Fuel SMART,Train HARD, Run FAST.

Worked out with my trainer today. I did a cardio timed weight set with him and came within 7 seconds of the record on my second time. Gonna have to break that soon:)  My lower back is sore from doing new muscle groups today. Afterwards I ran 25 minutes easy.

Today I did mile repeats on the treadmill. 4x1 miles. After a 1.5 warmup my splits were 6:22, 6:18, 6:11, 6:05. with a 800 jog in between at 7:30 pace. I originally planned to run these at marathon pace but I wasn't sure it would feel like a good workout and I wanted to get my legs moving for Saturday's race. Felt good today and was tired after the last interval.

Today I did some strides up my road to get my legs ready for tomorrows race.

Today I ran the Nestle Art Days 5k with 2095 total participants. I had no idea what to expect today. The last time I ran a 5k was 3 years ago. I did little speed work leading up today, but knew I had a good base in from long runs. My only expectation  was to feel comfortable running faster than 8 min pace, something I really haven't done lately since coming back from my pregnancy and knee injury. I was surprised. I felt really good, My lungs were great and I felt like I was literally sprinting the entire time (but obviously I wasn't:) since my legs were not use to moving that fast. The race had one big hill in the first mile then flat and gradual downhill for the last 2 miles. I forgot to bring my Garmin with me, so that was interesting running without knowing my pace or what mile I was one since nothing was marked. So running blind was nice. It makes me wonder if I would have run faster with my watch or slower due to thinking I couldn't keep up the pace. Hummm. Very happy with today.

Out of 2095 I finished 46th overall, 13th in woman and 4th in my age- enough to earn a plaque. The first place girl ran it in 18:56. Well, that was nice, but now time to get competitive!

Today was a cross training day. I did 1 mile on the treadmill to loosen my legs from Saturday's race, then did 25 minutes on the elliptical and 10 on the bike. Additionally, I did 60 minutes of lifting -a plan my trainer I meet with 2xmonth made for me. Good day.

Today I hauled the kids with me to the track. I haven't done a track workout in so long! My friend reminded me how much easier it was to do speedwork on the track rather than the treadmill. How could I have forgotten? 10mph on the treadmill feels like a sprint but the track made it feel smooth and easy. I started with plyometrics and remembered how much I love doing this.

I had originally planned to run 5X800 at 7:00 pace, but I really had no idea how to run these since I don't know my 10k-marathon pace. I did the first one effortlessly in 3:13 then decided to work down from there. My spits were 3:13, 3:13, 3:09, 3:05 and 2:59. I think I could have done 4 more at this pace and that surprised me. Kids were screaming to go home so I did .5 warmdown and went home satisfied:)

This morning I woke up at 5:30 to run Davis, a pretty hilly run climbing up to 300 feet. The last few times I have run this, I have averaged around 8:40 pace and felt pretty good with that effort since some of my miles were like 13 min/mi. Today I averaged 8:00 for 8 miles with a mile warm up/down. My half split was 8:16 pace and last split at 7:44. I couldn't decide if going there was easier or back from the hills. I think it evens out  and I did give more effort on the way back. Felt good today and finding some strength and stamina. Hills are getting more manageable for me and my legs are getting and looking stronger! Good run.

 Later today I did 1 hour of weights and a 5 mile bike ride at a steady pace.

Took a walk by the Temple today with my family.

Davis Run- rolling hills and steep hills throughout (early morning)

8 miles at 7:47 pace (1:01.33)

1 mile warmup and .5 cool down=9.5 miles

I pushed a little more than usual but felt cool and comfortable throughout-like I could have gone another 5 at that pace. Left knee a little sore on the last mile. Iced each for 20 minutes.

Getting faster and closer to my goal of 7:00min/mi pace for the marathon. I hope to be able to run Davis at that pace to give me confidence that I can run on flat courses even faster!!

2 mile warm up and 1 mile warm down

Timed 5k at 6:38 pace on treadmill, good for an overall time of 20:37. I wasn't planning on running more than a mile, but kept going and it felt good till the last 400 I really tried to push the pace. That time beats my race time 1.5 weeks ago, so I am making small improvements:)

 Afterwards I did 10 minutes on the elliptical and 10 minutes on the bike for a cool down.

I ran in my new shoes today and felt some arch and shin splints, but I guess I expected that. Hopefully it eases up. Glad I did this run today, because it turns out I might fill in for the Wasatch Ragnar Relay this weekend running the third leg. It should be fun!

Last second I joined the Ragnar relay and had the time of my life! Since I had to work Friday morning, I joined in for my second leg running rolling hills. I ran 5 miles climbing 300 feet in 36:15.

My Second run I did 7.7 miles up a literal mountain in 1:02:36. I felt

really good, especially passing 44 runners and falling down hard once

and about broke my wrist from wearing my old Garmin 301. For those who

know what those look like, you know what I mean. So fun!!!

Today I went on a 3 mile hilly walk with my family.

Today I warmed up on the elliptical since my knee has been kind of sore since the race. I warmed up 2 miles then ran 3.5 at 7:00 pace then cooled down for another .5 mile. Afterwards I did 30 minutes of lifting.

1 mile warmup, 8mi at 7:50 pace (1:02:20), 1 mile warm down. 

This morning I did Davis run again. I could tell a big difference running the Ragnar hills from training on my Davis run, so I think I'll keep it up. Hills are starting to feel easier and I'm getting more efficent. I feel a little more beat up from this mornings run and my time wasn't any faster. It could be that I ran the entire time without my ipod so my perceived exersion is increased or I am still recovering from last weekends race. Despite, I still felt strong for the most part.

 Additionally, I walked 4.5 miles with my family in the evening. Since I'm not injured, I'm not counting those miles:)

Today I went to a Yoga class. It's been so long since I've done yoga, it was a little embarrassing. Afterwards I did 25 mins on a bike and 15 mins of weights.

4 mile easy walk with family.

4 mile tempo at 27:30 (6:51 pace) with 1.5 warm up and .5 mi cool down

 Wow, today was an off day. I set the alarm for my usual morning workout and just could not get out of bed! I suspect it was because I have been averaging 5 hours a night for the past week and it is starting to wear on me. I think my calorie count has also been less than usual since it has been hotter outside and I have been working...I guess. Yesterday I was feeling off and today it manifested itself during my workout.

I decided to run on the treadmill for my planned tempo run. Although I ran it for the most part as planned, I felt horrible during the whole thing and wanted to quit every mile. Additionally, my heart rate half way through was at 93% of my max- telling me my body was not in the mood. Afterwards I felt exhausted and had some cold chills. I must be getting sick. I think I am going to start tracking my heart rate more in the morning and during workouts. On a positive note, today was the first day I wore my compression sleeves. I think I'm going to like them!

I have two races in the next week, so I might take it easy the rest of the week besides some intervals on Wednesday to set the pace. I am running a 5k on Saturday morning and a 10K on Monday morning.

 5 miles easy with 1x1 mi at 6:50 and 1.5 mi at 7:15, half mile jog inbetween. 9 miles total on hilly course. For the most part I played around with my new Garmin 405. I had to take off my compression socks half way because they were bothering me. I think I will just wear them after runs, I've decided I can't stand wearing them during runs. Okay day, pretty tired. Need to rest up for race on Monday, I bagged the Satuday one...I think.

Run down main street at 7:45 pace with some hills. Felt fine.

Easy run with my sister Tammy today. So fun to run with her! Likely 9-9:30 pace today We picked up our race packets for Monday's race and feel pumped!

Ran some strides in my new Saucony Kinvara 2 Shoes. I love them! Checking to see if they are going to bother me for tomorrow's race. Nope! So far, so good.

Official Race Results:

Distance: 6.31 miles

Time- 42:45

Overall place:49th out of 1272 total runners

Overall Women: 9th out of >600+ females

Age Divison: 3rd in 25-29 age group

Garmin Results:

 Distance: 6.31 miles

Time: 41:35 at 10k (6:48 pace)

I always go off my Garmin times, distance and pace since it is uniform and individualized for me on all runs. It's a more steady comparison tool across the board. Sometimes it results in a  better time, other times not so much. Today was in my favor and I needed it! YES!

