El Burro Blanco

Not exactly the way I wanted to start the new year.  Katey and I drove home from Logan today.  I stretched, did some core exercises, and then sat in my parent's hot tub.

Lots of errands around town today.  I went to a chiropractor today and I'm not sure if it helped much.  I go and see April tomorrow for a massage and then have an appointment with the physical therapist on Monday.  I am going crazy not being able to run without any significant pain.  I need to be patient I guess.  I guess my body could use the rest.

.5 mile with the dog and then tacked on another 2 miles around Ivins.  Adductor was still really tight. 

I went and saw April today and she dug into my adductor muscle for close to an hour.  She thinks I should get better soon and back to running.  Suprisingly I feel much better than I have in a while.  She told me my adductor muscle was really tight and all cramped up because it was compensating for my hamstring pull from last year.  She checked my hamstring out and it felt really good.  She said the adductor was going to get tight just because my body is trying to realign itself.  I hope it gets better so I get out for just a nice easy run with no pain.

I went to a physical therapist in town today and I hope he can get my hamstring/adductor taken care of.  He noticed that everything was a little tight but no major tears or anything which was positive news.  He gave me some suggestions on weightlifting I should do for the next little while.  He also wants me to get Coreshorts Lite (compression shorts) just to walk around in and then possibly to run in for short runs. 

He was really encouraging and I hope to get this thing taken care of.  I should have seen a physical therapist a while back but I was too stubborn.  This is all foreign territory to me not being able to run without pain and trying to heal my leg.  I guess I am supposed to learn something from this so I will be patient.  I am just hoping to be going for a nice run here sometime soon with no pain whatsoever.

Rode the bike, did the elliptical, and lifted weights at the high school.  I did some stretching afterwards and core exercises.

Rode the bike, did the elliptical, and lifted weights at the high school.  I did some stretching afterwards and core exercises.

Rode the bike, did the elliptical, and lifted weights at the high school.  I did some stretching afterwards and core exercises.

Rode the bike, did the elliptical, and lifted weights at the high school.  I did some stretching afterwards and core exercises.

I rode my bike from Ivins over to the Dixie Center.  Met up with the guys while they ran.  Clyde and I rode our bikes and just cold progressively colder and colder.  It was fun being around everyone again but not very fun getting cold.  I hit close to 20 miles for the total bike ride. 

I see the physical therapist on Monday and I hope I can get running again soon.  The hamstring and adductor have felt good the last couple days.  I know lifting weights has helped.  I will incorporate that more within my training once I get going again.

I went to the physical therapist again and it went well.  He checked me out and then had me lift some weights and do some agility exercises.  I felt okay and he told me I have the green light to try and jog a little bit.  I get my compression shorts tomorrow so it should help out.  The PT swears by them so I hope they work.

I got home and ran to the stop sign and back.  Leg felt okay.  Hamstring was fine but the adductor was pretty tight.

I got home and found that the compression shorts had come in the mail.  They are called Coreshorts Lite.  I tried them on and they are really tight on my legs.  They felt good and so I went for a nice 3 mile run around Ivins.  It kept all the muscles in place and made my leg feel pretty good.  I did some stretches afterwards and hopefully I can get back into the swing of things.

Same run as yesterday.  I felt a touch better.  I don't want to jinx myself anymore by saying my leg is getting better.  The leg will get better when it is supposed.  I do hope it is soon though.

To much going on today so I wasn't able to get a run in.  I stretched and did some core exercises though.  Still being cautious with the leg.

Slowly easing back into it.  Probably need to stretch the adductor a little more.

Another nice and easy 3 miles this morning before heading over to the Painter's Half-marathon.  Clyde and I were the lead "vehicles" or bikes for the race.  It was fun seeing the race play out.  I biked from Ivins, did the course, and then biked back home.  It was close to 30 miles on the bike today.  I would much rather be running but oh well.  I will bump up the daily mileage a little bit next week.

I felt really good on my run today of 6 miles.  I went out along the parkway and then came back home.  My adductor felt good and didn't bother me.  It is a touch tight still but I will continue to stretch and ice it.  Hopefully things are turning around for the better.  Stretching and core exercises afterwards.

I then did yard work for the rest of the day.  Digging up old sprinkler systems and trying to put new ones in are not that fun.  Yikes.

6 miles around Webb Hill on the DC trail and then back to the school with some of the track kids.  Small surges thrown in.  Nothing to exciting.  Leg felt better.  It seems to slowly but surely feel a little better each day.

Stretching and core exercises later in the evening.

8 miles around the high school today.  I ran a couple miles with some kids from track and then went exploring out along the Arizona Strip.  Legs felt good today.  Adductor was better as well. 

I stretched, biked a mile, lifted some weights, and then did some core exercises afterwards.  Perfect running weather today.  I am happy to just be getting outside and running easy with not as much pain.  Fingers and toes are crossed for good luck and continued improvement!

8 miles on the club run this evening.  It felt good to get out with the guys again.  We went up into Middleton on the trails and then back around to the store.  Light drizzle and perfect temperatures made it a nice day for a run.  Adductor felt good but the hamstring was a little tight.  Need to continue with the stretching.

Ran from the high school out towards Washington Fields.  Light drizzle made the run enjoyable.  Lots of stretching afterwards.

Woke up a touch late so I wasn't able to start with the guys.  I ran into them on the trail though and finished the last couple miles with them.  Legs felt fairly sore afterwards which is normal since I am slowly revampling the running.

Happy with the week.  The adductor is finally loosening up the hamstring isn't as bad.  I will have another easy week for next week and then get going. 

6 miles in the morning.

It has been a while since I've run in the morning.  I felt pretty good.  The fresh rain made everything smell good.  I will keep everything nice and easy this week and hopefully be ready to really get going next week.

5k on the treadmill and then weights and stretching after.  I wanted to keep it light today.

Ran from the high school out into Washington Fields.  It was pretty chilly.  Hamstring was fairly tight this evening.

Fun run with the club tonight.  Adductor was pretty tight.  It felt okay after I stretched though.

To much going on today.  Stretching and light core exercises.

Had church stuff going on for most of the day.  Thought I would give the legs a slight rest (I have been resting for a couple months due to the injury!) to really start fresh back in February.

We met at Steve's house tonight and talked about Squaw Peak.  I think I am going to really get into this.  I like the idea of doing high mileage on the trails but at a much slower pace.  I know it will take less of a toll on my body.  The injury has thrown my normal daily routine off for the last couple months so hopefully I can get back on track while focusing on this ultra.

I plan on using all of this as solid base mileage to hopefully lead towards a decent fall marathon.

6 miles on some trails around the school.  Nice and easy and just tried to enjoy the run.

8 miles in the morning.

3.10 miles in the afternoon.

First double I have done in a long time.  It wasn't much but it sure felt good.  I ran around Santa Clara Heights this morning and then did a 5k in between my break from Parent Teacher Conferences.  Also did some weights after I ran this afternoon.  It felt good.  Knock on wood!

I need to keep the doubles up and hit the trails quite a bit. 

4 miles in the morning.

7.25 miles in the early evening.

I ran over to my parent's house in Santa Clara and then back home.  Nothing to exciting.

