We spent the morning in Ketchikan, Alaska.  It was very wet and cold.  We then had to board the ship and head for Victoria, BC.  It was supposed to be a nice trip down the clam waters of the inside passage, but there was a lot of wind which made the water rough.

After lunch, I headed to the gym because it was too cold and too windy to run outside on the deck.  Since we were a few days into the cruise and it was afternoon, the gym wasn't too crowded, though the Romanian brother and sister trainers were conducting classes.  It was fun to run to the sped-up techno version of "Ice Ice Baby" they had playing.

Anyway, since I only got a treadmill for 30 minutes at a time, I broke this into two runs separated by some light stretching, walking around, drinking water, and weighing myself. (Only 90 kg.  Oh, yeah!)  I went easy for the first 30 minutes and then was feeling good for my second run so I kicked it up a bit.  I ended up running two 8-minute miles on that one.  (Did I mention I love running at sea level?)  I'd like to be able to do that without assistance from the treadmill and then keep it up for a mile or two more.

Easy run today.  Again, high winds forced me to run on a treadmill in the gym.  The ship was really moving around today, but I only fell off the treadmill once.  That was because I stepped half-way on the rail and half-way on the belt.  It made a loud screetching noise and then I fell off the back of the treadmill, but was able to stay on my feet and jump right back on.  I stepped on the rail one more time, but stayed on the treadmill.  It is fun to try to stay on a treadmill on a boat.

The gym was at the front of the boat on the 9th deck.  The treadmills all faced a large window so we could see about a half a mile into the fog.  But, with several people running along side each other, it gave a feeling that we were powering the ship along. "Come on, lady, pick it up.  We have a 50 mph headwind here!  At this rate, we'll never make it to Victoria."

Ran 7 miles at  9:30 pace.  I am entering this too late to remember much about it.  I did have to change the name of my blog.  Running on the cruise ship helped my ankle to not hurt so much.  (I probably should do some trail running.)  But somehow I strained my right IT band.  I don't feel it in my knee, I just feel my IT band.  I'm a little concerned about that.

The data

Supposed to be a recovery run.  Probably ran a little fast because it was only 3 miles.  I don't really remember.

 Workout Data

7 miles at marathon pace.  I was looking to get done in 63 minutes (9 mm).  It took me 66.  It probably would have happened if I had rested the day before, like I was supposed to on my schedule.  However, staying up late on the 4th and recovering from the long drive home from Seattle made it too hard to get up early on Tuesday to run.  So I shifted everything over a day.  I didn't think it would be a problem since this is an easier "recovery" week.  Although, it is more than I have been running lately.

 The problem I have running with Stacie is that she has a Garmin Forerunner 305 and I have a Timex Ironman--which I hate.  The problem is, they disagree on how far a mile is.  My watch always thinks it is a bit longer than hers does.  That makes me wonder which one is right or if they are both wrong altogether and if the truth is really somewhere in between.  It doesn't really matter.  I used to run with Nike+ and they are both far more accurate than it ever was. 

I do kind of miss Paula Radcliffe chiming in at the end of each workout with, "Hello, this is Pualer again.  Congratulations on running another 500 kilometers (or maybe it was miles)."  I don't know at what point it broke.  The congratulatory announcements used to be made by either Paula or Lance Armstrong.  They also used to reflect what the device actually had told me I had run--which was only as accurate as the calibration which was never very good.  I'm blaming it on Lance.  I'm convinced he was cheating somehow and sneaked away before he could get caught.  This left Paula holding the bag and she just started mailing in the same announcement every time.

This was supposed to  be a slow, short recovery run.  Four miles, but I ran too fast.  Then I did 4 hill sprints at Flat Iron Mesa.  The leg felt better after a day off.

 Workout Data

Wow, my leg is really starting to hurt.  I had to go a bit slower today.  I was tired of what has become our usual medium distance route, so I decided to go north instead of south.  I used to run in this area all the time.  This route started uphill, then went down fast and back up again.  It was difficult, but good training.

