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

Nice start to the taper week! I ran more than 2.5 miles up Rose Canyon Road, because I did some funky business with my watch and paused it when I should've been running it...anyway. I figured I would run until my watch said 2.5 miles. I did have to make it to the top of the hill, so it was 2.7 by the time I stopped :) Then I took a different way home and I thought it was shorter, but I finished with exactly 5.5 - so I'll take it. Mid 7's for the downhill miles and it felt good. Ready to get this darn marathon over!

Classic 4 mile route in 34 minutes. Not super fast, but again that darn uphill mile always gets me! Other than a 3-4 month old little goat trying to follow me home (I almost let him! Good company for Billy :) )it was rather uneventful. Finishing paces were mid 7's. Felt more comfortable than I thought. 

I waited until Adam got home and then ran the classic 5K loop with him. It was a nice day, the sun peeked out for a minute and it was a light rain for some of the time as well. A good easy fun run with the kid, just what the doctor ordered. 

I did the Shaggy Mountain meet route (when I run from home and meet them for the last couple miles) even though there was no one to meet! 

Had some good miles home and let Daisy run off leash, because she is going stir crazy with just road runs and short mileage. 

Ready for this race to be done!!

Sleep in day and travel down south. Drove with Smooth and Larry and had a simply wonderful day! Dinner with Lowell, Suzy and Lews and then got ready for the race and bed while my family drove down. I got a couple hours of sleep in before they got there. 

A perfectly wonderful race! Yes, things could've and should've gone better, but I didn't put the work in to make them better so what can I expect?? I need to get faster base mileage up before I can expect to run like I did when I had faster base mileage. But, I felt like it was a good effort through the whole race. 

I started at the back (8+ minutes behind the clock) and I like it that way! So much less crowded and I can work up through the crowd passing people and my brain doesn't go wonky when I go uphill and everyone leaves me in the dust. I actually can reign people in and pass them. Veyo seemed shorter and Dameron Valley seemed not so steep and long, I saw more flat and rollers than just an uphill climb! I would like to attribute this to my constant uphill training, but who knows. Maybe I'm just realizing the reality of the course instead of what my brain has made it up to be all these years. I wasn't fast up the hills, but I was steady and strong...look on the bright side, right??

I took a gu at mile 5, run gum at mile 7, another gu at mile 11, potty stop at mile 14, ibuprofen and one salt tab at mile 15, gu at mile 17, run gum at mile 20 and ibpurofen and salt tab again at 21. That is at least what I can remember. I know I didn't do my gu as often as I should've and I realized after the race that I should've done a LOT more electrolytes. The weather was overcast, but upper 50's. I didn't drink or fuel like I should've because the cool tricked me into thinking I wasn't sweating as much. Rookie mistake. I tossed my jacket and gloves at mile 15 and thought I'd get them back...I always do at SGM! But, I searched the discarded clothes a few different times (a total of HOURS) and never found it. Oh well, no biggie, it was a $10 UVM jacket I had bought at the expo. I think someone picked it up thinking it was theirs. I kind of hope they'll figure out it isn't theirs and return it, but who knows.

I neg split the course by around 45 seconds - this was with my walk breaks to actually get fuel/gum out, refill water, a potty stop and to kiss my beautiful family! So, I'm confident my actual running pace would've neg split the course by a few minutes if I hadn't have taken the breaks. Look like I need to work on hills...and my starting pace. What else is new?? sigh...

I listened to the book Marathon Woman by Kathrine Switzer the whole time. I love listening to books while I run. It is like having someone next to me just chatting and telling me their running story. I can zone in and out all I want, but I always have something to distract me. I felt pretty strong the last 10K and my splits seemed like they were low 8's (8:02-8:08), so I can't smirk at that. I've got the endurance, I just need the hill speed and mental confidence and faster base miles. I need to push myself when I run! Instead of just lally gagging around all the time. I want speed, but am I willing to work for it? THAT is the question!

Battle/Grove Loop with Amy Thackery. I had a wonderful time despite being sore! She was patient with my slow pace and it was mostly hiking, but I got a little jog going on the downhill after my legs warmed up and loosened up. It was a beautiful fall day with low clouds in the upper hamongogs. Oh, it was glorious! Just what I needed. We chatted about conference, families and running. Amy is such a wonderful person to run with! We are always able to talk about the gospel and strengthen each other's testimonies as we run and see the beautiful world that our Heavenly Father created for us! I wish I could run with her everyday and have her next door!

