The Stick Figure Runner

It's Been Awhile

2018-04-15T16:26:00.000-06:00

Well, I am back. After a very long hiatus, wondering if I would ever type on this thing again, I have decided to post an update about how my running has been going, and just life in general.

First and foremost, I have recently changed employers. After over eleven years at my last place of employment, I decided to switch to another agency. So far, this has been an awesome change and hope it will continue to still be as enjoyable later as it is now. I had also recently promoted at my last employer and was really liking my new job, but, I was not around much at home, which I didn't like. It felt like all I did was commute, work and sleep! So far, my life is much less stressful now than it was previously and the late nights don't seem to be too frequent anymore.

My running has really been going well for since roughly mid November. The Temperature is starting to warm up here in Utah, and the sun is becoming more prevalent each and every day.

I have participated in four races for the year so far, thanks to the Striders Winter Racing Circuit here in Northern Utah. So far I have run a 5K, 10K, 10 miler and a half marathon. Each race has gone quite well and I am happy with where I am at physically right now.

My 5K was the exact same 5K as I ran last year. I was excited to see how I would fare this year as compared to last year. I ran a nearly identical race, coming in about 17 seconds (21:18) slower is all despite not being in quite as good of shape as I was the previous year. I was excited to see I took 16th overall out of about 320 people.

My 10K came just two weeks after my 5K and too was very happy with my results. I placed 18th overall out of 309 people, running a time of 46:39. This too was about 16 seconds slower than the previous year.

My ten miler came just a few short weeks after the 10K. The conditions for this race really couldn't have been worse as it was blizzard like conditions for the entire race. Despite the less than desirable conditions, I actually ran faster this year than last year, placing 18th overall.

Last weekend, I had the chance to run my first half marathon of the year. I knew I was in decent shape, but knew I wasn't in good enough shape to get a PR in the half marathon. The weather conditions were really good, though I did overdress as I had been expecting a fairly decent rainstorm for the race (picture at top is from this race). I was able to run a 1:37:59, good for a 7:29 pace, placing me 27th overall in the race. Despite a pretty strong effort on my part, I feel, just goes to show you how "in shape" I was last year when I PR'd in this distance. Last year, when I PR'd, I ran a 1:33:59! This is four minutes faster exactly than what I ran eight days ago. It should be noted though, I was in the thick of marathon training last year when I ran this time. I haven't started marathon training yet for this year.

So far this year, I have run a total of 370 miles, and have already got my first trail run in for the year. I recently have been able to get a loaner GoPro and made a short trail running video of this run with it. You can watch it below if you feel so inclined. I am very excited about starting marathon training here in about a month from now, and with a good six months of base built up beforehand, I hope to be able to get yet another PR in the marathon distance.

Anyways, that is my running update so far, I am hoping I will be back more regularly on this blog, but, can promise anything. Cheers.

Running Week in Review - 25 more miles and ready for some races

2018-01-21T22:06:00.000-07:00

My running has come along pretty nicely as of late, and am excited to see how this year turns out. I am excited for my running schedule this year as I have a race just about every month from February to September. I am excited to include my first trail race this year as well and am interested to see how I can do on the dirt. I am kind of a klutz though, so we will see how I fair. At any rate, the variety will be fun this year.

My ultimate goal though is to be able to get a real strong marathon under my belt this year. My last marathon I am proud of because of how I was able to gut out a new PR in the marathon despite having my legs blew up on me not even six miles into the race. My mental strength during the race was better than it has ever been in the past, which was a positive experience for me knowing if I need to gut it out in the pain cave, I will be able to.

My running has included lots of hills this year, which has been fun....mostly. I know this will be super beneficial for me down the road, and am already seeing positive results. I am still making sure I get a couple of easy runs in during the week to make sure I keep the chance of injury as low as possible.

Anyways, things in general are going really well, and I am hoping I can keep running fun until marathon training time. I need to get as fit and as fast as possible before the real work begins.

Hi, I'm Still Here I Guess

2018-01-07T22:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess I couldn't really let go of this old past time of mine. Though I am not quite sure what direction I want to take with this thing, I have decided to continue on with this regular format for awhile.

Ideally, I think I would prefer to make videos, but, considering 95 percent of my runs are in the dark right now, I don't think it would be super exciting to watch if you watch. When I can venture onto the trails more, I will definitely I think make this a goal of mine. I do enjoy capturing some video of the amazing scenery from here in the grand State of Utah, which I live.

Anyways, since my last post I my running has progressed rather nicely. I was able to run 100 miles for the month of December, which has kind of turned into a yearly tradition, though not by design. I took a couple of weeks off of work and really focused on running lots and lots of hills. This has helped my running immensely and will continue to be a focus for the foreseeable future.

I am also not too far away from the beginning stages of race season as my first race is a little over a month away. I am excited to get these going as they are very motivating for me and keep running fresh.

I have also been motivated by my friend of 25 years, who was the one who actually got me into running to begin with, get back into the wonderful world of running. He has had life events which are more important than running was, but is finally starting to be able to work running back into his life and has been exciting to see his progression back into running.

Well, I can honestly say I am happy to still be back on this blog and will try to post weekly updates. I am still wanting to tweak it still, just need to figure out exactly what I want to do. In the meantime, happy running!

P.S. Here are a couple videos of some of the trails around my next of the woods, I did awhile ago, if you want to check them out.

Running Week in Review - 21 miles, but my blogging life might be over.

2017-12-10T21:22:00.002-07:00

Well, I am finally starting to come around with my fitness level and feeling like some progress with my physical fitness.

