Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow

December 2008

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Location:

Fort Collins,CO,

Member Since:

May 15, 2003

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Local Elite

Running Accomplishments:

Unaided PR's:
5K: 14:48 (Track - 2001)
10K: 30:45 (Track - 2001)
10K: 31:32 (Bolder Boulder - 2013)
Half Marathon: 1:06:09 (Duluth - 2013)
Marathon: 2:17:54 (Grandma's) - 2014)
Marathon: 2:19:47 (Indianapolis Monumental - 2013)
Marathon: 2:19:49 (Indianapolis Monumental - 2010)

Aided PR's:
10K: 29:38 (Des News - 2011)
Half Marathon: 1:05:30 (TOU Half - 2011)
Marathon: 2:18:09 (St George - 2007)
Marathon: 2:17:35 (Boston - 2011)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis in June of 2008. Started taking Enbrel in March, 2009.

Run as much as I can, and race as well as I can. Make the most of however much time I have left as an able-bodied runner.

Training for the 2018 Colorado Marathon

Long-Term Running Goals:

  Run until I'm old, and then run some more. Stand tall.

Personal:

1 wife, 2 kids. 1 cat. Work as a GIS Specialist/Map Geek

Endure and persist; this pain will turn to your good. - Ovid

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. - Romans 5:1-5

 

 

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Saucony Trail Shoe Lifetime Miles: 247.50
Hoka Clifton Lifetime Miles: 491.50
Saucony Type A6 Lifetime Miles: 186.50
Saucony Zealot Lifetime Miles: 478.75
Saucony Kinvara 6 Lifetime Miles: 433.50
Saucony Kinvara 6-2 Lifetime Miles: 358.75
Brooks Pure Connect Blue Lifetime Miles: 337.25
New Balance Trainers Lifetime Miles: 314.50
New Balance 1400 Racers Lifetime Miles: 65.00
Brook Pureflow Lifetime Miles: 99.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
205.5015.003.000.0022.50246.00
Nike Elite Miles: 30.00Nike Air Pegasus Miles: 96.75Brooks Adrenaline 7 Miles: 26.50Brooks Axiom Miles: 69.25
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
9.000.000.000.000.009.00

AM - ran the dog around the block.

Afternoon - ran from work and did the Landfill Loop via Planet Walk. Averaged right under 7:00/mile. It is an amazing gorgeous day; sunny 50 degrees. I'll take it for December 1!

Nike Elite Miles: 9.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
9.750.000.000.000.009.75

AM - ran the dog around the block.

noon - did some sort of Providence - Millville Loop. 6:44/mile average pace.

Nike Air Pegasus Miles: 9.75
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
7.000.000.000.000.007.00

AM - ran the dog around the block, then ran to meet people for coffee. 2 miles total.

noon - did the Planet Walk from work. 5 miles at about 7:15/mile pace.

Brooks Adrenaline 7 Miles: 7.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
10.000.000.000.000.0010.00

Ran the dog for a mile, then ran to the chiropractor. My x-ray results were in. On 5-20-08 my neck angle was 18 degrees. On 9-11-08 my neck angle had only improved to to 22 degrees. Then on 11-20-08 my neck angle improved to 33 degrees. At this point, it's considered to be in the range of "normal", but I'm going to continue the program for another month or so and see if I can get it up to the upper-30s. The curve of the upper part of my neck looks really good, but the lower part does not. So we devised a strategy to help that, what I'm not sure what will happen. In any case, looking at the progression of x-rays, it's night and day, so that was nice to see.

Ran back to work from the chiro. 7:15 pace overall.

Nike Air Pegasus Miles: 10.00
Comments(8)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
3.256.000.000.000.009.25

AM - ran the dog around the block

noon - mini workout. Ran home from work to get my garmin (I forgot it), then ran out to the First Dam Run 10K course and ran it at brisk pace. But on the second half, "brisk" got faster and faster, so I'll go ahead and count this as MP. Felt great. Splits were 6:14, 6:06, 6:06, 5:47, 5:36, 5:26.

Brooks Axiom Miles: 9.25
Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
15.000.000.000.000.0015.00

Ran from my house to the River Trail, where I met Jon. Fought a little bit of a canyon wind, but not too bad (but very cold). Then we ran to Guineva Malibu and back. There was some snow on the trail, but it was soft and not icy. Averaged 8:08/mile for the entire run.

Nike Air Pegasus Miles: 15.00
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
10.000.000.000.000.0010.00

It was very snowy here in Logan this morning. By the afternoon the roads had cleared up, but I ran to the gym anyway and did my workout on the treadmill, mostly because I just wanted to zone out and listen to music, and I wanted to get a good sweat in. Warmed up for a mile, and then did 6 miles of "brisk", progressing from 6:30 pace to 6:00 at the end, with a 0.5-1.0 incline. Cooled down for half a mile, and then ran home, and then back to work. 10 miles total.

