All it takes is all you've got

Tried running for .25 miles on the treadmill and this injury is still crippling me!  There is no point in running like a crazy limping person, so I just stopped and did the elliptical for 40 minutes, which still aggravated the injury slightly.

I've officially decided to not race this weekend.  Even if my injury does start feeling better later this week its very unlikely that I will be 100% ready to go all out for 13.1 miles by Sunday.  What is more likely to happen if I race is that I'll re-injure myself and extend my recovery time further.  I'd rather recover as quickly as possible and get back to my regular training so I can be ready for Boston in April.

Biked 15.82 miles in 1:07, I'm counting it as 6 running miles

It felt SO great to get out and exercise in the sunshine.  The snow is melting everywhere and we have clear skies and 50 degree temps today!  How could I be in a bad mood?  I haven't been feeling super cheery all weekend but today I'm starting to feel better.  

My friend just dropped her son of to play at our house and she asked if I was okay because it looked like I had been crying when she saw me at church on Sunday.  I laughed and agreed that I was not in the best mood on Sunday, but reassured her that the freaky eyes was just the severe case of pink eye I've been having, not crying eyes.  Since Friday night, by eyes have been super pink and every morning when I wake up I have to pry them open and scrub the crust off before I start my day.  I haven't been to the Dr. because from my experience, the drops they give you don't help much anyway and I don't want to bother spending the time and money for something that will go away on its own in a few days.   

Got a deep tissue massage last night and, woah.  I felt it this morning.  My back was so sore and achey 'cause she elbowed it SO hard.  She also went more cautiosly into my gluts, hammys, and IT band especially focusing on my right leg where the trouble is.  I didn't work out today because I just wanted to give my body another day to recover from the massage, the injury, and the illness that has been plaguing me for 5 days now (pink eye, body ache, congestion, headache, ect).   I'm ready for my body to start winning these battles anytime now.

Despite feeling pretty beat, I did get a lot done around the house today.  Swept and mopped the entire garage (it was extremely gross from all the mud our cars had tracked in over the past few months).  Washed and folded 6 loads of laundry.  Cleaned the bathrooms.  Vacuumed the house.  Plus the usual feeding of kids 3 times, cleaning the kitchen after every meal, and a 2 hour grocery shopping adventure. 

I CAN RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Went out for an easy 5 miles this morning in 9:14 ave pace.  I just ran cautiously and let my legs set the pace.  My right hammy/bum was not restricting my form as long as I kept it nice and easy.  Ahhhh.  I'm SO grateful I can run again!!  Honestly, it makes such a HUGE difference for me to be able to get out every day and run.  The endorphins and fresh air are hugely therapeutic and mood boosting for me.  Without it, I get depressed and irritable.  I guess I'm addicted.

Of additional interest, I decided to wear my New Balance 790s  running this morning.  Aaron recently purchased some of these shoes for himself since they are very lightweight and minimal.  They came in the mail and as he opened them, I told him I had a pair just like them already!  I purchased mine over two years ago and wear them all day a few times a week.  I bought them because I liked how they looked and they were comfy and lightweight.  I've never even thought of them as "running shoes."  I don't know why, I guess I already had other running shoes and was just looking for some comfy lightweight shoes to wear around.  Anyway, I really enjoyed running in them today.  They are definitely lightweight, neutral, and comfy.  

Another slow, easy run.  But a RUN, nonetheless!  7 miles in 8:49 pace.  It just feels right to take it easy as my injury is still healing.  If I push the pace, it causes me to alter my form and I don't want that to cause an injury somewhere else.  Nice and sunny here again today.  Gotta love mid-50s in January!

30.58 miles of cycling in 1:54 with 1,809 feet of elevation gain.  Hamstring felt pretty tight again today so I decided to cross-train.  Dusted off the road bike, pumped up the tires, put on my wind-breaker and headed out.  My previous bike rides this year have been on my mountain bike since the roads had more ice/snow and I wanted more grippy tires, but after the 50 degree week the roads are clear enough for skinny tire biking.  Today was slightly overcast but a warm 47 degrees.   

I was reminded today how much I really enjoy cycling on my road bike.  I can go so far and fast.  The workout provides sections of pushing it up hills and then cruising down hills as my heart rate rolls up and down.  I love those short hill climbs when I see the crest of the hill approaching and push it hard and get there quickly.  I climbed up a canyon for a few miles and kept my heart rate pretty steady for 20 minutes or so and then cruised down as fast as 41 mph at one point.  Its definitely a rush going fast down a hill on a road bike.  It took me a few minutes to get adjusted to the speed after not doing it since last summer but once I adjusted I really started enjoying it.  Big grins.  

The road bike I currently ride was purchased with my prize money from winning the Ogden Marathon in 07'.  Its very light and has great components.  My very first road bike was not as light and had lower quality components.  That one was purchased after 2 years of saving all my left-over per diem money at BYU.  If I remember correctly, they used to give us us $40-$140 cash (depending on the length of the trip) to spend on meals every time we went out of town for a track/cross country meet.   I was just a full-time student-athlete at the time and that left-over per diem was my only income.  After two years I had saved $1,000 to buy myself a road bike.  So I guess you could say my running has payed my way into becoming a cyclist too.  :)

In August, 2007 I rode my first Century (100 mile) road biking tour, the Desperado Dual in Southern Utah.  It was really long and exhausting, but very fun.  Maybe I'll look into doing another Century this summer.