I'm not crazy...I'm just bored!!

Sandra is down in St George having fun in the sun so I got to go it alone this morning. It was nice to do a longer loop and not have to do 2 smaller ones that I've been doing over and over lately.

Rose Crest loop down Juniper Crest. A hill climb up for 3 miles, straight down nose dive for a mile then a gradual 3 mile climb back home. AP: 8:51 which for this run is EXCELLENT for me. I know it's snail pace for many of you, but it shows me that my hills are getting stronger - slowly, but surely. 

AP: 8:51 splits: 9:39 (ha! It took a while to warm up), 8:28, 8:19 (this mile a guy turned a corner in front of me and it was my goal to catch him by the end of the street. Yeah, I scared the crap out of him when I flew by because he had music on. Good times!), 9:08 (keeping this up those hills makes me happy!), 7:54 (downhill, I used it as a rest, so no push), 8:27, 9:25, 9:29 (uphill and just about DEAD, so happy to see it under 9:30!), 8:51 (I love finishing on my AP).

The run honestly was hard for me, just tired and little motivation. However, I feel tons better now and am glad I was able to pull a good run out. Got kiddos off to school then hit the gym for Strike class. It was good, but I think I'm getting stronger, because it wasn't nearly as tiring as it was last week - thank goodness! We will see how sore I am tomorrow.

Man oh man, I was tired this morning and thought more than once about bagging the run, I wasn't sore or hurting at all - just tired. But then I thought are you really that big of a wimp? You can do this - show me what you're made of! Well, it took some chatting and wandering to get to the TM, but then I started off...speed work here I come.

10 min warm-up @ 8:34

1 min on/1 min off - 20X (6:53/8:49)

I did one extra min of speed work then cooled down for the remaining 8 min; finished at 8mm to round out to 7.5 miles in the hour giving me an AP of 8:00 for the run.

This really wasn't easy for me, I wish it was! With 21 min at that pace I finished a 5K -just broken up, which is kind of neat for me - slow for most of the rest of you, but neat for me :) I've decided to run spectrum 10K for my 2nd SG runners series which is just 2 weeks away from Saturday. I want to try and hit 45 min, which will be no easy feat for me, but I think I can do it if I put my mind to it. Hopefully, today's workout reminded my legs how to run fast.

After I finished and walked a bit on the TM I went to the recumbent bike for 15 min to start my new book and get the HR down completely. Then I went and stretched out for the last 15-20 min of day care time. Feeling much better now, but man that was hard for me!

Just call me lazy - I am again just tired this morning and I think my cough/cold is settling in the lungs. I'm doing all I can to fight it, but it's not going away like I want it to. 

Ran my normal 4 with Sandra, but we both struggled. Ended with a 10mm AP. My lungs just weren't hacking it this morning. My body and legs felt fine, but I felt like I was sucking air the whole time :(

I decided I was done, but had promised Lucy I'd take her out for a short run. I picked her up and took her out on a 2 mile jaunt through the 'hood and she was done after about 1.5. I'd really like to get her back to running at least 4 so that I can take her out with me in the morning with Sandra. We finished our 2 at an AP of 9:30 and then I came home and I'm just done.

I'm off to yoga at the gym this morning and then I'm hoping for a nice nap this afternoon...oh sleep, blessed sleep.

In keeping with my lazy week I opted out of running today. I figure I'm going to hit 13-15 tomorrow and 45 is plenty for an 'off' week to rejuvenate my legs. 

Went to spin class - same teacher, but she was more appropriately dressed today. The class was harder than last week's class, at least in my opinion. Maybe it's because I figured out how the tension works on these bikes and so I could add more when needed. Nice sweat fest! I really, truly, honestly think that spin is probably the BEST x-training for runners - just my 2 cents.

After class she does a 20 min stretch and that was just heavenly! Then I went to the ellipticals for 15 minutes (1.6 miles @ L10) and then did some core/hip work. I'm scared to death that my ITBS will come back this year with the miles I'm putting in, so I'm trying really hard with the core/hip/balance work to keep myself strong and uninjured.

I had a wonderful run with some wonderful ladies this morning. It was nice to just relax and have a nice easy long run with EXCELLENT company! 

