All it takes is all you've got

16 miles in 7:04 pace

Couldn't decide whether to wear my screw shoes or not.  Did a 2 mile warm up in them and then decided to change into my regular long run shoes. It was slick in spots, but not terrible.

After 9 miles I did 2X5 minutes at MP with 3 minutes in between.  My 5 minute pushes were 5:53 pace.

Bonked pretty badly the last mile or two so because I don't usually run that far without fuel or water but I keep hearing about the theory of doing an occasional long run sans fuel to train your body to rely on fat, so I thought I'd give it a shot.   It was "fun."  I took a 1.5 hour nap later that afternoon which was heavenly.

8 miles in 6:58 pace (with 7 strides mixed in)

Decided to take the kids to FAC and do my run at 11 a.m. instead of trying to rush it at 7 a.m. before Bre's gymnastics class.  The weather was much more sunny and inviting at 11 a.m. the only problem was I wish I would have chosen something other than cereal with milk for breakfast because I think the milk was the cause of my intestinal pain.  Oh well.  It finally subsided after a pit stop at mile 3 thank goodness.

After my run I did some therapeutic dynamic stretching, showered, took the kids out to lunch, and met up with a good friend to let our kids play at the play place in McDonalds while we caught up on each other's lives.  It was great to enjoy adult conversation while the kids got some exercise.  

Then I went to Costco with all three tired and hungry kiddos which is always a TREAT and mind-blowing adventure.  The samples at least helped distract and soothe the kids amidst their deteriorating mental, physical, and emotional states.  I hadn't been to Costco in over 4 months, so my cart was full and my bill was enormous but it was good to stock up on lots of things that I now don't have to worry about purchasing for at least a couple more months. 

A.M. 10.5 miles

Our friend, Brenna came over to watch the kids so Aaron could come with me to the workout at East Boulder Community park.  We had a nice group of 10-12 people this morning with some fasties including Simon and Colleen.  Simon claims to be "out of shape" but apparently his "out of shape" is my "best shape of my life."  Despite his claimed 10 lb weight gain over the holidays he was still pushing me hard in the workout.  I guess when you are a former world champion triathlete there is an ingrained element of competitiveness that enables you to push it in workouts regardless of if you are "in shape" or not.  Colleen is getting into great shape again and it was fun to have her with us as well.  I was also loving having Aaron right next to me or ahead of me pushing the pace for many of the repeats.  I didn't realize when I married him how much SPEED he has!!

After our 20 minute warm up, stretching, and strides, the sun finally came up and started warming our backs...thank goodness because it was COLD!! 

The workout was 2X (1, 2, 3, 2, 1) with 60-90 seconds easy and 1, 2, 2, 1 with 60 seconds easy.  It looked a lot easier on paper than it was in reality.  Basically what it amounted to was 4.5 miles of 5:00-5:40 paced running in 10 degree patchy ice with many of the pushes up gradual inclines.  By the time we got to the final 1 minute I was so relieved to be finished and I kicked it hard down the snow packed street in sub 5:00 pace (Aaron was a solid 3-4 strides in front of me).

P.M. 4.5 miles in 7:00 pace

Coach D passed me in his car and waved as I was almost back to FAC.  Felt good to shake out my legs after the morning workout.  When I got back to FAC I did some good dynamic stretching, core work, and about 40 minutes of weights.  Solid day! 

12 miles in 7:02 pace

Today was my "long run" for the week because I decided to do a little 5k on Saturday.  Felt good on the run today.  Went in for a nice long massage with a therapist Sara Vaughn recommended, Stephen Bay.  He did some excellent, much needed deep tissue work on my lower legs and gluts.  My legs felt MUCH better afterwards.

9 miles in 7:06 pace

Met Renee and Austin Baille for a morning jaunt.  We did 8 miles together and caught up on the past couple of weeks.  They just got back into town after visiting family in Texas for the Holidays and racing twice (Renee ran a 15:54 road 5K, beating the next woman by over two minutes!)  Near the end of our run I started my "Zulu Fartlek" of basically 14 strides with easy jogging in between just to get a little speed stimulus before my 5k this Saturday.

I was going to get in another easy 4 in the PM but the day got away from me when it kept filling up with things......cleaning the van (it was bursting at the seams with crap), taking Abe to gymnastics, talking to Aaron about potentially going to France in May, dinner, cleaning up, and tucking kids in while Aaron went to the Church to coach the Young Men's basketball team.  My legs were still pretty sore from that deep massage yesterday so I figured a little rest wouldn't be a bad thing anyway.

7 miles in 7:06 pace

What a GORGEOUS day!!  I went for my run from FAC after taking Ali to her gymnastics class.  Started around 10:30 a.m. in the 45 degree sunshine.  All the snow and ice has completely melted off the Creek path and I was loving running in shorts again.

Did some good dynamic stretching for a bit, showered, and ate our home lunch with the girls at the tables in the lobby of FAC afterwards.  Saw Colleen and she wished me luck in the Quicker Quaker 5K tomorrow.  I'm really looking forward to racing!  Especially since the forecast looks like another warm sunny day!

Our babysitter arrived 5 minutes early (Thanks, Brenna!) but we still left the house 20 minutes later because we must have been overly optimistic about the morning routine.  We found ourselves going in and out of the house three times before actually driving off.  Arrived at the race 50 minutes before start time and Aaron dropped me off to pick up our race bibs while he found a parking spot.  We had a hard time finding each other again after he parked due to our poor communication, the 1000+ people wandering around and the unfamiliar packet pickup area but we finally hooked up again and started our warm up about 35 minutes before race start time.  We jogged the course and did some strides down the final half mile, then went to the car to change into shorts and take my long sleeve off since it was super warm and balmy (37 degrees).  We arrived at the starting line with 1 minute to spare feeling a little bit rushed and un-stretched which is not really unusual for me but still slightly uncomfortable.

The race went out FAST with Fiona Docherty at the front and Tera Moody and me stride for stride behind her.  Cassie Slade was right behind us within striking distance too.  We came through the first mile in 5:15.  My legs felt pretty flat but there I was.  Second mile had a steady climb and Fiona fell back while Tera and I pushed forward to a 5:28 split which felt much less comfortable and labored than the faster first mile.  The uphill in the second mile was very gradual but challenging.  The final 1.1 mile was fast and mostly downhill except for one short climb with less than a half mile to go where my respiratory rate shot through the roof  and oxygen debt set in (thank you 5,500 ft altitude).  I didn’t get the exact split on my final mile because I forgot to stop my watch at the finish but based on my calculations, it looks like I ran 5:07 pace for the final 1.1 mile.  Tera and I were together for most of the final mile and I started to feel unsure of whether I could stay with her when she surged up the short hill with less than a half mile to go but I just stuck to her like glue and then at the top of the hill I felt encouraged by the downhill finishing sprint and I surged hard to the finish, gaining just a few seconds on her.  It was a very close race and a tough sprint to the line.

After the race it was nice to catch up with Tera and Cassie.  Tera was really happy with the fact that she ran a minute faster than she did last year on the same course and encouraged by the fact that she is sharper in her fitness than she thought she was.  Cassie had done some extra intervals right before the race and was happy with her “workout race.”  She is looking fit and ready for the Houston Half.  I didn’t get a chance to talk to Fiona much but she is looking super fit too.  I love how I can jump into a regular “low-key” local race here in Boulder County and be pushed to very challenging effort and solid finish time (a 4 second PR, even!)

