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St. George Marathon

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15% off for Fast Running Blog members at St. George Running Center!

Location:

South Weber,UT,

Member Since:

May 09, 2012

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Local Elite

Running Accomplishments:

Personal Records:

800 Meters 1:50.14 (Track-BYU)

1500 Meters 3:42.07 (Track-Stanford) Likely the best race of my life; converts to a 3:59.85 Mile

5000 Meters 14:20 (Track-Stanford)

8000 Meters 23:53 (Cross Country-Pre Nationals Iowa)

10000 Meters 29:57 (Track-Stanford)

Half Marathon (Mesa-Phoenix Half) 1:05:11

Marathon (St George) 2:16:09

Short-Term Running Goals:

2017 Races:

Mesa-Phoenix Half - 3rd Place 1:05:11 PR

Ogden WRC 10-Miler - 1st Place 55:46

Provo City Half - 1st Place 1:06:33

Ogden Marathon - 2nd Place 2:25:46

Long-Term Running Goals:

My main goal is just to stay healthy.  I was injured every year in my college career except for one.  I would like to reverse that trend and always stay injury-free.

 

Personal:

I am a family man.  I am married to my beautiful wife Amy (who also ran at Weber and is quite the runner).  We have four beautiful daughters named Evelyn (6 years old), Hannah (4 year old), Nora (2 year old), and Iris (5 months).

Twitter handle: @RunnerRiley7

Instagram RunnerRiley7

I am supported by Brooks

I am a Generation Ucan elite athlete

Click to donate
to Ukraine's Armed Forces
Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Salomon Pro Wings 2 Lifetime Miles: 161.10
Brooks PureCadence 5 Lifetime Miles: 101.85
Brooks Adrenaline 17 Lifetime Miles: 161.85
Brooks Transcend 4 Lifetime Miles: 219.45
Brooks Ravenna 8 Lifetime Miles: 225.10
Brooks PureCadence 6 Lifetime Miles: 188.10
Brooks Launch 4 Lifetime Miles: 107.50
Brooks Glycerin 14 Lifetime Miles: 101.47
Brooks Hyperion Lifetime Miles: 92.13
Brooks Caldera Lifetime Miles: 31.10
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
284.8366.5911.008.73371.15
Pearl Izumi EM Road M3 Miles: 106.07Pearl Izumi EM Road H3 Miles: 123.15Pearl Izumi EM Road N1 Miles: 52.85Adidas Supernova Sequence Miles: 47.85Pearl Izumi EM Trail M2 Miles: 10.35
Weight: 149.42
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.550.000.000.007.55

7.55 miles easy with Dave, Albert, and Bob. Looks like I'm being put on furlough again. This time indefinitely. Yes, thank you congress for being so stubborn (where is sarcastic font when you need it). Too bad, this is happening the week of a marathon. If it were any other week, I could get a ton of good mileage in...sigh.

Pearl Izumi EM Road M3 Miles: 7.55
Weight: 149.20
Comments(11)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.251.000.000.006.25

6.25 miles easy with two half-mile pickups at MP. I got to sleep in today, which is the first in quite awhile. Then I got up and ran around South Weber. The wind was blowing from three directions this morning, which is annoying. The run felt good and the pickups felt decent.

Leaving tonight for St George. I'm excited about the opportunity to race Saturday at what I consider to be the main event of Utah road racing. I am very optimistic that I will have an excellent race. I've averaged about 20 mpw more in this cycle than any other marathon cycle I've ever done. My weight 3-4 pounds less than at PHX, 5-6 less than Ogden, and 6-7 less than STG last year. I've also logged a very high quantity of sub-5:20 miles. So, I need to remember all this and be confident that Saturday will be a day to remember.

Pearl Izumi EM Road H3 Miles: 6.25
Weight: 146.80
Comments(12)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3.750.000.000.003.75

3.75 miles easy followed by 9-holes of poorly executed golf!

Pearl Izumi EM Road H3 Miles: 3.75
Weight: 0.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
2.150.000.000.002.15

2.15 easy breezy. It's go time!

