You get out what you put in

Sun - w Nate, old canal back loop across cemetary to neighborhood 2200, back on other canal, skipping lone fenced entryway, conversational for Nate, quasi-threshhold for me. Talked of Mo vs. Bekele 35m, 4.5m
Mon - w club, 6-5-4-3-2min, ran easy, hip hurting, worked all day on it, stretched, felt good after a little bit of running, park w/ P-man, 3.5m

Wed - from Moyers in Jackson, WY, ran along bike trail out to along road then N to close to camp, felt like about 7 miles, somewhat cold, definitely a winter run but good.

Thu - w/ Ben, ran N on trail to creek road, good talking, good running, 1 hr, 8 miles, felt like I was putting in the work, consistent running can do that.
Fri - some snow on ground, ran up canyon trail, Picker's canyon (?), 20 min. up, 15 back. Fun to have a running partner, I can take the downhills but skinny Ben can take the ups.

Just wanted to get out and enjoy a race. Saw BJ at the start, as well as a girl who I took to be a good runner. P & B tagged along, warmed up slow at first, then muscles relaxed. Got out in about 25th place, passed the non-runners, including a guy who'd started off pretty fast and then was left holding his hammy by the side. :-) Saw BJ kicking it, worked by way up to 10th or so, saw that I needed to catch up if I was to run with anybody. Latched onto 2 highschoolers who would eventually be 3rd and 4th. They brought me up to the girl I'd seen, friend of BJ I believe. I was drafting behind a guy who was overstriding and this girl, in good shape w/ headphones on. For all the moves I'd already made I was surprised that we were just going through the mile.

My thought was I would wait til the turnaround to really push it, but I was going a bit faster than I really wanted. Course on the Jordan Parkway near 109th, went under 106th and this is where the girl seemed to go faster. She was just maintaining pace and we quickly dropped the overstrider. I then proceeded to draft and draft. We did catch another guy and so I knew we were sitting in 5th & 6th place. BJ at 16:40, another guy 2 minutes back, 2 HSrs, and us.

Got to run by all the others coming up as they saw me unchivalrously draft off a skinny chick. I told myself I would increase my pace but I was happy to just maintain as I knew the girl would do, maintaining feels like you're going faster. I had it in my head to accelerate once we got past all the people, but we were still seeing people with 1/2 mile to go. I was running the straight lines on the trail, not letting the string break.

As we came to the 3 mile mark, I picked it up, but I didn't really pass her until 100 to go, and I encouraged her to keep up. I wasn't down for drafting and demolishing, and with the fact that I wasn't going to run through the finish, I ran to the side and she took a well-deserved finish. Good cleanser after lots of running this week. Got to keep that Halloween candy at bay. Lots of food in Jackson too, along with over-excitement sleep deprivation.

I feel like I can do a minute better? We'll see.

Soli Deo Gloria

Sun - bike to park, disc golf, cold air lowers distance?, still birdied a few, not as good at the flick as I used to be. Once fast around softball field, 1m, 1.5 easy, biked to homestead.

Mon - worked, c, rest?, watched TV and then darkness, rain too
Tues- ran in morning along canal to find catfish, ran to Calvin Smith, got 10 good catfish, ball in evening with new, young crew at 2700 far ward , played one on one with young guy who could mid-range, but no left, I was on. 4m
Wed - easy out from P's school to park, had free hot chocolate for Veteran's day parade, then ran home, 3m, ball with the best at 2700 near, zone defense, enjoyed playing with spider monkey, one 3, some clean up and shots around rim

Thu - some rest I guess, right knee a little wonky tho that could be caused by wearing my old Altras, ball with 54th ward, didn't have pep on 3rd nite of ball. Played on non-passing team. In the end lost to Steve's 3 point exhibition (why're we playing zone again?).
Fri - rest, but working on feet for 5 hours

Ran in my racing flats. Got there a little later than wanted to cuz trying to find a place to get cash, not happening. Started conservative and found myself quickly behind Jake K's wife. Didn't want to really expend the energy in the first mile to catch her, which was probably wise, as she put 15 seconds on me probably every mile. Would have been nice to know if being with her would have made a difference though. At times I felt like I was catching her on the downhills, but she glided on the uphills while I felt like a gas-guzzling SUV. In the 1st 3/4 mile Phin saw me and had to go to the bathroom. I caught him on another loop and asked a course director to help Phin. Crisis averted. He seemed most happy to continue playing on the playground.

