Believe to Achieve

All day yesterday  I got this twinge in my  left knee on the outside(on the run it yesterday it was more on the inside but not painful) when I walked on it more hyperflexed/normal.  Not every step but one out of 10 or so.  OUCH.  It seems to be eminating from my sciatic nerve.  The pain comes out of my back and to the side of the knee.  The pain is UNwalkable and kind of sends a YELP sound to my voice box when it comes on so suddenly like it does and lasts for two seconds.  Not sure what to make of it????  Right heel was tender but not so noticeable with my knee giving me grief at times.  I iced it (no inflammation noted on the surface) and took ibuprofen and had my husband massage my entire left leg.  Sooooo.....plan today was to ski.  And that went as scheduled.  My other plan was a "3 mile time trial."   I bagged the 800s until next week.     Well.....certainly I can't run a time trial on the mill so  I just put the mill on a speed that is close to goal and kept it there for three miles.  Of COURSE I was worried about both legs now but hey I am not one to quit a thought in my head too easily.  I got to the gym at 6am and ran this:

 4.5 miles warmup (1/2 mile increments:  8:57, 8:49, 8:41, 8:34, 8:27, 8:20, 8:13, 8:06, 8:00) at 2 % incline.  Then started my SW plan dropping the incline to 1%.  YUP,  ONE PERCENT!  Keeping it real.  I ran all three miles at 6:22 pace, no stopping, no slowing down, no holding on to the sides.   I didn't need to.  It felt really good.   I didn't even decrease the incline BUT   I did increase the speed the last 1/4 mile to 9.7mph by the end (6:11 pace).  RAN my time trial in 19:04.  I didn't want to be an over achiever just yet so I didn't try to go under 19 minutes.   I will save that for two or three weeks from now.  OKAY so then I cooled down for 1/2 mile at 8:00 pace.  BUT that was only the beginning.  Went SKIING ALL Day at Brighton in the bright sun and WIND gusts at times at 30mph or more at the top of the mountain (forgot sunscreen, thankfully I didn't forget my goggles, like my poor husband).  My kids and I had a ball skiing thru the woods and in and out of moggles.  No sign of knee or leg pain.  Well,  if you ski you know that ski boots force your leg to always be bent.  Soon after I got home and started walking around the dang pain in my knee/IT band hit again--- PULSATING pain--- kind of shocks you.  DAng NAB IT  I am getting old.  I just want to think I can be a spring chicken changing out my running shoes whenever I want without my body noticing.  BUT it does.  It notices every little change.  Ahhhhh ahhhhh ahhhh WHATEVER!!!!    BTW the 3 x 6:22 miles FELT very good (the pain in my heel went away after two miles of my warmup  :D).   I could have run another mile at 6:22 :D!!!!  I think I just have anxiety some days when  I get out to do speed.  As soon as I talk to myself and focus it all feels comfortable but as soon as I let in anxious thoughts I fall apart.  HENCE I ONLY RACE AGAINST MYSELF.   I don't have the personality to "hunt down" other runners in a race.  If they hunt me down I will gladly move aside.   No reason to battle it out.   EXCEPT with myself.  It is not business, IT IS PERSONAL!!!  PERSONAL TO ME!!!   : DDDDD

5.5 miles in the wee hours of the am. Actually decided to leave a little later as I was just too wiped out from skiing Monday. Also, my cousin Jessica is in town again. She has been visiting often lately. I think she is bored. But her visits often wear me out. I told her not to visit until after Boston, so I can focus. She doesn't ever seem to get the message however. If you knew Jessica, you would understand. Some things just don't change. Even as we get older she is still quite involved in my life. I feel guilty (but not really) talking about her this way. Anyway..... AP recovery run pace 8:28. Windy. But not cold. : D.

Worked all day on pediatrics. Ate lots of Oreos. Who knew Oreos were turning 100???

Came home at 630pm. Choir jr high for my daughter at 7pm. 8pm to the rec ctr. TM run 7 miles easy 2% incline AP 8:25. Track, 1.5 miles AP 8:15. All easy. NO rush these days. Like I said my cousin has been just chatting up a storm exhausting me day in and day out. She leaves Thursday. Alleluyah :D.

Not long ago I was on the TM at the rec and here I am out running again at 450am.  Slept in a little.  Not caring about mileage these days or pace.  All easy. The lack of sleep isn't helping.  AP 8:08 for 6.2 miles in the WIND and QUITE cold temps.   That's got to count for something :D.  Not sure where my training is taking me.   I hope somewhere I want to be ; D. 

Don't even remeber falling asleep last night and what I was doing beforehand.   Good sign.  I didn't wake up until 530am!!   It is these kinds of nights I need more of.  I am tired of getting up once or twice each night.   Plan today was to run 7 miles at Lactate Threshold pace (half marathon pace).    Wow,  7 miles fast.  Am I up for it???  Got to the gym just past 6am.  Waited briefly for an open TM (not good because I have to take the TM that comes open and I often end up with the  TM with the "earth quake" shake to it, which I did).  After the first two fast miles of running with anxiety I mellowed out and felt so much better.  I really got to calm down about doing these runs.   Anyway here is what I ran:

2% incline, 4 miles--- 8:34, 8:20, 8:06 and 7:53. Off TM to stretch briefly and take a drink.  No fuel for the run (and no breakfast) except two sips of gatorade and a few sips of water from my water bottle.

1% incline, 1/2 mile-- 7:53 pace.

1% incline, 6 miles--- 6:44 pace for each.  No stopping.  No rail holding.  Tried not to get bored.  Music helped :D.   Then right into the last mile-- so glad to be here :D.

