running for my mind

8.5 easy at the gym where we were staying in Midway. Awesome weather up there this weekend.

Mile repeats at the West High track with Brayden and Scott. Goal was 4x1 mile at about the 6:00 pace or slightly faster if I felt up to it. Felt good on all of them and progressively dropped the pace. 

5:53, 5:51, 5:44, 5:37

10...

Goal for today was to run a moderate pace average for 14 miles so as to wear out the legs a little bit. We are running a simulation of St. George on Saturday and I wanted my legs to be a little fatigued going in. I think this run accomplished exactly what I wanted. I pushed the pace a little more than originally planned, but felt good and came in at a 7:04 average.

Legs were a little non-responsive for a few miles. Loosened up though and I am excited for tomorrow's run. Should be a challenge and a confidence booster.

Perfect conditions for a St. George simulation run this morning.

Alarm went off at 4, ate a piece of toast with some peanut butter and jam, and drove to meet Scott and John at Liberty. Hopped in John's car and drove to the top of Big Mountain, picking Brayden up along the way.

Started running just after 5:30 and my goal was to run 5 at an easy to moderate effort and then roll into a 10 mile tempo of 6:30 average. The tempo would include 1 mile before Little Mountain, the climb up Little, and the descent down Emigration. So, I would have to work to average 6:30.

Warm up miles were - 6:58, 6:53, 7:01, 7:12, 7:26. A little fast, especially at the beginning, but the effort was right.

First mile of tempo approaching Little Mountain was 6:50. It had an uphill and I was easing into the faster turnover. I hoped to log close to a 7:30-7:45 up Little Mountain and was pleased when it came in at 7:16. I locked into a groove on the hill and felt pretty smooth. Mile 3 was essentially half up and half down and came in at 6:51.

I felt great in the canyon and decided to just continue the effort, knowing I got to stop the tempo at the zoo. The goal was about 6:15s to get the average down after the climb. Canyon splits were 6:13, 6:16, 6:07, 6:11, 6:07, 6:07, 6:02.

I am pleased with those. I got gradually faster as the canyon got less steep. Average for the 10 was 6:24.

Finished at a moderate pace with a little kick thrown in at 21 to finish the 22 with a 6:44 average. 6:56, 6:45, 6:43, 7:06, 7:15, 6:25, 7:33.

I am officially excited for St. George.