I Hate Cedar Snow!

Need to start getting more consistent again.  Treadmill. Back in Cedar.

Treadmill

P.M.  Another glorious run on the treadmill.  7:27 avg.

P.M.  treadmill 7:29 avg.

P.M. Treadmill 7:30 avg.

P.M.  Treadmill 7:00 avg.

P.M.  This was my first run since Thursday since I went out of town and didnt feel like running.  Easy pace about 7:45 avg.

P.M. Another easy treadmill run.  I would like to get outside, but it is too cold in the morning and I have to be home with my son in the afternoon.

P.M.  Treadmill 7:40 pace

P.M.  Just a little tune up before the race.  I did 4 x 200m at race pace or slightly faster to get the legs going.  7:15 avg.

Well I have to say that I am somewhat satisfied with this race.  Coming in, I knew that I was fit enough to run 1:18-1:20 and no faster.  I have done absolutely no speed since November and my 20-35 mpw have been mostly treadmill.

So I started off a little ways behind the lead pack and tried to dial in 6:00 pace.  I did just about that with a 5:54 first mile.  I was in about 10th place at the time.  I felt really good through the first half of the race and was just over 48 minutes at 8 miles.  The weird thing was that I did not pass a single runner the whole race after the first mile.  I got passed by 7 I think.  So I'm guessing that my overall place was between 16-18. 

As we started heading out towards Bloomington, my pace started to slow a little.  So I tried to up the effort gradually.  The hills in Bloomington slowly took it out of me, and I was dead by mile 10.  By mile 12, I could not even go with Mary Ann as she went by me.  Good job to her.  I look for her to get an OTQ time in the next 2 years. 

So my slowest mile was 6:19, and my fastest was mile 6 in 5:52.  So I am happy with that range.  I thought the course was long and so did others, but if Sasha said that it was right on then that is good enough for me.  I ran virtually the same time as last year (even though I am guessing on my official time because the mighty Mr. Metler still does not have any results up that I have found) and the course was about 2 minutes longer.  So I am committing myself to now run over 50 miles per week for the rest of the year barring any injury setbacks and of course post-marathon recovery.  My dad and I finally decided that we are going to head out to Boston in April.  My early goal is a 2:49 there, which is faster than Lance Armstrong (who I respect but he was definitely a doper).  I also plan to run LA, which is under new ownership and has gone back to the old course.  But my main goal this year is 2:29 at St. George.  I realize that I am going to have to put in a ton of miles and hope for good weather to even have a shot at that.   

P.M.  10 miles on the treadmill.  I am toying with the idea of small doubles on the treadmill if I can motivate myself to start getting up at 5:30 again.

P.M.  8 long boring treadmill miles.  I am starting to hate the treadmill.

P.M.  More treadmill.  I have been stuck at about 7:45 pace avg.  all week.  I had been recovering from Painters for part of it, but today I just felt sluggish.  Hopefully I can run better tomorrow.  I hope to get to St george on Saturday and get some good running weather in.

P.M.  Decided that I needed to step up the pace on the treadmill today.  I started out slow, but then picked it up after a mile or 2.  I ended up with a 7:05 avg.  It felt good and I need to start doing that more often if I want to run well at Boston.

P.M.  Did a short run today because I will hit 50 mpw with the run in St George tomorrow.  I wanted to break 7:00 avg. today and I did with a 6:59 avg.  My goal is to hit that on the treadmill for 10 miles in a couple of weeks.

A.M.  I ran down in St George this morning with some of the elite bloggers.  It was just what I needed.  I warmed up for 1.5 before the others got there, then we ran 12 at about a 7:10 pace.  It felt good.  It was nice to get off the treadmill.  Hopefully they all liked me enough to keep me updated for future runs :)

Well I would make some excuses of why I did not run today, but Sasha would say that there are no excuses, so I won't even try. I will make up for it the rest of the week.

P.M.  I got in a good 10-miler on the treadmill today and it did not even suck that bad.  I will probably be on the treadmill all week and then get outside on Saturday.  I am shooting for 53-55 miles this week.  1:15:00 for the run.  7:30 avg. 

P.M.  I had intentions of running 10 at a 7:00 pace, but then cut it back a little.  I ended up going 9 at a 7:26 avg.  Not a bad run.  I just need to stay consistent and start mixing in some short doubles.

P.M.  Easy treadmill

P.M.  Good steady 10 on the treadmill at 7:25 pace

A.M.  Decided to watch a movie and do this one on the treadmill.  I forgot how hard it is to do more than 10 on a treadmill.  You lose so much more in sweat at 72 degrees indoors than 20 degrees outdoors.  I had sweat sloshing around in my shoes by the end.  7:40 avg.

P.M.  Watched most of the Bourne Ultimatum while running today.  Ran at a 7:25 pace and threw in about 2.5 miles of marathon pace in there as well.

P.M. Pretty easy run today. 59 minutes for a 7:25 avg.

I ran easy today.  About 7:45 avg.  I am bumping the mileage up alot this week from past weeks, so I am going to make sure that most of it is nice and easy.  The goal is to hit 65 this week.

P.M.  Just trying to be consistent and pile up the miles.

P.M.  Watched the rest of 300 on the treadmill.  That is one of my favorite movies.

A.M.  Definitely a memorable run for many reasons: 1) Longest run by time that I have ever done, 2) Most injuries on a run, and 3) One of the coolest and most difficult courses I have ever run.  

I started out running with Dave and Clyde until they decided to become a combination of deer/mountain goat and take off.  I finally met back up with them right after the turnaround.  I didnt run the the last 0.1 to the turn.  Then when we stopped at mile 15, it was Dave, Logan, Clyde, and me.  Dave and Clyde had both fallen by then.  I thought to myself, "Even though this run is really tough, it is a great endurance builder and I have not gotten  hurt yet. Then a half mile later I was laying face down in the dirt and gravel.  Both legs were scaped up pretty good, but the biggest problem were my hands.  I had several nickel sized circles where a couple of layers of skin got peeled back.  Then my thumb was cut pretty deep and thought I might need stitches.  I told Logan to go ahead and began walking (which is why my distance is only 21.5), but then realized that walking 7 miles would take too long.  So I ran back and kept thinking how painful it was going to be to clean the dirt and rocks out of my wounds.  

When we got back to Clyde's, I felt bad asking to come in like I was.  However, Clyde magically changed into Dr. Behunin and cleaned me up real nice.  I probably said a few choice words as he was dumping alcohol into the wounds, but that's OK.  Now I have my hands all bandaged up and will probably have to keep it that way for the next week or two.  When I got home, I realized that I also had a big gash on my chest that I had not even felt because my hands hurt so bad.  Oh well!  Definitely some memories.  Next 20-miler will be on the dry roads.

P.M.  First day that I showed up at track practice.  A few of the kids have been running a little but practice does not start until next week.  It was snowing, so I ran with a few guys on the indoor track.  It is 11 laps per mile and is almost rectangle in shape.  But I guess it was not too bad.  I felt good.  Just a little sore from the fall.

A.M.  Some slow treadmill miles today.  It is snowing like crazy again.  I am going to force myself to start hitting a few doubles per week.  7:50 avg.

P.M. Ran on the indoor track again.  I did about 70 laps and I averaged 7:00 pace.  I am starting to feel the flow.

