It is officially winter now, but up here in northern Utah we’ve been in the throes of winter for several weeks already. Sub-20 degree temperatures, icy roads, and snowy hummocky sidewalks have quickly become the norm. Back when I skied a lot, this would have made me jump with glee. But at this point skiing is an aside, and I am focused on being a husband, a father, and runner. And all this snow is very, very bad for running.

I managed to get through my shin injury in October, and had a great November and early December. Mileage crept back up to the mid-60’s, and I was throwing in a weekly tempo run or two at about 5:40-6:00/mile pace. All in all, I was feeling good and fit, and excited to slowly increase my mileage over the months. Then winter hit. And motivation dwindled. And my body began to ache in various spots.

Some of the aches and pains are due to A.S. Others are due to running on slippery, snowy surfaces. And others are a combination of both, ever reminding of the fact that I cannot train how I used to, that once I hit 70 miles/week I’m an injury waiting to happen.

So far I’m still healthy enough, but I can feel protesting in my left knee. And I constantly worry about my shin flaring up again, or my foot flaring up again. If only it were spring, then things would be better…but unfortunately today is only Day 5 of winter.

Deep breath. Whew. It really doesn’t matter. That’s what I remind myself. There are no races of any importance until May or so. There is absolutely no reason for me to push into higher mileage; there is no reason for me not to back down and relax; there is no reason not to take days off or cross train when I feel my body protest the rigors of training. It will all come together in due time.

And so what if my breakdown point with A.S. is now 60-70 miles/week, rather than 100+ miles/week?  I must make do with what I’m given to work with. It’s in my nature to push whatever limits I can find. And I will continue to do so during the near future with running. I will run the most mileage I possibly can in search for the next P.R. and in search of a 2012 Trials qualifier. But if that limit is lower than what I would like, I just need to accept it and make the most of that volume of training. The keys are patience and adaptability.

Next race: The Painter’s Half Marathon in St. George. This race is mostly an excuse to for my family to get out of Logan and get some warmer weather down in St. George. But at the same time, I would like to run well, perhaps in the 1:10:-high range or so. Hopefully this race will keep me motivated enough to keep hitting the roads, treadmill, elliptical, and weights…but still keep it all in check and stay healthy.

It’s been a short but sweet racing season with a little symmetry to it, as I ran my first and last races in Moab. Last week I completed The Other Half, the sister race to the Canyonlands Half Marathon.

This was an interesting race, primarily because I had not run more than a few miles over the last 3 weeks. My shin issue, which was later diagnosed as Tenosynovitis (inflammation of the tendon sheath), kept me confined to the elliptical for the preceding weeks. Although nothing is as good as running, my 60-90 minute sweat sessions in the gym kept me fit. However, I didn’t appreciate this out until around Mile 8 of the race, as I was quite nervous before the race and during the early miles that I would just utterly bomb, or that my shin would flare up and make me drop out.

But the outcome was quite good: a time of 1:14:02 and 1st place overall. Can’t complain, especially given the circumstances. I knew my initial goal of sub-1:12 was out the window, so I went out at 5:40-pace the first couple miles, and pretty much held that effort the entire way. You can read my full race report with gory details here.

And I loved the course. The first six miles feature small rolling hills in a redrock canyon along the Colorado River. This stretch is pretty fast. But then the canyon opens up to Castle Valley, and displays amazing views of the LaSal Mountains in the background and large sandstone monoliths in the foreground. Very inspiring. However, the terrain also changes from here to the finish to large rolling hills, and the course gets considerably harder during the second half.

Fortunately, every uphill had downhill on the other side, and I actually thought the more challenging second half of the race was as fun as it was beautiful. The race finishes on a nice downhill into Sorrel River Ranch, a resort spa nestled along the Colorado River. The race had a lot of “frills” (which I don’t care much about), but it was also well-managed: the expo was easy, they started the race on time, and it was a closed course. The jacket, pint glass, finishers’ medal, and beer garden were just gravy, but a nice touch I suppose. But really, the course and the scenery were the stars of the show. I may be back next year, hopefully in better health, to try to get my 1:12:00.

Little Seth proudly wearing daddy’s finishers’ medal

But that’s it for me for 2008. Despite being injured to laid up with with an A.S. flare for most of the year, I did manage to squeeze in 5 races, most of which were pretty good considering my fitness. What’s next? Well, my shin has greatly improved since the race, and I’m starting to run again. If things go well, I’d like to build a big base throughout the rest of the fall, all winter, and into the spring. If I’m going to do another marathon, I’d like to do things right! Reading “Once a Runner” and “Return to Carthage” has inspired me to be patient, as the main character Cassidy was patient. Staying cool and calm, building a big base over a period of many months, will make my next marathon a great one. No sense in jumping the gun.

Right now I’m about 75% sure I’m going to sign up for the Indy Mini Marathon. My next big race will be the Indy Mini Marathon. Registration is in, so now it’s a matter of good training and praying to stay healthy. The Mini is a flat, fast half marathon course near sea level, plus I will be in town that weekend to visit my family, so it would be a shame not to go for a PR. Beyond that, if things are firing on all cylinders I would like to find a good marathon in late May, and perhaps make a run for the Trials.

With having ankylosing spondylitis, it is so hard to plan far ahead into the future. As a “normal”runner, it is hard to stay healthy as it is, but A.S. greatly increases my chance of tendon injuries, not to mention the background back and neck pain. Yet, dreaming and planning is something that makes me love running and love life. I don’t think I can give that up. So while I eagerly make plans and scope out potential races with one half of my mind, the other side duels with it and tries to prevent me from too much disappointment and letdown. It’s a hard transition, but I don’t think I will ever truly give up dreaming.

Oops, I did it again. During my Monday tempo run, a slight pain in my lower shin transformed into inflamed, swollen mess. Why did I bother finishing the workout? Why not just jog it in? Did I seriously think it would just “go away”? Well, apparently I did. D’oh!

Regardless of my delusions and mistakes, I am left with what appears to be a moderate case of tendinitis in my shin. I’ve had tendinitis in my upper hamstring before, and it was not fun. But this already seems to be way better than my hamstring injury, or the groin strain I had a couple years back. It seems that injuries that occur higher up take longer to heal (groin, hamstring, etc.). Walking with this shin injury is not too bad, and I can already run a little bit after only a couple days. With the hamstring and groin injuries, it was a couple months before I could run.

So how to treat this? The past two days I have been religiously:

• Icing, with both stationary ice packs and with ice massage.
• Scraping, with Gua Sha tools.
• Massaging, by just putting some oil on my shin, and then using deep strokes with my thumbs from the top of my shin down to my foot.
• using my TENs unit, a little device that reduces pain and perhaps increases circulation through electrical pulses.

