I'm not crazy...I'm just bored!!

I had a redemption run today. Last year I had to go on my scooter to this race due to my fractured foot! So, this year...I was out for blood :) I wanted a 50K, and figured in 5 hrs I could totally make that work. And I did! 

Running on the track at the Oval can get a little hard...on your knees, ankles, hips, feet, mind...pretty much everything. I started at 8:00 with the crowd and Becca and I stuck together for the first half marathon, then I started running with some other people I knew there. It is really nice to be able to break when you need to, drink when you need to and see people every few laps and run with whoever you want for a lap.

I did the half in 1:55, slower than I thought I would, but looking at my splits I was running and 8:30ish or below pace the whole time...it was the stopping that killed my time. Same with the full. I finished in 4:13, which seemed crazy knowing the pace I was running. All my laps were coming in consistently around 2:25 (8:40ish pace), except when I would stop and drink or grab a gu. So, I think my overall pace (without stopping) was around an 8:45, but my overall time certainly doesn't reflect that :)

They only had Achiva seed things to eat...and candy. I couldn't stomach the candy and those seed chews were NASTY! So, I bummed some gu off of friends. Without them I wouldn't have finished! I needed that caffeine boost. SO grateful for good friends who plan better than I do :)

I pushed the last lap of my half and full and both came in under 2:00, which is a sub 7mm pace...for the lap :) Felt good to move a little more and open things up. But, then I'd stop and fuel/drink and it was hard to get going again! I had a guy from the fuel station come up to me afterward and tell me how much he loved watching me run by and asked what place I'd taken..."I didn't" I replied. He was a little shocked, and honestly so was I. But, more on that later.

After I hit my full I figured I could still get the 50K in. I was going to do this. I kept running, and although the first few laps (until I grabbed my last gu with 30 min left) were slow, I picked it up and was just enjoying the run. Good times! There really were a few times during the run I felt like I could just run forever and I didn't want to stop! That was the last 15ish minutes for me. I was just feeling good and no one was passing me anymore and I was just busting out the laps, plugged into the music and doing a little run dancing and enjoying every minute!!

Well, the final count came in at 112 laps. Which I now know was 49.952K. SO close. I knew I was close, but I didn't know HOW close. So, even though my lap counter had been taken off, I ran 3 more laps to make sure I hit that 50K! I wasn't getting that close and not achieving it. So, my total of 115 laps gives me  51.29K or 31.58 miles. Rock on! I don't think doing the 50K indoors can count as an Ultra, but well...close enough :) What a way to start out the year!!

A highlight of this run for me was having my daughter with me. She expressed interest last year in doing it and so I signed her up this year. She completed OVER a half marathon!!! I was SO happy that she worked hard and got her half medal. It took her probably 3.5 hrs and she walked the majority of it, but she did it! She didn't wimp out and sit after her first 30 solid minutes of running, but would sometimes run my pace for 100M or so when I passed her to keep up with me. Such a proud mama! No other kids went the full 5 hours, only mine :) My mom also showed up and saw Lauren finish her half, me finish my full and then walked a few laps with Lauren as well.

Overall it was a wonderful day filled with friends and fun and the perfect way to start out the new year! I'm trying to not get down on myself about finishing fourth. It is kind of getting my goat. Especially because the 2nd place lady no one remembers running fast enough to pass people. I never saw her pass me, and trust me...I took note of all those who lapped me or were running my pace. I knew Kelli would take 1st for most laps, she KILLED the run! Leslie Howlett and I seemed like we might be neck and neck (she ended up just ONE lap ahead of me). She passed me a lot at first, but then I was passing her a lot at the end. The 2nd place lady...I don't ever remember seeing! I'm not saying she wasn't there and didn't run a full 5 hours or was malicious about getting extra laps, but I truly think I ran more than her. Thus, the aid station guy's comment really just kind was a stinger. Anyway, like I said I'm trying to keep in mind what an awesome accomplishment today was and to just enjoy it. I just hate 4th place...it really does feel like the first loser :(

Met Sara and Amy at the rec center to WALK. It was a nice shake out and get moving 'workout' problem is...afterward, I still felt like I didn't do anything, even though I'd walked for 90 min, at least 3 miles. I was feeling good so I decided to try just one mile running.

Yes, I ran on the track. I guess after 115 laps 11 isn't so bad. Plus, we ran the opposite direction :) had to unwind a bit. After the first mile I just finally started feeling the groove, was enjoying my music and just kept going. I decided 5 would be good for today.

3 on the track...no idea on pace, but certainly progressive. The first mile was SLOW!

2 on the TM in 17:30. Not super fast, but enough to feel like I was moving again. Finished with a 7:30 kick for .02 miles, now that felt good! :)

Then I rode the spin bike in the corner (my initial intention for the day) for 45 minutes.

