Training in Montana

5 TM miles at the Y before work. I really need to venture outside.

4 TM miles at the Y during lunch. I'm really digging the first season of Arrow. It's pretty much why I run at this point - to watch my shows.

I felt pretty good, and ran most of it at 7.0 pace which is an improvement for me. I know when I hit the roads it will bring my legs back, but my schedule has been tough and my desire to be cold even tougher.

5 TM miles at the Y before work. Only had to take 1 walk break, and it was short, then ended with a slow (10 min pace) last mile. Yesterday my last 1/4 mile was a 6:56 pace and it kept me sweating for 30 minutes afterwards, which is never fun when putting on a shirt and tie.

Did some situps and pushups afterwards.

5 TM miles at the Y during lunch, watched another episode and a bit of Arrow. Fun stuff, thinking about becoming a vigilante.

30 pushups and situps afterwards.

3 TM miles after work, followed by 30 situps and pushups then 3x10 weights. Tired arms after.

My Saturday long run on the TM. It was afternoon and I should've ventured outside but didn't. Ran 1/2 mile then walked at high incline while watching football. Got up to 15% incline for the last while. Also wore a 100 lb pack. I might be lying about the pack.

4 TM miles at the Y this morning, 1% incline which is a huge improvement over a month or two ago when I couldn't stomach any incline. Didn't run too fast, but I also didn't stop which is growth. I feel like such a winner.

Struggled to run 4 lunchtime TM miles at the Y.

Again struggled but ran 4 morning TM miles at the Y. Not enough time lately to go past 4 miles, hopefully soon.

Running is weird. I struggled the first 3 days of the week to run 4 miles, and today I thought about skipping the run as during a training cycle I have Thursday off. I decided that my short runs are helping my fitness return, so ran at lunch and it was simple. 7.1 mph at 1% incline for 3.5 or so, then bumped it to faster and finished running for a short while at a 10.9/5:30 pace. I couldn't sustain that speed for long, but if I were in a race I could have done 1/4 mile at that speed. Why? Last night I had T Bell - maybe my teenagers have been right all this time.

After yesterday's solid efforts my legs revolted this morning at the thought of running, so after a mile I upped the incline and walked. The last 1/2 mile at 15% incline and 3.5 mph which is a solid jaunt.

How weird. I ran outside Saturday morning and I forgot all about it. It was so cold my eyelids froze together and somehow I don't remember doing that. What's up with my brain?

I headed out about 8 am, 13F with a slight wind so -2F windchill. I love my new Asics jacket I bought this past Spring. It has stretchy sleeves with thumb holes, a quilted insulated wind-proof front and back, and butt cover in the back. I don't know why I haven't been running outside more this year as it made the run nice. Obviously was covered up, wore a neck gaiter and breathed through it most of the time, with just a slit for my eyes. I wore a thin-ish quarter zip shirt I also got last Spring and it was a perfect pair.

So nice to be outside, and 6 miles wasn't a thing at all. The TM has me stopping every now and then and I never once felt a need to stop. I need to get out more often. Plus, eyelash icicles are pretty darn cool.

1/2 mile during Boot Camp, 1/2 mile on the TM after. I'll be sore tomorrow, lots of leg exercises. Yum.

4 TM miles at the Y this morning. Last early morning practice for my 12 yr old, so now I'll have to wake up on my own to run in the mornings. Hmph.

Although, my 17 yr old tried to injure or kill himself and his brother yesterday morning by sliding off the road and rolling the car. Thankfully they're okay minus some bumps and bruises, but the car is totaled. I'll be their new chauffeur until we get another Subaru for them. My kids will now always drive a Subaru while they're living under my roof. Those things are safe! And I love my kids. Those are at least two things I know. Angels were watching over them yesterday for certain.

3 TM miles at Noon. I wasn't feeling it, so walked after 1 mile, then walked the entire 3rd mile, mostly with 10% incline while watching X-Files. I never really got into it in the 90s, what a great show. THEY'RE out there....

8 slow treadmill miles while watching a movie with my boys. Only at 6 mph/10 minute mile, but I just kept running. Longest run in months and longest tm run in a long while.

6 miles this morning outside from my house. What??? I honestly don't recall the last time I used a headlamp to run and I'm so glad I went out today. It was nice being on my familiar road and a famliar distance. I've missed the normalcy in my running. It's also so much harder for me to run on a TM with a solid pace. It may physically be easier but mentally it's much more challenging. Whether it's the constancy of pace with no undulations or the lack of visual and physical stimulation I'm not sure, but it's been mentally taxing this year. In past years it hasn't been as hard on the TM, but I've been in better shape. My guess is that if you're already in great shape from the roads and trails, TM runnin is just another tool in the tool box, but if you're out of shape the TM is a tough task master (TM = task master? Hmm..).

Anyhow, great to get out. 29F, 9 mph West wind, not too shabby. Love my new headlamp, a Black Diamond 130 lumen with variable light - press & hold the on/off button and it moves from highest light level to lowest light level, so I can conserve battery power when needed. Then if I touch the side of the light it bumps up to the highest level. Cool light.

4 TM miles at lunch. I think. I'm writing this on Thursday and don't recall how far I went.

4 miles...outside...in shorts! Wind in my face on the out so definitely needed a long sleeve shirt, took off the gloves on the way back and could've done with a short sleeve shirt. Ran a semi-fast 3rd mile, then a slow 4th mile to cool down.

AP: 8:02

4 miles outside again at lunch time! 52F with a 20 mph wind = short sleeve shirt, shorts, no gloves. And my headband was soaked with sweat afterwards. On January 28th. Gotta love the January thaw.

AP: 8:07

New month, new life. Or not. Ran outside, great conditions. 29F with no wind, mostly overcast. Wore my tights and 1/4 zip warm running shirt, perfect, plus hat and gloves. Running outside trumps TM which we all know but I haven't done much outdoors the past few months.

