THOU SHALT BE A COMEBACK

Started out at my usual shuffle but had picked it up towards the end.  Feel good--nothing hurts!  Did only one circuit of strength drills since my husband had breakfast ready.  This is a tough week between work and nursing school clinical shifts.  I have no free time and my kids will not see much of me.  It stinks.  My runs will be early in the a.m.  Next week will be better.  Sigh.

8 easy loops early in the am.  A very pleasant run before a very long day.  Now I am off to a 9 hour PHTLS re-certification class follwed by 6.5 hours of work before I can come home around midnight.  Yuck.  At least tomorrow I get to sleep in.

Beautiful day, sunny, 45 degrees, a bit of stiff headwind coming from the south, though.  Went to the track and ran 28 laps.  Nick came with me and ran 400, then did a 100 meter dash in 20 seconds, then combed the bleachers and found 13 cents.  He was pretty excited.   I warmed up for 5.5 miles easy, then did and 800 in 3:18(slower than last week, dang headwind), recovered, then did 100 in 14.5(that can't be right, unless the tailwind worked miracles; maybe I looked at the wrong marking on the track?), jogged the rest of that lap, then finished with a 200 in 34.1(okay that tailwind indeed helps!).  Legs feel great.  I am off to another day of work, but at least I got over 7 hours of sleep today.  Went home afterward and stuffed myself to the gills with pancakes and peanut butter with my family!

7.12 very easy--legs are tired. Did two sets of strength drills. The weather is unbelievable--it may get up to 80 degrees! I wore a running skirt and short sleeves and got hot! That has not happened in a long time. I was even SWEATING--something else I have done very little of this winter.

Got up to run at 5am but Vanessa had a bad dream and was crying, so I rocked her back to sleep and then went back to bed.  Later this afternoon I did 8 loops while Vanessa was napping in 1:06:30--8:19 pace.  I found this surprising since I felt sluggish and was not pushing the pace at all.  This is the first time I have timed a run in a long time.  It was 70+ degrees and muggy and I can tell I am not used to the heat.  I think 50 degrees is my ideal running temperature.  Anyways, off to enjoy my family today before my first nursing school clinicals tomorrow and Sunday.  I will have to run at 4am tomorrow or not at all, but if it is thunderstorming as the weatherman predicts the run will not happen--I will have to go on Sunday--I'm not running in a Kansas thunderstorm.

No thunderstorm, so 7 loops today at 4am.  Now I am off to my first clinical and boy am I nervous!

Sunday, no run--but I have another 12 hour clinical today.  Almost over.  Yesterday wasn't too bad, but it was long and time dragged. I expect the same today.  I madr 45 miles this week with no injury!

8.32 easy.  It was a tired start--I shuffled for the first few miles, worn out from my long work and clinical week.  It took me until about the fourth mile to reach full cruising speed.  I felt pretty chipper and good toward the end though, and ran the last 1/2 mile at what I feel would perhaps be my 10k race pace.  Time for the run was 1:12:27--8:42 pace.  Did two circuits of strength drills afterward.  I am so relieved that last week is over with!  I made it through my first two shifts of clinicals.  Yesterday the floor census was low so I got put in ICU for my shift and it was awesome!  My precepting nurse was incredibly smart and organized, and one of our patients was was very critical and required a lot of care.  I felt mentally engaged throughout the shift. I wish I could do all my clinicals in ICU.

8.32 miles easy.  Felt sluggish today and never really got up to full cruising speed.  average 8:51 pace.  It's cold again--I had to get out the hat, gloves, and double layers.   Nick is making pancakes for breakfast and I can't wait to stuff myself!

It was COLD today.  18 degrees; not sure what it was with the wind chill factor.  Drove to the track, warmed up jogging to rosewood and back, then did 16 laps on the track.  Felt the need for speed so ran the first 8 easy, one mile in a fast but controlled pace that I felt was sustainable in 6:44, then 4 more laps easy and done.  Now I am sitting and smelling the aroma of the massive breakfast that my husband and son are preparing and can't wait to eat!

8.2 easy in 1:09:56--8:32 pace.  Kept the pace comfortable until the very end--then did approximately 10K race pace for 1/4mile, then accelerating into 5k race pace for the last quarter mile or so at the very end(training for a long, strong kick).  Just stuffed myself with peanut butter pancakes(we believe in breakfast around here!)

8 loops while Vanessa napped.  Started off slow--felt heavy.  Had to stop several times in the first two miles to stretch out a stitch underneath my left ribs.  Felt heavy and jerky until mile 4 when suddenly I felt great and cruised along happily for the rest of my run.  Time was 1:04:05--8:01 pace(I am surprised at this--I really was running comfortably--no straining, not pushing the pace).  Did two circuits of strength drills and stretched.  I feel like my fitness level has taken a sudden leap in the last few weeks.  I am glad I took Sasha's advice--base mileage for a good long time is the way to go for me--my fitness is improving and I am not injured.

8 miles in 1:06:12--8:17 pace.  Felt like I was really taking it easy because my giant lunch from Red Robin was sitting in my stomach like a brick--oh well, Vanessa was napping so run now or don't run at all!  Lunch was so good....chicken burger with cheese, guacamole, mayo, bacon, and pickles, along with giant baked steak fries dipped in ranch....yum!  I didn't eat the bun though--I have really lost my taste for white bread.  Ran my highest weekly mileage ever this week--still feeling good--no aches or pains or ominous signs of injury.  I will probably mimic this week for the rest of the month as far as mileage--maybe go over 50 a week for the first time in April.

