Run like a horse

AM

3 miles w/jogging stroller

Time 21:57

Avg Pace 7:18

I thought about the SoJo Marathon a lot yesterday. After a in-depth review and talk with my wife I am going to do it. My wife said that she would be mad if I hurt myself doing it, so I have got to be careful and avoid injury on this one. I’m starting to get excited, I have a plan for my FIRST MARATHON!!

PM

2.03 mile warmup

6 x 1600m w/3min rest

Time/Avg HR/Peak HR/Following rest avg HR

1-5:40/ 163/ 174/ 120

2-5:37/ 168/ 176/ 122

3-5:42/ 166/ 175/ 122

4-5:40/ 166/ 176/ 125

And then I put on my big boy underwear

5-5:33/ 170/ 178/ 129

6-5:34/ 170/ 179/ 131

2.13 mile cool down

My last 1600m interval session was way back on July 28th. I had averaged 5:44.3 for that workout The HR was comparable if not a bit higher for the July session during the running. But the July session had significantly higher HR on the rest phase of the workout. I went in to this workout with a goal of 5:40 miles. I averaged 5:37.6, that 6.7 seconds better than the July workout. I am feeling really good about that. It is nice to know that all the hard work and long runs are making a difference.

Time 42:31

Avg pace 7:05

This was just enough to get some recovery form yesterdays 1600's and get ready for tomorrows 22 miler. I have to admit I am a little excited to do 22 miles.

Time 2:27:53

Avg pace 6:43

Avg HR 150

Peak HR 172

WHAT A GREAT RUN! I have been told to hang out with those you want to be like. Well I want to be a better runner than I am now, so I did this run with Rob. He put together a fantastic run that started up East Canyon and covered the Des News course down to Wasatch Blvd, then ran south to the park and ride. My Garmin says that the run gained 1,251 ft and descended 2,596 ft. That turned out to be a perfect course to brake my all time long distance run record of 18 miles. Now that I have done a 22 mile run the marathon feels a lot more attainable.

We started the run just a bit before 6:00 am. The temperature was about 45 degrees, perfect for a marathon. It was still dark and would be for quite a while. I’m glad that Rob was smart enough to bring a headlamp. This really help keep the cars off us.

We had planed to run about 7:00 min pace. I’m glad I was planing on this because if I knew the pace would be so close to my marathon race pace I may have chickened out of the run. As it turned out 6:43 avg was perfect. In fact just about everything about the run was perfect. We enjoyed some fantastic views, good course that I had never run on before and a quality runner to pound it out with. This was a great way to end the week!

1- 7:10, 161, +46/-218

2- 6:38, 144, +36/-139

3- 6:46, 151, +65/-41

4- 7:26, 157, +137/-0

5- 7:15, 156, +140/-100

6- 6:20, 140, +12/-237

7- 6:27, 138, +0/-240

8- 6:32, 140, +0/-168

9- 6:39, 140, +0/-144

10-6:32, 142, +33/-168

11-6:22, 144, +17/-145

12-6:27, 145, +40/-173

13-6:38, 139, +15/-145

14-6:38, 152, +71/-38

15-6:39, 154, +34/-42

16-6:39, 155, +73/-212

17-7:20, 159, +312/-69

18-6:53, 155, +86/-65

19-6:26, 152, +0/-88

20-6:28, 150, +36/-80

21-6:42, 156, +67/-34

22-6:48, 156, +26/-41

Thanks Rob!

Time 57:17

Avg pace 7:09

Today my legs feel so sore and heavy, and I love it. The important part is that they do not hurt, I don't have any pain. I was nervous that jumping form 60 to 82 mile over one week was asking for an injury. I just did the Mexican hat dance all over the 10% increase rule. I feel like I just blew through a proverbial speed trap going 82 in a 65 zone and getaway with it!

Time 1:12:00

Avg pace 7:11

Avg HR 139

Peak HR 166

Today is just one of those days that you run because you know you will regret it tomorrow if you don't. I didn't get nearly enough sleep last night and today has had a lot going on. I just let my legs go what ever pace they wanted to today. I'm sure that I will sleep well tonight.