AP: 7:45

January I did 84.5 miles which is the highest mileage since the 52 mile race in June. I'm ready to up my mileage.

4 TM miles at the Y at Noon plus a cool down. Watched another episode of Arrow. Totally realistic which is the best part. Arrows trump bullets always.

I'm writing this a few days later and I can't remember what I actually did today, but I'm pretty sure I went to the Y at lunchtime and I wasn't feeling it. I ran a bit, I walked a bit, ran a bit, then walked at a 10-15% incline for a bit and finally got to 3 miles but it was like pulling teeth. Only no blood at the end.

I needed to go into work on Saturday which is very rare for me, but I needed to get organized as that's something I've not paid attention to for far too long. Organized my office as best I could, threw away a bunch of stuff, and tried to do a few things more but that's all I got. That took a good 4+ hours, so then I went to the Y. My family was just leaving so that stunk, but they weren't heading home so I ran on the TM and watched shows on Netflix for a while. 6 miles felt good. I probably could've done 8 but I didn't have any easy running foods and it was 3 pm and I hadn't eaten lunch so I stopped. Did my arms workout then 30 push-ups (hard after doing arms) then 30 sit-ups. BTW, doing my hamstring stretches regularly after running has really helped. In the past year my hammies have gotten really tight when ramping up the mileage but stretching has helped. I normally don't stretch ever otherwise. No proof it helps means one less thing I worry about.

Before work. Crazy, I know. Not too windy, not too cold. Still chilly, but not bad at all. Listened to some old LDS general conference talks from October 1991 when I was a freshman in college. True doctrine doesn't age, but it was a step back in time thinking about where I was all those years ago. Great talks also about being good missionaries always and working hard, and keeping our standards up while the world changes - we don't need to change, just love those around us but don't need to bend to every whim of societal change. Good messages that stand the test of time.

3.5 at the Y this morning. I sped up as I had an 8:30 deadline at work. I not only didn't get my 4 miles, I was also late to the 8:30 huddle. With a drop of sweat rolling down my back as I stood there. Classic.

6 TM miles at the Y before a 7 am breakfast meeting (to which I was late). Late yesterday I was invited to a 7 am "Eagle Scout alumni" breakfast meeting with no strings attached (I know the guy in charge so knew that was true) and I debated whether to go or not. I knew I wanted to run 6 but also knew I had lunch plans, so that would mean getting up at 5 am to run. That's early. I thought no, but while drifting off to sleep I determined that going to the meeting would be a good thing but running came first for me so if I woke up at 5 am without an alarm clock I would go. Got to bed early enough that when I rolled over at 4:59 am I decided to arise and get on with it. Glad I did.

Good run, mostly at 7.1 mph, with a 1/4 at 6 mpm pace.

Took my daughter early to her elementary school's "Fit Kids" workout then headed to the Y. Thursday's normally a day off, so I took it easy. 1.5 miles of walking at 15% incline at 3.5 mph followed by 40 pushups and 30 situps.

I thought I'd been making progress on losing a few pounds with being more consistent lately so I weighed myself this morning. Turns out I've also been consistenly eating as I'm up a pound from last time I stepped on the scale. Hmph.

We've had great weather this week, like snow-is-all-melted kind of week with low temps in the 40s and 50s - amazing February weather. And I never got outside during the warm spell. Thought I would today so I didn't bring any warm clothes, and it was 38 at lunch time, a bit too cold for what I had. Rats. Ended up on the TM and did 6 miles. It's Friday, meaning I can do a longer lunch and not have guilt. 30 pushups & situps after, stretched my hammies.

10 TM miles at home while watching The Martian. Great flick.

4 TM miles at the Y. Watched a little SVU then some Arrow. SVU = great writing, cringe-worthy topics. Arrow = not-so-great writing, but fun topics.

Outside

Last weekend I was in Utah Friday-Sunday and I didn't fit in any runs. I also tweaked my left knee somehow, I think while sleeping. Getting old is awesome.

Hopped on the TM at lunch to try and run and no go. I think I hyperextended my knee somehow over the weekend and it just feels weird when I walk, so makes sense it felt weird while running.

I hit the bicycle and rode for 30 minutes and worked up a little sweat but I didn't push it hard.

3 elliptical miles. It felt good on my knee as it never goes into full motion. I think I'll stick with this for a little while until the knee feels normal. I know it's nothing serious, but I'm gonna baby the knee.

Went to work for a few morning hours then hit the Y. Elliptical for 4 miles, then 1 mile on the TM. I think I'm ready to run again, knee felt fine.

4 TM miles. Not running for a while made it a big tougher than I thought, but it was fine. Walked a bit, changed up speeds quite a bit, but I got the miles in, then 30 pushups and situps.

A new month, just a few TM miles this morning. I'm hoping for 50 miles in March.... Actually, planning to ramp things up and get ready to pace a woman in the Bighorn 100 miler mid June.

6 TM miles at lunch. Should've paid better attention this morning and brought a shirt to run outdoors in. 55F would've been decent in a tanktop, but maybe a bit cold. After taking a short break for a knee deal 6 wasn't as easy as it should've been. I walked once and dialed it back a couple times to get warmed up, then finished the last mile at 7.5 mph. Good run.

I suck for not having run outdoors much lately. I decided to run outside as we're having amazing weather and little wind today. Headed up to "The Rims" which is a great dirt trail on 100 foot cliffs overlooking the city. It's a unique feature of Billings, and the airport is up on that mesa. I've made this trek many times, from the YMCA to the rims and back, and it's never been a problem. Until now, when I've been on the TM wayyyy too much with very little incline. I don't have the numbers on the elevation gain from today's run, but it's 600 feet or so of up and my legs were shot while doing it. In fact, I couldn't run the whole thing. Shameful. Time to get outside and stay there.

