In The Long Run

SLCTC Group Run. 9:15 average pace.

Tried out a new loop today.  9:43 average pace.

Spin class at the gym.  I've been struggling with plantar fasciitis and my foot felt particularly tender today. I decided to cross train instead of run, and really enjoyed it. I hope to incorporate more spinning into the routine.

SLCTC group run from Tanner Park.  Always nice to explore new roads and run with other people.  I think this was around 9:45 pace.

Long run around town with my husband.  This was pretty tough because the first half was all uphill.  The downhill finish was nice, though. Overall I felt sluggish and the pace was really slow (just over 10 min miles). After the run did pushups and planks.

Lunch time spin class.  Good instructor, tough class.

Ran to Liberty Park, did 2 loops, ran home.  No watch, conversation pace.

SLCTC group run.  Forgot my garmin and missed a turn, so I'm guessing on distance (it's usually about 5).

Liberty Park.

Spin class for 1 hour. This was a bizarre class with a "love song" theme. The instructor did a lot of "hovering" today and I'm not a fan. I've read mixed things regarding the safety of the move and it's not something I would ever do on a road bike while riding on the road, so I skipped those parts. I didn't work very hard today, have a 10k race tomorrow.

2 mile warmup. SLCTC Winter Series 10k. 1 mile cooldown.

Based on my 5k two weeks ago, I was hoping to run around 52 minutes today. Realistically, I figured that I would be around 52:30, but still under 53 even if I felt not so great. Ha ha.  I struggled from the start.  I went out slowly and my breathing was very labored. I hit the mile in 8:30, the 2 mile in 17, but I was struggling to keep that pace.  Each mile got worse from there and after 4 miles I stopped trying to push.  Finished in 55 something. Very disappointed, I know I'm in better shape than that.  I hope the 15k in 2 weeks goes better.

Usual Liberty Park run.  Nice night, hard to believe it is mid-February.  No watch, but felt decent. Pushups and planks before run (Week 2, Day 1 of the 100 pushup challenge. I am so weak).

AM: Usual lifting. 

PM:Nice 5 miler with Stacy to Liberty Park and back. 9:50 average pace.

SLCTC Group Run. 9:05 pace tonight.  My dog pulled me to a couple sub 9s before letting off.  

Actually got up early to run the usual Liberty Park run.  We're heading down to Moab to help time the Red Hot 33k/55k races.  

No run today :( I was hoping to have time to sneak away and run on Moab's awesome trails, but my Red Hot timing duties spanned the whole day.  It was fun watching all the runners come in and the weather was perfect for running.  I would definitely like to do the 33k next year.  

AM:  Usual Liberty Park run with the husband and dog.

Lunchtime:  Spin class 

Ran to Liberty Park planning to do 1 loop, but felt good so I did 2.  I haven't worn a watch or Garmin on my last few runs.  Just trying to get some miles in and not worry about pace.

SLCTC Group Run. Gorgeous night for a run. Shorts sleeves at the end of Feb. Awesome.  

Met fellow bloggers Lulu and Andrea for spin class.  Tough workout tonight.

Easy run on the Jordan River Parkway with Stacy.  It was my first time running there and I really enjoyed it.

When I got out of my car at Saltair, it felt like I was back in Laramie.  I could not believe the wind. I wasn't looking forward to running at all.  I attempted to do a warmup, but the wind was so strong I couldn't even run in a straight line.  I decided to save my energy for the race.  Luckily, the wind seemed calmer as we started the race.  I met up with Bruce at the starting line and we decided to run together and treat the first half like a training run. We talked most of the way to the turnaround and I was surprised to see that we were running sub-9s and it felt pretty easy.  We picked up the effort a little on the way back and I decided to push the last 2 miles a little more.  I finished in 1:21:11 which was faster than I thought I would run. This is also a considerable improvement over the 10k two weeks ago. I averaged over 10 seconds per mile faster today and ran an additional 5k, so I'm pretty happy with that. Progress is always good.  If I can stay consistent with training, I know I'll get back to where I was, and hopefully even surpass that!

Splits according to my Garmin:

1-8:50

2-8:56

3-8:48

4-8:39

5-8:39

6-8:46

7-8:51

8-8:27

9-8:21

.36- 2:51 

Finished up with a 2 mile cool down. 

Easy run with the hubby on the JRP.  I signed up for the Triple Trail Challenge (Jupiter Peak Steeplechase, Park City Half, Mid Mountain Marathon) today.  I'm such a sucker for a fleece jacket!  

SLCTC Speed workout.  5 people came out tonight.  The workout was 6 x 600m with 200m walk/jog recovery.  I had no expectations regarding pace, I just tried to stay in control. Hit 2:40, 2:42, 2:39, 2:37, 2:36, 2:36.  Recovery was very slow.  This was my first track workout since last July, and I feel it's a nice start towards getting where I want to be.  I need to work on getting the recoveries shorter, but I think that will happen as my fitness improves.   

Met Andrea for 3 loops of Sugarhouse Park.  This was a really enjoyable run.  Nate and Bourbon (our hound dog) tagged along, too.  

SLCTC Group Run.  Only 5 people showed up for a snowy run.  I ran 3 loops of Sugarhouse Park.  I really wanted to quit after 2. Now I'm freezing and trying to get warm!

Ran on the JRP with Stacy.  Legs felt great after a much-needed day off yesterday. February was my most consistent training in months and I'm looking forward to ramping it up some more.

Met Bruce and Stacy at Highland High for a nice 5.3 loop around the neighborhoods (9:20 pace).  Then drove to Sandy for the SLCTC Breakfast Run.  Ran a hilly 6.5 there (9:04 pace).  The break in between was just enough to make my legs tighten up and feel like lead. I was surprised at my pace given how bad I felt.  Then we had a yummy breakfast of pumpkin pancakes, cheesy hash brown casserole, bacon, eggs, coffee, oj, and other goodies before heading home. I love breakfast runs!   

Easy run to Liberty Park with the pup this afternoon.  Such a beautiful day, so many people and dogs out enjoying it.  My hamstrings were very tight today.  They seemed to loosen up a bit mid-run, but I had to put a small surge in at the end to avoid a guy who was creeping me out and that tightened them up again.  Spent the morning tracking my Louisiana friends at the Rock and Roll New Orleans Marathon/Half.  It was very motivating to see them reach their goals.  

AM: 10 minutes on elliptical to warm up.  Tried to do my usual lifting (squats, straight legged dead lifts,  pulldowns, rows), but my left hamstring was so tight that I had to use much  less weights on the squats, and couldn't do the dead lifts at all.  Planned on a short PM run, but decided against it because of hamstring soreness. 

Usual Liberty Park Run.  I was seriously under dressed for this one in shorts and a t shirt with arm warmers.  It started snowing on me less than 5 minutes in, but I was too stubborn to turn around and put more clothes on.  For most of the run, I felt pretty good (if not a little cold).  I was almost home when my hamstring seized up enough to alter my stride. I'm sure it didn't help that my legs were freezing.  I need to figure out how to fix this hamstring problem.  

SLCTC Group Run.  I've been running with my dog for almost 3 years now and it's mostly been incident free (despite her somewhat inconsistent leash skills) until recently.   Last week she managed to clothes line me at Sugarhouse Park and tonight she managed to further aggravate my already aggravated left hamstring.  She stopped for a potty break and then pulled to get back up with my husband.  She was pulling with such force that I couldn't hold back and as I moved faster, I could feel my hamstring seize up. I gave the dog to my husband and slowed down, but I was aware of my hamstring with every step.  Andrea shared some tips that helped her when her hamstring was acting up, so I will incorporate these into my routine to see if they help me, too. Now onto icing and "the stick".   

