Chug-along-chica!

2.25 on the treadmill. 

1 mile at 5-5.5 mph

1 mile at 6 mph

.25 at 7 mph

I was happy to see that I could still run at 6 mph with my mouth closed.  It feels about the same as 5.3 used to feel.  And REALLy interesting to me was that 7mph (about 8:30 pace) feels as 6 mph felt 2 months ago.  So there must be progress going on here. Yea!

I must confess that I was up really late last night.  I read a rather spooky book about Vampires and I think it kept me up.  "Twilight."  Very engrossing, but extremely mushy.  Anyone here read it?  I'm still trying to decide if I would recommend it.  Delicious reading, but made me blush for fully a third of the time I was reading it.    Much like a twinky kind of a read.  May taste good when you're reading it, but probably not good to consume too much!  I'm a little bit of a book snob.  My favorite books are ones that are meaningful, like "The Hiding Place"  or "To Kill a Mockingbird."  Favorite recent book is "The Secret Life of Bees".  Ooooh  I really like books that illuminate a foreign culture, too.  "Wild Swans" is probably my favorite in this genre.  Anyway, Happy Monday.

Happy Independence Day! 2 miles on the treadmill in the morning. 2 quarters at 5 mph, 5 quarters at 6 mph, 1quarter at 7 mph.

Very shortly after running I was on my way to New Mexico to hang out with my family! 7 Hour drive. So glad got my run in 1st thing! I missed yesterday's run because I kept putting it off until later--then soon it was too late. I'm looking forward to running in the cooler temps here (60s in the morning--Sweet!)

Nice little run outside this evening.  My brother-in-law and nephew accompanied me so that I wouldn't get attacked by a dog or anything.  That was nice.  I think I've discovered that I can go significantly faster for a lot longer if I increase my turn-over than if I increase my stride length.  Illuminating.

I'm struggling just a little with enthusiasm for running because I decided to stop racing for a while and be more gradual.  We'll have to see how that goes.  Maybe I can go with James to a 5K and do the 1 mile fun run or something next time.  From my one 5K so far, I think racing is really not fun at all.  HOWEVER, it is really to cool/fun to be training for something. 

Lovely little run outside in the morning with Kristina and Mr. TRYinginCO.  So nice!  Beautiful weather out here.  Plus we are out in the country, so we are running on trails shaded by trees instead of sidewalks...aaaaaaahhh.  So nice.  I want to move here!

James and I had a wonderful time running together (without 3 kids) for the first time in . . .geez, I couldn't say. I know I ran with him exactly once when we first got married, but he was really frustrated with running at a speed which I could survive (which injured my delicate running pride!) This second attempt 10 years later was much more enjoyable. I thank Sasha for teaching him the value of running slowly to avoid injury. He was bouncing at least twice as high as I was for the whole run, though, and stepping half as frequently. It was nice to talk to him. He had just finished 8 miles on his own, then we did 3 together.

I want to move here! The weather at 7:15 was PERFECT!--cool, slight breeze, neutral humidity, and scenic mountains close by.

You know what else?  I really liked the advice about continuing to race, but not that often.  I really think having a race to train for is such a great motivational tool.  I think I'll look for a nice scenic 5K in the fall, after it's cooled down a little more--like October or something.  HEY!  maybe I could run something in St. George.  We'll be there for James' marathon, maybe there is a 10K or 5Kalso?  Some marathons do have shorter races the same day, I think.  I'll have to check it out.

Today I drove home from New Mexico with the kids.  I was planning an evening run on the treadmill, but it had a major issue which made it impossible.  The treadmill seemed to be skipping--the belt would slip and catch and slip and catch.  (Either that or it was trying to buck me off!)  It was good for a laugh, anyway.  I almost fell off the darn thing even at walking speed.   I hope we can get it fixed!  Anyone else's treadmill ever done this?

Anyway, I ended up outside in the heat for 3 miles.  I enjoyed this run.  I tried to focus on keeping my turnover faster than usual, and I have to say, it really is easier for me to go faster this way, rather than just pushing off the ground harder with each stride. 

My splits were:  10:05, 9:39, 9:40 for a total time of 29:25.  My average pace was 9:48.  For those of you who are not familiar with my training, let me just say that this is much faster than I usually run.  A more common pace for a 3 miler for me would be 11:10 or so.  For not much more effort!  I am really excited about this. 

