Believe to Achieve

Utah air really is bad.  Wow in the first few minutes I was so missing my sweltering runs on  the TM in California.  Now that is saying something.  Air just thick and still "inverted".  Argh.  But I just kept going outside for 10.5 miles up to Cedar Hills and beyond a bit.  Good hills of course.  Just was hoping to stay ahead of VP guy and get in a few good MP miles (just 3).   Ran steady and glad I didn't have to stop for lights like California.  Just hoofed it up some great inclines and kept the pace at an easy just under 7 pace on a few downhills.  Work again tonight so trying not to freak my body out by no longer sleeping 8 hours a night.  Actually Saturday night shift was very easy.  I never got tired until walking to my car.  We were really busy which helped.  Splits:  8:45 (sl uphill, tired), 8:34, 8:23 (uphill), 8:14 (uphill), 8 :04, 7:58 (sl uphill), 8:02 (big uphill), 6:57 (down), 6:58 (down), 6:56 (down),  1/2 mile cooldown at 8:33.  Avg pace for 10.5=  7:55.  Beat VP guy by a large margin.  I better decrease his pace soon and work harder, NOT.

This run was done at 410pm broken up into two by 35 minutes.  I call it my get it done whenever you can kind of run.  Wasn't even going to run and then I saw a glimpse of sun on the sparkly new fallen snow and thought I should give it a go.  Started at my daughter's dance academy in Cedar Hills did a lovely 3.6 mile loop.  Felt rejuvenated.  One mile at 7:35.   8:15 avg pace.  Then drove to pick up oldest daughter and do the child switch and bring my other daughter home.  Took off from home for an easy 3.4 miles at 8:20 pace.  Total miles= 7.  Second run getting darker so mood lowered.  Missing so much my friend The Sun.  No iPod.   Just me and my breathing in the inverted air.

Last Fridays workout in the extended version.  Got out the door at 10 am and ran to PG rec center (nice and uphill for the first 1.5 miles) at 8:45 avg pace (9:09, 8:49, 8:18)  for 3.  My first get in the mood warm up.  Then got on the TM for another warmup.  I have to always warmup starting out on a TM.  1% incline for 3 miles at avg pace of 8:35.  I was trying to get in the mood for my speed workout.  Moved the incline to level (0).  Was tempted to put it in downhill mode as I saw that it could do that by the picture on the TM but overcame that notion.  I miss my ol' TM in California.  This one here has too many gadgets.  I just want pace and MPH please.  But eventually I got used to all the numbers it was spitting out at me.  Ran 1/2 mile repeats X  5 at 6:35, 6:31, 6:27, 6:22, 6:18 then my last mile at avg of 6:20.    The last mile I was losing my focus and wanted it to be done and was tempted to stop early but pushed through it and managed to put the pace at 6:06 for a few seconds.  Almost at throwup zone.   The guy next to me looked like he was in shock as he walked and then ran, then walked and then ran.  I tried not to notice.  This mounted to 4.5 miles total as I did 90 seconds rest running at 8:21 pace in between each one.  Ran 1.5 miles cooldown on the TM at 8:06 avg pace.  Ran home the same 3 mile (8:28, 8:08, 8:06) route at an avg pace of 8:13.   Amazing how a little SW on the TM keeps me going easier outside.  I didn't allow myself to cooldown much between the changes of running scenery.  Sorry long report, huh?  Now to vaccum the basement and someday get myself to the running store to actually get some shoes that aren't "ZEROES" by default.  Seriously no tread left.  Why bother getting zeroes if I made my own zeroes?  

Started real slow. Recovery run.  Which I don't always tolerate the really easy pace for very long.  I keep seeing VP guy moving away from me on the screen.   HEY !!!!!!  Anyway tried not to care so at least kept it so he stayed ON the screen.  Kinda achy today after yesterday's SW on the TM.  Quite nauseated too.  Ate an hour before and I could feel it swishing around wanting to come up.  That was probably why I had to tone it down at the beginning.  I wanted to get 10 in and the last two miles were me holding to the rod to get it done.  Did a varied route all over the place to get the miles in.  Always involves hills here in PG.  10 miles at 8:30 pace even.   

Another "wish I didn't feel like a drunk running moment".   I wasn't going to run to rest up for tomorrow but I felt so nauseated from the night shift that if I do a bit of a run the feeling can subside.  So I set out to run 3 and ended up running over 5.   Didn't look at my watch and ran by feel.  Hid my garmin under my sweatshirt and what control, I didn't look at it once until I got back at 4.5 miles and saw I should round up to 5 for Smooth and oops went over again and said I might need that extra .21 miles someday.  I am sure I can think of some reason to bank on it.    5.21 miles @ avg pace 8:29.   First mile 9:13.  Quickest 7:51.  So I was getting in the groove by mile 4.  It takes me so long to warm up and feel alive after a night shift.  Now I am ready for a few more but I was going to try and relax.  Maybe eat something.  The funny thing about running sleep-deprived is how a little white snow mound can look like a giant hairball or movement to the side of my face can look like an impending rainstorm.  Blah, blah.    I need a new record.  This one is getting real old.

Left my house at 5:40am.  Ran to Kim's slowly and ever so freezingly.  Brrrrr.  Where's my rainforest (CA)?  All decked out in my 80s gear with my ever so gently used 800 miles and still ticking running shoes.  I have hated these shoes since I bought them so they deserve this treatment but my nerves are starting take their toll.  Just shooting nerve pains bilaterally from my buttocks into my hamstrings so just made this run more of a jaunt then anything.  I had pretty much a shuffle gait the entire way with occasional kick backs to my butt with my feet to try to waken the legs and un-numb the bumm.  We were  all stiff.  Kim and I picked up Jane a few houses down and ran for 7.25 miles (an hour) then picked up Kerri to run the last 10+  miles.  I ended running a little longer with Kerri while Kim and Jane took a short cut thru the trees because Kim had to pick up her daughter.  We were definitely running slower than usual.  Kim had a cold and Jane and I were in no mood to go fast.  Kerri was glad too.  We were in full conversation about this and that and took two potty stops.  It was a pretty hilly run as the second loop took us way up to the golf course at the mouth of AF Canyon then down by the pond behind Lone Peak then up and over Cedar Ridge Rd.  A double figure eight kind of course.  We never pushed the pace.  Got a couple of 8s in.  I deserve all the pancakes I smelled along the route.   So yummy.  We wanted to just knock on some doors and invite ourselves in.  We liked that the sun came out today.  Shocker.  But not until the last 25 minutes of our run. The mountains just hid our morning sun too long for the Winter.  Avg pace 8:30 for 21 miles.  Yippee.  Addendum:   I also think I was pretty dehydrated.  Never felt like I had to pee.  The two stops were for the others.  The generalized lower leg achiness a giveaway.  Drank 2 ounces of water only, one cutie pie (tiny orange), and one gu on the run.  I didn't eat much yesterday.  Ooops.