Denouement

Yeah Baby!  My marathon recovery is now complete.  It felt so good to do my first interval workout, even though it was a set of long intervals: 3x1.5 miles at 10K goal pace.

It was Tom, Jamie, Speedy A and I.  We warmed up just over 2.5 and started our first over toward Leland.  We did basically the same stretch, switching directions.  The 1.5 mile stretch is like a rolling hill, so each direction has uphill the first half and downhill the second.  The uphill is like a realistic race uphill, not steep enough for hill repeats or to slow you down too much, but you sure feel it.  The downhill is similar, enough to help, but not enough to help a whole lot.  Speedy A is just starting to run with us and hasn't done alot of speed, so during the intervals it was basically Tom, Jamie and I.

1 - 9:54 (6:36 pace, this is actually my 10K goal pace), held back because I knew I had two more ahead of me

.51 rest, 5:09

2 - 9:41 (6:27 pace) started more agressively then just held pace

.5 rest, not sure time, got my watch off a little

3 - 9:31 (6:21 pace) the first mile was a 6:30 and then booked it for the last half mile.  I truthfully thought Tom was trying to catch me and I wasn't going to let him.  (He beat me on the first two reps, but its the last one that counts ;) ). My legs felt strong and I felt pretty euphoric on this last one.

I felt almost like chucking after the last one, but just felt so much better than the tempos.  We were lucky that the water fountains at the ball park were still on.  It is great to have mild weather relative to the time of year.  

Mizuno

Did Abominal Abdominal workout this afternoon. Penance for eating kids chocolate halloween candy.

Josse, Amber and I hooked up with Tom for the middle of his long run.  I didn't get enough sleep last night and felt pretty sick through the night, so I think I am still fighting some type of sinus infection or cold.  I worked on running slow enough to talk in full sentences, and was mostly successful, but sometimes had to talk really fast :)  We looped around the SF golf course and got a nice dose of SF wind, but thankfully it was contained to the areas closest to the canyon. 

Goal with Halloween candy:  not eat any all day, and if I succeed up to the evening then I can have two pieces of chocolate when the kids go to bed and Paul and I put on a movie.

Ab workout in the evening.

Was good with the halloween candy during the day but ate four chocolates when watched the movie at night.

8:05 ave pace

Asics

8:07 ave pace.  Ran with the SF group.  I thought I would be able to slow it down some for this long run, but speedy ER girl and Amber came and there was a good group of 7 or so who ran 8 min ave pace for several miles. Hal and ER girl were the only ones to run the whole way, and Hal was as talkative as ever, though we did have some good discussions where he got drawn in, so that was nice.  It's too bad he can't train in the morning during the week. We slowed it down toward the end.  It sure got cold in the Salem farm country this morning.  It was just a shadow of things to come. . .

Mizuno

Well this rates as a first class sucky running day.

I was planning on meeting someone in Salem who hasn't met there before, so when I arrived I wasn't surprised she wasn't there yet.  I took my cell phone on a warm up jog as I waited for her.  I promised I would bring my cell in case she got lost on the way.  20 minutes later she still wasn't there and my hands were freezing (from holding the cell phone, my hands always get cold when I have to hold something).  I am sure she had a perfectly reasonable excuse for not showing, but I haven't been stood up in a while so I was caught unprepared.  So I got in 2.12 miles slow (8:59 ave) and I decide that since my hands were cold, I didn't have my mace or my mp3, that I would take my new (used) treadmill on its first spin.

I get home and have to maneuver the beastly thing (a used monster sized Star Trac bought from the Ogden Gold's Gym) to plug it in.  It didn't work when I press start.  Plug it in in another location, and it still won't start.  Well, then I looked and found an on/off switch by where the plug goes out of the machine. 

I turn it on and I am in business, trading off between 7:47 and 8 min pace (depending on the song on the radio, of course) at 2 % (I think it is percent) grade.  about 3/4 a mile into it I remember that treadmills are incredibly boring, and in the fifth mile on the treadmill my son wakes up, as he doesn't understand the glorious opportunity daylight savings gives us of sleeping in, and my morning run is aborted.

