my intermittent blog about training and racing

To start off, I need to explain that this year I am logging my running in terms of time instead of distance. This helps me to stay relaxed during training runs because I tell myself I have to run for "X" number of minutes whether I run fast or slow. When I run with a distance goal in mind, I can't help but speed up so I can get the run over with sooner. Since my goal this year is to patiently increase my training to a decent level again, this is the right approach for me right now. When I look back at my training in the past, I spent most of '07 and '08 doing relaxed/patient mileage building, and then I had good consistently high mileage (60-80 mpw) during 2009 and 2010. I made the mistake at the end of 2010 of breaking the 100 mpw barrier without spending enough time in the 80-90 mpw first. I have been in an injury cycle ever since then. I would love to be the type of runner that can run 120 mpw (the time I did run in the 100 mpw range was the most enjoyable time of my life) but I have to accept that "durability" is my weak point.

On Monday, I did LSD for time of 1:48:xx. Ran fast for 5 minutes at the end. Felt good the whole time. None of the usual aches (left knee, right foot, left tibia) showed up at any time during the run. I had a head cold all last week, so I left the house with the option to go for just an hour if I still felt conjested while running. Thankfully, I think I am pretty much over the cold. Now if our 7 month old boy could get over the cold too, then my wife an I could have a decent night of sleep instead of getting up multiple times in the night to comfort him after he has a coughing fit.

During January, I have run about 4:30-5:00 hours per week (probably about 35-45 mpw). I was hoping to fit a 5:30 week in between the two SLC winter series races, but the head cold (and lack of sleep) forced me to adjust my plans. I know that the guys I want to be competetive with are double or tiple my mileage, and that tempts me to force my mileage higher. However, I have done that many times in the past, only to end up injured. One reason I have been hesitant to post on this blog in the past is because I don't want to reveal just how low and pathetic my mileage is. Right now, I'm trying to have the maturity to not care how I compare to the other guys, and just to do what I know is the right approach for the runner that I am.
 

SLC winter series 10K, 34:37, 6th overall.

This was a fun race for me. I went into the race with the plan to just treat it like a 5 mile tempo run with a "race type" effort on the last mile. I didn't think my legs were ready to handle 6.2 miles of racing since my only real speedwork has been the 5k race from two weeks ago. Right off the bat, I didn't try to stay with Riley and company. I just settled into a fast yet comfortable pace. At about a half mile, I heard someone tuck in right behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, and although I didn't get a look at his face, I did get the feeling that it was a high schooler from his smallish stature. For the first 5K, I ran comfortably, enjoying the tailwind and tracking the tangents along the slightly curved road. I could tell my follower was putting in a harder effort than me by his heavier breathing. My instinct was to drop him, but then I reminded myself that I really didn't intend to "go to the well" on this race, so I decided that if he was with me at the turn around, I would let him draft off me for most of the way back. We hit the turn around at about 16:40. I knew the head wind would be strong, but it was still shocking just how much slower it was on the way back. My follower stayed right behind me. I wasn't checking my spits every mile, but I did track that mile 4 to 5 was a 5:50 mile.

I sped up a tiny bit from mile marker 5 to mile 5.2 (the 1 mile marker on the other side of the road). At this point I made the move that I had planned a few miles earlier. I sped up dramatically and swerved to the other side of the road. This was kind of a cruel move to make on the youngster, but I figured it was a good object lesson for him in three ways. 1-When you make a move, the whole point is to "gap" the other person, so make the move quickly and dramatically, and keep pushing for a while after the move. 2-Make a move at the most psycologically difficult part of the race. To me, the start of the last mile of a race is usually the most tempting time to give into the pain and just hang on, waiting for the finish to get closer. 3-If you are drafting off someone, be ready for them to make dramatic moves if you don't do it first.

I pushed hard the last mile and tried to accelerate all the way to the finish. I can't remember my splits but I think my last mile was about 5:20. 34:37 is not a great time, but considering the wind and lack of full effort, I am optimistic about how things are going for me right now. I learned after the race that the "youngster" was Benjamin Pachev. We talked and congragulated each other afterwards. I am really impressed with his talent and drive, especially at 15 years old. Good job Benjamin!

