Running For Trevor

14 miles, 7:56 pace on Murdock Canal trail with a pretty big group of awesome ladies.  Fun fun morning.  I ran the entire 14 miles with only 1 contact.....I am pretty much legally blind without contacts so this was quite the accomplishment.

10.25 miles with Josse & Janae at OHS track.  Such a memorable morning with these ladies.  We did 36 x 200 for Josse's 36th Birthday!  We were just planning a track workout but then I had the crazy idea of doing 36 x 200's and Jos & Janae were both on board so we went for it.  I loved it!

Happy Birthday Josse!

7 mile true recovery jog from my parents house on rolling hills in Saratoga Springs.  9:07 pace.  First 4 miles by myself and then I picked up my sister for the last 3.  She hasn't ran at all since October and she hasn't ever ran in the cold...I think I may have killed her!

I did not plan on spending the night at my parents house and did this run in fuzzy socks and a seriously oversized sports bra.  Fun times!

There is a small group of us meeting at Kneaders in the River Bottoms of Provo at 7am tomorrow if anyone would like to join.  8-10 miles at an easy pace.

10 lovely miles with Josse, Carina, and Rebecca 8:09 pace.  Such a nice laid back run with the ladies.  We started on PRT but it was dangerously icy so we turned around and just ran down University.  Really great morning and really made me super thankful for good friends.

7 easy miles on Murdock Canal trail with strides, 7:49 pace.  A little colder than normal this morning but it felt okay because the sun was out. :)  I'm going to miss running in the light of day so much this week.

I am feeling really good as I slowly build my mileage and I'm excited to start training for Phoenix half on March 1st.  That will be my first race of the year and then I will hopefully shift my focus to UVM.  I'll likely jump in on a few 5k/10k runs inbetween for training.  I'm excited to have something to focus on and add some purpose to my workouts.  I'd like to get more quality tempo runs/LR with fast finishes in as I prepare for Phoenix.

Treadmill tempo workout.  3 mile warm up, 7 mile progressive tempo in about 45 min/6:25 AP splits were approxiametely 6:39 (2%), 6:35, 6:31 (1.5%), 6:27, 6:22, (1%), 6:18 (.5%), 6:15 (0%), 1 mile cool down.  11 miles total in 77 minutes, 7:00 AP.  I should have stopped at 5 when my feet started bothering me but I'm stubborn and physically I felt okay and wanted to finish.  I'm going to see a podiatrist this week and toying with the idea of orthotics.  We shall see but at this point I've tried just about everything and figure between my metetarsalgia and PF custom orthotics really can't hurt...

planks/pushups

8 miles easy recovery on the Freeman's treadmill, 8:07 pace.  I am staying with a couple of teenagers while the parents are on a 2 week cruise and I think I have a new found respect for all of you parents.  I woke the kids up to get ready for school, went downstairs and did 4.5 miles, back upstairs to make sure the 14 year old got on the bus, back on the treadmill to get to 6 before stopping to make sure the 17 year old got off okay.  I was going to go outside to finish after the kids were both off to school but decided just to finish it out on the treadmill.  I must say that the convienence of having an at home gym was very nice.

I am not sure what my running will look like for the two weeks while I am staying with them but with the treadmill right there I do not think it will suffer much.  If anything I think I will start adding more doubles.  Me and my friend Julia are trading off staying with the kids so it will be a good mix of indoor/outdoor running the next two weeks.

BYU indoor track with the JJ's Josse & Janae.  Mileage is kind of a guess....but I was there for about 70+ min so it seems semi-accurate.  I am not sure why the extra lap per mile makes is SO much harder to keep track?!? haha oh well.  Quick 1-1.5 mile Warm up and then we started the workout before ROTC flooded the track 1 mile + 5 x on/off laps, 6:00, 66 average for the on's.  I didn't really time all of them but the ones I did time we were hitting 65-66 seconds.  Stayed and did a longer cooldown with Janae.

Not a great workout for me but not every workout can be great.  I had a really hard time breathing on the indoor track for some reason and all the BYU shinanagans just messes with my mojo. haha still a fun workout with the girls. :)

PM:  3 miles easy on the treadmill, 8:27 pace

AM #1:  3 miles recovery on the treadmill, 8:20 pace

planks/pushups/weights

AM #2:  5 miles easy on murdock with Josse & Cam Cam, 8:25 pace.

I found this article in Running Times on Super Training Blocks really interesting.  The science behind it seems to makes sense but I'm just not sure it's feasible unless you are running fulltime.

PM:  3.5 miles easy on the treadmill.

60 minutes easy running on the treadmill with strides.  7.5 miles.

There is a small group of us meeting at the soccer fields in north Orem tomorrow morning at 6:30am if anyone is interested in joining.

13 miles on Murdock with a big group of ladies. I felt really good today after 2 nice and easy recovery days. My body really needed those recovery miles. Jen and I threw in a little tempo on the way back 6:37, 6:30. Not to shabby for the icy conditions. In my opinion tempo's this time of year should be more effort based with less emphasis on hitting specific paces. Overall the entire run was fairly swift after the first mile. 13.38/7:26 pace. 

7 mile recovery run on Murdock, 8:05 pace.  I wore my new slip on yak traks and absolutely loved them.  I was shocked that they even fit over my hokas.  Great $20 investment.

Early morning Monday treadmill tempo workout.  11 miles, 6:54 pace.  2.5 mile warmup, 3 x 2 mile tempo with a 2 min active rest intervals at 8:00 pace + 4 x 1 min on/off.  First set was 6:22, 6:18 (1.5% incline), second set 6:18, 6:13 (1.5% incline), last set 6:10, 6:03 (1% incline).  1 min on's were all at 5:42-5:45 pace and 0% incline.  Felt good today!

Planks/pushups

PM:  3.5 miles recovery, 8:27 pace.  It felt so good to shake my stiff legs out after sitting in meetings all day long.  My biggest pet peeve about my job in Healthcare is how sedentary it is!

7.5 miles easy, 8:08 pace

Couldn't make it to BYU indoor track with the JJ's:( but still wanted to get a good speed workout in even if I was stuck on the treadmill. 1600 + 5 x 400 + 1600 with 400 recovery in between everything.  This first mile was 6:03 and felt like quite the push, all of the 400's were @10.5-10.8 (5:39 average), last mile was 5:58 and felt "comfortably hard".  It is amazing how much easier the last mile felt after doing the faster 400's.  I like the treadmill for tempo runs but not speed workouts like this because I feel like I kind of settle and don't push myself as hard as I would on the track.  Still a really great workout for me.

