Winning Back What I Lost

T/M; level run at 8:50 pace

T/M; level run at 8:57 pace

T/M; level run at 8:50 pace

T/M; level run at 8:57 pace

Ran the Beat Coach Pete 5k w/ my son Martin; finished well ahead of Coach Pete and Martin was only a couple of mins behind Coach Pete; 700+ participants and I was in the 200th place range;  fun race to benefit scholarship program at BSU;  Martin was able to get autographs from the entire BSU football team after the race;  will definitely make this a yearly ritual. 

T/M; level run at 8:50 pace

T/M; level run at 8:50 pace

T/M; level run at 8:50 pace

Ran from my home up Overland to Bear Creek and down Victory to Brandy's Jewel to Easy Jet and back way to Silverstone Business Park back home.  Second time I've run this route.  Too much traffic for my liking but there are sidewalks except for part of Victory Rd.  Beautiful day in the high 60's w/ light wind; Forgot the sunblock and got a nice burn on neck and upper arms for my trouble. 

T/M; level run at 8:41 pace

T/M; level run at 8:41 pace

T/M; level run at 8:41 pace

T/M; level run at 8:41 pace

T/M; level run at 8:41  pace

T/M; 20 mins of hill work followed by 50 mins of level running at 8:34 pace

T/M; 40 mins of level running at 8:41 pace followed by 15 mins of hill work

T/M; level run at 8:30 pace

My first 10k; I was more or less pleased with my overall pace, 7:44; I didn't come all that prepared in terms of adequate hydration;  also, there was a nice ceremony before the start to honor all of Idaho's peace officers that have fallen in the line of duty, very nice; however, the race started immediately after the ceremony and by that time I had begun to stiffen up a bit;  race was well organized with a 5k loop; chip timing; two aid stations had water only;  police controlled traffic; nice t-shirt and post-race potato bar/cake and awards ceremony; this is a quality event that has grown somewhat (4th year) but needs to be supported even more by the community (only 150 participants);  relatively few spectators except at the finish line;  weather was sunny and near 60 degrees w/ light wind.

T/M: Level run at 8:45 pace; speed work at sub 8:00 pace b/n miles 5-7. 

T/M; weight training (legs)- lunges, squats, leg press, leg extensions, calf raises; 3.4 miles total w/ 15 mins of incline/hill training at 8:50 pace

T/M; .5 incline run at 9:12 overall pace; fought through sluggishness associated w/ flu like symptoms; purchased new Asics Cumulus 10 from Idaho Running Company; very nice fit, comfortable and good cushion; had feet analyzed and revealed that my pronation is normal; previous shoes (Nike Air Moto Max 5) were motion control shoes that caused my feet to turn out too much; this adjustment should help w/ knee soreness and improve running once this darn flu goes away

sick w/ flu

sick w/ flu

sick w/ flu

T/M; 9 min pace at .5 incline; 1.5 miles of hill work; 1 mile of speed work at 7:30 pace

T/M: Interval training w/ alternating 5 min intervals of 9:30 pace and 7:47 pace

Ran w/ my son Martin outside; easy conversational pace; further than he's ever run before by at least a couple of miles; beautiful day, temp in the 60's w/ light wind; Overland to Five Mile down to Victory Rd and back home.  Lots of off-road running on Victory for the last 2+ miles as there is no paved shoulder on Victory Rd.

Evening run w/ my son accompanying on his bike; low 60's w/ light breeze; lots of loose gravel shoulder running w/ rolling terrain and a couple of good hills; 8:48 overall pace; Victory to Eagle to Columbia Rd to Cloverdale back to Victory Rd and home.

Quick run before bed to stay loose for tomorrow's long run; 7:52 pace

Ran to Kuna and back home; lots of rolling hills w/ one big one on Locust Grove and Amity; carried a water bottle w/ me; i'll never do that again; my shoulder's jacked up from holding it; planned on using my camel but it felt too weird to run in; didn't have any gels or gatorade; too long of a run w/o some fuel source; lots of loose shoulder running; overall not a bad experience but I'm learning what works for these longer runs; overall 9:12 pace felt much quicker.

Got home from business trip and decided to go for a late run w/ my son on his bike; top of my right foot was still hurting from my long run on Saturday; I think I injured it on the loose gravel incline shoulder of the road; swelled up pretty good and I may have to rest it which is a problem so near to my half marathon (12 days) and marathon (33 days); I'm going to ice it and soak it in epson salt real good and see how it responds tomorrow; 8:20 pace w/ one really good hill around mile 4.

T/M; decided to take it easy on my injured foot and run indoors; applied biofreeze to my foot and ankle and bypassed the middle laces on the top of my foot; the result was a nice pain-free running session; iced the top of my feet after the run; I'm now largely convinced that my injury was the result of tying my laces too tight on my long run; the loose fit took a little to get used to; felt like I was going to pull out my shoes at first but once I grew accustomed to it I  felt really strong; 8:15 pace; Post-run leg workout: 2 sets each of leg extensions; leg press; hip abductor; hip adductor; seated leg curl; and standing one leg press. 