AM

6 miles w/jogging stroller

Time 42:31

Avg Pace 7:05

This is my longest run to date with a jogging stroller. It went fairly well.

PM

12.01 miles

Time 1:25:06

Avg pace 7:05

Avg HR 140

Peak HR 154

Tonight I ran in my new Nike free run shoes. They are very light, and have a good feel to them. They felt a little odd when I first put them on, but I attribute that to them being new. I think They will work out well.

My run was a good cap to a high millage day for me. It felt nice and smooth, that is except for the unplanned urgent stop at the gas station. I think I need to wait more than 20 minuets after dinner to do my runs. Maybe give my food more of a chance to digest.

AM

5 miles w/stroller

Time 35:57

Avg pace 7:11

Another 5 miles closer to my marathon.

PM

8.15 miles

Time 57:49

Avg pace 7:05

It feels so odd to be on the front page of the mileage board this late in the week. I'm not going to complain about it though:)

AM

4 miles/w stroller

Time 28:19

Avg Pace 7:04

Feeling good this morning. I'm looking forward to the speed work tonight.

PM

2.0 mile warmup

12 x 1000m w/45 sec rest.

I was looking for a good lactic threshold workout, and boy was this ever it. I would have liked to pace the workout better to have more of an even negative split to it, but that just didn't happen. I think I would have had better pacing if I could have run the intervals with some other people, but we all know how hard it is to get groups together for workouts, especially mid-week. That being said I am happy with the workout. I feel like it did the job it was designed to do, that is push my lactic threshold.

Time, Avg HR, Peak HR, Rest Avg HR

1- 3:38(5:50 pace), 159, 167, 148

2- 3:37(5:49 pace), 165, 172, 153

3- 3:41(5:55 pace), 163, 170, 155

4- 3:38(5:50 pace), 165, 174, 159

5- 3:39(5:52 pace), 164, 172, 156

6- 3:39(5:52 pace), 166, 174, 160

7- 3:38(5:50 pace), 168, 174, 161

8- 3:39(5:52 pace), 168, 175, 167

9- 3:38(5:50 pace), 170, 178, 163

10-3:38(5:50 pace), 171, 179, 168

11-3:39(5:52 pace), 173, 179, 166

12-3:32(5:41 pace), 175, 182, 167

Ya I know I put the mile pace conversion in the list. I just rarely do 1k intervals, and I am just not familiar with the times.

2.11 mile cool down

Time 50:54

Avg pace 7:16

Today I focused on slowing down and working on my form. I felt surprising good after the LT work yesterday, but this is still the highest mileage week that I have done in a decade. So taking it easy today was defiantly warranted.

Time 1:45:42

Avg pace 7:02

Avg HR 149

Peak HR 167

Today I did the first 15 miles of the SoJo Marathon course. I'm glad I got out there to take a look at the course. Now I know a bit more what to expect on race day. I plan to do 22 mile run on the last part of the course next week.

I stopped to pick up my first water at mile 6 and noticed that some dang critter beat me to it! The top of the water bottle had teeth marks and wholes in it. I was not about to risk getting sick though, so I dumped it. My next, and only remaining, water was at mile 11. Then I started to notice how warm and windy it was. I know some of you are tough enough to run 20 miles with out a water stop, but I'm a wuss for hydration. Even with one water stop I could see myself running 6:30 avg on that course. It would not be easy, but a marathon is not supposed to be easy.

Time 48:55

Avg Pace 6:59

I ran on one of my more hilly coursed today. It felt really good to open up the throttle a bit here and there.  It was just enough to make sure I remembered  where the gas pedal is.