Total of 90 min of elevated HR, enough to get the blood and legs moving again!

Last night I was up late helping a friend...didn't get to bed until 1:30ish. So, I passed on the Newton's run and slept in. Finally got out of bed and to the gym by 9:00 to do spin class. Kelli told me about the new class TRX and I got off the bike and grabbed a pass for that one too. Good times!

The spin class was hard! Even with a lot of hill climbs I ended up with just over 15 miles in 45 minutes...20mph effort isn't easy! Nice sweaty mess.

Then went to TRX. A circuit class similar to cross-fit, but not as intense. They use suspension bands for upper body resistance. Then we'd do legs on a bosu and then cardio - 4 circuits and we repeated it all 3X. My triceps will be sore tomorrow! I think I found a new fun class :)

Well, I still needed to run. I'd already been at the gym for 2 hours...and then I started running. A true crazy. 5 miles. 4 on the track at a who knows what pace and then one on the TM where I started at 7:40 and went progressive ending at 6:30 pace. Overall time was 7:30 for the mile.

Stretched out well and headed home. I love having a built in baby sitter at home :)

Slept in. It was wonderful. When I woke up at 9:30 all my kids were still asleep! I love lazy holiday and off-track time :) 

I finally (after a LONG debate with myself) decided I should go to the gym and run and/or bike.

I caught Kelli and Amy's last mile, then walked a few with them. Then another one alone on the track, and then I convinced my favorite babysitter Allison (15 yr old) to run a mile on the track with me.

Then we went to the TM, because I thought she would be done running. But, she kept on running! I finished another 3 miles chatting with her in 24:50 AP: 8:16 - started at 8:34 and then went progressive the last mile to finish at 6:30ish pace.

I did two more on the track and Allison probably did about 1/2+ of the first mile with me while waiting the last few minutes for mom to come. She really impressed me! Probably did at least 5 miles and she keeps a pretty good pace too. She is getting in shape for Lacrosse. I think I'm going to try and convince her to do cross country :)

Finished off the last two on the TM in 16:10 AP: 8:05. Again, started at 8:34 and did the last mile progressive to a 6:30ish pace.

After 2 hrs of phone calls I finally took my kiddos back to the rec center to swim. Fun times! I love being a lazy off-track mom :)

SO COLD!! I really wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do this or not, but I put on LOTS of layers (I may have been overdressed), got to Jonathan Crampton's house at 7:15 and took off by 7:30 with Julie, who was kind enough to brave 4 below zero with me! 

The first 2.5+ miles are all a nice uphill, and boy did I feel it. When it is that cold, you just don't ever really warm up. I was going SO slow, but I thought I was trucking along at a good pace...HA! I'm glad I spared myself the guilt and didn't look at my garmin for a second until we finished.

The race was a good course and the company was outstanding. Poor Julie didn't know just how SLOW I'd really be. After all the miles this week AND the cold, well my legs weren't in top condition. She was good to just chat along and put up with my "I want to go where it is warm and I'm going to scream if this isn't over in 5 minutes" grumpy attitude. I swear mile 6-9 felt like a marathon to me! I was SO done. Brain had checked out. Water was frozen. Out of energy and any semblance of spunk that I once had. The only good thing was it was gentle downhill and my legs got into a bit of a rhythm.

By mile 9 I was ready to hit those last 4! I knew it was the shortest way back to the car anyway :) I really started thinking around this point that I was hanging onto a pretty good pace and that I might hit 1:50 or so for the half...HA! Delusional. THEN I saw 'temple hill' approaching the Mt Timpanogos Temple from the West. I will not admit/repeat the expletives that escaped my mouth. I'm just glad that by the time I was at the bottom of the hill it looked nothing like it did from a distance and it wasn't too bad. Perspective...always perspective.

The last 1/2 mile of the race the leaders (that had started at 8:00) blew by us. 2 guys and Devra, I held off Allie, but I think it was only due to the fact that she was in shorts. Had her legs had half a chance to warm up she would've kicked by as well :) Julie took off to home shortly after a couple pictures so that she didn't get the chilled shakes before having to do a mile+ more to her home.

AP: 9:11 splits: 10:05, 10:35, 9:39, 8:51, 9:20, 8:58, 8:55, 9:32, 8:29, 8:47, 8:36, 9:34, 8:09. I never stopped my garmin, so the couple times I stopped and tried to get some slush out of my water bottle or to pick up a dropped hand warmer the miles are a little slower. I'm glad that the times I finally felt like I was moving and getting into the run my miles were in the mid/low 8's. Makes me feel a little better about killing myself over a 2 hour half!