I met up with Kamm today at the Jacob Hamblin home.  We did a really fun run on the Barrel Trail.  Gradual uphill with nice soft trails and some sections having different kinds of terrain.  It was fun to be off the road pounding the pavement.  Kamm is always a character so it was fun running with him again.

4 miles by the high school after work.  I then lifted some weights and then headed over to run with the club tonight.  We ran almost 9 miles up on the trails.  My adductor started acting up so I had to slow down quite a bit.  I survived the run but wasn't feeling very good afterwards.

Legs were not feeling very good today so I took a day off to get ready for tomorrow's shindig.

Huge workout for me today.  Met up with everyone at 6:30am and then ran on the Icehouse to Broken Mesa trail.  Lots of deer up on the mesa and perfect weather conditions to run in.  I was kind of back in the pack because I didn't want to overdo everything with my leg.  I stayed back with Greg and had to watch him take a bad spill.  Clyde and Dave hammered this run today and both are in great shape.  The last couple miles started to drag and my leg wasn't feeling that great.  I survived and hurried home to take an ice bath.

This was the longest run I have had since last October or so.  I was happy I went today.  It was good to do this.  I am going to have to get my leg scraped to try and loosen it up more.  I will hopefully take care of the leg this week.

Ran around the high school this afternoon.  It was not the best of runs.  My adductor was tight the entire time.  I am at my wits end right now.  I am trying to be positive through all of this but it is really difficult.  I go and see the chiropractor about Graston Therapy on Wednesday.

I lifted weights and did the elliptical for a little bit.  Leg is still fairly sore.

I went and saw Dr. Petersen today about Graston Therapy or "scraping."  He did a mini session and stretched me out really good.  It seemed to help a little bit but I wanted him to scrape deeper.  He said he will work on it more during our next session on Friday.

 I hope this helps.

Rode the bike and did the elliptical for close to an hour.

I went and saw the chiropractor and he did more of the scraping.  It felt pretty good and it actually felt like my leg was loosening up.  I go and see him again on Monday.  I hope things are turning around for the better.

Way to much yard work for Valentine's Day.  Oh well!  I got a lot done around the house.  I will do the scraping again on Monday and see if I can slowly get back into running again.

Just over 6 miles on the trails in Santa Clara with my new trail shoes.  Fun to be out running.

2 miles in before the big rain storm hit this evening.  Everything seems out of whack since my leg is slowly healing.  I hope things turn for the better.  I will just try and get out everyday and see what happens.

Lots of stretching and praying for the leg.

Same as yesterday.

I got home from work kind of late and was just thinking about how my leg doesn't feel like it is getting better.  I wasn't feeling that to bad so I decided to go for a run towards my parent's house.  The adductor is tight but I can run on it.  I decided to run through this rather than just sitting around and not doing anything.  It bothers me a little bit but enough to manage for now.  I will try that method for a while.

I ran on the Rock Writing trail on the Anasazi Valley Trail in Santa Clara.  It felt good to get outside on such a nice day.  Hopefully I manage the miles with slight tightness.  We shall see!

6 miles in the morning.

4 miles in the afternoon.

I woke up and got a nice 6 miles in this morning.  I went around Santa Clara and enjoyed the run.

I did another 4 miles later in the evening because I needed to get out a double.  It has been too long.  I wore my tight Coreshorts and I can handle the minor pain in the leg better with these on.  I will continue to run with these for a while and see if anything gets better.

6 miles in the morning.

6 miles in the afternoon.

Another fun 6 miles around Santa Clara this morning.

I hit the trails this afternoon by the high school.  The Coreshorts help out quite a bit.  I lifted weights afterwards and stretched really good.

My legs were trashed today so I stretched and did some core exercises.  A lot was going on at the school today.  I will try and do another double tomorrow.  

I got a massage set up for next Monday and I am hoping it helps out with everything.

Leg still not feeling great.

Ugh!

I don't what the deal was but I woke up feeling okay and decided to meet up with the guys for their run starting in Bloomington and going out towards Utah Hill.  We ended up going towards the gorge and then looping back around into Bloomington.  I was happy with the run but the leg was extremely tight once I finished.  I'm glad I went out on the run though.  It was fun running with the guys again.

I have my massage on Monday and I am praying it can do something for my leg.  We shall see!

I got another massage for my birthday today.  April is pregnant so she is out of commission for a while.  I found another lady who used to do massages for the San Diego Chargers.  She did a massage on Junior Seau once.  I was hoping and praying she could help me out with my leg.  She checked me over and then all of a sudden started digging into my hip.  She worked on that and then my quadriceps.

I was pretty beat up after she was through with me but I felt much better.  She wanted me to take the rest of the week off and see how it feels.  I will go see her again next Monday and then if I feel good I will get going again.  I am still a little uncertain if I should Squaw Peak.  If I don't back to "normalcy" here in a week, I think I might have to back out of it.

 Another massage from Christina this afternnoon.  I hope it helps.  I will keep the rest of the week nice and easy.

I ran this afternoon on the Barrel Trail.  It was nice and hot.

6.10 miles in the morning.

I slept in from the long trip yesterday.  I woke up and ran around Copperas Cove.  It is about an hour and a half south of Austin.  Their were some pretty good hills so it made the run worth it.  I ran by the high school and saw the high school football field.  I couldn't believe how big the stadium was plus it had a huge jumbo tron.  They love their football here in Texas.  I might go out for some more later today.

6.10 miles around San Antonio this morning.

I wanted to run on the Riverwalk but it was to busy. I ran through some scary streets of the city though. Their was lots of houses boarded up and also with metal bars around the windows and doors. I just smiled and waved at the few people that were out and about that early in the morning. Many of them looked confused. We spent the day in San Antonio today. We took a boat trip along the Riverwalk and then went to the Alamo. It was fun seeing and learning about all the history of the city.

8.10 miles in the morning along the beach in Galveston.

I ran along the beach this morning in Galveston which was a great experience.  I was out running right as the sun was coming up along the horizon.  It was a beautiful scene and one I will remember for a long time. 

It was really sad seeing parts of this city because of all the damage the hurricane caused a few years back.  Much of the city hasn't rebuilt itself but it seems to be going strong.  We spent the day at the beach with thousands of college spring breakers!  Not the best time to come.  The water was freezing but it felt good to swim and enjoy the ocean. 

Had some yummy Mahi Mahi at the restaurant this afternoon.

10 miles in the morning in Copperas Cove.

We came back to my brother and sister-in-laws house last night because we fly out this afternoon.  I found a back country road and ran on it this morning.  I saw 2 vultures eating on a carcass and they immediately looked at me as I passed by.  I went anaerobic because I was not going to fast and I didn't want them to nibble at me.

It was really fun coming down to Texas.  I am excited to get back to the mountains and dry heat.  It was a little humid this week.

The leg is slowly feeling better and I hope it continues going in the right direction.

I rode the bike for just over 10 miles.  It was nice to give the leg a rest from running.  I still need to ease into it.

I met up with Clyde at the DC and then went out towards the BearPaw trail.  We stayed on that for a while and then looped around into Green Valley.  It was a perfect day for a run and a nice finish to the week.  It was good chatting with Clyde again.

8 miles along the Snow Canyon Parkway.

Ran/walked from my house to my parent's house.

8.05 miles in the morning.

I have been doing a little bit of biking and stretching the last little bit.  I am a little frustrated with the leg.  It gets better and then it hurts again.  I decided to just wear the Coreshorts and see what happens.  It was slow going this morning but I got out.  I am going to try and do something everyday now.