I'm thinking about doing the 10k in Phoenix instead of the half.  I've never really trained to race a 10k because there are really no good 10k courses in Utah and it would be kind of fun to go after that 37:xx time at sea level.

11.5 miles in the freezing cold orchards of Santaquin this morning.  First 7 with Jen, I forgot to start my watch but Jen said it was 53 minutes and then I added 4.5 more on my own.  I did a 2 mile tempo 6:30, 6:15.  Overall a fairly brisk run for the day after a hard workout.  Jen & I really suck at attempting recovery runs together.  I kind of front loaded my mileage/workouts this week because I have a pretty busy weekend so I am looking forward to some really easy jogging the next couple of days.

8 miles, 8 minute pace.  Happy Friday!

10 miles in the orchards at the lovely hour of 9am.  7:27 pace.

8.5 easy miles on murdock + strides, 7:36 pace.  Really nice and peaceful morning.  I love these runs when I can sleep in, enjoy the sunshine, and have absolutely no rush to finish.

Early morning Treamill tempo.  Copied Jake K and transitioned between AT and LT half mile continuous reps.  2 mile warmup and then 8 miles with half mile at AT (marathon pace) 6:45 average, and then a half mile at LT (10k/HMP) 6:10 average.  Last mile of the workout at LT 6:07 and then a half mile cooldown.  10.5/72 minutes.  What a workout!

Transitioning from fast to fast(er) without any real breaks was a lot tougher than I thought it would be.  I liked it!

Met at BYU to do a track workout with a big group but the outdoor track was snow packed and I just did not want to run on the indoor track.  Everyone but me wanted speed and I talked Amber D into just doing a fartlek type workout on the roads.  We just ran up University Ave and did 10 x 1 min on/off.  My watch doesn't work in the dark so everything was effort based.  I have a head cold and I did a really hard workout yesterday so I was really just along for the ride and could kind of careless about what pace I was running.  We did somewhere in the ballpark of 8 miles at around a 7:30 pace.  I'd guess I was hitting around 6:00 for the ons.

PM:  3.5 recovery miles on SF River trail, 8:28 pace

30 min upper body weights

60 min on the treadmill, 8:00 pace.  Lasting that long on the TM was a major victory for me today!

8 miles easy on Murdock with Julia, 8:15 pace.  I really needed this run with my bestest friend, I'm so thankful for her in my life.  The miles flew by and the coversation was great.  I'm going to give my body one more recovery day and then hopefully be ready for a workout on Saturday. 

I liked this article on Running Times about Scheduling a Breakthrough.  It's a long article but worth the read, below are some of my favorite take aways.

"Too often you will feel strong and be eager to push yourself harder, but you have to hold back and keep the pace comfortable and easy."

"Runners usually go at whatever pace they can sustain and think they have to push themselves during each workout, or at least sometime during the week. Slowing to a conversational pace and adding miles to the edge of your fatigue threshold, however, allows the consistent buildup in distance over a number of weeks."

"In other words, you have to get out of your comfort zone. Doing something you've done before, regardless of how hard it feels in the moment, is something your body already knows how to do, so that activity will not produce any meaningful adaptations."

10 miles on murdock with Julia, 8:16 pace.  Duplicate of yesterday except 2 extra miles....which just meant extra time to talk. :)  I loved every single second of it.

15 mile LR with Josse, Janae, and Carina with a 4 mile tempo sandwhiched in the middle. None of us were feeling it during the warmup but I actually felt really good during the tempo part...not great...but good.  6:33, 6:21, 6:19, 6:16, I pulled the plug at 4 but ended up running my 5th mile pretty fast as well as I turned and finished the workout with the JJ's. It was really cold this morning, like only 7 degrees which makes it hard in opinion to really get into a great rythm so all in all a good workout to end the week.  My endurance is totally weak but it's getting better. :)

7 mile recovery run on murdock, 8:10 pace.

Early Monday morning treadmill tempo.  I'm still pretty whipped from last week so I knew I needed to keep it simple today.  Plus I am racing a 10k on Saturday so this needs to be a bit of a cutback week for me.  2.25 mile warmup and then 5.25 mile AT tempo 6:44, 6:39, 6:35, 6:31, 6:25, sprinted out the last .25 at 5:52 pace.  2 mile cooldown.  It took me a couple of miles to get into this workout but once I got going I felt okay.

PM:  2.5 mile really easy shake out run on the SF riv trail.

7.5 miles easy, 8ish pace.

25 minutes upper body weights

Bailed on the planned track wo because I wanted to sleep in....but I couldn't sleep in anyway so I should have just went!  After I stared at the ceiling for an hour I headed to the gym for a treadmill workout.  5 x 800 + 2 x 400 with 400 recovery at a 7:53 pace between everything.  800's were all 5:56 average pace and the 400's were 5:52 pace.  I am feeling burnt out, stressed, and tired and I don't really know why...I think it is just time for Spring to come.  It seems like it's been an extra long winter this year.

Planks/pushups

8 miles easy on Murdock with Julia, Jannice, and Francis, 8:40 pace.  I felt like crap but the company was fantastic!  I think I've somehow dug myself into a bit of a hole...hopefully I can get out of it soon.

6 miles easy around Orem with the JJ's Josse & Janae, 8:32 pace.

4th year running this race that the Hale Center Theatre in Orem puts on.  It is definitely a tradition for me and I look forward to it every year.  Mostly, like the guys mentioned I look forward to the Season tickets to the hale center and the pass to Thanksgiving point.:)

Julia, Rebecca & I ran the full 10k course as a warmup.

This 6 mile race is a pretty tough course.  The first 3 miles are a gradual downhill and then you climb back up to the theatre.  Spence asked me what my plan was and I told him to go out hard and then hang on...I think he thought I was kidding...I wasn't.  Splits were 6:16, 6:08, 6:14, 6:40, 6:45, 6:18.  I'm not super happy with the way that I ran.  I basically raced the first 3 miles and then threw in the towel.  Luckily Jen came out and found me with .75 miles to go and pulled me out of my funk and I kind of pulled it back together.  I'm a little frustrated that I ran slower than last year by 10 seconds but at the end of the day a win is a win and I cannot be dissapointed about that.  I think this is the longest I have ever gone in between races (3 months) and I think I am in an okay place moving forward with my training.  I know it is no excuse but having no one to push me really seemed to effect my time on Saturday.

