Denouement

AM:  walked 2.5 miles before going grocery shopping.

PM:  met Marion and she towed her two youngens on her bike while I walked/ran.  5.33 running bit--slow.

Then stretching in her kitchen.  I am not limber.  "I am glad I have hinges or else I would crack." Nice primary song about AS.  The lyricist didn't know he was writing about AS, but he was. 

Slept through alarm, so hopped on the elliptical for hardest endurance workout after a 6 minute warm up and stretch (3,3,4,4,5,6,7,8,5,6,7,8,9,6,7,8,9,10,5,6,7,8,9,6,7,8,4,4,4,4).  Wore hr monitor, mostly hovered between 150 and 165, peaked at 170.

Later AM: Walked 1.1, then ran 5.15, ave pace for run was 7:48.  Lovely and sunny and in the 50's.  I was on the Provo River Trail.

Met MacK bright and early.  We walked 1 then stretched right in front of a church door which was locked, and in front of a guy waiting in his car.  It was probably 5 or more degrees warmer right by the door, so I insisted on giving this guy a show.  Then we ran one mile easy.  I wanted to start the tempo after we got off Zephyr hill at about 5.5 on the SF 1/2 marathon and go to mile marker 4 and turn around, for a more flat course, but MacK only wanted 5 miles total running, so we had to start the tempo earlier, at about 6.15 ont he SF 1/2 marathon course, went down Zephyr in mile 1, then flatish, about to the 4.6ish area of the SF course.  Splits are by garmin (my old garmin, which likes to measure miles long).  Wore my HR monitor to gather data.  Hate wearing that thing.

1 - 6:54 flatish except  down Zephyr hill (.1 mile long), 160 bpm (is this average, this is the number my garmin is giving when I look at this lap in the history)

2 - 6:39 flatish, has some grade changes but nets zero because 180 turn halfway through, 167 hr

3 - 6:49 flatish except Zephyr hill from .6-.7, just tried not to stay strong uphill then last .3 mile, fighting need to go bathroom and wanting to finish strong, two competing forces :/ 

Very very happy!  I was hoping to go 7:15, 6:59, 6:59 on flat course, so very pleased to do a bit better than that.   Now this makes me want to race. . .

Afterward met back w/Mack, ran 2 easy back to her car, then saw KellieS and the Heidi's and walked with them a bit, bothered Clay, then walked some more.

Whole morning 11 miles.  Will do abs later. 

Walked a mile, stretched, ran 5 miles (8:20 ave pace).  Then went home, got the kiddies off to school, then walked 4 miles while Marion ellipticaled.  10 miles total.  Laundry day, whoopiee!

Met Mack, walked 1, stretched in the church, then ran 7 miles.  Felt good.  

Partay!  I needed to weigh 134 by today, and definitely met that goal.  Next weight goal is 132 by Thanksgiving.   

Food last night:  artichoke dip, sundried tomato-pine nut-pesto-cream cheese dip, shrimp dip, slushy punch, straight coke, homemade rolls, italian soup, chicken and white bean chili, kale and squash soup, curry soup, tres leches cake, lemon cake, chocolate cake, dipped goodies from the chocolate fountain (and I just listed the things I ate).  A big thanks to everyone for cooking up a storm for the party.  It was great to get together, as always.  I weighed in under 130 today for the first time in half a year.  I was so shocked I weighed myself again to make sure the scale didn't make a mistake, but same: 129.8.  I feel downright sheepish.

Slept in, walked 5 miles, stretched, brought the kids home from their primary program practice, changed into shorts, went back out.  Walked .5, more stretching, then ran 8.5 miles at 7:54 ave pace.  Felt great!  So 14 miles total and didn't even get home until after noon.  Did more stretching at home.  Talk about wasting my day away.

I heard back from my prospective coach, Tom, who has coached Paul Petersen, and he said there's no need to hire him until I am in the 40's for a month, to just get in mileage and lots of stretching (he did mention the dreaded four letter Y word, Marion :/).   Kind of bummed out because I am ready to go mentally, but not ready to go physically.   Need more base.  Does that mean no tempo miles????  It felt so good to tempo this week.  What a high.

Was going to sleep in, but no, I woke up at 4:30, laid in bed for 15 minutes, realized I wasn't going back asleep, so I got up.  Spent 15 minutes trying to download general conference.  I have it downloaded now, but need to get it on the mp3 player.  Anyway, eventually got outside.  Walked 2.15, then nice long stretch session, then ran 6.05 (ave pace 8:09), then walked to make the total experience 9.05.  

Got home, decided to hop on the elliptical to get in my needed aerobic, did 15 minutes, felt way weak.  

