C Mantz Run

First day back from the mission! 3 with Ruby; wrecked. Good time, loved every moment. 7:25, 7:41, 8:25. Total time: 23:35. The altitude change is really the biggest thing I felt, my lungs could tell I was at sea level for the last little while. It's also a bit chillier here, but really good run! Core after

Still really feeling the altitude, haha. Nice afternoon weather. 400m in, I was already dead, but it's all good! 2 with Ruby who wanted to go slow, I believe she was tired from yesterday. First really steep downhill, then second really steep uphill. 7:30, 8:30. Really pushed it up the hill. Feeling really good, even witha bit of jet lag. My motivation is really there, but my body hasn't yet caught up. 10 min core, 10 min arms, 5 min legs. Might do more this evening.

My body is still wrecked, but it's going quite well. The first mile was really well, given that I had a lot of energy. Second, pretty good, too. The downhill really helped. Took a break before heading back up the hill, and hit it as hard as I could. Then, finished to 4. My breathing is really heavy, still adjusting to the altitude. The last 2 miles were much slower than the first 2, so I'm going to focus on getting more consistant times. I wonder if the first 2 are much easier because I did a 2.5 mile workout twice a week on the track in my last area. 7:17, 7:30, 9:32 (the hill was a 2:35 from the mile marker to the top), 8:18. Total time: 31:41. I feel pretty good about it for being my first time running 4 miles straight in the last year and a half. Maybe some core and legs later tonight, we'll see.

Kept it pretty consistent, so that was a plus. I was really tired, jetlag? 8:00, 7:51, 7:48. 40 seconds into the first mile I took a break, my lungs/diaphram were on fire. Then, at the half way, took a sec. With half a mile to go, took another, shorter break. It was interesting because 400 meters after stopping is where my body feels the altitude. Good run, though. Really chilly morning. 15 min core, 10 min legs, and 5 min arms after.

Birch with Amber. It was so much fun running with her and talking about missions, really enjoyed it! The hills and trails were really fun, but also really hard. We averaged about 10 minutes each mile, but it went by so quickly (forgot how much easier it is to run with a budy). I think I've finally caught up with sleep, and my body felt great the whole time!

Worked out in the morning with my mom, 10 minutes legs, 10 minutes arms, about 5 minutes core. In the afternoon, I went hiking up to the first peak of the pyramids with my little brother, we took the steep way up. In the evening, Amber and I met up at the mouth of Green Canyon and ran up. We got 2 miles up and it was super snowy and slushy, so we ran down and finished to 5 on the Bonneville trail. It was really fun, for the most part. My body was pretty wrecked, but I think I’m finally getting used to the altitude, haha. Super fun time talking with Amber! 9:59 average pace, I think, mostly due to the snow. Good time :)

Great day driving down to California. Super early morning. I decided to spend the rest of the week to enjoy California and run with some old teammates. I might consider this as the weekend to truly get into shape, lol. We started from the beach house we’re staying at, then up Huntington Beach. So pretty! I kept up with the group which consisted of Arianna, Weston, and 2 junior boys. We started out averaging at 7:10, but slowed down. My main goal was to keep up until a 5 mile turn around. It was hard, but felt really good. We hit 2.67 at 19:00, and I then turned around. It felt really good to slow down a bit, but I continued to keep a decent pace. Once I got to the end of the beach, I waited and attempted to do core/legs in the sand, but it wasn’t the best location. I ended up stretching and did a ton of squats. It was good. The last little bit, I couldn’t keep with the group, but they only had a 5-10 second gap on me. It was a good run, super sore in the hips after. Great day! Beautiful sunset.

We drove out to the wetlands and ran around some fun, pretty trails. The group dropped me after a short hill half a mile out. I had them within sight for a mile. It was really good, my body was wrecked. I took a wrong turn, went through some bushes. Good another wrong turn. Saw the group on a different trail, so I turned around which added about a quarter mile. Got back to the van and then we enjoyed the day. Good run. Did it under 29 minutes.

In the late afternoon/early evening, we went to a track to do a workout. I just warmed up a mile (fell way back, even after going 7:30). Then did a 400 workout I did quite a bit my last transfer. I hadn't done it in 3 weeks, so my speed has already decreased, but it went well. Also tried using my flats. Calves are feeling it. 4×400 with 100m recovery. So, origionally, I'd do 8, but I was only feeling 4 because I could still feel lunch which was pretty heavy. 1:26, 1:30, 1:31, 1:32. Last time I did the workout all were under 1:28, but I am running higher mileage with less workouts, so it's going good. Then, I jogged a 400 with Kristen before trying a 200 which was a 46. Ran another 400, then an 800 cool down. My legs are pretty sore, but they feel really good. Good run, enjoyed it a lot. 10 min core and lots of stretching.

Good run on the beach. My legs, specifically calves, are pretty wrecked, but it all feels really good. Kept with the group until half a mile, then they slowly sped up and were maybe 15-20 seconds ahead by the first mile. 7:21, 8:52, 7:21... so maybe not exact mile markers, but there is the general idea. Total time was 23:35, so it was still pretty good pace. Enjoyed it a lot. Then, we had a fun time on the beach and boogie boarding.Great day, loving California!