Pearl Izumi EM Road H3 Miles: 2.15
Weight: 0.00
Comments(1)
Race: St. George Marathon (26.22 Miles) 02:22:56, Place overall: 7
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.7826.220.000.0027.00

ST GEORGE MARATHON

PRE-RACE

Where to begin? St. George is a special race for me. My parents have been running it for years. This was my Mom's 25th STG. Everyone in my family has run STG at least once or at least tried (my sister started the race last year with a stress fracture and couldn't quite make it through). As kids we looked forward to October every year to go on vacation to St. George and watch Mom and Dad run. So, I have really wanted to run well at STG. Last year during the awards ceremony when I placed 10th and finished lower and slower than I wanted to I promised myself I would come back in 2013 and break 2:20. I have worked all year to get my body ready and trained to follow through on that promise.

My A-Goal was 2:17:59. My B-Goal was 2:19:59. My C-Goal was 2:23:59. I would be elated with A, happy with B, and be ok, but a little frustrated with C. In my mind, with my fitness level, training, and the course profile of STG anything above 2:20 just can't be considered a huge success. I understand my PR coming in was 2:27, but that 2:27 at PHX in my view is equal to about 2:23 at STG. I think STG is that much faster. So, with 2:20 I was only asking for about a three-minute "effort" PR.

My main concern was clearly stomach issues. I've had them in every marathon except for my very poor Ogden race this year. But, since I didn't have stomach issues at Ogden I decided to follow the same nutrition plan I did for that race. The goal was lots of carbohydrates Thurs-Fri with the biggest meals being Thursday dinner and Friday lunch. Friday's meals included pancakes, oatmeal, turkey sandwich, Gatorade, rice, chicken, two CLIF bars and French Bread. Dinner was early with a late snack. Breakfast Saturday morning was a CLIF Bar, a Powerade Gel, and some Gatorade.

I met Bryant, Jason, and Ben at the buses and we ran into the St. George crew and all of us rode up on the same bus. It was a fun bus ride with a lot of good company. Clyde convinced me I had to hit 10 miles in 40:00 or I had wasted the excellent weather conditions. I think we joked about going after course records, apparantly Bryant didn't realized those were jokes!

At the start line I saw so many friends. I love seeing everyone and having a reunion of sorts before and after races. We have a special running community here in Utah. I jogged easy for a couple minutes, no more than a half mile with a few strides. I visited the potty three times just to be sure. I was ready to roll. My legs felt good from the taper and I felt very confident.

RACE

The gun went off and I eased my way into a pace. Nobody took the pace out very fast. After 100 meters or so Iain picked it up a tad and some people got about 10-15 feet on me, but after the mile I had got up to the lead pack. Mile 1 5:32. The second mile is slightly uphill and Fritz and Bryant started to pull away a bit from the rest of the leaders and I decided to go with them since it wasn't a blistering pace by any means. Mile 2 5:33.

I had gotten the start I wanted. I wanted to ease into a pace but not get too far behind the leaders. I got my pace and I didn't have any gap, perfect start. During mile three the three of us started to pull away a tad and the pace quickened, but I was ok with that. I planned on 5:05-5:15 for miles 3-7. Mile 3 5:08

During mile four Bryant quickened the pace a bit more and Fritz followed. I chose to not follow, even though the pace felt very easy and comfortable. I had planned on running 1:11/1:07-1:08 and I was not going to let anyone else dictate a faster pace. I wasn't sure what others would do but I was set on running my race. Bryant and Fritz I could tell were headed for 1:09-1:10 half and I didn't want that. I was confident I could catch them on the second half if I stuck to my 1:11 and saved some legs for the second half (had my pacing gone as planned I would've been dead wrong about Bryant coming back). Mile 4 5:06

I was now running solo, but I was ok with that. I couldn't hear anyone behind me and I felt like top three was looking pretty good. I enjoyed the early sunrise and nice cool temps and just tried to lock into a good steady rhythm. Mile 5 5:12 Mile 6 5:03.

