Author: Mark Allman

After driving around Rock Springs a bit yesterday, I found a street with a good climb. Not too long but with parts at an 8% grade. One more day of getting acclimated to the altitude.

Today’s run was a short 1.42 mile hills route. Pace was 10:46.

First day in Rock Springs. We’re at about 6200 feet in altitude but I don’t really notice it. The plan today is to put in a little work and see how it feels. Start to get acclimated to the altitude.

Today’s run was a flat 2.52 route. Pace was 9:29.

Last run at home before heading off to Wyoming. Don’t mind getting in some work on a mild, rainy morning before sitting on a plane for hours.

Today’s run was a 12.5 mile rolling hills route. Pace was 9:49.

A warm, very humid and sunny mid-morning for a run. Conditions that sap your energy completely. Good but brutal training weather.

Today’s run was an 8.05 mile rolling hills route. Pace was 9:55.

One more nice morning for a run. Temp around 66, somewhat humid, not a cloud in the sky. It rained, apparently, not long before I hit the road.

Today was to be an easy recovery run, but as usual I decided to push it a bit after I hit the pavement. One more day before backing off to taper before the race in a week or so. I feel like a slacker if I’m trying to “take it easy.”

Today’s run was a rather flat 4.22 mile route. Pace was 9:16. Weight was 146.2.

Nice, somewhat cool early morning for a run. Temperature around 64, no real wind, clear skies. This is the last longer-run day before the “Run With the Horses” marathon on August 19th. From now on it’s more of a focus on tapering, good diet, getting there (Rock Springs, WY), getting acclimated to the altitude (7000 feet), etc., etc.

Today’s run was a 14.74 mile rolling hills route. Pace was 9:33. Weight was 145.8.

Cool, humid morning. Temperature around 63 degrees and 85% humidity. Perfect for a shorter recovery-type run.

Today’s run was a 4.22 mile rather flat route. A few grades thrown in. Pace was 9:36. Weight was 146.0.

Waited until about 8:30 to get out on the road. Sun was well up and it was getting warmer. Better for training.

Felt very drained after yesterday’s climbing, so I scaled back to a more moderate distance. Training is an ongoing, long-term process. Listening to how you feel and adjusting accordingly is important. Not interested in more injuries.

Today’s run was a 9.67 mile rolling hills route. Pace was 9:46. Weight was 144.8.

Saturday: time for some climbing. It’s a good workout. A one mile warm-up and then hit the climb.

The weather was almost ideal for training. Temperature around 72, sunny, and probably 80+% humidity.

Today’s run was a 2.8 mile hills route. The 0.87 mile hill average grade is around 9%. Ran that twice. Pace was 11:02. Weight was 144.8.

Another nice, cool, clear early morning for a run. Temperature around 54 degrees.

On Monday I ran my 14.74 mile route in a pair of Hoka Carbon X3 shoes. Today I duplicated Monday’s run but ran it in a pair of Bondi 8’s. Not a huge difference, but the extra padding (and corresponding weight) made a difference on the margins. Interesting comparison. The joints, knees, etc., didn’t feel quite as sore in the Bondi shoes. Always trade-offs.

Also been trying a few other in-run fueling products. Monday and today I nibbled on a SIS Beta Fuel Chew “bar.” It’s about 2 inches or so. Nibbling seems to be the way to use them. Half on Monday and half today.

Today’s run was a 14.74 mile rolling hills route. Pace was 9:41. Weight was 145.8.