Running For Trevor

Ran 10 miles with Sue, Merri, and Lily.  I held up the caboose as they all smoked me!  AP was a bit sub 8 for them.  I forgot to wear my garmin but was prob around 8 min AP.

Instead of back tracking to Payson to get ready I went to the gym and did 20 minutes shoulders and a 2 mile cooldown on the mill.

I am quitting candy!!  I can do this right?

slept in until 6:15!! :)  9 miles around town in Payson.  Lots of hills and I decided to run to the mouth of the canyon and run the last mile of Mt. Nebo HM.  AP was 7:56.  I love Friday morning runs!!

Question of the day for the veterans:  How long (distance) and how steep is Veyo hill?  Is there a hill in Ut county that simulates it well?

PM:  2 easy miles.  I had to reset my garmin in the morning and it erased all of my old data.  I basically ran this little shakeout just to make sure it was working okay.

I had 3 goals going into this run today.  A:  Run on tired legs. B:  quit being a pansie and run some hills in the middle of a LR.  and C:  run a LR solo.

I am happy to say that I accomplished all three.  I ran from my house to payson canyon (6 mi) up payson canyon (4 mi) and then back to my house (5 mi).  It was a hard run but it was good.  I wanted to shoot for the last 5 miles at or below marathon pace and I did it.  (7:26, 7:19, 7:32, 7:27, 7:13)  Overall pace for the run was 7:49.

Doing a long run alone is hard but this was good for me and I feel like I put in a great training week.  I am gaining fitness and getting stronger on hills so I am happy to see small improvements.  Right after the run I went straight to my parents house and spent the entire day helping them clean and pack.  I am exhausted!

Just a few easy miles with the pup.  Payson Onion Days 10k tomorrow!  1 year ago this race was my first time ever running 6 miles.  I just drove the course and it is pretty flat with a few gradual inclines.  I am really hoping to set a PR and finally beat 44 minutes!

Payson Onion Days 10k this morning!  This race kind of snuck up on me but I was excited.  This was my very first time running 6 miles ever last year and it is kind of fun to start repeating races for the first time. 

I ran up to the start from my house 2.3 miles.  Picked up my packet, used the bathroom and was ready to go. I met Rachel, JulieC, and Melanie from the blog at the start and it was fun to chat with them and meet them in person.  The race started right at 7:05 and we were off.  I had 3 mini goals in mind for this race.  A: Set a PR! B:  Run consistant 7 minute miles.  and C:  Not melt down the last 2 miles.

Mile 1:  6:38  I felt like I was going slow and was trying to force myself to slow down.  But in my defense this is the fastest mile of the race.

Mile 2:  6:58 perfect pace and felt great.  Passed 3 guys in this mile.

Mile 3:  7:00 right on track

Mile 4:  7:06  running into the sun but still feeling good and not losing too much time.

Mile 5:  7:33 what?  Minor melt down!!!  Gradual uphill, stopped for water, and just mentally crumbled a bit.  Got passed by a girl.  grrrrrr!

Mile 6:  7:11 was able to pick up the pace a bit but was ready to be done.

Mile 7: (.22) 6:48 caught up to the girl that had passed me and she crossed the finish line 1 second in front of me.  Grrrrr

So I set a PR which is awesome but overall I was initially dissapointed with my time.  I was hoping for (and fill my fitness) is at 7mm.  But 7:03 is still good and without my little meltdown at mile 5 I would have been right there.  The silver lining is that I beat my time from last year by 5:06!!!  It is incredibly exciting to see the progress I have made in one year and I can't wait to see what this next year brings.

I planned on cooling down by running home but I won a picnic table at the raffle.  So Lily drove me home and I went out and ran a 3 mile cooldown.

I still feel that 3:20 is within reach at SGM for me.  I just need to lose 5lbs to get down to a lighter race weight and end this week on a high note.

