Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured

Avg Pace 9:16

AM:  3 easy miles

PM:   Running while my daughter was at volleyball practice.   She practices in an industrial area and I have been nervous about running there, but I was not alone  - another fellow runner out on the streets.     It was a lot of dodging cars during mile 1 & 4 (same street on an out and back run) and then cooled down for a mile.

Splits:  8:02, 7:51, 7:35, 8:02

Avg Pace: 8:06

Early & easy.

Met the running group at the store and new I wanted some faster miles, but no real plan.    I headed out with the fast group and fell a little back from the leaders  between miles 2-3 but caught up to them at the water stops.    We ran part of the Cowtown course today and it was so nice to be off the trails.   I love the trail system but we run it so much.    Felt really good and talked to a few people about Houston and the plan......

A:  Start with the 3:40 pacer and try to hang on

B:  Start with the 3:50 pacer and pick it up after the half

I will most likely go with option B and I have come to terms with the fact that I have done the best I could with everything on my plate the past 8-10 weeks.   Bottom line, I want to run it hard enough that I am sore enough on Monday.......I do not want to finish knowing I did not give it my all.

Splits:   9:09, 8:13, 7:43, 7:43, 7:45, 7:51, 7:55, 8:04, 8:15

Avg Pace 8:06

7 miles in the rain......actually very nice!

Today was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had.   Watching the trials was just an experience that will never be repeated.   I am here with my husband, my 11 year old who we brought for her birthday and then Saskia & Jenny.   We had a great location and were able to see the runners at miles 1, 1.5, 3, 9, 17 & 25.  There was crowd support but we were able to be right in the action most the time.   When we got to our spot at mile 9, we decided to stick it out and stay because we were right on the tangent corner and the athletes flew by as they made the turn.    It was interesting to watch the race unfold and observe the changes as they looped the course.   For both the men and women races the lead pack did not change much through out the race, just got smaller with each loop.  

Sara Hall, Ryan Hall's wife, watched with us for about 20 - 25 min while she waited for him to come at mile 17.   She was so kind and is absolutely beautiful.   It was great to watch her get so excited when she saw him coming down and making the turn.    

We saw Paul Peterson with each loop and cheered him on and watched him get stronger as the race went on - he looked really good just before the 25 mile mark.   

I walked away from the race so excited to train....not to race, just train more.   

We spent the rest of our day resting, drove the course, had dinner and now just preparing for tomorrow.    The excitement is setting in and I still have no plan but no expectations other than to have a great time, run the best I can and take it all in.

Where to start.....I knew I did not have a good training cycle and that my plan was for a 3:45 - 4:00 training run.  I had the time right but it really wasn't a training run.   

I had the absolutely, most perfect pre-race morning.  Woke up feeling great, things took care of them self, got ready and reached the start issue free - that is a rarity for me.   Thought it is going to be a good day and that lasted until about .5 mile into the race.    I really struggled finding my groove and getting into the flow of a long run and the whole thing felt really forced even though the pace and effort was easy.   Saw my husband at mile 7 and told him it wasn't good and I was contemplating how to not finish this thing.   Stopped during mile 8 and used the POP and actually started feeling a little better and thought if I could get to the halfway point I would be fine.   Previously that has been the turning point and I love the second half of marathons, not today.   I started having lower back spasms between 12 & 13 that lasted up through about 17 and my calves started cramping right about 13.   I stopped to stretch them at one point and got a charlie horse in my shin.....not a good sign.  It was here that I started taking walk breaks of about 20 sec and then would run again.  My running pace was fine, but the calves were killing me.   At mile 18 they started being at least every 1/2 mile and the death march was on.   I reached mile 20 and had a complete breakdown and cried for a mile and tried to just compose myself.  I started actually having short spurts of feeling better but the cramping would return.    When I reached the sign stating 1.5 miles left, my watch said 3:44 and I told myself to get my act together and finish before 4 hours.   Just barely, but I finished.  I was a wreck for the next 1/2 hour while I went through all the finishing stuff and fell apart again when I reached my husband.   Bottom line, the time and experience was reflective of the training I put in and I am okay with that.   I am dissapointed with my training but it was the best I could do with what was on my plate at that time.    No regrets.  

Now to the interesting/fun stuff:

 - the Trials were amazing, see my Saturday post.....Can't say enough and I am in awe.   Words cannot describe that experience.  

- They have a system of weighing runners pre/post marathon.  I thought it was completely dorky and now I am completely fascinated.   I lost 9 lbs during the race, despite drinking both water or gatorade at each stop.    I want to know others details and differences during races.....

-The city and citizens were extremely supportive of runners.   We had people out cheering the entire time and great support, even for the crier - it was mortifying.  

- This was the most well organized race I have participated in, they did a great job managing 25,000 runners.   

Houston and I are not done, we will do this dance again with a much better outcome.    I have a feeling there is a picture of me walking and I am tempted to buy it to remind myself of what I will not do again.    It was an amazing weekend, I learned a lot and I left the trials Saturday inspired to train more, which is good because Sunday I realized how much more I need to train.  

Four nice slow miles. Things were very tight the first mile but everything loosened up, with the exception of my left quad, during the rest of the run.

Six easy miles with Saskia. Tried to avoid the headwind and stuck to an East/West route.

We are in San Antonio for my daughters volleyball tournament and staying on the Riverwalk.    I always look forward to running in new places and this was great.  I headed out just before 7 and it was colder than I expected but I soon warmed up.   I had planned on heading into the wind on the way out and then running with the wind on the way back and that worked until the last mile and the wind shifted.   I made it to the end of the Riverwalk and then picked up a bike trail for another 1.5 miles and then turned around and headed back and added on 1 mile around the loop to equal 8.   I felt good for the most part and picked up the pace a little but nothing to great.  My garmin struggled during the first 1.5 mile and from 5.5 to 7.  The pace was all over the place 13's and 5's but avg for the run was 9:08.  Slower than I had thought but I am also not worried.   

I was late to meet the group so had to run the 1.5 to the meeting spot much faster than I like, given I was not warmed up.  Ran 4 with Saskia and Jenny, it was nice chatting and going slow.   When it was time to head back, I was later than I wanted to be so another 1.5 speedy back.   

I am still having a hard time figuring out how to dress/layer for the temps.   Today I was too warm with a base layer and top, but with the base layer alone I was somewhat cool.   Gloves on, gloves off...couldn't make up my mind.  

A 10k of hills around our neighborhood.  It was chilly again and the legs were tired.

I had to go to Denver and had an early flight out but thought I would get in what I could.  I went down to the fitness center and the treadmill was occupied so I ended up on the eliptical for 20 long minutes....Not a fan.

7 easy miles with Saskia.   My right hip bothered me quite a bit during the run and most the day at the office.  Lots of foam roller, stick and massage in the evening.

Went to go meet the group and it was considered a success because it was windy, and most of you know how a feel about wind.   We were running the first part of the CowTown course today and due to running in some less than desirable areas they had encouraged us to stay with our groups today - especially the first half.    I started with the 8:00 min group knowing I could not keep up, but there was no 9:00 min group and usually there are a handful that drop back to 8:30.  No 8:30's today, so I just worked on keeping the group in sight and we would catch up and check in with each other at the water stops.   We ran through the Stockyards  (a Fort Worth landmark), which was fun but the cobblestones made me nervous.   Ran through a 5K for the other running store and then through downtown and back to the store.  There is a big hill as you cross the bridge into downtown and I used it to work on my mental strength - much needed after Houston.   Finished the 11 mile route and added on a cool down mile as a reward - slow as I wanted.   I really liked being off the trails and on the streets.  The change of scenery was very nice and I would rather run a hilly route and push than flat, flat, flat.

I was very worried about my hip going into today, it had really bothered me yesterday, but once I was warmed, no issues at all.   I can tell that I am still not fully recovered from the marathon, while I felt good today and the effort did not seem overly taxing, I was wiped out the rest of the day.  

Splits:  9:28, 8:12, 8:14, 7:59, 8:04, 7:57, 7:55, 8:30, 8:00, 8:12, 8:09, 8:33

Avg Pace 8:16

6 easy with Jenny.

Ran as much as I could while my daughter warmed up for her volleyball tournament.

Slow and easy miles....I keep trying to tell myself this is okay.

The last week has been rough.  I woke up last Tuesday and felt like I had been hit by a bus.  My hips were extremely fatigued and sore and I was pretty sure I was getting sick....not sick but the aching has continued.  Hips and sacral area are so tired and sore and my calves are starting to feel the same way.   I am not sure what is going on other than not enough hours in the day to get everything done. 

The plan is for lots of easy miles, trying to eat better and hopefully feeling better. 

6 miles on the hotel treadmill at 4:00 am.   I am in SF for work and have an early flight.  Completely shocked at how busy the fitness center was for the hour I was running.   They have just remodeled and it is by far the nicest hotel treadmill I have used.  We just need to teach them about air conditioning.

Avg Pace: 9:00 

It is freezing here in Texas and I have become a total wimp. Today's temp was 25 degrees and with a wind chill it felt like 13 - according to the news. I will claim it felt colder. I chose to avoid the 20 mph winds and headed to the YMCA. 9 miles on the treadmill.....3 mile warm up, 3 miles of 1 min on/1 min off - On was at 7:00 min pace and off was at 9:15 min pace, and then a 3 mile cool down.   A Zumba class was starting right as I was finishing, so I attempted.... my second attempt - previous was a year ago.   It is fun, but I have no rhythm, I will probably go back though because I can take my girls.   Too bad I couldn't stay for body pump, but Jay is out of town and there is too much to do.   

Spent the afternoon evening at volleyball and then dinner at Costa Vida and a Chick FilA shake.  It was delicious but I will pay for it later.   There is only one Costa Vida in Texas and it is about 45 min away, but we were somewhat close with volleyball and I will use any excuse I can to go eat there.  

Another yucky winter day in FW.   2.2 miles on the treadmill... Spin class...2  more treadmill miles.

 I am trying to introduce some cross training to my life and today was a first attempt at spin.  It was hard, but not as bad as I thought and I do need to adjust my bike differently next time.   I could feel it in my legs right from the warm up and I have no idea how much resistance you should really have, but I sweated up a storm, breathed hard and had jello-y legs afterwards.  The first .5 on the treadmill after spin was rough but got going and was sad to have to go get kids ready for school.

9 easy miles....1.75 to meet Saskia, 6 with her and the rest on the way home....

I had originally not planned on running today because I have an early flight, but I was awake at 3:00 am and not able to go back to sleep.  Ended up getting up and running.  6 miles... 2 mile warm up, 2 miles of fartleks with the telephone poles and 2 mile cool down. Took the on's at a pretty moderate pace, nothing too exciting... Avg pace 8:36

It is a down pour today and not letting up.....So back at the YMCA.   I had put off running and was extremely grouchy and finally went after being bugged by my daughter to take her to the Y.   My husband and son ended up tagging along which was great, because then I didn't have to worry as much about her.   

1% incline

3.5 mile warm up

5.5 miles sub 8:00 min pace

2.5 mile cool down - ended up sprinting the last 3 min which was harder than it should have been.

I feel pretty good about this work out, not too sure how it would translate to the road, but I didn't die or really even come close (except the sprint) which is good.   It all comes down to getting out of my 8:30 -9:00 min pace comfort zone... I need some faster gals to run with ......

