A clydesdale no more!

My form was not very fluid today.  It felt very choppy.  The break down in form is causing a lot of leg pain (knee, achilles, etc.).  I really want to be a runner again.

Not enough time to get a full run in before the parade so I just got in what I could.  Busy day with a parade, softball practice, and fireworks at the golf course.

Absolutely brutal run on the LPT.  Pace was brutally slow and it was brutally hot.  I kept the pace slow intentionally at the beginning and it was unintentionally slow at the end.  I probably did not take enough fluid with me which did not help.  Found a park with a drinking fountain at the 11 mile mark on the LPT which helped alot.  Saw a water bottle on the side of the trail and I was very tempted to drink from it but new that somebody had probably ditched it for themselves during the run.

Achilles were very sore for the first 3 miles.  Felt better once they loosened up but still bothered me throughout the run.  After the first few miles I started to get in a decent groove.  First time in a long time that running actually felt good. 

Started with 2 easy miles to the LPT then ran 4 X 1 mile at half marathon pace with 1/2 mile jog in between.  Not really a tough work out but it has been such a long time since I have done any form of speed work that I wanted to ease into it.  First one was slow because I had a really hard time shaking off the rust and the pace did not feel natural.  The others felt a lot better and were much more consistent (6:35, 6:22, 6:24, 6:27).  Breathing was a little heavy and this was probably faster than my 1/2 marathon pace but it is at least a start.

Nice and easy recovery run. My legs were very tired.

Early morning softball games and too much work to get done before I go meant a very short run.  Debated whether or not I should even run but I decided that half of a run is better than no run.

I decided to cut back on the long run today and give my body a chance to start feeling better again.  Ran out to the LPT.  First half of the run felt really good.  A little soreness in both achilles tendons but nothing major.  At the turnaround, I started to feel awful.  It was a struggle to finish the run.  This is really frustrating.  The pace wasn't horrible for a long run (7:50/mile) but it felt like I was crawling.

Fever, chills, achey body, etc.  Hate being sick but am glad that I found the reason why my running has been off the past few days.

Fever got to 105 last night so I went to the Instacare.  They have no idea what the problem is so just gave me penicillin.  Seems like I can control the fever with Motrin and just waited too long to take it yesterday.  Friday night's race is now in doubt.  I'm really bummed because I have been looking forward to this one for a few months.

Still no running.  I think that I have an abscessed tooth.  Fever is mostly gone but my mouth is incredibly uncomfortable.  I have had very little to eat or drink since Saturday.  How realistic is it to race on Friday night?  I don't think I would be happy with running it just for the fun of it so may opt out of the race completely.

This month started out with such promise. Still no running and still no idea what is wrong with me.  Went to the er last night and the best guess is that I probably have an ulcer as a result of taking too much Motrin for the mouth pain.  Who knows?  I just want to be able to eat and drink comfortably.  Looking on the brightside, I have lost 11 pounds this week and am getting back to a weight that I am more comfortable with.  Most of it is probably loss due to dehydration but I will try to keep off what I can.

Felt very weak.  It was a real struggle just to get the miles in. Obviously, I am not 100% yet. 

My resting heart rate is still 20-30 bpm too fast.  I'm guessing that my runs will not feel right until it comes back down.  The run was a little better today but still not feeling as energetic as I would like. 

I keep expecting the switch to be flipped and I miraculously feel better.  Didn't happen today.  Still feeling very weak while running.  I'm fine during the rest of the day but just no energy when I run.

Still searching for some energy.  Hoping I can find it before the half next weekend.  It is such a strange feeling for an easy 5 mile run to be so difficult.

Ran the Handcart Days 5k with Emma and Gracie. They ran a much more controlled pace and did a lot better than they have in the past.  Emma had a 0.1 mile lead on us most of the time but we caught up during the last mile while she was taking a walk break.  Both finished in 32:40.  Gracie actually crossed the finish line before Emma but Emma's chip time was faster.  She ended up 3rd in her age group and Gracie was 4th.  I couldn't quite explain to my ultra-competetive, hate losing, spunky girl why she didn't get an award even though she beat Emma.  I guess the universe is trying to teach her a lesson on losing graciously.   

Hoping for a double digit run but still not feeling it.  When my pace would get below 8:00/mile I would get light headed and felt like I was going to pass out.  Is this what it feels like to get old?