Returned home from a business trip at 9:30 pm and was on the T/M by 10:00; my head was still spinning a bit and my ears hadn't fully unplugged but other than that I felt fine :-); Interval runs of 10 min at 7:50 pace and 5 mins at 8:57 pace; foot felt fine; ankle is feeling a bit wobbly though;  will have to watch it

T/M; Speed work today: 4x800 & 4x400 at 7:18 pace; 10 minute warm-up w/ 5 min cool down; I planned to do 8x800 but I was really gassed after 4; frankly, I was afraid that I would fatigue to the point that I'd end up flying off the back of the treadmill.

Returned home from my daughter's school fun night and decided to hit the road knowing that I'd be in Twin Falls all weekend at my son's soccer tourney; tried to do a tempo run at 7:45 and that lasted about 2 miles until I was totally gassed; 8:20 overall pace with the last 3 miles around 8:45

T/M; Spent all day in 90 degree weather outside at my son's soccer tourney; returned to hotel around 10pm and decided to hit their treadmill; I was more than a little worn out from all the sun but I managed to squeeze in some mileage; very proud of myself; 8:20 pace

T/M; I'm winding down the mileage in preparation for the Sun Valley 1/2 on Saturday; quick run building my pace from 8:57 to 7:47 from 2.5 miles to end; my legs felt very strong for a change and the soreness on the tops of my feet is almost gone.

T/M: Quick run; continuing the reverse taper in preparation for Saturday's 1/2 marathon; felt really good after having visited the chiropractor in the morning; seems my left hip was turned out and causing some pressure to my IT band muscles and lower knee; worked up to a 7:47 pace for the last 1.5 miles; 8:12 overall pace

T/M: Final run before the race on Saturday; visited chiro again today for another adjustment to my hip; he gave me a foam roller to help stretch my IT band and recommended some good stretching exercises; short run gradually increasing incline to 4.0 over 2 miles; 8:57 overall pace; my diet has been horrible the past week; gained a couple of pounds; hope to lose them before Saturday so I can be at my best; looks like the weather could be horrible (chance of thunderstorms and wind).

My first half marathon experience was quite eventful.  Rain, hail, no porta potties, steep hill climb at the start, only 4 water/gatorade stations (2 of which were in the first 2 miles); 6200 ft of altitude; lots of rollers and an uphill to the finish line made sure that I finished well below my 1:45 goal time.  Even with all of that, and a bad post race stomach ache from holding it the whole race, the experience was a net positive.  I tried to go out slow, at least what I thought was slow, on the 1 mile hill climb at the start (8:54).  I made up the time right away w/ some sub 8 min miles through mile 5.  I was in good shape to hit my goal but the altitude, lack of water between miles 2 and 7 caught up to me and I was hurting.  I tried to pick it up but another hill between mile 8 and 9 and steady uphill rollers until mile 11 set me back again.  The mile 11 turnaround was a nice downhill where I returned to my roughly 8:10 pace.  At that point I saw that I would salvage some dignity by finishing under 2 hours.  This seemed like a given until the last half mile to the finish which was uphill.  That's right, the start and finish were both uphill as a result of a last minute change in the location of the start/finish line on this loop course.  This was definitely no easy course- or so I was told by more than one racing veteran.  The altitude and the climbs/descents just sapped me.  I've actually had better times on training runs than what I ran today but none of my training runs have come close to the hill work I endured today. 

Nonetheless, it was a net positive experience.  I learned what not to do on this course (i.e. leave my aid belt and gu at home and eat yogurt and a bagel before the start and a cheeseburger and fries the night before.  But first and foremost, my wife and I were able to experience a nice weekend alone!  Hallelujah!

Rest.  Dull pain on outside of left foot. Feels like a bone bruise. 

Rest.  Foot is still barking.  Pain centered around lower left ankle at times and then it moves to heel.  Slight inflammation.  Other than icing it, I don't know what else to do.  Will be in Portland in trial all week and I'd planned on hitting the treadmill to begin tapering back up again after my race.  Really bothering me not to be able to run.  I'll ice and give it one more day.

Rest.  Ankle/heel on left foot is still bothering me.  Wore an ankle wrap all day and the pain has subsided after last nights icing.  I need to run to burn off these extra calories I'm consuming on the road.  Aaargh!

T/M: Got fed up with resting and decided to test my foot; used an ankle brace all day and it seemed to help; ran back from the Metro Station (Portland) after dinner back to the hotel and noted no extra soreness or pain; ran on a treadmill at my hotel; I felt really strong cardiovascularly; 8:12 overall pace seemed more like 9+ min pace

T/M: Awoke at 6:45 and decided to get another run in before checking out of the hotel and heading over to my hearing; quick run; felt good but noted a little residual soreness in my left ankle/foot; began to loosen up after the first mile; 8:20 overall pace

T/M:  Felt good enough to run again in the evening, 6+miles, to make up for my layoff this week; foot doesn't hurt nearly as much running as it does walking; .5 incline; 8:20 pace 

Woke up this morning and decided to run even though I ran late last night as I knew I wouldn't be able to tonight due to a Father/Son Campout; my foot felt even worse this morning; think I'll go to the doc if I can; 8:19 pace

Late run after a dinner BBQ filled with lots of carbs; felt a little guilty so I ventured off into the dark and the rain w/ my son on his bike; 8:30 pace

Note: Visited the local doc in the box yesterday about my foot; X-rays were negative for stress fracture; PA prescribed some strong anti-inflammatory meds w/ refills; early results are positive w/ reduced swelling and pain but still some residual stiffness in the foot and lower ankle; purchased cushioned heel supports that have also seemed to help.