On Sunday, I am seeing my massage therapist, and hopefully she can work some magic. Also, I’ve ordered a Zensah compression sock. I don’t know how much compression will help, but it’s worth a shot. Anything that allows returning to running without re-injury is a good thing.

My worst fear is missing The Other Half, or just limping through it. I figure I can supplement a full week of training with cross-training and still run at full potential in Moab. If I miss two weeks, I could probably still run so-so at Moab, but would miss too much “real” training to continue entertaining ideas of a December marathon. Basically, I would be done for the year after the half marathon. If I miss three weeks or longer, then Moab will become just a vacation, and I’ll have to be happy with the three races I was able to run this year.

But I am optimistic. In order to keep fit and keep my edge for the upcoming half marathon, I’m trying to get an hour of cross training in every day, and will attempt some interval and tempo type workouts as well. For cross training, I use my mountain bike, the elliptical machine, and the arc trainer machine. The arc trainer in particular is a fantastic workout. I get gassed on it after about 10 minutes. But nothing beats running.

The question I always ask myself when I get an injury: is if it is purely a running injury, or if it is because my Ankylosing Spondylitis? A.S. has a tendency to attack muscle insertion points, thus A.S. sufferers are more prone to “injuries” such as plantar fasciitis and tendinitis. In my case, yes, I think there is a good chance that A.S. set the stage for this bout of tendinitis, but if I were not a runner it would certainly not be inflamed to its current extent. So the two work together as a one-two punch. A.S. weakens the tendons, and running blows them up. I imagine this is just something I will have to deal with as long as I run.

New rule: if I feel any sort of new pain, I abandon the workout. This a basically a repeat of my hamstring tendinitis from earlier this year, so strike two on me.

Kind of a miscellaneous blog posting today, but I’m in the mood.

So what’s going on in my neck of the woods? This past Saturday I ran my first 5K in well over a year. I won the Top of Utah 5K with a time of 16:17. It was a fast loop course, and supposedly certified (although I could not find it in the USATF database). I was hoping for under 16 minutes, but I’ll take it. It was a weird race though; I never felt like I was straining, and kept pushing the pace, yet I had no speed. All of my mile splits were within 3 seconds of each other, I hit a slight negative split, and I felt like I could have kept going for 10K. So although I was not happy with my leg turnover, I was pleased with how strong I felt. 5K’s usually hurt a lot more. My full race report is here.

Next up is The Other Half, a half marathon in Moab on October 19th. I would like to break 1:12 on this rolling course. My 5K time alone gives me a thumbs-down that I can actually do this, but on the other hand I don’t think my solo 5K effort is representative of what I can do in a half marathon (where my lack of burst won’t be as big of a hindrance). Furthermore, I feel like my training is just hitting stride. After a couple weeks in the mid-60s, my mileage for the next 3-4 weeks will be in the mid- to upper 70s, and perhaps will hit 80. This includes two big workouts per week as singles (14-16 miles), a Saturday long run, and easy doubles the rest of the days. Standard fare, but tried and true. I’ve found that racing success is largely a function of training time. Stringing together many consecutive weeks of consistent mileage and solid workouts will yield fast times when it’s time to put on the flats. It’s not a glamorous concept, but very true.

This weekend I will be captaining an aid station at the Bear 100, our local 100-mile ultra run. The race starts at Logan Dry Canyon and traverses through the Bear River Range all the way to Bear Lake, Idaho. I am in awe of ultra runners. I have no aspirations (or delusions) of joining them, but enjoy serving them at the aid stations. This year, my station is at Richards Hollow (Left Hand Fork of the Blacksmith Fork). It looks like it will be a beautiful day, and my wife and 2-month old son will be coming as well.

I enjoy the aspect of volunteering, simply because it shows the other side of races, and allows us to give back to the race and to other runners. As a competitive runner, I usually do nothing but take, take, take from races. Volunteering helps me counter that consumer-ish attitude (and also helps me appreciate volunteers more from the races I run!). If you’ve never helped direct, administrate, or volunteer for a race, I highly recommend doing so. It will make you look at races completely different, and you may be less likely to complain the next time something at a race irks you.

In honor of the upcoming Top of Utah Marathon this weekend, today’s topic is about the other race in the event: the Top of Utah 5K. This race is especially of interest to me this year, as I am running it. TOU will be my first 5K since July of 2007, so compound that with my rather “interesting” training this year, I’m not quite certain how I will do.

Fortunately, I do know a few things about the race:

1. It is certified, so I can expect it to be the correct distance
2. It is a relatively flat loop course, so I can expect decent times that actually mean something (ie - not downhill).
3. As part of my sponsorship of the Top of Utah Marathon, I’ve created a course map, so it will be one of the few 5K races out there that actually has a decent map that show the exact turns and the elevation profile.

Most of the maps I make are for relays, marathons, and half marathons; very few short races have the budget or real incentive for maps. However, there is one really nice thing about making a 5K map: scale. What is scale? Think of it as “zoom-factor”. Large-scale means “zoomed in”, small-scale means “zoomed out”. Scale can be represented by ratios, such as 1:6000 (large scale) or 1:100,000 (small scale). Since a 5K loop route does not take up much geographic space relative to a marathon or relay, I have the luxury of creating a large-scale map on a small page size (8.5×11″). This means that I get to show tremendous detail, including aerial photos and crisp turn locations. You just don’t get that on most small-scale maps.

From the elevation profile, it’s easy to see that the elevation does not change much during the race. There is a short, abrupt hill around Mile 1.6 (200 S to 100 S), and very subtle uphill on 300 N, and then a short, abrupt downhill near the finish. The last block (0.1 miles) is on an uphill, but who’s counting at that point?

But all this is getting nit-picky; the course can be more concisely described as relatively flat and fast. Although I am still building my base, I hope to at least challenge 16:00 for a finish time. Seeing 15:5x at the end would be great, but I could live with 16:1x as well. It’s hard to find concrete expectations. I do know that the first half should be faster than the second half of the race, due to topography, so I hope to hit 4:5x on the first mile, 5:0x on the second mile, and then see what I have for the end.

Should be fun! (and way easier than the Top of Utah Marathon).

Back in June I thought this year for racing would be a complete wash. In fact, I did not know if I would ever run competitively again, due to the plethora of arthritic ailments brought on by Ankylosing Spondylitis (A.S.).Fortunately, things have turned around for me a bit, to where I’ve been able to run again, and even get into some semblance of shape.  I am not pain-free yet, but am “good enough” to train and do some speed work too. My key challenge was to learn how to manage the A.S., which I have done so far through diet and occasional use of the NSAID meloxicam. Right now I am taking 2-3 meloxicam (brand name: Mobic) per week, and that is enough to make me feel pretty good when I get out of bed in the morning.

