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

Pocatello Marathon! 

Paced 4:20; finished 4:19:25 

Great group, ran with Lowell for 16 miles

I've gotten fat and slow...too much trail running! :) 

*THIS ONES FOR YOU KID* (you know who you are!)

Rest/Recovery day - I think I slept all day...other than sacrament meeting and 2 hours of playing with my FAVORITE 3 year olds! I really love nursery, so much fun! 

Lots of sleep yesterday and going to bed early helped! Just Lauren, Adam and I went this year. Crowd gets smaller every year and it makes me sad! I love this race!! Best honest 10k/5k course around and since I've done it every year since 2007, I guess it has just grown on me. 

I ran with Daisy (poor Lucy is too old and broken to run! We take her on walks and she LOVES the trails, but 2 miles puts her in a lot of pain for a couple days...) and of course she refused to poop before, so I got to stop and pick up dog poo 1/2 mile in!! But, it did give me good motivation to get moving and catch back up to where I was. So maybe it wasn't so bad. Passed the last person I would at mile 2 and then never caught or got caught the rest of the race. I wish I knew my splits!! But, I didn't start my watch until I finished...classic. So, I only have my race official time. The uphill wasn't as hard as I remember (a good thing?) but man alive I'm slow and my endurance at speed is gone too. Maybe one day it will come back.

Lauren and Adam ran the 5K. Adam hasn't been running consistently like I had hoped he would continue through the summer, but still eeked out a 28:34 good enough at this race for 1st place in his AG 1-9. Lauren luckily motivated him and kept him moving when he slowed down and she finished just 2 seconds behind him (she hasn't run since Payson last year!) which was good enough for 3rd in her AG 16-19.

So I like to think we swept the field...1st 2nd and 3rd 

We skipped the parade this year, but got a camping chair, t-shirts and socks and I won a nice running bag!! I got one maybe the 2nd or 3rd year I ran this race and I've used it and loved it since. I'm SO proud of my new one and that it says Payson Running and not Payson basketball! Afterward we grabbed some breakfast at Subway and went to see Rachelle's new baby!! Oh the sweet goodness of a perfect little baby!! Payson isn't Payson without seeing Rachelle and getting to meet her new arrival (less than 2 weeks old and barely 5 pounds!) was just the icing on the cake. 

Running is good. Not because it is running...but because of the memories, efforts, improvements, motivation and friends I've discovered through running. Time to get back to y'all!

Just another Tuesday ten...oh wait! ha! Yeah, I wasn't ready to get up and run 10 miles after my first speed workout in ages and my first road marathon in almost a year all in one weekend. But, I still got up and met the Newtons and ran a few miles with them. They get me up and moving! I hate having to run so stinking fast, but that is what they are there for and why I love running with them. I want some speed back. I'm tired of being a sloth on the trails. I like trail running, but I need to balance it with roads. Moderation in all things.

9:10AP, but I had a good 7:45 mile in there before leaving the Newtons to head home. Gotta get boys out of bed and off to school...

I then did 90 minute hot yoga. I love it! I feel so renewed and stretched and relaxed afterward. I need to make time to go more often. My SI joints (that ache due to tight mid-glues/hams) would be MUCH happier if I did...

Tired from a 10pm airport pickup Tuesday night. But seeing my niece was worth it! Just did Xfit class and then their HIIT class after. It was a good workout, but I had an emotional morning and felt kind of ignored and unappreciated at class. Whatever. Got a workout in.

Shaggy mountain Thursday. I started early... But not early enough. They passed me at mile one. My SI joints were hurting from tight hamstrings from squats etc yesterday. I was super slow. But I ran faster than last week and hit mid 7s and did a 6:40 for these last .25 mile chasing Kalise!! Man, I remember when those speeds were easy...

1:21 total time (no idea on seconds...)

Had to split the long run to get all of life in today.

Mike meet me at 5 to do shaggy mountain loop. It was about the same AP as yesterday, which was nice because it was more consistent not just a fast finish. Plus I felt good and not like I was pushing with a 7:50mm.

Got home, got work wrapped up from last night when the internet went down. Long story... Then got kids to school. I did have to go to Greg's to complete work to drop off the bibs, but we got it done by 9.