I then ran 1/2 mile with Adam to help him get his 2 miles in today. It was slow and he did 3 laps to my 2...but the legs are slowly coming back...slowly!

I did the adjusted Shaggy Mountain loop. Went the backway out of the 'hood, up and over old flag hill, then up to Shaggy Mtn Road and then I came down Sharose and back up and over old flag hill home. It is perfectly the same distance as regular Shaggy Mountain Thursday, but I don't have to deal with being terrorized as I run through Nazi territory during daylight hours. 

Daisy came with me and had a good run too. She was much better on the road as we went home and she was unleashed than she can be sometimes, so I was glad. Didn't have to re-leash her and she could run free all the way home...we both could! :) 

It was slow as slow gets, but with recovery week I'm just glad I had the gumption to get out. My quads don't feel right. They don't feel sore...almost a zing in them like they are torn. Which doesn't make much sense to me, but whatever. I just need to take it easy and relax until they come back to me. I'm old and fragile now, I can't run endless miles like I used to! hahahaha. 

1:24 for the loop and I didn't walk any uphills. Which is always a feat for me! 

4 miles with Kelli up the ridge on yellowfork and then down my favorite trail section! It was the perfect pace and company! I've missed that girl...a lot!

4 miles with the racecats Elite team. We started at the reservoir, up Blackridge then Diamond fork to one tree hill, then down to sidewinder and back to the reservoir. 3.25 mile and then some cool down around the reservoir to get an even 4. I was finally able to catch and pass Adam at the end. My last .25 mile was 6:20 pace! It really felt good. The full downhill mile chasing Adam was 8:01, so he was keeping a good pace as well. I took sweeper on the way up, so I encouraged the kids in the back and hung with them. It was a great loop and I loved the time with the kids! 

Of course my Garmin died while I was running, so this is a complete guess, but probably fairly accurate. 

I tricked Adam into doing a trail run with me :) Dad and the others had left to go rock climbing and we stayed behind. I had to finish up some work and Adam just doesn't love rock climbing. So it was later in the afternoon/evening by the time we got going, but we took Daisy out and did Juniper Canyon to the hidden canyon sidewinder and then when we were about to head back (that loop is about 4 miles) I remembered that in the spring I had hid an antler I found near a rock off the trail to come back and get it later. So, I again tricked him into going a little further with me (it was at least one mile each way) to go get the antler. It was still there! It was pretty darn cool to find it! Adam was cold and grumpy I didn't let him bring his jacket, because we were running in the mountain shadow the last few miles. But, he thought finding the antler was INCREDIBLY cool, so it kind of made up for it :)

Went to Xfit for the first time in weeks (my stupid shoulder has been bothering me like CRAZY, there are so many day to day things that cause so much pain to do!) and then I decided this was my week to get my feet back under me. Slow base miles. So, I ran on the rail trail from the box out and back. A 10K a day this week! It was a good run, I didn't have music or books...I just had to run. Not always easy in my head and my legs felt heavy and I felt tired, but what else is new?!?

AP: 9:00 fastest mile: mile 6 8:47; so a pretty steady run. 

Well, I took Daisy and ran what I thought I remembered was a 10K route from home. But then in the middle I thought that it might be a bit short, so I went up a hill to add some on...then ended up climbing up to the top of the Cove. It was actually kind of fun, but longer and slower than expected. Again, felt like I was dragging and my legs weigh 500 pounds, breathing hard and just not feeling the "flow" of running like I used to. It is just always hard. 

AP: 9:33

I went on a walking field trip with Adam from his school and we probably covered 4-5 miles! It was really neat to see and hear about the history of Draper. 

Then I came home and this weekend we decided to cut out our front sod and replace it! SO MUCH WORK!! I didn't anticipate that much work, honestly! I was much too tired to run after that...especially knowing what was now ahead...

I did the Racecat loop from Blackridge with the Elite team in the morning and I wasn't sure I would be able to move! I was SO exhausted it was ridiculous. My fingernails hurt from all the work we had done Wednesday and Thursday. 

Got home and Craig and the other kids had a lot of the front sod laid. It looked really nice!! I helped them finish that up, then went and got lunch for everyone and took a short nap. I'm living on caffeine and ibuprofen!

