Believe to Achieve

10 recovery miles...big square around disneyland area....harbor to ball road to broomhurst to chapman to harbor.   10@ 825.   disney ca adventure from 8am to 10pm.  walkes to/from park entrance.  1 mile each.heel pain back after five miles   figure due to concrete dips from driveway entrances on roadways.

no watch but met melanie at her hotel at 5 am. 0.3 wu.  ran 1.2 wu (7:37, running with melanie :)  )  stopped and mel set up watch for 15 min on /off --1 min on/2min offs. accidentally started with an on at 2 minutes....realized this at 1 min 20 secs into it. so had a 40 second recovery then started with the garmin beep for the first minuted. does this make sense? it does to us :-).  on paces 535 to under 6. mel had watch. i felt really good the whole time and could have down a few more. two minute recovery faster than i would do but totally felt good so it didnt matter. cooldown too fast so i had at least a 0.3 jog back to my hotel. so happy to have melanie to run with. very fun! would not have run any speed this week of she werent here. :)     oh and heel not a single problem til the cooldown mile when we were on more concrete that had the dips for driveways.  bummer cause now i have to take on disneyland for 14 hours. kids and husband asleep right now. i am in front desk area hanging out. time to shower and wake them. :)

bed at midnight. 15 hour day at disneyland. ran into mel and her family several times. :)   even waited  in 45 min jungle cruise line together. time flew by in that maze. this am just ran easy..close to same route as speedwork except ran tnru downtown disney. ran at 630 am. 9.36 miles @ 815 ap.  first mile 8:42. last mile 7:33.  still at disneyland. going to be here til midnight. fast passes for space mtn at 1125pm :-)  

no plan. hey operating on 16 hour dayz at disneyland. kids actually slept in. had to wake them up finally at 840.  ran at 7am.  busy time with traffic but able to get in 2 mile repeats- 615, 615.  had to slow on second one. almost took out a group hogging the side walk. geez come on it is vacatio. here.  8 at 724 ap.    got myself in a mess...o. a whim sigmed up for hollywood half marathon....yup it is t mr.hollywood.  

disneyland for 7 hours......then off to hollywood.  37 milez in 1 hr 47 min. how do californians do this? 

Okay--signed up for this race on Thursday while at Disneyland with family on Day Four of 15 hour days walking around park. I ran all week getting up early before family and running between 9 and 10 miles each day.  Two speed work days as well.  Seriously what was I thinking?  By day six -- "race" day my legs were hamburger.  Friday we drove to Hollywood.  Who knew 37 miles could take 1 hr and 45 minutes???  How do Californians do this day in day out traffic????  Got to hotel and drove only 4 miles to Univeral Studios and picked up packet at the Hilton there. The expo was nice.  I couldn't stay long.  Husband was outside in car...avoiding parking fine of 15 dollars.  They didn't give the Half marathoners a break. 

