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

The weekend was great, but I woke up Saturday with a horrible sore throat and congestion and felt like I'd gotten run over by a truck. So, I still woke up and could barely swallow this morning, but went to aerobics. No 'miles' logged, but a great 1.5 hr workout, especially for living on Motrin. I'm going to try to do 9 tomorrow; 6 with BBK and 3 at the gym. We'll see if the cold and snow scare me off tomorrow morning or not! No regrets about not running this weekend though, because I'd much rather give my body sleep and rest to get better. I did do a good hour or two on DDR :) so there were some 'high heart rate' times.

Finally, I get to report miles. I did the body building class at the gym then ran 4, but I did keep it at 8.5 min miles! Thats good for me, because I usually race 8:20 - 8:30 min miles. I'm trying to slowly ramp up my training pace so that I can push a little harder on race day and not feel like I'm going to die. I'm still looking forward to Myrtle Beach next month: warmer weather and lower elevation! Hopefully, its a great running day, I'd like to see under 1:50, but I think realistically I'll finish around 2:00 (hopefully under since my best so far is 2:02 or close to it). I am 15 pounds lighter and in better shape, so we can always keep our hopes AND training up, right?

Today I got to do the kick-boxing class! YEAH, well, if anyone's ever heard Kelli talk about it you can probably sense the sarcasm in that statement. I ran a mile afterward and then did Ab's class then another mile (both at 8:30 min miles). I'm looking forward to a good 6 tomorrow morning, I know it will be cold, but I'm just so excited to be outside I HATE the treadmill so much. I think it may be the primary reason I didn't run before 1.5 years ago, when I'd try to run I always did it on the treadmill and could never go over 3 miles. I can go farther now, but its painful (emotionally and mentally). Hopefully I'll get to see a few more of you tomorrow and meet some more new people that I can entertain on the blog.

Today I had a great run early this morning with the BBK's. I could hardly believe how many people were there! I had a great time and besides the wind nearly freezing my face off as we ran south felt really good the whole time. I have no idea how fast we ran, but I had a good time. Funny thing, I don't know why I was so anxious, but I could hardly sleep last night in anticipation to wake up early and go running! I don't think that has ever happened before, I must really miss the road! Then I was able to go to Yoga at the gym which my hamstrings definately needed, I've started getting a little knot in the right one when I run. With Myrtle Beach coming up I will do anything possible to stave off an injury, even if that means forfeiting more time to do the things I know I should (stretching, yoga etc, not just beat my body daily). After yoga I begrudgingly went back to the treamill and did another 2.5 at 8:30 min miles to round me out to 9 today. YEA! I feel great.

I have been beaten! Today Mike literally beat me down, there was a point where my whole body was shaking so bad that I knew I was going to die if Mike didn't count faster. After 45 minutes of complete punnishment that for some reason I pay for and keep coming back for each week I walked on the treadmill. I was thinking about running some intervals, but after I could barely walk TO the treadmill I decided to simply do incline walking. I walked for about 3 miles at 15% incline, I honestly don't remember what the exact mileage was, but I did get 1400 gain of vertical feet! WHOO HOO! Now if only I would've had some great scenery to go along with that gain, oh well, I did have some great company.

Kelli- I missed you this morning, I'm assuming you knew it would be a lovely day so you're running outside. Sorry, all the muddy buddies are gone so I can't make a personal delivery this week for an after run snack, but I think you'll probably be better without it. :)

I wanted to say how grateful I am for my wonderful, beautiful, healthy happy miracles that I call my 3 children. I met a lady at the gym today who lost her 4 mo old baby to SIDS just 3 weeks ago. I expressed my sympathy to her and I was so impressed with how great she was doing, her faith is amazing and she is very optimistic. I'm sure she has more than a few moments, but if it was me I think you'd have to commit me! Either that or put me on so many drugs so that all emotion was gone and turn me into a zombie just to get through the day. Its one of those small things in the day that makes you want to get down on your knees and thank the Lord for your trials and blessings! I love my 3 children, they may drive me crazy most of the day, but I love every minute of it - or at least I'm now trying to!

Any plans for a Sat run? I'd love to get a long one (10-14) in and early in the morning. Let me know if I can tag along with anyone's plans. I think its supposed to be a nice day!

Wow! In retrospect I had a really good run, but there were a few times I thought that my face was going to freeze off or that if I had to run through one more pile of snow I was going to quit.  However, I think it sent me on a high when Kelli said we finished the 1/2 course in 1:58. That for me is a personal best and the way I felt (like quiting at 7.5 mi) I know I could do better if I was healthy (got a cold thats stuck for about a week now) and it was reasonably warm. So, now my sub 1:55 goal at Myrtle is looking better and better! However, Kelli and the gang won't be there for me to chase, so we'll have to see how I do trying to push myself on my own. I just have to remember Kelli's words "your not breathing that hard" :) and push just a little harder.

As we ran south along the river I thought the trail was never going to end (obviously hit a wall) and then I saw Bangerter, and I knew we didn't have to go much past that. I expressed my excitement to Kelli who told me we were only 7.5. UGGGHHH! I thought for sure right then and there that there was no way my frozen knees, butt and hips were going to take another 5.5 miles! But I thought, well if you turn around now you'll still have to run back to your car and it will still be about 10 miles, so just keep going. Sometimes rationalizing works against you and sometimes it works for you, so I kept going. Then just a jaunt later (and with our backs to the wind and going a nice downhill) Kelli told me we were at 1:42, "great only 20 minutes a couple miles left!" Then she gave me the GREAT news that we were really at 11.5, I couldn't believe it and was so excited. I also knew my water was close. I picked up water (which had frozen over) and was ready for the downhill sprint to the finish, then the stupid snow came. The trail was covered with unplowed snow and even when you weren't walking you were at about that pace. The last 1.5 took us 16 minutes which wasn't our typical pace for the rest of the race, due to the snow. So, the whole point of this rambling comes to if it weren't for the snow I know we'd have finished in 1:56 or less. Wow, that impresses me so much I can't hardly stand it. For the rest of the group that was a pathetic slow pace I'm sure, but I felt great ... well at least now I do and thats what counts, right?