New shoes today, back to the Mizuno wave riders.  I haven't worn these for about 2 years and wanted to go back.   No hip issues today but my plantars are on fire..lots of stretching, and rolling.

am:  6 easy miles with Erica and Adrianne.  I like running with the ladies but it is almost too easy and light and I need to come up with some alternatives.

pm:  4 miles on the hotel treadmill with an avg pace of 9 min/mile while I watched the end of the Villanova/UConn game.   I love this time of year!  Knees felt tired and the effort was harder than I would have liked.   We will see what tomorrow brings.

Very rough travel week.  Syracuse, Home for 3 hours for a meeting, OKC and then rushed back home for more meetings.   I had two people tell me I sound tired on the phone....not a good sign, especially since I do not talk to one of them very often.  

Went  to yoga tonight at the Y with my 11 year old.  It was just what I needed.  Felt great and energized when I left.  Too bad they only have evening yoga classes on T/TH.

1 mile to meet the ladies

4x1 mile repeats at an easy pace with a good uphill portion

1 mile home

It is extremely windy today but got it done.   The avg pace ended up being 9:14 (always slow on MWF if the other show up) but this was faster than I expected.  

am:  8 miles while I had sometime before volleyball.  I had to run in an industrial area that was probably not the best place to run, but got it done.    It had a lot of rolling hills which always makes me feel like it counts more than a flat run.   The last mile was looping on a street doing fartleks and the legs were tired

avg pace: 8:15

pm:  5 "easy" miles with Saskia but the ended up being faster than I wanted

avg pace: 9:01

Met Saskia and Adrianne for the hilly Dutch Branch/Bryant Irvin route.  I love this brutal run  - but it is hard.  There was no wind today, which helped.   I had a pit stop at the 7-11 but other than that very uneventful.  Much slower than I would have liked, but we will get after it tomorrow.

Registered for El Scorcho this morning and I cannot decide if I am excited or crazy.

On my own today after and hour of trying to get myself out of bed.   The first 4 miles were rough and I was struggling to keep moving.  Work is work and just more stress than I want as well as lots going on at home with the kids and Jay's work.   Finally about mile 4 I started feeling better.

9:13, 8:53, 8:42, 8:16, 8:37, 8:06, 7:48, 

Avg Pace 8:31 - Llano Springs, Risenger, Stone Meadow, Wildflower.

Very tired and sore legs this morning = very, very slow run.   It was 62 degrees and 85% humidity at 5:30 am, I am afraid for summer if this continues.   Took it extremely easy and slow.

7 miles on the treadmill at the YMCA.

We are in Houston for volleyball and the rain poured most the weekend.  I took advantage of a couple of hours of no rain and got out an ran.    From the Gallaria through the Kriby neighborhood and back.  It was extremely humid but not overly hot  and a very nice run.

Avg Pace: 8:38

6 super easy miles

Ran with Saskia 

Avg Pace 9:06

Ran at lunch.  I had taken my stuff with me to OKC yesterday, but didn't get chance to run.   I realized I forgot socks as I was getting ready, but figured I would give it a go....bad idea.  3 miles in hot, windy weather.

I was meeting Annette to run together for the first time.  Our girls go to school together and we are pretty similarly match - YAHOO!  I ran 2.3 prior to meeting up and then we ran another mile together before hills.   She kicked my butt when we ran the the long repeats but I held my own on the sprints - that is a first.  We cooled down back to the meeting spot and then another mile home.   Hopefully, we will get to run together more.   

Avg Pace: 8:48

Nothing really good to say about today other than it is done.  I got started late, which meant it was hot.  The wind had picked up and I decided to start into the wind.   3.6 into the wind and then turned around and headed back.   The wind was brutal.....  Stopped by the house for a GU and water and really debated going back out.  Foam rolled my hip and headed back out.   My heart rate got really high a couple of times and I had walk for a minute during the second half.    Hopefully, something good will come out of this sufferfest.

Avg Pace 8:46

7 miles on the treadmill in Syracuse.  I had flown all day, gone to a beat down meeting with a client and then to dinner.   I ran too soon after dinner, but it was now or never.   Ran 2.66 and then had to have pit stop and then finished up.   I watched the movie The Rookie and forgot how much I love that movie....

This week was a marathon week at work - 5 client meetings in 4 different cities, which meant running took a back seat.   I am so glad the week is over!  Next week is busy and stressful, but nothing like this week.   

I warmed up one mile on the way to meet Annette at CVS and then we ran 10 together and then another mile back home.   We had a really good run and it is nice to run with someone who is similar paced and has the same goals.   We took it at an easy pace, but had quite a few hills through out.  

Avg Pace: 8:51

7 easy miles in the morning with Saskia and a pit stop at the 7-11.

I met Annette at her place for some speed work.  We warmed up for two miles and then did the following:

.2 on/.35 recovery x 2 ( had to make a pit stop - again)

.4 on/ .15 recovery x 4

.2 on

1 mile recovery

On's were at 7:10 - 7:20

This was the hardest workout I have had for quit sometime.  It was great, but I felt it in my hip once I was done.   Lot's of stretching & scraping.

Avg Pace 8:20

6 absolutely great miles in Omaha.   I ran into Iowa twice - kind of fun to run in two states during a run.   I explored a park that went along the river, across a great bridge and by the College World Series ballpark.   I had planned on super easy effort and the effort felt super easy, but I was shocked  by my pace - 8:33 for the entire run.   The 20 degree temp difference probably helped out a little.   

recover day = early travel day

Met Annette at 5:30 to run.  We started slow and were progressing and then picked up her friend Lori for a few miles and then finished on our own.   Not to bad, but my hip was less than happy.   Lots of stretching tonight and I scheduled an appointment with a sports med doc.   I want to address this as soon as possible and I need to start finding someone here in Texas for when I have issues.  

I very rarely ever run on Sundays, but Marcie is visiting and we never get to run together - A) because I live 2000 miles away and B) because she is speedy fast.   But since she is pregnant, we figured we would be about the same pace.   We ran on the trails and through the Colonial and back.   I told her to go on ahead at about 4.75 because my hip was killing me and she took off and I slowed down a bit.   It was at this point the boredom set in....long and hot and slow and painful.   Finished up at 8.5 and Marcie got 9 in.   I miss living by her - not that SL & SG are that close but we got to see each other about once a month.   Super glad we got out, bummed that the hip hurt.  Spent the rest of the day watching conference and over indulging in food.  Pretty much a perfect day!

Avg Pace 8:20

I had really debated even running today, but decided I would take it super slow and get in some miles.  I also decided to run in my Nikes at the last minute and that was probably the best decision I have made in a while.   The hip felt great most the time and a little tight towards end, but nothing at all like Saturday or Sunday.   I ran with Jenny and Erica and we were slow but it was great to see them.  Jenny and I got to catch up and talk about El Scorcho and Marine Corps... They seem so far off, but will be here in the blink of an eye. 

I met Annette at CVS to run the Parkway Palisades simulation route.  I had woken up with some nausea but told my self it was about nice even effort, not pace.  That was the goal on the 4 x 1.13 mile of hill madness.   I did a pretty good job of maintaining even effort on the first two, but as we were finishing the second I passed two groups of people heading up the first hill.   We finished the second and started on the third, I wondered if I could catch the last group ...  caught and past about half way and then caught the first group with about .1 left to go.   Effort was harder than I wanted, but felt so good to catch them.  I took the last one a bit slower and then recovered a mile back to CVS and then a mile home.

Avg Pace 8:36

No run...Up sick in the night and sick this am.  Met with the physician and nothing alarming, mostly because some of it was shoe related.   He did some ART treatment on the bad behaving leg and then gave me some stretches.   

Dare I say a Triple?   Kinda....

AM:  Met Annette for 6 miles on farm roads.   I felt pretty good the entire time, minus the pit stop.  Had to climb over  cattle grate to find a hidden spot.   Avg Pace: 8:55

Lunch:   I had time to sneak out for a lunch time run.  4 miles in the most shade I could find.   The 82 degree temp wasn't too bad, it was the sun.   Avg Pace:  8:21

Dinner:  The Fort Worth Runner's Club was putting on an Easter Kids run for members so I took my youngest down to the park and ran with her.   She did great and finished her mile in 10:44.  We ended up staying for the egg hunt and BBQ.  It was nice to get to know other runners and just relax...I don't get to do that very often.

Annette and I met for an early run out on the farm roads.  I really enjoy running out there in the peace and quite with very little traffic.  Unfortunately there are a LOT of dogs.   Most of the dogs today were behind fences, but they were loud!    We had a good climb on mile six and then turned around and headed back.   Also, another pit stop in the fields....this has got to stop. 

I knew this week, along with the next two, would be very difficult to get runs in and it has lived up to my low expectations.   I had early flights on Monday and Tuesday and ended up only getting 3 hours of sleep Monday night.   Tuesday was a little better, but not much... here is hoping tonight will yield 6 hours.    

I headed out to meet Annette and headed straight up the hill (we live about halfway up the hill) and I had to tell myself to put one foot in front of the other and will myself up the hill...not a good omen.   I plugged along for about 2/3 mile and actually got passed by another runner ( this does not happen much, most the runners are 10+ min miles) and it was enough of a shock to wake up my legs.    I ran 2 mile to meet Annette, we did 6 miles of rolling hills and I had another mile back home.   The pace was okay -8:55 min/mile, but the effort was extremely hard and my heart rate was high most of the time.   I was completely dehydrated and exhausted.  

I spent the day at work, putting on a BBQ for the staff and then reviewing and audit we completed for a potential new client....more busy days ahead.  

AM:  6 miles with Annette.  We warmed up for 2 miles and then did 1 mile of 1 min off/ 1 min on, 1 mile of 2 min on/ 1 min off and 1 mile of 1 min on/ 1 min off.   I had wanted to target a 7:00 min pace on the on's (target 5k pace) and the on's were right there at 6:55 - 7:10.   Not to bad.   My right hip tightened up but I was able to complete with ouch much nagging.  Avg Pace 8:21

PM:  In Amarillo for work and did a 5 mile recovery run at 9:20 pace on the treadmill.  Boring.

Oh the conditions...Low 70's temp, high 70's humidity and 20 mph winds.... if I hadn't planned on meeting Annette, I would have pulled the covers up over my head and stayed in bed.   What a blessing she has been!   We met at the 9th grade center  early, early and ran 11.2 before we had volleyball.  My life used to revolve around running, now it is volleyball.   The wind helped keep things cool but it also made running south a beating.   We had a faster than expected pace, my legs are still tired from Thursday's attempt at a speed work.  

In the usual Saturday tradition, I found my way to Mexican food and ice cream.

Avg Pace 8:30

I am in Phoenix for a conference and how nice it was to be in the desert.  This makes me homesick for my SG, crisp mornings and dry air.   The plan was for an easy 6-8  but I picked it up after three.  

I headed east for 3 miles and then turned around and I figured I would add a .25 out and .25 back at each intersection I came to to get me to 8.   The way back had some down hill which helped with the pace, but really once I got down into the 7's it wasn't too hard to maintain - just hard to get there and why is that?

Splits:  9:13, 8:36, 8:12, 8:04, 7:51, 7:47, 7:33, 7:44 & 8:29 for the last .26

Avg Pace 8:08

 PM:  4 miles on the treadmill at the hotel.   Progressive starting at 10:00 min pace and ending at 8:06 min pace - speeding up every .5 mile.   Hot and sweaty. 

Easy, or what was supposed to be easy miles around Scottsdale.   Ended up a little faster than planned but felt good. 