Race Morning--- slept poorly.  Nothing new.  I was having chills for some reason so took some ibuprofen before bed and sweated it out while I slept.  Woke up achy and TOTALLY forgot to drink or eat anything.  Troy drove me over to shuttle at the Hotel at 445am.  Met Dexter, a runner, a nurse and a photographer, asian.  Very nice, social.  We talked a lot.  We got along real well. He is in his fifties. Sadly, shuttle GOT lost.  We didn't get there til 535am and I had to go potty real bad.    I almost didn't make it to a potty and there were not outdoor spots that didn't have police surveillance.  I found a hotel.  That was the extent of my warmup.  Running to that hotel when I saw it.  Made it just in time.  Then still had another 0.3 mile walk to starting line.  It was dark.  Race starts at 6am.  I got to starting line at 550am.  It was fun hearing the DJ and hanging around up front.  The elite runners got to take off a minute early--they had a rope holding us back.  Funny thing was that several NONrunning looking people stood up by the elite runners. The DJ had to announce "okay now If YOU CAN't RUN a 5:00 minute mile you shouldn't be up here" .  It was funny.  A few came back but a few still stayed up there.  Seriously????  Dexter took several pictures of me at the starting line then made his way back to his corral. Anyway, next was my corral. I started up front.  I had no idea about competition.  A skinny blonde girl began running by me.  It was a little nerve wracking wondering what I got myself into and who are the runners beside me?  It was quite dark for the first four miles.  I am not a very good fast runner in the dark but I managed okay.  I think my first mile was a 6:33.  Then 6:34, then 6:39, 6:39, 6:45....DEATH BY A HILL-- 7:24.  DEATH by a HILL again 6:55.  Then recovery downhill but for some reason I couldn't pick it up more- 6:43.  Legs were trashed.  I could now FEEL the OVER 50 miles of walking I did at Disneyland (our hotel was just over a mile away and we walked there and back every day and twice I did it again to put something in our hotel room-- this would be after long days at disneyland--rarely sitting down, going from Park to Park and Ride to Ride, like any other diehard Disney fans).    The course had TWO U-turns and one monsterous climb from 4.5 to 6 miles then from 6.2 miles to 6.8 miles and the entire mile from 8 to 9.  Then rolling hills all the other miles-- nothing steep just rolling on uneven concrete.  My running buddy stayed ahead of me after mile four and she was about 30 seconds ahead at the first Uturn at 6.2 miles (10k was 42:02).  Blah.  The second uturn was just after mile 9.  I no longer saw my running buddy.   I really thought she just stopped running and ended the misery cause I didn't see her coming back (later I found out that she saw me and waved but I was in a zone she said-- must have spaced out on that hill).  That mile was 7:14.  One might think that time could be made up but it just wasn't happening for me.  I was tired.  I needed a nap.  Not a race.  6:55 was all I could muster.  I calculated that if I just ran 7s I could get sub 1:30--- but I didn't factor the course being off by .07.  BUMMER.  Mile 11 was merging with all the 10k and 5kers.  WE all started at the same time.  Seriously funny to pass that many people when we started at the same time.  I was feeling pretty good about myself.  A couple of guys passed me (three total) and I passed a few girls that started in the elite corral.  Not sure why mile 11 was slower...it just was 7:06.  Could have used a 6:50 there!!! The next mile was okay. Still not fast enough but mentally I was giving up passing all the slow joggers and wondering how off the course would be.  6:55 was all I could get.  Followed by another 6:55.  Then hello--- must have got some fire in me-- 6:06 for the last 0.17 miles.  I was the first female master (I chipped the elite female who is 41 and started a minute ahead but finished only 14 seconds at the line ahead).  I got a STAR trophy for winning my division.  There is supposed to be prize money awarded but they have to figure it out.  They weren't expecting the second wave women to catch the first wave women.  Blah.  It was well run for the second year of holding the race.  People were encouraged to dress up as their favorite movie star.  As we were leaving a guy dressed up as Joe Dimaggio was running along side FIVE Marilyn Monroes!!!!  too funny.  The finish line was right next to the concrete "star" with Michael Jackson's name in it.  We of course took a picture.  I got to meet my running buddy. She finished in 1:27:21.   She hung out with Troy, Courtney and I for over an hour.  Very pleasant , social girl.  She is 33 and would fit right in with my running group here in Utah.  She is from Hollywood.    She ran 3:04 at LA marathon last month.  She came in fifth today.   I came in 8th.  I thought I was 7th but I was chipped by a girl.  Oh well.  I chipped a girl too, so we're even.  The top women ran 1:15, 1:15.  The first place girl is Bernard Legat's sister!!  Third place girl ran only a 1:24 and won 1,000 dollars.  Wish Rachelle were here she would have had some easy money :D.  There was then a girl who ran a 1:25, then Erin in 1:27.  Then a girl that chipped me with 1:29:53.  Not sure what the other time was for the 6th place girl.  I ran 1:30:31 for 13.17 miles.  Not bad on tired legs and honestly kind of a not so fun course on tired legs.  If I tapered or didn't run speedwork and walked 50 miles I would have felt differently in this race.  Ran cooldown to the starting line 0.7 miles away.  Then back to finish.  Had to pick up my drop bag.  They were taking down the starting line and I hooked my bag to the gate. That gate was gone when I got there.  And I turned around and asked one of the workers if he saw a Hollywood Half bag.  He happened to have one in his hands and it was MINE!! with my warm pullover I wore all winter. So glad I had good timing.  He said he was about to throw it out.  We left the race at 930am back to hotel. Sore throat came on hard after race.  Chills and fever that night and continued all day at work on Sunday-- a NON call in sick work day unless YOU have a dr's note.  No time or money to get a Dr.'s note.  So wore a mask. 