I did 2 hours and 8 minutes of LSD on Sunday afternoon (about 17.5 miles). This took me to a total of 7 hours of running this week (about 58-60 miles). I really enjoyed the long run. When I started it was raining a little bit so my plan was to head up to research park where I could run on the treadmill at my work if it kept raining. fortunately, the rain subsided so I was able to run outside the whole time. I passed by the golf course behind the hogle zoo and noticed that all the snow was melted so I just ran back and forth on the grass for 30 minutes. It was really quiet and peacefull and the view of the valley was great. I looped back home through liberty park. My legs started to ach the last 20 minutes but I wasn't nearly as wiped out as I usually am after a long run. It takes a lot of patience for me to run slow for such a long time, but I think I will benefit greatly from these sorts of LSD runs at this point in my training. My goal is to build up to a 3 hour long before the SLC marathon in April. I don't have time to build up both endurance and speed in time for the SLC marathon, but I want to at least build up a great endurance base that I can then add speed to later in the year. I'm excited that my mileage is increasing and my legs don't feel horrible as I do it.
 

splits: 5:27 mile 1, 5:50-5:40 to halfway (26:30) second half 5:30-5:20 (25:26)

I started this race with the plan to run about the same pace as I ran for the 10K. The wind wasn’t an issue and I have 2 more weeks of training under my belt, so I figured I could handle the additional 3.1 miles at the same pace. My 10k time was 34:37 (5:35/mile) so I was shooting for 51:xx. I tucked right in behind the top 4 guys for the first K, but then I backed off to settle into my own pace. My first mile was about 5:28. I relaxed a little too much and ran the second mile in 5:50. I forget exactly where Josh caught up to me, but I sped up to stay with him. We ran about 5:45 pace until the turn around. Josh commented that I didn’t seem to be breathing very hard. I felt like I was still running fairly fast. With my lack of speed work, I’m apprehensive about how my legs will hold up to mile after mile of fast running. We hit halfway in 26:30. I knew I would have to push if I wanted to be under 52 minutes. I pulled away from Josh, but I glanced back a couple times and could see him, so I was still motivated to keep pushing. I hit 6 miles in 34:00. I pushed hard the last 5k to run under 17 minutes. My last mile was just under 5:20. I was really tired, but I told myself that running fast on tired legs was just what I needed to get back to form. I am proud of myself for my negative split. I probably should have run the first half faster, but overall it was another step in the right direction.

My training has been mainly focused on marathon endurance preparation (i.e long slow runs). So I haven't had a chance to do specific half marathon type stuff except for one tempo run last week. I figured this race would be an acceptable "speed" ingredient for marathon preparation.  I started out with the front pack of guys. We were going at about 5:15-5:20 pace. It felt pretty easy since we were running down the canyon, but by 2.5 miles I decided to ease up a bit (my last race was a 15k at 5:35 pace so I knew I had to be cautious). I ran the rest of the race alone, watching the front group of guys slowly pull away from me. Jace was in the gap between me and the front group. I wondered if I could eventually catch him, but by 8 miles he had disappeared and my plan had changed to just trying to maintain my pace until the finish. My legs started hurting at mile 9.5, and things got more painfull right before the 12 mile mark, but I mostly kept my composure and finished strong. I wouldn't call this course too hard, but it is difficult to maintain even splits with the rolling hills during the second half. Overall it was a fun race and I'm excited to see how this effort will help me get in better shape than I was yesterday.

My rough splits were

1-3 in 5:20. 3-7 in 5:31, 7-10 in 5:39, 10-finish in 5:35.    (average 5:31)