Thanks to eliminating all starch in my diet (the “No Starch Diet”, which will be a blog topic of its own soon), the pain in my hip, SI joints, and low back stiffness have basically disappeared. The swelling in my foot and stiffness in my neck (particularly in the mornings) is all that remains, and that is what I take the meloxicam for. If the diet continues to work over time, I hope to eliminate all NSAID use completely.  But for now I’m thankful that I’m taking it a few times per week rather than everyday. I’m sure my stomach will thank me as well.

So despite a horrid first half of the year, I’ve been salvaging a short racing season after all.  I’m not nearly in the form I was last year, but I’m still having a lot of fun, and thankful to God for the opportunity to run again. On August 2nd, I ran a local 10K (for $5!), and placed 3rd with a time of 34:55. I was quite happy with this considering that I had about a month’s worth of training at 30 miles/week at this point (plus the birth of my first child three days prior).

My second race of the year was August 23rd, the Top of Utah Half Marathon. I won this last year, so it was a little humbling to be completely out of contention, but I still enjoyed myself immensely, taking 6th overall with a time of 1:12:12.  Mileage was around 50 mpw at this point, with some speed work.

After a week of recovery from the half marathon, and then missing some time due to sickness the following week, I’ve finally boosted my mileage again, and will be sitting around 65 mpw for awhile. I’ve managed to catch a little bit of the old fire, and have the desire to train again, and to excel in races. This fire had been missing for awhile. I’ll reach 75-80 mpw in the next couple months, which I never thought I’d would even want to do again.

Upcoming races include the Top of Utah 5K on September 20th, The Other Half on October 19th, and another local 5K (The First Dam Run) on November 1st. The Other Half is a half marathon in Moab, and is a fairly big race. It is a challenging, rolling course, with no elevation drop (rare for Utah). The course record is a low 1:12, and I’ve made it my “season goal” to break that record. If I can run 1:12 or faster on that hard course, and if I am reasonably pain-free, then I will consider continuing to up my mileage and running an early December sea-level marathon, most likely St. Jude.

Several people have tried to convince me to run St. George, but I am not for several reasons:

1. I have nothing left to accomplish there, other than to win. I cannot win this year with the training I have done. Therefore I will not traumatize my body for no good reason.
2. The injury risk is too high on that course with the amount of training I’ve done.
3. By deferring a marathon for two months (December vs. October), I will give myself training time to race a much better quality marathon.  True, I could probably break 2:30 in my current condition at St. George, but I gain more by training longer (uninterrupted), and running under 2:25 on an honest course like St. Jude.

Much of this is speculation right now, but that is where my thinking and heart are at. St. George was tempting simply because I really enjoy being at the race with my friends and peers. But to actually race it would be a bad idea. Plus, I’ve always wanted to run The Other Half, which is reportedly a beautiful, challenging course.

I do not know what the future will bring, but I have enjoyed the races I’ve been blessed with doing already, and look forward to running more.

The other day I read an open letter to race directors posted on the Complete Running Network blog. The general premise was that all race directors should have chip timing, good food, lots of porta-pots, good cups, good age group awards, good online maps, and good beer. In other words, cater to the people paying the entry fees. Makes sense.

The article was written in a fun way, was an entertaining read, and certainly made some good points…yet I disagreed with the spirit of it.

Why are races expected to cater to our every whim? Why do we need rock bands along the course, beer at the finish line, a fancy website, fancy t-shirts, and other amenities? I view all these amenities as consumer-driven. Runners demanded them, and race directors obliged. As a result entry fees are raised. Runners raise cain and demand even more “value” for their money (since we’re paying more, we better get more “stuff”). Race directors accommodate this to stay competitive. Prices go up. Runners/consumers get even more demanding and picky. It seems like a perpetual cycle to me. Will there be a “bust” at some point?

And it’s getting absurd. The other day, I paid $75 for the opportunity to run a half marathon (I won’t name names, as this is getting to be a pretty typical price these days). It made me sick to write the check, but in the end I caved simply because I really, really wanted to race the course. Oh, but I get a “free” jacket and “free” beer at the finish, and a bunch of other garbage. What happened to just racing?

Here’s what I want from race directors: Just line us up and fire a gun. And do it on time. And make the race $10.

I don’t need rock bands, I don’t need beer, I don’t even need food at the finish (I can pack my own banana, thank you). I don’t need high-tech t-shirts, jackets, or vests. A cotton t-shirt is fine, although I’d like to opportunity to “opt out” in order to further lower my entry fee. Chip timing is nice, but not needed. We managed to survive quite some time without chips, after all. Rather than putting time and effort into the amenities and pampering, please just make sure the total course distance and the mile markers are accurate.

I realize that I am in the minority in these sentiments, but this is my blog, and I am an expert in my own opinion. Why do I race? I like to be around other runners, the pure community of the event. Moreover, I like to compete: against others and against myself. I get a thrill out of putting myself out there against my peers, and against my own willpower, pain levels, and personal records. Prizes are nice, and I keep them as mementos, but they are not why I race. The same goes for t-shirts and other memorabilia. But I certainly don’t enter the races to drink beer and listen to really bad live bands (I can do that at home for much less than $75, thank you).

I, for one, would like to see a return of “minimalistic races”. Low entry fees, low technology, few amenities, with an emphasis on competition and community. Anyone with me?

This will be an unusual race report, as not only did I not run, but I did not even go to the event. Last year my wife and visited Washington while the Northwest Passage Relay was in progress. I thought the course looked beautiful, and decided that I wanted to run the race next time around. Earlier this year, I sponsored and registered a team under the name of MarathonGIS.com / Fastrunningblog.com, and started making plans. However, a couple things stopped me from making the trip:

1. My wife getting pregnant, and the due date being uncomfortably close to race day
2. My current A.S. flare preventing me from running for several months, plus making my day-to-day ability to run very unpredictable.

So I bailed early on, but stayed on as the team captain and logistic manager. I’ve organized 5 relays now, and team member Dale described this one perfectly: herding cats.