This last week I went over the 20 mile mark for the week and am approaching my 25 mile per week goal until marathon training season begins. I am still being consistent with my strength training routine and have been able to see a difference ever since I have incorporated this into my weekly regimen. I am excited when I can take my strength training further than I ever have before. Maybe it will actually translate into faster marathon times down the road. The trick will be getting stronger without putting on little, if any weight. I would actually like to lose a little bit of weight in the process, but be stronger. I think I have said that last sentence like 1,000 times on this blog.

Which leads me to my next question I have been pondering a fair amount as of late. Am I done with this here blog of mine? I think there would be some things I would still update every now and then, but, I am kind of wondering, what is the point anymore?

Originally, there were a couple of reasons why I blogged. The first being, just to track progress and share my running adventures with my friends and family, but, I have been running for long enough now, I feel most people can't be bothered reading it anymore, and I'm perfectly okay with it.

Secondly, at one point, I was curious to see how big I could make my blog in the world wide web. I blogged regularly and started to get some decent traffic because of it. Now, I could care less!

Lastly, with social media being such a big influence, I too find myself hardly reading any blogs. I used to be an avid reader of running blogs, but, now, I rarely have the time to even get on social media. My life consists of getting up early to exercise, go to work, with a fair amount of those shifts being extremely long shifts, like 12 to 16 hour days. Then, coming home exhausted and usually falling asleep on my couch before ever making it to bed. This is my life in a nutshell right now and I don't really have the motivation to even type on this blog anymore. Plus, with all the regular family stuff mixed in this crazy schedule, this is the last thing on my mind most of the time.

Anyways, this is my thoughts tonight. I guess I need to decide what I really want to do with this blog of mine, but as of right now, I feel like pretty much retiring the blog. This thought does kind of make me sad as I have devoted a lot of time into it. But, not sure if I'm sad enough to continue blogging and I can still continue reading it. Guess we will see.

Running Week in Revieww - 13 miles and still feeling sluggish

2017-11-26T23:21:00.001-07:00

I actually had a really solid week of training this last week,, running four times during the week and getting a strength training workout in as well. I was hoping to get more strength training workouts in, but, I was so sore from my Monday workout it took me all the way until Saturday to feel normal again. So this week, I will repeat the exact same workout as last week and see how much progress I make.

In regards to my running this week, I am still feeling slow and sluggish. I am sure the extra weight I have put on in the last five months is not helping the situation and I really need to focus on my healthy eating this week as there are no excuses for not eating healthy. I feel my muscles haven't lost too much physically, but my cardiovascular system really hates me right now. I did see a very small pep in my step on Saturday's run, but not enough to feel I like I am in any sort of physical shape. I suspect in about a month or so, I will really start to turn the corner and the cardiovascular system will be my friend and my muscles will be my weakness. This will hopefully be my biggest focus during the next five months or so before marathon training really begins.

I think I pretty much have made up my mind on what my racing schedule is going to look like next year, but, haven't officially etched it in stone yet. I am excited, however for the variety of races I will be doing, all in building up for marathon number eleven and possibly marathon twelve.

I really am wanting to run a spring and a fall marathon next year, but, have run all of the spring marathons here in the State of Utah already and due to having my goal of running every Boston Marathon qualifying marathon in the State of Utah, need to keep focused on running marathons I have never ran before (they need to stop adding marathons here though if I am ever going to achieve this goal ha). I am worried if I train for a spring and fall marathon, I will get burned out from training for a spring marathon, I have already ran, and not bother with a full marathon in the fall which I have never ran.

Anyways, I just need to keep plugging along and being patient. I have lots of time to get into marathon shape.

Running Week in Review - Nine miles and feeling sluggish

2017-11-19T22:55:00.001-07:00

Ugh, being out of shape really isn't fun! I guess you have to stop somewhere after taking a fairly significant break from running and am excited to get back into shape again.

This week every run was a struggle. I never felt strong like I could run forever, or felt any signs of progress. Obviously this wasn't the case, but, everyone run was labored. I am grateful though I was able to run four times this last week and know if I can stay consistent, the progress will start to show fairly quickly.

This week I will start to incorporate some strength training workouts. Nothing major, of course, as I can't handle much most likely, but, at least it is a start. My pace has slowed down dramatically since my marathon and to get where I want to be, I really, really need to make this a focus next year.

One thing I would like to do is slim down just a little bit. I currently weigh more than I ever have and would like to be just a little bit more lean come marathon training time. While I'm definitely not on the heavy side by any means, losing just a little bit of weight would feel much better when I run. Guess we will see how that goes. I really won't push the subject too much until after the new years, but, I will try to be a little bit more careful with my eating habits around the holidays.

This week I am hoping to run about 13 miles for the week and continue just building my cardio base. No speed work of any kind, just log some miles and try to enjoy the cold runs as much as possible. Luckily we haven't had a real cold morning yet, like any of these runs, but, the time is nigh at hand before they come my way.

Time to get back to running....again

2017-11-12T22:03:00.003-07:00

I got the green light from the doctor to be able to return to running in small doses this week, so this is precisely what I will do. Now begins the long, slow climb back to being fit again. With some races approaching in about three months, I want to get into decent shape before so I can be respectable in my results.

I was really consistent all of last winter, and hope I can get the same consistency from here on out. I really feel though, I needed this break from running as I was still feeling burned out mentally after this last year of training. In looking back at my running information, I had been running/training consistently for 11 months straight and 24 out of the last 25 months. Having been training so much, my brain needed a timeout for awhile.

So here it goes again, time to ramp back up and get ready for 2018. I feel ready, finally!

Favorite Song of the Week

2017-11-07T16:31:00.000-07:00

My newest addition to my Favorite Songs of the Week music collection comes from probably my second favorite band, Angels and Airwaves. This song was originally written about 11 years ago and so he recently redid the song acoustically and I absolutely love it. Check it out!