Hello everyone!  This is Logan and I am not dead but I sure have felt like it.  I appreciate those of you who have checked on me to see how I am doing.  

I have been dealing with some hamstring and hip issues the last 6 months or so.  I have gone to physical therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists and my right leg doesn't want to get better. 

I have run 3-5 mile days here and there but nothing consistent.  Everytime I go out for a run it starts to hurt on my right side within a mile of running.  I am taking it one day at a time and hopefully can get something consistent going here shortly.  I am trying to stay optimistic about things but it gets frustrating at times.  I was really looking forward to doing Squaw but all my focus now is to try and get better.  I don't have any races planned and will see if I can get the leg better.  It has been nice to spend more time with Katey and the rest of the family.  She has appreciated it but understands I am grumpy for not being able to run :)

I have an appointment with a doctor who runs this Friday and he claims he can fix my leg.  We will see.

I will head out for a long bike ride now to try and get some sort of exercise.  Happy trails everyone!

Hello everyone!  I am still alive and back running finally.  I read the book "Born to Run" and have really just enjoyed the running lately and not worried about my pace and how far I've gone.  My Garmin is currently collecting dust in my house and I am just worrying about making sure I start my Timex on time.

 I have been running anywhere from 3-20 miles a day over the last couple months.  It helped once cross country got started so I can run with my kids everyday (I have 40+ this year!)  I have been mostly doing a lot of trail running.  I am going to try a trail race sometime soon and see how I like it.  I hope everyone can forgive me for not blogging for a while.  Sorry!  I have missed all of you!

The great news about the last couple months is my wife Katey is pregant.  We are a expecting our first little girl in January!  I don't know if Katey really likes the name Prefontaina for a girl though.

 I ran 7 miles this afternoon with the cross country kids.  We did 2 meat grinders up Webb Hill.  The team did well expect I lost my lunch after the first one.  Oh well!

4 miles with the cross country team.

It went nice and easy because we have the meet tomorrow.

Nice long run this morning with Clyde and Paul H.  I had to hit the last couple miles hard so I could get to work on time.  Only if I didn't have a job and could run all day?  Felt really good this morning.  I am thinking of doing St. George with Clyde as a training run to pace anyone to shoot for under 3 hours.  We are serious about doing this!

7 miles in the hot afternoon with the cross country team.  I am trying to get the boys to run in a pack more and push each other.  It is a work in progress.

Another hot day.  Close to 110 degrees when we started running.  It was a nice 3 mile run with the cross country team to shake the legs out.

Today was a breakthrough run for me.  I am looking at doing more trail races to see if I would like to do them.  I was planning on doing 3 hours out on the trails with the wildman, Kamm Davis.  

We started over by the Jacob Hamblin home and did 1 hour loops on the trails by the Santa Clara River.  We would come back each hour and refuel so we could go out for another loop.  I was curious to see how I felt.  This was one of the funnest runs I have done in a long time.  It was really peaceful and quiet since it was just Kamm and me out on the trails.  I didn't wear my Garmin so I didn't worry about my pace at all.  

I am really excited to keep training on the trails and see how a race goes.  My legs were a little sore afterwards but I think I will survive.  The only casualty I had was that I got sunburned on my back pretty good. 

The leg felt good so I will see how everything goes as I slowly started putting in more miles.  This was probably the best week of running I've had all year.  To bad it is already August!  Enjoyed spending time talking and running with Kamm though.

7 miles with some of the girls on the cross country team this afternoon.  We did some 2 minute pickups in the middle and it felt good to get the girls really moving.

7 miles with the 2nd group of boys today.  It was another hot one but it was fun pushing them a little bit.

Another 8 miles out on the trails by the high school with Kamm.  It was really hilly but we did about 10 minutes worth of pickups which wasn't too easy with the amount of hills we were dealing with.  It is always quite fun running with him.  Their is never a dull moment.

6 miles this afternoon with the kids.  We ran out into the desert for a nice warmup and then did hills at Hidden Valley Park.  Loads of fun and the kids pushed really hard today which made me happy.

 I was planning on running this morning but I wasn't feeling 100% (kind of sick).

15.40 miles in the morning.

5 miles in the afternoon.

I ran with Clyde this morning from his house and then around towards Pine View and then back on the trail.  The temperature felt great as we ran along the river.  It was good conversation and lots of fun.  The leg felt good and I was happy to get out this morning.

Another easy 5 miles with the cross country girls this afternoon.  First double in a long time.  Yeah!

4 easy miles with some of the cross country kids due to our meet tomorrow in Cedar.  Nothing exciting to report.

I woke up early and ran with Paul H. and Clyde this morning down the marathon course.  We had a few guys show up late so we ended up having to push the pace faster than I really wanted to go.  I needed to get back for the high school cross country race so we stopped the car, touched our toes once and then we were off.

We were around 6:30ish/mile pace for the first couple miles and then slowly picked it up.  Paul H. did a great job running with us today.  With just under 5 miles to go Clyde started to lay the hammer down and chew up the course a bit.  I pushed it but am wanting to not overdo anything right now.  

I got done and averaged just about 6:25/mile overall.  My quads were a little tight but that was most likely due to not having a ton of miles in the legs just yet.  I am slowly feeling better each day the leg has responded quite nicely.

 I made it just in time to get on the bus for the meet and I ended up stretching for most of the ride up to Cedar.  I did a .50 shuffle around the course to see my kids run.  Nice end to the week. 

I will try and throw in a few more doubles next week and keep the mileage right around 70 again for next week.

7 miles with the cross country team in the afternoon.  We did some nice pickups on the track.  I then went and did 3 more miles on the treadmill at the high school since it was so blasted hot outside.  I slowly moved the pace up to under 6:00/mile.  It felt good to get the legs moving.  Little cool down after wards.  

 Not a bad start to the week.

6 easy miles with the 2nd group of boys on the cross country team.

I then went and ran another 8 miles out in the hills behind the high school.  I was planning on going with Kamm but he had family stuff going on.  It was nice and easy with some good climbs.  I had to be careful because it got kind of dark quick.

Running with Clyde and Paul H. in the morning.

14.20 miles in the morning.

3 miles in the afternoon.

I ran with Paul H. and Clyde this morning.  My legs were not feeling that great but we all survived and lived to talk about it.  We ended up averaging 7:35/mile overall.  Nothing spectacular but it was nice to finish the run in one piece.  The body is slowly starting to cooperate more with me running more consistently.

I ran an easy 3 miles with the cross country team before timing them on their 800s.  They did well on this workout.

6 easy miles this morning just to shake out the legs.  It was lots of fun.

Met up with Chad, Adam, Walter, and Clyde in Salt Lake for a really fun run.  We started at the capitol and then ran over by the Shriner's hospital.  Chad and Walter cut it short but it was fun running with them for a little bit.  Adam then took us up City Creek which was awesome.  The temperature was great and the hills were even better!  Adam kept saying that we had just a few more until we turned back around but it seemed to be one long continuous climb for a bunch of miles.  We got to the top and had some refreshing water and then came back down which felt really good on the legs.  It was a great morning run.

