Nothing else better to do than run.

Okay,

I am going to try to get back into the swing of things and write on the blog again. It has been a while since I have written, mainly for the argument of thinking that too much has been spent on writing about running.

 I am going to try an experiment. Hopefully writing about running will help me to feel more accountable about running and getting out there in the muck and lacing up. I am looking forward to a much improved year of running. 

 I am committed to loosing the 20lbs that were put on the last 18 months.

I had the surgery on my nagging knee injury and it is wonderful to simply run without pain once again.

I will report my progress on the blog and hopefully some readers our there will keep me motivated for this upcoming, spectacular marathon season. 

Very cold and gunky this morning, but hey, I was running with friends. We ran 2 three mile loops in the South Jordan area at a 8:30 - 9:30 pace which felt comfortable. 

 Later in the afternoon I did a short 4 mile run up City Creek canyon because it appeared to be fairly clear compared to the rest of the valley.

 I hope we get 2 feet of snow tomorrow to clean up this air. My throat is absolutely killing me.

Run in the evening about 10:00pm. The air was foggy and absolutely full of crap. I ran with a headlamp and it might have been better just to leave it at home for all the good that it did. I listened to the "Gunslinger" by Stephen King on my ipod which made the journey much easier. The book should be a good read.

Early Saturday morning run at 5:30 to accommodate some of the schedules. It was very foggy and the air was saturated with crap. My lungs were absolutely on fire when finished. The first 5 miles were fairly quick and then my legs tired out but I was able to to a 9:30 mile consistently to the end.

 Looking forward to some of the storms that are to be coming in next week. Hopefully the air will be cleaner.

 In the afternoon I took my three kids to the Olympic Oval to teach them to ice skate. 2 out of 3 had a blast, the other was pretty miserable. I have discovered ice skating is an excellent way to build up the stabilizer muscles.

Finally was able to have a full night's rest. Woke up at 4:48 and went for a run around the neighborhood. Wish today would have been yesterday so I would have made it to the BBK workout. The run was nice, it is wonderful to have it finally cool in the mornings.

Long run in preparation for St. George. First 11 went smooth but continually slowed after that. Might have been the 10 from yesterday. I think much more focus on long runs will help with the endurance issues I have been having during marathons this year.

Ran the Steeplechase which is a 5 miler and then opted to run back to my car which added an additional 5 miles. 10 in all. Actually felt really good. Starting the day on a positive note.

Ran around the neighborhood but found a new street to run. South Jordan Canal Road in Taylorsville is beautiful. I will have to mix it in more often. Used the new Nike+ GPS app on my iPhone which is incredible. Finally I can use GPS, and have a map to look at while running. I believe this totally destroys anything Garmin currently has.

Run up City Creek. Thought I might be caught in a rain storm but it stayed dry during my run. Very nice, in the upper 50's.

Ran with my daughter Zoey in the jogging stroller. She seems to love going for runs because she hums and sings her own little tunes and I run my guts out. Nice to spend time along with my buddy.

Early morning run along the Jordan River Parkway with Kris and Debbie. A little cool this morning. First time in about six months that I have run with gloves and a long-sleeved shirt. Fall is on its way!

 After looking at Kelli's miles I ended up going out again and putting in 10 more. Kind of crazy but the insanity is contagious.

Treadmill workout at TOSH. It was focusing mostly on 45 minutes speed jumps. I love the workouts because it includes weights, core, and discussing goals with the trainers which are awesome. It was my last workout so it was kind of a bummer. Will probably sign-up for another session but $500.00 bucks is kind of a lot of money right now.

Run up City Creek Canyon. Very nice day, cool, not too hot. Perfect in just about everyway.

I went to the library to pick-up a book that was on hold. Instead of driving I strapped my daughter Zoey into her stroller and we made a run for it. She really seems to enjoy the movement. With about a mile left to go she fell asleep.  I thought about continuing on but the stroller got a flat tire dangit!

Ran with the group this morning. First time since the middle of June. Felt great to be back. We ran a 8 mile downhill course which felt wonderful. Not a whole lot of work, just focusing on speed. 

 Later that afternoon I ran 4 miles going up an down City Creek. Nice day but my knees are killing me after all that pounding.

