Scott's Running Blog

I stayed inside on the treadmill and ran 5 miles at a 7:47 pace, 3 miles at an 8:57 pace, and a half mile at a 10 minute pace. It felt good to hold a faster pace today than I'd been doing over the Christmas break.

Easy treadmill miles - I set it to 6.9, which I think is an 8:47 average, and let it go.

I did four 1-mile intervals today on the treadmill, with each interval at a 7:19. The rest in between (.5 miles) may have been a little long. I was surprised at how easy the workout was today. I nearly decided to extend the run to 12 miles because tomorrow is going to be so busy, but had to get back to work.

I did a 4 mile tempo run today (tempo target of 7:50/mile), with 2 easy miles on both sides of the tempo. My total time was a 1:05:30, for an 8:19 average. Split times were 9:04, 8:08, 7:45, 7:45, 7:41, 7:37, 8:26, 9:01. I ran the first and last miles a little slower because of the snow and ice that covered the dirt trail.

I was very happy with how easy it felt to hold that tempo pace. Part of the reason, I'm sure, is that I only ran 3 times last week for a total of 20 miles. The other part, I'd like to think, is that I'm getting faster. Improvement is fun.

5 easy miles, all on the treadmill.

Once again I stayed inside on the treadmill today.  The weather was very nice, but I wanted to do some intervals and the battery on my GPS watch needed to be recharged.

To better equate the treadmill to outside running, I set the elevation to 1 percent.  I didn't feel like the pace was equivalent - the treadmill was much harder.  Much of that is mental, I'm sure, as it's more interesting to be outside.

In any case, I did 5 half-mile intervals paced at 7:14 with 0.35 mile breaks in between each interval.  For good measure I ran a quarter mile interval at 7:00 pace to end the 8 miles.  The rest of the 8 miles was at a 9:00 pace.

Missed the St. George half-marathon due to a family commitment.  This week has been a terrible running week for me.

I wanted 7 miles with a 4 mile tempo, but I just couldn't make myself do it.  Work has been a bear lately - Management is stressed, they cancelled our holiday today and are closely monitoring bug counts, etc.  The entire time I was running all I could think about was everything else that I should be doing instead.

 I put the elevation at 1 percent again today and ran 1.5 miles at 8:57, 2 miles at 7:47, 1 mile at 7:30 and a half mile at 9:14.  Average for the run was an 8:10. 
 

My back has been really sore too.  It's centered between my shoulder blades, but runs down my spine to my lower back.  I've taken some ibuprofen (sp?) to try and loosen it up some.  I'm not sure what that's all about. 

I wanted more, but had an appointment with the massage therapist and didn't leave enough time to run.  Again, I stayed inside and took it easy.

I'm sick of being stuck inside.  It was a little cold today (about 15 degrees) but sunny, so I braved nature and went outside.  My only goal for today was to have fun.  I ran north from Novell, over the railroad tracks and around all of the college apartments that I used to live in while I went to school.  The roads were a little narrow unless I wanted to run on the ice, but it wasn't too big an issue because I stayed on the backroads.

I ran 5.5 miles in 46:07, averaging an 8:23 pace.  Split times were 8:11, 8:37, 8:35, 8:26, 8:18 and 3:57.

I accomplished my goal - I had fun.
 

Felt fantastic during the run today.  I started at 6.8 mph, increasing the pace at every half mile.  I started the last mile at an 8, went to a 7:30 at 5.5 miles and something faster than that for the last quarter.  I never really felt like I was pushing too hard.  Total time for the 6 miles was 49:15.

Writing in this blog has been a lot like my running - really sporadic.  The product I was scheduled for a first beta this week, so the last 2 or 3 weeks have been really difficult.  Part of the development is done in India, so coordinating tasks and bug fixes has meant some late nights and early mornings.  The good news is we finished with beta1 today and should have a litle breather between now and March when the next beta is scheduled for release.

I ran 6 miles today.  The air quality has been ugly, so I've stayed inside.  I ran the 1st mile at an 8:57 pace and increased the pace every half mile.   Total time as 50:13, for an average of 8:22 per mile.

The air quality is still poor.  On the bright side - the fitness center has been showing movies that I've never seen before.