This morning I woke up refreshed and ready to run! I drove to the race with my sister Tammy and her friend Dawn. I warmed up with 2 miles and some strides. It was great weather with an overcast. There were tons of people everywhere! The last time I ran this race was about 10 years ago and it has really changed. I lined up in the middle of the 6:00-7:00 pacers and looked around at the competition. I talked to Kassi Harmon, someone I competed against in HS and college. I knew she would take it all, she is super fast! After the gun went off, I tried to pace myself accordingly. The first mile had a good hill but then a good down hill. Miles 2-4 were flat. My 5k split was just at 20:00. The last 2 miles had some hills with the last one really taking it out of me. I lost my steam on the last hill with about 1.25 mile to go and resulted in a horrible split. Garmin splits were 6:45, 6:12, 6:35, 6:42, 7:01, 7:25 and .55.

After the race I was super light headed and dizzy. It was difficult to walk but not due to being tired (even though I totally was), but being super disoriented. I didn't feel like that during the race but right after I slowed down after crossing the finish line. I knew I needed Gatorade and something to eat. I have never felt like that before and I thought I fueled pretty decent leading up to the race...it was bizarre and took about 15 minutes to gather my thoughts and gait together. Has that ever happened to you before? What do you think would be the cause? Ha, I know that is actually pretty common in the running community, but it was really a strange, unreal feeling yesterday, unlike anything I had experienced before, so it was weird. 

Afterwards I talked to some of my friends who also noticed the course being over .11. Oh, and I felt it! Then I stayed for the awards. I  received a glass trophy with a lazor engraved image in the center for third finisher in my age. Pretty cool token.

Overall it was a good racing experience. The last time I ran a 10k race was in 2005 so it was good to see where I am at and where I need to improve. My splits were kind of all over the place, but I suppose it may have been  from the hills, lack of knowing how to pace, and lack of conditioning towards the end. I got the time I expected today. I am anxious to see what I get in two weeks when I race the Speedy Spaniard 10k since it is a flatter course.

I also ran in my new Saucony Kinvara 2 shoes and LOVED them! They are so light and comfortable. I think I will race the half and possibly the full in them in the coming months. I want to buy several other pairs so I never go without! They. Are. Awesome.

14.11 miles total at 8:35 average pace and HR at 75%. Had some stops for a bathroom break and a drink without stopping the timer, but took aprox. 1:48 to run 13 miles and jogged for the last 1.11 miles up and down my street to get around 2 hours total. My only goal was to run the distance without pushing at all. 14 miles is the furthest I have ran for almost 3 years! Whoa time flies when your having fun, having babies:)

Nice cool morning down main Street. Felt nice and relaxed. Some hills and rolling hills throughout. I think my heart rate is slightly elevated due to being sick the last few days with the stomach flu, but didn't effect my run at all. I really need to start tracking my HR in the mornings to dictate my workouts.

I was surprised my legs were a little sore post run so did some stretching and a 15-20 min ice bath with some Naproxen...just to cover all the bases. All better:) Nice easy long run.

5 mile hike in the mountains with family pushing a jogging stroller...not so easy.

6x800 with 1 minute jog on treadmill between intervals. Splits were 3:15,3:14, 3:13, 3:12, 3:11, 3:09. They felt fine other than my right knee started to bother me by #3. All felt good but started to feel tired by last one. I plan to go on a 10 +bike ride this evening.

Set the alarm to 5am so I could get my workout in before work. Little did I know I would be called off until later in the day but glad to have it done.

Ran 8 miles total in 68 minutes on Davis. Lots of wind, rolling hills and ran on the grass not further irritate my knee. After  a very slow 1 mile warm up  trying to wake up and get up the mountain,  I pushed the next 6.5 miles to comfortably moderate pace to 7:20-7:30 pace. It felt comfortable but started to get more tired in the last mile up the final hill. Then ran a 1/2 mile cool down home. My Garmin was wigging out so I didn't get exact times, so I just went off the time left my home to when I returned home. Iced knees for 20 minutes and feel great!

Woke up this morning for a long run. Perfect weather. Ran down main on grass and rolling hills for 8 miles then turned around for 16 total. Easy and fun. Splits were 8:56, 8:57, 8:45, 8:48, 8:36, (starting to climb mountain trail)8:57, 9:00, 921, (back down) 8:08, 7:49, 8:07, 8:10, 8:21, 7:32, 8:50. Mile warm down thereafter.8:39average pace. Average heart rate was at 164 bpm or 75%HRmax. For the most part I can see where my up and down hills were with my splits. The flat areas I averaged around 8:10 pace.

I found a pretty cool trail at about mile 6 I started to run up, well It more like wogging:) I would like to explore it more and do a significant amount of my run there next week!

Felt good post run. Took an ice bath and put on the compression sleeves. Ready to recover and get back at it on Monday.

Today I did 2x3.1 intervals on the mill. After warm up I did the first one in 19:42 then jogged for .5 mile then ran the last one in 19:38. Felt good, so good that I might have been able to do one more but decided I had ran enough for the day. Confidence booster workout:)

Long run at 8:15 average pace. Rolling hills and grass. Felt good but my ipod only worked for the first 10 minutes...then it got boring. Planned on 18 but planned timing poorly and ran out of time before needing to run back to go to work.

Ran along the Handcart days half marathon route cheering on runners. Got me excited for Monday's race!

This morning I raced the Spanish Fork Speedy Spaniard. I use to run this race every year while in High School and college but have not for the past 6 years. It's funny, becuase my time is still the same for the most part give or take 20 or so seconds.

The race started at Canyon View Park and it was cold and windy! I sat in the the car and only warmed up about a mile before starting. That was a mistake because I felt very stiff and sleepy  for the first mile....like I could have laid on on the road and fall asleep. Since my Garmin decided to bail on me again I had to race by feel. It also made me to  all of a sudden not want to race but just run it like a tempo workout. That's stupid. So I went out pretty slow and felt like I might have done around 7:30 pace for the first mile or so. Lots of wind, but helped at times too. There was a slight down hill around mile 2 or 3. I was so curious to know my time and spilts! I saw a bunch of girls ahead of me. I was not in the racing mode for sure at this point, just lazy. Felt very easy and relaxed till mile 4 when I saw my mom. She was confused what my racing tactic was and told me I was 7th in women and to step it up. What was I thinking? This is a race! Disguisted with my very lazy start and groveling over my Garmin, I decided to start charging the women. I passed 3 at around mile 5 and made ground on number 3, but waited too long to surge.

594 male and female runners finished. I placed 22nd overall. Out of the 325 females, I placed 4th overall and 1st in my age group (25-29) with a total time of 40:26, good for 6:30 pace. I ran better today compared to 3 weeks ago (about a minute), but this course was easier too.

After seeing my time I was very surprised. I learned something from today's race. 1. Don't let Garmin ruin your day 2. I realized I can pace myself just fine without it. 3. I wouldn't have done any better had it been working, and I think I felt better during the race because I found that when I go out very relaxed, I have lots of energy. Duh! Good reminder though. And last, 4. This made the race enjoyable and it didn't feel tough, except for the last half mile.So overall a good day. I can see improvements each week:)

 Received awards and talked to lots of old friends. Cooled down and iced. Good day:)

Easy 6 miles with jogging stroller, then 5 mile bike ride with caboose.

Woke up at 5am and ran to Farmington. Ran about 50% on grass. Rolling hills as always but great weather! Felt nice and smooth. After 2 mile warmup to wake up body, ran spilts in 8:37, 8:32, 8:15, 7:55, 8:04, 8:22, 8:17, 8:14, (took small break with gel and stomach upset for next 2 miles) 8:39, 8:41, 8:02, 7:50,7:28, 7:55, 8:05, (large hill finish) 8:43. Averaged 8:11 after warmup, but overall ran in 2:31.21 (8:24). Nice run overall and ran comfortably. Ice bath and compression stalkings afterwards.

