Denouement

Met MacK and Tyler.  Mack was only able to run the warm up then headed back.  Warmed up about 3.5 then started 40 min steady state tempo (6:21-6:34 pace).  Mile 1 6:25 (gradual uphill, abt 1% grade), Mile 2 6:23 (downhill and flat), Mile 3 6:18 (slight downhill, Mile 4 6:19, Mile 5 6:21, rolling uphill, 6:24, downhill then uphill, .31 in 1:54 (6:08 pace). 6.31 miles in 40:04, or 6:21 ave pace.  Nice to do more than a 10k in 40 minutes. The pace was mostly comfortable, I could get out 1/2 a sentence at a time, though we weren't too chatty, that is until mile 5 and we started going uphill and I just kept quiet.  With .75 to go I got a peak at a beautiful sunrise and almost said how pretty it was, but decided to save my breath for the running.  It was so nice to have Tyler there.  He wore his red running shoes which must be magical, because he always seems to be a couple of steps ahead of me and breathing easy.  As the tempos get longer, it is so nice to have company to push me.  It goes by faster and is less painful.  At home did my 6 way lunges, stretching, and 16 min ice bath (50F).

8 @ 7:45 pace

Met AmberG and Melody.  So fun to run with them. Amber and I ran 6 miles, stretched, and them met up with Melody.  It was cooler this morning than past mornings.  A couple of miles in the 7teens, 7:41 ave pace.  Felt good afterward, just some weakness in the legs.  Reminds me of my 20 milers, just not quite to 20 yet.  Hope coach has that in store for next month.  We went up to the SF reservoir to ice after the run, but it was disappointingly a mild temperature:  65-66F.  Stayed in it for 18 min, soaking up the fun conversation with the ladies.  Then went home and did an 11 min ice bath at 54F.   

My weight for the next couple of weeks will be measured with my lameo oldfashioned scale since my digital scale was absconded to Finland. 

Yeah baby!  My first 70 mile week in foreva!  I am so excited.  My body has seemed to handle the week well.

A goal was to smoke the field and break 37 min. B goal was 37:30, C goal was to break 38:03, which was my time from two years ago.

I came to the race with all three kiddies and a babysitter.  Ben was to run the 5k, Mickie and JJ were running the 1 mile.  I left them after getting our numbers and ran 2 miles, up the first mile of the course.  I decided the first mile is the stiffest uphill of the whole course. It turns out that it is, when I mapped it on the course tool.

Kassi Andersen, Amber Andrews and Julie Thomas at the start, stiff competition.  Kassi was wearing Viking woman costume along with four other people, if only she carried a 15 pound morning star weapon I would have stood a chance.  

Mile 1: 6:05, Stuck behind Kassi, Amber, and yellow shirt girl, head wind, so ran right behind red shirt guy.  Travis ran this first mile with me. approx 100 ft elev gain

Mile 2: no split (hit stop on my watch instead of split at the 1 mile mark), starts with prob 100 m continued uphill, then long nice downhill, I got behind redshirt guy and took the lead from the ladies so that I could turn how I wanted and use the downhill how I wanted.  approx pace is backed into given my other data, in this mile my college Coach was riding to accompany Kassi (presumably).  He cheered her on, then told me that if I looked in college how I do now, I'd have made it to nationals--I guess he meant that as a complement (I was only 8 sec off the B standard in the 10k for track on my first attempt at the distance, due to novice-like mistakes).  I replied to him that I have unfinished business, then I surged.  Kind of stupid, but it was still downhill and I felt good. The 105 ft of net elevation loss in mile 2 might have had something to do with feeling good.

Mile 3: approx 5:49, going faster than I planned on this mile, let Amber and Kassi pull away.  I thought this was a flat mile, but it turns out it has about 57 ft net loss.

Mile 4:  6:05, this is where it gets tough and I wanted to keep 6:00 pace, about the only flat mile

Mile 5: 6:11, right after the 4 mile mark, yellow shirt chick blazes by me, I totally should have gone with her.  This mile is showing just a 6 ft gain, but it has an uphill, then downhill.

