Runner's World

After so many hot days, this morning seemed downright cool and had a nice breeze to accompany it. Ran down to the trail and along the bluff. Good run. Felt strong.

Woke up to find a torrential rainfall. Thought about not running, but then thought, "After a whole month of 100+ degree temperatures, why would you skip a cool overcast 60 degree day?"

I threw on my pullover and headed out. It was absolutely awesome! Felt like spring had come again. It poured for the first mile or so and then cleared up a bit for the next two. It really let loose with a downfall after that and I arrived back home absolutely soaked, but felt good. My right hamstring was a little tight, but I think it will be fine. I'll keep tabs on it however.

No running, but we did go to Lagoon. Probably put in 4+ miles walking up and down the park, into Pioneer Village, into the Beach, etc.

It's only the second time I've been there since I left the marketing department after graduation. It's certainly nice to be on the guest side of things. Also, after being at Disneyland and ballgames, Lagoon's concession prices seem downright affordable. I guess it's all relative.

No running, softball night and have a long run (16 miles) tomorrow that I'm worried about and want to be sure I get enough rest.

Very good long run. Took a new route to stretch the additional miles. Ran to the new school and then headed back east along Antelope until I reached the north end of the trail. Took that until the end and then down 700 South for another 2 miles. 700 South is great down on that end because there is little to no traffic. On the way back from the north end, as I was nearing the golf course, I saw a skunk dart into the bushes. That certainly caught me by surprise and I was glad I didn't come upon it at the wrong time. That would have put an end to my run (and my weekend) pretty quick.

Felt good through mile 12 and then started to hit a wall. Started to feel some tightening in my legs, but powered through. Mile 15 was tough with its uphill portion, but Mile 16 wasn't too shabby. Felt good enough to cool off by reading the morning paper on the porch. We'll see what tomorrow brings as far as soreness.

Feel OK, but definetly need an extra day of rest. It's Kathy's birthday today so we're getting ready for her dinner at our house tomorrow.

Run flies by as it seems like a sprint compared to last Friday's endeavor.

It seems like all I do now is 5 miles except on weekends. I need to get out of this rut. The biggest problem is balancing sleep with work. It seems like I don't have time for more than 5 miles. This is entirely on me to make sure I'm out of the house on time in the morning to get in the extra mileage.

I break out of the 5 mile rut, but not how I'd like. I once again only get in 5 miles in the morning, but it's due to extenuating circumstances. We have to be in Logan for a wedding by 8 a.m. I resolve to break out of the rut, however, by squeezing in an additional run this evening before our softball game.

I head back out in the evening and do a quick 5K. It feels good and I run some good splits. Not sure if I should have done it before our softball game, however. It doesn't matter much as we get slaughtered.

A pretty uneventful 12 miles. Enjoy the quiet of the morning, but know I have a busy day ahead of helping a ward member move. Moving all their stuff from the basement to the garage certainly gets some additional leg work in. Can't complain though, as Matt tells me he had put in 16 miles that morning.

Enjoy a good nap after the move and a night out as a family.

Easy 5 miles this morning. I have a love/hate relationship with my Monday morning runs. We always eat too much at my parents on Sunday afternoon and then when we mix that with a visit to Brit's folks, I always get garbage gut on Monday. Not good, but the feeling always disappears as the miles burn away the calories (or so I like to think).

I began running to lose weight, now I run to run. When I started back in March, I clocked in at a robust 218, pretty much up 50 lbs from my end-of-mission weight. That will happen, however, throughout college, a Master's program, a marriage, a kid, and too many business lunches. As of today, I check in at 195! Not too bad. I'd like to chop another 20 lbs off of that, but I'm not going to really worry about that until after the TOU marathon in September. I need my carbs!!

A quick 4 miles after mowing the lawn. That gives me a total of 6.2 for the "workout". We have a large lot and my GPS consistently tells me I walk 2.2 miles to mow the lawn. I guess every little bit helps.