T/M: 4 miles before work; need to put in some time before and after work to mitigate the time away at night and travelling for work; foot is getting better every day with the new anti-inflammatory meds; 8:10 pace

6.3 miles after dinner w/ my son accompanying on his bike; felt very slow and lethargic until mile 3 when I started to get loose and pick it up and finish very fast (7:30 pace the last 2.5 miles); some decent rollers along Five Mile and Victory; 8:02 pace 

T/M: 30 min warm-up run at 8:40 pace followed by another 25 mins of speed work (alternating 800's(3) and 400's(1) at 7:06 pace with 1/4 mile cool down in between) 

Came down w/ a cold yesterday; took some Sudafed and was feeling very drowsy so I skipped running; dragged myself out of bed to do a few miles before hopping on the plane; T/M: .5 incline and 8:15 pace

T/M: Got a little over 4 miles in at the hotel's fitness room after my meetings; Still suffering from head cold; fatigued very quickly and the room was very hot; .5 incline and 8:28 pace 

Late run after putting the 2 yr old to bed; finished up in the dark which was interesting in a heavy traffic area like Cloverdale; I've been struggling with a head cold but I felt like a caged animal having not been on a long run since my race a couple of weeks ago; tried out my hydration/fuel belt for the first time with good results; no back pain associated with the belt but it did seem to bounce a bit in the beginning; tried Gu for the first time and I think it helped me overcome the sluggishness from my head cold which is starting to evolve into a chest cold; 8:47 overall pace but the first 3 miles and the last mile were right around 8 flat.

A nice little run in the rain; it took about 3 miles before my lungs cleared out the phlegm from this cold that just won't go away and my legs decided to join the party; last 3 miles were 7:15 pace; overall 7:58 pace

4 easy miles before work; very windy; broke out the Reebok warmup I got on closeout for 25 bucks- very nice; last 2 runs I've switched back to the Nike Moto Max 5 to see if my foot soreness was associated with my Asics Gel Cumulus; no foot soreness so far.

T/M: 4.35 more miles in the evening before bed; raining pretty hard so I had to visit the Id Athletic Club; treadmill running has become more and more tiresome; I find that I can't do much more than 4 or 5 miles without putting a gun to my head; 8:22 overall pace w/ .5 incline

Super slow easy run tis evening w/ my son leading the way; lots of walking breaksbut I was glad he didn't quit; he had soccer practice immediately prior so he was exhausted; felt good to be able to run and carry a conversation the whole way

Vacation!!  Did a morning run just in case I ran out of time later; starting to warm up in the mornnings finally; took me a couple of miles to loosen up at 8:20 pace;  finished strong w/ the last couple of miles sub 8 min; 8:08 overall pace

T/M: 3.8 miles of interval training this evening w/ half mile jog at 9:40 and 1 mile runs at 7:41

Camping this weekend w/ the family; hiked up the South Fork of the Boise Canyon wall w/ my 12 yr old just downstream of Cow Creek Bridge; extremely steep and it was hot; my son hugged the earth most of the way up and down but he stuck w/ it and made it to the top

I usually try to rest on Sundays but I was camping all weekend and I was feeling a little bit edgy after not running since early Thursday; legs felt strong; I had to stop for traffic numerous times but my overall pace was still decent for me- 8:26; returned to the Asics gel with no foot soreness; looks like my experiment didn't work after all [/shrug]

Eagle Road to Lake Hazel to Cloverdale and home; lots of gravel shoulder running and dodging sprinklers; slight pull in right quad but other than that I felt real strong; started out real slow @ 9 min pace and transitioned to sub 8 min pace for the last 3+ miles; 8:23 overall pace on Asics Gel Cumulus 10

Evening run w/ my son on his bike; 80 degrees w/ light breeze; I was glad to have my son carry some water for me; calves were really tight and my legs couldn't get loose for some reason; I probably need to stretch better in the future before I really pull a calf or a quad; On top of that, I got lost in surbubia hell in Tuscany Subdivision and another unfinished sub off of Amity just east of Locust Grove; challenging route up Meridian Road from the Overland intersection all the way to Amity which is entirely uphill; turned left on Amity and continued uphill until a good downhill near the Amity/Locust Grove Intersection which has a pretty good view of the Boise downtown landscape; the downhill grade sapped my legs even further and after that I began the lost in suburbia nightmare, LOL; 8:40 overall pace as best I can figure given all the backtracking I had to do while lost

T/M: On the road again; hit the treadmill as long as I could stand it; shouldn't have eaten so after a big dinner at Red Robin; slogged thru the last 3 miles at 8 min pace; 8:20 overall pace

