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

Just another day out on the road. I thought a lot about whether I wanted to do this loop UP or have a killer downhill in the middle of 2 gradual uphills. Well, the final decision was made by the turns. I got out later (yay! sun and warm!) so I knew traffic would be worse than early mornings. The route that is killer UP forces me to cross busy roads quite a few times to stay on the left and on one stretch of the hill has NO shoulder and then mud, but the other side has sidewalk as I run down (there is still NO shoulder). So, to stay safe I took the killer downhill miles in the midst of the rest all gradual uphill.

As I was heading off I saw my neighbor out with her puppy in her gym clothes, she said she wanted to run down to the end of the street with me. No problemo - or so I thought. After about .15 of a mile I just turned the garmin off, it was WAY slow and the puppy kept tangling her up so she kept stopping and walking. It was nice to visit though. 

As I headed off on my own I got about a mile into things and realized I'd forgotten my ipod. Not a momentous thing, but I usually like to run with music when I'm alone and make sure I've got it before I leave. So not even thinking about until later is a good sign that I'm 'growing up' :)

Am I the only one that writes their blog in their head as they run? I usually have it all figured out by the time I get home :) *yes, I came up with this thought while I was running*

It was a pretty uneventful run, except that I was only going to do 8, but was feeling good so I took a couple extra loops on the way home, which caused me to run the "hill of despair" (3.5+ miles of gradual uphill, I'd say it's about 3-4% grade, garmin says about 1100 ft of gain). It just goes on and on and on all the way home! Excellent training for the end of a run. I never once regretted taking it! Plus, then I got a nice downhill relief the last .75 home - always a plus.

AP: 9:04 splits: 9:39, 8:45,  9:12, 9:05, 8:40, 8:02, 8:59, 9:22, 9:46, 9:49, 8:40, 7:34 (last bit to finish).

Now it's all downhill from here for the rest of the week until St George on Saturday!

“You are all Champions in your own way. That doesn't mean you have to be number 1 or be the best. Just do your best. If you aren't first, then make those people ahead of you break records by pushing them with your personal best. Consider for a moment what we achieve from athletics - the sheer fun of competing - the building of a healthy and alert mind and body - stamina, courage, perseverance, dedication, commitment, selflessness and most importantly, the will to excel.” -Roger Bannister

Just downloaded this picture and HAD to share :) I love my cute little cowboy! My mom's husband gave him this outfit when he was born and the boots for Christmas - now if that doesn't make you smile I don't know what will! :)

Crud! My alarm didn't go off this morning and my baby was actually sleeping so at 6:20 I finally wake myself in a panic, my neighbor gets here at 6:15. So, I ran out to her car and told her I'd just need 5 min and I'd be ready to go. Luckily, there was no school today, so we could take a bit longer and still get the 3 finished. Small miracles! AP: 9:40 We had one mile in there at 9:05 and it was when she started talking about something that was stressing her out...funny how running is such a HUGE stress reliever :)

On the run I realized I hadn't fed baby since 1AM and knew he'd be up soon. I was running panicked that my cell phone was going to ring and my husband was going to wonder why he was crying (I never leave if I haven't just fed him). When we got home I came in to check on him (I'd under dressed and was  going to throw on an extra shirt/jacket anyway) I heard his crying and knew I was in for a feeding before I left again.

Well, by the time I was done feeding baby I knew I had a few other things to do before going to the gym, so I just stayed home and finished it up and then headed off to the gym after pre-school drop off.

Spent 15 min on the elliptical re-warming up (1.6 miles @ L12), then went to the TM for a little tempo speed work to teach my legs the pace I want them to run Saturday.

1 mile warm-up @ 9:13 pace - then I stepped on hoping I could do this and not feel dead. 8:00 pace for 1 mile, then I felt good enough after that to do the next mile @ 7:53. It wasn't super easy, but it was a lot easier than I'd been building it up in my head and since running outside is so much easier I'm feeling good about Saturday now. The confidence is building! Finished with a cooldown mile @ 9:05, but then increased the pace because it was going too slow :) Final AP for the run: 8:41

"You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through."
                                                            --Rosalynn Carter

Who likes to sleep in? ME! Got to sleep in for what will probably be the last time until the kids go off track again. I'm going to miss this! Baby didn't sleep so well last night, but I'm getting used to it. I had high hopes after he only got up once on Monday night, but alas - one night does not a habit make! *sigh*

Off to the gym for some fun before having to take my daughter to piano lessons.

15 min on the elliptical @ L12 = 1.6 miles

Then hit the TM: 1 warm-up mile @ 9:13; 1/2 mile @ 7:30 pace then 1/2 mile recovery @ 8:57 (repeated 2X); as I started my third repeat (7:24 pace) at my 1/2 mile mark I decided that I could go longer at this pace and wanted to try a full mile. So, I hit it and wasn't dead at the end either! One final mile of cool down @ 8:57, but then about 1/2 way through I decided it was dragging a bit and finished off @ 8:34. Final AP for the run was: 8:20

I'm not going to lie and say that mile was easy, but it was easier than I thought. I think most of my 'speed' issues right now come from the fact that while I was pregnant I got into the 'running comfortable' mode and stopped pushing myself. You have to! So, now learning to run when you are just a bit uncomfortable is coming back - slowly but surely (no pun intended). This just gives me more confidence for Saturday, I know I've got it in me - I just need to bring it out now!