I showered, enjoyed about 15 minutes of visiting and warm food and then took off to set up and prepare a funeral luncheon for a wonderful lady! Wish I could've stayed for prizes, but my medal and knowing that I ran a half marathon in sub-zero temps is enough 'pat on the back' for me!

Julie C and me frozen solid after the run! I got some cute frozen eyelashes. It was like tunnel vision for more than half the run, because I couldn't see through/past them!

Skip and me after the run. He was happy to be done :)

I honestly think I may have been overdressed for the run, because it was SO hard to run. My breathing was more labored than usual (for that pace!) and I was hot and thirsty. My legs were cold, but my torso and head were nice and warm...probably too warm. However, I'm a pansy and so my 10 layers I put on I thought would certainly barely keep me warm. Maybe I was just exhausted from the miles this week, maybe it was the cold air and my body trying to process the cold into warm and so it took more effort (my friend who is a nurse and was at the luncheon lectured me multiple times about how bad it is for your respiratory system to run in this COLD). I'm not sure, but it was hard...a lot harder than I would hope a half would fee. Maybe it was everything thrown together, I don't know. I'm just glad it is over and that I have a TM/track to run on until it gets back up to a blistering temp of at least 15 or 20!!!

Slept in and decided to drag the kids with me to the gym. Then, I got phone calls that I had to take care of, so I didn't get to the gym until 11:00. But, I turned on a few General Conference talks (LOVE the new iphone!) and got down to business. 3 on the track, thinking I would only do a total of 6, then 4 on the TM, got a little distracted :)

No idea on the track time

33:50 TT on the TM, AP: 8:27 - progressive the last mile.

Last mile on the track. Should've timed it, but I didn't.

Finished up with 4 sets of pt/weights set. Monster walk, big toe/little toe calf raises, lunges, weighted one leg raise bridges, sprint a lap, back raises.

Stretched, gathered the kids and went home. Good morning!

Only one or two other times in my life has this happened, but my alarm didn't go off this morning...or I subconsciously turned it off. Either way, I didn't get in my Tuesday 10 with the Newtons, because when the alarm DID go off, it wasn't mine. It was my husbands and it was 7:05. Shoot. So when he left I got ready and headed off to the gym.

3 miles on the track. No idea on the time, but no one was there (I thought for sure I'd get to run with Kelli, but she is sick and Kim was just finishing up on the TM) so I plugged in to another conference talk and ran on until it was time for spin.

55 min on the spin bike, 16 miles. Lots of climbing and standing.

3 miles on the track. Amy was nice enough to keep me company! She and Wendy were there before too, but I was in the middle of a talk and decided to just keep listening. So, I did get company for the last 3 miles. We we're keeping a good 8mm pace, because we finished in less than 25 minutes.Good thing too, because I had to rush home and get baby to music class. Sigh. Back to 'real' life.

After Saturday I knew my hill legs were fading, so I decided I needed a hill workout...cue Mexican Mtn Goat.

Slept in today, trying to avoid it. The first 40 minutes I was at the gym I'd run ONE mile, trying to avoid it. I finally got down to business. 

2 warm-up miles on the track

10 min @ 8:29 pace on the TM 1% - warm up, then took pace to 9:13 (6.5) for the rest of the workout.

2 min @ 2%; 2 min at 0%

2 min @3%; 2 min at 0%

2 min @ 4%; 2 min at 0%

you get the idea? up to 6%...then

1 min @7%; 1 min 0%

1 min @8%; 1 min 0%

1 min @ 9%

2 min recovery break...then I worked my way back down. Again, keeping speed constant. I also start the incline moving 10 seconds before the minute starts so it is there (or almost) by the time the minute starts. Whew! I'm glad it was over.

The last couple @ 4% and below on the way down I did with 1 min recovery and then the 2% I did at 8:29 pace. Then, the TM shut down and so I had .4 to finish to round miles to 7.0. So I went progressive speed to finish up .4 miles in 2:50; topping the speed at 9.0mph.

TT: 62:50; AP: 8:58 Vert: 900ft

I'm glad it is over, and it wasn't as bad as I remembered. I guess I'll have to increase the speed next time :)

Up early....I know, I can't believe it either :) 

Did the Urban Trail Loop with the Newtons: Ronnie, Chad and George.  It was a particularly nice morning! Almost 40. If it wasn't for the wind, it would've been perfect winter running.

Trudged through the snow, but it was pretty well tracked out so it wasn't bad either. Almost makes me want to do it again soon.

I didn't start my Garmin after the first stop for Ronnie to fix his yak trax, so I lost a couple miles along the way, but AP: 9:36 (for the six/eight that got recorded). I'm happy with that. Maneuvering through the snow isn't easy on my ankles and calves, so it takes a lot more effort and slow going for me.

