run, run, run

This was my second time running this race and I was a bit slower than last year. I expected that because I'm not feeling like I'm in as good of shape as I was last year. I enjoyed it though. The weather was good. The rain stopped before the race began and temperature was around 40.

With a few hundred yards left I passed a guy (found out later that his name was Jose Lopez) as I sped up for the finish line. Then just before the finish line, Jose Lopez went flying past me. I was impressed with his kick at the end and told him so. But alas, when the times were posted I see that I did in fact beat Jose Lopez. He must have started a few seconds before me. Small victories.

 Good soup at the finish line.

Meridian, ID 10:00 am

Pace: 8.18

Been slacking off too much. Actually, too many family commitments. Everything is a choice. Sometimes you have to give up a good thing for a better thing. But then again, I probably could have gotten more runs in over the holidays if I had rolled my butt out of bet a little earlier. But that's what holidays are for, right?

I leave for Pittsburgh on Monday and I have no idea how much running I'm going to be able to do. I think if I stay committed and get a little creative with the hours I go out, I should be ok.

Pittsburgh, PA 5:30 am

6.05 miles

Pace: 8:48

It was cold and really early, but the reports predict some ugly weather coming up, so I can deal with cold and early. Pretty uneventful run. Just early. I staid up too late last night watching the stupid football game.

Pittsburgh, PA 6:00 pm

6 miles

Pace: 8:00 or so

I was looking online today for a new running route in Pittsburgh and ran across the web site of a running group that meets on Tuesday evenings. So after work I went and hooked up with them. I ran with a couple of guys that run a little faster than I do, so I had to push myself to keep up. It was a good workout for me.

The roads were slick and it was raining pretty hard the whole time. Afterward we ate dinner at the restaurant we started at. I had a good time and met some nice people.

Pittsburgh, PA 5:00pm

Pace: 8:27

I finished working early today so I went out on the same three  rivers run I'd been doing, but this time I went in reverse direction. I found a path that I should have been running on all along instead of the busy street. Now I know.

Pittsburgh, PA 3:00 pm

Pace: 8:41

Today I went up the Alegheny river along a greenbelt path then back down the south shore. It was pretty cold with light snow but really a pleasant run.

Pittsburgh, PA Noon

Pace: 8.31

Ice storm. I didn't realize what the weather was like until I walked outside. It was pretty ugly, but I had a great run. I went up a greenbelt path along the Manogahala up to the Hot Metal Bridge and then back down the other side. Rain, sleet, slush.

Pittsburgh, PA 9:00am

Pace: 8:51

I ran up the hill today. Last night I mapped out a course that goes across the river and up the hill that the incline trams go up. It was a nice run, lots of hill work, of course. The weather was cold but pleasant. Light snow. Not enough to matter. Google maps is cool, except that with a street view, you don't really get any surprises. You've seen it all before you run it.

It all worked out really well until I got to the bottom of the hill just before the West End Bridge. At that point there was no sidewalk and no real way I could see to get to the bridge. I went under the train bridge on a 1-foot curb and crossed onto a traffic island. There was a cop standing on the island with an amused look on his face, like he was wondering what on earth I was doing there. I told him I was just trying to get to the bridge. He said I had to go back and around somewhere -- I don't know. Then he said "you can go when the traffic breaks but you gotta run like hell." So I waited till he said go and I ran like hell down the street to the bridge and leaped over the baracade on to the sidewalk, turned to give the cop a little wave and continued on over the bridge. Nothing like a little boost of adrenaline to get you through the last mile of your run.

Pittsburgh, PA 8:30 am

Pace: 8:46

I tried to go on yesterday's course to see if there is a way to get across that road at the end of the bridge without police intervention. There isn't. So I turned and went on along the shoreline. It was a nice morning. I was able to finish up before the snow started falling.

Pittsburgh, PA 9:30 am

Pace: 8:35

Cold today. About 11 when I left. I couldn't bear the thought of crossing one of those bridges. It gets really cold over the river. So I ran along the North Shore for three and a half miles and then turned back. Cold is all there really is to say about today's run. Tomorrow is supposed to be even colder.

Pittsburgh, PA 9:15 am

Pace: 8:37

My last run in Pittsburgh was a rough one. It was even colder than yesterday -- single-digits, with more snow. I went down the North Shore of the Alegheny. When I was going up the bridge on to Washington Landing Island I made a turn on the ramp. My feet went one direction and the rest of me went the other and I went down on my knee. It hurt.

Being the idiot that I am, I just kept running. I crossed the 33rd street bridge and was heading back towards downtown. I planned on crossing over to the south side to get my miles up to 7 or 8, but by the time I got to the Roberto Clemente Bridge (Did a cooler person than Roberto Clemente ever live?) my knee was starting to throb and my face hurt -- did I mention it was really cold. So I whimped out and crossed the bridge back to the hotel.

I think my knee will be ok. Just bruised. And anyway, I'm done for this week. I fly home at 6am tomorrow and won't be running over the weekend.

Pittsburgh was a good trip. It is a great city for running in and would be even better if it weren't the dead of winter. The work part of the trip kind of stunk, but that's not what this blog is for. Now, back to Idaho where it's warm!

Boise, ID Noon

Pace: 8:43

A rough one today. I came down with a stomach bug on Sunday, so I took yesterday off too. I was feeling better today -- till I got about a mile and a half into my run. I was feeling pretty queezy most of the way. Thought about cutting it short a couple of times, but I gutted it out for the 7 miles I'd planned on running, so I guess that is a victory.

My knee isn't 100% yet. Good enough to run, I think, since it isn't an overuse injury, just banged from a fall. I'll give it another try tomorrow. See if I feel better.

Boise, ID Noon

Pace: 8:57

Slow, plodding along. Still not 100% Just feel like I'm going out there for the sake of going out there. I guess it's better than not going out there for the sake of going out there.

Meridian, ID Noon

Pace:8:46

Felt better than yesterday, but still wasn't a great run. Haven't really enjoyed a run all week. I'll give it another shot tomorrow. Maybe I'll be feeling better next week.

Boise, ID 9:15am

Pace: 8:42

It was about 38 degrees out this morning with a rain/snow mix falling. I felt better during this run than any of the others this week, but still not great. I think I was just cold and not thinking about whether I feel lousy or not. I'll take tomorrow off and hopefully I'll be feeling better next week.

Boise, ID 10:00 am

Pace: 8:27

I had to drop off my car at the shop to get the brakes looked at. So I left it there and ran to my sister's house to borrow her car. She's in Indonesia riding on rickshaws, or whatever they call those things there, so she won't need it.

It was cold, in the low 20s, but my best run since I got back from Pittsburgh. I felt good the whole way and wasn't really ready to stop when it ended. Haven't felt that way in a while. Tomorrow I'll go farther. Hopefully this thing is over and I can get back to normal.

Meridian, ID 10:00 am

Pace: ?

My iPod sensor died this morning. It had been telling me that the battery is low, but I wanted to see how far it would go after I got the warning. The answer: not far.

A cold run around Meridian this morning. It was less than 20 when I left, about 27 when I got back. It is nice to be feeling good again. I really enjoyed the run today.

Boise, ID Noon

Pace: 8:36

A good lunchtime run. Warmer today, in the mid 30s and sunny. Didn't really push myself at all, just kept it comfortable.

Boise, ID Noon

Pace: 8:19

Great weather today. 42 degrees by the time I finished. About a mile into it I had to stop and shed some clothes. Then, of course, I started running into the wind and got cold again.

I took a slightly different route today. Cloverdale to Executive to Mitchell to Ustick.

Meridian, ID 10:30am

Pace:  8:51

Finally got a 40 mile week in. First one since November. A nice run today, a little cold and I was dragging a bit from the mileage during the week, but overall a good way to end the week.

Provo, UT 7:00 am

Pace: 8:35

I ran to work this morning. I went a different way than I usually do when I'm in Provo. I went down the river parkway trail a few miles to Geneva Road. Then I went down to 6th South and across to University and along that road that cuts across over the railroad yard to State Street and then down the back way to the office in Springville.

Provo, UT 7:30 am

Pace: 8:35

Provo, UT 7:00 am

Pace: 8:46

I took the same route as Tuesday. It was much warmer today, about 38 but started raining the last 3 miles or so. I stopped at convenience stores to pee twice along the way. Some mornings  are just like that.

I wore three good layers on top, but just went with shorts on the bottom. The only time I got really cold along the way was running over that camel-humpy street that connects East Bay and S. State Street. Being up high and exposed like that, the wind and rain were pretty bad.

Last run in Provo for a while. I'm hoping to get a run in on Saturday morning in Bountiful, then it's off to Coeur D'Alene next week.

Bountiful, UT 9am

Pace: 8:46

I went up to Bountiful Blvd. for a short run before hitting the road for home. A nice brisk morning. I like running on that road. Good hill work.

Cour D'Alene, ID 5:00 pm

Pace: 8:29

My first run up here in northern Idaho. I wanted to run on the path by the lake, but it is a few miles from my hotel, so I did more running to the trail than on it. I think I will drive out there in the morning.

I was talking with a guy I work with about how making your stride longer is a good way to speed up, so I worked on that tonight. I think it worked somewhat. I think if I can get to where my stride is a bit longer and it becomes comfortable and I start running that way without thinking about it, my overall speed will improve.

Coeur D'Alene, ID 7:00am

Pace: 8:35

I didn't get out as early as I had hoped this morning, so I just ran through the neighborhoods. It was a pretty good run, kept it at an easy pace. It was kind of cold, about 18, but not bad at all. I was thinking about how I was in Houston last summer in the sweltering heat. It would be nice to have been able to switch that assignmnet with this one.

The neighborhoods I ran through were pretty quiet, but got a little busier as the morning progressed. The snow is a little cumbersome. It hasn't been falling much, but they have big berms along the side of the road from the accumulation all winter. I keep thinking that if a car came at me I would have to dive on to one of those snow banks, but they are so hard and icy I would probably just slide back down into traffic and die.

I got lost too. Well, I missed a turn and ended up adding about a half-mile to my run. Which I wouldn't have minded except that it started snowing pretty hard during that last half-mile. I don't mind running in the snow if I have a hat or visor on, but with just a stocking cap I get snow in my eyes. I don't like that.

Coeur d'Alene, ID 7:00am

Pace: 8:44

This morning was kind of a fiasco. I planned on going out to the path by the lake and getting a good 10-miler in. So I drove to the parking lot and realized that I didn't have my iPod. I don't care much about the music, but I like to track my pace on the Nike+. More importantly this morning, I wouldn't know how far or how long I had been running and I needed to get to work on time. So, I turned around and went back to the hotel, got my iPod and just ran from the hotel -- a similar route to what I took on Monday.

It was snowing most of the time during the run, but it was the small stuff that doesn't get in your eyes as much.

I passed up a snow plow today. OK, it was one of those 4-wheelers plowing the sidewalk, but I passed it.

Coeur d'Alene, ID 6:00am

Pace: 9:12

It was a rough one this morning. I went up something called French Gulch. It was a very nice loop through the mountains. Hilly, but not too bad. I saw the route on the USATF site. Whoever posted it must have run it in the summer. The road was snowpacked most of the way and on one of the steep downhill stretches, I fell on my ass. I fell kind of hard this time. Now my and my arm are sore.

I also got chased by a mean dog. Turns out it was just a collie and it was locked behind a fence, but I still screamed like a girl and ran away. It was kind of like that scene in The Lion King where the warthog screams "she's gonna eat me!"

I kind of have an overly active fear of dogs since I got bit on the in Harrisburg a year or two ago. Running is hard on my ass.

Coeur d'Alene, ID 6:20am

Pace: 8:46

I got it at about midnight last night, but still got out and ran. I ran along the lake road. It was a good run, but kind of slick.

Coeur d'Alene, ID 6:30am

Pace: 8:55

I think my pace was a bit faster than 8:55. On my Nike+ graph it shows a dip at mile 8 down to 17 minutes per mile. I know I didn't slow down there, so it must have lost its signal at that point.

I ran along a lake that I think is called Fernman lake. It should be called Coldman lake because I was cold, man. The lake was frozen over. I threw a baseball sized rock to see if the ice was solid and it just bounced. Then later I saw some people ice fishing. Lots of deer out and about this morning too.

This was my first time doing back-to-back 10-milers in a while. It feels good to know I'm still up for it.

Coeur d'Alene, ID 5:00 pm

Pace: 8:36

I went off to the west of the hotel tonight. It was really nice, a path runs along the lake for several miles. I didn't want to go too far because I'm planning on going out again tomorrow. Five and a half miles was just about right. Felt real good.

