Rosswog Running Blog

I hit the treadmill following work for 1.7 miles (one mile at marathon pace and the rest at an easy pace) before heading home.  After I got home I headed out for an evening run around the neighborhood and over to Big Cottonwood Park where I completed seven laps around the softball complex before heading home.  The total distance of this run was 4.5 miles at an easy pace.

My daily non-running workout consisted of 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, 40 (50 lbs) curls, and 20 (50 lbs) reverse curls.

For the first time since November 2009, I headed out for a sub-6:00-am training run.  The temperature was 34 degrees; therefore, I covered a relatively quick 3.4 miles (the course: to Millcreek Elementary, up to 1500 East and back to home by way of Big Cottonwood Park) in a time of 23:08 in order to just stay warm (one mile at marathon pace and the rest at a fast-easy pace).  It was a great wake-up and I’m looking forward to an interval workout on the treadmill after work.

Late in the afternoon, I fulfilled my speed play aspiration by completing 6 miles of half-mile intervals (i.e., the slow halves at 9.0 miles per hour, while the fast halves at 11.0) in 35:47.  This is a personal record for fastest six miles on a treadmill and I was feeling it; that is, sweat clouded and stung my eyes as I grinded the last two miles out.  Following a 0.2-mile cool-down at marathon pace, I called it a day and headed home

Finally, for my daily non-running workout, I accomplished 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, 80 (50 lbs) curls, and 60 (50 lbs) reverse curls.

This morning I woke up and ran 3.3 miles down to the new Sugar House location of the Salt Lake Running Company for a group run (this new location is 1.2 miles further away than the old Highland Drive location). For our group run we knocked out an even 8.0 miles that consisted of running down 600 East to Liberty Park and completing three laps around the wood-chip trail before heading back. Our average pace was 6:55 with the following mile splits: 7:29, 7:03, 6:56, 7:08, 6:55, 6:55, 7:05, and 5:54. My legs were still tired from yesterday’s speed workout; therefore, that last mile was a great running-on-tired-legs training for the Salt Lake City Marathon (yikes, it’s only two weeks way). I jogged back home by way of Big Cottonwood Park and as the snow started to fall, I completed three laps around the softball complex before heading home. The total distance of this return was 5.1 miles.

For my non-running workout, I completed 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

Happy Easter! I took advantage of the nice cool and sunny weather by going out for a mid-afternoon run by jogging up to 4500 South and 700 East then following the Salt Lake City Marathon Course down to the City Hall building (miles 17.8 – 25.0). I ran through Washington and Library Squares before returning home by running around Liberty Park, down 600 East then up to and down 900 East. The total mileage of this run was 15.3 miles all at an easy/recovery pace (i.e., 8:23 and 126 bpm/heart-rate zone 2).

Lastly, for my non-running workout, I completed a 60-second plank on elbows and toes, 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, and 10 metronomes.

I got up this morning and went out for a run up to Saint Mark’s Hospital and back by way of Big Cottonwood Park.  The weather was calm and cool during this 2.3-mile sub-6:00-am run.

In contrast, I headed out for a run after work along the airport bike paths which quickly turned into a sleet storm.  Wow, I was glad to finish this 4.6 miles which was at a slow; however, anything but easy pace.

For my non-running workout, it completed my typical 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

It was extremely difficult to get out of bed this morning; that is, I think my body was still warming up from yesterday’s post-work run.  However, I did not want to break my two- weekday string of sub-6:00-am runs.  Consequently, I headed out for a short 1.5-mile run over to Big Cottonwood Park where I completed a single lap around the softball complex before heading home.  I’m hoping to get in some speed play after work.

How frustrating, I woke up today and my right hamstring was tight and sore; that is, I might have pushed it a little too hard during yesterday’s speed workout.  I was hoping to do one more interval workout before the Salt Lake Marathon; however, I’m going to scratch it and work on healing my hamstring.  In short, I rather have less soreness in my hamstring than risk hurting my leg further by doing one last speed play session before the big race. 

