dedication, perseverance, self-discipline

Mark the Great 5k

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Location:

Alpine,UT,USA

Member Since:

Jan 01, 2008

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Olympic Trials Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

3K: 8:58 Pocatello, ID 2003 (indoors at Idaho State)

5K: 14:55 Salt Lake City, UT 2010 (Law Day 5k)

10K: 29:33 Salt Lake City, UT 2010 (Des News 10k)

1/2 marathon: 1:06:59 Provo, UT 2010 (Utah Valley Half)

marathon: 2:21:59 St. George, UT 2009 (St. George Marathon)

Short-Term Running Goals:

To get running higher mileage more consistently without getting injured

Sub 2:19:00 marathon

Personal:

I used to run competitively, and maybe I will do so again someday.  Right now I am primarily running to try and get in better shape, and to maintain both physical and emotional health, but also for the simple joy that comes when I run.

I am also the proud daddy of five little ones.  I love the opportunity that I have to be a daddy, and my challenge is to balance my family responsibilities with work and running.

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Asics Speedstar Lifetime Miles: 2020.05
Asics Gel Ohana Racer Lifetime Miles: 2332.20
Adidas Adizero Lifetime Miles: 1375.45
Barefoot Lifetime Miles: 183.10
Nike Free 5.0 Lifetime Miles: 2221.85
Saucony Kinvara Lifetime Miles: 795.92
Puma Faas 200 Lifetime Miles: 381.50
Puma Faas 250 Lifetime Miles: 466.10
Altra Adam Lifetime Miles: 1836.85
Baretrek Lifetime Miles: 290.15
Hoka Conquest Lifetime Miles: 41.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
300.9029.7517.701.50349.85
Brooks Axiom Miles: 91.15Adidas Adizero Miles: 32.20Asics Gel Ohana Racer Miles: 67.30Asics Speedstar Miles: 69.25Barefoot Miles: 10.50Pearl Izumi Surge Miles: 11.56
Race: Mark the Great 5k (3.107 Miles) 00:15:26, Place overall: 1
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
17.100.003.100.0020.20

The race I ran today was the Mark the Great 5k that Susan here on the blog was putting on in memory of her brother Mark, who passed away recently.  It was a nice event that had a real close knit feel to it, as most of the people there were at the race to support Mark's family.  About 400 people finished the race, which is quite a few for a first year race.  The race course is pancake flat, making a loop through some country roads in Benjamin, Utah, and finishing at basically the same place as it started.

My goal for this week had been to hit my first ever 90 mile week.  As such I had run 16 miles on Friday, 6 of the miles coming after 8:00pm.  This is not what you would usually would want to do the day before a race, but I am thinking more of the big picture here.  I also decided that in order to make this more resemble a marathon training workout that I needed to get in a long warm-up, so I ran 10 miles before the start of the race.  A few miles into the warm-up I was feeling great, and I was ready to start the race.  However, by the time I had run the entire warm-up and had already hit 80 miles for the week I was feeling tired, and I didn't really know what to expect for the race.  Since I wasn't sure what to expect I decided to go out hard and try to hit splits just under 5:00 for the beginning of the race, and then try to maintain the pace as best I could.

So, the race starts, and I fall in behind a couple of guys that I coached at Springville high last year for cross country.  After a little over a quarter mile I decided that I needed to speed up, so I came around the outside and took off.  A high school kid from Maple Mountain tried to follow me, and he held on until just before the mile mark.  4:57 for the first mile.  Right where I wanted to be.  The second mile was more of the same, except I was completely alone and I was starting to hurt and feel uncomfortable.  4:58 for the second mile, 9:55 for 2 miles.  At this point I was still right on pace, but being so far out in front I started to loose concentration a little bit, and the next thing I know the pace is no longer hard.  I realized my mistake and picked up the pace again, but it resulted in a slower third mile, 5:02 (14:57 for 3 miles).  I then sped up a little more to a pace that somewhat resembled a kick and finished in 15:26.

So, considering the conditions, having run a 10 mile warm-up, having run 16 miles the day before, and running this race at the end of my first ever 90 mile week, I am rather pleased with the time.  It is officially the fastest I have ever run a non-aided 5k (although the 15:30 I ran at the minuteman 5k last year is probably a better quality based on terrain) and I was doing everything I could to make sure that I was not 100% at race time.  If I would have been keying in on this race, and if I would have tapered, and ran with a faster field I think that I could have come close to breaking 15:00 on this course, which is exciting because even though the course is flat it is still at altitude.