Coeur d'Alene, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:59

I went back out Fernan (I found out that it's Fernan, not Fernman) Lake Road. It was a foggy day, but still a nice run aside the frozen lake. Along the way I thought I saw a dog in the road, but it had really big ears, so maybe it was a fox, or a dingo looking for a baby to steal.

 I think my iPod was wiggin' out a bit today. I'm pretty sure I ran faster than 8:59, but having run last night, maybe I didn't.

Coeur d'Alene, ID 6:45am

Pace: 8:56

Wasn't very motivated this morning. Just went out to get my miles up to 40 for the week, so I can take the weekend off guilt-free. I went along the lake on the greenbelt or whatever they call it.

I've seen a lot of deer during my runs here, but this morning there were two deer running along the path. They would run  a ways and then stop, look back at me for a bit and then take off again. I think they were taunting me. Wondering to each other how anything could run so slowly. Stupid deer.

Meridian, ID Noon

Pace: 8:26

I decided it was time to try some speedwork and can I just tell you that it kicked my butt. I went to the undeveloped end of my subdivision and started out with an easy 1/4 mile then a hard 1/4 then easy, then hard and so forth. I set my iPod for a five mile workout, so I would get in 10 hard quarters. I only made it thorough half of them. Then I did another easy two miles to finish up.

I'm going to plan on doing speedwork two days a week. Probably Tuesday and Thursday and use MWF to keep my mileage up.

Meridian, ID 11:30am

Pace: 8:49

The warmest day so far this year. It was 55 when I left, but windy. Going down Ustick to Linder I had the wind in my face. Kind of rough, but coming back down Pine St. it was nice with the wind pushing me along. My glutes were a little sore from the speedwork I did yesterday.

I signed up for the Rock n Roll Seattle Marathon today and also ordered a new pair of shoes. Then I reminded my wife again that running is still cheaper than golf.

Boise, ID 11:45am

Pace: 8:39

It was a nice day today, but I wished I had worn my gloves. But I'm not complaining because next week I'll be back up in the great white north running in the early mornings.

Felt good throughout the run. A little fatigued. Arm and shoulder muscles were sore because I decided to start lifting again the other day. At about 9.5 miles into it I had a chicken race with a street cleaner. It was one of those spots where you just can't get off the road, so I had to go past it much closer than I would have liked. I thought I was going to puke. But I didn't.

Meridian, ID 11:30am

Pace: 8:20

Pretty much duplicated Monday's workout alternating fast and slow miles for the first 2.5 then ran the second half at my usual pace.

Boise, ID 8:30am

Pace: 8:51

Kind of cold this morning. I had to go early and, of course, this was the coldest morning of the week -- about 24 when I left.

Kind of just plodding along to get my miles in this morning. Had a tough week with changing up my workouts and adding some weight lifting. I'm ready to take the weekend off.

Meridian, ID 11:45 am

Pace: 8:45

I went on my usual Meridian 11-mile loop, except I reversed the direction today. A little bit of a change of pace.

Great weather today -- except for the wind. Mid 60s with sunshine. Haven't seen that in a while. I wish I could have enjoyed the run a little more. The wind was rough (for the half of the run that I was running into it) and I was feeling kind of queezy in my gut. Not sure about that one.

Back to CDA tonight.

Coeur d'Alene, ID 7:00 am

Pace: 8:19

Did my speed workout today. Alternating fast and slow quarter miles. I did six fast ones this time (five last week). Felt a lot better at the end of it this time. Hopefully it's doing some good.

Light rain along the lake this morning, but not bad at all. Pretty comfortable.

Coeur d'Alene, ID 7:00am

Pace: 8:55

Went up French Gulch hill today. Not a slick as last time. The mean dogs were inside too. I brought my pepper spray this time. Of course whenever I'm packing heat there are no dogs to be found.

The hills slowed my overall pace down, but it was a nice run. Felt good the whole way. Weather was chilly but nice.

Coeur d'Alene, ID 5:30pm

Pace: 8:46

Just an easy run. I didn't do any speed work because it was snowing and the roads were slick. Or maybe I was just feeling lazy. But I'll say that it was because the roads were slick.

Coeur d'Alene, ID 7:00 am

Pace: 8:30

It got cold again this morning. 27 when I left. I went along Fernan Lake. It was a really nice run. The only problem was that the road was pretty icy and there were more cars and trucks than I've seen before -- like 8 or 9, still not too bad.

Coeur d'Alene, ID 7:00am

Pace: 8:40

I was starting work later today, so I decided to do a longer run. I mapped out a nice 15-mile route around a lake and up and over a mountain. When I woke up this morning it was snowing and the streets were covered. So, I decided that this wasn't the best day to be going over, and more importantly, down a mountain. So I went along the Centenial trail six miles out and then back. Cold and snowy, but a good run. I would have liked to have gone over the mountain.

I turned a corner and fell down again. Similar to my fall in Pittsburgh. Now my knee hurts. I'll get over it.

Coeur d'Alene, ID 8:00 am

Pace: 8:19

Twelve degrees. I was going to complain about the cold until I found out that it is supposed to be colder tomorrow. So I'll wait.

It snowed quite a bit last night, but the path was nicely plowed. I appreciated that. Felt good the whole way, maybe because I was focusing on how cold it was, not on how my legs felt. But I'm not complaining.

Coeur d'Alene, ID 4:45 pm

Pace: 8.19

I didn't run this morning. I worked until 1am last night and when I got up it was one degree outside. 1+1= Courtney sleeps in.

Later in the morning I asked myself, "since this project is going relatively well, why am I working 14 hour days? So I decided to take a couple of hours off in the afternoon and go for a run.

It was great weather -- about 30 degrees and sunny. I felt good the whole way. I would have liked to double the mileage, but I didn't have time. It's supposed to be really cold again tonight. We'll see what I end up doing.

Coeur d'Alene, ID 7:30am

10.33 miles

Pace: 8:33

I got back to the hotel yesterday afternoon planning to go running, but I fell asleep. By the time I woke up it was almost time to go back in to work. So I got up this morning and did a 10 miler. It was 12 degrees, but didn't feel all that cold. I went up the Centenial trail and turned up towards Post Falls just before it went under the freeway. Felt good all the way, except for the very end when my body was telling me that it needed to hit the rest room.

Coeur d'Alene, ID 5:00pm

5.43 miles

Pace: 8:28

Since I didn't get out and run yesterday and since I won't get a chance to run again this week, I decided to go out for one last run in CDA this evening. It started out just as a penance run to assuage my guilt, but it turned out to be really nice. Since it was my last run here, I decided I should explore a bit. So I went down by the lake and even ran along the beach for a bit. The weather was the nicest it's been since I got here, so it would be true to say that I went running on the beach in shorts. But that part actually sucked. I was just slogging through the sand until I hit a dead-end and had to turn back.

Then I went over to a neighborhood near Fernan Lake. At one house I saw 5 turkeys loitering in the front yard. I don't know if they were wild turkeys that found something to eat or house pets. I crossed to the other side of the road because I really, the last thing I want is for my obituary to say that I was killed by a pack of angry turkeys. They just minded their own business.

It was tough getting my miles in this week with a taxing work schedule. The good news is that next week will likely be worse.

Sandpoint, ID 2:45pm

Pace: 8:38

It's been four days since I last ran. Monday and Tuesday I did nothing but work all day. I went to Priest River on Monday and dealt with crazy people in Bonner's Ferry on Tuesday. Seriously, there were stinky dogs in the office. I was listening for the Deliverance banjo riff.

Anyway, I finally got a couple of hours free this afternoon so I went on the running path from Sandpoint to Dover. It was only 8 miles round-trip, so I ran around the streets of Sandpoint for the last couple of miles. I got a little bit lost and tried to cut through the cemetary. That didn't work very well since the other side was fenced off and the snow was still a foot deep in some parts of the cemetary. By the time I got back to the palatial LaQuinta Inn, nature was calling pretty hard.

Oh, and I got whistled at by a couple of redneck chicks in a pickup truck ... I hope they were chicks.

Sandpoint, ID 8:00am

Pace: 8:47

I wanted to run across the Long Bridge today. It is a long bridge across Lake Pend Oreille (Ponderay). It's called Long Bridge because it is a really long bridge. When I got to the path that goes to the Long Bridge it was blocked off because of construction. I could have gone around the construction on the road, but the shoulder is really small and I didn't want to die, so I turned back and went back through town and back on the path to Dover.

When I got to Dover bay I went a different direction through the little town and then up on a hill overlooking the lake with some really nice, brand new, expensive homes that someone is going to have a really hard time selling in today's economy.

When I started out my run my legs were really creaking, but after a mile or so, they felt pretty good. Overall a good run, a little slower than yesterday.

Sandpoint, ID 10:00 am

Pace: 8:59

My last run in Northern Idaho for a while. I feel pretty good about the week. I wasn't able to run on Monday or Tuesday because of work demands and with a 6am flight and a honey-do list waiting for me at home, Saturday is out. So 31 miles for this week isn't too bad.

I went in a different direction this morning. I went north of town and looped around to link up with the end of the path in Dover. It was kind of hilly, but when you choose to run on roads with names like Baldy Mountain, Upland, and Syringa Heights, you kind of have to expect that. I need more hill work anyway in case I can get a Robie number next month.

The weather was nice, upper 30s. With snow melting off of the shoulders, you get to see some gnarly road kill. Other than that it was just a nice run through some very pretty country. Now I'm ready to go home.

Meridian, ID 11:30 am

Pace: 8:34

Good to be back home, but it was kind of a rough one today. The weather was in the low 40's but pretty windy. I don't know if it was just the wind beating on me or something else, but I just wasn't feeling it.

As I was running down Linder Rd., a pickup drove past me and a matteress flew out. So I stopped to help the guy put it back on the truck. Dude needs to invest in some rope.

I'm going to start doing speedwork again tomorrow.

iPod song of the day: "Strawman" -- Lou Reed

Meridian, ID Noon

Pace: 8:23

Now that I'm back from the great white north, I did some speedwork today. I alternated fast quarters with slow ones for three miles than ran another two miles at a comfortable pace. It's been three weeks. but still it felt better than before, so maybe I wasn't starting from square one after all.

iPod song of the day: "Run Like Hell" -- Pink Floyd

Boise, ID Noon

Pace: 8:45

Kind of cold and rainy this morning. One of those days where when it's raining you are too cold, but when it stops and the wind is at your back, it is too hot. But not a bad run anyway. About two miles into it, I was feeling pretty weak. I realized that I had only eaten a bowl of Corn Chex at 9am. But I pushed through it and felt better after another mile or so, but still kind of dragging most of the run.

I got stopped by a couple of guys in a meat truck asking for directions to some street I'd never heard of. Usually I don't mind stopping to help people out, but I have a prejudice against those door-to-door meat salesmen. They spread meat all over your living room floor before you can tell them that even if it is a good price, I shouldn't be eating all of that meat.

iPod song of the day: "Black Betty" -- Ram Jam

Meridian, ID 11:30am

Pace: 8:23

Same workout as Tuesday. Three miles of alternating fast and slow quarters followed by two comfortable miles. It really sucks. That must mean it's good for me.

iPod song of the day: "Fat Bottomed Girls" -- Queen

Meridian, ID 11:30 am

Pace: 8:24

Tried to pick up the pace a bit today. So I got really tired at the end. Weather was great though. Sunny, high 40s. I need to be careful the rest of the day. Now I feel like I could eat everything in sight.

This was my highest mileage week of the year so far (barely). I need to start cranking it up a bit. Robie next month, Potato half in May and Rock N Roll Seattle in June.

iPod song of the day: "The Ballad of Charles Whitman" -- Kinky Friedman & The Texas Jewboys

Meridian, ID 12:30 pm

Pace: 8:28

I love Mondays. After resting over the weekend, it is nice to get out and have the energy to go long and not feel sluggish. The weather was really nice too. About 50 with blue skys and slightly windy. Today I went up Cloverdale to McMillian to Linder to Pine and back up Cloverdale.

iPod song of the day: "Veronica" -- Elvis Costello

Meridian, ID Noon

Pace: 8:09

A good workout today. My legs were feeling kind of creaky when I started out, but just kept going alternating fast and slow quarters. After a while the creaks always work their way out, like a can of WD40.

It wasn't raining until about 10 seconds after I left the house. That is probably a good thing because I was having a hard enough time getting motivated today.

