Relentless

afternoon - 7 Mall Trail/DI w/ Austin and Kimz.  Nice easy run to work out some of the stiffness.  Felt the pain just a little more than I had at the end of last week.  Then ran .5 w/ Ry and Lanes in stroller and Molly to the rec center for Ry's swim practice.  Dog did good, Ry wasn't so stoked (but she was mostly mad about going to swim).  (Cumulus blue 461.35)

AM - 5 Washington Loop.  Will be doing a couple light morning runs like this each week.  Pain was still there this morning and is kind of hanging on through the day.  I'm not sure why it is coming back but I need to continue to be careful.  (Landreth 515.4)

afternoon - 10 6x1000.  Warmed up w/ 2450 w/ Austin.  Then started up on the workout.  1-3:13 felt okay.  The pain was there again on the warmup at about the same minimal level, but didn't bug at all on the 1000's. 2-3:08 Austin joined me for this one.  Pace was a little quick and hurt me on the others, but it is so much easier to run these with someone and the pace was actually what I would like next time around. 3-6- times jumped to 3:20 give or take a second for the next four.  If some of the kids hadn't been there yelling at me, I may have stopped; but it is nice to have that feeling of completion of a hard workout.  Ended with DI cooldown.  (Stratus black  55.25)

afternoon - 6 Into Middleton and then Josh convinced us to go under the freeway - it was a long dark journey, but we made it with soaked shoes - then back by PVMS and up around DI.  Then drills, core stuff.  It is interesting doing this lower mileage stuff.  Sometimes I am wanting more, other days I am very happy with the little.  Pain was pretty minimal today.  (Landreth black 271.35)

evening - 8 Club run.  Went from new St. George Running Center location around the hospital run backwards with a few changes.  Then James and I continued on with DI to make it 8 for the evening.  Running from the new store will be nice as it is only 2 miles from home, but it will be the same runs I do everyday and with the traffic of the area which is good for business but not for running.  (Cumulus white 405.5)

afternoon - 12.5 10x400.  Warmed up w/ Kimz, Aust, and Danny on Dogpound reverse and a couple grass loops.  Then I hit the 4's. 1-3 were 1:14, then 4-6 at 1:15, back to 1:14 for 7, 8 was 1:15, then down to 1:14 again for 9 and 10; with a 200 jog 1:00 recovery between.  It brought me to the sad realization that I am no longer fast at all.  Oh well, that's life.  At least I was consistent (I guess that is why I run marathons).  Cooled down with 2450 and drills, core.  (Cumulus gold 76.9)

morning - 15 Little Black Mt.  Drove out to Warner Valley entrance and ran out toward Arizona.  I had tried to find a good loop last night, but everything was 20+ and I only wanted 15, so I just made it an out and backer across the state line and out past the pictographs.  Really nice morning, pretty cold out on the desert (only 24 at the start - and got colder for the first hour) but once I turned around it was nice.  Running on the trails and dirt roads out there is great.  (Landreth black 286.35)

Solid week.  Mileage was nothing big, just right where I want it.  It isn't too tought to keep it down, it is just nice!  Hard workouts aren't nearly as quick as I wish I could be, but like I said yesterday, that is just life.

Goals for next week:  Keep feeling solid.  I have come to the conclusion that if I can just keep the ab thing where it's at I will be alright - just no increase in discomfort.  I am going to try a few 1600's on Tuesday so that will be interesting.  Overall mileage right at the same as this week 55-60.

afternoon - 7.5 Shnobe Kibe.  Nice run w/ Austin and Kimz.  Felt decent.  (Startus bee 383.45)

afternoon - 11 3x1600.  Warmed up with Austin on the Fire Station desert run (6).  Then I got into my miles.  They really weren't that great.  1-5:22, 2-5:23, 3-5:30.  No matter what I tried I couldn't get under the 1:20/lap.  It's like I was stuck there.  On the third one, I kind of just lost my drive on the final two laps, but was at 2:40 for the 800.  I can't get too down on it.  But at the same time, I really should be quicker.  Over the last three weeks my 1000's, 2000's, and now 1600's have all been stuck at 1:20/lap pace.  I think the turnover is just gone.  Cooled down with DI.  (Stratus black 66.25)

afternoon - 8 Parkway w/ Kimz.  Legs a little shot and gut was turning a bit.  But Corey kept me going with some interesting conversation.  (Landreth 523.4)

evening - 7 Club Run.  Went w/ James, Logan, and Dustin down 2450 and onto Mosquito and then up into Washington via DogPound, under the freeway and the little connection to GreenSprings and back to the store.  A good run.  Legs felt a bit fresher and at times I wanted to take off - but no point in doing that.  Had to cut a mile or two as I needed to get back home.  (Landreth black 293.55)

afternoon - 12 River Trail.  After warming up down to the trail, I hit 6x1 min. fartlek as fast as possible w/ 1 min/ recovery.  They felt pretty good.  Was pretty tired by the end of them and breathing hard.  Then brought the 4 1/4 back up the trail at Tinman pace.  Felt pretty good, but it got hard at the end as I hadn't done any sustained tempo since SGM.  Then cooled it down back up to school.  (Cumulus gold 417.05)

morning - 14.65 Bear Claw Poppy Trail.  Decent run w/ Clyde, Steve. Logan and Ruthie.  Very hard trail with ups and downs and uneven terrain that held the pace back.  But it worked us over pretty good.  (Cumulus gold 91.55)

Well, week was pretty solid again.  Kept the pain down for the most part.  Didn't run any morning - maybe I will bring that in a time or two soon.  

