El Burro Blanco

14.10 miles in the morning.

6.10 miles in the evening.

I woke up early and the weather was perfect again.  I went from my parent's house out towards Kayenta and back.  I ran into Mike Warren and Ken Carlson on my run.  It is nice to see so many people running out and about.  I kept the pace nice and easy for a Monday morning.  I then had my cross country meeting for Desert Hills.  There were about 12 kids with 5 parents in attendance.  Most of them are 9th and 10th graders so I will have a couple of years to groom them.  It is exciting.  Hopefully good things will happen this year for the team.

Katey and I drove to Scottsdale, Arizona today.  We are meeting up with some friends and spending a couple days with them.  I am also seeing one of my good buddies and wife while he goes to medical school.  It should be a nice little break.  My legs were a little restless so I went out at about 10:30pm.  I found a neat little park with some trails and then I found the International Players Club golf course where they have PGA Tour events.  I ran on the cart path and it was pretty fun.  I was just exploring the area and it turned out to be a fun little run.  Hopefully I can handle the heat.

14.10 miles in the morning.

What a beautiful morning in Scottsdale!  I once again went out and explored the area.  I ended up going out and staying in the town for the most of the run.  Arizona is an hour behind Utah so I could sort of sleep in and still get out when the roads were not to busy.  I was lucky enough to have the stoplights cooperate with me this morning.  I felt great and surprisingly averaged 6:19/mile overall.  I am not going to worry about to much speed work this week but rather just get the miles in.  I need a nap now!

We spent most of the day at the Phoenix Zoo.  Katey and I hadn't been to a zoo in a long time and we were not disappointed.  The animals were a lot of fun and we got some great pictures.  It was a very nice layout for the entire zoo.  I ended up walking close to probably 3 miles.  I was naked and wore my $20 Timex instead of my expensive Garmin.  It might have been 3.02 miles!  We went to dinner with some friends that live down here and then we ended up playing games pretty late.  I was wiped out and went straight to bed.  I needed the sleep.

16 miles in the morning.

4 miles in the evening.

I did the same loop as yesterday morning but just extended it for one mile.  I decided to just stay relaxed.  The traffic wasn't too bad so it was another great run.  I averaged 6:26/mile overall.  I got back to the room and then headed straight to the sauna and stretched for about 20 minutes.  It loosened everything up.  Another exciting day ahead of us.

The wind was blowing tonight and it made the 4 miler really enjoyable.  The weather hasn't been as hot as I thought it would be.  Alright!

14 miles in the morning.

5.15 miles in the evening.

I ran up towards the mountains this morning and I was really glad I did.  They had a bike lane on the road where it gave me plenty of room to run.  I only had to deal with the construction workers who were building some really big houses.  On the way back a coyote came about 20 feet in front of me.  It looked at me and then went back into the bushes.  It was kind of cool to see that.  I ended up doing 11 miles and then I got back to the room and did a 3 mile cooldown with Katey for her run.

We went to a great little breakfast joint this morning and then was at the waterpark for most of the day.  It was nice and relaxing but I got a little sick on the wave pool.  I am such a wuss!  I went back up towards the mountains tonight for a nice little shakeout of the legs.

12 miles in the morning.

5 miles in the evening.

One last beautiful morning run here in Scottsdale.  It has been a fun and relaxing trip for Katey and me.  We had great friends to spend time with and it was very worthwhile.  I am happy to get back to St. George in order to get back in the groove of things.

Katey and I got back from Phoenix today after a long drive.  I got home and did a 5 mile shakeout of the legs.  Glad to be back on the home front.

I woke up at 4:30 this morning and did 13 miles.  I ran up into Snow Canyon and then back to my parent's house.  It was a little weird running that early in the dark but I had to get up early because I was helping Steve volunteer at a local 5k/10k run.  I kept the pace nice and relaxed today.  I think I will be able to get more speed workouts in next week since I will be in town.  I saw lots of rabbits this morning.  I ended up be a course guide for the race this morning.  I told people to turn left and then loop around.  It was "hard" work but I was able to manage it.  I cleaned some of the tables and ran the last mile of the course in street clothes.  I do prefer the shorty shorts when I run!  14 miles total for the day.

