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

Spin class. A much better one now that the teacher is nice and refreshed and home from Hawaii :) Great sweat fest as always! Then did her 20 min stretch afterward as well.

Hit some core work on the bosu and plank on the ball 4X1:00 so, I don't think it counts as a 4min plank hold, but I'm getting there :)

Oh how I LOVE this warm weather! Spent yesterday afternoon on a blanket reading in the front yard. BIG smile on this face!

A wonderful run with SO many wonderful running friends! I think there was a plethora of runners there this morning :) 

Ran Porter Rockwell out to the point and back with Toby to get her 12 buttoned up for the week, then Smooth had a smorgasboard for food waiting for us at the finish. I just grabbed some powerade from the car and then headed back out for a few more with Smooth, Lowell and Kathie. On the way back Teena caught us and ran us in - funny how much the pace picked up then! Thanks for pulling us in!

AP: 9:17 splits: 9:43, 9:26, 9:24, 9:36, 9:38, 9:44, 9:17, 8:57, 9:16, 9:12, 9:17, 9:02, 9:19, 9:38,  9:01, 8:58, 8:35, 8:36 (last .5)

Got back to the cars in just enough time to grab some OJ and chat with Brooke for a bit (as well as the others) then jump in the car and head home. Conference weekend always puts a damper on plans due to time restraints.

The quad really isn't any worse now after the run. I think if I continue to stretch and roll it will be fine through the miles. Thanks Teena for all the info on it and how to help with the taping etc. It sure is nice to have a PT (almost) in your back pocket for such emergencies.

I came home fed the baby, put my MP3 on conference and went outside to work on the yard. During the 12-2 break I took my son to a party and got a few things (okay, a gazillion things) at Home Depot and then spent the rest of the day until 7PM outside getting the yard pretty with flowers and some new bushes, garden tilled in with new 'good' soil and the basketball standard cemented in. Heaven help me (and my plants) to survive the snow tonight and tomorrow :(

Back to the regular routine. I did notice despite no eating changes that my body lost a couple pounds last week simply changing the routine. That is always welcome!

7.0 on the TM @ 8:30AP it was unfortunately a lot harder than I remember. I got through it all the same.

FIT class for 45 min, great stability work on the bosu! Plus today she added arms, I was SO sad to have to leave 10 min early because of day care :)

Sandra canceled on me this morning, but I didn't know until I was ready and went downstairs to grab my phone. It was a good thing too, because I probably would've slept in and not gotten out to run if I hadn't already been ready. 

Garmin wasn't charged, so I only got  1.63 miles out of it before it died, but my AP to that point was an 8:46 so my guesstimate of a 9mm is probably pretty good for the run. I'm going just off elapsed time from when I left home - and the 8:46 was a nice easy downhill mile. The nicest thing is I was able to run a longer course that I normally don't get to do in the morning and the uphill portions didn't seem as hard as they usually do. That is always a nice feeling!

I did my 7 mile loop past the Rec center and cemetery, I could see all the suckers inside the Rec center running on the TM and I laughed at them :) SO nice to be outside!

When I got home I grabbed Lucy and took her out for another 2 mile tried and true loop (with no garmin I had to stick to well known routes, with Lucy sometimes I like to 'wander' through the 'hood). 

It was a pleasant morning run and I'm glad I was able to get up and out and get my run in, despite having no company. Now I'm off to boot camp for a little x-training before the day starts. We'll see what fun torture devices she has for us this morning! :)

Boot camp was crazy! You wouldn't think an empty cardboard tube could cause so much pain!!

Easy eight out and about by my lonesome early this morning. Didn't really want to get up early, but knew I'd regret it if I didn't. First six miles on the Rosecrest up route through the cove, then home and the last 2 with lazy Lucy. AP: 8:50 splits: 8:55, 8:40, 9:26, 9:15, 8:59, 8:16, 8:31, 8:39 and finished at a 6:23 for the 50 feet over 8 miles I ran :)

Now I'm off to spend the day sitting in the lodge at Brighton with baby while the kids take their ski lesson. Fun times!

