Emily's training blog

Baby Myles is here, and now it's time to get back to working out hard again.  I've missed running!  I need to take it easy coming back, so I will run only 15-20 minutes a day through this first week.  I may only run every other day, depending on how I feel.  I can tell my core strength is seriously lacking.  Plus, I'm still packing an extra 15 pounds.  So, I don't want to get injured.

I did 40 minutes on the elliptical on the interval setting.  The intervals were two minutes on, two minutes off.  Then, I ran 2 miles on the  treadmill.  It took me 16:20, so 8:10 per mile.  When I got home I did 3 x 25 crunches. 

It's going to take a while to get consistent with workouts with a new baby in the house.  Some nights are way rougher than others right now.

I went to a lifting/coreworks class.  It was so hard.  I am a huge weakling right now.  Especially in the core.  I'm going to be really sore tomorrow.

After the class I ran 20 minutes on the treadmill.  Well, actually, I ran 20:10 because I had to run an even 2.5 miles.

I ran 3 miles on the treadmill in 24:18.  I am really sore from yesterday, just like I thought I would be.  After running I took a Zumba class.  It was much easier without the big stomach getting in the way of my sexy moves! 

I ran outside for the first time this morning.  I ran some loops through the neighborhood.  It felt good to get outside, though I think it will be short-lived, since there is a storm coming on Wednesday. 

When I got home I changed into shorts and rode 30 minutes on my spinning bike while watching Spongebob with Cole.

Myles woke up at 4 to eat, so I was out the door a little after 4:30.  I went out to the West Jordan club to run and take the 5:30 bootcamp class.  I ran for 25 minutes, completing 3.25 miles (actual time 25:15). That is under 8 minute pace, so I'm getting a little faster.  (though I will admit that I could feel the faster pace!)

The Boot Camp class was . . . interesting.  The usual instructor wasn't there.  Apparently, she just had a baby and will be back next week.  (and I thought I was crazy!)  The sub began class by complaining for 10 minutes that it was so early.  I don't think complaining about the early hour to a 5:30 a.m. class is going to garner any sympathy whatsoever.  

After the whiney warm-up, we alternated 3 minutes of cardio with three minutes of strength work.  The class was pretty effective, if a little "90's" for my taste.  (think step, kickboxing, and good old-fashioned aerobics).  The instructor kept chatting during the sets about everything from Dowton Abbey, to cheese sticks, to how Usher music makes her feel sexy.  The best story was how a female clerk at Trolley Square asked her out on a date.  The talking was entertaining . . . but made it a little hard to concentrate on the lifting.  I'll have to see how the regular instructor does before I decide whether to stick with this particular class.

On a side note, I forgot deodorant this morning.  (hey, it was 4:30)  I was the stinky girl in class. 

I was so tired and sore last night, so I "slept in" (until 5:30) and did a shorter workout this morning.  I have a harder day planned tomorrow, so I just did a 30 minute run and called it good. 

I actually got 4 miles in, which is my longest run so far.  It took me 30:43.  It's nice to see my pace picking up, and I felt under control the entire run. 

I took a cycle class this morning.  It was really tough.  The instructor kept the intensity high for the entire class.  I took cycle through my whole pregnancy, and I don't remember having a class that was as difficult as this morning's. 

After class I ran a progressive run, starting at 7.5 mph and increasing every two minutes.  This was hard after the cycle class.  I ran 3 miles in 22:30, so 7:30 per mile pace. 

Tomorrow is lift class.  I will probably scale back the intensity on the run and go a little bit longer (30-35 minutes.)   Of course, a lot of it depends on the baby's sleeping/eating schedule!  At least I have managed to get out to workout every day this week.  (so far!)

I remembered my deodorant today.  I'm sure the other cyclists were thankful!

I only had time to take the Lift/Coreworks class this morning.  Myles was awake and bright eyed at 5 a.m.  It's hard to be too frustrated when he gives you his first smiles.  I figured the strength work is more important than mileage at this point. I just put in 4 days of running in a row, so for injury avoidance, not running is a good thing. 

Teren is home from work tomorrow, so I can get in a nice long running/cross training session.  That will be so fun when I'm nice and sore from lifting today.

I ran 5 miles in 37:42, and followed that up with 30 minutes on the cross trainer.  I started at level 6 and increased every ten minutes on the random setting.  It's quiet at the health club at 6:00 a.m. on a Saturday. 

Jake made me feel wimpy for running on the treadmill, so I braved the great outdoors this morning.  (What can I say?  I'm a gym rat!)  It was worth it.  The full moon was amazing. 

4.25 miles on the SLCC loop.  I didn't time it, but I felt super slow this morning.  I can't wait to be back in shape again!!!

 I went to the health club again this morning so that I could lift after my run.  As I was taking off my sweats in the locker room, I was startled by a woman, wrapped up in her coat, sound asleep on the bench.  I guess she was getting a little more sleep before her workout.  I didn't notice her when I came back after my run, so I guess she didn't sleep through her class.

I added some incline to my run today.  I warmed up 5 minutes, and then ran 2 minutes at 0 percent incline, 1 minute at 1%, 1 at 2%, and 1 at 3%.  I repeated this for 40 minutes.  I also increased my pace by .1 every five minutes.  The last couple of sets were getting pretty tough. 

After I ran, I lifted.  I chose my own lifting routine over the bootcamp class that I took last week. 

I was also down a whopping two pounds Woo Hoo!!!

It was a cold, but beautiful morning when I went to run.  I ran 4800 S. down to the river trail.  I had the moon on the right side of me, and the rising sun on the left.  It was gorgeous.  It made getting up in 15 degree weather worth it. 

My quads and hips are sore today from doing lunges and step-ups yesterday.  But, a lot of the soreness worked out during the run.

The sleep deprivation got to me yesterday, so I missed working out.  I only have about a 2 hour (between 5-7 a.m) window to work out, and if I miss it, it doesn't happen.  Teren leaves for work at 7 and I don't generally see him until about 10 p.m.   Guess I'll have to hire some babysitters when Myles gets a little bigger.

Anyway, I ran a little bit of a workout this morning.  I ran 5 miles, throwing in 1 minute pick-ups every five minutes.  The five miles took me 36:18. 

After running, I took the lifting/coreworks class and swore under my breath the entire hour.  Have I ever mentioned how much I hate lifting?  It was especially torturous this morning.  Here's hoping that strength work pays off in strong, injury-free running!

I was so excited when my friend, Chelsea Mckell  asked if I wanted to go running this morning.  I love having running partners.  So, she humored me and got up really early to put in some slow post-pregnancy miles with me. 

It was a beautiful morning, and the company made the run fly by.  I ran a river-trail loop to Bullion and up to 1300W to 5400S and back home.  Besides some soreness from yesterday's class, it felt great to be out this morning.

Now I'm taking the kids to see the "real" Spiderman at the saftety fair at Southtowne Expo.   I've got to gather all my courage to fight the throngs of children in superhero costumes.  Should be fun.  Maybe.

It's getting warmer in the mornings.  And, the sun is starting to come out earlier.  I'm sure there are some cold days still ahead, but I think I missed the most of the winter being pregnant. 

I ran my 2200 W to Costco loop.  Coming back up 2700 W was pretty tough.  That's the most hill I've had in a run thus far. 

45 minute run with 1 minute pushes, 6.32 miles.   After running I lifted.  Why do I always feel as if I'm encroaching on the "He-men's" sacred turf when I hit the weight room?  I think there needs to be more 35-year-old running women and fewer 20-something frat boys with overdeveloped biceps lifting weights.   I especially liked the "dude"  who was lifting in his baggy jeans, t-shirt, and backwards cap.  He did a few bicep curls and a little bench press and called it good.  I would worry about the smell of his clothes that he clearly meant to wear the rest of the day, but I don't think he really worked up much of a sweat.

On another note, the woman sleeping in the locker room was actually homeless and looking for a warm place to crash.  I empathize, but members are supposed to check in with our fingerprints at the front desk?  So, who's letting other people in? (I guess she's not the first  homeless person to use the club's facilities.)   Gotta love the health club.  I'm never bored.

(1 more pound down this week!)

I met Caisa, a former BYU teammate up in Daybreak for a run with her running group.  There was a nice group of 7-8 ladies.  I felt a little scroungy since several showed up in full make-up and fancy running clothes.  Some were a little more serious runners than others.  But, it was still fun having so many women to run with.  And, I enjoyed catching up with Caisa.  She's a super-mom with 3 little boys; a 3 year old, and 18 month old twins.  We ran a nice easy talking, pace.  However, I did feel Tuesday's pick-ups and weight lifting this morning. 

It was sprinkling a bit when I started running this morning, but let up after about a mile or so.  I ran out to 1300W, to 7000 S, down to the river trail, and back to 5400S.  It actually felt really nice outside this morning.  The sun is usually up by the time I am finished.  I'm not looking forward to daylight savings next week and a return to running in the dark.  My total time for the run was 56:40.  (I thought I'd better start measuring my progress a bit.)  I think this route is a bit over 7.5.

I met Jenny Fidler down on the river trail to run.  It was really dark, so I'm glad I had a friend to run with.  We tried to stay out of the sketchier parts of the trail, so we ran two miles to the south and back, then we ran two miles to the north and back.  Eight miles in 1:00:03, so exactly 7:30 pace.  It felt pretty tough this morning.  Maybe it's the hour time change.  But, in the last 4 weeks I have dropped from over 8 minute pace for 2 miles to 7:30 pace for 8 miles.  Maybe I will get fit again!

45 minute run.  10 minute warm up, followed by 30 minutes of 2 minutes on/off.  8 total sets of 2 minutes on.  5 minute cooldown.

No weight loss this week.  Stubborn baby pounds!

I felt a little bit pounded after yesterday's run.  My hips and achilles were sore.  So, I ran loops at Liberty Park to keep it on the soft surface.  I didn't time my run.  I'm sure it was really slow.  It felt good on my joints, but soft surface running definitely takes more strength.  I will be running longer tomorrow.

Yes, the extra .06 is very important! 

I met Jenny at Murray Park for a run through the Murray neighborhoods.  The run had lots of rolling hills.  I was still feeling Tuesday's workout, but definitely felt better than yesterday.  The soft surface jog made a big difference.  1:02:28 for the run.

It was a beautiful morning, albeit dark.  I only planned on 5 miles, but was enjoying my run so much that I extended it to six.  I felt great.  My legs felt a bit fresher than the last couple of days.  I busted out my new light-up arm band that I won in a race this winter.  I really liked being more visible.  The pulsing light setting felt like running in a strobe light, and effected my depth perception.  Plus, I don't think the arm bands are made for the bicep-challenged.  Maybe they have a child size.

I ran 4800S to the River trail and up at Millrace Park.  I love spring!  Too bad it's supposed to get cold again in a few days.

Later AM:  Zumba class.

One hour treadmill run with a little bit of speed thrown in.  First, I warmed up for 15 minutes.  Then, I did three sets of 3 min. 2 min. 1 min. with 2 min. 2 min. 1 min. recovery.  I ran the recoveries at 7.5 mph.  The first set I ran 9.2, 9.6, and 10 mph.  Set 2 was 9.3, 9.7, and 10.1 mph.  Set 3 was 9.4, 9.8, and 10.2 mph.  The workout was a little tough, but not out of control.  I just want to start improving my pace and get a little turnover going. 

I'm really pleased this week.  It's difficult not to go crazy and ramp up the training.  This is my first full week of running, and I hit 40 miles this week.  I know that is still pretty minimal, but it's a long way from where I started 4 weeks ago. 

If I have time, I may go take St. Patrick's Day Zumba later this morning.  Do they celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Brazil?