P.M.  Only a single today.  I did 100 laps on the indoor track.  I was on the outside lane, so i think it may have been close to 10 miles, but I'll say 9.5 to be safe.  I was at about 7:00 again and even did one lap at 4:16 pace.  I definitely could not hold that very long.

P.M. I did an afternoon double of sorts.  I only had time to run 3 at the track.  I was between 7:00-7:30 average pace.  Then about an hour later at home I ran 8 on the treadmill.  Just under 8 min. pace.  It is weird that 7:00 on the indoor track and 7:30-8:00 are the same effort for me. 

P.M. I just decided to do a single today so that I could be well reasted for a longer run tomorrow.  I am planning on running about 2 hrs. in the cold tomorrow morning.

A.M.  Had to get in a run before the weekend getaway with my wife and friends.  We are staying in my in laws cabin in Zions.  It snowed more on Friday night, so I opted for the treadmill.  I listened to music for the first 8, then watched the rest of Without Limits for the last 8.  I just kept it nice and easy.  I will have to start getting some speedy stuff in next week.  7:35 avg.

P.M. Easy treadmill run on my day off.  I also got in a long nap which was nice.

P.M.  Ran 3 on the track before practice and then another 3 with one of my top runners.  About 7 min. pace.

 P.M.  Later in the evening I jumped on the treadmill for another 7 at about 7:50 pace.   

P.M.  Only time for a single again today.  I ran 2 miles on the indoor track before practice at about 7:30 pace.  then I ran with Ryan E. on a 5.4 mile route.  I did not wear the Garmin, but he had us timed at 38 min.  So I guess we were around 7 min. pace.  Felt pretty good.

P.M.  Well I decided to do my long run today and get it over with.  I started off at practice with an easy 4 miler with some of the boys.  Then I got a drink and headed out for another 16.  I ran up to Cedar Canyon and took it up past Milts a little.  For my first 12 miles I averaged 7:19 which surprised me.  I thought that all of the uphill (950 ft. of gain) would slow me down more.  Then I decided to pick it up a little on the way back.  I was probably using about the same amount of energy, but this added up to 6:34 pace going down.  I kept up the pace even when the down was done all the way back to school.  It was about as good as a long run can get for me.  It is crazy how a 10-15 mile run can be so enjoyable and a 20 miler almost always sucks.  I ended up running it in 2:20:35 which is 7:01 pace.  That is about the fastest that I have ever done a non-aided 20 miler.  Now to finish off the week with a double tomorrow and an easy single on Saturday. 

P.M.  Dropped the car off to get the oil changed then ran to school. (2.5 miles), then ran 5 with the kids, then ran back the 2.5 to get the car.  

Easy on the treadmill

A.M.  Finally got up in the morning.  Easy on the treadmill.

P.M.  Ran about 2.5 miles before practice.  Then we did out 5.5 mile Godfather's loop.  We did it at a fairly fast pace.  Nobody had their garmin, so i dont know, but definitely sub 7:00.  Then I ran some laps after practice.

A.M.  2 Mornings in a row.  I'm on a roll.  5 easy on the treadmill.

P.M.  Good afternoon run today.  I ran a little over 2 miles before practice started.  Then we took off on a route that is about 6.7 miles.  We started off pretty easy at about 7:20-7:50 pace.  Then on the way back it is slightly downhill.  Our last 4 miles were 6:45, 6:38, 6:32, 6:14.  I ran with four other guys.  We were still talking and running pretty relaxed even at the end.  This is a good indicator of their fitness, esp. the guys that just came out from basketball.  7:07 avg. for the 9 miles.

A.M.  Another 5 uneventful miles on the treadmill.  I know that these morning miles will boost my aerobic capacity though.

P.M.  It was windy today and I have limited time on Wed. because of my 2nd job, so I only got in 8.  We did manage 7:12 pace on a hilly course though, so that was a pleasant surprise.  I have decided to be as dedicated as I can with my training through Boston to try to break into the 2:30s.  It wont be easy, but I think 5-6 weeks of 80 mpw will do wonders for my fitness.

A.M.  This morning was my sleep in day after working until 12:30 last night.  I will probably hit 9 or 10 this afternoon.

P.M.  Hit 9 this afternoon.  I went 4 by myself on the track before practice.  I ran the first 3 at 6:36 pace and then the 4th mile easy.  Then I did a hilly 5 mile course with the boys at 7:20 pace.  Good distance turnout today which was nice.

A.M.  Easy 5 on the treadmill

P.M.  I ran about 4 before practice and then 6 with the team. Did not have my Garmin today.  Probably around 7:15 avg.

A.M.  Good run today to finish off a solid week.  I am down in Vegas, so I ran on a trail today.  I went out and back twice.  I started off a little slow the first mile, then the rest were all under 7:00.  Here are the splits:

1- 7:37  2-6:56  3-6:50  4-6:47  5-6:34  6-6:53  7-6:56  8-6:51  9-6:53  10-6:30  11-6:25  

12-6:30  13-6:42  14-6:18  15-5:57  Total time: 1:40:45

Miles 1-5 were flat and down, miles 5-9 were up, 9-11 down, 11-13 up, 13-15 flat.  Plus I hit 80 today.  Now I need to keep it 80-90 for the next 5 weeks.

P.M.  Felt like I needed to get a full night's sleep after all of the traveling, so I slept in this morning.  This week is early release at school, so I decided to get a good run in before practice.  I went from the school up the canyon trail and down the canyon and then looped around until I got to 10 miles.  I ran it at a 6:55 avg.  I was happy with that.  Plus there were 20+ mph winds that we had to deal with today.

Then for practice I ran one of the shorter routes (4.4 miles) at 7:35 avg.

A.M.  Well I did not get in the workout that I was hoping for, but I still did get a run in.  I did 6 on the treadmill.  I got the pace up in the 9-10 mph range for awhile, so that was good.  I will run more later, but it is going to be really windy again.

P.M.  Ran another 6 on the treadmill before practice.  We have 25-30 mph winds right now, so I avoid that if I can.  Then I ran 3 with the beginners on the team.  Got in the tough golf course hill.

I'm starting to get a little sick.  My son is sick, so I think that I got it from him.  I think that I am going to try to keep the distance up this week, but not try to go too hard.  We'll see if I can kick it soon.  I am overdosing on Air Health, which is the WalMart equal to Airborne.

P.M.  I ran 9 on the treadmill before practice to avoid the 30 mph wind.  I hate the wind.  It blows just like Clyde said.  Then for practice I ran on the indoor track with the guys.  We had some fun racing and stuff.  55 laps for 5 miles.  About 7:30 pace for the treadmill, then 6:30-7:20 for the track

P.M.  Ran 6.5 before practice.  Sports authority route.  7:15 avg.

Then I ran the medium route with the team. 5.25 miles 7:25 avg.

Well my cold has gotten worse.  Now it is down in my chest and I lost my voice.  Not good for a school teacher.  I decided to still go to school, but dont know if I should run.  I have had mixed results running with colds before.  I wanted to hit 90 this week and am still on pace if I hit 15 today and 20 tomorrow, but I dont know if that would be smart.

Stayed in bed most of the day.  Really weak.

P.M.  Well I am still sick but finally got my voice back.  I am doing better than last week, so I decided that I need to get back into it.  I figure I will hit about 70 miles this week and then try to bump it back up next week when I am completely better.

I ran 3 before practice, then 1 as a warmup, then 6 with the team.  I ran faster than I should have at 6:45 pace, but oh well.  Last mile was 5:45. 

