catherine's running efforts

My first run this week. I met Toby for a fun out-and-back. She's the perfect running buddy. After we parted I went to the track to just do a faster lap because I was feeling rested (you know...not having run since Saturday) and bring my total up to 5.  

10:09, 10:04, 9:55, 9:42, 8:35 (9:40 ap) 

I hope everyone gets a chance to read Lindsey's comment on her recent race report. I don't run as much as I could, and I don't have nearly as much going on in my life as she does, but I understand her perspective on priorities/making tradeoffs. I admire her and all the other people who are very successful (with multiple definitions of success) runners while also balancing work, spouses/partners, children, and life. I'm grateful that there are so many here on the blog who are willing to share how they do it. 

After yesterday's nice run I thought that I'd maybe do 5 miles in the morning for the rest of the week. But last night we found out that Tigger has ringworm. We were planning on leaving early this morning for St. George and then heading to Mesa and Tucson tomorrow for a cousin's wedding and to see my new nephew (and to try to meet up with Arizona FRB friends!), but I guess ringworm's pretty contagious and my sister didn't want us to bring Tigger and we couldn't find anyone who could watch him. I was pretty sad last night so I stayed up late crying a little bit and emotionally eating some cookies (ginger lemon cookies from Costco - so good) and slept in a bit this morning. Then I stayed home with Elliott and packed some more for our move. 

I thought I'd go to the gym when Eric got home but I was hungry so we just had dinner, and by then it was pretty late and I was about ready for bed. So I just went out for a couple of miles (slow because my tummy was full, but not as slow as it felt). I was proud of myself because usually when I'm ready to go to sleep I just don't run. 9:25, 9:19, 8:54 for .25 (9:19 ap)

Also we got some pepper spray the other day for me to carry when I run because where we're going to move in Provo is a couple of blocks from the river trail (aka rape trail) and I'm usually only scared running by myself in the dark, but what the what! people get attacked there in the daytime. Eric and I did some practice shots with the spray and I took it with me tonight and I felt fierce. I'll probably still try to get Eric to come with me on the river trail when we move there, though. Eh...those attacks just make me so flapping mad. I kind of want to go all vigilante and spend all my time patrolling the trail with the zombie slayer the local gun store sells. Except that I don't think I believe in guns. And that gun scares the crap out of me. 

Friday 5 with Eric and Elliott. Elliott wakes up a little after 9:00 and I didn't decide I wanted to join the run until a little after that, so we didn't get started until about 9:45 and it was pretty hot. Usually I try to do these runs so that each mile is a little faster, but today I wanted to keep each mile under 9:00. I felt like I was comfortably pushing, but by the end my legs were heavy and my quads were tired. I think this is a good speed, though - not for every day, but maybe for twice a week.

8:55, 8:54, 8:58, 8:27, 8:36 (8:46 ap)

Eric takes care of Elliott on Saturdays so I totally slept in until she was banging on some pots and pans and Tigger was whining. Then it was too hot outside for running so after I had 3 mini mint patties and a few sips of diet dr. pepper I went to the gym. 8 miles, 9:05 for each, 1% incline. There was some cinderella-type movie on, but with a dance competition/audition twist. It was okay. Then I stopped by the new fabric store and wanted to buy stuff but didn't, and then I bought a caramel apple on the way home because I was stressed about this next academic year and I'm totally an emotional eater. 

My sister came over. The first thing she asked was, "Is there a Smart Cookie store here?" We ran up to the track together and ran around and then ran home. She doesn't run very much and doesn't like it yet, so she does a run-walk thing. But when she's running she goes at around a 9:30 pace. And when she stops to walk she's still talking well. I asked her what makes her feel like she needs to stop to walk, and she said it's her soul. 

Our legs are the same even though she doesn't run (though some would argue that I don't run).   

And we both like cookies.  

With Toby for her speedwork. She was doing 3 sets of 800 with a 400 cooldown. I was late getting to the track so I only did 2 sets. I gagged a little bit after the first 800. Plus there were sprinklers. My 800s were 3:12 and 3:16, and my ap for the whole morning was 10:02. I was *so* tired running back home, and the sides of my lower right calf were pretty sore. Hopefully I just need to stretch.  

I ran 2 of the 4.5 miles around the lake after driving to Pinecrest, CA with Eric and Elliott. A whole lot of diet soda and some candy and other junk throughout the day made for a pretty unhappy tummy. It was pretty outside, though. 

Practice run with the rental jog stroller. It pulled to one side. Beautiful place to run, though. 

My family goes to a cabin in Pinecrest, CA (off the Sonora Pass in Stanislaus National Forest, kind of between Yosemite and Sacramento) every year, and Eric and I have been able to go have our own family time there for the last few years. But this year was the first year that we were able to participate in the annual Pinecrest Lake Run. 