Nine miles with Jenny back and forth on the JRT. My longest run so far. We ran it in 1:07:20.  My body really seems to lock in at 7:30 pace.  I felt a little tired from Saturday's run, and could definitely feel the last mile.  But, I'm almost to a double digit run, so that's exciting!  It helps to have someone to talk to on the run.

I ran a tempo workout today.  I warmed up for 15 minutes, and then ran 10 minutes at 6:40 pace, with 3 minutes recovery.  Then, I ran 2 x 5 minutes, at 6:30 and 6:20 pace with 2 minutes recovery in between.  To finish, I ran 5 x 1 minute on/off.  I cooled down until I hit 8.5 miles.  Total time: 60:04.

PM:  Teren came home early from work!  (YAAYY!!!) so I went to the club and took a Zumba class.  I felt extra clumsy tonight.

I woke up to a rain/snowstorm, so decided to hit the treadmill.  I ran an hour progressive run, starting at 8 minute miles, and increasing the pace .1 every half mile.  I finished at 6:30 pace.    Last week was so nice.  I'm not happy to see the return of winter.  Hopefully, it is short-lived.

I ran my Costco loop today.  I ran with no watch, and tried to take it easy.  I had originally planned a fartlek workout today, but yesterday's progression run  left me sore this morning.  A workout was probably not needed. 

It snowed for about two blocks and then stopped. 

9:15 AM  Zumba class

I met Chelsea on the river trail for a cold, snowy run.  Actually, it wasn't too cold, but the trail was really icy.  So, it wasn't the fastest run in the world.  The sun came out after the turn-around point, and melted the ice.  The footing was much better the second half of the run.  We still averaged under 8 minute miles, which isn't bad for a snowy run.  I'm glad I went and didn't wuss out and end up on the treadmill.

I had a sore throat and headache Sunday and yesterday, so I was trying to recover.  I still have a sore throat this morning, but no other symptoms, so maybe I'm just dehydrated.  It didn't seem to affect my running.

I warmed up 2 miles and then ran 10 x 2 min. on/off.  Then, I cooled down until I hit 9 miles.  Total time was 62:38 for nine miles.   My first sub- 7 minute/mile run.  It was hard; especially the last 3 repeats. 

I am down 6 pounds since I started running.  Still about 10 to go, but it's nice to see the scale numbers go down instead of up!

PM  Zumba

I felt sluggish this morning, and my hips were sore.  I don't know if that is from the workout yesterday, or the Zumba class.  I also felt really cold the whole run.  Definitely not my favorite run of the week. 

I ran out 1300 W to the river trail at 7000 S.  Back to Millrace Park and up through the neighborhood.  I had planned to do some strides at the Taylorsville High track.  But, when I got there and found I had to run around to the opposite side of the track to get in, I got lazy and ran home.  Maybe tomorrow. 

I met Jenny at Murray Park for our Thursday run.  I felt sassy in my new Target running tights.  There's nothing like new running gear to get you excited for a run.  We ran 8 miles through the neighborhoods.  As soon as it gets a little lighter, we plan to run out to Wheeler Farm. 

We let loose our inner 12-year-old boy by discussing bodily functions for the majority of the run.  Who knew poop could be so fascinating?  (Sorry if that is way too much information!)

Jenny's husband decided to do crossfit at 6 a.m., so I'm all alone on my Monday and Thursday runs again.  Myles woke up at 4:30, so I went earlier than usual.

It was warm, windy, and muggy this morning.  I didn't even need a long sleeved shirt.  With about 3 miles left it started to rain pretty hard.  I tried to open up my stride and pick up the last two miles, which are downhill.

I ran out 1300 W to 7000 S, to 2700 W and back to 5400 S.  Nice rolly loop.

I decided to start a little more speed work this week.  I didn't have a planned workout in mind, so I just joined Jenny for hers.  The nice thing was that I was able to train at 10 instead of 6 a.m.  A later start made a huge difference.

I didn't have huge aspirations for a first workout.  Jenny ran a 1 mile, 2 800's and 4 400's.  I did 3 800's and 4 400's.  I didn't feel quite ready to step up to mile repeats yet.  I just wanted to keep everything around 6 minute pace.  I ran 2:55, 2:56, and 2:54 for the 800's and 84, 83, 84, 84 for the 400's.  I did get quite a bit of recovery, with a full lap between repeats, but that's probably okay for the first workout. 

We warmed up 2.5 miles, and just cooled down a mile on the track.  A lot of the mileage today was rest laps in between repeats, but that will change as I get in better shape.

Overall, I was pretty pleased with my first post-baby track session.

Sore calf and a little laziness kept me from running the last couple of days.  I'm going to have to get serious about running, soon if I want to return to racing.  Though, it has been nice just running how I feel, when I feel like it. 

I did a tempo workout today.  I warmed up 10 minutes and then ran 10 minutes at 6:40 pace, 3 minutes recovery, 10 minutes at 6:30 pace, 3 minutes recovery, 5 minutes at 6:20 pace, 3 minutes recovery 5 minutes at 6:10 pace, 2 minutes recovery, 5 x 1 minute on/off at 5:40-6:00 pace.  I was at 8.78 miles at an hour, so I finished 1.22 miles for 10 total.

At 9:15 I went to Zumba.

I broke the 130 pound barrier.  I am now weighing in at 129 lbs.  9 lbs to go.  I'm starting to feel less chunky.

I am super sore from yesterday.  No surprise there.  I waited until this afternoon to run since this morning Cole had a soccer game.  I ran 2200W out to 4100S and down to the river trail.  While on the river trail I was overtaken by a bunch of people dressed in mideivel armor.  They were having a big battle.  I feel so much safer knowing that I am protected from all the orcs and trolls that threaten the river trail!  I love being entertained on my runs!  I was reminded of the movie Role Models.  I didn't know people really took their Dungeons and Dragons games live.

I got off the river trail at Millrace Park and slogged home.  My total time for the run was 1:01:56.  I need to get back to full weeks of training starting next week.

I enjoyed the nice morning before the bad weather hits.  I ran 4800 S to the river trail.  I ran the river trail to Winchester, and climbed the nasty hill to 1300 W.  Then, I took 1300 W to 5400 S and ran home.  Overall, it was an uneventful run, but a nice start to the week.

I was a little short on time this morning, so I didn't run quite as long as I wanted to. 

I warmed up 12 minutes, and then ran 5 sets of 3 minutes on, 2 minutes off.  The fast parts were between 5:52 and 6:07 mile pace, with recovery at 8 minute pace.  Then, after a quick bathroom break, I finished with 5 x 1 min on/off at 5:35-5:45 mile pace.  I ran until I hit 50 minutes, which was 7.3 miles total.  I'm hoping that I can consistenly run under 6 minute mile pace for repeats soon.  It's hard to believe that used to be my tempo run pace. 

I avoided the rain this morning, and took advantage of play group to get out and run at a later hour.  I wish I could go run every day at 10 a. m.  I ran an extended Costco loop, running up to 3200 W instead of 2700 W, out to 3800 S, looped through the neighborhood up to 4100 S, to 2200 W, and back up to my neighborhood.  I was a little sore through the hips from yesterday's workout.  I'm so grateful for our neighborhood play group and all the moms that take turns watching all those little crazy kids.

It was really cold when I was running this morning.  I never felt that I got really warm though the workout.

I went out to Cottonwood Complex to do some hill work.  I warmed up on the 2 mile loop around the hospital.  Then, I ran a hill circuit, which included a 500 meter hill (Bessie) and a 300 meter hill to the fence.  I ran the 500 m loop, and then jogged around the baseball diamond to the 300 meter hill, sprinted up to the fence, and then ran down along the fenceline and across the park by the picnic area back to the start of Bessie.  The entire loop was about a mile.  I did 4 sets. 

The grass was frosty and slippery, so it was really hard to get much speed going.  Next time I do this workout I will time the hills.  Today I just went by effort.  It was a good strength workout, and I can' t wait to torture the high school kids with it this summer.

I cooled down on the two mile road loop again. 

9:15:  Zumba class.  I have a new, cute zumba outfit!  Running shorts kind of look funny in Zumba class.

The hill run/Zumba combo yesterday did me in.  I had very tired legs today.  Who knew dancing around could wear you out!  So, I only ran 8, but it wasn't slow.

I ran a 30 second pick-up every 5 minutes to get a little turnover in.  I'm not sure this was a good idea, but it lowered my overall pace to sub-7 minute miles.   55:10 for total time. 

It wasn't too bad outside this morning considering it snowed overnight.  It was nice and calm, and not too cold.  I felt great when I started my run, but two miles in my stomach started to hurt.  I ended up cutting my run a little short, since I had to make two bathroom stops over the next mile and a half.  I hate when my stomach acts up on runs. 

I ran 4800 to the River Trail, off at Bullion, up to 5400 South, and then an extra loop through the neighborhood to make it six. 

I should feel really good for a workout tomorrow.

I obviously woke for my run with Boston on my mind.  My heart and prayers go out to all those who were present during the bombing, and especially to those who were injured or killed.  I feel a sense of solidarity with all of my fellow runners, and know that not one of us is unaffected by yesterday's events. I approached my run with extra gratitude for even having the opportunity to do something that brings me peace and joy. 

I ran a tempo run today.  I ran a 2 mile warm up, followed by 5 miles in 31:44.  This run was done on the treadmill.  I started at 6:30 per mile pace, and increased .1 every five minutes.  I cranked it up a little more the last couple minutes, and finished at 6:00 per mile pace.  It was good having an extended harder run.  I'm progressing little by little. 

I cooled down 15 minutes to hit 9.1 for the total run. 

I haven't been keeping up on my blog very well lately.  So, here I go again.

I ran up to Valley Park and ran a lap around it.  Then, I ran up 2700 W to 6200 S, I ran down to the canal road, and back toward 5400 W.  I've only run this loop once, so it was a nice change. 

Running is a great time for sorting my thoughts out.  We are contemplating moving, and I spent the run considering our options.  No definite decisions were made, but running seems to clear my head. 

I thought I should probably pick a race to aim for.  I will start out with the Taylorsville Dayzz 5k at the end of June, and follow that up with Murray Days 5k and Draper Days 5k.  Then, I will run Des News  10k or half.  That should give me something to shoot for and put an end to the random training.  I don't expect stellar results this summer, but it will keep me focused, and then I can hit it hard next spring and summer.

I met Jenny at Murray Park.  I was so glad to run with her again.  I love having a partner.  I got to hear about all of her experiences at the Boston Marathon.  She and her husband were directly across the street from where the blasts occurred.  I'm so glad that they were okay. 

We ran from Murray Park to Wheeler Farm. through Wheeler Farm, back to Murray Park, and ran a loop around Murray Park for 7.2 miles. 

The snow was coming down hard when I went to run this morning.  So, off to the health club I went.  Cole had to be to school early this morning, so I only had time for about 45 minutes. 

I warmed up 15 minutes and then ran 10 x 90 seconds on/off at 5:45-6:00 pace.  I haven't done any workouts in a while, so I just wanted to start some turnover without getting too crazy.    6.57 miles in 45 minutes.

I felt a little dizzy and nauseous running this morning.  I attribute it to a lack of sleep last night.  I woke up at 2 after a nightmare about running a marathon (I was only at mile 12 and I had been running for 2 hours.)  and couldn't get back to sleep.  I finally fell back to sleep after 3,  when Myles woke me up and was up for an hour.  Hopefully, I can catch a little cat nap today.

I ran out 1300W down to the river trail, through the killer geese, and back up at Millrace Park.  It was a beautiful morning, if a little chilly.