During mile 7 I heard footsteps and breathing and wondered who was coming up on me. My guess was Kotter, but turns out it was Jason Holt. He said, "Hey buddy, let's work this hill." I thought wow he's running a gutsy pace, but hey it'll be nice to run with someone. Around this time my stomach started hurting, but I tried to ignore it and pretend it wasn't happening. Maybe I could will it away. We grabbed our bottles at mile 7, mine was watered-down Gatorade. I took maybe 2 ounces and dropped it. Mile 7 5:09

Now we were hitting Veyo Hill. Jason pulled ahead of me a bit as I slowed a bit to keep my stomach from getting too upset, hoping it will pass. Halfway through the hill Jason starts to feel it and I pass him back. I gap him a bit and try to get back into a good pace, but the stomach just isn't allowing it. I know a stop is imminent. That's ok, I planned on having one stop. I mean, let's be realistic that's just Riley Cook's reality when it comes to marathons. At least it was early and likely early enough that I could get my legs/pace back. I figured I would stop at the next aid station at mile 9. Mile 8 5:52 Mile 9 5:45.

I hop in the port a potty and 9 and it almost tips over! It was on a slant to begin with, but the wind was blowing in the direction that would help it to tip and once I got in it almost went down. It scared me pretty good. It almost tipped again when I stood up to leave. I get out after maybe 45 seconds and count my new place. I had fallen from 3rd to 9th. Crap! But the good news is that 4-8 were all running together and were only 15 seconds up on me. Jason was now 3rd and had a good 40 second gap, but I train with him and know his fitness well, without any further hiccups I could run Jason down. In the past after stops I have sort of panicked and tried to immediately make up lost ground. Now, being a little more seasoned, I decided to slowly work my way back into pace. The group gapped me another five seconds during my first mile back and had about 20 seconds on me. Mile 10 6:20 (probably about 5:35 running time).

Now I was getting my legs back and during Mile 11 I started making ground on the group. Mile 11 5:40. Matt had fallen off the group and I passed him first. I gave him some encouragement and moved on by. About a half mile later I passed Zak who had also fallen a bit back. I wished him well I kept moving. Then Kotter took a pit stop up ahead. I was back into 5th place. Mile 12 5:32.

Iain was gaining ground on Jason and I was gaining ground on Iain. I think I can catch them in the next three miles. Mile 13 5:18. Half marathon split just under 1:12, not sure the exact seconds. But it is basically the exact pace I planned minus the time for the stop. I keep making up ground during Mile 14 and I can now see Fritz again. Maybe I can still get 2nd? Mile 14 5:19.

Mile 15 drops ALOT and I leaned forward and let gravity do it's thing. I was now only five seconds back of Iain and Jason. I can pass them by the end of the mile and I'm back in the top 3. But, then very suddenly my stomach hits and I have to slow down or else suffer being the victim of embarassing internet photos. Luckily the aid station is only 30 seconds away. I'm three seconds away from 3rd place but I have to stop AGAIN, COME ON GIVE ME BREAK! Mile 15 5:05 (was headed for a 4:55 until I slowed for the stomach).

The stop is relatively quick and I come out to find I have fallen from the cusp of 3rd place again to 8th! ARGH! Once again I have to take a mile to ease back into pace. The group ahead have strung out a bit, but they all gain another 5-10 seconds on my first mile back from the stop. Mile 16 5:59 (probably around 5:14 running time; this mile should be 4:5x).

I get a tiny bit of pace back and set my sights on Metler who is in 7th. I can also see Jason ahead of him, who's fallen back to 6th. These two definitely look catchable. The others maybe, it depends on how well I get my legs back. Mile 17 5:20 Mile 18 5:20.

During 19 my stomach is back again! I am starting to feel sorry for myself and this is a good time to feel sorry for yourself as you hit the last major hill. I remember thinking, "Well this race is a disaster. I really really wanted a good one today". The little devil shows up on my shoulder and says, "Hey if you drop out now you can save your legs from soreness and get back into training immediately on Monday for Big Sur". I tell the devil that we both know I can't stop and I keep plugging along. Mile 19 5:42

There is supposed to be an aid station at mile 19 right? Where's my port a potty? I gotta go. I decide to go off the side of the road. I do so, use my gloves and then hop back on the road with another 45 seconds gone...poof!