Sweated out my fever and sore throat all last night.  So glad for ibuprofen.  The pain in my throat yesterday with swallowing was intense--- but an hour after ibuprofen---MIRACLE.  Then I would sweat like crazy.  I did that at least five times in the last two days.   I felt weak going to bed and still achy.  But I awoke with a little more energy.  Ahhhhh amazing what a full NIGHTS sleep can do for your body.  I think the longest amount of sleep I got on vacation was 6.5 hours.  Was going to run outside, was even dressed for it with running tights (got to wear shorts every day in California).  But it was pouring out so I went to the rec with Troy at 8:10am.  Plan to run 8 miles but I was feeling better and better that I ran 10.  Not totally recovered from flu but enough that I could run 10 miles at a decent pace.  I even added hills.  I pretty much started out at 8:27 pace miles and every quarter I had the incline at 1 % then 3 % then 2% then after the 0.75 miles I would up the pace by 0.1 mph.  I did this until mile 6 which I was then at 7:41 pace (although  I upped it to 9mph for about 20 seconds).  Then I ran til tm was about to shut off. 59:38 for 7.5 miles.  Got a drink for my dried mucosy throat and got on for 2.5 more miles.  Started at 8:00 pace for 1/4 mile at 1% the 1/8 mile at 3 % then 1/8 mile at 2%, then upped the pace by 0.1 miles. Repeated til I was at 2.5 miles--except last turn I upped pace to 9.7 mph for final 30 seconds.  19:14 for 2.5 miles.  AP for 10 hilly miles = 7:53.  Quite the Detox run.  No sign of PF in my feet. In fact feet felt the best they have in a long time.  : D.

10 miles at rec around track. 65 laps. tm makes go fast. just had digital clock on wall each lap. ap 8.  lot of running around to fourth lane but not stressful. got bloody nose from dry air. kept running til 6 miles then washed off and got water.  y end i dry heaved up some stomach fluids out of no where and now lying in bed with most likely stomach flu. i feel like i could vomit at any moment. achy all over mostly stomach cramps and that feeling u get in your throat. gross. i have been lyong down all morning. this came with no warning. sore throat and chills all weekend now this?

holy flu miles.  i felt a bit btr and managed to get out at 1030am.  all sunny from the looks of it from inside my house but geez I needed a head band and gloves along with pants!!  whatever!!  first mile so very weak.  9:36  : (   that is as much as I could muster.  just kept putting one foot in front of the other.  yesterday was one my most miserable days of my life.  I finally ended up vomited my guts out around 4.  Who knew one could vomit that much fluid and debris.  sorry tmi but i am a nurse.  felt much btr but that only lasted an hour or less then the body aches came on again and high fever.  i took a chance and took some motrin.  i could not take the body aches any longer.  it kicked in within an hour and was able to take a short nap pain free.  but back again came the aches......this happened all night.  i finally dozed at 730 am after troy got the kids off to school.  so sad to watch the morning sun and not be a part of the world but it was necessary.  slowly but surely changed into running gear.  looking good is feeling good right?  ha.  AP 8:34 for 8 miles.  slowly made my way around my house doing laundry and then showered.  now i feel nauseated again.  ate a banana before run and two pieces of toast afterwards.  i have lost five pounds even with drinking over 32 ounces of gatorade and water....slowly of course.  I was wicked thristy through all this.   VERY not helpful to have another visit from my cousin.  Her timing is always impeccable.  Gotta love her!!! 

