Believe to Achieve

1145 am Heat simulation  speedwork run (fyi:  outdoors).   Overcast helping with lowering the temp a bit : D  but still humid like.  Ran a 1.8 mile warm (9:18 pace) up to the AF track from my car parked at an old people's home.  I went to my ortho appt dressed to take off running to the track from there but decided to find a shade tree to park under so drove there.  It was a snake like run to get in a good warm up..  Plan was to do 4x800 (really half mile cause I go a little further past the 800 meters to be a true 1/2 mile).  Not all out just controlled so  I could remember it on Saturday's 10k.  Goal was to be at least 315 to 320 pace.  Warmed up once around track and started in at once (YUCK, I just was trying to be positive and get it over with).  First one I hope I was faster but really it felt "too easy" so not surprised it was 3:21.  I also did a lap in between each 800 for recovery at about an 8:30 pace.   Number 2:  3:11.  Number 3:  3:10  Number 4:  3:11.  Darn I was hoping to get faster with each one but that's life.  I was hot, I was tired I was done.  Easily jogged the same route back to my car at 8:42 pace.  Weather bearable. 

Ahhh....slept four hours, did a shake out, and wake up run at 2 pm with daughter Courtney riding beside me on her bike just after a brief shower fell from the sky.  Nice and easy, just absorbing in nature, talking with Courtney and feeling so relaxed yet foggy-minded.  Pace 10:15.  Oh yah!!!!  body lovin' me for taking it easy  :  )    No soreness from yesterday, also a plus.  Work again tonight but only until 1230am.  I got someone to cover my second half so I could be alive for my girls' swim meet tommorrow at 7am.   Gearing up to be energized for Saturday.  

ALERT ALERT, oh crappety crud!!!  So I went to work and was wasted tired by 9pm but hey only three hours left.  Then at 1130pm just before coworker comes in for me at midnight I get this head/neck ache.   I am thinking what is this so sudden. I got home at 1245am in bed by 1am feeling not so well.  (I haven't been normal sick in over a year and 1/2 , like a cold, fever chills or anything of the sort, just allergies).  I just awoke  with a quite painful one-sided sore throat going up into my ear.  Low and behold on further examination with a flash light there reveals a good sized, and excuse the graphic talk here- puss pocket, quite obvious and quite possibly, more times than not STREP.  I am exposed daily at work to it and my littlest has been complaining of one.  She tends to drink  out of my cup without telling me.  I am going to take a dose of probiotics and an ibuprofen and PRAY I don't get the chills along with it.  I don't think I have had strep in at least 3 years.  At least not this painful.  The no sleep weakened my immunity and I have to be up and getting the kids to their races in a few moments.  SOS, this can't happen.  I could have picked this up at the pool helping with swim team with all the little kids too.  I guess it no longer matters how I got it.  I am such a nurse.  I think I will try to "pop" this thing in my throat for relief.  ARGHHhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lucky 13  (overall place) and lucky bib number for the day 3333 (hey, not 6666, pretty cool huh?).  I wanted to PR first but also get 42:30 but having come down with a wicked sore throat and body aches yesterday I just expected to hopefully get under 45, still a PR for this course.  Everyone knows trying to run fast with a sore throat is quite painful so I kept it easy.  I finished strong and really not out of breath.  I didn't push myself (I was scared of the pain and paying for it later this week by overdoing it today).  So I eased back after mile 3 and just tried to enjoy myself despite the body aches (ibuprofen took this down a notch thankfully).  I didn't feel winded at all at the finish.  We ran 2.35 miles before and after the race (nice loop on hillside to 7 peaks and back up 9th east to the start).  The last cooldown mile we were on the course again and got tons of cheers We were even sprayed with a water bottle.  We were like, "this is what it is like to run nice and easy" .  Melanie and I really enjoyed our cool down.  Melanie came in at 40:44  6th or 7th overall.  I was first master, amazingly.  Time was 43:51.  Pace all over the board as markers seemed off.  Who knows I tend to slow and speed up with my music or freak if I see a pace that is mentally too fast early in the race.  Need to run by feel a little better and get rid of iPod as the phones fell off my head at mile 3 and stopped playing at mile 4.5, quirky adjustments surely causing pace fluctuations.  Okay okay here are the not so accurate splits:  1-  7:15 (big, long uphill)  2-  6:50 (downhill)   3- 6:32  (really? this has got to be off for sure, but slowed nonetheless)  4-  7:10  (yup last mile off)   5-  no idea, missed it but asked a guy with a garmin who had said we passed it and that we were at 5.2 miles) so 1.2 miles in 8:30 (7:05 pace).  Mile 5.2 to 6.2  weaving in and out of lots of walkers, 5Kers-  7:30 (also all uphill).  Actually last .2 was at 7:10 pace but still didn't push it here, had some gas left in the tank.  Happy with that : DDDDDDD

