Slow to fast

4 miles Saturday evening.

Not much to say.  Slow miles.

Just for fun I did a quick 2 x 1:00 min at 6:30 min pace.  I also did some cross training interval exercises during lunch.  I really need to add on more strength training and cross training activities to supplement running.

A little cooler this morning but nice.  I did 4 miles at 7:45 min pace.  I felt my knee a little but I think it's improving.

I completely over-dressed this morning.  That was one of the hottest slow runs I've done.

I did my run at lunch today and at the end decided to do a fast mile.  The whole mile was either uphill or into a nice headwind so I felt pretty good about my time: 6:39.

Over the weekend I started doing some clamshell exercies to help with my IT band pain.  I wrap a band around my legs, lay on my side and with bend legs lift my top leg.  I hold it for 10 seconds and then repeat.  10 repeats and 3 sets for each leg.  I'm a little sore today.

Four treadmill miles because I didn't want to go out in the cold. I think my IT band is healing. It's not hurting as much anymore.

The warm days we've had lately have turned me into a wuss when the temperature drops to freezing but I went out anyway this morning.  I should have done some fast miles today because I felt good.  Tomorrow I'll try to do a tempo run or something.

I decided to do a workout today and Andrea recommended 6 x 0.5 mi with 0.25 jog recovery.  I started out slow to make sure my knee wouldn't start hurting and luckily throughout the repeats my knee didn't hurt.

6:45, 6:24, 6:16, 6:17, 6:07, 5:35

It was tough for me to stay on my target pace for each repeat since it's been a couple of weeks since I've done any fast miles. I pushed hard on the last one. When I was cooling down I started feeling some slight discomfort in my knee but I still think it's healing now.

A few nice sunny miles Friday afternoon on the Sandy Rail Trail.

7:57 pace

I started out this afternoon to do a moderately long run. After the first mile I felt really good so I decided to do more of a workout. 6 miles at marathon pace: 6:49, 6:48, 6:52, 6:44, 6:52, 6:53. I felt great and I still feel good. No knee discomfort at all. I took a little risk but I think it paid off.

7 mile loop in Sandy with some hills.  Still no IT band pain.

3 miles at marathon pace: 6:51, 6:54, 7:00.  Still no knee pain.  I think I'll take tomorrow off, run a few miles on Friday and then race day.  It's been a long time (middle of Nov) since I've raced so I'm really excited for this one.

I got a balance board last night to help strengthen my abductor and adductor muscles.  After about 10 min I was able to stay on it without falling off.  Now it's time for some kick-flips and shuv-its.  Hopefully it will be a fun way to keep some strength in those under used muscles.

A little warmer this morning. I just did a few miles around my block.

The weather looks good for tomorrow's Buffalo run high 40s to 50s for the whole thing. I'm going to try to get under 2:20.

It was really windy and cold when I got out of the car at the parking area and I started worrying that I didn't bring the right clothes.  Luckily, I didn't change my plan because it warmed up during the race.  I ran about a 0.5 mile warm up and then got up to the starting line at a few minutes before 9:00 am.  The race director delayed the start until 9:10 because there was such a long line of racers in the port-a-potty line.

When the gun went off, I started way too fast.  I'm not sure why.  That wasn't my plan.  I guess it's my inexperience with racing.  I wanted to go fast on the flats knowing that the hills wouldn't be my strength.  When I started up the first hill I tried to keep up with the leading group and I know that took a lot of my energy.

On the second major hill at about mile 5, the two guys I had been running with left me.  I couldn't keep up.  That's when I realized I'm weak on hills.  This left me in 6th place.  I took just a few gulps of water at the aid station.

At the bottom of the hill in the flat section there were a few bison on either side of the trail.  The two guys in front of me successfully threaded the needle.  Then one of the bison that was only about 20 feet off the trail started walking towards the trail.  I tried not to look it in the eyes and just kept going.

The distance between me and the other two guys kept growing gradually until the switchbacks on the third hill and then they were essentially gone (mile 8).  This section of the trail was really pretty.  Tons of cliffs and rocks all around.  The trail got a little more rocky too.  Near the end of that loop of the trail I came up over a ridge and the northerly wind hit me.  My eyes started watering and I had a hard time navigating all the rocks as the trail started declining steeply.  It was all I could do not to trip.

I made it to the aid station (mile 11) and drank a couple of gulps of gatorade.  I maybe should have drunk more or eaten a little because soon after the aid station I started slowing down.  The last big hill at mile 12 really got me.  Before that hill there had been no one in sight behind me.  Around 13.75 miles I started getting passed by 25k runners.  My thighs and calves were extremely tight and I just couldn't get my legs to turn over quick enough.  I had kept a pretty steady heart rate around 172 but it dropped significantly.  My muscles were shot from the hills.  A couple more runners passed me and my mental state got worse.  It was all downhill from here but I just couldn't keep up.  There was a very slight incline just before the finish line that slowed me way down.  It felt as bad as the second hill even though it was nothing.

Here are my splits: 

The race was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the trail and scenery.  Antelope Island is really cool.  I just know I could have performed better.  I needed more long runs with more elevation gain in the last month or so, but my knee problems prevented that from happening.  I should have started out a more moderate pace.  More water and maybe something to eat would have helped a little.

This was my first run after Saturday's race. I feel good.

We had our annual Indoor Triathalon at work today (run 2 mi, eliptical 1 mi, bike 4 mi).  I ran the 2 miles in 11:30 (5:45 min pace).  I didn't have much energy left over for the eliptical and the bike.