Training for a Belt Buckle

Marion organized a run in Lehi today on the Jordan River Parkway Trail.  It was nice to meet a few somewhat familiar names and start putting faces and personalities with them.  Leslie, Marion and I (with Harold on a bike as our bodyguard) were the official run sweepers.

Miles:  12:06/12:46/12:10/13:58 (uphill fun)/14:28 (more uphill fun)/13:18/12:34/13:12/11:53/11:15 (Thanks to Scott talking with me and pushing me on).

Hopefully I don't miss names. We had JonA, John, Wendy, Marion, Leslie, Harold, Kelli, Scott, Teena, Britta, Smooth, and Tarzan.

Morning Run - 4.7 miles    Total: 52:43  11:40/11:35/11:06/10:53/7:30(.7)

Wow, today was one of those days when it felt great to be running.  My body felt light, I had a lot of energy, I just seemed to float.  And - looking at my times - it looks like I really was experiencing that.

I wish all my runs felt like this - but then I probably wouldn't appreciate the great ones - would I?

Runner's High #1 for November.

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I got off work an hour early today because I worked emergencies most of Saturday and Sunday. I was bored and didn't want to clean bathrooms, so I called up Odee to see if he could play. Odee's mom said he could, so we went running.

3.2 miles     Total: 38:01   11:55/12:09 (long OPB) /11:20 (shorter OPB)

Odee paced me good on the downhills and forced me to run faster on the uphills.

I was still avoiding housework, so went to Gold's Gym and did 2.1 miles on the ellipticals to round out my numbers.

Legs a little tired, but felt strong. Not bad after a hard day of running yesterday.  Good headwind from the south.  I should have worn shorts - the tights kept me too warm.

12:19/12:03/11:00/11:28

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Spent a couple of hours working on finances this evening and my stomach started feeling really bloated. I don't know if it was my dinner of Chicken Cordon Bleu or because I started eating healthy again yesterday and my fiber increased.

I decided to fumigate the outdoors instead of my house, so put on my running gear and ran North to my bank to do a deposit and was feeling good, so continued South from my place to the bank to mail off my bills and some race registrations.

Feeling a lot less bloated now :) - but my underarms and under my bra were rubbing raw on the run and I cannot figure out why.

Two nice little hailstorms while I was out - pretty peaceful and quiet.

12:46/11:53/12:09

I had a hard time falling asleep last night - so ran after work. My goal was to get finished before dark - and I did that.  Had to run off lunch from Cheesecake Factory - the bosses wanted to thank me and I didn't dare refuse (I'm soooooo nice).

No energy, legs felt like lead, I wanted to quit off and on the entire run.  I've probably done too much mileage and 2-a-days this week compared to the past - but I was enjoying myself.

12:21/11:47/11:47/11:36  - Even though I really felt like I was plodding along - looking at my times I can tell that Sasha's recommendations are working and I am getting a little faster as I get stronger.

Thumbs and face were cold - otherwise I was dressed properly.

Ran to work this morning and explored a couple of subdivisions to add on to the mileage. Dressed better for the weather, so I wasn't cold once I warmed up.  I noticed a definite tendency to 'hunch' the first two miles and had to concentrate on straightening up.

12:31/11:58/11:55

Ran home from work. A lot less layers. I felt tired, slow, no energy.

Leslie and I took Odee for a walk this morning around a reservoir to get him some exercise.

This afternoon - the sunny day called out to me, so I put on some shorts, my FiveFingers and a long sleeved shirt and did a nice run.  Lots of good uphills.

12:20/12:02/10:45 (nice downhill)/10:49/11:11/11:17

It was raining pretty hard at 5 a.m. - so I went to the gym and ran on the treadmill.  I took along my iPod and listened to the first in a new series of podcasts I downloaded called 'Confessions of a Runner.'  I also watched a bunch of Dilbert Animated Cartoons podcasts.

