Believe to Achieve

10 miles at 7:46 pace on the TM at the rec center at 6am.  Had very limited time as my mom needed to be driven to the airport this morning and I had IV therapy (dose # 3) at 11am.  But I couldn't pick it up more as the festering blister reappeared even with steri strips and moleskin on top of it.  WHATEVER!!!!  What to do?  my form is suffering from trying to not land on it.  Blah!!  The TM runs started it back again so at least tomorrow I will run outside.  After I got home I quickly did push ups:  12, 10, 8, 8, 12 on the ball (2 minute rest between), flys, biceps (2 types), triceps, shoulder press, 2 sets of 12 reps each and then planks 30sec x 2 on each side and then 60 seconds front, finished again with crunches--side, center, side x 25 each.  

Meeting up with Kim, but no Kim?  Ran back to my house.  No Kim.  How did we miss each other?  Did she call back and tell me a later time?  Nope no message on my machine.  Ran back  towards Kim's house.  Yay!!!  Kim was yelling "Julie!?"  She had accidentally slept in.  I thought since I took a slight variation to her house I somehow missed her and she was at my house while I was going towards her.  She was really just asleep : D.  Glad we got in about 7 together.  I was going to stop at 10 as I was achy from my upper body and core workout and the humid inversion air was not comfortable.  But you know me.  I didn't like that my thighs, feet and arms were very stiff  Couldn't feel the blister too much with a latex free stretch bandaid on it but I was going much slower today.  I need a recovery run.  I work the weekend however so I will have to do two early morning runs before work at 7 miles each to be at just 46 miles for the week.  Quite the decline  from last week but  I don't have time.  I have two Christmas parties after Fri and Sat's shifts at work.   AP today 8:16 for 12 miles.  I feel very achy all over and took a while for me to warm up in the shower.  Not sure why.  It was slightly warmer than last week's early am runs.  I think the inversion has something to do with it.  Not good for the body.   Nor are the sugar cookies with food-color frosting on top I ate at the  Annual Mother/Daughter Cookie Exchange at my neighbor's house last night.  Everyone brings two dozen of their favorite cookies and you leave with two dozen of the kinds you choose there PLUS she makes over 12 dozen sugar cookies for all the girls to decorate-- frost and sprinkle to your hearts content while the women socialize.  Some eating cookies others saying they are on "no sugar diets".  I may have eaten one too many. I got a sugar rush eating all the broken sugar cookies and frosting them myself.  Then I sampled from a few that were left over.  Yes I am a not so recovered sugar addict.  Some days good. Some days very bad. ADDENDUM:  Troy was heading up to the Rec center at 9:40am so I joined him. Got out of my nice post shower clothes and back into spandex and my 50 miler long sleeve cotton shirt.  I wish it were a tech shirt.  This year the race director for Squaw Peak is giving out Tech shirts in honor of the 15th anniversary of the run.  Yesterday was sign ups.  It fills in less than a day.  I avoided  temptation to signup  even though I think I could do WAY better next year with training on trails and no NIGHT shifts the week of the race.  So nice to be a day shifter again.  But there is always that what if?   I can't have another trauma to my running like that before SGM next year.  Anyway  got on the bike at the gym.  12 sweaty miles at level 10 (less than 43 minutes!!).  Pace 3:34.  Avg RPM 93-95.  When I looked over and saw old guy with a gut with his RPM at 92 and mine at 80 to start with I thought I'd better pick it.  The seat was soft but pushed me forward and ailed my back at times so had to find different positions to lay off my back but eventually got in a groove.

430am run around my neighborhood before work.  Weather nice.  But I was tired so I just ran easy at 7:58 pace for 8 miles.  Migraine came on from the back of my head thru my shoulder hip and leg to my foot.  Burning pain.  Must be a reaction to all the sugar I guess.  Trying to eat better but I am surrounded so I give in too easily.

7 easier miles at 8:25 pace.  Migraine lingering and I didn't get to bed until almost 11pm and got up at 430am to run before work again.  I have been moving nonstop at work for 12.5 hours.  Again today as well, even more so.  Cute babies though so makes it all worth it.  Ran into some deer, four to be exact, in my church parking lot on my second loop around, they then jumped over the fence to my neighbors back yard as they heard me coming.  Seeing a lot of deer even during the day.  I like deer.  They are graceful when they prance. 