Aaron took a big chunk out of his PR finally eclipsing the 18:00 mark by 8 seconds.  He joined his “mountain men” ultra buddies for an easy 7 mile cool down while I did a shorter cool down with Tera and Cassie.  When I got back to the car and figured Aaron was still running, rather than just sitting in the car waiting for him, I went into the crowded cafeteria for some oatmeal pancakes, oatmeal banana muffin and fresh longmont dairy chocolate milk (Mmmmmmm……)  Tera said they didn’t have an awards ceremony last year so I assumed they weren’t having one this year either which was perfectly fine with me, I always get cold waiting around for those anyway.  I think I did win a couple hundred bucks which I assume they will send in the mail.  Super fun race!  All the runners even got a free canister of Oatmeal!

After a nice afternoon of rest and more food, now I’m heading to FAC for a session in the weight room and an easy 4 mile shake out run to complete another week of solid training for Houston.   Tomorrow…I will SLEEP.  A LOT.

8 miles in 6:55 pace

Went to FAC after Bre's gymnastics class for a nice run on the treadmill.  I prefer to run outside 99.9% of the time, but the overnight 12"+ of snowfall and -5 degree low made the treadmill look quite enticing actually.  And I must admit, it was nice to run in shorts and a tank top because 'cmon when was the last time I got to do that?...oh wait, just a couple of days ago I raced outside in shorts and a tank top.  Crazy Colorado weather changes.  

Did an easy 8 with 7X30 second strides mixed into my run.  Felt GREAT!

After much demonstration and urging by my ART therapist, Richey as well as my husband, Aaron, I have finally gotten into the habit of doing a nice dynamic cool down routine after almost every run.  Its easier to do at FAC since they have this big stretching room with mats and a bar to hold on to while I do my hurdle trail leg moves and leg swings.  And I can leave the kids in child care the extra 10 minutes and get the routine done quickly.  At home it takes more discipline to get the routine in because it seems that whenever I walk in the door from a run I suddenly have three needy kids with urgent requests.  I must say though, dynamic stretching is FABULOUS for recovery and is WELL WORTH the extra investment of time. Here is a video of my friend Sara Vaughn doing the Cannonball Cool down.  GOOD STUFF.  Only problem is that watching this video is making me miss summertime in Boulder. 

Went to FAC to do my workout on the treadmill since the paths are still quite icy and it was only 6 degrees outside this morning.

20 minute warm up, stretching, strides

4X45 seconds quick turnover (5:00-5:12 pace) w/75 second jog between each

3X4 minutes at 5:42 pace w/ 2 min jog between each

4X60 seconds at 5:12-5:18 pace w/60 second jog between each

4X2:30 at 5:21-5:24 pace w/ 90 second jog between each

2 minute jog between sets

10 minute cool down

The workout took me 1 hr. 24 min. and gave me 12 miles total, so 7:00 AP.

I actually quite enjoyed doing it on the treadmill because it was fast, efficient, and precise.  It was much easier to bust out 5:20-5:25 pace for that final set of 4X2:30 with the treadmill forcing me to move that fast than it would have been to willfully push myself that hard on a slippery path in 6 degree air.  In fact, I am certain I wouldn't have been able to do this workout at those paces outside today.  

After lunch I'll take a nap while the girls are napping and later this afternoon I'll head back to FAC for a 4 mile shake out run and an hour in the weight room.  The strategy here is to make Tuesdays and Friday my "workout" days so the other days can be devoted to recovery or long run.

10 miles in 7:02 pace

Felt great.  Went to see Richey for some ART and graston scraping today.  He blasted apart my right calf pretty good.  After a few days of icing twice a day and continuing to run the tightness and bruising should heal nicely.

I'm kinda bugged right now because I dislocated my shoulder again today.  I was trying to stretch out my 2-year-old's pant waistband because they seemed to be a little tight on her and just that simple movement of pulling the waistband apart yanked my shoulder right out.  I got it back in VERY quickly, probably record time for me (under 5 seconds for sure) but its still just a little disheartening when I try to do everything I can to keep it strong and it still slips out.  Sometime in the next few years I'm just going to drop the $12K and get that ligament repaired so I don't have to deal with these annoying episodes anymore. 

6.7 miles in 7:17 pace

Took me a few miles to actually get moving this morning.  I don't know whether it was the slushy path, my sore shoulder, tired legs, or the pain in my calf from severe graston scraping yesterday.  Whatever it was, I was appreciating the recovery day.

I thought the loop I set out to do would be 6 miles.  It turned out to be 6.7...oops. 

Met my team at Palo Parkway 

20 minute warm up, stretching, strides

10 minutes at 5:39 pace w/ 3 minute jog

4X5 minutes at 5:24-5:44 pace w/ 2 minute jog between each

10 minute cool down

Legs felt great.  Conditions were good put not perfectly ideal with a few icy/chunky sections of the path to cover....solid effort though.

18 miles in 6:41 pace

Progression run, started at 7:40 pace and just kept bumping up the pace gradually.  It took my legs a few miles to actually start feeling good, but I finally loosened up after 5 miles or so and the pace started to feel much smoother.  Perfect long run conditions, clear shoulder on the roads with no ice, 43 degrees and overcast.  Took a Power Gel with 12 oz of water at mile 13 and drank another 12 ounces of EFS at mile 16.  Energy and hydration felt great!  Garmin says 700 ft of elevation change.  And the best part....my last three miles in 5:59 average pace.  Yay!!  

7 miles in 6:53 pace

7X30 second strides after a few miles warm up.  

Gorgeous morning!!  50 degrees, sunny, and very light misting in the air.  Felt like springtime!

My legs felt pretty tight and sore when I started but the run helped loosen things up.  I iced my right achilles/calf twice and went in for a massage this afternoon which felt heavenly.  Also did the cannon ball cool down twice today to help get my hips moving.

Met Colleen, Katie B., Robert, and Kristan at East Boulder Community Park.  Enjoyed the chatty warm up and stretching time while Robert was forced into listening to "girl talk" for the majority of it.  Haha, he's a good sport.

20 minute warm up, stretching, strides

3X2 minutes at 5:18-5:24 pace with 1 minute jog recovery

4X30 seconds at 4:45-5:00 pace with 1 minute jog recovery 

2X5 minutes, first one gradual up at 5:50 pace, second one gradually down at 5:30 pace (my legs started to feel pretty tired here) 2 minute jog recoveries

4X90 seconds at 5:06-5:20 pace with 1 minute jog recovery

10 minute cool down

P.M. 4 miles easy from FAC, weights afterwards

Went on a "date night" with Bre tonight and we ate A TON of yummy Indian food at our new favorite restaurant right around the corner from our house, Tandoori Grill.  We then went to the dance store to purchase some ballet and tap shoes and a couple of new leotards for Bre's new dance class.  Oh, how I LOVE shopping with that cutie!!!  Then we went to Boulder Chill for some frozen yogurt (since you're never too full for frozen yogurt) and we stopped off at Sunflower Market to get some bread since we were all out at home.  We may or may not have gotten sidetracked in the candy isle and purchased enough candy to sustain us for the next month.  That bulk food section is SO tempting!!  They must have had over 80 different types of candy, most of which I hadn't seen since I was 5 years old!  Fun date night.  I may have overdone it slightly.  Next time we'll just go for a hike.