When I looked behind me it seemed a light turqoise girl was stalking me, but I gapped her as I was getting gapped by wifey. I feel like I was putting a good hard effort in, though I definitely felt sluggish on the ups. Nice to run a X-country course though. Demetrio encouraged me in the last loop mile and I think I responded. I definitely stayed strong and pushed home to finish, but after a short hands on knees moment I recovered quite fast. I can definitely push more.

No cooldown as I had to go look for cash, failure again (in the BYU campus doldrums) but my waived $10 fee was recovered by winning $10 for Masters. I probably gapped 4th place as much as I was gapped by 2nd. Sasha 18:43, Mark 19:30, me.

Then fun drive home, a quick stop at Chic-filet, then drop of P man and to work I go. What a life.

Rom. 10:6 If by works then it is no longer by grace, and if by grace it is no longer by works.
Translation: no man can get to God, when man recognizes this and accepts grace apart from ANY works, only then can man truly understand the depths of salvation.

Sun - ran w P to park, he golfed w/ me a little before dark, then ran back, pushing him up. 4.5 easy
Mon - ran S to overlook, thru trail, exploring, found dumpster for diving, picked up P and then briskly dove, delivered and was looking forward to the hot shower. 4m

Tues - 4 on 4, close ward, easy court, easy rims, tough to guard tall guy, then my guys didn't always guard. 2m
Wed - ran around a bit before volunteer at school ?, 3200, one game made half the points, jumpers in the gap, then was the harder worker on the court towards the end but didn't translate to win, started out with good win, good team, 2m
Th - long run before picking lunch with Phin, explored rd N of 215 off 5400, behind neighborhoods by T-ville city hall. 1hr, 8 miles, felt rough, just running slow and cold, then an hour walk w/ B on JRP, encountered 2 menacing dogs that wanted to flank and bite, protected B, called animal control; ball on 54th, didn't win much except for one game where team did what should, still getting killed from not playing real 3 pt. ball.
Fri - some running around park after driving to it. Quick before sun goes down, 1m
 

Sun - after overeating at Thomas' ran from 6200 home startg around Bangtr. Run was great in the winter cold and dark, feeling like my stomach preventing really full breaths wasn't so great. Ah, yes, life. 2.5m
Mon - descent into darkness, great exploratory run to school on 47th, then down into neighborhoods to 4340, then pop out on 27th above driving range, hop into where I flunked 26 years ago, then into other neighborhoods where found connection to corner of Valley park. Where there's a tree there's a way. Hop over and homeward. 55 minutes, 7 miles

Tue - morning scramble to drive to Ogden and Slim it up. Entertain, engage in selling books, drive fast to Awana, bide my time at music practice, get home for ball. Win first game easily, then lose focus when stop being go-to guy. Win another fairly easily, new guys there, bigs who should have a bigger court. Good defense, okay offense, but need to assert. 1mile
Wed - w/ Nate and P on bike, from homestead around mid-neighborhood road to Calvin Smith. A few laps with Ben and Fez, feeling it out. Love the idea of people driving by and thinking I'm in the same league as the two guys I'm running with. 4m

The joys of the cold Thanksgiving race. Watched Nate and Ben go off, the race was over in the first 1/4 mile, Nate ahead, no challengers. Had to wait for 30 to start 5k. Good w/u and stretching, it was cold, 20s?, but I thought I wouldn't get too cold.