2 miles easy averaging 7:38. Really good, calves are really sore. Kept Arianna from speeding up during her shake out. Just around some grass fields. Good time, enjoying the trip quite a bit :)

In the evening, after watching all of the races and after eating ramen, we did a grunion run on the beach at about 11pm. So much fun! About a mile, so I’m counting it.

Great run, 4 total. Origionally, I'd planned to do 5, but after going up the huge hill, my body was wrecked and my upper left leg was hurting, didn't feel like a muscle pain. At the top of the hill, my calves were on fire (haven't felt that while runnning in a long time), so took a break to stretch them. The beginning felt weirdly good, while the second half was close to awful. Also, I've forgotten the beauty of running with music. 7:45, 7:39 first 2 miles. The third and fourth were around 11 minutes each. I'll do core tonight. 

2 miles easy on the treadmill. One of the ligaments on my thigh has been hurting, so I took it easy for the day. Great day

5 with Amber up Birch. Really perfect weather. Legs are feeling really good. We averaged maybe 9 min miles, not quite sure. Really fun run! Talked to Conner about a plan for the summer to get back. He’s awesome.

3 miles attempted tempo. For a first “official” tempo back, I’d say it was okay, I was hoping for better. My goal was to keep a 7 min average pace. First mile was perfect, 6:59. The second mile really hurt on the uphill. Mentally, it was great, but my throat and body weren’t having it. At half a mile, my time was 3:52. Stopped for a minute, then finished the second half. 3:31 half mile, so back on pace. I really wanted to break 21, but that called for a sub 6:40 which I don’t think I was up for. 7:24 on the last mile. 21:47. Decent, could’ve been better, but I’ve got a lot of motivation. Looking forward to seeing this time drop, hopefully.

About 5 with Amber up Smithfield. Really fun. Averaged under 9 minute pace. We did core after

Fun run in the morning. SV to GC. I turned around early because my gps watch ran out of batteries half a mile in. Used my phone to time, then checked google maps for a more accurate distance when I got home. Just over 5.5 in 46 minutes so faster than an 8:20 average pace. I was hoping for a 7:45 ap, but for my longest run back, I feel good about it. 

Ran with Amber near campus. I couldn't find parking, so I jogged 2/3 a mile to her house from a church, then we ran on a trail between the island and 1st dam up some switch backs and past the grafitti towers. Good run, my body was wrecked, sluggish, maybe because it's Monday, no idea. Good run, though. I have to admit that I had to walk up the switch backs, hills still really kill me. 9:18 ap, hopefully I can start getting those easy ones down over time. It was a lot of fun, perfect weather with no rain. We did a 5 min core workout after. This week, I will be more diligent about abs and mileage. 

Went up Green with Amber. No snow this time. Really hot afternoon, but super fun run. Our pace was pretty slow, but lots of hills. Felt really good.

Tempo on the grass with Amber. I wasn’t going as fast as desired, but Amber really helped push me. From what I remember it went something like  8:15, 8:03, 7:45ish. Happy each mile was negative. Good cool down.

2 in the morning with Ruby. 5 in the (hot) afternoon with Garrett. Showed him a trail up Birch. Fun time.

Attempted tempo with some hills. 7:45 ap, so not the greatest. Felt really good, though.

6.1 miles at 7:59 ap. Really good run. The downhill miles were much faster, but the uphill made up for it

7:30 ap. My stomach really hurt half way out. Solid run, though, much faster than expected. Core after

Slow trail run. 9:45 ap overall. Felt really good, started out slow, but after turning around (11:00 ap with the uphill), it felt really good to speed up. Slowly can feel the endurance coming back.

Another tempo, meh. It was the normal course, so there was a previous time to compare to. Mile warm up, did stretches before (the ones that aren’t static, forgot what they’re called, haha) for the first time, my left hamstring is a bit sore, but it’s good! 7:07, 7:22, 7:26. I felt so good, had the right playlist set up, but it wasn’t the time I quite wanted. I think running tempo with a gps watch is too distracting, I continually look down at my average pace. With a plain stop watch, I usually look down at specific markers and know exactly where I need to be. I need to find that watch... But it was a good run. I’m starting to really get that drive to go running more. Whenever I’m bored (it happens a lot, can’t wait to start working), I think, hm, maybe I should go for a run. I really like that feeling, definitely missed it.

Core in the evening :) Then did a quick treadmill mile when I realized how bored I was, lol

3.5 in the morning on a trail. 9:45 ap with Ruby. She kept running/wandering/walking 20 meters behind, so I put her back on the leash. As soon as we turned on a new trail, (found a perfect 3.5 loop) she was flying. I wasn’t gonna do this run in the am because I didn’t feel super great, but the run helped. Was limited on time, so I ran the rest of my mileage in the hot afternoon.

3 at 7:50 ap. Hot, but felt strong the whole time. Enjoyed it. Got my miles for the week! Can’t wait to keep, slowly building up

5 easy up Birch with Amber. Fun time, awesome day. 

