Believe to Achieve

Iced in river yesterday to help nerve pains.  Muscles not even sore from Marathon on Saturday, just sore back and ankle (left) and achilles on right (compensating for bad left side).  HOWEVER super tired and upset stomach due to too many cookies/donuts (krispy kreme, thanks Rachel! :D) post marathon.  I was so queasy the entire run.  First mile 9:17.  Finished with TWO FAST miles-- 6:35, 6:35 (rolling hills, mostly flat- pretty honest two fast).   1/2 mile cooldown 8:00 pace.  AP for 12.5 miles = 8:07.    Now off to Bountiful to my daughter's soccer tournament.  Rachelle-- if you don't call me, I will call you :D.  I am sure you were well under 41 minutes!!! silly girl.

alarm at 430am.  running by 442am.   8 miles @ 7:51 AP.  quickest shower.  clocked into work at 5:58am!!    12 hours 45 minute shift.   driving home at 6:49pm remembered Activity days (I am 8 year old leader).  I made the reminder calls Sunday evening.  Home for 10 minutes-- shoved food in my face that Troy had made....sitting out in the open but noone home (soccer for two of my girls, then activity days, and Young Women's for Courtney for a cookout up at the mutual dell in AF canyon).  BUT  no time for cleanup-- things scattered everywhere--- off to the church.  1 hour activity making daddy/daughter invites.  Home at 8:15 pm.  no computer time.  wiped out.  watched the end of "Emma" with my girls (with Gweneth Paltrov).  Sleep at 1010pm or so.  LOOKING forward to my 3 mile time trial tomorrow-- NOT.  (it  went well  : D, shockingly!! I am writing this on Wednesday). 

saucony 5s.    really am I running another time trial today?  so get freaked out by the track but trying to train my brain to "cool" it.  Said a prayer-- "please help me run better laps 7-11".   I don't think God cares so much about my running but how I act while running and when running with others.  Am I a good sport?  do I lift others?  I hope so.  And if I am prepared and have tried my best, I can be blessed.  Today was that day.  And to God I am thankful!!  Warmed up to the track from my house including two laps around the track (AMEN no sprinklers on!!  Was worried that at any minute they would turn on and cause me to think about them every lap, they were on elsewhere around the track).  It was cooler today then all summer long.  My arms and fingers were chilled.  Oh well, better than heat that is for sure!!  There was also a noticed headwind every lap heading north.  The track is tucked by the school and the direction I was running gave me less of the advantage.  As I rounded the home stretch of each lap-- if I had a tailwind it was balanced out by the sudden 10 degree increase in temp, yucky!!  The wind was cooling things down.  Thank you wind!!  I honestly am very happy with this time trial.  The nausea didn't come on until lap 9.5 when usually it hits a lap or so earlier.  I didn't eat anything before this run nor any energy supplements ( I run without caffeine all the time, no stimulants).  I do have to comment that I definitely feel disadvantaged with my running friends that are not just younger but that take 5 hour energy drinks before some workouts and always at races.  However my heart can't take that strain.  HR would sore out of control.    At SG last year I thought "what the heck at mile 13, I can handle this one chocolate gu....then out of nowhere HR over 200 or something around mile 15 and I was running downhill-- granted it was roasty toasty as the elevation dropped-- but I am not doing that mistake again even if I love chocolate!!!  OKAY already I will get on with my splits for today---  very consistent, I think I see a pattern in the numbers :D  -- 1:33:08, 1:36:00, 1:35:76, 1:35:65 (6:20:49, first mile), 1:36:22, 1:36:07, 1:37:39, 1:37:67 (12:47:84 for two miles, 6:27:35 for the second mile), 1:37:33, 1:38:41, 1:38:09, 1:34:05 (19:15:72 for three miles 6:27:92). GOTTA LOVE A STOPWATCH for accuracy : D.    My hands were quite cold so I fumbled stopping my watch so I am thinking that last lap was closer to 1:33 but I can't be sure I was in a mode there at the end to just get it done and I was very surprised to see my time. I tried thinking out some math while I ran each lap but that never works-- I honestly thought I was coming in at 19:24 or so.  BUT 19:15 was SOOOOO very nice to see  :D.  It didn't feel any harder than a 8days ago so that is a good sign.   I just had to mentally tell myself to speed up laps 7-11 when I wanted to naturally slow down.  I am no track star and the track just messes with my head.  There were two walkers on the track (outside lanes, thankfully) and one other runner who I briefly informed I was running a 3 mile time trial-- he skirted over after he saw me coming and remained in the second lane the rest of his run and even cheered me on at lap 10.  I nodded my head and gave a thumbs up.  Not an easy time to say anywords.   I am thankful that this old body can move despite the very tight feeling in my pelvis-- like it is stuck and my turnover has to be quick but stride is stuck where it is at.  3 mile time trial 19 seconds faster than 8 days ago!!!  19 seconds!!!  YIPPEE.  NOW I am afraid of failure-- like how in the world can I will myself to run even faster next time?????  what if I am not faster?  FAILURE thoughts roam thru my head.  I should quit while I am ahead.  Luckily it is still a week a way.  I can try and think of other things right now--- like my 18 mile I have planned up AF canyon on Friday.  AHHHHHHhhhhh should be wonderful!!! 