GRRRR.

Asics.

Evening -

I walked my kids to the park by our house and ran in circles on an asphalt path that borders the park while my kids played.  In my first mile they each ran with me for a part of the time.  My 3.5 year old ran .2 miles with me at 10 min pace.  So my first mile split was around 10 min, and the next two were in the low 8's while my kids amused themselves by getting tangled in the soccor goal mesh.  I shouldn't have let them play with it, but they were reluctant to go to the park at all, so I just felt lucky that they would stay entertained for 27 minutes.  3.08 at 8:50 ave.

Easy run with SF group.  I ran with the speedier girls at first, but then I had to hit the bushes.  I got a foot into some wetland type of area and screamed--way over-dramatic.  So I am in the bushes and right away hear the guys in our group who were taking the pace easier.  I wrap up and jump out again getting my foot wet, and the guys were still 100 meters away.  They didn't even recognize me when I ran up to them.  Mark said, "Good morning" to me and I had to introduce myself. 

After the run I go grocery shopping, and I tend to get sick from not eating or drinking, so lately I have picked up a powerade.  I picked up a new powerade light (that's not the name but it is lower calorically).  It was ok, but had that fake sweetener taste.  I had to get some breaded fish fillets for this fish taco recipe I make (Recipezaar #10078, very easy and good), and I swear I had to touch every fish product in the frozen food section before finding the only one that isn't half fat.  My body temperature just kept dropping and dropping.  I'm ok now, but I think I will need to start bringing a parka for these shopping trips.

Mizuno

evening abs

Eight .5 mile repeats.  Ran with Tom, Jamie and Amber, though Amber wasn't doing our 800's. 

1 - 3:05, 3:18 rest

2 - 2:59, 3:05 rest

3 - 2:58, 3:02 rest

4 - 2:56, 3:20 rest

5 - 2:55, 3:14 rest  (By this time I am thinking, "oh, yeah, this is what under 6 minute pace feels like, I had forgotten but I remember now".)

6 - 2:55, estimated 3:30 rest

7 - 2:56, 3:05 rest

8 - 2:54  And we are done! 

Though I lead the group through all but the first and the last, I could NOT have done this workout alone.  It takes group pressure to pull these numbers (not impressive by some people's standards, but my best workout since college for sure).  On #6 and #8 I felt like I was in college again, seeing what my body would do for me and pushing it to puke point.  It was great.  Either Jamie or Tom said something about whether or not speed is fun, and I have to say in some ways it is not fun, but in others it is exhilerating.   I am sure my Friday run with Sasha will beat some humility into me but for now I am really pleased :)

Ok now for advice solicitation:   I am on a cycle that is trying to go strong through January, since Feb-April have to be my slow down period for work reasons.  I want to peak for the Painter's 1/2 marathon in mid January.  So I want to do 1-2 quality hard workouts a week, but the cold means we have to be more careful about injury and warming up.  I warmed up over 3.5 miles before starting today.  I want to do intervals over the winter.  Are intervals a definite no-no as the temperature drops?  At what morning temperature do tempos or fartlek become the only safe bets?  I always want to train 95% safe.  100% safe means not training, eh?

Mizuno

Ran with large group today:  Amber, ER speedy, Jamie and Tom.  We went uphill at first around Goosenest and into Payson.  It was a nice run and it is great to have such a wonderful group of runners to run with.

ave 8:27 pace

Asics

afternoon abs

So I ran the Sasha's Uneventful 1/2 Marathon with Sasha, Ted, and Jamie.  Jamie and I met at Sasha's house at 6am to warm up before Sasha and Ted's warm up because we were intimidated and wanted to be ready to go.  We ran 2.26 miles, then went in Sasha's house and waited around for about 10 minutes (I guess we should have run 2.75 or 3 then came to the house).  Sasha let us into his home at 6:20am and we hung out in his family room.  It just shows how dedicated his whole family is to running and how patient and tolerant Sarah is. 

