run, run, run

Boise, ID Noon

Pace: 6:56

So much for taking it easy today. With a race tomorrow I was going to just go on a short, easy run but the weather was great and my legs felt good, so I ran fast. I'll just have to rest up this evening.

The Dry Creek Half Marathon wasn't very dry. It was raining when it started and the course was muddy throughout. It was a really fun race, but very challenging. Lots of hills and single-track trails that were very slick. I fell down twice, but popped back up and kept running. I was afraid one of my ankles would go out, but I finished injury-free and ready to run again on Monday.

I felt pretty good throughout the race, passing more people than passed me and ran pretty strong the whole way. It was a good training race and I felt pretty good about my finishing time. It will be interesting to compare this race to Robie Creek in two weeks. Right now, I'm thinking that this one was a bit tougher. Robie is just one long hill for 8 miles. This one had hills that just kept coming and coming. And the downhill was pretty difficult in many places because of the mud.

Boise, ID 6:15 am

Pace: 7:55

Just trying to recover from the weekend. Tough race on Saturday and then some bad eating on Sunday left me feeling poorly this morning. I just ran through it and felt better by the end of the run.

Boise, ID 11:45am

Pace: 7:16

I woke up this morning, saw that it was pouring down rain and just didn't have it in me. So I stayed in bed. When I got up I realized that my wife was tougher than I am. She was out on her run.

So, I ran at lunchtime. It was really hard getting myself out there because I was feeling cold. But once I hit the road I was fine and put in a pretty good workout.

Boise, ID 6:15am

7:02 miles

Pace: 7:38

Colder this morning. In the low 30s. Still feeling good and running strong. Knock on wood.

6:30 pm

5.00 miles

Pace: 7:31

Decided to run again this evening. Started out strong but then started feeling kind of woozy. Probably ran to soon after dinner. Backed off a bit in miles 3 and 4 then finished at a pretty good pace. Got rained on.

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 7:44

I was dog-butt tired this morning. But I got up and ran anyway because that's what I do.

Boise, ID 6:15 am

Pace: 7:36

April is turning out to be cold. It was 33 this morning. Good run though. Finished strong.

Boise, ID 7:30 am

Pace: 7:28

I got up and ran three pretty hard miles, then went in the house because I had to take my daughter to a conference for her school. But then my wife volunteered to drive her. I went back out planning on taking it easy for seven more. I did the first few in the 7:30-something range but then felt good and took off. My last three miles were 7:15, 7:17 and 7:07.

Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada

Pace: 7:28

Saint John, NB 7:30 am

5.94 miles

Pace: 7:38

Slept a bit longer than I hoped to, but got up in time to put in six miles. Not the most exciting course, but it was a good workout to start the day. Weather was nice. A bit chilly, but I still ran in shorts and was comfortable. Some good hill work.

6:30 pm

7.44 miles

Pace: 7:27

Went down to the Irving Nature Park after work. Jeff came along he did one lap, I did two. It is a great place to run. An up-and-down dirt road that loops around the whole island. Running through the trees with glimpses of the bay here and there. I even saw a porcupine crossing the road.

Saint John, NB 6:30 pm

Pace: 7:17

Went back to the Irving Nature Park. I didn't sleep much last night, so I didn't think I would run very well today. Even thought I might just run one lap. But, I started feeling it and held a strong pace the whole way, improving on yesterday's pace by 10 seconds. And, I saw another porcupine.

Holy crap! I've been running faster lately, but I didn't expect this. I've run this race twice before and finished in 2:02 and 1:57. This isn't supposed to be the kind of race you PR, but I brought home my best half marathon time ever.

The race had a pirate theme this year, so I put on a stupid looking scull and crossbone headband and velcroed a plastic sword to my running shorts. The sword fell off somewhere in the first 50 yards, but by then I was in race mode and could care less about the pirate thing.

I started out at a pretty quick pace, 6:33 in the first mile. Then the hill started. I figured I'd just keep pushing until I got tired. I never really got tired. The only problem was a grinding in my gut. I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich about an hour before the race. Usually that settles in my stomach pretty good, but apparently not this time. I just kept reminding myself that it always goes away. This time it kept up for about a half hour or more. I didn't quit feeling it until after I was over the top.

 The uphill miles were in the 7-something to 8-something range. Mile 8 was 9:16. My average pace at the top was about 8 flat. I reached the summit in 1:06:49 and then picked up the pace. I got passed on the way down by a few younger, faster people and one guy who looked like a PX90 ad but held a pace in the 6:20s until the last mile where I dropped down to 6:51. Here's the splits from my garmin.