However, the soreness did not prevent me from getting out for my wakeup run up to Saint Marks Hospital then over to 1300 South and back home by way of Big Cottonwood park.  The total miles of this run was 2.2 miles at an easy pace.

Following a busy day at work, I headed home and out for an evening run.  For this run I completed the same 2.2 mile course that I ran 14 hours earlier at an easy pace.  Consequently, it was very much a recovery day for me.

Lastly, for my non-running workout, I completed my typical 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

When I got up for my sub-6:00-am run, even after icing it last night, my right hamstring felt tighter and sorer than yesterday.  However, it started to feel better after I started my wakeup run which involved an out-and-back down 1100 East to 3300 South and back.  The total distance of this run was 3.3 mile at a relatively easy pace. 

Also, I went out for another evening run after I arrived at home from work.  For this workout, I ran around the neighborhood and over to Big Cottonwood Park where I completed three laps around the softball complex before heading back home.  The total distance of this run was an even 3.0 miles at an easy pace.

Before calling it a day, I was able to get in my standard non-running workout of 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

After icing it some more last night, my right hamstring felt a little bit better this morning.  Concluding my week of sub-6:00-am workouts, I went out for a wakeup run around the neighborhood then over to Big Cottonwood Park where I completed a single lap around the softball complex before heading back to home then off to work.  The total distance of this run was 1.5 miles at an easy pace.

Following another extremely busy day of finishing up on deliverables, I hit the treadmill after work for 6.6 miles.  With the exception of a 0.2 mile warm-up, this run was at marathon pace  with only a little tightness and soreness on my right leg.

In regards to my non-running workout, I completed 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, 60 (50 lbs) curls, and 60 (50 lbs) reverse curls.

I slept in this morning with the justification of getting plenty of sleep before next week’s race.  By the way, I cannot believe the Salt Lake Marathon is one week from today; that is, time goes by fast when you are training hard and having fun!

In order to mentally prepare the race, I jogged over to the bus stop and took the bus downtown and the Trax up to the starting line at the University of Utah.  The starting line is actually below the Olympic Legacy Bridge; therefore, I went to top of the bridge to do some stretching and to think about the race before running the first 14.3 miles of the course.  I covered these miles at an easy pace (even stopping by the Salt Lake Running Company to pick up some packets of GU) and just enjoyed the beautiful spring day while taking in the sights and sounds along the course (e.g., taking note of road construction and identifying mental landmarks).  Breaking off from the course at 6200 South and Highland Drive, I returned to home.  In total, I was able to get in 19.2 miles with only mild tightness and soreness in my right hamstring.

For my non-running workout, I was able to complete my typical 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

Continuing with my objective from yesterday to mentally prepare myself for this Saturday’s Salt Lake City Marathon, I set out early in the afternoon to run a large segment of the course’s second half.  After jogging down to 4500 South and 700 East, I ran miles 17.5-23.3 of the course the completed a lap around Liberty Park before returning home.  The total distance of this run was 12.8 miles and with the exception of the final full mile that I ran at marathon pace, at an easy pace.  In regards to my right hamstring, it’s still stiff, but no real soreness.  I believe the post-run stretching, icing, and work with the massage-running stick is paying off.

Finally, for my non-running workout, I was able to accomplish 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

I woke up early this morning and went out for a nice 3.4-mile morning run before heading off to work.  My pace was 7:10 minutes per mile and 139 beats per minute; that is, I’ll be tracking my heart rate more especially in an effort to decrease it on early morning runs.  My wakeup workout involved running over to Millcreek Elementary up to 1500 South and back by way of Big Cottonwood Park.

After work I completed 6.7 miles on the treadmill.  In regards to this distance, 2.5 miles was at marathon pace and the remaining 4.2 miles at an easy pace.  Now I will commence four straight days of tapering before my big race on Saturday.

