Run fast

boring day at the gym

Ran out to my office and back home.  Then drove to the office.   Just wanted to make sure there was no new road construction.  I was also safer running home because I found a bike light.  If anyone lost one let me know.

11 miles around Millcreek and Holladay.  A bit windier than I would have liked.

Great run with a huge crew in Riverton.  Somehow they inspired me enough to get out there and started by 7:30.  Outside of race weeks that is a rare event for me for a Saturday.  I am looking forward to doing more in the future.

We ran the Riverton Half course, regrouped in the parking lot, then went out for another 8.  Matt pushed the pace at the end of the Half so we ended up averaging around 6:30 with the last mile at about 5:25.  Then to finish off the run Jake coerced me to run an extra mile at about 5:12.

Going into the run I was quite worried about how my hip would hold up considering that it has started to feel achy again.  Fortunately I think it held up ok and hopefully the 30 mins of PT afterwards at the gym will help.  

I have to say the scenery and river trail in Riverton, amongst the many mansions, are very nice.  And if you like franchise restaurants I think they are all represented within a square mile.

Decided not to run today to give my hip a break.  Instead I spent way too much time on the stairmaster at the gym.  Probably not much less exciting than the Super Bowl will be this afternoon.

Another day of cross training just to make sure the hip recovers.  Did my least favorite workout on the rowing machine (8,300 meters in 38 minutes) then 5.5 miles on the stairmaster.  Considering I haven't done that much on the rowing machine I was surprised I could keep the same pace.  However I did get a little dizzy towards the end. 

PM: ran over to the gym for more hip exercises

Elliptical then the treadmill.  Back to only running tomorrow.

PM: 2 miles at the gym, abductions, planks, calf raises, etc. oh joy

Ran around Sugar House.  My hands didn't get cold and I didn't need a hat.  This weather is odd.

PM: stairmaster for a couple of miles then hip exercises.  

Ran around SHP to the gym for a couple of miles and back home.  Mixed in a few faster miles.

10k of fun on the out and back course at Saltair.  Temperatures were perfect and I felt more prepared than for the 5K because I wasn't coming off a half and I went to bed at a reasonable hour.  For some reason I felt sluggish during the warm up so when I ran into Emily B. (who had already run 14 miles) I told her I was shooting for around a 32:30, when I was really hoping to get closer to 32.  I was wearing way too many clothes during the warm up so it felt nice to shed some layers before the race.

After my experience in the 5k I told myself to just go out at 5:05 to 5:10.  Of course I couldn't quite do that and my first mile came in at 5:02.  Not terrible/too fast but it was borderline.  I consciously pulled back a bit so miles 2 and 3 came in at 5:09 and my 5k split was about 5:50, which was 5 seconds faster than my 5k race two weeks ago.  I think there was a very slight tailwind going out because when I turned around it felt like I was working a lot harder to maintain that pace.  Miles 4 and 5 came in at 5:13 then 5:17 which left just enough in the tank to finish with a 5:10. 

Overall I was happy with the race because I obviously paced it better (last mile of the 5k was 5:17) and I lowered by PR on this course by 90 seconds.  I cooled down with Kevin (2nd overall), Rob (1st master who we had to wait for because he was stocking up on bananas) and Billy, who just moved here from Columbus, OH.  Billy should soon be joining the blog and will add to our Saturday and Sunday run groups.  Oh, and my biggest accomplishment was making it back for the awards ceremony after an 0-2 start to the year.

Splits:

5:02, 5:09, 5:09, 5:13, 5:17, 5:10, 1:09

Rather than running in the rain and snow by myself, I decided instead to run 20 miles in the cozy confines of the gym on the treadmill with my friends who I don't talk to.  First and last miles were fairly boring but the rest was just a blur.  Someday I might try bringing headphones to see if that makes it more interesting.  The last time I wore them was about 12 years ago and I couldn't stand it.

Averaged around 6:45 for the run.  Hip exercises afterwards.

Woke up this morning and now my right hip is a bit sore.  This can't be a good thing except that both sides feel about the same.

 2 miles on the rowing machine felt like forever.

I think the stairmaster is helping the hip.  Hopefully I won't have to do it much longer.

PM: 3.25 miles on treadmill then hip exercises.  Making progress.

Nice run in the snowflakes.  I saw JA (James & Allie) on their JAJA run.

