Uh oh!!

So, my last post was about staying healthy, working out, etc. Well, last week on Wednesday I was at the gym doing a circuit workout when I felt my back go, and I was only using a 20 lb weight!!!. I came up out of an exercise and felt it go out. I have had a bad back for 6 years now and it acts up every once in a while, and then goes away. This time I was floored by the pain, in fact missed work because of it. I had an MRI last Thursday and the results are in: Herniated Discs (3 in the L4, L5, and S1) and nerve impingement. I am seeing a back specialist this Wednesday and I will keep you posted. For now, I am out of the workout seen besides walking and hope that I can get back into the swing of things in the near future!

A Cry for Health!

There are many benefits to exercising, we all know that, but one benefit that might stand out above all the others is the overall improvement in health. I know that is obvious, but why don't more people exercise? Why don't more people take a simple approach to life and eat well and exercise? If it is obvious, then are people lazy? unwise? etc. Now, I am not using this post to judge and ridicule people, but I am using this post to get people going and exercising!!

Wisdom is knowledge practiced! We hear over and over again the benefits of exercise and healthy eating, yet I sit and see so many people waste their life away as they indulge in fast food regularly, as they sit on the couch and waste away like a potato. The hard part in this is watching members of my family doing nothing to improve their lives, but the contrary. Call me crazy, but I want to be able to run with my grandchildren, not just hold them. I want to wrestly with my kids and grand kids without being sore. I want to be able to look back on my life and not regret how I treated my body. If you don't have desires to exercise personally, do it for your family. They deserve to have you around as long as possible.

One final note, I understand sometimes life hands you some band lemons! I could get in an accident and lose the ability to walk, or develop a chronic illness, but these are not passes for letting yourself go. On the contrary I believe this should kick start you even more! Prove to yourself that road blocks might get in the way, but we have the ability to pass them!
So as the title of my blog states, Get up, Get out, and "Exercise"!

What a runner!

I was looking at articles on Runner's World.com and came across an article that bmakes me want to do more and realize I am not even close to the runner I want to be! Motivation, it works I tell ya!

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-243-297--13460-0,00.html

Long Time

Well, it has been a while since my last post. I don't have any excuses for that. I went on vacation this past week and enjoyed my time there, and didn't have any desire to post!! This week the training hits home again and I am going to be hitting it hard. Two Saturdays ago I did a 12 miler and really enjoyed it. This week will be a 13-14 miler. I need to go out and map my course. I really look forward to it.

On another note, for those who have never read the book: The Complete Book of Running, go out and get it! It is a fantastic find with many gems in it for training and overall betterment of running. I highly recommend it!

Double Digit Running

This week marked the first week of double digit training in my marathon training. I decided on a very challenging but enjoyable route. I started at our house in the Bountiful benches, then made my way down to 1850 N. in Centerville. The challenging part was not getting to 1850 north, although there were hills on the way, it was getting back up.

On the way back there were two major hills. The first is just before Parrish lane in Centerville. The next I will call death hill: 4th north. I made my way up the hill and had a great pace for most of it, but as time went on the strength began to give way and jello legs started. What made it hard was the fact it was my last mile or so of the run. My calves are feeling it, but that is ok. I need the strength training and the cardio beneft.

Nutrition and Injury Prevention/Help

I came across this article and found it very useful and had great information. Injuries, even is very small and simple, are common occurrences in running. Anything to get a leg up is great! Hopefully you enjoy the article as much as I did.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-300--4843-2-2-2,00.html

Enjoyment of Running

I sat chatting with a friend of mine from my MBA program last night after class. He ran in high school and started back up again recently. As we chatted, we started to talk a little bit about the enjoyment of running. If we push ourselves too much and burn out, do we still enjoy it? If we aren't training hard enough and setting goals, then what is the point? These two questions are on my mind, and they represent a fine balance between training and enjoyment.

I personally believe setting goals with fitness is key to success. You want to reach milestones and build a stronger self. At the same time, these goals need to be realistic, yet challenging. I don't think waking up after not running for ages, setting a goal to do 10 miles, and going is a smart idea. I do believe that setting a goal to increase distance, or setting a better mile pace is realistic and smart.

The reason I bring this up is this morning I set out on my run, and decide with the leg issues I am having, to keep it a comfortable, good run. I was surprised to see my pace was not much slower than my aggresive training. Overall, I think because I enjoyed the run more, and made sure I was comfortable, I was able to maintain a great pace. So when you go out, listen to your body, set good goals, and enjoy it! If you don't enjoy it, you are doing it wrong and should revaluate how things are going...

