Relentless

AM - 10 3xAC and some laps with team. Good start to the week. Nice temps out. (Cumulus silver 71.2)

PM - 4xcemetary mile.  After about a 3 mile warmup, I got into the mile repeats.  Goal was to hit right around 5:30's (which according to the course tool is worth about a 5:18, whatever... it is a pretty hard loop).  1-5:35.  Felt good, just kind of feeling out the pace.  It had been some time since I had done these miles.  2-5:32 Picked it up and felt like I was going under 5:30, but lost a little at the end. 3-DISASTER! Okay maybe not a disaster today, but it would have been in two weeks.  Going very well - under 30 without a doubt when coming off a corner, I stepped on some gravel and my left ankle just gave out.  I tried to stumble to a stop.  Luckily the guy driving right at me saw it happen and moved over as I gimped and hobbled and tried to keep my balance (he even turned around to see if I was alright - a decent fellow).  I walked lightly for a minute and then jogged a couple hundred yards to see if I could still go.  Then I decided to try and finish the workout.  So I came back to where I had stopped and got going again.  There was a slight stabbing pain across the top of my left foot, but I continued on.  That mile ended up being 5:44 - not bad considering the time lost for autopause and resuming speed with the ankle - added to it the fact that on this and my last repeat, the autolap hit the mile at least 30 meters later than the first two (that really bugs me).  Took my 2 minute jog in-between and decided to do my last one and that I could still go 5:30.  I started off great, telling myself that I had to push extra hard to overcome the wimpyness II was feeling.  But I really sat back on the corners and by the end the ankle was bothering me quite a bit - ended up hitting 5:32 on the 4th (again, watch went long).  Jogged back home and iced up.  (Paramount 102.25)

The ankle really went bad last night.  One of my girls needed me in the night and I couldn't even stand up.  Obviously no run this morning, and I doubt anything tonight.  My Jeep is broken down and I had to drive my dad's old truck to school that has a beastly clutch.  Every second was extreme pain.  I'm a little worried because there is absolutely no swelling or bruising (break? - please no!).  Before it happened, I had been thinking, "What if I sprained my ankle?" and I convinced myself not to worry about it since you can't predict it or do anything about it.  I guess I'm glad it happened now and not in two weeks.

I was never so happy to see a fat green ankle as I was last night.  Things loosened up considerably throughout the day and I decided to give it a try this morning.

AM - 5 Washington Loop.  Took it very easy and cut the mileage in half just to be careful.  Only a little pain, but nothing significant.  I'm sure I'll be at full strength tomorrow - whatever that is.  (Cumulus orange 377.3) 

noon - 8 River Run.  Enjoyed the one perk of parent-teachers and ran with the team out to AC as they did and ice cream run, and I continued on around the River Run.  Temps were so perfect.  Ankle felt okay, but I didn't push any of it.  (Paramount 112.25)

evening - 11.35 club run Santa Clara Ivins loop.  Just Steve and I tonight, and we both felt blah.  He was a bit dehydrated, and I just felt muscle fatigue.  I think not running Tuesday after the mile repeats made it so I didn't work out any of the crap that was built up and now I trying to slowly work it out.  (Cumulus silver 82.55) 

AM - 10.5 ACx3 and some laps. Boy was I dragging this morning. All three runs were pretty pathetic. Pretty much the same issue as yesterday. It doesn't help that I have forgotten to use the Stick after the last three runs. Really the only time that I notice that that thing does any good is when I forget to use it, then I realize its benefits. (Paramount 122.75)

PM - 4.5 Went down to the soccer fields (.7) and ran 1 mile barefoot and then 8x100 barefoot striders and then finished with another mile barefoot (3.1 total). Then back home. Running barefoot felt great, and I hoped it would feel good on my ankle. (Cumulus red 341.25)

morning - 2 mile warmup for Swiss Days 5K. I thought about not racing hard and pacing my kids to help them - as my ankle was giving me some pain. But once I warmed up, I decided to give racing hard a try. I shouldn't have - at least then I would have had an excuse of why I ran so slow.

Took off wanting to run a better time than last year and try and hang with Hayden "running warrior". I knew Logan was ready for a sub 16 with his speed work, and I wasn't. Started off in 5th. At mile 1 I took out my top runner, at that point, and urged him to go with me. Then quickly took out Brandon Wignall, an SUU walk on and decent runner (winner of last year's race). Hit mile 1 in 5:27, better than last year (5:32), on a hard mile, so I thought things were looking good. From here, however, I became complacent and just settled. I tried one small surge to go get Hayden. When I didn't gain any ground I gave up - even committing the cardinal sin of looking back to make sure I was set at 3rd. So that's where I ended up... with crap.

Cooled down a mile.

Went up to Snow Canyon with Logan, Steve, and my bro. and got into it. First mile was good, then my Garmin's watch pin fell out and got lost, so I had to carry it - the watch. Then I lost it. My body had nothing. This was pretty much the way I had felt all week. My ankle was bothering me a little, but it wasn't really the problem. We got done 10.5 miles later and I was happy to be done. Although the intense rain and rivers of water on the way down were cool - and the amazing waterfall coming down Snow Canyon! But the run was blah. (Ohana 109.5, Cumulus silver 95.05)

This week is one I want to just erase. The ankle, the bad runs, the poor race. Just wipe it all out.

Goals for next week: #1) get my ankle feeling better. On top of this, I just want to start feeling sharp. I want 65 miles this week. And I want them to lead me to feel that I am ready to do well.