Time 1:08:51

Avg pace 6:47

Avg HR 157

Peak HR 174

I ran around Liberty Park today because I was looking for someplace flat that didn't have stop lights for my tempo run. My plan was to hold the tempo pace for 8-9 miles. But, that was just not in the cards today. I pulled the plug after only 6 miles at pace. I'm sure some of the problem was that I was just not prepared mentally for a that hard of a run, and some of it may be the fatigue from the higher millage that I have been running recently. In either case I am disappointed to not get to at least 8 miles.

splits, HR

1-7:01, 148 Warmup

2-6:12, 164 Tempo start

3-6:18, 168

4-6:16, 168

5-6:14, 168

6-6:24, 168 this is a problem

7-6:17, 173

8-7:30, 145 recovery run

9-7:38, 145

10-7:56, 139

.13-7:50,139

Looking at it now I can see that I carried the same effort though the 6th split, but my fitness level started to slow me down. The following mile was significantly more taxing as shown by the elevated HR, but I should have been able to do another 2 miles. GRRRR!

AM

3 miles w/stroller

Time 21:04

Avg pace 7:01

PM

8 miles

Time 58:49

Avg pace 7:20

Avg HR 136

Peak HR 145

This was just an nice easy scenic slow run. I wanted a run that would give my legs a chance to rest up for tomorrows hard workout. I don't want any excuses at the end of tomorrow, just some sore legs and fast times. I could use a good solid well run workout. And I am going to get it!

AM

4miles w/stroller

Time 29:10

Avg pace 7:17

Just a good little wake up run.

PM

2 mile warmup

8x800m w/400m jog

Time, Avg HR, Peak HR, Rest HR

1-2:51.8, 154, 166, 142

2-2:43.8, 168, 175, 147

3-2:46.0, 167, 175, 146

4-2:47.9, 165, 175, 145

5-2:50.0, 167, 173, 145

6-2:45.3, 168, 176, 145

7-2:48.0, 170, 177, 148

8-2:48.5, 170, 177, 149

Average time 2:47.6

Is Yasso right??? Do I Have any holes in my training that would make this prediction inaccurate in my case? I guess I will find out on October 15th. 31 days left to put it all together. This is going to be quite a ride.

2.12 mile cool down

Mean while enjoy these marathon signs I found online.

"In our minds, you're all Kenyans."

"Your feet hurt because you are kicking so much butt!"

"Your legs will forgive you...eventually."

"Don't stop -- people are watching."

"Worst Parade Ever" <-- I love this one.

"That's not sweat, it's your fat cells crying."

"If it was easy, I would do it."

"Run like you stole something."

"This is easier than labor and delivery."

"You're not slow. You're just enjoying the course."

"Stop reading this and keep running!"

"Beat Oprah!"

"Puke and rally!"

"Don't worry, toenails are overrated."

"Run like someone's chasing you."

"It'll feel better when it stops hurting."

"Mortuary ahead....look alive!"

"If I ran it, by God, you can, too."

"Chuck Norris never ran a marathon."

"Staying up all night making this sign was hard too."

"You are NOT almost there." (seen at mile 1)

"The end is near." (Sign held by man dressed as the Grim Reaper at mile 21 of the 2010 Marine Corps Marathon, which was on Halloween)

AM

5 miles w/stroller

Time 36:50

Avg Pace 7:22

Wow my calves are sore this morning. I really need to work on my form after this marathon and fix some things.

PM

8.0 miles

Time 59:01

Avg pace 7:22

I wanted a nice slow run but I still wanted to do it over some hills. I ran east toward the mountains and back. I am still sore but it was a very nice run.

Time 43:36

Avg pace 7:16

Nothing to it, just an easy 6. I'm saving up for my long run tomorrow morning. I plan on doing to last 22 miles of the SoJo Marathon. I am very excited.

Time 2:29:38

Avg pace 6:35.7

Avg HR 149

Peak HR 177 (on the first mile)

I ran the last 22 or so miles of the SoJo Marathon course early this morning. I tried out my marathon breakfast that consists of 3 pieces of whole wheat toast with peanut butter. I also used the drink from the book “Born to Run”, water, lime juice, chi seeds, and a little sugar. Both seemed to work out great. I felt comfortably full and well hydrated during the run. I was a little concerned about leaving my car at 5:30 in the morning on the side of the road on Bacus Highway, but that turned out just fine.