I would have liked to have gotten more in, but I know I need my rest for Saturday's race.

I went out earlier than normal (about 6:40 p.m.) as Greg and London came by for dinner and games. Pizza, Sequence, and Quiddler is hard to beat, especially with a group as competitive as ours.

Had a fantastic evening run. We went to Brit's summer work party at Roy Aquatic Center for a little over an hour. The water and chasing Kyle really seemed to loosen my joints because I felt good from the get-go.

I decided to run the south end of the trail. It's easily my favorite part, especially now with all the nature park almost being complete. There are few views in nature that beat the run down Gentile after 1000 West. Nothing but fields as far as the eye can see while the sun slips below the horizon with Antelope Island as the backdrop. Just awesome!

It's also the point where my mind has really cleared and things just seem to click. Maybe I'm selfish or what-not, but it's one of those times I'm glad there are no other runners or bikers around me. It's just me, the road, and my view. They always show those "Rave Runs" in Runner's World. I'd share this one with them, but it would ruin it for me.

No running, it's softball night! In the tournament, we've already lost one game and now face elimination. If we win the first, we have to play again at 10. It looks like we're going to lose as we're down 11-3 in the fourth. We somehow break out the big lumber and put up 10 in the bottom of the inning. I help out with a double and a homerun (inside-the-park variety). We go back and forth until the 7th. We hold them to one run and need to answer. The first three get on base and tie the game. First and third, one out, and I'm up. I just want to get one as deep as possible so that Nate can score from third. I do just that. Sac fly to left and we win 15-14.

The 10 o'clock game is similar. We're down 8-1 after the first to a team that smoked us easily the first time we met. We answer again, however, with 10 runs in the second. It goes back and forth, but this time they have last ups. We make some good defensive plays and hold them to a single run in the bottom of the last inning to win 17-16. This advances us to the next week where we could possibly play 3 games.

Race day!! Great Salt Lake Half-Marathon. I feel I have a somewhat home-field advantage because the race runs right down Antelope, past our street, and out to the island.

As I'm using the run as a training run for the TOU Marathon in September, I'm hoping to run the race in about 2:05 (a 9:30 pace or so). As I start out, I'm exactly on the pace, although my GPS is hitting the mile markers about .07 miles before the race's markers. I later learn I wasn't alone.

As we open up out west, I find that I'm feeling strong and my miles are getting better. I'm down to 8:55, 9:00, and 8:56 for miles 3,4, and 5.

At this point I do some quick math and realize that breaking two hours is a possibility because I'm feeling great. I continue on the same pace between 8:55 and 9:10 until mile 11.

As I hit about mile 11.5, a man approaches from the opposite direction running some cool downs. He steps in front of me and offers to pace me the rest of the way. I was somewhat hesitant to say yes because I didn't want to slow him down as I know a 9:00 pace would probably bore him.

I do say yes, however, and offer just one suggestion, "Just get me in under 2 hours". He says no problem and off we go. He pushes me up and down the last hills that I was not ready for and gives me great challenges and words of encouragement. I almost lose my stomach on one particular grueling uphill stretch, but I recover quickly. He leads me to the end and lets me "sprint" to the finish. I end up running mile 12 in 8:48 and mile 13 in 8:39!! This puts me in at 1:57:50, a time I thought impossible for me even at the beginning of the race.

After I finish, the mystery man approaches and introduces himself. It is none other than Sasah Pachev, the great Utah runner. I'm honored as I have found Sasha's web page a few months back and have become a fan and follower of his blog.

Todd finishes the race in 2:10:57. Very good time for him. I end up finishing 3rd in my age category, which nets me a nice ribbon for Brit to scrapbook. I guess there weren't many people in my age category.

Brit, Kyle, and Kathy J meet us at the finish. We mill about, Kyle enjoys the birds and some of my fruit, and we head back for home.

