Believe to Achieve

20 miles with my good friend jessica. Started at west park and ran pn parkway trail northwest to lehi turned at five and headed back to cars at park. Then stopped at 10 for hydration and one gu, strawberry banana flavored. Ran southeast on trail til 15 miles and turned and finished with last five at just over marathon pace. First fifteen easy peasy. Last mile joints achy and couod feel lack of carbs with only one gu so next time i will take two. Last five miles , 7:21, 7:28, 7:21, 7:11 and 7:11. Beautiful day and a great running companion. Noce to be running with someone my age. We are smarter. Train in our zone. No overdoing it. Ap 7:59 for 20. Off to night ski. 15 dollars. Quite a deal. Maybe there isnt any snow? Ha ha.

5 more miles on my red flyknits.  Wow over 730 miles on these babies.  Tread worn well off on outer sides of heels. Gotta love a good shoe.  SUPER busy day.  Called into work at 630am.  Sent home at 2pm.  Kids home from school over next hour.  415 out the door for a recovery run.  Amber joined me for miles 3 and 5    :D .  8:30 ap.    She needed to change shoes from her flat tennis shoes, you know the kind with no laces and no cushion.  I ran a one mile loop x 5.  Felt pretty good.  ONLY problem was I had to work out kinks from my BIG near death experience with two snow boarders at sundance deciding to just sit down in the middle of a narrow passage.  I had to break reallly fast and use my pole to do so then flipple over their boards with my ski still on.   IT HURT because before I could flip I had to stretch extended over one of the guys boards.  At work I was in a lot of whiplash pain.  Before the fall I felt amazing skiing.  Seriously amazing.  Like I had never even run.  Still feels that way.  Although I forgot (amber had to remind me) that later last night getting into my car I shut my own foot ankle and knee in the door....meaning my leg was stuck with the door slammed between the door and the seat.  I was screaming out hysterically then realized what I had to do---DUH open the door.  So needless to say I was running along wondering why is my ankle on my left foot hurting and everything on my right side feels bruised? and hey why is my knee tingling?  Oh yah I shut my leg in the door.  Seriously who does that?  I was reaching for my purse under my seat at the same time as closing my car door and left my leg still there.  Geez.  Salt in a wound.  I was already sore from the fall.  

739 miles on the REDS.  Oh yah!!  Alarm off at 445am.  Where did the time go?  I am in severe need of many hours of sleep.  Many.  I wasn't going to go but then realized there was no way I could fall back to sleep....so I just got out there.  Chilly.  28 degrees.  Frost everywhere.  Again.  AP 7:50.  Not sure why I ran last two easily at 7:24 pace. Nice.  Legs feel great.  HEAD SO VERY TIRED.  Got to work.  Then at noon I was pulled (because it is my turn, I no longer float) to mom/baby at utah valley.  Just so tired by end of shift but got to take care of an old friend's niece.  Last time I saw her she was 16!!!  It was a college roommate.  Seriously wow. Time flies.  My 20s were soooooo fun.  

Took benadryl to try and sleep last night.  So much insomnia.  Dang low estrogen!!  anyway...it only succeeded in making me feel like a zombie when I got up to get the kids going.  So instead of running I paid bills.  Then thought of a nap but I only tossed and turned.  I finally got over to the gym at 1145am!!!  Looked at my running schedule and was a little worried-- 7 x 800s.  Yikes I am so tired!!  Well Melissa was there so she helped my warmup fly by in fact I did an extra mile.  3.1 in 24:58 at 1%.  Bathroom break. Then 0.25 warmup and into workout.  No overdoing it today kept paces accurate to my current marathon PR of 3:07 and even started slower.  First two Yassos at 3:09 (9.5mph or 6:18 pace), then 3:07.5 x 2 (9.6mph or 6:15 pace), 3:05 (9.7 or 6:10 pace) and last one at avg of 6:01.  Started at 9.8 mph and increased every 0.1 mph to 10.2 for the 0.5 miles.  Ran at 7.3 mph (8:12pace) for recovery for 1/4 mile.  Felt very easy.  So when I do EIGHT here in a few weeks it should be a cake walk too if I start the pace just right.  Frog in a frying pain.  Old lady in a swimming pool.  Whichever way you look at it.  I have to SNEAK up on myself.  My brain is THAT smart, it knows what is coming.  I really could have easily done 8 but schedule says 7 and I am trying to be a smarter runner. Training in my zone.  AP for the 800s= 3:07:30 (marathon time).  I am pretty confident that I can run at least a 3:10 at Boston if surprise heat wave doesn't happen.  But don't completely quote me on that...my thoughts change daily. Some days I think I can't even get to the starting line.  Ha Ha.  Oh after speedwork I ran 1.75 miles at 7:00 to 8:12 pace (mostly 7:30) all at 1%.  AP for 7 miles= 7:00 on the dot.  48:59 was the time there.  ****side note: from fall skiing monday---everything is back to normal. BUT from shutting my leg in the car doorthe same day?!! yikes my left leg/inside knee cap and hip and foot are slightly upset.  I am sure it just twisted and ligaments pulled from the force of impact staying crushed between seat and car door.  Seriously why am I soooo stupid?