Later - I enjoyed seeing some good leg and shoulder definition in the mirrors while running this morning and it pushed me to finally get back into my weights.  Tonight I inflated my Swiss Ball and did an arm/shoulder/back/abs workout for an hour. (Also caught up on my Endurance Planet.com podcasts).

Tonight I also found my humidifier in the garage that I stored away after my divorce. I cannot get it running, so found a smaller humidifier and set it up in my bedroom.  Since the heat has been turned on, my right eye has been drying out at night even with the ointment I put in at bedtime. I have a condition called repeated corneal adhesions (basically - the top layer of the skin on my eye gets torn off if it gets too dry). I am hoping this will allow me to not have to keep drops by my bed if I wake up during the night so that I won't have that wonderful ripping feeling.

I had a great run this afternoon - even with dodging stupid drivers.

I am going to start rating some of my runs on the following Perceived Exertion chart:

• Level 1: I'm watching TV and eating bon bons
• Level 2: I'm comfortable and could maintain this pace all day long
• Level 3: I'm still comfortable, but am breathing a bit harder
• Level 4: I'm sweating a little, but feel good and can carry on a conversation effortlessly
• Level 5: I'm just above comfortable, am sweating more and can still talk easily
• Level 6: I can still talk, but am slightly breathless
• Level 7: I can still talk, but I don't really want to. I'm sweating like a pig
• Level 8: I can grunt in response to your questions and can only keep this pace for a short time period
• Level 9: I am probably going to die
• Level 10: I am dead

Marion's run motivated me to try and push my pace a little bit today.

Mile 1 -3 (PE 5-6.5) - tried to keep my pace under 11 minutes a mile once I warmed up 11:23/10:57/10:43

Mile 4 (PE 7.5-8) - the plan was to stay between 9:30-10 minutes a mile, but Chariots of Fire came on my iPod and it made me feel light on my feet     9:44

Mile 5 (PE 6.5-7.5) 10:33

Nice easy run today.  12:33/12:03/12:02/11:55/12:05

Oh, thank heaven, for 7-11.  Desperately needed a VPB at mile 2, but thought it might be frowned on along 7th East - so I borrowed their facilities.

Nice and warm and enjoying the clean smell of the air until the turnaround point.  I had unzipped my running vest to cool off. Right as I turned around it started to rain and I quickly cooled off and was really glad I had the running vest on.

Kind of funny, as I was ending my run I passed another runner wearing the same Ogden 2006 Marathon shirt that I was running in (not THE same, but the same year).

Later.....my boss gave me a free pass for a Kinesis class at her gym.  She has been so excited (in a warped sort of way) for me to go because she said it kicked her's and her husband's butts and knew it would do me in. So, she called and asked - well?  I told her I asked the instructor's permission to tell her honestly that it didn't kick my butt.  I know my abs will be sore for a couple of days (which is a good thing) and I could probably work harder, but she had me on the highest weights of any of the women there and I was working harder than them.....

My left ankle was a little twingy last night (technical term there) so I thought I might walk 4 miles this afternoon. I picked Odee up to go up Millcreek Canyon and he convinced me to run instead.

My goal was to get to my turnaround point on the Pipeline Trail before I needed to turn on a flashlight.  My first trail run this fall. The trail was muddy, had puddles, some snow and a tree across it already.  Odee didn't bring his water bottles today, so he insisted I share with him at the halfway point.  I had to slow down on the way back because Odee was being pokey and because it was only the second time I have ever ran on a trail after dark.  My depth perception with the flashlight took some getting used to.

I was a bit chilly with only compression shorts on my legs, but didn't even stop to put on my gloves during the run. After dropping Odee off, I treated myself to a hot chocolate from Starbucks.

I was going to run this afternoon, but as I sat around after work, my left ankle was feeling 'twingy' - so I am taking the day off to let it rest.

Leslie, Harold, and Odee picked me up and we went to Lehi and met Jon A, Scott, Kelli and Britta and ran the Jordan River Parkway.

