Run

On vacation in California for the last week, so I used it to take some time off. Felt pretty good this morning. Stopped 3 times to stretch the right IT band, which seemed to work and I finished without pain. Warm morning around 73, summer is here. Need to get serious about getting into a training schedule.

Fields 4 mile loop: I was feeling ok, but had to stretch a bit after 2 miles. Decided to try a little something faster, so I went fast for a minute then slow for a minute 3 times. Felt good to run fast.

Dam Road: felt ok, but I'm always scared that I'm on the verge of hurting something. Nice thing about this run is that I don't look into the sun because I'm turned back west by the time it is over the hills. 77 degrees this morning. I don't mind the heat, but running west I was running with the wind and it felt like I was standing still so it got a bit warm. But honestly, I love this light, hot mornings; best part of the day from June through August. 

Out to Stucki Farms, then I crossed over through the dirt towards the dike and came back through Majestic View, cut across and up Camino. Felt ok most of the time, but still some tinges of mild pain and I stopped and stretched at about 2 miles. Had a few points where I was really feeling awesome and felt like I could run forever, except for the fatigue that was setting in from lack of any distance lately. Temp was around 78, so hot, but a beautiful morning with clouds blocking the sun.

Fields 3 mile loop: cooler morning than yesterday. Felt pretty good the whole time, except my stomach was funny. Saw they had just cut the field behind my old house, so I ran down to peek into the back yard. Interesting to see what they have changed. Maybe I can get out on some trails tomorrow.

Taylor Creek: woke up at 5:30 and drove up to Kolob. Hit the trail about 6:10. The maintained trail is about 2.5 miles to Double Arch Alcove. About a mile in is the first cabin and the stream forks to the North and Middle Forks of Taylor Creek. About 2 miles in is another cabin. The alcove was quite pretty, but despite the "wilderness" location, obviously heavily visited. I went up about another quarter mile scrambling up a small landslide for a nice view of the upper part of the canyon, but it didn't look runnable at all. I was super worried about running into rattlers as they are reported to be everywhere along the trail, but I didn't see any, thank goodness, probably because they were still holed up as the sun was not yet out. It was actually chilly enough that I wish I had worn a long sleeve, but not not so bad that I was uncomfortable. Saw 3 hikers just as I was getting back to my car, but otherwise, I had the place to myself. Happy to be on the trails again.

Fields 5 mile loop: had a little more irritation in the knee than I would have liked.  This thing just doesn't seem like it wants to cooperate. Nice morning to be out.

Up 300 East 2 miles then turned around. A bit sore on the uphill, but felt awesome on the downhill (the opposite of yesterday) and got rolling pretty good. Got the pace up to around 6:15 and as I crossed the bridge I decided to keep it up on the flat to the Dam Road. Seems like every time I looked down the watch said 6:04. Felt good to go fast. I thought about going to the track today, but wasn't ready to commit. Hopefully next week.

Treasure Valley: some nasty wind from the south this morning made the first 2 miles a bear, but not so bad after I was going east/west and north. Got a drink at the park, then went straight north on 20 E and I got into a pretty good rhythm holding a pace around 7:00. Still some soreness in the R knee, but I'm learning to deal with it, including stopping and stretching when needed. It was hot too, I took off my shirt for most of the run and it took forever to cool down after I got home.

Anything less than 3 is almost pointless, but if it gets me up at 6:00 and keeps my body on a better schedule, it's worth it. The problem is that waking up at 6:00 is easy when it's already light out, but by September, it's a lot harder to do. 

Ran the Indian Knolls loop that I used to run a lot when I first started running. Had some minor irritation in the knee. Stretched a lot last night. 

Easy miles out in the fields. Ran into Renn so I turned around and ran with him for a bit. Felt pretty good.

Millcreek Canyon Pipeline Trail: in Salt Lake and I met up with Janice. She ran, I pretty much walked. Went up a steep hillside about 3/4s mile to an old pipline that runs level along the hillside to a nice viewpoint above Skyline High. Turned back and continued up the trail to the next trailhead. Jan fell, but was a trooper and kept going. I ran down the canyon at a good pace the last 2 miles and got the car to pick her up.

Not as intense as I was hoping for, but the easy miles won't hurt me. 

20 East loop: the Monday morning run. Felt pretty good, but felt a little tightness in the R ITband at the end. Kind of picked up the middle mile a bit. Really wanted to run fast, so this tells me that maybe I should go to the track tomorrow. 

I wrote up a training plan for the marathon. I just need to follow it and take it easy. Can't over do it like last year. 

Finally got down to the track for some speed work, but I probably pushed it too much. After some warm up, stretching and strides, we did 400s at 5k pace with 200 recovery. I only did 7 before my knee was bothering. Times ranged from 1:26 to 1:29. It was probablly too fast.  Even at 1:30 would be 6:00 pace, or 18:45 5k, which is faster then I've run in a long long time. Really probably should have been 1:35 or slower. I hope I don't regret this.

Dam Road: my schedule said 6 and I wasn't sure if my knee could handle it. Thought about not going, but I figured I'd feel it out. Started real slow and vowed not to go faster than 8:00 (I did catch myself slipping up around 7:45 on the downhill at the end though). Overall pace was 8:25. Was hoping to turn around before the sun came up, but it didn't happen. Had some minor knee botherings, but overall, feel pretty good. Its amazing what slowing down can do.

They are really going to town on the new freeway out there.  The road will probably get pretty busy once they finish, which is a bummer. 

I guess my 3 mile loop ain't quite 3 miles. Oh well. Just an easy jog to wake myself up.

Came down with a killer sore throat Thrusday evening so I slept in yesterday. Hit it pretty hard with emergenC and bananas. Also, I slept weird and had a sore neck/back. I knew I had to get out Saturday no matter what, and early to as the low was going to be at least 80.

Got out by 6:00 and ran the Maverik course plus a little extra to get the 9. Got drinks at the park on Riverside Dr and the soccer park. Felt pretty good the whole time. Some haze in the air kept the sun from heating things up too quick as it was coming up.

After I got home and cooled down a bit I got out the foam roller and just rolled my leg muscles as best I could.  I think it really helped as I wasn't sore at all and I didn't have any fatigue in my legs.