So, my big announcement is that I decided to run the St. George Marathon with my friend, Jenny in October.  It will help me focus my training and get back into shape.  I think it will be a good one to do.  I don't have huge expectations, I just want to run my first one, see how I do with it, and "enjoy" it.  So, all marathon training advice is much welcome!  I really just want to get to the starting line healthy.

It would really help if it was just about 10 degrees warmer in the morning.  It's difficult to do any sort of speed when your body doesn't feel as if it warms up.  Or, it would be helpful if I could run later in the morning, but 5:30 is what worked with my schedule today.

I warmed up 15 minutes and then ran 6 x 3 minutes on/2 minutes off.  I hit the 4 mile turn-around point at 28:16, and finished in 55:30, so I definitely sped up over the run. 

I had another funny running dream last night.  I dreamed that I was at track camp on a beach somewhere and I was hanging out with my good buddies Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher.  We were playing skeeball together. 

Note to self:  Baked potatoes with chili the night before a morning run is hard on the stomach.  Ugh.

It was a beautiful morning for a run.  I met Jenny at the river trail, and I made up a loop that took us through the neighborhoods, down to 4100S, and back to the trail to Millrace Park.  The problem was, my stomach was still hurting.  I must have picked up some sort of virus.  After about 6 pit stops in 8 miles, I was pretty energy depleted.  Thankfully, we ran into Carol Cabanillas and she saved me with a gu.  The gu continued to wreak havoc on my intestines, but gave me enough energy to finish the run.  Still managed 7:15 pace for the run. 

This was a great week of training.  I ran my highest mileage since having Myles, and my longest run.  Plus, I got two fartlek workouts in.  Now, if I can just beat my sour stomach . . .

I warmed up by jogging to Valley Park.  Then, I ran 2 x 5 min/3 min/2 min, with 3 min/2 min/1 min recovery.  I ran home for recovery.  My stomach seems to be doing a little better.  I only had to stop once after my warm-up, and managed to make it through the workout.  Success!

I met Jen for our Murray Park to Wheeler Farm run.  I really like running at Wheeler Farm.  It's a good place to add a little soft surface running.

I registered for St. George yesterday.  Now, I'm just waiting to see if I got in!

I warmed up on a three mile loop through the neighborhood and ended up at Taylorsville High School.  I went into the high school to use the bathroom.  This made me nervous.  I kept expecting some teacher to stop me and ask where my visitor's pass was. 

I ran 15 x 200 on/off .  They were all between 39 and 40 seconds, with the outliers being a 38 and a 40.66.  They were nice and consistent, though I would definitely like them to be faster.  I ran a lap to finish 4 miles in 29:07, then I ran a mile home. 

I ran easy with no watch today.  I concentrated on keeping my breathing nice and easy.  I have tired legs from getting on the track yesterday.  My calves and hips are especially sore.  Who knew that 200's could be so taxing? 

My running dream from last night:  I was running a half marathon in Maine.  I thought the race was on Sunday, and it was actually on Saturday.  I completely missed the race.  Jake was the winner, though I didn't see what time he ran.  Funny running dreams.

I warmed up two miles and then ran 3 x 10 minutes with 2 minutes jog recovery inbetween.  The first ten minutes I ran 6:20 pace, the second 10 minutes 6:12 pace, and the third 10 minutes 6:05 pace.  I felt pretty comfortable until the last 5 minutes of the third repeat.  Then, I cooled down until I hit 55 minutes of running.  8.18 miles.  Slowly, but surely my fitness is returning!

I felt MUCH better than last week.  It definitely helped not having to stop every 10 minutes.  I'm glad that my stomach is functioning properly again.  I felt pretty good after yesterday's workout, which means that I didn't overdo it yesterday. 

I ran 1300 W to 7800S and on to the river trail at Gardner Village.  I ran along the trail to the 4800 S exit.  I ran back up 4800S, and then swung out to 4700 to 2200W.  Then, I ran 2200 W to my neighborhood and back to my house.  I'm glad that I got out early.  It's going to be very warm today.

I hit a whopping 50 miles this week!  I almost feel as if I'm training again!

My legs were tired today.  They were not quite recovered from Saturday's run.  I ran without a watch and tried to run easy.  I ran 2200 W to 4100S, down to the river trail and back to Millrace Park.  I had to stop and watch the pelican that was standing in the river.  He was pretty cool.    I love the things that I see on runs that I probably wouldn't see otherwise. 

I find out about St. George today!

I met Jenny at Murray High for a track work out, only to find out that the track is completely torn up.  So, we had a change of plans.  We ran down to Murray Park and did a fartlek workout.  We ran 2 sets of 1-2-3-2-1 minute intervals with 1-1-2-1-1 minute recoveries.  We practiced the hill up to Vine St. on State St. so that we will be all ready for the Murray 5k.  The workout was a good mix of hills, soft surfaces, some trail, and some pavement.    Then, we cooled down back to Murray High School and hit 7 miles total.

I got into St. George Marathon.  I am both excited and extremely nervous! 

I bought new running shoes yesterday.  When I got home, I looked and noticed that they didn't remove the security tag.  So, one more day with my old busted shoes.  I will have to take them back today.  On the upside, I also bought my first running skirt.  I loved running in it this morning.  It is so comfy, and I'm sure it makes my butt look cute . . . which is so important to running.

I ran 4800 S to the River trail and back to 1300 W via the nasty Winchester hill.  I felt terrible today.  I ran easy, but had no energy, a stomach ache, and I was so hot.  I need to remember to hydrate like crazy.  Between nursing and running and the hotter weather I need a lot more fluid.

We put an offer in on a house yesterday.  If we get it, the location might alter my routes by a whole quarter mile.

I missed my run yesterday.  I spent the day working on the house, trying to get it ready to sell.  It was good cross training!  

I warmed up 20 minutes and then ran a 4 mile tempo run.  My splits were: 6:24, 6:12, 6:09, and 6:00.  Total time was 24:46.  Then, I cooled down until I hit nine miles.  61:04 total for nine miles.

It was raining pretty hard this morning, so I changed my track workout into a treadmill workout.  I had planned on 5-6 x 1000 with 400 m recovery.  I improvised by running 8 x 3 minutes on/ 2 minutes off.  I warmed up 15 minutes, and then started at 10.0 mph.  I increased . 1 on every repeat, and ran the easy parts at 8.0 mph.  My goal was to keep my heart rate elevated.  The workout felt pretty good through 6 repeats.  The last two were pretty tough.  I cooled down until I hit 9.5 miles.  

I was up until about midnight trying to get the house ready for the carpet cleaners to come.  It's going to be a long month until we move.  So, I was a little tired this morning.  I enjoyed my run, though.  I ran up to Valley Park and did a big lap and then a small lap.  Then, I ran up to 62000 S, and then back on the Canal Road.  I forgot my watch, so I just ran easy.  

I was irritated by all of the cars that pull  out and only look left to see if cars are coming.  I thought I was going to be hit about 5 times in a mile stretch.  Geez, people! 

I decided to try a new route today.  It wasn't a good one.  I ran a big loop, 2200 W to 3500S, over to 3200W, back to 5300S, and down to 1900W.  3500S had way too much traffic.  When I turned onto 3200W, I ended up running 3 miles on a long gradual uphill into the wind.  The uphill would have been okay, but the wind was killing me.  I did not enjoy my run today.  My legs are super tired.  I think I overdid it on Monday's workout.  Hopefully, tomorrow will go better.  Oh well.  Even a bad run is better than not being able to run at all! 

I warmed up 3 miles and ended up at the Taylorsville High track.  Lucky me, there was a high school p.e. class "working out" on the track.  I want to be a high school p.e. teacher.  It doesn't take any work.  My favorite was the girl sitting on the grass, strenuously applying her makeup for the entire hour.  Then, there was the half-dressed girl who decided to sprint 100 meters right in front of me, and then abruptly stopped at the corner, while I kept going.  Yes, we collided.  At least Half Dressed Girl was actually working out a little bit.   And, of course a touch-football game was going on between the Shirts and Skins.  (Should I have told them that in 15-20 years those high school muscles will most likely be replaced by middle-aged love handles?)

 Anyway, I started with 4 x 200 as an extended warm-up while I dodged the p.e. class, who were jogging (walking) a mile.  Of course they were spread out across the track.

My workout was 1 mile, 2 x 800, and 4 x 400

1 mile: 5:49  800 recovery

800's:  2:49, 2:49  400 recoveries

400's :  81, 81, 80, 81  1:20 standing recovery

I cooled down 1.25 miles.  I still felt a little tired, but not as bad as yesterday.  I don't feel strong, though.  Time to add more core and upper body exercises. 

I only had time for a short run today.  6 miles, 4800S to River Trail.  Pretty morning.  Tired legs.

I got up really early this morning to run since we have a full day of house showings.  We will be homeless for most of the day while strangers come peruse our home.  I'm not complaining though.  We have already received two offers on the house.  

I ran 1300 W to 9000S to 2700 W to 5400S.  It's kind of a boring loop, but has some good rollers and lots of convenience stores.  That's always important for impromptu potty stops.  I took a gu at about 7 miles.  I felt a burst of energy the last half hour of the run.  Of course, this may be more attributed to the fact that the wind was at my back and there was much more downhill.    Total time for run:  1:24:41 

I took advantage of Teren being home to do a threshold run at Liberty Park.  The park was busy this morning.  There was a 5k run/walk going on, so I did a lot of people dodging.  

I warmed up 3 miles.  Rob Murphy was doing a long run on the loop, so I ran a lap with him.  I ran a 5 mile tempo run.  My goal pace was 6:20 per mile.  I need to work on my pacing.  I ran 6:01, 6:02, 6:13,6:18,and 6:07.  Total time:  30:42.  I went out a bit too fast.  I will try to stay more consistent next time.  I never quite seemed to find my rhythm.  Still, 6:08 overall average makes me happy.  Now if I can only do that for 21 more miles . . .

I cooled down with Bill and a few of the East High kids who ran the race.  Then, as an added bonus, I went home with a loaf of bread, a package of bagels, and donuts.  There was a bread company giving away their goods at the race.  It was a nice bonus for my morning run! 

I ran an extended 4100S to River trail loop.  It was a nice cool morning, and my friend the pelican was floating on the river.  As a  added bonus, the rain kindly waited to fall until my run was over.

1300W to river trail.  I felt pretty terrible this morning.  Hopefully I'll have a little more spring in my step tomorrow for my track workout.

I warmed up three miles to Taylorsville High track.  I had the track all to myself this morning.  I ran an up and down ladder.  200-400-600-800-1000-800-600-400-200.  This sounded a lot easier in my mind than it was in execution.   I ran a 200 recovery after the 200's and 400's, and a 400 recovery after everything else.  

My times were:  36.81, 1:19.67, 2:03.69, 2:47.5, 3:33.79, 2:48.63, 2:04.03, 1:19.69, and 37.29.  I would have liked to keep my 1000 under 3:30, but overall I am pretty happy with this workout.  It's nice to see my fitness coming back little by little.  I cooled down the mile back to my house.  

Went to the club this morning for some mindless treadmill running.  Kept it nice and under control.  

I have doubled my mileage from last month. 

I got off to an early start this morning since the baby woke up at 4:30 with a poopy diaper.  By the time I changed him and fed him, there was no point in going back to sleep, so out the door I went.  I ran down 2200W to 3500S, and then to the river trail.  It was a little chilly to start with, but warmed up about 7 miles into the run.  At about 7.5 I ate a honey stinger.  I'm finding that taking in some energy at 7-8 miles makes a huge difference in my ability to finish my long runs strongly.  

I came into very close contact with two geese and a fox on the dirt part of the trail.  The geese hissed  and the fox ran away.  Getting up close and personal with wildlife always makes me a little nervous.

I finished the last two miles at marathon pace (12:30 for the last two miles.)   