Up Birch with Amber. We drove up to the third gate, so it was extra fun with the trails. Definitely slow, but really fun! We got to the snow and decided to turn around. Going back down was much easier, and a blast.

Due to the rain, my plan to do a tempo run in the afternoon fell through, but I did walk 4 miles with my mom and Ruby in the evening, so that was fun!

So, I was really hoping this tempo would be faster, but it seems my time has plateaued. 2.1 mile warm up to church run. Church run tempo (also, I based it off the road markers rather than my gps). 7:17, 7:36, 7:08 for a total time of 22:04ish. It didn’t hurt too bad. Had to stop for a split second 3x due to cars, but I felt really good, just not happy about the time. Samo polako. Really slow 2.1 cool down up a hill. I did stop with a little bit left on the hill. My left hamstring and knee are in quite a bit of pain, so I will ice today. Core after.

From Sv to Gc with Amber. It was super windy, and we stopped at a park for a break, but it was a really good workout. The first 2 miles were really good (7:30’s). The last 2 miles killed me (7:50’s). 7:39 average pace; 45:55 overall. My knee (IT band) was sore from running, so I will ice again today. I feel much more confident after that run!

Super easy morning run with Ruby. 3.2 at 8:30 ap. While running, I saw 2 people going really fast and by their speed, they had to be in high school. As they got closer, I recognized Arianna and Tyler, so I sped way up to catch them. Ran with them for almost a mile. Chatted and congratulated them on region before turning towards home. Almost took a dead end in a new subdivision, but I realized it just in time. Slowed back down the last little bit. Feeling really good. Core after.

6 in the evening with Amber. We went up Dry and it was really uphill, so our pace was super slow. I had eaten 1/2 an hour before, but my body took it well. Half a mile on the trail before turning around. I had totally forgotten how uphill the trail was! It was nice going back down, loved the downhill. Super good chat with Amber. All-in-all it was a wonderful run. Good time. Our average pace was just under 11.

Another attempt at tempo. Not what I wanted. My body was exhausted, and I was drained, so I slept in for the first time in a long time. One mile warm up. Couldn’t find my stopwatch or my arm band, so throw back to when I timed with my iPod (but iPhone this time). The first mile felt good, but I couldn’t make my legs go any faster. It was a 7:08. The second mile, I was wrecked. I’m not sure if there is a mental barrier or if it’s physical, but the second mile was a 7:34. By that point, I was hoping to go for a sub 7 on the last mile. Quarter of a mile in on a slight uphill, I slowed way down, had a battle by speeding up, slowed down, sped back up, then decided to just cut it short. It was okay, though. Finished to the half a mile. Core after.

Went on a 3 mile bike ride with my family. Fun time!

6 miles sunny side with Amber. Fun time, perfect weather, early in the morning. I was super tired due to lack of sleep, but after, I took a 2 hour nap. 

Played volleyball for fhe for 2 hours - yay cross training!

This mileage is super approximate. Workout with Amber on the track, so much fun! Mile warm up, 8x400m at 90 sec with 100m rest, 6x200m at 45sec with 200m rest, 1 mile cool down. Solid. The first half of the 400s, I felt amazing. Second half, not so much. A PE class was doing the mile and 50m, so the first 400s were in lane 4 while the second had a 100 on the turf. Splits were 1:30, 1:29, 1:31, 1:31, 1:34, 1:38, 1:38, 1:42. By that last part, I knew my times weren’t too great, so we changed to 200s. Those felt good. Not 100%, but good. 45, 44, 45, 44, 42, 41. Our cool down was just over a mile, so that makes up for whatever recovery wasn’t ran. It felt good to do a workout, definitely boosted my confidence. Planks after. Chatted with Conner about the next few weeks of training, I’m pumped! 

After work, I ran 3 miles in the heat with Ruby. It was hot. 23:58 total time. Solid. Then, went to a stake activity and played some more volleyball and a bubble game. Good time!

Up Birch with Amber. Nice, easy, slow. Fun time chatting. I bruised my thigh last night, but it only started hurting in the morning and running up the hills. Started on the super steep uphill onto the ridge, then went the normal way back. 

After work, hiked Crimson with Jaci. Good time.

5 miles with Amber at 7:38 ap. It didn’t hit me that we were running until maybe after the first mile. Saddleback. I sprinted across Main taking too much of a chance, but we survived. My watch went dead at 1.5, but Amber was nice to call out splits. 7:34, 7:46, 7:28, 7:46, 7:38. We stopped at a field for a bathrooom at 2.5, and decided it would be good to turn around. It was windy, and the last mile was uphill. Fun time, my body is super tired.

Went spelunking with some friends in the evening, ascending wasn’t super hard, but it was definitely a good workout.

6 miles on golf course with Amber. The rain made it super fun. At the very end, the rain was super heavy and we were soaked. Good time. Around 9:30 ap. My whole body was super sore from spelunking last night, lots of bruises and sore arms.