Had a good case of lead legs today. Man alive! Between that and the wind (not to mention my bad attitude and getting ditched by Sandra again) I knew it was going to be a slow one and I didn't disappoint. 

Did my regular 7 mile loop then came back for Lucy and finished another 2 around the 'hood.

AP: 9:18 splits: 9:18, 8:53, 8:54, 9:16, 9:42, 9:45, 9:38, 9:19, 8:56.

Now I'm off to yoga and hopefully working out some residual soreness in the quad and ditching these lead legs. Maybe a nap too if I'm lucky - 3rd day in a row of early running has made me tired and ornery! I don't know how y'all do it every morning.

On my way out of yoga this morning, a pilates instructor was starting a 20 min free preview class. They use the 'free-board' machine things (and they cost extra too!), but holy moly was that a good core workout. I can hardly image 60 minutes of it! I think it would be an amazing x-trainer, especially for me with my weak ol' core. I have some 'free' $ to spend at the gym as my sign up incentive, so I may have to put it to use with this class!

Spin! Good class, sweat fest and then stretch for 20 min afterward. No running today due to a fussy quad - pt appointment on Tuesday. 

The good thing about snow in April: it doesn't stick to the ground, it is warm enough you don't have to wear 10 extra layers, if you get thirsty you can just stick your tongue out for a few seconds and refresh! 

The bad thing about snow in April: IT'S APRIL!!!! GIVE ME SUN!!!

Uggghhh, another cold, snowy early morning run; however, I will say that it was quite enjoyable. The wind wasn't bad at all and besides getting pelted in the eyes a few times with flakes the snow didn't bother me too much - nice and softly falling.

The plan was to run 4 miles before meeting at 6:30, but I didn't get moving fast enough this morning so I only had time for 2.75 and it was a lot darker than I thought it would be. Thank goodness I know the Lehi JRP like the back of my hand - and no creepy people were out this morning.

As I came back I saw Smooth, Chad and Maynard and then who should appear? LUZ! I didn't think I'd see her after her full just a couple weeks ago, but she came back for another round with us :) The company was amazing and all around wonderful, I seriously don't know how I would run without wonderful people around me to chat with. Poor Maynard got to listen to me ramble on about my amusing 3 year old's antics for a few good miles, until he had to duck out to a 'green house' and finally dropped me and my pestering stories :) Just always remember - if you run with me: beware, I WILL talk your ear off.

Got back to the car and with a load of new info about how to keep myself healthy through this grand slam season (thank you Luz and your plethora of unending information!) and with only 2.75 miles to finish up. Smooth and I quickly took off North for a few loops around the park for her to finish her 13 as well. I only had a short out and back on the Southward trail when we got back. Seventeen - ahhhh!

I really felt good this run and the company kept my mind off of any little aches and pains (only felt my quad once for a bit). Honestly, the quad feels better now than it did Thursday...strange, I know. But, I'm thinking that it may be my x-training with squats and lunges etc that is adding the extra strain on it. Who knows, I'll have some good answers Tuesday.

Thanks to everyone who made this another wonderful, memorable run for me! I don't know if it's the parkway down there I love, or all the peeps I get to run with there!! Now, it's off to surfing and dipping for a fabulous anniversary celebration (belated...it was last month)!

AP: 8:45 splits: 8:47, 8:17, 8:15, 9:02, 8:57, 8:53, 8:46, 8:56, 8:45, 8:46, 8:44, 8:55, 9:08, 8:43, 8:49, 8:48, 8:24 (finish strong!), 7:07 for the last recorded 85 feet over 17 :)

My neck is killing me! Surfing was really fun on Saturday, but I think I got whiplash, because it hurts to move my neck and I'm all stiff and sore there as well. Man alive! It was worth it though - well, maybe :) I never got to stand up on my own, but it was still a fun time and I will definitely be going again. My legs feel great, but my neck and shoulders are VERY sore.

Well, I'm experimenting with my quad again this week, because I think it may be the x-training that is causing more of the pain (lunges, squats etc) than the running. So, this week I will run more and cut the x-training and see how my leg likes that. Since I wanted to sleep in this morning I hit the TM at the gym.

