A clydesdale no more!

February 2007

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Location:

Woods Cross,UT,USA

Member Since:

May 01, 2006

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Age Division Winner

Running Accomplishments:

Current Running Life:
5k: 17:50 (2010 NSL)
10k: 38:20 (2007 Des News)
1/2 Marathon: 1:23:30 (2009 Provo Half)
Marathon: 2:53:46 (2007 St George)

Short-Term Running Goals:

 

Long-Term Running Goals:

 

Personal:

Daddy to 3 great kids - 16 year old son and 11 year old twin daughters

I do not know what tomorrow will bring but I do know it will start with a run.

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Saucony Grid A2 Lifetime Miles: 125.40
GoRun2 Lifetime Miles: 53.70
Adrenaline 2014 Blue (1) Lifetime Miles: 442.70
Adrenaline 2014 Red (1) Lifetime Miles: 429.20
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
171.3062.80234.10
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.005.0010.00

I've had better days running.  My left heel has been bothering me for a few days.  Most likely due to the big downhills that I have been running.  Started off with a 3 mile warm up run.  My heart rate was a little high for the pace which I attribute to a head cold that I've had for a couple of days.  Ran 5 miles at lactate threshold (hoping to hold the pace below 6:40/mile).  First 2 miles felt really good (6:32, 6:31).  I felt like I was running very smooth and in control.  I had to work a little harder on the 3rd mile but was still able to hold pace (6:32).  I really started to work during the 4th mile.  I was starting to tense up and my stride did not feel as smooth.  I wasn't overly tired but I was working more and my HR started to climb (6:38).  I think that I mentally gave up at this point as I felt as though I was just going through the motions on the last mile (6:44).  My HR was 167-168 for the first 2 miles then climbed to 175-180 the last 2 miles.  Finished with 2 miles at a very slow pace.  Not sure what my problem was today.  My heel did not hurt at all during the tempo miles but was sore during the cool down miles.

Avg HR: 158
Total Time: 1:15:23 (7:32/mile)

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.000.006.00

Relaxed pace run.  Still have the head cold but it felt better while I was running.  My left heel hurts more today than it did yesterday.  After doing a little reading, I have diagnosed myself with a touch of PF caused by the 2 big downhill runs in the last 2 weeks.  If I pay attention to my form, I have less of a heel strike and it aggravates the heel less.

Avg HR: 151
Total Time: 47:49 (7:58/mile)

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
18.002.0020.00

Early morning run today.  Was out the door at 4:00 a.m. so I could get in 20 miles before Amy had to leave for work.  Was a little concerned about putting in this many miles with my left heel acting up.  It was pretty sore the first 2 miles but loosened up and was just a dull ache for the rest of the run.  It is only a little sore right now so I don't think I did any additional damage.  I will wait until tomorrow morning to decide if I need to make any adjustments to my training schedule.  I felt pretty good for the majority of the run.  I was a little low on energy during miles 15 and 16.  Ran the last 2 miles at marathon pace and it felt comfortable.

Avg HR: 147
Total Time: 2:38:48 (7:56/mile)

Comments(1)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
1.006.307.30

I had a real hard time convincing my legs to move at the beginning of the run.  My lower legs were pretty tight for the first mile.  Started to loosen up and was able to run a little quicker.  Felt better each mile and was able to finish strong.  My left heel feels quite a bit better.  It is still sore but I can tell that it is healing.

Avg HR: 162
Total Time: 53:16 (7:18/mile)

Comments(2)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
12.000.0012.00

What an awful run.  Never could get in a groove.  Form felt sloppy and forced.  Both calves and achilles tendons were tight and sore.  Tried to run faster but just couldn't do it.  Have no idea what  the problem was. 

Avg HR: 154
Total Time: 1:36:00 (8:00/mile)

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.000.006.00

My left heel seems to be getting better but now both of my calves are killing me.  I think that this is due to favoring my heel (both while running and walking during the day) for the past week.  I got a new pair of shoes (New Balance 767) hoping that it helps with some of the foot pain.  I had no foot pain during the run but I'm not sure that I like the shoes.  They didn't feel very smooth.

Avg HR: 149
Total Time: 49:42 (8:17/mile)

Comments(1)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

My left calf hurts too bad to run.  This is incredibly frustrating.  It seems that whenever I run a few 60 mile weeks I end up getting injured.  I've been trying to find my running niche the last couple of months and now believe that it is in shorter races.  I am going to run Boston this year then probably not run another marathon for the rest of the year.  This may change, but since I can not put in the mileage required to perform at the level that I want I would rather enjoy running and avoid these injuries.

Comments(4)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
7.200.007.20

Had to get out to test the left calf and heel.  Heel feels pretty good but calf is still sore.  I had a real hard time maintaining a decent pace.  My pace was slow but my HR was high (recovery pace and anaerobic HR).  I haven't really increased my training that much so I can't imagine that I am over trained but recent events indicate that may be the case.  I'm going to just keep plugging along and hopefully snap out of this.  I found a pair of Asics 2110 at Salt Lake Running Co for 40% off so I bought them in an attempt to find the perfect shoe.  They were very comfortable and I think that these may be the right shoe.

