Believe to Achieve

JulieE's  husband drove us to Wallsburg for a 5:38am start time per garmin.  Cold.  Memories of UVM less than 3 months ago.  I ran alone for the first 6 miles because Melanie and Julie don't know how to run slow  : D.  I planned on running the first 8 @ 7:45 second 8 @ 7:15 and last 7 at 6:45 AP but since IT WAS WAY TOO DARK AND WE WERE IN UNKNOWN (as far as residents) COUNTRYSIDE I was too scared to run too far behind them so I was "forced" to run quicker from the get go.  At mile six I was at 7:14 AP.  Ooops.  But then two miles of hills coming out of Wallsburg and over the Reservoir fixed that down to 7:21 for a bit but by the time I was at mile 18 I was back to 7:10 and had been running right close behind Mel and JulieE from mile 6 on.  At mile 18 I  picked it up and since the speedstars already had quite the average pace (7:03) having gone so fast at the beginning ran behind me for the last 5 miles as I ran MP and faster.   I also don't like to stop much at the end.  I like to get it over with while I am feeling good.  So I rocked out the last 5 miles to my music and pushed myself to feel the MP.  REMEMBER IT.  LOCK IT INTO MEMORY.  NO ESCAPING IT : D  Last five miles were 6:42, 6:49, 6:51, 6:43, 6:41.    Waited a few minutes for JulieE and Mel to arrive and then we went to ice ourselves in the Provo River nearby.  Oh yah, we added on another uphill portion from mile 17 to 18 (the Provo Half course that takes you BACK UP the old road a half mile with the fierce head wind, YAY).  Overall, this run FLEW by for me.  Although I was cold and removed  and replaced my long sleeved shirt three times due to frozen arms and that my arm warmers I wore as leg warmers were cutting off venous return to my thighs, I felt really strong in this run, mentally and physically.  I held back on the uphills only slightly surged on the down.  I am saving myself for race day.  At least that is what I think I am doing.   AP today for 23.25 miles = 7:05.  7 stops, all brief except one where JulieE needed to use an ACTUAL restroom and not the ground.  We also ran into several other runners we knew.  This stop was probably 4-5 minutes.  The others were less than a minute.  I believe all stops were total 13 minutes and that the entire 23.25 miles INCLUDING stops took 2:57 minutes.  I need to download that data but I remember about what time we finished and we left at 5:38.  Had only one gu so took that and five "chomps", one every four miles.  Gatorade at two stops.    OKAY as if that wasn't enough for my day--- I spent the rest of my day boating with my nice neighbors who took us  on their boat (my whole family) for over 6 hours on Utah Lake.  We left 1 hour after I got back from my run.  I used the wave runner for 45 minutes straight.  So fun   :D!!  love WATER!!!  Didn't DARE do anything else, like water ski or knee board because ONE false move and that could put me out for SGM.  So I am on "rest" from irregular activity until after Oct 1st.  AFTER getting back from boating we left our house having ALL showered within a half hour and took off to SLC to watch a REAL Salt Lake Soccer game.  SO fun.  And here I am typing this.  I have been up since 3:40am because I just couldn't sleep.  Might as well practice race day no sleep simulation from time to time. : D D.