catherine's running efforts

46:18

64:11

1:54:51

45:10

Boo snow.

44:41

53:00

45:33

Uphill both ways.  Except that I only had to run the course once.  Didn't make my goal of not being in the bottom half.  

53:14

49:50

50:33

35:30ish

2:04:32

54:00 (hills)

It's been interesting to race with* Eric (facelessghost) over the past few months. I've been running off and on (mostly off but with occasional spurts of on) for a few years and he pretty much just started running in January, but he's consistently among the fastest runners and I'm almost always in the bottom half. He keeps explaining that he's been building his fitness level for years, and that improvement takes time, but sometimes it's hard to not feel like I'll always be slow. 

I think yesterday's race helped me understand more about improvement and growth, though. It was the farthest I've run by about three miles,** and I hadn't had many long runs in the previous few weeks. The beginning was familiar; I knew I was going to hate it until about 3 miles in, and I knew that the aches and pains that came after about 6 miles would go away.*** And at about 12 miles I even thought that an extra post-race jog sounded like a nice idea. But a little while later it kind of stopped being fun. There was a lot of downhill in the race, and I wasn't used to the pounding (all of my long runs have been on flat road or trails with a lot of elevation gain to even out the loss).

I thought about walking,**** but I realized that that was the point where, if I continued, I would begin to get stronger. I'm not really a push-my-limits kind of girl; I like to do things that I'm good at, and I like to stay at a level where I'm comfortable. It *did* completely suck to keep going, and I really hated the last 2.5 miles. A lot. But doing it would make it easier the next time, and pushing through the fear (of pain or discomfort or whatever) helped me to be confident that I could go that far (and farther) again.

It also helped me to appreciate the example Eric and other runners here on the blog set. I hope that I can continue to feel that appreciation and confidence instead of just feeling slow when I see people's race times.  :)

Oh - and the race was great. I wish there had been more people; about 45 people ran the 50k, and 12 people (7 men and 5 women*****) ran the 30k. The two most important things to me - aid stations and potties - were plentiful throughout, and the organizers were fun and helpful. The goodie bags included gels, a useful (for people who live in St. George) coupon book, and some samples, and the tech shirts were cute (but not un-manly...). Eric got a big trophy (that he's kind of embarrassed about :) ), and the finisher medals are neat. We're planning on going back next year, and I hope more people will have the chance to run the beautiful course.

http://www.redmountain50k.com

*And by "with" I mean that we start at the same time and he waits for me at the finish line.

**It was supposed to be only 2.6 miles farther, but the race was 19.1 instead of 18.6. I'm glad I didn't know until after that it was farther than I had signed up for.

***Because of an upcoming (minor) surgery, this was maybe the first long-ish race I've run without ibuprofen. Turns out forgoing the pain reliever was no big deal. (I'm still reluctant to skip the pre-race swig of pepto, though.)

****I don't think there's anything wrong with walking during a race; it just wasn't consistent with my goal for the day. 

*****(This explains my 2nd place finish.)

48:49

Today was my first run since the (relatively minor) surgery last Friday. It's been over a week because work got crazy busy the few days before the weekend. I was kind of nervous about how I'd feel, but it went really well. 

It helped me realize how grateful I am that I can exercise. A couple of days ago I felt like I was going crazy because I couldn't move enough. I even used a little arm weight in bed to try to get the feeling to go away. And the last couple of days at work I've felt lazy, puffy, and bleh. Even though I've never been super consistent about running, I don't think I've ever gone more than a couple of weeks without some kind of physical activity (hiking, running, cycling, dancing, etc). It makes me wonder what it feels like for people who *never* exercise. I don't imagine it feels very happy. 

Another wonderful three miles that I looked forward to all day. 

A happy three miles on the track. Did the first mile barefoot and felt great, but maybe got a couple of little blisters on my toes. 

45:00

24:00

34:03

16:00

29:53

Eric (facelessghost) and I decided to do the Utah Running Club 15K this Saturday because it was a good distance, it was where we needed to be that day (Provo), and it was cheap. In retrospect, we might have enjoyed a bigger race more (e.g., the 5K that was at Liberty Park), but now we know for next time.

We started about 20 seconds late because the race timer said "Go" right after Eric started retying his shoe. He got pretty far ahead of everyone right away, but I was surprised that I passed almost everyone (even the two girls I thought would beat me because they looked so lean) within about a minute. After a few miles I knew I probably wouldn't make my "dream" goal of an under-8:30 pace, but I was able to make my "realistic" goal of beating my 15K time from January. January's course was flatter, too, so I feel like I've improved (though yesterday's course was mentally easier because it was more interesting).

When Eric passed me on the way back he said there were two men and one woman in front of me, but it turned out that the woman was the race director who hadn't run the whole course, so he and I ended up being the first man and woman back. Like he said in his race report, though, there might have only been a couple or a few other people running the 15K. And I think a lot of people might have been treating it like a training run. But even though it was small and super informal, I'm glad we did it because I probably tried harder than I would have if I were just out by myself.

