Believe to Achieve

Should have been smarter.  But I only have so many days in a week when I don't work the night before.  But man oh man when I started on this run I wanted to run back into my bed.  Slept 10 hours Saturday night.  Broken sleep last night, but total 8 hours.  Night sweats since Friday night.  Estrogen depletion.  An age thing.  But it sure zaps me of my strength.  My estrogen level is menopausal, but medications make things worse so I try diet and exercise.  So probably doing my scheduled SW today was not the thing to do.  But I did do it.  Let me inform you of how uncomfortable that was.  The schedule was  .63 miles, 1.25 miles, .63 miles, .63 miles.  (basically  1k, 2k, 1k, 1k, 400 meter recovery).  I set my garmin up and away I went after a 3.5 mile "warm up".  The whole time thinking of turning around and heading for home--running a 4 mile easy run and be done already.  Do I have to be that difficult?  Yes.  The first three I was okay with but then gonezo with the adrenaline when I saw the time for my last one I stopped part way thru and walked.  Dang.  I am zapped.  Called it a day but wait maybe I could just do it on my way home on the scenic by way.  Well I did but still goal was way off.  It was hilly and I was spent on hills Saturday.  Here are my dreadfully wiped out self splits:  .63 miles @  6:12 pace, 1.25 miles @ 6:29 pace,  .63 miles at 6:25 (losing ground now),  .16 (6:44, I was giving up, why am I doing this?),  jogged around the track started home,  .63 miles at 6:40 (a little improvement so done), ran home.  Avg pace for 10 miles = 8:03

Got up after four hours sleep.  Knew the wind was fierce as I left work this morning.  Was told it would get more so.  The wind was a warm one though as I stepped out on my deck.  Decided to go out in it.  Have fun with it by trotting a long.  I decided to go up to the canal via 2600 North PG.  Got on and decided to go UP to the Bonneville Shoreline instead.  EXTREMELY steep incline to get there but so worth it.  Scenic trail overlooking the valley.  High winds but thankfully not bone chilling high winds.  I was envisioning my possible 50 miler coming up.  No word yet if I am in or not.  No one is off the wait list yet.  I'd better get doing tons of trail runs.  And they are calling my name so I am headed that direction.  It felt so nice on dirt even with the wind.  As I finished I looked back up there and now it is a dirt haze from all the wind.  Was  I running in that?  I think I beat that.  I had good visibility.  Pace so nice so very needed.  One part of a mile I walked as the incline was intense and this was an easy run.  So avg pace a wonderful 9:48 for 7.2.    Came home, showered, made a delicious healthy treat---a smoothie with ice cubes, orange juice, milk, marionberries (blackberries), blueberries, raspberries, banana, oatmeal and flax seed.  So delicious.  I am going back for more.  I made a lot.  My kids love my smoothies.  They don't even notice the flax and oatmeal.  

Soooooo.... I  got the kids off to school and into my running clothes thinking should I go to the gym?  should I TM it?  Should I stationary bike?  ARGHHHH!!  I dislike this weather.  It is playing with my mood.  I felt depressed looking out the window again to winds and blowing snow.  Geez....will this ever end?    I then quickly changed my thinking..."that's it I am going to the JRP (Jordan River Parkway) and running up to the end and back where we started our 18 miler a month ago". The weather wasn't going to stop me.  Nor the route with the two miles of awesome incline.  Well, I did just that.  Starting out in to a great headwind.  I was thinking well that's fine I will get a tail one on the way back (the wind died down a lot on the way back, so no tailwind at all).   Started out easy and then gradually my pace was pretty good for winds, snow and rolling hills.  I was like "for real?".  The hills actually felt very easy to me, not like I remembered them.  Basically that is because the race last week prepared me for many a hill.  Bring them on now.  Can't wait to run Suncrest.  When there is a view I will get up there.  Today visibility was low.  I could just barely see the freeway in the distance at the point of the mount.  It was surreal and so peaceful on my own on JRP.  The only nut out there (until I came upon a guy strolling on the JRP, he looked normal, pheww!!, I said hi and told him I was glad I wasn't the only nut, we passed again when I turned around).  There was still that dirt to go over but it was flattened.  However because of the wet snow the dirt was all mud.  I had about 3 inches of mud  on my sneakers after running through both times.  It was at miles 0.5 and 9.5.  My shoes are currently drying out.  I will slam them together tomorrow to get the caked on mud off.  Splits:  9:12 (mud hoofing and stomping easy mile), 8:22, 8:03, 8:29 (big uphill section, but brief, keeping it real),  8:11 (good ascent felt very easy, I thought my garmin was lying), 7:21 (kept the breaks on, doing speed with Kim tomorrow),  7:31, 7:30, 7:24, 7:39 (muddy adventure again, slowed me).  This run was exhilarating.  Very easy.  Must have been my recovery run yesterday that made this possible.  No longer depressed.  Love that it stopped snowing when I got back home.  Avg pace for 10 = 7:58.