I felt great all day, like I had won the race. It's amazing how you can finish in the bottom half of all the racers, yet still feel an overwhelming sense of achievement and accomplishment. I guess that's why I've become so addicted to running over the past few months.

Brit and I celebrate that night by sending Kyle off to Salt Lake with Oh My and seeing a movie with dinner at Rooster's. I'm a little sore, but my pride more than soothes the aches.

It's a hot one for the end of August, probably the last hurrah for the summer. It also, however, makes it difficult to fit in evening runs because it doesn't cool down until almost 8 o'clock and then the suns disappears twenty minutes later.

I start out at about 7:20 and find that it's not all that bad. Everything feels great, no real effects remaining from the half-marathon on Saturday. I decide to run from the middle of the trail to the south end, down my favorite stretch of Gentile, and back.

Brit and Kyle follow from home on the bike. They catch up to me at about mile 2.5. Kyle is always so happy to catch me on my runs.

I get home with just enough light to mow the front yard. With Brit working the next three days, I'll be able to mow the back while Kyle plays outside. It's hard to get the front done because there's no fence to contain him.

When I get inside, Kyle demonstrates how I run and insists on racing me up and down the hall. We do it about 10 times and he learns to throw his hands up at the finish line like a champion.

Yesterday was just one of "those days". Spent some late hours at work last night only to put in some more time once Kyle went to bed. Had a restless night and probably only got 3 hours of good sleep.

Got out the door and hoped that today is the last muggy day of the year. It took about 1.5 miles to really wake up and warm up, but I certainly felt good through the last 2 miles.

I knew I had to get out this morning because I probably won't get out again until Saturday. Brit's gone tonight leaving me with Kyle until the morning. I then have to run him into Ogden. Tomorrow night's out because we have the possibility of playing 3 softball games, back-to-back-to-back. Friday morning is a golf tournament up at the Homestead and we have to be there by 7:30 a.m., so I'll have to be out the door at 6:00. Saturday is a long 18-miler. I think the other events during the next two days, softball and golf, will keep me sharp while providing a bit of cross-training.

Longest I have ever run in my life. Felt really good through mile 12. From there was somewhat up and down. Stuggled through mile 12-14, but then felt good through mile 16. This may have to do with the fact that I have a little trick of stopping by the golf course on my long runs to "borrow" some water from their tee box at hole #12. It's always cold, they have little paper cups, and is right on the route. Mile 17 was another struggle, but I felt like I ran strong through the final mile. All in all it was an above average long run. I think last week's half marathon gave me some confidence and good vibes.

It was great weather with a crisp morning after last night's rain. I'm not sure if the hot weather is going to be back soon, but at least you can see fall on the horizon.

I'm looking forward to next week. I plan on it being a productive one. Plus we have a three-day weekend on the horizon and the start of college football. Who doesn't like that?

Nice easy run after putting in 18 on Saturday. Felt very good. Had some gastrointestinal issues in the final mile.

I'm hoping some of the other veterans might help me out with my tapering plans for my first marathon (TOU). I was planning on doing one final long run of 20 miles this weekend. Is this a good idea or should I begin tapering right now? In my mind, there is something important about getting to at least 20 miles in one run. Also, I worry about not doing any real long runs (12 + miles) for 4 weeks. I feel like I may lose some endurance and will have a harder time in the second half of the marathon.

Any and all feedback will be very appreciated.

Great run! I always seem to have great runs when I'm on my favorite trail (middle to south end) at my favorite time of day (late evening just before the sun goes down).

You can't beat running undisturbed with no traffic and nothing but fields and fowls on every side of you. It was warm, but towards the end of the run I could almost sense that fall is right around the corner. Finished strong with a pair of sub 9:00 miles.

Great run!! Had some strong wind blowing against me during the final mile. Felt great during second half of the run.

