you.

Tough hot and humid run in Corpus Christi.

7 x 200 at East High School.  The gate was locked, so I just climbed over.  Another 5 people followed me.  I guess the guy sleep in today.

Fast run down Emigration Canyon.  There was a strong head wind, but the temperature was perfect.

Nice cool run from house to Sugar House Park.

New loop course from House up to Hogle Zoo then around Wasatch and back down into the Sugar House area.  

Another new loop run from my house up to the Avenues then across the U campus and back down into the Harvard/Yale area.

Outside loop of Sugar House park.

Run with JasRo up Mill Creek.  Tough run, but the weather and scenery were great.

7 x 200 speed work at East High.

Run in the "Industrial" area of Denver, Colorado BEFORE dark.

Cold run around Sugar House park.

Run up past Hogle Zoo and then across Wastach before heading home.

Quick run around Liberty before heading to the airport to pick up my mother-in-law.

Nice run up City Creek this morning with JasRo.  We hit snow and ice the last 1/2 mile at the top, so it made for some fun winter running.  Luckily, the water was still on and the bathrooms open in City Creek.

Did some quick trail runs in Red Butte Gardens.  I have never been up to the "Stone House," so that was pretty neat.  The Gardens had some Deer exits in the far east corners, so you could enter and exit the garden trails if you wanted to.

My Garmin 205 is officially toast.  It was turning OFF during runs (last 3) and I found one of the pins that connect the electronics to the screen was broken off from sweat corrision.  It appears that sweat enters the battery sound holes and touches these pins.  It is a very poor design for a running GPS.  I will  not buy another 205 or a 305 model for this reason.  I used it for about 1.5 years and the pin can not be repaired.  Luckily, my 201 has dried out and is working OK.  I may look at the 405 or another brand.  Any suggestions?

Today I ran Wheeler Farm while Lucas, Elizabeth and my mother-in-law checked the farm out.  I had a pit bull dog jump up and bite a hole in my old St.George shirt...stupid dog...stupid owner.  The guy felt bad, but you can not have a dog like that running around Wheeler Farm with all those toddlers around!  Stupid guy!  He immediately loaded up his dog and left.  I hope he buys some dog obedience classes for him and his dog. 

Other than the dog excitement, the run was nice.

I have begun tempo work again at East High in preparation for a February marathon.  I did 4x1000 and will add one every week until the end of December when I switch over to 800's.  I plan on continuing my 7x 200 on Sundays for speed.  Track work twice a week is a little draining, but I know it helps me improve.

I saw BJ coaching at the track.  He was a little disappointed with his Kona Ironman.  Apparently, he had trouble with the run.  He is recovering now, but will be back at it soon.

Also, I ran with my old Garmin 201.  It seems so antiquated. 

Warm weather run around Sugar House Park.

Speed work at East this morning.  7 x 200.

I got back this afternoon from a wedding in Atlanta and  had to get some miles in.  Tough hill work out from my house to Avenues then up City creek and back.

Warm run in Lubbock, Texas.

Trail run next to the highway in Lubbock.

No chance to run yesterday in Texas and I was forced to run in the cold rain tonight at East High.  I ran 5 x 1000 after warm up with a cool down.  

Cold, early morning run around Sugar House Park.

Snow run above Bountiful.  We started close to the Temple than ran to the top of Eagle Drive.  It was a crazy run in the snow, but a good turn-out.

7 x 200 at East High late in the day.  It was my first run in tights...suck!

I ran the Hogle Zoo loop backwards today up 1300 E.  My old Garmin Forerunner 201 "marked" me somewhere up Emigration, thus I ran 10 miles in record time.  Its time to buy a new Garmin.

OK, so I know Sash makes some money and supports this site with advertising, but I am getting a little tired of reading that I can cut 3 lbs of my belly fat every week by using this 1 "weird old tip"... here's a tip:  Get off the couch and go for a run.

Sugar House Park on outer trail.

6 x 1000 at East High with warm up and cool down.  Afterwards, I racked leaves.

Run from house up to Avenues.

Nice run with group early morning Downtown then up through the Avenues into City Creek then back down toward the library.  We followed up with a pretty intense running theory seminar from Coach Bill.

7 x 200 at East High before the night snow.

Lunch run around Sugar House park.

Run  from house above Hogle Zoo then back home along Wasatch.