Saturday Long Run

This week was the 9 mile mark of my training. I had a 9 mile course in mind, but wanted to really run Bountiful Blvd and hit those hills for training (the Park City marathon is very challenging with hills and the course). So yesterday we set out to mark the course for my run this morning, and show my wife her 5 mile course yesterday.

As we marked the run, it blew us away to see how far 4.5 miles in really was. It doesn't seem far, but when marking a run you pay attention to every mile, and like staring at a clock to make the time pass, it goes slow. The run started right about the Bountiful Temple and went all the way down Eaglewood Golf Course. The hills were great, in fact I enjoyed going up the steep ones more than the gradual rise after the steep portion. The downhills of course were good, as training on a downhill is vital to good racing as it uses different muscles then flat or uphill running. I also of course used a Gel pack at the mid way point. I enjoy using those to train and understand how my body will handle calories during a run.

Overall I paced at 9 min 25 seconds. I am actually not too unhappy with that. I want to trim that to average under a 9 min pace, and I will get there. The reason I am not too unhappy with that is when I awoke this morning my run was planned for about 1:30 pm. Well, some changes in plans caused me to run at 8:50 am. I had a nice big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast not to much more than an hour before. Plus a nice glass of OJ and water, so I had a full belly. I could feel this at the beginning of the run, even hear the water sloshing in the stomach. So I still pushed through and really enjoyed this run.

Next week I am running with a great friend of mine who keeps a faster pace than me. She will help me stay on my toes and have a good run!

Cross-Training

I think a lot of runners miss out on one of the most important parts of a good training program: cross-training. Cross-training helps a runner round out their trianing, and focus on muscles and areas of the body they might have been missing. Understandably, when training for a marathon or race, runners focus directly on running, but overall I think they may miss the mark. I have attached an article I read a while ago about achieving your best shape by doing triathlon training. I incorporate a lot of this in my workouts, and the benefits are fantastic! Read and study this, and see if you can take anything away...

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-263-266-2192-0,00.html

Running Combination

Is there a better combination than running and yoga? I have a gym at work and the instructor is amazing! The way yoga eliminates the toxins in your body, stretches places you didn't know could stretch, and the overall feeling it brings are unbeatable.

After a long run, and throughout your week, I strongly suggest you build some yoga into your routine. There are plenty of yoga DVDs available at an inexpensive cost, and you can get a good mat for about $25.00.

If you need any yoga suggestions, let me know and I am happy to help!

Monday Morning Runs

What to do on a Monday morning at 6:00 am? I could stay in bed....could get up for work....read a little...etc....or I can do that thing I need and want to do most, RUN! I really enjoy a good Monday morning run. I am not sure why Monday gets such a bad rap. If you start the week off right and with a good attitude, then you are in a for a good week in my opinion. When I say right, I mean a good workout (not necessarily running, but something). When you get up early to do a workout, you are starting the week off by setting your own schedule. The alarm doesn't drag you out of bed to get to work, but you get yourself up for a workout before work. You then can have a pretty clear mind heading into the work day. You also set the tone for what your days going to bring: act or be acted upon. If you choose to set your own schedule, your day will have a harder time taking over and you will determine what your day will bring. If you allow your day to control all you do, then in my opinion you are doing it completely wrong!

Update: So where am I on training and my work challenge? With training, I am doing great. My weekday runs are getting easier and easier, even with added distance. My Saturday long runs also feel easier. As I did an 8 on Saturday I noticed a lot of energy at the tail end of the run, and for the rest of the day. Not only that, my legs are adjusting. Having been a big weight lifter for a long time, my legs were not used to the demand running brings and the trimming effect it will have on them. I am starting to see the great benefits running brings to your overall fitness, not just a cardio. As for my weight loss challenge at work, not quite sure. I was on pace at about 1-2 pounds a week, which puts me at about 24 pound weight loss by the end of 12 weeks. I weight today before a good yoga session, so we will see...

Saturday Long Run

I woke up early this morning for my long run, as we needed to be somewhere by 9:00 am, so I set out at about 6:00 for the run. I had designed a good 8 mile course and enjoyed the run. There were some good hills and it was an overall good run.

