Back in the saddle?

This was a good run today, although it was HOT!  I drank almost all of my water.  I'll have to figure out how to carry enough water with me as the weekday runs get longer.  And, I have a new iPod!  And new shoes: Asics 2130.  Gee, I feel like a new woman.

Total time was 1:08:48, a 9:49 average.  The first three miles or so were around 10:00, I think, and then I sped up.

I made risotto last night, which is HUGE, because I am the most undomestic person ever.  It is delicious, although I had to stir constantly for an hour!  And, it is too rich to eat the evening before a run, FYI.

AARRRGGHHH....couldn't get out this morning.  Have to do treadmill mileage tonight with NO iPod.  Between my husband and me, we are having problems!  He has foot pain, so he is riding the bike right now.  I have mega neck pain, which theoretically should not affect my running, but it kind of does.  I'll get it done tonight-hold me to it, people!

PM-I did it.  I ran 6 miles on the treadmill at 9:40 pace.  It was so boring!  That will teach me to get up with the alarm!  I am meeting my Saturday group for a midweek run tomorrow morning, so that will be a nice change of pace during the week.  Most of them are faster than me, so I'll probably run alone anyway.  But Paradise Bakery will await at the end!

Today ended up being a recovery run because I ran last night.  I ran with my group, or behind my group, I should say.  Another girl did a track workout last night, so the two of us ran a whopping 10:20 average.  On the way home, it was already 90 degrees at 7:00!

My neck is really bothering me these days.  It's hard to get going, but once I start running, it's OK.  It hurts all the time, though.

I think I was just tired from running twice in less than 12 hours.  I think my legs will be fine for my mile repeats tomorrow.

I got engaged 5 years ago today!

PM: one hour of yoga at the gym.  I feel nice and loose, but it was HARD!  I should do this at least once a week.

Victories and defeats.  The plan was 4 one-mile repeats at 8:15 pace or faster.  I did a 1.5-mile warmup with dynamic stretching and started the repeats.  My legs felt a little shaky from the beginning, probably from the yoga last night.

The first one was way too slow: 8:27.  I just couldn't get going.  I rested for about 2-3 minutes and started the second one.  I wanted to die within one minute.  I dug deep and finished in 8:11 and then seriously wondered if I could complete the workout.  Luckily, some fast-tempo Metallica came on my iPod and pumped me up.  I decided to try one more.  I thought my legs were going to fall off.  I finished the first half-mile in 4:02, surprisingly, but slowed down and finished the third repeat at 8:12.  Then I REALLY wanted to die (have I said that yet?!).

The mistake was trying the fourth repeat.  I started but just couldn't do it.  I basically collapsed after about a third of it.  I tried to jog home, but ended up walking most of it.

I felt much better when I got home and my husband told me I am looking thinner.  :-)

Soooo, I know it is BAD to start a repeat and not finish it.  Even with knowing I would have to come home and blog my wimpiness wasn't enough to keep me going this morning.  I always thought I was mentally tough.  I mean, I run marathons, right?  How do I get mentally tougher?  How do I know when my body really can handle it?  Maybe my body is not quite up for these tough workouts yet....hmmmm..... Any tips from you toughies?

Oh, heaven.  I am in Flagstaff where it is COOL and beautiful.  I ran with my sister and husband at Buffalo Park, where I have run many a cross country meet and where my love of running began 15 years ago.  There are sweeping views of the peaks.  My husband kind of did his own thing.  My quads were a little sore.

I ran about 10:00 pace by myself and about 11:00+ pace when running with my sister.  It felt surprisingly easy, even at 7600 feet.  I think the cool weather makes such a difference, and the effort felt about the same as it does in Phoenix.  There is one steep downhill section that is pretty short, and my pace got down to about 8:00 on that section.

At about 3.3 miles, my sister wanted to walk, so I walked with her for a while.  Then I ran another mile on my own.  Afterwards, we stopped at a local coffee shop, and I got an espresso milkshake.  Perfect end to a perfect run! 

I did it!  14 hilly miles at 7000+ feet!  All after the BIGGEST meal ever last night!  I ran the first 7.62 miles on a packed urban trail and a forest trail with my husband and took a Gu at 5 miles.  We kept the pace between about 10:10 and 10:25 during that segment.  The effort felt the same as a normal long run in Phoenix.  Then we stopped at the car, and I got out the new fuel belt.  We split up at that point because my husband wanted to run fewer miles so he wouldn't exacerbate his foot pain.  I then ran about 1.5 miles on concrete, up and down a GIANT hill to get in some good downhill.  Then I got back on the urban trail for the rest of the run. 

It started getting hot after a while, and I ran out of water and Gatorade about .5 miles from the end.  That stupid thing is going to take some getting used to!  It sloshes around and adds an extra 5 pounds.  I took another Gu at mile 10 and stopped to stretch and mess with the fuel belt at 11.7.

I slowed down a bit toward the end and really wanted to walk, but didn't.  I was surprisingly  happy to see that my average pace for the whole run was 10:25, much faster than my last long run up here, I think.  My legs are very sore now, and I'm not sure why, because I ran most of the run on a soft surface.  I hit about 43 miles this week, which seems to be my upper limit for now.  I'm looking forward to next week as a recovery week, and then increase the mileage into the mid-40s after that.

Although my average pace was much slower than normal, I'm very happy with the run.  I always have a hard time at altitude.  Yeah!