Ran again at HIGH NOON.  Oh yah!!!  Did the wet my visor thing and took off.  Felt fine in the heat. First mile 8:55, felt like a 10 minute mile so good.    Did the same run I did last Monday am (to Cedar Ridge drive and down Cedar trails and home (7.45 miles).  Pace 8:10.  Uphill pace faster this week and in the heat!!!  I felt strong even though I was taking this as an easy day.  However I did throw in a fast mile at the end (6:44) in the desert heat.  1/2 mile cooldown at 8:52.  This whole run was spur of the moment, where I would go etc.... it changed several times in my head then I decided a stop by the stream at Cedar Elementary would be wise.  There was a water fountain, Yay and the stream resoaked my visor and head.  NICE :D.    PS  sore throat continued and turned into lots of sinus congestion Saturday and Sunday.  Sleeping helped.  Had those nights off.  Took tonight off so I would not have to expose the babies.  I am at the tail end  of this I think, feeling better and better, but taking ibuprofen each day to keep the inflammation away.  Hope I don't get the cough my daughter has.  I think my taking it easy running has improved my immunity.  Not that my last mile was taking it easy, I suppose :  D.

Met Kim to meet in 1/2 mile at 545 am!!!!! Not even 24 hours since last run yesterday at high noon.  FREEZING!!  BRRRrrrrrr!!!!  I liked the heat better.  Wore a tank which didn't help.  Pace slower too but really should have slept longer/better.  10.05 miles on half steady uphill at  8.25 pace.   Feel beat, tight muscles and BRrrrrrrr, may I say again.

Feeling lots of joint pain, dull headache, crappy basically.  Residual from illness this past week so trudged along nonetheless hoping to wake my soul up.  It did.  Ran hill run from Memorial Pool in PG off of Battlecreek Drive.  Went up and down and up  up  up  and down and up and down down  for 5.09 at 8:53 pace.  Still achy but spirit willing  :  D

Absolutely NO miles, no crosstraining.  Or you could say hanging out at 7 peaks from noon until 7 pm some crosstraining?  No just relaxing, with the sun beating down on you and kids splashing and having a great old time.  My kids used their Peak Reader passes to go so it was free for them and got two for ones for Troy and I at FFCU.  We are all sunned out.  Didn't reapply sunscreen enough.  Felt nice to skip a workout.  Feel rejuventated.   Have a PM run planned with Kim tomorrow.  We will stick around here (PG to Alpine and back) for 14 miles or so with some pick ups.  We leave at 7pm, due to our schedules again we are running at night. 

Did a shake out run at 8:15am.  Getting HOT in am but still doable, no water on hat needed.  Kim and I are running 14 miles this PM so went short.  Ran last mile at marathon pace.  Thought I was slower so glad it was under 7  (6:55).  MP probably, hopefully will be 7:00.  Time will tell after my halfs.  Bryce Canyon Half  (next Saturday) starts at 6am and I just looked at the weather there at Ruby's Inn and it is currently (9am) 52 degrees.  Hey, BRRRRrrrrrr for the the start at 6am then.  I better start running in the "cold" again.  I will probably bundle up for this race, long race and short race tee for sure.  Until PM run.....write later.   Average pace for 3.65=  8:10.  