Oh - it was my first run with my new Garmin 205. I liked the average pace function, but I was super annoyed that it did the autostop when I was *not* stopped (I'll be turning that feature off, but was it the clouds? The trees?). And Eric's and my elevations don't match (even though the maps  of our runs are identical). Is it defective? Less accurate than Eric's because it's the 205 and not the 305? Was it because of the autostop (but why would that make such a difference in the elevation)? Was it because I had it set to record at every second, and his was on smart record? Lame.

30ish (with dog)

43:52

28:39

I was 4th or 5th out of 21 or 22 women (results aren't yet separated for men and women and there are a couple of androgynous names), 21st out of 59 total people. Is race division an age thing, and is overall *overall*? Or overall within women? Anyway... Eric (facelessghost) won the 50K, so check out his race report!

The first half was uphill, and for at least half of that I was just hiking. Parts of the course were pretty steep. It was a gorgeous venue and an almost ideal morning, though, and the routes were clearly marked, and the bagels at the end were yummy.

I met my goals of finishing before 2 hours and in the top half. As I was watching all the 30K people come in I kind of wished I had done that distance, but I'll probably be pretty sore from all the hills in just the 15K. Maybe next year I'll do the 30.

Splits: 9:55, 13:02, 12:38, 22:28, 11:28, 11:50, 7:39, 7:54, 8:14, 7:49, 6:25 (0.78)

Cemetery loop, 27:14. Previous best time was 28:18. 

Snagged a Utah Valley half-marathon spot for 30.00. Yay. :)

Cemetery loop, 27:02

Hotel treadmill. 

33:39

In St. George. **So** hot outside. No me gusta. 

Hotel treadmill.

1:43:09. Most of Eric's BST loop. I can't believe he does that several times a week. It was rough. 

Today's splits compared to 2 1/2 months ago (for the first 5 miles, since those are when I was for sure on the right trail (yeah, I share Eric's propensity for getting lost)) -

Mile 1: 10:07 (11:31); Mile 2: 12:00 (11:30); Mile 3: 13:07 (14:40); Mile 4: 15:54 (16:14); Mile 5: 15:08 (15:14).

It's nice that I was a little faster even though it felt like I was barely moving. That probably says more about where I was in March, though.

Sugarhouse Park with Eric. 11:42

Up and down the street in between working 11.5 hours. 

Another really long day. Hopefully the last one for awhile. 

Kind of like when you just read one verse in your scriptures so that you can say you read that day. Less effective. 

I was looking forward to this race because I feel like I've been getting a little bit faster and I wanted to have a better half-marathon PR. I also thought I had gotten over the whole needing-to-go-to-the-bathroom-during-a-race thing, and yesterday or today Eric said, "This'll probably be your first half where you don't have to stop to go to the bathroom." It wasn't. 

It wasn't as bad as my first half marathon (when I went to the hospital after) or my second (when I spent about 20 minutes in a port-a-potty), but it wasn't as good as my third (when I just ducked behind a bush (on Antelope Island) to pee). I still met my goal of finishing in under 2 hours, and up until about mile 10 I was still below my target marathon pace, but it's disappointing that I might have made my *dream* goal of finishing in 1:45 if I had been feeling better. Stupid trots...but I guess that figuring that out is part of the training game as much as anything else.

Overall it was a good experience (even with the rain and cold). I like road races, and at least there were port-a-potties to use. Like always, my favorite part was seeing Eric at the finish line. 

Splits (can you guess where were the two stops?):

Mile 1: 7:25

Mile 2: 8:11

Mile 3: 7:37

Mile 4: 8:09

Mile 5: 8:11

Mile 6: 9:21

Mile 7: 8:18

Mile 8: 8:44

Mile 9: 8:12

Mile 10: 8:20

Mile 11: 8:36

Mile 12: 12:14

Mile 13: 7:58

This week I'm trying to do my runs in the morning so that I don't get to the end of the day with only 5-10 minutes left to go outside. I don't know if it was because it was early, or I was tired, or I was a little sore from Saturday, or I was just kind of lazy, but today's cemetery loop was the slowest I've ever gone. 

Memory Grove loop with Eric. 34:46. 

Cemetery loop with Eric. Not as slow as Monday, but not as fast as other days. 28:10

Just a mile after icing my foot for most of the day. 6:58. 

Two miles with Eric on the track. 18-something.

A coworker said he and his son were probably going to run the Strawberry Days 5K, and Eric and I needed to be in Provo (anyone know of anyone who wants to rent an apartment near BYU to two responsible adults and their non-shedding, non-puppy 10-pound dog?) later that day, so it seemed like it'd be a fun race to run and I was curious to see if I'd be much faster than my 5K in January. 