T/M: More boring hotel treadmill running; 8:08 pace

Hot weather running today; 97 degrees but it had to be 100+ on the pavement and blacktop; had my son accompanying me on his bike w/ water;  went out extremely fast for me, 7:20 pace, over the first two miles; slowed down to 8:14 pace over 4 miles and ended up at 8:39 overall pace; took 4 total water/walk breaks due to the heat

T/M: In San Diego all week for trial advocacy training; scorching hot in fitness room; 8:25 pace

T/M: quick run(2.2 miles) before start of training; 8:20 pace

2 miles on the elliptical waiting for the treamill to open up; 4.2 miles on a sick stomach (got back from Chinese Restaurant an hour earlier); 8:20 pace

T/M:  Visited Petco Park for the first time- Twins v. Padres; I got back to the hotel around 11pm and still hit the treadmill for a run; I don't know if it was discipline or just that I wanted to avoid my homework for this hellacious trial advocacy seminar; 8:30 pace

I finally got in a run outside this week; I ran along the San Diego River in Mission Valley part of the way;  I say part of the way b/c the public running/biking path ends abruptly and then a dirt path continues through the interstate underpass;  I got to see some rather interesting people along the path including one dude with a huge hunting knife on top of the picnic table where he was sitting;  he smiled as ran past him;  I think my pace picked up considerably after that...LOL; interesting place.

Home sweet home; spent Friday in a mock trial in the morning and flying home from San Diego; snuck in a run before seeing the Incredible Hulk w/ my son; ran quite fast despite the recent poundage (7) I've put on during my hectic travel schedule; 7:33 overall pace

Leisurely morning run before it gets too hot; supposed to be 100 again today; 8:07 overall pace

Evening run in the wind just before a thunderstorm hit; wind cooled things down but it was a little difficult running into the wind the first half;  right calf is really becoming sore; hard to stretch it out and get it loose and it cramps easily; 8:39 pace

Took yesterday off; right calf was incredibly sore; felt better today but its still real tight; pleasant evening w/ light wind and temp in high 70's to low 80's; started out real slow but ran the last 3 miles w/ around a 7:40 pace; 8:10 overall pace

Hiked into the Sawtooth Mountains w/ the heaviest pack I've ever had (50+ lbs conservatively); temp was in the high 80's most of the way; first 7 miles were slight uphill grade; last 5 miles were relentless w/ the last 2 straight up over the ridgeline into the bowl that held the lake; great exercise and prep for this weekend's half marathon.

Day hiked from our base camp to another lake; slight uphill over the saddle and straight down into the bowl; straight up on the way back of course; had only a daypack so not too bad.

Fished, went for a swim and rested at our basecamp; my son wasn't up to hitting any more "nearby" lakes given the workout yesterday...LOL.

Hiked back to the trailhead; temp pushing 90 degrees; descending from 8500 ft elevation to 5200 ft at the trailhead; great quad workout going downhill w/ heavy pack; I kept all of the heavy stuff (stove, cookware, tent, etc.) so my pack wasn't all that much lighter [/sigh].

Established a PR by 12 mins; splits were all within 10 secs of 8 min (8:04 avg) w/ the fastest being 7:50 (mile 1) and the slowest 8:54 (mile 10); temp in the low 70's for this early morning race; flat course along Boise River Greenbelt from Hawks Stadium to Bronco Stadium and back; did very little specific training in the 2 weeks leading up to the race unless you count backpacking w/ a heavy pack and fishing; well organized race w/ more than enough aid stations, a medal, t-shirt and a nice breakfast burrito at the end of the race; will probably do this race again next year.

T/M: 8:14 pace; ran mile 4 at 7:30 pace which is pretty close to threshhold for me; starting my serious training for marathon next month; need to improve my diet and get as lean and strong as possible

Tried a new route today; its all sidewalks for a change but google maps hasn't included the rather new overpass in its inventory (I-84 Locust Grove) so I had to do two separate maps; pulled something on the outside of my right knee around mile 6; I think its my IT band because its sore on the outside where the IT band connects to the knee; I'm icing it as I type this; I've neglected my foam roller for weeks now so this is a not so subtle reminder to get back on that program; slow easy pace around 8:30 to 9 min per

Speed work: 1600m on the local HS track at 7 min pace followed by 800m jog then 800 m at 7:50 pace followed by 800m jog; 1.8 mile warm-up before and 2.5 mile cooldown run back home; legs feel a bit sluggish still even w/ a day off yesterday; I'm still running at my normal pace if not faster but my legs feel heavy; started refueling tonight w/ peanut butter toasted muffin after the run; we'll see if that helps; need to improve my diet; the wife is buying a LOT of candy these days for the kiddies and I can't help myself

Easy long run this morning at 9:04 pace; right knee still bothersome; not to the point where I can't run but its the only thing holding me back from feeling really good; right calf has loosened up so I basically traded that for a sore knee

Easy run this evening at 8:54 overall pace; temp around 90 but there was some cloud cover so it didn't feel quite that hot; first mile was sub 8 min then I forced myself to slooooooow down; my workout plan called for a 9:21 pace for this run but I haven't quite mastered the fine art of slowing down absent an injury; knee felt much better now that I'm popping prescription anti-inflammatory meds like Brett Favre

No running today; tempo run tomorrow; weight training for an hour concentrating on core & legs w/ about 15 mins of upper body

A nice run after work on the greenbelt from Municipal Park to Barber Park and back; tempo run for 4 miles at 7:54 pace; warmup and cooldown around 9:30 pace; warm and windy w/ strong headwind on the way back; beautiful run along the river though; makes me wish I lived closer to take advantage more often; I think I'll have to do more of these after work runs as my office is a mere 2 minute drive to the nearest park w/ access to the greenbelt and/or the foothills to the north

http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/us/id/boise/559253973

Out and back easy run down Overland to Linder at 8:53 pace; visited my chiropractor, Dr. Brian Rae, again today and told him about my knee pain; after aligned my spine and hips he worked a little on my knees and I was astounded to hear my right knee pop like a cork;  no knee pain to speak of today......nice.