Pretty much the same as yesterday.  It was a few seconds faster and didn't feel quite as bad but still not where I need to be.

Much of the same.  Almost called it quits after a mile but decided to keep plugging along.

Marginally better than the past few days.  7:45 pace felt like 7:00 so my body is still out of wack.  If I don't recover completey in the next couple of days, do I still race on Saturday? 

Still not feeling normal.  Ran the last 2 slightly downhill miles at 7:00/mile pace and it took a lot of effort.  Definitely not a sustainable pace.  This is so depressing.

How many race reports begin with "I didn't know what to expect from this race"?  For this race, I really didn't know what to expect.  After being sick a few weeks ago and virtually no running for the last 3 weeks I was extremely concerned about how I would do.  When I did run, I was barely able to get my pace under 8:00/mile.  Feeling like I was just being a big baby and had to start pushing myself again I decided that I would go out at a decent pace and try to hold on.  Stayed the night in Lehi so that we could get an extra hour of sleep.  Other than my legs feeling a little sore, I felt pretty good when I woke up.  Went outside to check the temperature and it was slightly warmer than I had hoped.  At the top of the canyon, it was a little cooler and the weather turned out to be good for most of the race.  The gun went off and I started the usual bobbing and weaving to get to my proper place in the pack. 

Mile 1: 6:10 - The first mile is a screaming downhill and I was moving really well.  This was a good sign considering how I have felt lately.  I knew this was way too fast but considering the downhill and adrenaline I was just going to go with it. 

Mile 2: 6:47 - The course leveled out a little and I got into a more comfortable pace.  Breathing was more labored than it should have been.

Mile 3: 6:43 - Similar elevation change as mile 2.  Just trying to hold a good 1/2 marathon pace.

Mile 4: 6:40 - Much of the same.

Mile 5: 6:20 - A little steeper downhill.  I focused on my leg turnover.  Every once in awhile I would slip back to my loping stride but would then force myself to take shorter, quicker strides.  I was able to pass a few people as I did this.  I also took my first GU at the aid station.  Earlier than I normally do but had to take advantage of where the aid stations were.

Mile 6: 6:22 - Very similar to mile 5.  I was starting to feel some burning in my legs and knew that the downhills were taking it's toll.  Happy to make it this far at this pace.

Mile 7: 6:32 - Still going and surprised I was able to maintain the pace.  Hit the halfway mark at 42:30 and thought that I could still come in around 1:26 after I gave back a little once the course flattens out.

Mile 8: 6:46 - We left the canyon and the course is beginning to flatten out.  It got warm through here but quickly cooled again once we hit the trail and had a good amount of tree cover.

Mile 9 : 7:18 - A lot more uphill than I expected.  I really struggled with the climb.  My breathing became really labored and the effects of all of the downhill reared it's ugly head.  My focus was to get to the top of the hill and then hope that I would recover well enough to take advantage of the downhill.  The highlight of the whole race happened in this mile as I saw Smooth ahead of me.  I didn't think it was her at first because I was shocked that it was this late in the race when I caught up to her and could not believe how well she was moving. 

Mile 10: 7:28 - My legs would not respond when I asked them to move again after cresting the hill.  There was just nothing there.  I'm sure the lack of mileage this month is the culprit in addition to the pounding of the first half of the race.

Mile 11: 7:18 - Having given up on the race, I just wanted to finish under 1:30.  It felt like I was crawling.  Everybody else must have experienced the same thing because very few people passed me.

Mile 12: 7:31 - Just plugging along.

Mile 13.1: 7:52 (7:09 pace) - At the 12 mile mark, I knew I had to start moving if I wanted to come in under 1:30.  Picked up the pace a little.  I'm not sure of my exact time because I forgot to stop my Garmin but I'm pretty sure it is just under 1:30.

Bummer of a race but it is exactly what I expected.  I had hoped for 1:25 but knew that it was not going to happen.  The good news is that I was able to hold a decent pace and push myself for 2/3 of the race.  Considering how I have felt for the last 3 weeks that is a big improvement.  Maybe I was just being a baby and was afraid to put in the effort I should.

I would have liked to stay at the end a little longer to see Smooth finish but I had kids waiting in the hotel and I needed to get back to them.  Hoping that she finished as strong as she looked when I saw her on the course.