Believe to Achieve

After three busy dayshifts and NO running I decided to get back out there.  I feel non-runner like in this cold fall weather and not very motivated.  I decided to add in 5 x .25 miles to see if  I knew how to run fast with .25 miles running easy in between.  I didn't know my pace as my garmin in this mode doesn't show it until after your done.  My pace was supposed to be controlled speed (not all out) focusing on form per book.  Splits as mile paces:  6:35, 6:13, 6:17, 6:05, 6:05.  Did some core and my pushups.  Only ran 6 total miles.  I am gonna take it easy until I feel like running again.  This worked for me last year and I ran a faster marathon on 40 and less miles because of it.  BTW today it was windy, sleeting and cold on my run.  DANG. 

Ran with Kim in the chilly am hour of 6.  Wore gloves, sweatshirt, headband.  Then put the sweatshirt around my waist after our warm up of about 3 miles.  Ran 1 minute on two minutes off at a comfortable not all out pace.  However it got pretty tiring and since we didn't know our pace until the end  I realize a few were too fast.  We were more trying for VO2 but I got more.  Kim could have run faster and she was already a head by two to four seconds each one.  Two speed works in two days but  I feel less tired today than after yesterday's workout.  It was hard running in the dark and not having depth perception completely there.  I think that is why  I ran faster at times yesterday.  I don't even feel tired at all today.  I feel like running another 4 miles.  Paces for minutes on (the slow ones were some significant starts on a hill)--5:58, 6:04, 6:11, 6:12, 6:28, 6:25, 6:44, 7:03, 6:18, 6:23, 6:49, 6:43.  Two minute off averages were between 7:30 and 8:00 a couple just over 8 when a car got in the way.  Cooldown.    Total miles= 9.2.  Would have ran to get 10 total but daughter's needs to be up for school.  

Ran with Kim.  Lucky Day for both of us.  I just happened to call her as she was about to call me.  Her husband is home sick for the day so she was able to run outside and not on her TM or at the gym.  Yay!!  of course that meant I had to run faster than my usual easy run but I told her "just let me warm up for three miles and I will be ready to run your pace"  and that worked. The first five miles were uphill some normal uphill some steeper.  It was a great fall day.  Kim and I were overdressed.  We laughed at ourselves.  We had to stop so Kim could remove some layers.  I am big on stretching lately so that was fine.  We were not in a hurry.  No kid worries.  So the first few miles were 9s and the last few were 7:30s.  AP for 10 miles= 7:57.  Did some core and my pushups.  Troy joined me for some pushups.  He could easily do over 10 no problem so I put him at the last category of 100 push ups work out sheet.  He made it look easy as I strained to do my measly sets.  Ate some dried apples fresh off the press and then salmon on grilled corn tortilla.  Had a craving for the tortillas.  We stopped practically every day at the tortilla factory at Disney California.  And the sour dough company too, yum.  They give out free samples  : D.  Feelin' pretty good.  Probably should have gone easy if I am trying to run MP at the half Saturday--goal pace 7:12.  If I feel really strong I will push it harder.  But we are going earlier 7:30am start  so the terrain might be icy and the buses will be coming upon us for the first 5-6 miles.  We all have busy Saturdays and a 9am start is just too late for us.  

6 easy at 8:41 pace.  Left my house at 535am.  Couldn't sleep after 4am and felt some energy so got up.  A little sore from core yesterday and upper arms from pushups but the run helped to unstiffen myself.  This isn't a big race tomorrow seeings how it is unofficial and I am highly unmotivated when its not official so I am trying for MP not half pace.  Anyway got to get a future schedule for me to adhere to race wise in order to reach some goals before I get too old : D.  Tentative goals:  a 5k to do a check on speed or lack there of in November,  Painter's half (Jan.), Antelope Island 50K or Riverton 1/2 in March (if they fall on different Sats  I will do both if work allows but I am leaning more towards Antelope), Provo 1/2 (April), Thanksgiving point 1/2 (May), Ogden marathon (May)--not racing it just a nice EASY long run, I am coaching my neighbor to run her first marathon, her goal is 5 hours,  Utah Valley Marathon (June), 2 10ks in July, Park City Half /Hobble Creek(Aug), TOU half (Sept), SGM  (Oct).  Post-script:  My Dr's office called.  My NNP, after further research on my low ferritin level (mine is 5 and performance decreases after going below 25 according to Advanced Marathoning) really feels I need to get Intravenous Iron as levels this low don't usually correct itself thru oral pills.  I have poor absorption for some reason or another.  Basically my body does not like iron.  I avoided it like the plague when I was pregnant and rarely eat red meat (now it is on the menu).  So perhaps I will feel a Zip to my Zap sooner than I thought.  I  still have these intense bouts of fatigue, and struggle more to breath then I used to at an increased pace.  I just thought  I was aging too quickly, being 41 and all and running with my 30-something friends : D.   I  am glad my NNP is on the ball.  I was trying to ignore it away, taking my floradix (iron) randomly and trying to eat more red meat here and there. 