10 miles this morning.  First 6 were in the dark so I basically ran around in circles by my house until it felt light enough to go out towards Santaquin.  I am really hating that the sun is coming up so late. :( 7:52 AP.

15 minutes of elliptical after the run.  I really am determined to focus on my nutrition, add volume, and lose 3-4lbs before the marathon.  I know that I run better around 116-117 and I can do it!!

PM:  I got my new shoes today so of course I had to try them out.  2 easy miles.

8 treadmill miles, 1% incline, 7:30 AP.  This run felt way harder than it should have and I probably should have slowed down but I was in a hurry because I had to be to work early for a meeting.  I did manage to fit in 15 minutes of weights after the run.

PM: 2 miles really easy.

I planned on waking up early to run 10 with Lily, Merri, and Sue but I just couldn't drag my butt out of bed at 4:30.  When I finally woke up at 5:30 I dragged myself to the gym and did a progressive run on the treadmill.  Started at 8mm and finished the last 2 at sub-7minute miles.  I kept the incline at 1% except the last mile when I dropped it to 0.

My calves are still sore from the 10k Monday and I know it is because I did the race+warm up+cool down in my racing flats.  I am going to stop wearing them completely until after SGM.  Hopefully I feel 100% by Saturday for the Mt. Nebo half.

Ran my Friday 8 mile route. 7:58 AP.

I am off to Lagoon for the day (good thing I can still walk:) so here is a quick report of the race today.

Warmed up alone 2 miles.  Breathing felt heavy but that is normal when your at 9,000 ft elevation I suppose.  Met up with JulieC at the start and we were off right on time.  My only goal for this race was to run sub 1:30.  I knew it was way downhill but I did not want to kill myself and had no idea what to really expect.

Mile 1-3:  6:24, 6:15, 6:13.  Felt good, was breathing well and was enjoying the scenary.  I started out as 3rd female and my goal became not getting passed by another female.

Mile 4-6:  5:55, 6:04, 6:09.  Still felt really good but was worried I was going too fast.  I tried to stay with Andy (from the blog) because I know for a fact I am not faster than him and that staying with him would be smart.  But of course I just could not control myself on the downhill and ended up passing him at mile 6 I believe.

Mile 7-9:  6:07, 6:07, 6:16.  Passed two guys and was feeling pretty darn good for so late in a race. 

Mile 10-13.1:  6:23, 6:50, 6:41, 6:28, 5:28:  The course flattened out with a few mini climbs.  It was tough mentally but I just kept on pushing.  Andy caught up with me at mile 12.5 and I was determined to stay close with him until the finish.  Pushed it really hard for the last tenth and felt really good.  It was a proud moment running into that shoot.  Not necessarily because of my time but because I just felt so good like I could have kept going if I had to.  (normally I feel like death at the end of a race.)

jogged a painful 2 mile cooldown with Julie!  I was so proud of Julie, that girl is amazing.  I tried to keep her in sight for most of the race but lost sight of her towards the end.  She is just awesome!!

I know that this was a very aided course and that my finishing time is not realistic.  But the good thing is I felt good the entire race.  I never crashed and my slowest mile is not too shabby like most races that start downhill and finish flat.  Overall I am proud of myself and excited about my progress.  Also my cousin ran his very first half today and finished right behind me in 1:27!!  So so proud of him.  Okay calves are sore but it is off to lagoon to walk it off. :)

After sleeping half the day away I took the dog to the track as is tradition every Sunday.  I was just going to walk but decided to test the waters and assess the damage of yesterdays leg grinder.

I slogged a painful 3 miles.  This little test confirmed that I have definitely pulled something in my left calf.  Hopefully just a muscle strain.  Miraculously my quads do not hurt at all.  My hamstrings are tender and my left calf is down right painful. 

I will ellipticize tomorrow and then reasses the damage.  I do not think this is completely due to the race yesterday but more likely a combination of the race and wearing my racing flats for too many miles last Monday. 

55 minutes of elliptical.  15 minutes walking at an incline on the treadmill.