As the snow comes soon for you Northern Utah folks, head south and we will find places for you to stay so we can get a bunch of people and go for a fun run.  We talked about it a little this morning and we should get something set in stone.  It would be a great time of year for everyone to come down during December or January.

Now off to do wedding stuff for my younger sister.  Yeah!

I woke up at ran with Dave and Greg from the hotel in Provo up the canyon.  It was nice not having to run a ton of miles this morning.  I am glad that I was able to run with those guys.  It was nice chatting with them which made the run even better. 

Probably the best week of running for me for the entire year.  The leg keeps feeling better and better each day so I can't complain.  Hopefully I can keep things going.

Katey and I got home from a long day of driving back from Logan but I knew I needed to go out and get a run in.  I ran from our house and went over too the Barrel Roll trail.  I ran about 9 miles on the trail and then went over to my parent's house for dinner.  I felt really good on this run and it was nice to get out for a run after the long day of driving.

Good start to the week!

6.75 miles with the cross country team.

8 miles on the trails with Kamm.

We did a nice 30 minute warmup and then ran more 800s on the track.  The kids are really pushing hard and it is good to see so many of them improving.  I need to remind myself to be patient with them.  They are working really hard.

I then went and ran some trails around the high school again with Kamm.  We decided my new nickname is "El Burro Blanco."  I guess it sounds okay.  We had a good run but it got dark quick so we both nearly tripped a couple of times.  We both survived though.

14.25 miles in the morning.

5.25 miles in the afternoon.

I met up with Clyde, Paul H., and Steve this morning for a nice "easy" run.  My legs were a little sore from everything yesterday and it was nice and casual at first but the boys decided to really hammer it.  I stayed back and watched them go and have fun with each other.  I caught back up with them and managed to hang on.  Clyde was feeling frisky and wanted to run a mile all out.  I stayed with him for .12345th of a mile and then my calf started to tighten up so I decided to just relax.  I still don't want to overdo anything.  It was really fun running with these guys though.

I ran just over 5 miles easy with some of the girls on the cross country team.  It was a recovery day and the weather was slightly overcast so it didn't burn me out to much.

Not a bad day of running!  It is nice to have days like this.

7.5 miles in the afternoon.

I am going to relax a little today and tomorrow so I can have okay feeling legs for Saturday plus I don't want to do to much mileage just yet.

We did a good warmup and then I did the 800 workout with one of the kids who missed it on Tuesday.  We did pretty good together.  Nice to not have to run a ton of miles today.

I went for a 9 mile run on Barrel Roll with Kamm today after work.  It was stinking hot for some reason.  It was nice talking with him and the trail was once again quite eventful.

I ran an easy 3 miles this evening with one of my cross country kids during our Run-a-thon.  It was his 3 mile PR.

Really fun run this morning.  I met up with a huge group and we drove up 23 miles and ran back down to the finish line.  I was really tired this morning but I felt okay once I started running.  I am planning on pacing (Clyde might help too:) )a 3:00 group for the marathon and so I practiced that today with Wildbull who is in that group.  Everyone kept the pace nice and relaxed for 10+ miles and then we all started to pick it up.  I made Bill stay right behind so I could pace him and then hand water to him when he needed it.  Paul H. also ran with us and then took off and did a great job finishing the run ahead of us.

I wore my racing flats for the first time in a long time so it felt good to have those on.  My calves tightened up a little bit but I felt good after the run.  Bill did a great job this morning.

I am just trying to get in the miles so my body can handle some other workouts later on.  It is nice though just doing mileage instead of any major speed workouts. 

It should be fun pacing everyone who wants to break 3 hours at the marathon.  I am contemplating wearing Bill's blow up doll so everyone can find Clyde and me but I want to make sure it is family appropriate!

This was another great week of running.

I went and ran 8 miles with some of the boys on the cross country team today.  We went out on some trails around the high school.  It was nice and easy but it felt really good to get the calves loosened up a little bit.

8 miles with the cross country team.

We did a little bit of a warmup and then did 8 hills over by the middle school.  It was a good push for most of the team.  They are working really hard right now.

Another 8 easy miles with the cross country team.  We did an out and back over by Little Valley Fields.  It was really hot today for some reason.  Yikes!

11 miles in the morning.

5 miles in the afternoon.

I woke up early and ran with Paul H. and Clyde.  We jogged over to the River Trail and did a couple mile repeats.  I ran the first one in 5:36 and then the second one in 5:34.  We didn't do the final two because Paul was feeling pretty sick.  Hopefully he gets feeling better.  We cooled down the rest of the way back to Clyde's house.

I did a short warmup with the high school team and then we did 4 mile repeats with a 400m recovery jog in between.  It was a really good push for the team and it was nice to see some of the times the kids were putting out.  They are doing well.

12.80 miles in the morning.

3 miles in the afternoon.

I ran with Clyde again this morning.  We both were some what tired but it felt good to get out and run.  The conversation was great and we both enjoyed the run quite a bit.  I think Clyde says it best.  "Logan sweats like a horse."  I have my dad to thank for that.  Temperatures were a little cooler which felt great on the body.

I ran with the cross country kids to show them the Wahsatch Rendezvous course.  I think they will enjoy running on it tomorrow.

I woke up planning to run but I wasn't feeling the best so I decided to sleep in.  I slowly started feeling better as the day went on but not 100%.

I ran an easy 5 miles with the cross country team this afternoon and then hurried over to Jacob Hamblin to run with the one and only Kamm Davis.  We ran our regular loop but then tacked on a little more to get a total of 11 for the run.  We actually saw two people walking on the trail which was really rare.  It was another great run with him.

I woke up and ran 11.20 miles with Clyde and Paul H.  We ran over by the Bloomington Loop and then came back down on the trail.  It was perfect temperature.  I needed to keep my shirt on since it was a little chilly.  The pace was nice and relaxed.  I can't complain too much.

I ran from the high school to my house in Ivins.  It was a nice 15 mile run.  It was nothing to fancy.  It was nice to get a long run in to see how the body is feeling.  I am sore but it was nice to get this in.  I didn't want to do to much this week so I can be ready to be a good pace setter for those going sub-3 hours next week.

I ran with the cross country team this afternoon.  We did a 20 minute warm up and then hit the track for 5x1 mile repeats with a 400m recovery jog in between each one.  I thought I was finished but a boy who had play practice needed a pacer so I went and did another 4 miles for him.  I guess it was good practice for pacing this weekend at the marathon.  It should be lots of fun.

An easy 6.5 miles with the cross country team this afternoon.  It was nice and windy.  Yuck!

6 miles with the cross country team.  We did some stairs with easy miles in between.  It was a good workout for the team.

Nice and easy 4 miles with the cross country team.

Clyde and I did a 3 hour pace group for whoever wanted to join us today.  It was the first race of the year and since the hip has been an issue it was perfect for what we both wanted to do this year.  The weather was awesome and it was fun meeting people at the start who wanted to break 3 hours or at least get close.

We were planning on hitting the half at 1:28 or possibly faster to give everyone a little bit of room towards the end if they needed it.  We had about 10 guys with us through the half and then Paul Harmer was the only guy that stuck with us.  He stuck right behind Clyde and I for the rest of the race.  I am glad he did it.  At mile 19, he was not looking good.  Clyde and I both said we need to keep talking to him and giving him fluids and GU at every station.