AP: 9:24

8 miles outside this morning from home on my normal Saturday route, but decided to keep it to 8 instead of 10 because I haven't done 10 in a long while. I'll save that for next week, weather permitting. I could definitely feel my legs from yesterday's effort (497 feet of up) so I took it easy. I was surprised today that I could keep going, but I did. Made it up my "Veyo" hill without stopping, even though I haven't hit this hill in a long while. Not speedy, mind you, but I was running. Really great weather today, from 42 to 51 degrees and not much wind. 

AP: 9:22, 678 feet of elevation gain

I got new shoes over the weekend. Best. Day. Of. The. Year. Running in them for the first time is the second best day. I actually bought two pair - last year's Adrenaline 15s and this year's Cascadia 11. They updated the Cascadia thankfully so shouldn't have any more holes in the upper.

Ran outside on a nearly perfect day. Overcast, 50 degrees, slight wind on the out. Went with short sleeve and forgot the gloves. Would've been more comfortable on the out with gloved hands but I was fine once the wind was at my back. Kept a fairly quick pace the first couple miles but should've backed off a bit as I was done by mile 3 and I shouldn't have been. My legs just aren't outdoor worthy and they'll come back shortly. It felt great to be outside.

AP: 7:58

3 TM miles this morning at the Y.

4 TM miles at the Y because I forgot a long-sleeve shirt for outside running. No biggie. Felt pretty good but not great. Afterwards did lunges (and tweaked my left hammy), biceps, triceps, and chest presses plus situps and pushups. For youth group tonight they did a fitness check and in a white shirt & tie I did 10 pullups, 44 pushups (in 1 minute) and 20 wheel outs. Fun day.

6 miles outside at lunch. Great temps, but windy. Fought the wind on the way back and it was a pain but good for me.

AP: 7:55

10 freaking miles this morning for the first time in a long long long time. It felt great to get back on the horse, amazing how quickly my legs got a little oomph in them as last Saturday they couldn't have done this. Some residual tiredness from running 6 yesterday faster than I've gone in a while (slow marathon pace) so my pace today was pretty bad on the out, but decent on the return (downhill mostly).

AP: 9:07

3 TM miles at lunch. I was dogging it plus didn't have lots of time. Very tired from the weekend. Did some weights and abs after, including some lunges. 

So tired. I was going to run at lunch but I couldn't get myself up for it. This Daylight Savings change just rocked my world, combined with running 10 miles.

4 TM miles at lunch. I went to bed at 9:10 pm last night. I only do that when I'm sick (or old and affected by DST change). 

Intended to run at lunch but I had to bring concussion boy home at 11, then instead of running on the home TM I ate lunch instead. It's all good...

Lots of days off, but at least I felt fresh today on the Y TM. 4 miles at a solid speed, mostly 7.6 or faster and it felt pretty good (it should after being a sloth for so long).

Four treadmill miles at lunch.

Measuring the distance for a 5K our PTA is putting on April 30th.

8 miles outside before a busy Saturday. Temps were 30F with a slight yet chilly breeze. I wasn't sure how to dress, so I wore my thin tights, tech shirt, long-sleeve North Face 1/4 zip (which I bought last year for running but I love it so much I only wear it as a shirt, not for running - until today), and my lightweight Brooks windbreaker. Started off with the windbreaker on my waist, after 1/2 mile of light but biting wind I stopped and put it on, and took it off again with a couple miles to go. 

I ran my normal weekday 8 mile route, which is easier than my normal Saturday route (which can go for many miles). My legs were a bit tired, so this was a perfect route for me. Nice run, nothing spectacular, but I'm really looking forward to being a regular runner again.

4 TM miles at lunch, followed by 3X10 arms and triceps, and 10 lunges with 25 lb weights, followed by 30 pushups and 30 situps.

4 miles before work (and a scary meeting with the executives). It was 37F and slightly raining, not bad. Took the headlamp off the last 1.5 miles as it was light enough (but just barely). Nice to get the run in before work, like I used to do frequently. I'll get back to it.

4 TM miles at lunch followed by 30 pushups & situps, 3X10 curls and triceps, 1X10 lunges.

6 miles before work, 34F with a breeze. Darn breeze right in my face on the out, very noisy in the headphones. I need to invent the headphone wind protector - small cups in front of the ear that deflect wind to the side. Might make me a millionare - don't steal my idea.

It's my fault this run is so hard, b/c I haven't been consistently doing my runs the past 42 months. But it's still frustrating that I know every pebble along the 3 miles out and back yet it's harder than I ever remember it being. Wishing now I were more motivated a while back.

AP: 8:35

I took two of my three boys snowboarding for the last time this year as the resort closes Sunday. I planned to wake up at 5 and run 10 miles, but I got to bed late. I think I turned off the alarm at 3 when I got up to use the bathroom.

Had a great day on the slopes, although I am horrible at snowboarding. Next time I'm using skis, which I haven't done in 20 years but I was good enough as a teen that I know I can pick it back up easier than sliding sideways on a huge piece of wood.

4 miles this morning from home. I've run these 2 miles probably hundreds of times and it's frustrating how hard it is right now because I've been inconsistent and been primarily on the treadmill. But I should stop complaining (when I die).

AP: 8:41

4 on the Y TM at 6 am, 2 on the elliptical as I wanted to finish my tv show and I still had 25 minutes left (but plenty of time).

Double digits when I didn't think I'd make it that far. Ran in town while my boy was at soccer practice. So so different running on asphalt versus gravel, much harder on the legs.

AP 8:41 

4.5 miles on the bike path in Nashville this morning before a conference. Tomorrow I'll start not next to tall buildings as the GPS signal didn't keep up and I only planned to run 4. It's all good. And much better weather than home.