Running Week in Review - Just ten miles

2017-10-29T22:29:00.001-06:00

The week started out promising, but I sputtered as the week continued. In fact on Saturday I woke up with such a big headache, blood pumping through my brain did not sound fun at all and I just stayed home for the day instead.

This next week will be the last week I can run for a couple of weeks as I am getting a very small procedure done. The doc says no running for a couple of weeks after the procedure so I will essentially be starting over again when I can resume running. Hopefully after I am able to resume running, I will be able to go full tilt and get ready for my upcoming races early in the year.

When I am able to get back to actually being able to exercise normally again, I am hoping I can start to integrate strength training back into my regimen. I am hoping next year I will stay consistent in my strength training. I am still convinced this is probably my missing link of me being able to qualify for Boston. Without it, I fear I am not gifted enough physically ever getting there without it. Maybe I need to increase my mileage yet even more. Who knows, but, I feel this is my best opportunity of getting there. I have a few other ideas in the running department, which I believe will aid me in preparing for a Boston Marathon attempt as well. Guess we will see what this year holds. Lastly, I wasn't able to get in a trail run this week, ultra sad face.

Favorite Song of the Week

2017-10-24T21:04:00.000-06:00

Before I nearly abandoned this little blog of mine, weekly I would post some of my favorite past and present songs. Well, I am happy to say for now at least, they are back. There is just so much good music to share lately that I have to add it to the blog.

So the one I want to include from this week is from my favorite band, Blink 182, and off their newest album, the deluxe version of their California soundtrack. The song is called Last Train Home. Give it a listen, I really quite enjoy it.

Running Week in Review - 13 miles and love running the trails!

2017-10-22T23:01:00.000-06:00

Well, life has started to slow back down for me and I am excited to get consistently running again. Unfortunately, even though my work schedule is back to normal, I do have one more obstacle in the way before I can get back to normal. This exciting event will occur during the first full week of November and will keep me out of action for a good two weeks or so. Until then, I plan on staying as consistent as possible so when I get to return to running again, it isn't quite as bad as it could be.

In the last little bit though, I have tried to enjoy the trails as much as I can until the snow flies. It is only a matter of time though until my luck runs out and I am faced with running in the dreaded winter mornings. I won't lie, sometimes winter running is quite beautiful and therapeutic, but most of the time, it is just plain annoying. I do enjoy getting the odd look of some crazy nut out running during blizzard like conditions though.

Anyways, my travels on the trails are always amazing, especially when rattlesnakes are generally out of the picture due to the cold weather. Perhaps, the best part is though, autumn running here in Utah is unreal! The colors are spectacular! I think I have said this before, but, I'll say it again, generally fall is not my favorite time of year, UNLESS, I am trail running, then it is my favorite.

Lastly, I have said this before, and I'll say it again, but, I hope to get consistent on my dumb little blog of mine, I have kind of missed it as of late.

Check out the links below if you are bored enough to follow me elsewhere:

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Getting Back to Normal

2017-10-01T23:29:00.000-06:00

Thank goodness this appears to be my last week of working way crazy hours. Fortunately, with how the week is scheduled, I think I can return back to running consistently again. Well, I guess not
completely, I do need to get a very small medical procedure done in the very near future, then life will be back to normal again.

As I sit here typing this little blog of mine, I realize starting tomorrow, I can sign up for the Strider's Winter Racing Circuit for the 2018 year. I really enjoyed my time doing this racing series this last year, and am excited to run it again next year. However, the competitive person in me wants to be in better shape for it next year than I was this year so I can set new PR's in each of the respective races. Unfortunately, I set some pretty lofty standards this last year and I know beating those times next year will not be easy. It will be fun to try however, and I am already getting excited for next year. For now though, time to get consistent and back into decent shape again.

Lastly, while I am not a huge fan of fall in general, I can't deny this is by far the best time of year to run trails! I am hoping I will be able to enjoy the trails a fair amount this next month before the snow flies and get some beautiful scenery and pics in before the year is over.

The light at the end of the tunnel

2017-09-24T21:42:00.000-06:00

Life is still crazy for me due to work, working 65 to 70 hours a week for the last month or so. Luckily, I believe I am approaching the end of this insane work schedule in the next two or three weeks, then I can return to being consistent and get back into shape again.

I only ran just once this last week, with it being just a short three mile run on the roads around the neighborhood and am blown away at how fast you can lose your fitness levels. It's mind boggling to me just two months ago to the day I ran my last marathon and was in the best shape of my life. Now, after running three lame miles I am gassed! SUCKS! Luckily, as I said before, I am getting close (hopefully) to being done with this madness and can get my life back in order physically. Until then I'll do what I can when I can and just bide my time until normalcy returns.

I figure this will probably be a good time to incorporate strength training back into the regimen as well and build some strength back into this wimpy body of mine. Hopefully I can stay consistent with this as I lose interest in this as my mileage starts to increase. I am still convinced I could run faster if I kept going with the strength training, but, I only have time for so much in one day. I think the best option for me would be to do my strength training during my lunch breaks. Guess we will see.

Oh running, Where did you go? Come back!

2017-09-10T21:39:00.000-06:00

Holy crap what a whirlwind this last little bit of my life has been. Work has taken over everything as evidenced by the 75 hours I worked since Tuesday.

Due to averaging about 16 hours a day of work this last week, running did not happen at all, and barely happened at all last week either. I am officially out of shape and I hate it! It was super awesome being able to plow 13 miles before work without even thinking about it, now three miles will probably kick the crap out of me. While my work load should lighten up slightly in the coming weeks (working roughly 65 hours per week instead of 75) I will try my best to get consistently running again. The mileage may not be super high, but, if I can just log three or four runs a week I will be happy. Guess we will see.