This raced proved to me that physically I am in good shape.  I just need to get my heart, my passion, my drive back.  I will get there!  It was really fun to be back racing and to just feel the spirit and camraderie of the running community.  I feel really fortunate to be surrounded by such positive, talented, and supportive runners that continue to inspire me.  A great day for the sojourners club with wins in all races.  Matt & Scott are just machines and both ran awesome.  Always an absolute pleasure to see Brandon, Spencer, Jen, Amber, Marie, Rebecca, JulieC, Julia, and everyone else that raced so well.  Also great to have my parents, my boyfriend, and Josse & Des out cheering on the course.  Gosh I'm a lucky girl!

7.5 easy recovery miles on Murdock, 8:05 pace.  Beautiful morning!

I probably should have skipped the Monday Tempo....but I felt good and thought maybe I'd benefit from some faster miles on fatigued legs.  2.5 mile warmup, 5 mile AT tempo 6:53, 6:48, 6:44, 6:39, 6:35, 2 mile cooldown. 9.5 total/71 minutes I felt okay and kept it pretty light but this was definitely a bit of a risk coming off of a race.  There is a fine line between getting a good workout in on tired legs and digging myself into an injury cycle/hole.  I'm still trying to learn it...  I plan on taking the next 2 days super easy and then a LR/workout on Thursday.

I really need to decide if I'm going to do the Half Marathon or 10K in Pheonix.

PM:  3 miles easy on SF river trail, 8:40 pace.  I felt so good which was weird because usually I'm exhausted on PM runs.

6ish miles on Murdock with Julia, 8:44 pace.  Slick, snowy, icy fun recovery run.:)

PM:  5 miles easy on the treadmill, 8:00 pace.

20 min upper body weights

7 miles easy on the TM, 8:00 pace.  Today it took me pandora, TV, and a magazine to slog through a TM run.

15.25 with Julia on Murdock, 8:24 pace.  2+ hours chatting away with my best friend...not a bad way to start my Thursday.  :)

Spence and Kenyan crew sightings this morning.  Nice to see so many people out and about.  Long static distance runs like todays remind me why I love running.  Sometimes it's nice to just throw the training plan out the window for a few days and run just to run!

10 miles on the treadmill, 70 min. 2.25 mile wu 3 mile tempo 6:18 average pace. Half mi break and then 2 x 1 mi both at 5:58 pace. 2 mi cool down. Tough workout on fatigued legs from the LR yesterday. I was whipped!

planks/push-ups 

What an adventure! Snowed in at Twin Falls on our way to Boise for a funeral. I forgot my yak traxs....who does that when they're going to Idaho. Anyway there was legit 3 inches of ice on the roads with fresh snow on top so running outside was not really an option. Hotel treadmill was calibrated and stuck at a 12% incline.....I made it .67 mi and realized I was risking injuring myself. Fortunately my parents understand (or just entertain) my crazy need to not function without a run and my Dad found our there was a Golds gym in Twin. Sweet! 7 miles at an 8 min pace. I asked the workers there why the don't plow the roads and they both laughed and said they do but it just keeps snowing.....welcome to Idaho! 

6.25 miles easy in Boise, ID.  8:05 pace.

3 mile wu, 6 mile tempo 6:42, 6:35, 6:31, 6:27, 6:22, 6:15.  1.75 mile cooldown.  10.75 miles/76 min.  I did not feel great today....not necessarily because the pace felt hard but I just felt unfocussed and like I couldn't ever get into a rythm.  My left shin was bothering me a bit on the cooldown so I think I'll be kind of cautious for a couple of days.

8 miles with Julia on Murdock, 8:29 pace.

9 miles with Julia on Murdock starting in PG, 8:29 pace.

PM:  3 miles in the wellness center at work during lunch.  Barely made it the 3 miles...I was starving and felt light headed by the end.

Later morning run after a 6am work meeting.  10 miles solo starting at Golds Gym on 800 north and running up Provo Canyon.  It was so nice to run up the canyon again without worrying about ice!  I did 12 x 1 min on/off on the way down and felt pretty good.  Running has been kind of off for me this week so It was nice to get some turnover going in my legs.  Ran the last mile a little faster on accident and hit a good marathon pace.  Overall pace for the run was 7:28.  A little wet out but overall a really nice morning. :)

planks/pushups

17 mile out and back on Murdock with Julia & Janice.  My endurance right now truly is pathetic!

8 miles in Las Vegas, 7:58 pace.  I usually kind of dread running in Vegas but this time I found a nice path about 1.5 miles from our hotel so it was much better because I didn't get stopped at a street light every quarter of a mile.

7 miles in Vegas on the same path as Saturday, 7:53 pace.  Windy and hot!  3rd day in a row that I kinda felt like crud running.

planks/pushups

Treadmill tempo 3-2-1 workout.  2.25 mile warmup, 3 mile tempo 6:25 average, half mile jog, 2 mile tempo 6:13 average, half mile jog, 1 mile 5:58, .75 mile cooldown.  10 miles in 69:30.  I actually felt pretty good today which was nice after feeling like crap for so many days in row.  The last fast mile was definitely a bit of a push but felt controlled and I never felt like I was overdoing it.

Upper body weights and ab workout at home.

8.5 miles in the orchards, 7:45 pace.  Beautiful morning!

8 miles with Julia on Murdock, 8:07 pace.  Another beautiful morning and great conversation with a good friend.  Running with a friend for an hour in the morning is the absolute best way ever to start the day.

3 mile warmup 1 mile @ 6:00 pace, and then right into 6 x 1 min on/off @ 5:42-5:45 pace, 2 min recovery at 8:00 pace and then 1 mile @ 5:56 pace.  2 mile cooldown.  Felt good today but pretty whipped after the workout.

PM:  2.5 mile shakeout run on the SF River Trail.  I was going so slow I was passed by a man that looked to be in his 80's.

7 miles easy recovery in the orchards, 8:13 pace.  Another really nice morning.  My legs are so fatigued and I felt like I was barely loafing around this morning.  My first mile was 9:04...it took me forever to get going.

12 miles with Rebecca in Provo Canyon.  7 miles easy, 3 mile tempo 6:11, 6:06, 6:01, 2 mile cooldown.  I felt much better than I thought I would today.  That pace felt good for 3 miles but I'm pretty sure I couldn't string it together for 80 minutes.  I really need to decide which race I am doing next weekend.  I feel like my training is more optimally primed for the 10k.....but wrapping my head around an all out 10k kind of terrifies me.  I think I just need to realize that if I decide to do the half that my race can only reflect the training that I've been doing which has lacked long tempos! 

