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Gearing up to run my first marathon on Sep 18.  (Top of Utah, in Logan)

Since my hip injury in January, I;ve had a slow recovery.  But, I've been able to progress quite a bit in the last 2 months.  After the 12.6 miles this morning, I felt a little pain.  It's probably time for an easy week next week.

 I was pretty pleased with my efforts this morning.  The goal was to run each mile faster.  This worked well until mile 11 which was uphill for the whole stretch.  At one point, I noticed that my pace was 11:45.  Mile 9 was the fastest at 8:12.  Average pace was 8:47.

I feel like I'm getting close to January conditioning, but still not ready for the big race.  My longest run is still 14 miles.  That should change within the next month.  I've got to get it up to 20 a couple of times before September.

Normally, I don't take two days off, but I needed a little recovery after Saturday's run.  7.27 in 1:02 (8:37) per mile is OK for me.  I'll try to run Wed, Fri, and Sat for 4 runs this week.  This is my easy week before I start ramping up the miles again.

It was supposed to be an easy run, but it wasn't.  I was sweating profusely by the time I was done.  This hot weather is getting to me.  It got up to 69F this morning.  I'm kidding just a little.  I know I don't have to endure what most of the south endures in terms of heat.  I'd rather run in the snow than the heat.

Tried to keep a slow pace today to avoid over-training prior to a long run on Saturday and a Squaw Peak run on Monday.  I'm more fearful of over-training than under-training. After the run I felt very good.  My heart rate went up to 135bpm the first mile and up to 150bpm the last mile, gradually increasing with generally increasing speed.

It was a tough run today.  (13.48 miles in 2:01:42) I still feel weak, two hours later.  I didn't keep accurate records in the past, but this was the same route as what I think was my longest run.  Splits derived from Garmin were 9:33, 8:57, 8:52, 8:45, 8:55, 8:47, 8:35, 8:58, 8:26, 8:51, 9:38, 10:30, 8:34, 9:04 (partial)

I'm not a very good pacer, especially when the run ends with a steep ascent followed by an even steeper descent.  I had to slow down on the descent to save my knees.

 I really can't imagine doing that run twice in a row to complete a marathon.  I took a gatorade drink with me for the first time.  But after I opened it, it sloshed all over me.  I need a better solution than that for long runs.

Happy 5th of July!  Ran a new route today and met my son half way between his house and mine along University Ave.  It turns out our pace is pretty close, but he was running twice as far.  He ran all the way from his house to mine and back for 15 miles.

Just another run, starting slow, ending fast, but short.  I know I'm supposed to go slow the whole time, but I haven't learned to discipline myself to do that yet.  Can't beat the weather at 58 degrees this morning.  Advantage goes to Utah in the summer.

This time I decided to work a little harder on speed, but it was about the same 8:43 / mile average pace, with the pace generally increasing.  My fastest "spurt" was 6:11/mile and my fastest split was 8:11, both in the last partial mile, but the mile before that was 8:22/mile.

 Talked to Daryl.  Maybe he'll run the Top of Utah Marathon with Brian and me.

Today I ran the longest run of my life, and it feels like it.  It took 2:33:13 for an average pace of 9:38 per mile.  That is a very slow pace for me.  After two hours of running, things really do get a lot harder.  I took about 2 liters of water in a camelback, which bounced on my back the whole way.  I sipped from time to time, but in the end I only drank about half a liter and so most of the burden was unnecessary.  I also took some gummy worms with me.  I ate some of them at about mile 11.  I don't know how much either the sugar or the water helped.  I was totally spent at the end.  I suppose that it could have been worse without the water and sugar, I just don't know.

I was still under the after effects of Saturday's run with pains in both knees, both hips, and lower back.  So, I did a short run and now I feel a lot better.  My schedule says this should be an easy week, and I plan to do just that.  I can't afford another over-training injury.

7.29 miles in 1:05:41 or about 9 min/mile.  I continue to slow down.  I'm fighting some kind of a virus, which is my excuse for today.

Received information from Top of Utah Marathon that my son Brian and I signed up for.  The race, which will be my first marathon will be in Logan on Sep 18.  There are some pretty good cash prizes for winning.  If only I could run faster.  The registration fees of the slow runners must be used to pay off the fast runners.

