Go Long!

Nada. Maybe I logged a couple of miles chasing kids...

Nothing. But, dang these are cute kids!

Took Jeff back to Salt Lake, so I decided to run the JRT. Did 10 miles on the usual route and decided to throw in a trip up the hill at 63rd South. It was pretty effortless, so I feel okay about my conditioning. I ran out of energy towards the end of the run and my muscles started to ache. I made it back home and had some dinner, but afterwards felt nauseous and weak like I had the flu. I went to bed early, but woke up an hour later and have been unable to sleep since. My muscles are still a little sore... otherwise I'm fine. Maybe I just had a littlefood poisoning. I'll see how I feel in the morning. Hopefully I'll get a little sleep.

Felt sick (weak). Did not run. Should have.

Did a little loop into Hooper. It was a beautiful day. The course was flat and I was slow. Several times I thought I was speeding up or at least felt like I was running at a good pace, but when I checked my watch I was going the same slow speed I had been for the last mile or so. I actually shook my watch, hoping it was its fault, but alas, it wasn't. I was just slow. I guess you have days like that and since I promised I wouldn't obsess about speed until I hit 100 miles in a week, I'm going to try to not worry about it. Still, if every day was as slow as today, it might take me 100 hours to run 100 miles. I'm not sure I have that kind of time.

In other news, I got out of the POS business today. The company I consult chose to go in a direction other than the one I suggested. They'll make money in the short run, but they've already compromised their integrity... what else is new? The benefit of a longer run is I had more time to process that. It's not about me...

Tomorrow I'm climbing Frey's Peak on Antelope Island with my sons. We'll stay overnight on the island. Not sure how I'll get in my miles, but I'm excited to spend time with the boys. 

I ran the end of the Riverdale Trail up and back with a side trip up the railroad and through the Frisbee Golf Course. I got in some good miles with some ups and downs and at least four miles of dirt trails, which were good for my feet and lower legs. I'd have run a little longer but I ran out of trails and time, since we were getting ready for a weekend on Antelope Island.

I camped on Antelope Island with my sons last night. We hiked a couple of miles in the evening, chasing antelope and mule deer on a trail not far from the campground. In the morning I ran about three miles around the camp and then over and back to the showers on the other side of the bay. I ran in my five fingers and although it felt a little chilly to start, it was great to get out on the road and get things moving after struggling to sleep all night in a tent and high winds. Later in the morning we got a backcountry pass to hike the Sentry trail on the south end of the island. I ran several sections of the trail, which was fairly strenuous, but tried also to be sociable with my sons, too, who were hiking only. I'll go back and run it several times this summer I'm sure, but first I have to solve a minor problem: insects! We were nearly eaten alive by "no-see-ums" on the way up, so much so, that we nearly turned back. These pesky little knats were so thick they covered our clothing and although we applied insect repellent, it just wasn't enough. I wore gloves, long sleeved clothing, a hat with neck shades , but still have hundreds of bites all over my hands, face and in my hair. Supposedly these bugs are gone by the end of May, but by then it will be very hot on the island and the weeds on the trail might make running miserable. We'll also then have to deal with mosquitoes and horse flies. Can it be that I'm already wishing it were winter? I guess running is just inconvenient, not matter what time of year it happens to be. 

Yeah, that's kind of weak. It's all I could do with Mother's Day, the boys visiting, shopping, preparing lessons (substitute) for Sunday and taking Jeff back and forth to Salt Lake. I'll be better. Next week 60 miles. After that, to infinity and beyond.

Just about 10 on a loop out into Hooper and back. Beautiful weather and it felt okay. I got out before (not after) breakfast. Hopefully that will be the norm for the rest of the summer. If I get time, I'll run a little this evening.

Ran 10 miles on the north end of the Bluff Trail this morning. Haven't run there in a week and the weeds are out of control. Just average pace. A bit a wind and cooler than what you would expect for this time of year. No bugs with the wind, so that was good.

Ran my "hill route" through Roy, up the overpass ending at Main Street, back down to the bottom of the hill, up again and then home. I was tired to start, but always seem to do my best on the middle part of the run (the hill section is the middle four miles). Maybe it's because it's harder and I get into that "hard work" mode. I like it. The uphills are tough and the downhills are fast. It makes me run harder. I'll feel it tomorrow.