At the beginning of the race I did my usual those-people-look-more-fit-than-me-so-they're-probably-going-to-beat-me thing (which is hardly ever accurate...like at the Sapper Joe 15K when tons of people who I thought I could have beat passed me hiking up the hills...oh, and they were doing the 30K...), and Eric reminded me that I was just racing against myself.

Then the crazy machine gun/shotgun thing went off, and I started running and felt super hungry. But I knew I could do at least one mile just under 7 minutes, so I tried to do that. Then I tried to see if I could keep the second mile under 7 minutes, and I could. Then I got tired. I knew I was the second woman (it was an out-and-back), but I knew that the first woman was in a completely different league running-wise, and I figured that anyone who passed me deserved to be ahead of me. Only a few guys passed me, though, so when I crossed the finish line I was still the second woman. That was fun. So was seeing super-supportive Eric with his big smile.

Afterward Eric and I went over and met the woman winner and took a picture with her. It turns out she's a fastrunningblog-er too (Allie), but we didn't know it until looking at today's race reports.

Splits: 6:58, 6:59, 7:34, 6:55 (0.10)

One mile barefoot with Tigger. 

Liberty Park loop before work. I'm so much slower in the mornings, but it's nice to get the run done early.  

1.2 barefoot with Tigger after work. 

Liberty Park loop. I'm not a fan of the cinder track (it's so wobbly), so all the trucks and stuff blocking off the sidewalk at the park are kind of annoying. 

Liberty Park loop. Donuts smell good along 700 E. 

The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Jeppsen two today.

Right now an 8:30 pace feels easy enough for several miles, so I thought that a sub-45 time for this morning's 8k was completely realistic. Sure it was a trail race with some uphill, but there'd be downhill to balance that out, right? My goal time was still 10 minutes slower than last year's winner, but I thought I had a good chance of being in the top half.

At the starting line I scoped out the other women and did my usual thing of guessing who would be fastest based on people's leanness and outfits. I picked out who I thought would win and decided to try to be able to see them for at least the first while. They took off at a pace that felt a little fast but totally sustainable for five miles. Then we got out of the parking lot, and I remembered that I prefer running on roads/sidewalks. When we hit the first hill I remembered that I don't really have any muscles. And on the second hill I started walking on the ups, not really caring on the flats, and trying not to fall down on the downs. 

I guess I can't really expect to be good at trail running (or even enjoy it) if I don't ever run on trails, even if some of my runs include hills.  And I'm used to being kind of bummed out about being slow after trail races, but they're usually a good experience overall because Eric likes them so much and often does really well. This morning he had talked about maybe just running with me because of his knee, but he took off at the beginning and I was glad to not see him for the rest of the course because I thought that meant he was getting back to normal. It was kind of depressing to get to the end and realize it hadn't gone well for him, either.

After the race it was fun to see Jun and his son, and I got to talk a little bit to an awesome (because she was fast and had really cute kids (one had these crazy little squeaker shoes that kept scaring Tigger (it was funny))) woman who was sitting near us, and Eric and I were both rewarded (despite our mediocrity) with door prizes. Then we went and signed a lease for an apartment in Provo (yeah...Provo...). Maybe when we live there I'll try adding a few trails like this morning's to my runs. It's short enough that I could do it often-ish, and maybe then I'd have a better time at trail races.

Splits: 9:42, 15:44, 10:02, 10:21, 9:21. Third in age division (like an hour longer than the winner), 44th overall (including men), bottom half.

A mile with Tigger in the morning, 5 miles on the treadmill with Eric in the evening. 

Austin's (work friend) Memory Grove loop at lunch (3.2). He kicked my trash, finishing about 45 seconds before me on the way up and a minute before me on the way down. He does the loop almost every day in the heat, though, so I'm okay with him being faster than me.

After work - went to the gym with Eric for 2.8 more miles on the treadmill. You know what I don't get? People who make noises when they're lifting weights. I probably just don't understand because I've never really done it, but it seems like if you have to make noise to get the dumbbell off the rack, maybe it's too heavy for you. So maybe what seems annoying, gross, and tacky to me is actually an important part of getting buff.

On the treadmill at the gym with Eric after work. No grunters tonight. And today marks 8 weeks of 6 days/week running! Some of those days were pretty sketchy (like the time I ran 0.1, or the night we "ran" home from temple square), but I guess everyone has to start somewhere. 

On the treadmill at the gym with Eric before work. Happy July. 

I've got the day off work because I had to work last weekend (pretty lame that after I start working for the church I have to work on Sunday for the first time in over 10 years), so I went out for a wandery run in the late morning. I had been planning on doing Eric's BST loop, but we were up late last night and it's supposed to be 10 degrees cooler tomorrow, so I put it off. 

And my Kinvaras came today. I think they're beautiful. 