Well, let me preface the run with the fact that I went to the BYU vs. TCU night game last night.  We left toward the end of the 3rd quarter because my husband is coming down with something and I was happy to bow out early to get some decent sleep, but then our 7 year old son went to the game with a school friend, they stayed for the whole game, and thus got stuck in game traffic and he got home at 12:20am, two hours after we got home.  It was my first experience staying awake for a child to get home, and he is only 7 years old!  If he was old enough to have a curfew he would have broken it for sure.  But it shows a lack of judgement on my part that I let him go, so I have learned something. Ok, so the point is I fell asleep at about 1:30 am (was wound up) and woke up at 5:20 so less than 4 hours sleep.  You know you are in trouble when you are telling yourself--"You need to fall asleep or you will crash in burn in your run tomorrow!! Go to sleep right now!! You have to relax now!! Go to sleep right now!!"

Ok, my goal was to be around 7:15 pace, which would make for a slower but very long tempo run.  Well my laps seemed pretty screwy on the watch.  In general they were close to the mile markers but some of the splits seemed way off.  Here's the splits from the gps:

1 - 7:15, just warming up, included a stop to wait for Adam who arrived a minute late.

2 - 7:30

3 - 6:54

4 - 7:30  see what I mean about splits being screwy?  In actuality we were going about 7:15 pace for miles 2-5, conversational but not full sentences, really enjoying the run, seeing the leaves falling in front of us, soaking up the experience of running with Sasha and Ted.

5 - 7:08 probably right on, we ran on the river trail toward the lake and turned around at 5.05 miles, a near crash between Jamie and Sasha? at the 180 turn around point.

6 - 6:58

7 - 6:33 yeah right, I don't think this one was that fast, at around mile 7 Sasha and Ted started doing strides.  I tried to pay attention to what they were doing but my concentration started moving to trying to keep pace

8 - 7:03 see what I mean about screwy splits?

9 - 6:58 By mile 9 I am really needing some water.  I brought shot blocks but didn't know how taking them without water would go, so I didn't take one.  I don't run 15 miles without fuel normally so my body was starting to feel it -- or was it the pace my body was feeling?  At the 9 mile marker we found we had 24 seconds (if I remember right) to catch to get the 7 minute gal for the run, so we picked it up.

10 - 6:47 in the 10th mile Jamie drops back a little and it starts to be Sasha and Ted encouraging me through the last portion of the run.  I am tired and am entering race mode - giving everything I have and wondering if I am going to break

11 - 7:04 tired but hanging on to them.  Sasha is giving out 100 m, 200m 1/4 mile splits

12 - 7:06 I don't think these last two splits were right.  I think they were right at or under 7 min.  Sasha said I could break 1:31 if I did a 6:30 and I said yeah right and just tried to hang on.

13 - 6:35 pace, but my watch showed 12.93 for the whole distance, off by quite a bit.  Sasha had a 6:20 for the last mile, and they know this course really well so I'll take his word for it.  I know that I surged when I could, within the last .6 or so I had strong and weak points but was able to squeak it out:

1:30:52 BABY!   6:56 ave pace, better than the SF 1/2 marathon race. 

I am so grateful to Jamie who pulled me through the middle miles and Sasha and Ted who were so positive and encouraging in the last three as I tried to not fall apart.

This was definitely a race level effort from the mile 9 marker on, and probably even before that, since you need to stay relaxed and in control in a 1/2 marathon or marathon through those middle miles anyway.  It's kind of embarrassing to be putting forth race level effort while the guys you are running with are relaxed and conversational, but they were great and didn't harrass me about my breathing, etc.  :)

I have to say a special thank you to my husband, who got up with the kids and got the two older ones off to school, even though he stayed up until 12:30am last night, and even though he was sick, so that I could do this run.  I wish I could come up more often, but am grateful for the chance to do it this time.