Long run with Amber up Smithfield. Good time, perfect weather. Going up was averaging a 9:10, going down we averaged a 7:55, so around 8:30 ap. Fun time! Achieved my mileage goal for the week!

Short, steep hike in the afternoon to an arch where we swung and repelled. Fun time.

Easy and in the morning with Amber. Went up Dry, the uphill was fun, the downhill was even more fun. 11:12 ap. Super easy.

Crazy day, lots of running. In the morning, attempted tempo. Mile warm up. The tempo lasted only 2 miles because the time wasn’t quite where I wanted it. On the second mile, almost got hit by a car because I’m still not used to cars coming down from a new subdivision. It used to be gravel, so you could hear cars coming down. Didn’t get hit, so that was good, just sprinted across the road. 7:27, 7:47. Cooled down half a mile. 3.5 total.

In the evening, played ultimate frisbee. After, some of us ran from where we played along saddleback. Good time, nice and slow. 9:18 ap, I think. Maybe faster. Good time. 4 miles total.

After, went to play fugitive with some friends in Logan. It was a blast, I just wish I had brought my watch. The first leg was about 2 miles. Won it, so that was fun! The second round was about a mile and a half, but Jaci and I lost first due to running on a trail with lights and talking, but it was so much fun! Probably more than 2, but I’m going to say 2 miles.

Cedar ridge extended with Amber really early. So fun, though. We were both quite sore, so we kept it pretty slow. 9:30 ap. We saw a cat get hit by a car, but it didn’t get squished. Not sure if it’s legs were paralyzed, but it ran away. Glad we didn’t see it get squished.

Supet early tempo run with Amber. Slightly dreaded having to do it, but glad we did. Also, dead tired. I thought it would be good if we did mile repeats. After a miles warmup, we started on church run. The spray paint from 4-5 years ago was still there, so that was nice for mile markers. 7:00, 6:53, 6:35. In between there was a minute of recovery, so really good! Really boosted my confidence! Mile cool down.

4 miles easy up Smithfield. I really wasn’t feeling too great and my body was pretty sore. Still had a fun run trying to keep it at 8 minute miles and as consistent as possible. The last uphill mile was 9 minutes. Thought I was on pace, but it was a good, easy, short run.

Up Birch with Ruby. Not sure why I didn’t go further. Just got busy. Super fun. The way back, Ruby led the way onto the ridge and she even walked over the wood plank/bridge without me catching and carrying her across. Saw a couple on horses and Ruby didn’t react. Also, there were still trees down from the wind storm, so those were fun climbing under. 10 minute miles going up, so that was a good pace for the trail on an uphill.

8 in the morning with Amber up Smithfield. So much rain. 2.5 up we met a lady training for a marathon. Got to know her. Extended because it was so easy and fun chatting. On the way back down, we saw Tyler and Joey and ran down Smithfield with them. It was a fun, rainy run full of getting to know people and good times chatting. 9:30 ap going up, 7:50 going down. The last mile was weird because my watch wasn’t going up in distance, even after running about 200m, but we went the exact same distance going up as back down, so 8 solid miles. The rain really picked up on the way back.

In the evening, went 3.65 up Birch with my dad and Ruby. We were having so much fun on the trails. Nice and easy, felt really good! Also, the weather was nice and sunny, perfect temperature.

Tempo early in the morning with Amber. Solid 3 miles. Mile warm up. cedar ridge backwards, so we started on an uphill, workout on the downhill, and cooled down on the flat. I didn’t quite know where the mule markers were, so it was hard to know how fast we were going. 7:30, 6:54, 7:14 (I believe) were the mile markers. That cool down mile was painful. The rain was pretty light, but I can’t wait for the sun to be out more. Good day.

Up Dry with Amber, Darci, and one other person. It was really fun, super slow, not super fast or far, but really enjoyable. Lots of river crossing and climbing over trees and through bushes. It was a good time. Also, the uphill was a beast, proabavly averaged 15-18 minute miles. 

Up Birch with Amber. Super fun, super easy. 10:45 ap. I gave up on the first river crossing and just walked through the water, so wet, soggy shoes the whole time. Lots of fun!

One mile in the morning with Ruby. Felt sick and nauseous during and threw up after. Meh.

5miles in the evening with Garrett and Landon. Felt so much better and we went you Birch. So much fun!

Did the pyramids with Amber, Landon, and Ruby. It was a ton of fun, beautiful views, and lots of speed walking up the steep parts. 10/10 worth it.

Super busy day, but had a short block in the afternoon to run with Ruby. Up Birch. Ruby almost drowned crossing the river on the way back, but I hopped in to catch her before she went down the drop-off/waterfall. 8:48 ap. Little bit of core.

After a long day, did an easy-ish 8 miles in the heat. Started up Smithfield 3 miles. The next 3 to sv were 7:13, 7:11, and 7:35. Then finished 2 (super slow) miles home up the hill. I was dead after and took a 3 hour nap. I miss running in the heat, though. Fun run!