Mile 6: 6:22, literally zigzagging through 5k racers, this is so bad in the last mile.  The mile also had abt 53 feet of net elevation gain, long uphill to finish.  I tried to tell a woman to move over, but of course she was wearing an ipod, so I moved over to the middle of the street, ruining my tangent, but at least I could do a bit less of dodging.  Geez.  I threw in some surges, trying to keep my pace strong, I think I did better at keeping pace strong in the first half of the sixth mile than the second half (per my garmin).

.2 1:11 (6:00 pace), 27 ft net elev gain, I kick in, but unfortunately relax a bit when I see myself coming in at 36:30, it dumbfounded me, but I should have known the clock was wrong.

I am so happy to solidly beat my 2008 time.  To be slightly better than where I was two years ago is so sweet.  I am about 10 mpw short of my training in 2008, and am currently doing less speed/hard workouts.  Hopefully I will continue to improve and get to breaking 2:50 zone by Hartford.

I am frustrated though that I seem to always race at about 95% capacity, why didn't I try harder and risk more in the 5th mile?  Why did I let the 5kers get to me in the 6th mile?  Why didn't I kick harder?  I need to go from 95% to 100% effort.  Not sure how.  Practice?  I didn't do some sports psychology things I could have with myself in this race which could have helped.  Hmm. 

8.1 in 1:06, legs tired but not bad, 30 min elliptical, ab workout

10 miles, then walked .6 to the car, legs felt more sore today than yesterday, heavy from the 10k.

Met MacK and Travis.  Did 30 min steady state due to Monday race, a cut back in tempo length, also kept pace a little more mellow, averaged 6:28.

Bought a bag of ice and a block of ice for ice bath, got temperature to 48F.

Did stage three of core workout for the first time.  It combines exercises from stage 2 with new ones, so I did a mixture of level 1 (easing into new exercises) through level 3 (for well known and well used exercises, like 25 metronomes).  It was nice!  I am glad  to get rid of the back extension exercise.  

Also, lunges 6 ways 5x slow, 5x fast, and new quad stretch. 

Stood MacK up, never heard my alarm, but did wake up in time for pool running.  Did 5 miles on TM in early evening @ 8min pace.  Wanted to keep it easy since it was 13 hours from my Saturday run.

RHPC 1/2 marathon fun run!

It was so fun, thank you to Marion, Luz, KellieS and any others who helped put this on.  While I took home the rooster, I lost the leg wrestle for the sequin hot pink knit gloves, which McKenzie now gets to take home.  I expect to see you wearing those MacKKKK!  http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1431627&op=1&view=all&subj=100000309753355&id=1119180978 

15.4 miles total, warm up stretching then up canyon 6.55 and down canyon 6.55 for 1/2 marathon fun run.  Did thirds progression, including my warm up.  Half splits were (included in 1st third easy pace: 8:30, 7:58, 7:36) (2nd third medium pace: 7:09, 7:57-includes potty break and water, 7:15, 6:31, 6:32) (3rd third marathon pace, keep in mind the last 1.5 miles of the middle third and all except the last mile of the final third are net downhill: 6:23-includes drinking fountain break, 6:19, 6:33-includes driking fountain break, 6:14, 6:17, 5:56 pace for .26, 1/2 mile cooldown, core in evening.

 Went to Deer Creek Res with my work for boating afterward with the kiddies.  Tried unsuccessfully to wakeboard.  I guess there is a reason I run and am not a professional wakeboarder or leg wrestler.  I run because it's my only skill! (besides spreadsheet skills :D).   

Met McMillan's team at the NAU track.   They were doing quick turn over stuff.  We did a 3 mile + warm up, stretching, and then they did some drills, and Trina so graciously showed me a couple.  I did a workout with a newer member of the team, Stephanie, and two guys.  She was doing 3 sets of 300m (200m rest), 200m (200m rest), 100m (400m rest) with each set getting faster.  I was able to hang for the first two sets but was sucking wind by the third set, so came in behind on those.  Then we cooled down.  It wasn't like a really hard workout, but not an easy day.  It's thrilling and scary to be meeting up with these elite athletes (two women have already qualified for the Oly trials with the A standard).  I'm just a tadpole--a really old tadpole. 

Met the McMillan team at Alicia Shay's/Paige's house, and we went on an easy run.  I quickly split off with Stephanie and Alicia, we ran about 6 together, then I finished my run alone.  I didn't realize the Alicia I was running with was Alicia Shay, which was a good thing, because I got to know here without getting her famous mystic added into the mix.  I guess she recently went on a business trip to Logan, and said she met many runners there, so perhaps a couple of you bloggers?  She was very nice.  

