I woke up with a sore throat this morning. I think this is the fourth time I've been sick since I graduated in the end of April. In July, I had a two-week sinus infection shortly followed by a two-week viral throat infection. It's been a full month since I last posted because I've hardly had any running to record here. I could count the miles I ran in July on about 40 fingers.

Although I did have a couple good runs last week around Timp, I'm back on the injured list. Hopefully this only lasts a couple days so I can squeeze in a 6 weeks of desperate training before the Bear 100 on September 23rd. My goal of a sub-24 hour finish seems a lot more unrealistic than it did at the beginning of June. Everything has to go just right from now until the finish line on the shore of Bear Lake for me to reach that goal.

On a brighter note, I'm getting married in a 7 days. Followed by a honeymoon in Portland and some backpacking in the Sawtooths.

Whatup

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Didn't run very much at all last week. Sinuses starting to feel better. Busy work week with painting.

Mon: 0
Tues: 5.25
Wed: 11.25
Thur: 0
Fri: 0
Sat: 0

WEEKLY TOTALS
16.5 miles; 2500'

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I was just getting over a bit of a cold going into Ragnar last week. I ran too hard there, I guess, because my cold turned into a sinus infection. I think it was not sleeping at all and running 10 miles at 3:30am at about a 90% effort.

So, I fell short of my goal (by half) this week. I'd like to call it a "rest week" because I ran so little. But, I definitely don't feel rested. In fact, I'm pretty tired. I cut my long run short on Saturday by about 14 miles.

I like to think of myself as a pretty hard-core-dude. I'm usually the one without the shirt jogging past scout troops 30 miles into their 50-mile backpacking trip. ...This week I was the scout troop:

My brother and I tried to climb the West Slabs of Mt. Olympus on Wednesday. We didn't really do any research beforehand. We knew where the trailhead was and that we were looking for a 1600' 5.5 slab. A climb rated 5.5 is pretty easy, but not that easy. Like your mom could do it, I bet, but probably not your grandma, maybe though, I don't know your grandma.

Okay, so after getting lost for like an hour. We went back down to the car and checked a map on my computer. While we were heading back up the trail, with a climbing rope and gear, this dude with no shirt on passed us, headed for the West Slab. He told us about where to go and continued running up the trail. Less than an hour later, we saw him sliding down the snow-filled couloir we were struggling to kick steps up. When he was in talking distance of us he said "you dudes went up the wrong gulley." Not only had he already free-soloed the slab we were looking for. He did it in running shoes and was coming back down already. He probably did the whole trip in 1:20 or so. I'd like to see your grandma do that.

Mckay and I got lost for a total of 8 hours, walked down a creek in the dark without flashlights, and never even saw the West Slabs. Here's the route we were supposed to take off J. Campbell's blog.

Mon: 1.5

Tues: 8 (Mt Olympus)

Wed: 8

Thurs: 0

Fri: 0

Sat: 12

WEEKLY TOTALS

29.5 miles, 7,000'

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Haley flew to Boise this week.

My brother, McKay, got home from his 2-year mission in the Philippines.

Haley and I drove back Friday morning to run Ragnar. I ran a hodge-podge of legs.

Mon: 4

Tues: 6 + 3.3

Wed: 3 + 10.75

Thurs: 3

Fri: 4.75

Sat: 10 + 3.2 + 7.15

WEEKLY TOTALS

55 miles; 5,100'

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Last summer I felt like I trained pretty hard. I didn't keep a training log, but I usually ran with a GPS watch. My watch stores all the runs I take it on. So, I have an incomplete training log from last summer. My biggest week, of watch-carrying runs, was 49.86 miles, 10 weeks before my 100-miler. This week I beat that number by 2 miles with 14 weeks until the Bear 100.

50 miles in a week is a sort of milestone, for me. It's half my race distance, half my weekly peak volume and it's more than I've ever recorded in a training week. Hopefully I can stay on my training plan for the next 14 weeks.