Goals for next week: Completely finish the 2000 workout.  Try to make time to run in this crazy week.  Again, keep hip/ab pain at the manageable level and keep feeling pretty excited like I have been.  Mileage should probably be around 60 again.  But that may fluctuate with the craziness of the week or if I do decide to wake up. 

afternoon - 8 River Run. Snowy and cold run w/ Aust, Kimz, and Ruth.  I am not sure why Ruth decided to bring the snow home with her.  Felt good and we moved along at a decent clip.  (Stratus bee 391.45)

afternoon - 13.65 4x2000's 90sec recovery.  Warmed up with Ruth and the boys on the Trail to Nowhere 5.3.  Then instead of attempting this brutal thing on the track, I had to get home to watch Laney.  So I got home and jumped on the treadmill.  Did another .75 to get the legs going again.  Then I started up the 2000's.  I hoped that since I was doing them on the treadmill and receiving that benefit I could do alright.  Set the pace out at 5:21 mile (essentially 6:40 - 2000).  It was hard from the start and only got harder.  By the fourth I was screaming out in pain and my daughter didn't know what to think about it all.  My legs were giving out and my glutes were on fire.  I wouldn't have been able to maintain anything close to the pace without the treadmill and I had to grab the bars on more than a few occasions not to go flying off.  So although it wasn't a true pace (using the treadmill and moving me along), it was a killer.  Then loaded up the jogger and went for a 2 mile cooldown.  (Stratus gold 105.2)

afternoon  - 7.5 Shinob Kibe.  Nice trail run w/ Kimz and Aust.  Legs were a little tired on the whoops, but not bad otherwise.  Then we finished just as the snow storm rolled in.  (Cumulus blue 468.65)

mid-morning - 6.85 Lava Point Trail.  With school canceled - I know, how lame.  I had finals and the girls had parties and crap - I decided to get out and get a few in with the snow.  Roads were pretty slushy, so I worked over to the trailhead and ran on the new trail.  It seems to have a crushed gravel finish pushed into the pavement; seemed nice as far as I cold tell under 3 inches of snow.  The scenery was absolutely breathtaking with the untouched snow glimmering on the sandstone and lava (I am taking a mental picture - click!).  So, anyway, the run was fun.  A bit of soreness in my right hammy and the giant bruise on my right shin gained from Steve's stepladder is just slowly working its way down my leg.  (Landreth 530.25)

evening - 6 Club run down the River Trail. Nothing too noteworthy here.  I wasn't too zesty for the run and kind of just wanted to do it and get it done.  Didn't even add any extra w/ James.(Landreth black 299.55)

afternoon - 7.8 PVXC home course.  Warmed up for 2.5 on the course (skipping one loop) w/ Austin, Corey, Decker, and Willy.  The course was a mud pit.  There was still snow all over the grass and the dirt had turned to slick mud!  I put on my old Ohanas (no XC racers) and we started off.  For about the first 200m we kind of just joked, but then we turned it on pretty good.  The race was pretty fun.  I led for most of the race and knew I had to push to beat Austin's kick.  I actually felt very strong and probably could have really pushed harder, but I have forgotten what it is like to run a 5K.  Getting back onto the track I knew Austin was coming and he came zooming by with 50 meters to go and got me by a couple seconds with Kimz coming in just a few seconds later - but I am claiming the true victory because we took a wrong direction on the course that made it 3.3 instead of 3.1 and I won to the 3.1 mark.  The course was fun and we would have probably hit low 17 with the right distance.  Cooled down with DI.  (Cumulus white 421.55)

morning - 18.5 Quail Creek.  Headed out in the brisk morning w/ James.  A decent run throughout.  My gut really started giving me some problems at the end and my hips were hurting most of the run, but we did 7:00 minute pace for most, not including the bigger hills and just enjoyed it.  Good end to the week.  (Stratus black 84.75)

Week was pretty solid again.  Race with the boys was a lot of fun, snow running was good, decent mileage on a long run, and kept the pain to a minimum.

