Each Day Is a Gift

Bull river trail west with Eric. First run at home. Cloudy sky calm. temp 50s? Rained last night so humidity feels good. Slow conversational run. Got a bit winded running uphill so walked at the top. 6 miles TT:1:03:44. I need to loose this 10 lbs that I have gained on my mission!!!

Good to be home in familiar surrounding. However there is lots of construction going on, the field on center street is fenced off and is being prepared for construction of a new high school. Three stories high condo or apartment on the west side of center street. A business building, Traverse Ridge Center being built next to the bull river parkway. Exactware is up with other IT type campus also going up on the north side of Timp Hwy. I have mixed feelings about this rapid growth and loss of the natural beauty of the Lehi north bench.

Going to take a nap now before heading to IMC to receive my love from the JetCare team!

Same route as yesterday.

Met Eric at 1200 E on his return from running 8 miles to Highland on the Murdock Canal Trail. We ran up Suncrest Rd and turn east to get in a church for a drink. Eric had not had anything to eat or drink and we're at his mile 11.5 and my 3.5, so it was good thing someone was cleaning the building and let us in. He was pretty depleted on our return so he peeled off at 600 E to go home for 15 miles and I continued west to Center St for 7.25 total miles. This was the longest I've run since UVM last year. I walked quite a bit on the uphill. If it weren't for Eric running along side I would've walked a lot more. Gonna miss running with him...he goes home this afternoon. It has been so nice having him help me when he flew to Australia last week to be with us, and flew home with me on Wednesday, a day before Pres. Was medic-jetted to IMC. He and David have really lightened my burden. I am so blessed to have such wonderful children. :)

Jogged with Karen and Wendy

My Garmin's battery doesn't last any more so I am guessing my mileage. Walked jogged with Wendy.

Lowell got me an entry to the Ogden Half from the RD whom he's well acquainted with.  I would only do it if hubby was still in the hospital.  On Thursday, the doctor said that he'd still need to be in the hospital till next week.  So hubby insisted that I go and enjoy running with Lowell who was running the Full and I would wait for him at the Half start.

Drove to Lowell's son, Jason's house in downtown SL to drop off my car and he drove me up to Eden.  We left his house at 7:30.  RAD had given me the map and driving direction for the alternate route to Eden.  Between the map, my iPhone GPS and Jason's car's GPS, we only had to make couple of adjustments and U-turns.  Got to Eden Park at exactly 9am when Lowell called to say he's at mile 11.  Perfect! That gave me enough time to use the PoP and grab a gu, a piece of banana and water/gatorade, retie my shoes, cheer on the marathoners.

The Full started at 7:15 and the Half started at 6:45.  Lowell got there around 9:20.  He put the timing chip on my shoe while I put on the bib, not sure if the chip does any good since they probably already pulled up the half start mat.  We took a few pictures with father and son, and off we went.  Wendy loaned me her Garmin so I started it when we crossed the timing mat. 

Saw Rachelle and gave her a quick hug, she probably didn't recognize me!  But she was cheering just as enthusiastically as if we were her best buddies.  I started to feel winded and asthma coming on, so I took my inhaler, and the breathing was fine the rest of the run.  We were going to do the 4:1 thing since the most I've run was 7 miles last Sat. and am in no shape to run a half marathon.  But, we ended up walking through all the aid stations or stopped all together to take pictures.  We chatted and joked with fellow runners.   A lady in red singlet turned and said:  "Is that you, Susanna?  I recognize your voice!"  yes, she's my former neighbor from the early 80s.  It was awesome to see her again after 30+ years! 

We had a ton of fun running along and leap-frogging with the same people, we called out to them naming them based on colors of their tops or logos on their backs: gold and green girls, the ImPossible twins, pink ladies, red robyn, orange cutie....  At the uphill portion, a 24 yo girl was in quite a bit of pain having a side stitch and  abdominal pain. She was in tears.  So Lowell and I showed her how to do the deep abdominal breathing and we ran/walked with her for about half a mile then we took off.  She passed us just before turning onto Grant St. and said: "It works!!!  Thanks you!"  We shared our sun-screen with an older gentleman from St. George.  We took pictures for those who wanted a picture of themesleves and the waterfall.  We picked up some disgarded gloves, and fuel belt bottles which took up a bunch of minutes in trying to fasten them to my belt.  I ended on putting it in my short pocket...I'd do anything for Lowell!  :)

