Believe to Achieve

Ran 8 mile warm up :  D      at  AP of 8:19, 2  % incline.  Basically a progressive run starting at 8:49 each mile increasing by .1 miles each mile.  Legs lead-like.  Rather ELEPHANT-like.  Just full of excess water weight from Easter festivities at work and last night at my mother-in-laws (ham and rolls and cheesy potatos).   Felt nice to still go easy.  Then after my 8 miles of duldrums I ran my planned 5 x 600 meters (.38 miles) at 5k race pace (ran 90 seconds in between at 8:57 pace).  I really don't know what my 5k pace is, so  since it is the TM I put it to be faster, so 6:15  x 3 then 6:11, then 6:06 (1 % incline). Felt very doable and controlled, especially the last one.  There is something about knowing you are almost done.   Cooldown 1/4 mile.  11 miles total @ 7:51 AP.  Planks 60sec front, 30 sec sides repeat x 1.  Pushups-- 3 then repeat x 1.  I decided it is time to get back to core and arms since it has been a few months since I have done them routinely.  The last time I did planks was over two weeks ago.  Back to square one, ONCE MORE.     

Okay so I heard the weather report last night and decided to just sleep through the dreaded storm.  I also heard a canyon dweller say something like "mother nature is going to prove something to us" with all this snow and then a sudden thaw that would cause floods like 1983.  I was like what does mother nature have to prove?  We can't stop her no matter what.  So.....at 640 am I awake to NO storm.  I see lurking clouds---stratus ones-- but hey NO snow currently.  But I stay in my warm bed 20 minutes longer pondering my options. What if I wait until 915am when the kids are all at school and I get this ferocious storm to run in?  Not happening.  So I bundled up and headed for the door HOPING to stay ahead of mother nature.  Yah right, I made it a 1/2 mile when high winds and SNOW started to fly.  Yup.  I was doomed to be running in a storm.  I had 14 miles planned but no direction in particular.  I decided I needed some hill work so I headed up towards Farm rd to the mouth of the canyon.  I basically ran 7 miles rolling uphill and 7 miles rolling downhill.   When I got to the canyon I decided to run up it until 7 miles and then turn around and take the same route back.  I ran 1.5 miles up the canyon.    In the canyon  things got really good, AS if WINDS and SNOW weren't enough---  HIGH WINDS and PELTING HAIL made it all that more SPECIAL.  I was thinking hey, "nice I have a tail wind on the uphill" but then I thought "but dang I don't want a headwind on the downhill" and That's when MOTHER NATURE RESPONDED,  "okay so she isn't thankful for her tailwind, fine!!"  and within a split second INTENSE HEADWIND while I ran up the canyon.  It was like minnie twisters in the air, swirling changing directions at will.  I would charge thru them only to come upon another fierce wind pocket.  "OH YAH!! well I will take what you are giving me and just run as quick as I can and get out of this wind tunnel!!"  As I got back to the mouth of the canyon, CUMULUS CLOUDS and a SPECK of BLUE SKY in the valley.  AHHHHH!!  It was still  quite windy  there coming up and over that steep hill outside the canyon but it let up my last 3 miles ever so nicely until I headed west again towards my house.  AP for 14 miles= 7:39.  Splits :8:48, 8:28, 8:25, 8:37,  7:59,  7:40,  8:14 (thanks MN),  7:09 ( I can't even go fast, if the wind was a little swifter I would have been BLOWN into the even SWIFTER RIVER in the canyon), 7:35  (the steep canyon wall climb), 7:08,  6:41,  6:37,  6:55, 6:56.  DONE.  As soon as I walked indoors I started to MELT.  It was less than 29 degrees on my run.  HELLO,  IT  IS APRIL!!!!  btw no fuel--- water or gels etc... on this run.  No stops.

10  EASY pace miles.  I was supposed to run  6 in the am and 4 in the pm but I just don't have time to shower etc....again after a second run, with my kids home from school and things happening.....but I totally feel that is the way a recovery run should go because at 6 miles I felt great going easy but the last four (probably because I speed up the longer I am out there) I got tired, achy and HUNGRY, without fuel or water.  Yesterday I was fine without fuel/water but today BEAR HUNGRY.  AP for 10 = 8:28.  