My feet were pretty cold the first two miles in my FiveFingers, but weren't bad after that.  The balls of my feet are a little sore because I ran about 2.5 miles further in them today than I ever had previously.

12:53/11:54/13:04/10:47/12:33/11:29/11:47/11:07.  The slower miles were usually where we stopped to give Odee a water break or picked Leslie up off the trail after Odee tripped her.

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I got tired of cleaning and reading, so went out and did my hill run. Stopped at Starbucks after 3 miles and got a Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate since I knew I needed electrolytes (yeah, right).

It was starting to get dark as I ended and I was pretty cold.

11:46/11:55/10:56/11:25 (not bad for running with hot chocolate in my hand)/11:12

Rest day today.  My feet are feeling fine after the long run in the FiveFingers yesterday.

I started the 3 day apple cleanse today.  My eating has been out of control since I went to Italy and it is time to get it back in order.  I know that by the end of the week I will be doing some celebrating for my birthday and the release of Twilight - so this is a good time to focus on eating healthier.  

Next Saturday Leslie and I are planning a 13.1 mile run on the Jordan River Parkway starting on Winchester Street in Murray.  Anyone who would like to join us is more than welcome. 

I did it!

I had two goals for my run this afternoon.  The first one was to run every step up the Little Cottonwood Trail. The second one was to do a negative split. (I figured the first one would kill me, so I made the second one easy). :)

Mile 1 - 13:58 (uphill)/ Mile 2 - 15:55 (even more uphill)/ Mile 3 - 15:35 (will the uphills never end!)/ Mile 4 - 9:56/ Mile - 5 - 9:44/ Mile5-5.75 - 7:35

PE on the first 3 miles - 8.5 to 9.5   PE on the second 2.75 miles - 6

The last time I did this trail there were numerous walkers/runners/cyclists on it.  Today the only bicyclist I saw was an older gentlemen in the first mile coming downhill.  The trail was in pretty good shape - bridges were solid ice, but only had to start watching for ice patches after 2 miles.

Around mile 2 I started wishing I had thought to bring along my Concealed Firearm Permit and my revolver, but I didn't even think about it.  As that mile progressed, I got a very strong feeling that I should not go back down on the trail.  I took the shorter uphill that ended at the road and just before the road met a bunch of teenage guys.  I don't know if they were the people I was to avoid or if it was go avoid injury - but I ran down the road instead of on the trail in the oncoming dark.

OK - I think this has to be my worst run ever. Not physically. Just mentally.

I was lazy this morning and didn't drag myself out of bed running. After work I had almost talked myself into not running tonight because I had worked late and my hip flexors were sore from last night's uphill run.

However, after I got home I got a call from my sister telling me she was taking me out to dinner tomorrow night for my birthday. Then my dad called and told me he was taking me out to dinner on Thursday night for my birthday. And Leslie is taking me out to dinner on Friday night for my birthday.  Visions of plump thighs floated through my head, so I put on a long sleeved running shirt, shorts and my FiveFingers and all my flashy/reflective/headlight type stuff and headed out.

I decided to do an easy, flat run along 7th East and keep my speed under 12 minutes per mile. I will NEVER run again at this time of night during the winter.  Too many ID10T's (as we say in the IT world) are out there then. 

I was nearly hit by 2 cars turning into the Tiburon restaurant in the first 100 steps of my run.  This set me into full bore 'fear of running on roads' mode and I spent the next 75 minutes stubbornly refusing to give into that fear - but being miserable at the same time.  I have battled this fear only on occasion but it has kept me from running for several years after my sister-in-law was killed after being hit by a pickup truck while running. I had to check my watch and make myself slow down. I could feel my pulse rate rising higher. My neck, shoulders and jaws were tight even though I tried to loosen them up.  I could not take my eyes off of each car until after it passed me and kept scanning the road the entire run. 