A nice outside run in Nashville along the river, over a bridge to the Titans stadium, back over another bridge and back to the hotel. Nashville is hilly!

After did weights, pushups, and 43 sit ups for my 43rd birthday (I couldn't do 43 pushups)

AP: 9:23 (not sure the watch kept sync with the satellites the whole time, even though I purposely ran apart from the tall buildings)

6 miles this morning with my new friend Ken. Ran around Nashville, similar to other mornings. Nice but not amazing scenery. One hour talking flew by.

AP: 9:19 (I'm not sure the GPS works all the time in Nashville, this seems slow)

Running is hard. Running in the heat is harder, especially when you're older and fatter than normal. 80F, no humidity, no wind. Didn't feel hot, but my legs were dead and I walked a lot. Nearly walked it in the last 1 1/2 miles but saw a woman running slowly in front of me and I realized I didn't need a 7 mm to run, I could slog in a 9-10 mm. I thought I was going 10 pace, actually a 9:14 pace the last while. That worked.

1 mile on the TM. I'm so confused why I have dead legs. I didn't run the previous two days. What in the world? Ugh.

What a difference my legs felt from today vs yesterday. I dropped off the boys at seminary (their car is in the shop) and went for my run. I only had 35 minutes so I couldn't loaf. It felt great, and it was cold enough that it felt wonderful running (35F no wind).

AP: 7:49

My friends in the South may not comprehend how this is possible, but when I ran today at Noon it was 37 degrees. It felt great! We had a skiff of snow at my place early this morning as well.

The run went well. My legs still feel a bit heavy, but I think it's just because they haven't been used very much these past 9 months.

No watch so no idea of time, but lots of sweat so I worked hard enough.

Trail run at noon in great temps, cloudy skies. 48F with 7 mph wind. It felt great! No hat, no gloves, could've worn a short sleeve shirt. I changed at the Y then drove up to the rims as I wanted to run on trail all the way. Trail running is hard. Running is hard. I should run more.

I haven't done any crazy runs in a while, so I decided to change that. The 5K our group has been planning for months was this morning and I needed to be there at 6:30 to start setting up. I was bummed because I'd once again miss my long run. Or would I? If I woke up at 4 am I could run 10 miles before the 5K. So that's what I did, and so glad I did. I love my new Cascadia shoes, BTW. Love them!

AP: 8:43

And the race went really well. 165 registered, fewer than that ran, but everyone who did run really enjoyed it. Wahoo! Lots of work.

4 earlyish miles before an all day meeting. Beautiful outside.

4 hot miles after a half day meeting. 80F

6 on the TM at lunch, too smoky outside from the Canada wildfires. I walked a lot.

Early run before a busy day. Anyone else's gps watch screwed up this week? Mine has measured short on distance both times from my house. So odd.

Woke up at 6 to go run but it was a steady downpour. Went back to bed, then ran on the Y TM at lunch time while watching Forrest Gump. Stupid is as stupid does.

"The answer, my friends, is blowing in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind." I found the answer this morning.

AP: 8:17

6 windy miles at lunch. 

AP: 8:14

10 moist muddy miles this fine Friday the 13th morning. I forgot my Dirty Girlz Gaiters so my feet filled with small pebbles as I learned which road not to run on after a rainstorm. I thought it would be hard packed but that was only true part of the time. 

Great weather though, 37F with a slight breeze and only a few raindrops. Snow on the ground a mile up from my house, but only a little bit of slushy stuff so it was pretty.

AP: 8:34

Fathers son campout near Columbus, so I got up not early and went for a run. Ran along a 65 mph two lane highway with a large shoulder and cars and trucks were giving me 20 feet of space, like I might suddenly dart into traffic like a deer. So weird to me why people do that.

When I started my Garmin was whacked again. It had me running an 11:00 pace but I know it was more like 9:00. I reset it and it seemed to work well the rest of the way. What up with my watch all of a sudden?

AP: 8:34

4 warmish miles at noon from the Y. Forgot a headband, lots of eye sweat. Legs were dead, a product of more miles last week than in a while, and a busy weekend.

AP: 8:50

I intended to do 8 but my legs weren't having it. Nearly turned around at mile 1 but kept going. I need more rest and sleep to do 8 tomorrow.

Double fail today. Set my alarm for 5:30 to get up and do 8, but when the alarm went off my body and mind screamed "No!" and I listened and slept until 7. Hit the Y at Noon, intending to do 6, but at mile 2 my lower back spasmed so I walked a bit, stretched, ran a bit, walked, stretched, and finally got the back feeling well enough to return home, but slower than I began. Need to go to the chiropractor.

In other news, I learned this morning that I got in to the St George Marathon and I'm stoked. Finally something to look forward to. Flights are booked, mom knows we're  coming, now I just need to get in shape again.

I cannot wake up this week. Not sure if I'm just being a wuss, or what, but I tried to get up at 5:30 and do 8 but I could not get myself to even think about rolling out of bed. So weird. I'm getting old. Thankfully no lunch meetings, so... 6.5 at lunch, ran up to the rims (really tough up), along the rims for a mile or so, and back. I thought about doing 8 but with it being lunch time I wondered, then while plodding along at a turtle's pace I realized I need to save some gas for tomorrow.

This getting in shape thing is going to be tough. Only 18 weeks until the marathon, that's not very much time. Woulda coulda shoulda. Oh well, I'll do what I can.

AP: 9:41

I had an all morning commitment so I planned to arise at 5 am, run as far as possible, return at 7:45, and be off. Granted, I got to bed late, after 11, but when my alarm hit it was like a 600 lb man was sitting on me. I actually got out of bed and sat on the john for a while like normal early morning routine, but after a few minutes I knew I'd be useless on the run and the rest of the day so I went back to bed until 7:45. Even more frustrating is that I was exhausted by 6 pm and could've gone to bed. What in the world? Last year at this time I was running 4+ hours on Saturdays. 

