| Location: UT, Member Since: Dec 31, 2007 Gender: Female Goal Type: Marathon Finish Running Accomplishments: I ran my first marathon as a teenager in 1981 with my Dad (The Coronado Marathon). Since then I've run St, George (3x) Utah Valley (3x) Ogden (1 full, 2 halves) Park City (1 x) Boston Marathon (1x) Washington DC (1x) Moab Half Marathon (6x) ,Ye Old Freedom Festival 5 & 10K (a million x) and many others.
But I'm all done with that now. I'm officially a jogger. Short-Term Running Goals: My running goal is to keep on keepin' on.
Long-Term Running Goals: Jog into the sunset. Personal: I like being outside. Favorite Blogs: |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 1397.68 | 184.86 | 1582.54 |
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| Saucony Ride Miles: 137.70 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| Happy New Year! 2007 was such a great year. I have no idea how to top that one. I guess we'll just see. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
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Who knew this surgery, so inconsequential to my overall health would be so hard to recover from. I wonder if they cut tendons in my pelvis that they shouldn't have. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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4 miles- on ice
I have been looking at this blog site since I met Sasha at our son's soccer games last fall. For the past 4 years I've seen him and his kids, or his running posse along the river trail. He runs like a superhero--looks straight ahead. I'm always embarrassed when my dog wanders in front of him while he's doing 60mph. So last fall, I spoke with him briefly asking if he was training for St. George. He told me that not only was he training for St. George, he wanted to use his race to qualify for the olympic tryouts. Hmmm. He is a superhero I guess. Then he asked me how fast I run--what was my best 5 k time. I told him I'd never run a 5 K, so I gave him my 10K times. I explained that I run slow, but have been doing it for nearly 30 years,and that my goal is to continue running another 30 years. Then he said that thinking that I run slowly is a sickness that must be cured by changing my thinking. I think I could run faster, if I just WANTED to run faster. But I don't. My goal is to run and ski as many times as I can until I can't any more. It's a longevity thing, not a race. But, my experiences on the trail and running with friends has been extraordinary and I feel I should record them somewhere. Sorry to Sasha, whose blog I will be using as a running journal instead of logging my times, etc. But Hey, let's see who's still blogging here 20 years from now--it may not be the fastest runners who can still run. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| Amanda is my newest running friend. Since Catherine got knocked up just three weeks before St. George, I've been running on my own. I love Amanda. She will get up with me in the pitch of night to run on a solid block of ice for 4 miles. You gotta love a girl like that. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| I will be upping my saturday mileage every saturday until the Moab Half marathonnext month. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| Amanda is unintersted in going more than 5 miles a day. I had her all but talked into the half marathon idea, but she'd really have to work hard to get it (cancellation). I told her she should pick one later in the Spring and that I'd do that with her. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| This cold weather and ice on the trail will never relent! |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| Since my sugery, I've had a hard time moving very fast. My saving grace in running with Amanda is that she's really careful on the ice, and therefore goes pretty slowly. But overall she averages 8.5 m/m. I really have to push on those day....good thing we only go 5 miles a day! |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| Can't wait for Sunny to get here on Thursday! |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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I'm going to taper my miles till Saturday. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| Amanda's out of town this week so I am going these taper days by myself. The weather is clear but it is still so cold!! that race is going to be so cold up that canyon. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 |
| Sunny and I ran a short little 2 miler before heading down to Moab with Michelle and Jody. Let the fun begin!! |
| | Race: |
Moab Half Marathon (13.1 Miles) 02:04:33 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 13.10 | 0.00 | 13.10 |
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13.1 miles -- in 2:04
Moab Half Marathon. My sister came with her friends from DC. It's been pretty in Moab and Arches. But MAN, that canyon was cold waiting for the starting gun. They make you give up your sweat clothes an hour before the race so they can bus them down the canyon ahead of you. We met runners from New Jersey who had run the Marine Marathon in DC, and who had just come from a half marathon in Las Vegas the weekend before. I love half-marathon tourism. I'm game for that myself. I ran really slowly, staying with my sister for the first 6 miles (she paces at about a 12 minute mile, it's painful, but I only see her once or twice a year). The skin drum earth women were fewer this year than in years past. I don't blame them, they moved the date up a week and the temperature of the race day dropped at least 20 degrees. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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4 miles at a 9 minute pace
Man, that time change a month early is kicking my butt. I am TIRED. Amanda is bummed that she couldn't do Moab with me. So I told her to pick a half marathon this Spring, any half marathon and I'd do it with her. I suggested running the Bear Lake Half or Full Marathon on June 12 and we could go stay at my uncle's house. It would be great, his view of the lake from the house is breathtaking. But she chose the Ogden Half on May 17th. Her 28th birthday. So we'll be setting up a training schedule for that. Just as soon as I can catch up on my sleep. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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We're going to do Ogden Half Marathon on May 17th. I wrote up a little training schedule, and I will run Amanda the full 13.1 before the race so she feels confident she can do it. I'm excited for her, she's never run more than 9 miles before. She'll be great. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| Amanda and Derek are moving. He's applying to Virginia Tech and other schools in Virginia. I'm so sad. I'm going to lose another running partner. Amanda is so constant and faithful. It won't be until Summer, but I'm sad already. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| Amanda is getting so fast. I am having a hard time keeping up. I got a cold this week and it's turned to bronchitis. I have had a had time... |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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6 miles-- 8:45 pace
We saw those two owls today. The ones I saw the day my father died, and the ones I've never seen since. I stopped running and watched them fly over the trail. It was breathtaking. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| This is our first training run up the canyon. It's just starting to get light enough in the morning to go early. I can beat Amanda on the miles, becasue going far is easy for me, but she goes so fast. She's going to kick my but in Ogden, I can feel it. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| I've had an out of town visitor for business this week. I've kept up my mileage, but it's been hard, because I've had to be out of the house and up to Salt Lake by 9:00. It' hard to try and look professional and clean when I've only got 15 mintues to shower and get out the door. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| I'm so grateful for this warmer weather. It's still so chilly, but at least the trail is clear! That was a tough winter.... |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
| Amanda is running like a champ. We were up the canyon and she said, do you mind if I just take off, I just want to run as fast as I can. I'm still recovering from the bronchitis and going soo slowly. So she took off, she has such a pretty gait. I met her at the mouth of the canyon and she said she petered out by mile 11 and almost had to walk that last mile. IT's true, I'm slow, but sure and my pace is steady. None of that fast running business for me. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| I really don't know how to train for a half, so we just decided to do what you do for a marathon and taper the week before. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 13.10 | 0.00 | 13.10 |
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13.1 miles in 2:05
Today was the Ogden Half Marathon. We trained so well and I blew it on race day. We averaged 8:40 pace most runs leading up the race. We even did 3 long runs (14, 12, & 10) before the race, up hill. Race day was spectacular. The sky was clear and it was perfect running weather. At 4 miles, Amanda was pacing at 8:30, and I started to get sick. I patted her on the back and encouraged her to go on. Then I threw up, and then I had to stop 4 times to use the porta-johns. Food poisoning (I found out later...). Why am I always in the porta-johns? Geeze. But the course is spectacular, downhill most of the way along the resevoir and river. I would like to go the full marathon next year just to have more scenery. Amanda finished in 1:53 and I came limping in at 2:05. We came back to see the first marathon finishers who started coming in at 2:24. Sasha crossed the finish somewhere around 2:34. We cheered him at the finish line, but he was too delirious to remember who we were (plus all those days he passes us on the trail going the speed of light). |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
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3- Miles
After the race Amanda says, I'll see you Monday morning. To which I replied, let's talk about that tommorrow. I suspected she'd be stiff. But Sunday came and she wanted to run 3 on monday. So there we were 6:20 a.m. on a still, perfect, spring morning. We were the only ones on the trail but Sasha. He looked sore, but still running fast as always. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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4 miles
We ran so slow. I enjoyed every second of it. Amanda said she was exausted. I reminded her that I thought resting post race was a good idea. We'll see if she wants to run tommorrow. I think we both want to run together as many days as we can before they move. Then we'll be down to just long Saturday runs together. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| 4 miles 8:40 pace.
Wow, today was windy. Trees and branches blown all over the trail. It was like an obstacle course. Good for resistance training right? I love the added challenge of weather or running on packed ice. Anyone can run on a nice day. Only a few weeks left to run with Amanda. I assume she'll be taking Derek's Garmin with her when she goes.... Until I ran with her, I never paced myself or knew exactly how far I ran. I'd gauge my run on time. Do I need a Garmin? Hmm. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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8:37 pace
Maybe it's just me, but 45 degrees and no wind is PERFECT running weather. I could run like this forever. I wish I had four extra hours and a marathon to run today. The air is cool enough, but allows your lungs to use the oxygen it delivers. I love the solitude of winter running, but man it's hard to get a good breath in sub 25 weather. So, now I'm starting to look for other women who run the trail at the same time I do. I find my self calculating their speed and overall sturdiness. I start wondering if they are a 2-3 miler "I'm trying to keep my weight down even when I don't eat actual food" or a consistent (even in the dead of winter) 4-6 daily and 12-23 on Saturday’s "give me a freaking steak" kind of girl. Maybe I should wear a "Runner for Rent" sign advertising "easy 9 minute miles and able to go the distance." Pretty soon Catherine will come out of post-baby fog ready to rock-n-roll. But for the next few weeks, I may be blogging a lot about how I can't figure out how to use the Garmin. (Note for Sarah: At least that nagging little beep will keep me company!). | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.50 | 0.00 | 4.50 |
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9:10 pace
A number of things went very wrong for me yesterday late into the afternoon.....embarrassing and horrible things that I did in a state of exhaustion that I will not mention here and hope to never be reminded of. So sleeping was not restful. I haven’t run a Friday in a long while (usually resting/stretching/cross training before a long Saturday run). But I'm sort of in between gigs right now and needed to cleanse my palette from yesterday with a dose of running outdoors in perfect weather. It was my goal to search for the 1/4 mile markers that Sasha told me about (in reference to the question: Should I get a Garmin? To which he replied that I do not because there are markers on the trail at every 1/4 mile). ANYWAY, it was kind of him to believe that one could count in 4's, add, and then divide whilst running. I am committed to the beauty of running distance which for me is: allowing my mind and eyes wander. Looking for the "magic triangles" (as Sasha put it) every quarter mile, made me dizzy. Anyway, I'm sure I'll be fine up to 6 miles without a Garmin for a while. It's those longer runs later in the summer when I really can't tell the difference between 17 and 20. I forget how to add and divide somwhere around mile 12. Who am I kidding? I can't add o divide right ever. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 14.00 | 0.00 | 14.00 |
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The real reason I had to start blogging is because no one believes the crazy stuff that happens to me while I'm running. It was a fantastic morning, easy beautiful countryside running. At mile 11 in the middle of cow and horse country, sitting in the middle of the trail was a small, blue parakeet. The kind people keep as pets in cages. I yelled at the dogs to keep away, and bent down to look at it. It looked lethargic. I picked it up every so gently, and then it bit me, twice on the thumb with its razor sharp little beak. In surprise, I sort of dropped/threw the bird, which flew right into the mouth of my golden retriever, who ran off down the trail with white wing tips hanging out of either side of her mouth. I ran after her, yelling for to let go of the bird, when I noticed my thumb was bleeding in rivulets down my arm. Panic stricken (and daughter of a health inspector) I remembered how birds, next to insects, are the largest carriers of the kind of crazy microorganisms and bacterium that spread into deadly epidemics such as the Spanish Flu that killed 20 million people in 1918. So I start down the riverbank in an effort to plunge my hand into the water and wash away the epidemic I'm about to start because of my carelessness. As I'm inching my way down the bank, I step right onto a snake, which is making a noise like a rattlesnake. From that very spot in the middle of the riverbank, I DIVE into the river--clothes, shoes and all. It was a shockingly cold. Still panic stricken, I'm not sure if I should make my way back to the bank, I feel hypothermia becoming a very real possibility and make it back to the trail dripping and sloshing the all the way back home. D+@#! parakeet. If that was your parakeet, I'm very sorry.
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.70 | 0.00 | 6.70 |
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Running in the warm rain was delicious. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.50 | 0.00 | 4.50 |
| No more time for delicious, meandering runs, and savage parakeets. Time to plow through the week. Tired running today. I think it was all that hiking I did over the weekend ( I will not admit that it was that roasted side of beef and the entire strawberry pie. Oh no, that had nothing to do with it.) |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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The weather is spectacular, again. It was nice to run with Amanda; Someone to protect me from rattlesnakes and wandering parakeets.... We ran slowly because she's been on vacation. She kept appologizing. I kept telling her it was ok (I made no mention of the cow I ate on Memorial Day or all those 10 minute miles I relished in her absence). She's doing Ragnar! I feel like her mommy, so proud of her amazing performance in Ogden, and cheering her on for more. We all run for different reasons. But she actually has it in her to be a contender, and she's either quiet about it or she's unsure of her potential. She ran with me while I prepared for the Moab Half, and the day we ran 10/12, she said "That is the most I've ever run since high school." But when she's in her 30's and finishing her races in the top 5, I expect that I'll be saying "I used to run with her!" I keep telling her I expect her to be doing marathons by next year. She's not convinced. Maybe after Ragnar. Oh Amanda, why do all my friends have to move away to the East Coast? I guess I should actually try to qualify for Boston this year. I need some other/new excuses to be East of here (or as I like to call it, "East of Eden"). |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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We ran fast today. Obviously to make up for our meandering yesterday. (Just between you and me, internet blogging diary, I like it better when Amanda's not on her game. I'm feeling older in equal proportion to her getting faster). I think when I'm on my own in the weeks to come; I'm going to throw in some tempo runs. I've been reading Josse's blog about running injury free (scraping, rolling pins, massage, etc.) and it's inspired me to push a little harder. I can do it. My Springville friend Marisa asked me about the Riverwoods 10 miler. I started gushing about the fabulous breakfast they serve at the finish. But then she asked me if I'd RUN it with her. Run it? Geeze Marisa what do you want from me? She says no pressure, just asking. But who, I ask you WHO, can resist a 10 mile DOWNHILL A.M. run along the river, followed by fruit, pancakes and power water? I'm there. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
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I'm going to rest and stretch today. I may walk later in the afternoon with the kids. It's their last day of school, they'll need to decompress. I'd like a nice long run tommorrow like I had last Saturday. I never rested last week before that long run, and was little tired and sore because of it. So I'll take a breather today. Why is 'resting' so hard? When I drive around town and see people running, it makes me want to jump out of my moving car and run with them. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.50 | 0.00 | 8.50 |
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I'm going to start doing 6 on weekdays (no Fridays off), and less (8-10 only) on Saturdays for about a month before I start having to wrack up the miles for St. George. Since I usually have more time on Saturday's I like to run long. But I'll try doing more every day to see how that work (If it feels good, I may even get to that 8 every day stage). One of my friends from California runs 10 every day, and that's all she ever does (except a few weeks before a marathon and she adds a few long runs). I'll see if going 6, five days a week instead of 5, four days a week, and then not going so far on the weekends will help me help me 'stay fresh'. I brought out the Mizuno's I stopped wearing last summer for a change of shoe. Fresh blood leaking through the mesh by mile 5 reminded me how these particular shoes turn my toenails into razorblades (I forgot what the big brown stain was). It was a gorgeous, dewy morning. I hate to curse it by saying how perfect the weather has been. Now I have the rest of the day to figure out what I'm going to say in my graduation speech! Wish me luck. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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I paced 8.30 minutes a miles. I've decided that running 3-4 miles is like living in the torture zone. You really don't hit your stride until 4 miles. Today felt great, but it was hot and windless. Today was the first premonition of summer.
