Chug-along-chica!

Sick.

Sicker.  ER visit.

Still sick.  Fever persists.

Fever gone.  (Thank goodness for antibiotics!)  Weak weak weak. Knees buckle under me after walking on the beach for half an hour.

Yesterday I returned from a very interesting vacation.  I woke up Friday with a swallowing-razor-blades sore throat, packed up and left to go to CA.  By the time we got there I had a pretty bad fever and was all but delirious.  That night I shivered and moaned all night and my fever got scary.  The next day I went to the ER.  Thankfully, I barely remember that day.  I had a pretty bad strep infection.  So it took a couple of days before I did anything but sleep and take antibiotics.  Yesterday was the first day without fever, but I still felt ridiculously weak.  

It's worse than ridiculous to haul your body hundreds of miles just so you can visit with family, and then do nothing but lay in bed the whole time you are there, but there it is.  Some of my cousins probably never even knew I was there!  On the bright side, though, if it is absolutely necessary to get sick as death, it is very good luck to do it when my out-of-state Mother is around, as she is the most nurturing soul alive.

So I ran a mile this morning at 10:10 on the treadmill.  I was surprised that I felt pretty good.  Good enough that I will probably do another one tonight.  I'm behind in my training and a little annoyed about it!  My next 5K is on July 4th and I absolutely have to take off at least a minute from my last one.  I don't know why, but I do!

I'm DOWN!  I think I broke my little toe yesterday.  I stubbed it just a little, but didn't even slow down bc I was in a hurry.  Later, I took the time to look at it bc it was bugging me and it looked just like a cherry tomato!  Round, red, swollen and shiny.  Since then it's become rather bothersome, throbbing and OOPS, I accidentally stubbed it again today.  Ug!  I have no patience for bones that crumble on the slightest contact with furniture!  I've never broken anything before ... Grumble grumble grumble.  Okay enough whining.  It doesn't hurt to walk on, but it does hurt a lot to have any kind of shoe on.  If the swelling is down tomorrow I'll try taping it and going for a run.  Or I could always try running on grass barefoot.  *Sigh*

I lost 1.2 lbs this last week.  So that's 6.4 lbs total in 5 weeks. 

2 X 1 mile on treadmill at 10:00 pace.  Running without shoes on the first one made my heels hurt.  I felt a little more comfy after putting a pair of Dr. Scholls insert into my SOCKS!  Strange little runs.  Hopefully soon I will be able to get my running shoes over my swollen little toe!

Tomorrow we leave for a week to Utah.  If I don't blog, it doesn't mean I've given up.  I guarantee I will be running or swimming every possible day.  Maybe I'll even be able to meet some of you at the Provo River 10 Miler James is running.  Have a great week everyone!

Travelling day.  14 hours in the car with 3 small children.  I ran barefoot at one of the rest stops along the way that had a large grassy area.  10 minutes for the mile, but it felt faster.  4,000 foot elevation difference, I guess.  Looking forward to a great week up in the mountains at Snowbird.

This was an experiment.  I wasn't sure how I would handle running at 8,000 feet altitude.  I felt pretty good, although I went very slow.  13:20 pace for most of it.  Good news!  I was able to get my running shoes on today!  I think the toe will not be a factor in running anymore.  Yea!  So I really need to have some good mileage this week.  Last week I only had 4 miles because of being sick and breaking the stupid toe.  This week I want 18 at least.  20 would be a new record for me.  BTW we drove through St. George and I thought it was Beeeyooootiful.  All that red rock!  Amazing.

3 miles at mostly 10-11:00 pace at 8,000 ft. on a treadmill.  No incline, which I never do, but I was in a hurry!  I had to get done with my run quickly so DH could make his T time this morning.  It is soooo beautiful up here in the mountains.   Lots of little animals scurrying around on the ground, a rushing stream, and lots and lots of green everywhere.  Green is scarce in Mesa.  No joke, there are a couple of houses near where we live where the front yard is all little tiny rocks that have been spray painted green to look like a lawn.   (!?!)

Pain.  This morning I went up to run on the treadmill, took one look at the beautiful mountains, and went back down to run outside.  The temperature was glorious, the scenery was pristine, and the grade was evil.  The are only 2 ways to run up here--straight up and straight down.  So I basically ran up and down the closest hill several times.  I'm gonna be sore tomorrow.  I think I set a new lifetime record for breathing hard...if you don't count transition.