Met Smooth, Luz, Karen and Toby at JRP in Lehi. I think I made a good decision foregoing the tempo run I had planned, because my lungs were hangin' on with just the flat and slower paces today. Lots of good running therapy, which sometimes is better than the miles and run itself. I did 2  - 1/2 mile pick ups each time on our way back to the cars and kept the pace under an 8mm. Felt good to run it out a bit, but after that 1/2 I was done :)

Thanks ladies for a wonderful morning! Oh, and we got to see lots of baby calves in the fields today - they were SO cute! Almost makes me a vegetarian.

AP: 9:23 splits: 9:36, 9:16, 9:06, 9:08, 9:15, 9 ;30, 9:27, 9:22, 9:22, 9:24, 9:25, 8:54, 10:06, 9:50, 9:56, 7:53 (last .5)

Keepin' it simple

7 TM miles @ 8:17 AP; first 2 @ 8:34, next 2 @ 8:27, 1 @ 8:19, 1@ 8:12 then busted out the  last mile @ 7:30 pace until the last .25 which I did at 6:53.

Then went to FIT class. I really love the x-training that they do! It's all on the bosu or balancing with your core and hips. Exactly what I need to keep my ITBS away this season.

Scary morning out on the slippery ice. Snow wasn't the problem, it was the ice! For some reason the snow plows didn't seem to be putting down any salt - just plowing what little snow there was.

Sandra and I started off slowly and even considered bagging the run due to the treacherous  conditions. However, we stuck with it until we got to the main road and things actually were much nicer out there. I think anyone who knows me will know I don't mind running slow, but I'm getting just slightly frustrated that our pace seems to be getting worse and not better. I will overlook the pace today, because it was really bad, but I need to find a way to reverse the direction of our AP - 4.05 miles @ 10:24 AP

I then went out for 3 on my own and I felt really good, just let myself fly along at whatever I felt good at. I also found that the sidewalks were MUCH better for running this morning than the icy roads. For some reason the roads were slippery, but the sidewalks were 'crunchy' and didn't slip under my feet. Did the stake 5K loop; 3.1 miles @ AP 8:46 splits: 8:44, 8:51, 8:45, 8:31 for last .1 - honestly I'm impressed that I was so consistent on the downhill and uphill miles, that usually doesn't happen to me!

Now I'm off to the gym, uh well, the church. A lady in the 'hood has started teaching a boot camp class at the church on Tuesday mornings and since it is a tight gym day for me (pre-school and meetings leave BARELY enough time to get there, do a class and get home) I've decided to try it today. I'm a little worried, heard it's rough.... I hope I can run tomorrow.

Boot camp wasn't too bad. There were lots of lunges and squats so I'll feel that in my hammies and quads tomorrow, but overall it was a good workout for a 'free' class!

Speed work Wednesday. Well, to start off I must say how much I LOVE sleep! Seriously LOVE sleep. I nearly feel like a new woman today. Feel free to judge or think I'm just a plain idiot, but I finally moved my baby out of our room last night. I seriously couldn't take it anymore! I was well past my breaking point and had even tried to sleep in my closet with a towel under my head and a sweat shirt over me because I couldn't take going to bed and listening to the baby cry. I would typically just bring him to bed and nurse him back to sleep until I got too uncomfortable with him lying next to me and then get up and put him back to bed. An hour or so later he'd wake up and we'd do the same song and dance over again. This is how life has been for me at night for the last 8 months, and I was tired. My anxiety would go through the roof at night thinking about how just as I would get into bed and comfy he would wake up and start the dreaded night cycle. I needed to just let him cry it out, but when he is just 15 feet away from you how can you refuse your screaming child? So, I did it - he moved out last night. The single best decision I have made in the last 7 months! He did wake up at about 1AM, but I was able to tune him out enough to let him cry himself to sleep and he didn't even wake up the 3 and 6 yr old sleeping in the same room (this is one big reason WHY I didn't move him earlier, I didn't want the boys to wake up and not get sleep). After that one crying session for about 30-45 min he went to sleep and we didn't hear from him again until 7:30. Oh man, to sleep alone and nearly uninterrupted in my bed for 8 hours was like heaven...pure heaven! However, I digress...back to Speed Work Wednesday.