Workout Data

Another 4-mile recovery run followed by 4 x 10 second hill sprints on Sterling Drive.  I'm starting to worry about my leg.  Maybe resting tomorrow will help.

 Workout Data

Jeff Runs Stacie Down

This was a great run.  I rested yesterday and my leg was feeling much better, though I still walk funny.  I was supposed to run 8 miles at marathon pace--which I am hoping to be 9 mm.  Last week I tried to do 7 in 63 minutes.  I did it in 66.  Today I was gunning for 72 minutes. I came in at just under 69.  My pace was 8:35.  I just went out fast and was able to keep it up.

It helped that Stacie was running a little further today and left before I did.  I had no idea where she was until just before the big hill on Eastdell.  Before I crossed 94th S, a couple came walking from the other direction. They said, "She is just up ahead," while pointing just up the hill.  It took me a few seconds to figure out what that meant, and then I realized they had seen us running together around there before and that Stacie was ahead of me.  I attacked the hill and shortly after getting to the top, I saw her off in the distance.  I now had a target.

It took me a few miles to chase her down and I finally caught her on Buttercup drive.  I had to stop at Buttercup park for water, but I was on pace at this point and wanted to finish strong.  It helped to have to chase Stacie for that long and now my goal was in sight.  It felt really good to finally actually run under my target pace for a medium distance run.  It gives me hope for the marathon.  It also felt good to know my leg wasn't hurting as much and didn't hold me back.  Now, I'm still having a hard time conceptualizing running at that pace for over three times the distance, but it is easier to see than it was a week ago.

Workout Data

The Voodoo just about Runs Jeff Down

I was worried about running 16 miles today after having such a great day yesterday.  I had never run this far before.  My longest previous run was 15 miles and that was pretty hard.  I figured I'd take it easy and see what happened.  Stacie went to Provo to run with some friends from the blog.  I wasn't sure what route I'd take, but I knew I had to take a different approach this time.  I usually do long runs where I can just go out the whole distance and have Stacie meet me at the end.  This wasn't an option today, so I had to do something out-and-back.

I was in a hurry when I plotted my course this morning because I needed to get out before the sun got too high.  I decided to go out towards Draper, and then come back up Wasatch Boulevard since it might be more in the shade.  Of course, I got out too late to take advantage of that possibility.

 Now, after having run this, I can say that the best way to run the south end of Wasatch Boulevard is in a sitting position--either in the passenger seat of a convertible, or in the sidecar of a motorcycle.  Further down the list is running from north to south.  At the very bottom is running from south to north--which is what I did.  It was a little more than 8 miles out to the end of Wasatch and I felt pretty good at that point.  (I'm getting better and better at running 8 miles.)  I was cruising up at a relaxed pace and I was feeling pretty good about doing a steady four mile climb at that grade. 

At some point, I turned a corner and saw it.  I let out an audible gasp.  The road was as steep as the top quarter of the Eastdell hill and probably five times as long.  I almost made it without walking--which at that point, I could do faster than running.  When I finally got to the top of that, the road still kept going up, but at a much more reasonable grade.  The run was not too bad from here and eventually, I could look down on Dimple Dell Road where I had been running the other direction an hour earlier.  It was also where my marathon plans came within inches of ending.

I tend to run on the left side of the road.  I just feel safer that way.  I used to run a lot at night while listening to music.  I want the most distance between me and the traffic that I can't see as possible.  Now, running down Dimple Dell is difficult.  It is very steep and the road is severely pitched.  I have to run so hard that the only comfortable place I can find is the middle of the road.  Now, there usually isn't a lot of traffic at this time in the morning, but today I heard a car just behind me.  I was listening to music, so I didn't hear it until it was right on my heels.  I was probably running to the right of the middle stripes, so the driver probably thought I was running on the right side of the road and was annoyed that I was so far out in the road.  She hurriedly  passed me on the left.  However, since I was running on the left side, my instinct was to move over to the left as soon as I heard the car.  I moved left as she was passing and I was inches away from her front tire when I realized what was happening and moved back the other way.

