Slow to fast

6.1 mi

4 mi

5 mi. I should have done a long run but I waited until 8 pm to go out and had to meet a friend afterward. I'm going start getting serious this week.

7.7 miles

8 x 0.5 miles (1:45)

3:08, 3:14, 3:13, 3:19, 3:13, 3:11, 3:08, 3:22

For some reason I thought the track would be magically cleared of snow. I just did half mile intervals instead of 800s. A few of them were off by a little but I'm just getting back into workouts so I'm happy.

3 mi

3.3 mi

10.2 mi

6 mi

3 mile tempo just faster than half marathon pace

6:41, 6:45, 6:42

6 mi

4.5 mi

12.6 miles

Best run of the month. I waited until 3pm to go and the air got cleaner and the temperature was perfect (50 degrees). I felt good the whole time and I think the warmer weather helped keep my hamstring from hurting.

6.4 miles

4 mi tempo

6:53, 6:53, 6:48, 6:38

I was targeting 6:55 but felt strong and was able to speed up

I've decided to only do two stress workouts a week: a speed workout and a long run. I think it will better suit me and my ability to recover and also not get injured. It's not worth it to push your body really hard for a few weeks only to get sidelined with an injury and not perform during a goal race. I can't expect to hit my potential in one season. Be patient.

6.3 miles

11.5 miles

It's been a little over a week since I last ran. I got sick with a cold last week and then it turned into a sinus infection. I really needed to get out and run, but it wasn't a good idea to go this far. Once I got going I couldn't stop. My knee hurts a little now. Probably not anything to worry about.

4 miles

12x200m (200m)

39,39,38,39,39,37,38,38,38,36,34,32

800m

2:52

This was a light week and I had some trouble motivating myself to get out. I decided to do a workout that I skipped last week. The plan was to target 43s for each 200m. It was dark so I didn't look at my watch and just ran by feel. I'm surprised that it was pretty consistent. I've never been good at pacing by feel. At the end I thought I felt pretty good and was thinking of resting and then adding on a fast 1600m. I jogged for about 6 min and then started. After the first 400m I knew I wouldn't be able to maintain for all four laps and dropped the goal to 800m.

Next week I really need to concentrate on getting at least 35mi and running every day.

5.1 miles

4.4 miles

4-mile tempo

6:48, 6:51, 6:50, 6:53

Last mile was hard but this was the right workout for me to do this week.

4 miles

13 miles

I really should have done this run in the morning but slept in. When I was finally able to go out, it was dark and I wasn't very motivated. The run ended up being not very fun, but I least it's in the bag.

8 miles

4 miles

5.7 miles around Lone Peak park.

5 mi tempo

6:43 average

I did some laps around Lone Peak Park at night. I was tired after but didn't use up all my energy so I feel good about the workout. A couple more tempos at this speed and I think I could target 6:45 for Canyonlands instead of 6:55.

14 miles (avg 8:22) with last mile in 7:00 min

Initially, I planned to do the last two miles fast, but I was tired and my bowels weren't in good shape so I just did one faster mile.

6 miles

I took a couple of days off trying to get rid of a cold.

6.2 miles

No workout this week. I've been getting over a cold but I think I used it as a bit of an excuse not to do the tempo I had planned.

15 miles

8:05 min pace

Lately, I've been feeling some tenderness on the backs of my heels after my runs. I don't feel anything while walking or running but if I use a shoe horn for some dress shoes or try a heel hook while climbing it can hurt pretty good. I've been stretching out my calves and rolling them after each run. I need to figure out what else to do so the busras don't start getting inflamed during a run like they did in the fall.

6 mi Tempo

6:47 min avg pace

6:43, 6:47, 6:51, 6:52, 6:46, 6:42

Not a smart night to do this workout. I went to Lone Peak Park and the sidewalk was icy. I didn't fall but my feet skated a couple of times.