1. My favoirte fluted reed grass is now a foot tall (at mile 1 1/4 on the trail).
2. The turtle is laying her eggs by the bird reserve.
3. The clouds of mosquitos make a demonic high pitched hum that is frightening.
3. The sun is above the mountains by 6:40.
4. The lake is the kind of mirrored glass that can only be acheived on windless summer mornings.
Happy Monday! |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| Neither Amanda or I got to bed before midnight, so today was a struggle. But we still managed to run hard. She's not game for the 6 miles a day. Her relay legs will only be 3 and 5. So five is her limit. So I'll go back to six a day in a few more days or I'll just let her get off the trail and do that one extra. We'll see. Thankfully today was cooler. Man, yesterday was a killer (I went 10 mintues later than usual--what a difference 10 mintues makes when the sun is up). |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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I have run on my own most of my life, but in the last few years I have found great friendship and therapy in my running friends. I am enjoying the last few morning runs with Amanda and I will be sad when she's moved away. Regular friendships are just not as durable, flexible, single minded, reliable, punctual, and consistant as a running good partnership. She pointed out a mutual friend in our neighborhood who might be looking for a training parnter (also training for St. George). I actually enjoy being on my own more than I enjoy running with others, generally. But this will be sad for me to give up Amanda who could run with me in the dead of winter, on packed ice, in pitch blackness--without a word of complaint or a single excuse. It's that kind of toughness that wins my respect, and is so hard to find in a friend. So I'm giving up my goal this week of doing extra mileage in exchange for that last bit of 'road therapy.' It rained lightly today. The air was heavy with moisture, and everything was green and fragrant. It was truly a gift to be outside this morning. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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I wondered why in the blog template, they make you log your sleep hours. But I can definitely see a pattern. Under 8 hours makes for harder running. Plus it was windy today. Running in the wind is like swimming against a rip-tide. Those little back birds that usually fly together as a single fast-moving black cloud, were scattered all over the sky. They were diving and twirling over the pastures, practicing their maneuvers in the wind. My roses will never bloom in this cold. Monday was so hot I wasn't sure how I'd get through the week, and today it must be 40 degrees. Who's in charge of all this weather business? I want to talk to whoever is in charge. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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If someone handed me two million dollars today to buy a whole new house, I still don't think I'd move. I would rather have more surgery, than to have to pack or carry furniture right now. I'll help Amanda do it. But when I have to do it again, I think I'll just walk out the door with a suitcase and sell everything left behind. We did 4 today in favor of doing less miles (instead of none) before a longer run tommorrow. I won't go more than 10 tommorrow. I'm actually looking forward to doing the 6 every day next week to see if I hold up 'fresh' for the weekend. At least the weather is fine. I'm glad I could get that all that straighted out for the weekend. Happy Friday!! |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.50 | 0.00 | 8.50 |
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Ok, give me a break. I "slept" in a tent with 6 kids under the age of 10 last night. I know! Last night! Remember all that wind and rain that woke you up at 3:00 a.m.? Well I was sleeping outside in it. By 8:00 p.m. last night I pleaded with them "Why tonight" I asked. "It's going to be windy and it may rain." "But Mommy, you promised!" they cried at me. "You promised that when school was out we could have a sleep over with --with every kid on our block--in the tent in the back yard." I hate that. I always keep my promises. I hate it even worse that I am so paranoid I can't just let them sleep by themselves out there. Even worse, I hate that what that means to me is running eight-and-a-half miles he next morning with sciatica. The good part was, the morning was post rain-fresh (and by morning, I mean 9:30 a.m.---I kinda missed my mark with the rain and all). But the birds with the yellow head, and the black birds with the red diagonal stripe across the tops of their wings were out in record numbers. I practically crawled today, but it was luscious all the same. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.20 | 0.00 | 5.20 |
| I had to get up at 3:00 a.m. this morning to help direct a golf tournament at the Country Club in Salt Lake--needless to say, I couldn't get out to run until the afternoon. Today was the 20th anniversary a Charity Golf Classic that I have helped direct for 17 of those 20 years. As I was winding down the day, running into the golden sun, in the pregnant heat of this late Spring afternoon, I realized how really selfish I am. I hate running in the afternoon-- it's like eating mushy, tasteless leftovers. Running in the morning is a gift to yourself, a most narcissitic, delicious gift. Morning runs tap into your freshest energy, during the cleanest, most beautiful time of day. You get to be alone with, and organize your thoughts. Every day a fresh start. By the afternoon you've given all the goods away. I still averaged 4 at 8:40, so I treated myself to a 10 minute cool down mile and picked up the kids for the last bit. What's for dinner you ask? Hmmm, let me think. Leftovers anyone? | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.35 | 0.00 | 6.35 |
| The word of the day is fragrant. Wow, eveything smelled so good this morning. There is still cotton from the cottonwoods floating in the air. These are the most lovely mornings. Before this blog I never had anywhere to write how much I love being outside. It's my own little "I Sing the Body Electric" / "Walden". What's weird is that I never talk to people about running ever. This blog is the first time I have ever recorded this sacred little time I have each day to myself. It's the most important time for me, and yet is the least consequential of my day--and so soon forgotten once I'm back. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.35 | 0.00 | 6.35 |
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It's just not Spring in Utah without micro-burst winds blowing down trees by June 10th. Am I right? It makes the trail after a windy night much more interesting. I was tired today, but at least I got enough sleep. I don't know how ready I am for Riverwoods on Saturday-- I definitely don't feel fresh. It's been a long week already. I promised I'd try to run fast. But then I was thinking I would be running with a friend and was going to tone it down for her sake. She asked me to run it with her, saying "I just can't commit to the Marathon yet. I'd love to run the Riverwoods with you. It would give me someone to start the race with." So I was thinking, "OK, it's a fun downhill. I haven't seen Marisa in a long time, we have a lot to chat about. I can stand 10 mintue miles and a few pancakes for her sake." Then yesterday, I looked up her time in Moab just to see HOW SLOW she might be running. The girl's been running 7:00 minute miles recently. So when she said "I'd like to start the race with someone" she meant--- "Hey old, fat grandma. I'd like to leave you at the starting line, run 10 miles with beautiful form, speed , and ease, where I will then wait 25 minutes more for you at the end so I can throw a pancake with syrup in your face while you're crossing the finish line." Don't play cute with me Marisa. Game on. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.20 | 0.00 | 4.20 |
| All I can say is "mach 5" baby. I've been watching RoadRunner cartoons and meditating on images of locomotives. I ran 4 miles in 10 minutes, and then I did 700 one armed push ups. I got your number Marisa... | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
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I don't know if a 10 mile run requires a 'tapering' but I did anyway. Four yesterday and three today. I found a whole, uncracked robbin egg on the trail blown out of a tree and ran a mile and a half back carrying it in my hand so I could show it to my daughter. When I got back from my run, this is what I saw: Ingrid Bergman, Pot O'Gold, Fire and Ice, Peace, Fragrant Cloud and Queen Elizabeth. Their gorgeous faces opening brighly in the sun. The Sweet William, Salvia, Lavandar blooming underneath their royalty. It was a symphony of color. It only happens once a year for a few days. I guess it's a stop and smell the roses kind of day. But before you get any ideas Marisa...just because Granny stops to look at the flowers in the garden, doesn't mean you're not goin' down tommorrow. | |
| | Race: |
Riverwoods (10 Miles) 01:24:41, Place overall: 134, Place in age division: 6 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
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1:14 vs. 1:24-- Out of modesty I won't say whose time is whose, but let's just say it wasn't me who came in 10th place. At mile 5 I had to stop to stretch my sacrum/coccyx/Achilles tri-bi-quadriceps patella, and at mile 8 I had to make a VPB stop. You know, I am so glad to read all the local elite blogs. You guys are amazing. I see you running every day-- you pass me a like a heard of gazelle each and every morning. But reading about all that dryheave/puking/cessation of menstruation/diarrhea makes me KNOW that I am way too nice to myself to push faster than an 8:00 minute mile. And I think I'm at peace with that. Besides, as long as I keep running you guys have someone to beat and lord your superiority over. See? We each play our role in the race of life. Today was FANTASTIC. Cold at the beginning, but all the stream meandering and mountain greenery was refreshing. I had a great run. I feel fantastic and finished strong. Can you tell I'm still enjoying the post run endorphines? P.S. Marisa-- I love that his name was Taco. WORD UP for fueling your run on 38 years of craZie mom-- it makes for great running apparently. You're awesome. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.20 | 0.00 | 4.20 |
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Monday Morning...A Screenplay by Luz
Brain: Oh, look it's a beautiful day.
Body: Go back to bed.
Brain: Come on, you love going outside.
Body: My hamstrings hurt. I'm tired.
Brain: But running is fun!
Body: You can say that because you're not doing the running.
Brain: Wasn't Saturday great? Admit it, it was great.
Body: You never appreciate anything I do for you.
Brain: That is not true. But if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't go anywhere.
ME: Shut up the both of you or we're going back to teaching Yoga.
Body: Oh, I love Yoga.
Brain: I hate Yoga.
Me: Then SHUT UP both of you and by the end of this run you'd better be nice to each other.
2.5 miles later....
Body: Are we there yet?
Brain: This is fun!
TO BE CONTINUED.... | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.35 | 0.00 | 6.35 |
| Ok, I have read several blogs and communicated with several bloggers on the topic of finding that elusive balance between reaping the benefit of higher week-day mileage (6-8 mi)/cutting long run distances, while staying injury free. Lybi and Shauna and Maria have all commented on it. I'd love a discussion/experiment among those of us trying Sasha's advice to to achieve higher weekday mileage/shorter long runs while training for our events. Also, this morning's question is: on days after a race, or long run and you can feel your body is going to break down in some way if pushed too far-- is it better to cut your mileage and try to maintain speed, or is it better to maintain your mileage at a slower pace. Also, Sasha you laughed at me last year when I told you I was using Hal Higdon's marathon racing guide-- have you ever mapped one out for us 7,8,9 mintue-mile runners? I mapped one out on an excel spreadsheet last year for St. George and Ogden, but now the weekly mileage allocations seem inconsistent as I'm trying to acheive more consistent mileage (I hope by the middle of July I'm doing 6x5 plus Sat. long run). Suggestions, schedules, directions to formerly blogged discussions is appreciated. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.35 | 0.00 | 6.35 |
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Without Amanda around, I've been sleeping to the indulgent hour of 6:15 a.m.-- everyone is away at basketball and summer camp this week-- no reason to stay up late or get up early I guess. So, to all those parents of barfy, feaverish, middleofthenight waking children-- I'm on a tiny stay-at-home vacation at the moment and have an ounce of energy to give you my deepest sympathy I was out the door only 20 minutes before sunrise, and had to endure 3/4 of a mile in direct sunlight. I'm a baby, so it's time to get out the door earlier. A cheer for all those Arizona runners! I do not want to know how much water or how early one must run to have a comfortable summer run in Pheonix. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| It was a great pleasure to run with Sasha and Daniel (who did not speak one word by the way!) AND Sarah! this morning. When Sasha says "hey we don 't always run that fast, you should come with us a few miles so you can get over that mental block" what he means is "we'll track and pace you from behind, catch up and then shame you into running an 8:00 minute mile with us." But I did it and it didn't kill me.(And then I ran 6 others at 9:00+....) Here's what Sasha taught me today: quicker, more powerful foot strikes (angry or hot pavement movements), more relax in the air, faster, tighter arms. I do need better physical economy if I want to run further or faster. So it's something to think about while I'm running. Also, he suggested going all out for 1/16 between triangles at least 5 times during my run, or trying to get an 8:00 minute mile into the run. Those were great suggestions for me. Muchisimas Gracias!--- Sarah!!!Finally we meet. You are something else. Come knock on my gate anytime you feel like a good 10-12 minute mile or want to eat Ice Cream (even without the cashews). I have no doubt that when you are not 5 months along, you will kick by butt. I have to tell you though, I wore my "pack-mule" Pearl-Izumi shorts so I could carry my phone/mace/chapstick with me--and around the time Sasha was catching up to me from behind-- I was realizing that the shorts were missing their drawstring. Let's hear it for my pants not falling off while I was pushing an 8:00 minute mile! Yay! Thanks you guys....Really, that was awesome for me. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 0.00 | 9.00 |
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First, condolences to all the Ragnar/Wasatch Back widows and widowers....Word up to my friends at KSL, Derek and Amanda, and Sasha and his group. May the force be with you all. Enjoy.
Today thought a lot about my foot strike and arm posture as I ran. I did (6) 1/16ths as fast as I could in the first 6 miles (one for every mile). But I always felt like I was slowing down too much afterwards to recover-- it was kind of like when you save $10.00 at store, and then go spend $20.00 on something stupid. But I will give myself two weeks to see if I can, not only do my 1/16th's, but also maintain regular speed in between. Then I'll be getting somewhere. Sarah met me about 5 1/2 miles into my run and gave me a chance to chit-chat about the blog and about running in general. That girl is tough. I like her. I was musing about how I can not believe anyone can do a 6 minute mile. She told me that the fast runners she's asked have said --besides discipline and commitment--that they just like to go fast. It was a huge relief for me, to believe that they LIKE to go fast! Oh, it's not all masochism and pain-- they LIKE it! Well, I really like 9:00 minute miles. I guess that's why I keep doing them. But I'm going to start liking 8:00 minute miles by October. That will be a good accomplishement for me. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 0.00 | 9.00 |
| Happy Summer Solstice! This is my first week to hit 40+ miles so far this year. I'm feeling so much stronger than I did earlier in the year (surgery in Decmeber really socked it to me). I'd like to keep this up throughout the summer if my body will accept it. But man, these 7-9 mile days have made me sleepy. I had a big week: the Riverwoods 10 miler (I came in 6th in my division, by the way), my first lame attempts at 'speed training,' plus pushing that 40 miles this week. For me, those were some milestones. The swimming for Ironman was going on down at the lake today, and by the time I was headed back, I was being passed by bikers. It's going to be a HOT day today. I'm glad not to be running Ragnar today. My running is through for this weekend. Is 9:08 a.m. too early for a nap? | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.35 | 0.00 | 6.35 |
| I had to trick myself into running today. I could not pull it together before 7:00. Mondays are hard for me. Last night the thunder and lightening drew a heard of children into my bed (and these are not small children mind you). I laid in bed and told myself that I'd go 'just 4'. I passed Sarah who was just finishing as I was just starting. Then, once I was out and running, I said, I'll just see how I feel about 5, then 6. I also told myself I'd just do the best I could. But then I started eyeing those little triangles at every 1/16th and I told myself, I'll just push a few. Then I started pushing every other one -- only just a little faster than my regular pace so I wouldn't have to slow down so signficantly to recover. So I paced 6 miles at about 8:40. NOW, I'm ready for the week. Bring it on. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.20 | 0.00 | 8.20 |
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How about that sweating today? It's like running on the East coast almost. I can never whip up rivulets of sweat here in Utah. But my body-o-baromoter is saying low pressure and high moisture. Today is the day I break down and buy a Garmin. I know it's not such a big deal to not know the difference between eight and nine miles-- but I would like to be able to time splits without breaking my brain. I can't add, muliply and divide when I run. I can't do it when I don't run. I pushed two fast miles, and 6 1/16ths (so 3 fast miles all together) and the best I can come up with is an 8:40 average (this includes 2 stops... I always have to factor in stops). Playing with the 1/16ths has been entertaining. I'm not a numbers person, but it would be fun to play around with times/speed/distance on occasion-- see if I can knit all the smaller fast pieces together into a longer, faster run. The Garmin will come in handy especially since I'll be doing long Saturday runs again with Catherine. I'll run 6 before I meet up with her, and we'll hopefully do 3 or 4 together. But I have to confess....I feel like an enabler, running with her so soon after the birth of her baby. Is it healthy? I keep telling myself she's nearly half my age and strong so she'll be ok--plus she NEEDS this because she just quit her job at the BYU law school to stay at home....
Saw Sasha & Company counting out and pacing Michelle (?) this morning-- man those guys work so hard and go so fast. I wish you all could see them. It's inspiring. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
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Matthew 5:30 If thy left hand (the one wearing the Garmin) offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee. For it is profitable that one of thy members should perish and not that the whole body should be cast into Hell.
Could anything squelch the love of running MORE than a Garmin? Who knew I actually run a 12:00 minute pace so frequently during a run--even if the average time is 9:00 m/m. I ran anywhere from 8:00 to 12:15 m/m. Wearing a Garmin is exactly like carrying a bathroom scale to the fourth of July and forcing yourself to weigh in right after the bar-b-que.
So aside from the creeping knowledge of my schizophrenic speed patterns, I will grow to respect the Garmin. But for today, we are not friends. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.35 | 0.00 | 6.35 |
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I couldn't run until the horrible heat of the day (it's 95 degrees and hot sun). In addition, I enjoyed the wonderful company of (dragged along) my two children on bicycles who would rather be playing with friends. I drank a lot of water, and in the end, the kids were glad they came. They enjoyed learning about the Garmin too (which I got to function better to my liking). Thanks to all for the very excellent suggestion. I may set the laps for .25 or .50 in the future, but for now I'm measuring mile splits and trivia:
8:32 Hot sun let's get this over with fast.
8:20 Shady, I am still fresh, let's run a little harder.
9:10 Bright direct sunlight to the end of the road (95 degrees + hot pavement and no shade).
9:08 Bright direct sunlight back up the road (95 degrees + hot pavement and no shade).
9:40 Shady, I am dehydrated now.
9:24 Let's finish this up , I'm sick of this heat.
57:32 minutes/9:04 average/6.35 miles/586 calories
I do not want to run that Ultra in Death Valley next month (134 miles?). You know near Baker? That place with the 'World's Largest Thermometer,' 'Bun Boy' and the 'Crazy Greek'? You know! That place near the valley floor where that giant thermometer gets up to 137 around 4-5:00 in the afternoon's in August? THAT's the place. I'm not going to do that. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 9.37 | 0.00 | 9.37 |
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It was a beautiful, serene morning on the trail. I got up early enough the sun was still behind the mountain a good long while. Summer takes on this sort of self-satisfaction, like a women 7 months pregnant. Full of life, and tranquil about her place in the cycle of life. Speaking of self-satisfied pregnancies....Tommorrow I'll be running with Catherine for the first time since SHE DITCHED ME to have a baby! Can you believe? (sweet,beautiful baby girl born April). Also I asked Sarah to run a few miles with me today (she's 5 months along). She's concerned about her slowness... I was excited about a few 12:00's (which right now feels kin to eating an ice cream cone), but that girl, with the cutest round tummy ever, pushed me for four miles at a 10:00 minute pace. It was fun to pass those 4 miles together. Have a great day Sarah!
P.S. I love having 'permission' to not take friday's off anymore. In fact, I love running 6 days a week, and I'm enjoying doing 6 or more miles every day. That must be the weirdest, most obessive thing I have ever said. But I thought I was doing myself a favor going less days, less miles. I'm over the initial tiredness of the new mileage, and feeling better about my overall abilities. I'm sure it will go in cycles, but two weeks in, I feel great.
8:52/8:34/8:28/8:12/8:45 on my own and 10:45/10:52/10:46/10:22 with Sarah (9:02 miles back home w/o Sarah).
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.38 | 0.00 | 12.38 |
| I parked 3 miles from where I was meeting Catherine so I could warm up before we met on her end of the trail. I got in 3.5 before we met.. Then I knew I'd have 3 or more in case she could only hack a few miles. She's just been given 'medical' clearance to run (2 months post baby). But I still feel like an enabler. I made myself feel a little better by talking with her sternly about taking a good absorbable calcium, drinking huge quantities of water, and getting enough sleep. She's one of those obsessive over-acheivers and needs to chill if she wants to balance both nursing and running. I think I've persuaded her to blog here so other post-partum running moms can give her tips about how to stay strong and encourage her to get sleep (which I know is impossible with a little baby). Geez, can you tell I feel guilty taking her out running? It's not my fault! She wanted to! I wanted to take her maybe 4, but no, she said "I feel ok, let's do 6!" Who can resist an offer like that I ask you! I keep trying to remnd myself that, she's half my age, and an accomplished athelte. There are lots of marathoners and tri-atheletes out there right now running at 8 months pregnant--this is Utah after all isn't it? We are obsessive pioneer stock with no more plains to cross. We WANT to run, we NEED to run. I just don't want her hobbeling up to me when she's 80 complaining about her osteoperosis and her icky dentures (cause her teeth fell out due to lack of bone density lost to nursing while running). I guess I saw a lot of that in South America and it still kind of haunts me. Anywho....Sasha was way up on that end of the trail, running hard and fast. He has a way of running that you can tell it's him from about a mile a way. He probably didn't drive all the way across the valley to get that far up the canyon like I did. Whenever I feel like a hero for doing a long run on a Saturday, I have to remind myself that serious runners do that many miles every single day. If I'm headed toward an Ultra next year sometime, I will too eventually. We'll see how it goes up to St. Geroge. 50 miles this week -- it doesn't feel any different than 40 from the week before. I'd like to keep this up to see if my body likes doing this over time. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.14 | 5.00 | 9.14 |
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8:40,8:48,8:39,8:11,8:17,8:36,8:37,8:40,8:38,9:13
Monday is always hard to get going. I told myself that if I tried hard for 8 miles, I'd treat myself to an 'ice cream' cool down mile. Meaning, run hard for 8 then go as slow as I want for a whole mile, enjoy the sounds and smells of the trail, and contemplate the morning. I was running headlong into my ice-cream mile at the end of 8, when Sasha and partner came by and invited me to join them---I really wanted to! I need to be more mentally flexible so I can be ready to run fast, even after 8 miles. It could only help me. It would have been great to be paced into a couple more 8:00 minute miles. I should have just turned around and bravely taken up the challenge. But I was heading toward my hard earned reward, and that last mile was delicious. I relished all those cool pockets of air that hover near the river, smelled all the honeysuckle and horseshoe chestnut blossoms in the air, and began greeting every passerby. I don't know why I suffer the disparity between 9:13 and 8:11 so much. I hope to make 8:13 feel like 9:13 eventually. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.50 | 4.00 | 10.50 |
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I used to fall asleep by 10:00 dead tired. But since I've been doing this 8 mile a day thing, I actually have more energy and ready to go in the morning. It seems wrong. But true. I think running 4-6 miles a day is like trying to swim in the surf, you're constanty fighting the waves and so you never get comfortable. Running eight is like swimming past the surf into the still water where you can find your stride and a little peace. So I ran a warm up mile, ran into Sasha and Jeff and did a couple of faster miles-- they let me set the pace sort of, so it was comfortable running (8:20-8:40 ish). Sasha did pace me through a couple of spots and announced that I could have run a 7:50 mile. I'd like to believe that I could have kept that up a bit longer. It was chit-chat running, and and so fun, but I could have pushed faster too. I ran back with them to pick up Sarah. We ran about 4.5 together talking the whole way. The miles literally slide by when we run together. It's been so fun, to both try to run faster, and find friends on the trail. It's been a nice summer that way.
