Back in the saddle?

Today's run was OK.  I have struggled this week, because work has been so crazy.  In fact, it took over 4 miles this morning to get work thoughts out of my head!  I didn't go to Texas.  I found out I wasn't going as I was on my way to the airport.

Total time was 1:13:47 (I think).  My average pace was 9:47.  Mile 1 was about 10:00, and I gradually picked up the pace every mile to end at 9:24.  I didn't do that on purpose.  Well, maybe I did a little bit, because I wanted to get home and not be late for work.  But I felt pretty good, for the most part.

It was overcast, so the weather was pretty nice.  I hope it's overcast tomorrow morning too!

PM-goals for August:

I have had a few less than stellar weeks of running.  This month is crucial for St. George training.  My goal is to miss no more than one day of running, hit 50 miles per week a few times, and NO weeks less than 40 miles!  Oh yeah, and lose more weight.  :-)

This 16-miler was a lot better than the last one.  I ran with friends, from a friend's house, and he was kind enough to drive the route and set out frozen water bottles for us along the way.  We did two different out-and-back courses from his house.  We had beautitful scenery, and it was a great change of pace.  The first 8 miles were pretty hilly.  We ran up into the foothills of Mummy Mountain and over to the other side and back.  We had a pit stop at his house for cold water, and then did another flat 8-mile loop.

It got hot toward the end, of course, but I was able to finish strong, unlike last week.  Our average pace was 9:54, which I thought was pretty good, especially given the hills.  Average for the second eight miles was probably under 9:50.  My Garmin is in the other room, and I'm too tired to go get it.  :-)  My last mile, in 90 degrees, was 9:17.

Afterwards, we cooled off in our host's pool (I went off the diving board!).  Then he made us breakfast!

Then I came home and had an ice bath with TWO bags of ice!  I read an article in Running Times about how we need to learn to embrace pain to improve.  I am always good at doing that on long runs (that's probably why I run only marathons and half marathons!), but I need to work on welcoming the pain in tempo runs.  Bring it on!

I had a great run, and now it's time for a nap!

Today was a blah day.  It was overcast and cool, though-probably well under 80 degrees!  My legs felt beat up, and I had some aches and pains here and there.  The right side of my lower back is really bothering me.  My average pace was 9:55.  After a mental inventory, I realized yesterday was another day of very few carbs.

Yesterday my heel bothered me most of the day.  It was hurting in the same area where my husband's hurts him, and he was recently diagnosed with plantar fasciitis.  His heel is better, but now he thinks he might have a stress fracture.  I read up on plantar fasciitis and realized I have done several things I shouldn't: I ran 16 miles on asphalt on concrete on Saturday, and I ran after wearing heels all day a few times last week.  Then I wore shoes with wooden soles yesterday.  So, no more long runs on asphalt, and today I brought my speedo shower shoes to work.

My motivation is lagging a little bit right now.  I think it's a combination of work stress and a lack of improvement with my average pace.  I will try to do a tempo run this week to gauge my fitness and, hopefully, increase my motivation!  I am VERY thankful for this blog, because it will make me not quit!

The plan was 7 miles, including a long hill.  I woke up early, hit snooze and decided I wasn't going to get up, changed my mind, and got up to get dressed.  Small victory!  Then, I felt a stabbing pain in the ball of my foot.  I tried to stretch it, to no avail.  I am so paranoid about getting injured that I just went back to bed.  Now, at 11:00, it feels better, although I have worn shower shoes to work the past two days.

My husband probably has a stress fracture brought on by plantar fasciitis, so I am freaking myself out too.  How do you know if pain is bad enough to skip a run?  I know the worst thing for pf is to keep running on it.

I won't make it out tonight because I have plans.  Sigh...

I did a tempo/hill run at dusk.  I ran on the canal for .72 miles, then through the neighborhood at Granada Park, across Lincoln, and up Squaw Peak Parkway to the end of the road.  From .72 to 2.73 was uphill, including some BIG uphil, and then downhill from 2.73 to 4.73.  My splits were 9:25 (felt very easy, beginning of slight uphill), 9:46 (more uphill, and had to stop at a traffic light), 9:58 (MAJOR uphill, and then turnaround, .25 mile downhill), 8:05 (felt great), and 8:45 (.27 was barely a shuffle at the end).  For the last .75, I was probably closer to 7:30-7:45 range.  I got a major cramp toward the end, but I made it!

My cooldown was very short, and I walked back to my car.  My foot was already hurting by then.  :-(  Total time was 47:03, average 9:13.

I haven't been too consistent lately, which bothers me.  Part of it is injury paranoia, and part of it is work overload.  I'm hoping next week will set me back on track.

Although I ran fewer miles than I wanted to, I feel good about today's run.  I hope my legs agree in the morning!

