Believe to Achieve

Well.......since  I missed the BIG MP run on Saturday that Mel, Kim, Jane and JulieE ran, I was on my own for 14 MP.  But what to do?  Kids are in school.  Husbands birthday.  Too dark and scary to run early up the canyon, too hot to run late.  Too much to ask my husband to come pick me up at the canyon if I left at a more decent hour like 6:30am and ran up South Fork like the gals did in Provo Canyon Saturday.  I was also not excited to run up there even at that hour all alone on a weekday.  It is usually not as busy with the kids in school.   So..... I was doomed for a new and improved relationship with the PG rec TM.  I ran,  back in  May of this year, a 12 mile MP,   TM run and started out at 7:13 pace and got down to 6:44 by the last 1/2 mile.  That being said I am in MUCH better shape currently as I ran ALL of my miles at 6:49 or faster with ONLY one stop at 8 miles to refill my water and take a gu and go potty.  This is how it played out (dreading it as each warmup mile got me closer to commiting to the goal today):  arrived at 5:20am.  It doesn't open until 530 am so  I ran a warm up mile around the track since I didn't have a watch on and needed exact mileage  of course  : D.  It was cool running in the dark around the track with a few overhead lights on.  One guy was on the track doing speed work.  NICE.  He was doing quite well.  Ran to my car picked up my 20 ounce water, gu, and 1/4 of a 32 ounce purple gatorade left from my last workout.  Ran  another 2.5 mile warmup on the TM  at AP of 8:00, 2 % incline.   Stretched and pottied.  Pscyched myself out for what layed ahead of me.  YIKES.  Ran yet another 1/2 mile warmup at 8:00 pace, 1 % incline NOW for MP readiness.  Went right into MP-- 8.8 mph (6:49).  It was all mental.  I decided since I cleared the TM,  I would run to the nearest mile before the TM would shut off at 60 minutes.    That ended up being 8.5  miles (including the 1/2 mile warmup).  I ran that in 58:11.  So 54:11 for 8 miles=  6:46 pace/ 1% incline.    At about mile 6 I began to vary the pace down to 6:40 to shake my legs and mind up a bit.  Hence why the faster pace for all 8 miles.    Got off the TM to get a much needed refill to my water and take a gu and potty break.  Then RIGHT back on for the last 6 miles.  This time I put the TM at 0.5% because like I said this run is mental.  Any giving from the TM I can get is gonna get me finishing this run.  I WAS SWEATING LIKE YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE.  THE HUMIDITY INSIDE the REC CENTER WAS SO GROSS.  They finally turned on the AC around the time I got back on the TM for the last 6  ( just before 7am) and I got a burst of energy feeling the coolness.  AND then it went off again.  I am not kidding I was the sweatiest girl or guy there I am sure.  I think I have some sort of sweating problem lately.  I was SOPPING wet through ALL my running gear.  I didn't feel overly spent just bored with trying to keep focused on the TM that fast for that LONG.  I started to get spent after mile 10 however.  When I got back on the TM I had this SURGE of I don't know what and FELT SO AWESOME.  I thought these last few miles I am going to ROCK.  And then after TWO miles at 6:49 pace again I was like HELL---O  what happened to all that energy.  It is like my GU lasted only TWO miles.  BUT despite that I increased my pace to 8.9 mph (6:44 pace) and tried to keep it together taunting myself that I would stop at mile 3 but then  I wouldn't and I made it to mile four at the same pace (6:44) and told myself "COME ON JULIE only TWO miles left".  I just got through this thing at the end 1/2 mile at a time.  At 1.5 miles to go I brought my pace back to 6:49 for a 1/2 mile  to somehow give my brain a break.  But by the last mile I kept upping the pace every 1/4 mile until at the last 1/4 mile  I was at a 6:18 pace.  I ran the 6 miles in 40:30, no stops, AP 6:45.  Total MP miles= 14  @ 6:46 AP.  Ran 1/4 mile cool down.  Then drove to Grove Creek and iced myself and to REMOVE THE SLIME from my body.  SERIOUSLY what is with all this SWEAT I am producing?  There was not a DRY part on my body.  NOT right!!!  So VERY GLAD to be done with this one.  The TM  for MP miles in my OPINION IS WAY HARDER THEN RUNNING DOWN PROVO CANYON.   It must be the heat and the fact that the TM does NOT go downhill.  And the fact that when  I run down the canyon I am running with friends.  We also stop more than once, even if they are brief sometimes.  I am pretty pleased with finishing this hard workout. and sticking with my goal.   : D.