Took 1:03:33 at 8:42/mile today.  Much better than Wednesday for the same route.  But, my heart rate kept climbing.  That implies that the rate was not sustainable.  Had a strong tail wind for the first half of the run.  The second half, the wind was pretty calm.  Can't ask for better than that!

I'm actually following a training schedule, more or less.  This was my week for the "short" long run.  Unlike last Saturday, I feel great and my energy is not depleted.  We'll see what happens next Saturday when I go for 17 miles.  Now that I know about drinking fountains along the way.  I'm not going to haul around a camel back, which was an unnecessary burden last Saturday.

By the way, today's 11.49 miles took 1:45:16, which translates to 9:10/mile.  I would like to have seen better numbers than that, but at least I felt good afterwards.

Knocked off another minute from Friday's run to complete 7.30 miles in 1:02:24, which is 8:33/mi average pace.  I was just under one hour for the first 7 miles.  I think that's called 7mph!

Each mile got faster than the previous up through mile 5, which took 8:11.  (It helped to start out at a 9:22 pace.)  Then, I slowed down to 8:31 on miles 6 and 7 with yet another slow down of 8:40 pace on the last 3 tenths.  That's when I was working my hardest with my heart rate getting up to 157.

Yes, I have a Garmin.  Yet use is it if I can't share all its data with the world?

4.63 mile in 40:25.  I planned to take the day off, but did an easy run instead.  I got my Garmin to show my heart rate in big numbers.  When I was running at my comfortable, sustainable pace, it tended to hang around 144.  With a little exertion, it got into the the low 150s.

Took 1:02:14, which is one of my better runs.  I tried to go at race pace.  Tomorrow will be an easy day as I gear up for a 17 mile adventure on Saturday.

I won't always be able to say this, so I'll say it while I can.  Today's run was the longest run of my life.  I'm still wondering what will happen to me when I "hit the wall" at the 20-mile mark.  But, like two weeks ago, I started feeling fatigued after about 2 hours.

My wife said I looked nervous before my run this morning and I guess I was.  I decided to try some hammer gels, on advice from someone at a running store.  I also stopped three times for water breaks and gel consumption at water fountains along the way (How fortunate!  I didn't even carry water.)  I was pleased with my overall time of 2:37:31, which translates to 9:00/mile.  I felt like I could have kept going, so I sped up a little at the end, running 8:40 miles for the final 2.5 miles.

I hope I can keep my training schedule mostly going next week.  My wife is going to Arizona for the birth of a new grandson and I'll be going down there next Saturday.  So, this will be an enforced easy week.  But it's worth it to get a new grandchild.

Took me 59:38 for 6.41 miles this morning with an average pace of 9:19/mile.  Not very impressive.  I'm not fully recovered from Saturday's run.

 However, I do have something impressive to share.  My fourth grandchild and my daughter's third child was born last night at 2:38AM after 24 hours in labor.  If you want to talk about marathons and miracles last night was both.  After two C-sections, she had a normal delivery and we are all so happy for her.  Baby Dillon weighs 8lb 2oz.

 Well this is a running site, but runners have to be born, right?

7.29 miles in 1:03:12 or 8:40/mile.  This was 8 sec/mile slower than the same run a week ago, but it was still a good run for me.  I've got some nagging ankle pains, but they don't really bother me while I run, yet.

7.28 miles in 1:03:13 or one second slower than Wednesday.  How boring can the data get?  But there was a little excitement.  I started crossing a wide street on a green light, which immediately turned yellow.  It was red by the time I reached the middle of the street with an oncoming truck.  That's when I really put on the gas, and I'm very thankful that the man in the truck didn't.  Mr. Garmin reported a pace of 5:55 for that stretch.  I didn't know I could run that fast.

Arose early so that I could complete the longest run of my life before my flight to Arizona to see my newest grandson and to drive my wife and daughter back home (who were there to help).

Time was 2:45:48.  Rate was 9:07/mile.  Speed was relatively consistent.  Scenery was beautiful and the gel packets worked well.  Developed some pain on the top of my right foot.  I'm thinking about some new shoes.  My running shoes still look great, but they are a year old now and I guess the good miles on shoes are limited.