I got in a good nap this afternoon after church.  It was much needed.  I don't usually write on Sundays but I thought today might be worth it.  I haven't wanted to complain but after the Ogden Marathon muscle cramp incident my right hamstring has been really tight and it was a problem to really lengthen my stride.  I was thinking of getting a massage to see if it would help but I am too "cheap" to go and pay for one.  I finally gave in yesterday and by recommendation of all the St. George folk, I went too April here in town and was curious to see if she could help my leg out.  Wow!  She spent about half an hour on my hamstring and really dug the muscles out.  I could feel my muscles actually loosen up while she was digging into me.  She said it was the worst hamstring muscle cramp she has ever seen.  That is not what I wanted to hear.  Oh well!  She recommended going to see a chiropractor twice a year and then getting a massage at least once a month.  She said my leg could have much worse if I hadn't come in to see her.  The main reason I am writing today is to say I am a believer in the monthly massage now.  It was hard for me to swallow shelling out money each month to get a massage.  I am planning on doing it now and always going to April.  She is a runner and knows exactly what runners need taken care of.  If anyone is contemplating getting the monthly massage, go and do it.  It made me realize that the hamstring cramp could have been a lot worse at Ogden.  It was an high opener for me that I need to get the monthly massage as well as really focus on stretching more.  I didn't realize I was so tight. 

10 miles in the morning.

12 miles in the afternoon.

A great run in cooler temperatures.  I wanted to be safe with the hamstring so I took it nice and easy.  No real tightness in the leg.  It felt really good.  I went out towards Tuacahn and then back to the parent's house.  15 minutes of stretching afterwards.

I went and did an easy 7 miles out towards Ivins.  It wasn't too hot because of the slight breeze.  I hurried back and went over to DSC's track and did 8x200 with 200m recovery with Clyde.  It was really hot but we pushed each other.  We did a 2 mile warmup and then a 1 mile cooldown afterwards.  I hit between 29-31 sec. for each one.  The hamstring felt fine and it was nice to get this in.  Happy to start the week off with this kind of day. 

8 miles in the morning.

8 miles in the afternoon.

Another beautiful morning run.  I kept it nice and easy again.  Did 15 minutes of stretching afterwards.  That helps out so much.

I went out this afternoon and it was pretty darn hot.  The wind was blowing quite a bit also.  I had an alright run.  I didn't feel the hamstring at all today.  That is nice and encouraging.  Some kids were selling lemonade on the side of the road and hollered at me to stop.  They said I looked like I needed some lemonade.  I didn't have any money but they said business was slow so they gave me 2 cups for free.  It was very nice of them.  I asked them how much they had made today and they told me about $10.00.  Future millionaires!  Wanted to keep it fairly relaxed today.  My body needed it.

10 miles in the morning.

6 miles in the afternoon.

Nice run out along the Snow Canyon Parkway towards Red Mountain Spa and back.  I ran into Hayden and ran with him for a little bit.  Little windy but that is okay.  It keeps the temperature cooler.

I went out for a 6 miler this afternoon.  I did the first 3.5 fairly conservative and then did the last 2.5 with 30 second surges within it.  I would do 30 seconds at about 5:00/mile pace and then recover for 30 seconds.  I just wanted to see how the hamstring would hold up with the fast leg turnover.  It wasn't that bad.  I got home and then went on a nice walk with Katey up into Snow Canyon.  It was pretty just when the sun was going down.

8 miles in the morning.

The legs keep feeling better and better each day.  I went out along the parkway again.  I really need to find other routes to run.  I think the club run is on tonight?

My hamstring was still a little tight so I called April and went in to see her.  It was supposed to only be for a 15 minute ordeal but ended up being about and hour and 15 minutes.  She dug into the hamstring and really got into the muscles again.  She said this should take care of it.  I iced it and just went on a walk this evening with Katey in order to loosen it up.  I want to be cautious and not make it worse so I didn't do a second run this evening. 

6 miles in the morning.

I kept everything nice and easy today.  April said to jog on it just to loosen up the muscles in my leg.  No pain at all but it just trying to loosen it up.  I will be fine for Wasatch Back but I just want to be careful so I don't pull it again.  The leg felt good this morning though.  Stretching took place afterwards.  I will take it kind of easy tomorrow during the biathlon.  I was only planning on doing the run as a 5 mile tempo run.  I will see how my leg feels though.

I did the Cache Valley Biathlon with my father-in-law again.  I wanted to do at least 3 miles of the race at tempo pace and then see how my hamstring would feel.  I did a 2 mile warm-up to get everything going.  I went out with Neal Ferrin, Carson Campbell, and Mitch Zundel.  We stuck together for the first 3 miles and then we separated a little bit.  Here are the splits: 5:24, 5:16, 5:23, 6:08, 6:03.  My hamstring felt good but I didn't want to overdo it today because this wasn't the biggest race in the world.  I am saving a lot for next week.  I felt good the first 3 miles and then decided to slow down a bit because I was locked in for 3rd place on the running section and I also knew I was running back too Logan afterwards.  I came in and then my father-in-law took off on his recumbent bike.  We placed in the top 20 and took 1st place in our age division.  We were the only team in our age division but it doesn't matter.  I wanted my little blue ribbon!