I took my two nephews to the track to play football while I ran 1000's.  After every lap that ask me if I was done (so I would play with them).  I got a 1 mile warm up and 7 x 1000 in before relenting to play QB.

Human Race 5K down in Draper with the family.

Tough speed work out at the Kerns Oval.  Warm up, cool down, 6x 60 meter strides and 12 x 200.  On about number 7 or 8 on the 200's I ran up on a guy doing mile tempos and we raced to the line.  He beat me, but then about puked (Tyler?).  It was fun, but I had 4-5 more to do.  I was done.

Trail run above Red Butte.  Probably the last off road run of the season.

House then up to Miller Park then over to Sugar House Park and back.  Nice late afternoon run.

Interval work at East High school.  Cold and dark for 8 x 1000 at 5K pace with mile warm up and cool down.  I will probably take this workout up to 9 next week, then drop it to 800's with one and a half months away from the marathon.

I was in West Jordan this afternoon for a Healthfair heart attack and stroke exam.  They bascially do an ultrasound on your heart and aortic vein looking for issues.  Its just a routine deal that I do every 5-10 years, since heart issues run in my family.  I should have the results back in 2-3 weeks.  I am pretty positive everything is in proper working order.

After the exam, I drove over to Jordan River Parkway at Gardner Village for a cold and windy 7 miles.  I have run this section often, but it has been a few years.  Not much on the trail has changed, but they are running the new TRAX line next to the Parkway for about 1 mile.

House to Wasatch and around Hogle Zoo before returning down Sunnyside to the house.

Emigration canyon run with the group.  It was a cold early morning run, but nice and sunny at the top of Emigration.  We ran back down into Salt Lake and the weather was cloudy, cold and windy.

Icy speed work at East High school.  7x 200 with warm up and cool down.

Cold and slick run around Sugar House Park.  Luckily, I'll be going to LA later in the week.

Cold Hogle Zoo run.

Long day off work today due to canceled flights out of Salt Lake to

LAX.  Had no choice but to do a late night run on the treadmill and its

50 degrees outside!

Another painful night run on the treadmill in the LA area.  It was 58

degrees outside today.  I could not find a way to run during daylight

hours this week!

Good morning work out with the group out in Kerns.  We did an icy and snow run the included 6 x 400 intervals and a nice one mile tempo.  We also warmed up with several Indian file sprints at the start.  This work-out took the place of my 9x1000 I was planning on during the week.  I'll try to get a long run in on Sunday.

I waited for the snow to stop today, but it never did.  I ran up to City Creek then around to Hogle Zoo before heading home via Wastach and 13th South.  It was a heavy wet snow and my feet were soaked.  I had my winter screw heads in my shoes, so I didn't slip but I was still ankle deep in snow.  There was more traffic then I was expecting, so a very frustrating run.

Shorts are back!  Nice run around Sugar House park and back home.

Intervals on a wet and icy East High track.  4 x 800 with warm up and cool down.  Another runner showed up about 1/2 through my work out with 2 large dogs that would nip and bark at me while I ran.  I asked him to put them in the truck until I completed my work-out.  He did, so no problem; however, no dogs are allowed on high school property--FYI.

Speed work at the East High track.  The track was still in bad shape, but I was able to get in my 7 x 200.

Sugar House Park loop in the dark.  When I got home Elizabeth and Lucas had left for the store, so I was locked out for 45 minutes.  I eventually was able to get into the basement to stay warm!

Run with group around City Creek and up above Hogle Zoo.  I got a little extra distance in by running up the canyon.  There was a tough wind coming out of Emigration, but after the turn around at the top of Kennedy the sun came up and we kept a good pace coming back in.

7 x 200 at East High in the smog

Escaped the smog inversion by running above Emigration.  I ran up by Little Dell lake on the closed snow pack road.  It was sunny and warm up Emigration (at least 10 degrees warmer).  I also saw 4 moose near the lake  I've found a new winter road to run!

Run around the XC track at Dawsonville, GA High School.  Nice, wooded path with rolling hills.

6 x 800 with warm up and cool down on a windy day in Dawsonville, GA. (High School).

Speed Work at Swain County High School in North Carolina.  7 x 200.

Steep trail run along Deep Creek into the Great Smoky Mnt. National Park.

Run in Bryson City, NC with my nephew.

Snellville, GA. run around Park.

Quick morning run in Snellville, GA. before driving to family in Alabama.