Started to gear up for the marathon next month w/ my longest run in quite a while; felt pretty good throughout w/ a nice and easy pace (9:22) until around mile 13 or so; that's when it really started to warm up into the mid 80's and I ran out of water

Easy run at 8:35 pace: http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/us/id/meridian/817602192  My right knee trouble is back.  I really need new shoes as my Asics have over 400 miles on them and the midsole cushioning is about shot; 

Ran to the gym and back; 3.75 miles on the stationary bike, core and leg training w/ some pullups for good measure; my right knee is still awfully cranky; It's not ultra painful yet bot its definitely holding me back in my training which I can't afford so close, 4 weeks, to my first marathon

T/M: 6 mile tempo run at 8 min pace w/ 1.0 incline; 1M warmup and 1M cool down; knee is still cranky but I've been able to work through the dull pain; its starting to worry me though; I'm icing, stretching w/ foam roller and taking anti-inflammatory meds to no avail; I'm gonna have to get new shoes even if I can't afford them right now; I really can't afford not to buy them either; very frustrating

I broke down and purchased new shoes (Saucony Triumph 5's); I love 'em; supercushioned and comfortable in the forefoot; lighter than my last pair (Asics Cumulus 10); the best part is that my knee pain was virtually nonexistent except for some residual soreness; very nice!

T/M: couldn't get a run in until after dark; got a LOT going on right now; hit the gym around 930pm and it was my easy run day; 9 min pace

Long easy run Saturday for me to Kuna and back; set a PR for miles in one week; got up early on 5 hours sleep; had to stop twice at convenience stores w/ an....[/ahem]....upset stomach; other than that, not too bad; my saucony's have really helped my right knee soreness; I wish I would have purchased them a couple of weeks ago and saved myself the grief; oh well, lesson learned

easy run @ 9:05 pace including a couple of water breaks (temp in low 90's); used my garmin 305 for the first time and I'm loving it; no more friggin' google maps!!! some tightness in left calf; wifey gave me a massage for my b-day so I'll have to schedule it soon

Cross-training/Weight training day: stationary bike and weight training (pullups, curls, tricep extensions, chest press, hip adductor/abductor, standing one leg press, seated two leg press, misc ab exercises)

Seattle, WA

T/M: Finally got a run at the Hilton; worst treadmill ever; belt was so loose and curled up at the end that I probably should have avoided it altogether; wanted to run outside but I'm smack dab downtown and at least a couple of miles from any viable outdoor running; Tempo run for 6 miles @ 7:55; calves and achilles are real tight; got a 10 minute foot massage at the Convention Center during one of the breaks in my conference; should have popped for 30 minutes

Long, easy run this morning; had to cut it short due to stomach problems, again; don't know what the deal is w/ my stomach but it seems that anything over 6-8 miles ends up being torturous due to my constantly upset stomach; experimented w/ jelly beans as a carb booster to no avail; no knee pain but its been replaced w/ sore calves; can I be 100% healthy for a change?

Easy run at 8:48 overall pace; some right achilles soreness; temp in the mid 80's; felt pretty good especially the first 6 miles; legs felt pretty heavy after mile 7 or 8; I have gained a couple of pounds from lax diet; making a concerted effort to clean out my system before the big day, 8/23.

Got up at a quarter to 6 this morning after not falling asleep until 1ish; probably should have stayed in bed but I knew I probably wouldn't have time after work today; cranky as hell today so I'll make this short; 7:55 pace run for 5 miles w/ warmup and cooldown

Easy run in the dark at 9:17 overall pace; felt a little nauseous from the vanilla ice cream I inhaled immediately before running....ooops; legs felt better at this slow pace; scheduling a massage and a chiro visit for early next week to get out all the kinks before the big day; T minus 9 days and counting!