I did a mile cooldown and then got some fluids in me and headed from Wellsville back into Logan too my in-laws' house.  I did 11.5 miles at 6:27/mile overall and then did a little bit of a cooldown in order to reach 20 miles for the day.  There were a couple nice uphills that hopefully will get me ready for next week.  My hamstring feels much better and didn't bother me at all today.  I wasn't down and out this week but I wanted to be cautious just to make sure the hamstring was okay.  Next week should be tons of fun!

Look out BYU! 

10 miles this morning.

10 miles in the evening.

I went out on the Snow Canyon Parkway this morning.  I kept it nice and easy this morning.  I want to make sure I am fresh for this weekend.

I met up with everyone at the Dixie Center and ran along the trail.  I did a mile warmup before everyone showed up.  We did a 5 mile run and then stretched out before we started the 2 mile tempo run.  I hit 5:07 and 5:15 for the 2 miles.  It felt really good.  I felt really loose and the legs were extending better than they have for a while.  I owe it all to the massages and the stretching I have been doing lately.  I then did a 2 mile cooldown.  It was fun running with all the guys this evening.  It was quite a group.

11 miles in the morning.

9 miles in the evening.

I woke up and was feeling really good.  I went into Entrada and it was really beautiful once again.  The weather was great which made for an enjoyable run.  I averaged 6:50/mile overall. 

The Celtics were smashing the Lakers so I went out for my run at halftime of the game.  I went out along the Snow Canyon Parkway.  I swallowed some bugs and got my protein for the day.  Kept it nice and relaxed.

 8 miles in the morning.

6 miles in the evening.

I went down around the high school into the Santa Clara valley.  It was a nice morning for a run.  I am going to keep the miles relaxed and easy for the next day or two with a slight taper in order to be ready for Wasatch Back.

I went out for another easy 6 miles.  I went out into Ivins.  It was a little hot but not that bad.  Good spaghetti dinner afterwards.

On a side note, I decided to shave my beard into a Brian Sell 'stache.  I am no Brian Sell but I figured I should do something to spice up Wasatch Back.  I will try and get a picture up.  Nobody in my family thinks it looks good.  Oh well!

6 miles in the morning.

5 miles in the evening.

Slight taper for Wasatch Back.  Went out towards Ivins again.  I ran the last mile with my little sister who is training for her first St. George Marathon.  I think she is going to do well.  Now I get to run errands until we take off for up north.

5 miles right after we ate Subway for dinner up in Orem.  It wasn't sitting very well for any of us.  Not even .13 into the run we all had side aches and were not feeling good.  We finally relaxed and everything was okay.

4 miles in the morning.

3.88 miles in the evening.

4 easy miles with the "dudes" in Orem.  Now we are heading up to Logan for Wasatch Back.  Yeah!  It should be lots of fun.

I could write a lot of details about Wasatch Back but I will let everyone else elaborate.  I was in Van 2 for the White team.  It was Seth, Taylor, Adam W., Clyde, Dave, and me.  We had Seth's brother-in-law who made it very fun.  I was really excited for this.  I started my first leg at 9:59pm.  It was the leg that starts at the bottom of Old Snowbasin Rd. and goes up half way.  It was a 3.88 mile leg and I it took me 24:35 to go up so I averaged 6:21/mile overall.  In the words of Clyde, "It was a motha!"  Really glad to have this one over.

11.49 miles for my 2 legs today.

I ran my second leg  of 4.53 miles in 25:31 for an average of 5:38/mile.  It was a nice gradual uphill climb.  I had close to 40 roadkills on this one.  My last leg started right after the Ragnar leg.  Seth, who is part mountain goat, beat his previous time from last year for a new record.  Unbelievable!  I started and had about a mile uphill and then it dropped off into Deer Valley.  It was extremely steep and knew my quads were going to be trashed afterwards.  I had 2 miles straight down and then about a .25 uphill.  This didn't feel good.  I then dropped back down and had a slight uphill while then finishing all downhill.  I didn't want to hammer it that much but it didn't help out that much.  I did the 6.96 miles in 36:46 for 5:17/mile overall.  It should have been faster but my legs were trashed.  I didn't want to hurt them more than they needed to be hurt.

I had a great time seeing everyone up at the race.  It was great seeing both teams take 2nd and 3rd respectively.  Not bad at all!  I had a great van to be in and it was really nice getting to know everyone better.  Time to get rid of the Brian Sell 'stache or Katey might hurt me!

I am going to really revamp the training and be focused for Twin Cities.  I want to get some good hill training in with some quality speed work in on top of the mileage.  My hamstring seems to be ready for it all so here we go. 

6.25 miles in the morning.

9 miles in the evening.

