Believe to Achieve

Sore throat started Saturday morning.  Thought 16 miler would kick it.  But alas no. Vitamin C and probiotics and a few short naps is all I could do.  Woke this morning  to a worse sore throat and major bloating from Olive Garden Saturday night.  Too much Caesar Salad and Lasagna Rollata and three bread sticks!! yikes not to mention a 1/2 a piece of triple chocolate cake!!! (shared with my husband).  Got it free for a mixed up order.  As if I needed that.  BuT it was very yummy.  The scale just did not like all the salt and cheese and choclolate.  Five pounds in two days.   Yay!!  Sooooo....I hit the mill for some speed.  HAD TO WAIT 15 minutes for a TM!!!!!!  For WALKERS casually walking and talking on the TM!!! WHAT EVER!!!  So I did the stairs.  I like that machine.  Level 10 for over 10 minutes.  Got my heartrate up well enougth!!  I really tried to talk myself out of speedwork today because I am so full of fluid.  I am NOT joking when I said I puffed up with five pounds of fluid weight!!!! Man alive.  Legs  like LARD to the Nth degree.  Ran five mile warm up  at 1 %:  8:34, 8:20, 8:06, 7:48 (sped it up to make it to four miles before a potty break so an AP).  Off TM for about three minutes for EMERGENCY potty break.  That broke the momentum and desire for speed.  Felt even more lardy.  Got back up to pace and ran a 7:41 for 1/2 mile then back to 8:00 mm for 1/2 mile then right into SW.  Plan was 6 x 800 but THAT FELL THROUGH after the FIRST one because YES I can DEFINITELY say that it was THE SOCKS that STARTED the ENTIRE CRUMBLE AT SGM.  I wore them today (the company sent me the duplicate pair I wore for the marathon, along with four other kinds).  Well this kind is thin and with my shoes, the double layers SWISH around in my shoe and at FAST speeds my foot moves around and I can't hold ground.  It is like trail running FAST.  It takes a lot of concentration to try and not let the feet to move around in my shoes.  AND THEN BLISTER O'rama feeling in my feet.  YUP UTTERLY THE WORST nonSTRATEGIC moment of my running career.  New socks the day before a race.  AND this pair had been washed several times.  So washing would NOT have helped.  On short slow runs the socks would not bother me.  This is all PRETTY COMICALLY SAD FOR ME!!  If your FEET HURT ALL OVER (reflexology), YOUR WHOLE BODY WILL BEGIN TO HURT!!!  At least a few months later I can have a sense of humor about it : D.  Okay on with my work out--- since 800s at a time was creating too much pain in my feet I narrowed it down to 1/4 mile repeats with 1/4 mile recovery runs to break up the pressure on my feet.  So I ran 12 x 1/4 mile repeats.  On paces were 9.9 mph, 6:03 min/mile  x 8  and the last four at 6:00, 6:00, 5:56 , and 5:49 (1 percent grade for first 6, 0.5 percent grade for last 6) with recovery pace at 8 mph for the first one (7:30 min/mile) and 7.5 mph (8:00 min/mile) for the last 11.    Cool down .75 miles at 7:45 AP.   Warmup AP for four = 8:11.  Speedwork including cooldown 8.03 miles at 7:04 AP.  Total AP for all 12 miles = 7:26.   Came home and did 50 true to form pushups : D.  And 25 situps--using just my core, well at least I tried : D. 

6am run at rec center.  Was only going to go ten miles but squeezed in another 1.5 miles.  RAN all the miles at 2 % incline.  Progressive run with short pickups at the end.  8:49, 8:41, 8:34, 8:27,  8:20, 8:13, 8:06, skip the 8 pace on the TM : D, instead 7:53, 7:47, last mile 7:41, 7:35, 7:30, 7:24 quarter miles, then 7:50AP  for mile 11, and AP for last half mile about 7:45.  AP for 11.5 = 8:08.   2 % incline.  Should have run outside as the snow was really sticky.  I didn't know this until I ran into the rec in FRONT of the crowd to get to the mill before the herd : D.  No slippage.  Just sticky .

No ZIPidee to my DO-Dah.    Luckily I was supposed to run easy....so AP just that 8:56 for 8.51 miles at 430am before a LOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGG busy day at work.  Legs LARDY.  My mother took my sister and I out to Outback Steakhouse last night.  Just what I needed more fluid and fat retention meals!!  yummy though--- sweatpotato with steak!! Salad and bread.  You know.....hey but I skipped dessert!!! 