Ran 3 easy loops of Sugarhouse with Stacy.  The hamstring felt decent at a slow pace (9:40ish).  

Easy Liberty Park run with the husband and hound.  Felt stiff, but no hamstring pain. Yay! I'm going to a YogaTherapy workshop tomorrow afternoon at the Yoga Center.  I'm looking forward to some yoga and relaxation.   

AM: 8 miles on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail with the SLCTC.  Gorgeous morning.  First time on trails since Bandera in early January and it felt good.  Hamstring was pain free. Hopefully that was just a fluke thing from adding a little more intensity the previous week.  

PM: 2 hours of Restorative Yoga at The Yoga Center. This was great, lots of easy gentle yoga (seated or lying poses) focused on the hips, spine, and shoulders. I felt so relaxed when it was over. I'd like to do this more often.  

Ran to Sugarhouse, did a few loops, ran home.  Very slow, but I need to get my mileage up and I hear that slow, easy running is the way to go.  

Super slow run Liberty Park Run with Nate.  Even with a day off the legs felt dead. I had intended to do a 3 mile tempo on the dirt path, but the legs weren't having it. Felt like I was barely moving on the ~2 mile stretch home directly into the wind. Foam rolled the legs and did hamstring swiss ball curls when I got home.  

It finally hit me that Ogden is in 9 weeks and I really haven't done much to get ready for a marathon. I put together a schedule (modified Pfitzinger) last night that gets my mileage into the 40-50 range for that stretch and will get me two twenty milers before the race. That will be enough to finish and possibly even PR depending on conditions (given how slow my PR is). The plan has one faster workout each week (either a tempo run or 5k paced intervals), a midweek longer run (10 miles) and a long run on the weekend (starting with 14, building to 20). With the exception of the workout days, I intend to run as slowly as necessary to get the miles in and not worry about the pace and to cross train as needed. I also need to pay attention to the little things like foam rolling, stretching, and core work.    

Medium long run.  This was hard for me today.  I ran up to Highland High, met up the SLCTC group, and then ran home.  The run there was frustrating.  I took the dog and she had three potty breaks plus we had to stop at every light.  It was hard to get into a rhythm and I felt sluggish, although it was mostly uphill.  I then ran with the group for 5 miles.  This part went well, although I ran a little faster than I intended (sub 9s which is fast for me).  For the run home, I backed off a bit.  I again managed to get stuck at every light!  Overall, I'd say it was a good run.  Foam rolled when I got home.  I will take it very easy tomorrow.  

I was so excited to run today because I got new shoes (and because it is absolutely gorgeous out). I so wanted to love these shoes (Brooks Pure Flow) but within a mile of running my feet were on fire. I was tempted to go home, but I continued on to Liberty Park. Once I hit the dirt, my feet felt fine again. Maybe I just need to break these shoes in? Weird. Did a loop then ran home. I felt progressively better throughout the run after a blah start,  although my stomach has been sour all day. Myrtl and foam roller after run.

Took the pup for a couple easy loops around Sugarhouse. Felt pretty dang good tonight, hope it carries over to my long run tomorrow!

The distance is a guess as my Garmin ran out of juice on this run.  Original plan was a 14 mile road run, but I decided I wanted to hit the trails since I have the Buffalo Run 25k next weekend.  Ran Pipeline starting from Rattlesnake Gulch. My hubby and dog ran with me, too. The trail was mostly clear and dry, but eventually we reached a point that was too slushy, snowy, muddy, icy to run safely so we turned around. Beautiful day, but the wind was really picking up by the end.  

Short Liberty Park run.  

Mid week longer run.  Parks loop including Sugarhouse and Liberty.  I struggled to get into a rhythm because of having to stop at every light. 10 miles doesn't feel far anymore, so that is good.  My left hamstring is acting up again, though, so I plan on 5-6 easy miles a day until Antelope Island on Saturday.  If I feel good, I will try to beat my time from last year.  If not, I will use it as a scenic, supported long run and just enjoy being out there.  

SLCTC group run.  We had a pretty big group tonight now that it is warm and still light out at 6pm.  I ran pretty easy because my legs felt really tight after yesterday's run. Pace was around 9:20.  In early January, this pace was hard for me.  Now it feels easy enough that I can carry on a conversation while running it.  I love progress!  

Easy loops on the grass at Sugarhouse with Nate.  I didn't wear a watch, but felt like I was dragging. In non-running related news,  I received a job offer today and am so excited to start work at the U of U this summer! I guess I'll have no excuse not to hit the BST after work each day!

Easy, boring 3 miles looping though the neighborhood.  Felt really blah again.  Hope I feel better at the race tomorrow.  

This was my third year running the Buffalo Run 25k, but my first as a SLC resident.  This is the race that made me fall in love with Utah.  There was something about the mountains reflecting off the water that made me want to move here.

I didn't know what to expect for this race.  I've increased my milage a bit the last few weeks and my hamstrings and left plantar have been chronic problems.  I started off in the middle/back of the pack and tried to stay controlled going up the climbs.  As soon as we hit the downhill, people started flying by me.  As we approached the switchbacks, I realized that I felt pretty good and that I was passing a lot of people back.  After we hit the aid station on the return,  I saw a SLCTC running buddy up ahead, and gradually worked to catch him. I caught him on the last real uphill and then focused on trying to finish strong.  I tried to dip down below 9s, but my hamstrings wouldn't have it.

I really thought I was going to beat my time from last year (2:45 something) by several minutes, but I hadn't even reached the fence and my time was already slower.  This year the start/finish was moved over near the parking, and I wasn't happy about the running up the gradual incline to the finish.  I pushed a little so that I didn't get out kicked by a guy with his dog and finished in 2:48:49. After the race, I got a massage where I was informed that basically every part of my body was tight (calves, hamstrings, itb, hip flexors, adductors)  That probably explains many of my problems.

The altered start/finish added some extra distance to the course, so it's likely that my pace was slightly faster than last year even with the slower time.  My Garmin read 16.6 for an average pace of 10:11 (I stopped it 20 seconds or so after I crossed the finish line).  The stats from my Garmin can be viewed here.  It's clear that I really need to work on my downhill running if I hope to take any large chunks of time off next year.  I feel like my uphill running was better than in previous years and I walked very little this year.  I'm starting to regret signing up for Ogden, I'd rather run trails right now.  

Took today off because my left foot hurt to the point that I couldn't walk normally.  Went to the Yoga Center for an hour and a half of Restorative Yoga. 

Ran the usual Liberty Park run.  The day off and yoga yesterday did wonders for my legs. Muscularly, I felt better than I have in weeks. My hamstrings felt almost normal.   I purchased a pass at the Yoga Center and intend to incorporate the Sunday night Restorative Yoga into the routine.  I may also look into the "Yoga for Stiffer Bodies" on Saturdays.  

Liberty Park. Gloomy day, gloomy run.

Ran a loop of Sugarhouse for a warmup.  Then used the first 3 miles of the SLCTC group run as a tempo run (8:47, 8:33, 8:44).  The goal was 8:45 pace, but I got a little too ambitious on the second mile. It's so much easier to run faster when you have company! Slowed to low 9s for the remainder of the run as a cool down.  