Not a lot of time for great detail but as the race went on, Clyde and I kept talking with Paul to keep following us and not worry about anything.  Paul looked like he was going to pass out at anytime but it was his day and he had the "race day magic."  Paul was dragging the last couple miles so Clyde and I would pump up the crowd for him.  I kept slapping Paul's hand down because he looked at his watch probably 20 times in the last 2 miles.  Paul crossed the finish line with a huge smile knowing he broke 3 hours and then collapsed into the arms of the National Guard members.  He got a one-way ticket into the medical tent and deserved all the attention he was receiving.  His previous best was 3:40!  Are you kidding me?  A 40 minute PR! 

Clyde and I waited around to see how the rest of our group did.  Matt Rowley, Nate Bundy and a few others came in just over 3 hours.  They were a little disappointed they didn't get under 3 hours but were thrilled that they had huge PRs. 

It was a blast running today.  It reminded me a lot of when Paul Petersen and I paced Jon Allen at TOU in 2007.  Lots of memories were made today.

I went and ran with my varsity boys on the region course.  We did some mini sprints on part of the course to get the legs moving.  We then jogged the course nice and easy.  It was a good start to the week.

 No tightness really in the legs.

I ran nice and easy with the cross country team today and then I tacked on some more miles out towards the new airport.  I ran on River Road on the nice, new paved road.  It was nice and quiet with hardly any traffic so it was quite nice.  I was feeling a little frisky on the way back so I decided to hit the last couple miles right around 6:00 pace.  It felt pretty darn good.

1 mile running around the cross country meet.  I decided to give the legs a little rest today.

I took some of my cross country boys out towards the new airport.  We were nice and easy on the way out and then slowly picked up the pace for the last 3.5 miles.  The wind was blowing pretty good so it was good for them to have to push harder and really focus on their form.  They did awesome today.

4 easy miles with the cross country team today.  Nothing fancy today!

I walked with me Dad for a mile early this morning to mark out a walking path for some neighbors in his neighborhood who want to start exercising.

I then met up with Steve this afternoon for a good 3 hour trail run.  We started at the Jacob Hamblin home and then went out towards Bloomington Hills finishing on the Bear Claw Poppy Trial.  We then came back to the Jacob Hamblin home.  We ran with Mike and Dustin for the first couple miles which was a ton of fun.  The weather was crisp at the start but got really hot as we went on.  Tons of people were riding mountain bikes today.  It felt good to get the legs moving again today.  My running is more consistent and it is helping me get back in shape.  Just need to keep it up.

We had our region cross country meet today so I didn't get my run in until about 9pm this evening.  The girls' team made it to state but the boys' team didn't.  I am proud of the boys and all that they accomplished this year.

I came home and found a little mold next to the fridge due to a leak in the hose for the ice machine.  I was not happy so I decided to head out the door and see how I felt on the run.  I ran from my house over towards Sunbrook and then looped around back to Ivins on Snow Canyon Parkway.  I hit 13 miles for the run.  It was perfect temps this evening!

I helped Dave out with his region cross country meet today so I didn't get my run in until late again.  I was the "pace car" driving the four wheeler out front.

I ran from my house this evening and then did a loop over towards my parent's house for a total of 7 miles.  Another nice evening!

An easy 3.5 miles after work today.  Nothing extremely fancy to report!

I had an incredible run this morning.  Steve H., Bill, Scott, James, Clyde, and I drove up to Zion National Park and ran the West Rim Trail.  We started at just over 7500 feet elevation so it was a little chilly.  It was also quite dark. 

We ran nice and easy today and stopped quite a bit for pictures.  It is some of the most beautiful scenery and country around.  Clyde posted the pics on Facebook if anyone is interested.  It was a really enjoyable run except for the tragedy with the baby deer falling of the edge of the cliff.  We came on to it and were really quiet but it got scared and slipped off.  We all felt pretty guilty but I guess that is the circle of life.

6 miles in the morning.

8 miles in the afternoon with Clyde.

I didn't have work today so I went for a nice and easy 6 mile run around Ivins.  The temps were perfect.  It was nice to sleep in and then go for a short run.

I met up with Clyde this afternoon and we went on the Temple Quarry Trail which is by the airport.  It was a fun run but we ended up running on the airport and got yelled at.  Their were really beautiful scenery up high on the hill and it was a nice change of pace.

On a lighter note, I lost my lunch after we finished running.  Clyde had a fun time with it!

Nice easy 3 miles this evening in Salt Lake with the girls.  Nothing too fancy to report due to heading up to state cross country today.

Nice and easy 1 mile run after I got home really late from state cross country.  I am tired!

6 easy miles this afternoon around Ivins and then into Santa Clara.  

2 easy miles in Hanksville tonight to shake out the legs.  A few stray dogs were out and about looking for fresh, white meat.

Well, this is officially my 2nd race of the entire year.  I have wanted to do a 50k just to see how I like it.  I signed up initially planning on running with Steve H. and Kamm Davis.  Both of them got hurt so it was just my pregnant wife and me that made the trip up to Goblin Valley State Park.  (Don't worry.  She didn't run!)  

We ate at the pre-race dinner last night in Green River at the Senior Citizen's Center.  It was really low key and their were only about 15 people there.  I knew after seeing this that the race would be totally different than any marathon I have ever done.

The race is an out and back course that runs through Goblin Valley State Park.  It is flat, has rolling hills, and some decent climbs throughout the race. 

My goal was to finish and see how close I could get to some of the top guys.  Shaun Martin ran a sub-1:07 at Bryce Canyon 1/2 this year (he also won this race last year) and Nephi Gold who has done a bunch of other ultramarathons and done well were 2 guys I recognized at the start.  We started out nice and casual which was totally different than an all out pace right from the start during the marathon which is what I am used to.  I talked with some guys during the first part of the race just trying to relax and get into some sort of rhthym.  Shaun and Nephi took off about 6 miles into the race.  I just wanted to keep them in my sights.  I got to the turn around point, which came up on me pretty quick, and saw Shaun and Nephi barely leaving the aid station.  I was less than a minute behind these guys which was very suprising to me!  I was at the turn around at about 1 hr. 47 minutes.

I turned around and wanted to keep them in my sights and see how I felt as the race got closer to being finished to pick the pace up.  I was sitting in 3rd and was really happy.  I felt good about things but at about mile 21 my legs started to cramp up.  I refueled, stretched a little and then look off still sitting in 3rd place.  I was just before the last aid station when the 4th place guy went by me and told me to keep up the good work.  We chatted during the first part of the race.  He was a really nice guy from North Carolina running the race.  I made it to the last aid station and started downing pretzels and any other food I could put in my system.  I had just over 4 miles left and I was not feeling that great.  I drank a couple Cokes which suprisingly helped.

I cramped up really bad in my legs, especially my calves the last few miles.  I shuffled, walked, and ran my way to the finish line.  I was happy knowing I just finished my first 50k but slightly disappointed knowing I could have done much better.  I felt the same way after the first time I did St. George.  I didn't know what I was doing but I learned a lot and did much better.  The same will happen for ultras.

I learned a lot today about future ultra/bushwhacking races.  I need to get a better fueling system down which will help so I don't bonk again.  Also, I need to make sure I respect the distance.  This was the farthest I have ever ran at one time.

