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Location:

Littleton,CO,USA

Member Since:

Aug 04, 2008

Gender:

Female

Goal Type:

Boston Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

I've run off and on (more off than on) throughout my adult life. Most recently I started running in May of 2007.

5K PR: Colder Bolder in December 2009 in 22:50.

10k PR: Bolder Boulder in May 2009 in 48:06.13.

1/2 Marathon PR: Canyonlands Half-Marathon in March 2010 in 1:43:20.

Marathon PR: Newport (Oregon) Marathon in June 2010 in 3:42:17.

I have completed two full marathons.

Short-Term Running Goals:

Get back to consistent running.

Long-Term Running Goals:

Sub 3:30 marathon.

Personal:

I grew up in Utah, but live in Colorado now.

I am married and am a working mother of four children, ages 9-19.

Favorite Blogs:

Click to donate
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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Nike Lunarracer Lifetime Miles: 284.91
Brooks Adrenaline Trail Lifetime Miles: 574.62
Brooks Green Silence Lifetime Miles: 681.13
Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Lifetime Miles: 424.52
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
795.0713.09808.16
Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 143.07Nike Lunarracer Miles: 7.27Brooks Green Silence Miles: 257.70Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 400.12
Night Sleep Time: 967.00Nap Time: 5.50Total Sleep Time: 972.50
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.000.005.00

Easy TM run.

Around 4 pm I finally dragged myself out the door and went to my office and ran on the treadmill. It's snowy and cold here. There's not a lot of snow, but enough to be troublesome. Mostly there's just a lot of cold, which means the snow is not going away.

I really hate running on the treadmill. I don't know how I used to do it. When I started running 3 1/2 years ago, I ran exclusively on the TM for about the first 10 months as I recall.

I need to start running more for my sanity. I need the time alone to clear my head and pound my worries into the ground. This parenting thing is stressful.

AP: 9:43. Splits: 10:00, 10:00, 9:40, 9:31, 9:22.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 5.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments
From The Quiet Pirate on Sat, Jan 01, 2011 at 21:42:06 from 71.77.158.102

I ran on the treadmill for over a year. I look back on it, and wondered how I didn't go crazy. I love the outdoors so much more! However, I'm not "blessed" with the nasty cold weather y'all are having out west. That would be motivation enough to spend some time on TM.

I agree- running is good for the mind. I have a sticker on my car "Running is cheaper than Therapy." I honestly believe it's true.

Good luck getting your miles in on the TM until the weather gets better.

From Karen on Sat, Jan 01, 2011 at 23:23:36 from 69.98.205.92

Congratulations on stringing together a few solid days of running! I was checking colorado blogs to see how the weather is back there (we leave from Michigan in the morning and wanted to see just what's waiting...)

Happy New Year!

From Kelli on Sun, Jan 02, 2011 at 17:30:26 from 71.219.84.215

It is a good stress reliever for sure, but only if you are doing it for fun and not letting it cause the stress. You know what I mean???

I TM is definitely not the same, but I have been so thankful for it this winter. It has been so cold!!!

Here is to the best 2011! You deserve a really great year!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.260.003.26

Easy run.

6:39 am, 20° F, 60% humidity, winds calm.

I took advantage of the fact that college boy is still home.He could be with his little sister and I could go out a little later and not have to be back before boy #3 left for school. I believe college boy slept through it all, but oh well.

I was slow this morning and I had to slow down even more from time to time because of ice.

AP: 10:05. Splits: 10:14, 10:05, 9:58, 0.26 @ 9:57.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 3.26
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From jun on Mon, Jan 03, 2011 at 10:33:14 from 66.239.250.209

Good start to the year though. I'm looking forward to getting out today and testing out my new micro spikes, no slipping!

From The Quiet Pirate on Mon, Jan 03, 2011 at 13:16:19 from 152.26.59.252

You're brave for running when there's ice out. That is one thing I won't try.

Do your yak trax help with ice, or are they just for snow?

I think my son is preparing for college by sleeping all day.

From Tracy on Mon, Jan 03, 2011 at 14:57:42 from 209.175.177.37

Good start to the year!

I've been away from checking people's blogs lately and I finished catching up on yours! Life has been busy for you lately and feel your pain on the lost motivation. Maybe this week will find you back in the game! I wish you well in getting back to the good ol Carolyn, plugging away at all the miles. I bet this lapse will help you to come back stronger!

From RAD on Tue, Jan 04, 2011 at 12:24:50 from 67.172.229.125

Excellent start to the year. I'm glad your son was there to help you out - they still have to be good for something :)

I'm curious about the yak trax too. Almost bought a pair, but some people say they break and are too flimsy, do you get them a size smaller to be secure? How does it feel if there is only snow/ice to run through some of the time? Do they bother you on the regular road?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Jan 04, 2011 at 12:54:03 from 198.241.174.15

I wear the yaktrax only if the vast majority of the ground I'm going to be running on is snow covered. On this run, I ran on sidewalks which were mostly clear. There were just icy spots in places, mostly through intersections, so I didn't wear the yaktrax. When I do wear them, they're okay if I get a little bit of dry road, but I wouldn't want to wear them on a run that was mostly dry road.

I think they're better on snow than on ice. I think they would still be slippery on ice, but maybe it depends how smooth the ice is. They're slippery on my kitchen floor.

From auntieem on Tue, Jan 04, 2011 at 19:16:28 from 98.247.176.184

Good run, Carolyn! It is intimidating to get out there on ice. I, like you, bring out the yaktrax for mostly snow; they seem to work best on the hard packed snow/ice.

From Kelli on Tue, Jan 11, 2011 at 18:51:47 from 71.219.84.215

HOW ARE YOU???

From Bonnie on Tue, Jan 11, 2011 at 21:19:04 from 64.119.33.134

oh where oh where is my carol - olyn, oh where oh where can she be???

From JD on Tue, Jan 11, 2011 at 23:54:34 from 24.10.171.14

Yeah, we miss you. Hope you're doing well.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Jan 12, 2011 at 16:04:00 from 198.241.174.15

I was feeling sick last week and so I didn't run. Now I'm just overwhelmed by life and responsibility and I'm struggling to get myself out of bed in the morning, especially since it's been something like 0 degrees in the mornings this week. I was going to try to run this morning, but I decided to get up and do housework instead. I need to take a week off work and catch up on the house and then maybe I'll be able to run.

I'm overwhelmed with worry and responsiblity right now.

Thank you for your concern.

From Kelli on Wed, Jan 12, 2011 at 20:20:44 from 71.219.84.215

WELL, we love you!!! I hope things get better soon and that you are at least over the cold! And, you are right, it is way too cold to run out there. Stay inside where it is warm, even if it means housework!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.270.003.27

Easy run.

9:28 am, 41°F, 36% humidity, wind 4 SSE.

See, I haven't stopped running completely. An email from Snoqualmie yesterday got me out the door today. Now if I can just keep it up.

I used to think that 3 miles wasn't worth heading out the door for, but right now it's about all that I can handle, so I've got to make myself get out and do it with some frequency.

AP: 9:46. Splits: 10:09, 9:44, 9:29, 0.26 @ 9:28.


Nike Lunarracer Miles: 3.27
Night Sleep Time: 9.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 9.00
Comments
From Tracy on Sat, Jan 15, 2011 at 13:58:09 from 67.175.121.130

Yay! Glad to see you're back! I've been thinking about you a lot lately. I'm rooting for you to get out again soon. Maybe comments from your FRB buddies will help you get your groove back.

From Burt on Sat, Jan 15, 2011 at 14:26:59 from 72.223.84.236

Good for Snoqualmie. What a gal.

From JD on Sat, Jan 15, 2011 at 14:42:56 from 70.96.78.149

Every mile is worth getting out the door for. Glad it's warmed up again!

From RAD on Sat, Jan 15, 2011 at 15:24:46 from 67.172.229.125

You're out there moving! Thanks Sno for bringing her back! :)

From Bonnie on Sat, Jan 15, 2011 at 16:40:51 from 64.119.33.134

Ditto ... all the earlier comments and my own, nice to 'see' you again!

From Metcalf Running on Sat, Jan 15, 2011 at 22:34:04 from 97.126.137.52

Yahooo for some running and Yahoo for Snow!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.080.004.08

Easy run.

6:40 am, 41° F, 60% humidity, wind 3 S.

I've got the day off work today, but I got up relatively early and met Lindsay and Allie and ran with them. I ran about a half mile to meet them, then ran a couple of miles with them, and then ran the rest by myself. I need to try to run at least 3 times this week.

I ran pretty slowly today, but it didn't feel that slow to me. I certainly wasn't pushing the pace, but I didn't realize how slow I was either.

AP: 10:06. Splits: 9:58, 10:12, 10:13, 10:03.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 4.08
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From Bonnie on Mon, Jan 17, 2011 at 14:12:21 from 128.196.228.134

Nice to see you back. Have a good day off!

From Toby on Mon, Jan 17, 2011 at 14:52:24 from 216.194.124.37

Hooray for a day off and to be able to run with buddies!

From RAD on Mon, Jan 17, 2011 at 15:00:00 from 67.172.229.125

excellent run with friends!! pace,schmace - you were out there!!

From JD on Mon, Jan 17, 2011 at 18:59:40 from 209.183.51.64

Good start to a day off. Four more miles in the bank!

From april27 on Mon, Jan 17, 2011 at 19:22:16 from 99.188.251.180

good start to the week! Stop calling yourself slow!

From Tracy on Mon, Jan 17, 2011 at 19:33:22 from 173.23.75.96

Glad you had some company today! Good luck with the rest of the week!

From The Quiet Pirate on Tue, Jan 18, 2011 at 20:51:42 from 71.77.158.102

Great to see you back running. Pace is made by folks in San Antoino who know what salsa should taste like. Don't worry about salsa when you're running, just enjoy it!

From Bonnie on Tue, Jan 18, 2011 at 21:07:22 from 64.119.33.134

Loved the comment Pirate ... very cool. New York City indeed.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.250.003.25

Easy run.

5:39 am, 24° F, 78% humidity, wind 3 SSW.

I guess the warm weather we've been having for the last few days is gone. Oh well. At least I managed to drag myself out of the door this morning for a little tiny run.

AP: 9:51. Splits: 10:13, 9:53, 9:33, 0.25 @ 9:28.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 3.25
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00
Comments
From Kelli on Wed, Jan 19, 2011 at 09:24:08 from 71.219.84.215

That weather was nice, huh? It was a teaser which is sometimes hard to take!!! Glad you were able to enjoy it.

In Utah today at 5 am it was 37 degrees and raining, by 6:30 it had dropped to 28 and was snowing. It is supposed to get colder as the day goes according to the news. WEIRD!

HAVE A GREAT DAY CAROLYN!

From Tracy on Wed, Jan 19, 2011 at 09:27:54 from 209.175.177.37

I think it's the hardest to find the strength to run when it's cold! Good job!

From The Quiet Pirate on Wed, Jan 19, 2011 at 09:44:15 from 152.26.59.252

Nice workout even in the cold. There's nothing easy about 24 degrees!

From RAD on Wed, Jan 19, 2011 at 15:44:25 from 67.172.229.125

Getting up and dressed and just out the door is the hardest part of the battle for me! Nice work Carolyn, good to see you back at it!

From Bonnie on Wed, Jan 19, 2011 at 16:37:42 from 128.196.228.134

Sweet ... not the weather, but you being out in it!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.670.004.67

Easy run.

6:06 am, 34° F, 44% humidity, wind 10 N.

It's Friday, so I ran with Lindsay this morning. We saw Michelle out running with the other Michelle. Michelle has been rehabbing her hip since her baby was born and she's just starting to get back into running now. Maybe in a couple of months, we can get our Saturdays on the trail going again.

AP: 10:04. Splits: 10:10, 9:56, 10:11, 10:01, 0.67 @ 10:00.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 4.67
Night Sleep Time: 5.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 5.50
Comments
From Tracy on Fri, Jan 21, 2011 at 09:56:00 from 209.175.177.37

Tell Michelle that we miss her!

I think motivation for running is always easier when someone's counting on you! Good miles today!

From The Quiet Pirate on Fri, Jan 21, 2011 at 15:11:07 from 152.26.59.252

Great to hear that you got out AND that Michelle is on her way back to running again.

From april27 on Sat, Jan 22, 2011 at 19:53:35 from 99.188.251.180

Hip issues after giving birth? Sounds painful! But I"m glad your Saturday group may resume in a few months.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.500.004.50

Slow run.

6:08 am, 30° F, 52% humidity, wind 6 N.

Lindsay called last night and asked if I wanted to run with her this morning. She usually runs with someone else on Mondays, but I guess that person wasn't available today. So we arranged to meet at 6:15 at a corner that's about halfway between our houses. I got there just a minute early and looked for her but couldn't see her. I wasn't sure which way she would come (she has two choices), so I ran a little ways down one of the ways and didn't see her, so I turned around and went back to the meeting place. I waited for a couple of minutes and by then it was 6:20, so I decided to go all the way down one of the ways she might come. I did that and went a little past the turn off to her house, thinking that I would just run by myself, but then I changed my mind and turned around and went to her house and knocked on the door. She came to the door in her pajamas and said that she had set her alarm wrong. She said she could be ready in 10 minutes. So I ran a little loop around her neighborhood for 10 minutes and then we ran together for a couple of miles.

I've been working a lot the last several months and have taken very little time off. As a result, I have a good chunk of vacation accrued, which I have never had before. I usually fritter it a way as quickly as I earn it. But things have slowed down a bit at work, and I so I decided to take this whole week off and try to catch up on some things at home. So I could have waited and run later this morning after I got my daughter off to school, but I went earlier so that I could run with Lindsay. Maybe I'll wait until later on Wednesday.

AP: 10:14. Splits: 10:34, 10:31, 10:02, 9:59, 0.50 @ 9:43.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 4.50
Night Sleep Time: 8.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.50
Comments
From Tracy on Mon, Jan 24, 2011 at 10:13:02 from 209.175.177.37

I hope this week is exactly what you need.

From april27 on Mon, Jan 24, 2011 at 22:12:34 from 99.188.251.180

I'm glad you finally have some time off! YOu have been working hard!

From JD on Mon, Jan 24, 2011 at 23:06:05 from 209.183.51.42

Enjoy a well deserved break from work this week!

From jun on Tue, Jan 25, 2011 at 10:01:42 from 66.239.250.209

Yay for vacations! Time to regenerate!!! Good luck and enjoy.

From RAD on Tue, Jan 25, 2011 at 15:00:44 from 67.172.229.125

YAY for a good vacation! I hope it helps de-stress life and that you get some good warm runs in. Nice job on the early Monday run!!

From Kelli on Thu, Jan 27, 2011 at 10:21:58 from 71.219.84.215

ENJOY your time off! Make sure to rest while you are getting all that other stuff done!

From The Quiet Pirate on Thu, Jan 27, 2011 at 12:57:33 from 152.26.59.252

Have a great vacation week! Enjoy your time home catching up on YOU time :-)

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.500.004.50

Easy run.

6:07 am, 38° F, 36% humidity, wind 8 SSW.

It's Friday, so thanks to Lindsay, I got out and ran this morning. I called this an easy run because it was so slow, but truthfully, this painfully slow pace is not so easy for me any more, at least not when there's any kind of uphill grade at all. I've gotten so out of shape.

Also, I'm tired. This week off from work has not been restful at all. I've been working like crazy on the house. It took me 3 1/2 days to clean out the basement. We had boxes from when we moved here nearly 5 years ago, that we hadn't unpacked. I think I need another week to finish up, but I'm afraid I've got to go back to work next week.

AP: 10:24. Splits: 10:46, 10:11, 10:12, 10:25, 0.5 @ 10:31.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 4.50
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From Tracy on Fri, Jan 28, 2011 at 13:14:17 from 209.175.177.37

Maybe you should quit your job.

But really, you have two more days, so here's to some rest over the weekend.

From RAD on Fri, Jan 28, 2011 at 14:27:07 from 67.172.229.125

HA! I've got a whole basement filled of those boxes and it's been almost 5 years for me too. Glad you were able to get some things off your plate at home though, I hope the week off was worth it. Running is an outlet right now, don't worry about pace!

From JD on Fri, Jan 28, 2011 at 19:14:12 from 70.96.78.149

Oh man, the basement. Thanks a lot for reminding me! We'll probably have to burn the house down before that job gets done.

Hope the run helped kick start your day.

From Bonnie on Fri, Jan 28, 2011 at 19:34:12 from 64.119.33.134

Wow!! congratulations on making a dent on the basement CinC! I am with JD ... that has been my modus operandi -- well, not burn, but it usually gets done when we move. I think I am going to call 1-800-got-junk and just have them take every box that hasn't been opened in our past 2 moves, I might miss something ... but hey, I won't miss the clutter (we don't have a basement so our junk is in our garage.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Jan 28, 2011 at 20:08:44 from 71.229.134.155

I'm taking a mini van full of stuff to the dump tomorrow, and the rest of it goes on the curb for the garbage truck on Monday. They're going to hate me.

From The Quiet Pirate on Mon, Jan 31, 2011 at 12:31:45 from 152.26.59.252

Sorry your week off wasn't as restful as you'd wanted. Those horrid moving boxes haunt many of us....for years. Congrats on digging in & getting it done.

Slow paces or fast paces, doesn't really matter..just enjoy the journey. Sometimes when you're going slower, you have more time to enjoy the flowers, or at least look for treasures on the side of the road :-)

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.710.004.71

Easy run.

6:40 am, 25°F, 81% humidity, winds calm, "light freezing drizzle mist" (that was the description on wunderground.com)

I got out this morning before it got really cold. Apparently the high temperature for today happened at 1 am. Now it's 9 degrees outside. Nevertheless, on account of the "light freezing drizzle mist" this morning, the roads were pretty slick. I ran with Lindsay and Allie and we had to run single file most of the way on whatever part of the road was dryest. I might have wimped out this morning if I hadn't been meeting them.

I'm afraid it's just going to get colder here before it gets warmer again. I'll take tomorrow off from running, but I'm not sure about Wednesday.

AP: 10:29. Splits: 10:18, 10:45 (we walked a short stretch in this mile because it was so slick), 10:28, 10:39, 0.71 @ 10:06 (this was my attempt to go a little faster after I split from the group).

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 4.71
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From JD on Mon, Jan 31, 2011 at 17:01:34 from 70.96.78.149

Brrr! The freezing weather is coming here tonight I think. Single digit temps are my friend. Glad you got out before the deep freeze.

From RAD on Mon, Jan 31, 2011 at 17:09:53 from 67.172.229.125

OH SO cold! We're getting this tonight and tomorrow...not excited! Nice job getting out and getting it done.

From Karen on Tue, Feb 01, 2011 at 01:46:35 from 69.171.160.47

Brilliant! I waited too long and could not go for my run safely...looks like the dreadmill for tomorrow. Wya to get out there!

From The Quiet Pirate on Tue, Feb 01, 2011 at 10:47:03 from 152.26.59.252

your weather depresses me!!

Nice job on the run on the slick roads.

From auntieem on Tue, Feb 01, 2011 at 17:13:49 from 98.247.176.184

Tough! Ice is the worst - good job getting out there, Carolyn!

From The Quiet Pirate on Mon, Feb 07, 2011 at 13:09:35 from 152.26.59.252

How was your weekend? Did you get a run in?

From Bonnie on Thu, Feb 10, 2011 at 14:31:48 from 64.119.33.134

Where are you CinC???

From april27 on Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 23:59:15 from 99.188.251.180

it has been crazy cold here too!

From Kelli on Sun, Feb 13, 2011 at 17:37:23 from 71.219.84.215

Just thinking of you today and dropping in to say HI and see how things are going.

From JD on Sun, Feb 13, 2011 at 19:49:53 from 70.96.78.149

...what she said...

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
2.220.002.22

Easy run.

6:43 am, 36° F, 50% humidity, wind 9 SSE.

It's not much, but it's something. Thank you for your concern during my extended absence. We've had nasty weather - cold and snow, and with my waning motivation, it's been enough to keep me indoors. We're getting warmer temperatures now and the roads and sidewalks are fairly clear, but there's still a fair amount of ice.

AP: 10:23. Splits: 10:20, 10:30, 0.22 @ 10:07.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 2.22
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00
Comments
From The Quiet Pirate on Mon, Feb 14, 2011 at 14:51:33 from 152.26.59.252

HEY!! Great to have you back :-)

Nice running. Did you shred while you were indoors? I've got to get back on the shredding wagon.

From auntieem on Mon, Feb 14, 2011 at 18:45:52 from 98.247.176.184

Good to see you back here! Any running is good running, and MAN, you guys have had it cold and icy lately.

From Bonnie on Mon, Feb 14, 2011 at 19:07:50 from 128.196.228.134

Welcome back!!

From JD on Tue, Feb 15, 2011 at 00:57:38 from 209.183.51.132

Nice run too, point 22.

From Tracy on Tue, Feb 15, 2011 at 07:12:42 from 173.23.75.96

Glad you're back!!!!! Booooooo winter!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Feb 16, 2011 at 11:02:29 from 71.229.134.155

No, QP, I didn't do the shred while I was stuck indoors. I've been fat and lazy. I need to get back on the shred wagon too.

From The Quiet Pirate on Wed, Feb 16, 2011 at 13:03:45 from 152.26.59.252

I haven't done it yet either. I'm almost afraid to start over!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
2.250.002.25

Easy run with a little bitty faster finish.

6:44 am, 43° F, 27% humidity, wind 8 SSW.

After freezing our hineys off last week, we're unseasonably warm this week. Go figure. There's still a bit of ice around, but not as much as two days ago.

I figure I'm okay with these short distances if that's what it takes to get some consistency back. The hardest part is getting dressed and out the door. If I can get into the habit of doing that, then increasing the distance is easy. Except that I need to start before 6:40 if I'm going to increase the distance since I have to be home around 7:00.

I went a little ways beyond my house this morning to get to an even quarter mile. And I tried to run a little faster for the last quarter mile.

AP: 9:57. Splits: 10:09, 10:00, 0.25 @ 8:56.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 2.25
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From jun on Wed, Feb 16, 2011 at 11:09:29 from 66.239.250.209

You definitely have the right mentality about all of it. Great job getting out there again.

From Tracy on Wed, Feb 16, 2011 at 12:45:33 from 209.175.177.37

Agreed. I like your attitude. The unseasonably warm weather (we've got it too!) probably helps in getting out the door!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.500.003.50

Easy run.

6:15 am, 29° F, 48% humidity, wind 2 S.

Lindsay and I agreed to each leave our houses at 6:15 this morning and meet at a certain corner at about 8:20. If one of us left earlier or ran faster than the other, the meeting place would just be a little different. But I left right at 6:15 and we both got to that corner at the same time at my clock read 6:20. It was just kind of funny how precisely the plan worked out.

But I am sorely out of shape. We got going and I had to ask her to slow down a little bit.We didn't go far, but at least it was farther than I went by myself on Monday and Wednesday.

AP: 10:21. Splits: 10:40, 10:15, 10:12, 0.5 @ 10:10.


Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 3.50
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From Tracy on Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 12:03:44 from 209.175.177.37

Good! I know you feel like you'll never get the motivation back, but it'll come quickly. I bet in 3 weeks you'll be feeling good about running again!

From RAD on Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 15:12:28 from 67.172.229.125

It's good to see you back at it and doing well with a good plan. Just keep it consistent and your effort will all fall into place!

From april27 on Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 16:44:01 from 99.188.251.180

great to see you back with more frequency this week!

From jun on Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 16:46:12 from 205.158.160.209

Yay for having you back. Keep it up.

From JD on Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 18:32:10 from 70.96.78.149

Keep on keepin' on.

From auntieem on Sat, Feb 19, 2011 at 11:57:06 from 98.247.176.184

Hey, you really are back! You will be back in shape sooo quickly.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.000.004.00

An embarrassingly difficult run.

7:05 am, 35-40° F, 44% humidity, winds 5 S.

I met up with Michelle for this run. In days of yore, I would have run the 1.5 miles to her house, run with her whatever distance she was going, and then run the 1.5 miles back home, and maybe even more than that. But those days are gone. I drove to her house, ran whatever distance she was running because it was short enough that I could handle it, and then drove home. And the last mile nearly killed me even though it was the slowest mile of the 4. It was up hill pretty much the whole way and I so wanted to stop and walk but I didn't. I did stop at one point to tie my shoe (and paused my watch), but then I ran the rest of the way. Michelle was doing much better than I was. She reminded me that one time when we were running that stretch before and she was struggling I told her to think of the street light at the top of the hill as a magnet that was pulling her forward. So she gave that advice to me today.

I've really got to get back into shape. At least I made it out for a run 4 times this week. If I can keep that up for a few weeks, maybe I'll be on the road to getting back.

AP: 10:01. 9:59, 9:52, 9:55, 10:18.

I just commented on my weekly mileage to my son, and he thinks I should go run 0.03 miles, but I'm fine with the lack of a whole number.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 4.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From jun on Sat, Feb 19, 2011 at 16:49:37 from 97.126.239.167

Way to get out there this week. It won't take you long to get back into full swing. You're doing great! Keep it up.

From RAD on Sat, Feb 19, 2011 at 18:31:46 from 67.172.229.125

I'm horrible, I always like to round the numbers out! Great job hitting the road and getting more consistent, you ARE on the road back!

From Bonnie on Sat, Feb 19, 2011 at 18:45:05 from 64.119.33.134

Great job on 4 days this week CinC ... you will be right back in no time. It won't take nearly as long as the first time a few years ago.

From Tracy on Sun, Feb 20, 2011 at 10:53:54 from 67.175.121.130

Good job, Carolyn! That Michelle--she gives good advice. And I'm with Bonnie. You'll feel good about running again soon!

From Snoqualmie Ridge Runner on Mon, Feb 21, 2011 at 08:04:42 from 24.16.49.114

Hi C, I'm just getting back into the swing of things here. Took quite a bit of time off from running. Just ease back into it...

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.120.003.12

No run is an easy run anymore.

6:41 am, 13° F, 66% humidity, winds calm.

I've got the day off from work today, so I was able to meet Lindsay at 6:45 (we meet at a corner that's halfway between our houses, so I had to leave a little before 6:45). She normally meets Allie at that time on Mondays, but Allie wasn't available today.

It was cold this morning and I haven't done laundry recently enough, so I had to wear my cheap part wool shirt that is slightly too short for me now that I've put on some weight. So it kept coming untucked and bunched up above my jelly roll. I had on another shirt that was long enough to keep me covered, but with only the one layer over my jelly roll, it got quite cold.

I figure I'll try to run 4 days/week. If I can do that for three consecutive weeks, then I'll add in another run.

There was a hill in the last mile today that slowed me down.

AP: 10:07. Splits: 9:42, 10:15, 10:23, 0.12 @ 10:07.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 3.12
Night Sleep Time: 9.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 9.00
Comments
From Tracy on Mon, Feb 21, 2011 at 12:43:32 from 173.23.75.96

I like the plan. And I like the term "jelly roll." It makes it sound nicer, like everyone should want one :)

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Feb 21, 2011 at 13:41:12 from 71.229.134.155

I would have said "muffin top," but it was more jelly roll shaped when it was squished above the waist band of my pants. Maybe that's too graphic. At least I'm not posting a picture.

From Tracy on Mon, Feb 21, 2011 at 13:47:14 from 173.23.75.96

I think I know what one looks like. And I won't post a pic either...

From JD on Mon, Feb 21, 2011 at 15:06:49 from 70.96.78.149

I prefer my jelly roll cold.

From jun on Mon, Feb 21, 2011 at 16:43:48 from 97.126.239.167

que rap song. good goals carolyn.

From Kelli on Tue, Feb 22, 2011 at 00:15:03 from 71.219.69.52

WOW, it was cold for you today! We were much warmer, I wish you could have run with me in the sun and 40 degrees!

Love the comment about the jelly roll, glad to know I am not alone. My winter running clothes malfunction due to my "baby fat" and it is frustrating! Hope you got some laundry done so the next run will be more comfortable.

Good plans with the running!

From The Quiet Pirate on Tue, Feb 22, 2011 at 13:38:26 from 152.26.59.252

I'm not only a member of the jelly roll for runners club, I'm also the president!!

You've got a great do-able goal. I hope spring comes soon!!

From RAD on Tue, Feb 22, 2011 at 14:50:14 from 67.172.229.125

Sounds like the perfect way to get back at it. Glad things are going well and that you were able to run with a friend - always makes the run easier for me!

From Metcalf Running on Tue, Feb 22, 2011 at 14:59:03 from 166.205.9.114

I think I am in the running for vice president of the jelly roll club. As everyone stated... Good plain!

From auntieem on Tue, Feb 22, 2011 at 18:57:22 from 98.247.176.184

Very smart plan Carolyn! Brrr! It's very cold for you.

From Kelli on Tue, Feb 22, 2011 at 19:57:50 from 71.219.69.52

I am sick of waiting for spring, I am going to get in my car and go find it!

have you noticed that the "jelly roll" kind of gets frostbite in the cold? It is the last place on my body to warm up and it sometimes will stay purple for half of the day!

From april27 on Tue, Feb 22, 2011 at 22:42:27 from 99.188.251.180

Red belly is so fun! LOL and fitting in four days is so much easier than 5!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.000.103.10

Short progression run.

6:57 am, 27° F, 42% humidity, wind 5 E.

I failed to get out early this morning, but I didn't want to miss the run, so I went out and ran even though I was starting at the time I should have been finishing. Now my whole morning is running late, but oh well.

As I got started I decided to try to run just a little bit faster than I have been running lately. Eventually that formed into a goal to get the average pace for the whole run below 10:00 pace. It wasn't until I was finished that I realized that it had been a progression run.

Following my somewhat arbitrary standard of putting anything faster than 8:30 in the Fast miles bucket, I put my last 0.1 in there today.

AP: 9:44. Splits: 10:05, 9:47, 9:29, 0.1 @ 8:23.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 3.10
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From jun on Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 11:53:34 from 66.239.250.209

You definitely crushed your goal to better a 10 min/mile. Way to go. And your dedication to get out there is really showing again. Congrats.

From JD on Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 16:18:20 from 70.96.78.149

It gives me a sense of peace and calm, a feeling that all is right with the world, a knowledge that everything in the universe is as it should be, when I log on to FRB and see that you've posted another run.

Nice job!

From Tracy on Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 16:23:52 from 209.175.177.37

I'm with JD. Carolyn is back.

From auntieem on Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 17:11:51 from 98.247.176.184

When you start using words like "progression run" you are sooo back!

From RAD on Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 19:36:00 from 67.172.229.125

Gotta love an unknowing progression run! Nice work Carolyn.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.270.003.27

Easy run.

6:15 am, 18° F, 79% humidity, wind 3 NE, freezing fog.

Thanks to my two faithful running friends, I've only had to run alone once this week. I ran with Lindsay on Monday and today, and I'll run with Michelle tomorrow. I was alone only on Wednesday.

I was supposed to meet Lindsay at our corner this morning, but I beat her there, so I headed towards her house and we met along the way.

My good wool top was clean this morning and so I didn't have to freeze my jelly roll like I did on Monday. I better wash it today in case I need it tomorrow.

My glasses got fogged up at one point and I couldn't see very well, but they cleared up after a couple of minutes.

AP: 10:13. Splits: 10:28, 10:15, 10:07, 0.27 @ 9:32. (That last faster bit was by myself after Lindsay and I parted ways.)

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 3.27
Night Sleep Time: 6.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.50
Comments
From Tracy on Fri, Feb 25, 2011 at 10:38:55 from 209.175.177.37

It's great to have running friends! I find that when I run with people, I'm much slower because of all the gabbing I do. But that's usually why I enjoy running with others!

From JD on Fri, Feb 25, 2011 at 15:31:26 from 70.96.78.149

You guys are chilly over there. We're getting a snowstorm tonight, supposedly. Nice running.

From RAD on Fri, Feb 25, 2011 at 15:46:02 from 67.172.229.125

Nice work really getting back at it! Friends make running ALL worth it.

From april27 on Fri, Feb 25, 2011 at 21:39:37 from 99.188.251.180

Glad to see you getting back into the swing of things! So nice to be able to run with friends!

From auntieem on Sat, Feb 26, 2011 at 00:26:12 from 98.247.176.184

Great motivation, Carolyn! Bet you are looking forward to Spring (weather).

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.000.005.00

Easy run with a tough finish.

7:02 am, 37° F, 51% humidity, wind 6 SW.

I drove to Michelle's house and then she and I ran the same 4 mile route that we ran last Saturday, but with a little detour to do a mile on the high school track in the middle of it.

The last 1.2 of this route is steady up hill and it nearly killed me once again. This time, I stopped midway through the uphill part and rested for about 30 seconds because I felt like I was going to throw up. I paused my watch while I was stopped, so my pace doesn't reflect the stop. Michelle kept running when I stopped, and then when she saw that I had started running again, she came back and met me and we ran the rest of the way together. I used to be able to run this stretch. It was roughly the 2nd mile in the 6 mile route that I used to do from my house all the time. It was usually my slowest mile, but it didn't kill me like it's doing now. Maybe if I keep running it, it will get easier.

I really like running with Michelle. She's a great running partner.

AP: 9:59. Splits: 10:03, 10:02, 9:57, 9:49, 10:02.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 5.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From RAD on Sat, Feb 26, 2011 at 16:17:04 from 67.172.229.125

excellent run Carolyn! I'm so glad Michelle is being a great running partner for you - we all need those. Yes, that hill will get easier and you'll be breezing up it in no time!

From Tracy on Sat, Feb 26, 2011 at 16:38:02 from 208.54.7.130

Nice miles. Keep toughing it out and you'll master that hill soon enough!

From JD on Sat, Feb 26, 2011 at 17:18:32 from 70.96.78.149

Great week. I think your pace is already starting to come down.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.000.004.00

Easy-ish run.

6:31 am, 35° F, 29% humidity, wind 4 SSW.

I headed it out on my standard 4-mile loop that I've done many times before. It's good that I was on a loop that I knew the distance of because my Garmin battery died about a mile into the run. Based on the time on my cell phone when I finished, I ran for about 41 give or take 30 seconds. So I was a little slower than 10:00 pace overall, but I really think I was slower than 10:00 for the first two miles and faster than 10:00 for the second 2 miles.

It's a busy morning.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 4.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From Tracy on Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 10:20:23 from 209.175.177.37

I hate when the garmin dies midrun! There's something soothing about always knowing my pace...

From jun on Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 10:30:08 from 66.239.250.209

This post just reminded me that I think I forgot to bring my Garmin to work today.

Let me check.

Ha. Nope, I have it. Now, hopefully the battery won't be dead.

From JD on Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 15:47:55 from 70.96.78.149

Aaaahhhh...

From april27 on Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 18:32:23 from 99.188.251.180

Glad to 'see' you on this Monday!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.020.004.02

Moderate run.

6:55 am, 25° F, 49% humidity, winds calm.

My Garmin was charged and ready to go this morning, except that I forgot that I hadn't cleared out the partial run that it recorded on Monday before giving out on me. I was 6/10 of a mile into my run when I looked down and it said I had gone 2 miles, and I realized what had happened. I stopped the watch and reset it at that point. I was able to calculate my total distance and total time, and thus average pace from the data I got, but my splits are kind of weird since I started a new run and thus a new lap when I had done 6/10 of a mile.

I pushed the pace just a little bit, so I'm calling this moderate instead of easy.

AP: 9:48. Splits: 0.62 @ 10:21, 9:51, 9:46, 9:28, 0.4 @ 9:38.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 4.02
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From JD on Wed, Mar 02, 2011 at 11:41:22 from 70.96.78.149

You're going to be stronger than ever with your recent "reset".

From RAD on Wed, Mar 02, 2011 at 15:10:33 from 67.172.229.125

Nice work Carolyn, you're already getting stronger and faster. A runner never forgets :)

From april27 on Wed, Mar 02, 2011 at 18:44:59 from 99.188.251.180

You rock!

From The Quiet Pirate on Thu, Mar 03, 2011 at 10:58:09 from 152.26.59.252

It takes so much to get up early and get ready to run in the cold winter mornings. How can we be expected to remember to be on top of our Garmin too? It's just too much!!

Nice run! You're making progress :-)

From Bonnie on Thu, Mar 03, 2011 at 21:22:30 from 150.135.115.77

Yipee! Welcome back Carolyn!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.000.003.00

Easy/Moderate run.

6:14 am, 30° F, 78% humidity, wind 2 SW.

I met Lindsay and Allie for the run this morning. I made them go on a short loop because I needed to get home early so that I could get a shower and go to Muffins with Mom at the elementary school. They probably ran some more after I peeled off to go home.

We spent the whole run arguing about education policy. It was the two of them against me. I got a little riled up and I think that made me run faster towards the end of the run. Despite the side benefit of running faster, I should probably stop picking political fights with my friends.

AP: 9:51. Splits: 10:23, 9:52, 9:19.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 3.00
Night Sleep Time: 5.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 5.50
Comments
From jun on Fri, Mar 04, 2011 at 11:14:37 from 205.158.160.209

If it doesn't come to blows a little arguing never hurt anyone. I've been known to banter a bit.

From The Quiet Pirate on Fri, Mar 04, 2011 at 16:43:43 from 152.26.59.252

I have a strict policy that whatever is said during a run can not ever be used against you in a court of law or anywhere else for that matter. What's said on the road stays on the road.

That's what helps make it so theraputic.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.000.006.00

Moderate run.

6:53 am, 27° F, 38% humidity, wind 6 SW.

It's Saturday so I got to run with Michelle. Hooray! I love running with Michelle. She is doing a beginner's finish-a-marathon plan with intent to run the Utah Valley Marathon. I am not going to run the Utah Valley Marathon, but I am going to do her training plan with her so that I can run with her on Saturdays. Her plan has 4 days/week throughout and the longest distance on a weekday is 8 miles, but the Saturday distances steadily increase up to 20 miles. I figure if I do this plan with her, then maybe at the end I'll be fit enough to do a more aggressive marathon training plan for a Fall marathon, possibly.

