Believe to Achieve

Saucony 5s flats--- second time running in them.  Risky with PF but decided the track would be soft enough and I would run realy easy in them running to/from the track.  Got out the door at 630am.  Ran to the track 3 miles (incl. two laps around the track--8:38 AP)  The sprinklers inside the track were in FULL force but I thought - maybe I could out run them during my three mile time trial....HA!!!    They soaked me every lap-- LITERALLY.    Kind of put me out of race mode trying to not get drenched more and more.  My shoes were soaked too.  Oh well.  I did a lot better than the noonday time trial 1 1/2 weeks ago.  I was VERY tired getting up today with little sleep and the long run Saturday still affecting me along with SW Thursday.  I wanted an easy day but  I had to get this time trial done because  we were on our way to camping for two nights in Midway.   I was basically in no mood for speed but I am happy that I was 26 seconds faster than 12 days ago. I didn't look at my watch ONCE the entire time (I think I will look at it next time starting at lap 6 because I seem to struggle laps 8, 9, 10 and 11....progressively getting slower and ruining the outcome. Perhaps if  I see my slow time I will speed up?????  hopefully it doesn't back fire.   I  feel  I do better WITHOUT a watch.  I knew I was slowing. MENTAL for me.  I want energy for that last lap you know).  Okay enough griping.  Here are my splits-- 1:35, 1:36, 1:36, 1:36, 1:37, 1:38, 1:39, 1:40, 1:40, 1:41, 1:42, 1:37 (I didn't even pick it up here until the last 20 yards so obviously I have enough in the tank to push those other laps, I need a pacer.  I am nervous on the track thinking I might collapse.  HIGH SCHOOL TRACK TRAUMA once again.  I was sooooo bad at track in high school. VERY serious here.)  TIME for 3 miles 19:43!!!  : D.   6:34 AP.  MY GARMIN read my run at 3.06 miles --  6:26 AP.     Look how consistent those first several laps were.  HONESTLY if I ran this with ONE more rest day I could have done better.   I was very tired.   Cooled down with 4 miles to my house  --8:33 pace.    Liked the shoes on the track.  The road I had to run guarded with no suppor at all.  Foot/ankle in one piece.  Time to camp.

Tent sleeping.....ahhhhhh the best!!  (yah right!!)  waking three times to get out of tent and hike to bathroom.  Luckily there were flushable toilets!!   Went down stream in tubes yesterday with the kids--- two hours on the cold Provo River.  Ate huge roasted marshmallows before bed--- perfect recipe to a staggering running start UPHILL then down from my campsite.  I was on the "you' ve got to be kidding" portion of the Ragnar Relay-- mile 1 -- Wasatch Campground.    So I got to run downhill for four and four STRAIGHT up.  8:30 pace for 8 miles.  No pushing pace.  It was tough enough to even run well down hill.  Legs sleepy.  I wanted to just take in the beauty of the run and not worry about pace so I kept in in time mode only.  It was such a relaxing run-- except the last very steep mile up to camp.   I didn't even run faster downhill-- that's how easy I ran the first few miles!!!    Off to the Alpine slides and the Olympic Park!! 

