AZ Run Dad

Off day today.  Friday is usually my day off so I am taking it easy and getting ready for the weekend.  I've been a little tired this week as I have not trained right through a half marathon for years.  Usually we take a short break after a half then get back at it.

A.M.: Warmed up 3.5 miles to Highland High then did some strides then went into 12 x 200 w/200 recovery jogs.  Averaged 33.7.  I cooled down another 3.5 milesThis was a good workout to get some speed in without pounding my body.  I've been a little tired this week after last week's half marathon.  This was a good way to get back into the faster stuff. 

PM: 4 miles easy on the treadmill @ 7:39 pace while my son was sleeping and my daughter was at a play date.

Solid steady 20 at 6:44 pace this morning.  Got out nice and early at 4:30 to beat the heat.  I did 2 10 mile loops.  The goal for today was just to run consistently without pushing.  I felt good all the way through today.  I carried by 10 oz hand held bottle and filled it back up after the first loop.  I also took GUs at 5,10, and 15 miles. I was really feeling strong towards the end so I wanted to see where my body was at and I ran the last mile hard in 5:23.  I was pleasantly surprised with that.  Now it's time for Mother's Day festivities.  Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

AM: 8 mile recovery run in the neighborhood.  Legs were a little sore from yesterday.  I started nice and slow.  Averaged 7:24 pace and had a nice relaxing run.  Looks the 100 degree temps are here to stay in AZ from here on out.

PM: 4 mile shakeout. I was expecting a really hot and miserable shakeout because it was so hot but it really didn't feel bad at all. I didn't look at the watch and my pace was faster than normal for this type of run (I averaged 7:20). I guess my legs are feeling good. The good news is that I know I can still run in the afternoon when it's 105 if it feels how it did today.

AM: 11.85 miles: Warmed up 2.65 miles then did 4 x800 w/2 min jogs, 2 miles w/3 min jog, then 4 x 800 w/2 min jog.  Splits were 2:33,33,35,34,10:50 (2 mile), 2:33,35,33,32. This is was good tough workout.  I felt sluggish at first and thought I might not be able to finish but something clicked and I felt reallly strong the second half of the workout.  I did these on the roads in my neighborhood using my Garmin.

PM: 4 easy miles on the way home from work.  It was hot and windy but if felt great to loosen up the legs.  My legs were feeling pretty good today after the a.m. workout.

AM: 9.34 easy miles at 7:23 pace avg. up to canal and then on canal for a while.  Was just going to do 8 but I was enjoying the run so instead of turning at 4 miles i just went to the next street.

PM: 4 more easy miles 7:34 pace on my way home from work.  I was off pretty early today so the sun was right overhead for this run and it was HOT!  I was kind of in daze for much of the run.

Today was just a recovery day so I tried to run just nice and relaxed. Legs felt just okay today.

AM: 12 mile steady medium long run.  Felt really good this morning.  I was planning on going a little slower but the pace felt so comfortable I just stayed with it.  It's a great sign that my legs are feeling good during this high mileage period.  Averaged 6:37

PM: 5 mile "mini workout". Ran 4 miles easy then did 6 x hill sprints on probably a 40-50 meter hill and walked down, then did 4 x 100 meter strides, then jogged around the soccer field until I hit 5 miles.  Jogging in the grass felt awesome.  Saturday I will be in California to run the Palos Verdes Half Marathon with my sister.  She has been training for this one and I told her I would go with her.  I have a 22 miler that day so I am going to do part of it in the race aiming for a solid tempo during the race.  It looks like a hilly course so should be a nice challenge.  It will be my second half marathon next to the ocean in three weeks. Pretty cool!

Had a 22 mile run today in which I warmed up 7 miles on the race course at just over 7 min pace then I did the Palos Verdes Half Marathon.  My sister was doing the race and asked if I would go with her.  I'm glad I did.  Palos Verdes is one of the coolest places I've ever been.  Anyway, I wanted to run the race as a hard tempo effort just under 6 min pace and that's what I did.  I ended up winning the race in 1:17:59.  It wasn't a race effort but it was still hard.  The course was very hilly and 13+ miles at 6 min pace is still a good effort for me.  I cooled down 2 miles right when I finished to make 22 miles for the day.  It was a great training stimulus for me with all those hills and I feel like I won't be too beat up from the effort.  It was a great 24 hour trip and I am very fortunate that I got to experience such a place.  The Terranea Resort where we stayed was unbelievable.  The average for the 22 miles was 6:20. 

I haven't figured out how to get pictures up on here yet but I added a bunch on our blog Parents on the Run along with the course profile and Garmin information.

Here is my Garmin info from the race

Sunday Shuffle. Legs were sore from yesterday. I started off really slow and the first 3-4 miles were very "creeky". I'm glad I have a couple of easy days before my next workout. Averaged 7:30 for the run.

AM: 8.04 miles @ 7:06 avg. pace. Felt surpisingly good this morning.  Weather was actually pretty nice and cool and my legs made huge improvements from yesterday.  I didn't think I'd be cracking the 7 min barrier this morning but I actually did on a few.

PM: 4.34 miles at Freestone Park on the way home from work.  Basically I did 4 miles @ 7:25 pace and then 6 strides.  It was somewhere close to 110 degrees but since its so dry here and there was some wind it really didn't feel too bad.  I took my water bottle in case it felt awful but it felt fine.  I should be able to do my afternoon runs on the way home from work all the way through the marathon as long as the air stays nice and dry.

AM: I did a 2.8 mile warmup which included strides and a couple of flexibility drills then into 5 x 1 mile w/3 min recovery jogs.  My splits were 4:58, 4:59,5:00,4:59,4:56. I was actually aiming for 5:05 but the first one felt so good I stuck with the faster pace.  The first three felt good and the last two were tough.  I only felt like I was "digging" the last half of the last one.  This is one of the better workouts I have ever done.  I am even happier though with the way my body is coming back and recovering from long runs and high mileage since the marathon is the ultimate goal.  I cooled down with a 1.85 mile jog.

PM: 4 Easy miles on the way home from work.  Yesterday I believe I wrote that I could run in the afternoon as long as it was dry.  Today I was reconsidering.  Close to 110 degrees again.  Legs felt fatigued from this morning so it felt good to loosen up.

AM: 8 easy miles around the neighborhood a few times.  Averaged about 7:15 pace.  Legs felt okay.

PM: 4 easy miles on the way home from work.  A little cooler and breezy today made for nice enjoyable run.  Averaged about 7:30 and legs felt pretty good this afternoon.

AM: Fairly aggressive run today.  I did 8 steady miles then into 10 x 1 min on/jog @ 5:05-5:15 pace and then a couple more steady miles after that.  Averaged 6:22 pace for the 13.15.  Felt like a good solid run today without going crazy.

PM: 4 easy miles.  Same as usual.  About 7:30 pace.  I am looking forward to my day off of running tomorrow.

10 Easy miles averaging 6:56.  My legs felt pretty fresh this morning after a day off.  I finished with 6 x 100 strides which felt good.   Allison had a big 18 mile run and we have a lot going on today so I took the monitor outside and did a bunch of loops on this little half mile loop that Allison came up with so we could run outside and check on the kids every few minutes.  My son is still in a crib and my daughter usually doesn't wake up until 6 so I was done well before they were up.  It wasn't ideal but it's better than the treadmill.  We got really lucky this weekend with some great temps.  We've been close to 110 degrees and I think today is supposed to be like 85.  The morning temps for the weekend are perfect.  I have a big run scheduled for tomorrow that I'm pumped for.  Hopefully I'll have some good news to report.  Have a great weekend everyone!

18.2 miles today with a 5.7 mile warmup including a few strides then into a 10 mile threshold run in 54:31 (5:27 average).Splits were 5:27,5:28,5;29,5:27,5:29,5:30,5:31,5;30,5:27, 5:13.  This was one of my "big" workouts on the schedule that I had circled as a major test.  My goal for the day was 5:30 pace so I am very pleased with the workout especially since it's at the end of another high mileage week.  The course drops about 300 ft over the 10 miles so I know that is a bit aided and we are having spectacular weather this weekend in Phoenix (I ran in about dry 60 degree weather with no wind).  Those two things temper my enthusiasm somewhat but this is still a very strong workout for me.  I felt really good through 5 miles then began to struggle a little 6-8 but never too bad and once I got to 8 I knew I was home free and had a good amount left for a strong last mile.  I cooled down 2.5 miles after. 

Garmin info:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/182556630

AM: 8 easy miles to start the week.  My legs felt surprisingly fresh this morning.  Averaged 7:12.  We have the day off of work today so my daughter was super excited to have both mommy and daddy done running and home when she woke up.

PM: (barely pm) Lunch time 4 miles.  Easy pace.

AM: 8 miles in 55:30.  Beginning to taper for the marathon this week.  Things won't look too  much different.  Just a little here and there with the goal of staying sharp and to not over reach on anything.

PM: 4 miles easy on the way home from work.  Felt great to run without a watch.  Also, I wore Kinvaras instead of my normal easy run shoes the Adidas Supernova Glides.  It felt great to feel light and bouncy in the Kinvaras.

AM:  Did a 2.8 mile warmup that included strides and a few flexibility exercises then into 10 x 800 w/2 min recovery jogs.  Splits were 2:25,2:26,2:28,2:26,2:28,2:26,2:31(??),2:26,2:29,2:26.  The odd # splits were into a slight headwind and seemed to be slower and tougher.  This was a hard workout but I'm happy with it.  Cooled down 1.15 miles after. Doing it with 2 minute recovery jogs made it a lot tougher than when I've done 800s with stationary rests in the pasts.  I think that doing recovery jogs on all of my intervals for the last month or so has really helped me.  Only a couple more fast workouts before the marathon.

PM: Enjoyable 4 mile run with no watch.  Legs were tired from this morning but took it nice and easy.  It felt good just to loosen up a bit.

10 easy miles this morning.  Averaged 7:15 pace.  Didn't push at all but I could have gone slower.  My legs were as tired and sore as they have been in a while from the 800s.  I have my normal Friday off day tomorrow so I am expecting to be good to go Saturday.  113 degrees tomorrow! Sheesh. Good thing I'm not running.

Warmed up 2.6 miles including strides and a few flexibility exercises then I did 2 x 2 mile with a 3 min jog in between.  Splits were 10:25 (5:09,5:16), 10:31 (5:15,5:16).  I was aiming for 10:40 so this was too fast.  The second set hurt pretty good.  Although I'm happy that I could run that fast I'm dissapointed that I wasn't disciplined enough to stick to the planned pace which  would have been more of a comfortably hard tempo.  Cool down was about 1.5 miles. Oh well, I'm glad I'm done early.  We've got another hot day coming today.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Just put a new post up on the Parents on the Run Blog. 