Will do abs tonight. 

Met MacK and Marion.  We walked 1.2 (Marion rode bike) then ran 6, then Marion ran a mile while I walked as fast as I could, then we walked another two miles.  Had a good time with the ladies.  10.08 total distance

AM: Walked 1.36 miles then went to PT.  SI has been feeling good, just a little niggly after tempo last week and marathon cleaning session last week.  Now it feels good.  Rt ham is still buggy, don't feel it too much, just when stretching it is tight in the middle and hurty at top.  Did e-stim, ultrasound, massage, a stym, then exercises: total body stretching in cage, total body gym lunges, then ham lunges with 5# weights in each hand.

PM: walked 2.35 with husband, then went out for run.  .56 walking, stretching then 6.15 running at 7:49 ave pace.  If I'm not approved to tempo, then I'll run my runs mediumish pace.  I figure my current marathon pace, if I could possibly do a marathon right now, is about 7:15.  I would guess my 10K is about 6:55, and 5k pace would be 6:40.  These are just my guestimates and don't mean much anyway because I FEEL myself getting stronger every day, like the hulk when he gets mad.  Watch out.  I am hungry and on running bread and water (meaning no speed).  At least my fast is over :DDDD

total for day 10.42

Will do abs during AMERICAS NEXT TOP MODEL, the classiest show on air!!! 

Slept in.  Realized when I woke up that my hamstrings were tight and sore, must be from the new hamstring lunges I did yesterday.

Went out at 8:30.  It was warm but windy.  So only one thing to do, start into the wind.  Walked one mile, nice long stretching, then started running.  Really slow until I turned around and had a nice tailwind. 8:10 ave pace.

Marion came over after noon, and I walked 3.5 miles plus did 3 minutes of the elliptical.  So 10.5 miles total plus a whopping 3 minutes cross training.  Then we did a nice long stretching session, yogaesque, but not quite there.  I am easing into the idea. . . 

Walked 2, then ran 7 with MacK.  9.2 miles altogether.  

 Would have done abs this evening but had more important things to do (Marion can you guess what?).

Met MacK at 7am.  Walked a mile, then stretched, then ran 9.24, then I was on my own, walking almost 4 miles to get back to my car.  14 miles total.  I looked at my gps after I was done exercising to see my running pace.  I told myself, it was probaby 8:20 ave, because it was snowing and the run felt so long.  But, the ave pace was 7:59, sweet.  We were cruising ;D

I have to do abs today because I skipped yesterday, but today will make three sessions.  I bought 5# weights for my hamstring lunges this morning.  Have to do those too.  I felt sheepish buying weights so small. 

Met MacK.  Walked 1.5, ran 5, separated, then ran 2 more (7 total 8:12 pace), then walked again to make 10.02.  Met up with KellieS and HeidiC and enjoyed chatting with them for 1/2 mile.

Cold, cold, cold!  

PT appt today. 

10.15 miles total, 6 running, with Marion towing two kids and a flat tire.

Abs in the pm 

8:00, 7:55, 7:46, 7:34, 7:24, 7:13, 7:01, all on treadmill, 1.5% grade potty break split up miles, 8.25 distance total

Total distance 9.18, ran 7, ave pace 8:20. Lots of stretching.  Will do abs and ham lunges later today.

Started the day with some Edward and Jacob.  The best early breakfast you might imagine :D  Marion and I went with two of her daughters and one of their teenage friends.  We went to a mexican restaurant.  I had about 5 chips and salsa, chorizo con huevos, skip the refried beans and rice.  And a diet pepsi.

Ok, so the movie was not great, but better than the first one.  The best part of this Twilight experience was rereading book no 1 & 2 and I WON'T READ #3 UNTIL AFTER TAX SEASON.   I'm just saying. . .

So, anyway, delirious from lack of sleep. 

Walked 2.25 miles and stretched while my bourbon chocolate pecan pie baked this morning.  Then went out and ran 7 miles and finished with some walking to make 10 miles total.

Tomorrow is another day! 

Met MacK and white chocolate Ali.  We walked, stretched, then ran.  During stretching Ali mad me laugh so hard I was literally rolling around on the cement laughing instead of stretching.  It was good to hang out again.  

We must have been feeling good.  I messed up and didn't have the first 1.58 of our run timed, but the rest of the run was 7:35 ave pace, so it was probably 7:40 ave pace overall.

14 miles total.  Will do abs later today.

 Have the BYU FB game today and a pie party.  Heaven help me, I'm entering babylon. 

Hey all, so here's the bourbon chocolate pecan recipe:

http://www.recipezaar.com/Bourbon-Chocolate-Pecan-Pie-32740

recipezaar.com is my recipe website of choice.  I love that I can search by food type (appetizer), ingredient, health info, etc.  It is great, and the reviews on recipes are phenomenal and help guide me.