We didn't have anyone to help watch Elliott, so we decided that we'd rent a jog stroller and I'd do the fun run (1 mile) with Elliott and Eric would do the real run (5 miles). Usually Eric pushes the stroller when we run, so I was a little nervous about how it would go. But the stroller we rented was pretty cushy (thanks to the awesome bike/stroller rental guy who replaced the (broken) first one before the shop opened) and my race was short, so it went pretty well. We mostly ran around a cabin road and then cut through the forest for a quick stretch before ending on a lake path. The only thing that was kind of a bummer (aside from Elliott's race number covering her face most of the time) was that the course was short. I slowed down just a bit after about .4 thinking that I had a half mile left, and when my watch hit .75 I started trying to visualize doing a lap on the track with Toby on her Tuesday speed days, and then all of a sudden it was over. I wish I had known how short it was before we started.

Anyway, it was a really fun morning and probably one of my top 5 Pinecrest experiences out of all the time I've been going (since I was a little girl). One of our favorite places to be in the world, with our awesome little family, doing a race with friendly runners. I got a little certificate for being the first woman in the fun run (I would have been embarrassed about winning a "fun run" except that I was pushing the stroller, so really it was Elliott's race), and Eric did well in his race even though he wasn't feeling great before he started. And we made a few new friends who we can look for next year. 

I decided I was recovered from our Sunday night all-night drive back from CA, so Toby very kindly let me tag along for the middle of her run this morning. It was perfect because I was able to get a few miles in before Eric had to leave at 6:00 (today's day 2 of his MBA orientation and they're headed to Camp Williams to "learn" about "teambuilding"). Now I can spend the whole rest of the day packing for Friday's move-fest. Yay!

10:13, 9:41, 9:45, 9:42, 9:30, 9:27 (0.14) (9:46 ap) 

With my brother-in-law's special friend. 

Today's the first day of the new semester. Eric started the MBA program (now he's doing JD/MBA) and I'm teaching two classes. One I've taught a bunch before (sociology of gender), and one is new to me (regression analysis). I've been poo scared about the new one because it's stuff I learned about 10 years ago (for reals - it's basically the class I took in my first semester of grad school in 2003) and I've used the stuff since then but not really studied it. But after the first class today I decided it's going to be okay. 

I really really hate taking time to blowdry my hair in the mornings, so since I'm trying to get to campus early I'm going to try running in the evenings. Tonight was the first run, and for the first half I just thought about how much nicer it is to run in the early morning when it's cool and quiet. But on the way back (the out-and-back up to the east edge of campus that I did last monday) it was a little cooler (also dark) and I didn't dislike it. I wore my Altras for the first time since The Injury and enjoyed the space for my toes. I don't think I'll ever love them like I did, but maybe I'll start rotating them through a bit.

My garmin didn't pick up GPS for a bit so I don't know my splits, but mapmyrun.com says 3.8 and I ran for 31:17 (I tried to get under 30:00 but it didn't happen), so about 8:14 ap.  

I'm confused about the distance of my route. The first time I did it (a week ago) it was 3.7. When I mapped my run on it it was 3.8. Tonight I went out until I hit 2 miles, but when I got back I was only at 3.8 (should have been 4 since I went the same way both ways). I'm just going to count it as 3.8 every time. I hope that's not cheating. 

Not as fast as last night. According to the garmin (which may or may not be broken), 3.81 in 32:08. 8:23, 8:48, 8:12, 8:23 for .81 (8:26 ap).

I'm pretty bothered that I don't know the exact distance. Maybe it's really 3.7. Maybe later I'll find out that that's what it really is and I'll have to go back and change all my entries and I'll have been running slower than I thought I was.  

Last night was the MBA spouses' club opening social so I didn't run. I probably could have after, but I was feeling pretty stuffed full of chicken and cake and stories of how women or their babies died or almost died (made me feel bad for the pregnant women at the table - those stories are a thousand times worse when you're all pregnant and hormonal), so I just stayed home. 

It was raining for the first half of my run but it wasn't too bad. I did the first part of my normal run but there were crowds of people walking to the game and I didn't want to turn around and run past them again to get back home so I did a little loop on 900 E and then back down some road. I liked it because I was going uphill until 2.2 instead of about 1.9. And it ended up being about the same distance at the end as normal, anyway. 

8:47, 9:04, 8:19, 7:29 for .84, 8:27 ap. 

I'm probably going to order new shoes tonight or tomorrow. I'm thinking launches or kinvaras, but I'm curious about the brooks pure ones (not the connect - I hit on the outside and not the inside of my forefoot).