16.2 steady miles this morning averaging 6:43 pace. Started out feeling just okay but felt better once I settle into my pace. Picked it up a little towards the end to finish off the run. This will be my last long run before the marathon. I'm looking forward to freshening up in the next week.

AM: 6 easy miles this morning with no watch. I knew I needed to take it easy so I left the watch at home. Legs felt dead the first three miles and then got a little better. I think I underestimated the effects of Saturday's workout and while yesterday wasn't blazing it was probably too fast. Now is the time when I need to be using words like "bouncy" and "fresh" rather than "dead".

PM: 4 easy miles + strides in the grass. Once I got loose it felt great just to be out running nice and easy. The strides felt great. This was a good sign after a case of the dead legs this morning.

AM: 10.25 miles w/ 2.8 mile warmup including strides then 20 x quarter mile on the road w/ 30 seconds rest. A quick look at the splits tells me I probably averaged 76 something. Goal was 5k pace so this was right on although my splits were inconsistent ranging from 73-78 (on the roads I'll give myself some slack here). The goal of this workout was to stay sharp without grinding. I think I accomplished that today. Overall this workout was annoyingly hard where it never hurt bad but the 30 second rest was so short that it was never too comfortable. I felt like I was stopping and walking 10 ft and then turning around and starting again. In total it was 5 miles at 5:05 pace and I'll take that. Cooled down about 2 miles after.

PM: 4 miles easy no watch. This was my last double of the cycle. I started doing double runs earlier this year and got up to 4 per week. They usually were just 4 slow easy miles but the second run has been great for my running. I'll look forward to starting up again when I recover from the marathon.

8 miles easy 7:13 pace. Nothing too exciting. Now I'm just waiting for the taper to take effect and my body to feel super fresh.

10.35 miles w/brisk 4 mile warmup (6:35sh pace) then continued on with a six mile MP run. Splits were 5:45, 5:44, 5:39,5:44, 5:42. Overall slightly fast.I was excited for this run to see how that pace would feel. It was harder than I wanted but it wasn't so hard that I'm discouraged. I guess I would call it comfortably hard. I finished with a .35 slow jog back to the house. My legs felt pretty good and I'm starting to feel that fresh feeling I'm looking for.

8 easy miles avg. 6:44 + 6 strides at the end.  Felt awesome this morning.  The pace felt as easy as that pace has ever felt.  I had a scheduled day off yesterday and I slipped on a brand new pair of Kinvaras so those two things probably contributed to the good feeling.  I will wear this new pair of Kinvaras for the marathon next weekend and I just want to get 20 or so miles on them before the race.

12 miles w/ 5 mile warmup then some strides and drills.  After that I did 4 x 1 mile in 5:27, 5:27 5:27, 5:23 w/ 1 min jogs between.  Felt pretty good.  These weren't easy but I felt in control and that was the effort I was looking for.  Cooled down until I hit 12 miles. Basically all of my tough workouts are done now.   I'll do some slower intervals Tuesday and that is pretty much it. 

8 easy miles. My goal for this run was to just run nice and easy. I averaged 7:05 pace but it really felt like a slow jog so I'm not mad at myself for going too fast. Legs felt good and I'm ready for the week to pass quickly so I can go race.

8 miles w/4 x 3/4 miles in 4:10,4:11,4:07,4:07 (around HM pace) w/2 min jogs between. Last workout to keep the legs sharp. I will take tomorrow off and then just a couple more short runs. I'm so excited for the race that I packed most of my stuff last night.

I just did a blog on  all things about my upcoming marathon and Allison's race this weekend.

No run today.  Part of the taper.  It definitely feels weird to not run when I'm already feeling fresh but I'm going to error on the side of too much rest.  I have also cut out my pushups and core work this week just to take all the stress possible off my body.  I'm feeling lazy for sure.  I'm not used to doing nothing.  Tomorrow I'll get back at it with some 1 min pickups and then just a shakeout on Friday.  The weather looks to be pretty good for the race but I've read that Duluth weather is highly unpredictable so I'm not putting much stock into any weather reports until Friday night.  I'm packing for everything though.

6 miles w/10 x 1 min on/off at 5:25-5::30 pace. Legs felt completely fresh from the first step this morning. I feel like I'm as ready as I can be to run a good race.

4 miles easy + strides. Off to Duluth for Grandma's Marathon!

Here is the full race report. Sorry for the novel:

I have to start by saying that this is the best race I have ever been to. Our first impressions of the city/hotel were amazing. When we checked into our hotel room and said "Delancey" the front desk person lit up and said "oh Allison!" and went back to grab a welcome bag for Allison that all the US Half Marathon Championship participants were getting. The bag was loaded with all sorts of goodies including candy, fruit, and wine. We were then directed to the race hospitality room that the race was hosting for all runners at our hotel. The room was loaded with all sorts of good stuff. Unlimited bagels, candy, bananas, drinks, and a bunch of other great stuff for the runners. There were two volunteers in the room that were so excited to help us with anything and answer any questions we may have had. So by the time we got to our room we were loaded with food and had our first taste of how nice the people were.   The race organization is top notch and the people of Duluth are the nicest people I have come across. The city is proud to host the event and it shows. We are already talking about coming back next year.

Shortly after we checked into the room we had to go to a technical meeting for Allison's race. This was pretty cool for me as so many of America's top distance runners were all in the same room. After that we went to drop off Allison's race water bottles where there was more hospitality and free stuff for us. Everywhere we went we were given the royal treatment.  We then headed out to drive the course which was a great scenic drive along the north shore of Lake Superior to the city of Two Harbors.  The course was nice with gently rolling hills and no major ups or downs. At mile 20 the course turned off of the scenic highway and went through some more residential areas where we knew the crowds would pick up as we headed into Duluth. The last few miles run through downtown Duluth and the course finishes right near the water. We knew that the last few miles would have big crowds and tons of energy.  On the way back into Duluth we stopped to eat at this great Italian place called Va Bene where we bumped into Kara Goucher (olympian and one of America's best runners). She was very nice and it was cool to talk to her for a few minutes.  The food was great and we had a really nice patio table overlooking the lake. After dinner we went back to the room and laid out all of our stuff for our races and tried to get to bed early.

Race day started at 3:30 (1:30 am Phoenix time).  I didn't sleep great but not too bad. I probably got about 5 hours. Luckily we are used to waking up early so we did just fine with the early wake up time. Allison had to catch her shuttle at 4:45 and me at 5:30 so I had some extra time. I would not be able to watch Allison's race but my sister was receiving text alerts on her race and I knew that she would be able to tell me how Allison did at mile 5 of my race when I planed to see my mom and sister.  Like everything else at the race the transportation to the start line was organized and efficient. I was at the start line nice and early and I  had plenty of time to relax and go to the bathroom. The bag drop bins were at the back of the start area so I dropped my stuff early so I wouldn't have to fight through the crowds to get to my starting spot. About 45 min before the start I went up to the front where the elites were and ran into my friend Ariana. We warmed up together for about 10 minutes and did a couple of strides. I was feeling good and ready to go!

The weather for the race turned out to be pretty good. It was humid and a little warm but it could have been much worse. My plan was to settle in around 5:45 pace and try to catch on with any packs that were in my range.  I figured the top pack of women would be around my pace so I was going to pay close attention to what they were doing. The horn went off right on time and we were off. I was surprised how slowly the top men were pulling away but it was a marathon afterall.  I quickly got into a 5:45sh pace and looked for the lead pack of women. They were going a little slower than me so I slowed down a little and got into a nice pack of men and women. I hit the first mile in 5:49 and felt great. I actually wanted to go faster so I left the women and moved into the next group of men.  Shortly after that the lead pack of women came flying by and I stuck to them for awhile. That lead to consecutive miles of 5:36 and 5:40.  I was feeling good but I had to make my first major decision of the race and I decided to let the ladies go.  I backed off the pace a little bit and ran between 5:42-5:45 for miles 4-7. At mile 5 my sister gave me my first water bottle with electrolytes and I  took my first GU.  It was great to see my mom and sister out there cheering me on and giving me support. They would be a huge part of the race for me. Dana also was able to tell me that Allison had run around a 1:17:30 which made me happy. That was a big PR for her and the breakthrough she was looking for.  Through these miles I was running with a guy here or there but no packs. I was already noticing some slight fatigue and it was feeling pretty warm.  I was already 100% saturated with sweat. I knew water and electrolytes would be huge. I had had my first bad miles through 8-9. They were 5:48 and 5:51 but the pace no longer felt easy and I had my first negative thoughts. At mile 9 I saw my sister and mom again and got another bottle of electrolytes from my sister. The crowd was pretty good there and I got a nice shot of adrenaline and I got back to feeling good for a few miles. I went through 10 miles in right about 57:30 which is right where I wanted to be.  I ran 5:45,5:50,5:45,5:48 for miles 10-13 and I came through the half in 1:15:37. I was already tired but I knew that I could go through good and bad patches so I was content with where I was physically. I wanted to give myself a shot at a sub 2:30 and I had done that. It was shortly after halfway that I started to fade. I saw my sister and mom again at 13.5 and got another bottle. As usual it was great to see them and get their support. This would be the last time I would see them feeling okay.  I was starting to hurt and I  knew I had to slow down. It was a little bit tough to give up in my "A" goal at that point but I knew it was either slow down or completely fall apart. I ran miles 14-17 in 5:50,5.53,5:53, and 6:00. I was starting to fade quickly and it was time for some more choices.  I knew i had to slow down even more.  I saw my sister again at 16. It was getting tougher and tougher to get the fluids down and I'm sure she could  tell it was over for me as far as  fast race went.   I was quickly readjusting my goals and doing calculations in my head for what times were possible. Unfortunately that didn't last long and my mental focus soon shifted to survival mode. I had 10 miles to go and I was no longer the runner that I had trained for months to be. I wanted to quit and I even thought of reasons to justify quitting. However, that's not how I wanted things to go down and I thought of all my friends who had gutted it out in the heat of Boston.  I did everything I could to move on and keep pushing. I told myself to get to 20 miles where the crowd support would pick up.  Miles 18-21 were 6:12,6:09,6:27,6:28. Miles 20,21 would be my slowest of the day. In slowing down I had found a pace that I could still maintain which was around 6:20 pace.  I did see my mom and sister again at mile 20 but I could no longer take any fluids because I was starting to get a bad stomach and throw up in my mouth. I gave my sister the stomach signal that I couldn't take anymore. The crowd did pick up around the 20 mile point and my new goal of finishing was becoming more and more realistic. At this point a couple of people had passed me but I had also managed to pass a couple of people myself. I started to realize that everyone must have been struggling and that helped me keep a positive attitude. The course's lone worrisome hill (Lemon Drop Hill) came at mile 22 and I knew once I got over that I would have some downhill and great crowds to pull me in towards the finish.  The hill really isn't bad at all it's more where it comes in the race.  Mile 22 which included the hill was 6:20. I was suddenly in some weird rythm that was doable and yet just shy of survival pace. I was locked in at this pace and I knew I could finish.  The crowds were great in downtown Duluth.  I was at a point where I couldn't get some great surge from the crowd but they were definitely pushing me along. The last few miles I kept telling myself how easy it was to run just 4 miles, then 3, then 2.  I  ran miles 23-25 in 6:20,6:17,6:20. Right around 25 I knew I might see Allison. I felt bad for her knowing that she knew I had faded and was in trouble.  I did see Allison and my mom and sister again which was great. I wanted to use their energy to surge the last mile but I just didn't have another gear. I was still in "just finish" mode.  With one mile to go I passed under this big photo tower that marked one mile to go.  That still seemed like a long way to go rather than almost done.  With about a half mile to go I heard my name being yelled and I looked up to see Jake and Andrea.  That did fire me up and I kicked in to the finish with everything I had.  Mile 26 was 6:07 and I actually had passed a couple of guys in the last mile.  I didn't stop my watch for the last portion of the race so I didn't get that last split.  I was just extremely happy to be done.  I officially finished in 2:36:56.  I walked around in a daze and waited for my friend Ariana Hilborn to come in.  She came in just a few minutes after I finished and I gave her a big hug.  When you go through pain like that there is a huge sense of appreciation and admiration for those who have gone through the same battle that you have just gone through.  