I weighed myself before my run for the first time in a couple months. I was 128 lbs with shoes on, down a few lbs from last time. I had a feeling I had lost a little bit, due to how my jeans were fitting. It's the least I've weighed since my freshman year of high school. Not that I'm trying to, but it's hard to keep weight on while not eating any bread, potatoes, rice, dairy, or processed foods. Just an unlimited amount of meats, eggs, non-starchy vegetables, and fruits. Supposedly high-protein diets, such as Paleodiet, speed up the metabolism. But I've actually lost my skinny-fatguy paunch, and for once have some definition around my abs. Energy is high, and running feels good, so I guess I'll stick with it.

Brooks Axiom Miles: 10.00
Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
9.000.000.000.000.009.00

AM - ran the dog around the block

noon - ran from work and did the Landfill Loop via Planet Walk. I got into a nice rhythm and averaged 6:34/mile for the run.

Nike Air Pegasus Miles: 9.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
7.000.000.000.000.007.00

AM - ran to coffee and back (1.5 miles)

noon - did the Planet Walk from work, then ran back to work, ran to the bank (5.5 miles). Nice and easy pace, about 7:30/mile.

Brooks Adrenaline 7 Miles: 6.00Brooks Axiom Miles: 1.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
4.006.000.000.000.0010.00

AM - ran the dog around the block

noon - did a slow tempo on the First Dam Run 10K course. Tried to dial it back a little from last week. Splits were 6:10, 6:06, 5:52, 5:48, 5:45, 5:43.

Nike Elite Miles: 10.00
Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
8.500.000.000.000.008.50

AM - ran the dog around the block

noon - ran the canal trail out to the end of Hugie Hydro Park and back. 7:27/mile average.

Brooks Axiom Miles: 8.50
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
12.500.000.000.003.0015.50

Blizzard here in Logan today. I woke up to 6 inches of snow on the ground, and more on the way. I decided to call off the 8AM run in hopes the roads would be plowed and in good shape by afternoon. No such luck, so at 1PM I ran to the gym (0.8 miles), and did 4 miles on the treadmill at about 7:10 pace, then 30 minutes on the elliptical (just to break things up), then 7 more miles on the treadmill at about 7:00 pace. When I ran home from the gym, and it was blizzarding again, this time harder than before. I guess winter has begun!

Nike Air Pegasus Miles: 15.50
Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
11.000.000.000.000.0011.00

AM - ran the dog around the block

PM - got caught up in a phone conference, so couldn't get out until 3:30PM. It was cold, and roads were icy in spots, but still good enough for a slow tempo. I just relaxed and didn't worry about pace, as I had to dodge cars (no shoulder with all the snow) and ice spots. Plus, the air was stinky. I did a Millville out-and-back, with 6 miles of tempo. Tempo miles were 6:21, 6:10, 6:08, 6:00, 6:07, 6:04.

Brooks Axiom Miles: 11.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
9.000.000.000.000.009.00

Ran the dog around the block, then ran to the chiropractor via the Logan Loop. Averaged about 7:15/mile on the snowy roads.

Nike Air Pegasus Miles: 9.00
Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
9.000.000.000.000.009.00

AM - ran the dog around the block, then ran to breakfast (2 miles total)

noon - ran home, then did the Landfill Loop; ran back to work (7 miles total). Also did 6x100m strides. Very very cold today, my beard was completely frozen dispite the sun being out. Averaged 6:40/mile overall.

Brooks Adrenaline 7 Miles: 9.00
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
5.003.003.000.000.0011.00

AM - ran the dog around the block. Bitter cold out.

noon - still bitter cold out, but at least it's sunny. I ran my First Dam Run progressive tempo. I think I went faster today than usual because it was so cold and I wanted to be done and back indoors. Splits were 5:59, 6:03, 5:36, 5:39, 5:28, 5:23. I lost a fair bit of time on mile 2 and 4 due to Island Rd being a sheet of ice. Hit a few other ice spots that forced me to slow down, but for the most part it was good. Finished up by doing 6x30s hill charges up the Boulevard.

Nike Elite Miles: 11.00
Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
9.000.000.000.000.009.00

hmmm...almost forgot to blog my run. Inconceivable!!

AM - ran the dog around the block

noon - snowing like crazy, so I ran from work to the gym, and then did 6.5 miles on the treadmill at about 7:00-pace. Then ran home, and back to work.

Brooks Axiom Miles: 9.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
13.500.000.000.002.5016.00

More snow today. I opted out, and ran to the gym, then did 6 miles on the treadmill, 25 minutes on the elliptical, and 6 more miles on the treadmill, then ran home. I'll call that a "long run".

