Cool Runnings!

Lunch - 5.25 miles on the treadmill at 8:00 pace.  Warmed up for the first 1/2 mile, then set the incline at 1.0 for the rest of the run.  I ran inside today because my neck and shoulders got a bit too sun-kissed yesterday, and I need to let my skin heal.  After running, I came to the conclusion that perhaps the treadmill was contributing to my hip flexor problem, as my hip was a little sore after the run today, which it hasn't been for several days.  Will bring sunblock tomorrow so I can run outside.

PM - 1.5 miles with Samuel.  He was determined to achieve the goal of breaking 9:00 pace for the entire run today, in spite of it being kind of windy, and boy did he ever come close.  He averaged 9:06 for the entire run today.  That's 4 consecutive personal records!  He is so close to earning his dinner at a restaurant with Lybi and I!  Afterwards, 0.65 miles with Joey at 10:59 pace.

Lunch - 5.1 miles outside on my Lunch Run course.  I started out at what I thought was an easy pace, but it ended up being about 7:20 for the first mile (the only one I know the approximate time for, because I forgot my Garmin today at home).  At about 1.5 miles, I got passed by a guy who was moving at a pretty good clip.  I let him go at first, but then after about 1/4 mile or so, I ended up speeding up out of sheer competitiveness, and reeled him in, resulting in a 1/2 mile at threshold pace - probably around 6:20 pace is my guess.  Then our paths diverged, and I tried to slow down, but was unable to really slow down to around 8:00 pace, as my legs were now tuned for running faster.  With about 1.5 miles to go, I picked up the pace again to what felt like faster than MP, so I am counting it as threshold miles.  Average pace of 7:04/mile for the entire run.

PM - 1.5 miles with Samuel at average pace of 9:51/mile.  After four consecutive personal records, he finally ran a little slower today, although still under his old smoothie pace.  I think I am going to have to modify his smoothie goal to 9:30 - 10:00 is just too easy for him now.  Afterwards, 0.65 miles with Joey in average pace of 10:40/mile.  Likewise, I think I need to modify Joey's smoothie goal time to either 10:30 or a little faster.

AM - I had a dentist appointment this morning, so I got to run in the morning.  It was extremely nice being able to run in what felt likt about 60 degree weather instead of 80 degrees.  Got in just a tick under 5 miles at 7:30 pace, where I was gradually increasing the pace the entire time.

Lunch - 5.1 easy miles outside today.  Beautiful weather, a little breezy.  Forgot my Garmin today, so I didn't know exactly what pace I was running, but it felt pretty good and easy.  Total time for the run was 38:10, average pace (calculated afterwards) was 7:29/mile.  Legs felt nice and peppy, lungs felt good.

Lunch - 5.35 miles on the treadmill.  Warmed up for 1/2 mile at 8:30 pace, then did the rest at 8:00 pace.  Felt very easy aerobically and on the legs.  Afterwards, did planks - 1:30 facing down and 1:00 on each side.

PM - ran with the boys outside today, although it was kind of hot out.  Samuel was first, average pace of 9:41/mile for 1.5 miles.  He has a more difficult time with the heat.  Next was Joey, average pace of 10:17/mile for the 0.65 miles.  Third was Adam, not sure of the pace, but he ran about 0.15 miles.

Enjoyed celebrating Lybi's birthday (very low-key) with artichokes and chips and salsa (her two favorite foods), then she opened her presents.  She got a new set of scriptures and a set of animated Book of Mormon stories that are out of print, thus used, but in excellent condition.  We broke in the first book today with the boys for scripture reading - with all the amazing pictures in the books, they were just eating it up.

Lunch - 4.15 miles outside. I took a slightly different route today, because I was short on time, thus the shorter mileage. It was nice out, a bit blustery though. Average pace for the run was 7:16/mile, aided and abetted by my powering through the last 0.15 miles at about 6:00 pace.

PM - 1.5 miles with Samuel at 9:28 pace, just under his new smoothie pace.  Then 0.65 miles with Joseph at 10:18 pace, and 0.15 miles with Adam at 12:20 pace.

Lunch - 5.1 easy miles outside at 7:30 pace.  I wore the Garmin and was trying real hard to make sure that my pace didn't get out of control, so I was glancing at it pretty regularly.  Sometimes it is easy for me to run faster than I should, because I get excited about an upcoming race or how well an elite runner just did (did anyone else catch the Rotterdam marathon?  Two guys at 2:04:27!).  I also made the mistake last night at Webelos of running a 50-yd dash (approximately) with the boys as we were working on theirAthlete activity pin, and that kind of set my hip flexor back a little bit, although not as bad as it was before.  Not sure if I am going to be able to do Pat's Run, as we are considering driving up to Payson that weekend.