It was just plain nice to be out! I was glad I made the effort to get up!

Slept for a couple hours then hit the gym.

Spin class - good hard climbing and speed work...while climbing!

TRX class - resistance class that uses your body weight. I see it as the public gym's answer to cross-fit training. Stations that you work your way through. It is a really good whole body workout. Always good to have something new!

PM: Met Kristy at the gym and ran the track for 3 miles with her. Two together (one with the stroller, until hubby came to relieve me), then walked a few and then finished up. Kristy is a biker and getting into tris. She has had knee surgeries that prevent her from running long distances or high speeds, but she is working hard! Plus, it is good company :)

Full day at the gym and afterward went to dinner with the family. I liked the evening family workout. Boys rock climbed and played, dad walked, Lauren swam and I ran. Can't get much better than that!

Does gutting my boys' bedroom and organizing 2 more count? What about throwing in a shopping trip to Ikea with 4 kids? Putting together a dresser...by myself? Staying up until 2AM cleaning and scrubbing the last bathroom? I guess I'll count it :)

Kelli was nice enough to join me at the Oval this morning. When I saw what the weather was to be on Wednesday night I proposed this venue for Saturday. After some convincing (looking at the temp herself) Kelli agreed. 

I tried to go early enough that I could still get back for some of Lauren's swim meet and sleep a LITTLE bit. Well, I found out I can't have my cake and eat it too. Despite running an 8:40 AP for the 15 miles (which isn't too shabby for me) I still missed watching her swim. Stink. Oh well, I guess next time I'll have to sacrifice sleep. 

It was a crowded day at the oval, but the company was excellent. Kelli, Kim, Christine, Scott, Jake, Andrea, Rob and lots of others were hanging out there. I'm telling ya, it is the party house!

The speedy guys (and a bunch of XC teams) were trying to do speed work, but on one corner it was narrowed down to 1.5 lanes due to the skating competition that was going on. Made for a rough go of it. Plus, with so many you never knew if they were passing on the inside or outside. I felt like I was just in the way most of the time. I always appreciated when they'd take the breath to yell "Inside!" Then, I'd move. It is hard to keep track of people that lap you 3X/lap! :) My last couple laps I picked up the pace to push to the finish. The last lap was a 6:30 pace. It was fun to lap THEM and take the inside for once. Of course they were on their recovery laps (still running faster than my AP), but I still got to make them move :)

Had a great morning and a busy(ier) afternoon/evening. Now...I'm just looking forward to bed and sleeping in tomorrow!!!

My speed has been suffering lately due to my lax running. With St George half this Saturday I decided I need to remind my legs that they can run a little bit faster. Plus, not having a lot of time this morning because I was lazy and didn't get my sleepy butt out of bed early like I'd planed helped too.

I got to the gym with 40 minutes...

1 warm-up @ 8:27

3 faster miles @ 7:30

1 cool-down @ 8:13, but I increased the incline the last 1/4 mile to 3% - instead of my classic 1% that I usually run.

After I got home and did my 30 minutes of baby-sitting for my friend I went to her house and finished 2 miles on the TM in 15:50. Started at 8:20 pace and increased the speed every 1/4 mile, but bumped more at the end to finish at sub 7mm. AP: 7:57

I was going to do a weight set, but since I want a decent (not racing, but decent) performance on Saturday I need to take this week a tad easier and not fatigue my legs.

Woke up nice and early to meet the Newtons for the Tuesday 10. Ronnie, George and Chad were all there too. We compared dash board/phone temps as we started: 7, 8, 7, 12. TWELVE?!? What the heck kind of heat wave did Ronnie have measuring on his phone?!? At least it wasn't sub zero. Almost warm :)

Nice pace and I felt at ease most of the run and felt strong up the hills which is good. I'm sure I'll be tired of the hills by mile 4 on Saturday, but at least I had a good confidence boost today. Only HAD to stop for traffic once, dang it :)

AP: 8:15 splits: 8:20, 8:23, 8:32, 8:28, 8:45, 8:21, 8:08, 7:50, 7:55, 7:52

Went home got out of the wet clothes and ready for spin, but snuggled under my lovely heated blanket! I seriously don't know how I ever survived without that thing!! I got a good hours nap in and then got up (before any children) and snuck off to the gym for spin class. Good hard push! Lots of climbing and standing. 14 miles in 45 min

Quick little morning run. I'm feeling a little deflated seeing all the speed and hill work everyone is doing and I'm just here enjoying myself. So, I decided to push a little today. 