Brooks Axiom Miles: 10.00Adidas Adizero Miles: 10.20
Comments(8)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.100.000.000.0010.10

I ran with Sasha this morning.  I felt pretty good, and it was also good to take it slow.  We finished the run in just under 1:18 (I think).

Asics Gel Ohana Racer Miles: 10.10
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.002.003.000.0014.00

I ran a tempo run with Sasha this morning.  The goal was to hit 79 second quarters until Sasha couldn't, and to then do whatever he could do to the finish.  We started off fine, hitting the first quarter in 79, but then followed that up with an 81 as we got used to the pace.  We then got our pace down to 79 again, and held that through 2 miles (first mile 5:18, second 5:16)  Sasha then started to fail, and we slowed down, first to an 80, and then got progressively slower.  Eventually we got as slow as 88 seconds or so for a quarter, but after this rest of sorts Sasha was able to speed back up again, and we were able to hit some quarters near the end of the run in the low 80's.  Total time for the tempo was 27:15.  10 miles total for the run.

PM:  I ran 2 miles on pavement and 2 miles on the grass, barefoot.  Total time was about 33 minutes.

Asics Speedstar Miles: 12.00Barefoot Miles: 2.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
14.100.000.000.0014.10

Sasha and I met at 5:15 this morning, and we ran 10.1 miles together in the 1:17 range.  After we finished I had some more time before I needed to get ready for work, so I ran another 4 miles alone to finish up the run in 1:46:36 for 14.1 miles.

Pearl Izumi Surge Miles: 14.10
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.600.000.001.5010.10

I felt exhausted yesterday afternoon, so I fell asleep really early.  I needed it, because even after 11 hours of sleep my body still just felt kind of tired.  Because of the fatigue I skipped my second run today.  I ran a speed workout with Sasha this morning.  We ran quarter repeats with a 200 recovery at 8:00 pace.  The goal for Sasha was to hit them all at 72 seconds and survive.  My goal was mainly to just hit the pace and relax as much as possible, since I should be able to run a 5k at close to this pace.  The first 5 quarters were all almost right on pace, hitting the first 2 in 71 and 73 (I can't remember which came first) followed by 72, 72, 73.  However, our recovery was significantly faster than 8:00 pace, as we would make it through the next 200 in closer to 50 seconds than 60 on some of the repeats.  On the way back, we ran one more quarter.  I hit a 66, while Sasha was at 67.5.  It was a good workout for me.  Nothing too strenuous, but I was able to go faster than I normally run.

Brooks Axiom Miles: 10.10
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.100.000.000.0010.10

We were late getting out this morning, so we had to keep the pace faster than normal to allow me to get back in time to get ready for work.  Total time of 1:09:44 for 10.1 miles.  We also ran a fat mile on the way back, hitting 5:36 for the mile.

Asics Gel Ohana Racer Miles: 10.10
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Race: Provo River Half Marathon (13.1 Miles) 01:07:53, Place overall: 1
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.904.009.100.0022.00

Today's race went well for me.  I went into the race planning on winning it based on the fact that I won the race last year, and knowing that the field would be a little weaker this year due to less representation from bloggers.  So, the plan was to go out with Sasha, and to take it easy for the first few miles, and to then pick up the pace some.  Sasha was not feeling 100% this morning, and based on the runners at the start I could tell that my assumptions about the competitiveness of the field were probably correct, so when the gun went off, I stayed with Sasha and took it easy for the first couple miles.

The race starts heading down South Fork Canyon.  There are a few short uphill sections, but the race mostly heads down until you get to Vivian's park about 4 miles into the race.  Based on my overall time as I neared the bottom of the canyon I guessed that I had been averaging about 5:15 coming down, whereas last year I had averaged under 5:00 pace at this point of the race due to starting out more aggressively.

We made it onto the Provo River Trail, where the course flattened out a bit more, although it was still heading downhill.  At this point of the race I decided that I was going to start pushing the pace a little more.  I do not know my exact pace during this section, but at worst I think that I was going the same speed as when I was coming down the canyon.  At about 6.5 miles the course leaves the river trail, and starts to head up the old highway going back uphill (it keeps the course more honest, so I don't mind the uphill).  We eventually turned around at maybe 7.6 miles and started back down the highway.