I could not have asked for a better run. I felt strong throughout the entire workout. I know I didn’t take my usual easy run pace of 7:00 plus minutes, but I wanted to push my self a bit on this run. I’m not going to classify the pace as marathon pace simply because I know I can go faster come race day. I always felt like I had more in the tank on this run.

This was a very encouraging workout leading up to my first marathon. I think I will do well come race day as long as I can avoid doing anything stupid between now and then that will get me injured. I am more excited than ever for race day.

No run today. I was thinking of taking off for a little 3-5 miler but I have a cold and still feel tired after spending most the day in bed. So today I’ll take some passive recovery.

Time 1:12:16

Avg pace 7:16

Avg HR 143

Peak HR 154

Nothing to it, just an easy 10. Feeling a little under the weather, but nothing will clear the sinuses like a good run.

AM

4.25 miles w/Stroller

Time 31:39

Avg pace 7:27

I thought I would give my boy a little different scenery this morning, so I ran around liberty park. What a beautiful morning!

PM

9.13 miles

Time 1:04:01

Avg pace 7:01

Today I would have normally done some sort of speed work, LT, or Tempo run. But I just didn't feel like my body was up to it yet so I'm going to save it for later. I did round out this run with 4 x 100m strides if that counts.

AM

4 miles w/jogging stroller

Time 29:29

Avg pace 7:22

I'm glad I waited to do the speed work till today. I feel much better today than I did yesterday.

PM

2 mile warmup

3x1600m w/3min rest

Time, avg HR, Peak HR, Rest HR

1-5:38.4,163,173,109

2-5:37.4,165,173,109

3-5:35.0,164,174,112

2.18 mile cool down

I had planed on doing 6 however when I was warming up I felt a twinge in my right foot. That twinge steadily grew into a significant pain, so I shut it down. I was very disappointed to quit the workout early, but I am not going to risk what I have already worked so hard for, just to get a tiny bit more. Like Ed Eyestone once told me, "The hay is already in the barn".

Today I went to the gym and used the dreaded stationary bike for an hour. I HATE this thing. But, it is the safe move with my sore foot. I just don’t feel like I get any good cardio form the stupid thing. Ya, I can make my legs tired and sore, but that doesn't get my pulse up to the same level as a good run.

Time 57:20

Avg Pace 7:09

This was just a test run to see if my foot is ready for some more running. I wanted to get a up to 8 miles and was pleased that my foot didn't seem to object to much. There is still some lingering low grade soreness, but I don't think it is anything that ice and Ibuprofen cant handle.

Dirty Dash and Piglet Run.

I had promised my son for some time now that I would take him up to do that dirty dash. My foot be damned, I was not going to let him down. All the same I didn't have any problems with it today.

For those of you that are strictly competitive runners, this event is not for you. I won't be classifying this as a "race report" because I used it as a tempo/speed workout. I even hesitate to call it that. I did have a blast though.

Against my wife's better judgement, I dressed up in a blue morph suit for the race. For those of you who don’t know what that is, picture a head to toe suit made out of blue spandex. This covers the face and every other square inch of skin. It has the same effect as a scary version of the Blue Man Group. It was surprisingly easy to run in, that is until the face got wet, then it was like breathing through a wet shirt, and wasn’t much easier to see through. However it dries fast so let the fun continue.

I ran a hard interval pace between the obstacles in the race in order to get a good workout, but I have no idea how long it took me. I don’t think the time is relevant when it includes, sloshing through wait deep mud, climbing through corrugated tubing, trudging through 200m of waist deep water, climbing over wooden walls and the like, all in a morph suit.

The fellow Dirty Dash runners got a good kick out of the “Blue Man”. I have never had so many strangers take my picture and give me hugs. I made a few kids laugh and scared the crap out of a few others.

After the Dirty Dash was over I shed the suit and ran the Piglet Plunge with my four year old son. This was a very proud Dad moment. He ran the whole race. Including the slick steep uphill muddy sections. He was a trooper. I believe I have a future runner. He was so proud of himself that he wore an ear to ear grin for some time afterwards. I will definitely be entering him in more kids races, and perhaps taking him out on some training runs.