2 warm-up miles on the TM 8:27

2 miles on the track: 1 lap as fast as I could handle, then 1 lap recovery (11 laps/mile = 11 fast repeats)

I was going to then go back to the TM, but they were gone because it was now 9AM and the gym was crowded. So, I decided to do 2 with Wendy and Amy on the track. An easy pace, but not slow.

I finished up my last mile with a good speed push on the track. I don't know any of my times or paces and they were probably a lot slower than I'd have liked them to be, but I kept a good effort on the speed. I'm starting to think Saturday isn't going to be very pretty...

6 miles by myself at the gym in the early afternoon. It was the only time life would let me get there.

3 miles on the track, a pretty decent pace and I only can say that, because when I got on the TM for the next 2 the 8:20 pace seemed a little easier (@1%) than the pace on the track.

2 Tm miles @ 8:20

1 track mile at a hard push, no idea on the time.

Returned to the gym in the evening to run 3 with Kristy on the track.

Went to a baby shower dinner at Olive Garden then went back to the gym for a little racquetball date with my hubby.

Sometimes I feel like I live there :)

Shopping, errands, packing the family for St George. I loved the warmth of 35 when I got out at 7:30 with the sun down in St George!!

I started out not really thinking that anything would come from this 'race' - I guess now I just feel like I shouldn't underestimate myself.

I didn't really taper, but didn't push like I normally do through a week with cross-training...just regular running with Friday off. I haven't really done much, if any, real speed work. But, I just wasn't feeling the love of racing or even running today. I figured if all went well I could hit a 1:40-1:45.

When the gun went off I was between the 1:35 and 1:40 pacers...so I figured I'd just try to stay there and not let Christy pass me :) The 1:35 pacers quickly disappeared and I was running scared of those 1:40 pacers the whole time. After mile 3ish I paced out and besides passing a few women, the same group of people stuck right with me the whole time. My 'pacer' was about 10-20ft in front of me the whole race. I passed her once at an aid station, but she quickly regained her 10ish feet.

I felt stronger on the hills than I expected and the quick glance at the splits showed I stayed at a good pace - 7:45 I think is the slowest, but I've got to get home and dump it to see. My laps did fill (I forgot to delete!) so, I only have up to split 9. Oh well. No worries. Except I am kind of bummed that I missed my last .1 push to the finish. I dug deep on that one! Anyway, the group around me didn't pull away on the hills - I was able to keep up with the 'group' on the tons of uphills. Made me feel like I haven't lost too much over my easy hiatus this winter.

I felt like I had a good push on the race and was happy with my finish time, but now I keep thinking I should've gone harder :) But, I think we always do that. The good news is that I was really nervous and trained pretty hard to hit a 1:36:40 at SLC half in April and I pulled just one minute slower today on a tough/honest course. So, that has to be a good sign that my legs still remember how to run fast and long? right?

After the race I hung out and chatted with the tons of peeps there. Then, I ran the mile back to the hotel. Made the kids lunch, ate a bit myself and rejoiced over my 2 year old going #2 in the potty by himself. Almost ready to call this a success. Then the kids wanted me gone, because dad said they could go swimming after I left for my bike ride.

Met Brent, Di, Sue, Polly and Heather by the fishing pond on the way to Snow Canyon. Did a loop around Ivins and Kayente then headed up Snow Canyon. Thanks to the SL County Library we had an annual State Parks Pass and got all of us in free (Brent did have his own pass too). Rode to the top of the canyon - a good push! Then down the marathon course back to Snow Canyon Blvd and then the fishing pond. Wow! That downhill was awesome. I like riding it more than running it :) I added a few more miles on by biking back to the hotel (mostly all downhill), Bluff is a nasty street to ride on! So, I jumped over to Main Street and took it down to Abbey Inn. I didn't feel like I was going to die on that road :) 33 miles total with a ton of climbing.

Then I took the kids swimming...yes, they went again. I spent most of the time in the hot tub and just relaxed, and sweat some more :) What a wonderful day! I wish every Saturday was so easy with kids and that I could just play all day like this!!

My legs are tired now, I can tell. I get winded and they burn by the top of the third floor :) Can't wait for a big breakfast tomorrow!!

My lovely friend Kelli was kind enough to wrench me out of bed this morning and drag me around on a run :) I love waking up to a text that says "I'm running to your house and I don't run with the phone....are you ready????" Especially when Kelli sent it 7 minutes before I actually saw it and I'm still in bed :) Makes me move VERY quickly! Luckily, she got distracted by taking care of her family and I got a few extra minutes before her speedy legs traveled the 3 miles uphill to my house. 

We had no direction or course or anything planned, just ran. Ended up going West to Kennecott and down to 11800S then to Daybreak for a little loop, stop at the bathrooms then headed home. I also drug her up the hill of despair to the top of 13400S through the closed road so that I didn't have to do that alone :) We separated there and she got the nice next 3 miles to run downhill back home. I just went flat and a little more uphill home. 