For my non-running workout, I completed my typical 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, 130 (30, 40, 50 lbs), and 60 (50 lbs) reverse curls.

Another snowstorm moved through the Valley this morning; however, I still managed to make it out for my sub-6:00-am run.  For this early morning run, I headed over to St. Mark’s Hospital, up to 1300 South and back to home by way of Big Cottonwood Park.  The total distance of this run was 2.2 miles at a relatively easy pace (7:38 miles per minute and 149 bpm).

Since it was a busy day at work, I headed home and out for an evening run.  For this run I ran around the neighborhood and over to Big Cottonwood Park where I completed two-and-a-half laps around the softball complex before heading home.  The total distance of this run was an even 2.0 miles at an easy pace.

In regards to my non-running workout, I completed my typical 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

For my sub 5:00 am run, I headed out and around my neighborhood and over to Big Cottonwood Park where a completed a single lap around the softball complex before heading back.  The total distance of this run was 1.5 miles at a relatively easy pace (7:19 miles per minute and 152 bpm).

Following another busy day at work, I headed home and out and for an evening run.  This workout involved running around the neighborhood and to over to St. Mark’s Hospital, up to 1300 South and back to home by way of Big Cottonwood Park for a total distance of 2.2 miles.

Finally, my daily non-running workout consisted of 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

Today marked my second to last day of tapering before Saturday’s marathon. Following the end of my work week (i.e., I always enjoy taking the day off of work before a marathon), I headed to the Salt Lake City Marathon Expo at the Salt Palace to pickup my race packet before heading home and out for an evening run. For this workout, I ran around my neighborhood and up to the Smith-Kiln Chimney before heading home. The total distance of this run was 4.4 miles at an easy pace.

In regards to my non-running workout, it was just another day of my standard 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

Following an excellent night of sleep, I ate a nice breakfast then went back to bed for a nap before going out for my final day of tapering before the Salt Lake City Marathon. This was an errand run up to REI in which I ran a few miles to and from the bus stop in order to get to the store (i.e., I rode the bus up the major hill from my house to REI in order not to work my legs too much before tomorrow’s race). After I picked out a new backpack and some protein bars, I headed home and called it a day. In total I ran 4.5 miles at a very relaxed pace.

For my marathon-eve non-running workout, I completed 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

Waking up early this morning (i.e., 4:30 am), I packed up my gear, GUs, and water then did some stretches before heading out.  It took 25 minutes to drive up to the starting line at the Olympic Legacy Bridge at the University of Utah.  This gave my just over 30 minutes to do some more stretches and to change out of and drop off my warm-up clothes before heading to the front of the starting line.  Near the front of line, I ran into one of my weekend running buddies from the Salt Lake Running Company group who was participating in the half marathon.

After a stirring rendition of the National Anthem by a member of the Armed Forces, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon started the 7th annual Salt Lake City Marathon.  Unlike last year’s where I had a pace per minute range on my miles splits of 1:13 (i.e., 6:00 – 7:13), my range was greater this time around at 1:57 (i.e., 5:45-7:42).  This larger range reflects that I got off to a much faster start than last year’s race (i.e., my first four mile splits 5:53, 5:57, 5:45, and 5:51), but my finish was much slower with miles 23-25 being a painful struggle (i.e., 7:11, 7:10, and 7:42).  My theory is that my relatively slow finish was a result of wearing racing flats and the warmer weather.  This was the first marathon in which I wore racing flats and by mile 23, my legs were feeling really tired (especially my quads which were thrashed).  In addition, the weather warmed up significantly during the second half of the race and I don’t believe that I took in enough liquids during the first half when it was nice and cool; therefore, I was pretty dehydrated during these last few miles and at the finish line.