OK geeks:  I've got a challenge for you.  There must be a mathematical way to find the optimal mix of stride length (x) in feet and turnover (y) in bpm.   I think the best way to look at it is to find the way to expend the least ATP (energy).  OK, so let's say that stride length varies between 2 ft and 6 ft.  Let's say that at 2 ft per stroke you expend z ATP per....oh forget it!  I can't even figure out how to get started on making this into a math problem.   But I bet somebody on this blog can. I know we are trying to optimize speed and conserve ATP.  10 points to anyone who can figure out how to make even an extremely rudimentary mathmatical equation out of this problem.  Nevermind realistic data.  20 points to whoever comes up with the best equation possible.  30 points can be redeemed for ... a snow cone?  How about status as top nerd of the blog?

2 Miles outside at night in the heat.  First mile in 9:39, 2nd in 9:56.  The heat bothered me more on this run than usual.  I felt a little sick to my tummy at the end. 

I woke up this morning feeling a little sore.  I think I should have warmed up better yestereday when I ran.  I started off fast--like 8:00 pace and gradually slowed down the whole way.  Should have done the opposite.  Oh well.  The way I feel today, I think I better take it really easy tonight--not in mileage, but in pace.  I plan tp do 3 miles tonight--stopping every mile at my house to douse myself with water.  It really helps that everyone around here uses their sprinklers at night.  It is a cardinal rule of mine to always run through sprinklers if they are on.

I set couple of records this run: one for having the most high-tech gadgets on my person, and one for being the soggiest run ever.  I had 4 gadgets--the garmin, my mp3 player, a heart rate monitor, and I held a pepper spray thingy in one hand.  Pretty cool.  In lieu of talent, I've got gear.   Not that there is anything wrong with being speed-challenged, and it is certainly not an excuse for slacking on the training.  Right, Sasha?

I was extremely fortunate in my sprinkler timing today.  There was a long stretch of grass by the lake with sprinklers on the whole time, so I just kept running the same .33 mile loop around that one lake and completely soaking myself each time.   They were the kind of sprinklers that hold still, so if you run in the right line, you can get COMPLETELY drenched.  It was heaven.  I didn't even notice the heat.  My shoes made that squishy sound with every step this whole run.  Fun stuff.

Well, now for a confession.  I've been slipping furthur and further from my eating plan these last few...oh, for about a month, and this crazy thing happened--I stopped loosing weight.  I didn't gain any back, I think (hope).  I credit running for that.  Anyway, tomorrow I really need to drag myself back to my WW meeting, but I don't really want to because I am afraid it will be bad news.  OK.   Now that I've written it down I know I will do it--7am tomorrow, providing James is back from his long run.

2 miles outside tonight.  I am crediting this blog for the fact that I got out today.  It was a small miracle.  I am learning that you don't have to want to do it, you just have to DO it.  It is easier when you want to, though.

I missed my weigh-in this morning.  Oops.  Big goal for next week is to get that done.  2nd big goal is to not miss any running days.  Alternate doing 3 miles one day and 2 the next. 

2 miles outside at night. 10:24 and 11:12

What a break!  It actually started raining on me during this run.  Somebody up there must love me (and not want me to die of heat stroke).  This is probably the first time I've seen it rain in the last 2-3 months.   I had to stop because of a blister on my ankle (this comes from running in soaked shoes) but I felt good enough to do more otherwise--actually I had planned on doing 3 tonight.  So I'll do 3 tomorrow, then a TEMPO 2 mile on Wednesday.  That'll be exciting.   Hopefully I'll be doing a 2 mile tempo every Wed. from now on.  Let's hope I can see progress. . . Maybe I should run this first one really slow, so that I'll be SURE to see progress.  Just kidding. 

I'm excited.

This was supposed to have been my run from yesterday.  It's been one loooooooooooong Tuesday, because *blush blush blush* I never went to sleep last night.  I stayed up ALL night reading this absolutely delicious book. 550 pages in one sitting.  Although this is probably the most irresponsible thing I've done all year, I am having a hard time summoning up remorse.  I really enjoyed reading all those hours by myself with no little boys climbing on me.  Best sleepless night ever. . . now if only there'd been bon-bons.  Just kidding!  Anyway, I didn't want to do my tempo run on absolutely zero sleep, so I'll do it tomorrow.  I'll be super happy if I am able to keep it around 9-9:15 pace for 2 miles.  Especially in this heat!  Let's take off a minute per mile for 100 degree weather, shall we?