Nice morning if a little bit windy. Started out in Copperton and ran along the New Bingham Highway. Just a little under a half mile.

Ran 4 miles on grass. Felt very comfy even though the speed was a bit slow.

Ran 6.5 this afternoon around the neighborhood. Nice and not too hot. I had a jug full of half Gatorade, half water with a shot of Sprite. Tasted pretty good.

Went to TOSH for my plyometrics workout and two hours later I am beat to a bloody pulp. Boy, isn't cross-training awesome?

I dropped my kids off Murray High for their dance class and decided to put in a track workout. There were a few high school kids doing 400's so I was the odd one out doing my laps in the far lane. Running on the soft track felt great on my knees since they have been giving me fits lately. I ended up running 100 sprints for the last 2 miles. Taking the turns as recovery and giving it all I had on the straights. Nothing spectacular as far as speed is concerned but it was an honest effort for an old guy. I left everything at that track.

 Later that evening I did some ham and quad stretches that were painful at first but seemed to give after a while. I guess taking it very easy at first is the key.

Up at 5am but not to go to running group. I really miss those runs. I had to stay home with the kids since my wife had an early day at work. Very sore from my workout last evening so this one was very slow. We are talking 12 minute miles. I listened to "Once a Runner" on my iPod and was very entertained. Will most likely do some core and stretching this evening.

 It is Fall once more, my favorite time of year. I love the smell of the Autumn air and the coolness of the earth. This is my creative time.

Quick run up and down City Creek Canyon. Beautiful day, just enjoyed the surroundings. Tomorrow is the SOJO Marathon and I almost wish I was running it. Probably wouldn't be the wisest idea because St. George is next weekend. Those back-to-back days are probably behind me.

Ran a 5K to support a local Elementary School. It was a beautiful morning and the turn out was awesome.  I have never seen so many kids running a 5K. My pace felt good the entire time and held it together most of the run. There was also a pancake breakfast afterwards. Sometimes it is nice just to run 3 miles and call it good for the day.

Another lunch-time City Creek run. Nice weather, in the 80's. My right knee is killing me.

Met the BBK's at the South Jordan library for a 4 mile tune-up. It was nice to run at an easy pace. We were in the low to mid 9-minute miles the entire team. I can hang with the group at that kind of speed. My knee is killing me! I need to ice and wrap it this evening and take the rest of the week off. This crap always pops up right before the biggest marathon of the year.

Run up City Creek during lunch.

Short tune-up run around the neighborhood. Felt good just to warm up the legs and have a good stretch afterwards.

Back at the St. George Marathon. This is number 7 for me. I felt good and had taken plenty of time to stretch and loosen up. I felt great during the race and kept a fairly even pace. At mile 24 my big toe started to cramp up and have a shooting pain. I had to stop and stretch out my foot and then things improve.

 This was not one of my fastest races but I enjoyed being around a ton of runners and visiting with friends after the race. I especially enjoyed the ice cream at the Blue Bunny booth.

4 mile run at lunch time and then I did a very slow jog with my son Nathan later in the evening.

Another lunch-time run. It was cool and a little drizzle was falling which made it very nice

Not much of a time for a run so I climbed the stairs in the Church Office Building twice to get some nasty cardio in for the day. My quads were burning like they were on fire but it will pay-off if I run the stairs periodically.

I dragged myself out of bed at 5am and put in a run. I have been listening to an audiobook that I just can't put down so it made getting up earlier a bit more tolerable. It was a nice run, cool with a bit of the Fall humidity but very pleasant. 

Still going through post-marathon season depression. Was not able to accomplish anything near what I wanted to but still enjoyed running the marathons. It is becoming more about running than racing.

Just running

Short run around the neighborhood

Ran in the morning and then a little 4 miler in the evening.

Took a few days off because of stomach flu. Probably lost a couple of pounds, now if I could only keep them off. I would call this one a jog because it was slow, trying not to barf.

Finally back to business. It has been a whole week since I have even took a walk let alone go for a run. This stomach flu bug was a killer and had me in bed for an entire week. It was nice to be out for a run because the temp was perfect and the leaves are incredible. I took it very easy trying not to upset my stomach.

 Oh well, there goes my 200 for October goal but November is just around the corner.