It was a good run. I don't know if my fast quarters were any faster than they had been, but I felt better and was able to keep the pace up more during the slow quarters and during the final two miles.

iPod song of the day: "Pinball Wizard" -- The Who

Boise, ID 8:00 am

Pace: 8:39

Had a lot to do today, so I went out earlier than usual. I like getting the run in early, but hate the cold, so I've been running at noon most days. This morning wasn't bad except for a few miles runing into the wind down McMillian.

iPod song of the day: "Sam Hall" -- Johnny Cash

Meridian, ID Noon

Pace: 8:00

Did my T-Th workout alternating fast and slow quarters for three miles then finished up with two comfortable miles. Actually, I kind of pushed myself for the final two. My average pace is going up on these. Maybe next week I'll bump it up to four miles.

Weather was pretty nice today, but started raining during the last half mile.

iPod song of the day: "Crazy On You" -- Heart

Boise, ID Noon

Pace: 7:48

Grrrrrr. This was supposed to be an easy run today -- a snack as my neighbor calls it. But no. It snowed the whole time. Those big flakes that get in your eyes. And for some reason, I decided to pick up the pace. I think I was bugged because I was hoping to come in under 8 minute pace yesterday and was at 8:00 exactly. Or, maybe I was just cold and wanted to finish as quickly as possible.

I picked up some funky new socks at the Nike store yesterday. The kind that are really low and have a left and right foot. They were pretty comfy, and only 4 bucks. I guess I'll have to buy up a few more.

iPod song of the day: "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" -- They Might Be Giants

Boise, ID 8:00am

Pace: 9:02

I've been to the summit.

Ran along the Robie Creek course today. I started about a mile and a half up on Rocky Canyon road where the houses end and went to the top and back. It was a great day for a run, chilly but the sun was out and the road was dry. Lots of folks out there today with only two weeks before the race. My New Year's race friend Tony was starting just as I was finishing up.

I finished in 2:01 last year, so my goal is to finish under 2 hours this time. Based on my time today, it will be close, but doable. Running up there gave me some confidence that I can get to the top this year without totally tanking it -- although tanking it certainly isn't out of the question.

iPod song of the day: "Sympathy for the Devil" -- The Rolling Stones (on conference weekend. I am going to burn in hell)

Boise, ID 7:00 am

Pace: 8:49

So I finally bit the bullet and got up early in the morning (early for me) to run. Decided to put in 15 today. I'll only be able to run M-F this week, so I'll need to get in a couple of longer ones.

The weather was great, except that it is still a little chilly at 7am. I went Cloverdale, Executive, Maple Grove, McMillian, Meridian, Ustick.

iPod song of the day: "Small Town" -- John Cougar Mellencamp

Meridian, ID Noon

Pace: 8:11

Alternated slow and fast quarters for three and a half miles. Ran one more fast quarter than last week. It was kind of rough today, feeling kind of sluggish. Not sure why, maybe leftover from yesterday's longish run.

Weather was awesome. 63 degrees, sunny and no wind. Best weather of the year so far. I'm ready for more of this.

iPod song of the day: "Men Who Ride Mountains" -- Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

Meridian, ID 7:30 am

Pace: 8:37

Feeling kind of sore today. My lower back was hurting last night and today my left butt cheek felt like it had a knot in it for most of the run. It didn't really work its way out until about mile 9.

FYI: Running with a sore left butt cheek isn't as fun as it sounds.

The weather was nice, 50 and overcast. I ran Cloverdale, McMillian, Meridian, Pine, Cloverdale.

iPod song of the day: "Runnin' With The Devil" -- Van Halen

Boise, ID 11:00am

Pace: 8:45

Not a good run today. I was feeling kind of sore so I knew a speed workout wasn't going to happen, so I decided to just do an easy five miler to work out some of the kinks. After my first step I knew I was in trouble. The upper part of my left leg was hurting. I actually stopped and debated whether to even run at all. But I took off again and after about 100 yards the pain moved around and then decided to congregate right where it left off yesterday -- in my left butt cheek. So, I hobbled along taking it easy and after about two miles it wasn't as bad. By the time I finished up I could still feel it, but it was bearable. I don't know what caused it. I suspect it probably had to do with my 6-mile uphill run on the Robie course last Saturday.

I'll probably take it easy again tomorrow, maybe just a 7-miler and then take the weekend off. See if I can be 100% by next Saturday for Robie Creek.

iPod song of the day: "Let It Bleed" -- The Rolling Stones

Boise, ID 7:30am

Pace: 8:50

Well, I didn't run on Friday. I decided I needed to take a few days off to let my body heal a bit. This morning's run felt better, but not 100% yet. My hips and lower back felt kind of sore. More like sore than like pain. I'm still planning on keeping things kind of easy this week and hope to get a number for Robie Creek on Wednesday night.

iPod song of the day: "Proud Mary" -- Creedence Clearwater Revival

Boise, ID 8:00am

Pace: 8:38

I felt a little bit sore starting out, but felt a lot better after about a half mile or so. A little chilly this morning. I didn't push myself too hard. I'm kind of taking it easy this week hoping to be 100% on Saturday.

I got a number for Robie Creek. I posted on the message board and got an email from a guy who signed up and then forgot to train. Now I'm getting excited. It's going to be a fun race.

iPod song of the day: "Joy to the World" -- Three Dog Night

Boise, ID Noon

Pace: 8:13

I decided to get out for one more easy run before Saturday. I'm still feeling kind of sore across the tops of my legs and hips. It only lasted for about a half a mile, then I felt better. I still felt it during the whole run but I kept a decent pace and wasn't at all what I would call pain. So I think I'm good to go for Robie Creek.

iPod song of the day: "Tragedy" -- Bee Gees (Here's hoping Saturday's race isn't one)

Robie Creek was great this year. Weather was awesome and I was able to beat my goal.

I got to the start about an hour early and picked up my chip peed a couple of times and just relaxed. I even fell asleep for a few minutes lying on the grass. When the race started I wanted to make sure I didn't repeat any of last year's mistakes, so I didn't push myself at all at the start (that would have been hard to do with the crowd anyway). My first mile was just about 8 minutes. Then, as the hills started, I just tried to keep my cumulitive pace close to 9 minutes per mile. I kept my pace steady and comfortable and made it to the top averaging just over 9 minutes per mile.

 I had three goals going into it this year. 1: Finish under two hours. 2: Run the whole way. 3: Pick up my pace on the back of the mountain better than I did last year. I met all three goals, so I was really happy when I crossed the finish line.

Then came my second race. I had an appointment at 4pm in Meridian that I didn't really expect to keep, but I wanted to try. So, after I crossed the finish line I grabbed a bit to eat, some Gatorade and a Diet Pepsi (not sure what I was thinking there, except that it was cold), and took off for the bus. I hitched a ride with a stranger that just happened to live about a mile from my house, so I made it back home by 3:45. That's got to be some kind of a record.

Overall a really good time and I can't wait 'till next year.

iPod song of the day: "It's a Long Way To The Top If You Want To Rock and Roll" -- AC/DC

Boise, ID 6:30am

Pace: 8:15

So I ran into my friend Randy on Saturday and he suggested we start running in the mornings again. And like a fool I said, ok. Six-thirty is really early for me.

It's good though. Gets me out early and he runs faster than I probably would on my own. He's been sitting around a lot so we only did a five miler this morning. My hamstrings were pretty sore from Robie Creek, but overall I felt really good. I'm ready to crank up the mileage again. I'm going to shoot for 50 per week for the next couple of months.

Boise, ID 6:30am

Pace: 8:47

I got up and ran at 6:30 again, but this time it was my own fault. Work has gotten a bit less flexible, so I guess I have to just get up early in the morning now. I hate rolling out of bed, but once I'm out there I love it.

I decided to do a longer run at an easy pace this morning. It was pretty uneventful except that for the last couple of miles my porcelain buddy was calling pretty bad. But I made it back, we reaquainted ourselves and I lived to run another day.

iPod song of the day: "Police and Thieves" -- The Clash

Boise, ID 6:30am

Pace: 8:20

Ran the full route with Randy this morning. He is a lot faster than I am, so he pulls me along at a faster pace than I would normally run. It will get faster after he has been running a few more times.

Weather was great. I wore shorts and a t-shirt. My upper leg and butt still hurt when I start out and kind of nag at my the whole time, but not enough to stop me. I'm ready for the summer.

Meridian, ID 6:45am

Pace: 8:56

Cooler this morning. I went up Ustick to McMillian, then to Linder and Pine. Not a very eventful run. I tried to stop at a Walgreens to relieve myself but found that it wasn't open yet. What am I doing out before the Walgreens is even open? Actually, I'm really enjoying getting out early.

iPod song of the day: "Beautiful Day" -- U2

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: ?

My iPod stopped on me somewhere along the way, so I used the data from Wednesday's run.

I felt a lot better starting out this morning. For the past couple of weeks the top of my leg, like where the leg bone's connected to the hip bone, has been sore for the first half mile or so. I felt it a bit today, but not much. I won't be running much this weekend, so maybe I can get it fully healed soon.

A cool 38 degree morning. Neither Randy or I were in the mood to push it, so we just put in the miles, about an 8:30 pace I think.

Meridian, ID 8:30am

Pace: 8:53

Ran a mile with my daughter to train for the Capitol Kid's Race. Did the mile in 10:20, then I went and ran another mile and a half at about a 7:45 pace just to get my weekly total over 50. I know it makes no sense, but that's the kind of thing you do when you obsess.

Boise, ID 6:30am

7 miles

Pace: 8:07

A good run on a brisk morning. We went on the usual 7-mile route. Nothing eventful except that I felt better starting out than I have in weeks. None of the initial pain at all. A little sore in the hips as I ran, but not bad at all.

 Eagle, ID 5:00pm

6.8 miles

Pace: 8:28

My daughter had a softball game in Eagle tonight, so I thought I would run to it. That might have been a mistake. My leg/hip was feeling it the whole way. I'm kind of dumb that way. I think I'll take tomorrow off and see if some rest will help.

It was a great run though. Upper 60s and overcast. Plus it was a different route and I always like that.

Riley did awesome in her game again. 4 for 5 and some good fielding plays. She grounded into the third out on her final at-bat, ending her hitting streak at 10 in a row.

Boise, ID 6:30am

Pace: 8:15

I decided that I was getting sick of that hip/leg thing I've got going, so I took three days off this week. It felt a lot better this morning, so I think if I'm smart about it I can be 100% soon.

A nice brisk run this morning. Weather was nice, 38 degrees. I'm anxious to get into my long runs gearing up for Seattle. I'm not very good at being patient.

Boise, ID 6:30am

Pace: 8:09

Well, I was still a little sore after Friday's run, so I decided to take Saturday off to give me a two day weekend to heal up a little more. But now, with a deadline looming, I'm done resting. If my hip/leg starts hurting again, I'm going to have to try to just run through it. I think I'll be ok though.

Felt good this morning. Randy kind of pulled me along as usual. I need to keep it steady this week and then go for a 20-miler on Saturday.

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:22

Just a short, easy run this morning. I was a little stiff starting out, but felt a lot better as the run progressed. Keeping my mileage down earlier in the week so I have something left in the tank for a long run this weekend. Weather was nice, mid 50's mix of sun and clouds.

I hate stretching, but I've started doing more the past couple of weeks. I don't know if it is helping, but I do have some extra motivation. When I get back from running, about 7:30, Matchgame reruns from the 70's are on. Now that's some quality entertainment.

iPod song of the day: "Choppin' Wood" -- Van Morrison

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:05

Felt good today. Not sore at all starting out. Felt a little bit in my hip/butt, but not much at all. Hopefully I'm getting over this thing. Weather was nice. I thought I would get rained on, but it didn't start until after I was done.

Boise, ID 6:45am

Pace: 8:12

A nice run today. Tried to keep the pace close to what I run when I'm chasing down Randy. I went Cloverdale to Executive to Five Mile to Ustick. Feeling a lot better. I think I'm finally back on track.

iPod song of the day: "Hurts So Good" -- John Cougar

Boise, Id 6:30am

Pace: 8:12

Back to wearing long pants, hat and gloves. It was 35 degrees this morning. Too cold for May. Turned out to be a nice run though. Pretty uneventful. I felt a little stiff starting out, but part of that could be because I played softball last night and did some sprinting in the outfield.

Boise/Garden City/Eagle/Meridian, ID 8:00am

Pace: 8:50

Finally got my first long run of the year in, about two weeks too late. It worked out well though. I went down Edna/Goddard to Glenwood and got on the Greenbelt by the Boise Hawks stadium and took it to Eagle, up Eagle Rd. to Chinden to Meridian, to Ustick and home.