Out in the CHILLY air 434am before work.  Easy pace run and I had to be at UVRMC's NICU by 6am (20 minutes away).  First mile 9:29 and I was like "oh my, I won't get my 7 miles in" but I didn't care I was going to go easy today.  Then when I saw mile two at 8:22 I was in shock.  I still felt I was going at the same pace.  Good sign for an easy day and then every mile after that felt so easy...8:18, 8:12, 8:05, 8:05, 7:57. AP 8:22 for 7.  I just thought it was a funny progessive run again without trying.  It was a CLEAR morning.  I saw this "blur" coming closer and closer in the middle of the road and so I moved to the other side and then I realized it was a boy/teen on his skateboard.  I said "hi" and he said "hi" back.  Not sure what HE was doing out at that hour?  going to work?  anyway, made it to work and clocked in at 6:03.    Cutting it close I know but its the price I pay to get my training in.  BTW I wore my trail shoes today, just for new feel on my feet.

7 miles in VERY WINDY conditions at 424am.  Easy pace miles--- AP 8:15.  My new shoes came in so I wore those.  Not sure if  I should race part of the Thanksgiving Point half (I didn't sign up because I refuse to pay 75 dollars for a half marathon.  Last year they didn't up the price until the last week.  The price was 45 dollars in February apparently.  Whatever!!  ) OR should I run with Mel, Jane and Kim for their last 13 miler before their big SUB three  : D next week and try to run 9 miles fast in there without them because they will be doing just a 7:15ish pace????  Decisions decisions.  THIS windchill is also making me NOT want to race.  Snow AGAIN?!!!!!  Winds, AGAIN.  25 degrees in the morning?!!!!!!    OH Bother Pooh!!  I am kind of tired after working all day, busy shift and waking so early.....but TRAINING MUST GO ON!!!  Still really no TRUE recovery days.   

So I went with Option B.  Especially when I awoke in the middle of the night about 3am to see SNOW accumulation!!!!  and it was STILL SNOWING!!  I awoke at 4:45am and drove to Center St. in Orem to the Riverwoods to park my car and run 5 miles to Center St. in Provo before meeting up with Kim, Mel, and Jane for their last 13 miler before their big race next weekend.  They were pretty bummed about the snowfalling but I had grown quite accustomed to it by the I met up with them.  I was gettting chilled waiting for them to start their 13.  We left at 6:12am from Center St. and ran the Provo Half Marathon course (also the last half of the Provo Marathon).  The first two miles were 7:38, 7:30.  The next 11 the pace got progressively quicker and I felt really good except I felt stiff due to the COLD air and SNOW FALL ALL AROUND.  Mel, Kim and Jane were not feeling it and also they were to take it easier so they urged me to continue on.  I had decided on my drive over that I would run this long run with some MP miles and try with all my might to get the first half of next Saturday off and run 17 miles of the Provo Marathon with 14 at half marathon pace.  It was supposed to be a 15k (9.3 miles) at half marathon pace this week on a different day then my long run but I have to squeeze them together. So I reversed the order of MP and half MP because it is hard to race when there really isn't a race going on.  I am SO GLAD I didn't run Thanksgiving Point half today-- with how wet, and snowy it is the course would have been even more CHAOTIC.  It interloops with the other runners AT least 7 times.  A joke.  It would have been slip slidin' race and scurrying around, lapping runners.  It will be interesting to hear how others enjoyed that race today.  AP today for the 5.2 miles before the meet up:  7:59.  For the 13.1-- 7:11 (felt I could have run a lot quicker, felt really easy, just stiffer than I would like) last four miles--6:53, 7:01, 6:55, 6:56 (viaduct HILL, gross!!), last .1 at 6:37,  then cooldown 0.7 @ 7:32.  AP for entire run 7:28 for 19 miles.  Don't even feel like I worked too hard at all.  Ate two gus to prepare myself to fuel in the race.  I hadn't been taking much in my runs if anything.