As we run, we become!

My lower calf is still bothering me. I think it is related to running on the treadmill, but that's just a guess. I took yesterday off, and today I ventured out into the cold. I ran around the lake including one lap on the island. The footing wasn't great but I took it easy. I really had a lot of fun, but I can't wait for the snow and ice to melt.

I needed to get my long run in today and I didn't want to run on icy paths, and I definitely wasn't going to get in the treadmill. So I headed down to the Olympic Oval. I had never been there before, and wouldn't you know I run into a couple of Olympic speedskaters working out. Pretty cool to see such talented athletes.

Anyways, The track is really pretty nice with nice wide turns and 4 lanes. There were probably a dozen runners out there, but everybody new how to run in a lane. The temperature was great too; only my hands got a little cold.

I took the first couple laps easy and then pushed pretty hard for 4 miles. I finished the first 5 miles in just over 35 minutes. I started to feel my calf so I eased up a bit. Still, I managed to run the second half in just over 36 minutes. Now for some RICE therapy.

I departed from my usual run to try and avoid the icy roads up City Creek Canyon. I went for a run around Liberty Park, which was beautiful, but just not the same.  I felt great, and despite the lack of any serious effort, I averaged 7:30 per mile.  The best news is that both my knee and my calf are feeling much better.

Today would fall into the category of very easy if there was one.  I did my usual four miles out-and-back up City Creek Canyon, but I ran very slowly.  I am hoping to put in a decent effort for my 10-miler tomorrow.  Hopefully today will leave me feeling loose and energized tomorrow.

Today was supposed to be a rest day, but I wasn't able to run yesterday. So today I ran 10 miles at a considerable effort. Hopefully, I don't pay for it on Saturday during my long run.

Anyway, I ran up City Creek Canyon for 5 miles. It took just under 40 minutes to get to the turnaround point. I took a slight breather before heading back down. And it only took 32 minutes to cover the same distance on the way back.

I'm going to need plenty of ice and ibuprofen tonight. Tomorrow will be a true recovery run.

Perfect recovery run.  I took it nice and easy up City Creek Canyon.  My legs warmed up and I felt great.  I could feel the strain on my quads on the way down; still a little sore from yesterday, but I should be good to go tomorrow.

Now if we could only get a strong weather system to come in and get rid of this nasty inversion.

I got to coach my son's Junior Jazz team this morning, but evidently the other team thought they were the real Jazz. They were sending 2 or 3 guys to attack our point guard at the half court line. Did I mention that these are 6 and 7 year olds? Anyway it was a frustrating experience. I should clarify, I was frustrated. I think the kids had fun even though it was 20 to 2.

So I had something to think about while I ran. I considered running in doors with all the bad air, but it looked fairly clear this morning so I did the Mountain View Corridor Loop. My plan was to run easy to start, then hard for a bit, and then back it off at the end.

I ran the first four miles in 32 minutes. Then I worked the next four miles in 28 minutes. Then I relaxed a bit and finished the final four miles in 30 minutes. It was a perfectly executed long run. Now I have a rest day to look forward to.

I really enjoy running in the rain. It reminds me of growing up in Northern California. Of course, running in the rain there didn't necessarily involve extra gear to keep warm.

Today, it was cold and wet, but the ice has melted so I headed out to run the "Virginia Loop" up City Creek Canyon and around to 11th Avenue down to Virginia Street and back to the office. My legs felt a little tight, but they loosened up quickly. There were a couple of faster miles, but it was still an easy pace - just some fast downhill running. The good news is that I am starting to notice that I can maintain a faster pace with less effort.

My plan for this week is to run 38 miles.  This is the third week of mileage gains, so next week will be a reduced workload. I hope to run 5 days with varying distances of 7, 4, 8, 7, and 12 miles. I don't intend to do anything fast, but I may do a few marathon pace miles. As I was planning for this year I thought I would only be able to fit 40 miles a week into my schedule, but I am rethinking that plan.  I would really like to get up to 60 miles a week before my first road race at the end of July.  My new plan is to increase mileage by 2 miles per week for 3 successive weeks, and then do a recovery week at about 75% of my average for the three weeks. I would welcome comments about this plan, especially from anybody that has experience going from a relatively light workload of 25-30 miles per week to 60+ miles per week.

I ran my standard 4-miler up City Creek Canyon and back to my office. My legs felt pretty tired today. Hopefully, I feel a little more rested and loose for tomorrow.

I planned on running easy today, but my legs felt really good once I got out there. If I had a coach she would probably yell at me, but I guess that is one benefit to training on my own.  

Anyway, I headed up City Creek Canyon, and I kept getting making these surges.  I can't remember the last time I ran uphill so fast.  It was really fun.  I made the turn-around in a little over 31 minutes.  On the way down, I thought about taking it easy, but I have a rest day scheduled for tomorrow so I pushed it and made the return trip in about 25 minutes.  Now for some ice and ibuprofen.

I ran the Virginia Loop today. I took it nice and easy.  It's always nice when I get done with a run and my body, especially my legs, feel more loose and relaxed than when I started.