After the race I was in a daze for a while.  I had just worked my body to its limits for the last couple of hours and it didn't have much left to offer me.  Apparently I had blue lips for the first hour after the race which I guess means my body was giving the blood to my more important vital organs. Good to know.  I got to meet up with Allison, my mom and sister, and Jake and Andrea shortly after it was great to see everyone who had supported me throughout the race.  I gave my mom and sister big hugs and thanked them for their support.  Things probably would have been much worse if I didn't have them out there.  It took me a couple hours, some food, and a nice hot shower to feel normal again.  

The time I ran in the race was not the time I was shooting for but it turns out it wasn't about that.  I learned a lot about myself during the race and I overcame some huge mental and physical tests.  I feel really proud that I was able to stick with it, hold it together, and finish.  My time doesn't tell the story of the accomplishment I feel from this race.  I don't have any regrets from the race.  I'm not sure how things would have gone if I went out a little slower but I'm glad I didn't.  I was in the best shape of my life and I had to give it a shot. Writing this today I already know that I will be back running and training again soon.  I will never forget this race and all the good things about it.  I recommend this race as it was our favorite race ever.  We will be back again next year for sure!

4 easy miles along the north shore of Lake Superior with Allison. Awesome scenery! I will take a week off now. I just wanted to get some of the guck out of my legs. I didn't want to break 9 min/miles but Allison was feeling confident after her race and threw down an 8:35 for the third mile. We slowed back down after that. Time to go eat some pie at the famous Betty's Pies. Please yell at me if I run in the next week. Happy Father's Day!

20 minutes on the eliptical. First exercise since Sunday.  Seems like its been forever. I meant to take a break after the marathon but I didn't thinik I'd feel so fat and out of shape so quick.  I might do a short in the running but I won't be doing any workouts for atleast another week and a half.  We did a bunch of blogs on our trip to Duluth that people can see here.  I'm excited to start watching the Olympic Trials tomorrow!

4.1 miles @ 7:36 pace. It felt nice to get out and sweat (86 degrees at 3:30 am). I could tell I'm not 100% recovered yet. Feels good to be back in the routine.

4.1 miles @ 7:16 pace.  My body now feels about 95% recovered from the marathon.  In a perfect world today would have been the first day I would have run but like most runners I am crazy and couldn't hold out that long.  I was inspired last night by the 10k races at the Olympic Trials.  Amy Hastings (ASU alum) and Dathan Ritzenhein both qualified for the Olympic team after both finishing fourth at the marathon trials in January.  It was cool to watch. 

5.75 Miles @ 7:13 pace.  Felt good today.  I felt like a runner again (just a heavier one).  Legs felt completely light and bouncy for the first time since marathon.  We've really been enjoying the Olympic Trials.  It will be interesting to see if they end up letting Allyson Felix in.  I'm not sure how it works with a tie but I do know that Felix is one of the most popular athletes and NBC pays a ton for the coverage.  I hope nothing weird happens behind the scenes that causes the other woman to miss out.

6 easy miles. Effort seemed a little harder because of the heat (90 at 3:30 am). I'll have to adjust my paces accordingly. I did enjoy being back in my routine of waking up early and running before work. This is going to be a great sports week with the track trials, swimming trials, and Wimbledon.

6 early morning miles. I felt great this morning. Effort/body felt great. 6:56 pace.

8 easy miles. Was planning on off or 4 miles but a trip to the brewery and three pieces of cake for Allison's birthday made it easy to go longer today.

Easy 6.25 miles. Up at 6000 ft with the family in Showlow, AZ for a great weekend in the cooler weather. Ventured out and found some trails and ended up on a great trail around a lake. Pretty cool run and the weather was great!

8 moderate miles. 7:13 pace. Even on vacation I like to get up at the crack of dawn to run. It was worth it as I had an awesome sunrise run along the trails around Fools Hollow Lake in Showlow. It's still warm here but the mornings are nice and cool. It beats Phoenix running that's for sure.

8 miles at 6400 ft in Showlow. I had the mentality of running easy today but I found myself pushing up all the hills and there were a lot of them. I ended up putting in a pretty good effort on the run but nothing crazy. The hills + altitude + I'm not in good shape made the run tougher. We had a great weekend up North and we'll be headed back in a few weeks. Starting tomorrow I'll be getting back to my normal running schedule although it will be on the easy side at first.

6 easy miles then some strides. The strides felt great and were the first fast thing I've done since the marathon. Felt good to be back in the routine this morning. Back to workouts this week!

AM: First workout since marathon. Did 8+ miles with 2.5 mike warmup including strides and flexibility exercises then 12 x 400 on the roads averaging 78 sec with 1 min recovery jogs. Cooled down about 1.25 after.This was actually a challenging workout for me. For reference during my marathon taper I did 20 x 400 in 76 with 30 secs rest and that was easier. It will be kind of fun to work my way back into shape though. Also, our "monsoon" season is here in AZ which meant a muggy 91 degrees at 3 am. Kind of fun to be really sweaty though. Now I've got a starting point to work from

And I look forward to improving.

PM: 4 miles 8:11 pace with Allison. I wasn't planning on running any doubles yet but I had that good tired feeling in my legs from the morning workout and it reminded me of how much I enjoyed doubles. I knew I would be getting home early today and would be able to join Allison on her second run. She is very smart about her recovery pace so I went no watch and just let her lead. It wasn't super hot today but it felt awful because of the humidity (or because I'm out of shape). Anyway, I'm glad I did it and it was nice to run with Allison for a change.

AM: 8+ miles at 7:16 pace. Nice recovery run. Legs felt good bit had no problem taking it easy today.

PM: 4 miles easy no watch

10 miles at 6:36 pace. Longest run in about four weeks. First run with fully saturated shorts and squishy shoes from sweat. Good solid effort today. Slowly but surely getting back in shape.

Warmed up about 3.5 miles including some flexibility exercises and strides. Then did 8x200 w 200 jogs avg 34. Nice little workout. I enjoy 200s. Nice to get some leg turnover. Staycation in Scottsdale with Allison tonight.

14 hilly miles at South mountain in Phoenix. My mom stayed the night so Allison and I both got to go run with the group. We went mostly easy but pushed the hills on the way back. We had a good cloud cover so it never felt too hot. I got exactly what I wanted out I this run. Averaged 7:08

AM: 8 easy miles 7:18 pace. 3:15 start and still really warm. Good start to the week.

PM: The hardest part was getting started. I wanted to run my second run outside today but it was 113 at my running time so I decided to run at home on the treadmill. Once I get home and see the kids and feel relaxed it's really hard for me to get into a workout mode especially after I already ran in the morning. Anyway, I got myself on the machine and ran easy enough that it didn't seem like any sort of work. I was glad I ran when I was done. I'll probably be doing a lot more of this for the next couple of months. 7:52 pace

AM: 9.5 miles w/5 x 1200 w/400 recovery jogs. Current 5k pace was the idea. Splits were 3:49, 3:54, 3:52, 3:53, 3:52. I am happy with this workout given the heat and limited speed I've done lately. I warmed up about 2.75 miles including strides and flexibility exercises. Cooled down about 1.75 miles after. I hope to run this pace at the local 5k on Saturday.

PM: I was feeling good so I decided I would run outside one last time just so I knew for sure that running outside at 2:30-3 was longer an option for my second runs. I was expecting the worst and I brought a 10oz bottle in each hand. I was pleasantly surprised that running in 112 degree heat is possible for me. The run was actually ok.I didn't take a watch and I just made sure to take it easy and not get to a point where I was breathing hard. I did see one other runner out. I took the wrong key with me though and locked myself out. I had to find someone at the park and call Allison for a spare key. Other than that good run.

AM #1: 8 miles w/loops around the neighborhood at 7:19 pace.

AM: #2: 4 miles on the canal in Phoenix at 7:42 pace. Brutal (hot, muggy, and not in the mood).

Had about 4.5 hours between the finish of my first run and start of the second. Legs were a little sore and tired today from the workout yesterday. I'm glad I'm done for the day.

Planned off today and I felt like I needed it. Legs are tired probably from adding more doubles this week. Just an easy run tomorrow then race Saturday.