11miles in 6:58 pace

Busy morning, rushing off to Abe's spelling bee right after my run and Bre's dance class after that.  Found out that a friend from the Running Republic Club, Cheri has a daughter in Bre's class too!  Yay for chatting with friends.  

After a big lunch of left-over curry, I went in for a massage while the girls were napping and Aaron was working in his basement dungeon office.  I've been working my body pretty hard lately, so it was time for a little R&R. 

A.M. 6 miles in 7:05 pace

Did my run on the treadmill at FAC since it was pretty slick out and I figured one fall per day is sufficient for me (I slipped on my own driveway while shoveling the snow this morning).

P.M. 4 miles in 7:15 pace

Nice easy afternoon run from my house.  I love that there is a Boulder City Ordinance requiring people to shovel the sidewalk in front of their houses.  It makes for a much more dry and pleasant afternoon run when the snow is cleared and the sun melts the remaining residue.  The temp is supposed to get up to 51 degrees again tomorrow which means bye bye snow...again.  Gotta love this snow/melt cycle.

Met Colleen at FAC for our workout on the Creek Path.  We waited for Katie B. but she never came...must have had bad traffic or an unexpectedly busy morning (she is a CEO, after all).  While we were standing around, Colleen invited her triathlete friend and neighbor, Joanna to join us since she was heading out for her workout anyway.

20 minute warm up, stretching, strides

8X800 Meters on the Creek path.  Odds were very slightly uphill with a mild headwind, evens were slightly downhill with a tailwind.  My splits on the first four were 2:41, 2:34, 2:38, 2:34.  Colleen reminded me that Darren wanted me to to pick it up for the next few intervals and I decided to just hit the last one hard too.  My last four intervals were 2:30, 2:28, 2:31, 2:29.  We did 2 minutes of active recovery after each interval and cooled down 10 minutes.

I was surprised by how strong I felt working into those faster final four repeats.  Definitely the fastest set of 8X800 M. I have ever done.  Colleen and Joanna did really great in their repeats too and gradually increased their speed as they went along as well.  Darren showed up on his bike just as we were finishing our final interval and biked next to us on our cool down.  Another gorgeous, sunny morning in Boulder as I found myself feeling SO grateful to be able to be out on a run with such great people and fast runners!  Oh, we also got to say hi to Tera Moody as she passed by, which was cool.  I guess she's in Boulder for the weekend; she normally trains in Co. Springs.

P.M.  Easy 4 mile shake out run

14 miles in 6:42 pace

Started my run with Aaron from home up into Eldorado Canyon.  After our first 6.5 miles together, he took off up the Mesa Trail to get more "elevation change" and I headed back on the roads.  I still ended up with 640 ft of elevation change over 14 miles...not bad for a roadie.

Did my last three miles in 6:11 pace into a stiff headwind. 

Beat Aaron home by 30 minutes, showered, made a big brunch of french toast to enjoy with Aaron and the kids.  After brunch, I took a nap and now we're headed off for some hiking in the 45 degree sunshine and then to the CU indoor track to cheer for Sara V. and Renee as they chase a sub 4:48 mile.  After that we'll go to FAC so Aaron and I can get in a little weight room workout while the kids play in the kids club.  Top it all off with dinner at a delicious restaurant TBD and you've got one FUN-FILLED SATURDAY!! 

6 miles in 6:47 pace

7 strides mixed in.  Legs felt fabulous!  Coach D is giving me a little taper this week so I can go get 'em in Houston on Saturday. 

A.M. 9.5 miles with the workout.

Our friend and babysitter, Brenna watched the kids so Aaron and I could meet Colleen, Simon, and Katie B. at FAC for our workout out on the East Boulder creek path.  

20 minute warm up, stretching, strides

5X4 minutes at 5:16-5:35 pace (some slightly uphill, some slightly downhill) with 2 minute jog between each

12 minute cool down

Short and sweet!  I love taper weeks like this.  Less running volume leaves more time and energy for other things I need to do like a 2-hour Costco trip this afternoon, cleaning the house, washing all the clothes and sheets, matching up and organizing all the kids shoes scattered throughout the house, you know, general Mom stuff.  Hopefully by Thursday I will have my bags packed, house in order, and food stocked so that Brenna and her husband, Spencer can have an easier time watching our kids while we're in Houston. 

P.M. 4.5 mile easy run and weights 

7.5 miles in 6:58 pace

Nice easy run in the sunshine this morning.  35 degree sunshine felt like heaven compared to the 15 degree overcast chill we had yesterday morning.

I got free gift of three new pairs of Mizuno shoes today (Wave Ronin, Precision, and Rider).  It felt like Christmas opening the boxes to see what was inside and try them all on.  I have been talking to a really kind and friendly gentleman, Ron Wayne at Mizuno about representing them through the next year and I am strongly considering it, but still undecided.  Its tough to decide which shoes I want to commit to wearing all the time. Through the years I've worn everything from Saucony, Brooks, Mizuno, Nike, New Balance, Asics, Adidas and New Balance.  I guess you could say I'm an equal opportunist.  Recently I've been wearing Nike more often because of the club discount and requirement that club members race in Nike but there are SO many great companies and comparable products out there it is not easy to decide on just ONE shoe company.  I'm hoping it will become more clear to me over the next month or so because I'd really like to stop stewing about it and just commit.

A.M. 4 miles in 7:08 pace

Beautiful morning!  Left calf is pretty tight.

P.M. 3.5 miles in 7:18 pace

My left calf and hip flexor were not particularly agreeable today.  Did some dynamic stretching afterwards and iced my left lower calf.  I guess it wouldn't be a proper race taper without some annoying niggles sprouting up.  Aaron is going to rub them out tonight and I'm hoping the strides tomorrow will help flush out my legs too.  Flight to Houston early tomorrow morning!!  I'm getting SUPER excited!!

Nice easy run in Houston with Aaron and Colleen.  Some stretching, strides, and 4X45 seconds at race pace.  Dynamic stretching in the hotel afterwards.  Fun day in Houston with an athlete lunch and dinner where we got to meet many runners, Coaches, and cool people at USATF.

As much as I would have enjoyed staying in Houston an extra day to see the Houston Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday (Colleen Won 1st place in the half!), I am glad we flew back home last night so we could spend the day with the kiddos, go to church, take naps, and recover from the trip and race.  I woke up at 6 a.m. and couldn't fall back to sleep because I was too excited to see the kids. After stewing in bed for 20 minutes I finally got up and made a big batch of pancakes.  The kids started filing out of their bedrooms one by one and we enjoyed an early breakfast together.  There is no place like home with my family.

Coach gave me two days completely off after the race so I didn't quite know what to do with myself this morning.  Took a nice long shower, did three loads of laundry, went to get a massage in the afternoon, and played with the kids.