Ran to Sugarhouse, did 3 loops on the grass, ran home.  Overall, this was a pretty nice run and felt much better than last week's 10 miler.  It wasn't the fastest, but I felt pretty good.

I was once again stopped on my run by some random person and asked if I was training for a triathlon.  This is kind of a sore spot for me because it is code for "your legs are huge." Last spring, I was running on the Blue Sky Trail in Fort Collins and a mountain biker asked me what triathlon I was training for.  When I said I was training for the Big Horn 50k, she stared at my legs and said, "oh, I thought you were a cyclist."  This has happened numerous other times over the years. I find it odd because I don't go up to strangers and comment about their body type!   

Easy 4 on the BST with the dog.  Didn't feel that great, actually took a few walking breaks, but it was a beautiful day.  

Ran from home to Sugarhouse.  After a couple loops I meandered up to Skyline High to meet the SLCTC group.  Ran another 6 out and back on Wasatch to hit 17 for the day.  This was pretty hard. It probably didn't help that a big chunk of it was either uphill or into the wind.  But I got it done and I'm happy about that! The first 11 by myself was more enjoyable than I anticipated, and it was nice to have other people to pull me through the last 6.  

I set a goal to run 160 miles this month, and I hit 192.  I'm pleased with that and I think it was my highest mileage month in several years! I hope that by summer I can easily and consistently run 50 mpw and gradually add in more faster running.   

I feel lazy when I take a day off of running, but I know my body is not ready for 7 days a week yet.  So I did Restorative Yoga for 1 1/2 hours.  My hips and hamstrings feel so much better, hope this feeling carries over to my track workout tomorrow.  

AM: Dynamic warmup, planks, lifting.  I've been neglecting strength training and figured it was time to get back into it.  Nothing crazy, though, until after Ogden.  

PM: SLCTC Track Workout. Warmup loop around Sugarhouse Park. My plan called for 5 X 1000m at 5k pace with 2 min recovery and everyone agreed to do my workout with me :) I haven't run a 5k in awhile so I wasn't sure what pace to aim for.  I decided 7:45 pace (4:48-4:49 for 1000m) sounded good, but I started off by trying to stay in control. I ended up running 4:47, 4:41, 4:39, 4:36, 4:35.  I was pleasantly surprised that I hit the last 3 at under 7:30 pace and I didn't feel like I was straining.  I felt really good and controlled through the workout.  I had a nice group to run with and I'm really glad that Neil, John, and Stacy were there to push me today. Cool down loop around the park.  

It's amazing what 6 weeks of consistent running has done. I'm finally starting to believe that I'll get back to where I was.  

Tuesday Night Trails! 7 miles on the BST.  I was slightly sore from yesterday, but felt decent on this run.  It's always nice to hit the trails on a beautiful evening.  

Met Stacy for a mid-week 10 miler around Sugarhouse and the nearby neighborhoods.  It was nice to have company and not surprisingly, it was faster (and felt better) than my last few mid-week runs.  

AM: Dynamic warmup, planks, light lifting.  Elevated planks are HARD.

PM: Easy 5 mile run with my husband and the dog around Liberty Park.  Followed this with a Restore yoga class.  My body felt even tighter than usual so this was much needed tonight. Shavasana was so relaxing tonight, I almost fell asleep.

I didn't feel like running today, but my dog had other plans.  I took her for an easy loop around the neighborhood.  It was a really enjoyable run.  Tomorrow I have the Strider's half. I decided that I should have some goals for this race so here they are: The first goal is sub 2. If I don't do that, I won't be happy at all.  Ideally, I would like to beat 1:57:57 which is my fastest recent half (October 2010).  I think I am fitter than that, but I guess I will find out tomorrow.   

I woke up this morning feeling like I was going to vomit.  Hit snooze a few too many times before I decided to actually get out of bed.  I had some coffee and a PB&J english muffin and that seemed to settle my stomach.  I quickly got dressed and headed north. Halfway to Ogden, I realized that I forgot my Garmin.  I also did not have a watch.  I would have to run completely by feel.  Not the end of the world, as I've done this before with some success. I'm somewhat of a headcase when it comes to running so sometimes it's good not to know paces so that I can't overanalyze things.  

I got to the Red Moose Lodge, picked up my packet, and got on a bus.  It felt like we sat on those buses forever.  Finally, we started moving and headed to the start.  At the start we were informed of the temperature: first 15, then 16, and finally 21 degrees.  I was frozen even with a down coat on. My feet went numb.  I waited as long as possible to take my warm clothes off.  I lined up in the middle and before I knew it, the race had started.

I could not feel my feet for the first few miles.  It was the weirdest feeling trying to run that way.  As my feet warmed up, it felt like my socks were bunched around my toes (they actually were not).  A guy I was running near at the 2 mile mark informed me that we were at 16:55 (there were no clocks on the course).  Crap. That was way too fast, although it was downhill.  I didn't feel very controlled and just knew I was going to slow down a lot.  

The miles seemed to go by so slowly. I kept hoping I would somehow be magically transported to mile 10, so I could just get this run over with.  I felt like I was going too slow and that I wouldn't meet my goal of sub 1:57:57.  At mile 11, I asked roughly what time we were at.  1:35 something, I was told.  Suddenly, it clicked that I could not only meet my goal, but I could even run sub 1:55.  I increased my effort slightly.  As I came into the finishing stretch I saw the clock in the high 1:53s and sprinted to try to get in under 1:54.  The clock clicked over to 1:54 and I finished a few seconds later.  I hoped that my chip time would be 1:53 something and it was.  Results said 1:53:52.

I'm pretty happy with this result.  It's my fastest half since May 2009 when I ran a high 1:48.   It was another step towards getting back to my racing times of 2006-2008.   I still have a lot of work to do to get below 1:50 again, but I think it is possible by the end of summer. Another positive is that my hamstrings felt great.  My left plantar tightened up after the finish, though.  

PM: Went to Yoga for Flexibility to unwind and stretch out. This was much harder than the Restore class I've been going to.  My husband and I were the least flexible people in the room, but I felt much better after the class.   

Easy run with the pup around Liberty Park.  The wood chips felt so good.  Only some slight quad soreness today.  Heading off to a Restore yoga class shortly.

Easy Liberty Park run on the wood chips with Nate and the hound.   Tons of people and pups out enjoying the beautiful weather.  

The Striders Running Blog has a video from the half marathon up.  I make an appearance about 1/3 of the way through near excited shirtless guy. I'm sure lots of other bloggers are in it, too.  

AM: Warmup, planks, lifting.  5-6 mile tempo run on tap for tonight.  

PM: Aborted workout.  Headed towards Liberty Park.  Hit one mile barely under 11 min/mile pace and I was struggling to even do that.  Legs really heavy, breathing labored, stomach sloshing. Decided that I needed the day off  and walked home. The walk was quite nice. Will do my tempo tomorrow instead and will run an easy 4-5 on Friday instead of taking the day off.  This should still be a good mileage week for me, I may even hit 50 if everything else goes according to plan.   

Warmup loop around Sugarhouse with Nate. It was fairly nice when we started. Then met up with the SLCTC group where I planned to do 5 miles at half marathon pace (8:41). The wind really picked up, the temperature dropped, and the rain started coming down.  I could only manage 8:58 pace.  Nate was freezing and so was I, so we skipped our planned cool down loop of the park.  My hands have finally thawed out, but I'm still so cold.   

