Second Wind

First run of the new year and it was pretty much par for the course.  Added in a couple of faster miles at the end just to start the year off with a little bit of a bang.  Other than that it was a pretty average run.  Didn't get out running until around 8:00 due to staying up late on New Year's and having to go pick up the boys at their church activiry.  By the time I did get up my daughters were ready and waiting to go with me on their bikes.  Meg had already ran since she went to bed at a decent hour, so it was nice to have the company of the girls.  Somewhere in the first mile Jamie lost a peddle on her bike and so I sent them home to switch out the bike with another one while I continued around the loop.  They met me as I passed back by the house for the next loop and to my surprise Jamie had found a 4GB Ipod Nano in the gutter.  Was able to find the name of the nano and asked the one kid in the neighborhood we know with that name but it wasn't his.  I guess it's a lucky day for Jamie.  Sure wish I knew who it belonged to, I would really hate to lose one of those myself.  Did yoga after the run and then did yoga again in the PM.  I really like doing the PM session on my new yoga DVD, it's got some great stretching and is very relaxing at the end.

Time:  49:10  8:12/mile

Another standard 6 miles with Meg.  We were both having a hard time this morning with fatigue issues.  My legs felt kinda like lead.  I guess that's what happens when you have a belly full of jelly.  I've got some serious work to do this year to shed several pounds and get into good running shape again.  At least there was no wind today and the temp was a bearable 37^o.

Time:  52:22  8:44/mile

Finally logged a long run today.  This is my first long run since running the Las Vegas Marathon.  Ran the first 8 miles with Megan and then went out the Arbor View HS to run 6 miles with my Ragnar team.  Only 4 people showed up and we ran pretty slow, which was really good for me.  We were running just under 10:00/mile and it was uphill and into the wind on our return trip.  Temp was 47 this morning when we started out but it sure didn't feel like it with the wind coming from the north.  It was about a 15-20 mph wind with some pretty good gusts in there and when you were running into it it was chilly but when you were running away from it it was almost too warm.  Will probably do about the same number of miles next week leading up to Painter's and then take it easy the week of the race.  Not looking to PR at Painter's this year, just run with Meg again and maybe pace her to a strong race, we'll see.

Almost forgot to mention........the UTES ROCK!!!  What an awesome game.  I loved seeing all the stunned Bama fans that they kept showing on the camera.  Awesome for Utah, the state and the Mountain West.

Time:  2:06:30  9:02/mile

Rest.

It was a cold one this morning.  We started our run at 30^o and luckily no wind.  Had to break out the rarely used coat this morning.  Once we got going it wasn't bad but the first mile or so was a bit nippy.  Everything felt pretty good.  I am feeling some hope that the slower easier running and the extra stretching with the yoga may actaully be helping.  I did the Yoga again today and it always leaves me feeling pretty good.  I've even started to notice that I am slowly gaining a little more flexibility, which isn't saying much in my case because I'm as stiff as a board, but hey, a little bit always helps.

Time:  51:13  8:32/mile

Picked up the pace a little bit today with a few striders but other than that it was a pretty standard run.  It was 2 degrees warmer than yesterday at a whopping 32 degrees and again, no wind at all.  Did Yoga again this morning and really enjoyed it.  Encountered a dog on the run today but luckily he was more interested in other things than us so no worries.  Things continue to feel better and better each day, hope it keeps up all the way to Painter's and beyond, gotta stay healthy to make running enjoyable.

Time: 49:31  8:15/mile

Flew solo today because Meg had to get my youngest to the hospital for a fun little procedure early this morning.  Kept the pace pretty up tempo for the entire run but didn't over do it.  Temp was a little warmer than yesterday at 37 so we have a nice trend going in the right direction and there was no wind at all.  Did the PM yoga again this morning and it felt really good as usual.  Finally got our registrations mailed in for the Painter's Half, almost forgot, that would have been bad.

Time:  49:14  8:12/mile

Since Meg missed her run yesterday I think she had in her mind that we needed to pick up the pace a bit.  Well I wasn't arguing but it was my third day strait with a moderate paced run.  I will definately have to slow down the pace a bit tomorrow.  Run was good and actually felt better than yesterday's run which was a bit slower.  Lower back on the right side is the only thing that is still bothering me when I first get up in the morning but the pain is usually gone by the end of the run as it was today.  Don't know if it's tight muscles or nerve issues related to my lower back but I'm not terribly worried about it for now.  If it doesn't get better in the next month or two I will probably go get it checked out.  Contidions were a carbon copy of yesterday with 37 degrees and no wind....almost perfect.

Time:  48:53  8:09/mile

Finally reigned in the horses today and took it easy.  The wind was really whipping today at around 15-20 MPH but the temp was a real shocker at 50 degrees this morning.  With the wind I imagine it probably felt cooler but it actually felt pretty good.  Ran solo for the last couple of miles because Megan's ankle has been bothering her a bit the last couple of weeks and she would like to try and get it feeling better before Painter's next week.  I know her fitness is fine for the race I hope she decides to back off until the race and listen to her body.  A runner, listen to his/her body, ya right!?!?

Quick question for anyone that may have heard of this.  I was approached by my daughters basketball coach about doing some online fitness coaching for a company called Team Beach Body.  It's one of those amway type deals where you get your friends involved etc, etc.  He and his wife are making some pretty good extra side money from it but I am always very skeptical of these things.  If anyone has had any experience with this company in particular I would love to hear some of your thoughts and input.  Thanks.

Time:  52:33  8:45/mile

Pretty good day for running with fairly mild temps and a moderate breeze.  Things felt pretty good most of the way.  Started to feel a bit of fatigue toward the end of the run, probably due to my lack of training since Las Vegas marathon.  Felt like it was a good effort though and feel pretty good coming into Painter's that I will be able to run in the 1:45 range.  That's quite a bit slower than last year but I think it would be good considering my lousy December and the injuries I have been battling lately.  At least after today I know I can run a sub 1:50 and I can live with that.

Time:  1:47:55  8:14/mile

Rest.

Wind was still going this morning although it seems to have calmed down a bit since the weekend.  Hopefully this trend continues through the rest of the week so that we have calm, perfect conditions for Painter's on Saturday.  Temp was 48 at the start which was a bit warm when running with the wind but just right when running in to it.  I felt like this morning was my best run since LVM.  Not because of a fast time but because of the way I felt.  I wouldn't say I was completely without pain but I could tell that things are really starting to feel better and appear to be healing (knock on wood).  Ran the last couple of miles solo due to Meg's ankle still bothering her.  I really hope she gets that thing healed up in time for Saturday.

Time:  50:00  8:20/mile

Pretty much a carbon copy of yesterdays run with the same temperature same wind and same pace.  The only thing exciting that happened was me rolling my ankle on a pine cone and almost falling to the ground.  If Meg hadn't been there to grab on to I probably would have gone down.  I thought initially that it was going to be a pretty bad sprain and was sitting on the curb for a minute or so deciding whether to get up.  I finally did get up and was able to finish the run with no problems so luckily it wasn't too bad.  I still feel a little stiffness in it and didn't do yoga this morning because it was aching a little but I think it will probably be okay.  Just need to ice and take it easy today.  Ahhhh the joys of running in the early morning darkness.

Time:  49:57  8:20/mile

Took the day off cause the ankle was still feeling a bit stiff and didn't really want to push it with Painter's coming up in a few days.  It's feeling pretty good now that I am up and around so I'm not too concerned about it slowing me down.  Couple more slower and lower mileage days should be good for it and I will be ready to go.

Reduced the mileage today and the overall pace was a little slower than usual but I did pick it up on the last mile cause I had to get home in time to drive the kids to early morning seminary today.  Yesterday when we stayed home from our run there was no wind, today the wind was back again....figures.  The weather looks to be pretty great for Painter's but the wind is still an unknown.  I don't recall wind being a factor for the last two years, hopefully that is the case this year.  My rolled ankle from Tuesday felt just fine today so no worries there.  Did a little bit of Yoga after the seminary run and things feel pretty good.  Easy 3-4 tomorrow and we're good to go for Saturday.  Can't wait to see you all in a couple of days.

42:05  8:25/mile

Nice and easy run just to keep things loose today.  Ran solo because Meg wanted the extra rest for her ankle.  Did 4 100 meter strides this morning just to wake up the legs a little bit but overall just a fairly laid back run.  Can't wait to see everyone tomorrow.  Good luck to everyone doing the half or the 5K and I hope all you northerners get a nice weather weekend in Dixie.

Time:  25:36  8:32/mile

More later...

Really great day for a race.  With the starting line temps in the mid 30s and plenty of sunshine the running conditions turned out to be absolutely perfect.  Even with the perfect conditions I wasn't sure what to expect from myself today with my lack of any speed work or tempo runs since LVM I was just looking to come in somewhere under 1:45 and maybe the low 1:40s if I was lucky.  My main goal was to complete the race so I would be one race closer to meeting the runners series quota for the guaranteed SGM entry.

