All it takes is all you've got

9 miles in 7:21 pace

Countryside loop.  7X50 stride pick-ups.

Finished the second half of ab-ripper X with Aaron when I got back from my run.  Also did a few more sets of sit ups (too distracted by my kids to count), 4X11 pull ups, and 4X27 push ups.  Aaron pointed out to me this morning that I do most of my pull-ups dynamically (cheater?)  I try to start off static but after about 4 or 5, my legs start swaying and body kinda has to lunge to get me up.  I don't plan on changing my form because I like it and it is still super challenging, but rocking and rolling definitely enables me to do more.  Just thought I would disclose that so y'all don't think I'm some sort of super perfect pull-up prodigy.

Registered for a little 5k this weekend since we'll be in Phoenix for a business trip and I won't have my team to work out with anyway.  It'll be good to see where my fitness is and work the kinks out a little before the Bolder Boulder in a couple of weeks.  This will be my very first race of 2010!!!

10 miles in 7:31 pace

Fairview Track workout

20 min warm up, stretching, strides

4X200M in 36-38 seconds (4:48-5:00 pace)

6X800 M in 2:45, 2:46, 2:44, 2:44, 2:42, 2:38 (5:16-5:32 pace)

4X200M in 36-38 (4:48-5:00 pace) 

10 minute cool down

We had a pretty big group this morning.  Lots of triathletes were there which was nice because it added depth to the fastest group.  The coolest part was watching Richey (our ART guy/Chiropractor) out-sprint Damon (1st year pro-triathlete) in the final 200 M interval.  Richey has wheels!  Apparently the Fairview High School track is the place for pros to workout because as we were wrapping up our workout more pro triathletes started showing up and I saw Renee Metivier Baillie walking in as I was walking out.

A.M. 7 miles in 7:31 pace

Beautiful 50 degrees and sunny.  If the weather could stay like this (50 degree mornings, 70 degree afternoons) all year, I would be happy about that. 

I was going to go to the gym to run a few more miles this afternoon and also do my pu-pu-su, but I did not get to it.  Took a bike ride to the park with the kids instead.  They were in need of something kid-centered and fun instead of just being dragged around to do my thing.  On our short bike ride to and from the park I saw three different friends from my church drive by at varying intervals and wave.  Interesting timing.  Its always fun to see familiar faces. 

I finally went through the pics from our trip to Cali a few weeks ago and just have to share a few of my favorites.  Our 4yo, Bre is a little daredevil...I love it!  She did not quite make it to the safety of Aaron's hands on this jump.  Ended up with a nice face plant and some sand in her eyes.  But it wasn't her last jump of the night.   :)

Gotta love campfires on the beach

 And Splash Mountain too

13 miles in 7:31 pace

Felt pretty good this morning.  My ipod died at the turn-around point, which just gave me some nice peaceful time with my thoughts. Beautiful 50 degree, slightly overcast morning. 

9 miles in 7:38 pace

Ab-ripper-X, 25 push-ups and 2X10 pull ups 

Gotta get packed and ready to leave for Phoenix at 1:30 

After a few hour delay leaving the Denver airport due to a travel agent error, we finally got to Phoenix around 8 p.m. Friday night and checked into the hotel around 9:30 p.m.  Two double beds and one crib in the room meant I got to sleep with my 4yo, Breanne who is obviously not used to sleeping with anyone else because she seriously attacked me multiple times throughout the night.  Not just a little nudging and kicking, I'm talking full on slapping and punching me in the face while screaming and yelling at me.  It was a long night, to say the least.  In the morning when I asked her why she was attacking me she simply said she didn't want me sleeping next to her.  

We had no problem getting to the 7:30 a.m. "race" that I had registered for since that was like 8:30 a.m. Denver time and we'd already been up for nearly two hours.  Aaron dropped me off at the Church where the race started and finished so I could jog the course for my warm-up while he went to get breakfast with the kids.  The "race" turned out to be about 30 people, most of them local friends and family walking together and literally about 12 runners.  Definitely the tiniest race I've ever done.  In fact, calling it a race is an over-statement.  In reality it was a fundraiser walking event where I ended up running a solo tempo run.  Someone said ready, GO and me and one other guy (I'll call him Hipster) took off at 5:40ish pace.  Hipster took the lead a few strides in front of me and I tried to find my groove right behind him.  The sign had fallen off at the first turn-around point but since I had jogged the course for my warm-up I hollered at Hipster to turn, but in his confusion, he slowed a bit and I caught him and told him I had seen the turn-around sign on my warm-up, it must have just fallen off since then. After a few more full-effort strides, Hipster cussed, grabbed his hip, and slowed to a light jog.  That was at about .9 mile and from there on out, I was on my own.  Pretty uneventful.  Splits were 5:42, 5:40, 5:37, final .1 in 5:09 pace for a finish time of 17:31.  Finish line sign had fallen down by the time I got back.  Aaron and the kids were my sole finish line greeters.  After I finished, I laughed, put the finish line sign back up, and drank some much needed water.  Decided to walk over to the food table and the race director said, "Oh, you're back! (looking at his watch) 18:25!?"  I just smiled and laughed again (I had stopped my watch when I actually finished at 17:31) and thanked him for a nice race.  He asked for suggestions for next year (as this was their innagural event...go figure?) and I told him to use quick ties for his signs since the turn-around and finish line signs had fallen off their duct taped anchors.  He said he was also planning on getting a race timer and some race bibs for next year's race.  The food table was decent; better than plenty of other 5ks I've done.  So I grabbed a bagel and we left.  It was a good fitness test that revealed to me that I can run a 5K pretty comfortably in 17:31 and I was happy about the fact that I was getting faster and looser each mile.  I felt like I could have gone another 5k at that pace which gives me confidence for my sub 37:00 goal at the Bolder Boulder next week.

The rest of the day was fun.  I swam with the kids at our hotel for a few hours while Aaron did his mountain run.  Then we all took naps while Aaron did the Infomercial filming (the purpose of the trip).  After that we took the kids canoeing on the lake at the hotel and went to dinner at my step-brother's house in Chandler.  The kids enjoyed getting to know their step-cousins whom they had never met previously.

Sunday morning we had a run-in with Nacho Libre (who's wife, Victoria makes a mean batch of biscuits and gravy) and enjoyed chatting while the kids played hide and seek (they never did find you in the front bushes, Allie...nice spot!)