So, I'm working on speed for the Spectrum 10K instead of mtn goats right now and I was pleasantly surprised today. I decided to do an 8X800 Yasso day at goal MP (around a 3:30). Started with 1.25 miles of warm-up which started slow due to the crazy soreness in my butt and hammies from boot camp yesterday, but the majority of it was at 8:34. Then I started the speed:

7 X 800 @ 7:03 pace (3:31)  then recovery @ 9:03 pace for .25

I was seriously feeling SO good by the end of the workout I could've done a few more of them! So, I decided on the last one to hit 6:53 pace and I finished it strong, then did a cool down.

1 X 800 @ 6:53 pace (3:26) cool down @ 9:03 for 2 min then 8:34  for 1 min then 8:00 for 30 sec and 7:30 for 30 seconds. (I know, a cool down is supposed to be slow, but I just wanted to finish 7.6 miles in an hour for an AP under 8mm and to 'round out' miles for the week). AP for the run = 7:53

Afterward I went and did some good core work and stretching.

Doing this workout while sore and finishing feeling so strong really helps my confidence for my spring marathon. I might just be able to hit that goal MP after all! Even if I fail and finish under a 3:40 I will be happy, oh man, just saying that makes me nervous. First up, Spectrum - goal 45:00....

Spin class - which was a great sweat fest today! Then did the teachers 20 min stretch which I love! I was nice and relaxed, but knew I needed to hit just a few miles.

3 @ AP  8:13 - started at 8:34 and went progressively every .5 up a tenth mph. finished last .25 @ 7:30 and last .1 @ 6:40. I love to finish a nice tempo like that and feel good! Paces felt wonderful!

stretched the legs beck out then did daycare pick up. Now on to the weekend!

BBBBLLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Okay, I think I need to change something. This is the second time I've tried to run long and blown it. Poor Becca had to drag me through these 18 miles as I was just blah, thinking things would get better, but they didn't. Why am I able to have some decent TM runs and speed work, but then my long runs DIE? I guess I'm just feeling exhausted and frustrated.

Other than feeling like I struggled through the whole run it was nice. Perfect day with just a l/s shirt and the sun stayed behind the clouds so it wasn't too hot. The company was good (although I probably wasn't), and I now am VERY excited to see 127 hours :)

AP: 8:52 splits: 8:53, 8:40, 8:40, 8:43, 8:15, 8:40, 8:47, 8:39, 8:43, 8:31, 9:14, 9:09 9:05, 9:01, 9:44, 9:36 (ugghhh...the hill of despair and I DIED big time!!),  8:39, 8:32, (6:28 for the last 25 feet until I hit the stop button - gotta throw something good in there!).

I think I'm going to pull a much lower mileage week next week and not do much resistance so that I can taper for Spectrum and hopefully hit my goal there. Any suggestions/recommendations on training and not dying on Saturday is greatly appreciated.

Same ol' seven miles. AP: 8:25. Wanted to try and hit the last mile @ my goal 10K pace, but some strange side ache prevented me from even starting, but the last 1/2 mile was a nice pick up to the standard 8:34 that was the rest of the run.

Went to FIT class, but as per day care had to leave at 11, so I missed the last 15 minutes. Man, I love that class! Perfect strength training for runners. Core and balance work all on the bosu ball. Unfortunately, the lady that came in and sidled up next to my spot didn't understand this and tried to do class w/out one - duh. I swear she spent most of the class standing around checking her text messages - LEAVE already if you aren't going to do the class! Sorry...a little pissy today, but as I'm sure my husband would agree: what else is new?

4.1 with Sandra at AP 10:00 - I love the company even if the pace is a bit slow.

3.15 with Lucy, I had to practically drag her the last .5 home while I was finally ready to pick it up. Oh well, it was nice to have her along and getting better every time.

AP: 9:13 splits: 9:08, 9:31, 9:19, 7:32 (last .15)

Now off to boot camp class, but I refuse to make myself sore. I want to be ready for spectrum!

Wow, what a crazy day! I started at the gym with a pissy attitude and all I wanted to do was sleep, so I decided to bag speed work Wednesday and just do x-training. There was a class "no limits cardio" that I figured I might as well jump in, because a group class usually motivates me more than going at it alone. 

The class was really good and wouldn't ya know it - I get in there and the first thing the teacher has us do is running. really?!? uggghhh. Anyway, it ended up a nice mix of different things and it was a better cardio workout than any other class I've been to! So, I added a 1/2 mile of running, because we did at least 5 min of running total in the class.