Saw lots of bloggers at the race and met many new ones.  It was really great to see everyone again finally put some faces with some names of the first timers.

In a state of not really knowing what to shoot for in this race I happened to meet up with an old friend at the starting line who was looking to run a 1:35 or better.  I knew that was going to be a bit fast for me but I figured running with someone would be much more enjoyable than going it alone so I told him to set the pace and I would try and keep up.

The start went fairly well and we didn't have to dodge too many people as we got going.  We took the first mile pretty conservatively and it came in around 7:30.  The next mile we decided to pick up the pace a little bit and came in around 7:10.  Mile three is flat for a bit and then you turn on to river road and get a nice stretch of gentle downhill for about a quarter mile.  That mile turned out to be my fastest at 6:55.  Mile 4 is pretty flat through the river bottoms and we held a nice pace through there at 7:11.  Then mile 5 includes a couple of pretty good hills coming out of the river bottoms and then up into the Bloomington Hills area.  We were able to eek out a 7:25 for that hilly mile.  Once we dropped back down to the river bottoms again we found a nice rhythm and just chugged along until we reached the start of the Bloomington loop where it turns uphill again a little bit and I started to feel some fatigue.  I told my friend not to wait up for my but to just keep it going and I fell back a bit.  I struggled over the next mile fighting with myself to try and catch back up to him but I just couldn't overcome the deamons.  From this point until about mile 12 I struggled pretty good and got passed by quite a few people.  It was also during this stretch that I promised myself I would give it everything I had in the last mile.  Mile 13 turned out to be a pretty good mile and I had lots of roadkill, passing as many as 10 people and just giving it everything I had left.  Pace for that mile ended up at 7:15 and average for the last little bit (according to garmin) was 5:50 but I would guess that is wrong, probably more like 6:30 but still a strong effort.

If this had been the same course as last year it would have been a 2-3 minute PR easily but as it stands it is about a minute slower than last year but with the course change it is a course PR.  My Garmin read 13.32 at the finish and Megs was around 13.26 so I guess I really didn't do much of job of running the tangents.  It's tough to run the tangents when the roads are open to traffic and you have to play frogger.

Meg had a nice run considering her ankle/achilies problems.  She came in around 1:47.  I ran back after my finish to see if I could see her and run in with her but she had already passed the place where I jumped back on the trail so I missed her at the finish.....ooops!!

All in all it was a really good day.  It was great to see everyone before and after the race and share all your great experiences.

Rest.

Just a nice and easy 3 this morning to kinda see what the body feels like.  Actually decided to stop the run at 3 miles because I just wasn't feeling it.  Sore muscles and fatigue were too much for me and so I decided it was best to just cut it short and try again tomorrow.  Overall I felt better than I thought I would but still didn't want to fight through it today.

Time:  26:23  8:48/mile

Still keeping it slow and easy today.  Felt better than yesterday but still not out of the woods yet.  Don't feel any major pain at this point like an injury, just feeling the usual aches and pains after a hard effort.  Weather was good this morning at 47 degrees and a light breeze.  This winter has been generally mild, I can't complain.

Time:  52:12  8:42/mile

Another slow and easy 6 today.  Each day the pain and suffering seems to diminish a little more so that I am almost back to normal pain and suffering, which is tolerable.  Almost over heated the engine today with 53 degrees and a light breeze I had to shed the gloves and hat but decided to leave the sweatshirt on just to work up a good sweat.  Yoga again today.  I forget to report that I do yoga every day but I do.  It has become a daily ritual for me and it's just part of the morning routine now.  Still doing the AM/PM yoga and using the PM routine.  I seem to be noticing some changes in my flexibility but make now mistake I am still very much a rookie when it comes to flexibility.

Time:  50:33  8:26/mile

Carbon copy of yesterdays run except for the part about over heating.  Today I wore shorts and a tech long sleeve shirt cause the temp was 54 degrees.  Started with gloves and a cap but had to shed those after a couple of miles.  I still seem to be feeling some lingering soreness and fatigue from the race on Saturday.  I just feel crappy for the first few miles but by the end I am usually feeling pretty good.  I guess it just takes a while for this old body to warm up.  I haven't had shin splints since my first year of running and I don't really have them now but they are a little tender like I am on the verge.  I imagine most of my issues right now are stemming from my lack of training and then running Painter's a litle too hard.  Next week is another week and I'm sure things will improve by then.

50:29  8:25/mile

Boy it's time for me to get some new shoes.  I have totally worn through the black soles down to the yellow cushoning on the outside of my heal area.  I am so rouogh on shoes it is amazing.  Maybe if I shed a few pounds on concentrated more on improving my gate I may not have this problem, is something like this even correctable?  Anyway, another fine morning for running.  Lots of cloud cover and a break in the rain made for a warm and comfortable run.  Temp was 56 and it was humid.  Shorts and long sleeves again today, SWEET!  Not too sweet for the natural gas company I work for but sweet for running in January.

Time:  50:47  8:28/mile

Long slow run today.  I split this run into two pieces today because my Ragnar group was having a 7 mile training run this morning.  So I ran the first 8 with Megan around our house at about an 8:30/mile pace then I went and ran with the guys at a much slower back of the pack pace around 9:30/mile.  It was really humid today with the recent rain but it was short and long sleeve shirt weather again....gotta love that.  Felt okay for the most part and easily could have run the second part of this run much faster but decided to hang with our back of the pack guy and chat with him a bit.  Ordered some new shoes from St. George Running Company yesterday but they were out of stock so I won't see them for a couple of weeks.  Oh well, it will give me a chance to get every last mile out of my old shoes.  Megs ankle is still giving her fits but I saw the ice pack out when I got home so at least I know she is trying to RICE.  Better a little than none at all I guess.

Time:  2:14:55  8:59/mile

Rest.

Picked up the pace just a tiny bit this morning and it felt pretty good.  I think that I am finally recovered from Painter's....Geeez, took long enough.  Ran in shorts again today but it was pretty chilly at 41 degrees and a little breeze.  Did yoga again this morning and it felt really good as usual.

Time:  49:37  8:16/mile

Slowed it down a little bit today.  It was cold and windy but not terrible, been in much worse.  Everything felt pretty good again with the usual aches and pains seeming to stay in the background a little more than usual.  I don't know if that means I am actaully starting to turn the corner a bit or if this was just a good day.  Maybe the yoga has something to do with it as well.  Oh ya, did the PM portion of the yoga again this morning.....always a good thing.

Time:  51:49  8:38/mile

Picked up the pace a little today by adding in 8-10 200-400 meter strides at an unknown faster pace.  Just picked up the pace for those stretches but didn't really check out the Garmin to see the pace.  I would guess they were right around 7:00/mile pace.  Everything felt pretty good again today as far as the aches and pains go.  The pains are still there but it is less than usual.  (No Smooth, not "pain free" just less pain).  Chilly again today at about 37 but the winds was calm so it wasn't bad at all.

Time:  49:18  8:13/mile

Didn't run today due to feeling like crapola.  Stayed home from work and enjoyed the day off.

Youngest daughter Kiara (8) was up all night very sick.  She has been having stomach issues for several months now and we haven't had any luck with a diagnosis.  We took her to the ER and she had a CT scan with the results showing nothing of any consequence.  The thought is she may be getting some temporary blockages in her intestines but no one knows for sure.  Sure stinks not knowing.  Didn't run again due to all the early morning stresses and getting the kids off to school while Meg was in the ER with Kiara.

Finally got a run in after a two day layoff.  Both Meg and I had a little spring in the old step today after the extra rest.  She was hoping her hip would feel better but it didn't.  She was able to grind out a tough 10 miles though, stubborn old girl.  I decided to make a half marathon out of it today and did 13.1.  Felt pretty good for the most part until the end when the fatigue started to set in a little bit.  Kiara is feeling much better today and it appears we are going to become much more diligent with taking the miralax as she was asking for it first thing this morning.  Doctors are talking exploratory surgery as the next step, I am talking "forget you buddy" there are plenty more things we can try before going under the knife.  Guess we'll see how the next couple of weeks go and go from there.  Oh, Kathie, it was 44 degrees and light winds this morning.

Time:  1:48:53  8:19/mile

Rest.

The usual 6 miler this morning, broken up by not one but two lovely pit stops this morning.  It's bad enough when you have to stop for one pit stop, but two!  During a short 6 mile run!  Sorry, I know that is probably too much information.....  Run felt really good this morning and I still had that spring in the step that carried over from the end of last week.  Things are starting to feel really good again but I am reluctant to really push the pace or do any hard running at this point.  I think I may continue the same as usual for this week and then think about adding a tempo run next week sometime.  We'll just have to see how it goes.  Did the PM yoga after the run and it continues to be as enjoyable as ever.  All that extra hamstring and lower back stretching really seems to be making a diference.  I was going to start the 100 push ups challenge this morning but I forgot to do my max push ups.  Maybe I will get to it tonight.