I warmed up 2 miles and then ran a 6 mile tempo run.  I ran it on the treadmill, so it probably wouldn't be as fast outside; especially considering it is very windy outside today.  6:20, 6:10, 6:06, 6:03, 5:59, 5:50.  36:32 total time.  6:05-06 average pace.  I started at 9.7 mph and increased .1 every mile.    I cooled down 10 minutes to hit 9.35 total miles. 

Half an hour run followed by Zumba class.  I needed something a little different today.  Sorry, running purists, I'm giving myself 2 miles for the hour of dancing.  

Since I went pretty easy last night, I decided to do my track workout today instead of tomorrow.  I warmed up 3 miles to the track, and then did 4 200s.   I ran a ladder workout, 1600, 1200, 800, 400, and then 4 x 200 to finish.  I ran an 800 recovery after the mile, 400's after the 12, 8, and 4, and 200's between the 200's.  

1600:  goal pace:  5:45   actual pace: 5:37

1200:  goal pace: 4:15   actual pace:  4:12

800:  goal pace: 2:48   actual pace:  2:44

400  goal pace:  sub- 80   actual pace:  79

200's   38-39  ( My legs were pretty tired at this point.

1 mile cool down back to my house.  

I should Zumba every night  before a workout.  Today went really well. 

I had an early morning visit with Myles today.  We chatted for about an hour from 3:45-4:45.  I went back to sleep for a while, but it made for a groggy run.  I am sore from yesterday's workout!

  I ran an out and back on the river trail this morning.  I've been trying to run my easy runs easier since I have a tendency to push it too hard.  My plan for 10 miles turned into 8.

While I was syncing my i-pod yesterday, I stumbled onto Kara Goucher's running playlist.  It can be yours for the low price of 12.99 on itunes.  It was kind of fun to see what Kara listens to on her runs.   

It was a perfect morning, today.  I love early morning summer runs.  I ran 1300w to 7800S, down to Gardner Village and onto the river trail.  I left the trail at Millrace Park and ran through the neighborhoods home.  I toyed with the idea of adding in some fartlek work, but I was still feeling Thursday's track workout a bit.  Plus, tomorrow is my long run.  If I feel good on the long run I will throw some faster paced stuff into it.

I did not feel good today.  My stomach acted up again. I think it's time to revamp my diet to avoid stomach issues on my runs.  I ran the Canal road out to 2200W, to 4100S, down to the river trail, and back on the trail.  I felt all right for the first 7-8, but struggled over the second half of the run.  I kept wondering if this is what I'm going to feel like the last 6 miles of the marathon.  Then, I realized that I'll probably feel even worse.  Oh, well.  The run is over.  Time to head to Vegas for my mom's wedding.  

Because we are traveling, I decided to drop my mileage a bit this week.  Next week I will start to build into the sixty mpw  range.  

We are in Cedar City visiting Teren's sister.  Today we head to Las Vegas for my mom's wedding.  My legs were sore from sitting in the car yesterday, so I took my time warming up.  I wanted a workout with turnover, but not one that would kill me.  The point of this week is a little recovery.

I drove over to Cedar High School and warmed up on their cross country course, reliving fond memories of yelling at East High runners to run faster!   I tried to take advantage of the big grass field.  Then, I ran 1 mile of speed changes.  My workout was 12 x 400  with 90 seconds recovery  My times were:  80.8, 80.3, 79.6, 78.9, 79.7, 79.0, 78.8, 79.7, 78.4, 78.5, 78.8, 77.6.  I toyed with the idea of running 3 more, but decided not to.  

I cooled down for 10 minutes on the field again.

Vegas, baby! 

I had no desire to run in 107 degree weather along the Las Vegas strip. So, I used the treadmill in the workout room.  My hips and hamstrings are sore from sitting in the car.  Traveling is a little hard on the body.  Plus, sharing a hotel room with three children does not allow for very good sleep.  

I ran an easy 45 minutes.  The guy next to me started to get competitive and raised his pace to 10.5 mph.  (Yes, I looked.)  Two minutes later he was at 6.0 mph.  Maybe he was doing intervals? 

Today I ran in my third city in three days.  We stopped to stay in the condos in St. George on our way home from Vegas.  I was so sluggish starting out, but felt better as I went along.  I was trying to find my way onto the river trail, but couldn't quite remember how to get there from the condo.  Oh well, there is no bad place to run in St. George.  It's one of my favorite places to run.  I hope that I am still saying that in October.  

So, after running aimlessly for about 20 minutes, I ran out Valley View into town, and then turned back.  It was a nice rolly run.  The hills weren't too bad, except for the nice climb back up to the condo.   

I am so glad to be home.  Traveling with three kids is exhausting!  We got in at about 11 last night.  My legs are sick of sitting in a car.  I had very tired legs on my run today.  

I got out running a little later than usual.  I ran at Murray Park.  I warmed up for 15 minutes, and then ran a fartlek workout.  1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 4 min, 5 min, 4 min, 3 min, 2 min, 1 min, with 1-1-2-2-3-2-2-1-1 recovery.  Then, I jogged until I hit an hour of running.  I like running in Murray Park.  The terrain is varied, and I can throw in some hills.  I ran some of it on the Murray Invitational Course.  Every time I run on one of the high school cross country courses, I gain a lot of respect for my high school team.  Those courses are not easy!

My recovery week is not leaving me feeling very recovered. 

I met up with the East High team at Liberty Park for a light workout today.  It's good to be starting cross country season!   We warmed up a lap and then ran 2 laps of firemen.  We finished with one more lap cool down.  The soft surface felt good, and my legs seem to be recovering from the Vegas trip!

I just couldn't leave my weekly mileage at 49.75.  So, I ran a little longer than 14.  I ran a new route, which was actually just a combination of routes.  I'm still a little sore in the hips and hamstrings, but my legs felt much fresher today.  

I ran  1300 W to 7800S, up to 2700 W, to 3800 S, over to 2200W, back to 5400S.  It was a nice, cool, beautiful summer morning.  

I start building up my mileage next week.   

Ugh.  My initial thought was that I was not quite recovered from Saturday's run and I should run easy today.  I should have stuck with that.  I did a track workout, and my legs were super fatigued.  I think I was a bit ambitious with my pace.  I could hold it, but there just wasn't that spark in my legs that makes a really good track workout.

I wanted to run 6-8 800's today.  I thought I could hit them all about 2:45.  I would probably have been a little more comfortable at 2:48-2:50.  I only got six in.  

I warmed up 3 miles and did 4 x 200.  My 800's were  2:43.6, 2:45.8, 2:45.12, 2:45.7, 2:45.9, 2:48.2 (I totally died!)  I ran a 400 recovery in between.  There was a nice headwind into the home stretch that made the workout even more fun!  Oh well.  It's done!  

I only had time for a mile cooldown back to the house.   

I'm really trying hard to stay consistent and dedicated with my training, even though I'm in the midst of craziness at home right now.  I'm feeling a little mentally off, and impatient with the rate that my fitness is returning.  I'm getting back into good shape, but then I get excited about running fast races again.  I keep trying to remind myself, that full fitness might not be back for at least a year.  I need to be patient and stay positive.

I was up until 11 getting the house ready for the appraisal today.  The, I had to finish up with cleaning this morning.  So, the kids had to got to the gym daycare while I ran on the treadmill.  9.18 miles in 65 minutes.  

Glad to have a running buddy today.  I ran down to the JRP to meet Jenny this morning.  I ran 7 with her, and then ran home.  Having someone to talk to make the time fly by much more quickly.  

Why is it that I can handle 8-9 miles on recovery days with no problem, but when I jump to ten it seems to get so much harder?  Weird.  Guess I just need some adaptation. 

I went from running in 80 degree weather yesterday morning, to 50 degree weather today.  The cool weather felt nice, but it definitely took longer to get warmed up.  I also ran really early this morning, because we have to go close on our house.   

I ran a six mile tempo at Liberty Park.  I warmed up 2 miles, but probably could have used another mile to get really warm.  I think my first mile extended my warm up a bit.  I started a lot more slowly than the last time I ran a tempo at Liberty Park.  

Splits: 6:13.5, 6:04.3, 6:06.7, 6:09.4, 6:02.7, 5:59.3  Total time:  36:35.  I'm happy that I could finish strongly.  I think it shows that my endurance is improving.  About a 6:06 average pace.  

I like when I have workouts that help me believe that I might just actually run a strong marathon; that the training is starting to work.  I know not every tempo run will feel as good as today, but I've got to be really happy when it does!  

2 mile cool down.  Time to go buy a house!    

Easy watchless run out 1300 W over to 7000 S, up to 2700 W, and back to 5400 S.  I am definitely feeling yesterday's tempo.  

My run is done.  Back to packing. 

Early start to my run this morning.  Today is the big move into the new house, so I needed to get done.  I ran out 4800 S, to the river trail, out to Gardner Village, and back.  At around 11 miles I ran into Carol and some of her friends, so I ran about a mile and a half with them.  

Cole just stole and drank my entire post-run protein drink.  Nothing is sacred when you are a parent.  I guess he needed some good recovery from that strenuous Saturday morning cartoon watching! 

New house and moving issues.  I didn't make it out to run.

3 mile warm up, followed by 3 sets of 5 min, 3 min, 2 min, with 3 min, 2 min, 1 min recovery.  Cool down on canal road back to home.

Made it half of a mile into my run, when I noticed there was a geyser coming from the lawn of our former residence.  So, I ran home to send Teren to the rescue.  Later I got a sitter and ran 10.5 at the health club.  I had a friend to talk to on the next treadmill, so it actually went fairly quickly.

Extra early morning.  Teren had to be at work by 7.  I warmed up 3 miles over to the track.  I ran 20 x 200 on/off.  They weren't spectacular.  I kept them between 39 and 40.  But, I was in trainers at 5 in the morning, so it was okay.  I could see the biggest difference in how long the jogs took in between.  It was a lot faster than last time I did a similar workout.  The total time for the 5 miles was 35:01.  I cooled down 3 miles after the workout. 

7 miles easy, followed by Zumba.  I'm experimenting to see if taking a Zumba class before racing makes for a faster race.  Probably not, but it was fun anyway!

Today was my first post-baby race.  I didn't even know what to set as a time goal, but I knew I could probably at least go under 19.  I thought 18:30 was likely, and 18:00 would be a big surprise.  Actually, my main goal was to come in second overall behind Teren.

 It's hard to gauge how this race really went.  I think Murray will be a better indicator of my fitness.  I warmed up 3 miles and did 6 30 second strides.  The race started about 5 seconds from the actual start/finish line.  This is the first race where I actually had a running start.  The run started through the park.  I missed a turn and had to backtrack.  This actually happened a couple times throughout the race.  The course was not marked very well.  It did a ton of turns through the neighborhood, and sometimes you couldn't tell where to turn until you were right up on it.  The first one I missed, I actually came to a complete stop and waited for the next person.

I was in second place throughout most of the race.  A Taylorsville High track graduate reeled me in during the third mile.  I knew there was no way I was going to outkick an eighteen year old boy who would never let a 35-year-old mother of three pass him.  So, I ended up third overall.

I really want my fitness to come back faster, but I keep telling myself, "Just get fit.  Next year will be a great year if I stay healthy."  But, I'm off to a good start.

 Teren and I ran the course again for a cooldown, and then ran 2 miles back home.

I don't think I'll do Zumba before a race again.

I warmed up to Millrace Park and ran 20 x 1 min on/off.  I ran on the loop by the dog park, and switched directions every 10 minutes.  My hips are pretty sore, so I didn't want to pound on the track.  I like this workout for getting some turnover, but still maintaining decent mileage.  I'm not sure how fast I was really going, since I felt pretty good the whole workout.  I'm trying to maintain some mileage, but still get ready for Murray 5k on Thursday.  Lots of stretching and foam rolling for the next couple of days.  

