Relentless

AM - 5.25 Parkway.  Twix and I ran the Parkway this morning just to mix things up a little.  Then weights and abs.  About 90% sure I won't be able to run the race this weekend.  Cold is lifting, but the cough is still persistent and the energy levels are low along with a pretty good headache for the last week.  Pretty mean cold.  Now it is beating up on Rylee.  (Ravenna 27.25)

AM - 7.5 Twix/AC. Just not quite turning the corner with this sickness. Abs. (Peg purple 21.5)

AM - 8 ND. Bummed that I wasn’t racing this morning, but it was for the best. Wouldn’t have been able to do it. (Ravenna 35.25)

Goals for next week: get better and run a little more. 

AM - 15 Twix/Pioneer. Felt great this morning. Pace was good, cadence good, breathing and lack of coughing good. Did some tempo sections and felt good. It was nice. Abs after. (Ravenna 50.25)

AM - 6 Parkway.  Twix and I got a few good miles in.  Pace was good as was the cadence - judging by feel, because I didn't have my watch.  It, along with my phone, was locked in the school after the bomb evacuation and I couldn't get back in to get it until the morning.  Weights and abs.  (Peg Purple 27.5)

AM - 7.5 Twix/AC.  Four miles with Twix on our usual route.  Followed up by 25 minutes with the boys.  I struggle with the stress of the end of a quarter, the beginning of track season, and the PV Invite looming.  I really wish we would have our Spring Break after the invite... but I guess we get our second break of it, so that is good.  Abs after.  (Ravenna 57.75)

AM - 6 Parkway.  Good Parkway reverse run with Twix.  Followed up by weights and abs.  Not too many doubles lately or in the foreseeable future.  (Peg green 297.25)

AM - 8.5 Twix/AC. Tried to get a little more in this morning with a meet this afternoon. Yoga and abs after. (Boston 346.75)

AM - 6 Parkway. Ran with Twix. Not as far as I should have gone, but I was tired and didn’t want to get up way early before he meet today. At least I got some in; probably wouldn’t have if I’d waited until after. (Ravenna 63.75)

morning - 17.75 Prospector. Felt early with the dumb time change. Got a couple laps in with Twix in the Dirt Mile then ran Prospector withy the team. We got out pretty far (almost to Red Cliffs). Then I had to drop down to Cottownwood TH to hit the bathroom which added a mile. Had a good pace all the way back. Trail was in great condition after yesterday’s rain. (Speedgoat 146.5)

AM - 6 Twix.  Up and at 'em before our trip.  Hopefully Twix doesn't destroy the world while we are gone.  (Peg Purple 33.5)

morning - 7.75 Phoenix.  Ran with Py and Ry from the hotel down by the Cardinals stadium.  Good run.  Bad news of the day... I forgot to do my duolingo yesterday and had my 100 day streak snapped.  #bumma.  (Ravenna 71.5)

morning - 5.5 Phoenix.  Went a different direction this morning.  Run seemed longer.  Probably we were just tired from staying up late last night at the game.  But it was a lot of fun.  (Ravenna 77)

morning - 6 Parkway.  Well Twix survived.  She was very antsy this morning; expectedly.  The first part of the run was a bit of a blah while getting the trip out of the legs.  Then the second half was much better.  (Peg Purple 39.5)