Hot afternoon run to the sv track 2 miles. Stretched, then attempted a mile sub-6. It was brutally hot. 6:30, given that I slowed down the last 200m. Mostly wanted to do it outta curiosity. Felt good. 2 slow miles home.

After watching Conner race, did 6 miles with Amber. Golf course backwards. The hills didn’t even feel like hills because we couldn’t see the top. Super fun conversations, so late, but a good run!

5 miles up Birch with Ruby without technology, super chill and fun! Took the side trail back. Good time.

4 miles in the hot afternoon with Amber. It was warm, so we went up Smithfield thinking there’d be shade, but there wasn’t as much as I remember. Nice and slow. Side-note: my feet are super blistered up, so in the morning I drained them.

6 miles up Birch with Amber. I was super tired, but it was so much fun! We found a dead snake on the road which scared me so bad, lol.

6 in the evening with Landon up Dry. It was really fun, the uphill wrecked me, but as soon as we turned around for the downhill, it was nothing. Got up to the wilderness part/trailhead which is always fun. Good time. On the last mile and a half, there was some crazy wind, but that was fun as well. My body has not been this tired in a really long time.

6 miles with Amber up Smithfield. We started at the campgrounds and it was beautiful! It was a bit chilly, but good for running. My watch was on low battery at 2 miles, but made it to 3 so we were able to get in the full 6. Great run, exhausted, but happy to finally hit a 50 miler week for the first time in probably 2.5 years!

2 miles at 2am before leaving for the airport. It was on the treadmill, and I should have gone further, but it was also really loud. Due to flight changes, we could have left our house around 8, but you know, 4am works as well. While we were at a gas station, Conner and I did some calf workouts and stretches.

Flew all day... if only airports had gyms.

Ran around by where we stayed. Up the road one way until we got to a roundabout. Then, we went the other way. Ran on a back road which was fun. I hadn’t realized how much culture I had forgotten about until we walked outside onto the streets. Also, humidity is great, dehydration is not.

With Conner and Garrett near where we stayed. We ran up the road about a mile to another road, and turned there. It was about 1.5 miles until we were on the beach, only for a mile. So much trash, but such a fun time. Got to a rocky spot that continued to be rocky, so we turned around. Continued on another beach which was much nicer and cleaner. Got onto a grassy trail that made me feel like were in a world like Jumangi. It was fun. Garrett noticed some signs that looked like a gun range, so grateful he was there, or Conner and I would have ran through. Headed back to our place (7) to drop Garrett off before doing 1 more, painful mile, but we looked for some breakfast which made it easier... a few more stops along the way. Tried some really good street food for breakfast. It was a fun day; I got fried at the beach!

Slept in a bit, ran with Conner. It was a bit rainy, so extra humidity. Ran to the beach (the nicer one with less trash). Once we got there, Conner asked me how I felt about doing some fartleks. I determined we should do them now rather than later. 10 min, 5 min, 3, 2, 1. The breaks varied on the time, as well. It felt really good on the beach. The mile within the 10 min was a 7:05. The 2 and 1 were just above 6 minute pace. I went really slow on the breaks. While we were doing our fartleks, I almost stepped on a baby turtle who had gotten washed up. He was scooting back to the water, until I yelled “turtle,” and then he stopped. A couple more times of running back and forth, and before we knew it, he had scooted back into the ocean. About a 2 mile cool down. My body was wrecked, but it was a very exciting day!

With Conner and Garrett. Ran to the ocean, back and forth on the beach until we had hit enough to get Garrett to 6. There were a lot of people training, which was fun. Running back was so much fun, I am loving running on the streets here, the people are so awesome! Conner sprinted ahead to use the bathroom, so when we got to 6, Garrett and I jogged a slow 1/2 mile while we waited. Then, Conner brought out an ice cold water bottle which I downed really fast. The sun had just come out and it got warm fast. Then, we ran 3.5 pretty slow miles. Conner told me to get a sub 8 last mile, it was a 7:28. Good time. Fun run. There are blisters on my toes, haven’t lost a toenail from running, yet.

Last day at the Pelican Place in Accra. Conner, Garrett, and I ran to the beach, then ran up and down. Our pace was pretty slow, so I made an effort to speed it up to an 8:30. While we were on the beach, a man called for us, but we all thought he was crazy and kept running. Then, Conner ran back to see if he was legit. Then, Conner chased after us to tell us to turn around and see, so we ran back. A sea turtle had just laid her eggs and was going back to the ocean. It was moving pretty slow, but we watched it get all the way to the water. Then, we ran up and down the beach a few more times. Somebody wrote “God is great” underneath the turtle tracks with a stick. It was pretty cool. Then, we ran back to our place getting to just under 7 miles. Then, Conner and I ran one last mile on the streets.

