Emily's training blog

AM:  I ran an eight mile recovery run this morning.  I ran the 1300W to 2700W loop.  As I was running back on 5400 S, I noticed that some high school student lost their library books on the way to school.  (Chasing Fire and Mockingjay from the Hunger Games series.)  I thought of being a Good Samaritan and returning them to the school, but really didn't want to carry two hardbound novels while I ran.  I guess I'm not as altruistic as I should be. 

I felt okay on the run.  My left hip is still nagging, and I can't tell if I'm making it worse by the constant stretching and strength work.  I may be overdoing it a bit.  It doesn't hurt much while I run, it's just sore.  But, as I go through the day I really notice it.  Hopefully a couple of easy days will help matters.  I may cross train tomorrow if I don't notice any improvement.

4 miles to go this evening!

I obviously did not run another four miles last night.  My left hip is just so sore.  I heard it described in an article as "cranky butt" which is not a scientific description, but it is an accurate one.  I feel like one hard workout or long run away from injuring myself, so I decided on a couple of cross training days to hopefully prevent any serious mishaps.  On top of my sore hip, I woke up with back pain, either from sleeping weird, or last night's core exercises.  So, cross training seems the way to go.  I feel REALLY old! 

I rode my spinning bike this morning while I watched mindless television.  I increased the resistance every ten minutes for an hour.

My back was still so tight yesterday. It hurt even to breathe. After moving around through the day it loosened up, and the hip seemed to be improving too. so I decided to attempt my 15 miler. I need those long runs!

Devra showed up at my house at 6 a.m. with a surprise guest. Kristen Ogden came to run with us, so we had a nice little running group. Kristen only needed 12, so instead of doing the loop out 1300W and turning at the temple, we turned at 9000S and ran up to 2700W. We ran back to 5400 S, and back to my house. Kristen stretched on my lawn while Devra and I ran 2.5 more miles through the neighborhood. It seemed to go quickly with running partners.

I felt pretty good, which is to be expected after two days off. I still feel the tightness in the hip, and I will have to see how it recovers today. I think it is manageable, but definitely something to watch. But, I was happy to be running. This was my longest run since back in October.

I was trying to be a nice wife and make sure that Teren had the time to get his workout in before he goes to work, so I got up at 4:30 to get mine in.  I had originally planned to run 10 x 800, but I thought I would play it safe and try to keep my hip intact.  I changed the workout to a fartlek workout.  I warmed up 3 miles, and then ran 3 x 1-2-3-2-1, with 1-1-2-1-1 recovery.  I ran in Valley Park.

The weather was beautiful this morning.  I got to see the sunrise because I was up so early.  It was pretty dark when I started, but the sun was shining by the time I finished.  My body felt a bit tired when I started, but after the first couple of intervals, I began to feel better.  That must mean I'm turning into a marathoner.  I need four miles before I feel good.  I was definitely tired by the end, and my hip started to get sore.  But, I think it will stay in one piece.  Saturday's long run didn't seem to make it any worse.

I cooled down a nice easy 2 miles through the park and back to my house.

I think that around 10:00 this morning, I will be ready for a nap.

Today was one of those rare perfect days of running.  The weather was beautiful, nice and cool, but not too cold.  I felt amazing while I was running.  It felt effortless.  Days like this are definitely few and far between, so I took full advantage and really enjoyed my run. 

I ran through the Taylorsville High driving range, down to the River Trail, and out toward Gardner Village.  I was only going to run 8 miles, but felt so good that I added on the extra half mile out.  Right before four miles there were three different groups of mother and baby geese.  They were spread across the entire trail.  I didn't want to scare the mothers, because I didn't really want to get bit by a goose.  The moms hissed, but I made it through unscathed.  I turned around at the 3 mile mark on the trail, and returned the same way.  Total time for the run was 59:52.  I actually think it's a bit over nine.

Today helped me believe that maybe I am actually increasing in fitness, and my workouts are paying off.  Maybe I am on my way to fast running again! 

 PM  I ran 4 miles on the treadmill at the health club.  I made sure that it was an easy run.

