Believe to Achieve

Nada.  I AM running 50 miles Saturday, I try to remind myself : D

Planned to run more but was trying to get that run and relax mentality.  Ran 3 x 1 miles with my three daughters.  First Amber (10:21, she is 7), then Courtney (9:49, she is 11 and this is the best she has done in a while, now that I suggested music and paced her, she stopped and walked three times), last Brooke (11:07, she has a sore throat and we walked a lot, she is my sprinter, today she has strep so glad we took it easy).   It was a fun not care about pace run.  Was going to add on but HEY I AM RUNNING 50 MILES on SATURDAY, STILL REMINDING MYSELF!!!  Saving all my glycogen for much huger tasks : D.

Worked last night and came home to my daughter having difficulty breathing, her cough was rattling  and croup like and her fever was high.  Her glands very swollen.  Off to the drs soon but I am sure it is strep.  Her friend had the same thing last week at soccer.  Squeezing in drs appts and dance rehearsals (my girls all perform tomorrow night at the Covey Center.  The Lion King is their dance performance. It is on Friday at 4pm and 7pm!!!  I go at 4 pm).  I will breifly get to the meeting about the race tomorrow.  I am jam packed with lots until the race--- rehearsals, hair and make up, rehearsals, shopping for last minute items, meditating : D, yoga moments, finishing drawers for my cabinets (my mother stepped in to help greatly), and hopefully 10 full hours of sleep with out thinking of running for over 10 hours : D.    No reason to run today I am running a lot in my brain. Oh, the race director let us know that the trail has 5 miles of continuous snow running and some areas we have to traverse over rather then through in order to get by okay.  I actually have no idea what he means but I am sure I will get the idea come Saturday morning : D

Was only going to run three but I felt SOOOOOOOOOO non-runner like I thought I'd run until I felt a bit like one.    Hey!! Who turned up the heat?  I think I specifically recall asking for nice warmer weather NOT HEAT AND HUMIDITY!!  I was parched and felt comfort running thru sprinklers.  7 miles @ 8:37 pace, all progressive miles with some good hills.  HOLY MOLY AM I REALLY RUNNING THIS THING TOMORROW?  I know I will show up and start running, not sure what obstacles lie ahead mentally or physically.  Based on how crappy I feel now (intense fatigue, lower back pain and joint and muscle aches--all of which I chalk up to adrenal fatigue) I am unsure, but my mind is stronger than my body and I will gain stength from the mountain air and terrain, I can feel it.  Any stream I come across I am in it.  Any shade cover I see ahead I am running to it.  I am ready, ready or not.  Those of you trying to talk yourselves out of a long run tomorrow, just DO IT!!  Seriously, if you are running a 5K race at Nestle (the one I usually do) look East and UP and think of how you could be running 50!!!  AND NOT 3.1.  I am finally where I always thought I would be.  Not every year but just this year.  Not sure if this will become an addiction.  Let you know tomorrow evening : D.

Where to begin?  Yesterday at 230 pm or so I was no longer a runner, no longer ever in my entire life EVER going to enter another race, my SGM number was up for sale, my blog was going to close shop, I was done.  I was utterly and completely beaten up by my FIRST EVER 50 miler and it was a long course, 51.25 to be exact verified by several other runners.  SERIOUSLY I was gone, I began to cry, cry out to the nature of the beast that I just didn't want to go ONE more step, I didn't want to see one more inch (never mind mile of snow) and slosh and mud.  This race was a 40 miler and then I was done.  It didn't matter that I had 9.5 miles of  downhill.  Four of those miles were snow and mud on narrow trail with drop offs.  I was completely unprepared.  Let's backtrack--- Hmmmm one 23 miler in under 3 hours (6weeks ago), one marathon 3 weeks ago in 3:14, and ONE short trail run LAST MONDAY of exactly 5 miles.  This was not enough training to keep up the early pace that I set at this race for over 26.2 miles.  I had heard of people running 7-8 hour trail runs every week and biweekly and thought who has the time and really is that necessary?  ah YES!!  Duh!!!   