Eric's BST loop. I'm glad I did it today instead of yesterday; it was cooler, and because there were so many people out and about I wasn't at all afraid of any stick-wielding crazies. 

On the way to the trailhead I passed a bunch of runners going the other way for the Freedom Half Marathon and 5K. It looked like a fun race. 

This is the third time I've done the loop. I was a little faster in some parts and a little slower in other parts than last time. It was better mentally, though - I didn't hate it at all, and for most of it I was happy and glad I was doing it. Last week at the trail race I saw a woman wearing Launches, and I wished I had been wearing mine since they're so much more comfortable than my Cascadias (Ross: "I wish *I* were naked..."), so I tried them today and think that wearing them helped me have a better experience. Yeah, it's rocky and stuff, but I didn't roll my ankle or anything any more than I have before. 

It was a good finish to one of my more consistent weeks, but sometimes I wonder if all this running is just going to make me slower.

I was going to go to the Salt Lake City Track Club speed workout this morning for the first time, but when I got there (after I figured out how to get into the track area (I made it harder than it needed to be)) there were only about three people, and they all seemed to be doing their own thing. I asked one of them, and she said that most people had come at 7:00. I guess I misunderstood the email, website, and newsletter that all said 8:00. Oh well. 

Instead, I ran three laps around the park in my beautiful and almost perfect Kinvaras. They feel so speedy and light! Not as roomy as my Launches (but the next size up was way too big), and there's a part on the left shoe that kind of cuts into my ankle bone, but overall I'm really really happy with them (so far). My goal for the run was to keep my average pace under 8:20, and it ended up being 7:59.

As I was running I was trying to keep a pace that was a little faster than super easy but not so fast that I'd get tired, and I thought about how probably everyone who's improved/gotten fast/met their goals has had to push beyond what's comfortable and easy. Then I thought about the dissertation that I still haven't written (but that was supposed to be done about a year ago). I think I keep waiting to want to do it like I want to read a book or watch a movie or TV show or take a nap or work on a hobby or any of the other million things that always seem to be a better idea when I have free time. But obviously it's not going to get done that way, just like I won't ever be able to qualify for Boston if I don't try to run farther or faster than what feels easy.

I've tried setting dissertation goals with my adviser, with friends, and even with a therapist (I can't write that without thinking about Arrested Development), but so far I haven't made more than a couple weeks of progress over the last couple of years. But since FRB has helped me feel more accountable for my running goals, maybe I can kind of use it for dissertation goals. So today I'm setting a goal that's realistic but not super easy - to complete a proposal draft by the end of August.

Liberty Park loop. Unhappy tummy.

I was a little shell-shocked after yesterday's 3-emergency-bathroom-stops run, so today I just did a mile with Eric after he got home from his ride. I hope he gets un-broken soon so that we can run together more.

Memory Grove loop from work at lunch. Eric came and ran with us and then surprised me with flowers and chocolate-covered cinnamon bears because it's our six monthiversary. He's the best. :)

Then a quick mile on the treadmill in between work and dinner with Eric. The weird lady was on the treadmill next to me. She told me that she doesn't have my build because she's a swimmer (who has won over 50 gold medals in the olympics), that in eight years she's going to marry someone whose name I think I should have recognized (he's currently a cardinal), and something about how she had detonated. (I don't know what she meant, but someone saying something about detonation while running on a treadmill reminds me of that line in The Runner's Rulebook about how the author imagines that passing gas while running is like having little jet propulsions.) 

After a quick, unplanned bike ride, I ran up to Virginia and across to 5th South and then down along the Des News 10K route to home. 

Went to the SLCTC workout at the Highland High track with Eric after work for 2 more miles. 

Eric and I met a girl from our ward for a run at 5:30 this morning. Up through the cemetery to 11th, then across and down through Memory Grove. 

Cemetery/Memory Grove loop. *So* didn't want to leave this morning, but after about 10 minutes I was really glad to be out. 

Sometimes I think I don't know how to run downhill. This morning being on the heels felt easier but too jarring, but the midfoot felt like I was shuffling/skidding and the forefoot (I guess mid- to forefoot) felt too fast for what I wanted.

On the treadmill at the gym with Eric after work. 

Same route as Monday, with Eric. 

Had a loverly bike ride with Eric. 17.6 miles in about a bajillion hours. I rode my new bike for the first time. Cycling is a lot scarier than running. :)

Around Sugarhouse Park. Hate waking up in the morning, but it's nice to get the run out of the way before it gets too warm. 

I tagged along with Eric on his run with Jun and Jun's friend today on a flat-ish trail up some canyon. I was really happy with the pace on the way out, and I loved the trail and kept wishing we lived closer to it. It was also fun listening to Eric and Jun talk about shoes and stuff.