Time:  49:58  8:20/mile

Ran solo today because I stayed up too late last night and slept in for about an extra hour.  Being short on time I picked up the pace a little bit today and then finished with a 6:45 mile just to kind of give the legs something to think about.  The last mile felt a little harder than I was expecting but not terrible.  It was a good opportunity to prepare the legs for adding a little tempo run next week...maybe.  Nothing else too exciting, normal temp and a light breeze made for a plesant run.

Time:  47:38  7:56/mile

Todays run was a little harder than I was expecting.  We started out about right but continued to increase in speed the whole way until by the last mile, which was solo, I decided to run at GMP or about 7:25/mile.  During the middle portion of the last mile I did about a 600 meter interval at about 5K pace.  That pace felt much more doable than yesterdays sub 7:00.  Got a good night sleep and was out the door at the normal time today.  Ran in shorts today but it was a little colder than yesterday, but still not bad.  I think it was about 44 with little to no wind.  I have totally blown this week on the push-ups challenge so I may be looking to start next week.  I know, I'm a lazy bugger.

Time:  49:10  8:12/mile

Finally a true recovery type run.  Took it really easy for all six miles today.  No speeding up in the middle or the end, no faster miles, just plain, ordinary, easy aerobic running.  I  have a little discomfort in the left lower back area and a slight twinge in the left knee but I think those are probably the result of the previous couple of days of breaking my normal routine and running a little faster.  Hopefully those areas won't develop into bigger problems.  Softball is starting up again for the girls.  Ahhh the endless nights and Saturdays at the fields watching games and practices......  Must mean that warmer weather is getting really close.  Temp was 51 today with little wind and I ran in shorts....again.

Time:  51:57  8:39/mile

I actually did my push ups test today and I will start week 1 on Monday.  I am embarrassed to say how many (how few) I did.  I knew it would be bad because I have no upper body strength at all but, oh well, that's why I'm doing this right?  So my max was a meager 10 push-ups, no laughing.....

I hope those new shoes of mine come soon, these old ones are getting.....well.....old.  Moderate pace run today with everything feeling pretty good for the most part.  The aches I complained of yesterday were a bit better today so I think my hunch about the faster running being the cause was probably right.  Nice weather again today but that is all supposed to change for the next several days with rain and colder temps in the forecast with Saturday being the worst of it.  Don't know what that means for the long run tomorrow, I guess we'll just wait and see.

Time:  49:53  8:19/mile

What a nice day for a run.  It supposed to rain on our parade today but surprisingly the sky was clear above Vegas with clouds all around the outside.  By the time we finish it was almost all the way clouded over so imagine it will probably rain sometime today but who know, it's Vegas.  Thought I might to 15 today but started to feel aches in the hips an lower back around mile 11 so decided to stop at 13 and call it a week.

Time:  1:50:49  8:27/mile

Rest.

Rain, Wind and Cold = No Running.  Finally got that ugly weather that I knew would come sooner or later.  Slept in and enjoyed the extra rest.  I was really looking forward to trying out my new shoes, maybe I'll have to make my way over the YMCA tonight and go on the treadmill.

Made it to the Y and did 6 on the treadmill.  I really don't know how you treadmillers do it all winter long, how boring!

Time:  48:24  8:04/mile

Been a bit overwhelmed at work the past couple of days so haven't had time to run or blog.  Nice rest time for the running legs I guess.

Didn't get out again today....yet.  May try to run at my daughters softball practice tonight, we'll see how that goes.

Made it out running at my daughter practice.  Nice relaxing run after the past few days.  Weather was cold but nice and actually got a nice change of scenery outside our regular neighborhood run.  Don't really like running the hills around her softball fields but didn't mind at all today.

Time:  49:40  8:17/mile

Thought I would feel a lot worse than I did this morning having run just 10 hours earlier but actaully felt pretty good.  It was a great morning for a run even though it was a little on the cool side.  Did some yoga this morning for the first time this week.  I could tell my hamstrings were tight due to my slacking for a few days.  I did day two of the push up challenge and missed the rep numbers in the last two sets by one push up.  I have decided that I will repeat week one next week, hopefully I will be able to fiinish all the sets and move on to week two.  My chest and arms are sore but I thought it would be worse.  Feels good to be sore, lets me know I am doing something good for my body.

Time:  50:27  8:24/mile

Picked up the pace just a little bit today.  I think we had the calm before the storm this morning cause I think we are in for possible rain or even a little snow this weekend.  But this morning was nice.  Finished the run up with some nice PM yoga which always helps.

Time:  48:56  8:09/mile

Added a couple extra miles onto the normal long run this week.  Turned out to be a chilly but beautiful morning with clear skies and slightly breezy.  The rain and snow that was forcast never showed up.  Felt pretty good for most of the run today until the fatigue really started to set in around mile 12.  I really have a ton of work to do on my endurance this year.  I'm going to have to start doing 20 milers for fun in the coming weeks.  Hope everyone has a great presidents day weekend.

Time:  2:06:50  8:27/mile

Rest.

Nice day off today so decided to add an extra mile to the regular weekday run.  Woke up this morning to wet roads but a fairly mild morning, good morning for a run.  Even slept in a bit today which is always nice.  Nothing else too exciting, just a run of the mill type run.

Time:  58:33  8:22/mile

Back to the normal routine again.  Another fairly easy 6 today.  Totally slacking on the push-ups challenge, I think I will try to do them tonight.  Since I knew I would be repeating week one, I think I gave myself and excuse to slack.  Hopefully I can find the motivation to keep it going cause I really need the extra strength training.  The weather looks like it is going to gradually warm up this week, we could hit 70 by the end of the week.

Time:  49:56  8:19/mile

Another fine morning for a run except for the chilly temps which were bearable.  Ran the usual 6 and did the last mile at almost goal marathon pace.  My oldest son is in the midst of working on his eagle scout project so we spent most of the run talking about things we need to help him do with that.  The conversation sure helps the time pace quick on a run.

Time:  48:49  8:08/mile

Took a day off today.  Ahhhhhhh!

A little breezy this morning but a nice run anyway.  I usually feel pretty good after a day off and today was not exception.  I didn't go out and break any records but with the long run tomorrow I wasn't looking to.  Got a call from a friend that wants me to run on his Lake to Lake relay team up in St. George on March 7.  Megan is cool with me doing it but I wish we could add her to a team somewhere.  This would make two relays for me this year with none for her, bummer.

Time:  50:24  8:24/mile

Split up the long run into to runs today again, separated only by about an hour.  Got up and ran with Meg for the frist 7 then loaded up the truck with yard sale fodder and took it over to where my daughter's softball team is having a fundraising yard sale.  Then finally made it over to my Ragnar 6 mile training run to run with the team.  We had a nice turn out today and I was able to get in a pretty fast mile in there.  The two faster guys dropped me with about 2 to go but hung in there and did okay.  I can tell I really need to get some tempo runs in soon.

Time:  1:50:08  8:24/mile

Rest......well sort of......ended up having to install a new alternator in my car.  Could they make these tiny little engine compartments any smaller?

The usual six.  My left calf was acting up a little bit on Saturday's long run and it started acting up again during today's run.  Not sure what that is all about or where it came from.  Rolled it today and hopefully a little extra stretching will help it out.  Temps turned super warm this morning (55 degrees and no wind) and I was way over dressed.  I was too lazy to go back upstairs and change so I just suffered.  Push up challenge is on hold for me until my right hand feels better.  I jammed my thumb really bad playing ball several years ago and now to do push-ups on it is not feeling very good.  I'll do what I can but it probably won't be much.....wussy man out.

Time:  49:20  8:13/mile

Took it fairly easy today to see how the calf would react.  The calf seemed to be okay and I didn't have the same pain I have had on the last couple of runs so that is good.  I could tell it was a little sore and I was aware of the slight pain but I would say today was a nice improvement.  Did some extra stretching and rolling today after yoga and hopefully the extra stuff will help.  May end up backing out of the lake to lake realay next week because we just got news that my daughters both have a softball game that day and my older daughter has the end of season tournament in basketball, could be a really long, but fun, day.

Time:  51:36  8:36/mile

Picked up the pace a little bit again today but the calf is still bothering me some.  It feels like it is ready to cramp up at any moment during the run but never does.  I hope the infamous charlie horse doesn't come up and bite me one of these times.  For now I am day to day on the running, we'll see how it goes tomorrow.  Had one fast mile at about 7:40 pace.

