Running For Trevor

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!