My prior nagging injury thing wasn't an issue. It appears to be over now. I bought a Gatorade at mile 13 and didn't really start to get tired until 17. The last mile and a half were rough, but that's what a long run is about. The only miles that really matter are the last four or five, you just have to spend the whole morning getting there.

iPod song of the day: "Eight Days A Week" -- The Beatles

Boise, ID 6:30am

Pace: 8:07

A good morning run with no ill effects from Saturday's long run. Weather was 50 and very comfortable.

Boise, ID 6:45am

Pace: 7:58

Really good run this morning. I felt better than I've felt in a long time, so I decided to pick up the pace after a couple of miles. Weather was good, about 50 with a light breeze.

 iPod song of the day: "Dead Man's Party" -- Oingo Boingo

Boise, ID 6:30am

7.0 Miles

Pace: 7:57

Cold this morning. A beautiful day, but only 32 when I left the house. I really didn't mind though. Maybe because I knew it was likely the last real cold morning of the year.

Pace was faster this morning but it didn't feel like I was pushing it that hard. A good sign, I hope. I'm thinking about running to Nampa this afternoon. We'll see how that goes.

Meridian, ID 4:30pm

11.8 Miles

Pace: 8:32

I ran to my daughter's softball game in Nampa (she went 4 for 4, thank you very much). I felt pretty good the whole way except that I started getting a bit dehydrated. I dind't bring water and must not have had enough to drink during the day.

As I was running past a cow pasture, four of five calves started running along side me. The full grown cows just looked at me the way cows do -- thinking "people really are stupid."

iPod song of the day: "Can't Get No Satisfaction" -- Rolling Stones

Boise, ID 6:30am

Pace: 8:04

Kind of a rough run this morning. It was supposed to be an easy tune-up for tomorrow's race, but I didn't get to sleep last night until well after 1am, so I was really struggling to keep up. But if I rest up today and get a decent nights sleep tonight, I think I'll be fine for the running of the potatoes (that's what they should call it, don't you think?)

When I synced my iPod I got a pleasant surprise: Click here! 

I went into this race looking at it as a training run to help prep for Seattle, so I put in a pretty heavy week of running beforehand. With that in mind, I don't feel bad at all about my time. It was only 1:05 behind my half marathon PR.

The starting line was freezing. The wind was blowing up at Lucky Peak and the start area stayed in the shaddows for a long time. But just before the start, I shed my sweatshirt and shivered for a few minutes until the gun went off. Then the weather, and I, warmed up quickly.

I kept it at a strenuously comfortable pace for the first 10 miles or so because the last thing I wanted to do is start out too fast and tank it. You see, I knew that there were a couple of women from the neighborhood somewhere behind me and I had to at least finish ahead of them.

I picked up the pace some (or at least increased my effort) for the last three miles or so. There was a young guy that was running near me from about mile 5. Near the end of the race we were still together, picking up the pace. I have no idea who he was, but he knew I was there too because we were trading off leading by a few steps. It worked out really well because I don't think I would have moved as fast at the end  if he wasn't pushing me.

Oh, and another highlight of the race: I almost stepped on a dead mouse on the greenbelt.

iPod song of the day: "I Want To Break Free" -- Queen

Boise, ID 6:30am

Pace: 7:59

A good morning run. Warmest weather so far in the a.m. Didn't really feel any ill-effects from Saturday's race although Randy had to pull me along during the second half of the run.

Haven't settled in on a plan for this week yet. I would like to get in a long run, but I don't think that will work with my schedule. Probably just keep the mileage up around 50 for the week and get in the 20-miler next week.

Boise, ID 6:30am

Pace: 8:35

Very nice weather this morning. Mid 60s and overcast. I didn't really push myself at all. I think after the last few runs, I just didn't feel like it. I took a slightly diferent route this morning Cloverdale - Executive/Emerald - Cole - Ustick.

iPod song of the day: "Bad To The Bone" -- George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers

Boise, ID 6:30am

Pace: 7:59

Kind of chilly this morning. Not much to report on this run. No aches, pains, twitches or soreness -- and that's a good thing.

Boise, ID 6:45am

Pace: 8:33

A very nice morning. A little on the chilly side, but very comfortable. I took the same route as I ran on Tuesday Emerald - Cole - Ustick.

I'm feeling really good right now. Running strong without any pain. Hopefully I will hold up through my long runs into the marathon next month.

iPod song of the day: "Boogie Wonderland" -- Earth Wind & Fire

Boise, ID 6:30am

Pace: 7:54

Another comfortable morning run. Felt sluggish at first, but by the second half of the run I was feeling good and ended with a pace under 8 minutes. Traffic was light this moning. Must be a lot of people getting an early starrt to the holliday weekend.

I was going to only run 15 tomorrow morning, but now I think I'll up it to 20. I'll be pushing it with so many miles already this week, but it will be good -- I hope.

Boise/Garden City/Eagle/Meridian, ID 6:30am

Pace: 8:50

Another long run. I took the same route as two weeks ago. Felt really good. The last three miles sucked, as usual. But not as bad as it sucked last time, so I must be making progress.

This time I fueled up a bit more. I ate a banana before leaving and cut up a half of a Power Bar into four pieces. I ate them at miles 5, 10, 15 and 18. I bought a Gatorade at the Stinker station at Chinden and Eagle, mile 13 and nursed it for five miles.

Now off to my Saturday. I promised the kids I'd take them to climb that stupid hill at Camel's Back Park. We'll see how that goes.

 Looks like it's time to retire another pair of shoes.

iPod song of the day: "How Far We`ve Come" --  Matchbox 20

Boise, ID 6:30am

Pace: 8:00

So, at the end of my run on Friday I said to Randy "Same time on Monday?" He said "sure." That seemed like such a good idea on Friday. At six a.m on Memorial Day, not so much. But I got up and went and was glad I did because I wouldn't have gotten a run in any other time today.

Halfway through this morning's run I felt a serious need to drop a deuce. But, since I was running through neighborhoods with no convenient stores or anyplace else to take care of business, I just kept running. I wonder how running with your butt cheeks clenched affects your gait.

Good times!

Meridian, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:18

I left a half hour earlier this morning. I wanted to do ten miles, but I really like having an hour to rest/nap/do nothing before starting work at 9. I'm not saying I need it, I just really like it.

Weather was great, run felt good. Went the Meridian direction today Ustick, Meridian, Pine, Cloverdale and a lap around the subdivision to get up to 10.

Broke out a new pair of shoes this morning. It's always nice to feel new shoes on your feet after going too long in the previous pair.

iPod song of the day: "Ain't That A Shame" -- Cheap Trick

Boise, ID 6:30am

Pace: 7:56

I was really dragging this morning and, of course, I have some good excuses. I'm a little sore from playing softball yesterday (sprinting and running are two different things, you know) and I didn't sleep very well last night. Good thing I have a running partner or my pace would probably be around nine minutes per mile this morning.

Boise, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:44

An easy ten-miler to start the day. Weather was great, I felt good, just happy to be out there. I took the route from last week Emerald, Cole, Ustick. I like going that way because the sun is at my back on the home stretch.

iPod song of the day: "Never Did No Wandrin'" -- The Folksmen

Boise, ID 6:30am

Pace: 8:02

Randy brought his brother along this morning, which made navigating the shoulders of Cloverdale a little more interesting, but it was nice to have someone different along for a change. We were only about 5 seconds per mile slower than usual, but it felt like we weren't pushing it as hard. Good thing because I'm planning on on going long again tomorrow morning.

Boise, Garden City, Eagle, ID

Pace: 8:56

I went out for a 20-mile long run this morning, but decided to stretch it out to 26.2. I was at 24.5 by the time I got back to my house and figured that if I ever want to try an unsupported marathon, now was the time to do it. So I went ahead and took another lap around the subdivision to go the full distance.

I hydrated better than I had in past long runs and it made a difference. I need to make sure I get that much water/gatorade when I run the real marathon. Usually I find myself just sipping a half a cup here and there because I don't want to get an upset stomach. Then I get dehydrated and life sucks.

I went a similar course as my previous long runs except I went down to the greenbelt from Maple Grove and instead of crossing the river and heading West at Glenwood, I kept going East for two miles and then turned around. That way I was able to avoid that 5 mile jog down Chinden and Meridian roads. With the heat I wanted to stay in more established neighborhoods with trees and shade.

When I got to Eagle and Chinden I decided to go over to Five Mile and down. That's why I was longer by the time I got home.

Now I'm feeling good. I don't think I did any damage that would be detrimental to the real marathon next month and it gave me a good boost of confidence.

iPod song of the day: "Rappers Delight" -- Sugar Hill Gang

Boise, ID 6:30am

Pace: 8:06

A little slower than usual this morning, but I was still a little sore/tired from Saturday's long run and Randy's wife had a baby this weekend, so he probably hadn't slept much. The weather was great: overcast with a light rain towards the end. We picked up the pace in the last couple of miles and finished pretty strong. Good start to the week.

Boise, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:41

Weather was nice this morning. Overcast in the low 60s. I expected to get rained on, but it didn't start until after I got back.

I took a slightly different route. Cloverdale over the freeway to Overland (I forgot how narrow the shoulder of that overpass is) to Maple Grove to Ustick and home. I kind of just plugged along at a comfortable pace most of the morning until the last mile and a half when I saw someone running ahead of my and decided to try to pass him. I was feeling pretty good about myself until I passed the guy and realized that the dude was at least 80 years old. So I flipped him the bird and yelled "get the lead out grampa!" Actually, I smiled, waved and said good morning, but I think he knew what I meant.

iPod song of the day: "Rockin' Down The Highway" -- The Doobie Brothers

Boise, ID 6:30 am

 Pace: 8:01

It's funny how some days when you think you are feeling fine, you just struggle to get through the workout. Then on other days when you start out not feeling it, you get some energy and kick it in. This morning was more of the latter. Started out sluggish but picked up the pace later in the run and pushed it pretty good the last couple of miles.

Boise, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:41

I kind of had a case of the I Don't Want To Runs this morning, but with the marathon in just over three weeks, I ran anyway. It only took about a mile to get over it. Usually just getting out the door is the hardest part.

I took Cloverdale to Victory to Five Mile to Overland and back home on Cloverdale. Weather was good, easy run. Not a bad morning at all.

iPod song of the day: "Whatever I Fear" -- Toad the Wet Sprocket

Meridian, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:08

8:08 isn't bad for runing alone on a Friday. My running partner backed out. Something about having to take his kids to a fiddle competition. He's kind of an odd dude.

Weather was nice, a little cooler that usual, in the mid 50s. Ready to go long tomorrow.

iPod song of the day: "Tahiti, Tahiti" -- Nā Waiho'olu'u O Ke Ānuenue

Boise, ID 9:00 am

Pace: 8:32

I didn't do a long run today. I decided to sleep in and just do 10. I'll get in a 20-miler next Saturday. That will make four long runs before Seattle. That will have to be enough.

It was wet and rainy all morning. I ran from my house down Cloverdale and took Emerald to town and then ran up 16th and Sherman to 6th then down to the Capitol. I met my wife there and watched the kids do the Capitol Kid's Race. Riley ran well and Alex walked it again. I could tell that she was hurting towards the end. Probably from her leg brace, but she finished it again. I was really proud of her.

I think only doing ten was a good idea this morning. For some reason running in the rain seems to suck the energy out of me.

Boise, ID 6:30am

Pace: 7:59

A little bit chilly this morning. Pretty uneventful otherwise. It was under 8 per mile (barely). Better than any runs last week.

Boise, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:36

The weather couldn't have been better for a nice comfortable morning run. I went down Cloverdale to Executive/Emerald to Cole to Ustick. Just putting in miles today. I'll push it more tomorrow.

iPod song of the day: "Volare" -- Gypsy Kings

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 7:51

Great run this morning. Weather was perfect, 61 degrees, and I wanted to push things more than I had lately. I kept the coversation down and tried to keep the pace up. Once again it helped to have Randy pulling me along.

The bad thing was that I paused my iPod when we crossed Ustick at mile 6 and must not have gotten it unpaused until I was almost home. So I hacked a workout from last week to upload and went with the pace I had at mile 6. I know we didn't slow down any during the last mile or so.

Stupid iPod.

Boise, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:35

Slow and easy at first, but finished up pretty strong. I saw a couple of runners ahead when I turned into my subdivision and decided to try to catch them before they got to the corner. I just about made it.

iPod song of the day: "So Long Toots" -- Cherry Poppin' Daddies

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 7:05

I got rained on this morning. The run felt really good, except that I wished I had't worn a regular cotton t-shirt. The temperature was in the low 60s and I saw quite a few people out running -- until it started pouring down rain.