We had:

• runners from 4 different states, with multiple airline schedules
• all out-of-state runners flying in the morning of the race
• another runner who couldn’t make it to the course until 8PM on raceday
• a very small pool of potential volunteers (ended up buying 2 of the 3)
• multiple runners bail out due to other commitments
• last-second ringers bail to join other teams (thanks)
• a last-minute start time change from 4PM to 2PM
• a total of 9 runners actually toeing the line (supposed to be 12)

Putting together the vans and leg order became a cerebral puzzle that looked like a chess match versus a Google spreadsheet. It also reminded me a little bit of the logic portion of the GRE test: “Runner x, y, and z are flying from Utah at times A, B, and C. Runners t, u, and v are already in-state, but live in three different towns, and runner u has to work until 5PM. The 5:15 ferry has a 90% on-time rate. Runner y’s favorite color is blue, and Runner v hates hills and is allergic to peanuts. Our start time is 2PM, and Van 1 will be to Exch 6 by 6:15PM. Determine the leg order.“

Fortunately, I did well on the GRE, and our logistics for this race ended up coming together in the end as well. Van 1 made it to the 2PM start on time, Runner U caught the ferry and made it to Exch 11 in time to run his first leg, and the 9 guys on the team ran their guts out, and by all reports, had a fabulous time. Whew! The only real mishap was Van 1 putting itself in a ditch during Leg 2 (will post pictures when I get them). Fortunately, a kind passerby pulled them out.

Not only did the team run their guts out, but they managed to take 2nd place out of 153 teams (20:31:02, 6:39/mile), and came within 6 minutes of pulling off and upset and winning the race outright. Congrats to Runningshoes.com, with their winning time of 20:25:17 (6:37/mile). Not bad for a 6-man ultra team!

Lessons learned for future relays:

• a 12-person team is not necessary.
  • fewer people creates more room in the van
  • fewer people allows you to use a car, truck, or SUV if you want to save money
  • a faster person running extra legs will always be faster than adding slower people just for the sake of having 12 people
  • you can bond more with fewer people, and also develop a “underdog mentality”

Thanks a ton to Dave, Dale, Craig, Andy, Cody, Tim, Matt, Mark, and Aaron for their good spirits and fast running!

Andy, Matt, Aaron, Tim, Dale, and Craig (photographer: Dave)

Cody hands to Andy at Exch 30.

Van 2, also a drying rack and dormitory. Gotta love the smaller team.

Another year, another Wasatch Back Relay. This year my company, Marathon GIS, helped sponsor not one but two 12-man relay teams. Co-sponsors were the Fast Running Blog and the St. George Running Center. We divided up our pool of runners into the “blue” team (fast) and the “white” team (faster). (The general idea is the FRB / St. George Running Center racing team’s colors are blue and white…).

We had no problem assembling an ensemble cast of quality runners, thanks to the pool of talent available on the Fast Running Blog. And we needed everyone in that pool, since we suffered numerous injuries and bail-outs to key runners (including myself) during the approach to the race. Thank goodness for our alternates! Although I had my doubts at times, we did end up toeing the line with 12 runners on each team.

We had high aspirations for the white team to contend with perennial powerhouses BYU and Weber State, and perhaps win the race outright. The blue team also had a good chance at Top 3.

It turned out that Weber did not field a team this year, but BYU brought the house. From the gun, it was BYU all the way, and our white team was simply outclassed by a superior (and younger) gene pool. The result: 2nd place for the white team by about 35 minutes. Kudos to BYU. Maybe next year!

Our blue team outpaced the Runners Corner mixed team, Peak Endurance, and the 26.2 Running Company down the stretch to finish a respectable 3rd place, nearly an hour behind the white team. Great job guys!!

However, we did experience victory on the timed Ragnar leg, as the white team’s Seth Wold blitzed up the 4.0-mile, 1700ft ascent in…(not kidding)…29:06 (7:16/mile!). That was 2:30 (38s/mile) ahead of the 2nd place BYU runner. I believe he broke his own record from last year. Awesome job Seth!

Unfortunately, I could not run due to my foot (and total lack of fitness), but was happy to help out by driving the Blue team Van 1. I brought my trusty video camera and shot as much footage as I could during daylight, adding my own witty and charming commentary where I could. (note that witty and charming commentary completely evaporates on day 2). I’ve uploaded the string of videos to YouTube for everyone’s enjoyment. Sorry about the poor quality, but YouTube is lame like that. You get what you pay for. Also, sorry for no video transitions, theme songs, or other movie magic. Time is money, and I’m a lazy, lazy man. But for the ’soundtrack’, you can just listen to our awesome mix tape playing in the van instead.

2008 Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back Top Teams Results (546 total finishers)

1. BYU Cross Country: 17:19:34 (5:45/mile!)
2. Fast Running Blog / St. George Running Center “white”: 17:54:16 (5:57/mile)
3. Fast Running Blog / St. George Running Center “blue”: 18:54:03 (6:17/mile)
4. 26.2 Running Company: 19:29:49
5. Peak Performance: 19:32:13
6. Runners Corner: 19:41:01

Alright, long time no blog. I figure it’s time for an update. Most of what is below was copied and pasted from my training blog, but I figure it might reach a different audience here.

So why haven’t I been blogging? Simple, I haven’t been running. The last few months have been one “injury” after another. What started with hamstring tendinitis morphed into a monster that included SI pain, hip pain, low back pain, mid-back pain, neck pain, swollen sausage toes, and a swollen, sore forefoot. The forefoot is what really knocked me out of running. And I hate to say it, but I lost the fire over the last few months. The cross training suddenly became not worth the effort. Fitness is all gone.

My foot problems was initially, and wrongly, diagnosed as a mortons neuroma. After the digits and top of the foot started swelling, I pretty much knew that was wrong, and so did the podiatrist. We did a battery of blood tests, and I came out positive for HLA-B27. Given my chronic SI joint problems over the three years, combined with the sausage toes, the blood test, and even the insertion-point injuries (plantar fasciitis, hamstring tendinitis), I knew in my mind that Ankylosing Spondylitis would likely be the fit to the puzzle.

This is not answer I liked. Who wants a chronic, degenerative disease? But I would not know for sure until I saw the rheumatologist, something that apparently takes a long time to do (I couldn’t get in for four weeks; some people tell me I’m lucky).

Okay, now for the copy and paste part.

Finally had my rheumatologist appointment today. Got the official diagnoses of Ankylosing Spondylitis. No big surprise, but I supposed it’s nice to get a dx in some ways.

No, ankylosing spondylitis (A.S.) is not the name of a dinosaur. “Ankylosing” means stiff or rigid. “Spondylitis” means inflammation of the spine. So ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic arthritic disease that causes the joints and ligaments along the spine to become inflamed. If left untreated, the spine can completely fuse, causing the person to lose mobility (hence, the “Ankylosing” part of it). A.S. is most common in men in their 20s. The cause is not quite known, but it appears to be genetics (HLA-B27 gene) combined with a trigger event (probably some sort of gut infection). Most people with A.S. have HLA-B27, but only about 10% of people with HLA-B27 have A.S. So the environmental trigger factor is a large role.