Then I had a Gu just before the turnaround point and somehow it kicked my digestive system into overdrive or something. I had to poop three stupid times over the last half of the run. Eric was nice enough to wait for me, and he even offered to gather leaves in case I ran out of toilet paper (he's such a good provider).

Lame about the trots, but other than that it was a really enjoyable run on a trail perfect for Catherine. I'm glad I got to go, and I hope to frequent the trail many more times in the future.

On the treadmill at the gym after work. SYTYCD was on. It's different without the sound. 

Yes, that's right. One mile. 

Up to Virginia then down along South Temple. 

Last year when I ran this race I had moved back to Utah from Pennsylvania two days earlier, and I was still feeling really sad and sorry for myself about leaving all my friends. Over the past few days I've been feeling really grateful about how the last year has gone, and I'm amazed at the comparison between how sad I was then and how happy I am now.

Anyway, the race went pretty well. My realistic goal was to be faster than I was at the flat 10K in February, and my dream goals were to be under 45 minutes and in the top 10%. I don't yet know how I did compared to anyone else, but according to my watch (a few seconds faster than the finish-line clock) I was over a minute under my dream time goal.

I'm not sure if I was too fast at the start. Eric and I have been talking about it - he says it's better to pace one's self and not go out too fast, but I always get that adrenaline thing at the beginning and wonder why not take advantage of it and bank time for later. I did think about trying to keep it kind of comfortable, but it was also hard because of the big downhills at the beginning. After two miles I felt kind of tired, but I tried to pretend it was a 5K and thought about how cool it would be if I did a 5K with all my miles under 7 minutes (didn't happen). Then I got distracted along South Temple watching two guys with double strollers (one of them took over the other guy's stroller for a bit and then almost lost them both). That took up another mile, and then we were on the parade route and almost done. The only part of the race that really sucked was the stretch up 900 S, but even that was only a few minutes.

At the finish line I found out that Eric had made his goal too, so it was a good race for both of us. I hope everything went as well for all the other FRBers.

Splits: 6:28, 6:31, 7:20, 7:16, 7:10, 7:29, 7:32 (0.2)

Chip time: 43:48.9, 70/1233 overall (women), 12/257 AG

Had a nice 15.67-mile bike ride with Eric. More comfortable than last week but still a little scary. 

A few laps around Sugarhouse Park with Eric. We ran into super awesome Allie on our last lap. She's super awesome.

Today was my first run in the Nike Frees I got at the Nordstrom sale for only 56.00ish, and I'm not sure if I like them. I'm sure they're a better fit than a half size down, but I felt like my heels were slipping a little bit. So I tightened them, but then they kind of hurt the top of my foot. Maybe it's just that my Launches are so nifty that anything else (the Kinvaras and the Frees) doesn't feel as nice.

On the way home we stopped at Smith's for groceries and soda (they're having a 5-for-14 sale on Coke products, and we both really love Dr. Pepper). And guess what? They have "throwback" (what Pepsi called it) Dr. Pepper! It's made with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, so I'm going to start drinking that instead of water. Just kidding. Through tomorrow you get two free boxes of Cheeze-Its if you buy 5 12-packs, though.

Up to Virginia, up through part of the U campus, then down along 100 S and South Temple. Probably a flat route would have been a better idea; I'm still pretty sore from Saturday. 

I've also noticed that I'm a lot less flexible than I used to be. It must be because of all my new muscles (that still aren't strong enough to power my body up a mountain). I'm thinking about going to a ballet class to try to stretch out.

I felt so completely unmotivated to run today. But I also felt completely unmotivated to do almost anything else I had to do today, so at least it's not that I just didn't want to run. 

Maybe it's a Thursday thing. 

Barefoot with Tigger. 

A little in Park City, a little along Foothill, and a little around home. 

I got to go watch Eric ride his bike up around Coalville and Evanston this morning, so I ran around on the race course a bit (8.6) while I was waiting between feed zones. I felt pretty grungy around the clean and nice-smelling wives at the finish line, but I didn't see them at the 6:00 am start or holding musettes (I just learned that word yesterday) at the feed zones, so whatever. After we got home and took a nap I did 3.2 more at Liberty Park to get 30 for the week.

It was really neat seeing Eric race. I think that seeing each other try hard at things and sometimes do well and sometimes do less well helps us bond or something. Plus I really like his cycling outfits.

A little longer ride today - 26 miles. I think I'm starting to like being on a bike a little bit more. At least today I didn't have any oh-my-gosh-I-think-I'm-going-to-crash-and-die moments. 

We're moving to Provo on Friday. I completely freaked out about it (again) this morning. I lived there for 2 years during my master's program, and I remember thinking it was a really young town. That was five years ago. And the people living upstairs are 19 and 23 and about to get married (and when we were there earlier today we could hear everything they were saying), and there are 3 nurseries in the ward we'll be in. But probably everything will be okay and I'm just going through my I-hate-change phase.

