December 29th- January 4th 2015

Mileage for the Year 2015
30 miles

Mileage for the week 12/29- 1/4/15
55 miles

1/4
10 miles

7 above when I took off from home today. Felt great to be outside in the sun!!!! Ran my south loop and kept it general aerobic pace.  Felt pretty good.

1/3
Off

Just sore and tired after wrestling practice today. Nice to take a nap and watch a little football.

1/2
6 miles

Decided to run right after wrestling practice.  I wrestled a bunch today too.  I kept it easy and the Alaska Club south is way too hot. I'm not uncomfortable running, I can take the heat. But, I sweat so much and I get to drenched.

1/1
13 miles

What a great run today to start off the new year!!! I went to the west club, since south was closed.  Was thinking of running outside, but it rained last night and looked very icy outside.  Anyways, started out at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 5:27 pace at the end.  Last few miles were all sub 6. The whole run felt effortless.  Here are some key races, I'm thinking about this year.

1. Fargo Marathon
2. Twilight 12K
3. Alaska 10K Classic
4. Skinny Raven Half-Marathon
5. Chicago Marathon

Mileage for the Year 2014
3,811 miles

12/31
10 miles

Over 40 degrees out this morning and slightly raining.  Felt so good to be outside on the last day of 2014!  Ran my South loop and needed Ice bugs.  Kept it easy and felt pretty good.  Hips a little sore from wrestling.  Big Mileage PR for the Year.  Looking forward to new goals for 2015.

12/30
8 miles

Got it done again after wrestling practice.  It's been nice jumping in the sauna after my run and stretching.  I forgot how nice a sauna can be.  Kept the run easy again. Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 6:30 pace.

12/29
8 miles

Wrestled live a bunch today and drilled.  I needed to keep moving and get my run started before I couldn't move. Lol. Once I warmed up I felt really good.  Ran easy today. Started at 7:30 and progressed down to 6:40 pace.

December 22nd- December 28th

Mileage for the Year 2014
3,785 miles

Mileage for the week 12/22- 12/28
62 miles

12/28
8 miles

I ran on the treadmill at South because Zach wanted to lift weights.  I kept it easy, but was low 6 pace toward the end. Felt good.

12/27
9 miles

Went to the AK club after wrestling practice.  I was pretty sore when I started from wrestling, but after I warmed up I felt really good. Kept it really easy at recovery pace the 1st half then I started bringing the pace down. Last 2 miles were sub 6.

12/26
10 miles

Ran at the AK club since it was snowing outside and I wanted to keep the running easy.  Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 5:40 pace.  I sweat so much in the club.  I probably would've run longer, but it was almost embarassing how sweaty I was.

Wrestled later that day too.

12/25
8 miles

Ran to Dearmoun and back.  Snowed a little this morning. Felt pretty good but kept it easy.  Nice to get fresh air.

12/24
10 miles

Ran my south loop outside and ran it harder then I was expecting.  For some reason I just felt like running fast.  Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 6 min pace outside in the snow.  Nice to get outside and run!!!!

12/23
9 miles

Ran at the AK club again.  Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 5:39 pace.  I felt really good.  Gonna slow it down tomorrow and try to run longer and outside.

12/22
8 miles

Ran at the Ak club.  Felt good to get legs moving.  Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to sub 6.

December 15th- December 21st

Mileage for the Year 2014
3,723 miles

Mileage for the week 12/15- 12/21
37 miles

12/21
Off

Stayed up late and no time to run before checking out of the hotel.

12/20
9 miles

After another long day of wrestling I was able to escape for a nice hour run.

12/19
Off

No time to really run. Reno tournament of champions!

12/18
7 miles

Ran my normal Reno route alongside the truckee river.  Felt tired and sluggish, but nice to get outside and run in shorts.

12/17
7 miles

Pretty sore this morning running since I wrestled a little bit yesterday at practice.  These two sports don't mix in that aspect.  Unless I was to wrestle a lot more.  Felt pretty good once I warmed up a little.  Kept it easy starting at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 6:40 pace.

12/16
7 miles

Another good feeling run this morning.  Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 6 min. pace.

12/15
7 miles

Nice to get back on schedule and run.  Felt good.

December 8th- December 14th

Mileage for the Year 2014
3,686 miles

Mileage for the week 12/8- 12/14
17 miles

12/14
10 miles

I finally got outside and had a great run today.  It was warm out (35above) and sunny.  I ran my South  loop.  I didn't run the last 5 days, because I just got overwhelmed with work and wrestling.  I know I need a slow down in my life right now.  Running is a great release though.

12/13
Off

12/12
Off

12/11
Off

12/10
Off

12/9
Off

12/8
7 miles

Super tired this morning.  Felt ok.

December 1st- December 7th

Mileage for the Year 2014
3,669 miles

Mileage for the week 12/1- 12/7
50 miles

12/7
12 miles

I finally used my Alaska Club membership and ran on the treadmill.  They have a super nice Precor treadmill.  I felt really good and started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 5:52 pace.  I hit the sauna for a little bit to stretch after which was nice.

12/6

12/5
8 miles

Yup, another tired morning.  Once I warmed up I felt pretty good.  Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 5:50 pace the last mile.  Gonna be a long 2 days with the tournament in Wasilla tomorrow.

12/4
7 miles

Super tired today.  I need to get more sleep!!!!!!!!! The run did help me feel better though.

12/3
8 miles

I felt pretty good today even after wrestling yesterday.  Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 5:40 pace.

12/2
7 miles

Another great way to start the day.  Felt pretty good, but kept it easy. I may try to do a little tempo workout tomorrow.

12/1
8 miles

Back to work today and got this done before.  I felt pretty good.  Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 6:00pace.

November 24th- November 30th

Mileage for the Year 2014
3,619 miles

Mileage for the week 11/24- 11/30
60 miles

11/30
7 miles

Ran to  Dearmoun and took a short cut home because I was getting tired of running on the unplowed streets and sidewalks plus I had to get Taelynn to dance. Still nice to run outside though.  Had a good 4 days straight outiside.  Back to the treadmill tomorrow.

11/29
13 miles

Snowing pretty good while I was running.  It felt great to be outside in it! Ran my Boston prep route and the footing wasn't all that bad.  Decided to run a little longer today, since I didn't have any plans today which is awesome!!!!!

11/28
8 miles

Was able to get outside and have another good run. Didn't have a whole lot of time so I ran to Dearmoun and back. Felt really good at the end and wish I could've ran a few more miles.

11/27
10 miles

I was able to sleep in a little this morning and I needed it.  Had some breakfast and coffee and lounge a little before I ran.  Ran my south loop and it felt great to get outside!!!! Felt good, but kept it pretty easy.

11/26
7 miles

I'm definetly tired from the lack of sleep and a little stress.  Still nice to get moving in the morning.  Looking forward to the next 4 days!!!!

11/25
8 miles

Felt great this morning right away.  Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 5:39 pace.  I would've run a lot longer if it wasn't for school:)

11/24
7 miles

Real good wake up run this morning.  So stoked it's a short week of work!!!!! Gonna try and run outside everyday during Thanksgiving break.

November 17th- November 23rd

Mileage for the Year 2014
3,559 miles

Mileage for the week 11/17- 11/23
40 miles

11/23
10 miles

Nice to get outside after spending 2 full days in the gymnasium coaching wrestling.  I felt pretty good, but I can tell I'm tired and ate crappy and didn't sleep much this weekend.  It's ok though.  Nothing on the radar for now.

11/22
Off- Palmer Invitational All Day

11/21
Off- Palmer Invitational All Day

11/20
7 miles

Felt good again this morning. Music makes all the difference.  Probably won't be running the next 2 days because of the Palmer Invitational coming up. It'll be a full busy 2 days.

11/19
7 miles

Another good run before work.  Started at 7:30 pace and progress down to 6:30pace.  Just keeping it easy for awhile, so I don't have to reset from the bottom when I do start training again.

11/18
8 miles

Surprisingly I felt pretty good this morning after a couple of miles, so I decided to pick it up the last 3 miles and ran sub 6 pace (5:56, 5:52, 5:46) Felt good to run fast for a change.

11/17
7 miles

Another good run before work.  Felt good after the first mile.

November 10th- November 16th

Mileage for the Year 2014 
3,519 miles

Mileage for the week 11/10- 11/16
47 miles

11/16
10 miles

Had a great run this afternoon.  Ran my south loop and it was nice to get outside in the nice cool weather.  Can't believe it's November 16th and there isn't any snow yet.

11/15
Off- 1st wrestling tournament of the season.

11/14
7 miles

Same Same:)

11/13
8 miles

I was tired when I woke up, but suprised how good I felt running this morning.  Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 5:35 pace.  Last 2 miles were sub 5:45.  Felt really good.

11/12
7 miles

Pretty sore from Wrestling again last night and tired from not enough sleep.  Still had a good run this morning though and I'm so glad I get to start my day off with some exercise.

11/11
8 miles

A little tired when I started this morning, but felt really good toward the end so I picked it up a little.  Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 5:46 pace.

11/10
7 miles

Another good run before work today.  Going to be a busy week with our first tournament this weekend.  Glad I get to do these runs before work.

November 3rd- November 9th

Mileage for the Year 2014
3,472 miles

Mileage for the week 11/3- 11/9
60 miles

11/9
9 miles

Took it easy today and ran to Dearmoun and back with some extra. It felt good to be outside and there was a nice warm wind blowing.  I think temps were close to 40 above.  Busy week coming up with our first tournament next weekend.

11/8
15 miles

Ran turnagain arm trail, but the conditions weren't all that good. Pretty slow and icy the entire way to Rainbow from potter.  Decided to jump on the highway on the way back. Progressed down from 6:45 pace to 5:50 pace the last 7 miles.  First double digit run since Marathon.

11/7
7 miles

Same Same! Felt pretty good this morning, just a little tired because it's Friday.  Looking forward to the weekend to be able to get outside!!!

11/6
7 miles

I was suprised how good I felt this morning.  Started at 7:30 pace as always, but progressed down to 5:45 pace toward the end.  Wrestled again at practice.

11/5
7 miles

Real sore this morning from wrestling yesterday.  It was a good idea to run this morning to loosen myself up a little.  Felt pretty good after a couple of miles.

11/4
8 miles

Another good run before work today.  Seeing my wrestlers coming in to do extra work in the morning is motivating!!!!