Avg Pace 8:37

Another beautiful desert morning.  It was crisp with the scent of desert blossoms and the sun was rising....it doesn't get any better!

I had planned on taking it somewhat easy, but that went out the window pretty early on.  I ran the same route as Monday, just added a little on to the out/back piece and did not do the .25 turns.  Mile 3 was a gradual climb that I picked up the pace and went sub 8, I knew that wasn't what I had planned so I slowed Mile 4 down to just over 8 but mile 5 was right back down to sub 8.  Mostly due to the slight downhill grade but also because I was trying to pick off a runner  - accomplished!

Avg Pace 7:59

After 10 days of travel, volleyball, chaperoning and catch up at work, I finally was able to get out and run.  7 miles with Annette that were harder than they should have been but had a great pace - 8:23

Finally back at it, too much time off, but stomach issues and work overload are making me crazy.    I met Jenny at Oakmont park and warmed up for 2 miles, then 1 loop on the QT hill and 2 miles flat.  

7 miles on my own.  2 mile warm up, 2 miles at marathon pace and 3 miles back home.   The pace was fine, but the endurance was  hard and I have some catching up to do.   

Avg Pace: 8:24

A full day: volleyball  - Tournament with 3 games for my 14 yr old and then my two younger daughters each had a match, a dress rehearsal for a cello concert and a ward dinner/youth fundraiser.   All this meant that I couldn't get out the door until 9 pm - 85 degrees, 65% humidity and windy ---- All my favorite things.  

I ran two miles to meet Jenny and then paced here through 5 miles and then did 3.5 more on my own.   

2 mile warm up - 9:29 pace

5 miles with Jenny - 10:00 min pace

3.5 miles - 8:25 pace

Not too bad of a run and good El Scorcho training.   I have a light travel week - I am only gone two days and my family commitments have tapered down significantly, so I am hoping the running consistency picks up. 

Jenny and I met to hold each other accountable, which is good because I felt horrible the first mile.  Very dehydrated and tired.   The plan was for a 24 min temp run doing the following:

1 min on/off

2 min on/off

3 min on/off

3 min on/off

2 min on/off

1 min on/off

Stolen straight from Kara Goucher.   I have run different variations of this many times, but I usually do 1 min on/off for a mile, 2 min on/off for a mile and so on... This was not too bad and very efficient.   After I finished I turned around to find Jenny, ran her home and then ran home.   I have decided that until MCM in October, I am going to try to go home the "hard way" and up the steep hill for the last .3 to prepare myself.   I hate it, but hopefully by October it will be easy. 

3 miles of Tempo:  7:52, 8:01, 8:00 - not as fast as I would like, but there is quite a bit of recovery in miles 2 and 3. 

Avg Pace 8:42

What a morning!   I ran 1.6 and met Annette to run 6.5 together and then another 2 home.  it was 65 degrees and 85% humidity - killer....   I know I have not been running enough to feel strong but the 6.5 miles with Annette kicked my butt.   She is running very strong and my inconsistency is hurting.    On the two miles back home, I ended up have the same pace we were running most the run but it was much easier....I had a little water when I dropped her off and I am sure that helped.  

Avg Pace 8:39

I am bound and determined to make this week better than the past few. I am traveling Tues - Thurs with obscenely early flights and late meetings, so I will do the best I can. I met Annette for early miles and as always had a great time and ran harder than I ever would have on my own. We both thought we would keep it about 8:30 but that didn't last too long and mile 6 was a prep for running fast for a 5K in less than two weeks. We are running it to see what kind of shape we are in...pretty dumb in my case because I know the answer to that, but I also need to start racing more than once or twice a year.   It should be interesting to say the least.     Last mile was 7:26...if only I could do that for 3.1...

Avg Pace 8:11

I had toyed with the idea of heading back out tonight for an easy run and my 14 year old daughter begged me to take her.  How could I turn her down?   She has historically not liked running at all, but I thought that after 6 months of highly competitive volleyball and plyo she might have changed.   I was so, so wrong.   She made it barely a mile and run/walked mile two and walked all of mile 3.   She didn't even try... and that is a direct quote from her.   My 11 year old wanted to tag along and she actually did great and ran all three with a few stops, but did amazing!     I added on some going back to get my 14 year old and then another lap around the little block to make just over 4.  Avg Pace 9:47

I am Syracuse for work and had to get up at some crazy hour that started with a 3.   No am run but I was able to get out tonight after two flights, conference calls, client business meeting and a compliance training.     When I arrived at the gym, all the treadmills where taken so I did the first 10 min (approx 1 mile) on the elliptical.  As soon as a treadmill opened up, I moved over and warmed up for one more mile.   I then did 3 miles of the 30-20-10 work out from Runners World's Peak Performance.   The first set was pretty easy, but the next two were a little tougher, but not crazy hard.   It was interesting trying to o it on the treadmill, but made the time fly by.  

30's = 6.6   20's = 7.5 10's = 10.00

I then did the last two miles from 7.0 - 7.6, trying not to get board. 

Avg pace for the all miles but the 2 warm up: 8:12

Tomorrow will not be as good - early meeting at the hospital, flights and late getting home - just to turn around and do it all again on Thursday. 

What a morning!  I ran to CVS to meet Annette who ended up oversleeping.  So 1 mile to the store and then another circling the parking lot.   At this point I knew I would need to make a pit stop at some point but thought I could run around the block and stop at my house.   The first two miles were fine, but the third was a mess  - I probably had to stop and collect myself  a half dozen times....  Pit stop at the house and then another 3 more miles to make 8 for the day.    

It was probably okay that I ended up on my own, because we had planned on doing some speed work, but my legs were tired....how they get tire from sitting on airplanes all day long is beyond me.   So I took it easy and ran by feel.

Avg Pace: 8:39

Nice solid run this morning.  I ran two miles to meet Annette and just as I was heading out of my neighborhood, I saw a guy running along.  He seemed kind of lurpy and slow so I thought I would try to pass him as I was warming up....He was going quite a bit faster than I thought an I had to work more than I probably should have to pass.   First mile was 8:18 - way to fast and I was so glad to turn the corner and run the next mile in the wind.  

I met Annette and we ran 6 more together before we ended up at my house to grab a drink and GU.   I asked her if she wanted to go the easier but longer way to her son's game or the shorter, hilly route....She picked shorter...I never should have given her a choice.   So we ran down the hill, up the hill, down hill and back up for 2 miles  and at that point I had to turn to go home.   I cut through a neighborhood to avoid 1 mile of hills but had it for the last mile and oh, it was slow and yucky!  Up hill in the wind is no way to finish.       

Avg Pace 8:27 - perfect but my splits were all over the place.

8:18, 8:39, 8:47, 8:43, 8:21, 8:31, 8:19, 8:18, 8:30, 8:28, 8:05, 8:30

BTW - 80% humidity every day I have run this week.  Completely ridiculous.

I ran a mile to meet Jenny and then stuck with her for the next 4.   I was tired and worn out and had some serious stomach issues due to an entire day filled with eating junk food.  I ate horribly yesterday.   I long day filled with church, another ward conference plus two other meetings afterwards lead me to eating Diet Coke, doritos, ice cream, ramen noodles and a cupcake.... the last two were eaten at 9:30 a night and I about puked....I wonder why.  Anyways it all lead to easy running - which was fun and Jenny was great to listen to my whining about Sunday.   

I finished up with 3 more on my own for a total of 8 and avg pace of 9:19.

I woke up this morning feeling like I had been hit by a bus.   My legs ached and I was having some other odd pains so I opted out of an early morning run.   This meant I got to either run at lunch or not run at all.  I almost missed running at lunch until I saw some guy running down the huge hill outside my office and it spurred me on.   I ran part of the 5K course for the race I am running on Saturday (not as much downhill as I had led myself to believe) and then back up the big hill to make it 4 miles.   I felt much better than I did the last time I ran this and it was much hotter today - 87 degrees, but I made it up the hill feeling good.   Avg Pace 8:43.   Plan is for more miles tonight with my daughter.

I headed out with my 11 yr old to run and she had done great last week, but struggled tonight.  We did 2.53 running with a couple of stops and then .5 walking home.   

Easy miles with Annette.   Avg Pace 8:37

Super easy miles with Annette, 5K tomorrow.

I hate 5K's, really, really hate 5K's.   That being said, one of my goals for this year was to PR in a 5K.   Here it is May and I hadn't signed up for one yet, so I started looking for one a few weeks ago and found one that looked good and very close.  I made myself sign up right away, before I changed my mind.  We had anticipated this being a very small race, but it ended up being 700+ runners.  All week, I just kept telling myself just run as hard as you can and yes it will hurt....

I met Annette and Jay drove us, along with my daughter, down to the race.   We picked up our chips, warmed up for just under 2 miles and then used the POP.   We lined up close to the front but not too close.   They started and I took off...again as in most local 5K's, people cannot line up correctly, lots and lots of weaving.   Annette passed me right away and I just kept telling myself  (that I stole from Kelli) "Comparison is the thief of Joy" and  tried to just run.   The first mile had some up, down, up and down and I passed people on the hills and felt good when mile 1 came in at 7:04.  

Mile 2 has a big down hill and I ran past several people, just told myself to use the down hill as much as I could and then hold on through the flat.    We pulled out on the the flat section and it is protected from all the wind and the temps and humidity made it stifling and thick, thick air.   6:44 - thank you, down hill

Mile 3 started off good and I was holding on okay, but with .5 left, I was hanging on for dear life.   I wasn't sure where the finish was and there were a few turns and I  couldn't see the finish, but was hanging on....barely.  7:03

I am extremely pleased with the results, I was really just using this as a run to see what I could do and where I am in my training.    Yes, this is an aided course and yes, I will still claim my PR, but I do wonder what the impact of 80 degrees and 75% humidity have on the time.   

My daughter ran her first 5K with very, very little training and finished in 36 mins.  She is inspired to run another, which is great.  Annette finished in 22:51 which is a PR for her as well. 

We ran 1.3 miles back to the start for the awards and then added on miles back the Y.   This was brutal 90 degree temps and lots and lots of sun.   Annette talked me into staying for the Body Attack class which was a lot of fun, but I was wiped out and I have no upper body strength.

We decided to take advantage of the fact I do not have to work today and run later....not a good choice.  I headed out at 7:30 to run 2.5 to meet Annette at the Y and it was 75 degrees, 75% humidity and wind of 15 -20 mph...horrible because there was sun.   Yes, I do believe there is an advantage to running in the dark, dark hours of the morning.   

I was pretty sore from the Body Attack class on Saturday and took my time warming up but was feeling pretty good by the time I reached the Y.   Annette was going to drop her kids in child care but it was closed, so we packed them up and drove them back to my house and left them with my 4 kids who all want to be chiefs - they were in heaven.   We started back out and the break messed with me and I was tired and having a hard time finding a rhythm.   We ran 4 and then stopped back by my house for a pit stop and water and then headed back out to finish up.   

I think had we headed out earlier, it would have been better.  The effects of Saturday's run in the sun and heat carried over today and didn't help. 

Avg Pace 8:49. 

Today was hills...and lucky for us the winds have died down and it was only 68 degrees this morning...along with 86% humidity.   I ran a mile to CVS to meet Annette and then we warmed up for another mile together.   My legs are still sore and feeling the effects of Saturday, so I decided to push if I felt good.   We ran the Parkway Palisades simulation which is 1.13 miles of nothing but up and down.   It ends up being a really good work out and we need to get to the point we are adding repeats on, but for now we are doing 4 x 1.13 and by the last one, I was tired.   I was pleased with my pace on the two repeats heading out, but the 2 coming back were slower than I would have liked, but they also required the most focus ...  nothing unusual there.   Another mile back to CVS and then a mile + home to equal 9 for the day.   