Liberty Park loop with Eric. My legs were kind of heavy - probably because of yesterday's bike ride. 

Up to Virginia and back (ish). 

Faux Thursday. 

I spent a bunch of time today trying to find out about gym memberships in Provo (mostly Gold's and 24 Hour Fitness). I decided that gyms (or at least the people you get on the phone when you're trying to find out about prices) are evil. I'm pretty sure they all get off on being withholding. 

Pipeline trail with Eric. Better than last time, but I still had to poop twice. I only had enough toilet paper for the first incident, so I had to sacrifice my underwear for the second. Fortunately, even though the trail was pretty busy, I don't think anyone saw my nakedness.  Eric is an excellent lookout.

I've about had it with this particular problem, though. It's really really frustrating. For awhile I thought it was because I was trying to go farther/do more than my body was ready, but at this point there is absolutely no reason I shouldn't be able to run 9 miles (and really it doesn't feel that different from 4 or 5). It doesn't seem to matter if it's morning, afternoon, or evening, or whether I've eaten before or during the run. Maybe today it was the little sips of water? But it seems like that's not something I should cut out. I think it's part of why I've been avoiding long runs even though I know I should be doing them (the other reason is that I procrastinate and run out of time).

Oh - there was a rattlesnake near the trail. I didn't see it, but I was scared. 

Once upon a time my goals included running a marathon and riding a century before I turned 30. Then the goals were to do those things *while* I was 30. Now I'm about to turn 31, and I still haven't done either. But at least now I've done a "metric century." Eric and I joined his parents at the ULCER this morning to do the shorter option (60 miles instead of 111).

Some highlights: 

- I probably consumed more calories at the feed zone than I burned over the four-hour ride.

- Eric was serious when he (I thought) joked that I couldn't knock him off his bike even if I tried. It was nice of him to keep me from crashing when I started to tip over because of the effort. 

- It's *so* *way* easier to ride in a pack than by yourself or with just one other person. 

- It probably wasn't the best idea to try a different kind of clipless pedals for the first time on a big group ride. It was über embarrassing to beat people to the top of a hill (I know, it wasn't a race) only to later stop at a light and then have them all pass me while I kept trying to figure out how to flip the pedals over and clip in.

- People in a bike ride talk a lot more than people in a running race. A lot of it is really annoying. 

- If I've recently gone on 3 or 4 rides, with the longest being 26 miles, I can ride happily for 50 miles. After about 50 I get cranky and want to quit.

In other news, we moved probably 85% of our stuff to our apartment in Provo on Friday and Saturday. So far it's not so bad.

To the mall and back with Eric. 

Loop up and around campus. 

Mall loops. 8:19 average pace. 

Was going to be a 13-mile loop, but cut it short because of the heat. Note to self: Don't leave for a long run at 10:40 am. 

With the sickness.

Mall loops with Eric. 

Took the wrong keys this morning so had to run to a friend's house so she could take them with her to work in Provo. 

*Loved* the canyon with the tailwind. The last three miles were less fun.

I was glad to be able to exchange my XS shirt for a small (kudos to the race directors (and/or the shirt manufacturers) for having shirt sizes not based on the assumption that people in the race would be bigger than average).

I attribute the 10-minute PR almost entirely to not having to visit a port-a-potty once during the race (first time ever for a half-marathon).

Splits: 7:18, 7:29, 7:30, 7:55, 7:31, 7:34, 7:32, 7:23, 7:38 (thank you, girl in orange shirt, for being so consistent through miles 5-9 and not seeming to mind that I was matching your steps (though maybe you did mind, and you slowed down to lose me)), 8:06, 8:51 (I lost the mental game for a bit here), 7:49, 7:21 (0.1-ish).

With Eric, mall loop. 

With Eric, not the mall loop. 

Out University and back on Freedom. 

With Eric. 

I really like my Kinvaras. They're super comfy. I wish I didn't occasionally get sore calves/shins from them, but Eric says it's probably just from the lower heel-toe ratio and that I'll get used to it. Makes sense. 

My first time in the Cardio Cinema at Gold's Gym. Spiderman was on. I loved it because it was comfortable, the bathroom and drinking fountain were conveniently close, and I could just zone out and watch the movie. 

At the Cardio Cinema. Sick after, despite not having eaten anything before the run. Oh well. 

Started at the cardio cinema, but the movie was the most stupid movie ever (some Transformers movie). Turns out that the regular TV treadmills are better. 

I think I like this gym treadmill thing because we don't really watch TV. We have shows that we like to watch, but for the last year we've only had time to catch them on Hulu on the weekends. So it's kind of a treat to go and have a mental break. Plus, doesn't Lindsey Dunkley do most of her training on a treadmill? And she's crazy fast.

At the Cardio Cinema with Eric. It's nice when he can take a break to spend time with me. 

Tried out some minutes at 6:30 and 0.1 mile at 6. 