Time:  48:45  8:07/mile

Run ended up going much better than expected today.  I was still a little worried about the calf giving me problems today and it did a little bit for the first mile or so but after that it warmed up and felt fine.  Temp was a cool 50 degrees today.  50 is usally really good but there was a pretty steady breeze out of the north that made it feel colder than 50.  Ran the over all run at a faster than normal pace and ran mile 6 as the fast mile at 6:58.  That last mile actaully felt really good, everything felt smooth.  Felt really nice to be running at a comfortable fast pace again.  I know I have been saying it for a couple of weeks now but I would really like to get healthy enough to turn that one fast mile into 3-4 faster paced tempo miles.  Luckily I have no pressing races coming up so I don't feel the pressure to push it before I am ready.  Today is Meg's birthday and me and the kids decorated the downstairs while Meg was getting ready.  I don't like birthdays in the middle of the week, today is probably the most busy day for her this whole week, not much time to celebrate.  We will probably celebrate hers and mine on Saturday since hers is today and mine is on Sunday.  Oh well, at least we got a little fun in this morning.

Time:  48:03  8:00/mile

Backed off the pace today and took it easy in preparation for tomorrows long run.  The calf continues to behave itself and appears to be on the mend, I'll keep my fingers crossed that it continues to improve.  I haven't decided on the distance for tomorrows long yet just because I want to leave it open to change if the calf starts acting up.  I would like to do somewhere between the usual 13 or maybe get up to 16-17 if possible.  I guess that is the beauty of not having a training plan in place, I don't have to stress about not hitting a particular workout or distance.  Then again, I don't have that extra motivation to push harder to try and meet a goal.  Kind of a double edge sword.

Time:  51:11  8:32/mile

What a day today turned out to be!

Meg and I went out for our usual Saturday morning long run and Meg was hurting from the start.  She was able to gut out 5 miles and I finally convinced her to go get her bike and go for a ride since it was getting light and it was beautiful morning.  She wasn't happy about it but she went anyway.  I continued on with my run and completed my 14 miles.  The calf wasn't an issue at all today, infact I didn't even think about it until mile 7 when I realized it wasn't bothering me.  Anyway, as I am coming up the street to my house I am greeted by all four of my kids screaming about mom crashing on her bike and breaking her arm....OH NO!!!!  I jumped in the car and obeyed all traffic signals and speed limits as I blasted down the road in search of Meg.  I didn't find her and as it turns out she was able to get a ride home with some people in a nearby house and we had passed each other somewhere in the middle.  Well, when we finally hooked up I got the full story. 

She was cruising along pretty good on her bike and two dogs came out to greet her from someones yard.  One was nipping at her heals and the other darted in front of her bike which hit her front wheel and caused her to go over the front of her bike.  She estimates she was going about 20-25 MPH at the time trying to get away from the dogs and she took the brunt of the fall with a knee, elbow and shoulder.  Luckily the neighbors of the "stupid dog" house were very kind to Meg, even after she woke them up by dragging herself to their front door and ringing the door bell.  They loaded up her and her bike and brought her home. 

We spent the next 3 hours in the so call "quick care" among a bunch of sniffling, coughing, upchucking whinny babies.  Yes a young girl upchucked in the middle of the lobby and then came and sat down right next to me......Nice!!  Nobody in the quick care came out to clean up the puke and since a couple people had almost stepped in it I had to go put a chair over it to warn people.  It was still there when we went in the back, HELLO?!?!?!? When we went up to check in they wouldn't check Meg in without her photo ID, ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!  I was not a happy camper at this point and was lucky they didn't toss me out of the building.  So I drove home to get Megs ID and finally got her all checked in.  The we sat and watched all the lesser injured people go first.....no I wasn't bitter at all.....  Too many details, I know.  Bottom line, she didn't break anything that they could see on the xray.  She has some nasty swelling in her elbow and is very sore from the elbow to the shoulder.  I think there is a lot of soft tissue damage but we don't really know from just the xray.  If it doesn't improve in the next couple of days we will probably be have to go in for an MRI.  The icing on the cake is when we were getting ready to leave, the nurse asked if we wanted her to clean up some of Meg's road rash that was now oozing with blood.  NO, NO, WE'VE BEEN HER FOR 3 HOURS, WE'LL JUST GO HOME AND TAKE CARE OF IT YOU INSENSITIVE........ARGHGHGH!!!  This was quite literally the quick care from hell.

So for now we are keeping her drugged up on Tylenol 3 and Ibuprofen.  It hasn't improved yet but I suppose it will be a couple of days before we will see some.  I will keep you all posted as to what happens.  If this injury doesn't heel up properly and turns out to be a lot worse, I wonder if we have and recourse against these dog owners?  Riverton Paul attorney man, what do you think?  I guess it really doesn't matter, I just hope she makes a full recovery.

We did go to dinner at the Olive Garden for a birthday celebration for Meg, Me and my oldest son Michael who will be 15 in a few days.  We spent two hours in there waiting for the slowest service in the world.  Then we waited in the longest pie line ever at Marie Callendars.  My daughter lost her last basketball game and the number one seed in the tournament.........my wife left me, my dog ran away, there's tear in my beer and all that other country song sob story stuff....

What a day today turned out to be!

Time:  1:56:41  8:20/mile

Rest.

Didn't run today, lazy man.

Continued laziness....

Finally got it together and decided to get out and run today.  After 3 days off I figured I was ready for some kind of speed workout but really didn't know what to do.  Somewhere in the first couple of miles I decided I would run a couple of mile repeats for miles 3 and 5.  The first repeat was at 6:40 and the second was at 6:39.  I felt a bit clunky this morning and the pace felt pretty tough cause the legs weren't quite into it but I made it through and was glad to finally put in a good quality workout after months of the same old thing every day.

Time:  48:56  7:50/mile

BTW, Meg's elbow and shoulder are improving but she is going to see an orthopedic guy today to get a second opinion and for some peace of mind.  Hopefully that appointment goes well.

Moderate paced recovery run today after yesterdays 1600s.  Kept the pace pretty conservative for the first 5 miles and then decided to add 4 x 100 meter repeats and 1 x 300 meter repeat at the end.  The mile ended up coming in at about a 7:30 pace so that is my fast mile.  I could tell the legs were a little dead from yesterday but not as bad I was anticipating.  Still running solo as Meg is staying home on the elyptical until her upper arm and shoulder recover some more.  She went to the orthopedic doc yesterday and he ordered some physical therapy for her.  With our daily schedule it will be interesting to see if she is able to make it to any sessions.

The corporate challenge 5K is coming up in about six weeks so I went to runners world to get some info on training for a 5K since I don't do that very often.  The training looks almost identical to what I am doing now except the reccomended paces are a little slower and there is one day of speed/tempo work per week and one long per week.  The only thing I really need to change is adding the speed/tempo on Wednesdays and I should be good to go.

Time:  49:58  8:20/mile

Well, I didn't pull back the pace as much as I should have today before a long run but everything just clicked today so I took what I could get.  Pretty much kept it at the same pace as yesterday.  It's nice that it's been getting lighter in the mornings near the end of our run, it'll be a bummer next week when it is totally dark again with the time change......wait or will it be lighter.....oh what ever.....  Meg got called to be the enrichment counselor in the in the relief society last night.  I wonder how that will go with her hectic weeknight schedule?  I'm sure we will get through it one way or another.

Time:  50:11  8:22/mile

Not a bad finish to a pretty weak week of runnning.  I banged my ankle on the door last night so I was a little worried it may bother me during today's run but it wasn't an issue at all.  Had to work pretty hard today because there was a steady wind blowing and I had to run several miles right into it.  Ran solo again today cause meg is still nursing her arm.  I think she will be back next week because she can't stand being away from running much longer.

Time:  2:05:01  8:20/mile

Rest.

Going to try and start increasing the mileasge for the next few weeks building up for a 5K and a couple of half marathons in May and June and also the Ragnar in June.  Ran solo today again.  Meg ran but was taking it a little easier with her arm still in a bit of pain.  We've got some of Meg's family coming down to visit for the next few days.  I'm sure they love staying at our house when we are starting to move around the house at 4:30 AM.

Time:  57:38  8:14/mile

Just a fairly easy 7 today.  Nothing too exciting just plain old running.  It was a little bit breezy and a little bit chilly, but other than that everything went well and felt good.  There have been rumors floating around the neighborhood that a house in our develpment was selected for the Extreme Makeover Home Edition show and this morning is sure looked like that was going to be the case as the rumored home didn't have the usual Homeland Security SUV parked in the driveway and there seemed to be a bit more traffic than usual.  I guess the family will know for sure tomorrow but it looks pretty likely that this is the place.