BEST OF TIMES:  Strangely I was in the lead until aid station 6 (26.2 miles).  I won the Squaw Peak Marathon   : D in just under 5 hours!!!  I was told by many of the male runners that I was the lead runner and I just laughed and said "WHY?" and "Really?",  "Where are the other women?"  Darcie Gorman was back this year and she has the course record.  I passed Marci L. and Melanie C. after the third aid station, I knew they would kick my butt later.  In fact I ran quite a bit with Marcie's husband Richard.  He let me know she would be here soon but that  I was setting a pretty fast pace for this course.  Oooops.  Wasn't trying to do that. It felt fine.  I am after all a ROAD marathoner and 11:30 pace was EASY, even with a climb to 8900 feet.  But just after arriving at that aid station two woman, one of them Darcie passed me.  They stayed about 30 seconds.  I was there for 4 or more minutes.  They were trying to kick me out of the aid station to stay with them.  Are you kidding?  I am not a trail runner.  Look at my shoes, they are road shoes!!! 

WORST Of TIMES:

Oh there are many.  After aid station 6 you enter a dirt road and climb for forever!!  I walked a lot.  Came across a fast running deep creek and with a large log that you had to traverse.  I was so sure I would fall in.  My iPod was still not on so I decided to get it out and hopefully engage my mind in music.  The sounds of nature was nice but now I was getting pretty spent and needed civilization sounds.  Runners were all minutes and more apart.  Once in a while you would be by another runner but mostly you were on your own.  I got to aid station 7 and was so thankful it was nestled in shade and the helpful aid station crew telling me that I was in third but very close to the other women, like only three minutes away.  He tried to get me off quickly to catch them.  I didn't want to.  I was in my own race to finish, not win.  As I started out I was headed the wrong way, back up the dirt road and he said "not that way, that way" pointing.  Ummm "that's a creek!!".  Yup it was time to run a 1/2 mile up a creek!!  luckily I had several Angels in this course and another runner verified the way and I followed.  He also told me of the treacherous climb ahead after the next aid station.  I tried to just focus on the now.  I got to aid station 8 and changed my sneakers, socks and shorts (6 minutes here).  I wore my "zeroes" for the first 16 miles (yes the shoes I hate, but they had traction and miles 3 through 14 were uphill with lots of snow.  I changed to my "no tread" shoes at mile 14.6 and wore those until 33.4 aid station.  I was passed by another fast trekking woman (walking) just before here.  She looked really strong. Next is 8 miles to the summit of Windy Pass.  I got a second wind at mile 36 and ran/walked well to mile 39.5. Began slowly walking a 1/2 mile at the base of Windy Pass. Took a deep breath of my last available oxygen and walked baby steps.  I was dehydrated.  I had no water left since mile 37 and I had an odd gnawing headache and dizziness.  I just could NOT move up the 90 degree mountainside that would take me to 9200 feet above sea level.  I was like walking backward up it.  That mile was over 37 minutes long.  I just cried out in desperation and thought of LICKING my arms to get some very needed salt, a prayer answered.  After several licks and several minutes I was feeling a bit better but still I could not move my legs.  I was spent.  I was done and the summit was not closer.  It was a FALSE summit.  As I reached this peak you could look beyond and see several other runners on the next peak full of SNOW.  NOOOOO!!!!! I was so not doing that.  I was mentally and physically dying here. An angel bypasser gave me some of his camel back water and I decided to take my caffeine gu. Not always good for me especially on an uphill but I was desperate for energy.  About 4 women passed me here and WITH strength. Seriously?  Talk about salt in a wound!!  How is everyone even moving?  I don't know if I had hyponatremia, or altitude sickness or what but my muscles weren't achy I just was nauseated, headachy, dizzy and very irritable.  When I made it to 41.75 mile aid station 9 there was 9.5 miles left.  But I looked beyond it and there lay before me SNOW and MUD on a shadowed mountainside!!  NOOOOO!! I just can't do it .  I started out and was sliding all over the place.  This went on for 3 miles.  I began to cry.  I began to sob.  I began to just want to be over and NOT walk another step.  I just couldn't.  Running would prove fatal as I knew I would trip over a rock and crash.  3.5 miles of rocky downhill terrain and I couldn't do it.  I walked it.  This is where I became friends with Brigita.  She won it several years ago and she was the one who passed me miles before and she was not doing well at all.  I decided misery loves company and I asked her if we could walk together.  We did for 3 miles but she was wanting to stop and I got a burst of energy seeing the valley below.  I began to run and continued running for two miles to the last aid station.  It WAS SEARING  with heat now and it was more than my mind wanted to handle.  I don't do well with heat especially surprise heat after months of cold weather.  At aid station 10 they handed out ice cold wet rags and I placed one on my head and yelled out to the other runners there "come on guys, let's get this thing done".  I was at the start of the Provo Half Marathon in road running territory I knew quite well and by-golly I was going to let it rip.  I gave up the last 7 miles but now I am going to get it together.  That cold cloth did the trick and some new ice water in my pack.  (incidentally I carried a girls water bottle the last 7 miles because she gave me it when I was dying before AS 9 and asked me to leave it there, I forgot to and ended up holding onto it for those gruesome snowy miles, losing balance but not wanting to lose her bottle).  I left her bottle there and left with just mine in my waist carrier.  I took off in a "sprint" and passed four guys along the.  All the ones that passed me earlier.  My last mile was at a 7:41 and last .25 7:26!!!  Kim and Melanie were a sight for sore eyes.  They reeled me in for the last 1.5 miles.  I told them it was Hell on Earth and that they should never ever run it!!!  I was a basket of negativity.  When I crossed the finish line I was so happy.  My family was there and my friends had roses and chocolate for me!!  I was so lucky to have everyone still waiting.  I felt like I had let everyone down, making them wait an hour longer but what do you do?  50 miles of running on trails is the hardest thing I have ever done and ever will do.  I am sure of it.