Their is no cure for A.S., but it can be treated into remission. Exercise, NSAIDs, DMARDs, and anti-TNF meds seem to be all there is at this point. The exercise is important to keep the joints mobile. Move it or lose it. Swimming is best for obvious reasons, and running is often frowned upon because of the jarring (but for the record my doc said that running is okay if it doesn’t hurt). NSAIDs treat the symptoms by killing the inflammation, but does not stop progression of the disease. They also tend to tear apart the stomach and fry the liver if taken for a long time. DMARDs (Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs) can slow down disease progression, but haven’t been shown to be terribly effective with A.S. Kind of a hand-me-down from big brother rheumatoid arthritis. Anti-TNFs (tumor necrosis factor, biologics) suppress the part of the immune system that is attacking the body. Biologics can repress or completely halt the disease, and seem to be the most promising for A.S. However, they also increase the chance of infection, and perhaps even some types of cancer.

Diet has also helped a small percentage of people deal with A.S. to varying degrees. Low-starch and No-starch diets are definitely on the fringe of the treatment, mostly (IMO) because there is no money for doing non-drug research, plus pharmaceuticals can’t make any money if people just stop eating bread. But the diet has a small but fanatical cult-like following among lay-people. In any case, it is proven that some foods cause inflammation, and some foods reduce it, so it is a safe bet to pursue that kind of diet just for general health and to help things along.

Anyway, this is long, but it’s as much for my therapeutic benefit as for anything. My symptoms aren’t too terribly severe on the grand scale. Judging by x-rays and flexibility tests, I have suffered no joint damage or no beginnings to fusion either. This is good. Since A.S. isn’t terribly well-known, most people can go over a decade without getting it diagnosed, and by that time they may have already started to fuse (once you fuse, you can’t go back). In my case, I think my hyper-sensitivity to what is going on in my body due to being a runner helped get me into a series of doctors and start asking the right questions and getting the right tests. I can track my A.S. timeline back to June of 2005, so it’s been going on for three years at the longest, which is pretty quick for a dx.

And it turns out that my clusters of “running injuries” may not be entirely from running, and are better explained as A.S. flares. It also turns out that A.S. often affects muscles and tendons near insertion points, so my plantar fasciitis and hamstring tendinitis would also be common A.S. symptoms. Of course, running didn’t help most of these things either. And A.S. also commonly causes “sausage toe”, which is what it sounds like, and is what I have going on with my feet (currently preventing me from running). Timeline:

• 1994 - June 2005: No injuries whatsoever. Nothing, nada. No back pain.
  
• June 2005 - November 2005: SI pain, lower back pain, patellofemoral pain (runners knee). Ran through most of it, then took a couple months off after St. George.
• December 2005 - February 2006: perfectly healthy, resumed running
• Feb/March 2006 - August 2006: SI pain, lower back pain, patellofemoral pain (other knee), groin strain, plantar fasciitis. No running for 5 months.
• September 2006 - December 2007: pain-free, blissful running
• January 2008 - June 2008 (ongoing): hamstring tendinitis, SI pain, sore/stiff lower back, stiff mid-back, neck pain, swollen toes, swollen forefoot.

So it’s been alternating healthy - flare - healthy - flare. I am now in my third flare, by my count. This is definitely the longest, although I don’t know that it is more severe than what I went through in 2006. So the A.S. may be ramping up each time (bad thing), but I am not sure. It would sure be nice if I left this flare and had another 15 months of quiet.

My rheumie thought it would be best to start with a prescription NSAID to wick out the inflammation. Everyone’s version of A.S. if a little bit different. If mine follows the pattern of flare - healthy - flare, then I can probably get by with taking NSAIDs as needed. However, if things don’t ever get better, and it seems to be progressing, then he will want me do go on an anti-TNF, such as Remicade or Embrel. I’d rather not do this, as it is very expensive (~$20,000/year). With insurance it is something like $100-$200/month, depending on the drug.

So now I am taking diclofenac. Ibuprofen is quite effective on me, so hopefully this will be too, and shrink my foot down to a normal size. My next appointment is in 3 months, so until then it will just be the NSAID (as needed), exercise, and a healthy diet.

Will I run competitively again? Maybe. If I can, I probably will, but if I can’t life will go on. I know I can be happy and fulfilled without running, and it is not my identity, but I do enjoy it, so I would obviously like to be able to at least go out and run 6 miles pain-free with myself or with my friends. But this whole ordeal has served to remind me that my hope is not in the present with this broken body, but my hope lies in God and in His promise of a future and an eternal life.

19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. -Matt 6:19-21

Well, it’s been a long road back from the hamstring tendinitis injury (but not nearly as long as plantar fasciitis). I’m not quite out of the woods, but am happy to be back running at least a few miles every day.

It’s amazing how hard a 7:30 mile seems after an injury layoff, but I take some comfort in knowing that I experienced similar issues when coming back from my PF/groin strain in 2006. I remember struggling with a 10-minute mile on the treadmill during rehab back in 2006, and wondering how on earth I would ever be able to run twice that fast for a 5K. Yet within a year I was able to average 5:15/mile for 26 miles. So my 8-minute miles right now don’t seem so bad, as I know I can still have a successful racing season in the summer ahead.

My recent hamstring injury is a tendinitis (inflammation of the tendon) where the hamstring muscle connects to the ischium (butt-bone). I have seen this referred to as “hamstring origin tendinitis“.

I first felt the injury on Dec. 25th (merry Christmas). It was quite minor, and I could run on it without much difficulty. I classified it in the “owie” category, and figured it would go away on its own after a few days. And maybe it would have.

But on Dec. 27 I attempted a 8×1000m interval workout…and pretty much destroyed the hamstring by the 6th interval. Within a span of a few minutes I went from being able to hold a 5:00/mile pace to having to walk home.

What what the root cause of the injury? I think it was a combination of all of the below (in ascending order):

• XC skiing for the first time in a year on Dec. 23. This made me pretty sore for the following week, and worked muscles that hadn’t been used in a long time. Consequently, I was running (and doing hard workouts) on weakened, sore legs during the next few days.
• Running on snow. We had a big snow storm on Christmas Eve, and my next few runs were on solid snow and ice. This slipping around is no good for the joints and muscles, and probably put unnatural strain and torque on already-sore muscles.
• Attempting to train hard for Houston. Looking back, I had just run two all-out marathons within a month, and what my body needed most was a break and a period of base-building. And that was my original plan after Trials. But then I received the opportunity to race the USATF Half Marathon Championships in Houston as a funded athlete. That was an offer that I couldn’t refuse at the time, but now I wish I had. Rather than letting my body fully recover and returning to easy mileage, I was out there doing tempo runs and interval workouts on weakened legs and in less-than-ideal weather/road conditions. Talk about setting the stage for an injury!