PM RUN IN THE SAUNA (outdoors that is).  It was such dry heat we didn't realize we sweated at all.  I was down 1.5 pounds post run and that's after downing nearly half a 32 ouncer of gatorade at the "finish line" where I also poured water all over myself as at first tried laying down and the world was "spinning".  Kim and I started cramping up after mile 10 without electrolyes.  We had three water stops but those are just sips and just plain water.  Good for our hats though and reducing some of the heat wave.  We left at 655pm and ran just over 14 miles at  8:16 pace (according to the GARMIN, hate that thing it "slows" me down).  We ran from PG to the Alpine circle via Alpine highway and down to Cedar Ridge Elementary and on to the River Trail....ah weather nice by the stream but was stenchy the remaining of the run.  Sauna-like.  Your sweat evaporated quickly.  Pigged out afterwards on two servings of cottage cheese and freshly baked whole wheat banana bread with OJ-  thanks to Troy.  The kids have a swim meet in Payson at 0700.  Early mornin' tomorrow and I work tomorrow night.  LONG DAY.  BRING IT ON :  D DDDDDDDDDDD

No workout planned as swim meet and work tonight.  At least got in over 40 miles this week, my goal for now.  See Friday's PM RUN for some insight into running at that hour here in good ole Pleasant Grove, Utah.  

Swam a few laps at pool after helping kids learn strokes for only 15 minutes.  Heater on pool had turned off over weekend and little ones too skinny to stay warm.  I loved it.   I felt rejuvenated in the cool water instead of germ infested feeling when it is warm.  Got out for run late at 1040am.  "The Heat is On", I felt just fine even without soaking my hat.  Probably because I have the chills/body aches.  No fever, just chills.  Anyway felt more achy than anything, back aching like crazy but pushed through it and listened to some adrenaline lifting music.  Went thru a few sprinklers but felt fine without, however throat burning as written below.  No pharmacy visit yet. Going.  Last mile felt easy at 7:36.  Cool down 1/2 mile at 4:07 (8:14).  Stretched well.  Work tonight.  No fun wearing a mask at work.  If I get two doses in before work I should be fine without.  Avg pace 8:16 for 5.68 miles.  Not pushing it with the way I feel.

Am before run:  Sore throat (just on left) back again.  Last week on first day of sore throat and body aches (the day before the 4th of July 10K) the strep test came back  negative.  But the tech doing the test did not get far back and make me gag.  I could see behind my left tonsil a good sized white patch.  I asked the tech to try to get there but she didn't.  This is gross and only nurses analyze things this way.  But when I went with a Qtip to remove it myself it hurt so bad it made me want to throw up and I gagged greatly.  So then the 48 hour culture also showed negative so I thought Okay maybe I have just a virus but then my sinuses drained like a cess pool of germs for four days and throat calmed down. Or so I thought.  Probably just the endorphins from exercise.   By last Friday, before my big sauna run, my throat was a burnin' again.  Same place but more white patches.  Ohhhwy!!  I kept taking airborne and would feel slightly better but patches remained.  Not much sinus drainage anymore but thought I was getting better but now I am completely fatigued, body aches coming on and tonsil full of junk, ear feels full of fluid.  Helping six year olds with snotty noses in the pool most likely the culprit, one with an abscessed tooth (who incidentally went on antibiotics).  So,  my Dr. (unfortunately out of town or out of the office both Fridays I decide to call) got a big call from me today.  My daughter's pediatrician ordered the first strep test on the 3rd ( we are running friends). My Dr. is putting me on an antibiotic, finally.  I waited because I truly don't believe in over treatment with antibiotics and I like to be sure I am treating a bacteria versus a virus.  Antibiotics don't help viruses.  I am desperate now because 5 days until Bryce 1/2.  You like the long post?

4pm Heat run with nice breeze.  No water splashed on me.  Pace 8:20 for 4.65 miles.  Liking the heat.  Cooled off at end with hose.  REFRESHING!!! Stretched under shade tree, ahhhhh!

Ran up to start of Strawberry Days 5K from Memorial Pool in PG.  Slowly ran down first mile of the course 8:21.  Second mile with lovely traffic at 7:16.   Last 1.1 in 7:36  (6:54).  Wanted a two mile tempo at 7 pace.  Oh Well.  Started the run VERY tight in the lower back and upper legs.  So okay with a shaky start.  Should have warmed up longer than 1.5 miles.  Ran to start again a longer more shady route for recovery.  Then ran first mile of 5K.  Ahhhh warmed up  now. Thought I was just barely doing a 7 pace because effort was easy and it was a 6:12.  Mind you it is the downhill mile with a .1 uphill only and in the race I ran a 5:50.  So I was pretty happy for being a controlled effort.  Ran back up to the start at a relaxed pace of 9:00 (.9 straight uphill).  Ran back to track above pool and did one lap then stopped completely for a minute and did a 200 meter split.  Tried to be like April but couldn't get the eyes to bulge or the tongue to hang out.  Shamefully it was 40:17.  But I had to pee badly but no place to go and I was already late to get kids at pool.  So I tried again after a half lap, then stopped for a minute.  Again, 40:17.  So there you have it.  April, if you read this it is evident why you broke 20 minutes and I did not.  I lost 6 seconds just at the end!!!  Considering my time was 20:04 and yours 19:59, my kick is a problem.  Old lady bones.  I thought by knee was going to unscrew rounding the corner on the track!!!   Have a good laugh :  D      I will try again next week without the urge to pee on the sidelines :  )   Laugh at that too.  Runners we're weird.