I didn't hate this race as much as Eric did, but it's still probably my least favorite race ever. 

The whole reason for doing a 5K today was so that Eric could get a new PR. His old one was from January, about two weeks after he had really started running. We hadn't decided between the Beat Beethoven one in Pleasant Grove or another race in conjunction with a half-marathon in Spanish Fork, but at the last minute this morning we decided to go to PG since the SF race might be crazy with the half and a fun run going on at the same time. Plus, we'd get to see Awesome Allie. 

We got there and were charged a price different than what the registration form said, but they fixed that. Then when we were getting ready to start the person giving instructions said that the course wasn't marked and to follow the lead people. Eric had said he wasn't feeling well, so I thought that probably Allie would win, and it sounded like she had memorized the course turns. I figured there'd be enough people ahead of me that I wouldn't have to figure out where to go on my own, and since Eric wasn't feeling well I thought he wouldn't have to worry about the unmarked course either. 

Everything went okay for me during the race. I saw several people dodging cars (for real...and then a couple of cars just stopped in the road because they didn't know what was going on) as we crossed through intersections, but I never had to slow down because of the lack of directions or traffic control. Near the end I passed a guy because he had to slow down for a truck, so I kind of felt bad for him there. I knew I'd be several minutes behind Allie, but there was another girl I could see for the first two miles who I kept hoping would run out of steam. But then she disappeared around the turn to the finish, so maybe she was banditing? Or she took a wrong turn? So I ended up second woman, and *almost* made it under 21 minutes. After looking at my splits I wonder if I should have tried harder, but it sounds like I'll have another chance sometime soon since Eric still needs a new 5K PR. 

To sum up, I wouldn't do this race again. I like the "Beat Beethoven" idea, and I believe in libraries and museums and stuff, and I like runnercard timing, but it was kind of dangerous to send people out on a course and not tell them that there's no traffic control, and it was kind of annoying that there were absolutely no course markings (no mile markers, but also not even one "turn here" marking or volunteer (except the people at a water station on a corner)). Plus, I know it's not supposed to be the point of a race, but I really like the "race atmosphere," and that wasn't here either. It was good to spend a morning with Eric, though, and it was fun to see Allie.

It makes me wonder, though. Sometimes a course isn't marked, sometimes someone misses a marking, sometimes there's a huge crowd at the start that we can't get through, sometimes a volunteer sends someone in the wrong direction. But everyone uses race times as PRs instead of  just going out to a track or something. Why? And what's the line between runner's responsibility (specifically in road races and not those trail races where part of the race is to follow a map or something) and race director's responsibility? 

Splits: 6:51, 6:58, 6:48, and then whatever for the last 0.1.

I didn't think I'd be into it, but now I'm really looking forward to watching the rest of Mission Impossible 3. 

9:14 for 7, 8:00 for 0.5, 6:44 for 0.5. 

I wanted to get 12, but I forgot/didn't know the gym closes at 9:00 on Saturdays. So I had to do the last half mile at 7:03 to even get to 11. Maybe I would have hit 12 anyway if I hadn't had to run a little slower than usual because of a too-recent (but yummy) Pei Wei dinner. Let this be a lesson to me on planning...

And congratulations to everyone who rocked T of U! You're all my heroes!

9:13 for all, then hanging leg-lifts and fake pull-ups. Felt kind of sickish since the bus home. Perfume/cologne/smelly lotion on the bus is like the same in the gym. Gross. 

A bit of tummy trouble. And that new Will Arnette show is only a little funny. 

8:49 pace. Wanted to do 6 miles but had to go meet Eric.

8:49 for the first 3 miles, then a lot slower for the last mile. The Office was okay. I was sad that we accidentally missed Community. 

Hiked to the Y with Eric and his siblings. It was fun. I definitely never want to have to run it, though. 

At the gym. 9:13 for 11, 7:41 for 1. Saw part of Rocky for the first time, then the first bit of Pink Panther. Then did the v-crunch machine and fake pullups and fake dips. 

Eric's on a trail run and thought he might finish at the same time I did, so I drove up toward where I thought he might be coming out of the mountain. I didn't find him, but I saw these two girls doing a trail run and felt like a bum for doing all of my miles on a treadmill. But then I figured that I am where I am and there's no sense in trying to compare myself to people who probably have completely different lives and backgrounds than I do.

*Note - Eric called from his sister's house while I was typing this. He had gotten lost on the trail. :)

3 miles in the morning to make up for not running yesterday, then 5 in the evening. 8:49 for all. 

Glee was on tonight. Rachel has a six-pack? Maybe I should put in some elliptical time. 