"Jogging is very beneficial.  It's good for your legs and your feet.  It's also very good for the ground.  It makes it feel needed."
                                                         --Charles Schultz

3 easy miles w/my neighbor AP: 9:50

Now off to yoga, it's gonna be a day...THAT is certain!

If life is a bowl of cherries....what am I doing in the pits?!?

Sorry for numbers and no report. I was on my husband's phone and you can't do an entry on the phone. So, you got the good news...with no news :) 

I was nervous...definitely nervous. Knowing my paces lately I was sure I had a 1:50, and a 1:48 seemed reachable, I honestly didn't think I'd not only hit my 1:45 but exceed it. I was VERY happy with the race!

This morning my sweet baby slept for 7 hours! The longest he has slept continuously in MONTHS! Thank you sweet boy. I got out of the hotel around 8:15ish and grabbed a banana, half a bagel and a water bottle on my way out. Ran the mile to the convention center so I didn't have to wake up the family. Good thing too! Traffic was SO bad getting there, I'm sure it was faster to take a warm-up mile.

 I got there and started seeing all the great runners around! Ran into Michelle L and I said to her "you're running? crud! now I have NO chance of winning!" Hahaha, always fun to dream :) Had a good chat with her and then went off to the crowds. Smooth, Kelli, Wendy, Becca, Don, Lowell, most every BBK I know and more! I love having a race with SO many running friends, makes it all so much more fun.

As the race started I was with Becca and I was nervous, SO nervous! Just go for it, Rachel...Just go for it. Leave it all on the road.

I felt good as we took off and the first mile flew by, afterward I could see the hills we ran up, but I didn't notice anything until mile 3 - which is a good thing for me. About mile 4ish a couple guys were talking about their pace. I tried not to listen. I HATE knowing how fast I'm running, it plays head games with me. 7:38...wow? really? I'm feeling okay :)

It was a good course with the hills small enough that I felt like I could push and tackle them. The only thing I hated was there were many 'tight' turns...like a U turn. I feel like I pretty much have to stop to turn and it pulls down my pace, because I don't come out of the turn as fast as I go in.

Took a GU at mile 5, then you pass the finish and go for your second loop. I was still feeling pretty good and the GU definitely helped put some energy back in the tank. I saved my caffeine GU for a boost at mile 9 and then at 11 I took a swig of gatorade, and that was it for the race.

The worst mile for me by far was 12. I looked at my watch and saw I was at 1:35, I could blow the last mile and still hit my goal! YIPEE! So, I think my pace eased and mentally I started checking out. About mile 12.25 Michelle L was running back on the course and as she passed she shouted “Nice job Rachel! You got this, stay strong!” I thought about it and realized I needed to stay strong. If I can easily hit a 1:45, why not see what I CAN do? Why lower my ability to my goal? I need to stay strong, I’ve got Michelle to answer to now.

At about  12.5 I was breathing SO hard, I had to keep reminding myself to keep it under control. I heard Kelli’s famous line in my head: “you’re not breathing that hard” – I knew I’d be able to tell her that I certainly WAS breathing hard!  I swear people thought I was having a heart attack. As we turned off the path and headed toward the finish I was catching the only guy around me and I heard someone behind me. Crud! I couldn’t handle another person passing me right now. As he caught up he said “just stay with me.” No way! Some strange guy saw me struggling and was here to help me, wonderful luck of the draw!! Right afterward I saw Becca coming back to run me in, I knew if I just stayed with these two I could do it.

I rounded the corner to the finish chute and had that last pull to the finish. I was EXSTATIC when I saw that I had crossed in 1:42. I’d done it, not only met but exceeded my expectations. I CAN do this. My PR is 1:40 on a downhill course and I was carrying about 15 pounds less than I’ve got on me right now. So, I think I now will have to shoot for a 1:35 on a good downhill course – onward and upward!

After I finished I could barely talk and when people would ask how I did, I would just shove my watch in their face. The water/Gatorade was hidden, I couldn’t find it! Finally got some liquid and cooled down. Again got to chat with SO many wonderful people, not only the ones I saw at the start, but also found Julie C, Brent, Walter some of Lowell’s friends and most importantly Dale! Stayed for the awards and won a few good prizes too! Bonus for staying late :)

Had a wonderful day and I feel good, well GREAT about my performance. Not good enough that I think I had something left to give, I’ll be feeling this one. BUT, oh it feels good :)

AP: 7:55 splits….yet to come. Haven’t looked and can’t download them until I get home. 

**A little update, okay the AP from the race is off your gun time, so mine is actually a little bit faster :) Here are the updated AP and splits:

AP: 7:50 splits: 7:48, 7:45, 7:30, 7:36, 7:41, 8:01, 7:49, 7:54, 8:01, 8:04, 7:45, 8:09 (last GU/water stop), 7:59, 7:25 (last .1)

I'm really excited about how many sub 8 miles are in there and that even with water stops the slowest mile was an 8:09. Man, I still feel good about this :)

Another fun thing I like to do is figure out my percentile - so I was in the top 13% of all women and 14% of my age group. Please do note that my age group is the biggest AND the top five finishers are all IN my age group...have I complained enough yet about how I hate the 30-34 age group?