At this point of the race I was able to get a decent tailwind (after the headwind going uphill), and coupled with the downhill I was really able to get moving.  I made it from the mile marker at 8 miles to the marker at 9 miles in 4:56.  I decided that the markers must be wrong, since most of the markers in this race were either wrong, or non-existent.  Just to make sure, I started using the marks on the river trail to time myself, and to gauge my pace.  I found out that I was hitting 5:00 pace almost dead on.  I would occasionally time sections on the trail as I kept going, and I never hit a single quarter in slower than 76 seconds (or faster than 74).  What surprised me the most, was that it did not feel like I was pushing the pace too hard.  It felt hard, but comfortably hard, yet I was running about 20 seconds per mile faster than I ran on the same section of trail last year.  The pace started to feel harder around 10.5 or 11 miles, but I was able to maintain the pace fine to the finish.  As I neared the finish line I could tell that I had a good shot at breaking 1:08, so I really picked up the pace quite a bit to make sure that I got under, and I crossed the line in 1:07:53 (25:40 from the 8 mile marker to the finish, 5:01.4 pace).

So, I ended up getting a pr by 62 seconds on this course as compared to last year, after running the first 4 miles over a minute slower than last year, because I was taking it easier this time around.  So, I am pleased with the effort, and with the result.  Now, I just need to find a good honest course that I can run at sea level so that I can find out what my true pr is.

Adidas Adizero Miles: 22.00
Comments(8)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.500.000.000.0010.50

I ran alone this morning now that I am here in California visiting the inlaws. I ran along the Los Gatos Creek park trail. On the way back I wasn't paying attention so I accidentally took a wrong turn after I got off the trail, and I added a little extra distance onto the run. Total time of 1:19:26 for about 10.5 miles.

Asics Speedstar Miles: 10.50
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.0012.00

I ran along the same parkway trail as yesterday, although I went a little farther.  My knee has been bugging me the last few days, so I decided to keep the pace a little slower today.  On the way back home, the discomfort in the knee was the same as it had been previously, so I decided to run a fat mile as an experiment to test the knee.  The discomfort actually lessened while I was running faster (5:51 mile according to trail markers, but I think that it might have been faster and the markers were wrong) and as I slowed down, the discomfort returned, but to a lesser extent.  This prompted me to try a few sprints near the end of the run of shorter duration, but a much higher intensity, and the result was the same.  I think that the discomfort might be related to tight muscles pulling on the knee after the race on Saturday, and running harder actually helps to stretch them out a little more and thus relieves the discomfort.  Not sure about that one, but it is a guess.  Total time for the run was 1:32:42, for 12 miles.

Pearl Izumi Surge Miles: 12.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.501.500.000.0012.00

I ran 12 miles alone this afternoon in 100 degree heat.  I did a little experiment to see how much the heat affected me.  I ran 1 mile at a little harder than "fat" mile pace, and then ran a half mile at a considerably harder effort.  The result was an average 5:40 pace over 1.5 miles, with the last .5 being done in 2:44 (5:28 pace) with a HR around 172-173.  A HR that high normally means I will be hitting 5:15-5:20 pace at altitude, and here I was at sea level and I was barely under 5:30.  Oh, I was also running on a net downhill.  Total time for 12 miles was 1:26:51

Brooks Axiom Miles: 12.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.002.000.000.0012.00

I decided to repeat my little experiment from yesterday since it wasn't as hot out when I ran today (maybe 80 degrees instead of 100).  The results were interesting.  Here are the half mile splits:

yesterday                              today

2:55 (average HR 160)  -  2:50 (average HR about 153)

2:51 (average HR 166)  -  2:43 (average HR 163)

2:44 (average HR 173)  -  2:45 (average HR 162)

                                            2:50 (average HR 160)

I ran the last half mile because it is a little flatter than the previous mile and a half, although I think it has a net uphill, while the previous section of trail has a net downhill.  I think the results of this little test tell me a lot about how my body reacts to the heat.  In order to go the same speed as yesterday along the same section of trail I did not even need to run marathon effort today, whereas yesterday I was going considerably harder.  It is not like it was cool today either.  It was still warm, just not scorching.  Total time of 1:29:28 for 12 miles

Asics Gel Ohana Racer Miles: 12.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.000.000.000.0011.00

I ran up in Concord today because we spent the night at Kimia's sister's house last night.  There is a nice little trail that runs alongside a creek that I ran on for quite a while today.  It feels cooler here than in San Jose.  I liked running up here better, because I felt more relaxed.  Total time of 1:22:03 for about 11 miles.