6 easy miles + strides. Legs felt good this morning. Day off yesterday did the trick! There is is some great track action this weekend in London with some top US runners including Ritz and Lagat. Here is the link to the meet preview.

http://www.letsrun.com/2012/london-0712.php

AM: Summer Series 5k: 3rd Place in 16:32. Wasn't sure how this one would go. I am exactly 4 weeks removed from the marathon and I've been building back slowly. I wanted to go out conservatively around 5:15-5:20 pace which I did (5:18) but it didn't feel conservative unfortunately. A large group of high school kids were out fast as usual and I really ran hard and competed that second mile (5:14) to work my way to into 3rd place. I ran with a guy most of the third mile and I passed him at the end (not sure of his name). The third mile was 5:21 and the final sprint was 4:53 pace for the last .14. I was hoping for under 16:30 but I'm not dissapointed. It was really humid today and I think most people ran slower than they wanted to. I was soaked after the warmup. I ran as hard as I could I'm just not in the shape I was in before the marathon. This is a really good starting point to work from though and it was still 20 seconds faster than the same race a year ago. The best and most important thing is that my body felt 100% healthy and there were no minor aches or pains. This is important coming back from the mararthon. My wife Allison D. won the race and my sister Dana who I coach had a PR! Great day for the family! I warmed up 3.1 miles with Allison and cooled down 5 miles with my buddies JT and Ricardo. Both of those were about 8 min pace. Have a great weekend!

PM: 4 mile shakeout on the treadmill in 32 min.  Really really enjoyed this.  Got it in while the kids were sleeping.  Allison is at work and I've been doing laundy (sick daughter means lots of sheets and towels) and dishes all day.  It was nice to watch a pretty intense storm out the window while I was running.  It was just nice to have that time to myself and have a nice easy run.

Results Here

Got to experience more Midwest/East running here in AZ this morning. Temps were cooler (79) but the humidity and dew point were the same as the temperature. I was 100% saturated after 6 miles. I drank 30 oz of water during the run and still lost four pounds during the run. As far as the run my calves and hamstrings were just slightly tight from the race yesterday but overall my legs felt pretty good.

Derek's workout: Did 8 miles close to 7:10 pace then 6 x 100sh strides. Nicer morning today. Lower temps stayed but humidity left. My legs were more sore today than yesterday so I kept it close to recovery pace. Strides felt great.

PM: 5 easy miles 7:38 pace on the way home from work. Felt good to get loose.

AM: Ten With Tempo 10 mi 6:21 pace

Felt a little flat this morning. I caught the kids' cold it feels like. Plan was to do last 4 at marathon effort which I thought would be around 5:55-6. I ran the first 6 about 6:40 pace then last 4 were 5:52,5:52,5:50,5:51. I was fast but those last 4 felt more like half marathon effort. Solid run overall though. I'm on Twitter now. Follow me @derekdelancey

PM: 5 miles easy. Didn't feel so bad out for the middle of the day. Nice run. No watch.

AM #1: 8 easy miles around the neighborhood a few times. Legs felt good and weather was nice this morning.

AM#2: 5 miles including strides. Ran in the middle of work (perk of family business) on the canal in Phoenix. The weather still felt nice for 9am. I did about 4.5 at 7:30 pace then some strides.

AM: 10 miles. Warmed up about 4 miles including drills and strides then did 10 x 300 w/100 walks. Splits were consistent between 51.5-low 52. Walks were 65-70 secs. Tough workout but very enjoyable. I felt good out there this morning. I had been reluctant to run at the track in the dark but it was definitely light enough for me. Cooled down about 3.5 miles.

6 miles easy this morning. Day off work, headed to the mountains for cool air and fun with the family!

10.76 miles at 6400 ft in Show Low, AZ. I did 2 x 1.15 miles at 10k effort over se nice hills. Started and finished in the same spot but I would guess close to 1000 ft elevation gain and loss. Good run.

15 miles in Show Low, AZ. Nice hilly long run. Felt pretty good today. Got out about 30 min before sunrise so u had some really nice scenery/views during the run. Avg. 6:50 pace. Nice cool air up here.

AM: 8.2 mile recovery run in Showlow. 55sh degrees and cloudy. Perfect. I also saw three elk which was cool.

PM:5 miles. Drove home from the mountains and unpacked then went for a 4.5 mile run with some strides. 50 degrees hotter than my morning run.

AM: Road 800s. Tough workout. Did 8 x 800 w/2 min recovery jogs. Splits were 2:33,2:33,2:31,2:33,2:33,2:33,2:34,2:33. Last few were quite tough. I warmed ip 2.85 miles with a few drills and strides. Cooled down about 1.7 miles until I hit 10 miles. I'm pleased with the workout in this weather.

PM: 5 easy miles on the way home from work. Very hot. No watch.

AM: 8 miles easy 7:22 pace. Felt tired and sluggish and warm/muggy conditions certainly didn't help.

AM#2: 5 miles easy 7:30 pace. Got to run from work and get it done early. Felt better on this run despite it being hotter out.

AM: Tempo Miles 10.15 06:16 pace

Warmed up 2.8 miles with drills and strides then did 5x1 mile on the road w/1 min recovery jogs. Splits were 5:35,5:35,5:34,5:34,5:31. I cooled down about 1.85 miles after. I was hoping this would feel a little more comfortable but it was hard. Good threshold workout though and one workout closer to better weather.

Planned off day. Needed it. Got to sleep in and get some fresh legs.

AM: 16.14 miles: Did 7 miles at about 6:55 pace then straight into 2 x 2 mile in 10:47, 10:50 w/mile recovery jog (7:25) in between. I then went straight back into 4 + miles at 6:40sh pace to finish. I'm pretty happy with this run. I knew the pickups would be tough given how the effort felt at 5:35 pace on Thursday. The pickups ended up feeling pretty good though although the last mile of the second one was tough. I felt good and tired at the end of the run but not dead like I thought I may feel with the humidity. The last four miles I still felt strong. Now it's time to relax and watch the Olympics! Avg 6:28 for the whole run.

PM: 4 miles 7:43 pace on the treadmill. Testing out a double on long run day. I hope it helps.

8.43 miles w/8 easy then some strides. When I finished at 6 am my daughter was just waking up so she came out and did strides with me. She's just 4 yrs old so it's cool that she wants to come out and run with me.

AM: 8 miles nice and early. Legs felt great but rough conditions. Extremely humid this morning. I was drenched and had to change clothes in order not to puddle up the floor during pushups and core. Avg. 7:01 pace

PM: 5 miles easy on the canal. This heat is wearing me out. Hopefully I'll feel fresh in the morning. I've got a tough workout planned.

AM: 11 miles: Tough workout today. Warmed up 2.7 miles w/drills and strides then did 5 x 1 mile on the road w/3 min recovery jogs. Splits were 5:17, 5:16, 5:18, 5:20, 5:20. First couple were comfortable, third one was hard, and last two were extremely difficult. It's not good to have to work that hard to hit the goal time (5:20) but my competitive side kicked in. I cooled down 2 miles after and felt good and wiped out which actually felt good:)

PM: 5 miles easy on the way home from work. 7:33 pace.  Ran in the heat but it wasn't too bad.  I was surprised my legs felt as good as they did after the tough workout this morning.

AM: 8 miles easy 7:17 pace. Felt okay.

PM: 4.5 miles: No watch today. Didn't really want to do this run but I decided to stop on the way home and just get it done. I ended up feeling really good the last two miles and then I did strides on the grass which felt awesome. Sometimes you've just got to get started.

AM: 13 miles:

Did 6+ miles outside then came in for a hill workout on the treadmill. The workout was 10 x 2 min on/jog at 10.5 mph and 3.0 incline w/2 min jog at 7.5 mph. After a few intervals the buttons on the treadmill were sticking so I had to hop off after each fast interval and reset the treadmill. I wasn't jogging during this time but the rests were probably less than two minutes. All I know is that I did do 10 x 2 min at 10.5 and 3.0 which was a good solid workout. After that I went outside and cooled down about 2.5 miles. My best estimate is 13 miles for the day.

Planned off day. Honestly it was kind of excruciating to be up in the mountains and not run. However my history tells me I need one day off a week to run my best. At 6 am I had been up for two hours, had 3 cups of coffee and wasn't quite sure what to do (I guess I'm not very good at the no running on vacation thing). Then he kids woke up and took care of that.

AM:18.44 miles: Yes we're in Show Low once again. Our last time this summer. Can't beat the 60 degree running temps and the kids love the forest. I got out before sunrise because Allison and I both had 18 miles today and that's almost 5 hours of running between the two of us. Someone has to be at the cabin w/the kids but that's just what we have to do. Anyway had a great run and watching the sunrise over the mountains is always awesome. I planned on taking this one easier but I always seem to push up the hills. Oh well, great training especially at 6300 ft. I was pretty tired by the end of this one. Can't wait to watch the 10k today. Go Rupp!

PM: 4 miles: Wow! That 10k was awesome! One of the better races I've ever watched. I was on the fence about running again and that race pushed me over the edge. Hard not to be on a high after that. I found a new dirt road to run on out in the forest and I heard a ton of gunfire which had to have been from hunters. During my third mile it was getting too close for comfort and I sped up to get out of the area. Anyway, it was a mostly easy 4 and put a nice topping on a great running day.

9.59 miles: Got out really early so we could watch the marathon as close to live as possible. I didn't like running in Show Low in the dark. The street wasn't lit very well and you never know what animals you'll run into (today skunk and yesterday fox). Didn't feel great today but I got it in and didn't push at all (I could tell I couldn't have if I wanted to. I was really happy when this run was over and I'll be okay with no hills for a few days. Avg. 7:27 pace

AM #1: 8 miles without looking at the watch.  Had it on but didn't peek.  I didn't feel great Sunday so I wanted to run off feel today.  I ran easy and my legs felt good.  Avg. 7:03 pace.

AM #2: 4.65 miles easy.  Since I run so early I can get run #2 in at 9:30 and still get 5.5 hours between the end of my first run and the start of my next run.  No watch on this one.

AM: 12 miles: Another tough workout. Warmed up about 3 miles including drills and strides then did 10 x 1k in 3:25, 3:26, 3:25, 3:29, 3:27, 3:26, 3:27, 3:28, 3:27, 3:24. The goal was 3:30 so I was a little fast. I did 200m jogs in between each one in 1:05-1:10. This was a long and mentally tough workout. It felt really hot this morning as well (probably because it was). I'll take it though. Good solid workout for the half marathon. On a side night I signed up for CIM last night so I'll be giving the marathon another shot.

PM: 4 miles easy on the way home from work.  Hottest run of the summer.  Great day for the US at the Olympics!

10 miles easy avg 7:14 pace. Elected for a single longer run this morning. Running in the afternoon is getting so tough because of the heat and I just wanted a break from it. I was happy to just be done for the day after work.

About 12 miles avg. 6:23 pace. Did 7 miles at about 6:45 pace then went straight into a 5 mile tempo. Splits were 5:53, 6:00, 5:52, 5:51, 5:50. The tempo part felt somewhere between half marathon and marathon effort. I really wanted to feel in control and I did so I'm happy with this one. Overall I fellt pretty good today despite these insane running conditions. It was 116 yesterday! I read a very interesting article on the marathon training approach of Renato Canova last night from the latest issue of Running Times. I recommend it.