Oh MY!!!   Copy Cat workout.  I have always wondered if I could complete a KELLI WORKOUT, so I tried one.  HOLY MOLY!!!  No wonder she is SUPER WOMAN.  I was going to run outside but it was raining and I wanted to go to the gym with my husband.  I warned him I was going to be on the mill for a bit.   I got the incling to try Kelli's 1 minute on/1 minute off workout she does x 25.    I was wondering after only 5 of them if  I could even do 15.  But I just kept telling myself just two more and then kept adding on.  It was mentally easier to do more when I was at the one minute off.  Here is what I did:  3 mile warmup  with 2 % grade at  9:30, 8:45, 8:27.  Off for brief water break then  1 % grade of one minute off at 6.5 mph (9:13) and one minute on at 9.8mph (6:07)  x 24.  Then last one at 10 mph (6:00).  1 mile cooldown.  8 miles total here at only 58:43 (7:20pace).  I tried to do exactly one minute for the on, so each off minute was shortened.    I think doing 7:20 pace evenly would have been easier than this workout.  But it is all in the name of SPEED WORK/vo2 stuff.  By 10 of them my darn blister started to mess with my form again and the treadmill shakes a ton after 9mph so it is quite the "trail" run TM experience. Plus the TM I run on has a safety feature that makes me have to push the buttons several times to increase the speed to 9.8mph, which is a pain when you are getting up to full speed every other minute.  I got it down to taking 7 seconds to do that, which gives me 7 seconds less for a rest.  Coming down to 6.5 mph I can just hold down the button once.   Thanks Kelli for making me work hard : D.

6.2 miles at recovery pace * 8:45.    Felt so nice to go easy in the early am hours and watch the sun rise.  Back in time to get daughter ready for school.  Then I got this email from Kim with a link to this youtube music video of a song titled "Where's the Line to See Jesus?".  Inspired by her nephew that asked this question when they were at the mall at Christmas time.  She is was not a singer but became one from this inspiration.  Here is the link.  I thought it was so true and gave me chills.    Addendum:  4 miles on the TM with Troy at the Rec center.  AP here 8:21.  2% incline for two miles then 1% for one mile then .5 for last mile.  Quads sore from yesterday.  Must rest them.  Christmas shopping with my husband all day today.  : D.

hard to get up and run by 430am.  had to work at another hospital today so didn't have time to run long BUT didn't even feel like running at all so glad no time.  My quads are sore and I have a wicked headache.  So  I just took it easy.  Where did all my energy go just two weeks ago?  Perhaps my garmin was just lying to me?  pace for 5.3 miles 8:43.  Low energy.  Too much cafe rio yesterday--for lunch and then my work party for dinner was catered by them as well.  CAN YOU say BLOATED!!!  

Kim picked me up at 4:45am and we joined Kerri, Jane and Melanie at Smith's Marketplace for a trek up Suncrest.  The 6 mile up hill Rocky Moment dance before the 6 miles downhill.  I started out with Jane and Kerri.  Mel and Kim took off before us.   I like to start off slow and try to catch them if I can at the end.  I held Jane back, which was good cause just after mile 5 she crept up on them and I stayed behind.  Jane wasn't aware of the next climb, so it was mental for me.  I was just 15 seconds at the top behind them.  I felt pretty strong but my quads were sore, still healing and very bloated.  The weather was perfect.  On the way back we met back up with Kerri waiting patiently for us talking with Ellyse Allphin and Lisa Pratt-- both very speedy runners.  I ran the rest of the way down with Kerri.  It was so nice.  I was glad to not be sprinting down as my quads would not be forgiving.  We caught up with Jane the last two miles as we got their jackets they left there.  Mel and Kim were being competitive trying to catch up to Ellyse and Lisa who had just passed them.  I was happy with my time since  I didn't feel near as winded as I have felt before on this run which may be due to the warmer temp today and not near as windy as last year.  AP for 12.2=  8:04.  Splits up then back down:  9:15, 9:56, 9:59, 8:51, 8:12, 8:15, 7:05, 7:33, 7:10, 6:50, 6:45, 7:09.  AP pace up 9:04, AP pace down  7:04.

Time flew by and then my husband reminded me of my visiting teaching appointments this morning and then I had NO time.  Quickly changed to get in 5 but then felt good and picked it up from my easy pace and got in 6 at 7:48.  First mile 8:49, last mile 6:51.  Still feel bloated but thighs are no longer sore : D.  Drizzly run.  Nice and warm.