I expected less today after a 13 hour drive home yesterday and a long run on Saturday.  As it turns out, I felt much better after my run today and much worse after my drive yesterday.  Average speed was 8:39/mile, much better than what I called a recovery run last Monday.

8.61 miles took 1:13:54 or 8:35/mi.  After the first couple of miles, I started counting paces in groups of four.  380 groups of four or 1520 paces takes me a mile.  The result of this strategy was a pretty consistent speed and a steadily increasing heart rate, which maxed out around 160bpm at the end.

I tacked a little on to my normal route to better stay with my training plan, but I'm only supposed to run 13 miles this Saturday.  After that it's the big 20.

August should be my heaviest training for a Sep 18 first marathon.

Took 1:16:13 for an average pace of 8:50/mile for 8.61 miles.  I took the last two days off to nurse a foot injury (hot and cold packs) and to avoid getting struck by lightening that has been very active the last couple of mornings.  I'm just hoping that my daughter at camp is OK through all this.

I replaced my long run with a long drive today.  Went down to southern Utah and back.  Upon my return, I ran in the afternoon.  I never do that.  I felt sloggish and the weather was hotter.  Took 1:04:01.

Started running in the rain, but it tapered off and turned out to be a very pleasant run.  Time was 1:15:48 or 8:48 average pace per mile.  Perhaps it was easier because I missed my long run on Saturday.

1:14:29 for 8:38/mile.  I had forgotten the time, but I remembered the time per minute.  38 minutes happens to be .63 hours.  Therefore, I squared 8.63 to get 74.48 minutes, which is 1:14:29.  That's how I take claim to being a scholar and and athlete.

A little short run today for 5.48 miles at 9:09 per mile.  Heart rate stayed below 150.  I could have done much more, but I'm saving that for my first 20 miler tomorrow.

The stars were more visible than usual in the city and the weather felt great at 56 degrees.

 My son, two of his cousins, and a cousin-in-law graduated from BYU yesterday and today.  It was like a little, unplanned, family reunion.

Well, I did it.  20 miles and a fraction.  The fraction was to see what would happen when I hit the wall.  Truth is, I didn't find a wall and I think I could have kept going.  I believe that I have it in me to complete a marathon, something that never even crossed my mind 18 months ago.  I've really had about a year of training because I took about 5 months off to recover from a hip injury.

 Pace was pretty slow, averaging 9:23/mile, but I wasn't going to push it too hard without knowing what would happen.  I always get a little nervous when I set a new distance record.  But, this is it.  A couple more 20 mile runs, but no further until the marathon on Sept 18.

 I saw my first sign of the sun, just before entering the mouth of the canyon at mile 4.  But, before then, I saw a shooting star flash across the sky.  The sky was clear and the stars were gorgeous.

Didn't feel much like running this morning.  My first mile was very slow, especially at the start.  It took 10 minutes.  But the rest of the run was much faster and it felt good.  Overall time was 1:13:49 for an average pace of 8:32/mile.

This is peak training time, but I still need to be careful not to overdo it.  46 miles this week should probably be my limit.

Woke up with a sore left ankle, soaked it in epsom salt, and then had a great run.  1:13:04 for 8.64 miles, which averages 8:27/mile.  I think that might be a PR.  If I drop the first 10:01 mile, the other miles averaged about 8:15, with the fastest mile at 7:57.

It was 78 degrees, a little warmer than usual, but nothing like others have to put up with.  If anyone wants to move to Utah, it's fast running here in the summer time.  If you dress up properly, running in the snow is also quite pleasant.

How about 8.62 miles in 1:12:04?  I would call that a one minute improvement over yesterday's PR!  8:22 per mile average.  Slowest (first) mile was much faster at 9:25)  Fastest (downhill) mile was a little faster at 7:54.  Temperature was 10 degrees cooler.  Sky was overcast.  Felt a few raindrops, but didn't see any stars.

Top of Utah marathon is only a month away and it is time to work hard.  If I'm not done training in about two weeks, it will be too late.

