Believe to Achieve

Decided this morning I would run to AF high school  (two miles) and run the AF 1/2  marathon course backwards to where I remember the timing mat was.  That ended up being 7.6 miles away.  The end of the course was pretty right on considering the mat being at 7.5 miles from the start.  It was an absolutely beautiful run.  All the cones were still in place from the race (just off to the side).  My legs felt so strong on the uphill even after earlier slow miles my pace was 8:28 to the turn around.  No rush on the way back, just took it nice and easy following the course back to home.  AP for the 15 miles = 8:13.  I am not sore.  Just hungry.  Finally slept a bit longer last night which helped (about 7 hours, waking once).  All week I have been only getting from 2 to 5 hours of broken sleep.  Talked with a new friend at church who is 48 and we talked about the joys of "going through the change".  She told me the only symptom, besides the obvious, she had at my same age was INSOMNIA.  LOVELY!!!  I had several months of night sweats, but that seemed to disappear and NOW INSOMNIA.  I actually get cold more often.  I  usually DESPISE the heat.  Working days has helped a lot however.  : D.  So glad to be working three - 13 HOUR DAY SHIFTS.  Those night shifts the last two years were quite the roller coaster ride.  I SURVIVED.    Apparently they were holding me back in my running.  NO LONGER.

5 lazy miles at 5am before work...home at 5:45 am  (AP 8:56).  Then off to work.  Busy, almost non stop for 12.5 hours.  Tired.  I love that it is somewhat daylight out around 5:20 am.

6.5 miles before work at 4:53am.  So tired of this insomnia.  I think I got 3 straight hours of sleep however.  Wow was it WARM this morning.  80 degrees for a 5am run?  seriously?  seriously not so wonderful.  Stagnant, cotton-mouth producing air!!!  AP 8:07, it only got down there due to 10 x .1 mile strides at 6-6:30 pace.  Nothing spectacular but at least it got some webs out of my brain.  Worked all day.  Busy.  

I forgot to mention the doozy of a migraine I had at work yesterday.  Turns out to be a reason for that.  After another three hour sleep last night I awoke to the same headache.  Decided to go out for the run despite the dizzy/eye pressure headache to try to "detox" and fix it.  Well mother nature, and I aren't the best of friends.  I got out there wind a blowin' and I am climbin' 1100 north to Bonneville shoreline trail where I ran north (uphill) for 4 miles on dirt trail.  Not your usual uphill but rolling steep inclines, the kind that when you go downhill you have to "slow" yourself so you don't fall.  I was aching for some trails and missed my last year runs.  I wore my trail shoes but still downhill in them (like antelope island) my ankles felt unstable.  I slowed considerably.  Don't want to risk dying/injury on an adventure run.  The trail came out at the mouth of AF canyon where I ran the Cedar Hills Pkwy trail for a bit and stopped at their potty for a drink and stretches.  My legs were achy from DMS and my head was pounding.  So much for detoxing.  I ran slowly back to home.  Tomorrow is my long run.  Not sure where I am going on that one.  Just going to be glad to go long and easy.  AP today for 11.5 = 8:50.  Walking under the fences obviously added to my slowness.  I kept my garmin at time mode, but lap miles still beeped.  My first 6 miles were so nice-- 9  to 9:28   : D.  Oh yah it rained on me and I know this sounds so funny but....seriously I had a headwind in BOTH directions.  To the canyon HEADWIND from the north.  When I reached the mouth of the canyon it began to rain and the wind came from the south.  Seriously!!  NO lie.  I was for sure MOM NATURE was just giving me more to work for.  It didn't necessarily bother me because it felt good but I was thinking I was having to work more and my AP doesn't show for it.  Tired legs.  Heart was hoping for more of workout.

3 on my own at 511am at 8:18 pace before meeting up with Kim and Jane for 16 more miles (15.6 for them), total AP for me= 7:57 for 19 miles : D.  We ran up to the mouth of AF canyon then into Alpine and did a loop in there and then back home via Lone Peak Rd as I call it and turned by Walmart in Cedar Hills running the scenic route (as usual) home.  We got in three water stops thankfully, since the fountains are all on  : D.  My legs were achy from DMS still and luckily Kim wasn't feeling too well that we didn't push hard on the pace although it was quite the hilly route.  We seem to pick a lot of hilly routes lately.  Kim is running the Riverton 10 k tomorrow morning.  Last year she won it EASILY by three minutes.  I told her she could just run it easy tomorrow unless serious competition shows up.  She is in such great shape, with a 1:22:25 at the half last Saturday,  WOWSERS!!  Mel, Jane and I are running the Freedom Run 10k.  My goal is to "try" and run somewhat with the SPEEDSTARS so I can improve on my PR for the 10k (41:03 in May).  This is a hilly course so not sure.  My PR was on a relatively FLAT course.  AFTER our run we Jane drove us up to Grove Creek and we iced to our waistlines for 6 minutes.  Jane played the "would you rather...game" with us.  Jane "would you rather run the 25th mile of a marathon right now or ice yourself in the river for 6 minutes?".   Apparently this is a very fun game for the kids.  They love choices like, "would you rather step in baby vomit or dog poop?"  NICE thought for day, huh?  : D  Well as usual we accidentally went over on mileage, hence why 19 instead of 18.  At least now I can run one mile less before work tomorrow morning   : D        Oh yah, how could I forget-- I did my arms again yesterday after a NINE day rest period (see how inconsistent I am) so this run was like I was running on my arms.  So sore.  The only benefit (besides hopefully gaining muscle) to lifting weights and getting sore before a long run is that I don't notice, as much, how achy my legs feel.  There was absolutely no way to ICE my upper half of my body in the river without drifing away in the FRIGID water.  I am sleepy.  Finally got 5 hours of sleep last night.  But still not enough.

could harldy get my butt out of bed.   after the alarm went off I just laid there pondering whether I should get up.  Since I pondered too long I "awoke" more and couldn't fall back to sleep so I got out and could only fit in 4.1 instead of the 5 planned.  Should have just got out there.  AP 8:06.  LONG VERY BUSY DAY.  At least 10 miles of walking fast at work.