The key word for today's race is B-O-M-B! I set a new PW (Personal Worst) today. I entered this race with the goal to run at 2:40:xx pace and see if I could progress a little faster and surprise myself over the later miles. My 1:12:18 HM from 2 weeks ago, and my 25 mile long run in training indicated that this was not too lofty of a goal. I decided to wear trainers instead of racing flats so that I would not be tempted to run the early downhills too quickly. I hit 5 miles in 29:57. 10 miles in 1:02:08. 15 in 1:33:38. Mile 15 to 18 was mostly downhill. I started to let myself run a little faster, and did mile 16 to 17 in 5:55. I was a little more tired that I expected to be at this point in the race considering that I was running very conservatively. Also, I started to regret that I was in trainers-they felt heavy. Mile 18 to 20 had a few patches of uphill. While climbing up a short hill before mile 20 (2:04:30), I knew things were not right. I felt exta tired and started having the temptation to walk. My legs didn't feel too awfull, but I felt like I was running of fumes. My pace started slowing and I started having thoughts of letting today be a DNF. At mile 23 the course passes within 2 blocks of where I live. I knew my wife and kids were going to be there. I really wanted to just drop out at that point and chalk it up as a bad 23 mile training run. I decided to stick with it and jog my way to the finish. I spent about a half mile saying "just don't walk" to myself, but then eventually failed to meet that goal as well. I walked three times (twice during water stations) over the last three miles. The walking actually helped be regain a little energy. My PW before today was 2:48:xx from my first marathon. I never thought I would run slower than that today, but oh well, at least I didn't drop out.

I think (or hope) there is an explaination for today's awfull performance. I have had a slightly sore throat this week, but I just thought my spring allergies where hitting early this year. I didn't want to start worring that I was coming down with something. Also, my stomach was a little unsettled yesterday and this morning, but I thought that was just "racing nerves." So, maybe I have a bit of a cold, I would rather use that as an explaination because it is better that telling myself that my running ability has deteriorated so much since my last Marathon which was just 18 months ago. The Utah Marathon where I ran 2:38:xx on a more difficult course.

Lastly, there is a possibility that I didn't take in enough liquid or calories during the race. I took Powergels at mile 11 and 20. I alternated between water and powerade from about mile 12 on. I'm hesitant to drink fluids earlier in the race because I don't want to risk having to stop to pee. This happened to me once in the Park City Marathon where I dank right from the start and had to pee at mile 10. I did notice today, that after taking the gels and powerade, I felt a little worse for several minutes, so maybe my stomach wasn't absorbing the calories the way it normally should. I would apprecaite any feedback on what other's do to drink during a Marathon, especially when it is a slightly cold tempurature at the start and you don't start really sweating untill 5 miles into the race.

Anyway, that's my Marathon BOMB story. I've always heard people say that "anything can happen in the marathon." Too bad, the "anything" they are refering to is having a horrible race rather than being the first human to go sub 2 hours:) Plus, things could have gone worse, I could have pooped myself. Also on the bright side, my legs don't feel too trashed, maybe I will be able to recover quickly from this race.

It’s too bad the course was short. After the race I was excited by what I thought was a PR. Last week I ran the t-ville 5k and did better than expected (confirmed by GPS watch). So today when I ran so well, I accepted it without question (I didn’t wear the GPS today). Still my adjusted time of 15:35 is still solid, and it shows that I am in better shape than I thought I was. After some of my races last year and earlier this year, I wondered if I would ever be in the same shape that I was in years past. This race shows that I am still right there. I am thrilled to be injury free and running well again.

The downside to my performance today was that for at least the 3^rd time that I can remember, I was out kicked in the last 100 meters on this course. From the point wher the course goes downhill into the park, I tried to carry momentum and accelerate all the way to the finish. I thought I was running fast. Suddenly Jason Holt flew by me, I shifted to top speed and tried to chase him down before the finish but it was not to be. My regret is not that I got gunned down by a faster runner, but that I thought I was kicking, when I really wasn’t. The sensation of weariness made me think I was running faster than I actually was. In retrospect, I should have looked back at the 3 mile mark. If I had seen Jason running me down, I may have had the courage to really sprint at that point and hold him off. Oh well. It was still a fun race, and a learning experience.

Lastly, thank you Sasha for figuring out the course adjustment time for me.

I have a love/hate relationship with this race. I love that it is such an intense race, but I hate running downhill. But then again, the race would not be so intense if it wasn't for the downhill to trick everyone into running beyond their normal ability. All things considered, I am happy with the effort I put forth today.