Ran Davis this evening with hills and baby jogger, but great evening. Ran 1 mile warmup and three at marathon pace or rather effort. Splits were 8:13,7:23, and 7:43 felt moderate under conditions. Afterwards I walked for 2 miles due to not wanting to go over my weekly miles with stroller.

I really need to get on a track and start hitting my pace....I really have no idea what my marathon pace should be either. According to McMillans pace calculator I am on target for a ~3:10 marathon. Not sure if that is accurate. Ughh. I might have to run it without my watch and surpirse myself again:) Highest miles recorded for the week (39)in 7 years! Ya!

Today I ran to Bountiful track (2 mile warm up) and ran 5 miles at pace (3mi on track 2mi with hills on way home). Splits were 7:07 6:57, 6:50, 7:20, 7:27(avg. 7:27 pace). Felt good but last two were more effort with the hills. Planning to increase this run to 7 miles at pace, maybe later in the week.

Biked 8 miles with family hills with caboose.

Long run today on Main. Rolling hills but only ran about 25% on grass, just because I'm sick of being slow. averaged 8:03 mile pace. Overall was 2:46.Warm up first mile at 9:30,8:49, 8:33, 8:11,7:44, 7:54,8:13, 8:00, 8:06, 7:55,8:03, 7:58, 7:18, 7:47, 7:30, 7:34, 7:55 9:10 -hill and cool down time and the last two were around that time too, but Garmin wigged out again. Took a bathroom break twice and a GU midway. Good run, felt tired rest of the day. Pushed to moderate and felt really good. 

Biked 7 miles later in the day pulling the kids in caboose. 

Easy trail run to loosen legs.

Walked about 4 miles around Lagoon today with family...long run tomorrow!

Long run total of 22 miles. Pretty easy till last 7. I didn't have my Garmin due to it being repaird, so clocked run in car last night. Goal today was to run 15 normal then the last 7 at goal pace. I ran down main on 50% grass/dirt and rolling hills. Felt around 8:40 pace and probably so according to time. Ran home for the last 7 on the treadmill so I could be on pace. First mile was sort of rough for some reason, splits were: 7:47, 7:27,7:32, 7:24,7:24,7:19,7:19. I wish the pace was faster on these, but I have no idea what pace I should be planning on, so due my right knee being a cry baby from mile 16 on, I played it safe. Altogether around 2 hours and 50 minutes. Two breaks total-one bathroom break at mile 6 and at mile 15 when I got home to get on the mill (9 mins total). Iced knee and went to Chiropractor today for tens therapy and ice. I also purchased some liquid glucosamine I am pretty excited about!

Easy to moderate run today. A little tired from doing my 20 miler only 5 days ago but wanted to get it in early since my half marathon is in less than 2 weeks. I'm getting excited! 

Today I went to the gym but only had 30 mins so I did 15 mins of spin, and 10 of elliptical. Better than nothing, I guess.

In a hurry today again because I was so unmotivated and waited till last minute to do the workout. I did 1 mile warm up then 6x800 at 6:27 pace then 1X1600 at 6:27 with a 200m jog inbetween each interval. I resisted the urge to go any faster since I wanted to get a steady pace set for my half next week. Workout felt easy, probably should have done a few more, but ran out of time. I think my speed workouts need to be increased- I hate doing them though. If I could do a long run everyday I would:)

Afterwards went to the Chiropractor for tens treatment, ice, some exercises and adjustments. 

Easy run with a 2 mile tempo at 6:10 pace. Kinda hard but then so was the "easy run" at 8:10 pace, off day. Taking tomorrow off.

Later I went swimming with the kids. I had planned to bike 6 miles and run another 8 with my brother after swimming but plans fell through and it was probably over kill for this weekends race. 

Tonight I ran around the church with the kids riding thier bikes. Since my church is on a hill, I took advantage of running the grade 4 times at race pace on the grass. Each were about 200 meters with a 200 jog inbetween. Ran them at 6:40 average pace. It felt like I was going so fast, I hope I can get in a comfortable groove once I'm racing. I guess I expect to run anywhere from 640-50 pace. Hopefully faster:) My calorie count and quality has been down this week due to working so much so I need to focus on good calories for the next few days to bulk up on energy! 

All I can say is that I completely surprised myself today. I made a goal to not let my Garmin tell me how fast to run, so I didn't look at it. I went by feel, and I felt amazing!

I woke up at 4:15 and got ready. I went with my sister, brother in law, and two friends. We caught the first buses and waited around the start for over an hour, but I had good company so it was fun. We started late, but I'm not sure what time. I decided to start in the very front so I could see all the women I was competing against. I'm so glad I did this, I think it gave me a good advantage to race! Gun went off and I tried to hold back some. 

At about mile 2, there were aprox. 15 women ahead of me. One by one I worked on them till there were only 3 left in front of me. At my 10k split I had a PR of 38:39. I was pumped but scared. I didn't dare to look at my watch or do the calculations so I just kept going.

Somewhere around mile 7 Julie Hughs (1st winner) passed me and then I was 5th.The first 8 miles I felt like I was sprinting and started to worry I might have been going to fast but decided to stay up with it.  I knew I was on pace for a great time and I kept saying my mantra, "world class", don't ask me why, but it helped.

Miles 12 and 13 my legs were pretty tired but lungs felt great at least. I felt like a shuffler. With 800M to go, I saw my family and friends cheering me on! But I didn't go any faster:) Finally finished in a time of 1:23.45 (6:24 min/mi), around 30th in overall male and female, 4th in Open women division, (5th counting 1 masters woman), and 1st in age group (25-29). I recieved the Elite 100 medal, shirt and a large plaque!

Splits were 6:37, 6:20, 6:23, 6:15, 6:14, 6:16, 6:41, 6:29, 6:38, 6:39, 6:45, 6:55, and the last 1.1 I didn't pick up  accurately due to not stopping my watch at the finish line and the GSP going in and out of signal through the canyon causing the course to show shorter so, it was messed it a bit.

Went home and took an ice bath with my sister in our racing clothes:) and rolled out my muscles. 

Great race for me today, maybe my best ever for not only time, but feeling. I learned a valuable lesson...don't let Garmin dictate my race! Best choice to date. I'm elated:) 

Sore, wanted to run in the evening but had things come up and didn't care to run anyway:)

Went to the gym today and did 30 mins on the elliptical and an easy 2 mile run at 7:45 pace. Legs are still tired. Afterwards did 20 mins of weights.

My. Legs. Hate. Me.

Okay, so I have been so tired since Saturday's race. I had speed work planned for Monday but was too sore so I put it off a day. Well lets just say I have postponed it everyday till this morning. I made myself go to the track whether my body liked it or not. Surely I am in better shape than I am giving myself credit for...right? Wrong. I need to listen to my body more and today that was evident to me.

I woke up and ran to the track at 6 am.feeling a little sluggish but fine. My plan was 6X1200 starting at 6:00min/mi pace and working down each interval with a minute rest in between. That plan went south after my first 800m. My legs and lungs were spent. Yep. Okay, so 2X800's and the rest 1200's, ya know, to get my body going. Well, after 400m I knew I was in trouble. Feeling discouraged and wondering what I was going to do, I decided to ask a group of women runners (6) on the track what they were doing (clearly they were doing intervals). They invited me to join them and since I had no clear purpose or plan at that point, I did and had fun. It was clear they were all at different levels but GREAT company and so nice. 

After a few intervals on my own and some with the girls, I ended up doing 3x 800 and 4x400 with half the distance rest. The order went  800 (3:03), 400 (1:29), 400(132), 800 (2:58) 400 (1:22), 400 (1:24), 800 (3:10). I tried to stride out my last 800 because my legs were not happy.

I'm not going to lie, this workout was not working for me today. My legs and lungs were spent to begin with. It would have been intersting to see where my heart rate was at, but Garmin betrayed me again and did not pick up my HR while I was wearing my monitor today. I think I need to take the rest of the week easy or I bet I get sick or injured. You know how you can just feel something coming?