What a great morning!  I even beat all the kids out of bed and had a little alone time with coffee!  I like Sundays like this.  Anyways I'll enjoy my day, because amother hell week starts tomorrow--I have all my work days plus two days of clinicals.  Yuck.

8.32 in 1:08:52--8:16 pace.  It was early and a little foggy, but about 50 degrees and very pleasant outside.  Came home and did 2 circuits of strength drills before eating my usual massive 900 calorie breakfast(2 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, coffee, 3 pieces french toast with butter and sugar-free syrup).  I find that I am not usually terribly hungry the rest of the day if I eat a good breakfast.  Off to work this afternoon and tomorrow I have the second session of PHTLS at 8:30 tomorrow so I will have to get up early and run loops and then work until midnight or one after PHTLS.  Yuck yuck yuck.  I'll be able to sleep in and hang out with the kids Wednesday morning though--they are on spring break!

8 loops early in the am in 1:09:45/8:44 pace.  Really tired today. 

8.15 in 1:06:29/8:09 pace.  Started out very slow and shuffling--enjoying the 55 degree balmy weather and the sun.  I felt pretty slow but must have picked up speed as I warmed up.  Came home, stretched a little, and now I'm going to read books to my daughter.  I'm still really tired from yesterday.  I wish I didn't have to go to work this afternoon.

Drove to the track, ran 8 laps, and then ran through town up to rosewood, turned around ran back.  ran 800, then 800 comfortably hard at 3:19, recovered 800, then 400 not-so-comfortably hard in 89.5, second, then another 400, then stretched and drove home--stopped at the grocery store on the way.  Now I am getting ready to eat my usual monstrous breakfast.

8.47 in 1:11:18/8:25 pace.   Started out really slow and tired--could  barely get one foot in front of the other.  Felt better later in the run.  Did two circuits of strength drills and a little stretching afterward.  I will be up at 4am tomorrow to squeeze in a run before a long day at Galichia Heart Hospital for clinicals.

8 loops at 4am in 1:08--8:30 pace.  Tired today.  I got NO sleep last night.  Vanessa was congested and couldn't sleep so she was fussy all night and we spent a lot of time rocking,  Now it is off to clinicals.

Me and Vanessa are sick.  It started on Friday and just got worse and last night I went to bed at 830 and this morning I feel awful.  Called in to work.  No run today.  Time to rest.

I am feeling better today--but not 100%.  I decided to try and get my run in, even if it was very slow--which it was--8.32 in 1:17:01/9:15 pace.  Much slower than usual, but plenty fast enough for my tired body.  I had to stop and walk once when two dogs came at me.  I got my mace ready and walked backwards slowly but thankfully they stayed on their side of the road.  I run this route often and have not encountered these dogs before.  I hope I don't see them again.  It was windy, but not as windy as yesterday.  Yesterday 60-70mph gusts were knocking over semi's and damaging houses.  Even if I had felt fine I would have been hesitant about running outdoors yesterday.  Our house creaked and howled all day in the wind.  Now I am off to rest a little before work.

I don't think this is a cold.  It's gotta' be the flu.  Last night at work I spiked a fever again and could not stop shivering.  I went and sat in the ambulance and blasted the heaters and still could not stop shivering.  My muscles are tight and hurt from it. I took motrin but it was an hour before it kicked in.  I am soooo fatigued this morning, but decided to try for a run.  I shuffled very slowly along, but my muscles are achy and it was hard to get one foot in front of the other.  My mom called about 5.6 miles into the run so I stopped to walk and talked to her.  I walked the rest of the way and talked to mom, and when I circled back to the house just came in and quit.  I will just have to play the rest of this week by ear, and not go for any mileage goals--I need to rest and get over this nasty bug.

Feeling better today.  Decided to run a variation of my route staying close to home, so I could walk home quickly if I became to fatigued.  This was a variation that also avoids dogs.  It's a little longer than I thought when I measured it afterward but oh well.  I kept it very slow and easy and felt okay the whole time--not 100% by any means,  but no overwhelming fatigue.  My nose is completely plugged.  1:18:06/9:09 pace.

Figured I better get out and get my run in before this blizzard being predicted hits.  It was super cold and windy today--I geared up in fleece, underarmour, and tights.  The wind was so stiff it blew the air right out of my lungs at times.  8 loops by the house in 1:10:35/8:49 pace.  I am feeling much better today and am starting to get my strength back.  I hope I don't get called into work tonight but it is a strong possibility.

The blizzard started last night and ended at 1:00 this afternoon.  At 1:15 I put Vanessa down for her nap and went for my post-blizzard run.  It was slow going--picking my way through ice, snow(lots of it!)  and slush--but very invigorating and a great workout!  Time was 1:17:36/10:09 pace--I'll take it!

Drove into town in hopes to avoid mud and slush but ran into my fair share of snow, slush, and ice anyway.  Little bit of a headwind slowed me down some, but all in all felt decent for the run.  8.11 in 1:09:05/8:31 pace.  Did two circuits of strength drills afterward.  My cold is actually going away finally.

Felt good today.  8.54 in 1:10:37/8:16 pace.  Picked it up to 10k race pace for the last half mile.  Ran on the dirt roads today since they weren't too terribly muddy.  I'm sure my joints appreciated it after all that concrete and asphalt  yesterday.  I saw that there is a brand new Trail Half Marathon in June in my county.  I'm thinking about running it for fun--I like trail runs--no pressure for speed but lots of fun and scenery.