Time:  58:53  8:25/mile

Finally, a good tempo run!  It's been a while since I have run a tempo run so I finally got around to doing one today.  I am using a 6 week training plan off of the Runner's World website using the Smart Coach program for a 5K.  I don't usually use training plans but in the case of a 5K I figured I better at least look at something to have an idea of how to train.  I really want to run a good 5K time in this upcoming race so decided to look at a plan.  I may or may not stick to the plan perfectly but at least I have a guide.  The plan actually gives me paces and distances based on my most recent half marathon race time which was Painter's.  The suggested paces are a little slower than I normally run but I have decided to keep the paces closer to the suggestions to see if I can avoid extra aches and pains and especially injury.  The suggested pace for the 4 mile tempo run today was 7:15 per mile with a slow warm up and cool down mile.  The 4 mile tempo run was moderately hard but not overwhelming.  My splits were 7:09, 7:05, 7:11, 6:55.  Decided to step it up for the last half mile and came in just under 7:00 which felt pretty good.  Overall the run went well, I felt good and the usual yoga afterward was great as to cool down after a hard workout.

Time:  45:21 7:34/mile

Extreme Makeover Home Edition is in my neighborhood!  When I got home from work last night I couldn't even get into my driveway because 2 semis were blocking the way.  Luckily they were kind enough to pull forward so I could get in.  The hood was really hopping last night with excitement.  Lots of news vans and fanfare and of course the ever famous Ty Pennington, ooooooooo ahhhhhhhhhhh!  I never saw him but my family did.  They were there when the family was being filmed getting into the limo to take off on their week long vacation as their house was being re-built.  As of this mornings run the crew has set-up camp all around my neighborhood/running route.  Lots of the big construction light towers burning all night long, 8-10 camping trailers, construction equipment, etc., etc., parked all around the house and surrounding streets.  Lots of security and other officials monitoring the whole situation.  They are even setting up a big base camp area just outside our develpment for all the deliveries and stuff I guess.  Should be an exciting week of around the clock destroying and rebuilding.  I think the family that was chosen has a couple of daughters who suffer from some kind of weak immune system disability.  The house actaully looks to be in really good condition (recently painted), infact the neighborhood is only 13-14 years old so there aren't any old run-down houses.  I suppose they will put some features into the house to help the girls with their disabilities but don't really know for sure.  The lots in this neighborhood are only about .1 acre so they won't be building a mansion on that postage stamp piece of land but I'm sure they will create something really nice.  It will be interesting to see how running goes over the next week as the crew is supposed to start working full swing around the clock either today or tomorrow.  We may have to find a new running route for a few days.

Nice little recovery run after yesterdays tempo.  Kept the pace pretty easy, or at least it felt pretty easy but I seemed to be going faster than it felt.  It really felt like I was crawling today.  Had a couple of close encounters this morning with construction workers driving around in their mule's or trucks and just starting to wake up and get ready to take on the day.  I guess today at 10 is the scheduled time for the destruction of the house.  Our family members that are staying with us are going to go down and video tape the event.  I hope they get some good footage.  Drove around the neigborhood this morning and there are a couple of camps set up on vacant lots with tents, equiptment, wood, etc.  This is really a major undertaking to build a house in a week.  I guess the 24 hour days start today.  Should be interesting running the next few days, even busier than today.

Time:  50:38  8:26/mile

Carbon copy of yesterdays run except for the extra wind today.  Construction on the extreme house continues with the special quick drying foundation in place and the framing getting ready to start.  The framers are a little worried today with the high winds so we'll have to wait and see how that goes.  Not too much trouble running among the construction today even with them working 24/7 now.  I think most of the production had slowed because they had to sit around and watch the cement dry.  Have run solo almost every day this week.  Meg has decided to schedule an MRI for her shoulder.  It's just not getting and better, infact it seems to be getting worse so we figured we better check it out and see what is wrong with it.  At least after that we will know how to go forward with the rehab or surgury or whatever.  Don't know the date for the MRI yet, I suppose it will sometime next week, I will keep you posted.

Time:  50:19  8:23/mile

Split up todays run into two runs but with only about a 15 minute break in between. I am the captain of the Corporate Challenge 5K this year so I decided to have a team group run this morning and told everyone to meet me at the park where the event will be held at 7:00 A.M. I had one taker so him and I ran 4.5 miles so I could finish off my 15 for the morning. Kept the pace a little faster than I normaly do for my long runs but it felt good. The extreme home makeover team still has my neighborhood hopping so I ran most of my miles outside the area. Man that house has gone up fast!

Time: 2:03:05 8:12/mile

Rest.

Just a no frills 7 mile run this morning.  Felt like I was running in mud today.  I just couldn't seem to get the pace up to where I usually like to keep it so I kind gave up and just trudged along for the reamining miles.  Traffic seemed a little heavier than usual will extreme home makeover so I left the neigborhood again today and ran around some nearby neigborhoods.  I continue to run solo everyday which really SUCKS!  Meg is going in for an MRI today for her shoulder and elbow.  I suspect it will come back negative but with the amount of pain she is in it's better to get it checked out than let it go unknown.  We also have a consultation with an attorney this morning to look at our options for getting reimbursed for some of these medical costs.  I am not the type of person to sue anyone but I do think that reimbursement for medical costs is more than fair in this case.

Time:  59:14  8:28/mile

Suffered from the lead leg syndrom (LLS) again this morning for the first couple of miles and then finally found some rhythm and was able to churn out a few miles at a descent pace.  It wasn't a great run but it was better than yesterday.  Today is the big day of "MOVE THAT BUS" for the extreme makeover home people.  My son gets to stay home from school today so he is going to sit in front of our house and sell soda, candy and chips to the expected 10,000 people who will be arriving in our neighborhood.  They are expected to move the bus sometime between 12 and 4 today so as usual I won't be there for the exciting stuff.  The house is complete and as of this morning they are putting in new furniture and cleaning up.  The house is certainly nothing like all the other cookie cutter houses in our neigborhood.  I'm still not sure I like the design and architecture.....maybe it will grow on me.  I'm sure it will be  a real shocker to the family when they see it.  Should be an exciting day for them.

Time:  58:13  8:19/mile

Good work out today. My 5K training plan called for 3 x 1600 meter repeats with 800 meter recovery inbetween each one. I set up the Garmin to do the mile repeats with the recovery distance and did a two mile warm up and then got into the intervals. The recommended pace for the intervals was 6:47 so I had decided in advance that I would keep the first two right around that pace and then see what I could do on the last one. The first two were 6:44 and 6:43. The last one turned out to be my worst time but I think it was my hardest effort. About halfway through the last one I glanced down at my watch and saw that I was at about a 6:35 pace. I really wanted to try for a 6:30 so I felt like I picked up the pace. The next time I glanced down at my watch (about 30 seconds later) it said I was on a 7:15 pace, WHAT THE!!!!! So I spent the last half of that rep digging really hard only to get it down to a 6:48 at the finish. I really think the Garmin lost me somewhere in that last interval because I wasn't overly fatigued and I was pushing harder. Oh well, it was a good strong effort and despite the time I'm sure I will reap the benefits of the workout. I even broke out the racing flats for todays workout since I rarely ever use the "ruby slippers."

I forgot to report on the results of Meg's MRI yesterday. I guess I didn't report because I don't have the official report yet but I do know some of the details. She will meet with the Orthopedic doc today to go over the "official results." The unofficial results say she has some severe bruising and a small fracture in the upper arm/shoulder area with a possible torn "something or other" that I can't remember right now. I should have better details tomorrow. Nothing from the attorney yet either, but I imagine we won't here anything until next week.

Time: 54:15 7:45/mile

The first couple of miles today were drudgery, not to mention that my Garmin lost me again today....dangit. So my time and pace are a little off, but what am I gonna do. I guess yesterdays speed was a little tougher on the old body than I thought. It really took me a good three miles today before I got into a nice ryhthm and felt okay. Good thing tomorrow is recovery pace too cause I'm kinda tired.

Meg went to the Orthopedic doc yesterday and yes she does have a fracture in the upper arm or shoulder area and she does have a tear (not the rotator cuff, don't know what it's called though) that usually requires surgury, according to the doc, but he doesn't want to do the surgury until the fractured bone has a chance to heal. I guess once it's healed we will re-evaluate the tear and see if surgury is still required. So Meg may not be running for quite some time....she's gonna go nuts.

Time: 52:03 8:40/mile

Felt like the body needed and extra rest today so I took the day off. As much as I really hate to take a day off, I think it is probably the smart thing to do. I was just feeling too much fatigue and my experience in the past has been that running on too much fatigue will lead me right down the road to injury. So I plan to do my long run tomorrow but it may not be as long as I had planned depending on how I feel.

Taking yesterday off turned out to be a pretty good thing.  I had my legs back today and really felt good the entire time.  Ran 4 of the miles at sub 7:50 so that is why I am calling them fast.  Today I ran the first 9 miles near home and then drove over the park were my upcoming 5K will be held and ran 4 miles with another member of our corporate challenge 5K team.  Those miles were in the 9:00/mile range, but I was fine with that becuase the first 9 were a pretty good workout for a long run day.

Time:  1:47:50  8:17/mile

Rest.

