EXTREME MAKEOVER 2012

Today was the best run!  I ran a new route and I ran with an iPod.  I left the house at 8:30 and headed up Loafer Cyn, I was going to turn and run towards the mail boxes but instead I kept running up the Cyn.  I felt really good while running up hill so I decided that I would turn right and run up the switch back into Elk Ridge.  While I was running up that part of the run the song Gravity came on the iPod, how ironic?  When I hit the top I decided that I would run down to Goosenest Dr and then turn around.  Well I looked up to the South when I hit the bottom and decided that I would run up to the highest point of Elk Ridge, it is a steep climb to the top but it was feeling so good to run up hill.  When I hot the top I turned around and headed back the same way that I came from.  When I hit the 4 way stop at Loafer Cyn I turned right and headed towards Woodland Hills, I ran around the mail boxes and then down to Salem Canal Rd and home.  I felt really good today, I still don't feel 100%  like I was 2 weeks ago but I am feeling better.  I really liked running with an iPod today, I never run with one because I like to hear what is coming up behind me, but it wasn't dark and the roads were clear and not much traffic today.  I heard some new songs that I really like and then there were many that I didn't care for.  I ran into Pat L and Kent W, stopped and talked for a minute and then had to get home so that Kellie could get out on her run with Michelle and Ali.

Ave Pace 7:34 (very surprising for the hills that I ran today, but what must go up must come down, I must have came down faster than I thought?)

WHAT A PERFECT WAY TO  START THE YEAR!  RUNNING A NON RACE HALF MARATHON :)  

1:39:04 running time

First place over all

First Place in My Age Group  j/k

Happy New Year To All! 

Played basketball last night for 1.5 hours.  There was only 10 of us so we ran a lot.  I never really got winded or felt fatigued?  No need to convert the time into miles?

Today I had to settle with running on the treadmill.....BLAAAAAAHHHHH

I decided that it was to late and way to cold to run outside tonight, so I took the dreaded walk down stairs and climbed on the treadmill.  It was the longest 9 miles of my life!!! Actually it wasn't to bad, I put on Talladega  Nights on the PSP and made it through most of the movie.  I will cover up the display next time, it is hard not to look at the time while running on the treadmill. 

I ran the first 5 miles in 40 minutes and then decided that I would run a 5k for some speed work.  

Split's

5 miles 8:00 min pace ave

mile 6 6:40

mile 7 6:18

Mile 8 6:00

Mile .1 .32

Mile 9 9:00 min ave pace (cool down)

I ran the entire time with the treadmill on a 2% incline.  I tried speeding up the treadmill for the last .5 miles but my treadmill will not run faster than 10 mph?  So I increased the incline to 4% for the last .5  I am happy with the work out, even though it was on a treadmill, I still feel like I got a good work out.  It actually felt harder to run a 6:00 min pace on the treadmill???  I don't know if that is normal, but for the nmost part I felt good the whole time.  I just hate that clock on the treadmill.

Today I met up with Shawn W and ran 13 miles.  We ran from Salem into the Riverbottoms to Frazier dairy and then turned around and ran back to Salem.  We ran into a bunch of the SF running group, it was still to dark to see who all was there, but there was a lot of them.  I did run into Tom at Osborne corner and we chatted for a bit.  It was good to see him out running again.  Shawn is great to run with always a good conversation and he is a strong runner.  It was really cold this morning, I think that it was around 9 degrees in Salem and 4-6 degrees in the river bottoms.  I hope that it is warmer in St. George next week for the half marathon.

ave pace 7:38 

Today I wanted to try and do some speed work, just to make sure that the pistons were still working and to make sure that they are going to fire come Saturday.  I did this same work out with Michelle and Steve back in November but I shortened it up a bit because I am racing this weekend.  When I ran this back in November we ran 6x2min repeats 15 seconds below 5k pace, with a 2 minute rest in between.  After those were done we finished with 2x1 mile repeats @ or below a 6:00 min pace.  Today I shortened it up to 4x2 min repeats @ or below 5k pace, with a 2 minute rest in between.  I wanted to finish with a quick mile @ or below a 6:00 min pace.  So here are the splits.

Time          Pace    Distance     Rest    Distance     

2:00min      5:24       .38          2:01       .23

2:00min      5:17       .39          2:01       .20

2:00min      5:21       .38          2:01       .21

2:00min      5:28       .37          3:27       .39

                  5:54     1mile               

         I am happy with today's performance, it is hard doing speed work alone but it is nice when it is over and everything went well.  This work out did give me a little bit of confidence for this weekend, I know that it's not a real hard work out but I have been feeling really groggy over  the past couple of weeks.  I passed Clay on the road today, luckily I had just finished my last 2min repeat and I was going slow.  He must have had his headphones on because I said hi and there was no response, and it was to dark to see the typical Clay one finger wave.  No not the middle finger either, he just simply holds up the index finger.

I met up with Travis this morning and ran some quick miles with him.  He wanted to run a 6 mile tempo at a 6:30 pace.  I told him that I would go 3 with him and then back off a bit so that I didn't get hurt for Saturday's race.  We ran a 2 mile warm up and then started the tempo.

splits

mile 1 6:37

Mile 2 6:16

Mile 3 6:33  -  There was a good head wind when we headed around the North side of the golf course.  Plus I wanted to slow it down a bit for him because he had another 3 to go.  When he turned around we were at a 6:27 ave pace.  I let him go and ran behind him trying to keep him in sight.  I felt really good and really wanted to run the last 3 with him but I stuck with the game plan and only ran 3 with him.