Reasons why I should do better my next 50k: 

-I only have about 800+ miles on my legs total this year.  The injury with the hip and hamstring is to blame.  I need to get back to running more consistently and I think I will be okay.  I just need more miles on the legs.

-I also need to get a fueling system down so I can not bonk next time.  I took GU's and fluids but I need probably drink more and earlier in the race.  I drank every 5 minutes with my handheld but I probably need to do more.  The temps were cool at the start but it got pretty hot towards the end of the race.  I should have started drinking more sooner.

I had a blast but I think Katey had way more fun.  She can't wait for the next one.  She gave me the okay to do another if I want to.  She loved the atmosphere of the race.  I have already signed up for the Moab 50k+ in February.  I have a solid 3 months to get some good running in so I can do much better.  Some of the top guys in the sport will be there.  It will be fun. 

This is my week to relax the body mentally and physically.  My right calf is still really tight so I want make sure it gets better.  Easy 4 miles.

Walked an easy mile today.  Nothing exciting.

2 easy miles over to my parent's house in Santa Clara.  The calf is slowly feeling better.

Walked another easy mile today.

Beautiful evening for a walk with my beautiful wife around Ivins.

I ran with Clyde, Paul, and Dave this morning on the Zen trail and then on the Green Valley race loop.  It was a perfect morning for a run.  The calf finally loosened up on the run.  Happy to have a relaxing week and am looking forward to getting back to business next week.  Consistency for the next 3 months is key.

6 miles in the morning.

6 miles in the afternoon.

I ran this morning over into Santa Clara and then back to the house.  The moon was out which made it really easy to see the road.  Perfect temps this morning.  I can't complain about anything.

I ran another easy 6 miles this afternoon along Snow Canyon Parkway while Katey biked alongside me.  We had a great time talking about baby things and just enjoyed the wonderful weather.  Not really liking how quickly it gets dark.  Nice to get a double in today.  Great start to the week.

6 miles in the morning.

3.5 miles in the afternoon.

3 miles in the evening.

Nice and easy run this morning.  Temps were awesome once again.  I ran this afternoon up along the Arizona Strip right before Parent/Teacher Conferences.  I got home later than originally planned but ran up to the elementary school so I could vote and then came back home.  I'm sure the elderly women were wondering what I was doing with shorty shorts on to come and vote.  I enjoyed the reaction I got from them :)

8 miles this evening.

I had Parent/Teacher Conferences again this evening.  I was a little tired when I got home but I needed to get out.  I went over into Santa Clara and did a little route which isn't too demanding.  I was in a short sleeve shirt at 8:30pm.  The weather down here is incredible this time of year!

12 miles in the evening.

 I needed to hit the trails today so I decided to wait until after work to go and get my run in.  I got home and it was already dark so I made sure I grabbed my headlamp and then went over to the Barrel Roll trail.  I did 12 miles in the pitch black dark.  It was something totally different but really quite fun.  I might do these every once in a while.  I just need to make sure I take it easy.  My depth perception isn't the best when it is dark.  The run felt good though!

I woke up and headed back over towards the Barrel Roll trail.  It is so nice having this very close to the house.  I went along the wash that ran along the mountain and headed out towards Utah Hill.  It reminded me a lot of Goblin Valley.  I came back and decided to run the opposite way of Barrel Roll.  It is so much easier to run this trail in the daylight.  I got up to a couple mountain bikers struggling up the hill (they were pushing their bikes!).  I felt a little guilty running by them but oh well.  It happened to be a fellow teacher I work with and her boyfriend.  I just love catching the mountain bikers to see their reaction.  

I figured out that if I put a little Redmond salt in my water it seems to help out a ton with feeling pretty good.  It doesn't taste that but it sure helps.  This run was a nice end to the week.  I felt pretty good about everything.  I wasn't feeling that great on Thursday so I didn't get a run in.  Oh well!

I got a massage from April this afternoon and it felt awesome to great everything fixed and ready to go again. 

6 miles in the morning.

8.5 miles in the early evening.

Nice easy 6 miler this morning over into Santa Clara and back.

I went out along the Snow Canyon Parkway again this evening.  The weather was wonderful and it felt good to get out and move the legs.  I am feeling better and better each day.  Knock on wood!

4 miles in the morning.

5 miles in the afternoon.

Nice and easy over into Santa Clara this morning.

I got 3 miles in right after school but then needed to fix the tail light on my scooter.  It was a pain but I was able to get it done and then went out for another 2 easy miles. 

4 miles in the morning.

10 miles in the evening.

I slept in a little this morning but managed to get a few miles in.

I got home from work and decided to head out towards Kayenta.  I enjoy this run because it is rolling and a nice change of scenery (Their are no cars ever out there and I can look at multi-million dollar homes.  It makes me realize people spend way to much money on houses these days!)  I pushed the pace on the way back and ended up averaging just over 7:00/mile for the entire run.  It was a great evening for a run.  Loved it!

6 miles in the morning.

6 miles in the afternoon.

Another easy 6 miles over into Santa Clara this morning.

Fun run along Snow Canyon Parkway this evening.  I really don't like how dark it gets.  I guess I should get used to not running in the daylight for a while.

I went over to Clyde's house to chat with him for a little bit and then we decided to run out by my place.  It was fun having Clyde in my neck of the woods.  We went out into Kayenta and really enjoyed the cooler temps with a crystal clear sky.  It was nice looking at all of the stars this evening.  We negative split by about 4 minutes on the way back.  Clyde was pushing it!

Met over at the new Maverick this morning for a nice run out on the trails with the boys.  We encountered lots of sand, rocks, and groomed terrain.  We had a great time talking about a number of different topics.  We ran out just above Coral Canyon.  I hadn't been out that way before so it was a nice change of scenery.  The sun was shining and it wasn't cold at all.  It is for runs like this I moved down here.  It was a perfect day!

I did a bunch of yardwork to "cool down" for the week.  This was one of the best weeks I've had running in a while.  I just need to consistently keep it going.

6 miles in the morning.

4 miles in the afternoon.

It was quite chilly this morning.  Nice and easy over into Santa Clara.

Wasn't feeling that great this afternoon but I went out for a decent 4 miles around the house.  Nothing to exciting but it helped the sickness.

3 miles in the afternoon.

 I have felt that garbage today.  I still needed to get out for some miles though.

6 miles in the morning.

10 miles in the evening.

It was flipping cold this morning.  I have got all the cold weather gear on now.  Nice and easy.  The stars are nice and shiny in the morning.  I saw 2 shooting stars.

A wonderful run this evening out into Kayenta.  It is my rolling hills course.  It was really clear this evening.  I had light all the way until I got home.  The sky was really clear which made for a great run.  Light windbreaker jacket and shorts and I was in heaven.

6 miles in the morning.

8 miles in the evening.

Another nice and easy run this morning over into Santa Clara.  The temps were once again fairly chilly.

Another eventful run in the dark out along the Snow Canyon Parkway.  It is nice and relaxing getting out with the temps around 50 degrees and having time to think about lots of things.  Not worried about pace at all right now.  Everything is nice and easy.

4 miles in the morning.

10 miles in the early evening.

Stomach issues this morning so I didn't go as far.  Still felt okay.