GPS wouldn't even power on this morning. Changed plans a little to run a known distance - 12 miles in 102 minutes (cell phone time). I love to run up and down Provo Canyon because of the water stops and the scenery available after daylight.

Took the day off work to take my son to Snow college. Got him all set up in a nice apartment and took him out to a nice restaurant.

Woke up in Epraim this morning.  So that's where my run started.  I had planned to run 8 miles, but it was too dark to see the mile posts until I was almost done.  I decided that the Manti temple would be my turnaround point and that I could figure the distance later.

Without a GPS or a heart rate monitor, it helped me to keep it slow.  I think my heart rate was much slower than normal.

Today's run was slower than usual, and I was trying to go fast.  My GPS decided to start working again and showed an average pace of 8:49/mile and an overall time of 48:25.

I did not feel like getting up this morning when my alarm went off at 4:11.  After I got up, running was the last thing I felt like doing.  But it was a running day and I was able to do OK after I got started.  1:13:25 for an average pace of 8:30.  But, I was still sleepy, so I took a nap before work and went in late.

Today is our 28th anniversary.  I celebrated by running easy for a longer time.  Average overall pace was 9:00/mile, or 1:17:43.  I've been training over a year for my first marathon, coming up in 3 weeks.  My main goal is to finish, but I'd like to also be a little bit competitive.  Looking back, I don't think I've done enough speed work (too hard) and I haven't done enough slow work (too humiliating).  As a result, I'm not where I'd like to be.  I read about "strides" at the end of a long run that seems worth trying, at least to improve my form.

I was very worried about the forcast for thunderstorms this morning, both because I'm scared to run in them and because my son was painting details on the blacktop at the school for an Eagle scout project. It turned out there was rain here and there and thunder once. Otherwise, it was a great day.

I'm still not very confident going this distance. I started out slow and mostly stayed slow for a total time of 3:15:43. However, most of the last seven miles were near nine minutes and I tried doing fast and slow during the last mile to improve my form.

The fastest spurt was at about mile 14 when my GPS showed a pace of 4:20/mile. I think that was when I was flying. I forgot to look back when I crossed the trail for a drink and the oncoming bike forget to watch where she was going. We both went down pretty hard, but my injuries were limited to scrapes and some tenderness in my knee. I helped her get up and she seemed to be OK too. Her bike was still usable, but it was obviously out of alignment.

I helped at the Eagle scout project after the run and I'm pretty wiped out.

Saturday's fall has caused me to limp ever since, but I think the damage was limited to bruising.  I had no problems running this morning.  In fact, I felt stronger than usual.  I ran 7.32 miles in 1:02:13, which is 8:30 per mile.  If I take off the 10:33 warm-up mile, my average pace was more like 8:10/mile.  I think the sprints at the end of my long run on Saturday helped and I'll have to start doing that regularly, at least for this week.

September is here and it is not hot any more.  In fact, I kind of wished I had had gloves this morning in the nippy 52 degrees.  The weather is the most interesting part of this report because I didn't feel like going fast today and I didn't want to push it.  I've been limping around due to Saturday's knee injury and I think it is changing my stride (for the worse) when I run.  Since I'm officially in my "taper", there is no reason to push it.  Training is over.  I just need to be careful not to get further injured and not to lose fitness.

 Oh, yes 7.78 miles took me 1:13:23, which is 9:26/mi with an average heart rate of 138bpm.

The taper continues.  I took yesterday off to give my knee more recovery time.  My "long" run tomorrow will only be about 12 miles.  It is good September running weather at 55 degrees.  5.51 miles took me 48:30 with an average pace of 8:48/mile.  My pace increased as I went along.  Got up to a 6:15 pace for my strides at the end.

I've avoided running for the past week due to my knee injury.  The Doctor said it is probably a bruised or a torn miniscus (sp?)  He said if I can deal with the pain, I should be able to run the marathon next Saturday without risking further injury.  Usually, it hurts more to walk than to run.  In fact, it didn't hurt at all for the first 2 or 3 miles this morning.  But then it started hurting and got progressively worse.  I took a shortcut home for a very slow and easy run at a 10:20 pace.  I find it harder to go fast now and my goal for the marathon is simply to finish.  It will still be a PR because it will be my first.  But, I won't really be satisfied.  Maybe the Utah Valley marathon in the spring will be my shine time.