Running Week in Review - Only ten miles

2017-08-13T23:06:00.000-06:00

I won't lie, I have had major mental burnout since my marathon and have had almost no motivation to get out and run, especially on the roads. While I did get out and run three times this week, they were forced and were mostly less than desirable.

With having such burnout, I don't see any feasible way of prepping for another marathon in just three weeks. Why? First being, I don't see my body getting back into marathon shape in just two weeks. Secondly, my brain yearns for lots and lots of trails! I have decided I want to run a different trail every Saturday for the foreseeable future. There are so many incredible trails less than five miles from my house, I need to go visit all of them again!

While I am not quite in marathon shape anymore, I am hoping to stay consistent and just run what I want from here on out. I also wouldn't mind adding in strength training workouts again in the near future. Eh, never mind, I'll wait until the weather starts to get crappy again before doing that. I really do need to be extremely consistent this winter in preparation for the next marathon season, but for now, time to just enjoy running again. Do whatever sounds fun.

As I sit here and type about trail running, I have a few videos up on the world wide web about some of my previous trail running adventures that were perhaps my fondest trail running adventures. I'm hoping to be able to capture some of those memories again this last little bit of summer and fall. Anyways, if you want to watch them, I have attached a few for you to watch.

Two weeks since my last run, time to return

2017-08-06T22:02:00.002-06:00

These two weeks off since my marathon has been good for the brains and soul. In fact, I had a few thoughts during these two weeks if I even wanted to run anymore this year. Now being away for two weeks, I have the itch to return to running and plugging away to whatever the future holds.

What does the future hold for me this year? I have been pondering this a lot this last week and am honestly not sure what the rest of the year looks like. I had originally planned for another marathon on September 9th, but, after thinking about this, it is only a month away. I'm not sure if I can get my body ready for another marathon in just 30 days. Luckily, my fitness level was the best it has ever been and suspect I could return to form quite quickly, but, 30 days quickly, not sure. However, that being said, I think I will give it a go and just see what happens, if I feel ready as it gets close to marathon time I'll give it a go. If not, do I just bag training all together for the rest of the year? Do I look for a marathon in October? Or do I switch my focus to the trails a few peaks I have wanted to bag, but never have? So many tough decisions and each sounds good in their own way.

I really want redemption at the marathon as I this last one didn't go the way it was supposed to go, and I Know I can do much better than what my result showed. However, I don't want another Huntsville Marathon type race where I am walking by mile 16 and having a really, really long ten miles.

I guess the way to find out which direction to take will be just to go out there and hit the pavement and see what happens. If another is meant to be, so be it, if I am not feeling ready, that is fine as well. Time to find out

Deseret News Marathon Race Recap

2017-07-29T12:33:00.000-06:00

Looking back at the Deseret News Marathon I have so many mixed feelings about how this race went, and about the race in general. I wanted to run this race for the last couple of years, but, due to injury, haven't been able to. Finally, this year, I was healthy enough to actually run it and was ecstatic to race the oldest marathon in the State of Utah.

July 22nd had arrived and I traveled down to the expo to go pick up my packet. The location was nice, and even had a Jimmer Fredette sighting while there. The expo was pretty empty, with you just picking up your packet and one vendor stand. However, they had some decent swag inside the packet I picked up. No biggie, I was still happy and off to home I went.

VERY early on the morning of July 24th (1:45 a.m. to be exact) I get my butt out of bed and start getting ready for my race. I leave my house just after 2:30 a.m. and make my way to the parking for the race. I arrive at about 3:30 and go jump on the bus.

Having to be on the bus so early made me want to sleep on the bus, but, for some reason couldn't so I just closed my eyes and tried to rest as much as I could. Another bonus to this race is they didn't jam us all on school buses, rather they put us on actual traveling buses, very cool and made for a much more comfortable trip to the starting line.

We get to the starting line at about 4:30, giving us an hour until it is time to start the race. I do the usual routine of visiting the Honeybucket's like five times, hydrating and sitting on my butt until it is time to start. As it gets closer to race time, I start preparing for the race.

The race begins and I am feeling excited and ready to obliterate my marathon PR. The first few miles felt great and was confident a 3:30 marathon was going to happen. However, after about five miles into the race, my legs were already telling me they weren't super happy, and we're going to make me work for my goal.

I tried to work through it as much as I could, but, trying not to blow up my legs too early and not being able to finish either strong, or worse, not at all. I just tried to maintain as long as I could and it seemed to work, luckily.

I had times where I felt strong, like I could run a 3:30 marathon, but those were few and far between. It's a shame my legs were revolting so bad early too because cardio wise, I was having little trouble and was strong throughout the entire race and never hit the dreaded wall. I finished the marathon in 3:38:05, which was still a personal record, but, was not how I was hoping the race would go. However, considering how my body was feeling during the race, I still consider this race a victory as I had to be in the pain cave for the majority of the race.

I am not sure why my body struggled so much during this race, I have had almost zero problems like this during my marathon build up and frequently ran 13 miles or more without even being a little sore. It was such an out of the ordinary thing to happen, I am having a hard time to pin down a specific reason on why this happened. There are only a few plausible reasons behind this weird phenomenon I had, with the first being a lack of sleep the night before, due to the fact I had to get up way earlier than any other race I have ever done. The only other possible thought I had was it was a pretty stressful week personally, leading up to the race. I had never been so prepared and so ready for a marathon as I was on the 24th.

All in all, I am extremely proud of my mental toughness I had during this race, which can be my downfall sometimes. It kept me going during the entire race and helped me work through the pain I was experiencing pretty much the whole race.