In the PM ran 2 miles with my 9 year old son. He was mad at first and ran a 14 minute mile with flailing arms, dramatically panting like a dog. When he realized it would go faster if he concentrated, he whipped out a 9.5 minute mile and put me to absolute shame on the last 200 meters (I'll race you to the end!). I had no idea he could run that fast. Seriously.
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.23 | 5.00 | 8.23 |
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"Just start out fast, keep running fast, and finish fast....that's all." This is recent advice given to me regarding a potential racing strategy. OK, sure, run really, really fast! Simple. So I went all out from the beginning just to see what would happen. I'm a slow starter and like to believe that I'm saving my energy for the finish (which typically feels good to me). But ok, I'm trying new things recently. So, I started fast and tried to keep it fast for a while. I'm happy to report....that IT ALMOST KILLED ME. I have not found the profound silence of the 'third eye' since Yoga/meditation was a bigger part of my life. I had to go there alot to get these splits. In fact, I didn't know I could find it running. Surprize!
8:23,8:26,8:26,8:06,8:24,9:02 and here's where I found Sarah on the trail 11:31, 11:02 Thank goodness for Sarah... | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 4.11 | 4.11 |
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I ran easy in preparation for the Freedom Run tommorrow. I am pleased that my easy stride has gone from 9:13 to 8:36 m/m. You know, I've been using the trail since 1991. It used to be dirt. I was so excited when they started grading it for pavement back in 2000. But the pavement brought a lot of people and bicycles. I'm glad for the a.m. regulars with whom I have developed a sort of relationship-- the two old guys who walk their beagle, the 50-something shy lady who looks like my 7th grade gym teacher and who is out there EVERY day, the four lady walkers, and all the neighborhood runners. Perhaps the river trail feels too much like part of my own back yard and so I have opinions about who should be there prior to 7:00 a.m. -- But I have to say how much I hate the bicyclers on our end of the trail--There is no path dedicated to them like on the East half of the trail and therefore I think they have no right to go tour-de-france on our end. I particularly resent the attitude of the retried couple in matching yellow neon jackets. Just because you're retired, doesn't mean we owe you the whole road. There, I said it. | |
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Freedom Run (6.21 Miles) 00:51:48, Place overall: 327, Place in age division: 8 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.15 | 6.21 | 11.36 |
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Happy Fourth of July! Today's race was, well...not my smartest race and really self-revealing. Do you want the good news or the bad news first? Ok, the bad news. I ran as fast and as hard as I could and my average pace was still just about 8:30. I started out fast--and just as I was afraid I'd do, I lost my mojo by mile 4 and had to stop a good minute (or three) to drink and catch my breath and stretch. This is the good news: I ran the first four miles like a champion! 8:05/7:26/7:46/8:25. But the success of those miles freaked me out, and I choked. I actually told myself it wasn't possible for me to run that fast in a race, and I literally stopped myself from acheiving a major personal milestone. I ran the last two miles easy at 8:36/9:02 (up the 900 East). So the good news is, the speedwork has really paid off-- I've never run below my 8:02 threshold. The bad news, I have leraned that I have very poor mental stamina and endurance. I should have made a pit stop at mile 5 to get that looked at (the mental hospital is strategically located both literally and metaphorically). To make matters worse, Mike Strauss (neighbor/friend) further patronized me by running additional miles (turning around after his own finish) and passed me headed against the running traffic on 900 East, somewhere he turned back around and re-crossed the finish line for the secnd time passing, and finishing just in front of me. I mean, that is sad, I was beat by the same guy, twice, in one race! Anyway, it was so fun to see Melissa Bateman, Shelly Dixon, Camden Miller, Paul Baca, and Mike Strauss it was like a high school/neighborhood running reunion. Also, met Josse--she looked like she was leading the race around mile 5 so I cheered for her loud and also bumped into her at the end. Way to go Josse, you make running at the head of the race look so easy. I saw everybody except Catherine, who I was supposed to meet before the race and never saw even after the finish! I was so mad about my time I ran all the way back home (another 5.15 miles). So even if my time was only average, at least I'll get my miles in this week. So now, I guess I've learned a lot about my own fear of success, and may finally be ready for new mental conditioning. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 1.00 | 9.00 | 10.00 |
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Third week of 50+ miles! The mileage is great. Now I've just got a few other details to work out. Amanda came to run 5 miles with me this morning. It was so great to see her. She told me all about Ragnar/WBR and how much she thought I'd love running those quiet miles out in the middle of nowhere. She and Derek are building another team for a Ragnar Relay out in the DC area in September. I would totally be game for that except it's the month before St. George. I'd really like to qualify for, and run in Boston 2009, so I think I'm going to keep it simple. But I look forward to running maybe the Marine Core Marathon with her or some other fun DC race in the next two years. She noted that I'd become a lot faster since our last run about a month ago. Our average pace this morning was 8:36. That has become pretty average for me in the past month. After she finished her 5, I ran another 5 on my own really thinking things over from yesterday. First, I need to make sure I can hold an 8:30 pace for my long Saturday runs WITH NO STOPPING. Second, I need to concentrate on my improved gait during that long run. I have found that going from 9:13 to 8:36 was a very simple matter of moving my feet quicker and having a more significant push off. I was told to use quick 'hot pavement' steps and that move alone made me faster without significant exertion. I have strong legs and I haven't been putting them to good use until recently. Also, I noticed yesterday, I waste a lot of energy in my shoulders and upper body. I need to let my legs do the work and relax a little up here. Third: I need to develop my own "I Can!" mantra-- one that to fill that space of mental weakness when the going gets tough. I actually know 'I can'. I needed something with a better psychological fit. So in a quiet space, while pushing mile 9 it came to me--it’s “I deserve" and "I am worthy" (to run fast). It's so corny and personal I can hardly believe I am writing this down. So anyway, I repeated these phrases to myself -- I was so tired by then, but I kept repeating them, and when I looked down, I had run a mile in 8:15--easy, like eating ice cream. It was not about punishment, but acceptance and gratitude. Now I've got to keep practicing those thoughts--together with "I can!"-- and then just never stop. Ever. To anyone reading these latest epistles, thank you for your wonderful comments and encouragement. I had no idea how much I could learn from others--of all things from running (because it's not just the running, is it?). It's nice to know you can be 40 and still have a significant, life altering attitude adjustment. Now to sustain it through practice and endurance. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| I slept in two days in a row and so today didn't get my run in until 6:30 in the evening. It's such a beautiful time of the day, but harder to run. The sun is thick and low and makes the air heavy and yellow like honey. There was a gorgeous breeze that made the leaves clap quietly above my head, and kids swimming and laughing in the deep pockets of the river. I was tempted to jump in too after my run. Except then I remembered how that one summer I did that after every run, and then the blond parts of my hair started turning light green. So I stopped doing that so much. I was reminded that week 4 is a recovery week and so I'm going to take that pretty seriously. So today, was about remembering why I love to run. Also, it's time to start ramping up the Saturday runs and trying to do those faster. So for today I'm in love with running again. I'll work hader some other day. Ave. pace 8:49 |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.37 | 0.00 | 6.37 |
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Ave. Pace 8:44. The goal for this week for me is NO STOPPING no matter what. Since I got the Garmin, I've not factored in my stopping time. It stops when I do. Maria was right, it is a psycological barrier. I've got to get past it. When I got out the door today, I could feel it was about 10 degrees cooler than usual. Downright chilly actually. Weird for a July morning, but crisp and clean. The sun is slower in rising now we're past the solstice. The fast runners were out doing their thing. Jeff is so young looking and fresh faced that even leading three other people in a six minute mile, is able to make eye contact, smile, and say Good Morning (in a good, strong voice). I want to kill and hurt others when running an 8 minute mile. I don't know what it's like going any faster than that, but I can't imagine being friendly or concientious while doing it. Then came Sasha, pulling Josse on the end of a rope. She and I smiled at each other while passing, and it was a little bit funny, if not for the intense concentration on Sasha's part to perform this really grueling work out. All I can say is, I'd rather be at the back end of that rope rather than the front. Which is precicely why I couldn't run a 10K in under 50:00 minutes. Those guys are just amazing.
Today is my daughter's birthday. She was born, 11 years ago today at 8:03 in the morning after 54 hours of labor. Happy birthday sweetheart. You just remember who birthed you, that's all I ask. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 3.00 | 6.00 |
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Josse was kind enough to suggest we go for a 10 mile run this morning. I was really excited to try and keep a 8:00 to 8:15 pace sustained for 10 miles with a seasoned, experienced new running friend. It was going to be so fun to get to know her, etc, etc. Then, at 5:45 a.m. right before I was walking out the door, I could not find my keys (we won't mention names here, but lets just say they were in someone's pocket who left for Salt Lake at 5:00 a.m.). Anyway.....I jumped on my mountain bike (I know! That old heavy one I used to ride to work---before I had kids--) and rode 7.5 miles as fast as I could. I showed up 15 minutes late, Josse was gone (by the way--I don't wait either--- so I'm not offended or sad in the very least). But when I got to Will's Pit Stop, I realized I didn't even have a chain for the bike, so I asked the station attendant if he would hide my bike in the back. THEN, I started running toward the canyon. I ran almost three slowish miles (8:40's) into those strong morning canyon winds and around there found Josee running back down the canyon. So I turned around and ran back with her. I was determined to try and do 6 at least, but missed it by a few 10ths. Shoot, can we try that again Josse? That was wholly unsatisfying until those last 2.85 miles (8:31,7:41, 8:01)--then it was too late. Also, I sense about 10 million stories you have to tell me, and I'm ready to hear them.... Anyway, riding home fast on my bike, soaking wet from the run was a little bit CHILLY. When I got back I looked and my Garmin had never stopped. I rode 7.5 miles home and those BIKE miles averaged 5:00 m/m. Isn't what those fast runners do while RUNNING? I couldn't have even ridden my bike in a race against them and won. Man. Anyway, saw Sasha and Jeff finishing their run just as I was getting closer to home. I can't even tell you how un-interested I am in doing a triathalon right now.
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.44 | 6.00 | 10.44 |
| I really, truly intended to keep my mileage under 40 this week. I swear it. Only one more long run this week, I promise.... But who can resist running a few extra miles with company? I ran on my own for about 5 miles with the dogs, and then ran into Jeff and Sasha who invited me for a few more. So I turned around and was going to just go a couple more for fun. But then, completley unprovoked, they offered to sing. Of course, I've read about this in past blogs, and so was naturally curious to hear it for myself. Jeff, sang a completely beautiful rendition --well sustained, well controlled, pitch/diction perfect version of the star spangled banner. We never went faster than 8:36 m/m so I figured that was to Jeff's advantage over the 5:30 m/m songs of past blogs. Sasha sang his rendition as well. But let's just say he's not as pitch perfect as Jeff. Then, they asked me score them. I gave Jeff an 8.5 and Sasha a 6 (at first). I said they each got a base of 3 points just for singing while running, and then I gave Sasha 1 'non-native' bonus point. But he said those points didn't count. So, Sorry Sasha, that leaves you at about a 2. But hey, you sure can run fast, and you program a mean blog! Thanks guys, you made my morning. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.67 | 4.00 | 11.67 |
| I did not sleep very much last night. So I treated Josse to 8 miles of sheer boltushka style running. Josse! Welcome to Luz's world at fatrunningslob.com -- ruining the reputation of elite atheletes since 2008! We ran 4 (9:14/8:52/8:51/8:54) into the canyon wind uphill-ish and 4 back down (8:25/8:25/8:19/8:21). The great news is I've gone 5 days, (6-10 miles at a time) with NO STOPPING and holding steady near or under a BQT pace. Oops, I just forgot we did stop for a drink at mile 6. Darn. I can't resist that cold, fresh artesian water fountain at the mouth of the canyon. Came home and ran a few more miles with Sarah. I'm not sure I can get through my week now without her. It's Friday! TGIF or whatever, I've almost made it. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| I ran the canyon this morning with Catherine and Amanda. The word of the day is gratitude. I am so grateful for these runs. I am so grateful for amazing women to run with. I am so grateful for strength and health. I am so grateful to be outside. I could not have made it through this week without these blessings. Or maybe now the stress of the week is over and I finally got 8 full hours of sleep last night, I'm just high from being well rested. But I am grateful, even for that. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.30 | 0.00 | 5.30 |
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Slow start to the week. This is the third Monday to run the afternoon instead of the morning shift. I've felt the last few weeks that I need extra energy on Monday mornings to attack my week. Besides, those afternoon runs are sumptuous. No fast running because I'm tired, and it's all golden sunlight, floating cotton, and rushing river. I had houseguests from California the past 4 days who asked me the last day they were here, when I ran. I told them I ran every morning before they woke up. In fact, on three of those days, I'd run more than 10 miles before they woke up. For the amount of energy I use to run and then write about it here in this blog, I'm really proud to say that people around me hardley even know I do it. I don't know why this pleases me so much. It's like having having a really important secret that never needs to be divulged and can't be wrecked by the personal agendas or judgement of others. I know running is probably boring to anyone who doesn't do it, so I REVEL in the fact that I have a place to record it, obess about it, love it to its fullest extent, and try to get better at it--without ever having to talk about it to anyone who doesn't care. I feel like I've just made some kind of freudian admission....but anyone who blogs here, must understand a little, right?
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 1.41 | 5.00 | 6.41 |
| I woke with a splitting headache of migrane proportions. It must be all that jaw clenching I do during the night. My goal today was to go out 6 miles, no stopping, and to do it quick--no pickups or 200m's--just quick. Also, I didn't want to look at my watch until the end. I didn't feel particularly fresh, but ended up averageing the 6 miles at 8:29. That's a good pace to aim for if I want to qualify for Boston and add a few strech/bathroom stops. 8:24/8:24/8:20/8:29/8:26/8:46/8:40 So I've been thinking about why it pleased me so much to be able to run and have people around me not know about it. First, the obvious. It's nice to have something deeply personal and satisfying that no one, save God, can take away from you. Second, is the weird addictive nature of running. So I'm addicted to running and I'm pleased that other people don't know about it. Hmmm. I guess it's a step up from all that meth and pornography... | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 4.00 | 10.00 |
| No one is more thrilled than me that Josse's recovery day is a perfect training day for me. Not quite deserving the term tempo run quite yet. But Josse performed her service project for the day by pushing me (whining and wincing) through two fast miles (I'm usually not that big of a baby I swear it, but I'm happy to say that I'm now past the fear of completley coming apart in front of others). That's where the weakness lives and I'm going to conquer it and smooth it over. I can, can,can :) That was for Josse. Thank you!
Even though today felt a little low energy for me, I'm confident to report that my new threshold is 7:19-7:30 as opposed to the 8:02 of just last month. I do want to average 8:15's eventually for long runs, but I'd like to be able to tempo 4 at sub 8:00 before summer's over without over training before St. George.