It was a lovely morning! Besides the air that you could occasionally taste and take a bite of, it wasn't too bad. I had to stop 3 miles in to shed some layers then creatively attach them to me while I ran. My hat and neck warmer kept my butt nice and warm :)

I'm really sick of this air...seriously, sick. I swear I can't breathe this stuff...I eat it and choke on it! I want to go back to St George! My legs are still super sore and tired, but  it was nice to get out and move them, especially with good company that is willing to go pokey slow with me as I trudge along.

AP: 8:54, 9:46, 9:27, 9:55, 8:27 (ha! downhill!), 8:07, 8:25, 8:11, 8:18, 8:38, 8:45, 9:12, 9:08, 9:03, 9:18, 8:44

I was up all night hacking up a lung. My eyes burn, my throat hurts and I'm coughing like crazy. Ugghhh. I'm done with this craptastic air!! So, I ditched the Newton's 10 mile run and slept in.

Got kids off to school, then headed to the rec center and put Adam (my newly potty trained baby!!! YAY!) in the nursery. Since I want to make sure we don't start with accidents in the day care I decided I needed to check on him every 45ish minutes.

Did spin class and there was SO much standing! My butt is sore. I did ditch out for a couple minutes to take buddy to the bathroom.

After class, I went out to the track. I had 35 minutes to get in 4 miles. So, I kept the pace strong and according to a few lap splits I timed I was running sub 8mm...just by a little :)

Then I jumped on the TM for the last two miles. Went progressive @1% starting at 8:13 and finishing at 9.0mph. AP: 7:55 for the two miles. It was nice to get some speed in despite my legs still feeling sore. I now just want to run more. Stinkin' kids and making them a priority! :)

Is it just me or is it everyone else too? I'm in such a yucky, grumpy moody lately! Seriously. This weather needs to change. I need some clear air, sunshine and warmth!

6 miles at the gym, 2 on the track, 2 @ 7:55 AP on the TM, 21 on the track in less than 16 minutes so that I could get to swim.

Masters swim. First swim since December's 60X100. Drills, and pulling. A good 40 minutes of swimming time. I don't know the total distance.

The Newtons met at my house for a loop to get out of this inversion. I didn't tell them how much of a fun climb it was going to be, I figured they could find that out for themselves :)

Chad, George and Ronnie and I headed up into Hi Country to do something I've always been to chicken to do. Run to the top. I usually cut back about 2/3rds of the way up and avoid the big hills. Not today. It was time to go UP and enjoy some fresh air.

Oh, was it nice up there! I could breathe! The air was clear and I really enjoyed the run. I did have to power walk a couple times, but Ronnie didn't gain anything on me so I figured I was keeping a good pace :)

Almost to the top, the second car we had encountered the whole run pulled over with their window open. I know lots of people that live up there so I stopped. She asked if I lived up there, "no, but I've been up here a lot and know most of the people that do" She then cautioned me about how BUSY the road was and that even with my head lamp and reflective gear I would get hit. I kind of chuckled to myself and carried on. Busy according to her and what herd of deer?!? :) We did run into one other car on that upper loop while we ran. It was a CRAZY busy day up there on that road.

The way down was wonderful. There are still some good rolling hills and some good climbs, but with 1300ft of gain I'm calling this a good run! Excellent prep for the hills on my first trail 50K in March. I want to do this run again.

AP: 8:52 splits: 9:05, 9:02, 10:06, 11:13, 8:01, 7:52, 7:56, 7:45

Came home and warmed up (it was actually almost warm this morning starting at 19 degrees!!) under my electric blanket. Oh how I love that thing. I got the kids ready for school from my bed :) okay, I just yelled at them to get their stuff done. I didn't want to get out of bed!! I finally got up and out of the house. I noticed that it had started raining a bit (it was dry our whole run!), but it didn't seem bad.

Went to the rec center and did spin. Teacher wasn't my favorite, but it was still a good class with a hard push! Lots of climbing.

Finished off the morning with TRX. Legs were super tired! But, I got through it with Kelli showing me how it was done.

Now I think I'm going to climb back under my blanket and sleep for a few hours. It might keep the grumpies away today.

Had to go to the school to watch my 3rd graders report on George Washington and had to be back to the school by 11:00 to pick up a Kindergartner. So, I ended up with a short 60 minute window at the gym. No, I wasn't going to wake up early :)

By the time I got in, day care check in, chatting and ready to run I had 50 minutes left. I knew I could do 6 miles...and I did :)

2 on the track, 2 on the TM (15:55 TT), 1 on the track, 1 on the TM (7:40). I'm pretty sure my track miles were around an 8mm too.