Mile 4 7:02

Mile 5 6:43

Mile 6 6:29

ave pace 6:36

Finshed with 1.5 miles back to the truck.

Kellie and I got into St. George around 9:00 pm.  We then went and picked up our packets from Drew and Courtney and then headed over to the FBR PARTY HOUSE.  We chatted for about 20 minutes and then headed to the house so that we could get the kids and ourselves in bed.  I did not sleep well during the night, mostly nerves and upset stomach. 

Race day.. 

We met up with Heidi C and drove her to the course, I left Kellie and her and went out for a jog with Hal A, we ran just a little over a mile and then I went and ran some more by myself.  I went back and found Kellie and told her good luck and then worked my way to the start line.

I don't have my watch with me now so i will record splits later.

I wanted to run this race at or under 1:23:00, I ran really hard during the month of November and wish that I could have ran hard during December, but due to being sick and holidays I really didn't run much in December and the first half of January.  I knew that I had lost some conditioning  and so I wasn't really expecting to much.

Mile 1 was faster than what I wanted it to be, there was instantly 3 people in my age group ahead of me and also Mary Anne was in front of me which surprised me.  I wanted to keep those 3 guys in front of me and with in reach and try to hang on to them and then maybe try and find Mary Anne.  I reeled in guy #1 at mile 10 and then guys 2 and 3 at mile 12.  I felt really good in those last 2 miles, I really think that I waited to long to make the move and I feel like I left some time on those hills around bloomington.  I usually can run hills faster than most people but for some reason I held back not wanting to get in front to early and then have them chasing me for the last 4-6 miles.  I felt good with the over all time, wished I could have ducked under 1:23:00 maybe I did if the course was longer than it should have been? Who knows, and who cares, I am just glad that it is over and am very excited to train in 2009.  Over all I felt really good the whole time, some minor belly cramps but legs felt strong the whole time and breathing never was short.  I started at a 6:16 ave pace through 6 and then lost a little bit on the hills and was averageing 6:20 at mile 10ish, and then finished with an average pace of 6:18. 

This was my 2 year anniverasy for running, I ran the 5k 2 years ago at the age of 29 in 24:34 and then ran the 5k last year in 19:14.  I have mase some good improvements over the last 2 years and I hope to keep up with the good training while trying to balance family, work and church duties, running comes 2nd to all of those. 

Splits will come later.....

This morning Kellie went to spin class so I had to resort to the treadmill.  I hate the treadmill, it always feels like you have ran 5 miles and really you have only ran 2.  I put a towel over the display so that I couldn't see the time and distance.  I watched The Italian Job on the PSP hoping to make it go by faster.  No such luck, at mile 2 I thought that I would have been on mile 4 I looked and I had only gone 1.87 miles... AAAAAAHHHHHHH.  I was going to run 6 but I knew that I had about 1 hour of snow plowing ahead of me.  I think that we got about 12-14 inches at our house, it was deep and wet on the bottom.  The school bus couldn't make it up the hill so all of the kids had to walk down to it, kind of funny.  If the roads clear up I would like to get another 5 in tonight on the roads.  Legs felt great and fresh, but they should after a week of golfing and Las Vegas sun.  Now back to reality.

It was a little chilly this morning and the roads were horrible.  I ran in my Yak Trax this morning and I was glad that I had them on.  I felt ok today, lower back and quads were a little sore from snow boarding yesterday.  It was a great day snow boarding, the powder was knee deep and deeper in spots.  It was a quiet morning, light snow the whole time and no wind.

ave pace 7:40

Kellie had spin this morning so I had to resort to the treadmill.  I took my old iMac and put it in front of the treadmill so that I could at least watch a movie on a larger screen, the PSP was just not big enough.  I need to start running longer so that I can at least finish a movie.  Today the move of choice was You, Me and Dupree.  I like the movie, but I still hate running on the treadmill.  Total running time 47:00, finished the 10k in 45 min and then walked for 2 more minutes.

This morning I had a bad headache so I really didn't feel like getting up and running.  Kellie is going running with some friends in the morning so she asked if I knew of a good 11 mile route.  I mapped a route and so I had to go and run it to see how the course was.  It was a good course and I felt really good.  I don't know if it was the warm temp's (34 deg) or the fact that I was able to wear shorts and a short sleeve shirt with sleeves.  I decided early in the run that I would treat this as a long tempo run with 3 quick miles between 7 and 10.  I am running long tomorrow morning but it will be cold and slower so I decided to tempo this run. 

Splits

1 - 6:52 (down hill)

2 -  6:58

3 - 7:03

4 - 7:01

5 - 6:58

6 - 6:58

7 - 6:59

8 - 6:49

9 - 6:50

10 - 6:40

11 - 7:04

total running time 1:16:13 - ave pace 6:56

Got home and rolled the legs with the roller stick and about 20 minutes of stretching.  I love dry roads and cool temps!

Today I met up with a new running buddy, Rich C.  He is from Spanish Fork and has been in my age division for the past 2 years but he is now 35 and is no longer in my division thank goodness because he is a fast runner.  WE have talked via email, blog and facebook but have never hooked up for a run until now.  We met at bishops corner and ran through the river bottoms and then up to Harry's Hill and then back to bishops corner.  It was a cold morning, i know that when I was driving to meet Rich my truck was registering 3-4 degrees.  When we hit the top of Harry's it was actually warmer up top than it was in the River Bottoms.  It was a great run we had a ton to chat about and it seemed to fly by.  I look forward to running with him more, especially this summer.

ave pace 7:40

Rich has signed up for the blog so if you see him on the blog make sure and tell him hi.