Usually Eric wakes up at about 5:00 and leaves for his morning run, and I wake up at about 6:00 and get ready to catch the bus at 6:29 (yeah...since we moved to Provo I've reduced my morning routine to just brushing my teeth and taking a shower). The bus brings me home at about 5:00, and then Eric and I go to the gym and get/make (usually get) dinner and I'm in bed at about 9:30 (Eric usually stays up late to study). (Yes, this brings up the question of why I need so much more sleep than Eric does. I don't know. I just know that when I don't get 8-9 hours of sleep a night I get really cranky and anxious and cry-ish.) This week, though, I have to spend more time at work, so I'm driving every day and I went to the gym with Eric at 5:30 this morning so that I don't have another Monday (when I got home at bedtime and didn't want to run). My legs felt more tired than they did last night, and it took two miles until I felt like I didn't want to quit. I was tired at the fake pullups and dips, too, but everything went okay and it was nice to get the (shortish) run out of the way early in the day. Maybe I could shift my sleep and do my run every morning. Or maybe I could get used to just 7 hours of sleep. Or maybe after this week I'll just go back to the evening runs.   

9:14 for 3, 7:30 for 1. 

The hard part of this week is over! I got about 4 hours of sleep last night, so I was pretty tired by the end of the day. The three miles were at 9:14 during an okay episode of Friends (the last two seasons just weren't as good), then I did hanging leg lifts and Eric and I hung out in the hot tub for a few minutes. 

I though I'd get back to the gym again later in the day, but I didn't. I should have just gotten it done the first time I was there. 

I'm going on a little work trip to Colorado today, so I don't have to go to my office until Friday! Best week ever. I celebrated not having to ride the bus by running with Melody and her friends. They're all very lean. It was faster than I run when I'm by myself, but it went by really quickly. And it was fun. I'm glad they let me tag along. 6 miles, 7:50ish pace.

Then I went to the gym and enjoyed some treadmill time with Casino Royale. 4.5 miles (it was only supposed to be 4, but I had to find out if he saved the plane), 8:49 pace. Also did fake pullups/dips and tummy stuff. As I was driving home I saw Eric finishing his run, so I gave him a ride.

Remember how yesterday I said this was the best week ever? Really I'd trade the early bus ride and obnoxious upstairs neighbors to be home with Eric. Aww...

It was sunny and cool outside today. It was kind of hard to find somewhere to run - I kept coming to freeways. So I ended up running a few laps around some apartments about a mile away. I should have thrown in another lap so I would have gotten 4 miles. Oh well. 

After yesterday's wanderings through apartment complexes, I wanted to find out where Colorado Springs people run. This morning I made it to the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail only about a mile and a half after I was supposed to find it, but it felt really sketchy so I turned around after a couple of minutes. Plus I think I saw a gang member on my way out. So I did most of my out-and-back on some road. Now I'm off to see Garden of the Gods with my coworker before our meetings this afternoon. 9:11 AP. 

I'm so glad to be home! It was the first time Eric and I had been apart since we got married in January and I was kind of a wuss about the separation, so I was really really happy to see him when he picked me up at the airport this morning. Then we had an okay time at the dentist (no cavities, at least), and Eric had planned a nice trail run for us to do this afternoon. But it was raining, so we went to the gym instead. 9:13 pace on the treadmill, then arms and abs. 

We knew this was a race with a lot of fast people where neither of us would come close to winning, so I didn't have the eye of the tiger going into it. I had a vague goal of being under 21 minutes, but I knew that it was a harder course than the one about a month ago where I was just over 21, so I knew that'd be pretty unlikely. 

Mile 1: 6:48:10. This was pretty hard because it started uphill. I immediately wished I had eaten something before the race (I don't usually because I'm afraid of having poop problems). I tried to think about things other than running.

Mile 2: 6:24:24. Easier because it was downhill, but I was still feeling tired. I kept trying to tell myself that it wasn't very hard and that it was going to be over soon, but mostly I was stressing about being able to keep the pace and wondering if I wanted to puke on or eat the blue pancakes the parade-watchers were eating.

Mile 3: 7:28:82. How embarrassing. Yeah, it was a gradual uphill, but there's really no excuse for this. At some point during this mile I had the new experience of feeling like I couldn't get enough air (usually I'm limited by leg/foot soreness or the mental game but not oxygen intake), and I told myself it was okay to slow down (and that I would never do a 5K again). I wish I could have kept it together. There was also some grass running that probably slowed me down for a few seconds. But really I just decided it was too hard and that I didn't want to try anymore (even though in the moment I think I felt like I was trying pretty hard).

Last 0.1: I don't know. I forgot to stop my watch. It was nice to be on the track, though. *Way* better than the stupid grass.

Runnercard time: 21:34.1.

I was kind of bummed for a bit afterward. I'd been used to every race being a new PR, so I wondered if this meant I had stopped getting faster. I'm hoping that really I was just extra tired and it was a harder course than I'm used to.

Later - Started a 6-mile out-and-back on the Provo BST with Eric. Neither of us were feeling great, though, so we cut it short. 3.25.