Got out at 4:25 am after being at a very fun Christmas party for Ward Council last night until 10pm (we played psychiatrist and ate fine food/dessert, drank eggnog in chocolate dipped plastic "champagne" glasses with candy cane sprinkles along the edges, YUM)  Got to bed at 11pm and was worried about the desire to run in just a few short hours before work.  No desire but got myself out there.  I was a little slow so  I only could get in 9.  I was pulled to Orem Community hospital so travel time limited my run time.  Ran 9 miles at 7:43 pace.  First mile 8:42, last mile 7:05.  Could have kept going.  Wish I was more in the groove at the beginning.  The darn blister revisted and made me run on the side of my foot much of the way until the endorphins kicked in and I could block some of the pain but not all.  Bummer.  I don't want to take off a few days of running just for a blister but worried I will get injured running oddly to get off of it.  What to do?    Waiting for a callous to form. 

Ran OVER-dressed to the PG rec center the long way from my house.  4 miles @ 7:53 AP.  Last two miles 7:16 and 7:06.   Really feeling great.  Kind of wanted to just run outdoors but told my husband I would meet him at the rec on the mills after he dropped the kids off at school.  I  "warmed up" on the TM for 1/2 mile at 8:00 pace then ran 3 x 2 miles with half mile recovery at 8:00 pace.  All done at 1 % grade except for last 1/2 mile I brought to .5% then 0 percent  the last lap in order to "sprint" into the finish.   Here is the break down:  .5 mile WU @ 8:00;    1 @ 6:56, 1 @ 6:46,  .5 mile @ 8:00;  1 @ 6:51, 1 @ 6:42,  .5 mile @ 8:00;  1 @ 6:51, 1 @ 6:30.   Cooldown 1/2 mile @ 8:00 pace then another real 1/2 mile cooldown at 8:20-8:27 pace back at 1 % grade. So six miles fast.  2.5  miles easy.  Total miles on the TM=  8.5 miles @ 7:07 AP.   This run was really good for me.  I am not good on the TM as I wobble in my form and my feet slip inside my shoes, hence the blister revisit, AGAIN.  I tried my best to avoid a full blown killer one.  So far so good.   Odd info:  after a hard run on the TM when I talk I feel like I am under water--- or that my ears are filled with fluid.  It takes over 20 minutes or more to get back to normal.  It is so hard to talk and feel people hear me as I think I sound muffled.  I suppose my sinuses just start to clog up at high speed.   It doesn't really happen outdoors though.  My ears feel like they need to pop open but they don't.  

6 easy pace miles at 445am.  Really not wanting to get up before work but somehow got out the door.  Creepy-- car in my church parking lot in the dark corner away from the building.  I have run so many times around my block and thru the parking lot---the car doesn't belong. The next time I ran cautiously around, the car was gone.  Not good.  So it was kind of a mess with my mind run but  I ended feeling not so worried.  AP for 6 = 8:25. 

10.2 easy miles at 6am in the blustery flurries.  I guess we got two inches that melted by noon.  AP=  8:39.  I was VERY nauseated the entire run so I am glad I even made it thru.  Too much sugar at work, treats everywhere you go.  My stomach is in rebellion.  Glad I have running to set it straight.  After my run I finally got back to core.  Got off schedule at Thanksgiving and got out of the habit that wasn't quite a habit yet.  So back a week in pushups cause I am THAT weak.  Did 10, 6, 4, 4, 6 on the ball (pushups), shoulder presses, triceps (two types), lateral raises, biceps (two types).  2 reps of 12 each.  Followed by crunches on the ball.  Did planks last night: front 1 minute, sides 30 seconds each then repeat.  I was so nauseated so it was hard to hold my stomach in.  My goal is 2 minutes.  I think I can do it with an adrenaline rush.  Done for the day.  Oh my Ford failed emissions-- a whopping 771 dollars to fix it.  Merry Christmas.  What luck.  PM: Held a plank for 2:08.  Main issue left big toe sore.  Did this barefoot. 

