Believe to Achieve

WRRRU (was real recovery run UNTIL).  Well ran to rec center 4 miles at easy pace 9:06. This route has a 1/2 mile 7 percent grade uphill.  I love to wake myself up on it.  Then I couldn't stop there.  I ran a TM hillwork starting on 3 % and increasing by 1/2 % each minute to 7 %  x two minutes then back down to 3 in 1/2 percent decreases then back up in increments to 7 % x 2 minutes and ending back down at  2.5 % times one minute.  Total mileage here 4.1 at 8:49 avg.  Sweating grossly.  Have  capri sweats on and I am dripping.  Ran home at avg pace 8:22.  Third mile home was 7:35 with that hill.  I was trying to go easy down it but like I said it is steep.  Really feel all joints today.  Just the over forty feelin'.  12.1 miles total today.  Really didn't want to run at all so I should be glad I got in 12.  : DDDD   I want to eat a lot.  So I think I will.

The no sleep run.  2 1/2 hours I think of awareness sleep.  Just got out there and trudged along.  Lonely me on the PG/AF/Cedar Hills map.  Off for three nights so sleep will be in overdrive starting tonight.  And  now that the adrenaline zapper--The Olympics-- is over  I should fade quietly into oblivion : D.  Once again my 5 turned into more than five.  I just keep falling for the same old mind games.   8.4 miles at 8:41 avg pace.  

Progressive 14 miler with 1 mile cooldown.  Thought I'd give it try. It seemed doable.  Especially if you start out reeeallll slow (Burt try starting out at 15 minute miles, for sure you could do that!).  Anyway had to slow myself down.  I was worried I would run out of cushion for my last miles.  I didn't want too many fast miles.  It's not speed work day.  I just wanted a MLR workout I would not get bored doing.  It really got me anxious though.  I didn't feel like running fast or slow.  My achilles is starting to burn again.  The shoes are the problem.  I fantasize about pounding the heck out of them and running in comfy shoes again.  At least all the pounding will be over before SGM.  New shoe purchase probably going to happen in April before Ogden if I can hold out that long.   Well here are my splits--oh yah I decided progressive runs are like the "speed of light", the faster you go the less progress you make, meaning the less change you notice like the speed of light when it  (light) comes back to you the world hasn't really changed much (think Back to the Future).  How's that for weird science?  Splits: 9:40, 9:10, 8:58, 8:47, 8:33, 8:25, 8:12, 8:06, 7:50, 7:42 (pushed hard as there was a nice uphill out of lone peak park), 732, 7:25, 7:11,  6:45 and cooldown at 8:01.  Obviously I had some gas in me as I improved my pace by 21 seconds from mile 13 to 14.  Avg pace for 15 miles = 8:09.  Should have gone for that 6:30 last mile that would have brought my avg to 8:03.    Oh well.  It was up hill and through my neighborhood and I love cooldowns.  They work for my body.  I think I like the progressive workout.  I will eventually start out quicker and finish stronger sometime when I am in the mood.  

When can I squeeze in SW with all this running?  I hate hate hate, did  I mention I hate SW, especially on the track.  So I faced my demon by jogging, literally to the AF High School track.  No one on it until an older bigger lady began to walk.  She became my cheerleader on the final one.  Ran there with some warmup laps to equal 3 miles at the turtle speed of 9:28 avg pace.  Yup not at all in the mood.  I have my ankle aced wrapped and still it burns.  Blah, blah.  So I have an achilles heal.  A weak spot.  And I am determined to fight it.  But April you are right I should go sooner than later to get a new pair.  I will.  I will.  Today was 6 by 800 meters.  Basically I set my garmin to 6 intervals at 1/2 mile.  I was not up for ONLY a 1:30 rest so I put  it at 3 minutes recovery running.  I was so lame and didn't want to be near puke zone that I got quite the slow start.  Eventually I neared max VO2 but not to it.  I was holding back.  I did NOT want to enter puke zone.  I wanted the laid back zone and I am happy to report that all of them felt rather NON-pushed.  Ooops.  Well hey my ankle remember?  I was babying it and switching directions every one and running on the outside lanes to avoid too much edging.  Here are my not so wonderful splits for my 1/2 mile repeats:  6:35, 6:17, 6:22, 6:18, 6:17, 6:12.    The last one felt real easy.  See how mental the track is to me?  I knew it was over so I could relax already.  Avg for the last 5 repeats = 6:17.  If first one included avg = 6:20.  I will scratch the first like they do in olympic scoring.  Basically,   I have no race guts except in endurance runs.  I am so wimpy.  Why would anyone want to be in puke zone?  Avg pace for last 7.77 miles = 7:46 (SW plus rest intervals plus cooldown)  

TM miles due to the HEAVY snowfall, like 8 inches or more.  Geez.  Yesterday I was wearing Springtime wear.  Left leg IT/achilles really fired up.  Totally bummed.  I need two right legs.  Will take a rest day tomorrow after working tomorrow.  I also work Saturday night, of course.  Ran 8 miles at 8:10 avg @ .5% incline.  Nothing big.  Wore my heavy clothes on the TM as I orignally planned to tackle the snowfall so I sure was over dressed in a big way-- turtleneck and leggings and extra shirt. 

No good sleep.  Lots of nerve pain (pain score 7 at moments) from my hip to my achilles--IT, piriformis syndrome, sciatica?  Who knows.  All I know is it hurts greatly and unsupportive shoes and more running right now would not help.  Bummer.  Now I guess I will just eat, try to sleep and go back to work tonight.