So then I started my 10 miles. Chatted with Becca at first, thought maybe I'd only do 8... Just out and back on Porter Rockwell. But at mile 3.6 it was closed! Grrr... So I ended up running the nasty hill up Bangerter and then toward Suncrest. It was kind of nasty! But, coming down was fun 😊 I did stop at Chevron to get ice and water. It was hot. I also stopped at 3 miles from the park on Porter Rockwell to fill water again. I was hot and I should've brought salt stuff...I just had one gu when the trail was closed. My final mile was 8:22mm and I was impressed with myself that it didn't feel nasty. At least it was shady. I had to go quickly to drop off the bibs for work, so I took off as soon as I finished. My AP was 9:33 for the ten miles. I was hungry!

Ate Zao, drove home, took a nap, drove to Cedar City. I'm working the half marathon Saturday.

A happy collage of bits and pieces today. 

I got up and ran a 5K (3.35) by myself, then went home and woke up Adam. Since he is trying to get some miles and consistency in, he said he wanted to run before school when it wasn't hot with me a couple days a week. 

It was a rough start and he kept saying his leg hurt (it seems to be his piriformis...might just be sore from the weekend. I'll keep an eye on it). I suggested he run without stopping to the crosswalk. After that 1/3 mile, things went much better. He even said "if we have time, I could do this loop again!" as we headed home. He had fun running through the sprinklers, racing Dasiy and finding treasures on the ground. It is kind of fun to have my little buddy out running with me. Makes me happy :) Since last time we raced he beat me (DesNews 5K) I wasn't going to let it happen again! He said that he wanted to race from the corner to the mailboxes (maybe a 100 yds) at the end. I had to push, but I was able to out sprint the little stinker!!

Then I got the kids ready and drove carpool to school and headed to Xfit. Before I ran 2.15 miles to round out my mileage for the day. 8:21 AP for my final uphill mile. Not fantastic, but I wasn't pushing either. Which was the best news! Nice to see paces out of the 9s and 10s when I'm just cruising. 

With Xfit WOD today, we did 6 150M sprints. I decided it was as good a time as any to do some speed work. I pushed the fastest guy EVERY time! I wanted to touch the turnaround or the finish first just once...but never made it. Pretty close a couple times. Afterward we talked and he said how frustrating it was to have me out front so long and how hard he had to push to get that last little space to be first. It was nice to have someone who has no idea about my running background say "dang! you've got some wheels girl!!" Then ask the coaches if they've seen me run :) 

Felt good this morning. They don't always, but today did. I love having my little baby Fartlek running with me and the best part is that he learned to talk from his mom...so he keeps me entertained the WHOLE time chatting away. Gotta love that kid!

I was tired...and had to be home to get kids off to school. So I just ran out and back to meet the Newtons on their loop. Always a good push with those guys!

Long story...had to work. I wanted to run yellowfork with Daisy (I need a little trail time), but I was falling asleep on the way home from school drop off so I took a short nap. About 10 minutes into the nap Greg called and needed me to grab awards and t-shirts in Provo. So I drove down there. Figured I would run after. Nope. Figured I would run in the evening with Daisy up there. Nope. Canyon was on fire. So, I did a lot of driving around but no running...

Shaggy Mountain morning. Because of the fire, some of the group decided to meet and run in South Jordan. I needed to stay close to home for mornings with the kids and carpool duties, so I said I was just going to run it backwards...then if the road was closed I would be running down and out of the canyon and not past the "road closed" signs :) 

I figured no one was running with me, so I took too long getting ready to leave...but to my surprise Bruce was there! So, he had to deal with my slow pace, but we had a great time running the course backwards. It was kind of a head trip for me! The hills come in different places and I'm so used to doing it one way I know HOW to run it. But backwards? Man, it was tougher than I thought. We also took the new up and over hill back to 7300W so we could still get the Mario Kart strip in...so an extra 1/2 mile!

I slept in...had to leave for Aspen at 8am. My alarm didn't go off and well, it is a good thing my kids got to school. I woke up at 7:17!!! So my plans for a run got trampled.