During the run, I tested a new GU Gel for energy and really liked it, the only fear I have is the lag effect that a GU can bring. A GU Gel has a fast acting carb to help your energy recover quickly, the issue is it does not provide a long lasting effect. I am going to try fiber intense bars. I have heard they will take longer to stay in your system, allowing you to feed off of the energy they provide longer. We will see which one I like more.

Til next time...

Recover Run

This morning I set out on a recovery run. This week I have pushed my body by increase pace (that sounds backwards because increasing pace means running a faster mile), upped my overall weekly mileage, and had good bike and strength training sessions. While these are an overall good thing, the toll on the body is intense and can cause over-training injuries and fatigue.

So this morning I set out on an easy, 4 mile recovery run. A recovery run is at a slower pace and, the way I look at it, a casual run. I really enjoy these runs because of what it does for me mentally. Not only does my body rest, but during a recovery run I can think better. When you are training intensely, the mental game is as hard, if not hard than the physical game. During a recovery run, your body and mind rest, giving you a chance to think.

If you don't all ready incorporate recovery runs, I strongly advise it to be put into your training regime. When you do, you will notice a great feeling and overall betterment in your training.

On another note, I am doing well on the biggest loser challenge at work. I don't have the ability to lose as much as others at work as it isn't there, but I am counting on my overall determination and intensity to do this. I am not sure exactly how much I am down, but I am pacing at about1.5 to 2 lbs a week. That will put me down about 20-25 when the competition is over. Like I said, I don't have as much to lose, but I believe through a 12 week challenge a lot will taper off and forget. I am not going to do that, I want the prizes at the end, esp. the 1,000.00 gift card to morris murdock travel!

I'm running in the rain...

With another winter/spring storm hitting us this Saturday, I was thinking: "I enjoy running in the rain." Why you might ask? I have no idea! This Saturday I am set to do an 8 miler at about 6:00 am. I am very excited there could be some snow/rain hitting me as I go. I am not sure why this is the case, but I really do enjoy it. So if anyone wants to come out and join me, I am all for it.

On another note, at runnersworld.com there is a great forum feature where you can go and talk all about running and fitness related to running. If you are a beginner, in the middle, or elite, go check it out so you can learn more and improve your running!

Feeling Great!

I got up this morning ready to hit my 7 mile run. I was anxious and a little uneasy. With my knee, there is a worry as I get to the longer distances. Also this week, I put new ammo in my pocket as I read an article about Kara Goucher and her mental toughness.

The article speaks of how this world class runner had issues with mental strength. Not just issues, but big hurdles. As I read the article, I took notice of what I could do to make me stronger. One of those things is using a key word in the run to help you keep going. She used fighter or confidence (something like that). I started using words like strong, lean, haka, etc. These words did give me a boost in my runs.

Today I want to push my limits harder. I ended up shedding more time of my mile pace after not doing a long run last week (I was sick) and adding another mile to my longest distance. I am very pleased with where I am, and hope to continue to take time off.

Enjoying This...

First, I want to say, if you by chance stop by and read what I have posted, go ahead and make a comment. I like to know what people have to say or think. Also, any tips or ides are more than welcome.

I have upped the intensity of the workouts, as I had mentioned and my wife mentioned. Yesterady I did an intense 50 min bike workout, and I am still feeling it. I got up this morning to run, and my legs were heavy! I enjoyed it though. After a few days off from running due to illness, getting back into it is great. My lunch is going to be a strength training routine, with core work put in.

When you run, one piece I think a lot of runners miss, is strength training. You should incorporate 2-3 days of lifting each week. Now, we are not talking about body building or massive lifting, but core lifting and lifts that will help with running. As you do this, you will trim off fat and increase muscle, which will help metabolism. Not only that, but you aren't just focused on doing one good thing for your body, but a couple...how can you go wrong?

Setting Out Again

With the long President's Day weekend over, I am glad to say the illness has pretty much left. I am excited to start my training again, and at the same time I am going to be starting an intense program for 12 weeks. I have good eating habits already, but I want to trim down some excess weight. My work is doing a "Biggest Loser" with the winner getting $1,000 gift card. Now, I know others will have more weight than I do to lose, but I know my determination and dedication. My goal is another 25-30 pounds, and push myself well below 10% body fat.

Along with the marathon training I will be keeping this blog to monitor my progress on weight. Just like the marathon, anyone want to join?

Sick...no running!