My biggest weeks I can think of:

• two 200+ mile weeks on the PCT in 2009
• two 100+ mile weeks when I raced Wasatch 100 in '09, '10
• one 65 mile week when I raced Wifmer '10

Mon: 8

Tues: 5

Wed: 6

Thurs: 13

Fri: 4

Sat: 16

WEEKLY TOTALS

52 miles; 6,500'

Other news:

My brother gets home from the Philippines on Wednesday and Haley gets here Tuesday. I'm a little more excited to see Haley. It's been 10 days since I've seen her. Mckay's been gone 24 months. Sorry, bro.

Oh, and Haley and I are running Ragnar this week.

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A lot happened this week. I got sick. Then I got engaged. Then I got tired running for 4 hours on Saturday.

I got sick: Didn't run on Monday and Tuesday.

I got engaged: Proposed to Haley. You can read all about it on her blog. So excited.

I got tired: Ran four 6-mile laps on the Polecat trail, at a decent pace. About 750' climbing per lap.

Right after I proposed in the park

Dennis and I on Saturday

(Photo: Sparkle's fb)

Mon: 0 (sick)

Tues: 0 (sick)

Wed: 6.25 (still sick)

Thur: 5

Fri: 6.25

Sat: 24 (4x6 miles 1:01; :56, :57, :55)

WEEKLY TOTALS

41.5 miles; 3100'

This week broke my 9-week streak of weekly milage increases. It also broke my 24-year streak of not being engaged. Think I came out ahead.

Next week: shooting for 52 miles!

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I know I just wrote about how I love how simple running is. I still find myself trying to complicate it as much as possible. Hence my training log and accompanying graph:

Week	Mileage	Projected Goal	Week ending
27	12.5	20	20-Mar
26	24	20	27-Mar
25	4	22	3-Apr
24	4.5	24	10-Apr
23	24.5	26	17-Apr
22	25.5	28	24-Apr
21	30	30	1-May
20	32	32	8-May
19	35.5	35	15-May
18	41.5	39	22-May
17	43	43	29-May
16		47	5-Jun
15		52	12-Jun
14		57	19-Jun
13		62	26-Jun
12		68	3-Jul
11		74	10-Jul
10		80	17-Jul
9		88	24-Jul
8		95	31-Jul
7		100	7-Aug
6		100	14-Aug
5		100	21-Aug
4		70	28-Aug
3		60	4-Sep
2		50	11-Sep
1		40	18-Sep
0		20	25-Sep
Total	277	1482

And, here's all those numbers in a graph.

I've always thought that to run a fast hundred-miler you need to have a few weeks where all your runs add up to 100 miles. So, I have some scheduled in August. We'll see how I'm feeling, my weekly milage might peak significantly below that.

Mon: 7.5 (Squaw Peak) + 1.5

Tues: 4

Wed: 8.5

Thurs: 6.5 (Top of Y mountain)

Fri: 7

Sat: 8

My favorite run of the year, so far was Thursday's trudge up Y Mountain. Got up to the top in 1:15 from the parking lot. Ran down in the dark making shin-deep post holes in the snow without socks, water, or a flashlight. Awesome.

WEEKLY TOTALS

43 miles; 9,250'

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A few summers ago I got really interested in backpacking. It's the simplest way of life to me. You put everything you need in a bag, put that bag on your back and walk down a path. When the path ends, you're done.

Part of the enjoyment, for me, of backpacking is simplifying what you carry. I get a kick out of leaving everything but the absolute essentials at home. My pack weighed about 8 lbs for my 430-mile section hike of the PCT.

Each day that you're on the trail, your objective is clear and simple: stay on the path, moving in the right direction. As long as your not getting lost or going the wrong direction, you'll eventually make it to the end of the path: your goal.