Ave pace 8:29 (with 3 stops). Whew. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 4.41 | 6.41 |
| My Friend Camden is visiting from Texas and came to run with me today. She's the kind who flys to Utah so she can run WBR, Top of Utah, and other Utah Marathons. But she was only up to 6 miles this morning. I should have put in a few extra miles before she came around, darn. But I have a huge Annual Board Meeting this evening and felt like maybe this could be my recovery week, since trying to reduce my mileage last week didn't work out so well. It doesn't seem like it would be hard to run UNDER 50 miles, but around here it is. We saw Sasha on the trail and I yelled out "Day 1!" meaning -- day one of my pure eating agenda. I'm pretty good about how I eat and feed my kids anyway, but I'm really going to knock it into high gear to see how it affects me. So no refined anything, high impact proteins/legumes (thanks for that suggestion Josse), and maybe a few amino acids. Yummy. Anyone care to comment on diet (high impact, high protien, complex carbs -- real foods) here is welcome. I'm taking suggestions. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 6.00 | 13.00 |
| I ran 2.5 quick warm up miles before Camden came to run a little more than 6 with me down the trail. The mosquitos near the lake are insufferable. I think I might get a surgical mask. They don't just fly into your eyes or mouth--they never touch any part of you--they just fly straight into the cilia of your bronchial tubes. Just try and cough them up, go on, try. Summer is here for sure. I ran up to see Sarah, but she'd already finished her miles for the day so we chatted and walked around the block (so maybe one of my miles is a wogging mile). I love Friday!! Ave pace for the 13 miles (including the walking) 9:41. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 5.70 | 14.70 |
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Today was the big test for Catherine (12 weeks post c-section). We ran 10 last Saturday and 14 this week. It was probably too big a jump, but really we were supposed to run 12 last week. She felt great after the run last week. So we agreed to try to get 'up to schedule' this Saturday. She had to take it really slow, and is just so proud she's out there doing it (and at a 9:24 m/m average). I know it was a long run, but I actually felt like I was holding back. On mile 7 going past Vivian Park toward Big Springs, I felt unbelievably strong going up that hill, and I just wanted to lay into it and push. Why can I run an 8:00 m/m uphill, but can't seem to maintain it on a flat stretch? Hills feel good to me. We also ran pretty fast coming down (sub 8:00's). I'm learning about downhill running and am getting much better at it. By mile 12, I was really feeling like I needed to put the pedal to the metal and so I ran two 7:45 minute miles (13 & 14) and then ran back a bit and waited for Catherine. How annoying is it when your running partner is just that chipper? I'm sorry Catherine, I couldn't help it. It felt so good. I just hope this level of fitness can last or, better yet, improve until October. I wish I could have pushed even harder today, I had it in me. I came home and ate this little bag of whole grain ceral (like 9 grain) called Rock-it Fuel that I got at the Moab Half Marathon in my goodie bag. It's got flax, oats, millet, sunflower & sesame seeds, raisins/bluberries, and other stuff. It was so yummy, I ate it while sitting in a cool bath. I wonder if I'm the only person who eats in the tub. I do that alot actually. Is that weird? | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 3.00 | 7.00 |
| I may not have actually slept 7 hours last night. I try to go to bed early, but I rarely can sleep well on Sunday nights. By 6:30, I was just proud to get out of bed and get out there. I ran a soft warm up mile, and met Sasha and Jeff down the trail. I then ran 3 faster miles--but three all together without stopping (8:24/8:00/8:17) Sasha's watch had me going a little faster, but I'll take these times (a little uphill none-the-less). We stopped at the house for a while to try and get the heart rate monitor hooked up to the Garmin --to no avail. While I stood there fidgeting with the Garmin, the sweat was just dripping down my arms. The overcast, humidity always makes for great sweating --or as I like to call it "hero sweating." A pretty schizophrenic running pattern today, but a great start to the week. Day 4 with no processed / refined foods or sugar, or chocolate :( I have not yet become homicidal, but the day is still young. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.08 | 0.00 | 8.08 |
| Today was my last run with Amanda. I drove across the valley to where she's staying (before they move to Virginia) and we ran on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, up against the foothill. I'm not gonna lie, it was hard. It's the kind where it's lucky if you can keep it under 10:00 m/m without twisting an ankle. Steep up and down hills, dirt trails, sand & rocks. But what a way to break out of a rut (mentally and physically). Amanda was telling me that's how Cross Country was back in New York...all trails. And it reminded me of all my East County San Diego trails (minus the jackrabbits and rattlesnakes). It was fun to run those up and down hills together in the really early morning light. I will miss her. She is the toughest, strongest, strawberry blond, tiny girl I've ever known. If you saw her on the street, you'd think she was adorable, and you'd have no idea how tough she is. Those are my favorite kind of people, the kind you wrongly underestimate. It's been a pleasure to know her. Maybe I'll have good reason to go more often to the East coast, or heck, I may just move there in the next few years. I came home and threw in an extra 3 on the flat trail. I always feel guilty running without the dogs, so I thought they needed a few miles too. It was all slow running (the whole 8 averaged 10:00 m/m). But I have a lot of miles to run this week, so taking it easy and breaking it up today was a good opportunity. Farewell Amanda.... | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| Ran a really slow 8 miles with Josse up the canyon. I would now like to report on the eating. Today is day 6 without maltodextrin (fake sugar), refined flour/sugar, hydrogenated anything, and chocolate (and so far no red meat--although it's not banned). I have been eating nine grain cereal, nectarines, eggs, fresh salsa, black/pinto beans, brown rice, whole wheat tortillas, talpia/salmon, cantelope, mustard greens/kale/beetgreens, beets, salads, broccoli, garden tomatoes, cilantro, and chicken. In addition, I have been taking calcium/magnesium, vitimin D, a B-spectrum, fish/flax/borage/olive oil, I have been snacking on raw foods flax crackers, almonds, hazlenuts, and sunflour seeds. During the day, I feel great-- light and good energy. However, my body has spent much energy 'evacuating' old inventory, and the running is VERY, VERY, HARD. Today, I could barely maintain an 8:50 pace. I was tired, low energy, and had to stop for a desperate vpb (a very V of the pb I might add). I thought Monday was just Monday (hard to get going and stay moving), I thought yesterday it was the hills, but today there was no excuse and I just dragged myself through 8 miles. I will do this for one month. Josse said that it would take 2 weeks to really get used to (detox) and to be sure and stay hydrated. I know she's right. So, I will go for one month because I said I would. But man am I glad I didn't decide to do this the month before St. George. I was hoping it would give me more running energy, not drain it. Also, as some weird byproduct--I can't sleep at night. I do have trouble sometimes sleeping-- but I think it's the chocolate withdrawl. I always eat 2-3 squares of 70% cocoa dark Swiss chocolate a day. But since I started this thing, I am not sleeping more than 6 hours (laying in bed for a least 2 hours before falling asleep). I did not anticipate this many truly noticable side effects up front. I didn't think I ate that differently and even now can't put my finger on what the biggest 'sacrifice' has been. Maybe red meat and chocolate. I think I need to add in some almond butter, yougurt and banana today for some extra calories or something. Thanks Josse for sticking with me today! You wanted a recovery run, you got it. | |
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Pioneer Day Classic (6.2 Miles) 00:51:23, Place overall: 31, Place in age division: 1 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.50 | 6.20 | 8.70 |
| Who loves PIONEER DAY? I DO! I got a Gold Medal and everything. I was actually planning a 10 mile run today, but Camden suggested the Pioneer Day 10K Classic in Provo. It's a hilly course, which I love, so I thought putting my thick pioneer calf muscles to good use today would be a great tribute to my Danish grandmother who came across the plains with one of Handcart Companies. I ran a 2.5 mile warm up up and down University Ave. and then went to meet Camden who is staying at her mom's (.4 from the start). It was so home-town, but well organized. I was excited about "the hill" ("Goliath" as they were promoting it). They even had a bag-piper at the foot of it playing for the runners. It's not like I PR'd or anything, But I got first in my age division and 31st overall (well, there were only like 200 people in the race). But it was a good run. I kept it steady and strong. I loved the uphill parts and found a great downhill stride, but lost a little steam on the last mile (mostly because I was mis-directed by a volunteer right before mile 5 who shuted me into the 5K race, where a block later, another volunteer recognized my 10K sticker and told me to go back (I had missed the 10K turn). It's ok, a few extra tenths today. Jeff won the whole thing (but technically tied because of some glitch with the chip). He needed a ride home because his wife had to take the car to get to work. So I gave him a ride. He still had to get to work himself. I was thinking, what is that like? Get up in the morning, take first in a race, get a little money and a beautiful winners watch, and then head off to work. I guess I'll never know.... because I have the day off. My daughter loved my gold medal and has been wearing it for half an hour. I said "live it up sweety, that may be Mama's only gold medal EVER." It's no Deseret News Marathon, but Happy Pioneer Day! | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 13.00 | 4.00 | 17.00 |
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I was not sure about how long Catherine wanted to run on Saturday, so I switched my long run to today. Although I felt strong yesterday, performance running is different than regular training, so my legs were a little tired and I kept having issues (thirsty, foot pain, bathroom stops). My friend Marisa drove out from Mapleton, and we ran the canyon. Only, at Bridal Veil Falls, they had the whole thing cordoned off due to the fire that was started last night, so we had to turn around and run my least favorite part of the trail twice to accumulte the miles. So twice uphill, twice against the mouth-of-the-canyon winds in the early a.m. I hope that somehow that counts as reisistance training. Marisa is a really fast runner, but has only ever run a half marathon. She was really pleased to go 17 miles today. It was good to have her along. We got in about 4 faster downhill miles (8:17/8:22/8:13/8:27) but the average run was 8:52 by the garmin, but adding in bathroom and drink stops, the average was more like 9:17. But it feels good to have a 17 miler in the bank already I can't wait to run my favorite trails in Marblehead, Cape Cod MA, and Newport, RI next week. I may be able to squeeze one in to Providence RI as well. Running with a view of the ocean is so fantastic, I can't wait. I was going to go to NYC but decided to spend more time with family and friends in MA. I always run in the same place in the city (Hudson River Parkway), and it's hard on my feet, ankles, and hips (it's granite flagstone). Today, I'm going to spend afteroon lounging with Catherine and the kids at her pool.. I can't believe how lucky to have these past two days to relax--and that's before my real vacation even starts. Bonus. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.48 | 1.00 | 8.48 |
| I saved my run today until 7:30 p.m. I wanted more than 24 hours between my long run yesterday, and today. It was basically a recovery run. If I wasn't so tired, I would love to run in the afternoons. The light is so special this time of day; golden, mellowed. Then half way through my run grey clouds came quickly, dark and low. The wind picked up in the tops of the trees. I got a few drops of rain. I turned back to look over the alfalfa fields, and the grey clouds had white veils falling from them, then fingers of lightening reached out of the clouds down to the lake. The setting sun, just peeking out of a few grey clouds as it approached the Ochre Mountains. The small black birds scattered and diving above the fields in the wind. Summer rain is so sultry. I am sometimes overcome by how beautiful the outside world can be. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.80 | 0.00 | 7.80 |
| I had to get out the door by 5:15 a.m. so I could be at the airport by 8:30. It was pitch black, so I ran around the neighborhood for a mile, once it started getting light, I hit the main river trail. The wind from the storm last night left tree branches everywhere. It was like a steeplechase. Matt K was out that early, and warned me of upcoming debris. At first I thought "I'll just go to the bottom of the trail." Then, "I'll just go to the 5 mile mark to make an even 6 miles." When I got there, I thought "Well, I'm here now, I might as well go to the very, very end." I'd gone faster than usual and had saved time (enough to stuff another mile in there). That's unusual for my Monday morning energy level. I have to say I've recovered nicely from the 17 miler on Friday. I had my Garmin all packed away for the trip, I probably PR'd those 7.8, but without a watch or Garmin, I guess we'll never know. Just as I was finishing the run, along came the running posse. Sasha and invited me to with them. I know they were recovery running post marathon, and so it would have been a fine time to join the party. I love my little river trail, I'll miss it. But tommorrow I hope to be blogging my run from Marblehead, MA. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.10 | 0.00 | 8.10 |
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Cornflower, Queen Anne's Lace, Wild Larkspur, Verigated Ivy, Fern, Rasberries (not ready, I tested), wild yellow Sweet Peas, Laurel and Mullberry. These are the flowers, plants and trees along the Salem Bike trail that runs from Salem to Marblehead. I ran to the middle of town to catch the bike trail, which was paved, then crosses 1A/114 and turns to gravel. It's a good leg of Nagshead Bay, and then carries on behind dove grey wooden shingled houses, with white clapboard windows, on Nagshead. The foiliage is amazing. People's yards are filled with the most obscene color and lushness. Huge Hydrangia, Flox of every color, and huge Tiger and Day Lilies for heaven's sake. The yards are so fragrant, and effortlessly green. I ran down Pleasant Street, where the sidewalks are made of brick and the shops are tiny with huge windows. I passed Three Cod Tavern, the Gut and Feather club (a badmitton club), the Chowder House (pronouced Chawdah) and a Talbots, situated across the street from a 7-11. But this 7-11 has a tiny sign above the door, and sits unobtrusively into adorable space between specialty shops, antique, and art stores. I ran up Washington, past the Muffin Man. If you think Mormon's are proud of their grandchildren, come to Marblehead where all the Jewish Grandparents talk loudly outside the muffin shop in their New York and Boston accents about how 'Adourable and Smahrt" their little grandbabies are. They walk around town with their grandchildren in $7,000 prams while their children (who came up from the city to visit mom and pop's vacation home) luxuriously sleep in after making all that hard-earned money. I ran past the town hall where the painting "Spirit of '76" is housed, and up to the cemetary to visit my favorite grave "Abagail Goodfellow." I love her epitaph "As you are now, so once was I." She died at 21 giving birth in 1794, and is buried next her daughter, who died 12 years later. I stood at the top of the hill and observed the Boston Skyline at a distance, and then ran back to Salem. I always have to remind myself, that had I lived in Salem as a Puritan, I probably would have been one of those women burned at the stake for witchcraft-- mostly just for talking too much and not knowing when to keep my opinion to myself. The trail felt good under my feet on the way back. I ended my run by taking off my running shoes and diving into the water at the little beach at the end of Ocean Drive, just behind the docks.
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.28 | 0.00 | 10.28 |
| I ran around old Salem City Today waaay before business hours. Up and down brick streets, the Peabody Essex Museum, witchcraft shops, the marina and then back over to Marblehead on the Salem trail. I bought a book this morning over in Rockport where I lunched on lobster cobb salad. I got a copy of Audubon's Guide to New England and so I may be ammending the names of some of the fauna from yesterdays report. I still can't help from stopping in the many, many cemetaries around the towns. Apparently the 1700's was really popular era to die around here. And everyone who died was between the ages of 20-46. Actually, I think it's more an interesting statement on the art/craft of headstone makers in that era. There were 3 headstone craftsman in that decade and almost all the headstones in New England of this ear can be traced back to one of those three craftsmen. I love the ones with the skeletons in the center with a laurel leaf crown holding the sun in one hand and the moon in the other. Today's headstone favorite: Susannah Jayne, Amiable wife and Consort of Peter Jayne. She died 46 years of her age April 2, 1776. Universally missed. I thought about what my eptitaph might say. I'm pretty darn sure wouldn't say "amiable wife", "or universally missed". It might say: "She was one tough Mother....with a capital M." | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.37 | 4.00 | 9.37 |
| I slept with my head next to an open window and it rained a good portion of the night. The house I stayed in is right next to the ocean and so all night long the smell of fresh rain, and ocean drifted in through the window. When I got up to run, the fog was low and misty. I had to catch the ferry to Nantucket in the early afternoon and so I ran a really uninpsired 9 whatever miles. I knew I wanted to run at least 4 of them kind of fast, so I just stuck with the Salem trail and ran it twice. I averaged 8:37 for those 4 miles. Not a true tempo run, but better than the meandering I'd been doing the past two days. The moisture in the air was so thick it condensed on the hairs of my arms. I looked down and my arms were coated with a white, mositure film. It was like a running in a sauna. I picked some of the flowers along the trail, put them into my Nathan waterpack, and then pressed them into my travel journal when I got home. Off to the island of Nantucket to visit my cousin. Funny fact. When I got to Boston, the friends I was visiting were both looking very svelt and healthy. So I asked them what they had been doing lately to look so good. The told me that last October they had given up refined sugar. So my days at their house was no problem to keep the no refined sugar/choclate promise. But there are many, many days left of my vacation.....Hmmm. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.81 | 0.00 | 11.81 |
| I have a confession. While I was on Nantucket Island, I did not run. I was so very excited to run on their darling bike paths and ocean drives. But I met my long lost cousin over there and we hit it off so famously, that I was swept away by finding a new friend in my family. We were having fun into the wee hours of the morning and I needed to take the ferry of the Island by noon. I have been looking forward to my runs in Newport, RI. We all got here yesteday (a group of college friends who all now live in this area). So this morning I got up and started running at 6:00. I decided to run Ocean Drive. A 10 mile loop on the peninsula which is the Aquidneck Island of Newport. But I failed to take into account that the really, hot, bright sun was already up by 6:00 a.m.. In addtion, the direction I decided to take, left me running into that intense sunlight (with no sun-glasses). Add to that, I was dehydrated from the travel adventures from the day before, and viola! It sucked. My favorite run, the run I've looked forward to since last year was ruined by dehydratin and intense sunlight. I'm mad that I ruined my mileage by not taking advantage of island running. (but not mad I could spent quality time with family in a quaint and exotic location). Normally, I take Sunday off, but I am going to try and 'vacation' run a few extra miles in the morning along the cliff walk (the ocean trail behind the huge turn-of-the-century mansions of the Vanderbuilts and the Astor's, etc). | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| The tendon, deep in my thigh has been really giving me trouble. It's not bad with Ibuprofen, but it takes me 2 miles to warm it up to where I can run with any normal form. I ran the Cliff Walk trail behind the mansions in Newport. It's a beautiful walking trail, about 40 feet above the ocean, along the back side of the huge mansions owned by the Vanderbuilt's, Astors, Sinclair's, etc. It's gets a little rough running the trail because a few miles in the trail turns to trail/rocks. But the whole thing is along the ocean. So it's beautiful. I always have these amazing conversations along those runs with my East coast running friends. I ran so carefully, and only did a few miles (10 m/m). I hope the running gods are appeased by my 'taking it easy' so I don't further aggravte the injury. I'm worried about it. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 5.50 | 5.50 |
| I got a great night sleep, and got up at 6:00 a.m. for my last run in Newport, RI. The day was crystal clear. The water in Newport is sooooo blue on those clear days. And when the sun rises, the ocean literally sparkles like diamonds/saphires. I know that sounds corney. The expanse of ocean from those cliffs is so beautiful against the blue horizon with a few sail boats in the distance, and sufers floating near the shore. I love the sound of the ocean from above. It is such a spectacular run. I spent time this morning noticing the amazing landscaping of those gynormous mansion grounds. I ran my 5 miles averageing 8:30 m/m (I had taken ibuprofen before the run and comitted to taking it the rest of the day). But I've reduced the mileage by half hoping to not further aggravate this tendon in my thigh. After my run, my good friend met me at the beach for a swim and taught me to use his paddleboard (like a really big surfboard you stand on, and paddle with an orr kind of like a kayak orr). It was a beautiful last morning in Newport. I have seared the vision/memory of those blue, clear ocean meets sky mornings into my mind so I can recall them on those bland, white/grey winter days in Utah. This year, I'll be dreaming of the rolling ocean underneath the paddleboard as I rowed. Off to DC on the train. I should be at my sister's by tonight. Goodbye Newport. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.48 | 0.00 | 10.48 |
| I ran the Mt. Vernon Bike trail in Alexandria with my sister. Well, she rode her bike while I shuffled 10 miles along the Potomac. The miles slipped by as we had a very candid conversation about our very grown-up lives. Sometimes I'm afraid of my sister, and sometimes I can't believe how lucky I am to have her. This morning was the latter. I'm trying the Ice/Heat, special stretching, and rolling pin 'scraping' as suggested by Josse and Haynes, and taking it easy (so to speak). I had to take advantage of one last big-girl day, since the kids come this afternoon on a jet-plane, and my life resume to be what it is for now. It's been a luxurious break, has it not? | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 2.30 | 6.30 |
| I slept from 9 to 6:30. I have not slept so many hours in a row for a long time. I must be on vacation. I ran down Russel Road to Old Town. I don't like sidewalk running, but we had plans for the morning and I just needed to quickly get my (short) run finished. My thigh (especially after yesteday's 10) took a long time to warm up. I hit the George Washington Masonic Temple and ran up and down the the stairs three times in a row(138 of them from the bottom). Running up stairs fast is a great work out. Trying to run down them without tripping is another story. When I got back, I was literally drenched in sweat. I love the East Coast humidity. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| I decided to take a hike today instead of run in an attempt to 'rest' my Piriformis/Bursitis/Iliopsoas Syndrome that has been bothering my hip/butt/thigh place for the past two weeks. We hiked along the C&O canal/Potomac River up in Maryland on what is known as the "BillyGoat Trail." It is a breathtaking wide and rushing clean river, surrounded by tall grey rock facecliffs, topped with lush greenery. Although eating lunch on a cliff overlooking the Potomac was breathtaking, the hiking was not a good idea at all. I was trying to 'rest' but the constant jarring of the rock jumping, climbing, and balancing aggravated the problem even more. The ibuprofen isn't cutting it and I'm unsure where to ice (my butt or the front of my thigh?). Aside from wogging the next few days even less miles, I'm not sure what else to do but stop. I think I need to see an orthopedic doc when I get home. Hmmm. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.20 | 0.00 | 6.20 |
