A clydesdale no more!

First run of the year and you would think that there would be something special about it.  It was just your typical 8 miler - nothing exciting.  I really need to get around to setting some goals.  This running for running's sake is making me slow.

It was "warm" (43 degrees) and windy (20 mph). My left hamstring is starting to flare up again but seems to get better after a couple of miles.  It starts to get sore again towards the end of the run so I guess I need to start taking advantage of the pain free middle miles.  I felt better than yesterday but my pace ended up being slower.  It must be due to the wind.  Looking forward to the game tonight (although I don't have high expectations).  GO UTES!!

Run with the running club this morning.  I went to Wendover to watch the U game last night and didn't get home until the wee hours of the morning.  With only 3 hours of sleep, I really considered not running today.  I wanted to keep it at an easy pace because of the lack of sleep.  Only a few runners showed up and we all ran the first couple of miles together.  I thought it was nice but apparently Kathie disagreed.  Lora and I started to run a little quicker and maintained a good pace the rest of the run.  The pace felt perfect and I'm glad that I dragged myself out of bed to run.

BRRRRRR!  It was very cold this morning.  There were times when my chest was bothering me and it felt like my heart was skipping beats.  I'm sure once I acclimate to the bitter cold it will get better. My pace is finally starting to improve.  It is still a little slow but at least there is an improvement.

It was quite a bit warmer than yesterday but the footing was terrible.  Maybe I should give in and start running on the treadmill.

I've been fighting off a cold for the past couple of days but it may be winning the battle.  I started getting a sore throat and stuffy nose last night and felt  pretty worn out when I woke up this morning.  I really didn't want to run but since Smooth did it yesterday when she was feeling the same way I figured that I better get out too.  I left my watch at home and just put in an easy 6. 

Too sick to run.  Hopefully things will get better throughout the day.

Still sick.  The cold is starting to settle in my chest which makes running in the cold air less than comfortable.  Still running watchless and taking it easy.

I probably shouldn't have run this morning since the cold has settled in my chest.  Started the run with Jeremy, Trevor and Alan.  After a couple of miles it was just Jeremy and me and I knew I wasn't going to last.  Once we hit the uphill section, I told Jeremy to go ahead because I knew my lungs couldn't handle the extra strain from running up hill.  The last 3 miles were a bit of a struggle but I'm glad I got out.

Feeling a little better.  I am pretty comfortable at 8:00/mile pace but once I go under that I can start to feel it in my lungs.  I'm going to take it easy until I'm feeling 100%.

A little better each day.  Not quite there yet but can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I was tempted to run by the site of last night's refinery explosion because all of the news crews were there and I wanted to show off my "new guns" (I hope you all realize that I'm joking when I talk about my bulging biceps).

I thought that snow on the LPT would be melted so I thought I would give it a shot for a change in scenery.  The section that I ran on was not cleared and had some very slippery sections.  I jumped off the trail and ran on the road for a few miles but was wearing dark clothing so it probably wasn't much safer.  I'm just about over the cold and am feeling a lot better.

Felt a little sluggish this morning.  I ran the same mileage as yesterday, it took 1 second longer and my average heart rate was exactly the same.  How's that for consistency?

Repeat performance of the past 2 days.  It felt faster than yesterday so I was surprised to see that the overall time was only 30 seconds faster.  I'm taking the kids to San Diego tomorrow morning.  The weather will be perfect for running but I doubt that I will have the opportunity to run.  I guess I will just enjoy the down time and hope that the few days off will take care of my lingering aches and pains. 

Finally back from San Diego and it was tough to go from partly cloudy with temperatures in the mid 70's to 20 degrees and smoggy.  Didn't get back until after midnight but I had to get out to make sure that I still knew how to run.  I'm not sure that I have taken this much time off since I started running.  My hamstrings are still sore but everything else felt really good.  My lungs have finally cleared and they didn't even feel like they were working during the run.  I've decided that it is now time for me to start training again.  I don't have any races planned but want to get back into the shape that I was in last year.

The trip was great.  The only bad part was seeing all of the people running while I was playing with the kids on the beach.  The weather was amazing and would have been perfect for running.  The kids had a ton of fun but I'm sure will have a tough time going back to school today.

Ran the first 3 miles at an easy pace then decided to run a few quicker paced miles just to start exposing my legs to faster running again.  I've been running everything at the same pace for a few months so I was curious to see how the faster pace felt.  The next 3 miles were 6:38, 6:35 and 6:35.  The pace was never comfortable but it wasn't as difficult as I expected.  The last mile felt especially clunky but I think that it shouldn't take too much work to get back to where I want to be.  (I just re-read my post and realized that it didn't make very much sense.  I guess the bad air made my brain malfunction.)

A nice run on a rainy January morning.  Isn't it supposed to be snowing this time of year (not that I'm complaining)?  My shoes have exceeded their mileage limit and I am starting to feel it in my lower legs.

Drove to the rec center and got in 4 miles before the running club showed up.  The temperature was perfect but it started to rain a little towards the end of the 4 miles.  It actually felt really good.  Ran 6 more miles with the club (Jim and Trevor) and we kept the pace pretty easy.  The pace did start to quicken for a couple of miles but we slowed down again for the last 2.  Felt alright during the run although I think that 7:30 pace should be more comfortable than it is right now.  Have I really lost that much fitness?

Footing was really poor due to the snow storm.  I was just happy to get through the run.  My hamstrings are really bugging me again.  I wonder if it has anything to do with the cold weather?  It seems to flare up the day after a storm.

Since it is hard to get real speed work in with the icy roads I decided to run some a hilly course today since hills are speed work in disguise. I ran up to Mueller Park Junior High then back home.  Going up wasn't as painful as I thought it would be.  Coming down I really wanted to focus on my turnover.  I concentrated on my form and it felt a lot better than it has in a while.  I was a little disappointed when I got home and looked at my splits because they weren't as fast as I thought they would be. 

Legs were a little tight and sore this morning so the pace ended up being pretty slow.  I didn't intend to be this slow but just went by what felt right.  

I was really tired this morning.  Running usually helps me snap out of this but it didn't work this morning.  My legs were very sore and I couldn't maintain a decent pace.  Just plugged away and got in the miles.  

My legs are killing me.  I've gone 100 more miles on my current pair of shoes than I normally due and I hope that is what is causing the problem (will get a new pair today).  I wore an older pair of shoes (with less miles) and kept the pace really easy.

What a difference a pair of shoes can make.  Got to the rec center before the club and put in 4 miles.  I couldn't believe how much easier the pace felt.  The club ran up to Davis Blvd which includes a pretty good climb.  I ran with Jeremy and he really pushed the pace.  I could really feel the effort going uphill but kept telling myself that if I want to get back into shape that I have to push it.  I was able to catch my breath on the rolling hills then we pushed the pace once we hit the downhill.  Going down, I just focused on being smooth and getting my feet off the pavement as quick as possible.  It was a good run and I'm glad Jeremy was there to push me.  I definitely would have gone a lot easier had I been alone.