Sock tans

So, I didn't feel like going to the game, so I met Tomy, Bill, Natalie, Chris, and Abigail to go on a run. Long run. It was not one of my best days.

The others wanted to go on a 12 miler to get their miles up, but in my head I was thinking more of an 8-10 miler. But I knew a 12 miler wouldn't hurt. It would also help get my miles up higher, and then I wouldn't have to do so much at the end of the week. 

So we ended up doing our run to the Cottonwood Complex, with a small detour to Bill's old house or something I don't really know. To the Complex, out along kind of what we did a little while ago, then a huge detour back to the same house to pick up Bill's sweatshirt. Then we ran along 11th E. to 9th S. I was behind them, and Just caught them at 9th and was thinking YES I am done....but then I thought I must've taken a wrong turn or something. They had run a little down 9th and back up to make it even. I ran with Bill up the hill and did almost a full lap to make it even. The hill wasn't as bad as I thought.

 The first 2 or 3 miles I felt sick to my stomach. 3rd and 4th mile were just dandy. Then my legs decide to start hurting. They were so stiff!!! Natalie was complaining about her calves and mine were dying as well. We stopped at that green thing in the Complex and stretched. It felt good. But I wasn't all the way ready when we started. It was certainly nice to stop. 

2nd half was hard for me. My legs were just so tired and when I would try to keep up with them I felt like we were going really fast, when really we were going at 7:51 pace. I guess its about time that they start hurting, with all of the intense workouts I've been doing. Like long runs. I did my first 10 miler just a couple weeks ago. Maybe a month. And now I'm doing lots of them. At least 1 a week. Minimum. Ha.

I just felt dead. I was on my own all along 11th. And 11th went on forever. I thought it was never going to end. When I thought I was really close, it was actually more like a mile and a half farther. Very discouraging. 

Good smells and bad smells. Good: food!!!!!! and lots of them!!! Bad: Smokers, dirt, and so on.

Maybe tomorrow my legs will feel better. I hope. It's speed I believe. Yippee!! I get to look forward to that! ;) 

And lots of slugbugs, bingos, bingo houses, bingo fire hydrants, cars, and so forth. You can tell how bored we can get on long runs.

So today was speed. I did not do well. 5 1000s. 2 miles warmup, mile speed changes. Then we did a lap and started the 1000s. The first one was good. 3:41.5. 2nd one good as well. 3:41. Third is when I died mentally and it went downhill. I kinda just didn't wanna do it. I got a 4:13. 4th wasn't much better. 4:12. 5th I started too slow and then on the last lap picked it up a lot and STILL got 4:12. my calves were still really tight, but not as much as yesterday. I stretched them a lot during recovery time, and it helped. I got a side ache third one. I think having races on the weekend motivates me, and when there aren't any, i don't do well. I'll just have to act like there's a race i guess. 1 lap recovery, then stood for the rest of the time. 7 laps cool down.

It is officially outdoor season!!! 

Man, today the weather was just plain old crappy!!! The wind was blowing during the first part with everyone. We started at the track. We did 2 laps warmup, and then tons of drills. then we did our big lap drills where we go around the track to the other side, do a drill for 50 meters, then stride for 50 meters, then run up and down the bleachers until we get to the end, which brings us back to the starting place. We did that 6 times???? I don't really know. 

Then I went on a run with Natalie, Bill, Tomy, Abigail, and Chris. We went up sunnyside, to foothill, along foothill aways, then we went up by Red Butte Garden, and then some crazy way. I think we went through the U campus. I wasn't paying much attention at this part. I almost got lost several times. Then I was all alone because I fell back, and I did the shriners run back to the track, hoping that it was what I was supposed to do. The weather picked up a lot. It went from wind to hail. It was a blizzard. I got really mad at the wind and started yelling at it to stop. It didn't listen to me. I was bored. I think people thought I was crazy. 

 I thought I was done and I was covered in snow when I got back, but I had to do 2 laps and to the numbers and back to make it to 10. It was cold. Trying to text afterward was nearly impossible. 

I seriously hope it doesn't snow again. I'm done with it. Bill and Tomy called the hail something else. haha

I have been really tight lately. Walking was hard for me earlier, and then in my house I had a hard time walking, and going up the stairs made me super tired. My calves are really, really stiff and sore. Same with my hips. I think i did a bit better than yesterday, but I hope that tomorrow isn't gonna be as big of a struggle. 

I had a weird dream last night where the whole team was lined up and there were huge machines that had windows on them so you could see inside, and you would drop a coin into the first machine, and watch it go through the machine, and then if it came out on the other side then you'd move on to the next one. We all took turns doing this. I was in the middle of watching my coin go through machine 6 when I woke up. I think Bill's coin collection is getting to me. 

