Live till you die

AM  Total run time  50:23

Did some speedwork on the dirt trails at Willow Creek today.  It was super windy, so I did my rest periods into the wind and sprints with the wind.  this is kind of cheating, but my hamstrings were still pretty sore today, so I was just glad to be running fast.  

Ran 1.20 wamr-up, then 4 x 800 with 2 minute rest. Splits were 3:00(this had a slight uphill over the last .05), 3:04(this had .12 mile of uphill), 2:54(slight dowmhill), 2:55(flat), then did 4 x 400 with 82 second recoveries.  Splits were 82, 84, 85, and 84 all on a pretty flat grade.  It was super windy during my cool down, so I did 3 sets of running backwards.

AM  total run time 46:24

Did planks, side-planks and 40 push-ups along with 2 x 6 forward and reverse lunges, and 2 x 6 deep squats before my run.  Then too Griffin for a 1.67 chiller.  Dropped Griffin off and did 4.4 in 31:52 for avg. 7:08 per mile. 

PM  Mtn. biking 12.57 miles in 1:23:38 = 4.25 miles

All over the Prospector and Solamere trails in Park City.  Fun ride and saw the sunset from a mountain top! 

Easy day today.  Took Griffin on a little hike at Dutch, then grilled up some food and watched the fireworks.  It was a good day.  : )

NOON  59:12

Did some core then 2 x 6 forward and reverse lunges, 2 x 10 deep squats with 10 lb weight, and 40 dips before going to Dutch Hollow for a trail run.  I tried to find some decent climbs and ended up getting a total of 981 feet of vert by the end.  I'm starting to figure out some loops, so hopefully next time I won't have to stop at all the intersections to look at the trail signs.  Lots of birds out today and saw 2 huge badgers!  Avg. 8:14 per mile.

AM  Total run time 1:00:04

Did a very unstructured interval session today at Soldier Hollow.  I wanted to run some of the trails there to see what I'm getting into for the 10k in 4 weeks and to my dismay found that a lot of the trails are paved.  Not sure if the course is gonna be on these so am e-mailing the race director to find out.  Turned into a pretty fun run once I got on the single track. 

Ran a 1.51 mile warm-up, then did 15 repeats of .10 to .21 miles each with about :45 second to 1:30 rests.  The intervals were up, down and all around as far as terrain go, which I figured is good training since that's how the race course will be, plus it was fun to run in my XC flats.  I'm starting to love running in these shoes more and more!  Ran 1.61 mile cool down, then did 2 sets of carioca, butt-kicks, high-knees, and speed skater along with 2 x 6 running pose after my run.

PM  22:18

Lacy & I took Griffin on a little binger.  Pretty warm out even at 6:30pm. 

AM

Rushin this morning so gonna run later.  Did some core, 2 x 6 forward and reverse lunges, 2 x 10 deep squats with 10lb. weight, 2 x 15 chair pose lateral row and good mornings, 220 sit-ups, and 5 x 10 push-ups.

NOON  39:01

Ran the Willow Creek trail.  A bit windy, but it kept me cool.  : )  Avg. 7:15 per mile.

AM  Total run time  1:06:41

Took Griffin out for 2.51 warm-up.  I've gotta start working more on his pacing because he is going out way too fast.  He keeps up thru the run, but definitely struggles for the last .75 miles.  Did a cut-down run on the Provo river trail after dropping him off.  It was pretty windy which made it a little harder than I had expected.  Did 2 x 1 miles(splits were 6:14 & 6:18), then 2 x .50 miles(splits were 3:03 % 3:04), then 4 x .25(splits were 87, 87, 91, & 85).  Did .97 cool-down.

Unplanned rest day today.  i felt something tweak in my neck and shoulder blades yesterday towards the end of my run and today it's sore enough that I can't turn my head without it hurting.  Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Another rest day.  Still feeling sore, and leaving for Cape Cod tonight. 

Overnight flight into Boston and running around picking up family.  No time for a workout.

AM  41:36

Felt great today!  Very humid though.  Avg. 7:08 per mile.