8 miles w/12 x 200 w/200 jogs. I did this on the street in front of my house so I set the Garmin to auto lap at .13. Just a tad longer than 200. Splits were all 33-34 which I where I was aiming. I love 200 workouts because they make you feel fit and fast with little wear on the body. I warmed up three miles and cooled down 2 miles. Good workout today!

I had a day off of running yesterday which usually completely freshens me up but I was still a little tired and unmotivated this morning. Yesterday I spent some time looking at my past training and it helped me to realize some things about my current training. Last year in the fall when I was setting a lot of PRs I was running 55-65 miles per week and I remember feeling really good. As I worked my way up to the marathon in the spring a had 5-6 weeks in the mid 80s and I peaked at 90. When I came back from the marathon a couple months ago I was back in the 80s after four weeks and I've been feeling tired. I am not the high mileage that I think I am quite yet and it's starting to show up in how I'm feeling. Just because I ran a handful of weeks in the 80s for the marathon doesn't mean that that should be my normal mileage now. I think I'm better off with 70-75 right now building up towards 90 as I peak for the marathon in the fall. Also, it's extremely hot here and running some of the doubles I was doing may have been doing more harm than good. Anyway, I'm glad I realized this now before I experience total burnout. I will be cutting back next week with a half marathon but I hope to find a nice weekly mileage on the 70s that doesn't tire me out. Always learning!

16+ mile long run avg. 6:50 pace. Got out nice and early to beat the heat and to watch the marathon (recorded). Started out sluggish for the first 5 miles but after I took a GU at 5 I started feeling pretty good and I was running 6:50sh pace pretty comfortably the rest of the way. My goal was to not push this long run today. I decided to let loose the last mile for a fast finish and I ran a surprising 5:08 which was happy with until I came in and watched the marathon where that would have been the slower than all their miles.

8 easy miles a little bit quicker than normal.

8.33 miles: I'm running the AFC Half Marathon this weekend so I did one last race specific workout. Did 5 x 1200 in 4:12,4:14,4:11,4:14,4:13 with 1/4 mile jogs between. The workout felt nice and controlled and felt slightly faster than HM effort. Good workout for me heading into the race.

8 miles easy around the neighborhood a few times avg. 7:11 pace. Legs are starting to feel fresh.

8 miles with 4 miles warm up then straight into 10 x 1 min on/off with on at 5:25-5:30 pace and "off" around 7:30 pace.  One last little workout before Sunday's half marathon.  I'm feeling just okay going into the race and I'd be happy with anything under 1:15.  It's hard to tell exactly where my fitness is at with the heat here in Arizona.

Easy 4 miles + strides. Racing a half marathon in San Diego Sunday. 1:14-1:15 is the target. We'll see!

1:17:34 21st place and 3rd or 4th age group. It was a tough day. It was hot here in San Diego and even though I train on the heat it was still tough. I knew it was hot so I was conservative but I just couldn't go as fast as I wanted today. The nasty hills at the end were tough as usual. Everyone ran much slower than they hoped and it was just one of those tough weather days. I ran hard and gave it my all and after looking at my splits I ran a pretty smart race. I actually placed pretty well (21st) and was 3rd or 4th in my age group. I wish I would have run faster but I can't be upset with an honest effort in tough conditions. Now I get to enjoy a great day in San Diego!

6.19 miles 8:22 pace

Nice relaxing and enjoyable recovery run with Allison. Cool seeing the views of downtown San Diego from the harbor. My legs are sore but not too bad so that was nice.

6 miles easy + some strides. Pretty sore this morning. Strides felt really good though.

6 miles easy again. Legs are still a bit sore from the race. I think I'll be all good by tomorrow.

AM: 10.22 miles Got outside and there was lightning everywhere. I thought about the treadmill for a second but I thought if I were to do die I'd be doing something I love to do. As for the run I ran a moderate 5 at about 6:40 pace then went into a five mile tempo with splits of 6:01,5:56,5:53,5:57,5:57. That was harder than I wanted it to be but it felt good to get after it again.

PM: 4 miles easy no watch.  Pretty warm and muggy.

Full report from last weekend's AFC Half Marathon

9.96 miles: Warmed up 3.5 miles including drills and 4 strides then I did 16 x 200 w/200 jogs. Ran them between 33-35 and ran the recoveries in about 1:05. This was a fairly tough workout because of the heat and humidity. I did them on the roads with my auto lap set at .13. I was starting and ending at the same spot so the Garmin was atleast consistent if not accurate. It felt good to get my legs turning over again. I cooled down about 2.5 miles afterwards.

Long Run 20.05 mi 02:22 07:04 pace

My main goal was just to get time on my feet and not push at all. I accomplished my goal but it was still tiring. It was another warm and muggy morning which didn't help. The good news is that my legs felt good and I generally felt strong throughout with the exception of a few rough patches. Overall good first 20 miler of cycle.

about 3 hours ago

6 easy then some strides. Felt good today considering a bunch of quality days at the end of last week.

AM: 9 miles w/mile repeats on the road. Great workout today. Warmed up 2.8 miles w/drills and strides then did 4 x 1 mile w/3 min jogs in between. Splits were 5:04, 5:09, 5:10, 5:08 and recovery jogs were run about 9 min pace. Cooled down about 1.25 miles after. I was a little scared I wouldn't be able to hit 5:10 pace because I did 5 x 1 mile just under 5:20 pace about a month ago and it was pretty hard. I guess this is a good sign of progress. What do people think of the Ogden Marathon. I'm thinking of entering the lottery. I went to school at Weber State so I know the area but I live in AZ now.

PM: 4 miles easy on the way home.  Freestone Park.

Easy 8 + strides today.  Started off slower than normal and ended a little faster than normal for an easy day.  As usual, it felt great to loosen up my legs with strides.

I wrote a post on our blog about increasing mileage and being careful not to "chase" high mileage.  Worth a read if your thinking about increasing mileage.

http://www.azparentsontherun.com/2012/08/chasing-miles.html

AM: Treadmill Hills 10 mi No hills by my house so I warmed up 4 miles outside including drills and strides and then got on the treadmill. I did 4 x 5 min at 10.3 mph and a 3.0 incline w/3 min jogs in between. Good solid workout.  10kish effort.  Cooled down 2 miles after.

PM: 4 miles easy at Freestone Park on the way home + 4 x 10 sec hill sprints up a short steep hill.

10.5 Miles avg. 6:44 pace.  I did 5 easy then 5 moderate then 6 strides.  I felt pretty good today despite the warm and humid conditions.  Completely drenched after this one. 

Fall racing schedule is up on our blog

Ran about 5 miles then went straight into 8 x 1 mile w/1 min jogs. Goal was 5:45 for those. Actual splits were 5:42,5:39,5:42,5:41,5:41,5:41,5:42,5:34. This one looked tough on paper since I just ran 5:55 pace for the half marathon a couple of weeks ago. The first few were pretty easy, middle few was working, and the last 3 felt like I was in the latter stages of a half marathon. I'm pretty happy with this one given the hot an humid conditions. I feel like things are coming around for me. Cooled down until I hit 16.

8+ easy then some strides.  Got to sleep in until 4 today which was nice.  Got a run in and done before the kids got up.  Mom and Dad not at work and not out running when the kids wake up is a big deal.

AM: 10 miles: Warmed up about 3.5 miles with drills and strides then did 8 x 800 w/2 min jogs in between. Splits were 2:30,2:29,2:29,2:29,2:29,2:29,2:29,2:30. Cooled down about 1.5 miles after. I'll take this one. I ran by myself but it was great to get out to the track with other people for the first time in a long while.

PM: 4 miles: The normal easy four on the way home from work at Freestone Park.  Felt way better than I was expecting.  I could feel that morning workout in my legs throughout the day.

8.5 miles easy including strides

AM: 12 miles 6:23 avg. A hot and hard one! Hopefully this is one last punch in the gut from the weather. 87 with 67 dew point at 3 am. I ran 7 miles quickly getting into a moderate effort and down to 6:30 pace for miles 6,7 before going straight into a five mile tempo with splits of 5:57,5:58,5:49,5:51,5:56. The tempo portion started pretty comfortable and then I got a nice boost from a GU I took at mile 7 for a couple of faster mikes but then I actually started to fade a bit in the last mile and I was definitely tired and ready to be done. I'm happy to get a good solid run in these conditions.

PM: 4.13 miles w/4 easy + 4 x 10 sec hill sprints.  Legs felt good.

Speed intervals: Did some shorter faster intervals this morning with close to full recoveries. Workout was 8 x 400 near mile race pace w/400 recovery jogs. Splits were 70,70,68,68,67,69,68,67. Recovery jogs were about 2:10-2:15. This was a good workout. I felt pretty smooth today for that speed. Warmed up about 4 miles with drills and strides and cooled down 2 miles. Cooler weather today (77) but extremely humid.

18 mile long run: I hadn't done a long run with the group for a while and I actually had two group runs to choose from. As usual, I opted for the earlier run and ran with the Bandidos down on the Phoenix Canal. I knew a couple of guys that also had 18 on the schedule so it worked out well. I started out very slow but I was just talking with people and not really paying attention to pace. We were pretty easy for the first 10 and then I noticed a pickup in the pace after that. We went up 32nd St. twice on the way back in for some hill work. All in all a good solid long run and the conclusion of a week that had lots of quality for me. I don't think I would have done well on a hard long run today. It was great to run with people I hadn't seen for a while. Avg. 7:09 pace

6 miles easy with strides in the last mile

AM: Warmed up about 2.25 miles w/drills and strides then did 5 x 2k (1.25 Garmin) w/3 min jogs on the roads. Thought was 10kish pace. Splits were 6:39,6:37,6:37,6:40,6:36. I wanted to be around 6:40 so this was a good one. It was getting tough the last couple but 5:20 pace is feeling much smoother than it did a month ago. Temperature was much better (73) but extreme humidity left me 100% soaked.

PM: 4 miles easy

8 miles recovery + strides. Legs were tired this morning.

Ran about 9 miles then I changed into my new Saucony Fast Twitch shoes which I will wear for CIM in Decemer. They felt great. I ran another mile before finishing the last five with a progression tempo run. Goal was start at 6:10 and come down about 10 seconds every mile finishing around 5:30. Splits for that portion were 6:07,6:00,5:45,5:37,5:26. It felt really good and even easier than my recent tempo runs around 5:55 pace have felt. Good sign for sure. Better weather helps. Have a great day!