Time 1:21:55

Avg pace 6:49

This was my first solid workout since my foot started giving me problems. I was a little nervous that it might act up when I was 6 miles form home but I hardly feet a thing. I think my foot problems are behind me. I was targeting a low 7 min pace for this run but I started feeling a little frisky and just let it go. I guess it was all the unspent energy form my low mileage week I had.

11 x 400m w/60sec rest

2.00 mile warmup

Time	Avg HR	Peak HR	Rest HR
1-1:10.9	148	173	145
2-1:11.4	159	178	152
3-1:11.2	163	182	159
4-1:11.0	166	184	161
5-1:11.7	166	185	162
6-1:12.0	168	186	162
7-1:12.9	166	184	164
8-1:12.3	168	185	166
9-1:11.0	171	187	167
10-1:12.0	171	185	167
11-1:13.3	171	184	163

 I was hoping to get 12 done but I stopped after nearly puking on number 11.  I would have liked to see more of a negative split to the workout, but I think I got a little excited at the beginning and went out just a bit too fast. However, I did bring my average time down form 1:15.6 on August 3rd to 1:11.7 today. When I compared the HR form Aug 3rd I noticed that some of the gains are due to increased fitness and some of it is due to just working harder today.

Time 1:04:11

Avg pace 6:58

Today was just a nice quick, get it done, nine miler. I went on a course that I don't usually use, so the change of scenery was nice. I also didn't do a morning run today due to the taper for the SoJo Marathon. It feels a little anticlimactic starting my taper after such a bad mileage week due to my foot last week. I can't make up for that. I'm just going to move on with the plan.

AM 

2 miles w/jogging stroller 

Time 14:20

Avg pace 7:10

I feel odd doing a run this short but I only have 10 miles to work with today. So my choice is use 2 in the AM or do only one run today.  I choose the 2 run option. 

PM

8 miles

Time 53:17

Avg pace 6:40

I wanted to get a little marathon pace work in. So I went to liberty park so that I wouldn't have to deal with any stoplights. I started out with a warmup mile then went into marathon pace, or a little faster, for 6 miles then rounded it out with a cool down mile.

When I started I was running about 20 feet behind a guy for the enter first mile. I didn't think much of it, so when the time came I eased into my pace at the one mile point. I passes the guy that I was running behind, then he quickly passed me back. Hmm... that's odd, I thought. Within about 100m I passes him again without really trying. Sure enough, here he comes sprinting past me again. I smile to myself and think, O this is going to be FUN! When I caught him again I looked at him and said, “nice job, your really working”. He replied, “ya, I don’t know if I can keep up with you”. I reassured him that he could, knowing full well that I’m going to be doing this for 6 miles before I slow down. I made it a goal to keep him with me as long as I could. Every time I would pass him I would do my best to spur him on, then he would pass me back. This went back and forth about 10 times. Then when I passed him he didn’t catch back up. A little while later I hear him yell form behind me, “DANG IT!!” That was one competitive

AM 

6.19 miles with Jogging Stroller

Time 45:28

Avg pace 7:21

I started this run at Sugarhouse Park. I haven't run the park since 1997 during the high school cross country championships. I had forgotten how hilly the park is. After one loop I decided that it was a bit much for a jogging stroller on an easy day. I left the park and ran the neighborhood for the rest of the run. Good times. 

PM

3.83 miles

Time 27:51

Avg pace 7:16

I am really noticing the cut in mileage due to the taper for my marathon. I only scheduled 10 miles for the day and my AM run went longer than I had planned on, So all I get tonight is a little 3.8 mile leftover. Still a good run though. 

Time:36:10

Avg pace 7:14

I got up very early to do this run before my wife went to work, and it felt like it. I think I sleep-ran through most of it. My wife and I have always taken a fall trip up the canyon to Park City to see the colors change, have dinner, and then walk up and down Main Street. As usual this was well worth getting up early to make sure the run didn't get in the way of the evening.

I only did 5 miles because I am saving up the rest of my taper miles this week for a 15 miler tomorrow.