This week is scheduled to be a little bit of a pull back week on the mileage with higher daily mileage but one less day of running and a shorter long run.  That's what the schedule says, we'll see how it goes.....  It was pretty dang windy today and it has cooled off a bit from last weeks perfect temps.....it is March though.  I continue to be the Lone Ranger out there as Meg is still in lots of pain and is now just trying to decide the best date to have surgury on her shoulder.  The PE coach who she works with is having knee surgury in the next couple of weeks and apparently they can't both be gone from school at the same time.  So I guess she will be doing some creative scheduling in order to miss as little work as possible.  Everything felt pretty good today despite the wind and the cold.

Time:  1:06:16  8:17/mile

Windy and cold this morning.  Almost considered going back to bed and then said to myself, what is Andy doing right now.  Well knowing that Andy was probably out freezing to death in the wind and snow I decided I could hack it.  My new mantra is WWAD (what would Andy do?)  So I survived, but only barely..... I'm ready for March to go out like a lamb any day now so we can enjoy running in the calm cool air for a couple more months before it gets really hot.  Still running solo and still waiting to get approval from the insurance on Megan's surgury.  I think will probably happen on Thursday of next week, right before spring break.  I know this is anxious to get going so she can get healed up in time for some of our upcoming races.

Time:  59:19  8:28/mile

Anther easy 7 today.  Meg did come out and do a little running today but very slow and easy miles.  So even though she was out there I was still running solo.  The wind continued to be an issue again today but not as bad as the past two days.  Tomorrow is supposed to be the worst day this week for the wind.......oh goodie....  Had a cat charge out of the bushes at me today and pull up just short of running into me, there's one you don't see everyday.  Yesterday I almost stepped on a dead cat right in my running lane and today I got cats charging out of the bushes at me, this must be the week of the cat.

Time:  0:57:59  8:17/mile

Same run, different day.  Almost an exact copy of yesterdays run.  Lately I've notices that it takes me about 3-4 miles to really get warmed up.  The last couple of days I have really felt like turning up the speed a little bit at mile 3 or 4 but have resisted the urge since this is supposed to be a cut back week.  I don't know if this longer warm-up time is a good or bad thing.  I am glad that I do feel better as the run progresses but I would love to feel good from the start.  Ran solo again today and it was windy again today, then I get home and the weather man is reporting that the winds are calm......huh???? Which city is this forcast for???  I have noticed in talking to others who workout in the morning that on my windy days they usually have little wind and they live in the far south end of the valley.  Maybe since I am in the far north end near the mountains I get some extra wind, don't know for sure.  Anyway, I digress....Yoga was good and continues to be good every day.  I wish I could say I can touch my nose to my knee but it will definately be a while.

Time:  58:04  8:18/mile

Nice easy 5 today.  Surprise! It was windy again today....woo hoo!  In the spirit of cutting back a bit this week I only did 5 today.  Tomorrows long run will only be 10 at the most but I plan to go to the track and do a 1 mile time trial for the upcoming corporate challenge track and field event.  I need to be able to run a mile in about 6:00 if I am going to be competative and earn some points for the team.  I have never run a mile in 6:00 so I am a little skeptical that I can do it now, I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow.

As a side note, I was watching the weather this morning after my windy run and they showed the wind speeds at various weather stations around the Las Vegas valley.  The one weather station nearest my house was showing winds in the 15-17 mph range while the rest of the stations were in the 3-7 mph range.  I guess I just live in a part of town that is a bit more open to the winds.  Interesting stuff.

Time:  41:25  8:17/mile

Well today was the big day for the 1600 meter trial run. Finally a day without wind! Got up and ran 3 miles with Meg this morning. She was able to handle 3 easy miles and that was just what I needed to get warmed up for my 1600. Jumped in the car and rode to the high school track for practice. I then slipped into the ruby red slippers and ran another mile with some fast strides for a warm up and then the four of us that showed up lined up for the 1600 meter time trial. At the start I was thinking I would like to run 90 second quarters and then try to hang on and keep it just under 6:00. The first lap was a little fast at about 1:24. The second lap came in just under 3:00. The third lap was just over 4:30 so I thought if I gutted it out I would have a chance at going sub 6:00. Well as it turns out I didn't have enough guts and my time came in at 6:00:13. I was a little disappointed but not for too long because it is a 12 second PR from the last time I ran it and this was just practice. I think on the day of the race I might be capable of going under 6:00 with some race day magic. I think my best strategy for the mile is to go even splits for the first 3 laps and then just give it everything on the last lap and hope for the best. I then ran 5 more miles on the track while the rest of my teammates practiced the other track and field events.

Time: 1:22:44 8:16/mile

Rest.

Felt pretty good today even though it was a bit chilly and very windy.....AGAIN!  Maybe I had a little more zip in the step due to the slower running week last week...who knows?  Whatever it was, I'll take it.  Megan goes in for her pre-op today and then will have her surgury on Thursday.  The attorney still had not had a response from the letter she sent to our infamous dog owners, she said her next letter won't be quite so nice....I guess it's just a waiting game at this point.  I have a feeling these legal matters can and probably will drag on for many months to come.  The most important thing though is that I get my running partner back at my side healthy and happy and sooner rather than later.

Time:  1:04:58  8:07/mile

No wind today!  Woo Hoo!  But it was a chilly 44 degrees, the heater even kicked on this morning.  Won't be too many more of those days before summer is upon us here in the south.  Felt a little dead when I got up this morning but the fact that there was no wind made me very happy, so the run went better than expected.  Nothing too exciting, just 8 miles, alone in the dark.  Meg had her pre-op yesterday and she is scheduled to go in to the surgical center on Thurday at 8:30 am and we should be home by around 1:00 if all goes as planned.  I guess the start the surgury arthroscopically and then if the repairs are too major they have to open her up and make the repairs.  The doctor has assured us that it is rare when a patient has to be opened up so I am crossing my fingers that it doesn't turn into something major.  She is scheduled for physical therapy the day after surgury so they're not wasting any time getting her rehabed, that's a good thing.

Time:  1:05:44  8:13/mile

That finishes off March with 180 miles which is my highest monthly total of the year so far and I am only 5 miles behind last years annual mileage.

Tough workout today!  I haven't done 800s in quite a while, but today was the day.  Did a one mile warm up and then did five 800 meter repeats with a 400 meter recovery after each one.  My schedule called for repeats at 3:10 each and figured it was within my range so I decided to go for it.  Here are the splits:  3:07, 3:09, 3:04, 3:13, 3:05.  The second and fourth intervals were into the wind and were really tough, the other three were with the wind and were not as tough, but still pretty hard.  I jogged each of the quarter mile recovery sections at about a 9:00/mile pace.  The I cooled down with 1.25 miles to come up with an even 6 for the day.  The body felt pretty good for the most part.  My legs and lungs felt pretty worked by the end but that is a good thing I think.

Time:  46:25  7:44/mile

Did another 2.64 miles in the evening of speed walking practice which I will count as slow running because they are about 10 minute miles.  Man that speed walking is brutal on the legs when you don't do it very often.  Got a small blister on the inside of each of my heals as a result of walking, I don't think it will effect my running much.

Meg is in surgury as I type this.  I dropped her off at the surgical center and had to get back to my daughters school to video tape her doing a performance of Emelia Earhart (sp?).  Hope everything goes well.  The doctor seem optimistic so I think it will.  Run went fine today.  Legs were a little dead from the speed walking yesterday but nothing major.  Short and sweet today.

Time:  57:52  8:16/mile

Lazy man syndrome today. No Running. Stayed home from work today so I could take Meg back to the surgical center and to her first brief physical therapy session. The surgury went better than expected but the tear was a little worse than thought. Meg is in a lot of pain and the pain meds really upset her tummy so she also gets to deal with the nausea and the pain, blaughghgh! We found out that Meg will probably not be able to run again for about 12 weeks. She will be in a sling for 6-8 weeks and can probably expect an almost full recovery in about 6 months. It's going to be a long painful process but if anyone can get through it, she can.

Nothing again today.  Just slept in late, did chores all day, took the girls to softball and tried to take care of Meg.  A nurse in our ward came over and gave her an I.V. with some anti nausea medicine and it really helped her to feel better and get a good nights rest.

Rest.

Back at it again today.  It really sucks to get up every morning and face the cool dark morning alone.  It sure made running a lot easier when Meg was going with me.  At least I knew there was someone depending on me to be up and ready to go running every morning.  Without her getting up every morning it's easier to make up an excuse to cheat ant not run.  I look forward to the day when she is back by my side again.

The run went good and I felt good.  I guess I should feel good after 3 days off.  The shin muscles finally feel better.  They were really sore up until yesterday due to the walk race practice last Wednesday.  I'm sure glad I went to practice or would really be hurting come race day.

Time:  1:06:16  8:17/mile

Don't even get me started about this run.

