running for my mind

6.25 - easy on the parkway

came down with a head cold this weekend and was worried it was turning into a sinus infection yesterday. woke up around 2 am this morning feeling quite a bit better and then fell back to sleep for several more hours before hitting the parkway.

10 - 6:59avg - 359ft

Met Fritz, JP, and Noah at HHS and ran through Millcreek. A few of the miles were at moderate pace for me, but that pace is gradually becoming easier.

8 - parkway mileage. beat the rain...mostly

10.65 up along Foothill above the U and along part of the Salt Lake Marathon course with Fritz, JP, Jason, and Evan. Good group this morning and none of us managed to get hit by a car. 

Interesting article about calf, achilles, and foot pain here. Though, I don't think it translates into what I have been experiencing. Since I started running almost 3 years ago I have run in 4mm drop shoes and recently purchased the ISO that is 8mm.

8 - easy parkway livin'

an odd fog rolled in that was only about 7 or 8 feet deep that extended about a quarter mile. was a pretty unique experience to run through it.

17.1 - 7:08 - 742ft

Met Jen at Liberty and did the downtown loop to the avenues. Tossed in the 5 mile loop through the aves that goes up Virginia, across 11th ave, and into Memory Grove. Was a great run with some decent elevation and great conversation. Glad Jen slowed down for today and let me run with her. 

8 and change on the parkway. Unseasonably warm weather. No complaints here.

am - one good thing about an off season is sleeping in when your body tells you it needs it. i must have really needed it because i didn't get up until after 7.

might get a few miles in tonight, but maybe not.

Met Fritz, JP, and Dan at HHS and warmed up over to the track at East. Fritz and JP were doing 6x800 and I had a goal to get in a decent workout without over doing it. I figured I would hang out somewhere behind JP and see how it went. I did 2x800 and then switched to 400s for the last 4. My right calf became a little tight at the beginning of the second 800 and I have no reason to push it. I was still happy with the effort and the workout. Finished off with a "cool down" back to HHS which included a marathon pace mile.

2:39, 2:43, 79, 78, 78, 79

10 - 7:10

Met Fritz and JP at HHS and ran to Liberty for a couple loops and back. Was feeling a little slow and sluggish from yesterday. Great sunrise and still loving shorts weather on December 11th.

8 on the parkway. For no real reason I decided to push the last mile. I eased into the pace and ended up with a 6:02. 52 degrees on 12/12. I'll take it.

A few people have asked me if I am signing up for the Wasatch 100 again this year. I am undecided right now. I didn't get in last year, so my name will be in the lottery twice. Part of me wants to do it, and another part doesn't.

17 - 7:11

Met Jen and Brayden at Liberty and ran to Sugarhouse for a loop and then downtown. Tried to avoid having to finish with multiple Liberty laps. I felt a little more tired than last week's 17. Nonetheless, great weather. Great run. 

8 - 7:03 - easy to moderate on the parkway without looking at watch. first mile was 7:56, second was 7:20, next 6 were sub-7:00. 

with less than a mile to go, 2 dogs came out of the darkness and started circling me. one showed his teeth and came at me. i simultaneously lunged at it and yelled. the dog yelped (in fear of my beard i reckon) and turned away. then the owner showed up and said a soft "sorry" and kept walking past me. i don't think my heart rate came back down until i stopped running.

10 - 7:12 - 480ft

Met Fritz and JP at HHS and ran through Sugarhouse and Millcreek. 2 miles over 8:00, 4 sub-7:00, and the rest in between.

Met Fritz, JP, and Evan at HHS and warmed up over to Liberty. I am a little frustrated with my workout. My legs were not fresh, so I thought I would do one loop at a good effort and then the second loop at marathon pace or so (hoping for 6:15). Maybe I pushed the first lap too hard, but I don't know. I was falling apart on the second and just didn't feel good at all. Loop one was at 5:49 pace. I started into loop 2 and settled in at about 6:00 and slowed up from there. I was barely hanging on so I pulled the plug at the mile mark, ending that mile at 6:15. I finished the loop and met back up with the group to run back to HHS.

Slightly more relaxed 10 with Fritz and JP. Legs were a little heavy from yesterday, but not as bad as I had expected. The slower pace helped with that.

Easy, and slightly breezy, parkway miles.

8 + 8 + 1 = 17

Met Fritz and Scott at Arby's at 6am and ran 8 miles to meet up with a big group, one member of which Fritz knows. Ran another 8 with the additions of Josh (good to run with him again) and Dan. It was a fun morning. We ended at the house where we met the group and ate some breakfast and socialized with the 20+ runners. Fritz and I then ran the mile back to our cars.

I felt good this morning and am happy with the 7:09 average for the 16 with the final mile at 6:22. 

8 shlep shloppy miles

Loop to the south with Fritz and Evan from HHS. Highlight was running through the cemetery with all of the luminaries set out for Christmas. There are thousands throughout the entire grounds. 

Met Fritz, Evan, and Emily and ran 15 on the parkway with a loop through my neighborhood for good measure. It was a quicker mid-week long(er) run. We averaged a 7:01 despite the first mile being over 8. I am feeling a lot more comfortable sub-7.

8:07, 7:18, 7:22, 6:57, 6:57, 6:47, 6:47, 6:53, 6:49, 6:51, 6:55, 6:49, 6:53, 6:53, 6:58

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

72 laps at the indoor track = 8 miles. 

Time went by surprisingly fast. Nice to just change it up a bit. 

I will consider today's run 17 miles.

Spent 2 hours and 10 minutes on my treadmill which never seems to be accurate. Based on effort etc I would guess it was longer, but 17 is what I was planning on today to end the week.

Now we are headed to my folks in summit county to spend the day relaxing, sledding, and hot tubbing.

15 minutes on the elliptical to loosen up a bit. Then, stretching and some balance work. I have a gnarly knot in my neck that I might need to get a massage therapist working on. 

8 fun miles playing in the snow. It was about ankle deep on the trail. The quietness of running in the snow makes it one of my favorite times to get out early.

Fun fact - my car is borderline dead in my garage. Anyone have a car for sale?

I am not one to opt for the treadmill when it is cold, but biting wind that makes it feel like -24 degrees can keep me inside. So, I did a good workout of elevation change increasing by 1 every five minutes after the 15 minute warmup.

7:30 pace on my treadmill* - 15 minutes flat at 0 elevation, 5 at 1, 5 at 2, 5 at 3, 5 at 4, and 5 at 5. Then I worked my way back down. 5 at 4, 5 at 3, 5 at 2, 5 at 1, and 15 at 0. Totalled 75 minutes.

the wind, or lack thereof, makes all the difference.

1 degree when i left my house. a couple toes on my left foot were a little cold by the end, but everything else was great. i took a page out of fritz's book and wore mittens. they are my new go-to sub-5 degrees.

happy new year's eve!

i have officially been running for 3 years. perhaps i will reflect on that a little tomorrow and write up a bit on where i have come from since starting running and where i plan to be heading.