Amazing day today!!! I am so happy!!! I honestly have no idea where it came from. We did 1 vertical lap (i'm liking 1!) and then stretching circle, and drills along the hall. Then we did wall sits and step-ups. On the first step-up set i did my normal pace. Then Bill was like "get to 40" and I was like "okay" but I really didn't think I could. I got 28 on the first one, but I wasn't trying as hard as I could. I tried a bit harder the next one and got 39. I wasn't going at my fastest, so now I know I can do it. :)

Then Distance went on a run. I went with Abigail, Natalie, Tomy, Bill, and Chris. We did a mixture of the cemetery loop run and the shriners run. We went along 13th to the cemetery, and then did a lap in there, and went up to guardsman and did the shriners run from there. 

I got tired from the hill in the cemetery, but then Tomy told me to breathe in through my nose and out my mouth, and so I did, and it actually calmed my breathing down and I felt alright!!! Thanks Tomy!

Then when we got into that parking lot just by guardsman and that stoplight, Abigail and I were falling back a bit, and she said "lets catch up to Bill and Natalie." So I did. Then we went through the U campus, and I just tried to keep up with them. Then we went along that alley and it didn't feel so bad. So i kept up with them. Then came that awful hill...and I just focused on my breathing like Tomy had said to in the cemetery, and it worked for the first bit, but then it got harder to keep that pattern as it got steeper, and it was a freaking long hill. I had that sick feeling near the top where its like 'I'm gonna throw up' so I backed off a bit. Natalie and Bill were now ahead of me, so all the way along that one road way up there that the fire station is on I just tried to catch up to them. i could see them. Then they started to get farther away, and my motivation now was "catch up to them or you'll get lost." that got me to pick up my speed again. Then the fire station came, and it was finally downhill!!!! Of course we were gonna have to come back up it, but I was focused on being positive. 

Then we turned around at the 5 mile mark, and I still hadn't caught up to them, but now that I think of it, I don't think was even close. I bet i was still going a bit slower than them. But I was motivated on the run, and that's all that matters right? Then by the fire station I told myself "all downhill from here!" (except for the little uphill part :) haha I didn't tell myself that!) I pushed on all of the downhills, and opened up my stride a bit, and focused on my arms and fast turnover for the other parts. I pretended that the slightly uphill parts and straight parts were downhill and still pushed. I then remembered "oh! cemetery loop!" and turned and went to the cemetery and did a loop there. Bill and Natalie ended up doing 2 laps, and I finished my one before they finished 2, and so I went out before them, but waited at the light. Great excuse to stretch, until Bill came and said to turn. Ug.

I pushed to keep up with Bill and Natalie along 13th back to the school. I thought they were going pretty fast, but maybe I was just going slow. I don't know.

Then I did a lap around the field and parking lot with Bill to make it to 10. 

Food day thursday!!!! Wendy's crunchy crispy chicken wrap!!!! (I think that's what it's called.) :) Yummy!!! 

Speed. At the oval. We did a mile warmup, stretched, did another mile, and a mile speed changes. Then we did a mile and 2 sets of 4 400s. On the mile I felt like we were going too fast, but got like a 6:13. Same with the 400s. What is it about me that thinks we we are going too fast when in reality we are going too slow? That's been happening to me this past week. Am i just slow?

the 400s were just plain horrible. I did good on the first one, but then sucked on the 2nd and 3rd one, then got really mad that I was going so slow and did okay on the 4th one. 5th one I didn't do so well. 6th one I did okayish, and then 7th one didn't do well, and last one was okay. I can't remember some of my times, but it went something like 1:20, 1:34, 1:36, 1:25, ?, ?, 1:32, 1:28. I think. ???? We did 2 laps in between each set.

Then we did 7 laps cool down to get to 10. 

It was really annoying though because the speed skaters had races going on and they set up the mini bleachers in lanes 2 and 3, and then tons of people would stand in lane 1. We had to move around them. Then on the 400s people wouldn't move out of lane 4 when you yelled "lane 4!!!" a million times really loud, and then you had to move around them. Annoying.

On the 400s I would do good on the first 200, then slow down on the next 100, but then push on the last 100 because I didn't want to be THAT far behind. I really don't know why, but I feel REALLY slow. I just wish it could've been a good day like yesterday. BUT ONLY 8 MILES TOMORROW!!!! YAY!!!! 

I wasn't feeling too good today, mostly because I ate breakfast right before the run. We met at the Highland parking lot, and did a crazy run I don't remember at all. We just kinda went wherever Bill told us to go along the way.

When we got near the end of the cemetery was when I started to feel not so good, and I focused on trying to stay with the group. I slipped. I got caught trying to cross a street that they were able to with what seems like no difficulty, and stood there for 2 or 3 minutes. Such a waste. I REALLY lost the group at that point, and just went where I thought I was supposed to go. I thought wisely.

Then I saw them in sugarhouse park at the end, and my first thought was NO!!!! But then I realized that negative thoughts were not the answer. So I started to make those thoughts positive.

8 miles, felt really nice after all of those 10 milers and one 12 miler. 

Tomy said along the run, talking about dogs that were walking around, "Those dogs are in the middle of the street!" (This is when I was just falling off of the group) I looked at the group, and then the street, and, well, so were we. But I didn't say anything.