Nice crisp fall weather. It's hard to believe that September hits us tomorrow. I took Sasha's advice and tried to run with a jogging stroller. We have a bike trailer that I remember also had the capability to turn into a jogger. Sure enough, I found the front wheel and figured out how to make the switch. It took a little while to get used to pushing it while running, but I got the handle very quickly. I noticed about a 20 second per mile drop-off in time, but it's better to get the run in rather than missing it. It's definetly something I will continue to do on nights Brit works. Kyle enjoyed the trail, pointing out the cows, horses, and ducks. The ride must have been fairly smooth as he fell asleep during the second half.

The plan was to do 14, but an unexpected family event prevented me from putting in all the miles. I guess it is the spirit of the law and not the letter of the law. The original plan was to do 20, but I think Sasha is right with his can vs. should argument. I could do it, but I didn't think it would make me any stronger for the marathon in 3 weeks. In fact, I think it might have done more harm than good.

Regardless, the 10 miles were very good and included some small hills. I felt very good and tried to picture where I would be in the upcoming marathon and what my strategy would be as the miles went by.

Good run on a nice Labor Day. Went with the jogger again and had no problems. Kyle fell asleep quickly which makes me assume the ride is fairly smooth for him. I'm feeling good as the marathon date approaches, but I'm hesitant about what I'll face after mile 20. It seems as if everyone struggles after mile 20 and you just suck it up and keep going. That's my strategy. When I get to mile 20, I'll be within an hour or so of the end and I'm not going to let one hour destroy 5 months of work and preparation.

I've noticed lately that my times seem to be getting a little faster and when I'd pick up the pace, I was able to hold it longer and with less strain. Now, while I know that a couple of weeks before a marathon is taper time, I couldn't help but push myself a little bit.

As such, I set out to see if I could break the 1 hour mark for seven miles. I felt great and was able to complete the seven miles in 59:23. I felt great at the end, not gassed or beat. I think my endurance and speed have increased significantly over the past month or so.

Don't worry. I understand that I am in the taper stage and need to act accordingly. I will continue with my schedule and will not try to do too much.

Easy miles with Kyle in the jogger.

Didn't run Thursday or Friday. Just felt like I needed a break to rest the legs and keep them fresh. Had committed to run Huntsville Half Marathon and felt well enough Friday to give it a try. Felt great during the run and set a new PR: 1:52:22. Have visions of a sub-four hour TOU marathon. We'll see.

Ran 4 with Kyle in the jogger. I think I may have picked up a bit of food poisoning or illness on Sunday and didn't feel right Sunday night or Monday. Felt better today and got in some miles.

Quick run during lunch while the auditors were gone.

Keeping it low on the distance. Staying busy with work.

Nice long run when things cleared in the afteroon. Auditors left early for the day. We're headed to Los Angeles at 6:00 tomorrow morning for a work conference. Not sure if I'll have much time in the next couple of days to fit in many runs.

Great day for a run. Sure beats the hotel and the LA smog.

Took Kyle out in the jogger. Found a little mouse along the trail. He thought it was great. I feel ready for Saturday.

Sasha asked if I was feeling better from my "food poisoning". I don't know what I had, but I'm feeling just as strong as before, but I still have some residual gastrointestinal distress. Not to get too graphic, but things haven't been solid for more than a week. I'm thinking that I may need some Pepto-Bismol or Immodium AD for Saturday so I don't have to stop 3 times, but I'm worried what that will do to my system. Will it weigh me down? Will it cause hydration problems? Any advice/help would be very welcome. I want Saturday to be a day of good memories.

Quick 2.5 mile run in the cold should prepare me for Saturday's festivities. I'm excited!!

WOW!! What an experience. I certainly didn't expect anything like that! I've always wondered why spectators show up to watch a marathon. Now I realize that everyone has a story. Here's my story:

I loved the early cold morning. For some reason, it put me at ease. It made me feel like I was running in my neighborhood and not in one of the largest organized races in Utah.