4 miles in 7:18 pace

I thought my legs felt pretty good...until I started running on them.  Yeah, I'm sore.  My calves, mainly.  It felt good to do a little shake out run on the treadmill though.  I would have gone outside but it was -8 degrees in Boulder this morning.  The forecast for today is "a high of 0 degrees."  Isn't that kind-of an oxymoron?

After a nice run and a bunch of dynamic stretching I picked my kids up in child care and we had a snack together before heading to Ali's gymnastics class.  I had a blast in gymnastics playing with Ali.  We stayed for the "free play" time after her class and played tag, practiced our forward rolls and bar flips, and ran and jumped around the room together.  This song came on over the iPod speakers...I think it is physically impossible NOT to dance to this song whenever I hear it.  Reminds me of being in 5th grade cruising around town in our old 1976 Chevy Nova with my Sister who had just turned 16.  My sister had that same exact hairstyle too, by the way.

6 miles in 6:50 pace

Wow, its amazing what a little rest and easy running can do.  My soreness has rapidly improved since Sunday.  I was even a little antsy to push the pace a little this morning.  Did 6X30 second strides after a few miles.  This run was on the treadmill since we are still experiencing record cold here in Boulder.  It think the temp was in the negatives all morning.  Its deceiving though because it is SO sunny and nice outside!  Today is supposed to be the last day of cold and then we'll get back up to our usual mid-40s for February.  

I saw a funny scene in the women's locker room this morning.  A woman who must have been in her late 60s, very thin and healthy looking in her birthday suit, stepped on the scale and gasped "WHAAAAAT??!"  As if to say, "I gained weight?!?!"  Then quickly commented afterwards, "Oh yeah, I forgot that I ate breakfast this morning."  Hahahaha....maybe you had to be there but I almost laughed out loud because she was just talking to herself but to me passing by it sounded hilarious.  Maybe after menopause you can pretty much plateau on your weight and predict within .1 lb what you will weigh each day, but I personally fluctuate 3-4 lbs on a daily basis, which is why I rarely weigh myself.  If I slowly start to notice my jeans fitting tighter, I eat healthier.  If I have to cinch the belt buckle another hole tighter, I figure I must be eating a little too healthy and I should bake a cake.  That's my weight management plan.

A.M. 8 miles in 6:53 pace

One more run on the treadmill at FAC this morning since the temp was still pretty low (7 degrees) and I figured I'd get a better workout inside.  My legs are feeling GREAT!!  I think I'm almost completely recovered from the race and ready to rock and roll again.

P.M. 4 miles in 7:00 pace

Went outside for this run.  It was a gorgeous 33 degrees and snowing!!  Felt like I was in Hawaii after those few days with negative temps.  Looking forward to getting back up into the high 40 degree temps here soon.

We took the kids to see Jeff Kagen and Paige Doughty (I love how their website is so Boulder-esque) last night and a good time was had by all.    It was nice to meet Jeff and Paige and introduce our kids to them.  They sure do a great job entertaining kids.  And the best part...their concert was FREE!  Can't get better than that!!

9 miles in 6:55 pace

I was going to venture off the treadmill for the second time this week but it just looked super slick and icy everywhere still.  Decided one more day on the treadmill was okay.  I downloaded some new songs for my iPod before heading to FAC to help mix things up a bit.  

20 minute warm up, stretching, strides

6X3 minutes at 5:45-5:50 pace with 90 seconds easy between each.  

10 minute cool down 

Felt pretty fabulous!  I'm really pleased with how well my legs have recovered!!

For our date night tonight, Aaron and I are shopping for a new mattress.  You all would be disgusted if you knew how old our current mattress is.  In fact, I don't even know how old it is.  Quite possibly older than me....it was a hand-me-down.  Gross, I know.  It has served us well and now its time for it to hit the curb.  Anyone have a brand of mattress they love and would recommend?  I'm pretty enticed by the Tempupedic.  I mean, who wouldn't be enticed by by THIS..

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10 miles in 6:47 pace

Got my miles in early so I could attend the Boulder Stake Women's Conference this morning.  It was a fabulous program where the highlight speaker was one of my favorite LDS women, Sheri Dew.  Sister Dew spoke about being an influential person (helping others), keeping our focus on Jesus Christ and not being distracted by things that don't matter.  She also spoke about choosing to be happy amidst less than ideal circumstances, and seeking God's help in performing our individual "missions" here on Earth.  I took 7 (SEVEN!) pages of notes and couldn't stop nodding in agreement with everything she was saying...it was awesome!!  My favorite part was when she said, "As we try desperately to do what we were sent here to do, we will be fulfilled and happy.  God will give us what we need to accomplish what we were sent here to do."  I believe this with all my heart and I also join her in the conviction that true peace, happiness, and fulfillment in life comes through following Jesus Christ. After the program I went over to meet Sheri and thank her for her thoughts and wisdom.  What an awesome lady!! 

6 miles in 6:49 pace

Nice and easy run with some strides mixed in.  Legs felt great! 

11 miles in 6:57 AP

Up at 6 a.m. for snow shoveling and car scraping.  We got dumped on last night so I opted to do this workout on the treadmill at FAC instead of meeting the group at East Boulder Community Park.  I even talked Aaron into joining me at FAC and forever tainted his deeply held anti-treadmill conviction.

20 minute warm up, stretching, strides

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Fartlek with 60 seconds easy between 1 & 2 minute intervals, 90 seconds easy between the 3 minute intervals, and 2 minutes easy between the 4 & 5 minute intervals.  1 & 2 minute intervals were 5:30-5:35 pace (last one faster) and 3, 4, & 5 minute intervals were 5:42-5:50 pace.  Did that make any sense at all?  Well it was a good workout.

10 minute cool down

Dynamic stretching with Aaron in the yoga room afterwards.

Showered, ate a half a bagel with a yoplait yogurt, drank a water bottle full of Ultragen, and got bundled up again to go back out in the 6 degree snow storm.

Saw Coach D in the foyer of FAC as we were leaving and chatted for a few minutes but had to leave for my massage appointment at 9 a.m. and it was already 9:10 a.m.  The massage directly after the hard workout was genius.  I think I'm going to do that more often.

9 miles in 6:55 pace

Had a nice visit with my good friend Tread Mill this morning.  Of course we didn't have much to say to each other since I had just visited him yesterday morning.  Fan, who is generally kind and enjoyable company, was being unusually crude and unpleasant.  I can't blame her for at least trying to keep it clean despite the sweaty, stinky man blocking our path.  Just as I was waving goodbye to FAC, Sunshine overbearingly attacked me and I had to quickly get a hold of Ms. Sun Glass, who is always a nice buffer.  Mr. Temperature is still repressing us with his negative morning temper, but at least we can count on good ol' Sunshine to warm Temperature's mood a little.  Its also nice to see Sunshine working so persistently at inviting Icy Path and Snow Bank to kindly leave.  Forecast told me last night that Mr. Temperature should be in a better mood by the weekend, thank goodness!

6 miles in 7:13 pace

Nice and easy recovery run.  Cannonball Cooldown afterwards. 

Went to Abe's class Valentine's Day breakfast at 8 a.m. and enjoyed chatting with and getting to know many of the other parent's and children in his class as well as his fun and friendly teachers.  The breakfast was pot luck and there were lots of yummy things on the table.  I tried not to overdo it since I was heading straight to FAC for my workout afterwards, but I have to admit, I took my plate with a few extra things on it to eat after my workout.