Asics Speedstar Miles: 11.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.0010.250.000.0020.25

I ran on the same trail that I have been running on for the majority of this week, except that I ran on the trail for much longer than the other days this week.  I actually made it to the end of the trail, and then had to run about 2 miles further on some streets near the highway that goes down to santa cruz before turning around and coming back.  I was going uphill most of the way out, including some monster hills near the dam, and I finally started heading downhill just past the fire station, and I got distracted, so I turned around a little late (thus the extra quarter mile).  I pushed the pace a little harder on the way back, and was consistently hitting sub 6:00 pace despite 90 degree heat.  I turned around at 1:08:20, and I finished at 2:08:27.

Pearl Izumi Surge Miles: 20.25
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
15.000.000.000.0015.00

Asics Speedstar Miles: 5.00Asics Gel Ohana Racer Miles: 10.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Brooks Axiom Miles: 10.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
15.000.000.000.0015.00

ran a tempo of sorts with Sasha.  2 miles in 11:00 and another mile in 5:28

Pearl Izumi Surge Miles: 10.00Asics Gel Ohana Racer Miles: 5.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
15.100.000.000.0015.10

Asics Speedstar Miles: 10.00Brooks Axiom Miles: 5.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.100.000.000.0013.10

Pearl Izumi Surge Miles: 3.00Asics Gel Ohana Racer Miles: 10.10
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
15.107.000.000.0022.10

I helped pace Ben Crozier through a half-marathon time trial in 1:32:45 and then ran 7 miles at marathon pace, followed by a 2 mile cool down to finish with 22.1 miles in 2:28:09

Brooks Axiom Miles: 22.10
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

I ran with Sasha, running most of my workout on the grass.  Total time of 1:17:23

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

I ran 10 miles, running most of it on the grass, and running some of it barefoot.  Total time was in the 1:16:00 range.  Running barefoot felt pretty good.

Asics Speedstar Miles: 5.75Barefoot Miles: 4.25
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

I ran on the grass again.  I did a speed workout of sorts with Sasha.  We ran a .39 (approximate distance) mile loop on the grass and ran a tempo for 11 laps of the field.  We started off with a 2:21, and then dropped down into the 2:15 range where we stayed for most of the tempo.  We did run one lap in 2:16 and a few in 2:14, but the rest were all in 2:15 until the end when we ran 2:12, 2:12, 2:11, 2:07 to finish up the tempo.  The grass was soft and wet, so that slowed us down quite a bit considering the effort.  Total of 10 miles in 1:11:XX.

Asics Gel Ohana Racer Miles: 10.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

ran a good portion of the run barefoot again.  The grass was freezing cold at first.  It actually kind of hurt while I was running at first, and every lap when I went through the wetter section the cold started hurting again until I got out of it.  10 miles in just under 1:16:00.

Brooks Axiom Miles: 5.75Barefoot Miles: 4.25
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

I ran in the afternoon today, because I have been feeling drained all this week and I needed to take a break, so I slept a little longer than normal.  Total time of about 1:16:00 for the run.

Pearl Izumi Surge Miles: 10.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
12.003.000.000.0015.00

This finishes up the lowest mileage week that I have had in quite a while.  I ran 15 miles today, running most of it on the grass, and running about 3 miles at a faster pace.  I finished up in about 1:56:00 for 15 miles.

Asics Speedstar Miles: 15.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.700.002.500.0016.20

I ran at footprinters park today with Sasha.  We ran a loop around the fields for a little over 10 miles.  In addition to that I ran too and from Sasha's house to give me a little over 16 miles for the day.  We ran 8 laps of the field at a harder pace, ranging from a marathon effort to threshold effort.  My HR peaked at 183, which was surprising considering how slow we were going.  We had to work really hard to run a decent pace.

Brooks Axiom Miles: 16.20
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
300.9029.7517.701.50349.85
Brooks Axiom Miles: 91.15Adidas Adizero Miles: 32.20Asics Gel Ohana Racer Miles: 67.30Asics Speedstar Miles: 69.25Barefoot Miles: 10.50Pearl Izumi Surge Miles: 11.56
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