Having never run a marathon, I think I played it a little on the cautious side. I took the canyon slower than I may have normally and it's hard to look back and say if that was the right or wrong thing to do. I hit the half-marathon mark at 1:57:40, just slower than my Great Salt Lake Half-Marathon result.

I felt good through mile 17 and then struggled through miles 18-22. Somewhere after mile 22, however, I got a second wind (or third wind or fourth wind). The last four miles were strong for me and I ran mile 25 and 26 at an approx. 9:30 pace.

When the dust settled, I end up clocking 4:07:58. This was not my ideal sub-four hour finish, but was far from disappointing. When I started training, I worried about the five hour mark, then the 4:30 mark, then the 4:15 mark. To see where I came from to where I ended up is something I take a lot of pride in.

I also take a lot of pride in the fact that outside of slowing to through the aid station, I never once stopped to walk. There was no better feeling than hitting that finish line and seeing the cumulation of months of hard work.

I've spent the entire morning telling co-workers about the experience and I get a lot of the same reaction. Everyone says, "That's amazing", "I can't believe you did it", and "I wish I could do something like that". It makes me realize that everyone who finished, whether it is Sasha with his awesome 5th place finish, myself at 662nd, or whoever finished 1500th, has done something that few people will ever do in their life. And it's not because they "can't" do it, it's because they "won't" do it.

Congratulations to everyone who took part on Saturday. Like all the signs said on Saturday, "You're awesome!" I feel great and I can't wait to start planning my next conquest: the Ogden Marathon!! Happy runnings and let's keep getting the word out about this website!

A quick easy run after a couple of days of rest. I can't believe how good it felt to run just for the sake of running. I had Kyle in the jogger and for once I didn't mind stopping to talk to him, look at some airplanes that caught his attention, pick flowers, look at the horses.

As much as I may not want to admit it, I know I had doubts in the back of my mind. Now my mind is clear. If something were to happen today, no one could take this accomplishment away from me.

Got in a quick 4 miles before EQ presidency meeting. Felt great. Perfect weather in my favorite loop (south end of the trail).

A perfect 10-K split into two segments. Kyle's favorite park in West Point is exactly 3.12 miles away from the house (almost too weird). Brittany pulled Kyle in the stroller while I ran. Once at the park, we enjoyed the nice weather and let Kyle play for about 40 minutes before heading home. It was weird to think that the marathon was just one week before. Now that I'm away from the run, I'm ready to gear up for Ogden. I'll probably maintain a good base for the rest of the fall and then I'm planning of joining N.U.T.S. to keep me motivated and going during the winter. I have about 5 people interested in training with me. We'll see if they really mean it. I'll certainly try to steer them toward the website and get them to set up their own blogs!

A quick 3.5 miles before EQ presidency meeting. Felt good and fairly fast. Had some wind gusting at times. My calves were tight afterwards which caught me a little off guard. Did some quick stretches and felt fine. Maybe cold weather, maybe because I've cut down on the running since the marathon. Don't know.

Auditors finally left our office today!! Will turn in our state reports tomorrow. This marks the end of the busiest time of my year. I'm going to celebrate on Friday by using my lunch time to go for a run instead of using it to entertain auditors. With the schools closed for a few days for UEA next week, I think we'll slip away to the condo in Park City for an extended weekend. Should be a nice change of scenery for a run.

A quick 10-K for lunch. Ran along 50 West past Ponds Park and then to Oakridge Country Club. Turned around and headed back. Time was just under 54 minutes. Felt good. Had some wind resistance on the return trip, but didn't have much of an overall effect.

Nice evening runner with Kyle and the jogger. Expected some wind with the weather whipping up, but it seemed unusually quiet. It must have just missed us as the mountains to the east looked like they were getting hammered.

Perfect run during lunch. Put on the iPod, fire up yesterday's Jim Rome Show, and just go. It also helps that we have a shower at the office. I know my co-workers appreciate that.