Oh yes, I got a bike this week so that I have an aerobic alternative when I can't run.

This has been the taper of all tapers.  But, I did run today to be sure I still knew how.  I didn't push it at 9:33/mile.  If I run into terrible pain, it will be during the marathon, not before.  The good news is that I had no problems at all with my left knee, but I did feel a shooting pain through my right knee, which quickly went away.

 This increases my hopes and confidence for Saturday.  Some of you will receive text messages when I cross miles 13, 20, and 26.2.  It's not that I will have my cell phone.  Rather, it is a service provided by the TOU marathon, using the chip timer in my shoe.

This was the best marathon I have ever run!  OK, it was the only.  My goal time was 4:15, so I was pretty close.  Strategy was to start out slow and pass everyone at the end.  Reality was that I had too much fun at the start and at the end everyone was passing me.  Average pace for the first half was 8:40.  Average pace for the next 7 was 9:40.  Average pace for the last 6.2 was 11:51.  I "hit the wall" at mile 19 and really struggled after that.

Nevertheless, it was an exhilerating and emotional experience to cross the finish line at last.

Fortunately, my knee didn't bother me much.  It was my thighs the give out and I need to learn how to walk down stairs again.

The course was all down hill, losing 1000 feet in elevation for the first 17 miles and then averaging flat after that, with lots of ups and downs.

My 23 year old son, Brian also ran his first marathon today and did remarkably well, with a time of 3:29:26.  That was 20 minutes better than his goal.  Unlike me, he had a lot left in him at the end, passing many without letting any pass him for the last seven miles.

It feels good to finally achieve marathon status!

Well, now that my goal of running a marathon has been achieved, I find myself less satisfied with the result.  Surely I could have run a little faster at the end.  Truth is I'm not done yet.  I need to break 4 hours and then I need to qualify for Boston.

I did my first run since the marathon this morning, thinking I might be mostly recovered.  Truth is I'm pretty sore and more so after this morning's run than yesterday.  But I'm not concerned.  Soon, I'll be back to full strength and ready for more serious training to beat the 4 hour threshold and beyond.

This morning's run was 4.6 miles in 45:04, or 9:44/mile.  Pretty slow, but a start.

I re-did Wednesday's run and tried to run fast, partly due to lack of time.  4.63 miles took me 41:36, which is 8:59/mile.  I felt like I was really moving, but my stride was still quite a bit shorter than it used to be.  A mile took me 1680 steps, vs. what used to be 1520 steps.  You can start laughing now, but I do count my strides in groups of 4.  It usually helps me to go faster, but not today.

Next week, I'll run a lot more, but I still seem to be recovering from the marathon, although I only feel it after my runs.

4.65 miles in 42:05 or 9:02 per mile.  No big deal, but just part of slowly ramping back up after the marathon.  I don't feel hardly any ill effects from the marathon any more.  I need to come up with a new training plan, but I know it includes more than I'm doing now.

As I left this morning, I noticed Jupiter, near the horizon in the west.  Then I searched for the Big dipper and the north star, both very dim by comparison.  I have been observing the Orion constellation for months, which is much easier to find than the big dipper, but, I finally  know what it is.

 Well that explains it.  My star gazing is slowing me down.

Another beautiful morning to run.  53 degrees and clear skies.  5.52 miles took me 49:25 for 8:58/mile.  Felt good, but I've definitely got some issues with my fitness after the long taper and the long recovery.  Marathon was two weeks ago and it seems like I should be doing better than this.

I'm back up to a normal weekly run for my "long" run.  7.31 miles took me 1:04:10 or 8:47 per mile.  That's not too bad for me.  What's better is my splits:

10:49, 9:04, 8:43, 8:37, 8:30, 7:59, 8:06, 7:40 rate for partial mile.

I had somebody to catch and pass at the end, which helped.

I felt a little weak at the start, but things got better.