1250 in the afternoon run.  No water, no wet hat just good ole heat run.  Mainly an easy run.  Was going to do just two then just three and then decided to go four but then decided to do a slower last mile for a true easy squeezy lemon pleeezy run so did over 5.  Amazing how my mind can take such runs (in the heat) in increments.  Did cooldown mile with water on my head so felt quite relaxing at 9:00 pace.  Total miles of 5.14 at 8:19 pace.  Before last mile pace 8:12.  So pretty nice midday run.  I am going to freeezzze to death at Bryce Canyon.  It is mainly a tempo run for me cause like I said I am not much for planned speedwork except in races.  Hence why I run more of them in the Summer.  Got the Speedy Spaniard 10K 6 days after this 1/2 marathon....oooooo laaaaa laaaa.  :  D

How to begin?  This is how I want to begin because I am truly excited for my friend Melanie:  Think Mary Murphy from "So you think you can dance"  and I am Julie Crossley from  "So you think you can RUN?"  Cause Melanie can and she just boarded the HOT TAMALE train, WOOOOOO wooooo!!!!  SCREAM  scream SCREAM  --head shaking wildly here.  In fact the top 5 all belong on the HOT TAMALE train!!!  What an awesome group of fast women at this race today.  Melanie came in 2nd overall in 1:22:56, five kids, a nursing baby, one kid throwing up in the tent at 2am and a true POWER WOMAN!!!!  She got $500 instead of 400 because the first place woman, unfortunately for her : ( could not accept money because she is a collegiate runner.  Anyway she ran awesomely at 19 years old and Melanie hung on to second by over 23 seconds,  YEE HAW!!!!  Okay now my not as excitiing race report but nonetheless a BIG PR for me. 

I was first master (no money here.....yet), 10th overall and ran way beyond my goal for the day:   1:29:15.  I am so happy.  Again, I had gas left in the tank, and didn't give my all under the cirumstances because I don't risk injury when tired and environmentally challenged.  I took it easy the first two miles as the AIR quality was poor and I didn't want to have an asthma attack.  A fire has been in the park since June 14th!!!  There is a morning haze of smoke all through our campgroud (Rubys).  I didn't sleep but one brief 40 minutes in a row and got out of my tent 4  times to use the restroom.  I felt the race should have started at 1am.  I got more and more tired the longer I couldn't fall asleep.  But at 12 to 1am I was a live wire raring to go.  By 4am I was thinking I should have been at work.... great by 6am I will be ready for bed.  That's working nights for you.  It totally screws up your sleep cycle.  But I tried to stay positive and try my hardest to get that rabbit out of the hat.  I've run a marathon on no sleep, no problem here.  Here are my splits, mile three I think I had wings on : D      pace all over the place, mile markers are like the ones seen on highways, invented by the race director.   I got to learn to run by feel someday.

1:  6:56  Ahh nice and easy

2:  7:05

3:  5:48  No kidding,  astronomical, I lose my wings for unbelief after this.

4:  6:37

5:  6:47

6:  6:17  I am a yo-yo.  Fast or slower, which is it going to be?  Save energy for the end three puney hills.

7:   6:52

8:  7:04

9:  6:46

10:  7:11  Don't care cause this course is so friendly, no major obstacles ahead so I think after the next mile I will try to run in at 7s.

11:  7:17 

12:  7:00  :  D DDDDD   Passed two women.

12.1:  33 seconds, obviously off since that is a 5:36 pace, right?

13.1  6:57  !!!  I passed a woman that passed me at mile 2.  She looked over 40 and I could see her the whole race, she blazed it on the downhill but I finally caught her 1/4 mile gain on me and decided to try and actually fight to the finish.  I usually lose all my guts at this point but I dug deep.  This mile probably could be averaged with the .1 that was off so probably faster here slower there.  Realized at the finish that I was first master and the girl I passed was 41.  She came in 5 seconds after me.   I also passed a couple of guys here.  Glad I had guts today.  No chip timing so all is fair here.  Loved this course minus the embers in the air.  Hope to run this again in the comfort of an airconditioned hotel room.  Really feel this course to be quite enjoyable. I can't believe I broke my PR by over 4 minutes!!! 