Avg HR: 161
Total Time: 57:10 (7:56/mile)

Comments(4)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.0011.0015.00

Great morning for a run.  It was 40 degrees and was the first time this year that I could run in shorts and a long sleeve shirt.  Started out with 3 easy miles then bumped the pace up to marathon pace (7:15/mile).  Considering how I've been feeling lately, I wasn't sure how long I could hold this pace.  I had a hard time dialing in the pace.  First mile was right on, second mile was too slow and miles 3 and 4 were too fast.  Finally settled in at marathon pace and felt good for the next few miles.  My form was starting to break down after 7 miles and mile 8 came in a little slow.  My calf and foot started to yell at me so I decided to back off the pace and not force things.  After running a slow mile, I thought I would test marathon pace again.  Actually felt really good and was able to run the last 3 miles at MP without too much effort.

Foot is 95% healed and calf is getting there.  It still hurts quite a bit but I can tell that it is getting better.

Avg HR: 162 (166 during MP)
Total Time: 1:52:49 (7:31/mile)
MP Miles: 1:19:45 (7:15/mile)

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
10.100.0010.10

It was just cold enough for the water on the roads from yesterday's rain to freeze.  There were quite a few very slippery ice patches.  Left calf a little more sore than Saturday but the pain is manageable.  I'm starting to feel a little better but still not as fast as I would like to be.

Total Time: 1:17:30 (7:40/mile)

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.003.009.00

Warmed up with 3 easy miles.  Ran 6 X 1/2 mile repeats at 5K pace with 1/4 mile jog in between each.  I haven't run faster than LT pace for quite a while so I was concerned about being able to find the right pace.  Target pace was 6:00/mile (3:00 per repeat).  My splits were:

 IntervalTime
1
2:55
2
2:58
3
2:51 (a little downslope)
4
2:54
5
2:56
6
3:02

Other than the last one, I felt really good about this workout.  I came very close to throwing up at the end of the last one.  I shouldn't have been that worn out at the end.  Heel and calf feel better.  I did tweak my left calf again when I was making a left turn during one of the repeats.

Finished with 1.75 miles very slow cool down.

Total Time: 1:09:07 (7:41/mile)

Comments(1)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.000.006.00

Easy recovery run.  Decided to give my New Balance shoes another try.  These are definitely not the shoes for me.  My foot feels very comfortable inside of them but my feet slap the ground too much while running.  I'm going to keep rotating the Asics and Brooks to see which I like the best.

Total Time: 47:48 (7:58/mile)

Comments(1)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
11.000.0011.00

Absolutely no energy this morning.  Legs are a little sore and I had a hard time pushing myself.  Probably from getting home late from the Jazz game last night.  Calf and heel are improving and are now just sore.  Got caught in a snow storm the last half of the run. 

Total Time: 1:25:52 (7:48/mile)

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.003.008.00

I was sleepy the first half of the run and my achilles tendons felt dead (7:45/mile).  Picked up the pace for miles 4 and 5 (7:15/mile) then settled into 7:30/mile for miles 6 and 7.  Ran the last mile in 6:42 to catch and pass the 7:30 guy.  I feel as though I am getting slower.  I know that this it is because I am in the middle of a training cycle but it is still frustrating.  The speed (relative) is there when I need it.  I just need to work on pushing myself a little more and not just go through the motions.  Pushing the pace at the end of the run felt good and the injuries are improving each day.

Total Time: 59:43 (7:28/mile)

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
11.004.0015.00

This was a cut back week so I planned on taking it extra easy today.  Lower legs felt dead for the first few miles.  Once I warmed up I felt a lot better and was able to run a little faster.  Kept the pace around 7:30-7:40 for much of the run.  Ended up bumping the pace up to marathon pace for the last 4 miles (7:15/mile).  Felt surprisingly good.

Total Time: 1:54:07 (7:36/mile)

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
12.500.0012.50

The roads were a snowy, slush mess.  I spent most of the run on the snow covered sidewalks so it was difficult to maintain a steady pace.  I got sprayed by a snow plow and a couple of cars so I was completely drenched.  Despite all of this, I felt really good during this run.  I'm mostly pain free and I was able to run comfortably most of the time.

Total Time: 1:36:48 (7:45/mile)

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.006.006.00

Amy's out of town for a few days so the only time to run is before the kids got out of school.  Running in the afternoon was great.  It was warm, the sun was out and my body was awake.  I was able to run in shorts and a short sleeve shirt which was great.  It was supposed to be a nice and easy recovery run today but I felt too good so I pushed the pace.