The trails in Flagstaff are absolutely amazing.  If I had trails like these at home I would never run on the road.  They are often wide, and gradual in their grade changes, and mostly devoid of ankle buster.  

I am still sucking wind from the altitude.  I will until I return to Utah :)

Went to the Flagstaff Aquaplex.  My babysitter I brought from Utah swam with the kids while I did my core workout, then I joined them in the pool. 

Bonnie, Dean and I met the McMillan team at Buffalo Park for a hill circuit workout.  

We warmed up 2.5, then I stretched while they did drills and strides, and I tried to join in on that jazz a bit, though I feel foolish trying to do their strides.  Trina taught me two of them, so I tried to do them.

Can I say that starting a workout at 8:30 because you met at 8am is SO HOT, especially at altitude.  I guess I am just a wuss, but I was hot.

Doing the circuit with me was Stephanie, Heim, Emily, Ian (Greg's ultramarathon coach), and me.  We were to do this 2 mile loop 3-4 times, doing the uphills along with a long crest hard, striding harder on the downhills, and jogging most of the flats, though there was also a stride on one flat part.  Greg was discussing it with Stephanie and saying each loop would be 11-12 minutes (11-12 minutes, when there are supposed to be jogging parts???? I was concerned after hearing that).

 We were all able to stick together for the first 2 mile loop.  I am not used to having witnesses to my workout, but Coach was there along with other spectators/athletes including Dean, at a couple of points in the loop.  In the second one, I was able to keep in touch with Stephanie, who was either with or just behind Heim.  She'd get a second or two ahead on the hills, then I'd catch up on the easy parts.  Before we started the big hills at the start of the third loop, Emily and Ian had dropped off, and I didn't catch up after the last stride, so I started the hill with Stephanie and Heim about 5-10 sec ahead.  After attempting the hill alone for 100m, I realized I would be stinking it up alone, so jogged up it. I met Stephanie and Heim at the halfway point of the loop and jumped in again to do my third loop.  Stephanie only did 3 so I had both her and Heim for the first half of my last loop, and Heim ahead of me on the last half.  I kept up pretty decently, other than taking half a loop off for a break.  The workout was definitely harder for me than for Heim and Stephanie, their "jog" paces showed that.  I know I would have been able to keep up much better if I had been used to the altitude, so that felt good.  Moral victory!  Splits for the hard parts were between 6:39-7:11, which includes hard and easy parts.

PM: 4.5 miles with Bonnie in the afternoon. So nice to have an uninterrupted conversation.  

We went out to a nice restaurant in the evening, such good food, and we pretty much closed down the restaurant, nice to have an uninterrupted 3 hour adult conversation with two intelligent and interesting friends. 

Ran 9 with the Flagstaffers at the Thursday Bagel Run.  Bonnie, Dean and I drove there together and who should we see arriving after us?  Not that there aren't enough famous people there, but Ryan Hall shows up!  When the big group starts running its at a very easy pace and I realized after a few seconds that I am running right next to him.  We ran side by side for about a block.  I didn't say a peep, we were in a group and I didn't know what to say that wouldn't be foolish.

Bonnie hung with our group for quite a bit.  Toward the end Ian and I were both feeling the Wed workout, our easy pace of 7:30 wasn't quite easy enough for me, but I hung on.

We go in the Bagel shop and who's the customer right in front of us?  Ryan Hall again.  Bonnie says, "I'll have what Ryan has!"  Then she and him joke about the secrecy of whats in his bagel sandwich.  As we leave the shop, Bonnie tells him she was so pleased to run with him for two blocks and she was putting it on her blog!

So I ran with Ryan Hall, ate the same breakfast with Ryan Hall, and almost talked to him ("Hi Ryan, remember me, I was the girl who laughed when you were joking with another woman in the bagel shop in July of 2010?). Tres cool.

Ran 7 easy.  Ran with Bonnie to Buffalo Park in Flag, did a couple of loops, then ran back.  Bonnie was doing a workout and was out longer.  Was so glad to find my way back to the cabin on the trails on my own.