When I started out my neck wasn't happy, but after just a few minutes it loosened up enough that I could at least look up and to the side enough to watch the TV. I could even shift my head from side to side after a while to watch different TVs :) I kept the pace slower to start and just did a nice easy progressive run.

2 miles @ 8:57; 2@8:49, 2@8:41, 2@8:34, 1@8:27, last one broken up to .5 @ 8:00, .25 @ 7:30, .25 @ 6:58. I felt really good at the end of the run and felt like I could've probably hit the 6:58 for the whole last mile. I usually underestimate myself like that. (all at 1% incline) AP for the run was 8:36.

Finished off with 15 min on the bike nice and easy to cool down. Wonderful day running and honestly 10 on the TM wasn't so bad. You won't hear ME say that too often.

Back with the BBK's!!! I got ditched by Sandra again this morning. She forgot until last night to tell me she was out of town (she works for jetblue and can jet off easily), so I was fed up and ready to run with someone. I sucked it up and woke up at 4:30 to meet the BBK's and I am SO happy I did. I forgot how much I love to run with them! I couldn't do the workout, because I think speed increases issues with my quad, but I tried to just keep an even, steady pace during their on/offs. It was great to see everyone again and have a great running morning.

Warm-up was 3 miles looping around the neighborhood we were going to do our workout on, I even got to run the last bit with Nancy! We then regrouped at the chruch, did another mile or so warm-up for the late comers then they did speed work on 400's and 800's. A final couple miles of recovery (including a hill climb with Kris afterward) and  I was done. Two 10's in a row, I'm hoping to keep this up until Thursday - we'll see!

Since I'm trying to cut out x-training I'm skipping boot camp this morning. I might catch a nap while baby sleeps :)

AP: 9:03 splits: 9:38, 9:34, 10:02, 9:11, 7:55, 8:37, 8:40, 8:51, 8:57, 9:05

************************************************

Update after the PT appointment.

Well, it was a mixed bag. The quad issue is actually 'shin splints' but on the femur where the adductors connect (inner/upper to mid femur). So, good news is I can run, but to really get over it I have to half my mileage, which means I'm pretty much done for the week today. We'll see how it goes...

icing, stretching and strengthening exercises that will hopefully help me overcome being a 'shuffler' and pick up my feet are the plan. Also, just as shin splints have a tendency to turn to SF I need to watch it closely, because there were a couple things already concerning him in that direction. I am NOT playing that game this year! So I am heeding doctors warnings.

I figure I've done a lot of mileage work, have 1 20-miler, 2 19-milers, almost 3 18-milers and a few 17's under my belt already. Taking a couple weeks to heal this up and not end up with further damage is going to do me more good than trying to push through and up miles for Ogden/UVM. I KNOW x-training will keep my cardio up and I can still run 20-30 miles in a week, which spread correctly over to week I can still get a good medium-long or even long run in and not over do things. It is just not worth a stress fracture - not worth it! Two weeks versus 8 or more? yeah, uh huh...I'll mind my P's and Q's until the pain subsides and things are under control.

So, I will be back to the grind and taking extra calcium. Although the body can only absorb it at a certain rate, I found I need to increase my supplement intake 3-fold. This will also help my body get more calcium and not have to pull FROM me while nursing as well. Oh, the things we should be doing all along that come back to bite us when we are staring injury in the face :(

I was having a poor pity me party yesterday and almost bagged the gym this morning because of it. I am SO glad I just did it and went anyway, because I feel about 100X better now. Honestly, after doing some strengthening and stretching the quad feels better than it has the last couple days (I guess the running wasn't so good).

I did the ARC trainer at L50, Resistance 50 for 60 minutes. It said 2.28 miles - I don't know exactly how they track that, but I at least have a point to start from now. 

Then I hit the bike hard at L15 resistance for 15 minutes and was just shy of 4 miles. My goal was to keep the cadence high with a good resistance, and I felt strong during the push.

I finished up with my PT stuff to help glutes & hammys. Clipboard slides, walking resistance band squats, clam shell planks and bridges on the ball. Then I stretched out (I learned a new stretch I just LOVE) and made sure the quads and hip flexors got some attention too.

