Artichoke's Running Blog (Ken Spence)

4 easy ones tonight in the heat at 6:15 p.m. 3 with Gina. She wasn't feeling well and the heat didn't help. 5 at 5 tomorrow morning.

A ton of miles today.  5 miles slow and easy this morning at 5:10 a.m.  Then Yasso 800's tonight at 7:00 p.m.  7x800 in 3:36, 3:31, 3:33, 3:35, 3:40, 3:33, 3:33 with 400 recovery lap after each.  Met Gina for  4 more easy miles at 8:30 p.m.  Nice night for a run, but in the dark.

5 miles in 48:21 with Gina from top of  Smelter Road to Main Street and up to 200 north.  9:39 pace overall.  Splits: 9:51, 9:40, 9:12, 9:46, 9:48.  Good run, nice evening at 7:30 p.m.

Resting today

20 miler today.  11 with Gina from down the Smelter hills, Droubay Road through Stansbury.  Pretty slow today but nice temperatures and overcast skies really helped.  I pushed the last two miles on my own, but only around 8:00 minute miles.  Below in places.  Felt good about it being the last two miles.  Gina is nicely recovered from last week and did great wanting to go that extra mile from the 10 on her schedule.  Hit the trail run tomorrow morning with 11 miler on Monday.  Having a couple of minor foot problems.  Pain after the run on top of the left foot for the last 2 or 3 days.  Doesn't seem to be a problem while running.  A bit of achilles tendon soreness on the right.  Getting older is hell sometimes.  Other than that, feeling good.

Trail run with Tina at 7:30 a.m. on the Dark Trail in Settlement Canyon.   4 miles overall at 8:53 pace.  Splits:  9:16 and 9:55 going up and 8:32 and 7:51 coming back down.  Tough time staying with her on the way down.  Tired legs from yesterday's 20 miler is my only excuse and I'm sticking with it.

Labor Day run at 6:30 a.m.  Smelter Road hills.  12 miles very easy, 10 with Gina who did fantastic on those hills.  Especially after just doing an 11 miler on Saturday.  I am beat, having run 36 miles over the last 3 days and then coming home to paint all day long here at home.  Glad I had 3 of my boys here to help.  We got a lot done.

5 mile slow and easy recovery run this morning at 7:00 a.m. with Gina. Very nice morning for a run. Much cooler, sunny and clear. Touch of Fall in the air. Day off today to finish up some painting.

5 miles at 5:10 a.m. solo this morning along Skyline Ave and back via Loma Vista and Upland loops.  Bit of a sore right hamstring.  Took it easy.  Another 5 miler tonight at 8:00 p.m. with Gina.  Getting darker earlier.  Easy running from Broadway and through cemetery down 7th and down Droubay and back to Elton Park.  10 miles today, all very easy.

Smelter Road downhills. Very sluggish run. Both of us wheezing with allergies. Ragweed or something. Very slow. 6:00 p.m. a bit warm, but a decent breeze.

5  miles this morning at 5:10 a.m. with Tina.  Out and back on Skyline Ave.  43 minute range overall.  8:35 pace.  Last two in 7:55 and 7:52.  Pushed some, but plenty in reserve.  Allergies still bad.  Something's in the air.

20 miler at 6:00 a.m.this morning.  6 miles up Smelter Road before meeting Gina.  Then 10 miles down through Erda to Stansbury with her.  She did great, especially after not really wanting to run this morning.  I finished up with 4 more in Stansbury, which weren't quite as strong as last week's finish.  Nice, nice morning.  Cool at the start and some nice light cool breezes through out with plenty of sunshine. Good peak mileage week for me at 60+.

5 mile trail run on the Dark Trail with Tina and more on the canyon road.  Met Phil coming back down.  Good running.  Nice temperature at 7:30 a.m.  Felt good trying to keep up with Tina's pace coming back down the trail.