Simplicity is what attracts me to backpacking as well as running trails. I've recently graduated and am starting a new phase in life. I hope to keep my objectives as clear and simple in life as they are while on the trails.

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I felt pretty strong this week, except for the last couple miles of my long run. I ran out of energy after about 2 hours. It's exciting to be in good enough shape to run enough that I need to eat to avoid bonking. I haven't had to consume any calories (or water, really) on any run since last fall.

Mon: 9

Tues: 8

Wed: 5

Thurs: 3.25

Fri: 12.5

Sat: 3.75

WEEKLY TOTALS

41.5 miles; 4500'

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I'm steadily running a little more each week. And, my body's handling it fine so far. Sticking to the 10% weekly increase in mileage rule of thumb takes patience now. I think I'll have different feelings when 10% means an extra 10-mile run a week.

Speaking of 10-mile runs: I had my first one of the season this week. Went pretty well. I felt a little tired in my legs for two days after.

I'm back in Utah for a while now.

Mon: 5

Tues: 4

Wed: 7

Thurs: 12

Fri: 3.5

Sat: 4

WEEKLY TOTALS

35.5 miles; 2000'

Here's a link to my 12-miler. Although novel now, I'll be doing this type of run a few times a week come July and August.

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I've been in Boise this whole week. I spent a bunch of time with my parents, helped Wil at the Meridian farmers' market, and nearly completed a side table I've been in the middle of building for quite a while.

Graduation

Running went well this week:

Mon: 2.5

Tues: 4.5

Wed: 8

Thurs: 6

Fri: 8.5

Sat: 2.5

I ran in the foothills 3 times this week. Fun to get back to some of the trails I ran all last summer.

WEEKLY TOTALS

32 miles; 3,500'

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Earlier I posted about consistent training at a sustainable intensity. Over the past few weeks, I've tracked my progress on three flat runs. I maintained a constant heart rate and let that determine my pace. Here are the results:

Date HR Pace

4/18 155 9:35

4/30 157 8:25

5/5 157 7:51

The first two tests were done around 4500'. Today I ran at about 3000'. In less than a month, I've taken nearly 2 minutes off my pace with the same HR!

A heart rate of 155-160 is about a full marathon race effort, I guess. (I have only run one marathon and didn't know what I was doing.) Since I'm training for a 100-miler, this can all be considered speed work, in a way. In another month or so, I'll start some hilly 10-20 milers at a lower HR. My 100-mile HR will probably be around 140... for 24 hours.

Here's my run from today (5-5-11):

Not the best route, but I was trying to keep it flat and to end right at 6 miles.

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Broke into the 30's for weekly mileage. Foot felt 100% pain free till sunday afternoon. I'm back in Boise for jury duty all this week.

Definitely noticing an increase in aerobic efficiency over the past couple weeks. I'll write all about it in a week or two.

Mon: 4

Tues: 4

Wed: 6

Thurs: 5

Fri: 5

Sat: 6

WEEKLY TOTAL

30 miles

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Finally linked two ok weeks in row. Graduated college this week. Feeling pretty good running-wise. Not going to push it for another month or so.

On one night run this week I was able to keep my pace below 8 min miles with my HR under 160. I think the 40 degree temperature made me more a little more efficient.

Some pics from our trip to Zion last week:

Haley's family making lunch

Bed head

Me and Halebombs

Mon: 4.5

Tues: 5

Wed: 5

Thurs:

Fri: 5

Sat: 6

WEEKLY TOTAL

25.5

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Here's a chart I pulled off of one of the blogs I follow. It shows the effects of training according to the MAF theory. The basic idea is that focused training at an aerobic HR allows you to develop efficiency at that output, increasing speed. Most athletes train at harder intensities improving speed and power, but neglecting aerobic endurance base.