Ran with the SF group.  It's great to have a big group to run with.  Kelly ran with us and that was fun to push his pace a little.  He seems hungry for more.  We saw two fast guys from Salem and Josse went crazy with them for a couple of miles, but Tom and I hung back.  Seemed like Tom's horses were neighing because running behind Josse and her male posse we kept speeding up until I would try to slow it down.  At one point we were chatting and I was having a hard time holding the conversation, looked down and we were doing about a 7 minute pace and I put on the brakes.  In retrospect I should have cut Tom loose because he should have been running with the faster crew.  I don't feel really sore from yesterday, but didn't feel like pushing the pace today either.  I toyed with the idea of running 15 today, but thought 10 would allow me to rest better.

Ave pace 8:03

Asics

Ran with TAJJ (Tom, Amber, Jamie, Josse) this morning.  I was running on empty from undereating and undersleeping yesterday.  I think my stress is catching up to me and I better baby myself a little more of I am going to crash and burn.

I didn't feel good during the run.   Kind of tingly and lightheaded.  Usually I get this nich runners high and get all jazzed about running but right now I just feel like crawling back into bed, so I think I will.

8:21 ave pace

Ab workout.

Mizuno

Met up with the SF group, but did some miles early with Tom.  Today is the run before the crack of dawn so I can also go grocery shopping before the kids wake up morning.  This plan worked well when I was running 7 miles on Tuesday, but now that I am trying to get ten in a day the early morning gets even earlier.  Amber said she'd join me next week before 5am so that will be good.  About 1/2 way through the river bottoms I asked Amber and Tom if they were up for striders, and they agreed to do some.  The rest of the SF group bawked at the idea.  We were kind of on training wheels, didn't really track seconds or distance (my gps was dead anyway), but I think they were 20-30 seconds each.  I didn't even keep a good count of how many we did, but I think it was 4-5.  We focused on form, and I guess that worked ok.  I don't think I know what perfect running form is, but I tried to focus on efficiency and effectiveness of my movement.  Hmmm.

Like I said, no gps watch so I had to guess the distance.

Ab workout.

Asics.

After laying in bed listening to my son cough in his sleep for an hour, I thought, "The best thing for my running is for me to get another hour of sleep, but since that isn't happening, the next best thing would be to get in a couple of extra miles."  So I rolled out of bed and threw on the running gear. 

Boy it was colder this morning.  I would say the coldest morning yet.  About 28F (shows what a wuss I am, it will get much colder soon).

I met McKenzie and Amber in Salem after a couple of miles and we got nice and lost in Payson--well, I was lost but McKenzie knew her way around and led us back.  It's great to have good running buddies to share workouts with.

ave 8:03 pace

evening ab workout.

Mizuno

Met with TJ and did a tempo workout.  I wanted to keep it at threshold-1/2 marathon pace, so Jamie took off when we started the tempo after a 2.75 mile warm up.  I ran with Tom for the first two miles then he dropped back and I was on my own.  My watch was beeping way after his so my splits aren't reliable, but Jamie drove the course and knew it was four miles.  Total time:  26:55, or about 6:44 ave pace.  Not a stellar workout, but I don't feel bad about it either.  Then we did a wandering route around SF neighborhoods to get more miles in.  Poor Tom checked out early because of an oncoming migraine.  I have never had one but my husband gets them and they seem just terrible!

Asics.

Wee hours of the morning run because of training in SLC and have to meet a group to carpool.  I don't know about you all, but I really dislike forced carpool chit chat.  I would rather read a book or listen to the radio.  I think I will bring a book and see how it goes.  I am reading Shirley by one of the Bronte sisters (not sure which, actually).  Ran a little faster today.  I was surprised when bolted out of the gate with a 7:01 first mile.  It was just me and my mp3 player and I let the song set the pace.  7:15 mile 2. 7:23 mile 3.  My mp3 ran out of juice at around mile 3 :(.  So it's just me and my thoughts from then on, not too bad, I guess.  7:26 and 7:27 for miles 4 and 5, I guess my thoughts are not that stimulating.  It was interesting feeling out a faster slow pace.  I don't think I am ready for that pace for a 10 miler, but perhaps someday soon.