Splits and Brief Narrative:

1- 8:15, 2- 7:42, yup the provo trail down hill,  Now the uphill trail 3- 10:38, 11:11, 15:51 (obviously walking VERY STEEP), 18:13 up hill with aid station, 18:32 (AS 2), 11:29, 8:30, 10:33, 13:45, 15:30 (AS 3), 12:29, 10:23, lots of snow and mud 16:47 (AS 4), downhill slosh and mud 9:26, 8:17, 8:17 easy dirt road terrain, here comes the south sun!!!, 10:52 ("TURN" I vaguely hear to my left, "UP there?"  yup off the lovely downhill dirt road onto a steep incline into the wooded trails with need for fancy footing in pathetic shoes), 8:17 (back on that road and across and into a dry creek bed), 8:19 more dirt road, 11:18 (AS 5, verified leader and lots of cheers for the first female : D), 8:57 (iPod too wet with sweat for the volume to work first time putting it on, but back off it went, bummer),  9:28, 10:27, 11:13, 15:07 (AS 6, the last 4 miles were UP the left fork on heated tar and whizzing by cars!! Passed by two women, Oh well, fun while it lasted), 12:44,  14:59 so walking here, river bed crossings and horse travelers to maneuver around, 14:47, 17:00 (AS 7, this is where the guy points me up a creek to run instead of the dirt road and telling me to win this thing for him, seriously?  like maybe if I trained correctly),  14:24, 18:13 too much up hill but lots of BEAUTIFUL backside of the mountain beauty, awesome!!!, I also fall into a creek bed trying to go over by way of a log, nice sloshy wet feet but the coldness was refreshing, just added lots of weight to my feet), 16:21 (AS 8 at last new sneakers but unfortunately many more creek beds, mud and snow to traverse.  These are my new ascics that I also hate, they no longer look new today), 13:40, 19:27, 17:13, 13:34, 11:58 (those last three I ran but it was very steep uphill, but NOT nearly as steep as the next mile, here comes the FALL),  22:34 (barely able to move legs upward, feel like I am falling, dizzy, headache and no water or fuel except one caffeine gu, I wait to take that),  37:53 (since when does a mile take this long?  I wasn't in a traffic jam I was mentally FREAKING OUT!!  I walked that mile in BABY STEPS, no joke.  It looked like the movie LION KING with the barren branches and dry land, except for a few yellow flowers trying to bloom.  Oh and so much fun to see a second summit up ahead!!   It was covered in snow of course).   35:59 (AS 9, it's about time?  I heard it was at 40.5 miles and my garmin read 41:76!!  So much for hope in the dessert.  I was beside myself falling into this AS, as it was in a "bowl", after reaching the summit you slide down a mudded hillside to it.  Literally.   23:35 (not quite fast enough for downhill hiking but what do  I do?  I don't want to break anything.  I have no scratches and one blister to show for this run.  Sore muscles of course.  No broken bones because I was sooooo careful.  After falling in the slosh on to my wrist I knew I wouldn't take any risks so I walked for the next 5 to 6 miles),  21:06, 18:45, 19:09,  14:08,  11:28 (AS 10, the cold washcloth and "let's get this thing overwith attitude" comes out),  8:13,  8:23,  7:41 (Kim and Melanie, Alleluyah!!!), .25 (7:26 pace).  I could go on and on about this race about highs and lows.  Know this--- that if you look at my mile splits and think "I so can do that!!"  More power to you.  It is way tougher than you imagine and takes more strength and preparation than anything you ever prepare for.  It will take you mentally and physically to the depths of despair mixed with only moments of exhilaration.  Yesterday afternoon I was no longer a runner.  Today I think I might be.  Tomorrow I will prepare better. 

