Believe to Achieve

16 hours at disneyland. Left hotel at 815am back to our hotel at 1230 am. Highlight was candlelivht procession. We got seats! Shockingly...i was just at the right place at the right time. We were pretty close to kurt russell the narrator. He has a very nice reading voice. The whole thing was wonderful! Although cold we hung on to the wee hours. Finished our disney trip with ice cream sundaes on main street. Yup cold but we wanted ice cream. In bed by 12:58 am. Zzzzzzz.

Slept from 1am california time til 8:40 am. Legs felt great. Weird so decided to go run while i let my husband and two of my girls sleep. Courtney wanted to eat. I was still stuffed from ice cream at 12am. So she waited. I got on tm just before 9am. Ran 1/2 mile at 8:57 pace (1% incline for all of run in heat simulation hotel rec room). Then every tenth of a mile I increased the pace by 0.1 mph til 7.5 moh -8:00 pace til 5 miles the up to 7.6 moh for 1/2 mile then from 5.5 to 7.5 miles i increased to 6:49 pace for 1.8 miles (8.8mph) and 9mph for 0.2 miles. Total of two fast. First speedwork in 7 or so weeks. Cooled down for half mile at 7.5 to 7.7 mph. Tm does auto cool down at 60 min so had to keep increasing back to the 7:47 to 8 pace for cooldown. Otal time with tbis happening 62:36 for 8 miles. Felt great. Stretched briefly then packed to leave for home. Out of hotel by 11am. Stopped mcdonalds for smothies. On our wah through high wind advisory 40 to 50 mph. Noy looking forward to 5 degree weather running. Hence why i was super more motivated today to run before leaving.

Arrived home from California at 11pm last night.  Unpacked and in bed by 12am.  Awoke to sound of alarm to get Courtney off to school. Drove her cause WE ARE IN shock with the freezing temps we knew was going to be the case but were not quite physically ready for it.  California was cold enough.  St. George had snow when we stopped there and was about 10 degrees!!  AT 0900 am dropped off my littlest Amber (10) at school with her bags packed for Clear Creek.  BRRrr!! This is up by Price.  Okay so Red Flag recess but still an overnight at Clear Creek???  My other two daughters were lucky--Brooke went in September and Courtney in early October (I went with Courtney.  It was therapeutic after SG marathon 2008 when I was out of shape).   I was so frozen dropping her off I was wondering why I had the notion to run OUTSIDE this am.  It read 7 degrees on my Phone.  YIKES.   WELL  I geared up.  LAYER UPON LAYER.  And I was actually warm except my feet for the first two miles.  My left foot (not my usual problem foot) was in a cramp.  It worked its way out by mile four.  The rest of me felt awesome. The sun came up halfway through my run.  I DID NOT LOOK AT MY watch until I got to where I knew it was a mile from my house. I only checked the mileage and covered up the pace. I felt like I was running a 9:00 to 9:15 ap.  When I saw on my garmin that I was already at 7.65 miles  when I didn't even think I was at 7 yet I decided I must be faster.  So I started guessing the last half mile.  My first guess was then 8:30 to 8:40.  But then I was like "that is ridiculous Julie, your legs are stiff and it is icy and snowy all over the roads, lots of maneuvering to avoid ice patches and lots of running in the snow so maybe just maybe 8:45 ap??  Well I got home and reset my garmin and my pace read *8:35!!!  Weird.  Felt so easy.  BASICALLY I am starting to feel like my OLD running self.  So to NOT ruin it I am going to run smart.  Sleep if I need to --instead of run-- , Run recovery A LOT.  And minimal speed for now.  Some medium tempo runs on TM.  Nothing huge.  I am honestly feeling so much better than my DARK abyss I felt the last six months.  AMAZING what ESTROGEN and PROGESTERONE supplementation can do for a WOMAN!! 

12 Layers of Freezing Temp Running

2 cherry cough drops

1 head band

2 ear muffs from the SLC 2002 Olympics under head band

Warm under wear/garments

Running bra

Fleece inside nylon long sleeve shirt

80s Fleece pull over (yup still have it since I was 16 years old!!), SAVES MY LIFE every time. 

