Patience; the new endurance sport.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.