Glad I got a little something in today, but wish I could've done more. Don't we always want a little more?

Run Gr8 started a girls run club and Kelli and I decided we wanted to run enough to at least get our free t-shirt :) The longest loop they offer is 7 miles. On a Saturday? Really?!? Whatever. So, Kelli, Amy and I showed up for the 7 mile loop. It was a good run and a good pace (8:30ish, because I finished 7.3 miles in just over an hour). We signed in to get the credit for our miles and headed out again.

We went uphill first which was nice on the way home. From the store out to Bluffdale. We were probably 100yds or less away from the Wal-Mart building and we couldn't see it! The fog was SO crazy thick. I wore my headlamp, not to see, but BE seen. We tried to stay off major roads too.

I sure felt as we headed home that we'd put in a good effort and had decreased that AP down to an 8:10-8:20...HA! Nope. I guess seeing isn't the only sense that has trouble in the fog. We still kept it at around an 8:30 and had a good finishing push, so I can't be too upset. It just really felt like I was putting in a lot more effort than that.

Afterward Amy treated us to bagels and Kelli's heater in her car kept us warm and happy! A wonderful Saturday morning run. Reminds me of why I run...for the people :)

I'll post splits when I'm not too lazy to go to the computer and plug in the Garmin.

AP:8:40; splits: 9:42 (trying not to kill ourselves waloging, walk/jogging, across the icy bridge), 8:15, 8:50, 8:29, 8:41, 8:36, 8:38, 8:41, 8:46, 8:55, 8:49, 8:40, 8:41, 8:24, 8:01.

What a day! Sunday my baby started to get sick. I knew I wouldn't be able to take him to the day care at the gym, so I thought I'd get up early and go run with Kelli. HA! Nope. My little guy decided he needed to bring his restless, sick, coughing sleep into my bed AND that he couldn't sleep unless he was laying ON me! Not next to me...on me. I felt like I got 2 hours of sleep. I wasn't getting up early.

Only bad thing is that I'd gotten a slow leak in my car tire on Sunday and I had to take it into the shop for my free repair. I pumped up the tire and went straight there! Well, the wonderfully kind man at the tire shop told me how horrible my tires were and that he didn't feel right sending me home on them. So, my FREE repair turned into over $600 for new tires....nice. The maddening part is that I had just purchased them less than 2 years ago and had only put less than 30,000 miles on a set of 60000 mile rated tires. The shop did give me credit toward my new purchase, but I figured something had to be wrong with the alignment or who knows what to wear out the tires that quickly!

I stopped quickly at Run Gr8 to get my new trail runners...YAY!! And then finally made it to the gym. I had 45 min on the bike before I had to race home for the kindergartner.

Picked him up and went to the car shop to get an alignment done. I had a coupon, so it would only be $40-$60. Totally worth not running through another set of tires. Well, should've guessed...when they went to do the alignment they couldn't get the toe bolt off the back tire. It was nice a rusted on. So, they had to order a toe bolt kit from the dealership and have it put on. My cheap little trip, again, ended up being a lot more: $200. My poor sick baby finally got me home though. The shop owner offered to drive me home so I didn't have to wait there for the car. So, I paid him for the work and they took me home and said they'd bring my car to me when it was done. How wonderful!

It was nice to finally get some motrin in my poor baby and let him sleep and be home. Kelli had said she'd be at the gym 6-7 if I wanted to run with her. I was skeptical that Craig would make it home in time (to watch baby), but he did! Only problem is that about 2 minutes before he came home I smelt poo...and coudn't see baby! Went looking and the poor sick child that was just potty trained last week didn't quite make it to the bathroom, but then tried to make it anyway. I had a bathroom and baby covered in poo to clean up. Nice. It just gets better and better, doesn't it?!?

So, I finally got my daughter and I to the gym by 6:15 (she has swim team 6-7) and Kelli was at exactly a mile on the TM, so we went to the track. I think she was watching time and I was counting laps (not very well, but trying :) ) and she said we were running around an 8:30, which for end of the day is good for me. After 3.5 I had to take a break, running after eating always make my stomach upset. Kelli grabbed her daughter from gymnastics and then we finished up. I had 5 laps left after Kelli left (she ended on a half and I needed the whole), so I ran with a girl from my neighborhood conditioning for Lacross. I thought I'd get a break on pace, but Allison kept it pretty good! A total of 6 miles on that darn track.

Grabbed Lauren, came home and somehow got dinner and FHE done by 9:30 to put the kids to bed. What a day...what a day.