Amy (Mandy's sister) had asked about doing a longer trail run today, due to sunlight and knowing I was doing the lawn, we put it off until the afternoon. So we started around 3 and even though I got us lost (just once!) it was a great run and we ended up with 11 miles. It was a wonderful fall trail run!! I loved almost every minute. Except the times I was tired and felt like I wanted to sit on the side of the trail and sleep...

I worked the University of Utah 5K homecoming run this morning and Adam ran the 5K and the kids run. He did such a great job!! He came in 8th in his AG of 14 and under and the kids run wasn't timed, but I think he was 4th or 5th. It was just one KM. 

Adam and Lauren drove home and I drove to the SoJo course to find Smooth. The race went longer than anticipated, so I didn't get to run as much with her as I had hoped, but those few miles were amazing! I love that lady. I felt exhausted and tired and probably couldn't have run it any faster if I had tried! But, the time was well spent. 

Three miles with Adam. I'm thinking I may have adrenal fatigue. Which in talking with Lisa Western is simply going to require the one thing I'll HATE! Not run so much...more rest and less stress, including exercise. Lower HR during any activity and working on keeping daily stress down. So Monday and Tuesday I pouted and didn't run at all. I was active, but not with running...sigh. I had to take Lauren to work, because I needed to go to the doctor about a spider bite that had started getting red "arms" crawling up my leg! It has been SO itchy!!! But, I knew with the "arms" spreading that it needed attention. So Craig did my carpool run and I sat at the doctor's office. Got antibiotics for a week....

So I told Adam that we could take the car back to Lauren at the rec center and then run home. I took him on the closed road off Main Street to pique his interest and tell him we could run on a secret path! He was kind of dragging, but it was all uphill and he was coming off of 2 days of hard work! So, I tried to be kind :) I wasn't fast at all either...we did a 9:32AP and when we got home Adam told me "I didn't have fun at all, I feel like you are just making me SUFFER!" bwahahaha! If the poor kid only knew. But we both got the miles done then had a relaxing evening. 

I had been pouting in my mind about the fact that no one ever invites me on runs anymore. Probably because I've decreased my social profile a ton, but you know with my crazy! Anyway, I was excited when Wednesday Kylee invited me to run with some other Herriman girls on Eric's trail. I couldn't pass it up! We met at 9:00 and I had to be to work by 10:30-11, so I needed to cut it short, but I didn't want to refuse a trail invite from someone I wouldn't mind spending more time with and is an easier pace...or doesn't mind MY easier pace. So I went up for 30 minutes and then turned and came back the same way. My watch stopped on the way up so I had no idea how long the round trip would be, but it was exactly 4 miles! Very nice :) 

When the intention is there, but the effort is not, I can count the miles, right?? HA!

Smooth and I met at JRP to run a few, easy miles. We both started walking and whining about how tired and fatigued and sore our legs were...well, to make a long story short, 4.5 miles later we turned around and walked back! It was a lovely morning and I don't regret a step! It was just what my mind, body and soul needed. But, Smooth always finds a way to "ground" me back to neutral no matter how fast or slow or where or when we run. She just has that magical power! It was great to spend 3 hours just chatting and catching up while Daisy ran the trail and pounced on the mice in the fields! My kind of perfect. 

Well, it was too short lived, but I got to run with Becca!!! She was in town to say goodbye to her parents as they embark on their mission for the church. So it was a super short stay and we had to get the run in before everyone got up and she then got in trouble for spending too much time with me :) 

It was slow and even with walk breaks I had our pace at 10:01 (but 2 miles short, because I stopped my watch for some reason some time)...so I'm sure she had me running a high 8 when I could tolerate it! But, I was (ready for it???) exhausted, tired, slow, felt like my legs weighed 500 pounds and my breathing was so labored I could barely talk when we were actually running. By 12 miles I was certainly done. I did take Daisy again and even though it was dark, she behaved herself and had fun exploring Murdock canal trail while we ran. 

We finished and went into her parent's home to say goodbye...well, and hour later I finally started to leave. But, then her parents wanted a treat, so we went on a Swig and Lehi Donut Factory run! Mmmmm. Starting out the day with a sugar rush isn't the best thing, especially for my body right now and especially after a long run, but it sure was delicious!! Great times with Becca and I even wore lipstick ALL day!! I guess it was its own kind of Halloween run :D