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

I need a good Sunday rest to decide to run my hi-country loop each Monday :) This is the hills from h$!! loop that I love SO much! I started out with the thought that I wanted to conquer these hill, remember my ROOLS and keep the pace up. If I started whining - pick up the pace! Only one time did I feel like I wanted to stop and walk...pushed on!

I was really pleased with my efforts and finally broke the 9mm pace mark I've been hovering just over for the last weeks! PLUS, to do it on this route really pleased me for the effort I put in. I really tried to keep my flat and downhill at a good effort as well, and it all paid off in the end.

Ran by 13 deer this morning, all alive, but that is to be expected up in 'them thar hills' :) Ipod has also been resurrected so I had some tunes to keep me motivated. All in all a great start to hopefully a good week!

AP: 8:49 splits: 9:19, 9:20, 9:48, 8:24, 8:25, 8:17, 8:09

The first 3 miles are ALL uphill - 705 ft of elevation gain according to Garmin - then I get a short downhill break and then climb again, but not nearly as bad, through mile 4. Then it's flat/down for the remainder less a few short, but sweet, hills on the way home.

Now I'm off to step class and ab's class...onward and upward!

Tried out a new 7 mile course today. Downhill to start and finish, and hills in the middle. I don't know why, but when I can do hills in the middle and not my 'hill of death' back home, they seem SO much easier! I'll definitely have to try this one again.

AP:  8:55 splits: 8:53, 8:29, 9:01, 9:26, 9:24, 9:03, 8:10, 5:54 (for 30 feet beyond the mile mark until I hit the stop button :) I normally wouldn't include it, but at that pace I just had to!). Slower than the harder hills yesterday, but I didn't go out with speed on the brain either...more of a GA run today.

Tired this morning...I really need to start heading to bed earlier.

Now of to total body fitness class (resistance with a light cardio mix), then I may hit a few extra miles on the TM. Especially if Kelli is hanging around doing the same after her personal training :)

Is everyone going to be doing either Hobble Creek or PC this weekend? I'm looking for about 16 miles....

***total body class was a nasty one today, the teacher LOVES to work shoulders like nobody's business and was true to form today - at least it wasn't legs! Then I hit the TM for another 3.2 miles at an AP of 9:20. Had to start slow, but finished with 20 seconds at a 7:30 pace. How in the WORLD did I ever run a 1/2 Mary faster than that?!?***

My stupid shins were yelling at me again this morning. I've honestly felt not a twinge since Saturday, I guess a couple days of slacking on the stretching and rolling is paying it's consequences. Or, maybe they just don't like this loop! It was the same one last week they were nasty on.

Sore calves, gale force winds and attempting the 'conquer the hill of death' route made for a nice slow recovery run this morning :)

AP: 9:23 splits: 9:21, 9:13, 10:04, 9:30, 8:54, 8:45 (last .15) The uphill is from miles 1.5-3.5, coupled with the headwind I was pushing what I could up that hill of death, but dang it all for getting a 10+ mm!!!

Well, off to boot camp and then some elliptical reading time, since this will top out my miles for the week with tomorrows HBK run and Saturday's long run. I'm really trying to keep my miles on a slow steady increase so as to avoid injury.

Much better on the shin front this morning! Met Cal for a run up Rose Canyon. Again this was a run I haven't attempted in quite some time, always good to conquer those routes!

Nice run, even better company and I'm working on those hills. Veyo is starting to scare me, but I know if I keep plugging along and working on a shorter stride up the hills it'll all turn out okay. I'm not really shooting for a time at SGM, just a finish. I know I'm not in good enough shape to hit a PR or BQ, so I'm just going to run what I feel and do what I can. I just want it to be a GOOD race!

AP: 8:54 splits: 9:26, 9:48, 9:52, 9:13, 8:02, 7:58, 8:04, 8:23 (last .3)

It honestly wasn't as bad as I remembered, which could be a good thing, but it may have also been the fact I had good company to distract me! I was excited to see a sub 8 mile on the return and a sub 9 AP for the run. Onward and Upward! One thing that did catch my attention was that it is only 50ft more elevation gain (total) than my hi-country loop. So, between these two runs I should start getting some good hill work under my belt!

Now off to yoga, my favorite part of the week!! I'm getting into my book now and so I'll probably take a little bike time to read after wards, but it won't even be enough to work up a sweat. Free daycare time! :)

Cal, thanks again for keeping away the mountain lions (or the mental perception they are around every corner). I've gotta work on my speed so I can out run you...just in case we see one :)

Rest Day!! 

Got to sleep in (which was much needed after a restless baby night which we haven't had for a LONG time), and then went to the gym for some reading/elliptical time. 

90 minutes @ L10 - great book as well.

Didn't have the patience to wait for shipping on shoes, and I needed some fuel for tomorrows run so I don't bonk like I did last week. So, I went to Wasatch running and got some new shoes, insoles and other fun running stuff :) NOW I am ready for my run tomorrow.

Short night last night...but aren't they always? *sigh* it took longer than expected to get my butt out the door this morning, but luckily Wendy was willing to wait. Wendy is the yoga teacher at the gym training for her 1st full: TOU. Kelli has been her long run coach and will pace her to the finish on race day, so since Kelli is out of town I got to take over assistant coach duties today :) Or...maybe we both just needed some company and I was willing to run a bit slower with her and keep her from stopping and walking.

It was nice to head uphill first and be able to finish with a mile of downhill today. A tad different, but we still ended up going out to the lake - 2 loops around and home. On the way home we got to see the tail end of Barnes' 4 mile race for the new HS X Country team. It seriously gave me a bit of a boost there on that last uphill push. Race adrenaline is SO much better than Gu, even if you're not racing!

We finished a tad before expected on the route, so I pushed the last .35 to round out my miles for the week. Then we had a nice 1/2- 3/4 mile walk back to her house. The run was slower than normal (and we stopped more than I normally do for drinks etc), but I sure didn't mind the company in lieu of speed today! I also got the first few miles on my new shoes and insoles - happy feet! :)

AP: 9:40 splits: 11:09 (holy moly! no wonder it felt so easy going up hill!), 10:03. 9:17, 9:37, 9:20, 9:26, 9:25, 9:25, 9:26, 9:24 (wow, I don't think I've ever had such consistent miles!), 9:45, 9:33, 9:31, 10:04, 9:43, 9:40, 9:33 (last .35)