My left foot is very swollen, including big toe.  Right where I had bunion surgery in 1996.  It feels like its broken but I know its just tissue injury.  Ice feels great.  I can't believe that I am reviewing this run in a more optimistic light.  I realize several mistakes:

1.  don't work two night shifts three (mon and wednes night, that's like three in a row right there) days before the race.

2.  don't play chaffeur for my girls for their big dance recital both Thursday and Friday ALL DAY-- between rehearsals and hair to be done for three girls.  I forgot to eat.  I ate probably only 500 calories before arriving very late to the pre-race pasta dinner.  I was running here and there and everywhere.  Ooops forgot to drink until 630 pm, occasional sip at the water fountain.

3.  don't sweat the small stuff.  I got very anxious waiting around at dance rehearsals and couldn't relax.  I didn't have time to meditate what the heck I was about to do.

4.  wear TRAIL shoes.

5.  Put food in my sack especially at AS 8.  I had only one gu for 8 treacherous miles and one 20 ounce water bottle, half of which went on my head to stay cool.  Big L on my forehead.  I guess I'll  leave a camel back for me to grab at that AS.

6.  ACTUALLY TRAIN on trails with treacherous climbs.

7.  Run longer than 3:14 minutes (Ogden Marathon time).

8. Start out a 1/2 hour slower.  I think my early pace was fine, my endurance for long just wasn't.

9.  Pick a partner.  I was kind of lonely at times especially when I was LOSING it mentally at Windy Pass. 

10.  Know the course.  Now I do.  I won't expect AS 9 any earlier now.  That was a tough one to take, a mile off schedule at a crucial moment. 

11.  DON'T RUN OGDEN three weeks before unless I turn around at the half way point and run back up it, SLOWLY BOTH WAYS  : D. 

Right side of quad and right foot not up for running.  weird my leg problems used to be all on the left.  Must have been the fall in the river and then in the snow/mud.  Both falls were to the right.

First run since the big 50+ miler.  Right hip feels WAY OUT.  Right side of quad pulling it even more.  Right foot feels out of place in my new/old looking shoes.  Still swollen in the plantar region.  I ran into a my bishop's daughter-in-law taking off on her easy run this morning so I joined her.  She is in town visiting while her husband is off in Arizona hiking with the boys of our ward in the Grand Canyon.  We ran a nice easy pace up to the Mt. Timponogos temple and around and back down.  Pace 10:09.  Going for an adjustment today.  

4.1 miles.  Back in a lot of pain.  Difficult to get legs to turn over.  Ran in the morning at 8:28 AP.  

Taking Mel and Kim out for Birthday/slash preRACE victory luncheon with the kids as well.  Cafe Rio to the Park.  Kids will probably get McDs or Wendy's.  Melanie is running the UVM.  She is so going to be close or right below a 3 hour marathon!!  We are soooo excited for her. 