20.43 miles: Plan today was 20 miles with 5x3 miles in sub 18 with mile recovery in between. I warmed up just 1 mile an then went straight into the workout which felt very awkward at first but in order to not do too much mileage that's I what I had to do. This is one of the best long runs I have ever done. The break up of the mileage made it easy to focus mentally on the smaller segments. I kept the recovery miles at my normal recovery day pace to keep things honest. The weather was great and I never had the feeling I was hitting the wall. Idea was marathonish effort. This was a great way to get 15 miles in atmarathin effort. Here are the splits:

1 mile warmup 6:52

5:53, 5:57, 5:55 (17:45)

7:00 Recovery

5:55,5:58,5:55 (17:47)

7:16 Recovery

5:55,5:58,5:58 (17:51)

7:08 Recovery

5:58,5:58,5:56 (17:52)

7:23 Recovery

5:54,5:55,5:44 (17:33)

.43 jog in at 7:12 pace

6:15 avg for the run

8 easy + strides.  First mile was sluggish but after that I felt pretty good.  I was happy with how I felt today after yesterday's run.  I can't believe the Cardinals beat the Patriots. Wow!

8 miles easy with 6 short pickups in the last mile (basically strides).

AM: 10 miles Warmed up 4 miles with some drills and strides then did 4x1 mile w/3 min rest. Splits were 4:55,4:56,4:58,5:01. First rest period was jogging and the last two were walking. I was going for 4:55 but that was biting off a little more than I could chew at that pace. I'm still very happy with this workout and it's the fastest I have ever done mile repeats. I cooled down with two easy miles in the opposite direction around the track.

PM: 4 miles easy.  Legs actually felt pretty good considering this morning was pretty tough. 

Typical 8 miles easy + strides.  Not too exciting today.

AM: 12 miles on the Phoenix Canal with a group of six.  We had a nice group for 4:30 am.  We just ran at a nice easy conversational pace. 

PM: 4 miles easy then 8x 10 second steep hill sprints with a walk down recovery.  I'm glad I didn't do anything too intense today.  I could tell I wasn't all the way recovered from Tuesday yet.

A shorter long run today but with a large chunk at a faster pace. Goal was sub 59 for the last 10 miles. Turned out to be 58:40. I thought this would feel easier than it did. It was never easy right from the start but it never got too difficult either. Kind of a weird run. I picked it up a little the last few miles but I really didn't feel like I had a ton left to offer as far as picking up the pace towards the end. All in all a very good run just a little harder than I was expecting. Warmed up 6 at about 6:55 pace then splits for 10 mile portion were: 5:56,5:57,5:54,5:53,5:53,5:53,5:53,5:51,5:50,5:41. Jogged home .3 or so very slowly. Avg. 6:17 for the run.

8 easy + strides. Felt good today.

A friend of ours ends his 923 day run streak today. His father died on 9/23 a few years ago. When he started he didn't know that 923 days would fall on 9/23. Amazing. Anyway it's a great story and he is having a celebration run to end his streak today. Check out his blog:

www.mcdowellmountainman.com

Another easy 8 today.  Legs felt really good so this is a good sign.

AM: 9 miles: Warmed up 2.8 miles with some strides and drills then did 6 x 1k w/200 jogs. Splits were 3:06,3:07,3:08,3:06,3:07,3:06 and I kept the jogs to 1:00-05. I felt pretty good throughout although the last two the legs were burning. I'm feeling more and more comfortable running 5 min pace. This was a good workout heading into 5k Saturday. Cooled down about 1.75 after. Wore my new A5s today. Felt great!

PM: 4 miles easy

8 miles easy.  Had nice weather this morning.  We're almost into the 60s in the mornings.  It feels so good.  I can't wait to see what 55 feels like. 

6 miles easy + strides to get ready for 5k tomorrow.  Feeling pretty fresh going into this one.  I'm hoping for a sub 16 and a road PR on a legit course. 

9.5 miles total this morning: Really happy with this race. I've been wanting to go under 16 for a long time and I finally did it! I went after from the start today so it hurt early but I train for the pain so I was all in today. I was in the lead at the first mile but I could hear plenty of footsteps. Right when we passed one mile(5:03) two guys passed me and I went with them. I was feeling pretty comfortable with this position and the pace even got a touch faster for a bit. I had my watch set on km (.62) alerts and I was trying to keep everything under 3:10. We came through the two mile right around 10:07 and at that point Norberto Robles had one more gear that I didn't have. I still finished the last part at close to 5 min pace. The course was long by .07 which is a little longer than normal but that part is what it is. I came through 5k in 15:38 on my watch. My km splits were 3:05.88,3:08.53,3:04.24,3:06.81,3:12.58. The extra .07 was 17 seconds (4:23 pace). Really happy with the race but a little frustrated with the timing (right now I have a 16:20 next to my name). I ended up 2nd about 15 seconds behind 1st and the same ahead if 3rd.  Allison won the women's race in about 17:20. 

They have fixed the results so 15:55 was the official time.  Allison was 17:20

20 mostly easy miles.  20 miles is never "easy" but I kept the pace relaxed most of the way.  I picked it up a little the last few miles but not too fast.  I was really pleased with the way my body felt after racing yesterday.  It was just a 5k but usually I'm sore and today I felt pretty good.

Blog on yesterday's race

6 easy + 4 strides. A little stiff and sore to start but loosened up nicely and felt good by the end.

AM: 8 miles: No stiffness or soreness this morning but legs probably a day away from fresh. Just one workout this week and a race on Sunday. Nice cool air this morning. 7:03 avg.

PM: 4.25 miles: 4 miles in 29 min then 8 x a 10 second steep hill sprint.  Last time I did these my heart rate was so high and it took about 7 or 8 minutes to feel recovered after.  After the 1st one today I had the same feeling.  I figured out that I wasn't taking quick enough breaths and it was like I was holding my breath.  After I figured that out things went much better.  I'm not used to breathing like that when running.  Now I know why the 100m sprinters are so out of breath during their post race interviews. 

10 miles: Last workout before race this weekend. I was excited for this one because I haven't done a lot of half marathon pace stuff and I wanted to see how the pace felt. I've done a lot of faster (5k pace) and marathon pace stuff lately. Anyway workout was 6 x 1200 w/400 jogs. Splits were 4:05,4:06,4:10,4:10,4:09,4:09. Kept jogs to two minutes. First two were too fast then I settled in to the correct pace. This was harder than I wanted it to be. Maybe I was just expecting too much. Good workout. Just need good weather this weekend.

8 miles easy

6 easy miles + strides. Felt very good this morning. I'm ready to race tomorrow and after feeling a little flat early in the week I feel good now. My goal is to start with a couple of 5:40 miles and hope that feels easy. After that I plan on picking it up a notch to the 5:35 range. If all goes well my goal is 1:12:30-1:13:30. We'll see. Right now people are about an hour into the St. George Marathon. Can't wait to hear how everyone did.

Ok. So we got back home and the results are finally up. 1:13:53 and 7th place. Here is my novel I wrote on the plane:
Sun: 18 miles w/Long Beach Half Marathon
2 miles warmup w/ Allison then the typical drills and only time for a couple of strides. I felt really good going in. My goal was to start off with two miles around 5:40 then pick it up after that and hope for a strong finish. I ended up executing the plan very well. The weather wasn't bad but it wasn't close to ideal either. It was 65 w/ 90% humidity and sunny. I never thought "damn this is hot" but it definitely was a little warm and not PR weather. At one mile a guy came along side me and asked what I was going for. I told him sub 1:13:30 and he said he would try to stay with me. He quickly fell back right after that. The first two miles were 5:41 and 5:40 just as I had planned. I wouldn't say these were easy but they were very comfortable. After that I picked it up and would say that I was running hard the rest of the way. That guy who came along side at mile 1 showed back up at mile 5 and we ran the rest of the race together literally till the last step. There were a bunch of miles in the 5:34-5:40 range and I was pretty much running just slower than lactate threshold which was perfect. My thoughts were pretty positive but it was tough and I knew I was working hard. The course goes along a bike path with the ocean right there from miles 6.5 -9.5 which sounds awesome but that was probably the toughest part of the course for me because it was a long straight and not many spectators. I was using the turn around at 10 miles as a landmark because we would be heading towards the finish at that point and the crowds would be better. There is a small gradual hill from 10.25-11.25 and I managed that pretty well. Although I was tired I knew I was setting up for a decent finish as the last 1.5 miles had a nice gradual down hill. My PR is 1:13:30 (5:37 pace) and I was right on that with a mile to go. I started pushing as hard I could and that guy and I ran stride for stride. It was nice to have somebody right there to help push me. At the final turn to the finish I sprinted (relative) and started to pull away from my running partner. When I saw the clock for the first time I was shocked that it already said 1:13:30. I thought that I had a PR. I had a nice finish but my running partner came back on me and beat me to the line in the last couple of steps. All certified courses are long but this one was an extra .12 and that cost me a lot of time. On my watch I was 5:35 pace but I can't claim this as a PR. I was really happy with my effort today running a large portion of the race right on the edge and still having a strong finish.
Splits:
5:41
5:40
5:34
5:36
5:36
5:33
5:39
5:39
5:37
5:34
5:39
5:36
5:29
.22 1:02:44 (4:48 pace)

My wife won the women's race in a low 1:19 which was cool. We got to go into the VIP tent and she did all the media stuff. I was very proud! I'm really happy with my effort today and I don't think I could have run any better. I think I can shave at least a minute off my next one with cool dry weather and another few weeks of training.

6 slow miles. Felt stiff and old. Not really sore just creaky.

8 miles easy + strides. Felt way better today. I'm pleasantly surprised with my recovery from the race. I should be ready for a light workout tomorrow. Strides always make me feel nice and loose.

10.1 miles: Warmed up a few miles with the normal drills, strides, skips then I did 16 x 400 w/45 -50 second jogs. I probably averaged 79 seconds. This was a good workout to get back into it after the race with a challenging but not grueling effort. I cooled down a couple of miles after. I watched the new ESPN documentary 9.79 about Ben Johnson/Carl Lewis. I thought it was really good. Check it out if you get a chance. Basically and not surprisingly, everyone was on something and wearing braces.

AM: 12 miles: Felt great this morning and ran an up tempo 12 at a decent pace and threw in a two mile tempo (11:34) during miles 8,9.  Legs felt fresh and I feel completely recovered from the half marathon.