I could bore you all with a detailed description of all the strange places I am sore today.  I think I'll skip the anatomy lesson, though, and just say that I was surprisingly not sore in my quads, but every other place never considerred is now complaining.  Are there muscles right below the ankle bone?  I think I am more sore from the downhill (down mountain, really) than the uphill.  Anyway, I ran on the good ol' treadmill at night.  5-5.5 mph most of the time.  I did a couple of fartleks, just because I was bored out of my mind.  1 min. at 7 mph, 30 sec. at 8 mph, and another min. at 7 mph.  Can't believe some of you run that fast for your recovery runs, you PSYCHOS (and I mean than in the kindest possible way).  Happy Friday, everyone. 

You should all check out Paul Potts from Britain's You've Got Talent.  He is an extremely funny looking, shy guy with the most amazing voice you've ever heard!  Made me cry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA

Make sure you also view his semi-finalist performance of Time to Say Good-Bye!

Left Snowbird today and stayed with Sasha and Sarah Pachev.  I almost didn't run, but of course, just being within 100 yds. of the Pachevs makes you want to be more dedicated.  SO I took a nice little 3 mi. jog at night.  I did a pretty good job of getting lost.  Thank goodness for the grid system in Provo!  There are a surprising number of people outside their houses in Provo at 10:30 PM--some of them rather alarming to see.  Wildlife report: teenagers making out, strange teenagers dressed as goblins who popped out and tried to scare the livin' daylights out of me, hairy man watering lawn, guy working on truck.

I was able to go see the Provo Riverwoods 10 miler.  It was so cool!  Sasha came in way before everyone else.  I was surprised by his incredibly long stride.  I was super proud of my DH James in Sunny AZ for coming in 1st in his age division (not counting Russian Red-heads who are overall winners).   James has a very relaxed/springy gait and didn't even seem to be uncomfortable when he came in. I was also very impressed/inspired to see Sarah come in well under her goal for the race.  That woman's got MOXY!

I stood at the finish line and clapped and hollered for just about every single soul who finished.  It was great.

.1 Little races at a rest stop with my boys.

I was absolutely committed to running as soon as we got home so I could have a new record in weekly mileage, but we got home later than expected--11:20 or so, and I was ambushed by my bed and sucked in as soon as I walked into my room.  So I got 15 miles and change for this week.  Next week I will absolutely get 20!

Good start to the week.  5 miles outside.  I haven't attempted 5 for several weeks.  It felt . . . (groan) pretty good.  I'm a little tired.  We'll have to see if I fizzle out before the day is over.  Not like brushing my teeth yet, but not as hard as running 1 mile was in the beginning.

I saw that Great Blue Heron again.  He let me get so close to him!  10 feet max.  Very cool.   He is so huge!

3 Really easy on treadmill.  5-6 mph.  I'm saving up energy for my tempo run tomorrow.  This is what I'm planning:  Wake up at  3 AM, go to a nice, well-lit straightaway that lasts forever.  Run 1 mile slow, 1 mile at 8-8:30 pace, 1 more slow.  8 minute mile is blazing fast to my body at this point, so feel free to feel very fast by comparison.  : )  Anything I can do to lift your morale . . . .  Anyway, come home and go back to bed for 2 1/2 more hours. 

3 AM may seem a little extreme, maybe I'll make it 4 AM.  To me there is no difference between 5 am and 3 am--it's just stinkin' early.   MUST AVOID HEAT.  Plus James usually runs from 5-6 and then leaves for work, so 3-4 or 4-5 are good time slots for me.  I like the idea of getting another full sleep cycle in, too.

I have somewhat to say concerning my eldest brother.  The rest of you may tune out. 

Heber, I had no idea you were so fast!  You have to remember that James' course was downhill!  You would've been right there with him, or very close.  Sounds like you are the superhero of our family right now.   It makes me proud that someone from our family of  *ahem* diminuative stature could keep up with Sir Galloping Blondeness (on a good day, anyway : )).  At any rate, if your intention is to run for years to come, and to continue in trying to be as fast as you can be, and you desire to be helpful to and be helped by other runners, what have you against joining this blog? 

Not writing interesting stuff it not a good reason to not blog.  Tons of people on this blog just write the distance and the time and how they felt.  Sometimes I write more, but it is absolutely not required!  No pressure.   Ha ha ha.

BTW thanks for all the biomechanical stuff you write about, I always try to implement it in my running. 

