For Whom the Dogs Bark

73F, 84% humidity, practically a cold front.  I ran one mile then did 50 minutes on the elliptical.  My foot is still unstable, hard to tell if it is healing, certainly not quickly.  My gait was compromised, but it did seem to feel a little better after about a half mile.  I didn't push it, I'll see how it feels later today.

I didn't do anything over the weekend running-wise.  I was hoping two days off would cure everything.  It didn't, but it was still the right thing to do.  My grandkids were in and the younger one presented us with her first steps last night just as they were leaving.  Needless to say, that delayed their departure by about an hour.  Her stride is about the same as mine.  We immediately called my son and his wife of 7 months, who unbelievably are still childless, and told them of the new high standard that had been set.  Don't want to create any sibling rivalry, of course, but grandparents have to look out for themselves first, right?

I ran 1.5 easy on Tuesday morning and it didn't go well.  Made it through but there is something wrong with my right heel, even elliptical aggravates it to some extent.  I'm taking the rest of the week off and will try to run again on Tuesday a week if things feel better by then.  As of today (Thursday) things are better.  When I get up to walk it takes a couple of steps to get going, then relatively pain free unless I go quite a ways, in which case the ankle starts to act up a little bit.  I could run if I had to but it would be counterproductive.  My doctor/brother-in-law sent me a link that suggests inflammation of the peroneal tendon, which is the one that wraps around the outside of the leg from the calf muscle, behind the ankle bone and attaches low on the foot to the outside.  That would be good news if that is all it is, and if there is no tear.  He did say that in his experience (he is a runner), sudden injuries go away faster than the ones that build up slowly.

Shamelessly, here is a picture of my granddaughter, now a walker.  SlowJoe guessed correctly that she is logging more miles than me this week.

No running this weekend, or for a few days before that, still waiting for my heel to behave.  We think it is the peroneal tendon but I haven't been to anybody. 

I drove to Utah to pick up my son and his stuff, as he is moving to Houston to begin medical school.  We are starting back this morning but we will be back on Thursday and Friday for he and his wife's graduation from BYU.  They are staying at her grandparents' home, somewhere off of exit 282 on the east side of the freeway.  Her grandparents are on a church mission in South Africa.  I trucked in about mid-afternoon yesterday and packed the truck.  Then we went to an Indian restaurant in Sandy last night with another couple who are their friends.  The food was very good, I think Indian food might be a good alternative to pasta loading, but you would have to stick with the mild stuff for obvious reasons.

Here is the truck, ready to go.  Looks pretty good for a packing job by a lawyer, but it is kind of like a race, everybody looks good at the starting line.  We'll see if the load makes it to Texas or not.

74F, 94% humidity, wind WSW 3 mph and clear.  Great morning for running, finally.  I'm back in Houston and I decided to try out the ankle.  It was a little bit sore walking around in bare feet, but once I got my shoes on and loosened up for about a quarter mile it was OK.  I ran gradually faster throughout, 2.13 miles in 21:07, average pace 9:56, splits 10:54, 9:04 and 1:10 (9:08).  Heel felt pretty good for the most part, but I won't know much until I see how I make it through the day.  I felt pretty winded doing this run, but I am pretty sure I haven't lost a lot of conditioning in only two weeks.

The load in my truck made it back to Houston just fine, it looks identical to when we left, but is now safely parked in my own garage.  And no conversations with the good men and women in uniform patrolling the highways of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.  I admire them greatly, but I prefer to let them do their job and me mine.  Drove a total of 2,830 miles in 4 days, about the same as a good Saturday for Crockett.

78F, 93% humidity, calm and clear.  Good running weather this morning.  Ran 4.06 miles in 47:40, average pace 11:44, low heart rate, regular shoes.  Foot felt pretty bad to start and not that good throughout, though I didn't have much trouble running.  Every once in a while it would feel like the strength was gone for a couple of steps.  Kind of worried, but when I got back to the house and walked around for a while it didn't hurt like it did yesterday.  Maybe a slow slog is just what the doctor ordered.  It is almost noon now, and still no pain or stiffness, so maybe I have turned the corner.  If so that is exciting, I think there is still time enough to get a BQ in Hartford in October.

