All it takes is all you've got

9 miles easy around Contryside.  7X30 second strides.

Took my shoes and socks off at mile 7 and ran barefoot on the grass at the High School for a bit.  Only got .3 mile before I was back to where the cement started again so I put my shoes back on.  The barefooting definitely felt great though.  I felt more free and more aware of my form.  The grass was very cold after a 35 degree night, but it was kind-of refreshing.

Ran with Running Republic in Boulder

Met at Potts Field, the track where CU works out.  We ran on the Boulder Creek Path that goes by the track and winds all throughout Boulder.

Warmed up 20 minutes, stretched, 4X25 sec. strides

2X3:00 at 5:30 pace 60 sec. recovery

4X30 sec. strides 60 sec. recovery

2X5:00 at 5:45 pace 2:00 recovery

4X60 sec hard with 60 sec. recovery

10 minute cool-down

I did not feel great in this workout.  I had intestinal problems (you know when your stomach feels and sounds like a water jug with a gallon of water).  I also had problems with my right  calf getting very tight about half way through my second 5:00 interval, so the 4X60 second intervals were death.  When I got home my stomach gurgled all night and even though I stopped running my intestintes decided to keep running.  My right calf got tighter and more painful as the night went on too.  I massaged it and iced it multiple times, but it is still very tight.

Mental note - take my headlamp to future evening workouts.  The workout started at 4:30 and it was already dark by 5:00.  I was the only one in the group without a headlamp and it was hard not to run into people when we circled up in between repeats because I kept getting blinded lights every time anyone else looked at me and I didn't have a sword to fight back with.  I've never been drunk before, but I imagine that may be what it would feel like to run drunk.  Every bump in the sidewalk looks like it might jump out at you and the bushes may or may not be crawling.  And of course, being in Boulder there are hundreds of cyclists biking home from work at 5:30 p.m. so you keep hearing little bike bells ringing and some of them have lights and some of them dont so you keep feeling like your going to get slammed by a cyclist.  I just hugged the right side of the pathway and tried not to fall of into the bushes.  Yeah, I definitely need a head lamp next time.

Woke up this morning with a severe limp.  My right calf and achilles were on strike.  I guess I've been pushing them too hard lately and they refused to move until I backed off and gave them a little love.

So I decided (or was pretty much forced into) cross-training today.  Swam this morning for only about 25 minutes.  I really do not enjoy swimming.  The water is always cold and my goggles always leak.  Today I pulled my goggles on so tighly that they wouldn't leak but I must have had racoon eyes for at least 2 hours afterwards as a result.  I sat in the hot tub and stretched for about 15 mintues after my swim, which felt NICE. 

While Abe was at school I put the girls down for naps and took an hour and a half nap myself.  There you go, legs.  Some extra sleep to rejuvinate.

Then when Abe got home we loaded up my bike trailer and toddler bike seat with all three kiddos and headed off for a bike ride to a park.  While at the park I did some pull-ups, dips, and push-ups since I didn't get time to lift weighs while at the gym due to Ali's crying in the child care.  Abe and Breanne asked me why I was exercising at the playground and I asked them the same question in return since they were playing tag with each other.  "Because its FUN, MOM!"  "Exactly why I do it too," I said.  I wouldn't have been doing those exercises had other kids/adults been there, but we had the park to ourselves and I'm not worried about my kids thinking I look strange doing weight room stuff on a playground.

After the playground we decided to bike over to Costco for some pizza.  I could see it was getting dark and cold pretty fast so I called Aaron and asked him to come by Costco on his way home to take the kids home with him in is car so they wouldn't freeze in the bike trailer/seat.  Aaron picked the kids up and I rode my bike home alone in the dark with no headlamp again.  It was kind-of fun actually.  It was a wide trail most of the way so pretty easy to stay on path.  Not much moonlight though as there were a few clouds in the sky. 

So my swim was about 25 minutes and my bike ride was 48 mintues.  I'm counting it about 6 miles worth of running.  My calf and achilles are behaving much better tonight.  I probably could have run a few miles in the PM, but I just wanted to give it a full day's break from running and get my legs feeling better in time for my 10k on Saturday morning.

My right achilles was still very tight this morning so I decided to go on a bike ride in the beautiful weather.  46 degrees and sunny.  I did put feet warmer sleeves over my shoes and warm gloves on my hands because the only annoying thing about biking in sub 50 degree weather is the cold hands and feet.  I was toasty and really enjoyed the ride.  Rode for 1:06 on Big Dry creek.  I'm counting it as 5 miles.

I was going to go the gym this afternoon with the kids and try running on the treadmill since my achilles seems to feel better in the afternoons, but I never got out.  The kids did NOT want to go to the gym and sometimes I just don't have the energy or desire to force them to.  We went to the park instead. 

I'm sure I will feel up for running tomorrow.  I must admit, two cross-training days have been nice though.  I guess my body needed it.

7 miles very easy around Countryside.  8:30 pace

My calves and achilles were feeling a bit better this morning so I ventured out for some miles.  I wanted to be very aware of my form and tight spots, so I took the pace very conservatively.  Both achilles were pretty tight for about 3 miles and then slowly felt better.  I still had some mild tightness at the end, but it wasn't too bad.  Took a hot bath afterwards and stretched/massaged well.  Now I'm icing.

Aaron joined the blog this week!  Everyone go say Hi to him.

The weather turned out to be perfect, despite the snow in the forecast.  It snowed a little bit the evening before but was just a little wet and cloudy the morning of.  35 degrees and overcast. 

I gathered with my team, Running Republic around 8:10 a.m. and Darren gave me a long-sleved racing top to wear.  We warmed up together and did potty stops and strides.  My calves and achilles were pretty tight on the warm up.  Race started at 9:00 a.m.  Calves and achilles still a little tight, but started to feel warm around mile 2. 

The race starts on a little hill but then is gradual downhill for the next couple of miles and pretty much flat with gradual hills.  Not a super hilly course.  A very nice, fast course. 

I just went out with my teammate, Bean for the first few minutes and then got into my own groove.  I ran with a guy in a Boulder Stiders shirt on for about a mile, ran with another teammate, Erik Werner for a half mile, and then was alone for a couple of miles. Caught a young high-school guy around mile 4 and he hung on my shoulder for a coulple of miles and then outkicked me at the end.

Overall I felt very good and fast.  I don't think the tightness in my calves and achilles affected me much at all other than maybe not having as good of a kick at the end and getting duped by the 17-year-old kid.  My lungs and heart felt very strong and fit though.  My splits were quite even:

5:53, 5:51, 5:45, 5:56, 5:51, 5:43, final .2 in 5:24 pace

Afterwards I cooled down with the team and ate breakfast burritos, oranges, gatorade, with teammates in the school cafeteria while they announced awards.  Erik won a pie and divied up some dollops on our plates that we enjoyed eating with our fingers.  Bean was gifted a few swipes of whipped topping on her nose from Erik and Darren.  I think almost everyone in our group won a prize!  They gave great age-group awards; a loaf of Great Harvest Bread for third, pie for 2nd, and $25 gift card to Natural Grocers for age group winners.  As overall winner I got a pie, a crystal turkey platter, and a $25 gift card to Natural Grocers (inteded to purchase a high quality Thanksgiving Turkey with).  Our team was represented well.  Overall for the men our team took 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 8th.  And for the women, we swept the top 3 spots.  What a FUN race!