Went to FAC and finally got the girls checked in and myself dressed and ready to run by 9:40 a.m.  

20 minute warm up, stretching, strides

4X8 minutes w/odds at 5:50 pace and evens at 5:40 pace. 2 minutes jog between each.

4 minute cool down

I would have liked to jog a little longer of a cool down but I was pressed for time to get Ali to her gymnastics class on time so I opted for a few minutes of stretching rather than my full 10 minute jog cool down.  Then I very quickly showered and dressed and as I was leaving I saw Coach D and Mary (RRB teammate) chatting in the foyer so of course I had to stop and say Hi.  Needless to say, I didn't get Ali to gymnastics on time.  No matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to get Ali and Bre to gymnastics on time.  I really need to plan better and just give myself more time at FAC.  Okay, new resolution starting now...I WILL get Ali and Bre to their gymnastics class on time!!  Except for when I don't.  Because sometimes I wont.  C'est la vie.

Anyway, while Ali did her gymnastics class, Bre and I went to get some bagel sandwiches in the sandwich shop next door and came back to eat them while we watched Ali, who scarfed her sandwich directly after class.  A good time was had by all.  

This afternoon after picking Abe up from school I dropped him off at home to play with his sisters while Aaron worked (which turned out to be the type of work that includes cleaning up blood nose mess, consoling bawling children, and cuddling with recently woken up children).  I went back to FAC to meet Colleen for a session in the weight room.  She incorporated many new lifts/movements I had never done before and I was pretty pumped (you know, that arm trembling feeling) afterwards.  The best part about my sessions with Colleen though is simply the fact that I get to hang out and chat with rock star and running legend Colleen De Reuck for an hour.  Pretty fun and inspiring if you ask me. 

21 miles in 6:44 AP; total time: 2:21:21

Well, that was NOT the most fun I have ever had on a long run.  It started out pretty awesome in the gorgeous 43 degree sunshine.  My legs were somewhat tired from yesterday's workout and weights, but they loosened up after a couple of miles. I got into a groove early and felt confident that the run would go well.  Aaron and the kids drove out to mile 8 (seeing my smiling family was the highlight of my run) and gave me a bottle of EFS electrolyte drink, so I drank about 100 calories of that at mile 8.  I went out to the 10.5 mile turn around and stopped briefly to visit the bushes.  Stopped again on my way back at mile 13 to take in a strawberry Clif Shot and the other 100 calories of EFS.  

My energy felt great, legs felt strong, mental tenacity was pushing me right along.  And then, right around mile 15 my stomach started twisting into knots and my head and back of my neck started tingling.  I had to stop to fertilize the trees two more times in the final six miles.  

At mile 16 I forced down another few calories of liquid shot and some water but my stomach was NOT happy with me.  I didn't pick up the pace at all in the final few miles, I was lucky to hold on to 6:50 pace as I brainstormed what could possibly be the cause of this annoying stomach and head problem.  

At first I wanted to blame it on the 25 mg of caffeine in the Clif Shot I had taken at mile 13.  Then I thought maybe it was the fact that I ate too much cheese with my dinner last night.  I'm coming to the conclusion lately that cheese and my stomach are not terribly good friends.  Then with a mile to go I started thinking about my kids and husband back home and I remembered yesterday evening and the hour or so of time spent with my Son, Abe giving him a back rub to help comfort him through his own stomachache and headache.  Over the past 24 hours I've had lots of close contact with him, washed his stinky sheets, given him a bath, and wiped his bloody/snotty nose many times.  And now that I'm finished with my run and I'm sitting here with a rumbling tummy unable to eat anything more than chicken noodle soup and Emergen-C, its clear to me what the problem was in those final 5 miles...good ol' fashion stomach bug.  

We've called off all our plans for today and Abe and I both will be taking naps and resting ih hopes that we can recover and feel better by tomorrow.

AHHHHHH YEEEEEAAAAHHHHHHH.....

Now THATS what I'm talking about! 

7 miles in 6:55 pace

7 strides mixed in.  Legs felt a little flat from Saturday's long run.  It felt great to get out for a run in the warm sunshine though!

7 a.m. Met some RRB-ers, some Boulder Striders, and Coach D at FAC.  It was a nice group of 10-12 runners out on a gorgeous, sunny (slightly windy) 47 degree morning.

22 minute warm up, stretching, uphill strides

6X4 minutes steady controlled hill repeats (2:05 up/1:55 down) Lehigh Street with 1:45 recovery between each.  The last 2 minutes down was actually 4.5 minutes down because Coach told us to keep going all the way back down past our stretching spot.  My pace was between 5:47-6:11 pace on the ups and 4:56-5:13 pace on the downs.  

A nice 18 minute cool down with Katie. Quick shower and a massage with Erin afterwards. She focussed on my lower legs and my right ankle which seemed to be tight in the workout.  

Now I'm home and I just checked my email to see the interview by Peter Gambaccini is already finished and posted.  He called me yesterday morning just after I finished cleaning the entire house and had to put Ali in time out for not letting me change her poopy diaper.  I told him I would have to call him back after my 2 yo stopped screaming and let me change her diaper.  I was a little distracted on the phone with a sulking 2 yo following me around but Peter did a great job cutting out any of my extra meaningless blab and captured the essence of my responses quite well.

3 p.m. Weights and an easy 5 miles at FAC 

12 miles in 7:02 pace

Started out feeling pretty good.  Felt even better once I warmed up. 
Windy but not to annoying as it was mostly at my side...until the final 
2 miles when I had to come back up Table Mesa Drive straight into what
 must have been 60 mph gusts, complete with pebble welting torture.  
Character building. 

6 miles in 6:57 pace

I don't remember this run.  It was too long ago. 

What I do remember about today was that I got two very well received boxes of Nike clothing/gear on my doorstep via Fed Ex.  Courtesy of Mr. Bob Gordon (my agent).  Thanks Bobby!

According to Mr. Garmin, I ran from Boulder to Moab today and it was only 15.99 miles.  Strange.

In reality, I did a morning workout in Boulder, forgot to clear my watch, and then did an easy 4 miles in Moab after driving all day.

A.M. 12 miles

Met at Tom Watson Park with a bunch of RRBs, some Striders, Darren and Colleen.

20 minute warm up, stretching, strides  

4X1.5 mile repeats at alternating marathon/10K pace. (my pace was 5:40, 5:23, 5:39, 5:23 on each). 3 to 5 minute recoveries.

15 minute cool down 

Weights, yummy lunch from Big Daddy's while watching Ali's gymnastics class, 6 hour drive to Moab.  

P.M. Easy 4 miles in Moab around 7:30 p.m. Nice bowl of chili and a soak in the hot tub with the fam afterwards. 