I see Scott and he says sorry about the stop and I say it's my third time. He knows this; he's seen me yo-yo-ing in front of him. He catches up to me and we hit the aid station about a half mile past 19 and get our bottles. I have a gel attached to it. It may upset my stomach but hey it can't get much worse and I may need the energy so I take it.

Scott passes me a bit after running on my shoulder. Almost a mile has passed since the stop and my legs are starting to come back after easing back into it yet again. Mile 20 6:04 (probably 5:20 running time).

I don't remember the exact split at mile 20 but I do remember doing the math and thinking if I run 32:xx for the last 10k I can still hit 2:22. Really? After all that's happened 2:22 is still within reach? I also remember telling Jason before the race that the last 10k drops as much or more than Des News 10k. This is doable; I can run 32:xx. Quit being a baby, quit thinking of how everything has gone wrong, quit feeling sorry for yourself and expecting Scott to feel sorry for you too, and just run the rest of the race like a man and hold your head up high for doing the best you could. So, I get my shoulders forward and I go.

I pass Scott quite quickly and set my sights on Jason, who is up maybe a minute. Mile 21 5:08. That's solid, I'm on pace. I can hit 32:xx! Mile 22 5:13. Not bad, that mile has a tiny bit of uphill so the effort is still there. Jason is coming back very quickly. I pass him during 23 and try to encourage him. Mile 23 5:10. Still doing it, 2:22 is still there! Mile 24 5:07. No wall today baby! This is what it's like to finish a marathon strong? I like it! I set my sights on Metler. I've gained about a minute in the last 4 miles and I think maybe just maybe I can get him, but he's still got a minute or so on me with two miles to go. Well let's give it a try!

I see Ed Eyestone with about 1.5 miles to go he tells me I am down by almost exactly a minute. That was both encouraging and discouraging. I knew I was gaining on him, but real esatate was running out. That's a lot to make up in 1.5 miles. The terrain flattens a bit and I slow a bit. Mile 25 5:20. It's not enough to pass Metler; I know it's not. I try to keep going strong though. Mile 26 5:24. I see my family and it's a nice boost. I see the clock and know I have to "get on my horse" to get under 2:23. I push hard the last bit at 5:03 pace and look up at the clock as I cross the line 2:22.5x, last 10k in 32:26.

I talk to Zak and Jon and find out Bryant ran 2:mother freaking 15! Wow. I was very happy for him. He was not going to be denied. What an inspiring performance. I see Scott cross the line. We embrace and then we see Mike come across in 2:25. Fantastic! Then I see Jason. Yes, he held on for a big PR.

And right behind him is Ben! Ben freaking Van Beekum made the comeback complete with a 2:26! I hug Ben and tear up with joy for him. He's been through alot and I knew this PR meant the world to him. I told him on Friday he was going to run 2:26.37. He said he wouldn't make a liar out of me and he didn't! Ben's performance made me forget all about my struggles and made my day!

Holt is right behind Ben! Is that a PR! What a race for that guy! Logan sub-2:30! Clyde a 2:33! Just fantastic performances everywhere you look!

It was a great day to run and to be able to run with so many stellar runners was a day never to forget. It wasn't what I wanted or hoped for, but I did my best with the hand I was dealt. I will get that sub-2:20 soon! I won't be denied! Thanks to everyone for your support! I respect you all so much. Sorry for the novel...

NOTE: photos are from the Spectrum Newspaper!

 

Pearl Izumi EM Road N1 Miles: 27.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments(27)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.006.00

6 miles easy on the Riverdale Parkway with Ken, Jon, and Albert. My legs don't feel too bad at all, but certainly there is still some muscle damage. I will keep things easy this week. My weight wasn't as bad as I anticipated after all the junk I ate the last two days after the race.

Here's a comparison of my race last year versus this year. More than half of the difference was in the last 10k (I subtracted out the stop in both years to get a better comparison). The miles with smallest difference were mostly those in which I stopped or the mile just before the stop (even though I subtracted out the time for the stop).