6.5 miles easy on murdock, 7:54 pace.  Such a beautiful day!

Really early treadmill tempo.  2.25 mile warm up, .5 to ease into it at 6:44, 6:25, 6:20, 6:13, 6:00, 1.25 mile cooldown.  I did most of the workout at 1.5-2% incline except the last mile.  Felt good today!

20 minutes strength training at home.

6.5 miles easy in the orchards, 7:40 pace.  I woke up with a head cold this morning and felt like I had no energy on this run.  My boyfriend and several of my employees have been sick so I can't say I'm really surprised.  This seems to happen to me everytime I taper but I think I can fight it off by Saturday.

Off to Phoenix in the morning.  I'm looking forward to sunshine and a fun girls trip. :)

5 miles barely. Probably shouldn't have ran. Wow I am so much sicker than I realized!

7 with Julia on the canal trail in Phoenix, 8:02 pace. Energy is low but feeling better than yesterday. I think I literally slept 15 hours yesterday. I haven't been this wiped out from illness in a long time but I'm hoping I'm on the mend.

6 easy with Julia on the canal with a few strides.  Sore throat and low energy but overall feeling better than the day before.

This was not a great race for me.  But I did have a blast in Phoenix and it was a very much needed break with plenty of sleeping and being completely lazy!

My friends and I got a ride up to the start in style in my friend Chris's Limousine...that was fun!  The weather was crazy and I was sick so I didn't really know what I was going to do.  Was I going to race or was I going to run for fun with my friends?  I am not using my illness as an excuse for my performance (it was my choice to race) but it really has wiped me out and it definitely effected me.

My initial goal when I registered for this race was to run 1:21-1:22 and maintain a solid 6:15 pace.  I ran the first 3 miles at exactly 6:15 pace and that was all my body had.  I just had no energy and realized it just was not going to happen.  So I backed off to marathon pace and readjusted my goal to 1:25.......and Ahh finishing!  I averaged a 6:25-6:35 pace for the remainder of the race and barely snuck under my readjusted goal.  The only problem was I felt like I was finishing a marathon instead of just a half.  I truly had to "pep talk" myself into keep going every single mile it seemed.  When we ran into the 10K at mile 7 I found myself pacing with 10kers and all alone.  I think I momentarily even forgot I was racing...gosh it was just painful.   It was lonely and miserable and I was so happy to finish!  I'll update my splits later.  It really wasn't a tragic fall apart but I just felt awful and really hope not to feel that terrible again until I actually race a marathon.

Splits:  6:13, 6:14, 6:15, 6:30, 6:33, 6:30, 6:30, 6:30, 6:33, 6:38, 6:40, 6:35, 6:24, :48

2 mile warmup with Julia/4 mile cooldown running my friend Christina in for the full marathon.

A few notable highlights of the race:

• Watching Riley run in was AWESOME!!  Major congratulations to him.  He had such a big lead and just looked so strong.  It was so fun to cheer him on.
• Salted Caramel GU is kind of amazing.  That was the only highlight of my race.  Once that was gone it was back to my misery but seriously everyone should try this flavor.  Yum!
• The Phoenix Marathon is such an awesome race.  One of the best organized races I've ever done.  The course is great and I highly recommend it.  I really can't say enough about how well I was treated by the organizers.
• Seeing Derek and Allison out on the course was so fun.  They are both inspiring athletes and just so kind and encouraging.

It was a really great vacation and I am not too upset about the race outcome.  Sometimes you just have to do the best that your body has on that day and that is exactly what I did.  The last 10 miles I seriously wanted to DNF and I somehow held it together so I guess it was good mental practice at running fast with nothing to give.

After an early flight and 3.5 hour nap I got out for a 5 mile recovery run in the sunshine on Murdock.  Just took it nice and easy.  Gorgeous day!

30 min weights at the gym

7 miles easy from the gym on 8th in Orem up to provo river trail.  Nice and peaceful morning.  I feel so much better but I still have such low energy.

PM:  2 miles, 8:30 pace.  I got a new pair of shoes and couldn't resist taking them out for a little shake out.

7.75 miles on a new route starting around the orchards and climbing up to the downtown payson side, 7:41 pace.  It is always fun to find a new route and I am loving the sunlight the second half of my runs.  Why must daylight savings time come.:(

I am planning to take the next 3 weeks off of doing any sort of specific workouts.  I need a bit of a break mentally & physically and I have some fun things planned the next few weekends....that may not necessarily be smart training wise...but they sure will be fun!  Sometimes fun trumps smart.  I also hope to get up on the trails again now that the snow has cleared out.

March 15th - Me and the best friend are running 28 miles for our 28th Birthdays.  We are just planning a nice and easy run but 28 miles is still a lot farther than I've ever ran before so it should be interesting.  I can't wait!

March 22nd - Pacing and crewing my good friend Janice for her 100 miler on Antelope Island.

I'll start training again if I'm ready the last week of March and my next race will be Provo City Half with maybe a 5k thrown into the mix for training.  After that I'm planning to race UVM and then I will shut things down and just enjoy Summer fun running.

7 miles with Julia on Murdock, 8:14 pace.  I always love running with Julia, great conversation and the miles fly by.

7.25 in the orchards/santaquin area, 7:35 pace.

I live in such an odd place....I love it for running but it is funny the things I notice when it is actually light out.  One of my neighbors has a pet goat.  This is normal...several of my neighbors have goats in there yards and it's actually a really cute goat!  Today I realized the goat goes in and out of the house via a doggy (goat?) door.  I laughed so hard I nearly peed my pants.

10 miles on murdock with Julia & Janae, 8:05 pace.  Fun times!

10 miles easy on Murdock with Candace, Janice, Julia, and Heather.  Laid back fun run with friends.

7 miles on Murdock, 7:40 pace.

I didn't want to run alone in the dark.  Waah, waah, waah so I ran on the treadmill.  10 x 1 min on/off just so I didn't go crazy.  6 miles total in 45 min.  really really boring.

planks/pushups/lifted a few dumb bells.

6.5 with Julia on murdock.  Love my runs with her.....we will get plenty of running together on Saturday when we do our 28 but honestly I don't think we ever run out of things to talk about.

5 miles with Julia on murdock, 8:05 pace.  Enjoying the extra sleep and taper for our 28 miler on Sat.

20 min core work.

6 miles in the orchards, 7:20 pace.  So so cold!  brrrr

4 miles easy, 7:40 pace.  Up 1600 North, across State, and then down 800.  Nice little route.