But here's my conundrum: My plan was to run 4 days/week for three weeks and then add in a 5th day and do that for a few weeks and then add a 6th day. I've now run 4 days/week for the last three weeks, so it's time to bump it up according to my original plan. However, if I'm also increasing distance every Saturday in order to stick with Michelle, maybe it's not a good idea to increase weekday running too quickly as well. Maybe it's better to stick with the 4 days/week but increase the distance on those days, like the plan does. Any thoughts, anyone?

We did basically the same 6 mile loop that I used to do except we started from her house instead of my house. If you start from my house, the big hill is in mile 2. Starting from her house, the big hill was mile 5+ (the hill is about 1.2 miles). It really shows in the splits. But at least this time I didn't stop on the hill like I did last week. But we also ran the hill a little slower today than we did last Saturday.  We'll probably switch to the trail for Saturday runs in a little while, but maybe we should stick with the streets so that we can work on that hill.

AP: 10:02. Splits: 9:57, 10:03, 9:57, 9:43, 10:45, 9:48.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 6.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments
From Kelli on Sun, Mar 06, 2011 at 01:31:58 from 71.219.97.85

I would say go with what you feel comfortable with, how is that for advice??? If you want to keep the miles a little lower, stick with less days and the higher miles on the weekend!

From Tracy on Sun, Mar 06, 2011 at 10:55:50 from 173.23.75.96

If you feel better running more days during the week, keep with lower mileage days during the week if you're concerned about too fast an increase. I think you'll figure out what's comfortable as you go through.

And way to go on that hill!

Oh, and how far are you from Colorado Springs? Like an hour and a half or something?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Sun, Mar 06, 2011 at 15:03:34 from 71.229.134.155

We're about an hour north of Colorado Springs. Are you coming to Colorado?

From Tracy on Sun, Mar 06, 2011 at 18:00:10 from 173.23.75.96

In June, yes. We are still finalizing our plans, but as of right now we are driving out with plans to stay with friends in Colorado Springs the weekend of June 18-19. Hopefully I can meet you somewhere to run. Do you think you'll be around then?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Sun, Mar 06, 2011 at 18:29:44 from 71.229.134.155

Yes, I expect to be around. We will need to figure out a way to get together. It will be great to meet you in person!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.000.005.00

Easyish run.

6:40 am, 22° F, 81% humidity, wind 4 NNW, freezing fog.

My kids are off school today because the teachers have a professional development day, so I was able to run a little later. I met up with Lindsay and Allie at our standard meeting corner. We ran the same loop that I run with Michelle on Saturdays. But from where we started, the big hill started just before 1.5 miles into the run and went until 2.5 miles into the run. It was hard, but not as hard as it is for me on Saturdays. Maybe I do better with it if it's early in the run instead of at the end. Or maybe it made a difference that we ran on the other side of the street for the Gleneagles part of the hill.

We got just a dusting of snow last night and the snow was on the grass only, but the sidewalks were slick in spots. And I took my glasses off about a half mile into the run because they were all fogged up and carried them in my hand for the rest of the run. I couldn't ever put them back on because the lenses quickly became covered with a thin layer of ice.

I didn't set out to run 5 miles today, but I ran straight home from the point at which we all split up and when I got to my street, I was at about 4.6 miles with about .1 mile to home, so I decided to do an extra little loop in my neighborhood and make it an even 5 miles.

We're supposed to get a decent snow storm tonight. Because of that and because I ran a little longer today than I have been running on weekdays, I think I won't run tomorrow. I hereby resolve to do the shred tomorrow instead. Maybe if I put it in writing I'll actually do it.

AP: 9:57. Splits: 10:01, 10:09, 9:59, 9:53, 9:46.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 5.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From Tracy on Mon, Mar 07, 2011 at 10:39:03 from 209.175.177.37

I'm with you. Letting others in on my plans always makes it more likely that it'll get done. Good luck with Jillian. I hope she'll be kind to you.

Good miles!

From JD on Mon, Mar 07, 2011 at 11:48:39 from 70.96.78.149

Nice run. Good job running it out to 5 miles. It's so great seeing you come back. You've inspired me a lot over the last couple of years.

I can't count how many times I've had to carry my eye glasses on a run because they were fogged up. Plus, one of my lenses falls out easily so that adds another issue.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

I finally did the shred this morning. I've been thinking of doing it for a long time, but it took my publicly declaring my intentions yesterday to get me to do it. Inasmuch as I have not done it lo these many months, I'm sadly out of shape, and I will probably still be feeling this tomorrow.

Incidentally, we did not get near as much snow as expected last night. There's just a thin layer of snow and ice on everything outside. My son will be disappointed. He was hoping to earn money from shoveling.

Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From The Quiet Pirate on Tue, Mar 08, 2011 at 11:00:53 from 152.26.59.252

Carolyn,

Congrats & welcome back to the shred!! I feel it for a few days when I start back up.

I hope spring comes soon & your snow days are over quickly.

From jun on Tue, Mar 08, 2011 at 11:16:18 from 66.239.250.209

We got a foot at my house. I'm not at all pleased. Glad you stuck with your commitment.

From RAD on Tue, Mar 08, 2011 at 14:37:46 from 67.172.229.125

our snow last night turned out much like yours, sorry jun!

Nice job on the shred! I've tried it now a couple times and for a 20 min workout it sure does a nice job!!

From Tracy on Wed, Mar 09, 2011 at 08:14:32 from 173.23.75.96

Yeah. I had high hopes for doing the Shred every day this week. I think that I should just be happy to get it done 3x per week. You'll feel good after you do it a couple more times.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.530.004.53

Easy run except when it wasn't + 3 x 10 sec. hill sprints.

6:30 am, 23-28° F, 59% humidity, wind 4 N.

Last Saturday I was debating the merits of going to the trail on Saturdays vs. staying at home and running the big hill. It finally occurred to me that I can run the big hill on weekdays. I ran it on Monday with Lindsay and Allie and I ran it today by myself. While I was running it today, I saw a couple of runners quite a ways ahead of me. I'm pretty sure that it was Michelle and her neighbor Michelle. They were too far away for me to catch or even get within shouting distance. But it occurred to me then that Michelle is running that hill on all of her weekday runs. I would do that except I think I'll skip the hill on Fridays in order to be a little more rested for Saturday. Michelle runs M, W, Th, so she gets a rest on Fridays anyway. I can't switch to Thursdays from Fridays because I have standing appointment to run with Lindsay on Fridays and she can't run on Thursdays.

I also decided to start doing short hill sprints once/week. I need to start small, so I did just 3 today. The problem with the place where I do hill sprints (besides that I have to contend with middle schoolers who are walking to school) is that after the last hill sprint, I have to run uphill to get home. But I can't do the hill sprints closer to home because the uphill to home isn't steep enough. I could move further up the hill sprint hill itself, I suppose.

I'm a little sore today, possibly from doing the shred yesterday and possibly from playing with a medicine ball while watching tv last night.

Today the big hill started at 0.9 into my run and went through 2.1.

AP: 9:57*. Splits: 9:45, 10:03, 9:44, 9:49; hill sprints: 7:27, 7:10, 7:56; 0.16 @ 10:49.

*The walking down the hill after the first and second hill sprints and then the slow 0.16 home from the hill brought down my average pace.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 4.53
Night Sleep Time: 6.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.50
Comments
From jun on Wed, Mar 09, 2011 at 10:42:54 from 66.239.250.209

Nice, monster workout. Your sprints are very fast.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Mar 09, 2011 at 11:11:02 from 71.229.134.155

But they only last for 10 seconds.

From Tracy on Wed, Mar 09, 2011 at 11:32:51 from 209.175.177.37

Oh Carolyn...I am so glad you're back. There's something so soothing about reading the rational low down on your workout.

Good miles!

From JD on Wed, Mar 09, 2011 at 15:11:53 from 70.96.78.149

Hill repeats are back!

From auntieem on Wed, Mar 09, 2011 at 15:19:46 from 98.247.176.184

The Carolyn workouts are back! Nice job on the hill sprints. Smart to start out slow - I hope the soreness goes away quickly!

From RAD on Wed, Mar 09, 2011 at 18:59:23 from 67.172.229.125

I love it! So much is right in the world now that you are blogging again :) Now, tell Michelle to get on with it too! The blogging that is, her running seems to be going GREAT!

Excellent work on your running Carolyn, you are getting stronger and faster. Playing with a medicine ball? For fun or exercise?

From Metcalf Running on Thu, Mar 10, 2011 at 00:16:43 from 97.126.139.48

Wow you are doing great!! I need to do different workouts, for me it's same miles same pace every day. I think I worry about injuries too much!

From Kelli on Thu, Mar 10, 2011 at 10:53:48 from 71.219.97.85

Hill sprints followed by hills....that is like eating hills for breakfast!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Mar 10, 2011 at 11:06:39 from 71.229.134.155

Regular hills and then hill sprints. Hill sprints are the dessert.

From Kelli on Thu, Mar 10, 2011 at 12:21:35 from 71.219.97.85

Remind me not to go on your diet!!!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

I got up this morning and drove to seminary and then came home and was making my husband's lunch when I realized that I needed to clean out my refrigerator because my mother-in-law is coming this afternoon. If I didn't clean it out, she would find things to throw away and make me feel like a failure for having spoiled things in my fridge. I don't deal well with that scenario.

 I thought about doing the shred and then cleaning out the fridge, but my anxiety about the fridge got the better of me, so I did that first. Then I started the shred, but I had to stop after 2 circuits and drive my daughter to school. That took about 10 minutes. When I got home I finished the shred.

Now on to the rest of my busy day.

Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From The Quiet Pirate on Thu, Mar 10, 2011 at 12:07:18 from 152.26.59.252

It's like the never-ending shred...always waiting for you when you finish your errands.

I know we've discussed MILs and food in fridges before, you have my sympathy. I'll be sending you positive thoughts!!

Will this visit be the inspriation needed to get out for a few long runs?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Mar 10, 2011 at 12:55:01 from 71.229.134.155

My in-laws are just coming so that they can go to my husband's orchestra concert tomorrow night. They leave on Sunday afternoon. I've got to go pick them up from the airport today.

From Metcalf Running on Thu, Mar 10, 2011 at 19:31:16 from 97.126.139.48

Sending you love and good vibes to deal with your MIL. It's funny because as I read you post I thought... it's never my MIL that brings the anxiety... she lives in our basement. It's my Mom... love her alot, but she can bring the guilt!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.200.004.20

Easyish run.

6:15 am, 38-40° F, 33% humidity, wind 3 SE.

I ran with Lindsay and Allie this morning. I ran about 1/2 mile to the meeting place, then ran 2.5 with them, and then the rest by myself. Allie tends to run just a wee bit faster than is really comfortable to me, so I was slightly out of my comfort zone for the first couple of miles. They weren't blistering fast (in fact, they were rather slow), but they had a fair amount of uphill and it's hard for me to start at that pace with an uphill. It takes me a couple of miles to get warmed up. Maybe that's because I'm a good chunk older than Lindsay and Allie.

I wore long pants and a long sleeve shirt, though I was smart enough to skip the ear covering and gloves. But I was too warm by the end. I hereby resolve that next time the temperature is about 40° and it's sunny when I leave for a run, that I will have the guts to wear shorts and a short sleeved shirt.

AP: 9:51. Splits: 10:02, 10:06, 9:38, 9:43, 0.2 @ 9:30.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 4.20
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00
Comments
From The Quiet Pirate on Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 10:52:13 from 152.26.59.252

Nice run! Running faster to keep up with others is tough, but it helps us improve :-)

Have a great week-end. Are you doing a long run tomorrow?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 11:21:58 from 71.229.134.155

If you consider 7 miles a long run, yes. I'm running 7 with Michelle tomorrow. And it will end with that nasty mile long hill again.

From auntieem on Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 14:32:12 from 98.247.176.184

40 sounds about right to ditch the Capri pants. We actually had three shorts days this week!

From RAD on Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 16:21:02 from 67.172.229.125

shorts?!? I'm not that brave yet. I need it to be 60's before I tackle shorts. Nice job working on pushing the pace just a bit with Allie. Good luck on that long run/hill tomorrow - uuggghhh! Living up-hill from everything I can sympathize with the endless uphill at the end, it STINKS!

From april27 on Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 22:42:50 from 99.188.251.180

I'm scared to wear shorts after it has been so cold for so long. But in the fall I wear shorts for as long as possible.

From Metcalf Running on Sat, Mar 12, 2011 at 14:45:42 from 97.126.139.48

RAD you are crazy!!! I would be a puddle of sweat if I waited until it was 60 before I put on shorts. I say 40 is my cut.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
7.000.007.00

Should be called an easy run but wasn't.

7:17 am, 30-37° F, 50% humidity, winds calm.

So I sent on the 7 mile run with Michelle. My favorite hill was mile 6, which we took very slowly. Then a little later when we were .1 miles from finishing and heading uphill, Michelle decided to run fast. I tried to hang with her and made it the .1 miles, at which point I stopped and puked for several minutes. Apparently now I can't run at 9:00 pace for one minute without puking. OK, it was running uphill and was at the end of a run, but still. I am pathetic. If I keep running, I'll get better, right?

I told Michelle that Jillian would be proud of her for pushing me to the point of puking.

AP: 10:09. Splits:10:03, 10:02, 9:58, 9:59, 10:10, 10:55, 9:53.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 7.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From auntieem on Sat, Mar 12, 2011 at 17:46:37 from 98.247.176.184

You are not pathetic at all Carolyn! Some people would think you are a rock star for puking.

From JD on Sat, Mar 12, 2011 at 19:34:58 from 209.183.51.132

You'll definitely get better, and quickly at the rate you're going.

From Toby on Sat, Mar 12, 2011 at 21:50:15 from 216.194.124.36

Sorry for the "not so fun" mile 6. Jillian would be proud! Nice miles!

From jun on Sat, Mar 12, 2011 at 22:21:09 from 97.126.226.222

Hahahaha, Yay, you puked. So happy to see you back and pushing yourself. Of course you'll get better. You are actually speeding up pretty quick.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.000.006.00

Easy run.

6:40 am, 31° F, 40% humidity, wind 2 SSE.

I met Lindsay at the corner as is the custom on Mondays if I've got someone besides my daugher at home. College boy is on Spring Break this week, so I was able to observe this custom.

Allie did not join us today. I don't know why.

Lindsay seems to have this mental block about running farther than about 4.5 miles. I tried to get her to go farther today because we're talking about doing the Bolder Boulder in May and so she's going to have to start running a little longer at some point. So I stuck with her longer than I would have normally. We took an extra loop that we don't usuallydo, but then got to back to her house at about 4.8 miles. I wanted her to keep going to 5 miles, but she said she had to go to the bathroom. That is always her excuse for stopping.

It's about a mile between her house and my house and so I was at about 5.8  or 5.9 when I went past my house, but I kept going far enough to make it an even 6. Maybe I shouldn't have. Maybe I should have stopped at 5.6 when I got a little pain in my right butt. It's feeling a little tight, but not too bad. Maybe it will feel better after a day off from running tomorrow.

We were really slow today. I guess we need Allie to make us run faster.

AP: 10:25. Splits: 10:48, 10:41 (this was the big hill), 10:08, 10:14, 10:36, 10:01.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 6.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From Metcalf Running on Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 10:47:13 from 207.225.192.66

Nice run! sometimes it's good to slow it down a bit. I hope you run the Bolder Boulder... how many miles is it? I remember you running it before, sounds like a fun run. I'm off to run Canyonlands half this weekend. I will be thinking about you... miss seeing you there.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 11:02:41 from 71.229.134.155

Good luck on Canyonlands this weekend, Lori. I wish I was coming, but I'm just not up to it right now.

The Bolder Boulder is a 10K and it is on Memorial Day.

From JD on Tue, Mar 15, 2011 at 20:26:57 from 209.183.51.45

Your building up smartly it looks like. Nice job pushing to six.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

Shred.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.230.005.23

Slightly faster than easy run + 4 x 10 sec. hill sprints.

7:06 am, 48° F, 35% humidity, wind 4 S.

I slept in a bit, then got up and went out in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt and had a fun run all by myself. I ran the standard 4-mile route that includes the big hill, with some extra at the beginning and at the end to make it 5 miles. I wanted to finish 5 miles before I started the hill sprints, and then walk home after doing the hill sprints instead of trying to run after them to get more mileage. The big hill was from about 1.3 to 2.4.

Since I was running alone, I listened to the running playlist on my iPod. I started out with Spanish Flea, which was a good one to get me going, and then I had Defying Gravity on the first part of the big hill, which is the steeper part. I was on shuffle within the playlist, but it worked out quite well for the whole run.

AP for the first 5 miles: 9:42. Splits: 10:02, 10:01, 9:35, 9:23, 9:31.

Pace on hill sprints: 7:04, 7:40, 6:07, 7:49.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 5.23
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From JD on Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 12:45:04 from 70.96.78.149

Defying Gravity indeed!

From The Quiet Pirate on Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 13:38:04 from 152.26.59.252

That 6:07 is amazing! And on a hill?? You rock those hills :-)

Great run today!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 13:48:37 from 71.229.134.155

Remember, it was only for 10 seconds. Don't be too impressed.

From Burt on Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 17:52:38 from 206.19.214.144

There was a little spanish flea, a record star he thought he'd be...

I love that song!

From RAD on Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 18:04:20 from 67.172.229.125

I love it when the 'shuffle' give me something good to workout with! Nice job on your paces and hills!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 18:28:23 from 71.229.134.155

That song has words?

From Burt on Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 18:50:37 from 206.19.214.144

The theme song for the Dating Game? Uh huh.

From Kelli on Thu, Mar 17, 2011 at 20:24:40 from 71.219.97.85

NICE JOB on those hill sprints! Tough, tough, tough!

I slept in, too. This Daylight Savings thing is throwing me for a loop!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.560.003.56

Very slow easy run.

6:15 am, 28° F, 78% humidity, winds 4 E.

After running in shorts in the warm weather on Wednesday morning, I had to get back into the cold weather gear this morning. I just felt rather sluggish today and could not get going fast. But then again, I didn't really try because I don't want to wear myself out today. I'm doing an 8 mile hilly run with Michelle tomorrow morning.

I met Lindsay and we ran a short route together. We actually split up nearer to my house than to her house than we usually do, and so she had the longer route home. As a result, she ran further than I did today. And I was the one who wanted to stop for the bathroom.

AP: 10:26. Splits: 10:57, 10:23, 10:04, 0.56 @ 10:19.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 3.56
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From The Quiet Pirate on Fri, Mar 18, 2011 at 11:52:00 from 152.26.59.252

spring weather is coming!! I had to wear long pants today too.

Have a great run tomorrow on those hills :-)

From JD on Fri, Mar 18, 2011 at 12:11:05 from 70.96.78.149

The buildup continues...

From Tracy on Fri, Mar 18, 2011 at 17:08:06 from 173.23.75.249

Good luck on your 8 miles tomorrow! I hate the feeling of having to go to the bathroom while running, but it happens!

From Bonnie on Fri, Mar 18, 2011 at 19:09:43 from 173.202.239.4

Go 8!! Nice job Carolyn ... I thought of you yesterday (while I watched SDSU play Northern Colorado -- how is your son doing there?).

From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Mar 18, 2011 at 19:51:30 from 198.241.217.15

Bonnie, my son is actually home from UNC on Spring Break this week. But he is doing really well in school and likes it a lot. He wasn't too broken up about the loss because he's not much of a sports fan. Son #3, on the other hand, will be completely crushed when BYU loses. I do hope they can manage to beat Gonzaga tomorrow night.

From jodee on Fri, Mar 18, 2011 at 23:57:15 from 67.41.137.196

Hello! I actually live in Denver clear out in the boonies by the airport! It's nice to be able to get out and run most days! Do you know of any running groups or other runners that would be in my area? I'm preparing for a race in June and would like a running partner for my longer runs. Thanks!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
8.000.008.00

Medium-long run.

7:16 am, 34° F, 59% humidity, winds calm.

I can't really bring myself to call 8 miles a long run. The last training plan I did called anything from 10-14 miles a medium-long run and it had to be at least 15 miles to be a long run. So by that system, I'm far of from a long run and 8 miles shouldn't even be a medium-long run. But with the way I've been running lately, 8 miles is something more than your ordinary distance. I checked in my log, and unless I'm mistaken, the last time I ran 8 miles or more was last August 14.

We've been running from Michelle's house on Saturdays, but I made her come over and start from my house today. If we start and finish at her house, the biggest hills would be at the last part of the run. If we start and finish at my house, the last mile is mostly down hill. We were having such a hilly run today I didn't want to finish with an up hill. Finishing up hill is very hard for me. Michelle handles it better than I do. Incidentally, according to my Garmin, we had 691 ft. of ascent on this run.

Michelle likes to sprint at the end of the run and she ran the last 100 yards as fast as she could. I sped up too, but not as much as she did. I didn't want to repeat my puking episode of last Saturday.

It was a pretty slow run over all. I guess that's acceptable as we increase mileage.

AP: 10:12. Splits: 10:11, 9:56, 10:01, 10:17, 10:31, 10:10, 10:31, 9:58.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 8.00
Night Sleep Time: 6.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.50
Comments
From Kelli on Sat, Mar 19, 2011 at 14:40:37 from 71.219.97.85

Slow and steady! And LONG is relative to what you are running, so I agree with what you said. For some people (like Crockett) 20 miles is not even a long run, that is just an average daily run.

Keep it up, you are doing great! Are you doing any Utah races this year or should I come to Colorado? Find a fun race for me and I will come visit you!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Sat, Mar 19, 2011 at 15:14:53 from 71.229.134.155

I may come to Utah in the summer for a visit, but I'm not planning a race there. However, I am thinking about the American Discover Trail Marathon here in Colorado on Labor Day. http://www.adtmarathon.com/

From JD on Sat, Mar 19, 2011 at 22:16:15 from 166.128.90.156

Eight is great!

From Kelli on Sun, Mar 20, 2011 at 00:35:10 from 71.219.97.85

Is this a trail race or not? I could not tell! The relay would be fun....

From RAD on Sun, Mar 20, 2011 at 00:41:32 from 208.88.9.225

Nice work Carolyn! Good call on the switching of start places as well, I'm all over a downhill finish!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Sun, Mar 20, 2011 at 18:16:04 from 71.229.134.155

Kelli, I think it's mostly packed dirt trail. So yes, trail, but not technical at all.

From Kelli on Sun, Mar 20, 2011 at 18:19:10 from 71.219.97.85

that is my kind of trail!

From The Quiet Pirate on Mon, Mar 21, 2011 at 10:02:30 from 152.26.59.252

Your old training plan makes me feel inadequate. I think we need to put it in the shredder.

Nice work on the long run and I think your pace for hills is a good pace. I'm glad you didn't puke :-)

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.500.006.50

Easy run.

6:40 am, 34° F, 37% humidity, wind 5 SW.

When I turned on my Garmin this morning it gave me a low battery warning. That's a bad sign when you get a low battery warning as soon as you turn it on. I was confused because I just charged it last Friday, and have only used it on my Saturday run since then. But I think it got left in the charger but not plugged in after I uploaded my run on Saturday, and that must have sucked the power out of it. In any case, I had 10 minutes until I had to be out the door, so I charged it for 10 minutes. I really didn't think it would last for my whole run, but happy day, it did.

I met Lindsay a little ways past the corner where we're supposed to meet. She has an iPhone and she downloaded some mapmyrun app for it and got an arm band, so she had that to track distance. That was good since I was worried about my Garmin dying and I wanted to make sure that she did 5 miles today. Because we met beyond half way between our houses, I had gone about .3 miles more than her.

My watch was just past 4 miles when we made it to her house. She went in for a pit stop and I stretched a little, then she came back out and we did a mile loop that brought us back to her house, so she got 5 miles in. But then I still had to run home from her house.

At one point a squirrel joined us and ran along the top of a fence just ahead of us for a little while. He was faster than us, but I think we could have outlasted him.

College boy is back in school after being off last week, but my other kids are on Spring Break this week.  That makes my mornings a little more leisurely.

AP: 10:07. Splits: 10:18, 10:21, 10:16, 10:03, 9:55, 10:06, 0.5 @ 9:34.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 6.50
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments
From jun on Mon, Mar 21, 2011 at 10:43:24 from 66.239.250.209

I put my money on the squirrel. Good start to the week.

From RAD on Mon, Mar 21, 2011 at 16:01:11 from 67.172.229.125

Sounds like you've got a good week ahead of you and that life is slowing down nicely for you! Great job on the run and thank goodness for a quick 10 minute charge!

From JD on Mon, Mar 21, 2011 at 17:15:07 from 70.96.78.149

Really good start to the week.

I'm sure you two made that squirrel's day.

From The Quiet Pirate on Tue, Mar 22, 2011 at 11:00:59 from 152.26.59.252

SO glad you got in a nice run with the wildlife! It looks like it's still pretty cold where you are. Bbbrrrrr.

Happy to hear your week is less stressful in the morning. That always makes for a nice day!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Mar 22, 2011 at 13:48:27 from 198.241.217.15

It warms up later in the day, QP. And really, 34 degrees with only 37% humidity and no significant wind isn't that bad. I was able to do without my gloves and earband and with only one shirt.

From The Quiet Pirate on Tue, Mar 22, 2011 at 14:14:19 from 152.26.59.252

Carolyn, 34* with only one shirt and no gloves...I think you may be suffering from brain freeze!!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

My daughter practiced the piano this morning while I was doing the shred. That woke up her teenage brother.

Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From april27 on Tue, Mar 22, 2011 at 19:22:58 from 99.188.251.180

the piano or the shred woke him up?

From JD on Tue, Mar 22, 2011 at 21:21:24 from 209.183.51.44

It seems teenagers are perpetually being woken up.

From Kelli on Tue, Mar 22, 2011 at 22:50:59 from 71.219.97.85

Was it early or like noon?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Mar 23, 2011 at 08:58:08 from 71.229.134.155

It was probably about 7:30 in the morning. I think it was the noise from the shred and the piano going at the same time that woke him up. But I should confess that this particular boy is usually a fairly early riser and his alarm had gone off at 7:00, but he hadn't gotten up with it.

From The Quiet Pirate on Wed, Mar 23, 2011 at 11:04:55 from 152.26.59.252

I've been told on more than one occasion to not do the shred video in the morning because it wakes up my little "ray o'sunshine" and he does NOT appreciate being woken up before 5:30 am.

I used to try to be quiet, but shred level 2 is impossible to do quietly.

I wish someone would play the piano at my house. It just gets dusty.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.270.006.27

Not quite easy run + 5 x 10 sec. hill sprints.

7:52 am, 36-44° F, 28% humidity, winds calm, sunny.

I started out with Spanish Flea again like I did last Wednesday, but the random songs after that weren't as good as last Wednesday and I did not feel as strong as I did last Wednesday. I did the old 6 mile route that I used to do all the time. It has the big hill I talk about all the time in it. It was in roughly the 3rd mile today. I followed up the 6 miles with 5 10-sec hill sprints.

The weather station I looked at before I left said 31°F, so I wore two shirts but skipped the ear band and gloves because I knew it would be warming up. I'm not sure how accurate that 31 was, because halfway through the run I took the outer shirt off and I was wishing for a short sleeved shirt at that point. I think the weather stats I've posted above are more accurate. In any case, it certainly did warm up a lot during my run and it was very sunny.

AP for the first 6 miles: 10:03. Splits: 10:27, 9:59, 10:11, 9:43, 10:04, 9:53.
Pace on the hill sprints: 7:46, 8:15, 7:19, 6:50, 6:23.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 6.27
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From RAD on Wed, Mar 23, 2011 at 15:40:53 from 67.172.229.125

Nice work Carolyn! Everything just seems right to have you blogging about crazy hills and GREAT hill sprints. Keep up the good work, you are coming back strong!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.500.005.50

Easy run.

6:00 am, 33° F, 46% humidity, winds calm.

I decided to run on Thursday instead of Friday this week to see if that makes me more rested and better able to handle the Saturday long run. Since I normally run with Lindsay on Fridays, I called her to see if she wanted to run Thursday with me instead. She agreed, but her husband has to be work earlier on Thursdays and so we had to start a little earlier than we do on other days. That meant I had to break out the head lamp again.

We did loop that got her back to her house by the time her husband needed to leave, and then I had to run home from there by myself. When I got near to my house I realized that if I went home the normal way I would be a little under 5 miles when I got home. I could go a little past my house and then back to get the 5 miles, but instead I decided to take a detour. Well, the detour turned out to be longer than I anticipated, so instead of approaching 5 miles as I got to my house, I was approaching 5.5 miles as I approached my house. So I went a few house lengths beyond to get to the 5.5 miles then stopped and walked back home.

AP: 10:08. Splits: 10:30, 10:13, 10:01, 10:05, 10:01, 0.5 @ 9:44.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 5.50
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From The Quiet Pirate on Thu, Mar 24, 2011 at 14:54:55 from 152.26.59.252

Hooray for headlamps!! Glad to know I wasn't the only one out in the dark this morning.

I like taking Friday off of running if I have a long run Saturday. I will do something else instead so I'm not vegging, but saving the running muscles for Saturday.

From april27 on Thu, Mar 24, 2011 at 15:48:01 from 165.138.243.1

good strong run

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
10.000.0010.00

Long run.

7:17 am, 27-38° F, 85% humidity, wind 2 various directions.

I've decided that 10 miles qualifies as a long run. Michelle and I ran together as we have done for the last several Saturdays, but for the first time in a long time, we went to the Highline Canal Trail today. We decided that the softer surface and fewer hills would be better.

The trail was pretty empty when we first started. I think we only saw one other runner (and a coyote) in the first 3 miles. But then shortly after that the masses came out and there were a lot of runners on the trail. I guess they all got a slightly later start than we did.

We keep adding just a little distance each Saturday, but so far so good.We pushed the pace the last 0.1 and I kept up with Michelle this time and didn't quite throw up.

The last time I ran 10 miles or more was last July 31, when I ran 12.09 miles, so in a few more weeks here I will exceed that, and then I'll have to go back to the marathon I ran last June to get a longer distance than what I'll be running on Saturdays then.

AP: 10:03. Splits: 10:08, 9:59, 9:50, 9:51, 9:56, 10:10, 10:15, 10:11, 10:15, 9:50.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 10.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From Tracy on Sat, Mar 26, 2011 at 13:05:11 from 173.23.75.249

Nice! 10 miles qualifies as a long run for sure. What's next on the horizon for you?

From JD on Sat, Mar 26, 2011 at 21:26:47 from 209.183.51.65

YES! 10 miles. Nice milestone. You are coming back nicely.

From The Quiet Pirate on Sat, Mar 26, 2011 at 21:30:01 from 174.110.223.249

You really are making a great come back, and you're doing it smart by not over-doing it.

Sometimes it's nice to have the trail all to yourself, and sometimes it's nice to have company. Sounds like you got the best of both today.

From april27 on Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 01:46:58 from 99.188.251.180

Wow has it really been that long? Man time flies! Great ten miler!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.610.006.61

Easy run.

6:03 am, 33° F, 83% humidity, winds calm.

Everyone is back in school this week and so I had to start my run earlier than Lindsay and Allie start on Mondays, so I went out by myself. In retrospect, I'm glad I went out earlier. Explanation forthcoming.

I felt really sluggish today. I did feel a little better for the second half of the run; however, it started snowing in earnest when I had about two miles to go. That's why I'm glad I started earlier. If I had started at the later time, almost all of my run would have been in the snow, instead of just a 1/3 of it.

I looked at potential training schedules for myself over the weekend. I'm currently doing whatever I want during the week and then doing Michelle's long runs with her on Saturdays. I'm thinking about running the American Discovery Trail Marathon on Labor Day. There are 12 weeks between the marathon that Michelle is training for and the ADT marathon. I've been thinking about doing the Hudson plan that I did for the Ogden Marathon a couple of years ago. It's a 20 week plan. Rather than cut it down to 12 weeks, I thought I could overlap the first 8 weeks of it with the last 8 weeks of Michelle's plan and do my plan on week days and her plan on Saturdays. However, to do that I would have to start my plan 3 weeks from now and the first week of that plan would be about 46 miles. I ran 28 miles last week, and so I'd have to ramp up to 46 over the next 3 weeks, and I've already been increasing my weekly mileage fairly significantly over the last few weeks. So I'm not sure if this is a wise plan. I think I'll look into some other alternatives and just kind of play it by ear. However, I do think it is time for me to go from running 4 days/week to 5 days/week. I've been doing 4 days/week consistently for several weeks now. So to that I end, I plan to run an easy 3 tomorrow.

AP: 10:20. Splits: 10:30, 10:32, 10:47, 10:06, 10:25, 9:54, 0.61 @ 9:56.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 6.61
Night Sleep Time: 6.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.50
Comments
From Bonnie on Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 11:28:41 from 64.119.33.134

Its probably ok to ramp up a little faster, you have been laying a good foundation and you don't have to be quite a slow about ramp up in a "come back" versus "first time" ....

Sounds good CinC, good to see you getting back into it!

From The Quiet Pirate on Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 11:39:29 from 152.26.59.252

Nice progress in your running. Adding 20 miles to your weekly total in 3 weeks isn't something I'd do, but you'll know how it's going by the way your body feels.

Can't believe you've got snow again. I was complaining about 37* and rain.

From JD on Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 12:10:20 from 70.96.78.149

Great start to the week. Sounds like a good plan. I agree with Bonnie, you've got a good base of mileage which should allow you to ramp up the miles a bit faster than if you were a new runner.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.000.003.00

Easy run.

5:42 am, 29° F, 79% humidity, wind 3 NW.

I managed to carry out my plan this morning of running 3 miles before driving to seminary. After the drive to seminary, I did the shred. Then I spent a good chunk of time struggling to assemble a miniature green house that my daughter got in a Scholastic book order yesterday. I finally gave up with that. Now I've got to get ready for work.

AP: 10:15. Splits: 10:39, 10:20, 9:46.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 3.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From JD on Tue, Mar 29, 2011 at 20:34:57 from 166.128.177.44

"Little green houses for you and me..."

Good job getting it done so early!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.630.006.63

Easy run.

6:08 am, 33° F, 53% humidity, winds calm.

I confirmed my suspicion about why I can't run as fast as I used to. I stepped on the scale last night. I knew I had gained weight, but I didn't realize how much. I've gained 25-30 pounds since I ran the Newport Marathon last June. I really need to get serious about weight loss again. I tried keeping a food journal last Monday, but I only made it through lunch and then I felt apart in the afternoon and evening. That's typical for me. I do pretty well in the morning. The problem comes later in the day. But maybe my publicly declaring my failures here on the blog will help me to be more disciplined and accountable. I've got consistent running going again now. I've got to focus on my diet now.

In the good news department, I ran the same route today that I ran on Monday and I was just a little bit faster today.

AP: 10:07. Splits: 10:18, 10:05, 10:28, 10:02, 10:19, 9:50, 0.63 @ 9:43.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 6.63
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments
From jun on Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 10:39:19 from 66.239.250.209

When Dorsimus first started training for his sprint-tri last year he put his starting weight on the outside of his cubicle. Each week he'd put his new weight (good or bad)below the previous week. Over 12 weeks he lost 42 lbs. Putting yourself out there publicly adds a strong sense of accountability and can really help. Kudos to you for being brave enough to do it. Many, in fact most, people are not.

Oh, and you need to change your title. You are back and in a big way. You definitely aren't starting over any more. Way to put on the miles this week.

From The Quiet Pirate on Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 11:17:08 from 152.26.59.252

I agree with jun. You're definitly back & ready for a new blog title.

I'm not brave enough to post my weight. Keeping a food journal is a powerful way to re-train yourself to eat better, but it is tedious and I find it depressing. It's worked for me in the past when I've been serious & dedicated. What ever you decide to do, good luck & have fun running!

-nice miles today :-)

From JD on Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 12:40:22 from 70.96.78.149

Nice week you got going.

From Tracy on Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 12:46:35 from 209.175.177.37

I'm impressed by your candor. I think that diet is one of the hardest things to change. Good luck with your journey. Maybe you can keep a food journal and post it every day to see if it helps you. We won't judge you!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 13:25:43 from 71.229.134.155

Thank you all for your encouragement.

I didn't have the guts to post my actual weight, just the change over the last 10 months. I don't want to post a food journal. But I've resolved to weigh myself once a week and so maybe each time I do I'll post the change from the previous week (+ or -). Or maybe I'll get really gutsy and post my actual weight once a week. We'll see.

From The Quiet Pirate on Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 14:00:27 from 152.26.59.252

I like your idea of just (+/-). That's something I might consider doing too.

Waiting to see what new blog title you come up with..you've always got clever ones.

From Tracy on Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 15:14:54 from 209.175.177.37

It wouldn't bother me to post my weight so much because I don't fluctuate that much. But it would be embarrassing for me to post a food journal. I think I'd make myself sick writing down all the food I eat between 4:30 and 7 p.m., but I think that's probably the point :)

From Bonnie on Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 15:40:37 from 128.196.228.134

You have shown a lot of self-discipline n the past, so I am sure you will be back to your 'old' self (but newer) in no time!! Good luck CinC and good job on the running!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.500.005.50

Easy run.

9:26 am, 54-57° F, 38% humidity, wind 20 WNW.

I didn't have time to run early this morning because I had to cook a birthday breakfast for my husband, drive my son to seminary, and be on a conference call for work from 8:00 to 9:00 (during which time I had to drive my daughter to school). So after everyone was off to school and my conference call was over, I got dressed and headed out for my run.

It is rarely very windy when I run early in the morning. The wind doesn't get going until it warms up. So today I got to run in the wind. It's not the East Central Illinois wind that Tracy has to deal with, but it was much more wind than I'm used to.

I ate better yesterday and I wrote down everything that I ate. But it was quite a struggle and I was hungry a lot. But maybe that's because I probably didn't eat quite enough. I think I was around 1000 calories for the day. I probably should eat a little more than that, but not too much more. Getting enough calories shouldn't be a problem today. It's my husband's birthday, and so we'll be going out to dinner, probably to a Mexican restaurant. I will try not to eat any chips.