80F, 85% humidity, cloudy, wind WNW at 3 mph.  Beautiful day for running.  Ran 6.17 in 1:13:33, average pace 11:55 per mile, low heart rate, regular shoes.  I would ordinarily be griping about the slow time, but I am in awe about my ankle pain disappearing completely during the day yesterday.  After the run it didn't stiffen up, and I walked around all day with zero pain, and again during the run today there was no "warmup" to get going, it was good to go from the first step.  I am so happy I don't even care that I am obviously out of shape.

Headed to the airport in a few minutes, back to Utah for my son and daughter-in-law's graduation from BYU.  He drove down with me to Houston over the weekend for his white coat ceremony at the medical school here in town, now back to Utah to finish up there.  We will be back here on Saturday and it may be a while before I come to Utah again, unless I do some more races there.  With all the issues we have with a couple of our kids, it was nice to sit in the ceremony yesterday as they welcomed the entering class into the medical school.  This kid has it together -- the best missionary I ever saw, studied hard in school, married a wonderful wife and getting on with his life.  (Now if he could just keep track of his car keys.)  It gives us hope for the others.  One thing for sure, you can't take credit for the successes of your kids unless you take responsibility for their failures too, and I ain't signin' up for that one.  I'm just a spectator with a checkbook.

86F, 78% humidity, wind S. 8 mph.  Clear night out, went out late after returning from Utah, as it turned out to be impossible to get any running done with everything else going on there.  Ran 8.01 in 1:16:12, 9:31 per mile, regular shoes.  This was a difficult run, my body does not like running late in the day.  It was hot, but I got it done, no issues with my feet.

Graduation at BYU was a fun, superb weather.  Got out of my car in the visitor lot and my brother pulled in right behind me from Virginia.  His daughter was graduating and I didn't know it.  No issues in my family, just bad communication skills.  Some would call that an issue, but I just call it bad communication.  Counting my son and his wife, we had four members of the family graduating.  My nephew who lives in Orem (I knew he was graduating, thank you) graduated way high in his class.  It was his brother who placed way high in London's Run in Arizona last February.  Something about that family, maybe the mountain air.  (His dad, my brother, blogs on here as Stephen and is getting ready for his first marathon, TOU.)  Here is the happy quartet.

Son, daughter-in-law, niece and nephew.

80F, 88% humidity, wind W 3mph.  Ran 8.04 in 1:37:46, average pace 12:09, low heart rate  Bleh.  Something has happened to my conditioning, or else the few extra degrees of heat make it disproportionately more difficult, certainly possible.  I'll just make do, but today felt like the wrong direction.  At least it won't get any hotter, I am pretty sure.  Every year about this time, as I look at 8 more weeks of heat, I promise to move out of Texas, but I always stay.  It has an economy and a lot of really nice people, so some other things we just put up with.

Yesterday we moved my son into his apartment and this morning he started medical school.  Life happens quickly.

75F, 100% humidity, calm and cloudy.  Great running weather, a tad humid.  Ran 9.32 miles in 1:29:42, average pace 9:38/mile, regular shoes.  Object was to see how fast I could go at a 160 heart rate.  I warmed up two miles then sped up.  My fastest mile was mile 4, 8:47, heart rate 155, then it climbed quickly, I ended up finishing in the 175-180 range.  I planned on 10 but stopped immediately well into my last mile when I felt a twinge in my ankle.  There appears to be no consequences, everything is good.  But I felt fine even at that high of a heart rate.  I think in cooler weather I might feel much more fatigue at that high of a heart rate.  Interesting stuff.  Happy with the run, but hoping to do better.  Last year I got a big pop in speed when I got out of the heat to run the marathon, I am hoping that happens this year as well.  If I can run 20 miles at a 9 flat pace I should have a good chance of hitting my goal.