Nike Air Pegasus Miles: 13.50
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
7.000.000.000.004.0011.00

More snow today.

AM - ran the dog around the block.

PM - ran from work to the gym, the long way through River Heights. Then did a fartlek session on the elliptical - 4 minutes hard, 2 minutes easy, repeat 4 times. Cooled down by running 3.5 miles on the treadmill, then running home and back to work.

Brooks Axiom Miles: 7.00
Comments(6)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
9.500.000.000.000.009.50

The weather and roads were little better today, so I ran from work to the end of Millville and back. My garmin ran out of batteries early on, but I g-mapped it out to be 9.5 miles. Roads were good in many spots, but very slushy in others, so traction was not great. I should have done part of it on the treadmill, but on the other hand it was nice to get outside.

Nike Air Pegasus Miles: 9.50
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
4.000.000.000.000.004.00

AM - ran the dog around the block

noon - ran the Planet Walk and back. I kept it short today, partially because of time constraints, partially because I think my body needs an easy week to change things up, and partially because my left knee is feeling a little bit creaky and tight.

Based on past experiences, it feels like the very early stages of patellofemoral pain syndrome (runners' knee), which I've had a couple different times in either knee. Usually this occurs from poor kneecap tracking due to hamstring tightness and/or quad weakness. In the past, I've staved it off by deep self-massage on the lower quad, leg extensions and other quad-strengthening exercises, and stretching the quads and hamstrings really well. Right now there is no pain at all while running, but I can just feel some pressure and weakness, so I'll be keeping an eye on it. There is no sense in forcing mileage for the sake of mileage, especially with these poor road conditions and with races of any consequence being so far away.

Brooks Adrenaline 7 Miles: 4.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.500.000.000.003.003.50

Still not feeling excited about running, and I didn't push the issue. I jogged the dog around the block in the morning, and then went up to Green Canyon in the early afternoon for a short XC ski session. There was absolutely no wind in the canyon, and big fat snowflakes were falling leisurely. It was quite pretty. Snow coverage was really good, but it was relatively warm, so snow was sticking to my skis on the way up, but going down was great.

Merry Christmas!

Brooks Adrenaline 7 Miles: 0.50
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.003.003.00

Skipped out on running again, and spent the morning skiing at Beaver Mountain. My tele turns weren't the sharpest, but all in all I had a good ski day. 18" of new powder, and combined with a day off work...rare! After I was sufficiently tired, I went home and dug out the driveway. Is that cross training as well?

Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
5.500.000.000.003.008.50

Roads were still completely trashed with snow, so I jogged to the gym. I did 4 miles on the treadmill and then 30 minutes on the elliptical. Quads and glutes were sore from telemarking yesterday.

Nike Air Pegasus Miles: 5.50
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
11.000.000.000.000.0011.00

I actually got to run outdoors today. It was a bit warmer, above freezing, and the roads were slushy and sloppy. But definitely clear enough to run. The only annoyance was dodging cars and getting splashed with slush. I ran the North Logan Loop from work, and kept the pace moderate, anywhere from 6:30 to 7:30/mile. Average pace was a little about 7:00/mile.

Brooks Axiom Miles: 11.00
Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
4.000.000.000.004.008.00

AM - ran the dog around the block

PM - very nice day today, in the low 40's with sunshine. The roads were in great shape. How rare! Unfortunately, I wanted to today to be a cross training day, as my knee is still not feeling quite right. No pain while running, but is very tight if I go down to a full squat. So I guess I consider this "preventative". I ran from work through River Heights to the gym, then did 30 minutes on the elliptical, with a 4x4-minute fartlek session (2 minutes recovery). Then I did some single-leg extensions, adductors, abductors, and a few chin-ups. Ran home, and then back to work.

Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
2.500.000.000.000.002.50

Still babying the left knee. Also the top of my hamstring/low butt hurts now on my left leg. It only hurts if I bend over or push my knee to my chest; no pain while running. But that is inevitable. I think I'm falling apart and I'm not made to run anymore. Too much tendon damage, and I think I'm washed up. Oh well. It's been a nice ride.

I ran the the dog around the block and then ran to coffee. Ran home for lunch. I should note that none of the things I complained about above hurt while running, but they are not getting better either. I think I may get myself to Painters, and then take a break for a while after that. But who knows. I'll be trying a new medication in January (sulphasalazine), so maybe that will shore up my peripheral joints.

Brooks Axiom Miles: 2.50
Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
205.5015.003.000.0022.50246.00
Nike Elite Miles: 30.00Nike Air Pegasus Miles: 96.75Brooks Adrenaline 7 Miles: 26.50Brooks Axiom Miles: 69.25
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