Saw Matt P at the beginning, thought there were no challengers, talked w/ him a while. Got off to a good start, felt like I was in 30th? Breathing pretty easily, possibly too easily, but was just trying to find someone at my pace as I was passing 6 or so. Made the u-turn in the neighborhood, was starting to thin out. Came down the hill to the JRP and through a water stop, a little before this a 15 yr old girl fr Herriman was cruising consistently and I took her for a mature runner. She was. I got beside her and told her we could catch the next gap of 25 yards. Consistently downhill on the JRP.

At this point coming on the 2nd mile I was increasing the pace and she was keeping stride. We passed at least 4 and then as we were climbing out the trail we had another u-turn and a 25 ft. stretch of water on the path, ran to the right with a litle slipping on very light ice. We had come up to a tall guy I'd talked w at race's beginning. We made the climb up the hill back to the neighborhood, pink girl was 10 yards back and I told her to catch up. As we were in the neighborhood it was downhill but I didn't realize it at the time. I'd been winded on the hills getting off the parkway but opened up and caught a guy. Tall guy stayed with us. 

We came up to a highschooler who refused to be passed, he'd go faster when I caught him, this happened twice. I bided my time for the u-turn and back downhill under the overpass. Was at the top of my breathing but looking back seems like I could go more. I knew he'd gap me on the uphill, so did tall guy. But I used them as windscreens, as I'd been doing the whole race w various people, tho not a lot, and passed tall on the straightaway. Caught hs'r again but he made a dash w 110 to go. He had 20 ft but I was catching him towards the end but didn't ever make a full sprint, but I actually passed him right after the finish. 

Due to the brilliance of of chip-timing I'm actually listed as beating him. http://utahruntiming.com/thankful-13-2015/ Good stuff. 

Feel like it was a good race where with the hills was actually a better effort than my other 5Ks, this was the one I was racing.

Then strapped on blades and went 2.5 back and picked up Nate, yelled for parkway path, then on the neighborhood stayed on sidewalk as the asphalt was rough. Nate had room but I enjoyed yelling to make a path for him. As we hit the underpass I was yelling for the sloggers to move aside, one lady said, "Why don't you go home?" Perhaps she thought I was just rollerblading rather than escorting 1st place half runner.

It's amazing how people didn't really cheer for this guy who has run 13 miles at the pace you've walked 3 miles in. One hs'r in 5th even said that someone yelled at him, "Showoff." 98% of people aren't there to race, they're there for the finisher's medallion. And the 98% support the top, but they should recognize who they are. If someone on the side of a pick-up basketball court acted like good basketball players are just showing off, they'd be laughed off the court. 

Came back for Ben in 8th, he was going well. He got top masters as did I. Nate got the goods, we got clumpy but nice medallions, biggest of my arsenal.

Conner Baller won 5K, edging Matt. Good to see him. He's a trooper.

Great thanksgiving. Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift of the freeness of salvation through His Son. We are eternally secure in Christ, no strings attached, better than any turkey any day.

Fri - ran late at nite fr Avalon W. Was with Grandma, then ran in business parking lot then to loop down to JRP S to Turpin's hill thru church lot thru to Nate's and down Redwood back. Glorious cold and preparation: kissed Grandma at 12:45am, she died at 4:00 am, went to enjoy eternal life with the Triune God. 4m

Sat - not good sleep, and consistently so since starting at Lifeway and having more tasks to do, 3 hrs. Bible Study drive in snow, work, nap at homestead watching Ironman 3, then short sleep Sun morning.

Sun - long EAC meeting, saw Lee W. Family dinner and then short run home on canal road. 2m

Mon - in morning w N & B, SE of homestead to Holiday, asphalt trail in neighborhood, pop out to Southside and back up canal to home. Great to run w the boys, 5m, stretched, then disc golf with Ben and Fezzik. Kept gloves on, worked on my left hand.