Cross-train/weight train day; rode the stationary bike; pullups/curls/front raises/bench/hip adductor/abductor; seated leg press; seated leg curl; standing leg press; hanging leg raises

Phasing down my long run w/ one week left; its a good thing too because I didn't get up this morning and by the time I finished the honey-do's it was 130 in the afternoon; temp was already approaching 90 and climbed to the mid-90's by the end of the run; felt really good w/ no aches or pains anywhere for a change; tired by mile 6 in the heat but that was not unexpected; 8:55 pace

Didn't get out yesterday like I planned; early morning run at 1/2 marathon race pace; felt pretty good and when I heard the Chemical Bros coming through my ipod it was on; out and back to Locust Grove; purchased some new Nike runnning shorts w/ the built in lycra boxers and I love em so far; not such a big deal on shorter runs but I was getting some chafing on longer runs where the elastic on the sewn in briefs contact the skin; I also really like the new Nike shox socks w/ the extra padding; 8:02 pace; one more short run and some X/T on Wednesday and Thursday before I call it quits and rest up for Saturday   

Early morning easy run; felt really strong and, dare I say it cocky; all that confidence went out the window w/ my IT band; started to flare up around the third mile and I shut it down so as not to risk injury; I really don't need this right now; iced it when I got home and will ice again tonight; the wifey was kind enough to schedule a massage tonight too; no idea as to pace as the battery in my Garmin crapped out right away

I finished- and that was enough. I didn't reach my pre-race goal of 3:45 but considering where I started I can't muster any disappointment. I ran the first half just over 1:50 and the second half in 2:11ish. I was at an overall 8:38 pace until I started the hill climb and ended up up w/ a 9:14 pace (9:09 if you count the extra two tenths of a mile I ran during the race). That pretty much tells the story.

Highlights: My family greeting me at the top of the 3 mile long hill comprising miles 18-20; high fiving more than one kid along the way; a sign at mile 22 or 23 that said, "Any idiot can run, it takes a special kind of idiot to run a marathon"- had to chuckle a bit; a fantastic view of Mesa Falls, Warm River, the Tetons, and amber waves of grain; running with my buddy from law school- at least for the first 1/4 mile or so; and giving my finisher's medal to my 4 yr old (her older siblings got the previous two medals from my two half marathons this year)

Not so highlights: Getting up at 3:30 am to get ready and drive from Rexburg to Ashton, ID in time for the runner's breakfast and load up for the 45 min bus ride to the start; Twenty eight friggin degrees at the start which deterred me from exiting the bus with enough time to adequately stretch out; sore left calf and right IT band around the knee from mile 12 on; washboard gravel road for the first 1/3 of the race; a three mile long hill which was about 2.5 miles longer and 3000 ft higher than anything I trained on; two extended porta-pottie stops at mile 10 and 17.

Here are my times:

1. 8:11
2. 8:18
3. 8:22
4. 8:24
5. 8:32
6. 8:32
7. 8:51
8. 8:50
9. 8:29
10. 10:44 (1st pitstop)
    
11. 8:29
12. 8:32
13. 8:18
14. 8:24
15. 8:32
16. 8:38
17. 11:41 (2nd extended pitstop)
    
18. 9:34 (hill climb)
    
19. 10:37 (steepest part of hill climb)
    
20. 10:19 (hill climb)
    
21. 8:52
22. 9:20
23. 9:21
24. 9:51
25. 11:06 (stopped to walk several times w/ sore IT band and left calf)
    
26. 9:47
27. 3:11 (my Garmin 305 says I ran 26.4 miles; obviously I didn't run in a straight line)

First workout since the marathon; ran on the greenbelt at lunch; legs still a little sore at first but I warmed up after the first mile and felt so good that I ran the last mile in 7:30; 8:01 overall pace

Another lunch hour greenbelt run; felt good but I just don't have enough time to put in more miles when I run at lunchtime; right knee isn't all the way back but its getting there; didn't push it too much today- 8:27 pace

Slow, easy lunchtime run on the greenbelt; extended out another mile; looking to run 8-10 miles tomorrow; 8:45 overall pace

Wanted to stretch it out a bit more but it was really hot this afternoon and i ran out of water; don't know what my pace was because i forgot to charge my Garmin and it crapped out

Greenbelt run from Municipal Park past Warm Springs Golf Course and back; perfect weather- 70 degrees w/ light breeze; felt strong except for naggin pain in right knee; need a post-marathon massage to work out the kinks; 8:31 pace including warm down so my actual running time for the first 4 miles was around 8:20

Didn't get the opp/y to run until late so I had to hit the treadmill at IAC; it's nice to be reminded every once in awhile just how much I loathe the treadmill; not only that but it seems that running an equivalent pace is much easier outdoors; i don't know why they say that treadmill running is easier, I find that exactly the opposite is true; slogged through 3 miles at 8 min pace w/ warmup and cooldown at 8:57 

Lunchtime run on greenbelt- Ann Morrison Park to Park Center Footbridge and back; legs felt like cement but I ran a pretty good pace for me; I've vowed to get my diet under control; the wife's been cooking all kinds of bread and stocking the snacks in the pantry for the kiddies; pleasant weather these past couple of weeks w/ temps in the 70's and light breezes; 8:15 pace

Greenbelt run: Municipa Park to Cottonwood Apts to Julia Davis Park and back; a little bit warmer today; I still feel heavy but I'm running a quicker pace than most of my typical training runs which is kinda weird; 8:07 pace; I keep looking for some rising fish along the river but I'm sure it'll have to wait until some cooler midday weather this fall; can't wait for some noontime running/flyfishing

Lunchtime run on the greenbelt from the Firefighters Memorial near Americana Bridge; I was starving and so I ate my lunch before the run which kinda slowed me down; 8:22 pace