Mile 2013 2012 Difference

1

532 540 8
2 533 540 7
3 508 514 6
4 506 521 15
5 512 525 13
6 503 514 11
7 509 516 7
8 552 607 15
9 545 554 9
10 535 536 1
11 540 549 9
12 532 544 12
13 518 538 20
14 519 536 17
15 505 522 17
16 514 519 5
17 520 532 12
18 520 531 11
19 542 548 6
20 520 537 17
21 508 535 27
22 513 553 40
23 510 554 44
24 507 552 45
25 520 611 51
26 524 601 37

Adidas Supernova Sequence Miles: 6.00
Weight: 150.20
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.500.000.000.0012.50

AM: 8.25 miles easy and early with Dave and my brother Denver (who ran the first five with us). I feel pretty good, even like I could get back to normal training. But, I'll stay on the safe side and go easy for the whole week.

Lunchtime: 4.25 more miles easy with Dave at lunch on the base perimeter road.

Adidas Supernova Sequence Miles: 4.25Pearl Izumi EM Road M3 Miles: 8.25
Weight: 150.60
Comments(9)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
14.700.000.000.0014.70

AM: 10.35 miles easy on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail with Ken, Albert, Bob, and Bret. It was an extremely peaceful run with the darkness, cool air, and headlamps. My legs feel totally normal. I'm trying to stay cautious though and overcome the temptation for a push tomorrow.

I was checking the elite entries to Big Sur today and it's stacked! A few of the top Americans are Ian Burrell and Sergio Reyes. Last year a 1:04 won the race and 1:10 took 8th (the last podium spot). This year there's two guys with 1:01 PRs, four guys with 1:02, two 1:03, one 1:04, and a handful of 1:05-1:06 guys. Lots of Kenyans and Morrocans. I'm looking at maybe 10th with a near perfect race for me. That's ok. I don't need to finish on the podium, I just need a huge non-aided PR! Should be a fun race and hopefully the excellent competition can pull me along.

PM: 4.35 miles. I felt like a million bucks and the pace got faster as I went, so I just rolled with it. The light rain was annoying at first, but then it was invigorating.

Adidas Supernova Sequence Miles: 4.35Pearl Izumi EM Trail M2 Miles: 10.35
Weight: 149.00
Comments(7)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.300.004.000.0010.30

MILE REPEATS

I wanted to get a light interval session in, just to see how the legs are feeling and to get them primed to resume normal training next week. I didn't want to do anything too taxing, so I asked Ken if he wanted me to pace him on some mile repeats. He thought four at 5:10 would be a good target. We ended up running 5:11 5:11 5:08 and 5:03.

My legs felt pretty good, but the effort was tougher than what 5:10 should feel like. And that's to be expected after a taper, marathon, and recovery. But, I'm hoping that by priming the legs a bit this week, they'll be more up to the task of regular training again next week. I know I can't just resume the paces where I left off on my marathon buildup, but I'd like to get back to them somewhat quickly and then try to expand my fitness before Big Sur.

Pearl Izumi EM Road H3 Miles: 10.30
Weight: 148.80
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.500.000.000.0011.50

11.5 miles easy with Ken, Dave, Bret, and Bob (for part of it). We ran the North Ogden loop from 21st Pond. It was pretty humid this morning, but not too cold running.

Pearl Izumi EM Road H3 Miles: 11.50
Weight: 149.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.005.000.000.0014.00

Amy and I met Dave and drove up to run Trapper's Loop. We warmed up two miles then ran five miles up to Snow Basin and then I paced Dave on a 5-mile downhill tempo. The goal was 5:20 pace to get him ready for Snow Canyon Half. Amy is also running that race, so she did the same tempo. Dave and I ran 532 520 505 505 521. Amy also ran very well averaging like 6:1xs for her 5 miles.

Pearl Izumi EM Road M3 Miles: 14.00
Weight: 149.60
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
18.150.000.000.0018.15

AM: 12 miles at a moderate pace with Ken, Bret, and Jon. We mostly hit the 6:05-6:20 range, but dipped below 6:00 toward the end.