11 miles in 7:01 pace

I was supposed to run 14 miles today.  Couldn't do it.  I spent the morning playing in the pool and hot tub with the kids, getting the kids bathed, dressed, fed, and driving to the finish line for the Red Hot 50K to cheer Aaron in.  Watched the race finishers and chatted with Cody's wife, Bethany for about an hour until Aaron and Cody came in and we took some pics.  The kids were climbing all around the red rock and having a grand old time.  I finally left for my run at 2 p.m. and planned to run from the finish area back to our hotel and then add on.  Started off feeling pretty good.  Got into a groovy pace and felt a little tail wind for the first 5 miles or so.  Then I turned onto the highway that leads south into Moab and it was a death march from there on in.  30-40 mph headwind, light rain, and my sudden realization that I should have eaten more and drank a LOT more water during my busy morning.  The hot tub was probably the major contributor to my energy zap and dehydration problem.  I stopped at around mile 8 to guzzle water from the sink in a Denny's restaurant.  I thought about asking them for a cup of Coke to get me home but chickened out.  By the time I got to my hotel my mileage was at 11 miles for the day and I was finished.  Spent.  Kaput.  So I called it at day.

The good news is that despite the wind and rain, Aaron ROCKED his race!!!  Big PR and nice finish place too! 

Slept in (7 a.m. instead of 6 a.m.), played games with the kids, went to church, had a nice lunch, took the kids to Arches National Park, and enjoyed a peaceful day together.

7 miles in 7:33 pace

Slow easy morning run in Moab.  Still feeling tired from Friday and Saturday's run.

After breakfast and packing up the van for the drive home, we took the kids to Hole in the Rock.   That is one cooky, eclectic place!

Long drive home with a stop in Silverthorne for dinner. 

PHEW!  I finally caught up on my blogging for the last week of running.  And here is todays... 

A.M. Met the group at EBCR

20 min. warm up, stretching, strides.

10 minutes in 5:53 pace

5X4 minutes in 5:32-5:46 pace w/2 min recoveries

10 minutes in 5:45 pace

10 minute cool down

60 minute massage afterwards

P.M. Easy 5 miles from FAC and weights afterwards. 

12 miles in 7:10 pace

Parachute run.  Its official.  February is "month of wind."

True story: Last week I made a new friend at a Relief Society meeting (I know, hard to believe.) She is from Oklahoma and claims to "love" wind.  "Really???" I asked her.  "You love wind?  WHY???"  "Oh, I don't know, it just makes me feel alive!"  "Reminds me of home."

Wow.  I must need an attitude change then because wind makes me feel like laying down and dying. 

Happy Birthday to Aaron today!!  31 years young! 

7 miles in 7:12 pace

Easy recovery run from FAC.  Busy day today taking care of odds and ends...oil change, shipping boxes of things to various people, laundry, and finishing cleaning up the dishes and kitchen from yesterday's cookfest (I made pork barbacoa burritos AND cinnamon rolls for Aaron on his birthday yesterday and it left my kitchen so messy I just didn't have the energy to clean it all last night). 

A.M.  Coach called me at 7:30 a.m. to change the workout spot from Fairview track (which is covered in snow) to the treadmills at FAC.  I was happy to oblige since going out to the track all alone in a 19 degree snowstorm sounded much less enticing than meeting Darren, Colleen, and Simon at FAC for a 68 degree shorts run.

As it turns out, the "dreadmill" is much less dreadfull when you have a.) friends to run with, b.) interval work to break up the mundane pace, and c.) an upbeat song on your iPod to push you through challenging moments.  Luckily for me, I had all three of these things this morning and my workout (which could have been very challenging on my own), went quite well.

I finally got dressed and running by 8:20 a.m. and saw Kristen Fryburg-Zaits so I jumped on the mill next to her.  We had a nice chat through my warm up as she finished up her run.  She is getting back into base training again after PRing in the Houston Marathon and taking two weeks off.

I stretched and did my strides as Kristen finished up her run and Colleen jumped on her mill, with Simon next to her.  As I started my first set of intervals, Coach D came up to say Hi, watch my foot strike (since I just got new orthotics), and give me some "coaching."  Simon gave me some of his usual trash talk, something about how he's so easily keeping up with me yet his heart rate is SO much lower, lol.  11 mph vs. 8 mph does usually induce a difference in heart rate, Simon.

The workout went well.  Challenging at times, but I got through it.

3 X (800M, 1600M, 800M)  90 seconds easy after the first 800, 2 minutes easy after the mile, 3 minutes easy between sets.  

First 800 M of each set was at 5:33 pace, mile was at 5:33-5:36 pace, and second 800 M was at 5:18 pace.  Essentially, 6 miles of 5:18-5:36 paced running.  The final 800 M may have been slightly faster as I bumped up the pace for the final couple of minutes.

10 minute cool down chat with Colleen, dynamic stretching, cold bottle of Ultragen, and a Luna Bar.  Drove home to relieve our sitter, load the kids in the van, and take Ali to Gymnastics class.  Got lunch with Abe and Bre at Big Daddy's Bagel and ate it while we watched Ali.

P.M. 3 miles EASY and weights

18 miles in 6:47 pace

Tired legs, but mental energy, stomach, and stamina felt good.  I stopped by Fairview track on my way home just as the RRBers were finishing up their cool down.  It was fun to say hi to some RRBers as I finished up my run.  Ever since Coach D moved my workout to Friday and long run to Saturday I miss catching up with my RRB friends on Saturdays.  At least I still get to see them all on Tuesdays and I get to work out with Simon, Collen, Katie, and sometimes others on Fridays.  

On another note, last night here in Boulder, Aaron and I attended a nutrition seminar put on by Robert Kunz, head genius at First Endruance.  I learned a TON about the proper use of all their products and was enlightened by the potential benefits of other products I have not been using.  Robert is a sports nutrition expert and has been the dietitian and nutrition advisor for some of the world's best triathletes and cyclists (Alberto Contador, for example.)  

The products that First Endurance have created are based on years of research sudies and feedback from pro athletes.  They are very picky about their manufacturing and insure that all of their products are 100% USADA approved.  While their products currently cater somewhat to cyclists, triathletes, and ultra runners, I have become hooked and reaped benefits of using them as well.  Today I used the EFS electrolyte drink at three points in my run.  I had mixed one of my drink flasks with about a third of a scoop of pre-race powder and drank that flask at mile 8 to boost me for the second half of my long run.  It worked GREAT!!  My stomach felt great and I noticed sustained energy throughout the final miles of my run as I completed my biggest mileage week EVER!!  I finally eclipsed the 75 miles in a week mark!  I couldn't have done it without lots of sleep (took a nap 5 different days), ice, dynamic stretching, and two massages this week but hey, if thats what it takes to keep my legs working properly and energy level up...bring it on.

No time for daily blogging but here is my weekly summary: The Little Things

http://www.nankennard.com/2011/03/gate-river-run-15k-champs/

6 miles in 7:06 pace with Miss Renee.  Legs were pretty soar, did a few strides to loosen up.

A.M. 12 miles

Met RRBers at FAC for hills repeats up and down Lehigh Street.  Legs felt pretty flat so I took it a little easier than usual.  I was averaging around 5:40-5:50 pace for the up/down intervals. 5X4 minutes (2 min. up, 2 min. down) and 5X2 minutes (1 min. up, 1 min. down, last one 4:42 down.) 

P.M. Easy 4 miles and weights 

13 miles in 6:49 pace

Legs starting to feel a little better. 

Happy St. Patty's Day, people! 

A.M. 6 miles in 6:58 pace

Shorts and t-shirt run!  