PM: mile running and rowing

looks like the blog is working again.  Sasha is our hero.

Ran around Sugar House. Now I need 20.35 tomorrow to get to 100 (although they all won't be running this week).  Make sure to go to the Patagonia Outlet store sometime this weekend.  But beware that if you don't have a Subaru or a car with a rack you will look out of place.

SDrove down to PG with Allie, Jake and Andrea.  They picked me up at my 7-11 so I could fuel up on coffee.  As luck would have it about a quarter of it ended up in my lap which surely affected the end of my run.  Arrived a Julie's just in time and after 5 mins of getting course instructions while FREEZING and not listening we got started. I could try to list all of the runners, probably around 20, but I won't try because I don't want to miss any. It was good to finally meet Rob who was tougher than me and wearing shorts.

Attempt to snowshoe near Bryce Canyon lasted only 2 miles because of a super cold wind storm.  Tomorrow's outlook looks better.  Ended up finding the gym and running 7 miles on the treadmill.

Beautiful run from Ruby's Inn into Bryce Canyon.  I ran to 3 different look out points but unfortunately I didn't have my camera.  At ~8,300 ft with probably 1,500 ft of climbing I felt good about the effort but kept it fairly relaxed. Averaged ~ 7:06 for the run with the first couple close to 8. This place would be perfect for a spring or fall training camp.

Giving the hip a break today.

I was honored to join the JAJA run today.  Truth be told John somehow ended up on my birth certificate so the name for today's run could be J³A². Ran from the gym to add a couple more then finished with 2 on the treadmill.  Feeling rather sluggish so if there is any chance of putting up a good time on Saturday I will need to take it easy the next two days.

semi rest day.  Passing out multi vitamins at my desk instead of cookies.

Ran around Sugar House and then a couple faster miles at the gym.

I woke up to blustering wind and knew right then that the race could be interesting.  Making matters worse it appeared to just get windier as we got closer to Saltair.  Against my will I proceeded to exit the car, which took some effort, and warmed up a few miles with Kevin.  Fortunately the warm up raised my spirits because we didn't have to run directly into the wind.  The temperature started to drop as the race was nearing but miraculously the wind was also subsiding a bit.

The race started on time and after only a quarter of a mile Jake was pulling away.  The first few miles were a huge struggle for me, even though we had a slight tailwind, because my left hip was super tired and sore (probably from my exercises on Thursday), my stride didn't feel smooth and my quads just felt dead.  It wasn't until after the turnaround at about mile 6 or 7 that my legs started getting some life in them but by that time it was too little too late. I finished with a couple of decent miles then cooled down 7 with Andrea, Jake, Bill, Kevin, Jossie, and Walter.

Overall I have to be somewhat pleased with my time (1 min PR on this course) considering that my legs felt like bricks, my hip sucked and it was windy.  Ironically I think the wind was the least significant factor of the 3.  This is one of those race experiences that I like to relive in other races when I am feeling crappy.  I know if I stick it out through the rough spots things always get better.

Congrats to Jake who made 48 minutes look easy and thanks to Walter for keeping me from falling off my pace completely.

Splits: 5:16, 5:25, 5:21, 5:11, 5:17, 5:40, 5:41, 5:26, 5:17, 1:48

Ran with Andrea, Jake, Adam and Adam (ACorn) through Millcreek and Holladay.  It was nice to get out earlier and miss the traffic. Oh, but I guess there never is any traffic on Sunday.  After running I did a couple of cross training miles at the gym and followed that with hip exercise fun.

Please check out Adam's post on the NIH budget (thanks for sharing Jake) and consider signing the petition.

Not as tired as I thought I would be  Gym workout.

Ran up to I-215 through Millcreek.  Put in  few quicker miles coming back down as it started to SNOW.  I need to do more hip exercises tonight.

Just poking around our website at work and found these deals on first generation Saucony Mirages.

Women's for $44.99

Men's for $55.99

I might have to raise the prices if people start buying too many.

PM: 2.75 cross training at the gym, hip exercises and planks

JAJA run in the wind.  Even if I was paying attention I don't think I could retrace our route because we turned often and abruptly.  It's a nice change though because I am more of an out and back kind of guy.  The lateral turns probably also help my hip.

PM: 2 cross training miles and hip exercises