81F, 89% humidity, wind SW 6 mph.  Nice crisp morning.  Ran 10.09 miles in 1:59:40, average pace 11:52 per mile, low heart rate.  This run was better than Monday's at 12:09 per mile, and I controlled my heart rate better.  Still, it was interesting how the speed dropped dramatically after 4 miles -- today my fastest mile was 10:59 and slowest was 12:35.  It doesn't do that at normal temperatures, where I can hold a steady heart rate and speed for much longer.  I am going to try a few miles in my flat shoes tomorrow, there is potential there and I need to get into shape to wear them consistently.  Right now I am running a little bit in the dark, both literally and figuratively, because I don't have anything to measure progress against.  Definitely low heart rate measuring sticks are out the window, they change every time it gets a couple of degrees warmer outside.  Running fast is one way to combat it, feels like there is improvement there, but there have been enough injuries this year that I am afraid to do it too much.  So bottom line I won't really know until things cool down how much benefit I got out of running this summer.  It's OK, just an interesting process.

78F, 91% humidity, wind SW 4 mph, partly cloudy.  Nice morning for running.  I started a little bit later because I had to get out some work.  I met a neighbor, who is a runner, yesterday morning and she mentioned that it is cooler at sunrise than an hour before.  I would have known that if I had thought about it but just hadn't ever considered that before.  So I wasn't worried about starting a half-hour late.  I ran 4 warmup miles, two in regular shoes and two in flat shoes, all at low heart rate, then put regular shoes back on and they felt like work boots.  I then ran 3 miles at about a 7:55 pace, maximum heart rate 186.  Was hoping to do six at that pace but happy to get three, it was a complex but successful run. 

I'll get to six soon, barring injury, knock on my bald head.  If I can run six at 7:45 that translates to 3:45:30 for a marathon, so that would give me enough cushion to feel comfortable about a BQ in October in cooler temperatures.  Also, if I can lose 5 more pounds that should help a lot -- after 35 pounds I still have a modest layer of fat on my torso.  Don't see how I could run much at all back at 200 pounds. 

After the 3 fast miles I slogged it in for 3 more miles at a consistent 160 bpm, which translated to a steady 10:20 pace.  I don't think 160 is my long-term target heart rate, I felt like I could go forever at that pace. I may find that I can cover the marathon distance at 165, creeping up to 175 and even 180 toward the end.  Still experimenting.  Overall this morning I ran 10.18 miles in 1:43:35, average pace 10:11 per mile.

The other interesting thing, I was reminded this morning that I feel very different after a run that includes high heart rate.  More invigorated than tired.  I think the difference in my body's reaction shows that running slow works on a different system than running fast.  Hard to explain, but after a fast run the endorphins hang around longer, whereas there is a certain deep but low-level fatigue that hangs around for a while after running a couple of hours at low heart rate.  I look at it as a validation of the theory that you should run your slow runs slow and your fast runs fast.  Running in between is fine too, of course, and I do it a lot, but it might be the case that the most benefit is at the extremes of the spectrum, if your legs can handle it.  Good stuff for nerds like me.

80F, 90% humidity, wind S 8 mph, clear.  Felt good out there this morning.  Ran 10.20 miles in 2:00:35, average pace 11:50/mile, low heart rate and flat shoes.  Wanted to do a whole run in flat shoes and see how my right heel held up.  Giving it a B+, looks like I will be OK but it isn't ready for prime time yet.  The other good thing was that even though it was about the same speed as Wednesday, the pace at the same heart rate stayed steady throughout.  Almost every mile was in the 11:45 to 12:00 slot.

As an experiment, I weighed myself just before I went out and as soon as I got back, before eating anything or catching up on liquids.  I lost 5 pounds net -- including a half liter bottle of water that I took with me and drank, a total of 6 pounds of sweat in 2 hours.  I had no idea, kind of scary in a way.  I have seen some numbers on what is safe, but I can't remember what they are.  If I don't feel bad I must be OK, but that is a lot of weight loss for 2 hours of running.  My guess is that a similar run at 50F would only cost me a pound.

Going long tomorrow, part of it with the group.  They are running 6 but my friend Wade and I plan to do 18.