I managed to find a brief window of sun to get my run in.  Usual short Liberty Park run.  I intended to do 10 miles today, but my legs weren't up for that.  After the run I went to yoga. It was a different teacher and ended up being a much different (and harder) class than I am used to.  

Easy Liberty Park run with the pup.  While it was warm and sunny out, the wind was fierce. The last 2+ miles home were directly into a headwind.  I had to work harder than I wanted just to maintain forward progress.   

This morning was supposed to be a 20 miler, but when I woke up to the rain I decided to swap this week's long run with next week's long run. My husband and I met some other runners super early down in Sandy. We logged about 11.5 miles on the trails of Dimple Dell.  I loved this, it's so nice to run in other areas. I had no idea that there were so many trails there. It was a bit muddy in spots, but such a great, runnable trail.  Soft, dirt single track, and wide wood chip paths. Tough to beat. I was really cold for the first hour or so until the rain finally stopped and the sun came out. 

Then I met up with the SLCTC group, changed into my road shoes, and did the final 5.5 miles on the paved Porter Rockwell trail. I felt surprisingly good for this last stretch and my pace was much faster than I expected. Given how good I felt, I probably should have just knocked out my 20 today. Oh well. Happy that I got a strong 17 in at least. 

PM: Yoga for flexibility.  This was hard, but I liked it. The instructor gave us all short head/neck/face massages during shavasana.  So relaxing. 

Planned on a super easy 5 mile recovery run today, but my hubby convinced me to hit the trails with him so he could test out his new shoes. We ran on the BST from Red Butte up to the saddle and back.  Since I wanted to take it easy, I walked a few hills that I normally run. On the return, we locked pace with another runner and chatted with him for awhile. It made the time pass quickly. Overall, this was a really good run.  After the run, we went to Restorative Yoga. 

2 loop warmup around Sugarhouse. 5 x600m at 5k pace with 200m slow jog recovery. Goal was 2:48 (roughly 7:30 pace). Hit 2:48, 2:47, 2:46, 2:48, 2:43. Ran these mostly by myself although the SLCTC group was doing their workout at the same time and I convinced one guy to jump in on a couple with me. Cool down consisted of 2 more track laps and another loop of the park. I felt pretty tired going into this so I'm happy I could hit my goal paces without straining too much. Maybe it was all the inspiration from tracking everyone at Boston this morning!

Tuesday Night Trails.  Easy run on the BST with Nate and Jim.  I'm planning to do my long run tomorrow so I don't have to worry about it this weekend.  

I felt blah yesterday, so I took the day off.  Got up early today to knock out my 10 miler. Ran my parks loop incorporating Sugarhouse and Liberty.  It drizzled lightly for most of the run, but I didn't mind.  Took the dog and she was a pain.  She is afraid of almost everything and today we managed to hit most of her favorites: kids, school busses, kids getting off school busses, garbage trunks, cement trucks, the interstate, overpasses, and traffic. 

3 loops around the golf course behind our hotel in Kanab.  Very pretty sunrise over the "coral cliffs".  

My husband is doing the Zane Grey 50m today.  I'm not even close to that insane, but I did have to get a 20 miler in today. I do not know this area at all and Nate took my garmin, so I decided to do this on the local HS track that was close to the hotel. I took Nate to the start of his race and made it to the track by 6 am. I stopped for water and/or gel every 4 miles and switched directions. After 8 miles, it was becoming a real exercise in metal toughness. Physically, I didn't feel too bad, but I was so bored.  It was also getting hot and would reach 84 before I finished. After 16.25 miles, I had enough of the track. I ventured out on the roads for the amount of time I figured would get me to 20.  It's possible that I was slightly short, but close enough. Now off to hang out at the Zane Grey finish.  I think it is going to be a brutal day for the runners. It is so hot and sunny already.

No run today.  Nate had a rough time in the heat at Zane Grey yesterday.  Although he finished (only 84 finishers out of 126 starters), it took several hours longer than anticipated. We had a hotel booked in Flagstaff and got there after 11pm.  It was a long day, I had been up since 3:30am.  I planned to run around Flagstaff in the morning before we headed home, but I just couldn't get up.  Planned on running when we got home, but we took a last minute detour to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon which resulted in a late arrival home.  It was worth it, though.  So stunning.

Slog around Liberty Park.  Just felt off, probably due to the 12+ hours in the car yesterday.  

Tuesday Night Trails.  Usual run on the BST.  Not loving the heat.

Another crappy run, seems to be the theme of the week.  I haven't felt good on any run this week, but today was a real struggle. The SLCTC group was meeting at Liberty Park so I ran from my house to meet them. The plan was to run with them and then run home from the park for a nice 9-10 mile run. I didn't feel great on the run to the park, but I thought/hoped having people to run with would help. Instead I kept getting slower and slower and ended up by myself again.  I was running 11+ minute miles, but breathing like I was in a 5k race. And I was overheating and felt dizzy. The run went right by my house so I stopped.

I haven't done any of my planned runs or workouts this week and I think I will just run 5 or so easy miles tomorrow and Friday and hope I feel better by Saturday.  I am planning to use the WRC 30k on Saturday as my last long run before Ogden with the hope of running the last 8 miles or so at goal marathon pace.  

Thursday Night Trails on the BST. Nate wanted to run trails, so even though it was a longer run than I wanted today, I let myself be talked into it.  Still felt blah, but much better than yesterday.

Talked myself in and out of running multiple times today.  Decided I should get out and enjoy the cooler weather.  Ran a nice, easy 2 miler around the neighborhood.  Actually felt good, but I'm sure I was going slower than normal (no watch).  I hope the feeling good part carries over to the 30k tomorrow.  I'd love to get a nice, long run in with a strong finish.  I don't care about pace, I just hope to feel better than I have this week!

I used this race as a long run for Ogden.  I struggle doing long runs by myself and none of my running buddies are training for anything long right now so I've been on my own.  It's also nice to not worry about access to water/gatorade/gu.  I haven't felt great this week, so I was worried about this run.  I decided that I would run slow and try to enjoy it and finish strong if I could.  Things actually went really close to plan. My garmin recorded 18.76 miles for an average pace of 9:36 (It's hard to run the tangents on this course because it is not closed to traffic).  I stopped several times to use the bathroom and walked through each aid station to drink. Sometime after mile 15, I realized that I felt pretty good.  My breathing was under control and my legs felt ok, so I increased the effort and tried to pass as many people as possible.  Only one person passed me in that stretch and I reeled her back in right before the finish line.  My last 2 miles were sub-9.  I don't think I've ever finished a long run strong like that so I am happy.  The run overall was a bit faster than my usual long run pace (9:45-10:15), but I felt much better during and after than I usually do.  

AM: 3 loops on the wood chips at Liberty. Felt surprisingly good.  Usually the day after a long run, I feel like garbage and can barely walk.  I expected today to be worse because I ran faster than normal yesterday, but instead nothing hurts and running felt springy and smooth.  Weird.  Is it possible that I've been running my long runs too slow?  Can going too slowly lead to soreness and sluggishness?