7:00 p.m. easy 5.75 mile run with Gina.  Cemetery Loop, then Skyline Ave. to end of asphalt in Elk Ridge, Loma Vista loop dropping down to Vine, Droubay Road to Smelter Road finishing on Broadway.  Light, but refreshing rain was very enjoyable.  Nice views of the valley and strange cloud formations high and low were very interesting.

6:15 p.m.  Not the best run tonight.  Very slow, neither of us feeling real well.  4.75 miles Smelter and Pine Canyon road and back to Broadway.  Two runs on  schedule for tomorrow.

5.31 miles this morning at 5:10 a.m. easy until last 1.25 miles or so.   Solo on Skyline with Loma Vista and Vine loops coming home.  Yasso 800 intervals tonight a the track.  6 x 800 in 3:33, 3:36, 3:26, 3:33, 3:38, and 3:30 with 400 recovery after each plus 1/2 mile to and from track.  Not up to 8 x 800's due to allergies.  Total of 5.5 miles tonight.  10.81 total today.

Very disappointing run.  Smelter Road downhills.  Not all that strong, so cut it short.  Got a late start.

Didn't run this morning.  Stepped on a nail llast night on the ball of my right foot.  Couldn't put much weight on it this morning when I got up to run, so bagged it.  Hope I'm good to go tomorrow.

Saturday morning run.  6:30 a.m.  Met Gina at 6 mile point at around 7:30 a.m.  Ran down the hills through Erda and to Stansbury.  Easy 16 mile run for me.  A very good and solid 10 miler for her.  Marathon is 2 weeks out and this is the first time I've cut back at that point before a marathon.  Old thinking from the 80's was running your last 20 mile long run 2 weeks before the marathon.  That's what I've done for years, but this year I'm doing 3 weeks out for my last 20 miler, which was last week, so I cut it back to 16 this week and beginning the taper.  I got in two 19 milers and two 20 milers, so I should be good.  The taper should be no problem, especially since we'll be in Argentina for 10 days and I don't have any idea how the running will go down there.  I'll just take what I can get.  We get back Thursday afternoon, October 1st, and then leave for St. George the next morning.  The hard work is done, my back has survived and I'm looking forward to the marathon even though it will be slow compared to the last 4 years.  I'm just looking for enjoying SGM #17.

Settlement Canyon and Trail Run along the Dark Trail and back. 7:30 a.m. with Tina. Very nice morning for a run. Really pushed it coming back down the trail in places. That is so exhilarating!! She is the most efficient downhill runner I know. I can see why she had a strong 2nd place finish in the F45-49 age group at TOU 1/2 marathon. Splits uphill: 9:24, 9:19, 9:12, 9:14. Coming down: 7:42, 7:57, 6:47, finishing with 5:49 pace for the last couple of blocks to the house. Good run. Final tempo effort prior to SGM in 2 weeks. Leaving for 10 days to Argentina on Tuesday.

4.6 miles at 5:15 this morning out and back on Skyline Ave.  6.85 tonight with Gina at 6:45 p.m.  She got in a good 6 miler on the Smelter Road hills.  Forgot her I-pod, so I had to serenade with very bad singing all the way up the hill.  Now that's going beyond the call of duty!   Leaving for Argentina in the morning, probably won't be running until Thursday in Resistencia. 

No running.  Flights to Argentina.

No running.  Travel to and recovery in Resistencia, Argentina.

Plazas and around Church, Mission Office, and Mission Home streets in Resistencia Argentina.

No running.  10 hours bus travel to Iguazu' Falls.

3 miles easy run in the Iguazu National Park, around the Sheraton, out to park gate and along falls view trails near hotel.  6:30 a.m.

5 miles around the plazas and peatonal in Resistencia Argentina.  7:30 a.m.

4 miler around the plaza and peatonal in Resistencia, Argentina.

5K on treadmill at NH Latino Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  2 blocks from the obelisco.