32:55 8:13/mile

When I walked out the door this morning I was afraid this tempo run would not go well due to the high winds.  When I rounded the turn going south for the first time during my run the wind was so hard it kinda scared me.  Since my longest stretch of road runs from north to south (directly into the wind) I decided to run my normal course backwards today to minimize the time going strait into the wind.  The plan called for a 5 mile tempo run at 7:11/mile.  I figured I would stay as close to that as possible.  Here aree the splits:  7:06, 7:09, 6:37, 7:06, 6:48.  I'm sure my Garmin lost me on that 3rd mile because I really don't think I ran that fast.  I did decided to pick it up on the last mile and I think the 6:48 is pretty acurate.  The wind was a factor for the first couple of miles but them seemed to lighten as the run went on, thank goodness.

Time:  59:14  7:24/mile

I went to walk race practice after work today again.  Man that walking is tough.  I did feel better than last time but I could tell the legs were still a little sore in the walking muscle areas.  I counted the extra 2.65 miles of walking as slow miles.

Slow and easy today.  Last night I want to the walk race practice again and the legs were feeling a bit fatigued this morning.  Good thing today was supposed to be a recovery day anyway.  Nothing too exciting today.  Windy as usual.

Time:  1:07:21  8:25/mile

Took the day off work to hang with the kids a bit for the last day of Spring Break. Ran a little later than usual and it was actually light during my run. Not sure of the reason today, but I ran a bit faster than I was intending and the pace felt slower than usual. Just one of those good days I guess. Actually a really nice day with very little wind for once.

Time: 1:05:22 8:10/mile

Got up at the usual time today for the Saturday long run and was only able to manage 1.5 miles before there was too much wind and rain.  Went back in the house to sit it out for a while and see if it would pass.  A couple of hours later it finally blew over and I was able to go out and finish the run.  I did get sprinkled on a bit but nothing like when I first started.  The run went well although I did start to feel some fatigue and pain toward the end but I guess that is to be expected since it is one of my longer runs for the year.  This was the last build up week for the 5K which is coming up next Saturday.  I would like to try for a sub 20 minute 5K but I don't think my fitness is there is this is not a really great course for doing it since it always seems to come up on the garmin a bit long.  I think for the course, anthing close to 21 minutes would be good for me.

Time:  2:01:58  8:08/mile

Rest.

Doing a bit of a taper this week to prepare for the 5K on Saturday.  Everyday this week will be a 5 mile regular run with some 800s on Wednesday just to remind the legs what it feel like to run fast a couple days before the race.  Legs felt pretty heavy and slow at the start today but things warmed up well after a couple of miles.

Time:  41:23  8:17/mile

This run looked almost like yesterdays run only the temps today were really warm. It was 66 degrees when I walked out the door this morning. This might be the first day in the 60s this year that early in the morning. Anyway, it was warm with nice breeze coming out of the south. I am still feeling a few aches and pains from last weeks mileage which is the first time I have gone over 50 miles in a week this year. Hopefully with the Yoga and lower mileage this week I can find some healing and recovery and be ready to go on Saturday.

Time: 41:02 8:12/mile

Temps this morning were night and day from yesterday at 48 degrees, breezy, overcast and drizzly.  Today was the last real workout until the 5K this weekend.  Training plan called for 4 800 meter intervals at 6:20/mile pace or 3:10 each with a quarter mile recovery between each one.  The last couple of days I have felt a bit fatigued and beat up on my runs so I really didn't know what to expect from these intervals today.  After a 1 mile warm-up I got into the intervals and here are the splits:  3:05, 3:07, 3:06, 3:01.  I really wanted to try and push the last one and it went well, into the wind and all.  My recoveries were at about a 9:00/mile pace and my warm-up and cool-down miles were right around 8:40/mile pace.

Time:  38:41  7:44/mile

Another nice moderate speed recovery run today.  Legs are starting to feel good again after feeling kinda crappy for the first couple of days of the week.  Even after yesterdays semi-hard interval workout things seem to be feeling better.  I just realized that this Saturday's race marks the beginning of a very busy two week stretch of races ending with the Hurricane half marathon on May 2.  The two other races are the 1600 a week from today and the walk race the Tuesday before Hurricane.  That should be an interesting week of recovery from that blasted event.  Not much else exciting today, usual wind and unusual cooler temps which should be really warm by Saturday morning.

Time:  41:17  8:15/mile

Really nice run today, short and sweet.  Added in a couple of 200 meter striders during the 3rd mile at about 6:30/mile pace just to keep the legs thinking....fast.  Still a bit windy this morning, the weather is supposed to shape up really nice for tomorrow so I hope the predictions are true and the wind is minimal.  Nothing else too exciting just a nice easy shake out run.

Time:  24:51  8:17/mile

Came up just a little short of my top goal for this race of going under 21:00 but overall I can't feel too bad about a 1st place (GOLD MEDAL BABY) age group award and a 6th place overall in the "B" division (about 160 runners). 

About 20 minutes before the race I jogged a mile and ran a couple of fast 200 meter strides at about 6:30 pace to warm up.  As expected, the course was just like last year with the whole hairpin garbage can turn (it was a tall orange cone this year) and running on and off the sidewalk throught the dirt and shrubs as you manuver your way through lots of oncoming runners.  As I got to the hairpin turn about 3 guys in front of me practically stopped going around the turn and at a 6:15/mile pace they come up pretty fast.  I almost crashed into them but I was able to bust it hard around those few guys and was quite glad to have that obstacle out of the way.  The first mile came in at 6:16 which is a bit fast for me but I guess it's to be expected with all the adrenaline and race day excitement.  The next two miles were a real struggle contending with oxygen debt and a slight headwind for part of the two lap course.  Miles two and three were slower but they were pretty consistent at 6:41 and 6:45.  I finished off the last quarter mile.......yes you heard me "quarter mile" at a 6:15/mile pace with a decent kick to the finish.  I looked down at my watch at 3.1 miles and noted that I was at 20:20.  So my goal of running a 5K in under 20 minutes is oh so close.  If I can stay healty, I might be able to make it there this year.

I don't know why these guys can't get the course distance right, it's 3.26 for each of the 4 times I have run it, say what you will about GPS but that seems pretty consistent to me.  Mister "I measured this course myself" can just BITE ME!

I had plans to run a few extra miles today but decided to bag it and just enjoy some time off.  HAPPY GOAL - MET!

Rest.

Lazy!  Stayed home with sick daughter and didn't do much of anything constructive.

Felt like crap during this run.  Don't know if I am still feeling some aches and pains from the 5K but I really didn't feel good for the first 3 miles.  The forth mile felt better but by then I didn't have time to keep running.  Ended up staying home again today with my sick daughter.  I'm sure my boss is sick of all my sick days.

Time:  33:03  8:16/mile

Was going to do 6 miles today, then Meg suggested I do 7, so I went out and did 8??  Whatever!!  Felt so much better than yesterday and really need a good longer run to get back into the swing of things.  Tomorrow is the 1600 meter race so I hope I didn't overdo it today with 8 miles, I doubt I did.  Plan to run about 4 tomorrow morning and then a couple miles before the race tomorrow as a warm-up.  My plan is to run even split laps with the first lap no faster than 88 seconds.  Hopefully I can maintain that pace or improve it for each of the next three laps.  That would get me my sub 6:00 mile that I have been trying for for a long time now.

Time:  1:05:08  8:09/mile

Well Rhett, I read your advice too late and got up and ran 4 miles this morning. I hope it doesn't cost me too much time. I really haven't been feeling good the last couple of days so I am a little worried about today performance despite this mornings run. My legs felt like they were full of lead this morning when I ran. I tried to do a couple of 200 meter striders at a fast pace but felt like I was really laboring to go fast. I may have picked up my daughters bug from staying home with her the last couple of days, I hope not. Anyway, there isn't much I can do at this point except try to eat smart and just try and relax until the race this evening.

Time: 34:00 8:30/mile

Corporate Challenge 1600 Report

Arrived at the track about an hour before the race time and got registered and then got horizontal on the stadium bleachers for about 30 minutes.  About 20 minutes before the race I did some really easy jogging with 2 x 200 meter striders at a pretty fast pace.  Then I planted myself near the starting line and did some light stretching.  I hadn't felt very good this whole week and even up to the time of the race I felt like I had a ball of glub in my stomach.  If there was ever a race where I could possibly puke, I was convinced that this could be the one.  They ran the mens race in two heats by age groups.  My heat had 24 runners from various age groups.  I don't know who was in my age group so I just had to run as fast as I could and hope for the best.  We lined up for the race and I was in lane 4 on the waterfall.  The gun went off and I made my way to the inside lane as quickly as possible and tried not to get caught up in the excitement of the start.  My plan for the race was to run 88's and see what happened.  the first lap came in a bit fast at about 83 seconds but that was expected with the quick start.  The second lap I came in about 2:53 so I was still under my 6:00 pace.  The next lap came in at about 4:25 so I knew I was going to have to step it up on the last lap to get in under 6:00.  I had a ton of road kill on all laps after the first and I had about 3-4 more kills on the last lap as I brought it home in 86 seconds.  The wind during this race was brutal as we had a head wind on the finish line stretch for each of the 4 laps.  I always wonder what could have been but I am incredibly pleased with a 5:51 and 6th place finish out of 24.  I don't know the results of my age group yet so I will have to wait and see if I ended up with the gold or not.  Feels good to finally get a sub 6:00, especially under these conditions.