Total Time: 42:46 (7:08/mile)

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.007.0010.00

Another afternoon run.  I could get used to this.  It was 49 degrees which is perfect.  The only problem was that it was a little windy (10 mph).  The plan was to warm up with a couple of easy miles then run a 7 mile tempo run.  I have dreaded this run since I put it on the schedule in December.  After reading Daniels' Running Formula, I realized that my problem was that I ran these too fast.  Daniels suggests running this long of a tempo run at tempo pace + 15 seconds.  I've always run this right at tempo pace and struggled to finish them.  Warmed up with 2.25 easy miles then I was on my way.  Based on the flags, the first 3 miles should have been with the wind.  I never really felt like the wind was helping me.  It felt more like a cross wind than a tail wind. My target pace was 6:45/mile.
 Mile Split Note
1 6:20 Too fast.  Maybe wind aided.
2 6:27 Still fast but feel comfortable
3 6:31 Still fast but don't feel like I'm pushing too hard.
4 6:38 Better split but I have turned into the wind
5 6:43 Good split but the entire mile was into the wind.
6 6:38 Still running into the wind
7 6:31 Head wind but feel good
Average 6:33  


Overall, I felt really good about this run.  After a couple of weeks of being in the dumps, it feels good to have a good hard workout.  The splits look a little wild but the slower times were due to the head wind and the faster times due to the tail wind.  I feel as though it was a pretty even effort.

Total Time: 1:09:14 (6:55/mile)

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.000.005.00

Easy recovery run in the afternoon.  Pretty windy but otherwise a nice day.

Total Time: 37:20 (7:28/mile)

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.000.006.00

The short sleeve running weather didn't last long.  Woke up to a few inches of fresh snow and it was still coming down hard.  It wasn't too cold but the roads were a slushy mess.  Ran 6 relatively easy miles.  At the end, I felt like it wasn't enough of a run but tomorrow is a big run so I decided to end it at 6.

Total Time: 47:14 (7:52/mile)

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
12.0012.5024.50

The temps dropped last night and it was 20 when I headed out the door.  Planned on running the first 8 miles at a very easy pace (around 8:30/mile) then run the next 12 at marathon pace (7:15/mile) then run the last 2 miles easy.   Felt very comfortable and ended up averaging a little faster than 8:00/mile for the first 8.  Stopped to figure out why I was getting a shot of pain in my heal every time I jumped off a curb.  After inspecting my shoe, I realized that I had a giant tack stuck in the bottom of my shoe.  I have no idea how I didn't notice this before.  Started the MP run and the first couple miles felt very easy at 7:00/mile.  Consciously backed off the pace because I didn't want to crash.  The first few miles are downhill to flat then there are a series of uphills.  I figured that this course mimics Boston very well and would be a good test.  Hit the uphill section and the pace only dropped to 7:10-7:15/mile.  I expected a much bigger drop.  The big hilly mile was 7:30 and my HR jumped to 165 but that was expected.   A couple more small climbs then some downhill then finished with 3 flat miles.  All came in between 7:05-7:15/mile.  I felt very good about the effort.  Overall pace for the MP miles was 7:11/mile which I was excited about considering how much climbing that I had to do.  I have always struggled with longer MP runs so it was really nice to have a good one.

I should have mapped out this run before I went out.  I thought that I knew how far it was and thought that I would have to add on a couple of miles at the end.  The planned 22 miler ended up being 24.5.  Knowing that I still had 4 miles until I got home instead of 2, I called home letting Amy know that I would be late.  She offered to pick me up but I figured that the extra 2 miles would be good for me.  Ran the last 4 at 8:00/mile and finished the last 0.5 at MP.  Considered running 1.7 miles more just to make it a full marathon (would have been around 3:16-3:17 and not an all out effort) but decided that I had enough.

Total Time: 3:05:10 (7:33/mile)
Avg HR: 150

Comments(4)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.503.009.50

My schedule had 6X600 today but it is too hard to map out 600 meters on the road so I turned it into 6X1/2 mile (did the same thing a couple of weeks ago).  I checked my 1st mile warm up split and noticed that my Garmin was dead.  Ran back home, got my watch and ran to an area where I have the quarter mile markers memorized.  Ended up with a 3 mile warm up.  Didn't expect to have a whole lot of energy after Saturday's long run.  Here are the splits:
 Repeat Time Note
 12:47 Gravity assisted (first 1/4 1:15)
 2 2:54 
 3 2:58Considered stopping at this point 
 4 2:53 
 5 2:51Felt the most comfortable on this one 
 6 2:58 
 Average2:54 (5:47/mile)
 

I started too fast during the first 3.  Once I got a better feel for the pace, I was able to run the last 3 much more comfortably.  I guess I rely on my Garmin too much for pacing information.  It was probably good to go Garminless.  I jogged for 2:30 between each which I figure is close to 1/4 mile.  Finished with an easy 2.25 mile cool down

Total Time: 1:12:54 (7:40/mile)

Comments(1)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
12.000.0012.00

Cold and windy.  Somehow, I managed to have a tail wind on the way out and the way back.  Looks like I just beat the snow storm.  Glad I got the run in before the weather got bad.  Right tibia ached a little at the end of the run.

Total Time: 1:32:11 (7:41/mile)

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.000.006.00

The temperatures are going in the wrong direction.  It was 16 degrees as I headed out the door.  Just took it very easy this morning.

Total Time: 47:33 (7:55/mile)

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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
171.3062.80234.10
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