Race Recaps from Long Beach and lots of pictures on our blog

18 miles: Mostly easy miles with 10 x 1 min on/off at 5:20-5:30 pace thrown in at 14 miles.  6:45 avg. for the run.  Perfect weather this morning (low 50s and dry).  I don't even feel like I ran today.  What a difference from a month ago.

10 miles: Kind of a short but fast little workout this morning. Warmed up 4.5 miles with skips, high knees, and butt kicks, and strides (the usual for speed days) then did 8 x 400 w/400 jogs. 66,69,67,68,68,69,66,67 were the splits. Felt good today. I'm really happy with how I felt this week after the half. I've got a big training week next week that I'm looking forward to.

8 miles easy with strides in the last mile. Feeling really good lately. Time to be careful and not get greedy.

AM: 11 miles: I was really looking forward to this workout. I knew it would be tough but it's a great indicator of my fitness. The workout was written down as 3 x 2 mile in 10:40 w/4 min jogs. I did my usual warmup of 2.8 w/ drills and strides. Actual splits were 10:34,10:34,10:34. That looks pretty but I started off too fast with a 5:11 and had to slow to a 5:22 for the second mile in order not to blow up. The next two sets were more consistent (5:16,5:17) and 5:18,5:15. I did have to dig on the last mile. Recovery jogs were 8 min pace. Good solid workout today.I'm happy with this one.

PM: 4 miles easy at the park.  Legs were tired from the morning session but it felt good for me to loosen up.  It's much easier for me to get up before 3 am and knock out the tough workouts than it is to stop on the way home for these shakeouts. 

8 easy miles on the canal in Phoenix.

AM: 13 miles: Hills 06:35 pace

Ran from work in the dark and headed up to the canal and did 3 x up and down 32nd st to Lincoln. It's about 100 ft up over a mile. Went up in 6:15,6:01,6:00 and ran down at long run effort. Good solid run today. Hill portion was tough. My daughter turns five today. Wow that was fast! Also, big game for ASU tonight v Oregon. Go Devils!

PM: 4 miles easy on the way home. Well, that game didn't go as hoped.

9 + miles at recovery pace then 6 x 100ish strides.  Legs were tired today but strides felt great.

22 miles avg. 6:09: Today was one of the biggest workouts I will do before the marathon. 5x3 mile at 5:50 pace with 1 mile jogs between each one was the plan. 3 mile portions were 17:27,17:29,17:23,17:21,16:58. The mile jogs were all in the 7-7:10 range. This was a great workout for me and a confidence builder for sure. None of the faster stuff felt easy but I never felt in trouble either. Also, the fact that I was able to close with a 5:31 mile when I was already very tired was encouraging. I did this same workout about 5-6 weeks ago and today was much faster with the same effort. Have a great weekend everyone! I'm already focusing on recovery from this one. I'll need a few days of easy running I'm guessing.

8+ miles very slowly and then did 6 x 100+ strides.  Legs were stiff and tired today.  I didn't feel normal for about 6 miles which is kind of what I expected after yesterday.  The strides felt great to loosen me up.

6 miles easy. Another day to absorb Saturday's stimulus. Easy miles.

AM: 13 miles: 2.8 warmup and a mile or so cool down. Drills and strides in there. Kind of a monster workout this morning. 12 x 1k w/200 jogs. I haven't done any math but I probably averaged 3:22. I ran he first one in 3:19 and the last in 3:16 but other than that I was consistently 3:22-23. The pace felt pretty comfortable but the number of reps and short rest made it a tough workout. I really like this workout as a "strength" workout with about 7.5 miles of running at threshold pace.

PM: 4 miles easy.  Fatigued legs but nice to get loose.

9.6 miles including strides

15 miles: Medium long run today and I threw in a couple of different things to mix it up. I did a two mile pickup during miles 7-8 in 11:27 then I jogged a couple of miles and did 5 x 1 min on/off at 4:55-5:05 pace starting at 10 miles. Kinda of a tough run. My body is tired and I'm ready for a day off tomorrow.

A little bit of turnover 10 mi 01:06 06:37 pace

Warmed up about 4 miles then I did 10 x 200 w/200 jogs averaging about 33. I felt pretty smooth today for that pace. I ran another few miles after that. Legs felt pretty good today after a day off yesterday.

20.19 miles: Didn't think it was going to be a great day because I started off feeling kind of blah. However, I just needed to warm up and then I was fine. I ran the first 15 miles at around 6:45 pace and then the plan was the last 5 starting around 5:55 an lowering 5 seconds each mile and running the last mile all out. After 15 I changed into my Saucony Fastwitch shoes and ran 5:52,5:45,5:41,5:35,5:02 for the last 5 miles. I saw that I was close to breaking 5 min with a half mile to go but I just didn't have enough to do it. I was still really happy with that 5:02 though. I wasn't expecting that. All in all I was pleased with the run.

Last week I had a nice conversation on this blog with Jake and Riley.  This prompted me to write a blog about marathon workouts I like.  Here is the link.

8 recovery miles.  I was feeling pretty tired and stiff yesterday afternoon so I was expecting the worst for this morning's run.  I was stiff and tired but felt much better than I was expecting so I was pleased.  I will take another light day tomorrow and I need it.  I'm feeling the effects of marathon training for sure now.

6 easy + strides. Busy day so just a shorty. Body needs it anyway.

Tempo Repeats: Warmed up 2.85 miles with drills and strides and drills then did 6 x 1 mile with 90 second jogs. Idea was half marathon effort with a goal of 5:30. Splits were 5:19, 5:27,5:24,5:25,5:26,5:24. I was fast but I felt really comfortable with these this morning and I felt like I could do a lot more. Weather was perfect. I cooled down just under two miles after.

9.45 easy miles

6 easy + strides. I'm doing a half marathon tomorrow and hoping for a PR.

Okay so here's the full report from today's half marathon. I though I could PR (1:13:30) and I really thought I could go under 1:13. My plan was start off at 5:35 for the first couple of miles and hopefully that would feel good and I could speed up a little bit. I got in a stress free warmup and besides feeling slightly sluggish everything about pre race was totally normal and good. I was in second place for the first couple of miles and moved into first in the third mile. About 4 miles in a guy (Nick Coury) pulled even with me and we ran together for the next four miles. I was consistently running 5:33-5:35 during this time and it was not easy. The course was a long straight and ever so slightly uphill during this stretch and it really helped to have someone there to push me. We made a u turn back towards downtown Phoenix at 8 miles and Nick pulled away from me here. He built about a 15-20 sec lead and then I kept it there. I was running faster now with the city getting closer and a slight downhill. I ran between 5:25 and 5:30 for the next few miles and by 11 miles I was closing the gap. Also, I was starting to feel stronger and stronger. At about 12 miles I passed Nick and went as hard as I could go the rest of the way. My 13th mile was 5:17 and I was really happy with the finish. I ended up with a winning time of 1:12:25 which was a 1:05 PR. The course was very flat and fast and the weather while warm for November was nice (60 and dry). This is a nice race for me with the marathon just 4 weeks away now. Splits (rounded):

5:35

5:35

5:41

5:23 (something happened w/GPS here but the avg of 3 and 4 is probably right)

5:34

5:34

5:35

5:36

5:25

5:30

5:31

5:28

5:17

53 seconds for .17 5:13 pace

1:12:25

6 painful miles with some major hip pain. 90% sure it's bursitis. First mile was almost running sideways. Should have stopped but I wanted to run until it felt better which it did get better but was still painful. Lots of icing and Aleve coming.

AM: 8 easy miles. Hip pain was still there but was much better. Aleve and ice is working. This week will be about staying healthy and absorbing the effort from the half marathon.

PM: 4.35 miles including 6 x100 stides in the grass at the end.  Really nice run and great weather.  Felt good to be out there.

10 miles pretty easy.  Hip hurt for a mile or so then felt good the rest of the way.  It's seems to be improving every day.

AM: 12.42 miles: Wasn't quite sure what I was going to do today but after 7 miles I was feeling pretty good so I did two miles at MP (11:38) then jogged a mile then did 5 x 1 min on/off at 5:00-5:10 pace. That little workout portion didn't feel easy today but my hip felt good so I'm really happy about that.

PM: 4.25 miles: 4 miles easy then 8 x 10 sec hill sprints

22 miles 6:28 pace: My last 22 miler is done! I wasn't the most excited for this run and when I was about to start at 6am and it was dark, cold, and windy I was thinking "great, I have to go run 22 miles in this. Where's the hot coffee?" However, this turned out to be a good one. This is a pretty tough, hilly run and I felt really strong today. I kept a solid sustained effort throughout and pushed the last two miles (the last 1.5 are a nice downhill). Those were 6:04, 5:21. This is the best run I have ever had at South Mountain. I was good and tired but I felt like I had some energy left in the tank for sure. My hip pain was minor and a non factor. I hope it stays that way. This run gives me confidence as far as my strength and endurance go. There were some tough hills there around mile 19 and 20 and it felt good to be able to push up them. Have a great weekend!

6 easy + strides

8 easy miles

AM: 11.1 miles: Whew! This was a hard one. Did 10 x 800 w/2 min jogs. Nothing easy or comfortable about this one today but I was happy with the splits. I think this workout is the Yasso 800 workout but I will not be running a 2:28-29 marathon as some people say the workout suggests. I warmed up 2.85 miles w/drills and strides and cooled down a little over a mile. Splits: 2:29 2:27 2:28 2:30 2:28 2:29 2:29 2:29 2:30 2:29 Hard!

PM: 4 miles easy.  Great weather and also last double of the cycle.  I'm happy about that.  Work has been busy and I'm usually just ready to be home instead of stopping for a run.

6 recovery miles on the canal in Phoenix.

Ran to the canal from work and did 3 x 32nd hil from the canal to Lincoln Rd.  Ran up hard and had splits of 6:00 for those miles.  Ran down at normal long run pace.  Legs felt tired on the hills today but I had a nice boost the last few miles on the way back to work.

8.3 miles with some HM to MP 1 min pickups in the last four miles.

16+ miles 6:09 pace: This was my last big training run of the cycle and last big marathon specific chunk. Goal was 16 with the last 10 at 5:45 pace and the last one all out. That pace is 5-7 seconds faster than I hope to run in two weeks. I've had a pretty tough week coming off a tough 22 last Sunday and my legs are feeling it. I didn't feel very bouncy today. I hit the goal time but I was dissapointed in the effort which was hard. This was was tough but Iat least I got the mental training of pushing through when it doesn't feel easy. Since I was already running faster than MP I needed to be more disciplined about staying right on or slightly slower than the planned pace with the effort I was giving. Splits for the last 10 miles:

5:40

5:41

5:43

5:43

5:44

5:44

5:44

5:42

5:42

5:27

Time for a burrito or pancakes or both.

