run, run, run

Boise, ID 6:15 am

Pace: 7:12

Knee started hurting, so I stopped at mile 4. Problem was, I went for a 5 mile run and I had to walk a mile home.

Meridian, Idaho

Another mile with Riley. Resting until Monday, hoping the knee will heal.

Boise, ID 6:15 am

Pace: 7:17

Did the 5 mile loop with four days off. The knee held up. I kept thinking I was starting to feel it, but it was just my neurotic mind imagining things. I'll do 5 again tomorrow and then try 7 on Wednesday.

On Saturday my kids did the Capitol Kid's Race. Riley did well, I haven't seen any results, but she was probably in the 9 minute range. Alex did awesome too. This was the first year she has done it unassisted. She walked/ran the whole way and even broke into a sprint for the final stretch. Made their old man really proud.

Boise, ID noon

Pace: 6:59

Good solid run. Knee started hurting during the last quarter mile. I was going to try to go 7 miles tomorrow morning. I think I'll keep the runs down to 5 or less for the rest of the week.

Yes, it was just a local race in Eagle, Idaho and yes, most of the faster runners entered the 10k and yes, my primary competition was a 14 year old girl named Megan, but a win is a win. I've never been the one following the police motorcycle before, so that was cool.

When the gun went off a few kids bolted out first, but I passed them all pretty quickly. Then the only person ahead of me was this little girl running really fast. I gradually closed the gap and caught up with her around mile 1.5. I hung right beside or behind her for a half mile or so and then passed her with about a mile left. By the time I reached the finish line, no one was close. When I crossed the finish line I didn't know what to do because I always follow the people ahead of me.

Megan came in second.

The only disappointing thing was that the course was about a quarter mile long. I entered the race hoping to improve on my 5k pr, and I would have if the course was accurate. According to my math, I would have finished under 20:30. I'll take a first place instead.

I wasn't sure how this race would go after running so little these past two weeks nursing the bum knee, but it held up nicely. No knee pain at all. I guess the real test is next week when I bump up the mileage a bit.

Boise, ID 6:15 am

Pace: 7:44

Randy was pushing a stroller, so 7:44 is a pretty good pace. Knee held up, felt pretty good.

Boise, ID 6:15 am

Pace: 7:22

Tired this morning. I so wanted to stay in bed, but I got up and ran anyway.

7+ miles pain-free miles this morning. Hopefully that means I'm back. I'm planning on ramping back up this week and then jumping into full Pokey training mode next week.

Boise, ID 6:15 am

Pace: 7:13

Weather is great, legs feel good, life is good.

 I ran with my wife for about a half mile at the end, that was nice.

Boise, ID 7:00 am

Pace: 7:26

I almost didn't go out and run today. I was tired and dealing with family issues, but I finally made it out about 45 minutes late. Glad I did, of course. Weather was pretty cool, around 45 degrees but felt really good out there.

Boise, ID 6:15 am

Pace: 7:32

Randy had the stroller again, but we went the whole seven anyway. He ran at a track meet last night and I played softball, so we were both running a little slower. I was surprised that my legs were kind of sore. In the game, I did a lot more sprinting than I usually do.

Weather was 49 degrees and sunny. Very nice.

Boise, ID 8:00 am

Pace: 7:14

Legs were feeling sore and heavy at first, but then after a couple of miles, I started feeling better and picked up the pace. Weather could not have been more perfect for a run.

Boise, ID 11:30 am

Pace: 7:15

Flying out today, so I skipped the morning run and went out when the sun was shining. Got a little warm, but it was really nice. I'm usually not one to run with my shirt off, but I did for much of my run today. Not because I wanted a sun tan, but because I forgot to apply my little round band aids.

Grand Junction, CO 6:00 am

10.3 miles

Pace: 7:58

Went running with a co-worker. The first three miles were really slow, but it's nice to have company sometimes. After he turned back, I sped up and went down the river path until I got to the place where the path was flooded and collapsed into the river. Then I went up Monument road to a trailhead. I'll run on the trail another day.

5:30 pm

3.1 miles

Pace: 7:36

Hot. I ran on some city streets with shade trees, but it was pretty hot out there. I didn't realize how much it was affecting me until I stopped running and felt kind of dizzy.

Grand Junction, CO 6:15 am

Pace: 8:32

Ran a slow 3 miles with Eric, then took off for 5 more. Feeling kind of fatigued so I didn't get my pace below 8 until my last mile and a half or so.

I was about to turn down a street when I realized that it was named Ute street. I went another block and ran down Main. I don't run on Ute streets.

Grand Junction, CO 6:30 am

Pace: 8:10

Ran from the hotel up Monument road to the Tabeguache trail. I took the trail across until it hooked up with Little Park Road and looped back. It was a pretty rough run: 10 miles wth 934 feet of elevation gain. I think any place with the words "Widowmaker Hill" on the trail map is going to be challenging.

Boise, ID 4:30 pm

Pace: 7:17

Got very little sleep last night and a crappy travel day, so I was feeling exhausted before I ever left the house. With a race tomorrow, I didn't want to push too hard, so I just ran an easy three. I put the pace down below 7 for the last mile or so just to make sure I still can.

Still feeling out of shape. Not sure how the 10k will go. Hopefully, I can put in a good run. I need to teach Neil a lesson about racing against old men.

I had said I was going to teach Neil a lesson about racing against old men. Well, I learned that lesson myself. First place in the race was a teenager. Second place was a guy in the 55-60 age group. Third place was me.

Shawna, from down the street won the women's race, but disqualified herself because she missed a turn and went on a different course. When they announced her name as the winner, she was already gone, so I told them what happened. People were impressed by her honesty. Kind of like that story they tell in church about Pedro and the gym class rope climb.

Boise, ID 6:15 am

Pace: 7:21

Good morning run. Took the MWF route with Randy then did another 3 on my own. Started slower 7:45 and gradually increased until my final mile was at 7:04.

Meridian, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 7:37

Felt tired most of the way this morning. Summer is definitely here. It was warm for a morning run.

Boise, ID 6:15 am

Pace: 7:21

Legs were really feeling heavy this morning. I put in some extra miles on Monday and Tuesday and then I got a load of gravel, so I spent Tuesday evening shoveling rocks. Now I just feel tired.

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 7:34

Still feeling tired. Life keeps getting in the way of my running.

I'm running 50+ miles a week and still feel like a slug. What's up with that?