3 miles at 3 am.  Temp was nice!  I really liked not having a lot of cars zooming by.  Saw 2 cars the whole run.  I didn't do the tempo at Sasha's request.  Plus I was reading a book about running injuries last night and it said not to try to increase weekly distance on the same week that you add speed workouts.  Anyway, I liked running way early (other than the 1st 5 minutes). The only problem was that I kept waking up all night long.  Is it time to run!?  Is it time to run!?  Plus my children woke me up a couple of times, so I'm a little tired--even though I went back to bed after my run.  I'll have to give it another try to see if it is going to work for me.   ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz.

Slept in today.  Ahhhhhhh.  All I can say is that I love my pillowtop!  3 miles on the treadmill, nice and easy.  1 mile at 5 mph, 1 at 5.3 and one mostly at 5.5.  Feel great now. 

I wonder if I'm going to show any improvement in my next race (5K on July 4th).  I don't feel like I am pushing myself.  Well, I am trying to build up a base and avoid injury.  *Sigh*

I had so much fun this morning swimming laps (in a play pool) with my kids.  They took turns riding on my back (I was doing breast-stroke) like I was a sea monster.  Good times.  I feel like I have a lot more energy in general since I started running.

3 miles outside tonight in 27:00 (with breaks in between).   Warm up mile (continuous) in about 10:45, strrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreettttch; then 1 mile of fartleks in 6:45 (if you only count the fartleks--there was some walking in there as well) more stretching, cool down mile (continuous) in 9:30.  I was completely surprised that my last mile was faster than my first, because my legs were totally dead.  Like trying to run on ham shanks. . . or maybe with an entire pig strapped to my back.  I guess what they say about running farleks is true--they improve your form, and help your overall running.  I'm a-gonna be sore tomorrow.  Can't wait. 

I was really grouchy going into this run, so I think I just wanted to do something a little different.  I either needed a good hard run, or a humongous brownie.  Why I chose running beats the dickens out of me. 

Tomorrow I will reach my 20 mile a week goal, so even though I'm sure I'll be sore, I've gotta get out and do 3 easy miles.  Whew!  Now since I wrote it down I know I'll do it. 

Good luck everyone who is running the Wasatch Back and other races on Saturday!!! 

There you have it...a new weekly mileage record.  3 on the treadmill as easy as I could make it and still (technically) be running.  Never opened my mouth to breathe the whole run, so that's gotta be easy. 

I am a little bit worried about a little bit of a sore throat that I've got.  Please not strep again!  It's probably nothing, but I know that James has exposed me again.  I've been gargling that super nasty mouthwash all evening.  Please please please . . .

Day off.  I'm sick again: just a really sore throat, but I really want to avoid the whole major fever, delirious part.  I've gotta be patient.  I have the whole rest of my life to run, and if there is not amazing improvement in my next 5K, I will just have to run a couple more before I reach my goal--which is arbitrary anyway!  So really there is no reason to feel bad...

I feel bad.

The good news is that I've really enjoyed reading all these awesome race reports about the Wasatch Back.  I think the people on this blog are exceptional people, in addition to being exceptional runners.  There are many examples of strong character and ATTITUDE!   Good stuff.

Today was the first day my throat feels (mostly) better.   I'm glad I took some time off, but it felt really good to run again.   2 Miles on the treadmill at 5.5 for most of it.  

I had to change my running goals.  I get sick every time I push myself at all, so I'm just going to relax and jog some everyday.  Then build up so gradually that it will look like I'm not building up.  Probably won't race for . . . I dunno--long time.  It's still really good to run, even if racing is not involved.  Health, happiness--all that good stuff.

Today is our 10th wedding anniversary!  Starting to sound impressive!   James is the sweetest guy! 

2 miles on treadmill at 5 mph.  Felt really easy.

My friend came over with her 5 kids today.  I made crepes for everybody!  So that's 8 kids and 2 adults.   It ended up being approximately a million crepes.  I decided to try to pan flip them for old time's sake (throw them in the air without a spatula to turn them).  Well, I don't know my own massive strength, and I'm not exactly used to my new pan... and that super-heated crepe ended up flying right at my face!  I had to resort to martial arts to defend myself.  All in front of a bunch of kids, too! This is why James does most of the cooking.  His martial arts skills are superior to my own.  Plus, he seems to handle it better whenever things spontaneously burst into flames.