Believe to Achieve

Got my sleepless butt to the pool.  Prednisone taper madness.  Hip burning with pain and down my leg to my foot.  Swam with three other people in one lane but still swam faster than last Thursday and  I did all flip turns.  Maneuvering was tricky.  I just pretended I was in an open water swim with obstacles.  I zoned them out.  I swam 1 mile (well just over a mile as I swam 36 laps of a 25 yard pool and one mile = 1760 yards, just looked it up).  It took me 35 minutes with two stops.  I stop after the 12 and 24 laps for 30 seconds each.  Feeling strong despite my sleepless night and anxiety from the taper.  Freestyle is all about shoulder, arm and chest strength.  I barely used my legs.  They are for stability.   When I am in a 50 meter pool per length I will be faster.  Flipping over that many times and maneuvering around three other SLOW swimmers is not easy.  Did some really slow relaxing laps after my mile swim.  Honestly my mile swim felt really easy.  Not pushed at all and not out of breath!!  Forgot a swim cap again.  Wore my two piece thick tie at the neck swim suit.  Got to get a race suit so  I can glide in the water and so that my hair doesn't get tangle so badly I have got to remember a cap!!! 

taper madness continues (prednisone 15 mg twice a day).....slept fairly well....could have slept longer.  Drove Courtney to pool.  Swam 1 mile and did other relaxing laps as well.  Under 35 minutes again but tired today, longer break x 1.   I wore different TIGHTER goggles apparently as they were squeezing my eyeballs pretty hard leaving an indentation and my eyes sore.  Water got in them often too.  I wonder if they were my kids, hence why they felt too tight.  My grey pair yesterday were no problem.  That really affected my swim, doing the one arm stroke removing water from goggles with the other.  Leg and hip were in a lot of pain yesterday-- burning tingling numbness to the ankle.  Mostly in the left hip.   Better today but coming on again as I sit here-- mainly the tingling in my foot and ankle. No hip pain yet.  Tomorrow I am biking to the 10k in Provo and watching the top runners finish.  I never get to see this so it will be fun!!  Should be a 30-35 mile bike ride round trip.  Taking the hilly route there.    ....thinking SGM might have to be out if I can't get my foot to cooperate-- the tingling to my arch is worrisome--- pulsating, shock-like and my foot goes numb.  time will tell. 

30.24 mile bike ride--- up 6am.   Off at 6:17am.  Rode bike to Start/Finish of 10k Freedom Run from my house in Pleasant Grove.   15.06 miles at 4:00 AP on Mountain Bike taking the hilly route.  Only one light I had to stop at :D.   Almost saw the top runners of the 10k just after the mile mark but the light slowed me.   Instead I just rode up the course backwards from the Football Stadium and down 9th east to the Finish.    Had 20 minutes to spare to wait for Melanie.  Walked 1/2 mile of the course while watching LOTS of 5ker (thousands) finish.  It looked as crowded as the start of the Boston Marathon coming up to the finish from 9th east.    Then out of nowhere a LONE 10ker would run by--- the first guy, a skinny young fellow.  Then a few other guys, some without numbers (or shirts), then Kassi Harmon in first for the 10k followed by Jen Hughes and then YAY Melanie in third!!  I ran beside her until the finish.  She was in a zone and couldn't hear me cheer her very well.   Just before the finish shoot I went off to the side and another girl came up behind Melanie and passed her just before the finish.  She missed third by probably 3 seconds or less!!! Bummer.   She said she saw that she was PRing so she didn't push it harder and didn't realize the girl was there.   I run like that too.  No need to go all out and kill myself with a good PR already happening.  But darn she would have been third and win some prize money :D.  Way to go Melanie!!   PRs are awesome!!  JulieE came in fifth.  And a few runners I knew were in the 5 k.  I didn't stay long and took off on my bike ride home-- 15.2 miles at 3:57 AP.   Hill work baby!!!   I hope this makes me a stronger runner.  DAY 11 NO RUNNING.    (okay I ran 1/2 mile with Melanie but it felt out body being on Prednisone.  Can't wait to be off this drug.  Taper driving me nuts!!   I have random muscle pains all over mainly in my ribs).   Bike Ride I felt strong the entire time!!!   30.24 miles YEE HAW!!  AP overall pace 3:58!!

Fireworks last night at PGJHS with family.  Hard to fall asleep with neighbors shooting off "illegal" fireworks.    Worked all day in level 2.  Long day.  One baby. 

Couldn't take it anymore.  Muggy, humid and pent up energy....awake at 5am.  Decided to just run an easy 3 miles which turned into an easy 4 miles.  Actually due to the prednisone my muscles in my lower legs were in stabbing pain at the half mile mark and I had to walk.  The medication is not good for me.  My adrenal glands haven't started working on their on again.  It takes a few days for the rebound affect.  The next 3.5 miles felt almost normal.  I took it nice and easy and my last mile easy pace feeling was 7:33.  AP for 4.1 miles - 8:14. 

five hours then up.  tried to run but med side effect WAY too intense.    This reaction is hard to describe--- no adrenaline-- inability to put legs/hips into action without intense pain, drop to the floor-like intensity in the back down to the knees.  Marrow-like intensity.  so NO more prednisone for me.  Seriously this is INcompatitble with running more than an injury.  I could not lift my legs without a rebound pain intensity that if I tried to take another step I would have collapsed.  Biking uses the larger muscles so the pain doesn't come on unless I try to push the pace.  I will try biking later when the sun is up and my daughter's meet is over.  In swimming I noticed this muscle pain in the muscles between my ribs-- pulsating stabbing very uncomfortable to breath until it passes.