Really happy with my time and I had fun too. I rode with two other guys. Neil reached his goal of finishing under 2 hours and Brian crashed, burned and puked. But he has a good story to tell.

Boise, ID 6:15 am

Pace: 7:32

Was going to take it easy today with a recovery run after Robie Creek on Saturday. Maybe cut it short or run a bit slower. Still a little sore in the legs and above my butt. Ended up running pretty strong anyway.

The weather wasn't too bad. High 40s with a light drizzle. Started feeling good right way, so we kept the pace under 7mpm after mile 1. I wore shorts, 3 shirts, gloves and a stocking cap. As usual, my legs were fine but my fingers still froze.

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 7:10

It's cold again. Down around freezing this morning. I'm going to run long tomorrow, so I backed off the distance a little this morning. Kept up a good steady pace though.

Boise, ID 4pm

Pace: 7:18

Ogden long run #3 is in the books. My best long run ever. I hit the 13.1 mile mark in under 1:36, which would be a half marathon PR if I was in a race.

Weather wasn't ideal, but could have been worse. Temps in the 50s, some rain and a nasty head-wind for part of the run (which means there was a nice tail-wind for the other parts).

I'll do long run #4 in two and a half weeks and then taper for two weeks before the race.

Boise, ID 2pm

Pace: 7:43

I went out for an easy, short recovery run after yesterday's hard, long run. Now I don't feel so good. Maybe I should have just rested.

Boise, ID 6:15 am

Pace: 7:37

Still feeling the effects of Wednesday's long run. This was a good run, but I kept the pace 10 seconds or more slower than I would have. Cold this morning 30 degrees. Sometimes I really hate April. It is such a deceptive month.

Boise, ID 2:30 pm

Pace: 7:01

Good progression run 7:17, 7:14, 7:11, 7:02, 6:53, 6:25. Weather was wonderful low 60s and sunny. One of those days where you are happy to be alive and enjoying this great planet we live on.

Boise, ID 6:15 am

Pace: 7:26

Not a bad run for a Monday morning after eating too much over Easter. Weather started out ok, 45 and dry. It started raining about half-way through. Didn't push it too hard, but kept running strong.

Boise, ID 6:15 am

Pace: 7:26

Had trouble getting up to the pace that I wanted this morning. I had hoped to average about 7:15, but my legs felt kind of heavy. A little chilly, but a nice morning for a run. I went down Edna to Maple Grove and down the hill. Back up Mitchell, through some neighborhoods and then on the path by HP and home.

Saw my neighbor leaving for work when I was finishing up. I raced him. He won. He was in a pickup.

Boise, ID 6:15 am

Pace: 7:20

Randy had to be to work early today, so we only ran 5 miles. Then I grabbed my ipod and ran two more. I kind of made a mistake. I decided to run down the road behind the funeral home. I thought it would hook up with the temporary roads going to the new park. It didn't. It just ended and I had to run through an old plowed field full of weeds. I had to be careful not to roll an ankle on the plow hills.

Weather was cold again -- 36 degrees and clear.

Boise, ID 6:15 am

Pace: 7:18

The weather was a bit warmer, but I under dressed, so I was still kind of cold. I held a decent pace most of the way, but had a side stitch in mile 3.

I almost stepped on a dead skunk on Pine St. Luckily it didn't stink (lucky for me, not necessarily for the skunk).

Boise, ID 6:15am

Pace: 7:22

Who ordered up the snow? There wasn't much, but enough to get in my eyes and bug me. Running South or East wasn't bad, North and West sucked.

Kept up a steady progression until mile 6. At the Cloverdale/McMillian light I asked Randy how he was doing. He said not too good, thigh pain. He asked how I was doing, I said good. A few minutes later he decided to do something about that. He picked up the pace to under 7mpm and then said something about racing to the light. He takes off, I follow. He kills me, even running backwards and smiling at me for a few steps. Got the pace around 5:40 for about a half mile and then after the light slowed down to a 7:14 pace for the final mile.

Nampa, ID 9:00 am

4.1 miles

Pace: 6:59

Busy day, so I went on a short run while my daughter's softball team warmed up. Held a good pace despite a rough head wind for half of the run.

Boise, ID 3:00 pm

5.1 miles

Pace: 6:54

After watching the softball game and having Costco pizza for lunch, I figured this would be a bit slower than the morning run. I was wrong. Kept the pace under 7 for miles 1, 2 and 5. 3 and 4 were into the wind. Two good workouts = one good Saturday.

I passed a teenager riding a bike today. Last week I passed two teenagers on skateboards. What's up with the slow kids these days. Shameful.