Anyway, I am getting pretty nervous about my legs fully recovering before TOU. I didn't know they would be this worn out from my half or I might have planned my races differently. Have any of you had this issue with running a race 3-4 weeks before a marathon and having soreness as an issue? I would love the comfort/advice right now, pretty worried. I have a 22 long run this Saturday with the last 10 as a race simulation but I might need to postponed that for next week...or should I just start tapering all together now? Ugh.

I'm over being a cry baby. Feeling better today but didn't want to run on the legs either. So went to the gym and did:

5x4 min intervals on row machine at moderately hard effort.

20 mins on elliptical

2x36 pushups on various leveled planks

6x1 min planks alternating front to sides.

2x12 ball exercises

2x15 exercise ball planks pulling up and alternating knees. 

 Stretched and rolled out muscles.

Longish trail run tomorrow:) 

This morning I met Kam (from the blog) for a beautiful trail run. Garmin was flipping out as always so I guess I ran aprox. 14-15 miles on Firebreak Rd to Farmington Canyon and looped back on Main street. Walked/hiked some spots on the trail, otherwise nice even run. I wimped out the last two miles and Kam had to basically drag me due to my legs still acting like cry babies-but all in all nice run and great company.

Ran Davis Blvd early this morning. I was so scard and prayed all night I would not be attacked by a Cougar since several people have been seeing them in their yards in the neighborhood. AHHHH! Every dog, deer and movement made me think I saw a Coug. No spottings today:)

Ran the rolling hills and felt ok. The first half I felt a little jello like but pulled it together the last half and felt good. Planned to run according to feel and not push too much.

Mile warmup the mountain. Hard to get a good cadence with the hills, thus the slower and faster split times but overall okay average. Spilts were 7:54, 8:07, 8:24, 8:17, 7:44, 7:23, 7:08, 6:39. Average 7:42 pace.

Stretched with ice bath, compression sleeves and iced knees. Good run. 

Today I went to the gym for speed work so someone could watch my baby for the next hour or so while I was delirious. Today's workout was 1x3200m @ 1/2 marathon pace, 3 mins rest, 2x1600 @ 10k pace, 2 mins rest, 2x800 @5k pace, 2 mins rest.=5 miles speedwork.

It didn't look too rough on paper at first, but it ended up being pretty challenging for me.

Times:

3200 @ 12:50 (6:25)

3 min rest

1600 @ 6:07

2 min rest

1600 @ 6:10

2 min rest

800 @ 3:00

2 min rest

800 @ 2:58

400 m jog and 10 min cool down on elliptical. 

The last 800 I had to hang on to the sides not to fall off. I can't remember the last time I had to do that. Exhausted afterwards but legs felt fine! Stretched, iced and compression sleeves afterwards. I might do a couple miles tonight after the kids go the bed to up mileage and stride out legs. I'm off to a funeral in Idaho for the next couple days so who knows what I will fit in. Long run (20) planned for early Friday morning.

Long run down main early this morning with long rolling hills. Felt so good for this run today. Ran calm and strong. AP at 7:50min/mi. One more hard workout on Monday then taper.

6 easy miles near the temple this am. Did a few 1 min pickups at the end. Ughhh, Im not really sure how to taper. I feel like I am just going through motions. Anyone feel like that?

Did some 800's on the mill today. 7x800 at half marathon pace with a 45 sec rest between each. All were done at 6:23 pace, except for the last I did around marathon pace. Comfortable and effortless for me today. I resisted the urge to go faster all in the name of the wonderful week of tapering:) Averaged 7:00 min/mi for a total of 8 miles today including warmup and warmdown. Feeling energized.

Ran in some crazy wind early this morning for a total of 7.  I hoped to get in 8 before work but the wind was too relentless. I'm pretty sure I did about a 13 min mile at one point as I finished up the hill with the wind. The best part about this is that I DON'T CARE CAUSE I'M TAPERING!!:) YEAH!

This morning I woke up at 5:30 to travel to Spanish Fork for a 5k. After warming up I went to the starting line and saw a girl named Holly who has won it in the past. I knew she would take it again, and that was okay, I was not going to challenge her on 5:50 miles today, perhaps another time:) The gun went off and she went out like a bandit with some guy. I followed behind them the entire race.I felt smooth and comfortable for the most part. The grade had some drawn out hills but nothing too tough. The first mile was flat with a small up hill, second mile was a gradual uphill and the third was a gradual downhill. The last 200 m was frustrating! I guess the police were off so they left thier post and runners vulenerable to cross a busy 4 lane street. So after almost gettting hit by TWO cars each coming different directions, I had to stop and wait for traffic with the finnish line just ahead of me. I give myself another 10 secs at least for my own personal records:) Attempted to pull myself together for a fast finish for the last 30 seconds of the race for an official time of 19:40. Without looking at my splits at the moment, they were around-  6:14, 6:26, 6:23, and 5:30 (.10). (6:20 AP). I finished 3rd overall men and women, 2nd in women and 1st in age. This was a smaller race, I think only about 100 participants total. Nice cool morning and a great toon up for TOU next weekend! Oh, and the best part...the course actually measured dead on at 3.1 according to Garmin!

Ran early this morning and did 2 miles at race pace. Felt fast and scared me but oh well, I know it always feels like that. Trying to figure out a race strategy...do I start off slower, same pace or go out fast like I always do and burn up at the end but still have a good time, but not a good time doing it?.Open to your tips and what works for you.TOU is a challenge for me to figure out due to the downhill in the beginning but not the end. Hummm,.....

Not worth the effort for this one. Hurry and made dinner for the kids, packed up all their bikes, jackets, water bottles, pumped up tires and loaded it in the back of the car with one stray neighbor to the Legacy Trail for 5-6 miles. By the time we found the trial (due to construction) it was dark. So I ran with the double stroller  and two girls on the side riding their bikes. After a short while on the trail, it was making me nervous so we turned around for a total of 1.3 miles. I once had a friend that said it wasn't worth running if you do less than 3 miles. That always makes me laugh:D Oh and here's the BEST part....Garmin says AP of 12:13. Ha ha ha ha!

Warm up with 2 miles at 6:50 pace on TM. I got nauseous for some reason. Maybe its nerves or something. I've bit off all my nails and my left eye has been twitching for the last 2 days. Soon I'll start biting at my shoulder....

This is the kind of stuff I've been doing in my training, all ready!:) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn6Xt9Cga30&feature=email

Ummmmm, I didn't do anything today. What's going to happen to me on Saturday? Ummmmm be awesome I guess.

This morning I woke up just before 5 am. Arrive to the busses and got in the long Honey Bucket line. 10 minutes left before start  changed shoes and it stormed like crazy! We had rain and hail. So much fun!! But a total blister fest. Got lined up after finally meeting Allie in person. I saw an eye of a tiger when I looked at her and knew great things were going to happen and hoped for it to rub off on me:) Gun went off and about 10ish girls were ahead for the first 5 or so miles. No warm up like I wanted, but does anyone warm up for these? Hummm. Most of this is TMI, but a journal entry for me as well:)

Splits were:

1. 6:42- Trying to wake up my body, it felt a little fast. Aprox. 10 girls ahead from the start.

2. 6:48 Found Kam from the blog and had short talk with him for a few miles.

3. 6:41 

4. 6:47Lots of rain

5. 6:51  Lots of rain and hail and felt like a wet rat, but a fast rat!

6. 6:53 Passed a girl. 10k was around 41ish.

7. 6:59   Took a decaf GU

8. 6:48  

9. 6:51 Passed another girl and ate a banana.

10. 7:00

11. 7:04 Wanted to push ahead but reminded myself to hold back some till later

12. 6:54 Took another decaf GU

13. 6:52 Crazy cramp in my right foot and limped part of the mile but prayed it away. I believe just under 1:30 for half split.

14. 6:46 Passed a girl and a girl passed me. In 6th overall. No fifth girl in sight. Started to compete.

15. 7:01 Out of the canyon and could feel it but knew there was a little down hill left.

16. 7:04 Saw family cheering!