Ready for one more long run tomorrow then a week of vacation (we'll see how much running I can get in) and then marathon week. Ready, set, go.

Boise, ID 7:00 am

Pace: 8:49

Well, that's it. My last long run before Seattle. I would have liked it end with a better performance, but I woke up feeling lousy but ran anyway because I didn't really feel like I had a choice. Next week I'm on vacation, then it's marathon week. So I slogged my way along, making pit stops along the way. Now that it's over, I don't feel that bad.

I went down Emerald to the greenbelt and then up Mitchell to McMillian and down through the neighborhooods between Cloverdale and Eagle.

iPod song of the day: "Road to Nowhere" -- Talking Heads

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 7:55

A rough one this morning. Pouring rain, bloody nipples and the need to drop a load. I need a vacation.

Bountiful, UT 6:30 am

Pace: 8:59

Really nice weather this morning for a very hilly run. My car was blocked in, so I had to leave from the in-law's house and run up to Bountiful Blvd. Not that I really minded. Driving to run always seems a little weird to me. I kept it at a comfortable pace over the rolling hills then coming down on 31st street I went through a skunk stink. It must have been really close because it was burning my nose. All kinds of fun there.

iPod song of the day: "Crazy Train" -- Ozzy Osbourne

Bountiful, UT 8:00 a.m.

Pace: 8:48

I ran down Davis Blvd. today. It's a lot like Bountiful Blvd. but withouth the uphill run to get there. It was raining when I got up, but stopped before I got out there and I didn't get wet at all during the run.

I'm feeling good. The body is holding up. My little toe is a little sore on the downhills. I banged it in a bizarre gardening accident (Isn't that Spinal Tap? "You can't dust for vomit")

iPod song of the day: "Whip It" -- Devo

Bountiful, UT 8:00 am

Pace: 8:35

Same route as yesterday but faster and a half-mile shorter.

Another skunk! What is it with this town?

iPod song of the day: "Frank and Jesse James" -- Warren Zevon

Heber, UT 8:00 am

Pace: 8:50

I thought that being up here camping would be a great opportunity to get in some nice runs. I was wrong. The cabin is at the top of the mountain. The only direction is down, which means the only direction back is up. With the race coming up in just over a week, I decided that I would take things a little easier. Thus the shorter run. It was a nice brisk morning. A nice run, but hilly.

iPod song of the day: "No Sugar Tonight: -- The Guess Who

Heber, UT 8:00 am

Pace: 8:57

The hills this past week have taken a bit of a toll, so I just did a short one today. I need to start tapering anyway.

iPod song of the day: "Romeo Had Juliette" -- Lou Reed

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:07

Not a bad run this morning. About 50 degrees and sunny. The pace was a little slower than usual. Randy said he was feeling the creeping crud, so I actually had to slow down a couple of times to let him catch up.

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 7:53

Just a short taper run this morning. I wanted to push it a little bit, but not over exert myself. Great weather, comfortable run. Feeling good.

iPod song of the day: "I Was Made For Lovin' You" --  Kiss (Nothing like a little Kissco to wrap up the run)

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 7:43

Short, fast, great weather. A nice morning run.

Well, that's it. I'm taking tomorrow and Friday off and then it's off to the races on Saturday. Ready or not, here I come.

This was a rough one for me. I'm still trying to figure out exactly why. I think there are a number of reasons. But the race was a lot of fun and I'm glad I did it. The bands were cool and the scenery can't be beat. It was a great experience.
Excuse #1 would have to be the night before. I did a little more walking around in the city than I would have preferred, but the killer was that I didn't get a wink of sleep Friday night. Of course, I never sleep much the night before a marathon, but I can usually nod off for a couple of hours. Not this time.
So I got up at 4:30 and walked to the Weston and caught the bus to Tukwilla. Just relaxed before the race. Ate a Powerbar and a banana, unloaded and waited for it to start.
I was pretty amazed at the mass of humanity at the starting line. They started the full and half together, so all 25,000 people were there. The way they started with corrals and waves worked out well (for me, at least). Even with all those people, it never felt very crowded during the race.
The first half of the race went really well (they always do). I stopped to pee near the end of the first mile. Probably just nerves, but that was the only pit-stop I needed. The first 6 miles go through neighborhoods with a steady hill for about a mile from 4 to 5. Then it takes a sharp downhill and runs along the shore of Lake Washington, pretty flat until the first marathon/half split just after mile 9. We went up a steep hill and, while the half marathon turned left into the I-90 tunnel, the full turned right on to the Lake Washington Bridge. Usually a bridge goes up and over, but this was a floating bridge so it started with a downhill and went up on the other side where we turned around and did it again. A turn around is always nice to be able to look back and realize that you aren't in last place after all.
After the bridge we went into the tunnel and things got really, really weird. We're in a tunnel, it's dark, you can't see the end, and about half way through this really strange sound starts getting louder and louder. They had put a metal band in the tunnel. With the echo, you can hardly recognize the music but it was loud and with the runners yelling and the tunnel being dark it was a really wild experience.
But anyway, after the tunnel, we rejoined the half marathoners and continued a couple more miles on the freeway HOV lanes, which brings me to Excuse #2. A lot of the race was on concrete freeway HOV lanes or on the Alaskan Highway viaduct. Asphalt would have been softer, but I'm not sure it made that much of a difference. I'm still feeling good at this point.
Just before marathon mile 15 we split once again and the half marathoners happily ran down into the stadium to celebrate and the rest of us continued along the viaduct parallel to the waterfront and then through the Battery Street tunnel.
After the tunnel, we started a pretty steady incline from mile 16 to 20 and I think that's what killed me (Excuse #3). By the time I got to the turn-around, the downhill didn't even feel like a relief. I was pretty spent. Back in the tunnel I started feeling really sick. I hung near the side of the road ready to pull over and start hurling Gu and Cytomax all over the sidewalk, but that never happened.
I saw my wife at mile 22. I was back on the viaduct and she was at the little park next to Pikes Place Market watching the race go by below. After that I felt better for a couple of miles, but I couldn't get my speed up. I had slowed down to close to a 10-minute mile pace and it was becoming evident that a sub 4-hour finish wasn't going to happen.
The rest was just a bunch of running -- slowly. It went downhill off the viaduct, then turned around and came back up and then and down into the stadium parking lot and the finish line.
After I crossed the line, I kind of staggered around a bit thinking that I might pass out. But I didn't do that either. I stayed in the finisher area for a while trying to get myself together. I felt worse at the end of this race than I have at any of the others. I found myself talking to another guy who had a rough go of it too. When I saw the big bloody spot on the right side of his chest, I realized that it indeed could be worse.
So there it is. I didn't break 4-hours (again), but I'm ok with that. I could come up with a bunch more excuses, but the bottom line is that 4:09:12 was all I had in met that day. I ran when I wanted to walk. I kept moving when my body kept telling me to stop. And I had a really fun time doing it (except for those parts that really sucked).

Boise, ID 6:30am

Pace: 8:11

First run back after the marathon. I was going to get out yesterday, but I turned off the alarm and went back to sleep.

Felt pretty good. No worse for the wear. My glutes were a little sore, but I mainly just felt like I hadn't run in a week.

Boise, ID 8:00 am

Pace: 8:58

Happy 4th of July.

Really dragging this morning. I guess I wasn't as recovered from last week as I thought I was. I'd toyed with the idea of going to Melba to run in a 10k this morning, but decided not to. Much as I love Melba, it was probably a good thing because I would have sucked it up.

It was a nice morning for a run. Kind of warm, but not bad. I ran past two church pancake breakfasts along the way -- kind of made me hungry. If I didn't stink so bad, I might have crashed one. I'll take Sunday off and see how I do in Utah next week.

iPod song of the day "City Of New Orleans" -- Arlo Guthrie ("Good morning America, how are you?")

Spanish Fork, UT 6:30 am

Pace: 8:40

Working in Utah this week, so I ran to the office. It was really windy starting out (in Spanish Fork, go figure) but calmed down by the time I got into Mapleton. Felt pretty good, a little stiff in the hamstring. Then at about the 9 mile mark I started feeling a sharp pain in my right hamstring. That is where a smart person would stop running and put some ice on it. But, since I'm not a smart person I kept running another mile or so. Luckily it worked itself out and feels fine now.

When I got to work my wife wasn't there yet. Apparently she didn't have the snooze feature on her cell phone figured out. So I waited on the lawn and watched ducks for a half hour. Can't complain about that.

On the way out this morning, my aim was a little off on the iPod, so instead of clicking on the "Running" playlist, I clicked down to the "Slow" playlist. So, today's surprise song of the day is ...

iPod song of the day: "You've Got A Friend" -- Carol King

Spanish Fork, UT 7:00 am

Pace: 8:37

I went to work in a different direction this morning. I went to Main Street in Spanish and crossed under the freeway and kept going up Main behind the Nuways Castle and up the frontage road to Springville and crossed back over the freeway.

My hamstring was still feeling kind of funny, so I tried to step gingerly. By the end of the run it was feeling good again -- or maybe my leg was just numb.

iPod song of the day: "The Man Comes Around" -- Johnny Cash

Spanish Fork, UT 6:30 am

Pace: 8:47

Pretty much the same run as Monday. Up to Main Street Mapleton into Springville and down the hill to work. The leg felt great and the Springville Stink wasn't as bad as it sometimes is, so it must have been a good run this morning.

iPod song of the day: "Hey, You Get Off Of My Cloud" -- Rolling Stones

Spanish Fork, UT 7:00 am

Pace: 8:31

This was kind of like an off day. I just ran into work the most direct route possible. Didn't push myself, took it easy. Weather was great. When I'm running in New Brunswick in December I'll need to remember days like today.

 I thought I'd missed the Springville Stink, but the wind must have shifted a bit because it hit me about a quarter mile down the road from where I expected it.

iPod song of the day: I'm Alright (Theme From "Caddyshack") -- Kenny Logins

Spanish Fork, UT 6:30 am

Pace: 8:45

This hasn't been a good morning so far. I missed a turn and kept running down the road towards Utah Lake. It only added a little over a mile to my run, but I didn't really want to run an extra mile today. The weather was great again and I passed up a bunch of my coworkers who were stuck in their cars waiting out an accident on the overpass that goes over the tracks near the office. But then when I got to work I opened my bag and discovered that I forgot my underwear -- and my belt. Oops. So I had to drive back to Spanish.

Things can only get better today, right?

iPod song of the day -- "Rock 'n' Roll High School" -- The Ramones

Spanish Fork, UT 7:00 am

Pace: 8:40

An easy morning run to finish up the week. Lots to do today, so I didn't go very far, but it was nice to get out before starting the day. Windy again.

Boise, ID 8:00 pm

Pace: 8:26

I have a busy kid week this week (and next) so I'm getting up early in the morning and working, so I have to get my running in at night. This wasn't a bad one. I took my regular MWF course, ran it in reverse and added a couple of more miles. There are a lot more people out running in the evening (at least this one because it wasn't as hot) so I would try to push myself a bit by passing other runners.

iPod song of the day "I Feel Good" -- James Brown

Meridian, ID 9:00 pm

Pace: 8:39

Got the kids to bed and went out a little later than I'd hoped. The weather was still pretty warm when I started out, but about half-way I stopped off at my sister's house for a minute. Then we started yackin' and I ended up staying for about a half-hour. So it was dark by the time I got out to continue my run. The second half was kind of weird. I haven't run in the dark in a while and, while the cool temperatures felt great, I was kind of in a fog. Maybe it's from running later than I'm used to, maybe it was that hot dog I had for dinner (the kids had a pool party). Probably the hot dog. But I ran through it, since I was 5 miles from home I didn't have a choice.

This might have been my last run with the Nike+ on my foot. I ordered a Garmin and it is supposed to come today. After 3 years and 5,430 miles with the thing, it will be quite a lifestyle change to stop using it, but I think I've outgrown its usefulness. I need to start using something that will allow me to customize my workouts more and focus on more than just chugging out miles. I think this will be a good thing.

iPod song of the day: "Gonna Fly Now" --DeEtta Little

Boise, ID 9:15 pm

Pace: 8:49 Avg HR: 150

My first run with the Garmin 305. The thing is cool. I'm really going to like it. But, last night's run was a rough one. Maybe it was the heat (88 degrees when I left the house) or just the fact that I'm not used to running at night. Whatever the reason, I was feeling kind of sick when I got home. I need to get more sleep.

