track fan

2:35:48.  48:27 (+20:23), 45:53, 43:31.  Ran the mountains in Saguaro Park West.  I added on about 2 1/4 miles during the first one (running out and back on a 1/2 mile road leading to a picnic area and trailhead.  Splits look better than they really were.  I felt really good the first and second loops, I am able to run much faster than I could last year, which isn't good sometimes, because I misjudged the hills and the heat (82F and sunny, no shade) -- by the last set of hills I had somehow done my usual "speed up" and I got a really bad side-stitch and started seeing stars.  Basically, I had gone out way too fast for the conditions and I paid for it big time.  The last two miles were a death march and I felt like I was going to throw-up big time (I walked the last 1/4 of a mile up the hill).  Even after I stopped and got some water,  I was way overheated and felt like really really bad.  I couldn't even take pictures of the blooming cactus.  I just had to get home to lay down.  When I lived in Nashville we called this run our "welcome to Summer" run ... somehow I missed it last year, thank goodness.  Anyway, it is over, and I have to get ready for my review session tomorrow - Wednesday I am giving a test, and the students are very worried.  I think 5 people dropped last week, one of the ones that dropped was one of my favorite students. 

I hope you have a glorious Easter Sunday bloggers! 

AM: (10+ miles, 1:29:44). I ran my usual 70` run and added on ... I found a new place to run trails! A little rocky, but mostly flat to rolling hills - beautiful (it is called "Sweetwater Preserve"). Unfortunately, it is about 5 miles from our house so we would have to drive there in order to make the most of the trail. It is a county "park" and there is a trailhead with a parking lot at the other end of the trail. Our end is near a residential area, and they do not take well to people parking on "their" road (and it is technically not a public road). I do have a colleague in my department who lives out that way, and I can always park at her house and jog from there to the trailhead. Anyway, I told Dean when I got home that he HAS to get better soon, he will absolutely adore this run! I felt much better today, and I am glad, I was a little worried after Sunday. But upon reflection and looking back at my training blog ... I actually ran over 4 mins faster on Sunday on ONE loop than I ever have - and actually ran it as fast as Dean usually does ... which in the heat was really really dumb (it was dumb anyway - Dean is a 1:19 1/2 marathoner and 17 min 5Ker when he isn't in good shape). I need to start running some 1/2 marathon runs to "slow down" a little, one of the negatives about running by time and feel rather than pace is that I really don't have any idea how fast I am going, and I think there are many times that I am running much faster than I know -- it doesn't generally make any difference on easy days, but on a day like Sunday, adding in heat, hills and a rather long run, it can be detrimental ... although if this is the worst of my problems I am pretty darn lucky (it isn't, but I am still pretty darn lucky).

PM: (easy 4).

I hope you are all having a beautiful Spring week! On the road to Boston or wherever life takes you!!

1:02:54.  Nice run up the Yeatman Trail.  Because of my new schedule I will only be running on this trail once this week -- I did something I never thought I would do ... I carried my camera.  It was quite a sacrifice I tell you (I barely wear a tiny watch when I run, let alone carry something).  I will try to upload some pictures for tomorrows blog (flowers go well with tempo runs I think).  I am not sure they will do the beauty justice, but I will give it a try.

It has been much cooler than Sunday all week, go figure ;-).  I can tell I will need to start getting up earlier very soon (sigh).  

 I found out yesterday that I will be going back to DC (again) in June, I think this might be a new record for NIH grant reviews that I have been asked to do this year.  Either I am beginning to be seen as an expert in something or (more likely) NIH contracts people think they have found an easy mark ;-).

I hope you all have a great mid-week day, enjoy the sun and take a deep breath -- unless of course, you have allergies, in which case, enjoy the sun from the comfort of your climate controlled environment ;-).

 AM: (12 miles, 1:36:33). 31:38 wu + strides, 28:37cd.  5 mile tempo run (target range: 7:04-7:24), actual: 7:21, 7:18, 7:16, 7:13, 7:08.  They did not feel "good" and actually they felt a little harder than I wanted them to feel, but I was never truly uncomfortable.  All and all, not bad.

 PM: (4 miles easy).

 Last night I was testing my ability to upload desert wildflower pictures to my blog ... while I succeeded (eventually), I actually think they look better (while not professional) in a larger format, so I decided I would post the link instead.  I hope you enjoy them, they really don't do the beauty justice, #1 I am not very good at taking pictures (or at least I can't seem to capture what my eyes see very well) and #2 the poppies open up when it is warm, but when it is warm the sun is too bright to really get how vibrant the yellows are ... but, anyway - I hope you get some idea.  It is just really something when out of a brown, fairly barren, place (which does have a natural beauty of its own, albeit a little different from lush green places) comes such amazing splashes of color.

Have a wonder day bloggers, enjoying whatever nature surrounds you.

1:02:43 1:11:59 -- I think this is what I saw on my watch, boy oh boy did I have to update, I forgot I ran 8 instead of 7 ... I may have to update. I am horribly busy today, I am woefully behind on preparing for a talk I am giving in an hour, and Friday is meetings day. We are having a fundraiser for the college (college of public health) tonight ... I had to buy make-up and stockings, since I generally don't have such ammenities.

Have a wonderful Friday and weekend bloggers!

AM: (8 miles, 1:10:37).  Same route as yesterday - more than 20F hotter (since I ran later).  Kind of getting used to the heat, but it is not pleasant.

The work party was about what I had expected.  It was a really big affair, lots of very rich people spending/donating a lot of money ... it was for scholarships and they had two students (probably the ones most likely to make everyone cry) tell everyone about how the scholarships changed their lives ... one was a "lost boy" of Sudan and the other was a young woman whose father was a drug addict who died of AIDS when she was a teenager, their family spent a lot of years living in their car and in motels.  Both of the students have great ideals and are planning on changing the world now ... it was very inspiring. 

PM: (4 miles easy).

Now I have to grade midterms, it is not fun, they did not do well at all.

I hope you have a great day bloggers -- rest and enjoy, I hope spring is starting to spring where you are too!