AP: 10:06. Splits: 10:25, 10:13, 10:06, 9:55, 10:07, 0.50 @ 9:37.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 5.50
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From Tracy on Thu, Mar 31, 2011 at 15:01:41 from 209.175.177.37

1000 calories? That isn't a lot of calories.

I found this interesting:

http://nutrition.about.com/od/changeyourdiet/a/calguide.htm

It's a calorie calculator. You put in your height, current weight, and desired weight and then it tells you how many calories you can consume to maintain OR to lose weight. It even tells you what you should consume with exercise.

I know I'm taller than you, but mine says I should be eating around 2500 calories (with 60 minutes of exercise a day) to maintain my weight. I also know that you don't want to maintain your weight, but 1000 calories seems too little to maintain a body that runs 5-6 miles a day.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Mar 31, 2011 at 15:39:02 from 71.229.134.155

I agree that 1000 is too few. I haven't been counting calories lately, so I need to get back into the habit.

I tried that website that you suggested. It had this to say:

If you exercise for 60 minutes each day, you will be able to reach your goal weight with 2369.5 calories per day.

I probably average out to about 60 minutes/day of exercise. However, I think that 2369 calories is too high for me based on my past experience. When I lost weight before, I ate about 1800 calories/day (maybe more on the weekend) and lost about 2 lbs/week. I think I'll shoot for 1600 to 1800 calories/day now.

From RAD on Thu, Mar 31, 2011 at 15:48:57 from 98.202.17.113

That plan sounds awfully good - and familiar :)

Nice job keeping the miles steady and working out a way to workout!

From Tracy on Thu, Mar 31, 2011 at 15:49:55 from 209.175.177.37

You had me worried there for a second. Thus the overreaction :)

Do you use a website to tally up your calories consumed? I bet that I severely underestimate just how much I consume, (like I think I'm eating a serving, but I'm really eating 2).

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Mar 31, 2011 at 15:53:56 from 71.229.134.155

Yes, I've used various websites. Not sure which one I used last night. I also look at packages if the things are packaged. I probably underestimate. For example, yesterday I had 1/2 peanut butter sandwich. The peanut butter jar says that a serving is 2 tablespoons. I just put on a thin layer of peanut butter, maybe 1 tablespoon if that, and then I only ate half of it, so I counted about 1/4 of the calories that the jar said for a serving. (I just ate the other half of the same sandwich today.)

Yes, Rachel, we've been here and done this before, haven't we.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

We did in fact go out to a Mexican restaurant last night. I completely avoided the chips and salsa. I had just one taco, about 1/3 of my refried beans (and the one chip that was stuck in them), and about two bites of my daughter's grilled chicken. I had water to drink. I figure I got out of that restaurant with under 500 calories for the meal.

I did the shred this morning. I figure one more week at level 1 and then I'll move up to level 2. I'm managing to do the shred only twice/week. I think I should do 3 times/week, but it's going to be hard enough to keep the twice/week going let alone move up to 3 times/week while I'm increasing mileage, mostly because of the increased time spent running.

 No foolin' here, but happy April Fools' Day to everyone.

Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From The Quiet Pirate on Fri, Apr 01, 2011 at 11:33:55 from 152.26.59.252

Happy April Fools Day! Here at work, we've chosen the word "MALARKY" as the word of the day.

The shred is such a good workout, but it does cut into our running time. I like level 2 better than level one. What's your favorite level?

From The Quiet Pirate on Fri, Apr 01, 2011 at 11:34:59 from 152.26.59.252

And congrats on self restraint at the mexican restaurant. I can not sit at a table with chips & salsa and not eat any. I think it's against the laws of nature!

From Tracy on Fri, Apr 01, 2011 at 11:41:33 from 209.175.177.37

I'm the same way, QP! Way to go Carolyn!

It's so hard to fit everything in as far as exercise is going. I find that when running is going well, strength training is not. April suggested the other day that we would all benefit from quitting our jobs. Whaddya say?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Apr 01, 2011 at 11:59:54 from 71.229.134.155

I'd quit my job in a heartbeat if I didn't need the money. Although I have to say, as jobs go, it's not a bad one. I suppose I'm lucky to have it. I even enjoy it once in a while. Speaking of which, I should go to work now.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Apr 01, 2011 at 12:02:41 from 71.229.134.155

Oh, and I should say that the downside of my not eating any chips is that my husband ate nearly all of them (the kids had a few, but not much) and he really needs to lose weight worse than I do. But if I had eaten chips, we probably would have gotten a "re-chip" and last night we didn't. So maybe he ate the same amount that he usually does, or maybe even less.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Apr 01, 2011 at 12:04:25 from 71.229.134.155

And QP, it's been so long since I've done anything other than level 1 on the shred, I can't really remember which I like best. I'll tell you in a couple of months after I've done all of them. I think it's not level 1, though.

From april27 on Sat, Apr 02, 2011 at 09:55:04 from 99.188.251.180

Great for level !

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
11.260.0011.26

Long Run

7:21 am, 55-63° F, 16% humidity, wind 8 SW.

It was almost like old times. We ran on the Highline Canal Trail and we had 4 people to start out: Allie, Michelle, Michelle, and me. But Allie had to be home before the rest of us, so she turned around about 10 minutes before we did and went back on her own. It was the three of us after that.

The trail was much more crowded from the start today than it was last Saturday. That's probably on account of the significantly warmer weather. I saw a guy from my office near the beginning. I'll have to talk to him about it on Monday.

I struggled with this run, particularly the last bit. I wanted to do 11.26 to round off my weekly mileage to 33, and we discussed doing an extra .26 on the trail, but I opted to stop after 11. I maybe would have gone on and done the .26 then if I hadn't been so desperately thirsty. It was rather a warm day and I hadn't carried any water with me. I think I need to start carrying water on my long runs. So I did the .26 when I got home. My Sam went with me and he complained the whole time about how slow I am. He's absolutely right.

I don't know about this increasing mileage so rapidly. It is really hard for me. I maybe think I should back off a bit and increase more slowly and focus more on eating right and losing weight. Getting this extra weight off will help me get faster.

AP for the 11 miles on the trail: 10:00. Splits: 10:00, 9:47, 9:41, 9;45, 9:51, 9:56, 10:07, 10:11, 10:08, 10:23, 10:06.

AP for the .26 I did when I got home: 10:22.


Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 11.26
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments
From JD on Sat, Apr 02, 2011 at 16:03:24 from 209.183.51.45

Great run run and week!

From Tracy on Sat, Apr 02, 2011 at 22:17:25 from 67.175.116.178

I wish I had some advice for you about the increase in mileage. I just know that whenever I increase, I feel a lot better when increase for a few weeks (slowly) then plateau for a few weeks before I try to do more. I hope you find the solution that's right for you!

Do you have a race in the works for the summer or fall?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Sat, Apr 02, 2011 at 22:50:26 from 71.229.134.155

Tracy, I revised my training plan today. Instead of using the level 2 plan from the Run Faster book, I switched to the level 1 plan. I'm going to maintain (more or less) my weekly mileage for the next few weeks.

From april27 on Sun, Apr 03, 2011 at 18:28:25 from 99.188.251.180

If you find the answer on how to eat better I'm all ears! So struggling with that rightnow!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

I didn't run today because my left quad has been hurting me since last Saturday's run, but it is feeling somewhat better today. Also, my husband was sick to his stomach all weekend and I'm not feeling so great myself now. However, I did manage to do the shred level 1 since I didn't run. I felt very weak, though, so I took it easy and was more Anita than Natalie.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments
From Tracy on Mon, Apr 04, 2011 at 12:47:07 from 209.175.177.37

That's okay. Anita has great abs :)

I hope that you don't get sick! Vitamin C, baby!

From The Quiet Pirate on Mon, Apr 04, 2011 at 15:42:23 from 152.26.59.252

I like Anita. Sometimes I can't even keep up with her.

Hope you feel better quickly & your quad stops being silly.

From JD on Mon, Apr 04, 2011 at 19:05:33 from 71.32.204.104

Hope you feel better quickly. Nice shreddin'.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.500.006.50

Easy run.

 6:56 am, 45°F, 40% humidity, winds calm.

I really felt lousy all day yesterday. It wore me out just to crawl up the stairs in my house. So when I went to bed, I was not planning on running this morning. I got to bed at a decent time and had a really good night's sleep. I got up in time to drive to seminary and when I was driving home I realized that I felt a lot better than I did yesterday. So when I got home, I got dressed and went out for a run. I could run later because my husband is home on his Spring Break this week.

My quad felt a little tight during part of the run, but it feels okay now.

I started slowly but then got going a little better the second half of the run.

AP: 9:59. Splits: 10:32, 10:24, 10:07, 9:46, 9:55, 9:26, 0.5 @ 9:31.

Tonight is my weigh-in. It was last Tuesday night that I weighed myself and was horrified. I have been really careful this past week, so we'll see if it shows on the scale. I'll post the net change in my weight tomorrow.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 6.50
Night Sleep Time: 8.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.50
Comments
From RAD on Tue, Apr 05, 2011 at 10:59:17 from 98.202.17.113

It's SO nice to be able to run and feel good! I'm glad you got your 'mojo' back and could hit the road feeling good and you had a great progressive run to top it off!

From Kelli on Tue, Apr 05, 2011 at 22:41:54 from 71.219.97.85

OH, I hope the scale is kind to you! i am working double time to get my weight back down to where it was this time last year. i really enjoyed my hibernating months way too much!

Glad that you felt better and got in a good run. get some more sleep tonight!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.500.006.50

Easy run.

6:53 am, 40° F, 61% humidity, winds 5 ENE, heavy clouds but no rain.

I ran the same route that I ran yesterday but a little more slowly. My quad is still feeling a little tight on the downhills. I tried to roll it last night with the stick. Maybe I should ice it. I probably need to rest it. I'm not going to run tomorrow, but then Michelle and I are doing the long run on Friday morning instead of on Saturday because her husband is going to be out of town on Saturday.

I weighed myself last night at about the same time and wearing the same clothes (pajamas) that I did Tuesday night a week ago. The change in my weight for the week was -5 pounds.

AP: 10:10. Splits: 10:33, 10:17, 10:19, 10:01, 10:12, 9:51, 0.5 @ 9:42.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 6.50
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From JD on Wed, Apr 06, 2011 at 12:02:02 from 70.96.78.149

Good running. -5 pds already - awesome!

From jun on Wed, Apr 06, 2011 at 12:11:42 from 66.239.250.209

Congrats on the weight loss. Just as a help, it is generally believed that all weight recording should be done first thing in the morning since right when you wake up is the most consistent time because you haven't been eating different amounts during the day yet. Just a thought.

As for your new title, time to pick and sign up for a race. Do it, you'll be awesome.

From calliej on Wed, Apr 06, 2011 at 13:40:26 from 97.126.128.93

5 pounds!!! That is awesome!! I haven't been on for a while, what are you doing to lose your weight?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Apr 06, 2011 at 13:45:14 from 71.229.134.155

Callie, I'm trying to eat healthy foods and no junk and cutting back on grains and processed foods and counting calories.

From Tracy on Wed, Apr 06, 2011 at 15:20:31 from 209.175.177.37

5 lbs! Nice!

Good run today. Nurse that quad. Have a great long run on Friday!

From Metcalf Running on Wed, Apr 06, 2011 at 17:40:01 from 207.225.192.66

NIve job with the -5. I have been struggling with weight... seems like forever. Always wanting to loose that last 10 pounds. Hope you quad feels better soon.

From auntieem on Wed, Apr 06, 2011 at 20:31:39 from 67.182.149.104

5 pounds, wow! Take care of the quad. Rolling usually works for me.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

Today is a rest day from running, so I did the shred level 1. I think maybe I'll move up to level 2 next week and do that for about a month, then do level 3 for about a month. I was at Target last night and saw that Jillian has a new DVD that looks similar to the shred. It's called Ripped in 30, or something like that. I didn't buy it. But maybe in a couple of months when I've gotten what I can out of the shred, I'll get it and hopefully it will be different enough from the shred to give me a new challenge.

I always do the shred in bare feet. I'm hoping that strengthens my feet a bit so that one of these days I can start running barefoot or in my Five Fingers.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments
From Tracy on Thu, Apr 07, 2011 at 10:38:38 from 209.175.177.37

The cardio part hurts my feet if I'm barefoot. I would never be able to run barefoot. I've never been really tempted to try until you worked on that last year. I bet your feet would get the strength they need from those double jumps in level 2.

From RAD on Thu, Apr 07, 2011 at 15:08:35 from 98.202.17.113

Just wait until the snow is gone before running in your 5 fingers :)

Nice job getting up and getting that shred done, it is brutal!

From jodee on Thu, Apr 07, 2011 at 15:56:11 from 71.212.198.112

Have you tried the "Last Chance Workout" dvd? It's my favorite...when I actually do it;) I was going to see if you guys were going to be running next Sat (16th) and how far you are going? I need to get in about 15 miles and thought it would be fun to meet up with someone for part of it. Let me know! Thanks!

Jodee

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Apr 07, 2011 at 19:25:18 from 198.241.174.15

Jodee, we'll be running 14 miles on the 16th. We start at the Goodson Rec Center, which is on University Avenue just a little north of Arapahoe Road. We have been meeting there at about 7:15 am on Saturdays, but it can vary based on what obligations people have later in the day. So you'd have to check with me closer to that date about the start time. You're welcome to join us if you like. We run about a 10:00 pace, give or take 30 seconds at any given time.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Apr 07, 2011 at 19:28:00 from 198.241.174.15

RAD, we don't have any snow here.

From jodee on Fri, Apr 08, 2011 at 00:14:43 from 71.212.198.112

perfect!!! i'm excited!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
12.000.0012.00

Long run.

6:29 am, 43° F, 74% humidity, wind 3 NW.

Michelle and I drove to the Highline Canal Trail this morning. We met Allie there and the three of us ran together for about 3 or 3.5 miles, and then Allie turned around because she needed to get home. Michelle and I had both arranged to have our husbands get the kids off to school. Allie is a faster runner than I am right now. Whenever we run with her, we run a little faster. I would like to start out slower. The pace we run with her is a little uncomfortable for me at the beginning of a run, but I can do it. When we were running with her this morning and I knew that we were running a little faster than I wanted to, I just kept telling myself that the way to get faster is to run with people who are faster than you. You can see in my splits that we slowed down after Allie left us, but you also have to consider that this is an out and back route, and the way out is net downhill and the way back is net uphill. This trail isn't particularly hilly, but it is just constantly a little bit up and down. Over the 12 miles, it amounted to 1026 feet of ascent, according to my Garmin. We sped up at the end, about the last half mile.

It's nice to have this long run done and the whole weekend ahead of me. I don't have to get up early tomorrow to go on a long run. However, I do intend to run 4 miles or so tomorrow.

It was perfect weather for running this morning and the trail was not nearly as crowded as it is on Saturday mornings. We saw a few people on the trial, but not many.

AP: 9:52. Splits: 9:55, 9:33, 9:31, 9:38, 9:56, 9:48, 9:58, 10:02, 10:04, 10:10, 10:16, 9:34.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 12.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From Tracy on Fri, Apr 08, 2011 at 11:47:00 from 209.175.177.37

Whew! Long runs on a weekday always throw me! But I bet it'll feel nice when you get to have more of a morning tomorrow!

GREAT miles!

From JD on Fri, Apr 08, 2011 at 11:54:14 from 70.96.78.149

Yeah! So glad to see you back with the consistency and mileage. Sounds like a great run this morning.

From Burt on Fri, Apr 08, 2011 at 13:35:44 from 206.19.214.144

Michelle Lowery and Allie Scott?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Apr 08, 2011 at 13:38:13 from 71.229.134.155

Not quite. I've got the Colorado version of Michelle and Allie. They're more my speed.

From Metcalf Running on Fri, Apr 08, 2011 at 13:49:57 from 207.225.192.66

Nice run!! I think my long run will be in the rain/snow this week :( This spring weather in Utah is crazy!

From Burt on Fri, Apr 08, 2011 at 13:54:31 from 206.19.214.144

No offense, but I like the Utah version better. :P

From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Apr 08, 2011 at 16:15:48 from 71.229.134.155

You're just prejudiced, Burt. You haven't met the Colorado version.

From Burt on Fri, Apr 08, 2011 at 16:32:24 from 206.19.214.144

True, and it's not healthy to get caught up in your biases.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.000.005.00

Recovery run.

8:35 am, 44-48° F, 62% humidity, wind 3 NNW.

Since I did my long run yesterday, I got to really sleep in today. I finally dragged myself out the door for a slow 5 miles. So I'm calling it a recovery run. It actually turned into a progression run in that each mile was faster than the one before, but the pace really didn't progress that much.

I had thought about doing the shred after my run today but I don't have time right now. Maybe I'll do it later in the day today.

I spent a lot of time struggling with a technical issue at work yesterday and I couldn't figure it out. While I was running this morning I got an idea that I think is the solution. I need to boot up my work computer and try it.

AP: 10:16. Splits: 10:27, 10:26, 10:15, 10:07, 10:05.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 5.00
Night Sleep Time: 9.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 9.00
Comments
From JD on Sat, Apr 09, 2011 at 17:11:10 from 71.213.32.103

Nice wrap up to another good week!

From april27 on Sat, Apr 09, 2011 at 23:25:45 from 99.188.251.180

I love when I solve problems on a run!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.710.006.71

Easy run.

6:10 am, 28-30° F, 49% humidity, winds calm, sunny.

I checked the temperature when I got up this morning and it says 27. It was dark outside at that point and I got a little freaked out and forgot that it was April and thought it was January and put on my two warmest shirts. Mistake. I really didn't need the wool shirt this morning. I got very hot and had a little sweat fest. Since we don't have actual heat in the mornings around here right now, maybe I can get some heat acclimation by over dressing for the cool temperatures.

I had some more ideas about the project I'm doing at work while I was running. I'm really interested in this project. I'm having to learn some new skills to do it and it's lots of fun. I debated getting up and working this morning instead of running, with plans to run later in the day, but then I decided I better get the run done first thing.

I had a little pain in my knee after running on Saturday, and my quad has been tight the past week or so. But I put KT tape on my knee after my run on Saturday and had it taped all weekend. Some old lady noticed the red tape on my leg at church yesterday. In any case, both my knee and my quad felt fine during and after my run today. When I stretched after, I could feel a little tightness in my quad, but not nearly as bad as it as been.

AP: 10:02. Splits: 10:32, 10:16, 10:29, 9:49, 10:02, 9:34, 0.71 @ 9:22.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 6.71
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From Tracy on Mon, Apr 11, 2011 at 14:57:50 from 209.175.177.37

Nice pace there at the end! Glad the taping helped with your quad.

I really think that the hardest part of this time of year is trying to figure out what to wear for a run. Sometimes I'm like you and I get scared into wearing more clothes than necessary when I know that the temp is lower (for me in the 30s or 40s; I can't believe that it's in the 20s in the mornings there!). Then I regret it. I am trying to get better about remembering that a temperature that would be chilly if I'm just standing outside usually isn't that chilly if I'm working up a "sweat fest."

From Bonnie on Mon, Apr 11, 2011 at 15:07:47 from 206.207.225.93

I had the exact opposite experience yesterday ... it was sunny and about 45F when I got out of the door. So, I wore shorts and a sleeveless shirt (I figured I would be running hills and get warm in the sun). Well, there was a pretty significant wind, that was super cold. My hands were cold for the first 1/2 of the run and then once I got a little warm I headed back into the headwind and froze ... yikes. After 2 weeks of 90F we had a high of 50 yesterday. Sounds warm to you I know, but after two weeks of nearly 100, it doesn't take much to feel cold ;-).

Spring is fun though - except what is with the freaking birds that start singing at 3AM??

From JD on Mon, Apr 11, 2011 at 15:09:41 from 70.96.78.149

Off to a running start this week.

:-)

From The Quiet Pirate on Mon, Apr 11, 2011 at 15:59:33 from 152.26.59.252

Glad your knee & quad are feeling better and you got a great run in, despite weather mis-information.

I want MR to learn how to apply the KT tape for me so I can use it.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Apr 11, 2011 at 18:22:21 from 71.229.134.155

I just find videos on the internet of the how to apply KT tape for certain kinds of injuries. I watch the video and then do it myself the best I can.

From RAD on Tue, Apr 12, 2011 at 10:14:55 from 98.202.17.113

Nice work getting the run done first. I know for me if I put it off sometimes it never gets done. Glad your quad and knee are working with you as well!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.620.006.62

Sort of a progression run.

6:11 am,  34°F, 43% humidity, wind 2 S.

I had the opposite problem from yesterday today. When I get up in the morning I open up wunderground and see what the temperature is. The weather station that it defaults to is not the closest weather station to my house, but I'm too lazy in the morning to change it. This morning, it said that it was 40°. So I wore shorts and a long-sleeved, but light-weight shirt. I was kind of chilly for about the first 3 miles and then okay, but not particularly warm after that. When I got home, I went back to wunderground and drilled down to the closest weather station to my house. This is what I always do. This weather station said it was 34°. That's probably closer to the truth for where I ran. So yesterday I dressed too warmly and today I didn't dress quite warmly enough.

I didn't set out to do a progression run but I started pushing it just a little bit the last half and especially towards the end. The 5th mile was a little slower than the 4th on account of a big hill.

I'll take jun's advice and switch my weigh-ins to the morning, so I'll do it first thing tomorrow morning instead of tonight. I'm not sure what my results will be this week. I kind of blew the diet on the weekend.

AP: 9:54. Splits: 10:31, 10:26, 10:06, 9:39, 9:42, 9:35, 0.62 @ 9:01.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 6.62
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From The Quiet Pirate on Tue, Apr 12, 2011 at 10:26:06 from 152.26.59.252

Great early morning miles- even if it was chilly.

I was eating the chips & salsa at the restaurant last Friday & I thought of you. I'm not sure how you sat there without eating any...you've got will-power!!

Morning weigh-ins are the way I go. Always first thing before getting ready for the workout. I think it's the way to go.

From RAD on Tue, Apr 12, 2011 at 10:51:02 from 98.202.17.113

Nice run Carolyn! Your average daily runs are creeping up in mileage :) Are you going to post your weight on the blog? If so, you are VERY brave! I'm not quite there yet... I would take Jun's advice about the morning weigh in though, makes it all seem better. I also weigh in the morning, but AFTER my workout - that way I sweat out a little extra :)

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Apr 12, 2011 at 11:02:43 from 71.229.134.155

I'm not up to posting my weight, Rachel. I'll just post the change since last week + or -. I did that last Wednesday. That was my first time posting it. So you'll have to look at my Wednesday posts to see what's happening with my weight.

From jun on Tue, Apr 12, 2011 at 11:16:57 from 66.239.250.209

April weather is so fickle. The temperature just doesn't seem to really reflect how warm or cold it is outside. I don't know why it works that way, but that just seems to be the way it is. I love seeing your mileage back up there. Congrats.

From Tracy on Tue, Apr 12, 2011 at 12:45:33 from 209.175.177.37

Good luck with the weigh in! Your mileage is looking good!

From Burt on Tue, Apr 12, 2011 at 20:36:50 from 206.19.214.144

POST YOUR WEIGHT!! POST YOUR WEIGHT!!

Everybody!

POST YOUR WEIGHT!! POST YOUR WEIGHT!!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

I did my weigh-in this morning. At first I used the old-fashioned analog bathroom scale that I've been using the last couple of weeks, but it is hard to read. So I decided to use Wii Fit instead. From now on, I'll weigh myself using Wii Fit. As far as I could tell, I got roughly the same results on both scales this morning. So, drum roll please, my weight change in the last week is -4 pounds. Despite Burt's plea, I am not going to post my weight just yet. Maybe I will when I get down to my target weight.

After the weigh-in (and after driving my son to seminary, and making my husbands lunch, and getting my daughter's breakfast), I did the shred level 2. That last circuit in level 2 is a killer. The sweat just pours off of me during that circuit.

Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00
Comments
From Tracy on Wed, Apr 13, 2011 at 10:12:21 from 209.175.177.37

I think I'm gaining some of the weight you're shedding (shredding?). I gained a couple pounds this week. Hopefully it's just water. But it might be the fact that I can't stop eating.

-9 pounds is a lot to lose in two weeks! Impressive Maybe the first reading was on the high side because you were retaining water. Or maybe you're just that awesome! Great job--I bet your pace will be positively affected by the loss!

From The Quiet Pirate on Wed, Apr 13, 2011 at 11:11:21 from 152.26.59.252

Congrats Carolyn! I'm sure you're pleased with your amazaing results! It almost motivates me to not eat the chips at the restaurant...almost.

I like the sweat that comes with level 2. Better than I like the sweat that comes with level 1.

From Metcalf Running on Wed, Apr 13, 2011 at 12:15:20 from 207.225.192.66

Way to go!! I really need to do better at the loosing weight thing.

I have tried the shred... but it is a killer!

From JD on Wed, Apr 13, 2011 at 13:06:23 from 70.96.78.149

Nice! I wish I could lose 9 pounds.

From RAD on Wed, Apr 13, 2011 at 14:45:53 from 98.202.17.113

Four pounds in a week is KILLER! You are doing awesome! I'm with you on the posting thing, but having the accountability to just know you have to say the up/down factor would be enough for me to keep going. Nice work Carolyn! Especially on that shred - it is NOT easy!!!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.640.005.64

Easy run.

6:23 am, 32° F, 84%humidity, wind 5 NNE, snowing.,

I ordered some new shoes a week or so ago and they came Tuesday evening. I inaugurated them this morning. It was cold and wet. It started snowing just before I stepped out the door and snowed pretty steadily for about 15 minutes and then it slowed down progressively and had just about stopped by the time I finished my run. So I got to run for pretty much the entire snowstorm. Lucky me. It was sticking to the grass and cars (and me), but the roads and sidewalks were just wet.

I need to go get warm and dry now.

AP: 10:05. Splits: 10:16, 10:24, 10:09, 9:59, 9:52, 0.64 @ 9:42.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 5.64
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From jun on Thu, Apr 14, 2011 at 10:23:58 from 66.239.250.209

Do you have the same hang-up as me? When I get done with a cold, wet run and take a shower I am in there forever. I can't seem to make myself get out as I try and warm my core. Luckily, when I shower at work we never run out of hot water.

From RAD on Thu, Apr 14, 2011 at 10:31:02 from 98.202.17.113

I hate that 'cold to the core' shivering feeling! I hope you are warm and snuggly soon :)

Nice job getting out in the snow and cold, new shoes always help my motivation with that!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Apr 14, 2011 at 10:35:50 from 71.229.134.155

What I'd really like to do is relax in a really hot bath for a long time. But I don't have the luxury to do that this morning. I had to take a quick shower because I've got to be out of the shower and dressed in time to drive my daughter to school.

From The Quiet Pirate on Thu, Apr 14, 2011 at 12:45:09 from 152.26.59.252

Your long hot bath reminds me of the commercial "Calgon...take me away."

I'd like to be taken away too.

Hope you're feeling warmer. I can't believe it's snowing for you, and you're still logging in some nice miles. Great work!

From Tracy on Thu, Apr 14, 2011 at 12:49:32 from 209.175.177.37

I love taking a loooooooong hot shower after a cold workout!

I can't believe you're running in snow. I don't envy you, but great job breaking in those new shoes!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Apr 14, 2011 at 13:11:07 from 71.229.134.155

Well, it wasn't really running in snow like I have to sometime in the winter. There was no snow on the ground to run through, just snow in the air.

From Metcalf Running on Thu, Apr 14, 2011 at 16:09:24 from 207.225.192.66

I am with you... love a hot bath after a cold run!

From jodee on Thu, Apr 14, 2011 at 16:18:27 from 67.6.179.212

Hey! I would love to run with you this weekend. Where should we meet up? What time? I don't have anything planned for the day and my husband will be home to babysit...uh I mean play with my son! Oh and don't worry about me being fast-I really struggle on long runs and I'm afraid I will slow YOU guys down!!!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Apr 14, 2011 at 16:40:06 from 71.229.134.155

Jodee, I just sent you a private message with the details, so check your email. (You'll get it only if you are set up for email notifications from the blog.) If you don't get the email, let me know.

From JD on Thu, Apr 14, 2011 at 21:24:58 from 71.37.100.83

Mmmmmm...love that new shoe smell...

From Kelli on Fri, Apr 15, 2011 at 09:30:54 from 71.219.97.85

SO, how did you like the NEW although wet and soggy shoes??? This weather is crazy.

Congrats on being down 4 pounds! That is awesome. I know how hard it is to lose so you must really be working your butt off (literally!) I started posting my weight last February, then it creeped way up over the winter so I stopped. BUT I decided I liked being accountable, so now I post it once a week or so . I try to only weigh in on Thursdays, but, since the scale is now in my home instead of the gym....I cheat and do it more often. I lose the same 4 pounds every week (then gain them back every weekend-in fact, last weekend I gained 7). It is depressing!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

I didn't do so well on the diet yesterday. I ate some cookies. And there are still some cookies left. If my kids don't hurry and eat them, I think I better throw them out.

I did the level 2 shred this morning. Once again, it made me a sweaty, stinky mess.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments
From Tracy on Fri, Apr 15, 2011 at 13:59:15 from 209.175.177.37

I am also enticed by stuff hanging around the house. If I would like to eat one cookie, but 3 are around, I'll eat 3 before I can stop myself :)

I'd throw them out.

Gotta love the shred!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Apr 15, 2011 at 14:44:59 from 198.241.174.15

I ate just one, and then a while later I ate just one, and then a while later I ate just one, and then a while later I ate just one. So I ate four total. And they're are more than a dozen left. I'll throw them out this evening. At least they're relatively small cookies.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
14.030.0014.03

Long run.

7:21 am, 42-56° F, 26% humidity, wind 2 NE.

Jodee drove for a half hour this morning to meet me and my girls at the Highline Canal Trail. We had a good group this morning. Besides myself and Jodee, we had Michelle, Michelle, and Allie. Michelle #2 turned around after 4 miles because she had to get back home to take her kid to a soccer game. Everyone else went the full 14, and Jodee was planning to do one more after we were done. Jodee did great. She's welcome to join our group any time. It was fun meeting her and having her join us.

I really would have liked to quit the last couple of miles but didn't because I felt like I should stick it out with the girls. I actually pushed the pace the last mile because I just wanted to be done. This is the longest Michelle has ever run because prior to this her longest was a half marathon. So the next few weeks which each bring her her longest run ever.

AP: 9:57. Splits: 10:19, 10:03, 9:54, 9:52, 9:53, 9:52, 9:48, 9:59, 9:54, 10:06, 9:53, 10:14, 10:04, 9:23.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 14.03
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments
From Tracy on Sat, Apr 16, 2011 at 13:10:29 from 173.24.38.54

Nice miles! It's always fun to run with a group, and I'm glad they helped you get this monster run done!

From jodee on Sat, Apr 16, 2011 at 17:11:27 from 67.6.179.212

Thanks again for letting me tag-a-long, I had a great time! I really like that trail and the conversations made it so much easier to get through a long run! Great job!

From jun on Sat, Apr 16, 2011 at 19:03:50 from 63.224.107.110

Wow, nice to see you back at the longer distances. Your miles for the week are really good. I'm glad everything appears to be going well.q

From JD on Sat, Apr 16, 2011 at 20:08:21 from 71.32.206.102

Haha! 14 miles! Not surprising to see you getting back at it so well. Nice job.

From Dustin on Sat, Apr 16, 2011 at 23:27:37 from 209.33.192.10

Thanks for running with my little sister Jodee. That is one thing I appreciate about the blog, being able to meet up with new people. I'm excited to see how she does at the Utah Valley Marathon. Hope your training continues to go well, Hopefully it is starting to warm up some in Colorado for you guys. I remember how it was growing up when I lived there, seemed like winter went on forever sometimes

From auntieem on Sun, Apr 17, 2011 at 18:31:29 from 67.182.149.104

You are really getting your miles in Carolyn! Do you have a race you are training for?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Apr 18, 2011 at 09:42:01 from 71.229.134.155

My friend Michelle is training for a June marathon and so I'm doing her training with her just to get myself in shape. But I'm also now starting a 20-week plan of my own targeting a Labor Day marathon, but I'm not completely committed to doing that race yet.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.110.005.11

Easy Run - 5 miles + 1 x 8 sec. hill sprint.

6:03 am, 45° F, 54% humidity, wind 3 NW.

I had a hard time getting to sleep last night because I took a late afternoon nap yesterday and that messed me up. Nevertheless, I got out the door at a decent time this morning, which enabled me to be home from my run before my son left for school.

I'm officially starting a 20-week marathon training plan today. It's the marathon plan level 1 from Run Faster by Brad Hudson. I did the level 2 plan from that book when I was preparing for the Ogden Marathon a couple of years ago, but I'm not up to the mileage of the level 2 plan right now. So I'll be doing a lot of hill sprints in the next few weeks. It starts out slow, with just the one hill sprint today. Incidentally, I was pumping my arms so hard on that hill sprint this morning that I pulled my head phones out of my ears.

I saw my husband driving my son to seminary while I was running today.

AP: 9:57. Splits: 10:31, 10:21, 10:00 9:39, 9:26, then just a little bit (just less than 0.1 miles) at 9:05 to get to the bottom of the hill sprint hill. The pace for the 8 sec. hill sprint was 6:46.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 5.11
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00
Comments
From Metcalf Running on Mon, Apr 18, 2011 at 11:19:47 from 207.225.192.66

Nice run today!! Congrats on the marathon training! What marathon are you planning on running? I HATE hill sprints!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Apr 18, 2011 at 11:25:37 from 71.229.134.155

It's the American Discovery Trail Marathon (http://www.adtmarathon.com/) and it's here in Colorado. It's on dirt trails, but not technical. You want to come run it with me?

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.000.006.00

Sort of a progression run.

6:14 am, 37° F, 80% humidity, wind 2 S.

Last night I thought about switching this run tomorrow so that I could drive to seminary today and because the kids don't have school tomorrow. But then I found out that there was no seminary today, so I went  back to plan A and did the run.

It was supposed to be an easy run, and I certainly started out easy enough, but then I got going faster on the 2nd half. It wasn't quite a real progression run because the 5th mile was slower than the 4th. I enjoyed the gradual down hill for most of the 6th mile, but not the steep uphill at the very end. I had to go all the way up the hill sprint hill and then more uphill on my street at the end of this run.

Tomorrow morning is my weigh in. Stay tuned for more information.

AP: 9:51. Splits: 10:36, 10:10, 10:05, 9:33, 9:38, 9:01.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 6.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From jun on Tue, Apr 19, 2011 at 10:39:38 from 66.239.250.209

Yeah, you know all about hills in your neighborhood. Way to push a fast time on that last mile even with the hill.

From Tracy on Tue, Apr 19, 2011 at 10:51:30 from 209.175.177.37

Great last mile! Way to attack that hill sprint hill!

From The Quiet Pirate on Tue, Apr 19, 2011 at 11:42:54 from 152.26.59.252

You're off to a great start on your training plan. Already 11 miles on Tuesday morning :-)

Progressive runs are hard when you've got hills at the end.

From Metcalf Running on Tue, Apr 19, 2011 at 13:11:23 from 207.225.192.66

Nice run!! I'm sure you will have a great weigh-in :)

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

Well, I did my weigh-in this morning. The result is -2.4 pounds. (Now that I'm using Wii Fit to weigh myself, I get accuracy to 1/10 of a pound.) That's not quite as much as I hoped, but I wasn't as diligent about the diet this past week as I was previous weeks. It's time to get serious again.

After the weigh-in, I didn't want to do the shred. I just wanted to read my book. I'm reading Fall of Giants by Ken Follett (thanks to Tracy's blog for the recommendation). I read a bit, but then I made myself do the shred (level 2). So now I'm sweaty and smelly. I guess I better take a shower.

Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From Tracy on Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 10:47:15 from 209.175.177.37

Isn't it good? I'm almost finished. I find it interesting because I don't know a lot about the WWI era. There are some slow parts midway through the book, but all in all, I'm reading voraciously.

Good job on the weigh in. I'm sure you haven't plateaued in your weight loss, but you don't have that much farther to go. 9 lbs or something left, right? That's great for 3 weeks.

From Metcalf Running on Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 11:15:34 from 207.225.192.66

I read one of his books. Pillars of the Earth. I loved it!!

From auntieem on Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 17:04:41 from 67.182.149.104

Fall of Giants was really good, but I liked his earlier books better. "Pillars of the Earth" and its sequel (World without end?) were wonderful!

I think that 2.4 pounds in a week is a lot!

From Tracy on Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 17:09:31 from 209.175.177.37

I loved Pillars of the Earth. That's one of my favorites of all time. World Without End was not as good in my opinion, but still worth the time it took to read it.

From RAD on Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 17:48:02 from 98.202.17.113

Nice work Carolyn! 2.4 pounds down is AWESOME! I may have to check on that book.

From Bonnie on Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 18:15:17 from 128.196.228.134

I LOVE Ken Follett ... all of his books.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.240.004.24

Easy run + 1 x 8 sec. hill sprint.

6:37 am, 38° F, 94% humidity, winds calm.

I did my regular 4-mile loop which puts me back at my house after 4 miles, but then I kept running because I had to get to the bottom of the hill sprint hill to do my one hill sprint. So it turns out that the bottom of the hill sprint hill is 0.22 miles from my house. I did the one hill sprint, then walked back home.

I'm struggling with the diet. I didn't do so well yesterday. But now the brownies are gone so maybe I can be good again.

AP: 9:51. Splits: 10:36 (I sure start slowly), 9:56, 9:39, 9:25, 0.22 @ 9:19, 8-sec hill sprint @ 6:13.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 4.24
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From Tracy on Thu, Apr 21, 2011 at 10:58:25 from 209.175.177.37

You started slowly, but progressed into a nice pace!

Don't worry about the struggle. I know that when I get very strict about eating, I pig out worse than when I allow myself a little treat now and then. Hopefully you didn't eat a whole tray of brownies...

