Everything Counts

AM: 11.55 miles easy with Dave, Ben, and Manny in low single digit "feels like" temps around Ogden, avg pace 7:27/mile.

PM: 5.45 miles easy up Adams Canyon to the waterfall with Bret, avg pace 10:03/mile.

10.4 miles easy from Kent's Market in Clearfield with Ben, Dave, Jared, Jason, and Hales, avg pace 7:02/mile.

LACTATE SHUNTS 3-1-1-3 FARTLEK

I met up with Bryant, Ben, and Jason at Kent's and we warmed up almost three miles on Rail Trail and then started the workout. The roads and paths had a light layer of snow that slowed things down a bit here and there, but nothing too bad. The workout was 10 sets of 3 minutes at 5:05-5:10/mile pace, 1 min rest, 1 minute at 4:50/mile pace with 3 min between sets. Bryant and I averaged about 5:06/mile on the three-minute sections and 4:45/mile on the one-minute sections. Good workout! We got a bit lost and ran further than planned....

8.05 miles easy with Ben in East Layton, avg pace 7:33/mile.

TEN DAY COUNTDOWN TO 2017 - 10 FAVORITE MOMENTS OF 2016:

With ten days left in the year I decided to reflect on 2016 and do a countdown of my favorite runs of the year, one per day. Today number 10: 25-mile long run in April with Ken and Ben at sub-6:00 pace. Working together with my brothers for 20+ miles was awesome. It was also the first trial of Ucan and I felt like a million bucks at the end of the run. It was the birth of the Ucan grin and the run that really gave me confidence I had solved my stomach, nutrition, and digestive problems in marathons. I dared to dream of faster marathons that day. Oh and Ken bought Kneaders after for us all!

10 miles, the first five with Matt, the rest solo in O-Town, avg pace 7:33/mile.

Countdown to 2017: 9th best run of 2016 was the last day of April, three weeks to go to Ogden Marathon. The workout was an 18-mile tempo on the race course. We treated it as a dress rehearsal, mimick everything you'd eat/drink the night before and morning of and in-race. I ran really strong at 5:27/mile at the end of a 100 mile week. I ran pretty much course record pace for 18 miles and felt I had lots in the tank. I couldn't help but be giddy on the cool down knowing I had something special brewing for Ogden!

20-MINUTE TEMPO, 5-MINUTE REST, 16-MINUTE TEMPO, 5-MINUTE REST, 5X45 SECONDS & 5X30 SECONDS OFF 80 SECONDS REST

I did most of my workout on the Prospector Rail Trail from Gentile in Layton down into Farmington and back. I warmed up six miles and then did the 20-minute tempo in 5:20/mile. I flipped around 15 minutes into that tempo and started heading back North, so that inlcudes a 180-degree turn. I took 5 rest and then 16 minute tempo at 5:11/mile. Another 5 seconds rest and then the pickups. I averaged 4:23/mile for the 45-second pickups and 4:03/mile for the 30-second pickups.

The tempo paces felt forced a bit, difficult. The pickups felt really good, strong, and smooth.

Countdown to 2017...moment #8 - Ben, Ken, Bret and I went out to Antelope Island on Jan 23 for some winter trail running. None of us brought any traction devices, like our microspikes. We thought the trails would be mostly clear. We got there in the dark and got lost a few times. But each time we got lost, we ran into this female trail runner, who was out all by herself running and she directed us back to the right path more than a few times #IslandChick.

Then we ran an out and back to Elephant Head, where there's a great view of the Great Salt Lake. This stretch was treacherous with ice. On the way back I slipped and was basically horizontal in the air with my face about to smash into a rock, when I magically flail my arms hard enough and move my legs fast enough to regain my balance for the best near fall ever! Ken dropped to the ground laughing as he was the only one who saw it. Bret and Ben kept running in front of us and Ken and I fell a half mile behind because we couldn't stop laughing. Ken just couldn't believe I didn't go down! We credit the #IslandChick for magically saving me with her island powers. Haha, good times on the island that day.