I didn't see it during my run, but when I came in to work this morning, there was a sweet surprise:  Snow on top of Timpanogos!  But the temperature in Orem was a very mild 55 degrees.  The perfect weather helped me to make an improvement from Friday's run:  5.5 miles in 48:32, or 8:49/mile.

Got another 10 second improvement today. 5.51 miles in 47:40, or 8:39/mile.  First mile was at a 10:00 pace and last half was at an 8:15 pace, with gradual improvements in between.  I think I'm ready for a 10 miler on Saturday.  Ramping down and then ramping back up for marathon's turns out to be a setback in progress over the long term.

It was a nice day for running (49 degrees), especially knowing that my brother would be running a marathon at the same time.  I was keeping pace for him, near the end at least.  As usual, I started out slow and sped up as I went along.  10.17 miles took me 1:30:21, for an average pace of 8:53/mile.  First mile was 10:18.  Last partial was at a 7:58 pace, with general improvements in between.

I ran to work and back to retrieve my lunch that I left there so that I could use it for a camping trip tonight.  Not a normal run and not an impressive time:  43 minuutes for 4.46 miles, or 9:39/mile.  At least I did some running as I won't be able to run tomorrow.

Today, I ran.  It was very slow to start and speeding up towards the end, which is pretty normal.  But, overall, considerably slower.  9:01 average pace per mile.  That was also the speed of the second mile, with all subsequent miles quite a bit faster.  That tells how long it takes to get warmed up in 41 degree weather.

I decided it was time for long sleeves and gloves after Wednesday's cold run.  Having nothing else to blame, this slowed me down to a 9:07 pace (51:23 for 5.64 miles). 

Trying to decide about the Virginia marathon.  I don't feel like I'm in the best shape either physically or financially to make such a trip, but I would love to do it to be with my family.  It's been about a year since I've seen my parents.

It was a good morning for running:  46 degrees, slight breeze, and clear.  I wore my long sleeves and gloves, but probably could have gotten along without them.  10.12 miles took me 1:30:32 with an average pace of 8:57, which is 5 seconds per mile slower than last Saturday, but still pretty close.  The problem is the direction I'm going.  But I did finish strong:  Mile 10 was 7:58 and the last fraction was at a 7:47 pace.

We finally got some rain last night and I didn't know what to expect when I left the house this morning and so I overdressed.  With long sleeves and gloves, I was already hot within the first mile.  It turned out to be 54 degrees without a drop of rain.

I switched routes this morning with a very steep, half mile ascent in mile two and then down, down, down, ending with a normal uphill return back home.  With that kind of a route, I guess I have to expect losses:  5.06 miles in 48:07, or 9:31 per mile average.  The splits were: 10:44, 11:00, 8:00, 8:50, 9:04, and 7:54 for the last fraction.

 I'm thinking I need to do more hills to improve my fitness.

Today's run was cooler, clearer and faster than Monday's run.  5.08 miles of hills in 46:41, or 9:11 per mile.  Other than the last fraction, every mile was faster than Monday.   Other than a little soreness and a bruised heel, I'm pretty free of injuries right now.

Finally, got a good one.  Maybe it was the hill training, or the short sleeves (49 degrees this morning), or maybe just being motivated to try harder.  7.34 miles in 1:02:34 for an average pace of 8:32/mile.  Splits along with best pace and heart rate are charted below:

10:05     6:44      142

 8:33      6:11      150

 8:35      7:25      153

 8:21      7:08      156

 8:16       7:14     159

8:13        6:09      161

7:57        6:43      162

7:43        6:54      164   (partial)

The trend is faster speed corresponds with faster heart rate and greater effort.

My GPS watch was not working when I got up to run this morning.  10.8 is the best estimate of the distance and 1:42 is the best estimate of the time.  Not really a great run, but at least I got out and completed the run before other obligations.  It was dark the whole time and also raining lightly, so I didn't see the stars either.

It's starting to get cold.  I should have worn long sleeves and gloves today, but didn't in the 39 degrees temperature.  I felt very weak this morning and it took me a while to get going, but at least my GPS watch worked today.  Overall, it was 5.5 mile in 48:58 or 8:54 per mile.

I think I need to just keep getting out, no matter the weather or how I feel.