A pleasant surprise when I got home - my son had left a 64oz. Fruit Punch G2 in the fridge from baseball yesterday....I downed that pretty fast, it didn't stand a chance. 

Avg Pace 8:26

I missed yesterday due to a huge storm and thinking I would get out in the evening..didn't happen.   So this morning when we had another huge storm and Annette offered to meet at the Y, I knew it was my only option.   

We did a 3 mile warm up and then 3 at MP - 7:53 and then cooled down for a mile.  Very uneventful, other than watching the doppler of the storm - red and yellow all over North Texas.  

Avg Pace: 8:21

Absolutely beautiful morning!  63 degrees, 67% humidity and 4mph winds....this is as good as it gets here in FW during the summer.   I met Annette for some easy mile this morning and we enjoyed chatting and watching the sunrise.  

Avg Pace 8:57

I ran 2 miles to meet Annette and then we ran 11 more together and I finished up 1 more on my own.  It was another beautiful Texas morning.....I am sure it will be short lived.    

Avg Pace 8:44

Today was supposed to be a 30 min tempo run....we gave it our best effort but struggled.   I ate horribly all weekend with family in town, baseball games and chasing, not the best way to fuel for a run.   

I met Annette and we ended up warming up for 3 miles and then started the tempo  

1 min on/ 1 min off

2 min on/2 min off

extra rest due to to POP stop...so glad McDonald's was open

3 min on/3 min off

and then back down....

We ended up with only 24 min tempo and then I went to run the 3 miles home.  I ended up pushing the last mile, to just sub MP.

Avg Pace 8:36...bummer.

Easy, fun miles:  1 to meet Jenny, 4 with Jenny, 1 home and 1 with my mom and daughter.  Slow and easy..

I am struggling right now with hydration.   It is causing some nausea and my poor nutrition this week with my parents in town isn't helping.  I took yesterday off due to not feeling well at all and rested.  Normally, if I get nauseated, it is due to exhaustion and this felt the same, but the rest day did not help much.   

6 miles in the evening on the treadmill at the Y.  

1.5 mile warm up

3 miles @ MP - 7:53

1 mile w/ 1 min at 5K (6:47) & 1 min at MP

.5 cool down

The MP felt easier than expected, but I don't know how much of that is due to the treadmill.  

Yoga.

I was lazy this morning and laid in bed instead of getting up. I am continually amazed at how rational I can make crazy sound at 5 am. I can convince myself of many reasons to lay in bed. Today's was that I didn't want to miss my parents leaving...They would have waited, I knew it - we had discussed...but it was my crazy rational thinking that convinced me to not get up.

I also went back to work today and had thought about running at lunch but my husband couldn't bring my gear. So I bailed on hanging out with my family on a Friday night and went to the Y. 9 miles of punishment on the treadmill. About .5 mile in I was mentally done so I broke it up into 5k's to make it seem less torturous.

5K# 1: warm up 9:15 pace down to 8:40 pace @ 1% grade

5K #2: .5 mile hill climbing @ 8:49 1% - 5% /.5 mile @ 0% x 3

5K #3: .5 segments varying between 8:27 - 8:41

The last .2 were done at a 5% grade to replicate the MCM finish.

So glad it was done. Now I am trying to rehydrate in time for tomorrow mornings long run.

I was a little nervous about running early this morning after my 9 miler last night.  I actually felt really good until the last two miles and I was hanging on.  

I met Tim & Ashley at the running store and we headed out on the trail system.  We ended up going opposite the group, but this end of the trail is much more enjoyable.   The highlight was leaving the trail for just under a mile about half-way and finding the best water stop ever.   One of the country clubs is over there and the have a hole right off the road with easy access.....Ice cold water with a cup in the shade....it doesn't get much better.  We enjoyed this stop a little too long:)  Tim and I picked up the pace a little more on the way back and I ended up with two POP stops.  I felt great until mile 13 and then I was like a kid - checking my garmin, trying to figure out how much longer and just hang on.  My legs were extremely fatigued, but that is also good.  Doing a long run on fatigued legs is very good training.   

I am now at the pool with my little girls, hanging out and we have baseball tonight.  Pretty perfect Saturday.

Avg Pace 8:29

I am in Amarillo for work, so it is welcome to the land of flat, dusty, windy and smelly.   We had a late evening last night, so I was unsure on how I would feel this morning but popped right up ready to go......until I realized that I had left my socks at home.  At that point the debate began regarding the following options:

 1.  not run

 2.  run with out socks - knowing 3 miles would be it and I would have blisters

3.  trying running with my panty hose under my shorts and see how it goes.  

I opted for choice three and was really glad they were nude colored and it was dark outside.   Once I got outside, I was shocked by how "cold" it was  - low 60's, windy and NO humidity.. makes a big difference.   I ran out and back and found the only two hills in this place, but they were good size.   Nice easy run with a MP mile at the end.   A good way to start the week, minus the three flights today - back to Dallas, to OKC and back home.

Avg Pace 8:35

I hate Yasso 800's.  They are the workout that makes me cry everytime.   I traveled all day yesterday and didn't get home until after midnight last night.   I attempted getting up to run this morning, got dressed and headed out the door and up the hill for about .1 mile and felt like I was going to throw up ( common for me when I reach the complete exhaustion stage).  There was no way I could do a hard work out this morning, so I turned around and went back to bed.    

I headed to the Y after work and ended up doing the work out on the treadmill.  Pro: I hit the right pace every time and yes, it sucked.   Con:  I am afraid I am going to fall off the treadmill running at such a fast pace.   The first two where horrible - this workout for me mentally is just a nightmare and I have no idea why.   The third, I started making up my own trash talk to the song on my ipod and it actually helped.   The forth was okay but I really just wanted to be done.   To think I have to build up to 10 in the next 6 months - agh!  I then did 1 mile of 1 min @ 5K pace and 1 min @ MP and cooled down for .5 mile.   

So, so glad it is done.   I am worried that I have done 3 speed workouts in the last 2 weeks on the treadmill and that it is not as tough as outside.  I always set the incline to 1% but this is the first workout I felt was really hard.   

Avg pace 8:10

Yoga afterwards - sweet!

Annette and I did our long run today due to a scheduling conflict this weekend.   I started out feeling pretty good, but by 2-3 miles, my legs felt so completely fatigued.  This continued until about mile 11 and for some reason at this point they started to feel pretty good.   I had a client dinner last night and tried to avoid dessert but was not successful.   We ate at the Capital Grille in FW and they have a Coconut Cream Pie that is one of the best things I have eaten in a really long time, it was fabulous!  Unfortunately, all the cream did not do anything good for running, just causing the need for three longer than necessary bathroom stops.  My garmin died at mile 10, so I ran the rest by feel.  Interestingly, this is when I started to feel really good and pick up the pace.   Glad to have it done early for the week, but I don't know how many days I can get away with showing up for work at 9:15.   

We had an electrical storm this morning, so we were forced to go to the Y.   7 easy boring miles on the treadmill... they dragged on forever.

In very sad news, we received word that a friend of ours was killed in a cycling accident in Alabama yesterday.   Very, very sad, leaving a young family....

I met Tim, Ashley and Wendy at the store for a longish run, they were all doing 16 but since I had already done mine, I opted for 12.    We headed out along the river trail and the first 6 miles flew by as we chatted.  They are all running SG this year and I am so, so sad I opted for Marine Corps.  If I could be sure I would be recovered, I would see if I can get in, but it is too close.   When we hit the 6 mile mark I turned around and had planned on 4 MP miles with a 2 mile cool down.   I always have a hard time getting the pace down, but once I do, I am fine.  I had a quick water stop just past mile 3 - you must stop when it is 80 degrees and 80% humidity and there are only a few fountains along the trail.  I went to cool down and ended up with 5 MP miles and 1 cool down mile.   Pretty good way to start a Saturday.  Splits for MP:  8:06, 7:53, 7:34, 7:41,7:58.   

Avg Pace 8:24 

Now of to bake in the sun at baseball.

Today was supposed to be one of my favorite Texas workouts - hill repeats at Oakmont Park.   There is a great hill that measures just over 1 mile up, climbing 150 feet and then you get 3/4 mile down.    Annette picked me up way to early (4:45) and we headed over.   We warmed up for a mile and the warm up felt much harder than it needed to be and I was feeling worse.  I was dehydrated and nauseated but I was there and going to get it done.   We did the first repeat and I ran it ahead and survived and stopped at the Quick Trip and bought a gatorade.   The next two, I ended up staying behind Annette and pushed, not quite race effort pushed but when thinking about if I was pushing as hard as I could, it was close.   We cooled down for a mile and ended up with a pretty progressive run and each repeat was faster than the previous.   Glad it is done.

Avg Pace 8:38

10 easy miles - 

1 mile to meet the group

6 with Annette and Saskia

3 on my own

I gave up checking the weather because it always says the same thing - never changes.

Temp: high 70's   Humidity: 80%+  Wind: 8-12 mph

So today when I started out, I thought it was actually cool.....In relaying this to Annette, she told me it was 76 degrees....Who would have thought that was cool at 5 am... I am losing it.   We kept it very easy and the legs were tired from yesterday and a big workout tomorrow.

Avg Pace 9:10

I had a very rough night and opted for 2.5 more hours of sleep and figured I would run at lunch and after work.  I did the 3 miles at lunch, but left work late and my son had ball, so a whopping 3 for the day.

I had originally not planned on running today, but woke up at 4 am and figured if I got out quickly, I could get a few miles in before I had to leave for the airport.   A little scary out alone at that hour but done.   Now I am in Houston at TCH and in between meetings trying not to fall asleep....not going well.

Avg Pace 8:26

Fun run in prep for El Scorcho.   

Tonight was are simulation run - timing and fuel - for El Scorcho.   We started at 9:00 pm with temps at 90 degrees and horrible humidity and headed out on the trail.   The plan was to do 18 and make it fun along the way.  The first 7 miles lived up to expectations and it was down hill from there.   We started out on the trail and ran north to downtown/7th street.  Ran past a concert in the park x 2 and 7th street was busy.   A pit stop at Sweet Sammies for an ice cream sandwich for fuel and then off again.   The botanical gardens set off fireworks and then we stopped and ran over the Land Rover mountain since there wasn't a car parked on it.  We hit the trail again just passed mile 7 and had great views of downtown all lit up and then the wheels started coming off.   It was hot, humid and sweating like crazy.   The park was dark and the crowd was suspect and Annette was slowing down, my IT band was bothering my and I was dying of heat.   We got back to the car and I asked Annette what she wanted to do and she was done - I was glad and we headed home.    There is no need to push at this point, the race is 25K and I will still have one more long run next week and I am too afraid of pushing to the point that the recovery will bleed over into next week and I will loose the opportunity for quality workouts.   12 miles is fine. 

While my plan to rest after work and fueling worked great, it was rough.  I am almost wishing we hadn't done this because now I know how rough it will be.   I had originally planned on MP for the goal, but now I am starting to rethink and just have fun.   It is a loop course that you repeat 5 times...agh!