5.5 miles

4.3 miles

16.7 miles

4 miles

4 miles

10 miles

6 miles

3 mile progression

6:51, 6:45, 6:36

4 miles

Canyonlands Half Marathon

1:31:51

Splits

1 - 6:50

2 - 6:50

3 - 6:43

4 - 6:43

5 - 6:54

6 - 6:54

7 - 6:56

8 - 7:04

9 - 6:58

10 - 7:04

11 - 7:17

12 - 7:19

13 - 7:10

13.1 - 1:10

It was surprisingly cold after the buses dropped us (my brother-in-law, David, and me) off at 8:00 am the unloading zone.  But we were happy the wind wasn't blowing.  There were enough restrooms and some hot drinks to tide us over the two hours until race time.  I even saw a friend from college that I hadn't seen in probably 12 years.

Around 9:15 am the DJ started saying that the gear bag trucks would be leaving at 9:30 am.  I realized then that we weren't at the starting line and still needed to hike up the road to the gear bag trucks and the starting line.  Still no sun and it felt really cold.

As soon as we dropped our bags off, we started on a warm-up run.  David did about half a mile and I did two miles with six strides to get used to my pace.  After the warm-up, I was able to walk up near the starting line without too much trouble.

The gun went off and I went out at a reasonable pace for the first 0.3 miles that was a steep decline.  I caught up to the 1:30:00 pacer quickly after being about five seconds behind the gun.  There was quite a group around the pacer and I followed behind for a mile or so.  At about 2.5 miles, I sped up a little and got out in front of the pace group with the plan of slowly peeling away so I could hit my goal of 1:29:##.  

By this time, there were only patches of shade every once in a while and the sun was warming things up.  The scenery was fantastic and the winding and gently rolling road was very pleasant to run on.  Unfortunately, my pace slowed down on mile 5.  I took a packet of gel at about mile 6 and there was a nice downhill section that I was able to speed up on.

But my pace kept drifting.  I started getting worried about my time after mile 8.  I noticed that the 1:30 pacer hadn't passed me but I knew I wasn't on track.  I guess the pacer was having some struggles too.

Mile 8 had a couple of smaller hills that didn't help and then there was the big one on mile 9.  By this time, I started chanting in my head "1:29", but it wasn't going to happen.  There was another more gradual hill on mile 11 that I couldn't recover from.

I was hot, the river and nice scenery was gone and I just kept slowing.  I didn't even have enough to do any sort of sprint at the end.  My wife and girls were at the finish line cheering me on but I was done.

I finished two minutes slower than I wanted but at least I wasn't injured.  Smarter training (more consistent weekly mileage and less missed workouts) would have made the difference I think.  In any case, the race was well organized and I had a good time.

4 miles

BD Indoor Triathlon

2 fast miles in 11:58. Thirty seconds slower than last year.

6 miles

Jason and I were supposed to run together this morning.  I woke up late and texted him I'd catch up.  When I got to Draper Park I didn't see him and of course assumed he started without me.  Turns out he was in the bathroom.  I was very confused when after 3 miles of 7:30 pace, he was still no where to be found.  We caught up to each other at the parking lot.  If only I would have woken up on time.

4 miles

Work loop

4.5 miles

4 miles

5 miles

6 miles

5 x 800m (400m)

3:04, 3:09, 3:06, 3:06, 3:10

Not real fast but it's good to be on the track again.

4 mi

4 mi

10.7 mi

4.3 mi

10 x 400m

1:27, 1:28, 1:29, 1:27, 1:29, 1:25, 1:25, 1:24, 1:25, 1:22

4.3 miles

4 miles

12 miles

Average pace 7:47 / mile.  The last mile was a bit faster at 6:49 / mile.

5 miles with Jason on the Sandy Rail Trail this morning.

20 x 200m (200m)

37, 36, 38, 38, 38, 37, 37, 38, 38, 38, 39, 39, 38, 38, 38, 37, 38, 37, 35, 36

4.3 miles

I was sore from yesterday's workout but it was still a good run. Now the meat behind my shins just above the ankles is sore. I did a lot of rolling yesterday and I'm sure I'll have to do some today. I might also take a day off tomorrow.