I feel like things are going well and I'm on my way to a good recovery! Yesterday I think the pain in my brain made the leg pain worse and I thought for sure I was a cripple, but today I feel strong and ready to run another10 miles :)

Running off of yesterday's high I went early to the gym for spin class. A good interval workout. She would have us do 2 min@ AT (anaerobic threshold - feels like MP tempo to me), then you would do a 1 min sprint/high intensity afterward, 2 min cool down/recovery. We repeated this 9X and we were supposed to leave 'nothing in the tank' after 9 repeats. I think my problem as an endurance runner is that with a good recovery (especially on the bike) I can be ready to go again. I tried my best to push and I was pretty pooped after 9X, but I still felt like I could do more. I would alternate the intervals either push hills/resistance or cadence to  get my HR up. Good times and a GREAT class, worth the 4:40 alarm!

Afterward I hit the ARC trainer for 30 min @ 50 - 1.10 miles, so about the same effort as yesterday's hour. Nice and sweaty workout!

Stretched well both the hips/glutes/hammys and quads/hip flexors. Then headed on home.

Good side of being on the 'x-training' list: I didn't have to feel like a pansy for not running outside in the wind, cold, rain, and snow.

Bad side of being on the 'x-training' list: I have to drive to the gym (10 miles away) TWICE for a morning workout and then for my mandatory Thursday yoga class. Oh well, it's worth it.

Another great spin class. I really do love spin class! It felt like a tempo run for the hour. She had us pushing cadence or hills nearly the whole time with just a few recoveries. One thing I like about this teacher is that she doesn't let you sit up  (hands off handle bars) or get out of the saddle (for the first 30 min). It really helps you push. She also is a good motivator "it's not CAN you do this, it's WILL you?" Keeps my head focused on pushing when I could be slacking.

I stayed for her 20 min stretch class, then did 20 min on the ARC trainer which is something else I'm learning to enjoy. Helps me remind myself to push off my toes and use more calves. I pushed the pace here as well. I figured 20 min I should do over .75 to beat my Wed effort, so I did and I finished up at .79 (which is a lot more work on the ARC trainer than the TM) on resistance 50. 

I pushed through a quick 3X set of PT work and stretches then got to the child care just in the nick of time to not be late. Whew! A full 2 hour push for sure!

I'm honestly a little bummed about missing the SLC 1/2 tomorrow. It is my 'anniversary' half and I love to run it every year! It was my first half 3 years ago - this would be my 4th running. I know I COULD do it (maybe not race it), but the $ I'd have to pay is pushing me toward the cautious side. Always good to emotionally detach from THINGS and move on...right?

Crazy morning, so it might just be a good thing that I couldn't run long today. Easter Egg hunt at one church at 8AM - fun time for the kids! They served donuts after, so I grabbed a chocolate dunford donut knowing full well the 480 calories it would give me. I just couldn't pass it up :)

 I ran the mile+ over to the stake center as a nice warm-up for the run. I am always excited to see who will show up, and I always hope that no one faster than me will challenge me for my title of Women's Champion on the stake (yeah, I know - we're all slow!). I didn't know how much my quad would let me push, but I was shooting for under 22.

I started out fast, too fast I think, but I was keeping pace with the lead guy; however, he lost me on the uphill, but only by maybe 20 seconds. About 1.3 or so miles in 2 more guys passed me, they caught up with the leader and they all stayed together about 20-30 sec in front of me the whole time. I thought that when the downhill hit I could pick it up and feel good (I mean, really...I haven't run since Tuesday so I should be nice and tapered!), but I was just pushing to reel in the guys in front of me - which wasn't happening. The last .25 or so they took off and spread out nicely into 1, 2, 3 and I came trailing in behind them. I ended up just 40 seconds behind the lead guy, which wasn't too bad (the guys always beat me), except that they make it look easy!