I woke up yesterday, Friday, morning and wasn't feeling the best. I went through the day and decided since Friday is my rest day anyway, take the day off and just get better. Well, here it is Saturday morning and I am still not feeling well, so I decided to take a day off, well, weekend really.

For those that know me well, know that I hate this greatly!! I don't like taking time off of working out at all, but I am realizing it is better to lose a day or two to rest than lose a week to illness. Pushing yourself too hard when your body is giving you signals, follow them!

A New Hill Killer

I set on yesterday for my favorite type of run: hills. I wanted to take a new approach to this run, so I decided to vary my route. For those familiar with Bountiful, 4th north leads you up to the Bountiful Temple. I decided I would put part of that run into my hill workout. I started the run from the house, then went up to 13th east; that is where I met 4th north. I started the climb thinking this wasn't too bad (and thankfully it wasn't). I did not realize the length full, but am happy to report it was a strong run up. The only downside was something sharp got into the base of my shoe, so for a little I heard clicking. I quickly dispensed of whatever it was to continue on. I then ran past the Temple (gorgeous lit up in the morning by the way) and down the other side. The decent is not so fun, and my thighs/quads would still tell you it is tough. I then ran back down 13th east to where I started. Overall a great run, and hopefully the hills will continue to improve my mile time.

Monday...was it good?

I got up this morning after a pretty nice night of sleep, but wasn't the most ready for my run. Why you might ask? Well, Saturday and Sunday nights I take as my free night with eating. I avoid junk food during the week, saving that stuff for the weekend nights. The short fall to this is my Monday morning run is not the best, unfortunately. Don't get me wrong, I still put in a good effort, but I never seem to feel good about the run after. That is all right by me because you need to enjoy some food and the most important run is Saturday morning. Thankfully Friday night is a refueling night, and not a party it up night!

Another good Saturday

I went out for a good run this morning, in the dreary weather. I was unhappy I couldn't take my Ipod, but that is ok. I added another mile to be up to 6 miles. I was able to maintain a good pace and finish well. I actually enjoy running in a little rain and cloudy. It helps to keep the body cool and fresh.

I added another mile to my Davis Blvd run. Unfortunately, I am almost out of room on that road. I need to find another path to go with this. So any good suggestions would be great!

Been a few days

My last post was a few days ago, so I felt obliged to write a new one today.

This week has been a great training week. So much so, that only mid-way through the week my legs were tired from hard workouts Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday is a cross-training day for me, so I hit the bike and decided to go hard. I did 8 splits for the first portion, then straight biking for the last portion; it was great. Wednesday was a hill morning; I love my hills! I did a similar run to the old hill workout, but I took a different route. I still wanted to go up to the Bountiful Temple, but wanted a longer route uphill. I found it! This route took a long way around to make it up to the temple, and it was great!! Then today I took my favorite walk and enjoyed it a lot, except for the very slick roads.
Well, I have a couple of people doing the Layton Marathon with me in Oct, so anyone else wants to join, just let me know.

If I can keep it up...

I will be running negative time miles. Ok, that is impossible, but I am very pleased with my time this week. I ran a 5 miler in training last week, and averaged about 10 min 12 sec per mile. Today, I ran the same miler and average about a 9 min 25 sec mile. I like it!

Now, don't get me wrong, I understand that I will not be able to keep decreasing my mile time at this rate, but I will take the progress and hope to average about a 9 min mile for the entire marathon when it gets here.

Rest Days

Never underestimate the importance of a good rest day. Our bodies are amazing things, but they do require rest and repair. If you legs feel overly tired, rest them for a little. If you are having pain in your knees, take some time off to see if it heals, and if not, go to the doc.

A lot of times during training we neglect the signals and warnings are bodies are telling us, and then it is too late because we worked out on it anyway. Today was an example of cutting back for me. For anyone who knows me well, that is not an easy thing. I was going to cross-train and bike, but my legs were very tired and my hamstrings were very tight. I decided it was a great day outside, so instead of biking and putting a lot of strain on my legs, I decided to go for a walk outside and read. It was great! It loosened up my hamstrings, my legs feel more energetic now, and I did not expose myself to greater injury.

Moral of the story, no pain, no gain is not true! If it hurts and you push it, you expose yourself to greater pain, and no more gain as you are put up for a while...

First Day of the funny sounding: Fartlek training.