11/3
7 miles

I got a pretty good nights sleep and felt pretty good this morning.  Took a mile to get the legs feeling ok though.  I just passed my all time Yearly mileage record that I set 2 years ago and it's only November 3rd.

October 27th- November 2nd

Mileage for the Year 2014
3,412 miles

Mileage for the week 10/27- 11/2
52 miles

11/2
8 miles

Zach wanted to go lift weights today up at South, so I just decided to get my run done on the treadmill at South.  I felt great running.  Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 5:40 pace.

11/1
9+ miles

Ran my awesome new loop at Kincaid again. Felt really good and threw in some strides at the end on the road.  Nice getting outside!

10/31
7 miles

I'm pretty proud of myself running every single day before work this week.  It'll keep me in somewhat good shape and sane for the most part.  Felt good running, but a little tired from staying up late last night.

10/30
7 miles

Another easy 7 before work today.  Felt good and even picked it up for the last mile sub 6.

10/29
7 miles

Another good run before work.  Felt good.  If I can just keep these easy runs going through most of the wrestling season, I'll be happy.  1st day of Official Wrestlilng practice today!!!!!!

10/28
7 miles

I felt really good this morning.  I've been starting at 7:30 pace and progressing down to 6:30 pace.  Just gonna do some easy running for awhile.

10/27
7 miles

I was able to motivate myself to get up early and run before school at South.  It really isn't that hard to get out and do this since wrestling is about to begin and will really be the only time I can run.  It felt good.

October 20th- October 26th

Mileage for the Year 2014
3,360 miles

Mileage for the week 10/20- 10/26
42 miles

10/26
8 miles

Same run as yesterday, but solo.  So, much fun running on these single track mountain bike trails.  The views of the inlet weren't bad either.  Felt pretty good and so nice to run outside!

10/25
8 miles

Proabably one of the coolest/fun runs of the entire year.  Ran out in Kincaid on some awesome single track Mountain Bike trails.  Beautiful view on the inlet and mountains.  I've got to do that run again.  Great company too:)

10/24
6 miles

Was able to get outside and run to Huffman and back.  Sunnny and cold out, but felt good.

10/23
6 miles

Easy running on the treadmill before all day parent teacher confereces. Felt great.

10/22
8 miles

Had a real good time running on the hills on the lower hillside.  lots of single track that was fun and good company as well.  I need to try and do more of this type of running over the winter.

10/21
Off- Wrestled

10/20
6 miles

It snowed today!!!!!! The sidewalks were pretty dry/wet by this afternoon though.  Kept it super easy pace again.

October 13th- October 19th

Mileage for the Year 2014
3,318 miles

Mileage for the week 10/13- 10/19
18 miles

10/19
5 miles

Ran with Jerry Ross at Hilltop Ski area this morning.  It felt reallly good to be outside this brisk cold morning.  Good to connect with nature.  We kept it really easy and I felt pretty good once I was warmed up.

10/18
6 miles

Reay easy pace to Huffman and back.  Feels so good to be running.  Amazing fall we have been having.  Went on a nice Hike in the evening up by Near Point too.

10/17
7 miles

Nice to get the legs moving a little again.  I ran the coastal trail and the weather is still so nice!  I felt really good, but knew I need to recover for a couple weeks and keep things easy.

10/16
Off

10/15
Off

10/14
Off

10/13
Off

October 6th- October 12th "Race Week"

Mileage for the Year 2014
3,300 miles

Mileage for the week 10/6- 10/12
54 miles

10/12
Off

10/11
29 mile (26.2 Bemidji Blue Ox Marathon- 2:36:47) 1st Place Overall

Tough day, but I'll report later.

10/10
4+ miles

Nice and easy to just past Paul and Babe and back.  I felt really good!!! Excited for tomorrow!!!

10/9
6 miles

Nice and easy in Detroit Lake after I got off the plane.  I was tired, but it was nice to get out and run.  I actually was running alond the Dick Beardsley 1/2 marathon course.

10/8
Off- Rest Day

10/7
7 miles (3 @ Marathon Pace)

I just had time to do this during my lunch hour today.  I felt really good during my MP miles. I kept thinking that I hope my pace feels this easy on Saturday. I'm pretty sure that's a good sign.

3 mile warm-up w/ strides
3 miles @ MP (5:42)
1 mile cool down

10/6
6 miles

Super easy recovery pace during lunch hour.  Felt good.  I'll probably do 2-3 MP miles tomorrow.

September 29th- October 5th

Mileage for the Year 2014
3,245 miles

Mileage for the week 9/29- 10/5
58 miles

10/5
7 miles

Ran with Anna Dalton and Ryan Beckett this morning.  It was cold and a little windy, but it felt good to run in.  It was nice to run easy today and with 2 others that will be running Chicago next sunday.  We've all put a lot of work into our races next week and I have a feeling there are a few PRs coming up.  Ran from westchester.

10/4
13 miles

My last double digit run before the race.  Running in the fall is so darn beautiful.  Ran from Westcher again and did 10 on the coastal trail and 3 on chester creek.  I felt pretty good and I kept it easy.  I made it progressive.  Started at 7:20 pace and progressed down to 6:10 pace.  My legs felt good.  Lots of snow on the mountains now.

10/3
6 miles

Easy recovery pace today.  Felt good.

10/2
11 miles (3 x 1 mile @ 5k pace w/ 2:15 rest and 3 miles @ MP)

Last workout really until the race.  I plan on doing a couple of MP miles early next week, but that's about it.  The goal of this workout was not to try and crush it and stay in the correct paces.  It felt really good and actually pretty easy. I'm really happy with how I felt during the Marathon pace miles.  Big confidence boost.
Here it is:

3 mile warm-up w/ strides
3 x 1 mile @ 5K w/ 2:15 rest (5:07- 5:00 avg.)
3 miles @ Marathon pace (5:42 avg.)
1 mile cool down

10/1
5 miles

Super easy recovery pace during lunch today.  Felt great and I really wish I could run more:)

9/30
10 miles

General Aerobic pace during my lunch hour today. I felt really good!  I feel like I want to run fast and it's tough holding back.

9/29
6 miles

Nice and easy recovery pace during lunch today.  I felt really good.  Can't wait to race!!!!

September 22nd- September 28th

Mileage for the Year 2014
3,187 miles

Mileage for the week 9/22- 9/28
80 miles

9/28
18 miles

Last long run before Bemidji.  I can't believe the nice weather we have been having.  Started from Westchester again and did a 10 mile out and back on the coastal trail towards Kincaid and then did an 8 mile out and back on chester creek.  I averaged 6:33 pace for the entire run.  Picked it up the last couple miles and ran a 5:46, 5:28 last couple miles. Felt easy.  I'm ready for this marathon.  I'm going to put it down in Bemidji. I'm going for this sub 2:30.

9/27
11 miles (7 @ Tempo)

I had a super workout today. I was going to run a 10K today, but opted out of it after Wednesday's run where I experienced discomfort in my hip flexor and hamstring.  But, after 2 easy days of running I didn't feel any pain at all. So, I decided to do a tempo run to replace the 10K.   I opted for the treadmill just in case I started to feel pain again.  I did a progressive workout and it was probably the best workout I have ever done!  Granted it was on a treadmill, so probably easier.  I just really relaxed and rolled.  It felt so easy!!!!!  Here is is:

3 mile warm-up w/strides
7 @ Tempo (5:30, 5:27, 5:23, 5:21, 5:18, 5:15, 5:13)
1 mile cool down

9/26
10 miles (5am/5pm)

I kept both runs at recovery pace again today. Treadmill at lunch and Huffman and back in the afternoon.  Depending on how I feel tomorrow, I plan on doing 6 miles @ Tempo.

9/25
12 miles (7am/5pm)

Both runs were at easy recovery pace today.  I ran on the treadmill during my lunch hour and I was super glad that my hip flexor and hamstring were much better today.  After school I ran my Huffman and back route and felt good too.  I did notice my hip flexor and hamstring a little, but much improved.  I'll keep it easy on both runs tomorrow too.

9/24
13 miles

My right hip flexor was a little angry today before, during, and after my run.  Also, my right hamstring felt like it was mis firing.  I think it had to do with my strides yesterday, I may have run them too fast like sprints.  I've had these feelings in both areas before, so I'm not too worried.  I'll keep it really easy the next couple of days.

I ran my Boston prep route today in the beautiful and sunny fall weather.  It wasn't that enjoyable though since I was aggrivated by my right leg acting up.  Oh well, just need to play it smart.

9/23
10 miles (10 x 20 sec strides)

I had to wait until later in the afternoon to get this done, but it was worth the wait.  I decided to drive to westchester lagoon again.  Another beautiful and sunny fall day.  I felt ok running, but legs were a little heavy at times.  Kept it at General Aerobic pace and threw in some strides at the end.

9/22
6 miles

My 1st day of my taper, so I decide to run just once today.  Kept it super easy to Huffman and back.  Beautiful and sunny fall day.

September 15th- September 21st

Mileage for the Year 2014
3,107 miles

Mileage for the week 9/15- 9/21
101 miles

9/21
20 miles

Well it took me all day to start my run, but I had a great 20 miler.  I wanted to keep it pretty easy after last weeks long run.  I loved running in the evening with the sunset and all the beautiful fall colors.  Started at 7:10 pace and was quickly down to 6:40 pace and ended with low 6:00 pace.  The last couple of miles I was in the dark and it was kind of fun.  All the hard work of training is done.  Now, I need to get feeling the best I can when I get on the start line in Bemidji.  The taper is very important as well and I don't want to overlook the little things. Especially sleep and my nutrition.  "Hay is in the Barn"

9/20
12 miles (8am/4pm)

Beautiful morning on the coastal trail.  I've really been enjoying running from Westchester on the weekends.  It's a nice change of pace and the running is easy.  My afternoon run was my standard Huffman and back route.  Felt pretty good on both runs and kept them both real easy.

9/19
12 miles (6am/6pm)

Both runs were done at an easy recovery pace.  On the treadmill during lunch and to Huffman and back in the rain after work.  It was a long day......

9/18
20 miles (15am/5pm)

I wanted to get this done early, so I opted for the treadmill.  It was HOT in the training room today.  I was soaked when I was finished.  I kept it easy for the most part, but towards the end I was sub 6 min and I think the heat was getting to me and I felt tired.  Nice to have the longer run out of the way though.