PM: 6.15 miles easy around South Weber.

Adidas Supernova Sequence Miles: 6.15Pearl Izumi EM Road H3 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 149.60
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.808.000.000.0017.80

AM: AEROBIC BUILDER

I met up with Dave and Albert at 21st Street Pond for an aerobic builder. My thoughts going in were 9.5 miles at 5:20. But I got off to a faster start than planned and kept rolling with it. Once I got to the T in the road where you turn left for 9.5 or right for 8, I had a choice. I could slow down a bit and get the 9.5 or keep pace and hit 8 (I knew I wasn't quite ready for 9.5 at 5:11 pace). So, I decided I wanted to keep rolling at 5:10s. I ended up with 8 miles in 41:28 (5:11 avg).

Mile 5 has a pedestrian bridge that goes up and over I-15. That mile is a very good indicator of effort. Usually if the effort is about right, I only lose 3-4 seconds on that mile. If I am over-reaching a bit, I will lose more. Today I lost 7 seconds on that mile. That seems about right. I knew that 5:11 pace was a tad quicker than I was ready for today, but I got through it. I need to show more patience though early on in my post-marathon training. This ended up just fine, but really the 9.5 miles at 5:20 would've been more marathon-specific and what I was aiming for.

PM: 4.3 miles easy around South Weber.

Adidas Supernova Sequence Miles: 4.30Pearl Izumi EM Road N1 Miles: 13.50
Weight: 148.80
Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.700.000.000.0010.70

10.7 miles easy with Ken, Dave, Bret, Albert, and Jon. We ran through Ogden on Adams Ave. to South Ogden, to Washington Terrace, and finally back to Ogden down by the tracks. It was the coldest day yet this morning.

Pearl Izumi EM Road M3 Miles: 10.70
Weight: 148.60
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.600.006.000.0016.60

AM: 2-MILE REPEATS

I met up with Albert, Bret, and Ken at Smith's on Harrison and we warmed up along Glassman and over to the tempo loop (making a stop at Starbuck's for the most convenient runner's bathroom). We did a few strides and then got into the repeats on the loop. I wanted to average 10:00.

#1 9:59 (5:00/4:59)

#2 9:57 (4:57/5:00)

#3 9:56 (4:57/4:59)

Then we all met back up and cooled down back the same way we came. All in all in was a decent workout for me. I hit about exactly what I wanted to and while it was hard, it wasn't super difficult. So, just about the right effort this morning. It was challenging mentally to get the second half of each rep on pace; I found myself slowing after the mile and having to re-focus to get back on pace.

PM: 4.25 miles easy around South Weber with 4x8-second hill sprints on 1900 East.

Pearl Izumi EM Road N1 Miles: 12.35Pearl Izumi EM Road H3 Miles: 4.25
Weight: 150.20
Comments(6)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

10 miles easy from my house through South Weber, crossing into Uintah, hitting the trail along the tracks, to 89, and back home.

Pearl Izumi EM Road M3 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 148.60
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.2010.000.000.0020.20

LONG RUN - STEP PROGRESSION

I met up with my I-pod Shuffle at 21st Pond for a long run. I had mapped out a beautiful, mostly flat 20-mile loop. I planned on running it progression-style. The plan was three-mile warm up, followed by five miles at 6:00 pace, five miles at 5:40 pace, five miles stepping down five seconds per mile from 5:30 pace to finish with 5:10 for mile 18, and finish up with a two-mile cool-down.

Miles 4-8: Goal 6:00 avg - Actual (6:09, 5:57, 5:55, 5:54, 5:47)

Miles 9-13: Goal 5:40 avg - Actual (5:44, 5:36, 5:33, 5:37, 5:37)

Miles 14-18 Goal 5:30, 5:25, 5:20, 5:15, 5:10 - Actual (5:27, 5:22, 5:17, 5:10, 5:03)

Cardio-wise this run felt fantastic. Leg-wise I got a bit tired toward the end, mostly in the cooldown actually. But I'm very pleased with where my endurance is at. This is the best endurance I think I've ever had. Speed could use a little work, but I haven't really focused on speed, so that's ok. You don't need super crazy speed for the half and the full.