Went to chiropracter.  Forgot to mention a few things about Squaw Peak:  I couldn't move my legs UP the steep miles to Windy Pass.  My muscles weren't sore, my lower back was achy (I had taken oodles of ibuprofen by accident.  The nice AS helpers (4- 14.6,  6-  26.2,  and 8-   33.5) had my drop bags and took them  out and offered them to me,  so I accepted.  The achiness was lessened but  I think it contributed to my headache and nausea.  I could not move my legs because of the pain in my lower back.  When I reached the summit and had to traverse downhill mud and snow my hips and ankles were sooooo unstable and then I fell and had to walk even slower.  The nerves in my feet were so on fire that each step was transcending "NO MORE" to my back and up to my brain of course.  Tuesday night the swelling in my back came to a head-- my shins were numb and my feet had lots of pins and needles in them.  I could barely lift my legs to walk up the stairs.  When I laid down I pressed on my lower spine-- sacrum and all the nerves in my lower back itched like crazy and sent out a screamin' firey pain signal to my legs and feet.   My run yesterday was painful-- hard to lift the legs.  All day yesterday my lower back felt very swollen.  I now realize that the reason why I couldn't move in the run was that my leg strength was affected by whatever is intruding upon my lower back.  I am going to make an appt with a specialist to get the test I was supposed to get done two years ago to the day.  I have/had a brain malformation called Chiari.  I got that "fixed" but there is a chance of a tethered cord if the symptoms don't go away.  A tethered cord is when the spinal cord attaches to the end of the spinal column in the sacral region and tugs on the brain and spine causing lots of pain and neurological damage.  I also lost bladder control on this run.  Not the usual dribble but complete water fall of loss continuously without  warning.  I stopped and peed about 10 times between mile 43 and 50 because I felt like I had to go sooo badly.  Another sign.  I went to a specialist two years ago and he said it is most likely I do have one but I needed one more test.  Well I wanted to continue running not have surgery if that came out true so I ignored his orders to get this tested.  My spinal cord lies low on MRI so that is why he supspects it.  The chiropracter yesterday said my sacrum is VERY tight and it is very important to figure this out soon or have permanent damage.  I am at the point where this is hurting my running more and my body that I have no choice then to figure this out very soon.   This would also affect blood flow to my kidneys and then subsequently the adrenals that lie on top of it.  When this is figured all out I should be breaking PRs left and right : D.  I really haven't enjoyed all the drs visits in the past .   A lot of them looking at me like I am just wanting more drugs and others just not having the time to figure things out.  Hence, why the long wait to get to one.  But now I have a new Bishop called last Sunday.  He is a family practice Dr. and surely should know where to go.  He just got back from two years as a military Dr. in Iraq.  Troy is exec. sec. to him so I asked him to figure out who will not stop until answers are found. 

7 easy miles up 1100 north on to the canal and over to farm road.  Back ailing and saddle numb.  But still I run.  I need my daily dose of natural medicine.  AP @ 8:48.  

Clocked out of my work at 4:58 am.  Drove home  (one mile) and dressed on my front porch.  Couldn't get my timing chip on my shoe in the dark and I was pushing the clock so I just put it in my pocket of my shorts.  Really getting sleepy but not quite through normal end shift time so knew I could at least last through this half at an easy pace.  Arrived just outside the tunnel of the half marathon start at 5:34 am.  Thought I would miss the 5:30 am start but hoping it would run late.  It did and started at 5:44am.  Enough time for me to use the porta-potty and mingle in the crowd.  Didn't see anyone I knew. I stayed about half way back.  Not going for a PR after an all nighter and a 51+ miler not even a week ago.  Hoping to just keep it at 8:30 AP but after two "warmup" miles at 8:38 and 8:36 I looked down at my watch reading 7:30 current lap pace and decided to see how I could do with that since it felt real easy.  Remember I ran Ogden with an AP of 7:24.   So this even on no sleep was totally doable, except for the ailing saddle soreness and nerve pain down the back of both thighs.  This prevented me from lifting my legs fully for a good stride.  But I knew I could push thru the pain as I always do.  I have an appointment with a specialist next week to work through all this ridiculous lower back pain.  It sure does throb!!!  Pain scale score 7.  Oh well.  I am a true blue masochist.  I passed lots of early pace pushers and never was passed after mile 3.  I am pretty confident that if I slept and hadn't run the 50 last week that I could have run this thing under a 1:30.  My heart was totally strong the whole way.  It was the pain holding me back.  It did this to me at Ogden and the last 10 miles of my 50 miler.  AP for 13.17 miles = 7:36 (I started my watch with the gun so I have added footage and  I am using my garmin time as I don't know chip time yet.  Actually I probably won't have a chip time as I was signed up for the full marathon and ran the half.).   It was fun seeing my AP change from 8:38 down to 7:36 with each subsequent mile.  Here are the splits:  8:38, 8:36, 7:30, 7:30, 7:18, 7:23, 7:24, 7:35, 7:28, 7:32, 7:19, 7:19, 7:19 and last .17 at 7:15 (no sprint, just taking it easy).  Slowed and drank up at each aid station.  Tried to help push other runners throughout the course.  13 miles versus 50 makes it all that much more doable.  Got a  ride to my car by a good friend (THANKS JESSICA!!) and saw the unbelievably fast women runners this year.  Melanie looked strong at mile 22.  Amber was soaring about 1.5 miles ahead of that.  Some woman came in at 2:45!!  I didn't make it back in time to see Melanie (at least she had her nephew there to pace her).  The single lane traffic and tons of lights made it impossible. I was frustrated but what do you do? I got a great view of all the runners from the halfway point to the finish. Great food at the finish.  Steak fries and pizza hit the spot.  Went home slept from 1045am to 3:05pm.  Off to work all night again very  soon. 