Hiked from Sunset point to Sunrise point at Bryce Canyon.  The downhill was a killer, my calves and quads spasmed out.  Found glory in the uphill.  1.5 miles down 1.5 up.  .5 flat.  Very awesome hike.  It is claimed to be the best 3 mile hike around. 

One mile hike (Mossy cave and water falls) at Bryce Canyon located at mile 4 of the Half Marathon.  Totally refreshing to dip legs in the cool water.  Not near as cold as Provo River but cool nonetheless.  Legs have been rebelling.   The Half was rough on my calves and hamstrings, lower back.  Sleeping in a tent for three nights hasn't helped.  Work tonight, to make matters worse.

Thought I would get out but the heat was unbearable.  My calves ridiculously sore, tight, same as hamstrings.  No upper body soreness at all.  I am massively fatigued.  Decided not to push it, try to sleep tonight then run long tomorrow.  Can't believe I haven't run since Saturday's race.  But I think recovery calls for this with my schedule.

630am, beat the heat run finally.  And finally I got myself out there although I dragged myself out there.  Legs, meaning calves and hamstrings extremely tight, burning pain to my left toes, and numb-like feels in places.  Obviously, lower back problem cause now after resting my back is throbbing.  Will try heat pad soon.  I have had this issue before on downhill runs, especially.  I also go through a period of almost 24 hours of peeing like over 1-2 times per hour.  I have ignored the professionals advice to check further for a tethered cord (MRI shows a lower than normal cord and this goes with the malformation I had surgery for on my brain).  I figure I have it and I would refuse treatment anyway (which is to surgically detether my cord that is tied to my sacrum, not ready for open spine surgery again).  I flew all the way to NYC to have them tell me that I needed to have further testing and that I have all the symptoms of a tethered cord.  This was June 2008.  I threw away the order for the test which is a voiding test, to test if I am able to empty my bladder all the way or not.  Obviously not since Monday night at work I went over 12 times to the bathroom, no joking.  This happens more often after downhill runs which strain my spinal cord, and everyone elses for that matter.  I feel like I have to pee the entire race, annoying but normal for me.  I am sure you all wanted to hear all this.  Its the blog in me.  My life is an open page : D.    9.77 miles at 8:38 pace. 

Shoot, shoot shoot double shoot, darn double darn.....yah and  I still run 10 milers for plodding miles as Sasha calls them.    My back is killing me and my speed.  It radiates to my hamstrings and calves to my feet, throbbing aches in lower back.  Just did heat therapy and massage by hubby.  Feels better if I am not moving around.  CAN'T HAPPEN!!!!  Everything feels good otherwise, so is it my undiagnaosed tethered cord or a bulging disc?  Do you think I am going to be taken down by this?  I am a runner, I don't think I will stop.  I am taking ibuprofen too.  I would rate this pain an 8 of all back pains I have had including back labor.  I am used to pain, mainly migraine pain to the nth degree so you think I could hang in there, but it is meddling with my speed.  I can't lift my legs high without even more intense pain surges.  YIKES>   10K tomorrow, if a miracle happens  I will race it.  If feels the same will tempo it at 7s or slower.  Chiropracter visit on the horizon.  Remember I am insane so not running is not the answer  :  D     10.48 miles, same loop as yesterday with an addition at the end.  8:41 pace, so at least I took it a little slower  : )

