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

7 uneventful miles on the TM this morning. Tried to make it a progressive run to keep myself interested, but honestly, the miles just flew by this morning. Always a good thing, right?

Didn't make daycare reservations over the weekend so I could only get in at 10AM. I even went and waited to see if anyone cancelled or didn't show - no luck :( So, I had to skip masters swim at 10,  because that was now the time I was running. stink. oh well, there is always Wednesday.

First 2 miles were warm-up @ 8:34, then I increased the incline for mile 3, speed on mile 4, incline on mile 5, speed on mile 6, then went downhill (-.5%) for the last mile @ 7:40 and increased at the 1/3rds to 7:30 and finished the last tenth @ 6:40. Gotta get these legs used to downhill for Saturday at the Halloween Half.

AP for the run was 8:27 - not too bad for feeling good and pretty easy the whole time. When you can sing and dance to your ipod while you're running, you're probably not going hard enough :)

Finished off with a set of 60/60/60 planks (front, side, side) with 25 push-ups in the middle - repeated twice. Wanted three sets, but the nursery was closing. dumb.

With the weather turning cold, I'm not sure I'll ever get outside again. It scares me. I hate the shivering freeze when you come inside after you're done!

4 miles on the TM - warm-up @8:34, MP mile @7:53, rest @8:34, MP mile @7:53 with pickups to the end for a fast finish. AP: 8:20

30 min of upper body weights. Main arms, shoulders and back.

4 miles back on the TM - warm-up @ 8:34, 2 MP miles 7:53 for the first, 7:41 for the second with pick ups to the end, finished with an 8:20, but had to go faster the last .25 to keep up with the song on the ipod :) AP: 8:13

AP for all 8 miles was 8:16

Spent 20 minutes afterward stretching on their special stretching machines - always a good time to relax and enjoy!

Gotta get back on the good eating bandwagon. My tummy hasn't been happy lately with all the crap I've been trying to pass off as food.

Speed Work Wednesday. Last time I did my speed work (1min on/1 off) I was reprimanded about not going fast enough and not going my recovery slow enough....so I dreamed a bigger dream, and bumped things up (and down) a notch. Oh, and I did a lap of heel/toe walking since I can start to feel some gremlins in my shins.

10 min warm up at 8:27 pace

1 min on @ 6:18 (9.5mph)

1 min off @ 9:30 (6.3mph)

repeat 20X - or for 40 minutes, I just go by time - too hard to count....yes, counting to 20 is hard.

finished the last .6 to 7 miles on a -3% decline (halloween half prep) at a 7:40 pace and then increasing the last 1/4 mile. Finished in 54:17, so an AP of  7:45 for the 7 miles...wow, seems harder to run that speed constant than the on/offs!

So, was that fast enough? yes and no. I was challenging, but Kelli said that I should barely be able to run the 1 min and I wasn't exhausted at the end. Now, about half way through I was tired mind you - but with a recovery I was good to go again. I might try 9.6 next time...I might one day go as high as 10, but I really don't know what that would do to me. So, let's just start with what we have....What did this do to you? Tell me. And remember, this is for posterity so be honest. How do you feel? -whimpering ensues. (sorry, off on a tangent there, but can you name it?)

After a 1/4 mile cool down walk with Wendy, I went to masters swim. Good class! Lots of kicking to start with and my legs were spent and tired. blech. But, it felt good when we started swimming and I did a fast 50 in 53 seconds without fins. When I was swimming with bye-wing this summer I could do 50 seconds, but only with fins. So, good improvement! We did a 200 time trial and I beat my time by one second from last time. Ha! oh well, at least I beat it.

I feel good about my speed work today, especially about the fact that for 20 min I ran at a 6:18 pace. I did a 5K in under 20 minutes :) I may have had to break it up, but I can see it now - goals getting closer! :)

Well, I decided to just hang out and take 'er easy (er) today. So, knowing I've got the nasty downhill, quad pounding Halloween Half on Saturday (if you will be there just look for the tall pink haired lady...that'll be me), I decided to practice some downhill miles. 

After a lap of heel/toe walking, off to the TM - again.

First mile warm-up @8:27 1%

miles 2-5 @7:41 -3%

mile 6 @7:30 -3%

(yes, negative. All downhill, so the paces were fast, but it felt so dreamily easy!)

mile 7 @ 8:20 1% (last .15 at 7:53) uphill feels SO hard after 5 miles of easy downhill.

TT: 55:14; AP: 7:53 - perfect MP :)

So, only note to the run is that I did have to stop at 2.35 and run down to the nursery. They thought baby needed a change, but he wasn't dirty at all. Must've been a false alarm. He is after all, a boy! :) So, it was a little broken up, but running out to the car to get the diapers helped me jump right back in when I was ready to go again.

Afterward, I did the 60/60/60 planks (front/side/side) with 20 push-ups between sets 3X. Stretched and then did my own mini yoga class for the last 20 min until daycare pick up. I would've skipped it and just gone home, but I was already into my 2nd hour I'd have to pay for whether or not I used all the time...so of course I'm not going to waste my money! :)

I don't like dark, I don't like cold, but I do like running with friends...so I sucked it up today and met Catherine at Daybreak Lake! I was excited to meet a new running friend and to have an excuse to stop being a pansy and run outside. Plus, I had to run before the kids went to school, because they did their Halloween parade etc this morning, so there is no time for the gym.