AM  44:14

Ran .34 with Lacy, then ran the rail trail.  Very humid again today, but feel good.  Avg. 7:17 per mile.

PM  Bike 6 miles = 1 easy mile

Went on a very chill ride with the family on Martha's Vineyard, just taking in the scenery.

AM  47:33

Ran 4 sets of 4 intervals of 400 meters on a local dirt track.  Was pretty fun, but very hot out, so I kept my splits around 88 seconds with 45 second rests.

AM  25:27

Ran to a local bakery with Lacy, my brother, and his wife for breakfast before hitting the beach.  Really chill social run.

Traveled all day to get home.

AM 

Slept n a little this morning so will run later.  Did planks, side-planks, 20 push-ups, 2 sets of deep squats, brid dog, and running pose.

PM  43:48

  Took Griffin out for 1.57, then ran to the top of Memorial hill and back.  My stomach was a little sick from the chips and guacamole I ate before I ran, but it was worth it.  Ran 4.23 miles avg. 7:12 per mile for my solo run.

AM  53:18

Ran around Wasatch State park today.  It was a little warm out, and my legs were tired from yesterday, so tried to just relax and enjoy the run.  I ended up getting nipped by a dog about 2 miles from my house.  It didn't hurt really, but when I got home noticed I was bleeding, so got a tetnus shot just to be on the safe side.  Avg. 7:17 per mile.

PM  Mountain Biking  1:21:08  13.97 miles = 4 miles easy

Road biked to Dutch Hollow and spun a few laps there.  The terrain is better suited for running, but it was still fun.  Really warm out.  Climbed Memorial Hill on my way back home.

AM

 Planks, side-planks, and other core exercises.  Chilling at the lake this afternoon which is gonna make for a nice rest day.  : )

AM  Total run time  1:03:46

Ran Griffin for 1.61.  Felt really sluggish, maybe too much sun yesterday?  Wanted to do a cut-down run of 2 x1 mile, then some 800's and 400's, but after the second mile just didn;t have the strength or motivation, so turned it in to a really easy paced run.  Did the 2 x 1 miles in 6:12 & 6:13 with a 3 minute rest in the middle.  Gonna do a very easy pace tomorrow as well.

AM  total run time  46:20

Took Griffin for 2.5 miles.  He was super excited this morning, so we went a little farther than usual.  Went back out for 3.51 miles, avg. 7:18 per mile.

Did some planks, side-planks, bird-dog, and some core before heading out.  I'm gonna cut down on the strength training over the next 2 weeks in an attempt to freshen up the legs before the 10k on 7/31.

AM  47:33

Ran sort of a fartlek today.  Starting at 3.6 miles did 4 x 1:00 minute hard with 1:00 minute rest.  I did a hard interval pace for the first 50 seconds, then tried to push all out for the last 10 seconds.  It was fun and got the legs moving.  Avg. 7:21 per mile.

PM

Wanted to bike after work, but the rain was off and on, so did a great 25 minute workout at home.  I jogged in place for about 7 minutes with some high-knees thrown in, then did a bunch of plyometrics and upper body followed by some core.  I was sweatin by the end.

AM  33:13

Did some core then took Griffin for his "long run".  He was thirsty by the end, but help up great...with the exception of about 20 bathroom breaks.

AM  total run time  1:10:03

Felt really sore today, but once I stretched a little and got moving I felt very relaxed and strong.  I think this is form my PM workout on Wednesday.  Took Griffin out for 1.71 warm-up, then did 7.41 miles solo avg. 7:18 per mile.

AM  total run time  1:09:25

No coffee this morning...AAHHH!  Ran 2.38 to the store with Griffin to get some.  Made some brew when i got home and did some planks, side-planks, and light core exercises before heading to Round Valley.  Ran 6.53 at Round Valley, mainly staying on the nordic trails, but jumped on some singletrack just for fun.  I was feeling pretty good and the terrain I was on is similar to the race next weekend, plus I was in the shoes I'm gonna race in, so decided to do a hilly tempo mile.  Did 1.02 in 6:25 (6:18 pace) and was very suprised how easy it felt.  Gotta love days like this!  Avg. 7:24 per mile.