I just did not feel like running this morning even after nodding off a bout 9:15 pm.  The alarm went off at 530am and I was still tired.   Waited 15 more minutes then got dressed and out the door slowly.  Saw that there was extra FROST every where when letting out my dog.  So I grabbed a neck warmer and a very THICK hat and of course my wonderful pullover.   Brrrr.....I was so creaky and a bit stiff so I just rolled along and decided NOT to look at my watch until 10 miles, not even the mile splits.  BUT the best part of this run was the third SONG that came on my iPod that my thirteen year old daughter put on there-- "AS SISTERS IN ZION".  It sent chills (the good kind) through my body that I played it over and over as it woke me from a spiritual depression to a spiritual "I can do good" in the world feeling.  I played it about 25 times for my entire run, over and over and over and you know what?  I felt like running the moment I heard the words of the song.  Sometimes are spirits are sooooooooooo very dehydrated.  I certainly got a refill this morning.  I needed it.  I am so thankful to my daughter for putting it on my ipod.  : D.   What a sweetie!!!  I didn't care that it was freezing out (I even removed my pullover just past the first mile and wrapped it around my waist) and I didn't care what pace I ran.   I felt light and good.  That is all that mattered.  When I got back I found out I ran 9:55 for the first mile.  It felt it.   I was not happy in my run....but when the song played my running tune changed....I still ran slower than usual but I ran by feel and not by staring at my watch.  And I loved every moment of it.  Soaking in the feeling of the song with my body running in the cold morning.  Last mile was effortless at 7:36.   When the chorus of men sang "We are as the army of Helaman..."  the hairs (not that I have any) on my back stood up : D as I neared the "finish" line to my 12 miler.  AP a glorious (and  I am not kidding)-- 8:45 for 12.01 miles!!!  so needed this run afterall!!!   : DDDDDDDDDDDD

LOTS of PEAKs and ValleyS in this 18 miler on the MILL.  Yup...you might wonder why JULIEC did not run this outdoors in the freezing temps....well....opportunity arouse-- Grandma, to come get my kids ready for early start day of 8am (usually they are B-track and leave at 9:15) so  I didn't have to worry about coming in and out of my 18 miler from outdoors and since I had time....I went to the gym.  Troy and I are going Christmas shopping before the girls sing at school at 1pm.   Vacation starts today so not many more days to shop without their knowledge : D.   18 miles on the TM (not as bad as my 20 miler last spring ; D) well...it gets monotonous.  So  I broke it into 6 mile runs x three. Since the TM shuts off at one hour anyway this worked perfectly.   6 mile warm up (geez from the start my legs felt like lead even at a slow pace.   First six miles-- 8:57, 8:49, 8:41, 8:34, 8:27, 8:20 (all at 2%)=  51:34.   Potty break, brief of course.  Second six miles--- 8:13, 8:06, 8:00, 7:53, 7:47, 7:41 (all at 2 %). = 47:20.    Water break, brief of course.  Ate four chomps for entire run and 20 ounces of water.  Last 6 miles (with four under 7mm the plan)-- 8:00, 7:53, 6:58, 6:53, 6:53, 6:40.  (all at 1 %).  = 43:14.    Those last four were not easy.   Legs tired.  Had to focus on NOT wanting to slow down.  AP for all 18 miles = 7:54.    dArN the TM for taking time to get up to speed so actual mile paces actually ends up with a longer time interval--- when rebooting the TM it takes about 20 seconds to get the TM where I need it.  Wasted time on the clock.  So silly I know but it bugs me.  I wish our TMs would allow longer than 60 minutes!!  I am the only one at PG rec that ever goes over an hour anyway. 

Brrrrr!!  frosty the snowoman run at 430am run around and around my town.  I ran a four miler in one direction then turned around and ran it the other way back to my house with a slightly different ending to add on 1/2 mile to my 8 miles but since I was close to had a little bit of time (ran faster than I thought I would) I ran 9 miles instead.  I had found my turtleneck that is for running.  Ahhhh much cozier.  I felt heavy on my run with all my gear but at least I was warm. My quads felt stiff but expected after an 18 miler yesterday on the mill not even 24 hours ago.  My stomach was bright red when I got back.  AP for 9 miles = 7:51.  Worked in the nursery today.  Three boys born in three hours.  That's it.  Sure cute kids!!  Three baths to make them all sparkly too!!  They don't like bath time much.