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

I felt so good yesterday I decided to do the full Tuesday 10 even though I should probably be tapering for Saturday. I didn't run quite as fast, but an 8:36 AP for the 10 miles isn't too shabby for me lately. My slowest mile was 9:20, which for the uphill is quite good for me. Sad, isn't it??

After getting kids off to school I took a nap and woke up too late for boxing, but still got legs day in. So much for tapering...hahahaha. 

An easy morning, slept in until the late hour of 6:45. Got kids up, fed and off to school and even got a little nap. Then I headed off to Catchweight to catch Lina's boxing class. I then did the first 20 minutes of her weights class. Man that lady kicks my trash.

I then stopped to chat with Kristy about taking care of Taylee, but luckily she has leave until the end of the month. 

Then I took Adam to school and met Kelli Davey and we ran the Draper canal trail and Porter Rockwell trail for six wonderful afternoon, sunny miles! It was incredible. AP was 8:35...seems like my norm lately. 

A decent run at Shaggy Mountain with Melanie and Chad. I ran past the dog bite house without any issue. I don't think I'm afraid of dogs now...but I guess we will see how I react when I get charged at by a dog again. 

it was a beautiful morning and I'm grateful I have wonderful running partners that will tolerate my slow pace and horrific opinions. 

I did the loop in 1:15, which is pretty slow, but about average for me lately. 

Then after getting kids off to school I went to boxing class and lift class for arms...so much for tapering this week. 

No running. Woke up, packed up the kids and let a couple of them play hookey so we could go skiing. It was a great day, but a little slushy. 

I had to leave early so that I could get on my way to St George for the race tomorrow. I picked up Lisa at the park n ride at the bottom of the canyon, came home showered and then grabbed Chad and Melanie and headed down. Stopped for dinner in Cedar at Cafe Rio. Dropped off Mel and Chad at Lloyd's house and then went to the condo and crashed. A nice long day! 

My favorite Lake to Lake relay with Lisa Western! It really is one of my favorites. We stayed with the same legs that we've done in the past. We both are comfortable with them and know how to handle them. Neither of us had the mental energy to deal with new routes :) 

I did leg 1 & 2 - AP 7:53 for the 11.25 miles. I felt really good and controlled during the entire run. Pushing enough to feel good about it, but not enough to kill myself. I was pleasantly surprised the pace was under 8...it has been a long time since I've run that long that fast. I'm slow, old and broken now! 

I handed off to Lisa and she did 3&4, she did a great job despite her thinking she was slow! 

I then took over at leg 5. I like this leg. Nice and flat with a hill for about 3/4ish mile, but then downhill to make up for it afterward and a nice 1/4 mile downhill finish! AP 8:04 for the 3.95 miles. 

Lisa took leg 6 and I filled up with gas and got a cold coke! It was cloudy and chilly, but getting warm and I wanted liquid sugar and caffeine. Besides, Lisa had gotten a coke on my last leg and it was taunting me! 

Leg 7 is mine. Flat along the Virgin river parkway, then up a hill and back on the trail for some downhill, then flat to finish. A pretty flat run, but this is always the first leg that my legs are just feeling like lead. 8:24 AP for the 4.9 miles.

Lisa takes beast leg 8, up Washington Dam road. It is just a long drag up, up, up. Not horrible incline, but lasts forever! 

My last leg was then leg 9 - I call it little Shaggy Mountain. It is a paved road that goes into red dirt hills...hills, hills! up and down, up and down...I had to walk a couple of the tops of the hills. I felt like a failure! Same way last year. I've got to get down hills when I'm tired. I feel like I just don't have the mental energy to keep pushing myself through. I did tackle the last paved uphill, then let it fly on the downhill and flat for the last 1/2 mile to my air hand off to Lisa. 5.9 miles with an AP of 9:20