6am TM run at the Rec center.  Wasn't impressed with News' forecast for 15 degrees this morning.  Not after the nice warm front we had.  I ran 2 % grade for 6 miles, 8:34, 8:20, 8:00, 7:47, 7:33, 7:20, 1.5 %  grade @ 7:13,  1 % grade  @ 7:19, 7:03, 6:50.  AP for 10 miles=  7:34.  The .2 miles was my sprint from/to the car to/from the rec center.  BRRRRrrrrrrrr!!!!!  Glad I chose indoors.  Felt great the whole time.  Sped off home to be there for Courtney as she leaves for school.  I have a meeting today then I am working a few hours for a coworker this afternoon.  Busy day. I work tomorrow.  Looking forward to my run with Melanie on Saturday : D.  PM:  after dinner Front Barefoot Plank 2:43 !!  Courtney timed me. 

EaZZZy FreeZZY run at 4:45am.  So very tired when the alarm went off.  I had some odd burning indigestion last night and remember burping in pain but never awaking fully to do anything about it.  Not sure what food I ate caused it?  But running ALWAYS helps so I just went thru the moves and got out there.  Brrr.  Plan to run 5-6 based on what easy pace ended up at.  Last lap a car came by me turned around in front of me and pulled up near me and I b-lined it in freak out mode and bolted to my cul-de-sac.  Then finished my last .5 miles in and around my cul-de-sac cautiously looking about.  The car was probably picking up someone and I jumped to conclusions.  Better safe than sorry.  AP 8:12 for 6.3 miles.  Am run with Mel and Kim.  Kim had vein surgery 8 days ago and suppose to NOT run for 10 days but she can't stand the wait.  But we have to go slow for her.  Mel and I will do 5 miles before meeting with Kim for 10.  Hope it warms up : D.  PLANK 3:15.  I just focus hard and BREATH heavy/deep.  I try to go to a happy place but after 1:40 it is hard to do that and then as time goes on it gets slightly easier to deal with the pain. 

OH my.  It started with a call from Melanie at 5:30am as she was on her way over  "how is it over there cause it's snowing hard over here?"  I was up at 330am.  The three inches of snow we got before I fell asleep was cleared in the streets then.  I looked out, not snowing but a new dusting on the roads.  Great, slosh running.  We left at 5:50am from My House  in the sleet/rain and our footsteps were guarded as it really was sloshy in areas and snow in others on the roads.  It began to snow within a mile of our run.  First mile 8:55 ( I do think due to the storm the garmin didn't pick up our pace as well as usually my garmin reads a mile several paces before we even turned).  BUT if it was true-- Dang I thought I was going faster.  Slowing Mel down.  Not good.  I found the air thick/heavy and hard to breath in.  Or maybe it was that 3:15 plank last night after my 13 hour shift running around literally all day long.  I was tired.  So I tried my best to stay up with Melanie even though the pace was not even that quick at first.  We ran a uphilly route and met up with Kim at Lincoln Academy.  We then proceeded north in the snowy climate.  More UPHILL.  A doozer of one in Cedar Hills.  I felt like I had asthma, my airway was tight and my ears felt full of fluid.  A little sinus problem with the air pressure changes outside, who knows.  Mel and Kim got about 20 seconds ahead.  But I didn't care.  I eventually got up to them on the downhill then came the more slosh running as the snow turned to sleet again.  : (((.   As cars went by we would get "sloshed" more.  Our feet got soaked but it wasn't too cold out.  Probably 30 degrees.  This route ended with a long  sloshy uphill back to Lincoln Academy from American Fork.  Somehow I managed to get my AP to 8:01.  I think Mel's was 7:55.  I feel tired.  I really just need to sleep better tonight.  I woke a lot last night and the night before.  All in all in was very nice to run with Melanie and Kim in the Winter Wonderland.  

Barefoot  front plank 4:05. That which ye persist in doing gets easier and easier,  NOT!!!  Hope I don't injure myself shaking for a minute at the end.   Too much work for a Sunday. 

After my huge PR on the plank yesterday (4:05) my calves were a little stiff at first but I decided if I could make thru that I could toss myself out the door in to the sleet and wind which then turned to huge snowflakes for most of the run especially up above PG High School and in Lindon but as I came down the mountainous terrain sleet again.  My garmin went wacko at 5 miles, I stopped and it was locked up and when I turned it off and back on it was 4.97 miles.  It saved my data, phew.  Ran a very hilly 10.1 miles at 8:03 pace. First mile a slow 9:22, last mile 7:11.  Some reason when resetting my garmin it read that  I ran 11 miles instead.  I knew better and looked at the map mode.  Sure enough miles 5 and 6 were too close to each other yet the garmin read it as one mile.  So wish I went a mile longer than I thought.  I was in a nice snowfall up by the mountainside at that point so I guess it couldn't pick up very well in the bad weather.  Loved this easy run.  Felt great.  Gonna psyche myself up to sometime do a 5 minute plank and that is where I will draw the line.  Done with that already.  INTENSE.