Now let's talk about the actual race. There were some good things about this race and some things I really didn't care for in this race, just like pretty much every race I would imagine. First, lets talk about the things I did like about this race. The course did have some pretty spots and a few of the aid stations were rockin! The course in general, I don't think was too hard on the body (maybe it was since I blew up by mile five) and I always think it is a great idea to have Honey Buckets every mile. It prevents major build up at the aid stations when they are spread throughout the race like these were.

In some ways I actually really enjoyed having to get bused back to my car after the race as it gave me time to get a power nap in before having to drive home. However, I also hated having to catch a bus back as I had to walk what felt like a mile to get to the buses. After as sore as my legs were, this was a grueling task to say the least.

There were also some things I didn't like about this race. First and foremost, not having the roads, or at least a side of the road closed for runners going down immigration canyon was kind of a royal pain in the butt! I hate having to deal with cars while also trying to be focused enough to actually make the 26 mile, 385 yard race. That task is daunting enough, having to dodge cars makes it that much worse.

At the starting line, they only had a few cups of water for nourishment. That was it, I forgot to bring a banana or something for the time before the race, and with just water at the beginning, it is never a good sign to start off a marathon hungry. Granted, most of this is my fault, but it is nice to have banana's or something at the starting line. I do like the idea of having big old tents to keep you out of the elements if needs be, which is what this race did.

Another issue I had with this race was having to deal with public transportation while running. As I am running down Foothill Drive, right past the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, I had to stop briefly to wait for the Trax train to come bebopping by. This might have not been an issue early in the race, but having to deal with this at mile 21 or 22, not easy! Again, this is something that is probably out of their control, but, was tough mentally for me.

They also claim you get to run the pioneer day parade route, and maybe the shorter distance races you were able too, but, as I came through the area, we got one city block on the parade route. I was really looking forward to that, but, came away disappointed it wasn't more involved for us marathoners.

Lastly, the finish line was looking good, until I crossed the finish line. The energy coming into the finish was actually pretty good, but, when I passed the finish line, I was met by a homeless guy sleeping, no creamies, green bananas, water and Gatorade, that was it. Oh, I think I saw a few bagels as well.

All in all, I still had a really good time and enjoyed running my first marathon in almost two years! However, I was also sad this race wasn't a little bit more to what I had imagined. I am hoping to get one more marathon in by the end of the year and hopefully I can stay healthy and get one more marathon in by the end of the year. If I do, hopefully my body doesn't hate me quite so much.

THE AFTERMATH - RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUT THE RACE

I lucked out weather wise for it being the middle of July, never getting above 80 degrees.

The price for this race was awesome for me being such a late entry! Only $70 dollars.

Again, not my favorite medal

First potty break during a race was not what I wanted

44 oz Fiiz after a marathon was extra yummy!

Running Week in Review - 56 miles and it's taper time!

2017-07-09T23:03:00.000-06:00

Can't believe I have finally made it to taper time. Okay, well not until the middle of the week, but, I only have just two hard workouts left before tapering and I'm excited to finally toe the line of a full marathon again. It has been two years, almost since my last full marathon and I am more ready now than I ever have been to run this distance. Let's hope this race goes lots better than my last marathon. To put it into perspective some though, I ran a really body busting marathon just three weeks before, which was obviously not a great idea.

I also will be able to update my Utah's best marathon blog again, FINALLY! It is my most viewed blog I have done to date, but, needs to be updated again so more traffic will come to it again. The thing I am most excited about though, is to see the result of my labors these last 18 weeks.

This last week of training went really well, running a total of 56 miles and being able to vary my routine up greatly, which makes the old brains happy!

My Monday run was again my speed workout for the week. I really enjoy seeing how my body reacts to the faster paces, especially when the temps are rising and the body is working hard to keep the body cool. This went without any issues and was able to complete my run with little problems.

My 4th of July morning run was quite pleasant! The roads were quiet, there wasn't the usual hustle and bustle of people trying to get to work on time, it was just a nice peaceful early morning run. It also helped it was a six mile easy run that morning too.

Wednesday was another ten mile tempo run. I had one of those mornings where it felt easy the entire way and felt like I could go forever at that pace. I'm glad it feels that way as it will feel even easier come marathon day when the temps are a little cooler, the course is more downhill, it will hopefully feel like cruise control the majority of the way.

The rest of the week consisted of easy runs, though the distances were a higher than my typical easy runs are. I was able to venture to my favorite course in my area, the canal road. Saturdays run was done at the Riverdale Parkway Trail. This trail I love and for some reason I don't run it that often. I need to make it more of a priority I guess.

This week should be an awesome week with lots of exciting adventures! Can't wait to get to my tapering and to get ready for 26.2 on July 24th.

Running Week in Review - 63 miles and I have already ran 1,000 miles this year

2017-07-03T00:10:00.000-06:00

Another really strong week of marathon training is in the books and I'm now coming down the homestretch before race day, which is in just 22 days.

My Monday workout was my strength training workout for the week, meaning I run at a pace which is faster than my marathon pace. I had to run three, two mile intervals at ten seconds faster per mile than my marathon pace. It's kind of ironic how any speed workout gets me a little nervous. However, when the actual workout occurs, after just a few minutes I realize because of the shape I'm in right now, it actually takes little effort to run at those paces, which I'm actually grateful for.

Wednesday was also my longest tempo run I have done to date, covering ten miles. I will run this distance two more times before my race. It's also kind of crazy to think I do roughly a half marathon of distance before work on Wednesday's.