She took off for the last leg looking as strong as ever, despite knowing that she was probably pretty darn tired, just like me. I went to the finish to wait for her and Jerry was there waiting for his partner. He had specifically asked me my finish time last year, because in HIS words "we want to beat it." He put together a 2 man ultra team specifically to beat me. Sigh. I don't know what I did to deserve his pointed competition, but for some reason he has to be better than me at everything...whatever. So, he had cramped up on little shaggy mountain and what WAS a 12 minute lead on our team was whittled down to 8 when Lisa took off after Shaun. Lisa didn't realize how the gap had closed or that Shaun was struggling for every step, so she did what she could and walked the big hill to the dam and then around the back side of the lake to take a gu. Then with about 2+ miles left she saw Shaun ahead, walking! She dug down and decided we needed to beat them! She threw it into gear and started throwing down low 7mm! She was cruising and catching him! At the finish line Jerry and I were both waiting and chatting, then he saw Lisa before he saw Shaun! The look on his face was priceless! The fear that we were going to beat him despite his best effort was just too hard for him to take. I just laughed! Shaun was still ahead, but barely and not moving fast. Lisa was closing quickly. We ended up finishing about 30 seconds behind them, but the last .15 I ran with Lisa was a 7:13 AP. If we had anouther 1/2 mile we totally would've won! But, the fear we put into them was enough to make us happy. 

We both came into the race with little training and miles (just look at my January!), so the fact that we finished faster than last year (by only about a miniute, but still) was simply amazing to us both. I honestly think my AP for the legs were similar to last year, so it was Lisa that made up the difference. But, we really just had a great time and closing a 12 minute gap over the last 2 legs was epic. 

We had to take off for home and missed the banquet, but her mom picked up our prize. We thought we would take 2nd ultra, because they don't usually separate men and women, but this year they did! So we were 1st place female ultra team. Epic! Now Jerry can't beat us if he tries. HA! I love it when things just work out. 

nothing today. 

I had to go get my stitches out and then planned to go to volleyball for an easy recovery, but Adam slept until 10:30 and so I didn't get any time to play. I showered after dropping him off, then went and got a massage. Ahhh, that was worth it!

Well, it was a normal Tuesday run. I'm getting really emotional and crazy about these runs. I HATE being slow. It is getting me so worked up and ornery with myself, then I get depressed and sad and well...a nice little circle. 

I am too slow. That is all. I truly don't think I should be running with the newtons anymore, but I like them and they are my comfort zone, so I keep going back. This morning was a hard one for me and there is a reason it has taken me almost 3 weeks to blog it. I know I'm slow and the group is GREAT to tolerate me, but I'm just too slow now. No one wants to pull the short straw and run with me. So, they all run together and I get to run with them for about 90 seconds and then everyone takes off. They are nice and wait for me, but then I again get to run with someone for 90 seconds and then I'm behind again. It gets SO frustrating. I actually broke down crying on this run, because I was just too upset. I'd heard "it is so great to have everyone back on the run again!" but I think I got to run "with" the group for about 5 minutes total. The rest of the time I just watched them fade into the distance laughing and having a good time and I ran alone. If I'm going to run alone anyway, I might as well sleep in and run later. But, I just love the group. My spirit is willing to run fast, but the body is weak! Then I just get so embarrassed that I'm so slow that I just leave and don't say anything. It is such a bad cycle. I just wish I could run a decent pace again. If only for the few miles I get to be with them. 

Sigh. Anyway, feelings out now. I'm going to put my big girl panties on and stop crying and just adapt or quit. And, we all know I don't quit...so it is what it is. Necessity is the mother of invention...

Another 10.15 slow miles chasing the Newtons

Boxing and legs day at the gym afterward

I'm a horribly lazy person lately. But, 2 point classes at catchweight help to motivate me. I slept in, but then did Lina's core and pump class...which always makes me horribly sore. But, always worth it!

Stupid Shaggy Mountain run...

I started early so that I wouldn't hold up the run as much and maybe be able to keep up on the downhill so I wouldn't end up feeling like an idiot again. About 2.5 miles up the canyon I stepped in a pot hole and rolled my ankle pretty darn stinking good! It just made me roll my eyes. I seriously can't catch a break. I finished the run, but my ankle was nice and tight and swollen. Even now, as I blog this two plus weeks later it is still tender, swelling 90% gone...but yeah. It was a good twist. 

Finished off the morning with boxing and arms day at the gym. 

Power lifting with Cyle. Last session before he goes in for his neck/spine surgery. Then finished off with boxing. No running...attempting to recover my legs and find some more speed. Somewhere.