P.M.  Had to hurry to get in 10 today.  I did about the same as yesterday except that I felt a lot better.  Maintained 7:00 or faster the whole way.

P.M. I ran 3.3 by myself before practice at a 6:54 pace.  I am feeling a little better every day now.  then I ran 6.7 with the team at a 6:50 pace.  It was a good run.  Good weather.  good day.

P.M.  Ran a few miles before practice  and then ran easy with the team before their meet.

A.M.  Easy miles

A.M.  Got up early before the meet and got my run in.  My dad is in town, so I ran the last 5 miles with him.  During the first 8 miles, I threw in a mile in 5:45, another mile in 5:40, and then 2 in 11:30.  So my fitness is getting there.  I just need to finish off this month strong.

A.M.  Great workout this morning.  I warmed up for 2.5 miles, then did 3 x 2 miles, then cooled down.  My 3 repeats were:

1) 11:40

2) 11:40

3) 11:24

This is good for me because I did the same workout about the same time before St George and my times were faster today.

P.M.  Ran 2.5 before practice and then 7.2 with the team.  7:05 avg. with the 4 miles sub 7:00.  Good start to the week.

P.M.  Only a single today because I am going to be doing a lot of miles tomorrow.  I did a few miles before practice then ran a little speedwork with the team.  I did 1600m in 5:08, then 3 800s ranging in speed from 2:30-2:55.  I ran with a few different runners during the 800s.

A.M.  Got up early to do my long run.  It had been awhile since I had gone 20 since I missed one when I was sick.  It was hard to get the legs moving since I had done quite a few hard miles this week.  I ended up finishing the run in 2:25 for a 7:15 avg.  From miles 15-19 I ran a conservative tempo.  I wanted to average about marathon pace and I was close.   My splits were 6:37, 6:25, 6:17, 6:01.  Overall a good run for being tired.

P.M.  Ran an easy 5.2 with the guys before their meet tomorrow.

P.M. We had a dual meet against Cedar today, so I got in my running before and during the meet. I ran a majority of it at a 7:30 pace. 3 of my distance guys convinced me to run a 4 x 400 with them at the end of the meet. It is a pretty relaxed meet. So I ran lead-off leg and busted a 59 sec. quarter. Not bad for a slow-twitch marathon runner.

P.M. It was in the low 70s in Cedar today. Quite the change. I ran 2 before practice, then ran 18 on the golf course with Ben. I wanted to hit 100 this week, but I did not run this morning. I will probably go 15 or 20 tomorrow.

A.M.  I opted to do 10 with Ben today and include some tempo.  I felt like a fast 10 would benefit me more than a slower 15 or 20 today.  I think my endurance is there, I just need to make sure my speed is also.  So we ran 10 in 1:05.  The first 5 or 6 were at about 7:10 pace, then we went 5:46, 5:46, 5:45, 5:33.  Good consistent tempo.

P.M.  We decided to run inside today as it was cold and windy.  Plus Ben and I dont mind doing lap after lap I guess.  I ran the first couple of miles by myself fairly easy, then 1 not timed with Ben, then 8 at a 6:51 average.  The last mile was 6:13.  The effort was easy today and I probably felt the best that I have so far in this training cycle.  I know that I am in good shape when 6:50 pace seems easy.  So I am pumped that my fitness is coming around at the right time.  Now I need to rest up for a big day tomorrow.

A.M.  I decided to get up early today and get my 20 miler for the week out of the way.  It was the fastest that I have ever done a training run of that length.  It took 2:17 for a 6:51 pace.  I ran the first 14 in 6:58 avg.  Then in ran 14-18 in 6:27, 6;19, 6:02, 6:07.  Then I cooled down for the last 2.  This was a good confidence boosting run.  I keep looking back on my training before St. George and I think I am close to the same right now.  I have not gotten in quite as many miles, but my tempo runs and speed work has been close to the same.  So if all goes well, I may be going for 2:39.  I think that is reasonable.  I figure good weather in St. George would have put me at 2:35 or so.  If anyone has any feedback or time predictions, then let me know.  

P.M. Well I could definitely tell that I ran 20 this morning. All I did was 5 at 7:25 pace and then timed my team in their speed work.

P.M. Ran a few miles easy before practice. No watch. Then ran the long train run. About a 7:15 avg. Felt OK, but was tired from the big day yesterday.

P.M. Ran on the indoor track today. About 110 laps, but I dont mind it too much. Also, my Nike Lunar Racers came in the mail today. I ran about 8 miles in them and they felt great. I did not think that a 5.7 oz. shoe could feel that good. I am looking forward to wearing them in Boston.

P.M.  Ran down in St. George before and during the track meet.  I warmed up a little, then hit 10 in 1:06 with the last mile in 5:52.  Then I ran 2 a little later with a couple of my guys.

A.M.  Ran down in St. George again before day 2 of the meet.  My dad was in town, so I ran the first 8 with him easy in 7:48 avg.  Then I picked it up for the last 3 and the avg. was 6:00.  Felt good to run at lower altitude.  Gave me confidence for Boston.

My boys ran well.  Ben J. on the blog ran 4:33 and 9:51 and another soph. hit 4:34.  

P.M.  Well it was windy and cold today, so I warmed up 2 miles outside, then hit 10 inside at a 6:45 avg.  The last mile was about 5:40.

A.M.  I got in my last 20 miler this morning at 4 AM.  I ran harder yesterday, so I just wanted to maintain a nice easy pace for this one.  I ran it in 2:28, which is a 7:24 avg.  Felt really good and in shape.  Now it is TAPER TIME!  Unlike others, I look forward to the taper.  

Planned day off.  I am losing some of my hours at school next year, so i have picked up some more shifts at Lin's (grocery).  So my schedule right now is running 5:00-6:30 or so, school 7:30-3:00, practice 3:15-4:30, and Lin's 4:30-12:30.  So I am glad that it is taper time, or else I would be in trouble.  My miles from now until Boston will just come whenever I can.

P.M.  Ran at the track meet at Snow Canyon before and in between distance events.  My pace was easy with some barefoot strides.  My kids all did well.  I can no longer keep up with my top kids.  My top 3 now have 1600m PRs of 4:33, 4:34, and 4:44.  We also talked about what I could run in the races right now.  I think about 4:45 and 10:20 for 2 miles.  Ben asked if I thought Holt could stick with him for 9:51 3200m.  I said no, but you never know. It might be close.  I'm sure Holt would be modest and say no, but if you are reading this Dave, let me know your honest opinion.  In a racing situation, what could you hit for 1600m and 3200m?

A.M.  Easy on the treadmill

A.M.  Decided to go to the indoor track since it snowed last night.  Met Ben J. there.  I did 165 laps!  Overall 6:52 avg.  I threw in a couple of faster miles around 6:00 pace.  Good run.

P.M.  Ran 3.3 before practice.  My last 2 full miles were 6:20 and 6:00.  That felt really good.  Then I just ran laps while the team did 400s.  I ran a few of them with them.  My top 4 guys hit 10 of them between 1:02 and 1:08.  Pretty solid workout that I could never do.

A.M.  Got in a tempo in the middle of my run today.  I warmed up for 5 miles and only cooled down one.  My tempo splits were 6:00, 5:46, 5:50, 5:33.  It was not as fast as I wanted it to be, but I just was not "feeling it" today.  I'm not too concerned.  Now just a couple of more easy runs and and few MP miles and I will be ready.