7 nauseatinv miles......going to throwup soon.  geez.here my %eet dont hirt but my stomach and muscles are weak.i feel wicked depressed. no appetite. cramps. body aches. no adrenaline high. low as dirt. the way stomach flu makes anyone....but i m a runner......not just anyone! flip this is taking too long to pass. not running would make me feel even more depressed jist like ha ing to call in sicl for work. blah. lying down trying to hold cookies in.  didnt really eat cookies though. ap 8:23.

8 easy miles with 15 x30 sec strides/ 30 sec easy.  AP 7:41 for all 8.  With two left my right hamstring go real painful.  out of no where.  probably due to flu all week.  muscles kind of sick right now.  hope it goes away as fast as it came.  did hip/it band stretches.  most likely hip tight although doesn't feel it.  in fact nothing feels tights.  just a pulled nerve-like pain--scaitica per se.  paces on were all over the place--- sometimes I wanted to slow earlier so I did so it made the automatic garmin timer read it slower, of course.  Actually accidentally did 16 x 30.  I ran into my cooldown mode on my garmin.  ha ha.   Best paces 5:40 x 2.   AP for all 16...6:05  I think.    I definitely felt "squishy", like no hydration and weak but better than other days this week.    Long run with Kim tomorrow.  Early start of course.  Better start actually eating more sustaining foods than just toast with butter. 

just should never have run. very serious. sickly tired when i awoke. more than usual.  right hamstring quite tight and very sore. i wore skirt and felt warm even thoigb it was 39 degrees. tried not to disappoint kim so ran quicker but not too quick . just quicker than how i usually run this route. i would have felt bad either way. my miscles were weak and dehydrated from 7 day illness....started with sore tbroat last friday night...then fever/chills...then vomiting tuesday...then again thursday.  lots of sweating off fevers with motrin.  it was like one of last years runs...jist notbing in me. wanted to quit when kim left me to do tempo. it was very depressing for me to not feel one ounce of good. got home and my body was burning in areas...didnt realize how cold it really was...had some red marks on chest, stomach and all over back. felt like a wicked sunburn when thawing. i may take mon to wednes off to recoup. 744ap. 

tired a lot.  wake up tired.  muscles feel weak.  anemia most likely cause.  taking four days off.  this is day two.  but I do work two 12 hour shifts tues and wed.  off to Arizona to see mother on Thursday night for four nights with my sister.  Reality check for me with this anemia--  run easy with only one tempo and a few pick ups.  only just under five weeks left til marathon number 1.  I don't feel ready physically or mentally so I need to set my goals lower to just a course PRs for the slam.  Ogden that would be a 3:14.  Utah Valley 3:08 (depending on how Ogden goes).  Then for Park City 3:30 or better.  SG 3:06.   I don't know how to crack this anemia and also my age factor along with hypothyroidism.  I will just do what I can do.  Nothing forced or I will tire too early.  Need energy and I have none.  So it is better to cool my jets now.  If it happens I start to feel better than I will go with it.  Onward.  I don't have much time.  So whatever happens happens.  I  am having a lot of right sided sciatica and hamstring pain.  Hence a forced time off with the fatigue.  I have had this before...resting helps.  It will be time to taper by the time I get started.  That is funny : D. 

becoming a non runner....day three....worked all day.  tired a lot.  sore throat. feet dont hurt. deeply troubled  by events yesterday. spent all morning...4 hours worth watxhing the boston marathon. finally turned it off. then called an hour later by melanie. i had to have her repeat herself several times. her words did not make sense to me.  just heartwrenching.  

wow look at me go.......not. day four off. sciatica still happening. it stops randomly so hoping tmr is random :)