8 miles: Warmed up my usual 2.8 miles including drills and strides then did 4 x 1k at goal 10k pace w/600 jog. Splits were 3:13,3:16,3:13,3:13. I wish it felt easier but it always seems like these little race pace intervals right before a race end up being a liitle harder than you think. I am running a 10k on Thanksgiving. Good luck to everyone running a Turkey Trot!

6 miles easy no watch.

Not the greatest race I've ever had but I'm not going to complain about a 40 second PR.  The pace just didn't feel easy even at the beginning and  I really had to hang on during the middle uphill portion of the course.  My splits were 5:22,5:17,5:20,5:28,5:30,5:21 and 4:44 pace for the last .2.  I had competition just ahead of me for 3rd place but I just didn't have enough to catch him in the end.  It was awesome to have my wife and kids out there watching and I won a turkey for my age group award.  All in all it was a great day and a great way to start the day. Now its taper time and just a little bit of marathon pace stuff left to go before next weekend.  I hope everyone had a great day!

6 miles easy.  Legs felt pretty good despite a hard race yesterday.

More easy running plus some strides.  

Last double digit run before CIM.  Got into a nice steady pace then changed into my Fastwitches and ran the last 4 in 5:44,5:44,5:42,5:42.  That part was just okay.  My legs feel good and everything seems to be feeling good heading into marathon week. 

No run today.  Part of the taper.

8 miles: Watch was dead so I ran to the track and did a little workout just to get locked into MP effort. I did 3 x 2k w/3 min jogs. For all of them I ran slightly slower than MP for a mile and the last quarter at 10k pace. So the splits were 7:13 (5:54,78), 7:15 (5:56,79), 7:15 (5:54,80). This workout felt nice and comfortable. Easy the rest of the week. I'm getting excited now.

6 miles easy.  Opted for a little extra sleep and ran after work.  

8 miles with 8 x 1 min on/off at 5:30 pace.

No run today. With my wife out of the marathon due to injury and horrible weather forecasted I have decided to not run at CIM and run The Tucson Marathon next week instead. It's an aided course but I feel better about that than running into a 25 mph headwind with a really slow time. I'm just being honest. Now for a retaper week.

12 miles w/ last 4 half marathon effort.  Since I switched marathons I have to do the taper week again.  With fresh legs I went a little faster on the last 4 than last week.  Last 4 were 5:39, 5:37, 5:38, 5:39.  Those weren't easy but it felt good to work and get the legs going.  My legs felt really good this morning so the first taper worked.  The weather in Sacramento looks terrible so I feel I made the right decision.  It will be interesting to see what happens in the race tomorrow at CIM.  I believe it will be a war of attrition.  It will be so mentally difficult to maintain a positive attitude in that wind and rain.  I think some slow times will win some good money and deservedly so.  

Ran 8 easy + strides then went to watch my sister PR in the half. Very proud of her. Watching a race is very inspiring. Lots if good results from CIM. Great day for running friends. Now it's my turn next week!

4 easy

8 miles: Last little bit of intensity: Kept the mileage low but added a little intensity this morning. I warmed up a couple miles then did 4 x 1 mile with 2 min jogs starting at marathon pace progressing down to under half marathon pace. 5:53,5:48,5:35,5:26. were the splits. Felt good!

6 miles easy on mostly dirt on the Phoenix Canal.  Feeling great and I'm excited to race this weekend.  My theme is patience, patience, patience! With the exception of the world's very best most good marathons are run by people who have patience in the beginning of the race.  

8 miles with 8 x 1 min pickups at HM pace.  I'm running a marathon this weekend in Tucson.  Here are some pre race thoughts.

4 easy miles + strides.  Just getting ready for the race.

Exciting day to say the least.  I went into the race feeling fresh and ready to go.  Most of the morning was pretty stress free.  Got to the bus on time, got bussed to the start, asked to get off the bus while we waited so I could go to the bathroom.  Took care of that then waited by the start for my coach John.  He was going to run the first half or so with me.  When I went to drop my bag at the bag drop I couldn't find my phone so I had to go back and look for it at the start but didn't see it.  That added some stress and took away my warmup but I really didn't care too much.  It was just a phone and it was a marathon so I didn't need to big of a warmup.  I normally do the lunge matrix and leg swing before every run but I didn't have time so I ran out a quarter mile, peed in the bushes and ran back to the start.  The first 1.5 miles are extremely downhill and John and I said no matter what no faster than 5:35.  We were 5:42 for the first mile and 5:54 for the second.  Those felt very easy and then the course was pretty tough for the next two miles. Some fairly steep ups and we were at 4500 ft.  Those were in the 5:50 range and there was some heavy breathing going on.  After 4 the course drops nicely until 10.  We were able to settle into 2nd place running very comfortable high 5:30s to low 5:40s miles.  At 10 miles we turned off the highway onto a side road out and back for 3 miles which was hilly.  John stopped running with me here at 10 miles. I knew this section was coming and would be tough.  My goal was to not worry about lost time here.  I could see the leader when he came back and I figured he was about a minute ahead of me.  I ran miles 11-13 in 5:57,6:09,5:47 and I was still feeling strong.  I came through half in about 1:15:30 and I was uncertain about how the rest of the race would go.  I wasn't feeling amazing or anything but not bad.  Also, when we got back on the highway at 13.5 there was another nice stretch of downhill.  My family was out there and I was seeing them every 2-3 which was awesome.  I was told that I was 70 seconds behind first place at 14 miles.  I would get those updates the rest of the race. I never had any really bad patches but this part of the race was long and lonely.  Most of the miles were around 5:45 during the next six miles and I was gaining about 5 seconds per mile on the leader.  By 18 miles I started to think I had a good chance to catch him.  At 20 miles the downhill really lightened up and it felt tough to go from downhill to "flat".  I could feel my quads suffering from the downhill but I felt like I was doing okay.  At 20 miles I had the lead down to  20 seconds and I started to think about winning the thing.  I remained patient and I knew that I still had plenty of time to catch him.  As the course flattened out at 20 my pace dropped to the low 5:50s but I still felt okay.  I finally caught him at 24 miles and as I passed him he said just pass me now I don't want to get nipped at the finish.  I thought that was a little strange but I didn't have much energy to think to much about it.  I just passed him and went on trying to keep it together.  Just after 24 we ran behind a shopping center which included a steep 50 ft hill.  It's not much at all but that really did me in.  I never really recovered from that and I felt like the last two miles became a crawl after that.  I had no idea how he was doing behind me.  It was weird to be in the lead and having people cheer me on and yet feel so weak at the same time. My quads were officially gone now and although 25,26 were 6:08,6:14 I felt like I was shuffling and slowly moving by the 2:30 half marathoners.  I heard footsteps just before mile 26 and he was back.  I knew this would be trouble.  I gave it everything I had to stay in front but he passed me.  My wife Allison was there and she ran along side of me screaming encouragement.  I could hear in her voice how bad she wanted it for me and I threw one last surge at him but my legs were gone and there was nothing there.  My legs were buckling.  He ended up putting 12 seconds on me in that last .25.  I staggered across the line and saw him throwing up.  I guess he earned it.  I was frustrated that I was so close and couldn't find more but the more I thought about it there was just nothing in my legs and I tried my hardest and that's all I can ask for.  This was about a 4 minute PR for me.  Yes, it's an aided course but so was my PR from St. George.  Even with the downhill it was still my best overall marathon performance.  It turned out to be a great training cycle with PRs in the 5k,10k,1/2 marathon, and marathon.  I'll take a break now and run mostly  easy until January.  The marathon is extremely difficult.  That's all I have to say.

Walked 1.25 miles in 30 minutes while my wife worked out in the hotel gym.  My legs are shredded.  I did some leg swing to try to loosen up but my range of motion on those was about 50%.  Hey, at least I did something.

45 minutes on the elliptical machine. Nice workout. Kind of a slight push the whole time. Feeling good.

Still no exercising this week but I wanted to share a blog I wrote about the things I learned from the marathon. I'm getting excited every Saturday now to hear about the Utah guys Saturday runs. It's very inspirational to hear about the big group going out and hammering these runs with 2:20-2:25 guys all over the place.  Sounds like fun.  Have another good one today guys.  I'll be back running in a couple days. 

4.2 easy miles: Really excited to run again after 8 days off. Just a nice easy run. Felt a little awkward and tight for a mile but loosened up nicely. It sure felt good to be running again!

6 easy miles. Felt good.

45 minutes steady effort on the eliptical

6 miles easy then some strides. Felt like a caged animal being released since I didn't run for a couple of days. I'm trying to be super conservative coming back from the marathon so it must be working if I'm itching to run. Anyway good run. About 6:40 pace.

8 easy miles around Gilbert. Got out nice and early. Happy to be done and spend extra time with the family. 6:50 pace and felt pretty good. 

6 easy + strides. Short run in the morning then headed to work. Busy day. 

I was able to get a quick run in between Christmas #2 and Christmas #3 for the kids. What a busy day. I'm glad to get back to normal. I'm excited for a little workout tomorrow.

Did my first track workout since the marathon. It was just a light workout but it was nice to get out there and run faster even though it felt a little funny. I can't wait to be back in shape. I did 3 x 1 mile w/3 min jogs in 5:23, 5:23, 5:18. It was hard enough but I could have done more. Good starting point. I was happy with it.

8 miles easy today around 6:50 pace. I finally feel like I'm getting back into a normal running groove again. My body felt pretty good after yesterday's little workout. I got the roll recovery R8 for Christmas and it's been awesome. It's like a foam roller on steroids. It hurts so good!

8.1 miles: Ran to the track and did 8 x 200 in 36 seconds with 200 jogs. Felt good to get some speed in. Nothing big or exciting about the workout but a good starting point from a speed standpoint. It was cold in Arizona this morning. We were about 32 degrees. Spoiled yes!

10 miles: Longest run since the marathon. Felt just okay today after being up a couple of times in the night with my son. I'm glad I got out there though. I pushed the last two miles in 12:05 (6:15,5:50) and that wasn't easy. It did feel good to push and have to mentally push through some discomfort. It's been a while. As usual it was a great way to start the day.

6 mile regeneration run and then 6 x 100 strides after. I felt tired today. I'm not sure if it was the 10 miles yesterday or following my son around asking him if he has to use the potty 200+ per day. I hope its the latter. Be safe tonight everyone. I will be going to bed at 8:30.