Got myself out of bed for a short run. Wind in my face didn't help, but even without it I would've been slow. 

After getting home my Facebook feed pops up from last year. On this date 2015 I ran 28 miles in 4:29. So frustrating, especially at myself that I didn't keep up my fitness.

6 miles on the same route as Friday, 17 seconds per mile faster. 

AP: 8:57

6 miles this morning from home. Loved it! Not in great shape, but it will come. Cooler at 45F with a breeze into my face, but when I got back I was drenched in sweat; dripping from my headband, and my shirt soaked almost down to my belly button. Awesome.

AP: 8:17

6 miles up to the Rims and back at lunch. It was warm, 69F, and humid for us 38%. I don't know how Joe and others in the actual heat do it. Wearing a black singlet didn't help, but it wasn't all that bad. It's a big climb and it's the 3rd time I've done it in a couple weeks and I love how much progress I've made in that short time. Greatest part about running is when you do something repeated times it gets easier to do.

Not sure what's up with the Garmin watch. It again went wacky on me, said I was doing 7:30 miles on my warmup mile. Turned it off and started over, and it was fine, but mile 2 had me doing 10:30 miles on the flat. Seems like it figured everything out okay though as mileage is where it should be. Do I need a new Garmin? Maybe so.

AP: 9:17

14 from home. Haven't gone this far in almost a year. I missed it.

AP: 9:18?

On the sixth grade trip with Dylan's class so too early for a run. Grabbed a few rough miles on the hotel TM while the kids swam/splashed all the water from the pool.

Legs felt rough so I walked a lot. That stunk.

Chaperoning a 6th grade overnight trip, and I planned to wake up at 5:45 and go run 6. I looked at the alarm, turned it off, and slept until 7.

Too tired to wake up early (a trend) so I ran at lunch. It takes a while, but nice to get some sun and heat(ish) training. Ran the same route, up the rims and back to the Y.

6, maybe a bit more. Watch died at 4.25. Ran the same route as yesterday, really helping with the Bighorn run I'll pace in a couple weeks. Warmish for here, 74F 25% humidity (tee hee).

16 miles this morning at 7:45. A really good run, once I got past 4 miles (took me that long to warm up the legs). I planned to do 12 but last week I did 14, so I figured I might as well keep running to the 8 mile turn around spot. After struggling through the first few miles, after warming up I just ran. I was doing a 9:25 pace which isn't fast, but I realized I could probably run that pace forever.

In two weeks I'm pacing a 100 miler for 18 miles, so I considered going 18 today but glad I chose not to as I didn't quite have enough liquids for the 16 miles (ran out of water with 2.5 to go but I knew it wouldn't kill me - or I hoped not anyhow). I forgot to bring salt tablets and those would've helped. I did have Gatorade with me instead of water so that helped a bit. The weather was fantastic, 60F 55% humidity, and a breeze in my face coming and going. Amazing.

After the run we went boating as a family for the first time this year and had a great time.

AP: 9:16

Running in temps above 60 is tough; above 70 even tougher. Ran outside at lunch today, 75-78F with low 30% humidity. My legs are tired from Saturday's longest-run-in-351 days, and combined with the heat I plodded along, walking a couple times. Legs finally warmed up for the last mile.

AP: 9:16

Hot TM run at the Y after lunchtime. 90 outside, probably 75+ inside. Tired legs + heat = walked a lot and quit 2 miles short of my plan. I'm old.

I don't often run in the heat, but I did today. Temps between 85-88 during the run, but a "dry heat" with b/t 37-27% humidity. Stuck to the shade as much as possible, which was quite a lot, and had a handheld full of ice water. Overall, a good run. Not great, but better than yesterday's TM effort.

AP: 8:33

More heat training at lunchtime, 79-83F but thankfully a decent breeze. Watch went freaky again, so stopped at .18 miles and reset the watch (I was not running a 7:01 pace). Ran up to the rims and back, solid effort. Legs felt quite rested, but for a good SGM I need to really up the mileage over the summer so a 16 mile run doesn't destroy me for days.

AP: 9:11

10 miles up my normal route. Cooler than other days but still warm, sweat covered the singlet when finished.

AP: 9:14

4 miles at lunch while a severe thunderstorm was looming. Thankfully made it back to the Y, showered, and walked back to the office before it started. Nice amount of rain, little bit of hail. My 3rd mile I ran at MP, which I think is going to be 7:30. That seems brutally fast, not sure if I'll keep that or boost it up a bit. Just looked again and my A goal is a 3:19:59, which is a 7:37 pace. That's still way faster than what I've been running the past 24 months, but I'll give it a go for the next 16 months.

AP: 8:20

5 miles at lunchtime, ran up to the rims and back. This heat training is working. It was 81F with low humidity and it didn't seem all that hot. Definitely didn't feel as great as 50F would've been, but it's getting easier. I'm mainly doing it because mornings are hard for me lately, but being able to run in heat is a nice side effect.

Ran at night, for the first time in many moons. I was too lazy to get up early, and busy during lunch, and I'm pacing Friday night, so I figured I'd run after I was done with church meetings. Headed out the door after 9 pm and it stayed light for a while. Band of clouds filled the horizon or it would've stayed lighter longer, but I only used the headlamp the last mile coming home. Great temps as it cooled down yesterday quite a bit, 64-61F, with a West wind felt great. Legs felt good, no worries. Excited to run Friday night up a long incline. Love running in the mountains, fun to run at night, and excited for some mud as apparently we will become well acquainted.

