Believe to Achieve

Swam a few laps at pool after helping kids learn strokes for only 15 minutes.  Heater on pool had turned off over weekend and little ones too skinny to stay warm.  I loved it.   I felt rejuvenated in the cool water instead of germ infested feeling when it is warm.  Got out for run late at 1040am.  "The Heat is On", I felt just fine even without soaking my hat.  Probably because I have the chills/body aches.  No fever, just chills.  Anyway felt more achy than anything, back aching like crazy but pushed through it and listened to some adrenaline lifting music.  Went thru a few sprinklers but felt fine without, however throat burning as written below.  No pharmacy visit yet. Going.  Last mile felt easy at 7:36.  Cool down 1/2 mile at 4:07 (8:14).  Stretched well.  Work tonight.  No fun wearing a mask at work.  If I get two doses in before work I should be fine without.  Avg pace 8:16 for 5.68 miles.  Not pushing it with the way I feel.

Am before run:  Sore throat (just on left) back again.  Last week on first day of sore throat and body aches (the day before the 4th of July 10K) the strep test came back  negative.  But the tech doing the test did not get far back and make me gag.  I could see behind my left tonsil a good sized white patch.  I asked the tech to try to get there but she didn't.  This is gross and only nurses analyze things this way.  But when I went with a Qtip to remove it myself it hurt so bad it made me want to throw up and I gagged greatly.  So then the 48 hour culture also showed negative so I thought Okay maybe I have just a virus but then my sinuses drained like a cess pool of germs for four days and throat calmed down. Or so I thought.  Probably just the endorphins from exercise.   By last Friday, before my big sauna run, my throat was a burnin' again.  Same place but more white patches.  Ohhhwy!!  I kept taking airborne and would feel slightly better but patches remained.  Not much sinus drainage anymore but thought I was getting better but now I am completely fatigued, body aches coming on and tonsil full of junk, ear feels full of fluid.  Helping six year olds with snotty noses in the pool most likely the culprit, one with an abscessed tooth (who incidentally went on antibiotics).  So,  my Dr. (unfortunately out of town or out of the office both Fridays I decide to call) got a big call from me today.  My daughter's pediatrician ordered the first strep test on the 3rd ( we are running friends). My Dr. is putting me on an antibiotic, finally.  I waited because I truly don't believe in over treatment with antibiotics and I like to be sure I am treating a bacteria versus a virus.  Antibiotics don't help viruses.  I am desperate now because 5 days until Bryce 1/2.  You like the long post?

4pm Heat run with nice breeze.  No water splashed on me.  Pace 8:20 for 4.65 miles.  Liking the heat.  Cooled off at end with hose.  REFRESHING!!! Stretched under shade tree, ahhhhh!

Ran up to start of Strawberry Days 5K from Memorial Pool in PG.  Slowly ran down first mile of the course 8:21.  Second mile with lovely traffic at 7:16.   Last 1.1 in 7:36  (6:54).  Wanted a two mile tempo at 7 pace.  Oh Well.  Started the run VERY tight in the lower back and upper legs.  So okay with a shaky start.  Should have warmed up longer than 1.5 miles.  Ran to start again a longer more shady route for recovery.  Then ran first mile of 5K.  Ahhhh warmed up  now. Thought I was just barely doing a 7 pace because effort was easy and it was a 6:12.  Mind you it is the downhill mile with a .1 uphill only and in the race I ran a 5:50.  So I was pretty happy for being a controlled effort.  Ran back up to the start at a relaxed pace of 9:00 (.9 straight uphill).  Ran back to track above pool and did one lap then stopped completely for a minute and did a 200 meter split.  Tried to be like April but couldn't get the eyes to bulge or the tongue to hang out.  Shamefully it was 40:17.  But I had to pee badly but no place to go and I was already late to get kids at pool.  So I tried again after a half lap, then stopped for a minute.  Again, 40:17.  So there you have it.  April, if you read this it is evident why you broke 20 minutes and I did not.  I lost 6 seconds just at the end!!!  Considering my time was 20:04 and yours 19:59, my kick is a problem.  Old lady bones.  I thought by knee was going to unscrew rounding the corner on the track!!!   Have a good laugh :  D      I will try again next week without the urge to pee on the sidelines :  )   Laugh at that too.  Runners we're weird.

