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

Got to run with the Birthday Girl this morning. I probably shouldn't have brought chocolate to the gym, but we all love it too much :)

Because of the tendonitis I've been battling in my foot (due to not keeping up on my PT exercises as I try to re-enter the running world) I decided to try just 4 miles/day then 15 on Saturday. I've got to start getting the long runs in! So, I'm going to try and keep the speed up more than I have been since the miles will be short.

4 miles @ 1% incline - Progressive each mile and fast finish last 1/4 ending at 6:40mm. TT= 34:10 AP: 8:33. Not too shabby, and I could actually talk through it as well. This gives me confidence that my speed is coming back despite my best efforts to repress it.

Spin  class, good solid effort. She actually goes for the full hour so I don't have to spin during stretch. Which made things nice since I wanted to jump on the elliptical for a few to finish 2 full hours.

20 min on the elliptical, good effort - still reading Unbroken. I have until Friday....read, read, read.

Home and then got Ab Ripper X in to top off the workout today.

Got to the gym and Kim was ont the track. I decided to join him for a couple miles...if I could keep up. It was a little difficult, but then I settled in and things felt great. I could even chat just a little bit :) Kim said he could figure out what pace we were running by timing the laps on the clock, I told him to not tell me. Because I could tell it was faster than I'm used to and I knew my mind would get in the way "this is too fast, I can't do this" - he finally told me on the last few laps (for me) that we were averaging 7:30-7:40mm. I'm not sure I completely believe it, because I really don't think I can run that fast and still talk and not die right now, but that is what he said.

He was just about done as well, so I hit the TM for the last 2 miles and did 8:00mm pace for the first 1.5 miles, then increased .1mph each .1 mile and then the last .1 I did at 6:30. Wow, it feels good to feel some speed!

After getting the kids to school I braved the daycare with baby. Spin  class went well, and I didn't get called to the daycare. Spin class was B-R-U-T-A-L today! Allison rarely does decent recoveries, but she is recovering from surgery so she didn't spin and just taught today, so it was even worse! We did the last 15 minutes at 8/10 effort with no recoveries, just changing what we were doing. My legs were dead! Awesome :)

Then took baby to mom and me swim class. He always has such a good time and loves the water. The little water aerobics we did seemed a lot harder, maybe because my legs were just dead. Anyway, we had a great time. I love that little stinker!!

Due to the foot I decided I should stick with the 4/day plan. Ice and IB always take it down to more than tolerable levels, but it is still there - more than I want it to be!

A little speed work this morning - all at 1% incline:

10 min warm-up @ 9:13 pace

1 min on/1 min off 6:18 (9.5)/ 9:31 (6.3)  repeated 8X (just over 2 miles worth)

.8 cool down @ 8:34, progressive the last 1/4 mile.

TT: 32:40 AP: 8:10

20 min elliptical to finish up before spin class

One stinkin' tough strength spin class. Not as horrible as Allison yesterday, but Danielle has her own special torture classes :)

At home: a new twist on an old classic: 60/60/60 planks, 25 push ups; 90/90/90 planks, 25 push-ups; 120/120/120 planks, 25 push ups. Yeah, I'm good with the planks now for a few days!

2 miles to start out on the track. I didn't want to know the pace, but I think it was decently fast. I finished in less than 18 minutes, but more than 16...so, lets say 8:30.

3 miles on the TM. 1@ 8:34, next @ 8:27, last @ 8:20 with a progressive last 1/4.

TT: 25:20 AP: 8:26

1 mile to finish up on the track. I meant to track time, because I wanted a fast finish, but I didn't. The effort was harder than the TM so I'm gonna call it a sub 8 - no idea really.

Home to get the kids off to school then back to the gym. Fartlek got a thumbs up for daycare behavior! Even a smile out of the ladies with "good job!"

Spin class. Not as hard as yesterday, but hard enough! Legs were tired, I was done - so I left :)

Now after a long day and a short nap I'm going to play racquetball with the hubby! woot woot!

Being nice to the foot in prep for a long run tomorrow.

Spin class - not the most difficult, but still okay.

45 min on the elliptical

Had to get home and showered - got to read Dr Suess to the kids at the elementary for 2 hours this morning!! Fun stuff, I loved it. I would really enjoy being a 'book on tape reader' - even if no one liked my voice :)

Sixteen glorious, beautiful and fun filled miles!!! Toby was kind enough to drive to the end of the Earth for this run, and I hope it was worth it for her. I picked up Chad, then we met Toby and shuttled up to Highland HS to meet the speedies to do and out and back up Emigration Canyon. After 4 miles up I was having flashbacks to trying to run at a 6% incline on the TM, luckily before I'd go into convulsions I'd get a nice relief in the form of a roller and be able to push on!

Turned around at 8 miles up and Toby and I were definitely ready to head back down. Paul was in for a couple more and continued the uphill climb. We had a nice relaxing downhill 8 back to the car with just a couple stops for water/gu.

Simply a wonderful morning and although the sun never came out there was no wind and it wasn't freezing cold. I had a lot of anxiety about this run, but at the end I felt good and it gave me confidence that I can do this again - with a lot less anxiety about it. Those first few long runs back are always hard.

Hubby doesn't have Garmin installed on the computer yet (thank you Fartlek for frying the motherboard, another one of his destructive signature moves), so I don't know pace. I did glance before I turned it off at the end and I noticed we were sub 10's going up and around 9's coming down. So I think we were around a 9:30 AP. Not too shabby for that crazy climb! I'll take it.

I'll also take my foot feeling pretty decent. It feels better than after a 4 or 6 miler, so I'm not going to complain at all. I'm going to try and maintain around 40ish a week through March and ramp up the long runs in April before Ogden. I feel like recovering that base mileage and getting the foot back in order is more important than pulling high mile long runs right now. I'll definitely finish - maybe not in the time I'd like, but I'll do it. Blah. Another bunk marathon. I don't think I'll ever get that BQ - running life is just against me right now. I'll just keep running the same speed and expect to get there when I'm 50 :)

Thanks again Toby! I had an epic run this morning and I'm SO glad you were able to come along! I can't wait for warm weather and more long runs!