morning - 36.5 Trans Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. This is something I have wanted to do for a very long time. I’m not in shape to do it, but I did it anyway. So the idea is to basically link a bunch of the trails in the Reserve and run across the whole thing from Silver Reef to Ivins. Excluding the first section in Silver Reef, I’ve ran every step of this run, but never linked together. Ally dropped me off at the dirt road for the Pioneer cemeteries in Silver Reef and I got started just before dawn. Not surprisingly, I took a wrong trail here and probably added an extra mile or more. Super pretty up there, though, so no stress (Supposed to be on White Reef, but was in Red Cliffs East (?), then connected to where I was supposed to via somehing like Tippets (?). That brought me to Red Cliffs, where I connected to Prospector via Adams. Took Prospector until Spanish Wash. From here connect to the upper section of Beacken’s via Coachwhip. Then down Grapevine to Sand Hill. These sections were the slowest and, obviously, the toughest. The sand was nice from the rain, but was very deep and destroyed by horses making it impossible to get a decent run in. Add in the break to dump sand out of the shoes and enjoy my favorite lookout in the whole Reserve, and I was well behind my goal pace. Did well up Millcreek and Mustang.  Started to get a bit tired along the Powerline, but that faded and I had a good section on the short paved section to connect to T-Bone. From there went across to City Wells (which is always awesome). After another short paved stint, got up to Chuckwalla and took it across to Scout Cave. In here I was around 30 miles and getting very tired. The drop of the point to Scout Cave was brutal on my legs. Every step was slow and deliberate - very slow here. Once in the wash, I somehow missed my trail turnoff and got put on the road past Entrada. There was no way I was back tracking - every step was a challenge and I knew where I could connect back with the correct trail. So I worked my way back to the final section - Toe Trail. Normally this would be a very easy and good ending section, but I was spent. I walked too much here, but forced myself to get back to a jog and finally brought the journey to an end at the 200 E Trailhead in Ivins. 6:02 and 36.60 miles.  (Speedgoat 219.5)

Glad I finally did this. As far as I know, no one has ever run this whole thing. So many pretty places and cool trails. And a major accomplishment for someone that has only run 20 miles twice in the past 2 1/2 years. I will definitely do this again sometime. Hydrated and fueled very well. The temps were nice.  And even though the wind was blowing against me most of the run, it helped keep thing a little cooler.  A good end to a very enjoyable Spring Break.

Am - 10.25 Parkway.  Ran the Washington Parkway with the girls team this morning.  We had a good run.  I enjoy getting out with them - although they might not like me yelling at them all the time.  Abs.  (Ravenna 87.25)

AM - 5.25 Twix.  More tired this morning than yesterday (legs-wise, not sleepy).  Weights and abs after.  (Peg purple 44.75)

AM - 7.5 Twix/AC.  A bit with the dog and then with the boys.  Still feeling the long run.  Abs.  (Ravenna 94.75)

AM - 5 Twix.  Probably more fatigued today than the rest of the week.  A lot of it is to due with the stress of the meet this weekend.  Things are lining up well, but it is a lot of work.  Weights and abs.  (Peg purple 49.75)

AM - 7.5 Twix/AC. Shortened Parkway with the dog then AC with the team. Finished up with some yoga and abs. Long day ahead with the PV Invite. (Peg green 304.75)

AM - 4 Parkway. Actually went shortened Parkway today not yesterday. Yesterday just did the regular Twix 4 mile route. (Boston 350.75)

AM - 14 Twix/River Trail. Short with the dog then early morning long run with the team. Ran with the JV boys after we started thebtempo sections and fell off the V guys. It was good to run with them. They are working hard and deserve to see some strong improvements. Abs. (Ravenna 108.75)

AM - 5 Parkway. Twix ran better today than she has in the last couple weeks.  Still cool out in the morning.  Only got about half my lifts in today after dealing with a athlete problem.  Then abs.  (Peg purple 54.75)

AM - 9.25 Twix/Washington. Short run with Twix after getting home late from a cold track meet in Cedar. Main run for practice in the morning because a Youth meet this afternoon. Pretty tired from the last week. Today’s Al’s bday and we are postponing the party because of the busy day (Scouts after all this other stuff). Abs. (Peg green 314). 

AM - 4.5 Twix. Another tough morning waking up. Getting some tendinitis on the outside of my left ankle. Hurts a bit. Weights and abs. (Ravenna 113.25)

afternoon - 5.5 AC. Warmed with the boys. Then did a couple hill circuits with them and then either the girls and coiled with them. First double in a while. Leg hurting. (Peg blue 619.25)

morning - 9.25 White Reef. Kicked off the Easter break with a team run up in the Red Cliffs area. Thought the team might like this trail and it gave me a way to figure out which trails for the Red Cliffs Traverse. Good batch of running, but that tendinitis was really flaring up and hurt a lot. Spent the rest of the day working on sprinklers - that is always a real joy. (Speedgoat 192.25)

AM - 7 ND.  Easy run up into the North Desert with Twix. Leg felt okay’ish. I do enjoy running though. (Peg purple 61.75)

Good week. Can hopefully get on top of the tendonitis and keep on moving. I look back and think about trying to train during a season.  It was tough!