Real easy recovery pace to Huffman and back in the rain in the evening.

9/17
12 miles (6 x 1200 @ 5K pace with 2 min rest)

Probably my most dreaded workout in my marathon training.  I just don't like running at 5K pace for an extended amount of time.  It's a weakness of mine that I need to work on.  I did the workout between Huffman and Dearmoun on Lake Otis.  It's got some gently hills in it and one direction finishes with a pretty good hill.  I toughed it out and finished it though and I'm always glad when it's over. Felt pretty strong too.

3 mile warm-up w/ 5 strides
6 x 1200m @ 5K pace w/ 2min rest (3:51 avg or 5:08 pace)
3 mile cool down

9/16
13 miles (7am/6pm)

I kept it easy again for another day.  I just wanted to make sure to recover from sunday's workout and not push things even though I feel pretty good.  Both runs today were at an easy recovery pace.  Ran on the treadmill during my lunch hour and then to Huffman and back after school.  Felt good.

9/15
12 miles (6am/6pm)

Both runs were done at an easy recovery pace.  Ran on the treadmill during lunch and then ran to Huffman and back after work.  I was suprised at how good my legs felt after my long workout yesterday.  I know I need to recover though, so I may do the same 2 easy runs tomorrow.

September 8th- September 14th

Mileage for the Year 2014
3,006 miles

Mileage for the week 9/8- 9/14
103 miles

9/14
23 miles w/ 17 @ Marathon pace (5:42 avg.)

This was a serious motivating workout for me today.  I must of been pretty excited, because I woke up at 3am and I couldn't fall back asleep.  I ended up getting out of bed at 5am to eat a little breakfast before the workout started at 8am.  I had my buddy Darin Pestrikoff bike next to me and hand me water and feeds, which was real nice.  Anna Dalton and Ryan Beckett also did this workout with me at their own paces.  I'm glad Todd List came up with this workout.  I believe it was also a perfect time to do this in my marathon training.  I felt pretty darn good, the entire time and just tried to relax.  I believe I could've done at least another 5 miles and then things might have gotten interesting.  I did crank it down a little on my last mile and was a 5:30 mile.  Here it is:

3 mile warm-up w/ a couple strides (super easy)
17 miles @ MP (5:42 avg.)
3 mile cool down

My stomach was super bad after the workout the entire day.  I may have had too much food in my system while working out, plus I believe I may have a little stomach sickness going on the last couple of days and this just kick started it.

9/13
13 miles (9am/4pm)

Both runs today were on campbell creek trails at an easy recovery pace.  I really love that route how it winds along side the creek.  Big Marathon pace workout tomorrow and I'm pretty excited for it, which is a good sign.

9/12
12 miles

I had to wait to run after work today.  Of course it was raining pretty good, but it actually felt good being out in the rain.  I kept it pretty easy since I have a real big workout on Sunday.  I ran my Boston prep route and felt good.

9/11
12 miles (6am/6pm)

Both runs today were at an easy recovery pace.  My legs were a little tired on both runs and I started out kind of sore before I got warmed up.  I'm sure it was from the last 2 days.  Ran on the south track during my lunch hour and to Huffman and back in the evening.

9/10
15 miles

Ran my Boston prep route.  I felt pretty strong, but tried to dial it down.  Still averaged 6:39 pace for the entire run.  Started at 7:25 pace and was sub 6 the last 2 miles.  Raining again:(

9/9
16 miles (10 w/ 6X800m am/6pm)

During my lunch hour I did my VO2max workout @ 5K pace.  I felt pretty darn good and kept the rest to 90 seconds.

4 mile warm-up w/ strides
6 x 800m @ 5K pace w/ 90 sec rest (2:30 avg.)
1.5 mile cool down

In the afternoon I ran an easy recovery pace to Huffman and back in the pouring rain!

9/8
12 miles (6am/6pm)

Ran on the treadmill during lunch today at recovery pace and then to Huffman and back after school at recovery pace as well.  I felt really good during lunch, but kind of tired on my second run.

September 1st- September 7th

Mileage for the Year 2014
2,903 miles

Mileage for the week 9/1- 9/7
102 miles

9/7
21 miles

Another amazing sunny fall day!!!!! Ran from Westchester again. Ran an out and back to Earthquake park and then got on chester creek and went to Albrect fields and back.  Kept the run easy for the most part, but was cruising.  Started at 7:20 pace and progressed down to 5:30 pace for the last mile.  The average for all 21 was 6:22 pace.  It felt very easy, which is motivating.

9/6
9 miles

Beautiful day today.  Love this fall weather.  Ran from Westchester Lagoon and did an out and back a little past Earthquake park.  Kept it at an easy recovery pace.  Felt great.

9/5
17 miles (12 miles w/ 8 @ Tempo (5:24 avg.)am &5pm)

I had a great workout today.  I felt strong and it was comfortable.  I believe I stayed in Tempo pace because I never extended myself and could have gone longer for sure.  Great confidence boost for me!

Easy 5 recovery pace mile to Huffman and back in the rain.


9/4
12 miles (6am/6pm)

Both runs were done at an easy recovery pace.  Easy on the treadmill at lunch and to Huffman and back in the rain in the evening.  Felt pretty good.

9/3
15 miles

What a day!  The sun was out and I felt great!  I was going to run easier, but I felt good so I kind of went with it.  Started at 7:15 pace, but was down to 6:35 by mile 3.  The majority of the run was around 6:15 pace with my last 2 miles 5:45, 5:29.  Love runs like this one.

9/2
16 miles (10am w/ 10X100m strides and 6pm)

General Aerobic run today at South during my lunch break and threw some strides in on the track of 100m.  Felt really good today.

Nice and easy recovery to Huffman and back after school. Felt good.

9/1
12 miles (6am/6pm)

Ran from Albrecht fields off of elmore with Holly at noon.  Kept it easy and felt pretty good.  In the evening I ran to Huffman and back.  Ran a little later than I wanted, but felt really good. Kept it at recovery pace though.

August 25th- August 31st

Mileage for the Year 2014
2,801 miles

Mileage for the week 8/25- 8/31
104 miles

8/31
20 miles (13 @ MP)- 5:41 avg.

I decided to do today's workout on the treadmill.  I just wanted to feel pace and not have to worry about hills and cracks in pavement, etc...

I felt really good today.  I do believe it's a little easier on the treadmill, but I was amazed at how I felt.  I'm thinking all this mileage is finally paying off.  I haven't felt this good during a 100 mile week.  Here is the workout:

4 mile warm-up w/ strides
13 @ MP (5:52, 5:46, 5:46, 5:46, 5:46, 5:39, 5:39, 5:39, 5:36, 5:36, 5:36, 5:36, 5:21)
3 mile cool down

8/30
13 miles (8am/5pm)

Ran with Holly in the morning. It was a cool but beautiful and sunny morning!  We ran the coastal trail from Westchester Lagoon. Nice and easy with good conversation.

Huffman and back in the afternoon. Felt really good.

8/29
17 miles  (12am/5pm)

Had a great run during my lunch hour.  I ran it on my treadmill at work.  2 reasons I ran on the treadmill today.  #1- I wanted to get this run done and not wait until this evening to run longer. #2.- Its nice to just focus on pace and keeping things easy.  My marathon in October will be flat for the most part anyways.  I started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 5:52 pace the last mile.

Easy recovery after work to Huffman and back.

8/28
12 miles (6am/6pm)

Both runs were done at an easy recovery pace.  I felt pretty good during both runs too.  Ran on the treadmill during lunch and then to Huffman and back after work.

8/27
15 miles

After school, I ran my Boston prep route with elmore extention.  After a few easy miles, I did pick it up into the low 6's.  Last mile was 5:44.  I really think the last 2 weeks of taking it easy, I needed.  Hopefully, that was a recharge going into these last 6 weeks.

8/26
15 miles (9am w/ 6 x800m and 6pm)

Took advantage of the nice and sunny day and did my workout on my lunch hour on the South track.  I felt kinda tired on the warm-up, but strong during my workout.  Here it is:

3 mile warm-up w/ strides
6 x 800m w/ 90 sec rest (2:32, 2:30, 2:30, 2:29, 2:30, 2:26)
3+ mile cool down

Easy recovery pace to Huffman and back in the evening.


8/25
12 miles (6am/6pm)

Both runs were done at an easy recovery pace.  During my lunch hour I ran easy on my treadmill at school.  In the evening I was able to run with my new friend Holly.  Ran from the Albrecht ball fields on the corner of Elmore and Martin Luther King.  We ran the bike path on chester creek trail close to East High School before we turned around.  Nice to run with company and after raining hard most of the day the sun came out!

August 18th- August 24th

Mileage for the Year 2014
2,697 miles

Mileage for the week 8/18- 8/24
81 miles

8/24
22 miles

Ran my Boston prep route then the Elmore Extention to UAA and back.  It was slightly raining when I started, but the temps were great for running.  It was definitely fall in the air this morning.  I woke up at 6am to eat and I know that helps. Took off out the door by 7:45am.  I wasn't going to focus on pace today and just go on feel.  Started at 7:30 pace, but by mile 3 I was sub 7 and really averaged 6:30 pace for most of the run which made it real relaxing and enjoyable.  My last 2 miles were sub 6 though.

I ended up taking 2 recovery weeks and I'm pretty sure I needed it.  7 weeks to go to the marathon, so hopefully I get in some good training the next 4 weeks.



8/23
10 miles

Ran my south loop at an easy recovery pace as well.  Legs feeling much better! I really needed this extra down week.

8/22
8 miles

Easy recovery pace after work today.  I finally felt like my legs had some life in them.  I ran to Dearmoun and back in the sun!

8/21
6 miles

Man are my legs ever tired. I took it super easy today and my legs just felt dead! I'm not sure what to think? I looked in my log in past training after a half marathon and I usually bounce back a lot faster. I think I'm just gonna keep it easy the rest of this week and try to bounce back.  I don't want to jeopardize over training.  Another sunny day though on my Huffman and back route.

8/20
15 miles

1st Day of School today with Kids!!!!!! Ran after work and it was a beautiful and sunny day.  Nice to get some good weather this time of year.  My run however wasn't the greatest.  My legs still aren't recovered from Sunday.  I started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 6:30 pace by mile 6 and finished up around 6:15 pace, but my legs just felt heavy!  I ran my Boston prep route with Elmore extention.  I'm gonna take it easy for the next few days for sure.

