Training in Montana

Drove to Lake Powell last Saturday and Sunday, so no runs, then was at the lake a week and no runs. Finally back to civilization so I got up a bit early for a run in South Jordan, Utah. Took me two miles to get to the Jordan River Parkway, then ran a mile up and back and back home. My pace was slow so I sped up in the middle just to see if I still had legs. I do. They are weak. But I had a great vacation.

Stayed up late, then had a noon meeting, so I hit the Y after work and ran to the rims. I needed to be at the soccer field at 6:30 so that sped up my run as I wanted to do 6. I didn't take water with which was a good and bad thing. Bad because my mouth was parched midway, but good because it's good training. It was only 79F with 17% humidity so I knew I wouldn't die. Legs felt much better than Saturday, looking forward to keeping the momentum going.

So my run yesterday was more like a workout, and I knew that, but I didn't realize it until I tried to run today. It didn't go well. Plodded along, walked a few times, then walked a lot. Then ran slowly back to the Y. Legs were tired.

7 pace miles were called for but I only had time for 6. The 3 out were pretty slow as it's uphill but I pushed the downhill return miles and got close to pace.

AP: 7:53, last mile 6:57 (downhill)

10 miles from home to the church as our family signed up to clean it  this morning. Lots of people showed up, it was great. The run went well but my wife called me twice during and my headphones don't have a Mic so I had to stop, take out the headphones, and  walk and talk. 

After cleaning we headed straight into the mountains for a hike, joined by friends. Added 6 miles of decent hiking, lots of vertical gain to a gorgeous lake. I'd been there once a while back but it was virgin territory for everyone else. Beautiful land we live in.

4 TM miles as it was gusting to 40 mph outside. Watched the first 30 minutes of Back to the Future, love that movie.

30 sit-ups & push-ups afterwards.

7 miles this morning, and my hands were freezing on the way out. 54F but 58% humidity which is double or triple what we normally have, and there was a decent West headwind on the out. My Southern friends just can't comprehend it. Yesterday's high was only 71, but it was still 54 and raining at 11 am. An hour away they closed the Beartooth pass due to snow (it's 11,500 feet but still). Not a normal July day for us, but we'll take it.

The run was decent, nothing special. Waiting for my legs to fully return, hopefully in another 5-6 weeks of steady marathon training.

4 noon miles, 2 1/4 mile pickups.

8 morning miles. Legs were dead from the pickups yesterday. Kept waiting for the legs to warm up so I could do MP miles, but I kept walking instead. Finally realized I had the legs and needed to force my body, ran the last 3 miles sub MP, about 7:30 pace.

14 miles on the JRP this morning. In town for a niece's wedding last night and got to bed after midnight then slept rough. Got out the door at 7:30, a bit late for a warm day. 2 miles  to the river trail at 9800 South, then 5 miles North then turned around and headed back. Felt decent but not great, walked a few times for short stints. 

AP: 9:03

4 Noon miles from the Y. Nice day out, a bit warm. 80F 39% humidity. Nice to get some hotter miles in as in past years I've almost exclusively run in the cool mornings (it was 59F this morning).

AP: 8:14

8 miles in a warm morning for Billings, 64-70F during this run, very little breeze to speak of. I was soaked afterwards. Decent run. Speeds weren't great, but consistent effort on the ups, a bit strained on the flat and downhill. Took me a while to cool down but having the A/C cranked in the truck while driving my son to the High School helped.

AP: 8:24

8 late morning miles while at Island Park scout  camp.

17 very tough miles at scout camp this morning. Woke at 5:30, started at 5:59. Same 4 mile route as yesterday then planned to go 4 on a certain road but it was all uphill so turned around after 1 mile, then the other direction was all downhill so turned around after 1 mile that way. Legs beat at this point, planned to call it at 12 or 13 but I just kept running. This was a big victory in my training, very pleased even though the paces were slow with lots of walk breaks. 7500 feet elevation, lots of up.

AP: 10:21

Ran at Noon from the Y. Plenty warm outside, 86F with nary a breeze. My legs are just dead from Friday's run. A bit odd as I didn't run Saturday or Sunday, didn't expect they'd be so worn out. I plodded along in as much tree shade as possible and the legs warmed up more and more. Last mile I hit a 7:55 pace which isn't fast, but it was fast enough for me.

9 miles from the Y during a long lunch. I could not walk up this morning, so I slept in and decided to do some fortuitous heat training during lunch. Took two water bottles full of ice water, and it was the right amount. Started at 10:50 and ended just after Noon, 81F-84F 35-25% humidity, full sun, hardly a breeze. Wore the HR monitor and glad I did. 160 bpm is about my max for running decently, and it will likely be a challenge during the marathon to keep it under 160 if I don't lose some weight and gain some fitness. I've been testing borderline high blood pressure lately and I wonder if that impacts the HR? Not sure. Anyhow, I got through the run but stopped a few times for walk breaks and that helped. Doused my head and back with water a few times, that helped.

AP: 8:40, average HR 157

4 easy miles from the Y at lunch. Weather was cooler today, so temps 72-75F while running. Sat in the dry sauna for 10 minutes afterwards. Just read an article about heat being a greater helper than altitude, so I'll give it a shot. Can't hurt! And you never know whether SGM will be hot or cold. Cold I can deal with and run well, heat not so much.

Horrible run. Hal Higdon's Intermediate 2 plan called for me to run a half marathon today. With very few options in Billings I decided to run a fake one. Woke up at 5 am and out of the door by 5:15. Jogged 3/4 mile to the mailboxes where the pavement starts, then hit start and headed down the hill. 3 miles of mostly downhill, but some ups, and I was keeping a good marathon "A" pace of 7:35. After 3 miles, it hits a busier road which is flat all throughout town. I was planning different ways to go to keep up my speed without stopping but at 3.8 miles in I realized my legs are not ready yet for my "A" goal so I bagged it. Turned around at 5 miles and ran home, up the long grinding hill (I was originally going to end my 13.1 at a gas station at the bottom of the hill to better simulate a race). I didn't stop so that was a good thing, but disappointing. I'm now heading to Southwest Wyoming for a 5 day pioneer trek with 375 youth and adults from our church in the Billings area. Will be hot, dusty, sweaty, and hopefully a fantastic experience for these youth.

AP: 8:42