PM: Went mountain biking for the first time since 2006.  My husband's coworker lives in Jeremy Ranch and invited us to bike on the trails by his house.  I thought I was going to die. We started by climbing and basically climbed for 7 miles (1600+ feet of gain).  By mile 6, I was pretty tired and I was out of gears.  I kept praying for the climbing to end.  Well, be careful what you wish for.  Going down was so much worse.  My legs were shaking with exhaustion and fear.  I'm so happy I survived and with no falls.  

Only managed Restorative Yoga today.  Yesterday's mountain biking really worked me over good.  My whole body aches and my legs would not stop shaking in certain poses. I probably shouldn't do that again until the marathon is over!

TNT on the Pipeline Trail.  This was just one of those runs that felt great.  I don't think I have ever run that section of Pipeline (from Church Fork to Elbow Fork and back) as fast as I did today.  Our group hooked up with a group called the Waddlers and they really pushed me (and eventually dropped me) on the way back.  Despite the name, they definitely move much faster than a waddle!

SLCTC group run starting from the Capitol.  We ran an out and back on Bonneville and 11th Ave.  It was my first time running there and the views from 11th were amazing.  Beautiful night for running. 

Easy Liberty Park run with Nate and Bourbon.  Perfect night for running, felt good.

Usual Liberty Park run with Bourbon.  The smell of charcoal was in the air. I'm running the Provo 5k tomorrow.  Major goal is sub 24, but 23:30 would be really nice.  

AM: Provo City 5k. Went down to the race with Stacy. We ran about a half mile warmup then decided to hit the bathrooms before heading out for more. Well, the line was so long that by the time we were done, it was time to head to the start line. A short warmup was going to have to do.

The start was pretty chaotic where we were. Some little girl clipped me and she almost fell. There was a lot of weaving and bumping for the first  1/4 to 1/2 mile, but then everything settled out. I haven't run a 5k in awhile (nor have I done a lot of 5k pace training) so I was just focused on running hard. 

I really wish I had my garmin today. We are a one garmin household and my husband requested it today. I figured I'd be fine with a normal running watch, but there weren't any markers for the 5k. I assumed that the half marathon miles 11, 12, 13 would correspond to our 1,2, 3, but the splits did not make any sense. I then figured that the course would be short, but in the end I think it was okay.  

I think that I ran a pretty consistent pace and I seemed to be moving up throughout the race. I finished in 23:35 and I am happy with that. At the end of January I ran 25:27 at the Winter Series 5k, so I have improved. I felt good until the last 1/4 mile or so when I got that pukey feeling that happens in a 5k. Afterwards, I ran a 15 minute cooldown with Stacy before taking the bus back to the car. In hindsight, we should have just run back, it would have been faster. 

Also finally met Allie and James from the blog. Didn't run into any else, but it sounds like there was some awesome running today! 

This was just awful.  I felt terrible and sluggish. So glad this one is over. Now on to yoga for some much needed relaxation.

Easy Liberty Park run with Nate. Felt much better than yesterday.  Now I must summon my willpower to resist eating mass quantities of chocolate and caramel. The neighbor kids were selling candy bars and Nate bought 10. 

Core work with the TRX. Want to do more of this once Ogden is over.

SLCTC group run on the JRP.  Ran 6 miles at goal marathon pace.  It didn't feel as easy as I had hoped, but I haven't tapered much yet.  Everything from here on out is pretty short though. I have one final "long run" (10-12) on Saturday, a short dress rehearsal (2 X 1 mile at goal pace) next week and the rest will be easy 3-5 mile runs.  At this point, I guess the hay is in the barn. 

AM: Core work with TRX.  I'm not always good about blogging my lifting and core work, but I try to fit in in 1-2 times/week. No more lifting until after Ogden, though. 

PM: Easy Liberty Park run with the pup.  Had 2 cat sightings tonight which is always an adventure when you have a hound dog attached to your waist!

Signed up for the North Face Endurance Challenge 50K in San Francisco in December.  I absolutely love these trails (even though they kick my butt) and I really look forward to a weekend in the Bay Area.   

Had a really nice run with the SLCTC this morning. Gorgeous weather and great company. Met a bunch of bloggers for brunch at Ruth's Diner. Good food and great company. Capped it all off with a tough yoga class followed by fro yo at Top It.  Great day! 

Easy Liberty Park run with the pup.  Felt sluggish at first, but really good by the end. 

I got into St. George! I entered the lottery not really expecting to get in and I'm pretty excited about running SGM! It's been on my list for a long time.   

Easy run at Liberty Park with 2 X 1 mile at goal marathon pace.  Thankful for the breeze and overcast sky or it would have been a miserable run.  

I love this post from Run the Edge: Five Things Every Runner Should Quit Doing. I'm certainly guilty of some of these, but I'm working on quitting!

PM: Easy 4 mile run with Nate.  I didn't feel so great on this one, but I'm blaming it on the taper! Even though I feel fat and sluggish today, I have to trust that on Saturday I will feel lean and ready. 

Super easy loop on the wood chips at Liberty.  Wanted to shake the legs out, but not get tired.  Now on to planning for tomorrow.  I believe that I can run just under 4, but it is realistically at the very edge of my fitness and will require a perfect race/day for it to happen. I want to try, though.  If it's not my day tomorrow, I hope to at least hold it together enough for a PR (sub 4:25).

I went into this hoping finally to get under 4:00.  Most of the predictors had me right around 4 flat, but I hoped to find a few seconds somewhere and squeak out a 3:59.59.  I knew it would take a perfect race on a perfect day for it to happen, though. 

My previous road marathons had been disasters.  I trained inconsistently and went into each race without a plan, and the results showed that.  At Hartford in 2001, I went through the half in 1:59 before finishing in 4:25.  At Colorado in 2010, I went through the half in 2:02 before finishing in 4:27.  Ouch.  This time my training was pretty consistent and I had a plan. 

On Friday night, I made a pace band that accounted for the course profile to wear for the race.  I set it with my garmin, gels, and other race day necessities so that I wouldn’t forget it.  In my 3:30a.m. stupor, I somehow left with everything but the pace bracelet.

I made it to Ogden around 4:45 and got on a bus. I forgot how much I hate bus rides to a race start.  It was so hot on my bus that I had peeled all my layers off.  I also get motion sickness so I could not wait to get off that bus. After a few minutes of being outside in the crisp air, the queasiness went away. It looked like it was going to be a perfect day to run. After several stops in the bathroom line, it was go time. 

These are all Garmin splits (different from the race mile markers.)  I knew that it would read long, so I tried to be mindful of that while running.

Miles 1-6:  8:41, 8:53, 8:51, 8:47, 8:58, 9:00

I knew these downhill miles should be faster than 9:09, but I couldn’t remember how much faster.  I shed my gloves and long sleeves by mile 3.  At this point, everything felt good and I was super confident. Took a clif shot at mile 5.

7-13: 9:06, 9:14, 9:05, 9:06, 9:10, 9:07, 9:17

I was still feeling good.  Took another clif shot at mile 10. Reached halfway at 1:59:38 (this was according to the race markers.  My garmin was at 13.2 something at that point).  The 4 hour pacer passed me right around this point. 

14-20: 9:19, 9:41, 9:24, 9:17, 9:05, 9:41, 9:22

Things were getting harder now.  I was chatting with another runner and realized that I was slowing down.  I increased the effort, but now I was at the hill.  I caught back up with the 4 hour pace group going up the hill and tried to stick with them. They pulled away on the downhill, but I tried to keep her balloons in sight.  I was feeling a little discouraged, but then we turned down the canyon.  Took a third clif shot at mile 18. A quicker mile 18 increased my confidence.  I was certain I could pick it up again.  But then almost instantly, my quads started aching.  I just couldn’t stay in the low 9s anymore.  I started to shuffle.  The balloons disappeared in the distance and sub 4 slipped away. The new focus would have to be sub 4:05.