Devra came over to my house bright and early this morning to go run a light track workout before our respective races on Saturday.  She is running the Utah Valley Half Marathon on Saturday, so her workout was shorter than mine was.  

We warmed up three miles through the neighborhood, and ended at the Taylorsville High track.  Both of us felt pretty tired on the warm-up, so we conservatively hoped to keep our intervals at the same pace that we ran them two weeks ago.  (2:45 for the 800's and 1:20 for the 400's)  Our recovery was 1:1.  Apparently we felt better when we ran faster.  I ran 2:37 for both 800's, and Devra ran 2:41.  I added on two more 400's, and ran them in 76, 74, 75, and 73.  Devra ran some laps on the track while I ran 8 x 200 on/200 off.   I kept the 200's under control and just ran them in 37-38.  My legs definitely felt it by the end of the workout.

We cooled down with a 2.5 mile run through the neighborhood to give us 10 for the day.  I was happy to run an entire workout (albeit a short one) under 5:20 pace.  Especially with 25 miles already under my belt this week.  Plus, my hip is beginning to improve.  My fitness is definitely getting better!  This was a great workout to lead into a 5k race this weekend.  Now, two days of recovery!  I'm ready for them.

AM:  I woke up with very sore calves and very tired legs this morning.  The track beat me up a little bit.  I have 10 miles today, so I decided to divide it in to two shorter runs.  I ran 6 this morning, down 4800S, and on to the River Trail, I got off at Millrace Park, and ran up through the Taylorsville High driving range (during driver's ed!)  and back home.  Two weeks from today I leave for Seattle.  I am very excited to go! 

 PM:  Four mile death march before dinner.  Why is it that sometimes the short runs feel the longest?  I started feeling better in the last half mile.  I guess it takes me a few miles to get warmed up.  My hip felt pretty good, my right achilles, not so much.  Sigh!  It's always something.

I ran an easy five today in preparation for tomorrow's 5k.  My legs had more spring in them than they did last night, though my calves are still pretty sore.  I ran a loop down on the river trail to Millrace Park.  At the park I did 6 20 second strides.  Then I finished my run back to my house. 

Teren is taking Cole on his first Father and Sons campout tonight.  Cole woke up this morning excitedly exclaiming "I get to be a scout today!  I get to sleep in a tent!"  I hope it's still exciting at 10:00 tonight.  So, Lily and I are on our own this evening.  I plan on a nice relaxing evening with a chick flick and an early bedtime.  I will miss my boys at the race tomorrow, but I'm glad they can have some male bonding time.

Time for stretching and an icebath, and I'm ready to go!

My legs felt pretty good this morning as I arrived at the race.  I am very paranoid about being late for events, so I was there way too early.  I picked up my race packet, went to the bathroom, checked out the course map, and began my warm-up.  I warmed up for three miles on the roads in Holladay.  I felt good and was very excited to race.  The field was pretty small; probably because there are several races in the valley today, including the Utah Valley Marathon and Half Marathon.  But, Susannah was there, and ready to go.  I also saw a girl warming up on the field that looked like she could be pretty quick.

My goals for the race were sub-18, and I wanted to win.  I got a little anxious, and went out way too hard.  I went through the mostly-downhill first mile in 5:22.  Rob Murphy had stated that he wanted to run around 17:30, and he was behind me at the mile.  That should have been my first clue that I went out too hard.  Mile 2 rolled a bit, but nothing too killer besides one fairly large hill right before the two mile mark.  There was a water table before mile 2, and someone was yelling splits.  This made me think that I had hit the 2 mile mark.  My watch said 10:45, so I thought I was running nice and even, and was very excited.  But, then I saw the REAL 2 mile mark about 200 yards away.  I was not as fast as I thought I was.

The last mile is uphill pretty much the entire way.  My legs were feeling the 60 mile week and 5:22 first mile at this point.  They were tired, and the lactic acid set in hard as I wound my way through the Olympus Jr. High parking lot.  Thankfully, the last 200 meters was downhill.  I was disappointed to see the clock reading in the eighteens.  I really thought I was in sub-18 shape.  Susannah finished about 20 seconds behind me.  She's going to have an amazing college running career!  The other girl that I was worried about was a minute back. 