Similar to Wednesday I started with a 1 mile warmup at 8:57.  I increased my pace at quarter mile intervals between miles 1 and 3 until I was at a 7:30 pace.  I ran the next 4 miles at a 7:30 pace and cooled down the last mile.  Total time was a 64:10 for an 8:01 average. 

The mental aspect of running is so interesting to me.  I've learned a lot about how my mind works.  For instance, my plan for today's run was 4 miles at 7:30.  During the run I kept counting down the time or distance that I had left ("Only 15 minutes left", etc).  I really wasn't that tired at the end of the 4 miles, but was more than ready to be done.  I had conditioned myself that I would run 4 miles, and I was ready to shutdown when I accomplished it.  By extension, if I'd planned 5 miles then I'm sure the situation would have been the same, except that my countdown would have lasted longer.  I'm trying to be judicious when I run - run hard but not so hard that I get hurt.  It makes me wonder if I'm not setting my goals high enough.

The other thing I kept thinking about was the time that Paul Thomas ran 8 miles in 1 hour.  I could have done more than 4 at the 7:30 pace, but I don't know that I could do 8.  I can't wait until I'm there.

6 easy miles while watching "Catwoman".  If there is a movie out there as bad as this one I'd like to know what it is.  The time sure dragged on today.

I ran 8 half-mile intervals today, each paced at 8.3 mph (7:13 min/mile) with a 0.3 mile rest in between.  It was much easier than I expected it to be. 

I felt a little guilty about being on the treadmill so long - The competition for the treadmills was pretty fierce today.  I can't wait for the weather to clear up so that I can go back outside again.

I ran the first 3.5 miles at an 8:57 pace and the last half-mile at a 6:50 pace.

I also realized why Monday's intervals were so easy - I should have been running at a 7:00 pace instead of a 7:15 pace since I was on a treadmill.  Oops.

I ran a 1 mile warmup at 8:57 pace and then 5 miles at 7:30 pace, with the last fifth of a mile at just under 7:00 pace. Total time was 46:30, for an average of 7:45.

I wish I had more faith in my ability to run at this pace. The run wasn't too challenging, but running on a treadmill is always easier than running outside. I can't wait for the weather to clear up some so that I can push during some outside runs. If my 7:30 pace translates to a 7:45 outdoor pace at a similar effort level then I'd be ectatic.

8 oustide miles - finally.  I ran the first 7 pretty easy.  I ran the last mile at a 7:24 pace because I wanted to compare the effort level to a 7:30 pace on a treadmill.  It was definately harder to do outside, but it was a lot more fun.

I ran 6 miles on the Kuhni frontage road today.  My plan was to run 3 continuous miles at a 7:30 tempo pace with the other 3 miles at an easy pace.  The split times were 8:13, 7:20, 7:37, 7:33, 8:51, 8:08 for a total of 47:44 (7:58 min/mile avg).

I figured that it would be difficult to translate a 7:30 treadmill pace to a 7:30 outdoor pace, but I didn't think I'd miss my goals.  I actually had to take a small break between miless 3 and 4 - I kept moving, but very slowly.  Obviously I didn't count that time in my total, but it was probably a full 2 minutes.

I didn't quite make my goal today, but I'll try again next week.  It seems like the first time at a new pace is always the most difficult. 

4 easy recovery miles.  Nothing special about today's run, just that I did it.

My goal for today was six short (quarter-mile) intervals embedded insde of a 6 mile run.  After a 1 mile warmup I started my intervals, wanting to finish each interval in 1:40 (6:40 min/mile pace).  I jogged for a quarter mile between each interval, albeit very slowly.  The times for my intervals were 1:35, 1:32, 1:35, 1:36, 1:35 and 1:38. 

The best part of my run was the 2 mile cooldown on the way back to work.  I started into an easy recovery pace.  With about a half-mile left I looked at my watch and saw that I was averaging an 8:43 pace.  Less than 1 year ago my 10k race pace was about an 8:35.  Thinking of that improvement gave me a lot of satisfaction.

The total time for today's run was 53:10, for an 8:41 average.

Tomorrow's going to be really busy, so I decided to do a longer run today.  I started at Novell and went south on the Kuhni's road until I hit the gas station across the street from Wendys.  My watch said that was 4.3 miles, so after getting back to Novell I ran around the campus until I hit 9.