Saturday was also my last really long run before marathon day, as I ran 16 miles. I have really been craving hills as of late, so Saturday's run was just that. During my 16 mile run, I covered 1,116 feet in elevation. I know this will only help me be better come race day as it conditions my body for some of the grind a downhill marathon puts on your body. While I can't truly emulate race day terrain, this is about as good as you can do running solo and not running down canyons for training.

I'm a little interested on race day how my fueling goes. I won't lie, I haven't experimented at all this training season with different supplements to get me through my race without bonking. So I will be relying on Gatorade and water for my marathon. My goal for fuel will be to make sure I slow down going through aid stations and make sure I can get some decent amount of liquids and carbs into my body, and hopefully prevent bonking too early into my race. I would love to make to the 23 or 24 mile mark before life starts to get sucky. I'm usually somewhere in the 19-21 mile mark when I start to bonk. I'm also hoping being in the shape I'm in will also get me further before that dreaded wall smacks me in the face.

Going a little off topic though, I can't believe I have already ran 1,000 miles this year! It boils down to roughly 166 miles per month since January! Insane! I'm confident this year will go down as my highest mileage year in the history of my running life. I'm grateful I have been able to stay injury free this whole year. I have had a few close calls, but came away on the good side of a few bad situations, which I am grateful.

Running Week in Review - 55 miles and my last 60 plus mile week this week

2017-06-25T22:58:00.000-06:00

I'm coming down the homestretch of my training now as I am now less than a month away from my marathon. I am excited to get to this marathon as I am feeling extremely ready physically to go slay a new PR in the marathon.

This last week of training went good, well, mostly save my Wednesday tempo run when I had some sort of stomach issue going on all morning, causing me to have to stop three times during my tempo run for potty breaks and generally just feeling crappy the whole run. I had no energy during the entire run and was just glad to get the run done and over with.

Monday's speed workout too proved quite challenging as I did my run in the thick of the heat. The starting temperature was 90 degrees and I was very careful during my warmup phase of my run to make sure I kept the heart rates to a minimum until it was time to go. I also did you the terrain to my advantage during this workout as to give my body a little help considering the temperature in which I was running in. I was able to run my 11 total miles in one piece and felt okay considering the heat.

I also ensured my easy runs were not the same old loops to give my brain some much needed scenery change. The more I can mix up the scenery the better my brain feels and this was exactly what I needed this week. I ran many different routes and enjoyed my easy runs immensely this week.

This week will be my last 60 plus mile week (63 to be exact) with my last long run before my race. I will also increase my tempo run to ten miles this week, which will continue for the next three weeks.

I think I have mentioned this before in a previous blog post, but tapering in this training program doesn't occur until ten days before the marathon, so while This will be my hardest week until my marathon, I am not exactly in cruise control mode until about mid July.

I still can't believe it has been almost two full years since I have ran a full marathon. That is WAY too long in between marathons. I am grateful I have been able to stay healthy this year and am very confident my I am going to smash a new marathon PR this year. Can't wait!

Running Week in Review - 55 miles and starting to feel the fatigue

2017-06-20T22:00:00.000-06:00

To the three people who actually read my blog, yes I am still alive. These last couple of weeks were extremely busy at work and just haven't had time to come update this here blog of mine.

Well, this last week was a pretty good week for me in the running department. I only ran five days last week instead of six after an extremely grueling Tuesday at work. I could have went and ran, but, my brain needed a break. So instead of running my 62 miles I was supposed to during the week, I only ran 55. I just needed to get away from it.

The cumulative fatigue is starting to set into my body, especially this last week or so. My legs are just starting to feel tired! Probably goes without saying as I have run 900 miles this year already. Last year I didn't reach this mileage until about October or so last year. By the end of July, if everything goes as planned, I should reach my mileage goal for the roads already.

My speed workouts and tempo workouts are going good despite the heat we are experiencing here in Utah at the moment. I am trying really hard to get my one run a week in the heat still, but, I am really having to be careful now that we are in the 100 degree range.

My mind is also starting to get burned out. I think it is from the lack of sleep and stress of work. Hopefully I can stay strong mentally for just another month or so until my marathon.

Anyways, despite the burnout starting to occur, I have no real issues I am dealing with. I don't have any injuries to report and I am more than ready for my ninth marathon in almost a month to the day. I just need to make sure I get the rest my body needs now, eating mostly healthy and doing everything I can to get to the starting line on July 24th.

Running Week in Review - 63 miles and a wonderful time at Ragnar Wasatch Back

2017-06-05T23:16:00.000-06:00

What an amazing week of running I had! This is the first time ever I have gone over 60 miles in one week. I actually did a little bit more than what was scheduled, but, I wasn't 100 percent certain of what my exact mileage was going to be at Ragnar because it always seems like the mileage on the website, doesn't always add up to the mileage you actually run.

The week began with a new series of speed workouts. I officially transitioned away from the track to a more, marathon like speed workout. This run consisted of me doing six, one mile intervals, at a 7:50 pace. This would be ten seconds per mile quicker than I am hoping to run my marathon. This wasn't too challenging, but, it is good to focus a little bit more on my speeds and distances.

Tuesday was my usual easy run, though, it's getting longer in distances as it now is eight miles instead of six. I did a little bit of elevation in this run, gaining 412 feet in elevation.

Wednesday brought my usual tempo run. Again an eight mile journey with little problems completing the journey.

Thursday was quite a bit different than normal. Due to Ragnar being on the weekend, I really wanted to get an actual long run in before Ragnar. So, Thursday morning, I did my 16 mile long run. I didn't have the opportunity to work proper hydration and/or carb intake during this run though.

This was not an easy 16 mile run. The sun was up early, however, I was not, and I paid for it with a scorching hot run. Luckily, I was able to gut out the entire run, at the prescribed pace, without any fluids or food.