Met MacK, walked 1.42, stretched a bit, ran 5, we separated, then I ran another 2, walked 2. whatever to make 10.56 total distance.  Then more stretching and SI joint movement exercises I've been doing daily.  Hot, hot shower.  PT appointment this morning.

18F outside, and my PT gave me some new warm up exercises, so I warmed up inside.

Right bum sore from PT and his assistant putting their elbow into it really hard yesterday.  They did it because I said I have had some pain spasms in my right glute area (about 4 1-2 sec ones on Sat, 1-2 of them yesterday).  The spasms are too short for me to determine where exactly the hurt is, not sure if SI or what, but from their massage it appears its some higher attachment point for my hamstring?  I think I'm going to be sore for a couple of days--from the elbowing.

.5 miles walking on treadmill, 8 min of stretching, then 15 reps of what I'll call windmill hamstring lunges three ways, with 5 lb weights.  My arms are the windmills.  What more can I say?

Then drove down the mountain and ran 7 miles, 8:11 ave pace.  Felt tired from warm up (I'm a wuss!), and bum was sore from the elbowing, but no spasms.

Family pictures with professional photographer today, if we can find an outdoor locale that still has some color.

AB workout in evening. 

Inside warm up like yesterday.  The weights make me warm but also poop me out.

Then met MacK and ran toward SF and met up with Aubrey and Jamie, then we ran back toward Salem.  Accidentally overshot my stopping point by .5 mile.  OOPS!  Ran 7.5 in 8:06 ave pace, total distance 9.5.

At home warm up (.5 mile walk then windmill ham lunges and stretching).

Met MacK and Marion, and we did a special run/walk, Thanksgiving edition.  13.19 miles with them, for 13.69 miles total (about 8 min pace for running). I hollered "Happy Thanksgiving" to everyone we passed, even a horse.  I enjoyed their company so much.  Had hot chocolate and fudge afterward, no one wanted my cut up oranges!  We started off our Thanksgiving with a bang.

Forgive the mushy stuff, this is really my only journal.  I am so grateful to them, grateful for their support, and loving me despite my flaws.  I thought about us saying one thing we're grateful for at each mile, but then I forgot, so I guess that makes me an official ingrate :/  

However, I am thankful God has seen fit to give me this year, the ups and downs, I know I have learned and grown.  I am grateful for the grace of Jesus Christ, because I am nothing without His intervention.  I am grateful for my loyal, loving, sacrificing husband and for my dear sweet children.   They are so hard, but hard is good.  It's what will turn us into diamonds.

PM:  After grave misdeeds I walk to the neighborhood park with the family and play a FUN game of football.  Last year I opted out of playing football, afraid to aggravate any existing injury or cause a new one.  This year I say have fun while you can!  The game ended when my oldest, Ben, got munched by three people and went to the sidelines in tears.  I thought I might have a concussion at first, but he turned out ok.  Enjoyed the family time, conversation, games, etc. 

Typical indoor warmup.  Then met Marion for her run, then she hopped on the bike 

Total distance 10.5, 7 running. We compared notes on our Thanksgiving experiences.  Ate some of her yummy jello creation after running.  Strategically backed out of her offer for some orange rolls.

Took the kids to the Legacy Center, an indoor swimming facility with a big slide, kids play area, lazy river.  This is where I would go for my nightmarish arms-only swimming sessions last spring when I was injured.  I wasn't quite prepared for the flood of emotionally charged memories which hit me as I went through the place today.  That was a very hard time, feeling my fitness slip from me, trying desperately to cling to it.  I am so glad that phase has come to an end.  

Did some ab exercises in the pool.  I won't attempt to describe them, but I will say that looking like a dork in public is one of my *talents*.

More abs at home. 

Total distance 13.5, 8.53 running in 8:12 pace.  Ran with Josse, Beth and MacK.  Had a nice time with the ladies.  At almost 8 miles we saw the SF running club, and Jamie from the blog, was with them.  Got to talk with her for about 10 minutes before I stopped running, then Kay walked 4 miles with me, so I has some great interactions this morning.  Nice to catch up with old friends.  Thanks for driving down, Josse.  

Indoor warmup.

Met MacK, ran 7, 8:09 ave pace, 8.65 total distance.

Will do elliptical later. 

27 minutes on elliptical, then went up to SLC for 30 Seconds to Mars concert.  It was awesome.  Counted as some good exercise, but I had a teriyaki burger and fries from Carls Jr on the way up so that negates all the dancing.  Jared Leto. . .