I got home from work earlier than usual so I was able to run with a little bit of daylight.  I ran from the house down in the Santa Clara valley along the old highway.  I got halfway done and realized I had averaged 6:40/mile for the first 5 miles.  It didn't feel like that much of a push.  I made sure I slowed down on the way back.  I had to deal with a ton of uphill the last 1.5 miles which wasn't that fun.  I still survived though.

I woke up early this morning to hit the trails.  I started at Jacob Hamblin and then ran over by the Green Valley Loop.  Their were a fair amount of hills which is something I am trying to work on more with the running as of late.  It was quite chilly but a wonderful time to be running.  It was really nice once the sun started to come up.  

I had to hurry home so we could go and get a jogging stroller for the baby.  We found one for a killer deal so we bought.  Nothing like shopping for baby stuff!  I am not ready to be a dad!

Happy with the week.  I am trying to consistently hit 70 miles per week until Moab.  It is going well right now.

6 miles in the morning.

6 miles in the afternoon.

It seemed to be extra chilly this morning on my run but it was still nice to get out.

I ran a fun route over into Santa Clara this afternoon.  It was a solid start to the week.

3 miles this afternoon by the high school.  I was extremely busy with a lot of different things going on at work.

I got off work early today because of the holidays so I came home and took a much needed nap.  I woke up and then ran from my house over to the Green Valley Loop and then came back on the same trail.  It was nice and relaxing and the weather was absolutely awesome.  It felt good to get a run in during the daylight.  Everything felt great on the run so I am very happy with that.

I woke up and ran from my house over to the Barrel Roll Trail.  Collins put on a little Turkey Trot race which brought out about 15 people.  Steve brought a clock and Kendra yelled "Go" so we took off for the run.  I chased Steve for the first little bit and then just relaxed the rest of the way.  James wasn't too far behind me but it was a lot of fun to do this.  I think he wants to do this as a tradition each year.  I met a few new people which was nice.  I ran home after the race and then made sure I was geared up and ready for Thanksgiving.

I have so many blessings in my life.  I hope all of you have a great Thanksgiving.  Don't eat to much turkey!

I ran the same route as yesterday morning.  When I got to the Barrel  Roll trail though I went the opposite direction of the same way.  It is such a different trail just going the opposite direction.  It was once again a beautiful morning.  It was close to 60 degrees when I went out.  Everybody was shopping because of Black Friday so I had the entire trail to myself.  I didn't see anyone out there.  I would much rather be running than standing in long lines and spending money I actually don't have.

 Happy Holidays everyone :)

2 mile speed walk with my pregnant wife.  Nice pace for the entire walk :)

I ran my same route as I did on Thursday.  I didn't get out until the afternoon but it helped because it was much warmer.  The problem was that the wind was blowing pretty hard.  Lots of people range shooting and riding mountain bikes out on the trails.  I got some weird looks from people but oh well.  

Nice finish to the end of the week.  I am happy with the way things are going with the running lately.  Everything is slowly coming back to the regular routine.

On a different note, we went to the doctor this week and he said the baby could be here before January 13th.  Full term for Katey is on December 20th.  I guess I should hurry and get the baby room painted if she comes sooner than expected.  Yeah!  I can't wait to be a dad.

6 miles this afternoon.

I didn't have a ton of time to run today but I got a good run in before we had to go to Katey's banquet.  I pushed the pace a bit but it felt really good.

I got home a touch early from work so I decided to go for a little longer run.  I went out along Snow Canyon Parkway and then ran down the trail going over towards Albertson's which runs under Sunset Blvd.  It was a touch chilly this afternoon but it felt good to just go nice and easy.  I averaged 7:23/mile and just enjoyed the run.  Another wonderful day in sunny St. George!

It was still really cold this afternoon when I went out for my run.  The wind didn't help but I knew it would be bearable.  I went out towards Kayenta and ended up running along the old Highway 91 out past the Shivwits Indian Reservation.  I kept it nice and slow but it felt great to be running.  I warmed up after a little while and it was nice running once again in beautiful St. George.

6 miles in the afternoon.

10 miles on the club run.

I went from the high school out along River Road out towards the Arizona Strip.  It was getting out before the club run. 

The club run consisted of Dave, Clyde, James, Wildbull, and Matt (from Leadville).  We started at the Dixie Center and ran over towards the mall along the trail.  It got nice and crisp once the sun went down.  It was fun talking with the guys and just being out and running.

Katey and I had another baby class this evening.  She will be here in a couple weeks.

I went out for an easy 10 miles along the Snow Canyon Parkway after work today.  It was great weather and turned into a quite enjoyable run.  I kept it nice and easy because of the relay race tomorrow.

Wildbull called me a couple nights ago and asked if I wanted to run in the inaugural Expedition St. George Relay.  I told him I haven't done much with speed work all year but I was willing to do it.  Dave, Wildbull, James, Hayden Hawks, and me were on the St. George Running Center team.  I thought we should have been called "The Wildbillies" but it wasn't meant to happen.   The race started at the St. George Leisure Arts Center and ran all over town.  I had the first leg and decided to get into the holiday spirit.  I wore a long, blonde wig with a Santa wig for my leg.  (Check Bill's Facebook page for pictures.  I am sure he will have them up!)  It was about 4.5 miles and extra chilly early this morning.  I started at the Leisure Arts Building and then ran up to the pond over by the softball diamond on Snow Canyon Parkway.

The leg went well and I did a cool down before I hoped in the car.  I ended up running a couple extra miles in between everyone's legs just to stay loose.  My second leg was about 5.2 miles ant started at Toyo tire and went over on the DC trail into St. James Place.  It was along the river so it was cold.  I pushed the pace and felt pretty good finishing.

It was really fun hanging out with the guys and just enjoying each other.  It was nice seeing Hayden and see how well he is running.  The legs felt great doing a little bit of speed.  I had to cut out before the finish because I had to attend my little sister's cheerleading competition.  Yeah!  We ended up taking first place with a time of 4 hours 48 minutes.  I had a blast.

This was a nice finish to the week.  I felt great considering I didn't get out in the mornings.  It was just way to cold.  I know I have only lived in St. George one year but my body not ready for the "cold" weather down here.  I just need to bundle up more.  Happy to hit 70+ miles for the week again.

4 easy miles this morning in the light rain.  

It rained nonstop in St. George today.  I was going to go out again this afternoon but it was way to wet.  I decided to get caught up on painting for the baby room.  I needed to get it done.  Thank you crazy rain!

I woke up this morning to seeing the Red Mountain, Utah Hill, and Pine Valley covered in snow.  It was really fun to see this with all of the red rock.

Katey drove me to work today so I could run home from the high school.  It was pretty chilly this afternoon but the scenery was absolutely breathtaking.  I started at the high school, went over to the DC trail into Bloomington, then towards Tonaquint Intermediate, and then along Dixie Drive until I hit the trail that went up towards the Snow Canyon Parkway.  I then took the parkway all the way back to the house.  It was a great run and I enjoyed it thoroughly.  Averaged 7:05/mile for the run.  I couldn't ask for a better day than today.  Nothing but blue skies and beautiful surroundings.

I didn't run yesterday because I was busy painting around the house and trying to finish with the baby room.  I ended up doing the same run this afternoon where I started at the high school and then ran home.  I tacked on another half mile around Ivins.  Another cold afternoon.  Happy to get the long run in though.