We were at a place called the Stumble Inn, just for one night, in Cape Coast. Conner and I attempted to run on the beach, but it was really steep and the water was unpredictable... my feet got a bit wet, haha. Then, we ran back to where Conner chose for us to run. It was a bumpy road to drive on, but more of a trail to run on. We ran 2 miles to a spot where we did 4 strides. Took me a minute to figure those out again. Then, 3 miles tempo. Not my best. 7:00, 7:14, 7:40. It was so hot, and humid. My body is not used to sweating that much. It was fun running through the village, and since Conner knows twi, the people are quite surprised when he speaks to them. Cooled down for just a mile to the place, got some water, finished 2 more miles along a street where people were cutting coconuts from trees. After that, all I wanted was a coconut, which I got a couple hours later, so it was a great day!

From our new hotel, Conner and I ran up a village road. Easy day, my whole body was pretty exhausted, so I made us go pretty slow, but it was good. After 2 miles, we did 5-6 strides. We then continued around the villains with little or few people, just like a trail run. After 4 miles, we turned around. The busier the village, the more people would yell at us, but it was a good run. So many blisters, my middle toe has a blood blister under the toenails, still yet to lose a toenail from running.

Really tired from yesterday, we woke up at 5, and the gate was open. I love how early the sun rises here. So refreshing. So, we did a mile warm up, 2 strides, and 6 miles at 7:50 before a mile cool down. We went on a street that was busier, through one of Conner’s areas where he served. It was fun dodging taxis and chasing chickens. I felt really good during the workout, and pacing a 7:50 was not hard at all. We turned onto a long street with lots of hills. It started to rain, then pouring, but oh so fun. I really enjoyed the rain because it cooled down so much. Then, by the last mile, it was already sunny again. While on the last mile, a taxi pulled over and opened it’s car door between me and Conner and drove alongside me, not letting me pass. Scared I’d get pulled in, I hopped across the gutter and sprinted ahead. Conner wasn’t too happy with them. Probably my scariest moment in Africa, but honestly, nothing bad happened. Grateful for the gutter and the adrenaline already present from the workoit. The cool down was so slow, but good. Then, a full day of painting and playing with children... I love it here.

Good run. Super easy 8 miler. Through the village streets. Talked about missions. We got lost towards the end. I really enjoyed it, but my body is so exhausted. Great day, got super sunburned while painting some tires.

Long run with Conner, and my second time running 10 miles straight since being home from the mission. Super slow, my watch wasn’t locking on, so we just ran to where we did 8 miles with an extra 9 minutes from the turn around (then we turned around). Good time chatting with Conner. I love it here, but am so ready to get home. Love these people in Ghana.

My watch still wasn’t working, so we just based it off time. Ran through the village, again. Great time. It rained last night, so there was many puddles to jump over, along with lots of mud. Good time, tried to push it and kept it at a 8:40ish average pace. Fun time running with Conner who is so patient to run my slow, slow pace, lol. Great time being in Ghana, but excited to get home.

4 in the morning with Ruby. Being that we arrived home at 2am, running wasn’t an option and I slept in... but it was a good late-morning run. Ruby slowed way down (walking) the last 400 meters, she was tired. But, the run felt good, only felt the humidity 400 m in and it wasn’t nearly as bad as 2 months ago. Because Ruby slowed down, ap wasn’t what I wanted, but 8:40 ap. Timed it with my phone because Slstopwatch is missing and gps watch doesn’t work. Body is pretty wrecked.

Due to procrastination and distraction, my run was limited, so 1 quick mile wu before 3 miles tempo, in the heat of the day.  Overall, I felt very good! 6:43, 7:09, 7:15

Long run up Smithfield. Got back and did 3 more with my dad and Ruby

5 in the morning with sv up Smithfield. 6 x 100 m strides

5 in the afternoon up Birch

Tempo in the morning. Church run. Pretty good. 21:07 for 3 miles. 2 miles warm up and cool down. 

3 miles easy in the afternoon up Birch. Might have done strides, don’t remember.

5 in the morning with sv. 6 x 100 m strides.

1 mile warm up, 1 mile cool down with Ruby. 4 strides. 6 mile power run (is that what it’s called?) out to Hyde park. Went mtn biking up Birch in the afternoon. 

Mtn biked after work along the Bonneville Shoreline trail, then hiked maybe 2 miles, then ran 7 miles up Smithfield.

There was a 25 min gap I found to do 3 miles in the middle of the day. Then, in the late afternoon when it was about 90 degrees, did a solid 8.5 out to cedar ridge and back. Should’ve gone further. Hiked Crimson in the evening.

Easy, long-ish run. Kept it under 9 min miles going up Smithfield and averaged 8 going back down. 9.5-9.75 I did 4 strides. Given that I was really tired, they felt really good, might not have been fast, but my form felt decent.

Only had a little bit of time in the hot afternoon. 2 mile warm up to sv, 4x100m strides. 2.25 miles tempo on the track. 6:30, 6:50, then a 1:45 400. I should’ve still finished to 3. It was really hot. 2 slow miles home. I feel like my training is going well, but there is still frustration with my speed. I just keep thinking “ide polako” = it goes slowly. Can’t wait to speed back up to old pr’s. I have lost 18 pounds since I’ve gotten home, though, so there is some progress. Still loving every moment of training.