Up at 445am.  Got back from Courtney's soccer game in Riverton at 945pm.  Bed at 1040.  Just can't fall asleep easy and I wake several times a night.  My daughter Brooke wanted to surprise her friend for her birthday by getting several of her friends and waking her early (Brooke was up at 6:15) and making breakfast for her.  Lucky for me all I had to do was drive Brooke and pick up Jenna and take them to Kim's house. Kim was so nice to volunteer her house for the FUN birthday breakfast. I had to get back to make lunches and get Courtney off to school.  She hurt her foot in soccer so I drove her to the bus stop a half mile away.  Troy was off to work just after that then it was me and Amber for a half hour.  Was not in the mood to run so got on line and rented a car for Spring break.  Neither of our cars can make the trip well enough without causing more damage.  The girls and I are driving to Phoenix/Casa Grande to hang out with my mom.  9.5 hours if I drive it right.  IT should be a beautiful drive going through Grand Canyon and Lake Powell.  Could have flown but that was not adventurous enough for me.  And the girls have never seen the grand canyon (well courtney was 6 months old last time Troy and I were there).  Troy has to stay back with his new job.  : (((       When I get back three days later I will be flying to Boston for the marathon.  Lots of traveling but I will be in taper zone so it should all be FUN.  It is only 142 dollars total to rent a car for the week :D.    Now, ON to my AMAZING run today.  FELT super strong that by mile two I was sub 8  despite the STRONG winds.  I was EMPOWERED by the WIND.  I got hit in several directions but it never bothered me.  I invited it along with me.  That is how I felt the whole time.  Felt so good that the last mile was easily a 6:42.  AP for miles = 7:40.  The only complaint is my crushed leg is still healing...a deep bruise feeling in the outer shin and inner knee and the hip from my leg being yanked out of place so to speak. So currently icing it.  But it really didn't effect me on the run in my mind.  I am feeling more and more like my 2011 running self.  I hope it lasts.  The memory is there.  I have figured out the problem with the last two years despite going through menopause (which is HUGE)....it WAS the STEROID shots GOING systemic after each one.  I got SIX shots in my foot last year about every two months and ONE in my back which was really not good for my BODY at all.  I believe the steroids are the cause for my MASSIVE joint pains and INTENSE fatigue, muscle spasms.  Now that I have PROMISED to never get another one and more than two months have passed (four in fact)...my body is coming back from the great abyss.  IT took me down mentally too.  STEROIDS are BAD. Trust me. Some people can handle them but Julie Esplin and I both found out the hard way (lucky for Julie E for not as long) that STEROIDS shut our bodies down.  They are ADRENAL gland suppressors.  ADRENALS are the master GLAND for handling stress and disease and for FIGHT or FLIGHT.  Seriously can't believe I let it go on that long.  I am still having issues from EARLY menopause (insomnia, hot flashes) but the intense pains are few and far between (unless I shut my leg in a door or night ski in between two stupid snow boarder ;D).  I plan on improving daily. Life is certainly not easy and I plan on not making it harder for anyone else.  GO FIGHT WIN everyone!!!  

Saucony 5s. Fit my feet well but no cushion. Very light so i only wear them on treadmill to protect my joints. Plan was 6@ mp. Felt too easy @ 7:03 so did a progressive tempo. Warmed up running at 7.3mph incrwasing pace by 0.1mph every 1/4 mile. Left leg still angry for the door slamming but different sboes helped even out some imbalances in my hips and foot landing that an hour after run pain in left leg gone. However the left eye inflammation is getting tl be mlre and more annoying. Eye waters and burns on lid. Guess i will have to break down and see an eye doctor or dermatologist as it is mainly affecting my lid. Droopy. Lovely. Anyway at 1.5 miles i was at marathon pace of 7:03 so kept it there for a mile and upped it by 0.1 mph each mile for six except last mile i upped the pace every third a mile by 0.1 mph and last tenth i had it at 10 mph (6:00). So the last five were 6:58, 6:53, 6:48, 6:44, and ap 6:33 for last mile as described above. Ap for six roughly 6:48-6:50. Felt very controlled first four and last mile. Fifth mile i was irritated by a television show that really was not appropriate. So lost focus for a moment and tried to think of uplifting things...but that scene was lengtby and i found myself staring at the mill instead. Cooldown x 1/2 mile at 8:12 to 8:00 pace. Total time for 8 miles was 56:52. Ran another 1/2 mile cause melanie was jogging beside me. So nice to have her company.