It was snowing on the drive over to the Bloomington Loop.  As soon as we got started on the trail it stopped and the temps were perfect.  Clyde, Dave, Paul, and I went out on the trails towards Utah Hill.  We did the loop twice out there.  It was one of the best runs I've been on.  Their was just a little bit of snow on the ground which made great cushion for the feet.  It was fun chatting with the guys and ending the week on a high note.

I have another training mistake for missing a run that Sasha needs to put on the list.  Getting baby room finished with the in-laws in town!  I really do love my in-laws though. 

Slept in this morning and decided to just run this afternoon.  I ran from my house over along the Snow Canyon Parkway out towards the old running store.  This is becoming one of my favorite routes.  I didn't get out until about 5:30pm but the temperature was awesome.  It was much warmer today than it was all last week.  Hopefully it stays the same for the rest of the week.  Just took it nice and easy.

I did my Kayenta Hilly Loop run this afternoon.  I ended up going through Kayenta and then out along Highway 91 out past the Shivwits Indian Reservation.  The road was a little sketchy once it got dark.  I enjoyed all of the cars putting their brights on to see if I was an animal or something.  I wasn't but they decided to keep the brights on.  Lovely people!  Overall it was a nice run.  Happy to have it in the books.

4 miles this morning around the wonderful streets of Ivins and Santa Clara.

13 miles this afternoon.

I decided to go and run Barrel Roll this afternoon.  The weather was awesome so I hurried home from work and threw on the shoes.  I ran into Kamm riding his bike.  He looked like the Utah version of Lance Armstrong.  He was all decked out!  I had the trail to myself.  It was a little soggy in some spots but it made for an enjoyable run.  You can't beat the 50 degree weather at this time of year.

Club run this evening.  I ran from the high school and did a few miles before we all met up at the DC.  We looped around Stone Cliff and then back down onto River Road.  It was fun seeing the guys again and chatting about everything.  Decent longer run.  Legs felt good.

I started at my house and then ran along Snow Canyon Parkway.  I had to push the pace a little bit because we had a work Christmas party.  I ended up doing the last 5 1/2 miles between 6:00-6:30 pace.  The legs felt good and it was nice to do a mini speed workout that wasn't originally planned.

Met up with Clyde this morning at the DC.  We started out by doing the Bloomington loop and then went out and did the same run by Stone Cliff that the club did on Thursday.  We started talking about possible races again for next year and the pace dropped quickly below 6:30/pace.  It was absolutely perfect weather this morning.  I was running in a long sleeve tech shirt and shorty shorts.  Awesome!  I will be in Logan all next week visiting Katey's family so I will miss the warm weather quite a bit.  Hopefully I can get some runs in with the Logan guys again.  It has been a while.

I am up in Logan all week spending the holidays with Katey's family.  I woke up this morning not feeling very good so I decided to hold off on my run.  We all went to lunch and it seemed to help get some food in my stomach.  I got back to the in-laws and decided to head out.  I ran over to Sky View High School and then back the same way.  I saw 5 deer on the run and a decent size buck.  That was pretty cool!  I only had about 2 miles left and good old lunch decided to come back up.  I don't know if it was me being sick earlier or all the crap in the air (Logan had the worst air pollution in the entire country today!)  I felt better after wards and took it nice and easy all the way back to the in-laws.  I averaged 7:08/mile which I felt pretty good about considering I wasn't 100%. 

Hopefully it snows soon so the air gets cleaned up. 

I started at the in-laws again and ran over to Canyon Road and then did the 1st part of the 1st leg from Ragnar up through River Heights.  The air quality wasn't the best again but their was a fair amount of people out running this morning.  It is nice being able to sleep in and then go for my run.  Hopefully it snows later like all the weather people are saying.  7:04/mile for the entire run.  Happy considering their were a few decent hills on this run.  Felt much better today.  I must have eaten something bad a few days ago.

Ran an easy 4 miles early today before I met up with Paul.

I ran with Paul Petersen this afternoon.  We did the Providence Hill Loop while doing the first part at a decent pace.  It was nice catching up with Paul on a lot of things.  It has been a while since I have seen him.  I was dragging a bit at the end but Paul helped me in.  It was only supposed to be an 8 miler but it turned into a 9.75 miler.  Oh well!  The new snow helped clear up the sky.  I was able to look across the valley and see mountains and even some blue sky.

It was a balmy 21 degrees when I started on my run today.  I did the same run as a couple days again when I ran along Canyon Road and out towards River Heights.  Lots of sun today which felt good.  It was nice seeing a fair amount of people out running.  Kept it nice and relaxed.

I had a change in family plans late last night so I needed to do my run early this morning.  I didn't sleep very well and was out the door by about 6:30am.  It was a nice 11 degrees when I started.  I ran over towards Hyde Park and back to the parents.  Spooked a few big deer out of the trees.  It was cool seeing them.  I got home and I had ice all over me.  My eyelashes and beautiful moustache were covered in ice.  Katey took a picture after I got home.  I need to get it posted.  Total of 10 miles for the day.  The rest of the day will be spent with family.  It will be a lot of fun.  It is always fun seeing the kids get really excited over the smallest things.  Note to self.  Don't buy expensive gifts.  Kids will like the box or wrapping paper much better.  Looking forward to running with Paul again tomorrow morning.

Merry Christmas everyone and Happy Boxing Day tomorrow!  Don't drink to much egg nog :)

I ran with Paul today over by his house in Smithfield. We started at his house and then went to the end of Smithfield Canyon Rd., then came back and jumped up on Upper Canyon Rd to add a little more distance.  We then went around some neighborhood streets to add a little bit more mileage for the run.  The temperature was not above 10 degrees and the air was kind of yucky so we cut the run a touch short.  We averaged 7:01/mile for the run.  

This was a great run to end the week.  I was happy to get in some good runs while surviving the cold weather in Logan.  It was also quite nice to be around family for the week.  One more family party tonight and then Katey and I can focus on getting ready for our little girl to come in a few weeks.

To much inversion up in Logan today so I decided to not worry about running.  I got a little sick over the weekend so I didn't want to chance anything.  Planning on hitting some long runs this week due to not having any school.

3 easy miles this morning.

18 miles around noon.

I ran with Clyde today out in Warner Valley.  It was a nice dirt road that went out a ways.  We ran all the way out to some dinosaur tracks which we didn't know were out there.  They looked like parent and child tracks.  Lots of big ones and then some little ones.  It was really cool to see these.  We had a little headwind going out and we hoped that we were not going to have any headwind on the way back but we did.  We did some up tempo miles on the way back and it was a good push due to the headwind.  We were low 6:00/pace for a while.  It was fun exploring new running routes.  Nice to be back in the warmer St. George weather. 

I went exploring a little bit in the rain today.  I ran up along the Red Mountain and found a trail that is a decent 6 miler.  I ended up working my way into Tuacahn and really enjoying all the beautiful red rock.  I did some extra stuff around Ivins to get just over 10 miles for the run.  Cooler temps with the weather we had today.  Kept it nice and easy.

Clyde came over to my neck of the woods and we did some exploring along the Santa Clara River.  We found tons of Indian Art and even collected some fancy rocks.  We did a little bit of power hiking/climbing.  Overall it was a fun run to end the year.  We both realized we live in one of the most beautiful places around.  Happy to end the year on a positive note.  Really looking forward to a much better 2010.  I will have to see how it unfolds.