Look at this beautiful route. 20 miles and less than 200 feet total climb and drop the whole way...about as flat as you can get a 20-loop in Utah:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/392493810 

Pearl Izumi EM Road H3 Miles: 20.20
Weight: 149.60
Comments(8)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
18.000.000.000.0018.00

AM: 12 miles easy on the same route as last Monday with Bret, Ken, Dave, Jon, Bryant, and Albert. Bryant shared with us his split for Veyo at STG...5:11! Wow. I told him that was a gutsy pace for that hill that early in the race. What a performance!

Lunchtime: 6 miles easy with Dave on the base perimeter road.

Adidas Supernova Sequence Miles: 6.00Pearl Izumi EM Road M3 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 151.40
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.508.000.000.0013.50

AEROBIC BUILDER

This morning's crew consisted of Ken, Dave, Albert, and me. We ran the normal warm-up and route with the exception of the last two miles. We switched up the ending of the route to avoid traffic. It adds about 15-20 feet more of a climb in mile 7, but it's probably safer.

I ran almost the exact time I ran last week 41:32 for 8 miles or 5:11 avg (last week was 41:28). I just never felt "on" today. It felt harder than usual the entire time. I still hit decent splits but they weren't coming naturally, I had to kind of force the issue a bit.

Weight: 150.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
16.300.000.000.0016.30

12 miles easy with Bryant, Bret, Albert, Jon, Jace, and Bob. We ran on the Riverdale Parkway to West Ogden to Central Ogden and back to the parkway. There was at least a 5-7 degree difference down by the river as opposed to everywhere else.

4.3 more miles at lunch with Dave.

Adidas Supernova Sequence Miles: 4.30Pearl Izumi EM Road H3 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 150.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.370.003.7316.10

600 METER REPEATS

I met up at the pond with Dave, Ben, Bret, and Albert for some fast VO2 Max reps. My goal was 12 reps at 4:20-4:30 pace with 1:30 rest (so splits between 1:36-1:40). We warmed up and then did 600 meters at MP to get the blood flowing followed by a few strides. Then I started the workout and it was TOUGH! I got out too quickly on the first one and paid the price the rest of the workout. I was breathing like a donkey in labor after five reps and wasn't sure how many more I could do. I stopped looking at the watch and just ran as hard as I could for five more and called it at ten. I think the other guys enjoyed seeing me in pain!

Splits: 1- 1:34.2 or 4:15 pace

2- 1:38.4 (4:26)

3- 1:36.2 (4:20)

4- 1:39.7 (4:30)

5- 1:36.9 (4:22)

6- 1:40.0 (4:30)

7- 1:40.4 (4:32)

8- 1:39.9 (4:30)

9- 1:40.2 (4:31)

10- 1:41.2 (4:34) AVG 1:38.7 or about 4:27 pace

PM: 5 more easy miles around South Weber

Pearl Izumi EM Road M3 Miles: 6.32Pearl Izumi EM Road H3 Miles: 5.00
Weight: 149.60
Comments(8)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.700.000.000.0011.70

11.7 miles easy from my house into Uintah and back with Dave. It was a beautiful late morning to run. Now I'm off to golf, which could get ugly!

Pearl Izumi EM Road H3 Miles: 11.70
Weight: 148.60
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
17.003.000.000.0020.00

LONG RUN

Jon, Albert and I met up early at Lee's Market to get the long run rolling. After 4.5 miles we swung back by Lee's and picked up Dave and Ben. We kept the pace easy almost the whole run. Toward the end we did a tiny progression and hit three sub-6:00 miles at 5:49 5:30 and 5:24. My legs were still feeling Thursday's speed workout, so I didn't want to get too fancy this morning.

The bad news is I left my headlamp on my car on accident after the run and then drove home and lost it somewhere on I-15 I suppose. Sigh. I love that headlamp! Now I have to find a replacement and quickly. Sigh.