After I caught my breath and got my name written down for my award (HA! a 2009 medal, always good times at the free races), I went back to run my friend Laura in. I had told her on the run over that she could break 30 minutes and that I was going to come drag her in and push her to finish under 30 and I kept my word! I pushed and pulled and encouraged her in and as she crossed they said 29:59! YEAH!!! I was SO excited that she had done it. She didn't think she could, but I knew from running the warm-up over there with her that she could get it done! She even took home a medal for her AG as well (like I said, we're all slow). This was her first race and she did a great job!

Afterward I ran 2 miles with my 'trainee' Kathy. She asked me to help her train for TOU marathon, so today was her long run of 5 miles. She had to walk some of the way (especially the uphill), but she did a great job and I'm excited to see her grow and achieve her goals.

I then ran home from the stake center, which rounded out my miles to 7.5 for the day. I didn't think it was too bad or too much until later that afternoon when I could hardly walk. I felt like I needed a cane - I hate getting old! This morning was about the same, but now that I've been on my feet for a while it is getting better - about where it was last week. Man, I'm really tired of this. I thought a few easy miles wouldn't be too bad and that since I'd been good to stay off of it for 5 days I wouldn't have a problem. This is quite discouraging to me - especially with Ogden just 4 weeks away...

1 mile wu: 9:08

5K AP: 7:17 (yup...slower than my 10K spectrum pace). Splits: 7:19, 7:36, 6:57, 6:57 (last .1)

After the crazy cripple weekend I had, I am going to go a big goose-egg week this week and see if I can't heal things up. I actually felt SO much better this morning, it was almost unreal the difference! I'm glad I have some hope now that things will get better in time for Ogden and UVM - fingers still crossed.

Hit the ARC trainer for 90 minutes. It will only let you go 60 min at a time, so the first 60 I got in 2.28 miles @ 50 resistance. The next 30 I did 1.24 miles at same resistance. I was a little more focused and did 'sprints' the last 30 minutes. I would push as fast as I could for 40-60 seconds then recover, so my miles got pushed up which was GREAT! Also gave me a nice cardio workout as well.

I finished up with my PT exercises and stretching. Got back to the nursery in time to grab the kiddos and now it's off to the races for another fun filled Monday :)

RAD still ain't running....

Early morning spin class, not my favorite. More like an easy run the whole time with just a few Fartleks thrown in for good measure. Left me wanting more, the teacher was just too easy or tired today. I got to class 15 min early (assumed I knew the start time and didn't look it up), so I got a good 15 min warm-up as well.

Did the ARC trainer for 30 minutes afterward. I guess the mundane feeling from spin carried over, because I was only at 1.0 miles at the end when typically I should've been closer to 1.2 at the 50 resistance. Oh well, 90+ min cardio morning - can't complain.

Hit Bootcamp after the kids were at school. Tough love! Not a killer workout like normal, but I didn't do the running she had us do. I would just walk instead. So, I'm sure that made a difference.

Off to the races...just not running :)

A little more ARC trainer, just can't get enough of that thing! 90 min @ L50, 3.4 miles Good effort with 40 min of 30 second sprints every two minutes (even numbers, so 2:30, 4:30 etc).

Finished up with PT stuff and stretching. A good 2 hour workout!

Spin class - nice sweaty effort this morning. I honestly think it's a little nasty when I keep feeling sweat from my head drip on my legs! She had us do consistent effort today. 1st half was focused on cadence on a flat road, 2nd half was more hills, but keeping cadence as the road came up. Felt like a good MP+ effort the whole time, nice burning quads.

Hit the ARC trainer afterward for 30 min to round out the 90 min of cardio. L50 for 1.2 miles, which is a good effort for me. The last 20 min I did 40 second sprints on the even numbers (12:40, 8:40 etc) - felt good and strong!

As I was leaving I ran into Paul, Riverton Paul that is. Had a great chat with him and he is looking great for all the crud he's had to go through recently. It's always nice to see people I know at the gym again. Makes me like it just a bit more :)

Back home to pick up kiddos and then I'm back to the gym for some yoga time!

Another day... not running. 

Okay, so this is really starting to get old. X-training is always a novelty at first, but it's now getting old and I want to run. I see people running, get Sat group run e-mails and each time I sigh. I was thinking things were on an up swing, but this morning (just out of bed) the quad was being nasty again. Once I got up and moving it got better, but I'm still feeling it.