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Apr 21, 2011 at 11:06:14 from 71.229.134.155

No, not a whole tray. Two or three bites that probably amounted to one brownie.

From The Quiet Pirate on Thu, Apr 21, 2011 at 11:11:13 from 152.26.59.252

I think you're doing really great with your dieting and weightloss. I am envious of your dedication.

I would have eaten two or three brownies, and then licked the crumbs that were left in the pan.

You inspired me, and I turned down a mcdonalds apple pie this morning though. One small step for diet-kind.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Apr 21, 2011 at 11:16:49 from 71.229.134.155

Good job, QP! What I mostly got where the crumbs and the burnt edges that were left in the pan.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

I did the shred this morning according to my plan.

I'm really busy with work, so I don't have time to write much.

Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From JD on Fri, Apr 22, 2011 at 17:26:09 from 70.96.78.149

Way to shred!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
16.000.0016.00

Long run.

6:21 am, 37-40° F, 16% humidity, winds calm.

I met up with Michelle, Michelle and Allie at the Highline Canal Trail this morning. We met at 6:15 instead of our usual time of 7:15. Now that the runs are getting longer, we're starting earlier so that we can finish at a reasonable time. Michelle #2 invited another friend, also named Michelle, who get there a few minutes later. Michelle and Allie and I did a mile before meeting up with Michelle #2 and Michelle #3, but those two Michelles quickly pulled ahead of us. They were running 8 miles, instead of the 16 that the rest of us were doing, so they could afford to run a little faster. So really it was just the three of us the whole way.

I had a vanilla gu after about 8 1/2 miles and that might have helped a little.

With about 3 miles to go, I pulled out ahead of the others and I thought I had a pretty good lead on them, but I didn't know because I never looked back. And then with a mile to go Michelle went past me and got a good chunk ahead of me and I never caught up with her. I guess we had our own little impromptu race, but not really.

My daughter has started a gymnastics class that takes place the rec center that we start from when we run that trail. Her class starts at 9:00 and we finished the run at 9:00, so after I finished I went in and watched her gymnastics class. I had brought dry clothes to change into, but I was still cold.

We ran a little faster this week than we did last week. We only had 3 miles over the whole run that were slower than 10:00, and they weren't much slower.  I pushed it again on the last mile, but as I said before, I didn't push it enough to catch speedy Michelle.

AP: 9:49. Splits: 9:54, 9:52, 9:44, 9:41, 9:41, 9:51, 9:42, 9:42, 10:06, 9:56, 9:42, 10:03, 9:53, 10:04, 9:56, 9:11.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 16.00
Night Sleep Time: 6.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.50
Comments
From JD on Sat, Apr 23, 2011 at 15:19:55 from 70.96.78.149

Great run!

From jun on Sat, Apr 23, 2011 at 20:58:29 from 97.126.226.88

Heck Yes!!! Way to push it with your friends. That's what I love about running with friends, the impromptu race-like competition. It makes you faster and stronger. I think I might smell a PR in your not-too distant future.

From RAD on Mon, Apr 25, 2011 at 00:50:53 from 98.202.17.113

NICE! I'm happy to see your long miles coming back nice and strong. Tell that speedy Michelle that if she doesn't start blogging again I'm gonna hunt her down! I still need to see a picture of her baby :)

From auntieem on Mon, Apr 25, 2011 at 15:54:08 from 67.182.149.104

You are getting super strong again, Carolyn! Sounds like you have a great running group to train with.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.090.005.09

East run + 2 x 8-sec. hill sprints.

6:01 am, 34° F, 77% humidity,winds 5 SSW.

That 16 mile run last Saturday killed me. I was really sore all day Saturday and I was still significantly sore on Sunday. I felt like I was falling apart. I felt worse than I did after running either of my two marathons. Because my hips were still out of shape on Sunday, I decided to take Monday off. I didn't run or do the shred or anything. But I felt better on Monday, so I got out and ran today. I actually felt pretty good on today's run.

I'm supposed to do 16 miles with Michelle again next Saturday and I have some trepidation about that. Maybe we ran it too fast last week, especially the first few miles. Maybe I can talk them into going really slowly for the first couple of miles.

AP: 9:56. Splits: 10:32, 9:40, 10:07, 9;46, 9:30. Hill sprints: 7:47, 6:47.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 5.09
Night Sleep Time: 6.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.50
Comments
From RAD on Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 10:54:45 from 98.202.17.113

Nice job on the miles after having such a hard recovery after your Saturday run. I wish I had some advice about how to make this week's better, but I don't know if I could put my finger on anything that has helped me recover any better than any other time.

From JD on Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 17:09:27 from 70.96.78.149

You'll be stronger now. I bet you'd be fine for the next long run.

From auntieem on Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 18:39:21 from 67.182.149.104

Hill sprints again!

Starting off more slowly sounds like a good plan. I hope your recovery is better this week.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.690.005.69

Easy run + 2 x 8-sec. hill sprints.

6:18 am, 34-42°F, 34% humidity, wind 7 SSW.

My eating has been out of control for the last week. I am confessing. I did weigh in yesterday and I was up 2.6 pounds. Time to get serious again. I don't know if I can do it. Too much stress at home.

I did manage to get out and run this morning despite that I was up late last night finishing World Without End.

This week I was supposed to run 5 + hill sprints on Monday, 8 on Tuesday, and 5 + hill sprints on Thursday. I didn't run on Monday, and did Monday's run on Tuesday. I didn't run on Wednesday (I didn't even do the shred either). So today I probably should have done Tuesday's 8 miler, but I didn't get out early enough, so I did the 5 + hill sprints. So I've been slacking on my running as well as on my eating.

I took the run nice and easy today. I'm still a little anxious about this coming Saturday.

AP: 10:00. Splits: 10:27, 9:55, 10:06, 10:12, 9:44, 0.61 @ 9:17.
Pace on hill sprints: 6:35, 6:33.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 5.69
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00
Comments
From Bonnie on Thu, Apr 28, 2011 at 19:28:05 from 128.196.228.134

CinC ... you should not be stressing about long runs. Tell them that you will be running your own pace and if someone runs with you then great ... if not, then just wait, 2 months from now you will running faster than them and will have to slow down for them. Seriously. You need to relax.

From Burt on Thu, Apr 28, 2011 at 19:50:17 from 206.19.214.144

yeah, it's Easter. You're allowed to eat whatever you want.

From Tracy on Thu, Apr 28, 2011 at 20:02:58 from 173.24.38.54

Did you finish Pillars of the Earth AND World Without End AND Fall of Giants? You would be on the top of the reading board on fastreadingblog.com. See my entry from yesterday for an explanation, which was supposed to be satiric and I fear no one got it.

From Tracy on Thu, Apr 28, 2011 at 20:09:09 from 173.24.38.54

Oh, and Carolyn, I agree. Don't stress about running OR about being up 2.6 pounds. You know that you were emotionally drained when you felt like a "slave" to the plan, and you are still down in weight over the past 4 weeks!

You are doing great, and it's hard not eat whatever candy the Easter bunny brought...but it won't be around forever. Soon as you eat it all you don't have to worry about it anymore.

From RAD on Thu, Apr 28, 2011 at 20:34:32 from 98.202.17.113

Sometimes life just throws us crappy crud to deal with! You are doing a good job handling it all, give yourself a break.

From Mark on Thu, Apr 28, 2011 at 21:32:02 from 173.168.88.68

Your running schedule this weeks sounds like the rearranging that I was doing when I was last running.

Great job fitting it all in, and like everyone else says don't worry about the long runs.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Apr 29, 2011 at 00:27:03 from 71.229.134.155

Tracy, I've read Fall of Giants, World Without End, and The Art of Racing in the Rain all in the last couple of weeks. I haven't read Pillars of the Earth yet because I'm still on the wait list at the library for it. I checked today and I'm #9 on the list and they have several copies, so it shouldn't be too much longer until I get it. I should take a break from reading though, because I don't do much else and am not much use to anybody when I'm reading a book.

From jodee on Fri, Apr 29, 2011 at 21:49:11 from 50.84.91.178

Hey just wanted to let you know I will not be there tomorrow. We are in TX right now...might take me a little while to get there;) My left leg is bothering me too. Grr! I'll see you next week!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
16.000.0016.00

Long run.

6:23 am, 31-39° F, 48% humidity, winds 2 WSW.

Once again, I had to drag myself out of bed early on a Saturday morning to get myself to the Highline Canal Trail. I was a few minutes late this morning, but they waited for me. Michelle and Allie and I all ran the whole distance together. Actually, we ran about 14 miles together, and then the younguns got out ahead of me and I ran the last two miles alone with them up in front of me.

On average, we ran slower today than we did last Saturday. That was my doing. I made a conscious effort to slow us down. However, I ran the last 3 miles faster than I did last week, which means that Michelle and Allie ran those last two files a lot faster than they did last week, since they ran faster than me. (Of course, Michelle was faster than me on the last mile last week too, but Allie wasn't.) I'm hoping that slowing down most of the run today will help me not be as sore tomorrow as I was last Sunday.

My daughter is taking a gymnastics class on Saturdays at the rec center that we park by when we run the trail. So after I was done with the run, I went in to the rec center and took a shower and then watched the end of her class (my husband has to take her to class since I'm running). I had to pay the fee for the rec center since I was using the shower. It was $5.25. That's an expensive shower. Oh well, I guess they also maintain the trail that I use all the time without paying anything, so I don't mind giving them a little money.

AP: 10:02. Splits: 10:18, 10:11, 10:02, 9:52, 10:02, 9;53, 10:00, 10:12, 10:11, 10:17, 10:13, 10:15, 10:20, 9:51, 9:44, 9:09.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 16.00
Night Sleep Time: 6.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.50
Comments
From JD on Sat, Apr 30, 2011 at 18:20:17 from 97.117.114.236

Great job on your long run today. You've really come a long way in just a few short weeks.

From marion on Sat, Apr 30, 2011 at 18:20:36 from 71.213.109.248

I'm glad it went well today :) Happy day!!!

From RAD on Sat, Apr 30, 2011 at 20:27:21 from 98.202.17.113

Nice work Carolyn! I hope you have a quicker recovery this week!

From jun on Sat, Apr 30, 2011 at 21:08:11 from 63.224.105.4

Backing off the pace will and should really help your recovery. Big miles, way to go.

From Tracy on Sun, May 01, 2011 at 10:30:03 from 173.24.38.54

Nice miles! Glad you were able to go with a pace that felt good.

For $5.25, you should have stayed in the shower for a couple hours.

From auntieem on Sun, May 01, 2011 at 19:49:28 from 67.182.149.104

Sounds like it worked very well for you to run slower in the beginning! Nice run. Your story about the showers reminds me of car camping and road tripping with my kids when they were younger. After four or five days, we would all want a shower, and they cost up to 7 dollars at some places! Sometimes we just got a cheap hotel room instead, and enjoyed showers and beds!

From april27 on Sun, May 01, 2011 at 20:38:20 from 99.188.251.180

Wow look at you making your come back to running!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.280.005.28

Easy run + 2 x 8-sec. hill sprints.

I was still a little sore yesterday from Saturday's run, but not as bad as I was the previous Sunday, so I decided to get out and run today and see how I felt. I felt fine, but I was slow. I never got to the pace that I've been getting too lately. But I guess that's okay.

I finished up the run with a couple of hill sprints. I often encounter middle schoolers walking to school on my hill sprint hill when I'm doing hill sprints. This is a common occurrence because I try to finish my run at about the time my middle schooler leaves for school. This morning as I did my hill sprints, the middle schooler walking down the hill was my own son. He gave me kind of a funny look and didn't say anything. I'll have to ask him when he gets home if my running up and down the hill in my sweaty running clothes is embarrassing to him. I didn't say anything to him when he walked past me because I was busy running up the hill as fast as I could.

In other news, I finished The Pillars of the Earth today. I liked it except for the very end. The whole Prior Philip hanging out with Thomas Becket seemed too implausible to me.

AP: 10:13. Splits: 10:36, 10:05, 10:18, 10:03, 10:06, 0.20 @ 9:40.
Pace on hill sprints: 7:10, 6:50.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 5.28
Night Sleep Time: 5.50Nap Time: 2.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From JD on Mon, May 02, 2011 at 19:06:08 from 70.96.78.149

Nice workout, especially after the long one on Sat.

Kids are so funny!

From Tracy on Mon, May 02, 2011 at 20:16:22 from 173.24.38.54

Your son was probably trying to pretend that he didn't know you.

Well, yeah, the whole cross with Becket's martyrdom was pretty improbable, but I always like those little tidbits of history.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
8.080.008.08

Moderate run.

6:01 am, 37-41° F, 38% humidity, wind 7 SSW.

This is the longest I've run on a weekday (not counting the week we did our long run on Friday instead of Saturday) in a long time. I started out on my old 6-mile route, and so I did the Gleneagles/Quebec hill, but then I wandered around my neighborhood for a couple more miles at the end of the loop. I didn't run terrifically fast today and I kind of struggled on the up hills, but I got it done.

I know that 7 mph winds aren't that bad, but the way things are here, most of my uphills were into the wind, so that was a bit of a challenge. 

I asked my son what he thought when he saw my running on his way to school yesterday. He said that he thought I was doing hill sprints. I asked him if it embarrasses him to see me out running and he said no. Then he asked how fast I was going on the hill sprints and I told him and he thought that wasn't very fast.

AP: 9:50. Splits: 10:13, 10:01, 10:00, 9:33, 9;52, 9;23, 9:57, 9:42, 0.08 @ 9:04.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 8.08
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From RAD on Tue, May 03, 2011 at 10:17:44 from 98.202.17.113

Kids are always good for a new perspective - HA! Nice work on the long mid-week run, I'm sure it feels good to get out and get them in lately, you are doing a GREAT job!

From Tracy on Tue, May 03, 2011 at 10:19:25 from 209.175.177.37

What a good son.

Good miles today! You're really rocking the workouts lately. You had some good faster miles mixed in there, too.

I can't decide which is worse, hills or wind. On one hand, at least hills have a definite beginning and end, plus a downhill. But on the other hand, uphills sometimes feel interminable. But then the wind lately feels like it is never going to stop, either.

Maybe it's a tossup.

Whatcha reading now? I finished my book on Sunday and have not picked up anything else. Got any recommendations?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, May 03, 2011 at 11:09:39 from 71.229.134.155

I think I need to take a break from reading and get some housework done. I'm afraid I don't have any recommendations right now. Maybe in a few weeks I'll come up with something.

From jun on Tue, May 03, 2011 at 11:43:03 from 66.239.250.209

My son is the only person I can tell that I ran 50 miles and he'll just nod his head in approval, no other facial expression. It gives me that feeling of, "yep, that's what I expected". He's the one person that assumes that whatever I'm doing is normal. Ha.

From auntieem on Tue, May 03, 2011 at 14:32:34 from 67.182.149.104

Well, I think your hill sprints are fast!

From JD on Tue, May 03, 2011 at 19:43:49 from 97.117.121.198

I'm struck by what a great example all these mothers on the blog are to their children. Very awesome, especially in these silly times.

From Kelli on Tue, May 03, 2011 at 22:17:53 from 71.219.96.115

Well, have him try running up the hills!!! And into the wind! Not an easy task. BUT it is great that he does not get embarrassed---he is proud of his tough mommy!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

Did the shred level 2. Weigh-in results: + 0.4. Time to get serious about healthy eating again.

Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From Burt on Wed, May 04, 2011 at 12:20:19 from 72.223.90.79

Jillian...sigh.

From The Quiet Pirate on Wed, May 04, 2011 at 12:43:39 from 152.26.59.252

Love the shred level 2 (except the very last arm exercise..where my arms turn into gummy worms).

Always being serious with our diets is not easy..so since it's May 4th, I'll say...."May the 4th be with you!" :-)

From Tracy on Wed, May 04, 2011 at 13:14:48 from 209.175.177.37

Yay Jillian!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, May 04, 2011 at 14:05:05 from 198.241.174.15

May the 4th is my mom's birthday.

From auntieem on Thu, May 05, 2011 at 00:24:36 from 67.182.149.104

Maybe it's muscle from all the hill repeats!

From RAD on Thu, May 05, 2011 at 00:49:26 from 98.202.17.113

I'm going with the muscle explanation too :)

Nice job getting in a great workout today!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.490.005.49

Easy run + 2 x 8-sec. hill sprints.

6:00 am, 30-32° F, 72% humidity, wind 2 SSE.

I ran with Lindsay today which I haven't done for a long time. Talking with her made the time seem to go by fast, even though we were running pretty slowly. I was surprised when we were in front of her house and it was time for her to stop. But then I had to run a little under a mile more to get to my hill sprint hill, do my hill sprints, and then walk the rest of the way home.

I was in a bit of a hurry to get home because I had to drive Thing 3 to school. It is normally against my policy to drive to the middle school around school start or end time because there is only one way in and out and it gets terribly backed up. Also, it is much more direct to walk to the middle school from our house (the middle school is just across the green belt from my hill sprint hill) than to drive. However, I had to go against my policy today so that my son could talk part of his drum set to school. He and his little band are auditioning for the talent show after school today. So I guess I'll have to pick up him and his drums this afternoon, but it will probably be enough after school gets out that the traffic will be gone.

AP: 10:13. Splits: 10:29, 10:14, 10:07, 10:17, 10:11, 0.41 @ 9:33.
Pace on hill sprints: 6:37, 6:20.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 5.49
Night Sleep Time: 6.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.50
Comments
From RAD on Thu, May 05, 2011 at 10:34:47 from 98.202.17.113

company always helps the miles! I hear ya on the school thing!

From Tracy on Thu, May 05, 2011 at 10:38:53 from 209.175.177.37

Good luck to the youngster on his audition!

From The Quiet Pirate on Thu, May 05, 2011 at 13:17:54 from 152.26.59.252

I love running company!!

Good luck on the talent show to your Thing #3!

From auntieem on Thu, May 05, 2011 at 16:44:54 from 67.182.149.104

I love it when the company is so good that the mile fly by like that! You are lucky to have such great running buddies.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

Did the level 2 Shred.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
12.740.0012.74

Long Run

6:18 am, 42-64° , 61% dropping to 27% humidity, winds calm.

I met Michelle and Allie at the Highline Canal Trail early this morning. Michelle was planning to run 17 and Allie was doing 10, so Michelle's plan was to go out and back to the North to do the 10 with Allie, then do out and back 2.5 to the south (because if you go more than 2.5 that direction you have to cross Broadway, which is a pain), which would get her to 15, and then one more out and back to the North to get to 17. I had to decide what I would do because I wasn't sure I wanted to do the full 17 with Michelle, but I felt like I should support her.

At about 3 or 4 miles in, I had to go to the bathroom, but I held it until we got back to the rec center at the end of 10 miles. That might have been a mistake. In any case, Allie left at that point and I went into the rec center to use the bathroom and Michelle kept going. I told her that after I used the bathroom I would head out behind her and then join her after she turned around. I wasn't feeling well and took my time in the bathroom, but then finally headed out after her. I caught her when I had gone about 2 miles from the rec center.

I ran with her back towards the rec center, but I was just not feeling it today. I really felt lousy. I didn't have it in my to run the whole distance. It's probably because I went up to Greeley and helped my son move out of his dorm room. We only had about a half hour between when I got there and his check-out time to get his stuff all loaded into the car and the room vacuumed. We both spent that half hour running back and forth between his room and the car, up and down stairs, carrying stuff. It was really quite strenuous and I was sweating like crazy. I didn't even make it the 2 miles back to the rec center with her. Instead, after a little more than a half mile with her, I took a different trail that was a short cut back to the rec center, and she kept going the regular way. I just gave up and went home. Also, it was getting quite hot by that time (note the temperature and humidity changes listed above).

I'm not sore today like I would have been if I had done the 17 miles, but I'm still fairly uncomfortable. I think the "holding it" for several miles did something to me. Maybe it changed my stride slightly or something.

In any case, this was my last long run with Michelle for a while. She's got two more long runs on her training plan and then she tapers for the Utah Valley Marathon. But she's got conflicts the next two Saturdays and so she's going to do her long runs on Thursday next week and then on Friday the following week. I don't want those miles enough to rearrange my weekday mornings to go with her. I've got to get kids of to school and get to work during the times she'll be running. So I guess I'll run alone on those Saturdays or see if Allie wants to join me and do distances that are more manageable for me.

AP: 10:15. Splits: 10:36, 10:30, 10:11, 10:09, 10:23, 10:11, 10:00, 10:08, 10:08, 10:03, 10:25, 10:26, 0.76 @ 10:05.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 12.74
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 2.00Total Sleep Time: 9.00
Comments
From jun on Sat, May 07, 2011 at 23:49:54 from 97.126.225.125

I think it's weird how needing to use the bathroom can affect your running. Your weirdness could really be linked to that. Nice run today though, way to get out there and enjoy it.

From RAD on Sun, May 08, 2011 at 00:32:21 from 98.202.17.113

Nice work Carolyn! I felt the same today, but had no good reason for it. I didn't realize Michelle was running UVM - maybe I'll finally get to meet her!

Good luck with your Saturday lone runs the next few weeks. I hate having to do them alone!

From The Quiet Pirate on Sun, May 08, 2011 at 17:13:50 from 174.110.223.249

Nice run distance, even with all the troubles. Will your son #1 be staying with you this summer?

From The Quiet Pirate on Sun, May 08, 2011 at 17:14:05 from 174.110.223.249

Happy Mother's Day!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Sun, May 08, 2011 at 17:22:35 from 71.229.134.155

Son #1 is here for about a month and then he's off to Idaho for 8 weeks for a math research internship at Boise State. Then he'll be home for a couple of days and then back to school in Greeley. He has to go up to Greeley earlier than most students because he has a job as an RA next year.

From Burt on Sun, May 08, 2011 at 19:02:37 from 72.223.90.79

Say hi to Colorado Allie and Michelle for me.

From auntieem on Sun, May 08, 2011 at 21:14:14 from 67.182.149.104

Good work on the long run, especially when you did not feel well. Hopefully it has passed and you are rested and ready to go!

From Kelli on Sun, May 08, 2011 at 21:56:50 from 71.219.96.115

OH DANG, sorry to hear about the tummy problems. That really can just mess with your running. It stinks to not be feeling it, you were smart to call it a day. We really can get in the habit of just pushing too much when our body is fighting us, not sure why that happens!

Happy Mother's day!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.150.005.15

Easy run + 3 x 8-sec. hill sprints.

6:33 am, 59°F, 21% humidity, winds 6 SSW, overcast.

It was much warmer this morning than it has been in a long time. We seem to have skipped Spring and gone straight from Winter to Summer. But it was actually fairly pleasant running weather this morning because it was overcast.

I took the long way to the corner where I meet up with Allie and Lindsay on occasion. I ran about 1.2 miles before I met up with them. We ran about 3 miles together, and then I ran about a mile by myself to the bottom of the hill sprint hill.

About a minute or two into my run I went past a house where two dogs were out front. A man was out there with them, but one of the dogs chased after me and started running into me. He probably wanted to bite me but couldn't be because he was wearing one of those cone-shaped collar things. I told the dog to go home, but that didn't work. I thought if I just kept going that we would get too far from his house and he would head home, but that didn't work either. The man was calling the dog and the dog didn't respond to that either. The dog just kept coming after me no matter what. So I stopped so that the dog wouldn't chase me any more. I asked the man to please grab his dog so that I could keep going. He said he was trying, but it seemed to me that he wasn't trying very hard. In any case, he finally got the dog and I was able to go on.

During the part I was running with Allie and Lindsay, we crossed paths with Michelle and Michelle who were out running.

Most of my fourth mile was with just Lindsay. (Allie had turned off to go home.) That fourth mile was really slow. It's slightly uphill, so maybe that's why. Or maybe we subcoonsciously slow down when we don't have Allie to push us. Lindsay is not up for fast running right now because she's pregnant and is starting to get uncomfortable. At least I did speed up once I left Lindsay at her house and was on my own.

It's fairly common for me to see Thing 3 on his way to middle school when I'm doing hill sprints. But I was out slightly later today and so I saw Thing 2 walking to high school instead. Seminary ended last week and so now he doesn't go so early and  I told him he had to walk today. The high school actually starts 15 minutes later than the middle school. (They are right by each other and they share bus service.)

AP: 10:00. Splits: 9:49, 9:46, 10:01, 10:36, 9:43.
Pace on hill sprints: 7:01, 6:06, 7:21.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 5.15
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From JD on Mon, May 09, 2011 at 13:24:33 from 70.96.78.149

Way to crank one out early on a Monday.

From The Quiet Pirate on Mon, May 09, 2011 at 13:28:23 from 152.26.59.252

Your weather was warmer than mine! That's a change :-)

Your run sounds great, with good company to share the time. Except for your unexpected sattelite dish dog.

I could go on & on about how frusterated I get with dog owners. They'll leave the gate open, or have their dogs out running free, and when the dogs come after me, I'll yell at them "get your dogs!" They just stand there, or lazily walk out clapping their hands and saying, "pepper..come here...come here pepper."

It's exactly what happened the day the dog ran out in the road and bit me. The lazy dog owner was 15 yards away & stood there watching the whole thing happen.

It's why I keep pepper spray with me. I'd rather spray the owners, but they're so lazy, they usually don't get close enough for me to get a good hit in.

And now I've gone on & on...

Have a great day!

From Tracy on Mon, May 09, 2011 at 15:19:35 from 209.175.177.37

At least he had the collar around his neck. I'm picturing a cone head dog chasing you, and it's kinda funny. Anyway, sounds like you have a lazy/bad dog owner in your neighborhood. Poor dog.

Good run! You did slow down a lot during that one mile, but it's nice that you went by Allie's pace. But you're regaining your speed for sure because you were able to pick it back up at the end!

From RAD on Mon, May 09, 2011 at 15:49:30 from 98.202.17.113

Things look like you had a wonderful morning run. Despite the dumb dog and his owner!

From auntieem on Mon, May 09, 2011 at 16:29:45 from 67.182.149.104

I have had the exact same experience with dogs! I stop, ask the owner to please get their dog and they just continue to holler at the dog, while the dog ignores them! Very frustrating.

Glad you having some warm weather!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
7.000.007.00

Fartlek run - 7 miles w/ 6 x 30 sec. @ 10K-3K pace

6:25 am, 42-49° F, 32% humidity, winds 10 SW.

I didn't get out the door as early as I intended to this morning, but at least I did get out the door.

I ran 2.6 miles before I started the first fast part because I wanted to get most of the big hill behind me before trying to run fast. I was just slightly uphill on the first fast part. After that, I went about 1/2 a mile, give or take a bit between each fast section. I sometimes started the fast section sooner or later in order to avoid crossing  street during the fast part. After I had completed all 6 fast parts, I had 1.25 miles more to go to finish. I saw Barbie during the last part. I thought about pulling out my cell phone and taking a picture, but I chickened out. She would have seen me do it.

I used the lap button on my watch to time the fast parts, so my splits are all different lengths. Average pace for the whole run was 9:42. Splits for the warm up at the beginning were 10:12, 9:51, and then 0.6 @ 10:00. I'll make a table to show my pace on the faster parts and the slower intervals in between.

 Pace for 30 sec.
 Distance and pace for rest interval
 8:12 0.5 @ 9:52
 7:26 0.54 @ 9:46
 7:58 0.4 @ 9:43
 7:06 0.66 @ 9:51
 7:11 0.62 @ 9:32
 7:231.0 @ 9:43, 0.25 @ 9:21

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 7.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From RAD on Tue, May 10, 2011 at 10:48:23 from 98.202.17.113

You did a great job on the run this morning and pushing the pace on those Fartleks! Even the rest intervals picked up from your warm-up pace (which I notice I do as well). Great job Carolyn! Those legs of yours sure didn't forget how to run.

From Tracy on Tue, May 10, 2011 at 10:50:02 from 209.175.177.37

Way to get the heart pumping! I like fartlek runs. There's something about those short bursts of speed that are invigorating. Plus I like them because I know exactly how long I have to hold that pace...

From jun on Tue, May 10, 2011 at 11:12:33 from 66.239.250.209

Now that's what I've missed, your workout math and detail. It's awesome. Keep it up.

From april27 on Tue, May 10, 2011 at 12:04:13 from 165.138.243.1

Love the chart! good job on the speed!

From The Quiet Pirate on Tue, May 10, 2011 at 13:47:00 from 152.26.59.252

too bad we don't get to see barbie. Nice fartlekss today. 30 seconds seems like a long time to me when I'm sprinting.

You had some great speedy splits.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

I did the shred, but I forgot to weigh myself this morning. I'm sure I've gained weight in any case. I'm having trouble getting my eating in control again these days, maybe because other parts of life or so stressful right now.

Night Sleep Time: 6.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.50
Comments
From RAD on Wed, May 11, 2011 at 17:09:02 from 98.202.17.113

weight schmeight...you should just run and enjoy it and not worry :)

Sorry the stress of life is creeping in again! It's hard enough to manage life as it is let alone adding cruddy stress to it all! Good luck with everything.

From jodee on Thu, May 12, 2011 at 01:03:28 from 67.6.149.249

Hey-I have family in town this weekend and I am also helping out with a garage sale on Sat so I will not be able to run with you guys. I'm hoping that I can get some miles in this week. I should be able to run with you next weekend though....hoping my legs hold up! I haven't done a long run since I went out with you girls. YIKES!!!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.150.005.15

Easy run + 3 x 8-sec. hill sprints.

6:28 am, 33° F, 87% humidity, winds calm, snowing.

I had to check the date this morning. Is it really mid-May? It feels more like early March. Was it really warm enough to run in shorts just 2 days ago?

It snowed for the entirety of my run and is snowing still. It's mostly sticking to the grass and not to the roads. However, some of the places that I ran were slushy or snow-covered. And the most joyous part of all was when a car would drive by in the lane next to me and spray me with slush. At one point I had to stop to tie my shoe. I had my back to traffic and my foot up on a bus bench. A truck came along and sprayed my backside.

I started my hill sprints a little ways up the hill instead of at the bottom of the hill because there was a little river running across the bottom of the hill.

Michelle was planning to do 18 miles by herself on the trail this morning. I wonder if she's doing it, and if so, how it's going. I feel a little bad for bailing on her but not bad enough to drag myself through 18 miles this morning.

AP: 10:02. Splits: 10:20, 10:18, 9:55, 9:34, 9:48.
Pace on hill sprints: 6:51, 7:12, 6:59.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 5.15
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From jun on Thu, May 12, 2011 at 11:35:27 from 66.239.250.209

Freak, finally we have a day of good weather while you have a day of bad. I was getting so tired of reading about all you guys in the Denver area run in shorts and the sun while we were still bundling up in 3 layers. Nice run.

From Tracy on Thu, May 12, 2011 at 12:45:48 from 209.175.177.37

What a weird spring. We went from late winter to August and now this weekend it's supposed to be in the 50s again.

I bet you were super psyched to get hit by wet, cold slush! That sounds totally awesome in 33 degree weather.

From JD on Thu, May 12, 2011 at 13:48:20 from 70.96.78.149

Wacky Spring. Great consistency (you, not the weather).

From The Quiet Pirate on Fri, May 13, 2011 at 12:16:42 from 152.26.59.252

Still snowing? Good grief! I don't blame you for not wanting to trail run 18 on a day like that. I'm not sure I would have gone out at all.

You're tough.

From RAD on Fri, May 13, 2011 at 16:17:39 from 98.202.17.113

Crazy, I was thinking the same thing - we finally get a nice day and you get snowed on! I hope this warm weather makes its way over to you soon. Nice job on the miles - tell Michelle I'm rooting for her too!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.751.257.00

Progression run.

7:52 am, 42° F, 69% humidity, winds 2 NE, overcast.

Since I was meeting anyone to run this morning, I had a hard time getting myself out the door. I got up plenty early because I had to get my boys off on a young men's activity at 6:30, but then I dragged around for a while before finally heading out to run.

The instructions for my workout today were 7 miles, last 20 min. moderate (uphill, if possible). It is somewhat challenging to do a workout such as this where I have to estimate how far I will run in 20 minutes at a moderate pace in order to figure out when to start the moderate paced running. I figured I could go better than 2 miles in 20 minutes, but not a ton better. I decided to start the moderate part with 2.25 miles to go. I could have done it the last 2.15 miles because I actually ran the moderate pace for 21 minutes and 20 seconds. Oh well. I hit the lap button when I started the moderate part so that I could time it separately. Also, I was running at an increasingly fast pace prior to the moderate part, except for the last .75 miles before I started the moderate part. I think I slowed down in anticipation. The last 21 minutes were not all uphill, but there was a significant amount of uphill, especially in the first mile of that part.

AP: 9:31. Splits for the easy part: 10:10, 10:04, 9:52, 9:43, 0.75 @ 9:55. Splits for the moderate part: 8:49, 8:34, 0.25 @ 7:55.

So here's something strange that happened last night. We had been in the garage working on bikes with the garage door open. I went in the house for a while and left the garage door open. In the mean while, it got dark. Then I needed to go to the store for something, so I opened the door from the house to the garage to go out to the car and I was startled by something big moving around in the garage. I couldn't really see what it was. I hurriedly closed the door. Then I opened the it again and looked and there was an owl sitting on the garage door. The garage door was open, so it was in a horizontal position parallel to and a little ways below the ceiling of the garage. I closed the door again and called my boys to come look. They looked and saw the owl but then it found it's way out and flew away while they were looking. My daughter was upset that she didn't get there in time to see the owl. I told my husband about it later and he asked if the owl had brought us a letter. It hadn't occurred to me to think of Harry Potter.


Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 7.00
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00
Comments
From JD on Sun, May 15, 2011 at 15:57:23 from 71.37.100.47

Awesome owl sighting! Good pace on the run today too.

From Bonnie on Sun, May 15, 2011 at 20:03:03 from 128.196.228.134

Very cool sighting!! If I were your daughter I would have been mad too!

From Tracy on Sun, May 15, 2011 at 21:40:17 from 173.24.38.54

That would have scared the crap out of me. But totally cool. Glad it found its way out!

We once had a hummingbird get stuck and scared in our garage and it was hard to coax it out. I thought it might die of shock or something, but it eventually got free!

Good miles! You're working your way into those faster paces. Only a few more seconds per mile and you can log those miles as fast...

Oh, wait! I see that you did :) Bet that feels good.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.220.005.22

Easy run + 4 x 8-sec. hill sprints.

6:54 am, 38-48° F, 60% humidity, winds calm.

I had a hard time getting to sleep last night because I took a really big long nap yesterday afternoon. As a result, I had a hard time dragging myself out of bed and getting myself out the door this morning. Now I'm going to be late to work.

I ran a little faster than usual today and it felt pretty good. Of course, it was a fairly short run, so no big deal.

AP: 9:40. Splits: 10:05, 9:45, 9:32, 9:09, 9:19. Pace on hill sprints: 7:25, 6:54, 6:51, 6:12.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 5.22
Night Sleep Time: 5.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 5.00
Comments
From Tracy on Mon, May 16, 2011 at 11:19:09 from 209.175.177.37

Sexy hill sprints, especially the last one. Now quit checking your email. You're supposed to be working.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, May 16, 2011 at 11:26:46 from 71.229.134.155

I'm booting up my work computer so that I can check my work email and see if there's anything urgent I need to attend to.

From The Quiet Pirate on Mon, May 16, 2011 at 12:45:00 from 152.26.59.252

No big deal? It's always good to run fast and feel great!

Sunday naps are so great on Sunday, but always seem to make waking up on Monday a real pain in the rear!

From JD on Mon, May 16, 2011 at 16:42:55 from 70.96.78.149

Nice jump start this week. I'm still in the middle of my nap that started yesterday.

From RAD on Mon, May 16, 2011 at 17:05:33 from 98.202.17.113

Love the hill sprints! That Sunday nap is a love/hate thing for me as well - 1:00 church just knocks that right out so maybe we'll try again next year.

From auntieem on Mon, May 16, 2011 at 22:18:20 from 67.182.149.104

Hi Carolyn! Nice hill sprints, as per usual. I've been sick, still sick, probably for awhile, so I'll live vicariously off of your hill sprints. Make them exciting!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
7.430.578.00

Fartlek Run - 8 miles w/6 x 40 sec. @ 10K-3k pace.

6:34 am, 39-45° F, 84% humidity, winds calm, cloudy.

It was a little cold in my bedroom (we'd had the windows open over night) when I was getting ready. I knew it would get warmer during my run, but I was unsure how to dress. I put on shorts and a light-weight long-sleeved shirt, but then I chickened out and changed to a heavier long-sleeved shirt. I should have stuck with the lighter shirt. I got really hot on this run. And the shirt I was wearing is quite tight and I couldn't even push up the sleeves. I was really dripping sweat like crazy by the time I was done.

This was a pretty hard run. I decided to wait until I finished the Gleneagles/Quebec hill before I started the fartlek, but then I stuck with doing exactly 1/2 mile between the fast parts, regardless of physical features such as cross streets and hills. The upshoot of that was that on the 2nd fast interval I had to turn a corner and take a little detour to avoid waiting for a light at a street I needed to cross, and I had to do the last interval up a fairly steep hill. I struggled with the two miles I had left after I finished the intervals. A lot of it was uphill and I tried to keep a relatively good pace.

Average pace: 9:24.

Here's a table to show what I did. (Pace for fast intervals are bold.)

Lap Number Distance Pace
1 1 mile 9:52
2 1 mile 9:31
3 0.9 mile 9:46
4 511.72 ft. 7:09
5 0.5 mile 9:07
6 498.21 ft. 7:21
7 0.5 mile 9:36
8 489.24 ft. 7:44
9 0.5 mile 9:33
10 481.19 ft. 7:31
11 0.5 mile 9:45
12 480.75 ft. 7:34
13 0.5 mil 9:07
14 525.82 ft. 6:55
15 1 mile 9:39
16 1 mile 9:20
17 145.71 ft. 8:48

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 8.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments
From Tracy on Tue, May 17, 2011 at 11:28:37 from 209.175.177.37

I love your table. Great speed on those intervals!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

I had a double date with Jillian this morning. I got up and did the level 2 shred, then after I got my daughter off to school, I did the level 1 shred. Level 1 really is easier than level 2.