I had a grand total of 4 hours of sleep, 1.5 of which came after 4 am so, I opted to rest and run later.  The plan was for 4  at lunch and then 6 later, but I got stuck at volleyball with my daughter and didn't get home until 10 pm.   

After two late nights, it was hard to get up this morning.   I was wondering how hot it would be last night when I left baseball at 9:15 and it was still 100 degrees.   Temp ended up being 86 and I am not sure what the humidity was, but it was high.  I ran a mile to meet Annette and then we did 6 together and I finished up with 3 on  my own.   We carried water and stopped every 1.5 - 2 miles to drink.  I actually felt better when I started picking up the pace, instead of easy off....interesting.  

Avg Pace 8:50 - last two were sub mp

3 miles during lunch at the Y.  Had a nice time visiting with ladies from the office, which made time fly.

Avg Pace 8:48

Again another busy weekend that forced the long run to mid week.  We started at about 5:30 with temps in the low 80's but humidity at 67% - wow!  What a difference this made.   We ran between my house and Annette's four times and added on a little at the last time we were out by her house.  This gave us easy access to water and bathrooms and since the last time we did 16, I had to make three POP stops.  Not today!  I felt great the entire run.  I kept the first half pretty slow and then began working into a progression run with the last 3 miles fast.  The goal was to be MP, but I have such a hard time pacing, they ended up being too fast.  Glad to have it done!

The last two weeks were pretty crappy, so I am enjoying this week and feeling much better. 

Splits:  9:46, 9:24, 9:22, 9:12, 9:12, 9:10, 9:11, 8:51, 8:41, 8:32, 8:36, 8:23, 8:21, 7:41, 7:32, 7:38

Avg Pace: 8:43

3 easy, easy miles on the treadmill at lunch.  I was unsure how I would feel and had decided that if I didn't feel great, I could walk.   Ended up feeling really well.

Yoga at the Y to finish off the day.  Best class I have been to for a long time.

8 very easy miles this morning.  I got to run with Jenny, which is one of my favorite things to do and it makes me take my recovery days easy, which I am not good at on my own.   Love mornings like this. 

 I am now at work, completely exhausted and trying not to fall asleep....I need to figure out how I can get paid to nap.  Working on that.

I am heading to Lubbock this morning to watch  my son play ball, so we just had time for a few miles.   Annette and I headed over to Dutch Branch/Bryant Irvin hill fest.   This is really one of my favorite routes here in Fort Worth, nice and hilly.   We stopped at the QuickTrip just over half way and grabbed a gatorade and then finished strong.  We ran the second half, which is the harder half, faster than the first and pushed the last long hill.  

Avg Pace:  8:51

Yasso 800's were on the plan for today.....I tried really hard not to be to afraid of the work out.   Annette and I met at CMS to run them on their track.  Their track runs east/west vs. the high school and other middle school with both run north/south.  This is important because we had 15 mph winds today.   We warmed up for two miles and then lined up on the track.  My goal for today was to run strong and push through and if I was lucky, be were I needed to be - 3:30.  

The splits ended up being 3:25, 3:30, 3:27, 3:30.   I went out to fast, but actually felt really good on the first one.  The next two I used mantra's to get me through and was very pleased.  I stop during the recovery before the last repeat and got a drink and this was a mistake, my legs thought we were done.   I took off and 150 meters in, my legs felt like they were going to fall off. At 200 meters I was trying to decide if I was going to throw up or pass out... not sure which was going to happen...neither did.   I just kept trying to push through and focus and ended up with a 3:30.

This is the first time I have run these on the track and actually hit my paces, previously I was always 10 - 15 seconds off.   I do not want to do them again anytime soon, but very glad with how they turned out.   I then cooled down for 2 miles and had 1 MP mile on a gradual up hill road, thinking of MCM and the first two miles up hill. One recovery mile where I ran into Jenny and Saskia, so I stopped and visited with them and then one more tempo-ish mile to finish.

My legs are tired and I love that feeling.  I am going to try to hibernate in my office as much as possible until the lunch run.

Avg Pace 8:27

I let Jenny talk me into going to spin class this morning.   I really want to like spin, but I go about every six months to remember I really don't.  You get a great work out, but I would rather be running.  A friend of her's was teaching the class and did a really good job, but I was a clock watcher and on count down the entire time.  

We ran 4 miles on the treadmill and they were slow and painful.  My calves were dying and I was struggling.  

Annette and I planned this run last week.  We were going to run the trails from Oakmont Park and invited quite a few to tag along.  We ended up with Jenny and Saskia, so a good crew.  We started out and ran 3.5 miles to the best water stop ever at the country club golf course - nice, ice-cold water and cups to drink it out of  - SWEET!  We continued on another .5 and then turned around.   On the way back we ran into Rene Villalobos and his friend and they shared the goodness out of their cooler.   He is an ultra marathoner in the area and just a truly nice guy.  He runs a marathon distance training run every Saturday and Sunday.   He gave us  a gatorade and water and we were on our way.   We ended up back at the park to make a pit stop and ended up having to move our car due to a party at the park, so a longer than normal stop.  We then headed the other direction on the trail and it was the first time I had ever been there and I loved it.   Lots and lots of people out the entire time, which was great to see and a ton of cyclists - most were extremely polite, which was nice.

I really struggled the first 8 miles, my legs were heavy and tired and my calves were tight.  I felt much better the last 4 and really enjoyed this part.  The best part of the run - we stopped at McDonald's afterwards for a chocolate dipped ice cream cone - YUM! 

Avg Pace 9:10

4 Easy miles on the treadmill at the Y, while my two younger girls swam.    Normal lunch time run and today POST NAP - How great is that!

Today's plan called for 4 MP miles and as I laid in bed gearing up to go run, I was rationalizing my way out of them - I ran long yesterday, I can do them tomorrow and on and on.  Once I got up and going, I knew I would get them in.   I ran a mile and then dropped my water bottle at CVS and then did another warm up mile.   About half way through the second warm up mile, I looked down and my pace was in the high 8's and the effort was hard and I was seriously considering backing down, but decided to give it a try.  

As usual, I cannot run MP - I am either too fast or too slow, so today's ended up being MP turned fast tempo.   Splits were:  7:34, 7:41, 7:23, 7:23.  I had to tie my show in the first mile and stop and cross a busy road in mile 2 and then I did have a longer than appropriate break in between miles 3 & 4 while I crossed a busy intersection and stopped and got a drink from my stashed water bottle.   

I then cooled down 2 miles to home and I was tired.  The last mile went on and on and on.  

The Good:  I rang strong and hard and pushed through.  I did a loop so route, so it was very honest.

The Bad:  I cannot stick to MP and I had too long of a break in between miles 3 & 4.  

The Interesting:  My pace for the entire run was 8:12, which was the pace for my first marathon - SG in 2008.   I never ran a training run at that pace during that training cycle, but I do not feel near ready to run a marathon at 8:00 pace either.

Lunch:  3 easy miles on the treadmill at the Y.  

Yoga.....

Easy miles this morning with Annette.  This has been a very good week, but my body is feeling it, so we took it very easy and enjoyed the morning.   

I am off and down near Houston watching my son play ball.   Good quality time with my 17 year old, who will be leaving home far, far too soon.  I do feel bad about my husband stuck at home with the three girls, but we all have to take our turns - right?

Avg Pace 8:58

I am down in Columbus, Texas with my son for baseball and I decided to sleep in until I woke up on my own.  Surprisingly that happened to be 6:45 - I was surprised it was that late.   I took my time getting ready and headed out around 7:20 and it was hot and humid - 78 degrees and 88% humidity.   I did an out and back enjoyed the small town scenery and an easy pace - nice running at sea level.   

Avg Pace: 8:22

Run gone wrong!  The plan today called for hills and with the race on Saturday, we chose to take it a little easier and run the hills in my neighborhood - this ended up being a very good thing.    I did not feel well yesterday on the way home from southern Texas, but didn't think much about it this morning and headed out to meet Annette.  Within a mile, I knew I would need a bathroom along the way and we passed by my street towards the end of the second mile, so we stopped.   Started running again and about another 1.5 miles out, I stopped at the POP....not good.   Trekked back up the hill and grabbed a drink of water from the water bottles I had stashed heading out this morning and again ended up back at my house - 3 stops in 5 miles for those keeping track.  Ridiculous!   I ran Annette back to her car and then back home to get just past 7 but what a long, hideous morning.   

I am attributing this to eating raisin bran for breakfast the last two mornings and my body not adapting.  This is what I get for trying to eat healthy.     I am hoping my lunch run is better, that maybe I can go three miles with out a break. 

I ran with Annette today and we repeated the  - I run to her house, we run together, she run homes plan, but this time I still had to add on afterwards.  The run was much better than yesterday's, only two bathroom stops.  I picked it up at the end and did 2 MP miles.

Avg Pace 8:43

Rough week and lots of travel, so an easy 4 with Jenny & Saskia.

What a race.  El Scorcho is an Ultra event in Fort Worth with  25K & 50K options that is run at midnight, I obviously chose the 25K.  The race is all run in Trinity Park and consists of running loops that each measure 3.1 miles.  

I have had a stinky week.  I traveled Tuesday - Thursday and had major stomach issues that didn't resolve until Friday and a headache that was on the verge of a migrain that would not go away and bothered me right up until the start of the race.   I am sure both are stress related and while I really had zero expectations going into this race, I did have the following goals:  

1.  Have fun - I hate racing and I am really needing to learn to enjoy it

2.  Stay positive - this was my downfall in Houston and I in looking back, did most of 2011 so I wanted to mentally be strong.

3.  Run Progressive Splits - hopefully stay in the MP range. 

Right before the race started, I felt miserable - tired, hot, nauseated...but the gun went off and so did we.   I ran this focusing on the loops, not the miles and the first half of the first loop was terrible.  My calfs cramped, we had to run some on grass - you name it, I was miserable.   At this point,  I knew I would be seeing Jay and I needed to get my act together if I was going to survive.   I started running half of each loop for members of my family and this helped and made it much more enjoyable.   I also thought a lot about Dean Bullock and his battle and the courage I know he is fighting with and my Dad who battled cancer and how strong he is.   I felt stronger and stronger as each loop went on, but never got any faster and MP was not happening.   Did I hold back to much  - maybe, but I also know I ran hard and had to fight along the way.  

Splits:  8:59, 8:36, 8:36

            8:41, 8:36, 8:33

            8:31, 8:22, 8:26

            8:29, 8:26, 8:32,

            8:33, 8:28, 8;28, 8:32 , last .5 7:48

I ended up finishing in the top 10 female finishers overall, which made me pretty dang happy.   I finished about 20 min slower than the winner and 10 min slower than Wendy, who I run with at the store and this puts it in a little more perspective regarding time - They are both very fast, so while I couldn't get my pace where I wanted it - I am not sure it was realistic.  

It was very eye opening to how much work I have to do to get ready for MCM in October.  Time to get busy.

Oh boy!  I am sore from the race this weekend.   Much sorer than I expected, but it does susbstantiate the effort.  Interesting the difference time of day makes.  If I run in the evening I usually do not need as much time to warm up and get going compared to mornings, but running at midnight is a whole other beast.   

7 easy miles with Jenny, only thing of interest where two dead snakes along the way - about a mile apart from each other.   Tis the season, I guess.

I am in the midst of non-stop travel.  Last week kicked it off and I now have 5 cities in 7 business days.  I am sitting here in Louisville at the airport at 5:00 am after a client meeting that went late into the evening yesterday.  Running? Maybe tomorrow.  I am on countdown to July 25.