ave pace 7:19

mizuno

Easy somewhat long run this morning in SF with SF group.  Kim made a surprise breakfast for Tom so that was fun.  Paul's male buddies Paul T, Terry and Kerry drove down to run and be part of the festivities.  It was great to run with them and be able to talk with them. The only problem was we had to get there before he did so I didn't quite get the 65 miles I was hoping ot get this week :(  Close but no cigar!   I will work hard to get it next week because of potential Turkey Day damage.

I don't have ave pace because I forgot to turn off my watch.  Probably ave 8:10.

Asics

Warmed up with Tom, dropping off water bottles on the river trail for about 1.5, then met up with Sasha, Jamie and Ted for the Uneventful 1/2 marathon.  We took it easier this time.  The middle miles were a similar pace, but our first couple of miles were slower and the final 4 miles didn't turn into a race like last time, so I was in a controlled long tempo which is just what I wanted to do.  I am so glad we put out water this time.  It made a big difference.  Thanks so much to Ted and Sasha for allowing us to tag along and even starting 1/2 hour early for us.  Also a big thanks to Paul who got the kids ready so I could run later in the morning.  He had to clean up a dry oatmeal spill all over the kitchen floor and more this morning.

1:34:25 for the 1/2 marathon portion

Mizuno

Ab workout in the evening.

Lupita - join the blog already.  Start by logging your walking, then walk-jog, and we will encourage you into running your first marathon in a couple of years!

Did easy SF run, started on my own since I woke up before my alarm went off, then was joined by Amber, then the whole group.  Tom, Jamie, Amber and Josse were there so it was quite a posse.  Did 6 strides which felt good. 

After the workout I did my weekly grocery shopping. I saw Jamie at Macey's, because she had some shopping to do too.  I am now frozen inside and out.

Asics

Ab workout: 40 leg lifts (first time at 40, it killed!), 10 count to 10 crunch&holds on each side and center, 90 sec elbow & toe hold - very hard to describe ab workouts but Pete's been asking me to elaborate ;)

Nice easy run with McKenzie.  We ran from Loafer Elem into SF, but I got confused and led us to that building by the freeway that has the lighted pictures shining on it (I know that building has a name but I don't know it), so we turned around and went to the ball park.  Great news!  The ballpark's water fountains are still on!  Please noone inform SF parks and rec that winter is coming.  Perhaps they don't plan on ever turning the water off.  That would be great because I start to feel it if I don't have water and I run more than 10 miles.

ave pace 8:16

Mizuno

Just say no to Turkey Day! -- I am getting stressed because we are headed up to Paul's parents house today and they have a whole closet dedicated to candy, let alone the holiday spread.  I will record weight to help me be accountable for my actions.  I have been losing since tax season (peaked at 153 - yeah that's bad) and my goal was to be 125 at Thanksgiving and 120 at the start of this tax season and be 125 at the end of tax season.

Ok so that sucked.  I just weighed myself and I am at 125, which is my goal but I have weighed 123 about five times in the last week, but the last couple of days I have been eating more, so now I have no leeway for the weekend.  Enough psychoanalysis on my weight. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Don't forget to get a run in tomorrow!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Being Thursday and all, I felt like I needed to get some speed in, and wanted to know what my 5k pace feels like (in the bitter cold, about 17F or so), so did three mile repeats.   This workout also happens to be the BYU try-outs workout. Back when I tried out, they had to be run at 6:00, but now its probably more like 5:40 or so, but I'll stick with the 6:00's.

I warmed up for about 3 miles, then hit the Smith's restroom, stretched my quad in the Smith's store (one quad wasn't cooperating with warming up) then ran another .5 and started the workout on 500W in Brigham City.  I remembered that street as being pretty flat, but it turns out it is sloped.