It was a nice morning and a pretty run, but I felt terrible!  I had an energy crash with about 2 miles to go.  I felt super slow, and yucky.  Here's hoping Thursday is a better day!  I need to focus on some rest and recovery.

I'm feeling marginally better than yesterday.  My hips and hamstrings are still pretty tight, though the stretching/foam rolling seems to be helping.  They just don't want to fire because they are so fatigued.  

I jogged 2.5 miles over to the track and ran 2 miles of speed changes.  (total time for the 2 miles: 13:34)  Afterwards I jogged home.  I was really hungry again by the end of my workout, despite eating before my run.  I also need to concentrate on fueling well.  Nursing and running burn a lot of calories.  Running will go better when I'm finished nursing the baby. 

I was nervous for this race, because I knew it would be a better measure of my fitness than Taylorsville Dayzz.  I was disappointed  that there wasn't a stronger women's field, because I wanted to really race and hopefully get pulled to a good time.  But, I'm still pretty happy with the outcome.  The last time I ran this race (non-pregnant) I ran an 18:21, so I wasn't too far off .  However, I do keep remembering 10 years ago when I ran this race for the first time and ran a 17:10.  Those were the days!

I warmed up three miles.  The rain cooled things down a bit, but made it humid.  I went out in a 5:53 for the first mile.  After the turnaround, I found myself alone, 30 seconds between two different men.  So, I spent two thirds of the race running by myself.  That made it difficult to push.  I went through the 2 mile in 5:54.  I knew it would get tough maintaining my pace up the hill to the park.  The three mile said 6:10, but then the last .17 was 31.  I think the mile three mark may have been off.   I don't think I can really finish in a 62 quarter pace.  Overall time was 18:29, which sounds so much faster than 18:30.  One more small step forward in improving my fitness.  

 I cooled down three miles and watched Cole run the kids race. 

I went to the gym for a run and then Zumba.  Started to energy crash in zumba, even though I ate a gu in between my run and class.  I need to get these eating issues figured out.  Any nutrition advice?

5 a.m. sixteen miler.  I ran out 4800 to the River trail, past Gardner Village and back.  I felt pretty good this morning, though it was a little humid.  The wind kicked up just as I finished, so I went at the perfect time.  I'm sure I'll be ready to crash in a couple of hours.  

Another very early morning.  I think I actually started before 5.  I went over to the club so I could finish before Teren went out on his run.  As my mileage increases, it becomes more difficult for both of us to get our workouts in before he goes to work.  I kind of like it better in the fall when he runs on his lunch break.  It gives me more time in the morning.  I guess I need to hire some babysitters on some of these mornings.

I warmed up 2 miles.  Then, I ran a 45 minute tempo run.  My goal was to ease into it and make it the entire 45 minutes.  I started at 9.6 mph, and increased .1 every 5 minutes.  The first 15 minutes was nice and relaxed.  In fact, I felt great the entire first half hour.  the last 20 minutes was run under 6 minute pace.  I finished off the last 2 minutes under 5:40 pace.  7.43 miles in 45 minutes.  I ran 7 miles in 42:34, so 6:05 pace.  Of course, because it was a treadmill run, take the times with a grain of salt.  It should help my turnover to go a bit faster, though.

 I cooled down until I hit 11 miles.  When I got home I did some one legged squats and some lunges.   

Rough start to the run.  My hips were so sore and tight, that I hobbled like an old lady for 2 miles.  Then, Emily got her groove back.  I felt pretty good, despite the soreness after that.  My aerobic capacity is rapidly improving.  Now, if my strength and speed would just catch up. 

I got a much better night's sleep than I usually do.  Nine whole hours!  I usually run off of about 6.  I think if I got better sleep, I would recover from runs better.  I miss the days when I would take a 2 hour nap in the afternoon, and still get 8-10 hours at night.  Not happening these days.  I'm not even out partying.  I'm just taking care of my kids day and night.

I felt sluggish today.  My energy really faltered at 7-8 miles.  I took a cliff shot gel even though I only had a couple of miles left.   

I warmed up 2.5 miles over to the track.  I did 4 x 200 to get some turnover.  My goal for the workout was 6-8 x 1000 with 400 meter recovery.  I wanted them around 3:30.  However, as long as I was hitting under 3:35 I would continue to do them.  I really wanted to hit eight of them.

This workout was tough.  It was hot and humid.  In addition, I had to dodge the football team.  The managers had kindly set up water in lane 1.  Thanks so much!  

Times: 3:27, 3:28.8, 3:28.9, 3:30.8, 3:29.4, 3:31.4, 3:30.8, 3:34.8.  (I may have done one too many.  My legs were shot by the last one.  

I just cooled down home.  My legs are so tired now.   

Just enough easy running at Liberty Park to give me 65 miles for the week after my long run tomorrow!

This week has definitely been a mental challenge.  Thursday's 8 x 1000 was really tough, and I was still feeling it this morning.  Last night, Teren and I drove an hour and a half to have dinner with the young women from church at Girl's Camp.  After dinner and a devotional, it was already 10:30.  All I could think about was the 17 miles I needed to do today.  In hindsight, I probably should have just taken my camping stuff and slept up there.  Then, I could just get up and run in the Huntsville area, which would have been a nice change of scenery.

 So, after a late night, I was dragging a bit.  I ran out 1300 W to 104 S, right by the Jordan River Temple.  Then, I ran up to 2700 W.  When I turned onto 2700 W, I picked up the pace for a few miles.  I had to add a loop through the neighborhood to get 17, because the actual course is only 16.  Miles 15-17 were pretty tough.  

 I'm trying to stay focused, which is tough with three kids.  I know that I need every quality training session that I can get, since I'm still regaining fitness.   I keep telling myself to stick with it; that the long term focus is next year or even the year after.  I'm happy to be done with this week, and happy I didn't give myself excuses. 

This is the week that I start throwing in some double runs.  I wanted to front-load this week, and then start backing off a bit on Thursday.  I'm running the Draper Days 5k, and then Deseret News Half Marathon.  I didn't want two weeks of lowered mileage, so I'm planning on keeping this week in the 65-70 range.  That might mean a sluggish Draper Days, but I'm trying to keep the marathon as the major focus.

AM: 4 miles easy.  I forgot what it was like to only run for half an hour.   

 PM:  I wanted a workout somewhere between a tempo run and intervals.  I decided on 3 x 2 mile repeats with half mile recovery in between.  I warmed up three miles before the workout.  

12:00.3, 11:47.2, and 11:40.7  I cooled down until I hit 11.  

2 more long days.  I can do this.

AM:  1300W to 7000S to river trail and up 4800S.  Even though I felt slow, I ran this route almost two minutes faster than last week.  

PM:  I resisted the temptation to take a Zumba class instead of going running.  My legs are tired, but seemed to perk up a bit after about 25 minutes.  It was nice and overcast.  The lightning started flashing during the last five minutes of my run.  I'm glad that I finished before the storm hit.

One more hard day! 

I warmed up 3 miles over to the track.  My legs are so tired.  I ran 20 x 200 on/off.  I ran 38-39 for all of them.  My overall time for 5 miles was 34:49, which was about 11 seconds faster than last time I ran this workout.  I cooled down 2.5 miles back home.  Crawling would have been faster.  I am in desperate need of an ice bath.  I am seriously debating whether to run this afternoon or not.  

I was crashing by the end of my cool down.  I've been struggling with maintaining enough caloric intake.  I feel like I'm eating constantly, but running and nursing burn it all up really quickly.  How do all of you high mileage runners maintain enough energy?  Do you just eat all day long? 

My legs were slightly recovered today.  Hopefully I can get some bounce back by Saturday.  4100 S to River Trail.  That's all I have to report.

I had more spring in my step today when I ran.  I love the 6-7 mile distance.  It's just long enough.  I enjoyed my morning run, and am feeling a lot better about running a race tomorrow.  Then, three days recovery running until Deseret News Half Marathon.  I'm an early riser, but even I am dreading getting up that morning!

I'm pretty happy with how this race went.  Of course, I always want to do better.  Isn't that how all runners are?  I'm especially happy that I kept my mileage up this week.  I know that I have a ways to go to be considered high mileage. but my consistency is improving.  I'm glad to see my fitness improving.  

I warmed up 3 miles with Allie and James.  I'm really nervous and chatty before races, so I'm sure they got an earful.  The race started about five seconds back from the actual start line.  What is up with that?  It funneled down quickly.  It was kind of a hairy start.  I got out quickly with Devra, and we traded leads through the first two miles.  We went through the 2 mile in 11:10.  I thought I had sub-18 in the bag.  However, the last mile is a long gradual uphill.  I lost a lot of time.  Devra pulled ahead shortly after the two mile, and I didn't match her.  I admit to getting complacent in the last mile.  Though, I was definitely feeling the pain.  I was kicking myself when I hit my watch at 18:01 for the finish.  I could have broken 18 without the mental lag.  Something to work on next time.  

Devra and I cooled down three miles.  Then, I watched my little guy, Cole run a blazing 10:43 mile race!   He tried so hard!  When we went to awards, I got left out.  My chip didn't register at the start.  So, they didn't have an official time.  I claim the 18:01.  This actually happened to me a couple of years ago, too.

I'm thrilled with the improvements.  Deseret News will be a big test, but I'm looking forward to it!   

My legs were more tired than I thought they would be this morning.  I must have run pretty hard on Saturday.  Oh well.  I'll still be ready on Wednesday.  Now, I just want it to get here!  

I met Jenny at Murray Park.  We warmed up 2 miles and then ran 10 x 1 minute on/off.  We didn't go crazy, just enough to get some faster turnover.  Then we cooled down around the park.  

Stretching and foam rolling time! 

Easy pre-race shakeout run.  My legs feel pretty good.  My hips are still tight, but felt way better by the end of the run.  I'm ready for tomorrow.  Excited, but really nervous!!!!

I'm super excited with how the race went today!  It was a great step in terms of my progress.  However, it may be one of the more painful races that I have run.

I woke up at 2:30 and thought, "The hardest part of the day is over.  Getting out of bed."  I got ready for the race and fed the baby.  

At 4 a.m I was on the bus wondering why I was doing this, and wondering if it was too late to switch to the 10k.  

5 a.m:  Sitting in the middle of a dark canyon and wondering again why I was doing this.

I warmed up with a mile up the canyon and back to the start.  That was actually pretty incredible.  It was beautiful up there.  Of course, that was the last time I actually looked at the scenery.

 I got out comfortably, but got a little nervous when the first mile said 5:27.  But, I thought I would roll with it and use the downhill to my advantage.  

Mile splits:  5:27, 5:42, 5:39, 5:37, 5:38, 5:31, 5:32, 6:06 (no more downhill,) 5:46.(back on!), 6:00.19  (feeling pain!), 6:13 (wheels came off.  holding on for dear life.)  13: 12 (last 2.1)  I was so happy to be done, and so happy not to get caught in the very long march to the finish line!  

I'm thrilled with my time.  I conservatively wanted to run under 1:20.  Of course, I'm so happy with the win.  And, I learned that if I go out too hard at St. George, I'm going to be in a world of hurt.  The last 3 miles were horrible today!  

I tried to cool down, but my 4 lovely blisters wouldn't let me.  Later I did about a mile of a hobble-jog.  I think I will be cross training tomorrow! 

So. Much. Pain.  My quads hurt so badly.  I thought that I would warm up a little bit on the bike and then try for an easy run.  I biked for 20 minutes, and then tried running.  No go.  The impact is so intense.  So, I got on the cross trainer for half an hour for 50 minutes total cross training.  I'll give myself four miles for it, just to keep tabs on what I am doing.  