I tried to be aggressive the first mile so that I would be around other fast guys and get "carried" to a decent result. Although nothing about this race feels like being "carried." Even though the early miles are downhill and fast, the legs always let me know that I ran faster than they are accoustomed to by the last 2 miles of this race. My first mile was 4:48. I was kind of in a "no man's land" behind the lead pack of about 10 guys, (I never actually counted them) and whatever pack was charging behind me. Albert Wint and another guy caught me after mile 1 and I tagged on to Albert down Foothill (it's good to see Albert back to racing again). The other guy pulled away from us, and it took me quite a bit of effort to not let Albert pull too far away as well. Mile 2 was 9:50ish. I wasn't pushing too hard, but my legs just felt sluggish, like they weren't warmed up yet even though I felt hot and thirsty. Just before South Temple, I moved right behind Albert (I always do better on the uphill). I felt a bit of head wind, so I decided to draft behind Albert down South Temple. We hit the 5K mark (the 1/2 Marathon 10 mile) at about 15:35.  So our pace was slowing a little even though it didn't feel like it. At some point I sensed Albert slowing, so I moved past him. Before we turned onto 200 East, there were two runners that came past us. The first one was moving really fast and said "you may see me in a mile but I gotta try." I don't know who it was, but it was a very brave move and I was impressed.

Along 200 East, I could start to feel the weariness in my legs, but I was glad to be on the flat ground. At about 4.75 miles came the gut check moment that I always have in this race. My internal dialog goes something like "why am I trying to run fast? I don't really want to do this. Just slow a little and try to coast for a while." Then I remember that if I let myself go easy, the money I spent and the time I put into training and the waking up at 4:20 this morning will have been a waste. Since I am in a race, I might as well try to actually race. 

I passed a guy somewhere along 200 East which is always a mental boost. After turning onto 900 South, I caught the guy that was origionally with Albert in the 2nd mile. The two guys who passed me on South Temple never came back to me, but I kept fairly close to them. From 300 East to the finsh I kept tying to pick up the pace at each block. I didn't catch anymore people, but I still like the way I finished. The clock was just under 32 minutes as I finished, I have't seen my official time posted, so I am giving myself the benefit of the doubt and saying it was 31:59 untill I am proved otherwise. As usual in this race, I was super tired after the finsh, and it took me extra long to catch my breath.

My 2nd half was about 16:25. It felt faster than that. I think the heat really slowed me down. This was the type of morning that the first thing I noticed as I left my door was the warm air, despit the fact that it was still dark. So even though the second half was quite a bit slower than the first, I still feel like I ran well given the conditions.

After the race, I back tracked and jogged the last mile with my wife. Last time she ran this race was 2009. This year she beat her 2009 time by 3 minutes despite having had two kids since then. Good Job RyLee! Also, my sister, brother, cousin, and two friends all ran today, so we all met up after the race and had a great start to the day.

I woke up at 3:40 to drive up to Logan in time to catch the bus. My little sister Leah is in town this week, so she came with me. Before hand, I asked her twice if she was sure she really wanted to wake up so early just to see me race. She insisted on coming and it was nice to have someone to talk with on the drive there and back, and to have her cheer me on at mile 7 and 10. Thanks Leah!

Before the race, I just did 2 miles of wam up and talked a little bit with Mel, and Ben

I haven't been able to run a half under 1:11:00 since 2010, so I have learned to be cautious about how fast I start. So my plan was to run by feel within the 5:20 to 5:30 pace range. I for sure did not want to make the mistake I've done in the past, and run below 5:10 the first mile (which is suprisingly easy to do in a down hill start) and ruin my legs for the latter miles. I let the lead group of speedsters go, and hit my first mile in 5:19, so I just tried to duplicate what that mile felt like for the rest of the canyon. For several miles I ran with Albert and Jon (I actually tucked behind them and selfishly drafted for 4 miles). We were running 5:20 pace for all but one of those miles, so I saw no need to move ahead of them. I started leading Jon at about mile 6 and talked with him for a bit. When we exited the canyon (mile 7) I started to increas my effort in order to keep the 5:20 pace on flatter ground. Luckily for me, "sketchers" John passed me and gapped me, but gave me a good target to try to stay with. I kept waiting for the usual "heavy leg" sensation to hit, but it never did. By mile 10, I felt better than I ever have at that point in a half. I realized that I was just a little behind 1:10:00 pace, so I really started to push the last 3 miles. I re-passed John at mile 11.5, which gave me stronger motivation to keep pushing the pace. At mile 12, I figured I needed to run about 5:05 pace to break 1:10:00. I kinda thought that it was beyond reach, but still tried to run fast. I think I gained some ground on Ben (who seemed to have run the whole race by himself in no-man's land). But then Ben speed up the last bit and beat me handily. The last 2 miles felt much more like the end of a 10K rather that a Half. I was more cardiovascularly limited rather than having painfull dead legs. I finished a lot closer to 1:10 than I thought I would and was pretty happy with my result. I think I sort of stumbled on the perfect pacing strategy for me on this course. I will try to remeber it in future years. I actually beat my course PR by about 30 seconds which was from 2009. That was the same year I ran my marathon PR, so I'm really happy with where my endurance is right now. I talked a little with Steve after the race and drank some chocolate milk. My legs felt well enough (which is not usually the case after a half) to run a few miles cool down with my sister. Then I grabbed more milk and food and drove home.