21-Finish: 9:43, 10:17, 10:15, 11:02, 10:59, 10:20, 9:12 pace for final .45 (Garmin read 26.45)

I was really hurting now.  Sharp pains were shooting up both of my legs. Just keep each mile below 10 I told myself, but that slipped away, too.  The blow up was on. I had shifted into survival mode. It was all I could do to keep my legs shuffling.  I walked through the aid station at 23 to take a clif shot, and starting to run again was so painful.  I knew that I couldn’t let myself walk again until the finish.  I just kept plugging along.  This stretch was very hard mentally.  There was a lot of carnage, and it was so tempting to join in and walk.  But I kept shuffling and when I realized that I could break 4:10, I picked it up to the finish. I think my time was 4:09:42.  A PR by over 15 minutes. 

As I worked my way through the finish area, I saw Nate along the barricades.  I went over to him and just started crying. I don’t know if I was crying because I missed my goal or because everything hurt and I was just so glad it was over.  He was so happy because I had set a big PR, but I was just so disappointed.

I was in so much pain after the race.  I sat down in the shade and could not get up without assistance.  But after I got some food and water down, I started to feel much better, both physically and about the race. 

Things that went well:

• My stomach and breathing felt fine.
• Except for walking through two of the later aid stations, I ran the entire thing.
• I made it to 20 feeling better than I ever had at that point before. While I still blew up, it was much better than previous blowups.
• Mentally, I believed that I could do it for most of the race.  While it didn’t quite work out, I did run 15+ minute PR. 

 Things that need improvement:

•        I clearly went out too fast for my goal/fitness level.  If I had dialed those first few miles back, could I have prevented the later blowup?
•       More long runs.  I only fit in 2 20 milers this cycle.  A few more would have helped a lot.
•         More downhill running in training.  My quads were not prepared for the late downhills of this race. I knew this was a weakness as I’ve had quad problems at downhill races before.

Restore Yoga.  Really didn't want to go, but Nate insisted it would be good for me.  He was right; some good stretching for the hips, quads, and hamstrings was just what I needed. My upper quads and hip flexors are so sore, but except for walking down stairs, I'm not feeling too bad.   Looking to cross train for a few days and start running again mid-week.  

Lunchtime spin class. Took it pretty easy, didn't put much nearly as much resistance as I normally use.  At one point, I was afraid the instructor was going to call me out for slacking! But my legs feel so much better now.  I wish I could make this particular class more often. The instructor is really good, he actually cycles outdoors so he doesn't do anything stupid (i.e. "pushups" on the bike, hovers, and other things that you would NEVER do on the road) that a lot of others instructors do.  

AM: Spin class.  It's amazing how much better my legs feel after two days of spinning.  I can walk down stairs normally! I'm definitely a believer in cross training for marathon recovery.  In the past I just sat on my butt for a week, but I feel so much better this way. I think I'm ready for a short, easy run tomorrow. 

Super easy run on the woodchips at Liberty.  Legs felt heavy, but not sore. Had a dull stabbing pain in my stomach that still hasn't gone away.   Beautiful evening for a run, though. 

TRX class at 9th and 9th Pilates.  Planks with your feet in a suspension trainer should be considered a form of torture! 

I went back to Laramie on Friday for a meeting and was really excited to get a chance to run on my favorite trails east of town.  I had plans to run Friday night too, but the 60+ mph wind gusts caused me to change my mind.  On Saturday morning, I met a friend and we did a shorter version of the Silent Trails course (Side note: if you ever find yourself in Laramie, WY on the second Saturday in October, do this race. It's one of my favorites. It's run in memory of 8 UW runners who were killed by a drunk driver in 2001).  The trails are at an average elevation of 8500 ft so this was really tough coming from SLC. Climbs that I used to be able to run reduced me to a wheezing walk! But it was nice to catch up with friends and revisit the old stomping grounds.   

Usual 5 mile Liberty Park run.  Legs feel good, it's time to get back to the grind.  I'd like to get up to 50+ miles per week this summer.  

Restore Yoga in the evening.  Lots of hip openers.  

Also enjoyed brunch at Ruth's with my hubby.  Such a gorgeous day.   

PM: TRX class.  Even more torturous planks today.

This also turned into an unplanned day off of running.  I woke up with a weird pain in my right hip/glute.  I'm not sure exactly what it is or what I did, but I'm guessing that I did it in yoga yesterday.  I tried jogging a little and it hurt to push off.  Since I don't have any big goal races any time soon, I decided to rest it.  

Lunch time spin class.  Wanted to get some cardio done just in case my hip/glute thing prevents me from running tonight.  This was a great class and I pushed pretty hard because it did not bother my hip/glute at all.  It actually feels a little better now so I will attempt an easy run later.  

PM: Gotta love when your planned 5.5 miles run turns into 8 :) Ran from my house to meet up with the SLCTC group run at Liberty Park. For some reason thought this run started at 5:30, so I left a little after 5 to head to the park. I was almost there when I realized that it actually started at 6pm. So I added a few loops of the park and ended up with a little bit longer run than intended. No hip pain when running, so I think that was just a fluke thing. It does hurt if I push on it really hard, so I'm just not going to push on it!  It was a little too warm for me tonight.  Don't know how I'm going to survive running at the beach next week.

TRX class.  The torturous planks are slowly getting easier :) Went for a run after class and it was not a good run.  I was tired, overheating, and my head was pounding (no coffee today). Did my usual Liberty Park run, but actually had to stop and walk a few times. Ugh.  On the bright side, vacation starts tomorrow!

Usual Liberty Park run before a long day of travel.

Nice morning run on the beach in South Padre. Very humid but a nice ocean breeze kept it bearable. Followed by chocolate covered strawberries and an amazing breakfast.

Ran along the beach as the sun was setting. Only had enough daylight for a short one. Did a couple miles of 1/4 mile pickups with 1/4 mile recovery. Afterwards jumped into the pool with my clothes on to cool down.

Sunrise beach run. Ran out to the Ridley sea turtle release and watched the baby turtles go into the ocean.  Spent the rest of the day at Schlitterbahn with the family.

Last full day of vacation at the Paradise Villa.  Ran 5 miles on the beach.  Went parasailing in the afternoon.  

Usual Liberty Park run.  After a long day of travel yesterday, it is good to be home.  It was also nice to run without sand in my shoes and without massive sweating!

AM: Usual Liberty Park run.

PM: Restore yoga 

TNT on the Little Cottonwood Creek trail.  I need to get my trail legs back! Tonight was my first trail run in nearly a month and it was tough.  3+ miles up (~1100 ft gain is what I was told) then a nice downhill back.  I struggled a lot on the up today and even the down was tougher than it should have been, I'm sure spending last week at sea level didn't help.  I'm worried that I will be in over my head this weekend: I'm crewing for and then pacing my husband for the last 18 miles of the Bighorn 100. Gulp.

Still feel beat after yesterday's run so decided to go to spin class today.  Pushed fairly hard. Glad I did something before a long afternoon of travel.