| I ran with Sarah (and Julia! for one mile). Julia was running out in front of us giggling the whole way--a tiny red haired olympian running away from the mommies. We did our easy Friday morning thing, and when I got back my Garmin read 6 miles. I hardley believe that, but that's what it said. My leg/hips etc felt so good all day. I started some post-run amino acids and a few protein drinks this week. I think it's helping repair the damage. I'm feeling stronger. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| I wogged (more Wa than Ogg) along the Mt. Vernon trail with my sis. It's right along the highway that leads to George Washington's home in Mt. Vernon. But it is very lush compared to Utah, and runs parallel the Potomac. My original plan was to run my scheduled 17 miles with the locals (see ArgentineRocket). But she is nursing a stress fracture and now I have this thing with my leg.... At least she has a good plan b to recover with all the bike riding and aqua jogging. I thought maybe we could swing a bike ride. But then I got really, really sick these past few days. I either: a) don't ever want to go home to face my life again, and am having a psychosymatic episode or b) see a). | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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It's astonishing how quickly miniscule details add up and change everything. The diminished daylight at 6:00 a.m., a prolonged flu/cold, school starting, an injury.... I am weak and injured. And now so many unwelcome details occupy the diminished privacy and enjoyment of the most pristine and beloved time of my day. I had a fantastic summer did I not? Didn't I soak up the beautiful Utah mornings? Didn't I challenge myself to run long, fast, and hard? Didn't I make new friends and give myself tangible, exciting new challenges? Didn't I marvel at the beauty of Spring and Summer? Did I not flourish in new landscapes and climates? I did. But the table has quickly turned. My body's calling the shots right now, forcing my mind into a time-out. I have a pain deep in my hipflexor/quad which started the 23rd of July, and has since become worse. Also, I am also trying to recover from a prolonged case of strep throat and a cold which I caught somewhere in DC. Once home, I called Sarah to make my a running date for my first Friday home-- phlegm and all. She suggested that running with a 7 month pregnant lady would be 'easy.' But don't believe her.... It was therapeutic thought getting out there with a friend. And while I was pretty tired, I didn't hurt afterwards. Sasha suggested running slower and less to see if the inury will pass. I agree. I did that with a tendon pain in my knee last year and worked carefully through it. If it does get worse during this week of less and slower running, I'll find an ortho doc and make a better plan b (bicycling, swimming, strength training-- I know, icky). I was complaining to Sasha (as I should be ramping up in these next weeks for St. George). I said "I can't believe the monumentally bad timing of this -- I don't have time!" to which he replied "Yes you do. You have your whole life." He's right. This may be inconvenient, and it may just ruin this one race, but my primary goal, above all else has always been to JUST KEEP RUNNING throughout my lifetime. So I must respect and appreciate my body for what it does for me, and be patient through this process. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.23 | 0.00 | 6.23 |
| I got on to blog my run and saw the sweet, encouraging comments on my last entry. It made me tear up a little. Thanks you guys. Today I ran really slowly, but gave it an extra mile (once warmed up, I feel fine). When I got home I ice packed my thigh for like an hour. But like Marion, I wonder what's going on with my butt....I mean, my hips/butt and whatever goes on in there to keep your legs attatched to your body. I did feel better today than I have in a while, but I can't think of enough adjectives to describe my legs-- lead? bronze? dead weight? I am not one one ever takes my health for granted. I thank the universe often for my strength, but more so during times like this. As consolation and reward for gettng out there, both yesterday and today were breathtakingly gorgeous mornings. More like September than August. The horizon was light pink bleeding softly upward into the baby blue sky, with that gigantic full moon sitting fat and heavy over the alfalfa fields. The trees and fields are so green, and the air so light with a touch of a breeze. I am greatful for every day my skin is touched by the breeze and my eyes are met with the serene beauty of a calm morning. I am grateful to be out there, that plus, there's a lot less mosquitoes lately :) |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.11 | 0.00 | 5.11 |
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If you are wondering where the comments have gone, I had to cut and paste these three entries from where I accidentally submitted them with last week's dates. So, when you cut and paste text, the blog comments do not follow. But getting the dates correctly entered on the current events feels important to me right now. So... in spite of the weeks of 8+ hours of sleep I am still uttlerly exhausted. I think I have finally iced/ rested away the major pain in my thigh. But I can tell that I've had the crap beaten out of me mentally, emotionally, and physically in the last 2 weeks. It's not that I got sick or injured that matters so much as the timing of it. It's a major blow to my confidence that I'll have the strength to do at least 4 long runs before the first weekend in October, and still recover my stamina for endurance and strength for speed. Regardless, I have been enjoying the cool, moquitoless mornings taking it easy at 9:40'-10:15's. It can always be worse. So I shall not complain. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.23 | 0.00 | 6.23 |
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I don't even want to know how slow I'm running right now, so I ditched the Garmin this morning. But just to remind me how I'm doing is Sasha, cheerfully inviting me to run back to the house to run a few extra miles with Sarah-- as I used to do just for fun on Thrusdays and Fridays. Then there's MattK, gliding effotlessly fast down the trail "good morning" he says lifting his hand in a friendly wave. Good morning for who? I think. Then the three lady woggers PASS ME UP from behind with their arm-swinging power-walking. No, not really, they didnt' pass me, they were actually walking toward me. But they probably COULD have passed me by. The great news is, the phlegm has mostly vacated my lungs and I can now breath alright, and my energy is a little higher. My thigh feels ok, but my butt and hips are still either tight or fatigued. I may just try a long run on Saturday. I'll see how tommorrow goes. It has now been a month since I vowed to eat no refined sugar or flour, and no choclate (not even the pure dark stuff). I have had a slip up only once or twice (hey, when a five star chef at a beach-side five star restauraunt in Nantucket offers you a complimentaly portion of his special new flourless choclate cake truffles with huile d' orange, you really can't say no, now can you? Besides which, it didn't even contain any refined flour). I've been back on the wagon especially since being home this week. I wish I could sing accolades of eating pure sources of protein and complex carbohydrate, but I got sick and injured while doing so (it must be the missing chocloate). JK, truth is, I'll probably doing this for a while to really get a feeling how well it works or how to make it work right. A by-product of doing this however is that I've even been off most meat. It it just hasn't seemed appealing. Anyone got a good serving suggestion for Mung Beans?
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| My mind was wandering this morning. The dry coolness in the air reminds me of my first September in Utah. I first came to, and fell in love with Utah during the winter ( I adored the skiing). So when I returned the next school year, late summer and Fall was like a bonus. This morning was cool, but I kept hitting little pockets of warm air that collect near the river under the trees. I love this weather and the clear blue pre-dawn sky. I worked a little harder today (still sans Garmin). I tried to remember and practice the gait that I developed when I ran with Catherine and Amanda. They were both shorter than me by 4 inches, and they each have this short little quick-step. We always averaged 8:30's. So I did that for a while, but also stopped to stretch a few times. The exhaustion feels like it's diminishing, but I still have a lot of tightness and am still a sore in my thigh--but it really feels like it's getting better. I was remembering the last time I had a satisfying fast run. It was my last day in Rhode Island. I took an ibuprofen and hit it hard. It was beautiful sea-side running on the cliffwalk above a sparkling Blue Ocean. I still reflect on those moments. I loved the morning post-run swimming. Those were calm beautiful days. It's nice to have those memories. But I feel like that was a million years ago. This morning, after four miles on my own, I came home, got the kids out of bed, fed them breakfast/made their lunches, saw them off to school on their bike's, and then ran up to Sarah's to meet her for her four. Running with Sarah is just like eating candy. Not that the miles or the effort don't count, but it's just so darn therapeutic. Yeah! It's Friday! | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 14.10 | 0.00 | 14.10 |
| I did it. I ran 14 miles this morning with Catherine. I could not have done it alone. She kept me entertained (or rather, I kept her entertained) by giving her every detail of my recent vacation. But since I got so sick and the pain in my hip/thigh, my endurance and stamina has taken a hit. I needed to get my confidence back and 14 was the right distance. Last time I ran a long run was 17 miles on July 25th. I haven't run more than 12 since. To make matters worse, I've missed two long runs in a row (today should have been 18, but oh well). I have minimal pain in my thigh and hip. So if recovery and this week's running go well, I may not be too far behind myself. We'll see. I can't aford be too ambitious right now. This mornig was very cool up the canyon. I love the cooler weather, but am already melencholy about the passing of Summer. But, what a beautiful morning. I hope Hobble Creek goes well for everyone. I can't wait to read the race reports! Good luck everyone! | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.36 | 0.00 | 6.36 |
| I could not drag myself out of my bed at 5:30 (per my usual Monday), so I opted for a lunch time run. It's 97 degrees in case you're wondering. It's ridiculous I wear that Nathan water belt for those long Saturday runs. Which is stupid, because we always finish the run by 9:00 a.m. before the sun, before dehydration and heat play any role in performance. You need a water belt ON A DAY LIKE TODAY when you are too lazy to run before the sun is high in the sky. So many things can be said about the ineffeciency of mid-afternoon running. Ah well, anything was better than what I should have been doing around that same time. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.20 | 0.00 | 8.20 |
| I am not getting enough protein. I can feel it in my legs. I have been so very cautious to run carefully, slowly and I think I'm successfully healing whatever was happening in my quad. But my legs (and hips) feel weak. I think it's the lack of meat. I didn't mean to start going meatless. But once I gave up chocolate and sugar, I felt like I might as well give up everything....I was raised for a lot of years vegetarian (my step mother was 7th Day-Adventist), but I whole-heartedly embraced my inner carnivore somewhere around 21. Changing my diet last month, made me revert to my upbringing (when I had a 97 pound woman in charge of trying to feed me). So Marion, you will be proud of me, today I will be eating a lot of talapia with peach salsa for lunch an a t-bone steak with fried corn & roasted red pepper relish for dinner. BTW, I hereby endorse the PROVO FARMER's MARKET (held every Saturday at Pioneer Park on 500 W & Center). I bought a box of peaches, tomatoes, corn, beet greens and signed a petition to keep Italian nuclear waste out of Utah. So it's nuclear free peach cobbler for everyone! Come on by. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.10 | 1.00 | 6.10 |
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I ran one good quick mile today. It's been so hard to get my legs moving. But I didn't get out until later today (after I got the kids off to school). I haven't had the heart to go out in the dark and now the prime running hour is now occupied by waking up warm, sleepy-eyed children and simultaneous eggs/waffle/sandwich/carrot stick making. But let me tell you, it's a bad idea to bring the dogs on the trail after 8:00. It's all old people who take it upon themselves to enforce the leash law (even if the dogs are well trained), and mommys lined shoulder to shoulder with their double strollers. I should know better. It was a great summer wasn't it? | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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I ran a single fast mile yesterday and didn't ice when I got home. I am dumb. I paid for that and so ran extra slowly this morning (9:40m/m). Up until now it's been a steady improvement. So now I know, it's not the distance, it's the speed that's getting to that place in my quad. What do you use going fast that you don't going slow? It must be how I hit the ground or push off that's different. Two weeks off my game and I'm ruined. I can't even remember how to run right. How did that happen? I need to find a Grey's Anatomy and get a good look where that thing is and what it attaches. I can feel it getting better, I just need to take it slow. I might start supplimenting with Amino Acids and a few protein drinks. I know you're supposed to get your nutrients from food sources, but I feel like my body needs some extra help. That, plus maybe some Ice Cream. Also, let's hear it for the fields of Black Eyed Susan and Larkspur! How gorgeous are those little bright faces in the dawn! I never get tired of the watching the world change outfits. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.20 | 0.00 | 6.20 |
| I ran with Sarah (and Julia! for one mile) today. Julia was out in front giggleing and running away from the mommies the whole time. She's a tiny red haired olympian, that one. So we did our easy Friday morning thing, and when I got back my Garmin read 6 miles. I can hardly believe that, but that's what it said. My hips and quad felt great all day. I started taking amino acids and a protein drink post run. I think it's helping. I'm feeling strong and it feels like the damage is repairing itself. Feels good. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 14.00 | 18.00 |
| I had a hard time sleeping. I ate a huge quantity of whole wheat pasta and bread last night and topped it off with a homemade key lime cheese cake. When I get nervous about a distance run I tend to overeat. Then the extra calories keep me awake. But it was worth it. I had a great run. I met Catherine at Will's, ran 9 up the Canyon past Vivan Park near Big Springs. We ran into Josse and her group near the top. Is there a healtier looking person that Josse?. She's adorable as usual. Then we ran down a while with this guy we always see on the trail. He was coming down from Soldier's Hollow. He did the grand slam last year (4 Utah marathon's in the year) and has run a lot of years with the Sojourner's Club. We did four excellent miles with him (I didn't tell Cathereine how fast we were going until later). I got a little fatigued toward mile 16, but picked it up that last mile. Oveall a good, strong run. I now have 4 bags of ice ace bandaged to various anatomical locations, and I'm sitting on one for my hips as I write this. Whoever invented those freezer ready blue gel packs should get a nobel prize. It saves me from having to go outside and sit in the river. Yay! Not bad. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.15 | 3.00 | 7.15 |
| A number of domestic disturbances kept me awake last night until about 2:30 a.m. I had my alarm set for 5:30 a.m and had google mapped directions to head out to the Onion Days 10K and FRB breakfast hosted by Marion. I couldn't resist the idea of running a race for Payson Onion Days. It felt like a cross between the Gilroy Garlic Festival (Gilroy, CA) and Coon Dog Day (Saluda, NC). When a town has a festival named after a random vedgetable or will publically display it's quirky culturalism's, I have to go, I don't care where it is. But I had 3 hours of sleep when the alarm went off and when it did, I could hear the rain pounding on the windows. I did finally get out of bed at 7:30, but I was disgusted with how the day already felt wasted and mad I let myself sleep in. So I put on my runnng gear, and waited for the rain to subside while I made all the kids (and their sleep-over friends) a huge Labor Day breakefast of omlettes with spinich and swiss cheese, broccoli and chedder, or bacon, tomatoes and avacado. It rained and rained, and when it wouldn't stop, I went out anyway. I was mad for missing the festivities and used the 'mad' to run pretty fast . The torrents of rain, huge rush of wind, and blowing branches kept me alert. My mind cleared with the wind, and I just ran fast. I got in 4 8:15's. Shoot, I was really looking forward to meeting everyone this morning :( | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.37 | 4.00 | 6.37 |
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Both yesterday and today I tried to run 4 fast miles (ok, one vpb on mile 3). The whole run averaged 8:47, but I ran 4 averaging 8:36's. I still have to fight from stopping or slowing down. My stamina is still rebuilding. I keep telling myself, it's ok not to be back 100%. I need to peak a month from now, not today. I think I'll start some speed training on the treadmill to see if I can get some better consistancy. I have no idea really how SGM will go for me at this point. I'll just keep on keeping on (BQT or no BQT). The good news is, what is better than 63 degrees, sparkeling blue sky,and fields of Black Eyed Susan's? Man, I wish it could stay like this forever. I love Autumn. It's my favorite season. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 4.00 | 7.00 |
| Today was my first day on back treadmill since last year. I used it to rehabilitate after I had surgery in December, but took to the road once I hooked up with Amanda in late January. It's unerving to run in the dark on the trail. I got the treadmill in October of 2004 for that very reason. It's been a life-saver. Winter a.m. running friends are harder to come by. Easier to find the Saturday a.m. kind, harder to find the weekday a.m. kind. Unlike other years, I won't even get a couple more weeks out of daylight savings (it's in November instead of October now). I'll try to keep to the road as much as possible before SGM, but I think once or twice a week might actually be good speed training. Today, it felt good to force myself to run four miles without stopping at a 8:36 pace. It feels like I'm training my cadence and building endurance. I also secretly love the treadmill because it's the ONLY place where I get to watch TV or a movie. So I get Netflix and order up every single movie I haven't had time to watch for the past 3 years. Unfortunately for blogging, my entries may be more like movie reviews than running reports.....But hey, I can let you know which movies to rent. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 6.00 | 9.00 |
| Ok, the treadmill experience may only be as good as the movies I watch. So I'm currently taking viewing suggestions. I'm going more miles in less time though, because according to the treadmill, I can run pretty fast. And while watching a movie, I can do that for like, forever. And, it sure beats trying to race the sun and the clock on School days. I have to say though, that as an added bonus, the treadmill leaves my legs feeling worked, but fresh! To further aid in the healing of my leg, I made an appointment with Josse to perfom scraping. Sasha said it helped heal his calf after Deseret News and so many others have raved about the healing powers of scraping. But let's not kid around here, it hurts. Also, after it's done, it feels great. Thank you Josse! Although I had to say it to her more like: Thank you? to which she replied You're welcome? Josse is amazing. If I even get close to BQT, we can chalk up another victory for scraping. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 2.50 | 6.50 |
| This weather is to die for. So bright and blue and dry and cool. I got to go out with Sarah this beautiful morning. She told me all about her 5K at Onion Days. I think there should be a 'most pregnant' prize. That girl did it 34 minutes 8 months pregnant. Being on this blog and meeting all you guys has been a real experience for me. First it was the giving-up-of-the chocolate/sugar, then there was the fast running, then super-pregnant race racing, now the enthusiastic accolades of scraping. I am out of my league. That is for sure. I have never felt like such a wimp, ever. I was thinking of getting an FRB shirt to run in at races just so I could find other FRB'ers. But I'm certain that my wearing one would misrepresent the blog! (Unless I could have a caption on my shirt that said "believe it or not, I used to run even slower than this.") | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 22.00 | 0.00 | 22.00 |
| Am I the only one who can't sleep before a long run? I think I eat too late in the day and have too many simple carbs and they keep me awake. We ran pretty good today, stopped 3 times, but averaged 9:35's. My lower back was fatigued a little by the end-- but not so much as a twinge out of my thigh since Josse scraped it. I have some colorful brusing, but not even a strain below the surface. Crazy. We bumped into a guy on the trail who was running the Provo Marathon (boy did we pick the wrong route today). He was taking it pretty easy so we ran with him a bit. Today was his 99th marathon. SG will be his 100'th. All his adult children will be running with him and this SGM will be his 19th. He was in his early 60's and said he started doing 5 marathons a year in his 40's. It was really inspiring for me. People's level of determination and dedication always astound me. I'm reminded again and again of how much more there is to do, to have, to strive, and push for. Because of my 3 weeks of slow running to heal up that thigh thingy and get over bronchitis I have not had a recovery week and can't afford to slow down until next week. So cheers to all those pushing some hardcore miles this week! I'm right there with you. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 2.00 | 6.00 |
| Last night someone opened up my garage door at 2:00 a.m. (they broke into my car and took a bunch of stuff, including my garage door opener). Lucky for us, both my dogs were right there to greet whoever opened up that garage door and I'm sure they got a really big surprize. It was their barking WAAAY down the street that woke me up. They're good girls. Needless to say, my run today felt slow and labored. I guess that's to be expected since technically it would be a 'recovery' run from Saturday. But I averaged 9 m/m without trying. I just leaned forward and tried to keep going without stopping. I hope to do a little speedwork T/TH. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 3.31 | 8.31 |
| 8:51/9:03/8:39/8:55/9:00/9:10/8:49/8:45/8:10 At some point I need to start concerning myself with time again. I've healed up pretty nicely and now I just need to get over the mental slump and fatigue of no-recovery catch-up running. This week is going to be tough, but if I can get through it, I stand a reasonable chance of meeting my goals for SGM. Does anyone else get Turrett's Sydrome while running? When I'm really trying hard, pushing against the wind, or going up hill, or battling mental fatigue, I can not stop the steady stream of insane explitives that flow through my head. I mean I can come up with some pretty bad ones, right in a row for a minutes at a time. I tried really hard to replace some of it with my other Mantra's. But those thugs just kept on knocking them right off the stage today. I just think it's funny how well I can swear in my mind and wonder why it feels so right sometimes to do so. Well, one more day of Marathon Week under my belt. Whew.