This was supposed to be 8 miles then while running I decided to run out to five miles from my campsite--- well then there never was a turn off to the right again so  I ran all the way to the highway that passes thru Heber City --- yay--- 2.5 miles on the highway with many a eighteen wheeler.  I am like "holy moly Julie where is the beauty of yesterday's run?"  finally there was a dirt road turn off (1200 north off the highway) that I took back towards camp only it didn't resume straight after two miles you had to turn right or left.  Right looked quicker (the mountains helping my sense of direction) but then it turned right again after a half mile and well.... don't want to head back to the highway again so I turned around.  Basically I am running a on farmland dirt roads for 4 plus miles.  Flat to slightly uphill in the middle of Heber/Midway.  I went back to the crossroads and tried the left turn.  I ended up on Main street Midway where I ran the last leg of the Ragnar relay.  In fact mile five of my run was Jorge's leg of the run--- if only I knew where he had turned then I wouldn't have ended up at the highway (this is in reverse of his direction).  I ran toward town and decided I would finish at the 7-11 and call my husband as I knew from there it was still 3.5 to 4 miles home.  I was at 15 miles when I got there.  Now don't get me wrong I could have run it but I have my 18 miler planned for Saturday and I don't want to unleash the running demon just yet!!  :D.    Pelvis a little achy in this run due to the dirt and street terrain in my mirage 2s and absolutely no hydration or fuel since the Granny's shake the night before at about 8pm.   Thankfully my husband swiftly came and got me while I was sipping ice water from the local  grocery store.  Sweet life :D.     Soccer Tournament game for Brooke this afternoon. Off to the heat in SLC at 2pm.  Work the next two days.  15 miles  easy pace (never pushed pace) =  AP 8:11.   btw I think the elevation is a bit higher-- the air felt thicker to breath in.  Troy thinks 7,000 feet.  I think 6,600.  I guess I will look it up sometime.  Anyone know Midway's elev?

440am run before work in Orem Community Hospital.  If I thought about it better I would have road my bike there (7.5 miles away).  But probably would have talked myself out of it anyway.  Ran 5 sleepy miles in the humid air.  10 x 30 sec/10 off just to remember a little speed.  Huh.  Not much there in the dark of the morning worrying about tripping in cracks in the road and nodding off.  Long day at work.  I hope I don't talk myself out of running tomorrow morning for the same mileage.  AP today 7:52 for 5.08 miles.

THE ALARM--- just TOO early.  JUST too TIRED.  435am BUZZZ.....should I just fall back to sleep????  no just DO IT julie!!  blah blah.  Got out and DID it.  Amuzingly shocked and wondering if my garmin was playing tricks (or my eyes that can't seem to see close up anymore) as my first mile was 8:03 and I felt like I was jogging.  Then....oddly it just progressed from there--- 7:31, 7:14, 7:10 and 6:50.  WEIRD.  I think I was sleep running and I must have been dreaming that I was racing ; D.  AP 7:22.  Now if I can just keep up with Rachelle tomorrow!!!    12.5 hours of work in Orem.  Lovin' the babies.  : D.

Sleepless night (okay I got four hours from 930pm to 115am!!  Then just could not fall asleep.   Walked around a bit then got back in bed for another couple hours.  Couldn't take looking at the clock any longer so got up at 5:15am.  Met Rachelle at 615am--- actually her car was there but no Rachelle.  She wanted 20 so  I figured she arrived early and was warming up with two beforehand as I was only going 18 miles.  I jogged a few times around the parking lot waiting/looking for her.  I got in 0.6 miles nice and easy (8:53) then we were off after a brief chatting moment.  9 miles up/down Provo Canyon.  Neither of us peeked at our watches until mile 9--- the steepest up hill mile was faster than our starting miles!!!  funny it didn't feel different.  We ran two up south fork and the last mile up was 8:02 and we were talking the whole way.  Turned around without stopping.  In fact we stopped at the bottom of south fork on the way up (about mile 7 and then again at mile 11 same place)  We probably stopped about 90 seconds for the first stop and  60 seconds the second stop oh and one 10 second stop after our 4 fast miles.  Out of shape moment!!   We ran miles 13-17 fast (14-18 for Rachelle) -- We ran it on the least amount of slope of the run with all the little rollers, so we feel pretty good about it-- 6:40, 6:39, 6:43, 6:31.    AP for 18 miles = 7:41.  I think at mile 11 we were at 8:04 average so that is a big jump.  We ran sans music and we talked during our four fast-- a few grunts here and there and yelling at stupid bikers in our way ; D.  Honestly it was a relaxing run with Rachelle.   One that I needed.  We both were bugged with little ailments-- my pelvis was burning and my calves were really tight, her feet and hamstrings were burning.  We iced in the Provo River x 10 minutes.  Thanks again Rachelle!!