Other than running 9 miles, I didn't have any specific goals for today.  That's both a good and a bad thing.  Monday and Wednesdays are fast runs.  Tuesday and Friday are easy runs.  On those days I know what to do and can focus on the task.  Saturday tends to just kind of exist.  Sometimes I have fun, sometimes I run hard, and sometimes I run while thinking "How much longer do I have left?"  I think I need to categorize this run - maybe make it my fun day.  I could try running new places or at least someplace I don't normally go.  I'll have to think about it some.

In any case, today turned out to be good.  I started easy but then was able to increase the speed as the run progressed.  I backed off the last mile to cool down.  The total time was 1:14:02, for an average of 8:14.  The split times were 8:29, 8:20, 8:12, 8:13, 8:09, 8:04, 7:57, 7:53 and 8:45. 

On a side note, I still want to run the to the "Y" sometime.  I'm guessing the trail is a little muddy right now, but should dry out in another week or two.  I'd see if Paul wants to do it again, but I'm concerned that he might take me on some overgrown deer trail. ;) 

Basketball, 90 minutes.  I didn't play as hard but had some times when I pushed it.

Today was the first time that I've run in a week.  I started coming down with a stomach bug last Friday that kept escalating until Monday.  Fever, sore throat, aches - common flu symptoms I suppose.  I was feeling pretty good on Wednesday and back to myself on Thursday.  I did play basketball for about an hour and a half that night, so that's got to count for something, right?  My Friday run got cancelled because of a superlab issue, which was disappointing.

Today I dropped into the riverbottoms and followed the Spanish Fork half-marathon course.  Pretty route that I really enjoyed.  I ran pretty easy today, averaging an 8:50 for the duration of the 10 miles.

One would think that after a 3 week taper (my code-word for not running) that one would feel full of energy and fast.  If one thought so, one would be wrong. :)

I ran what I think is the Eagle View loop that Paul, Tom and Cory run each week.  After finishing the loop and getting back down to the traffic light at the Springville Highway I noticed that I was about a mile short of my 6 mile goal, so I turned around and continued straight on the road towards 7 Peaks.  Once I hit 4 miles I turned around and ran back to Novell.

My average pace for the run was 8:49, though much of that was due to the two *cough* ten *cough* minute miles that I was doing while climbing those hills for the loop.  Besides running more, I think it would be helpful for me to run some more hills.

All in all, I wasn't too disappointed in how the run went.  The time wasn't great, but I didn't push too hard and it just felt nice to be out.  I think I'll try to run a few hard miles tomorrow to see how it feels.  I'm concerned about the Spectrum 10k that I'm scheduled for next week.  It would be nice to get a feel for what I think I can do.

It has been awesome to read others' entries on this site.  I've learned a lot about training and race strategy.  I've also learned that consistent effort, properly applied, really makes a difference in how well one can run.

One thing I've never read about, but learned today, is that I shouldn't eat a cheeseburger and tater tots on my way out the door to run.  Duh!

My though was to run 4 miles, with the middle two at a 7:45.  After my 1 mile warmup I hit the first one of the two at 7:40, but then started having problems with the lunch.  I slowed down and by the end felt luck to just keep moving.  Chalk this run up to experience.

I went west towards Utah Lake today with the plan of running a 3 mile tempo at a 7:45 pace with a 1 mile warmup and a 2 mile cooldown.  I didn't have any problems with the first mile of the tempo, except that I clocked in a few seconds slow (7:47).  By the end of the 2nd mile, however, I couldn't imagine doing another mile at that pace given how I felt.  So, I took a 1 mile break and then ran the last of the 3 miles at tempo pace.  My tempo times were 7:47, 7:48 and 7:46.

At first I was a little disappointed at how difficult that run felt, expecting that I'd be able to pick up where I left off 3 weeks ago.  As I thought about my run, however, my disappointment turned to realism and then optimism. 

I'm going to run in the Spectrum 10k next week.  I may not be able to hit the time I'd dreamed about a month ago (45:00), but I'm almost positive that I'll hit a PR (previous best was about 53:30).  If I'm not satisfied with my time next week, I'll have another chance in April, then May, and so forth.  Mentally, it feels much better to have a series of small goals than to have one hit-or-miss race.  It also makes it easier to enjoy the journey.