A.M. We are on our 3-day spring break, so we ran in the morning. It was cold and windy, so many of us opted for the indoor track. I just ran easy between 7:30-8:00 pace the whole way. That is exactly what I needed.

Now maybe I will hit a little speed with the team tomorrow and then 5 MP miles on Sat. I will be about 50 miles this week.

A.M. Good workout with the team this morning. We did a 4 x 1200 at a good tempo pace. I decided on the pace by having everyone run at their mile pace plus 40 seconds. I knew that it would be a little anaerobic, but would mainly be building their aerobic capacity. It went really well. I did not go hard, but steadily picked up the pace. I started the first one at 4:10 (about 5:32 pace) and eventually made it down to 3:52 (5:09 pace) for the last one. I finished feeling like I could have done at least 3 more at that pace, so it was a good taper workout. I like it when I can make the team's workouts work for me too.

A.M.  Easy short trail run with some of the guys.  It was a little faster than planned with one with at 6:49, but the effort was easy.

A.M.  I am down in Vegas for the holiday.  I decided to get in 13 today with 5 at MP.  I will list all of my splits below.  My goal going in was to have all 5 miles in the 6:00-6:15 range.  I always figure that "race day magic" (I have to give credit to Paul for that phrase) will make a 6:15 training mile a 6:00 race mile.  I did not plan on having my other 8 miles be very fast, but some of them were pretty quick.  I ran this on a loop course.  3 mile WU, 5 mile MP, 5 mile CD.

1-7:07    2-6:49     3-6:52     4-6:09     5-6:05     6-5:55     7-5:53     8-5:35     9-7:06        

10-6:51      11-6:48       12-6:47       13-6:18       Total time-1:24:19

So I am now ready for Boston.  The plan right now is Monday 8 miles, Tuesday 8 miles, Wed. off,  Thurs.  6 with 3 at MP, Friday 5 with 2 at MP, Sat. off, Sun. 2 with a couple 100m strides, Mon. race.  If you ahve any thoughts on depletion runs and carbo loading let me know.  The plan was to do a depletion run on Thurs. and then carbo load from there.

P.M.  One mile warmup before practice.  Then I ran an 8 miler with the team right at 56 min.  The last 3 miles were under 7:00 and the last one was 6:10.  I felt good and strong.

P.M.  Indoor track today to avoid the cold, wind, and snow.  I ran 4 before practice at a 7:00 avg.  Then I ran 3 more with the first 2 at race pace.  I ran with Ben.  We ran 6:08 and 5:56.  It was easy even on the 146 meter sharp turn track dodging other runners and walkers.  Then I cooled down one.  Felt good again.  This has been a good taper that has left me feeling strong and ready.

P.M. I did my last speed before Boston. It wasn't much, but just enough to keep the legs ready. I warmed up a little, then ran 2 miles at MP with a short jog in between each. Then I cooled down a little. My miles were 6:06 and 5:51. I was running into a 20 mph headwind. Now I'm ready.

A.M.  Ran a little to get the legs loosened up this morning.  7:04 and 6:36.  Went to the Sox game last night.  It is the best place to see a game by far.  Ryan Hall threw out the first pitch so that was cool.

As you can see by the distance, i do not run tangents very well I guess.  I am now typing this for the second time.  I should really learn to use the save feature.  I decided to tell this how it was, raw and uncut.  So if i seem a little disappointed with the result, it was still a great experience.  First let me say how awesome Boston is.  They support their sports teams and this race in an unbelievable way.  I met Brian Sell at the expo.  I told him that if he needed anyone to pace him to a 2:09, that I was his man.

Part 1: Pre-race and miles 0-10.  I met Jeff S.  before the race.  He asked if i wanted to join him and his elite pacers, but I knew that i could not hang with them.  So i declined.  He went on to have a good race.  Then i met up with a guy from the RW forum.  This was only his 2nd marathon, but he has tons of potential.  The plan was to run together, but he wanted to go out slower than goal pace.  So I ditched him after mile one.  He passed me at 19 and put 7 min. on me.  Check out his splits.  His name is Jay Thompson.  It was the most even paced marathon I have ever seen.  Ok, back to the race.  I went out at a 6:05.  I  don't have all of my splits because my Garmin lost reception.  There was a big pack of 25 or so that formed.  We hit miles 2 and 3 in about 5:50 each.  I knew that this was a little fast for my fitness.  So I looked back to see if there was another pack to drop back to.  Nope, just small groups.  I realized that with the wind picking up that 5:50 miles in this pack was going to be as easy and 6:00 miles on my own.  So i hung in there.  It was not too hard, but i knew that it would take its toll.  Then i thought, this is Boston, I may never do this again.  I am just going to go for it.  So the pack kept rolling along.  We hit mile 10 in 59 and change.

Part 2: Miles 10-18  At mile 10, the club runners that were leading the pack decided to bump it up to 5:40 pace.  I knew that I would be dead by 15 if i went with them.  So I held pace.  However, the rest of the pack quickly dispersed.  I tried to form little groups, but it did not work well.  I was still feeling good though.  We went through Wellesley.  That was cool.  No kisses, just high 5's for me.  One girl tried to jump out and grab me.  I saw some girls that I would guess did not get any kisses despite their best efforts.  I hit the half in just under 1:18.  I knew that a reasonable positive split would give me 2:39-2:41.  So I just kept rolling along.  The hills started at 17.  The first one was not too bad.  However, the cold wind was really whipping around by now.  I had ditched my long sleeve shirt, gloves, and beanie by mile 5.  

Part 3: Miles 18-26.4   Now the hills started to take their toll.  By Heartbreak, the wind was bad.  I was running by myself.  I could not latch on to the continuous small groups that was pass every minute or so.  I dropped to about 7:00 pace.  I knew that running 7:00 at mile 20 is not a good sign.  That would mean 8:00 pace by the end.  So I decided that would not happen today.  It is probably the toughest that I have been tested mentally and physically.  The hills ended, and at least I had some downhill to keep me moving.  I also had my name written on my jersey, so the crowd kept me going.  I started get light-headed and dry-heaved from time to time.  As i got closer to the finish line, I was counting down the minutes of pain left.  We finally made the turn onto Bolyston.  A couple of more groups passed me.  The crowds were great.  However, by that point, and for the last few miles, I had been getting light-headed and had blurry vision.  I had been getting a lot of GU, water, and Gatorade, so I'm not sure why this happened.  So i started to swerve and stagger as I came down the home stretch.  With less than 100m left, the announcer said, "Here comes Greg Harris in a tight race down the stretch!"  I looked to my left.  There was a guy that I shall name Mr. Lurpy.  I did not have a lot of will power left, but I knew one thing.  Mr Lurpy would not beat me today.  (Looking back on it, Mr. Lurpy probably beat me in net time.)  However, it was all about the race to the line.  After I looked over, Mr. Lurpy started kicking with his long lanky legs.  I responded and barely got him at the line.  Then I fell to my knees and stayed there for a minute.  My final 10K was 43-44 min.  Better than it could have gotten i guess.