Municipal Park past WS Golf Course and back; 8:10 pace

Boise FF Memorial to Willow Creek Softball Complex and back; felt really tired; almost skipped the run; 8:50 pace

Greenbelt run from Boise Zoo to Chinden Overpass and back; a little more energy today; still not in the mood to run hard at all; I've definitely pulled back the intensity of my training w/ no races on the near term horizon; 8:20 pace

Easy lunchtime run on greenbelt; 8:45 pace

Feeling below average this week w/ a sore throat and fever; cut it short at lunch; 8:03 pace

Lunchtime run on the GB (Ann Morrison to Park Ctr Bridge and back); pretty warm today; didn't feel like pushing it; legs feel great but I've been sluggish for some reason; need to get back in the groove I had while I was training; running a 5k next weekend to benefit autism awareness; 8:35 overall pace

GB: FF Memorial to Veterans Park and back; warm again today; took it easy again on the pace but I did manage to stretch it out another mile; hopefully I can find the time for 10 miler before the big game tomorrow; Go Broncos!!!; 8:32 pace

GB run from Barber to Hwy 21 Bridge and back; 8:34 pace

Greenbelt- Ann Morrison to Veterans and back; pushed a little harder today; cooler weather in the 60's really helped; 7:56 pace

Short GB run from Ann Morrison to Broadway bridge and back.  8:30 pace

Forced to run in the evening; getting darker, earlier so I had to resort to the TM at the IAC; Felt really strong and combined some weight training for the first time in quite awhile; 8:20 pace

G/B: Had zero motivation today; weather was a bit warmer than earlier in the week; I hope we return to cooler weather again for good; truthfully I wanted to quit after 2 miles and walk back and I would have done so if I didn't have to get back to work after lunch; 9 min pace

Back to the grind w/ 5 miles from Boise FF Memorial to Willow Creek SB Complex; got steadily stronger which is a change from recent training runs; did the last mile considerably faster than the first four; 8:20 pace

Quick run from the Zoo to AM Footbridge to Parkcenter Bridge and back to the Zoo; its still rather warm (mid 80's); lots of traffic on the GB during lunchtime; weather is supposed to take a turn for the worse on Friday so I guess I'll enjoy this late season outdoor running while it lasts; 8:30 pace

GB from FF memorial to Broadway Bridge and back; gameday run by Bronco Stadium; lots of RV's and tailgaters even at noon and gametime not until 6pm; it continues to amaze me just how big this program has gotten in just over a decade in Div IA; 8:26 pace

Lunchtime run on GB; cooler weather has arrived; supposed to be a substantial cool down and rain this weekend; made a conscious decision to go slooooow; I would do this more often but I'm under time constraints since I'm running during lunch

Finally got to stretch my legs for a longer weekend run; tried to pick a spot in between storm systems and it appeared as though I was going to pull it off until around mile 6 when the heavens opened up; by the time I got a 1/4 mile from my house it was hailing and my shirt, shoes and shorts were soaked to the point that it felt like I had added another 10 lbs; running in the rain was somewhat enjoyable because the temp wasn't too low; however, I was worried that my ipod touch would take on water through its protective sleeve so I made B line to the case; 8:33 pace

Bright sunshine and temp near 70, excellent weather for a midday run; I've been noticing more heads poking up on the Boise River as we enter into fall and a lot more flyfishermen; legs felt pretty good but my knee soreness is making a return :(; 8:25 pace

Municipal Park to Broadway Bridge up south side of river to Warm Springs Foot Bridge and back; last warm day of the year I think; temp in low 70's with a cold front moving in for tomorrow; knees starting to go south on me again; not sure what I'm doing different; may need to get a massage to loosen things up; 8:35 pace

On the road the past couple of days; squeezed in a T/M run; 8:30 pace

Bad weather had me inside running again on the T/M; 8:35 pace

Played basketball and decided to run on the TM afterwards as punishment for not being able to hit a shot to save my life; hadn't run since last Friday due to time commitments; I'll be Yellowstone until Sunday so no running until next week

Hiked to and fished the first meadow of Slough Creek; Relatively easy 2 mile + hike into the meadow with about half of it uphill; covered quite a bit of water once we got there; beautiful weather in the high 50's to low 60's;  return home tomorrow evening and will get back into my running program.

GB run from Ann Morrison Park to Americana Footbridge path to Emerald and downhill back to Ann Morrison; 8:30 pace

Played basketball

Lunchtime GB run from FF Memorial to Willow Creek Complex and back; chilly fall weather was very comfortable to run in; 8:30 pace

GB lunchtime run from Municipal Park past Warm Springs GC and back; legs finally recovering from basketball on Tuesday; probably not going to run Prison Break on Saturday as the wife has too much going on.

Lunchtime GB run; great fall weather all week; temp in high 50's to low 60's; Ann Morrison to Albertson's HQ and back; 8:37 pace

Easy going lunchtime GB run from FF Memorial to Willow Lane Complex and back; no idea how fast I ran, forgot my watch; weather is still rather nice for late October, low 70's

Played basketball.  Ran pretty hard. 