It's 37 degrees right now, which is probably close to what it was when I was running.  We got our first snow yesterday, and there was still a blanket of snow on the lawns at the higher elevations.  I ran the steep run again today and did a little better than last week: 5.07 miles in 46:24 for an average pace of 9:09 per mile.  The pedometer reports an elevation gain of 325 feet in the first mile and a half  (mostly in mile 2) and then a loss of that same elevation in the next mile and a half.  Then, the route slopes down gently a little more and then up gently again to my starting point.  See the details at this URL:  http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4125102

The skys cleared up and cooled down.  It's a good thing I brought in the rest of our green tomatoes last night.  It was 32 degrees this morning as I ran my regular route:  5.51 mile in 48:48, for an average pace of 8:51.

My wife was up canning apple sauce until about 2:00am and I rolled out of bed at 4:35.  Not too much together time.

Today, I did my longest run since the marathon and returned home before the sun came up.  I'm still feeling it and I'm definitely not ready for another marathon.  It was 44 degrees when I was out and it has warmed up quite a bit since.

13.47 miles took me 2:08:27 for 9:22/mile.  I was pretty well spent for the hill work at the end.  Even downhill was slow because it was dangerously steep.

Time for a nap.

Happy November!  I don't understand why it takes me so long to get going in the mornings, but once I got going ... well never mind.  My first mile was over 11 minutes and my second mile was over 10 minutes.  Finally, I got some energy and the rest of the miles were under 9 minutes.  Miles 5 and 6 were 8:04 each and the last .45 miles were run at a 7:58 pace.  Overall average pace was 8:48 for 6.45 miles.  This was a good start for a new month and a new week.

I guess I'll need to start wearing face masks.  When I got back, I noticed that my cheeks were numb, as if I'd just returned from the dentist.  The temperature was 40 degrees, but it felt colder.

Something went wrong with my GPS watch.  4.5 miles is a conservative estimate.  (Go conservatives!)  I did the hill work plus an extra half mile.  Hopefully, this will strengthen me and make me faster.  It was a warmer 40 degrees than the 40 degrees on Monday and much more pleasant.

Had to hurry to get back in time, but it turned out to be a pretty average run:  5.5 miles in 48:23 or 8:47/mile, but only the first mile was over that rate.

The weather has been pretty decent lately.  42 degrees this morning.  I tried it without gloves, but I would have been more comfortable wearing them.

Today qualifies as a long run. I'm trying to avoid running in isolated areas, alone, in the dark.  So, I went on a water search rather than going up the dark canyon where there has always been water.  (Last time I ran that route, I was clobbered from behind by a biciclist.)  Went to two parks, found 4 water fountains, but they were all turned off.  I suppose that they don't want the pipes to freeze in the winter.  But it wouldn't have frozen today.  It's a beautiful day and it was 45 degrees while I was running.

Overall, I ran 15.45 miles in 2:27:48, for an average pace of 9:34 per mile.  I'll take it if only for the milage total.

No GPS, but known route.  Time was under 50 minutes, but that is hard to judge too.  Had a light rain and one lightening bolt this morning.  I'd rather run in snow or most anything else more than rain, because it scares me more than dogs.  With dogs, I have a slim chance of outrunning them, but even I can't outrun a lightening bolt, and it is much more deadly if it catches me.

 I also saw an animal on my path at the side of the road.  First, I thought it was a dead dog, but then it wriggled and I thought it was a live dog.  On closer examination, I could see that it was a deer.  Even though I ran right past it, it never moved from its spot.  Perhaps it was injured.

GPS watch decided to work today.  Snow was in the forecast, but it was a clear 33 degrees this morning, but I was plenty warm, proudly displaying my Top of Utah long sleeved marathon shirt.  Not so proudly, I also wore gloves, a face mask, and neon reflectors around my ankles.  At least the ankle reflectors matched the shirt.

I decided to start memorizing during my runs this week.  The mile that is usually my fastest was almost my slowest today because I was focusing on memorizing instead of counting steps.  That shows that it takes focus to run fast.  My time was 49:43, or 9:01/mile for 5.5 miles.

Mixed up the route, but maintain the approximate distance:  5.55 miles in 50:07 or 9:02/mile.  I felt strong, but the memorization did slow me down on miles 1 and 4.