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.70 | 0.00 | 12.70 |
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I got up in the wee hours this morning to run on the treadmill until it was light enough to go outside (6.5 miles). Catherine and I spent a good deal of our 22 miles on Saturday talking movies and tv shows. I waxed eloquent on the existential qualities of No Country For Old Men, and had a deep discussion about the film's major themes of choice vs. fate. I now want to read the book for better examination of those themes and character development. She said that was too deep for a 5:00 a.m. run on the treadmill, and told me all about Alias. I NEVER, I mean, NEVER watch tv, except Saturday Night Live, unless it's on disk. So Catherine was kind enough to loan me the whole series. She claims all the butt-kicking Jennifer Garner does will inspire me. So today I started out watching the whole first episode of Alias and then hit the trail for another 6+ miles. The trail was lush, wet, post-rain fresh. It made me remember all those mornings my Dad would drag me out of bed before junior high school to do our little 4 mile run on granite dirt roads in the hills around our house. The dew would drip off the eucalyptus trees and drip like rain. The moisture in the air was so thick it would condense on your arms and face. The quail and jack rabbits would scatter into the the fog as you came upon them. As I was thinking of this, MichelleL, Josse, and Sasha were running toward me on the trail (FRB celebrity hour!). Michelle turned around to greet/meet me but I was shy because I was wearing my crazy treadmill get-up which includes tiny compression shorts (trust me, not attractive in the light of day). Hi Michelle! I am now fully dressed!...... Anyway, what a beautiful morning. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 3.34 | 6.34 |
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I really thought today would be terrible. Saturday's run was especially hard because my midweek run had not been long enough to physically prepare me for 22 miles. So I was pretty beat afterward and a little sore in the hips/hamstrings. Then Monday was like mud, Tuesday I did a little better and tried to push a few 200 Meter's a long the way and yesterday's mileage was fine. Except the rest of the day, my legs and lower back were so tired!! Every time I got up, sat down, moved, I felt them fatigued and lheavy. But last night, I got excellent sleep, waited until noon to run to put more hours between runs, and I had an amazing run! You hope for a day like today on a race day. Everything comes together at one time-- the rest, the training, the mental strength. I guess, also, it felt like cake because it was only 6 miles. But it was a decent, relaxed effort and I averaged 8:40. It hasn't felt this good since July. Man, every day is different. But sleep and recovery play a huge role. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.10 | 0.00 | 6.10 |
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I love Fridays. No pressure, pure 'ice-cream & cake' miles. I missed running with Sarah this morning. But she's busy at home finishing up the baby for his scheduled October debut. I'll miss our Friday runs, but maybe we can play again sometime in late Winter. So, my kids were out of school and I got to have my beloved morning hours to myself while they slept in. I was joyous as I went out the door but unprepared, however, for how cold it was. By mile 2, I couldn't work my fingers or bend my wrists. (Trying to blow your nose or manouever a VDP with CLAWS instead of fingers is tricky!). I did 4 quick miles, then I had to run inside and try to dial the phone (with those same claws) to make a quick phone call to KSL radio for work. Then I ran back outside for another 2 miles. The cool humidity of the morning reminded me of the Mt. Hood area in Oregon. It's cold like this in that mountain air, even in the summer. I thought of it this morning because of my hands. Every time I try to run in Mt. Hood, I'm always tempted to eat the black and rasberries that grow along the road, but the CLAWS make it hard. I'm gearing up for 24 tommorrow. Wish me luck. I'm pooped. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 23.00 | 0.00 | 23.00 |
| I have had 4 long runs in a row building up from 17. We all know this is a bad idea. It's especially bad when you are over 40, let me tell you. It is also a bad idea to run two 22/23 mile runs on consecutive Saturdays. But I needed today's run to be the closest to 26 I could muster. I'm not gonna lie, it was hard--as was the 13 miler on Wedensday. I'm out of gas--just in time to start to take it down a notch. Yay! We met a guy on the trail this morning who ran with us for a bit who was visiting from Providence RI. Since I spent a week there this summer I had a fun time asking him how he likes living there, what he was doing back here, etc. He works for Coopers & Lybrand and is back at BYU recruiting fresh blood from the MAC program. He also said he was training for the Breakers Marathon in Newport RI, one I've been dreaming of trying for 3 years. From what I know of Newport, it looks to be a beautiful course, by the beach, by the mansions. Lucky guy, I wish I was a successful fresh MAC grad looking for a job on the East Coast.... My greatest motivation to qualify for Boston is just to have a good excuse to BE there for a week next Spring. I told him about the blog and said I'd look for him to blog there to see how the Beakers went.....I will be utterly useless the rest of today. Days like today are when running feels most selfish --when it interferes in the hours of a Saturday that I should be running around with my Kids. But I guess it's also good to give them a good example of how to perserver and keep goals. I guess we'll know by way of admission, in some family group therapy session scheduled, oh, about 10 years from today :) | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.34 | 0.00 | 6.34 |
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My friend Marisa is running her first marathon (Top of Utah) this Saturday. When I saw her yesterday at a friend's house, she said she was nervous. At Hobble Creek she came in 12th (I think) in her age division. She runs 7:30's with some ease and will probably finish in 3 hours if she's on her game. I'm excited for her and hope she has a good experience in Logan. She asked me yesterday about ice baths. I hardly ever mention them here, but I do take them. It's just that I never have to make one up in the tub because I live on the river. When I feel like I need one at the end of a run, I take off my shoes and sit in my running clothes on a special flat piece of concrete that is along the river's edge. The retired folk always call down the bank to ask if I need help. Today, I was sitting waist deep on my mossy concrete slab thinking about how the pampa grass was turning yellow and dry along the trail and contemplating the end of summer. There was a warm mellow sunlight twinkeling down thorugh the tree branches. I was dreaming of all those lovely desert miles in St. George and hoping this year will be half as good as last year. I know there are more intersting places to live and run (Oregon/Washington come to mind), but I have lived here for 17 years now and I never get tired of what Utah has to offer.
Good luck Marisa! I'll be thinking of you this week. You're going to fly! | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 1.30 | 6.30 |
| I am so disgusted with my run today I don't even want to blog about it. I am overwhelmed with negative thoughts in this moment. So I think I'll skip it. At least the weather is clear and beautiful. And my overall health is good enough to be outside doing something physical in comfortable weather. I can, I can, I can, can, can-- maybe not today though. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.50 | 6.00 | 9.50 |
| I'm not sure if running on the treadmill counts as real running or not. But I feel like my legs and lower back need a break. They are not injured or in real pain, as much as fatigued. I've been bouncing back fairly well from the long runs-- that is until this one on Saturday. It did me in. I took it easy on Monday, but had such a terrible run yesterday, I settled on the treadmill today hoping it will leave me feeling fresh. Josse told me that it uses different muscles and changes your gait --which right now may be a good thing. But I do like forcing myself into/holding a specific pace. I remembered today that for me, I always peak 2 months into training. I remembered how in Cross Country, I had to be careful that my level of fitness/training peaked around the same time as regionals/state. One year, I was so excited for the season, I started training early, and peaked mid-season and ended with shin splints. But that was almost 25 years ago and I've forgotten about all that. I probably shouldn't have tried to so hard this summer and should have focused on peaking in October. I just took for granted that I'd get better, and better. But hey, I did get a gold medal on Pioneer Day! I may not win anything again until, by process of elimination I take the 80-85 age division by storm. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.10 | 5.00 | 7.10 |
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I spent a lot of time whining out loud as I tried to keep an 8:36 m/m pace (a 7 setting) for 5 straight miles. I jumped onto the the sides of the treadmill (10second at a time to catchmybreath) more times than I'd like to admit here. And, I sure sweat up a crazy storm. Isn't that a pretty image? An out of breath, sweaty mess, crying on the treadmill. I'm a true champion. Scraping anyone? Geeze, I am such a baby. But hey, on the bright side, I felt I got a really good work out without all the impact. So that part feels good. Tommorrow I think I'll hit the ground and see what I can do for a few miles. But I'm focusing on a great 14 miles on Saturday. I have to say, the treadmill has made a big difference to my overall level of fatigue....and then I noticed the tiny tear in the belt. If that thing tears before Oct. 4th I'm going ballistic. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.32 | 0.00 | 6.32 |
| I don't know what's with the sleeping. Sometimes it just doesn't come. I had no time today at all, and so I did this run as quick as I could. My shirt kept brushing my Garmin and I forgot to lock the bezel, so it kept shutting it off. Why does that always happen when I'm making record time on a run! Happy Friday! Can't wait for "ONLY" 14 miles tommorrow! |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 7.00 | 14.00 |
| At least I slept well, but both Catherine and I were still feeling wobbely and stiff every time we had to stop (drink, tie shoes, etc). I really hope my legs get back to feeling as strong as they did before all the abductor, hip flexor, hamstring, hip and psychdrama began. But running 14 today, despite the effort it took, felt pretty strong. It's nice not to have to 'recover' from a Saturday run. It's been too many Saturdays in a row running hard. So right now I'm feeling fresh as a daisy. Keep it coming. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 1.00 | 6.34 | 7.34 |
| The lowered mileage from last week, and better sleep in the past few days has helped a lot. I feel that I have regained muscle strenth and stamina over the past week-- I have to admit though, that I think it's also because I've gone back to eating meat more frequently. I'll go back to the vedgetable proteins and eggs after the marathon, or when I can more evely space out my 50 miles a week and I'm not trying to run fast or hard (I'm sorry Lucia, I hate reporting this knowing how dissapointed you'll be in me....). The Good news is, I am running 8:13-8:30's with greater regularity again. I've been waiting to announce this until I felt it was not an anomoly. Also, my natural gait finally came back to me! I've been trying to find it again since my abductor and hipflexor went haywire. I've got to remember, it's about not lifting my feet so high off the ground, and moving them faster with a flat footed landing and push off. Occassionally I'll mid-foot it to get in some quick steps and change the impact for a bit. Today's splits: 8:27/8:13/8:23/8:40/8:20/8:17/8:33 This was the best run I've had since August 4th (well, besides the miles and miles of 8:36's on the treadmill, which doesn't feel like real running). Yay! I'm thinking that my strategy for SG will be to take the beginning and the hill's easy, and to really let it out on the downhill portions. I'm still doubtful I can take 15 minutes off my last year's run--actually, now that I think about it, if I just don't have to stop and stand in line for the bathroom twice (like I did last year) it might cut almost 10 mintues righ there. Can you tell, I'm getting excited? | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 5.34 | 7.34 |
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My vastus medialis (inner quad) felt a little twingey as my foot hit the pavement this morning. I literally broke into a cold sweat (panic) that it was starting up again. So I started out really slowly, stretched thouroughly once warm, and then kept on running (slowly I thought). Then my mind wandered for a good while and when I finally looked down, I had run 4 miles at an average pace of 8:36. I'm not trying to aggravate my leg, I'm not. I'm not even trying to run faster, it's just happening. A friend who'd just been in Bolivia and Chile for two weeks phoned right in the middle of my run. I was excited to hear about the trip, so I ran back home as quick as I could to call back and hear all about what happened in Boliva (while he was there the peace corps and missionaries alike fled the country). I wanted to keep it easy today, but I was also in a hurry. So I compensated for the faster running by sitting in the river for about 10 minutes. It was a chilly morning, so I got a lot of strange looks. Then I drove to Salt Lake with an ice pack on my leg just for good measure. Now I've been chilled to the bone for over an hour. But hey, whatever it takes to keep that under control.
I'm ammending a portion of my blog because I want to remind myself what Bonnie wrote me today in an effort to help get me to race day un-injured (run slower and easier on easy days-- especially these days). Both Josse and Sasha have told me the same thing at other times. I just forget. She reminded me that the hay is already in the barn aleady and shared her mantra which I thought should be public, if she has not already made it so: "Step 1: get to the starting line healthy. Step 2: run as fast as the day and conditions allow. Without 1, there is no 2!
Thanks Bonnie! I needed the reminder-- maybe anyone reading this needs it too! | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| I was compelled last night to re-read The Great Gatsby late into the night, and then lay there thinking about excess, obsession, self-control, and delayed gratification. Hmm. That's ironic now that I think about it. Then, I woke up with a blinding mirgane, and hives. Most people get regular allergies that make them sneeze and cry. Once a year, I get allergies too. Only, I get mirganes and itchy, itchy, ITCHY SKIN. The itching is positively maddening. So I took an Alavert and stayed inside on the treadmill where I didn't need to see my periforial surroundings (remember that migrane?). Also, I knew I could trust the machine to help me maintain a slower pace at 9:45. It was my way of showing how much I love and care for my my Vastus Medialis. By the time I was done, I was mostly over the itching. And, even though Alavert says it is non-drowsy, it is not. Now I'm sleepy with a headache, but my legs sure feel nice. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 5.10 | 10.10 |
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I needed to balance out the up-all-night-reading and then contemplating the "Great American Dilemma" by running (7 miles) on the treadmill and watching the last season of The Office. See how I'm trying to rest my body and mind? See how I am showing my appreciation for their cooperation and patience in the past few months. Let the tapering begin in earnest. Hey, anyone know what carb depletion is? It just doesn't sound good, but is it important? I'm headed to the discussion board next, but feel free to share knowlege of pre-marathon eating and hydrating! P.M.-- (3 miles) After chatting with Josse about carbohydrates and scraping, I suggested she take a nice easy little autumn run by the river to get her spirits up after being sick. I held that delicious little thought for like an hour, and then couldn't stand it any longer and did just that! Such a beautiful, cool, autumn afternoon, so golden and mellow. The river so still, the air so perfect, the sky so blue, the mountains so grand and strong. The treadmill is nice, but it just doesn't feed your soul the way being outside does. Now I'm ready to taper. I promise.