HOLY WEAKNESS!!!  seriously the FLU knocked me back like five months in training.  I wake in the morning barely able to get out of bed but of course I have to run.  I took the four days off and by golly I gotta get out there.  I have been in a depression of sorts.  My body is just not cooperative and with this weeks events emotionally I came apart.  But I am digging my way back up....just wish my body absorbed nutrients appropriately.  I can tell I am anemic.  My heartrate is up after work outs and I super fatigued.  HOWEVER my tonsils are still swollen (mono?? again!!!???)  Had mono in 2003.  Massive fatigue and tonsilittis.  Flip I hope that is not the case.  That takes a good four months to recover from.  DRAGGED MY TIRED tushy to the rec center and just put one foot in front of the other.  Okay of course I have to start where I left off.....so I planned a 7 mile tempo for myself but I quit at 6.25 miles cause I was forcing it at that point.  Mentally I was not there to push myself physically.  I also felt very thirsty and in need for some sugar.  I didn't eat anything since the night before.  It was 810am.  I put the TM at 2% and 7.1 mph (8:27).  I ran four miles--8:27, 8:13, 8:00, 7:47...and a little faster at the finish. AP 8:00.  Jumped off and got some water.  Then ran 1/2 mile 2% 7:30 to 8:00.  Started progressive half marathon pace tempo (no longer have lofty goals thinking this is marathon pace any more, man I am in a funk).  Started "easy"-- 0.5 % incline...6:53, 6:49, 6:44, 6:44, 6:40, 6:40 and 6:40 for last 0.25 miles.  I just felt so weak that I stopped it 3/4 mile from goal.  Muscles all jell-o like and my hamstring just keeping under radar.  No need to risk it.  Ran cooldown at 7:24 to 8:00 pace for 1.25 miles.  1%.  AP for last 8 miles = 6:54.   Wish I had a magic pill cause I don't see this going anywhere soon.  ZERO motivation.  I had a old guy however point me out to another old guy---I had my ear phones but I lip read--"look at that girl behind you on the TM".  It was pretty obvious he was talking about me. 

in casa grands arizona.   ahhhhhh flat and grenery...who knew the desserr could be so beautiful? creaky bones and sore muscles...and most of all second toes ouch! i must have ran tense yesterday as by the end my toe nail beds were very tender! blisters underneath i presume.....so the first three miles were the waiting period for endorphins to numb the toe pain.   seriously i feel three or more months back in training.   i only have four weeks for marathon one.  not ready.  ap today 8:16.  two miles on dirt/sand. first and last. first mile 9:01 :) 

20 miles in arizona. left at 627am. should have left earlier. kind of hot. going to be in the 90s today. kind of forgot about water...ooops. ran some loop in a neighborhood nearby then headed in town. first mile 8:34...went around pond after that for some varying elevation he he. so flat here.  was really thinking i wouldnt make it far. so many creaks and leftover soreness from tempo two days ago. old lady legs. geez.  so i just kept it going. left music tucked in shirt and decided to put it on at my one and only water stop at 10.5 miles. it was a circle k. i managed to get a potty stop and asked for a cup in desperation.  i knew the last 9.5 miles with increasing heat and no shade..flat dessert here was gonna be monotonous. vra bed some water i did bring two gus which probably saved my life. took at 7 and 13 miles without water. this was more of a provressive 20 without progressing past my fastest mile 17 of 7:11. the last three were 7:19 ap. i was so ready to be done and dirt for the last mile was a sligbt hindrance to pace. ap 7:34 for 20. now relaxing. heading to the pool after a cold shower. first and last 20 before ogden.  four weeks to go.  

no plan but easy pace.  not sore from 20 miler. phew. but not happy to be back to cold weather. so went to rec ctr with troy. i put tm at 2% grade. started at 8:27 x 1 mile....gradually each mile picked it up no faster than 7:53...still at 2%. kept it there the entire run. need to work otber muscles after flat as a pancake arizona. did 6 strides x 0.1 miles-- 6:07 x 2, 6:03 x2, 6:00x2 with 0.2 miles easy at 7:53.  e entually took pace to 7:30 and put in one fast 1/2 mile just cause--6:30 pace. forgot i waz at 2% and was glad it wasnt noticeable. ap for all 9.5 miles 7:44. no water/fuel. felt strong but now tired...did a lot of laundry and ironing.  cleaning. mivraine coming on.  i am running the thanksgiving half on saturday. hope i can break 1:30 on yet another honest course. it is hilly. just ask for no wind. 