I ran the same course as last Saturday, but it was much warmer outside...until it got dark. We had a lot going on today so I didn't get out there until 4:30. The good news is that Junior Jazz went so much better this week. Brody used a ball fake in the game! And McKinley had a great birthday party.

So I thought I would run easy, but my legs felt loose, so I went for it. I ran the first 6 miles in about 43 minutes and I ran the back half in 40. Last week I ran the same course in 90 minutes as planned, but even though I ran hard I didn't believe I could run 7 minutes faster. Now it's time for some rest and relaxation.

I am going to treat this entire week as a recovery week and try to keep my pace in check for each run.  My plan is to run 28 miles in 5 segments of 5, 4, 7, 4 and 8 miles.  I hope that this will protect me from injury and allow me to build my mileage up to a weekly average of 60-70 miles.

Today was a really nice day.  I had the day off to celebrate Martin Luther King Day so I took Natalie to the movies.  We had a great time.

Then I headed out for a nice easy run around the lake.  It was relatively warm but very humid - so I got away without a jacket, but I definitely needed the gloves.  My average pace was 8:08, but this was about as easy as I could have run.  The first mile was a little slow and the third mile was a little fast, but the other three were within two seonds of my average pace.  A very good recovery run.

I stuck to my plan for the day and took it nice and easy up City Creek Canyon. I felt a little tight, but I'm sure that had something to do with Saturday's run. Or maybe it was the squats I did yesterday.

I ran the Virginia Loop today. It was cold but the air was clear and the skies were sunny. I have been dealing with a minor kidney stone on the lower left side, so I was concerned about running. I have been drinking a lot of water since the pain started and I haven't had any problems today.

Easy describes the pace, but not the effort today. My hope was that I would have a little more bounce in my step, but it was just the opposite. I realized about halfway through that my body still needs to adjust to the paleo diet that I started this weekend. To compound things, I got a very strong cramp in my upper right abdomen at mile 5 that took at least 5 minutes to relax. I don't think it has anything to do with my kidneys. I was just happy to finish my run.

I felt a lot better today. Sometimes a rest day makes a big difference. Today was just a short 4 mile run up City Creek Canyon.

I ran around the lake today and I put in a hard effort, finishing in just under 55 minutes. Last week's 12 miler was a much better run at about the same pace, but I am still adjusting to the paleo diet.  Also, l need to purchase a foam roller so I can do more therapy on my legs in the evening. 

On seond thought, today went better than I thought.  I did the same run just over two months ago on Nov. 15.  Back then my pace was 7:22 per mile.  Today my pace was 6:52 per mile.  I can't complain about a 30 second decrease in such a short period.

Next week I cross the 40 mile barrier.  Hopefully, the mileage increase continues to go smoothly.  I just ran 28 miles this week and I hardly feel like I ran at all.

I enjoyed some unusually warm weather (low 50's) during my run up City Creek Canyon. No gloves, jacket, or headgear needed - in January no less. My legs felt good after a hard effort Saturday, and I was able to run at a fairly rapid pace without much effort. 

It was a good way to start the week.  I am planning on running 40 miles in 5 stages of 6, 5, 10, 5 and 14 miles. Hopefully all goes well.  I mapped out my weekly mileage through the end of March.  I build slowly to 50 miles the last week of March with a couple of reduced mileage weeks in the middle of March.  That will lead up to my first race of the year at the Buffalo Run 25K.

Today was another easy run up City Creek Canyon.  My legs felt nice and loose, and I was able to sustain a good pace with very little effort.  My groin was a little tight for the second day in a row, but I stretched when I got back, so hopefully that doesn't become an issue.  The weather was perfect.  This has to be the mildest winter that I have spent in Utah.

It was a questionable decision to run today, but I got out there and enjoyed myself anyways.  I've got a cold virus that kept me home yesterday.  I feel okay today, but I had to take cold medicine this morning.

About the run: I ran 5 miles up City Creek Canyon and turned around.  No watch.  No real interest in pushing the pace.  Just an enjoyable 10 miler in my favorite running spot.

I'm still not over my cold. In fact I went downstairs to run at lunch, but I felt dizzy after a long morning.  So I ate lunch and waited until the late afternoon to go.  My stomach was queasy, but other than that I felt okay.  I ran 2-1/2 miles up City Creek Canyon and turned around.  I felt okay, so I will probably just push through with my 14 miler tomorrow, and then take a couple days off if I'm still under the weather.

I was feeling much better today, but I didn't get enough to eat or drink before my run. I started out easy. Miles 6 thru 10 were pretty fast but I had a tailwind and a slight downhill, so it was not a strenuous effort. About 11 miles in, I started to cramp up and I struggled with a strong headwind. Not my best day but I still managed to finish in 1:45, which was my goal. I just would have liked to stronger at the finish.

Sometimes I need to appreciate hitting my goal despite feeling miserable. I'm sure when my first race rolls around I will look back at this week and remember that I pushed through instead of giving up.