28 miles with Julia to celebrate our 28 years of life! :):)  3:59, 8:31 pace.  So so much to say about this run but I think I'll save most of it for my journal and not get too cheesy on the blog.  I'm such an emotional runner and for me running is just so much more than logic, math, and physical capabilities.  It is just so much deeper and this run was so symbolic and meaningful in so many ways.  It was an absolute blast and could not have been more perfect.  I was truly sad to see it end.  The last mile was by far our fastest and I said to Julia "I feel like I could keep going forever".  When your best friend is a Pshycologist it is kind of great, she is so insightful and her response was so perfect and will resonate with me forever.  She just looked over at me and said "That's because you have so much more to give. There is no finish line today, life is a journey and your more ready than you've ever been for what lies ahead.  You feel so strong still because you are so happy and comfortable with who you are and where your going in life.  Your so ready!"

It was really just such a great experience and I'm so thankful for Julia and for my other friends that joined us along the way and made it so fun and memorable.  My sister and Mom were going to bike the last 8 miles with us but my sisters bike tire popped when they were filling it with air so she ended up running the entire 8 miles.  She hasn't ran more than 3 since May and the headwinds during the last 8 mile loop were 23-25mph.  She was about 5 minutes behind me and Julia but just kept following us and never quit.  I was so proud of her.  My Mom even went back to pick her up after 5 miles and she said she wanted to finish.

6 miles on Murdock in the sunlight, 8:05 pace.  Sore calves but other than that all systems are a go.

I slept all day besides waking up to eat candy and cake.  It was a pretty awesome recovery day!

7 miles with Julia on Murdock, 8:28 pace.  Even after 28 miles together we are not sick of each other....now that is true friendship!:)

I'm going to take it really easy all week.  My body is tired from the LR on Saturday and I just mentally need another easy week.  I think by next week I'll be ready to start some faster running again maybe.

7 miles up to Murdock on 1600, across and then back down 800 with a gym stop in the middle to pump some iron.  I got a new watch that actually works for my Birthday.  Yay!  I was so excited to run with it I ran the 2 miles up to murdock in a little over 15 minutes.  I really liked this loop....I am so bored with the out and backs on murdock.

7 miles on murdock with Julia and Janae.  Perfect morning run with friends.

9 miles in 63 minutes, 7:00 pace.  Up to murdock, out a few miles and then back down.  I definitely wasn't planning a workout this morning but I was feeling all bouncy and was just naturally running faster so I tempoed out the last 3 6:37, 6:25, 6:20.  Nothing too fancy and the last 2 are pretty aided but the effort felt really controlled so I think thats a good sign.

If anyone is looking for a good supportive shoe that is lighter weight I would like to throw out my plug for the Altra Olympus.  They are just as supportive as the Hoka (in my opinion) but you can actually run fast in them and they don't look funny. :)

5.5 easy recovery miles, 7:51 pace.  Ran up to the gym, did 20 minutes weights and then ran back down.

Headed up to Antelope Island tonight to pace my friend Janice for the 100.  I am pacing miles 70-90 and should start around 3am.  I've paced a lot but this is completely different...I'm excited and nervous!

19.5 miles pacing my friend Janice from miles 69.5 - 89 at Antelope Island! 13:14 average pace.

About a month ago Janice, Julia, and I ran 17 miles together.  At the time Janice was registered for the 50 miler and after talking about her training Julia said you should just do the 100 miler....I chimed in and agreed.  The next week she switched to the 100 miler and since we were the 2 that talked her into it we were committed to pacing her.  I'll admit I was completely nervous about this....I mean first of all I'm far from experiences on the trails and secondly what do you say to someone after they've already ran 70 freaking miles?

Julia paced Janice through elephant head and I started running with her at 3am.

Miles 1-4:  Things started out okay but after mile 1 there was an incredibly steep downhill portion.  Janice's IT band started bothering her at mile 46 so she was walking all of the downhills and running the uphill/flat.  We walked down the hill but it was so steep that it irritated her IT band so bad she could barely walk.  She was in a lot of pain and the first 4 miles of the run took us 75 minutes.  She caked her IT with icy hot took tylenol/ibuprofin and got a blessing from her husband.  Somehow after mile 4 she was able to run again.

Miles 5 - 19.5:  We ran the entire way.  There were miles clicking in between 10:00-12:30 pace and Janice never stopped.  Her breathing got a little heavy at one point and I suggested we walk for a minute.  She didn't want to.  Walking irritated her ITband more than running so we just carried on.  We talked the entire time, I reminded her to drink/fuel and really that is all I did.  She was absolutely amazing and it was seriously inspiring to see how strong she was this far into the race.  It was an absolutely incredibly experience and I was so sad to see it end as we ran into the aid station where we met her husband Greg to run the final leg of the race with her.  I finished running with her around 7:30 am and I cannot believe how fast those 4.5 hours flew by.  I am so thankful I was able to experience this and I am truly inspired by these ultra runners.  It is freaking amazing what our bodies are capable of.

Janice ended up finishing her very first 100 mile race in 22 hours and 19 minutes.  She was second place female.  She is seriously one tough cookie and I am so proud of her!

It was fun to see some FRB people out there.  I finally got to meet the famous Jen (neasts) she is adorable and it was so fun to hang out with her.  Also RAD, Kelli, and Scott W.  Congrats to Scott on his 100 mile PR.:)  I have absolutely no desire to run a 100 miler myself but it sure was a cool experience.

7 miles on Murdock in the sunshine!  7:30 pace

AM:  7 with Julia in Provo Canyon, 8:23 pace.

PM:  4 miles on Spanish fork river trail, 7:50 pace.  Beautiful afternoon!

9 miles on pipeline trail with Julia, 9:30 pace.  Trail running makes me happy! :)

9.5 miles mostly on murdock with a 5 mile progressive tempo 6:36, 6:35, 6:29, 6:24, 6:23.  I felt completely out of shape but I've got to start somewhere...

I tripped on a pot hole and fell kind of hard in the first half mile of my run today.  I knew I was bleeding but I wanted to finish the run so I did and then headed to the clinic once I got to work since I couldn't dislodge the rock stuck in my right hand on my own.  I'm glad I didn't try too hard on my own because Dr. Daly had to get out all sorts of tools to remove the boulder from my hand.  She stitched me up, gave me a tetnus shot, and I still made it to Managers meeting by 9am. It was a busy morning for me!