430am wake up to alarm.  8 miles before work.  8:02 AP.  long very busy day at work.  byu women's soccer game at 7pm.   home a half hour ago.  bed in a few minutes.  legs achy from too many hours on my feet and no down time today.  should be an interesting loner 18 miler in the morning. i work the weekend.

Kids off to school just before eight.  off I go to my planned 18 miler starting at mile 9 of the AF Canyon half  (actually I parked just by the tunnel you run under by the golf course, across the street from north of lone peak high school) and headed UP the parkway trail  and into AF canyon for 9 miles-- passing the starting line of both the timp and af half and just getting about 10 feet into the dirt road up there when my garmin read 9 miles.  I didn't stop once (oh about 0.3 miles into my run my garmin started freaking out that it had NO room for more data so sadly I had to erase several of my runs this summer to make room for today.  my computer is being repaired so I can't download my garmin).    ANYWAY-- lovely headwind the entire run up the canyon (well probably not so much by mile 6) and why in the heck does the wind decide to change directions by the time I get to mile 16???  Headwind again.  Well at least a breeze feels good since by the time I came out of the canyon it was 10 am.  I finished my run at 1034am.  Started at 1016am.  I stopped for less than two minutes at the top to take a gel and some water and to use the hole in the ground potty-- stinky!!  But oh so exhilarating to have climbed 9 miles up knowing I only had to run downhill for 9 miles.  Well...I have to say after surging uphill at AP of 8:21 for 9 miles my legs and hips were in no mood to move fast.  I suppose I did just run SW on Wednesday and have been working every other day over 12.5 hour shifts (two coming up this weekend).  No reprieve.  I must go on.   I just let my legs do as best as they could.    Plan was to run the last 4 under 7mm.  That should be easy I thought since I was headed down.  First mile up 8:27.  By the last few miles up I was at 8:03 pace for three in a row.    Downhill miles-- 7:18, 7:22, 7:22, 7:01 (really ??  I was surprised since I ddin't push it but hey it is AF canyon) then when I got to where I needed to run my fast four I just told myself to relax and do what I could.  I should interject here that MY SAFETY was at risk on this run.  Late Friday morning is not a good time to run down this canyon.  I was early enough on my way up that I didn't feel insecure but the cars SPEEEING UPHILL was a freak show!!!  Are they TRYING TO KILL runners and bikers?????  I only saw two other runners (guys) and several bikers.  One truck WOULD NOT move to cross the lane to go around bikers going uphill while I was heading down (he didn't see me coming yet). This guy was beeping his horn like mad at the five bikers.  Very surprising behavior. I asked the bikers as I flew by "seriously that was on purpose???"  One girl replied "yes can you believe it?".   On an earlier encounter with another horn blower a biker was irritated enough with the driver that he "road the line" just to see if the guy would lay off.  He had two other bikers with him. Not sure what the biker thought he was proving.  He could have been killed.   Several times I had to jump to the side of the road for my safety.  And hey I was tired!!!  One water stop and car and truck encounters galore.  It surprises me how fast they fly up the canyon as if that would get them the tent site they need any quicker!!!  I wanted to yell out to the attendant at the front gate to tell drivers to slow down-- but I am sure even she couldn't have slowed them.  They are oblivious!!  Okay-- last five miles-- 6:41, 6:33, 6:33, 6:21, 6:45. ( I was planning on slowing the last mile to easy pace when I got to the rolling hills of the golf course but decided to stay below 7 and just get the run done!!).  AP over for 18 miles = 7:37.    Ice bath in my favorite locale for 15 minutes.  AHHHHhhhh. so Refreshing.    Then I had tons of energy when I got home that I listened to Journey's song "Separate Lives" like 20 times while I cleaned the  ENTIRE fridge and the bathroom.   Out to lunch with hubby-- his birthday was a busy day so we went out today.  Nothing fancy.  He loves cheeseburgers so we hit JCWs.   

8 tired miles at recovery pace.  yesterday was a three for one work out-- hill work, long run and speed.  430am run.  so wanted to sleep in.  worked 12.5 busy hours.  ap 8:39.