We passed the 4:45 pacer at mile 23.  Legs felt fine thru the canyon miles, but started to tire in the parkway.  Then wham!!! As soon as I got on the road out of the parkway, my nemesis aka "Ogden cramps" started attacking, first in the lower calves, then the shins then upper calfves behind the knees, then the entire lower legs.  I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, fighting off charlie horse, praying that I would get to the finish before the muscles ceased up on me, it was painful.  It felt as if I was at mile 25 or 26, struggling with the other marathoners.  But sadly I was only doing a Half, that is what I had expected for not having trained and have not run for nearly a year.  Lowell was running with the Mpossible boys abou 30 seconds ahead and would look back to make sure I hadn't collapsed.  I urged him to go on ahead and beat his Boston's time but he refused to leave me.  We held hands across the barricade that separated the Marathoners and Halfers all the way to the finish. I forgot to stop the Garmin until I walked over to the mist tent.  It showed my time at 2:36:39 and mileage at 13.31.   The official time on the website is 5:17:xx probably because when I started the timing mat for the half was aready shut off so it just take in clock time of start at 6:45 and finish at 12:02.  I'd say a 5:17 half is quite a PR! :)

RAD and Marcie waited for us at the finisher corral.  It was so great to hug them.  I immediately asked RAD if Toby got her BQ and was so sad and bummed for her.  RAD made sure I got all the post-race nourishment.  We took some pictures.  We didn't linger too long as Lowell had to check out of Motel 6 clear over at Riverdale.  He took me back to Jason's.  I made it back to the hospital around 2pm and was very happy and satisfied!!! :)  It feels so good to be back in the running world again! :) :) :)

Walked, jogged with Wendy.

Walked, jogged with Wendy.  Busy day.  Brought hubby home from hospital tonight.

Walked jogged with Karen & Wendy.

Within running the first quarter mile, I lost my footing at the edge of the sidewalk/planter strip, my left ankle twisted, then fell down superman style.  Both palms, knees and left elbow got some road burn, the right knee got a tiny cut.  Met up with Karen and Leslie and decided to walk around the block for 2 miles since Karen had a bike accident few days before and hurt her ribs.

Sat through most of the day in dialysis.  When I got home in the late afernoon, I started cooking something for hubby to eat.  The right knee started to hurt.  I removed the jeans and saw a goose egg size lump on the left side of the knee cap.  The swelling was quite diffuse over the entire knee.  Painful to bend or bear weight.  I ice it the rest of the evening.
 

Knee is swollen and pain with ROM.  No running.

No running.  Dialysis day.  Knee pain subsided.  Knee still swollen and stiff.

Swelling in knee is gone and no pain so I went for a run to test it.  Ran west to Center Street and on Murdock Canal Trail to the bathroom/drinking fountain at mile marker 17.25, got a drink; then turned back east to mile marker 15.5 and down trail access to 600 E.  I estimated mileage to be 5+ miles.  Knee felt fine, it was a nice easy run. 

Today is day 1 of my 18 weeks training for SGM. :)  I am slow these days; but not going to worry about it.  I am just very happy that I CAN run, no matter how slow! :)

Jogged up to MC trail and got a text from Karen just as I passed Jimmy John's so ran back to meet her at her house.  We ran thru the new neighborhood up onto MC trail to bathroom/drinking fountain.  Drank then turned back and when we reached tunnet at Center St. we walked to 600E trail access then south back to 2600 N then west to her house.  I ran from her house back to my house.  The chatting is as therapeutic as the jog/walk! :)
 

Ran 2 with Wendy to meet Karen.  Ran 1 with both then we walked 2 together.  Very windy going north and west.  But much cooler than the last couple days!

Long day at dialysis, doctor's visit and CPAS...lots of sitting around.

Walked one mile with hubby in the evening! :)

Ran 2 with Wendy and we walked 2 with Karen and her mom and the two dogs (Zeus and Sky).  Fun time.  I'm so so so out of shape, it's good thing Karen is nursing her foot and Wendy is willing to go whatever! :)

First 2 by my lonesome.  Left the house at 6:40, ran east on Highland Dr to 1200E, north to 3200 North, west to 600E, south 2600 N. and reached home for exactly 2 and met Wendy at exactly 7am as planned.  Told Wendy I need to do 6 more.  She was so accomodating.  We took Zeus with us.  Ran east to access MCT on 1200 E via the 26th Ward neighborhood.  West on MCT stopping at the drinking fountains and walked to put Zeus on the leash whenever there were cyclists coming by.  The trail was pretty busy today.  Perfect running weather.

Made it home in time to fix hubby breakfast, shower and off to dialysis.  Costco in the afternoon.  Helped Jeff and Jen move in he evening.  Good to feel useful again! :)