Got a massage from the same guy Bonnie went to earlier today, Tim Jacobs.  Did not disappoint.  It hurt so good!  It was just an essential part of my week long "running camp".

Core workout in afternoon. 

Ran with the McMillan ladies team:  Jamie, Lindsey, Paige, Alvina, and me.  I don't normally put splits, but I will here just because it is more interesting.  Greg biked with bottle holders for the guys and a guy (I think Ryan?) met us every 3 miles with his car to give us our bottles.

First mile is flatish and getting to forest service road 222.  Miles 2 and 3 were uphill, the rest were rolling.  We did 6 out and back, then Lindsey and Jamie peeled off (were done), then Alvina ran with us for another .5 mile, then wanted to back off pace, so then it was just Paige and I.  It was neat to talk with her one on one (until we picked it up a bit and I focused on breathing).

8:16, 7:55, 8:04, 7:20, 7:08, 7:18 (turnaround), 7:29, 7:28, 7:26, 7:07, 7:09, 7:33 (Jamie and Lindsey are done), 7:18 (Alvina peels off), 7:11, 6:55, 6:52, .21 in 6:44 

Almost didn't make it to this run, I realized with 25 minutes to workout that my shoes were across town at the public pool, I jetted over and back and was the last to arrive.  So glad I got to join and participate.

Did stretching then had a chat with coach.  So glad to have been able to meet him and to run with the team.  This was such a cool week.

So grateful to Bonnie and Dean for their generosity in hosting us and for not kicking us out when it became apparent my kids were three rascals.  I didn't think they'd be so rambunctious, but they were in top form on the trip.

Drove home after packing, got home just before midnight.

Time for a nap. 

7:51 pace.  Doing lunges 6 ways 5x slow then 5x fast and dynamic quad stretches on MWF, core on TTS.

AM: Met with Travis.  Warmed up 3.47 total, also stretching and some drills (high knees, added skips, then butt kicks).  Then 12 x 1 min on/off fartlek, on a hilly course.  Was supposed to be about 5k pace (around 5:48), and I wanted to stay true to that, but it seems I averaged 5:35 for them (2.15 miles total for fast parts). 

PM: Went to park across from my house to do evening run. 5.07 in 39:41.  JJ came with me with his new big water gun Paul got him for his birthday, so he could squirt me each time I pass (each time around the park is half a mile).  That would have been very nice, but the water at the park was shut off, and it was hot, so JJ lost his spunk and went home, so I didn't have a buddy or a source of heat relief.  I can feel the difference in altitude when I run up here. 

More PM: core workout, downfall is a stupid game show, and they just let perfectly good things go to waste.  Only in America. 

Met MacK, Aub and Beth in SF, did 9.68 in 1:17:11, 8:00 pace.

Had a family day at Cowabunga Bay.  It was way fun, but almost not hot enough since it was overcast half of the time. That was a huge blessing for us, since it helped us to not get baked.  I still felt exhausted by day's end.

lunges and stretching at night 

Ran .57, then stretched, then met up with MacK and Tyler.  Ran 3.1 more of warm up, including water and potty stop, then started workout.  Did 5x 5min on/3 min off fartlek.  5 min was to be 10kish pace, or 6:00.  paces were 5:55 (uphill), 5:50 (downhill), 6:07 (flat then short uphill at end), 6:00 (flat), 5:57 (flat).  It was nice to have Tyler there for the workout, this one was more challenging.  Never felt like I was pushed to my limit, but 5 min is a long time for a fartlek.  Almost rather do mile repeats (almost).  3.87 miles for cool down, including last 3 min rest, at just over 8:00 pace. 

Easy run on my own, 1:01:4x time.

Pioneer Day Classic 10k in Provo.  I would have loved to run Des News 10k, but the last time I did in 2008 it took me about 2 weeks for my legs to fully recover, so it was more conservative to pass.

Strategy was not to run even splits (strategy of last three 10ks) but to practice surging and running the red line. 

This race starts at Timpview HS and goes uphill on Foothill, then downhill by the temple and back to the HS.  