So, my feelings are mixed about this race.  I wonder if I had just went out with Rob, if I would have felt better later in the race, or if the hills would have killed me no matter what.  I should be happy with an almost 30 seconds improvement since my last 5k 2 weeks ago.  I still wish the fitness would come back faster, but then again, I'm not 25 anymore.  I need to focus on the progress I have made, and not how far I still have to go.  The fitness will come. 

I cooled down 4 miles with Rob, Bill, Susannah, Lisa, and Greg Schneider.  I got really hungry and dizzy during the last mile.  I was happy to be done, and happy I got to eat some food.  There is nothing better than free fresh Great Harvest Bread after a hard race.

2 more weeks until my half marathon.  It will be interesting to see if a tapered week makes any difference in the freshness of my legs. 

Today I just ran an easy ten miles.  I thought that I would try running on the river trail north of 4800S, to see if the flooding has cleared up.  I ran down 2200W to 3500S, and then to the river trail.  Less than a minute onto the trail, and I ran into flooding.  I didn't feel like wading through water today. (especially since my father-in-law told me about water snakes in the puddles . . .shudder!)  So, I turned back around.  I ran down to 900W and ended up looping around a correctional facility.  This took me over to 700W. I ran to 3900 S, and thought maybe I could get back onto the trail . . . nope.  still flooded.  So, I ran up to 1300 West, and over to 4700S.  At 4700 S, I ran to 1950 W, and back through the neighborhood to my house. 

My run meandered all over the place this morning.  I usually like my specific routes.  (What OCD runner doesn't?)  I guess a little adventure never hurt anyone.  Now I have to go wake the kiddos up.  East High cross country practice starts in an hour!

I met Devra at Sugarhouse Park, so we could do a track workout at Highland High.  We warmed up with a lap around the park, and added on to make a three mile warm up.  Devra had 4 x 1200 with 4 minute recovery in between at 4:10 pace.  I tagged along, and added on one more 1200 since I didn't run a half marathon this weekend like Devra did. 

The workout went really well.  We started out pretty conservatively, and got faster as the workout went on.  I felt comfortable until the fifth one, but then we were running much faster at that point.  My intervals were 4:08, 4:05, 4:04, 4:04 and 4:02. We ran a lap recovery, and then did a standing recovery until 4 minutes. 

We cooled down with a lap around Sugarhouse Park.  On our cooldown we ran into the East High team, who were just starting their workout.  I ran another two miles with the team, to give me a 4 mile cooldown. 

I did not feel very well this morning.  I haven't been sleeping very well the last few nights, and I think it caught up to me a bit today.  I will have to make sure to take good care of myself through the day today, or tomorrow's tempo run will be painful. 

My original plan was 12 miles, but I cut it to ten.  I felt like I was struggling, and the pace was not fast.  I'm glad that Devra came to run with me.  It was nice to have the distraction of someone to talk to. 

We ran out on the river trail to Gardner Village and back.  I filled my daily protein intake through the amount of gnats that kept flying into my mouth.  They were everywhere down there! 

Despite feeling awful, I think we managed to finish in a 7:10 average pace. So, we definitely picked up some steam as we ran. 

If I can just make it through this week, I get a nice easy one next week to prepare for the half.  3 more days!

I met Devra at Liberty Park to run a tempo run.  I originally wanted to run six, but I wimped out the last mile and cut it to five.  We warmed up two laps around the outside of the woodchip trail.  Then, we changed shoes, and jogged over to the start, which gave us a 3.5 mile warmup.  The goal was six minute pace.  

My splits were: 

Mile 1:  5:47

Mile 2: 5:48

Mile 3: 5:58

Mile 4: 6:06 (Whoops, my mind started to wander, and I wasn't focusing very well this mile.

Mile 5: 5:54  (Got my head back into it for the finish.)

Total time was 29:35 

I was happy with my tempo run.  I know that I need to make my splits a little more even, but I have found if I get out a little bit harder during the first couple of miles, I do better.