80F, 87% humidity, calm and clear.  Beautiful morning for running.  Met Wade at the Y at 5:00 and ran 9 with the early group, then went out with the late group.  They were running 6 and we planned to run 9, but only got 8.  My friend has been running outside only on Saturday and this was his longest run since March.  So even though he is a faster runner than me, today I had more in the heat.  We kept a 10-minute pace through the first 9, but the "back 9" was slower.  He was feeling it pretty badly at 14 miles and we walked most of a mile before jogging in the remainder.  He said he felt as bad as mile 23 of the marathon we ran together on new years day, which got me pretty worried.  The heat can sneak up on you very quickly.  On that day he beat me by about 15 minutes then started throwing up, pretty bad shape.  This morning he laid down on a picnic table when we got in, I poured water over him and in about 30 minutes he was OK.  Altogether we ran 16.95 miles in 3:03:25, average pace 10:49.   Heart rate never got above 162, and averaged 147.  This was not a goal workout for me, but it was good to see that I have been getting some benefit from running outside all summer, and I managed to keep it easy for the benefit of my right foot.  Today I don't feel much different than a regular weekday run.  Ideally, I would be able to do a Saturday long run with the first half at 9:30 and the second half at 8:30.  I can see that I cannot do every Saturday with this group.  My methods and goals are not fully compatible.  It is nice to meet other runners, but most of my progress happens when I run alone.  Today was fine, though, honestly I needed to take it easy on my foot, which responded fine.

Can't wait to read all the race reports today.

78F, 91% humidity, wind WSW 3 mph, completely clear.  Very nice morning for running, didn't feel that hot today, maybe because the humidity was under 95%, doesn't seem possible.  I ran 10.00 miles in 1:29:56, average pace 8:59 per mile, flat shoes.  First three were at low heart rate, average pace 10:40, then I ran the last 7 at marathon pace, actually a little bit faster, 8:15 per mile average.  I intended to do a slow run today but had to get done in time to take my daughter to the bus stop, today is the first day of school.  Plus I didn't work that hard on Saturday, so there was really no reason to hold back.  Feet and heels seem fine, so no harm done.  All the other parents gathered at the bus stop but not me, I just dropped her off and went home, I must be a bad parent.  She was fine with it, though.  8th grade now and targeting early HS graduation, so she isn't my little girl anymore, even though she will always be the youngest.

I looked at the wear patterns on my flat shoes.  They have very thin soles but have held up fine for several hundred miles, it is the uppers that are tattering.  Left and right have about the same pattern, most of the wear is on the balls of the foot and toward the outside, which is good.  I don't know why the heel wears, though, I don't feel like I come down on it, but I must be.  I think I was doing that more early on.  I like these shoes and I'll probably get a new pair soon -- I wonder if the new ones will wear the same way. 

75F, 94% humidity, calm.  Very nice running weather.  Ran 10.12 miles in 1:52:56, 11:10 per mile, low heart rate and regular shoes.  Trying to give my ankles, calves and feet a break from yesterday's fast run in flat shoes.  That is the killer, but the flat shoes are faster and I want to work up to using them most of the time.  Was sore for a couple of miles but then it went mostly away.  Today's pace was quite a bit faster than last week's low heart rate pace, by more than 40 seconds per mile.  I seem to go through cycles on this.  My feet are feeling a little funny today.  I hope they are OK, will know more in the morning, time for bed now though.

73F, 97% humidity, clear and calm.  Nice running under the full moon then the rising sun, love these kinds of runs.  10.19 in 1:54:49, average pace 11:16 per mile, low heart rate and regular shoes, a little slower than yesterday for some reason, but OK.  Pretty uneventful, which was what I was hoping for, no further heel and calf issues and didn't feel a need for ice after the run.  I'll know more as the day progresses.  I ran through the next neighborhood down to mix things up a little bit, nice to get a change of scenery. 

My runs are starting later right now because I have to take my daughter to volleyball tryouts.  I am worried, she is on the cusp and will be bummed if she doesn't make the team.  Of course, she isn't at her best when she is under scrutiny.  The coach is keeping statistics on everything and it is distracting to a 13-year old who knows nothing about performing under pressure, not sure I do either.

73F is as cool as it has been in a while.  Saturday is forecast the same, except the humidity is projected at 83%.  Hope my nose doesn't dry out and my skin peel.  Could be a nice long run this week-end.  Must be getting cold in Utah by now?