This is the final stretch of the race and I am in pain!!

Nice and super easy recovery run today. I only have one more long run tomorrow before Hurricane next week so I wanted to take it really easy today, besides the fact that I am still feeling it a bit from yesterdays mile race. The wind had died down a bit from last night but it was still hanging on a little bit today during my run, although it really didn't bother me at all, I was just happy to be out running. Hopefully we will get the AG and team results today from the track and field event yesterday. I just hope we beat Zappos.com and all their super track athletes.

Time: 52:03 8:40/mile

Corporate Challenge Track and Field Update

Well we won the team gold running away, pun intended.  Second place was so far behind it wasn't even a contest.  Zappos.com finished in 6th place....HA!  I ended up getting the silver medal in the 1600 meter race losing by only 1.5 seconds.  The sad part is I don't think the kid that beat me was in my heat because there was really no one close in front of me when I finished.  When they called the first heat together they cut it off at 24 runners and that was right in the middle of the 35-39 age group.  Kinda stinks, maybe I could have squeezed out 2 more seconds if I had known.  Oh well, what are you gonna do, silver it is.  Two years ago when I ran it I got 4th and no hardware, so I can't complain too much.

13.1 long miles of drudgery on the dreadmill. When I woke up this morning it was blowing like no other. I know when I can hear the wind over the sound of the fan in our room that it is pretty bad outside. So I slept in. Meg and I then went to the YMCA around 9:30 and I started my fun on the treadmill. Pretty much ran the whole way at zero incline except for mile 12 which I bumped up to 2 percent to try and simulate mile 12 at the Hurricane half. It was tough. I had some good tunes but had a heck of a time keeping the dang ear phones in my ears. I finally had to wrap the cord around my big ear and then shoved it in the ear canal. It finally stayed in, thank goodness. I couldn't do 13 miles just staring at the wall. This was the last long run before Hurricane so I threw in some miles at race pace just for the fun of it. Those miles were at about 7:15/mile pace. Will do a bit of a taper next week with maybe one run in there that will have a couple of miles at race pace, maybe. I have one more event on Tuesday in my Corporate Challenge trifecta...the walk race. Hopefully that doesn't leave me hurting for the Half Marathon on Saturday.

Time: 1:45:40 8:04/mile

Rest.

My quads were a little bit sore this morning for some reason. I suppose it probably has something to do with running on the treadmill on Saturday. It wasn't a really bad soreness so I was able to run without much problem. I am planning to taper off later this week with some lower mileage runs on Thursday and Friday and then hopefully be ready for a PR effort on Saturday at Hurricane. I think a PR on that course would be pretty difficult but I think I am going to give it a shot and see how it goes. I have only run the course once but I have driven it countless times going up to Zion National Park. The race is generally down hill but there are some rollers throughout the first several miles and a nice little incline in the last mile or so. But there is also a really steep down hill section around mile 7-8 for about a mile which should be pretty fast. A PR would be my super happy goal and something better than Painter's would be good as well.

Time: 49:04 8:11/mile

Another moderate pace 6 today.  It was fairly windy coming out of the South today.  the longest stretch of my run goes from north to south so I spent a good portion of the run going into the wind.  I am still feeling a little soreness in my quads today which is surprising because I don't usually feel much soreness there.  It probably won't help that I have the walk race after work today either.  That race seems to work muscles I didn't even know I had.  My biggest priority starting after todays run is to get some high quality recovery and hopefully get some of the soreness out of my legs before Saturday.  I finally put away all my winter running stuff last night so hopefully it doesn't cool off again.  The weather has been warmer than normal this winter but it has really fluctuated between warm and cold days a lot more that seems normal. 

Went and watched the end of a high school track meet last night because some kids in my ward are on the team.  It was kinda fun remembering back to what it was like to run track in high school.  I wish they held the meets later in the day so I could go watch more often.

Time:  48:41  8:07/mile

I just noticed my year to date mileage total........holy crap!

Okay, the walk race distance gets my annual mileage total off of 666.66.....thank goodness. 

Corporate Challenge Walk Race Report

It has become a Southwest Gas tradition that our walk race team will bring home the gold medal every year.  This year was no exception as we clobbered the competition.  Our overall team score was more than double that of the second place team.  Our team received 7 gold 7 silver and 3 bronze medals.  We really had a good turnout this year and really put together a good team.

Walking fast is not the easiest thing to do.  If you ever have any doubt just go out and walk a couple of miles as fast as you can and then see how your hips, butt and shins are feeling over the next few days.....not good.  You literally work muscles you didn't even know you had.  Luckily I was able to get in a couple of good practice sessions before this years event so I was past the soreness and hopefully won't feel much of the effects of todays race.

The race takes place out at Las Vegas Motor Speedway near Nellis Air Force Base and they have us walk on realtively small gran prix style track.  There are judges throughout the course who decide weather you are violating the rules and if three judges note your number then you are disqualified.  Needless to say, you make extra sure you are walking as you pass the judges.  Well there were no DQ's today on the Southwest Gas team so life was good.

Our team usually arrives early enough to secure a place at the front of the starting line so we don't have to fight our way through traffic.  We always have the strongest walkers so it's a fair strategy I think (9 of the top 20 were from Southwest Gas).  So our team bolted out to a fast start and it was our rabbit who wins the overall every year, our old guy who walks every day and really uses his hips and then me until I got passed by a couple of other walkers that I just couldn't latch on to.  Luckily only one of them was in our division so I ended up in 4th and not 5th.  As far as the race details go, it was windy and hot and a lot of hard work.  I didn't really have anyone near me for most of the race so I was out there chugging along all by myself.  Near the finish I could hear someone breathing down my neck trying to pass me but I was able to hold him off until the finish, but just barely.....fun stuff.  After that we hung out, cheered on the rest of the team and then collected our hardware.  Collecting some hardware always makes the effort worth while.

Nice and easy 6 today.  Not feeling too much pain after the walk race, hopefully it doesn't get worse tomorrow like it sometimes does.  Just looking for a complete recovery over the next few days in preparation for Saturday.  Nothing too exciting today, just a nice easy run.

Time:  51:43  8:37/mile

Today was the start of winding it down for Saturday.  I did put in one more fast mile just because I haven't really run any fast miles this week.  The pace for that mile was my goal pace for the half marathon which is 7:10/mile.  That mile felt pretty good but then again, it was only one mile.  I am feeling a bit more stiffness and soreness in my glutes, hamstrings and calfs today due to the walk race.  Usually the second day after the event is the worst for me and hopefully by tomorrow morning it will be gone.  At least the soreness isn't as bad as it was in years past and once I got warmed up today it really didn't hinder my running.  I'll just keep chowing on some protien between now and the race and I should be all healed up.  I've been getting some extra sleep the past couple of day, waking up a little later than usual, hoping that the extra rest will help as well.  Tomorrow I will do a short little three mile run and then head up to St. George in the late afternoon.  I'm barely sending in my St. George marathon application today, I hope it gets there by Monday.

Time:  39:17  7:51/mile

While last month was my highest mileage month this year, April has turned out to be my lowest mileage month.  I guess that is to be expected with the several races I had and the mini tapering I did before them.  I am ahead of last years cummulative total by about 50 miles so I guess that is a good thing.  No real injuries yet this year and that is definitely a good thing.

Final shake out run before the big show tomorrow.  Nothing new or different, as usual, just a short, moderate paced run.  Looks like we could be in for a rainy run.  There is a 50% chance of showers and winds out of the southwest at 10-20 mph, ode to joy!  Well maybe there will be a drastic change between now and then cause I don't think my Garmin could handle another monsoon like SGM.  Well, I'll hope for the best and maybe we'll catch a lull in the storm before the race and it will be perfect, hey I can hope can't I!  Most of the soreness in my legs is gone but I am still feeling it in couple of spots, especially in my shins.  It seems like walking really does a number on my weak shin muscles.  Walked a mile or so with Meg today, it was nice to go out and visit with her just like old times.  She is still heavily involved in PT and rehab and is still in quite a bit of pain so I don't imagine she will be running any time soon.  She's been really diligent about hitting the recumbant bike at the YMCA every day though, so hopefully she will be able to come back with a fair amount of fitness when the time is right.

Time:  24:47  8:16/mile