We did a three mile cooldown around the park, and then I rushed up to cross country practice.  It is going to be a busy summer!

I ran an easy recovery run today in preparation for tomorrow's 17 miler.  I ran out 2200W, down to 3800 S, over to 2700 W, and back up to 5400S. 

It was cold this morning.  I didn't bring a long sleeved shirt, so my arms felt numb.  My legs never felt like they really warmed up, either. 

I was kind of dreading today's run.  I am not a fan of long runs, which is a little weird since I want to run a marathon.  The longest I have run to this point is 15 miles, and for some reason 17 sounded like a lot of running.  Devra's schedule also had her running the last 5 hard, which intimidated me even more.  So, I was proud of myself for getting through today's run.

We ran out 1300 W to 104th S, up to 2700, and back to 5400.  We had to add an extra mile in the neighborhood to hit 17.  We didn't start out too quickly, about 7:20 pace for the first three.  Then, we started to pick up.  At about nine miles, where we turned onto 2700 S, we hit a slight downhill.  Our pace picked up significantly, so we decided to do our five hard right there instead of at mile 12.  From mile 9-14, we ran 6:20's.  At mile 11 we took a goo.  The 14th mile was pretty tough, because it was all uphill to 6200 S.  I was definitely feeling the pace then.  Even in the uphill mile we ran a 6:27.  After 6200 it is all downhill, so we just ran easy . . .6:30-40 pace instead of 6:20.  About this time the goo kicked in pretty good, so I felt great the last three miles.  Our total time for the run was 1:55:45, or 6:50 average according to Devra's garmin.

I'm glad to get past the mental barrier of today's run.  Plus, this is my longest run since the winter of 2008.  If I can just stay healthy, I think I will run really well!

Now I get to recover for next week's half marathon!

Devra and I ran really early this morning. We got going at 5:00 a.m. because we both had crazy schedules today.  This did not bode very well for our workout.  Devra had 4 x 1 mile, with a two-lap jog recovery.  I didn't want anything too hard, because I want to race well this weekend.  But, I thought I could handle this workout. 

We warmed up 2 miles through the neighborhood, and then did some strides at the track.  I thought 5:40-5:45 mile pace would be pretty easy based on last week's 1200 workout.  The first one I ran 5:38, and felt terrible.  The second I ran 5:40 and felt much better.  The third, I ran 5:39.  I felt like I was pushing, but not killing myself.  I decided to stop after three, but then decided to pace Devra through the last 800 of her last mile.  I ran this in 2:49. 

I know that I still have Saturday's run in my legs.  I think that had we run an hour or two later, the workout would have felt easier, and we would have been able to run faster.  However, I couldn't have run this workout a month ago, so I am improving.

We ran a 2.5 mile cooldown.  Then, I went home to get ready for cross country practice.  While I was in the shower, Cole found a fabric marker, and colored his entire face.  He had a big red beard when I came downstairs.  These markers are water resistant, so I thought that we would be living with little Redbeard for a few weeks.  Thankfully, I thought to try make-up remover, and it worked!  I learned something new today!   Needless to say, the fabric markers are now out of reach. 

My legs were feeling a bit pounded today, so I opted to cross train in order to give myself some extra recovery.  I rode my spinning bike for an hour, increasing the resistance every ten minutes.  While I rode, I caught up on trashy television.  I'm a little embarassed to admit that I am addicted to the Bachelorette.  I'm fully aware of the stupidity of this show, but appreciate the mindless entertainment that it provides.

My legs were nice and peppy this morning.  I think I will be ready to roll on Saturday.  I'm excited to be there two days before the race.  That means I can rest up and get myself in race mode instead of dealing with the chaos of everyday life with two kids.  It will be nice to be able to really focus.  I'm also excited for quality time with my mom . . . even if I do have to share her with Hot Scott (the boyfriend). 

I ran a 3.5 mile run on the river trail over to Millrace Park.  Then, I ran 10 x 1 minute on/1 minute off.  My original plan was 15, but my achilles tendon was not liking the lightweight trainers that I was wearing.  (I couldn't find my running shoes this morning.  I wonder if Lily has been wearing them again.)  10 seemed to be plenty.  To finish, I ran a mile and a half home from the park. 