First of ALL I am so excited about my PR today.  It feels so good.  I feel like I am coming back from the dead.  I just can't believe that something so simple as taking iron can do for the body.  I can't believe it got so bad.  I was so depressed and so Un motiviated and had no idea what was plaguing me was a bottomed out iron level.  I have some articles I will post to my blog.  I was case book.  They are written by track coaches of long distance runners.  I don't feel fully back but really close and after today's PR on an "easy" course-- the downhill can make or break you coming in to the more flat to rolling hill last 7 miles-- I have hope to come back even stronger.  I played it safe and could even talk the whole way.  I never got nauseated or felt terribly spent.  I was more like "don't fall apart" mantra based on all my races the past 4 months feeling miserable every step of the way.  But it didn't happen and after slowing at miles 6 and 8 due to flatness I was able to look at my garmin and tell myself to just stay even the rest of the way and I got my stride back and felt pretty strong passing a lot of people.  I believe I was first master as the girl I passed at the end came in about 1 minute after asking my age and bummed I was over forty.  But since I wasn't official I told her she gets the glory.  I was just too happy about PRing after such sadness preSGM.  I was (to be updated as official results are posted, either 8th or 9th overall) as McKenzie came in at 1:26 and was 6th.  I feel really good right now.  No muscle soreness and even felt I could add on.  I did do a two mile warmup, one uphill very steep and then back down.  The mile up was at 11:00 pace.  I was purposely running slow but was worried how I was going to try and do 1:30 to 1:32 today at that point.  The weather was SPECTACULAR.  The view was BREATHTAKING and the COSTUMES WERE AWESOME!!  Sidenote:  I was supposed to go early with Melanie and Kim at 7:50am but I got so excited seeing all the runners that I told them to go ahead (I didn't want to be burned by them anyway) and that I would start at the real time.  The start was only late by 10 minutes (9:10am).    Here is are the splits with a brief play by play:

1  6:38  A dip then a short uphill portion having to coral thru a small space between a bus parked perpendicular (basically blocking the road) to the road and a road sign.  Seriously?  My pace just 100 feet in the race only at 8:38.  We had to get thru a narrow passage right from the start.  It was rather odd.

2 6:27   Preoccupied by this ANNOYING runner knocking down EVERY cone in the middle of the road.  He was on autopilot purposely knocking every one of them down as he went by.  The were spaced about 100 feet apart.  He annoyed a lot of us.  I yelled to him several times but his music was blasting.  I finally told another runner blazing by me to go up and tell him to stop it.  Several of us were quite perplexed by this OCD behavior.  It ended soon after that.  I think someone finally got through to him.

3 6:21  Talked to Becca a bit (I told her her shoe was untied) just after passing the 1:30 pacers (two women) going way too fast for that pace.  I asked if they were going for a positive split?  Too bad for those who had never run under 1:30 and trusted them to get them there.

4  6:24

5 6:41  Course flattens out and steepness ended halfway thru this mile.  The 1:30 pacer girls pass me.  Seriously?  NOT a 1:30.  I was waiting for them to put on the breaks.  They never did.

6   7:05  Just told myself this was expected and try to regain composure and not lose it.  It worked.  : D   Talked to JulieE as I was right behind and then passed her brother.  She was cheering him on.  I couldn't help but tell her the story about the 1:30 pacers being ahead of the game.  Hope all this talking is okay?

7   7:08   Yippee still doing okay. 

8  6:54    I kept trying to average my pace and see how "slow" I could go and still get under 1:30.    It was a nice mental way to keep me going steady. 

9   6:58    A little uphill here but I just shuffled up it in short strides and didn't even feel out of breath.

10   6:58  Just cruising by people keeping it even.  However I can feel a blister on the top of my  (left big toe) forming.  It kind of messes with my form the last three miles but  I don't let it take me down  : D.  It was bleeding by the end.   

11  7:18  Water station I walked thru. 

12  7:11  Just hang on. Felt like I should just start sprinting I feel so good.  But who likes to start sprinting for the last mile of a half?  What if I fall apart?   Pass naked butt girl with a sign on her back that reads "does my butt look like it makes me run fast?" to which I told her "yes, your butt makes you run fast, I have seen "your butt" for miles and finally caught it".  I am sure that butt slowed her down a bit. 

13.1   6:59  Low and behold the last .1 miles of the race the 1:30 pacers come running up the course.  They see me and turn around with their signs held up and "run me in".  I didn't need them to run me in but oh well.  It was kind of funny cause my time was 1:27:40.   So much for their pacing careers  : D.  Allie had to pace for a 2:05.  I am sure she didn't try to run 1:50 for that group for the heck of it.   If I were a pacer I would LOVE the excuse to run SLOWER so of course I would run the appropriate pace.  Anyway it was an interesting distraction. 

Finally-- This race was well organized and I quite enjoyed the Halloween feel and the fall foilage on the course.  Truly a great day for me.  Finally   : DDDDD    PS I feel even right now  I could run another  5 miles.  Too wonderful.