Paced my husband for the last 18 miles of the Bighorn 100.  I ran the 50k here in 2010 and 2011 so I was very familiar with this stretch of the course.  However, it is a stretch that I strongly dislike and swore I would never run again.  The steep downhills just kill me.  

The 100 started at 11am on Friday.  Our friend Josh and his dad Jeff were also doing the 100 and I helped crew for all of them with Josh's fiance Cassie and their friend Jim.  This resulted in a very long day and night with very little sleep (~3 hours total) and wonky eating. I was so preoccupied with everything else that I did not hydrate properly.  

Nate was holding up pretty well when I joined him around mile 82. He knew he would finish well under his goal, so he was content to run/walk the final miles.  I assumed that because we weren't going to be moving very fast that it would be easy. WRONG.  My quads are just as destroyed as they were the previous two years and I'm just exhausted due to lack of sleep. The bottoms of feet also ache likely because of my recent lack of trail running. Walking is very painful right now. So now instead of ramping up my training, I'm back into recovery mode again.  But I'm very proud of Nate for finishing his first 100, especially since he decided on a whim last month to do this.

SLCTC group run.  Today was the first day that I wasn't too sore or too exhausted to get a run in.  Felt good to be out there again and it went much better than I anticipated.  Maybe this recent unplanned break was not such a bad thing after all.

Usual Liberty loop before work.  Really struggling to get on a schedule this week. Hope next week will be better.

I signed up for the Park City Trail Series months ago because I thought it looked like fun and I wanted to check out some new places to run.  The first race in the series was a 5k.  I haven't run very consistently since Ogden so I decided to use this race as a springboard to start consistent training again.  I warmed up for a mile on the trails and my breathing was very labored despite a very slow pace.  I forgot how tough running at 6700 feet is for me!  I really didn't have any expectations or goals for this race at all.  Based on the warmup, I thought I would be lucky to break 30 minutes!

The start was very narrow with 250+ people packed into a chute the width of a narrow jeep road.  Surprisingly, it spread out quickly and I was able to get into a nice running rhythm although my breathing was again very labored and would remain that way the whole time. Garmin split for Mile 1 was 8:17.  Much faster than I expected.  I slowed to an 8:47 pace for the second mile.  The third mile was in 8:31 and I closed in 7:27 pace for the final .2 miles. Cooled down for another mile.

This was a nice race.  The trails were basically smooth, wide dirt with only gradual ups and downs.  I think they would be great trails to mountain bike given my (lack of) bike handling skills.  With as little as I've run lately, I'm pretty happy with how this went. I'm looking forward to the 10k on July 7.  

Hiked up the Peruvian Gulch trail to the top of Hidden Peak at Snowbird then ran down. I'm trying to improve my downhill running so I worked on taking quick, light steps on the loose stuff and opening it up a bit on the more solid stuff.  Total distance was around 7 miles.

AM: Slightly modified Liberty Park run.  Happy that I dragged myself out of bed this morning! Now just need to work on getting up earlier or running faster so that I can run more miles!

PM: Restore yoga.  My quads are slightly sore from yesterday's downhill. 

Usual Liberty Park loop.  Really dragging this morning.

TRX class at 9th and 9th.

Usual morning run to Liberty.  Stacy joined me and it was nice to have some company.

Great morning run on the Pipeline trail with Nate and Kristine.  Had a weird pain in my calf yesterday, but it didn't seem to affect today's run. I'm slowly starting to get my motivation to run back.  

Ran the 10 miles on the trails near Brighton.

Morning Liberty Park run before work. 

Nice run up City Creek with the SLCTC. Happy 4th of July!

Liberty Park run with the hubby and pup. There are fresh wood chips on parts of the loop and it is way too spongy and soft now.  

Too lazy to write a real report right now.  Tougher course than I anticipated, ran slower than I wanted to, but felt like I had a decent finish over the last couple miles.  Garmin splits/ elevation profile here.

Usual morning run with the pup.  I'm starting to see a lot of regulars on this loop now that I'm running it in the AM, but I still do a double take each time I see the guy on the ElliptiGo going down the street! 

AM: 6.5 miles to make up for the run that I didn't do last night.

PM: 6 miles up City Creek with the SLCTC. 

Usual Liberty Park run with Nate.  I hate this heat, can't wait for fall.

3 loops at Liberty in the lightly falling rain.  Nice run.

Nice 12 mile Emigration Canyon Run.  Started near the zoo, turned back near the start of the switchbacks.  It was very tempting to stop at Ruth's on the way back down!

Liberty Park run with Nate. Humid.

Ran to gym.  Lifted weights. Ran home.  We used to do this a lot when we lived in Laramie. I forgot how hard running after squatting and deadlifting is!

SLCTC group run.  Even though the company was good, this was just an awful run for me.  

Usual Liberty Park run with Nate.  I've been really struggling with motivation to run lately. Good thing I have a (training) race scheduled for every weekend in August. 

SLCTC group run starting from the Capitol.  Ran through the Avenues then up/down City Creek. Ended at Memory Grove where there was a race finishing.  The announcer thought we were part of the race and cheered us in, but then seem confused when instead of crossing the finish line we pulled off to the stairs to head back up to our cars.  Overall, this was a nice run and I'm glad I dragged myself out of bed to get this done before the heat.  

Met Kristine at Memory Grove for part of her long run.  I've been lazy on Sundays lately so I was thankful for the invite and motivation to get a run in early.   

AM: Easy 3 mile run with the hound.  Running the Des News 10k tomorrow.  Since I've done no speed work, I really don't have a goal.  Just going to have fun, run, and see what happens. 

PM: Restore Yoga. So relaxing. 

This was my first ever Des News 10k and it went much better than I expected. This is the first time since 2009 that I have been below 50 min for 10k.  

Splits according to Garmin: 7:32, 7:35, 7:57, 7:59, 7:57: 8:17, 1:44

I wish I could have kept the last mile under 8, but oh well. Even though it is seriously aided, I needed this mental boost to know that I can run 7:xx miles and it won't kill me. It also confirms that I am in better shape at this point leading up to Saint George than I was at the same point for Ogden.  Now I just need to get my butt in gear and start adding speed and tempos in each week.

Now onto something that has nothing to do with today's race.  I'm part of an ultra team (3 people) for the Rivalry Relay.  One of our runners has been battling an injury and does not want to run. Would anyone here be willing to run with us?  It would be 6 legs of varying distances (total ~20-24 miles depending on legs chosen) and we're not worried about speed at all.  You'd get to experience all the fun of a relay with none of the sleep deprivation.  Oh, and it won't cost you anything.  Let me know if anyone is up for this. 

SLCTC group run. Very hot.  Wanted to run more, but happy that I did something.

Easy run with Nate at City Creek.  I'm really starting to love this place in the summer. Plantar hurt tonight.  It usually doesn't bother me while I am running (only after), so I am a little worried. I have an all day mountain bike clinic tomorrow and Sunday in Park City, so I may rest my foot by not trying to fit a run in before the clinic.  

There's a free showing of Unbreakable: The Western States 100 next Friday at the Salt Lake Running Company.  

Trek Dirt series mountain bike camp in Park City.  Learned a lot, had fun, fell in love with the Mid-Mountain trail, and am glad I was not seriously injured on the Insurgent trail that was way over my current ability level! 