A very long week in three time zones, early flights and late nights.   I missed running, but the time off helped in the recovery and I was excited to run with the group from the store.  I had a tight time frame so the plan was an out and back for 1:15 each.   I met Ashley, Lindsay and Melissa and we picked up Britt at about 1.5 miles in - she and I had on matching shirts today, which made for a conversation piece with lots of people on the trail.   Lindsay had taken off with the guys and and Ashley and Melissa fell back a little so it was just Britt and I and we had a great time chatting.   I wore a fuel belt for the first time in two years and it was heavy and bothered my calves quite a bit.  Nice to have water, but they are not happy today.   Britt dropped me back at right at 8:30 - very nice when this happens and a full day of baby showers and ball games.    I forgot my garmin so mileage and avg pace are approximates - close but not exact. 

Avg Pace 8:15

In Syracuse for work and I thought since I was so much further north, it would cool.  Not quite - actually the same as Texas - hot and humid.   I headed out and didn't take any money with me which ended up being a mistake by mile three.  I turned around at mile 4 and headed back and then grabbed a gatorade at the hotel - grabbed a drink and then finished up the last two.   My legs are still heavy and tired and the effort is more than I would like for the pace - hopefully this means in a few weeks, good things will come.

 Avg Pace 8:33

I arrived back in Dallas late last night and had an early flight out of Love Field this morning, so I opted to stay in a hotel near the airport.  Super nice, I might have to due this more often.   Woke up at my normal time and went and ran on the oldest, nosiest treadmill ever.   Warmed up for two miles and then started my tempo.

1 min on/off

2 min on/off

3 min on/off

back down and started back up until I hit 30 minutes. 

The on's were 6:53 and the off's were 9:13.  This is much easier on the treadmill then on the road but I due need to either pick up the on pace or off pace, or possibly both.   Pleased with the work out and that I was in more control then previous versions.   

1 mile to meet Jenny

4 miles with Jenny

3 miles to finish

My legs are tired and my quads are sore.  Nothing really specific but very naggy.   Lots of foam rolling on tap tonight.

Our "store group" that has defected and is starting earlier than the rest is growing. We ended up with 8 people there today. We started out and right away I knew I was in trouble. My legs were heavy and tired....I am starting to think they have never recovered from my race. We did the same route as last week, just adding on a bit. The last 6 miles, the walking at the water stops got longer and I started feeling the run. It is a great group and I really enjoy running with them.

Avg Pace 8:40

AM: Met Annette, Jenny and Saskia to run some moderate paced hills.   We had a two mile warm up and then pretty much up or down for the next 4 on the hilly roads in our area (we didn't cover them all) and then 3 miles home after dropping them off.  Again hydration was an issue and I have to figure this out.... 

Avg Pace 8:48

Lunch:  3 miles on the treadmill at the Y watching US Volleyball - could have spent much more time there...too bad I have a job.

Easy miles this morning with Jenny.

Evening run on the hotel treadmill.  I had an early flight and meetings during the day, so the plan was to hit the treadmill and watch the Olympics.  Hotel treadmills are a gamble and this one was not the worst I have been on, but it wasn't to great either.   It was pretty shakey and they only had cable channels - so no Olympics - very unAmerican!    I warmed up for 2 miles and then did 5 miles @ MP with a quick drink break at 2.5 and 4 and then cooled down for 2 more.   MP is still harder than it should be, but I wonder how much of that was just the mental side and staring at a black screen.  

 MP @ 7:47 - a little faster than goal, but also the entire thing was at a 1% incline with no wind. 

Another week where my long run needed to be done before Saturday.  I must say that it is really nice to have it done early.   The past two long runs have been painful and unpleasant, so all I was hoping for today was to feel good, which I did.   We started an hour earlier than the two previous weeks, which meant it was cooler most the time.   I ran 2 miles to meet Annette and then did 4 more with her and dropped her back at her house and GU'd and grabbed a drink.  I did the next 6 meandering my way back to my house and these miles were right about 6 am - the coolest time of the day.  I had brought a water bottle from Annette's and dropped it two miles out from my house - incentive to go back.   I reached my house at mile 12 and GU'd again and grabbed another drink and then ran two more back to my stashed water bottle and then the last two back home.   I ended up with somewhat of a progressive run - super slow, between 8:50 down to 8:20 in the middle and then finished with the last three at marathon pace - 8:04, 8:02 and 7:44.

Lunch: 3 miles on the treadmill at the Y.  Between a couple of work issues and my kids calling left and right, I was pretty fired up and hoping the run would help.  Unfortunately, I had to wait for a treadmill and ended up on one that couldn't change channels, so I was stuck watching the news instead of the Olympics.  I left the gym just as frustrated as I went in........

Up early to get a few miles in before I had to go to a scout training.   My legs were very tired and fatigued along with some stomach issues.    Very easy and slow.

Now, watching the Olympics and so happy for Galen Rupp and Mo Farah!  Very exciting finish!

8 easy paced miles with Annette on some of the hilly streets in my neighborhood and the neighborhood to the west.   I think the heat and humidity is starting to wear me down, I almost threw up twice and dry heaved a bit all between miles 3 & 4.  I am feeling more hydrated than I have been but still not feeling great.   Nothing like working harder for worse results.   I keep hoping that once it cools off, it will be better.  

Lunch: 3 easy on the treadmill

Best run I have had in over a month.   I met Ashley, Tim and Lindsey for an early morning hill based run.  We warmed up for a mile and then did a 2.2 mile loop that climbs the big hill outside my office and a few little ones around the area and back down.   Completed the loop twice and then did 4x10 second sprints.  We tried to find the other road that had the steep hill and in the dark, we went past it.   I ran them back to the cars and then added on another 2.75 to get to 10 for the day.   This run felt a lot like the BBK runs, no watch glancing, just running hard and having a good time....hopefully, we can continue to meet.

Avg Pace 8:18

Right now Wednesday's are recovery days for me, nice slow and enjoyable.  I ran 1.5 to meet Jenny, 3 with her and then back home.  My legs felt yesterdays run, but nothing too bad.

1.5 to meet Annette, 6 with here and another mile home.   Only 45% humidity today - wow!  It made the 83 degrees bearable.    Nice moderate paced run and if I could quit messing up my garmin, I might have an avg pace.  Estimate is 8:40.

I met Ashley, Britt, Lindsey & Wendy at the store ( Tim said a quick hi and was gone) and the plan was to get in as many miles as I could before I had to leave to go to volleyball.   The weather this morning was spectacular!  70 degrees and low humidity.....I didn't think much of it, until we started looking at our pace a few miles in and it was much faster than we had been running and the effort was not nearly as hard - Yeah!   We did an 8 mile loop and then started out again and I turned back a early and added on around the store until my family came to pick me up.   Very happy with the avg pace - 8:02 -MP.   

Splits:  8:51, 8:11, 8:03, 7:58, 8:05, 8:07, 813, 8:03, 7:51, 7:50, 7:48, 7:25, 8:15, 7:37

We spent the morning watching my daughter play with her high school volleyball team.   There is nothing better than watching your kids excel at something the love and work so hard at.   As a freshman she made the JV team, but play 2.5 matches with varsity today.  Very, very proud mom!

We have since scrubbed the house and have 14 teammates here to spend the night.   So much for catching up on my sleep this weekend :)

Oh what a difference 10 degrees makes.  In the 80's, hot and humid.   In true Monday fashion, I about puked one mile in, so I scaled back a bit.  I met Annette and we did 6 together and I was dragging.  It was way to hard for the pace we were running, so we ended up with a couple of .05 walk breaks and a couple of water stops.   After dropping her off, I  headed home and actually started feeling better the 3 miles home.

Avg Pace 8:48

Lunch:  3 easy miles on the treadmill.  Started out slow and painful and ended up feeling pretty good.

Another good Tuesday workout.  Met Wendy & Lindsay to do a repeat of last weeks work out.   2x2.2 hilly miles on Arborlawn.   Tim and Ashley weren't there, so I was wondering how I would do with out Tim to pace with.   I actually did okay.   Tempo Splits:

7:56, 7:28, 7:42, 7:27

We then did some sprints, but I was having garmin issues at the same time.  Ran Wendy back to the cars and then added on 3 miles.

Avg Pace 8:14

I was in Houston for work and tried to get my MP miles early.  It was extremely hot and humid and a painful run.  There was a lot of traffic and stops at too many lights.

69 degrees this morning!  So great!

I was on my own and it was supposed to be a nice easy run.   I started out and did just under 4 right on target.   Grabbed a drink at my house and headed back out.   The next two miles were progressively picking up the pace but nothing serious.   Then a guy crossed the street ahead of me and was running at a pretty good pace.... I cannot hold back, so I pass him but then have to maintain my pace because I am on a mile long straightaway and I have know idea how far back he is.   I turned the corer, ran another mile and then turned another corner.  At this point I had .5 until I turned to go home and there was a girl at the top of the hill.... Again, I decide to pass her (this one was easier) and then turned to run the .3 up hill and home.   

A pretty good run with some tempo paced miles....I might regret those tomorrow.

Avg Pace 8:33

The plan was to meet the group and run 800's today but we had rain this morning, so we canceled.  This meant I ended up at the Y on the treadmill.   I warmed up for 2 miles and then did 6x800 Yasso style.   I had my recovery minutes slow and used the recovery pace given by the McMillan Calculator as my guide.   My goal was to run relaxed and I for the most part accomplished.  Numbers 4 & 6 were tense for no real reason.   I then cooled down for 2 miles and headed home.  

We are only going to be 78 here today...It is winter.  Nothing like a 20-25 degree temp swing.

Avg Pace 8:15

Six easy miles with Jenny - the best of the week.

6 miles with Annette and a pretty good pace.

I had a church commitment for most the day and then had to take my two younger girls shopping for school supplies - probably in my top 5 worst things to do as a parent.  It was horrible, traffic was horrible and my girls are going to school without Manila paper.  This will be a bigger deal than it should be.  Most the day was on my feet, despite my best effort to sit as much as possible.   

After spending a few hours resting and trying take it easy, I headed out at 8:30.  It was hot - mid 80's humid and windy.  I broke the run into 3 sections, each passing back by my house for water and gu.  The first was 6 miles (aiming for 7, but my need for the bathroom prevented that from happening) and mostly flat.  I felt pretty good that this point and my pace was picking up earlier than I wanted.   The second was 7 miles and hilly.  I was either running up or down and I felt pretty good until 11.75 when I had to turn around and run in the headwind.  This section had a good up hill, some down hill and then the steep uphill to my house.  This last mile was tough, very tough.  Got home and the legs were fatigued, gu'd and headed back out for the last 4.   These were flat and I was tired and mentally done.  I was hanging on by a thread and barely holding it together.   I decided when I hit 16 I was going to walk the mile home.  I took 10-15 steps and then made myself walk back to where the 1 mile mark was and run home.  

Avg Pace 8:41

I got home and laid on the floor for a while trying not to throw up and cool off.   Lesson learned....hopefully!   I was going to do my long run in Omaha on Thursday, but I have developed this fear - sometimes when I travel, sometimes at home about running outside alone.   It comes and goes, but I have got to get over it.   Home should never be an issue, I live in a very safe area that is well lit and traveled.   On the road it is somewhat understandable, but I usually enjoy running in Omaha and the hotel had a gym. 

