Sock tans

Hill week. Change that I to an E and you get a glimpse of what it really is. We went to JCC and did that trail. It was my first time doing that and I have got to say it SUCKS. So we go up a huge hill right at the first, and what do we do after that? We pick up baseball size rocks and run with them for at least a mile and a half. You know what I thought? Screw this. I ran a mile with them and completely died, and I fell off of Bill, Dakota, and Caden. Then I tried to run again, and about a quarter mile later I gave up and chucked the rocks at the ground. After that, I felt so much better. it was so much easier. Then when I am finally feeling good, I get to the 3 mile mark, and everyone around me turns around and goes back, and I still had to do another mile out and back. It was really hard to keep going when everyone around me goes back and do less. It was so tempting to go back with them. Then I keep going and finally I get to turn around and then it's uphill again, when the only thing that kept me going was thinking that it would be all downhill from there. So that was hard as well. But I hadn't even gotten to the bad part. We did a huge, terribly long, steep hill that was nearly the death of me 10 FREAKING TIMES and when I got there everyone was already almost halfway done with theirs. So yeah, at the end i ended up doing 2 of them ALL BY MYSELF and you know how hard it is to get yourself to keep going when no one is there to keep you distracted and encourage you? VERY HARD. Then I ended up running by myself the rest of the way back, which was downhill thank goodness, but was forever long, way too long and it felt like it would never end. This year is the first time I will actually do all of hill week. And it was my first time on JCC. We're not friends. JCC makes pipeline look like my best friend. And those who actually read this blog might know how much I dislike pipeline, depending on what we do. I'm soooooo not excited for the rest of this week.

So today we went to pipeline. It actually wasn't too bad. We did the switchbacks. I tried to keep up with Tomy, and I was able to for the first few, but then I fell of him, and soon Bill was right behind me, right when I tried to walk a tiny bit. So I couldn't. He was saying "1 more minute and it's easy" and so that's what kept me going. Then there was another hill and he was like "it's only a bump and then it's easy, there are 2 parts to it: 60 meters of uphill, 20 meters of flat, then 20 meters of uphill again." I made it up the first part okay, but then I got to the 2nd and my mind got the best of me. I looked at that hill, and my first thought was "this is too much" and I slowed way down. Then about halfway I realized if I could make it up all of those switchbacks and the first part of that hill then this part should be easy, so I snapped back into it and continued on. And Bill was right. It was easier after that hill. Too bad I had let him pass me and get away, so I was running by myself. When I recovered I started to go a little faster in hopes of catching up again, but I never did. I got to the road, and I remember Bill saying go up a mile and then turn around and go back, so I did. Then I felt so much better coming back, so I picked it up a bit more. Then I got to the downhills and I felt like I was flying! Although I was slightly nervous that I would fall flat on my face :0 But then when I got to the normal trail I went 1.5 miles out and came back to get to 11.

AM:

We did the puke hill run up in the big cottonwood canyon. I started out with Dakota and Caden. We went up the hill to the switchbacks, and already my calves were absolutely killing me. The tightness type of pain in them is back. :( They haven't hurt that bad since indoor track season. The switchbacks were not pleasant. Then came that horrible uphill, and it was soooooooo steep. I couldn't believe it! My calves were hurting so bad at this point that I had to stop and stretch them, which I found nearly impossible on that hill, so I just stuck with the long stride lunge type things up the hill for a bit :0 Then I ran to the top after stretching them for a bit.

It was better after that. I really enjoyed the flats and downhills. They were great! our group formed once we reached a certain point. It went on a trail after that rocky road. We had a great, long single file line! The bikers were probably really annoyed ;) Then we reached yet another hill and I was about to collapse at the sight of it, I really did NOT want to run up any more hills. But by that point Bill had caught our little group and would not let me quit. I was irritated at the time but now I look back and i'm really glad he made me run the entire hill. Thanks Bill! Then came more and more uphills and my calves started killing again, and so I stopped to stretch them, but in the meantime lost the group. I had a rough time on the hill all by myself though. Luckily it was about a half mile to the turn around point, where the group was waiting!!! yay they waited!!