1 - 5:53, slightly downhill, was headed for a 5:40 something but started to hold back

.5 mile rest, 4:48

2 - 6:01, was the other direction, so slightly uphill, was headed for a 6:09 at .71 so I must have done about an 85 for the last quarter

.5 mile rest, 5:40, includes time gasping for breathe right after the second mile, feeling like I was going to keel over

3 - 5:58, other direction, but some uphill to start, then downhill, lost concentration in the middle, headed for 6:10 at half way, so had to negative split again.

Overall it was right about a 6:00 effort, and I am pretty pleased because it was so cold, and I had two shirts ear covers, gloves, etc on and no running buddies to help me out.  Also, the BYU mile repeats are on the track and in warm weather, and street miles are harder, so I feel like I am in the same shape as in BYU, though training for marathons instead of the 10K. 

Asics.

AM - easy run, by myself, 5.08 miles ave pace 8:45.  Freezing cold with lots of wind.  Felt like my face was getting freeze blasted off as I got closer to the mouth of Sardine Canyon.  Will run later with Paul.

ab workout.

AM (three hours later) Ran BY MYSELF.  Paul's family decided they were all going shopping, which sounds like a foolish endeavor on Black Friday, and we couldn't join because Paul hadn't run yet and I hadn't run enough, so our would-be babysitters were gone, so I set out again on my own.  I ran on highway 89 toward Willard.  It was much warmer (20's feels good after teens in the morning).  There was a bad headwind on the way back but not as cold. 6.84 miles, ave 8:00 pace.

I can tell I am in higher mileage territory because my quad which never warmed up yesterday still feels tight and I was feeling a small amount of soreness in one hip.  I seem to fall apart at around 70 mpw, but I am hoping staying in the 60's in the winter will make 70's feel easier in the summer and will enable me to make a stint into the 80's this summer.  We'll see.

Asics.

Ran with the SF group.

Weather: It was definitely a two pair of gloves day and I wore one pair of gloves. I drove through our normal Saturday route (along Zephyr road) and it was 7 degrees colder there (15F compared to 22F at the starting point) and knew we shouldn't go toward Zephyr, but we did anyway.

Company: Amber arrived at the 6am rendevous and I just cheered. We ran together the whole time, and had Hal, Pat and the Barneys, who were visiting from Colorado, as part-time running mates.  At Bishops (we have only run 2.5 miles at this point) Kevin Kuhni says we should bag the run and go to IHOP. Lots of people looked game, but its time for me to buckle down and try to forget my misdeeds from Thanksgiving past. Pat came upon Amber and I when we were about to go on tree line road and it was great to see that he had to huff and puff to get to us.  Nice feeling to make Pat work!  It was great to get to know Kelly and Jason Barney a little bit more.  I hope they come to visit for Christmas.

Thanksgiving report:  I will not divulge what I ate but I am now up to 126, and that is with a 72 mile week!  Bummer.  I will be good the rest of this weekend.  I will be good next week!  I can't start the downward spiral that often happens during the holidays. 

Body:  Legs feel good, no hip pain, and my quad got mostly loosened. 

 Mizuno.
 

Ran with a good group today. A new guy from Tom's ward was with us for a while but dropped out without saying goodbye somewhere after 3 or so fartleks. Jamie, Ali, Amber and Tom were also out. We ran about 2.6 easy miles then did approximately 2 minute fartleks. I'll give splits where I got them.

1 - no split but ran about 1:50 downhill by Osmonds, then about 3:30 rest.