Ran from the Jensen Nature Park to the Nature Conservancy boardwalk and back through the subdivisions. I had little energy, probably due to yesterday's difficult run, at first. I was hoping for that moment that feels effortless and it came at about 6 miles. It allowed me to speed up my pace. I was debating whether to run 8 or 10 and decided on the shorter run when I picked up my pace, hoping I could sustain it for the last two miles, which I did. I may get a chance to run a few more miles this evening, but I'm glad I got several miles at a sustained speed (even if speed isn't what I'm concerned about in Phase I of my training).

Ran two 5K's this morning. Wanted to do more, but today Jeff got sworn in (now he's a real lawyer) and had to pick up his new car, so we had to hurry to get to Salt Lake. I was afraid I'd make us late, so just into a planned 5 miler, I decided to do 2 5K's (one out, one back) instead. And yes, I know 2X3.1 is greater than 5 miles, but I thought I'd pick up the speed and get done sooner. There's some weakness to this reasoning, but it's the kind of decision I seem to make when my body is starved of oxygen. Anyway, the first 5K was just over 24 minutes. The second was slower. I'd like to be faster, but I'm not going to worry about it until I've hit my 100 miles week, which is still a month away. I plan to do 10 miles with Dr J tomorrow and then maybe a few more later in the day.

Ran 12 miles on the south end of the Legacy Parkway with Dr J. Miles were easy. Had a great conversation about the production of lactic acid in the body and how it works to regulate intensity during training. Hydrogen compounds are actually the culprit, but I didn't understand half of what she was saying and can't remember the other half. All I know is that if you keep on training, you can condition your body to perform at greater speeds and longer duration if you're patient.

I did a hill workout and inadvertently also did a speed workout last week. I noticed my calves were tight on Saturday, but didn't think much about it. They felt a little better yesterday, but because they were still sore this morning, I decided to do a long, slow run. In spite of intent, I started out a little fast and my calves (especially the left one) became tight and sore. I didn't want to risk a cramp, so I slowed down and even stopped a couple of times to massage them, hoping to get them to relax. It took a while. I ran 6 miles from the north end of the Bluff Trail to the Jensen Nature Park where I stopped for water. While I was there I saw a lady trying to take pictures of herself, so I volunteered to help her out. That only took a few minutes and she probably didn't even realize I used to do that for a living. Anyway, the rest was good, because on the way back my calves seemed to have relaxed and I ran the entire way without stopping (albeit a little slowly). With a change in my running style (midfoot strike) I put more pressure on my calves and given my tendency towards debilitating cramps I need to watch that they don't become inflamed or they'll become restricted by the sheath that surrounds them and implode. It has taken me a long time to figure out that that is what happens (mechanically) when I work my calves too strenuously. I'm not sure ice will help, but I'll at least keep my legs elevated as much as I can, do some more massaging and see how they are tomorrow.

It was warm today. I've got to make sure I'm out the door by 6AM from now on. Wasn't I just complaining about running in the cold last week? 

Alright, this is the second time I've written this post, so if it doesn't take it this time... I'll just go to bed. I decided to make Tuesdays trail days, so today I ran the Bonneville Shoreline Trail south from Rainbow Gardens in Ogden. After about 3.5 miles I ran into some hikers who said I absolutely had to go see the waterfall in Waterfall Canyon, so I hiked up that trail (it was too steep and technical to run much) and they were right. It was spectacular. The mist actually made me a little cold. I ran south another mile and then turned around and retraced my steps back to my car... well, sort of. There are all kinds of trails in the foothills and it's easy to take a wrong turn here and there. Over all I had a great (and strenuous) run. I bought new Adidas Kanadias on sale for $50 for trail running and they seemed to hold up well, although they're slippery on rocks and I do have blisters on most of my toes. Next time I'll try Injinji's. I got pounced on by a wet dog, saw a teenager in a very revealing outfit run from a snake, met some wonderful people including several runners who shared advice, bumped my head on a tree, tripped on stumps, roots and rocks and drank from a spring gushing from the side of the hill. Plus I saw spectacular scenery, a fox and a bunch of wild flowers. All in all, a pretty good day. I think I'm going to like Tuesdays.

I'm going to call these miles "leisurely miles," since I spent some of the time looking at houses/lots and not running at all. I decided to run through a couple of neighborhoods we've considered living in should we ever decide to move. I was feeling a little sore this morning, so the idea to get out and see some new country appealed to me. I didn't gain more than 5 feet of elevation in the entire run (although I had to step up to get into my car). The soreness I felt in my calves on Monday seems to have gone away. I still have a pain in the arch of my right foot and I'm starting to think it may be coming from my shoes. For road running I'm wearing a pair of NB 805's. I've really enjoyed them (as much as I've enjoyed any shoes) but they've got a lot of miles on them and probably need to be retired. Maybe I'll do a couple of miles in my Five Fingers this evening. Maybe I won't. 