Why is it when you get an idea in your head for a great run that when it comes time to run torrential winds and pelting snow begins to fall just as you take your first few steps? Yup just another NAIRC thing to do.  And I dragged Kim along with me.   Actually she dragged me along in the run.  She felt great.  My upper body was spent.  I have been working it out the last week and a half.  And yesterday was upper body day.  I am following that 100 push ups .com program Smooth showed  me plus lifting weights.   Just walking around this morning I didn't feel sore but when I got on my run and asked them to workout they were screaming.  It didn't help that there were over 20 mph winds in our face and we only got one BRIEF tailwind on our run and a total of a mile with lesser wind.  The rest was fierce head and side wind from the Northwest.  You'd think when we headed south things would change but the sidewind was just as bad with the pelting snow.  I am sure I noticed it more too with my sore upper body trying to fight it.  I stayed from 4 to 10 seconds per mile behind Kim after the first two miles.  Here is what we did:  I picked her up at 5:30am and we drove to AF Canyon entrance booth and parked.  Ran two warmup miles up and turned around and ran straight out of the canyon in to the incoming snowstorm.  4 am no wind, no snow.  Of course.  Even 525am when I left my house.  Blah.  We ran to the light and turned left on to Lone Peak HS road and turned left at Walmart and right at the turnabout and left by Lincoln Academy and right towards 2600 North PG and over to 1300 west to Kim's house after a brief lower loop.  Ummmm...as we turned west again the wind was even stronger for our last mile.  The first part downhill and the second part like a stand still into the wind.  It was kind of hilarious.  My arms were of no use and then we ended up hill.  Wowsers!!  Kim said she felt great.  My heart was okay, my legs actually felt like they barely worked.  But these arms/shoulders are just a shaking and can barely type. I am such a wimp.  But I WILL get stronger from this.  I know it takes time.  I have got to start somewhere.  Splits: 9:17, 9:22, 6:42, 6:54 (see how the wind slowed us as we neared its mouth?), 6:43,  6:57, 6:54,  6:53, 7:01,  7:00.  Total avg pace = 7:22 .  Geez I didn't even beat my half pace last Saturday.  That's weird.  Oh yah, 1.2 mile cooldown to my house from Kims at 8:27.  BRrrrrr.  I let my sweat cool off too much. 

16 wonderful miles with Smooth on the JRP an out and back loop of 8 miles run twice.  Lovely sun, some breezy moments and coolness but NOTHING  compared to Mother Nature yesterday.  So glad to have a willing partner to run with.  Thanks Smooth!  Avg pace for 16 miles= 8:38.    We were starving at the end.  Skipped on fuel except some water/powerade at halfway point.  Ooops.  Cafe Rio made up for that. I chowed down an entire pork burrito in less than 10 minutes after Easter shopping for the Kids.  My husband was trying to keep up on the eating pace.  Now I am stuffed and due for a long nap.  But the kids will be home in 30 minutes and I work tonight.  No nap for me for a while.  For Smooth's benefit on the splits here they are (her garmin went whacko):  8:52,  8:47,  8:32,  8:42,  8:36,  8:35,  8:41,  8:32,  8:42,  8:36,  8:43,  8:38,  8:34, 8:34,  8:46,  8:13.  Smooth ran so well.  She doubts her abilities too much.  She can TOTALLY run SUB FOUR at Boston.  Even 3:50 to 3:55!!!  She cruised along, I had to slow her down at the beginning : D.  YOU CAN DO IT SMOOTH!!!!

7.25 moody miles.  The cold wind and lack of sleep could not flee my mind easily.  However managed to get each of my daughters to ride on their bikes for at 2.1 mile loop.  First my 11 year old, then my 7 year old and then my 9 year old.  Each ride in their on style.  Brooke got the benefit of learning from the others that she should wear a hat (Courtney) and gloves (Amber).  Our dog even joined in for the last loop.  He was running as fast as his little four legs could carry him.  He is a little dog about 10 pounds.  A mutt.  He got quite the work out.  Myself on the other hand slept 2 hrs 45 minutes in awareness sleep after getting back from a very stressful ending to a shift.  Clocked out at 7:15am!!    So I am kind of moody.  And yay I get to go back early tonight for a co-worker at 445pm and work all night again.  I think I might see if I could be the one to go home early.  Hope I am that lucky.  Avg pace 8:37.  Felt much harder than yesterday mentally.    Off to nap again.