QP came into town Thursday to get stuff going for Sophia's wedding next Saturday so she asked me to do a trail run with her. I didn't realize how snowed in some of the trails up yellow fork were! We spent more time post-holing in knee/hip deep snow than we should've. The nine miles took us 2.5 hours and we were working hard! It was a nice loop and I had an incredible time, even if the mileage was low and the pace was slow. I certainly couldn't have gone any faster if I'd tried!! 

I then got to do technique class and sparring. But I didn't spar. I played with the ball suspended with bungee cords. It was crazy hard! But so rewarding. After playing with it for an hour I feel like the pro on it now!

Seven mile run along the Porter Rockwell trail. Dropped Adam off at school then went for a little run. It was nice to get out and just run. It was an 8:38 AP, so it wasn't horribly slow, but meh...still nothing like I used to run. Especially the way I felt!

Char spent the night and I was up a lot later than I wanted to be, but I also had to do legs day on Monday night so that  I wouldn't have to miss legs on Tuesday, because Sophia is going through the temple this morning :) 

Anyway, QP and I started out early and Mandy started slow with us and Melanie tried, but I made her run with the fast boys :) They didn't catch us until the top of the run on Emmeline. It was nice. Then the group did the same thing as last week and would run ahead and then wait. Then leave us after a tenth of a mile. I didn't mind so much today, because I had my sister with me to run. It was nice to finally have someone to chat with and run with the whole time. I wish QP lived close enough to run with me more often.

No gym afterward. I came home got kids off to school and then went to the temple with Sophia which was an incredible experience within itself. We also were able to witness the proxy sealing of my mom's parents! Just one of the most incredible days I've had in a long time. 

I had good intentions multiple times today to get a run in...well, it never happened. Sigh...I guess I'm super motivated. 

Another Shaggy Mountain run. I didn't start early, but Dave ran a bit with me. Poor guy! Anyway, the run went fairly well until I finally started getting a good stride in on the run at the Mario Kart strip and then the stupid dog behind the electric fence ran out and nipped at my leg. Yup. I got bit. again. It wasn't bad at all! But I felt his teeth on my leg and he ripped the skin enough that it was sensitive to the touch and lotion. Sigh. Seriously. Bite, ankle, bite...Yeah, I am an old and broken woman. The universe hates me. Oh! Add to the top that I woke up without a voice. Yup. Some stupid cold/congestion has burned my throat and I can't talk. bite, ankle, sick and bite...I'm telling you. I'm SO done!!!

I'm leaving tonight for Sophia's wedding in DC. I won't get a minute to run, but being with my family and being there for the wedding was the most fantastic weekend ever!

Flight landed 11:30PM on Sunday and I didn't get home and into bed until 1AM. Poor Lauren had to get up for school. I had Craig take Nathan to piano at 5:30AM. I was just too tired! So, I basically slept through the morning and then took Adam to school and ran around Draper. I thought that although I still had no voice and had started coughing like a sicky, that the run would be good, because I hadn't run for so long. I had a good taper, right?? The run sucked. It was hard to breathe and I felt like I was killing myself to run a slow pace. The last mile took almost everything out of me. Seriously?!? Who put all this bad karma on me? When will I finally be able to be healthy and run again? :( 

I made the official declaration that I was sick. My body is done. It needs a break...I MIGHT give it to it....

The normal Tuesday Ten. I still suck. I'm still sick. I started 5-10 minutes early and I waited for them at the top of Emmeline. I almost took off, but they came around the corner at the exact right moment. Still no voice. I told Melanie and Chad that if they didn't want to run slow with me it was fine. I understood. But, please don't wait for me and run a quarter mile with me and then leave me and then wait again, because it makes me feel like crap. They did wait at the corner of Butterfield Park, but I just kept running. As predicted they left me in their dust about a quarter mile later and no words later. I noticed they waited for me at the corner of Main Street, but I guess they realized I was serious about not waiting and they took off just before I got there. I thought  I was hauling on the way downhill home...ha! I looked at my watch and I was barely keeping an 8:30AP for those miles. Overall it was a 9:06AP. Seriously, I'm slow and I suck. I'm SO SICK OF THIS!!!!

I slept through boxing class, but got to legs class. 

sick=rest, right? It will make things better, right? 