My friend Leslie from Iowa called me a few months back and asked me to pace her at this race. I'm glad I agreed then, because man alive I wasn't ready for a marathon. I'm old, slow and broken :D 

We went up Friday night after I FINALLY finished mailing out the awards for Brineman, but got there around 10:30pm so it was off to bed. 

Adam came with me, because he was being abandonded Saturday by everyone else and he wanted to run the 5K anyway. He had to play his tablet and wait in the car (with my phone so he could call Leslie's phone/me if needed) until the alarm went off and then he lined up for the 5K and ran. Afterward, Joshua Hansen said that he would watch him as they did the aide station at mile 25.5 - It all worked out perfectly. 

Leslie did a great job, but it was hot and she is used to humid and sea-level running. I tried to get her to drink more...but she realized she was quite dehydrated AFTER the race was over. Her quads gave out from the downhill around mile 16 and it was a struggle from there to the finish. Not only with sore legs, but the heat and wind were crazy! The last 4 miles of Huntsville is hard anyway, but with the exposure, wind and heat it was really rough this year. Earlier I had taught Leslie that pouring water on herself was wonderful evaporative cooling and I carried a water bottle for her and an ice bag when they were handing them out at mile 23. But, she just didn't tolerate it as well as she had hoped. at mile 20 the time was 3:22 and I was hoping we could get in under 4:30, but that didn't happen. I was a slave driver and wouldn't let her walk except every other aide station and I kept pulling her along. I told her she could slow her pace, but not walk. It was always harder for her to start running after she took a walk break because her quads were so sore. Finally we got to Adam's aide station and I got to see Janet. Her husband just passed away a few weeks ago and I hadn't seen her since! I spent too long embracing and crying with her, because catching back up to Leslie to finish with her was HARD! But, we got to cross the finish together and she still crushed her PR by about 5 minutes!! 

We hung out the rest of the day at their condo in Eden (tried to get Adam's 1st place in AG award, but they ran out? so they are mailing it to him) then went to dinner, had ice cream and chatted until the cows came home! She has an awesome group of people that she runs and trains with. Sunday morning was more chatting and massage time (Scott brought a chiropractor's massage thing...it was awesome!) and then I took Leslie and her friend to the airport on my way home and attended church. 

A great relaxing weekend! I needed it after this past week of driving 150+ miles/day because my other half of carpool was gone. 

Yellowfork Loop with Daisy. 

I finally got up there! It was a wonderful run and it was nice to just "ground" myself again! Until I HIT the ground a little too hard with body parts other than my feet. I've lost skin on my thumb, palm, elbow and knees and my left knee just feels tender. Like there is a bruise on the knee cap. Nothing functionally wrong, just tender like a bruise tender. 

Took me less than 90 minutes and the last couple miles were a decent pace, but I walked some of the uphill. Not sure I'll ever learn to run uphill well....

Because my knee was a tad sore, I didn't want to push the full Tuesday 10 with the group. So I just did the out and back to meet them again. 

I had some good paces that were conversational on the way back and I felt decent with no issues from the knee. So it must just be a surface wound :)

Extended Shaggy Mountain. 

I was going to go on a trail run with Toby and Kelli, but for a myriad of reasons had to cancel and run close to home. Primarily due to the fact I didn't have transportation! But, I digress. 

I ran the extended Shaggy loop and fought on the hills. I have run the loop without walking any hills, but I was giving into my mind and took a couple walk breaks. Still finished with some good high 7, low 8s on the return. Making gains somewhere, right?? 

On Saturday there was a fire in hi-country area that burned 2 homes, a barn and over 100 acres. It was started by kids playing with fireworks. :/ So the last couple miles I stopped and took some pictures of the damage. Man alive! So many people had that fire right next to their homes and yards. With the nasty wind that day, I'm surprised only 2 homes and no people or pets were injured. Tender Mercies. 

8.3 miles on the traditional Shaggy Mountain Loop. I only left 5 minutes early, but no one ever caught me! Bruce got to my house about 30-45 seconds after I did, but still :) 
 

Worked on positive mental thoughts. Used Smooth's "I am fast, I am strong, I can run all day long" - it is helping to pick up my mental game instead of telling myself I'm fat and slow now. 