8/19
12 miles (7am/5pm)

Both easy recovery pace runs. I can still feel the heaviness in my legs today from Sunday.  I did feel much better in the evening run though. Another beautiful and sunny 70 degree day! Suppose to be nice all week.

8/18
8 miles

Easy recovery to Dearmoun and back.  Beautiful and sunny out.  Need to take advantage of these days, because before I know it, it's gonna get cold and dark:(  Kept it easy, but legs were tired from yesterday.

August 11th- August 17th

Mileage for the Year 2014
2,616 miles

Mileage for the week 8/11- 8/17
73 miles

8/17
18 miles (Skinny Raven Half Marathon: 1:13:39)

I had a decent race this morning.  I actually felt pretty strong for the first 7-8 miles, but then I did kind of check out mentally and didn't stay strong for whatever reason.  I was running solo, but I just didn't feel like going to the next level and hurting a little more.  I know I need to get better at that.  I've run faster, but I did when I had more workouts under my belt during training.  I believe I'm going to cut back just a little in mileage and make sure my workouts are spot on.

Here it is:
2.5 mile warm up with strides
13.1 mile race- 1:13:39
2.5 mile cool down

8/16
4 miles (4 x 20 sec. strides)

Just an easy shakeout run with some strides to get ready to race tomorrow.  My legs do feel better than they have all week.

8/15
6 miles

I ran an easy 6 miles after an all day In-service.  My legs still felt a little heavy, but after a few miles I did feel better.  Kept it easy the entire run.

8/14
11 miles (7am/4pm)

First day back to work at South today.  I was able to run 7 pretty easy, but maybe a little to fast for recovery during my lunch hour.  I felt okay towards the end.  Then in the evening around 7pm I did another 4 miles, but kept that at recovery pace.  I didn't feel all that great either.  Just heavy legs and tired.  I'm sure I'll feel better the next couple of days.  All easy running until Sunday.

8/13
12 miles

I decided to run the half marathon course to try to familiarize myself with it.  I parked at westchester  and headed out. They were paving parts of the bike path, so I had to detour some sections.  It was also raining pretty good the whole run.  It's basically a gradual uphill the first half and turnaround and gradual downhill the 2nd half.  I need to make sure I save something for that 2nd half so I can roll. I'm actually excited to race. I'd like to have a fast time, but just running hard is going to set me up for the big picture, which is my fall marathon.

Kept it pretty easy today. Felt good.

8/12
10 miles ( 5 x 800m @ 5K pace w/ 90 sec rest)

Ran up to Hanshew to do this workout on the track.  I actually felt pretty good with the 800s.  I just tried to keep it honest and not push the pace.  I'm not use to running the VO2max stuff and usually the first session is the hardest for me.  Nice to turnover a little bit today.

3 mile warm-up w/ 4 striders
5 x 800m (2:34, 2:33, 2:32, 2:32, 2:30)
3.5 mile cool down

8/11
12 miles (7am/5pm)

Both runs were to Huffman and back at easy recovery pace.  I felt surprisingly good, especially after a big week.  I'm gonna cut my mileage down this week to recover for my 1/2 marathon on Sunday.

August 4th- August 10th

Mileage for the Year 2014
2,543 miles

Mileage for the week 8/4- 8/10
113 miles

8/10
21 miles

Another great run this morning.  I wanted to take it easy and I think I did a pretty good job with that.  Started off at 7:30pace and warmed up to sub 7 by mile 3.  Ran my Boston prep route and elmore extention to UAA.  Most of my mile were around 6:20 pace and ran a couple sub 6 miles at the end.  Felt really good and another great week of training.

8/9
8 miles

Easy Recovery pace to Dearmoun and back.  Sad to say, but I'm loving these cooler temps.  Legs felt a little tired, but overall I felt pretty good today.

8/8
19 miles (13am/6pm)

Ran my boston prep route this morning.  I was gonna take it real easy, but I felt so good!  First couple were easy, but by mile 3 I was already at 6:40 pace and I probably ran the last 6-7 miles at sub 5:55 pace while holding back.  Very positive run and maybe the weather played into too.  It was cool and cloudy and felt like fall a little.

Super easy recovery pace to Huffman and back in the evening.  Felt good.

8/7
14 miles (8am/6pm)

Ran from Studio 49 this morning. I started out really easy and I was over 8 minutes at the first mile.  Kept the entire run really easy.

Real easy to Huffman and back in the evening.  Legs were tired, but that's expected.

8/6
20 miles (15am/5pm)

I was able to get a little breakfast (toast w/peanut butter and jelly) before my run this morning.  Ran my Boston prep route with Elmore.  Started at 7:30 pace and felt a little tired and heavy legs. I started to feel better around mile 4. I eventually progressed down to 6:15 pace for the remainder of run and ran a 5:23 last mile. I was feeling really good.

Ran to Huffman and back at recovery pace after a long day of work. I was tired physically and mentally. Got it done though.

8/5
16 miles (10am/6pm)

Ran before work this morning and my legs felt tired and heavy. No pop at all.  I ran my south loop with a little extra.

Ran home from skinny mini at recovery pace. Legs felt tired and heavy again.  Need to recover tonight and get some quality sleep!

8/4
15 miles (9am/6pm)

Both runs were at easy recovery pace. I felt pretty good too. In the morning I took off from studio 49 and took the trail all the way to Elmore. I really like that trail alongside the river. In the evening I did my standard Huffman and back. Both runs were done in the light rain.

July 28th - August 3rd

Mileage for the Year 2014
2,430 miles

Mileage for the week 7/28- 8/3
110 miles

8/3
20 miles

Ran my Boston prep route with Elmore extention.  I didn't really want to push the pace today, but after 5-6 miles I did feel pretty strong.  Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to some sub 6 miles at the end.  Last mile was 5:31, but ran the last 400 pretty hard.  I truly believe I'm finally absorbing the mileage or at least it's not beating me up anymore. 20 miles didn't feel like a big deal today and I feel recovered.  Almost like I'd like to run a recovery pace run tonight, but I'm not going to go there :).  Another solid week of training in the books.

8/2
17 miles (11am w/10K Classic and 6pm)

I wasn't sure what to expect this morning in the 10K Classic. It was a different course and I'm running pretty high mileage.  It wasn't the time I was hoping for, but due to the course and my mileage I'm ok with it.  I also haven't done anything specific for a 10K.  I've done a few tempo workouts, but that's it. No VO2 max stuff yet.  I'll be shooting for sub 33 closer to the marathon.

Here it is:
3 mile warm up w/strides
10K- 33:44
2 mile cool down

In the evening I did a nice and sunny 6 miles at recovery pace to Huffman and back.

8/1
11 miles (7am/4pm)

Ran to Huffman and back this morning at recovery pace and threw in 5 x 20 sec strides at the end. Felt pretty good.  In the evening I ran the same route at an easy recovery pace as well. Tomorrow is the 10K Classic. I'll see what my legs have in them, but I feel pretty fit.

7/31
13 miles (7am/6pm)

Decided to run the Alaska 10K course this morning to check it out.  I ran it at recovery pace.  It has lots of rolling hills and turns and also a hairpin turn in it. I believe it's a slower course than normal.  They changed it because of construction on chester creek this year.  Felt good running however.

Easy to Huffman and back in the evening. Felt good again.  I normally don't have the spring in my legs on recovery runs.  Nice and sunny and warm today too!

7/30
21 miles (15am/6pm)

Was up by 6am and out the door by 7 this morning. Ran my Boston prep route with Elmore extention.  It was a beautiful morning, but legs just tired. It's been the norm for Wednesday's medium distance runs when done early in the morning.  Started at 7:40 pace and progressed down to 6 min pace.

Easy recovery to Huffman and back after work.  Warm and sunny at 75 degrees! Felt good too, but made sure to slow it down.

7/29
16 miles (10am/6pm)

Ran my south loop at General aerobic pace before work and threw in 10 x 20 sec. Strides.  It was foggy and chilly when I took off. Reminded me a little of fall.

Ran to Huffman and back after work at an easy recovery pace. Felt good and it was 72 degrees and sunny! Supposed to be real nice the next few days.

7/28
12 miles (7am/5pm)

Both runs were on my Huffman route and at an easy recovery pace.  I did feel pretty good running though. I think my legs are finally adapting to the higher mileage.  In the evening it was raining pretty good, but it felt great!!!

I'm also icing my foot a lot more and it's feeling much improved.

July 21st- July 27th

Mileage for the Year 2014
2,320 miles

Mileage for the Week 7/21- 7/27
107 miles

7/27
20 miles

Ran my hilly boston prep course and Elmore extention.  It was a beautiful sunny morning.  I woke up at 6am to get a little fuel in me before getting out the door at 7:45am.  I ran the 1st 10 mile in 1hr. 08min. and the next 10 miles in 1hr which is about 6 min. pace.  I was tired at the end, but I felt pretty strong the entire run.  Another solid week.  I'm hoping to run the Alaska 10K classic next saturday.

7/26
15 miles (10.5am/4.5pm)

I felt really good during both of my recovery paced runs today.  Ran my south loop in the morning and threw in 10 X 20 sec. strides.  Ran to Huffman and back in the evening and even the sun came out! Looking forward to my 20 miler tomorrow.  Gonna run the 1st half pretty easy and then progressively pick up the pace.

7/25
12 miles

Great run this morning.  I woke up at 7am to eat breakfast and wake up before heading out the door at 9am.  Ran my south loop.  Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 5:47 pace.  I've been feeling really good on friday's for some reason.  It was fun.

7/24
13 miles (8am/5pm)

Ran from studio 49 this morning.  I really love that route alongside the river.  Kept it easy and at recovery pace.  Ran to Huffman and back in the evening at recovery pace as well.  Nice to run easy and listen to music.

7/23
20 miles (15am/5pm)

Woke up at 6am and was out the door by 7am.  I had a pretty good run despite it being early and being a little tired in the legs.  My plantar was also a little aggravated.  I think it has a lot to do with just running in the morning before it has a chance to warm-up.  Whatever the case, it's not that fun!  I ran my Boston prep course with elmore extention.  Started at 7:35 pace and did progress down to a 5:52 last mile.  My average was slower though (6:50 pace for entire run).

Super easy recovery after a 9hr. shift at work.  Ran my Huffman route.  Felt a little bonky because I didn't eat much today.