Demon revisited.  Ran/walked a 7.3 mile trail run up Grove Creek.  Got lost.  Ended up on top of cliff looking over to where I was SUPPOSED TO BE!!  Had to traverse a VERY steep mile down slate rock.  Took over 27 minutes.  I didn't want to biff and almost did several times.  The first 3.5 miles were sooo beautiful beside (all uphill) and well over  the river and over little creeks. At one point I thought I saw Cougar prints and immediately said a prayer that I would  NOT die from a cougar attack.  My girls couldn't handle knowing I was torn apart and I couldn't handle the thought of being attacked.  What thoughts I have!!  After about 5 minutes I got over my fear chanting "the righteous need not fear".  Not that I am perfect but at least I felt protection in this saying.  Then came the meadow trail and a sign leading to a dirt road with weeds in between wheel marks.   I went right and the road ended in .3 miles.  The sign made no sense so I just found a barely visible foot path and followed it.  Then it just lead me after about 1 mile to that steep canyon overlook and to the west Pleasant Grove City.  Dang, I have to either turn around a long mile or just traverse the mighty terrain.  I could see my car in the distance.  It was pretty steep and did a number on my quads and knees to hold me from falling/slipping.  I didn't bring water or fuel so that was my next biggest problem.  I was thirsty.  Gradually I descended and made it to the creek bed by my car and sat in it for 8 minutes.  Ahhhh!!   7.3 miles in 2 hours 6 minutes.  I was looking for the low impact nature run but  I got some straining moments in there.  In fact the climb was all strenuous so so much for low impact : D.  Great cool morning.   The trail soaked up my feet pretty good that I just walked right into the creek to sit in it.  Lovely.  

I start running and my back/pelvis feels like its falling apart.  I stopped a couple of times.  Getting burnt out a bit not wanting to go far.  Ran 1 mile at 6:37 however to shake the cobwebs.  AP 8:13 for the 4 miles.  BTW PT starts next week and an MRI to rule out herniated disc.  Second BTW-- I am running Ragnar.  Crystelle Gates called me Monday and invited me on her team. One guy was having knee trouble.  They won the mixed sub-master category last year so there is a little pressure to run well.  Crystelle, Ellyse Allphin, Marcie Lamoreaux and Melanie Clayton are on our team.  Amber Sandberg, who I haven't met, is the team captain.  They are all fast.  So much for taking it easy this weekend.  I am runner Six (VAN 1), first run is  6.9  miles, with 1.3 miles uphill then all down on mostly dirt road, second run is 8.4 miles rolling uphill.  Last leg is 3.1 miles easy, flat.  Alleluyah as we start this thing at 2pm!!!  My first leg will be around 530pm the next one around 1 am and the last at 1000am!!  Bring it on!!!  Anything is doable after a 50 miler!!