Okay here is where you all shower me with knowledge.  I attempted to run for 1 minute at a 9mm and it was not happening.  It is not just soreness it is pain in my left calf and now shin.  I guess the good news is I felt no pain at all while on the elliptical but it is intense when running and I am afriad I have done some major damage.

I iced like it was my job yesterday and have been wearing compression sleaves as much as possible.  There is not much I can do to nurse it while at work but what to do??  I'm praying it's not a stress fracture but since I've never had one I have no idea how to evaluate pain.

45 minutes elliptical.

Ran 3.5 miles.  First 2.5 miles felt good.  In the 3rd mile I started to feel the same pain I felt Sunday.  It is bearable but gets worse the longer I go.  The pain is in my left calf and shin.  I am confident I will be okay with enough TLC.  

As suggested by Jake, Andrea, and Lily I took my first ice bath last night.  I wanted to cry for the first 2 minutes but after that it really wasn't too bad and I can definitely tell it helped.  I will do the same thing again today and if all goes okay I am still planning to make the trip to Cali for Napa Valley Ragnar this weekend.  Luckily this is just for fun and I feel no pressure at all to push the pace.

PM:  ran an easy 3 miles with the dog and felt okay.  Going to ice, roll, and heat tonight.

20 minutes elliptical

7.35 pain free running miles.  Yay!!  I think I am finally back to at least 85%.  I still feel a twinge in my left calf/shin but it is not nearly as bad as it was sun/mon.  I cannot believe how dark it is in the morning now.  This entire run was done on a 2 mile out and back by my house.  I was too afraid to face the 'big' roads in the dark alone but I did not care because I was just so happy that I felt good. :)

Off to Cali in the morning and now I feel like I can officially be excited about it.

PM:  2 miles.  It was incredibly windy but I decided to push the pace the last 800 to see if I had any pick up and was able to finish with a 6:58 pace.  Yay!  Finally feeling back to normal.

Just 4 miles at 2am before we left for Cali this morning.  We had someone drop out on our Ragnar team so I will be running an extra leg.  I am excited to have some fun. :)

Napa Valley Ragnar was a blast as all ragnars are.  I'll post all the fun stuff on my personal blog www.runningfortrevor.blogspot.com. 

I went into this race just wanting to be careful to not re-injure myself, have fun, run consistant, and did I mention have fun?  My team was short a runner so I ended up picking up an extra leg.

Leg 1:  7.8 miles  57:16, 7:21 pace.  Enjoyed this leg.  It was hilly and I was running along a lake so the headwind was pretty bad for the first 3 miles.  I did however discover the luxory of Sea level and breathing felt effortless.

Leg 2:  2.9 miles 20:56, 7:12 pace.  This was my extra leg and it flew by.  I got stopped at 2 stop lights so that was slightly annoying.

Leg 3:  6.2 miles 46:06, 7:31 pace.  After a 45 minute break I ran this leg in the dark.  I was all alone (this is by far the smallest ragnar I have ever ran) and I felt like I was going the wrong way.  But I wasn't and I finished.  Yay!

Leg 4:  6.8 miles 51:19, 7:31 pace.  I literally got zero sleep per usual in Ragnar.  The only thing I can compare this leg to is the marathon death shuffle.  I just kind kept moving my feet.

Again I'll get into more details of the race on my personal blog but I had a good time and ran a good medium-hard tempo pace the entire time.  Although I always go into Ragnar's with the main goal of "just have fun" I do feel they are great training runs and they force you to run on fatigued and tired legs.

4 easy slow miles in reno this morning before we he the road. I'll recap Napa Ragnar when I get home. Congrats to everyone who raced TOU over the weekend!!!