More mountain biking at the Dirt Series camp in Park City.  Worked on switchbacks, braking, descending, and drops in the morning and rode more Mid-Mountain in the afternoon. Took a few falls on some switchbacks and I'm a little bit bruised.

Nice evening run on Pipeline with Nate. My body aches and I have bruises all over my legs. The joys of mountain biking.

1.5 mile warmup over to the former Granite High.  8 x 200 with 200 slow jog recovery. Well, I assume it was 200m. The track was very odd, only 4 lanes and the lanes were super narrow, but the times seemed about right. 50, 49, 48, 51, 49, 53, 48, 48.   For a few of these, I had to swing out to lane 3 to go around a couple waking 2 abreast with a stroller. Cool down home.  Hoping to do a workout like this once a week and get a little faster.

Ran a longer Liberty loop tonight with Nate and the pup.  While running to the park, I decided I would do 2 x 1 mile pickups (to around tempo pace) just to gradually add in some faster stuff and to make running the loops go a little quicker. Ran right around 8:30 for the first one and it felt pretty easy.  My poor old pup is used to running much slower and I could tell she didn't have another 8:30 mile in her, so I bailed on the second one.   

Jupiter Peak Steeplechase.  Race report coming.

15 miles of mountain biking in Park City.

Painful 6 miles at City Creek. I fell hard on Saturday during the Jupiter Peak Steeplechase and my body just aches.  My right leg is bruised at the hip, knee, shin, and ankle.  It hurts to walk. 

AM: Short spin class.

PM: Easy 3 miles with the pup.  Legs still hurt. 

AM: Spin class

PM: Liberty Park run.  Got a late start and it was a really pleasant night for a run. 

This was a really crappy week of running for me, but I was excited to do this race.  This was the third race in the series and my favorite so far.  I intended to use this as a marathon effort tempo and I think I did that pretty well.  Split were all over the place as expected on trails. 

(I just figured out how to embed and I'm pretty excited about that!) 

Final pace was a tad slower than goal marathon pace (9:13 vs 9:09), but since this was on trails at 6800', the effort was certainly there. 

I made the Park Record showing off the aftermath of my fall at last week's Jupiter Peak Steeplechase: 

From

PM1: Mountain biking at Round Valley.  Attempted to ride the 15k course from yesterday's race, but took a wrong turn at one junction. Ended up on some really awesome, twisty single track with plenty of switchbacks for me to practice on.  Distance was probably around 10 miles.

PM2: Easy run with the pup.  She is a stubborn old hound. 

Managed to drag my butt out of bed for a morning run with the husband and hound.  

AM:Spin class

PM: Was feeling lazy and did not want to run.  Eventually convinced myself to go, but by then I didn't have much time.  Decided on a short yet efficient track workout. Warmup, 8 x 200 with 200 slow jog recovery, cooldown.  These were a little slower than a few weeks ago (started at 52 worked down to 49), but there was a lot more weaving tonight.  The people at this track don't know track etiquette and walk with strollers in lane 1, ride bikes in lane 1, walk their dogs in lane 1, and walk four abreast in lane 1.    

Dead-legged Liberty Park run. Ugh.

AM: Spin class

Went to Newpark to pick up my Park City half marathon packet and did a quick run on the beginning part of the course.  Gorgeous evening to run.

Race #2 of the Triple Trail Challenge.  The Mid Mountain Marathon is all that stands between me and my TT fleece jacket!

Anyway, I am extremely happy with this race.  I thought that I would run between 1:57-2:00, so sub 1:55 is just awesome.   It's only about one minute slower than I ran at Striders in April on a much easier course when I was running consistently more miles per week. My training has been pathetic since Ogden so I'm somewhat surprised at some of the races I've had recently.  

My husband ran this with me and it was nice to have someone to run with.  The course is basically an out and back, climbing gradually on the way out. My goal was to run an even effort that kept my breathing controlled, whatever pace that happened to be.  My first mile was way too fast, but I quickly settled in to a more sustainable pace.  There was a women who I will call "heavy mouth breather" who kept cutting me off. I was getting so annoyed. She would speed up, pass me, then slow way down. Then when I would start to go around her again, she would cut over, basically forcing me to chop my stride and pass on the other side.  This went on for most of the first half of the race.  I was finally able to drop her on the climb to the turn around.  Normally, I am only concerned with racing the clock, but I just had to beat this woman today.

Nate had stopped for a bathroom break around mile 9, so I was on my own for awhile. The fear of heavy mouth breather passing me motivated me to pick up the pace a bit. Nate caught back up to me after mile 11 and told me that she was coming fast. Crap.  Just like the killer in the horror movies that keeps coming back to life, this woman wouldn't quit. So I picked it up even more.  Before I knew it, the finish line was in sight.  After I finished, I turned to look for heavy mouth breather and she was nowhere in sight! Nate had lied to me to get me to run harder and it worked! Darn husband!

Mountain biking: Armstrong to Mid Mountain to Crescent Mine Grade, I think around 10ish total miles.  The climb up Armstrong was tough!

Liberty Park run with Nate.

Very slow run with Nate and Bourbon. Felt humid and sticky.

SLCTC group run. Legs felt really heavy and achy. 

Took the hound for a short evening run. Having weird, random quad pains.

Rivalry Relay from SLC to Provo.  Ran as an ultra team of 3 runners so I did legs 1,2,7,8,13, and 14.  This was a ton of fun. 

Mountain biking at Round Valley with my husband's coworker's daughter.  She's 11, but has been mountain biking for years.  She's much better on technical stuff than I am and I like riding with her. After a series of mishaps, we ended up finishing our ride with random strangers where I was totally schooled by a 9 year old.  At least I managed to barely outride the 7 year old!

I've been a lazy runner and blogger lately. I only ran a few times last week, but didn't log them and now I can't remember what I did. I was having weird hip pain.  It seemed like one leg was suddenly longer than the other.  It felt like my hip was catching and even walking I had a slight hitch to my stride. So I decided to take some days off.  It appears to have worked because I felt good tonight.  

Another run that felt pretty good. Hope this streak continues! I need to survive the Mid Mountain Marathon this weekend in order to get my TTC jacket.  My abs are so sore from the TRX planks and mountain climbers I did yesterday.  

Mid Mountain.

Run/hike to Desolation and Dog lakes.  9 total miles, but probably only about 5 actually running. Gorgeous morning and the fall colors were incredible. My running mojo is coming back!

My running train derailed for about a month, but it's time to get back on track. I've decided not to run St. George since I've not done the necessary training.  I have 10 weeks until the North Face 50k.  I plan to follow a similar build as I did for Ogden, but with my long runs on trails.   

AM: Liberty Park run. Rough start to the morning with a sick dog :(

AM: TRX class

Nice little 5k loop tonight with my spastic dog.

Pipeline trail. Love the fall colors in Millcreek.

Sugarhouse to Liberty parks loop. For some reason I thought this was 10, but ended up a little short.

AM: Liberty Park run.  

PM: Restore yoga. 

AM: TRX core work

PM: Easy Liberty run. 

Usual Liberty run.  Getting back into the groove.

Afternoon run on the BST.  I need to get my climbing legs back. Really struggled up Dry Creek.

Pipeline Trail. Gorgeous evening.

Morning run at Liberty Park.

Usual run.  Almost face planted on the sidewalk.  It would have hurt bad.  Other than that, great run.  Running is starting to feel good again and my motivation to run is coming back!

Woke up with a weird, deep pain in my glute.