Plan 6 x 800s.  This is just me thinking up random speedworks on any given day.  I have no real schedule.  Hope it works for me : D.  When I got to the gym I was thinking I was ready but as I warmed up I was seriously not in the mood for speed.  No soreness just a blahness.  But managed a two mile warm up, 1%, 8:26ap.  Just random slow to slower to a little faster to slower warmup to get the muscles to waken fully.  Ran exactly as planned.  Phew.  I did it and didn't cop out.  So 9.8 mph x 2, 9.9 mph x 2, 10 mph x 3 (6:07, 6:03, 6:00) x 1/2 mile.  With equal time recovery jog at 6.8 mph (8:49 pace) for 3 minutes.  All at 0 percent incline.  No need to overdo it.  Was at 2% yesterday entire run.  I just needed my legs to check in with some speed for longer than a minute (ons/offs) and this sufficed.  Cooled down for just over a mile to make it an even 8.5 miles.  AP for 8.5 = 7:34.   20 minutes upper body.  Haven't done that in a while.  I even did a couple of ball squats.  I actually like doing those.  I feel so strong when I finish them.  My leg muscles are burning :D.    Got some new iron supplement called hemaplex.  It is a a whole food supplement and is less expensive than floradix liquid iron.  Also started taking kelp and zinc.  Time will tell.   So next few days will be real easy with some strides on thurs or friday x 5 probably.  Saturday's half marathon should be interesting.  I plan to go music and garmin-less. 

drove to saratoga spring vista heights jr high and met jen (neasts) for a very nice run in the foothills there.  just took it real easy.  it was cool out but sun was shining.  i quickly lost my jacket and placed it around my waist.  Jen wears hokas (sp).  Forgot to try them on Jen.  She totally runs ultras in them.  They are funky looking.  Better looking than the guy version.    We had a great run with about two miles on trail.  She even spoiled me with a powerade stop.  That's service!! we didn't care that we just stood there taking the time to drink it all in--scenery and sports drink.  She showed me her next conquest that she can see from her house-- a 50 k that climbs all around Camp Williams and this mountain of a hill in north Eagle Mountain.  YIKES.  Next year for me!!  Got too much on my plate this summer.  We will have to keep our eyes on Jen as she takes that beast on!!.  8.3 miles @ 8:32 pace.  Good that it felt like a 9:30 ap.   I needed this recovery run.  

sleepy run...before work almost didnt run....wanted another hour of sleep. after a 8:38 mile all the other miles felt better....last four 7:40 ap.  felt easy. ap for 6 - 7:56. at work all my joints started to ache. would like to be done with competitive running.....looking forward to a long break not really caring about a running event and just running when i feel like it.  burn out.