Overall, it was a good experience.  I finished in a time of 2:49:28, which is a minutes-per-mile pace of 6:29.  Even though I was unable to PR (1:53 behind my fastest marathon time), this was my second fastest marathon.  I ran the first half in 1:21:24, which was a 1:06 faster than goal pace; however, I hit the wall at miles 20 (in which I was just seconds behind my 6:17 goal pace) and just bonked at mile 23.  However, I improved my Salt Lake Marathon personal best time by 2:18.  Now I know that I have a lot to work to do in regards to strengthening my legs in order to take advantage of the lightness of wearing racing flats during a marathon.  Plus, I needed to work on getting more consistent with my internal workouts.  Tough races always provide a lot of motivation it improve.

Finally, I completed my non-running workout before and after the race that consisted of 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups in total.

With the Salt Lake City Marathon being in the books, today marked the first day where I focused my training on preparing for the Wasatch Back Relay.  Consequently, I did a hill workout by running over to Murray Holladay Road up to Olympus Hills Park then up to Oakridge Elementary.  Once at the school, I completed a single lap around the school’s running path before heading back to home.  The total distance of this run was 10.7 miles at a relatively easy pace (9:54 miles per minute and a heart rate of 131 bpm).  In addition to the hill workout, my sore and tired legs from yesterday’s race provided perfect Wasatch Back training.

In regards to my non-running workout, I completed 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, and 10 metronomes.

Happy Patriot’s Day!  After a two-weekday hiatuses from my sub-6:00-am workouts, I ventured out this morning and completed 2.3 miles at an easy pace (i.e., 7:59 miles per minute and a heart rate of 143 bpm).  For this wake-up workout, I ran up to Saint Mark’s Hospital, over to 1300 South, then back to home by way Big Cottonwood Park.  Before I headed off to work, I set my VCR to record the 114th Boston Marathon!  Very exciting and best of luck to everyone taking trip from Hopkinton to Boston today!

After a short night of sleep due the Jazz playoff game that ended just before mid-night, I took it easy for my sub-6:00-am run.  For this run, I ran around the neighborhood then over to Big Cottonwood Park where I completed a single lap around the softball complex before heading back.  The total distance of this run was 1.4 miles at an easy pace.

Following a busy day at work, I hit the treadmill for an easy-pace 1.6 mile run.  Then I stepped off the treadmill and out of the gym and covered 3.7 miles at a relatively easy pace around the International Center and over the Airport Bike Path.

For my non-running workout, I completed 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, 40 (50 lbs) curls, and 20 (50 lbs) reverse curls.

I slept in a little bit this morning; therefore, for my non-running workout I was only able to get in an even 1.0 mile before 6:00 am.  For this morning wake-up jog, I went up to Hill View Drive then back to home after doing a half of a lap around the neighborhood (time of 8:04 and a heart rate of 143 bpm). 

Following work, I hit the treadmill for 1.2 miles (seven-tenths of a mile at marathon pace) before catching my bus home. With my legs still feeling a little tired from Saturday’s race, I decided it was a good day for a recovery day. Consequently, went for a short evening jog around my neighborhood then over to Big Cottonwood Park and back to home. The total distance of this run was 3.1 miles.

In regards to my non-running workout it was my standard 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

Staying late at work to follow up on the deliverables before the weekend, I headed home and out for an evening run.  My legs felt fully recovered from last week’s marathon!  As a result, while listening to the first half of what turned out to be a very impressive Game #3 win by my Jazz over the Nuggets, I ran over to the Cottonwood Country and back by way of Big Cottonwood Park where I completed a single lap around the softball complex before heading home.  The total distance of this run was 8.2 miles at a relatively easy pace.

Finally, for my non-running workout it was my standard 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, and 20 (50 lbs) curls.