17. 7:09 Took a caffinated GU. My sister ran part with me with words of encouragement.

18. 7:03 slow but feeling energized

19. 7:35  Small ups and downs and turns but energized and mentally tough.

20. 7:44 hill. Despite time, felt really good here.

21. 7:05 . Still mentally tough with the mantra, "You've trained for this!"

22. 7:21 Took a caffinated GU and needed it. Gradual uphill. Expected the wall but it never came. Lungs felt great, legs were tired though.

23. 7:50 hill, I'm making this hill stuff up, not sure where it was but rolling and winding through neighborhoods. This felt like a tough mile but stayed focused.

24. 7:44 Dedicated this mile to my sister who has some serious health issues . Took a small wrong turn in my borderline state of delirum and focus.

25. 7:26 Dedicated this mile to my husband and all his hard work and support, sister ran with me some.

26. 7:33 Dedicated this last mile to my self, my hard work in training and my patients who I always encourage them to do anything they set their mind to.

Last .39 I didn't get due to not stopping my watch but I felt like I had a decent kick with horrible form:)  Measured .19 over according to Garmin. But Garmin has steered me wrong before.

Placed 45th overall male and female, 6th overall females, and 1st in age. I believe my gun time was 3:07:18.6.2. A huge PR for me by 22 minutes from my first and only other marathon in 2008. I received a nice moose trophy and $50 bucks that went straight to my babysitter when I got home. So worth it and so fun!

Afterwards got a massage and sat in the cold ditch with Kam while we visited with our families and discussed the race.

Thank you to friends and family for all your support. Too bad you all received texts for some reason that I placed 3rd overall. I knew that wasn't possible unless the two ahead of me were Masters and they weren't, they were young, strong women! Congrats to all!

I've got to go crawl down the stairs now. 

Today I went to the gym and did 4.5 miles on the elliptical for 50 mins and rolled out my muscles. Feeling on the upswing. Legs are less sore this time than they were for the Hobble Half. Excited to do another race in the near future. This week will be easy cross training, and then I'll start incorporating some easy miles next week for a reverse taper. Should be fun!

3 mile hilly walk today. Off set that by eating a loaf of pumpkin bread when I got home. It looks like my appetite is back.  Legs are 95% back. Can't wait to start running again!

I went to the gym early this morning for some cross training. The treadmill was staring me down, but I didn't give in. Instead I did 2 miles on the elliptical with 5x1 minute pickups. After that I did 1 mile on the row machine (10 mins) and core exercises. Rolled out my muscles, iced and used the tens unit on sore spots. I wonder if everyone always has an achy area after a marathon?

This morning I took the kids on a hike by the temple with little buddy on my back. Hiked about 2 miles total but took forever. Easy run of 5-6 planned for Monday and throughout the week. I think I'll start some pickups the week after that then back to tempos and intervals. This cross training is soooo boring.

2 mile walk with the kids.

Easy 5 down Main Street early this morning. I'm not really a fan of the late sunrise this time of year. Entire run done before the sun comes up. Blah. But a good time to assess the leftover aching pains from the marathon. Right ankle and right knee a little bothersome, but fine. Slow pace, but good to be moving again:) Weights, cross train and easy run tomorrow.

This morning I ran down Main Street with my compression sleeves and btw I change my mind, I like running with them. I felt pretty energized but my pace didn't reflect it- but it didn't need to either. Pushed the last two miles for the uphill portion and felt good. Nice easy AP at 8:24 for 7 miles.  I'm thinking of running the Provo Halloween Half in a month. Has anyone ran that race or have heard anything interesting about it? I think I will exchange the half I was planning on in Idaho for the Provo. Seems smart to me.

Today I was going to meet with a running group, but it got cancelled last minute so I went to the gym for some cross training. 50 mins/5.5 miles on elliptical and some easy core and weights. Hopefully I can get out for a hike or bike ride tonight.

I wore a bright orange reflective top today with good reason, however it didn't prove to be too helpful after nearly being ran over by a man eager to get to work on time. Scared me to death, but not the first time either. Time to get smarter. I think I'm going to start wearing a full reflective vest, with a small headlamp to shine directly in their eyes while I pass the street. No more assuming their eyes meeting mine translates to, " I will not run you over."  At least I was not french kissed by a giant yellow lab this time. That was fun.

On any note, it was a good 10 miles total. I felt energized and legs and lungs felt full functioning again. Easy pace for the first 5 then pushed the last 4 for the hilliest part of the run. When I got home, ran a slow mile with my 8 and 5 year olds- back and forth on the street. They want to do that each morning, but we'll see 2 days down the road.

AP at 8:04. Fastest was mile 8 at 7:09 and slowest at mile 2 (car encounter) at 9:02. This is a challenging run to get a steady fast pace, but I think pushing up the hills has really improved my running economy over the year. I love this area!

 Yesterday I signed up for the Halloween Half Marathon in Provo. I'm excited to do that. I think I'll be a superhero this year if I can find the right costume. 

Lessons learned today: buy a reflective vest and headlamp,  not all french kisses are good, hills are good for me, and superheros are fast!

Nice easy 9 miles on Bountiful Blvd. Tired to run most of it on grass patches and felt good. AP at 8:15.

This am I took my heart rate and it was elevated and I knew it would be since I didn't feel too well over the weekend. Resting HR at 42 bpm and 20 secs after getting up at 50. Supposedly this is a more accurate way to gage your rate so I took a rest day.

This morning I woke up to lots of wind and rain, so I left out the door a bit overdressed only to find it wasn't too cold. Ran 10.40 down main and felt pretty good. I'm tired of this run eliciting just over 8 min pace and decided to push the last bit to get under 8, just for a confidence boost. Splits were 8:14,8:29,8:27 8:01, 8:22, 7:55, 7:52, 7:03, 7:50, 7:26, 7:59 (.40)= 7:57 AP. The last hill made me feel like I was crawling so I need to work on that.

Not a momentous run, but I needed to get out of my rut for this morning run I do most often and start challenging my average pace a little. 

Today I went to the gym for some cross training. I ran 1 mile for a warmup then did 35 minutes on the elliptical. Afterwards I did 2x4 mins of row, "Allie's 10 minutes of planks" with alternating sides, and rolled my muscles out. Boring workout day.

Wow! It was really cold this morning. My skin needs to callus up a bit more for winter. I left the house later than usual this morning because Steve was home and could take the kids. So nice to have him around to help:)

Left a bit overdressed but it was pouring (quite literally) freezing rain that later turned to snow just above where I was running. I didn't have a set amount of miles to run, but needed to be back by a certain time, so I let that dictate my mileage. Ended up running 16.5 with an AP of 7:50. I ran from my house down Main to the new Farmington shops on the other side of the freeway. I really wanted to take the trail back for some flat running, but knew I was running out of time and worried I wouldn't be able to easily get home due to some closures. Splits were 7:50, 7:52, 7:31, 7:35, 7:39, 8:12, 7:35, 8:03, 8:26, 7:48, 7:57, 7:28, 8:07, 8:05, 8;09, 7:39, 7:50 (.5). Felt good, but the hills in the later half took some toll on me. Planning for a fartlek on  Saturday while I'm running around in the snow in Idaho. Yes!

I was a big running slacker over the weekend due to camping in the Tetons. I caught and ate my first fish! I hate fish, but want to like it. So that will one of the goals for 2012. Eat and tolerate fish. Blah. Not excited about that one.

AM-Today I did a fartlek of 5,4,3,2,1 mins at 10k-5k pace.  The junk I ate over the weekend certainly took its toll this morning during the workout.  Paces were: 6:07, 6:00, 5:56, 5:45, 5:30. The faster paces actually felt more comfortable than the 6mi/mi pace oddly enough. I need to challenge my paces more often it seems. I would like to think I could run these shorter races this fast right now, but I need to transition my training from marathon to 10k training for the winter.  I think I am going to start focusing on 10k pacing after the half this month up until spring.

Afterwards stretched out with 10 mins of planks alternating sides. These are never easy for me.