1250 in the afternoon run.  No water, no wet hat just good ole heat run.  Mainly an easy run.  Was going to do just two then just three and then decided to go four but then decided to do a slower last mile for a true easy squeezy lemon pleeezy run so did over 5.  Amazing how my mind can take such runs (in the heat) in increments.  Did cooldown mile with water on my head so felt quite relaxing at 9:00 pace.  Total miles of 5.14 at 8:19 pace.  Before last mile pace 8:12.  So pretty nice midday run.  I am going to freeezzze to death at Bryce Canyon.  It is mainly a tempo run for me cause like I said I am not much for planned speedwork except in races.  Hence why I run more of them in the Summer.  Got the Speedy Spaniard 10K 6 days after this 1/2 marathon....oooooo laaaaa laaaa.  :  D

How to begin?  This is how I want to begin because I am truly excited for my friend Melanie:  Think Mary Murphy from "So you think you can dance"  and I am Julie Crossley from  "So you think you can RUN?"  Cause Melanie can and she just boarded the HOT TAMALE train, WOOOOOO wooooo!!!!  SCREAM  scream SCREAM  --head shaking wildly here.  In fact the top 5 all belong on the HOT TAMALE train!!!  What an awesome group of fast women at this race today.  Melanie came in 2nd overall in 1:22:56, five kids, a nursing baby, one kid throwing up in the tent at 2am and a true POWER WOMAN!!!!  She got $500 instead of 400 because the first place woman, unfortunately for her : ( could not accept money because she is a collegiate runner.  Anyway she ran awesomely at 19 years old and Melanie hung on to second by over 23 seconds,  YEE HAW!!!!  Okay now my not as excitiing race report but nonetheless a BIG PR for me. 

I was first master (no money here.....yet), 10th overall and ran way beyond my goal for the day:   1:29:15.  I am so happy.  Again, I had gas left in the tank, and didn't give my all under the cirumstances because I don't risk injury when tired and environmentally challenged.  I took it easy the first two miles as the AIR quality was poor and I didn't want to have an asthma attack.  A fire has been in the park since June 14th!!!  There is a morning haze of smoke all through our campgroud (Rubys).  I didn't sleep but one brief 40 minutes in a row and got out of my tent 4  times to use the restroom.  I felt the race should have started at 1am.  I got more and more tired the longer I couldn't fall asleep.  But at 12 to 1am I was a live wire raring to go.  By 4am I was thinking I should have been at work.... great by 6am I will be ready for bed.  That's working nights for you.  It totally screws up your sleep cycle.  But I tried to stay positive and try my hardest to get that rabbit out of the hat.  I've run a marathon on no sleep, no problem here.  Here are my splits, mile three I think I had wings on : D      pace all over the place, mile markers are like the ones seen on highways, invented by the race director.   I got to learn to run by feel someday.

1:  6:56  Ahh nice and easy

2:  7:05

3:  5:48  No kidding,  astronomical, I lose my wings for unbelief after this.

4:  6:37

5:  6:47

6:  6:17  I am a yo-yo.  Fast or slower, which is it going to be?  Save energy for the end three puney hills.

7:   6:52

8:  7:04

9:  6:46

10:  7:11  Don't care cause this course is so friendly, no major obstacles ahead so I think after the next mile I will try to run in at 7s.

11:  7:17 

12:  7:00  :  D DDDDD   Passed two women.

12.1:  33 seconds, obviously off since that is a 5:36 pace, right?

13.1  6:57  !!!  I passed a woman that passed me at mile 2.  She looked over 40 and I could see her the whole race, she blazed it on the downhill but I finally caught her 1/4 mile gain on me and decided to try and actually fight to the finish.  I usually lose all my guts at this point but I dug deep.  This mile probably could be averaged with the .1 that was off so probably faster here slower there.  Realized at the finish that I was first master and the girl I passed was 41.  She came in 5 seconds after me.   I also passed a couple of guys here.  Glad I had guts today.  No chip timing so all is fair here.  Loved this course minus the embers in the air.  Hope to run this again in the comfort of an airconditioned hotel room.  Really feel this course to be quite enjoyable. I can't believe I broke my PR by over 4 minutes!!!