Woke to 9 inches of SNOW.  Even the electricity was out for a few hours last night.  Waited for it to come on which was at 7:15 am.  Troy joined me at the gym.  He wasn't happy I was going early but I reminded him the kids are home so we sort of need to be home more.  Got to the gym by 8am and I decided to do 2 by 3 miles with 1 mile rest in between at FANTASY marathon pace.  Not really.  Realistically not going to happen quite yet.  Let's just get to 7:15 AP. : D.  I really think I can get my marathon time down to a 3:05 now that I am ironized.  Just got my last dose IV today.  Feel tons better.  No injuries now that I have oxygen getting to my tissues!!  Here is what I did:  3 mile WU 8:57, 8:30, 8:00  (2 % grade).  Then 3 @ 6:44 at 1 % grade then 1 mile rest at 8:06 pace, then 2 @ 6:44 and 1 @ 6:35 for a stronger finish. 1 mile cooldown @ 7:30 pace. 11 miles total with 8.5 miles at 7:03 AP.    I felt better on the second set so I think I could have done three sets.  Troy was eagerly waiting to depart.  I had to run with his music as my iPod had some issues.  Total 80s baby!!    What a nice guy!!    Now to think about that 5 minute plank.   But must load up on some salmon first to gear up.   Did a 2 minute one right after my run for a refresher and side ones held only for 30 seconds each.      

NADA (these snow/rain storm mixes don't let me run at the 4am timeslot before work, big bummer) and not good since  I ate WAY too many divinity and other delicious treats yesterday.  PLANK on the back burner....so come catch up all you PLANKSTERS!!!  

This was a brain teaser of a 20 miler.  First of all this run was supposed to be tomorrow but Mel had conflicts so we moved it up but only if it was not pouring on us.  Well my phone wasn't working at 4:45am so Mel called Kim who lives by me and tells Mel that it is pouring out (it wasn't she mistook the water thru the rain gutters as a downpour).  I was already getting ready to run waiting for a call to verify  that we were still on.  Well no call, and no rain so I got ready but intuition got the best of me so I called Melanie.  She had tried calling me.  I told her it wasn't raining. Just foggy, wet roads.  So she decided to come over and run 10 with me.....and you know how 10 can turn into 20 when you are nuts like us.  That's what happened.  Well minus one minor detail.  I still thought we were running 10 and having run with Melanie lately in her speedy self I was not ready to b-line it into pace so I went out for 3.2 easy miles before she got over here (AP 8:33).  Two minutes later she arrived and I was ready to run her pace.  I was in MAJOR DETOX run mode.  WAY TOO MUCH CRAP EATEN the last few days.  CRAP meaning too much SUGAR, processed foods.  My stomach was in knots and I was nauseated from it all.  It wasn't until mile 6 in our run together (after a MAJOR over a mile HILL CLIMB, a doozy I tell ya)  that I started to feel better.  We were toying with the idea of running 20 throughout this 10 mile loop and when we got back to my house and saw we had plenty of time so that Mel could get back to her class she teaches we were off on another 10 mile looper.  A bit of an easier one but still tough.  The air was perfect, the fog was fun to run in with some opeining clouds showing some blue sky, at last.  Still no sun.  I felt strong the last 4 miles.  I really should have added on three more after Melanie left just say I ran another marathon  : D.   Oh well.  Now I am shivering as I write this and my muscles need a warm bath not more miles.    AP for 20 miles with Melanie=  7:42. 

Met up with Kim, Jane and Kerri at Kerri's house (1.14miles easy uphill mile  9:07).  Plan was 10 or whatever I felt like  since Kim and Jane had run 4 already (they were running the 20 I ran yesterday, today as planned)  before meeting up at Kerri's.  I  felt unusually great actually.  We ran the Alpine loop stopped at the Fountain of Youth (the ever-flowing drinking fountain) got chased and barked at by a large chocolate lab until Kim growled at him, and ran until past Highland Elementary at the stop sign south of it.  Kim and Jane headed west towards Highland and Kerri and I headed East thru Highland City Center and thru Lone Peak park and up by Lone Peak High School home.  Ran back home one mile after picking up my layers at Kerri's to get in 16.1 miles total.  Still feel great.  Could actually run longer.  I was parched at the end however.  So Kerri got me a glass of water before taking off on my last mile   :   D.   AP for 16.1 miles =  8:08.    Merry Christmas to all!!!  