I did do Lina's boxing class just to get my points in and to get my blood flowing. It wasn't too bad. My throat is dry and sore and I'm sick. 

I did work stuff all afternoon after getting Adam to kindergarten a few minutes late due to a printer issue, and had a nice evening with the family. 

All the boys whimped out! So, Melanie and I had a perfectly wonderful (but slow, I mean this IS still me) run around Shaggy Mountain. No skunks, no dogs, no nothing. Just a great run. I wish that 1:10 on that course was my slow pace again...1:17 and 1:18 happens WAY too much!!!

I did boxing and arms day later at the gym. Gotta get it done! 

So, my stupid knee started bothering me on the run yesterday. I felt a strong "snap/pop" and intense pain, but not nearly as bad as with my meniscus tear, but very similar. Anyway, so I'm attempting to rest due to sickness and now becuase of my stupid knee. Sigh. I'll never get back to "normal"...

So, I wasn't going to exercise at all, but I remembered that Nikki's daughter had put together an easter egg hunt for the kids and I wanted to support her. So, I got Nathan and Adam up and off to the gym for boxing class. I also did my #22 pushups for the challenge from Sherrie Shepherd. 

Knee is pretty achy, even at night. I'm taking Ibuprofen to help with pain through the night. So, I figured running wasn't a good idea. So, I decided to just do boxing classes. Craig came too! 

Tabata and then 1 mile on the TM afterward at 8:36AP progressive.

Boxing class - good, but Brad talks too much.

Technique - Brad did more sparring, but Addi was good and didn't hit me too hard. So, no brain issues or headaches to worry about. 

Then Craig came back and we cleaned the gym.

After getting ready I then spent the evening with Lauren and my mom at women's conference. Lauren and I did dinner alone, then we did Leatherby's after with my mom. A fun girls night. 

Nothing today. zip, zero, nada. I slept until 10:45 and then showered and got ready so that I could look decent for my doctors appointment after dropping Adam off. 

I made the call, the one I've been dreading. I had to cancel my grand canyon trip. sigh. My stupid body just isn't cooperating and I know what it takes to get that thing done, and I just don't think I have it in me right now. I will make it again. Maybe if the universe stops dumping all of my bad karma on me, then I might be able to recover and get it done! 

Now I just have to figure out what to do tomorrow...to run or not to run...that is the question. 

Well, I got it done. I wasn't sure I would run the whole thing...or even feel okay about it, but it is now on the books. 

I forgot to reset my watch when I started, so I only have specific splits that I looked at for the last 6 miles. I did those in an AP of 8:15 which is relatively slow for me on that section, but at least it is better than it has been.

I took my phone and listened to general conference while I ran, because I knew I'd be alone. It was a perfect distraction. It was nice that Mel and Chad waited for me, but I just long for the day that they don't have to wait and I can just naturally keep the pace again.

Now I'm up and hopefully will get to at least some of boxing class and all of legs day. Cyle is finally back, so that will make it fun too!

I went to boxing class, honestly just to get my double points. I wanted to sleep! 

After class I decided  I had enough time to run a mile or two...3 miles later I called it quits and had to get home to get Adam to kindgergarten. Total time:24:41 mile 1: 8:37 2: 8:14 3:8:00 - a lot faster than I've ran in quite some time...sad, but true. 

I should know that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction...but, I guess I just figured I had the best luck. The newtons were all out of town or decided to taper for Riverton half. So I got thrown to the wolves. I decided to sleep in and run shaggy mountain when the sun was up. But, I got tired and slept too long :) Okay, I got lazy and rationalized that I could run on the TM. 

So, I did boxing class, arms lift class and then ran 6 progressive miles on the TM. TT: 50:44; 8:34, 8:27, 8:27, 8:17, 8:10, 7:55 - about those times. I had them all in my mind, but now it has been too long! I know the first and last are right. 

This run gave me some sort of confidence that I could do my pacing job at Riverton half. I told Jonathan to give me a slower time, but no one would switch me, so I was stuck with 1:50 - an AP of 8:23. Which shouldn't be too horrible for me. A while back this was an easy daily pace for me to handle. HA! Anyway, I'm hoping I can pull out some miracle.