Friday began Ragnar. For those who have never done Ragnar, they are some of the most enjoyable events you can do as a runner (watch video below). This particular Ragnar is the original of them all, the Wasatch Back. This course is a very challenging course with lots of varying degrees of difficulty and elevation change. On top of it all, you get almost no sleep and run anywhere between 11 to 20 miles. The other exciting adventure of this years Ragnar, we had one runner who didn't show up for our van. So our team had 11 runners instead of 12 and our van had five runners instead of the usual 6.

My first run was more of a warmup run than anything. This was probably a good thing because my legs were still feeling the affects of my long run the night before. My first run was 2.26 miles of essentially flat terrain. After our first set of runs we went to one of our runner's houses where we had some unbelievably good pasta, watermelon, and several other goodies. We were also able to get some R&R prior to our next set of legs.

Our second set of legs began at about 10:00 p.m. and ran throughout almost the whole night. My second leg was no slouch as I had to run a total of 8.1 miles and climbed 709 feet in elevation. Though the legs were tired, I was able to clear the leg in one hour and seven minutes. The weather was perfect, 64 degrees with just a slight wind.

My last leg of Ragnar is truly the most difficult leg, probably out of all the Ragnar's. This year's Ragnar Hill was 6.82 miles in distance, however, has an elevation climb of 2,904 feet in elevation. The course is essentially from the bottom of Park City Ski Resort, to the top, via trails. It is truly a butt kicker. I am pretty proud of myself of being able to average a 12:33 pace up the ski resort.

Ragnar is truly one of the highlights of each year in regards to my running life. The camaraderie you have while running Ragnar is so awesome! You can be in a van full of people you have never met and by the end, feel like best friends.

Overall, it was an awesome week of running. Can't wait for many more adventures to come this summer.

Running Week in Review - 51 miles and seven more weeks of training until my marathon

2017-05-28T23:18:00.000-06:00

Yet another solid week of training is in the books, with another solid 50 miles under the belt. Now my first marathon for me in almost two years is not too far ahead of me.

This week did start with a bit of a scare for me though, as I had got done with my speed workout on Monday evening, it had felt like my IT band problems I was having last year had reared its ugly head again. Luckily, having gone through this little problem last year, I knew exactly what my body needs to fix itself quickly and not miss any time running because of it.

You see, my IT band problems arise in my left hip instead of the old knee. I have also found out, when it really starts to flare up, if I can get on an NSAID regimen early and not push the pace for a couple of days, it goes away. ALL of my IT Band problems come from running too fast for too long. I suspect my half marathon on Saturday, followed by my speed workout on Monday did it in. Luckily, after just a few short days, it was back to good again and training continued virtually uninterrupted. In fact, I didn't miss any runs during the week, just pushed my tempo run to Friday instead of Wednesday. Worked like a charm.

Speaking of Wednesday, I had the privilege of running the Law Enforcement Special Olympic Torch Run. It covered 11 miles total and was a very rewarding experience (see video below). We had several special needs kids come run with us on and off during the 11 miles. It puts things into perspective about what is really important in life, and how grateful we should be for all we have.

Friday's tempo run too went quite well. It was again an eight mile tempo run, along with a mile and a half warmup and a mile and a half cool down. I feel come marathon day, I will have little issue completing the 26.2 miles at this pace. My cardiovascular system is in the best shape it has ever been in and my body barely works, averaging just a 137 beats per minute while running an eight minute mile on a mostly flat course. Put this on a downhill course and my body will barely be working at all. In fact, when I was running my half marathon on Saturday, which again was at a 7:10 pace, my heart rate average was still just 150 beats per minute.

My Saturday run again found me on my local canal road. I love this little urban trail near my house and try to frequent it at least on a monthly basis.

All in all, a great week despite the little scare with the IT band. This consists of my first time ever going more than 60 miles in one week. This is also my first of three 16 mile runs I will do to prepare for my full marathon. This does get me worried some as usually I try to do several runs over 20 miles during marathon training season. However, with that being said, I have never had better success training than I have had this year. I have just got to keep trusting the process and knowing everything will be alright. I am excited to get these underway though and build up the endurance I need to complete the marathon successfully.

Running Week in Review - 57 miles and I obliterated my half marathon PR

2017-05-21T23:01:00.000-06:00

How in the heck did that just happen? Not only did I get a new PR in the half marathon, I completely destroyed it! More on that in a minute. Let's start at the beginning of the week.

The week started as it almost always does, at the local track doing some speed work. I was supposed to do 6x800 meter runs with a 400 recovery, but, in mess some people call brains, I thought I was supposed to do eight. Well, to make things even better, I lost count and actually did nine instead of eight, or six, but, it hopefully made me a stronger runner because of it.

Tuesday is an easy run day for me, especially after pushing the pace so hard on Monday and knowing I have my tempo run on Wednesday. I also try to avoid too much elevation gain on this day so my body can recover as much as possible during my two hard workouts. I ran a total of eight easy miles.

Wednesday was another tempo run, but, this time, I increased my tempo run from seven miles to eight miles as I try to ramp up for marathon time. I was able to complete the run with little issue, but, it didn't feel as good as some of my other tempo runs I have done this year.

Thursday was again another easy run for me, but, I include vert during this run as my marathon I am preparing for has lots of it during the race. During this easy run I was able to get in about 450 feet of elevation during this run.

Friday I usually try to include some sort of elevation, but, with my half marathon the next day, I decided it would be best to again take it easy so my body would be well rested for my half marathon the next day.

Saturday was the big day, this was the race I really wanted to test my limits, see what my body could handle. The trick was to push it as hard as I could and either PR, or blow up at the last couple of miles and fade badly.