PM:  Ran a quick 2 miles just to ensure sea level did not completely taint me.  Man was that a luxory to run at Sea level over the weekend. :)

I took today off of work to recover from vacation.  I slept in way to late and then spent way too much time on the computer before getting my butt out the door.  It seems so much harder for me to get my workouts in when I'm not on a schedule and have all day.  Anyway I finally got going and ran 10 miles.  My hamstrings were tight the entire time and honestly if I had a cellphone or was closer to home I would have ended early.  I just kept going and they started to feel looser towards the end.  10 miles, 7:55 AP.

20 minutes elliptical.

1 ice bath. :)

I got my confirmation e-mail from Boston this morning.  Boston Marathon 2012 here I come!!

7 miles on the treadmill. 

20 minutes weights

PM:  2 miles super easy.  My right hamstring is so tight!!  Came home and iced.

brrrrr it is cold and dark in the morning and I don't like it!  5.5 miles running around in circles by my house.  My right hamstring is so tight it is ridiculous.  It will not loosen up no matter what I do.  It is like there is a huge knot that needs to be worked out.  I have never had a massage in my life but I am seriously conisdering it if this doesn't work its self out by next week.

PM:  1.5 miles at the gym, 20 minutes weights

weights (shoulders & chest), 14 minutes elliptical.

6 mile tempo run.  1 mile warm up 8:04, 4 miles @ 7:07 pace, 1 mile cooldown 8:04.  All at 1% incline.  This workout was a mini confidence booster as it felt fairly easy to maintain the tempo pace.  My confidence has been lacking since the Nebo half so I am glad to see a glimmer of hope. :)

I still think I am capable of 3:20 at SGM!!  Anyone else shooting for that time and want to work together? 

6.5 miles, 7:54 AP. I waited until 6:30am to run and it was still freezing. brrrr! Time to bust out the long sleeves I suppose.

Last long run.  First 8 miles were at about 8 minute pace and last 2 were 7:30 pace.  Overall this was not my favorite run.  My right hammy was surging so badly with pain I nearly stopped, but when I slowed down it hurt even worse so I just kept going.  I also wore my running skirt I wont at Utah Runner girls HM and chaffed like crazy.  I am just so glad I tried it out before the full marathon because that would not have been pretty.  Too bad because it is way cute.  Darn my stupid fat legs.

Anyway time to really taper and get these legs of mine feeling better.

3 miles at the track with the pup.

Taper Time.

-lots of sleep

-lots of water

-and lots of good eats!!!

No bake Peanut Butter Protein cookies

2 tbsp chocolate protein powder (you could use coco powder)

6 tbsp milk

1/3 C Splenda

1/3 C honey (agave nectar, or syrup would work too)

3 tsp vanilla

2/3 C peanut butter

2 C oatmill

Bring the milk, sugar, and protein powder to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Add in honey, vanilla, and peanut butter until the peaunt butter is melted and smooth.  Stir in the oats.

Drop by spoonfulls on waxed paper and lick the pan clean. :)  Oh so delicious and nutritous.

Happy Sunday!!

30 minutes weights.

5 miles on the treadmill, 1.5-2% incline, 7:53 AP.

30 minutes full body weights (triceps, biceps, core)

ran 1 mile on the treadmill and the stupid emergency stop came off. grrr

moved treadmills and finished up 3.3 miles, 2% incline, 7:53 AP.

2 mile warm up, 1 mile at HMP 7:15, 1 mile cooldown. Overall AP was 7:56

Slept in until 6:45am!!!!

planned to run 3 miles but I was a quarter mile away from my house so it became 3.25.  It was way too cold to want to stop and walk once I got to 3. :)  EZ pace, 8:30ish.

Abs

Foam Rolling

Stretching

Slept like crud.  Couldn't fall asleep until after 11 and then got called by work at 5am (oh the joys of being on-call 24/7).  Anyway got everything taken care of and slept in until 7.

did a 2 mile shakeout at 8:15 pace.  Apparently all of the neighborhood dogs are out at 7am.  I got chased by 5 dogs in 2 miles.  I think that is a record.

3.5 hours of work and then it is off to the races!