1st Place for Mixed Submasters and 3rd place overall out of 658 teams!!!    : D  The Beginning-- 2pm Team Start Van 1.  I ran 18.1 miles divided between three legs.  1- 6:09pm  Leg Six 6.9 miles described as VERY HARD. AP 7:17. 1.3 miles straight up then 2.5 miles way downhill  ALL on dirt road, rocky with pot holes. Last  3 miles on paved road in BROILING SUN!!  89 Degrees, no clouds. 2- Leg 18 VERY HARD. 1238 AM 8.1 miles UPHILL, very STEEP inclines the last two miles.  Very windy those miles.  AP= 8:14.  3-- Leg 30   EASY at 9:38am:  3.2 miles in the HOT Morning sun.  AP= 7:06.  Had to stop at a stop light for TWO MINUTES, minused that time of course!!  Total RKs for me over 70 teams.  Our team passed over 600 teams from when we started.  Details to follow.  *** a side note-- I worked Wednesday and Thursday night shifts.  Slept only 3 hours Thursday morning and only 2.5 hours on Friday before taking off for the relay.  Never slept in the car.  These runs were quite the hoot on no sleep.  My first leg I did manage two miles at 6:22 going down steep dirt road.  It felt like my legs were jello and I didn't have many gears to maneuver to get speed with the lack of sleep.  Got a side ache from the change from major dirt downhill running to pavement with less of a grade.  Apparently a lot of runners get that on this leg.  The late night run was where I passed 32 teams.  I just told myself my next run was easy so just keep going.  I tripped over a cement block on the side of the road and just barely missed crashing face first.  Sure did "wake" me up though for those last two gruesome miles.  After Squaw Peak two weeks ago I am in the habit of wanting to walk the uphill like in that race but I managed to just keep running when my body wanted to walk.  When I saw the glittering  last incline in the darkness from all the lit up cars and runners I was like "no way, am I seriously out here at 1 in the morning on no sleep running up a mountain to a reservoir? seriously Julie, you got problems!!"  Meanwhile I reach the exchange and the next Van/team member wasn't there waiting for me.  All my hard work!! They thought I would take longer on those steep miles.  It was kind of funny.  The crowd yelled out "Thanks for showing up Number 640!! "  Which is our team number.  Our team name is Crack O' Dawners (our motto is The Dawn is Our Crack).  Anyway he showed up about 40 to 60 seconds later.   That was our only exchange problem thankfully.  We tried to sleep at Summit High School.  I lost my team and walked around whispering my team members names trying to find them for over 20 minutes.  I went out to the van to leave a note and two of them were in there.  Few!!  I got in my sleeping bag at 240am and tried hard to fall asleep and couldn't.  Can't take a relaxant or I would not function for my next run.  There was also over a hundred other runners sleeping next to me, some of them snoring VERY loadly.  One with major apnea.  He seriously needed a BiPaP machine on him.  Scary.  Got up and going at 5am and off to our the start of our last legs. This team is so QUICK!!!  I was impressed with everyone.   We had a great time meeting one another and cheering each other on!!    Left home with MelanieB's team after my last leg.  We had a family trip to Manti planned to see the pageant.  Got up there by 230 pm.  Took a brief 30 minute nap then went on the Temple grounds and waited around for over 4 hours to see the pageant.  By that time my body was going through hot and cold flashes and moving my body due to fatigue was difficult.  The pageant started at 930pm and we FINALLY got in bed at 1215am!!! at Troy's cousin's house.  Oh my goodness!!  almost four nights with only 6 hours total broken sleep.  I was surprisingly not moody at all.  I just rolled with punches as best I could.  

Slept 8 hours last night!!  Ate an awesome breakfast made by Troy's uncle in Manti.  Drove home with the girls at 1000am with grandma.  Troy left earlier for a church meeting.  Happy Father's Day to him!!  At least I got the girls packed and unpacked and showered and ready for church on time at 1pm!!  

4 @ 8:43 AP.  Back/hamstrings bugging me A LOT!!  Physical therapist/ex BYU track runner said I don't engage my glutes when I run, meaning I don't pull thru with my kick off.  Basically I am wasting energy or I do this cause my hamstrings are so tight.  I am supposed to do bounding  running now before and  after every run to practice running like an antelope.  He showed me.  He sure was very smooth.  Oh and I looked AWFUL on the treadmill.  When we went outside he said I was like a whole different runner!!!!  See I knew I hated the TM.  He said some people tense up on the TM and then under stride.  I was going slower on the TM then I usually get up to (6.7) so  that might have changed my gait a bit.   Funny, nonetheless.  I have a lot of work to do.  He gave me hamstring exercises to do and core.  I also have signs of a tethered cord but he said he would work with me with physio before jumping into thinking surgery is necessary to release it.  My hamstrings are extremely tight he said.  I can only lift my legs 40 degrees and should at least be able to do 60 degrees.  My nerve pain is through both legs and hips equally.  My lower back is always in pain now.  A friend on my Ragnar Relay Team gave me a book on Healing Your Back Pain by Dr. Sarno.   He basically says that back pain is due to Tension Myosotis Syndrome, mainly brought on by stress/repressed anger/anxiety.  I haven't gotten to the place in the book that tells me how to "wish" it a way.  I agree to a point but I would rather not have the pain even if I am repressing stuff so I could run like I like to already.  I don't think that I am repressing my real desire to want to run.  Blah, Blah.  