I'm glad it wasn't too early, 7:00 isn't all that horrible, but it was still dark and cold. We had a wonderful run and got to see the sunrise just starting, the lake is a perfect 5K around so we just chatted on and had a great run. The pace was perfect, enough to keep the legs moving well, but not so fast I couldn't talk and breathe. Since this was the first time I'd run with someone since SGM (other than the race pacing with Annette) talking was VERY important! :) I talked her ear off well, just like normal and then she had to jet, so I finished up the last loop on my own. The sunrise sure was gorgeous, almost stopped to take a picture, but I had to get home.

AP: 8:39 splits: 8:53, 8:40, 8:33, 8:41, 8:37, 8:32, 8:20 (last .25)

Catherine, thanks for driving all the way out into the boonies to meet and run with me! We will certainly have to do it again, and we will have to find somewhere closer to you...and warmer :)

Got home in enough time to quickly shower and get all the kids ready and out the door for the Halloween parade. Lots of fun costumes this year, man some kids (and their parents) are creative! Now I just need to find time to take a nap...

What a fun filled night and morning. Packet pick up was crazy, but I got to chat and hang with some fun people and thanks to friends only had to spend 30 min in line. Dinner alone with 5 kids and an all you can eat ice cream machine is also exciting :)

Woke up 4AM the next morning to avoid the craziness waiting for buses. I forgot how long it takes to get dressed for a cold run! I was just a few minutes behind schedule, but Kelli and I still got on the first bus up to the top.

I nearly puked on the ride (lights inside the bus were left on and I get sick and hate the bus anyway!), I mean seriously almost puked. I was just glad it was a nice bus with a bathroom. I almost got up and ran in, but I decided to try to cool down first. Ripped off the pink wig, jacket and gloves. It gave me enough relief to make it until the bus stopped....about a mile up the road from where it should have. Being inside a bus turning around on the alpine loop is, well, a tad frightening. Then, as we headed down 4 other buses were headed up in the wrong direction. Being inside a bus on the alpine loop while another bus is trying to pass in the other direction is simply terrifying! Kelli and I both thought we were going to die or were in for a true Halloween nightmare! Good times :) I think it only took about 2 of the 3 hours waiting for my stomach to finally settle down.

Sat in the tent and wasted away the next 3 hours chatting with Steph, Heather, Kelli, Allie and James as our small spot of real estate was slowly encroached by the influx of runners constantly streaming in. Met Walter at 8 to do the pacer run down, then found the secret passage back into the tent so we didn't have to fight the masses to get warm :)

As we lined up for the race, it was fun to feel the excitement and have the people who lined up with us (1:50) ready for a good race. We warned them that we would be running course specific paces, and to not go out too fast. Then, we were off.

It was great to see how 4 pacers all had a little different info streaming into their garmins mile after mile, but we'd just kind of take an average and we were always close. Except sometimes, then we just went with the one that was most right...which was usually Kelli :) I think we only had one girl hang with us the whole time and she was a trooper! Most people used us a benchmark "are you still the 1:50 pacer?" they'd ask as we'd run by "no, we decided mid-race to change to a 1:40." really?!? yes, the pink haired tall lady is "still" a 1:50 pacer. The last mile I would tell people struggling "you got this! Stay in front of 1:50, don't let the clock beat you!" I just loved being able to push and encourage people! It was hard at the end not to get the 'horse into the barn' feeling and start picking up the pace. We had to stay steady, but everyone around us was picking it up. Definitely the hardest part!

The finish chute was bad, spectators crowding the small trail and Kelli and I kept telling people to sprint and to go, but you could hardly get around anyone. I asked the spectators to move back a little, and most responded...at least while I was going by. I tried to hug the side, but still just felt like I was in the way.

At 13.1 on the garmin the time said 1:50:02 - perfection! It's not my fault the course was long at 13.2 and we finished 1:50:40 total time, but still perfection if you ask me. We hit all the paces within seconds of the prescribed time on the wristbands, and it worked out great. AP: 8:23, right on the nose. Kelli really needs to take credit for this one, she is an EXCELLENT pacer - I just might have to hire her to get me to hit my BQ next year! You do work for food still, don't you? :)

Helped unload the rock sacks, oh, uh I mean drop bags, from the truck - but only until mine came out and then Kelli and I left. We'd had enough Halloween 'fun' to last us a whole 'nother year!

This race is always fun when it is said and done with, but it is getting crowded and more disorganized as the years go on. I'll probably still run it, because I love the shirts and medals and the fun to be had, but I hope they can get their act together next year...might be asking too much. Thanks Kelli for letting me tag along today and thanks to Walter for letting me help out, definitely the way to run this race! All the craziness doesn't feel so bad when you didn't have to pay :)

Walking around with sore quads and calves today - thank you 13 miles of downhill for that one. All the dancing I did at the Halloween party later helped work some of it out I'm sure!