Only 7 miles AND the pace was slow, but they were barefoot in sand in my special-only-I-can-know place, so I'll feel that workout in my feet and calves tomorrow. At the end of my run a bee dropped out of the sky and stung me on my ear. I haven't been stung by a bee in almost 30 years and for a long time we suspected I was allergic, but I haven't died, yet. My ear is pretty swollen and the right side of my face went numb for a few minutes, but my heart rate has stayed the same, nothing else has swollen (tongue, etc.) and I'm as coherent as I usually am (which doesn't say much). I'm going to say it wasn't much of a sting (hurt like crazy though) or I'm not allergic to that bee. Hmmm.

Memorial Day Weekend means a weekend with family in the Teichert Home. I feel bad for Dr J. Her SO is OOT this weekend, so she's running alone. I, on the other hand will be lucky to get even one run in. Friday, Lava Hot Springs and the Soda Springs Geyser with a backyard camp out. Saturday, visit graves and maybe the IF Zoo. Sunday, church, of course. Monday, Chesterfield Ghost Town and then home. All the in-between times will be filled with conversation, getting Scott's house (Pocatello) ready for sale, and playing with Austin and Allie. It might be futile even to pack my running clothes. Maybe I can get somebody to run with me if I promise to push the stroller(s).

I ran just 7 miles in a hurry, out and back to Hooper, because we wanted to get out of town for the holiday. The pain in my right instep/ankle became accute enough for me to write about. I hope it's the result of old running shoes, but it hurt throughout the day and weekend (see newer posts). 

We met Scott, Lisa, Austin and Allie at Lava Hot Springs and swam for a couple of hours. Later we went to Soda Springs and the restored Ghost Town of Chesterfield. Had a great weekend with family. 

Scott said he'd run with me, but changed his mind when it was time to wake up. Just as well, my right foot/ankle was very tender. Austin was the first one up (after Scott's failed attempt) so I ran a slow jog through the neighborhood with him. He drove his battery powered electric tractor and we were able to have a good talk. Sometimes he chased me, which was a lot of fun. An easy two mile jog was probably as much as my foot could take. Gotta get new shoes.

Memorial Day. Visited family in Idaho, returned to Utah. Could probably have made a run, but foot is still sore. No miles.

Trail Tuesdays, so I tackled Frary Peak on Antelope Island. Didn't run a lot because the trail is difficult in spots and because running downhill put a little more pressure on my instep than I wanted. Still, I got in some good miles, though not at the pace I would have preferred. I only crashed and burned (fell down) once. Didn't  break anything, just scraped up my knee.

There were a few bugs out, but not like last month, so I thought I was safe. Apparently not. This morning (Wed) everything itches and I have bites all over the place. If they're from "No-see-ums," they got the name right.  

Nothing. Resting my right instep. Hope it works.

I wasn't thinking. I ran in an older pair of Asics 1130's and because I didn't feel pain (at least in my instep) I forgot to be cautious. I caught up to a woman at mile 3 who was training for the Wasatch Back, so I ran 2 miles with her at a 7:40 pace. I was feeling pretty good, but when I left her and turned to come back the pain returned to my foot. The second five miles were slow. Tightening my laces seemed to help. I picked up a new pair of trainers (something Asics) today and will try them on Saturday. I'll only run tomorrow if my foot feels better and I'll keep it to 5 miles or less. I'll then see how it feels on Saturday.

 BTW-- I thought my workout on Tuesday wasn't very strenuous, but my quads are killing me today. That's a nice feeling I haven't had in a while. 

I took my Dad (89 years old with Alheimer's) to ride horses with my nephew in Circleville. It was a long trip in the car and not such a long ride on the horses. Dad did well for the first hour and a half of riding, but not so well towards the end. It was like riding a bike for him. He seemed to remember how to do everything instinctively, so I guess you can take the boy off the ranch but can't get the ranch out of the boy. At the end Dad starting leaning way back in the saddle as if he were the Man from Snowy River. I couldn't figure that out. I got off and adjusted his stirrups (which didn't help). That gave me a chance to run along for a quarter of a mile. I was in heavy boots that supported my feet and I wanted to see how my foot would respond. No dice. The pain I'd been feeling all day didn't go away and it was killer to run. I'll make an appointment to see the POD on Monday. Something is wrong.  

A little less pain in the foot today, but I won't run. Am I really getting old this soon? Crud.