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

walking for 90 min with a friend at the Olympic Oval. Nice talk with an old friend.

Another fun day at the gym :) 2 miles on the track with Amy then I hit the TM as she headed off. I wasn't sure I wanted to run at all, but I let my music keep me going. I started at 7.0 then decided every 2 songs to up the speed .1 - until I hit 7.5, then I'd see what the mileage was at and finish that mile. I finished 6 miles in 50 minutes. A decent pace and I was just happy to get off the TM.

I then did a weight set for arms and core with a sprinting lap after each set.  I did 3 sets and with the extra laps I ran with Adam around the track while his class was on the track I called it a good 8.5

Tuesady Ten. I felt better today than last week, that is for sure! I also got to bed earlier which was nice to get a good 7 hours before getting up early.

Amy sent me splits for the first 5 miles and I only had one uphill mile over 9:00, which for me on that route is pretty darn good. Then, on the last few miles of downhill Jerry gave me the splits and we were 7:05-7:10, so I'm pretty sure my overall AP was around or just under 8:00. A much better pace than I held last week!!

I went to the rec center after getting kids off to school and rode the bike for an hour and read. Getting into a new good book...need reading time :)

Amy talked me into running early with her. I'm actually getting to bed earlier and so getting up early is okay, funny how that works! We met at her house, because she had to be home, in the shower by 6:15, so we figured it would be easiest to meet there...plus more time to run. We did an 8 mile loop with the hills all at the front end. I struggled! BUT, we finished with a nice AP of 8:30 - not too shabby for a nice, easy, hilly morning run!

After getting kids off  I again went to the gym and did the bike and read. Always a good hour of reading on the bike :)

Shaggy Mountain. Oh the snow! At least we had some tracks to follow. One car had been through the road, so we didn't have ankle deep snow. On the way up the canyon we had to dodge a few plows and even got a nice splash from one...blech! The dirt roads weren't bad...icy, but when we hit the pavement and it WAS plowed, it was SO yucky and slippery. I kept screaming like a girl and flailing my arms :) I had to slow down the downhill so I didn't die. It was a slower run, but given the conditions we really couldn't complain.

Craig was home and I slept in! Oh, it was fantastic. I didn't want to run, it took a LOT to get me out the door. Not having anyone to meet or a certain time to go and be home makes the start drag out! I finally got out the door and after a few miles was really just enjoying it and the temps were tolerable and almost enjoyable. I didn't feel like I was going fast, but after doing map my run to find mileage and knowing the time I started and ended my AP was around 8:25 - that includes stopping at least 4 times to pick up trash and run it to the next trash can...I remember why I don't like running in the daylight on garbage day. My conscience gets to me and I end up on a trash run :)

A perfect start to my birthday month! A Lake Mountain double. This is my last "big" run gearing up for Moab 55K on 2/15 - my 34th birthday.

I'd recruited a big group to run with me, but despite the majority of the group going up for their first at 5AM and then doing their double when I was doing my first at 7AM I still couldn't keep up with them. Yup, those guys are speedy! Scott hung with me the first time up though.

It was a rough go. The snow was the kind that didn't like to pack down, despite some tracks up there and the early group tracking things out it was still pretty slippery. Having a 4-wheeler come by and pollute the air and noise and also tearing up what little track there was created an even better situation! Ugh. Slipping half a step back every time you pushed off to go up. They got stuck, and the track was nice again! Until they got the bright idea to have Cletus stand on the back and give one of them enough extra weight to get up the steep part. Another sigh as they came by and ripped up the track...again.

The single track from the saddle up to the towers wasn't much better. Although the early group had tracked it out, I was still in shin deep snow and would slip up to my knees. I should've been better prepared, but I don't own any running socks that aren't super low cut and my tights don't cover my ankles either. So my ankles were exposed and cold! We made a quick stop at the top then turned around to head down.

Running downhill in the snow is fun! Slipping around and feeling like a kid running down a sand hill, it was incredible and I had a perma-smile the whole time. It was an awesome core workout trying to stabilize the core too. It was a good run down! Timp was beautiful as we headed down and Scott got a pic, but I haven't seen it from him yet.

At the bottom I grabbed a gu, refilled my water and then headed back up with Joe. Because of the extra time the conditions were taking each ascent Joe couldn't do the full climb again and everyone else had done their first at 5AM. So, he went up about 2 miles with me before he turned and went down. I then was alone. My mind likes to wander about all the horrible things that could happen to me, but I tried to keep it quiet and just keep moving. The track was much better and I honestly think my 2nd ascent could've been faster than my first! UNTIL...the steep part at mile 3. Our favorite 4-wheelers came down the track and ripped it all up again. Ugh. I was tired, ready to quit. But, when I put something in my head, I get it done. I just kept trucking and at the saddle there was another runner! I stopped and talked to him for a bit. He was a wrangler and had seen my post and so we chatted. He said he'd gone up the front side of Lake Mountain - yikes! He said a lot of it was crawling on hands to get up the slope. Did NOT sound fun!

I then started my last climb up to the peak. Our good friends on the 4-wheeler had decided to go up to the peak! SO all the track that we'd made all morning...gone, ripped up and now I was sliding and crawling on my hands (oh the irony) to get up to the top. I seriously wanted to punch those guys! Make your own trail, don't rip up ours. UGH! I finally got to a point where the foot tracks departed from the 4-wheeler tracks  and it wasn't so horrible. When I got up there it had been snowing for the last couple miles and although the could wasn't ON the peak, I could see the back side of it about 50yds down the front slope, and that was all I could see. So, with my frozen aching ankles I turned around and headed down for the last time. Ahhh, finally!

The last decent was just as fun (although the trail was a little more packed thanks to me coming up and the guy going down before me) and the time passed quickly until I had to pee. Man alive. I hate peeing in bushes so I just tried to run faster :) There was another guy coming up that asked me how much further to the top, at that point it was around 1.5 - he wasn't too happy about that, especially when I told him the best was behind him. Made me feel like super girl for heading up twice! As I ran the last stretch down to the parking lot I was feeling great! If someone would've been there and crazy enough to do it I think I would've gone again!

I was proud of myself for doing the double and mentally staying strong enough to get through it alone. It wasn't easy. It was hard work and I wanted to stop, but I knew that I just had to do it or live with regret...I didn't want the regret. No excuses. Push through and live to run another day.

When I got home my ankles hurt SO bad! I checked them out and the ice that accumulated around the edges of my low socks and tights had chaffed my ankles. I now have big scrapes around my ankles from it all...my ankles turned to hamburger :) Just another casualty. I felt pretty good the rest of the day and Sunday things weren't horrible either, but Monday the soreness finally set in big time. I need to just keep moving and get all this lactic acid out!