Boise, ID 10:30 pm

Pace: 9:36 Avg. HR: 136

Pathetic. I've done a lot of dumb things in my life and this is one of them. I really had no business running today. I haven't gotten a decent night's sleep in almost a week. I was exhausted all day and didn't have a free minute to run until 10:30pm. So I thought if I took a nap for an hour before going out that would make it all ok. It didn't. I wanted to get 50 miles in this week, but the only way that is going to work is if I run late again on Friday and then get up early on Saturday. That it isn't going to happen. I'll take Friday off and see what I can get in Saturday morning.

This run was really weak. I started out slow and got slower. When I stopped at the light at Fairview and Mitchell my legs were shaking and I was feeling dizzy. But, I kept running because I couldn't think of anything else to do. Things got a bit better after mile 5. But not much. I hate it when real life gets in the way of running.

iPod song of the day: "Stonehenge" -- Spinal Tap

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:22 Avg HR: 153

If going out running on Thursday night was dumb, this morning's run was brilliant. After a week of grinding through hot, late-night runs it felt great to get out in the cool morning air. I started out the first few miles right around 8:30 and picked up the pace some in the second half, finishing strong and feeling great.

I went up to Maple Grove to Chinden and up Mitchell. I forgot to take a turn I needed to get to 10 miles so I altered my course a bit and got lost in a subdivision once. I hid my water bottle in a tree at McMillian and Shamrock and then had to backtrack to get it because I had changed the course. Even still, a great way to start a Saturday.

iPod song of the day: "Golden Years" -- David Bowie

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:14 Avg. HR: 149

A pretty easy run this morning. There were three of us running this morning. Nice to have someone new. Randy and I aren't all that chatty, so it is nice to let someone else talk for  a while.

Weather was nice and cool and the run was great. I wanted to push it a little harder than we did, but it was a nice pace with good splits. Not sure what I'm going to do about tomorrow. Camping tonight. Maybe I'll have to do a really hot one in the afternoon.

Boise, ID 2:00 pm

Pace: 7:55 Avg. HR: 164

So I took the kids camping and got back about noon. Then I got this crazy idea that maybe I could go running. So I did. It was 95 degrees when I left. Hot. I brought along a bottle, but didn't think to put ice in it, so by the time my run was half over I was drinking hot Gatorade. Yum.

But, it turned out to be a really good run. After starting out with an 8:13 pace in the first mile, I picked things up a bit and stayed under 8 the rest of the way. I felt a little funny afterward, but I lived.

iPod song of the day: "Car Wash" -- Rose Royce

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 7:56

Pushed it pretty good again this morning. Back to the standard MWF seven miler. I told Randy that I was under 8 yesterday, so I think he decided that if I did it yesterday I could do it again. Not much conversation this morning, just me trying to keep up. Felt really good though.

Meridian, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:10 Avg. HR: 153

Really two runs today. I went out at 6 am and did seven miles. I kept my pace between 8:00and 8:30 for the first six miles and then kept it under 8 for the last mile. When I got home, the plan was to run three more with my daughter riding her bike beside me. But when I got there, she hadn't gotten up and wasn't really interested in getting up, so I took off on my own again, doing the same thing -- 8:15ish for three miles and 7:48 for the last mile.

iPod song of the day: "Comfortably Numb" -- Pink Floyd

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:08

 Didn't stay under 8:00 this morning, but put in a good workout with the splits getting faster as I went along and was able to push the final mile to 7:40.

Boise, Garden City, Eagle, ID 7:00 am

Pace: 8:31

Not a bad long run on a beautiful Saturday morning. I tried to keep it steady, under 8:30. I held that pace until mile 11 when I started to fade into the 8:30s and 8:40s then gave it a final push to 8:12 in the final mile.

I ran from home down to the Greenbelt, along the river to Eagle and up Eagle Road. At Chinden, I had planned on cutting across towards Cloverdale and down through the neighborhoods I run on my MWF runs, but when I got to the Stinker station at Chinden I was already past 12 miles and only planned on going 15. So, since the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, I just kept running down Eagle towards home. It really wasn't too bad. It is a busy street, but has wide sholders and sidewalks.

iPod song of the day: "Take Me To The River" -- The Talking Heads

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:09 Avg. HR: 147

Started out slow and easy but picked up the pace each mile. By the end we were at a 7:37 pace. Otherwise pretty uneventful. Weather in the mornings this time of year is awesome. Mid 60's with lots of shade. Very nice.

Boise, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:28 Avg. HR: 142

A good steady run this morning. Started out slow, but was able to pick up the pace and finished with a 7:36 mile at the end. I ran up Cloverdale to Victory and over to Five Mile. When I got to the freeway I discovered that the Five Mile overpass was being repaved and closed to traffic. The construction guys didn't really want me to go through, but I really didn't want to turn around and add another mile or two to my workout, so I cut through and made sure I stayed clear of the bulldozer.

iPod song of the day: Not So Far Away -- "Glen Burtnick"

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:01 Avg HR: 149

The usual MWF seven miler. A third guy joined us for the middle half of the run. That slowed us down slightly on mile four, but the company was nice to have. Able to get it back below 8:00 for miles six and seven. Still enjoying the summer morning weather.

Meridian, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:27 Avg Hr: 142

A pretty easy 10 miler this morning. Kept it at an easy pace until the last mile or so. Probably should have taken that one easy too because my left hamstring started hurting a bit. Otherwise kind of uneventful, except that I had to stop to pee twice and saw a gnarly dead cat at the side of the road. Guts hanging out and everything.

iPod song of the day: "Throwing Stones" - The Grateful Dead

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 9:18 Avg HR: 132

My hamstring was kind of bugging me all day yesterday. I iced it last night and would have taken today off, but I was meeting Scott about a mile and a half away and didn't want to leave him standing there, so I took it slow and easy. I think that worked out. I only felt a slight pain once. Kept things really comfortable. Tomorrow's 20-miler is off.

iPod song of the day: "Peace Train" -- Cat Stevens

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:15 Avg HR: 152

A little bit warmer this morning (70 when I left) and I think it made a difference. Wasn't able to get the pace under 8:00 until the final mile. Taking the weekend off turned out to be a good thing. The hamstring appears to be back to 100%.

Boise, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:31 Avg. HR: 146

An easy ten this morning. Didn't really push myself at all until the final mile that I was able to pick up to 7:38.

I stepped in a puddle (sprinkler puddle -- hasn't rained here in weeks) in front of the Maverick at Overland and Locust Grove and soaked half of my shoe. I was a little worried that it might give me a blister or something, but it was fine. Just a little sloshy for a mile or so.

iPod song of the day: "She's Not There" -- The Zombies

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 7:58 Avg HR: 152

When we started out Randy said "I feel pretty good this morning." I've kind of learned that when he feels pretty good at the beginning of the run, I'm probably not going to feel real good at the end of it. We pushed it pretty good most of the way. Only two of the seven miles were over 8:00. It was my last run before going on vacation, so I think he was just leaving me with something to remember him by.

Maui, HI 5:45 am
Pace: 8:32 Avg HR: 152

With the jet lag, getting up early to run wasn't a problem. I took off south from Wailea to Makena and turned around when I hit five miles. It was a really nice run -- how could it not be? Running in Paradise. The route was a bit hilly close to the hotel, but mostly flat down near Makena. Most of the route was along golf courses and country roads. The turn-around point was a nice little beach of lava rock.

iPod song of the day: "Aloha Friday" -- Kimo Kahoano & Paul Natto

Maui, HI 6:00 am
Pace: 8:45 Avg HR: 141

Spending all day Friday either at the beach or in the pool took a toll on me. I was dragging a bit running this morning. I went north this time into Kihei. I started out along a path that runs along the beach. I saw a lot of people running on it on Friday. They must not have been running very far because it ended less than a half mile from the hotel. I had to double back and find an access path that took me to the main road. For being on the beach, there are some pretty good hills along that main road. When I got into town I took the main drag till I got to 5 miles and then turned back. I think all of my runs will be out and back this week. When there's really only one main road, that's what you have to do. I cut through a beach park on the way back. It had some nice paths and I got to see some early-risers out surfing. I started to get a blister on one of my toes toward the end of the run. That's the first time that's ever happened to me. I wonder if I got some sand in my shoe or something like that. I'm glad tomorrow is Sunday. I need a day to rest up.

iPod song of the day: "Ku'u Hoa" -- Robi Kahakalau

Maui, HI 6:00 am
Pace: 8:29 Avg HR: 151
I took the same route south toward Makena with a little twist. I started out and finished on the beach path behind the resorts. It was nice and not as hilly as the road, but got a little crowded on the way back. I ran down to Big Beach. I found out why it is called Big Beach. It's a really big beach. I also went down a dirt road to Onelui Beach. The sign said it was a black sand beach. It was more of a charcoal gray beach. On the way back I heard some footsteps and voices behind me. I wasn't really in the mood to get passed, so I picked up my pace a bit. They eventually did pass me up, but I held them off for about a half mile or more. It was a couple of those tall, skinny guys who can outrun me any time they want. Now, off to the beach.

iPod song of the day: "Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian" -- John Prine

Maui, HI 6:30 am
Pace: 8:52 Avg HR: 142
I almost didn't go out running this morning. The alarm went off and I just felt tired. So I decided to stay in. But then I laied there thinking about how there's supposed to be a tropical storm rolling in tonight and there could be torrential rain tomorrow morning. So I went ahead and rolled out of bed and did a slow six. My legs were kind of heavy and it was kind of hot out. But, I was running on Maui, so I can't complain, can I?

iPod song of the day: "Island Style" -- John Cruz

Maui, HI 6:15 am
Pace: 8:58 Avg HR: 142
What was left of Hurricane Felicia hit this morning so it was raining when I left the hotel. Soon it went from raining to pouring. Water everywhere. I had to cross a few puddles on the path behind the hotel. Later I was going to head down a side street but it was flooded and I couldn't get through. When I was almost to the turn around point I went down to a beach who's name escapes me now. It was a decent beach, but the rain kind of overwhelmed everything.

Maui, HI 6:00 am

Pace: 8:59 Avg HR: 146

For my last run on Maui, I wanted to do something different, so I got up a little earlier and drove down past Big Beach to the point where I turned around on the first day. Not far from there is the place where the map says your car rental agreement is void if you go past it. I thought it was going to be a dirt road but it was paved the whole way, just really narrow. It goes down to the south end of the island through a nature reserve. The road cuts through lava flows that, in some places feel like you are running on Mars (I've never run on Mars, but I can imagine). The views were awesome too, watching the sun come up over Haleakala. I had to work my way around a few puddles left over from Wednesday's rain, but none were very big until I got to La Perouse Bay. There was really no way around the water that stretched across the road because there was a cactus-looking plant on either side. It didn't have sharp thorns, but kind of slapped you like fish. I ended up wading through part of it and then kept running into the parking lot of the bay. That's where the road ended. But I saw a trail, so I took it. The trail went through another lava flow and then went along the beach.

The beach trail was mostly hardpacked sand and rocks through trees and jumping over washouts. But then it started to stink like a dead animal and there was a lot of poo everywhere. Then I looked down and saw a footprint and thought "hmmm, that looks like a pig's foot." As that thought is just starting to register I see three wild boars about 30 - 50 yards away. So, I peed a little, turned around and did some speedwork. There, I've admitted it. I'm afraid of wild pigs. I actually think they were running away from me, but I wasn't taking any chances.

When I got back to La Perouse Bay I continued on to that big puddle. I was still a little shaken up from the pig encounter and in no mood to go wading again, so I waited a minute or two until a hippie van showed up. The hippie guy and his hippie girlfriend had spent the night at the Bay in their hippie van. So I hitched a ride across the puddle with the hippies. Thank heaven for nice hippies.

The rest of the run back was pretty uneventful. A lot like the first half, but in the opposite direction. I had planned on doing a ten-miler this morning, but by the time I got back to the car I decided that six was enough.

Boise, ID 2:00 pm

Pace: 8:47 Avg HR: 151

Back in Boise. Jet lag sucks. After being up  from Thursday morning to Friday night I got 12 hours of sleep last night and woke up still feeling tired. At 2pm I knew I had to get out and run or it wasn't going to happen. So I took off and slogged through it, feeling pretty crappy the whole way. But I rest tomorrow and hopefully will be ready to get at it again on Monday morning.