Obviously (looking at it after the fact), I could have avoided it all by turning down the Houston race, and just running easy mileage during the harsh winter months. But I think if the roads had good footing and if I hadn’t tried introducing a new activity (XC skiing) during heavy training, I might have stayed healthy as well. In any case, I learned not to try to train for a major race during the winter, at least as long as I live in Logan! I’ve learned that a period of easy running, core work, and weight lifting is probably the best winter training plan for me. With no winter races, I won’t feel like I need to “force” workouts.

But the good news is that I’m feeling about 95% healthy now. Here’s what I did to recover from the hamstring tendinitis:

• Rest. Running was not an option. I also took a week off with no activity, as even elliptical seemed to hurt it at first.
• After I realized it wasn’t getting much better with pure rest, I started Physical Therapy. I saw a licensed PT at our local sports med facility. I’ve done this before and think it’s a good idea for anyone with lingering injuries. My treatments:
  • Heat
  • Ultrasound
  • Stretching the hamstrings
  • Stretching the hips (these were really tight!)
  • Strengthening the hips, glutes, and hammies
    • Theraband activities / 4-way hip machine
    • Stability ball hamstring curls
    • Face-down leg raises (glutes)
    • “Walking” while sitting in a rolling chair (great hammie workout)
    • Hip sled (glutes, hammies, quads)
  • Resumed “safe” cross training:
    • Recumbent bike (non weight-bearing, did this the most early on)
    • Stair-stepper
    • Arc Trainer (great workout)
    • Elliptical (once inflammation was gone)
• Deep massage. This is helpful if you have an LMT who can get in deep to where the hamstring connects to the ischium. It is kind of a precarious spot, and you should first have an LMT that you trust and feel comfortable with. I got about three good massages, and it helped clear up a lot of the initial inflammation.
• Chiropractic. I saw my DC right after the injury, and my hips were way off. I think this was yet another factor that contributed to the injury. Correcting any misalignment (through PT and chiro) is necessary for a permanent fix once you get the inflammation down and resume running. The same goes for muscle imbalances. Getting rid of the inflammation is one thing, but resolving the root issue is another.

Now that I am back to running a little, I way to stay injury-free! This, of course, means taking things slowly. However, I know I can increase fitness faster (and safely), by supplementing with cross training. Another strategy I am starting to use to increase running volume while keep risk low is by breaking up my runs into short doubles. For example, rather than doing one 6-miler, I will do two 3-milers. The best way to get better at running is to run a lot, and doubles are great for that. Plus, the longer the run, the more battering and fatigue you get. Doubles help mitigate this, as fatigue and breakdowns in form do not set in as much on the shorter runs.

My primary goals for the spring are:

• Kick all remaining symptoms of the tendinitis
• Gradually increase mileage back to the 100+ mpw range
• Lose all the weight I gained (about 8 lbs)
• Resume real races by the end of May

It’s been a really crappy winter, but I have high hopes for it being offset by a great summer and fall! free real ringtones tone | download free mobile real ringtones t | composer free nokia ringtones | free u.s cellular ringtones | mp3 ringtones converter | send free ringtones to your phone | free cellular one ringtones | cell download free phone ringtones | free yahoo ringtones | free sprint real ringtones | music nextel real ringtones | yahoo ringtones free download | ringtones verizon wireless | free cellular phone ringtones | e315 motorola ringtones | free real tone ringtones | free ringtones | free ringtones converter | free real ringtones for verizon | cingular free music ringtones |

Many people think that GPS is always used to map routes, but this is far from the truth. When I create race course maps, I almost always capture the course remotely using high-resolution aerial photography. Rather than engaging in time-consuming and costly travel and GPS capture, I can sit in the comfort of my office and on-screen digitize the route very accurately and precisely. I don’t have to worry about satellite connection, tree cover, and topographic obstructions. In the end, it saves the client money and creates a quality product that can be trusted.

But the cool thing about digitizing data in a GIS is that you can later convert the data to a GPS-ready format, and load it into your GPS unit for easy GIS-based navigation. For my mapping, I tend to store and edit my data in either shapefile (.shp), MS Access geodatabase (.mdb), or an ESRI file geodatabase (.gdb). While these are good formats for GIS consumption, they do not help GPS users, but I can export to a more universal, “friendly” format, such as Keyhole Markup Language (.kml), which is similar to XML. Many software programs can read and convert KML files, and it can be used to make data GPS-ready.

Most people’s GPS units can accept GPX format, which is also similar to XML. Thus, to get my GIS data into a GPS, export to GPX would be optimal. However, no GIS software that I’ve seen (yet) converts directly to GPX. But most GIS software can import and export KML, and KML is easy to convert to GPX. So the general process is:

1. Convert your GIS format to .kml format. I use Manifold Systems to do this, but there are several free plugins for ArcGIS that can do this as well. Just search Arcscripts for “kml”.
2. Convert the KML to GPX. There are several programs that can do this. I personally use GPS Babel for all GPS conversion tasks, and Babel handles KML to GPX (and vice-versa) very well. Also, I do know that Garmin Trackmaker Free works for this, but I have not actually used it myself.
3. Load the GPX into your GPS unit. Every GPS software will be a little bit different, but people have had a lot of success loading the files I’ve given them with Garmin Mapsource, so I know it at least works with that. But GPX is a pretty generic file type, and I expect compatibility to be pretty good.

Many participants have been contacting me and requesting the Ragnar Relay Del Sol route. The race is coming up in a few weeks (Feb 29-Mar 1), and they want to import the course route and exchanges into their GPS units to help them prepare for the race, navigate the van, know exactly where the exchanges are, and avoid getting lost during this 24-hour, 190-mile race in the desert.

Due to popular demand, I’ve decided to just post my GPX files here. Over the next few months, I intend to post and make public the GPX files for all seven Ragnar relays.

• Download Relay Del Sol KML files (for Google Earth)
• Download Relay Del Sol GPX files (for GPS)

On February 12th Ragnar Relay announced the addition of three new races to their ever-growing armada of overnight relays. These races will take place this year in Washington D.C. (Sept. 26-27), Austin, TX (Oct. 24-25), and Daytona Beach, FL (Nov. 14-15), joining their existing races in Utah, Arizona, Washington, and Wisconsin/Minnesota.