The weather was 32 degrees and quite pleasant with long sleeve shirt, gloves, and face mask.  Hopefully, I can keep the routine going all winter before I start building up for my next marathon.

My legs wanted to move even less than usual this morning.  My first mile was 11:21.  After that, all miles were under nine minutes, but overall average was 9:09/mile for 5.5 miles with an overall time of 50:18.

I wish I were in Virginia right now.  It would be nice to visit with my family and especially my mom.  I also hope to hear good news about the Virginia marathon tomorrow.

Today, I did a "short" long run based on available time:  8.66 miles in 1:16:44, or 8:51 per mile.  Running while my brothers and sisters run a marathon is still one of my favorite things to do and I will be looking forward to hearing their report.

This was the coldest day of the season so far at 27 degrees, but I had plenty of warm clothes.

I had lots of aches and pains yesterday, not to mention terrible weather and I chickened out of running.  The good news is that after running this morning, the pains have subsided and I feel really good.  But, my pace keeps getting slower:  5.53 miles in 51:34 or 9:19/mile

I really don't know my time or my distance, but my pace was about the same as yesterday through 5 miles.  Then my GPS just stopped, right at the 5 mile mark.  It was 30 degrees and clear so that I could see the stars.  Orion used to be in the east and now it's in the west.  Before I know it, it won't be visible and I'll have to learn a new constellation.

There was a message on my GPS watch this morning, which I couldn't read, but I could tell it wasn't working.  I used the google pedometer to calculate that I ran 6.56 miles and it took about an hour.  When I got back and put on my glasses I discovered that I overflowed the history.  I should be able to use it next time, because all history is now deleted.

 We are enjoying great weather.  It was 50 degrees this morning, but next week it's supposed to get down into the teens.

Early run, late report.  There was nothing spectacular about my run today.  10.15 miles in 1:31:32 or 9:07 per mile.  I don't think that wore me out as much as the rest of the day trying to dig up a tree stump and planting two peach trees.  The second peach tree was not in a very good piece of ground.  I don't know if it could be called soil, because there was more rocks than dirt.  I pulled out about 100 lbs of rocks in a hole about 3 feet deep.

For the tree stump, I cut off four big roots, one over 6 inches in diameter, with an axe.  Then, we tried to jack it up, exerting 7000 lbs of pressure, but to no avail.  We'll try again later after we try to rot the stump.

Distance of 5.5 miles is approximate.  Time is unknown.  Battery was too low on GPS.  Temperature was warmer than the forcast (34) for which I can be thankful.  I felt pretty good running this morning and felt like I had a good run.

Skipped the Turkey trot, which was a 4 mile run because we had a birthday breakfast for my son before a trek to North Salt Lake for Thanksgiving dinner.

But, I got up early and ran 10.08 miles in 1:38:16.  Never really warmed up, and for good reason.  I saw 4 temperature readings at 6 degrees, 8 degrees, 11 degrees, and 12 degrees.  I dressed up to the max, but my fingers were still so frozen that I couldn't feel anything to untie my laces when I got back home.

Started limping pretty badly at mile 7.  I got a pain in the front of my left foot and I have been limping around all day.  Not sure what to do about this, but I think I better not run for a while.

Tried out my injured foot today.  Had some pain between miles 2 and 5.  Hardly noticed it on the last half, but it hurt when I got home.  I iced it, and that helped.  Not too sure what I'm doing or if it was a mistake to run on it.  It was my first run since Thanksgiving.  The weather was really nice this morning.  Had a little precipitation, but I couldn't tell if it was rain or snow.  The temperature was 34 degrees.  Most of the snow has melted and I didn't have to jump over too many snow banks.

I ran 10.21 miles in 1:36:10 for an average pace of 9:29.

I thought my foot was better today.  I took off running faster than usual.  Within a couple of miles, the pain started nagging me again, but it was very tolerable.  I finished in 33:27.  By the time I finished, my right knee was hurting.  Now my knee feels better, but I'm limping around a little.

 I guess that I will need to ride my bike instead for aerobic exercise.  This running just isn't working.