Got my fastest AP for Shaggy Mountain that I have in a long time (1:17TT)

Then I met Amy Thackary for a yellowfork Robert's loop. It was good and I ran a lot of it, but my legs were tired from Shaggy and so it was slower than Monday. Still some good miles and I never hit the dirt :) 6.7 miles with beautiful, ripe fall leaves! I love my backyard. 

I slept in...had to leave for Aspen at 8am. My alarm didn't go off and well, it is a good thing my kids got to school. I woke up at 7:17!!! So my plans for a run got trampled.

My plan was to run the Golden Leaf trail in the evening, but my sister had a headache and couldn't join me and I got lazy and took a nap then woke up too late to get it done. So I bailed on myself. Great mileage this week, huh?!? :/

As Slick says: "pay me now or pay me later" I'm trying to get in a few last minute payments before SGM. Doubt it will work, but hey...here is to trying! 

2 warm up miles

8X400m with 200M jog between sets. I didn't work my watch correctly, so I don't know all the splits, but the 3 I timed were 1:34; 1:30; 1:36 - Those were #4, 5 and 8. I actually stopped and drank water and walked a few steps instead of diving right back into the jog at the end of some of them, so I feel a bit like a cheater. But, it was good to get some turnover going.

Since Meridith drug me to the track, I drug her out on a trail :) Daisy needed to get out and the school kicked her off the track (rightfully so, I just didn't really think about it!), so we then went out to do Eric's trail loop. We cut back across the ditch and connected back behind the water tower. It was a total of 7.8 miles, so with the cool down lap at the track I'm calling it 13 miles. Makes up for my missed long run this weekend, right? :/

Left from home to join the Newtons on their Tuesday 10. Because I have to get home to get kids up, I leave earlier from home then finish at home instead of running the course to/from Chads. The only issue is I'm always a mile short...but I don't want to get up earlier :) 

I hit some good paces to start with and although I was slower than I'd like on the uphill, once I met up (waited for) them at Mike's drop off, I had Chad pull me through 7:30's until my drop off. It was nice to push through some speed. 

Lazy day of nothing...

Shaggy Mountain

Mandy asked me to wait and not start early, so I did...but then as usual was accused of being late. So I just can't win! Anyway, she was still much faster than I was and I brought up the rear like normal, so I'm not entirely sure why she wanted me to wait and run with her. 

I pushed through some of the uphills and really tried to get a good pace. I only stopped at Sharose, the gate and Mother hill. I did stop as I exited the hi-country gate, but it is kind of impossible not to now that you have to physically open the door to get out. 

I felt strong, but I did last time as well and was only 1 minute faster than normal. So I said to myself "if I don't get under 1:15 I'm going to be MAD!" Well, I finished and I was at 1:11!! I seriously haven't finished Shaggy Mountain that fast in years. Sad, but true. The fact that I felt good and strong through the run was amazing as well. I just couldn't have had a better run. I didn't get to really run with the group, but I can't talk and run that fast anymore anyway, so I'm  quite boring to run with nowadays. So, it was good for my brain to run alone and to get a faster time and feel strong and ready for St George. I just have to convince my brain that I can still do this.

Heat Training time for SGM!

Ran a 5 mile loop around the hood at 12:30 to get used to a little heat. Unfortunately, it was only 77 - I fear St George will be much hotter than that this year. Right now it says the high will be 80 for Saturday, but knowing how things change, my luck would be 80 at the start! :P

I ran an AP of 8:32, which actually felt decent. It was a little slow to start and the hills always kill my AP, but it is just like Dameron Valley...long, gentle uphill! 8:45, 8:27, 9:39, 8:15, 7:40, 7:09 for my finish tenth. 

I am kind of determinted to run a sub 3:40. I did it last year and I feel more prepared and healthy than I did last year so there has to be something with that...right?? ugh! I just hate dealing with my brain. I'm finally starting to feel like I can move at a decent pace again, but am I ready to conquer a full at that pace? I guess we will just taper and let the cards fall where they may.