Pair of NIKE flyknit, multicolored

Pair of ascis nylon socks

Thick compression socks with feet cut off (from Wallgreens)

Underwear over underwear , ha ha

Grey Fleece inside nylon long running pants from Costco two years ago.  Need another pair to rotate.

Music by iPod. 

Gloves that breath.  Hands were warm. 

Positive ATTITUDE.  Just really enjoyed being out there. Especially shocking every driver that passed by me. 

5 miles at golds gym with pass of all passes. Only been there once before for a spin class with kim a year or so ago. Loved it cause it opens at 430am! But when alarm went off at 443am i just was sooo asleep it took me 10 min to rise. Got to gym two miles or less away at 5:06. Had everything ready to jump in my clothes for work after a quick just body wash in shower. Brrrr outside but made it to work on time. Started at 6.7 mph and increased pace every o.5 miles. Til potty stop needed and didnt know where it was but spotted it when i turned off tm. When i got back..surprise friends there getting on tms...jane and kim. Kim told me about goldsdeal for december. So ran next to them for 2.5 miles . All l i could fit in for running easyy. Ran last 2.5 miles at 7.5 to 8.0 mph increasing as above. Fun while it lasted. Nice to have a gym that opens early enough for me tp get a de ent run on before work. Some time this dec i will get there at 430am :-)

Busy busy day.  Finally sitting down and it is 630pm.  Courtney off to school by 7am.  Amber off at 7:50am.  Carpooled Brooke's crew to junior high. Back at 8:10am.  Cleaned up morning and other odds and ends.  Out the door at 825am for Gold's gym trip number two.  Saved a spin class bike. Took too long here  lowering seat fitting myself to bike. Got over to TM.  Ran 5 miles. Started at 6.8 mph and increassed pace every 0.25 miles by 0.1 mph.  All at 1 percent except for last four ons/offs done at 0.5%. Ran two miles like this and went right into 3 x 1 min on/off at 9.8 mph/7.1mph, then 3 x 1 min on/off at 9.9mph/7.1 mph, then 2 x 1 min on/off at 10 mph/7.1mph  and lastly 1 x 1 min on/off at 10.1 to 10.2 pace/7.1 mph.  Ran til five miles another 0.5 miles or so.  Can't remember.  Went to first spin class with TWO legs since last winter.   Yes last spin class was early August with my cast on.  ha ha.  Did spin for 40 minutes then BACK to TM for three easy miles AP 8:15 at 1%.  Started slow and ended at 7:13 for a wee bit.  Ran by Kim for a mile.  She and Jane joined me in spin.  Saw Chandi too.  18 weeks pregnant.  Party at GOLD's.  Jane's sister was there too.  They go a lot. This is gonna be a fun December at the Gym.  Topped it all off by hanging in the Sauna for 15 minutes, partly with Kim.  Some interesting old men in there :d.  Then headed home to shower and head out for Christmas shopping at Target.  Ran into Jan after we both were there for two hours!! ha ha.  Tomorrow Insanity Class at Gold's.  May not be able to move Saturday.  6am!!

Went to bed after midnight sooo...slept thru insanity workout. Actualy woke up at 553am...thought about it for half a second. Really had plans to go but could not fall asleep. Christmas shopping and organizing keeping me awake. Decided not to over do it just yet. Sorry to disappoint rachelle :-) kim said it was pretty intense, like boot camp and the tv info mercial of insanity wprkouts. Glad i will now be able to move tmr since i work all weekend a.d hitting the gym before work for 8 miles. Started at 8:19 pace ended at 7:00. Mostly increased 0.1 mph every 1.5 miles til mile six then did 7.6 mph for mile 7 and 7.7 to 8.5 til mile 8. 64:36 for 8 miles at 1%. Ap then 8:04. Not bad for easy run. Kind of grossed out by the tv programs running while i run. So many women with no modesty flaunting their bodies in front of the camera in music videos and commercials. Do i need to watch women making love tothe camera? Give me some uplifting heroic stories. People doing hard things.

So last night i called golds gym to make sure they were open at 5am. No! Seriiusly 6??? So i put out warm clothes instead to go out in five degrees and even though i could not sleep i could not drag myself out there before work. So no run and i am just too tired or hungry to run after work plus it is dark again so i feel like it is super late. I did not feel like being over stimulated at the gym. Zero miles.