I have a bit of a sore throat this morning. I hope it doesn't turn into anything more serious.

Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From Tracy on Wed, May 18, 2011 at 11:54:49 from 209.175.177.37

Oooh. Double the Jillian. Impressive.

I dislike level one. Some of the exercises are fine, but others seem too easy. Even if you don't follow Anita.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, May 18, 2011 at 12:04:34 from 198.241.217.15

Yes, some of the exercises in level 1 are too easy (chest flies, anyone?), but sometimes I'm glad for easy, especially after sweating through level 2.

From Tracy on Wed, May 18, 2011 at 12:08:06 from 209.175.177.37

Good thinking. If I ever do double Jillian, I'll remember that. That's a pretty big if.

From Kelli on Wed, May 18, 2011 at 13:59:59 from 71.219.96.115

I am sure it is your toughie workout from yesterday followed by the double date. Jillian....ah, I would not dare!

We had snow yesterday!!! Looks like you were cold, too. I had to turn my heater on today. Crazy, but i am not complaining! I like this weather (cause i can not run!)

From JD on Wed, May 18, 2011 at 14:36:50 from 70.96.78.149

Double your Jillian, double your fun.

From RAD on Wed, May 18, 2011 at 16:39:44 from 98.202.17.113

Nice work Carolyn! A two-fur! :)

I've heard some murmurings about sore throats around here too, but everyone is saying it's just allergies...hmmm...

From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, May 18, 2011 at 17:51:34 from 198.241.217.15

Yeah, it might just be post-nasal drip from allergies. Yum.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
7.220.007.22

Easy Run - 7 miles + 4 x 8 sec hill sprints

6:45 am, 40° F, 87% humidity, winds calm, overcast with a light mist.

I got to bed before 10:00 last night, but I couldn't get to sleep until around 1:00 because of all the drainage in my nasal passages. It was hard for me to get up and get out the door this morning, but I did it.

I thought about leaving my glasses at home, but then I decided to wear them. With the light mist that was in the air, they quickly became covered with water droplets. So instead of being blind, I saw the world with spots this morning. And I failed to see a big puddle that I stepped in.

Strangely, the air kind of smelled like fish.

Incidentally, my arms are little sore from yesterday's double dose of Jillian.

The pace felt pretty easy today except on the uphills. It was a little harder on the uphills, but I didn't push it too much. I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at my stats afterwards to see how fast I had run.

AP: 9:37. Splits: 10:05, 9:46, 9:32, 9:19, 9:22, 9:24, 9:19. Pace on hill sprints: 6:51, 6:26, 6:47, 6:53.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 7.22
Night Sleep Time: 5.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 5.50
Comments
From Tracy on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 11:49:53 from 209.175.177.37

Breathing in fishy air when you're running is pretty awesome.

What happened to the splits for your last two miles?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 12:26:17 from 71.229.134.155

Good catch, Tracy. I neglected to type in all of my splits. They are there now.

From Tracy on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 12:31:20 from 209.175.177.37

I know you love your data!

Your pace has come down a lot in the last month! Isn't it nice to know that you can bounce back like that?

From Burt on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 12:56:07 from 206.19.214.144

Jillian.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 12:58:39 from 71.229.134.155

You have a problem with Jillian, Burt?

From Burt on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 13:02:26 from 206.19.214.144

Carolyn, by now you should know that I have the BIGGEST crush on Jillian. Sorry Tracy.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 13:04:36 from 71.229.134.155

I did not know that. My bad.

From The Quiet Pirate on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 13:58:51 from 152.26.59.252

Your miles this week are adding up, and I'm noticing your pace speeding up too.

I can't believe you did 2 shred videos in one morning...THAT is tough!!

Congrats on winning the battle of the bed this morning. It's a tough game to play.

From Tracy on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 14:09:18 from 209.175.177.37

How dare you, Burt. You're so fickle.

And how can you be crushing on her? She never smiles. You'd never know if she appreciated your jokes.

From Burt on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 14:11:18 from 206.19.214.144

That mean scowl and icy stare is what does it for me. Yes Ms. Jillian. Anything you say Ms. Jillian.

From Burt on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 14:11:26 from 206.19.214.144

Anything.

From Tracy on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 14:16:02 from 209.175.177.37

When did funny Burt become creepy Burt?

From Tracy on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 14:16:32 from 209.175.177.37

Or maybe pervy-old-man Burt would be more apt.

From Burt on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 14:21:39 from 206.19.214.144

There's nothing funnier than a creepy old man. Just look at David Letterman.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 14:22:45 from 71.229.134.155

Did any of you watch Biggest Loser last Tuesday? Jillian clearly LOVES Hannah.

From Tracy on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 14:27:42 from 209.175.177.37

You and I must differ on our definitions of pervy old men. Pervy old men are not appealing to anyone in any age bracket except the pervy old man age bracket.

From Tracy on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 14:28:17 from 209.175.177.37

Glad you fixed that typo Carolyn. I was silently judging you.

From Tracy on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 14:29:23 from 209.175.177.37

I was going to come up with a better example for the pervy old man...but I should probably get to work. No more comments from me today. Unless I get bored.

From Burt on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 14:34:14 from 206.19.214.144

The inadequacy of my Biggest Loser knowledge is showing.

From auntieem on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 14:34:16 from 67.182.149.104

Now I need to see Jillian! I really do.

I don't know if I could have persevered through fishy smell and misty glasses, Carolyn. You are so motivated.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 15:08:35 from 71.229.134.155

Tracy, my sons are sticklers for the proper use of adverbs. I had to fix the typo.

From Tracy on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 15:19:17 from 209.175.177.37

I know I said I wasn't going to comment again. I wasn't silently judging you, but I was silently applauding the fix. I can tell you were an English major.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 15:56:30 from 198.241.217.15

Guilty as charged.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

Nothing at all today. Got kids off to school and then went back to bed.

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Comments
From Tracy on Fri, May 20, 2011 at 15:28:43 from 209.175.177.37

Still feeling crappy, eh? Hope you're feeling better enough for a good long run tomorrow.

From The Quiet Pirate on Fri, May 20, 2011 at 19:52:19 from 174.110.223.249

get better soon Carolyn!

From jodee on Fri, May 20, 2011 at 20:43:00 from 67.6.184.62

Not sure if you'd be up for a 20 mile run tomorrow anyway but I decided to do my long run up here. We have some things we need to be at early in the morning so I figured it would be best to run closer to home. Get feeling better!

From auntieem on Sat, May 21, 2011 at 09:49:57 from 67.182.149.104

I hope the rest day helped, Carolyn!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
9.001.0010.00

Progression Run - 10 miles, last 20 minutes moderate pace

6:20 am, 48-54° F, 50% humidity, wind 4 SW.

Today was Michelle's 20 mile run for her marathon training. I kept up with her long runs until two weeks ago. I toyed with the idea of trying to do the 20 with her today, but I decided that would be foolhardy. Plus, I needed to take my daughter to gymnastics class and running that far would have interfered with that. My plan called for 7 miles with the last 20 minutes moderate, but in order to run a little farther with Michelle, I did 10 miles with the last 20 minutes moderate. So I actually ran a little less than 8 miles with Michelle and then I sped up. We ran on the Highline Canal Trail and it was just the two of us. I told her about some problems in my life and as a result of the nature of the discussion, I think we ran those first few miles a little faster than she probably should have given the distance she was going.

Last time I had a progression run like this, I hit the lap button on my watch as soon as I sped up and timed that portion separately. I didn't do that today. I sped up when I got to 7.8 miles, but I didn't hit the lap button. I just let the auto lap go. So I don't really know how fast I went for that first 0.2 miles that I sped up.

AP: 9:35. Splits: 10:12, 9:55, 9:29, 9:31, 9:45, 9:50, 9;53, 9:53, 8:51, 8:30.

After I finished running, I went hope and took a quick shower and then I had to take my daughter to gymnastics. Since gymnastics takes place at the rec center right by where we start and end our trail runs, I decided I would do a little something to support Michelle in her long run. I put my son's bike in my car and put some popsicles in a little cooler. I took my daughter in to gymnastics and watched her class for about 10 minutes, then I went out and got the bike and rode up the trail until I found Michelle. She had a little less than 1.5 miles to go at that point. I rode the bike along with her as she finished and tried to give her encouragement. After she finished, I went to the car and got the cooler and gave her a popsicle. Then I went back into the rec center for the end of the gymnastics class.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 10.00
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00
Comments
From Snoqualmie Ridge Runner on Sat, May 21, 2011 at 13:25:12 from 24.22.185.209

Nice Wheels at the end Sister!

From JD on Sat, May 21, 2011 at 13:41:43 from 70.96.78.149

Great run! Great pace for a tener! As opposed to a tenor I suppose.

From Tracy on Sat, May 21, 2011 at 14:49:07 from 173.24.38.54

What a good running buddy you are.

From jun on Sat, May 21, 2011 at 20:58:12 from 97.126.239.12

Hahaha, what a great friend.

From The Quiet Pirate on Sun, May 22, 2011 at 14:07:59 from 174.110.223.249

You are a great friend!!

I'm impressed with your speed those last 20 minutes. It isn't easy pulling fast out of your pocket after running 8 miles.

I'm going to remember that popsicle idea. What a great way to end a run :-)

Sounds like a good therapy run. I always appreciate those :-)

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.390.003.39

Short, slow, easy run + 4 x 8-sec. hill sprints.

6:41 am, 47-50°F, 74% humidity, winds calm, partly cloudy.

I thought that Lindsay was through running for now on account of pregnancy discomfort, but she wanted to run today. So I met up with her this morning and we did a short slow run together. We crossed paths with Michelle and Michelle who were out running. After we split up, I did my hill sprints.

My plan has my running 6 days this week, so I don't have days off to do the shred. So I decided I better fit the shred in when I have time on shorter run days, so I did the level 2 shred when I got home from my run this morning.

Now I've got to head over to the middle school for a talent show that a band that consists of my son #3 and two of his friends are playing in. My son is the drummer.

It looks like I'm going to take the day off work tomorrow to go to a Rockies game. Fun times.

AP: 10:10. Splits: 10:03, 10:13, 10:02, 0.18 @ 9:39. Pace on hill sprints: 7:12, 7:05, 6:23, 7:17.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 3.39
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00
Comments
From RAD on Mon, May 23, 2011 at 11:35:18 from 98.202.17.113

Nice run this morning and good luck with the 6 day running week! I always try and take at least Friday as a cross trainer day before my long run Saturday. I'm horrible at 6 day running weeks! A day off for a Rockies games sounds wonderful, enjoy it!

From The Quiet Pirate on Mon, May 23, 2011 at 13:54:46 from 152.26.59.252

We had fun watching the Rockies their inaugural year. Rock pile seats, but lots of fun.

Glad you had time for a run and shred.

This week sounds like it's got a lot of running in store for you!

From april27 on Mon, May 23, 2011 at 15:01:25 from 165.138.243.1

wow back up to 6 days? seems just like yesterday that you were trying to keep up 3! great job!

From auntieem on Mon, May 23, 2011 at 16:06:09 from 67.182.149.104

Great, Carolyn! Have fun watching the Rockies game!

From JD on Mon, May 23, 2011 at 17:01:38 from 70.96.78.149

Have a great day off tomorrow! Sounds like fun with the game. So glad you're back running regularly!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.340.667.00

Fartlek Run - 7 miles w/6 x 50 sec. @ 10K-3k pace.

6:51 am, 49° F, 76% humidity, winds 3 SW, very overcast.

I took a different route today than I have the last couple of Tuesdays when I've done similar fartlek runs, so the hills were in different places this time. The 4th fast section was distinctly downhill, while the 5th one had a pretty steep uphill in it. The 6th one was slightly uphill, but not too bad. On the whole, though, my fast bits were slower this time than they were last Tuesday.

After I was done with the fartlek part and I was doing the additional distance to get to 7 miles and to get home, I came around a corner and saw a male runner up ahead. We were heading up hill. I caught him just as we reached the top of the hill, but there's an intersection there. He turned sharply left without crossing the street and I crossed the street (the light was green) and then turned left. We were both on the same street and going slightly downhill. He crossed the street diagonally and so gained and list distance on me and he must have sped up because he got ahead of me again and I couldn't catch him unless I increased my speed more than I wanted to. However, I was able to figure out that it was Lindsay's husband. A little later, he turned into his neighborhood to head home and I called out to him by name and said hello. He turned around and looked confused. He hadn't realized that it was me. I'm not sure he realized who I was even then. I'll have to call Lindsay and ask her.

When I got home, I got my daughter off to school, and then I did the level 2 shred. I figure I've got to fit it in this week when I have time and I have time today since I'm taking the day off from work. Now if I just do the shred on Friday when I have a short run, then I'll have done it 3 times this week.

It just started to rain. I'm worried that we'll get rained on at the baseball game today or that there will be a rain delay or cancellation. They're supposed to play a double-header today and the weather is looking kind of sketchy. Maybe it will rain this morning and the rain will be done by game time this afternoon.

In other news, today is the last day of school for my kids. That means I'm the only one who has to get somewhere by a certain time in the mornings. It is going to take lots of discipline for me to get out early to run so that I can get to work at a decent time.

Here are the stats for today. Average pace for the whole run was 9:37.

Lap Number Distance Pace
1 1 mile 10:06
2 1 mile 9:56
3 0.11 mile 7:46
4 0.5 mile 9:46
5 0.11 mile 8:19
6 0.5 mile 9:58
7 0.11 mile 8:05
8 0.5 mile 9:30
9 0.11 mile 7:46
10 0.5 mile 9:42
11 0.11 mile 8:07
12 0.5 mil 9:56
13 0.11 mile 7:28
14 1 mile 9:48
15 0.86 mile 9:23

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 7.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From The Quiet Pirate on Tue, May 24, 2011 at 15:15:47 from 152.26.59.252

7 miles and a shred? You're tough!

Lindsay's husband sounds like he was trying to not get chicked. Men!

Hope it stays dry for your ballgame. It looks like it was pretty humid for you on your run this morning.

From auntieem on Tue, May 24, 2011 at 21:35:50 from 67.182.149.104

Men do hate to get chicked! But then, women do love to chick 'em. Good to see you enjoying your runs, Carolyn.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.160.006.16

Easy Run

6:49 am, 43-47° F, 83% humidity, winds calm, overcast.

I'm proud of Thing 3. He went to a party last night to celebrate the end of 8th grade and he called me shortly after he got there and asked me to come get him because he wasn't comfortable with some of the things that were going on at the party. When I drove to the house the party was at to get him, I was reminded of a route I used to run that I haven't run in a long time. So when I got home I mapped it out to make sure that it would be enough distance and then ran that route this morning. It's mostly uphill in the first half and mostly downhill in the second half.

I've got a little tightness in my left quad.

We had a good time at the game yesterday. It rained a little near the end of the game, but didn't bother us too much because we were up so high that there was a roof over us. It was kind of cold, though. But the Rockies won 12 - 4, so that was kind of exciting. Unfortunately, they used up most of their offense in the day game and lost the evening game. But I guess we picked the right game to go to.

AP: 9:44. Splits: 10:03, 9:52, 9:55, 9:36, 9:30, 9:38, 0.16 @ 8:58.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 6.16
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From Tracy on Wed, May 25, 2011 at 10:41:57 from 209.175.177.37

What a good boy! That's awesome!

Good miles, lady!

From The Quiet Pirate on Wed, May 25, 2011 at 11:29:43 from 152.26.59.252

How could you not be proud of him :-)

Glad the game was good & you had a chance to relax.

New running routes are great. The same-old gets stale after a while. Nice job!

From JD on Wed, May 25, 2011 at 13:29:16 from 70.96.78.149

Smart kid.

Good run.

From april27 on Wed, May 25, 2011 at 16:11:43 from 165.138.243.1

Yeah for raising a good kid!

From Kelli on Wed, May 25, 2011 at 23:21:29 from 71.219.96.115

OH, it so nice when our kids make the right choices!!!!

Nice running, take care of the quad before it takes care of you!

Is your weather getting better at all? Ours was beautiful today (although a bit windy, but at least no rain!)

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
8.000.008.00

Progression Run - 8 miles with last 10 min. moderate (uphill, if possible)

6:31 am, 46-53° F, 72% humidity, wind 4 SW, sunny part of the time, partly cloudy the rest of the time.

I got out the door a little earlier today than I did the last few days, but I also ran a bit farther, so I still ended up finishing at a time that will make me late for work. I need to hurry and get ready for work.

I had kind of lead legs this morning, especially at the beginning of the run. Maybe it's from the cough syrup with codeine I took last night at 10:30.

This workout asked for the last 10 minutes to be uphill, if possible. I did manage to get a net uphill in the last mile. Incidentally, just to give you an idea of what the landscape is like around here, my Garmin recorded about 1000 ft each of ascent and descent on this run.

AP: 9:25. Splits: 9:54, 9:47, 9:23, 9:16, 9:32, 9:42, 9:12, 8:35.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 8.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From Tracy on Thu, May 26, 2011 at 12:38:09 from 209.175.177.37

That's some crazy elevation change. I think I might have an elevation change of 10 feet :)

Great miles!

From RAD on Thu, May 26, 2011 at 14:05:54 from 98.202.17.113

Gotta love livin' in the mountains! Nice running this week Carolyn. I hope you got to work on time.

From JD on Thu, May 26, 2011 at 14:50:53 from 70.96.78.149

El fantasimo!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.070.004.07

Easy Run

7:00 am, 48-51° F, 70% humidity, wind 6 ESE.

My original plan was to run and do the shred today, but I decided to stand-up Jillian this morning in order to give my left quad a little rest. I don't like squats and lunges very much right now.

So since all I had to do this morning was run a measly 4 miles, I slept a little later. I can't seem to get myself up any earlier than absolutely necessary. I keep adjusting the time I start my run in order to finish around the same time, which is really too late to be finishing. I need to figure out a way to get out earlier.

AP: 9:50. Splits: 10:21, 9:50, 9:35, 9:35, 0.7 @ 9:20.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 4.07
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From calliej on Fri, May 27, 2011 at 10:40:10 from 97.126.145.24

I hear ya on the getting up. I have to set my alarm at least 45 min ahead of when i really need to get up so I can snooze it a ton of times. When you figure out the secret on getting up early let me know. :)

From The Quiet Pirate on Fri, May 27, 2011 at 13:31:03 from 152.26.59.252

I'm waiting to hear the secret too.

good for you getting up. I just slept in today. Guilty pleasure.

From Snoqualmie Ridge Runner on Fri, May 27, 2011 at 14:22:02 from 24.22.185.209

Wow...you are really rocking it running every single day! Nice!!

From JD on Fri, May 27, 2011 at 16:28:11 from 70.96.78.149

I agree with the rockin' the consistency thing. Nice job!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
9.000.009.00

Fast finish run, but not quite fast enough to be called fast miles.

7:18 am, 53-59° F, 26% humidity, winds calm, sunny.

It was just Michelle and me on the Highline Canal Trail today. We started a little later than we have been since we weren't running as far now that she is tapering for UVM. We had a nice run together. We sped up the last couple of miles, per the specifications of my training plan. When we finished, I commented that I had kept up with her. She said that she had been trying to keep up with me. So I guessed we pushed each other.

I didn't want to spend $5.25 to shower in the rec center, so after we were done I went into a restroom in the rec center and sponged myself off and put on clean clothes, then went and watched my daughter's gymnastics class. Now it's off to the pool with my daughter.

AP: 9:35. Splits: 10:07, 9:45, 9;45, 9;37, 9:42, 9:52, 9:49, 9:04, 8:35.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 9.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From The Quiet Pirate on Sat, May 28, 2011 at 17:48:53 from 174.110.223.249

Nice run with a good speed increase there at the end! I can't believe you'd have to pay $5 to shower !?! Your bathroom sponge bath idea was great. I've gone that route myself before when I've finished a run out of town and want to eat where I've finished.

Hope you had a good time at the pool :-)

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.330.003.33

Easy run + 5 x 8 sec. hill sprints.

7:41, am, 56° F, 88% humidity, winds 3 N, partly cloudy, muggy.

I met up with Michelle for a short run this morning. We don't usually run together on weekdays, but our schedules are more open today because of the holiday. She ran further than I did because it is further from her house to the meeting point than it is from my house. Also, she continued on while I stopped and did the hill sprints. We took a very small detour during the run to check the reservation list at a park where we're planning to have a bar-b-que this afternoon. It looks like it's not reserved.

At one point, I had been planning to run the Bolder Boulder with Lindsay today, but then Lindsay got pregnant and decided not to do it. I didn't want to do it bad enough to haul myself up to Boulder and run it by myself, so I didn't.

It was very muggy this morning. That is unusual around here.

Since I had a short run and I have extra time today, I had to take advantage of the situation and do the shred today after my run. I did level 2, but I stuck with Anita on any squats or lunges. My left quad is feeling better, but it's not quite 100% and I didn't want to hurt it.

I was fairly slow on the 3 miles, but then tried to run the hill sprints faster than I have been doing lately.

AP: 10:10. Splits: 10:25, 9:54, 9:45. Pace on hill sprints: 6:33, 5:35, 6:50, 6:08, 6:29.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 3.33
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From RAD on Mon, May 30, 2011 at 12:00:17 from 98.202.17.113

I just love your hill sprint paces! I know you always shay they are short bursts, but MAN I don't think I could sprint that fast uphill for a short burst! Nice work and I must say good call on the Bolder Boulder. Hard to get motivated w/out a friend to hang with. Take care of that quad...stupid quads!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, May 30, 2011 at 12:24:20 from 76.25.72.82

Hey RAD! Since I didn't run the Bolder Boulder today, I decided to register for the Deseret News 10K instead. So it's official! I'm coming to Utah in late July.

From RAD on Mon, May 30, 2011 at 12:29:56 from 98.202.17.113

Woot Woot! I'm very excited! Des News is my favorite race - excellent downhill course for a great PR (unless you're picky about it being 'aided' - not me, I'll take it! :).

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, May 30, 2011 at 13:35:10 from 76.25.72.82

I'm not sure I'm in shape to beat my 10K PR, even with an aided course, but I'll give it a shot.

From The Quiet Pirate on Mon, May 30, 2011 at 20:28:24 from 174.110.223.249

Oh, you'll have a good time on that Des News run. I love the downhills!!!

I am super impressed with your sprint times UPHILL! Holy smokes. I can't run that fast downhill!

Hope your bbq was fabulous and fly free!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, May 30, 2011 at 20:34:39 from 76.25.72.82

I'm just back from the bbq. It was fly free because if there were any flies, they were blown away. It was wicked windy.

From bye-wing on Tue, May 31, 2011 at 11:51:54 from 124.121.10.183

Glad to hear you are doing the Des News 10k, I hope to be there too.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.180.006.18

Easy run

6:27 am, 48-52° F, 33% humidity, wind 7 SSE, sunny.

I didn't have a fartlek run on my schedule today like I've had the last 3 Tuesdays and like I have next Tuesday. I just had an easy run. But I was somewhat surprised when I looked at me splits to realize that it had turned into an unintentional progression run. I never ran very fast, though.

AP: 9:43. Splits: 10:18, 10:0, 9:57, 9:30, 9:20, 9:13, 0.18 @ 8:44.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 6.18
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From Snoqualmie Ridge Runner on Tue, May 31, 2011 at 15:09:32 from 24.22.185.209

I've started again. Now what?

How about TOU? :-)

From The Quiet Pirate on Tue, May 31, 2011 at 15:14:56 from 152.26.59.252

Nice run! Your weather looks nice for a morning run :-)

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, May 31, 2011 at 15:25:12 from 198.241.174.15

Well Jefferey, I'm thinking a bit about TOU, but my other alternative is the ADT marathon, which is not quite two weeks before TOU. The advantage of ADT over TOU is that it's here in Colorado and I could sleep in my own bed the night before and I wouldn't have to pay for travel. Can you talk me into TOU?

Yes, QP, we have been having great running weather in the mornings lately. It can be either too hot or too cold or too rainy or too windy later in the day, but the mornings have been great.

From Bonnie on Tue, May 31, 2011 at 15:29:47 from 64.119.33.134

TOU is faster ... but the sleeping in your own bed the night before can't be overlooked.

I am kind of thinking about TOU 1/2 myself, but things are all up in the air right now.

I will let you know when I get to Colorado, it is likely I will be arriving and leaving late, so breakfast/lunch or morning run might be possible. Have a good week cinc

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, May 31, 2011 at 15:33:40 from 198.241.174.15

I would love to see you Bonnie. Give me a call. Do you still have my number?

From Bonnie on Tue, May 31, 2011 at 15:47:54 from 64.119.33.134

I don't think I have your number Carolyn, it was on my old phone (that was stolen) - you haven't gotten any calls from my old phone have you? I miss that phone ;-). I am not sure when I will be out there, but I will definitely let you know.

From RAD on Tue, May 31, 2011 at 15:49:10 from 98.202.17.113

I can talk you into TOU...I'll be there! :) Totally worth one night out of your bed - maybe even two. I will be going up with the lady from my ward that is running it as her first full. My initial thought is that she will most likely get a room with her husband, and not wanting to be a 3rd wheel - awkward! I would love someone to split a room with! So....?

Oh, excellent run today! Your AP's are dropping quite steadily.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, May 31, 2011 at 15:53:57 from 198.241.174.15

I think I may have to hold off on the TOU vs ADT decision for a month or so until I know better whether finances will allow me to travel in September.

From JD on Tue, May 31, 2011 at 18:43:07 from 71.37.100.47

Love the unintentional progression run. And yes, your AP's are getting progressively faster.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.160.006.16

Easy run

6:25 am, 49-52° F, 48% humidity, wind 1 E, overcast.

This run was almost a repeat of yesterday's run - nearly the same distance, nearly the same average pace, nearly the same weather, slightly different route. But today I didn't look at my watch at all during the run. I wore the watch, but I just ran by feel.

I thought about doing the shred today, but my left quad is still a little sore and I've got a big run tomorrow, so I didn't want to wear myself out today.

AP: 9:45. Splits: 10:09, 9;50, 9:56, 9:33, 9:40, 9:23, 0.16 @ 9:22.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 6.16
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From april27 on Wed, Jun 01, 2011 at 16:06:52 from 165.138.243.1

I miss Jillian. Great run today!

From The Quiet Pirate on Wed, Jun 01, 2011 at 21:41:11 from 174.110.223.249

Good miles building up this week, and you've got a long one tomorrow with a longer one on Saturday? You're one runner who takes a training plan by the horns and shows it who the boss is!

Good luck tomorrow with your run and with your quad.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Jun 01, 2011 at 22:00:52 from 76.25.72.82

They're not that long. They're just a little hard because they require speeding up for a good chunk at the end. Tomorrow is 8 miles with the last 15 minutes faster and Saturday is just 9 miles with the last 20 minutes faster.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
7.001.008.00

Progression run - 8 miles w/ last 15 min. moderate.

6:10 am, 63-66° F, 55% humidity, wind 7 SSE, cloudy.

I stayed up kind of late last night watching the Rockies finally win a game.

A few minutes after I got up this morning, I heard my sprinklers turn on. That would be fine, except that my oldest and youngest children were sleeping in a tent in the back yard. I let the sprinklers run while I was getting ready because they start in the front yard. But then I turned them off before I left on my run. I rescheduled them to run tomorrow morning instead, and so my son will need to take the tent down today.

I wore my sunglasses on this run, thinking that the sun would come out from behind the clouds while I was out, but it never did. It felt hot and muggy to me. I know it wasn't as hot as it is for Bonnie in Arizona, or as humid as it is for the Quiet Pirate in North Carolina, but it was more than I am used to.

I ran a route today that I haven't run in a really long time. It started and ended the same way all my runs do, but the mid section took me further south than I usually go. I wonderful feature of this route is that there is lots of uphill in the first half, particularly the 2nd and 4th miles. My training plan said to run the last 15 minutes at a moderate pace and uphill, if possible. I have to admit that my last 15 minutes were mostly downhill. However, there was a quite a bit of uphill, including my hill sprint hill, in the last 1/4 of a mile. Also, I had to stop twice for lights in the first 5 minutes of the last 15 minutes. I paused my watch when I was stopped.

I've done several fast-finish runs like this lately and I had not managed to get my last mile under my magic "fast miles" threshhold of 8:30. My goal today was to get the last mile into the "fast miles" bucket.

AP: 9:20. Splits: 9:49, 9:54, 9:26, 9:45, 9:27, 9:24, 8:38, 8:20.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 8.00
Night Sleep Time: 6.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.50
Comments
From RAD on Thu, Jun 02, 2011 at 10:54:07 from 98.202.17.113

*ching*

That is your last mile falling happily into your 'fast miles' bucket :)

Nice work Carolyn! I like when I get to vary my routes as well, great paces and splits this morning. Your 2nd to last mile was VERY close to that fast bucket too.

From jun on Thu, Jun 02, 2011 at 11:32:32 from 66.239.250.209

You should have left the sprinklers on to wake the kids in the tent. That would have been funny.

From bye-wing on Fri, Jun 03, 2011 at 00:11:23 from 124.122.207.37

Good work on making your goal, on your last mile too.

Next time, consider leaving those sprinklers on, and see how fast your children can run.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.000.004.00

Easy run.

6:15 am, 47-50° F, 47% humidity, wind 3 ENE, sunny.

I started really slowly today and tried to keep it slow and easy, though I couldn't help but speed up a wee bit on the nice long gradual downhill in mile 3. At about mile 2.5, I ran through several big sprinklers that were obscuring my path.

It's a busy morning this morning trying to get my two middle children off to stake youth conference. They should leave in about one minute. Fortunately, I don't have to drive them.

AP: 10:02. Splits: 10:32, 9:58, 9:44, 9:50.

Nike Lunarracer Miles: 4.00
Night Sleep Time: 6.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.50
Comments
From RAD on Fri, Jun 03, 2011 at 16:06:57 from 98.202.17.113

Hope they are off safe and sound and you get some peace and quiet :)

Nice run this morning, can't blame you for hitting the downhill faster. Sometimes it is harder to hold back!

From JD on Fri, Jun 03, 2011 at 16:07:43 from 70.96.78.149

Nice one today. Good week, and it's not even tomorrow yet!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Jun 03, 2011 at 16:47:27 from 198.241.174.15

RAD, they're just at our stake center and they come home tonight and then go back for a few hours tomorrow morning.

Thanks, JD. I'm trying to get my running done.

From auntieem on Fri, Jun 03, 2011 at 20:38:00 from 67.182.149.104

I hope your children enjoy the state youth conference! Sounds exciting.

Great week!

From bye-wing on Sat, Jun 04, 2011 at 01:22:39 from 115.87.57.37

I am amazed at how dedicated you are to run, it seems nearly every day, while being a working mother. Wow!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Sat, Jun 04, 2011 at 13:00:06 from 76.25.72.82

Well, bye-wing. The training plan I'm doing right now has four weeks in a row of running 6 days/week. I'm half-way through that 4 weeks right now. Just two more to go. And then after that, it drops down to 5 days/week for the rest of the plan and gives me a rest the day before the long run as the long runs get longer.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
8.001.009.00

Progression run - 9 miles with the last 20 minutes moderate.

6:48 am, 50-57° F, humidity 37-24%, winds calm, not too sunny.

Michelle and I did the same run that we did last Saturday, but we were a little bit faster for the whole run than we were last Saturday. This was our last run together for a few weeks because she's running UVM next Saturday and then is still out of town the Saturday after that. But she said today that she's thinking of running the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon in August, so that means she'll keep running throughout the summer, which makes me happy.

The plan says to run the last 20 minutes moderate, and we probably ran a moderate pace for 10 or 15 minutes, but then it got pretty hard at the end. I think by the last 1/4 of a mile we were running around a 7:00 pace. I know that's an easy pace for some of you (jun), but that's a hard pace for me, especially at the end of 9 miles.

After we were done I wasn't able to take the time to do my normal stretch routine. I had to hurry home and take a shower and then take my boys to youth conference and then go to my daughter's gymnastics class. This was her last class of this session. For the next session, she'll be having class on Tuesday evenings, so it won't impact my Saturday running.

This afternoon I've got to take my oldest boy to the airport. He's going to Boise for 8 weeks for a math internship.

AP: 9:28. Splits: 10:06, 9:43, 9:31, 9:25, 9:46, 9:46, 9;43, 8:59, 8:15.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 9.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From RAD on Sat, Jun 04, 2011 at 15:50:13 from 98.202.17.113

You are one busy mother runner! However, you had an excellent run this morning! I hope to catch Michelle at UVM, she is doing the full, right?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Sat, Jun 04, 2011 at 16:12:21 from 76.25.72.82

Yes, she's doing the full. Look for her. I think she'll be wearing pink. She mentioned today that she felt silly that she would be wearing all pink but we decided that it doesn't matter what you look like. I think she's got a pink running skirt and a pink singlet that she's going to race in.

From JD on Sat, Jun 04, 2011 at 18:26:31 from 71.37.100.47

Wow, summer just starts and your kids jump right in! That's awesome. Great run, you have to admit that 8:15 felt pretty good!

From auntieem on Sat, Jun 04, 2011 at 19:28:34 from 67.182.149.104

That sounds difficult, to run hard the last 20 minutes! I am impressed. I get tired now after 20 minutes, let alone speeded up 20 minutes!

From Kelli on Sun, Jun 05, 2011 at 22:55:29 from 71.219.96.115

Nice pace there at the end! I think that is hard for most of us. I rarely hit that kind of pass just out running (maybe downhill every now and then!)

That internship sounds cool!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.360.003.36

Easy run + 6 x 8-sec. hill sprints.

7:05 am, 65-69° F, 30% humidity, winds 5 SW, sunny.

I got up just after 6:00 this morning and could have gotten out to run earlier than I did, but when I turned on my watch, I got a low battery warning. Usually when the warning comes as soon as I turn the watch on, the watch is good for only about 5 minutes. So I plugged the watch in to charge it and did some housework for a half hour or so. I had a strange thought while I was folding laundry. I use the shoe tracker on the blog to keep track of the mileage on my shoes, but it might be nice to have a bra tracker. I have some running bras that are good for long runs and others that are old and worn out and that I wear only on short runs, kind of like I do with my shoes.

I just did a short loop around my hood, but I saw some things I don't usually see. Here is a short list of things I saw on my run today:

  • 3 or 4 unpackaged multi-colored condoms on the sidewalk across from the high school
  • 3 cars full of people parked in front of the closed gates of a garden center; they must be anticipating a big sale
  • the remains of a dead bird (not the most interesting thing, but a list of 3 items is better than a list of 2 items)

I felt kind of sluggish on the run today, especially at the beginning. Maybe it was the heat. It was warmer than I am used to. If I keep running in warmer temperatures, will I get used to it?

AP: 10:09. Splits: 10:25, 9:57, 9:25. Pace on hill sprints: 6:28, 6:50, 7:21, 6:07, 6:58, 6:51.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 3.36
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From bye-wing on Mon, Jun 06, 2011 at 11:26:07 from 124.122.207.108

Way to go on a Monday run. You should take a camera along and get pictures of all those interesting things (3 right, not 2?) that you find on your run.

I like your idea of a running bra tracker....an idea whose time has come.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Jun 06, 2011 at 11:49:16 from 76.25.72.82

I don't usually see interesting things here in the 'burbs. I did have my cell phone, which has a camera, but I didn't think of taking a picture.

From JD on Mon, Jun 06, 2011 at 15:31:14 from 70.96.78.149

Seeing unpackaged condoms would probably make me run faster - in order to get as far away from them as possible. I saw a used syringe once and ran as hard as I could for two minutes. Yuck.

I think a runner can acclimate to warmer temps. But there's probably a point where no matter how used your body is to the heat, it's going to slow you down. I think Bonnie had a stat on the effect heat can have on pace.

From RAD on Mon, Jun 06, 2011 at 17:15:44 from 98.202.17.113

hmmm, across from the HS? Must've been a good graduation party for someone.

Nice job on the run this morning, and I hate when I get that Garmin warning too. Sometimes I just pick a tried and true route and run sans garmin. Glad you had the time to get a charge!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Jun 06, 2011 at 18:37:23 from 198.241.174.15

I could have run sans garmin today because I know my 3 mile route and on the hill sprints, I run up to a certain big weed that's right by the trail rather than worrying about hitting exactly 8 seconds. But I'm just too much of a data junky. I can run without looking at the watch, but I like to see the stats after the fact.

From auntieem on Tue, Jun 07, 2011 at 10:11:33 from 67.182.149.104

Haha! Three things does make a better list. I saw three deer this morning, and the vary one kept weaving in front of me, while i was weaving around trying to dodge her. We must have both looked pretty silly.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
7.120.888.00

Fartlek run - 8 miles w/ 8 x 50.sec @ 10K-3K pace

6:30, 59-66° F, 28% humidity, wind 10 SW, sunny but a fair amount of shade.

It's Fartlek Tuesday again. That means it's Table Time (see below).

I felt kind of sluggish today. Maybe it was the heat. I feel like a wimp that 60 degrees wipes me out, but it does. Or maybe I was sluggish for some other reason, like staying up too late to watch the Rockies game. The Rockies games are just too late on this extended California road trip. Darn Pacific Time. At least they won last night.

Two of the three things I saw yesterday were still there, but the condoms were gone. I could have taken picture of the dead bird or the cars parked at the gate of the garden center (it was three cars again; I think the same three cars as yesterday), but those things aren't that exciting and I didn't want to stop and take pictures.

Average pace for the whole run was 9:31. All but one of my fast intervals were below my fast miles threshhold (the one was close), but I put them all into the fast miles bucket anyway because I tried hard on all of them. The slowest one had a big uphill in it. (Excuses, excuses).

Now it's time for the table.