Another restless night with baby, but I KNEW today if I didn't get up and run with the Newtons there would be no make-up and I'd be stuck on the bike at the gym dealing with sick baby in the stroller. So, despite no sleep I got up and headed out. I thought maybe I could blame the snow and the winter stom warning for not going, but when I woke up I couldn't see a flake falling or anything on the ground that wasn't there before. Crap. So, I got ready and got to Chad's house in enough time to check FB and play a couple lives of Candy Crush Saga :)

The 10 mile loop wasn't busy (as far as cars go) this morning and I was grateful! Sliding cars is always what worries me most running on mornings like this. I was lucky enough to step on a stray rock on the sidewalk on the corridor though. Nearly fell and broke my hip...or knee :) but caught myself and had only twisted my ankle well. I made everone stop for a minute to let me walk it off a bit, then carried on.

Heading South and East we got a nice microdermabrasion facial thanks to the wind and snow, but heading West on Emmiline it was pure beauty as we ran along and couldn't feel a bit of wind on the gentle downhill.

We ended up keeping a nice clip on the last few miles of downhill. Chad said 7:50 pace and George later (when Chad had left us in his dust) said 7:30. I'll take it. Especially with the wind in my face again.

Again, I'll post splits etc. when I get to the computer to download the garmin, but I did look at the AP and it was 8:28, which for the hills, I'll take!

AP: 8:28; splits: 9:02, 9:03, 9:37, 9:26, 8:15, 8:21, 7:56, 7:38, 7:39, 7:41

Tuesday 10 done. Now, I get to snuggle with my little baby, try to sleep a bit and just get through the day so I can get up early again tomorrow. Hopefully, I don't get sick...fat chance with not ever getting to be more than a foot away from the sick baby for days, but I'll fight off what I can.

Darn guilt getting me to do speedwork! Hubby was feeling sick and decided to work from home so I could escape to the gym and not have to get up at 5:00...after only a couple real hours of sleep from dealing with sick baby all night. 

I ran 3 miles on the track with Amy, it was nice to have a good chatty run to start with...and delay the inevitable! 

Then, the TM for SW

1 min on/1 min off

6:15; (9.6)/9:15; (6.5) X 15 = 30 minutes total, 4.1 miles AP = 7:19

Okay the 2nd to last repeat was 9.7 and the last one I did at 10.0 (6:00). The sad/good thing is that I think I need to do these faster. The 10.0 at the end didn't kill me. I didn't even look at the time until :57. This tells me I wasn't doing enough on the repeats. Shoot. Another mental game I get to conquer: Speed work should be faster!

Then did a cool down mile on the track and stretched. A good workout!

I've never had 9 miles feel so long! Since I introduced the group to Hi Country last Thursday they've all been obsessed with it. Chad ran up there exploring Saturday and mapped out a route for us to run today. 

We started up towards Yellow Fork. Just before we got to the top, we turned onto Shaggy Mountain Rd. A dirt road that goes up, up and up. I took my first power walking break. Then, a bit later we hit snow. Unplowed and untracked calf-deep snow. I mentally decided this was an honorary 'boys club' run with Jun, Scott and MattVH. I couldn't run through the snow, but kept the HR up walking through it for 1/2-3/4 mile. I FINALLY hit the end of the unplowed part and yelled a "hallelujah!" George turned back for me thinking I'd died :) Nope, just happy!

We topped out and I figured the hard part was over...HA! The next couple miles were lovely dirt covered in slippery snow rolling hills. Up, down, up, down. George once said "what doesn't kill you...." I replied "makes you strong enough to punch the person who suggested it in the throat! Or thank them in a few months" :) I honestly think I just felt like I was lost and since I kept waiting and waiting for the terrain to become familiar in the area I know it just felt a lot longer.

We finally hit the downhill and headed home with tired legs. I was the one dragging at the back today. Maybe only by 15 feet, but I was spent. The weather was wonderful, the views? Magnificent! I can't wait to do it again. Yes, I did just say that. After all my cussing and spent legs...I want to do it again next week :) With this route in my weekly schedule I won't ever have to worry about hills again!

AP: 9:33; splits: 9:00, 9:22, 10:18, 14:00, 8:46, 10:38, 8:12, 7:50, 7:56, 7:47 (last .1 over 9 miles)

Came home, warmed up and hubby wasn't feeling well again so he stayed home. YAY! :)

So, I went to spin class - holy climbing! Heidi called this her hills from H$## class, and it sure was. I thought I'd have had enough of hills, but  I guess I was wrong. We did speed work ON hills...nice. I kept up with the pace and pushed hard. Nothing more I could ask for, a big sweaty mess.

Then I did TRX. I really like that class! It is the gym's answer to cross fit. It is circuit training (1 min at each station) and you get to use resistance trainers that use your body weight. I hope it helps increase the muscle I tend to lose during training.