All told, it was a very enjoyable morning and it was good to talk to a few guys before and after the race. Good times:)

During the warm up for this race, I wasn't feeling the usual excitement or nervousness, but I knew the instinct to run hard would kick in once the race started. I chatted a little with Albert, and Steve during strides.

First mile was mostly a gentle downhill which we ran in 5:15. I tucked in right at the back of the lead group during the next two uphill miles. I was feeling strong and relaxed. I'm much better running uphill than down, so it was nice to be able to stay with the runners who have usually dropped me in the first mile. At halfway, at the highest point in the race, Jake, Steve, and Jason quickend the pace, and I was feeling overwhelmed and got dropped. I hit 5k in about 17:00 (I can't remember the excact time). From mile 3 to 5, I ran about 5:05-5:10 pace. It felt fast, and I was just trying to stay relaxed and not feel awkward as I pounded downhill. By mile 5, as the hill started to flatten, my legs felt pretty good, and I was able to continue pushing myself. I can tell that the marathon type workouts that I've done in the past month have given me better fatigue resistance in my legs. When we turned north, on the slight uphill, that's when the race really got to me and I felt tired. I checked to see how much separation I had on the guy behind me. He was close enough that if he really pushed hard, he could run me down. I knew he was a young guy, and he might have a great kick, so that motivated me to keep pushing. I covered the last 1.2 miles in 6:16 (5:13 pace) so I'm happy with how I finished.

I ran this race for two reasons. The first was to run a cross country race for a change, and the second was to make sure I wasn't passed in the overall LDR circuit standings. This was my 9th circuit race and my 15th race this year. To be honest, I was kind of mentally burned out when preparing for this race. Physically I recovered well from the TOU Marathon, and have been running well, but when I would think about putting in the effort during a race, it made me want to take a nap:) 

Unfortunately (or fortunately when considering my circuit points situation), not many people showed up to this race. And the two guys that I know are usually faster than me (Jake and Steve) were both in various states of injury recovery. I decided that I might as well try to win the thing since I haven't won a circuit race this year (even though this event felt more like a group workout than a race). There was a guy on the start line that I had never seen before, but he had the look of a fast runner.

The "new guy" and me were in front from the start. I could tell early on from the way he was breathing, that the pace wasn't too hard for him. We went off course at about 1/2 mile (totally my fault, I'm not sure what I was thinking). Luckily Steve yelled to us and we realized I had made a mistake. We tuned around and got back on the course. It cost us about 20-30 seconds. From this point on, I was trying to hang on to the new guy for as long as I could. By about 1 mile, we had moved back in front of the field, but I had already been gapped. I was hurting pretty badly. I could tell I ran beyond my ability and it would just be a struggle for the next 2 miles. For the final two loops of the park I was basically just surviving the uphills and coasting on the downhills. I wished I had run differently. It's alot more fun to run in a way were I can speed up over the last half, but I figured this would be the last race of the year so I would just get my fill of "race-pace suffering."

I learned after the race, that the winner recently moved from Sacramento, I think I heard that his name is Anthony, but my memory might be faulty on that. I think he will be a usual comptetetor in the Utah running scene.

Considering the course and conditions, I have no idea what my finishing time converts to in a normal 5k. I finished 30 seconds behind the winner, and he seems to be a really fast guy, but I don't know how hard he pushed himself. Overall, I don't care too much. I got the circuit points needed to secure my 3rd place ranking, and I'm ready to take a break from racing untill next year.

I hope a cross country race like this happens again next year and that more people can show up ready to race. Thanks to all the USATF volunteers who help put on this event and who make the LDR circuit happen!