7 miles with Julia mostly on bonneville shorline trail and then we finished up on murdock once it got too muddy.  Pelting hail up on bonneville but we had a good time.

My hand is healing well from the fall yesterday....I just can't put pressure on it or do pushups until I get the stitches taken out next week.  Darn!

8 miles with Julia on Murdock, 8:06 pace.  No stitches, hail storm, or mud today...but there was a nice light snow fall for the last mile. :)

6 miles easy with Amber 8:03 pace, 5 mile tempo solo 6:21, 6:11 (I got WAY too excited when I saw the Kenyan guy pack and went too fast this mile) 6:08, 6:13, 6:18.  3 mile cooldown with Amber 8:15 pace.

This week was kind of a test to see where I'm at moving forward with my training.  My speed is there and my endurance is there but just not together. haha!  I felt like I was hanging on hard that last mile and obviously fell off pace a bit.  But I'm optimistic as my goal race (UVM) is exactly still about 10 weeks out.

7 miles on murdock, 7:28 pace.  WINDY!

15 minutes weights

7.5 miles with Julia, 8:22 pace.  Heavy leg syndrome this morning!

PM:  3 miles easy on SF river trail, 8:00 pace.  I always have a hard time starting these PM runs but once I get going I always feel fine.

11.5 in the orchards with 2 x 3 miles, 7:03 pace.  I wanted the first set to be a comfortable marathon pace and the second set a little faster with really hammering the last mile.

#1:  6:41, 6:16, 6:28 - this looks ugly but it is course adjusted.  First mi gradual uphill, second mile gradual downhill, last mile flat.

#2:  6:29, 6:22, 6:02 - conservative start but I was really able to push that last mile which felt good.  I'd like to say it was comfortable but it kicked my butt.

I'm making progress.  I'm frustrated with how uncomfortable running fast feels right now but I think I just need to get more comfortable with feeling uncomfortable!  Also the wind was a major issue this morning.  It was relentless.

6.5 miles with Julia on Murdock, 8:11 pace.

PM:  4 miles PRT in the snow, 7:52 pace.

Weights

8 miles, 7:19 pace.  15 x 1 min on/off on the TM.  2 mi wu, 4 @ 5:58, 4 @ 5:52, 2 @ 5:49, 2 @ 5:45, 3 @ 5:42, recovery @ 8:12-8:19, cooldown.  HARD!

6.5 miles on SF River trail with my sister & Julia, 9:12 pace.  Super chill and fun recovery run that I really needed after 2 hard workouts this week.  If anything I felt like I held my sister back this morning.  She is in really good shape right now and I even convinced her to run a half marathon this year.

50% off Provo City Half on Groupon today 

15.5 miles on the Utah Valley Marathon course.  Julia and I ran miles 7-22 of the UVM course starting on the hills outside of wallsburg.  It was a really great run and I hope to do this at least 1-2 more times before the race.  Those hills are always tougher than I give them credit for but I really do love the rolling changes and nature of the course.  We took the first 9 miles easy and then both started our tempos 6:08, 6:17, 6:18, 6:09, 2.5 mile cooldown. 

8 miles mostly on pipeline trail, 8:30 pace.  I have terrible luck with the trails lately...whenever I run on them it rains.  Every single time. haha!  Still a nice relaxing Sunday run.

8 with Julia on murdock, 8:15 pace.  We were mutually feeling heavy leg syndrome, tired, and weekend hangovers. Always glad to have a friend to run with on mondays.  Mirsery loves company!

Rebecca's husband was nice enough to drive Jos, Julia, Ericka, Rebecca and I up to south fork of Provo this morning.  We did a 2 mile warmup and then all kind of spread out and started our own workouts.  I was planning to do 3 x 2 miles but after 2 miles I felt really good and decided a nice 6 mile progressive tempo would boost my confidence more than the 3 x 2.  I've really been struggling with pacing for some reason lately so the main focus this morning was to start conservatively.

6:44, 6:25, 6:22, 6:14, 6:05, 5:53

After I finished I cooled down back to Julia & Ericka and finished there workout with them.  I asked them what pace they wanted and they said 7:10.  They did a 7:09 1st mile and then I really pushed them the 2nd mile and they stayed with me so I kind of kept pushing and we hit 6:48.  12 miles total all on the PCHM course.

Core work and IT rehab after.

AM:  7 mile recovery run on bonneville shoreline trail via 1600 north in Orem with Janae, Josse, Jessica, Julia, and Rebecca 9:14 pace.  Beautiful morning!

PM:  3.5 easy on PRT, 8:13 pace

AM #1:  7.5 in the orchards with 10 x 1 min on/off intervals, 7:24 AP.  Just effort based for the intervals...I have no idea what paces I hit but they felt hard enough.

AM #2:  3 mile recovery run with Julia and her pups on Bonnneville Shoreline trail via Y mountain trail head, 10:35 pace.  Perfect morning to be out in the sunshine!

6.5 mile recovery run in Provo canyon with the sisters Julia and real sister Amber, 9:07 pace.  These Friday runs are becomming my favorite.  My body loves it's recovery and my mouth loves the 1 hour chit chat.

UVM course with Julia & Amber.  First 9 easy ~7:55? pace.  5 mile tempo starting at Bridal Veil.

6:33, 6:25, 6:19, 6:13, 6:08 - Scott and Brandon were nice enough to stick with me and help pace me the last 2 miles of this tempo.  They were just 'cooling down'. :)

3 mile cooldown.  17 total.  Fun morning.

6 miles easy on murdock, 8+ min pace.  Windy!

AM:  10 miles with Julia & Janae mostly on pipeline trail, 9:13 pace.  Windy again.

PM:  3 miles + strides on SF river trail, 8:01 pace.

3 x 2 mile workout with Jen, Amber, and Melissa on the Orchard loop in Payson.  This route is tough because it starts/finishes on gradual uphills. But the consistency is nice.  We were all kind of tanked after the first 2 sets so we skipped the half mile uphill on the last set and just did 1.5.

6:17, 6:00

6:11, 5:58

6:30, 5:59

11 total, 7:10 pace.  Jen dropped me hard on every single set.  She is in GREAT shape and I'm so excited for her to race Grandmas.

7 mile recovery run on Bonneville Shoreline with a big crew, 9:03 pace.  Perfect morning up on the trails.

9 miles in the orchards with Jen & Amber, 7:29 pace.  Plan was 10 x 1 min on/off.  I was completely falling off the pace and feeling toasted after 8 so I called that good.  My fast twitch muscles are learning to fire this week with all the chasing after Jen hughes I've been doing.  That said I need to be smart and am glad I pulled the plug.