Lap Number Distance Pace
1 1 mile 10:14
2 1 mile 10:03
3 0.11 mile 7:34
4 0.5 mile 9:49
5 0.11 mile 8:27
6 0.5 mile 9:52
7 0.11 mile 7:51
8 0.5 mile 9:19
9 0.11 mile 7:43
10 0.5 mile 9:31
11 0.11 mile 8:35
12 0.5 mil 10:05
13 0.11 mile 8:18
14 0.5 mile 10:08
15 0.11 mile 7:47
16 0.5 mile 10:07
17 0.11 mile 7:14
18 1 mile 9:11
19 0.63 mile 9:32

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 8.00
Night Sleep Time: 6.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.50
Comments
From RAD on Tue, Jun 07, 2011 at 11:05:48 from 98.202.17.113

You hit some great paces there Carolyn! Nice work on the focused run. I should do more of these kinds of runs - I usually just get out and run.

From bye-wing on Tue, Jun 07, 2011 at 22:21:43 from 124.121.189.229

Good run for a "sluggish" day. I am curious, what does FARTLEK RUN mean?

Rockies are my favorite b-ball team too. Go Rockies Go!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Jun 08, 2011 at 09:05:06 from 76.25.72.82

Fartlek is Swedish for "speed play." It's a run in which you have short bursts of speed, usually at random intervals, though mine were not at random intervals.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.070.006.07

Easy run.

6:43 am, 50-56° F, 56% humidity, winds calm, sunny.

This was almost an unintentional progression run, but I blew it on miles 3 and 5 which where the only miles in the whole run that were net uphill. Interestingly, my average pace for the whole run was only 1 second slower than my average pace for my whole run yesterday, and I had some faster running in yesterday's run. I guess that yesterday I compensated for the faster parts by running slower than usual on the easy parts.

As for the sights on my run this morning, the dead bird was gone, and there were two cars instead of three waiting at the garden center. However, I also saw a dead fox by the side of the road. I've revised my guess about the cars waiting outside the garden center. I don't think that there's an awesome sale going on three days in a row. I think that they are day laborers and that there's some kind of work available at the garden center.

AP: 9:37. Splits: 10:12, 9:36, 9:42, 9:19, 9:34, 9:22, 0.07 @ 9:07.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 6.07
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments
From jun on Wed, Jun 08, 2011 at 10:58:40 from 66.239.250.209

You are probably right about the day laborers. Great run overall, your speed is really picking up.

From RAD on Wed, Jun 08, 2011 at 18:22:47 from 98.202.17.113

I was thinking they were employees waiting for the manager to come and unlock the gate. But, day laborers makes more sense.

Nice work on the run, I love when runs turn out progressive without effort!

From bye-wing on Thu, Jun 09, 2011 at 01:24:12 from 124.121.63.95

Maybe your body was just in the mood for a progression run, without you even realizing it.

Yes, those probably are day laborers. I remember one summer my mom took a part-time job working at a garden center. All summer long, we had to go along with her and pull weeds at that darn garden center. It still gives me nightmares.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
8.000.008.00

Progression Run - 8 miles w/ last 20 min. moderate (uphill, if possible)

6:30 am, 54° , 75% humidity, wind 4 NNW, overcast.

It felt colder than usual in my room with the windows open this morning, so I thought that maybe it would be cooler outside today. But it wasn't particularly cool and it was kind of muggy.

When I got up I seriously considered bagging the run and just going to work because I have a lot of work to do right now. But I finally talked myself into running. Still, I didn't have much speed in my legs this morning. I didn't manage to get anything into the fast miles bucket. The plan says to do the last 20 minutes uphill, if possible. The penultimate mile was largely downhill, but the last mile had a lot of uphill. That's why the last mile was slightly slower than the one before it.

All the road kill was gone this morning, but the day laborers were at the garden center again. So there were no new interesting sites.

I'm just glad to be done and have these miles in the bank.

AP: 9:31. Splits: 10:05, 9:58, 9:47, 9:38, 9:36, 9:38, 8:41, 8:43.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 8.00
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00
Comments
From jun on Thu, Jun 09, 2011 at 10:49:01 from 66.239.250.209

If you were creepy, I mean cool, like Burt you would have run over and high-fived the day laborers. Nice miles today.

From bye-wing on Thu, Jun 09, 2011 at 11:33:38 from 124.121.63.95

Way to go sticking with it and not bagging the run, even though you had a lot to do. Who knows, the day laborers may have started to worry about you, if you didn't go by.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Jun 09, 2011 at 11:44:29 from 76.25.72.82

The day laborers are sitting in cars when I go past them. The only time I got a good look at one of them was yesterday, when one of them was sitting in the passenger seat with the door open and he was turned leaning out of the car. I did wonder when I went past today if they've noticed that I've been going by every day.

From The Quiet Pirate on Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 00:07:18 from 174.110.223.249

Boy, have I picked the wrong week to have graduation, testing, fees, and company. I can't believe I've missed out on your dead bird, dead fox, garden center day laborer super-sale, and prophylactic rainbow set.

YOU are the treasure hunter this week lady!! And you've been doing a great job getting all those miles in too.

Job well done :-)

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
8.301.7010.00

Fartlek Run + Progression:
3 miles easy
3 miles: 1 min. @ 10K pace/1min. Easy
2 miles easy
2 miles hard

7:49 am, 63-66° ,13% humidity, wind 3 WSW, cloudy.

I've been dreading this workout all week. This dread factored into my decision to skip my 4 mile easy run yesterday. Other factors were the flatness I felt during my workout on Thursday, soreness from my workout on Thursday, and the need to get my boys to the church to leave for a campout at 7 am.

I did this run all by myself on the Highline Canal trail. While I was struggling through this run, I thought of Michelle and Rachel and others running the Utah Valley Marathon this morning. At least I didn't have to run a marathon today. I really missed doing my Saturday morning run with Michelle. And I missed getting a high five from her at the end of the run. I'll be alone again next Saturday because she won't be back from Utah yet.

During the first mile, I saw a little area roped off by the side of the trail with a sign that said, "Bee careful. Bee habitat in tree." Presumably it was still there when I went back that way at the end of my run. But I didn't see it. I don't see anything but the ground in front of me when I'm trying to push it at the end of a run.

I've had lots of runs lately that have requested moderate pace the last 20 minutes. This was supposed to be hard the last 2 miles. For faster runners, 2 miles would be a much shorter distance than the distance they would go for 20 minutes at a moderate pace. But for me, it's about the same distance. And it was hard instead of moderate. However, when I have moderate, I think I typically run hard, particularly the last mile. Another thing about this hard designation: It just says hard, not a specific pace. So my pace on those last two miles was not anything impressive. But it was hard for me. Really it was.

Since there are so many reps of the 1 min. @ 10K pace/1 min. Easy, I set up this workout in my watch prior to the run. The current version of Training Center is smart enough to do repeats of 1 min fast/1 min slow over a distance of three miles. However, my old watch isn't smart enough to accept that workout. So instead, I estimated 14 reps of the 1 min. fast/1 min. slow. This ended up to be 3.09 miles, so I cut the 2 mile Easy portion that was supposed to follow the intervals a little bit short by hitting the lap button when I got to 8 miles. I knew that I wouldn't want to run 0.9 past the finish line at the end. I was pretty tired by the time I finished those intervals, as you can see by my easy paces for the last few intervals and my easy pace after the intervals.

Also, I have no clue what my 10K pace is. I haven't run a race that I could base paces off of in a long time.

I put all those 1 min. fast intervals in the Fast Miles bucket even though they weren't all below the magic number. But I did try to run fast on them. Of course, I tried to run fast the last two miles too, but I didn't manage to get those miles anywhere near the Fast Miles bucket.

AP: 9:33.

3 miles easy: 10:17, 9:57, 9:54

14 x 1 min. fast/1 min. easy:

Rep1234567891011121314
1 min. fast8:158:308:328:148:148:198:008:108:318:448:117:497:477:51
1 min. easy10:019:399:439:2910:1310:0610:029:499:5910:1010:2110:3710:2710:26

 1.91 miles easy: 1 mile @ 10:07, 0.91 mile @ 10:00

2 miles hard: 9:14, 8:56

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 10.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From RAD on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 16:49:19 from 98.202.17.113

Nice run Carolyn! here is your virtual 5 :) Ran into Michelle this morning. She actually recognized me (I was passing and don't usually recognize the back side!). I was glad she said something. We chatted for a minute, just before the first hill. I also saw her at the end! She did great!!!

From The Quiet Pirate on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 20:55:27 from 174.110.223.249

Carolyn- I would be intimidated by a run like that. Nice job planning it out and being prepared for all the speed changes.

Running alone can be tough sometimes. It's when we master those hard runs that we earn another feather in our running hats. Job well done!

From bye-wing on Sun, Jun 12, 2011 at 02:13:42 from 110.168.42.57

Wondered where you where Friday :) Sounds like you had an good run Saturday.

You are such an organized runner, maybe if I got a fancy running watch it would help me run better...maybe.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
7.430.007.43

Threshold Run
2 miles easy
2 x 10 min. @ half-marathon pace w/2-min. active recovery
3 miles easy

6:31 am, 53-57° F, 50% humidity, wind 1 SW, sunny.

I have no idea what my half-marathon pace is and I figure if I ran a half-marathon right now I wouldn't be very fast. So I decided to shoot for about 9:00 pace on the two 10 min. at 1/2M pace portions. I ran the first one, which was mostly uphill, a little slower than that, and the 2nd one, which was mostly downhill, a little faster than that. The worse mile was the first of the 3 easy miles at the end. That mile had a lot of uphill and I slowed way down for it.

There were no day laborers at the garden center today. I guess the job got done last week.

There's nothing else really to say about this run.

AP: 9:45. Splits: 10:26, 10:21, 10 min. (1.09 miles) @ 9:11, 2 min. (0.2 miles) @ 10:06, 10 min. (1.15 miles) @ 8:43, 10:10, 9:51, 9:32.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 7.43
Night Sleep Time: 6.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.50
Comments
From jun on Mon, Jun 13, 2011 at 10:52:59 from 66.239.250.209

"And that's all I have to say about that."

Good run today. Solid start to the week.

From JD on Mon, Jun 13, 2011 at 19:35:51 from 71.37.100.47

Nice Monday workout!

I would think your HM pace for workout purposes could be what you've already done (7:45-ish), or even a faster pace if you have a goal in mind.

From Tracy on Mon, Jun 13, 2011 at 19:54:09 from 173.24.38.54

I'm with JD. I bet your 1/2 pace is faster than you think!

Glad you changed your blog title. You're definitely way past starting :)

From RAD on Tue, Jun 14, 2011 at 01:43:32 from 98.202.17.113

I love how dedicated you are to 'the plan'! I think I need to find a balance between my hap-hazard running and being tied to the plan. I'm no good at following explicit plans, too big of a failure rate.

Great job hitting the right paces!

From The Quiet Pirate on Tue, Jun 14, 2011 at 10:24:02 from 152.26.59.252

Impressive run, as usual. You are dedicated, and getting faster & stronger. Inspirational :-)

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
9.000.009.00

Easy run.

6:23 am, mid 50s, cloudy and then sunny (no precise weather information because wunderground is not working)

Waking up to the prospect of 9 miles did not thrill me this morning. The plan said 9 miles easy and that is somewhat of an oxymoron to me. I understand that "easy" refers to the pace, but there comes a point when there's enough distance that even easy is no longer easy. So I set out today to really keep it easy the whole time, and I think I managed it.

AP: 10:06. Splits: 10:40, 10:09, 10:16, 9:55, 10:26, 10:06, 9:47, 9:47, 9:49.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 9.00
Night Sleep Time: 6.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.50
Comments
From Burt on Tue, Jun 14, 2011 at 10:57:04 from 72.223.90.79

For once we agree on something.

From jun on Tue, Jun 14, 2011 at 11:01:04 from 66.239.250.209

I'm an 'oxymoron'. Or maybe just a moron.

Here's how you know you put out an 'easy' effort. How do you feel now, post run? If you still feel pretty good and fresh, then it was easy enough. If not, you went too hard or too far. I'm willing to bet you feel pretty good still.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Jun 14, 2011 at 11:43:55 from 76.25.72.82

And what would that be, Burt.

Jun, I feel okay except that the nagging pain my left quad has flared up a bit. Must have been all that downhill in the last 3 miles.

From Burt on Tue, Jun 14, 2011 at 12:22:38 from 72.223.90.79

That there's no such thing as 9 easy miles! (Okay. I'm sure it's not the first time we've agreed on something.)

From Tracy on Tue, Jun 14, 2011 at 17:11:38 from 173.24.38.54

Maybe you'd feel better if you called it "Easy pace run." I'm with you (and Burt). I think once you get up to 7 miles or more, even the easy pace isn't exactly easy.

From JD on Tue, Jun 14, 2011 at 20:32:15 from 71.37.100.47

Awesome! Nothin' could be finer, than a mid week niner in the mo-oh-ornin'!

From bye-wing on Tue, Jun 14, 2011 at 23:17:06 from 115.87.12.74

I agree there is no such thing as an easy 9 mile run. Looks like you started out at an easy pace, but you did get a little faster the last few miles. Good job.

From RAD on Wed, Jun 15, 2011 at 00:34:13 from 98.202.17.113

wow..easy 9, I remember those days :) Nice job getting up and enjoying that nice, easy run :) Keep that quad pain at bay - I've had one quad ache/pain after another the past 2 months. What a PAIN!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Jun 15, 2011 at 10:22:18 from 76.25.72.82

Good one, JD.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.500.004.50

Easy run + 8 x 8 sec. hill sprints.

6:48 am, 51-56° F, 48% humidity, winds 2 SSW, sunny.

I took it pretty easy again today. My average pace is especially slow because it includes walking down the hill between hill sprints. The pace on my hill sprints was more consistent than it usually is.

I have a standard 4-mile route that starts and ends at my house, but today I wanted it to end at the bottom of my hill sprint hill, which is about 0.2 away from my house. I did my regular route but took a couple of small short cuts. It came pretty close. I was just a little past 4 miles when I got to the bottom of the hill.

My hill sprint hill leads from the main trail in the green belt up to my street, so I'm really doing the hill sprints in the green belt. There were a lot of runners and walkers in the green belt when I was doing the hill sprints today. I guess that's a popular place to be around 7:30 on a sunny summer morning.

After I finished the hill sprints, I walked home. There was a guy on my street who was watering his lawn with a hose. If I had been running instead of walking at that point, I would have asked him to spray me with the hose.

AP: 10:22. Splits: 10:48, 10:00, 9:49, 9:54. Pace on hill sprints: 7:09, 7:01, 7:01, 6:50, 6:48, 7:01, 6:49, 6:47.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 4.50
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From Tracy on Wed, Jun 15, 2011 at 11:34:16 from 173.24.38.54

Love the hills sprints!

From JD on Wed, Jun 15, 2011 at 13:45:32 from 70.96.78.149

Does the green belt turn brown later in the summer?

You're BACK!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Jun 15, 2011 at 15:45:19 from 198.241.174.15

Not really brown, more yellow. It's mostly weeds. The mysterious "they" occasionally mows along the edges of the trails.

From auntieem on Wed, Jun 15, 2011 at 20:24:20 from 67.182.149.104

Wow! You must be having really hot weather. I don't ever want to be sprayed with a hose yet.

From RAD on Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 00:13:46 from 98.202.17.113

Love the heat!!! :)

From The Quiet Pirate on Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 09:01:58 from 174.110.223.249

Nice paces on those sprints. You're great about doing regular hill sprints. I avoid them as much as possible.

I did see sprinklers on today, and just as I was ready to run through one, they shut off.

From bye-wing on Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 10:15:03 from 110.168.50.28

You would have been running by so fast, the neighbor probably would have missed getting you with the hose :)

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
10.000.0010.00

Progression Run - 10 miles w/ last 20 min. moderate.

5:34 am, 52-59° F, 55% humidity, wind 4 SSW, sunny.

I had to get an early start today because I needed to be home before my boys left for young men's high adventure camp. My husband left with them because he's driving a group up to the camp site and then coming home. I had to be home to say goodbye to them and so that my daughter wouldn't be home alone after they left. I started out a good hour earlier than I've been starting lately, but I still wasn't early enough to be the sun. Actually, there was a good bit of shade at first because the sun wasn't very high in the sky.

This wasn't really a progression run for the whole run, just for the second half. I intentionally took it easy during the first half, because the first half has a lot of up hill, particularly in the 3rd and 5th miles. The elevation gain for the first 5 miles was 594 feet, with 415 feet of elevation loss. The elevation gain for the second 5 miles was 308 feet, with 485 feet of elevation loss. So I saved the faster running for the net downhill part. I'm a wimp that way.

Actually, I feel like quite a wimp looking at my splits today. Those last 2 miles were really hard for me, and they weren't that fast.Of course it was 59 degrees and sunny by then and I'm a heat wimp. 59 degrees and sunny kills me. Also, I really think I need to lose some weight if I'm going to get back to the shape I used to be in.

AP: 9:51. Splits: 10:49, 10:25, 10:27, 10:10, 10:32, 9:54, 9:29, 9:19, 8:48, 8:40.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 10.00
Night Sleep Time: 5.50Nap Time: 1.50Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From RAD on Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 10:39:21 from 98.202.17.113

I think you did a great job! I know it's not up to your older standards, but 9 yesterday, 10 today with progression? C'mon girl! I'd give you a round of applause for that!! Even with the downhill.

Have fun this morning with just the girls!

From bye-wing on Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 10:46:47 from 110.168.50.28

Those are some good sized hills you ran today. Good job.

Yeah, I would say you are a bit of a heat whimp, but in the high altitude of Denver, the sun can seem really intense.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 10:56:49 from 76.25.72.82

The 9 was on Tuesday, RAD. I just did 4.5 yesterday, so I'm not as tough as you are giving me credit for.

I like that excuse, bye-wing. We're so close to the sun here in Denver. And my neighborhood is even higher than Denver. Denver is at 5280 feet, and we're more like 5880 where I live.

From bye-wing on Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 11:50:36 from 110.168.50.28

Anytime you need help coming up with a good excuse, I'll be here to help :0)

From jun on Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 11:53:17 from 205.158.160.209

I think it's a great run and a very solid week. You have nothing to feel bad about.

From JD on Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 14:05:05 from 70.96.78.149

sweet

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.000.004.00

Exceedingly slow, easy run.

7:07 am, 58° F, 65% humidity, winds calm, partly cloudy.

I should call this a recovery run. I was really slow the whole time, but particularly the first mile. I'm not sure I've ever run a mile slower than 11:00 before, but I did it this morning. I really could not get my legs moving until after that first mile. I'm still sluggish from yesterday's run, I guess. But at least I got out and did it. And I'm not nearly as sweaty as I was at the end of my run yesterday. I wonder if I can pull off 11 miles with the last 20 minutes hard tomorrow. I'm going to have to do it by myself. I can't find anyone to run with me.

I stayed up kind of late last night and watched Temple Grandin. That was a really good movie.

AP: 10:23. Splits: 11:04, 10:15, 10:06, 10:07.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 4.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From JD on Fri, Jun 17, 2011 at 11:45:23 from 70.96.78.149

Maybe you felt a little sluggish today because your total miles for the one week period that ended (WT) yesterday was 40.93. Depending on what you run tomorrow, you could top that - so it's good you got a very slow and easy run in today - nice job.

From The Quiet Pirate on Fri, Jun 17, 2011 at 22:37:41 from 174.110.223.249

You're amazing! You've increased your mileage so much since you started back, and you're like the energizer bunny, just keep going & going.

Good luck on your 20 minutes of speed tomorrow.

From bye-wing on Sat, Jun 18, 2011 at 10:52:45 from 124.122.196.121

Good luck with those last 20 minutes after an 11 mile run tomorrow. Lots of miles in this week, you are such a dedicated runner. Sorry you have to run by yourself. If make it to Denver sometime, I'll come run with you.

From Tracy on Sat, Jun 18, 2011 at 11:01:04 from 208.54.38.185

I look forward to hearing how your long run went IN PERSON! I'm excited!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
11.000.0011.00

Progression run of sorts.

6:45 am, 53-65° F, 62% humidity, winds calm, sunny, but with a fair amount of shade.

I ran the roads from home this morning instead of driving to the trail in order to save time. I've got a visiting teaching brunch appointment at 10 am.

When I run from my house, I typically run to the south and the east, which results in uphill for the first half of the run and down hill for the second half, generally speaking. This morning I decided to run west for a change. I ran down past my office and then back home and the little bit around the hood. This meant generally downhill for about 4 miles, up and down for 2 miles, then fairly significant uphill for 3 1/2 miles, downhill for 1 1/4, and then a steep uphill for 1/4.

I told myself that I would just do the distance and bag the 20 minutes hard at the end that I was supposed to do because I would get plenty of hard in the 3/12 uphill miles from the end of mile 6 to 9.5. I did in fact get plenty of hard during those 3 1/2 miles, but then I hit the nice downhill for a mile and a quarter after that so I decided to try to speed up a bit. I tried to keep up the past I had reached on the downhill as I ran the full length of my hill sprint hill and onto my street at the very end (when I run hill sprints, I run less than half the length of that hill). With 0.05 to go, I started retching. Nothing was coming out because I hadn't eaten anything, but I was running down my street retching. Some lady was in front of her house with her dog. She must have thought I was crazy. So I guess I finished hard even though over all I was pretty pathetically slow. It was pretty hot by that point, so that probably contributed to my losing it.

I've been trying to decide between running the ADT marathon on Labor Day and the TOU marathon 2 weeks later. On the run this morning I came up with a third option. Don't run either of them. If I run a marathon this Fall, I will certainly run it slower than my two previous marathons because I simply am not in the shape I was in when I trained for those marathons. And frankly the thought of long marathon training runs is somewhat daunting to me riight now. Maybe I'll just focus on the Deseret News 10K and then do the Georgetown Half in mid-August and just work on building mileage slowly and losing weight and then maybe look at a marathon next Spring. I think I prefer Spring marathons over Fall marathons because I'm better at training in the cold than in the heat.

In other news, I get to meet Tracy and her family tonight! Yippee!

I've got to go hurry and get showered now and go to brunch.

AP: 10:03. Splits: 10:59, 10:16, 10:15, 9:58, 10:08, 9:49, 10:22, 10:14, 10:08, 9:31, 8:56.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 11.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From bye-wing on Sat, Jun 18, 2011 at 12:43:43 from 124.122.196.121

Good work on those last 20 minutes.

If word ever gets out that you puked on your neighbors dog, you might have a hard time finding running buddies in your neighborhood.

Glad you haven't decided to cut out the Des News 10k.

From JD on Sat, Jun 18, 2011 at 15:47:03 from 70.96.78.149

Way to finish strong with the uphill miles and the fast last mile.

Hope you got some good refueling in at your brunch.

From Tracy on Sat, Jun 18, 2011 at 19:31:58 from 208.54.38.221

Sounds like a rough run. I respect your racing decision. A spring marathon definitely would be better to train for! I'll probably see you before you get this comment!

From Bonnie on Sat, Jun 18, 2011 at 20:23:46 from 150.135.115.11

Have FUN tonight!!

From The Quiet Pirate on Sat, Jun 18, 2011 at 22:57:28 from 174.110.223.249

I think you're wise to keep training and not push the envelope. I feel like it's so much harder to train in the heat. The cold is uncomfortable, but it's better for long runs than the heat.

I'm sorry you got the retches today. You are tough to keep running. Hope you had a great brunch & meeting with Tracy.

From april27 on Sat, Jun 18, 2011 at 23:48:38 from 99.188.251.180

Tracy and her family is awesome! Sadly is is the only FRBer I have met!!! I guess I need to get out more! Great run and good race decision!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.190.006.19

Easy run, kind of unintentional progression.

 6:53 am, 54-60°F, 63% humidity, wind 4 SW, sunny.

I was a had a big pain in my butt after my run on Saturday, so I took off an extra day and didn't run yesterday in an attempt to recovery. I feel a twitch of it after today's run, but not too bad.

I'm bagging my training plan completely this week and just doing whatever I feel like. Then maybe my next week I'll have a new plan in place targeting the Georgetown half instead of a Fall marathon.

I decided to run for at least 6 miles and one hour today. I didn't look at my watch at all until the very end. I hit the 6 miles before I hit an hour. I got to my house just a little bit after than and then kept running for roughly a minute and a half past my house, then turned around and walked home.

AP: 9:42. Splits: 10:32, 9:55, 9:45, 9:21, 9:32, 9:17, 0.19 @ 8:43.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 6.19
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From bye-wing on Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 12:14:43 from 101.109.2.125

Glad that day off did the trick so you oould recover.

I admire your flexibilty with your training plan. I'm sure you'll come up with something good.

From The Quiet Pirate on Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 15:48:45 from 70.63.105.250

good for you taking a break and going easy. Not having a marathon looming in the distance makes it easier to listen to your body.

Glad Burt left and you're feeling better today ;-)

We ran almost the same today. My goal was 6 miles/1hour too! I didn't make the hour; I got home at 57 minutes and walked the next 3 minutes to cool down.

From RAD on Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 15:51:31 from 98.202.17.113

You are SO good about training plans. Georgetown half, huh? Is that back in DC?

I enjoy running when I can run what I want, that is why I hate training plans!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 16:09:41 from 198.241.174.15

No, RAD, Georgetown is in the mountains of Colorado, not too far up I-70 from Denver. It's actually cleverly called the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon because it starts in Georgetown and ends in Idaho Springs. Here's the race website:

http://www.gtishalf.org/

From RAD on Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 16:11:48 from 98.202.17.113

Looks like a good one! I love multi-state runs. If it was more like September I might have to consider tagging along :)

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 16:27:30 from 198.241.174.15

You should come do it RAD. It's a nice tune up for TOU.

From Nan on Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 23:58:41 from 98.245.117.176

I did GTIS when I was training for TOU. Its a good one. Fast!

Yay for bagging "training plans" and running just to run.

From Kelli on Wed, Jun 22, 2011 at 00:42:28 from 71.219.92.225

I truly believe that not having a plan makes running more enjoyable!! So enjoy it!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
8.000.008.00

I just ran.

6:33 am, 66-70° F, 36% humidity, wind 8 SW, sunny.

Yesterday I got up and got my running clothes ready, but then I chickened out and didn't put them on. I did the shred in my pajamas instead. So I figured I better run today.

This morning I didn't get up as early as I intended to on account of staying up too late last night, but I did drag myself out. Then I just ran until my watch said 8 miles and I tried to be near home at that point. My pace was dictated by the landscape. But I got a double-whammy this morning. Where I normally run, going south is generally uphill and so going north is generally downhill, and the wind was blowing from the south, so I got uphill into the wind and downhill with the wind at my back. Fortunately, one of the longer uphill stretches was in shade.

This might have been the warmest run I've had yet this year. I'm not sure I had hit 70 before today. The last mile of my run was wandering around my neighborhood looking for sprinklers. I did find sprinklers on at a couple of houses, but running through them was not very satisfying because they were little sprinklers and only got my legs wet.

AP: 9:34. Splits: 10:19, 9:51, 9:25, 9:06, 9:38, 9:45, 9:17, 9:13.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 8.00
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00
Comments
From JD on Thu, Jun 23, 2011 at 15:24:43 from 70.96.78.149

Nice job getting 8 today!

Temps are in the 90's over here today. Time to run in the heat!

From RAD on Thu, Jun 23, 2011 at 20:29:02 from 98.202.17.113

Don't people know we need the sprinklers to be on and have them at FACE height? Man, c'mon people! :)

From april27 on Thu, Jun 23, 2011 at 22:45:41 from 99.188.251.180

Great job and just running!

From bye-wing on Fri, Jun 24, 2011 at 08:16:10 from 58.137.139.10

I like the idea of exercising in your PJ's. Less laundry

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.130.004.13

Intended an easy run, did an unintentional progression run.

9:16 am, 70-75° F, 43% humidity, winds relatively calm, sunny.

I reclaimed the record for hottest run so far this year from yesterday by sleeping in a ton and then running later in the morning. I'm taking the day off from work today in order to clean my house, so when my alarm went off at 6:30 this morning, I turned it off and went back to sleep until almost 9:00. Then I felt a little guilty about taking the time to run instead of getting right to cleaning, but oh well.

I started out really slowly because that's what I do. I seem to need that one really slow mile before I can do anything.

My original plan was to run 4 miles, but with about 1 1/2 miles to go, I decided to run for 40 minutes instead. So I had to run for about another minute after I passed my house, and then turned around and walked home.

At one time during the run I ran onto the grass to go through a sprinkler. It was on the grassy area to the side of a main road, so it was a bigger sprinkler and got me in the back.

AP: 9:42. Splits: 10:24, 9:40, 9:26, 9:23, 0.13 @ 9:01.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 4.13
Night Sleep Time: 8.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.50
Comments
From april27 on Fri, Jun 24, 2011 at 20:52:16 from 99.188.251.180

I'm glad someone got the memo about the sprinklers needing to be bigger!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
10.000.0010.00

Slow longish run.

7:16 am, 61-69° F, 72% humidity, wind 1 ENE, sunny.

I ran with someone today for the first time in about 3 weeks. Michelle is back from Utah and so we're back to spending our Saturday mornings together. She's still having a little soreness in her hip since her marathon two weeks ago, so she wanted to run about 6 miles today. I wanted to do 10, so I ran nearly all the way to her house and met her there on the trail, then we wandered around for about 6 1/2 miles back to where we met at the beginning, and then I turned around and ran back home. I had to go .15 past my house to get to 10 miles and I ended up stopping right in front of someone's garage sale, so I had to explain myself to them.

It felt really humid to both of us this morning. Maybe that's why I was so sluggish. I did not want to run fast. And then of course there are the hills. We did get to go through big sprinklers at one point, so that was nice.

I didn't clean my house much like I was supposed to on my day off yesterday. Instead I did some reading and took a nap. I guess I'll have to clean today.

AP: 10:13. Splits: 10:25, 10:22, 9:54, 10:14, 10:14, 10:09, 10:20, 10:19, 10:08, 10:03.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 10.00
Night Sleep Time: 6.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.50
Comments
From RAD on Sat, Jun 25, 2011 at 12:15:55 from 98.202.17.113

meh, clean today and let your little slaves help you :) If they are home that is. Nice run this morning, glad Michelle is back safe and sound. I hope her hip lets up for her soon. Tell her congrats for me. It was fun to see her and visit a while.

From JD on Sat, Jun 25, 2011 at 14:26:57 from 70.96.78.149

10! Nice!

From The Quiet Pirate on Sat, Jun 25, 2011 at 21:33:56 from 174.110.223.249

It is always good to have a run in the sprinkler on a hot run. You did have high humidity today.

Keep on reading and napping; housework can always wait.

From bye-wing on Mon, Jun 27, 2011 at 00:44:02 from 124.121.94.111

Glad you found your running buddy. Sound like you had a good, long run.

Way to go - ditching housework for reading and a nap, I'm with you 100%.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.060.006.06

Easy run.

6:45 am, 56-59° F, 65% humidity, winds calm, partly cloudy.

I didn't want to run when I got up this morning. I always feel a little out of sorts and like I don't want to run when I get up. I just have to force myself to get out the door and then I feel better. And I've got two races that I'm committed to (have paid money for) this summer, and so I've got to keep running.

I still don't have a training plan. I think I'll just work on base miles for a while and bag any formal speed work, except maybe hill sprints once a week, and just run faster if/when I feel like it

It was 6.06 today instead of just 6 because I ran for exactly one hour and that's how far I got in one hour.

AP: 9:54. Splits: 10:40, 10:05, 10:03, 9:38, 9:38, 9:25, 0.06 @ 8:48.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 6.06
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From JD on Mon, Jun 27, 2011 at 12:53:16 from 70.96.78.149

You do a good job of getting out early against your bodies wishes, unlike me.

From Tracy on Mon, Jun 27, 2011 at 14:49:26 from 173.24.38.54

You're getting in some good mileage without a plan, and you seem to be enjoying yourself just fine. Base mileage will definitely keep you in shape for anything you want to do in the spring!

From auntieem on Tue, Jun 28, 2011 at 10:02:15 from 67.182.149.104

Hill sprints are a good workout! And your base mileage is great. What races are you doing?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Jun 28, 2011 at 10:56:47 from 76.25.72.82

I'm doing the Deseret News 10K in Utah on July 25, and the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon here in Colorado on August 13.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
8.000.008.00

Easy run.

6:50 am, 62-70° F, 49% humidity, winds 3 NE, sunny.

Another morning of dragging my reluctant self out the door. I slept a little later than I intended to. Now my whole morning is behind, once again.

After I finished my run, I was standing on my front port stretching, and my next-door neighbor's sprinklers came on. So when I finished my stretching, I took off all my electronic devices and then went and lay down on my neighbors front lawn and let the sprinklers get me all wet. I only stayed there for a few seconds and then got up. I was just in time, because right after that the sprinklers turned off.

AP: 9:50. Splits: 10:29, 10:03, 9:48, 9:36, 9;51, 9:54, 9:30, 9:28.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 8.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From RAD on Tue, Jun 28, 2011 at 11:12:33 from 98.202.17.113

sprinkler ice bath = awesome!

The sprinklers were on at the track today, but only at our knees. I thought of your post a while back about only getting the legs wet and it not being effective. Each lap I tried to run a little closer to at least get my arms, but they are just too high off the ground :(

Great run this morning! the humidity is still a bit much for me, but the temp seems nearly right on - at least at the beginning. Waking up is always the hardest part!

From JD on Tue, Jun 28, 2011 at 13:42:26 from 70.96.78.149

Sprinkler systems make good neighbors.

From april27 on Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 00:46:49 from 99.188.251.180

I wonder if they were turned off by your neighbor in order to get your off their lawn. LOL

From The Quiet Pirate on Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 10:16:19 from 174.110.223.249

Love April's comment! It's the daily struggle with time that is so hard. Especially so early in the morning. Maybe you can tell yourself to get up early so you'll have more sprinkler time :-)

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.400.004.40

Easy run + 8 x 8 sec. hill sprints.

6:49 am, 75° F, 27% humidity, wind 5 SW, mostly cloudy.

I got up earlier this morning than I did yesterday, but didn't make it out the door any earlier. I dawdled more this morning.

I just ran my regular 4-mile loop and then did hill sprints. I got a good run through some sprinklers during the third mile and they got my lower half pretty wet. Then I worried about chafing, but I think I'm okay.

Usually when I'm doing hill sprints, I run to the bottom of the hill and then do the first hill sprint and then walk down the hill between hill sprints after that. The result is I do a little walking before each hill sprint except the first, and the first one tends to be slower than the rest. So today I stopped as soon as I got to 4 miles, which was at the top of the hill sprint hill, and walked down the hill before starting the first hill sprint. As a result, my first hill sprint was actually one of my fastest.

Barbie walked past the bottom of my hill sprint hill just as I was walking down ready to start the 7th hill sprint. We said "hi" to each other. I believe this is the first time I've spoken to her. I noticed that she was wearing a Garmin. This woman is such a twig. She probably weighs 90 pounds dripping wet and half of the weight is her hair.

AP: 10:02. Splits: 10:45, 9:50, 9:28, 9:27. Pace on hill sprints: 6:32, 6:46, 6:40, 7:01, 6:42, 6:46, 6:48, 6:29.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 4.40
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From Tracy on Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 11:10:20 from 173.24.38.54

The Barbie barrier is broken. I see the future. You two will become besties.

From JD on Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 14:11:59 from 70.96.78.149

I agree with Tracy, although I called it a couple of years ago. If Barbie wanted to lose a little more weight, all the has to do is get a crew cut.

Nice run. You're no dawdler.

From Kelli on Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 22:44:33 from 71.219.92.225

OH, Barbies and their hair! Love the visual, I can totally picture her.

SPRINKLERS are the best in the summer! I hunt them down.

Nice job on the hill sprints, too!

From bye-wing on Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 02:53:53 from 75.220.94.133

I like the new name of your blog.

From RAD on Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 10:22:51 from 98.202.17.113

Half her weight is in her hair - hahaha, I love it!

nice work on the run and hill sprints.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 10:36:20 from 76.25.72.82

I didn't tell you what part of her body has the other half of her weight, but you can guess.

From Tracy on Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 11:51:42 from 209.175.177.37

I bet the rest of her weight is in her cankles ;)

From Kelli on Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 14:49:43 from 71.219.92.225

An even better visual---hair, double DD's and cankles.

From Kelli on Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 14:52:07 from 71.219.92.225

OH, I just saw the blog name. LOVE IT!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

No run today. I was thinking about doing 8, but my left thigh was bothering me a bit last night and I decided to sleep in and take a leisurely bath instead of running this morning. It is what it is.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments
From Tracy on Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 11:53:24 from 209.175.177.37

leisurely bath > sweaty running

Take care of your thigh! That's the same thing that's been bothering you for a while, yeah?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 14:25:17 from 198.241.174.15

Yeah. This left quad has been acting up now and then.

From Bonnie on Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 19:01:24 from 70.59.246.46

everyone needs a leisurely bath every now and then ... I hope you enjoyed it!!

Are you foam rolling??

From auntieem on Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 20:05:02 from 72.35.195.56

Leisurely bath sounds good. Sorry about the quad.

From bye-wing on Fri, Jul 01, 2011 at 02:40:42 from 75.220.97.141

Wise idea to let your leg rest, hope it is feeling better soon.

Was your bath as much fun as running through the sprinklers?

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.080.004.08

Easy run.

6:46 am, 60-65° F, 47% humidity, winds calm, sunny.

By the time I was a little over halfway through this run I was thinking I wasn't going to get any sprinklers today because I had seen several wet sidewalks where the sprinklers were on earlier but were off when I went by. I also saw a couple of sprinklers on the other side of the street from where I was running, but I didn't want to cross over. But then right before the end of the 3rd mile I got a set of about 6-8 sprinklers all in a row and I ran through them and get my lower half pretty wet. And then in the last mile, I found two other smaller sets of sprinklers, with just a couple of sprinklers each, that I went through. So in the end it was a good sprinkler morning.