My legs were really heavy this morning.  The goal was just to get out there and loosen up some of the lactic acid.  It loosened up a little but not much.  I ran into Katey on my run.  We stopped by the house we are close to buying.  I think we are going to do it.  The legs should be fine after today :)

Met up with the club at the Dixie Center.  We are planning on doing hill repeats on Webb Hill so we went out and mapped out a route.  My quads were trashed and I was glad the pace was slow.  I should be able to work the crud out over the next couple days. 

9.20 miles in the morning.

11.10 miles in the evening.

My legs felt a lot better this morning.  I went out towards Ivins and then went exploring on some trails.  I ran into a big fence with a "No Trespassing" sign so I had to turn around.  I forgot how much fun it is running on trails every once in a while.  It is quite enjoyable.

I waited until about 8pm to go for my second run.  I went up into Snow Canyon State Park and then back to my parent's house.  The legs were a little sluggish but the stride is slowly starting to lengthen again.  The muscles are finally starting to loosen up.  Lots of bunnies on the trail.  Little baby ones!  Time to stretch now.

11 miles in the morning.

9 miles in the evening.

I went out and back towards Kayenta this morning.  Perfect temperature with a slight breeze.  The legs are "slowly" coming around for full recovery.

I went out into Ivins and then on towards Highway 91.  It was nice.  The legs felt really light again.  That hasn't happend for a while.  They have been very heavy the last little while.  Great running weather lately.

9.55 miles in the morning.

10.20 miles in the evening.

I went exploring for a new loop to run.  I went out to Ivins and then down through the Santa Clara Valley.  I then went over towards Sunbrook and then back up to Sunset.  I went from their back into the Santa Clara Heights.  It was a good little loop that I will probably do more often.  It was a nice change of scenery.  Just beat the 7:00/mile guy this morning.

Ran with the club tonight.  We started at the running store and then did our 10 mile loop.  It was good conversation and it was fun having Kamm Davis with us.  He talked a ton about ultra-marathons.  He is a stud!

11.60 miles in the morning.

8.50 miles in the evening.

I did kind of the same run as yesterday morning but I went out into the Santa Clara River Reserve and then back into Sunbrook and back to Santa Clara.  It was quite serene and peaceful being out there with no traffic and loud noises.  It was a nice relaxing run this morning.  Big workout tomorrow so it will be another easy run this evening. 

Tonight was a great run.  Katey rode her bike along side me.  We went out into Ivins and then came back.  I pushed the last 3 miles pretty hard.  Afterwards Katey said I was really moving.  It felt really good.  Now for the big workout tomorrow morning.

What a run!  I have needed this type of run for a while.  Dave, Wildbull, Hayden, Marcie, and me met at my parent's house at 5:00am.  We then drove out to Utah Hill.  We dropped off some water at the top of the hill and then drove down the backside going towards Mesquite.  The first part of the run was 10 miles straight up.  It had 2400 ft. elevation gain.  It was gradual so we kept the pace slow and had good conversation.  We stopped and got some water at the top and then gradually eased into picking up the pace.  I wanted to hit the last 6 or so miles pretty hard so here are the splits after mile 13: 5:30, 5:12, 5:02, 5:01, 5:01, 5:06, and 5:05.  It got really hot at about mile 15 but I worked my way through it and made it the whole 20. 

I was very happy with this run.  I haven't had a big workout in a long time.  June has kind of been yucky training due to the hamstring issues, moving down to St. George, and finding a house.  Everything is slowly settling down and falling into place so I am ready to rock and roll with the training.  It was great running with everyone this morning.  I made sure I ate some yummy waffles afterwards.  It made the big workout worth it.

10 miles in the morning.

13.15 miles in the evening.

I did an out and back to Red Mountain Spa.  Lots of people were on the parkway this morning.  I love seeing people out and about.  It makes me very happy.  Kept it nice and relaxed.  Good start to the week.  Hill repeats tonight!

I went out to Desert Hills High and ran 3.15 miles out on the dirt trails.  I am looking for various routes for the upcoming cross country season.  There are a variety of routes to run on which makes me very excited.  I then met up with everyone at the Dixie Center for our big workout.  We had the usual faces with 2 new additions (Joe and Eric Larsen).  It was good to have fresh faces.  We did 3x up Webb Hill.  It is about .92 up and the same back down.  I wasn't feeling that great after the first one and I know the reason why.  I threw up my dinner twice and was really dehydrated!  I had eaten some salad a little earlier and it did not sit well.  The second repeat was a little better but I threw up more time at the start of the third repeat.  I pushed threw it and was very happy I did.  I drank plenty of water once I got back to the car.  10 miles total for the club run. 

I think Clyde is calling the hill repeat workout "Meat Grinder Mondays."  I think that is a perfect name for it.