Well, in my training, every three weeks I rotate between Hills and Fartlek training on Wednesdays. Today was the first rotation. For those who do not know what that is. Fartlek training is, in my words, like an interval training, just with spontaneous intervals.

As you run, you pick two landmarks, such as a lamp post and a tree, during that stretch of run, run at a different pace, whether it is sprint, long stride, just a little faster, walk, etc. You continually do these landmark runs throughout the run.

As I went through the run today, I noticed that those runners that were a head of me, even though I might walk at times, never got further, but might have gotten closer. Throughout it all, my "speed" equaled theirs as over time I would sprint and catch up from my walking times.

Overall I liked the training. The point of Fartlek training is speed work. Most runners would like to pick up their pace per mile, but you have to train to do that. Hills and Fartlek are ways of doing that. So in your running routine, I highly recommend you do one of these to really boost your performance.

Motivating Factor

As I woke up to my alarm this morning for my run, I was bogged down and didn't want to go. I had gotten to bed late, and did not sleep well, so why run? Well, I got out and still ran and by the end felt great. What is the motivating factor that gets you to go out vs. climb back in bed? What drives us to do that? I am very glad I was able to go run this morning (even with all the deer in the path today) and I am glad I decided to go out vs. stay in bed.

I for one fully believe you have to paths to exercise, there really isn't black and white. Either you are going to do it or not; you are going to put forth your effort or you don't. Why do so many people hit the snooze and go back to sleep? I don't know. If I had an answer, I would help those people see that getting up pays off so many dividends in the end that you will greatly regret going back to sleep.

As the title of my blog states: just get up, get out, and run! If you don't want to run, walk, if you don't want to walk, do something...if you don't you may pay greatly for it later in life as your healthy weakens.

A good Saturday morning...

I was a little leary when I knew the storm was hiting last night, but was going to go anyway, regardless of what the roads looked like in the morning. Lucky for me, they were pretty clear, just wet. As it turns out I was able to keep up the same pace from last week, or should I say, I was able to keep my minute pace as low as it was last week essentially (I did not have my stop watch so it averaged to about 2 seconds off of last week per mile). The reason this was so important this week is I added a mile from last week. So, in summary I was able to add a full mile and keep the same pace throughout.

I enjoy the run I take. It is Davis Blvd in Bountiful. It is pretty flat, but was small hills here and there. This provides a great training, with different elevations. The other reason I like running here is the overall elevation is higher, so the air is thinner providing better cardio developing.

So next week I run the same mileage and we will see if I keep the same pace or not, hopefully improved.

Another great morning walk....

I got up for my Thursday cross-train/easy day and took my favorite walk. This hikes me up a long, long hill, with a great view, then I trek back down. It was great once again.

One thing I want to add onto here is talking about nutrition. One of the greatest tools a person has with their fitness, if not the greatest, is that of healthy eating habits. What you put into your body has a greater impact on your weight and body fat, then does working out. I have noticed greatly that if I eat healthy, plenty of grain and carbs for energy, etc. then I feel great! I have more energy, feel lighter as I run, etc. If I eat junk food and heavy food, man does that morning feel heavy and hard...I would much rather have a light run, then a larthargic, heavy footed run.

Just some thoughts...

Indoor or Outdoor? That is the question...

Ok, so maybe that really isn't the question. Personally, I dislike running in door and would much rather prefer to be outside. Today, well, was a day I chose to go indoor. I woke up at 5:00 am to hit my morning run, go outside and then the snow starting hitting. Snow does not stop me from running outside, but thinking about wanting to get in to work early to leave early, and driving in the snow did. So I went back in and hurried to work.

At work I broke for my lunch and got on the treadmill. It was a great workout, just not what I wanted. I find the treadmill to be harder on my knees, and therefore not my favorite. I also find the treadmill more boring and, well, lets face it, when you are running, it isn't like your head is still for a nice read.

I guess my overall point is, I like the outdoors more and if I must, I will run indoor. What do you think?

A good way to end the week...

First, I have someone now running the marathon with me, Alex Skelton. Now, we just need more people to sign up, so....SIGN UP!

I got up for a long run today after a good week of nutrition and training. I was a little weary this morning as last night I had the kids and grabbed a lazy, quick and unhealthy dinner. I was wondering what my night of splurging might do. Well, I ended up doing a 10 min 10 sec mile, and that is 1 min 15 seconds better than last week on the same course. I will take that. I did the "Davis 4 miler" as I like to call it. Next week will start the increase in miles.