PM-6 miles down 400 with lots of rain and wind.  Loved it!

Happy running!

Gosh, I was up so many times last night from my husband's pager going crazy! That's the last night I sleep with  him while he's on call. It's funny how I'm more concerned about my sleep for running the next day than I am him going in a full day off of no sleep. Running makes me selfish. Anyone else? What's the cure? Empathy? Sympathy? I got nothing.

My joints were bugging me today, so decdided for cross training. 20 min row machine, 20 mins stair cimber, 30 mins elliptical, 20 minues of core and weights. Hope to do a easy run for PM.

Today I ran 10 on Davis' rolling hills. This is a love/hate course for me. Loves: The scenerey, safe road, long stretch and familiar. Hate: rolling hills, hard to get a steady pace/cadence, steep climb there and steep decent on return, millions of deer with thier babies, scared cougars are going to pounce on me in the dark and having to stop to wait for traffic at busy intersections. Huh, looks like the hates out weigh the loves here, but I still love it overall for some reason:) As a side note, saw 11 deer this AM.  

Ran 5 miles for a warmup then did 4 mile tempo on the way back with 1 mile cool down. All the miles were rolling hills with some minor stops for traffic, last mile was downhill. Splits were 7:08, 7:20 7:09, 6:38. Felt pretty good and still had energy when I got home. Feeling stronger. Hopefully I have made some improvements over the month and will be able to challenge my PR in the half in two weeks.

This morning I was pressed for time due to having to go into work. I did 25 mins easy spin, 5 min planks, 5 mins row, stretched and went home. Having some tendonitis like pains in my left foot and right ankle. Need to minimize all this hill pounding I guess. Podiatry app set for Monday. He's going to tell me what I already know..RICE. Blah.

Early 7.5 down Main early this morning. Planned on more, but got called into work. 

Three mile hike up Muller Park with family. Ran down on the way back with the kids. Beautiful fall colors!

Today I had plans to run on the track, but at 6am  it was cold and wet, so I opted for the treadmill. After a 1.5 warmup,  I did an interval workout consisting of 1000, 800, 1000, 800, 1000, 800, 1000, 800 with a 400 jog inbetween each. Paces were- 6:11, 6:07, 6:03, 6:03, 6:00, 6:00, 5:52, 5:45. It was intresting again that the faster paces felt more comfortable. I should have started the pace around 6:00 and worked down. Next time. Overall workout felt good. 2.5 cool down for a total of 11 miles for the day.

Afterwards I went to the Podiatrist. He recommended custom orthotics. They cost $280! But the good thing is that they should last for about 5 years so that is worth the investment for me. After  wearing these puppies, I expect to be world class!:)

Today I met with my trainer who gave me a new workout routine. Most of the focus was on core and legs=1 hour of pain. Afterwards I did 25 minutes of intervals on the Arc Glider, a glorified elliptical.

This morning I had a 5k tempo planned but after a 3 mile warmup, my body would not go. Still sore from yesterday's workout and I didn't want to push it since I should be tapering now. So I ran to the gym and did 25 minutes on the ArcTrainer, then ran home. Pushed the pace a little on the way home to around 7 min pace. Altogether 6 mile run and 2 miles cross training.

What a fun run this morning! Met up with Kam and allie for a run up Muelller Park into North Fork for 13.5 miles. The fall colors were amazing! Great company, and muddy fun!

This evening, we took our kids up to Mueller park again for hiking and sight seeing. This time we had a goal to go all the way to what I learned yesterday was the  "faux" elephant rock. We came just short of it. I couldn't resist the urge to race down on the way back with the kids. Great evening and so pretty. Likely the last Sunday for this till winter:(

Easy 6 on by the temple with a group of female runners I met a few months ago. Slow pace, felt great.

This morning I went for an easy run on the treadmill. 7 miles at 7:40 average pace and 2x800 at 6:15 pace. 8 miles total. Hoping to be close to this pace this weekend. Good thing it's downhill, becuase it felt like I was sprinting on the treadmill.

Last night we ate at the New Yorker in downtown SLC for Steve's Alumni something something or other. I just know while I ate a lot of things I never thought I would before, I couldn't stop being jelaous of all the runners out the window and how much I wished I had on a pair of running shoes rather than a pair of tight panny hose.  We're all sick, aren't we? Anyway, a good night out, but would have been better if it finished off with a nice run downtown to work off that fillet.

Easy workout today consisting of 7 miles of cross traing between the elliptical and bike and 1 mile jog. 8 total.

What a fun, crazy race! Getting ready for this race was among the most challenging from nightmares about missing the race, loosing my keys, to being stuck in Utah County traffic right before packet pickup closing. All turned out well, and at least I got my nerves out early on:)

Woke up at 6:10 and put on my referee outfit. Left out the door and caught the buses by 7:00. I rode on the bus with a guy named Vijac who is working here from India and running his first race ever! When we got off the buses, it was COLD! Thank goodness for heated tents! It was weird being there by myself. I stood in a large crowed tent thinking, "this is so fun!" It really doesn't take much.

After a 1.5 warm-up with stretches, headed to the start. It was strange; the start was about 8 feet wide, I was sure someone was going to die. But no one did.

I stood in the front when the gun went off. I realized I my watch was having issues, but recovered on time. However being so concerned with my watch, I didn't get out very fast and let two girls sprint way ahead of me. My plan for this race was a little different than usual. I have wanted to start branching out and trying to win races (but don't we all?) I haven't ever given that a concerted effort, but have always wanted to place high overall with a good PR. Today I wanted to win...or at least give a good effort. Since the first 5 miles were pretty downhill, I decided to push down these hills and hang on for the last half. Normally, I don't think this is the best approach, however, having trained on more hills than flat; this was the plan for today.

Miles 1-3 (5:42, 5:29, 5:18) Right from the start, the first place girl was a good 20 seconds ahead. The second girl was only 10 seconds ahead. I passed the second girl who wore a pair of underwear on the outside reading, "I love to toot. I was going to "toot" when I passed her, but it was early. I then set my sights on first girl who wore bright pink spandex. I knew I would eventually catch up, I just wasn't sure what to do after that:) These miles were comfortable but steep. 5k was right around around 17 minutes....cause it was downhill.

Miles 4-6 (5:32, 6:08, 6:38) Approaching mile 4 (3.5mi) I passed girl number 1 and held it for a few miles. It sort of freaked me out so I sprinted past her to look cool and in control. Inside I knew I was cool, just not in control. I looked down at Garmin around mile 4 and knew I was going too fast, but also knew I would be much slower on the flat area coming up. I took a caffeinated GU at mile 4 and continued to feel comfortable. Half way at the 10K my time was 36:08 a PR, a very heavily aided PR:)

Miles 7-9 (6:50, 6:40, 6:38) Hill is done. I felt it leave around mile 5 but for some reason thought it was supposed to stick around till mile 8. Big oversight. No, I guess according to the map, it is either flat or slight rolling and maybe dropping. It felt all up hill to me. Why? Because I sprinted 6 miles and paid for it here. It cost me first place. She looked pretty cool passing me at mile 7ish. I wasn't dying here, but obviously the pace was quite different and I felt like I was crawling in comparison. First girl took off and I let her because I had to. Around mile 7 I was joined by my sister and niece who ran a couple minutes with me. I turned off my IPod and realized I was breathing like a maniac, so I turned up the volume and kept on going! I would say these were the hardest miles, but they weren't. I kept trying to do the math in my head of how many miles were left, but apparently, 8-13=? I never did come to an answer, so I just kept on running:)

Miles 10-13 (6:47. 6:58, 6:47 6:57) Tired. I played lots of games trying to look ahead, with mantras (today's mantra was Shalane Flanagan, don't ask me why), and self talk...they helped somewhat. I really, really missed the hills. Pretty sure we were still going down slightly all the way to the end, but if felt more like rolling to me. At one point I thought about how I had ran a marathon just a month ago and how running a half, especially during that moment, made me never want to  run a full again. I got over it. The last .5 was mentally the most difficult, I knew I looked pretty bad coming in, but tried to "appear cool" this time.