I went from feeling elated over yesterday's run, to being worried about recovering in time to continue with enough marathon training to run well in October.  I thought that I would bounce right back.  Silly me!   I have ten weeks until the marathon.  A little recovery time shouldn't hurt, right?  

I stretched and took a 15 minute ice bath when I got home.  I felt a little better afterwards, but walking (especially down stairs) still hurts. A lot!  Any recovery advice out there?

I went over to the park by my house and ran for 20 minutes.  I was super slow, but my muscles did warm up.  Everything felt okay, besides the fatigue.  My left achilles tendon is very tender and didn't like the impact.  It's the opposite one from the one I tore.  I guess I need matching achilles owies.  About 2.5 miles if I'm being generous.

After running I went and took Zumba.  I lined up between the eighty year old woman, and the man on oxygen.  I tried hard to keep up.  I call 2.5 more miles for arthritic looking dancing.

I'm starting to feel a lot better.  I ran some grass loops in the park, and then finished up my run with a big loop through the neighborhood.  There's still no power in my legs, but at least it doesn't feel as if my legs are going to shatter with the impact.  My left achilles seemed to do a lot better than yesterday.  I had some booty lock going on in my right hip, but I actually feel as if I might survive the half marathon.  Right now my plan is just to increase the mileage over the next week, with the goal of a long run next Saturday.  Unless I start feeling amazing, I don't think I will start any harder workouts until next Monday.  I just want to be cautious.  

Hopefully, I can squeeze in some cross training later today.   

I ran a little longer run today.  I went out 4800S to the river trail and over to Winchester.  I ran up Winchester to 1300 W, and back to 5400 S.  I'm feeling better and better, but still not all the way back.  My quad muscles aren't killing me anymore, but my right hip was tight through the entire run.  Even a slight downhill is still not fun to run.  I never thought I would appreciate a little uphill running so much.

PM:  4 miles on the treadmill at the club.  Myles is now old enough to go to the gym daycare.  Yay!

I made it to six miles before the fatigue set back in.  That is better than yesterday, when I started to fatigue at 4.  I'm still very tired!  I'm jealous of those who are already back to doing workouts.

4100 S to river trail, back at Bullion.   

Cross training day.  I could still feel my achilles tendon this morning, so I decided to play it safe.  It actually felt pretty good on my body not to be pounding.  I was so bored, though!  I only made it 45 minutes on the elliptical.  

I did 3 sets of ecentric  calf raises in the morning, and again at night. 

I was reading training blogs last night, and freaked myself out worrying that I'm not going to be ready for St. George.  It's kind of weird to care so much about something that started out as a fun little venture to get myself into shape.  The marathon is such a huge investment of time and training, that I really want it to pay off in a great race.  

My achilles is starting to feel better.  I could feel it slightly for the first 10 minutes of running, but it warmed out.  I warmed up 20 minutes over to Valley Park.  My workout was 3 x (1min, 2 min, 3 min, 2 min, 1 min) with (1-1-2-1-1-) recovery.  I don't think I was very fast, but it felt good to get some turnover, and I actually felt a lot better afterwards.  I cooled down until I hit 10.  I wanted 1-2 more, but had to get Myles to the doctor.  I may stick with fartlek for a couple more workouts.   

Jenny needed to do her long run today, so I decided to go with her to have a running partner.  It was tough.  I've only run 17-18 on my long runs.  20 doesn't seem like that big of a jump, but when I hit the 2 hour mark, my body stopped being efficient.  Slowing down the pace may be easier, but running longer time-wise means your body has to become more energy efficient for a longer period of time.  The first 20 miler is always a tough one.  Then, they get a bit easier.  We still averaged somewhere around 7:25 per mile.  I felt great until 16-17.  

I'm glad to have it done.  Next week I hit the Magna out and back.  Worst. Run. Ever.  But, great training for downhill marathons. 

Five easy.  It was kind of nice to have a laid back Saturday.  I went and watched Teren run in the corporate games "5k" (and I use that term very loosely!).  I got to watch Andrea run, too!  

Mileage goal for next week:  70.  Slowly, but surely I'm climbing higher!

I feel a lot better after a twenty miler than I did last week after the half marathon. 

My workout was abbreviated this morning.  I planned on 10-12 x 3 min on, 2 min off.  I warmed up two miles and started my workout heading south on the river trail.  I was in my third interval, right before Millrace Park, when a man jumped out and punched me.  He started yelling at me about getting his money.  I didn't  even know what to do, but was so glad when he kept going in the other direction.  I stopped the first person I saw with a phone and called 911.  After the police came, I just ran home.  I'm very shaken up, now.  But, when I get it together, I might try to head over to the gym.  I will post if I hear anything about the police getting the guy.  I hope they do.  That was the scariest thing to ever happen to me.  Please, please, be careful running out there.

Just went to the health club this morning to run on the treadmill.  Still freaked out by yesterday.  

I met Devra early at Cottonwood Complex for a tempo run.  We were originally going to run it on the Parkway, but changed locations.  My plan was 8 miles.  We ran a loop around the complex.  1100 E to 4500 S, to 1300 E, to 3900S.  It was a hillier route than I usually do for tempos, so I knew it would be slower.  I felt that if I could get in at least a 6:30 per mile groove, that would be good.  

I felt awful from the start.  I went through 2 miles at 12:56.  On pace, but I was already breathing really hard.  Then, the time just started to fall off from there.  I stopped at 4.  I was at 26:30 at that point, and felt like I was digging myself in a hole.

 I don't know what is wrong with me.  I just overall feel crappy; physically, emotionally, and mentally.  I'm just completely drained.  I wish I could pinpoint exactly what I could do to feel better.  Do I rest? or just push through?   And, how do I get to feeling excited and happy about running again?  or even just life in general?

Oh, this is such a happy post! 

Today was a much better day!   I felt like I should get back on the horse and try another workout.  I needed to get yesterday out of my head.  I warmed up 2.5 miles to the track, and then ran 4 x 200.  My plan was 5-6  x a mile in 6:00- 6:05 (10 seconds faster than marathon pace.)  I didn't want to stress myself too much.  I wanted a workout that I knew that I could accomplish.  I made 5 x a mile.  They were: 5:49.7, 5:52.9, 5:50.66, 5:53.25, 5:52.9.  My body seemed to like 87-88 pace today.  I know that fresher I could run in the 5:40-5:45 range, but I really concentrated on relaxing and staying under control.  I started to feel like I was digging deeper on the last one, so I called it good at 5.  This workout was more for my mental well-being than anything.  My recovery was 400 meters, which was usually around 2:20-2:30.  I cooled down 2.5 miles back to my house.  There is nothing like a good track workout to help the confidence.  

Running is so much more than just a sport.  I felt like I was actually healing, today.  I felt more determined than ever to make it to the starting line of the marathon.  This marathon is more than just another race.  It is the culminating event of a very long, difficult journey.  There have definitely been some setbacks this week, but I feel more capable today of overcoming them.  I'm excited again for this process. 

I went to Liberty Park this morning for some soft surface running.  I ran 3 laps in one direction, turned around, and ran 3 laps in the opposite direction.  Then, I ran through the middle of the park to find Teren and the kids.  It was a family affair this morning.  It's sad that everyone looks like a potential rapist to me, now . . . even the little 80 year old man watering his lawn.  I hope that wears out eventually.  I did, for the most part, feel nice and safe in the park.  Lots of people around!  

Devra came over to my house for a long run.  Originally, I had planned on running out in Magna.  However, I'm still nervous about isolated places, and Devra had to get to work.  So, we just ran from my house.  We ran a big rolly loop, out 1300 W, to 10400S, up to 2700 W, all the way out to 4100 S, over to 2200 W, and back up to 5400S.  Total time for the run was 2 hours and 20 minutes.  7:00 per mile pace.  I felt much better than last week.  I think Deseret News is finally leaving my legs.  It was a good negative split run.  

This week has ended much better than it started.   

I warmed up 2 miles and then ran an 8 mile tempo run, today.  I was tempted to wait one more day before a hard effort, but felt pretty good.  This is the hardest workout of the week besides the long run, so I think it is ok that I pressed hard.  

This tempo was progressive.  I wanted to ease into it.  6:23, 6:18, 6:08, 6:04, 5:59, 5:56, 5:51, 5:44.  The last 10 minutes were really hard.  Yes, this was done on a treadmill.  Total time: 48:19.  6:03-04 pace.  I ran a quick mile cool down.  Next week I will take it outside for a real tempo.  Allie and Andrea?  want some company?

I lost my voice this past weekend, some kind of weird virus.  I thought it would affect my running more, but I seem to be holding together all right.  My kids are happy that I can't yell at them! 

Okay, I lied.  This virus is starting to kick my butt.  I felt all right running today, just not very speedy.  That's okay, though.  It was supposed to be recovery.  I ran my Costco loop backwards, and added on up to 6200S, and back on the canal road.  There was a long gradual uphill for about 2 miles.  It was good practice for the long hill from miles 7-8 at St. George.

Last night Cole prayed that "Mommy's body would feel better."  Amen, Little Man! 

PM:  2 miles at East High's alumni fun run.  I chatted with Carol while Gene pushed Myles in the jogging stroller.  Easy 8 min/mile shakeout. 

I probably really needed one more day before running a workout, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to run with Allie and Devra.  We met at Sugarhouse Park for a workout.  I wanted to run 30 x 1 min on/off.  None of us were feeling to fresh, so it got shortened to 20 x 1 min on/off.  I tried to keep up, but got a little flat on the last 4.  That's okay, though.  I'm sure I ran a lot faster with these girls than I would have on my own.  The uphill/downhill was good strength training, too.  Monday's tempo trashed me a bit more than I thought it would.    2 mile warm-up and 2 mile cool down.  

AM:  I met Jenny at Murray Park for our Murray Park/Wheeler Farm run.  I think this is one of my favorite runs.  I like getting on the soft surfaces, and there's enough variety that the run doesn't get boring.  Plus, Jenny is great company.  I really enjoyed this morning.  We ran 6.5, and then I finished with two more miles in Murray Park.  Runs like today are the reason that I run.  It was nice having such a pleasant run in the middle of a hard training month.  Everyone say "hi" to Jenny on her blog.  She has joined the fastrunningblog community.  More miles later!

 PM:  Well, the health club was a bust. I dropped the kids off at the daycare, and mounted my favorite trusty treadmill for a good 4-5 mile run.  I was running along and feeling good, jamming to my tunes when the daycare worker came to get me.  Myles was screeching away, and wouldn't stop.  So, I got a whopping two miles in.  I wasn't even warmed up yet!  If I pay 17 extra dollars a month on my health club membership, I would like to be able to use it.  Naughty baby!  I wish that I could reason with him and tell him, "Only 15 minutes more and mommy will be done."    Grrr!

Family park day again.  Teren runs while I watch the kids, and then I run while he plays with them.  It works out well, and is fun for everyone.  Plus, I got 8 soft-surface miles in before my big twenty miler tomorrow.  

I ordered some hammer gels, Recoverite, and Perpetuem from Hammernutrition.com.  I was impressed that I got my order 2 days after placing it.  Plus, they sent a huge bag of samples of their products . . . probably at least a good 30 dollars worth of products.  I was pretty impressed with their customer service.  It will be interesting trying them out.  I actually like hammer gels above other energy gels.  

I get to use my own bottles at St. George.  What do people like to use for fueling, and how often, during marathons.  I'm looking for some good suggestions.   