No running yet today, but another HUGE milestone!  My weight is below 140 for the first time in almost 2 years!  The needle is just barely under 140, so I probably weigh 139.9 or something.  Now the real challenge: keep the scale there next week while eating lobster rolls!

I feel OK after last night's hill/tempo run.  I had some arch pain, and my left knee hurts a little.  Mainly I am just exhausted! 

A blah run.  I felt fine for the first 5 miles or so and then I really had to slow down.  I was really struggling by the end.  My legs felt really tired, like I had run a tempo run last night instead of two nights ago.  This stress is really taking a toll.  I think I am going to post some questions about it on the message board.

We got some SERIOUS rain last night, so there were puddles and fallen tree branches everywhere.  It was an extra workout to dodge everything!  It was pleasant out, though: probably in the mid-70s or so.

I chopped my hair off the other day (about 8-9 inches).  It's too short to pull back, and my hat is already packed, so I just tucked it behind my ears and went.  Because of the humidity, I looked like a giant frizz ball when I got home!  It was hilarious!  What do you short-haired women do with your hair when you don't have a hat?

Our flight leaves this afternoon.  I am SOOOO ready for a vacation!

Oh, heaven! We are at the beach in Connecticut, and I ran along the ocean and harbor today. I ran in the middle of the day and was only a little warm. It is humid, but not overwhelmingly so. I ran a similar route to last year when I was here. But today I found a new private beach that I had only seen from the water last year when we were kayaking. I'm pretty sure that I won't be allowed on that private beach, though.

The only downside to running here is that it's all concrete/asphalt. The beach was definitely too crowded today, and there are no long stretches of beach. My heel is really bothering me, so I hope it holds up OK. It was only a little tender until my husband started pressing on my heel to find the tender spot,and it has been throbbing ever since (I'm not blaming him. :-) ) There is a 5 mile race tomorrow in the next town, but I don't know where. If I can figure it out, I'll go run it.

We just finished an amazing dinner of mussels, roasted clams, littlenecks, corn on the cob, grilled chicken, grilled lettuce, and skirt steak. We ate outside by the beach. I only had a tiny bit of steak. Not the best pre-race dinner, but it was 100% enjoyable!

What a run!  We went to Newport, RI today (mom, husband, and I) and had a great time.  We walked a lot, and my heel was hurting, so I was a little apprehensive about running.  The pain went away, though.

I ran along the beach at dusk.  It was so beautiful and very cool out.  I did 5.4 easy miles at about 9:30 ish pace (9:22, 9:41, 9:35, 9:26, 9:23), ran in and got the camera, and went back out.  The lighting was perfect for pictures and I wanted  to get some good ones.  I stopped several times between 5.4 and 6 for pictures, and then I just kept going faster and faster to get to the next  few beaches before the sun went down.  I got some killer pictures that will be framed in our house! 

Then it really started raining.  I didn't think running by the water with a metal camera was the smartest thing to do, so I hauled back home.  My last couple of splits were  8:53, 8:35, and 8:51 (.4).  The pace felt good, like I could hold it for longer than a half marathon.

My knees ache a little bit.  Time to chill!  What a great day...

Long, hilly run and bike ride.  Very beautiful, rode 14.05 miles on the cruiser bike and ran 3.25 in the middle, got lost in the woods, but I'm not going to retype the whole entry again.  Lots of fun...

I am SICK with a horrible sore throat.  I caught it from my husband.  I got up at 4:25 for a planned 12-mile downhill run, drove to my friend's house, and it just wasn't happening.  I came home and slept for another 2 hours for my grand total sleep of about 4 hours.  I feel AWFUL.  With my recent slacking and now this, St. George isn't looking too good.  I was sick with a stomach bug earlier this week.  :-(

I have to go in to work today, and tonight is the Dave Matthews Band concert!  We have great seats, and I'll go on a stretcher if I have to.  He is my fave!  This will not bode well for a quick recovery, but I'll have a great time!

Ugh.  I am still sick.  But, the Dave Matthews concert was awesome!  I know if I could have some down time I would feel better.  But that's just not an option with my work schedule this week.  I haven't been able to sleep, either.

When it rains, it pours.  As if being sick for several days isn't bad enough, we got in a car wreck yesterday!  We got rear-ended pretty hard, but there was no damage to our car, amazingly!  my neck is a little stiff today, but that's it.  I just have to laugh about it now.

St. George seems to be more and more of a pipe dream now.  I'll have to reassess after I get over this sickness.  Blah...

STILL SICK!!!!  Arrgghhhh.....

Good news, though: I am able to sleep in.  I slept in today, which helped.  Also, I got some big work commitments moved, so it cuts down on my workload for the week.

Can anyone spare me some extra miles for St. George?  :-)

Feeling better...I might even be able to run tomorrow!