Got to drag hubby to the gym with me today, that is always fun! We did spin class and I think it nearly killed him, but he stuck it out. Good interval class, both cadence and hills. One hill she had us on mid-class was especially brutal, but as we were a couple min from finishing I got my second wind as was ready to take it on again. I always like feeling like I kicked the work-out's butt! :)

Did her 20 min stretch after class, then finished up with pt stuff and planks. Good workout, but I'm debating over what to do tomorrow...

Holy Moly, I forgot how much I hate 'long run' x-training days! It was an EARLY morning, 4AM wake up call - baby sitter came at 4:30 so I could head off to the gym and get back in time to get kiddos to the Easter egg hunt. Hubby had to work all day & night & day and just got home about 1PM, I will probably face this dilemma a few more times before things are wrapped up for him in September - blech!

Got to the gym and got to say hello and meet Rob before setting off on the epic x-training journey. I knew I wouldn't be able to handle 3 hrs on the ARC trainer, so I broke it up with a little bike work.

2.27 miles in 60 min on the ARC @ L50, Good hard effort. Bike 15.5 miles in 60 min @ L12 (good cadence on a slight hill), quads a burnin' and legs a turnin'. Final hour back on the ARC - 2.24 miles in 60 min @ L50, my feet kept falling asleep and I was SO happy to be finished.

Stretched a few minutes then hopped in the car to get home. Everyone was happy and one little guy was still asleep! Had a great morning gathering candy and crap for me to throw away in a few days :)

blah, blah, blah...more of the same. 

Had a dentist appointment early this morning so I got to the gym late, but it all worked out well. Went to FIT class, and it was well worth it! Great workout.

I got there in time to do 15 min on the ARC before class, but I put the resistance lower to get a better cadence speed and finished .81 miles @ L35. After class I went back and finished another 30 minutes and 1.61 miles @ L35. I like the faster cadence the lower resistance allows and it seems like a better 'pseudo running' workout. Total of 2.43 miles - good effort.

Leg felt about 80% this morning and the pain is almost gone, wanting to run....

Early morning spin class. I was SO tired this morning, I think Saturday is finally catching up to me. It was one of those mornings where even through the workout at a hard pace I could've closed my eyes and fallen asleep on the bike :)

It was more of a sweat fest than I've had in a spin class for a while. Good 'tempo' HR maintained throughout the ride with varying hills and cadence. 

Finished up with 30 min on the ARC trainer  my legs were dead from spin - heavy and slow. But by about half way through I was able to really pick things up and get back into a good strong rhythm. 1.52 miles @ 35Resistance.

Home now and ready to jet off to boot camp class at the church. I may try doing their short running warm up and between intervals  that they normally do and see how the leg behaves the rest of the day. I actually didn't feel any pain until about 10 steps out of bed this morning (which is unusual, I usually feel it getting out of bed every morning - it is the worst pain of the day).

NO PAIN! NO PAIN! NO PAIN! I must shout it from the roof tops! Just to be cautious and make sure it is gone I had to restrain myself from running today, but no pain this morning makes for one happy RUNNER! Tomorrow I will run a few after spin class and go from there. It really makes me happy since I did run a bit yesterday in boot camp (just down and back in the church gym for 3-5 min or so) and some jumping, footwork etc that was impact and today was still good! So, I'm very happy - looking forward to a nice uphill run tomorrow (ha! you won't hear ME say that too often).

I had to switch things up today, not to mention ipod was dead (still hadn't charged it from Saturday - lazy, I know) and I want to finish my book that I've had hanging around for a few weeks (it's good, I just don't get much time to sit and read). So, I did the elliptical for an hour @ L14 - 5.5 miles; then I did the ARC for the last 30 @ L35 -1.41 miles (I was into the book and although I was sweating like crazy and working hard I was holding the book in my hands so I could read and workout so I didn't get the 1.6 that I should have).

