Emily's training blog

Warmed up three miles and ran a 3 mile tempo run. 6:04, 5:56, 5:46. 17:46 total time. I cooled down 2 miles. I'm feeling pretty good and excited to race.

It's inevitable that the week of a big race someone in your house gets sick. Teren has the start of a head cold. So, of course I'm going to be worried all week that I will get it too. Time to pound Emergen-C and pray to the running gods for their mercy.

Running in light summer showers is so enjoyable. Running in freezing spring downpours is not! I'm glad today was the former! I started a little bit sluggish, but warmed up after four miles instead of six. I'm starting to feel recovered. Now the goal is not to go too crazy as my legs start feeling fresher. Time to hide the garmin and pull out the baby jogger! 6:56 average. Feeling spunky!

Not a fun run this morning. It was super windy. All ten of my intervals were right into a headwind. I warmed up two miles and ran 10 x 1 minute on/off and then finished the loop for 7.5 miles. Legs feel good, but I was a little sluggish. Two more easy days to worry about getting sick. Cole is sick now.

7:03 average

Can't say I'm feeling super fantastic. My legs feel great. I just feel lethargic for the first few miles of my run. I feel pretty decent after about three miles. Why is it youstart to doubt yourself during a taper? I worked on positive imagery and self talk through my run, reminding myself to run confidently and relaxed. I've put in the mileage and workouts the last eight weeks for a good race. I'm ready. Now to focus on controlling the things within my control, and letting everything else go.

As the very wise Taylor Swift would say, "Shake it off!"

And ending on an exciting note: I received an elite entry into the Monumental Half Marathon in Indianapolis on Nov 1! It's five weeks before the marathon which isn't optimal timing, but it was the best race option and should be lots of fun.

SLCC loop with my little stroller buddy. Pushing the stroller uphill into the wind is hard. At this time tomorrow I will be DONE! I hate waiting for races. It makes me antsy. The one time I ran TOU, I ran 1:19:28. My foremost goal is to beat that time. At the time, I was averaging 45-50 miles per week. So, based on mileage alone I should be faster, right? Here's hoping conditions cooperate tomorrow!

I fell a little short of my goal of 1:29:30. Apparently, my speed from five years ago trumps my higher mileage now. But, I am encouraged and happy to see some progress. Week 13 post injury. 14 weeks to CIM. Here's hoping I have enough time to get to where I want to be.

This weekend was like a college road trip with Jenny, Devra, Allie, and our token male Noah squeezing into Allie's Subaru and sharing a tiny hotel room. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Running friends are the best friends.

Race morning: I was nervous about the weather with the downpour the night before, but we had perfect, cool, weather. I didn't sleep very well the night before, but that doesn't bother me too much. We warmed up two miles in the canyon, and soon we were off.

I felt like I was immediately pushing really hard. That feeling never went away, but I wanted to stick with the leaders and use those downhills to my advantage. But, it felt tough. I was with Devra and Merilee Blackham all through the canyon.

Merilee and Devra pulled away in mile 7. I admit to losing it a bit mentally at this point. My stomach was hurting, and six more miles seemed like forever. I wish I would have stuck closer. Once I was on my own, I settled a bit. Jenny is a hard closer so I knew I couldn't get too complacent.

I woke up again at mile ten and mentally re-engaged. The most encouraging part of the race was feeling pretty strong still in the final miles. I used the men around me to keep charging on. The uphill mile from eleven to twelve was much stronger (for me) than in the past. I was able to find a final gear for the last downhill ( thank goodness!) mile. I finished in third at 1:19:38. Pretty decent progress over the last five weeks.

Splits: 5:51, 5:57, 5:58, 5:59, 5:45, 5:46, 5:58, 6:15, 6:18, 6:13, 6:21, 6:40 ( uphill mile. fast for me!) 6:01, :39.

It may have been smarter to run more conservatively, but I wanted to put myself in the hunt. The fitness is starting to catch up. 2 mile cooldown.

Jenny shattered her pr with a 1:19:52!