Part 4: Post-race "fun."  After i got up, my world was spinning.  I staggered around as many volunteers asked if i was OK.  I said sure i have been "here" before.  Cramped legs, cold clammy skin, and nausea.  Sure, no problem.  I was getting really cold by this time.  The coldness started at about mile 15 and just got worse and worse.  As i walked now, i heard spectators talking about how cold the wind was.  I knew that my dad would not be done for 45 min.  so I looked for a place to get warm.  I saw the big med tent. I staggered in there and asked if i could sit down.  They were concerned because i was pale and wobbly.  So I sat down and closed my eyes.  They kept trying to force broth down me.  They took my temp and i was 92 degrees.  They wanted to call my wife, lay me down, and maybe give my an IV.  I declined and said I would be fine.  They did not believe me and said that no one with a 92 degree temp. was fine.  So I just sat there wrapped in 2 blankets for 45 min. At that time, I announced that I was leaving.  They said no, your temp. is still only 94.  I said, yes I am leaving.  I have to meet my dad.  I will never find him if i dont leave now.  So the doctor agreed to sign it as she shook her head.  I found my dad about 5 min. later, so I was glad that I had insisted on leaving.  After another hour of riding on the subway and sitting in the hot tub (oh yeah! No ice bath for me!) I was good to go. 

Now that I have had a day to reflect on the race, I am not as disappointed.  I have learned that bad weather is just lame and it is what it is.  My last 3 marathons have had lame weather.  The thing that bugged me is that 2:39 would have gotten me 160th place.  Add 7 minutes for my 2:46 and I got 322nd place.  That sucks.  But I am confident that I did the best I could have.  I have no regrets.  This is one of my only half or full marathons where I can honestly say that I could not have gone harder at any point in the race.  That is satisfying to know.  Now it is time to rest up and make one last BIG push at St. George.

I need to start getting back into the blogging routine.  I took a week off after the marathon, then I have run 25-30 miles the last 2 weeks.  I think I am ready to get back into the 50-60+ weeks now.

 We are up at my in-laws cabin in Zions.  I decided to go out for a run this morning while everyone else was still sleeping.  The elevation here is 6400-6500 ft, which is higher than I thought.  It was a nice run, partly on trails.  1:07 total time for a 6:46 avg.

Yes I finally blogged again.  This was a good race for me.  This course is in southern CA and if known as the world's fastest half marathon.  It drops about 2000 ft, mostly in the first 6 miles.  To put it in perspective, last year I ran 1:12:26 here and 1:13:0? at Bryce half.  I was in a little better shape at Bryce, so i would say that Fontana is about 2 min. faster than Bryce.  Its a lot of fun.  Two guys from Australia smoked a 1:03 to take 1st and 2nd.  Then there are quite a few faster Hispanics that run this race. 

I started out in about 10th place for the first 2 miles.  You start the race in a winding downhill canyon.  The first 3 miles are very fast.  I forgot my Garmin (which made me mad), so i dont have exact splits.  I passed mile 3 in 15:47.  There was a decent headwind in the canyon, so i was trying to draft.  Unfortunately, the guys I was close to did not know how to run tangents and liked to surge a lot.  By mile 4, i was running with a guy for 6th and 7th place.  5th place was about 40 seconds ahead.  The guy i ran with refused to lead for more than 1/4 mile.  When he would draft off me, he would clip my heels.  I got mad and started to throw in 100 meter surges.  He always stayed close enough to catch back up.  Plus he would cough, spit, clear his throat, and shoot snot rockets every 20 seconds.  (this is no exaggeration!)  So at mile 6, i was feeling good.  When he slowed for water, i decided that now was my chance.  I took off and ran mile 7 in 5:20.  I dropped him for good.

This started part 2 of the race: staying focused and trying to catch 5th place.  By mile 7, you are out of the canyon.  There is still gradual downhill, but it is a boring straight shot to the finish.  In the past, I have averaged about 5:20-5:30 in the canyon, then 5:35-5:50 the rest of the race.  I wanted to really focus on staying consistent.  I knew that it would be tough with no one to push me.  I also knew that i had a good time going.  I was 38:24 at 7 miles.  So i decided to focus on catching 5th place.  He was about 40 seconds ahead.  The gap had stayed the same since mile 3.  I hit mile 10 in 54:35.  Then mile 11 in 59:55.  I knew a PR was in reach.  5th place guy was still about 30-40 seconds up on me.  Shortly after mile 11 though, i could see that 5th place did not look as smooth anymore.  He was starting to labor.  i was too by this time, but i decided that it was time to make myself hurt as much as possible.  By mile 12, the gap was 25 seconds or so.  I knew that I would probably not catch him, but i wanted to make it interesting.  There is a good supportive crowd going into the finish to pump you up, so i tried to use that.  As I approached the finish, i was really moving.  i could see the clock was at 1:10:4?.  I ended up in 1:11:10, which was 12 seconds behind 5th.  1st and 2nd were 1:03, 3rd was 1:07, 4th was 1:09, 5th was 1:10, and I was 1:11.  Money goes to the top 3.  It was a PR of 1:16 for me.  Plus I actually ran slightly faster the last half of the race which made me happy.

Now I really need to get back to some higher mileage.  I had originally planned on working up to 100 mpw and holding that for 6 weeks until 3 weeks before St George.  However, i have tried a new approach since Boston.  For some reason, I have only done 2 runs over 7:00 avg. since Boston.  most have been in the 6:30-6:50 range.  I know that as the mileage increases, i will have to do more recovery runs, but this pace has been feeling good.  I think it has paid off as it showed today.  So I plan to work up to 80 mpw by bryce, then go up to 90 mpw.  I will hold that through August and half of Sept.  i want to do more tempos, mile repeats, and MP miles this time.  I think if i can do that, then I will be able to PR by 8-12 min. at St George. 

So if you have read all of this, thanks for you time.  Sorry for any typos.  I typed it fast.  Feel free to give me some feedback.

Too much for my first day back.  Very sore.

Calf hurts

only left calf hurts.  Feels a little like a torn muscle.

I've decided to take the rest of the week off to rest the calf.

Treadmill because I had to babysit.  Calf still hurts.  Decided to run through it unless it gets worse.

ran 3 x 1 mile repeats in the middle.  Ran them on main st.  on downhill/flat.  Here are the times:    1) 5:37 felt easy  2) 5:21 working at about 85%  3)4:54 pretty much all out.  It felt really good though.  Good fitness right now.

First day of XC practice.  No watch.  Decent turnout for the first day.

Ran to practice, ran about 4.5 with the team, then ran home.  Pretty even pace most of the way.  7:08 avg.

6:35 avg. to New Harmony

5:42 avg.

Ran 4 x 1600 with Ryan and Garrett.  It is 200% better doing speedwork with other guys that are your same ability level.  I ran 5:25, 5:19, 5:18, 5:11.  I was pleased with this, esp after going sub 6:00 pace for the last 3 miles yesterday.  Hopefully I can continue to meet up with them in the future.

Nice easy run with the team. No watch.

Good run in st george today.  I ran with some guys like Steve, Dave, Mike, and Wildbull until Snow Canyon.  Then I continued on down the course.  Miles 8-17 were a good progression run from 6:23 down to 5:44 (6:03 avg.)  I ran down onto diagonal and then cooled down back to the church.  Good confidence builder. 

Started getting sick yesterday and it is in full force today.  It started as just a sore throat and head cold, but now it is down in the chest and i am hacking up the green stuff.  the last time i was sick was right before St George i think.  Hopefully i'll be feeling good for the race Saturday.