I am starting to panic about my training and running a marathon.   Every time I get into a pretty decent training cycle, all heck breaks loose.   This time they have added quite a bit to my plate at work and I found out Friday I am heading back to India in the next couple of weeks - horrible timing.   I have traveled to India in marathon cycles before but never this close to the date.   The kids are heading back to school and we have volleyball and baseball every weekend and I feel so selfish taking chunks out of Saturdays to run and miss there activities.   I am starting to wondering if maybe this isn't my season for marathon's and to change my goals.   

2.3 easy miles to meet Annette and say hi to Jenny

6 miles with Annette

1 mile home

Not to bad of a run but I expected our pace to be faster based on effort, but then again it was 73 degrees and 95% humidity - YUCK!  

Avg Pace 8:40

Tempo run on tap today and I opted for the Y .... I regretted it as soon as I stepped on the treadmill, but got it done.  Today was a 40 min tempo run and I did 800 at 7:20 pace and 800 at MP for the  40 min and then cooled down quickly.  Now that school is back in, I have to be back on time.  I have enjoyed a very lazy summer.    I felt really good during the run and the MP felt easy.  

Met Annette at 4:30 in the morning for 3 miles.   I was going to add on but felt horrible and called it a day. 

In OKC for work and was going to run on the treadmill at the hotel.. it lasted .01 of a mile.  The thing shook and made horrible noises, so I headed out.   I was staying out by the airport, not the best area, but figured I could find a place to run.  After wandering around for a while, I found  part of their trail system and did the MP mile on the trail.   They were harder than they should have been and I felt horrible - dehydrated and hot.  I am on the verge of a mental breakdown.

What a mess.   This was a very good race for me a year ago but today was a disaster.  I have been struggling mentally the past few weeks and my stress level between work, family and marathon training is high and taking it's toll.    I am tired, worn out and on the edge of a mental breakdown most every day.     Running should help with this, but it has become more of a chore than a release.     

I was hot this morning, low 80's to start and humid - it is Texas.   Interestingly, last year - the hottest summer in years - it was 67 degrees at the start, it makes a big difference.  I started having a few stomach issues last night but didn't worry to much even when they carried over this morning.  I  headed down to the race with Jenny, my husband and two girls.  I took two trips to the POP and then ran the 1K with my youngest as a warm up.  At this point I was feeling okay and was going to stretch and go.  I forgot the stretch part, but when the gun went off, I felt good.    It was down hill from there.  The first two miles where okay and pace was right where I wanted it but the effort was hard and it was hot.   By the time I hit 4 miles I was holding on for the U turn at 5.5.  Reached the U turn and GU'd and drank water and tried to cool down.  Just past the turn I started to get dizzy, so I slowed down a bit and tried to push through.  I made it about another mile and the last three were a train wreck.  I started taking walk breaks and then would try to push through and was just wanting to be done.   I was miserable and so were most the people around me.  I was leap frogging with a guy who was puking, so I was not alone, but it was no beuno.  

I finally finished and told my husband I was done running and he said he didn't believe me.   Unfortunately he was right, but I have got to figure a few things out and how to improve mentally....Up until the last year, I have never struggled with this and I have no idea how to get out of my funk.

We got home and I have spent the better part of the day in the bathroom or trying not to die.....or at least to stop feeling that way.

1 mile to meet Annette

6 together

1 mile home

It was in the low 80's again at 5 am ....  I really wanted to cry.  I like heat, but this is beyond reason and I am ready for it to cool off.   My legs were tired but we had a slow pace so I really felt pretty good.  

In reviewing times from yesterday, most everyone was slower than last year and all do to the conditions.  I am just disappointed in myself and my mental strength.   The goals for the next 8 weeks are:

1. Consistency - Get every run in

2.  Work outs based on effort, time is secondary

3.  Try to enjoy as much as I can

Hopefully, I can put together 6 very strong weeks and a 2 week taper and be ready for MCM. 

Easy miles at lunch on the treadmill.

I met Wendy and the Rodriguez sisters for a workout this morning.   Eva & Maria are speedy fast and I probably would have chickened out had I not already committed to Wendy.  I went in with the attitude, I will do my best and have fun.   We warmed up slow for the first two miles and they were lovely .....  We then did my favorite tempo workout and while I could not keep up with the rest, I was consistent with my treadmill paces.   I then added on 3 more on my own and this is where things got interesting.   We were on the trails and at about 1.5 miles in a cyclist yelled at me that there was a fox following me....A FOX!   I stopped immediately and moved out to the paved trail and walked for a bit and finished the rest in the more urban part of trails.   Crazy thing is we live in a major metropolitan area and I have seen more crazy animals here.    

Wendy and I met for 20 miles at 5:15.   I was so tired and worn out but I went.   We ended up with a really good run despite  the wind and rain.    We ran the first 10 together on the trails and ended back at the store and bandited their 15K....or sort of.  We were going to run this portion with Ashley but she was running faster than we wanted so we ended up turning and running through one of the neighborhoods at back to the store.  From there we added on 2.4 and finished.    I ended up missing 1.2 miles of the run because I can't work my garmin, nothing new.    I felt good the entire time and was running strong even at the end.   

Avg Pace 8:40

splits: 9:14, 9:00, 8:47, 8:42, 8:37, 9:01, 8:31, 8:38, 8:30, 8:30, 8:39, 8:30, 8:22, 9:07, 8:34, 8:46, 8:31, 8:26, 8:01

I am in India and I forgot how miserable it is to run on the treadmill here.  HOT, HOT, HOT and HUMID.   I made it through but it was no fun.   I forgot everything is in KPH and my math while running is week as it is  - converting to kilometers about kills me.

It is now 3 am in the morning and I cannot sleep and I am doubtful I will be up in 3.5 more hours to run......sad week.

I am in India still and have slept very little since I arrived.  I was awake in the middle of the night and decided to go run, thinking the gym would be open 24/7.  It was not, but when I called to find out when it would open, they said they would open it for me - Sweet!  I ended up sweating for a half marathon in 1:48.   The only problem was is that the effort felt harder than it should have been.  I ran progressive for the first 12K and then started back down until the last couple and picked it back up.   

Hopefully, I will get some sleep, sometime......please?

I converted my KPH to MPH and MPH to minutes per mile and my pace was much better than I thought.   Nice to know that a chunk of miles were MPH or below.

Still in India.  I have not slept well at all the entire time I have been here.  The longest sleeping streak I have is 3 hours.  Last night I slept for two and then woke up.   After trying to go back to sleep for two hours, I gave in and decided I would run and then try to sleep.   Two hours of sleep and very poor nutrition for the past few days = tired, slow, sad run.     I started out and had plan on running 6, but within 2K I was feeling the effects of the week.   It was unusually humid in the gym as well and I was sweating so much, it was like rain was running down my face, pretty disgusting.    By 5K, I was starting to get dizzy and called it a day.   

BTW, never went back to sleep.   By the time my flight leaves in 3 hours, I will have been up for 22, following a day of being up for 25.........

I am hoping all this pays off with a lot of sleep on my flights.

I met Ashley, Tim and Wendy at 4:45 to run Bryant Irvin, Dutch Branch and the QuickTrip hill.    We started out slow and then kept a moderate pace for the rest of the run.   I really enjoy running with these guys and look forward to the couple of runs we get to do together each week.  They are all running SG and I wish I was, but with the work and family issues I have had lately, I know I would not be able to run my best and be disappointed with the results.  This is a pretty good run because most the hills are between .5 and 1.1 miles long and most are at a pretty good grade and the QuickTrip hill is a good Veyo simulation.  

Avg Pace 8:46 ( splits were very consistent 8:39 on the up hill, 8:25 on the down) + warm up and cool down.

What a day to end a really tough week.   I spent most the week trying to recover from the previous week and dealing with work issues.   No fun.    My last 20 miler too weeks ago went really well and I was expecting this week to be the same.  No such luck.   I felt miserable the first couple of miles and wanted to throw in the towel, but pushed through and started to feel better.  We ran up Hidden Road and I finally got to find out what everyone was talking about.....It was tough but not as bad as I had imagined and even though I wanted to walk, I pushed through.   We ran out about another mile and then ran back.   By mile 14, it was just Ashley, Wendy and I and my attitude was terrible and we all wanted to be done.   By mile 16 I was ready to quit but they were very kind and encouraged me to finish....it was UGLY!.   2:54:00 for 20 miles but with all our stops, it was much longer....We got it done.   

8 easy miles at 4:50 am with Wendy and Ashley.   Pretty uneventful - which is a good thing.

Avg Pace 8:44

10 miles with Ashley & Wendy

I met Ashley, Tim & Mo for a rainy long run.  Ashley & Tim were just doing 10 so they took off and Mo and I hung together for 20.   We ran the Bailey loop twice with a little add on just past the turn on the trail.   This was much better than last weeks and I felt great the entire time, but it was slower than what I had been running.  I did feel like I could have finished a marathon and run the remaining 6.2....good sign if I am okay with a 4 hour marathon - I'm not.   

Avg Pace 8:57

6 easy miles with Annette and a temp of 59 degrees - holy cold!   It was nice but a 20 degree temp drop over the weekend shakes things up a bit.  

2 miles with jenny in the evening.

6 easy miles with Wendy early in the morning.   I felt miserable but did not want to bail, so I cut my planned 10 miles down to 6.    We had a close encounter with a skunk and were lucky enough not to get sprayed and then a mile later an opossum....crazy Texas.   Watch out of you ever come to watch the Colonial golf tournament - we were just outside the fence.   

Jenny agreed to accompany me to the Y so that I would get my sorry self out of bed.   I warmed up for 2 miles and then did 1 min on/of x 20.  On's were 6:53 and off's were 8:57.  Tired, I have done zero speed since returning from India, but a good run.

In the words of my 8 year old - it is winter in Texas.  Temps dropped 30 degrees overnight and I hate the wind....so indoors it was.   Jenny met me at the Y this afternoon and ran with me for the first 1.5 hours and then I was on my own.    It wasn't too bad actually, other than it beat me up more than a normal 20 miler does.   

One of the areas I wanted to work on today was being more efficient.  I love running with the group, but we are not efficient  - long water stops, I always need a POP stop.  Sometimes it just takes a while.   I enjoy them to much to change, but this was a good confidence builder.    

I did 6.8 miles in 62 min (when the treadmill said no more); quick drink, gel & POP (less than 5 min).   Next set was 7.2 in 62 min, drink & gel, and then 6 in 49:43. 

I ran progressive, which I like and I have decided will be my strategy for MCM.   I ended up with at least 2MP miles at the end, and in reviewing the treadmill conversion chart, it is probably closer to 4-5

Avg Pace 8:40s?   

Now to taper two weeks or three?  I have usually done a 3 week taper, but have noticed most everyone with a 2 week taper this year.   I am leaning this direction since my training has suffered.   This would give me 5 20's - too much?  If so, plan for next weekend?

I am traveling everyday this week, which makes trying to run difficult.   I am in Syracuse today and ended up with 8 miles at 1.5% incline on the treadmill.  Nothing like running after flying all day and then a client dinner.   It was much harder than it should have been.....

1 mile to meet Jenny, 5 together and then another back home.   

I always look forward to when we can run together.  She did great today and I stuck to a pretty easy pace.   

Running at 5:30 in the afternoon is not my first choice - ever.  86 degrees, windy and lots of traffic.  I had one hour to get my run in while my daughter was a volleyball practice and before the other daughter's game.   It felt so much harder than it should have and the legs were tired. 