Now, this was my fault.  I should not have been in the middle of the road--especially not with music on.  But is it too much to ask a driver to slow down, honk the horn, and wait to see where I go before deciding how to pass?  A horn would have startled me, but I would have moved to the left and the car could have moved along in its own lane.  I'd much prefer being startled by a horn than the scare I got this morning.  I am glad to be writing this from my home and not the hospital. 

Good run today.  The uphill was difficult, but I felt much better at the end of this run than I did at the end of my previous 15-mile best.  I'm feeling pretty positive about it all right now.

Workout Data

Easy recovery run at slow pace.  I'm still feeling the 16 I did Saturday--especially the ~4 up Wasatch.  I missed my stretching routine last night. That was a mistake.

5 x 10 sec hill sprints.  The first one was difficult.  Usually the 4 mile run loosens things up, but my right hip was still a bit stiff--probably because I kept it at an easy pace.  The first sprint loosened things up and I was able to go a bit harder on the rest.

Last week was a major step up in training intensity.  I'll run one more mile this week and back off a little next week.  I should be feeling a bit better after that.

Ran the standard eight mile loop.  I call it the boot, because it kind of looks like a boot on the map.  My leg really hurts.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do.  I'll tough it out this week and see if a lighter week next week helps.

 Just the facts.

Did the lower elevation four mile loop.  Then did hill sprints up Sterling.

 Just the facts

Ran to Draper.  We left my car down there overnight.  I was relieved to get there and find out it hadn't been towed.  Seventeen miles was hard.  Stacie and I got up early to do this today because we are going to Island Park and I didn't want to do 17 up there.

A couple of miles into the run, we had trouble.  There is an Italian company that sponsors a bicycle racing team called Liquigas.  They have a team in the Tour de France.  When I think of liquigas, I can't think of a bigger nightmare for a competitive cyclist--or a distance runner, for that manner.  A little over two miles into the run, I thought I was struck with liquigas.  I told Stacie I had to go home.  We ran home, which, fortunately was only about a mile away if we ran straight there.  It turned out to be a false alarm.  So, we went back out and I had to think of where we could cut a couple of miles out of the planned route because we still needed to get to my car to get home.

It worked out, but it was more difficult than the 16 I did last week.

Just the facts.

Eight mile out-and-back in Island Park.  My leg really hurts.  I think it needs some rest.

Just the facts.

Four mile out-and-back in Island Park.  I didn't see any bears, but there is supposed to be one on the Island right now.

Just the facts.

Rested the last couple of days because we got home late from Island Park on Monday, and my leg really needs some time off.  I decided to go biking today and see how that goes.  I went from my house up to the Little Cottonwood trail.  I didn't get far past the gate because I didn't have a lot of time.  It looks like the trail has been put back together again since it was washed out last year.

Just the facts.

More biking today.  I got out earlier so I was able to go a little further up the Little Cottonwood Trail.  The lower part of the trail is a lot different.  A lot of the rocks have been removed, so it is easier that way, but in some ways it is a little more difficult to ride.

It was tough to bike today.  I was sore from yesterday.  It was hard to even sit on my saddle for the first mile.  I haven't been able to bike much at all this year because of all the running I have been doing.  I think that has been a mistake.  I really like the biking and need to find a way to do it more.

Just the facts.

I will be running a few 12 milers until the marathon.  I was looking for a loop course to test my progress on and I think this one is pretty good.  It stays relatively flat for a while and then has some pretty good uphill.  The last four miles is downhill.  

I ran this with Stacie, and she ran too late yesterday and was struggling a little today.  I plan to run this a little faster in the future, but I think this is a good course.  There are parks for me to get water that are spaced out so that I don't have to bring any water with me.

The time off from running was great.  My leg felt pretty good.  There is still a little pain, but nothing like what I was going through the past two weeks.  I may have to cut one running day out each week and replace it with biking.  I'm almost thinking I should just replace all the running with biking.  Can I bike the marathon?  I wouldn't even have to pedal for most of it.

Just the facts.