I didn't have the perfect "rest day" on Friday. I was hoping to leave work by noon, go to the expo, get my stuff and go home and take it easy for the rest of the day. My work day ended up being much longer than I had hoped, I didn't leave work until about 4:30, dealing with sucky traffic and getting home at about 6:00 p.m.

Anyways, I woke up about an hour before I needed to leave to catch the bus. For breakfast that morning I tried to pieces of toast and a banana with a glass of water. I had also packed a bottle of Gatorade with me to drink on the bus so I could get as many carbs in as possible before the race. This seemed to do the trick for me as I had little issue getting to the finish line and I felt good the whole way.

Right before the race started was kind of a cluster. I started to get ready for the race a little later than I had hoped, causing me to rush to get ready for the start. Luckily, I just made it and was ready to roll right on time.

The weather was absolutely perfect for a race, with a starting temperature of 41 degrees, sunny and a very slight breeze of just 6 miles per hour. The second mile is also the hardest mile on the course as it has the only significant hill of the whole race.

During the first few miles of the race, I just tried to get comfortable at running a 7:30 mile pace. This was my PR pace and I knew if I just maintained this pace until I hit the canyon and started descending down the canyon, I would be able to PR. It was amazing how fast these first few miles flew and I was feeling very comfortable with how my body was feeling considering the pace. Crazy enough, my first mile was my slowest, by a lot, as the rest of the miles flew by.

As I had hit the canyon portion of the race, I was now moving significantly faster than my hopeful 7:30 pace. At this point I knew I was going to be in for a really good morning.

The best thing about this race is not it being a downhill course, but the scenery of this marathon. There is no other marathon in the State of Utah (well that I have run at least) which has the beauty this course holds. There were many times while running where I would find myself lost in the scenery, not even paying attention to what I was really doing and just amazed at how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place.

As I had exited the canyon and had essentially three miles to go, my average pace had now crept down to about a 7:15 mile average. My cardiovascular system was having little issues providing the body with the essential oxygen and blood my body needed to run this pace. The last couple of miles after I knew I was going to be just fine. I was able to finish the last few miles in blistering paces, well for me at least. Mile 11 was completed at a 7:06, mile 12 was run in a 7:05 and mile 13 was completed in 6:52. The last little tenth of a mile I pushed as hard as I could and was able to pull off a 6:02 average pace for that last tenth of a mile.

My finish time..............1:33:56! This was not only a PR, but I PR'd by about 5 minutes! This also broke down to a 7:10 pace and would actually give me a Boston Qualifying time if I could just keep it up for another 13 miles. I also finished 91st overall out of 2,739 people.

This was a huge, HUGE accomplishment for me! I had really started to wonder if I really could ever qualify for the Boston Marathon. I would have to essentially take over a minute per mile off to even get close to qualifying for Boston. After my half marathon yesterday, I feel now I can truly taste being able to qualify for Boston in the very near future. While I am not sure I will be able to get there this year, I believe if I work hard for this next year, there is a real possibility I can get there next year.

It does make me want to seriously consider trying for it this year and just see what happens. I would really, really love to hit this goal. I have wanted to run Boston pretty much since I started to become a marathoner. Finally, I can now taste this goal, at least for a little bit. For now, though, I just need to finish preparing for my actual marathon, which is just about two months away and see how it goes from there.

P.S. This was also the highest mileage week I have ever ran!

Running Week in Review - 49 miles and ready for a half marathon PR on Saturday

2017-05-14T22:39:00.000-06:00

A good week of running is in the books and I am inching ever closer to marathon number nine. Not all roses during my training this week which has caused me to have to alter my speed training from here on out. I am also excited to try and PR in the half marathon this Saturday, guess we will see if it happens or not.

Anyways, Monday's run brought me back to the local high school track for a series of mile intervals. It was during this run when I realized I cannot maintain a 6:30 pace consistently. I had to do three miles at this pace and was able to complete the first one, but, the other two, I really wasn't coming close. It was at this point when I realized this current speed is not sustainable for me. This week I will try to be a little more conservative and run paces which are sustainable for those longer intervals rather than completing one, then bombing the rest from there on out.

Wednesday's tempo run went well again. I really enjoy doing tempo runs to gauge my physical fitness levels and compare them to where I am. This is the most accurate gauge of how I will feel during a marathon as they are essentially run at the same pace. As of right now, I am feeling extremely confident in my ability to not only PR in the marathon, but, most likely blow it out of the water if I can continue to stay healthy and train the way I have been training.

I have also been trying to incorporate a little bit more vert in my runs as of late as I feel this is an area I need to get a little stronger to really be prepared for my primarily all downhill marathon in July. The more I can get prepared for the grind of such a course, the better off I will be. I am still careful on my Tuesday easy run to make it truly as easy as possible to allow my body time to recover in between my speed workouts and my tempo runs.

This Saturday I get to run the prettiest half marathon in the State of Utah (at least in my opinion). This will be my first half marathon in awhile and I am excited to see if I can get a new PR in this distance. My current PR is a 1:38:18, which boils down to a 7:30 pace. It was three years ago on this course when I ran my PR, despite not being in the best shape due to a somewhat bum hamstring. I feel this PR, though tough, is beatable based on my current fitness levels. My plan to do this? Maintain this pace on the flat and uphill portions of the course, and push on the downhill portions of the course. There will be two possible outcomes for this lofty goal, with the first being a new PR in the half, or somewhere around mile ten, I'll gas out and fade badly the last few miles. Guess we will see. Either way, it will be fun and I am excited to see how truly fit I am.

Lastly, I'm getting to the point of needing new shoes. Not that my shoes really look or feel worn out, but, they now have 563 miles on these bad boys. Guess I better go buy me another pair of shoes in the very near future.