MAF Test

Today I adjusted the screen on my Garmin not to show pace. I paid close attention to my heart rate and didn't let it get over about 160. I have a pretty good resting HR of 51 and can really crank up my heart rate to just a few beats shy of 200. Not too proud of how slow I actually had to go to make this work:

Mile	HR	Pace
1	144	10:25
2	155	9:03
3	158	9:11
4	160	9:26
5	159	9:50

The first mile was a warm up, then my pace steadily slowed over the next four miles. I plan on doing this test again in about 4 weeks to track progress. Sure would be rad to get my pace down to 7:30 with a heart rate of 160 like that guy from the graph.

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Went down to Zion this week with Haley's family. Jogged around a little bit there. Foot's not 100% better, but it's improving.

Here's a nerdy Excel graph I made. The mileage goals are super tentative and I've been below them every week because I've been nursing my foot.

Been learning a little about HR and the MAF test. I'm going to focus on this type of training for about 3 months.

Mon: 3.5

Tues: 2

Wed: 3.5

Thurs: 2.5 +5

Fri: 3

Sat: 5

WEEKLY TOTAL

24.5 miles

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I took it easy this week, except for two basketball games we had. My foot's getting slowly better despite abusing it playing in our basketball tournament.

Mon: 3.5

Signed up for the Bear 100. (24 weeks to go) Got some very supportive insoles.

Tues: 1

Won our basketball game. We're now in the final four. This is getting exciting. I tweaked my arch playing though. We have our next game on Friday. I'm not sure if I should play in it. After the game, I lifted for 45 minutes and ran home.

Fri:

Bouldered with Haley. Had our final 4 game. Lost. Jake hurt his LCL pretty bad. He has a doctor's appointment in a couple days to get an MRI.

WEEKLY TOTAL

4.5 miles

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Look how tired Quin was at the end of his 9:24 50 miler. I offered to let him run through the finish by himself. He said "No, you're going to have to keep me from falling."

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Last week I wrote about how far within my limits I was. However, 24 mile week with a very easy 12 mile run took a bigger toll on my body than I would have liked. I basically didn't run at all due to what I think is plantar fasciitis. So much for my first week of training being my lowest milage week.

After doing more research about running induced foot injuries than I've done for my two 400 level econ term papers due this month, I think I have it figured out.

Stress in the bottom of my foot was caused by some combination of the following:

a. Over-pronation: this might be a stretch, but I wore some shorts that irritated my inner-thigh, possibly causing me to subconsciously widen my running stance. A wider stance puts your center of gravity on the inside of your foot, leading to more stress on your arch.

b. Tight calves/hamstrings: A tight muscle somewhere demands compensation from somewhere else: the bottom of my foot, in this case.

c. Too much running too soon: I haven't really run for six months, that's plenty of time for muscles to forget how to do their jobs. I used to run 24 miles in 3.5 hours. My body can't handle that over seven days now, I guess.

d. Running in NB MT101's too much: These shoes are really fun to run in. They have no arch at all, and are probably more stress on my feet than my feet are ready for right now.

This week, I've attempted to solve a through d:

a. Over pronation: Easy, concentrate on running form and adjust as is necessary.

b. Tight calves/hamstrings: 10 min stretching regimen 2-3 times a day.

c. Too much Running: Run less.

d. NB MT101's: Purchased the Hoka Bondi B's. Big, soft, light shoe. Also, expensive; one for the price of two.

Mon: 35 min on stationary bike

Arch felt sore. I opted not to run. Got on Jake's stationary bike in front of my laptop and watched half an hour of old Tour de France clips on YouTube.

Tues: lower body lifting

Been icing, rolling, and Tiger-Balming my plantar fascia for two days. Rode my bike to the BYU gym. Did 10 min on the elliptical machine. Then I made up a 40 min leg circuit and rode home.

Wed: 45 min on stationary bike

Plantar fascia is getting better. I'm really trying to nip the problem in the bud. I've heard horror stories about plantar fasciitis lasting for months and months. Watched Food, Inc. in front of the bike in our front room. I put on my heart rate monitor and kept my HR around 145 for 45 minutes. I don't know anything about HR zones. Very sustainable effort. Iced and stretched after.