10 @ 8:09.  Walked two miles.  Back in trouble.  Hamstrings not being nice.  Neck out of wack from post-chiropractic care at Ragnar then 7 Peaks. Went to MY chiropracter.  Ahhh.  Much better but tendons and nerves still ticked off.  Back Book not helping.  Not sure I believe that every thing is in my head.  That's like saying I cut myself--deeply-- and don't need stitches.  He (the Author) is a little over the top.  Its like he puts all people in one category, overweight, poor eaters, exercisers and non exercisers and they are all repressing their emotional pain through their back and if we can just simply realize that voila back pain resolved.  I agree with some of his points but medically AND scientifically it doesn't add up.   BTW now I am trying to repress the fact that my new Hoover Windtunnel-- lowest model, just at two holes in my carpet.  The roller on the bottom doesn't stop rolling when you use hose part of the vaccum.  I had noticed this when I started using the vacuum so I would try to keep it on the highest level (distance the rollers can be from the carpet where it says "carpet") and move my vacuum from time to time.  But this time I was too late.  It ate right through my carpet from overheating and the continuous rolling in the upright position.  Errrrr!!!!!  I am waiting for customer service to call back on Monday.  Just irritating trying to get things done before work and matters were made worse.  It was bound to happen sooner or later. It's only about a month old.  Better when I was using it then one of my kids.  No one to blame but self AND vacuum.  My old vacuum shuts off the roller when I use the hose.  I think most vacuums do.  Geez!!!  

1100 North to MY ROCKY MOMENT!!  Man, my back is STILL AILING GREATLY!!  Hamstring nerve pain.  Just all locked up.  What is all this?  Stress is all I can attribute it to and perhaps I truly do have a tethered cord.  I want to still ignore that thought right now.  I am just resting on miles right now and going to build up slowly and work on here and there some quality runs.  Running the Riverton 10K this Saturday and feel I might be able to muster a 7:00 to 7:10 pace there hopefully with this back pain that "is in my head" according to this book.  I think I am all out of adrenaline so its "in my body" for sure.  I work tonight, wed. and thurs. as usual so I will be wiped out adrenaline-wise for that race.  I think Ragnar on absolutely NO sleep for days really did me in, ya think?  Seriously, I try to be super Woman but it is just not happening, I am still mortal.  Dang it :  ((((!!!!!    Now I pay the price.  Pace up: 9:47, Pace down 6:50.  5 miles total.  Not pushing it at all.   It's too much right now.   AND NOW FOR THE BEST NEWS OF ALL!!!!!! :   I got the DAY SHIFT position and begin on AUGUST 10th!!!!! YIPPPEEEEEEE NORMALCY COMING UP!!  I will work only 60 hours per pay period too : D.  I will work every other Fri, Sat. and Sunday (6am to 630pm) but that's nothing compared to all those night shifts.  I am coming back from the dead!!! I will sure miss my night shift crew, they are awesome!!!  I have so much respect for night shift.  I just can't sleep normally so I have to for my sanity!!! ALLELUYAH!!! That gives me 8 weeks of normal sleep before St. George!!!  

MUGGY!!!  too busy in am waking at 9am to piano drill sargeant then to dentist coordinator.  Left at 114pm in the stale air.  So not easy.  So fatigued.  Muscles ALL tight especially low back and hamstrings.  Just not a runner at the moment.  I can see how difficult it must be for a NON-runner to start a running regimen.  Oh My!! I felt so heavy.  I just could barely move my hips and legs.  Glutes so not engaged as the PT said.  Ran 5 struggling miles.  Not many sprinklers running at this hour so I was so very parched as well.  Can I sound anymore pathetic?  I would like to know who has taken my portion of optimism?  I am getting a heavy duty dose of negativity here.  Progressive pace 8:58,  8:09, 8:00, 7:27,  7:15.  AP 7:58.    BTW this type of fatigue hits every late Spring/Summer.  When the cool weather comes in my body changes.  Must be the negative ions sticking close to the surface, hence the negative energy.  Who has the positive ions?  Speak up.  : D