Still sick

Sick, but wanted to get in some miles before the race tomorrow.

Well I was still sick today.  I was optimistic and hate making excuses, but I was really affected today.  I ran as well as I would have healthy through the first 3 or 4, but then I started feeling it.  From about mile 7 on, I was in survival mode.  I held it together well though because my slowest split was 5:58. 

All in all, I'm not disappointed. The goal going in was 1:11.  Had I been healthy, I think I would have gotten it for sure.  Now to get miles going for St George.

Up in Brian Head with the team.  Still sick but it is nice up here.

Good runs in Brian Head.  The elevation is tough

Good run around Navajo Lake

Run to the summit in Brian Head.  11307 ft.  This run is tough!  Averaged 8:08 going up and I was dead at the top.  2 boys beat me.

Did some downhill training today.  Ran the first 16 miles at a 6:29 avg, progressing from 7:10 to 5:52.  Cooled down the last 2.  Did not have to work too hard until the last 3 or 4 miles.  I am finally feeling completely healthy today.  It's about time.

Easy run

Progression run with the team.  Ran the last 2.5 with Matt in a 5:42 avg.

Easy running with a last mile in 5:40

The plan today was to do an easy 20 miler, part with the team.  Then I decided to go 23 to get 70 for the week.  I ran the first 9.06 by myself in a 7:15 avg.  This felt very easy.  Then I ran with the team for 8.18 in a 6:54 avg.  This was not bad, but the last full mile was 5:43 and then the .18 was at about 5:00 pace.  I talked with the guys for awhile and then ran home for 5.76 miles.  This was tough.  I was tired, stiff, and hot.  I still tried to keep a decent pace and ended up 7:03 avg. for the run.  Good run but I was tired for a few hours after.  I feel good now though the day after, so that's good.

Ran a little over 3 before practice to get going for the week.  Then I ran 9.9 with the top guys.  We kept it pretty easy for the first 7 (7:20 pace), then picked it up at a designated location for the next 2.5.  I ran 5:42 pace with one of my top guys.  My guys are looking good right now and we really have not done much speedwork at all yet. 

Today was recovery.  I want to get all rested up and feeling good for a good workout tomorrow.  I plan to get up early and get a track workout in at SUU with Garrett and Ryan (although they dont know it yet)  Then I will run 1/2 mile hiles with my team immediately after.  It should be tons of fun.  It will be my own version of a BW i guess.

Today was my version of a BW.  I went to the SUU track before XC practice.  I ended up doing 3 x 2 mile repeats.  I felt a little sluggish at first, but then got into a pretty good groove.  here are my splits.  I had a good neg. split on each one.

1) 11:40 (5:58, 5:42)

2) 11:24 (5:48, 5:36)

3) 11:10 (5:40, 5:30)

Then i went over to XC practice and ran a good hard workout with them.  We warmed up for 2.5, then there is a good 1 mile loop around the middle school and track that is 1/2 up and 1/2 downhill.  We run repeats on the uphill and then jog the downhill.  My varsity guys ran 5, and i stayed with them the best i could although my legs were dead.  I still managed about 5:45 pace on all of them.  i feel good about where my training is at right now.  I am on track to hit my goal of about 80 miles this week, so its all good.

Legs were pretty trashed from yesterday.  I expected it.  Just ran easy with the team.

Still a little tired today.  Ran the first four easy at about 7:50 avg, then picked it up and started feeling really good.  Most of the rest of the miles were sub 7:00 avg. and I ended with a 7:13 avg.

Planned on hitting 80 for the week, but 75 is good for this week.  I have been increasing my miles a lot the last 3 weeks, so I need to be careful to not overdo it.  I ran about 5 before practice.  Then I ran 8.3 with the team and did a little cooldown after.  I told me kids to run hard the last full mile of the run on Northfield.  It has a slight downhill grade.  I ran with Ben.  I pushed it about as hard as I could.  I wanted sub 5:00 and I hit 4:43.  This gave me a lot of confidence.  I just need to stay healthy, continue to run some good miles, and throw in a few more harder workouts before October.

3 miles easy before practice.  Then I ran 10 with the team.  We started off fairly easy for the first 7.2 (7:06 pace), then I ran in the middle of the varsity guys for the 2.5 tempo back towards school.  (5:43 avg.) Then I short cooldown.  I felt good for a Monday.

I did about 5 before practice, 7 with the team, then 3 after practice.  I averaged 7:27 for the entire run.  Pretty easy effort.

Great workout with Ryan today.  We did 6 x 1600m at CV track.  Times were 5:41, 5:34, 5:32, 5:25, 5:24, 5:15.  We were able to keep the times good by taking an 800m recovery. I am happy with my fitness right now.  I definitely could not have done this well today without Ryan though.  Someone else pushing you helps tremendously. 

I ran a few extra with my boys after.

This was about as much as I could fit it today.  My job schedule is crazy right now.  I have to choose between running a lot and sleeping 4 hours or sleeping more and running a little on some days.  So today I chose option 2.  I do pretty well on less sleep, but I dont want to do it too often and get run down and sick.  I'm sure my fitness can improve a little more before St George, but right now I'll stick to being a little cautious.

Short run again today on little sleep. 

Started my run at 3:10 a.m. so that I could get it in before the meet.  I felt ok, but I was a little sluggish due to the early start.  I just tried to keep it steady and relaxed for most of it.  I made it through 14 miles at a 7:05 avg.  Then I decided to do a tempo from 14-19 miles.  I started off easy them picked it up as I went.  Splits were 6:22, 6:15, 6:07, 6:05, 5:44.  Then I cooled down a mile.  6:54 avg overall.  2 or 3 more key long runs plus some speed/tempo and I will be ready to roll at STGM.

A.M.  Ran 10 by myself before school meetings.  I started out easy, then picked it up a little as I went.  Ended with a 7:16 avg.  Good Monday run except that my knee is acting up a little and my hamstrings are sore.  This is weird because my hamstrings are rarely sore.

P.M.  First afternoon run with the team.  It was hot out, but I cant complain because its nothing compared to St. George.  Ran 8.3 with the team then a little extra to make 9. 7:25 avg.

A.M. I had planned on running longer this morning, but I stayed in bed too long.  The extra sleep was nice though.  I felt good and did the same loop as yesterday morning.  This time I hit a 6:56 avg.  I started out at 7:45 the first mile and progressed down to 6:37.  Hamstring felt a little better.  This will be my only run for the day.

A.M.  Good workout with Ryan this morning.  It went better than expected with the lack of sleep I've gotten this week.  I wanted to get a harder workout in, but wanted something that would not kill me.  So I warmed up 3.75 to Cedar High track and met Ryan.  We did 3 x 2 mile repeats at slightly under MP with a 400m recovery jog.  Here are the splits:

1) 11:54 (6:02, 5:52)

2) 11:44 (5:53, 5:51)

3) 11:28 (5:52, 5:36)

So it was a little tough, but nowhere near as hard as last week's workout.  I started feeling it when Ryan picked it up the last mile.  Ryan did a lot of the leading today, so thanks Ryan for doing the hard work.   

No time today and little sleep, so just enough to get the legs going.

A.M. 13.5 miles at a 6:57 avg.  Felt really good and even threw in a 3 mile tempo in 6:11, 5:48, 5:45  Hamstring still a little tight.

P.M. 5.5 miles easy with the team.  It was hot out.  I dont know how the St. George guys do it.