The weather was nice and cool, around 70 with a nice breeze and I took a nice detour through the wetland area off Maple Grove at McMillian. It would have been a great run if I wasn't so tired.

 iPod song of the day: "Home Sweet Home" -- Motley Crue

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 7:58 Avg HR:  149

A little on the chilly side this morning, but really nice for a run. Finally getting back to feeling like myself after last week's vacation. This was a good run. We kept up a good pace the whole way and I felt strong to the end.

Traffic was a little heavy when we were trying to cross McMillian. Randy said Go, so I took off. At the last minute he pulled back to go around the car that was coming. I kept running. I heard the honk, Randy saw the finger. 

I signed up for Top of Utah, so it's no longer  a maybe. Now I need to get some long runs in.

Meridian, ID 6:15 am

Pace: 8:36 Avg HR: 141

I started out with five miles up to Overland on a very nice cool morning. Met up with Neil and ran about three with him. Nice to chat up a bit and change the route a bit. He probably thought I was trying to kill him off when I bolted across the street before the light changed.

After that the last four miles was just heading home. A group of cheerleaders lined up on Cloverdale to cheer me on this morning. I thought that was nice of them. Or maybe they were just out there practicing.

iPod song of the day: "Don't Worry About The Government" -- Talking Heads

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:11 Avg HR: 149

Kind of sluggish this morning. Started and ended kind of fast but faded a bit in the middle.

Boise, ID 6:40 am

Pace: 8:08 Avg HR: 146

A figure 8 loop up Cloverdale, Edna, Shamrock, McMillian, Cloverdale, through Ginger Creek and down Duane. I decided to only run five or so this morning. I felt kind of sluggish yesterday and didn't want to push things too much before going long on Saturday. I started out comfortably and was able to push the pace a bit each mile: 8:51, 8:13, 8:10, 8:00, 7:44.

iPod song of the day: "Tons of Steel" -- The Grateful Dead

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:23 Avg HR: 142

Kept the pace down this morning. Want to leave something in the tank for tomorrow's long run.  It's getting a bit warmer in the morning but still nice and comfortable.

Boise, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:55 Avg HR: 147

Finally able to get in my first Top of Utah long run. It worked out pretty well. I went down Emerald to Curtis and then took the greenbelt to Eagle and then back home. I thought I had everything covered until about 10 miles into it I startd feeling the burn -- I'd forgotten the little round band aids. Then I didn't pass a Walgreens until mile 17. So I went in and bought some, but it was too late. I'm still feeling it. Then in the last mile I noticed a blister on my ankle of all places. weird

I was feeling pretty wiped out by the end, but I was able to keep my pace close to 9 minutes per mile and picked it up slightly in the last mile to post an 8:58 split. Could be worse.

 iPod song of the day: "Working in a Coal Mine" -- Devo (Lord, I am so tired. How long can this go on?)

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:03 Avg HR: 148

Just the usual MWF morning run. We weren't going very fast until we were on McMillian and saw some guy coming toward us at a pretty good clip. We turned left and could I could tell that he turned down the same street just after we did. I could hear him behind us and knew he would pass us if we kept up that pace -- which was fine with me. But it aparently wasn't fine with Randy. The next thing I know he's running up ahead of me and I'm trying to catch up. Don't know whatever happened to the guy in the brown shirt, but it did get my heart rate up a bit.

Meridian, ID 6:10 am

Pace: 8:30 Avg HR: 142

I went Cloverdale to Pine to Meridian to Ustick. I usually take that route in the other direction, but I don't like running on Ustick in the dark in the morning traffic. A good run but uneventful except for a mean little dog that came at me. The kid holding the leash was probably nine years old and it took everything he had to hold the dog back.

iPod song of the day: "The Song of the Heart" (Happy Feet) -- Prince

Boise, ID 6:30 pm

Pace: 8:04 Avg HR: 147

Pretty normal MWF morning run. Weather was nice in the mid 60s and I felt pretty good running this morning.

Boise, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:33 Avg HR: 142

Just a run around the block. A really big block. Cloverdale to Overland to Five Mile to Ustick. Kept it pretty easy this morning. Didn't look at my watch very much. Mainly because it was dark most of the time.

iPod song of the day: "I Would Do Anything" -- Meat Loaf

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 7:52 Avg. HR: 151

I planned on taking it easy this morning, saving up for my long run on Saturday. For some reason it didn't work out that way. This morning was all business for me. We got up to a pace under 8 in the second mile and held it the whole way. No talking, just running.

My wife would never understand that. Her morning runs with Sally are all about the conversation. Running is secondary.

Boise/Garden City/Eagle, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 9:08 Avg HR: 144

Not exactly the confidence boost I'd hoped it would be. I ran the same route as last Saturday and comparing the split times, my pace was slower on every mile. Maybe I just pushed things a little too hard this week and didn't have enough left in the tank. Maybe it just wasn't my day.

 Weather was nice with mostly overcast skies. I saw the strangest think on the Greenbelt in Eagle. This little dog comes around the corner running at full speed. It zips right past me and continues down the trail. Then maybe thirty seconds later, he comes back the other way doing the same thing. He got in one last repeat and I didn't see him again. That was a fast dog.

iPod song of the day: "Down the Road" -- Van Morrison

Meridian, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:37 Avg HR: 139

I almost didn't get up this morning. Then after I did, I almost went back to bed. Then once I got out the door I decided I didn't care how fast I ran and I would just get the stupid run over with. But, I gradually increased the pace each mile and ended up with a decent workout.

iPod song of the day: "You Better You Bet" -- The Who

Boise, ID 8:00 pm

Pace: 8:09 Avg HR: 155

I should be used to it because it happens a lot, but it always surprises me when I go out thinking it's going to be a lousy run and then I'm able to really turn it on. Running after dinner tonight I felt like Michael Scott -- carb-loading on pasta just before the race. I had a gut full of spaghetti pie and was just hoping to make it through, but then after about three miles I got into a zone and really felt strong. My last mile was at a 7:35 pace. I rarely do that unless I'm racing.

iPod song of the day: "I Wanna Be Sedated" -- The Ramones

Boise, ID 4:30 pm

Pace: 8:10

I wasn't going to go running today, but the car was in the shop and I didn't want to have to bug anyone to give me a ride to get it. So I ran. It was hot. More than 90 degrees. I kept it at a managable pace and stopped for a Gatorade half way through. Turned out to be a good run.

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:06 Avg HR: 149

Nice run on the MWF course.

Boise, Eagle, Garden City, ID 7:30 am

Pace: 8:46 Avg HR: 153

I planned on going out on a long run on Saturday, but didn't even get to the end of my block and was feeling some hip pain, so I called it off and rested for a couple of day.

I didn't want to push things with a 20-miler, so I kept it to 15. I went down Eagle to the greenbelt and then up Glenwood to Godard and Edna. The hip felt good and I had a nice run. I wanted to keep my pace between 8 and 9 the whole way and I did that. It's nice that the weather is cooling down a bit.

Now I start to taper a bit for Top of Utah. I only got in two 20-mile long runs this time, but my overall mileage is good. I hope I'm ready.

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 5:52 Avg HR: 8:52

Wanted to really take things easy this morning, so I only did six and kept the pace down. Weather reallly cooling down, about 43 when I took off. I even wore gloves. Cool is nice. The only problem is that cold always follows -- and I'm supposed to go to Canada soon.

iPod song of the day: "One Way Or Another" -- Blondie

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:02 Avg HR: 145

Nice run on the MWF route. Kept it at a good pace the whole way. Air was nice and crisp and the sunrise was pretty.

Boise, ID 6:30 am

I must have left my Garmin on all day yesterday because when I turned it on the battery was about dead. It only lasted me about a half mile. So I just ran comfortably fast, pushing it a bit towards the end. A good run on a nice morning. About 10 degrees warmer than yesterday.

iPod song of the day: "Bad Company" -- Bad Company

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:06 Avg HR: 143

Getting out of bed was rough today. I couldn't sleep last night, so I got up and worked for a couple of hours. I had very low ambitions for this morning's run, but since I run with someone else on MWF just draggin it the whole way isn't very polite. So it ended up being a pretty good workout.

Meridian, ID 8:00 am

Pace: 8:19 Avg HR: 149

A good taper run this morning. Kept it near the pace I hope to maintain at the marathon. Now for a relaxing Saturday watching the Cougs beat up on the Green Wave.

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:12 Avg HR: 146

I thought I'd do seven this morning and shorter runs on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was a pretty uneventful run on my usual MWF route. The only thing different is that we had to stop at about mile 4 because Randy swallowed a bug and my heart rate monitor slipped off in the sixth mile. Then, when I looked at my watch, my heart rate had spiked up to 180 and I realized I'd put it on backwards.

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:12 Avg HR: 144

Went out to do a short 5 this morning. Just cruising through trying to not get injured before Saturday. I'll do a real short one tomorrow and then be done for the week.

iPod song of the day: "One Step Beyond" -- Madness

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:02 Avg HR: 143

I had a snack this morning. One day when I was going out for a run a neighbor lady asked me how far I was going. When I said 3 miles, she said "that's just a snack for you." So whenever I only run three miles, I call it a snack now.

Last run before TOU. I'll take tomorrow and Friday off and see what happens on Saturday. Ready or not ...

This was my second time running TOU. I ran it two years ago and finished in 4:08. So this time I had three goals. First was to come in under 3:49 to set a PR. If I couldn't do that I wanted to come in under 4 hours. If I couldn't to that I wanted to beat my 2007 time.
The starting line was cold but I found a place to sit in the tent and just stayed there most of the time. Just before the start I looked around for a guy I was going to run with, but never found him (My wife said she saw him cross the finish line about 30 seconds before I did).
Mile 1 9:00 - Working my way through the crowd. Could be worse.
Mile 2 8:24 - Good. Right where I want to be.
Mile 3 8:24 - I could do this all day.
Mile 4 8:23 - I'm getting warm. Time to ditch the long sleeved shirt.
Mile 5 8:20 - Take a shot of GU.
Mile 6 8:31 - Feeling good.
Mile 7 8:29 - Still feeling good.
Mile 8 8:23 - Coming out of the shadows. On with the sunglasses, off with the sunglasses.
Mile 9 8:25 - Good
Mile 10 8:36 - Listening to a couple of guys chat about their jobs. It's not a very interesting conversation.
Mile 11 8:37 - GU. Getting a little tired of the heart rate monitor.
Mile 12 8:36 - I think I have to pee.
Mile 13 8:34 - Getting ready to leave the canyon. Unless I want to pee in someone else's yard I better do it now ... less than 20 seconds woo hoo!
Mile 14 8:33 - Coming out of the canyon. A nice little crowd of spectators. Is my wife there? No, but I do see a guy named Ben from home. "Hi Ben, can you take my heart rate monitor for me? Thanks! Going to the BYU game tonight? Great! Have fun" (He won't)
Mile 15 8:20 - Why is my watch wiggin' out? Oh yeah, it's looking for a heart rate monitor.
Mile 16 8:20 - More GU
Mile 17 8:47 - Starting to slow down a bit. Just keep the pace under nine and I'll still be on track. Maybe some music will help. I'll put on the iPod.
Mile 18 8:53 - Folks cheering along the highway are nice. Still under nine. I'll be ok.
Mile 19 9:02 - A couple of little hills put my pace over nine, but I'm still ok.
Mile 20 9:50 - Whoa, starting to drag a bit. Gotta hold it together.
Mile 21 9:23 - A nice lady starts up a conversation. Do some quick math. I can still be under four hours if I keep the pace below 10:30. Piece of cake!
Mile 22 10:00 - OK, this is where it gets tough. Less than five miles left. You can do this.
Mile 23 10:50 - I grab a gatorade at an aid station. It's grape and too strong. I spit it out. "Yuk!" Did I say that out loud? This is where a lot of people are starting to walk. I'm not one of them. Keep going.
Mile 24 10:51 - This is getting really hard. Hey, there's my wife. Taking pictures of my. I hope I look better than I feel. She asks if I want her to run with me. She's keeping up, and she's wearing flip-flops. Not a good sign.
Mile 25 11:11 - My fingers are starting to tingle. I drink more at the aid station, but it's probably too late. Push it up this last hill.
Mile 26 11:58 - I'm really not feeling well now. Both hands are numb and the world is spinning around me. My feet are landing in a funny way. Flop, flop, flop. I can hear people yell "you're doing great!" I'm not. Down the hill gravity helps, but not much. OK, one more block and I'm in the home stretch.
The last .2 - Time to get this stupid thing over with. I pick up the pace reach the finish line and throw up my arms. It's over. Then I start to wobble.
"How are you doing?"
"Huh?"
"Uh oh, this one's going to need some help."
"Are you ok?"
"I dunno"
"Try to keep your head up"
"Umgph"
"OK, come with me. I'll just sit you down here in the shade and get you something to drink. Is Gatorade ok?"
Gatorade? What's Gatorade? "uh, sure"
So I sit for a while and then finally pick myself up and go in to the actual finisher's area. After about a half hour of just sitting there drinking water and chocolate milk I recovered enough to walk back to the hotel, clean up and live to run another day.
I didn't set a PR and didn't break four hours, but I did shave 5 minutes off of my TOU time from two years ago and it was a fun race (except for that last few miles. If those are fun, you aren't doing it right).