ID10T count - 4 cars coming from behind turning in front of me without noticing me that I had to stop for. 5 cars turning from in front of me in which every driver was either texting or on their cell phone that I had to stop for. 2 cars driving along without headlights that I had to stop for.

I am drinking a stiff drink of raspberry hot chocolate now and then going to crawl into bed and try and relax. 

Much better run today. Between finishing two books last night and my run this morning I have been able to get rid of the tension from last night's run.

Left foot was a little sore last night, so I iced it and then this morning wrapped the foot and am icing it again. I think I will avoid the FiveFingers for a while in case they are the culprit.

12:05/12:23/10:52/11:40  PE 6-6.5

My throat started hurting a lot this afternoon. I hope I am not getting sick. :(

Today is going to be a rest day.  I am still not feeling well and my left ankle and foot can use the healing time.

I only got in two miles this morning. As I was passing my townhouse, I realized I needed an urgent pit stop. I will do more at lunch time.

Went running with Leslie, Harold and Odee on the Jordan River Parkway this morning.  I was a bit frustrated because I cannot get my Garmin to turn on at all.  We met off of Winchester Street and did 5 miles heading north and then back - taking any paths we could to get Leslie and Odee off of pavement.

After we doghandled Odee up into their car, I took off and went south for another 3 miles and then back.  I was getting pretty tired the last few miles.

Now I think I am going to take a nap.

5 miles on the treadmill tonight because I ended up working late.

I did a stupid thing last night.  My left forefoot (is that a word?) was hurting as I ran on the treadmill (ok - I was in my FiveFingers), but I ran through the pain.  I did icing and ibuprofen last night, but it was still hurting today.

I'm worried that I might have a possible stress fracture, so am going to avoid impact training for a while. I wrapped my foot in corban tonight and did an hour of hard cycling on the stationary bike.  I was going to try a half hour more on the ellipticals - but that hurt my foot, so I quit.

I will do an arm and ab workout later tonight.

Off to find a tuna fish sandwich.

I've been allowing my foot to heal for a few days (one of us has to try to rest).

Since I was the only one in my office today, I did some research and analysis on my foot. I decided it is not a stress fracture - seems to follow the rules of tendonitis.  I went to Wasatch Running this afternoon and had a good conversation with the owner. 

I bought two different pairs of insoles with more forefoot padding and arch support and am going to rotate them in my different running shoes. 

I also bought a foot massager and will use that a few times a day to help the muscles relax.

He also recommended I research arnica instead of Ibuprofen, so I am going to google that later today.

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Race information:

Wasatch Running is taking input on the Grand Slam 2009.  Go to the Grand Slam website and you can put your input in on which races you want included.

I mentioned that he should include an ultra or two as Grand Slam options and he said that he might consider a Utah ultra Grand Slam.

There is a new ultra starting in May, 2009 with 30K and 50K options. It will start at Camp Williams and head west.  It is called the Sapper Joe 50K & 30K on May 23, 2009 starting at 6 a.m.  (all trail)

I ran 10 miles on the Jordan River Parkway in Lehi with the other runners this morning. I started late, so enjoyed my time alone.  This was the first time I have ran 10 miles without any walking breaks - so I was very happy with that.  My previous non-stop run was 6.3 miles in length - so I know my training is paying off.

I taped my foot this morning and used the new insoles. I was a little concerned the first mile because my achilles tendon in the left ankle felt tight, but it loosened up after a while and was fine.

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Santa Run - Ogden

This was a race that was organized as a lead off to the light parade in Ogden.  It started at 4:30 p.m. and was 3 loops of a 4 block long course.  We gave out candy and enjoyed ourselves.  Even though I walked the entire race, I am logging it because it was my sister's first race.  She has been battling obesity and is starting to get in better shape and this was a great time to be with her and keep her motivated.

Since we were the very last runner's and right near the start of the parade, we got our picture taken by the Standard Examiner