2 - corner of treeline to the top of hill #3, 2:41, .41 miles, 6:33 pace, then 3:35 rest

3 - 2 minutes, .34, 5:56 pace, flat portion, 2:02 rest

4 - 2 minutes, .37, 5:35 pace, flat portion, 2:08 rest

5 - 2 minutes, .34, 5:56 pace, flat portion, after #5 I jumped in the bushes for a vpb, and its the same place I have gotten a wet foot because you have to jump over a little stream type portion. I missed the water going into the bushes, but coming out I was thinking about trying to catch the group instead of trying to keep my shoes dry. Consequently I stepped squarely into the "stream" which was actually like boggy mud, I got mud halfway to my knee on one leg, and I fall and break my fall with my hands which didn't have gloves on because I was going to put them on as I caught up to my buddies. So I am now missing a dime sized piece of skin on my right hand now :( At least I didn't hit my knee and get a hole in my tights. That would have made me in a worse mood. I wanted to bag the workout at that point. There is nothing like a fall to make me want to cry and climb into my car. I caught up with the group just as they were starting up heartbreak for an uphill portion of the fartlek.

6 - 1:18, .18 up heartbreak hill, a pretty nasty steep hill, 7:27 pace, 2:53 rest

7 - fartlek down heartbreak, no time, but it was a 5:00 pace, because of steep downhill, that one felt good

8 - 2 minutes, .36, 5:41 pace, flat, 2:38 rest

9 - 2 minutes, .33, 6:02 pace, uphill toward Osborne's, 2:32 rest

10 - 2 minutes, .36, downhill, 5:41 pace

We then cooled down for a couple of miles. I was really glad Jamie was with me when I tried to get into my car because the mud on my shoe had frozen and I couldn't get the key off my frozen mud encrusted shoelaces, but Jamie gave me a key that I used to pry the knot out of my shoelaces, so it turned out I was able to drive home in the end. Thanks Jamie!

Asics (one of them got very muddy, but is all clean now)

Ab workout in evening - I did the exercises Amber showed me on Saturday.  They burned!  Thanks Amber!  I wish I could say that my motivation on the abs are purely for running, but I am going to Hawaii in January and want to get rid of the "I had three kids" gut, which I am not convinced is possible, but if an ab workout 4-5 days a week won't do it, I guess it will never happen.

Did our typical easy Tuesday run with TAJ (Tom, Amber and Jamie). 

The wind at the start was crazy!  It was cold and abnormally strong, but it died down toward the end of the run. 

 Jamie forgot her inhaler but stuck with the run and did well despite her lungs trying to slow her down.  I was actually eying homes as we ran by thinking that we might need to ring a doorbell and call an ambulance for her, but she was able to survive through it. 

My legs didn't feel tired from yesterday, but I didn't get good sleep last night and I am still fighting some cold bug, but it has mostly gone away.  I have been getting headaches from the sinus infection/sleep issues, but I just have to fight the urge to turn to diet pepsi and continue to take naps.   

 ave pace 8:28 

Mizuno.

Ran with McKenzie and Jamie from Loafer Elementary to SF ballpark, where happily the bathrooms were open so I had yet another run without a traumatic bushes incident :) The drinking fountains are still on, too! Thank you SF parks and rec! This time we didn't take a detour to the sugar factory so we were surprised the run was "only" 11 miles instead of 12. I just felt very lucky that I was able to get down the mountain since the road leading up to my home was pretty icy from the snow last night. I am thinking I need some snow tires (my van is AWD but still could use more help) but it's hard to lay down the cash.

ave 8:12 pace

Asics

evening Ab work out.

Ran at the track to try out my flats. Tom, Jamie and Amber all came. Jamie did a threshold run, and Tom and I donned our flats and did some 200's and 400's. Amber took it easy because of her hip pain.
200's were in the low 40's

400's were 88 and 88.

It was freezing and my fingertips were so cold. I really need to get some running mitten type things.

Mizuno for 7, flats for 3

Ab workout in the evening.

Easy run in preparation for the Nutcracker 5K tomorrow. I met up with Amber and McKenzie joined us for the first couple of miles since she started earlier than us.  I showed Amber "pretty little road" and gave her the general tour of Salem. 

8:21 ave pace

I am feeling pretty good about the race tomorrow, but the weather may not cooperate.  I really hope there isn't snow or if there is it doesn't stick, but that may not be in the cards.

So question, if it snows should I not wear my flats?  My trainers have more height so could keep my feet drier. 

Asics.