I ran for 40 minutes, thus the extra .08.

AP: 9:48. Splits: 10:33, 9:50, 9:29, 9:23, 0.08 @ 8:59.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 4.08
Night Sleep Time: 6.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.50
Comments
From Tracy on Fri, Jul 01, 2011 at 11:17:08 from 173.24.38.54

Ah, sprinklers! They are very rare in my neck of the woods (it is a futile fight. Our grass will die in August regardless), but I'm glad you had success in your sprinkler mission.

From JD on Fri, Jul 01, 2011 at 13:28:56 from 70.96.78.149

Those sprinklers are going down!

From bye-wing on Sat, Jul 02, 2011 at 01:15:39 from 75.220.31.53

Sounds like a victory, of the sprinkler type.

Any time for a relaxing bath today?

From RAD on Sat, Jul 02, 2011 at 01:26:54 from 98.202.17.113

You are an expert sprinkler hunter! By the end of the summer you will know people's sprinkling schedules better than they do! :)

Nice work this morning!

From The Quiet Pirate on Sat, Jul 02, 2011 at 09:26:35 from 174.110.223.249

Nice run, I love the way the universe came together and gave you a great sprinkler run when you thought all was lost.

Hope your leg is feeling better and you get to take relaxing baths without injuries.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
8.000.008.00

Easy run.

8:21 am, 67-72° F, 65% humidity, wind 2 NE, really sunny.

I didn't have anyone to run with today, and since I'm not really on a training plan now, I didn't have any motivation to get up and run. So I slept late and then finally dragged myself out the door. I spent the whole run arguing with myself about how far I should run. My target was 8 miles, but several times I contemplated turning off and coming home a shorter way. Don't laugh at me that I think that 72 is hot, but I was really uncomfortable on this run. I didn't have a lot of luck with sprinklers since it was later in the morning, but I did get one small set in the first mile and another small set in the last mile. However they didn't so much for me because I my legs dried off so quickly after I passed through them.

I've got to get busy now. We're having my daughter's birthday party this afternoon. Her birthday was last Sunday, but we're having the party today because today's the only day we could get the gym (she's having a gymnastic party). Unfortunately, a lot of people are out of town and there won't be many people there.

AP: 9:42. Splits: 10:17, 9:47, 9:33, 9:25, 9:39, 9:43, 9:40, 9:31.


Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 8.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments
From Tracy on Sat, Jul 02, 2011 at 17:21:20 from 173.24.38.54

Hope you're enjoying the party!

I argue with myself, too. Glad the runner in you won the argument. And 72 is plenty hot.

From The Quiet Pirate on Sat, Jul 02, 2011 at 22:19:23 from 174.110.223.249

72 can be really uncomfortable in the sun and esp if there's any humidity. Sorry to hear you missed out on all the sprinklers today, but I'm glad you got to sleep in.

Happy Birthday (party) to your little girl. Hope the celebration was wonderful.

From bye-wing on Sun, Jul 03, 2011 at 02:08:14 from 75.220.99.231

I see you stuck to it and ran the entire 8 miles, well done.

Hope your daughter had a good b-day.

From RAD on Sun, Jul 03, 2011 at 02:18:23 from 98.202.17.113

Sticking out the plan is sometimes the hardest. Those are the times I'm glad I have the blog to come and report to! Nice work in the heat.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.070.006.07

Heat acclimation run.

8:56 am, 82-87° F, 25% humidity, winds 3 SW, very sunny.

This was by far my hottest run so far this year and perhaps my hottest run ever.

I took a long nap late yesterday, so then I couldn't get to sleep until late, so then I slept in. I got up a little before 8:00 and got dressed to run, but when I turned on my watch I got a low battery warning. Since I wasn't in a hurry to get anywhere, I plugged in my watch, then made a breakfast sandwich for my husband and read an article about running in the heat out of Runners World, and then read the Foreword and Prologue from Running on Empty: An Ultramarathoner's Story of Love, Loss, and a Record-Setting Run Across America by Marshall Ulrich. Then I grabbed my watch and finally headed out the door to run.

Running later in the day like this, I got no sprinklers and barely any shade. At least it wasn't too humid. I was sweating profusely and my lips were all gummy when I finished.

Happy 4th of July to everyone!

AP: 9:53. Splits: 10:43, 10:05, 9:52, 9:41, 9;48, 9:15, 0.07 @ 8:55.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 6.07
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From RAD on Tue, Jul 05, 2011 at 02:15:11 from 98.202.17.113

ugghhh, I had dry mouth bad today too. Only problem was my run was at 6AM! I'm not acclimated to that heat yet :)

Nice work getting out and getting some sleep too.

From bye-wing on Tue, Jul 05, 2011 at 02:23:52 from 75.220.44.101

Reading about running in the heat, and actually running in the heat appear to be 2 very different things. Glad you got your run in, sorry no sprinklers.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.000.194.19

Really slow run + 8 x 8-sec. hill sprints.

7:07 am, 62-70° F, 67% humidity, winds calm, partly cloudy.

I was really sluggish this morning. Maybe the hot six wore me out more than I thought yesterday. Six normally isn't that hard.

I saw 3 or 4 sets of sprinklers in the first mile, but I skipped them because I wasn't really hot yet. Then by the third mile I was really wishing for sprinklers. My wish was granted at the end of the third mile. That was it for sprinklers except that after my run was finished, before I did my stretching, I walked through my next-door neighbor's sprinklers. I didn't lie down in them this time.

I saw Barbie again while I was doing the hill sprints, but she walked past the bottom of my hill while I was further up on the hill, so I didn't talk to her this time. Also, she was with a man today. He didn't look much like Ken. Every time I've seen her before she's been alone.

I stopped my watch between hill sprints this time. In the past, I've let it run during my walks down the hill between hill sprints. So this made my average pace a little bit higher than it would have been otherwise (but it is still pitifully slow). It also made it easier for me to count the hill sprints as fast miles because I knew that everything over 4 miles was part of a hill sprint. In the past, I've dumped the hill sprints in slow miles because it was too much trouble to add up the distance on them.

AP: 10:08. Splits: 11:07, 10:15, 9:52, 9:59. Pace on hill sprints: 7:06, 6:23, 6:54, 6:56, 7:22, 6:22, 6:35, 6:37.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 4.19
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00
Comments
From RAD on Tue, Jul 05, 2011 at 14:17:55 from 98.202.17.113

Your hill sprints are always so impressive! I just can't motivate myself to move that fast uphill :) Nice work Carolyn!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Jul 05, 2011 at 15:14:54 from 198.241.174.15

RAD, you could move at least that fast uphill if you only had to do it for 8 seconds.

From JD on Tue, Jul 05, 2011 at 17:11:51 from 70.96.78.149

That hot six will get you every time.

You need to find some commercial sprinkler action. Like at a school yard or something. Those big industrial sprinklers would probably soak you head to toe.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Jul 05, 2011 at 20:26:31 from 198.241.174.15

While I was doing the hill sprints, I could see the big commercial sprinklers going in the infield of the middle school track, but I was about done with my workout and so I didn't want to run over there.

From The Quiet Pirate on Tue, Jul 05, 2011 at 21:09:48 from 174.110.223.249

next time you have speed work, do it at the middle school track :-)

Nice workout today!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
8.360.008.36

Easy run.

6:56 am, 66-70° F, 68% humidity, winds calm, mostly cloudy.

This was a slow run. I'm really sluggish, particularly at the start of my runs, lately.

I didn't get sprinklers until the end of the 7th mile, but they were good ones.

When I was at about 7.86 miles, I stopped at home and my daughter came out and we ran around the block together, sort of. We started out together and then she went ahead of me and then I caught up, and then she got behind me, then caught up, but then she decided to walk so I kept going and finished ahead of her, but she poured it on and ran at the very end. When we were done, I stretched, and then we went in the back yard and sat in the wading pull that she had set up yesterday. It was quite cold when I first got in, but then it was okay once I was in. I sat there for a few minutes.

AP: 10:02. Splits: 10:39, 10:22, 10:07, 9;53, 10:00, 9;48, 9;33, 9:53, 0.36 @ 9:52.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 8.36
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From RAD on Wed, Jul 06, 2011 at 11:24:24 from 98.202.17.113

bag those sprinklers! A pool is where it's at! Glad you had a fun day and a little run with your daughter. I think it's funny how kids have a hard time going an even pace, but surge and rest.

From Burt on Wed, Jul 06, 2011 at 12:52:49 from 206.19.214.144

Nice miles and smiles.

From Tracy on Wed, Jul 06, 2011 at 13:32:03 from 173.24.38.54

Nothing like a cold bath at the end of a run.

From JD on Wed, Jul 06, 2011 at 20:06:34 from 71.37.100.47

Nice Wednesday miles.

From auntieem on Wed, Jul 06, 2011 at 21:52:40 from 67.182.149.104

Wading pool sounds kinda nice.

From bye-wing on Thu, Jul 07, 2011 at 14:09:04 from 75.244.232.94

Good distance.

Glad you go to run with your daughter, even if only around the block.

From The Quiet Pirate on Fri, Jul 08, 2011 at 09:29:55 from 174.110.223.249

sprinklers and pools- what a great run. I find my times are slower in the summer- I wonder if it's the heat?

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.120.003.12

Easy run.

8 am, 80°F, 32% humidity.

I'm just outside of Nauvoo, IL. We're here for a family reunion. We got here last night. That's why I didn't run yesterday. It was a travel day.

I ran this morning with my sister-in-law Julie. She's my husband's brother's wife. None of my husband's family runs.

We didn't go far. It was hot and sticky. The road didn't have any shoulder really. We ran on the road, but when a car came by, we had to go off onto the gravel by the side of the road. That wasn't too bad except that it was quite slanted. It's actually a little hilly around here. I pushed it up a hill at the end, but other than that, we kept the pace pretty easy.

I don't understand humidity. Wunderground says that it was 32% humidity here this morning but this feels way different than 32% humidity feels when I'm at home in Colorado. There must be something more to humidity than just the number. Maybe it's because it was 80% at about 4:00 this morning.

The internet is freakishly slow here.

AP: 9:27. Splits: 9:34, 9:30, 9:20, 0.12 @ 9:04.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 3.12
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From JD on Fri, Jul 08, 2011 at 13:58:04 from 70.96.78.149

Nice run Carolyn in Illinois. Have a great weekend.

From Kelli on Fri, Jul 08, 2011 at 14:27:24 from 71.219.69.64

I bet it was lingering humidity! Plus, 80 degrees is pretty toasty.

From bye-wing on Sat, Jul 09, 2011 at 02:12:02 from 75.220.91.47

Good to get a run in on holiday and glad to hear you found a running buddy. Nauvoo is a sticky, humid place in the summer.

Enjoy your family reunion.

From auntieem on Sun, Jul 10, 2011 at 19:46:08 from 67.182.149.104

I remember illinois humidity from when I lived in Chicago! Summers are VERY humid, don't remember the percent, but I am sometimes surprised that humidity out here never seems the same. Good run; glad you found a buddy.

From RAD on Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 11:01:19 from 98.202.17.113

IL humidity is just yuck! Glad you had a good running buddy as well, nice job on the run and have a fun weekend!!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.060.006.06

Easy run.

6:43 am, 60-62°F, 85% humidity, wind 5 WNW.

Wunderground says that we had 85% humidity this morning, but it didn't feel nearly as humid to me as 32% humidity in Nauvoo felt. Maybe it's because it was only 62° here and was 80° when I ran in Nauvoo. I don't know.

I managed to run only the one time while we were in Nauvoo, because I had other things I had to do fairly early in the morning on the other days. We got home from Nauvoo late Sunday night and was nearing the end of the book I had been reading on the trip, and so I stayed up late and read and then got up in the morning and finished the book instead of running. Also, I was kind of out of my normal routine and didn't even remember that it was Monday and was garbage day. I think I got messed up because we travelled on Sunday and so it didn't really feel like a Sunday.

Now I'm back to normal for a little while until we go to Utah.

I didn't get any sprinklers this morning. But I did see Barbie towards the end of my run. We said "Hi" to each other as we crossed paths.

I tried to start out a little faster today and not do my slower than 10:00 first mile that I usually do.

AP: 9:29. Splits: 9:49, 9:23, 9:40, 9:25, 9:34, 9:01, 0.06 @ 9:20.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 6.06
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From Bonnie on Tue, Jul 12, 2011 at 12:58:21 from 150.135.114.115

Welcome back to the nice dry side of North America!

Hope you had a nice vacation despite the heat/humidity!

From JD on Tue, Jul 12, 2011 at 13:33:48 from 70.96.78.149

Barbie and Carolyn...the saga continues. :-)

Welcome back. I guess you're running Deseret News?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Jul 12, 2011 at 15:11:02 from 198.241.174.15

Yep. The DesNews 10K. I can't go near a marathon right now.

From auntieem on Tue, Jul 12, 2011 at 22:18:30 from 67.182.149.104

Won't the 10k be near the marathon? I bet you are going to run a really fast 10k.

From april27 on Tue, Jul 12, 2011 at 22:40:38 from 99.188.251.180

Barbie? ha!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.030.204.23

Easy run + 8 x 8-sec. hill sprints.

6:52 am, 62°F, 97% humidity, winds calm, very overcast.

We had big rain storms last night and I guess that was the cause of the high humidity this morning. At least it wasn't too hot and it was very cloudy. There was no sun at all.

I've got to be finished running by about 7:45 every day this week so that I can get ready for work and then drive my boys to the church by 9:00. They're doing this thing called Stay-At-Home EFY (EFY stands for Especially For Youth). It's the same program that they do at BYU, but they're doing here for the whole Denver area and it just happens to be at our Stake Center. I think they chose our Stake Center because there is another church building right next to it and a high school across the street and they are using all three buildings. The kids go from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm every day and then come home at night. It costs a lot less money than EFY at BYU.

I've got to get up earlier if I want to get a longer run in tomorrow, and I've got to start doing some longer runs because I'm about a month out from the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon.

Stats for 4.03 mile run before the hill sprints - AP: 9:37; Splits: 10:13, 9:35, 9:15, 9:27
Pace on the hill sprints: 6:08, 6:39, 7:02, 6:49, 6:36, 7:25, 6:20, 5:51 (I think that might be my fastest hill sprint ever).

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 4.23
Night Sleep Time: 6.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.50
Comments
From JD on Wed, Jul 13, 2011 at 17:18:28 from 70.96.78.149

Nice sprints! 5:51!

From bye-wing on Thu, Jul 14, 2011 at 10:05:28 from 69.98.130.171

Nice jobs on the hill sprints.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
8.000.008.00

Easy run.

6:19 am, 58-63°F, 86% humidity, winds 5 SSW, sunny.

We had big booming thunderstorms again last night and so it was fairly humid again this morning. Also, I did not encounter any sprinklers. Maybe people have turned them off because we've been having thunderstorms every night for the last several days and the lawns are getting enough water from the rain.

I ran slowly today. Maybe I put too much into the hill sprints yesterday. I'm just feeling tired and run down. I'm getting concerned about my ability to run a half marathon a month from now.

AP: 10:03. Splits: 10:18, 10:20, 9;57, 9:49, 10:02, 10:12, 9:47, 9:58.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 8.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From Kelli on Thu, Jul 14, 2011 at 13:28:32 from 71.219.75.108

Those hill sprints yesterday were FAST (clocking your fastest ever, right???) You should be tired. ;o)

Hang in there, everyone has weeks where they feel like crud. I have 100% confidence in your ability to run a half in a month!

Hey, I scored twice today with the sprinklers!!!

From auntieem on Thu, Jul 14, 2011 at 14:59:58 from 67.182.149.104

We ALL have tired days; don't let it shatter your confidence. You have definitely put in the training to run a half in a month! Hill sprints SHOULD make you tired.

I love thunderstorms!

From JD on Thu, Jul 14, 2011 at 23:27:14 from 71.37.100.47

Eight mile runs are the best.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
10.000.0010.00

Slow medium-long run.

7:28 am, 67-75° F, 60% humidity, winds 4 SW, sunny,

Michelle created a new runner. Her name is Marci. We all left our houses and met at a more or less central point and then ran together for about 5 miles ending at Marci's house. I think that was the farthest she has ever ran. We went slower than usual on Marci's account but then after Marci dropped off, Michelle and I didn't speed up much. When kept running together until I had about 1.1 miles left and then we parted ways to go to our respective homes. I finally got under 10:00 on that last mile all by myself.

I think that Marci is committed and will become a regular on our Saturday runs.

There were no sprinklers this morning.

AP: 10:26. Splits: 10:03, 10:19, 10:43, 10:54, 10:52, 10:32, 10:22, 10:11, 10:35, 9:51.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 10.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments
From JD on Sat, Jul 16, 2011 at 13:53:52 from 71.37.100.47

Way to help encourage a new runner - and nice ten miler!

From RAD on Sun, Jul 17, 2011 at 02:15:53 from 76.27.16.189

You guys are the running inspiration there in CO! Glad you have another person to add to the Saturday Posse! :) Great job this morning.

From auntieem on Sun, Jul 17, 2011 at 15:49:26 from 67.182.149.104

Only a marathoner would call 10 miles a "medium long run"!!! These days, that is a long run for me.

From The Quiet Pirate on Sun, Jul 17, 2011 at 21:20:53 from 98.172.55.39

I'm just catching up...It is always so exciting when we get to see new runners make new milestones!

Hope your new week is full of less humidity, more sprinklers, and meeting lots of new cool bloggers :-)....oh, and some good runs too (that IS why we blog, right?).

From bye-wing on Sun, Jul 17, 2011 at 22:41:26 from 12.228.217.58

Glad you guys found a new running buddy.

10 miles seems like a long run to me, way to go.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.070.194.26

Easy run + 8 x 8 sec. hill sprints

6:50 am, 66-70°F, 55% humidity, winds calm, sunny.

Carly lives a few doors down and across the street from me and so it is very convenient for us to run together except she has never wanted to get up early enough to run with me. But combining the fact that I'm not running so early these days and she's now got a baby who wakes her up early, she's willing to run with me on a week day. We ran 4 miles together this morning and then I headed over to the hill sprint hill and did my hill sprints by myself.

I ran through one small set of sprinklers. I think that Carly thought I was crazy. She didn't go through the sprinklers.

I don't know if I really ran so much faster on the 2nd hill sprint than on the others or if it's just the Garmin not being terrifically accurate for such a short segment.

AP on easy run: 9:55. Splits: 10:13, 9:46, 9:48, 9;55, 0.07 @ 9:31.
Pace on hill sprints: 7:23, 5:49, 7:11, 7:08, 7:07, 6:54, 7:55, 6:43.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 4.26
Night Sleep Time: 6.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.50
Comments
From RAD on Mon, Jul 18, 2011 at 19:11:58 from 76.27.16.189

Nice work as always on those sprints Carolyn. I think you DID hit that pace!

Always inspiring others to run...yup that's you!

From JD on Mon, Jul 18, 2011 at 22:28:25 from 71.37.100.47

Nice job on a good start to another week. So funny that running through sprinklers would seem crazy to some. If Carly sticks with the running awhile, she'll be looking for sprinklers too.

From bye-wing on Mon, Jul 18, 2011 at 23:34:49 from 12.228.219.122

Nice sprints. Glad you found another running buddy...and some sprinklers.

From Kelli on Tue, Jul 19, 2011 at 19:37:17 from 71.219.99.3

Go with the speed, Garmins NEVER lie!!!

Love the sprinklers, I dance in them, shower in them, and even gulp from them!

From The Quiet Pirate on Tue, Jul 19, 2011 at 22:50:19 from 65.191.246.68

Great start to your running week! Esp when you've got a running buddy and the sprinkler gods smile on you.

From RAD on Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 16:33:27 from 76.27.16.189

No post since Monday...this isn't like you lately Carolyn. Where are you?

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.300.004.30

Easy run.

6:56 am, 62-66°F, 27% humidity, winds calm, more shade than sun.

I haven't run much this week on account of travel, poor sleep, and general laziness. I decided I ought to finally get out today for a short run around Orem. I'll see if I can manage a longer run on the rail trail outside of Park City tomorrow.

Obviously, the sun rises in Denver earlier than it rises on the Wasatch Front in Utah even though they're in the same time zone. Add to that the shade that you get from the close mountains to the east, wh ich doesn't happen with the eastern plains in Denver, and you get shady mornings here in Utah.

I did a loop in Orem that was essentially, east on 8th South, north on 8th East, west on 4th North, south on 4th East back to 8th South. I only saw two other runners, but I saw seven LDS church buildings.

I've seen lots of signs advertising races here in Utah.

After about 2.5 miles I looked at my watch and realized I was going really slowly, so I sped up a bit.

AP: 9:47. Splits: 10:27, 10:05, 9:31, 9:19, 0.3 @ 9:06.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 4.30
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From RAD on Fri, Jul 22, 2011 at 16:22:20 from 76.27.16.189

More churches than runners in the 'roadkill' bag? Yup...must be in Utah!

See you Monday!

From JD on Sat, Jul 23, 2011 at 22:02:49 from 97.117.119.163

Carolyn in Utah!

Have a fun weekend and a good race Monday.

From bye-wing on Sun, Jul 24, 2011 at 19:02:53 from 69.98.159.91

C U @ Des News. Maybe we can count how many LDS churches we pass during the run. :)

From The Quiet Pirate on Tue, Jul 26, 2011 at 09:49:26 from 65.191.246.68

Ah, Zion.... how beautiful she is. Glad you made it to Utah and are enjoying it there. Looking forward to reading your race report.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
8.000.008.00

Easy run.

7:13 am, 50-58°F, 48% humidity, wind 5 NNE.

I did this run on the rail trail outside of Park City, Utah. I parked at the Promontory Trailhead and ran south from there because the trail was closed going north because of construction on I-80 (the northern part of the trail eventually crosses under I-80). Most of my run was on dirt, but miles 3 and 4 were on pavement. They've paved the trail as it gets closer to Park City.

I saw a whole bunch of hot air balloons during my run. I took some pictures with my cell phone, but they didn't turn out. The balloons just look like dots in the sky in the pictures, but they were actually quite close when I was running. And on my drive back to my sister's house after the run, I saw one hot air balloon that had landed by the side of the road and was being put away.

I saw a couple of other runners and I think 5 bike riders on the trail. I also saw some little groundhogs or something, a lot of birds, and a couple of animals that might have been foxes or coyotes. I wasn't sure. They looked like foxes, but didn't have bush tails.

AP: 9:34. Splits: 9:56, 9:31, 9:35, 9:30, 9:28, 9:29, 9:35, 9:26.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 8.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Comments
From Burt on Wed, Jul 27, 2011 at 15:14:14 from 206.19.214.144

Sounds like you enjoyed your run. That's what it's all about.

From JD on Wed, Jul 27, 2011 at 15:36:37 from 70.96.78.149

We were probably on the Rail Trail at the same time - only I was quite a ways North of where you were, near Wanship. I've been on the Park City side runnin during a hot air balloon event. I was startled once by a low floating balloon that I wasn't aware of until it made that hissing sound from the gas or whatever. Scared the daylights out of me; must have looked pretty funny from above.

Nice job getting an 8 miler in during your travels.

From Burt on Wed, Jul 27, 2011 at 15:58:25 from 206.19.214.144

I make a hissing sound from gas.

From JD on Wed, Jul 27, 2011 at 17:56:14 from 97.117.121.125

I was startled once by a low floating BURT that I wasn't aware of until it made that hissing sound from the gas.

Race: Deseret News 10K (6.2 Miles) 00:52:49, Place overall: 748, Place in age division: 26
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
2.004.206.20

Deseret News 10K

6:08 am, 68-72°F, 28% humidity, wind 3 E.

I'm finally posting my race report. I'm not very good at writing interesting race reports, but I'll give you the facts anyway.

I got up at 4:00, got dressed, ate a bowl of Special K, and then drove down Parley's Canyon in the dark and made my way to Research Park on the U of U campus. I got their at about 5:20 and I was early enough that I didn't have to wait in line for a port-a-potty. However, it was very dark in the port-a-potty.

I waited around for a little while until RAD and bye-wing got there and then waited in the port-a-potty line with them even though I had already made my visit there. But I did have a nice visit with those two tall sisters (I'm a shorty).

We all split up at the start and I watched RAD sprint off like it was no one's business. Shortly after the start, a guy just to my right fell down and I had to kind of jump over him to keep from falling myself. I thought about stopping to help him, but I made a snap selfish decision and kept going.

I saw a few sets of sprinklers on people's lawns as I ran through the city, but I didn't run on anyone's lawn (which I do when I'm at home). However, one lady was spraying a house into the street for runners to run through and I caught the edge of that. I didn't see it soon enough to get myself better positioned for it.

There were two aid stations, but I didn't stop at either of them because I figured that I ran 6 or more miles at home without water or anything all the time.

I saw one girl running in a pioneer dress.

The last couple of miles were on the parade route and while it was hours before the start of the parade, there were several people lining the parade route who had apparently camped there over night. There were some tents and a few air mattresses, at least one of which had kids sleeping on it.

I was good and ready to be done by the time I got to the finish line. RAD had finished before me, of course, and she came out and ran the last bit with me. I tried to pick up the pace just a little bit at the very end, but I didn't have much left.

My time was well off my PR despite the aided course. That just shows how sadly out of shape I am compared to where I was a year or so ago. Still, I was glad to finish in under 55 minutes.

After I finished, I got some food, and then RAD and I found bye-wing and ran her in, which was not so easy for me, and then a little while later, the three of us ran in bye-wings daughter, who was finishing hte 5K. At that point I figured I had finished that race enough times.

RAD helped me find Kelli and I sat on the curb and talked to her for a while. We saw the first two marathon finishers come in, and the first guy looked really strong. The second guy looked like he was about to die. I waited for several minutes and didn't see the third guy and then I went and caught the bus back to where I had parked. Because I had hung around for quite a while after I finished the race, most of the people on the bus with me had finished after me and then hadn't stuck around as long. I overheard one man saying that he wished he could be like the young guys and run it in under an hour, and so I felt good that I was at least as fast as these young guys he was with.

After the race, I took my kids to the Olympic Park and they went down the alpine slide. We saw some high school kids practicing ski jumping (yes, they can do it without snow). We had seen more ski jumping from older people and olympians there on Saturday. Then we walked around historic Main Street in Park City. I spent the evening at my mom's house in Murray, where we had dinner and did some fireworks. The fireworks were much more elaborate than what we used to do when I was a kid since Utah as lifted some of their restrictions on fireworks. After that we drove back to Park City in the rain. We drove home to Denver the next day.

My sister (whose house we stayed at) has a daughter who lives in California who is 5 years younger than me and who runs. My sister called her and asked if she wanted to come run this race with me next year and she said yes, so I may be going back to do that race again next year. Maybe if I get my act together and loose some weight I can run it faster next year than I did last year. Also, after seeing all of RAD's and bye-wing's kids at the race, I told my 14-year-old son that if I run it next year he has to too. He agreed.

AP: 8:30. Splits: 8:51, 8:17, 8:33, 8:30, 8:25, 8:30, 0.2 @ 8:27.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 6.20
Night Sleep Time: 4.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 4.50
Comments
From JD on Wed, Jul 27, 2011 at 15:54:38 from 70.96.78.149

Nice race. Particularly the multiple finishes - impressive!

The girl in the pioneer dress was me. I just find I run better when I feel pretty. Lol!

From auntieem on Wed, Jul 27, 2011 at 17:57:27 from 67.182.149.104

Good to see you are racing again! 10k is a tough distance.

From Bonnie on Wed, Jul 27, 2011 at 20:49:36 from 128.196.228.134

JD -- you are one purty girl.

I concur with auntie, nice to see you racing again and it takes guts to have the first race back be a 10K! Congratulations!

From bye-wing on Thu, Jul 28, 2011 at 13:04:10 from 63.226.105.150

Glad you finally posted your race report.

Even if you didn't get a PR, sounds like you still had fun at the race. I enjoyed meeting you and chatting, even if it was in the honey buckets line.

When I saw the lady spraying runners wtih her garden hose, I thought to myself, "I bet Carolyn ran through that", then I went over and ran through the water. It was great.

Thanks for running with me to the finish line, and hangind out with me for a while after the race. I hope to see you next year, along with your niece and son.

From CookieLegs on Thu, Jul 28, 2011 at 16:32:23 from 71.32.235.13

Hi Carolyn, Congratulations on a nice 10K race! I sure wish I'd known you were there and hanging out near the finish line, because I was hanging out there myself and saw the first 4 marathoners finish. I also saw some ladies keep running in "5k" kids, and now I'm guessing that was you, Rad & Bye-wing!

Oh, and yes I ran through the spray from the sprinkler hose lady, too! :)

From Kelli on Sat, Jul 30, 2011 at 16:36:36 from 71.219.99.3

AND I am finally getting around to reading your race report, which is well written and entertaining! I am especially impressed with your hurdling abilities, poor guy! But I am sure he was just fine. ;o)

Thanks for coming over and talking! Sorry I did not recognize you, I was so out of it. I have never been so sick---and it was just a 10k! I love the comments about the first two finishers, so true! They were so close together, but 2nd place sure did look miserable. I am sure first place just did not look miserable because he had just won $1000!!!!!

From RAD on Sat, Jul 30, 2011 at 21:33:55 from 76.27.16.189

It was SO nice to meet up with you and chat and get those pre-race jitters out. I love the course, but hate the crowd so I take off just to get through it all! Maybe :)

You know we will all be there again next year with all of our kids in tow as well - multiple finishes, that is what DesNews is all about! That is also why I can't do the marathon, I wouldn't be able to add on 3 more miles to run everyone in - plus they'd all finish before me anyway!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
9.370.009.37

Slow and easy medium-length run.

6:18 am, 70°F, 55% humidity, wind 2 SW, sunny.

Well, I finally got out and ran today after doing other things in the morning all week since Monday. Michelle and Carly both wanted to run, but Michelle needed to go early because she had another commitment in the morning and Carly doesn't like to go too early. So I ran with Michelle first for a little over 4 miles, and then we stopped at Carly's house and she joined up with us. The three of us ran together for a couple of miles and then Michelle had to go home and Carly and I did the rest together.

I'm so glad these two are still running. I don't think I would have gotten out this morning if it hadn't been for them. I would have gotten up and read instead. I'm addicted to reading lately. Right now I'm reading Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. It is a really good book. I highly recommend it.

My oldest son comes home from his summer internship this afternoon. He'll be home for about 3 or 4 days and then it's back up to Greeley for him to get set being an RA before school starts. It will be nice to have him home for a few days.

I'm registered to run the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon two weeks from today. I am not ready for it. I'm tempted to drop out, but I've already paid for it and I'm not getting that money back whether I run it or not, so I'll probably go run it. But I think I'll just treat it as an easy long run. I'm not in shape right now to get a good time and I don't want to kill myself for a lousy time, so I'll just run easy and try to enjoy the scenery.

AP: 10:11. Splits: 9:59, 10:17, 10:05, 10:10, 10:10, 9:59, 10:15, 10:17, 10:20, 0.37 @ 10:22.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 9.37
Night Sleep Time: 5.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 5.50
Comments
From JD on Sat, Jul 30, 2011 at 16:09:00 from 97.117.107.126

Good run. Looks like that half coming up will be the perfect workout!

From RAD on Sat, Jul 30, 2011 at 21:28:24 from 76.27.16.189

I hear ya on the race thing, but you are running well - so maybe just push some anticipated MP miles or a good tempo instead of all out racing and have a good 'workout' run? That is what I did with Riverton half and it was quite enjoyable :)

From bye-wing on Mon, Aug 01, 2011 at 02:33:52 from 75.220.54.221

Georgetown will be such a beautiful run, just do it, even if only as "an easy long run". If I was in Colorado, I would be tempted to do it too.

I'm ready for a new book. What is Unbroken about?

From auntieem on Mon, Aug 01, 2011 at 12:25:45 from 67.182.149.104

The half will be fun! But if you are not ready, don't do it. It is sad you can't get the money back, but mojo is more important.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Aug 01, 2011 at 23:30:36 from 76.25.72.82

bye-wing, Unbroken is the biography of Louis Zamperini, who ran in the 1936 Olympics and was a favorite to win the mile in the 1940 Olympics, but then those Olympics were cancelled because of World War II. He went into the Army Air Corp (I think that's what it was) and ended up in a Japanese POW camp. The book is basically the story of his life.

From bye-wing on Tue, Aug 02, 2011 at 02:17:01 from 69.98.189.250

Thanks, I went and bought the book today.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.250.006.25

Easy run.

6:16 am, 68° F, 62% humidity, winds calm, partly cloudy.

I had to drop my son off to go fishing with the scouts at 6:00 this morning, so I got dressed to run before I took him and then ran when I got home. That got my out the door early than I would have done otherwise.

About a mile into the run, I saw a guy doing push ups on the sidewalk and then he got up and walked away. A little later I had a close flyover by a flock of geese. Then I found a set of sprinklers and ran through the first one, and then they all turned off. I didn't get any more sprinklers for the rest of the run until the last mile. Then I was in my neighborhood and ran across three lawns with sprinklers on. A guy on a bike saw me on one of the lawns and smiled.

I ran for exactly one hour.

I've started this thing with my daughter lately. She's always up when I finish my run and I stand on my front porch and stretch after I run. While I'm stretching, she brings me paper towels to wipe the sweat off my face and water to drink. It's a pretty good system.

AP: 9:37. Splits: 10:17, 9:34, 9:43, 9:22, 9:35, 9:21, 0.25 @ 8:48.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 6.25
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00
Comments
From auntieem on Tue, Aug 02, 2011 at 12:03:37 from 67.182.149.104

That is a good system! Nice daughter! Are you faster this morning?

From JD on Tue, Aug 02, 2011 at 17:21:01 from 70.96.78.149

Nice run. Nice daughter. Nice hour.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.000.004.00

Easy run.

6:43 am, 60°F, 81% humidity, wind 1 SW, mostly cloudy.

Just a short, easy run with Carly.

AP: 9:58. Splits: 10:23, 9:56, 9:40, 9:54.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 4.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments
From auntieem on Wed, Aug 03, 2011 at 14:05:51 from 67.182.149.104

Sounds like a perfect plan for the day; I will probably also do a short, easy run.

From The Quiet Pirate on Wed, Aug 03, 2011 at 16:37:32 from 65.191.246.68

Easy run Wednesday! We were running at the same time this morning. Did your daughter bring you paper towels too?

I have thought about leaving a towel on the porch so I don't drip sweat all over the house when I come in.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Aug 03, 2011 at 16:39:19 from 76.25.72.82

Yep, she brought me paper towels and a cup of ice water.

From jun on Thu, Aug 04, 2011 at 10:45:27 from 205.158.160.209

What's up CC? It's been a while.

From The Quiet Pirate on Fri, Aug 05, 2011 at 19:07:44 from 65.191.246.68

I ran through 3 sprinklers on Thursday & thought of you :-)

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
7.970.007.97

Pathetic run.

6:37 am, 64-66° F, 48% humidity, wind 5 WSW.

I'm registered for a half-marathon next Saturday. I kind of made this deal with myself that if I could run 10 miles this Saturday, then I would do the race, and if not then I wouldn't. I agreed to meet Carly at 7:15 and then we would run to meet up with Michelle and the three of us would do about 6 miles together. So I decided that I would get up earlier and run 4 miles before meeting up with Carly. However, I didn't get out the door quite early enough. I was just a couple of minutes later than I needed to be, so I ran faster than I like to that first 4 miles to get back to meet up with Carly. (I wasn't sure she'd wait for me if I was late because I hadn't actually talked to her. Michelle had just left her a voice mail message about our plan.)

About a mile into the run with both of them, I'm felt like quitting, but I kept going. But then after I had been with Carly for nearly four miles, I was staggering along behind the two of them and I just stopped running and turned off my watch and started walking. They didn't even notice at first. But then they noticed and I told them to go on ahead without me. They were reluctant, but they agreed. Then I walked the rest of the way home at a very leisurely pace. It was probably about a mile and a half to home.

So I self destructed. I didn't manage to run 10 miles. Maybe it's because I ran too fast at the first. In any case, I neglected to pick up my race packet this weekend. I could still pick it up the morning before the race next Saturday, but I doubt that I will. I've spent the money one way or the other. I don't think I want to go make myself miserable running further than I'm comfortable in the heat all by myself.

AP: 10:03. Splits: 10:10 9:27, 8:23, 9:26, 9:57, 10:34, 10:47, 0.97 @ 10:47.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 7.97
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.000.004.00

Easy run.

6:36 am, 57° F, 41% humidity, wind 3 SSE.

Just a short easy run with Carly.

Today is the first day of school for my Freshman son. The others start tomorrow.

AP: 10:03. Splits: 10:35, 9:57, 9:49, 9:59.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 4.00
Night Sleep Time: 5.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 5.00
Comments
From The Quiet Pirate on Mon, Aug 08, 2011 at 14:28:57 from 65.191.246.68

Your school year starts earlier than ours. Tennessee's 1st day was today too. Our kids don't start back until the 25th.

Is seminary back in session? You've got 2 in seminary now, don't you?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Aug 08, 2011 at 15:02:51 from 198.241.174.15

Seminary starts next week. They don't have seminary the first weke of school. And yes, I'll have 2 in seminary this year.

From The Quiet Pirate on Mon, Aug 08, 2011 at 15:10:42 from 65.191.246.68

Will the older one be able to drive the younger one?

My older driver is gone this year, so I'm back to chauffer duty & I'm not sure how it's going to work out w/o putting a huge crimp in either my sleep or running time.

From RAD on Mon, Aug 08, 2011 at 17:47:20 from 76.27.16.189

Nice job Carolyn! First day of school for HS? Wow. Hopefully, they get out earlier too.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Aug 08, 2011 at 18:50:19 from 198.241.174.15

The older one doesn't have a drivers license yet because he doesn't want to drive. I have to twist his arm to get him to drive. Also, they don't come home after seminary before school and I don't have a car they can take to school, so I (or my husband) will be driving them or they will be walking.