That was a really pretty view! Bill at one point said "make sure shoes are tied" so I untied my shoes and retied them very slowly to waste more time. Eventually Bill realized what I was doing and told me to hurry up :)

Then we started back the way we came. There was so much uphill I couldn't believe it! When you're going downhill sometimes you don't notice how much of it there is, but wow, I was amazed. I fell off the group, then went really slow the rest of the run. At one point I caught up with Dakota, but he was walking, so I walked a bit with him, but then continued on. I tried to finish. Finally got to the now downhill part and finally finished!!!

12 miles

PM:

I met Patrick and went for a run with him. I ran a mile over, then Patrick joined me and we just did a run around our neighborhood. After about 3 miles I was sweating so bad in the heat and I was so worn out from earlier, and my calves had started hurting again, just not quite as bad as earlier, so we stopped and stretched. Then we finished our run, I got to 5. 

AM:

Today was at the cottonwood complex. We went to some park thing from there and ran around there for while for warmup, then we did a hill loop thing 10 times. Then we ran a ways and then I got lost...I decided to wander around the park for a bit, but then I still couldn't find them, and I knew that eventually they were going to go back, so I did. THere I found everyone waiting for me...:0

Then we did Bessie. We went up to the fence, then 1 minute of rest, then back down, 1 minute of rest. We did that 4 times. By now I really felt crappy. I just tried to finish. Then on the last one I gave it all I could, and I did okay on that one...

Then I did 1.5 miles cool down with Kiley, Caden, and Sarah. I then realized after everyone was done how much I'm gonna have to do the rest of this week, and it's girl's camp too so... it'll suck. I'll probably do a bit before I leave today...

PM:

I went for another run right before I left. I still felt way crappy, but I didn't want too much to do the rest of the week so I did 4.5. Bill said at least 20 or 25 minutes. Yeah it took me longer than that. 

Girls camp! So we were supposed to go on a "hike" in the morning at like 9ish (it wasn't even a hike it was a walk down the mountain about a quarter mile and back up), so we were still stuck with the get up early to go for a run thing. People were complaining that waking up at 9 was horrible, but it really isn't. It's more like a luxury. Wake up around 6:30-7ish and RUN for a few hours: who does that? Oh yeah, me. 

Anyway, Natalie dragged me out of bed at 7 and we went for our run. We went down the pathway thing, then when we were by the lodge thing we went up the canyon for like 4 miles maybe. I don't know I just followed Natalie. My watch didn't charge properly so I had no idea how far up we went. It was so much steeper than either of us thought it would be. For us, hill week was 5 days. I started to fall off of Natalie, but she was nice enough to wait for me around guardsman pass I think it was. Then we decided to go up the canyon a bit farther to avoid the super steep hill on the way back. But of course she still goes so fast and I fall off of her yet again. But what can I say? I was chasing a state champ. She was nice enough to wait for me again at silver lake. We decided to go around it, and it was so pretty!!! Finally it was downhill, except it was steep so I was still having a hard time keeping up with Natalie, in fact an even harder time. At first I could, then 1 of 3 things happened:

1) I slowed down

2) she sped up

3) both of those things

Either way I was running by myself. :/ But that's okay I found it entertaining to see all of the cars swerving when they came by me :) 

So today I was lazy, so I waited all day to go running so I didn't have to run in the heat. I got home from girls camp at like 11:30, so I guess I could've gone then but I wasn't in the mood. So I wasted a bunch of time watching TV, then I realized that I had to go somewhere tonight! So I was on a time frame, and immediately went for a run. It was so hot!! I was going pretty fast too because I needed to reach my mileage. I'd say this was a good run. 9 miles