slept four hours after two 12.5 hour busy no sitting down shifts. totally had no time to think about a race. i was awake, wide awake at 337am!!   kim (taylor) picked me up at 610. ran 3  mile wu at 8:06. i felt awful. my joints in my feet especially right big toe joint was stiff and painful to push off. i was really worried in the wu.   my legs were nonresponsive. i really felt i was now not capable of my 1:30 goal. the course is ridiculously challenging....cobblestones, hairpin turns and steep inclines/declines at every moment.  no repreive. and with my anemia my heart rate could not recover. the concrete on golf course aggravated all my joint pains. i was ready to quit at mile five .  i kept kim cowart in my sight til mile 10.5 and then just gave up when i saw the last uphill.   i was in a lot of pain and my breathing accenuated it all.  i was the first master woman so i won 300 dollars. next master was at 1:40.  only my gun time shows on results since i was an overall winner. my time was five seconds faster..since i was just behind kim at the starting line and she had four seconds off.  she was forth overall. she rocked it with a 1:27:31.   i had nothing to give i. this race. it was over before it started. not sure how i am going to survive ogden, and the slam. this race was too much for me. watch in time mode only. no music.   should i have worn music? probably. i was alone the entire race. brief passes or passing remarks. i said thanks to the volunteers at every station with a smile. i seriously appreciate them. they were awesome i really feel lack of sleep, two busy shifts and my low iron is to blame. i am capable of so much of a better performance jere. i lnow ot and the joint pain was unexpected and seems to be something systemic.  i am being checked for rheumatoid arthritis. i also plan on a reformed diet to elliminate inflammation.  1 mile cooldown. mit wasnt worth the extra mile on joints.

8 miles at 630am.  Love that the sun rises early now.  AND that it is warm enough for me to wear shorts at this hour.  First time this year!!!    I was cold during the race in my arms from my elbows to my shoulders.  They were numb the entire race.  Today, NICE.  Wore gloves the entire run but shorts and short sleeves.  YES.  Ran an out and back run past AF high school and then the AF hospital half backwards from there to mile 11 and back to my house for 8.  first mile 8:26.  Last mile 7:18.  AP 7:50.  THEN quickly took daughter to school with her "baby".  She had the mechanical baby that stayed with her for three days and three nights.  It cries and you have to feed it or change it or rock it.  She had a computerized wrist band on so it knew if you didn't take care of the baby.  He was up every 1 to 3 hours each night.  My daughter is soooooo tired.  We brough him to my sisters last night as my mom flew into town.  My sister who has 7 kids and the youngest our twins almost five took over as mom for a bit.  It was funny.  He actually makes swallowing sounds when he eats and he burps after feeding and if you didn't fix the problem he keeps crying.  Fun experience for Courtney.  She should be a great baby sitter now as she was very patient (most of the time).  After I dropped off Courtney I went home and realized Courtney had an Orthodontist appt so I had to drive back up and get her.  We got there just in time.  I was supposed to meet Donna for a 3 mile run.  I was a little late but she was good, doing chores around the house. She is training for her first half marathon (AF hospital). I am going to train most days with her and actually run it with her. I won a free entry but it is ONE WEEK after my second marathon in three weeks so would not be wise to race it.  So I am excited to slow it down and help her.  She rocked our three miler-- 9:24 ap.  Tmr 4 miles.  : D.  This is gonna be good.  So happy about this.  ALSO going off white sugar/flour STRICTLY...NO CHOCOLATE CHIPS!! day two.  I am following the Paleo diet.  I am actually going off wheat completely for one week to see if it helps with my joint pain.  Started back up on my liquid iron yesterday (no worries KASSI).    She lectured me about my iron taking me after the race on Saturday.  I haven't taken my liquid iron for four weeks-- was at disneyland for one week (ran out the day of leaving), then I had the flu, then I just kept forgetting to pick it up the third week and then last week I did go to Good Earth to get it and saw a cheaper brand (pills called hemaplex) and thought cool I will try these.  BIG mistake.  INTENSE stomach cramps (this was last week tuesday and wednesday before the race) and it gave me anxiety.  Yup GREEN TEA extract was in it.  25 mg.   CRAPOLA.  I felt awful. After the first day I thought maybe I was imagining it but after day two it was obvious.  Green tea has a good amount of caffeine in it.  I asked the Good Earth guy and he said no that is just the extract that has the caffeine.  WRONG.  Looked it up-- green tea in any form has caffeine.  I wonder if that played along with my fatigue Saturday as I couldn't sleep thursday or friday night as well along with tuesday and wednesday night.  To make up for my iron problem I ate out at Texas Roadhouse-- 8 ounce sirloin steak.  YUM.  It was Brooke's half birthday so we took her out.  Just her and her parents.  We had a great time. 