5 miles in the morning with Ruby up Birch. I still slept in, though, so it was warmer than desired. On the way down, I wanted to hit the ridge, but somebody moved the wooden plank and now it’s a thin tree branch (my balance is terrible). I really didn’t want to get my new shoes wet, so we took the normal way back. I’ll do it when I’m wearing old shoes.

Procrastinated my afternoon run. Then, I didn’t really want to run in the cool evening air because I worried it’d get dark too soon. Why? So, I did 3 miles on the treadmill. Watched half an episode of Stranger Things. Pace was pretty quick, given that I get super competitive with myself on the treadmill. Fun time, though.

What’s a better thing to do when it’s 92 degrees than go on a long run? Given that a 3 hour nap had me energized and ready for anything. Up Smithfield. Brought a water bottle. The main thing was I hadn’t gone that far in a long time. Also, glad I brought water because the pump at the campgrounds was gone. No idea when it disappeared, I don’t go up so far very often. The first 3 miles were good 7:30 (downhill), 8:00, 8:30. Then, it got slower, but kept it at a 9 minute mile. On the way down, I was jogging pretty slowly, but just enjoying the run. Good time. Beautiful day.

6.5 in the morning with Amber. I didn’t bring a watch, but it was such nice weather! So nice to catch up given we’ve both been pretty busy the last month. Fun time! 

In the hot afternoon. Ran to sv 2 miles, 4x400m with a minute recovery. Honestly just out of curiosity as to how fast I could run. 1:27, 1:25, 1:22. The last one was on pace for a sub 1:20 at 200m, but at 250, I kinda broke and some people were in lane 1, so it ended up being a 1:25, but that’s okay. I was just hoping to see if I could break 1:30, which I now know is possible. Cooled down 2 miles home. Easy, and slow.

7 up Birch with Amber. Good time, nice, easy, and slow. The weather was nice.

Last run for the week, 5 miles up Smithfield in the heat. I was pretty sore, and I wasn’t feeling too good, so I just kept it under 8 min average pace, to push myself, but not too hard. Right after, hiked Spring Hollow with Landen.

Played some volleyball and kickball at ward prayer. I would say there were some decent strides from that.

Accidentally slept in. Only had time to run 5 miles, but they were up Birch and really slow. Came back down on the ridge which was super overgrown, lots of weeds and wheat, given most of the trails to and from are blocked or lack a wooden plank for crossing. Still quite fun.

Went kayaking/paddle boarding after work. Played some volleyball at fhe. Just some light cross training, right?

​5 pretty early and pretty slow miles with Amber. Fun time chatting. Glad I could get in a run before work!

After work and a solid nap, warmed up a mile, 4 strides, 3 miles tempo, and a mile cool down. I was still feeling lunch, but it’d been 2.5 hours. It was in the high 80s, but this was my only chance to run the workout. Originally, I wasn’t too focused on time, but half a mile in, I decided to shoot for a sub 20 (6:40 min/miles). But, I’m still quite satisfied with 6:45, 6:44, 6:44 resulting in a 20:14. I felt strong the whole time and was 5 seconds behind at 1.5. Reaching a sub 19 doesn’t seem as far away as it did a month and a half ago, given there is still a decent amount of time to cut off. The cool down was with Ruby who was so excited to run, until 3/4 mile in, haha.

5 early in the morning with Amber up Birch. Quite easy, fun time. Probably should have gone further, but took a 3 hr morning nap instead.

10.4 mile hike in the evening with Landen, great time. Jardine Juniper.

Another 5 miles with Amber in the morning. Saddleback. Good, easy run. Workout in the afternoon/evening

Haven’t ran in the last few days given I worked 12 hr shift the last 2 days. So, I hiked the Wellsvilles with Landen, Amber and her dad. Just under 10 miles. It was hot, beautiful, and I can finally check it off of my bucket list. (Definitely was sore after)

6 miles in the morning with Amber. Birch. Good time. Pretty sunrise.

4 quick miles in the afternoon. It was around 90 degrees. As I was running they were setting up signs for firework restrictions. 7:30, 7:15, 8 (I think), and 7:30ish. Not quite positive, but it just felt good to go a little faster pace. The 8 was going back up a hill.

6 in the morning with Amber. It was fun, we went up Smithfield from her house. Did core for the first time in months. Also, jumping lunges are killer. I used to do them daily on my mission, but my body doesn’t like them right now, haha.

5 in over 90 degrees with Landen. Power run. 7:15, 7:30, 7:19, 7:02, 8:05. 37:12 total time so 7:27 average pace. I was originally planning to go 6, but it was pretty hot and Idk if I would’ve kept pace. The last mile was rough with the uphill and heat, but it only had to be under an 8:25, so it went perfectly. Good time. This just makes me pumped! Short, short hike in the evening.

Longish run with Amber. Started on the ridge (super overgrown), got 2.5 up Birch to find the long horn cows which led us to go to the bottom of the canyon, up Smithfield, back home with a half a mile added on. Super fun, chill and quite an adventure. Pretty slow pace, I’m so sore. More in the afternoon/evening.

7 in the morning with amber. Church run, Cedaridge combined. Good time, nice and slow. 