To start the race, there was a pack of three or four guys, and then four ladies, me being one.  Lisa Antenelli-Pratt was another of the ladies (yellow shirt from last race, who passed me in the fourth mile).  Of our lady pack, a girl pulled out fast to lead, then I lead, then Lisa took the lead, all within the first mile.  At the mile 1 marker, we are climbing the hill they dub goliath because it's like a stair climber, and Lisa leads with me perhaps 3-10 seconds back.  The guys are far ahead and I never see them again.  I don't want to push too hard on this uphill because it's so early in the race.  As we crest, I surge and cut her lead in half.  As we go down a second downhill I surge again and pass her.   Great.  Now I am the rabbit to be hunted down.  And no one ahead of me in sight.  So as we go through neighborhoods, I try to keep surging to hold her off (I assume she's right behind me).  As I go down temple hill I surge to try to hold her off (at the bottom of this hill there's the 4 mile mark, then I am beyond where she got me last year).  As I am in the fifth mile, I am tired but do pathetic surges, hoping she's surging at the same time as me and getting discouraged because the distance isn't closing.  I then know I am 1.2 away from the end and haven't had a mile above 6:00 yet (well, in the last four miles, the first two uphill don't count in my mind), so I try to keep under that pace, throwing in less than impressive surges.  There's no 6 mile mark, my watch catches it at 6:04, so wheels wobbling but not totally falling apart.  I kick it in for the win.  It turns out Lisa wasn't registered (I am 95% sure that was her), and the next PERSON, male or female, behind me is 1:30 or so behind.  I pass the line at 36:23, and I immediately suspect the clock or the course.  Mike Vick confirms the clock is right.  I ask the race directer if the course is certified, he said no, I ask if it's accurate, he says yes.  Well I did the course tool twice and the course is 6.0 not 6.2, so yet another short 10k course.  Way lame.  So that projects me to about what I've done my last 10ks in.  Not bad for the hilly course and no one around me.  I won $100, a very nice watch, and a $50 gc to a sports store, tres cool.

Cooled down 6 miles. 

8.15 in 63:42

AM: Met MacK, this is her first speed workout with me.  She did great.  3.37 mile warm up in 28:39, stretching and short drills, then 15 x 1 min on/1 min off fartlek, 10k goal pace on hilly terrain, averaged 5:53 pace overall, 3.65 cool down, 11.27 total, ice bath

PM: 4 miles with MacK in 93F heat, 31:31, core workout 

Woke up just before 2am to Paul's extremely hurty stomach.  He blacked out, so we put him in an ambulance and went to the ER.  Got out of the ER at 5:15.  Was supposed to meet Mack at 5:30, but couldn't get back in time. Had a PT appt and work today, so I dropped Paul off at home and drove into Payson.  Ran up Payson Canyon three miles with Aubrey, Beth and Jaime.  Felt ok at the start of my run but was dragging toward the end.  3.5 hours of sleep is not sufficient.  

 Plan was 4-5 5 min on / 3 min off @ 10k pace, so I did just 4 since I've been so dead tired.  Got good sleep last night but the prior night was still with me a bit.

Warmed up 3.44 in 28:32, including potty and some stretching, then did workout. MacK was with me, doing a different fartlek workout, and Tyler joined for .25 of the first interval, but dropped off due to pain in the knee.  Pace for the four were 5:56 (uphill), 5:43 (downhill), 5:50 (flat), 5:53 (flat).  Got it done. 3.31 cool down

PM: 5.1 miles in 40:00, core workout, rolling (hurts like a mother) 

Ran 7 miles on the TM.  Boring.  Legs were tired to start, 7.0 felt fast.  Eased into 8.2 or 8.3 pace, 53 min for 7 miles.

Hiked the Tipanooke to Emerald Lake hike up on Mt. Timpanogas.  It was beautiful, but I was so concerned about how the hike would affect my Saturday run I am afraid I didn't enjoy it as much as I should have.  I didn't want to hike it, but did it to support the hubby and his fat camp initiatives.  It was 13 miles and we did it in about 7.5 hours, including breaks.  I was so tired by the end, not so much in the legs, but "let me crawl into fetus position and take a nap in this dirt here" tired, from waking up early and hard training this week.  Naps are awesome.  Wish I would have had one. 

Met with spanish fork guys. They pretty much schooled me.  We started off easy, but they started popping out 7:00ish miles, and I pulled back, still got a couple of sub 7:00 miles so I'll count 4 marathon pace. 7:25 ave pace total.  Legs felt fine--no bad effects from yesterday. Iced afterward.