P.M. XC meet in Hurricane this morning, so no time to run unless I pulled a 3 AM wake up.  I had no interest in that.  I waited until 10:00 PM until I got ready to head out.  From the start, I felt really sluggish.  I ate too much at Olive Garden on SG after the meet.

Anyways, I ran 8 at 7:20 pace, then decided to still do a planned 5 mile tempo, then cool down.  The tempo started out pretty slow at 6:30 pace, then I got it down to 5:42 at the end.  Glad to be done and get a day of rest tomorrow.

A.M.  Good run to get the week started.  Went over and mapped out a good 1200m grass loop for speedwork for the team.  Just tried to keep it easy and relaxed the whole time.  A few aches and pains, but nothing too bad.  1:19 for 11 miles.  (7:14 avg.)  Will get in more this afternoon with the team.

P.M. Ran 9 with the varsity guys. The run included 2 big golf course hills and a fast last mile. 7:05 avg.

A.M.  Met up with Ryan and got in a long run this morning.  I was sluggish from the start and could not have gone much faster today.  We kept the pace pretty consistent the whole way for a 7:25 avg.  I will only get about 25 miles combined the next 3 days, so I knew I needed to start off the week well.

P.M.  Just ran with the team today.  We wamed up and then the workout was 5 x 1200m on the grass at the park we are running at on Saturday.  Most of the guys did really well.  I paced the JV guys through the first 4 at about 6:00 pace, then I did the last one at 5:32.  Easy workout at that pace, but I felt better than I thought I would after all of the miles the last 2 days.

A.M.  Only 5 this morning with the late working.  This will be the only run today.  I hope to finish the week strong though.

A.M.  Good run this morning.  Started off slow up the hills, then gradually picked it up.  Had quite a few miles under 7:00.  I wish every run felt this good.  I will get in 6 or 7 more this afternoon with the team. 6:56 avg.

P.M. Ran with the boys this afternoon. We ran over to the XC course, ran the course, did some strides, then ran back. Between 7:30 and 8:00 pace the whole way. Easy effort.

A.M.  Drove up the canyon with Ryan and my dad, who is in town from CA this weekend.  Ryan and I warmed up for 4 miles with my dad then started the 10 mile tempo back towards my house.  I felt really good, but wanted to start out conservative and then pick it up as we went.  It was good to have someone to run it with.  Here are the splits:

6:19, 6:13, 5:55, 5:52, 5:44 (30:06 halfway)

5:33, 5:26, 5:27, 5:25, 5:14 (57:13 total, 27:07 second half)

I am pleased with the results.  I wanted to hit around a 5:50 avg. (goal MP) and I ended up with 5:43 avg.  So it was a good confidence builder.  Then I cooled down 2.5 

A.M.  Good 10 miler this morning.  Started off slow because of soreness, then picked it up as i went.  Last 6 miles were between 6:15 and 6:45.  6:56 avg.

P.M.  Another good run.  Went 9 with the team.  Just ran steady for the first 7 (7:15 avg.) and then hit the last 2 harder.  I ran just behind my 4th and 5th guys. (5:46 avg.)

A.M.  I slept in this morning since I knew that sleep would be hard to come by for the next 4 nights.  Then I ran about 10 before my wife had to leave.  Then I ran the last 2 around my block.  I was tired and still sore.  7:28 avg and I could not have gone much faster.  It was similar to how I felt on the long run last Tuesday.  I guess Tuesdays are my slow day right now.

P.M.  Only time for one workout today, tomorrow, and Friday.  I ran speed with the team.  I paced JV on 3 x mile on our XC course.  I just hit 6:00 on all three to help them work on consistent pacing.  They struggle with that.  Then I ran 4 x 400 on the track with the varsity.  I went 1:12, 1:12, 1:12, 1:02.  I was racing one of my guys on the last one and he got me the last 100m.  Felt good to run fast though.

A.M.  Easy run with no watch.  I just tried to get into a groove and get the miles in today.  Nothing special.

A.M.  Ran to my wife's school to get blood drawn for a new health program in the district.  Then i ran back afterwards.  7:19 pace out with slight downhill.  7:08 pace back on slight uphill.

A.M.  This tied the longest I have ever run for a training run.  I was up in Provo for a XC meet, so I decided to get up early and get it done.  I left at 4:30 and ran about 9 miles before hooking up with Dave and Logan for the next 10.  They were good company to run with.  So I was at 19 miles and decided to pick up the pace a little on the way back to the hotel.  I averaged 6:19 pace from mile 19-24.  I was getting pretty tired, but all in all it was a decent run.  7:05 avg. for the whole thing.  Only one 20 miler left for me.  I'm excited about that.

A.M.  I was at a family reunion through today, so I was not able to get in as much running as I would have liked.  Still ran an easy 10 in the morning before everyone woke up.

A.M.  Got in a decent workout today even though I had to go to the bathroom 3 times during the run.  I think that tied a record for me.  Anyways, besides that, I was just a little slower than planned.  I warmed up 3 miles, then hit a 3 x 3 mile workout on the roads.  It worked out that the first 2 miles of each repeat were downhill and flat and the last mile was uphill.  Here are the times:

1) 18:00 (6:11, 5:54, 5:55)

2) 18:02 (5:58, 6:02, 6:02)

3) 17:39 (6:00, 5:54, 5:45)

I will do another workout similar to this next week as well. 

A.M.  Easy 5 miler between faculty meeting and school today.  I was a little sluggish at first, but then I got into a nice flow.  7:21 avg.  I will pace my JV guys in speed work later.

P.M.  Ran almost 4 miles for a warmup and then paced my JV guys in some 1200m repeats.  We did them on the grass at Bicentennial Park.  I ran each one between 6:00-6:10 pace.  A lot of my JV guys are right there, so I think it helps them out to have someone pace them sometimes.  And it works out well for me since it is about my marathon pace.  So I ran 5 x 1200m repeats then cooled down a little as they ran some shorter repeats to finish up.  A good day, but I need to take the pace easy tomorrow and rest up.

A.M.  I decided to sleep in today and just do an easy 5 miler before school.  I will do a hard workout tomorrow.

A.M.  Wanted to get in a good workout today.  I was feeling a little sluggish from my 4.5 hours of sleep, but decided to try it anyways.  I ran 7 at a steady pace (7:29) which was mostly uphill, then started my tempo at the USG 5K mark.  The goal was to be under 6:00 pace for all 6 miles of the tempo.  I also wanted to run as relaxed as I could at that pace.  The splits were 5:58, 5:56, 5:53, 5:52, 5:37, 5:24. 

The first 4 miles have the most downhill.  I stayed relaxed, but did not feel like I could have gone much faster.  Then at 4 miles, it was like a switch was flipped on and I felt great.  I did not have to put forth much more effort on miles 5 and 6, and you can see how much the pace dropped.  So I am happy with this result.  Some easy running tomorrow and 1 more hard week next week.

A.M. Ran the razorbacks with the team at 11:00 so we could sleep in a little.  I started getting sick, so I decided to keep it to 1 run today and rest up.

P.M. Only one run today.  I woke up early to run, but felt horrible.  I have been sick all weekend.  I am almost happy though, so that I can get being sick over and done with before the marathon.  The lack of sleep is really starting to catch up to me I guess.