okay i am thinking my pink mizunos are starting to wear down and playing a role in my right toe joint aching.  377 miles....hmmm.  I rotate.  anyway...no plan until I awoke and thought about it.  Was thinking a three mile time trial on the roads but opted for a worse option...THE TRACK.  I ran the ladder workout.  Man my mood is not into it.  I am depressed for some reason.  Well...there are reasons but I don't blog about them.   So....just know that this run was done under stress.  Basically I need to know this.  I struggled to see things not go easily for me.  Track never does so who am I fooling?  Here is the breakdown:

2.5 mile wu- 8:23ap to the track and one lap around.

200 meters- 39.52  (garmin pace will be in parenthesis 0.13 miles 5:24)

200 recovery.

400 meters-1:27.12.  (5:37, 0.26 miles)

400 recovery.

600 meters-2:14.97 (5:50, 0.39 miles)

600 recovery

800 meters 3:02.97  (5:57, 0.51 miles)

400 recovery (should have taken longer for this old body, what was I thinking?)

1000 meters 3:55.20  (6:14, 0.63 miles)   Crud this time is slower by 6 seconds from last November with Rachelle....need Rachelle to keep me going.  HOWEVER I will state that there was a signifcant headwind in the wrong direction.  You would think well then there is a tailwind too right?  well with 1000 meters you hit it THREE times since it is 2.5 laps AND the other side of the track is protected from wind as it is closer to the school.  I went backwards for a bit and didn't feel a headwind.  This is AF track.  I am just whining cause this workout was going sour!!!

600 recovery.

800 meters-- Total BABY here I stopped when I saw my time at 1:33 at half way so only 400.   I just didn't want to brave the headwind one last loop and fail.  WHAT a complete baby. I really should have done it.  I could have done it on goal.  Goal for 800s 2:59 to 3:07.8.  I would have done 3:07 if I ran the same lap again.  Geez.  Not good that I had my previous splits in my pocket to compare to.  COMPARISON is the THIEF of JOY.  MUST REMEMBER THIS!!  Thanks Kelli :D.    ALSO I must admit I was very very HUNGRY.  I have been on a CLEAN diet-- no white flour, flour at all actually and no sugar except in fruit.  Today I added whole wheat flour back in so I don't plummet.  BUT not a lot of my diet will come from it.  Okay that was a long post.  MOVING ON.

No recovery.  Just simply meditated what to do next since my failure.  Okay.

600 meters- 2:16.15 (5:52, 0.39 miles)

200 recovery

400 meters 1:30.38 (5:48, 0.26 miles)

400 recovery. 

200 meters 40.35 (5:24, 0.12 miles). 

Jogged 200 back to starting line, picked up gloves and jogged around track BUT when I got to the 200 mark I decided to try one more 200 for "fun" mainly cause of my earlier cop out on the finish of the 800.   SO...

200 meters 42.17 (5:40, 0.12).  I felt faster than last one since I didn't have the head wind so I assume I slowed near the end making the time shoot down quickly.  Who knows.    Maybe I just delayed hitting my stopwatch.  Felt better at least. 

Ran home 2 miles 7:58 ap.

40 minutes later:  ate breakfast before heading out-- 3 eggs, 1/4 cantelope, half a bagel with dap of butter.  Met with Donna for her 4 miler.  Ran a nice loop towards AF and back.  4.3 miles at 9:31 pace.  Nice run.  GREAT talk.  : D.  THANKS  DONNA : D. 

After thoughts...I think I forgot that I just ran a WICKED half marathon course on Saturday. DUH tired legs, ya think???  Seriously, I felt like jello.  My brain was so far ahead of my body in the speedwork.  Then I realized it had only been three days.  THREE.  I usually have four days in between tough workouts.  I work tomorrow so that makes it hard.  IN fact I work the next 4 of 5 days-- wednes, thurs and sat sun.  BLAH.