From Kelli on Tue, Aug 09, 2011 at 15:16:52 from 71.219.67.82

Short and easy, sounds like a slice of heaven!

From JD on Tue, Aug 09, 2011 at 17:17:30 from 70.96.78.149

School seems to start a lot earlier (early August!) these days.

Good job keeping the consistency going in spite of your busy schedule.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.030.006.03

Easy run.

6:34 am, 59°F, 76% humidity, wind 2 SSE.

I couldn't get ahold of Carly yesterday so I ran all by myself today. I was going to take my iPod but I had misplaced my headphones and didn't have time to look for them. During the run I remembered where I had put them and sure enough, that's where they were when I got home.

It was a relatively uneventful run. The strangest thing was that in the last half, I ran faster on the uphills than on a long downhill stretch. I think I was daydreaming on the downhill. The downhill went past the high school and the middle school. It was getting close to starting time for the middle school (the high school starts 15 minutes later than the middle school) and there was all kinds of traffic from parents dropping off their kids at the middle school. The drop off at the middle school is a nightmare. As I was running, I thought about how glad I am that I don't have a kid at the middle school for the next three years.

When I had about .4 miles to go my husband called me and I told him I was almost done. He must have told our daughter, because she was out waiting in front of the house with a cup of water and a paper towel for me when I got home.

AP: 9:57. Splits: 9:58, 10:21, 9:44, 10:01, 10:08, 9:34.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 6.03
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From JD on Wed, Aug 10, 2011 at 14:06:36 from 70.96.78.149

That's so awesome your daughter does that for you.

On most runs I like to push on the uphills and then just zone out and go easy on the downhills. It's a good way to keep the same pace without having to work harder.

From RAD on Wed, Aug 10, 2011 at 19:45:42 from 76.27.16.189

What a sweet girl! I'd love to see a faster uphill mile for me just once. Even a zone out on a downhill would net me a faster time :)

From auntieem on Wed, Aug 10, 2011 at 23:16:39 from 67.182.149.104

Your daughter is so sweet! So amazing that your uphill was faster than your downhill. When you figure out how you do that, please let me know.

From Bonnie on Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 20:43:37 from 64.119.33.134

What a nice homecoming!! you are getting back into shape CinC ... nice job!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.030.005.03

Easy run.

6:34 am, 63°F, 53% humidity, wind 3 ENE.

I ran with Carly this morning. She's turning into a great running buddy. She's planning a 10 mile race in the Fall, so she's motivated to run regularly right now. Today we talked about animal sacrifice, among other things. She spent a semester in Nepal when she was in college and witnessed the sacrifice of a goat. She also said if they couldn't afford a goat, they used a zucchini instead and stuck sticks in it so that it would stand up like an animal. This subject  came up because I'm reading a book called The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. It's about a Hmong family from Laos who came to California as refugees in the 80s. They had a daughter with severe epilepsy. The book is about the conflict between the Hmong culture and religion and Western medicine. There is quite a bit of discussion of animal sacrifice in the book. Carly recommended the book to me.

I've got to decide whether I'm going to get up early tomorrow morning and drag myself up to Georgetown to run that half marathon that I foolishly registered for. It could really go either way at this point.

AP: 9:54. Splits: 9:53, 10:00, 9:48, 9:58, 9:49.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 5.03
Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
Comments
From Bonnie on Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 13:14:59 from 150.135.114.102

Go for it ... it is pretty, and you will likely surprise yourself, you have made progress this month.

From JD on Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 16:27:41 from 70.96.78.149

You know you'll be happy if you do.

From auntieem on Sat, Aug 13, 2011 at 13:20:23 from 66.91.174.192

That book sounds good! I am looking for some books about viet nam, but that is kinda close and I think I will try it. Thanks!

Waiting to hear whether you raced or not!

Race: Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon (13.15 Miles) 02:05:53, Place overall: 1234, Place in age division: 83
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
13.000.1513.15

I hesitated to make this a race report, because I didn't really race it. However, it was officially a race.

I was debating as recently as yesterday whether to run it, but Bonnie and JD said that I should, and so I did.

I got up at 5:09 (5:00 alarm plus one snooze). We left the house at about 5:35. I made my husband drive me. This is the third time I've run this race and every time I make him drive me to the start and then pick me up at the finish, even though you can park at the finish and take a bus up to the start.

I was supposed to pick up my race packet last weekend at a Runner's Roost store in Denver, but I didn't do it. So I went a little earlier this morning than I normally would have because I needed to pick it up before the race. It turned out that I didn't need to go as early as I did. Oh well. At least we got decent parking at the start.

After I got my race number, we spent some time just sitting in the car. I did step out once for a port-a-potty visit, and then it was more sitting in the car. I noticed that there was a woman by herself in the car next to us. So when it was time to start walking to the start for the start of the race, I got out of my car and spoke to her and then we stuck together until the race started. It was nice to have someone to talk to and not be all by myself before the race. But we split up at the starting line and I never saw her again. I didn't stick around very long after the race and I didn't see her there.

They had pacers at this race, which I hadn't seen before at this race. Maybe they started it last year. I didn't run this race last year. In any case, we lined up a ways behind the 2:20 pacer. The first couple of miles of this race are miserable because you have to run this loop around Georgetown and then you pass the start again and head down the frontage road towards Idaho Springs. The loop around Georgetown is very congested and it's hard to get past people. However, I did manage to pass the 2:20 pacer and the 2:15 pacer in those first two miles. For most of the rest of the race I could see the 2:10 pacer a ways ahead but I never seemed to gain on her. I figured for a 2:10 finish she should be running 10 minute miles, and I thought I was running a bit under 10:00, so I should have been gaining on her. I finally passed her with a couple of miles to go.

I really took this race pretty slow and easy. I kept thinking of it as just a regular Saturday long run at a comfortable pace. As a result, I was not as uncomfortable as I was last time I ran this race. The time actually passed fairly pleasantly. After about 6 miles I tried to pick the speed up just a little bit, and then with 3 miles to go, I picked it up a little more and then pushed about the last quarter of a mile. I passed quite a few people in the last quarter of a mile.

There were aid stations every two miles, but I skipped the 2 mile stop and the 6 mile stop. So I walked a few steps and drank some water at 4, 8, 10, and 12 miles. It was shady for the first two miles and then after that there was hardly any shade. In about the last 4 miles, there were sometimes small shady spots at the edge of the road from trees. Everyone shifted to the side of the road where there was a little shade. I did that except when it contradicted the tangent badly.

That's pretty much the story of the race. Not very exciting. Now I'm tired and useless for the rest of the day.

Stats are based on the auto lap of my Garmin and my Garmin measured long - 13.15 instead of 13.10.

AP: 9:34. Splits: 10:29, 9:56, 9:49, 9:36, 9:51, 9:38, 9:25, 9:33, 9:31, 9:27, 9:09, 9:20, 9:00, 0.15 @ 7:41.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 13.15
Night Sleep Time: 5.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 5.00
Comments
From Kelli on Sat, Aug 13, 2011 at 18:59:01 from 71.219.67.82

We should all do what Bonnie and JD say!

Hope you got some much deserved rest!

From JD on Sat, Aug 13, 2011 at 19:37:54 from 71.213.37.149

Do as I say, not as I do - Lol!!

Nice job CinC! That's a good quality run right there!

From RAD on Sat, Aug 13, 2011 at 23:25:56 from 76.27.16.189

Nice job Carolyn! Way to relax and just enjoy it. You also had a nice strong finish - can't be upset about that.

From Bonnie on Sun, Aug 14, 2011 at 01:34:01 from 150.135.114.102

Good job Carolyn! happy to see you got out there! Really liked to see those last final mile splits! Have a great Sunday!

From auntieem on Sun, Aug 14, 2011 at 23:21:46 from 66.91.174.192

I am impressed that you were able to run it without feeling like you were racing it. Great negative splits too!

From Metcalf Running on Mon, Aug 15, 2011 at 10:42:26 from 207.225.192.66

Nice race! I think you did great! I am hoping I will be able to run a half again.

From The Quiet Pirate on Mon, Aug 15, 2011 at 14:44:55 from 65.191.246.68

I love running races instead of racing them. It makes them so much more enjoyable! You had a nice run with progressing speeds that ended nicely with a nice 7:41 finish.

Glad you were able to recruit your husband to drive & pick you up. It's nice to have a chauffeur sometimes instead of having to be one.

Hope you got a great week-end of rest. I ran through a sprinkler today in your honor!!

From bye-wing on Wed, Aug 17, 2011 at 01:18:11 from 115.87.35.197

Glad to hear you decided to run the Georgetown 1/2. It should be such a nice, scenic run. Why do they have to put that silly loop at the beginning?

Way to go passing so many people the last 1/4 mile.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Aug 17, 2011 at 12:24:08 from 198.241.174.15

I assume the silly loop at the beginning is to make the course long enough.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.020.004.02

Easy run.

6:31 am, don't have weather info.

I got out and ran all by myself this morning. Carly hasn't wanted to run this week because her little one has started waking up during the night for a feeding again. If she can get him back to sleeping through the night, then she'll run with me.

I encountered plenty of sprinklers this morning and got pretty good and wet just before the end of the 3rd mile.

I took Monday off because I was still sore from the half marathon last Saturday (how pathetic is that?). I did the shred on Tuesday. And I finally ran a wee bit today. It took a couple of miles to get my legs moving.

AP: 10:10. Splits: 10:55, 10:12, 9:55, 9:42.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 4.02
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00
Comments
From auntieem on Wed, Aug 17, 2011 at 13:05:55 from 66.91.174.192

Good job getting out by yourself! Glad you were rewarded with sprinklers. Not pathetic at all to be sore after your race!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Aug 17, 2011 at 13:18:35 from 198.241.174.15

It's pathetic because I ran the race so slowly and a year ago if I had run that distance at that pace, I would have been absolutely fine afterwards.

From The Quiet Pirate on Wed, Aug 17, 2011 at 17:58:37 from 152.26.59.252

Running alone isn't always bad- especially when you have sprinklers to keep you company.

It amazes me how tough we can be on ourselves. You ran a 1/2 marathon- you deserve a break: no excuses!!

I'm looking at all your running accomplishments, and I know there's a lot more that you've done that is listed. AND you inspire your fellow bloggers :-)

From bye-wing on Thu, Aug 18, 2011 at 10:04:12 from 124.121.37.254

Good job getting your legs to run again after doing the Georgetown 1/2 on Saturday. Did you do anything fun, on the day you took off?

Hope your running buddy can join you again soon.

From RAD on Thu, Aug 18, 2011 at 23:46:09 from 76.27.16.189

Nice job Carolyn! I'm with QP, sometimes the solitude of a morning run is just what the dr ordered. Plus, nothing wrong with taking a few days off - you more than earned it!

From bye-wing on Tue, Aug 23, 2011 at 11:32:30 from 124.121.54.135

Any good runs through the sprinklers lately?

From The Quiet Pirate on Tue, Aug 23, 2011 at 12:11:11 from 152.26.59.252

Seriously... how are you doing CiC? I hope you weren't injured in any freak sprinkler-running related accidents.

From Bonnie on Tue, Aug 23, 2011 at 13:52:21 from 64.119.33.134

Where oh where are you Carolyn?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Aug 23, 2011 at 15:27:20 from 198.241.174.15

I'm here. Thank you all for your concern.

I ran 4 miles on Saturday morning but haven't blogged it. I was really busy the rest of the day and played 3 softball games with women from church and then sat in the sun and watched my son play 3 softball games with the young men from church.

I was little sore on Monday, I guess from the softball playing, and didn't run. This morning I got up to see my boys off to seminary, then I was so tired I went back to bed until 7:30 and didn't run.

From Metcalf Running on Tue, Aug 23, 2011 at 15:31:30 from 207.225.192.66

Good to know that you are OK. I think softball is hard on you because you need to run as foast as you can to the base, then stop! All that fast twitch stuff is hard on me!

From The Quiet Pirate on Tue, Aug 23, 2011 at 16:07:56 from 152.26.59.252

I'm glad you're good! I wouldn't have to run in softball, because that would require me to hit the ball first.

Nice work getting on bases!

From Kelli on Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 22:46:10 from 71.219.67.82

HI!! ;o)

From bye-wing on Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 11:18:36 from 110.169.137.249

Glad you are ok, just busy.

I like watching baseball much more than playing. Go Rockies, go!

From RAD on Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 15:07:25 from 76.27.16.189

Hope things are still going well and you are just busy! Miss you!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.000.004.00

Easy run.

7:17 am. Normal weather.

I was supposed to meet Carly at 7:00 am. I woke up at 6:45 and mistakenly thought that I was supposed to get up at 7:00 and that my alarm would go off at 7:00. So I went back to sleep. I woke up again at about 7:08. Alarm hadn't gone off because it wasn't turned on (it was set for 6:30 actually). I remembered then that I was supposed to have left the house at 7:00. So I went downstairs and opened my front door and Carly was standing there. I told her to go run a bit and come back. I got dressed and went out and met her after she had gone about a mile.

AP: 9:59. Splits: 10:13, 10:06, 9:53, 9:45.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 4.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.160.004.16

Easy run.

6:11 am, 65°F, 54% humidity, winds calm.

I haven't run all week because I've been worn out and busy and trying to get to work earlier because I'm having to work so many hours. But I got out and ran this morning because Michelle called me last night and asked if I wanted to run with her this morning.

While we were running I got a call on my cell phone from Thing 3. He was calling to say that he could see me. He was walking across the high school parking lot on his way to seminary.

When I was finished running, my daughter brought me water and paper towels while I stretched on the porch.

My plan is to run with Carly tomorrow. We're planning 7:30 instead of 7:00 since I failed to get up by 7:00 last Saturday.

AP: 10:20. Splits: 10:36, 10:23, 10:12, 10:11, 0.16 @ 10:07. I didn't realize while I was running that I was going so slow today. Oh well.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 4.16
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.000.006.00

Slow easy run.

7:34 am, 64-69° F, 60% humidity, winds calm.

I ran with Carly this morning. It seems that I can get myself out to run only if I have someone to run with these days. I'm glad that Carly was willing to go slow with me.

I'm tired. My two teenage sons had to be at the church at 4:30 this morning to go hike a couple of 14ers with the Young Men. My husband drove them to the church, but I had to get up and make sure they got up and out the door. And then I had a hard time going back to sleep.

I worked late last night too. Maybe that's another reason I'm tired. I should go try to take a nap before my boys get home from their hike.

AP: 10:10. Splits: 10:13, 10:18, 10:18, 10:10, 9:59, 10:01.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 6.00
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00
Comments
From JD on Sun, Aug 28, 2011 at 13:48:40 from 97.117.116.68

Good job keeping the consistency in spite of life's sometimes burdensome ways.

From bye-wing on Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 03:06:09 from 124.121.64.83

Next time, maybe you can take a break from running and go hike with the kids :)

From RAD on Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 16:15:23 from 76.27.16.189

Nice job getting out and getting it done after a mid-night wake up call due to kids.

I hope work lets up soon and you get some rest! Before we know it the weather will cool down and we'll be able to run at 9AM on Saturdays - sleep and run, a novel concept for us :)

From RAD on Thu, Sep 01, 2011 at 14:34:27 from 76.27.16.189

Hope the week at work has been good to you!

From The Quiet Pirate on Fri, Sep 02, 2011 at 12:04:17 from 152.26.59.254

I wish I could come out & run with you.

Hope life slows down a little for you soon.

From Bonnie on Sun, Sep 04, 2011 at 09:32:29 from 64.119.33.134

I hope you are ok Carolyn.

From april27 on Tue, Sep 06, 2011 at 23:11:11 from 99.188.251.180

Running with friends does make it all better. IMO

From auntieem on Wed, Sep 07, 2011 at 13:07:58 from 67.182.149.104

I hope that nap happened! 4:30 is too early. When I have to get up before 5, something is irreparably damaged about the entire day.

From Kelli on Thu, Sep 08, 2011 at 19:10:21 from 71.219.67.175

SLEEP!!!!! I am trying to send some your way.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.410.005.41

Easy run.

I was supposed to go with Carly and Michelle to run 7 miles on the Highline Canal Trail, but I overslept. I woke up when Carly knocked on my door, but then sent her on her way. I hurried and got dressed and drove to the trail and started out knowing I would catch them on their way back. I turned around when I met up with them, so my total distance ended up at 5.41.

AP: 9:41. Splits: 9:44, 9:45, 9:39, 9:56, 9:31, 0.41 @ 9:24.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 5.41
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.020.004.02

Easy run around the 'hood by myself.

AP: 10:04. Splits: 10:30, 10:07, 9:53, 9:46.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 4.02
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.150.006.15

Easy run.

I managed to get up in time to meet up with Carly and Michelle this time. We ran around the 'hood. Carly was doing 8, but we passed my house at 6.15, so I stopped there and let the two young 'uns carry on without me.

AP: 10:07. Splits: 10:05, 10:28, 10:28, 9:55, 9:58, 9:50, 0.15 @ 10:03.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 6.15
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.020.004.02

Easy run.

6:21 am, 59°F, 46% humidity, wind 5 SSE.

I signed up for this program at work where you get a point for every 1/2 hour you exercise and if you get 10 points in a week you get entered in a drawing for some kind of prize. If you get 10 points/week for the entire 8 weeks of the program, you go into a drawing to earn one of 5 $100 gift cards. Last time I did this program I didn't win anything, but I figure I'll give it another go. So I've got to run now so that I can get enough points to get into the drawings. I guess that's what it takes to motivate me these days. Also, the weather is nice in the mornings these days and I shouldn't waste it. It will be cold soon enough. And Bonnie says that I should run.

AP: 10:08. Splits: 10:38, 10:02, 10:00, 9:54.

Brooks Green Silence Miles: 4.02
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Comments
From auntieem on Mon, Sep 12, 2011 at 13:53:46 from 67.182.149.104

Well, that would motivate me too! Tell us when you win something!

From The Quiet Pirate on Mon, Sep 12, 2011 at 15:53:54 from 152.26.59.252

Good luck- I hope you win the big prize!

Glad to see you back running :-)

From Metcalf Running on Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 11:26:51 from 207.225.192.66

Hope you win the big prize... nice run today.

My motivation has also been the weather in the morning.

From JD on Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 17:31:47 from 70.96.78.149

Keep your eyes on the prize.

Smart listening to Bonnie, she is wise.

From Bonnie on Wed, Sep 14, 2011 at 15:23:19 from 128.196.228.134

Welcome back CinC ... I don't know about wise, but I am old and that should count for something ;-)

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

Shred level 1. I will probably be sore tomorrow since I haven't done this in a while.

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.010.004.01

Easy run.

7:03 am, 48°F, 75% humidity, winds calm, overcast.

It's hard to get up and run in the morning after staying up working 'til nearly midnight the night before. And here I am after 7 pm tonight still working again. Fortunately my boys didn't have seminary this morning, so I was able to sleep in a little bit.

It was nice and cool this morning. I didn't need to run through the sprinklers that were on.

I am a little sore from yesterday's shred. And sitting in this stupid work chair all day isn't helping either.

AP: 10:15. Splits: 10:47, `0:14, 10:01, 9:59.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 4.01
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Comments
From auntieem on Wed, Sep 14, 2011 at 22:12:50 from 67.182.149.104

Ouch!

From bye-wing on Thu, Sep 15, 2011 at 08:56:47 from 124.122.214.248

Guess you were right about being sore. Good job running anyway.

No fun working so late...and then sitting in that stupid chair :)

From JD on Thu, Sep 15, 2011 at 16:04:30 from 70.96.78.149

Hope you're getting some overtime pay for those crazy hours - good job getting the run in.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Sep 15, 2011 at 22:05:24 from 198.241.174.15

Not a penny of overtime pay. That's what happens when you're a salaried employee. I better get a big bonus come November.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

Shred again.

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Comments
From The Quiet Pirate on Fri, Sep 16, 2011 at 11:00:37 from 152.26.59.252

two shreds in one week when you haven't done them in a while is just crazy!!

And running in between? You're back in the saddle :-)

From JD on Fri, Sep 16, 2011 at 11:44:30 from 70.96.78.149

Way to shred it.

From Kelli on Sun, Sep 18, 2011 at 22:34:31 from 71.219.67.175

So, you are shredded!

From RAD on Tue, Sep 20, 2011 at 15:56:21 from 76.27.16.189

uggh shred! It is one tough workout! Nice job getting 2 of them in a week.

From RAD on Sat, Sep 24, 2011 at 12:43:05 from 76.27.16.189

Hope life is treating you well!

From Kelli on Wed, Sep 28, 2011 at 18:47:15 from 71.219.67.175

HEY, how are you?

I have been thinking about you this week as i dodge sprinklers at 5 am when it is 50 degrees and FREEZING! I am no longer on the hunt for sprinklers.

From april27 on Sat, Oct 01, 2011 at 16:50:04 from 99.188.251.180

Love the shred...now where r u!

From bye-wing on Sat, Oct 01, 2011 at 22:30:40 from 124.122.22.112

Carolyn- Hope you are doing well. I miss hearing about your running adventures.

From auntieem on Wed, Oct 05, 2011 at 21:56:06 from 67.182.149.104

Shred made you sore yesterday, so you did it again! Great attitude, Carolyn!

From auntieem on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 10:33:43 from 67.182.149.104

Where r u? Still shredding?

From RAD on Tue, Oct 18, 2011 at 15:14:23 from 76.27.16.189

did shred today in your honor. Hope things are well.

From The Quiet Pirate on Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 12:08:34 from 152.26.59.252

No, RAD. I did shred on Tuesday in honor of Carolyn. You just copied me.

From RAD on Thu, Oct 20, 2011 at 13:07:59 from 98.202.23.178

well, since you probably did it before me -I'll give you that. But next time? It goes to Her who posts first!!! :)

From RAD on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 13:52:51 from 98.202.23.178

just coming by to say hello and that we miss you.

From JD on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 19:10:40 from 71.37.100.35

I second that hello and we miss you. :-)

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
4.020.004.02

Just catching up on recording runs I did a while ago.

I did this run at 6:38 am. Average pace was 1:14. Splits were 10:40, 10:15, 10:01, 10:01.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 4.02
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.000.005.00

I did this run with Carly and Michelle. Carly wanted to go 9 miles and I could only eke out 5, so after 5 I stopped and gave Carly my watch so she could measure the rest of her run. When I uploaded the workout, I saw that her splits after I stopped were way faster than the splits where when I was running with her.

AP: 10:13. Splits: 10:08, 10;26, 10:07, 10:05, 10:16.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 5.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.030.003.03

Pathetically slow run.

5:12 am, 31°F, 76% humidity, no wind.

Last night my wonderful 14-year-old son came up to me and said he had a deal for me. If I would run, he would run with me. We've talked about running together before, but he was  never willing to do it at dark-thirty in the morning. So I asked if he would get up at 5:00 and run for about a half an hour so that he could be home in time to take a shower and get to seminary at 6:30 and he said yes, and so that's what we did this morning.

We both got up at 5:00 and were out the door at 5:12, which is nearly a record for me in terms of time from waking to out the door. We ran 3 miles in the dark and I was sucking wind the whole time. He commented on how hard I was breathing. I've gained a lot of weight in the past year and I haven't run in nearly two months and I'm terribly out of shape. But I did manage to run the whole way without stopping, so I guess that's something. He can run a lot faster than I can, but he's not used to the distance, so it worked out okay. When we had about 4 house lengths to go, I started running faster and so then he started running faster and his faster running was way faster than mine.

I'm a little worried because he says his knees hurt when he runs and I don't know what to tell him.

We're going to try to do this again on Thursday.

AP: 10:46. Splits: 10:18, 11:12, 10:52, 0.03 (my little spurt at the end) @ 9:28.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 3.03
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00
Comments
From JD on Tue, Nov 08, 2011 at 11:21:36 from 70.96.78.149

the first couple of runs really bite after an extended break - but it's better than the alternative! nice to see your post today, nice run!

From marion on Tue, Nov 08, 2011 at 12:39:37 from 174.27.205.46

Happy day! :) the twins are back ;)

From auntieem on Tue, Nov 08, 2011 at 14:12:56 from 71.197.255.236

How fun to run with your kid! I love doing that. My son had hurting knees for awhile when he started running a year or so ago; we got him new shoes for a start, and he cross trains with lots of biking.

From RAD on Tue, Nov 08, 2011 at 16:57:41 from 98.202.23.178

I'm with JD, it really does stink to come back. Hang in there, you've done it before and now with some added motivation I KNOW you can do it again! Welcome back!!!

Sorry no help on the knees. All I've ever been told is that increasing quad strength helps alleviate knee issues. But, take that for what it is worth.

From bye-wing on Wed, Nov 09, 2011 at 07:11:58 from 110.168.21.231

Welcome back. Nice way to ease back into running. Looking forward to your blog on Thursday :)

From Metcalf Running on Wed, Nov 09, 2011 at 12:45:40 from 207.225.192.66

Good to see you back! Nice that your son is running with you in the mornings.

From april27 on Wed, Nov 09, 2011 at 20:15:05 from 99.188.251.180

Yeah! Ur back!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.000.003.00

Pathetically slow run.

5:11 am, 30°F, 35% humidity, wind 5 SW.

I ran with Sam again. We started slower today than we did on Tuesday, but the average pace was just slightly faster. I really do better if I start slow.

We ran the same route that we ran on Tuesday, but in reverse. That meant that we had to finish with the hill sprint hill. I didn't sprint up it, but I did try to push the pace a little. We had about 1/10th of mile to go after we got to the top of the hill and Sam took off and ran home really fast, but I slowed down and stopped and walked as soon as I hit 3 miles because I felt like I was going to throw up. That's how pathetic I am. Running up that stupid hill sprint hill at about a 9:30 pace made me sick to my stomach. Also, I've been sore from Tuesday's dinky little run. I am so so out of shape.

I've got to take Sam and buy him some real running shoes this weekend. Maybe that will help with his knee pain.

He was moaning and complaining of a cramp  near the end of our run, just before we got to the hill sprint hill, but he wouldn't stop, and then he blasted up the hill and home. Oh to be 14 years old and full of energy.

AP: 10:41. Splits: 11:02, 10:54, 10:10.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 3.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Comments
From JD on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 12:47:51 from 70.96.78.149

It's so good to hear you are sore after Tuesdays run - because I know how good that feels. Good job on today's effort!

From auntieem on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 16:01:08 from 71.197.255.236

Probably new shoes will help him! So funny that he sprints the hill; that is what is irritating about me running with my son. He just ran his first half marathon recently, and was whining because he had one mile that was over seven minutes!

Good job getting out there; speed doesn't need to be a priority!

From Metcalf Running on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 16:31:33 from 207.225.192.66

Youth is waisted on the young.

From april27 on Sat, Nov 12, 2011 at 14:42:30 from 99.188.251.180

You are faster than someone sitting on their couch!

From bye-wing on Sun, Nov 13, 2011 at 07:26:20 from 124.122.3.105

Glad to hear you were out running again on Thursday. It is tough after you have not been running a while, but that is why I am even more proud of you. :)

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.040.003.04

A every so slightly faster run.

5:13 am, 36°F, 42% humidity, winds calm.

I ran with Sam again this morning. I took him to a running store and they did the gait analysis and everything and I bought him new shoes on Saturday. But he still had knee pain when we ran this morning. After the run and after his shower, I put KT tape on his knees. We'll see if that helps. He wore shorts to school (crazy teenage boy) and I noticed that he pulled his shorts down a little lower than usual to hide the bright green tape on his knees. As he got out of the car for seminar this morning, I told him to pull up his pants, but I doubt that he did.

We ran just a little bit faster today than we did last week. At least we didn't have any mile slower than 11:00 today. I think Sam is getting a little tired of my slow pace. He left me with a little less than 1/4 mile today and ran home ahead of me.

Despite our slow pace, it was not easy for me. I was breathing in 2 breaths and out 1 the whole time, which shows that I was working hard. I am just so fat and out of shape. I've got to get my diet under control somehow.

I just signed both of us up for the Turkey Day 5K. Last year I beat Sam on a Thanksgiving Day 5K by several minutes. He will undoubtedly beat me this year.

AP: 10:34. Splits: 10:43, 10:44, 10:18, 0.04 @ 9:41. (I included that 0.04 at the end just to show that I sped up a little at the end. Also, that last bit is uphill.)

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 3.04
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Comments
From JD on Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 12:31:29 from 70.96.78.149

nice work. you're starting to roll again!

From The Quiet Pirate on Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 13:43:16 from 152.26.59.252

So glad you're back running and blogging. Speed doesn't matter, just getting out and enjoying the run is what I love.

Hope the shoes help Sam's knee. Glad you've got a running buddy again.

From auntieem on Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 15:57:56 from 71.197.255.236

His poor knees! Tell him that yoga helps; he'll love hearing that!

From april27 on Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 19:36:57 from 99.188.251.180

Glad you have him to run with!

From Tracy on Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 19:41:55 from 50.103.236.255

I'm glad to see that you're blogging...maybe I didn't feel like blogging because subconsciously I knew you weren't around ;)

Good running!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 20:02:33 from 76.25.72.82

I'll blog for you, Tracy.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.040.003.04

Slow slog.

5:14 am, 23°F, 50% humidity, winds calm.

Sam and I started out on our normal route, but we hadn't gotten very far when Sam said he wanted to run on the track to change things up. So we took a small detour from our normal route and went to the middle school track. We had gone a half mile when we got to the track, so we decided to run 8 laps and then run home to get our 3 miles. We ran together for about a half a lap and then he decided to speed up and see if he could lap me. When he finished his 5th lap, he decided that he wouldn't be able to lap me, so he stopped and waited for me to finish my 5th lap (I was about a half a lap behind him when he stopped). Then he ran the remaining 3 laps and part of the way home with me. We had to go up the hill sprint hill to get home and when we got to the bottom of the hill sprint hill he left me and ran home faster than I did.

I've registered both of us for the Turkey Day 5K and he's going to beat me easily this year.

I did run a little faster today than I have recently.

AP: 10:07. Splits: 10:11, 9:51, 10:17, 0.04 @ 10:24.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 3.04
Night Sleep Time: 6.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.50
Comments
From Tracy on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 at 10:02:35 from 209.175.177.37

You might get a hankering for some competition that day. Who knows? If not, it'll probably be good for him to get a taste of victory :)

From JD on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 at 11:22:38 from 70.96.78.149

Staying tuned...

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 at 11:30:40 from 198.241.174.15

You might have to stay tuned for a long time before something interesting happens.

From JD on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 at 16:45:45 from 70.96.78.149

yeah, that's running for you. 98% dull, but pretty interesting about 2% of the time.

From bye-wing on Fri, Nov 18, 2011 at 12:06:49 from 124.121.39.218

Glad to see your still running.

I saw the 23 and thought 23c, but it was 23f. YIkes, that is colder than freezing.

I don't think there is a Turkey trot run here, but it sounds like a fun idea. Maybe I will make up my own.

From auntieem on Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 16:25:37 from 71.197.255.236

I am loving all these runs with your son! Sounds like he is bitten by the bug!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.040.003.04

Another slow slog.

5:16 am, 39°F, 48% humidity, wind 6 SW.

We got out the door a couple of minutes later than usual this morning because I was slow getting ready. Even when we get out on time, Sam is rushed after the run and doesn't have time for breakfast. So we considered cutting the run short but then ultimately decided against it. In order to get home faster, Sam left me when we had about 0.6 miles to go and ran home ahead of me. Still he didn't have time for breakfast. I think that breakfast is important. Maybe we need to get up earlier. Or at least maybe I do since I'm the slow one in the morning. Ugh.

I sped up at the end even though I couldn't keep up with Sam.

AP: 10:31. Splits: 10:51, 10:50, 9:55, 0.04 @ 8:54.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 3.04
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00
Comments
From The Quiet Pirate on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 at 13:23:51 from 98.202.23.178

Breakfast on the go is usually my answer. Something with nuts & fruit or granola.

I have a hard time getting moving in the morning too. Why it takes me 20 minutes to get dressed is beyond me.

Keep up the good work and have a good time running with Sam. It's great you've got him for running buddy!

From Tracy on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 at 13:30:23 from 209.175.177.37

I can't function without breakfast...but glad you didn't decide to cut the run short!

From JD on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 at 19:35:43 from 97.117.107.109

good luck at the 5k tomorrow - enjoy that special pain that only a 5k can bring!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.100.003.10

I blew it.

I was so worked up about trying to cook a fancier Thanksgiving dinner than usual that I got mixed up about the race time. I was thinking about what time I would get home from the race in order to start cooking and got that mixed up with the start time of the race. So we go to the race at what I thought was 1/2 hour before it was starting, but was in fact 1/2 hour after it started, so we turned around and went back home.

I dropped Sam at a park near our house so that he could play football with his buddies, and then I went home and then headed out on a run since I was dressed for running and the weather was nice. At about half way through my run I was nearing the park where I had left Sam and I saw my husband driving in to the park to pick Sam up. I thought about taking a little detour in to the park, but then decided against it and kept going. I thought maybe that on the way home Sam would see my running and get out and run with me. Sure enough, that's what happened. I saw my husband pass my again after he had left the park and noticed that Sam was not in the car with him. A minute later, Sam caught up with me and we ran home together. He complained that I was going really slowly and he could almost walk as fast as I was running. We ran until I got to 3.1 miles so that I could call it 5K, and then we walked home about a half mile.

Then I spent all day cooking and things didn't turn out as well as I hoped they would. I think this was the second time in my life that I tried to make rolls from scratch. And they didn't rise. And the turkey was dry. I forgot to cook the sweet potatoes and the corn. The gravy was okay, but not as good as I'd hoped. I was kind of discouraged about the whole thing. But then we took the left overs up to college boy who had stayed on campus to work over the holiday. He was glad for the leftovers. We hung out and played games with him for a couple of hours.

I was really discouraged about the rolls, so I made them again the next day and figured out my problem and this time they rose and turned out right. Then with some new-found confidence, I used a very similar recipe and made cinnamon rolls on Saturday night and took them to choir practice on Sunday. The choir loved them. So now I know how to make rolls. It's all thanks to The Pioneer Woman. Her website was the source of the recipes that I used.

So here are the stats for my pathetic little run:

9:30 am, 55°F, 16% humidity, wind 6 SW.

AP: 10:19. Splits: 10:31, 10:32, 10:00, 0.1 @ 9:16.

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 3.10
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Comments
From RAD on Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 16:29:53 from 98.202.23.178

I don't care what he says - he couldn't walk that fast!!! Boys.

Sorry you missed the race, I would be so upset I'd probably cry. Glad you have a little more self-confidence than I do.

I have a hard time with bread. Rolls always seem to turn out okay, but I can't get bread to work for loving or money. Maybe I need to try her site!

From auntieem on Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 18:28:04 from 71.197.255.236

So sorry you missed your race, but even a pathetic little run is better than no run! Glad you solved your roll problem; cracks me up that you were persistent enough to try them again THE NEXT DAY!

From JD on Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 18:54:58 from 70.96.78.149

sorry you missed the 5k - oh well, there will undoubtedly be more. Happy Thanksgiving to y'all.

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.030.003.03

Progression run of sorts.

5:37 am, 28°F, 61% humidity, winds calm.

Sam decided that he need to practice the cello rather than running this morning. So I got him up a few minutes after 5:00 to practice and then I went back to bed for a few minutes, and then finally dragged myself out to run.

I wore my Garmin but didn't look at it the whole time. I felt like I sped up over the course of the run, but that's not hard to do when you start as freakishly slow as I did. I really do better over all when I take the first mile or so really slow.

AP: 10:34. Splits: 11:04, 10:47, 9:55, 0.03 @ 8:08 (note that this last bit is uphill).

Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 3.03
Night Sleep Time: 6.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 6.00
Comments
From jun on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 11:18:30 from 174.23.175.249

Warm-up miles are crucial. I'm not very good at it and should try harder. Thanks for the reminder.

From The Quiet Pirate on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 12:29:14 from 152.26.59.252

I'm a huge fan of the slow warm ups. Especially first thing early in the morning.

And I'll see your freakishly slow 11:00 and raise you an 11:40!!

From JD on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 12:30:02 from 70.96.78.149

i agree that first mile, when taken easy, can make all the difference for the rest of the run.

From RAD on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 18:13:15 from 98.202.23.178

Especially first thing out the door in the cold, early mornings a nice slow mile is called for! Nice job just getting out the door. That IS, after all, the hardest part of the run!

From april27 on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 21:56:47 from 99.188.251.180

I'm always better if I take it slow at first!

From Bonnie on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 22:15:25 from 64.119.33.134

great job CinC ... I take a really long time to warm up (even when it is warm out) ... I always feel better for it though.

So good to have you back in the fold.

From auntieem on Thu, Dec 15, 2011 at 15:03:46 from 71.197.255.236

SLow beginning seem to work well. Your freakishly slow is still not as slow as many of my lower heart run workouts!

From RAD on Sat, Dec 24, 2011 at 01:55:13 from 98.202.23.178

Just to let you know...I miss you. I really do. Hope all is well and that your family is having a good holiday!

From april27 on Sat, Dec 24, 2011 at 11:53:26 from 99.188.251.180

Merry Christmas!

From The Quiet Pirate on Mon, Dec 26, 2011 at 23:41:33 from 71.51.226.105

Miss you Carolyn- hope your Christmas was good, and you're enjoying the holidays with your family.

From JD on Sat, Dec 31, 2011 at 20:38:03 from 71.32.200.226

happy new year Carolyn!!

From RAD on Wed, Mar 07, 2012 at 20:15:54 from 98.202.23.178

sometimes I day dream about getting on here and seeing your morning run posted at 7AM. I sure miss you Carolyn. I hope you know you may not be blogging, but you're not forgotten!

Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
795.0713.09808.16
Brooks Adrenaline 10 Miles: 143.07Nike Lunarracer Miles: 7.27Brooks Green Silence Miles: 257.70Brooks Adrenaline 10 (2) Miles: 400.12
Night Sleep Time: 967.00Nap Time: 5.50Total Sleep Time: 972.50
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