7.5 mile recovery run on SF River trail with my Sister, Jen, and Amber, 9:01 pace.  Beautiful morning!

17 miles in Hobble Creek Canyon with Jen, Rebecca, and Janae.  I did a 6 mile tempo on the way down the canyon 6:22, 6:16, 6:15, 6:14, 6:13, 6:13.  I wanted more tempo miles but I was pushing the pace a bit on the last mile so I called it good with 6.  Not really a great run for me.  I was feeling fatigued but I got some really good training in last week and was running on pretty tired legs.

7 miles easy on murdock, 8:04 pace.  Sunshine!

9 miles on Pipeline trail with Janae & Kristen, 8:57 pace. I kind of love trails!

Early morning Track workout at Salem HS with the South County Crew.  We had a big group this morning including Mack, Aubs, Melissa, Scott, Jen, & Amber.  Everyone kind of doing there own workout.  Jen was doing 20 x 400 which sounded completely awful.  I was late and so everyone was already into the workout when I got there.  2 mi wu

3 x 800:  2:56, 2:55, 2:54 (400 active recovery)

6 x 400:  85, 83, 84, 84, 84, 83 (200 active recovery)

I was really discouraged with this workout initially but I think it is my first time on the track this year so it's really no surprise that I felt a little rusty.

8 miles with Julia on murdock, 8:26 pace.

PM:  3 mile shuffle around the SF River trail, 8:10 pace.  Nice night.

10 miles in the orchards with Jen and Amber, 7:24 pace.  The orchards are in full bloom right now and smell so good.  It was an absolutely beautiful morning with a gorgeous sunrise.  Easy pace with strides with Jen and the last mile fast 6:16 pace.

8 recovery miles on SF river trail with my sister, 9:07 pace.  Jen & Amber joined us for the first loop.  I think I could literally run at that pace and talk to my sister all day long...maybe we should do a 100 miler together and try it out. ;)

20.5 miles on the UVM course, 7:10 pace. Starting 1 mile into Wallsburg and finishing at the finish line. Pretty miserable conditions today. I did 5 mi easy with Janae, Rebecca, and Josse and then started a tempo 6:56, 6:28, 6:35, 6:33, 6:34, 6:31, 6:30, 6:28, 6:35. I wanted 10 but my legs were done at 9. I did however keep a fairly steady pace until the finish because it was pouring and I just wanted to be finished. Soaking wet and my feet were not happy.

7 recovery miles in the orchards, 8:06 pace

8 miles on the hilly route in Salem with Jen, 7:25 pace.  Finished off at Salem HS with a few strides.  For the first time this year I am finally getting excited about racing/running.  I've spent the first 4 months kind of just going through the motion so it's nice to feel a little motivation.

Planks/pushups

9 miles in the cold orchards with Jen & Melissa, 6:56 pace.  3 mile tempo + 8 x 30 second on/off intervals.  6:16, 6:10, 6:03

I've had 3 pretty hard runs in the last 4 days and my legs were crying for some easy adaptation days by the end of today's run.

A friend sent me this quote this morning and it really resonated with me.

"I recall the day when I realized that I had become a runner because I had come to contentment in knowing, in deep honesty, that I wasn't running away from anything or toward anything, but was instead running WITH something.  That day I felt from the soles of my feet straight through that I wasn't running through the forest; I was that part of the forest that was running.  Just like that, today, I also see that I do not run to find meaning to life, but that instead the meaning of life runs through me."  Joseph Campbell

7 mile recovery run on SF river trail with my sister, 9:04 pace.  Lily sighting!

PM:  2 mile shuffle no watch.

7 miles in the orchards with Jen + strides, 7:10 pace.

6 miles on SF river trail with my sister, 8:46 pace.  Provo City Half Marathon tomorrow.  I'm pretty darn sure I'm not in as good of speed shape as I was last year for this one but I'm excited nonetheless.  It should be a fun day!

This was a really awesome 7 mile race for me...and a 6.1 mile progressive melt down.  The only thing consistent for me so far in 2014 is that I kind of consistently suck and I consistently start out at what I was capable of in 2013 instead of 2014.  This is a good lesson for me in realizing that I need to race where I'm at now instead of what I want.

 I most definitely started out too fast and ended up running exactly what I thought I was capable of this year (my pre-race projection was 1:22-1:23) but it was oh so very ugly.  I felt fantastic the first 7 miles of the race like wow maybe I swallowed some magic beans or something...it was all unicorns and glitter!  I ran behind Jen...knowing she is in much better shape than me right now...yet I stuck close to her anyway.  Maybe I was faster than I thought?  dun, dun, dun......I know this was dumb but I did feel really good.  My breathing was not labored, and I felt like maybe I could go even faster! hahaha!  Things started to get a little harder at mile 7 and then by mile 10 there wasn't a positive affirmation I could tell myself to get my body to move faster.  I am mentally strong but what happened Saturday was a complete physical bonk.  It was almost something I haven't really ever experienced in running to this degree...at least not in running just a half marathon.  I tried mile dedications, I tried every shiny mantra I could think of....but the bottom line is my legs quit working and there wasn't anything I could do about that.  When the legs quit working eventually the brain will follow and by mile 11 I was checked out.  My only goal became getting to those dang balloons that meant I could quit moving my body.  Eventually the end did come and I was ever so grateful!

Splits:  6:11, 5:59, 6:15, 6:02, 6:04, 6:09, 6:13, 6:21, 6:25, 6:28, 6:39, 6:33, 6:33...sprinted in at a whopping 6:18 pace!

Ran a 2 mile warm up and then a 4 mile cooldown with my sister.  I was planning on a super slow cool down but my sister wanted to jump in on the 5K and when Amber races she means business.  I trotted behind her and tried to keep up.  19 miles with zero fluids...I practically thought I was going to faint by the end and was so happy to see water I could have hugged a volunteer.

Lots to learn from this one but I'm still in the process of figuring that lesson out so I'll leave the report at this.  I love running and I love hanging out with runners but gosh I did not love this race!

6 miles in the orchards, windy!

7.5 with Jen & Amber in Salem, 7:59 pace....well not exactly with Jen--she took the hilly route because she felt good and wanted to push the hills and Amber and I took the flat route and included walking breaks.  Windy!

I think what I'm experiencing may be a bit of a hole....Jen wants to do 30 x 300's tomorrow.  Did we run the same race Saturday?