Finished up with a quick set of PT stuff to keep up on the strength then my normal stretch afterward. I just can't wait until tomorrow! YAY! :)

Well, it's not nothing, but it's not all good either :( 

I got up early for spin class and she did a really good workout this morning. A good 15 min hill climb, then pushed us to the end of the class instead of slacking towards the end like some teachers do. 

Ran out of class to the ARC and did 30 minutes 1.52 miles @ L35; takes a while to get going after spin class - legs are just dead.

I'd been waiting and waiting and I finally got to change my shoes and hop on the TM. Rob's TM was looking particularly lonely this morning and so I chose to work it out. 2% incline and 8:34 (7.0 mph) and just one mile...just one! Not too much, just test it out....just a test. Oh how wonderful it felt to be back into the running groove. Only problem is I had a bit of a continual quad ache; however, it wasn't what was bothering me before. The pain has moved down the femur about 6-8 inches. CRUD! REALLY?!? UGGGHH! I don't know if this is because the femoral 'shin splints' are moving down or what, I'm just kind of bugged. So, my 2 week call into the PT got made and we'll see what he says. The good thing is this really seems to be more muscular where the other one was a DEEP ache, I don't know...I just want it to all go away!!!

Off to yoga momentarily to unwind and rejuvenate!

Guess who got spinning shoes? The OTHER half of Merri :)

Another good spin class this morning and it was fun to try out the new shoes. I don't know if I've been doing it right all along, but it didn't feel too much different from my regular ol' runners. I've heard it makes a HUGE difference, but I couldn't tell much - today anyway.

The leg feels NO pain again today, so the mile and the pseudo pain hasn't created too much issue I guess. I talked to PT and he said it was just a continuation of the femur 'shin splints' so, I think I may try a few miles tomorrow and see how it goes. If I still have no pain Sunday then I may jump into 3/day next week and test my luck.

After spin I did the stretch mini-class and then 20 min on the ARC. I got 2 phone calls I had to take care of so I couldn't jump right on like I wanted. Oh well. I'm excited for the weekend and to again have an excuse to not be in the yucky weather running - not that stupid machines are anything to shout about, but I do get to wear shorts and a t-shirt!

Well, I did something completely out of character for me today. I stopped listening to the PT and threw all caution to the wind. I wanted to run just a few miles to see how things would go...just a few.

I'd planned the morning so I could do 1 hr cardio then spin class then finish with another hour of cardio work. Well, I figured I'd try the miles first, because if I had any pain it would just get worse (I wasn't feeling much/any pain this morning to begin with mind you), so do the running while I felt good. I sure felt good, so I kept on running... 5 miles in 44 min (8:48 AP - started at 8:57 and the last mile was progressive). Then it was off for a quick spin.

There were some other teachers in the class that Jenn felt the need to impress, so the class was tough. Hills, but had to keep cadence pace as well - not to mention that she doesn't let you out of the saddle for the first 30 minutes. Then it was off to the last hour of cardio...

Leg was feeling good, so I thought "I'll just do 6 miles, just 6...or maybe 7 like 2 weeks ago and see how it goes" Well, I just kept on running for the full hour. It felt SO good! I would constantly take inventory and make sure no (more) pain was creeping in and that my form was good with driving knees and toe push - no more shuffling for me! I started again at 8:57 pace and after 3 or 4 miles kept increasing the pace. Mile 5 was started at 8:16 pace and mile 6 was started with an even 8:00, then with .5 left I went to 7:53, .25 was at 7:30, then .15 was at 6:58 - finished with an AP of 8:37 which isn't too shabby given A: all I'd done the 2 hours before hand and B: the majority of the run was at a 9mm.

I went to roll out my quad (which still wasn't feeling too bad) before I left and there was a massage therapist loitering around trying to peddle his services. I chatted him up a little and put him to work on my quad - WOW! Totally made the gym fee this month worth it. A 20 min free massage and he did some really good hip flexor releases and stretches. I think I may need to call MY massage therapist now and make an appointment!

Came home feeling good and energized, there is a little lingering adductor/quad tightness or whatnot, but overall it doesn't feel any worse than after a normal workout and about 90% better than the last Saturday I ran. I am now not so worried that Ogden is going to be a complete disaster.