I was feeling better after class and thought I'd hit just a few slow miles. Well, I got on the TM and decided to see how 8:34 felt in my legs. Hmmm, fine. So, I thought maybe I'd tackle the speed work after all. In RW it said a workout to see if you could hit 10K goal pace was 4-5 mile repeats at goal pace with 3:30 jog between them. So, I took it up to 7:13 to test things out. Well, after about 1/2 a mile I hit an epiphany. I took stock of what I was feeling: breathing, good under control and I can even sing (with my ipod) a bit under my breath as I run; legs, fine no aches pains or fatigue. So, then why are you going to stop at 1 mile to 'recover' you have no need to recover - you're fine! So, I just kept on keepin' on.... after 2 miles at that pace (and still just fine, almost felt effortless a bit) I decided to hit it up a notch and went a sub 7mm for the final mile. I finished the last .25 at a 6:30 pace and then I wanted to see if I could run at 10mph. A fun challenge! So, after I'd run 4 miles in 30 min (1 warm-up @ 8:34) I went to 6:00 and ran. I finished .10 at that speed, but I think I could've gone to a full quarter mile. I was done playing though and then went to cool down and finished to 4.5 miles at an 8:34. Total time on the run was 34:41 for 4.5 miles AP of 7:37 for the run.

I stretched and rolled my hamstring afterward (I felt it tighten up a bit on the cool down) and now I feel great. I'm still surprised that I ran that fast that long. I don't know if it was the 'warm-up' at class and pushing my cardio that helped me fall into a good rhythm on the TM or if I constantly just don't challenge myself enough and I need to take 'inventory' on my runs to see if I really need to increase the speed or not. Rather perplexed about this run honestly. I still think the TM's are just calibrated wrong :)

Crazy morning around my house today! baby woke up about 5 minutes before Sandra came so I had to do a quick feeding and cross my fingers he would go back to sleep. We ran our Mirabella loop backwards today and Sandra seemed a lot stronger with that direction, so maybe we'll keep it! AP 9:40. I was fighting nausea, but chatting with Sandra I could keep it at bay.

I got home and went to the kitchen to grab a glass of milk to hopefully calm my stomach down, but I turned on the light and YIKES! All the chairs from my table were tipped over all over the kitchen, all the drawers in the kitchen were open and the books on the end table in the family room were spread all over the floor. I was in a panic. I went and grabbed my husband to ask him if he knew anything about it and he was just as surprised as I was. Lucy's kennel is down in that area so we figured it had to be someone in the family, because Lucy would bark or whine if it was a stranger. My oldest is a known sleep talker/walker so I was worried she had done it in her sleep and if so, then this would call for some testing and at least an alarm on her door so we would know when she got up. How I (or my hubby) slept through all of this I'll never know!

So, I grabbed my glass of milk and Lucy and we headed out for our 5K loop. Less than 1/4 mile into it my stomach blech came back, I seriously have never felt SO sick running - even when I was pregnant (and NO I am NOT prego now! - trust me.) I just wanted to stop and throw up, but there were too many cars around, so I cut the loop short and headed back home with just 2 additional miles under my belt. Funny thing is, the AP was the exact same as with Sandra: 9:40.

I got home and still no kids were awake, but my husband broke the news about the riff-raff to me (my daughter heard the commotion downstairs and told my husband when he came back up to get ready for work). My 2 oldest children had conspired together to become 'leprechauns' and make a 'surprise' for mom and dad. My daughter had woken up early (she was the one that woke up the baby!) and went downstairs after she heard me leave and got the business done. Crazy kids! I was SICK with worry about her and sleeping issues, never once did I think about a leprechaun sneaking in my house and trashing my kitchen. Crazy kids, I guess they got us good!

So, we got the kids ready for school and they found the gold coins the REAL leprechauns had left for them in their bags and shoes and had milk that the REAL leprechauns had turned green with Lucky Charms for breakfast then we headed off for school.

I hit the gym for yoga and today was honestly my favorite day of yoga so far. I'm learning to like the more intense yoga that Abby does and just do some extra stretching afterward. She talked a lot about not letting the 'stories' in your mind control what you do. Reminded me of my run yesterday. You just have to take inventory and realize that it is in your head that you can't do it, push that aside and then carry on and breathe through. Be IN your body and IN the moment, don't escape it - embrace it!