Magna 20 miler this morning.  I brought my father-in-law along with me.  He biked and carried my drinks and energy gels so I could practice taking them.  I thought the start was at 80th West and 2700S.  It is actually at 8400W.  So, we drove in circles a little bit.  We ended up starting at 5600 W.  But, I think we got the point of the workout.  We started with 10 miles out, running along 2700S.  It was a gradual uphill that wound around.  I kept heading toward the mountains.  Evenutally I found myself on the corner of 8400 W and 3100 S.  Then, I knew where I was, so I ran about 4 miles up 8400W, until we hit ten.  This part was all uphill and into a headwind.  It took me 76 minutes to run the first ten, and 65 minutes to run the second ten.  The six minute miles down 8400 W helped the pace out a lot.

 The happiest moment of my run was when I asked my father-in-law if I had 4 miles left, and he told me I only had 3.5.  Yay!  I used the Perpetuem drink every three miles.  My energy stayed up, and my stomach didn't hurt at all. But, I got awfully thirsty.  I think Perpetuem is more for fueling than hydration, so I will have to bring more water next time.  I may use Heed instead, and take hammer gels for fueling.  Heed is more of an electrolyte drink.  But, I did like that I didn't need hammer gels when I used Perpetuem.  I'll keep experimenting.  

I'm feeling ready to extend my long runs.  Today didn't feel like too hard of an effort until about 14-15 miles, with serious effort at 17 -20.  Good run, though!   

So, I thought that I would try the 10 x 800 workout that everyone always talks about.  I originally thought I would wait until Tuesday to do my track workout, but I just decided to get after it today.  After hammering the last 10 miles of my 20 miler, I probably could have used one more day.  Oh well.  It's done.  

I warmed up 2.5 miles and then ran 4 x 200 to get the legs turning over.  Ideally I would like to run these all under 2:45, but when I ran the 200's I knew that probably wouldn't happen.  I really wanted to get through all ten.  I thought that was more important than running a certain pace. So, as long as they were staying under 2:50, I would keep running.  

2:44, 2:50, 2:48, 2:46.57, 2:49.32, 2:49.28, 2:48.52, 2:49.81, 2:49.19, 2:49.19  (How's that for consistency on the last two?)   I found that for some reason I could close the last lap a lot faster than I could get out on the first lap.  I guess that's marathon legs!    I don't feel hammered now, just kind of flat.  I ran 400 recovery in between.  I took a hammer gel after 5.  I cooled down with about a mile run home.  

FYI:  When I was 22 I could run 10 x 800 in 2:40 with 1 minute recovery in between.  Those were the days!  Of course, I didn't run a 20 miler right before either!

Today was a big day.  I braved the Jordan River Parkway again.  I carried my trusty pepper spray.  I didn't see any scary people, but I almost pepper sprayed a dog that lunged at me.  That will teach people to follow the leash laws!  

I ran down 1300 W to Gardner Village.  There was construction on the trail, so I had to cross to the other side of 1300 W, and access the trail by running under the bridge.  This added about .25 to my run.  When I got home, I was at 9.75, so I ran around the neighborhood until I hit ten.  

I felt pretty good, except for sore hips.  I just need to stretch them out really well today.  I felt great after about 4-5 miles.  I've been using Recoverite after my runs.  It doesn't get rid of all the fatigue, but it does seem to keep me from feeling completely trashed after a hard effort.  It's disgusting.  But, it works.   

I ran really early this morning.  I wanted to be done before Cole got off for his first day of school.  First Grade!!!!  I can't believe it.  I decided to tempo today.  Lily has surgery tomorrow, so I don't know how the rest of the week is going to go.  

I warmed up 20 minutes, and then ran a nine mile tempo.  I practiced with Heed every three miles today.  No gus needed.  I felt really strong and under control today.  I attribute it to the recovery drink I have started using.  Teren just thinks I'm actually getting in shape.    9 miles:  54:33.  6:03-04 per mile.    1.5 mile cool down.   

AM:  8 miles of easy, mindless running at Vista Park.  My achilles and hips feel a bit pounded from yesterday, so I kept it soft.  The park is only about a half mile around.  I ran lots of laps.  I did finish with about 10 minutes in the neighborhood.  I got so hungry after about half an hour, even though I ate before my run.  Of course, I'm constantly starving lately.  Nursing burns an extra 500 calories a day, besides running.  I eat a lot!

 PM:  After spending most of the day at the hospital with Lily, I met up with the East High team at Sugarhouse Park for some extra miles.  I ran a loop of the park until I found them.  They were running hill sprints.  I got the privilege of joining them on this venture.  They were probably good for me, but boy did they hurt!  Then, we ran 15 minutes of firemen.  I finished with a jog back to my car.  There's nothing like running with high school kids to get your sprinting legs going!  

I met Jenny at Murray Park for our weekly Murray Park/Wheeler Farm run.  We covered many . . . um . . . "interesting" topics, once again proving that I can talk to Jenny about anything!  It was an enjoyable run, except for the constant stomach cramps.  I will not be eating a Nutrigrain bar before running again.  

Today I ran my longest run ever!  And yet, come race day I will have to run five miles more.  I know that I can make it through a marathon.  The question is:  how fast?  When I think about it as 26.2 miles, it seems daunting.  It's probably important to just take it one mile at a time.    I ran my temple loop, and extended to Costco for the extra mile.  I like when you get to the point in a workout that you know you are going to make it through.  Today that was about mile 17-18, where all of a sudden it seemed, not easy, but doable.  It's hard to explain, but I've noticed that feeling in the last few workouts I've done.  

 The marathon can't get here soon enough.  I'm so tired! 

AM:  It took me forever to warm up this morning.  I didn't feel like I was really moving until I was halfway through my workout.  My goal is to front load this week, so I don't have to back off mileage.  I'm racing on Saturday, but it's a really low key race.  I'm mostly using it to get a downhill tempo.  Still, I'm hoping to get a couple lighter days before Saturday. 

I ran a 3 mile warm up, and then did a ladder fartlek at Valley Park.  I ran 1-2-3-4-5-5-4-3-2-1 minute intervals, with 1-1-2-2-3-3-2-2-1-1 recovery.  It wasn't until the last 3-2-1 that I felt like I was actually turning it over.  Oh well.  The point was to get a little speed, but still have a workout that I can recover from easier than I would from a track workout.  I cooled down until I hit 12.  I'm planning on a few evening miles tonight.  

I ran from the Jordan River Parkway with Jenny.  We ran some rolly hills through the neighborhoods to Murray Park, and then came back on Vine Street.  We finished on the Parkway.  Some hills.  Some flats.  A little bit of everything this morning.  Ave pace: 7:20

PM:  4 miles  SLCC loop.  School was getting out, so it was very trafficky.  I actually felt pretty good.  It's weird how sometimes when you think you should be super tired, you actually run really well.  

3.5 mile warm-up followed by 20 x 1 min on/off at Millrace Park.I always got a little shot of adrenaline and ran faster when the dogs at the dog park ran after me.  I'm glad there was a fence between us.  I had planned on 20 x 200 on/off at the track, but I've been so tight in my hips and achilles that I decided to play it safe and run in my trainers.  I'll be wearing flats on Saturday.  I just have easy mileage until then.  Right now nothing feels like easy mileage!  2.5 mile cool down.  

AM:  Costco loop backwards, extended to canal road.  9.5 miles

PM:  5 mile zoo loop to 1300 S, back on 1900 E with East XC team.  I'm sure I annoyed Sarah for the whole 5 miles.  What is a good coach for?  It is hot at 4:00 p.m.  

I met Jenny at her house for an easy run through her neighborhood.  We looked at all of the fancy houses in Holladay.  Holladay is definitely prettier than Taylorsville.  It's nice to have a short day today.  

I ran the Emigration Canyon Half Marathon today.  I thought it would be perfect preparation for St. George.  My one goal was to stay under control and not be pounded at the end of the race.  The race climbs 4 miles from the golf course, and then drops down Emigration Canyon.  It finishes flat on Arapeen.  I wanted to get some good downhill.

This was a fun race.  It was small, but well run.  Everyone was friendly and supportive.  

I warmed up two miles before the race.  The first four miles I just ran comfortably, like in a long run.  I hit 4 in 29:52 before the drop down the canyon.  I just got in a groove.  I wanted to open up, but not force the pace.  I was hanging just under six minute miles.  At mile seven my stomach started to cramp.  It had been off all morning.  The next five miles got really bad.  I managed to hover within 10 seconds of pace, but my stomach was not feeling good.  However, I was able to pick it up the last three miles.  The marathon training is paying off.  I don't have mile splits, but I finished in 1:23:25.  So, I was under six minute pace for the last nine miles of the race. 

I only made it .6 into the cooldown before my stomach started hurting again.  I haven't been able to eat yet, so I'm wondering if it's some sort of virus.  I guess it was a good thing for me to have to run through, but I sure hope it's not a problem at St. George.  I didn't do anything differently before my race, so I'm hoping it was just a weird day.  

I'm feeling great for St. George.  I went into this race with extremely tired legs.  I did want a couple more miles this week, but that cooldown was not happening.  But, I want to hit 80's for the next two weeks, so I'm good.  

I took 2nd overall, Jenny took 3rd overall and ran a really strong race.  It was a fun morning!  

Longer recovery run today.  I ran surprisingly well for having just raced.  Sore in the hips, but that's nothing new.  My legs didn't love downhills today, but I'm definitely in much better shape than after Deseret News.  There was a little residual stomach ache from Saturday, but that's improving.  I ran 1300 W to Gardner Village, onto the river trail, off at 4800S, and then back up to home.  It was muggy.  I was thirsty.  

147.5 miles until I get to start backing off.  Almost there.  

AM:  I warmed up 3 miles and then ran 4 x 1.5 miles.  I ran half a mile recovery in between intervals. 9:04 (must still be warming up!)  8:50, 8:47 (started feeling better)  8:48.  I just cooled down until I hit 11 miles.  I will run a few miles as a shakeout this afternoon. 

PM:  4 mile easy run through the neighborhood.  My legs were completely dead.  The workout this morning did me in!  

Towards the end of my run I passed a bus stop.  There was a man standing at the stop that struck me as threatening.  There was just something about the way he looked at me.  It threw me in to a full internal panic.  I never know exactly when something or someone is going to scare me.  This guy didn't do anything, but I'm still experiencing some residual effects from my attack.  Mostly, I'm just fine, but occasionally a random occurrence will put me in that fight or flight mode. 

I went on a bit of an adventure run through Murray with Devra and Allie.  Our 10 mile run turned into a 12 mile run because my navigational skills are lacking.  We braved 2 laps of Wheeler Farm.  It was very dark!  I enjoyed the company, but maybe someone else should lead next time!

AM:  8.5 miles  4100 S to River Trail.  Home at Millrace Park.  I saw a hearse that was decorated with University of Utah decals . . . weird.

In honor of Murray Invite this afternoon, I ran a fartlek workout at Murray Park. They were busy setting up the course.  I warmed up and then ran 3 x 1-2-3-2-1 repeats with 1-1-2-1-1- minute recovery.  I ran through the course once, and then did a perimeter lap on the Murray Fun Days Course.  Then, I cooled down in the park.  This was a good strength workout with uphills, downhills, grass, trail, and roads.  I just hope the uneven surfaces don't make my achilles tendons more sore tomorrow.  

East High has to run that course this afternoon.  I will be there coaching and feeling glad that I am already done with my workout.  It was hot this morning.  It's going to be blazing this afternoon.

I met Jenny at her house for our long run.  We ran out on Wasatch Boulevard and back.  The route started uphill, rolled along Wasatch, and then finished downill for the last 4 miles.  I liked the route, but I didn't feel very good during the run.  I started to get dizzy at 16 miles.  I took a second hammergel there, and that got me through. I was just so thirsty the whole run.  I think it was warmer this morning than usual.  Plus, I ran a workout yesterday, and then spent yesterday afternoon running all over a cross country course.  I don' t think I ate or drank very well.