One of the coolest outdoor experiences of my life. I ran through a high-walled forested canyon all night long, and it rocked. A nearly-full moon, clear skies, and great temperatures. Started at 7:15 pm at Footbridge aid station, and we mostly walked to the Jaws aid station, the turnaround point, arriving just before 3:30 am. What a night. Angela started getting sick (we think food poisoning) a few miles before I started running with her, then was sick more and then threw up. She rested for about an hour, walking a little ways between resting spots, then finally after throwing up the last time it seemed to expel the gunk and she was okay the rest of the time, but it weakend her greatly. I'm amazed she left the turnaround point to head back, but she did. She made it 77 miles before dropping due to blisters and feeling horrible. She's a tough cookie.

At lunchtime dropped off the kids' "new" car to get a rear bearing replaced, then ran back to the Y via a circuitous route. I intended to only run 4, but ended up with more than that. Tough route, up on top of the rims, then back down. I ran the same route as my first 5K on the blog, and it's a tough run! Lots of up. Probably why the race only happened once. Very warm out, nice heat wave happening.

Holy H-E-double hockey sticks, Batman, it was hot out there today. I ran outside on purpose, but I should've left an hour earlier as intended. According to the airport stat (which is nearby but 600 feet higher in altitude) it was 85 when I started running and 91 when I ended but only 25% humidity, 45 dew point. A dry heat is still hot. I ran in town so I could get lots of shade and that strategy worked well. I need to start wearing my HR monitor during the heat as I'm pushing it too much and need to back off. I stopped after mile 4 to walk and measure my HR and I counted 50 beats in 15 seconds, 200 bpm. That's a bit much. Walked a while to calm down the heart, then ran the entire last mile albeit much slower. Took me a while afterwards to cool down, but normal stuff nothing dangerous. Lotsa water and diet pepsi after.

4 lunchtime miles, much better temps (73-77F). Last two miles I ran at marathon pace, which I've decided to shoot for a 7:37. If I can hit that, I'll be just under 3:20 and a 5 minute PR. Not sure that's realistic given my last 12 months, but I'm gunning for that in training. If I determine over the next 12 weeks it's not realistic, I've got lotsa wiggle room to go slower. My A goal is under 3:20 (7:37), C goal is under 3:25 (7:49), B goal somewhere in between.

AP: 8:06

Schedule called for me running 7 MP miles today, but struggling to get to bed early so I ran at work. Headed for the gym at 10:30 to try and beat the heat, and mostly successful. I wore my HR monitor for the first time in years and it was helpful. Temps 77-80F while running, 30% humidity so none to speak of. I warmed up for a mile, then aimed for my C marathon goal of a 7:50 pace and did that for the next 3 miles. It was feeling a bit warm and my HR was up there, past 165, so I took a break from MP. Walked a bit then jogged the next mile. Interestingly, my HR was 155 at a 9:xx pace. The last mile I ran at MP again and HR didn't jump all that much higher.

I only got in 4 good miles, but that's a good start.

AP: 8:06, Avg HR 155

We're headed on vacation tomorrow, driving to SLC then Lake Powell, so not sure how much running I'll get in the next 10 days. Hopefully a few runs, but it's going to be really hot in Powell so I'm not planning on much.

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

I didn't run so it shouldn't count, but I'm counting it. 15+ miles of walking along a hot and dusty trail. We went over "Rocky Ridge" which is the highest elevation on the Oregon/Mormon Trail. It was a "trail of blood" during October 1856 when hundreds of handcart pioneers were caught in an early winter storm. 18+ inches of snow, -11F temps, almost no food (4 oz flour per day per adult, 2 oz per child), nearly no provisions as they'd left them on the trail the week before to lighten loads to make traveling faster, many had no shoes hence the trail of blood left in the snow. It was very enlightening and made us all grateful for the things we enjoy. Really placed the focus on wants versus needs. There is very little we actually need, although we use that word frequently. These pioneers relied on faith, family, and hope.

7 more miles hiking on a hot and dusty trail, this time in Martin's Cove. No injuries, no IVs for anyone, it was a successful day!

2 mile walk/hike from the campgrounds to the busses. Thankfully I got to ride in a friend's pickup, and I had a cooler with cold Diet Pepsi. And we stopped at Five Guy's for a burger on the drive home. And we still beat the busses by an hour.

4 miles at lunch time from the Y. Really nice outside, 72-73F the entire run. Ooh ahh.

19 miles from home with 70 ounces of fluid. Slow going. My SGM "C" goal will be a huge challenge. I should stick to ultras...

5 Noon miles from the Y. Legs a bit stiff but not horrible. Temps 79-82F.

AP: 8:34

Made it 10 this morning. Nice cool morning, 63-57F, 67% humidity, 46 dew point (laughs). Slow going, lotsa miles the past while, and more to come. I'm just going to slog out the miles this week. I have 2 more 50 mile weeks (5, 10, 5, 10, 20) so hopefully on the last one I'll be able to knock out some decent paces.

AP: 9:00

I decided to take a rest day. My Saturday is booked with a boating trip so I moved everything forward 1 day which would have made no rest. I woke up to go this morning but decided a break would be beneficial as I'm doing 10 tomorrow and 20 Friday, and it's been a lot of miles the past 7 days.

10 miles this morning from home. Perfect weather, 57F with 55% humidity and a 7-8 mph wind. Legs felt a bit better than Tuesday but still a bit sluggish. I expect that will remain for a couple weeks or so.

AP: 9:00 (not on purpose)

20 in town this morning.

AP: 8:48

Had a weekend of camping and boating, slalom skiied twice Saturday, feeling it today. Ran at lunch from the Y, 82-84F, 30% humidity. Nice to run in the heat as it should help at SGM, but much slower paces (that and my legs were really tired).

AP: 8:48

6 miles at lunch, 82-84F. Last 2 miles at marathon pace.