73F, 80% humidity, wind NNE 4 mph, clear and cold.  Moon is still out, great morning for running.  I ran 10.00 miles in 1:35:52, average pace 9:35 per mile overall, regular shoes.  Warmed up for 3 miles, then had designs on a 10K at 7:45 per mile.  In the heat and regular shoes, my 10K quickly turned into a 5K, heart rate was up around 184 so I didn't try to push it further.  The three fast miles were 7:37, 7:44 and 7:38, average pace about 7:40, which was faster than the 5K race I did in March, not a lot faster but still. . . .  The magic threshold for me is to get 10K at 7:45 in the heat, don't know if that will happen but if it does I should be ready for Hartford.  I then cooled down for about a mile and a half then took my heart rate back up to 160 for the rest of the run (about 9:30 pace at that point), finishing the 10 right at my doorstep.  Good run, would have liked to finish the whole 10K but this was OK.

69F, 84% humidity, calm at start, 71F, 70% humidity, wind NNE 5 mph at end, clear.  Great morning for running, a little frigid.  Cannot believe how much difference these temperatures make.  69F is only 4 degrees below normal for this date, but I have been running this month mostly at 5-8 degrees above normal, with humidity levels near 100%.  I could tell immediately that I was in a different gear.  I ran 10.25 miles in 1:47:00, average pace 10:27 per mile, just 3 seconds off my fastest low heart rate run on April 16 of this year.  My best split was 10:02, which is the fastest I have done.  I ran the first half in regular shoes, last mile already up to 10:32, then switched to flat shoes and the pace quickened considerably even though it was the second half of the run.  I got the 10:02 in mile 7.  Not sure how long this will last, summer is not over here for six more weeks, but any further heat waves will be of lesser duration I believe.

My neighbors were out in droves this morning, everybody was out walking or running.  I think everybody is like me.  They see somebody running and think I can do that.  Then when a good morning rolls around like this they call their buddies, strap on shoes and head out.  It was great, almost more runners and walkers than cars.  Even the dogs were in a good mood.  This is how Fridays were meant to be.

71F, 80% humidity, wind NW 5 mph.  Another great morning to run.  Went to a new neighborhood about 10 miles away with my friend Wade and we ran 20.00 miles with several groups on a combined run, 3:07:58, 9:24 per mile average pace, regular shoes.  The group only ran 18, so we hung out for a while after we finished until Wade's brother and sister-in-law came in.  She has run one marathon and is registered for St. George with Wade.  She said she wouldn't run St. George if she couldn't get 20 today.  She was sky-high when she came in and wanted to do two more to get a full 20, so out we went.  She ran 5:05 in her first marathon and is looking to blast that one out of the water.  Up until that time we had an average pace of 9:19, so that gives you an idea of how well we did on the last two, very stiff when we got up to run again.  Wade cratered last week on a hotter day, when we ran about 17 at 10:49 pace, so he was sky-high as well.  He kept up with me every step of the way and had a lower heart rate, so he is back in the saddle.  My own plan was to do half of the run at 9:30 then the second half at 8:30, but we were in a strange neighborhood and didn't know our way around, so we had to hang around other runners.  I don't think Wade quite wanted to run that fast anyway, and it is up for debate whether I could have finished the run at that speed.  I had a little bit left, though, maximum heart rate was 172.  Maybe next week.  I am thinking I need to get a little bit better to get my BQ in Hartford.

We found ourselves running for most of the time with a solid, beefy, young guy.  Turns out he played football for TCU until 2007.  Had a fun conversation about the Mountain West.  He thinks BYU should stay in and it is looking like that is what will happen, if you believe the leaks coming out of Denver.  Probably for the best but they have to fix that TV contract.  BYU fans everywhere need to be able to see the games, it is our constitutional right, or at least it could be.

75F, 100% humidity, calm and clear.  Beautiful morning, glad it finally warmed up again.  Ran 5.42 miles in 1:01:01, average pace 11:15 per mile, mostly low heart rate and regular shoes.  I pulled my other groin muscle yesterday less than a mile into the run, so sudden that I stopped in about 3 steps.  Iced it down and kept moving all day and had the ability this morning to run a little bit, could not run any faster though.  Iced it again today and hopefully things will work out so that this is minor.  Don't really have any possible use for an injury right now.