Lunch - progressive run on the treadmill, increasing my speed by 0.5 mph every 1/2 mile until I felt I could no longer maintain.  Started at 8:30 pace to warm up for the first 1/2 mile, then increased to 8:00 for the next 1/2 mile, 7:30 for the next 1/2 mile, 7:00 for the 4th 1/2 mile, then 6:40 for the 5th 1/2 mile, 6:20 for the 6th 1/2 mile, 6:00 for the 7th 1/2 mile and 5:42 for the last 1/2 mile, then finished with a cool down of 0.15 miles.  Then 1:30 of down facing planks and 1:00 on each side.

PM - 10 miles outside.  Weather was nice and cool, high today was about 68.  A little windy, and had some scattered showers while I was running.  I was originally planning on running this morning, but woke up to rain and wimped out.  Average pace of 7:35/mile, mainly due to the last mile.  Miles were as follows:

 Mile 1 - 7:46.   Felt good, got into a nice rhythm really quickly and felt like I could maintain it the entire time.

Mile 2 - 7:45.  Still feeling good.  Have a favorable crosswind.

Mile 3 - 7:49.  Forced myself to try and slow down a little bit.

Mile 4 - 7:42.  On this mile, I turned down the road to the Highland High School track and ended at the track.

Mile 5 - 7:50.  Legs were starting to feel a little tired from the workout I put them through yesterday.

Mile 6 - 7:51.  Same.

Mile 7 - 7:27.  This was my last mile on the track, and I started to increase the pace at the 1/2 mile mark, and pushed the last lap at about 1/2 marathon pace.

Mile 8 - 7:41.  Really starting to feel tiredness in my legs here, but was determined to push through it.  I wanted to work on developing the toughness I need to push through the end of St. George.

Mile 9 - 7:26.  Started to push the pace here again at about the 1/2 mile mark, where I decided I wanted to see what I would be able to do at the end of a long run where I was tired.

Mile 10 - 6:36.  On this lap, I really pushed the pace, again to see what I could do when I was tired.  Did pretty good, accelerated throughout and hit 5:42 pace towards the end.

Overall, I am happy with this run.  I didn't get in as many miles this week as I had planned, due to Lybi's sister's family being here, but that was a welcome interruption.

Lunch - 5.1 easy miles outside, no Garmin.  Run felt pretty easy, but I was having to constantly tell myself to slow down.  I felt good after I finished, and didn't check my average until I started writing this entry - 7:19/mile.  Wow, that felt a lot easier than I had anticipated.  Am I just getting faster from being more fit?  Time will tell.  Unfortutely I will not have the chance to test my fitness this weekend at Pat's Run, but I will plan on signing up for at least the first summer race series 5K.

PM - 1.5 miles with Samuel, average pace of 9:29/mile.  He earned his smoothie this week.  Joseph decided to throw a fit when I told him I wasn't going to hold his hand any more, and as a result did not run and did not get a smoothie.

Lunch - 5.5 miles outside in beautiful weather.  Wore my Garmin today so that I could keep better tabs on my pace.  Average pace for the run was 7:31/mile - I'm happy with that.  It felt pretty easy - definitely sustainable.  Since the weather is getting warmer, I am going to start running with the boys after dinner - we will have to see how that works, since we usually start getting them ready for bed at around 7:15-7:30.  I really need to get our treadmill fixed so that it stops making this nasty screeching sound when we run on it - even if I never use it again, and we just use it for the boys.

PM - 1.5 miles with Samuel at 9:58 pace.  It was quite windy out, and he had drunk 2 whole cups of lemonade just before running, so he had a hard time of it.  But he wanted to run that extra 1/2 mile even less, so he toughed it out and made it.  Afterwards, we talked about not drinking a lot of fluids right before running.  0.65 miles with Joseph at 10:50 pace.  He realized I was not going to give in and hold his hand, and was able to do a good job.

Lunch - tempo run today.  It was quite windy, which made things pretty interesting.  First mile was probably around MP or a little slower, then the rest of the miles were more like 1/2 MP, but I am counting them as threshold miles.  Average pace for the run was 6:45/mile.  The last mile of the run was most interesting - I had a strong wind of about 20-30 mph blowing in my face the entire time.

On a side note, the geeky side of me is happy about having gotten a new touchscreen cell phone - it is awesome.

Lunch - 5.9 miles outside.  Very nice outside, about 65 degrees, a little breezy.  Average pace for the run was 7:28/mile.  Felt very good, easy for both the lungs and legs.  I am confident that if I can stick with no pop at all, I am going to drop down to where I was prior to SGM last year.

PM - 0.15 miles with Adam, then 0.65 miles with Joey at 10:20 pace, then 1.5 miles with Samuel at 9:44 pace.

Lunch - 6 miles on the treadmill today - wanted to make sure I had some time to get in some core work.  First 3 miles easy, then got a little bored and shifted into MP for the last 3 miles.  Everything felt good, breathing was good, legs were good (although I can tell that it is really time to get new shoes, and am glad I had ordered new ones from Steve).  Finished the run in 43:55, average pace of 7:19/mile.  Afterwards, did 1:30 downward facing plank and 1:00 on each side.