I am also shedding some unnecessary weight right now and that I can almost guarantee is helping to quicken my pace. As I continually get in better shape and lose the weight, I am interested to see the correlation between weight and speed/efficiency.

Anyway, until next week...GO RUNNING!

Wednseday: The Deadly Hills

Wednesday is my hard day of training (that is right, I would rather do the long runs then hit my Wednesday training). Wednesday is my hill training (or fartlek, I will rotate these every few weeks). I do what I call the deadly hills. I run from the house up to and past the Bountiful Temple. These hills are killer. They start right after our street and have a steep incline for the first while. I do enjoy this training a lot though because it provides excellent conditioning and strength training. Hopefully as time goes on, these hills will become "flat" to me and I will improve my overall shape substantially.

Tuesday=Cross Training Day

So my Tuesday (and Thursday) workouts consist of cross-training. Normally I will use this time to bike at work, while reading my school work. It is great...a nice time to get a good cross workout in (I love biking) and to get my reading done. Face it, until the kids are in bed at home, I want to be with them, and they keep me so busy I don't have the time to read.

Still no takers for the marathon, anyone? Bhueler??

Another Good Monday Run

I went out this morning without my IPod, which is usually a staple on my runs, and had a fantastic run. I went to a run/walk interval run today. This truly helps in recovery and to set a good pace. A lot of beginning runners will start off too heavy and try to run too fast, create injuries and prevent a good workout. Just like the tortise and the hare, slow and steady wins the race. Now, as you continue on, you will start to notice your paces getting faster. Along with the natural building of speed, when you have a good foundation of training, you can bring in hills, interval, fartlek, etc. Just don't pace too fast.

The total was 4 miles, at about 45 minutes. So, easy pace, nothing drastic, just building my cardio ability back up.

A nice Sunday morning walk

Each Sunday morning I get up before the wife and kids and take our dog Tina for a walk. During my training Sundays constitute a rest day or a walking day. When the weather gets better I am sure we will just take the whole family, but for now I enjoy the quiet peace on my Sunday walks. It gives a person time to think and reflect, map out goals, plan ahead etc. I really enjoy this time.

With the move to Bountiful, this walking day is great. I have found a walk that takes me up to the Bountiful Brave's "B". This longer walk, above the smog, is very peaceful and gets me away from the world. You can't ask for anything more!

First Long Distance Saturday

So, with running and training, you get to learn about some funny training words like fartlek (a type of running training), but I will speak on that in a later post.

Today was my first long run Saturday. I have started this marathon training a lot earlier than is necessary. I believe most plans give you about 6 months to get ready, I am taking 8 (So anyone can join in the next two months). I want to get in top physical shape for this race. Along the way, I am adding some different types of training during the week. Here is a typical week for me:

Sunday: Walk/Off
Monday: Running am, bike or yoga lunch.
Tuesday: Abs and Bike lunch
Wednesday: Hill or Fartlek training
Thursday: Easy run or walk
Friday: Yoga or stretching
Saturday: Long Distance/Endurance run.

This training will not only really prepare me for the marathon, but get my weight and body fat % to levels I would like them.

So back to this morning. I went for an easy (easy pace) 4 miler. I say easy, because over the last year I had an injury to my knee and pneumonia that took my cardio-conditioning to a low level...needless to say I was not a happy camper with this. So this morning I took it nice and easy, wanting to gauge where my fitness level was currently and what pace to set. I was quite happy with my pace actually. I paced this morning at 11 min 25 sec per mile. Now, trust me, I want to regain the speed and shape I had (and I will), so this pace is not satisfactory, but for the first LD (long distance) run and after the hard year of health issues last year, I will most certainly take it (I thought I was going to pace at about 13 min/mile).

Well, as I have said, anyone who wants to join in please do...

Lets get this started

I wanted to track my progress of my marathon training experience. My name, as the blog shows, is Jordan. I love working out and wanted to challenge myself. The marathon I will be running is the Park City, Utah marathon on August 21, 2010. This blog will be in place for me to keep track of my progress and have a journal for what I am doing.

I have enjoyed getting into running and started a while ago. Last year I planned on running a marathon only to have knee issues. This year, nothing will hold me back. Anyone who wants to join in, let me know!

I have an article for anyone needing motivation...

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-243-297--11733-0,00.html