Went to spin class this morning with hubby. I was glad he wanted to come to the gym with me this morning! It was fun to have someone there with me. We had to drop the car off for an oil change and alignment, so what better way to waste some time? :)

I took it easy in spin class. I've got to thinking about the past 3 weeks and my Saturday runs being so blah and the biggest thing that has changed is spin on Friday. So, I since I wanted/needed my legs to be fresh for tomorrow I kept it easy. I could tell the teacher wanted me to go harder, but whatever. That is what I like about spin, you can take it easy if you want and few people will notice. Hubby was done about 10 min into class, but stuck it out. He says his leg won't work to push the brake on the way  down to SG - I told him to just use cruise control.

Afterward we did a bit of core work and then stretched really well. On the way home I was thinking I felt like I didn't even work out. I wanted to go run...hmmm, hopefully this is a GOOD sign that I will be rested and ready to hit it tomorrow! (I'm already thinking about excuses for not hitting my goal, especially the wind.... I need to stop and just do it!)

Well, I certainly didn’t set out to hit a near PR, I just wanted to see what my legs would do. I couldn’t even remember after I saw my time if it was a PR or not (I didn’t know seconds, only 44). I’ve heard PR’s are only good for 2 years, so I guess a near match 2 years later isn’t too bad. Not to mention this course certainly isn’t as easy as Des News, it’s still a good downhill course – until mile 3 J

Best part of the race was that I got on the first bus and got a fresh porta potty at the start! That has never happened to me, you gotta revel in small victories. Rode up with some fun girls and got to visit with Brent and Sylvie for a minute before a short warm-up. I did .6 up the canyon then turned around and came back down. Oh man, I knew then I was gonna love the downhill!

After the warm-up I found Matt, Brooke, Teena and Ryan. I was happy to have finally found them! I was getting worried I wouldn’t get to see them before the race. We dropped our bags and then headed to the start with just minutes before the start.

I just kept up with the crowd the first mile, and true to form I didn’t check my garmin for speed or distance – I just ran what felt good. The first three miles were just amazing and I felt strong even on some of the rolling uphills…then we hit Ivins. The hills really weren’t hills much at all, but after the strong drop downhill the flat made turnover quite a bit harder. At one point I thought about how slow my pace was, but I told myself “no one is passing you, so everyone is slowing pace. As long as you keep with the  crowd and don’t get passed you have NO reason to get down on yourself!” I was able to hold strong and then we hit the final downhill push which I knew was a turn onto Main St and then just the .2  to the finish.

On the downhill I had a couple catch me and just pass me. Well, I’d had enough – I was going to keep up with them/her and then push to finish. There was also a girl in front of me I’d been reeling in for about a mile and I was going to beat her! Well, these 2 ladies (the guy from the couple dropped back at about .2 to go) certainly had a push too. I tried and pushed out all I could, but we all crossed the finish in one big group! After seeing the finishing results I wish I would’ve pulled out just a little more push…just a little! 10 seconds faster would’ve taken me from 7^th place  to 4^th place – within shooting range of the podium in my AG is AMAZING for me! Oh well, I really don’t feel bad about it and as the day draws on my legs are telling me they left it all on the road!

AP: 709

Splits: 6:21 (thank you downhill!), 7:15 (realizing I need to back off a bit to survive), 7:06 (cruising on), 7:21 (honestly surprised with the uphill encountered here), 7:31 (the worst/slowest uphill for me), 7:39 (flat and bad brain talk, but brought myself back), 6:15 for the last .2 push to outrun those ladies!

I was pleasantly surprised to see the 44 on the clock! Teena came in just behind me and after exchanging short stories and seeing Matt’s amazing finish time we took off back to grab Brooke and Ryan. I ran Brooke in and my legs were so shot I couldn’t keep up with her on her surge to the finish! Had a great chat with everyone as we grabbed some goodies, drop bags and saw results then Teena and I took off for 7.5 cool down miles @ 9:13AP

Got a nice tour of Ivins and then ran the last 3 miles of the course again, and those ‘hills’ really weren’t all that bad the second time around! Teena was still running strong, but I’d pooped out and she had to drag me through those last couple, but I certainly don’t regret it! What a wonderful morning, the wind stayed away until the cool-down miles and I had great company during the race and cool-down.  Now I get to spend the rest of the weekend veggin’ out with the family, I just wish it was WARM!!