4.6 mi

12.5 mi

4.4 mi

4 x 1600m (400m)

6:23, 6:21, 6:22, 6:19

I've never done this workout before but thought it might be good preparation for a 5k.  I wasn't that tired after the workout and probably should have tried to average 6:15.  No matter, I'm sure it was beneficial.

4 miles

4.3 miles

8 miles

5.3 miles

Got caught in an intense downpour. There was even a little hail.

6 x 800m (400m)

2:54,2:58,2:57,2:56,3:00,2:56

4.7 mi

4.3 miles

7 miles out near Eagle Mountain. I was out camping with boy scouts and woke up early to get a run in. I was on dirt roads and off trail. Normally this area is brown and somewhat unappealing, but this weekend it was green and beautiful. Pronghorn were out and the sunrise was fantastic.

4.1 miles

3.4 miles

4 x 1600m (400m)

6:02, 6:08, 6:06, 6:04

Good workout today on the track. I improved significantly from the last time I did this workout: 6:21 average to 6:05 average. On top of that, I felt better afterwards.

4.3 mi

6.3 miles

I had planned on doing 10 miles on Saturday but slept in and then had some heel problems later in the day with the shoes I was wearing.  The bursa on my left heel was a little inflamed and was hurting.  The time off was probably good for my frail body.

5.7 miles

BD 5k

19:47

Another BD 5k in the bag.  I hate this course.  Two laps and two steep hills.  Last year I did 19:37 on this same course.  I guess I wasn't in quite the same shape as last year.  It was hot and I really struggled on the last hill and final stretch to the finish line.

4.6 miles

5.7 miles

Leg 5 - 7.8 miles up Avon Pass on Friday 13:38

Time: 1:07:36

Pace: 8:43 min/mile

Elevation gain: 1,198 ft

Leg 17 - 9.7 miles along Echo Reservoir on Saturday 02:08

Time: 1:10:45

Pace: 7:19 min/mile

Elevation gain: 419 ft

Leg 29 - 3.1 miles at Park City on Saturday 11:01

Time: 00:22:41

Pace: 7:13 min/mile

Elevation gain: 165 ft

4 miles

5 miles

4.2 miles

6.5 miles around the Promenade deck of the Ruby Princess cruise liner somewhere off the western coast of Vancouver Island.  2.5 laps around the ship was supposed to be 1 mile, but I just went off the distance calculated by the cadence on my watch.  Probably not very accurate.

3 mile tempo on the treadmill

6:45, 6:45, 6:45

5 miles

6.4 miles

4 miles

5.5 miles

Heels were hurting more than usually. Possibly because I ran in Altras.

5 miles

8 x 800m (400m)

3:11 min average

I wanted to make sure I could do 8 reps so I targeted 3:12 instead of 3:05 like I normally target for 800s. My heels were tender going into this workout and they hurt after. Took some ibuprofen. I've really got to figure out how to manage these heels.

I decided to try for a half marathon sometime in October instead of a full marathon. I don't feel like I have enough time to really train for the longer distance and I'm worried my heels won't make it on the longer runs.

5.5 miles

11.7 miles

Had an enjoyable long run up Dimple Dell and then south on Wasatch Blvd. My heels hurt afterwards so I took some ibuprofen. They seem fine now.

5.5 miles 

6.8 miles

I tried to do a Fartlek. 8 intervals at paces between 4:58 and 6:52. Each lasted between 6:51 and 0:36. Felt like a good workout and seemed interesting. I'll have to try it again.

4.2 miles

6:24, 6:27, 6,31, 1:10

I wasn't planning on running this race which was at Wheeler Farm but I cancelled a weekend trip and was able to join the team. It's been a while since I've done a 5k workout and I got a cold a couple of days before so I wasn't in top condition.