AP: 8:23

5 lunchtime miles. I'm giving my Sophomore son rides to 7:30 am football practice this week so I would need to wake up extra early to run before then and still get him there on time as we live 20 minutes away. It's been good heat training. Slow miles today, a bit sluggish from the MP miles plus the humidity (it felt muggy - airport says it was only 27% but I'm guessing it was much higher in town, airport is 600 feet above us on a plateau) plus the heat, 81-88F.

AP: 8:49

1/2 mile warm up, then 6 mile MP run and I got perfect weather for it. Cooled down yesterday, rained last night, lots of clouds. Had clouds half the run and temps 60F. Aimed for a 7:50 pace, but actually hit a 7:41 overall. I need to remember about tangents, so if I can pull off a 7:40 pace on my watch I'll be more like a 7:45 for the race.

AP: 7:41

12 miles on the Crow reservation while camping at friends' house. Last mile before turning around was in a gorgeous canyon, could've run in there all day.

AP: 9:27

5 noon miles, way harder than it should've been. Oh, just learned it was 82-86F. No wonder.

AP: 8:28

10 country miles before work. Up my Veyo hill, haven't been running this route much lately so it wasn't as easy as previous marathon training cycles.

AP: 9:02

 Christmas in August. New shoes and only 66F at Noon. Both felt great.

AP: 7:59

10 MP miles, and while I had serious doubts, I nailed it. 7:41 pace overall. Perfect weather, overcast with 51F, nary a breeze. The first few miles I couldn't get to a 7:40 pace, was a 7:30 pace and struggled to get it up. On the return I was much higher, more like 7:45-7:55 pace. It all evened out, but had a solid 7:41 pace on the last mile.

AP: 7:41

20 in town along the Montana Marathon course, out and back from the end. Felt good nearly the entire way, pretty good confidence booster. Temps fantastic, 55-66F with a breeze.

AP:  8:26

5 mile recovery run this morning from the Y. Felt pretty good despite the sore legs.

AP: 8:27, last mile 7:45

6 Noon miles from the Y in some decent heat, 79-82F. Legs felt leaden, but when it's "hot" out I forget that lead legs are normal. Amazing how 30 degrees makes a world of difference.

AP: 8:41

86F outside at Noon, so I went inside and ran on the TM. First time in a while, and much easier than last time I was inside. My fitness has increased. And Law & Order SVU caught a bad guy. Shocking.

I can't remember whether I ran or not... Hmmm. Guess I'll have to check my watch.

Traveling for a wedding, so ran in Driggs, Idaho before the wedding rehearsal. Not enough time to do 12, and not sure I was up for it either. I had to walk a couple times. Tired from the drive I think.

Got ready to run in Island Park, ID but when I headed outside it was raining. And 41 degrees. I didn't have a jacket and no desire to be wet and freezing cold, so I didn't go running. It was a wise move.

10 miles at 5:20 am, 44F, 88% humidity, dew point 41F so everything was drenched in dew. Really pretty all morning, nearly complete darkness when I started, which is the first time in months it's been dark for a morning run. I ran my easier 10 mile route, had a decent time. Glad for the gloves as the hands were chilly even with them. I ran pretty quick on the last couple miles, felt good to run faster than MP.

AP: 8:07

Ran "naked" at Noon from the Y. Left my Garmin plugged into the computer at home, so I just ran. It was kind of nice to not know pace, although it also drove me nuts. Pretty sure I ran harder and faster at times than I would have, and I ran slower at times than I would have. Ended it with a solid effort, passing one of our executives on my last 1/4 mile. Not sure if that was a good move or a bad move. He was only out for a jog and I went blazing past him. At least he noticed me! :)

10 MP miles. A bit tough this morning although weather was excellent, 51-53F.

AP: 7:44

20 miles in town, same route as two weeks ago but crazy harder. I don't think my nutrition yesterday was right. 

AP: 8:47

5 miles in San Francisco, ran in Golden Gate Park. Gorgeous!

8 mile run in Golden Gate Park but went a bit long so ran 9.25 before stopping. Good run, finally warmed up after 7 miles. Ran to the ocean. Love this place, could never live here.

5 miles from home. Brisk outside, 49F, but felt great. Legs a bit tired from travel but not bad, hit some decent paces but didn't push too hard.

AP: 8:14

Worst run of the training cycle. I'm surprised I got past 10 as I walked a lot and legs felt rough.. Until later in the run, that is.

AP: 9:49

Blah.

AP: 8:34

In hindsight I understand why my Monday run was blah. After work I started feeling a scratchy throat and general malaise (love that word). I went to bed at 9 pm (way early for me) and stayed home from work Tuesday. Babying the cold seems to have worked. Went to work Wednesday and Thursday I'm feeling much better. Seems to have just been a blip, thankfully. Hopefully I can run 8 on Saturday.

8 miles in the rain.

AP: 8:32

3 Noon miles from the Y.

4 miles from the Y at noon. Last 4 before Saturday. Meh. Hope the legs come back.

AP: 8:37

2 miles from home before flying to Las Vegas.

Meh. Likely my last road marathon where I try for a time. It's just not that important to me to suffer for that long. Not sure I'll ever get to Boston and I think I'm okay with that. 

Report:

Goal going into the race was to PR with a 3:24:xx by running average 7:40-45 miles. Got good sleep Thursday night, flew to Vegas Friday late morning with my non-runner wife, got to St. George by 4 pm and my Mom fixed us a nice meal of spaghetti and french bread. Yum. Chill evening, got to bed about 10 pm and slept well. Woke at 4:15 am, showered, Dad dropped me off about 4:45 and I got there in the nick of time. Line was a few hundred people deep when I got there (but still a straight line), way more full than 5 years ago, but I got there at 4:15 last year. A few minutes after showing up the line started snaking, and by the time our bus left the line was snaked all the way around the park and onto the sidewalk across the street. That's a lot of standing. Got to the start line and put on my warm gear, hung by a fire, hit the PoP, sat by another fire, and then wasted too much time because I was then hustling to get all my stuff together and put the drop bag in the van, take an anti-diarrhea pill, and find the 3:25 pacer. I did it, but was on the far edge of the pacer, not on the pavement. Next time I need to be sooner.