Man oh man, my quads and the TOP of my feet are sore. I've never had the tops of my feet/front of my ankles sore before, so I don't know what I did to do that, but I'm feeling it! So, I decided to deviate a little from my normal routine and take things easy to help recovery and not push and injure myself. 

Did the elliptical for 50 min on L12 4.5 miles (nice and easy...)

Then I decided to do the TM instead of going to FIT class. I love the bosu work, but decided some easy miles would be better than a beat down. 5 miles in 45 min - 9mm AP. Started at a 10mm and just worked my way down as the first mile wore on and did the majority of the run at 8:57 with a little faster finish to get the 5 in within the 45 min time.

Stretched and came home. Now off for a good week's worth of housecleaning - blech!

I did NOT want to get up this morning, I did NOT want to do anything this morning, I just wanted to sleep, sleep and sleep. I'm still tired and have sore muscles from the race and I'm just tired. BUT I knew Sandra would be coming and I was too lazy (and I have my pride too) to go downstairs to get my phone to text her and say I didn't want to run. I think it only took me 15 minutes to put my shoes on. Didn't leave enough time to brush my teeth before running either, which I regretted when I was done! Cottonmouth from running on top of morning mouth is a double disaster! (I hope I'm not the only one who occasionally has to skip teeth brushing before runs to get out the door on time)

Sandra really is getting stronger each run and I'm impressed with how well she is doing! Our AP for the 4.1 miles was 9:40 and the 2 uphill miles were just seconds over 10 which is a wonderful improvement and I think some of it was me sometimes dragging.

I wasn't sure I wanted to do anymore, but figured I need to stop being a pansy and learn how to do active recovery if I'm going to do the slam this year. So, I headed out for 3 more (Lucy's leash was at the neighbor's who watched her for us over the weekend, so she got left at home). When I was at about mile 2 I kept thinking about adding a bit on, but went back and forth. Well, I was still deciding as I ran past the last street to go home so I then figured I'd made my choice. I ended up adding on an extra 1.15 to round out the miles for the morning at 8.25.

AP: 8:57 splits: 9:12, 8:30, 8:52, 9:13, 8:43 (last .15) - I was happy to see that my hill of despair mile (4) was a low 9 pace. I still struggle with hills, but it's nice to see them getting easier and faster.

Came home, changed clothes and brushed my teeth :) then crawled in bed with my warming pillow (AKA my 3 year old son who had crawled into bed just before I left to run). I was SO flippin' cold this morning after my run - I just couldn't get warm! I finally heated up some rice bags and started moving again and finally felt tepid again (I refuse to say warm until it is 80+ outside!).

Got the little warming pillow off to pre-school and went to the church for boot camp. It was another good class, but definitely not as hard as the first one. She had us do a ton of running back and forth in the gym, so I tacked on an extra 1/4 mile for all of that. Plank walking around the perimeter of the gym was definitely my favorite activity today! BLECH!

Now we get to spend the afternoon at the doctors office. My sweet baby boy is 9 months old today...9 months! I can hardly believe it, time goes SO fast...and I'm still SO fat!

Still feeling a little blah, so I decided to start with the elliptical to warm up a bit today (plus I have a new book I wanted to start "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" - good read so far). 30 min @ L12 - 2.7 miles. I then hit the TM for a few easy miles.

Put the incline to my normal ol' 1% and did 8:57 pace. The first three miles seemed SO long and hard (*cha-ching*), but then finally by mile 4 I was feeling better and the muscles were warmed up and feeling good. I can't remember when I started increasing the pace, but I did just a little bit to 8:49 then 8:41. During mile 5 I remembered that Riverton Paul had talked about some of the machines going a negative incline and I figured out I was on one of them. Hmmm, time to play :) So for the last mile I did a negative 1% incline and went to 8:00mm. Then the last .2 I flattened out the TM and finished at a 7:30 pace. It was nice to have a little downhill speed in the workout, and gave some variety when I needed a good brain distraction.

Now back to the house...the endless monotony that is housecleaning.

After my run yesterday was the first time all week I felt decent, so I was excited to get out this morning and run. Sandra is out of town so I went at it by myself - no one to blame but me for a slow pace! I still have issues getting up in the morning and was trying really hard to talk myself out of a run, every excuse in the book. But, I knew I'd feel better when it was done and regret it if I didn't. Only an extra hour of sleep wasn't worth it.