Before the race, all 200 of us were directed to the starting area but there wasn't a clear starting line. Just before the race started they told us to move behind an imaginary starting line and there wasn't enough time for me to move up front. At least the first quarter of a mile was spent trying to get around people on a narrow trail. Then things spread out enough to run at my planned pace.

The congestion in my lungs really started affecting me during the last mile. The scoring for the team is based on finishing place so near the end I passed the guy I had been running behind. But I passed him too early and didn't kick hard enough. Then right as I got to the finish line, he made the smart move and passed me.

Our team got third place, L3 second and Goldman Sachs first.

6 miles

3 miles

3 x 1600m (2:15)

6:30, 6:32, 6:32

I had planned on doing four reps but after three I realized that I still have a bit of congestion and that the last rep would be much slower. So I cut bait.

4.1 miles

13 miles

I couldn't run in the morning and had to postpone this run until the wee hours. It's been a long time since I've run in the dark and I underestimated how dark it would be on the Porter Rockwell trail. I should have brought a headlamp. On the way back I stayed on road more to keep from tripping. My heels did not feel good after this run so iced for 30 minutes after. My right hamstring was also hurting. I probably shouldn't have run that far. Ten miles might have been better for me.

4.5 miles

4 mi progression

7:12, 7:04, 7:01, 6:49

I didn't got too fast on this workout because I didn't want to have to cut it short like I did last week. As a result, it felt really good. I was hardly tired afterwards. Hopefully I can improve on my half marathon pace this training cycle and bring it closer to 6:45.

5.1 miles

7 miles 7:26 min/mi

Instead of a long run today I tried to hold a pace between easy and half marathon pace. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. My heart rate got up to 189 at the end.

4.3 miles

5 miles

I was really stiff this morning because of an ultimate frisbee game the night before. But we kept a good pace 7:55 min.

3 mile tempo

6:47, 6:41, 6:40

I did this workout at lunch today but it was too hot. I was extremely drained afterwards. But I'm happy with my effort.

4.1 miles

14 miles with 2-mile fast finish

6:45, 6:45

This evening was much cooler than usual which made the run very pleasant.

4.2 miles

4 miles

5-mile tempo

7:10, 7:06, 7:03, 7:01, 6:43

I was worried about this workout and postponed it until late in the evening. However, it wasn't that bad and considering how the last mile went, I think I could have run a bit faster during the first four miles.

4.4 miles

16 miles

I really out to Corner Canyon then up to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and back via Wasatch Blvd. I averaged 9:00 min/mi mainly because of slow going on the trail. And I'm beat after this run. The suspension bridge is finished on the BST over Bear Canyon. It really bounces when you run across.

4 miles

AM 3

PM 2.7

My first day run commuting to work. Jake K inspired me to try it out. I obviously don't have far to go but I've hesitated because of having to deal with getting clothes to work. I packed a duffle for 3 days and it really wasn't that much of a pain.

AM 3 miles

PM 2.9 miles

3-mile tempo

6:38, 6:41, 6:36

A little faster than half marathon pace and a little shorter distance for this week's workout.  I procrastinated this workout a couple of days and had to squeeze it in on the way to work. Not ideal but I'm learning that training plans need to be flexible.

14 miles with a 3-mile fast finish up at Bear Lake.

4 miles

Paced my friend Bryan for miles 53 to 75 of the Wasatch 100. Lamb's Canyon to Brighton. We walked the uphills and ran the downhills. I met Bryan at about 8:00 pm and we went until 4:00 am. During the first 5 miles I was thinking I should consider one of these ultra marathons. After about 4 hours I realized that's these races are probably not for me. My lower back was stiff and my heels were hurting. So much time on your feet.

Bryan did very well. He kept his spirits up the whole time. His goal was to beat 30 hours but in the end missed it by only 36 min. Tough break, over a hundred miles 36 min is not much.

5.3 miles

AM 3 miles

PM 2.6 miles

4.7 miles

3-mile tempo

6:45, 6:43, 6:38

13.5 miles

Long run with a 3.5-mile fast finish. I didn't have my watch today and had to use my phone. Unfortunately, it stopped tracking me right when I started my fast finish at 10 miles.  I was hoping to do 4 miles faster but it turned out to be less.  And possibly a little slower than I had hoped.  I'm estimating I averaged 7:15 min/mi.  No big deal.  The effort felt right.