Horn went off and the pacer was in sight, but a ways in front. I kept the balloons in sight the next while which was helpful. Feeling pretty good, weaving through people (why do slow people start up front?), and avoiding the middle of the road divots where Butler got caught up. I'd forgotten to write down my paces on my arm or a pace band, so I just decided to run and hope the pacer would keep us honest but not "bank time". I think he did well, but I don't know their final time. I felt pretty good, and the temps were good, but too warm for starting temps and my body. I don't do heat well. Veyo came and I love that spot. I moved to the far right and gave high 5s all the way down the street as I knew I wouldn't feel like it later. Veyo hill was okay. I made it most of the way then walked a bit, then ran to the PoPs for my only stop, just a water stop thankfully. A lady I'd been following stopped as well, so we both were now way behind the pacer. I tagged along behind her (at a safe distance) for quite a few miles and we made some progress on the pace ballooons. Our speeds actually changed quite a bit, so we kept leapfrogging each other. Dameron Valley is a dam-long-hill valley. Wow, it just kept going and going. Finally crested the hill but I think there was one more to go. At this stage I was feeling pretty good, 3:25 was within my sights although I didn't know if I'd break it or just be close. Somewhere between 8-13 the clouds disappeared and the sun came out. That's probably what sapped my desire. I was doing fairly well, hitting decent paces (I think, although I missed hitting the mile marker on my watch a number of times) and my nutrition was clicking along as desired.

On the big downhill, sometime after mile 16, I became disillusioned with the marathon. I was tired of trying to run faster than my body really wanted, and just wanted to jog it in. Truth be told, if I had a ride, I might have just quit right there and rode to the end. I have other finishers medals. It was a sort of epiphany for me that I just don't have what it takes to do well in the marathon. And I think I'm okay with that. Karl Malone was not an NBA champion. He just didn't have it in him to do well in the NBA Finals. Stockton was the same. But they're both amazing players. They just didn't have it. I'm not Stockton or Malone, but I'm a 5-time marathon, 2-time 50K, and 1-time 52M finisher. And I'm okay with that.

After my great disillusionment I took it really easy and got passed by a lot of people. Just about every mile after that I walked when I got to the mile marker. Not for a certain distance, just until I wanted to run again. I earlier had told my family not to meet me on the course, but I didn't know what they'd decided so I still looked for them. It would've been nice to see them, but wouldn't have helped me at all. I was done. I kept running and drinking and encouraging where I could but I wanted to be finished. Finally came to the finisher's chute and I didn't put any more effort into it, just nonchalantly ran across the line and finished. I'm happy to have completed the race, but I don't know if I'll be back to a road marathon. Maybe I will, maybe when a 3:23 will actually get me to Boston I'll care more, but I think my Boston dream is gone too. And I'm okay with that right now.

Legs typical SGM soreness today. Went for a walk this morning with my wife and Dad on the river trail, did 3 miles or so. Drove to Las Vegas, then walked 4 more miles around the strip. She laughed at me as I walked backwards down the strip stairs and people looked at me funny. She heard someone say "There must be something wrong with him." Too funny.

It's always a big deal to me post-downhill race when I can walk down stairs without wincing. It happened last night. Ah...

I can't believe it's nearly been a month since the marathon. I took a long layoff, but then ran a couple times during the month but haven't recorded it. I realized my left achilles is still really sore, so I'm trying to get it healed before running again. It is still sore to the touch and was pretty bad before the marathon but I didn't put it in my writeups because I kept forgetting. After warming up it never gave me troubles. This isn't the first time that achilles has acted up during a long training cycle, but I've been ignoring my concentric heel drops so I never solved the problem. Hoping to fix it soon then get back to running. The itch is real.

First miles in a while. Had to stop twice to stretch the left calf and do some achilles heel drops.

2 TM miles at lunch. Ran at a 4:40 pace to simulate the NYC winner. I lasted 0.1 mile. He went 26.2. I am in awe.

I was in San Diego for work so I went for a little run. It felt good.

4 TM miles, .5 at 6:30 and .7 at 6:00 pace, trying to get ready for a Turkey Day 5K.

4 more TM miles, warmed up for 1/2 mile then ran 1 mile at 6:30 pace. It was tough, legs a bit tired. Not sure about a 5K, haven't been running much at all lately.

4 TM miles at the Y. 1 mile warmup, 1/2 mile at 6:00 pace, wanted to go further but didn't have it. Walked, jogged, increased, decreased for a bit, then did last 1/2 mile at 6:18 pace, then bumped the last 0.1 to World Record marathon pace. Those guys are freaks of nature.

2 TM miles & 20 minutes on the stair stepper.

2 TM miles & 20 minutes on the stair stepper.

2 TM miles & 20 minutes on the stair stepper.

2 TM miles then 20 minutes on the stair stepper.

Finally saw a Dr, foot specialist at the Ortho center for my Achilles. Did X-rays first, unremarkable, no worries. Gave me a stretch to do to help with the soreness and said I can run all I want, won't ever tear my Achilles by running.

So I ran almost 5 miles on the TM.

4 TM miles at Noon. 30 pushups and sit-ups.

4 TM miles. 

3 TM miles. 

4 TM miles, 30 pushups & situps. 

4 TM miles.

4 TM miles.

6 outside in the afternoon. Fairly cold, 18F but felt like 6F with wind chill. Nice to finally run outside, and to go further than 4. I think that's the furthest since the marathon, which is crazy.

2 TM miles at home to get something in today.

4 miles on the TM at the Y. 30 pushups and situps.

2 TM miles at home, cuz I wasn't feeling it. Should've ventured outside.