Anyways, I ran with the varsity guys on a 9 miler then tacked on another at the end.  I kept it pretty steady, then ran with my 6th guy the last 2.5 at about 6:00 pace.  I could not have gone much faster today.  I have a 20 miler scheduled for tomorrow, but might wait until Saturday depending on how I'm feeling.

A.M.  Easy 8 with no watch.  I am still sick with a pretty bad cold.  So I am just going to run easy and let my body rest up until I get better.  

P.M.  Still sick, but decided that I felt good enough to pace some guys on their speed work.  I did 6 x 800.  Most of them were at a manageable 2:50-3:00 pace, then I ran the last one with varsity in 2:26.  It felt good to run that fast.  Then I did a bunch of laps after until I had to go to work.  

A.M.  Got up early to get a run in.  Felt horrible and extremely tired.  I hope I can kick this sick thing soon.  The cold/flu thing is all over the schools.  I have had a ton of kids absent.  So hopefully I will be better in the next couple of days and then stay healthy for the marathon. 

A.M.  Another easy run today.  I am going to get in a good last 20 miler up in Murray tomorrow though.  I am feeling a lot better and think I am about done with the sickness.

A.M.  Early morning run in Murray.  I felt bad, so I just ran slow. 7:20 avg.

P.M.  This is the first run that I have felt really good on in awhile.  I ran with my varsity guys.  My first 6.7 were in a 6:56 pace, then we did a 2 mile pick up at 5:35 pace, then jogged .3 back in to school.  The 5:35 was tough because it was right into a 15-20 mph headwind.  But it felt good to run fast.

A.M.  39 degrees out this morning.  Long sleeve shirt and gloves.  Wow!   I warmed up 2.5, took a potty stop, then got going on a tempo.  I wanted 5 miles at MP.  It was tough getting the legs going, but it went fairly well.  I went 6:02, 6:01, 5:45, 5:44, 5:34.  So i was happy with that.  The effort was harder than marathon pace, but i figure that those paces will be a lot easier to hit on race day.  1.5 cooldown

P.M.  Nice and easy recovery day for me.  I ran part with the team, then jogged around as they did their speed workout today.  It felt good to run slow today.

Decided to rest up today.

Ran with the team and a little afterwards.  We hit about 7:00 pace for the run.  Felt good.

A.M.  The XC team had a bye week, so we decided to to a little race/workout on the Cedar course.  I ran about 5.5 miles beforehand, but deidced to run with them to make the teams even.  I ended up running 15:49 (about 2.95 miles),  so I was surprised by that.  I only planned on running 16:15-16:30, but felt good and got a little competitive with the guys.  It was fun.

A.M. Felt great on a 5 miler before school.  It was weird that a Monday run felt so good.  I started off uphill with an 8:13 mile, then slowly progressed down to 6:31 for the last mile. 

P.M.  4.5 with the team.  Basically ran their warmup and cooldown with an 800m on the track in the middle.  I timed the guys during their mile repeats.

Out and back with the JV guys at practice.  I ran at marathon effort on the way back.  No watch.

Easy running on the track and grass before and during my team's speedwork session.

Planned off day.

Easy running with a few strides at MP to get the legs loosened up.  Ready to go tomorrow.

Today was a good day.  I went into the race hoping to be able to run 2:32 and was able to exceed my goal by a couple minutes.  It was an 11 minute PR.  I will describe as many details as I remember about the race.  I will list my splits first though.

1-5:48  2-5:48  3-5:37  4-5:33  5-5:39  6-5:29  7-5:29  8-6:16  9-6:06  10-6:01 (57:51)

11-6:17  12-6:02  13-5:40  Half-1:16:3?    14-5:36  15-5:25  16-5:18  17-5:29  18-5:30

19-5:48  20-5:39 (1:54:42)  21-5:29  22-5:50  23-5:49  24-5:46  25-6:05  26-5:51  .2-1:03

Second half 1:14:0?

As you can see, I started off pretty quickly.  A little faster than I had planned.  I felt fine though, so I just kept it relaxed down into Veyo.  Then a couple of out of state guys screwed up their elite stop and I caught up to them.  A guy from CA and one from OK.  They talked a little and I led them up Veyo.  They didn't like the hills.  We pushed it pretty hard, but I felt good.  As we were up in the Dammeron area, CA cut off to use the potty.  He caught up later, but was constantly back and forth with the potty.  OK also dropped back. 

However, from the bottom of Veyo, I could see someone else starting to come back.  I could see that it was Sasha.  I think that the sight if him fueled me up the hills a little bit.  Thanks for the motivation Sasha.  Anyways,  at the top of the hills, I was really closing in on Sasha now.  I could also see  that Dave was coming back to us.  I tried to motion for him to run with me, but he said that he was going to get James.  What a good brother!  So I hit the half a little over a minute faster than planned.  But I felt good, so I just kept rolling with it.  I considered drafting off Sasha for a while, but then decided to just keep my momentum. 

Going into Snow Canyon I was flying.  I hit a 5:18 in here which was cool.  I knew that I had to keep it strong going past the Winchester area.  I was proud of myself for keeping mile 19 at a 5:48 with the little hill/overpass area.  I was by myself from Sasha on.  I had been told that I was in 11th place and 10th and eventually 9th by some spectators, so that fueled me.  I honestly thought that top 15 would be a stretch today.  But with some of the big guns not running, it bumped me up I guess.

When I hit miles 19 and 20, I knew I just had to keep pushing and keep it together.  I was pretty dead by this point.  My left hamstring also gave me a lot of pain throughout the race.  At mile 20, I knew that I had a shot at 2:29.  This excited me.  So I kept the hammer down.  I ran strong until 22.  Then I dry heaved a bit and it required a lot of mental strength to keep it going.  I knew that I had a huge PR and a top 10 finish waiting for me if I didnt "give in to the marathon." 

So I kept it going into town.  When I hit diagonal, I knew that I only had 2.4 left.  I was really struggling by this point though.  My 25th mile as you can see was rough.  When I hit the 25 and 25.2 signs though, I was motivated knowing that I would be done in a mile.  The spectators and bands were great.  I finally saw the last turn with .5 or less left and kicked it into gear.  My last 4 miles cost me a 2:29, but I was pumped when I saw the clock at 2:30.  People kept asking me if I needed help at the line because I was staggering, but I told them I would be OK. 

A guy interviewed me and told me a had won the Silver Shoe.  I thought that was cool, especially since Dave and Clyde had both won it recently.  Many other bloggers came in with great times and that was good to see.  Then I talked to my family, friends, and runners that had come down to watch me.  I then went back over to the medal area and waited for my dad and his friends to come in.  It was a lot of fun.

I told myself that if I hit my goal, I was going to take some time off and probably not train as much for marathons anymore.  I would like to get back to just running with my team and just a little on my own.  So we will see what next year brings for running.  My PR days in the marathon are likely over though.  I told my wife that 100 mile weeks for a few years could maybe get me to 2:25-2:27 at SGM, but honestly that is not worth it for me.  Don't get me wrong though, I am very happy.  9th at SGM and a 2:30 are awesome for me.    

Very sore today.  I will definitely take a few days off before running.  I wanted to thank everyone for the nice comments about my race.  Its great to have so much support on the blog.  I have not commented on anyone's race yet, but I plan to.  I have been really busy since the race with work.

Still pretty sore.  I am planning on running a little with the team on Friday and Saturday though.  I am missing running believe it or not.