 Avg Pace 8:28

We had an extremely busy day - hosting senior breakfast for the volleyball team, my two younger daughters both had games, my older daughter had a work out with a new club, dinner with friends and my son had 3 baseball games.  Somewhere in this mess I had to get my last big workout in.   The goal was 15 miles with 9 MP tempo miles.     I ended up on the treadmill at the Y between the two volleyball matches and had to move fast.   Three mile warm up with 4 min on at just under MP and then 1 min recovery, repeated for 9.25 miles.   This actually went by really fast and I felt good the entire time.  I would think I was tired every once in a while, and I had to tell myself I was bored, not tired.   I watched college football and for the second weekend in a row was subjected to watching OU play.  I am not a huge UT fan, but they were a disaster.   I had time to just get in 14 and had to rush to the next game....Next weekend is not any better. 

Ons @ 7:53 pace with 1.5% incline

Offs @ 8:57 pace with 1.5% incline

Up to meet Jenny and run some miles with her during her long run.   I thought we would meet up around mile 2 but it ended up being 3.5.   We ran the rest together and the legs were very fatigued.   I had a hard time getting going and the slow miles were tougher than they should have been.   There will be time on the foam roller tonight.

I met Tim, Ashley and Wendy for what I thought would be MP mile repeats.   I was excited to hear about SG, but we really didn't chat much - that will be tomorrow during the easy run.    We warmed up on the trail for 2 miles and then did 5 x 1 mile repeats.   They were targeting 7:20 - 7:30 and I told them I was going to hang back and run MP....never happened and I ended up with the following:  7:45 felt better than I thought but faster than MP; 7:27 too fast, but still feeling okay; 7:32 legs were tired during this repeat and had to run under the viaducts and I always feel like I am going to trip; 7:29 back under the viaduct and trying to stay mentally strong; 7:28 hanging on and so glad it was the last one. Cool down for 2 miles that were slow and tired. 

Avg pace: 8:21

Six easy miles with Wendy.  We did the normal route through Tanglewood, Colonial and to the Woodshed and back.   Wendy rolled her ankle on an acorn right about mile 5, forcing us to slow down and cut the run short by 2 miles.   I am not overly comfortable running by myself there, so I called it a day.

Met the group at the store for my last "long" run.   Everyone is at different points in their training cycles, so we started together and then quickly split up.  Wendy and I did 10 together and she headed out to add on 4 more.   The effort was harder than normal due to wind on the way out and then easy on the way back.  Ended up with an avg pace of 8:28 and thinking "I'm done, I have plenty left in the tank."  Hopefully, that is a good sign for next weekend.   

2 warm up miles and then 4 min @ MP and 1 min off for 3 miles and then a cool down.

I have put off writing this race report because I am not really sure what to say.  It was the hardest thing I have ever done, but an absolutely amazing experience.   We made some mistakes in the days leading up to the race - too much time on our feet and a dinner that made me violently ill Friday night.  But I went to the starting line feeling prepared and ready to go.   The course is beautiful and the support on the course rivals Boston.   The first 8 miles are hilly and then then it is flat until the last .2.   I did very well through the hills, but my legs were tired by mile 5.  I hit the half at 1:51 - right on for a 3:45.  From there the next 8 miles were tough but I stayed strong and pushed through.  I hit mile 21 at 3:00:00 and did bad math and thought I could finish sub 3:45...not really, this is why I do not do math while I run.   I would have been around 3:47 - 3:50 and then the wheels fell off.  My lower back started cramping and my legs were done.  I was just trying not to fall and the walk breaks became my crutch.   This is also where not driving the course and knowing what was coming up became my downfall.  We were winding through Crystal City and I knew there was a water stop, but it was never there...3 miles later, I found it.  When I hit the point .2 at the end, I was fine.  I had trained and visualized that for so many months that I ran up the hill, slow and painful but I ran.   

I have spent 8 days now deciding how I feel about my time.   I had nothing left when I crossed the finish line, which is good, but I am disappointed with 3:57.  I know I can do better.  I had gone into this race thinking it would be my last marathon for quite some time.  My kids are getting busier and busier and my work is becoming increasingly demanding, so training suffers.   But I am now unsure.  

If anyone is ever interested in running MCM, I highly recommend it.  A first class race, spectacular course and amazing experience. 

6 easy miles with Jenny.   But on the bright side, I am finally walking more normal.

I got out later than planned, but enjoyed a sunny morning.   I ran the new road they are building by the middle school and it will be great when it is done.  Still not recovered.

Jenny and I had planned on meeting at the Y, but she texted that she wasn't feeling well and I was really glad I hadn't looked at my phone until I was already there.   6 progressive miles on the treadmill, starting at 6.4 and moving up to 7.8 and then a 1 mile cool down.

Avg Pace 8:30

I have wanted to add strength training into my routine for a very long time.  Today I bit the bullet.   Squats, lunges, arms and core.  I have no idea what I really need to be doing, ideas?

So, so sore!  My right hamstring is causing some issues from MCM and yesterday didn't help.   Yoga tonight and feeling much better.  

I met Ashley, Tim and Wendy early this morning.   It was by far the coldest morning yet - 45 degrees.  Not much to all those in Utah or northern places, but cold for us.   We ran the usual route from Tom Thumb, through the Colonial, Woodshed and Trinity Park.   The entire run felt easy and right on target.   Once I stopped though, all the soreness came right back.   

Avg Pace 8:50

In KY for work and it took quite a bit of talk to get myself out of bed and on the treadmill.   I ran the first mile with an incline of 1.5 and at 6.4/6.6 and thought I was going to die.  Bumped down the incline to 1.0 and 6.8/7.0 for mile 2 and it wasn't any easier..  I thought about going outside if it was in the high 40's but no, 33 degrees.   I decided to tough it out and get 3 miles and bumping the incline to 0.  Ended up feeling better and running 7 miles with 1.5 below MP.   Glad that is over..... Avg Pace 8:28

We have a cold front in and it was high 30's this morning.   I chose to go to the Y and use the treadmill.  The plan was for 12 x 400's at a pace of 1:30 - 1:45.   I think the treadmills at my Y are calibrated different and are "easier" than they should be, that said, they will be my saving grace this winter.   

2 mile warm up

1 & 2 @ 6:53 pace

3 - 8 @ 6:49 pace

9 & 10 @ 6:44 pace

11 & 12 @ 6:49 pace

2 mile cool down

Not bad and the on's were not easy, especially the ones at 6:44 pace.  But got it done and it felt good...until I had to run out to my car - FREEZING.   My blood has officially thinned.

In SF for a work meeting last night and an early flight this morning.  Up at 3 am for 30 min on the treadmill and 10 min of squats and upper body.   The hotel we stay at has one of the nicest treadmills I have ever used and I feel guilty if I don't use it, because I make a big deal about staying there and force a everyone else to stay there.   However, it is a sauna in there.   It wasn't so bad during the summer when it was miserable whenever I ran, but now that it is cooled off, it is miserable.

In SG for Thanksgiving and had a very appropriate run.  Out to the cemetery, down Jacob Hamblin hill, through old Santa Clara and back up Canyon View (by the flood) to my parents.  Spent most the time reflecting on all my childhood memories -friends, the merc, boys pond, the old chapel and then stopped by my brother's office at city hall and said hi and then ran home.   Very good. 

Avg Pace 8:30

Another SG run and even better.  I love being home and running with this scenery makes me realize how boring Texas really is.   I ran out to Ivins, ran into an old friend and chatted for a while, then out to Snow Canyon and picking up the trail to Entrada, back past the high school and home via Canyon View.   Another great run.

Avg Pace 8:17

9 miles on the treadmill at the Y and then Power Yoga...which made me oh, so sore.

I had very tough week re-entring from vacation and had decided to take a break from running, take care of work and family and just be re-energized the next week.   I had forgotten about this race and my husband has to cover it for work and said you stand a good chance of winning, so you might as well run.   

It was a pretty decent course, I am just not prepared to run a 5K.   I looked at my watch at 3.1 and it read 23:35 so 1:50 off my PR from earlier this year but on a tougher course.

Good: I stayed strong and didn't give up which has pretty much been the theme for the past year +.

Bad:  I have lost speed,

Overall, I had a good time, enjoyed myself which I am trying to do and maybe I will start running more 5ks....maybe.

I met Jenny and Saskia for some easy hills and then did 3 moderately fast miles home.   

Met Jenny after work to run the Aborlawn hill.   

Avg Pace 10:00

In Kentucky for work and was going to run after our meeting.  I walked for 2 miles while chatting with a colleague and then started running.  At almost the 2 mile mark, could decided if I was going puke or have other needs of a bathroom immediately.  Called it a day. 

I had planned on meeting Jenny at the Y so we could run together but each at our own pace.  She wasn't feeling well, so I went outside and it was great!  Best run I have had for a very long time.  I had decided to run by feel and did for the most part and turned it into a progressive tempo.  I stopped at the church (2.5) and Y (6) for water had a very good time.  The last .5 of the tempo was very hard and forced because I could not relax, but the rest of the run was very relaxed and free.

Avg Pace 8:11

Splits: 8:46, 8:41, 8:22, 8:14, 7:59, 7:49, 7:49, 8:10, 7:57, 8:08, 8:15

Met Jenny at the Y for some treadmill miles that were much harder than they should have been.

In NY and on the hotel treadmill.   The plan was for 1 min on/off, but I only lasted a mile of that and was overheating.  The gym was hot and my feet felt like they were going to melt.

Met Jenny at CVS for 4 miles together and the rest on my own.

Six miles on my treadmill at home.  Only the second time I have ran on it since we moved to Texas.   I finally figured out how to set up my ipad so I am not staring at a blank wall.   

AM:  8 miles with Annette.  We have not run together for a while, so it was great to catch up.

PM:  4 miles with Jenny

Early miles on my own and having to break out the winter gear.  Crazy to think last week I was wearing shorts and t-shirts.   I ended up doing a progressive tempo for 4 miles:  8:24, 8:09, 7:57, 7:32.  

Avg Pace 8:22

Jenny and I agreed to run together on Christmas Day, but that was before we knew how bad the weather was going to be.   We ended up with snow today and temps of 29 degrees but with a wind chill making it feel like 15.   We braved the elements, which were not so bad, and headed out.  We ended up with 4 miles and called it because it was starting to get icy.   Once home, I changed clothes and then headed up to my treadmill for 4 more miles and another failed attempt at speedwork.   I know that I am not running enough to do speedwork and that the more I run it will get easier, so I am trying not to worry too much.   

Merry Christmas!

Avg Pace outdoors: 9:29

Avg Pace treadmill: 8:15

Another chilly morning - 26 degrees.   I did almost the same route as Monday, just did not head as far south.   3 miles warming up and then on/off for the next three - using intersections as the switch point.  Each segment was not equal but some good pushing along the way.  1 mile cool down and then done.

Avg Pace 8:18

The temp read 41 degrees but with wind and a foggy mist, it felt much colder.   6 easy miles with Jenny, uneventful and unexciting. 

Met Ashley and Wendy at the store to run with the group.   We ended up running out on the trail, up Hidden Hill and then back down Bailey.   Ended up with miles and felt great the entire time....other than the fact it was cold.  Just before the hill, there is a section of the train that is always colder and for that half mile (out & back) my hands froze.   

Avg Pace 8:49

7 miles on my treadmill while watching Scandal.   It was hot and boring.   Progressive run.

Avg Pace 8:40