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| What is better than a Friday morning run along the rivertrail. I never, ever get tired of it, the cycles of it, the comfortable beauty of it. I'm not sad to say goodbye to summer. I love Autumn. It's like eating the frosting off the cupcake and chucking the rest in the trash. Pure perfection and exactly what you wanted in the first place. What compares to the mellowed light, and cooler air? The fading leaves, the dry alfalfa fields? The roadside brown eyed susans and silkeweed? The lake's surface is still blue glass reflecting back the Ochre Mountains? It's such a short moment of the year we get to enjoy the outside world the way it's meant to be. This is why we run all year long. To eventually witness, and bathe in the gentleness of the world on a morning like this. Forget the marathon, forget the races, forget everything and just melt into and accept the changing season. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 8.20 | 8.20 |
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Catherine and I did our last Saturday training in the canyon together. It was a gorgeous morning. The trees are unbelievable this year, so much red and orange. We wondered where all the regulars went, the trail was pretty empty considering the time of year. We had a fantastic run, both up and down the canyon easy breezy 8:40's. It's been a while since I even made plans to do fun stuff on a Saturday in anticipation of recovering from hard, long runs. But after running, I saw Josse who worked her magic on my legs, went to the farmer's market and ate a bushel of fresh nectarines by myself (plus a couple of tamales with the kids), and fitted my kids for their skis. Oh the canyon, oh the famer's market, oh the excitement for SG! I love this time of year. Now, I'm going to the lovely warm shade of my backyard to read a book and maybe take a nap on the hammock while kids play out front with their friends. Did I say how much I love this time of year? | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| It's hard to sleep when you're not completely exhausted. That's what I've decided. I've also decided that white sugar is pure evil. I think I'm really past it now for good. I ate some candy corn yesterday without really thinking about it. I brushed it off as harmless, and then as an afterthought, read the ingredients. It had, not just sugar and corn syrup as I expected, but partially hydrogenated palm/cottonseed oil. And then, that was all I could think about. This morning --even if it was psychological--I felt gross for like two miles into my run. It felt like a nice easy run, and I was going without my Garmin. But then I bumped into Sasha who said I was going too fast. It would be good to have more control of my running -- run a harder, faster sustained distance, and keep it cool on days when I should be taking it easy. I'm just so undisciplined at heart. It's dissapointing to find these things out about youself, right before a big race. I just only ever run according to how I feel and how I feel about the weather. Sasha said he was only feeling OK right now. But that's probably because he just ran the Top of Utah last week (10 times in a row I might add, placing 1st twice and averaging 2:34 over a 10 year span). It was really good to catch up with Sasha this morning and get a little shot in the arm. I can't wait to meet other bloggers in SG on Friday. I hope we all have a good week and a great race. It's supposed to be 90 degrees. I guess that's good motivation for GETTING IT OVER WITH fast! | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.11 | 0.00 | 4.11 |
| Yep, these little runs are enough to drive you crazy. Just enough time to worry about every stiff joint and twitch, and then when you're finally warmed up, it's time to stop. Also, don't forget to keep it slow! NO, even SLOWER. My body's in a warp, wanting to consume more calories than I'm going to burn this week (out of habit for how many calories I usually burn in a week). I'd like to not gain another 3 pounds by Saturday. I keep thinking about Clyde talking about eating more sensibly this week, and Adam's & Josse's advice to avoid the carb depletion. All I know is that I want to eat a side of beef and a bowl of cereal for breakfast today. Anyway, I am excited for Saturday (aside from the effort it takes to 'sleep' on Friday night and then load a buss at 4:00 a.m.). I love that I just get to run and run and run for a long time and have a really good excuse for being all by myself in the desert enjoying the sound of breathing and feet hitting the pavement all around me. Last year, Duane, Jeff, Diana and I waited 9 mintues to cross the starting line. It was a actually a good strategy, we didn't have to trip over people in the dark at the start and elbow our way to a good space and pace. I'm trying to ready my mind for those last 2 miles I hate so much. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| The dogs were incredulous. They stopped and turned back their heads in surprize to look at me when I turned around this morning at the shortest half-way point ever. "You're turning around here? It's not even the end of the trail!" they were saying to me with their eyes. Then they just stood there on road, perfectly still, like doggie statues, and refused to move as I kept running the other direction. They stood there a long time refusing to turn around; they were not done yet. What's funny is, many times in the past few months when I'd have to double or triple a loop, or double back a section of the trail to get in a few extra miles, they'd stop and look at me the same way. But for the opposite reason like: "Are you even serious, it's 100 degrees and you want us to what....How far?" Hopefully I'll be back into a good rythmn again in a week or so. I'm anxious to get back to regular running again. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 |
| Two miles hardly seem worth blogging about, but those 2 miles hurt me. I should be feeling rested and strong, right? Two miles should have been a walk in the park. But with each successive shorter the run this week, I have become exponentially more stiff. I can feel scar tissue in my pelvis becoming petrified and ligaments turning to cement even as I write this. I sat in the river after my run to see if I can freeze the irritation that began on Monday in my left hamstring. I need someone to massage their heel into the back of my leg maybe. Not much I can do now, but sit on an icepack/heatingpad and hope for the best and try not to gain ANOTHER 3 pounds. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 13.10 | 0.00 | 13.10 |
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Sarah suggested I skip the blog entry until my sense of humor returns. It was a great suggestion. But I'm not sure when this will ever be funny for me. Congratulations to everyone who finished the SGM-- and more so to anyone, who even came close to their personal goals for the race. As everyone knows now, race day was a disaster-- not just for the lesser runners -- but a mighty challenge even for the mentally and physically superior among us. Pounding rain and 30 mph headwinds from the start never relented. We got on the busses at 4:15 and were treated to pouring rain the entire drive. We wore our trash bags once we got out, but it was was scary because we wanted to be close to the fire to stay warm (or put the bag over your head to keep it dry) but the wind blowing pretty hard and it sent the flames into unpredictable directions, threatening to melt the thin plastic to your skin if you stood too closely. An hour and a half later while waiting at the start, our heads were soaked to the skull. I was so sure it would let up. I did a small warm up run and could could feel the still tightness in my left hip/ham that hurt me so much on Thursday during my little 2 miler. When I hit the starting line and I knew immediatly the pain wasn't like my normal nervous hypocondria, pre-warm up stiffness. I spent 2 miles contemplating my footstrike becaue my left foot would not straighten properly (my leg foot bent at an outside angle and hurt terribly when I tried to keep it straight). It felt like it my leg would pop out of my hip joint. I stopped to stretch at mile 4 and tried to punch/massage my fist into the side of my hip a few times -- I felt like if I could just pop it back in the pain would go away and my foot would turn right. I ran slowly, I walked, I stretched and by mile 6, even though I was not terribly behind (time wise)-- my leg buckled and I fell. I got up fast, because I didn't want anyone to stop to help me, so I squatted on the side of the road while I thought of my options. I could feel that stopping was a bad idea in light of the soaking wet and cold. It was quickly becomeing a losing proposition all the way around. Did I want to run slowly, but finish in 5 hours and while risking what felt like serious injury? Or quit while I felt relatively whole so I could take on my overall goal of qualifying for Boston at a different race. I shook it off and got back in and ran a ways with a guy holding a full size flag pole for his brother in Afganistan and a friend's WWII veteren father who passed away last week. I tried to keep up the chat to keep my mind distracted. But he was running painfully slow and the distraction tactic wasn't working. At the bottom of the hill at Veyo a passing runner knocked me off balance and sent me into a puddle. Now my shoes and feet were wet . But, I didn't mind the hill. In fact, I venture to say that it's still my favorite part of the course. I knew the hill would force me into a comfortable running position. I was now thouroughly soaked by both rain and sweat (even under the trash bag). The wind blew the stinging rain into my eyes. It was unfortunate how strong and capable I still felt in spite of the pain and restriction in my hip going up that hill. I got to the top of the hill, and on the downhill could really feel the pounding even though I was not fighting the gravity and taking quick small steps. The pain was sharp and hard. I thought of all the downhill past mile 13 and imagined how I'd feel between mile 24-26. I imagined what I'd look like crossing the finish line in pain and hypothermic. I wondered if finishing, just to finish would improve my mental tentacity to endure real life trials not associated with the race-- things like-- raising teenagers, losing a spouse, or being uprooted from my home -- or if enduring pounding rain and pain was a misapplication of a precious and limited resources--time and energy. I have to say, I surprized even myself by calling it a day, just before the time board at 13.1. It read 2:13. I stopped and turned around and limped back toward the drink station. I don't know if I'll ever know wether it was a premature, or judicious action. But I do know it was instinctual and overwhelming. The tragedy within me was the realization that every other part of my body-- my heart, lungs, and legs definitely had 13.1 more miles in them--in spite of the conditions. Overall, it was a humbling and humiliating experience. I'm getting an X-ray tommorrow and will think about what to do next after that. Everyone, who finished this race deserves the utmost respect-- regardless of finishing time. The finishing line looked like a war zone. When the going gets tough, the tough, indeed get going. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| My uncle, who's a chiopractor (whom I lovingly address as Quack-O-Practer) did pound and dangle my S1-5 region back into place and pronounced Bursitis of the Hip, a result of repetative motion and compression of S-4&5. This explains why sitting in the car, sleeping on my side, and sitting on a hard chair continues to hurts me even though I can walk. He also says I made a big mistake alternating the heat with the ice the days before the race. I should have stuck with the ICE only. He also insisted on an X-Ray to rule out stress fracture--since every woman in my family has suffered a broken hip by the age of 65 (which explains why I'm terrified of my own hips all the time). So now I'm waiting on a referral to Dr. Skow (?) Given my long history of rotating inflamation-itis of every tendon and ligament a body can contain, this is probably inflamation of a Bursus Sac-- which would also explain why my leg won't turn right and feels like it has a wad of nervy tissue keeping my leg out of its socket. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 |
| I walked. I walked 2 miles. Has it only been 3 days since I ran last? The highly anticipated marathon catharsis left me wholly unsatisifed. While I'm at peace over making a healthy decision regarding my performance, I need to find a plan b really soon. I can't ride my bike, for the same reason I can't run and I think I might go crazy soon. All that energy, for so many months, pointedly focused in one direction (26.2). Now it's just hanging around causing trouble. Maybe I'm seriously going to have to consider swimming, or homicide. Hmmm. Tough choice. I think I'll pick swimming. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
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X-ray and MRI on Monday and Physical Therapy at Rock Mendenhall's Sport's Medicine Center. I look forward to learning stuff. Wish me luck. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| I tried swimming on Saturday and remembered why I don't swim. My skin hates, HATES pool water (cholorine). I come away so itchy... a burning, prickely, itch that is positively maddening and causes me to drive home in a highly erratic manner. I took a walk this morning. It irritates my hip a bit, but not nearly as much as the stationary bike. I also just needed to be outside. My poor, poor dogs. I feel almost more sorry for them than I do for me. We had a nice time outside today. Then I went to get my X-ray and then to my first ever visit to a physical therapist. Wow, electrodes are weird. But man, do they know how to get to the root of where the pain is coming from and then electrocute it (both electrodes and utltrasound). The therapist, named Steve Orrock ran SGM last week too. But he told me about his race in the rain and cold, and I told him about mine. And thenI talked a bit about HOW MUCH I LOVE RUNNING, and being outside--and we all but embraced and cried together. But I'm always on the verge of tears these days. Anyway, I'm so glad he runs, and gets it. I've been so afraid everyone (the doctor, the therapist, whoever) would just tell me to stop running. So I feel encouraged that the therapist feels confident that he can nurse me back to health and give me excersizes and stretches to prevent more injury-- that is, unless the X-ray comes back with a fracture....then he said positively no running for 3 months. I'm keeping my fingers crossed the X-ray was a formality. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 |
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I did 3 days of physical therapy last week. Physical therapy is kind of like volunteering to play the part of an infidel to be tortured by the Spanish inquisition. The electrodes, the painful stretching and uncomfortable 'massaging' (also known as: let me stab you with 14 knives in this leg). Then there are the days of waiting, i.e.: healing. I would like to try aqua running but that horrible pool water makes me crazy itchy and I'm still rebuilding resistance to get back to either biking or walk/jogging-- which I can only do in 5 and 10 minute increments at a time. Then, after all that progress last week, I did a terrible thing by having to drive to San Diego on Thursday. Which meant I also had to drive back. Oddly enough driving and sleeping is my most painful activity. Then the lack of stretching and movement during that drive time, made me feel like physical therapy went backwards. I did all that painful stretching all the days I was gone, but the driving was hard. The good news is, the big pain has subsided and only related to certain movements or long periods of sitting. I've been walking a few miles every day to stay mobile, and to be outside so I won't go freaking insane. Oh wait. Too late. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
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Here are anatomical parts and phrases that describe my pain: ischial tuberosity , piriformis syndrome, hip bursitis. The physical therapist Steve Orrock said it's hard to know what came first: rigid lower back which pushed running impact into my hips, or hamstrings that got so tight they pulled everything down and out of wack. But it resulted in my swollen, painful hip that stopped me cold. I've had tons of tighness in my butt for over a year, which I now know where my hamstring connects to my ischial tuberosity. I felt a little out of wack the days before SGM, but not that bad. I thought I was careful to run thorugh so many kinds of smaller injuries in late summer. But tendons in my hips and lower back became rigid probably for having to overcompensate for those injuries. Anyway...After many days of jogging on the little trampoline, doing the slide board, riding the stationary bike, stretching, stretching, stretching, stretching and more stretching......today I got on the treadmill to be video taped. It was really helpful. I have not been letting my knees absorb any shock and it's been going into my hips. That's probably been going on a long time. I also am not twisting at all to aid in my stride. So I was holding really still on top forcing that pressure down, and running hard on legs that were not correctly absorbing shock in the knees-- and deferred the shock back up to the hips. So my hips were being compressed by my upper and lower body. That's kind of the gist. So I have a little bit of a posture re-correct (leaning more forward, knees more bent deferring lower limb shock, arms higher and closer to the body, and counter twisting with stride to defer shock out from upper body. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. All I can say is, I finally ran a tiny bit on the treadmill (3 miles) practicing this way, and I feel pretty ok. This is the best day, since the best day I had last week. In fact, I think I might just cry from the pure relief of just knowing what to do from now on. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
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Guess who called me at 2:30 in the morning? Go ahead and guess.....it was fastrunningmommy Sarah. She said she would have to take a raincheck on our Saturday morning running appointment because....she was having the baby, and could I come get the kids! So those cute little darlings of hers, so excited to be helpful and pleasant, loaded into my truck at 3:00 a.m. and came to my house and slept like angels until 7:00 a.m. I couldn't sleep thinking of Sarah wondering how things were going for her. Sasha showed up at about 7:30 with some soy milk for breakfast and news that William had been born at 4:30 a.m. weighing 8 pounds 8 ounces!!!! Sarah fared well and everyone at home was fine. And here was Sasha and Jeff standing in my doorway in their running gear 2 1/2 hours after the baby was born! Jeff just said "Well, yesterday Sasha told me to come at 7:00 a.m. So I came at 7:00!" Well At least I had the kids right? Sasha said he'd post pictures later. At breakfast I asked Benjamin what his fastest mile was, he said something like 6:15, and announed that he could do that in his sleep. My son just looked at him and said "yeah, well I ran a 9 minute mile with my Mom." Benjamin just rolled his eyes.
Unlike Sasha who kept his schedule without missing a beat, I won't be running until the afternoon.....I hope to get in another 3 miles on the treadmill. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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I got out of bed and for the first time in 3 weeks I was not in sheer pain after laying in bed for 8 hours. I did my stretches with great success and got so excited I just threw on my running shoes, promising myself to be extra-oh-so- careful. I was walking down the stairs saying to myself --"I promise, I promise, I promise I'll be so careful." I got outside in that clear blue pre-dawn sky and did a slow little jaunt down the street, leaning forward, arm closer to upperbody-swing the way they taught me to defer the shock in PT.....so slowly, so slowly I thought, I'll just go a little ways down the trail. I tried to keep my head forward they way they taught me but I couldn't help looking up at the yellow, red, and orage leaves against the sunrise sky. No one was on the trail and I was in sheer exctasy. I mean, I got teary eyed and overcome with gratitutde and everything. Then this runner coming from the other direction sort of looked at me funny. Wiping aways the little tears, I realized suddenly that I was still wearing my stripey pajamas and running shoes (that plus my hair was all crazy and matted because I hadn't even brushed it yet)....I'd only planned on going a couple of hundred yards but got carried away. I did 2 miles in the morning this way, and then 2 more carefully and slowly in the afternoon. I won't bore you with how gorgeous this fall day was by 5:00 p.m. It was glorious, and filled with all my favorite colors and tempetures. No one in this world could have enjoyed it more than me. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 |
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Stretched and ran 2 on the treadmill 12m/m. PT this morning, and then I'll do 2 more tonight. Yay! I'm moving. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| I did physical therapy yesterday for 2 1/2 hours. I was sore after I came home, but this morning was great. I can still feel that strange hard lump in my hip and it feels so weird, but it no longer hurts. Best of all I can sit down, even for long periods of time, without pain. That went on for so long --like a year-- I actually thought it was arthritis in my hips. Who knew it was where my hamstrings connect to my pelvis. I felt pretty good today, so I ran 3 easy miles. The posture I'm practicing is so different than the way I normally run. It's challenging NEW places in my legs and back. But I'll do whatever it takes to end the wrong kind of pounding to my lower back and hips. I made an appointment to run the canyon with Catherine on Saturday. She's busy trying to build her mileage up to 60 miles a week and I'm struggling to not break a hip (or whatever). I can always hope for good weather....Haven't these days been golden delicious? I wish it could just go on forever. This is absolutely my favorite time of year....maybe because it's my birthday time of year.... | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.50 | 0.00 | 3.50 |
| That extra half mile yesterday (that plus I ramped it up to a whole 10.54 minutes a mile) cost me. I spent the night waking up from the tenderness in my hip/butt again and it hurts again to sit down. So I'll do my PT and stretching today, and go back to doing 2 in the a.m. and 2 in the p.m. at the most astonishingly slow rate that would make any of you reading this cry to imagine the slow motion effort of anti-running. I've really got to throw in the either some trampoline running, the stationary, or aqua swimming if this goes on another week. I've gained 7 pounds since the end of September when I started the taper for SG. You just forget how many calories your body doesn't need without the running. You can live on nothing really when you're not doing anything heroic. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 |
| I'm not going to include the 8 miles on the bike here. This is a running blog so I refuse. But for the sake of history and personal reference I need to remind myself that I did in fact cross train. The same tendon causing all the trouble on my ischial tuberosity acted up again when I dared to run a single extra 10 minute mile on Tuesday. The PT suggested I keep running 2 miles in the a.m. slowly, but asked that I reserve my high intensity work outs to the stationary or water jogging/swimming. So I did 8 miles on the bike after 2 miles on the treadmill. This sucks-- but it's better than nothing. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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I met Catherine at the mouth of the canyon at the indulgent hour of 8:00 a.m. I think I've gained all of the weight that she has lost since she started running more miles. That never happens to me. I never lose weight, I just gain it when I slow down or stop running.....It was a gorgeous windless morning. All the trees are yellow, gold, and red. It was 100% warmer than even some of those early morning spring and summer runs. It was just so cold last year. But the mellow warmth and beautiful light was insipiring. I stopped at 2 to stretch and taught Catherine about my new stretching regime and taught her a few knee/tendon tricks. Since I got back, I've been clipping roses and cleaning up the yard with my kids this afternoon. My my hip/hamstring is just bothing me a little. I tried to keep it slow, but we did 9:30's the same as always. I hope my body won't punish me tommorrow for my run today. I keep thinking I should be rewarded for being so cautious and proactive in healing myself. Mabye I really would have torn that tendon right off my ischial tuberosity/piriformis had I kept going, who knows. I just wish I was rewarded with a little faster recovery as a reward for my good judgement. I feel like the lessons on patience keep coming back again and again in every aspect of my life. I guess it won't go away until I'm finally beaten down. So why do I keep fighting it? | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| And when I woke up with the realization I had an extra hour, I looked outside to find the pavement black with fresh rain. I threw on my shoes and windbreaker and headed outside. The air is fresh and clean smelling with that hint of wet soil. The trail, the river, the sky are all yellow fallen and falling yellow leaves. The clouds hung on to the mountain tops like cotton candy clings to your fingers. The fallen leaves lined the trail making a thick yellow brick road. Beneath the trees, and above my head, a never ending stream of fat, yellow confetti twirls and falls to the ground. A thick yellow carpet beneath my feet muffles the sound of my shuffling footsteps. The dogs are jubilent and can not be contained. The river eddies are clogged with floating yellow leaves that remind me of one of my favorite MC Escher paintings (Three Worlds). My mind is filled with the words of one of my favorite Shakespearan Sonnets (73)
| That time of year thou mayst in me behold |
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When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang...
| That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, |
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| Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by. |
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I have been outside twice a day every day for a week trying to take my fill of this season before the yellow leafy carpet is ground by our feet into the pavement into tiny flecks gold dust soon to be covered by a block of solid ice. I have a few mental visions in the library already tucked away for later reference. I feel like a starving woman trying to gorge myself at a feast. Deseprate to fill my senses with the warm yellow sensation of these days to last me the grey and white winter to come.