As with Ragnar’s other races, I have the pleasure of making the course maps for the new relays. From the mapping standpoint, it appears that once again Ragnar has devised three more fantastic routes that will showcase the best of the areas they go through.

I was particularly impressed with the Maryland-Washington D.C. route, about half of which consists of the C&O Trail along the Potomac River. It’s looks truly beautiful, and you can’t beat running on a designated footpath. No traffic=good running.

Cumberland, Maryland to Washington D.C. (September 26-27, 2008)

San Antonio to Austin, Texas (October 24-25, 2008)

Tampa to Daytona Beach, Florida (Nov. 14-15, 2008)

(All course maps by Marathon GIS)

The Utah USATF has released the preliminary LDR Circuit schedule for 2008. At these point, I imagine the schedule is still fairly tentative, but my initial reaction is that I hope that they either add more races or reduce the number of races we need to run from 8 down to 6 or so.

Key changes from last year:

• Only the Striders Half Marathon is on the Circuit, rather than all five Striders races. This really shortens the racing season, but increases travel time for people coming from Ogden or Logan.
• No more Salt Lake City 5K. Not big deal, especially since this wasn’t a money race, and shouldn’t have been on the Circuit to begin with.
• No Judges Run 5K this year.
• The Sandy Classic 10K has apparently been replaced by a mysterious “Provo” race on July 4th. This is probably good, because the Sandy and Murray races were only a few miles apart, whereas any race in Provo will bring in a different crowd and/or reduce the commute for Circuit members down there. In general, I’d like to see more races in Ogden, Logan, and Provo in order to extend the “boundaries” of the Circuit and invite greater participation.
• The Great Salt Lake Half Marathon has apparently been voted off the island. This race is disliked by nearly everyone, but it’s been on the Circuit forever. I disliked it mostly for the stench of the lake. Still…it is one of the few honest, certified half marathon courses in Utah. As it stands right now, 8 of the 11 races lists for this year are record-ineligible (ie - downhill). Potentially 9 of 11, since I don’t know anything about this Provo race.

We’ll see if they add more races. As it stands right now, the Circuit this year strongly favors those who get out and run every race (ie - Sasha), particularly the limited number half and full marathons. Right now there are 10 possible races to run, and you can score your top 8. Not a whole lot of wiggle room.

Due to the injury bug biting me in the butt (literally), I’ve had to cancel my spot in Houston Half Marathon (U.S. Half Marathon Championships). So what is the definition of a “bummer“? The definition of a “bummer” is having full financial funding to run a championship race on a flat, sea-level course…and then getting injured and not being able to use the money. Bummer.

Yes, I could think of better times to get hamstring tendinitis. If this had come a few weeks earlier or a few weeks later, I would have been in the clear. However, I can also think of worse times to be injured. January in Logan, Utah is not exactly a great time and place to be trying to train hard. Some days I’ve been almost thankful to be safe inside on the elliptical, basking in my own sweat, opposed to slipping, sliding, and freezing on the cold, icy roads. Not mention being more prone to cold and flu viruses, which I had to fight off in late December, right before I got injured.

Now that I have canceled my entry and detached myself a bit emotionally, I can look at my training over December and what my training would be like right now, and realize that injury aside, maybe a mid-January race was not meant to be anyway.

I recovered pretty well from Trials in early November, but in some ways 10 weeks between a major marathon and a major half marathon is pushing it a little bit. The whole recovery, base, and workout buildup felt just a little rushed. Would I have had my optimal fitness level for this race?

On the top that, the quality of my workouts dropped significantly in December, as did my total training volume. Part of the problem was snow: lots of it. If you can’t get good footing, it’s hard to get a proper workout in. The other problem was getting sick. This messed over three weeks of my training. Recovering from illness forced me to drop my total volume, and also suspend hard workouts for a little while.

My tendinitis (probably caused by running in the snow) was simply the final straw. We have received unprecedented snow over the last couple weeks. As I trudge through and slide around on the calf-deep snow, I look around at the unplowed roads and think, “How good would my training be right now, even if I could run?” Seriously. Yeah, I can complete runs in the snow, but not fast. My aerobic fitness would have been good, but I don’t know what kind of “race shape” I would have been in.

Even if I had stayed healthy, my fitness would not have been as good as I would have liked, due to poor training conditions and missing time from illness. How well would I have run at Houston? Impossible to say for sure. Perhaps it still would have been pretty darn good. But probably not as good as it would have been if it were during a different time of year.

Is it impossible to train hard in Logan for major races during the winter? This winter it sure seems like it. Perhaps this is a lesson for me not to pursue January races. Perhaps winter should just be used for building base and for skiing. Or perhaps it was just bad luck. In any case, I’m already looking forward to spring: warmer weather, longer daylight, good footing, and better training. I’ve gotten over the disappointment of not being able to race Houston, and am now just looking forward to running and training hard again.

Product: Nike+ iPod Sport Kit
Prices: $30.00 (foot pod & iPod receiver). iPod nano and Nike+ shoes sold separately.
Rating: Very Good 8.3/10.0

Read the full review at The Final Sprint!

Many trails near of my home in northern Utah are steep, rocky, and foreboding, requiring heavy tank-like trail running shoes that can withstand the punishment of the terrain — and protect my feet as well. Many of these dedicated trail running shoes weigh up to a pound apiece in order to offer high levels of support and protection.

However, there are times in my trail running when I don’t quite need that level of stability and “armor”, but rather, I want speed and agility.

Read the full review at The Final Sprint!

When I think “Garmin“, I automatically think “GPS“. For this reason, I was a little surprised to find about Garmin’s latest fitness monitor, the Forerunner 50. It measures speed and distance NOT by GPS, but rather by a foot pod, similar to the Nike + iPod Sport Kit, Suunto Running Pack, and Polar RS800sd. This is a deviation in how most people perceive Garmin, but they are well-respected in general for all of their products. Would the Forerunner 50 follow suit?…

Read the full article at the The Final Sprint!

Well, 2007 is officially over. Something that I enjoy doing is looking back over the year and assessing how my running went, and whether I hit my goals or not.