P.M. 4 miles in 7:10 pace

Was going to head out for my second run around 4 p.m. but I hit a wall and decided to put the kids in front of a show and take a nap instead.  Woke up 45 minutes later feeling much refreshed.  Stretched for a while, jumped on the trampoline with the girls and made dinner.  Green waffles, green eggs, green spinach and fruit slush, green key lime pie yogurt as a topping on the waffles. Dished up dinner to the kiddos and headed out for my second run. Passed at least eight bikers wearing green jerseys.  Also passed some green runners.  The mandolin, banjo, and folk singing of a band I've really been digging lately, Mumford & Sons put me in a happy Irish mood (see below.)  Now I'm eating green food and considering watching part of Robin Hood tonight while I fold laundry after the kids are in bed.  I don't even remember the last time I watched a movie.  Short on leisure time these days.

A.M. Met Matt and Katie B. at Fairview track.  20 min. warm up, stretching, strides.  

Coach D. timed us for 4X (800M w/1 min rest, 2400M w/3 min. rest)

My times were

1) 2:48/8:46
2) 2:43/8:38
3) 2:40/8:25
4) 2:36/8:09

For those of you (myself included) who think that looks like a bunch of meaningless numbers, basically my half mile intervals started at 5:36 pace and progressed to 5:12 pace and my 1.5 mile intervals started out at 5:50 pace and progressed to 5:26 pace.  I ended up with 8 miles of interval running and 13 miles total for the morning.  And I was tired.

P.M. 4 miles in 7:21 pace.  Tired. 

18 miles in 7:15 pace.

I want to say these were easy miles, but they weren't exactly easy.  I was tired.  My legs were trashed.  Could have something to do with the fact that I just completed my biggest week ever on tired legs after just running a huge PR in the 15K last weekend.

We had a birthday party for Breanne this afternoon and it was a BLAST!!  Lots of friends came and brought side dish to share so we had a large smorgasbord of food to enjoy.  With church friends, running friends, and reading class friends, the house and yard was full of awesome people.  Aaron put together a scavenger hunt with clues leading the 15+ kids all around the house and yard to find "treasure boxes" (shoe boxes) full of loot!  The kids all got to fill goody bags with fun little toys and candies as a reward for their hunting.  Nothing like a crew of little pirates scavenging around your house for clues and treasures...so cute!  They also got to enjoy jumping on the trampoline, playing on the play-set, and stuffing their faces with cake and ice cream. Good times!  After everyone left, Sara Vaughn stayed a while longer so Kiki and Bre could play and I put my feet up and enjoyed catching up with Sara.  Then I took an hour and a half nap while Aaron cleaned up the mess.  What a champ!

8 miles in 7:08 pace

Still tired, but it felt good to get out and move.  Went in to see Richey for some ART on my hip/glut and achilles.  Also had him blast out the tightness in the arches of my feet.  Took a nap this afternoon which was heavenly.

Took the kids hiking up to Mallory Cave up above NCAR (2 mile drive from out house) for family home evening.  It was a blast!  They were so cute.  I hiked up with Abe and we chatted about all sorts of interesting things.  Man, 1st graders sure know a lot!  Bre giggled and bounced alongside Aaron while Ali rode on daddy's back for the 1.5 mile up.  Once we reached the top the kids all scampered around on the rock and we had a snack.  Ali wanted to hike the whole way back down so I held her hand while she laughed every time she slipped.  She said she was "dust-boarding" since every time she slipped it was obviously on purpose and she was building up a nice dust patch on her bum. 

A.M. 10 miles with the group in NIWOT

Aaron and Dan kept me honest in my effort and kicked my bum in some intervals.   We did a bunch of shorter, faster intervals.  Some hills, and some flat.  Mild wind.

Amazing massage with Erin afterwards.  She blasted my left hip/glut really deep and I was already feeling better when I got off the table.  I also took about an hour nap this afternoon.  Abe is out of school for spring break so I told him we always take naps at 1 p.m. and he agreed he could use a nap too, so we all just went to our beds and fell asleep for an hour or so.  Beauty. 

P.M. 6 miles on the treadmill at FAC.  The wind started picking up after our workout this morning and with the 60+MPH gusts going on around 4p.m. I wasn't up for the battle.  Treadmill was kind to me.  Slow and peaceful.  Lots of hip/core work (cannonall routine) and weights afterwards.  

A.M. 6 with Darren and Colleen

P.M. 4 with the wind 

Met Colleen, Katie, and Coach D at FAC for a 4X2 mile repeats on the Creek Path.  Started out conservatively and then got faster as we went along.  2 mile repeats were 11:22 downhill, 11:29 out and back, 11:12 out and back, 11:09 half mile down 1.5 mile gradual up.  Solid workout and pleasant time with great people.

After Ali's gymnastics class we met up with Colleen, Tara, and Tasmin at the park.  We were pushing the little kiddos on the swings for some time and Colleen was prompting Tara and Bre to pump with their arms and legs while I was working with Abe (I've been working with Abe for three years now and swing pumping still hadn't quite "clicked" for him.)  Well today was the day!!  Bre all of the sudden got the right motion and started flying high.  Of course this egged her brother on and the next thing I knew Abe was flying even higher than Bre!!  My kids can finally pump on the swing! Thank goodness.  Ali on the other hand didn't have such a stellar day.  She wanted to go as high as her brother and sister but started to get tired and ended up falling off onto her back...ouch. 

Took a nap this afternoon and now we're headed to a "send-off" reception in Castle Rock for my midwife and friend, Jean and Mark Dhority.  Jean has felt God calling her to serve the Tarahumara Indian tribe in the Copper Canyons in Mexico for quite some time now.  The infamous "running people" spoken of in the book "Born to Run," Tarahumara's have one of the worst infant mortality rates int he world.  Jean's mission is to serve, teach and train Tarahumara women about prenatal care, birthing, and postpartum recovery through a birthing clinic. Apparently the current method of birthing among Tarahumara women is just to go off into the wilderness alone when the time comes and sometimes the woman comes back alive with a living baby, sometimes the baby dies, and sometimes the woman never comes back at all.  At some point they must have lost their ancient wisdom of midwifery and Jean is on a mission to restore it.  

Jean was my angel and facilitator throughout Breanne and Ali's amazingly empowering, peaceful homebirths.  I'm excited to see Jean one last time before she leaves and send her with support, well wishes, and prayers. After serving as a direct entry midwife here in Colorado for decades, she has made an impact here and will be an amazing blessing to the Tarahumara people.  Jean and her husband, Mark have been tying up their affairs and trying to raise enough money for a couple of years now and they are finally financially prepared to leave American civilized life as they know it and "retire" to the rugged life in the Copper Canyons in Mexico.  God be with you, Jean and Mark!

New blog post with pictures!

x-training equivalent miles

x-training equivalent miles

x-training equivalent miles

http://www.nankennard.com/2011/04/first-a-trial-of-your-faith/

XT

XT

XT

5 XT, 4 run

XT

6 run, 4 XT

http://www.nankennard.com 

80 minute swim

20 min warm up, 4Xmile at MP, 10 min. cool down

60 min. pool run

Zulu fartlek on the treadmill

40 min. swim

Typical pre-race run with strides and 4X60 seconds at race pace.  Felt great!