I'm glad I've had some hard runs with some tough conditions.  I think it's preparing me pretty well for whatever the marathon throws at me.  After all this hard training, I am crossing that finish line if I have to crawl the last three miles.  Still, I hope I feel great that day, because I sure don't right now.  

7:18 average.  We ran 1:24 for 11 going out, and 1:16 coming back.  Despite feeling cruddy, it was still a strong run.  Jenny was a beast today!

I tried out my new marathon flats on my workout today.  I'm not quite sure about them.  They are the Asics DS Racers.  They are supposed to have a little more stability than normal flats.  They feel a little heavier than a flat, more like a lightweight trainer.  But, maybe that's good for a marathon.  I liked them better than I thought I would.  The only issue I had is that the heel of the shoe comes up higher than my other shoes.  The left shoe left the back of my heel raw.  I will try them with some different socks, but I may be ordering a different pair.  

I warmed up 2.5 miles, and then ran 4 x 200.  The  workout was a ladder workout  400, 800, 1200, 1600, 1200 800, 400.  with 400 recovery, except after the 400 which was 90 seconds.  Here's my paces, and my mental reactions to each interval:

400  77  (OUCH!  400's are hard!)

800  2:47 ( a little too relaxed on this one.  It was dark.  I was running by feel)

1200  4:12  (Same pace as the 800.  Pretty decent!)

1600  5:40  (and a negative split 2:52, 2:48.  Woo Hoo!  I think my body likes 84-5 pace today.)

1200  4:14  ( Had to run pretty hard the last lap to hit under 4:15

800:  2:45  (Better!  Glad to see that 2:45!)

400  78  ( Eh.  At least it's under 80)

I felt great (well, marathon training great) today.  It's tough to push my body into the uncomfortable speed range.  However, it likes "comfortably hard."  My goal has been to let my body take control and not force the efforts.  I run better relaxed.  I'm happy with today.  I feel really ready for this marathon.

2.5 mile cooldown.

PM:  I needed a few more miles, so I ran with the East High team.  They were doing 6 x 800 with 400 recovery.  Woo Hoo.  Double workout day.  I just paced some of the girls on their repeats.  Nothing too strenuous.

AM:  10 miles.  ugh.

PM:  3 more.

Threshold run today.  I warmed up two miles and then did a 10 mile tempo.  Well, actually, I did a 45 minute tempo.  I was really struggling at that point, so I finished the last 2.65 miles running 1 minute on/off.  Still, I managed the full ten in 61:48.  6:10-11 per mile.  I cooled down 2 miles.  14 miles total in 1:31:05.  Overall, it was a good workout.  It just wasn't the easy 6:03-04 average that I ran 2 weeks ago.  

AM:  7 easy miles in the nice cool fall weather.  Morning runs are very enjoyable right now.  

PM:  5.5  Down to 4100 S, back up 2700 W.  I checked in on Cole at soccer practice before heading home.  I thought splitting my mileage into two shorter runs would help mentally.  It worked this morning . . . not so much tonight.  But, there was a rainbow!

I decided that I didn't want to spend my birthday running 20 miles.  Plus, I have to coach at the BYU Invite tomorrow.  So, that left today for my last pre-marathon 20 miler.  It was a tough one.  

Jenny and I met at the river at about 8:15 this morning.  Sleeping in (all the way until 6) was wonderful!  It was pouring when we started, but the rain quickly turned into a light drizzle.  Then, the weather was perfect, if just a bit muggy.  We ran out past the International Peace Gardens, to 5th South.  After the turn-around, the sun came out, and then it was really hot and muggy.  We were clipping along pretty quickly today though.  This was surprising considering my legs are so dead.  We passed 2 naughty landmarks that were spray painted on the sidewalk.  Oh, the things that amuse you when running.  It seems that when I run with Jen I possess the humor of a 12-year-old boy.  

We picked up the last few miles, and finished in a 7:06 per mile average.  I was thinking about my first twenty on the river trail where I could only muster 7:25 pace.  

So, the hardest work is done!  A little drop next week, and then full taper! St. George, here I come!  

Happy Birthday, to me!  I'm 33 +3!   But, when I ran I felt eight-tee!  Because of yesterday's twent-tee!

I'm on carpool duty this week, so I have to get my workouts in super early.  I don't really mind, and it is good preparation for the 6 a.m. start at St. George.  However, it is really dark outside!  

I warmed up for 20 minutes, and then ran a fartlek workout at Valley Park.  I ran 3 sets of 5-3-2 minutes with 3-2-1 minute recoveries.  I can feel my legs coming back a little bit, though my hips and achilles are going to need some TLC over the next couple of weeks.  I cooled down through the park and back home.  

I can't believe this marathon is actually going to happen for me!  I'm starting to get excited!!!

I ran with the East High kids today.  I needed a few more miles than they were running, so I came early and got in three before they showed up.  We ran down to Sugarhouse Park and ran 5 state hills (about 300 meters) and then ran back.  I only ran four because I tripped and fell on my face on the first one.  It was definitely a stellar moment for me.  Wouldn't that be great, to make it this far uninjured in training and then hurt myself in a freak accident?

It was good running with the kids.  They have all that speed, so I have to work extra hard on hill sprints.  I'm not sure they are very necessary for marathon training, but it's always good to have to push out of your comfort zone.  

It's nice to have my legs coming back a bit.  The weather was absolutely perfect running weather this morning.  I tried out my marathon shoes again.  I think we have a keeper.  

Doing carpool this week is messing with my training.  I decided to wait until tomorrow to do my tempo workout, because Teren will be home, so I will have more time in the morning.  I should be quite well rested.

I wanted 10 today, but only got seven.  It was long sleeved shirt weather this morning.  Good thing I'm starting to taper down.  I just need to make sure not to taper too much too soon.

Marathon pace workout  3 x 3 miles with a half mile recovery.  I purposely wanted to start a bit easy and build in.  Control was the emphasis of this workout.  

I warmed up 2 miles before the workout.  My first 3 mile was 18:35, second, 18:08, and third 17:46.  I felt under control the entire workout, though the last one started to get more intense the last mile.   So, 6:12 pace on the first 3, 6:03 pace on the second three, and 5:55 pace on the last three.  I think I'm ready.  

I just cooled down until I hit 13.  Last longer run tomorrow!

16 sure felt a lot easier than 20-22.  I decided to give it one last long run significant effort.  I ran my Jordan River Temple loop, and did not have to extend to Costco!  6:49 average pace.  Miles 12-15:  6:20, 6:30 (uphill.  I was imagining Veyo.)  5:57 (downhill)  So, mini -tempo at the end.  I'm feeling good and feeling very excited.  

There is a little tickle in my throat.  Hopefully I'm just being overly paranoid.  

And, the taper continues.  7 easy on a gorgeous morning.  My arms were cold.  It was fantastic.  I had a sore throat over the weekend, so I thought I would play it safe and do my track workout tomorrow.  I feel great otherwise, just a sore throat.  

Hmmm.   That was not an encouraging workout.  

As I was walking out the door, I noticed it was VERY windy this morning.  Teren was so encouraging.  "It's not that bad."  he told me.  So, off to the track I went.  I warmed up 2.5 miles, with 4 x 200. My workout was 6 x 1000.  I thought I could keep around 3:30.  Nope.

3:27  (Good, but huge effort.)  3:37 (Uh, oh.)  About here I thought about turning it into a fartlek workout instead, but decided to persevere.  3:38.3, 3:37.9, 3:38.6, (thought about calling it good at 5.  Decided to persevere.) 3:38.11.  I'm glad they were all under 3:40 at least.  I felt like I was running into a wall on the home stretch.  My splits were all over the place, but the overall times were very consistent.  I had envisioned a taper-tastic workout, where I felt amazing and ran super fast.  Nope.  Teren, it WAS that bad.  Blame it on the wind, right?  The pluses, I kept at it and finished the workout I set out to do.  I was extremely consistent after the first sprint-fest.  Finally, I think I could have run more of them if I absolutely had to.  

Cooled down 2.5 miles home.  

Beautiful sunrise through the clouds this morning.  It might not be quite so beautiful later this afternoon!  My right hip was very tight this morning.  It took about 30 minutes to properly warm up.  Lots of stretching and foam rolling this week.  I just need to stay in one piece for 10 more days!  I just want the race to get here already!  It's been a long time that I ran a race that had so much physical and mental build up before.  Maybe even as far back as NCAA's.  I'm excited to get to it!

It was warmer than I thought it would be this morning.  I ditched my gloves in the first 3 minutes.  I hope my new garmin comes in the mail today.  The watchband of my timex is hanging on by one tiny thread.  RIP Timex.  You've timed many an interval!

I brought my BRAND NEW GARMIN to Liberty Park for my last tempo run.  My workout goal was 3 miles, 2 miles, 1 mile with half a mile recovery at increasingly fast paces.  I saw Skyline's cross country team about ready to start their tempo, so I offered to pace the girls on their 3 mile.  Tom wanted 6:10, 6:00, 5:50.  Whew!  Not really in the plan, but I said I would try.  

I only got .6 warmup in before we started.  Mile 1: 6:06 (got out a little quick the first .25, which is normal for high school runners.  Mile 2 6:00 (right on, but the girls were having a tough time matching pace.)  Mile 3:  5:45.  17:51 for the 3 mile.  Half mile jog.  12:03 for the 2 mile.  ( I decided to bring back the pace a little.)  Half mile jog.   5:41 for the mile.  Half mile jog.    I planned on a longer cooldown, but got talking to Tom about coaching high schoolers.  Before I knew it, I needed to get home.  Good thing it's taper time!

I'm definitely happy with this workout.  I can't wait until next week!

1 week to go!  At this time next week, I'm going to be DONE . . . and I have resolved to be positive and happy no matter what the outcome.  It's a victory to actually be able to run a marathon . . . I wasn't sure if my body could ever hold up under the training.  

10.5 with Jenny on a very cold morning.  I was wearing shorts when Jenny came over, but decided to change into tights,  I'm glad I did.  I tried out my new New Balance flats.  The Asics just haven't been working well for me.  Much better.  They are more of a traditional racing flat, so they don't have the extra support built in.  They also don't restrict my form as much.  

Let's get to it!

It was a very windy morning.  I ran to Valley Park to run a 5-4-3-2-1 minute fartlek with 3-2-2-1-1- minute recoveries.  My legs feel good and definitely ready to go.  I have a little bit of a head cold, and I could feel it a little bit running.  I've been taking Emergen-C like crazy, so I think I can get rid of it by Saturday.  It's not bad enough to have a huge impact, but I definitely don't want it to get worse.  15 minute warm up.  Cooldown to home.  7.13 miles.  6:53 average for entire workout.  

I'm going crazy!!!!  5 miles this morning.  I keep feeling like I need to run more.  But, I will get a long enough run on Saturday.  6:49 pace.  I have way too much nervous energy!  It's nice to feel good running, though!  

I ran 2.5 miles over to the track, did 2 miles of speed changes, and ran the short way back home.  My legs feel amazing.  My brain is busy overanalyzing everything.  

Easy run on a blustery morning.  SLCC loop.  7:11 average.  We leave this afternoon!  Just got to get one marathoner, three kids, one husband, (and a partridge in a pear tree) packed up for the van ride down.  Cole gave me his packing requests this morning.  "I want to bring Woody, and Captain America, and Optimus Prime, and my Leap Pad.  Buzz Lightyear has to stay here."  You know.  all the essentials.  No big deal!