2013 training - Week 19

Well due to a number of different factors this last week, I have had little time to about this blog of mine, and give an update on my running.

First off, this week has not been the most adventurous week in the whole world for me as far as running is concerned. In fact, I did not get one trail run in this whole week. The reasoning behind this is because of this minor issue I had on my last trail run. This was by far the hardest spill I have had in my short trail running career and a week later, the large cut on my hand (bottom right) is still very sensitive to the touch. I decided it was not wise to hit the trails again until all of my wounds are sufficiently healed.

So to truly mix up this week from previous weeks, I decided I was only going to run flat courses. My body is pretty use to climbing lots, so I figured what better way to give the old body a change of pace was to run flat and fast. This was an interesting change of pace, and was actually quite enjoyable. This maybe something I will add to my running regimen maybe once a month.

This week I was able to run four times in five days and 34 miles for the week. I am also at 84 miles for the month. The mileage is starting to creep upwards and most likely by the end of July I will be pushing over 50 miles a week.

After running fairly consistently four a good couple of years now, I have realized something. If I ever want to qualify for the Boston Marathon, I am going to have to work significantly harder than I am right now. It is going to have to involve significantly more mileage and start doing strength training again on a regular basis. It will take some serious dedication and am somewhat nervous about trying to fit all of that in my crazy schedule. We will see I guess.

All in all it has been a good week. Let's hope the injuries heal soon, and no other injuries rear their ugly head during the next couple of months of training. I have been VERY blessed to run essentially injury free during my whole running career. I hope this trend will continue.

It's official, St. George Marathon, here I come

First off I am shocked, but excited I was chosen to run in the St. George Marathon on my first try of going through the lottery system. Perhaps the best marathon in this state, and the 14th largest marathon in the nation, I am more than excited to give this puppy a whirl. What is my biggest fear about this race? The heat! Anyways, here are some awesome videos about the St. George Marathon. If you can't tell I am STOKED!!!!

Snapshot of the week - Signs of spring on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail

The snapshot of the week once again comes from my last trail run on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail on May 4, 2013. It was a beautiful morning, and once again, mother nature did the work and I was just along for the ride.

2013 training - Week 17

This week was my down week after climbing in mileage the three previous weeks. It was a welcome break and much needed.

I have to admit, I am struggling some with motivation this last week or so. The mental toll of getting up early morning after morning has worn on me some. Additionally, as the mileage increases with each Saturday run, it is getting harder and harder to to being mentally excited to go run for hours on end.

There is only a couple of known cures for this ailment. First, being a good running event. I am still roughly six weeks away from my first running event, Ragnar. Once I hit Ragnar, I have essentially done a good chunk of my training for the year as I have, well hopefully, multiple running events lined up for the rest of the summer and into early fall which will make it hard to really keep pushing the training envelope. After Ragnar, it will generally fall more into maintenance work.

Another good cure for this is for the snow to continue to melt, so I can start running to the various peaks around. Few things are more rewarding than getting to the summit of the various peaks. I still am holding steadfast to one goal, being able to summit Lewis Peak, in Ogden Utah without having to walk.

I am just in need of something different, something to see the fruits of my labor. I know I am still not quite where I want to be is far as my running for the year, but I am ready for some rewards for all of my hard work this last
four months.

Snapshot of the week - Sun on the Indian Trail, Ogden Utah

So this snapshot of the week was taken while I was running the beautiful Indian Trail in Ogden Utah. This pictures contrasting colors and sheer volume of sun makes this picture stand out from all the others pictures I took during my adventure. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I do!

Trail run of the week - Indian Trail, Ogden Utah

Wow! What an amazing, but, extremely tough trail to run. I must admit, I was not able to run this whole puppy due to the sheer elevation gains one achieves during this run. Maybe this is something in the future I MIGHT be able to do, but as of today, NO WAY!! I must admit though, I probably ran a good 65 to 70 percent of this trail despite the INSANE elevations.

I started at quite possibly the busiest trail head in all of Ogden Utah. This is at the Rainbow Gardens building, and is the Bonneville Shoreline Trail head. MANY a people enter into the hills of Ogden via this route and its spacious parking.

As noted in the elevation map, the climbing started the instant I started running, and showed no signs of letting up until being nearly four miles into this run. Additionally, the trail was somewhat tricky to run as there are many times where the trail is quite narrow with steep terrain all around you. In fact, in one point, they had to build part of the trail in order for it to be safe enough to traverse.

Despite the challenging terrain, the views are breathtaking from nearly every direction. There are many times where you can see for miles and miles, both to the West and to the East. It truly is a beautiful trail with breathtaking views!

Unfortunately, upon finishing this trail I still had a good four miles to run, so I managed to plod along on the Birdsong Trail for two miles and eventually made my way to the Ogden River Parkway and ran my last two miles there.

I really enjoyed this trail and will definitely come back again to enjoy the beauty this magnificent trail. When I do come back, hopefully I can improve on my time and be able to plug along at a much faster pace. 

2013 training - Week 16

I have surpassed the 100 mile mark for the month. Though this is no where near my most during a month, I feel this milestone is one which truly states, "you are in the thick of training."

Monday's and Thursday's are my early morning runs, where I am up at 5:00 a.m. to go hit the roads. The sun is now coming up noticeably earlier, and the need for a head and tail lamp is shrinking dramatically. I put in approximately nine miles in this week during these early morning adventures.

Wednesday is my typical speed or tempo workout day. This week was a tempo run, consisting of seven miles, with five miles of it being my tempo run. The pace was for this week was a 7:46 mile. I was able to reach this goal each mile, however, I had a few tough miles when running northbound as the wind was quite strong.

Saturday I ran a trail I had never ran before, the amazing Indian Trail. This trail was quite tough as it does some significant climbing, however, the scenery is mind blowing (more on this later).

All in all it was a great week! Next week is a "down" week for me. I have on the agenda four, six milers. My body will definitely be ready for the break.