Good luck to those running the SLC marathon tomorrow as well as those running Pat's Run here in AZ (I know at least Burt is doing it).

Lunch - 5.1 miles outside.  It was quite a bit warmer out today than what I was used to. I intended for this to be a nice, easy run, but I was all pumped up from having watched the Boston marathon this morning, and so I ended up running faster than planned.  This was also in part due to my not having my Garmin with me.  The temperature was about 90 degrees at the start, and was about 93 when I finished.  Not super uncomfortable, but I could tell it was hotter than I was used to.  Average pace for the run was 7:03/mile.  I am counting this as 1 easy mile and 4.1 MP miles

Had to drop my car off at the shop today to get it fixed, so instead of running over lunch, I made plans to run from work to the shop to pick up the car.  When I went to get going, it was already 97 degrees out, so I took a bottle of water with me to stay hydrated and avoid getting overheated.  Had the garmin, but I forgot to start it again at a stoplight, so I don't know what my average pace was.  I am going to guess about 7:35/mile.  I had grossly overestimated the total distance from work to the car shop - I thought it was about 7 miles, but it ended up actually being just under 4.  Picked up the car - had to get 2 radiator hoses replaced, the coolant flushed, and also had to get the axle and CV joint replaced - all just after my warranty expired (of course).  Will plan on hopefully doing some more miles this evening, although my stomach is acting up - I hope I don't have what Adam had last Thursday.

Lunch - 5.5 miles outside. It was 88 degrees when I started, and about 90 degrees at the end. Average pace of 7:26/mile. Felt pretty good, not too bad in spite of the warmer weather. I am hoping that my body will be able to adapt to the warmer weather and allow me to still run outside as the temperatures continue to increase.

Lunch - 6.1 miles outside. It was about 84 degrees when I started, and about 86 when I finished. Not as bad as the other day. Average pace for the run was 7:25/mile. When I started, my legs felt kind of bleh, but after about a mile, the feeling went away, and I got into a good rhythm. Today was another day where I had to struggle to not run too fast, and I was wearing my Garmin as well, so I knew what pace I was running.

Lunch - 6.25 miles on the treadmill today (I forgot my sunblock and didn't want to get sunburned).  After having had a goose egg on Friday and Saturday due to fathers and sons campout on Friday night, and Saturday being a nightmarishly crazy day, it felt good to get back into the swing of things.  Warmed up first 1/2 mile at 8:00 pace, then bumped up the speed to 7:30 pace until I hit 4 miles.  Then bumped up the speed to 6:58 pace for the rest of the run.  It felt very good to get in the run.  Average pace of 7:20 for the entire run.

Lunch - 6.5 miles on the treadmill (I forgot my sunblock again).  Decided to break up the monotony by turning today's run into a medium-hard workout.  Warmed up nice and easy for 1 mile, then into the workout.  2 miles at 5K pace (5:42/mile), then 1 mile easy to recover, then another mile at 5K pace, followed by 1.5 easy mile.  Hard stuff.  This is my goal 5K pace to get me under 18:00 for the 5K this year.  I will have to see if I can do it or not.  In any case, I was pretty spent after this workout.  Nice and easy tomorrow and then next day to let my legs recover from today.  I need to find another time when I can run, as it is mostly too hot now to run with the boys, so they have been running on our treadmill (which sadly I cannot use because it makes a horrible screeching noise when I try to run on it - but they don't have any problems).  I may start waking up earlier so that I can get in a few miles in the morning.  Otherwise there is no way I will be able to get in much more than what I am doing right now.

PM - 1.5 miles with Samuel at 9:20 pace. He did a really good job. When he first started out, he was running at 8:15 pace. Afterwards I ran 0.65 miles with Joey at 9:57 pace. I told Joey that my legs were a little sore from running hard at lunch and to not run too hard, and what does he do? He took off! Finally, 0.15 miles with Adam at 12:15 pace. All of the runs with the boys were done in my aqua socks.

Lunch - 6 miles outside.  I forgot my Garmin, but finally brought my sunblock today, and it was an absolutely gorgeous day.  Calves and hamstrings felt a little sore from my speed workout yesterday, but gradually loosened up as the run progressed.  Average pace of 7:25/mile.

AM - woke up at 5:30 so that I could run a little bit, did 1.5 easy miles in my aquasocks to simulate barefoot running.  Legs were pretty stiff at first, but loosened up after the first 1/2 mile, and I enjoyed the rest of the run.  I also got my new shoes from Steve yesterday, so I will be running in them today - looking forward to it.

Lunch - 6.1 miles outside.  My legs were absolutely trashed today - no snap to them, just felt like rubber the entire time.  I did get to break in my new shoes, which felt nice - I could definitely tell the difference between the new ones and the ones that have almost 600 miles on them.  Just pushed through today.  Average pace of 7:28/mile.  For some reason, it also felt hotter today, although it really wasn't that bad.  It was probably about 86 when I finished - not horrible, and certainly much cooler than the other week when it was over 100 when I ran to pick up my car.