catherine's running efforts

I was looking at my race times over the past couple of years (thanks, FRB!), and I noticed that on Saturday I was 20 seconds per mile faster than I was on the same course at the end of August, and I was 10 seconds per mile faster than I was on an easier course about a month ago. And I was 20 seconds per mile slower than I was on the same course right when I got pregnant (or the day we found out I was pregnant) in 2010. So that's good, right? And maybe I would have gone faster if I hadn't been about to finish my highest mileage week ever (though still not that high) and planning on running 12 more miles that day. But maybe not. 

Today was day 2 of Catherine-runs-in-the-mornings. I only did 4 miles because my quads were a little sore and because Eric and I are doing the Buffalo Run 25k on Saturday (but really 16 miles) and I only want 35 miles this week. Also, it feels a lot harder to run in the morning. Maybe because my body isn't warmed up from the day? 

Also - according to the race results, that one girl was 3 seconds ahead of me on gun time but 7 seconds ahead of me on chip time. So now I'm a little more on the side of being glad that I didn't try to pass her again, because thinking that I beat her and finding out that I didn't would have been a bummer. 

This morning I ran with a couple of women in my neighborhood. I was thinking that it would be similar to when I ran with Melody and her fast friends a couple of years ago. It wasn't like that at all. The run this morning was slower (expected and welcome), but also quieter. I had kind of expected that they'd be pretty chatty. Maybe they are when I'm not there. 

I thought that the weather would be warming up this week so I just wore shorts, a long sleeved tech shirt, and a lightweight running jacket (and knit gloves and a headband for my ears). I never really got warm, and my hands and quads started to hurt from the cold after about a half mile. I stuck it out and continued with the main running person after we dropped off the other person, but I was glad to head back home once my watch chirped at 4 miles. Unfortunately we had been doing a loop so I didn't get the 5 miles I wanted for the morning, but there's no way I'm going out there again today and I'm not sure it's worth it to go to the gym for a half mile given what I need for the week and Saturday's planned 16 miles. 

Five miles at the gym in the morning. I love getting the run out of the way, but I hate that my only TV choices are local news, informercials, or Charmed. 

Morning Runner Catherine ran in the evening today. It was my night with Elliott (we switch off) and she woke up a few times between 2:30 and 5:30 (but nothing like RAD's night a few nights ago...what the gravy) so I stayed in bed for as long as I could once she was asleep again. She was super fun later in the day, though, and I made it to the gym for a few miles before going to bed. 

I was back in the morning runner saddle this morning for a quick 1.5 at the gym after seeing Eric and Elliott off and heading to campus. It'd be nice if 1.5 a day was always enough. Or if I had a time-turner. 

Going into the race I wondered if I was about to make a huge (little) mistake. It would be the longest distance I've run in about 2 years, the first trail run in about a year and a half, and maybe the fourth time running uphill in about a year. But I wanted the distance, and it would be our third year going to the island for the races, and I was curious about my fitness level compared to a couple of years ago when I went into the race with more trail and hill running but a lot less consistency and fewer miles. Two years ago, when the race was 16 or 16.1, my time was 3:03:28. This year I had 2:51:?? for about 16.5, so definitely better. 

I ran with RAD for the first maybe quarter mile, but she soon found her carrot or rabbit or whatever and went off to chase it. Once we stopped going uphill I enjoyed the course, and I settled in a bit and tried not to think about the switchbacks that I knew were coming. I told myself that I didn't have try to run the switchbacks. I stayed with about the same people for most of the race; they'd pass me on the ups, and I'd pass them on the downs. Once we hit the switchbacks I listened to Temperature over and over again - it was a nice marching beat. On a less steep part of the switchbacks I started jogging because a lot of other people were too, but then I told myself to stop getting peer pressured and I went back to my march.

I enjoyed the course for the first half, and for awhile I was thinking that Eric and I should come out and do it about once a month. But after about 8 miles my mood soured and I thought about how much I hate running up hills. I don't mind some trails - I love the pipeline trail, for example (even given some unfortunate experiences there), and I enjoy the Mountain View Trail half marathon course, and I'm almost fond of the stretch of the BST that goes from about Shriners to about Memory Grove. But I just don't think it's fun to try to charge up (or down) things like the Buffalo Run mountains or that Sapper Joe mountain, and I'd only go up that mountain in the pancake run (Grandeur Peak?) if someone were paying me a lot. Or some. I'd probably do it if someone offered 100 dollars. But that would never happen. Anyway, I think it's okay to not like certain kinds of running. Everyone's different. Or maybe it's like how I don't like trying to do pushups or pullups - maybe I'd like it more if I had some muscles. Maybe I'd have some muscles if I tried it more? After the bigger hills I listened to No Diggity over and over to keep myself going, and I was able to keep a pretty consistent pace and pass several people. 

Eric and Elliott made my day by meeting me at the blue tent near the end (when I was thinking, "What the heck? Where in the gravy is the freaking finish line?"). I really really hated the part up the road to the finish, especially since I had been planning on 16 miles and not 16.5. My mom and her parents were waiting at the finish after having explored the island and visitor's center a bit. I felt bad because I wasn't in the best shape for about 20 minutes after finishing (my feet, hips, back, and shoulders hurt pretty bad) and didn't feel like visiting, but it was nice to see them. Before going home we stopped at the Bountiful rec center to play with Elliott in the lazy river and take turns sitting in the hot tub, and after that we stopped at a cupcake place in Salt Lake to cash in a gift certificate for free cupcakes that we've been carrying around since about January 2011.