7/22
15 miles (4am/11pm w/ 5 @ Tempo and 300m, 200m, 100m, 200m @ Fast)

Just a nice and easy pace before work today.  The sun was out and it was beautiful and pleasant morning.

After work I ran to the Hanshew track by my house to do my tempo workout.  I am pleased with it, especially since I've been tired from the increased volume.  I was going to do 5-6 miles of tempo, but decided on just 5.  If I had someone with me or a coach watching I probably would've done 6. It was comfortably hard.  I also through in just a little fast stuff at the end, to help me with the 10K next weekend.

Here is the workout:
3 mile warm-up w/ 6 striders
5 straight miles of Tempo (5:34, 5:32, 5:29, 5:28, 5:28)
300m, 200m, 100m, 200m (not all out, but close with full 2 minute jog recovery)
1.5 mile cool down

7/21
12 miles (6am/6pm)

Both runs were on my Huffman route and at an easy recovery pace.  They were night and day though.  I did not feel very good this morning which seems to be the case lately.  In the evening though I felt a lot better.  I'm running tempo tomorrow and it's GOING to be a good workout.

July 14th- July 20th

Mileage for the Year 2014
2,213 miles

Mileage for the week 7/14- 7/20
87 miles

7/20
16 miles

I had to run early today before work.  I had a horrible run.  My legs felt somewhat tired, but my Plantar Faciatis was really annoyed this morning.  I'm not sure if it's because I didn't get a chance for it to warm up or not, but it sure is annoying.  It takes all the fun and enjoyment out of running. It was painful.  Not sure what to think about it.  I try to do the right things, but it just won't go away.  I ran my Boston Prep route with Elmore Extention and running down the hills it was really painful.  Maybe I should try to only run flats or on the treadmill for awhile. Ugggh.....

7/19
5 miles

Easy recovery pace after work today.  Ran to Huffman and back.  I felt like crap though.  I was tired and legs never felt good.  I'm sure working on my feet for 9 hrs. didn't help today.  Need to get a good nights sleep and run before work tomorrow.

7/18
11 miles

I ran my south loop today.  I felt really good finally!  Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 6 min pace.  My last mile was 5:37, but I ran the last 1/4 mile at 4:45 pace.  Nice to have some spring in my legs, it's been awhile.  Just one run today and tomorrow will be an easy recovery pace.  Recovery week is working!


7/17
14 miles (8am/6pm)

Ran from Studio 49 this morning and ran the chester creek bike path.  Took it at recovery pace and it was nice to run someplace new.  It was somewhat peaceful.  Felt pretty good too.  In the evening I ran my standard to Huffman and back.  Nice and sunny out too.

7/16
13 miles

I woke up at 6:10am this morning to make sure I was awake before I started running.  I ran my Boston prep route today.  I didn't really have much in my legs today.  They felt kind of heavy and not much pop.  Part of the process though.  Need to recover this week.

7/15
15 miles (10 miles w/10 x 20sec strides in AM/5PM)

Woke up early to get this done before work today.  It always takes awhile to get warmed up in the morning, but I felt pretty good.  It was nice to get a little speed thrown in at the end as well.

Easy recovery pace after work today.  Nice and sunny out too. Felt good, but tired.

7/14
13 miles (7am/6pm)

Both runs today were to Huffman and back.  I kept them at recovery pace, but still tired today.  Need to make sure I recover a little this week with this cutback week.

July 7th- July 13th

Mileage for the Year 2014
2,126 miles

Mileage for the week 7/7- 7/13
107 miles

7/13
20 miles (8 miles @ Marathon pace)

Hard run today. I debated to do this on my treadmill for pace and hydration or outside.  I opted to go outside which I'm glad I did.  I did this workout on my Boston prep route with elmore extention to Tudor.  I started at 7:30 pace and quickly progressed to sub 7 by mile 2.  I ran the first 10 miles at a good clip (miles 7,8,9 were around 6:20 pace).  At mile 10 I began my 8 miles @ MP.  It's a hilly section and I believe I ran about 5:50 pace effort.  It was a little difficult with the hills and the fact that I had zero water the entire 20 miles.  I did take a Gu thought at miles 8.5 and 14.  It was a good effort at the end of another big mileage week for me.  This next week will be more of a recovery week.

7/12
6 miles

Nice and easy recovery pace today.  I probably won't double today, so I can have a good hard long run tomorrow.  Felt good running today.

7/11
19 miles (13am/6pm)

Ran my Boston prep route this morning.  I was tired.  Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 6:02 pace the last couple miles.  I also threw in 6 striders at the end.

In the evening if was recovery pace to Huffman and back. Tired.

7/10
14 miles (8am/6pm)

Kept it easy recovery pace on both runs.  It was seriously pouring down hard rain this morning so my first run was done in my garage on the treadmill. In the evening I ran to Huffman and back.  Felt pretty good. Just a little tired.

7/9
20 miles (15am/5pm)

1st Day of Training camp for wrestlers going to Fargo.  I just had to head up there and open school and get a couple of things ready for coaches.  I did my 15 miles today on the treadmill.  My first treadmill run since early May I believe.  I just needed to stay close to the camp on the 1st day.  It went pretty good. Started at 7:30 pace and progressed every mile until my last mile is 5:52.  Felt good, but heel was a little touchy.  It was also a sweat fest inside the training room.

Super tired after work today, but I still got out in the rain and ran a super slow recovery pace.  It actually felt good to move the legs a little, but I'm tired.  I'll make sure to recover on both runs tomorrow.

7/8
15 miles (5am/10pm "4 @ Tempo")

I ran an easy 5 miles at recovery pace before work this morning.  Felt pretty good.

After work I decided to run my Tempo miles between Huffman and Dearmoun.  I was going to run it on the track, but I didn't have a good watch besides my GPS and that doesn't really keep track of laps, etc..  I like running on the roads better than track, but I kind of wanted to know exact pace without the hills.  Here is the workout: (I was going to try and do 5 miles of tempo, but just wasn't feeling it today)

3 mile warm-up w/ 6 strides
4 miles tempo (5:35, 5:34, 5:35, 5:36)
3 mile cool down

7/7
13 miles (7am/6pm)

Both runs were to Huffman and back at an easy recovery pace.  Legs felt tired, but expected after a long run and big mileage week.  I did feel better in the afternoon though. Tempo workout tomorrow!

June 30th- July 6th

Mileage for the Year 2014
2,020 miles

Mileage for the week 6/30- 7/6
102 miles

7/6
19 miles

Ran my Boston prep route again with elmore extention.  My PF is still a little flared due to Lost Lake, but it felt pretty good as I warmed up.  I was going to take it easier today just because my feet were hurting a little from Lost Lake the last couple of days.  I started out at 7:30 pace and progressed to sub 7 by mile 3.  I really started to feel better around 10 miles and I picked it up and progressed down to 5:40 pace the last 3 miles.  I felt really good which is encouraging.  I've come to terms that I need to stay on smoother surfaces with this PF this summer.  Which probably means not a whole lot of trail running:(

7/5
12 miles (6am/6pm)

Both runs today were to Huffman and back at recovery pace.  My feet are still beat up from Lost Lake and my legs are tired.  Hopefully I feel better on my long run tomorrow.  I think a good night sleep will help too.

7/4
Off

I was pretty beat up today.  My PF was angry and my ankle that I twisted was hurting a little.  It was a beautiful day in Seward and fun to watch all the races.  Probably a good rest day:)

7/3
21 miles (6am/15pm)- Lost Lake Run

Ran a nice and easy recovery pace run to Huffman and back in the morning.  Then took my annual trip to Seward with Jerry Ross and we ran the Lost Lake Trail from Primose.  We got started at 8:40pm.  We took it easy and it's probably my favorite trail run in all of Alaska.  My PF on my heel started to bother me though.  I believe it had to do with the uneven trail and of course it really bothered my coming down towards seward because I'm a heel striker.  I also twisted my right ankle pretty good too.  I was wearing my big Hokas too, so that probably didn't help with twisting my ankle.

7/2
21 miles (15am/6pm)

Great run this morning.  Huge help getting up 3 hrs and eating before my run.  Beautiful and sunny day as well.  Ran my Boston prep route with elmore extention.  I started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to a 5:35 last mile.  I was about 6 min pace from mile 8 on.  Didn't intend to run so fast, but felt really good, so I went with it.

Super easy slow recovery pace to Huffman and back in the evening.

7/1
16 miles (10 miles w/ 20-30 sec strides in am/6pm)

Woke up at 7am to get a cup of coffee and warm-up a little before my run.  Ran my South loop.  Took me a few miles to get warmed up this morning, which is usually the case recently.  Started at 7:45 pace and progressed down to 6:30 pace for at least the 2nd half of run.

I got off a little earlier today from work and did 6 easy recovery miles to Huffman and back.  Legs felt a little tired as usual.

6/30
13 miles (7am/6pm)

I felt good during both of my recovery pace runs today.  Ran to Huffman and back on both of them.  My heel didn't really bothering me much either.  I also had another great massage from Katie.  It still was painful at times, but I'm doing better now with the massages. They hurt so good:)

June 23rd- June 29th

Mileage for the Year 2014
1,918 miles

Mileage for the week 6/23- 6/29
112 miles

6/29
18 miles

Great Long run today.  I woke up about 2 hrs before I took off.  Had some coffee and toast.  It was a beautiful sunny day!!!!!! Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to a 5:39 last mile.  I started pushing the pace a little at the 8 mile mark and I felt great.  I'm surprised a little too since this is also a new mileage PR of 112 miles.  I must be getting fit.  Time to recover tomorrow and get a massage.

6/28
13 miles (7am/6pm)

A couple of great runs today.  Both were at easy recovery pace and both were in the sun!!!!!  Hoping tomorrow's long run has good weather too.

6/27
18 miles (12am/6pm)

Makes a big difference when I can get some sleep and wake up and have a little breakfast before getting out and running.  I felt pretty good today after a couple miles.  I ran my Boston prep route again which I plan on running a lot this summer because it has some good hills for me.  Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to a 5:30 last mile.  I even ran up Huffman in sub 7.  Nice to have a run like this while building up my mileage, because the last few days my legs have felt tired.

Easy Recovery pace to Huffman and back in the evening.  Legs felt tired, but was enjoyable to listen to music while running easy.

6/26
13 miles (7am/6pm)

Both runs were at recovery pace, but my legs did feel tired. They did feel better as I warmed up though.  I also have now run 4 straight runs in the rain.  Lame.