1% incline, 1 mile--  6:31 AP-- first two laps at 6:40, 6:35 x 1 lap then upped it to 9.7mph by the end (6:11). 

Cooldown 1/2 mile-- 7:47 AP.  1% incline.  AP for last 8 miles = 6:48 including a 1/2 mile warmup and 1/2 mile cooldown.  After the first four miles I zeroed out the TM so it wouldn't zero out on me!!! 

At home:  Push ups.  Week two day 2.  (53).  Upper body Body for Life weight lifting.  Planks 60/45/45.

I haven't run yet (WELL NOW I HAVE : D) but before  I do I wanted to write down my crazy marathon dream--- Not sure which marathon I am running in my dream but I am very close to the finish line, about 1/4 mile and I see lots of people "crashing".  I was really close to a subthree (but I didn't realize it at the time) and stopped to talk to some race directors (I can't remember why I stopped).  Then I started running and passing several people that were cramping up.  I saw the finish line ahead and tried to "sprint" in and could not.  For some reason (like a lot of dreams we all have) I could NOT move my legs forward.  Eventually I had to TURNAROUND and run BACKWARDS for several 100 feet crossing the finish line.  I couldn't see the time clock and had to ask the directors my time who were writing them down on a piece of paper.   My time was 3:03:27!!  Then I walked over to other spectators and ate and waited around for what seemed like a long time.  I then realized how "unexciting" the finish line was.  There were barely any spectators and no Big Balloon Finish line to cross.  I commented to a spectator and she said something like " the race director just does what his family wants" because they all run the race.    I guess his family doesn't like fanfare :D.  funny huh?

Today's Run:  Plan, 20 miler.  Unplanned: a quick 20 miler.  So I started out late and just was not in the mood to run at all but just kept planting one foot in front of the other and told myself I could run 9mm pace if that what it took but by mile 5 I was in a groove and I just could not let myself slow down.  I am so dang competitive with myself.  What is even MORE impressive to me is that I ran the same exact course that the FRB ran at my house on  Feb 18th.  The nice hilly five cities run.  It was not as warm as suggested (it is getting warm now that I am indoors) so I started out with all the usual gear but placed my black pullover around my waist for safe keeping never needing to put it on.  I wore my gloves until mile 5 and kept my headband on.  I also wore a thick hot pick long sleeved top.  It is tight fitting.  I feel so racer-like in it.  Like I am running under water or something :D.  Anyway I just cruised along with my usual foot ailments and a sciatica problem that occasionally showed its face on my left side.  But all in all I felt good physically except the last four miles when my pelvis and inner thighs began to burn.  I don't know why this happens but it makes it hard to finish feeling wonderful like I would like to.  I just try to ignore it.   I believe that is is part of being female.   Darn it.  Anyway.....I could not believe I was cruising up that back hillside of Healy like it was a breeze.  I tried to envision that being Heartbreak Hill and I can see that it could be just that.  It is not easy.  Even the steep decline that comes later is not easy.  It is just TOO steep.  I was wondering how in the heck I ran Mt Nebo so fast without fracturing something.  I will definitely have to start running some more downhill.  I haven't been running a lot of steep downhill.  In fact only this hill on this run and the one close to my house.  Again I only run it on this run.  To make a long story shorter I ran 7:37 AP for 20.3 miles with less than 2 minutes of stops--- one brief stop 10 seconds for a swig of water at mile 4 (yup the water bottle I cast away was still there, I finished it this time) and about 70 seconds at the Eternal Fountain then about 30 seconds at a stop light in Alpine.  Here are my splits. I am posting them because I am in shock that I ran this hard today after yesterday's insane LT run.   8:42 (see I started out easy), 8:08, 8:03, 8:06, 7:37, 7:38, 7:36, 7:31, 7:33, 7:28, 7:33, 7:22, 7:34, 7:46 (long uphill), 7:22, 7:29, 7:16, 7:17, 7:19, 7:08 and 7:14 for the last 0.3 miles.  AP 7:37.  Now to get motivated for an ice bath.  I don't think so.  Instead I will probably eat like a bear.  I only ate one Gu (mile 11.5) and a few swigs of water.

Do you know what I really love???   It's getting up at 4:27am to my alarm, wanting to just drift back off to sleep instead of exit my house for a February-like March run, but forcing myself to get out there and get my 8 miles  (8.1 to be exact) and come indoors get totally undressed and ready to hop in the shower when I hear my husband say "your work called.  You are on-call."  Meaning, I don't have to be to work in 6 minutes and here I am red patches all over my stomach from the freezing temps-- 24 degrees for my run.  Dang, nab it I could have got to 70 miles knowing this.  Better yet I could have gotten two hours more of sleep and ran in the sunshine (but that is always risking it, being on-call and all).  So what did I do?  What any normal JulieC FRB runner would do.  I put on a new outfit (certainly NOT going to place my previous clothes back on or I would have froze to death) and decided to run another 1.5 miles.  But what's another 1.5 miles.  So  I decided to run another 4 miles.  Now these miles I ran in my altras and ran at RECOVERY pace.  My first mile the first time out was a 9:29.  The first mile the second time out was 9:12.  I sure stiffened up considering my AP the first 8.1 was 8:45mm.  The second four miles AP was 8:36.  AP total for 12.1 miles = 8:42.  I ran a two mile hilly loop x 6.  Boring I know but I was sleepy and I needed to know my surroundings.  I really wish my heel would let up. But it won't I am sure until I stop running for several weeks.  I will do just that right after Boston.   Truly I will :D. Btw I was really hungry by the end of this run.  I didn't eat much after yesterday's run and I only slept 6 hours.  I had run 32+ miles in 20 hours.