First place went to Mary Ann S. She finished around 1:21:20 (unofficial). I finished second with a time of 1:22:34. A 1:11 PR for me:) Third place finished in 1:22:58ish.

Received a square glass trophy filled with Halloween candy, a cool finishers medal, and a very cool, but very small tech t-shirt! Great race, great day!

Lessons learned: Going out aggressive will make you pay in the end but may also give you a PR. Good? Bad? This time I say good. Next time, maybe not. 

 Nice walk around the neighborhoold for trick or treating. Started at 4:30 and stopped at 8:30. I was excited to get some good walking in today. My legs are still pretty sore. Jogged and walked here and there throughout the night to loosen up my legs. Other parents thought I was maybe a little over kill:) Kids were troppers! Now I want to throw away all their candy.

Cross traning at the gym today. 3 miles on the elliptical and some weights. Got called early to the daycare, so 70 mins today, will resume more tomorrow.

Cross training all week. Legs are coming back and should be close to 100% very soon. Today at the gym I did 30 minutes total of spin and elliptical, then 45 minutes of my lifting plan. Legs were wimpy today, but arms were champs!

Looking to speed things up a bit and start doing more 5k-10k training starting late next week-I registerd for a Thanksgiving race. Excited to change things up a bit.

Do any of you take a season off? I am assuming everyone does to a degree. If so, how long do you take off from racing?

More cross training. 60+  mins on elliptical and bike. 6.5 miles of cross train. Abs, roller and streaching followed close behind. I seriously wanted to fall asleep the enitre time I was on the elliptical. In fact, I was watching a show at the gym and wondered if anyone would think it was wierd if I just laid on the ground and watched the movie.

Went to the gym and did the same old boring cross training stuff for 90 minutes with weights. 7 miles total. Then I ran a mile to take attendance on all my limbs. Good news! All are accounted for, but my right calf muscle and left hammy are still tight.

After that I drove home and remembered I forgot to pick up my son for early out. Mother of the year award has already passed. I then raided my kids Halloween bags and was surprised to see all the good stuff was still there. I later learned why when my daughter asked me when they would be able to start eating their Halloween candy. She reminded me that I told them Monday night that they were all done eating their candy. They took it literally and have been salivating over their bags for the past week. I can't believe they listened to me. That makes me feel bad now. Candy for dinner tonight. Mother of the year is coming back!

This morning Kam, Andy, and I ran on Legacy Trail for a nice Saturday run. 12.5 total with 8:04 AP. This was my first real run after the half. It was slightly more ambitious than what I would have normally done, but I couldn't refuse the company. The pace felt just fine, a little cold but the air was so nice. I my right calf and left hammy decided to ditch out on the run with the last 1.5 miles left, so I had a slight limp join me for the remaining 1.25, then made everyone walk the last .25 for cool down up the hill.

Kam reminded me in not so many words, that I might not have anything to brag about so I should tell you that we ran through 4 cities; NSL, Woods Cross, Bountiful, Centerville and Farmington:) Now I feel validated. Great run and nice to meet Andy for the first time. Anyone else around that wants to join, we are thinking of Saturday runs on weekends that we're not racing.

Afterwards, drank a big glass of milk with some NSAIDs , then laid in a hot tub reading the latest Runners World. Then put on compression sleeves with a little stretching. Ahhhh,  now time to clean the entire house before the in-laws come tonight.

Gosh, I have really slacked this week. I've been busy with other things, good things. I let this happen since I'm not training for anything right now, except for a thanksgiving race that I am doing just for fun. 

Today I ran a mile and then didn't want to anymore so I didn't. I did 6 more miles of cross training doing spin, elliptical, and  then joined the last 45 minutes of a body combat class. I'm not a "class" person, but the instructor saw me looking in and pulled me in. I think she felt bad for me and thought I was intimidated to come in. Really I was looking in at them while I was totally thinking of something non related. Then when she ran out and invited me I  gracefully declined her invitation. I think that made her feel more sorry for me and  insisted that I come in. So not really sure what the class was about, since I couldn't recall what they were doing, I went in and threw a few mediocre kicks and uppercuts. I tried to look cool and coordinated, but once again I knew I was cool  just not coordinated:) The best part was the sounds the instructor made and the sounds the usuals made back. "RAW! (raw), YAH (yah), He YA! (he ya)" and the best, "UH UH YA! (uh uh ya)". I loved how involved everyone was. It reminded me of how runners will talk to each other and encourage each other during fartlek and indian ladder workouts. Maybe that is their language. HE YA RAW YAH UH UH YA! 

Today I met with a group of girls to run Bountiful Blvd. Cold, but great company. Around 7:45 pace, so I was told.

Huh. I've got some burn out going on for sure. Not too excited to do any speed work for this upcoming race, or even run for that matter. Huh. Otherwise things are good!:)

Today I had plans to get a quality run in on the treadmill. After 3.5 miles I got a call to pick up my sick daughter from school. So the last mile I turned it up to 6:11. Felt fine. Wish I could have gone around 8 miles, more tomorrow.

If you want to race fast, you have to train fast, so I was told. But a total BLAH fest transitioning marathon training to 5k.

Today was the first 5k speed workout. Decided to start a little more conservative since I didn't know how running under 6:00 would feel. I put on the Kinvara's and did 6x400's and 1x800 with equal rest. Paces were 5:21, 5:21, then 5:18 for the rest, including the 800. The 400's weren't too bad at all, but the last 800 was not fun.

After that I did 3x4:00 minute intervals on the row. Then core and stretching.

So very sick today. Hopefully it's a 24 hour thing.

Still feeling sick, but was able to make it to the gym for 4 very slow cross training miles on the elliptical. At one point I stopped due to threatening to loose my breakfast. It's funny, the lady next to me told me that maybe I needed to go slower. That was weird, but nice input:) Next week's race will be interesting:)

I had big plans for the workout today, but it didn't happen. Planned on 4x1000 and 4x800 alternating so I warmed up but started to feel sick again with no energy, so I bagged it. Why not. Ended up running 1.5 miles, 4x3 min intervals on the elliptical and some lazy spinning. 60 mins total and with cross training 6.5 miles total.

Nine cold ones down Main. Took it easy, well, no choice really. I've either lost some fitness or still just weak coming off illness, prob both. But actually felt nice and relaxed. Didn't stress about the pace, except pushed it the last .5 uphill. Strides tomorrow then 4 mile "Earn Your Turkey" race on Thursday. If I'm lucky, I'll place in my age. As bad as I want to drop out and put my daughter in my place, I'm going to use it as a good workout:) Happy (cold) running everyone!

Great race today. Warmed up with Julie C and Christi from the blog. It was good to meet Julie for the first time. She is full of energy (as you can tell from her blog). Loved it!

Felt good this morning, but knew the speed was certainly not going to be where I wanted it today, but felt good overall for the race.

Planned on being anywhere from 6:05-6:20 pace depending on how I felt today, ended up averaging 6:15. Splits were 6:08, 6:15, 6:20, 6:04ish...didn't stop the watch quite on time, but makes sense for the overall time.Plan was to take it easy the first two miles then push the last two. The third mile seemed slight uphill, last mile seemed slight down for part of it. I tried to hold back and not burn out early. I felt good the entire race and didn't feel like I could have pushed harder, but didn't feel burned out either.Really tried to push that last mile and felt good coming in. Placed 5th overall. Turkeys were given to top five and pretty much everyone else it seemed;) Nice run. Cooled down with Christi and Devra, the winner. Turns out she won St George a few years ago and ran a 2:34 or something like that. Christi and I also ran part of our cool down with Melody (runningwithbabies) from the blog...so fast and so cool too! Love the FRB family:) Stiff competition today, more than years past. Almost talked myself out of running this race about a million times this week, but so glad I did it! Happy Thanksgiving!

Easy 6.5 mile run with a few women from a running group I join every so often. 

 1 hour spin class. Dripped sweat, can't remember the last run I did when that happened. So must be good.