Merry Christmas!!  Early am run before the kids could think of getting up for Christmas.  9.7 miles at easy pace mode as  the high mileage the last few days at swifter paces called for taking it down a bit.  Actually was hard to get up and out the door in the dark again.  I work Monday and Tuesday so SW will have to wait until Wednesday and I will have to try and get up early those two days just to get a few miles in.  Not going for high mileage next week. But I wasn't going for that this week either. I do believe I am telling the truth.  70 miles even for the week.  AP this morning 8:28 for 9.7 miles.

Plank 3:10.   I just decided to do one out of the blue just after church.  Decided 3 minutes was all the WORK on Sunday I could muster.  Think I have 5 minutes in me as this one I was shaking from the beginning---sugar overload and still held on pretty good.  If I can start out feeling good I can get there. 

10 miles ice skating around my neighborhood.  Scary terrain.  The fog was so low that the humidity froze the clouds on the pavement, making a lovely ice layer to run/skate on. Each lap the fog got thicker and the roads icier.  I left at 3:55am.  Earlier than usual as I worked at Utah Valley Hospital today rather than American Fork which is one mile from my house.  Had to get back in time to drive in the fog safely.  But really I had much more difficult time running in it.  Slippery all over the slanted church parking lot and at mile 7.5 I went down hard, flying thru the air.  One might say I did a forced, immediate plank.  Think Mission Impossible move before hitting the ground except that I didn't get to be suspended in air, I hit the ground with my palms and a bit on my left inner knee.  I was not happy.  My back also was not happy.  But I really don't think anything is bruised too badly.  Just tender and achy from braking my fall.  I decided no more running thru the church parking lot in this fog.  Way too icy and visibility low.  It WAS VERY EERIE!!!  I am so glad I have never seen the movie THE FOG as my imagination already got the best of me.  I was startled  by everything.  I was wondering how insane I have become.  Seriously?  What am I doing here?  Silly crazy me.  Of course my pace reflects the icy challenge.  Nothing fast as that would have been a greater catastrophe.  AP for 10 miles =  8:44.  This run not recommended to any of my friends.  Hope you all got on your TMs if you were in the area.

Nada. (WAIT THIS JUST IN SEE BELOW!!!)  Passed out cold  at 9pm after a long day at work.  Didn't even have the strength to listen to my bladder in the middle of the night and then my alarm went off.  Bladder happy but rest of my body was beyond tired and yippee 13 more hours of continuous work...VERY busy day.  Who said having a baby was easy?  My poor patient may end up on ICU by morning.  Not a Merry thing at all.  Very tough.  Baby cute, though.  Anyway...the roads of course were CLEAR!!!  no ice!!!  And here I risked my life yesterday.  AND  I got IN zero miles to speak of.  Tomorrow is Amber's 8th birthday.  We are having a 4 1/2 hour birthday party filled with games, pizza, cake, ice cream, present hide and seek, and the movie Megamind.  I suppose I will have to force myself out of bed early in the am for some TM speedwork.  Not sure where I am going with all this effort?  Painter's half in January  is no PR course and SGM is MILES away.  Antelope Island should be interesting since I am in better shape and a bit more competitive but I want to not be for this race.  It's a tough one.  I just want to run by feel, sans garmin but I doubt  I can convince myself of that by race morning (march 26th).  9:33 PM:  STRAIGHT ARM PLANK  5:03!!!!!!(usually I do elbow.  Kim thinks straight arms is harder than elbows.  I think the opposite, yet I had never done a straight arm plank until tonight.  SHAKING MISERBLY the last 1 1/2 minutes but so KNEW I could do it.  Just embraced the PAIN and watched the seconds tick ever so slowly away.  Of course I am going for the elbow 5 minute plank.  My middle back must be my weak area as the muscles/bones in there really start to get sharp pains as my abs weaken. BUT totally feel soooo accomplished now  : D.