PM  Road bike  1:06:39 for 9.06 miles = 2.25 easy miles.

Did a cruiser thru town and Wasatch State Park with my girl.

AM  total run time  52:42

Did some core before heading out.  Took Griffin for 1.65 miles, then did 5.50 avg. 7:17 per mile.  

AM  51:07

Ran at Willow Creek trails this morning for my last speed workout before Saturday.  I wanted to get the legs ready to run fast uphill, and then faster downhill, so ran a ladder workout all with the first interval going uphill, and then the second interval going down.  Grade is about 1% to 1.5%, so not as dramatic as Soldier Hollow will be, but speed was the main goal today.  Ran based on time and pace.  2 x 1:00 (5:48 up, 5:32 down), 2 x 2:00 (6:09 up, 5:45 down), 2 x 3:00 (6:21 up, 5:54 down), 2 x 2:00 (6:20 up, 5:58 down), 2 x 1:00 (5:56 up, 5:39 down) with 1:00 minute recovery between each interval.  I then did 2 x 10 second all out sprints before a .81 mile cool-down.  Beautiful morning to run in the mountains! 

AM  13:34

Easin back a bit for the next few days.  Took Griffin out for a little stroll, then did some core with plyometrics and upper body.

AM  31:02

Did a cruiser to keep the blood movin.  I have a little calf soreness in my left calf, probably form yesterday's workout.  Hopefully this will go away by Saturday.  Avg. 7:23 per mile.

Just some stretching this morning.  Helped a friend move last night, but don't feel too worked from the heavy lifting.  hopefully it all comes together tomorrow.

AM  Total run time  1:16:56 (includes warm-up & cool-down)

Woke up 2.5 hrs before race time, so I had time to brew some coffee, stretch, eat a little breakfast, take care of business, take Griffin on a 1.65 jog, take a shower, and off to the race....all in that order.

No calf pain, which might be from the adrenaline of race day, as it feels pretty sore now....but everything feels kinda sore now.  This course is tough!  I had expected a big climb, and then just rolling hills back down the mountain, but there were decent hills the entire way thru the course.  The trail is also pockmarked with horse tracks making it really uneven, and other parts of the trail is covered in soft grass.  I felt a little off balance on my XC flats once I started to fatigue, but I really liked running in them!  I manually tagged my splits so they're a little off, but no big deal.

Mile-1  7:27  A group went out swingin and i was in about 10th place from the line, but once we started climbing I slowly got up to 4th and the group had spread out.  Total gain was 293 feet.

Mile-2  6:31 Feeling pretty decent and began a very steep and uneven decent.  3rd place was about 5 seconds in front of me.

Mile-3  7:21 Things started to come apart here.  He were hitting steep ascents that I powered up thinking I would recover on the downhill, but the downhill was taking a lot of effort just to not wipe out!  3rd place had gapped me a little more.

Mile-4  7:01  Got passed here.  My breathing was labored, and the heat was starting to affect me.  I started thinking that I should have ran a few tempos before the race, because my endurance based strength was not there.  Started to really pump my arms on the climbs and keep good form.

Mile-5  7:22  Another big descent, but I was feeling exhausted so could not take advantage of it.  got passed by the 5th place guy towards the end of this mile.  I tried to hang on, but wasn't happening.

Mile-6 & last .28  9:47  This last section was a steady climb until a .15 downhill to the finish.  I just tried not to blow up here.  This was the hardest section of the course in my opinion.  My legs were super tired, but I just kept telling my self to stay efficient as possible because the end is near.  ended up finishing about 5 seconds off of 5th place.

Went back out to run Lacy in as she did this race too.  She tweaked her knee around mile 3.5 on a downhill so was hurting, but hung on till the end.  She's one tough chick!

Overall I'm pretty happy with the results, and it has taught me a few things I need to work on for the future.  I have also decided to do the Skyline 10k next weekend, and I think this was good practice for that.