I'll run long and slow tomorrow, and try another tempo on Monday.

 

I don't have much to say about this run other than I did it.  The weather was great, though there was a pretty strong headwind as I ran east towards the mouth of the canyon.  

My route was one I hadn't run before - after running south past the golf course I turned west onto Powerhouse road and continued to 420 east, turning north.  I ran through that subdivision until I hit Main Street between Salem and Spanish Fork, returning home via the River Bottoms road that starts across the street from the ballpark.

My fastest mile was an 8:11, my slowest was a 9:04.  Average for the run was an 8:45.

I stayed inside on the treadmill today to give my joints a softer surface for running.  I ran the last half of a mile at 7:30 pace just to get my breathing up a little bit.

Ran a 1 mile warmup, 3 tempo miles, then finished with 2 easy miles.  Total time for the run was 50:00, for an 8:20 average.  My tempo pace target was 7:45, and I hit each mile in 7:44, 7:44 and 7:48.  Today was a nice run.

I'm getting excited for the Spectrum 10k on Saturday.  I haven't read anything about the course, but Paul tells me that it's more down than up. 

Ran the Spectrum 10k.  I found Paul just before the race was about to start.  Paul invited me to the front before the start, but I declined and later regretted it.  The race started on a road for about .2 miles before diverting to a running path that was wide enough for 4 people at a time.  I started in the back of the pack, just before the people with jogging strollers.  I made a little ground before the jogging path, but then got stuck.  It was sprint... wait, wait wait, sprint... wait, wait, wait, etc. for the next mile.  I'm not sure how much time I lost that first mile, but I think I'm being conservative when I say 30 seconds.  The times per mile were 7:59, 7:43, 7:53, 7:33, 7:28, 8:05 and 1:21.

My unoffical "chip" time was 48:05, for an average of 7:45.  It's the time that I got by starting my watch as I crossed the start line and stopping it when I crossed the finish line.  My official time was a 48:49.

It was a good run - a little disappointing in that I'd hoped to be faster, but still 5 and a half minutes faster than any 10k I'd done before.

Easy treadmill miles before the Spectrum 10k on Saturday.

Ran from my house to Novell.  The times per mile were 8:37, 8:14, 7:56, 8:09, 8:07, 8:04, 8:16, 8:21, 8:17, 8:27, 8:21, 8:29 for an overall average of 8:17.  This was a good run for me.

5th mile was a 7:29.  Others were in the 8:30-8:45 range. 

Didn't have my watch, but I ran a route that I'm pretty familiar with.  Easy run.

Paul Thomas suggested a WBR team run from the gas station at the mouth of Provo Canyon up to Vivian Park and back.  I got there a minute or to late, but managed to catch Paul, Wayne and Larry a couple of miles into the run.  Ran with Paul to the turn around point, then Wayne & Larry on the way back.  Fun run.  Our WBR team will be fun to be part of.

Stayed inside on the treadmill today - it was a little colder than I would ahve liked.

I did 5 half-mile intervals which ranged from 7:30 to 7:00 minutes per mile, with a 1/3 mile rest between each interval.

I ran inside on the treadmill today.  I wanted to do more, but didn't leave enough time at the end of the day.  First 3 miles were pretty easy.  I ran the last one in 7:30.

Ran with Mike Elquist and his running group.  They did a 6 mile route starting at the Spanish Fork Clinic that ran to the end of the river trail and back.  The most amusing parts of the run for me were 700 dogs that barked at us, and the number of wrong turns I almost made in trying to get back.  It was fun to run with other people.

I've got a lot of catching up to do on my blog.  I've been running okay, but not writing anything at all.

I ran from my house to Novell to pick up my car that I'd left from the night before.  I added a little to the end of the run to make an even 12.

Wanted to do 7 miles, but I got about 1.5 miles into my run when the thunder and lightening started.  I was running under some powerlines and saw them flash, so I turned around and came ack to work.  I was drenched by the time I got back.

Wouldn't you know it though, by the time I'd showered and changed the rain had stopped.  I'm looking out the window right now and the sky is blue with the sun shining.

At least the weather wasn't similar to what Paul, Kerry & Tom saw in Boston today.

No running, but I did play ultimate frisbee.  I love that game.  Lots of sprinting and lateral motion which I don't get when I run.