I woke up early this Saturday morning and did some stretching then a warm-up run over to Big Cottonwood Park and back before heading up to Shriners Hospital for the 5th annual Alta Club 10k.  This was actually the first 10k race that I have ever participated in.  Meeting up with two of my team members on the Shoulda Bought Puts Wasatch Back Relay Team, we completed the 10k course that went from Shriners up 11th Avenue then around Memory Grove to the 3.1-mile turnaround point at the northeast corner of the State Capital Building and back.  As my following mile splits show it was downhill on the way out and a nice uphill climb on the return trip: 5:31, 5:23, 5:42, 6:04, 6:17, 6:08, and 0:59.  My finishing time was 36:04 (5:49 pace) on this scenic course and it was perfect weekend weather for running.  In addition, it was great to meet up with fellow FRB member Cheryl who finished 4th overall and I finally discovered what BBK stands for (sounds like a fun running group)!

After the race, I got in some extra mileage by running from Shriners to Big Cottonwood Park where I completed two-and-a-half laps around the softball complex before heading home.  This post-race run was 9.5 miles albeit at a much slower pace than my 10k-race pace (i.e., 8:58 minutes per mile).

While finally getting around to watching my tape recording of the Boston Marathon (great races on both the men and women sides), I was able to get in my standard non-running workout of 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

Early this Sunday morning, for the first time since I injured my foot at the end of last year, I went out for a run wearing my Vibram Five Fingers.  For this workout, I ran over to Millcreek Elementary, up to 1500 South and back to home by way of Big Cottonwood Park.  The total distance of this run was 3.3 miles at an easy pace.

After a short night of sleep after a big late-night win by my Jazz over the Nuggets in Game #4, I still managed to get out of a sub-6:00-am run.  For this workout, I ran over to Big Cottonwood Park and completed a single lap around the softball complex before heading back.  The total distance of this run was 1.3 miles an easy pace (8:02 minutes per mile and a heart rate of 157; more evidence of a high early-morning rate).

For my post-work run, I completed 2.4 miles on the treadmill (1.7 miles at marathon pace) then I headed out home and out for an addition 2.5-mile easy pace run around the neighborhood then over to Big Cottonwood Park and back.

Finally, I was able to complete my typical non-running workout of 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups before calling it a day.

This morning, I got up at 4:45 am and after doing some stretching headed out for a nice sub-6:00-am hill workout.  I ran over to Saint Mark’s Hospital then just headed up the hill on 3900 South to 2300 East before turning around.  The total distance of this run was 5.2 miles and I was able to get in two miles at marathon pace (overall, 7:12 minutes per mile and a heart rate of 142).

After another busy day at work, I was feeling pretty tired; therefore, I headed home and finished off the day with a 1.2 mile jog around the neighborhood.

For my non-running workout, I completed 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

Having to get to work extra early today, I was unable to get in a wakeup run.  Consequently, I got in all my running after work on the treadmill which consisted of 6.3-mile tempo run.  In regard to this distance, 2.2 miles were an easy pace while 4.1 miles were at marathon pace (total time 44:55 for an average pace of 7:07).

My daily non-running workout consisted of 300 sit-ups. 30 push-ups, and 40 (50 lbs) curls.

After a long day at work and before heading home to pack for my week-long trip to Canada, I hit the treadmill for another temp run.  For this run, I completed 6.2 miles with 1.5 miles at an easy pace and 4.7 miles at marathon pace (total time 42:52 for an average pace of 6:55).

In regards to my daily non-running workout, I was able to accomplish 300 sit-ups. 30 push-ups, 80 (50 lbs) curls, and 40 (50 lbs) reverse curls.

Today marked my first trip outside the United States, albeit barely outside of the USA; that is, crossing the border from Detroit to Windsor to take a CFA exam preparation week-long course at the University of Windsor.  As a result, it was my first time running in a foreign country.  After checking into my dorm room and taking a nap, I headed out for run down from Alumni Hall to the Riverside Parkway Trail, I followed the trail north until it came to an end due to construction (i.e., about a half of a mile past the Windsor Caesar Casino and Hotel) then ran back by way of the University of Windsor’s gym.  By the way, this school has exceptional indoor and outdoor tracks.

At the University of Windsor’s gym, I completed my non-running workout which consisted of 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, 180 curls (50 lbs, 45 lbs), and 50 (30 lbs) reverse curls.