6/25
21 miles (15am/6pm)

I woke up at 6am so I could get out the door by 7am to get my 15 miler done.  The way my heel is, I really need to get up and move around and stretch to be able to run early in the morning.  I ran my Boston prep route w/ Elmore extention.  I took me awhile to warm-up and I really never felt great during the entire run.  It also started raining pretty good about 1/2 way into the run.  Nice to have it done before work though.

Ran an easy recovery pace home from work.  I actually really enjoy these runs after work.  It's a nice and quick way to double.

6/24
16 miles (10am w/ 4@ Tempo/ 6pm)

Pretty good workout this morning.  I did my tempo miles between Huffman and Dearmoun with the rolling hills.  I felt pretty good, but not as good as I have.  The first tempo miles are usually the roughest in my build-up for a marathon though.  Here is the workout:

3 mile warm-up w/ strides
4 miles Tempo (Between 5:34-5:40 pace w/ no rest)
3 miles- General Aerobic pace.

In the evening I did an easy 6 miles at recovery pace to Huffman and back.  Sun was shining on both runs, so that was nice:)

6/23
13 miles (7am/6pm)

Both easy recovery runs today.  In the evening I decided to run by taelynns dance studio on the trails.  It was nice to do something different.  Felt pretty good today.

June 16th- June 22nd

Mileage for the Year 2014
1,806 miles

Mileage for the week 6/16- 6/22
94 miles

6/22
18 miles

I had a real good run today.  Stayed out way too late with Jerry Ross last night though.  I was able to get my run started at 2pm.  Started out at 7:28 pace and progressed down to a fast 5:35 last mile.  Ran my hilly Boston prep route too with elmore extention.  I had a solid week and I'll continue to do the little things for my heel pain.

6/21
12 miles (7am/5pm)

Both were recovery pace.  Ran to Huffman and back with some extra in the morning.  Ran with Jerry Ross on Chester and Coastal Trail in the evening.  Was nice to run with someone and somewhere different.  Felt good.

6/20
15 miles (10am/5pm)

Ran my South loop before work this morning.  Takes me a couple of miles to warm up for sure.  Felt pretty good running.  Started at 7:45 pace and progressed down to 6:20 pace. My left heel was a little annoying, but ok.

Easy recovery pace after work.  Felt really good and was warm and sunny!

6/19
8 miles

Easy recovery pace after work.  I ran home from the Mini and added a couple miles.  Sun was out too:)

6/18
13 miles

Started running at 8am this morning to be able to make it to my sports massage with Katie.  Ran my Boston prep route.  I felt ok. Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 6:10 pace.  Left heel was ok, actually both my feet were a little beat up.  The massage was also painful, but in a good way:)

6/17
16 miles (10 miles w/ 10 x 20 sec striders in AM/ 6 miles PM)

Was able to get up early and run my south loop before a 10-7 shift at the Raven.  I was surprised to wake up and see that the sun was out.  I made some coffee and began stretching my calves and foot.  If I have to get up an hour before my run to do this then so be it.  I ran at general aerobic pace starting at 7:30 pace and progressing down to 6:20-6:30 pace.  Felt good to throw in the strides too.

Easy recovery pace after work today.  Ran home from Skinny Raven.

6/16
12 miles (6am/6pm)

Both runs were easy recovery pace to Huffman and back.  My legs did feel tired and my heel was bothering me a little.  I didn't run in the Hoka in the morning and maybe my heel bothered me more with the less cushion.

June 9th- June 15th

Mileage for the Year 2014
1,712 miles

Mileage for the week 6/9- 6/15
87 miles

6/15
16 miles

I was out the door by 8am and ran my Boston prep route and elmore extention before work at Skinny Raven.  Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to a 5:52 last mile.  Legs felt a little tired the first 4-5 miles, but then I warmed up nice.  This was a great first week of training for Bemidji.  It's really encouraging and I'm surprised I ran 87 miles, because it didn't feel like it.  It helps to run doubles and I kept my recovery runs very easy.

6/14
11 miles (6am/5pm)

Both runs were at easy recovery pace.  Ran my Huffman and back route and I felt pretty good once my legs got moving.  Hoping to have my 1st long run in a long time before work tomorrow.

6/13
10 miles

I had another great run today. I ran my South loop and started at 7:20 pace and progressed down to 6 min. pace.  I felt really comfortable and tried to work on running with an efficient form and quicker leg turnover.  Heel wasn't even an issue!!!!! I need to keep up with the rehab though.

6/12
12 miles (6am/6pm)

Super easy this morning before work to Huffman and back.  Felt good getting it done before work and I enjoy the recovery pace sometimes.  I ran from Skinny Raven after work today.  Kept it easy too.

6/11
12 miles

I had a real good run today. Got off work at 3pm and I ran my Boston prep route.  I started at 7:20 pace and progressed down to 5:40 pace.  My last 5 miles were sub 6.  I averaged 6:23 pace for the run. I'm not sure why I decided to run a little faster today, it could be because my heel felt super good.  I felt good, but I also felt like I was working too.  I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow, so I'll keep it recovery pace.  This is encouraging.  When you have an injury, it starts to make you not take things for granted.

6/10
14 miles (10am w/10x20 sec strides/4pm)

Ran my 1st run at noon in the pouring rain. Ran my South loop and started at 7:15 pace and progressed down to 6:15 pace.  Threw in 10 strides towards the end. Felt good.

Super easy recover pace to Abbott and back in the evening. Pouring rain again.

6/9
12 miles (6am/6pm)

Easy recovery to Huffman and back this morning.  Felt good running in the light rain.  Kept it easy and my heel felt pretty good.

Another easy recovery pace in the afternoon.  Same route.

June 2nd- June 8th

Mileage for the Year 2014
1,625 miles

Mileage for the week 6/2- 6/8
32 miles (3 hrs. of elliptical)

6/8
10 miles

I woke up early  to get some coffee and take the time to warm-up my foot to run.  I iced and rolled and stretched.  It felt pretty darn good in my run.  I ran my south loop today and started at 7:15 pace and was sub 6 the last couple.

6/7
6 miles

Ran to Huffman and back. Super easy today and my legs felt tired.  It probably had to do with yesterday's run and possibly the effects of my massage.  Todd List gave me a heel cup to try out.  Added cushion and has a fascia plate.  I think it helped a little, so I'll continue to use it in my walk around shoes and running.

6/6
10 miles

Ran my south loop today.  I'm sure I felt good today, because my legs are fresh.  I started at 7:20 pace, but last few miles were 6:20 pace and it felt easy.  Heel still had annoying pain though.

6/5
6 miles

First run today in a week.  Ran to Huffman and back. Heel still feels the same.  I'm not going to just sit around and wait for it to get better, because it might not improve.  As long as I can tolerate it and it doesn't get worse I should be fine.  I'm going to continue to be very active in my stretching, rolling, and icing.  I also got a Sports massage for the 1st time today by Katie.  It was very enlightening and I'm a mess:)  Gonna try to get one every 2 weeks until my Fall marathon.

6/4
Off- Elliptical 60 minutes

6/3
Off- Elliptical 60 minutes

6/2
Off- Elliptical 60 minutes

May 26th- June 2nd

Mileage for the Year 2014
1,593 miles

Mileage for week 5/26- 6/1
40 miles


6/1
Off- Elliptical for 90 minutes

5/31
Off- Elliptical for 75 minutes

5/30
Off- Elliptical for 60 minutes

5/29
6 miles

My run this morning sucked!  My heel pain is not getting any better at all. I'm sure it's Plantar Faciaitis.  It's tolerable, but it's no fun and it does hurt.  It's been hurting since May 5th and I wonder if it is related to my achilles injury before Boston.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do.  I'm going to read some literature and learn how to heal it.  I'm not going to be running in the mornings anymore for sure, because that's when it's worse.  Maybe move to softer surfaces again for awhile.  Maybe pool and elliptical for a week or more. Ugggh...

5/28
6 miles

Easy recovery pace before work today.  Took it real slow to recover and to warm up my left heel.  Nice to run in the morning though.

5/27
10 miles (8 x 400m @ 5K pace w/ 1:30 rest)

Ran after work today from Skinny Raven.  I ran home and did the 400s on King St. I felt pretty good tonight and was fun to do a 400m workout. I think it's the first time I've done one in the last 7 years.

Here it is:
3 mile warm-up w/ Striders
8 x 400m (1:14-1:16 pace)
4 mile general aerobic

5/26
6 miles

Super easy recovery to Huffman and back.  Still smokey and my left heel is still painful, but goes away intermittently or gets better as I run.  It definitely feels better when I run on softer surfaces.

May 19th- May 25th

Mileage for the Year 2014
1,553 miles

Mileage for the week 5/19- 5/25
63 miles

5/25
14 miles

I felt great today.  Actually probably the best I felt since Boston.  Started at 7:25 pace and progressed down to my last 3 miles were all sub 6.  Still have heel pain though.  Ran my Boston prep route too.  The fires from Kenai are making it really hazy and smoky out.

5/24
9 miles

3 mile warm-up w/ striders
3 x 1200m @ Tempo (5:27 pace) w/ 2 min rest
1 x 1600m (1:25, 1:20, 1:15, 1:10)
2 mile cool down

I did my Tempo work between Huffman and Dearmoun and the mile on the track at Hanshew.  I felt pretty good.


5/23
9 miles

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!! Ran a General Aerobic pace to Dearmoun and back with an extra mile before heading up to South.  I felt pretty good and it was nice to do it before work.  My left heal still hurts, I may not race the Twilight 12K next friday.

5/22
6 miles

Easy recovery pace on the turf.  Kept it super easy.  Felt ok.


5/21
9 miles w/ 5 x 1000m

Ran after work from Skinny Raven.  Did an easy 3 mile warm-up w/ striders.  I felt better and better as I did my 1000m intervals.  I was able to do them back and forth on King Street, so the terrain was pretty flat with some rolling sections.

Here it is:
3 mile warm-up w/ striders
5 x 1000m (5:30ish pace with last 2 sub 5:20 pace)- 2 min rest-1:45 rest
2 mile cool down.

My left heel is super tender in the morning.  I can barely put weight on it.  It gets so much better as the day goes on until I don't really feel it anymore.  Frustrating.......

