All it takes is all you've got

7 miles in 7:56 pace

Set a goal to wake up at 6:20 a.m. every day and run from 6:30-7:30 a.m. before my day gets away from me.   As the sun continues to rise earlier and I feel the need to lengthen my runs, I will wake up earlier.  But for now, its the perfect time to run because its just starting to get light and the sun comes up while I'm running.  Also, if I leave at 6:30 everyone else in the house is still asleep so it is a peaceful way to start my run.  This morning when I got home the kids were awake, happy as clams, just playing in the girls' room.  I woke Aaron up and told him it was his turn to run.  I really love the fact that my 5 yo gets my 1 yo out of her crib and the kids play happily together in the mornings.  Morning is the best time of day!

7 miles in 7:54 pace

Sore throat and congestion is trying to creep in but I refuse to submit.  Nothing like a 7 mile early morning run to clear the sinuses.  I'm pounding the Emergen-C too.

I signed my 4 and 5 year old up for a track and field mini camp yesterday.  

Me: "Hey guys, I signed you up for a Track and Field camp!!"

Breanne: "Why tractor field?" 

The sinus infection hit full force last night.  Very long night with not much sleeping involved.

 Snow dumped all over Denver last night and my son's school is cancelled today.  Guess it'll be a nice quiet day at home.

5 miles on the treadmill at the gym.  I was going to do 7 or 8 miles, but started feeling pain in my left hamstring around mile 4 and it kept getting worse, so I decided to stop at 5 miles.  I also felt very lightheaded and started seeing spots.  Maybe due to my sinus infection?  Sat down and stretched for a while and started to feel better.  Did some core/hip/weight lifting afterwards which felt great! 

5 miles of sinus clearing hacking.  I used to think it was completely unacceptable to blow snot rockets because I was the only girl on my high school cross country team and I thought I ought to keep at least some level of decency to differentiate me from the guys.  Then I went to college and ran with 30 other girls who were blowing snot rockets left and right and ever since then I never think twice about it.  Especially when I am so congested I can hardly breathe.  It felt good to clear my head (literally).  Strangely, I started wheezing during the last mile of my run.  It wasn't because of increased effort, my throat just decided to start constricting a bit.  I don't know if it was allergies or just the congestion, but it felt similar to the exercised-induced asthma I experienced one year in college.

Went to a pilates reformer class at the City Park Fitness Center where I used to go last fall.  The pilates reformer instructor, Trudi is light years better than any other instructor I've found at my own gym, so it is worth it to pay extra to go to her class.  The class was excellent and I felt so good when I left.  Pilates reformer helps my entire back, neck, hips, shoulders, and core get a nice deep stretchy, tension relieving workout.  I think I'll start going every Friday morning since that is the only time Trudi teaches that works with my schedule.

10 MILES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 7:57 pace

Such an amazing run this morning!  As usual, I did not feel at all motivated to get out the door and start running due to this agonizing physical and mental slump I've been in.  Aaron encouraged me to get out and gave me his iPod to listen to.  I decided to run around Standley lake because then if I started feeling like I wanted to stop half way though, I would have no shortcuts home (other than swimming across a recently thawed mile wide lake) and would be forced to finish the route and get at least 8 miles.  After the first two slow miles (8:17 and 8:35) something amazing happened.  The clouds literally parted, the sun came out, and it felt as if a dark heavy cloud cleared from my brain as well.  I just started smiling and picking up the pace!  Every drum beat of the music seemed to beat out each self-deprecating thought.  As I started to see the sun through the clouds I looked up and ran towards it.  It took me into this mental nirvana where I felt as if I could run forever.  Miles passed and felt effortless.  After I got around the lake I did not want to stop running so I added on another couple of miles around my neighborhood.  I never started to feel tired at all until the final hill close to home when I was feeling SO grateful for the 10 miles of euphoria.  My injuries were hardly noticeable at all and my form was fluid.  This run would not have been so unique or appreciated 4 months ago but considering the past few months and especially the past few weeks of injury and mental drag, it was a HUGE breakthrough.  WAHOO!!!!!!!!