4.3 miles

4-mile tempo

6:47 mi/min average

I was planning on doing six fast miles but I had an intense sideache throughout the entire run.  By the end of the four miles I had a hard time sucking in air and just had to stop.  I probably ate too much for dinner.

4 miles

8.7 miles

5.7 miles

5.2 miles

5-mile wave workout

6:35, 6:59, 6:31, 7:02, 6:40

This is the first time I've tried a wave style workout. The goal was 6 miles alternating between 6:30 and 7:00. The fifth mile was a real struggle so I decided not to do a sixth mile. I've been worried a little about my progression, thinking I should have been able to handle 6 miles of this workout. Looking back at other workouts it's not a surprise. It's going to be tough beating 1:30 on a half right now. I guess it's good I won't be able to do the SOJO half on 10/17 (we're going on vacation now that weekend) and I'll have more time. Maybe I'll do the Saltair Half in November.

14 miles with a 5-mile fast finish

6:22, 7:12, 6:50, 6:47, 7:00

Not consistent with the fast finish because it was hilly. Most of it downhill. I felt good, no injuries. But I'm not feeling very fast.

4 miles

6 miles

6-mile tempo

7:08, 7:01, 6:57, 6:57, 6:48, 6:47

I'm very pleased with tonight's workout. I started out very conservative to avoid dying in the middle and was able to do negative splits. That's the type of stuff I need to bump up the confidence and get some solid work done.

4 miles

5.8 miles

4.3 miles

2.3 mi Fartlek

8 reps between 5:05 and 6:58

6 miles

Lunch run with Andrea.  Perfect temperature.

4 miles

I got to the buses at about 6:40 AM and then got up to the top of Emigration Canyon just after 7:00 AM. The race didn't start until 8:45 AM so I had a ton of time to kill. It was in the low 40s and pretty chilly. To keep warm for the next 2 hours I headed up a trail near the starting line. After about 10 minutes of hiking I came up on two of the laziest hunters sitting near the trail. Any deer nearby would surely have been scared off by the blaring music and hundreds of people down on the road. Not sure why they didn't go farther on the trail. I passed them and kept going for a while as the sun rose and saw seven deer cross the ridge I was on. I didn't tell the hunters.

There was a headless horseman at the starting line and a yoga class. I didn't really hang around though and headed off for a 2-mile warm up down towards Mountain Dell Reservoir.

Although this was not a very small race, right up next to the starting line was not crowded at all. No pushing necessary to get near the front. The gun went off and the headless horseman threw his pumpkin head and it exploded on someone's car hood. The don't think that part was scripted. The first few miles of the course are very steep (7%-4%) and it was difficult not to got too fast. My goal was not to go faster than 6:00 min/mi. I averaged 6:09 for the first two miles. But slowed down after that. I think I kept my pace reasonable for the rest of the miles. I struggled at the end in the neighborhoods because there were a couple of small hills. And at Sugarhouse Park there was a tough Hill directly before the finish.

5.7 miles

5.1 mi

6:17, 7:04, 7:03

Another fun BD 5k. I did a lot of tapering in preparation for this race and hardly ran in the previous three weeks. I tried to keep up with Andrea for the first half a mile and quickly realized that was dumb. She easily pulled ahead and put more than a minute between us by the end. The conditions were pretty good except for some wind coming from the south that makes accelerating after the hill quite difficult.

5 miles

Nice day today. Not too cold and the sun was shining. My calves are tight from the sporadic running schedule. Hopefully going out more will help.

11.4 miles

Longer run in St George with my dad while he rode his bike. Did a mile at the end in 6:22 just for fun. Perfect weather. I was very sore after and probably shouldn't have gone so far.

5.1 miles with Andrea at lunch

4.5 miles