5/20
10 miles (6am/4pm)

Both were easy recovery pace.  Ran on the turf at south and then my 2nd run was from Skinny Raven on Dimond.  My legs felt pretty good.  My left heel hurts pretty good when I put weight on it and especially in the morning.  Not sure if it's plantar faciatis or not. It does feel a heck of a lot better after its warmed up, but still bothers me that it's not getting a lot better.  I still feel like an old man and I'm going to get a massage this week.

5/19
6 miles

Easy recovery pace on the field turf at South.  I ran the last 20+ minutes barefoot.  Felt pretty good, but still have that left heel pain.  Still tolerable.  Did some eccentric calve raises when finished.

May 12th- May 18th

Mileage for the Year 2014
1,490 miles

Mileage for the week 5/12- 5/18
60 miles

5/18
12+ miles

Ran my Boston prep route this morning.  Another beautiful sunny day in the AK!  My legs were tired and a little tight from yesterday's workout.  I still threw in 6 x 30 sec. striders at the end.

5/17
10 miles

Had a fun workout today. Todd List is helping me with getting a little more speed this summer and I plan on running a 10K and 5K this summer and get my 1/2 marathon time down in august before my fall marathon.  Here it was:

3 mile warm-up w/ striders
4X (2 min hard, 1 min easy, 1 min hard, 30 sec easy, 30 sec hard)- 5K pace
4 X 200m @ 1 mile pace
1.5 mile cool down

5/16
6.5 miles

Easy recovery pace on the turf at South.  Felt good and it was another beautiful day in paradise.  Super excited for my daughters dance recital tonight!!!!

5/15
10 miles

Ran in my Hokas again and on the turf field. Talk about a nice surface!  Started easy and ran at General Aerobic pace.  It's a lot of circles, but want to recover 1 more week from Boston.  Ran the last mile on the actual track in 6:15 pace.

5/14
10 miles (4 @ Tempo)

1/2 day at work because of graduation, so I was able to start my run around 11:30am today.  It was my first workout since Boston.  I did my tempo miles between Huffman and Dearmoun and they felt ok.  I kept them around 5:35 pace since I didn't want to push it.  I also ran in my Hoka's since I left my trainers at work yesterday.  I felt pretty good and it was nice to know my Achilles is pretty much all healed up!

3 mile warm-up
4 miles @ Tempo (5:35 pace avg.)
3 miles @ General aerobic (6:30 pace).

5/13
5.5 miles

Easy after work tonight.  I work the Hoka's for the first time and they felt great.  I'm thinking of using these as my recovery running shoes.

5/12
6 miles

Super easy recovery pace on the field turf at South.  Another beautiful and sunny day.

May 5th- May 11th

Mileage for the Year 2014
1,430 miles

Mileage for the week 5/5- 5/11
44 miles

5/11
10 miles

Ran after work today at Skinny Raven.  It was close to 70 degrees and sunny!  Ran my South Loop with an extra mile. Kept it general aerobic pace and threw in 8 X 30 second pick ups.  I'm not gonna lie, I still feel pretty trashed in my legs. I need a massage!

5/10
8 miles

Beautiful sunny day in Anchorage.  Ran to Dearmoun and back.  It felt so good to be outside in the sun.  My legs felt pretty good too.  Still have pain in my left heel.  It's definitely something I feel comfortable running through.

5/9
8 miles

Ran on the field turf again. Kept it easy and my left heal still hurts.  I've had this before and it gets better when I warm up. Gonna ice and stretch and continue to run easy.  Another beautiful sunny day!!! Happy it's the weekend too.

5/8
6+ miles

Another easy run.  Ran around the campus of South Anchorage.  Mostly softball, football fields.  I kept it easy, but legs feel a little tired still.  I may take a day of no running tomorrow just because.  I want to make sure I'm recovered from this marathon.

5/7
6 miles

Another easy 6 on the turf with some striders.  I felt good. I believe my Achilles is healed.  I'll continue to do my eccentric exercises and take it easy all this week.

5/6
Off

5/5
6 miles

Super easy on the field turf at South.  Probably the best I felt since starting back to some sort of running. No pain at all in my Achilles which is awesome!  I'm still tender in my left heal region, but was better as I  warmed up.  I even did 6 x 20 second striders.

April 28th- May 4th

Mileage for the Year 2014
1,386 miles

Mileage for the week 4/28- 5/4
28 miles

5/4
6 miles

Another beautiful day.  Ran to Huffman and back after work.  Achilles feels good, but my left heel is kind of tender.  Nice to be running outside though.


5/3
6 miles

Easy run to Huffman and back. Weather was beautiful out.  First run in Alaska this year with my shirt off.  Kept it east and my achilles felt really good as far as no pain.  My legs still feel really dead with little pop in them.  Still need to recover.  Encouraging about my achilles though.

5/2
5 miles

Took it nice and easy.  Probably 8 min pace on the field turf.  Really excited because my achilles felt great! No pain at all.  I'll keep it easy still for awhile.  I need to make sure it's healed so I can go after my goals this summer.

5/1
3 miles

Easy recovery pace on the field turf.

4/30
4 miles

super easy on the field turf at South.  I wanted to test my Achilles out with an easy run and thought the field turf would be a great surface for it.  It felt good actually moving the body a little bit.  Achilles felt fine, but I had some pain on my left heel when I started. It was gone after a mile though.  I may or may not try it again tomorrow.

4/29
Off

4/28
4 miles on the elliptical for 45 minutes.

April 21st- April 27th

Mileage for the Year 2014
1,358 miles

Mileage for the week 4/21- 4/27
27 miles

4/27
Off- 40 minutes of easy elliptical.  Felt good to at least do something aerobic.  Gonna take another week off from running to heal my Achilles.  It's better, but still painful at times.

4/26
Off

4/25
Off

4/24
Off

4/23
Off

4/22
Off

4/21
27 miles "26.2 mile- Boston Marathon"  (2:35:27)

118th Boston Marathon
April 21st, 2014
194th place overall out of 31,805 finishers
12th place (40-45 age group)

I made my first real attempt at trying to break 2hrs. 30 min. in this marathon. My preparation was pretty good the 18 weeks leading up to Boston. My mileage was higher than it's ever been and my workouts were better than previous years too. One thing I may have done wrong, is that I didn't get enough pounding on pavement. I ran a lot more on my treadmill then I'm accustomed too, which is great for preparing for warm weather, but I don't get the hard pavement or uphills and downhills that I probably need. Boston has so much downhill that I need to prepare the quads better for that terrain. My legs were pretty much toast at 16 miles this year. I tried my best to keep myself together and not completely blowup. It was one of the hardest things I've done. I suffered for a long time on the course Monday.

I am not making excuses or blaming my performance on one specific thing, but one thing that was discouraging leading into the marathon was that I got injured 1 week before the race. My left Achilles' tendon was very irritated and I could barely run a week before the race. I don't understand how this could of happened. There were exactly zero warning signs and I was being very careful to not overdo anything this close to the race. I was just finishing my 2nd straight taper week and ran 12 miles that Sunday. A few hours after my run, I could tell my Achilles was angry. The next day I could barely run and walking hurt too. It made for a very stressful week leading up to the marathon and very discouraging to me. I did my best to not talk about it to anyone and try to stay positive that it would get better on race day. It never really did. I took a few days off and even during my shakeout runs in Boston my Achilles was painful. If I hadn't just devoted the last 18 weeks to this race, I wouldn't have run. I didn't want to change my goal of sub 2:30 either. I just worked too hard to not at least try. I was committed.

The weather in Boston on race morning was excellent for running. It was in the 50's for just about the entire race. The sun was out, so it felt a little warmer and everyone got a little sun burnt. I took a private bus from MIT to Hopinkton. It was nice to be able to relax and have a bathroom on board. I would recommend this to anyone. I took off for Athletes village and the corrals at 9:20am. I walked to the corrals and got there about 20 minutes before the gun went off. I ran an easy jog for about 10-12 minutes before jumping into corral 1. Surprisingly my Achilles didn't hurt. Maybe it was just the adrenaline I was feeling. I was happy about it either way. I collected my thoughts and got mentally ready while standing in my corral. The gun went off and I was on my way to Boston!

Here are my splits for the race. I included my 5K pace and the half marathon time:

Mile 1: 5:54
Mile 2: 5:49
Mile 3: 5:38
(5K-18:10)
Mile 4: 5:28
Mile 5: 5:43
Mile 6: 5:33
10K- 35:38 (5K- 17:28)
Mile 7: 5:28
Mile 8: 5:42
Mile 9: 5:34
15K- 53:11 (5K- 17:33)
Mile 10: 5:45
Mile 11: 5:45
Mile 12: 5:33
20K- 1:10:57 (5K- 17:46)
Mile 13: 5:41
(Half- 1:14:45)- exactly on pace for what I wanted to run to the second.
Mile 14: 5:36
Mile 15: 5:49
25K- 1:28:46 (5K- 17:49)
Mile 16: 5:42
Mile 17: 6:10
Mile 18: 6:16
30K- 1:48:00 (5K- 19:14)
Mile 19: 6:09
Mile 20: 6:21
Mile 21: 6:37- Heartbreak Hill
35K- 2:07:58 (5K- 19:58)
Mile 22: 6:12
Mile 23: 6:16
Mile 24: 6:17
40K- 2:27:28 (5K- 19:30)
Mile 25: 6:08
Mile 26: 5:42- not sure where this came from.
Last .2: 1:10

Overall: 2:35:27 (5:56 pace)

I just tried to relax in the beginning of the race, but I also wanted to make sure I was on pace for sub 2:30 and hit the splits on my pace band that were specific to this course. I have used maclin's spreadsheet for this race in the previous 5 Boston's I've run and I've always finished strong.

I felt pretty good the first 10K and I didn't feel a thing in my Achilles' tendon. To say the least I was stoked! I remember going through the first 10 miles feeling great. I always remember my buddy Jerry Ross saying that the first 10 miles should feel easy in a marathon and it did. Right after 10 miles though, I started to feel the pain in my Achilles. Damn! It really started to hurt too. I honestly thought I was going to have to pull out of the race within the next mile. There was no way I could finish this race with this pain and I figured it was only going to get worse. I thought to myself, where is the bus that will take runners back to the start? I could't believe that this has happened. Maybe the bus is at the half marathon mark. I'll try to run to the halfway mark at least. I felt good aerobically, but I couldn't run. My form was off because I started to compensate for my Achilles. I couldn't push off my left foot like I wanted too. The pain was pretty good all the way through Weselley's college too. It's always fun running through the screaming tunnel of girls at that stage of the race, but I couldn't truly enjoy it, because my Achilles hurt. Shortly after this though, I noticed I was still running on pace and my Achilles didn't hurt as bad. I figured the pain was so bad, that my Achilles just decided to go numb. Either way, I was happy that it was much more tolerable. When I crossed the half way point I was suppose to be at 1:14:45 and I was exactly on it. Talk about pacing!! The next few miles I just tried to stay relaxed and in control. I was able to follow a couple runners that were running my pace and also trying to run sub 2:30.