Anyone here in the SLC Davis area are likely having the same issues....planned for a longish run this AM, but that plan went south due to the wind storm. So no run, just good highlights to share.

12:00am-My husband came home from work to take down the tramp, then went straight back.

4am-My 8 year old daughter came into my room  to report bombs going off. Calmed the delusional girl down and sent back to bed.

4:30 am- I'm thinking I'm the delusional one as I  witnessed "bombs"  going off all over the valley. Electric explosions all around, counting one in my yard that woke me up.

 6am-  I notice our 30 foot pine tree decided it was time to un-root itself. It landed perfectly inbetween our home and our neighbors home without damage. 

 I take a shower as the electricity goes out. I realize I don't have a towel or clothes around. Fun scavenger hunt in my birthday suit.

 6:30-All three kids and I watch all the wind out the window and see things flying around and hitting our window.

7:30 We realize "the flying things" are parts of our roof and shingles. We also notice weird shaped fans and things that belong somewhere on our roof.

900-Kids go to school and see many trees, powerlines and ambulances around. Someone at the school says you can stay, but we have no power or heat. We leave.

 9:30- My 5 year old gets excited and thinks toys from the North pool are going to start blowing into our yard. I tell him that won't happen as we witness a yellow music player blow past our window. I hear him squeel, "It's starting!!!"

This is nothing compared to other places that actually have natural disasters that are much more serious and scary. Sometimes stuff like this has to happen in Utah to keep us all in check:) 

 Alas, no run today. To those of you who braved the wind, I salute you.

 I got my booty out the door today and ran 5 miles on the treadmill. I could have done more if I didn't have such horrible ADD. I got so bored, I couldn't stand it any longer so I pushed the pace and finished. Afterwards did 10 mins of climbing on the Arc Glider, but you would believe that I also got bored of that too:) I've got to run outside tomorrow, I can't do the treadmill again. All of you TM runners, I look up to you. 

After the gym I went to the grocery store to get slightly violated by some guy. He stopped to talk to me about running (cause I had running clothes on?) Then preceded to touch me on my theigh, knee, arm, shoulder, hand (about a billion times), and almost my upper chestal area before I ducked away from him. No lie. I don't think he noticed me backing away with each gester, cause he came in closer each time and blocked me from escaping. Anyway, he talked about all the running and tri's he's done. At one point I thought it was a joke so I started to laugh during the middle of some story about a running injury he sustained. He stopped and inched closer to my face and said, "look at me in the eye and don't laugh again." Huh? I was sort of shocked and confused. Ugh. I left unimpressed and slightly nauseous. My daughter started talking about the weird man in the car and my daughter said, "Mom, I think he belongs in that hospital you work at (aka psych unit)." Mmmmmm hummmm. So that made the day fun:) lol.

 Quality run tomorrow, I hope.

Watched the Biggest Looser marathon special. I couldn't hear it so my attention was strained. However, I was able to get in 8 miles before I had to run out the door. AP at 7:30, with the last mile at 6:25. Felt fine. I imagined what it would be like to run a marathon in the  6:30 range and it scared me a little. The treadmill does a goo job of making you feel like a slow poke huh!

It was cold outside, so I ran from my car to the hospital. Then after work, I ran from the hospital to my car becuase it was still cold. .1 mi total. I ran in wedges, so it was good I saved my shoes from my last 8 miler several days ago.

I finished a long stretch of work leaving me no time to run- well that is not accurate. Rather little motivation to run. However, this morning was not aligned with the stars, but it worked out.

I was supposed to meet with a running group at 6am. My alarm clock said 5:45 so I got ready and headed out the door 10 mins later. I looked at my watch and it read 6:30. It turns out my alarm clock was wrong so missed that run. So I planned on  my own route- but before I got anywhere, I had a stomach ache from Hades. That delayed me another 20 minutes...so with time ticking I headed out the door hunched over but still running. 8 ( slightly hunched) miles total.

Nostalgic. It reminded me of my college running days when I delivered my daughter via c-section my Junior year. I felt so much pressure to get out and run again to earn my scholarship back that I began hunched running 9 days postpartum and tore most of my stitches. I was dumb back then. Today no stitches were torn, but likely not any smarter:)

Happy cold running! 

This morning I got up early only to spend 1.5 hours looking for my Ipod and charging Garmin. That was a waste of time since I never did find my Ipod and my Garmin died mid run. Oh well, at least it was lighter outside and I could take my time since Steve had the day off. I always want to sleep in with him, and when he finally has a day off, I find myself sitting in bed wanting to run really bad. It usually works out since he is usually still sleeping and I can slip back in bed like I never left, except with a stench telling otherwise. Tangent over.

Anyway, ran 9 miles on Davis today. According to Garmin at half way I was around 7:50 pace. The way back is more downhill since the first mile is spent climbing so likely average pace of 7:40 or 3:15....that is what an older guy told me when I passed him twice (after turning around) he told me he clocked me at 3:15 pace. I laughed and told him that was a personal record for me, he was pretty excited and then I realized he wasn't joking and believed it:) Wouldn't that be cool to run that fast on an "easy run."  

Minus the first mile climb, that made me doubt my fitness,  felt good today.

Well, my running has taken a back seat to work lately. I picked up two other jobs in the past two weeks and I love it! I currently work as a therapist, mostly with adults, but recently was hired to work with adolescents and children. The way they interpret the world is so interesting! Don’t you agree?!  Ah, it’s just been fun. Then the other job is a Crisis worker in the ER. Lots of drama to keep things interesting, that’s for sure. So my passions have been fed aside from running, I just need to add my kids to the list and find some balance again between family, work and running. The good news is that between the three jobs, I still am only going to be working part-time so it will be no different than what I had been doing previously, and my training shouldn't be affected too much.

You all know, weather its working outside the home or staying home with the kids, it's a juggling act. We have to get creative and make sacrifices to run. Sometimes running comes last due to more important things. That's why I love having it as a hobby! Would l like to be good enough to do it for a living? Yes. Would I want to do it for a living? No. How about you?

This morning I was supposed to meet a group of local girls for a run, but showed up a tad late due to running in and out of my house several times from second guessing my wardrobe. This morning had to be my coldest run to date. I tried out my new Columbia Omni heat base layer tights and top. The inside of the material has tiny silver reflective dots that are supposed to reflect back your own body heat. I think it did a decent job considering how light weight the material is and how cold the conditions were this morning. I defiantly want the entire line including moisture wicking, cooling, bug repellant, and sun protection. However these run pretty steep. They retail for $60 each, but I found them on Amazon for $38 each. Much more than I usually spend on running clothes. I can tell you that I've never been mistaken for a professional runner on my apparel alone-or in any other case for that matter:) I’m not testing for them or trying to sell their stuff- just a cool new find. 

Anyway, the run was fine. I started off with a sore left knee due to lots of acrobatic tricks yesterday and bent my knee funny. Started to really bother me at mile 4, so turned around for 8. AP 7:15 for first half then slowed down on way back to what felt like a wog, dragging my leg behind to overall AP around 8:00. Ice to the knee, drink of milk and lot's of deep cleaning to day! Planning to slip another run in the morning.

Merry running! 

Time to get back on board. Hollidays are over here. I took down the Christmas tree and all decorations 3 hours after opening presents. The neighbors must have given some weird looks as we hauled the tree to the curb in the early morning hours. Done with Christmas, time to focus on the season ahead. The winter Circuit is just around the corner...

 Ran 14 this morning down Main with AP of 7:50. I downloaded some new music, so that made it fun. Nothing like running to a little Michael Jackson and Garth Brooks!

Felt good today. Played some games on the way back. Miles 7-9 focuses on cadence, 10-12 ran intervals on the hills- running fast up and down the rollers, then slower on the flat parts. Then last two miles were focused on a girl far ahead to pass. When I finally passed her, I realized she was barley running. Not the sweet reward I was looking for. It made me laugh. That's what I do, I laugh at people when I pass them;) Last mile or so I cooled down. Felt great today.

Ten. Cold. Slow. Miles.