So not remotely in the mood to run this run.  Stressful shift yesterday then a 5:03 plank in the PM (which btw I am estatic about : D).  It was compounded by the fact that I only could sleep 5 hours even when I went to bed at 1140pm.  I got up, heard the rain/sleet and knew I was NOT running to the rec center.  I got there a few minutes before 6am feeling pretty sleepy.   Glad to see a neighbor hitting the mills as well.  Apparently the rec center opens at 5:30am and all this time I thought it was 6am!!  I would love if it were open at 4 or 430am but the patrons there just laughed and said "no way".  This is SW day.  I did last weeks workout but slightly faster.  After the first set I could tell my hip and knee had taken a hit Monday morning and my form started to crumble as my inner knee was getting tender.  It is just bruised and my hip is out of alignment.  Nothing I can't work out over the next week, I believe.  I was pretty achy at work yesterday from catching my fall.    Enough of the whining here is what I ran:  3 mile warm up at 2 % (8:57, 8:30, 8:03), 2 @ 6:44, 1 @ 6:40 (1 %), then 1 @ 8:06, then 1 @ 6:44, 1 @ 6:40 (1%), 1 @ 6:30-6:35, as I upped the MPH to 10 gradually for the last lap ( 0.5% grade), cooldown 4 miles at 8:06 AP at 1 %.  14 miles total.  SW AP for 8.5 miles= 7:01.

This weather is killing my love of OUTDOOR RUNNING!!  I really am sick of the TM.  It was just supposed to be a once a week SW thing.  Two in a row is boring.  So I changed it up a bit to get it done.  11 miles of HILLWORK on the TM.  Grade from 2-6 %.  About 4 miles above 3%.  I don't have the breakdown but I went up a percent every 1- 2 laps (.25- .5 miles) and sometimes held on for a mile.  I was exhausted from the beginning but I didn't want to be there long so I just pushed myself.  I did from 3-6 percent for two miles at 8:13 pace and then later the same mileage for 8:00 pace.  AP for first 11 miles =  8:06.  I bundled up and began my drive home.  Melanie ran 15 miles so no hope of an outdoor running partner in the morning and then I saw my husband drive by me going to the rec center so I turned around and joined him for a couple more.  Was going to run 4 more  miles but out of the blue I got lightheaded and dizzy and could barely move my legs on the mill.  I hadn't eaten since 6:30 last night and I was crashing quickly.  I felt hungry for carbs.  So I left home shaking.  I bet having gone outdoors earlier with sweat in the 5 degree weather was not the best thing and to turn around and try to run again was stupid.  I had no glycogen left.  I quickly got down OJ when I got home and took a long hot shower.  That took a lot out of me.  Those last two miles were 9:00 average pace (2%) you'd think I'd be able to pull out that rabbit but when I saw another runner looking for an open TM I just gave in...I didn't need to run anymore today.  Not worth it.  

15 GLORIOUS MILES IN THE FROZEN TUNDRA.  Hey after about 7 miles I think my toes came back to life.  I had to keep wiggling them to see if they were still there.  When I got back from my 2 hour run at 10:15am the weather said current temp was 16 degrees but feels like 5 degrees due to windchill.  I would have to agree with that windchill.  Wowsers as I climbed for four miles up and around Cedar Hills I was reliving my old ski days in New Hampshire in sub-zero temps.  The roads were atrocious.  I ran on ice, frozen snow, snow drifts, ice, oh a piece of dry ground---dart off the middle of the road as cars think they have the right of way, and then there was the calf-deep snow drifts on the cedar hills parkway trail, and a dog that thought I was his dinner or his running partner.  I didn't want to find out so I yelled loudly at him to back off, it worked.  He ran the opposite direction.  Pace was not on my mind here. Survival was.  Seriously freakin' cold.  Seriously icy and seriously not sure why I held out to the end but it builds character I think.  I am currently toying with the invitation I just received from an old friend (we trained for our first marathon together in 1995).  She wants me to join her and her husband for the Wasatch 100 miler.  Just a week ago I told Melanie, "never, not in me" and now to run with Anna and Matt in the wild outdoors, now that would be fun, serious fun.   AP for 15 miles = 8:45.  Never felt exerted cardio-wise.  This run was mentally challenging, had to watch the terrain THE  WHOLE TIME to not go crashing hard.  So to run 100 or not to run 100?  Must consult the expert, Crockett.  Happy New Year.  I work all day tomorrow so no 4 am run for me as I will be staying up until midnight playing games and watching movies, not sleeping.