2 miles tonight outside.  Felt rather sluggish (believe it or not!)  About 10:40 pace.

*Sniff sniff*  Feel free to chastise me.  Accountability, it's a killer!

Well, a number of good things to report today. 

First, I made up 2.5 hours towards my sleep debt last night.  That's good.  I read an article on sleep that says that your body accumulates a sleep debt over time, and it keeps track of the debt for a long time!  I should be able to make up for Tuesday's indiscretion in 2 or 3 more nights of increased sleep.  Just think about it: those of you who get by on 6 1/2  hours a night instead of 8 every night have about the same sleep debt as a person who stays up all night once a week. 

Second, I went to WW today, finally, and GOOD NEWS!  I haven't gained any weight (after 1 1/2 months of not going to meetings) so I didn't have to pay any extra dough, since I am technically at goal weight.  (I set it high so I could stop paying sooner--after you've been at goal 6 weeks, it's all free, unless you get 2 lbs. above goal weight.  I'd still like to loose a few more pounds.)

Third, I had a great run tonight.  Temp was 104.  Slight breeze.

Warm-up .67 miles at 11:20 pace.  2 mile tempo run at exactly 9:00 min. pace on average.  First mile at 8:49, second at 9:11.   Cool down .44 at 12:40 pace (this was the hardest part of the run, I wanted to stop so bad and just lay down on the pavement.)  HHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRAYYYYYY!!!!!  I'm so excited.  I had set my goal to try to beat 9:15 pace on average.  I had serious doubts as to whether I could do it.  There were several times in the run when I thought I should just stop and try again another night, but then I would look down at the garmin and I was going 8:20 or something, so I would just slow down a little bit--anything's better than stopping.  As I was finishing, I had no idea whether or not I met my goal.  I had to look at the garmin report.  I am stunned--at this temperature, with no competition, still trying to catch up on sleep.  YEA!  I hope I can beat this next week.

2 miles outside at 10:19 pace.    Felt a little brisk.

I ran 1.5 miles (10:25 pace) to go pick up my car from the oil change place around 1 pm.  I was intending to run another 1.5 in the evening, but it didn't happen. This was the first time I've run in the sun in a long time.  It was hot, but I also felt kinda shy because I was running along these really busy roads.  I hate it when people watch me run.  Left over stuff from high school, I guess.  I always feel like they are watching me and thinking that I am so slow!  But logically, it is much more likely that people are either thinking "man, I really need to start exercising again like this girl" or "what kind of crazy person would be running in the middle of the day in Mesa in July?"   They have a point there.

Did ya miss me?  My kids are sick and up a lot at night with croup/breathing problems.   Also fairly discouraged about the treadmill not working, and having to try to find time to run now that James is also running in the evening.  

Tonight was sooooo beautiful.  We had a huge downpour, and it cooled everything so nicely!  I took a non-running super sweet friend with me.  We walked a lot and ran some, but she is just starting out and I don't want to push her at ALL so that she will not dread going with me.  Maybe eventually we could be running partners.  Counting chickens, I know.  I still credit her that I even got out tonight bc I am TIRED.  I'm going to bed. 

PS  Wasn't it great reading all those race reports on the 24th!  Great role models on this blog.  I love it.

5K outside in 21:55.  Oops, I mean 31:55.  Details, details...

Average pace 10:18.  Felt a little rough at the end.  Probably bc I am exhausted.  Sleep deprivation related to sick kids, and Harry Potter book 7.  (Wasn't it good?!  I loved the chapter about Snape the best...and Harry walking through the forest. *sniff*  What a great kid!  Anybody who hasn't read Harry Potter should read the whole darn series just so that they can enjoy the transcendent pleasure/excitement of the last several chapters of book 7.  I am not even that huge of a HP fan and I just LOVED it!)