I did my 8 mile loop up and around Herriman with my nice recovery down the monster hill. The best part about this run was feeling decent on the hills (although some of the paces were slow) and then on the way home with about a 1/2 mile to finish uphill I really just got a second wind and the hill felt effortless. I don't know what it was, but it sure was welcome!

AP: 8:59 splits: 9:19, 9:09, 9:31, 8:09, 8:17, 9:14, 9:32, 8:40

Now I'm off to yoga. I think I'm going to run Riverton half on Saturday, but just as a training run. If anyone else is doing a 16ish miler that I could tag along with for free, I'd be open to that too. It's just that most of my 'regulars' have other plans this week. Today is the last day to sign up though, so let me know! I'd much rather save the $40.

Spin class. It was a really good class (a substitute, Debbie) and honestly it was my favorite spin class so far at Lifetime. Then spent time stretching and rolling out some little niggles that are whining at me a little. I was going to run a few, but I figured a day off will help the little aches heal so they don't become big nasty monsters.

Snow, snow go away!!!

Sorry I've been such a slacker with posting this. I've been on the blog, but checking race reports from you crazy ultra runners, speedy 5Kers and out-of-town marathoners. The good thing about the weekend is we FINALLY cleaned out our basement and I think I no longer have any boxes to unpack (yes, I've lived in my house for 5 years- what's it to you?!?) The bad part is we had to rent a dumpster to do it!  Three families went in on the 18 cubic foot dumpster and I think we filled the lion's share, but we certainly did the dumpster proud! So, needless to say I was busy sorting, reminiscing and chucking ALL weekend. 

I didn't really race this. I was feeling dejected because I had no one to run with (that wasn't more than a 30 min drive away, thanks for the offers from many of you!), so I signed up Friday evening and paid for a tempo run. I figured I've never done a tempo run and I could certainly use one for training and a 'race' environment is perfect for me to remember to keep up my pace (the 'racers' around me are good pacers!). 

I was going to try to start with a mile warm-up, but I was lazy and slept in and didn't get there early enough to get it in. It was COLD (I am SO SO sick and tired of COLD AND WIND!) and I just found a few people and chatted a bit before the race. I think it took me about 4 miles to warm up once we were off. My body was just cold and my quads were pretty stiff for the first couple miles. Despite that, I was able to keep up my pace.

About 1.5 miles into the race a group of guys (it was fun, because they were taller so I didn't feel like a giant in the group!) caught up to me and then I heard the 'leader' say "all right guys, we're going a little fast, we can back off now." I jokingly turned and said "Now that we caught the tall blonde, just stick with her for a while." They all laughed and we got to talking and chatting. They wanted to hit a 1:50 straight up, so I became their unofficial pacer - which didn't go so well later down the line. It was fun and they really made the race a good memorable one for me! Good times for sure.

The big hill comes about mile 3-4 and I was ready for it. I think I've run it about 5 million times with the BBK's, and I knew I could push through it. I surged ahead of my pace group and caught Shelly at this point. I couldn't talk to her, due to the hill, and then at the top she had disappeared. I later found out that I again got 'pacing' duties for her and helped her realize she was putting too much into the race and she needed to back off. So helpful, I know :)

I kept in front of my group to the aide station at mile 5 then down the big hill back to the JRP, but heading into the wind I lost it. My legs just fell out from under me and BLAH! This was about mile 7-8ish and my pace group gapped me by about 30ish seconds. I could still see them and kept in mind to catch them, but just didn't have the legs at the time.

I coasted through the turn in Bluffdale and actually started feeling good again just before the S-curve. I could take it and I knew it! Bring it on!!! I ran the tangents on the S curve and I think that really ticked some people off, but isn't that a good thing to do and NOT go the long way around the outside? Anyway, oh well - I got it done and in good fashion. Although I felt like my pace was dropping I was constantly being able to pick off people as they slowed. Only one 'woman in black' stayed a consistent 3-5 seconds in front of me (I passed her once after the s-curve, but she passed me back at the last aide station when I stopped to actually make sure liquid got IN my mouth).

At mile 12 aide station I finally caught my pace group (yeah, the one I was 'leading') as one of them came out of the pop. The group had split and half of them were ahead, but I finally caught the leader who was waiting for the pop guy. They then stayed maybe 10 seconds in front of me helping pull me into the finish. I didn't think I'd picked it up at all at the end, but according to splits I certainly did.