GB run from Municipal Park past WS Golf Course and back; beautiful fall colors along the Boise River; warm temp in the mid 60's w/ little or no breeze; started off sluggish attributable to playing bball last night; finally got in a rhythm around mile 3 and put in a couple of strong miles at the end; need to improve my diet and get back to where I was; the extra ten lbs are weighing me down; 8:37 overall pace

GB run from the Ram to Americana Bridge back to Parkcenter Bridge; still rather nice outside for this time of year; felt really strong early but struggled toward the end w/ some IT band soreness; 8:33 pace

TM run early this morning; I knew I wouldn't be able to go on my lunch hour due to a chiro apptmnt and Halloween tonight; 8:27 pace

Midday GB run from Municipal Park to BSU footbridge to Cottonwood Apts and back to Municipal Park; very cool temps (low 50's) but no wind; very pleasant running weather w/ falling leaves; spotted a couple of pods of rising trout and was half tempted to stop and watch them; its days like today that make paying the mountain tax to live and work in Boise well worth it; 8:22 pace

GB run from Ann Morrison to Veterans Bridge and back; windy and cold today (temp in the 40's); not too many people on the GB due to the weather and, I suspect, a lot of people voting on their lunch hours; I voted via mail-in ballot and I plan to drive by my precinct on the way home this afternoon and mock all of those standing in line;  quads were stiff and sore but I did turn up the pace from yesterday with a couple of sub 8 min miles; 8:12 overall pace

Decided to get off the GB and run through the neighborhoods of north Boise; temp was in the 40's w/ bright sunshine; started and ended at the base of the foothills so I got more elevation change than my typical Boise River GB run; 8:22 pace

Didn't run yesterday as I had too much to do during my lunch hour and my wife had too much to do when I got home; I need to log more miles but its getting more and more challenging; haven't done a long weekend run in forever and it looks like this weekend will be the same; GB from FF memorial to Willow Lane and back; temp in 50's w/ bright sunshine and no wind; 8:26 pace

Started a new running program today; I've been just running to log miles the past couple of months and I'm finally motivated enough to mix in some temp, easy, long and speed work; easy run today on the T/M; 8:57 pace

 Busted my ankle last night playing basketball; went to the ER and X-rays didn't show a break; swelling was unlike any ankle sprain I've ever had and much higher up; they gave me crutches and referred me to an orthopedist; looks like running is out of the question for at least 6-8 weeks, Aargh!

I got sick of lying around like a slob and decided to test my ankle.  Wrapped the ankle real good and hopped on the T/M.  Started real slow and gradually increased the speed to around 9 mm.  Didn't want to overdo it after 4+ weeks of nothing.  There was significant pain on the inside of my foot, heel and ankle until it loosened up.  I walk around without a limp now but I had a slight limp in my running stride so as not to put too much pressure on my left foot landing and push off.  I was also surprised at how quickly my cardiovascular conditioning deteriorated.  I had to really grit it out just to last the 3+ miles w/ a 5 min walk for cooldown.  Iced my foot when I got home to reduce some of the swelling and I'll probably to do some low impact tomorrow (bike or eliptical).

After my early abortive effort to start running a couple of weeks ago, I finally got back up on the horse to de-stress following a week long administrative hearing.  Ankle still feels weak and somewhat unstable but tolerable.  The problem now is working off this 10 lbs that I've put on during the layoff and getting my cardio conditioning back where it was.  I was barely able to make it the 3 and a half miles w/o falling off the T/M.  My pulse hit 182 at its max which is basically threshold for me.  Considering that I've deteriorated so quickly, I'm hoping that I get it back with a couple of weeks of running six days/week. 

Ankle was a bit more stable this time out; my legs felt stronger than they did on Friday; slowly working back into the groove.

Watched the Broncos blow a close one v. TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl; I had to decompress so I immediately went over and shoveled my neighbor's driveway; that wasn't quite enough of a stress reliever so I head to the club for some T/M work; my back was a bit sore from the shoveling but I managed to get some good miles in; my first back to back runs in 2+ months;  good thing b/c I know that Christmas Eve and Christmas are probably shot and I'm hoping to hit Bogus for some boarding on the 26th.

First outdoor run in over 2 months; temp in mid 40's w/ sunshine; lots of snow melt on the greenbelt from Municipal Park past Warm Springs GC and back; faced a stiff headwind on the way out; my pace was pathetically slow but for the first and fourth mile; hope to get in at least 5 days of running this week and start building my base back up; ankle still stiff but not as painful.

Another GB run from FF Memorial past Veteran's Parkway and back; a bit more consistent today as my pace didn't vary more than a couple of seconds throughout; temp was a bit cooler, mid 30's, but no headwind to fight this time; shaved almost 2 mins off yesterday's time and didn't get as winded; it's coming back. 

Got up early for a T/M run knowing that I wouldn't be able to run on my lunch or after work; only had 30 mins or so; didn't get to sleep until late so I lacked energy; ankle doesn't hurt so much during the run but there is a sore spot on the inside of my heel when I stop; there is still quite a bit swelling left inside my left ankle and it is visually evident when I look at it next to my right ankle; I'm wondering when/if that will go away and/or dissipate; it makes it more difficult to stretch my left calf b/c my left ankle is still so stiff and inflexible.