PM:  2.6 miles for my brother Trevor's 26th birthday! :(

7.5 miles with my sister on the river trail, 8:49 pace.  This week is going to be a total wash without any workouts.   I'm already feeling in a hole and pushing myself would only be burying myself deeper.  Good thing I really love my sister and her pace! :)  She's going to get in good shape this week.

7.5 with Josse & Rebecca in the rain, 8ish pace.  Running is a funny thing.  Last week I felt smooth, fast, and fit as a fiddle.  This week I feel out of breath and like an elephant that is dragging two large tree trunks behind me. :-)

11 miles looping from Payson - Santaquin - Genola - West Mountain - Payson, 7:40 pace.  Beauitful morning with some seriously sweet views up on the peak of the trail head in Genola.  I think the doctor is ordering at least 3 more easy days for this ole body of mine!

10 miles on SF river trail with my sister and Julia, 8:47 pace.  Today was Amber's new distance PR.  She rocked it and her last mile was her fastest. :)  It's been kind of fun to see her actually get a little excited about running.

13 miles with Julia in Provo Canyon, 8:14 pace.  Fun fun times with the bestest friend.  We took a little random hike in the middle of the run.

7.5 miles in the wind.  It was oh so very windy.

10.5 miles with strides with Mack, Jen, and Amber in Salem, 7:31 pace.  Saw a sign this morning that said "Watch for joggers".  I just love Salem! :)

AM:  6.5 mile wu and then 3 x 1 mile repeats on the track with Josse & Rebecca. 6:08, 6:09, 6:07 My goal for the workout was 6:10 but I was hoping it would feel easier.  The wind was really kind of awful and it probably messed with me more mentally that it should have.

PM:  My work conference got out early and after sitting and eating all day long I really needed to get outside.  4 miles on Pipeline, 8:35 pace.  Beautiful afternoon!

7.5 mile recovery with my sister, Jen & Amber on the SF river trail, 8:55 pace.

AM:  10 miles in Provo Canyon with Rebecca, 7:25 pace.  We did a 3 mile cutback starting at mile six 6:40, 6:26, 6:04.  I'm going to try and kick my mileage/intensity up a notch the next two weeks and see how my body responds.  I've been fairly uncomitted with this marathon training - I think a combination of lack of passion + lack of speed.  But I've got 2-3 weeks to pull it together so I'm going to do my best!

PM:  2.5 mile slog around my house.

7 with my sister, 9:04 pace.  Amber is pretty sick and I have a kind of awful ear infection that seems to have zapped my energy.  Together we were completely pathetic.  It was however a beautiful morning and we picked up a snail for my nephew on the trail. :)  In case you were wondering yes I did run with a snail in my hand for 1.5 miles and I kept it alive.  I'm so talented!

Good luck to everyone racing Ogden tomorrow!  I'll be up there running the first half relay style and look forward to cheering everyone in.

I had an absolute blast running the relay.

I paced my friend Amber for the first 7 miles of the relay.  Her goal was 6:50 and I believe we finished with a 6:55 AP.  I thought I might be able to make up some time in my leg but apparently I think I'm faster than I really am...  The course from mile 7-13 was a little tougher than I anticipated and I was completely tanked by the end.  All I remember thinking as I ran into the half way point was thank goodness I'm not running the full!  I did not restart my watch but I think my AP was probably around 6:35 for my portion.  I wanted a MP workout so this definitely served it's purpose but dang it felt about a million times harder than MP.  I'm super frustrated honestly that running fast feels so forced.  I feel like I'm putting in the workouts and training well but I'm just not feeling fluid at all.

That said this day was not about me.  It was about supporting my friends who were running the full and I had a blast running all of them in.  It was a really tough day for a lot of people and as I sat waiting for my friend Jen I was completely humbled by the peserverence of so many runners.  It was a hard day for a lot of people and as the time was approaching noon the heat was fairly defeating.  I cheered at mile 25 from about 11:30am until noon high fiving runners and just soaking it all in.  People can say what they want, and I realize this is open to criticism but in my opinion running a 5 hour marathon takes a whole heck of a lot of determination.  It is in no way shape or form easy to be on your feet for 5 hours.  I wont say it's easier to run a sub-3 hour marathon than a 5 hour marathon.  That is just like trying to compare trail running to road running.  But it definitely opened my eyes quite a bit and gave me a greater appreciation for running and how it brings so many people at different levels of the sport together all reaching for a common goal.  "We're all in this together."

Slogged through 6 miles, 8:36 pace.  Walked 1 mile to get home after 6 because I could not fathom the idea of running 1 more.  Slept all day!  Apparently cheering at the Ogden marathon all day really wiped me out.

10.5 with Jen in Salem + strides, 7:24 pace.

Jen gave me a good pep talk this morning and talked me off of my downward spiraling ledge.  Thank goodness for her for helping me to see the bigger picture and realize that this funk/sub-par streak of performances will pass as long as I stay consistent.  She reminded me of when she went through a similar funk last Summer and how she see's it in her track/XC runners often.  As long as I'm not injured or overtraining which I don't think I am I should come out of it.  I just need to focus on my mental game and stay consistent.  I'm going to get some routine blood work done this week just to rule out anything major being off.

PM:  3 miles easy on SF river trail, 8:14 pace

5 mile tempo + 5 x 1 min on/off in the orchards with Jen, Amber, and Melissa.

2.25 mi wu

6:40, 6:39, 6:30, 6:14, 6:03, about 10 min easy and then 5 x 1 min on/off just effort based.  cool down back to my house.  11 total....hard workout and I felt wrecked by the end.  Still feeling off but I'm just going to trust the process and keep going through the motions.  Lots of hard workouts on top of high mileage so part of it is probably somewhat normal...or at least thats what I'm telling myself. :)  Going to keep on keeping on!

9.5 miles with Julia on Murdock, 8:17 pace.  I don't feel like I was pushing the pace at all but glad to see that she's recovering from Ogden Marathon well.

PM:  4 miles with strides, 7:51 pace.  Ran to the city building to drop off my power bill and back home.

7 mile hilly route in Salem, we really pushed the hills + 1 mile marathon pace 6:31 + 4 x 400's 200 recovery in between.  I didn't time the 400's I just kept my watch going with overall time.  I've realized that timing them gets in my head and I run just as fast and smarter when I don't time them.  Jen did time hers and hit 83-85 and I was probably ~5 seconds behind her so right where I wanted to be.  I felt really strong today...that was a rare and nice feeling!  10.5 total, 7:18 pace