Boise, ID 6:10 am

Pace: 8:48

First run after resting up from Top Of Utah. I just ran at a comfortable pace. Didn't even look at my watch the whole way. Getting chilly out there. Soon it will be gloves and long pants weather.

iPod song of the day: "Man Has To Struggle" -- Van Morrison

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:03 Avg HR: 154

A really good run this morning. I increased my pace each mile, getting up to 7:21 for mile 7. Weather was perfect and I felt great.

iPod song of the day: "Welcome To The Jungle" -- Guns N Roses

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:15 Avg HR: 150

I must not be fully recovered from Saturday. I was doing pretty good this morning, but then started slowing down the last two miles. Legs were feeling kind of fatigued. Maybe I'll rest tomorrow. And maybe not.

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:06 Avg HR: 153

I took Saturday off and felt good this morning. Ready to put a full week in now.

Boise, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:56 Avg HR: 141

Slow this morning. Not sure why. I think it's lack of sleep. Great weather this morning. It might be my last 60+ degree early morning run this year. Supposed to get cold this week.

iPod song of the day: "Big Bottom" -- Spinal Tap

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:13 Avg HR: 149

Meridian, ID 6:15 am

Pace: 8:24 Avg HR: 148

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:34 Avg HR: 141

I went out and ran down the street this morning to find Randy standing in his driveway wearing a bath robe -- never a good sign. He said his whole family was sick so I was on my own this morning. That was nice of him. I probably would have stayed in bed and let him figure it out on his own.

I ran the usual MWF route but did it in reverse for a change of pace. It was cold this morning, but better than yesterday.

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:24 Avg HR: 154

This morning Randy was standing in his driveway again. Not in a bathrobe this time. In his running clothes, but holding a baby. "Sorry, you're on your own again this morning. I was all ready to run and then he woke up." Oh well, maybe Wednesday.

It was cold and rainy this morning, but a pretty good run. I'm already tired of running in the dark. This is going to be a long winter.

iPod song of the day: "Beautiful World" -- Devo

Boise, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:53 Avg HR: 147

Got up and did a slow ten this morning. It was dark, so I didn't check my pace at all, just kept it comfortable. Kind of chilly this morning, mid 30s. I went up Cloverdale to Overland to Maple Grove and then cut across at Emerald and back up Cloverdale to home.

I signed up for a little 5k on Saturday. I haven't done one since New Year's day. Curious to see if I've gotten faster or slower in 9 months.

iPod song of the day: "Fantasy" -- Earth Wind & Fire

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:47 Avg HR: 144

Apparently Randy is easing his way back into it. He was in his running clothes this morning and not holding a child, but he told me that the child was awake inside and that he was only going to run a mile or two. So we ran a couple of miles then I ran three more. It's probably best for me anyway. I didn't sleep much last night so I felt like crap and I had a bunch of unpleasant stuff on my mind. Some people say that running is a great opportunity to think through things and process information etc. Not me. I'd rather plug in some music and check out. More of an escape for me.

Slogged my way through the run and got back early -- so I napped for about an hour before starting to work. I'm still tired.

Boise, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:25 Avg HR: 151

Felt really good running this morning. Thought my pace would be faster, but I didn't look at my watch until I finished because it was dark. I went down Cloverdale to Executive/Pine to Locust Grove and back home on Ustick.

So a week ago I was still thinking that I was getting old and should just be content to run one Marathon per year just to make sure I keep running but not worry about new challenges. Then, yesterday I got this idea in my head to try the Utah Grand Slam next year. I have a friend that wants me to do Ogden and another set of friends that are talking about St. George. Then there are just two more, right? Still thinking about it. Talked to my wife about it. She can't imagine why I would want to do such a thing. I can't either, but I do. We'll see.

iPod song of the day: "The Man In Me" -- Bob Dylan

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:01 Avg HR: 153

So Randy actually ran the whole route this morning. Just in time to take all of next week off to go hunting. We took the usual course but did it in reverse. Had a good run. Kept the pace up pretty good.

People (businesses) really need to be turning off their sprinklers. I hate getting wet when it's freezing out.

Really small community races are good because they give slow guys like me a chance to win their age group. They didn't record finishing times or reward winners. I only know I came in fifth because I counted four people in front of me and I assume I won my age group because the four other guys looked younger. But it was a nice run on the greenbelt and I came close to my top 5k time. And they had free hamburgers and hot dogs at the finish line.

Boise, ID 6:00am

Pace: 8:42 Avg HR: 146

Wasn't really feeling into it this morning, but I went out anyway. I want to get my mileage in early in the week, so I can take it easy on Friday before Barber to Boise. I was doing pretty well, picking up the pace each mile, but then I started feeling some rumbling going on inside. I thought I could make it home. I couldn't. I had to stop off at the Albertsons and find the public restroom. After that, I was feeling much better.

iPod song of the day: "Canned Heat" -- Jamiroquai

Meridian, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:16 Avg HR: 151

It wasn't quite as chilly this morning, low 40s and dark the whole way. Good pace throughout, but I didn't finish very strong.

I decided to mix things up and try listening to some Podcasts on the iPod instead of music. It worked out really well, I listened to a few segments of the Dennis Miller Show. It helped the time pass quickly and not having music certainly didn't hurt my pace -- it might have even helped.

DMZ guest of the day: James Brown

Boise, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:51 Avg HR: 146

Just took it easy this morning. Didn't try to push it. Had a nice run except that three garbage trucks came in my direction as I was crossing the Five Mile overpass. I thought I was going to be smashed for a minute there, but I just gritted my teeth, hugged the rail and let them pass by.

DMZ guest of the day: Frank Caliendo

Sick. I better be over it by Saturday.

A fun race. I was sick for most of the week and hoped to be better by Saturday. I wasn't, but I'd paid the money so I went to the race anyway. I rode with Neil and enjoyed having someone to chat with before and after the race. It was a little crowded at the starting line, but weaving in and out of the crowd is kind of fun. By the time we were a half mile into it things spread out a bit. I did pretty good for the first three miles or so, but the congestion started building up and I had a hard time breathing. Neil took off about the time we passed through the golf course and was out of sight by the time I got to the stadium.

The finish area was really cool. The course looped once around the BSU stadium and then once around the track. By the time it was over I was hacking up phlegm and feeling kind of rotten, but that went away soon and they served pancakes.

I finished with my second best 10k time (out of four). I think the race made me even sicker, but I had fun and took it easy the rest of the day.

Boise, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:49

Still sick. But I went out and ran anyway. Probably will again tomorrow. It seems when I get sick it is fun to take a few days off, but then I get sick of it and just try to pretend I'm well again. it doesn't work, but that's what I do. I dont' think Saturday's race did me any favors.

I took it slow and easy this morning and had a nice run in the dark with cool weather.

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:40 Avg HR: 149

First time running with Randy in over a week. Pretty slow by his standards, but I was still feeling it in my lungs. Usually I take an extra trip around the block to get my mileage up to an even seven. Today I got to my street and called it quits.

Boise, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:49 Avg HR: 144

Feeling a bit better today. I didn't feel like I was going to cough up a lung this time. Kept the pace slow and easy. Gotta ease my way back into it. Probably won't push it until next week.

DMZ guest of the day: Garry Shandling

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:27 Avg HR: 152

This morning's run was a comedy of errors. I started out by crossing Ustick too close to an oncoming car. Randy held up but I took off and had to sprint across the street to avoid dying. Then a mile later we got lost. Somehow we turned when we should have gone straight. And in the dark it is easy to get turned around. Randy looked at his GPS and we were going South. I could have sworn we were going West -- and we were trying to go North.

Finally, after a little more confusion in an attempted short cut, a big dog scared the crap out of me. A car was stopped at a light and we ran past. The big dog in the back seat started barking and tried to climb out the window. I thought I was going to lose an ear.

But I made it home and lived to run another day.

Boise, ID 8:00 am

Pace: 8:08

Finally feeling good again. I went out to run a few miles just to get my weekly mileage over 30 for no particular reason. Felt really good and was able to increase the pace with each mile, getting 7:46 in my last mile. Feels good to feel good again.

DMZ guest of the day: Eugene Levy

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:06

It was almost warm this morning. 50 degrees. Just shorts, two shirts, no hat or gloves. Tried to keep the pace up. Was able to progress each mile. Didn't get lost. A good day.

My Garmin gave me the battery low sign at about mile 3, but held on for the whole run, so that was nice too.

Meridian, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:45

Kind of chilly this morning. 39 degrees with a breeze blowing. Kept it slow and easy this morning.

DMZ guest of the day: Meat Loaf

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:07

Even colder today. 32 and still windy. It's going to be a long winter.

Boise, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:46

Another chilly morning. The run was uneventful except for a big dog that barked at me while running along Ustick. I've gotten used to being barked at through fences. No problem, right? Except this time the dog jumped the fence and came after me. I peed a little, but he ended up being harmless, just wanted to play.

Boise, ID 4:10 pm

Pace: 7:51

A great run. Weather was perfect, around 60. I felt good starting out. Usually my first mile is around 9 minutes, but about a quarter mile into it I looked down and was at 7:55. So I kept up the pace the whole way. I haven't had a run that wasn't a race where every mile was under 8 in a long time. Felt great.

Boise, ID 10 am

Running hard yesterday afternoon took more out of me than I thought. After about a mile my legs felt like mush. So, I cut down Fairview and called it good. I forgot to turn on my Garmin for about a mile or so, but I know the route well enough to call it five miles.

Spanish Fork, UT 6:30 am

Pace: 8:31

Usually I run to work when I'm in Utah, but my wife isn't on the rental car, so I just went for a run around Spanish Fork. I went most of the way to Springville and then back. A nice run. Great weather (a little chilly). I saw a dead deer along the side of the road and ran past a pen full of goats.

Springville, UT 11:30 am

Pace: 8:28

Took a lunch run with Matt today. A nice route through the pastures and along the railroad path. At one point there was a herd of cattle being driven down the road. We thought we would have to weave through them (watching our steps of course) but we made it to the intersection before they did.

Spanish Fork, UT 6:30 am

Pace: 8:42

Another pretty cold morning. I took a loop through Spanish to the other side of the freeway and back. Felt pretty good.

Springville, UT Noon

Pace: 8:39

Matt tried to kill me today. Really it was my fault. We were up on S. State street heading into Springville and he said this is where he goes up to run on the Bonneville Shoreline trail -- but we don't want to do that today. Then I said something stupid like, if you have time, I'm up for it. It was some pretty good hill climbing, but a great run. Nice views of the valley. But it wore me out. Haven't been doing much hill work lately.

Boise, ID 8:00 am

Pace: 8:34

Drove back from Utah Thursday night and was really tired. So I took Friday off. I decided to go ten this morning, just to get my weekly mileage up to 40. Still not sure why that matters. It was a great morning for a run. Mid 40s and sunny. Today was the Zeitgeist half (I think). I didn't sign up for it this year. This morning's run was easier and shorter.

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:24

Cold this morning. Neither of us seemed like we were in the mood to push it, so we kept the pace comfortable and talked about work most of the way.

Meridian, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:42

Boise, ID 6:30am

Pace: 8:22

Boise, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:57

Rainy this morning. I made the mistake of running on Five Mile Road. I stayed on the shoulder because I didn't want to die, but it was a pain trying to miss puddles in the dark.

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:24

Boise, ID 9:30 am

Pace: 8:25

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 8:30

This was one of those "why bother mornings." Oil started dumping out of the bottom of my car Sunday afternoon, so it was at the shop. I borrowed my sister's car, but needed to take her to work this morning, so I needed to cut the run a little short. Then, I got to Randy's house and waited until it was evident that he was still sleeping. So I took off on my own, stopping at my house to get the iPod, but I hadn't synced my podcasts, so I had to keep skipping past the old ones. And my Garmin's battery ran out half way through. But I got in four miles and lived to run another day.