Goals for next week: enjoy Christmas w/ the fam., continue to help the hip flexor/abs heal up, have a solid 1000 workout.

morning - 8.25 GreenSprings.  Felt a little tight in the joints, especially around my hips.  Did 5x10 sec. hills on the FireStation.  Those actually felt pretty decent.  When I got home, I let the dog drag me around the neighborhood another 3/4 mile.  (Cumulus blue 476.9

afternoon - 10 Junction.  Just a easy jogger through the drizzling rain and sleet.  (Cumulus white 431.55)

morning - 8.75 Middleton.  Again, not too bad of temps this morning.  I noticed the other day in the snow that my feet almost run in a single line as I run - which I suppose isn't really great form; so I worked a little today on spreading my feet out a little by hitting one foot on the road line and the other just off of it.  Got home and took the dog around the block again.  (Landreth black 308.3)

evening - 8.65 6x1000's.  Did these on the treadmill.  I like how it forces me to keep the pace.  Warmed up with 1.5 and really didn't feel too excited to get into the workout, but once it started it was high pace and no going back. 1 and 2 were at 5:10 pace (3:14'ish), 3 at 5:07 pace (3:11'ish), 4 at 5:05 pace (3:09'ish), 5 at 5:02 pace (3:08'ish) and finally 6 at 5:00 pace (3:07'ish) with 90 secs. recovery between.  Pretty tough and really worked me over.  Cooled down with 2.5 around the neighborhood a bit.  (Landreth  538.9)

AM - 12 Target Loop.  Up a little earlier today to get a little longer run in before we head out to breakfast.  Legs felt pretty good at first, but they were pretty tired at the end.  (Stratus black 96.75)

afternoon - 10.75 Mustang Pass Trail.  At first I wasn't too excited to go out and run; my legs were tired and I was tired, but I figured I would go up MillCreek and hit 8.  When I got up on the trail the sand was perfect, so I thought I might go to the top and go 9.  But just before the top I saw the sign to the Mustang Pass Trail - which I have never run - and it beckoned me.  It was a fun little jont up and over the litte pass, up into the snow still.  Then it came out at IceHouse and I came on down home.  Ended up being longer than I wanted, and I am glad it wasn't more, but it was a fun trail that I'll do again.  (Cumulus blue 487.65)

0 - took one for the team today as we had to beat the storm up to Salt Lake after Christmas morning.  Then it was much too stormy after all the festivities.

PM - 5 Sego Lily. Stormed all day and I didn't think I would be able to get a run in. But by the end of the day, I decided just to go out and brave it. None of the roads had been plowed and I had to run in the car ruts; jumping out to the way into the drifts as cars came by. I felt like going more, but decided not to press my luck. (Stratus bee 396.45)

morning - 13 Wasatch and Dimple Dell. The roads were still pretty shabby, but cars were pretty considerate and most didn't shoot snow and slush all over me. Run was pretty crappy and my legs were really spent, but it was pretty out. I am glad I don't have to train in this beastly stuff. (Cumulus gold 118.2)

Hit some decent mileage this week even with the missed day and low mileage at the end of the week.  And the 1000's were good.

Goals for next week: Get another good week in since I'll have some time.  Mileage maybe around 80, but don't push it.  My abs/hip are hurting a little in the last couple days, so I'll be careful on that. 

morning - 13 Creek Road Figure 8.  Ran down 2000 to Creek and UP the hill across to Fort Union and then back 2000 and up Creek again and through Willowcreek back.  Okay little run.  Weather was pretty decent, snow was off most of the parts of the road and things were okay.  (Stratus bee 409.45)

morning - 8 Green Springs.  Chilly morning, but a decent run.  Then took the dog around the neighborhood.  (Cumulus blue 495.65)

afternoon - 10.5 3xCemetery miles.  Warmed up with 5 on Dogpound and wasn't too excited for the workout, but the time had come.  I kind of wanted to see what my speed level was at as compared to last year.  I think the fastest mile I had on this course was 5:19, so I set out with that as my goal.  1-5:19, got it right on.  Breathing was hard, but it felt like I had more in me.  2-5:29, I thought I was going quicker than the first, but when I checked my watch at my first check point I was already 5 seconds back. 3-5:29, Figured I should try to not let the last one slip below 5:30.  Started it harder, but lost more on the hill.  After the 2nd and 3rd I thought for sure I was going to lose it, but the 60 sec. recovery jog helped me chill it a little.  Cooled down with 2 miles around town.  Workout was pretty solid: matched my fastest time and I don't think I have ever done 3+ under 5:30.  But I did want those bars from the treadmill - like I had the last few interval workouts - when I got real tired.  Next time I'll be a little stronger on the end.  (Stratus Black 107.25)

morning - 5.75 Washington Loop.  Easy relaxer just trying to work out some of the soreness in the calves after a long night of the whole family being sick.  Then took the dog around the block.  (Landreth 544.65)

afternoon -  11 Mustang Pass.  Went out and hit this trail again.  Trail was nice and soft from the melted snow - a ton of deer tracks.  Enjoyed it.  Ended by running down to pick up the Jeep that is going to need some work before it can pass inspection.  (Cumulus white 442.55)

YEAR IN REVIEW: So I guess I'll reflect a little on 2008 as it is the end of the year, but it probably won't be some big thing as I really don't feel like it that much.  I started out with all these goals, and didn't really accomplish a lot of them.  Health and weather were the biggest factors why.  Pneumonia in the spring really threw off my 10K season and really messed up SLC, which I probably shouldn't have run, but did anyway.  Then the bad weather at SGM messed up a massive summer of training with the Circle of Trust.  Still I ran a ton and had a lot of fun doing it.  I pushed myself to my extremes and am a better person for it.  2009 here I come!