I was pleased to see the clock under 1:50 (this was my MP goal for the tempo run). I knew I was well out of any range of AG prizes, but on my card I was happy to see 24th overall female and 9th in my AG. Not to shabby for a good tempo run!

I had a chocolate milk and grabbed some fruit to take for later then set out with Chad R for a few cool down miles to hit my goal of 16 for the day. We just did a big loop around the park and back on the course. It was a wonderful chat and then we got back just in time for prizes and awards. A HUGE congrats to SO many people who won awards! I didn't get any prizes, but it was fun to watch the awards - plus I knew only my basement was waiting for me :(

Overall, I think it was a successful run. Not that I want to pay to run every weekend, but having people to help keep me going on a tempo run to finish off a 45 mile week isn't too shabby!!

AP: 8:19 (Garmin says 8:21, because I measured the course short at 13.04) splits: 8:25, 8:06, 8:13, 8:41 (the hill!), 8;22, 7:56 (back down), 8:38, 8:32 (I can feel myself losing it!), 8:43, 8:26, 8:25 (wouldn't know this was the S-curve!), 8:19, 7:48, 6:56 (last .04)

I really think my progressive TM runs help me get back into a race and finish strong. At least, this is my reasoning - whether it's true or not is yet to be determined. I'm really proud of the last mile being Half-marathon race pace and having another mile under 8 as well! I know this helped my overall AP be what I wanted it too, but I really just ran the whole thing how I felt and tried to keep a consistent 'comfortably hard' pace. Definitely worth the money (not to mention cute shirt!).

Blah - stupid body, stupid me, stupid something.

No miles, I think I need a x-training/easy week. My upper quad isn't very happy with me. I didn't feel it until Saturday afternoon, but rest Sunday didn't help. It isn't horrible, but it isn't really good either. It is better today and I think a couple of days with some easy going will do wonders (well, fingers crossed). It doesn't hurt to run, but I feel it more with walking and pressure (like when the kids sit their bony bums on my lap). 

So, in light of all that I took an elliptical day, 4.85 miles on L12 for 50 minutes. Reading time is good too :)

I then did the first 45 min of FIT class. I love that bosu class! The regular teacher was gone and it wasn't as good as usual, but still better than going it on my own.

Gotta keep my running appointment with Sandra! She took the weekend off and I knew she would want to run this morning. Since it would be slow and easy, I just did the 4 with her and then went back to bed. I am SO tired! I stayed up too late last night. My husband was called into work and I got sucked into the computer (which I've been doing a good job of staying off of it and spending more time with family).

AP: 9:40 (The route we did really seems like the best route for Sandra, she is able to keep a much faster pace - it's crazy how much a route can change your pace!)

I slept and slept and slept - until the last minute I HAD to wake up and get the 3 year old bathed and off to pre-school. Then I went to the church for boot camp. WOW! It was a good workout today. We did the normal warm-up stuff (which most would consider a workout) then did a circuit at our own pace: jumping jacks, plank hold while raising one arm at a time to your ear, full sit-ups, burpies, jump lunges, quad burners. You started with 60 of each, then 40, 20, 10, 5. Between each thing (jacks, plank etc)  you ran a lap around the gym as well. Man, it was good times :) The first set of 60 burpies took me forever! I wanted to just run laps around the gym.

It was a good workout and I feel good despite only doing 4 miles. The quad, unfortunately, isn't feeling much better. I'm stretching and rolling and just hoping this doesn't last too long. It did feel okay on the run, but afterward was whining at me.

Another x-training day, the quad is borderline improving. Problem is, it really only bugs me when I walk. Running and exercise don't seem to bother it much - but after, well that is another story. So, I'm trying to be good, but it isn't easy!

Arc traininer - a first for me! I did incline @5 resistance @50 for 55 minutes. It said I went 1.5 on the distance - what distance? I don't know, but it felt a lot harder than just 1.5 miles! It was a wonderful sweat fest.

Then I tried the master step class. I hated leaving early to get to daycare. It was a brain workout for sure, but I really liked it! I will definitely be returning.

Another 4 with Sandra, I really love running with someone in the mornings! I wish the quad was feeling better, but it's only marginal at this point and still tender at times.

Now I'm off to yoga, if anything can help it's yoga!