Believe to Achieve

hotel TM trial.  Pretty old thing but if bad weather hits I could tolerate it.  0.5 miles 8:41 AP. 

Lovely rainy morning in Long Beach California.  Decided I was definitely heading outdoors even if it just finished raining....but wait....just before mile four turnaround... DOWNPOUR again off the seashore.  Oh yah!! poor new shoes are really getting a water workout!!  Had three traffic lights to maneuver through along the Pacific Coast Highway then headed on to the shoreline trail and thru some nicer streets by the ocean.  Got a LOT of looks as California was just waking up at 7:45am!!  When I left at 7am the traffic was light and no shops were open.  The way back parking lots were filling at local stores.  Nice views of boats docked but BECAUSE of the huge SAND BARRIER (called TIDAL BREAK) I had no view of the ocean from where I was at.  Just a pile of sand about 15 feet high.  Felt so very good on my feet.  First mile 8:13.  Last mile felt so easy I was surprised it was a 7:28.  AP 7:53 for 8 miles.  Breakfast buffet makes me feel like when I got on board my Cruise off of Long Beach I am going to have to run 4 more mile.  I was going to tone down my miles for vacation but the food is getting out of hand so I will have to run more to make up for it.  We will be gone for four days.   I don't know if the ship has internet access to write down my runs.  We will be back on Friday and heading to Knott's Berry Farm then Magic Mountain on Saturday.  Driving home next Sunday.  : D.  Sun is supposed to come out this afternoon and be about 70-80 degrees in Mexico. : D.

Cruise ship miles.  Wish I had time to a lot of details but just imagine a treadmill swaying with the motion of the waves.  In fact I still feel like I am on a ship even though  I have now been off since 1/28 (friday morning).  Luckily I took notes down after my runs.  There were 8 treadmills and we were heading into Catalina on my first at sea run on the mill.   The mills face the front of the ship looking out over the water on the second to the top level (outdoor track on the top).  This was just a 12 miler at random but this is what I ran: 

1%     1/2 mile  8:13,   1/2 mile 8:06  

1%   1 mile 7:53   2%  1 mile 7:53

1%  1 mile 7:47  2%   1 mile 7:47

1%  1  mile  7:41    2%   1 mile  7:41

1%   1 mile 7:35    2%  1 mile  7:35

1%  1  mile 7:30  2 %  1 mile 7:30

1%  6:44 to 7:24 pace (AP 7:04).    Didn't dare to increase the incline with the wave-like motions going on.  I had to get a feel for what to expect for  a little SW the next day.   : D.  Eating like a horse.  Sure to gain some weight.  Dang.  btw the extra .25 miles is because the TM safety string was too close to my arm swing and I had to restart the TM twice because it suddenly stopped but I was at a random number and I wanted to remember increments in miles not tenths.    AP for all 12.25 miles = 7:43. 

SW on the mill.  Yay.    Did I mention how humid and hot it gets in this nice cruiseship gym?  I was melting away calories for sure :D.    I just decided as I was getting up this morning to run 6 x 800.  Ran  the first 4 x 800s at 6:03 pace with a 1/4 mile recovery jog at 8:27 pace then ran the last two laps at 6:00 pace.   0.5 percent incline and some wave-like motions to make it more exciting.  I could have easily run four more.  I felt great.  But hey I am on vacation and I have some walking in Mexico to do today.  Oh yah ran warmup at 1 % incline with halfmile increments like this:  8:57, 8:49, 8:41, 8:34, 8:27 and 1/4 at 8:20, 1/4 at 8:13.  Off TM to stretch and get a drink of water.  Back on with 1/2 mile at 8:00 then SW as above ended with  a cooldown .25 at 8:00 AP. 

Checking out the track on the very top of the ship. 1/11th of a mile (slightly longer).  Basically the picture of the track reads:  11 laps =  mile = 1645.6 meters.    But also this:  1 mile = xxxx yards = 1609.3 meters.    So 11 laps is slightly longer than a mile.  I ran 100 laps.  Yup.  Sure did.  It was day at sea and here I was running laps (no watch).  This was a recovery jog.  Pace was probably 8:25 to 8:35.  Got a lot of stares and even a chinese tourist that tried to race me.  She was giggling and NOT letting me pass her.  But she only lasted one lap.  It was quite funny.  She was wearing regular clothes and was with her friends. 

Debarkment Day so gym closed.  Dang.  Back to the top of the deck.   132 laps = 12.27 miles.  Ship was docked so not much swaying of the ship noticed.  I ran the track in the opposite direction as yesterday to avoid IT band problems.  Wore my Altras all week.  : D.  Wore my watch. This was an easy run day.  Planned a 16 miler on the TM at the beginning of the week for today.   I wanted hills and 4 fast but it just could not happen on the track.  So I took an easy day.  AP about 8:08.  Hard to  figure with how the 11 laps don't actually equal a mile.    BTW  I count my laps on my fingers but of course I have to count 11 and 1 twice in a row : D.    Off to Knott's Berry Farm for the day after we have breakfast on the cruise.

Eating NOT the way I want but when you are with kids and husband who could care less what do you do?  Feeling very bloated before this run.  Was thinking this would be a CSI type of run.... in Castiac California (by Magic Mountain), not knowing the territory and seeing LOTS of 18 wheeler trucks parked on the sides of the road by our hotel....but as I headed up towards Castiac Lake State Park only .6 miles away I decided to check it out.  And much to my surprise I got a special treat running on paved paths on the side of a hillside by a lake.  The view was spectacular watching the sun rise and running up and down the hills around.  The sheriff waved at me, the only parked car I saw near the beginning of the run in the parking lot of the state park.  But after the first two miles running into two other walkers  I felt quite safe and enjoyed myself.  AP for 8.1 miles = 8:07. Not bad for lead legs and starting out with a 9:24 mile.  The 7th mile was 7:33 and I was beginning to feel so wonderful.  Wish I had time for more but we were off to Magic Mountain (Six Flags) for the day.  Never been.  Went on EVERY SINGLE Roller coaster but two (Viper, which has 7 loops-- and which my 9 year old couldn't go on but my two other daughters and husband said was the worst "rock your head around" coaster they had been on....so  I passed) and The Revolution (the first loop coaster ever)-- so wanted to go on it but they closed the place at 6pm and we got off Superman at 5:55pm and walked fast to get there but the line was closed.  We had a great time.  The Coasters were amazingly freaky!!!  SERIOUSLY X-TREME!!!!!!!