No rabbit today, No hat today for that matter. Knew this was going to hurt so just tried to keep it a tempo/marathon pace run. Ouch. Rubbed this unsented Myomed all over my hamstrings, lower back and calves, ran a two plus mile warm-up and could feel the strain on my back. But just tried my best. Could not make it in the 6s but once. Even after the first uphill mile and we headed slightly downhill my effort for lifting my legs did not show on the clock so I mentally gave up to my physical ails. Oh and I ran this race minus my iPod. I think it definitely would have improved my pain focus and perhaps my pace in seconds so the consensus for me, if in pain I would rather have something to distract me and not the other guys huffing and puffing beside me trying to not get chicked by me. That was hard. The breathing patterns were intense but hey if felt more real, like I was REALLY there. Sadly, I think this course is easier than the Freedom Run 10K two and 1/2 weeks ago and I was 3 seconds slower!! I guess back pain minus iPod is worse than sore throat pain and iPod. Oh I guess I did just run the Bryce 1/2 and ran two 10 milers the last two days. I guess that might have something to do with my inability to perform well today. Or even feel well at all in this run. Glad I got some tempo miles : ) Not looking forward to staying up all night tonight and Saturday. No rest for the weary. Here are my miles: pretty consistent even with the first big uphill: 7:09, 6:54, 7:06, 7:02, 7:15, 7:06 Last .2 in 81 seconds. Cooldown with 2.4 miles (ran to mile 5 and back to finish)

Got home at 7am from the busiest shift in a while.  Lots of IV meds all night long. Stayed up to watch kids swim in last meet before County.  Luckily it got over earlier than expected (1100am).  Went to bed at 1105 and slept three hours, yuck : (  Tried again and got only two more of broken sleep.  Went off to work again.  Was in my comfort zone of the Level 2 nursery but thinking the night would be smooth turned to rocky by midnight.  No time to rest/break.  Came home like a drunk wobbling from side to side (wasn't that way at work, I try to hold it together there, of course). 

Zombie Day.  In and out of conciousness.  Finally decided to open all curtains (2pm) and try to be as normal as possible until night time.  Head foggy.  Muscles twitching.  Life an adventure!! 

Ripped myself from my bed for a 6:47am start.  Foggy-brained and weak I left my house.  Every step felt easier and easier.  Thankful for music in my ears (sure missed it in my race Friday, not doing that again).  First uphill mile 8:43.  Felt real nice.  Last mile I was tired of my back pain that started acting up on the down hill.  This run is half up half down, in that order.  So....I pushed thru the pain and ran a 6:40 for the last mile, faster than any mile at the race Friday.  I have to laugh.  Went to pool with kids to coach 6 and unders and swam about 15 laps afterwards.  I even put in a couple butterflies but took it easy and focused on form and not killing back.  Mostly did breast stroke.  Tried to push it there.  I am trying to get more accurate stroking after teaching my kids how to do it.  Swimming can get your heart a pumpin'.  Went home and pigged out,  sooooo hungry.  Back pain a real issue right now from my lower back to my feet.  OUCH!!!!   Avg pace for 8.23  = 8:13

Zombie for a day.  Completely wasted and honery.  No one would want to be by me today, sorry for my little family.  My shift last night was TIRING.  8 babies in 6 hours!!!  No down time.  Hard to relax and fall asleep.  Day off from running a wise thing for me to do. 

Again ripped myself out of bed.  Really still quite fatigued.  Legs, hamstrings, calves shot.  Lower back acting up right after runs.  Feet go numb and tingling, hamstrings ache along with calves.  Ran up to the canal and over to upper PG then down to my house.  6.85 miles at 8:22 pace.  Last mile picked it up just because:  6:38.  Got to do tempos of at least 4 - 6 miles some day.  Plan to run long and easy tomorrow, if those two words can be in the same sentence.  Big Gold swim meet Saturday am until 1pm so need to get it done.  I also work Thursday night so no other option.  Not doing that night run thing again until it cools down more, like September. 

Oh don't be fooled this was not a run but a spur of the moment bike ride after fighting fatigue all morning, I got on my bike and started pedaling at an easy pace.  Did a similar loop to the one Melanie and I did a month and a half ago.  It was 1120am when I started and I never felt hot, the breeze while riding was refreshing the whole way.   Was quite a hilly loop so got some mean bike hills in going at the pace of a turtle for sure.  The downhills had wicked head winds but ahhhh it felt so good to just ride the hills with NO effort.  Back really began aching around mile 14 so toughed it out a lot with the spasms.  Did a lot of standing up riding to help ease the ache.  Got home and iced my back.  This was all about relaxing, minus the major uphill climbs and enjoying the scenery.  It was quite breathtaking even at midday.  Not even a near folly which during the day traffic is usually daunting.  Pace 5:04 for 22 miles.  I loved this work out/ easy cross train day :  D     My back may have more complaints tomorrow however.  Off to work tonight too.  No run tomorrow.  And a 5 am short run Saturday morning.  I am taking it easy to avoid chronic fatigue.