Thought I would have a chance to put in some more mileage this week on vacation, but came down with a nasty cold on Wednesday. Felt under the weather on Thursday and Friday as well, but have slowly recooperated my strength. Had a chance to go out on Saturday and planned on putting in 3-4 miles. Felt good and went an additional mile on my way out, which also added a mile on the way back. Perfect weather. Will hate to see it get colder.

Continue to recover from cold. Felt good. Ran out of daylight, but enjoyed an amazing sunset over Antelope Island.

Did some cross-training this morning. The group is back together playing basketball on Tuesdays and Thursday. Could really tell that my running has made a big difference in conditioning. It does not, however, help a jump shot that has been on the shelf for the past 12 months.

After arriving back home, changed from my basketball shoes to my running shoes and put in 2 miles.

Played basketball again this morning followed by a 4 mile run. Have a group at the office that wants to do some gym classes. We'll be starting a schedule of BodyPump classes tomorrow. I have participated before in the classes, but stopped in the summer due to breaking my wrist and concentrating more on running. It will be beneficial, in my mind, to get back into some weight training this winter. Combine that with some basketball and running and I should be ready to tackle the Ogden Marathon next spring!

Put in a run during lunch. Very slow Friday at work. I've decided I really enjoy October running. Cool crisp air, but not too cold. Great to see the leaves fall and the mountains with their colors. Won't be long, however, until Thanksgiving is upon us and then it will be Christmas time. I've been turning into a Scrooge the past few years, so I'm not looking forward to the holiday season. Perhaps the increased running will release more endorphins and I'll be more enjoyable. We'll see.

Ran a new route that I started this week. It was up by the new high school and down past Founder's Park. Definitely good to have a few additional different runs to have in the bag.

Was left a bachelor for most of the evening. As such, I fit in a little longer run. Middle of the trail from Antelope and Freemont Park to Gentile and the Bluff. Felt good. No complaints. Great weather.

I'm really enjoying this whole routine on Tuesdays and Thursdays of playing basketball early in the morning and then going on a run immediately after. We went pretty hard this morning playing ball and had to be in the office a little early, so I kept the run to quick two mile loop.

Went to the gym and did some upper body weight training. Stayed at the gym after and ran 5 miles on the treadmill.

Chilly, very chilly, but it feels nice. It sure makes your house feel a lot warmer after you get the blood flowing.

Lunch time run. Felt good, ready to take the family to Lagoon for some fun tonight!

Went to the gym and did a BodyPump class. Low weight, lots of reps. Ran 3 miles after. It makes you feel like you have concrete in your shoes. Not sure if it's better to run before class or after, but I certainly felt it on Sunday.

Went to the gym. Did some weight work and ran 5 miles on the treadmill.

Played basketball in the morning. Fell on my wrist. I think it may be messed up again. Went out after and ran 5 miles. It was a cold morning, but it's nice to see the sun again on early morning runs.

In the late afternoon, started to have some headaches and sinus issues.

Still stuffed up and not feeling too hot. We've had a bug going around the office. I'll sit tight and take a rest day today.

On death bed...

Feeling better...

Played basketball for two hours and then went for a run. Realized about halfway out that I was expecting too much, too soon, but you have to get back home somehow.

One benefit of being sick is the 5 extra lbs. that I lost. Give a little, get a little.

4 miles at the gym and some weight work.

Basketball and then a run. Feeling better every day!

A quick run in the dark before EQ presidency meeting. Don't worry, I wasn't on the roads and I was very visible.

Basketball followed by another run.

Two hours of basketball and then a nice run. I could have gone for another 5 miles with no ill effects. It was great!

5 miles at the gym.

A quick run again before EQ presidency meeting.

Basketball at 6 a.m. followed by a run. Felt good. My right hamstring has been uncomfortable for the past couple of days. I think I tweaked it again. It shouldn't be a problem, but I'll keep monitoring it.