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 |
| 10 on the stationary bike and then 2 slogging/20 minutes stretching. The frost is frosty this morning-- but how much do we LUV daylight savings? I'm thrilled it's no longer PITCH black in the a.m. Wasn't this weekend breathtaking? It may take a while for me to get over all my tender poetic feelings about the glorious weekend weather.... Good news! I may have found a new weekday a.m. running partner. With the weathe turning, I just really miss Amanda. She was so consistant. Funny thing is, Amanda was a libriarian and this new girl I may be running with soon is also a librarian...And, I was once a librarian for 3 years. What's with all the running librarians? | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
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My hip and hamstring are sore. I have not had 2 1/2 spare hours during the day for physical therapy since last Wednesday. I think I've been good about the stretching and the cross training. PT has been amazing, but they don't offer their services at 4:30 a.m. when I actually have time to be there. I think healing injuries is more a matter of time and consistency more than anything else. It took 6 weeks to make that vastus medialis /adductor strain settle down. It took 6 weeks for plantar fasciitis to heal (that and cortisone shots). I had tendonitis in my elbow last year that took 6 months to go away. My guess is the hip thing is not going to get better faster just because I want it to get better faster.....Today was so November Rain. The leaves are already being crushed onto the trail, but it is still so lovely. The real treat of this autumn has been the rain. As I was finishing up (what I'd loosely refer to 'my run') I bumped into into Linda on the trail who just turned 59. 15-20 years ago she was a hard core runner, ran Boston, and a million other marathons and races. At 59 is still doing her thing -- slowly and carefully-- but she's still at it. Her age is to mine, what mine is to Catherine's. I may take her up on an a.m. M/W/F thing while I'm healing-- and while I'm recruiting the librarian for winter. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 |
| Who knew that after yesterday's balmy autumn morning, that we would awake to the season's first snowfall? Bring it on! That way I can count skiing as my cross training. In the meantime, I slowly ran my 'special' 2 miles and then biked 16 on the stationary. You really can sweat up a storm on the stationary bike. I guess its because sweat has no where to go when you're sitting still? So even if it's not the same kind of work out, at least I'm pretty soaked when I'm through. That feels good, though not as good as running. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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I ran 4 semi-legitimate miles (9:30's). I focused on upper body torque and knee shock absorption-- well that and not slipping and falling on the lovely fallen yellow leaves that were slick with frost. It was tricky. I may be a little sore tommorrow, we'll see. While I ran, I thought of MichelleL taking on and off her gloves during her run on Monday. The solution is not to take the gloves all the way off (once 'warm' just roll the wrist cuff up to the middle of your hand exposing the palm and back of hand to the air, but keeping you fingers covered). It sure beats taking off (and trying to carry them) and then putting them back on again while trying to run. Winter running is a little tricky. You have to maintain body heat without overheating. It takes a lot of zippers in strategic locations (at the neck/or down the torso) and good techinical materials...don't skimp on quality tech gear. That is what I've found out over the years. Good material will keep you outside in winter sweating up a storm but not soaking wet at the core in sub-temps. I love winter running. Not my best performance running, it's so hard to catch a deep breath and get the muscles warmed up. But it is so serene and exhilarating-- especially on those fresh snow mornings. Isn't change wonderful? | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| I rode the stationary bike on friday until I was a sweaty mess (about an hour). I was busy watching Alias. I never watch tv so that was a treat. Saturday I ran with Cath and her sister in law up the Canyon. The sister in law (who just had a baby 9 weeks ago) ran pretty well, but needed to slow down a bit. So Catherine and I ran at a pretty good clip without stopping for a few miles. Only a little pain in the hip after a tiny pit stop as I was trying to catch back up to Catherine. One week without Physical Therapy, but I'm still spending 15 mintues both morning and night (30 minutes total) doing the stretching. Overall, my back, hip, and hamstring are coming along. Today was lovely and windless up the canyon. I love these cold, cloudless, blue skied November mornings. The leaves have mostly fallen and there is that feeling of lonely desolation.....that time of year thou mayest in me behold. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| I took a wonderfully long 5 miles on the trail and pretended I was somewhere else today. | |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| I ran 4 miles on the trail at lunch. I dare you to try not to slip on all those wet leaves. It's hard. Running in the rain is so melancholy. I wish the rain would turn to snow. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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It was frosty this morning. Stayed inside and ran 4 miles on the treadmill. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 |
| Did a two mile jog on the treadmill and then another 40 on the stationary bike. The stationary bike is quiet so I can actually hear the tv. I'm busy catching up on current events, mostly provided by the comedy channel .....does that count as news? | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Rode the bike for 30 minutes, had out of town business visitors and had to be in SLC by 7:30. So I didn't get any time in the treadmill. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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Oh the sheer relief of being outside in the chill November sun after being inside most every day this week. The leaves on the trail are brown now and crusty. I love the smell from crushing them underfoot. I saw Sasha out with a new running partner (new to me). You can tell when the run is serious by how much Sasha squints his one eye. I ran 4 at about a 10:00 minute pace and the last 2 at about a 12:00 trying really hard to focus on the upper body torque and knees. I stretched that hamstring twice. It's still not loose, but at least it doesn't hurt all the time now. Yesterday and today has been so gorgeous out. The snow on the tall mountains, and clear blue skies very much impressed my out of town business guests. I'm always happy if Utah puts on a spectacular landscape for visitors. I'm starting to freak a little though, that there is hardly and snow in the mountains. When do we get to ski? Anyway, we loved being outside this morning (me and the dogs). My retreiver silently slipped into the deep water at the end of the trail and swam down the river as I ran along side. P.S. What is scarier than two men with big guns and 4 hunting dogs jumping out of the bushes? Jeez, that was freaky.
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 |
| What a beautiful fall morning to sneak away and enjoy the melancholy isolation of the rivertrail before anyone is awake. Sunday mornings are so silent around here. Since I'm not doing so much mileage during the week, I've been enjoying a light Sunday walk/jog in the pre dawn. I have been holding my breath, however, until the snow comes, knowing that skiing offers equal therapy to my psyche as far as being outside is concerned. I think I am being patient. I am grateful I can run some now days. Even if just slowly. But the thought of skiing is keeping me going. If it doesn't snow soon, I may have to start spin class at the gym. I can't go on with these mediocre little work outs. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| I have been diligently performing my stretches, and the most painful one (for the hamstring --lateral bicep femoris-- connected to the pirifomis) is starting to feel like a real stretch and not just like scratching or poking a fork down into where the tendon connects at either side. Yesterday I did 60 minutes on my stationary, and today was able to get outside for another delicious fall run. I love late fall and winter running most of the fair weather cranky old people are now off the trail. Only the tougher skinned more tolerant kind are left. As winter progresses, the trail becomes more and more my own (well, me and a few other die hard fishermen, walkers, runners). Today, these 5 miles were actually a little difficult. I was sluggish, tired, and couldn't seem to get my breath. It's taken 2 months, post marathon, to bring down my body's level of fitness. I've been so good about not overdoing my hip, but I've got to get some higher intensity, low impact. I apparantly can't be trusted on my own stationary bike---even with all that sweating, it's not enough cardio-vascular wise. If it would just snow and I could get up the mountain a few times a week, I could spare myself spin class. But it seems inevitable. I hate starting my day at the gym breathing the sweat of strangers and chlorine. I HATE it. It's the antithesis of outside runing. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| Used lunch time to run up to the mouth of the canyon. The weather was great, I didn't even mind those strong gusts of canyon wind. I still can't bring myself to do the gym. It's the smell. I may get brave soon, in the meantime it's all easy trail running, lots of stretching, stationary bike and treadmill (and walking, I try to walk everywhere now). I missed yesterday due to too many nights in a row of insonmia. The healing of the hip & lack of physically challenging myself on a daily basis has left me way too much energy to worry about and get mad about minutia....usually right before I need to go to sleep. Running has always been a way of taking the edge of my anxiety over real life. So not only am I healing this hip, but I'm having to learn some new coping skills--which so far has just meant that I"m mean to everyone around me. I had no idea how much space and energy running filled up before now. It's been an interesting 'injury' to heal. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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Ran up the canyon with Catherine. We chatted about 007 and Alias, and her Mom. I stopped to do a good stretch after 2 miles. I've felt pretty good after every run this week. I work pretty hard at running the way Steve taught me at physical therapy. It definitely helps take the pounding out of the right places. I just need to stretch before,during and three or four times during the day. These clear, cold, autumn mornings are perfection. Yeah for Thanksgiving this week! I love the extra time to take long walks and bike rides, and eat leftovers. I think I love thanksgiving almost more than anyother holiday because there are no gifts involved and it's all about the food. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| I'm so overcome with how beautiful this autumn has been. About a week ago I took a camera to the trail and took about 300 sequential pictures while I walked all the way down the trail and back. So that if I was ever to become really sick, in the hospital (mental or otherwise:) or in some way incapacitated, I know the thing I'd miss the most is being outside and walking/biking/running. I hope that never happens, but when my Dad couldn't walk anymore and
was really sick at the end, all I wanted to do was take him outside and go for a walk together like we did before. I pushed him in the wheelchair down the trail many times before we just couldn't do that anymore.
I wanted to catalogue, in some small way, all those things I love about walking on the trail, being outside, in every season, exposed to every kind of weather. I want to take the same sequence of pictures in every season. So if I am sick, my kids can can play me back those pictures like a slide show, and pretend I'm there if I can't be.
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| 4 miles on the treadmill watching back to back episodes of Alias. Catherine loaned me the whole season on DVD. However, she informed me on Saturday, they go in order. So I had to go back to the beginning. It thought it was TV and could watch any episode at any given time. So now I'm all caught up! | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| The trail was luscious from recent rain and the river ran very deep from melting snow. The kids slept in (no school) and I got to have my most beloved AM hour to myself. My hip was sore the whole rest of the day though....I did it a little to fast. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| 19 years ago I spent Thanksgiving Day in Battle Mountain Nevada. I'd taken off for San Francisco right from work on Wednesday afternoon, and started driving into the night. About 7 hours into that never ending flat tundra of Northern Nevada, my car started dying right on the freeway. It was the alternator. I got out of my car and a man in a mini-van pulled over and said the next exit was just about 200 yards away and he'd take me. When I got into the van, there was a .38 calibur handgun on the floorboard by my feet. I freaked out a little, thinking that if he reached for it I'd knee him in the head. But he just drove me to the exit and to the NAMPA parts store. The store was closed, but he knew the owner and brought him back. It was about 10:00 p.m. They opened the store and we went inside. Almost every inch of available wall space overhead was covered with hunting trophies (Elk and deer heads, moose, etc). A thousand hunted animals stared down at me standing at the counter, where the owner said an alternator for my VW GTI would cost me about $400. $400 I asked? $400 he said flatly. So I said thanks, I think I'll call my Dad. And then I walked out into the bitter cold to where I saw a motel off the freeway. It was a Holiday Inn Express. I asked the Manger if I could use the phone and I called my Dad collect. I told him what happened, he agreed it was the alternator, and he said he'd be there in the morning with a new one. So Thanksgiving morning I woke up, walked around town. There were 3 buildings: The NAMPA parts store, a bar/restauraunt called the Owl Club, and the Motel. I spent the morning in the Owl Club reading the Battle Mountain Bugle---first page news was a group of pictures of all the children who had turned one years old that month in Battle Mountain and a story about plowing the snow off 'main street' earlier that week. I walked back to the Motel and my Dad and his wife showed up around 11:00 a.m. They had brought a turkey, potatoes and gravy, stuffing, and yams kept warm in a cooler. They set the table with a linen cloth in the tiny conference room of the Holiday in Express, and there we ate thanksgiving dinner in Battle Moutain making a toast with Martenelli's cider from styrofoam cups. Then my Daddy fixed the carburator and we drove back together, the rest of the way to San Francisco. That was a Happy Thanksgiving. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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Aside from riding the stationary yesterday for an hour while I watched a movie, I have run on the ground every other day. It's made my hip hurt again. I've performed due diligence with the stretching, redoubling my efforts on the days my feet hit the ground. It does help a lot, the special torque, the foot strike, and all that stretching-- but the pain never really goes away and is more stiff if I run days in a row. I think it's a matter of time more than any stretching or cross training for it to heal. That and maybe trying not to aggravate it further (biking and doing Yoga on off days). I felt so heavy today (well no duh with all that food I've eaten since Thursday). Thanksgiving lasts 4 ½ days at my house. It's a happy time of sage cornbread stuffing, sweet potato pie, and fresh cranberry relish. But makes for heavy running. The outside world around here has lost every bit of interesting colour this week and now matches my dishwater brown hair. It's all beige landscape and grey clouds. Even the surface of the lake is steely grey-green. The only saving grace is the silent, dark, winter depth of the river and the roosting trees. The occasional roosting tree hosts unfathomable numbers of tiny black birds perched in the branches a single leafless tree. Those little black birds perch shoulder to shoulder on every branch, and there are groups that fly in a single black mass around the tree. The raucous chirping is every bit as busy and loud as downtown NYC. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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I never mention it here, but because of something I Josse Said, I think I'll mention it. Although all I ever write about is the running, the core strengthening and stretching I do is equally important. After every run, I do 300 sit ups (50 for each ab group, starting from the bottom up) and 80 push ups, then I hold an elbow plank for 1 minute. I walked 3 miles on Sunday, and spent an hour on the stationary yesterday morning. It's slow going with the hip. But the internal torque, twist I learned while running has been an essential took to both speed and recovery. I have to rant to day about how much I hate the lung association. Everything I do with the car donation program, they do. I started the Kidney Kar donation program in 1991, they started one in 1994. I use Bronco Mendenhall and Kyle Whittinghame, they use LaVell Edwards, I use a 1968 red VW bug, they use a 1966 red Mustang, I give away free prizes, they give away free prizes. No one give kidney patients in Utah money for diaysis or a kidney transplant, or fund medical research-- but the Kidney Foundation--all by private donations. But Lung is funded by a huge anti-tobacco settlement and government funding. Theyt spend irrepsonsible amounts of money on advertising. In the meantime
, Kidney Foundation is all individual donations, almost completely reliant upon the car donation program-- we pride ourselves in not applying for Goverment funding. Just because I have no where else to rant publically I have to do it here. The Kidney Kars donation program spends the least on advertising/overhead, gives the most $ to programs/patients/research and has the best program in Utah (The program I run is one of the top 3 in the country). I recently did "Car Donation" segmenets for expert village: http://www.expertvillage.com/video/164945_donate-car-kidney-foundation.htm
http://www.expertvillage.com/video/164941_donate-car-utah.htm
So if you have a car to donate, please give it to the KIDNEY FOUNDATION -- www.towkars.org
Thank you. Now I feel better. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| I've worked harder in the past month than I have in about 2 years. It was already comletely dark outside when I ran at 5:30 this afternoon. Fueled by manic exhaustion and controlled rage over the past week, I was less afraid of being assaulted on the shadowy dark trail, than I was of continuing my home life in tone and timber of my work day. I desperately needed to be outside. I had one hour while my kids were at Piano lessons. The fuel in my emotional tank from Saturday's run was getting dangerously low. The trail at night with only a sliver of a moon occassinally peeking out from behind the clouds is a new experience. Sometimes I walk it late at night when there's been fresh snow. The whiteness reflects the moon light and turns the trail into a dark tined version of the day world I love those nights. But tonight was pitch. The river sounded louder to me because of it. Anyway, I felt extremly lucky to have that one hour this afternoon to myself to switch the gears between one form of slavery to the next. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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AM run on the treadmill. My hip has been bothering me again. I think I've been running too fast and too much in the past 2 weeks--it doens't seem possible to go slower, or run less. But I've got to if I ever want my hip to get better. My really good friends, who are both doctors (married to each other) came from Illinois this week to visit me. I talked to them about my hip, and they both agreed I should have gone in for the cortisone shots a month ago. Hmmm. I did that to my foot when I had plantar facsitis a couple of years ago and I'd sooner have another baby before I do that again. That's how painful it was. I actually broke into a cold sweat and hyperventilated while they were injecting my foot (a big long needle going right into the soft part of the bottom of my foot). My doctor friends assured me the hip injections are much less painful. I'll give one more round to the quack-o-practer (my uncle) again this week, and will try to ride the bike more than run before I throw myself onto a cortisone shot. But if the pain continues like it did this week, I'll just go for it if it offers some relief while I heal. P.S. Anyone seen the snow? I'm freaking out that there is no snow. I was skiing by this time last year (I know it was a lucky year, but stilll). Skiing hard is great 'cross training' in my book.
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| It was such a beautiful outside run, but it felt like November. The past few Saturdays down by the lake I've been spotting a huge, and beautiful hawk. He sits in the tippy tops of the leafless trees and looks down on me as I progress along the trail by the lake. Then he'll open up his huge wings and soar to the next tree to continue looking down on me as I run along. My Dad loved hawks and owls. Today, while I was looking upward at this hawk, eyes locked in a mutual gaze, I was overcome with the idea this hawk was my father looking down on me. I know it's not true, but I actually had to stop running and cry about it for a second. I miss him. Especially around his birthday in early November through Christmas. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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Anyone remember Shrinky Dinks? They were thick plastic sheets you colored on, then cut out the figures, then stuck them in the oven, and then they shrank to about half their original size? Well, that's what my hamstrings do in the cold. I go outside, and it's as if they retract, completely. I focused the whole run on my stride, and controlled upper body torque. The posture sure helps the hip, but it's hard to remember to stay in form. I did the bike for 1 hour yesterday, and will have to do it again tommorrow morning to keep the hip in check. I want to visit my Uncle (the chiopracter) one more time, and let one more week go by before getting the cortisone shots. I don't want to do it. But it's wrong inside that hip, and has been since three days before St. George Marathon. I saw my hawk today again on the trail. We looked at each other for a while. He was in the treetops, closer to the house than the lake. After a few mintues he spread those huge wings and took off, soaring over the pasture to some far off trees. He's so beautiful. It reminds me of a song....
I wish I could be like a bird in the sky
how sweet it would be if I found I could fly
Oh I'd soar up to the sun and look down at the sea
and I'd sing 'cause I'd know how it feels to be free -- Nina Simone
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| I did an hour on the stationary bike yesterday morning, and then walked an extra two miles in the evening. Catherine brought new episodes of Alias-- and while I find the whole thing preposterous and the show never appealed to me when it was airing--I find running on the treadmill a breeze while I'm watching it. I sailed through 5 miles this morning and everytime I mentally checked in on my posture I was doin' fine. My hip, with the exception of stretching that hamstring twice today, feels pretty good. I hope to get in 6 on Saturday. Catherine's come back to my side of the trail. Yay. I've only got 2 more choir practices before the Christmas perfomance. I love to sing, and they let me sing, they don't even complain very much about my singing. But I promsie you I am the loudest, worst singer, in the whole group (of about 100). Isn't it sad? Because we all know the WORST singer, is also the LOUDEST. It's the one singer that makes it so you can't hear anyone else singing. So there I stand on that back row with a supremely voiced soprano-- her angelic throaty aria carrying the heavy melody into the heavens-- while I stand at her side screetching out a descant -- and smiling like a cheshire cat. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| I ran 4 on the trail with Cath in the most amzingly wintery bluster. Tiny sharp snow shards cuttinginto our eyeballs at like 40 mph. Poor Catherine had a cold anyway, it was a miserable run. In addition, Catherine won't be running for a good while, so it was sad her last one was such misery. I came home and did another 2 on the treadmill while it poured snow the rest of the morning. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| Treadmill/Alias Day. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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Ran outside during lunch on the N. end of the trail while it snowed and snowed. I came back with a cap of white which melted into my hair. I looked crazy the rest of the day. But that's ok, I am crazy. At least I'm not false advertising. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
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I did the stationary bike two days in a row to rest my hip, which will never heal until I get cortisone shots. I've been fasting for a few days and so needed to take it easy. So this 3 on the treadmill was a devotional to running, but minimum effort. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 |
| I wish, like the bikers, that I could record skiing miles. Cause I probably could record about 500 since last week. Not running, but great for the quads anyway. |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 1397.68 | 184.86 | 1582.54 |
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| Saucony Ride Miles: 137.70 |
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