In other news, guess what?  My fabulously mechanically-minded hubby fixed our treadmill with his bare hands!!!  He called up the customer support line.  Turns out he just had to tighten a belt in the motor.  We didn't even have to buy a part!  And to think we were getting ready to chuck it and get a new one (ouch$$$).  Yea!  It will be a lot easier for me to be consistent about getting all my runs in now.

2 on my beloved Fredmill.  He's still acting just a teensy bit weird, but at least he works.  10:00 pace for most of it.  I slowed down once to catch my breath.  I was watching "Cheaper By the Dozen" and I kept laughing out loud while I was running.  It was great.

Yea!  My 2 year-old slept through the night.  Hopefully the croup is over for him.

I woke up with a sore throat this morning.  Probably what my kids all had.  I didn't feel sick other than the sore throat.  I hope it stays that way.  I took it super duper easy taking each of my little guys for a run.  Probably should have gone farther, but I was being conservative. 

I wish I had a dog to run with.  I don't think I'll ever have a dog, since James is allergic to anything cute and fuzzy.  I was thinking that I wish I could rent a dog just for safety while running.  Then I got the idea that there is probably someone out there with a dog that has too much energy and needs to be exercised.  So I put up signs in my neighborhood saying that I am a "dog runner".   Satisfaction guaranteed.  Very affordable rates.  He he he.     

I love rain!  Rain is soooooooo...dah!  Words can't describe it.  It's just a gift and that's a FACT!  I was scheduled to run with a new friend from church tonight, but oddly enough, she didn't want to run in the rain.  We're gonna try again on Thursday.  I ran with my super sweet non-running friend Holly tonight instead & she did so well!  She ran 1.25 miles and only stopped to walk once.  She's gonna be sore tomorrow, though!   Her husband asked me how on earth I got her to start running.  Apparently he loves to run and he's been trying to get her to run for years.  I think the secret trick is that I'm not her husband.  Husbands must tread very carefully when suggesting that the dear wife needs to start exercising.  : )  I hope I can run with Holly all the time from now on.  She's like a sister to me, only tall.  (He he he.  That is a jab at my nymph-like mini-sisters.) 

I felt GREAT on this run.  It was cool, and I could've run longer and enjoyed it, but I am under a time constraint.  So good night everybody! 

Lybi

I ran with Holly again.  She is not sure she likes running at all.  It is just pure pain and torture--no fun.  I told her I used to feel the same way!  We went 1.5 miles and raced the last tenth of a mile.  Fun.  Then I ran another 1.6 by myself.  Felt okay, it was nice and cool.  I was maybe slightly less energetic from the stress of a challenging day.

My little 2 year-old broke his arm!  First broken bone in the family.  He was very brave and sweet throughout the whole ordeal of getting it checked, x-rayed, and casted.  Just a little cuddle-bug the whole time--crying only whenever it was touched.  Longish day that ended up even longer because he had a very hard time sleeping.  We were up well past 2 am last night.  Although I am very sad he had this terrible injury, I am so grateful for all the wonderful people who helped that day.  Quick list of amazing coincidences (tender mercies, really):

1.  My friend was visiting when it happened.  She watched my other kids--no need to get babysitter.

2.  My pediatrician had an immediate opening (THIS NEVER HAPPENS!) So I didn't have to take him to the emergency room.  The pediatrician was running on time, and we were in and out in less than half and hour--amazing, no absolutely unprecedented!  The Dr. was so gentle examining him that he didn't even cry--he just winced once or twice.

3.  The X-ray place is right next door to the pediatrician's office, so I just walked over, carrying Adam.  Amazingly, they were almost empty and we were seen in under half and hour.  The tech was soooo good, and again, Adam didn't even cry.  5 minutes after the X ray was taken, a tech rushed out to the waiting room to tell me that Adam needed a splint RIGHT NOW and helped me put it on.  I was out the door 5 minutes later with the X-rays in hand and a diagnosis--mildly deformed distal radial fracture.

4.  I called the casting place and they had an opening in under and hour.  (My pediatrician had warned me that it often takes several days to get in to get an appointment.  I guess they often just leave the splint on for awhile.  Maybe Adam's injury was given priority because it was "mildly deformed"?)

Anyway, now Adam is fine, and if you ask him if he likes having a cast on he will say yes!  He is so much more comfortable with it on.   Thank goodness for modern medicine!   Every single person I met with yesterday was kind, helpful, and so gentle.