Race Report HERE Splits:

30 minutes in a very cold pool with friends.  I guess you could call it exercise, if shivering is considered exercise.  I followed it up with 15 minutes in the hot tub.  ahhhhhhh....hot tub.

40 minutes on the elliptical just to move the ol' legs.  Felt good.  Cannonball cool down and some lunges afterwards.

Spent an hour in the pool moving around (very slow pool running).  Felt good to move and get the blood pumping a bit.  And of course, hot tub afterwards.  Probably wont try actual running until next week.

Commencing "therapy week" here's whats on the menu: Dry needling and chiropractic adjustment today, massage with Erin tomorrow, ART with Richey on Thursday, another massage Friday.  Lots of foam roller and dynamic stretching in between.  Gotta get these legs get up and running again.  This gorgeous weather is calling me.

Does cleaning the house for 4 hours count as cross training?

Elliptical for an hour.  Dynamic stretching/core.

Met Katie, Sarah, Bean, and Marianne for dynamic stretching and an hour pool run.

Went to Abe's school afterwards to help make Sushi with his class.  Fun stuff! 

Oh man, I just looked at my 2011 running account and realized that I have spent twice as much on running therapy than I have on my Coach, Agent, or babysitter.  I used to think I was pretty low maintenance....I guess I better reconsider that. 

Ran a very easy, very slow 2.4 miles around the neighborhood to evaluate where I am with recovery.  Decided I'll be sticking to the pool and elliptical again this week. After my run I went to Rally Sport and did some pool running with my friends.

Hey, I know someone who has an entry to the Provo city marathon this Saturday who does not want it if anyone is interested, PM me. 

60 min. elliptical, core

60 min. Pool Run

60 min. core class at Rally Sport and 45 min. pool run

25 mile bike ride.  Stopped by Coot Lake to say hi to my team working out.  It was fun to see everyone.  My speedy friend, John is back running with the group which makes me really want to get back out there and pound the workouts with him.  All in due time.

24 mile bike ride.  Gorgeous morning!!!!!  Getting my bum used to biking so I'm not saddle sore in France.

4.75 mile run plus 8 mile bike ride

I CAN RUN!!!  Albeit, slow....but running nonetheless!!  YAY!  All that cross training and therapy is finally paying off.  :)

Only had time for 30 minutes of cross training and some core work...

Celebrating the best nine years of my life today! 

Core work+45 min pool run

Enjoyed a very effective acupuncture and cupping session with Christina Roy.  Very good stuff.  

6 mile run plus an hour in the weight room plus 40 min. bike ride

6 miles plus cannonball cooldown. Saw Kristen and chatted with her for a bit.  She just placed 4th in the 25K Championships last Saturday and is Running Grandma's Marathon next month. Go Kristen!

Elliptical workout with intervals.  Actually felt really good to get my heart pumping and walk into the locker room afterwards with a sweaty, wet shirt.

Later on I met up with my friend Joanna and she kindly gave me some tips/exercises that she has done to strengthen her gluts, hips, core.  A few weeks ago Joanna had observed my running form flaw which is very similar to hers so today she taught me the exercises that have helped her stay relatively strong and healthy.  I'm looking forward to putting the knowledge into action!

80 minutes of cycling, second half in the rain.

Proud to be a part of the Crazy Club.

Ran around the Dallas Airport

Stiff, blubbery travel legs.  Pretty scenery in Nyon, Switzerland though.

45K of biking up and down l'Alpe d'Huez

85K of biking Mont Ventoux

Stiff 5 mile run around Arles, France

40K of biking l'Tormalet

9 mile run in Versailles

Easy run in Bolognese Park Paris, France

Loooooong travel day.  No running.

Easy run around Mom's house in Layton, UT.

Slowly bumping up the pace on these runs...no faster intervals yet though.

32 mile bike ride towards Lyons and back

Core work and easy run with Sarah R.

Was going to meet up with the group and do the workout at an easier pace but I went to the wrong meeting spot so I just did a steady 9 miler.

Little bit of trail running.  A few strides too.

Finally felt good enough to do some intervals.  5X4 minutes at a comfortably quicker pace.

Also finally got around to posting a bunch of pics from our vacation in France. 

Rode my road bike to Rally Sport to pool run for an hour with Katie F. and Bean.  Hit a crack too hard right before going into the parking lot and popped my back tire so I had to call for a ride home.  Beautiful day outside!!

7 a.m. run with Aaron in the misty rain.  What a perfect start to my day!

A friend from our Church is living in our basement for the summer in exchange for some free nannying.  Its great that Aaron and I can schedule with her and get out on a run together!  After my "workout" on Tuesday I have decided to stick with easy running for a while longer.  Don't think I'm quite ready for faster paced stuff yet.  I am very grateful I can get out the door for a run, even if it is slow.

Core strengthening class followed by 90 minutes of cycling with Sarah R.

Camping with the fam last night at Marshall Lake.  Went for an hour of mt. biking on the Marshal Mesa loop from our campsite this morning.  

About an hour of road biking. Up Flagstaff mountain and back.

45 minutes of P90X type exercises around the house in the morning.  20 minutes of arms-only swimming in the afternoon.  I just couldn't bear to swim any longer.  I have a hard time with swimming because I feel like my shoulder could pop out at any moment and I'm bracing for it to happen.  At least I got some exercise in today though.

Had an interesting turn of events starting with my ART appointment last week with Richey.  After a more in depth evaluation of my hip and talking about the history of this injury and how its been responding (or rather not responding) to the therapy and down time I've been having over the past couple of months, Richey suggested that we should get an MRI to rule out a potential labral tear.  

I've been avoiding exercise that causes hip pain since then. This morning I went in for a second opinion and a MRI prescription from an in-network Orthopedic Doc.  I should be able to get the MRI scheduled within the next few days and some answers shortly after.

So here I am...in the waiting place.  Trying not to read too much into it until after I see my MRI. A labral tear is not an easy fix and its depressing to think about. 

Core and upper body weights.

My sisters-in-law, Dawn and Ashley were in town visiting so I took them hiking to Mallory caves.  Between the three of us we eventually got our two two-year-olds up the mountain.  It was a fun time!  We also took the kids into NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research) afterwards to explore the exhibits.

Oh, and I finally got approval from my insurance company and scheduled the MRI for Tuesday morning. 

Upper body weights and core again.  Not much else I can do that doesn't aggravate the hip.

Had somewhat of a stressful first half of the day with my 5yo having "one of those days" at Church combined with me having too much to do and not enough time, feeling rushed and unprepared for my Primary class, and guilty about it.  After a nap, things got better though.  We assembled the new BBQ grill for Father's Day and grilled some delicious kabobs and corn on the cob. My kids are sure lucky to have such an amazing Dad.  Aaron is the bomb.

This poem epitomizes Aaron's outlook on life:

 The Victor

by C.W. Longenecker

If you think you are beaten you are

If you think you dare not, you don't

If you like to win but you think you can't

It's almost certain you won't

If you think you will lose, you have lost

For out in the world we find

Success begins with a fellows will

It’s all in the state of mind

If you think you are outclassed, you are.

You've got to think high to rise.

You've got to be sure of yourself before

You can ever win a prize.

Life's battles don't always go