I traveled to Seattle today.  In the afternoon, my mom and her boyfriend brought me to a running trail to do my run.  I shortly realized that I had strained my achilles tendon pretty badly yesterday.  This makes me so nervous for the race on Saturday.  It hurt the entire run, and I was limping by the end.  I stopped at 4.

No running.  Just lots of ice and massage.  I am very concerned about tomorrow's race. 

Completely disgusted and frustrated!!! I will write a more detailed report later.  Let's just say I totally fell apart.  I guess at least I made it through the race. 

 It's later.  I'm still very disappointed, but the original emotion has dissipated.  I can look at my race more objectively now.   I think Teren stated it best, when he said "your mind is faster than your body right now."  He's right.  I'm trying to run to my previous fitness, because that is what I think I "should" be running.  

Basically, I went out way too hard, put myself in a deficit, and then never mentally or physically recovered.  I went 18:00 through the first 5k.  No wonder I was already sucking wind at mile 2.  It just got worse and worse as the race progressed, and because I was getting discouraged, I never got into a rhythm.  In hindsight, the better race plan would have been to go out with the second group of women who started at around 6:00 pace, and raced within that group. 

After I started to really struggle, I mentally packed it in.  That was the longest second half of a half marathon EVER!  I just wanted to be done. 

So, the two major mistakes that I made are: going out too hard, and disengaging mentally.  I know that my fitness still needs to improve, but I know I am physically able to at least break 1:20.  That definitely would have happened today had I raced smarter.  My race was actually a 5k race, a 5k tempo, and then a 7 mile jog!

I guess the positive thing is that my achilles held up, though it is very sore now.  I finished even though I wanted to quit. (Of course, that might be because I didn't know how else to get to the finish line.)  I learned a lot about my true fitness level and my mental state, so I can set goals for the future.  I'm even more motivated to train and get myself to where I want to be.

I would post my splits, but they are so embarrassing!

I ran on the treadmill this morning to protect my achilles.  It was sore for a couple of miles, but it worked itself out pretty well.  I will just continue babying it . . . my house smells like Ben-Gay from all the massaging I have been doing. 

 You would never know that I ran a half marathon . . . probably because I really didn't.  I'm just going to look at it as a good hard long run.  I think I will recover pretty quickly. 

I started my run at a nice easy 8.0 mph, and increased .1 every half mile.  I was going pretty hard at the end, but the overall run felt pretty good. 

I was not very motivated this morning.  I think Saturday's race took a little wind out of my sails.  I'm sure I will perk up and get excited again soon. 

The weather was hot and windy this morning, even at 5:00.  I'm glad that I don't run later in the day.  I ran out 1300W to 70th S, over to 2700W, and back to 5400S.  My legs felt a little more sore than yesterday.  I think it was the lunges that I did with the cross country team. 

5 more tonight.

PM:  Five more on the treadmill.  97degrees and windy?  No, thank you!

I overslept yesterday, and spent the day preparing for our trip to Cedar City this weekend.  I didn't get a run in.  It is so hard to run if I don't do it first thing in the morning.

I didn't think the half marathon was affecting me very much until today, when I tried to do a fartlek workout.  I ran at Liberty Park.  I ran a 2 mile warm-up, and then ran 10 x 3 minutes on/2 minutes off.  I timed a couple of half miles, and realized that I was only running 5:45-5:50 pace.  At least they were consistent.  My legs were pretty dead when I tried running fast.  I ran 2 miles to cool down.  My achilles is still sore, but seems to be hanging in there.

So, I think I have a marathon picked out for the fall.  It's not a huge marathon, but I think it will be a good one.  I'm going to run the Des Moines Marathon on October 16th.  I've run the half before, so I'm familiar with half of the course.  It's completely flat.  There is some rolling in the first half, but I would rather have the hills at the beginning, than at the end.  It's nice to have something pinned down, so I can focus my training better.