Pearl Izumi EM Road M3 Miles: 20.00
Weight: 151.40
Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
19.500.000.000.0019.50

12 miles easy from the pond with Ken, Bret, Bryant, and Dave.

7.5 more miles at lunch on base in the wind.

Adidas Supernova Sequence Miles: 7.50Pearl Izumi EM Road H3 Miles: 12.00
Weight: 149.60
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.605.001.000.0017.60

AEROBIC BUILDER 3-2-1

My plan this morning was to do 4-3-2-1, but 38 degrees and pouring rain was not cooperative weather. When you're warming up and the topic of conversation is how you in particular severely under dressed for the cold, that's a bad omen.

By the time we finished the warm up my clothes weighed an extra five pounds and my shoes and socks were drenched. I wore shorts and I just could never get moving the whole run. It felt like I had taken an ice bath and then got out and tried to do a workout. On the first set it was very clear I wasn't going to be hitting my goal paces. So, rather than just completely throwing in the towel I adjusted to 3-2-1 and slowed the paces down by 10-15 seconds more than I originally planned. I did 3 miles in 16:18, 3 min jog, 2 miles in 10:20, 2 min jog, and then 1 mile in 4:57.

The 3-mile cool down was completely miserable! The good thing was I had a warm car to get into immediately after, oh wait I take that back the heat in my car doesn't work! Yeah...I'm still cold even now!

PM: 5 miles easy in South Weber

Adidas Supernova Sequence Miles: 5.00
Weight: 149.40
Comments(9)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
17.250.000.000.0017.25

12 miles easy on the Riverdale parkway with Ken, Jon, Dave, Bryant, and Bret. Without rain 37 degrees actually felt decent.

5.25 more miles easy at lunch.

Pearl Izumi EM Road M3 Miles: 17.25
Weight: 149.40
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.050.000.005.0012.05

MILE REPEATS

I met Ben and Dave at the pond. They ran my warm-up with me and then did a few strides and a couple more miles while I got into my workout. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get this workout in or not. After Tuesday's run, my calves were incredibly tight, like worse than at the end a marathon tight. I had a hard time walking even without pain. I got a massage that afternoon from Sariah and then kept compression on the calves for the next 48 hours straight basically. So, this morning I wasn't going to attempt a workout unless my calves felt ok. They felt decent warming up so I decided to give it a go. I stayed in trainers as opposed to lighter shoes to help the calves from tightening up. If at any point they got tight again I was going to call off the workout.

The first rep went fine, slower than I wanted, but the calves felt ok. So I continued the workout and in the end did five reps with 2:30 rest. On the last one my right calf tightened up pretty good, but for the most part I think I got through it just fine.

The workout was slower than I wanted. That could be due to the recent calf tightness, wearing trainers, being in the middle of my highest volume week ever, or just plain wimpiness on my part. Maybe all combined, who knows. But even though it wasn't a great workout it was adequate and good enough to keep the train moving forward.

Splits:

1- 4:54

2- 4:54

3- 4:55

4- 4:54

5- 4:52

Now I get to stay home and play stay-at-home dad. Amy and Evelyn were both up until 3:30 am with flu-like symptoms. This definitely throws a wrench in our weekend plans. Amy was going to race Snow Canyon Half and I was going to pace Ben and Dave on the half too. But, now it's questionable if Amy can run and it's also unlikely we'd leave our sick kids with her Aunt to watch over the weekend. So, Snow may be a no-go now, we should know for sure by the end of the day. I am holding out hope that at least Amy can run, even if I don't run and stay on kid-duty. She's worked too hard to have to skip this race. Hopefully she can get tons of rest, fluids, and calories today and still salvage a race out of it.

Pearl Izumi EM Road H3 Miles: 12.05
Weight: 148.00
Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
284.8366.5911.008.73371.15
Pearl Izumi EM Road M3 Miles: 106.07Pearl Izumi EM Road H3 Miles: 123.15Pearl Izumi EM Road N1 Miles: 52.85Adidas Supernova Sequence Miles: 47.85Pearl Izumi EM Trail M2 Miles: 10.35
Weight: 149.42
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