As you can see with the above splits the wheels started to fall off before mile 17, which is pretty early in a marathon. I still had 9 miles to go! My quads were done and my feet were beat up and hurting bad. I thought it was going to get really ugly soon. I thought I could completely shut down and have to start walking. I've always heard horror stories and I've seen personally what this course can do to people. People walking down backwards off Heartbreak hill because their quads are shot. I never thought it would happen to me because I train hard and I don't take shortcuts. With the crowds at Boston, it would be a horrible experience to walk. I started to just concentrate getting full breaths and concentrate on my stride and form. I basically took it one mile at a time. I kept thinking to myself, if I run one more mile than I can take a break and I'll be that much closer to Boston. I was also scared if I did stop, I wouldn't be able to get my legs moving again and the pain of my Achilles would really set in to the point I'd have to be carried off the course.

To be honest, this race was one of the toughest things I've done athletically in my life. I really had to dig deep. I got it in my head that I was not going to walk, no matter what. I ran as fast as my legs would take me. I kept thinking over and over to keep my leg turnover going, relax my arms, and look up and forward. I knew my form wasn't pretty and I felt it. It wasn't about my time anymore, it was about surviving and getting to that finish line.

You know why people walk at this stage of a marathon? Because it's easy to walk. They don't want to have to suffer. Its an instant relief. Probably the biggest thing that kept me running were the crowds at Boston. It's amazing!!! The support this city gives to the runners. I kept thinking of the bombings last year too and the people that died and those that lost there limbs and there lives being changed forever. What I'm doing right now is so easy compared to that. No way am I going to take the easy way out and walk. No way!!! I just fed off the crowd and sucked it up.

Coming off of Heartbreak Hill I noticed my splits had fallen off, but not too drastically. It wasn't close to what I was planning on running, but I was somehow keeping it together barely. That really started to motivate me and I knew I would make it into Boston. The crowds of spectator's brought me to the finish line. All my energy was generated from the cheering spectators. I basically gave it all I had the last 2 miles. It was a constant wall of screaming and cheering these last 2 miles. GO ALASKA!!!!! It was so freaking emotional. When I turned onto Boylston street, I actually started to tear up when I was running. Last year 2 bombs went off down this stretch of the course and now the crowds and the city of Boston came back in record numbers to support this race. Boston took there race back! BOSTON STRONG!!!! I felt so freaking proud to be part of it.

When I finished, it was so emotional. I was overwhelmed with emotion. Like always, I put so much into this race. So much time and effort training. The very first thing I think about are my kids Zach and Taelynn. They are my world and I wish they were here to share this moment. I think about my own personal life and my journey. I want to do better. I want to help people more. I know I can do better. There is so many positive people in Boston this weekend and I'm so fortunate to be part of it.

Am I disappointed I didn't reach my goal of sub 2:30? Of course, I'm upset. I'm a competitor. I knew I was in the shape to do it this time. I'm going to give it another go down the road. Not sure when or which marathon, but I want to give another crack at it.

I am very proud of this marathon though. It was really my first competitive marathon where the wheels fell off and I had to fight a long time to get to the finish line. I've said it before, but its what I've learned from the sport of Wrestling that gets me to the finish line. You have to be able overcome adversity. Things aren't going to always go as planned. You have to adapt and move forward. It parallels my life at the moment too. Keep your head up, stay positive and move forward!


April 14th- April 20th "Week #18- Marathon Week!"

Mileage for the Year 2014
1,331 miles

Mileage for the week 4/14- 4/20
25 miles

4/20
5 miles

Ran along the Charles River again. Went with Jerry and Monica.  A couple of miles into it, I could feel the pain in the Achilles slightly.  Oh well, I have to give it a go tomorrow.  I'm trying my best to keep my spirits up.  I can't wait to just run this race though!!!!

4/19
7 miles w/ 6 x 100m striders

Ran along the Charles river.  I love this loop on marathon weekend.  So many runners.  I just wish I would've enjoyed it more. My Achilles felt fine the first few miles, but then the pain started up again.  It was tolerable for sure, but an annoyance.

4/18
Off- Traveled to Boston

4/17
Off- Rest achilles

4/16
7 miles (3 @ MP)

Not in a good mood.  My Achilles is definitely hurting.  Can't believe I got injured out of nowhere.  No signs, reducing my mileage.  Today's workout was on my treadmill and it hurt while running slow.  I needed to know where I was and if I was going to have to run hurt or not. Here is the workout:

3 mile warm-up w/striders
3 miles at Marathon pace (5:42, 5:42, 5:36)
1 mile cool down

I wanted to know how it felt while running at pace or faster.  It was ok, but definitely not the same. I could feel it and it was sure angry after I was done.  I guess I'm taking 2 full days off and hopefully I can run easy on Saturday and Sunday before the race. Ugggh..... I put so much time and effort into this and I'm in the best running shape of my life.

4/15
Off

My Achilles is sure angry at me for some reason.  It's frustrating that it would all of a sudden start to hurt.  No early signs or anything.  Took the day off from running, but I did walk a couple miles.  In the big scheme of things it's okay for a rest day right now, but I like the rhythm I was in. Hopefully better tomorrow.

4/14
6 miles

Easy recovery pace to Huffman and back.  Weather was beautiful and 50 degrees out.  My first outdoor run in shorts at least.  My left Achilles down low by my ankle is pretty upset right now. Not sure where that came from.  Need to keep an eye on it. I may not run tomorrow if it's still upset.

April 7th- April 13th "Week #17"

Mileage for the Year 2014
1,306 miles

Mileage for the week 4/7- 4/13
55 miles

4/13
12 miles

Had an outstanding run this morning.  Ran my Boston prep route and I felt pretty darn good.  Ran the downhills hard, to get some last pounding of the quads.  Last few miles were sub 6 and it was effortless.  Getting excited to get to Boston and run this marathon!

4/12
6 miles

Easy recovery pace to Huffman and back.  It felt really good to get outside and run.  A little chilly this morning with a few small snow flurries.  I felt great.

4/11
10 miles (3 x 1 mile @ 5K pace w/ 2 min rest)

I felt much better today.  Whatever bug I had, I believe it is gone.  I hate being sick!  I'm just glad it didn't get worse.  I need to be really smart this next week with my health, sleep, etc...

I had a good workout today. Felt good and relaxed during my miles @ 5K pace.

3 mile warm-up w/striders
3 X 1 mile w/ 2 min rest (5:00, 4:56, 4:56)
3.5 mile cool down

4/10
6 miles

Still fighting this bug.  It's not a cold, but I just feel run down big time.  I did feel better after work today and ran an easy 6 to Huffman and back and it went pretty good. I think it's more of a stomach bug, because I feel bloated and have some gas issues. Gonna get another good nights sleep and keep pumping the fluids and airbornes.

4/9
6 miles

Easy recovery pace after work.  I woke up and I felt tired and pretty weak.  I believe I'm fighting a bug.  Gotta really concentrate and focus on rest and recovery right now and shake this.  I don't think it'll get bad though.  I felt pretty good running, but tired.

4/8
9 miles

Had to get up early to get my run done, since I have to work at skinny raven after work.  My garage was really warm today and sweat was everywhere.  General Aerobic pace.  Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 6:07 pace.  Felt good, but tired.

4/7
6 miles

An easy recovery pace run today after school.  It's nice to sleep in an extra hour before school.  I wasn't really motivated to run this today, but I felt good while doing it.  Getting so close.  Used the foam roller after I ran to help with my muscle soreness.

March 31st- April 6th "Week #16"

Mileage for the Year 2014
1,251 miles

Mileage for the week 3/31- 4/6
82 miles

4/6
18 miles

My last long run before Boston!  I ran at a good effort and sub 6 pace towards the end, but I was tired.  I ran pretty hard on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and today. So, I really need to take the taper serious so I can feel refreshed at the Starting line.  I ran my Boston prep route with Elmore Extention to Tudor and back.  Like I said,  good effort and tired.

4/5
10 miles (5 @ Tempo)

It was nice to be able to sleep in until almost 9am this morning!!! I needed it.  Today's tempo went ok.  I think I was a little tired because I did just do a bunch of tempo last Sunday and my 2 medium long runs were at a pretty good effort too. Plus, my garage is a sauna.

Here it is:

3 mile warm-up with striders
5 @ Tempo (5:27, 5:27, 5:27, 5:21, 5:21)
2 mile cool down

4/4
12 miles

I was going to double this morning, but hey I'm on a taper and I got an extra hour of sleep.  Ran my Boston prep route after school today.  Legs a little heavy in the beginning, but felt great after a few miles.  Kept it pretty general aerobic pace, but ran up Huffman at a good clip and came down Birch at a decent clip too to get some leg pounding.  Started at 7:20 pace and progressed down to 5:50 pace the last couple of miles.

4/3
13 miles (7am/6pm)

Both were at easy recovery pace.  I ran home from work for the afternoon run.  My right hip flexor muscle is a little tender today.  I'll keep an eye on it.

4/2
15 miles

I work from 7am to 7pm again today, so I decide to get up at 4:30am and I was running by 5:00am.  Started at 7:30 pace and progressed down to 5:36 pace.  The last 5 miles were all sub 6.  I actually felt pretty good running, but I know if I don't focus on sleep a little more it'll catch up to me. Hopefully I'm sleeping by 9pm tonight.

4/1
8 miles

Needed to get up at 5am to finish this easy recovery pace run before work, since I'm working until 7pm tonight.  I felt good, but tired from lack of sleep.

3/31
6 miles

Super easy recovery pace.  I was really sore when I started, but felt good after a mile.

About Me

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Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Age- 41 Occupation- Phy Ed/Athletic Director/Wrestling Coach @ South Anchorage High School

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