2007 total mileage: 3765

• Not too shabby here, probably the highest mileage I’ve done in any year by over 1000

2007 performance goals (written down on 1-1-07):

1. 5K under 15:10 — Not quite. 15:23 was my best in ‘07. I think I was in sub-15 shape, but never got the right race and right day when I was really fit.
2. 10K under 32:00 — Got this one, with a 30:27 at Des News. Although this is an aided course, it was also a warm, humid morning, and I was pretty close, or ahead of, some pretty fast dudes. I decided to count it as a PR.
3. Half Marathon under 1:10:00 — Got this one three times, with a 1:09:27 at Striders Half, 1:09:33 at TOU Half, and 1:10:00 at the first half split of Trials.
4. Marathon under 2:25:00 — Got this one twice, with 2:18:09 at St. George and 2:22:34 at Trials.
5. Top 3 in LDR Circuit — Got this one, as I took 1st in the Circuit
6. Win over $1000 in prize money — Got it 3 times over. Winning both Ogden and the LDR Circuit really boosted this from my original goal.
7. Stay injury free — Fell short of this goal with only one week left in the year! Bah. Fortunately I think my current injury is much less severe than previous injuries.

2007 race review (18 total races started and finished)

2-10-07 Striders Series 5K 16:36 3rd place

• This was a meaningful race to me, as it was my first race back from injury. Not only was it great to be back, but I exceeded my expectations for time and placing, and even won some money!

2-24-07 Striders Series 10K 34:47 4th place

• Not my best race of the year or anything, but solid. Definitely the most challenging 10K I’ve run!

3-10-07 Striders Series 10-miler 55:20 2nd place

• This was a strong effort on a tough course. Didn’t quite have enough gas for the win, but felt good about this one afterwards.

3-30-07 Relay Del Sol 19:10:57 2nd place

• Team relay. Probably the most fun I’ve had during an event like this, with the highlight being trying to chase down the Google corporate team. Out of all relays I’ve done, it wasn’t my favorite course, but is probably my favorite team.

4-7-07 Striders Series Half Marathon 1:09:27 1st place

• Big breakthrough race for me here. A PR by over 3 minutes, my first overall win in recent memory, and then the feeling of just running away from the field can’t be matched. One of my best efforts and “on” days of the year.

4-28-07 Striders Series 30K 1:45:18 1st place

• This was a rather fun race. The first half was more of a tempo run, but then Bob Thompson put the hammer down and started to torch the rest of us. My win here is a bit misleading, since I got it from Bob pulling up with a calf injury, and then sitting and kicking on Steve Ashbaker. Very “un-Pre” of me. I probably deserved 3rd, but it was still a fun, memorable race.

5-19-07 Ogden Marathon 2:26:24 1st place

• This race I’ll remember and cherish for a long time. It was very much an “on” day, and all cylinders fired for me from start to finish. Days like this are rare. I broke my St. George PR, won $1100, and got to feel what it’s like to win a marathon (probably the best part).

6-22-07 Wasatch Back Relay 18:29:29 3rd place

• We assembled a great team for this race, and challenged BYU and Weber for the first 12 legs. Came out 3rd in a good field, with a really strong time. I was not in the best shape after coming back to training slowly after the marathon, but had some good legs.

6-30-07 Logan Peak Trail Run 5:29:37 5th place

• You know you’re twisted when you do a trail marathon as a fun run. I ran the entire race with Cody, and we had a really good time and saw some beautiful landscape. My first trail race. I was bleeding at the end, so it was a success.

7-4-07 Sandy Classic 10K 33:01 3rd place

• So what do you get when you run a 10K 5 days after a trail marathon? As turns out, the worst race of the summer. I was a total mental weakling here as well. However, getting pummeled by Hobie Call served as a motivator, and I upped my training after this race.

7-21-07 Draper Days 5K 15:23 3rd place

• Yet another shorter race where I was a mental weakling. Not a bad race by any means, but I was kind of disappointed in my tenacity. Am I only good at half marathons and marathons?

7-24-07 Deseret News 10K 30:27 5th place

• Finally, a 10K where I ran tough. This was easily my best “short” race of the year, and redeemed the sub-par Draper and Sandy performances. I was happy to be even 30 seconds within the likes of Trevor Ball and Simon Sawe, and I got a PR out of this race as well.

8-18-07 Great Salt Lake Half Marathon 1:10:22 3rd place

• I’m usually a fairly conservative racer, but took a gamble this race by going out with Teren Jameson and Pat Smyth in 15:00 for 3 miles. I ended up backing off, but still hung on to run strong time in a tough headwind. Probably would have been an outright PR without the headwind. Got a lot of confidence from this race, which would be important for Trials.

8-25-07 Top of Utah Half Marathon 1:09:33 1st place

• I did this local race at end of a 100-mile week as an interval workout: 4 miles @ MP, 2 minutes recovery, 3 miles @ MP, 2 minutes recovery, 2 miles @ LT, 1 minute recovery, 2 miles @ LT, minute recovery, 1 mile @ LT. Due to perfect conditions and tailwind, splits were blazing. I was actually second, but Logan (who was on pace for 1:08:00) took a wrong turn near the end. I had no idea until people at the finish told me I had won. Huh.

9-8-07 Alta Peruvian Downhill Dash 8K 21:46 1st place

• An absurd time on an absurd downhill course. Where else can I average 4:21/mile? Fun race though. I pushed it really hard the last mile and thought my legs where going to burn up and fall off (last mile was 4:10). I was sore for a full week afterward.

9-15-07 Top of Utah Marathon 2:39:22 7th pace

• The sole function of this race was to help pace several people to under 2:40:00. My friend Jon made it, and Adam came very close as well. Even though I was not “racing”, I have a lot of good memories of this race, and really enjoyed helping other people try to get their goals.

10-6-07 St. George Marathon 2:18:09 2nd place

• What can I say about this one? Perfect weather, perfect competition, and my body responded with it’s “A” game. My best marathon to date, and an absolute thrill to get the qualifier for Trials. Lot of other great PR’s by friends that day too.

11-3-07 Olympic Marathon Trials 2:22:34 53rd place

• By the far the highlight of the year and beyond. Although my time was slower, this was a better performance than St. George, despite having just 4 weeks recovery. It always feels good to run the race of your life when it matters, and I managed to do this 3 marathons in a row (Ogden - St George - Trials).  Running with the best was an unbelievable experience, and no matter what happens with my running in the future, this was an experience that I can hold and cherish for years to come. The only experience that has come remotely close was winning XC nationals in 2000. I felt blessed to run this race.

*************************

Looking back, it was a great year. Hopefully I can follow it up with an even better year next year. First 2008 goal: get healthy and running again! But here are a few more goals for the upcoming year.

2008 Performance Goals:

1. 5K – set a PR (sub 14:48).
2. 10K — break 29:30 at Deseret News
3. Half Marathon — 1:06 or lower on unaided course
4. Marathon — 2:17 or lower on unaided course
5. Placings — Top 10 at a U.S. Championship race
6. Mileage — 4500 total miles

Happy New Year!