Mile warm up, 4 strides, 3 miles tempo (6:38, 6:47, 6:38) in 20:03. I felt pretty good, there were definitely parts I could’ve gone faster. The last 400, I was going as fast as possible to break 20. I still felt pretty good. It is quite uplifting to know I can almost break 20 after being home for 4 months exactly. Excited to see where I’ll be in the next 4 weeks! 3 mile cool down up Birch with Ruby.

Before work, ran 5 miles (cedaridge) with Landen. It was quite hot, but we had a good time. Averaged around 8 minute miles.

Long run. It was a pretty busy day, and a 4:30 am long run did not sound appetizing, especially when I went to bed at 2, so it got pushed to 8:15/30 pm. But, shoutout to Landen for running it with me. Split it into 2 legs so we weren’t up the canyon when it was dark. I was mentally and physically exhausted, but emotionally, I could run. 9 miles up Smithfield. Came back down on Sunnyside which added maybe .2 miles because my watch had us 2 minutes slower on pace and we’d been ahead. The sunset was gorgeous. Got back, grabbed some water, then did a 3 mile loop, but cut it to 2.5. Ruby came with and was so happy. My watch wasn’t timing during that leg, but it was quite enjoyable, exhausting, but enjoyable. Extended maybe 200m past my house to add another .1, so happy to hit 60 miles! Felt good.

Good 6 miles in the morning with Amber up Birch. Small core and hips after. Originally planned to run after work or fhe, but ended up going to the cannery which led to arriving home at 1:15am... so extra miles tomorrow

5 early and easy miles with Amber. Smithfield. It was quite a blast. Given I only got 4 hours of sleep, the whole time I looked forward to the afternoon when I could take a nap, lol.

5 early in the morning with Amber. We went up Smithfield, it was quite chilly, but a solid morning run.

Planned to do a workout, but ate way too much food to close to the run. Warmed up a mile with Ruby. Did the first mile in 7:18 and realized it might not be a good idea to continue, so cooled down half a mile back home. Tomorrow, though!

Began the morning with a 6 mile run up Birch with Amber. It was good, my feet stayed dry the entire time! Also, I cleared a log going up which we have had to jump over the last few months. It’s not super high, but it is pretty big. Coming back, though, it was a usual fail, but still enjoying the trails. Can’t wait for the fall.

In the afternoon (about 86 degrees), I did the needed workout from yesterday. 6 mile power run at 7-7:10. My body has not adjusted to running with food, even if it had 3 hours to settle, so that made the run exciting. Well, this is how the workout turned out... warmed up a mile and did 4 strides. Then, began running. I felt really good going fast, and it felt too comfortable. My stomach didn’t like me, but that was the least of my problems. 6:38, 6:51, 6:29, at this point everything was feeling too good, then the heat hit me. 7:47 was the next mile. I was still on pace, but I stopped and it was hot. So, I cooled down over a mile. It was decent. I still feel good about the run, after 3 miles, I was just over 20 minutes. Now, I need to be more consistent and not allow food to mess with me. Great day.

Long run up Smithfield in like 80 degrees. Solid run, kept the average pace under 7:45 going up, until the last mile. Came down at a decent pace. 7:50 overall average pace. Kept the last uphill mile at 7:45 which was quite surprising, but it felt really good.

Mile warm up, 6 strides, they felt really good. It was super hot, got a quick drink before 3 miles tempo. Tries to keep the pace 6:20, but it was more of 6:38 average pace. The second mile really got me. Kept it under 20 minutes for 3. Cooled down a mile. Did some arms, hips, and core.

Fun, early morning run. Slightly exhausted, actually really dead from 4 hours of sleep, but a good run gave me the energy to make it through the day. 9:43 average pace given all of the hills and trail running. Fun time. Listened to my book for class.

Pretty solid run in the morning. Only bad thing was needing a bathroom for over 2 miles. I’m slightly dead from a nonstop day yesterday, but I have more energy given I only got under 6 hours of sleep... still trying to get my life together, lol. After the bathroom, I was able to run some 7 minute miles back to my apartment (loved the downhill). Good run, another great, nonstop day.

I’m dead tired, but it was another amazing morning run. Kept the average pace pretty consistent

Hike in the morning.

Lunch and ice cream was a terrible decision before the run. Warmed up. 4 strides. 2 miles. They were supposed to be 6:20-30, but ended up 6:47. Landen and I were pretty sick. Recovery. The next mile was a 6:54 (shooting for a 6:10). Cooled down a mile. It’s weird how frustrated I’ve been with my speed, knowing it’s only been 4 months since arriving home. It’s also been a bit stressful being in a weird limbo of not knowing what to expect what will happen with running these next few months. Also, it (the workout) was super hot because it was in the middle of the afternoon.

Ran with apartment 52, Garrett, Landen, and Dallin Farnsworth. Interesting group, but it was super fun. They’d planned to run 7 minute miles, and I was mentally ready for it, but it was more an average of 7:50. Felt good. Garrett was dry-heaving the whole time.