Thurs:

Bought Hokas and ate at Bruges in Salt Lake with Haley.

Fri:

Skied all day at Alta, didn't ice or stretch.

Sat: 4 miles

Ran an easy 4 miles with Haley after dark in the rain. She's training for the Utah Valley Half Marathon. Foot felt ok. Wore the Hokas, very cushiony.

WEEKLY TOTAL

4 miles

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Every Nike commercial or Gatorade ad shows people pushing beyond their limits. Coaches give halftime speeches about giving 110 percent.

You should never push beyond your limits. You should never give 110 percent.

We have limits for a reason and staying within them is how we achieve our full potential. Machines break when required to operate beyond maximum capacity, and, so do we.

I'm still easing back into the whole idea of running this week. I'm staying well within my limits, giving nowhere near 110 percent. Because I've learned that if I operate beyond maximum capacity, I'll break.

Mon: 5 miles (0:47:25)

Ran up to the gate in 25:30. I guess I’m in about the same shape I was around thanksgiving. In September I did the same climb 5 minutes faster. Wore Mckay’s Boise High shorts and got chafed pretty good.

Tues: 3 miles (0:22:22)

Did a flat loop around south Provo in the dark. Wondering how bad of an idea it would be to pace Quin this Saturday at the Antelope Island 50 miler.

Wed: 6 miles (0:55:00)

Ran from Rock Canyon over the 2^nd gate with Phil. I skied at Canyons all day pretty hard, then climbed in Rock Canyon till 8:00 and ran till 9:00. Really should have eaten better throughout the day, cause I felt pretty nasty on the way back. Most of the run was in the dark without a light.

Fri:

Skied hard at Deer Valley with Wade all day. Bouldered with Haley until our intramural basketball game at 9:00. Won our game which puts us in the sweet 16 of the lowest division at BYU.

Sat: 12 miles

Drove up to Antelope Island to pace Quin on his first 50 miler. Barely got to the mile 44 aid station in time to run the last 6 with him. He killed it the last hour and finished just under 9:30. Hurried back over to the same aid station to pace Robbie Woog for the same stretch. Fun day that made me excited to race. Got close to buffalo. Stinky.

WEEKLY TOTALS

24 miles; not sure on vert or time; flat and slow week

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I don't suppose many will read this blog. Its purpose is to help me record my training for the Bear 100 in September. To date, I have run two 100 milers. Both of which haven't been extremely successful. Last september I got a stress fracture running the Wasatch 100. Because of my impatience, it has been very slow to heal. I think it is just barely strong enough to run on.

Since Wasatch in September, I had a week or two of running in November where I basically just re-broke my foot, and, about 6 weeks of skate skiing leading up to the Boulder Mountain Tour. I toured a few times. My biggest tours were up Timp and Lone Peak. This past week was my first week of "running" since September. Hopefully this will be my lowest mileage week until I taper in mid September.

Mon: 5 miles

Up to the shoreline trail. Ran a new way with Haley up 700 north. It puts you right in the Y parking lot. Steep and direct. Ran down through center street. Foot felt fine. Lots of breaks.

Wed: 5 miles

Ran up my usual way to the BST. Got pretty tired. Hopefully it was hard because I’m coming off of being sick. There is a lot of room for improvement. Windy on the way back.

Sat: 2.5 miles

Basically abused my body this weekend. Slept like 4 hours two nights in a row and ate pop tarts and fast food with my buddies on a two-day road trip to southern Utah and Las Vegas. Ran like 20 minutes in Red Cliffs state park. Watched the BYU game in Caesar’s Palace. Friends won some money and lost some money betting on it.

WEEKLY TOTALS

12.5 miles; 1100ft

Slogging up Lone Peak

Schralping a little spine on the way down

Finishing the BMT in the beginning of Feb

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